“Alright, alright. No need to get snappy with me.” Roy put his hands up in defense. “Jason just mentioned it one night— guess I was just curious.” He thought about going over to the manor, but it wasn’t exactly Roy’s place to step in.

“I’m not getting snappy. I’m just stating a fact is all.” Damian says as he looks over at the other. “What did he say?” He wonders, just a little curious he’ll admit. He tries to mind his own business, stay focused on his own agenda, but he was trying to be somewhat nicer.

“I mean, I’m pretty sure we could all take care of ourselves. If it came down to that.” He paused. “But I don’t think it will. I don’t know what it is about tonight, I’m feeling good. I think that we might not actually end up running for lives this time.” He wrinkled his nose. “No one calls me Wallace, little dude. But, yeah, I think I saw him accosting some poor girl at the bar earlier.”

“Well, then go home,” he said, pausing for a moment with a furrowed brow. He lifted his glass to his lips to take a sip even though the alcohol wouldn’t do anything for him—at least he could pretend to get drunk with the rest of them so he wouldn’t stick out like a sore thumb. “If you want to go home, I don’t see what’s stopping you. This party’s kind of…old, you know? Lots of old people here.”

“Hi, Damian.” Sara was wandering around, letting Wally talk up a crowd so she could slip away to grab drinks. The youngest batchild didn’t look to thrilled, though as far as Sara knew— Damian was never exactly thrilled ever. “I’d say have a drink but uh,” she leaned in to whisper, “I don’t think I’d be allowed to watch Lian or Jonas again if I let you drink underaged.” 

“Take it from someone else who grew up too fast…don’t keep trying to do it if you don’t have to.” Harper hadn’t had much of a choice, and while she couldn’t pretend to know all the ins and outs of Damian’s life she was pretty sure if he actually told someone he wanted a break and to just try to be something besides Robin for awhile that they’d find a way.

She decided not to press the subject much further. They didn’t spend a lot of time together and he’d never been much for talking anyway. So she just let the music keep playing as long as he was interested in listening.

Damian raises an eyebrow at the advice. He’ll have to figure out what to do with it later, but maybe she was right even if he doesn’t want to admit it. He would like to know what it was like to grow up like everyone else, but it was foolish to wish on it now. He accepted his life, but he does need to build something outside of Robin. 

“Yeah, just watch it around Lee, would you?” Roy snorted, shaking his head as he watched his daughter continue to play with her dolls. “So uh– Bruce is back in town? I just heard about it the other day… anyone been to see him?” He knew he’d done his best to strain any sort of relationship with Bruce because of Jason… but now that he was fixing things with Oliver, Roy figured he’d at least give it a shot.

“I will. I’m not an idiot, Roy.” Damian reassures the other, and when he brings up Bruce he nods. They did live under the same roof after all. “Yeah, I’ve seen my father. I don’t think he approves of the whole hero thing still, but whatever. I’m not sure if anyone else has seen him. Why?”

Goddess smiled, “Now you’re the kind of human I can deal with. Explain something else to me. Why are so many humans obsessed with a drink called vodka?” she asked, “The flat screen told me it was very popular.”

“It tastes like garbage, but humans like to get drunk off of it. I don’t see the appeal in it personally.” Damian admits as he looks at her. “People will drink it to have a good time I suppose.”

Bruce nodded, even though he had confidence in Damian’s abilities. He had taught him everything he knew. He pushed his chair back from the computer and stood, gesturing for Damian to follow him. “Show me what’s wrong.” He hadn’t said anything about Damian continuing to patrol despite his disapproval. He knew bringing it up would just encourage him to continue.

Damian knows how his father feels about him going on patrol, but he can’t stop. It was what he loves to do, and he feels good doing it. He walks over to the bike, getting on it to turn it on. “Listen to the noise, it doesn’t sound right.” He says as he does so to demonstrate it with the unnerving sound. “I don’t know how to fix it.”

“Yeah? Ya know me betta than that!” Harley liked to talk, taunt, and the Bats were her favorite targets. Giggling, she shrugged and swung the bat upward so it rested on her shoulder. “Age before beauty, hun! Or are ya afraid?”

Dani took a moment to absorb the information and shrugged. “Well I’m glad we at least agree on that. Although I hate to point out, technically you also fall into that category.” She actually didn’t hate it that much, but he didn’t seem as incompetent as the rest.

Bruce had opened the panel on his computer and was studying the wires. They had calcified. It would take some work to bring it back to working order - and time. Time he wasn’t sure he had. Sighing, he was putting it back in place when Damian asked. “I need parts before I can fix it. You can help me once I have them.” He used a cloth to clean his hands, looking back at Damian with a nod. “We can do that now.”

“Well I did that to a man who wouldn’t leave me alone and he was thrown through a brick wall.” she paused a moment, “I didn’t mind but the a man with a metal arm said humans frown upon that. Do you think I should go back to throwing people through walls?”  

“You know that’s the best thing to do. He probably deserved it from the sounds of it. I approve of throwing people through walls, violence in general, but people don’t like that no.”

Lian played around with her dolls in front of Damian, babbling to herself as Roy just laughed and shook his head. “Watch that glare, Medusa, you might turn someone to stone.” He commented with a snort.

“Good, I don’t see anything wrong with being able to turn people to stone. Imagine how useful that would be in a fight?” Damian says, the expression turning to one that was soft instead.

“Past my head, huh? Ain’t it supposed ta hit me?” Harley giggled and shrugged her shoulders, her bat swinging even faster. To and fro. “No reason. Just gotta wonder if yer slippin’ after all these years.” She wasn’t going to do anything to let on to Joker’s plan. It would be easy enough to duplicate the design without seeing it up close.

“Please. You’re not even an adult yet. There’s time for whatever you want to make time for.” And if that meant walking away from everything other people wanted him to do, well…she could understand that. 

Harper smirked and scrolled down until she found “Money Money Money” and let it play. She knew that this was just a little blip and they would go right back to their regular lives afterward, but she could spare a few minutes for Damian and ABBA. 

“I feel like one sometimes, I don’t know what to be.” Damian felt too mature to be a child, but not mature enough to be considered an adult despite that being what he wants of course. “You’re right, I have time to think about it.”

“Of course I had to get you something.” He gave a small smile as he shook his head. “I was thinking about you so much, and I saw a bunch of things that reminded me of you.” He reached out into his bedside drawer to pull out a length of green fabric. It was sheer and lightweight, flowing through his fingers as he passed it over. “I got it from a planet three galaxies away. It’s really durable. Dad could rip it if he really tried, but it has enough strength to deflect bullets.”