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Chapter Text

The wind howled across the desolate pathways, where the once-thriving city now lay in ruins. Airstrikes were hitting the territory and there was a large concentration of terrorist fighters converging the valley. Russian soldiers were guarding several structures to protect their precious weapons cache so they could later use it to attack the U.S Military, all under orders from their perverse leader, Makarov.

Unbeknownst to Makarov, however, Damian Wayne, most known by his peers as Demon Head, had a whole task force organized for a covert mission. Armed with bombs and detonators, the Demon Head and his teammates were ready to invade their enemy forces to destroy the Russian weaponry.

The city was a maze of danger, where every step could be their last, but Damian was not afraid. No, he was born ready. The young man bundled up in his gear as he approached the enemy’s compound, his teammates following right behind him. The buildings in the war-torn city seemed abandoned overall, but the distant sounds of gunfire and explosions echoed in his ears.

“Second missile!” Damian heard someone say from a distance.

Damian had to duck, using a ramp as cover to avoid being hurt. Above him was a helicopter spiraling out of control, nosediving into the ground like a flaming comet. More gunfire followed that, which meant that the Demon Head and his followers had to be very careful. As the dust settled, Damian cautiously pushed forward with his team to invade the first building, zooming in on the windows a few times to ensure they were clear.

To his left, Damian noticed Colin doing the same thing as he assessed his surroundings.

“I don’t see anyone.” Abuse pointed out, concerned.

“Me neither. Stay put.” The Demon Head instructed. Just because they were alone didn't mean they were safe.

Jon-El, the Demon Head’s right-hand man, nodded toward the stairs at the back of the building and asked, “Okay, ready?”

Damian nodded, “Let’s go.”

They all entered the building at the same time, slowly walking upstairs while checking all their surroundings to ensure they wouldn’t fall victim to any sneak attacks. Surprisingly, there seemed to be no one around yet. The place was awfully quiet, which couldn’t be a good sign.

At the end of the stairwell, to their right, was a partially open door. Jon, now taking the lead, ventured into the hallway ahead, moving as stealthily as possible. The lighting was dim, but they could all see how filthy the walls and the floor were. The hallway led to a series of other doors, but the hall was too narrow for more than one person to walk through, so they had to move slowly.

Undeterred, Jon-El went to the third door further down the hallway, while Demon Head and Abuse investigated the other rooms. The first door gave entrance to a room cluttered with papers, broken furniture, and, most importantly, discarded weapons with extra ammo strewn across the floor. Without hesitation, the Demon Head took some of the guns to himself. It never hurt to have extra ammo on his side. It was true that Father wasn't too fond of Damian's activities lately, but he couldn't care less about that, especially at critical moments like this.

“First deck clear!” Abuse announced to his team as he finished confiscating the other rooms.

"Yep, all clear on my end too." Jon concurred.

“We’re moving to the second floor, then,” The Demon Head said.

They headed to the second deck, which led to a closed metal door this time. Muffled shouts of Russian soldiers reached their ears, which could only mean one thing;

They were not alone.

Demon Head swung the door open and walked inside in silence, but suddenly, a burst of enemy gunfire erupted from the shadows. Bullets whizzed past them, prompting Colin and Damian to instinctively dive for cover to avoid the onslaught. Damian pressed forward again, not afraid to eliminate his opponents this time. 

Bullets continued to rain from all directions, and the sharp explosions from flashbangs disoriented everyone inside the room.

“In the doorway, in the doorway!” Colin’s urgent shout echoed through the chaos as he glanced at the enemy who was about to sneak up on them. Thankfully, Jon took care of that soldier just in time.

After long and intense minutes, the soldiers in the room were finally taken care of. With that being done, Damian signaled for his teammates to follow him to the other rooms, where even more soldiers were hiding. They still needed to find out where the Russians were keeping all their weapons cache so they could destroy them.

One of the other doors down the hallway was left wide open, and Damian knew it was a trap. Discreetly, he threw one of his flashbangs to strike fear into his enemies before attacking. His plan worked because the Russian soldiers were completely taken by surprise, giving Damian's team the advantage. Jon-El swooped in to help, and together, they cleared the whole area. 

"Nice work." Said the Demon Head, "Now we need to confiscate the third floor. Jon-El, wait by the stairs in case more soldiers come. Abuse, you're coming with me."

Jon and Colin nodded, “Ok.”

Demon Head and Abuse went back to the stairs and advanced to the third deck, which also led to several rooms. The duo had to split up to cover more ground, and as they did so, more soldiers popped out of nowhere, blazing their guns at them. Abuse, however, was too skilled to allow that to be a problem, so in a matter of seconds, he managed to knock everyone down.

Meanwhile, Damian continued investigating the other rooms, looking for any clues of where the weaponry could be, but nothing was found. The next plan was to invade the second building that was near them, but things started getting worse as the sounds of gunshots intensified.

"Shit, I'm hit! I need to heal!" Damian overheard Colin scream.

Worried, Damian rushed out of the empty room he was in just to find an army of Russian soldiers shooting at Colin and throwing grenades at him by the stairwell. 

"There's stim packs in the office room, go! I'll cover for you!"

"Thanks!" Exclaimed Abuse as he sprinted upstairs toward the office, each step marking a painful encounter with enemy bullets that left him with wounds along the way.

"And where the Hell is Jon? He was supposed to watch our back!" Damian yelled as he struggled to fight all the soldiers who were trying to kill him. 

As if Jon could read their minds, his voice suddenly came on the radio, “Guys, I’m on building two! I need backup!”

"Seriously?! You left without us?" Damian shouted as he resorted to his knife for close-up attacks. “You were supposed to hold your position!”

“I know, but a ton of soldiers ran up to the second building! I betcha that's where they're keeping the weapons cache!”

“Damn it, J! It’s probably a trap!”

Colin was now back, looking a lot better after injecting himself with some health serum, but he was not happy. He raged as he beat up the rest of the soldiers who were attacking them until everyone was down.  

“So much for waiting on us, Jon.” Abuse remarked.

“Tt. Yeah, you suck at this, J.”

Despite their annoyance, the Demon Head and his partner, Abuse, evacuated the building to help their other teammate. However, as soon as they stepped outside, another wave of soldiers launched at them, making things so much worse since the enemy reinforcements wouldn't stop pouring into Building II. If Jon was right and the weapons cache was being kept there all along, then he would need help, fast. The only problem was that it was practically impossible for Damian and Colin to breach the facility when they were being attacked by so many. 

“Did you guys not hear me? Backup, backup! I need backup!” Jon repeated, his voice urgent over the radio.

“We know, Jon, but we’re a little busy right now!” Damian retorted sarcastically as he was forced to face an entire army bombarding them with firearms.

They were completely surrounded, and the enemy was far from merciful. No matter where Damian and Colin turned, bullets kept flying everywhere.

“Sniper on the roof!” Abuse warned.

“Aaaghh! There’s too many of them!” Damian shouted in frustration as he fired at all the enemies around him.

"Ah, crap." Jon's voice came, "The cache is not here."

Damian was about to lose it now, his voice filled with fury, “I told you it was a trap!”

“I need to get outta here,” Jon stated, his radio voice muffled by the sounds of gunfire in the background. 

Soldiers sneaking on him up close was one thing, but what Damian couldn't stand was all the other snipers hiding out in the other buildings. He kept shooting his enemies until his gun failed on him. 

“Great, I’m out of ammo!”

Jon then managed to leave the second building, and he ran to help his friends, doing his best to neutralize as many opponents as possible on his way.

Desperate, Abuse pointed to the remnants of the helicopter that was earlier destroyed, “Quick! Hide for cover!”

The trio rushed to the broken pieces of the helicopter as the gunfire continued.

“Shooters at the wall!” Jon warned, taking down several soldiers with Abuse’s help.

Despite being injured earlier, Abuse was still good to fight, but Damian needed a little bit more time to reload all his guns.

“RPG!” Colin shouted as a rocket grenade was thrown at them.

“Shit!” Damian cursed under his breath, unable to see anything or even move.

“They’re getting closer!” Jonathan warned again.

The warfare intensified, forcing the young men to fight even harder than before.

“Dropped one!” Colin cheered.

“I iced one too!” Jon also celebrated.

With his MP 7 now loaded, Damian ran out in the Warfield, tired of being on the losing side.

“Demon Head, are you crazy?” Damian heard Abuse ask.

Stubborn as always, Damian was charging forward, striking down all the enemies who came his way. The bloodshed was massive, but Damian couldn’t hide inside a broken chopper forever. Some of the bullets did pierce through him, his blood splattering, not that he cared. He was going to end this war.

“Yep, he’s crazy,” Jonathan concluded.

Following his lead, Jon-El and Abuse joined in the fight, taking down as many people as they could. 

There was a tall building ahead of them where Demon Head was pointing, “Over there! That’s where they’re keeping all their weaponry!” 

Thankfully, there were no more soldiers around anymore. The area was clear, so they pressed forward until Jon caught a glance of a few shooters hiding in the windows.

Jon yelled out, “Get down, get down!”

Damian crouched and aimed at the snipers from the building, but to no avail. He was too far away, and his gun wasn’t good enough to take that good of a shot from that range.

“How are they even seeing us?” Jonathan asked in frustration as he attempted to strike back.

“Gotta love snipers.” Damian retorted, sarcastically.

“Abuse, are you still with us?” Jon-El asked.

“Yeah. Almost got hit again, but I’ll survive.”

A lonely and brave soldier, who was guarding the last tower, suddenly jumped on them, but Damian took the shot immediately.

“Ha! Perfect headshot.” Damian said to himself with pride.

Colin would’ve normally congratulated him for such an achievement, but he was too worried about the mysterious shooter who was hiding in the windows.

“Not him again!” Abuse exclaimed.

Colin didn’t even need to elaborate; Damian knew exactly who he was referring to. Looking up, he spotted the damned sniper who had haunted them in the past; The man who went by the name Ghost Spawn.

“Oh, I’m going to end his miserable life this time.” Declared the Demon Head.

“D, don’t!” Jon intervened, “We need to find the enemy’s cache first, remember? We're running out of time!”

“Tt, fine. Cover for me, then. I’m going in.”

Damian made entry into the third building, which was completely exposed with opened doors and windows all across the rooms. Another explosion of gunfire erupted from the inside with secret snipers shooting from faraway buildings all at the same time, catching Damian and Jon off guard.

“Abuse, take down the snipers! I need to destroy the weapons cache!”

“Roger that!”

The Demon Head fought with all his might, shooting at every single man who got in his way. They were too close to completing their mission, and he had to do his best.

Failure was not an option.

Jon had been following Damian the whole time while Colin took care of the shooters from the outside. A secluded door was ahead of them, and inside the room was the entire Russian Military's cache.

They finally made it.

The Demon Head knew the hallway leading to that room would be guarded by more soldiers, so he hurled all of his grenades first, killing many in the process. The entryway was then met with a barrage of gunfire from the few Russian survivors, but Damian succeeded in killing them as well. Once the fight was over, Damian was finally able to arm the bombs so he could finish the mission.

“Jon-El, watch my back!”

“Crap, I can't! I’m hit!”

“What? What do you mean you’re hit?” Damian asked his right man, perplexed. He was already in the middle of arming the bombs, there was no way he could stop and check on how Jon was doing.

“Shit, I’m down too.”

“Colin?! You too? Damn it, do I have to do everything around here?”

The bomb was still in the process of being armed, and Damian had to just sit there while it loaded. There was nothing else he could do, except wait.

Hurry, hurry, hurry.

If Ghost Spawn and his cowardly little buddies were still left alive, the whole operation would be ruined. The windows in the military unit room were wide open too, glasses shattered after so much fire, which meant that a sneaky sniper could appear at any second now.

Colin then shouted, “He’s right there, he’s right there!”

Damian looked up and spotted from the distance his worst nightmare; Ghost Spawn. Damian was unable to move or do anything to protect himself, and there were only a few seconds left for the bomb to finish loading. Ghost Spawn didn't care, however. The man carefully aimed directly at Damian, focusing on getting the perfect shot as tension filled the air.

Demon Head was on the verge of defending himself when suddenly, everything went black.

“Damn it!” Damian yelled, tossing his controller across the room.

“Ughh, that freaking Ghost Spawn! Hate that guy.” Colin commented from his headset.

“Guys, guys, guys, let’s just start over!” Jon suggested.

“This is our second time playing, Jon. And we keep losing.” Colin reminded them.

Damian fumed, “There is no way I’m gonna let this stupid game beat me! We’re starting over. And Jon, what the hell were you doing? You were supposed to have my back!”

“I was trying to, but I got shot!” Jon defended.

“Then do better next time!” Damian scorned.

“You really shouldn’t have gone off to that second building, J,” Collin joined the banter, “We lost a ton of health after you left.”

"Exactly!" Damian scolded, "When I say watch the stairwell, watch the damn stairwell!"

“I thought the weapons cache was at the other place, alright? Besides, we wasted soo much time on that first building. The cache wasn’t even there the first time we played!”

“Yeah, but the map keeps changing every time we reset the game, remember?” Damian remarked, beyond annoyed. “And that room wasn't even that bad. I found a bunch of gear there, and the extra ammo came in handy.”

Colin interrupted the two, “Okay, shush you two. The game’s restarting now.”

The shooting game began, and they were back to a whole different map, but with the same story plot.

Damian started saying, “I swear if I see that camper one more time–” 

"Hold up, is that him?" Colin asked, alarmed.

"No way! That's him! I’m gonna kill you now, Ghost Spawn!" Damian threatened from his headset, "Come at me!”

“Stop chasing Ghost and go back to the mission, already!” Jon lectured, “You know his team wins when we run out of time!”

“Damn it, got hit again.” Colin exclaimed, “I hate this game.”

“Damian, to your right, to your right! Never mind, I got it." Jon shouted, but he was already running towards the enemies to protect his friend. 

Aiming carefully, Jon took the shot and got a double kill simultaneously, earning some points.

“O-HOOO, did you guys see that?!!”

“That was awesome, J!” Colin cheered.

“Camper behind you!” Damian warned.

"Oohh, headshot, baby!" Jon cheered, "Thanks for the warning, D!”

"What the hell?!" Damian shouted, "Where were all these headshots when I needed you earlier?" 

The boys kept shouting and cursing until they heard a familiar voice coming from Jon’s headset…

“Jonathan Samuel Kent! Will you keep it down?!”

“Oooh, someone’s in trouble…” The Gotham boys teased.

“Ugh, you’re playing that shooting game again?” Damian and Colin heard Mrs. Kent complain, “Can’t you play something else? Something less… Violent?”

“Your mom’s right, Jon!” Damian started to tease, “You should go play a more kiddish game, like Minecraft!”

“Hey, don’t diss on Minecraft!” Jon protested.

“That’s a kid’s game, Jon.”

“It is not!”

“It really is. But it’s okay, that game is made for ten-year-olds, so it makes sense why you like them.”

“I’m not ten, I’m twelve! And even being younger than you guys, everyone thinks I’m your age because of my height! Which reminds me that I’m still taller than you, Damian!”

“No, you’re not! You’re just as tall as me, not taller. There’s a big difference!” 

Colin couldn't help but laugh at his friends. To Damian's defense, however, the kid did have a growth spurt over the summer. He wasn't as tall as his father yet, but he would get there someday. 

“Hey, honey! Is everything okay?” Clark’s voice resonated through Jonathan’s headset.

“Jon’s gaming again...” Lois responded.

Jon’s parents must have been standing right next to him because everyone could hear their conversation, “I’m trying to finish my article, but I’m starting to get a headache from all this shouting.”

“Jon,” Clark sternly called, “I think it’s time to put down your game now.”

“No way, Dad, we’re so close! We just need to finish the mission, and then it’s over!”

Lois sighed, “Can’t you go over to your friend’s house and play together, then?”

"Can't. This game doesn't have split-screen."

“Split screens?” Clark asked confusedly, “What in the world is that?”

Jon groaned, “Uugh, you guys are so old!”

“Not as old as Damian’s Grandpa.” Colin cut in for only the boys to hear, “How old is he, Dames? 780? A thousand?”

“Who even knows. He’s close to 450, I presume. But yeah, like you said. He’s old.”

A random camper suddenly appeared out of nowhere and shot Damian from behind, taking him out of the game.

“WHAT?! But I dodged that! This is BULLSHIT!”

“Master Damian!” Colin and Jon heard the very familiar voice over their headsets, “Watch your language! This is not a place for profanities!”

“Actually, a video game is a very appropriate setting for profanities, Pennyworth–”

“Then, off you go. Enough gaming for you, young sir."

“Pennyworth, don’t–!”

There was a moment of silence before Colin asked, “Did we lose Damian?”

“I think so.”

“I’m still here,” Damian said as he eyed a very displeased butler who was just waiting on him to finish the conversation before plugging off the game.

“Hey, guys?” Jon interrupted, “Looks like my parents are kicking me out of my own house."

"We're not kicking you out, Jonathan!" Mrs Kent protested.

“Same.” Damian agreed, ignoring his friend's mom. His game was soon to be turned off by Pennyworth anyway, no point in trying to argue.

"Soo, HQ, then?" Colin suggested.

"Sure." Jon shrugged, “My parents are cool with it. I even think they would prefer it. ”

“Same here.”

“And my foster family is not even home, so I’m good! Let’s go!”

Putting down their headsets, the boys got ready to head out of their homes.

Teen Titan Tower

It didn't take long for the boys to meet at the Tower, thanks to the Zeta Tube watches that Cyborg created for them. The watch only worked to get them to the tower, which was fine, better than having to fly each time. Damian was the last to arrive - would've been the first if he didn't have to listen to Pennyworth's lectures about responsibility and how Father did not approve of Damian spending so much time on games - but he was confused about why his friends were still waiting by the door and had not entered the tower yet. The boys both had puzzled looks on their faces as they stared at the security panel by the entrance.

"What's wrong?" Damian asked, making his friends jump.

"Oh, Damian! Soo... Funny thing happened, hehe..." Jon laughed nervously.

Damian arched an eyebrow, suspiciously, "What?" 

"We forgot the code." Colin finally answered.

"What? You guys forgot the code to your own HQ?"

"Yeah, well, maybe we would've remembered the code if a certain person didn't keep changing it all the time!"

"Don't be ridiculous, Jonathan."

Colin chimed in, "Damian, sorry, but you're pretty paranoid about all these security settings and passwords. Now not even we can enter the Tower, and we're all Titans here."

"I am not paranoid, this is about being cautious! And smart! May I need to remind you two about the break-in we had a few months ago?"

Colin and Jon refused to meet their friend in the eye, opting to look at the exterior walls instead. 

Jon then finally said, "No, but it'd still be nice to at least have a code we can remember!" 

"Tt. Fine, the code is 180375." Damian said as he entered the code for them, "...Which now needs to be changed again because I just said it out loud."

Jon and Colin face-palmed themselves in defeat. 

Damian waited for the panel to go from a red light to green, but nothing happened. 

"The Hell?" Damian tried the code a few more times, but the door was still locked.

"See?!" Jon started, "Not even you remember it!"

"Shut up, Jon, of course I remember the code! Someone changed it!" Damian's anger increased as he kept messing with the panel multiple times.

"Stop, you're gonna lock us out--!" Colin tried to warn, but it was too late. The panel went completely red under a 'locked-out' mode.

"Damn it!" Damian swore as he punched the panel.

A female voice then suddenly came from the panel, stating, "I changed the code, silly-goose."

"Maya!" Damian called out in anger, "I knew you were behind this! Why did you change it?"

"Because those numbers were too random! No one's gonna remember them." 

"See?" Colin pointed out, receiving an angry glare from his friend in return.

"This is unacceptable, Maya. How did you even gain access? Only I should be the one able to change the code!"

"Your security system is ridiculously easy to breach, Damian." Emiko's voice suddenly cut in. 

"Emiko?!" Damian asked, in shock, "You helped her??"

"Of course I did!" The archer confirmed, "Someone has to be able to hack the system behind your back around here. What if you go evil on us and turn the Tower into an entire weapon against us?"

"Damn, that's a good point," Damian confessed, thoughtful.

"Soo, are you gonna let us in, oor..." Jon started to say, making Maya laugh.

"Ha, ha, here you go, Superboy. I'm buzzing you guys in."

With that, the doors to the Tower unlocked. The boys got in and went straight to the main living room area, where they spent the majority of their time when they weren't training or discussing missions. Emiko had just finished a solo training session, and she was wearing her usual workout clothes; a black tank top and tight leggings. Her hair was long and tied in a ponytail, with a few strands framing her chin. Damian would be lying if he said she didn't look incredibly attractive.  

Maya, whose hair was also longer and a bit wavy, was wearing a more casual outfit, a striped t-shirt and shorts. She was the only Titan who lived in the Tower for the most part, despite having a house of her own. It was mostly because of Goliath so he could have more room to play on the tower grounds, but also because she didn't like being alone. Her mom was still nowhere to be found, and her dad was, well, dead. It was nice having friends again and not being so lonely. 

As the boys walked in the living room, they couldn't help but notice an extremely familiar paused screen on the large TV; It was the game they were playing earlier, 'Search and Conquer'.

"Uh, Maya..?" Colin was the first to ask, "Were you playing... Search and Conquer?!"

"Oh, that?" Maya said, cheerfully, "Yeah! Haha, you guys should've seen it! I've been spending the whole day roasting these losers! Hey, do you wanna hear my Russian accent? Been practicing all day: 'Vat do you mean, my friend? I am always ready for fight, da! Now, pass me Vodka!"

Maya laughed to herself while the boys stepped closer to the TV, glaring at the screen in disbelief. 

Jon connected the dots, "Wait... Are you--"

"--GHOST SPAWN???" Damian shouted, incredulous.

Maya busted out laughing, "Oh, man, this is so funny! You guys suck at this game!"

"We do not!" Damian protested in anger, "And you're a freaking camper, you coward!"

"Hey, my team won, did it not?" Maya laughed before clearing her throat to go back to her accent, 'In Soviet Russia, bullet dodges you!"

Even Emiko had to laugh at that, as silly as the joke was. The boys, on the other hand, were too shocked to enjoy any of that. 

"Dude, that's not funny--" Colin shook his head, still in disbelief at the discovery.

Maya couldn't stop laughing, though, "And what were those usernames?? Do you boys want the whole online world to know who you are?"

"Demon Head is an excellent username!" Damian disputed.

"Demon Head?!" Emiko asked, in shock, "That's the name you chose, really?"

"Oh, Jon's is worse!" Maya tapped Emi's shoulder, still laughing, "His username is Jon-El!"

"You're kidding!" Emiko exclaimed, too entertained by the whole thing. 

"Hey, at least it didn't have the hyphen!" Jon defended.

"Nah, it's a little on the nose, Jon," Colin admitted to his friend.

"As if yours is any better!" Jon argued back, making Emiko afraid of knowing what name Colin had chosen.

"Oh, please don't tell me..!" Emiko cringed but in a playful way. 

"He used the name Abuse!" Maya gave out, breaking out into more laughter.

"Oh, wow!" Emi shook her head, chuckling incredulously, "That's pretty bad, you guys..."  

"What?" Colin raised his shoulders, "What's wrong with Abuse? No one even knows who I am!"

"Except for all of our bad guys..!" Maya managed to say, struggling to talk after laughing so much. 

"Well, your username sucks too!" Damian retorted, "What kind of a name is Ghost Spawn??"

"Hey, Ghost Spawn is pretty dope and original. A ghost is not seen, right? Like my codename, Nobody. Which was used by my dad, hence the Spawn part."

"Oh, wow, that is original!" Emi smiled at Maya, making her friend smile.

"Aw, thanks!"

"Tt. Regardless, you cheated, Maya. The game was practically over, it's not my fault it takes five hundred years for a bomb to load in that stupid game!"

"Yeah, and playing on the Russian's side is the easy mode," Colin added. 

"I think you boys are just bitter because my team kept winning every time!"

"What was your kill count, anyway?" Questioned Damian, refusing to accept defeat.

Maya looked up to think, "Mmm, like 20 or so."

"Ha!" Damian pointed at the girl, victorious, "That's not even that high!"

 Jon joined in, "Yeah, you weren't in the trenches like we were!"

Maya just shrugged, "Meh. Still won. That's all it matters."

"Dang snipers..." Colin mumbled, making Maya and Emi laugh again.

"Well, now that you children are done joking around, don't you think we should be tackling more serious things? Like analyzing potential missions... Or training?" Emiko shot her friends a glare, but it was a playful one, she was only pretending to be upset. She then her hand on her waist as she confidently shared, "Because unlike you lazy people, I trained today and even surpassed my goal this time."

"Really?" Damian perked up, interested.

"Yeah. 3 minutes, 72 arrows, using my recurve bow this time. Hit the targets at an 80-meter range without any trick arrows just in case I run out of those in the field when we're in actual danger. Hit the bullseye every time."

"Wow!" Damian's eyes gleamed as he walked closer to his girlfriend to squeeze her hand, "That is very impressive, Emi!"

Emiko's face immediately blushed at that, "Oh..! Thank you..."

They were still not the greatest at showing affection in front of others, but everyone knew those two were into each other.

Still thinking of Emiko's snide remark, Jon protested, "We're not lazy! What we did today was training. Sort of."

Colin crossed his arms and nodded, "Yeah, we trained and learned lots of lessons today. Like how our friends can turn out to be our enemies!" The redhead narrowed his eyes at Maya, making her chuckle.

"Tt," Damian started to scoff, "Yeah, and how Jon sucks at following orders both virtually and in the real world!"

"Hey!"

"Jon, I know what I'm doing out there, and you didn't even bother to listen! When you leave to do as you please, people get killed!"

Jon argued, "That's not true, and that has never happened in real life! I do listen and we always work as a team!"

"Not always! Besides, you're always letting your guard down because you think you're invincible, but you're not!"

Maya rolled her eyes, sighing, "Here we go again..."

The fellow Titans were used to Jon and Damian arguing like an old married couple from time to time. 

"I might not be 'invincible', but I sure am invulnerable! Which is pretty much the same thing!"

"It is not!"

"--And obviously I gotta hold back," Jon cut his friend off, he wasn't finished, "otherwise I could accidentally hurt someone! You're the one who keeps telling me to have better control of my powers!"

"Yeah, but do you listen?" Damian continued, "No! You haven't even worked on your freeze breath!"

"Because I can't do that yet!" Jon's voice rose, defensively, "I can't force my powers to come, it gotta happen naturally! Did you know it took years for my dad to master his freeze breath?"

"Guys..." Colin started to say, but he was ignored.

"Yeah, but at least your dad knew he had freeze-breath powers. You can't even blow out a candle right."

"That's it, I'm gonna fry your hair until you're bald!" Jon shouted as his eyes started to glow. 

"Go ahead, farm boy!" Damian challenged with open arms, ready for his friend's heat vision, "I'm not scared of a little haircut! You'll probably miss it, anyway!" 

"Aallriight!" Maya jumped in the middle of those two, extending her arms to break the tension between them, "Guys! We're all friends here, no need to start a fight! We were just joking around a second ago!" 

Emiko also stepped in, pushing Damian aside, "Damian, chill! What has gone into you?"

"...Sorry. Guess I'm still mad at the game..." Damian looked down before facing his best friend, "Sorry about that, J." 

 Jon shot his friend a brief smile and dismissed the incident by saying, "No problem, D. I'm sorry for what I did too."

"Alright, now how about we all relax and watch a movie, huh?" Colin proposed, retrieving three DVDs from the TV stand drawer. "Oh, or we could watch the new thriller TV series that just came out!"

"Ehh, not really in the mood to watch a TV show right now, to be honest..." Jon confessed, unenthusiastically.

Damian nodded next to his best friend, "Same."

"Ugh, all you've got is action-packed again?" Emiko groaned upon noticing the movies that Colin was holding.

"What's wrong with action-packed movies?" Colin asked innocently.

Maya turned to her friend, confused, "Yeah, since when you don't like action?" 

Emiko sighed, "Don't get me wrong, action movies are great and all, but I'd like something calmer for a change."

"Disney movies are calm!" Maya suggested cheerfully, making Emiko want to gag.

"Ah, geez." Emiko cringed.

"They're not too bad." Colin gave a casual shrug, "We could always watch Pirates of the Caribbean or another classic like that." 

Damian shook his head and emphasized slowly, "No. Hard. Pass."

Jon then leaned closer to his friend and whispered, "I betcha if Dick was here, he'd be voting for Disney!"

Damian's face broke into a wide smile, "Ha, I wouldn't doubt it for a second. He watches Disney movies more than his own daughter!"

Jon laughed at that while the others bickered over movie choices. Eventually, they all came to an agreement to watch a newer movie that was recently released, which had a mixture of comedy, action, and mystery that would make everyone happy. The Titans were finally relaxed, laughing during the humorous scenes, and playfully guessing who the real killer of the story was.

As the narrative approached its climax, they started to tense up. Emiko even held Damian's arm a little tighter, anxious to see what was going to happen next, when the TV screen suddenly blared with a loud incoming call that came out of nowhere. 

"Rob--Robin--"

The Titans tensed up, scooching closer to the screen in an attempt to hear the call better.

A message then appeared requesting to have the audio call turn into a video instead, prompting Damian to rush Maya, "Hurry, accept the call!"

"I am!" Maya urgently tapped the button to expand the video screen. In the video, was a Middle-Eastern kid, the same age as Damian, sporting a closely shaved hairstyle. Despite the panic in his voice, there was a tinge of bravery in the kid's brown eyes. His voice and face looked awfully familiar, but Damian couldn't quite remember where he knew him from. 

"Robin-- Robin of Gotham-! Al-Musa'ada! Al-Musa'ada!"

Damian's adrenaline started rising as he recognized what the boy on the other line was saying. 

نحن نحتاج مساعدتك! سيحدث الانقلاب قريبا!"

Emiko turned to her boyfriend, "Robin..? What is he saying??"

Damian didn't respond, however, his widened eyes were too glued to the screen to pay attention to anything else. His heart started pounding as he slowly started to recognize who the kid was.

"Man 'anta?" Damian questioned, making the others wonder what was going on. 

"Ekram! Min kuliktif! 'ant 'anqadht hayati! Ana--hum sawf yak--htatifun"

"The call is breaking up!" Damian shouted, desperately, "Ekram, speak slower!"

"The prince-- Coup d'etat!-- They're going to attack the prince-! We need your help--"

And just like that, the call was dropped.

The room went dead silent as everyone stared at Damian, waiting for an explanation. The Boy Wonder froze for a moment, trying to process what he had just heard.

Emiko cocked her head as she asked, "...What the heck was that all about?" 

"Yeah, what just happened?" Jon also inquired. 

Meanwhile, Damian's heart was pounding. He couldn't let Ekram down, not like he did last time. 

Without any explanation, Damian got up from the couch and turned around, leaving everyone behind as he headed to the garage to get on his jet. The Titans immediately ran after him, clearly dissatisfied with the lack of answers. 

"Damian, where are you going?" Emiko demanded to know, rushing to catch up to him.

Jon swiftly used his super speed to stand in front of his friend, making him halt with his outstretched hand. Damian almost fell from the impact, but Jon didn't care. "Hey. You can't just walk away and leave us guessing like that. Talk to us."

Damian straightened himself and replied, "I'd love to explain, but I don't have much time, Jon."

Having caught up to everyone, Colin also asked, "What prince is being attacked? What is going on, Damian?"

Angry, Emiko narrowed her eyes at her boyfriend, "Damian, don't you dare get on that jet without explaining yourself. And you know we're coming with you, so you better start talking now."

Maya nodded, "Yeah, you can't just take a super juicy mission all for yourself!"

Damian let out an angry sigh at everyone, "Ugh, FINE! Ekram is a Leviathan survivor - my father and I rescued him years ago. He's been living in Qurac for several years now, and he currently works for the Royal Family, but apparently, someone is trying to take over the throne."

"I got the coup d'etat part." Emiko said, arms still crossed, "But how do you know anything about that kid?"

"We kept in contact over the years." Damian confessed, "Not a whole lot, but I know of his whereabouts, thanks to the files on the Batcomputer. He's a good kid, Ekram. He's lost too many people in his life, and if he's this worried about the prince's safety, then we should be worried too."

"Sure, but how is that our business?" Emiko asked, worried, "Sorry, Robin, I understand the kid is your friend, but we'll be stepping into a political zone if we intervene. You know Qurac has always been a messy country."

"Yeah, but things have significantly improved since the King implemented new changes in the country." Damian explained, "They even offered Ekram a place to work, and he's happy there. If someone is trying to overtake the throne and hurt the Royal Family, then it is my job to stop them!"

Maya stepped in, "Aham, you mean our job."

Emiko shook her head, "I don't know, Dames. The United Nations is on our side, and those types of countries want the Justice League and the likes to stay faar away from them. We don't want to accidentally start a war just because we showed up. What to us may seem heroic, to them it'll be seen as invasive."

"I understand why you think this way, Emi, but  we're not the Justice League." Damian reminded, "We're the Teen Titans, and we're not globally known like the Justice League is. We take the minor cases, the easy ones that no one cares about. The people in Qrac won't even know who we are if they see us."

"...We're Nobody to them." Maya stated with a smile, "Sounds good to me. We go in, save the Royal Family, leave. Doesn't sound too bad of a mission."

"Guys... If this leads to an international conflict, we're screwed." The archer insisted, "Don't you think we should stay out of this case this time?"

Damian shook his head, determined, "I can't. Ekram is my friend, and he called directly for me.  I have to take this mission."

"Ok, but you don't have to do it alone," Maya added with a sweet smile.

"Exactly," Colin pounded his fists together with his absurdly large hands. He was getting a lot better control over his powers, so now he could randomly change different parts of his body in his Abuse form to then change it back to normal as he pleased. "Better take the bigger jet cuz we're coming too."

Damian looked at his team and pondered. Years ago, he would never have imagined himself having a whole group of friends willing to fight by his side for what was right, yet there he was, surrounded by amazing people whom he cared about. The mission was going to be dangerous, Damian was sure of it. He barely even knew where to start, but he knew he needed to meet with Ekram first and foremost as soon as they arrived there.

The Titans usually stayed away from other countries and even planets, leaving the old folks to take care of that, but this time things were different. They needed to bring peace to the people of Qurac and not let a corrupted organization take away the only hope that the country had to prosper.  Everyone got dressed in their hero attire. Damian then got on his Batjet, stolen from his Father, of course, and started flying it.

He wasn't just leading a simple group of teenagers, he was leading heroes.

The future. 

Chapter Text

Silence hung in the air as Robin rode the jet with his team on their way to Qurac. It wasn’t typical for the Titans to stay so quiet like that, especially with Jon and Maya on the jet. They were always pretty chatty, same with Colin, but Damian’s awfully quiet demeanor sparked a collective concern within the team.

It took long minutes of uncomfortable silence for Colin to finally speak up.

“So, um… Damian… What was the plan again?” 

“Yeah, why so quiet, Captain ‘Demon Head ’?” Teased Maya, peering over Damian’s shoulder with a playful smile, “What’s today’s strategy?”

“I’m still thinking, alright?” Snapped Damian, “Our mission is obviously to protect the King’s family first and foremost, I’m just afraid the coup has already started. If only there was a way for me to communicate with Ekram so I could at least have an idea of his status...”

Seated next to the pilot, Red Arrow leaned in closer to her boyfriend and asked, “Your mask has access to the Batcomputer files, right? Can’t you find his phone number or something and locate him?”

“Already tried,” Robin responded coldly, “He probably got rid of anything that could trace him. Ekram’s smart, he wouldn’t want to run the risk of being found while trying to reach me.”

“Well, but in the meantime, we can still talk about our positions, right?” Jon suggested, his voice brimming with his usual positivity, “Like, who’s gonna go in first, if we’ll be splitting up, that type of thing. Besides, I got superhearing and supervision. I’m sure I can find your friend and the Royal Family in no time!”

“Your supervision sucks, Jon.” Robin insulted, “And anytime I ask you to use your superhearing, you tell me it’s too hard to focus.”

Jon got up from his seat and angrily bopped his friend in the head, “Will you stop with that? My supervision does not suck, and I can use my superhearing just fine! Especially in times of crisis like these.”

“Alright, alright.” Damian apologized, “Sorry.”

Maya looked over to Colin and raised her eyebrows, “An apology from Mister Rude? That’s new!”

Colin whispered back to Nobody, “I told you he’s getting better.”

“I can hear you!” Robin complained, making the two friends giggle.

Another moment of silence permeated the air. Colin, Jon, and Maya decided to go to the back of the jet to grab some snacks since they were all getting hungry, leaving Damian and Emiko alone in the front.

Taking advantage of their privacy, Emiko leaned over again and whispered, “Psst. Damian, what’s wrong?

“Nothing, Emi.”

“Oh, there’s definitely something wrong. I understand there are a lot of unknowns this time, and that we really need to rush so we can save the King on time, but you never not have a plan, even in last-minute missions like these. You seem… Distraught .”

Damian hated how Emiko could read him so well sometimes.

Robin looked down and paused before letting out, “...I can’t fail him again, Emiko.”

“That friend of yours, Ekram? How did you fail him before, exactly?”

The jet was set on autopilot, so Damian still didn’t look up as he explained, “Years ago, Ekram led a group called ‘Kollectic ’, a group of survivors who escaped from Leviathan. My father and I were trying to keep them safe, but I brought death to them. Heretic killed most of Ekram’s friends all because he placed a tracker on me and led us to a trap. The worst part is that to this day, Ekram blames himself for his friends’ deaths when it was my fault all along.”

Red Arrow frowned, “It’s neither one of your faults for what happened, the only one to blame is Heretic. He was evil, you know that. But we don’t have to worry about him any longer, he’s plenty busy dealing with the Devil himself.”

“Sure, Heretic was evil, but he was just following orders. All he wanted was to be accepted and loved by my mother. My aunt Nyssa lied to him. Everyone in his life lied and manipulated him, just like they did to me.”

The archer snapped, catching her boyfriend off guard, “Will you stop having all this compassion for people who don’t deserve it, Damian?”

Damian blinked at his girlfriend, not sure what to think. His masked eyes then darkened, and his voice had a stern tone now, “Everyone deserves a second chance, Emiko,”

“Of course, but did Heretic take the second chance when you offered to him? No, he still tried to kill you. I was there, I saw the whole thing.” Emiko gave an exasperated sigh, “Look, you always see the redeemable side in people, and I love that about you, Dames, I really do. But you can’t keep blaming yourself for other people’s actions. People get hurt, it’s part of life.”

Damian shook his head in denial, “It’s my fault Ekram’s friends are dead. I won't fail him again. If we arrive at the palace today and we’re too late, I–”

“Then we’re too late. We’ll do everything we can to save as many people as possible, but if we get there and some lives are already taken, then there’s not much we can do. Not even Superman can save everyone, how do you expect us to do better than him?”

“Because we are better than Superman. No matter what Jon says.”

That made Emiko chuckle. It’s been a while since she smiled since this whole trip started. “Okay, fair, but you still need to stop taking the weight of the world on your shoulders, Boy Wonder. I’m sure you learned that from your dad, but even you bat boys need to take it easy sometimes. Everything is going to work out, and if it doesn’t, just remember we did our best.”

“ Tt. It’s not really our best if lives are lost in the process.” Damian muttered under his breath, but loud enough for Emiko to hear it.

On the verge of losing all her patience, the archer shifted her seat to face her boyfriend, compelling Robin to look right at her as she snapped, "Why are you so stubborn? Damian, do you know why Ekram came to you for help? Because he sees you as a hero. And that's what you are, whether you like it or not. It takes a true hero to see past someone’s crimes and still forgive them. Even after someone causes you pain, like Heretic, you're still willing to help them, and that is not a quality many people have. I'm sure your friend sees that in you. I know I see that in you."

Robin was quiet, taking in every word Emiko just said. 

In the meantime, she straightened in her seat and continued, her voice a lot calmer now, "Despite all the jokes thrown around here, everyone on this team looks up to you, Dames. So, when you're ready, and I know you will be, go ahead and tell us what plan you have in mind so we can rescue the Royal Family. I know we will succeed in one way or another. We’re the Teen Titans, after all.”

Emiko flashed a warm smile that made Damian blush. He still had nothing to say to all of that, but he was truly grateful for having someone by his side. It was great to have a reminder now and then that he wasn’t as inadequate a leader as he often feared.

They were almost there now, with only half an hour left to their destination, so Robin kept the jet on autopilot and stood up to finally talk to his team. All his friends were seated in the back, except for Emiko, who was still in the front.

Robin cleared his throat to gain everyone's attention and announced, "Alright, it's time to discuss the plan."

"Wohoo, finally!" Maya cheered in her seat.

Maya was in a good mood, it seemed, so Damian addressed her first, "Nobody, you’ll be the first to infiltrate the Palace since you're the one with the invisibility suit. If the coup has already started, which probably has, we won't know which guards are protecting the King or the traitor, so go ahead and incapacitate anyone you see."

Maya nodded and replied with a singing voice, “You got it!”

“Superboy, you better start practicing now how to tune in your superhearing because it’s very likely there will be a lot of gunfire or even bombs being launched. Remember, this is Qurac, and anytime there is a war in that country, things get messy pretty quickly.”

Jon did a stoic stance and cheered, “Sounds like a jooob for Superboy!”

Maya and Colin chuckled, but Damian rolled his eyes instead, “Stop being campy like your dad, Jon.”

“I’m not campy!”

“You sure are!”

Emiko placed her hand on Damian's shoulder and quickly interjected, “Argue later! Back to the plan, go!”

Damian side-eyed at his girlfriend before turning his attention to Colin. “Hmpf. Alright, Abuse, while Superboy is busy locating and protecting the Royal Family, you can help knock down some soldiers. There may or may not be several of them spread all across the palace.”

Colin clenched his fists near his chest in triumph, "Yess, my favorite part!"

“But you'll have to lay low for a while, Colin. You'll bring a lot of attention when you turn, so you have to be careful. There will probably be cameras everywhere too, you can't just turn into Abuse the moment you get there if you want your identity safe."

"Aw, man..." Colin lamented.

"...Which is why Red Arrow will ensure all the cameras are destroyed." Robin smiled at Red Arrow, who reciprocated the gesture.

Colin brightened up again, "Really?! Now we're talking!"

"Just wait for my signal first." Robin instructed, "Again, the plan may change drastically, depending on how things are at the castle. If the attacks haven't happened yet, then no one needs to fight. We'll go there, take the Royal Family to a safe place, and keep them there. If it's a warzone, then well... We retaliate."

"Something tells me that the war has already started..." Red Arrow thought out loud, making everyone look at her.

"What makes you say that?" Jon asked, innocently.

Emiko shrugged, "Well, Ekram was clearly distressed when he called."

"That's true... But that's what we're here for, we're gonna save him!" Jon assured, optimistic as always, "Him and everyone else at the palace!" 

Knowing his friend well, Robin spoke again, sternly, "Remember, rescuing the Royal Family is the most crucial part of this mission. Not civilians, not innocent guards, but the King and his family only. Do you understand that, Superboy?"

"Aw, come on, Robin. We can easily save everyone else."

Robin shook his head, and Red Arrow agreed with him.

The archer advised, "If the country is already at war, we have to just accept it. None of us are really allowed in Qurac, and we can't be seen, remember? We don't want to start an international war just because we wanted to play hero."

"So we're gonna just let people die?" Jon asked in anger.

Damian walked up to his best friend, extremely serious, "Jonathan, if you're not up to the task, then go home. If you are seen, if any of us are seen and caught in the news, we're all screwed!"

Trying to ease the tension in the room, Colin kindly rested his hands on both his friends' shoulders, "Hey, let's just hope things are not too bad over there. Besides, we can still save the King and other people too, we just have to be discreet about it. Right?"

The two best friends were about to agree with Colin when they were halted by a terrifying gasp from Maya.

"What? What is it??" Robin exclaimed in fear, rushing back to his pilot seat.

Everyone rushed to the front of the jet also so they could see what Maya was staring at. Her unmasked face was pale, almost matching her suit. Damian's heart was already beating a million miles an hour the moment he heard Maya gasp, but the sight of the castle from the jet made things so much worse.

Parts of the palace were already in shambles.

The castle was plunged into complete chaos. One of the turrets had been burned, with plumes of dark smoke rising into the sky, and there was crackling fire surrounding parts of the palace, painting a vivid tapestry of destruction against the grand architecture. The intricate windows from the castle were now shattered, thanks to all the gunfire, and the courtyard, adorned with lush gardens and fountains, now hosted panicked figures fleeing from the encroaching danger. Soldiers, clad in armor, were scattered across the palace, firing at all the other guards. As Damian had predicted, there was no way of knowing who was on whose side.

The sky was red amongst all the smoke.

Damian didn't even need to be out of his jet to feel the panic in the air, to hear people's screams. The situation was far worse than he had imagined, and he couldn't forgive himself for the biggest problem he faced;

They were too late.

"Damn it!" Robin couldn't contain himself as he slammed his fist into the keyboard. He then prepared the jet to land, still hating himself for not arriving sooner.

"Robin, remember what I said earlier." Emiko calmly reminded, "It's gonna be okay. If something already happened to the King, it's not your fault, okay?"

Damian, stubborn as always, refused to acknowledge his girlfriend. He knew she meant well, but that wasn't going to change anything. What if Ekram was hurt? What if the Prince had already been murdered? The one time Damian could fix his mistakes from the past and prove to his old friend that he could be counted on, he failed yet again. Ekram would never forgive him.

The Teen Titans were quiet as the jet landed in the nearest forest. Once they got out and neared the castle's grounds, Nobody went into action. Robin chose to have her enter through the back entrance, where signs of an evacuated war zone were evident. Invisible to the naked eye, Maya walked in and unlocked the back doors with her gadgets. She turned herself visible just for a couple of seconds so she could wave to her team to follow her lead before she disappeared again. The Titans followed, being extremely careful to not be seen by anyone.

Colin was the only one in his normal, civilian form, and he stood close to his teammates. Nobody was in the front, leading everyone through the empty grand halls. As they walked, the young group observed the chaotic state of the spacious hallway; Broken pieces of furniture overturned and splintered, majestic tapestries riddled with bullet holes, and carpets stained with blood. The grand columns that once stood tall and proud were now chipped, and the floor beneath them was strewn with shattered fragments from the once beautiful chandeliers that decorated the ceilings. The air itself carried a subtle undertone, tainted by the lingering scent of gunpowder.

It was unsettling to witness the whole thing, but being in a place post-war felt slightly familiar, in a way.

“You know..." Colin started to say, "Doesn't this kinda feel like the game we were playing earlier?"

"Right?!" Superboy quickly agreed, "That's exactly what I was thinking! Except this is all real..."

"Shh!" Reprimanded Robin, turning to his half-Kryptonian friend, "Superboy, do you hear anything yet? Any sign of where the King could be hiding?"

Jon was about to respond, but the sight of soldiers moving across the hallway made everyone abruptly halt. None of the soldiers walked in their direction, and it was a miracle the Titans hadn't been caught yet.

"Quick, hold my hand!" Nobody whispered to the others, reaching her hand to Red Arrow, who was standing closest to her. "I can keep us all hidden in enough time for us to find an empty room or something!"

Nodding, Red Arrow held Maya's hand and she reached her other free hand to Damian so he could also turn invisible. The whole team proceeded cautiously as they paced to the closest room to their left. As soon as they were inside, Maya quickly closed the door.

"Whew! That was close!" Nobody sighed, wiping the sweat from her forehead after turning herself visible again.

"Shh! Not so loud!" Red Arrow advised.

The room they ended up going to turned out to be one of the chamber rooms within the palace. The tapestries hung on the walls were adorned with bullet holes, and the red canopied bed was left unmade. The rugs were also stained, but no signs of death, at least. Only gunfire.

"Goodness, did they attack every single room?" Nobody exclaimed as she surveyed the aftermath of the war.

"Seems like it," Red Arrow agreed.

In the meantime, Robin walked closer to his best friend again to gain his full attention. "Ok, Superboy, focus. What do you hear?"

Jon closed his eyes tightly to gather his thoughts. As he concentrated, his head started to hurt, "Ngh... So much screaming... And shooting..."

"Can you hear Ekram?" Robin asked with urgency in his voice as he placed his hands on his friend's shoulders, "The Prince? Anyone?"

Emiko placed her hand on Damian's chest, bringing him to a halt, "If anyone should go first, it should be Superboy. He's the bulletproof one out of the group."

Jon shrugged, "Alright!" He soared over his friends and floated downstairs in front of everyone.  

Maya went back to being invisible, and the order went as Superboy first, then Maya, Robin, Red Arrow, and Colin, who was still in his normal form. Damian wasn't too happy about how things worked out, always wanting to lead the group at all times, but Emiko did not care about that. She found his grumpy expression, dare she say it, cute. The archer gave a soft giggle as she headed downstairs alongside her boyfriend.

The stone spiral stairwell was extremely narrow, and it seemed to stretch on for quite some time. It didn't help that everyone had to move as slowly and quietly as they were, but there was not much they could do. The stone walls were filled with spider webs, and Maya jumped when she saw a spider right next to her head. 

"Oh my God!" Maya gasped, almost giving her whole team a heart attack.

"Nobody!" Red Arrow hissed from the back, "What the hell?"

"Sorry!" Maya apologized, still invisible, "But did you guys not see that?"

"It's just a spider, Nobody." Robin retorted. 

Jon looked back to his team and whispered, "Shh. Keep it down, everyone."

The team proceeded to go down, and upon reaching the final steps, they were able to see what the long and narrow stairwell led to; An underground bed chamber that was cloaked in darkness. 

It was hard to see much, but the room was extremely filthy as if no one had cleaned or even been in there in years. Superboy was careful as he led the group. A stifling silence gripped the team as they surveyed the room in search of the kids who were hiding down there, but Colin had to sneeze very loudly, giving away their position.  

"Min hunaka?"  An angry voice shouted from the distance. A young Middle-Eastern teenager with shaved hair stepped out of the shadows, gun in his hands. His hand wasn't even shaking and he was not afraid to fire at the intruders.

"Woah, woah, we're not here to hurt anyone!" Superboy defended, raising his hands in surrender.

The young man didn't believe him. He started to pull the trigger, aiming his gun right at the strange boy floating around, when a familiar person stepped in, speaking in Arabic to him,

"Ekram? Is that you?" 

Ekram lowered his gun, and a wave of relief washed over him. A broad smile broke across his face as the kid dashed toward his old friend, wrapping him in a heartfelt hug.

"Robin! You came!" Ekram exclaimed, still speaking in Arabic.

"Of course I came, old friend." Robin said, returning the hug, "How are you holding up? Is the Prince okay?"

"Ah! Come on out, Rashid!" Ekram waved to someone in the back.

Turning herself back to visible, Nobody reappeared and whispered to Colin and Red Arrow, "Uhh, did anyone here bring a translator?"

"It's okay, Rashid!" Ekram repeated, still waving at what seemed to be no one. "Robin is the friend I was telling you about!"

Sheepishly, a young man with sun-kissed skin, appearing to be around 14 or 15 years of age, stepped out of the shadows. The teenager was dressed in an intricately designed white and gold robe, embellished with rich embroidery. A matching golden turban crowned his head, and the kid's complexion bore the warmth of the sun with his expressive dark eyes reflecting both wisdom and youthful energy.

The young Prince warmly greeted, "Ahlan."

Robin bowed and replied, "Ahlan, Prince Rashid."

Following along, Jon and everyone else repeated the gesture with the same greeting words.

The Prince then spoke again, still in Arabic, "It is a pleasure to meet you, Robin of Gotham. These people you brought with you... Can they be trusted?" 

Rashid cast an uneasy glance at the group, making everyone confused about what was going on. Out of everything the Prince said, all the rest of the Titans could pick up was the 'Robin of Gotham' part.

"Absolutely," Robin assured with another bow.

"I told you about them, Rashid!" Ekram interrupted, excited, "They've appeared on the news a few times. Those are Robin's followers! You live in a big T-shaped tower, right, Robin?"

Damian nodded, "You are correct."

Still confused about what was happening, Red Arrow walked closer to Damian and asked, "Robin, what are they saying?"

"They're just asking if you guys are my followers," Damian said with a devious smirk on his face.

"Followers?!" Emiko raised her voice in anger.

"We're not your followers!" Superboy protested as well.

"Ah, you're right." Damian purposefully directed to Ekram in English this time, "My mistake. These are not my followers, Ekram. They're my subordinates."

"Excuse me?" Jon spoke even louder this time, and Emiko whacked Damian upside the head.

"Ow!" Robin complained.

"That's what you get for calling us your subordinates!" Emiko replied, storming out, "The audacity!"

Ignoring his friends, Colin approached the other two boys and smiled, "Sorry, do you two speak English?"

Both the Prince and Ekram nodded.

Ekram responded with a heavy accent, "My English is a little broken, but yes."

Maya then stepped in to introduce herself, "Hi, you can call me Nobody!" The boys looked at her strangely, making Maya shrug, "Odd name, I know. My dad chose it, so you can blame him. Anyway, can you tell us what exactly happened over here? Is your family okay, your Majesty?"

The Prince gave a soft chuckle and raised his hand to stop Maya, giving her a kind smile, "Please, call me Rashid. And no, unfortunately not. My family is not well..." Rashid's once bright brown eyes now held a profound sorrow. He looked down and paused for a moment before saying, "My parents, they..."

Rashid continued to gaze at the ground, a lump forming in his throat. His chest rose and fell as he struggled to muster the strength to hold back the tears, but his body betrayed him. His voice quivered, and his eyes were teary as he uttered, "...They're dead."

Maya covered her mouth in shock, and Colin and Jon let out a small gasp. Emiko immediately looked at Damian, worried about how he would feel. It was a little hard to read him through his mask, but she could tell he was not okay with the news. Damian was quiet and serious, but cold.

"Who did this?" Robin asked sternly. 

Prince Rashid shook his head with a disconcerted look on his face, "We don't know. Ekram overheard someone conspiring a coup in the hallways, but he couldn't tell who it was. Not long after that, my father was attacked. I was in my room when it happened, but I could hear my mother's screams from the hallway..." 

Ekram continued the story for him, "Yes, then I found Rashid and took him here."

The Prince looked right at Robin, his dark eyes glistening from the tears, "My parents were good people, Robin of Gotham. They didn't deserve this. This chamber you're seeing?" Rashid gestured his hand to the somber chamber they were in, "This used to be the servants' room. My father banished this place, he said no one should ever be allowed to sleep in such a condition."

"It's true." Ekram nodded, "When Nightrunner helped me move here, I didn't have a place to go, but I was offered a job here. From day one, the King treated me like a person, not just a servant."

Rashid brought Ekram closer to him, squeezing his shoulder tenderly, "Ekram is more than a servant. He's my friend. He's my family." 

Ekram returned the smile.

Robin walked to the Prince and assured him, "We'll avenge you, Prince Rashid. We're going to bring justice to your parents and your country."

Colin concurred, "True that!"

"I'm so sorry for your loss, Prince Rashid," Jon spoke empathetically, "I'm glad that you two are safe, at least."

"All thanks to Ekram!" The Prince pointed to his friend, "He remembered the one room no one ever goes to anymore. There is no reason for anyone to suspect we are here."

"But you can't hide here forever." Red Arrow pointed out, "We need to take you two to a safer place. It's a warzone upstairs, so we have to be careful when we leave."

Rashid looked down again, ashamed, "I know. I feel like such a coward for hiding while my people suffer..."

"Don't beat yourself up, Prince Rashid," Colin kindly said, "You're doing the right thing by staying alive, your country needs you. But if anyone sees you now, they're going to come after you, so you gotta stay with us for now, okay?"

Superboy also reassured, "We'll keep you safe, your Majesty. I promise." 

Rashid barely even knew those people, but something about them, especially Superboy made him feel completely safe.

"Quick, we can take you back to my jet." Robin said, "We'll find you a place to stay far away from here."

Rashid nodded, but Ekram refused to move. "I stay here and fight. I shall find the traitor and make them pay!"

"Don't be stupid, Ekram." Robin snapped at the kid, "You're not even a trained soldier, and someone needs to watch over the Prince."

Rashid turned to his friend, squeezing Ekram's shoulder, "Don't leave me, brother. I can't lose you too."

The Boy Wonder turned his back around and waved for everyone to follow, "Quick, let's get out of here. I parked the jet behind the castle, hidden behind the trees in the forest. We'll have to go through the courtyard to get out."

The Prince hesitated for a second, but he looked at Ekram, who nodded to him in return, giving him the assurance he needed. He trailed right behind Robin, and Ekram and all the Teen Titans followed along as they headed upstairs back to the room they were originally in.

Once they finally reached the trapdoor, Damian whispered to Jon, "Superboy, do you see anyone upstairs?"

Jon's pupils went white before going back to their normal color, "Nope, we're good. All clear."

Nodding, Damian pushed the trapdoor, swinging it open. The room was indeed empty, and Jon offered his hand to help Rashid climb out of the stairs.

Red Arrow looked at her team and then asked, "Ok, so how are we gonna get out of here without being seen?" 

If this was a solo mission, things would've been beyond easy for her, but doing it with the whole crew was a whole other story, given that Jon and Colin weren't exactly the stealthy kind.

Damian turned to Maya, "Nobody, keep Prince Rashid and Ekram close to you so none of you are seen. Superboy, Abuse, please try to be quiet for once."

"What?" Superboy protested, "But we are quiet!"

Colin then added, "Yeah, Nobody was the one who was loud just a little bit ago!" 

Maya crossed her arms, accepting the challenge, "Oh, yeah? And who sneezed hecka loud, giving us away?"

"It was an accident!" Colin defended, "It's not like I can control my sneezes! Did you not see how dusty it was downstairs?"

Nobody retorted, "Oh, like me jumping at a spider was something I could control."  

Emiko shook her head, impatient with everyone arguing all the time, "Oh, please. Abuse, Robin's right. Both you and Superboy are the opposite of quiet. At least Nobody can turn invisible."

"Thank you!" Maya said, appreciative.

Ekram and the Prince widened their eyes at Maya, "You can be invisible?"

"Yeah, see?" Maya hit a button on her chest, disappearing out of everyone's sight. "Pretty cool, huh?" Her voice resonated, yet she remained unseen by all.

Superboy continued the argument, "Yeah, well, not everyone can be ninjas like you two!" 

Rashid couldn't believe what he was hearing. "You two are ninjas?"

Maya, who was already standing close to the Prince, reappeared just to say, "Yeah, and they're a ninja couple! Isn't it cute?"

Ekram had his jaw drop in shock, "Wait, you two are dating?!" 

The shaved-haired kid walked over to Damian and pushed him, but playfully, "Robin! When were you going to tell me this? I thought we were friends!"

Emiko dragged her face downwards, cringing, "Oh, God. Are we seriously talking about this now?"

"It's been years since we even talked, Ekram!" Damian protested, but he immediately went quiet as more shooting from the hallways pierced everyone's ears. 

Colin stated the obvious, "Guys, you're being too loud!"

Ekram nodded, getting worried as well. Everyone stayed where they were, frozen. 

One could hear a pin drop from how silent the room suddenly went. Robin listened over the door and reached out to his team, whispering new orders, "Okay, it quieted down now. Superboy, what do you see?"

Jon's eyes went white again as he gazed at the walls. "The soldiers are running to the other side of the castle. The hallway is back to being clear."

"Excellent." Robin said, "Titans, follow my lead. I'll get us out of here."

Quickly, Superboy stepped in front of his best friend, not letting Damian open the door. "Wait, instead of us walking down the hallway, what if I just take all of us back to the jet with my super speed? Wouldn't that make things easier?"

"So you can be noisy and get caught?" Damian whispered angrily, "No, thank you."

"It's super speed! It can't be that noisy!"

"Just follow my plan, J."

"No, your plan is risky. I can get all of us out of here in 5 seconds! Maybe 3!"

Emiko intervened, "Sorry, Superboy, but carrying each one of us around in superspeed could actually get someone's attention."

"Guys!" Jon repeated, "Again, it's super speed! Even if we're caught, we'll be out of here in no time!"

Colin nodded, "He's right. Let's do that instead, it'll be faster!"

"See?" Jon raised his brows and pointed to the redhead, feeling justified.

Damian was soon going to lose a blood vessel from all this endless banter. "Superboy, just stick to the damn plan! This is why I told you that you're terrible at following orders!"

Jon frowned, upset, "You're the one who's not a great team player, D! Why can't you at least consider a new idea that is not your own? I'm just trying to help!"

"Because your ideas suck, that's why!"

Maya shook her head and whispered to Rashid and Ekram, "Never mind the ninja couple. Those two are the real married couple of this group. I don't understand how they can argue so much."

Emiko was rubbing her eyes in irritation, hissing at the two, "Will you two stop? There's a literal warzone going on out there! Can't we all just make a decision and stick to it?"

"Well, I still vote super speed," Jon crossed his arms, stubbornly.

Damian angrily tossed the key to the bat jet to Jon as he spat, "Fine! Use your stupid super speed, then!"

Jon paused, shocked, "Wait, really?"

"Goodness gracious, go!" Emiko pushed Jon, impatiently.

"Wait, who should I take with me first?" Jon asked before leaving. 

Damian hesitated, but he turned to Rashid, "Prince Rashid, do you feel safe going with Superboy right now?"

Rashid smiled confidently. Sure, that whole argument was a bit odd to witness, but he did not mind. 

The young man stepped forward to Superboy and said, "I trust you, Superboy."

Jon grinned, but Ekram raised his hands to stop them, "Wait! Just in case you are caught... May I go first?"

"Sure!" Jon walked over to the shaved-headed boy to take him to the jet.

Within seconds, they were gone.

Moments went by as the team waited for Jon's return. It shouldn't have taken him long to fly to the jet and back, but somehow there was no sign of Superboy yet. Damian checked the time.  Five minutes had passed. Five. What in the world could have possibly been taking him so long?

The Titans slowly started exchanging worried glances with one another. 

It was Rashid who finally spoke up, breaking the silence, "Uh... So is this how super speed works? It's speed... That is slow?"

"No!" Damian snapped, stomping his foot on the ground, "He should've been back ages ago! It's been now 10 whole minutes, and no sign of Superboy yet! It doesn't take that long to fly to the jet and come back! He can fly faster than the speed of light!"

Colin's face went suddenly pale, "Crap. Something must have happened, then."

"Alright, we gotta go," Emiko suggested, heading towards the door. The apprehension was killing her just as much as it was the others.

Maya offered her hand to the Prince, shooting him a kind smile, "Come, hold my hand. I can turn you invisible, like me."

Rashid widened his eyes but he complied. The two suddenly disappeared, while Colin and Damian followed Emiko's lead.

The hallway was still empty, thankfully, so they moved fast and cautiously towards the back of the castle. Once they arrived at the spacious courtyard, Rashid was horrified. So much of his childhood and young adolescent years were spent relaxing in the courtyard, where he'd read by the beautiful statues. Now, they stood cracked, with missing pieces, and even the stone pathways were cracked as well. The grass appeared lifeless, smeared with mud, compounded by the heavy rain that had recently started to pour.

The raindrops felt heavy as Rashid stared at the horrifying scene. It was like watching a once beautiful city post-hurricane, except this was no natural disaster, but a tragedy caused by men. Tyrants who betrayed his family and took his parents' lives. 

Unlike the hallway, the courtyard was full of soldiers attacking another group of militia still. The air was pierced with the disturbing sound of gunfire as the guards discharged their weapons with no mercy. 

Rashid couldn't help but whisper, "Wait, I recognize some of these men! They all worked for my father, why are they attacking each other? Who's the traitor?"

"Shh." Nobody whispered to Rashid.

With the chaos unfolding before them, Emiko, Damian, and Colin had to act fast, using a series of broken statues for cover. Fortunately, the soldiers were running in the opposite direction as them, which meant the Titans could press forward without getting caught. Colin, being the only one in there who was not a former assassin or mercenary, simply waited for his friends' lead before he did anything. 

As soon as the area looked clear, Red Arrow and Robin waved, and Colin followed. They all charged to the forest, but once they arrived there, they froze.

An entire army of assassins surrounded Superboy, and there was no sign of Ekram anywhere. 

Assassins were jumping at Jon from all directions, and he was knocking several of them with his super strength, but something was wrong. Jon was holding back too much. He was also slow, too slow. He should've been able to beat everyone up within seconds, and yet he was sweating and breathing heavily. There were also some burnt marks on his face... Did he get electrocuted?

Robin ran as fast as he could to help Superboy, but a sudden assailant from above launched a gas canister in his direction.

"You should hide your jet better next time, Batboy." A mysterious ninja spoke out of nowhere, using a deep filter device to hide his true voice.

Damian didn't even have time to see where the voice was coming from with the gas spreading as fast as it was. He urgently grabbed a safe mask for himself and turned around to check on his teammates; Emiko thankfully was already handing Colin an extra mask while she grabbed another one for herself. Maya and Rashid were still invisible, so Damian hoped that Maya carried with her another mask so she could help the Prince.

With his gas mask still on, Robin reached out to his best friend and asked, "Superboy, what happened?"

"I'm sorry, Robin," Jon coughed, "I should've listened to you." His steps were getting slower, and it looked like he was about to faint at any minute now

Damian grabbed Jon by the shoulders and gently shook him, forcing him to stay awake and look at him, "Hey, no need to apologize, J. Just tell me what happened."

"Ngh..." Jon was truly having a hard time staying awake.

Jon's face was very pale, and his blue eyes appeared glassy and empty. Now that the rain was pouring even harder, Jon could barely stand still. It was hard to watch.

"J--?" Damian asked hesitantly.

"...I think I got poisoned." 

Damian widened his eyes. Superboy? Poisoned? How?

Damian looked around and still couldn't find Ekram anywhere. There were some people unconscious near the jet; Signs of a fight, no doubt, but the jet missiles were out, which could only mean that someone broke into the jet and messed with the buttons inside. 

"J, where's Ekram? Did they take him? And why is the jet missile out?"

"I managed to lock Ekram inside the jet... He tried to help but I told him to not press any buttons... And that was when someone snuck on me and blasted me with this weird gas..."

"Superboy, you're gonna be okay--" Robin tried to assure, but Superboy was already on the verge of collapsing.

"Hey, D..? I'm feeling... Dizzy..."

"J, hang on, hang on--" Damian was holding his friend to help him stand, but Jon was already fainting in his arms, which was great timing because a bunch of ninjas were now coming in their direction.

As the ninjas ran toward them, Robin threw a flashbang grenade to slow them down. Red Arrow then took over, skilfully shooting at all those ninjas in a row with her arrows, but the strange thing was that the arrows didn't even pierce their bodies; They bounced over instead. Red Arrow took a few steps back, giving herself some distance as the ninjas charged towards her. She chose her trick arrows this time, but they also barely made a scratch.

Damian considered forgetting Jon for a second to help Emiko instead but then some of the ninjas got shocked from behind - courtesy of Nobody, undoubtedly. It was just too bad the ninjas kept standing there as if the electric shock had merely tickled them. A lot of them turned around and swung their punches at the mysterious person who had just shocked them.

Taking advantage of their new distraction, Red Arrow shot arrows that were specifically made to injure someone with superhuman strength. The men growled in pain and directed all their anger toward the smaller archer.

"Ah, shoot." Emiko recoiled as the ninjas charged at her, throwing their ninja stars at her, but she dodged.

With all the attention now on Red Arrow, Colin took the opportunity to turn. The young redhead, now looking like a scary giant, delivered a surprise punch that struck all those ninjas down at once. That punch, which would have normally sent a normal human to the hospital instantly, was enough to simply knock them down without causing any severe injuries or broken bones. 

Okay, so they were definitely not human. And those people certainly didn't act like ninjas because they were clearly untrained. There was no order to how they fought, no synchronization.

Abuse, having the time of his life, proceeded to beat up more enemies, giving Damian at least some time to run to the jet.

"Um, Robin?" Asked Ekram, "Will we be staying at your house too?"

Prince Rashid brightened up at that, "Oh, it would be a great honor to meet the palace of the great Batman of Gotham!" 

"It's not a palace, it's a Manor!" Damian corrected angrily, "And you two cannot come to the manor at any costs! Not if you want to keep Batman away from Qurac"

"I was there before," Ekram told the Prince, completely ignoring Damian, "Batman has a Batcave. It's incredible!"

"Wow!" The Prince exclaimed.

Maya was caught by surprise by that, "You've been to the Batcave?"

"Yes! My friend and I were in danger, but Batgirl rescued us and took us there!" Ekram explained.

"Wow, you even know Batgirl?" Maya continued, "Sounds like you know the whole family, then! How did you not know Robin's real name?"

The shaved-haired boy shrugged, "I guess I never paid attention."

Damian was about to lose all his patience, yet again. Noticing that, the Prince spoke, "I understand your concerns, Robin of Gotham. The Justice League is indeed well known in Qrac, and if Batman and Superman show up, especially now, things will get really bad. Worse than it already is."

"Thank you for at least acknowledging it." Robin pinched the bridge of his nose, still stressed. 

Emiko, who was thoughtful that whole time, finally came up with an idea, "Alright, I got it. We'll tell everyone that we went on an off-planet mission. We're not allowed to do that type of mission without Starfire or Nighwing's supervision, which means it'll be a good enough lie to get us all in trouble, but not so bad that anyone will suspect what we just did today."

"But what off-planet mission?" Damian inquired, "Don't you think your brother or my father will easily find out that we're coming up with a fake mission?"

Curious, the Prince leaned over to Ekram and whispered to him in Arabic, "Do you think the archer's brother is another superhero?"

Ekram shrugged, "Wouldn't doubt it!"

Emiko continued her way of thinking, "Not Ollie, he doesn't care about what happens on other planets, to be honest. Your dad is the one we gotta worry about, which is why we can tell him that we were trying to stop the Reach from invading the Earth again. Jaime was just texting me about it the other day, how the Reach won't mind their own business--"

Robin stopped for a moment, "Wait, you still talk to Reyes?"

"Yeah, why?"

"Why are you chitchatting with that fool infused with alien tech?"

"Fool? Why are you retorting to these lame insults, Damian? Are you intimidated by him?"

"Tt! As if it could ever be possible for me to feel intimidated by someone who relies on a suit to be a weapon!"

Maya approached all the other boys, grinning, "Oh, this is gonna be good. Jon, do we still have popcorn around here?"

Emiko continued the argument, "Why do you always give me such a hassle over Jaime, Damian?"

Staying away from the fight, Maya explained to the boys, "Emiko told me one time that she had a crush on Jaime when she first joined the Teen Titans. Watching those two fight over this for the tenth time is kinda hilarious."

Colin was surprised by that, "Ooh, I didn't know that!" He got to meet Blue Beetle when he first joined the Titans, but they never talked much. Jaime graduated shortly after and left the Titans, along with Bart. 

"Yeah, so what you're witnessing right now?" Maya continued, still grinning, "That's the jealous version of Damian."

Jon watched his friends' banter unfold with indifference, "Hm. To me, that's the grumpy version of Damian. Which we get, like, all the time."

Maya and Colin broke into laughter, and even Ekram and the Prince joined in as well. 

Despite not knowing where they would be going and what would happen to them next, Ekram and Rashid felt safe as long as they had the Titans on their side - as strange as that whole bunch of teenagers were.

Chapter Text

“I don’t get it.” It was the first thing Robin had said after another long silence as he piloted the jet.

The Batjet sliced through the darkness in the quiet night sky. Qurac was long gone by now, and the comfort of home was looming closer, but the sense of accomplishment for having completed the mission wasn't quite there this time. The Prince was safe, which was what truly mattered, of course, but the Titans still arrived too late to save the King. Damian couldn't help but feel somewhat defeated at the whole thing, and not knowing who could've been behind the coup was killing him.

“Who were those people we fought?” Robin questioned, still lost in his thoughts.

Red Arrow, who was seated in the back next to Maya, got up from her seat to be closer to the others, and Maya followed her.

Thoughtful, Red Arrow started out with the obvious observation, "Well, first of all, the people we fought were definitely amateurs; They lacked coordination and were too impulsive. They were certainly no ninja assassins."

"They're not?" Colin asked, surprised, as he turned to the archer, "But they were dressed as ninjas!"

Emiko shrugged at him, "Merely dressing as a ninja doesn't make someone become one." 

From the front, Robin concurred, "Agreed. They were clearly inexperienced." 

Prince Rashid glanced at his loyal friend, who was just as surprised to discover that about their attackers. Those intruders were tactful and scary enough for their taste, they would’ve never guessed that they were not actual ninjas. 

"So what are they, then?" Asked Superboy, who shared the same confusion as the Quracian boys. 

Confidently, Maya concluded, "Mercenaries."

All eyes went to Maya, putting her on the spot. The girl raised her shoulders defensively, asking, "What? It would explain things, wouldn’t it? Those people were after the Royal family because someone paid them to. And they didn’t fight like ninjas because they’re not one.”

Emiko looked up to the side and nodded, "That would make a lot of sense, actually."

Damian furrowed his brow and rubbed his chin, still consumed by his thoughts, "The man who attacked me mentioned something about those people being trained. The one kid who spared my life is apparently their leader."

"I noticed that." Emiko added, "I was surprised to see such a scrawny guy be the one those metas answered to. And he looked pretty young too, he gotta be close to our age."

"A teenager leading a team of meta-human mercenary assassins?" Colin asked in confusion, "Is that a thing?"

"Of course it is," Maya assured as she pointed to herself, "I bet ya I could lead a whole bunch of meta mercenaries if I wanted to."

Robin cast Maya a glance of disbelief and scoffed at her, "Pff. No, you couldn't. You took your dad's job for what? Two weeks? Then you quit?"

Angry, Nobody walked over to her arrogant friend and bopped him on the head, "That's not true and you know it!"

"You've never even killed before!" Robin retorted.

"You don't have to kill to be a mercenary!" 

Rolling her eyes, Red Arrow ignored the two and turned her attention to the rest of the group, "You know, I wonder who that kid is working for. Just because he's the so-called 'leader' doesn't mean he doesn't have a boss."

Hearing that from behind, Maya stopped arguing to share another idea that had come to her, "Maybe the kid works for Slade?"

Once again, the room fell silent as everyone's gaze shifted to Maya once again. Where she was coming up with all those theories, no one knew.

Dreading this to be true, Robin rolled his eyes to the ceiling in disdain, "Ugh, not him..."

Even more confused than earlier, the Prince finally inquired, "Who is this man, Slade?"

Ekram shrugged in response, but Maya was the one who answered casually, "Oh, you know, just a mentally unstable dude who tried to kill me and Robin one time, no biggie."

Rashid’s brown eyes suddenly went cold upon hearing that. He stiffened his body and puffed out his chest as he ordered, "Take me to this individual, Slade. I shall make him pay for what he did to you and my family!" Rashid’s hand was now in the air, tightly clenched into a fist.

Maya, remembering how weird the Prince was around her, nervously shook her hands, "No-no-no, you do not want a fight with Slade, trust me. Besides, we don’t even know if it was actually Slade, I was just throwing names, that's all--"

Not letting her finish, the Prince hurried to Maya and took hold of her hands as he gazed into her eyes, "I will never let anyone hurt you, Miss Nobody. I owe you my life, and in return, I promise to return the favor by protecting you forever at all costs--"

Maya cringed, pulling away from the lover boy, "Please don't." 

Emiko had to snort at that, and Colin joined her.

Ignoring all these distractions, Robin refocused on the subject at hand, "I don't think Slade is behind this. He works alone, he would never recruit some random teenager and have him train an entire army of meta-humans just to test the kid's skills."

As soon as Damian finished speaking, however, he realized how wrong he could be. Emiko and Maya both turned to him, casting an incredulous, yet teasing look at him. 

"Are you sure he’d never do that?" Emiko teased in amusement.

" Tt. Whatever. Just because something slightly similar happened to Nightwing in the past doesn't mean Deathstroke is doing it again."

"He wanted to recruit you too, didn't he?" Red Arrow dared to bring it up, receiving a nasty glare from her boyfriend in return. It was a topic that the others didn't know too much about. "Doesn't Deathstroke see you as a son in some weird way? Perhaps he recruited someone else to get your attention, push you to investigate, and then seek him. You know he likes to mess with your head.”

Prince Rashid took a couple of steps forward as he started connecting all the pieces, “Wait… So this mercenary, Slade, murdered my family just to play some… Mind games with Robin?!” 

Maya tilted her head to the side and nodded, “That’s right up his alley.”

“No way,” Interrupted Superboy in disbelief, “That can’t be it. I don’t think Slade is the one behind this.”

“Why not?” Maya raised the question, “He probably got paid a lot of money to go after the Royal Family, then he recruited some kid-ninja wannabe to train a bunch of metas for funsies. Oh, and he gets to mess with Robin while he’s at it. Why wouldn't he take this task? Now, the only thing I don’t get is why is Slade so obsessed with Robins?”

" I don't know, alright?" Robin snapped, getting everyone to be quiet, "I agree with Superboy and I think both of you are wrong.” He turned to Emiko, already mad at her for having suggested those thoughts, “You’ve been wrong before, Red Arrow, and you could be wrong again. I won’t believe this foolish theory until I have actual evidence proving otherwise.”

No one else dared to say anything about this matter anymore. 

Disconcerted with the regained uncomfortable silence, Colin tried to appease things by changing the subject just slightly, “You know, we still need to figure out who hired all those mercenaries. Prince Rashid, can you think of any enemies that your dad had?"

The Prince, now put on the spot, had to think for a second. "Hm... My father was the only king in decades to foster greater unity within the country. Some were still opposed to him, of course, but only because they wanted to bring back past corruption and pursue more power…”

Colin brightened up at that, regaining hope, “Okay, looks like we’re getting somewhere. Who, specifically, was against your dad?”

Rashid's lips pressed together in contemplation, "Difficult to say. I mostly heard the opposition ideals from the news sources, never a direct discourse from the people within the palace or the ones who worked close to my father.”

Colin was upset to hear that but he noticed Ekram's sudden change in demeanor. The shaved-haired kid was tensing off his shoulders and his arms were now crossed. "Something wrong, Ekram?"

Ekram hesitated before coldly declaring, "I think it was the First Counselor." 

The Prince turned to his best friend, appalled, "What? He was my father's closest confidant!"

"Exactly! It always starts that way, does it not?" Rashid’s friend exclaimed.

Red Arrow nodded to herself as she gazed into the distance. "Keep your friends close, and your enemies closer ."

"That's a good theory, Ekram." Robin praised. "Keep thinking of anyone else you didn't trust at the palace."

"This is outrageous!" Rashid cut off by stomping his foot on the ground in indignation, "Azmi Sa'ab would never betray my father in such a way! He practically raised me!"

"Even more reason for him to betray your father, Rashid." Ekram responded, still coldly, "He had your family's trust and wanted the power to himself all this time."

"I prohibit you from speaking of him in such a way, Ekram!"

The shaved-haired kid remained indifferent to the Prince’s threat and added, "I also don't trust the Prime Minister."

Rashid squinted his eyes as he hissed in Arabic, "أنت لا تثق بأحد يا أكرم" 
                                                                   [*You don't trust anyone, Ekram!*]  

"He is right for not trusting people, Rashid," Robin called out from the front for everyone to hear, his voice stern. "And you should be wary with whom you trust also."

Now maddened, the Prince shouted, "Shall I cease to trust any of you, then? What is the purpose of me staying here if everyone around me is a traitor?”

Worried, Maya gently approached the royal boy, placing her hands on his shoulders to calm him down, "Woah, woah, hey there. Of course you can trust us, Prince Rashid. Look, we don’t know if it was actually your dad’s old friend who betrayed him, but traitor or not, we'll get to the bottom of this and find out who killed your parents, okay? I promise."

Immediately turning back to infatuation as if someone had flipped a switch on him, the Prince took Maya's hands closer to himself once again and softly spoke to her, "You are so endearing with your words, Miss Nobody. Once again, I extend my heartfelt gratitude to you. Would you just accept one request from me?"

Already regretting ever opening her mouth in the first place, Maya hesitantly asked, "Uh-- Suure..."

"Can you contact me once you've unraveled who murdered my parents? A lovely maiden, such as yourself, should never be burdened with the task of avenging my parents for me. Allow me to seek justice on their behalf and bring honor to my country."

Maya nervously chuckled while gently pulling away from the needy Prince once more. "You… Don’t go out much, do ya?”

The Prince tilted his head in confusion. Never in his mind would he ever imagine receiving such an intriguing response as that. That woman, Nobody, was fascinating.  

"Aanyhow," Red Arrow brought the attention back to her, "Robin, have you decided what to do with the Quracians?"

Her boyfriend was scratching his head in frustration. "I'm thinking!" 

Regaining his excitement, Ekram turned to his Royal friend, "Rashid, you still have to see the Batcave! It is phenomenal!"

Rashid finally stopped staring at Nobody in awe to talk to his loyal friend, “Ah! So I will have the pleasure to meet the mansion of the great Batman of Gotham!”

“What?!” Robin frowned at the absurdity of it all, “No! We already went over this, the manor is off-limits!”

“You know you guys are welcome in my home, right?” Jon interrupted, being nice to the foreigners instead.

The Prince bowed to Jon to pay his respect, “It will be an honor to visit the great land of the famous Superman.”

Uneasy, Jon gave a weak chuckle, “Ha, ha– Well, it’s not really a great land or anything; It’s just an apartment, which I know is dumb. I mean, things were so good in Smallville! We had this huge farm, and I’m talking super big, really, and it was so nice, and even the school was better–”

“Jon!” Robin called angrily, “Will you shut up? They’re not staying at your house either! Did everyone forget that no one in the Justice League is supposed to know about these two? No one is staying at Superboy's, and especially not my house, am I understood?”

“Uhh, but I’m still staying at your place, right, Dame..?” Colin slowly approached his friend, sheepishly, “Cuz, I, uh– I’m supposed to be having a sleepover at your house right about now, actually, hehe…” 

Jon protested, “Aw, if Colin is having a sleepover, then I wanna come too!”

Confused, the Prince leaned over to his friend to ask, “What exactly is this ‘sleepover ’ they speak of?”

Ekram shrugged his shoulders, returning the bewildered look. 

Emiko was starting to feel pity for those two, so she decided to explain to them after giving a long sigh, “It’s when people spend the night over their friend’s house.”

The Prince stared at the archer as if that was the most fascinating thing he had ever heard in his life. 

Emiko was not quite sure what was happening, but Rashid was already inquiring, "Say, Robin of Gotham: am I not considered a friend? We should be allowed to participate in this event, so-called 'sleepover'. This sounds like an incredibly enriching experience, one I wish to partake in."

That was it; Robin was going to truly lose a blood vessel. 

“Are you out of your mind? Even if there was a place we could dare to hide you, you’d be easily found! Have you never heard of Batman being also known as the world’s greatest detective ?”

Superboy, annoying as always, cut his friend off, yet again, “Don't you always tell me your dad is the second world’s greatest detective?”

“I do not! My father is great at what he does!”

“Ha! Got you to admit it, finally!” 

“I never said I don't recognize his accomplishments!”

“You never recognize anyone’s accomplishments but your own, Damian.”

“Oh, my God.” The group heard Emiko say from behind, “I’m gonna shoot an arrow at those two.”

Colin also jumped into the conversation, “Um, do you think Alfred will be okay with me staying? I didn't even ask him but I don't want my foster parents to call him and then find out I'm not even there and--"

"You're fine, Colin!" Damian snapped impatiently, "You can stay at the Manor tonight.” 

The redheaded sighed in relief, while Jon was getting defensive, "Hey, and what about me?”

"Whatever, Jon! Do whatever you want."

"Yess!" Jon cheered before singing, " Sleepover of Super, Sleepover of Super !"

"You keep singing that stupid song, and the Manor will be off-limits to you too!"

Emiko was already having a headache from all this back-and-forth nonsense. The Titans had lost focus again, and she seemed to be the only one who could stay on task and worry about what really mattered. 

"Guys!" Red Arrow called, "We're almost home and we still don't know where we're taking the Prince!"

"Let's just take them to the Tower for now." Robin finalized.

"Wooah!" Ekram looked up at his vigilante friend in awe, "You mean the Tower of Titan, where you run your operations?"

Damian rolled his eyes to the ceiling, “Yeah, that's the one."

"Wow, Rashid!" Ekram exclaimed, quickly turning to the Prince and shaking him in excitement. "This is the base that I told you about!"

Rashid’s smile widened, "The T-shaped tower located on a secret island?" 

"Yeah!" Ekram confirmed, celebrating.

Superboy tilted his head, not quite following, "Wait, the island is not secret--"

Meanwhile, Maya had her eyes widened and her face pale. Panicking, she desperately waved her hand at Damian to get his attention, "Woah-woah-woah! Damian? A word, please?"

Damian frowned but he followed Maya as she gestured for them to go to the back of the jet, away from any prying ears. 

As soon as they reached closer to the medical bay area, Maya suddenly grabbed his friend by the collar and whispered in despair, “Are you insane? You know full well the Tower is practically my home now, you can’t just send those two weirdos where I live!”

“Why not?” Damian rudely pulled away from Maya, “It’ll give me enough time to decide what to do with them later!”

“Can’t you see?! That prince is, like, in love with me or something. I’m not gonna be stuck with a guy like him at the Tower!”

“Don’t be ridiculous.” Damian retorted, crossing his arms in disbelief.

“I’m serious! The dude even got on his knees and gave me a ring!” Maya pointed to her gloved finger with the golden ring on it.

“He was just thanking you, it’s part of his custom!”

Maya started raising her voice as her anger increased, “Oh, whatever, Damian! I’m not gonna have him stay at the Tower, not a chance.”

Damian wasn't too pleased to hear that and his voice went stern, “You wanted to be a Titan, right? Then start acting like one and assume your responsibilities already!”

“Oh, yeah?” Maya challenged as she crossed her arms and squinted her eyes at the vigilante, “...Then I’m telling Goliath his dinner will be served tonight.”

 Robin blinked. “You wouldn’t…”

“Wanna bet?!” 

 As nice as Maya was most of the time, she could also be unpredictable, and Damian wouldn’t be too surprised if the girl pulled some wild stunt just to prove a point.

But predictably, Maya quickly quit her act and confessed, “Okay, fine, I’d never make Goliath eat the Prince. But I wish I could!”

Damian sighed impatiently, “If you hate the Prince so much, where do you suggest I take him, then?”

“I don’t know, figure it out!”

“Are you two done?” A voice from behind spoke, prompting Damian and Maya to turn around and look up. 

It was Red Arrow. 

“I’ll just stay at the tower so you don't have to be the only one dealing with them, Maya.” Emiko offered, making her friend brighten up.

“Wait, really?” 

“Yeah, I won’t leave the royal creep alone with you.”

“You’d really do that for me?” Maya asked again, regaining her hope in humanity. 

Emiko chuckled at the girl's silliness, “Of course. That’s what friends are for.”

Even though Emiko wasn't too fond of public affection, Maya jumped on her anyway, squeezing her in a tight hug.

“It’s settled, then,” Robin concluded. 

The trio rejoined the group up front, where Robin briefed the boys on their temporary stay at the Tower until he could think of a safer place that was less obvious. He urged everyone to remain zealous and safe, instructing Red Arrow and Nobody to keep him informed if any incidents occurred at the Tower.

Afterward, Jon called his mother and deeply apologized for forgetting about his curfew and for going on a super late and last-minute mission far away from home. He made sure to be vague about what the mission was, but thankfully, his mother was more worried about his well-being and safety than anything else. Then, after a lot of apologies and begging her to have him stay at the manor, Mrs. Lane-Kent finally conceded.

"YAY! Mom said she's okay with me staying at your place tonight!" Jon celebrated.

"Aw." The Prince quietly whined to Ekram in the back, "We still won't get to find out what it's like to experience the 'sleepover'."

"This is gonna be fun!" Colin cheered with Jon, "We can play a different game too, and see how much we can level up!"

"Aw, you boys are still butthurt for losing when you played against me?" Maya teased while the boys protested and explained to her about the game not having split-screen.

"Oh, joy," Damian muttered to himself. Now that he had finally decided to take the Quracian boys to the Tower, he still had one more problem to deal with;

What was he supposed to tell Pennyworth?

The Wayne Manor

It was late, really late.

Father was still out in the field, thankfully, but not everything was auspicious. Pennyworth was still home, and the old man was casting the deadliest glare at Damian as soon as he got back home with his friends by his side. No one could deny how terrifying Pennyworth could be sometimes; He must have been Father's actual inspiration to strike fear into his enemies, after all. 

It was pointless to waste time fabricating lies to explain what had happened - it would be like lying to Ra's al Ghul, without the death sentence punishment part -, but Damian wasn't exactly in the position to divulge the whole truth either. Father would not only be enraged with him, but he would also take it upon himself to delve into the matter and try to solve an entire country's political conflicts all on his own. Because that was something Batman would do, no doubt. 

Hopefully, Emiko's suggestion would work, but Damian would have to sound convincing at least.

After enduring a stern lecture from Pennyworth about being gone for so long without informing anyone, the butler finally inquired, "Would you bother telling me where you three went, or is that too much of an inconvenience for you, Master Damian?"

The spiky-haired young man quickly glanced at his friends. The agreement back at the jet was for no one to say a word, and let Damian do all the talking just to be safe.

It was best to start with a lousier lie. "There was a drug bust near Jump City, so we decided to investigate."

Pennyworth skeptically crossed his arms and arched his eyebrow, "Is that so?"

Innocently, Damian and both his friends nodded. 

Not easily tricked, the butler walked back and forth, closely inspecting the trio. "Hm. Interesting. I don't recall it raining in Jump Bay, yet your clothes seem slightly musty for some odd reason..."

"How did he--" Colin opened his mouth but immediately regretted it and closed it again. Jon shot the redhead a stern look, but Damian remained emotionless, ignoring those two.

Pennyworth sighed, the fatigue evident in the bags under his eyes. The man truly needed to get caught up on his sleep, but how would he be able to do so when he took care of a complicated family such as the Waynes?

"Master Damian, do we truly have to go through this again?"

The younger boy sighed, all part of his act, "Fine, Pennyworth... We went on an off-planet mission. Satisfied?"

Pennyworth frowned, still skeptical. “You know your father does not allow such missions without supervision, correct?”

“It was the Reach, Pennyworth! What did you want me to do? Let them invade the Earth just because Nightwing was too busy to come help us?"

"Did you even try to reach out to Master Dick? I spoke to him today and he did not seem to receive any distress signals from you."

Damian tried his best to not show any reactions. Of course Grayson spoke to Pennyworth that day, of course. Why didn't he just focus on working at his job for once? Or taking care of his daughter? Damian was always the one left with the babysitting duties, anyway. Grayson was such a pain. 

The butler continued, "Since you were going after the Reach, perhaps contacting your former Titan colleagues would've been more helpful, but something tells me you took the mission all to yourself.”

“And let Blue Beetle take all the credit? Not a chance! But things are fine, we took care of everything and no one needs to worry about the Reach, not even Father." Damian thought for a second and decided to add, just in case he was wrong, "At least not for now."

"Ah, I see. So you managed to defeat the Reach?"

"Affirmative," Damian answered confidently, not falling for Pennyworth's traps.

"And they're all taken care of," The butler repeated, testing the boys. 

“Every last one of them.” Jon chimed in, nodding with a smile.

"Yep!" Colin also agreed. 

"Hn." Pennyworth took a long look at all three young men before saying, “And what reason do I have to pretend to believe any of you?”

The boys blinked in shock. 

Damian raised his voice defensively, “You’re accusing me of lying?”

“It’s not been your first time, young sir, and I am aware this is not the last. Now, tell me, Master Damian; Or better yet, young Master Jon," Pennyworth crouched down closer to the boys, staring right at Superboy, making him freeze, "Did you three truly go to an off-planet mission today?"

Damian glared at Jon with a warning look, but his half-Kryptonian friend was already incredibly nervous. Not only his cheeks were bright red, but Superboy was also fidgeting and looking away to avoid direct eye contact.

God, the kid was a lost cause.

"Uh...Yeah-! Yeah, we, um, we did..!" It didn't take superhearing skills to know that Jon's heart was pounding. 

Pennyworth straightened himself with a smile. "Very well, then. Boys, you must be hungry. Let me heat the food I already made for the three of you, - and Master Damian? I don't care to know the details, but just ensure to tell your father the truth, please. We don't need to add any more conflicts in this household."  

Damian swallowed his pride and nodded obediently. As everyone finally walked into the manor, Pennyworth directed his attention to the guests, informing them that fresh, pressed pajamas would be waiting for them on their beds as soon as they finished eating.

"Hey, we were just agreeing with you!" Jon defended, "It would've looked more suspicious if we never said anything!"

"Don't you get me started with you, Jon! Remind me to train you to be a better liar."

"But I don't want to be a better liar!" Jon defensively argued, "I don't like lying to my parents. Or Alfred. 

"Oh, yeah? And what would you do if you were being tortured to give away our positions or our identities, huh? Would you be able to lie then?"

Jon furrowed his brows, offended, "Hey, I'd never betray any of you like that! I don't care what enemy I'm facing, I would never let anyone break me."

"I believe him," Colin affirmed.

Damian did too, so he just tutted instead, heading to the kitchen. Pennyworth was almost done, anyway. The boys followed him, mesmerized by the delicious smell from the kitchen. Colin's stomach growled even louder this time, and he and Jon were beyond relieved to finally have something to eat.

"Gentleman, dinner is served."

"You mean my father?" Damian corrected with indifference in his voice. "He'll be back soon, I suppose. Who knows."

Colin loudly gulped, "Ok. Let's just go to bed, then."

"Colin!" Jon chucked, playfully shoving his friend, "Why are you so weird about Mr. Wayne? It's just Damian's dad!"

"I know, but he doesn't even know we're here, and if we're caught staying up this late when we should be sleeping, we're gonna be in trouble!"

Jon looked to the side and agreed, "Yeah, that's a good point. We don't want him getting mad at us too."

"Tt. You two are hopeless. Well, I'm tired, anyway." Damian said as he pushed his plate aside and got up from his seat, "I’m going to bed.”

And just like that, Damian simply walked away, leaving his friends behind without even bothering to lead them to their respective rooms where they would be sleeping in.

"Wow. What a great host, don't you think?" Jon sarcastically muttered to Colin.

The next day

Damian was the last to join his friends at the breakfast table, dreading the fact that he was forced to be awake so early. To make things even better, he even had to wake up to Pennyworth's sermon about how rude it was of him to keep sleeping while his guests were left waiting downstairs. His friends would be perfectly fine, but obviously the butler didn't share the same sentiment.

Reluctantly, Damian dragged himself to the kitchen, but he was surprised to see the huge bags under Colin's blue eyes. Jon, on the other hand, looked just fine, already obnoxiously happy with no worries in the world - he reminded him of Grayson in the mornings - but Colin didn't look too good. Unlike Damian, the redhead seemed to have been kept awake the whole night rather than being ripped from his sleep too soon. 

“Colin." Damian greeted as he sat next to Jon and across from the redhead, "You look horrible.”

His friend gave a faint chuckle. "Good morning to you too, Dame." 

“Were you able to sleep last night at all?” Jon asked Colin, concerned. 

“Not really... Couldn’t fall asleep.”

“Why not?” Damian inquired.

Pennyworth placed a glass pitcher filled with fresh orange juice on the table before he walked away to give the boys some privacy. 

“I– I don’t know… I guess I’m kinda nervous for today. I mean, what did Ma mean by having news for me? Why couldn’t she just tell me what it was over the phone?”

“Oh, that?" Damian said, incredibly dismissively, "You’re fine, Colin. That’s not something you should lose sleep over it.”

“Damian, you don’t know what my foster mom is going to say. What if they found out about my other life?”

Jon widened his eyes at the redhead but Damian was still not worried.

“Please. She easily believed that you were playing video games at my house. Highly doubt she suspects about Abuse.”

Jon worriedly asked, “How did your foster mom sound over the phone? Did she sound suspicious? Was she upset with you?"

"No, not at all." Colin answered, "She was just worried, that's all. She also sounded excited when she mentioned that she has news for me..."

“See? You have nothing to worry about.” Damian repeated with indifference, taking a bite of his toast.

The redhead, however, didn't seem convinced.

“Colin, you always get so nervous when you talk about your foster family..." Jon observed, "Are they treating you badly? Should we worry?"

“No, never! They are such good people, I really like them… Which is why I can’t bear to go home today.”

The Super Sons looked up from their food and frowned. “Huh?”

Colin stared at his food a little longer before revealing what was truly bothering him. “I can’t stand the thought of coming home only to find out that they can no longer have me stay there anymore, which means I'll be back to the foster system all over again." Colin was still looking down, "I'll lose everything; My foster family, Metropolis, going to school with you guys, everything. And I’ll end up right back in Gotham.”

Jon and Damian exchanged worried glances with each other.

Attempting to sound more empathetic this time, Damian suggested, “If it comes down to that, my father can always adopt you."

The suggestion, however, earned him a glare from Jon and a confused look from Colin.

"What? It’s not like he hasn’t done it before. He feels bad for orphans; He's one himself."

“Geez, Damian." Jon shook his head, dismissing his ignorant friend, "Colin, listen to me. Your foster parents love you. I doubt they’re going to do this to you. If anything, they’ll want to extend your stay with them!”

"Yeah, but for how long? How much longer can they keep me?"

Before Jon could think of an answer, an older man suddenly walked in, startling them a little.

“Good morning, boys.” Greeted Bruce Wayne, already dressed in his business suit.

“Morning, Mr. Wayne!” Jon happily greeted back.

Colin's eyes widened, and he spoke with a slight tremor in his voice, "Uh, m-morning!"

Father waited for his son to at least acknowledge his presence, but Damian seemed too occupied with his food instead. Pennyworth went back to the kitchen to start rewarming the food, but still no response from Damian. 

Father cleared his throat before calling, “Aham, Damian?”

“Hm? Oh. Hello, Father.” He already knew that a lecture was coming, so it wasn't like Damian was in a chatty mood to talk to his father.

“You were home late yesterday.”

...And there it was.

“So did you. I heard that when you were back home, it was almost sunrise. Long night?

“You’re not the one asking the questions around here, Damian! Why did you leave on an off-planet mission without informing me first?”

Damian looked up at Pennyworth, astounded that the butler was willing to cover for him despite knowing it was all a lie. Pennyworth returned the eye contact but remained emotionless.

Regaining his composure, the young son responded, “Because I knew my team could handle it.”

“You put your own life and your friends in danger, Damian. How many times do I have to tell you to stop taking these dangerous missions upon yourself while you're keeping secrets from your own family?"

"Oh, because you're such a great example of that!"

Father was fuming, Damian could tell. Meanwhile, Jon and Colin awkwardly glanced at each other before staring back at their food, wondering when they could be released from that discomfort.

Before things escalated even more, Pennyworth came in and interrupted, “Here, another plate of pancakes, young sirs. Also, apologies for the lack of manners at the table."

The boys timidly nodded, thanking him for the breakfast.

"You are very welcome, glad you're enjoying the food. Oh, and Master Bruce?" Pennyworth shot a glare at him, and then at Damian. "Stop ruining the mood, both of you, will you?"

“Hn,” Father grunted.

“Tt.”

Putting away his iPad and pushing his plate aside, Father rose from his chair and reached for his suitcase that had been left on the floor, where Alfred-the-Cat was now using it as a bed. Father motioned for the cat to move so he could finally take his briefcase and head out the door to go to work. 

“We’ll talk more about this later," Father assured while staring right into his son's eyes. He then courteously turned to the other boys and gave his goodbye, "Colin, Jon. A pleasure to have you here.”

“The-- Pleasure is all mine, sir!” Colin said, his voice still trembling. 

“Nice to see you again, Mr. Wayne!" Jon kindly waved as Bruce walked away. 

Having finished his food, Jon got up to put his dishes away, but he was stopped by Alfred, who refused to accept any type of help, especially coming from a guest. With the butler being focused on cleaning the kitchen, the young hero finally directed himself to his timid friend once more. 

"Will you ever act normal around Damian’s dad, Colin? You’ve been at this house, what? 10 times? At least?”

“Yeah, but he’s Batman, Jon!" Colin whispered as if he was revealing the biggest secret of the world to those two, "The Batman!”

“You don’t think we don’t know that?”

Damian was still upset about having to endure another long interrogation from his father later on. As if he wasn't capable of taking care of his own missions. 

“Tt. I’ll surpass him one day,”

Jon smirked, “Not in height you won’t! Shorty!”

Damian looked up for the first time and slammed his hands on the table, causing the silverware to clatter, “That’s it! I’m going to kill you, Jonathan!”

Pennyworth, impatient for having to dissuade another argument, immediately cut in. He was taking the plates away as he said, "Boys, if you're going to fight, you better do it somewhere else."

Jon laughed and announced, pointing his index finger to the room upstairs, “To the gaming room! I’ll race ya!”

In a blink of an eye, Jon was gone, and the other two tried to catch up to him as fast as they could. As they got there, however, they started panting, while the giddy dark-haired boy was completely fine.  

“Ha! Slow pokes.”

"Tt. Show off"

Jon was choosing a game to play on the console Damian while grabbed the controllers. Within minutes, they started a different shooting game where they could all play online while staying on the same team. It didn't take long for them to start talking loudly, then yelling at their opponents but cheering any time they got a kill. Despite all the noise, they were enjoying themselves and having fun, especially when they kept winning and massacring the other team. 

Colin was celebrating as he got rid of a sneaky camper, but his heart immediately froze once he heard the phone buzzing in his pocket. The game couldn't be paused, so everyone kept playing, except for him.

Panicking, the redhead cried out, “It’s her! It’s Ma! What do I do?” 

“Answer the phone like a normal person?” Damian sarcastically suggested, paying half attention to his friend.

Jon was playing less intentionally now, being more worried about his friend instead.

Colin got up and started walking in circles as he answered the phone, “Hey, Ma..! Oh, yeah. Yep, already had breakfast. No, I haven’t left Damian’s house. Ok. You know, I can just ask Alfred to drop me off so you don’t have to drive all the way here– Oh. You’ll tell me the news in the car? Okay... Alright. Love you too.”

The young redhead slowly put away his phone back into his pocket, but his eyes were empty as if he had witnessed someone die in front of him.

"Colin..? You alright, bud?" Jon asked, nervous to know the answer.

Colin suddenly broke into despair, "That's it! I'm getting moved! They’re going to get rid of me!”

No longer caring about the game, Damian put down his headphones and turned to him with a frown, "What?"

“Is that what she said on the phone?” Asked Jon.

“No, but she told me to not bother Alfred because she wants to pick me up instead! You know what that means, right?" The other boys shook their heads, confused, "She's going to take me straight to the Orphanage here in Gotham! Why else wouldn't she let Alfred take me home?"

“Wow. And everyone says I’m the paranoid one.” Damian pointed out.

“Colin, calm down! You’re going to be fine!”

Colin, however, pushed Jon away from him as he continued saying, frenetically, "You don't understand, I don't want to go back there! Some of the nuns are nice, sure, but Gotham is full of criminals who pay the higher-ups for the kids to be sold in the black market! Of course I'll gladly focus my vigilante work to go after those guys, but I can't relive that all over again! And what if I stumble across Scarecrow again and--"

Damian stood up and spoke sternly to get his friend to focus, "Colin. Do you have your Titan communicator with you?" His friend nodded. "Good. If anything like that happens to you, call me. I'll get you out of there and we can punch some criminals on the way out.”

Colin took a deep breath, trying to calm down his nerves. "You guys will really be there for me?"

“Isn’t it obvious?” Damian retorted. 

“Of course we will," Jon assured, much nicer than his fellow friend. "But again, you won’t have to worry about any of that because none of that will happen to you, alright? Now, while we wait for your foster mom to come pick you up, how about we go back to the game and restore our place?"

"Yeah, we're super behind now," Damian sat down again, putting his headphones back on. "Great. I bet those imbeciles think we are bad at this game." Damian brought his mic closer to him so he could yell out, "Hey, you only won because we let you, you Neanderthals! How about a rematch so we can show you who owns this game, huh?"

Damian already stirring up a fight online made Jon laugh, which eventually made Colin ease up as well. Slowly, he calmed down, getting back into the game. Several minutes went by and the boys continued focusing on leveling up, shooting as many opponents as they could. As they were about to finish the new quest, however, they were interrupted by a knock on the door.

"No! Not now!" Damian complained, aggressively pressing the buttons on his controller.  

"Excuse me," Pennyworth politely opened the door and walked in, "Young Master Colin? Mrs. Thornley is here for you."

Colin widened his eyes and stood up. "Oh, ok. Let me go grab my things--" He was about to run back to his room, but Pennyworth gestured with his hand for him to stop.

"No need, young sir. I already gathered all your belongings for you." Pennyworth said, gifting Colin with a brand new backpack full of new, perfectly pressed, clothes specifically purchased for him.

Colin opened the zipper and went through his backpack, surprised, "Wow--Alfred! I can't accept more new clothes, you've done too much for me already--"

"Please. It is always a pleasure to have you here, and we hope you and Master Jon will return more often."

Colin smiled at the butler, wishing to hug him but was too shy to do so. Every time he stayed over, he was gifted with new things. Perks of being best friends with the son of a multi-billionaire, he supposed. 

"Thanks again, Alfred. And Damian, thanks for having me! Bye, guys!"

"Bye, Colin!" Jon waved.

Damian managed to finish one more kill before giving his full attention to his friend, "Bye, Colin. And remember what I said, alright? If you're in trouble..."

"I know who to call." Colin finished the sentence with a laugh.

With that, the young redhead followed the butler and left. 

"Do you think he's gonna be okay?" Jon asked, going back to the game.

"I'm keeping the Titan communicator close to me, should anything happen. But I think he'll be fine."

---

Hours went by, and there was still no sign from Colin.

"He's not answering," Damian complained, putting away his communicator. 

"Well, let's wait just a little longer," Jon suggested. He then looked at his phone and was startled by the time, "Shoot, it's almost noon? Ok, I gotta go home before my mom kills me. Call me if Colin is in trouble, alright? Or if anything else comes up."

"Will do." 

After saying his goodbyes to his friend, Alfred, as well as Damian's pets, Jon took off with a loud sonic boom as he flew back home.

---

It was almost lunchtime, but Damian was spending most of his time on his phone, chatting with his girlfriend to see how things were at the Tower. Thankfully, things at the Tower were not too bad, and Maya had survived the night - sort of. She ended up locking herself in the room all night and the whole day with the excuse that she was 'sleeping in', which was bull. Maya was a morning person, an irritating one too because she was always in a good mood just like Jon, but she would always feed Goliath right when she woke up. 

With her being out of commission, Damian was worried about his Dragon Bat pet, but Emiko assured him multiple times that she was taking good care of him. Goliath liked Emi just as much as Damian - too much, sometimes.

Later, after finishing his lunch, Damian waited for Pennyworth to depart for his usual errands so he could use the zeta tube at the cave to head to the Tower. He still needed to take the Prince somewhere safer, especially when those mercenaries knew Damian's identity, but he still needed to think of a good spot. Father owned several safe houses throughout the country, but he also kept close attention to any action in case there were any intruders.  

Damian even considered purchasing a safe house with Mother's money instead, but he couldn't run the risk of getting her attention in case the League of Assassins was behind the coup. No one could be trusted, not even Damian's parents. After a lot of research, Damian finally narrowed down to a place that would raise the least suspicion. Now he just needed Pennyworth to leave before he could sneak out of the manor again. 

Titan Tower

The Titans were gathered in the kitchen, enjoying the delicious meal that Ekram had prepared with just the food left in the fridge and the pantry. He made a very flavorful vegetable soup that everyone enjoyed.

Emiko was the first to compliment him, "Wow, Ekram, this tastes really good!"

"Ah, what a perfect Shorbat Khodar." The Prince also praised, "Excellent work, my brother. Shukran [*thank you*]." 

"Thank you. I enjoy cooking. My mother taught me many recipes..." Ekram smiled as he thought about his now-deceased mother but he went into a state of alarm once he heard footsteps near the kitchen. Standing up suddenly, he asked, "What was that?"

"Relax, if it was an intruder, we would've been alerted by now," Emiko assured, turning around to see her boyfriend, who was already dressed as Robin.

"Hey, Boy Wonder. Nice to see you." The archer had a warm smile on her face, and so did Damian. They typically kissed when they greeted each other, but they weren't too fond of displaying public affection, so they held off this time. 

"Hi, Red. So... Nobody is still 'sleeping'?"

"Yep!" Emiko lied, "Sound like a rock!"

The Prince didn't know the meaning of that but he perked up at the mention of Nobody. "Is Miss Nobody awake yet? Would she like some of Ekram's delicious soup? I can go bring it to her! She must be starving by now!"

Maya wasn't lying when she said the Prince was crazy for her. 

Quick to avert the situation, Emiko stepped in, "Nope, no need! Nobody looves to sleep in and she gets reeally cranky when someone wakes her up if you know what I'm saying, haha..."

The Prince looked at her, confused. Fighting the urge to roll her eyes, Emi clarified, "You don't know what cranky means, do you?" The young royal boy shook his head, "It means annoyed, upset, irritated. Long story short, you don't wanna bug her."

"Besides, we gotta go." Robin reminded, "We don't have all day and I need to take you somewhere safer."

"Aw, already?" Ekram whined, "But we were having fun! Miss Red Arrow was giving us a tour of the Tower of Titan! And we met your dragon too!"

"Goliath is a dragon bat to be precise, but yes, glad that he didn't eat any of you... Regardless, you two need to come with me. We don't have much time."

"But I can't leave before saying my goodbye to Miss Nobody!" The Prince warned in panic. 

Robin and Red Arrow sighed. 

"Okay, fine." Robin said, "Make it quick."

Red Arrow elbowed her boyfriend, glaring at him, "Robin!"

"What? He's a prince, you really think he'll agree to come without getting what he wants first?"

"Hm, true." She smirked at him and teased, "Reminds me of someone I know."

"What do you mean by that?"

Rashid was all smiles while he ordered Ekram around to get the soup bowl for him to give to Nobody. 

Emiko gestured at her boyfriend to get moving, already, "Hey, at least go warn her! She's not gonna open the door if we don't tell her what's going on first." 

Damian complied, running up to the others before Rashid started knocking on the girl's door. 

"Prince Rashid, let me talk to her first. Nobody gets startled when she wakes up." Robin explained in Arabic, and the Prince nodded, despite not liking the idea of him not being the first person Nobody woke up to. 

"Psst. Nobody, it's me." Robin said softly, gently knocking on her door. He wasn't sure if it was a great idea to reveal Nobody's name in front of the others because then the prince would never shut up about it.

"Dami?" Maya whispered with hope in her voice, which the prince did not appreciate.

"Yeah, can I come in?" Robin said before turning to the other two. "Here, I'm gonna warn Nobody that you guys just want to say goodbye."

Ekram nodded. He was still carrying the bowl so that the Prince wouldn't have to, but meanwhile, Rashid wasn't too pleased by what was happening.

After a little while, Maya finally unlocked the door, inviting Damian to step inside, but she quickly locked the door again to prevent anyone else from coming in.

"Hey!" The Prince complained.

Meanwhile, Maya jumped Damian into a tight hug before looking at him, “Oh, thank God! Your girlfriend is a saint, did you know that? I owe her so much!”

“I’m sure you do. Hey, I need to take the Prince to a safer place, but he won't leave until he sees you. He's waiting at the door.”

"What? You traitor!" Maya lightly shoved Robin, making him hit the door behind him. 

"Is everything alright?" The Prince inquired, knocking at the door more frequently now, "Miss Nobody, talk to me!"

"Ugh, why can't anyone leave me alone?" Maya swung the door open, irritated.

She had a clear scowl on her face, but Rashid was more impressed by her appearance altogether; She was wearing a black tank top with military-green shorts, and her long wavy hair was slightly messy. Her clothing, revealing more skin than what Rashid was accustomed to seeing in women growing up, actually made him fall even more for her. 

"Wow..."

"Ah, geez." Maya rolled her eyes, cringing again. 

"Sorry, I tried to calm her down..." Robin lied, still speaking in Arabic with the other two.

"Will you stop speaking in Arabic in front of me, you traitor?" Maya lightly pushed Damian again, "I never know what you're saying!"

"Miss Nobody, please." Rashid grabbed Maya's hands again, pleading with her, "The last thing I want is to do is make you upset. My deepest apologies for disturbing your precious sleep, and I am truly sorry for Robin upsetting you this morning."

Robin shot an insulted look at Maya, which made her chuckle.

"It's okay. I'm used to everyone pissing me off from time to time." The Prince had absolutely no clue about what any of that meant, but he remained enchanted by her, regardless. 

"Well, my faithful servant, Ekran, prepared a traditional Shorbat Khodar that I hope you will enjoy."

"I'm back to being your servant now?" Ekram asked, annoyed, receiving a glare from the Prince to shut up. Ekram offered the bowl to Maya, who reluctantly accepted.

"Thanks. So, I hear you two are leaving?"

"Yes, I'm afraid we have to depart now. I hope I can see you again soon!"

"Yup, take your time!" Maya pulled away from the needy prince, scrunching up her face with a fake smile, "What matters is that you're safe."

"Same for you, my maiden." The Prince bowed to her, kissing her hand.

"Alright, have fun, you guys! Bye!" Maya waved at the boys before going back to her room and slamming the door. 

The boys went back to the kitchen when Emiko rushed to her boyfriend, "Hey, do you want me to come with you guys?"

"Colin might be having a crisis today, so I need you to stay here in case something happens to him." 

"Wait, what? What happened?" 

Robin shrugged, "He's afraid he'll be taken to the Orphanage. He hasn't messaged me back yet, so keep your communicators on. He might call soon."

"Oh, okay...?" Emiko frowned as she followed the other boys downstairs, where the jet was.

Robin waved at his girlfriend once he settled in his pilot seat and got ready to depart. Ekram and Rashid waved too, and Emiko faintly smiled at all of them. From the windows, Rashid shouted, "Give our thanks to the fellow heroes as well! It has been an honor to meet all of Robin's followers!"

"Agreed!" Ekram added, waving more.

The smile on Emiko's face immediately disappeared, being replaced by an annoyed glare at the Boy Wonder instead. Who did he think he was, referring to the Titans as his followers? From his seat, Damian chuckled as the jet took off.

***

The ride didn't go too bad, they weren't going to a whole other country this time, but the place Robin was taking them did snow. Robin gave the boys a heads-up regarding the unfamiliar cold weather, but they understood. Ekram was still upset that he wasn't allowed to fight crime with the Teen Titans, so they bickered for a little bit while the Prince stared at the clouds, lost in his thoughts. Despite their distractions, the Prince was still deeply hurt about what happened to his family and he feared for the future of his country.

As soon as they arrived, Damian gave them a tour of the secretive cabin that he had chosen, owned by his father, but it was the perfect place for them to stay since the cabin was fully furnished, with modern heaters on, and an excellent plumbing system. The only thing the cabin did not have was food, but there was a small market not too far away from there, and no one would recognize Ekram. 

As for the Prince, Robin handed him Nobody's invisible gadgets to keep him safe. He guarded the gadget with all his heart, profoundly grateful for having a token of his 'guardian angel' anywhere he went.

Yikes.

Having instructed the boys on what they should do if they were caught or noticed anyone dangerous, Damian prepared to return to his home before he got in any more trouble with Pennyworth. He didn't like keeping those two hidden like that, especially for an undetermined amount of time, but at least no one would suspect that the great Prince of Qurac was hiding in the United States in this secluded cabin, away from the rest of the civilization. 

On his way back, Emiko kept him company over the phone. 

“So where did you end up taking them?”

“One of my father’s hideouts. No one will ever suspect where they are, and they have the Titan communicator to keep us alert. Or he can call us on our cell phones as well.”

“Good. Although, isn’t it a little nerve-wracking to have the Prince hidden so far away from us? What if we don't get to him in time if someone finds him?

"Prince Rashid at least has some of Maya's invisibility gadgets, and I handed Ekram some weapons that he can use. If they are caught, at least we know Superboy can fly fast. He will be there in no time."

“And if Superboy is not available?” Emiko asked on the video call. She wasn't wearing her mask anymore, and her hair was tied in a ponytail.

“The plan will work, Emi. They will be safe. Safer than if they stayed at the Tower, or the manor, for example."

"...Or the Arrow cave.”

Robin nodded.

Emiko paused, thoughtful, then sighed, “We’re gonna have to tell our families eventually about this. You know that, right?"

“Whose side are you on?”

“I’m just saying facts, Dame. You can’t keep secrets from your dad forever. It didn’t work out great the last time.”

“Well, last time you snuck out to do something on your own, things didn’t turn out good for you either!”

“Exactly! All I’m saying is that it can’t hurt to tell your dad about your plan just so that he's aware. I could tell Ollie soon, I guess, but at least he doesn’t care about every little detail of my life.”

Robin arched an eyebrow as he kept piloting. “Are you implying my father is intrusive?”

“You mean, a helicopter parent? Absolutely."

“Tt. You’re not wrong.”

“I never am.”

Damian gave the girl a skeptical glare, making her laugh.

She continued the conversation, "Hey, Colin hasn't called and I actually have to head back home now. Just because Ollie lets me do my thing doesn't mean he hasn't been bugging me all day. I need to go home."

"Ok. Maya is still at the tower, right?"

"Yep. Ok, I gotta go now. Oh, and are you excited about going back to school?" Emiko asked, amused, already knowing the answer.

“Beyond thrilled.”

Emi's laughter was always a pleasurable sound that Damian loved to hear.

“Ha,ha, same here! But you’ll survive. You’ve been doing great lately.”

Robin shrugged his shoulders. “Didn’t have much choice. You either succumb to defeat or rise above it when a challenge presents itself to you."

“Aww, look at you, all grown up. Well, I’m glad things have finally turned out well for you. Don’t forget that my offer will always be up to sneak up to your school again to kick some jerks’ asses!”

“It won’t be necessary this time, but I appreciate the thoughtfulness. How are you feeling about having to go back to school in person now? It is stupid how you can’t keep your online classes.”

“Ugh, tell me about it. It’s all Ollie’s fault, really. I could’ve convinced the school to let me extend the online courses if I made up some lie about being mentally ill or something, but Ollie said it is wrong to lie.”

“Queen saying it’s bad to lie? Don't they know he's the mayor? You're not a true mayor if you don't lie."

“Exactly. And how many times did his secrets have secrets? Too many times to count.”

“Not as much as my father.”

"Touche, but Ollie seems to enjoy matching the competition. Anyway, I gotta go now."

“I wish you luck.”

“Thanks. I’ll need it.”

Damian thought to himself for a while before he spoke up again, “Hey, Emi?”

“Yes?”

“If someone dares to be rude to you, give me names because I will immediately persecute and torture them myself.”

“Aww. That’s why you’re the best, Dames. I, um. Thanks for being who you are.” Emi blushed as she flashed a sweet smile, making her boyfriend return the gesture. 

They were about to say goodbye for the tenth time when a sudden call came in from the Titan line.

"It's Colin!" Damian answered the phone, which led to a group call with all the teammates who had answered. 

"GUYS, GUYS!" Colin called out, agitated.

The Titans were all on the edge of their seats, asking, "What?"

"You guys won't believe what happened to me today! Remember the news that Ma had for me?"

"Just get to the point already, Colin!" Damian complained in his jet.

"Okay, so both my foster parents were in the car, right? Aaand they told me I'm getting ADOPTED! I am officially part of the Thornley family!"

"What? That is awesome, Colin!" Jon cheered over the phone, "I told you there was nothing to worry about!"

"Colin Wilkes-Thornley, huh?" Robin stated, "I like it."

"Woohoo!" Maya also celebrated, "That's amazing!"

"Great news indeed," Emiko added.

“I just wanted to thank you guys for having my back, no matter what. I’m so excited! Looks like I’m gonna stay in Metropolis for a long time now!”

“Yesss! " Jon cheered, "Now that’s more like it!”

“Tt. Metropolis sucks.”

Everyone laughed, and Colin had to get going. It sounded like he was heading to the movie theater with his now-adopted family to commemorate.

The Teen Titans congratulated their friend again, thus ending the call. Damian was minutes away from the Tower now and he was ready to go back to his normal day when another call from the tower came in.

"Maya..? Is everything okay?" Robin asked in confusion. He was so close to the tower, couldn't Maya just wait?

“Uhh… There’s someone here to see you. Says she’s… Family?”

Family? Who would’ve visited him at this time, and why the Tower? 

“What do you mean? Who is it, my mother?”

“No, definitely not Talia. Sounds like you two go from way back… Like childhood. She says she’s your… Cousin?”

Damian widened his eyes in disbelief.

“Mara??”

Chapter Text

Damian was quick to park the Batjet so he could see what was happening. What was Mara doing there? What did she want? It had been two years since he last heard from his cousin, and the last time he saw her, she ran away with her resurrected mother. Damian's steps slowly faltered as he caught sight of his friend, Maya, engrossed in conversation with another girl. The visitor had a red streak in her long brunette hair and a distinctive scar on her right eye.  

It was Mara alright. 

"Mara..?" Damian cautiously addressed.

His cousin quickly turned to him, eyes widened, "Damian-?" 

Tension filled the air as the two cousins locked eyes with each other for a brief moment. Mara al Ghul took a few steps toward him but hesitated as if she were waiting for some sort of signal; Permission to hug him or shake his hand, perhaps? 

Instead, her body remained rigid as a statue.

Mara’s hands were locked into fists as she acknowledged her cousin with a short "..Hey."

The al Ghuls may not have been the greatest example of showing affection, especially between family but Damian had learned a thing or two from Grayson.

Damian softened his expression and smiled warmly, pulling his cousin into a tight hug, "Oh, come here."

Mara froze from the unexpected embrace. 

"Aww! Look at you two, having a nice little family reunion!" Maya cooed with her hands clasped beside her cheek.

Embarrassed, Mara rudely broke out of the hug. "Ok, that's enough of that."

Damian understood. Since there was no time for affection, he cut to the chase to find out the purpose of her unannounced visit. 

"Mara, what are you doing here?"

"I..." His cousin began to say but her gaze dropped to the ground. Damian waited patiently for her to continue, carefully noticing how tightened her fists were and how her cheeks flushed. Whatever she was trying to say seemed to be quite a challenge. "I-I, um--"

Mara never stuttered. What was going on?

"...I came to apologize." Mara finally confessed as she looked back at her cousin. 

Maya Ducard arched an eyebrow at Damian, but he was as surprised as she was.  

"What?" They asked in confusion. 

"Please don't make me repeat it..." Mara looked down again, ashamed, "...I'm not proud of what I did to you, Damian..."

"Huh?" Damian tilted his head in confusion and walked closer to Mara, still perplexed, "What are you talking about? If anything, I'm the one who owes you an apology, not you--"

Mara shook her head and gestured for him to stop. "No. I never once apologized for what my mother did to you and Aunt Talia. The creation of Heretic... Leviathan..."

"Aunt Nyssa is the one to blame, not you, Mara." Damian spoke sternly, "And I already forgave your mother a long time ago."

Mara looked up again, frowning in confusion, "What..? You forgave her? Why?"

Damian softened his expression once more, smiling briefly, "It doesn’t matter anymore, it's all in the past.”

He resisted the urge to squeeze Mara’s shoulder to reassure her, but he knew the act would startle her. She wasn't accustomed to physical contact like he had grown used to over the recent years.

"What is wrong with you?" Mara questioned, catching Maya and Damian off guard, "You should be mad at me and my mother, you should hate us! I watched Heretic be reborn from the ashes, I worked with him, I helped him! I watched him obsess over replacing you, which was disturbing, may I say, but I did nothing to stop him!"

"You saved my life, Mara. I'll never forget that."

Despite how calming Damian's words were, Mara was still furious. 

"Why aren't you fighting me? Challenging me for a final duel? You know that is how we settle things!" 

Chapter Text

Bruce was on the verge of bursting a blood vessel with his kids - especially his youngest. Just when things seemed to be progressing, something always had to happen that set them back. First, that reckless off-planet mission with the Teen Titans, although Bruce was not quite certain what exactly happened there, but he hadn't had the time to look into that yet. Then his son decided to steal his sports car to take his girlfriend - Oliver Queen's half-sister, of all people, - on a date. Now this: inviting the daughter of Nyssa al Ghul to their own home.

And if there was something Bruce detested, it was being kept out of things, especially when his family could be at risk. Bringing an enemy into the Manor was not something he approved of, but unfortunately, his stern lecture the previous night came to no fruition. Damian was clever enough to use Bruce's words against him to win his case.

"You taught me about redemption, Father. When you first met me, I was nothing but a heartless assassin. Yet, you took me in and granted me the chance to better myself. Is it so wrong of me to wish the same for my cousin?"

Damn it.

What was Bruce supposed to say to that? He couldn't be a hypocrite and reprimand his son for wanting to help a family member despite their past. But just because he couldn't argue with his son didn't mean he had to trust the girl either. He was going to keep a close eye on Mara for the time being. In the meantime, he had to figure out what to do with her. He couldn't let Mara roam around the Manor by herself while he was away at work and Damian was at school, and it wasn't fair to give more work to Alfred either. The poor man had done his fair share of babysitting duties over the years. In the end, only one solution was left:

Enroll Mara in the West-Reeve School.

This was bound to be a disaster, Bruce knew, but he was running out of options. Hopefully, his son would be able to help his cousin adjust to normal life somewhat... Not that Damian was fully adjusted since Bruce still received calls from the school from time to time regarding his son's persistence in disrupting the class to correct his teachers, but there was still hope. It would be a miracle to not receive a single complaint call or detentions this year. One can dream.

"Good news, sir." Greeted Alfred as he finished a call, "West-Reeve High School accepted Miss al Ghul's enrollment despite the extremely short notice. They shall have her uniform ready for her when she arrives today."

"That was nice of them," Bruce remarked casually as he took a sip of his coffee while reading his work emails on his iPad.

"Of course," The snarky butler started, "- because this had nothing to do with the fact that you fund the whole school," Came the retort, dripping with sarcasm.

"They should be, but where--?" Alfred looked behind him and then nodded, "Ah, there they are."

This time, Bruce looked up from his iPad to take a good look at the kids as they walked into the kitchen. Damian was already dressed in his uniform, sporting his customary sleepy and annoyed expression, a clear indication of his disdain for school and poor habit of sleeping late, a learned behavior from Bruce, sadly. Mara, on the other hand, was the opposite. She looked awake and alert. Too alert. Her posture was rigid and tense, guarded as if someone was about to attack her at any second. It reminded him a lot of his youngest. It took months for Damian to be able to sleep smoothly and be at ease in his own home. Bruce wouldn't expect anything less from Mara.

"Good morning, Mara." Bruce greeted, trying not to sound too intimidating, "As we discussed last night, you'll be attending school with Damian this year. We're keeping your last name a secret to avoid unnecessary attention, so you shall go by the name Mara Adler instead. Is that alright with you?"

Mara scrunched her nose upon hearing the made up last name. She hated it.

"Oh... Okay." She lied.

Disregarding her discomfort, Bruce continued, "I know this will be quite... Different than what you're used to, but I hope this will be a good experience for you, Mara. You'll meet kids your age and you'll get to experience what it's like to be a high schooler."

Mara nodded. Her posture remained stiff and her face carried a determined expression as if she had been given a formidable challenge to be conquered.

Damian, on the other hand, rolled his eyes at his father and turned to his cousin to say, "I know what you're thinking; This whole 'High School' experience is a complete waste of time, and you're right. There's not much to gain from that place."

Mara widened her eyes at her cousin, probably surprised by how comfortable Damian felt challenging his father. She wasn't used to seeing someone question an 'authority figure'.

Bruce rubbed his face just slightly. "Damian, you know the rules. You must go to school if you want to keep your vigilante life."

"A dumb rule, if you ask me. Did you know that my mother never agreed to this?"

Bruce took a deep breath as he glanced at Alfred, signaling his dwindling patience.

"Master Damian, your grievance toward school will not change your father's mind. Besides, you've mentioned more than once that you don't mind school so much anymore.

"Tt. Whatever." Damian sat down and took a bite of his toast. His cousin followed his lead, sitting right next to him, but she refused to touch the food.

"Please, eat, Miss al Ghul." Alfred insisted, noticing Mara's hesitation to even move, "I assure you my food is not poisoned as you may fear."

"Hm!" Damian recalled between bites of his food, "Remember when Grandfather poisoned us and left us stranded in the desert to search for the cure?"

Mara scowled at the memory, "Oh, yeah, the one where I found the antidote, yet you got all the credit?"

"What are you talking about? I got the antidote first!"

"After I found where it was first!"

"Hm." Damian shrugged. "Guess you should've been faster."

Mara looked like she wanted to strangle her cousin right then and there.

"Ahem." Bruce cleared his throat to get their attention. "Damian, no conversations about the League of Assassins while at school, am I understood? And be nice to your cousin."

Damian rolled his eyes at the ceiling but at least he didn't respond this time. Mara still appeared taken aback by her cousin's lack of reverence toward Bruce.

Sighing, Bruce headed downstairs to his car. Meanwhile, the two teenagers were led by Alfred to make their way to the chopper.

While Alfred was occupied with the helicopter settings, Mara trailed behind Damian, running a little closer to ask him, "Um, Damian? So, what exactly should I be expecting from this so-called 'High School'?

Damian looked up thoughtfully at the sky before responding, "Well, it's like prison."

"Prison?" Mara asked in shock, whispering this time, "Your father is sending us to prison?"

"Pretty much," Damian said casually as he got inside the helicopter after Alfred's signal, "Just think of Grandfather's worst punishments but turn it into a sick social experiment where your survival instincts must be kept dormant at all times."

"What?" Mara could no longer hide her panic now, "I thought your father was different than Grandfather! Why would he make us attend such a place?”

"He likes to see me tortured."

"Master Damian!" Alfred scolded from the pilot seat, "Enough scaring your cousin. Miss al Ghul, you have nothing to fear. School is not nearly as bad as it seems."

Chapter Text

'Are you doing anything tonight?'

It was the first message Emiko had received from her boyfriend since their last argument. The text instantly made her smile. The thought of being asked on a date again made her stomach flutter, but who was she kidding? With her luck, Damian would probably just want to have a work talk. He wasn’t exactly the romantic type.

Emiko replied so fast that she forgot to think things through before hitting send, 'I’m stopping a drug bust tonight, why?'

Stupid, Emiko, stupid! Now all Damian would think about would be the drug bust instead. Not that she had the evening free to go out on a date anyway, but it would’ve been nice to know his intentions first.

‘Is Green Arrow coming?’ Came his response just as fast.

‘No, I’m flying solo tonight. GA and Canary are working on a murder case that's much more interesting than just stopping a bunch of thugs...’

‘Mind if I join you? I need to blow off some steam.'

Emiko blinked. An evening with Damian Wayne stopping a drug trafficking ring together? That sounded quite lovely, come to think of it. Who said Damian couldn’t be romantic?

'Sure, it'll be nice having you there! Meet me at the Glades as soon as you can. I’ll send you the coordinates.'

'Excellent. Just need to make a quick stop at the Tower but I will meet you there soon.’

Emiko smiled as she responded with a simple, ‘Sounds good.’'

Her message may have sounded indifferent, but Emiko’s excitement was through the roof. There was something special about crime-fighting alongside her boyfriend, something they didn’t get to do often outside the Titans, which wasn't the same. Being a Titan was great and all, but sometimes it felt crowded and a bit chaotic.

There had yet to be a day when the group didn’t bicker over the smallest things. Not that they weren’t functional as a team, but there was always a touch of chaos whenever they fought crime together. Maybe it was due to Robin's bad habit of bossing everyone around and making demands, making the team ignore him, or it could be because everyone felt so comfortable around each other that no one took anyone seriously.

All in all, being a Titan was fun, just a bit... Loud sometimes. Things were a lot different and messier compared to when Kori was in charge, but Emiko would never say that to her stubborn boyfriend.

At the Arrow Cave, Emiko moved with precision as she gathered her gear. She inspected each trick arrow, from explosive tips to EMP arrows, ensuring everything was in perfect condition before she headed out. Special gadgets, like smoke bombs and grappling hooks, were also packed into her quiver. 

After a final glance around the cave, the archer swung her quiver over her shoulder and headed for her sleek, red motorcycle. The engine roared to life, echoing in the empty cave. Seconds later, the girl sped out into the night, the wind whipping through her long hair as she headed out to the Glades. 

***

"James Holder is his name, he told me about this new trafficking ring going around. He's just a kid, I let him go. The traffickers were threatening his family, he was scared. So, you just gotta go in there and stop the drug deal. Easy peasy." 

"That's it? I'm just stopping a drug bust, nothing else? Why do I always get the easy cases, Ollie?"

"Emi, your school just started. You're lucky I'm even letting you patrol late at night in the first place."

"This is so stupid! Why are you making me go to school anyway? You're not my dad!"

"Yeah, well, our dad is not around anymore. Sorry that I'm the closest thing we have to him... I wish things didn't have to be this way."

The argument replayed in Emiko's head over and over as she rode her motorcycle. Even after all these years, she still hated being told what to do, especially by her brother. Going back to school in person was also stupid and a waste of her time. She didn't have any friends, nor did she care about that. She already had the Titans, so why bother? 

The best part of her day was going out to patrol, but being assigned easy cases day after day was getting old. It was not fair how Ollie suddenly decided to play the 'responsible older brother' card. She doubted he was ever that strict with Roy.   

The whole thing was dumb. 

At least Damian would soon join her, turning a potentially boring evening into something fun. 

Glades

Red Arrow parked her motorcycle farther away from the warehouse district where the drug trafficking was going to take place. She made sure to arrive early to get ahead of the game, but as she approached the dimly lit warehouse, her keen eyes were drawn to all the cars parked nearby, their engines cold and unused for at least 30 minutes.  

She wasn't alone. 

Her heart fastened, but she pushed her nerves aside. That was not part of the plan, she was supposed to wait at the warehouse as the traffickers arrived, but apparently, the drug dealers wanted to show up sooner. Hopefully, she wasn't too late. 

 With a quick, silent leap, Red Arrow scaled the wall, her grip secure on the ledge as she slipped through the narrow window. Her land was light and precise, her presence going unnoticed. Inside, the warehouse was abuzz with activity; Stacks of crates were now overshadowed by the presence of over a dozen men, all deep in urgent and whispered conversations as they hustled around the crates and barrels.

Red Arrow’s gaze narrowed as she observed the illicit transaction take place. She crouched behind a stack of crates, and from her vantage point, she spotted a small group of men huddled around a makeshift table. Boxes were being opened and their contents inspected stacks of cash and vials filled with an unknown substance.

There were more people than Emiko imagined, but this should still be a piece of cake. The fact that so many of them carried guns didn't intimidate her one bit, she was just worried about Robin. What was taking him so long? The archer began to reach for her Titan communicator to check his location, but she froze as one of the drug dealers moved toward her, lifting a crate extremely close to her hiding spot.

Red Arrow held her breath, her body as rigid as a stone.

"Alright, let's get it going, ladies." A burly man shouted from the other side, probably their leader. "Finish putting everything in the truck and let's get outta here."

Chapter Text

The morning was chilly, the kind of day that begged to be spent curled up in bed. So, naturally, that was not going to happen. It was another school day, and Mara and Damian were expected to get ready and face their daily grind.

"Good morning." Greeted Bruce already seated at the breakfast table. He was reading the news from his iPad, juggling the day's headlines with work emails.

"Good morning," Mara replied politely as she pulled out her chair and sat down.

"Morning," Damian mumbled without bothering to look at his father in the eyes. Clearly, he was still brooding over yesterday's events.

Alfred served the kids their food, with a vegan dish for Damian, of course.

On a normal day, Damian would've complained at the sight of bacon being served at the table, but apparently, he was too uninterested to say anything. Talking to him felt like pulling teeth.

Bruce cleared his throat, trying to break the silence. "So, Damian. Are you excited about soccer season this year?"

Damian stabbed his food with his fork, still avoiding eye contact. "I suppose."

More silence. Bruce took a bite of his food and turned to Mara, "How about you, Mara? Have you considered joining any extracurricular activities?"

Mara looked up, concern flickering in her eyes. "Was I supposed to?" A hint of panic in her voice.

Bruce chuckled softly. "Only if you want to. You might enjoy it, especially if you're interested in sports. It's competitive, busy, and you get to meet more people your age."

"Oh... Okay."

Another awkward silence. It was going to be a long day today.

"Damian can show you the sports curriculum. Right, Damian?" Bruce spoke more forcefully, prompting his son to look up finally.

"Do I have to?"

"Damian," Bruce scolded. In return, his youngest rolled his eyes and huffed.

"Tt. Fine."

The kitchen was once again enveloped in uneasy quiet, with the only sound being the clinking of silverware until Damian dropped his onto his plate.

"I'm done. I'll go wait in the chopper."

Mara quickly followed suit, pushing her plate away. "Me too."

She trailed behind her cousin, who was already leaving the kitchen. However, instead of ignoring Bruce, she lightly bowed her head to him out of respect and said, "Goodbye, Mr. Wayne."

Bruce wanted to tell her there was no need to be so formal, but she was already out of the kitchen. Once the kids were gone, Bruce was met with Alfred's disapproving look.

"Don't give me that look, Alfred."

Collecting the plates on the table, the butler remarked, "You're as skilled with your words as you are with cooking, sir."

"Come on, Alfred, I'm trying. Damian is still upset with me after what happened yesterday. What am I supposed to do?"

Alfred started washing the dishes, but replied over his shoulder, "Perhaps start by not acting as if nothing happened."

Bruce sighed, putting his iPad away. "I can't. Not in front of Mara. I'll try to talk to Damian again if he lets me." He stood up, placing his empty coffee cup in the sink. "I hope I can get through to him soon, Alfred... Things have not been the same since Mara showed up."

Alfred took the cup and began washing it as he replied, "I'm aware. He's upset with your lack of trust in our new guest."

While Alfred finished drying the dishes and putting them away, Bruce leaned against the counter with his arms crossed.

"I'm sorry, Alfred, but you can't expect me to trust her. My job first and foremost is to protect my family."

"That's just the thing, Master Bruce. Miss al Ghul is family."

With that, Alfred walked out to get the kids to school in time, leaving Bruce to reflect on his actions.

West-Reeve High School

The first period was biology, which didn't seem too bad initially. The teacher was going on about what she would cover during the semester and how there would be a large focus on genetics, a subject Mara was extremely knowledgeable of, particularly after witnessing a series of experiments to create clones.

The geneticist who assisted in creating Heretic worked for Mother voluntarily, but Mara remembered the tortured screams whenever that man made a mistake. Towards the end of the project, Dr. Larson couldn't take it anymore. Not only did he become a working slave to Mother, but he too was put off by her strange obsession with Heretic.

It wasn't fun to watch the whole thing evolve from the shadows. Mara followed her mother's commands during the formation of Leviathan, training and leading hundreds of child soldiers, but just because Mara's heart was filled with hatred at the time, didn't mean that she didn't feel incredibly uncomfortable by the whole thing.

The sight of deformed clones emerging from dead whales, and the sound of children screaming in agony while being tested, would forever haunt her nightmares...

"Mara? Mara!"

She blinked herself back to reality, realizing the whole class was now staring at her. Her cousin, seated beside her, leaned in and whispered again, "Mara, she's talking to you. Stand up!"

Mara looked up at her teacher, confused. The older lady repeated with a friendly smile, "Hi, Miss Adler, right? Go ahead and introduce yourself to the class so everyone can get to know you better!"

"Um-Oh, okay." Mara pulled out her chair and stood up, uncertain of what she was supposed to say. She must have gotten really distracted and careless to be this lost.

"I'm Mara Adler."

She was about to sit down again but the teacher stopped her by adding, "Tell us a little bit about yourself, Mara."

Desperate, Mara turned to her cousin, silently pleading for assistance as she shot him a worried look.

Whispering, Damian suggested, "Just say you're my cousin."

If the entire class was not eagerly waiting for a response, she would have argued with him right then and there. There was no way she'd share something so trivial, unrelated to her own life, that would leave her in her cousin's shadow. The League had already done enough of that. But what else could she say? That she knew a hundred ways to assassinate someone?

"You don't need to feel nervous, sweetie." The overly nice, probably fake, teacher persisted. 

"I- uh, well, I... I'm new here and--" Mara glanced around, catching Damian silently urging her on. With nothing else coming to mind, she blurted out, "--And I'm Damian Wayne's cousin."

The class erupted in whispers like a swarm of buzzing bees. That one little detail was enough to stir up the entire classroom, making Mara hate herself for listening to Damian.

"Damian has a cousin?"

"Where is she from? She doesn't look from here."

"Does anyone know who Damian's mom is?"

"They don't look alike."

"They're cousins, not brother and sister, you idiot!"

Mara's face burned as she sat back down. If only she could disappear right about now.

"Alright, everyone, settle down." The Biology teacher said, "We're pleased to have you with us this year, Miss Adler. If you're anything like your cousin, you'll do great in this school, I'm sure!" 

Yay. More praises for Damian. As if he needed any.

Forty minutes later, the bell finally rang, and Mara quickly gathered her belongings and rushed out of the classroom. Damian was trailing behind her, trying to catch up.

"Mara, wait!" he called after her.

"Tell the class I'm your cousin, Damian? Really?" She snapped, unable to control her anger. 

"What? It's true! What's so wrong with that? It's better than saying that you own a cow!"

Mara stopped in her tracks, confused, "But I don't own a cow!"

"Yeah, but if you did, it wouldn't be wise to share that information. Apparently, no one in this school appreciates such a respectful pet. I rescued her from a slaughterhouse, mind you."

"What? You make no sense."

"Bat-Cow! You don't remember Bat-Cow? I even introduced you to her!

Mara sighed in frustration, "Can you stop talking about the cow?"

"See? No one respects Bat-Cow."

"My problem is not with your cow, it's with you, Damian! Why does everything have to revolve around you?"

"What are you talking about?"

"Nothing." Mara stormed through the hallway on her way to their next class, which was Chemistry.

This time, Mara chose a seat in the back, determined to avoid any unnecessary attention. Annoyingly, Damian still tried to sit close to her, but fortunately, the seats around her had already been taken. He eventually settled for a spot in the middle of the row, two seats ahead of her. 

Damian's cluelessness about Mara's frustration only fueled her irritation. Of course, he couldn't grasp why it was so embarrassing to have everyone gossiping about her life right in front of her. The whole school worshipped him! He had no idea what it was like to be stuck in someone else's shadow.

All she wanted was to be left alone and remain invisible.

The commotion to get ready for class was in full swing, so Mara observed. The students all seemed to know each other, their social cliques well-established, which was perfect because that meant no one was going to bother her since everyone's groups were so closed off.

Everything was going fine, with all things considered, until a strangely familiar student walked in, squeaking with excitement the moment she opened the door and laid eyes on Damian.

"Dami! I can't believe you're in this class too!" A brunette girl with mid-length hair tied in a French braid rushed to the empty seat next to Damian, bumping into a couple of people as she made her way. She honestly looked so clumsy and desperate. It was sad to watch.

Unfazed by her enthusiasm, Damian greeted back, "Sky! What a coincidence."

Now Mara remembered; Skylar was her name. The annoying girl from Art class.

"I know, right? I'm so excited to have this class with you! Isn't it funny that out of all the classes we could've shared, outside of Art, Chemistry is the one we have together?"

"What do you mean?" Damian genuinely asked.

Skylar blinked, her face turning as red as a tomato before she brushed it off and laughed nervously, "Um- Ah, nothing, it's nothing! I was just making a silly joke, you know? Ha, ha, but really, um, yeah... Don't worry about it!"

Mara thought that was strange, but she ignored it. The Chemistry teacher then walked in, and the class finally began. Unlike the other teachers, this was the first time an instructor got straight to teaching instead of wasting time with unnecessary introductions or tedious syllabus reviews. 

After briefly explaining the beginning of the chapter, the teacher began writing on the board about the atomic structure. The content was disappointingly basic, so Mara was already bored. However, her curiosity was piqued when she saw that annoying girl, Skylar, leaning closer to her cousin, who was distractedly doodling something in his notebook. It was hard to hear the whole thing, but Mara caught some of the words Skylar was saying.

"Wow, that looks amazing! What is it?"

Damian, as if jolted from a trance, glanced back at the girl with braided hair. "Hm? Oh, it's just something I've been working on."

"You write stories?" Sky asked eagerly. "Can I see?"

Mara, equally curious, tried to get a glimpse of Damian's notebook but couldn't make out much from that distance. 

"Damian Vane is the name of the protagonist?" Sky continued, making Damian blush, a sight Mara found quite amusing. It was about time he was ridiculed for something. "Cute! Ooh, and I love the title too: Prince of Crows! Sounds so interesting!"

Never mind. 

Of course, that foolish simpleton would fawn over something so trivial. These commoners were so easily impressed.

"Thanks. I know it's kinda silly, but I like it. The only thing is that I keep getting stuck during this battle scene..."

Their chatting grew increasingly disruptive to the class, enough to get the teacher's attention now. The older man dramatically paused in the middle of his sentence to turn around and address the problem.

"Ahem, Mr. Wayne. Is there something you'd like to share with the class?"

Oh, this was going to be good. Finally, Damian was going to receive a real consequence for his actions! What types of punishments were implemented in this school? Physical punishments? Public reprimand through humiliation?

"No, I have nothing to share. Sorry about that, Mr. Baldwin." Damian apologized, straightening up in his seat.

"Hm. Just keep it down, will you? Or I'll have to separate you two."

Damian and Skylar nodded, which apparently was all it took for the teacher to turn back to the board and resume teaching.

That was all.

No punishment, no severe consequences. Just this sad excuse for a warning, if it could even be called that. Yes, Mara was going to lose it. Her mother would have been beyond ashamed if she ever found out about her daughter's endeavors and how much time she was wasting at this ridiculous school for weaklings. It was a good thing no one, other than Damian's family and peers, knew what she was doing in Metropolis.

The second bell rang, marking the end of the class. It would've been nice if Mara could finally be released from her prison sentence, but low and behold, she had to head out to a wonderful 'Physical Education' class. What a joy.

"Are you surviving so far?" Damian annoyingly asked.

"Of course I am," Mara snapped back. "What do you think I am, weak?"

"Of course not." Damian quickly corrected himself, "I just know how boring these classes can get."

Mara rolled her eyes at him. It looked like he was about to say more, but he was interrupted by a cheerful and obnoxiously loud friend who came running to them.

"Yo, Damian!"

"Hey, Colin!" Damian greeted his friend back with a half hug.

"We're in P.E. together again, nice!" Still smiling, Colin waved to Mara to greet her as well, "Hey Mara! How are you liking your second day of school?"

"It's fine." She lied. If everyone could stop talking to her for once, that would be great. 

Colin then started babbling about how a kid named Tony Evans wasn't in their P.E. class that semester but was in another class with him. Apparently, Tony was still avoiding Colin for some reason, something about Colin scaring him in the past, though Mara wasn't sure she caught all the details. Not that it mattered; she didn't know the kid, and she certainly didn't care. She tuned out of the conversation and focused on the class instead.

A burly man in his mid-40s walked in, his salt-and-pepper hair tucked under a worn West Reeve High School cap. A whistle dangled around his neck alongside an employee badge that read 'Coach Harris', both resting against his white polo shirt. He carried himself with an air of authority, clearly trying to come across as intimidating, but Mara wasn't impressed.

Once the Coach walked closer to the students, he clapped his hands loudly to bring everyone's attention to him. 

"Alright, everyone! We're doing some soccer drills today, so we'll be heading out to the field. But first, get changed into your gym clothes. You've got five minutes. Now, go! I don't want anyone wasting time today."

A new commotion arose as the students headed to their locker rooms. Not thanks to Damian, Mara knew to bring a change of clothes because at least the butler paid attention to her school schedule. Mara pushed open the heavy locker room door and weaved through clusters of chatting classmates, walking straight to an empty bench in the back so she could change alone in peace. 

Mara changed out of her school uniform skirt into a much more practical pair of running shorts. She pulled her dark hair into a high ponytail and slipped on her running shoes. However, as she tied her shoes, Mara noticed a trio of girls casting curious glances her way. 

 She had no clue who those girls were, but Mara recognized the one in the middle; Madeline, from English class, a short brunette with soft blonde highlights that framed her face well. To Madeline's left stood a girl with short hair and thick black glasses, while to her right was a fake platinum blonde who carried herself with the biggest air of superiority. Her presumptuous expression was almost comical, given how she couldn't even dye her hair properly.

"Hey, you're new here, right?" Madeline started saying, attempting to sound friendly, "I think I remember you... Mara Adler, from English class? You're Damian's cousin, right?" 

"Yeah," Mara answered coldly. She noticed Madeline's long stare fixated on her blinded eye, which made Mara snap, "Do you have a problem?"

The brunette jolted, raising her hands defensively, "Oh, no, not at all! Here, I'm Maddy, and these are my friends, Helen and Sam."

So the nerdy-looking was Sam, and Helen was the stuck-up one.  Got it. 

"What happened to your eye?" Asked Sam nonchalantly. She too was staring at Mara's eye as if she had seen something strange. 

"Sam!" Scolded dear ol' 'Maddy'.

Finding the whole thing irritating, Mara blurted out, "I got stabbed. Isn't it obvious?"

Apparently, that was the wrong thing to say because the girls looked horrified.

Well, except for Helen, who looked more disgusted than shocked. "Really?" She asked with her voice filled with repulsion.

Mara clenched her jaw in frustration. She didn't want to blow her cover.

"It's a joke. I got into an accident when I was little. Can't remember much."

"Ohh... I'm so sorry..." Apologized Maddy with a slightly pitiful tone, and if there was one thing Mara hated, it was being pitied. If only she could stab all those girls in the eye just so they could have a taste of what it was like to be pitied too.

"Well, it's nice meeting you--!" Maddy continued, still going for the friendly demeanor for an unknown reason. She was slowly turning around to go back to the soccer field. 

"Yeah, it's nice to meet you!" Echoed the girl with glasses, Sam.

Helen, on the other hand, didn't even bother to say anything and just walked away, following her two friends like the tool she was.

Mara had to walk behind them too since there was only one way out to the field. 

As the girls stepped onto the grassy field, they were greeted by a bright, warm sun. The Coach started the class by having the students jog for five minutes, and Mara easily outpaced everyone, matching Damian's speed. Mara couldn't resist but glance at the three moronic girls who were laughably tired already.

A whistle blew, and the Coach gathered everyone into a circle. 

"Today, we'll be focusing on dribbling and passing. I want to see clean touches, sharp passes, and quick movements. Everyone pair up and get started!"

Predictably, Damian and Colin immediately paired up, but what was worse was that everyone in the class paired up just as quickly, leaving Mara completely alone. The girl looked around, wondering if she'd be allowed to join Damian and Colin or if she should just do the soccer drill by herself. The problem was that she didn't even know what this drill entailed, and the thought of performing something poorly was terrifying. Failure was never an option, she knew that, but it wasn't exactly fair to be expected to excel at something she had never even heard of before.

Noticing how she was one of the only ones without a pair, Coach Harris approached her and asked, "Hey, where's your pair?"

With her face burning in shame, Mara confessed, "...I don't have one. Can I just do it alone?"

The Coach shook his head, "No can do." 

Then, the worst happened: Coach Harris used his booming voice to ask if anyone would be willing to pair up with Mara. It was extremely humiliating, so much worse than sharing in class about having a famous cousin. Every single student stared at Mara, and she could feel her face getting hotter and hotter. 

Damian irritatingly stepped out to volunteer to be Mara's pair, which was so infuriating because she didn't need to be saved by him, but even worse than him was Madeline, who instantly came in and offered her company with a smile.

"Hi, Coach! I'll gladly be Mara's pair!"

Coach Harris nodded, and Damian went back to joining Colin since his cousin had a pair now.

Mara took a deep breath and mustered a fake smile back. 

The coach blew his whistle again and announced, "Alright, first drill: dribbling through the cones. Let's see what you've got."

It was hard to hide her feelings of uncertainty, but it was a good thing Mara didn't feel too judged by her fellow classmate.  

"Do you play soccer?" Maddy asked, kindly.

"I've never played it before," Mara confessed. At least the truth would explain why her skills hadn't been perfected yet.

"I see! Sadly, I won't be a good teacher because I suck at this!" The girl chuckled, and Mara didn't feel so bad anymore.

As the drill went on, Mara became much more confident. Madeline was indeed horrible in this sport, and half the time, she was afraid of the ball, even when Mara didn't kick too hard. Sure, Mara's style was a bit more aggressive, but she made an effort to dribble and pass the ball more softly, knowing Maddy struggled with even basic moves. In the end, being paired up with someone who was plain awful didn't turn out so bad, after all. 

The coach watched the class for a moment before blowing his whistle. "Good work! Now, let's split into teams for a scrimmage."

Colin and Damian loudly cheered, as well as most of the boys in the class. 

"Oh, no..." Maddy groaned.

Mara turned to her, worried, "What's happening?" She didn't want to share that she had no idea what the term 'scrimmage' meant.

"We're playing soccer for good this time..."

Mara raised her eyebrow in confusion, then joined the crowd as everyone gathered together. Damian and a kid named Aiden Anderson were the designated team captains, so they got to select their teammates. Damian's first choice was Colin, of course, but he picked Mara right after that, much to her relief. As soon as Mara was picked for his team, however, she immediately heard another round of gossiping whispers.

"Aw, I wanna be in Damian's team too!" One of the girls whined.  

"Who's the new girl? Why did she get picked?"

"She's Damian's cousin, duh."

"Damian has a cousin?"

The mutterings were completely ignored by Damian, too focused on who he was going to pick next for his team, but Mara listened to what the girls were saying quite attentively. She hated how often people would talk about her behind her back. 

Colin snapped her out of her thoughts as he cheered, "You're going to nail it, Mara!" 

Mara repeated, confused, "Nail?"

"Yeah, it means you'll do great! Do you want me to explain how to play soccer or you already know?"

Mara looked to the side before glancing back at the friendly redhead, "I suppose going over the rules wouldn't hurt..."

"Ok, great! I'm a great teacher, by the way. I taught Damian how to play soccer!"

Mara did not see that coming. "You did?!"

"Yep. He was clueless about everything when he first started!"

Damian finished calling for the last classmate to join his team when he cut in, "Shut up, Colin."

"Hey, it's true! You're only good today because of me. I'm basically your Sensei."

"First, I'm older than you by a few months," Damian corrected, "Second, I taught you martial arts, which is what the term Sensei is truly used for, not a soccer teacher. Lastly, your teaching sucks. You didn't even tell me what a goalie does."

"You didn't ask!" Colin protested. 

Their bickering lasted for so long that it didn't give time for Mara to learn anything. The coach blew his whistle again and the game started.

Mara was pretty lost in the beginning, but Colin was nice enough to run alongside her, guiding her on what to do. As she became more familiar with the sport, her performance improved significantly. She also found it hilarious how the vast majority of the girls in the class flinched whenever Mara kicked the ball across the field. Talk about weak. 

Damian and Colin kept scoring one goal after another, but the best part was when Colin passed the ball to Mara toward the end of the game, and she managed to successfully score a goal herself. Damian's team went wild, erupting in loud cheers in celebration, and the P.E. class came to an end shortly after.

"You did great, Mara!" Damian praised, and it didn't feel patronizing this time. "Good work."

Colin jumped in, happy as ever, "Ha, I told you, you'd do great!" 

Mara smiled, unable to hide her enthusiasm. 

Even Maddy came to her to congratulate her as well, "Wow, are you sure you never played soccer before? You did amazing!"

"Thanks."

Maddy continued being sweet to her even in the locker room. Mara even forgot about that girl's dumb friends. Overall, it felt good to be appreciated. 

"See ya tomorrow in English class, Mara!" Maddy said, waving her goodbye.

"See you," Mara repeated the expression. 

Lunch Break

Colin and Damian were still basking in the afterglow of their teams' victory, laughing about how angry they made their classmate and soccer rival, Aiden Anderson.

"Did you see the look on his face? It was priceless!" Colin exclaimed.

"Oh, absolutely. Aiden really hates us - it's hilarious," Damian added with a grin.

The boys continued talking and telling inside jokes about things that happened in their soccer practice until Colin stopped and made Mara feel included again, "Hey, Mara, you should join our soccer team after school!"

"Wait, really?" Mara responded, surprised.

"Yeah, you did so great today! It'll be awesome to have you on our team!"

Damian chimed in, "True. Besides, this way you won't have to wait around every day while I finish soccer practice."

"Well, I suppose it's not a bad idea, after all," Mara mused.

Just then, Jon arrived at the table, placing his food tray down and taking a seat across from Mara. "Hey, guys! What's going on?"

"We're trying to convince Mara to join our soccer team!" Colin explained with excitement. "She played soccer for the first time today and even scored a goal on her first try!"

"That's awesome!" Jon praised, clearly impressed, which made Mara blush.

"Yeah, she did much better than Damian when he played soccer for the first time." Colin continued, making his friend protest.

"Hey!"

Mara couldn't help but chuckle.

"Well, speaking of awesomeness, you also did amazing yesterday, Mara!" Jon praised again, catching Mara completely off guard. Why was Jon always so nice?

Curious, Colin asked, "Wait, what happened yesterday?"

"Yesterday was Mara's first day as a Titan!" Replied Jonathan, cheerfully.

"You guys went on patrol without me?" Colin immediately protested, "Oh, come on!"

"It was last minute, Colin." Damian explained before adding a snarkier tone, "And I was supposed to go alone."

"Sorry, you missed it, Colin." Jon apologized, completely dismissing his brooding friend's comment, "All we did was stop a drug bust, but the crazy thing is that the drugs came from Count Vertigo."

"Count Vertigo?" The redhead asked in disbelief.

"Yep," Jon said before being interrupted.

"False," Damian corrected, confusing his friends.

"What?"

"Mara and I looked up Count Vertigo's status on the Bat computer, and Emiko is right, he's still locked up in Iron Heights."

Jon thought for a second before asking, "So do you think he's still behind the trafficking ring despite being in prison?"

"Highly doubt it." Answered Damian, confident, "That's not his style."

"Sounds like the case is still open, then! Sweet!" Colin cheered.

Jon, however, was not satisfied. "But if you don't think Count Vertigo is behind this operation, then how are we going to find the real trafficking ringleader?"

Mara finally spoke up, feeling appropriate to chime in now, "Damian and I concluded last night that we need to start from the beginning. In this case, start by interrogating the first person who came in contact with Green Arrow and provided him with the intel about the drug deal."

"Ooh!" Colin exclaimed. "Investigation time! Count me in!"

"Sorry, I promised Emiko that we'd handle the dealer's interrogation with just the two of us," Damian clarified.

Colin responded with a frustrated punch to the table. "Aw, man! I always miss out on the fun."

"You'll have your time to shine soon enough, don't you worry," Damian assured.

"Hm, fine," Colin said before taking a bite of his food. "So, any other cool cases we'll be working on soon?"

"Yeah, Dame, have you talked to the Prince lately?" Jon asked, only to receive a warning glare from Colin. Mara quickly picked up on the unspoken message: that was a topic they didn't discuss in front of her.

"As a matter of fact, I have." Answered Damian simply, unbothered by the hot topic. He wasn't meeting anyone in the eyes, only focused on his food instead.

"Yeah?" Jon asked, carefully, "How is he doing?"

"He's safe. He misses Nobody though."

Mara couldn't resist the urge to pose a question because that didn't make sense. "He misses 'no one'?"

"He means Maya Ducard," Jon clarified, "You know, Nobody."

Colin chuckled, "Now, that's hilarious- He has it so bad for Maya!"

A smile escaped from Damian's lips, not even he could hold the laughter, "Yes, he wants to find some form of treasure for me to deliver to her."

"Wait, you're kidding!" Colin laughed, "Where is he going to find a treasure?"

"Who knows?!" Damian answered, still smiling. 

The bell rang, marking the end of the lunch break. 

Before Colin left for his class, he looked at Mara with a big smile stamped on his face, "So, we'll see you later today for soccer practice?"

Mara smirked. "We'll see."

Soccer Practice

After saying their goodbyes to Jonathan Kent at this odd thing called 'Student Drop Off', Mara joined Damian on the soccer field.

"You sure you want to join my team?" Damian asked his cousin in all seriousness, "You don't have to if you don't want to. You must be getting tired of seeing my face all the time."

Damian wasn't entirely wrong. It was exhausting to follow him everywhere and have every single class with him. Mara longed for a bit of individuality, but she shrugged off the feeling. If she couldn't physically challenge him, she'd at least take satisfaction in beating him at his favorite sport. She could hardly wait to show him that, for once, she was better than him at something. 

Mara stood on the edge of the soccer field, already dressed in her soccer gear. The after-school soccer practice had a different instructor who went by the name 'Coach Farley'. The soccer coach was lean and fit with thin blonde hair, styled in spiky tufts. 

He stood close to Mara and blew his whistle to gather everyone's attention. "Alright, listen up! We've got a new player trying out today. Treat this like any other practice. No easy passes, no slacking off. Understood?"

The team nodded in unison, their eyes scanning Mara, assessing her with a mix of curiosity and skepticism. This was no ordinary tryout; anyone who dared to join Damian Wayne's team had to be exceptional.

"Adler, right?" the coach called, motioning for her to step forward. "Show us what you've got."

Mara took a deep breath and walked onto the field, trying to push down the nerves swirling in her stomach. She wasn't one to back down from a challenge, but this was different. This was Damian's territory, and failing here wasn't an option.

The first drill was a simple onem dribbling through cones, just like Mara had practiced in P.E., which was perfect. The whistle blew, and Mara was off. Her footwork was sharp and precise, weaving through the cones with a fluidity that spoke of her natural agility and discipline. By the time she reached the end, not a single cone was out of place.

The coach nodded, his expression neutral, but a glint of approval sparkled in his eyes. "Good. Now, passing. Pair up!"

Damian stepped forward to pair with his cousin, his foot resting on the soccer ball, ready for the coach's signal. Another whistle blew, and Damian sent the first pass. Quick, strong, and low to the ground. Mara trapped the ball and returned it with equal force, the ball landing perfectly at Damian's feet.

They continued this rhythm, the passes growing faster and more intense.

                                      "How many times do I have to humiliate you, Mara..."

Damian's younger self echoed in Mara's head. 

                                "...Before you recognize I'm incapable of losing?"

Mara passed the ball again, this time much more forceful than she intended, sending the ball flying to the other side of the field. 

The coach blew his whistle sharply. "Whooa! Watch those passes, there. Now, time for scrimmage. You're on Wayne's team. Let's see how you do in a real game."

It was a good thing Mara was not playing against her cousin because that was close. She was doing such a good job at keeping her anger under control, and she almost lost it. She quickly took her place among the other soccer players, barely catching her breath before the kickoff.

The scrimmage began with Damian taking control of the ball, his movements effortless as he navigated past the opposing team. He passed the ball to Mara, and for a split second, the entire field seemed to hold its breath.

Mara sprinted down the field, her mind racing as she assessed her options. An opponent closed in, but she outpaced him with her trained speed. She played quite aggressively, her instincts sharpened by years of training in a much more dangerous setting, and it looked like some of the boys were even afraid of her. As the game neared its end, Mara spotted Damian moving into position to have the ball passed to him, but she refused to let him have the final victory. 

Determined, she dodged the last of her opponents and ran to the goal. As she kicked the ball, she was able to send it rocketing right into the net. The whistle blew, ending the game.

The room was silent for a moment, then the team erupted in cheers and applause. Mara turned to face Damian, who finally allowed a small, approving smile to tug at the corner of his mouth.

The coach walked over, his face unreadable. "Not bad, Adler. Not bad at all. You still need to work on those passes and being more of a team player, but that's what I'm here for." He glanced at Damian, giving him a single nod, and then back at Mara. "Welcome to the team."

A surge of pride washed over Mara, and she smiled, feeling victorious.

This was only the beginning, and she couldn't wait to prove that she was worthy.

Chapter Text

Overall, the second day back to school went pretty smoothly. For the first time in days, Mara seemed genuinely happy, and that was all Damian needed to know. He didn't want her to feel miserable like he did when he first started private school for the first time. He was also proud of her for stepping out of her comfort zone and doing so well, despite all odds.

On their way home, Damian saw his cousin excitedly talk to Pennyworth about her day at school for the very first time. Pennyworth was undoubtedly pleased to see how joyful she was, and Damian shared the same sentiment. He wondered if that was how his butler, who was more of a grandfather to him, had felt when Damian finally began to mellow and share more things about his life. 

Robin walked closer and soon felt his girlfriend's arms wrap around his neck. He was taller than her now, so she had to stand on her tiptoes to look up at him.

Chapter Text

Despite the nausea churning in his gut, Robin's instincts flared to life as the eerie figure lunged at him from behind, butcher's knife raised. Robin spun around and shot his arm forward, blocking the attack with his forearm. The blade was just inches from his face, but he held still, his forearm trembling a little under the force. Reacting fast, Red Arrow whirled into action, delivering a roundhouse kick that drove her foot into the aggressor's midsection, knocking it back.

Quickly, Robin gripped the opponent's forearm and twisted it, using its momentum to flip it over. He stepped back, creating a safe distance from that... Thing. It was clear now that their attacker was nothing more than a victim, a mere adolescent twisted into a lifeless puppet of flesh and stitches. The poor victim, now fallen, was dressed in a shoddy, blood-stained hospital gown. His head was wrapped in gauze, and, disturbingly, a doll-like mask was strapped over the bandages.

“What is that thing?” Red Arrow questioned, completely disgusted. 

"It's a Dollotron," Robin answered, falling into a fighting stance. It was a matter of time until that Dollotron got up again. "Red, listen to me. You need to find somewhere safe and hide. Don't get any closer to--"

Before he could finish, the Dollotron staggered to its feet as if nothing had happened. Red Arrow fired off an arrow, but it veered past its mark, which was impossible since Red Arrow never missed, especially at such close range, but the effects of the Vertigo drug were running deeper into their system by the second. Red Arrow took another step back and fired again, hitting the Dollotron in the shoulder, but the arrow did nothing. The puppet-looking thing kept walking in their direction with zombie-like perseverance.

Out of nowhere, another Dollotron emerged from the shadows and jumped at them. Robin turned to fight the new Dollotron while Red Arrow was busy with the other. If his vision wasn't so damn blurry, he would've defeated them by now. He had fought dozens of these things before, why was he so slow now? His senses could no longer be trusted. The walls kept swaying and stretching around him, and Robin had to blink a few times to hold focus so he could keep fighting the blurred Dollotron. He threw a few punches and stabbed the thing with his Batarang, but the doll never flinched.

Robin recoiled a little, and his back met Emiko's. The two squared up and charged at their opponents with more determination this time.

"Damn it! He's not falling!" Complained Red Arrow. The Dollotron wouldn't even budge from her strikes and kept trudging forward to attack her. "It's like he doesn't feel any pain!"

"It's because they can't!" Robin dodged a strike from the other doll, "They're immune to pain. Just knock them out and make sure they stay down!"

Damian realized too late that his focus had slipped, he’d left himself open and because of it, the Dollotron seized him by the throat. The grip was painful and merciless, making it impossible to breathe. Refusing to give in, Robin clawed at the Dollotron's wrists in a desperate attempt to break free. In his struggle, his eyes caught something strangely familiar: across each knuckle of the Dollotron’s hand was tattooed a suit from a deck of cards.

“Cory Anderson…” Robin muttered, struggling against the iron grip.

With precision, Red Arrow shot her arrow at what used to be Anderson, hitting him right in the eye. It didn't do much, but at least it made the Dollotron release Robin, finally. 

"So, that's him? Cory?" Red Arrow panted, and a frown creased her brow. "What happened to his stomach?"

There was indeed something strange about his stomach. It had been cruelly sewn back together, the stitches uneven and jagged, creating a disgusting mismatched abdomen.

The revolting sight made him want to puke even more.

Dollotron 'Anderson' charged at them again, and this time Robin ensured to use one of his gadgets to electrify the doll. Red Arrow did the same to the other Dollotron, using a trick arrow that sent shock waves, and that finally did the trick.

Hating themselves for acting so slowly, the two panted together.

"Robin..?" Red Arrow's voice faint and weak, "I think I'm gonna throw up..."

"Hang in there, Red. Try to focus on something else."

"I can't..." Red Arrow rested her hands on her knees. Not even the gas mask was enough to keep her going. Worried, Robin went to her and held her up.

"Red, stay with me. Red? Red Arrow?"

Emiko nodded. Okay, good. At least she was responding and was still conscious. Without thinking, the couple walked toward the end of the hallway, where the opera music kept growing louder and louder. Damian shook his head, trying to regain his senses. This was insanity, why would they be heading to their final trap? Father had taught him multiple times in the past when to know his limits. 

Robin abruptly halted and threw his arm out in front of his girlfriend to keep her from walking further. 

“We need to get out of here. Now. Do you understand?” His voice was urgent, heavy with warning.

But before he could say anything else, Red Arrow's eyes widened in horror. "Behind you!" 

A new Dollatron seized Robin from behind, its grip crushing and shattering his gas mask with a single twist. Desperate, Robin swung the creature off him, sending it stumbling to the ground, while Red Arrow took a trick arrow with her hands and used it to stab and electrocute the jolted Dollotron. Their relief was short-lived, however; Four more Dollotrons appeared and attacked them all at once. 

Robin held his breath as long as he could, but there was only so much he could do as the Vertigo gas seeped deeper into his system. His vision swam, and his balance began to waver as he fought to stay grounded. He forced himself on, each strike aimed at keeping the Dollotrons from reaching Emiko so she wouldn't get hurt. But each movement felt heavier, each thought became slower. Robin kept on fighting until his body failed him and everything faded to black. 

***

Damian woke up strapped to a bed. The room was dim-lit, with the only illumination coming from a double-headed LED light mounted on the ceiling, typically used for surgical operations. The opera music had now subsided, but from a distance came a disturbing, off-key humming. Damian tried his best to remain calm. Any movement, sound, or signs of struggle would reveal his alertness.

He looked downward, terrified of what he was soon to find out, but to his immense relief, his body was still intact. His clothes had been stripped away, leaving him in nothing but his tight black undercostume. The cold air against his exposed skin made him shiver. To his side, was Red Arrow, also tied to an operation bed just like him. She too was only dressed in her under costume clothes. She looked unconscious still.

The humming was getting louder. A repulsive, overweight man was standing by a desk, his back turned away from them. He was trying to decide which power drill he was going to use today. Beside him, a grimy metal tray held a collection of brutal-looking surgical tools, and a radio crackled softly, broadcasting the faint strains of opera. 

He twisted his wrists to test how tight the leather straps were. Yep, he was trapped. Deep breaths, he told himself. He was going to get out of this just as he had escaped several traps before. If only he could think clearly. The effects of the drug were starting to wear off, but it was still a struggle to focus. Carefully, Damian flexed his fingers, inching them toward the hidden pockets in his pants. Surprisingly, his R-shaped Batarang was still there! Pyg hadn't noticed it. Perfect. Now, all he needed to do was reach it just enough so he could pull it free and start tearing through the leather--

A terrifying squeal echoed through the operating room as the man wearing a pig's mask turned around. 

"Welcome back!" Valentin greeted in his psychotic, unstable high-pitched voice before doing another wheek-wheek sound, "Pyg thought lil' Jimmy was going to be fixed today, but Pyg was gifted with you instead? And you brought a girlfriend?! Pyg doesn't know what to say! Pyg is so grateful!"

Damian struggled against his restraints as he spat, "Shut your stupid mouth."

Lazlo Valentin gave a mocking pig's snort, "Ooh. So much rage for someone so small." He squealed again, "It's okay. Pyg can fix that too!"

The sick man walked over to Damian and brusquely yanked up his sleeve so he could inspect his arm. 

"Ahh, yes, yes, yes. Those veins, hmm... So beautiful,” A pig-like snort escaped his lips, and his eyes glimmered with unsettling admiration, “But this forearm of yours? No, no, no, no. It's all wrong. All wrong. Here, Pyg can make it better... Pyg can save you!"

Valentin pulled out a syringe from his shirt pocket and leaned in. He was about to inject something Damian did not want to know.

He had to distract him, fast.

“You’re disturbed, Valentin. You're the one who needs help.”

Pyg stopped, then narrowed his eyes, shifting his squeaky voice into a snarl as he corrected, "Valentin is gone; There is only Professor Pyg now. Oink-Oink!" He shook his head and muttered, "Now, where was I? Ah, yes, yes... Your lovely arm." 

The man howled in agony, clutching his bleeding face. “My face! My beautiful face!”

“I thought it was perfect,” Robin mocked, stepping back to shield Red Arrow with his arm.

Pyg seethed, still reeling in pain. “Ohh, you’ll both pay for this."

"Go, my dolls! Make daddy proud!"  Valentin commanded before running away like a damn coward. 

If Robin hadn't been so disoriented, he would have gone after that pathetic excuse of a scum bag. The blinding fog of vertigo still clouded his thoughts, yet the rage burning within him fueled his every move. How many more people had to suffer at Pyg's hands? And how did he get out of Arkham? Robin fought forcefully, electrocuting all the dolls that came his way at the sound of Non, Je Ne Regrette Rien. Could someone turn off that stupid CD player already?

Red Arrow stunned the Dollotrons with her electric trick arrows, which she recovered from the operation table after Valentin got away. 

"Hurry, let's get out of here," Red Arrow urged. 

"No, we can't leave yet--" Robin said, still feeling disoriented and extremely sick to the stomach. If it wasn't for his adrenaline, he would've fainted by now. 

"What? Are you crazy?" Red Arrow tried to stop Robin in his relentless search across the lab for clues. 

"We can't leave without gathering evidence. Also, notice the Dollotrons," he pointed, "See how only a few of them have their stomachs stitched up?"

"Yeah, okay, so what? These things are disgusting and they could be getting up at any minute. Robin, we have to go!"

"No, look. The normal Dollotrons are his old ones. The new ones have their midsection bulged the same way precisely. They all went through the same surgery."

"And this is relevant how??" Emiko panicked. Robin was not moving, and it was making her nervous. "Listen, Robin, we're not at our best right now, and neither of us can think straight. If we stay here any longer--"

The dolls were twitching; They were going to attack again. Red Arrow was right, but Robin wasn't finished.

"Red, the new dolls are the recent smugglers! Pyg was probably switching tools when he trapped us because he was no longer going to execute a stomach surgery on James Holder. With us, he could take his time, relish every detail. That’s why he was taking so long and dancing like a buffoon!"

Red Arrow looked at him as if he were deranged. "No offense, but you sound crazy."

"Sometimes you have to think like a psychopath to understand their behavior. Now, hurry, help me find his list. It has to be here somewhere-" Robin muttered, yanking open drawer after drawer. He was still in his under costume clothes, but he didn't care. He needed to find the list of victims, a note, something! Anything to end this madness.

"Robin, the Dolls are getting up again!"

He ignored her warning, shutting another drawer and inspecting the medical instruments and crumpled papers. On the corner of his eye, he could see all dozen Dollatrons back on their feet. Damian's eyes then landed on the door with its tiny window. There, leering back, was Pyg himself. A twisted grin stretched under his eyes.

And in that instant, Robin understood.

"The list of victims is with him! It has to be... It's in his pocket!"

"Robin, stop! He's going to trap you again!" Emiko’s voice grew desperate, but her words slipped past him. He only had eyes for Pyg.

Robin threw open the door, but he forgot that the hall was laced with gas.

Across the room, Pyg had a heavy gas mask over his face. His muffled, taunting voice filled the air as he squealed, 

“You’re not getting out this time, Boy Wonder. You are mine now.”

Chapter Text

What was he thinking?

He was raised to survive even the most impossible situations, yet here he was- unarmed, disoriented, and barely able to stand. A cold chill ran up Damian’s spine from the icy floor beneath his feet, reminding him of just how exposed he was. Ahead of him was Pyg with a disturbing grin on his face. The sick bastard was enjoying this, of course he was. Meanwhile, Damian's head was pounding. He had to blink a few times to stop seeing everything in double, but that damn gas coming from the vents was not helping.

Never go to battle without doing your research - Grayson would say when Damian took the Robin mantle.

Yeah, well, not only did Damian fail to do proper research before coming to the hospital, but he also acted impulsively by going after Pyg without any gear. Now he was stuck, again, and completely vulnerable. He pressed his hand tightly over his mouth and nose to block the toxic air, but the damage was already done. The heavy clang of the metal door shutting behind him was what made him freeze. Emiko. He’d left her in the operating room, forced to fight against all those Dollotrons by herself.

Stupid, stupid, stupid.

"There's nowhere to hide now, Little Bird... Wheek!" Pyg's high-pitched voice echoed through the hallway.

Mind racing, Damian spun towards the door and lunged for the handle. He yanked on it, but it wouldn't budge. Locked. Panic tightened in his chest just as he felt a greasy arm lock around his neck, squeezing his airways with suffocating force.

"Got you," Pyg whispered in his ear.

Damian gasped involuntarily, pulling a lungful of that toxic air deep into his body. The room spun wildly as the gas flooded his lungs, but his mind screamed at him to keep fighting. He thrashed and kicked in a useless attempt to break free, but his limbs grew heavier by the second. The gas was working its way through his system once more, and his body was soon going to collapse.

“Shhh, it’s okay. Pyg can save you now…”

No, no. He had to keep fighting. He couldn’t be stuck with this monster. But his body betrayed him and he couldn't even get out of a pathetic arm lock. He’d feel ashamed if he weren't so tired. What he would give to close his eyes and fully rest...

Damian's consciousness started slipping away when out of nowhere, a flare arrow came flying right above his head. It missed its target, which made the older man laugh.

“You missed! Looks like you children have a lot of fixing to do!”

As he mocked, the arrow flared to life, blinding him with a searing burst of light. Pyg shrieked, stumbling back, his grip on Damian loosening just enough for him to pull free and fall forward. Damian barely registered his girlfriend beside him moments later, her arm around his shoulders as she lifted him up. Her other hand pressed a gas mask over his face.

"Stay with me, Robin... Please." 

Robin nodded, holding on to her voice. She took his hand and rushed him to the operating room, the only place in the hospital with no gas clouding the air. Somehow his girlfriend managed to stun most of the Dollotrons in the room, which was impressive, but Valentin was not done with them. No, far from that. His precious little ego was hurt.

"You little... Pyg will teach you!"  Valentin snarled, lunging a bone drill at Emiko's face.

Unfazed, Red Arrow dodged and swung her bow at Valentin, making him drop his bone drill. The blow made him lose his balance and stagger back, giving her the opening she needed to jump at him and reach for his shirt pocket. He tried to get her off of him, but Red Arrow fought harder and pulled out a crumpled, stained piece of paper just as Damian had predicted. She ran to her boyfriend's side so they could quickly scan the list together. 

Twelve names were listed with messy handwriting as if written in a rush. The ink smudged in some spots, yet the note was undoubtedly scribbled by Pyg himself. Two familiar names were crossed with a line, but there was one name in particular that stood out to them the most;

Cory Anders
James Holder
***Rashid Al-Fahad*** Do what Pyg must. Free reins.

Robin could see the panic in his girlfriend's eyes despite her wearing a mask. He, too, felt it; the dreading knot curling in his stomach. Did Pyg find out where the Prince was hiding?

"No, no, no! Give that back to me, now! Dollotrons! Come save Daddy!"

On cue, the Dollotrons snapped back to life, their blank stares fixed on their creator's command. Robin worried how he would handle so many of those things when his body felt so heavy and sluggish, but Red Arrow didn't miss a beat; She drew another arrow and aimed it directly at Pyg. The disgusting coward began to retreat, but the arrow was released with its tip bursting into flames right in that scum's face. Valentin squealed in terror, stumbling away as the flames were nearly burning him. Not even his gas mask was enough to protect him.

"You better run, Piggie-Piggie!" Red Arrow taunted as Pyg ran away, but her confidence faltered as she turned around to see the wave of Dollotrons charging at them. "Shit."

"Keep stunning them," Robin advised as he ran to the table to retrieve his clothes and utility belt.

Even with Pyg gone, they were still cornered and outnumbered. The creepy dolls kept coming, closing in from every direction. Robin’s mind raced as he grabbed his grappling hook, aiming for the open window to make their escape. As he prepared to fire, however, multiple arrows suddenly shot through that same window, electrocuting dozens of Dollatrons at once. 

A sharp, familiar voice cut through the chaos. “What the Hell is going on?”

Emiko’s heart lifted as she recognized her half-brother. Without a second thought, she ran to him, throwing her arms around him. “You came!”

"Of course I came. Now, what are you two doing at a place like this, this late at night?" Green Arrow then jabbed his index finger at Robin with an accusing tone, "This was your idea, wasn't it?"

Queen was lucky Damian wasn't in his best shape right now. It was best to ignore him.

"Sheesh, and what happened to your face?" Arrow asked, "You look awful. Were you doing... Drugs?"

Robin scowled at him. "Yeah, because willingly inhaling toxic fumes during a fight was exactly how I pictured my evening.” 

"Still full of charm, I see." Green Arrow rolled his eyes. "Red Arrow, care to explain what exactly went down here? And what in the hell are these things?"

"They're called Dollotrons. Now, can we get out of here, please? I can't stand being here any longer."

"Of course, hold on tight. You too, kid." Green Arrow gestured at Robin to come along so they could all leave together.

”No, thanks.”

Stubborn, Robin raised his grappling hook and locked onto the window. His vision was still swerving, but he managed to get out just fine. Green Arrow was not needed. 

Once they all landed outside the hospital, Arrow remarked, "Prideful as always, just like your pops..."

Robin argued, "We don't need your help."

"Oh, yeah? Then how come I received a distress signal from Red Arrow a few minutes ago, huh?" 

Robin glared at his girlfriend, betrayed, "You called him?" 

Red Arrow argued, "Did you not see what was happening back there? I thought Pyg was going to take you! I had to hit the panic button."

Green Arrow squeezed his sister's shoulder and gave her a disapproving look. "You should've hit the panic button way sooner, Emi."

"It's not like I had much choice, Ollie. We were trapped!"

Green Arrow shook his head in frustration. "What am I going to do with you two?" 

The man in green guided them to his car, which was parked near the couple's motorcycles. He pressed a button on his key fob that made the back panel of his dark green SUV slide open, extending a pair of steel ramps. Another button activated hydraulic lifts that aligned perfectly with the two motorcycles.

"You're not touching my bike," Robin said while Green Arrow took care of Emiko's bike.

Queen frowned. "Why not?" 

Emiko asked, concerned, "Are you not coming with us?"

"No. I'm riding my motorcycle back home."

"Fine by me." Green Arrow shrugged, only to receive a smack on the shoulder from his sister.

"Ollie!"

The older archer sighed and turned to Damian. "Look, it's late at night, you can barely walk straight, and you look like shit. I'm not letting you go like this, so I'm taking you home whether you like it or not."

Robin scowled at the archer. He was perfectly capable of going home on his own, thank you very much. But Emi had to step in and look at him right in the eyes, speaking with that soft voice of hers...

"Hey. You're hurt. I know my brother can be a pain, but it's dangerous if you go home like this. Can you please come?"

Robin glanced at Green Arrow, who had his arms crossed just waiting for the conversation to be over. Sadly, Emi was right. He really was in no condition to make it home on his own, and something his family taught him again and again was to know his limits. He sighed. 

As Green Arrow drove, he questioned, "So, are you going to tell me what happened tonight?"

"We met with James Holder today." Red Arrow admitted.

Oliver's face contorted into a frown. "You did? Why? What did he tell you?"

"We were kinda using him as bait to see if we could get a lead on who's behind the trafficking ring operation."

"Emiko! We're supposed to help the poor kid, not drag him into more trouble!"

"Will you let me finish?" 

While the siblings bickered, Robin rolled down the window, longing for some fresh air. His stomach was turning, and his face felt cold. 

"Anyway," Red Arrow continued, "We tracked down James’ supplier, and he sent us to the hospital to meet this so-called ‘friend’ of his. Turns out his buddy was Professor Pyg all along.” 

"Pyg? The maniac freak who thinks he's a surgeon?" His sister nodded, "I knew I'd seen those dolls before. And you two walked right into the trap? Didn't bother surveilling the hospital first?" 

Damian felt a pang of guilt. He knew he should've investigated more before entering the hospital.

Emiko protested, "We thought we were just dealing with a thug!"

Queen shook his head, his anger increasing. "Unbelievable. And what did Pyg do to you, Emi? Did he hurt you?"

"I'm fine. I've dealt with worse."

Queen suddenly slammed the steering wheel and raised his voice at her, "Damn it, Emiko, that's not the point! What you both did tonight, it was reckless and dangerous! Why can’t Batman keep these damn psychos locked up for good?"

This time Damian had to say something.

"Hey! That's not his fault! Father is not to blame for Gotham's atrocious justice system and Arkham's security incompetence."

"Whatever, kid. Your dad keeps fighting the same maniacs over and over, and nothing changes."

"As if you were any better! The Glades look like a worse version of Gotham, yet you won't do a damn thing about it. Mayor of the year, everybody."

"You little twit! You have no idea how much I--"

"Enough!" Emiko shouted, silencing the two. "Damian, stop provoking my brother. And Oliver, grow up. Both cities are corrupt, and we're all doing the best we can. No sense in arguing over this, especially this late at night."

Oliver’s jaw tightened, but he said nothing. Damian, however, crossed his arms defiantly, still unwilling to back down. Green Arrow drove in silence for a while - finally -, until he opened his stupid mouth again.

"So, Pyg is working with drug dealers now?"

"Count Vertigo must have hired him to run experiments on the drug traffickers or something." Red Arrow theorized.

"But Count is locked up in Iron Heights, remember?"

Could Oliver be more stupid? The more dumb questions he asked, the sicker Damian felt. If only that mustache idiot would stop talking.

"The fake Count Vertigo!" Emiko corrected, her patience running thin as well. "The imposter must have some kind of deal going on with Pyg. We wanted to inspect the Dollotrons a little closer, but we inhaled too much of that Vertigo drug. We couldn't think clearly, there was gas all over the hospital." Emiko sighed, "I still can't believe James was going to be turned into a Dollatron tonight..."

"Hm..." Queen thought to himself for a moment. "At least that explains why Pyg was here at the Glades instead of Gotham. I wonder what this so-called 'Count Vertigo' has in mind. Don't worry, though. I'll catch them both. Can't wait to see Batman's face when--"

Emiko suddenly interrupted as she looked over her shoulder towards the backseat. "Damian, are you okay-?"

Green Arrow glimpsed at the rearview mirror, spotting a certain vigilante looking far from well. Damian's face was extremely pale.

"No, no, no, no - You are not throwing up in my car!" Green Arrow drove faster, pulling over to the side.

"I'm fine! Just take me home already." Damian demanded, closing his eyes tightly while fighting the urge to vomit. He needed to be home soon.

"Whatever you say, kid... Just don't ruin the Arrowcar."

Chapter Text

"Mamma?"

There was concern in he little girl's voice as she rushed inside a field station to search for her mother. Her dark hair was messy from the wind, and her emerald-green eyes - a signature trait passed down through family generations - were vibrant and intense. Her mother was nowhere to be found, which made her want to cry, but even at the age of five, she knew to keep her emotions at bay. A single sign of weakness was unacceptable. 

Holding back the tears, the girl followed the sound of running water coming from a small adjoining bathroom. As she edged closer to the sound, she froze. Blood was being rinsed from the edge of a blade. Red streaks ran down the drain in the sink, and the tap was turned off. The little girl crept forward just slightly and saw the person cleaning the blade was a tall woman with cropped hair, striking blue eyes, and commanding features. Out of everyone in the family, she was the only one who didn't inherit the green eyes.

"Mamma!" The five-year-old called out in relief. She wanted to hug her mother but was too embarrassed to show any signs of affection. 

"What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be training?" Her mother asked suspiciously while she dried her blade with a towel. 

"It's all finished, Mamma."

"I see," her mother said, her focus lingering on the blade as she carefully wiped it clean. "So, what's the matter?"

The little girl hesitated. "Mamma, am I... am I not meant to carry our legacy?"

Her mother's expression shifted instantly, her features hardening into a stern, almost intimidating look. The intensity of it made the little girl shrink back slightly. "Of course you are. What makes you question it?"

The five-year-old looked away, ashamed of confessing her thoughts. But her mother hated waiting, so she had to answer quickly, though it killed her to say it out loud. 

“They keep calling Ibn al Xu’ffasch the next Head of the Demon." The girl shared timidly before looking back at her mother. "Is that true?”

“Not if you prove them wrong, habibi. It is your duty to surpass the bastard son, be better than him in every way, and defeat him in every challenge. You will show everyone how you are the rightful heir, not him. Am I understood?”

The girl nodded solemnly. “Yes, Mamma.”

“You nod,” her mother spoke coldly, “yet, your eyes still hold doubt. What else troubles you?”

The little girl looked down and shook her head. She couldn't say what was on her mind, she needed to be better and learn not to dwell on her insecurities.

"Mara?" Her mother called sternly, "Don't make me repeat myself."

"Am I doing something wrong, Mamma?"

"Don't be foolish, my dearest. You're at the top of your classes and have succeeded in every challenge. Even at your age, you're quite formidable in combat."

"Then, why..." If it was hard to hold back the tears earlier, now it was truly impossible to keep her feelings to herself. "Why won't Grandfather ever look at me?" 

Mother's expression darkened, her voice lowering with such seriousness that sent a chill through the air. "Listen to me, Mara. Your grandfather is a man who values strength above all else. He sees the world through a harsh, unyielding lens, and he tests everyone, even his own blood. His lack of acknowledgment for you is not a reflection of your worth, but a challenge for you to conquer it."

"But I'm trying, Mamma. Grandfather always looks at Ibn al Xu’ffasch. He calls him the Great Successor." The girl then whispered, "Everyone calls him that."

"Don't let that discourage you, Mara," her mother said firmly, her blue eyes locking with her daughter’s. "Your grandfather sees potential in Ibn al Xu'ffasch, yes, but potential is meaningless without resolve and action. You have something far greater, you have the drive to fight, to rise, to conquer. That is what will set you apart."

The girl didn't say anything, but she looked up, regaining hope.

"Now, remember, my daughter, this will not be an easy task. Every day, you must fight to prove your worth, and even that will not suffice. So, keep fighting, Mara. Fight with every fiber of your being; Fight until your last breath. Show Ibn al Xu’ffasch that you are far stronger than him; That you are better than him. Defeat him, destroy him, kill him as you must; Only then, you will earn respect from all, and your accomplishments will become so grand that it will be impossible to ignore them. And when that day comes, the world will see what I already know, that you, Mara, are the rightful heir to the al Ghul legacy."

The girl nodded slowly, the hurt in her eyes giving way to a flicker of determination. "I will, Mamma. I’ll make Grandfather see me, and I will destroy the Son of the Bat. I promise."

A faint smile touched her mother’s lips. "Good. Now go, my fierce little warrior. The path to greatness waits for no one."

Present

Damian Wayne was staring right at her from the other side of the court, wearing that arrogant smug smile of his. Taking the orange ball from his hands felt more like a mission rather than a foolish game. The basketball court was like a battleground, and failure was not an option. She knew how good her cousin was at this sport; How quick, how precise - but today, she would not let him win. Mara's mind raced as Damian finally made the first move; Her body responded instinctively, and she blocked him with ruthless efficiency.

She anticipated Damian’s reactions, reading his body language as though it were second nature. Each of his dribbles echoed the girl's fierce mission: Beat him. Prove yourself. Win.

Seeing Mara's unrelenting defense, Damian glanced sideways at the person closest to him; Colin Wilkes. That was her chance. As Damian prepared to pass the ball to his loyal friend, Mara seized the moment and stole the ball from his hands, her grip tightening as his surprised expression flashed for a second. Heart pounding, Mara surged forward, the fire in her eyes blazing brighter than ever. A few students from the blue team tried to take the ball from her, but they failed miserably. She feinted left, then darted right, her steps faster than expected.

Damian ran after her, determined to reclaim the ball, but Mara kept pressing forward, her team rallying behind her. Colin, however, managed to intercept her path, stepping in with a determined block. Mara's teammate waved his arms frantically, signaling to pass the ball, but Mara didn’t even glance his way. There was no chance she’d let anyone take this moment from her. With a sharp, calculated move, she dodged Colin’s attempt to stop her and charged straight toward the basket looming ahead, her eyes locked on the prize.

As she charged, her mind replayed Colin's and Jon's advice: shoot from the three-point line. 

Of course I'm not okay! Mara wanted to shout, but instead, she went with a lie like usual. "I'm fine."

"Oh, alright..." Madeline hesitated before she said, "So, I don't think you heard me earlier... Are you doing anything today? The girls and I are hanging out at the mall today, and I was wondering if you wanted to join us!

"So that is when... My alter ego shows up!"

"Who's your alter ego?" Mara asked, curious.

Meanwhile, Damian rolled his eyes to the ceiling, "Jon, you are not going there with that idiotic disguise--"

"Why not? I finally came up with my new identity! My new name is going to be: Finn Connors! The coolest, most normal, yet rebellious and kinda criminal kid Atlantic City has ever seen!" 

"It's just a wig, Jonathan!" Damian snapped, his voice clearly showing his annoyance.

"It's a blond wig. Have you ever seen me blond? Yeah, I didn't think so!"

"Can I see how it looks?" Asked Colin, amused, "I actually wanna see you wearing a wig." 

"Yeah, it's at the Tower! I'll be unrecognizable, you'll see."

Damian face palmed himself. "Jon, with a wig or not, you still look like you're ten years old."

"I'm practically thirteen!"

"Same difference! You're still younger than us!"

"Yeah, but I'm taller!"

"For the last time, we're just as tall!"

Interrupting the two again, Colin stopped them, "Alright, what's your plan, then, Robs?"

Damian entwined his fingers together with a sly grin on his face as he declared, "I will talk to Jared Grant, of course." 

Jon snapped, "Wait, so you get to wear the disguise??"

"I do look pretty good with fake blond hair, after all." 

Mara blinked. Those two were something else. 

Jon tossed his plastic fork on the table. "Not fair! You don't get to go in there and steal all the fun to yourself!"

"I'm more convincing than you, anyway. No dealer will listen to a goody-two shoes."

"Yeah, but Fin is not a goody-two shoe. Finn Connors is different!"

"That last name." Colin pointed out suddenly, "It was totally inspired by Connor Kent, wasn't it?"

"Maybe-!"

Mara shook her head. She had no idea what kind of input she could give to that strange group of immature heroes. 

***

The time for lunch break came to an end, and no decision was made regarding the mission at the casino. Mara endured the long, torturous classes following lunch break and was beyond annoyed when she remembered she still had to deal with soccer practice too.

The practice was far from what Mara had expected. She imagined she would be having competitions daily, training each day to the point of exhaustion, but it turned out that soccer practice consisted of nothing but pathetic warm-ups, the most tedious dribbling and passing drills, and small-sided games that had nothing to do with playing an actual match. It was the biggest waste of time.

The fact that the entire team worshipped Damian was not helping either. Those school colleagues would come to him for anything; Frivolous conversations, questions about techniques, invites to hangouts... They were all so impressed by Damian's mere existence, that it made Mara picture in her head every possible way she could execute each one of those annoying students. A fatal hit to the throat, a strike to the sternum, a knee in the temple on one side of the head. It would be so easy. 

But no, Mara had to be a good girl and pretend she was enjoying this whole thing. The whistle from the soccer coach snapped Mara out of her thoughts. The activity today had to do with a passing drill done in pairs. There was no one in the class that Mara was friends with yet, but Colin was nice enough to volunteer to pair up with her.

As they started the drill, Colin asked, "So, are you excited for today? This should be a fun mission!”

"About time we do something." Mara sighed a little too loud.

"How are you liking soccer practice so far?"

"It's fine," Mara said as she passed the ball back to Colin.

He caught the ball with his foot but noticed Mara's demeanor. "That was a classic 'This is not really fine, stop bothering me' response, if I had ever heard one. You and Damian are very much alike, did you know that?”

Mara scoffed. Hearing that she was similar to the Son of the Bat felt like an insult.

"You're bored, aren't you?"

Mara looked up at the redhead. Was she that easy to read? She was getting too careless. "When are we going to play an actual match?"

Colin passed the ball to her. "Probably in the next couple of weeks. We do a lot of training first, Mara. It's like fighting, right? You train a ton before you start dueling."

"Yes, but it never takes this long. And these practices are futile; They don't test your limits." The girl kicked the ball a little too hard, but Colin caught it with his foot.

"You're not in the League anymore, Mara."

The ball was passed back to her, but Mara was done with that stupid drill. She knew Colin had no bad intentions behind his statement, but his words stung more than she cared to admit. She was not in the League anymore. Because she failed. Because two years ago, she could not take down the previous Teen Titans team. She had to go into hiding and be stuck with that disgusting man, Tamir, who was creepily obsessed with her mother. Then they had no choice but to revive Heretic, which meant she was forced to spend months with those two disturbing men who made her skin crawl every single day. All to resuscitate her mother, but for what? To get a colder, soulless version of the woman who raised her? The Devil played them, and she hated how they fell for it. 

"Hey, Mara, where are you going?"

"I need to go to the bathroom." She lied. She didn't need to go anywhere, but she did need space, away from all this... Normalcy.

"Ok, so who's the guy?" Mara heard one of the girls say.

"What do you mean?" Another girl asked.

"Oh, you know exactly what I'm talking about, Sarah! Who's the guy you're crushing on?"

"Oh, I don't know... There's a few from High School..."

"Go on..."

"Ok, Derek Galey is pretty cute.” The girl, supposedly named 'Sarah', said.

“The one in the football team?”

“Yeah, that’s the one!”

"Ooh, he is cute!" Said a third voice. So there were three of them in there. Mara wondered how much longer it would take for them to be done and leave the bathroom already.

"And then there's Damian Wayne, of course..!" The mention of her cousin made Mara freeze and pay even more attention to the conversation. 

"Ooooh, Damian..!!" the three girls said in unison with dreamy voices. Mara wanted to gag. 

"He's soo handsome!"

"I love his hair! And pretty much anything about him, really…”

"Right? And I love how he wears his sunglasses all the time. He's so cool!"

That was it, Mara could not bear to stand there any longer. She had to leave.

"Okay, okay. Now, how about the guys in our class?" came the familiar third voice. 

Sarah answered in a heartbeat, "Oh, Jon Kent, duh! Is that even a question?"

"Oh my God, Jon is sooo cute!"

"Hey, he's my crush, back off!"

Hearing those stupid girls fall for the boys like that made Mara feel beyond annoyed. She wasn't sure why her skin was so warm with ire at the mention of the Boy of Steel, but whatever that was, she hated the feeling of it. Mara impatiently waited for the girls to leave as they giggled endlessly on their way out. Returning to soccer practice and pretending nothing happened turned out to be challenging, but thankfully, no one paid attention to Mara's horrible mood. Colin didn't bother her too much either since the Coach had him do something else, now that the pair drills were over.

Once the practice ended, Colin approached the two cousins. "Hey, I got a text from my foster mom, I mean, Ma. Wow. It's weird that I actually got adopted. Anyway, I gotta go home really quick. I totally forgot that I promised I'd help her with a couple of errands. But I'll be back at the Tower in no time, I swear!"

"Errands, Colin?" Damian reprimanded, "You know we're on a time crunch, right?"

"I know, I promise it won't take long! See you guys soon!"

Damian then turned to his cousin, "Alright, Pennyworth will be here to pick us up at any minute. We'll get changed, then head to the cave. Jon will be waiting for us at the Tower."

Mara nodded in agreement as she followed Damian to the field where the chopper would arrive. After the Butler picked them up, they did everything according to plan and used the zeta tube from the Bat Cave to teleport themselves to the Titans Tower.

Teen Titans Tower

As soon as they arrived, they were greeted by a giant Man-Bat, who jumped at them in excitement.

"Easy, Goliath, easy!" Damian chuckled as his dumb pet licked him. Gross. "I miss you too, boy. Is Maya treating you okay? You're getting a little fat, don't you think?"

Goliath growled in disagreement, making Damian smile. "You gotta cut down on all that steak and start having some more fish, buddy," Goliath growled again as he could perfectly understand his owner. 

Mara rolled her eyes, but she then caught Goliath staring right at her, which made her feel uneasy. "What does this... Thing want?"

"First of all, he's not a thing." Damian corrected sternly while petting the Man-Bat's ears, "He's Goliath, you know that. Second, I think he wants to play with you."

The girl shook her head, "I'm not playing with him."

Damian grabbed a large stick from the lush green field by the Tower and handed it to his cousin. "Here, he loves playing fetch," his voice was casual as he gestured toward Goliath, who was watching intently.

The large creature looked at him with excitement, clearly ready. "Like this, watch," Damian said as he tossed the large stick for the bat to catch. Goliath took off, and in seconds, he was back, the stick firmly gripped in his mouth. He dropped it at Mara’s feet, tail wagging furiously.

Mara eyed the slobber-covered stick with disdain, wrinkling her nose. "Ew, it’s all slobbery now. No, thank you."

Damian chuckled, shrugging. "Fine, just this once, Goliath. Then Mara and I are heading inside." The creature, tongue hanging out in delight, eagerly grabbed the stick again. He bounded over to Damian, practically knocking him over with a huge, slobbery hug. Damian staggered back, laughing. "Alright, love you too, buddy. See you soon, okay?"

With a final pat on Goliath’s head, Damian turned and headed inside. It was about time.

To their surprise, however, the Tower was extremely quiet, not a sound to be heard.

"Jon? Maya?" Damian called out, his voice echoing in the empty rooms.

Mara, who had followed him inside, looked around. "Where is everyone?"

Furrowing his brow, Damian pulled out his phone and dialed Jon’s number for a video call. After a moment, Jon picked up, and Mara could see something strange in the background, almost like he was in an underwater setting or something.

"Jon! Where the hell are you? Is that our HQ?"

Jon’s voice came through, carefree as ever. "Oh, hey, D! Yeah, we ran out of food at the tower, so Maya and I came to the HQ to grab some snacks for the road. Want some?"

"Jon, this isn’t some fun road trip! This is serious! Get down here, now."

Maya then appeared on the screen, standing next to Jon, "Hey, guys!" She waved at the camera, a muffin in her hand. "Jon had this great idea to store Alfred’s muffins in the mini-fridge. They’re delicious! Although I do prefer them fresh."

Damian started shouting, "Stop stuffing your faces with junk food, you two! You’re going to get fat, especially you, Jonathan! Watch that diet of yours!"

Jon waved him off with a grin. "See you in a bit, D. We just need to grab some sodas, and we’re out of here."

With a frustrated sigh, Damian ended the call and muttered angrily, "Can you believe those two? No one takes anything seriously around here."

Mara raised an eyebrow. "It sure seems like it."

Annoyed, Damian stormed off towards the training room. Not knowing what else to do, Mara followed him, but she frowned when her cousin stopped abruptly. 

"Hey, I got an idea. Since no one's here yet, how about we spar while we wait?"

Mara blinked, slightly taken aback. "Huh?"

"Let’s do some sparring."

"Are you sure?"

He shrugged, "Why not? We’ll even have our weapons this time. Come on, let’s do it. For old time’s sake."

Mara paused, then smirked. "If you insist..."

The two moved to the center of the training simulation room with their weapons of choice at hand; Damian with his classic Katana, and Mara with her sharp bone sickle. The two bowed to each other before they began.

"No taking easy on me, Son of the Bat."

"Will do."

Their eyes were locked on each other. Damian’s stance was ready, and Mara mirrored him, both of them focused, the anticipation thick in the air. After circling each other like two predators, Damian made the first move; With a swift motion, he lunged forward, his sword aiming for her side. Mara blocked the strike with her sickle, the sharp clash of metal against each other ringing through the room.

"Not bad," Damian said, a smirk forming on his lips as he stepped back, preparing for the next move.

Mara raised an eyebrow. "You haven't seen anything yet."

She lunged, her sickle arcing toward his shoulder, but Damian sidestepped with ease, countering with a sharp downward slash. Mara deflected it, spinning on her heel to use the momentum for a strike aimed at his ribs. Damian parried, the katana’s blade catching hers with a sharp clang.

The fight escalated.

Mara feinted left, her sickle hooking toward his arm in a calculated move. Damian barely dodged and retaliated with a sweeping arc of his katana, but Mara ducked low, rolling to the side and coming up behind him. 

"Better speed up, Demon Brat."

Damian growled under his breath and pressed the attack, his strikes coming faster, more precise. Mara matched him blow for blow, their weapons clashing in a furious rhythm. Neither of them was holding back, and the longer they sparred, the more intense their fight became.

"Keep fighting, Mara. Fight with every fiber of your being; Fight until your last breath."

Mara's chest tightened, the memory of her mother's forceful words coming back.

"Show Ibn al Xu’ffasch that you are far stronger than him; That you are better than him."

"Defeat him. Destroy him."

Her strikes grew more erratic, her breathing uneven. Damian noticed the shift immediately, his smirk fading as he adjusted his defense.

"Mara?" he called, worried.

"I just want to try, Damian."

"Try? Try not to cry. You'll only look weaker than you already do."

Mara let out an anguished roar, her sickle hooking around Damian’s katana with brutal force. With a sharp twist, she disarmed him, the katana clattering to the floor. Memories of when she was six years old flooded her mind as if the whole thing happened yesterday. She was hiding in her room, late at night, and her face was covered in tears. It was her mother who came rushing to her side to comfort her. 

"Habibi, why are you crying?"

"I'm sorry for being a disappointment to you, mother." The little girl couldn't stop the tears from falling down her cheeks. "I lost again to Ibn al Xu’ffasch. "

"Then be stronger! Fight harder! Be better! Pick up your sword, now!"

"Fight every day of your damn life and never give up, do you hear me? Do you hear me, Mara?"

"Mara?" Her cousin's voice echoed in the room, though he sounded distant for some reason. Mara was being led by her anger, by all those years of suffering she was forced to endure. He had to pay. It was only fair. 

Blinded by her emotions, Mara lunged again once she saw her opening.

“Enough, Mara!” Damian barked, but the words barely registered. Her heart was racing, her adrenaline spiking as she seized the opportunity to press the sickle close to Damian's throat. 

“Mara!”

The sound of his voice snapped her out of her trance. Mara blinked, her vision clearing, and horror gripped her as she noticed a drop of blood trailing down his skin. Mara's grip on the sickle faltered, the weapon dropping to the floor with a dull thud. Afraid of what she had done, the girl staggered back, her chest heaving as the gravity of what she had almost done sank in.

“No… I didn’t mean to…” 

Damian’s hand instinctively went to his neck, his fingers brushing against the shallow cut. He winced slightly but maintained his composure.

"Hey, it's okay."

“I could’ve-” Her voice broke, unable to finish the sentence. 

“But you didn’t,” Damian interjected firmly, stepping closer. He placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder, his green eyes meeting hers. “Mara, it’s okay."

Before she could respond, a voice interrupted, making her freeze.

"Woah! Are you guys alright?"

Mara’s stomach dropped. Shoot, shoot, shoot. She got caught by everyone, and now she was going to be banished from the Teen Titans, just like everything else in her life she had once considered home.

"Mara and I were sparing, and I was just a little careless, that's all." Damian lied smoothly, which caught Mara by surprise, she couldn't believe he would lie for her.

"Be careful next time, you two," Maya advised, carefree as ever, despite possibly having witnessed the whole thing. "Well, the boys are here. Emi told me she couldn't make it, so I guess it's just the five of us today."

"Correct. Where are they?" Damian asked, already moving past her toward the living room.

At least the cut on Damian's neck was barely noticeable, but the guilt still consumed Mara. 

"They're in the living room, testing... Jon's wig."

As they stepped into the main area room, the trio watched Colin and Jon take turns to wear that ridiculous blond wig.

“Dude, this looks so realistic!” Colin exclaimed as he played with the fake curls above his head. “Where did you get it again?”

“eBay,” Jon said proudly, taking back the wig as his friend returned it to him. “Can you believe it?”

“Nice!”

Maya cleared her throat to announce their presence. “Ahem. Are you two done with that thing?”

Damian didn’t wait for an answer. “Jonathan!” he barked, snatching the wig off Jon’s head. “I told you, you’re not wearing that wig!”

"Hey!" Jon protested, "Go get your own wig if you want one so badly!"

“I told you,” Damian said, reclaiming the wig, “I’m the one talking to Grant, not you.”

"No, you're not!" Jon retorted, yanking the wig away from his friend. "Finn Connors is wearing the wig!"

“Aw, I wanted to be Finn Connors,” Colin whined.

"Only I can be Finn Connors." Jon shot back.

“Finn Connors is a dumb name,” Damian nagged. “Matches Malone is much better.”

Jon argued, "You can't just steal your dad's fake names!" 

"Yes, I can! I am the son of Batman, so I get to use his aliases as well!"

Mara couldn't believe what she was witnessing. So this was how the 'great' Teen Titans operated when no one was watching? Like a bunch of idiots? 

Even Maya was done putting up with them. "Alright, that's it! No one's wearing the wig!" Fiercely, she yanked the blond hairpiece from Damian and tossed it into the air. The only problem was that no one had noticed Goliath creeping into the room until he caught the wig mid-air with his mouth, thinking that he was still playing fetch.

“No, no, no, no!" The group said in unison. 

Damian rushed to his pet and scolded, "Goliath, do not eat that! Spit it out! Spit it out now!”

But instead of obeying, Goliath let out a series of coughs, his massive body heaving from it. 

“Is he choking?” Colin asked, panicking.

“No, he’s fine,” Maya assured, though she stepped back as Goliath gagged. “I think...”

With one final dramatic heave, Goliath vomited a tangled, slimy fur ball mixed with the yellow wig onto the floor. 

"Eeww..." The group said in disgust.

“Gross!” Mara added, recoiling.

“My wig!” Jon cried, staring at the ruined mass of blond hair.

Colin tapped his friend's shoulder to console him, "I'm sorry, man..."

"That cost me a whole month's allowance..."

Damian stated the obvious, "I guess that rules out the wig plan for good now..."

Jon groaned. “What are we going to do now? Finn Connors was our best bet for tonight!”

Maya rolled her eyes, exasperated. “Oh my goodness, you guys! Even if the wig was intact, your plan would still not have worked! You gotta be 21 or older to enter the casino, or you need an adult present. So, why don't we have Colin go in as Abuse and talk Jared out of the drug deal scheme?"

Colin perked up at the new plan. “Go in as Abuse? Oh, yeah! Great idea!”

"Ooh, that's true!" Jon agreed, "You'll look like an adult and no one will notice you're a superhero!"

Damian nodded, "Not a bad plan."

Maya heard the whole thing in shock. "Wait-you’re telling me no one thought of this earlier?” The boys shrugged and shook their heads, innocently. “That was literally the first thing that came to my mind!”

“Still, great thinking, Maya,” Damian praised. “Alright, so here's the plan: Colin will talk to Jared Grant while the rest of us watch from the security camera room. We'll be using Nobody's Tech and monitor Abuse from there. Understood?" The team nodded. "Maya, do you have the earpieces with you?"

"Sure, let me hand it out to everyone..." Maya said, walking away from the group to grab the team an earpiece. 

"Alright, Colin, once again, follow my lead. If anything goes wrong or if we get eyes on someone suspicious, we split up, deal? Jon will stay with me, and the rest goes with Colin. Are we all in agreement?"

"Aye, aye, Captain!" Maya said playfully as she returned with all the earpieces. 

The rest of the team nodded again, ready to face their new challenge. With their plan finally set, the Titans were ready for the night ahead.

Chapter Text

Atlantic City

"So, how do I look?" Colin asked in his Abuse form, his deep voice matching his muscular frame. He turned around slowly, showing off his disguise, a beige trench coat, paired with a fedora hat, polished shoes, and sunglasses that looked comically small on his broad face.

"You look fine, but you gotta drop the trench coat." Robin advised, "It's hot outside, and you're not in the 1940s."

"What? Why? I love the trenchcoat!" Colin defended, "It's part of my signature!"

"Maybe lose the fedora hat, then," Nobody suggested.

"Or the sunglasses," Mara added.

"Yeah," Robin said dryly, "you're a seven-foot powerhouse, Colin. The glasses aren't going to make you 'blend in'."

"I think you look just fine, Colin!" Reassured Jon, "Don't listen to them."

"Thanks, J. You guys are just jealous you can't turn into this." Colin flexed his massive muscles for the group, though he still felt self-conscious about the whole thing. "Just kidding. Maybe this was a bad idea, after all."

Nobody waved her hand dismissively. "Relax, you'll do great. You look intimidating enough to scare secrets out of anyone."

"But what if I get kicked out? I mean, look at me!" Colin argued, completely abandoning his confidence.

"You'll be fine," Robin assured him.

"Yeah, besides, there are a bunch of suspicious-looking people at these types of places." Superboy reminded his friend, "You do know this town is one of the main bases of the Royal Flush Gang, right? My mom wrote a report about this place before. Even with all the evidence, no one did anything about it. This city is too corrupt, there are too many bad guys here."

"And that's comforting how...?" Colin inquired, unsure of himself.

"Because even if you look like a criminal, walking in like that, no one's gonna do anything about it." Superboy clarified.

"Yeah, you've got this!" Maya encouraged.

"Just follow my lead, Abuse," Robin said, bringing back the seriousness of the situation. "Remember, we'll be your eyes and ears. Wait for our signal before you come in."

"Okay," Abuse said, "You guys will watch from the security room while I do all the talking, right?"

"Correct," Robin nodded, "We won't be far. If anything goes wrong, we move in immediately. Just stick to the plan."

Colin exhaled, nodding firmly. "Right. Stick to the plan. Okay."

With that, the whole group left Colin behind and headed inside the large casino using Nobody's invisible tech. Colin was apprehensive, but excited overall. His job was only to talk to another fellow teenager, how hard could that be? Damian had already tracked down the exact time Jared's father would come to the casino, bringing his son with him, to indulge his gambling addiction. Now, all Colin had to do was wait anxiously for the Titans' signal.

After what felt like an eternity, Colin finally heard Damian's voice crackle through his earpiece.

"Alright, Abuse. You're up. Go."

Taking a steadying breath, Colin nodded and adjusted his trench coat, muttering to himself, “Alright. You got this." 

After cracking his neck on both sides, Abuse went in.

The casino was far grander and more luxurious than Colin had imagined. The room was filled with the sounds of slot machines chiming, cards being shuffled, and coins clinking. The place was huge, and Colin did not know where to start. He kept searching for the kid named Jared Grant, a brown-haired sixteen-year-old who lived with his father, a man whose disheveled beard and tired eyes showed a history of self-neglect. Robin had shown Colin a picture of the two, but the casino was so large, it was difficult to spot them.

"Any luck yet?" Robin chimed in on Colin's ear as he walked around.

"Not yet. This place is crowded," Abuse answered discreetly with his deep, gravelly voice. Several people stared at him but quickly moved out of the way due to his intimidating size.

"We'll find them soon enough, don't worry," Comforted Maya.

Wondering how the rest of the team was doing, Abuse asked, "So, did everything work out okay with you guys?"

"Taking down the security guards was easy. No one noticed us." Replied Robin, nonchalantly. "But we don't have much time on our hands. We're checking every angle of the cameras to see where we can find them."

Next to Colin, an old lady was trying her luck at the slot machine, and she yelled in excitement once she won more points than expected.

"Yes! Time to bet on some more, ha!"

Abuse looked at her with curious eyes and turned away immediately once she caught him staring at her. 

As he moved further away from the woman, he whispered to his teammates, "Why is it that old ladies always have the best luck with these things?"

"Gambling is stupid and just a way to steal people's money." Robin said, "I'm sure she lost a lot of money before she started gaining anything back."

Abuse kept looking around, walking past several rows of slot machines with bright neon lights. Next to Colin were multiple roulette tables, surrounded by eager players dressed in extravagant clothes. Some of the men in suits were surrounded by women wearing revealing gowns, while some of the other players were sitting down, lighting up their cigars. The cigarette smoke made Abuse cough, the sound escaping louder than he intended. A few players turned to stare at him, which made Colin quickly move away after realizing his mistake. 

Even after all these years, Colin still didn't feel too comfortable when he was Abuse. Turning into a monster due to a disturbing experiment from Scarecrow wasn't quite his idea of a superhero origin.

Moving past all those players, Colin kept searching, looking specifically at the slot machines to see if he could recognize Jared's father.

He heard Robin curse in his ear, "Damn it, where are they?"

Abuse was about to head to the other side of the casino when a waiter, balancing a tray of drinks, accidentally bumped into him. 

"Watch it!" the waiter snapped before noticing who he had just bumped into. His expression quickly changed once he noticed the tall figure, "Uh... s-sorry, sir," he stuttered, going away in a hurry.

Abuse grunted in and moved on, his focus snapping back to the task at hand, but his steps faltered when his eyes landed on a young man sitting alone at a bar ahead of him.

The boy's brown hair was messy, and he hunched over an alcoholic drink, stirring it absentmindedly with a straw.

Abuse's heart skipped a beat as he whispered urgently into his earpiece, "Guys! I found him!"

"Where?" Robin's voice came through sharply.

"At the bar. He's alone."

"Good. Don't lose sight of him--" Robin ordered before Nobody interrupted him.

"You're gonna nail it, Abuse! Just act natural."

"Easy for you to say..." Abuse muttered under his breath, taking a deep breath to steady himself. He squared his shoulders and walked towards the kid, trying not to look as intimidating as he felt.

Jared didn't seem to notice him yet, too focused on his own drink. Abuse slid onto a barstool one seat away, pretending to scan the room casually before he started a conversation.

The redhead cleared his throat, "Ahem. You're Jared Grant, aren't you?" He tried his best to sound as casual as possible, but his gravelly voice was impossible to hide.

The kid jumped at the mention of his name. "Who the hell are you?"

"I'm a friend of your dad's. Bill and I go way back."

"Way back?" Robin intervened from the comm line, "Grant doesn't even know you! This is not what we practiced!"

"Shh. Let him talk". Superboy reprimanded.

Abuse shot a skeptical glare at the camera above his head, near the bar, as if he was telling his team to shut up.

Jared frowned in confusion for a second, but then shrugged, "Hm. Of course you are. If you wanna talk to him, he's over there." The young man gestured toward the table behind them, where his dad was engrossed in a game of cards, betting more chips than he should.

Aiming to act cool, Abuse stated, "I know exactly where he is. I'm here to talk to you.”

"Me? Why?"

"I know about the drug smuggling."

Jared's demeanor changed. "Look, I don't know what you're talking about-"

"Jared, I found your name on a hit list."

"Hit list?” The teen repeated, confused, "What the hell are you talking about? And who are you, anyway? Are you some kind of cop?"

"Relax," Abuse said quickly, raising his hands in a calming gesture. "I know I look strange and scary, but I'm only here to help, kid. Has anyone contacted you, yet? About the Vertigo drugs?"

Jared's eyebrows shot up in surprise as he glanced sideways at the bartender to make sure no one was listening. He leaned in closer and hissed, "Look, dude. Whoever you are, I'm not interested. Just leave me alone, okay? Now, have a good day." He started to push himself up from the chair but the bartender returned and dropped a bill on the counter in front of him.

"You haven't paid yet."

"Fuck."

"Here, I got you," Abuse pulled out his wallet and slipped some cash into the bill. Once the bartender took it away and left, he turned back to Jared. "You ordered a drink you can't even pay for, and you're not even 21. What are you doing drinking, anyway?"

"It's none of your fucking business, you weirdo."

Abuse frowned, which made the boy shrink back into his seat. Once he recovered his courage, the teenager inquired, "What do you want from me?"

"I want you to tell me the truth." Abuse pressed, "Who's your supplier?"

Jared leaned back slightly, "If you're still talking about the Vertigo drugs, I have no idea, man. You got the wrong guy."

"This is not working!" Complained Robin in Abuse's ear.

"Come on, Robin, be a little patient!" Urged Superboy , "He's getting there!"  

Abuse did his best to tune out his friends as distracting as they were. He leaned closer to the teenage boy, his voice firm but controlled. "Listen, Jared. I saw your name on a hit list; Professor Pyg's, of all people. I heard he's working with a guy named Count Vertigo. They've been targeting teenage smugglers just like you, and Pyg is using them for experiments, turning his victims into lifeless dolls. Is that what you want for you? To end up as one of his Dollotrons?"

That finally got Jared to listen, except he arched his eyebrow and asked, "Are you high?"

Abuse exhaled sharply, glancing away as he slammed the bar counter with his fist, which startled the kid a little.

"Show him the pictures," Robin advised over the earpiece.

Nodding, Abuse pulled out his phone and scrolled to the photos of Pyg's previous victims. "If you don't believe me, see for yourself." He handed the device to Jared. "This is what's been happening to all the smugglers Pyg gets his hands on."

Jared's face went pale as he flipped through the images. "No way... This is just..." He paused, deep in thought, before he continued, "This is fear-mongering, man. I'm not buying it."

Abuse clenched his jaw, annoyed. Why was the kid making this so difficult?

"Like I said, this isn't working." Robin's voice cut in sharply. "I'm coming in. I'll talk to him."

"No," Nobody snapped. "You'll blow it. He's so close."

Frustrated, Abuse rubbed his face and removed his sunglasses to make true eye contact with the teenager, "How did you get yourself involved in this mess in the first place?"

"Huh?"

"You heard me. You're a sharp kid, Jared. You shouldn't be in a place like this." Abuse had a disappointed look in his eyes. Having been raised in Gotham as an orphan, he was quite familiar with kids like Jared who were stuck in that life. It wasn't fair. "You're doing this for the money, aren't you?"

Jared let out a dry scoff, his gaze fixed on the empty cup. "Aren't we all?"

Genuinely curious, Abuse asked, "How much?"

The teenager hesitated before saying the truth, "...Ten grand."

"Ten grand?" That was a lot more than they'd offered the last victim, James Holder, according to what Robin had told him. Count must have had a particular interest in Jared to offer such a high payout.

The brown-haired kid chuckled, "Yeah, I know. Wild. It helps pay the bills, you know? My dad comes down here every night, and he always loses. So while he gambles, I work my magic. You just have to find the right people to sell, that's all. I do it right here at the casino. Make the sales, then tell my old man that the money coming in is from his 'lucky streak'. He's too drunk to notice the difference, anyway..."

Abuse tightened his jaw. "That's a dangerous game you're playing. You think any of these people care about you? They're using you."

"You think I don't know that? Of course they're using me, but what choice do I have? Hell, not even my mom could stand us. Straight up walked out on us one day. Said that marrying my dad and having me were the biggest mistakes of her life. My dad was a mess. More than he already was. Now he drinks himself to sleep every night, can't land a job for his life. At least the casino is his happy place. I tag along to keep an eye on him. Make sure he doesn't do anything stupid."

"You do realize it's your dad's job to look out for you, right? Not the other way around."

Jared shrugged. "Meh, it's whatever. But hey, the money is nice. They want me to start recruiting too, which is gonna be huge. I just gotta find someone my age who wants to join in."

"Have you found anyone?"

"Not yet, but I'll find a way."

Abuse furrowed his brows in deep thought. What was it going to take to pull this kid out of this mess?

As if someone was reading his mind, Maya's voice came in, "Ooh, I know what we can do! Offer Jared some money!"

"Good idea!" Superboy agreed, "Robin, how much money do you have on you?"

"Do I look like an ATM to you?"

"Yes." Superboy and Nobody replied in unison.

"Okay, Abuse, offer him $80,000."  Maya suggested confidently, although Robin was not pleased.

"Eighty thousand?? Are you insane?"

Maya shot back, "Oh, don't tell me your family is suddenly struggling financially."

"It's not that! You can't just hand a stranger 80 thousand dollars! Besides, Grant's father will blow it all on gambling!"

"Ohh, good point." Nobody said.

"Hey, I think one of the security guards is waking up..." Pointed out Superboy, probably using his superhearing.

"I got him." Assured Mara, speaking for the first time.

"Okay, can you all shut up?" Abuse requested, but he forgot the kid was right in front of him.

"Oh, sorry." Jared apologized, shrinking in his seat again.

"No, not you. Alright, how about I make you an offer, then? Will you finally leave this smuggling mess if I give you some money?"

The kid perked up at that, curious, though skeptical. "How much are we talking?"

"80 thousand, Abuse!" Repeated Nobody, agitated.

Robin shouted in return, "No! Do not offer 80 thousand! I repeat, do not--"

"Do $60k!" Suggested Superboy, though Robin was still not happy.

"Do not offer him that"

Sighing, Abuse made the final call, "How about 50 grand?" 

"FIFTY THOUSAND DOLLARS??" Robin shouted in his ear.

"Fifty grand?" Jared Grant echoed in disbelief. He then scoffed at him, "Yeah, right."

"I mean it. I'll write you a check." Abuse assured him, confidently.

"I don't carry a check on my utility belt, genius!"

"Uh, I mean, I'll transfer the money. Whatever. Now, will you promise to stop making deals with these people?"

Jared crossed his arms with a mix of amusement and defiance. "Fine. But I'm still on their target list, remember? How am I going to know if my dad and I will be safe if I stop the smuggling?"

So the kid did believe him regarding the hit list. That brat.

"I have close relationships with a lot of vigilantes. I'll make sure you and your family will be safe." Abuse crossed his arms also, accepting the unspoken challenge. "You know we're not too far away from Bludhaven, right?"

Jared narrowed his eyes, suspiciously, "What does Bludhaven have to do with any of this? Unless..." The kid suddenly lit up, connecting the pieces, "Wait, do you know–"

Before he could finish, Abuse answered for him with a nod, "Yep. I'm close friends with Nightwing ."

"No way!" Exclaimed the kid, "You know Nightwing? He's always been my favorite hero, did you know that? Dude kicks ass in Bludhaven!"

"Now you're bringing my brother into this?? This is a Titans' mission! Not the ancient, outdated Teen Titans team led by Nightwing, but my newest, most reformed Teen Titans !"

"Someone's ego got hurt,"  Humored Mara.

"Aw, you called him your brother!" Noted Superboy, "I knew you missed him. You should call him. I know you miss Mar'i too."

"Will you shut up, Superboy?"

"Crap." Nobody suddenly said, "We got company." 

"We gotta go" informed Superboy. Sounds of footsteps and shouting could be heard from the comms before the line went off. 

Abuse was worried, wondering what kind of trouble everyone was in. He needed to hurry.

"Soo, are you gonna be staring at me like that forever, or what?" Jared asked, still waiting. "You got yourself a deal, big guy. I'll end the whole thing and even give you some info. But I want my money first."

Abuse nodded, unsure how to proceed. "Uhh, sure. Do you have an app or something?"

The kid handed his cell phone to him, ready to share his phone number for the bank transfer. Abuse was starting to get really nervous because he had no idea what Damian's account looked like, but luckily, Nobody came back on the line just in time.

"Risk averted, everyone! This is why we bring Jr. Supes over here! Way to go, J, you were super fast!"

"Just hurry up," whispered Abuse, desperate, turning away from the kid, "Send him the money, already. I got his phone number attached to his account. 808-570-5684."

"Aand... Done!"  Maya announced, transferring the money.

"Hey! Since when do you have access to my bank account?"

"Since the day you showed it to me, silly. Who do you think pays the Tower bills?"

"Tt."

"Holy shit," Jared's eyes widened once he noticed the change in his bank account. "You weren't joking!"

"Told ya. Now, can you tell me the name of your supplier?"

"Hm." The kid stopped for a moment, scanning the giant. "Fine. But that's gonna cost you."

"More?" Abuse raised his eyebrows, but the kid simply nodded with a smirk on his face.

Knowing full well how Damian was going to kill him later, the large redhead rubbed his forehead and sighed, "...How much?"

"15 thousand."

"Fifteen thousand?" Abuse repeated, incredulous. 

Expectedly so, Robin was already yelling in his ear, "Look what you've done, Nobody! Abuse, do not give this greedy, idiotic, imbecile any more mon--"

"I can do ten." The redhead negotiated. He needed the intel.

Robin's voice barked, "Excuse me?!"

"Ok, fine. Ten thousand works."

"Deal." Said the giant. He'd worry about getting killed by Damian later. 

"Abuse!" Robin shouted.

"Woow." Started Superboy, "You won't even lend me 15 bucks for school lunch."

"I'm doing you a favor, J. School lunches are gross."

With more money being transferred to the kid's account, thanks to Maya again, Jared started confessing the whole thing. "Okay, so I don't have his real name, but I always meet the guy face to face. He's actually here, I saw him not too long ago."

"Wait, your supplier has been here at the casino this whole time? And you didn't tell me?"

Jared raised his hands defensively. "I didn't know if I could trust you. Anyway, I can text him to come here if you'd like."

"No. Let me call him."

"Sure, just keep in mind you'll be calling an anonymous line. He might not answer."

The street-smart teen handed his phone to the tall, muscular man. Abuse rose from his seat and started walking toward the game tables, scanning the room while keeping his expression normal. 

Before dialing, he used his comms, "Guys, I'm calling the supplier right now. He probably won't answer, though."

"That's fine." Replied Robin with clear irritation in his voice after what just happened, "We're watching the cameras."

Abuse dialed the number, and nearby, a phone began to ring. He looked around, alert, and spotted an overweight man in a grey suit sitting near a roulette table checking his phone and hanging up quickly. Immediately after that, that same man stood up abruptly and bolted to the back exit.

"Got him," Nobody said, watching the same thing on the live feed.

"Wait," Superboy warned, his sharp supervision catching another figure's movement amidst the crowd. 

At precisely the same moment the supplier checked his phone and got up, a man with slick blond hair, dressed in a tailored black suit, stood from his table. The man folded his hands and slipped his unused chips back into his pocket. Without looking back, he rushed to the other exit in the opposite direction.

"That's him!" Superboy announced, "That's gotta be Count Vertigo! He even looks like the original Count!"

"They're splitting up," Mara observed.

"Let's tail them both." Robin instructed, "Nobody, Mara, go help Abuse catch the supplier. Don't let him get away. Superboy, you go with me."

The team went into action. The group left the surveillance room immediately, and while the Super Sons chased after Count, Abuse ran in the opposite direction towards the other exit to stop Jared's supplier.

Mara and Nobody caught up to Abuse, and together, they saw an overweight man rush into the passenger seat of a black van. The van was already taking off, the engines roaring to life, so Abuse used his strength to launch himself at the back of the van, landing with a heavy thud. Gripping the handles, he ripped the rear doors open with his bare hands, but surprisingly, five ninjas were inside, turning their weapons on him. They started shooting at the same time but unfortunately for them, their bullets tickled. 

"Is that all you got?" Abuse asked confidently before he punched one of the ninjas. The single hit would be enough to knock a normal person out, but the man dressed as a ninja stood there as if he was immune to pain. 

Despite being smaller in size, especially when compared to Abuse, the ninja punched Abuse in the face, which actually hurt. 

"Huh--?"

With the van moving at full speed, Abuse tried to steady himself to not lose his balance. The girls used their grappling hooks to jump into the back of the vehicle and fought the other ninjas by disarming them first. Despite their skills, the girls still needed to stay in defense for the most part since the ninjas seemed to have super strength. 

"Wait, this feels familiar..." Nobody started to say, flickering in and out of sight to catch her opponents off guard. As she appeared behind one of the paid assassins, she managed to strike the man unexpectedly right in the eye. "Hey! We've fought these guys before!"

Abuse, busy fending off two ninjas at once, grunted. “Are you sure?”

“Yeah!” Nobody replied, zapping another attacker with her shock gloves. “Look at them. They’re dressed like ninjas, but they’re kinda slow.”

“Who are you calling slow?” one of the ninjas growled, lunging to kick Maya in the ribs, but she jumped out of the way just in time.

“See!” Nobody exclaimed, nearly losing her footing as the van drove violently down the street. “I thought ninjas were supposed to be silent!”

"They're untrained," Affirmed Mara, dodging each blow from the other assassin with ease. 

A sharp turn was taken, forcing Abuse to lean against the van wall to keep his balance. It was awkward fighting in such a cramped space, and there was nothing he hated more than being stuck in such a confined area. Mara appeared to be the only one struggling less, even with the van's sharp turns, but Maya wasn't as graceful. She fell when the van took another swerve turn, and the assassin, seeing this, aimed his gun at her. Without thinking twice, Abuse smashed the man's revolver and elbowed him in the jaw. He would've caused him a lot more pain if their strengths weren't so easily matched. 

With the car still moving, Mara landed a kick on one of the men's stomach, but it didn't do a thing.

"They're metahumans, Mara!" Warned Nobody.

Mara nodded, dodging a wild swing from another attacker. The confined space was something she could easily handle, but for Colin, it was a whole other story. The longer he awkwardly fought there, the more his frustration grew. Every jolt from the vehicle threw him off balance, and every sharp turn made the already tight space feel even smaller.

"Whoever these guys are, I'm getting mad now." Growled Abuse with his claustrophobia getting the best of him. 

With a surge of strength, the giant grabbed one of the ninjas by the arm and flung him hard against the van’s side. Another attacker lunged at him, but Abuse caught him and slammed him into the floor with a force that shook the vehicle and almost put a hole on the floor.

"Holy crap, Abuse!" Nobody exclaimed, "They might be strong, but take it easy! You're gonna flip the whole van!"

Moving past Nobody and Mara, Abuse stormed to the front of the van where the dealer was hiding beneath the passenger seat. The driver panicked at the sight of the giant, driving even faster than before, while the overweight drug dealer aimed his gun at the large man and shot him. The bullets did nothing to Abuse's chest, so he simply snatched the weapon out of the dealer’s hands and smashed it against the wall.

“Enough!” Abuse roared, grabbing the dealer by the collar and shoving him against the car window. The glass cracked slightly under the force as Abuse leaned in closer, “No more games! I know you work for Count Vertigo!”

The dealer raised his hands in surrender. “Okay, okay, you got me! You’re right! I work for Count Vertigo, alright?"

Oh. That was easier than Colin had thought.

But then, a strange smirk crept across the overweight man’s face. “But you know… I’d be more careful if I were you. Lately, Count has been specifically obsessed with you.”

“Huh?” Abuse's brow furrowed.

The dealer’s smirk widened. “He wants you, big fella. You must be real special because he wants to run tests on you really badly." His voice then dropped to a sinister tone, "And trust me when I say this: when Count puts something on his mind, no one can stop him.”

Colin’s grip loosened, his mind racing. Before he could even process what he’d just learned, a panicked voice crackled through his communicator.

“Back up, I need backup! Now!”

It was Damian.

And Damian never asked for help, unless absolutely necessary.

Colin’s heart dropped. His friends were in danger.

The brief distraction was all the dealer needed. With a quick flick of his wrist, he threw a smoke bomb right in Abuse’s face, making him stumble back and cough. By the time his eyes adjusted back to normal, the dealer was gone, having jumped out of the moving vehicle's window and vanished.

Abuse rushed to the back of the van to check on the girls, and his teammates stared back at him just as worried. Everyone heard Damian's panicked voice. Leaving the meta-human mercenaries behind, the trio rushed to help Robin and Superboy.

On the other side of the casino, hidden behind a slightly concealed door, the trio found themselves at the entrance to a strip club. Panic filled the sinful club with men and nearly-naked women screaming at the top of their lungs and running for their lives as destructive laser beams ripped through the floor beneath them. Walls were being destroyed from the laser beams, sending debris flying in all directions. 

"The laser beams are coming underneath us-!" Nobody pointed to the ground.

Mara scanned the dark-lit room, feeling the floors, "There must be a door, something--" 

"Aha, found it!" Nobody announced, identifying a hidden door, thanks to her mask. She led the way as they rushed through the narrow passage leading down.

Heart pounding with urgency, the trio was met with the horrifying sight of Superboy destroying the whole room, his powers raging out of control. He was screaming, blasting heat vision everywhere while holding his head in agony. Robin was standing in front of him, trying desperately to calm him down.

Now that the situation had been resolved, Nobody ran to Superboy and gave him a hug, "We're so glad you're okay, Superboy!"

"Yeah, you two okay?" Abuse shot his friends a concerned look.

"We're fine." Robin replied, "Did anyone find Count?"

The trio shook their heads, all disappointed.

“Damn.” Robin muttered.

Ashamed with himself, Superboy stared down at the ground and muttered, "It’s my fault he got away…”

Rushing to his side, Mara asked softly, “Superboy, what happened?” 

Jon seemed too upset to answer, so Robin did it for him, “Superboy caught up to Count Vertigo, but he was blasted with a massive Vertigo gas. It caught him completely off guard, and the drug made him lose control.”

“I’m so sorry, guys… It's all my fault--”

“Hey, none of this failure talk around me, understood?" Robin reprimanded his friend, "You did nothing wrong.”

But Jon was still clearly disappointed with himself. “But I’m the reason he got away.”

“Hey, this kind of thing happens.” Maya comforted, “It’s part of the job. And no one’s upset with you, J."

Abuse rested his large hand on his partner's shoulder, “She's right. We're on your side.“

"Besides," Maya started saying, "We don't have bad news only, we learned a few things today! First off, the assassins from earlier? They’re totally like the ones we fought in Qrac.”

“So that’s what you were referring to earlier.” Abuse nodded, “Yeah, it makes sense. They're pretty lousy ninjas; Fought more like mercenaries, but with super strength.”

Nobody rubbed her chin, thoughtful, "I’m telling you, Slade is involved in this. I betcha he's the one who killed the King and the Queen. ” 

Robin shook his head, "Highly doubt it."

"Why wouldn't he?" Maya persisted, "He's extremely skilled!"

"Sure, but why would he be leading a group of amateurs?" Robin questioned.

Maya replied, "I don't know, 'cause Count Vertigo is running a bunch of tests on these people, and Slade has to deal with them?" 

Hearing this made Colin reflect what he heard earlier from the dealer. It was something it had been bugging him. "The dealer mentioned that Count wants me."

The group turned to him, astounded, "What?"

"Yeah." Glancing down at the floor, Abuse continued, "Apparently, he's been wanting to test on me too." Before he shared anything else, he took a deep breath. "Do you think he knows my identity?"

"It's a possibility." The Boy Wonder mentioned, "Slade could've easily told Count who we are. If he is working for him, that is. But this is good. This means we can use you as bait, Abuse."

But what if Slade or Count Vertigo went after Colin's adopted parents? He had just gained a family. Now he was going to lose it all.

Noticing his giant friend's demeanor, Superboy spoke up, "Let's think this more carefully before we come up with any crazy plans."

"What I'm wondering," Started Nobody, "is how some random guy suddenly decided to come after Qrac's King and Queen. Why now, and what is his motive? Sounds a bit much for a random criminal we never heard about, right?"

Robin didn’t respond right away, his expression thoughtful. Then, almost abruptly, he turned his attention to Mara, “You’ve been awfully quiet, cousin. What’s on your mind?”

With the spotlight now on her, Mara looked up, her arms instinctively crossing over her chest as if to shield herself. “Oh, you don’t want to know.”

“I most certainly do!” Damian took a step closer, his voice edged with demand. “Especially now!”

Mara's expression darkened. "You let Count hurt Superboy.”

“Superboy caught him first," Robin reminded, "Then he got hit by surprise with a Vertigo gas. I already said this.”

"Correct, but you didn't even go after Count Vertigo."

“I had to stay with Superboy! I wasn’t going to leave him behind!”

“Hm." Mara shrugged dismissively, "Okay.”

“Okay, what?" Robin raised his voice, stepping closer to his cousin, "Say it, Mara! Get it off your chest. Come on, I know you've been on edge all day today--”

“Fine." Mara matched her cousin's tone of voice. "The one who’s truly at fault for letting Count Vertigo escape is you, Damian! You make a lousy leader. You put your own teammate at risk, compromised the mission, and weren't even capable of catching Vertigo. You let him get away!”

“I did not-”

“This mission was a failure because of you. This is not how you were trained.”

"Guys--" Superboy tried to intervene, but no one listened. 

Damian clenched his jaw in anger before he fired back, “This is not the League of Assassins, Mara!”

"You think Grandfather would've been proud of you right now for putting everyone at risk without finishing off the task?"

Damian's voice rose, “I don’t care about Grandfather’s way!”

Mara's hands went up in the air, “Of course you don’t! You never have. It’s always your way that matters, right? You disrespect everyone around you because you do whatever you damn please all the time." Mara then scoffed, her voice dripping with disdain, "And you thought you'd be the heir to the Demon one day. Pathetic.”

Nobody tried to stop the fight this time, “Ookay, everyone, I think we’ve had enough of that…”

"And do you want to hear something more?" Mara added just to spite him further, "If you were my enemy, I would't feel threatened by you in the slightest."

Damian stepped closer, his fists clenched at his sides. "Oh, yeah? And why is that?"

Mara shot him a snide smirk, using a mocking voice at the end, "Because your father turned you soft."

“Say that again!” Damian was about to swing at his cousin, but Abuse stopped the two.

With his growling voice, he ordered, “Enough. No one’s hurting anyone tonight.”

“Not anymore, anyway…” Jon muttered under his breath.

Maya Ducard sighed, "Ok, how about we ease the tension a bit, huh? I think it's fair to say that we've all had a pretty rough day today. How about we go out somewhere? We’re in Atlantic City, after all! We gotta live it up a little.”

Meekily, Superboy spoke up, "Where do you suggest we go?"

"Oh, I don't know. There's shows, museums, rides... Ooh, we could go to the arcade! There's one not too far away from here."

Abuse smiled and gently placed his hand on her shoulder, "That actually sounds fun, Maya."

"Right? Place looked pretty cool, I saw the ad earlier on our way here. They have games, laser tag, bowling... So, what do you guys think? Have you ever gone bowling, Mara?"

The girl frowned. "What's bowling?"

"Oop, there you go! She's never gone bowling before! It's decided, then."

Jon didn't sound too convinced, but he didn't fight it either. "I guess a distraction would be nice..."

"Alright, cool! To the arcade, then!" Nobody led the way, excitedly. 

Damian and Mara, on the other hand, refused to say a word, but they obliged at least.

Arcade

The first game they all played as a group was laser tag. Damian and Maya ended up on the same team, while everyone else was on the opposite team, alongside a few other teenagers and a couple of younger kids.

After the match ended, they stepped out of the neon maze to check the scores on the screen. Unsurprisingly, Damian's team was the one who had won. The top score belonged to Maya, with Damian trailing close behind by 5 points. Mara, despite having never played before, had the most points on her team, followed by Jon, with Colin closer to the bottom. He liked laser tag, but he's always been better at video games instead.

"HA! I got the most points!" Maya bragged to Damian, clearly enjoying his frustration.

"Yeah, because you were camping! Just like you did in Search and Conquer!" Damian shot back, clearly annoyed.

"Oh, come on, you're still upset about that? Besides, we're literally on the same team, and you're still complaining."

"I should've had the most points!" Damian argued, "Unlike you, I was out in the field, sacrificing myself for the team!"

"Yeah, Maya, camping does not count," Colin emphasized, a little bitter about his loss. Maya had gotten him the most during the game.

"For the last time, camping absolutely counts." Maya stated, "My team won, right? Winning is all that matters."

"No, it doesn’t!" Disagreed Damian despite being on the winning team himself, "Camping should be against the rules! You stole my points!"

Maya argued back, "You're arguing over five points!"

Noticing how Jon wasn't participating in the banter, Mara stepped closer to him and said, "Hey. Something wrong?"

"Nothing. Just not in the mood to game, I guess," Jon put away his laser tag gun absentmindedly, his voice quieter than usual.

Mara, not exactly skilled at comforting others, was very frustrated by the game, and even more so by her cousin’s tantrum over losing just a few points to Maya. But despite her own irritation for losing the game altogether, she still wanted to help Jon.

Unsure of how to best approach him, she glanced at the closest game in front of her and awkwardly asked, "So, um. What is this thing?"

The entire arcade was extremely unfamiliar to her. 

"Huh? That’s air hockey."

"Can you show me how to play?" Mara asked, not because she cared about that commoner's entertainment, but as a way to distract Jon and pull him out of his funk. She still thought Damian was at fault for today's poorly executed mission, not the Boy of Steel.

Jon's face brightened just slightly at Mara's request. "Sure, here," He grabbed one of the mallets from the air hockey table and handed it to her. "Okay, so the goal is to hit the puck into the other person's goal. You can block with this," he demonstrated by holding his mallet steady over the table, "and hit it back like this." He gave the puck a light tap, sending it gliding toward Mara.

She caught it with surprising reflexes. "Seems simple enough. Will you accept a match with me, Boy of Steel?"

Jon chuckled, already feeling a bit better. "Sure. I need to redeem myself after that laser tag disaster, anyway.." 

"Don't go easy on me."

"I won't." Jon responded with a soft smile. 

The game started and they were fully engrossed in it. Mara’s competitive side emerged quickly, and she was soon hitting the puck with enough force to send it ricocheting wildly around the table.

"Whoa, easy there!" Jon exclaimed, barely managing to block one of her shots.

"Please. You have super speed. I gotta act fast." 

"Right, but I'm not using my powers right now. That'd be cheating." Jon hit the puck back only for his super speed to kick in instinctively as he blocked another one of her insanely fast shots.

"You sure about that that?" She grinned.

"Sorry. Reflexes!"

The game kept getting more intense by the second, and Jon had to be extremely careful not to accidentally shoot the puck to the other side of the city. He ended up having a harder time holding back than he'd thought, but thankfully, he was able to play as normal as possible.

"Hey, I won!" Mara raised her eyebrows in complete shock, "You let me win!"

"Did not!" 

"Yes, you did! You barely used your super strength. And your agility." 

"I blocked most of your shots, didn't I? But you're kind of aggressive." 

Mara wasn't sure why, but the comment made her laugh. She couldn't remember the last time she let her guard down and felt actually at ease with someone. 

Meanwhile, Colin was hanging out with the others. "Hey, I'm getting really hungry now. What do you guys think of pizza?"

"Hmm, pizza sounds so good right now!" Maya exclaimed. 

"Don't forget, no meat on mine."

"Yep, I'll get your veggie pizza." Colin assured his vegetarian friend. "Hey, the line is pretty long, so I'm gonna go there right now. I'm gonna ask what Jon and Mara want."

Colin walked to the others, while Maya and Damian stayed behind and watched them.
 
"Those two seem to be getting along well." Observed Maya as she watched Mara and Jon playing a second round of air hockey.

"It appears that way."

Without warning, Maya moved closer to Damian, leaning in towards his neck for closer inspection. "Can I see?"

"Hm?"

"Your neck." Gently, Maya's fingers brushed the edge of his neck where the scar was still faintly visible. She gave him a concerned look.

"So, you saw everything, huh?" Damian turned away, scratching his neck and feeling a little self conscious about earlier.

"Yeah. Are you and Mara okay?"

He sighed and sat on a bench. Maya joined him. "Yeah. I think Mara's dealing with some... stuff. It's hard to leave the past behind, you know?"

"Yeah, I get it. Do you think Emi’s right about Mara? That she’s a traitor?"

“No. Not at all. Of course I’m not blind to the possibility of it… But she can’t be a traitor."

Nobody paused before asking, "Does Mara know where we're hiding the Prince?"

"No, but here's the thing: She could if she wanted to. I’ve left my phone and Titan communicator unlocked around her several times, just to see what she would do. She never touched them, Maya. Not a single snoop"

"Have you checked the surveillance? Maybe she tried hacking the Batcomputer, like Emiko suggested one time?"

"She doesn’t have access to the Batcomputer, and even if she tried to hack it, which is nearly impossible after Drake’s upgrade, there’s no evidence of anything. No traces, nothing. I think she’s innocent, Maya."

"I do too. And I don’t say this because she’s your cousin. It’s just something I feel, I guess."

Damian nodded in agreement. "I think she's just trying to find her place. All I want is to give her a second chance. Like you did for me, Maya."

"Huh?"

Damian looked down, lost in thought. "You had every reason to hate me. To avenge your father's death; I deserved it. But that day when I was drowning... You came back for me. You saved me. I don’t think I’ve ever thanked you for that."

"Oh, it's nothing." Maya brushed it off, her face warm, "I wasn't going to just let you drown til your death, silly."

"You wanted to kill me when we first met." He reminded her, nonchalantly.

"Well, yeah, sure, but I couldn't do it. I knew there was good in you. And the way you tried to save your clones' lives, I--"

The two fell in silence. It was one of those memories that no one talked about. Maya wasn't sure why she was bringing up now. She knew the clones were a delicate subject to Damian.

After an uncomfortable moment of silence, Damian admitted, "I never told about that day to anyone. Not even Father." Maya wasn't sure why, but she blushed when he turned back to her, staring right into her eyes, "Thank you for believing in me. I'm sorry again for what I did to your father."

"It's okay, Dame. My dad wasn’t a great man. Sure, I still miss him sometimes, but you know what? I'm actually glad he's gone. If he were still around, I’d be stuck following in his footsteps, and I don’t want that. This might sound cheesy, but thanks to you, I have a new family now."

Damian gave her a warm smile and Maya returned the gesture. They gazed at each other until Colin waved at them, "Hey, got a table for us by the bowling aisle!"

“Sweet!” Maya said, breaking the moment and heading over.

At the bowling aisle, everyone took turns playing. Once it was Mara's turn, she hesitated, holding the ball with both hands awkwardly. “What am I supposed to do with this?”

Damian stepped up. “Here, it’s easy. Grayson taught me. You just throw it and aim for a strike. Like this.” He demonstrated by taking the ball from her and sending it hurtling down the lane for a perfect strike.

“Geez, Dame,” Maya teased. “You suck as a teacher!”

Jon exclaimed, "That's what I said!"

“Let’s see you do better, then!” Damian shot back at the girl.

Maya snapped her knuckles dramatically and stepped in. "Here, let the pros show you how it's done. So, Mara, you gotta pick the ball like this and then toss it, see?" Maya picked up a ball and gave it a graceful toss, but it veered straight into the gutter. “Oops!”

The group burst into laughter. Mara gave it a try, but she missed it as well. No one laughed at her this time, but she didn't seem to be enjoying it. "This game is stupid."

"No, no, you guys are doing it all wrong." Colin waved his hand dismissively, getting up, "You gotta show her the technique." The redhead went by Mara's side and handed her a bowling ball. She held in the correct way, mimicking Colin as he guided her, "Okay, make sure you have the correct fingers in the holes. Yes, perfect. Now, swing your arm back." She copied him, "Step forward, and swing your arm forward. Yep. Now, you push the ball, but be gentle. You don't want to throw it too hard."

Mara nodded and concentrated. She followed each instruction, but she stopped herself when Colin added, "Oh, and Mara? The best way to get a strike is if you put a little spin at the end before you release the ball."

"Great, now you just messed things up for her!" Maya warned.

"Good work, Colin." Damian added, sarcastically.

As they headed out of the bowling aisle, Mara surprised everyone by speaking with excitement, “Okay, I suppose this was an… Interesting experience!”

“You mean you had fun, right?” Jon translated for her.

“Perhaps,” Mara replied, a flirtatious smile tugging at her lips.

Colin half hugged his friend's shoulder, “This was a great idea, Maya,” 

“Glad everyone had fun,” Maya said, beaming.

The group was about to leave the arcade when Jon caught sight of someone extremely familiar standing at the end of the food line. 

His blue eyes widened. “Kathy?”

"Kathy? Who’s Kathy?” Mara asked, a touch of jealousy creeping into her voice.

A beautiful blonde with freckled cheeks and wavy hair turned around. Her face lit up when her eyes met Jon's.

"Jon?"

“Kathy!” Jon exclaimed, rushing over. “So good to see you! What are you doing here?”

She stepped out of line to greet him back, “I’m just here with a friend,” Kathy nodded her head to her friend, who was still waiting in line. “We’re staying for a couple of nights, came here to watch a show. We'll be heading back tomorrow.”

“Are you still living at the farm?" Jon asked with eagerness, "We miss you.”

“Yep, still at the farm. I miss you too, Jon.”

Mara had a big frown on her face, while Maya Ducard was the exact opposite. With a bright smile, Maya hugged her long time friend, "Kathy, it's so good seeing you here!"

"Maya!" The blonde returned the hug, "It's lovely to see all of you here. What brings you to Atlantic City?"

Maya shrugged, "Ah, just visiting."

"Oh, and hey, Colin. Damian." The girl acknowledged them. Damian was a bit indifferent, while Colin gave her a simple nod with a brief smile. 

Turning her attention back to her best friend, Kathy asked, "So, how's Goliath doing?"

Mara narrowed her eyes at the blonde, slowly figuring out that they were more than just colleagues - she knew about their superhero lives as well.

"Oh, Goliath is doing so good! You should come see him!" It was then that Maya's face lit up even more as an idea came across her mind, "Oh my god, why don't you stop by the Tower one of these days?"

Damian stopped her, "Excuse me?"

Maya turned to her friend, dismissing him, "Aw, don't give me that look, Dames. It's like I always say: once a Titan, always a Titan.”

He raised an eyebrow at her. “You’ve never said that. And Kathy worked with us just a couple of times.” 

Kathy smirked at him, not at all intimidated by his glaring. “Don’t worry, Damian. I won’t choke you with my psychic powers again, if that's what you're worried about.” She then turned to Maya with much more cheerfulness, “And Maya? That sounds delightful!”

"Yay!" Maya cheered, "Can't wait to have you over again! You can have my bed if you'd like!" 

Frustrated with the whole thing, Mara crossed her arms. Sarcasm escaped her lips when she said, “Yay. What. A joy."

Chapter Text

The sun shone brightly, and the day was warm but not too hot. The air was filled with aimless chatter as the high schoolers waited for their P.E. coach to announce today's lesson. Emiko Queen stood on the edge of the school's outdoor track, stretching her arms away from everyone else. She didn't have any friends, nor did she care to get to know anyone. It was her first year going back to school in person, and she dreaded going to that place every day.

Emiko's long hair was pulled in a ponytail, leaving two long strands framing her face. She was in her white t-shirt and navy blue shorts, and was ready for whatever activity they would have to do that day. P.E. was too easy.

"Alright, everyone! Three laps to warm up!" the coach announced after blowing his whistle.

Emiko took off. Behind her, she heard some classmates complain, especially the girls who didn't seem to like her very much since the first day of class.

"There she goes again."

"Ugh. Show off."

Emiko smirked, taking in all the pride of her impressive skills. She kept running, far outpacing all her peers, until the laps finished. She was on a roll, ready for more, while the rest of the class was practically panting until they caught up to her, except for a couple of boys who were a bit faster. Her heart raced with adrenaline when the coach blew his whistle again to gather everyone around him.

"Sheesh. You kids need to work on your cardio. Not you, Emiko. Keep up the good work."

Out of the corner of her eye, Emi noticed how most of the girls were side-eyeing her with jealousy. She ignored them and waited for the coach's instructions.

"Okay, we were gonna do some basketball drills today, but I changed my mind. Let's do an obstacle course instead, shall we? Should be fun." He rubbed his hands together and gave a single clap, "Okay, everyone, form into small groups of five. One student will be the leader, while the others will be the 'followers'."

While the class was forming into groups, the coach placed a curvy path of cones for everyone to run in zig-zag, followed by pool noodles and hurdles propped to be jumped over.

"Mike, come over here. Help me hang this thing." The coach waved at a pale, freckled-faced kid to help him hang a low net to create a low ceiling effect. The teenager was pretty scrawny and his curly hair looked messy. Emiko didn't have much problem with him, except he was a bit touchy for comfort.

Emiko yawned, waiting for the pathetic obstacle course to be completed.

"Let's make it a competition. I'm gonna time you guys." Announced the coach, "The winning group will get an extra break time in my class."

"Alright!" A couple of the boys behind Emiko cheered, giving each other a high-five.

Minutes later, the class was being formed into groups, but Emiko was the only one left without a team. She preferred to keep her distance from others and was never bothered by the lack of interactions with her peers. The whole thing was stupid, anyway. 

Noticing how alone she was, however, the coach walked to Emiko and placed her in the only group with just four members. He appointed her as the leader, much to the group's dismay. A couple of girls groaned, but Mike, who was in the group, was genuinely excited to have her join them. The other boy in the group didn't seem to have much issue with her either.

A whistle was blown, and the drill began. The obstacle course was a piece of cake. Emi had to wait for her team to finish the first set of 'obstacles' before she could start the next step. As she watched her teammates catching up to her, she suddenly noticed that something felt... Off. As if someone had eyes on her, specifically.

She looked around her, scanning the bleachers. They were all empty.

Strange.

Emiko started the next round of the course, running and weaving through the cones with ease, but that same feeling returned - she was being watched. The archer looked around again, worried.

"Everything okay?" Mike asked, concerned. His curly hair was disheveled from all the running, making him look a bit silly.

Waving her hand dismissively, she replied, "Guess I got a little distracted, sorry." Her team was almost done now, and luckily, they were still ahead of the class.

"We're totally gonna win, don't you think?" The freckled-face high schooler said confidently, standing next to Emiko too close for comfort. For some reason, every time he talked, there was a dumb grin stamped on his face. And he did not understand the concept of personal space very well.

"I guess," Emiko responded, taking a couple of steps back to give herself some distance. She glanced at her team, where one of the girls almost tripped over a cone. Goodness, these people couldn't even walk straight. Maybe their chances of winning weren't so great, after all.

"Come on, with you on our team? It's practically a done deal!" Mike said enthusiastically, "What are you gonna do with your extra break time, Emi?"

Emiko cringed at being called by her nickname. Not because she didn't like it, but coming from Mike was just... Weird. That kid should learn to mind his own business.

After what felt like forever, Emiko was finally able to move on to the last challenge, the hurdle drill. She stood before a red line and waited for the coach's signal. The nagging sensation of being watched refused to leave her, so she looked behind her one more time. Once again, there was no one in the bleachers, shadows, anywhere. She was so focused on finding where her stalker was that the sound of the whistle had barely registered.

"Emiko, go!"

"Yeah, what are you waiting for?"

"She's so gonna make us lose." A blonde girl complained.

Emiko scoffed at those annoying classmates of hers. Make her team lose? Yeah, right. If anything, they were the ones holding her back this whole time. Emiko ran as fast as she could, jumping through the hurdles one leg at a time until she got to the finish line. Her speed was nothing short of impressive, but her peers weren't as skilled. 

The last runner in the end, a blondie with wavy hair who wore far too much makeup for just high school, was struggling with the tall hurdles. She almost tripped, so her team shouted for her to be careful. The problem was that she took so long that thanks to her, the other team beat them.

The coach announced the winning team, and Emiko suppressed a groan. She knew her team was not going to make it. They were too slow. A couple of boys started complaining and nagging at the girl who caused them the loss, so she defended herself by shifting the blame instead.

"Well, if Emiko wasn't so damn distracted, we wouldn't have lost!"

There were far too many ways Emiko could've dislocated that girl's limb, but she had to keep her thoughts and instincts to herself. One more call for detention, and Ollie would never let her hear the end of it.

Mike, however, stepped in, "Will you shut it, Kylie? Emiko is the best in our class. You're the one who took forever in the end!"

"Yeah, you made us lose, Kylie! Damn it." A brunette boy snapped. Matthew was his name.

"It's okay, Ky, this is not on you." Kylie's best friend reassured her, acting as the typical echo chamber that these high school girls seemed to love so much.

Kylie rolled her eyes, shooting the boys a snobby glare, "Yeah, well, not my fault those hurdles were so freaking tall. This class is dumb, anyway."

That seemed to be the only thing they agreed with, although P.E. wasn't too terrible. It got Emiko to run a little. Regardless, she was done with that class and especially with those people.

'Going back to school in person won't be too bad, Emi. You've progressed so much over the years. I mean, how bad could this be? I betcha you're gonna like it and do just fine.'

Liking school? Suure. Emiko scoffed at the memory. Ollie tried too hard to be a good older brother sometimes. Too bad he was quite ignorant when it came to having common sense.

Leaving everyone behind, Emiko headed to the locker room as if nothing had happened.

"Hey, Emi, wait up!"

Ugh, not again.

Against her will, Emiko turned around, only to find Mike standing uncomfortably close to her face again. "Hey, I hope you know us losing was not your fault."

Of course she knew that. "Yes, I do. Thanks." She faked a smile.

"Yeah, you're the best, Emi! Don't let anyone tell you otherwise." Again with that dumb grin. Did that kid ever stop smiling once? And why was he standing so close to her?

"Mm-hmm". Walking past him, Emiko left.

Third period was starting, so the archer went to her class and sat in the back. As the teacher started droning on about the class, the feeling of being watched returned. She immediately looked at the windows. Still nothing. Whoever was watching her was good. Could it be her mother? An old apprentice from the Ninth Circle showing up out of nowhere, perhaps? Her body felt tense, and the little focus she had reserved for the class was now gone.

As the bell rang, marking lunch break, Emiko headed out to the cafeteria. Ollie never packed lunches for her and she didn't always have the time to prepare something to eat, so she just dealt with the cafeteria food sometimes. As she stood in line, she overheard a conversation with a couple of girls from her grade.

"Did you see that hot guy today?"

"Who?"

"The one with the sunglasses and spiky hair!"

"Yes! Why do I have a feeling I've seen him before–?"

Spiky hair? Who in the world were those girls talking about? Emiko shrugged it off. Probably another one of those boy drama talks these high schoolers seemed to thrive on. It wasn't until Emiko turned around that she found out who they were referring to; She jumped the moment her eyes landed on a strikingly attractive high schooler with tan skin, spiky dark hair, and bright green eyes hidden behind a black aviator glasses.

"Damian??" Emiko raised her eyebrows in surprise.

"Hey, Emi," Damian's lips curved into a flirtatious smile. "Fancy seeing you here."

"Oh my God, that's him!" One of the girls gasped behind Emiko.

"I knew I recognized his face from somewhere! He's the son of Bruce Wayne!" It was like they were trying to whisper, but those girls could be easily heard.

"Shut up! What is he doing in our school?"

"No idea! Wow, he's even more handsome in person!"

The girls from behind started waving at Damian, but he didn't even notice them, his eyes focused on his girlfriend instead. Embarrassed, Emiko instantly grabbed him by the hand and pulled him away from the crowd, next to the nearest table so they could have a conversation in private.

"What are you doing here?" She hissed, trying to act discreetly.

"Is it so wrong to visit my girlfriend at school?" There it was again - that irresistible smirk. Damian really did look good in sunglasses.

"You were the one watching me this whole time, weren't you?"

Damian leaned back on the bench, making himself comfortable, "You're good. I wanted to be sure you knew someone was watching, but I didn't want you to see me. Not until now, anyway."

"Aw, you're stalking me now," Emiko teased sarcastically, "How romantic!"

Damian pushed her shoulder playfully, "Hey, now. Didn't know it was such a bad thing for me to come see you."

Looking closely, Emiko frowned as she looked at how Damian was dressed; He looked like he had stepped right out of Grease with that leather jacket, white t-shirt, and black jeans of his.

"What are you wearing?"

Self-conscious, Damian looked down at himself, stretching out his jacket, "What, you don't like it?"

Emiko chuckled, leaning closer to him now, "I'm just teasing, Boy Wonder. You look fine. But you do know we're inside, right?" She pointed at his aviator.

"I like wearing sunglasses inside."

"Of course you do." She smirked at him, resting her chin on her hand as she looked at him in admiration. "So, did you enjoy watching me at P.E., Mr. Stalker?"

"I'm not a stalker. Just ensuring my years of training as a ninja assassin don't go to waste."

"Oh, yeah? And who do you plan on assassinating this time, hm?"

"I've been reviewing my options. Let's start with that 'Michael' from your class. I don't like the way he looked at you. And he was standing this close to you." He demonstrated the closeness with his fingers, "I think I need to have a little word with him."

"Oh, Mike? Please, he's harmless. But I agree, the kid has zero notion of personal space."

"I don't like it."

Emiko straightened in her seat, enjoying where this conversation was going.

"Anyone else in your list, grandson of the Demon?"

"Hm, let me see... I'm not sure I like the girls in your class, actually. Especially the blonde one."

"Who, Kylie?"

"I don't remember their names, nor do I care. But that sounds familiar, yes."

She scoffed, "Yeah, I don't like her either. I don't like any of them, really. Bunch of Valley girls at this school. It's exhausting."

"Are they giving you trouble?"

"Come on, Damian, I have enough drama in my life dealing with Ollie and all. I don't need you to rescue me, trust me."

Damian leaned in closer, "Emi, let me help you. You helped me at my school two years ago, remember? You saved my entire reputation. Let me return the favor and help you for once."

Leaning back and crossing her arms, Emiko raised an eyebrow. "Why are you really here, Dames? You did not come all the way here to start a fight with a bunch of teenage girls."

"No, I did not. I wanted to give you a debrief on yesterday's mission."

"Oh, yeah?" She perked up at that.

"Yes. I was going to message you, but telling you in person is much better. I saw Count Vertigo's imposter."

"You did?"

"Yes, and the facial recognition from my mask caught his ID." Damian leaned closer to her, showing Vertigo's picture from his Titan phone.

Emiko studied the photo carefully. The imposter looked strikingly similar to the real Count Vertigo, but they were not the same person. The man in the photo had a slightly longer chin, and his cheekbones were more pronounced. His blond hair was pulled back just like Zytle's, but the tone was different. A lighter, less rich shade of blonde, and his hair was less frail compared to the real Vertigo. He looked younger than Zytle too, probably in his late twenties.

"Zane Hinkel is his real name," continued Damian, "but here is what's mind-boggling: He's a nobody. No criminal record, misdemeanors, nothing. Unemployed, zero work history found. Got his PhD in Biotechnology when he was 22. Instructors have called him a 'genius'."

Emiko kept analyzing the picture, processing all the information, but her focus shifted when she noticed a certain group of girls sitting right behind them.

"Uh-oh."

"Uh-oh, what?" Damian asked, frowning, "Do you recognize him?"

"They're here," Emiko muttered, feeling the heat rise in her face from embarrassment. She quickly turned her head down, staring at her food in an attempt to act casual.

"Who?" Damian started to get up from his seat, on high alert, but Emiko shushed him, waving her hand for him to sit back down.

"No, stop it! Don't look. It's them. I said don't look!" She scolded as Damian's curiosity got the best of him, but he turned back to her again.

"Who is it?" He asked again, curious.

"It's Kylie and her besties. God, I can't stand them. Did they have to sit so close to us?"

"What's wrong with that?"

"Nothing. I just don't like seeing them, that's all." Emiko gave another quick glance at the girls behind them, but she stared back at her food before her eyes met with Kylie's. Even without making eye contact, Emiko could feel their judgmental stares boring into her.

"Who's that guy sitting next to Emiko?" She heard Kylie ask.

"Woah, isn't that the son of Bruce Wayne?"

"What is he doing at our school?"

Kylie narrowed her eyes at them. "That rich snob would be hanging out with the hot billionaire, wouldn't she? That's so annoying."

Hearing the gossiping behind their backs - quite literally -, Damian whispered, "These girls are not very subtle, are they?"

"They sure aren't."

"I say we give them a taste of their own medicine."

"Huh? What are you planning on doing--?"

"Hey," Damian turned to the girls, making them all freeze in their seats. "Name's Damian Wayne, by the way. Next time you want to speak ill of someone, try saying it to someone's face instead of whispering like a bunch of cowards. Or is that too much for your fragile little egos to handle?"

The girls all stared at him in shock, stunned into complete panic as the cafeteria grew slightly quieter around them. Valley girls, as it turned out, were definitely not built for confrontation.

"Damian, what are you doing?" Emiko hissed under her breath. The last thing she needed was for him to draw more attention to them.

"Just giving them some warning." He replied nonchalantly. Damian then paused, his sharp eyes catching something. "Oh, you got something on your lower lip. Here, let me help you--" With that, Damian brushed her chin with his thumb, removing a small food crumb, and before she could react, he leaned in extremely close until their lips touched.

Emiko enjoyed their kiss a little too much, so she allowed her boyfriend to take charge. The way he kissed her was tender, yet assertive, and it was quite impossible to not get lost in the moment. They rarely kissed in public, but somehow, it didn't matter this time. She missed him, and this felt nice.

When they finally pulled apart, Damian offered a small, unapologetic smirk. "Sorry, couldn't resist."

Emiko blushed, but she couldn't help herself from glancing at Kylie and her friends. Their expressions were priceless. Wide-eyed, mouths hanging low, and utterly speechless. Even the rest of the girls in the cafeteria who had been watching the scene unfold were at a complete loss for words.

She bit back a laugh and whispered to Damian, "Well, that's one way to shut them up."

Rising from his seat, Damian offered his hand to his girlfriend, "Come, let's talk somewhere more private." She took his hand and let him guide her. Kylie and the others continued to stare in shock, their eyes following them until they were out of sight.

The couple ended up climbing to the school's rooftop to finish their conversation.

"Wow," Emiko said, still a little stunned. "Thank you."

"For what?" Damian asked, completely oblivious to how kissing her in front of all those girls was probably the most satisfying revenge Emiko could've hoped for against those boy-crazy valley girls.

"For being you," Emiko smiled at him tenderly.

They stared at each other in silence before sharing another kiss.

Once they stopped kissing, Emiko spoke to him softly, "I still can't believe you came all the way over here just to tell me about Count. How did you get here, anyway?"

"I took an old Porsche sitting at one of Father's safe houses in Metropolis. He won't even notice it."

"You drove a Porsche to a public school?" No wonder everyone was already gossiping about Damian showing up at Dark Water High School. Emiko was surprised she hadn't heard rumors about him earlier in the day.

Damian did that face he made whenever he was genuinely confused about something.

"What?"

She shook her head. Like Ollie, Damian too was a lost cause. "Nothing, never mind. So, any other news while I was away yesterday?"

He looked up, thoughtful, "Well, do you remember Kathy Branden? Maya invited her over. She'll be staying at the Tower for the next few days."

"Wait, the psychic?"

"Yes, that's the one."

Emiko's eyebrows shot up at him, incredulous. "Do I need to remind you how scarily powerful she is and how she strangled you with her mind once?"

"I told you that story, so no, of course there's no need to remind me of that. I wouldn't necessarily trust Branden with my life; quite the opposite. But Jon and Maya miss her, I suppose."

"Ugh. Can Maya stop inviting all these people who don't belong in the team?"

Damian frowned, offended. "Excuse me?"

"Alright, Kathy did help us out a couple of times before, fair... Oh." Emiko suddenly realized the insult didn't have to do with Kathy but with Mara, instead.

"Maya did nothing wrong by inviting Branden over, Emiko. She was being nice."

"Okay, okay..." Emiko did not want to engage in this conversation further. Attempting to ease things, she changed subjects, "Hey, have I told you that Ollie and I caught Pyg last night?"

"You did?" His tone shifted to being extremely interested now.

"Yep! Black Canary helped too, and we were prepared this time. The hit list was quite helpful. We caught Pyg before he could even kidnap another smuggler."

"So, Pyg has been arrested?"

"Oh, yeah. He was taken to Iron Heights last night since it was closer. Ollie is making sure he stays locked up for good this time."

Damian paused before saying, "Impressive. My father will be upset when he finds out."

Emiko frowned, "Why? He should be relieved that Pyg is not out there terrorizing people anymore."

"You know how nothing gets past him, and when something does, he's far from pleased. He likes staying in control."

Batman was something else. "Oh, well, your dad should know by now that Ollie and I are more than capable of taking down his bad guys."

"Your brother's capabilities are... questionable," Damian replied, "but yours, I trust."

Emiko laughed. "You're never going to stop having an issue with my brother, are you?"

"Nope."

She looked down from the rooftop staring at nowhere while she rested her head on Damian's shoulder. Lost in thought, she murmured, "My next class has probably started. I should go before I'm too late."

Damian rubbed her shoulders gently, "I need to get back to my school too. But before I leave, there's another thing I wanted to tell you."

She straightened herself, ready to hear what her boyfriend had to say.

"After digging deeper, I uncovered some of Hinkel's investment portfolios; he's made substantial investments in LexCorp."

"LexCorp?" she repeated, "Could that be related to his Vertigo drug invention? Or the experiments made on the drug smugglers?"

"I believe so. Also, yesterday at the casino, we fought against meta-humans; The same ones we fought in Qrac."

"You're joking."

"Wish I was."

"Wow. It is all related, then. But how... Who was responsible for the King and Queen's death? No way this so-called 'Count Vertigo' was the one who did it."

"Maya thinks it was Slade who killed them."

Emiko chuckled and shook her head, "Maya and her crazy theories..."

For some strange reason, however, Damian did not laugh. He was rather serious, actually. "Her theories are not crazy."

She was taken aback by that. "You seem to be defending Maya quite a bit today, don't you think?"

"Well, maybe it's because she doesn't falsely accuse my cousin of things and doesn't question all my decisions-!" Damian snapped, but the tension in the air made him instantly regret his words. He sighed, running a hand through his hair. "Sorry. Can we start over?"

"Be my guest." She replied. It was Damian who snapped out of nowhere, so this was on him.

Damian looked around, pretending to take interest in his surroundings when there was really nothing to see other than the school's parking lot beneath them.

"So, this is your school, huh?"

"Smooth transition there, Rob." She chuckled.

"Your school's not bad."

Amused, Emiko cocked her head to the side, looking at her boyfriend as he gazed down at the parking lot. "Really? Is it better than yours?"

"Honestly? No. They suck all the same."

Emiko laughed at that, "I agree!"

He suddenly turned to her, and his gaze made her heart almost stop. He looked really good today. "What do you have after this?"

She frowned in confusion. "Classes?"

"No, after school, I mean. Are you doing anything?"

Emiko smiled. Was he going to ask her on a real date this time?

"I wouldn't mind going out with you if that's what you're asking."

"Perfect. I was planning on having us split missions tonight. One group will protect the next target on the hit list; Just because Pyg got caught doesn't mean the next victims are still not in danger. Then the second group will be breaking into LexCorp to do some investigation. See if we can find anything - hidden illegal operations, manufacture of drugs, tools being sold, anything that can help us understand what imposter Vertigo is after."

Oh. So he meant another Titan mission with everyone. Lovely.

"Will I see you at the Tower today after school?" Damian asked, excited for what was to come.

"Yep... See you, then..."

"Excellent." Damian got up from the rooftop and headed to the stairs; It was best not to use his grappling hook at a school in bright daylight. Before he left, however, Emiko called for him.

"Oh, and Damian?" He stopped and turned around to see her, "Thanks again for coming to see me today. I really appreciate it."

He smiled, his hand now at the doorknob leading to the stairwell. "No problem."

After walking downstairs with him, she gave him a quick peck in the lips as a way to say goodbye before he was gone.

West-Reeve High School

By the time Damian parked his father's Porsche back at the safe house and rushed back to school, the classes were already over. Soccer practice was about to start, and he ran there while still wearing his white t-shirt and jeans. Damian searched the whole soccer field for his cousin, but panic ran through him as he couldn't find Mara anywhere.

It wasn't that Damian didn't trust his cousin, but it was also the first time he had left her sight, and not seeing her there was, well... Unnerving. After searching around, Damian found Colin bouncing a soccer ball on his knee while the class waited for the coach to arrive.

"Look who finally showed up!" Colin teased, catching the soccer ball in the air with his hands. "Mara told me you ditched school to see Emiko today. How's she doing?"

With no time for aimless chit-chat, Damian went straight to the point, "Colin, where's Mara?"

"Oh, she quit soccer."

"She what?" Damian asked, his concern growing. "Where is she now?

Colin shrugged. "Sorry, no clue. Maybe try the swimming class?"

"Swimming class?" Damian repeated, even more confused, "What is she doing in swimming class?"

"Well, during lunch, Mara told us how upset she's been feeling lately."

Mara opening up to Damian's friends when he wasn't around? Ouch.

Colin continued, "Jon suggested she try something less... Competitive. More calming. And, uh... Something that didn't involve you."

Double ouch.

"And what is that supposed to mean?"

Colin scratched the back of his head, "Oh, you know, D. You may have noticed how your cousin has been pretty wound up lately. Jon and I think she might need a little break from you. Start doing her own thing for once, you know?"

"Great, so this is what happens when I'm gone?" Damian asked, taking things a bit personally, "You all team up against me?"

"It's not like that, man. Mara lives with you now and she shares every single class with you. Then, we all work together in our... after-school curriculum. It's a lot. It makes sense for her to want to try something new on her own. And she tends to listen to Jon really well, apparently."

Damian scowled but didn't argue. "I need to find her."

As he turned to leave, the coach's voice boomed from the sidelines, "Hey, Wayne! Where do you think you're going, skipping my class? And where is your uniform?"

"Sorry, coach! Can't play today. Gotta find my cousin-!" Damian shouted over his shoulder, already dashing toward the other side of the building where the swimming class was held.

By the time he reached the other class, he was slightly out of breath. The smell of chlorine filled the air, along with the loud chatter among the students. There was still no sign of Mara, leaving the last place to check... The girls' locker room.

Face blushing, Damian knocked on the door, "Uh, Mara? Are you in there?"

The door was suddenly yanked open, and a few girls giggled at the sight of Damian, while others gave him confused looks. Damian grimaced. After being called a stalker by Emiko, he did not want to be labeled that again, especially when he was just looking for his cousin.

"Mara?" he tried again, knocking lightly.

A voice from behind startled him, "What are you doing?"

Damian spun around, and relief washed over him instantly, "Mara! I've been looking for you everywhere!"

Surprisingly, she was still in her school uniform, rather than her swimming attire.

Mara crossed her arms, unimpressed. "Let me guess. Jon told you I'd be here?"

"Actually, it was Colin."

"Ah. I knew I couldn't trust him."

Before Damian could respond, a cheerful voice interrupted. It belonged to the instructor, a tall and thin blonde woman with her hair pulled back into an very tight bun. "Miss Adler, what did you think of our conversation earlier? Would you like to join us?"

Mara nodded. "I believe so."

"Wonderful! Here's a liability waiver for your parents to sign, along with the fee." The woman handed her a piece of paper with the waiver, "We're excited to have you in class tomorrow!"

As they walked out of the class, Damian broke the silence between them, "Hey, if you weren't enjoying soccer, you could've just said so. You don't have to take every class with me, you know?"

"Oh, please, Damian. Since when do you care?"

Damian stopped abruptly. "Of course I care, Mara! Where is this even coming from?"

"If you were so 'caring' as you claim, you wouldn't have left me all alone in this Godforsaken place!" Mara snapped, her voice rising. "Do you realize how infuriating it is to have to deal with millions of questions from a bunch of stupid people wanting to know where you are? It'd be nice if everyone stopped being so obsessed with you for once!"

"What are you talking about--?"

"Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to find a surface to forge a signature for this idiotic waiver, since unlike you, I don't have a parent who gives a damn."

Mara started walking away in anger, but Damian grabbed her arm and pulled her back to face him. "Mara, stop. You don't need to forge any signature, my father will be happy to sign this. Now, come on, I'll call Pennyworth to pick us up early since I'm not staying for soccer today."

"There's no need for that." Mara crossed her arms with a sudden smirk on her face.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, it appears you're in a lot of trouble today."

Trouble? What was she talking about?

"Huh? What did you do?"

"Not me," Mara corrected, raising her index finger in the air before pointing at him, "You. You're the one who skipped school, so that's exactly what I told our teachers."

"What the hell, Mara? You said you'd cover for me!"

Mara shook her head, arms back to being crossed, "I said no such thing. And I don't take orders from you."

"It wasn't an order, it was a request!" Damian's voice also rose at her.

"Same difference."

"Damn it, Mara! They probably already called my father. Now I'm getting detention!"

His annoying cousin shrugged dismissively, "Should've thought of that before skipping school to visit your little girlfriend. About time you face some consequence for your actions."

Before Damian could retort, a familiar raspy voice that sounded like it belonged to someone who had smoked for decades, rang out.

"Aha! There you are!"

Damian groaned, "Not that old hag again..."

"I knew I would catch you, Wayne!" the overweight woman declared triumphantly. The nasty mole near her upper lip was still as gross as ever, same with that ugly witch's nose of hers.

Her fat finger wagged up and down at him, "No one skips school and gets away with it under my watch!"

Damian rolled his eyes. "I literally ditched school today and you didn't even notice. I think you need new glasses, lady."

"You little..." The gray-haired woman scrunched up her face in anger. It looked like she wanted to strangle him. "No matter, it's time for you to come to the principal's office. She's been waiting for you." The old lady then turned to Mara, "Oh, and thank you for telling your teachers the truth about your entitled cousin, Miss Adler. It was very noble of you."

"My pleasure!" Mara offered a smile of pride, making her cousin resent her even more.

"Snitch," Damian muttered, though Mara probably didn't even know what that meant.

As they followed the old lady to the principal's office, Damian started thinking out loud, "Wait... Father's still busy with the League, which means... They must have called Pennyworth, which is even worse..."

"You're welcome!" Mara sang, smugly, receiving a well-earned glare from her cousin.

As they turned the corner, the hall pass monitor proudly shoved Damian toward the principal's office as if she were handing over some sort of reward. She truly did not have a life.

"Look who I found before the day ended, Miss Helland!"

Principal Helland answered the door, and her puffy dark hair filled with hairspray looked as ridiculous as Damian remembered. She was dressed in formal clothes with a white buttoned-up shirt and a beige pencil skirt. A small pair of glasses perched on her nose.

Staring at her shyly, Mara muttered, "Helland? What a name."

Damian whispered back, "Yeah, quite fitting to this place."

"Ah, there you are, Damian." The Principal said, "I was informed that your father is out of town today, so we called the person listed on the emergency contact. Wait outside, okay? I need to finish a call, but I'll be right back with you." She closed the door on them, and the hall pass lady watched the two cousins, keeping a close eye on them.

"Emergency contact? Who--?" As Damian turned around, however, he sighed at the tardy man running in their direction; He had a young child perched on his shoulders, whose dark hair was just like her father's, while her bright green, pupil-less eyes were like her mother's. He was out of breath from running.

"Grayson?? What are you doing here? And you brought Mar'i?!"

"UNCLE DAMI!" The little girl got out of her father's shoulders and jumped right into Damian's arms. It was impossible to resist her affection.

"Hey, Mar'i!" He greeted, hugging her back.

"Damian!" Grayson called out, "What are you doing getting detention? Oh, and hey, Mara! I know we've met before, but it was rather... unconventional. Sorry, I haven't come down to the manor sooner. It's nice to properly meet you, though!"

Grayson offered to shake Mara's hand, but she didn't respond and just stared at him awkwardly instead.

"Oh, that's right. I forget the al Ghul's are not big fans of... Handshakes."

"Uncle Dami, Uncle Dami, Uncle Dami!" Mar'i kept singing while spinning around her uncle.

"Mar'i, could you stop? I'd like to have a conversation with your father!"

Mar'i, however, gave no heed to Damian. Typical selfish toddler behavior. She threw her arms around his legs in a tight, eager hug.

Her small voice was filled with innocence when she said, "I miss you, Uncle Dami. You miss me?"

Damian couldn't help but soften. He scooped her up into his arms, holding her close. "Of course, I missed you, Mar'i."

Meanwhile, the old hag, still hovering nearby, watched the scene unfold. Her confusion was evident. "Uh, children are not allowed here, sir--"

Grayson, unbothered, turned to the old woman with a smooth smile. "Oh, I'm so sorry. You see, my daughter is only two, and I didn't have anywhere else to take her. This meeting with the principal shouldn't take long, right? I'll be in and out, and you won't even notice it."

Damian scoffed, "Yeah, just how you couldn't notice my absence until I got snitched."

The woman's face flushed with anger, but she bit her tongue and controlled herself. "I heard that!" Was all she said before she finally walked away from them.

Damian let Mar'i play with his sunglasses while he held her. He turned to his older brother to ask, "Why are you listed as the emergency contact and not Pennyworth?"

Grayson raised an eyebrow, feigning offense. "Are you that upset that I came instead? Gee, and here I thought I was your favorite..."

"Just answer the question!"

"Uncle Damian, wook!" Mar'i interrupted, desperately seeking her uncle's attention by poking him incessantly, "Wook, Damian, wook! Maw'i glasses!"

"Yes, I'm looking!" Damian answered impatiently, "You look great, Mar'i."

Bewildered by the whole scene, Mara took a step back from the crazy family, eyes widened.

Grayson finally explained, "Ok, Alfred is listed as the emergency contact, but so am I. The principal called me on my cell not too long ago, and I told Alfie I'd be coming and give him a little break."

The principal, having heard the commotion, finally opened her office door. Her eyes widened in pleasant surprise when she saw Grayson. "Ah, you must be Mr. Grayson!"

Grayson gave her a genuine smile, stepping forward to shake her hand, "You can call me Dick, miss. Sorry, I'm late, by the way."

The principal's cheeks turned pink. "It's okay, I totally understand. Now, I know Bruce is not your biological father, but my, oh my, you're even more handsome in person-!" She immediately caught herself, her eyes widening in embarrassment, "My apologies, that was inappropriate of me to say."

Grayson waved it off, "Oh, don't worry about it. I'm flattered, really."

"Oh, um, okay, good. You're such a good older brother for coming down all the way over here while your father is gone..."

Damian and Mara exchanged glances. What was even happening right now?

"Ah, it's no trouble at all. You know, sometimes we joke that Dami is like the son I never had. He's so small and young, I just love that little guy so much."

"I'm right here!" Damian called out, annoyed.

Eyes never leaving Grayson's, the principal replied, "That is so thoughtful of you..."

"Ew, what is happening?" Mara raised an eyebrow, "Isn't your brother married?"

Damian glanced over at his cousin while still holding his niece, who kept playing with his sunglasses, "He is, why?"

"He sounds a little..."

"Flirtatious? Yeah, I know. He can't help himself. It's part of his personality at this point."

"Uncle Damian, wook!" Mar'i repeated for the fifteenth time, wearing his aviator that looked too big on her face, "You like Maw'i glasses?"

"Yes, Mar'i, I like your glasses!" He acknowledged her yet again.

Meanwhile, the principal was still drooling over Grayson, completely ignoring everyone else around her, "I'm sure you'd make a terrific father one day..!"

"Oh, I already am a father! Do you want to meet my little girl?" Grayson asked, taking his daughter back from Damian, "She's a sweetie, isn't she?"

The toddler greeted with her cute, innocent voice, "Hi!"

"Hi, sweetheart!" The principal waved, her expression softened. "And wow, look at those eyes!"

"Beautiful, right?" Grayson glanced at his daughter in admiration, "Just like her mother's. You don't mind that I brought my little girl with me today, right? My wife is taking a much-needed break with her friends, and I didn't expect Damian to act up at school, today of all days..."

The principal waved it off. "Don't even worry about it. Although, is it okay if they wait outside?"

"Fine, I'll watch Mar'i," Damian tried to volunteer, but the principal was already giving him a scolding look.

"Not you, Wayne. You're coming to my office."

Damian groaned, but Grayson was more worried about Mara. "You're gonna be okay watching her, right? It shouldn't take long." Grayson looked at Mara for confirmation, but she didn't answer.

Instead, Mara's face went pale, staring at the two brothers as if she were screaming Don't leave me with her!

Dismissing Mara's invisible cry for help, Grayson went to his daughter, gently placing her on a chair next to Mara. He knelt to her level and instructed, "Be good for Auntie Mara, alright? If I hear you being naughty, you'll be in big trouble, missy."

"Okay, dad." Complied Mar'i, obediently. Not two seconds later, however, she was already pestering Mara.

"Ooh, dwaw!" The young girl moved her hands towards Mara, her eyes shining at the waiver.

"Huh? This?" Mara glanced at her paper and then at Mar'i, "Is this what you want?"

"Yes!" Mar'i nodded eagerly, "Dwaw! Dwaw! Dwaw!"

Desperate, Mara called at her cousin, "What is she saying?"

"No, that paper is not for drawing, Mar'i." Damian pushed his cousin's waiver away from his niece. He rummaged through his backpack, pulling out a notebook and a pen. "Here, you can draw in here."

"YAY! Thank you, Uncle Dami!" The little girl cheered and knelt on the floor, using the chair as support for her to happily scribble in circles.

Meanwhile, the principal opened the door for Damian and Grayson to come in.

"Alright, be good, Mar'i!" Grayson called over his shoulder.

"Okay, daddy!" The girl repeated, her eyes not leaving the notebook. When the door closed on them, Mar'i decided to start a conversation that Mara did not want to have.

"Maw'i like dwaw. You like dwaw? Uncle Dami like dwaw!"

"No, I actually don't like drawing," Mara confessed with a sigh, now that they were alone. "I might be good at it, but I've never been fond of it."

"You no like dwaw?" Mar'i asked, her eyes wide with curiosity.

"No, I don't! I just said that." Repeated Mara, annoyed.

"Ohh!" Mar'i acted as if that came to her as a huge surprise, "You no like dwaw. But Maw'i like dwaw, and Uncle Dami like dwaw!"

Mara sank deeper into her seat, hating her life all the more.

--

At the principal's office, Damian sat in the back, while Grayson sat in front of the principal, acting like he was his father.

With her tone finally shifting into something more serious, the principal began, "So, Damian here skipped an entire day of school today. Now, we value his education, even if he doesn't seem to," She narrowed her eyes at him, "And skipping class is absolutely unacceptable. We have rules for a reason, and breaking them doesn't just affect you, Damian, it affects everyone around you."

Damian crossed his arms, leaning back in his chair without being bothered by her reprimand. "I didn't skip school. I just had a... personal matter to attend to."

Grayson looked over his shoulder, his curiosity piqued, "And what was it?"

"I said, it was personal."

Grayson raised an eyebrow at him, but the principal interrupted, "Regardless of the reason, skipping class is still skipping class. We have to set an example for the other students. I know you're better than this, Damian. The students here at West-Reeve High..." She paused, looking at him with a serious expression, "They all look up to you. You've set yourself as quite the role model for this school, Damian."

Grayson's eyes lit up with pride, a wide grin spreading across his face. "He has?"

"Oh, yes," the principal nodded with approval, "We're very proud of Damian's progress. Everyone respects him, and the teachers speak very highly of him." She then looked up to the side, remembering something, "Well, except for Mr. Barkley. And Mrs. Stuart. Oh, and Mrs. Soren did admit that she's a little... afraid of Damian. Okay, some of the teachers don't exactly appreciate Damian's, uh... Unique personality. But overall, he's been doing great!"

Grayson's grin widened even more, "Wow! That's amazing to hear, Miss Helland! He's really come a long way, I couldn't be more proud. I remember when he first started school and how much he hated it."

"I still do..." Damian muttered, but no one paid attention to him.

"And then there was that cyber-bullying..." Grayson recalled, making Damian wince at the memory.

"Yes, yes, I remember that far too well..." Miss Helland put away her glasses and looked down in shame.

"But thank you for reinforcing your anti-bullying policies further, Miss Helland! I know my dad is very proud to fund this school."

She suddenly looked up at him, "He is?"

"Yes, and I'm very impressed with your work too!" Grayson continued with a proud smile, "One of the greatest things Bruce did was have Damian attend this school. Damian's been so much better since he started listening more, got more patient, and made great friends here."

"I am so glad to hear how much he likes it here! We truly give our best to give our students the greatest schooling experience they could have!"

"It sure doesn't seem that way..." Damian commented, but the principal was too busy staring into his brother's eyes. Gross.

"Yeah, and I've heard he's been doing great in soccer..." Grayson continued, "Which by the way, can I get a copy of the soccer practice schedule? Bruce always forgets to hand a copy to me."

"Oh, of course!" The principal went through her drawers in search of the paper slip, "Here you go. So, you'll be attending one of his games, I take it?"

"Definitely! Wouldn't miss it for the world."

Damian slumped further into his seat, wishing for the conversation to be over already. The last thing he wanted was to be stuck in this cringy praise fest.

"You truly are a wonderful older brother, Dick." Principal Helland said, her voice almost dreamy, "I'm sure Damian is turning out to be such a great young man because of people like you."

"Ah, and people like you too, Principal Helland!" Grayson complimented back, making the middle-aged woman blush. "I mean, this school is lucky to have someone as dedicated as you."

Damian resisted the urge to groan, sinking even lower into his chair.

"Oh, stop," she said, waving a hand, though her smile grew wider. "But really, Mr. Grayson, you sound like such a good influence. I can tell Damian looks up to you."

Damian's head snapped up at that, a sharp retort ready to leap from his tongue, but he bit it back. No point in dragging this out.

"Right," Dick said with a laugh, clearly aware of Damian's discomfort but pressing on anyway. "I do my best, but Damian's a tough nut to crack sometimes. Aren't you, little brother?"

Damian shot him a glare that would decimate him in seconds if he had Jon's powers. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Sure you don't," Grayson ruffled his brother's hair, and Damian wished he could kill him on the spot. Turning back to the principal, the eldest ended the conversation, "Anyway, sorry again for Damian's misbehavior today. I'll have a talk with him and will make sure this doesn't happen again."

The principal put on her glasses and leaned back on her seat, hypnotized by Grayson, "I don't doubt that for a second. You seem very... hands-on."

"Please expel me," Damian pleaded, staring at the ceiling as if he were begging for divine intervention.

The principal guided them to the door, smiling warmly, "Well, Dick, it was a pleasure to meet you. If you ever need anything, please don't hesitate to reach out..."

It was extremely cringy to watch, but Grayson winked at her. "I'll keep that in mind. Thanks so much for everything, Principal Helland!"

She slid her glasses off, letting them dangle from her fingers as she leaned back against the door, her lips curving into a sly smile. "Call me Jill."

Fed up with this nonsense, Damian abruptly shoved his brother out the door. "Okay. We're leaving now."

Grayson laughed as he followed Damian out, giving one last wave of goodbye to the principal, "It was nice to meet you, Jill!"

The woman waved back at him, "Likewise!"

Damian rounded on his brother once the door was shut and they were out of earshot. "Do you enjoy embarrassing me, or is it just a side hobby?"

Grayson laughed, acting innocently, "What? I was just being friendly!"

"Friendly, sure." Damian replied sarcastically, "I'll never skip school again if that means not witnessing... Whatever that was."

Grayson laughed again but he was met with a very desperate Mara, who looked as if she had just been freed from a nightmare. "Finally!"

"Daddy, you're back!" Mar'i cheered, running right into her father's arms. Grayson lifted her up, making the little girl laugh.

"Were you good for Auntie Mara?"

Nodding enthusiastically, she responded, "Yes, daddy!"

Cynically, Damian glanced at his cousin, "Was she?"

His cousin simply glared at him. "She. Would not. Stop. Talking!"

"Yeah, I know. She's a chatty cat."

Grayson, chuckling at the exchange, clapped his hands together. "Alright, time to take you kiddos back home."

But just as he spoke, his phone rang. "What now?" he muttered, stepping aside to take the call. "Roy? What happened..? You're kidding--"

Mar'i, eager for attention, tugged at Damian's sleeve. "Uncle Dami, wook at my dwaw!"

Damian wanted to hear his brother's conversation, however, "Not now, Mar'i. Hold on."

He tried listening in but to no avail. Mar'i only got louder and louder until she finally had the attention back to her.

"Yes, your drawing is very pretty, Mar'i..."

He wasn't able to catch what had just happened on the call, but Grayson walked back to them, putting away his phone. His face was flushed, and a vein of worry was popping out in his forehead. "Ok, bad news. Roy needs my help, and I need you to watch Mar'i."

"Excuse me?" Damian shouted, "Why do I have to watch her?"

"Please, Dames, I came all the way here just to help you out. I just need you to watch her for a couple of hours, it'll be quick!"

"Leave her with Pennyworth, then."

"That poor man has dealt with enough kids in his life. I can't do this to him."

"Fine, then have Drake watch her! Or, I don't know, her own mother, perhaps?"

"No, no, no, I can't do this to Kori either. It's the first time she has a day to herself, and I promised I would have everything under control. No time to call Tim either. Come on, Damian, she's your niece! Don't you miss her beautiful face?" With that, he held Mar'i up, bringing her closer to Damian's face in a desperate attempt to persuade him.

Mar'i pouted and gave her sad, puppy eyes, "Uncle Dami no miss me?"

Okay, that was cheating.

"I already told you, I miss you, Mar'i!" Damian reminded her, taking his niece from Grayson's hands so he could hold her again. Damian played with her hair and couldn't fight back the urge to smile back at her.

"Here, I'll do you a solid." Grayson proposed, "I'll put in a good word for Bruce and make sure you don't get in trouble for today, and you watch Mar'i for me. What do you think? Besides, Roy is having Emiko watch Lian today, you guys can have a little play date! He's dropping her off at the Tower in a little bit."

"He's doing what? Does the Teen Titans headquarters look like a daycare center now?"

"Please, Damian." Grayson pressed, sounding more desperate, "I'll even take you straight to the Tower instead of home, and I'll explain everything to Alfred. Where did you go today, anyway? Why did you skip school?"

Damian looked down, embarrassed to tell the truth, "I... went to see Emiko at her school."

Amused, Grayson chuckled, "Really? That's it? Don't you already see her at the tower?"

"Yeah, but I, um..."

Grayson's grin widened as he teased, "You missed your girlfriend, didn't you?"

"Shut up, Grayson! You don't know anything!"

"Ah, to be young..! I remember my days of sneaking out to see Kori too."

"You did?"

"Yeah, but I didn't ditch school, I'd snuck out of the manor instead."

Damian was impressed by that. "And father did not get upset?"

"Oh, he was plenty upset, trust me. Especially when I would sneak out in the middle of the night."

"Grayson!" Damian reprimanded. He did not want to imagine what Grayson was doing at night time with his girlfriend.

"What?" His brother shrugged innocently, "I wanted to see her and didn't want to wait til after school."

Tired of having to entertain the half-alien toddler while the brothers talked, Mara cut into the conversation, "Can we go, now?

***

On their way to the tower, Mar'i broke into a singing session in the car, and she kept singing. The entire. Way. There.

"Sha'wa ta miwan, glorgy wa, glorgy wa-" Mar'i sang, clapping her hands to the beat of the Tamaranean nursery rhyme taught by her mother.

To the cousins' horror, Dick joined in enthusiastically, slapping the steering wheel in rhythm, "Sha'ra ta miran, glorgy zarnik, zarnik rah—HEY!"

Horrified, Damian scolded, "Grayson! Not you too!"

His brother grinned, undeterred. "Come on, Damian! Your turn! I know you know the song; Kori taught you!"

"Oh, God," Mara muttered in her seat. "Please, kill me."

"I am not singing," Damian said firmly.

"Sing, Uncle Dami, sing!" Mar'i cheered from her car seat, clapping even harder.

"I will not sing," Damian declared, "I repeat, I will not-"

But moments later, much to his chagrin, he found himself mumbling the lyrics under his breath. "Sha'ra ta miran, glorgy zarnik, zarnik rah..." His voice was so monotone, it barely qualified as singing.

"Daddy, Dami not sing normal!" Mar'i whined, her pout returning as she tugged on the straps of her car seat.

Richard laughed, his eyes on the road but clearly enjoying himself. "It's okay, let him be lame, Mar'i. Alright, one more time! Sha'ra ta miran, glorgy rah, glorgy rah!"

As the father and daughter sang like two children, Damian vowed to himself that he would never step into a car with them ever again.

It was going to be a long day. 

Chapter Text

After long torturous hours of enduring a never-ending sing-along session in the car, Damian was finally able to free himself from his prison sentence as if school wasn't enough punishment.

"Aand we're here!" His older brother announced in excitement, prompting Mar'i to cheer in return.

"YAAAY!"

Curious, Damian glanced at the back seat to check on his cousin and see how she was holding up after enduring the non-stop chatter and singing. She... Looked alright. Her school uniform shirt was a bit wrinkled, likely from keeping her arms crossed for so long, and her gaze was fixed on the window to avoid eye contact with anyone. Okay, who was he kidding? The big scowl on her face said it all. Mara was not pleased. Probably traumatized from the road trip experience too. He couldn't blame her.

"Welcome to the family," Damian said to his cousin as he opened the door for her, having been the first to step out of the car.

"What was that?" She whispered to him as if they were on a secret mission. She stared at Mar'i like she was an alien - well, she technically was one -, before she got out of the car.

"She's just a kid, Mara." His cousin had never been exposed to something like this, let alone children who were allowed to be just that... Kids.

Mara didn't say anything to that. It looked like she was processing the whole thing, probably wondering how in the world someone like Dick Grayson went from being this intimidating figure who was trained by Batman at such a young age to this buffoon of a father who would never shut up. If only she knew all the other sides of the rest of his insane family.

The group walked straight to the Tower, but Mar'i stopped abruptly to point at the big 'T', her eyes shining brightly at the letter, "Oooh! B!"

"Mar'i, that's a T ." Damian corrected.

The little girl, on the other hand, did not listen. "No," she shook her head, stubborn like her father. "It's a B."

"That's a T, Mar'i," Damian repeated sternly, " T !"

"Noo," she drawled out the word in a playful tone. It's a... C!"

Grayson held his daughter's hand, pointing at the tower to teach her, "No, Starshine. That's a T. You know that."

"It's a... D!" The little girl shouted joyfully in her high-pitched voice, throwing her arms in the air like she was celebrating something.

"Geez, Grayson, teach your daughter her ABCs properly! She is two years old already, how could you fail so badly at this?"

His brother did not appreciate the scolding. "First off, Mar'i is advanced for her age and speaks way more words than children her age--"

"You can thank Koriand'r for that." Damian cut him off, earning a glare from his brother. "What? It's true. One simple kiss and she can be fluent in multiple languages."

"Second off," Grayson continued, ignoring his brother's remark, "Mar'i knows her ABCs. Isn't that right, Starshine? Now, tell me, what do you see up there? What letter is that?"

Enjoying the attention, Mar'i tilted her head to the side and spun her foot in circles, taking her sweet time to respond, "Um... Mmm..."

"Come on, honey," Grayson insisted, "You know what letter that is. What is it?"

"It's a..." She was finally ready to stop stalling just to respond with, "...D! B! C! X!"

"Okay, now she's just being silly," Grayson clarified, but he still wanted to teach her correctly, "It's a T, sweetheart. Say it with me: Tee."

"Teee--" Mar'i repeated, elongating the word until she changed her mind to, "Cheeeease!" Her playfulness made her break into laughter, and she was giggling over her own joke.

So, basically, she was a Richard Grayson 2.0. Except she was an actual child, unlike Grayson.

Still laughing, Mar'i said, "That was weally funny, Dad."

"You're a funny girl, aren't you?" As he said that, Richard swept his daughter off her feet just so he could tickle her, making her laugh even more.

"Stop it, Daddy!" She giggled while squirming in his arms, "Stop!"

"Okay, okay, I'll stop."

While those two were busy laughing at each other, Damian pressed the code to enter the tower. The only problem was that the code was denied.

"What?" Damian snapped, angrily punching in the code again.

"You don't know your own code to the Tower?" Grayson teased as if he wasn't already annoying enough.

"Of course I know the code!"

Access Denied, the speaker lady announced.

"How is it denied? Who changed the password?" Damian shouted at the panel again.

Meanwhile, Mar'i's wide green eyes shone again, "Ooh, buttons!"

"No, don't press anything, Mar'i." Her father warned.

"But I want to!"

"You're not pressing the buttons, Mar'i," Damian said, his tone sterner than the girl's father since Grayson was useless at disciplining his own daughter.

Rather than listening, however, Mar'i started whining, jumping up and down in frustration as she begged, "I wanna pwess it. I wanna pwess it. Please, please, pleeease!"

To prevent her meltdown from worsening, Grayson conceded like the big, soft idiot he was. "Alriight-"

"Yay!" the toddler cheered, her whiny mood shifting completely at the drop of a hat. Spoiled girl.

"...But don't press all the buttons at once, okay? Otherwise, you're going to lock everyone out."

"Okay, Dad!"

Grayson lifted his daughter, bringing her close to the panel, but she pushed his arms away from her so she could float without assistance. She sat in the air with her legs crossed, analyzing the panel like some sort of puzzle. Overly protective as always, Richard kept his arms close to her, ready to catch her in case she fell - which had happened before when she'd stop floating abruptly and forget that gravity existed.

"Hmm..." The girl had a mischievous look on her face that Damian recognized all too well.

"Don't even think about it, Mar'i." Her uncle warned her, "Press just one button, and be done."

Mar'i smiled at the panel and paused, still contemplating what she was about to do. But before anyone could react, she pressed every single button extremely fast, hitting the button 'enter' multiple times.

"Mar'i!" The brothers scolded in unison.

Access Denied. Access Denied.

"Damn it, Mar'i!"

"Damian!" Grayson scolded.

"Uncle Dami say bad word, Daddy."

"I know," Grayson glared at his younger brother before turning to his daughter, "And we do not say bad words, okay?"

"Yes. Maw'i no say damn it, and Maw'i no say bloomegorg."

"Mar'i Grayson!" Her father scolded her.

Damian mumbled under his breath, "Bloomegorg is a lot worse, in my opinion..."

Richard glared at him again, "Will you stop?"

Impatient with their banter, Mara reminded them, "Well, we can't get in. What now?"

Beyond annoyed with the situation, Damian pulled out his Titan phone and called his team, "Hey, can anyone let us in? We're locked out."

"D?" Jon's voice came in, "How are you locked out? Don't you know the code?"

"That's what I said!" Grayson exclaimed, thinking he was the brightest man in town. Hilarious.

Meanwhile, Mar'i got excited again just by hearing someone's voice coming from Damian's phone, "Hello!"

Jon gasped enthusiastically, feeding into the girl's addiction to attention, "Wait, is that Mar'i I hear?!"

"Hi, Maw'i here!" The girl waved at the phone as if Jon could see her. She tried to snatch Damian's phone to herself, but he pulled it away from her. "Hey, that's mine!" she complained.

"No, that's my phone, Mar'i. Not yours!" Damian protested before he noticed his older brother shooting him a stern look for arguing with a two-year-old.

Jon interrupted the two, "Hi there, Mar'i! How are you doing? Do you know who this is?"

"Noo..." Mar'i replied, anxiously waiting for the answer.

"It's Uncle Jon!"

The girl gasped and gave the biggest smile, "Uncle Jon!! Hi!!" she waved at the phone again, her voice beaming in excitement.

Sharing Damian's impatience, Mara rolled her eyes and got them to focus, "Can we get inside, already?"

"Yes, Jonathan, let us in!" Damian ordered again, and the panel suddenly went green. The door was no longer locked, and the group went inside.

Titan Tower

As Mar'i bolted into the main living room, she was greeted by a more than cheerful Boy of Steel, who had his arms wide open just for her to jump on him.

"Come here, Mar'i!"

"Uncle Jon!" The toddler jumped at him, her force almost matching his.

"Oof - Nice hug! I missed you so much, Mar'i! Did you miss me?"

Mar'i looked at Jon with a wide smile. "Yes, I miss you, Uncle Jon!"

"Aww!" Jon grinned, hugging her tighter, "And who's your favorite uncle, huh?"

"It's you, Uncle Jon!" she giggled, her arms wrapping around his neck.

"What?" Damian quickly intervened, breaking up the hug from those two with a sharp tug. His eyes narrowed as he pushed his friend and pointed angrily to himself, "I'm the favorite uncle! You're not even blood-related, Jonathan!"

Jon shot back, defensively, "Neither are you, technically."

Damian's jaw dropped, completely stunned by what he had just heard.

"Nice burn," Grayson, the traitor, gave Jon a fist bump, "So, how are you doing, buddy? It's been a while. How's school?"

"Doing good!" Jon replied enthusiastically, "School's good too. I've been thinking about joining the soccer team next semester, but I'm not sure if I should do that or just stick to journalism. I don't think I like writing as much as my parents do, though..."

"Well, you don't have to be like your parents. Besides, soccer sounds like a great idea, and more fun too. Would you be in Damian's class?"

"Probably! Now that I think of it, that sounds fun, doesn't it, D?" Jon looked at his friend, only to receive a stabbing glare in return.

"Don't talk to me, niece stealer."

Mara stood awkwardly next to Jon, unsure whether she should still be standing there or find an excuse to leave. Like Damian, she didn't enjoy aimless chit-chat. She turned around to go to another room, but she was met with a half-alien toddler floating extremely close to her face.

The ex-assassin jumped, "Ah! What are you looking at?" She immediately dropped into a fighting stance, her fight-or-flight mode kicking in. Mar'i was floating so close, and something Mara detested was when someone stared at her eyes. Particularly the scarred one.

"Your eyes are so pwewy." Mar'i said with the most genuine, innocent voice.

"Huh?" Mara asked, confused.

"Your eyes. You're so beauwiful!"

Mara would be lying if she said the compliment didn't melt her heart a little. She stood there, unsure what to say, before finally breaking into a sincere smile, "Thank you."

Her joy was short-lived, though, after hearing the boys' ongoing conversation, "I know I don't need to be like my parents, but you'd think I would have at least some decent writing skills in my genes by now, right...?"

"You don't even know how to spell Pulitzer," Damian remarked, "Of course you suck at writing."

"Damian!" Grayson scolded his brother again.

Fed up with his behavior, Mara chimed in, "You're always so rude to him!" She was going to say more to his cousin, but Kathy Branden walked into the living room, catching everyone by surprise with her sudden presence.

"I'm sure you write really well, Jon. You were the best student in our school, remember?"

Damian caught his cousin scowling at the blonde, which was strange.

Grayson, on the other hand, didn't notice that and simply greeted the visitor instead, "Hey, you must be new!"

"Hello." Kathy kept her distance and gave a quick wave at Grayson, smiling at him politely.

Jon was the one to introduce her, "Kathy, this is Damian's older brother, Dick. And Dick, this is my friend, Kathy. She's from Hamilton County!"

"No way!" Richard said, matching Jon's enthusiasm, "Isn't that where you were raised?"

Jon replied, "Yep! I miss Hamilton."

"And everyone misses you too, Jon," Kathy said fondly, stepping closer to Jon to touch his arm. Damian was probably seeing things, but it looked like Mara's demeanor had changed drastically into pure hatred.

"Well, it's nice to meet you, Kathy," Richard said, shaking the girl's hand.

"Likewise!"

Mar'i, eager for more attention, jumped in and waved at the blonde, "Hi! I'm Maw'i!"

"Maw'i?" Kathy repeated, uncertain, but Richard corrected her.

"She means Mar'i. We're still working on her 'R's. She might need speech therapy, but we'll see. She's only two, but she speaks like a three-year-old."

Kathy bent down to Mar'i's level, smiling warmly. "Well, it's nice to meet you, little Mar'i."

"I like your hair!" The toddler complimented sweetly.

"Aw, thank you!"

Then, out of nowhere, a familiar voice shouted from behind. "Dude! You're finally here!"

"Roy!" Richard exclaimed. Where was Harper hiding this whole time? Damian needed to increase his security settings.

"Harper," Damian acknowledged him coldly. It wasn't that he didn't like him, but the man was insufferable just like Todd. No wonder they were friends.

"Sup, pipsqueak," Roy teased, which Damian did not appreciate.

Walking shyly next to the redhead was his six-year-old daughter, wearing a red sweater and jeans. Her brunette hair fell past her shoulders, and the girl was carrying an iPad with a pink case, paired with pink cat-ear-shaped headphones. She looked taller than Damian remembered.

"Hey, Lian, it's so good to see you!" Richard greeted her warmly, "I didn't know you two were here already. Ready to go?"

Before Harper could respond, Damian cut them off, "Where's Emiko?"

Harper rolled his eyes. "I'm doing great, thanks for asking. And you?" He said sarcastically, now looking at Grayson, "Sheesh, what happened to kids' manners these days?"

Ignoring his stupid remark, Damian pressed on, "Just answer the question."

Harper sighed. "She went downstairs to grab Lian's bag for me, I left it on my motorcycle. Oh, and by the way, you're gonna need to reset your password to the Tower, kid. Sorry about that."

Damian glared at the tall redhead, "So, you changed the password? How?"

"It was Lian," Harper waved his hand, exasperated, "She went to the conference room where you guys have that big computer screen and all, and she started messing with it. She pressed every keyword in there, and I'm pretty positive she changed your guys' password."

"Sorry..." Lian apologized, shyly.

"That's impossible!" Damian retorted, "You have to go through the security breach to even attempt to change the password! And how could you leave your daughter unattended, Harper?"

Harper glared at Damian, but instead of coming at him with an insult, the archer decided to take some accountability for once, "Sorry, I was on the phone when it happened."

"Is Cheshire okay?" Richard asked, worried. 

Harper pursed his lips and winced. "Yeah, she's fine," was what he said, though what he meant was the exact opposite. Clearly, this was not a topic to be discussed in front of Lian, and Grayson immediately understood.  

"Alright, we gotta head out now," Harper announced before turning his attention to his daughter, "Lian, be good, okay? Try doing something fun if you can. You're spending way too much time on your iPad."

Lian looked up at her father with pleading eyes, her small hands clutching the fabric of his jacket, "Do you really have to go, Dad?"

"Oh, sweetheart," Harper hugged his daughter tightly, landing a kiss on her forehead, "I'll be back before you know it, okay?"

"Okay, Dad..." The six-year-old said sadly. Harper adjusted his cap and started heading out when his daughter called for him again, "Hey, Dad?"

"Yes?"

"Please don't do anything dumb."

Damian couldn't resist the urge to say, "He cannot promise you that, I assure you. Your father's already dumb." For that, Harper smacked Damian in the back of his head. "Hey!"

Richard shook his head in amusement. He started gathering his belongings and brought the diaper bag closer to his younger brother so he could show him its contents, "Okay, before I leave, here's Mar'i's bag. There's some snacks, diapers..."

"I am not changing her diaper." The younger brother warned, crossing his arms in defiance. 

Grayson gave him a flat look but pretended he was never interrupted, "-And if she gets really mad or sad, you can comfort her with her plushie, Silkie." He held a stuffed animal of an alien caterpillar. Mar'i loved that thing and always slept with it. "Mar'i gets hungry every hour or so, but do NOT let her anywhere near mustard, understand? She's had enough of it at home, and she always goes berserk anytime she eats it."

"How long are you gonna be gone?" Damian asked with a frown.

"It'll just be a couple of hours. Right, Roy?"

Harper shrugged his shoulders, not sounding too sure of the answer. "Yeah. Something like that."

Damian was not convinced.

Just then, the automatic door slid open, and Emiko walked in, carrying a large bag slung over her shoulder. "Hey, Roy, got Lian's bag. Oh, you're leaving, already?"

"Hey, Emiko!" Grayson waved at her, and she acknowledged him with a nod and a brief smile.

The older archer nodded, "Yep, we're heading out. Thanks for watching Lian for me, Emi."

"Sure..." she replied. Emiko watched them for a moment longer as if debating saying something more, but she decided against giving one last complaint.

Before leaving, Roy crouched down to Lian's level once more, brushing a stray strand of hair behind her ear. "Be nice to them, okay, Lian?" He pressed a kiss to her forehead one last time. "Love you."

Lian smiled at him softly. "Love you too, Daddy."

Grayson followed suit, kneeling beside Mar'i. "Bye, Starshine. Daddy will be back soon."

"Okay, daddy! Love you!" Mar'i chirped, giving him a tight hug. 

Grayson kissed her head and got up, waving at his little girl on his way out, "Have fun with Uncle Dami!"

"I will, Daddy!"

The older vigilantes finally left, and the second the door shut behind them, Emiko blinked and turned to her boyfriend. "Wow. Mar'i didn't even cry."

Damian shrugged. "She typically doesn't when there are too many people around her to entertain her."

Emiko nodded, "Ah, I see." She crouched to meet Mar'i's eyes, speaking softly in a more childlike manner, "You're a social butterfly, aren't you?"

Mar'i smiled at her but ran away, not bothering to acknowledge her. She decided to bug Jon and Kathy instead, which made Emiko chuckle.

Damian gave a frustrated sigh, "I can't believe they just ditched their children to us. As if we didn't have anything better to do today!"

"I know," Emi nodded, "but to be honest, I wasn't surprised when Roy called me."

"Can't say I am either, but why couldn't they find someone else to watch them? Have Todd do it."

The archer shrugged, "He might be busy with the Outlaws, who knows?"

"Tt. This better not take long."

**

Only a few minutes had passed, yet time felt like it was dragging by as slow as molasses. The Titans were gathered in the living room, seated across the oversized couch, while having to deal with a bunch of childish, nonsensical chatter. Damian was sitting next to Emiko, who had Lian beside her. Meanwhile, Mar'i was hovering in the air to show off her recently mastered floating skills to the whole group. The poor thing assumed that watching her float was the most entertaining thing to watch in the whole world. Too bad she was wrong.

"Wook, Uncle Dami, wook! See? You See that? I can float!"

Damian rested his head on his hand, bored out of his mind. He looked over with a sigh, "Yes, Mar'i. For the hundredth time, I can see that. You can float. Congratulations."

"Geez, show some excitement, Damian!" Jon reprimanded, getting up from the couch. Annoying as always, he floated up to join Mar'i, crossing his legs midair to mirror the toddler's pose. "Look, Mar'i! We're twins!"

Astonished, the girl gasped, "Wooah! You can float too, Uncle Jon?"

"I sure can!"

"Can you stop calling him Uncle Jon ?" Damian said out of annoyance, "He's not even your uncle!"

Ignoring his remark entirely, Mar'i turned to Damian with wide, excited eyes. "Uncle Dami, you see that? You see? We floating! Wook! Uncle Jon can float like Maw'i! Wook!"

"Yes, I am looking!" Damian snapped, his impatience already running thin.

"Wanna see a cool trick, Mar'i?" Jon asked enthusiastically, immediately getting the girl's attention. She nodded, smiling brightly, and Jon flipped himself backward while still seated cross-legged. Apparently, seeing Jon float upside down was the coolest thing Mar'i had ever seen in her life. 

Her green eyes were glowing when she cooed, "Woow!"

"Here, now you do it!" Encouraged Jon, and Damian groaned as Mar'i successfully mimicked the Boy of Steel. 

"Maw'i did it!" The girl said with pride, her long dark hair now dangling upside down.

"Yes, you did!" Jon praised, but Mar'i decided it would be a good idea to start doing backflips over and over again.

"Weee!"

Jon tried to stop her so she wouldn't get sick, "Woah, not so fast!"

"Look what you've done, Jonathan!" Damian complained from his seat, "Now she will never stop doing this, and somehow, I'll be the one who will get blamed for this!"

Unbothered by the banter, Kathy got up from the couch and chimed in as well, "Hey, Mar'i. I can show you a fun trick too!"

"Of course you can..." Mara mumbled under her breath. She was seated at the corner of the couch, away from everyone, annoyed by all this nonsense. 

Amused, Kathy waved her hand, using her telekinesis to gently move Mar'i back to being upright. Once Mar'i was in the correct position, Kathy used her mind to lift the little girl up and down like a living yo-yo. The 'trick' was a success because Mar'i was now howling with laughter.

"Again! Again!" Mar'i squealed between giggles, and Kathy was happy to comply.

"Ooh, can you do it to me too?" Lian asked eagerly, leaving her iPad behind. She was showing off the new games she had recently installed to her aunt Emi, but flying in the air was clearly more fun. 

Kathy smiled and said, "Sure!" And now there was not just one, but two children lifted in the air, being moved up and down like a yo-yo while laughing to no end. 

"Okay, okay, I think that's enough!" Kathy called, bringing the girls back to the floor so no one would get hurt.

"Ahnnn, but I wanted more!" Lian whined.

"Me too!" Mar'i pouted too, joining the whining fest. "Please, do one more! Please, please, pleeeeease?"

Kathy sighed, "Fine. One more time, but no more after that, deal?"

The girls cheered in unison, "DEAL!"

Damian groaned, tilting his head back to stare at the ceiling as if it had personally wronged him. "Ughh, how much longer is this going to take?"

Right on cue, the Titans' communicator buzzed, and both he and Emiko immediately snapped to attention, eyes locked on the device like it was their salvation.

"Hey, guys?" A familiar voice crackled through "Has anyone changed the password?"

The voice sadly didn't belong to Grayson, and even sadder, it didn't belong to a villain intercepting their call either. Yep, the day was going to be much longer than Damian had anticipated...

The green-eyed teenager exhaled sharply. "Yes, Lian changed it. Hold on, I'll fix it."

"Wait, who?"

Damian went to his room and came back with his iPad that was connected to the Tower's computer network. His fingers were flying across the screen as he changed the password.

In the meantime, Emiko turned to her niece to scold her, "You changed the password? Lian! "

The young child, who was no longer floating now, recoiled in defense, "Sorry, Aunt Emi."

"How did you even do that?" Her aunt pressed, "I even downloaded a security breach!"

"I dunno." Lian mumbled, shrugging, "Guess I'm a good hacker just like my mom!"

Emiko narrowed her eyes before ruffling the girl's hair in mock reprimand.

"Alright, Colin, I unlocked the door for you," Damian announced, tapping the final command. "You can come in now."

"Thanks!"

It didn't take long until Colin joined the rest of the group. Once he stepped inside, however, he paused in his tracks. 

The redhead blinked. "Wow. Full house today, huh? And we have... kids?"

Emiko looked over her shoulder and sighed, "We're on babysitting duty today."

After resting his iPad on the TV stand, Damian continued for her, "Yes, Grayson and Harper thought it would be a great idea to leave their children under our watch because apparently, we don't have anything important to do today!"

"So, we're not going out tonight anymore?" Colin asked, "You even texted us the whole plan at freaking midnight."

"Of course we're going!" Damian snapped at his friend. "We have a mission to accomplish! Two of them, actually."

Still hovering in the air, but no longer under Kathy's control, Mar'i exclaimed, "Ooh, mission! Maw'i like mission!"

Jon gently took Mar'i's tiny hand, guiding her back down to the ground with him. "Do you even know what a mission is, Mar'i?"

The girl beamed up at him, completely unfazed. "Nope!"

"But who's going to stay and watch the kids?" Colin pressed.

Emiko rolled her eyes at the group, "Roy should be back soon. He shouldn't take long..."

Damian shot his girlfriend a rather cynical look, eyebrow raised, "Emi, please. You honestly think Grayson and Harper will be back on time?"

Emiko looked up at the side and nodded, straightening herself on the couch. "Yeah, you're right. They're totally going to take forever to pick them up. We're screwed."

Jon beamed at that, placing his hands on his hips in a pathetic stance just like his overly confident father, "It's okay, we got this! You two have fun watching your nieces–"

But his best friend narrowed his green eyes at him. "Where do you think you're going, Jonathan?"

Jon blinked, perplexed. "Uh... To the mission..?"

"Think again, buddy," Damian gave him a sinister smirk, leaning closer to his friend, "Since you're sooo great with kids, how about you stay and watch them, huh?"

"Wait, what?" Jon panicked.

Mar'i gasped, "Uncle Jon stay and play with Maw'i ??"

"You are the favorite uncle, after all..." Damian continued, smugly.

"Hold up--" Jon started to say, but he was interrupted by the toddler, who kept tugging his sleeve to get him to play with her. He turned to her really fast,  "Hold on, Mar'i, give me just a sec–" 

Dismissing them, Damian got up from the couch and turned his back from Jon to face the rest of the group, "It is settled, then. We still have a few things to discuss. To the conference room!"

Jon raised his hand to stop them, "Woah, woah, woah, hold up! As much as I wouldn't mind watching the girls, today was finally my turn to meet with the hit list victim and interrogate him!"

Taking his side, Colin chimed in, "That's true, we did agree to this. Jon said he'd volunteer via text at one in the morning, may I remind you?! And instead of Damian going over the plan during lunch break like he promised, he just ditched us to meet with Emiko!"

 Damian shrugged innocently, "What? I wanted to tell her about the plan in person."

Emiko looked at the group and blushed. She had no idea how everyone was aware of Damian's little visit to her school earlier that day.

Also taken aback by that, but not for the same reason, Mara narrowed her eyes at her cousin, "Wow, thanks for making me feel so included. You never mentioned the plan to me once. And here I thought you actually considered me a 'Titan'!" She used her fingers to pretend they were quotation marks.

Emiko let out a mocking snort, earning a nasty scowl from the other former assassin. "Something funny, archer? "

Emiko wanted to say something mean to her, but Lian was poking her to get her attention, completely oblivious to the tension in the room, "So, you're leaving too, Aunt Emi? Where are you going?"

Before Emiko could think of a response, Mara turned to Damian, "Next time, make sure to keep me informed of what is happening instead of abandoning me at some idiotic institution packed with Neanderthals!"

"Hey!" Colin and Jon protested, but Mara rolled her eyes at them.

"Not referring to you two, calm down." She clarified.

Emiko scoffed, her tone dripping with sarcasm, "Of course you want to be informed of everything. Can't let anything past you, can you?"

Mara was already getting into a fighting stance. "Where are you going with this, huh?"

Before their fight escalated, Jon clapped his hands together and brought the attention back to him. "Okay! So, we're all a little out of the loop of tonight's plan, no big deal! What is a big deal, however, is that I am apparently on babysitting duty today! So, let's focus on that crisis first."

Mar'i was still by his side, tugging his shirt, "Uncle Jon play with Maw'i! Come play, Uncle Jon! Come play!"

"Hold on, Mar'i, I'm still trying to talk to your uncle here..."

"There is no crisis, Jon," Damian said flatly, lifting his hands dismissively, "The plan is: you stay at the Tower, while the rest of us handle the mission. Colin can meet with the next hit list target since you're indisposed. He did great work last time."

"Not fair!" Jon stomped his foot on the ground like a toddler. Honestly, Mar'i was more mature than him. "She is your niece, you should be watching her!"

"Oh, now suddenly everyone remembers that I am her true uncle!"

Confused by what was happening, Mar'i looked from one uncle to another and chose to hug Damian this time. "I love you too, Uncle Dami. You play with Maw'i?"

"Not now, Mar'i, the adults are talking." Damian said, gently pushing his niece away, "Now, Jonathan. You're unequipped for this mission, anyway. You don't have your wig anymore, remember?"

Jon pouted, "Finn Connors might not be able to come today, but I can go as someone else!"

Kathy tilted her head in confusion. "Finn Connors? Who's that?"

Rolling his eyes, Damian answered before Jon could. "It's nobody."

"Speaking of Nobody, where's Maya?" Colin asked, looking across the room.

"Great question. Where is she?" Damian muttered, pulling out his phone, impatience creeping into his tone. "How is it that the one person who actually lives here is the one who's late?"

He waited for his teammate to answer the call until Maya finally picked up.

"Hey-oo!" Maya answered with enthusiasm.

"Nobody, report! Where are you?"

"Oh, Goliath was getting hungry, so we went to the lake real quick. He got some big fish today! You're such a good boy, aren't you, Goliath? Aren't you?" Her voice dropped into the cutesy, baby-talk tone she always used when doting on the giant man-bat.

Damian pinched the bridge of his nose. "Well, it's getting late, so report to the Tower as soon as possible!"

"You know you're not the boss of me, right?"

"I own the Tower!"

"And I know your bank account, so I'd chill out if I were you."

With that, Maya hung up. Emiko and Colin couldn't resist the urge to laugh at Damian at that senseless exchange. Jon would've joined them too, but he was too busy sulking over being benched. Meanwhile, Kathy remained quiet, keeping her thoughts to herself, and Mara, though equally silent, radiated loud irritation. Damian had no idea what her problem was. Then again, she was still mad at him for leaving her stranded at school all day, so maybe that was it.

For the first time, Kathy finally spoke up. "It's okay, Jon. I'll stay at the Tower with you and keep you company."

It was like a massive weight had been lifted from Jon's shoulders. "Oh, thank you-!"

Before he could finish, Mara cut in, her expression sour. "You know what? Since someone didn't bother to inform me about the plan, I'll stay too."

Emiko eyed Mara suspiciously. "You want to be put on babysitting duty? Since when?"

Mara shot right back at her, "Since I got excluded from your little VIP club."

Emiko crossed her arms, unconvinced, "Bull. You're going to try to hack us again."

"I've never tried hacking anyone!"

"Emiko, stop it!" Damian interjected, clearly done with their endless argument. This was getting old.

Emiko sighed dramatically. Her arms were still crossed and it looked like she was deep in thought before she came to the ludicrous conclusion, "Fine. Guess I'll stay at the Tower too."

"What?" Damian shouted. "So the moment Jon stays at the Tower, suddenly everyone wants to join him?"

"Sounds fair to me," Jon remarked, smugly. 

Mar'i clearly enjoyed the new arrangement, "Yaay! Everyone play with Maw'i!"

Lian was also excited by that, "Cool, can we all watch Terminator?"

The group stared at the six-year-old, completely thrown off by her random request. 

Emiko scolded, "Lian, who even told you about that movie?"

Lian shrugged, "Bizarro said it was ok to watch."

"You do realize his yes means no, right?" Emiko was appalled by what Lian had been exposed to already. Not that she knew what a good childhood was supposed to be like, but still.  

Not waiting for Lian to respond, Damian asked his girlfriend again, "Emi, are you seriously staying? Why?"

"Because." Emiko crossed her arms in defiance, "I have my reasons."

Irritated, Mara pointed at Emiko's chest as she shouted, "Your distrust in me is seriously starting to get on my nerves, Red Archer!"

"It's Red Arrow!"

"I don't care!" 

Colin exhaled heavily, rubbing his temples. He turned to the leader of the group, "So, it's just the three of us, then? You, me, and Maya? How are we supposed to split up? I thought the plan was for one group to break into LexCorp while the other tracked down the hit list victim. Or is that not the plan anymore?"

"Hold on, this is all wrong," Damian said, his irritation rising. "There is absolutely no need for four people to stay behind and watch the kids!"

Mar'i Grayson, however, vehemently disagreed. She was already tugging Kathy toward the kitchen, chattering about needing several cups to start their tea party. Kathy hesitated, but she allowed the toddler to lead their way to not disappoint her. While the others continued bickering, Kathy quietly fulfilled every single request from the little half-alien, fully immersed in Mar'i's world of make-believe. Mar'i gasped in awe as Kathy used her telekinesis to lift the plastic cups from the cabinet and place them neatly on the countertop.

The little girl's eyes sparkled with wonder. "Whoa! You have magic!"

Kathy giggled and responded, "I guess so, but you have some really cool powers too, don't you? I saw you floating!"

"Yes, Maw'i can float!" Mar'i instantly started floating just like last time, except she wasn't upside down, thankfully. "You see that? I'm floating!" she repeated.

"I know!" Kathy matched the little girl's excitement, "Do you want me to float with you?"

Mar'i's green eyes sparkled even brighter, her joy doubling in an instant, "You can float too?"

"Mmhm. Differently than you and Uncle Jon, but watch." Then, Kathy lifted herself with her mind. Like Mar'i, she was also sitting in the air now, but her legs were folded rather than crossed like the toddler.

"Wow!" Mar'i gasped again and immediately glanced back at her uncle for the trillionth time, "Uncle Dami, you see that? She can float like Uncle Jon and Maw'i!"

"I'm a little busy, Mar'i!" Damian reminded the girl, his voice louder to get her to stop. He turned his back to her niece and pulled his girlfriend aside to dissuade some of the confusion. "Emiko, what the hell are you thinking by staying?"

"Would love to explain, but I don't want to deal with your crap too."

"Come on, Emiko, talk to me!"

Damian needed desperately to take his girlfriend somewhere private so he could finally understand why on earth Emiko was refusing to leave with him. Everything was a mess, and Mar'i's constant interruptions to seek his attention were not helping. Where there should be order at the Tower was only chaos, and it was all Jon's fault. Well, and Grayson's too.

After pestering his girlfriend with questions, Emiko finally agreed to go to the other room so they could talk privately. Lian was getting bored from watching people argue, so she retreated to the kitchen to join the other girls. Jon and Mara decided to follow her, while Colin stayed behind in the living room, opting to scroll on his phone instead to pass the time. 

Mar'i was back to her seat now and she was still having fun playing tea party with 'Miss Kathy' when the others came in. Lian sat next to the toddler, and her brown eyes were filled with curiosity when she leaned over the blonde to ask, "Is it true that you have tekelenesis?"

Kathy giggled at the mispronunciation, "You mean, telekinesis. Yes, it's true."

"Wow!" Liam's eyes shined in astonishment. "So, can you make cookies for us using your teke-telekni-- your mind power thingy?"

Mar'i beamed at the idea, "COOKIES!" She then started singing incessantly, "Cookies, cookies, cookies!"

"Yes, can we have cookies, miss Kathy?" Lian asked again.

Kathy immediately looked at Jon with panicked eyes, searching for an answer for what to do, but he was equally clueless. The proper course of action would be to wait for Lian's aunt to return and inform them if Lian was allowed to eat cookies or not, but the archer had just left with her boyfriend to have what seemed to be a serious discussion, so the couple wasn't going to be back anytime soon. 

Kathy decided to comply, "Uh... Sure!" She answered, though she sounded anything but certain.

The blonde used her mind again to open the pantry door. A bag of sugar, flour, and a small bottle of vanilla extract flour floated out, gliding smoothly through the air before landing gently on the countertop. Right after that, she turned her attention to the fridge, using her powers to pull out a carton of milk and a container of chocolate chip cookies, levitating them over like it was the most natural thing in the world.

Mar'i's eyes followed the floating ingredients in pure amazement. "Woow!"

Jon smiled at the kids before gazing at Kathy in admiration, "Yeah, her powers are pretty cool!"

Mara was fuming, though no one seemed to notice. Her sharp, assassin-trained eyes scanned the kitchen, taking in every detail until a clever idea crossed her mind.

A smirk tugged at the corner of her lips. "Hey. I can do a little trick too. Do you want to see?"

The kids and Jon immediately snapped their heads toward her, eyes wide with shock at her sudden remark. Even Kathy stopped what she was doing just to see what Mara was up to. Full of confidence, Mara went to the drawer and pulled out a large kitchen knife.

"Mara, what are you doing..?" Jon started to ask.

The other girl, however, paid no heed to him. She flipped the knife in her hand at an impressive speed until the blade was facing downward and smirked at the children.

"Oooh!" Mar'i and Lian gasped in unison. Kathy crossed her arms and waited with suspicious eyes. 

Without another word, Mara spaced her fingers slightly apart on the countertop and, in a sudden burst of precision, began stabbing the knife between them at an incredible speed. The blade danced between her fingers in a blur, never once grazing her skin.

Mar'i yelped, "Ahh! You hurt?" her small face scrunched with worry.

Mara chuckled, "Nope!" Once she reached the space after her pinky, she stopped. "Want to see it again?"

The two young girls nodded excitedly, eager to see more. "Yes! Again, again!"

Mara smirked and obliged, her speed increasing this time. The sound of the blade rhythmically tapping against the surface filled the kitchen.

"Faster, faster!" Squealed little Mar'i, getting excited. The former assassin did not mind doing as requested, so she kept going faster and faster.

The blade was dangerously close to Mara's skin, skimming over her fingers with each rapid strike, but her reflexes were far superior. She kept repeating the motion, each time going more rapidly than earlier, and the girls watched in awe, unable to even catch the sight of the blade. The only person in the room able to follow the hypnotic, yet dangerous speed of the blade was Jon.

"Okay, Mara, slow down..." Jon warned, frowning.

But Mara didn't listen. Her hand moved with the same deadly precision, and she kept going.

"Mara, stop-"

And then, it happened.

Mara had to suppress a groan, though her eyes betrayed her for watering from the throbbing pain. Her body tensed as the blade pierced deep into the joint between her thumb and index finger, and blood began to spread quickly. Her hand trembled, but she forced herself to stay still, trying her best to mask the horrendous pain shooting from her hand.

Rushing to her side in a heartbeat, Jon asked, "Mara, are you okay?" He reached for her hand, but she instinctively pulled back.

Lian winced, while Mar'i panicked, "Ahh, Aunt Mawa bleeding!"

Lian's face contorted with discomfort. "That looks painful-!"

"It's fine..." Mara muttered through gritted teeth angrily, her pride stinging just as much as her hand. She then muttered to herself, "Stupid, stupid..."

From the couch, Colin noticed the commotion and got up. "Everything okay over there?" His eyes landed on Mara's hand, now dripping blood onto the countertop. "Whoa. You okay?"

"I'm fine!" She snapped, "It's nothing, it's just a cut!"

Jon gently brought her hand closer to him so he could inspect the wound better. "Oh, that's more than just a cut, you're bleeding pretty bad. Here, I can cauterize the wound with my heat vision. This is gonna hurt, are you ready?" Mara shot him a look of despair, which he took it as a yes. A precise heat beam shot through Jon's eyes, and Mara tensed up, squeezing his arm with her good hand. She didn't complain or groan once, but Jon knew that it had hurt. "We keep the medical kit in the med bay. Let me take you there."

With a look of determination, Jon led her away from the group. Despite her initial resistance, Mara allowed him to guide her to the other room, leaving Kathy and Colin alone with the kids. Kathy was momentarily speechless, standing frozen as she watched the two leave. On the other hand, Mar'i and Lian's concern instantly faded once they remembered what they were originally supposed to do: bake cookies. The girls took matters into their own hands, quite literally, and without permission, started making the cookie dough on their own, grabbing ingredients left and right with the confidence of professional bakers.

It wasn't until Lian accidentally dropped an egg onto the floor that Kathy snapped back to reality. The slimy yolk splattered, creating a mess that oozed across the tiles.

"Oh, no!" Kathy gasped, her hands flying to cover her mouth.

Seeing the mess unfold, Colin jumped in, "Here, I'll get a paper towel." The redhead reached for the roll on the countertop, only to find it empty. "Dang it! Where did Maya put the new paper towels?" Muttering under his breath, he yanked open the pantry, then the cabinets, searching everywhere for the stinking thing. "I swear we just bought more of these..." 

Meanwhile, Kathy noticed Mar'i hovering over the mixing bowl, her tiny hands gripping a full bag of flour.

"No, no, no, you're putting too much flour! Mar'i, don't-!" Kathy tried to warn, but it was too late; Mar'i tipped the entire bag, and a mountain of flour poured straight into the bowl, engulfing the whole mixture. A white cloud puffed into the air, making the girls cough. 

As if that wasn't messy enough, Lian grabbed a brand-new bag of sugar and remarked, "Don't forget, we have to make room for the sugar!"

"Wait, Lian, let me." Kathy reached out, but the younger girl refused to hand her the bag.

"No, I got it, I got it--" Lian insisted stubbornly. Unlike Mar'i, she wasn't going to pour the whole bag of sugar into the bowl, she was careful. The only problem was that the bag refused to open, so she added a bit more strength, hands shaking, until...

The bag tore open.

A wave of sugar exploded across the counter, adding to the piles of flour already stuck to the surface. 

"I found it!" Colin finally announced from behind, triumphantly holding up a fresh roll of paper towels, but his jaw dropped at the sight of the sugar-coated battlefield before him. "Oh, come on... More mess?!"

Mar'i and Lian, meanwhile, were happily plunging their hands into the mixture, kneading the absurdly powdery dough.

Acting as the expert, Liam informed her younger friend, "It's too dry. We need more eggs. And more milk too." 

"Okay!" Mar'i agreed, happily. 

"No!" Kathy practically lunged to stop them. "No more eggs! You two ruined my batch!"

Lian, undeterred, tapped her chin. "Ooh, and we need sprinkles!"

"Yes, spwinkles!" Mar'i echoed, excitedly.

Already exasperated by the chaos, Kathy corrected them, "Sprinkles don't go on cookies!"

Acting as if her ears didn't work, Lian went to the pantry and thought to herself out loud, "Hmm, where did the sprinkles go?"

Colin was busy removing the excess yoke from the floor when he clarified, "We don't have any sprinkles. Dang it, I'm gonna need a sponge." 

Lian pouted. "Fine. We'll just use chocolate chip cookies, then. But we need more because Mar'i already dumped the whole bag." She turned to the toddler, "Mar'i, can you get another bag of chocolate chips? They're in the fridge."

"Okay!" The two-year-old chirped. 

"No, don't add another bag--" Kathy tried to instruct, but Lian was now bringing the mixing bowl close to the sink to add water into the mix. 

The once-thick cookie dough was now a soupy, unrecognizable mess as Lian happily poured what had to be at least one liter of water into the bowl. The mixture sloshed over the sides, dripping onto the counter and the floor.

"Ohh, this looks like slime!" Lian laughed.

Defeated, Kathy threw up her hands. "I give up."

Colin, who had just finished wiping down the previous mess, let out an exaggerated groan. "Oh, come on!"

The blonde sighed and turned her back to the girls, getting a fresh mixing bowl to start a new batch by herself. At least this one would be edible. After angrily whipping the ingredients together, she put the new batch into a cookie tray. Meanwhile, in an attempt to fix the disaster of a cookie mix, Lian grabbed the bowl again and tried to tilt it over the sink, carefully draining out the excess water. Unfortunately, she wasn't that careful because half of the remaining dough splattered into the sink with a loud plop.

"Oops."

Colin facepalmed. "Yeah. Oops."

Mar'i, still hovering excitedly, peeked into the bowl. "Is it betta now?"

Lian stirred it around with a wooden spoon. The mixture still had a slimy, gooey consistency, and the girl had the courage to stick her finger into the mix. She pulled it back out and licked it, then immediately gagged, "Ew, this tastes like yuck!"

"That's because you drowned it," Kathy said dryly. 

Lian arched an eyebrow, "Cookies can be drowned?"

"Ugh, never mind," Kathy muttered to herself.  Her new batch was ready, and all she needed to do was to put it in the oven. She was going to put the timer on, but her attention was snapped when Lian walked past her to get another wooden spoon. Why she needed a second spoon, Kathy would never know. 

"I think we just need more chocolate." The older girl concluded while mixing the messy, disgusting bowl. "Mar'i, what happened to the chocolate chips?"

"Ohh! Chocolate chips!" Mar'i said, having already forgotten what she was originally asked to do. She got distracted easily. 

Hovering back to the fridge, Mar'i scanned for the bag Lian was referring to, but her green eyes glowed extremely brightly at something else instead...

"MUSTARD!" 

"Ew, mustard doesn't go on cookies!" Lian said with her face scrunched up.

Colin, who was still busy scrubbing the floor, froze. "Uh... Mar'i? Put that down. Don't eat that, okay? I repeat, do NOT--"

But Mar'i, with all the giddy excitement of a mad scientist, flew next to Lian and dumped the entire condiment content into the bowl. A thick, yellow sludge oozed into the flour-sugar mix, creating an unholy monstrosity.

"Eeewww, she added mustard!" Lian recoiled in her seat, "That's so gross!" 

Unbothered, Mar'i shoved her tiny hands into the slimy mess and licked them. "Mmmm! Yummy! Maw'i like mustard!"

At that exact moment, Jon and Mara returned. Mara's hand was now bandaged, and Jon took one step inside before freezing in pure horror.

"What happened here?" 

Mara raised her eyebrows. "Wow."

"Uncle Jon, wook! Wook, it's mustard! See? It's so yummy!" Mar'i beamed, waving her sticky hands filled with gooey mustard mixed with flour and sugar.

"Yes, Mar'i, I can see it..." Jon slowly said.

Kathy, looking absolutely mortified, rushed to Jon's side. "Oh my gosh, Jon, I'm so sorry! I thought I had everything under control, but-"

The blue-eyed tried to comfort her, "Hey, it's okay, Kathy-- It's not your fault... But Damian is going to lose his mind when he sees this. Mar'i is not supposed to have mustard."

"She's not?" Kathy paled.

"No. Mustard for Mar'i is like... A kid overdosing on sugar."

Kathy gulped. "Oh, no."

"Yippeeee!!" Mar'i squealed, taking off into the air. "Wook! I'm a spider!" She crawled onto the ceiling, her mustard-coated hands leaving sticky yellow handprints all across the white surface.

"Mar'i, get down there!" Colin commanded, but the girl was now climbing on the cabinets, spreading more mess. 

 Meanwhile, Mara scoffed at the blonde, "Guess you're not so great with children, after all." 

 Kathy scowled at the former assassin, but said nothing. 

 "Mar'i!" Jon hovered over the small girl, but Mar'i took that as a game, so she started giggling and flying as fast as possible, pretending they were playing tag in the air. 

"Oh, for the love of..." Jon took off to chase her. He couldn't believe he had to resort to super speed just to catch her. How could a small toddler be so fast? "Gotcha!" 

 Mar'i laughed, wiggling her way out of his arms, "Now it's Maw'i's turn! I catch Uncle Jon!"

"This is not a game, Mar'i!" He reminded her.

Before he could bring her down to the floor with him, a sharp voice cut through the chaos. The distraction caused Mar'i to wiggle out of Jon's hold and take off again.

 "What the hell is going on here?" 

The other teenagers froze; Damian was livid.

"Oh... My God." Emiko said. "Lian, what did you do? You know better!"

The young girl argued back, "What? We were just making cookies!"

Damian scanned the whole kitchen, assessing the disaster unfolded, and his glare darkened once his eyes landed on his best friend. 

"Jonathan! Did you give Mar'i mustard?"

"What?! No! I just got back here, I'm just as shocked as you!"

"Got back from where?" Damian's voice rose, "Are you implying that you left the children unattended?"

"No! Why do you always assume the worst of me?" Jon shot back. "I'm the most responsible of the group!"

"You don't even remember what you ate for lunch. You're absolutely not the most responsible."

"Who even remembers what they had for lunch?!"

Colin, who had officially given up on trying to clean the place, suddenly sniffed the air. "What's that smell?"

A loud beeping sound rang from the fire alarm systems, filling Kathy with panic. 

"Oh, no! My cookies!"  It was then she remembered how she never got a chance to set the timer in the first place. Now there was smoke everywhere, triggering the sprinklers overhead. Water rained down on the Titans, making the children screech in a mix of excitement and playful fear, while the other teenagers covered their heads so they wouldn't get drenched from the water. 

"I got it, I got it," Colin shifted into his Abuse form to immediately hit the emergency shut-off switch from the fire alarms in the ceiling.

Admired, Lian grinned up at the giant, "Woah! You're big and strong just like Uncle Biz!"

"Uncle Biz?" Abuse rumbled in his deep voice.

"Bizarro," Damian corrected, barely keeping his temper in check. The place was a disaster, and he was pretty sure he had already burst a blood vessel or two from how angry he was by the whole thing. 

Emiko rubbed at her face. She didn't even know where to start. "Maya is going to be so mad when she sees how you all ruined the kitchen..."

As if on cue, their Titan communicators buzzed. Damian put his on speaker. "Maya, what is it?"

Her voice crackled through. "Okay, who changed the password? Damian, was it you? You really gotta stop being so paranoid, dude."

Damian groaned and buzzed her in. Out of nowhere, Mar'i appeared right behind him, with her hands filled with mustard mixed with gooey flour. 

"I'm gonna getcha!" The girl playfully said.

"Not with those filthy hands you're not," Damian took his niece by her arm and led her to the sink to wash all the sticky flour from her hands. For some reason, Damian was the only one who got Mar'i to listen - at least for a few seconds. 

The group then looked around the room, their hopes of keeping the place clean now vanished. The kitchen was an utter disaster. Burnt cookies were set on the counter, the floor was wet, and all the flour and sugar spilled on the floor and counters were now turned into a sticky, pasty sludge that coated the surfaces and oozed across the tile floor. The mustard was even worse. It was everywhere; Countertops, ceiling, cabinets, fridge, pantry door... 

It was less of a kitchen and more of a disaster relief effort waiting to happen.

To make things even better, that was when Maya walked in. Her jaw dropped once she saw the disaster unfolded before her. 

"What did you all do to my kitchen??"

Emiko gave her friend a sad smile. "I'm sorry. Damian and I left the kids unsupervised, so Mar'i and Lian took over for them." She glared at the group, "And yes, I'm calling all of you kids because clearly, none of you is capable of watching the girls for five minutes without destroying the tower!"

"Five minutes?" Mara scoffed, "You two were gone for at least half an hour! What were you two doing, huh? Smothering each other with kisses?"

Damian glared at his cousin, but before he could reprimand her, he noticed the bandage on her hand, "Mara, did you hurt yourself?"

Emiko, on the other hand, couldn't care less about the girl's injury. The little snarky comment made her snap, "God, you are so insufferable!"

Mara crossed her arms, frowning in anger, "Yeah. The feeling is mutual."

Jon was rubbing his face, getting tired of all this nonsense, "Guys..."

Unlike her friends, Maya was more concerned about her home than anything. "You guys trashed my kitchen..." 

"I've been trying to clean it up!" Colin told her, exasperated, "I'm the only one who's bothered to clean this place, by the way!"

Maya glared at the redhead. "Well, you're not doing a very good job."

Damian mimicked his father's authority when ending fights in his family as he shouted, "Alright, enough!" The room finally went quiet for the first time. "Now, it's getting late, and we have to get going soon if we want to get anything accomplished tonight. Jon and Kathy are obviously unfit to watch the children, and the same applies to Mara and Colin. With that being said, I suggest Maya stays here so we can go."

"WHAT?" Maya shouted in disbelief, "So you guys destroy my home, and I'm the one who has to stay behind, clean all the mess, and babysit?"

"You want to play with Maw'i?" The toddler, clearly incapable of reading the room, asked Maya randomly. She was a lost cause just like her father. 

Emiko sighed, dragging her cheeks down in exasperation, "For God's sake-!" She pushed her boyfriend out of the way, taking the position of the new decision-maker of the group, "Alright. Everyone listen up! Damian is clearly antsy to get out of here, so he will go with Abuse, Nobody, and Mara to infiltrate LexCorp. Jon and Kathy can go pay their visit to the next victim from Pyg's list. Pyg has already been caught, by the way, but we still need to watch Vertigo's next moves."

"He has?" Jon and Colin asked in surprise. No one, beside Damian, knew about Pyg's update.

Mara was the only one who seemed to profusely disapprove the plan. "Why do I have to go with him?" She pointed at her cousin angrily. Damian still did not know what her deal was with him that day. 

"But who's babysitting?" Damian asked with a frown, already knowing the answer.

His girlfriend raised an eyebrow at him, "Me, you dummy. You guys have fun."

Damian walked closer to her, reaching for her arm before she could go, "But Emiko... I thought you'd come with us tonight--"

"Clearly, I can't! Someone has to watch the kids, and we're not making Maya do this, especially by herself. Watching Mar'i is already like taking care of three kids in one, this is not fair on her."

Maya looked down, feeling a little bad now. She didn't want Emi to take the brunt of the work, being forced to watch a hyper child and an uncontrolled half-alien all on her own. 

"You know what?" Maya spoke softly, "I'll stay and help Emiko. Two for two, what do you say?"

Emiko's stern expression softened. "You don't have to do this."

"It's okay, I'll help. Besides, someone has to clean this place, and I'm the one who lives here."

With a decision finally set in place, the tension started to dissipate. Guilt started consuming the boys, so Jon took the initiative to clean as many things as he could before leaving. Without saying anything more, Damian left to get ready, and Mara did the same since they were still wearing their school uniforms. Once they were back, the kitchen was slightly clean, but still messy. Better than earlier, definitely, and at least Jon and Kathy managed to clean the ceiling, to Maya's relief. 

"Okay, so we're all sure of this?" Jon asked his teammates.

"Yep, we got it," Emiko said, giving him a faint smile. 

"I'll make it up to you," Damian said, bringing both hands to pull Emiko's face close to his so he could kiss her. The archer was surely alarmed by that. They never displayed affection in public, and this combined with the kiss at school, definitely made her uneasy, but also cooperative. 

"Damian--" Her words of uncertainty escaped her lips, but the teenager's emerald eyes calmed her. 

"We'll be back before you know it." He assured.

Emiko chuckled, "Don't pull a Dick Grayson on me. Or a Roy."

Damian smirked. "I'll try." 

As the group prepared to leave, Mar'i finally grasped what was actually happening. It was like small pieces of a puzzle were falling into place, and once the dots connected, she screeched at Damian, who was heading for the door.

"Uncle Dami, NO! Please stay, Uncle Dami! Please! Please, please, don't leave me!"

That threw Damian off. Mar'i had taken her father leaving so well, why was she suddenly this upset over him leaving? The little girl jumped on him, wrapping her arms around his legs with her Tamaranean strength, as if holding on for dear life

"Mar'i, I have to go--"

Mar'i looked up at her uncle, and her eyes welled with tears. "No! Please, don't leave me!"

Her sobbing kept intensifying, which made her uncle panic a bit. "But you're going to stay with Aunt Emiko and Maya! You're going to be fine!"

She clung to his Robin uniform, and her crying worsened by the second as she screamed, "Maw'i no want you leaving! Stay with me, please! Please! Uncle Dami, can you hear me?"

Damian looked over at his friends just to be met with multiple uncertain stares. Even Jon wasn't sure how to help. Emiko and Maya kindly knelt beside the inconsolable toddler, but to no avail. Mar'i would not let go of her uncle, her tiny hands clutching onto him with a firm grip. Her hold only tightened, growing stronger and stronger; Any more pressure and Damian swore she might actually break his legs.

Damian sighed. "Fine, I'll stay."

Mar'i was still hiccuping, but her sobbing subsided slightly, "W-weally?" 

Behind him, Emiko landed her hand on his shoulder, "You're sure about this..?"

Damian nodded, and as he did, Emiko gave him a reassuring smile. He knelt to hug his niece tightly and while Mar'i gladly hugged him back, he looked up at Maya, who was still watching the whole scene without knowing what to say. "I suppose you can take my place, Maya."

The girl smiled sadly and nodded. It turned out in the end that Damian was indeed going to have a babysitting night with his girlfriend, rather than a patrol night as planned. His team got ready to leave and Damian glanced at Emiko one more time. She looked pretty tonight, and he forgot to tell her that. As he leaned closer to her, he noticed a strange look on her face. 

Emiko was staring at the Titans, and everything about her stiffened posture screamed alertness.

"Emi, something wrong..?"

Her brown eyes widened as if a dark thought had crept into her mind. She suddenly turned to him with urgency in her voice. "Damian, I can't stay with you tonight."

"Wait, what?"

She bit her lip, glancing at Mara anxiously before looking back at her boyfriend. "I'm sorry. I know my attitude has been upsetting you, but please. I'll have to go and keep an eye on her." she nodded at Mara, "I've noticed she's a lot more careful when you're around, and with you getting benched, I..."

Damian couldn't believe it. "This again?"

"I'm sorry." A last pleading look was sent his way. 

Emiko ran up to the group, who was distractedly heading downstairs, and she caught Maya off guard when she rushed her, "Maya, will you watch Lian for me? She's a sweetheart, really easy to manage. She listens well. And don't let her watch too much TV, especially Terminator."

"Wait, what's going on?"

"We have to trade spots tonight." Emiko said, not making any sense, "I'll go on patrol, you stay here with Damian. Sorry for the back and forth."

"But why?" Maya asked again, beyond confused. Behind her, Mara was watching with a big scowl on her face. Emiko noticed and refused to acknowledge her. 

"I'll explain later." 

Lian overheard some of the conversation and slowly walked up to her aunt. "I knew you would leave too..."

Emiko turned around and her heart sank. She knelt down, opening her arms. "Come here." Lian didn’t hesitate and ran straight into her aunt's embrace. Holding her close, Emiko whispered, "I’m sorry, Lian. Maya is really fun; You’ll like her, I promise. And I’ll be back before your dad, even."

"I'm gonna miss you."

"And I'll miss you too." Emiko tightened the hug. "Will you forgive me?"

"Always." Lian whispered. 

Emiko pulled away with a soft smile, brushing Lian's hair before finally standing. The Titans all headed downstairs, and Damian and Maya followed to give their last goodbyes. Emiko waved at them, and from behind her, Mara al Ghul shot such a deadly glare at the archer that made Damian feel a chill for the first time. The teammates got in their Titan jet and left. 

Watching they leave, Maya finally spoke, "So... it's just the two of us here, then." 

"Looks like it."

Maya grinned. "This is going to be fun!"

"It's going to be a nightmare." 

Maya nodded. From her side, Lian stared at the floor, sadness clouding her face, while Mar’i clung to Damian’s legs as if she had never received affection from him before.

"Uncle Dami, I want more mustard."

"No." He said firmly.

"But I want it!"

"I said no!"

Maya sighed. "This will be a loong night..."

Chapter Text

The evening was a bit chilly, but nothing Jon couldn't handle. He and Kathy were tasked with finding the next victim, Jesse Hayes, to ensure he wouldn't be harmed by Count Vertigo 2.0, or anyone else for the matter. Jon was grateful Kathy was with him, not only because of her ability to mask their presence in the sky - by using her telepathy to make them seem invisible to the human eye -, but mainly for her company. Going on missions alone wasn't exactly fun, and having someone with him calmed him.

Come to think of it, he couldn't remember the last time he'd done anything solo without the help of his dad or Damian. Maybe his best friend was right, he needed to learn to be more independent. How could he ever live up to his dad's legacy if he couldn't do anything on his own? Since when has Superman ever been afraid of anything?

The thought weighed heavily on him. Kathy must have noticed as she glanced over at him. Not because she was reading his mind with her powers, but because she was just that good at reading people. The way she cared for others was something Jon admired. The light breeze ruffled her blonde, wavy hair, and her blue eyes looked darker than normal when they locked onto his.

"What's wrong?"

Jon couldn't help but look away, avoiding eye contact. It was best to keep his insecure thoughts to himself.

"Nothing."

Kathy didn't seem convinced, giving him a cynical look as she floated beside him.

It was nice being able to fly without any prying eyes looking up at the sky, wondering what in the world Superboy was doing in the middle of the night in New Jersey, of all places.

"Jon, I don't need to be a telepath to know something is bothering you."

Superboy sighed. Just like with his parents, it was hard to keep anything from his friends. Keeping secrets wasn't exactly his forte. "I... I'm just glad you're here with me today, Kathy."

The blonde stopped, and for a moment, her powers completely failed her. Some of the pedestrians walking down the street looked up and tilted their heads in confusion to see two teenagers floating in the air.

"Mommy, do you see that? They're flying!" A little boy gave it away, pointing at the sky while tugging his mom's sleeve to make her look. Before the mother glanced up, however, Kathy refocused and immediately fixed the mistake, her telepathic camouflage snapping back into place.

"Sorry, that caught me off guard," she apologized with a tinge of tension in her voice, "Clouding people's minds to make us go unnoticed requires a lot of focus."

Jon's brows furrowed in concern. "Is everything okay?"

"Yes, yes, I am good now." She cleared her throat and added with an awkward, singing voice, "Aham. Back to being invisible... Haha-!" 

Jon gave her a reassuring look. "Hey, if you need to rest your mind, it's okay. We can take a break."

"No, no, I'm fine," she shook her head, "Besides, we have work to do." The two flew in silence for a while until she spoke again, "So, you mentioned you're glad I'm here today? How come?"

Jon blushed, looking away shyly, "Ah, you know. I miss you, Kathy. It's been a whole year since we last saw each other. How have you been?"

She looked down, playing with a long strand of her hair, "Yeah, it's been a while... You can always come visit your old town, you know?"

"True, I need to do that. But you haven't answered me. How are you, really? How have you been holding up without your grandpa? I'm so sorry for what happened to him, Kat..."

"Oh, it's okay, Jon. I'm fine, really. You don't have to worry about me." Kathy waved it off, but Jon could see right through the act. He'd seen that same tough exterior before Damian wore it every time he tried to pretend that things were fine when they were the exact opposite. Losing a close family member wasn't something anyone just 'got over it', and Kathy, as strong as she was, wasn't immune to pain.

Kathy caught the look of disbelief he gave her and tried to reassure him, "What? I mean it!"

"Uh-huh, sure ." He teased. "Looks like someone is not telling me the full truth either."

She sighed. "Fine, it's been hard, but nothing I can't manage. Of course I miss my grandpa... he was the only family I had left. But everyone in the town is so helpful and sweet to me. I promise you I'm being properly taken care of." The blonde gave him a weak, yet reassuring smile.

"Good. Otherwise, my mom will need to have a little word with the people of Hamilton County. And trust me, you do not want to see her mad."

Kathy laughed as if he was joking. "You're funny, Jon."

"I'm serious! My mom can be scarier than Doomsday. My dad even said so!"

That made Kathy laugh again, and Jon felt a little lighter. He leaned closer to her to say, "Hey, I'm glad you have people looking out for you. It can't be easy doing things alone..."

A tinge of guilt hit him as Kathy's expression shifted from soft to serious. Her gaze grew distant, and after a long pause, she admitted, "No, it's not easy..."

The desire to offer her comfort was stronger than anything, but his attention shifted once their destination came into view. "Oh, looks like we've arrived."

Kathy glanced at him, and together, they descended back to the ground. They were standing in front of a bricked homeless shelter. Jon had never been to a shelter before, and seeing it brought some conflicting thoughts. On one side, it was good that the government provided a place to stay for those in need, but the condition of the building left much to be desired. The entrance had two wide glass doors with the green paint now faded and chipped, revealing the dull metal beneath. The bricks were darkened by layers of dirt and pollution with patches of moss creeping into cracks. The building was clearly old, which was fine, but was it actually habitable?

A quick X-ray snoop gave him the answer he did not want to know. The orange tile on the entrance was cracked and grimy, and on the main floor was a shared kitchen that was not only messy but ultimately atrocious. Dirty dishes were piled high in the sink, some half-submerged in murky water that had clearly been sitting for far too long, the counters were cluttered with stains and spilled food, and there was mold in one of the pots used to feed the shelters' residents.

Then, there was the second floor. The common area turned out to be a cramped maze of metal bunk beds and cots, stacked too close together. The mattresses were thin, and Jon doubted they were comfortable to sleep in, but what was even worse was how thin the blankets were. Superboy narrowed his eyes, pushing his supervision deeper into the building. There wasn't even a heater in any of those rooms, only an AC unit in the lobby. Hopefully, it was a centralized system that could push enough heat to spread through the rest of the building, but something in his gut told him that was far from the truth. Those people were shivering.

So this was where the shelter residents stayed, and they were all forced to share the same room? Jon had no idea. Only the third floor had private rooms available, but even those spaces didn't look too great, with mold growing on the wall in one of the rooms. In one of the private rooms, Jon spotted a family of four with two small children and two very stressed parents. The youngest child couldn't be older than one. She was a baby. And she was crying, clearly distressed.

"She's getting sick again, Tom. What are we going to do?"

Jon didn't mean to eavesdrop on the family with his super hearing, but sometimes it was inevitable. The murmurs around him, the sighs, the whimpers of a baby, the pounding of people's heartbeat... It all slipped into his ears, whether he wanted to hear it or not. The young hero clenched his jaw, trying to tune out the sounds, but it was like trying to ignore a flashing neon sign in the middle of the night. His dad made it look so easy to keep his senses in check.

"Damn it!" The man walked over to the door and slammed the wall, "It's this damn shithole! I'm sick and tired of this place!"

"This is what happens when you go bankrupt, Thomas! We need to find a source of income, quickly!"

"What do you think I've been doing all this time, Katie? I'm trying, Kate! I'm trying!"

The one-year-old baby's cries grew louder. Her tiny face was flushed, her nose red and runny, and each cough rattled in her small chest.

Jon blinked, temporarily shutting down his X-ray vision and finally tuning out his hearing too. Those residents weren't just a bunch of criminals or low-lives taking advantage of the system. They were families who were actually struggling. The discovery made Jon feel sick to the stomach.

If only he was as great at writing as his mom, he could report this shelter immediately and expose it all. The poor conditions, the likely long hours people must have spent getting the help they needed, and the lack of heat in the shared and private rooms. Jon could already see it: he'd be standing up in front of a crowd, demanding change immediately. His article would make front-page news, and his call for action would not only be made known to the public but it would be listened to. Inspections would increase, and new laws would be enforced.

Or he could be like his dad and fly directly to the mayor's office. His respect and reputation would gain listening ears, and changes would be made. Or, better yet, he could show up to the United Nations himself to improve not only the shelters, but the entire healthcare system and poverty. There was so much work that needed to be done.

"Superboy?" Kathy called, pulling his attention away from the storm of thoughts crashing in his mind. "You have that look on your face again. What's wrong?"

Jon blinked, coming back to his senses, "Oh-it's nothing, it's just... Do you think this shelter is not receiving enough funds?"

"Huh?"

"I mean, look at this place," Jon pointed to the shelter in front of them, "It looks awful. I've never been to a homeless shelter before, but this is no way to live. I can't believe no one's doing anything about it either! Why isn't the State inspecting the shelters better? Does no one care about those in need?"

Kathy watched him closely before giving him a sympathetic look. "Let me guess. Now you're wondering what you can do to help."

"Well, yeah! I'm Superboy, Kathy. If the government refuses to help people in need, it's up to me to do something about it! If change doesn't start with people like us, then who will it start with? Who else is gonna make sure all these people get the help they deserve?"

Kathy sighed softly, her blue eyes gazing at the run-down shelter. "I understand where you're coming from, Jon," she said quietly, "But you can't fix the world's problems overnight. Even Superman has limits, you know? You can't change an entire system with a punch or a flying kick."

Jon's jaw tightened, his frustration bubbling up again. "But this... this isn't just a system. It's people. People who have nowhere to sleep, no food, no real hope. And we're just standing here, doing nothing. How is that okay? I mean, we only came here because of an investigation, when really, we should be more concerned about the root of the problem. Why focus on one individual who stumbled across Vertigo drugs when there are millions of other addicts or people in poverty in even worse situations? How did they get involved with these bad things in the first place? What are we doing to prevent these problems from even happening?"

"Jonny, calm down," His childhood friend stepped in front of him so he could focus on her instead, "I know you want to help everyone at the same time, but you can't change the whole world with a single act. You have to start small... Sometimes, helping only one person can be more than enough. Like Jesse, for example. Give him and his family, if he has one, something they can hold onto."

Jon's shoulders slumped. "So, I'll just help him tonight, and that's it?"

"For now, yes," Kathy smiled softly, "Then you can do more things to more people as time goes by. It might not be everything, but it's something. And who knows? Maybe one day, your small act will inspire someone else to do the same."

"You really think so?"

She looked to the side and shrugged with a cute smile tugging at her lips, "It did with me. When I first came to Hamilton with my grandpa, we had nothing. We were simply refugees with no place to go and little hope for a normal life. Then I met you and saw how much love you have for life and how dedicated you are to being a hero. And that, well... It inspired me."

Jon's heart gave a small, unexpected flutter. He'd always been so focused on doing good just because that was the right thing to do and it was what his parents had taught him that it never occurred to him he could be more than that. Being a true symbol of hope like his dad... Now, that was something else. 

"Wow. I... I never knew I could actually inspire anyone like that."

"You do, Jon. More than you realize." They stood there for a moment, staring at each other before Kathy blinked and went back to business. "Now, shall we go in?"

"Uh? Ah, yeah-!" Jon replied, barely realizing how lost he was in Kathy's eyes for a second there.

"Okay, how do you want to do this? We could use our powers to break in and search for Jesse, or we could pretend we're social workers and ask the receptionist to call Jesse for us."

"Hm... I'm leaning toward your second idea there, but how are we going to make them think we're social workers? I mean, look at us! No one will believe us." Jon pointed to himself and Kathy, who were dressed in their hero attires.

Kathy pointed to her head, "I'll trick them with my mind, silly!"

"Ohh, right!" Jon wanted to facepalm himself for his forgetfulness. Of course Kathy was capable of changing other people's perception of how they looked, making it seem they were two grown-ups rather than just kids.

"It's a plan, then."

They walked into the shelter, and Kathy concentrated closely on the brown-haired receptionist. Jon didn't notice a single change being made, but the brunette immediately looked up from her computer to greet the new visitors, her eyes locking onto a spot at her own eye level, which was humorous since Jon and Kathy were much shorter than where the receptionist was staring. Yet to her, they must have looked like fully grown adults. The illusion held strong.

"Good evening! How can I help you?" The receptionist asked.

"Hello. My name is Katherine Brandt, and I am here with my associate, Finn Connors." Jon smiled at Kathy for remembering his alter ego. "We're Jesse Hayes' social workers and we are here to check up on him. Is he here, by chance? Could you call him for us?"

The receptionist's face shifted immediately, her eyes widening as she looked up at them. "Oh."

"Oh?" Kathy asked again, raising an eyebrow. Did she not make herself clear?

The brunette moved some of the papers on her desk out of her way, and she seemed flustered. "I thought you had already been notified, I'm so sorry..."

The frown on Kathy's face deepened. "What happened?"

After pursing her lips and staring down at her papers for a while, the receptionist finally answered. "Jesse and his father had to be expelled this morning." She slid a document across the desk. "Here's the eviction notice."

Kathy took the paper rather aggressively, her eyes scanning through the eviction as if the paper contained the answers she was looking for. "What? Why?"

The receptionist shifted again, her expression apologetic, but also troubled. "I-I'm so sorry, Miss Brandt. I thought a message had already been sent out to the social workers. Jesse's father... Well, he was pretty violent to one of our residents during lunch. It was an altercation, and after the staff intervened, it became clear that Jesse's father wasn't willing to cooperate. We had no choice but to kick them out."

Kathy's grip on the eviction notice tightened. Jon wasn't sure what to say, but he decided to ask, "Any idea of where they could've gone? This shelter was supposed to help them."

The receptionist shrugged with a look of uncertainty on her face. "No, sir. And even if we did know, that would be confidential, even for you. I'm sorry..." Her helplessness then shifted into a friendly demeanor as if nothing had happened, "Is there anything I can do to help?"

"No, thank you..." Kathy said, returning the notice to the lady at the front desk.

As they walked out of the building, Kathy turned to her friend. "What now?"

Jon glanced at her before his eyes fixed on the building once more. "I'm not sure."

Titan Tower

"I'm hungry!"

Maya slapped her forehead lightly as she realized the time. "Oh, shoot, it's already dinner time! Um, we don't really have much, and I'd have to run to the store..." She rushed to the fridge smeared with tiny mustard fingerprints covering the door. The fridge was nearly empty with a couple of vegetables, an old carton of eggs, and a half gallon of milk left.

Lian patiently waited as Maya closed the fridge with a sigh. "Okay, we might have to order something. What do you kids want to eat?"

"I like Mac n Cheese!" Lian chirped brightly.

Maya gave the girl a disconcerted look. "Hm... I'm not sure if we have any left..." She went over to the pantry, quickly scanning the shelves for the familiar blue box. She searched through the half-empty cereal boxes and canned goods, but there was no Mac n Cheese to be found.

Meanwhile, Mar'i was next to her uncle, brooding with her arms crossed. Those two had been arguing ever since the team had left.

" I. Want. Mustard !" Mar'i shouted in her high-pitched voice, but Damian refused to give in to her demands.

"You're not having more mustard, Mar'i. You've had plenty enough."

Mar'i stomped her foot, her voice rising in defiance. "But I want it! "

Damian could play this game all night, it seemed. If only he wasn't so stubborn, Maya could help by intervening and proposing something for Mar'i to compromise, but she wasn't quite sure how to help.

"That's too bad because you're not getting it!"

"BUT I WANT IT!"

"I know how to make mac n cheese, you know?" Lian said suddenly as if there wasn't any yelling going on in the background. "Auntie Artemis taught me. Can I go make it?"

Lian Harper making more mess? No, thanks.

Maya guided the young girl out of the kitchen by gently pushing her back. "You're staying faaar away from that kitchen, missy. Besides, I just looked, and we don't have any Mac n Cheese left. I'm sorry..."

Lian's shoulders slumped in disappointment, but before she could say anything more, Mar'i's voice rang out again, catching their attention.

"I want it, I want it, I WANT IT!" Mar'i drawled out the last part. 

"You're not having more mustard, and that's final!" Damian yelled right back at her, making the toddler throw herself on the ground in her tantrum.

Okay, this was getting out of control. Maya needed to intervene; Break the tension, something.

"Geez, these kids are so demanding." She teased, though Damian barely paid any attention to her. "Tell you what, how does pizza sound, huh? Everyone loves pizza!"

Much to Maya's relief, Lian's face brightened instantly, "Mmm, pizza!"

But from behind, the fight was still going on. "You drop that attitude right now, Mar'i!"

Damian's final words must have hit Mar'i Grayson like an ocean wave crashing against a rock because the toddler was now screeching in fury. With a scream so loud that it could be a match to Black Canary's, the young girl curled her small hands into fists and her green eyes started glowing menacingly.

Concerned with what was about to happen, Maya protectively stood in front of Lian and used her arm as a shield. "Uh-oh..." She backed away slowly.

Hiding behind her, Lian timidly asked, "Are her eyes... Glowing?"

"Mar'i, don't you dare--!" Damian tried to warn, but he was too late.

Her shriek echoed through the room as starbolt beams flared to life. A burst of energy shot from her eyes, and before anyone could react, the kitchen chair closest to them exploded into splinters, and now there were small pieces of wood spread all across the floor.

"Ah, cool. We were missing a final touch to my already destroyed kitchen." Maya remarked sarcastically.

Damian, however, did not share her laid-back mood. He turned to his niece with ire in his eyes, "Mar'i! You could've hurt someone! That is no way to react just because you're not getting what you want!"

Looking at him in defiance, the young girl spat back, "Maw'i hate you!"

"Hate me all you want, I don't care! I'm not going to give in to your demands just because you're throwing a tantrum! That's not how this works!"

Maddened, Mar'i screeched again and shot yet another beam from her eyes right in Maya's direction. Maya was lucky she was fast because she was able to duck and push Lian to the ground with her. They avoided the blast, which ended up hitting the kitchen wall right above the stove, leaving a scorched mark behind.

The blast being so close to hitting them sent Damian into a full rage.

"That's it! Go to the room. Now! "

Stubborn just like her uncle, the little girl defied him with her arms crossed, "No!"

"You almost injured Maya and Lian, Mar'i! Now, go to your room before you face any harsher consequences." Mar'i didn't move, so Damian raised his voice at her again, "I said, now, Mar'i! You're lucky that's all you get! With an attitude like that, you would've been locked inside a box in the middle of the desert with no food or water for an entire day until you learn to be more respectful! Now, go!"

Saying that not only got her to listen, but it made Mar'i Grayson break into tears as she ran to Damian's room with the most heartbreaking sobbing. Maya stood there, speechless, as she watched the toddler cry out. Now that the threat was gone, Lian was no longer hiding behind her, but Maya still couldn't believe what she just heard.

"Damian... Is that what Ra's did to you?"

Damian didn't meet her eyes, staring at the ground instead. So it was true. Maya couldn't fathom how someone could be so cruel and lock a child inside a box over misbehaving. How old was Damian when he went through this? What other suffering did he have to go through while being raised by the League of Shadows? Maya wasn't sure if she wanted to know.

Softly, Maya reached out to her dear friend, "She's only two, Dames. Go talk to her and apologize. I'll order the pizzas. And don't worry, I'll get you a veggie pizza too!"

Damian slowly nodded and followed her advice, thankfully.

Maya didn't see it, but she could already imagine Damian finding his niece curled up in the corner of his room in a tight spot that only a toddler could fit right between the bed and the nightstand. Her face must have been buried in her knees as the poor girl sobbed.

"Hey, Mar'i..." Damian said softly as he got inside the room.

Mar'i looked up at her uncle but cried out again, her eyes peaking over the top of her knees. "Uncle Dami mean to me..."

"I know, I know..." He didn't say anything, probably wondering what Dick would do. "I'm sorry, Mar'i."

The little girl kept crying, though her sobs had subsided by now, so Damian moved closer. After a long pause, he asked, "Do you want a... Hug?" He asked as if that was the strangest thing to say to someone. 

It must have caught Damian off guard when Mar'i's mood instantly shifted as she replied with a heartbeat amongst her tears, "Yes!"

She was Dick Grayson's daughter, alright. The girl jumped on her uncle's arms and hugged him tightly. "Maw'i like you, Uncle Dami!"

"Oh, good." Her uncle responded, looking at her fondly while she was still in his arms. "Does that mean I'm back to your favorite uncle list?"

"Yeah!"

"Perfect."

Despite having overheard them, Maya pretended she hadn't heard a thing. She missed part of their conversation anyway since she was on the phone ordering pizza and also talking to Jon. After a while, Damian joined them again while carrying his little niece. His phone then buzzed in with a notification, making him frown. He put Mar'i back on the floor so he could check his phone.

"Huh? Why is there a twenty-thousand-dollar charge on my credit card?"

Maya waved at her friend dismissively, "Oh, that? It was Jon, don't worry! I was talking to him just now and I told him you wouldn't mind, so I gave your credit card number to him."

"What?" Damian raised his voice again, his irritation increasing like earlier, "Maya, what the hell? Why would you do that? And what is Jon doing at a grocery store? He has a mission to accomplish!"

"Relax, he's just getting some food and blankets to help the homeless shelter."

"Are you kidding me?"

Maya crossed her arms and raised her eyebrows cynically. "Come on, Dames. You're telling me $20,000 is gonna make a dent? I remember you paid Slade 5 million dollars just to get him off my back. What's so wrong about Jon using a little cash to help a bunch of homeless people?"

"Everything is wrong, Maya!" Damian stormed in Maya's direction and snatched the Titan phone from her hand. "You're never getting my credit card again! From now on, I'll be paying the Tower bills, not you. And I'm calling Jon."

Angrily, he dialed Jon's number from Maya's phone. He put his friend on speaker when Jon answered with a "Hello?"

"Jonathan!" Damian scolded, "What do you think you're doing spending my money with random groceries? Have you met with Hayes yet?"

"Sorry, D, Maya said it was okay! I'll just pay you back, then. I promise!"

"With what, your father's salary? Great joke! Now, what are you doing?"

"I'm sorry, this shelter is lacking a lot of funding, so I bought some food, better blankets, and a couple of heater units too."

"Since when you're the shelter's technician, Jon? What's the status of the investigation?"

"Jesse is missing. He and his dad got kicked out of the shelter this morning."

"He's missing? He's missing and you decided to go grocery shopping?!"

"I know, I'm using my super speed for a reason! Hey, I gotta go,  but I'll call you back, alright? I'm kinda busy carrying out all these grocery bags."

"You are not hanging up on me, Jonathan!" And just like that, the call dropped, making Damian even angrier. "That fool! I knew I should be the one going after Hayes! We don't have time for distractions!"

"I think you can chill." Maya retorted, simply.

"Jesse Hayes is missing, Maya! He might have been caught by now! I should be out there doing something instead of sitting idly at the Tower babysitting!"

Maya sighed. "Dames, you know Jon and Kathy are more than capable of handling this. If Jon is taking a quick detour, let him. He has super speed, you silly. If things get worse, they'll call us. Everything is going to be just fine."

Damian crossed his arms in defiance the way he always did since she met him at thirteen. He then made his infamous Tt sound he always did when he knew someone else was right but was too prideful to admit it.

"By the way, the pizza should be here at any minute!" Maya smiled at the thought of food, but her eyes widened as she remembered something quite important. "Oh shoot, Goliath! He's gonna scare our pizza guy!"

Maya and Damian rushed downstairs with the kids following behind them. As they arrived at the huge backyard near the metal entrance door, they saw a giant man-bat with red fur sleeping softly, unbothered by the chilly wind. Even though he was deep asleep, the moment everyone approached him, his ears perked up. Goliath opened his wide eyes, his wings fluttering in a state of alarm, but once he noticed who was there, a smile appeared on his silly face and a pleased rumble came from him. 

"He's awake!" Pointed out Lian, rushing behind Maya for protection. Her hands gripped tightly against Maya's jeans, which was pretty adorable.

"Hey, it's okay... Do you wanna pet him?" Maya asked the girl tenderly, "I promise he won't bite!"

But Lian was still hesitant. "Are you sure..?"

"Yeah, go for it!"

Mar'i, on the other hand, didn't share the same fear. She rushed to the big ol' bat as she squealed, "Kitty!"

"He's not a cat! And not so fast, Mar'i, you're gonna scare him!" Damian rushed to his niece, who was already jumping at Goliath without warning. Goliath gruffed, anxious, but thankfully Mar'i's sweet nature made him warm up to her.  

The man-bat accepted her hug and showed his approval for her by licking the girl right in the face, making her break into giggles.

"He licking me!" Mar'i giggled, wiping her face but laughing all the while.

"Alright, Goliath, enough with the licking!" Lectured Damian, pushing his pet's face away from Mar'i's, but that only prompted the man-bat to go to him instead, tackling his owner to the ground to lick his face. He adored Damian.

"Enough! Stop with that, stupid bat!" Damian grumbled, shoving the pet away as he wiped his face.

"No say stupid, Uncle Damian."

"Of course you can say 'stupid'. It's not even a bad word."

After laughing at those two, Maya turned her attention back to Lian. "Ready?"

Lian nodded, though uncertainty lingered in her expression. Maya gave her a gentle push, encouraging her to be closer to the bat. Lian glanced at Maya as if seeking reassurance, before taking slow, cautious steps forward. She looked up at the massive red ball of fur and finally mustered the courage to reach out and stroke his back.

Goliath was in a bubbly mood, so naturally, he gladly welcomed the affectionate gesture and leaned closer to Lian to get her to pet him more.

A bright smile widened on the brown-haired girl's face, "He's so soft!"

"Right?" Maya grinned.

Not as careful as the older girl, though, Mar'i jumped at Goliath again, burying her hands in his neck before poking his nose.

"Poke! Poke!"

Goliath was on the verge of sneezing, and Damian pulled his niece out of the way before they were buried in a mess of bat snot. Because that would be disgusting.

"Careful, Mar'i! He's not a toy!"

"Maw'i love kitty!"

"And he's not a cat either!!"

Maya laughed, but her grin went away after hearing the distant roar of a motorcycle from behind. "Shoot, it's the pizza guy! Hurry!"

Damian also looked up and immediately helped his friend untie Goliath's collar from the metal pole anchored to the ground.

With a hand running along Goliath's mane, Damian gently spoke, "Okay, boy, we have to get you inside for now, alright?"

Maya couldn't help but pet the man-bat as well while gently holding his collar. "Yep, we don't want to scare our food delivery guy."

Together, they led the man-bat to the Tower's garage, the girls trailing behind. As soon as that was done, Maya rushed outside to meet with the delivery guy. Carrying the boxes was no problem until Lian decided it would be a great idea to help.

"Here! I can help you!"

"Thank you, Lian, but I'm alright! It's all good–" Maya tried to say on her way to the kitchen, but Lian was already snatching one of the boxes.

The grip angle was so terrible, that the box started tilting sharply to the side. Lian tried to balance the pizza box in her hands, but it slipped before she could get a much better grip, falling straight to the ground.

"Oops."

Thankfully, the pizza was still intact, but its contents were another story. There were pieces of cheese and pepperoni shifted to the side in a chaotic mess inside the box.

"Allow me," Damian said stoically as he helped clean up the mess. Maya was surprised he didn't act in anger this time. Maybe the exhaustion was getting to him and he didn't have much else left in him to react, or maybe it was because the pizza that had fallen was the one with pepperoni in it, and not the sacred veggie pizza that he loved so much.

Maya handed a slice of messy pepperoni pizza to Lian, and the trio ate in silence until Maya noticed something... Why were they a trio in the first place?

"Where's Mar'i?"

Damian looked around him. "She was right behind me! Where did she go?"

Maya and Damian exchanged a look of despair before they practically flew downstairs. They frantically called for the little girl when they noticed another alarming problem.

The garage was empty.

Mar'i was gone.

And so was Goliath.

New Jersey

After several trips at super speed, Jon finally managed to complete his side quest to feed the residents with fresh food from the grocery store, gift them with some warm blankets, and two brand new heater units. Kathy helped by delivering food to the rest of the residents, and she was no longer appearing to others as a social worker, but as herself, Beacon. Some of the employees felt exasperated, busy calming down all the commotion, but the residents were louder and showered the young heroes with gratitude.

Everyone was beyond amazed by the diversity of meals provided to them, and even the shelter workers didn't know what to say about the generosity. Jon instructed the shelter program manager with the authority of his father to have the heaters installed so no one would ever be freezing again, and Jon was pleased to hear that the task would be done immediately. He may not be a reporter or a member of the Justice League yet, but it felt good to make a difference. Beacon and Superboy were almost done, but there was one family that Jon still needed to visit before they went looking for Jesse Hayes.

Superboy flew to the second floor to one of the private rooms where a family of four resided. The dad was not in the room anymore, but in the corner was a young child playing with a dirty sock, pretending it was a puppet, while her mother was busy trying to shush her crying, sick baby when a gentle knock on the window got her attention.

An eyebrow was arched at the flying hero, and the woman slowly walked closer to the window, skeptical. The toddler looked up too, but she hid behind her mother for safety.

"Hi, I'm Superboy!" Greeted Jon on the other side of the window. He could've easily broken in or come through the door, but he didn't want to startled the poor woman.

The mother hesitated, but she eventually unlocked the window. Superboy flew inside, carrying several shopping bags with him. He quickly closed the window behind him to block the freezing air from entering the room and turned to the woman.

"Thanks, it's a little cold outside! Anyway, I brought some things for your family, sorry it's not a lot!" Jon started emptying the grocery bags, placing some fresh fruit, toddler snacks, chips, cupcakes, juices, and water bottles on the small table near the door. From the other larger bag, he pulled out a comfortable fleece blanket and placed the folded blanket on top of the bed.

The mother watched the boy empty out all his bags with her jaw dropped, at a complete loss for words.

The little girl was the first to say something, "Wooah, that is so much food!"

Her mother finally spoke as her eyes started watering, "Oh, wow! This is too much, I--"

But Jon wasn't done. Bringing another bag next to him, he pulled out several over-the-counter medications. "I heard your little one is not feeling too well. Not sure what she has, so I got lots of meds! The pharmacist recommended these ones for cold and cough and they're all natural, or so he claims." Jon showed the mother all the different brands of cough syrup he purchased from the store.

"Oh my goodness, thank you, thank you--" The mother immediately broke into tears. "I don't know what to say..."

Her crying made Superboy feel a bit awkward, so he just went to his final bag. He took the toys out of the bag as well as a unicorn plushie for the older toddler and a couple of baby toys for the one-year-old.

Flying closer to the little girl, Jon handed her the unicorn, "Here you go! This one is for you."

The little girl's brown eyes shined in awe at the sight of her pink unicorn, which she gladly took from Jon, "Wow! Are you Santa Claus?"

Her innocence made Jon laugh. "Not quite!"

"What do we say, sweetie?" Asked the mom, signaling her older daughter to show good manners.

"Thank you!" Came the sweet, high-pitched voice from the little one.

Superboy was getting ready to leave and meet with Beacon outside when the door suddenly yanked open. The father of the family had returned, carrying several grocery bags in his arms.

"Katie, Katie! You won't believe this - a couple of teenage heroes just dropped all this food and--" His words faltered as his eyes landed on Superboy, who stood in the center of the room, a warm smile on his face.

The man's breath hitched. "It was you!"

Superboy gave a small nod. "Yep!"

The grocery bags were dropped on the floor, and the older man wrapped Jon in a firm, but grateful embrace. "Thank you! Thank you so much!"

Jon stiffened, surprised at the overwhelming gratitude. Before he could even respond, the mother rushed to their side with teary eyes.

"Yes, thank you." She said. After the father stepped back, it was the wife's turn to give Superboy one last hug.

"We'll never forget this day." Her voice then dropped to a whisper, "Thank you for giving us a new meaning of hope."

Jon blinked, caught off guard, his cheeks warming slightly. "Anytime, ma'am! Oh, and sir," he turned to the husband, "if you're looking for work, I'd suggest moving to Metropolis. It's a great place to live, and my mom said they're booming with jobs right now. Just a thought!"

With that, he turned and flew out the window, waving goodbye to the family, who happily waved back at him.

***

In the sky, he met with Beacon, who was watching him with admiring eyes.

"What?" He asked, innocently.

She shook her head with a small smile. "You. Rather than helping just one person, you started by helping over 200 people tonight. That must be why they call you Super!"

Jon glanced to the side, letting out a nervous chuckle. "Hah, I try..." His smile faded slightly as he looked up. The sky had darkened even more, thick clouds swirling overhead. Rain was coming, and they still hadn't looked for Jesse. His brows furrowed.

"Kathy, what if we can't find Jesse tonight? What if he's in danger?"

"I've got good news." She adjusted her stance midair. "While I don't like invading people's minds, I did a quick scan throughout the neighborhood; Just skimming synapses, nothing too intrusive. One of the men I scanned possessed a fresh memory of a teenage boy and his father heading to a subway station. I believe that was Jesse."

Superboy's eyes lit up. "Really?! Amazing work, Kat! You're awesome!"

"Let's not celebrate yet... Hopefully it's a real lead."

A lead was better than nothing.

Without any longer delays, Superboy shot forward, his super hearing and vision tuning in to the nearest subways. His eyes glowed faintly as he scanned through layers of concrete and steel, searching for heat signatures. Then, he spotted someone.

"Kat! I think I see him!"

"Jesse Hayes?"

"Yes, over there!" Jon pointed, catching sight seeing a lone figure curled up in the corner of an empty station, his clothes thin against the creeping cold. The kid's dad was not around, but maybe he was nearby somewhere.

Superboy flew to the station with Beacon following behind. That subway station displayed a maintenance sign indicating that entry was prohibited, so it made sense why Jesse would choose to hide there. The moment they floated down the subway, Jon scrunched his nose. The air smelled like filth. Graffiti was sprayed on the tiled walls and there was trash littering the floor, which explained the smell. The automated announcement system garbled train schedules for a train that would never come.

As they flew further, a random thought escaped his mind.

"I feel a little bad for Damian now..."

Beacon frowned. "Huh? Why?"

He shrugged. "I don't know. He got left behind when he loves this type of stuff. He likes being in action."

Kathy rolled her eyes. She didn't seem too fond of Damian. "I'm sure he can survive one night being benched. Besides, he's watching his niece. That is his responsibility, not yours. So don't start thinking how should've stayed at the Tower in case any crazy thoughts come to your head about blaming yourself."

"Yeah... You're right. Alright, there!" Superboy pointed again.

In the farthest corner of the platform, a dirty blonde-haired kid in his mid-teens was curled up on the cold concrete bench, his thin, navy-blue hoodie doing little to shield him from the night's chill. His arms were wrapped tightly around himself, and his face was half-hidden in the crook of his elbow. Next to him sat a worn-out gray backpack, its zipper barely holding together.

Superboy exchanged a curious look with Beacon before he moved closer.

"Psst. Jesse?" He whispered.

Surprisingly, the kid groggily opened his eyes and asked, "Dad? You back yet..?" But as he looked up and saw the teenage heroes, he stood up and immediately got into a fighting stance. "Who the hell are you? What do you want?"

"Hey, it's okay!" Superboy raised his hands in surrender, "We're not here to hurt you, I promise!"

"Yeah, right! Stay away from me, you freaks!" The blonde-haired kid reached for his jeans and pulled out a pocket knife.

Beacon approached him cautiously, "Jesse, we just want to talk. We don't mean any harm."

"How do you know my name?" He shouted, pointing the pocket knife at Beacon as if that was a threat. "Get away from me!"

Then, instead of fighting, Jesse turned around and started running, but Superboy was obviously faster. Before Jesse could jump on the empty subway track, Superboy hovered in front of him, blocking his path. The kid was about to retaliate with his knife but he stopped as he noticed something for the first time.

The kid's blue-green eyes gazed at Superboy's chest for a second. "The hell?" He paused. "That S..."

"Yes?" Superboy asked carefully.

Jesse's thick eyebrows furrowed deeper like Jon was doing something wrong by wearing his jacket. "That symbol belongs to Superman."

Superboy eased up, now that he knew what was troubling the older teenager. "Oh, yeah, I know, hehe. It's kinda the point. He's my inspiration, you know?"

"Big deal!" Jesse shouted again, suddenly. "People like you and Superman don't do shit to help folks like my dad and I!"

"Woah, woah. Jesse, calm down... What happened to your dad?"

"Stop saying my name!" Jesse said, his anger increasing by the minute.

"Okay, okay, I'll stop!" Superboy thought carefully about his next words. "How about we just have a friendly conversation, tell me what happened. Maybe I can help!"

"Help? From you?" Now Jesse was laughing. Did that kid have some sort of bipolar disorder? "You're funny. Where was the great Superman when my dad got kidnapped, huh?"

Jon widened his eyes in surprise. "What happened to him? Is he still missing?"

"I saved his life, but at a cost." The expression on the older kid's face darkened. "And now I'm a damn freak just like you!"

Superboy frowned in confusion, and that was when Beacon appeared from behind. "What do you mean by freak?" The blonde asked, overprotective of her friend.

A thunder rang out in the sky, and the rain started pouring.

Jesse looked to the side and scoffed. "I'm done talking to you two. I'mma find my dad."

He stormed out, but Beacon blocked his way. "You're not going anywhere until you tell us what happened to you and your father."

Shoving her to the side, he spat, "Out of my way, you bitch!"

Superboy immediately stood in front of his childhood friend, blocking her with his arms protectively, while facing directly at Jesse. "Hey! That is no way to talk to my friend, do you hear me?"

His eyes flared menacingly, but Jesse laughed.

"You think I'm afraid of a little laser beam? Go ahead!" He walked up to Superboy, their chests nearly touching as he defiantly challenged, "Do it."

Jon calmed down, the pupil in his eyes reappearing. He wasn't going to hurt a citizen. But he was caught off guard when Jesse suddenly lunged forward, seizing him by the arms. With a surge of unexpected strength, one that mirrored his father's, Jesse hurled Superboy across the wall, the impact creating a hole in the wall.

"Ow..." Superboy rubbed his head. That hurt.

"He has powers!" Beacon announced, alarmed, "I knew it!"

"No shit, Sherlock! I told you, I'm a freak too!" Jesse remarked, "So, wanna dance, princess? I'll take you down just like I did with your little boyfriend."

Beacon narrowed her eyes at him but didn't allow herself to be provoked so easily. "Why can't you just talk to us?"

"'Cause I don't owe you shit! Now, get out of my way before I- AGHH!"

Jesse's words cut off into a strangled cry as his legs dropped to the floor, his hands clutching at his messy hair.

Superboy pushed himself up from the ground and quickly scanned the abandoned subway for any unseen attackers. There must have been someone else hiding that escaped Jon's senses; Otherwise, who could've struck Jesse? But there was no one else there.

Only Kathy.

The girl's eyes went cold as she reached further into Jesse's mind, twisting his neurons like a puppet on invisible strings. His knees buckled and his face contorted in pain as he let out an excruciating groan.

"Get out of my head, get out of my head!" Jesse wasn't just asking. He was begging.

Beacon looked down at the kid as if he were worse than scum. "I'm not quite in your head, Jesse," she said coolly. "I'm simply interfering with your neurons, disrupting the synaptic transmissions between your frontal cortex and the rest of your body. Right now, your brain is making you think you're in pain, when you're not, really. I can stop... If you start talking."

Superboy blinked. He didn't think it was possible for someone to sound more intimidating than Robin when extracting information.

"Fine, fine, I'll talk! Just make it stop, please!"

Beacon kept looking down on him and did nothing. Jon had to shout at her, "Beacon! He said he'll talk!"

His friend glanced at Jon indifferently but obliged. With a simple flick of her hand, the illusory pain disappeared, making Jesse gasp for air as if he had been choked earlier.

He was on his knees as he panted and rubbed his neck, "Fuck! This is worse than that Vertigo shit."

"Vertigo?" Superboy repeated in urgency while Jesse used one of his knees as support to stand up, "So Count Vertigo already got to you? What did he do to you?"

"Ungh..." Jesse closed his eyes tightly and rubbed his head, but he shook it off. "What didn't he do to me is what you should be asking..."

"Stop wasting our time and tell us what happened," Beacon ordered.

Jesse was ready to tell them everything when the voice of an older man echoed in the subway from behind.

"Jesse?"

Chapter Text

"Damn it! Where did they go?"

The night sky was darkened by heavy clouds, with not a single star in sight. Maya was surprised by how quickly the whole day had gone by. It was already past eight; the kids should've been fed and asleep by now, and Dick and Roy hadn't even bothered to come back and pick up their little ones yet. Not that it was a bad thing, considering how Maya and Damian somehow managed to lose Mar'i and Goliath in the middle of the night, right before dinner.

It was an eventful evening, alright.

The cold wind outside made Lian shiver, prompting her to move closer and press herself against Maya's waist for warmth. Maya rubbed the girl's arms, offering what little heat she could, as she glanced over her friend. Damian was carrying that worried look he always had whenever he beat himself over something. His brow furrowed, his lips pressed in a tight line, and his jaw tightened.

He kept anxiously searching the sky as if he could miraculously catch sight of Goliath suddenly. Maya wanted to touch his hand and offer comforting words to ease the tension, but she knew that wouldn't work right now. No, she had to come up with a solution first, which was when it came to her: Her whistle! The one she always used to call Goliath and make him listen. It worked great for getting him to stop pestering those poor fishermen whenever Goliath got greedy and tried to steal their food.

A bright smile spread across Maya's face once she reached for the long, bronze whistle in her pocket. "Here, I got my whistle!"

Damian looked at her, surprised.

A surge of confidence rushed through Maya as she looked up at the dark sky and called out, "Goliath! Come here, boy!" She raised the whistle to her lips, and a loud noise cut through the air. The sound carried far, as it always had, and Maya could already picture Goliath happily bounding back to her with little Mar'i riding on his back, both eager to greet them back with a massive hug.

They were all going to have a sweet moment together, and everything would be fine, except... no one came.

Maya's smile faltered.

It was Lian who broke the silence with her innocent voice. "Maybe Goliath didn't hear you?"

Maya gave the six-year-old a skeptical look before letting out a sigh. "I guess. Let's try again." This time, the sound rang out louder, but once again, nothing.

Eager for her turn, Lian bounced up and down, "Ooh, can I try now?"

Reluctantly, Maya handed over the whistle to the younger girl. Lian's face lit up as if she were holding something magical and out of this world, yet it was just a simple whistle. Excited, Lian took a deep breath and let out the most piercing noise, making Damian and Maya wince and cover their ears.

There was no sign of Goliath, so Lian blew the whistle again and again until Damian sharply turned his back to them.

"Enough of this nonsense." He stormed back to the garage, muttering under his breath, "Stupid Bat..."

"Maybe this time it will work!" Lian insisted, blowing the whistle again, but Maya was also done hearing that annoying noise.

"Okay, I think we've had enough." Maya gently took the whistle from the girl's hand, receiving a disappointed look in return. "Thanks for trying, Lian. Here, how about we follow Damian and see what he's up to, huh?"

Lian was clearly saddened for having her fun taken away, but she was sweet enough not to throw a fit over it.

The two girls returned to the garage, where Damian stood next to a large vehicle concealed beneath a black cover.

"So, what are we gonna do now?" Maya asked as she tried to take a peek at the covered car.

"We're driving. Meet... the Robinmobile."

Dramatically, Damian yanked the cover off, revealing a rather imposing dune buggy-like vehicle. The buggy looked like something out of a desert race with the tires being so exaggerated large. The black exterior was armored, built to take a hit, and there was most likely a hidden spot set to shoot missiles, or something. The leather seats also looked incredibly nice and expensive. The seats in the back were black, while the front ones were red and yellow, resembling Robin's new costume. The most nonsensical part of the whole vehicle, however, was the front. The hood of the buggy bore a large and in-your-face Robin logo, which was hilarious.

So basically, Damian was flashy just like his dad.

Maya couldn't help it; a snort slipped out, and before she knew it, she lost it. She couldn't control her laughter, and the harder she tried to stop, the worse it got. Even Lian joined in, giggling innocently without knowing what was so funny in the first place.

Damian frowned at them. "What? What's wrong with the Robinmobile ?"

That made Maya burst out yet again with a loud gasp, "Oh, so you're serious! That's what you call your car?!"

"Stop laughing, it's not funny!"

Damian was cute when he pouted.

Maya wiped a tear from her eye after laughing so hard. "Sorry, sorry. Ok, let's go to your Robin... Mobile..." The name alone made her laugh all over again. The whole thing was too silly for her not to find humor in it.

Visibly annoyed, Damian unlocked the doors with his gauntlet and slid into the driver's seat. "Tt . Just get in the car. You too, Lian!"

Maya's hand was on the handle when she looked over her shoulder and noticed Lian Harper frozen in place.

"Lian, what's wrong?" Maya waited for her to answer before getting in the passenger seat.

It took a long minute before the younger girl mumbled with her head down, "...There's no booster seat."

"What? " Damian asked incredulously. "What are you talking about?"

"The booster seat. There isn't one."

Damian snapped, "You're six, Lian! At your age, I was flying my mother's jet! Now, hurry up and get inside, already. We don't have all day!"

As always, Damian's words were sweet as honey. So naturally, Lian reacted by stomping her foot on the ground and shouting, "No! Daddy said I should always have a booster seat!"

"Please," Damian scoffed, "since when did your father become the voice of reason? Have you seen the questionable choices he makes every day?"

"Damian!" Maya scolded before crouching to the younger girl's level. She softened her tone once her eyes met Lian's. "It's okay, Lian. What if I sit with you in the back? We'll buckle our seatbelts, and I'll be right next to you if anything happens. Would you be okay with that?"

Lian looked to the side and thought for a moment before she gave a slow, yet sweet nod in a very childlike manner.

With that settled, Damian put on his domino mask and started the car. He was already in his Robin attire, so there was no need to change, and the same applied to Maya, who was also in her Nobody suit.

The buggy's engine roared to life, and they were gone within seconds.

New Jersey - Subway Station

"Jesse? " A hoarse voice made everyone turn around.

A weary-looking man, who looked identical to Jesse, stood protectively close to his son. His clothes were drenched from the rain, and his tired blue eyes were filled with hostility, aimed directly at Superboy and Kathy as he yelled, "Stay away from my son! "

The more Jon paid attention to how Jesse's father looked, the worse he felt about him. The poor man was a mess; Unkempt beard, dark circles hanging under his eyes... He looked like he hadn't slept in weeks. Jon's heightened senses also picked up on the erratic beating of the man's heart, matching the unevenness of his breathing. Jesse's father wasn't just angry, he was terrified.

What happened to them?

"You're not taking him away from me ever again, do you hear me?" The man shouted louder, pushing his son to go further behind him so he could protect him. "You can take me if you have to, but leave my boy alone!"

"Dad--" Jesse tried to say.

Speaking in a softer tone, Superboy approached Jesse's father cautiously, "Sir, we're not gonna hurt anyone, we promise--"

Jon barely finished his thought before Beacon rose into the air toward Jesse's dad. The man shielded his son with his arms, but that meant nothing to Kathy. Emotionless, she pressed her fingers against his forehead, and her mere touch was all it took to make the homeless father collapse to the ground.

" Dad! " Jesse cried out, rushing to his side. He kneeled next to his father and shook him, but there was no response. His father's body was limp and almost lifeless. There was venom in the teenager's voice when he turned to Beacon, "What did you do to him? "

"No more distractions," Beacon replied coldly, looking down at Jesse as if he were inferior to her. "Now, tell us what happened, or I'll do worse than choke you."

Jon glared at his friend in shock. Was all this scare tactic really necessary? Jesse and his father had clearly gone through a lot. The poor kid didn't need more stress right now.

"Alright, alright! Fuck!" Jesse gave in, getting up on his feet. "Just tell me, is my dad gonna be okay?"

The blonde shrugged. "He's not dead, if that's what you're wondering."

"Beacon!" Jon scolded, but at least the older kid seemed less worried now.

"Fine, fine, I'll talk..." Jesse scratched his head, making his hair even messier. "Where do you want me to start?"

Apathetically, Beacon went straight to the point. "Tell us who kidnapped your father."

"I..." Jesse played with the strings of his hoodie nervously before he looked back at Beacon. "I'm not sure. I don't know their names."

Kathy's voice sharpened impatiently. "Will you tell us what happened, or do you want to be unconscious just like your father?"

"Hey..." Superboy touched Kathy's shoulder, which took her by surprise, but it got her to calm down and cut out the 'bad cop' act a little. There was no need to scare Jesse even further. Jon smiled softly at the fellow metahuman and suggested, "Just go with what you can remember, Jesse. How did it all happen?"

The older teenager sighed, "It all started with my dad's job. He works for, um... some shady folks. His job is nothing major, though. He just helps run the shipments, exchange some drugs, and that's it. Low key. But then, one day, his boss stopped paying him. Like, straight up, not a damn cent. So, he snuck in one night and took what he was owed."

Superboy and Beacon exchanged surprised glances. Even though no judgment was shown, Jesse still felt the need to defend himself, "It wasn't stealing, that money was his! My old man gotta pay the bills somehow, you know?"

Superboy nodded, "We understand. Go on."

Jesse clenched his jaw. "Yeah, well, you might get it, but that's not how his boss saw it. Next thing I know, my dad's gone. Vanished. I searched for him everywhere and asked everyone, but no one would talk. Then Count found me."

Superboy raised his eyebrows from the revelation, but he didn't interrupt. Jesse went on, "He told me if I did a favor for him, he'd let my dad go. So... I did it. Anything to get my dad outta trouble."

Jon pressed his lips together, worried. "What did Count Vertigo do to you?"

Jesse looked down, shamefully. "He... drugged me. Over and over. Said he wanted to unlock something inside me, push my limits..."

"Do you remember where you were?" Beacon asked, this time with a tone much softer than earlier.

The teenager shook his head. "No, sorry. All I know is that one day I was at some warehouse talkin' to Count, and the next, I wake up covered in wires. Every day, they locked me in a tube and pumped a bunch of drugs in me. They kept hitting me with tons of stuff, different doses... The drugs would hit, and man, it felt good. I felt stronger. Faster. Like I could take on the whole world!" He raised his hands in the air in triumph, but paused, glaring at the heroes. "That's probably how you two weirdos feel all the time, lucky bastards."

Beacon rolled her eyes, and Superboy didn't react. They let him finish. "But my powers never lasted. The moment it wore off, I was back to being... Nothing. Weak again. That's when they got mad."

"Who got mad?" Superboy asked in urgency.

The teenager shrugged. "Everybody. Scientists. The creepy-ass ninjas. Oh, and the weird Asian lady!"

"Asian lady?" Jon and Kathy repeated in unison.

"Yeah," Jesse nodded with the memory. "She was talkin' in Japanese the whole time, so I didn't understand shit, but she was pissed. Like, full-on screaming at people. Guess they didn't like that the stuff wore off so fast on me. Everyone kept saying I wasn't holding the charge like the others." Jesse let out an annoyed scoff. "Like that was my damn fault."

Beacon squinted her eyes, skeptical, "Are you sure she was Japanese?"

"Well, yeah." Jesse shrugged, "Chinese, Japanese, isn't that the same thing?"

Beacon slapped her face, while Superboy rubbed his face as he asked, "Okay, okay. You said there were others?"

"Yeah. A bunch of random-ass people. Not all of 'em spoke English, though."

Beacon looked at Jon before turning to Jesse, "Any idea of what language they spoke?"

Hopefully that could give them a clue to where Count's operations were being held.

However, the answer came with a shrug. "No clue."

Not much help there, so Beacon gave a tired sigh. "Fine, and what do you remember about this woman? What does she look like?"

Jesse looked up to the side, searching his memory. "Dunno. She was tall, I guess. Sharp face. Dark hair. Real bossy."

Still unhelpful, but at least they were getting somewhere.

Beacon's expression hardened. "Can you remember anything else?"

Jesse's face contorted with uncertainty. "Uh... I didn't get a close look at her or anything... I just know she's a real bitch, " Beacon frowned at the swear word, "and everyone listened when she talked. Like, even Count shut up when she got mad."

Jon and Kathy shared another look. So this confirmed that Count Vertigo's imposter was indeed working for someone.

Superboy had to know more, so he asked, "How did you get out? And what happened to the other people? Were they the same age as you?"

"Nah, they tested on anybody, no matter the age. They'd take teenagers, adults, you name it. Betcha that's what they were gonna do to my old man, but they spared him 'cause of my exchange."

Anxious, Beacon inquired, "What happened to everyone who was experimented on?"

"Well, the ones who got their powers to stick stayed, but the ones who weren't so lucky were..." His voice got quieter. "Um, they didn't make it."

"Jesse," Superboy's heart was beating faster with all this new information. "You still have your powers. They wanted to keep you there, didn't they?"

The blonde-haired boy looked away as he tensed his jaw. "Sorta... I was on their bad list, too. My powers come and go, y'know? One minute, I can throw someone like you through a wall, and the next, I can't even crack a damn window. That made me 'unreliable'... and those folks don't believe in second chances." The teenager was looking down before he perked up with sudden cheerfulness, "But hey, at least I ain't got my stomach stitched up!"

Jon and Kathy widened their eyes.

"Come again?" Superboy leaned forward in confusion.

"You heard me," Jesse's tone was casual. "My dad heard a rumor that they're stitching people's stomachs now. Makes it easier to smuggle drugs, you know? Cheaper, too."

Superboy gave Beacon a look that she immediately understood; It was all connected.

With her curiosity almost killing her, Beacon asked again, "How did you escape?"

Jesse looked at Kathy, and for the first time, he didn't treat her poorly. "I got lucky. The day they decided to get rid of me, my powers kicked in again. They shot me. I felt the bullet hit, felt the blood... but it didn't hurt. Wild, right? Guess my timing was good for once. They thought I was dead, but those drugs saved me."

The older kid flexed his fingers like he could still feel the rush in his veins. "Strength hit me like a damn train. So then, I didn't think twice and ran as fast as I could. Didn't look back. Didn't try to help anyone else. Just ran. Then, I found my dad, and he took me to the shelter. My dad wanted to get us into witness protection, but with the stuff he's done, he was scared he'd just end up behind bars. So we were trying to lay low, but of course we get kicked out of that shitty shelter! All because my dad threw hands with some creep who wanted to make moves on me, the sick fuck!"

Superboy took a slow breath, processing everything he had just learned. There was so much he wanted to do for that kid, he didn't know where to start. Beacon, on the other hand, kept her emotions in check and remained focused on uncovering the full story. She would make a great reporter, Jon thought.

"How about the other survivors? What were they planning to do to them?"

Jesse answered her casually, "Oh, the ones who stayed? I don't know if they made it out alive, but when I was there, everyone was getting trained."

"Trained? Jon frowned. "For what?"

Jesse shifted, opting to stare at the empty subway behind him. He seemed embarrassed when he looked at Superboy. "You're gonna think I'm trippin'. I mean, I did take some stuff earlier... but it was just cocaine, that's all! Nothing crazy, I swear I'm sober!"

That was the opposite of sobriety, but Jon let that slide. "Try us."

Jesse raised his hands defensively, "I ain't making this shit up, man, I swear. Okay, so you know how I said there were some weird-ass ninjas?" Superboy and Beacon nodded. "Yeah, they wanted us to kill some king or whatever. The King of Croatia, or some shit."

Superboy tensed. "You mean... Qrac? "

Surprisingly, Jesse bobbed his head in affirmation, pointing as he spoke. "Yeah, yeah, that! Same thing."

Beacon furrowed her brows. "It's not the same place at all--"

"Anyway, can I go now? Is the interrogation over?" Jesse interrupted, scratching his head. "I'm starving, and my dad and I still need to find a better place to stay." He walked over to his father and shifted his attention to Kathy, "Yo, blondie, can you get my dad to wake up, now? Sorry I was an asshole to you earlier, alright? I want my dad back."

"Jesse," Superboy urged again, "We have some bad news for you. You might think you fooled everyone by faking your death, but Vertigo must know you're alive because we found your name on a hit list. A hit list where the victims end up having their stomachs stitched by Professor Pyg."

The kid's face went pale. "Shit."

"Alright, we need to get you and your dad out of here." Superboy rushed, looking around as he thought of solutions until an idea came to him, "Ah, I know! We can take you to our Teen Titans Tower! You'll have a place to stay, we can even help you get a better hold of your powers, and-"

That was when Kathy brusquely shoved Jon to the side, hissing at him angrily, "What do you think you're doing? We can't just invite this... druggy to the Tower!"

"Why not? Don't you see? He's in danger, Beacon! Count knows that he's on the run!"

"Yeah, well, you still need to come up with a better plan if you want to help this jerk!"

The teenager drew their attention back to him as he cleared his throat, "You know I can hear you guys, right? First of, I don't want to go to this tower, or whatever place you said. Sounds culty. Second, I ain't going anywhere near her." Jesse nodded at Beacon, who scowled at him. He shrugged. "No offense. You're just not my type."

Beacon was about to punch him, but Superboy stopped her. "Let's not start a fight, alright?" The blonde shot him an angry look, and Jon rubbed his hair as he thought about what to do. "Okay, I got it. A friend of mine owns a safe house where you and your dad can stay. I just need to make a quick call..."

Jump City

Nobody clutched the edge of her seat as Robin sped through the streets in his new car. Lian whooped in excitement beside her, clearly enjoying the ride and no longer caring about not being in a booster seat. In fact, she probably liked it better that way.

The only one truly on edge was, well, Damian.

Not that Maya wasn't worried about Mar'i. Of course she was, but she knew that as long as Goliath was by Mar'i's side, the alien toddler would be just fine. Anyone foolish enough to even think about hurting little Mar'i Grayson would have to deal with Goliath's wrath. And boy, that would not be pretty.

To ease the mood a bit, Maya praised, "Wow, this thing is fast!"

She hoped that would get a reaction from Damian, but he remained focused, scanning the streets anxiously. His grip tightened on the wheel as he muttered, "Where is she... where is she..."

Then, suddenly, the phone connected to his car started ringing. Nobody looked over at the dashboard and gasped.

Crap.

It was Nightwing.

Robin sighed before answering reluctantly, "Hello."

"Hey, Little D! How's Starshine doing? Is she being good for you guys?"

"Yes, she's fine."

"Sorry, I wasn't able to check in earlier. Things have been pretty crazy over here, but we're almost done." Nightwing sounded upbeat, but he hesitated. "Hey... What's that sound? Are you driving? "

Robin hesitated, so Nobody leaned forward and whispered, "Just tell him that Mar'i is asleep and you're getting us food!"

"Yeah, I'm driving." Damian answered flatly, "I was feeling hungry, so I'm on my way to purchase some food."

"Hey, that's not true-!" Lian started to say, but Maya immediately covered her mouth to muffle her voice. Maya shook her head at the child, silently pleading for her to stay quiet.

Thankfully, Nightwing didn't catch any of that.

"You're getting food at 9:00 at night?"

"Yes. As I said, I was hungry. Now, are you done questioning my dietary habits, or do you actually have something important to say?"

Nightwing chuckled, "Sheesh, relax, kiddo. No need to get all defensive over a snack run. Just thought it was a little odd, that's all, especially coming from you. But you know me, I love a good late-night snack too! There's nothing better than having some delicious cereal in the middle of the night!"

"That's disgusting. Cereal is not a proper meal, Grayson."

"Hey, Damian?" Nightwing's voice suddenly sounded serious, "Who's watching the girls? Don't tell me they're in the car with you..."

Lian kept stirring, dying to spill the truth, so Nobody continued to restrain her.

"Of course not, Grayson! What kind of incompetent fool do you take me for? The children are perfectly safe. Maya is at the Tower watching over them."

"Maya? So, Emiko didn't stay with you? I thought you two would be off enjoying some quality uncle-and-auntie time together. Arsenal and I were just saying how cute you guys are and--"

"Well, things didn't go as planned, alright? Are you done now?"

A pang of guilt hit Maya. The sudden change in Emiko's behavior still made no sense, and it was obvious that Damian was just as confused and upset by it. Emi was supposed to be there with Damian tonight, not Maya. Had Emi stayed, Mar'i would've never been lost in the first place...

"Hey, what's wrong?" Nightwing asked, "Is everything okay with you two?"

Robin seemed ticked off. He probably hated how his older brother could read him so well even through the phone.

"Everything's fine. Goodbye now."

"Wait, hold o-"

The call rudely came to an end.

No longer needing to worry about concealing things, Maya finally released Lian, who loudly exclaimed, "You guys are big, fat liars!"

Robin remained focused on the road. "Yes, Lian, I lied. Now, you better keep your mouth shut around your father, or you'll never be granted permission to eat cookies at the Tower ever again!"

Lian dropped her jaw in shock, "That's mean!"

Nobody snickered. "You heard the man. He means business."

The oversized tires screeched against the pavement as Robin jerked the wheel. The turns were so sharp that Maya was forced to grab onto the headrest of the driver's seat to gain some stability, and even Lian was tossed around in the chaos. Maya had to grip her arm tightly to keep the girl from accidentally falling out of the car.

"Can you not drive like a lunatic?" Maya yelled at her deranged friend, hands still gripped on Damian's headrest.

"Oh, I'm sorry !" The retort came sarcastically, "Apologies for not going slower; It's not like there's a missing toddler and a giant bat that we need to find or anything! Besides, didn't you hear? Grayson could be back at any minute now!"

"I get that, but I'd like to keep at least one child alive tonight!"

Robin snapped his head around, scowling deeply. Bad time for jokes, Maya supposed.

She defended, "Dude, chill! Mar'i isn't dead!"

"She better not be!" Robin shouted, looking back at the road as he drove even faster, dodging cars around him left and right.

Lian turned to Nobody with sadness in her sweet, little brown eyes, "Wait-- Mar'i is dead ?"

" No! " Maya raised her voice impatiently, "It was a figure of speech, just-- Forget it, okay? Mar'i is not dead and we're going to find her, alright? Everything's gonna be okay!"

Lian nodded and quickly held onto Maya's arm after the buggy hit another bump.

Damian's temper was getting the best of him, especially when the phone started to ring again.

"What now?"

This time, it was Superboy  calling. "Hey, D, I have a favor to ask you. Remember Jesse Hayes? The kid that Beacon and I were supposed to meet?"

"Of course I know, you idiot. Have you found him yet?"

"Hey, don't be mean to him!" Nobody lectured, but Superboy didn't seem to be bothered by the insult.

"Yes, we found him and discovered that he and his dad escaped from Count Vertigo. Long story short, Jesse has been experimented on, faked his death, and now he and his dad are on the run. They got kicked out of the homeless shelter today and have nowhere to go. Do you think we can hide them at one of your dad's safe houses? Is there one he wouldn't bother us using?"

Robin groaned. "You already spent my father's money, and now you want to use his resources too?"

"Come on, D, this is an emergency! Do you really want Jesse to get caught?"

Robin clenched his jaw before letting out a heavy sigh. "Ugh, fine. There's a safe house in New Jersey not too far away from you. Hopefully, Father won't notice. I'll send you the coordinates."

"You're the best, D!"

"Whatever," Robin said, hanging up the phone.

Damian looked like he wanted to shoot someone (or more like run someone off the road) when, from a distance, he saw a group of very suspicious-looking people loading stacks of money and weaponry into their SUVs. To confirm his suspicion, Damian turned on his real-time police scanner set to the area near his location.

'Unit 10-90, robbery at Credit Union East on 35th Avenue and Main Street. Suspects, highly armed and dangerous, fled in two black SUVs. No reported injuries. Requesting backup and units for the perimeter. Over.'

No way this was happening. To make things even better, the SUVs were already leaving, weaving through traffic like lunatics.

"This sounds like a heist..." Maya slowly said.

Robin groaned. "Great. Just what we needed; More problems!"

Lian perked up from her seat, "Are we gonna stop them?"

"Obviously," Robin said.

The engine growled as he yanked the wheel, making another turn to stay on their tail.

Somehow, Lian was having fun with the car chase, whooping in excitement instead of being scared. It made sense, though. When you're the daughter of a skilled vigilante archer and a mercenary assassin, nights like these probably feel like another Tuesday.

The buggy shot forward, and the thieves barely had time to curse before the Robinmobile 's front bumper slammed into the rear of the SUV. The robbers yelled, alarmed from the impact, and the driver ran through a red light and took a sharp turn to the left. Robin followed, breaking as many laws as the SUV driver, and everyone was honking at them. How the cops hadn't arrived yet, Maya would never know.

When Robin closed their distance, the rear windows from the SUV rolled down, revealing submachine guns that were ready to be fired.

"Get down!" Maya shouted, shoving Lian down with her as bullets tore past them.

It was a good thing the buggy was bulletproof because most of the bullets didn't even leave a scratch, but that didn't mean they were safe. Even with the cloaking device activated, Nobody stayed hunched over Lian, shielding her as more shots flew by. Pissed, Robin changed lanes and drove side by side to the SUV, taking a close look at the fellow driver.

"I'm going to kill you, you little shit!" The driver spat, signaling for the men in the back to keep shooting.

Robin ducked from the bullets, and since he was driving alongside the black car, he deployed spikes beneath the buggy that pierced the SUV's tires. The robbers went into a full panic once their tires exploded, putting an end to all the gunfire. Foolish as the man was, the driver tried to regain control of his vehicle by swerving wildly to the right, which only caused the SUV to completely flip onto its side with a loud slam.

There was still the second SUV to worry about. Robin stepped on the gas pedal, and not only did he catch the other car, but he blocked their path by cutting them off in the middle of the road. The SUV driver was forced to slam on the brakes, and to retaliate, he tried to ram the buggy at full force. Robin, acting fast, threw his car in reverse seconds before the SUV could hit him.

"Hold on tight. I got their attention now." Robin smirked as he sped up.

"Dude, they're pissed!" Maya chuckled, still invisible with Lian by her side.

"This is fun!" Cheered Lian.

The robbers were on their tail, firing from the car windows, as Robin led them into a wild goose chase by taking a different route in a less crowded street, away from all the stores and local banks. Nobody had to keep holding Lian close to her as they drove through traffic recklessly fast. Even the robbers struggled to keep up.

"I think we lost them!" said Lian, trying to peek, but Nobody quickly pushed her back down.

"Lian, stay down," Maya advised.

"This is almost over, hold on," Robin announced.

Confident, Robin drove to a dead-end street at full speed, heading straight for a large concrete wall. The robbers, too focused on the chase, followed like the big idiots they were. Just as the Robinmobile was about to crash into the wall, Robin veered off at the last second, leaving the SUV to take the hit. The robber tried to hit his brakes, but his car was going way too fast for him to slow down, and the SUV slammed into the wall.

"Imbeciles. Now, wait here," Robin ordered as he unbuckled his seatbelt.

Nobody deactivated her cloaking device just so she could nod to him and show she understood. She held Lian close, and they went invisible again.

Five criminals stepped out of the slammed SUV, guns raised at the Boy Wonder. They were all dressed in black jumpsuits, and their faces were hidden by a ridiculous plastic mask that Maya swore she had seen the same one at a dollar store. Even from afar, they looked dumb.

A tall, lean man who led the group pointed his rifle at Robin. "Who the fuck do you think you are, asshole? You think this is funny?"

Another robber, much skinnier than the leader, aimed his gun at Robin also, "I'm gonna shoot your brains out for what you did to our car, you little runt!"

The tall leader sneered, finger tightening on the trigger, but before he could fire, Robin sent his batarangs flying. The rifle was knocked out of the leader's hand, and the other thugs opened fire at the same time. The machine guns were nothing compared to the boy raised to be an assassin from birth. He outsmarted them by throwing a smoke gas on the floor that disoriented all of them. With the thugs not knowing where their target went, they were soon disarmed and knocked out.

The situation was perfectly handled, but Maya's heart tightened when she spotted one of the thugs, half-conscious on the ground, reaching for his fallen gun. She was going to shout a warning, but with Damian busy dodging a punch from one of the thugs, it would be faster to just act. Nobody jumped out of the buggy, and as the robber grabbed his gun and aimed it at the back of Robin's head, she moved, disarming him and knocking him out with a precise elbow to the temple.

"What the fuck was that?" Said another criminal, eyes widened after witnessing the invisible attack take place. Maya smirked and activated her sonic device, sending an unbearable screech through the air that forced everyone to clutch their ears in response. Robin took advantage of everyone's confusion and finished the rest of them off.

Maya expected to see at least a smile from her friend after beating those thugs on a stressful night, but his reaction was quite the opposite.

"I told you to wait in the car! Where is Lian?"

"She's still in the car, dummy! She hasn't left!" Nobody replied defensively.

She watched him storm back to the buggy. His angry expression softened once he saw Lian crouched in the back seat with her arms covering her head. Unlike Mar'i, the girl listened.

"Did you guys catch them?" Lian asked innocently, straightening up.

"Told ya." Maya walked up from behind, "I had everything under control."

"Under control? I had things under control! You were supposed to watch Lian and keep her safe!"

"But I am safe--" Lian took Maya's side, which was appreciated, but there was no need for a child to be involved in this argument. Maya shook her head at the girl, signaling her to stop talking.

Robin continued scolding, "What you did was completely irresponsible!"

"Oh, please. You were this close to getting shot from behind, had I not stepped in." Nobody gestured the closeness with her hand, "A simple 'thank you' would suffice."

"This isn't a game, Maya!" Robin raised his voice at her, "You can't just throw yourself into situations like that without thinking, leaving Lian behind and compromised! If you want this to work, you need to learn how to listen!"

Nobody crossed her hands, unimpressed. "Wow. You sound just like Batman."

Robin opened his mouth to argue but went quiet, the realization settling heavily in his mind. He turned his back to her and went to the driver's seat. "Whatever. Let's go. We need to find Mar'i."

The sound of sirens finally came, so they needed to be gone quickly.

As Robin started the car, however, another call came in. "Who is it now?" He spat.

Maya leaned in from the backseat to see the phone ID. "Abuse? Whew! At least it's not Nightwing calling."

Annoyed, Robin answered the call from the dashboard. "What is it, Abuse?"

"Hey, D, sorry to bug ya... We ran into a little problem here..."

"What? What happened?" Robin asked in urgency as he drove away from the dead-end street.

Colin sounded out of breath. "Okay, please don't be mad."

"Just say it, already!" Robin shouted at the dashboard.

"Alright, so I just ran into, um... Amazo."

"Amazo?" Robin's anger increased. "Are you kidding me? What happened to being stealthy and not getting caught?"

"Aand you are mad. Figures." Abuse sighed, "Look, man, I'm trying, I really am. But there was this stupid vent, the girls wouldn't stop arguing, I had to take the stairs, and now I gotta deal with freaking Amazo, okay?"

Damian exhaled sharply through his nose. "Where are Red Arrow and Mara? Are they safe?"

"Yeah, they're fine. They're at the data center right now, waiting for the hard drive to finish loading while I'm stuck here with this psycho droid. Dude, I think he can copy my powers! Does he have an off-switch or something?"

"You have to outsmart him." Robin instructed, "Go for his pressure points. One more thing: while Amazo can match your powers, he also shares the same weaknesses as you. Utilize that."

Abuse let out a cynical scoff, "Cool. So he shares my paranoia and hatred for tight spaces. Real helpful there."

A loud BAM rang out in the background over the phone, which made Maya jump. "What was that?"

"Abuse, are you okay?" Robin's voice was filled with worry.

Colin's voice was muffled. "Uh-- It's nothing. I got it, I got it. Thanks for the help, Rob!"

The call dropped, and Robin slammed his steering wheel in anger. "Damn it! This is all my fault!"

Maya tried to comfort him, "Robin, it's okay..."

"No, it's not! Stop saying that! Mar'i is missing, the missions are a disaster, my father will find out about the safe house, this whole thing was a huge mistake! I told Jon to watch the kids, why can't he listen? I should be out there, helping Colin right now, not here, driving aimlessly without a clue to where Mar'i could've gone-!"

Robin rubbed his hair in exasperation. "I can't even keep my own niece safe for a few hours without losing her. Clearly, I am not cut out for this, and Grayson should've never trusted me to watch her!"

"Damian..." Maya spoke softer again, reaching for his shoulder as he drove, "You are a great uncle--"

He flinched away from her. "No, I'm not! I got mad at Mar'i and made her cry, I lose my patience easily, I am never truly present when she's around, I'm always focused on patrol, I... I'm just like my father!"

The words escaped him before he even realized what he was saying.

Maya sat there in silence, wondering how else she could help.

Suddenly, a gasp escaped Lian's lips as she pointed at the window. "Is that... Goliath ?"

Robin and Nobody instantly turned their heads to the window. Their eyes widened as they spotted a large, fluffy tail swaying outside a small ice cream shop at the end of the street.

Robin immediately parked his car near the shop and stepped out of it, calling out cautiously, "Goliath?"

The man-bat's ears perked, and the giant red ball of fur turned around. The biggest smile spread across his adorable face the second Goliath locked eyes with his loyal owners.

Goodness, Goliath was so cute.

The massive bat spread his wings wide and jumped right on Robin and Nobody, tackling them to the ground. They couldn't even react before they were flat on their backs, getting licked in the face by their adorable pet. At least Nobody had her helmet on, saving her from those slobbish licks, but Robin wasn't as lucky.

"Enough, enough!" Robin protested, trying to push Goliath off, "I'm glad to see you too, buddy! But where is Ma–agh!" Another lick came, interrupting him.

Lian was still a little fearful around Goliath, recoiling to the side so he wouldn't also jump on her, but she was happy to see him. Seeking reassurance, she called Maya, "Did you see that, Miss Maya? I found Goliath!"

"Yes, you did, Lian! Amazing work!" Maya praised, using her knee to get up, while Damian was still getting attacked by licks.

"Thank you!"

Maya smiled back at the girl before moving closer to the big bat. She ruffled his fluffy cheeks softly when she asked, "Hey, big guy. Have you seen Mar'i? Is she with you?"

There was a high chance that Mar'i had taken Goliath for a joy ride, but what if Goliath ended up losing track of the toddler in mid-flight? She was pretty fast, and she could fly too, anyone could've lost sight of her... Or, worse yet, what if, after all of this, Goliath never had Mar'i with him to begin with, and she was out there somewhere, in danger?

Goliath hummed, his body shifting as he sat up. His ears perked up again, and his head tilted toward the shop's entrance, which was a great sign. Still worried, Robin got up on his feet and went inside. No one was at the shop, except for the ice cream vendor, who was crouched behind the glassed counter. His entire body was trembling as he shielded his head with his arms. Maya wondered what could've happened there to make the vendor so scared.

Towards the end of the shop, however, stood a young little brunette girl with not a single worry in mind. The girl was happily licking her ice cream as she held not one, but three cones in her little hand. The ice cream overflowed from the cones, though that didn't seem to bother her one bit.

Still hesitant, Damian breathed, "Mar'i?"

The little girl perked up at the sound of her name. When she turned around, her face lit up.

"UNCLE DAMI!" She squealed, running to her endearing uncle, similarly to how Goliath did it.

Robin dropped to one knee and pulled his niece into a fierce hug. He swept her off her feet and refused to let go. "Don't ever do that again, Mar'i." His voice was filled with relief rather than anger, "You almost gave us a heart attack. Now, no more thrill-seeking rides with Goliath when you're by yourself, understand? You need to have me or Maya present for that."

Mar'i nodded, but her gaze dropped. "I'm sowy, Uncle Dami. Are you mad at me?"

"No, I'm just glad you are okay." Robin hugged his little niece one more time. "We were so worried."

It was nice seeing the Boy Wonder at ease again.

Lian, too, was excited to see her, "Mar'i, you're okay!"

The girls hugged each other, and Mar'i loved all the attention she was getting. She was definitely Dick and Kory's kid. Maya was the last one to greet the girl, and she made sure the hug she gave her was just as tight as everyone else's.

After breaking away from the embrace, the toddler looked at the ice cream buffet and turned to her uncle, "You want ice cweam too, Uncle Dami?"

Robin let out a faint chuckle. "Sure."

Mar'i's ice cream cones were a sticky, melted mess, especially after being left on the table before greeting her uncle. It was gross, and no doubt there was bacteria lingering in that melted ice cream, however, Mar'i did not mind. She grabbed one of the cones and rushed back to Robin, offering that nastiness to him. She watched intently as she pushed the ice cream closer to him. Robin grimaced, but didn't complain.

Standing beside Maya, Lian poked her, "Can I have some ice cream too, Miss Maya?"

She was so polite, it was adorable.

Maya laughed, ruffling Lian's hair. "Of course!"

"Yay!" Lian ran over to the buffet, eagerly scooping a couple of ice cream flavors into a small cup.

Remembering the terrified vendor, Nobody leaned over the counter and peered down at the poor man who was still curled up on the floor. She cleared her throat and called out gently, "Hey, sorry for all the trouble, sir! The little one is with us. How much do we owe you?"

"T-take the change!" the vendor stuttered in panic, refusing to move, "Just please don't let that... t-thing eat me!"

"Hurm?" Goliath tilted his head innocently.

Maya chuckled. Goliath probably scared the entire shop, leaving only the vendor to fend for himself. She walked back to the entrance, where Goliath was keeping guard, and petted the back of his ears, his favorite spot.

"Thanks for keeping little Mar'i safe, Goliath. You're a good boy."

Goliath wagged his tail and licked Maya, just like a dog would.

All was finally well.

Titan Tower

Damian had his domino mask removed, but he was still in his uniform as he paced back and forth while on his phone. Meanwhile, Maya was playing with the kids, waiting for the girls' fathers to finally pick them up.

"Bad news," Damian announced, joining the girls in the living room.

"More bad news?" Maya asked incredulously, "Haven't we had enough problems today?"

"Apparently, Grayson and Harper are failures at keeping their word. They're running late. Again."

"What? How much later can they be? Dude, it's almost midnight!"

"Don't remind me." Damian had his hands on his waist as he shook his head in disapproval.

In the meantime, Lian and Mar'i were sitting on the living room floor by the coffee table, using their knees as support as they doodled on one of the notebooks Colin left lying around on the couch. Now that the girls were finally entertained, it was easier to carry on a conversation.

Maya turned to her overwhelmed crime partner, "Has Colin gotten back to you yet? How are Emi and Mara doing?"

Damian's expression darkened. "Emiko hasn't returned my calls, but I got hold of Jon. He and Beacon left to meet the others to help them with Amazo. I hope they're okay."

Maya gave a slow nod. "I hope so, too, but I think they're going to be just fine. You've got Colin, Emi, and Mara, who can all handle themselves really well, and with Jon and Kathy coming, Amazo will be done for. Not to mention, Superboy has fought Amazo before, so they totally got this." She stretched out her arms and yawned. "Ahn, I'm tired."

"Me too." Damian sounded monotone, and that worried Maya a little. His posture was slumped, and he looked a little depressed.

"You're still upset about Emiko leaving, aren't you?"

Damian let out a sigh as he sank further into the couch. "I don't understand. Why can't Emiko ever relax around my cousin? It's not as if we were sending Mara off on a mission alone and unsupervised. Besides, I trust my cousin. Emiko doesn't have to agree with my decision to trust her, but she could at least be supportive about it..."

Maya's head sank into the couch, listening in. "Have you tried telling that to Emi?"

"I've tried, but she won't listen." Damian's voice grew more frustrated as he continued, "She promised she'd get along with Mara for my sake, but that was obviously a lie."

Maya smiled sadly. "She's just being protective over you. Don't overthink it too much." She tapped gently on his leg, although none of what she said seemed to help.

He was still looking down, lost in thought.

"I understand her caution, but what bothers me is that she doesn't trust my decision to give my cousin a second chance."

Maya rubbed his arm to reassure him, "I think you two just need to have a heart-to-heart conversation. Tell her what's been bothering you and how–"

She wanted to continue comforting him when Lian interrupted abruptly. "Do you guys smell that?"

Damian and Maya straightened themselves from the couch and sniffed. Their noses wrinkled in disgust the more they smelled the air.

"Ew... What is that?" Maya repeated as she sniffed around the room.

Damian also looked around and grimaced once he found the source of the stench. "Mar'i! "

Oblivious to the problem, the toddler kept doodling as if nothing was happening.