That same morning, Dick drove Damian all the way to San Francisco in a sleek black ride he'd borrowed from Bruce—one of those glossy, spotless cars Bruce never actually drove but kept polished like a museum piece.
The engine purred with that smooth, expensive hum as they came off the highway, the early sunlight glinting off the hood while a thin layer of coastal fog rolled lazily over the bay.
"Why do I have to meet this team of freaks anyway?" Damian asked, voice flat with irritation as he stared through the windshield.
The Titans Tower—massive, impossible to miss, shaped boldly like a giant metallic T—stood across the water like it was daring anyone to ignore it. Dick made a turn onto the bridge that stretched over the east river leading to the island.
"I know this might be… tasking for you," Dick said, glancing at him with that familiar mixture of patience and worry. "Considering you're a paranoid, uptight little gadfly who enjoys pissing people off and has the emotional range of a kicked hornet's nest. But you're going to have to watch your mouth while you're there, little man."
Damian slowly turned, narrowing his eyes at Dick as if he genuinely believed he could stab him to death with just a stare. His glare lingered long enough to feel like a challenge before he faced forward again. "No promises," he muttered.
"They aren't freaks," Dick continued, his tone softening as he looked at the tower growing larger in the windshield. "They're just kids who don't really fit into society but still want to do something good. They try. They care. Even when the world gives them every reason not to."
"Whatever," Damian replied, punctuating it with a dramatic eye roll.
"If anyone is ever going to understand you aside from the family back home, it'll be the Titans. So at least try to be friendly. And do not try to kill anyone." Dick added the last part sharply as memories flashed across his mind—memories of the first time he met Damian, the same night the kid attacked him with genuine intent to carve him into pieces.
He let out a quiet, exhausted sigh. It wasn't the Titans he was worried about. It was managing Damian while trying to spend time with Kori without needing to break up five fights an hour.
As they pulled into the tower's driveway, the morning breeze carried a faint scent of saltwater and city metal. Above them, something took a swooping dive—wings cutting the air. A green hawk circled once before descending in a controlled glide. The moment its talons brushed the pavement, it shimmered and morphed, feathers melting into messy green hair and a lanky teenage boy in a red-and-black jacket.
"Nice car, dude!" Beast Boy exclaimed with full enthusiasm, immediately stepping up to inspect it like he was meeting a celebrity. He ran his hand along the hood with a wide grin. "Seriously, this thing is sweet."
"Thanks," Dick said as he stepped out, grabbing his bag from the passenger seat behind before shutting the door with a soft click.
"Dick, tell this creature not to drool on the car," Damian said, climbing out with his bag slung over his shoulder, nose wrinkling as if Beast Boy was some sort of feral animal brought too close to civilization.
Dick shot him a sharp glare—the kind that had 'not today' written all over it—before moving straight into introductions. "Gar, this is Damian—the new Robin. Damian, Gar."
"Hold up—did he just call me a creature?" Beast Boy asked, sounding more offended than actually upset. He blinked rapidly, then looked Damian up and down, clearly trying to decide if the tiny assassin was joking or genuinely that rude. Not that he actually took offense.
"He has a foul mouth. Just… try to get along with him," Dick said, practically pleading at this point.
Gar stepped forward anyway, unfazed. "Nice meeting you, dude. I'm Beast Boy."
Damian didn't respond. He didn't nod, shake hands, or blink. He simply stared through Gar like he was an inconvenient streetlamp.
"He's the brooding type," Dick said with a half-smile as they started walking toward the tower's glass entrance. "You could say it's hereditary. Give it time, he'll warm up eventually."
Gar shrugged, stuffing his hands into his pockets as all three headed inside, the automatic doors sliding open with a soft hiss. The cool blast of conditioned air greeted them, along with the echoing hum of a massive tower filled with teenagers trying their best to be heroes.
It was only Damian's first morning here, and already the building felt one argument away from a disaster.
Which, Dick figured, was probably the most Titan thing ever.
...
After a moment, the elevator doors glided open with a soft chime, revealing the familiar expanse of the common room. Warm lights washed over the space, reflecting off polished floors and towering windows that framed the city beyond.
Kori was already there, pacing just slightly, her posture betraying the calm she tried to maintain. She had been waiting for them—no, waiting for her boyfriend—and the instant Dick stepped out of the elevator, she moved.
She didn't hesitate. Kori closed the distance in a heartbeat, arms wrapping around Dick's shoulders as she practically collided with him. Dick barely had time to react before he was pulling her into his arms in return, the two of them fitting together with easy familiarity. Their lips met without restraint, a kiss that spoke of relief more than anything else. Kori had missed him—deeply—and the past few days had been hell on her nerves.
He hadn't shown up for the party the team had planned. He'd missed the plans she had made for just the two of them that night. And then, worse, she hadn't been able to reach him for two full days.
Kori knew Dick was capable. More than capable. But in their line of work, capability meant very little when things went wrong. It would have been foolish—dangerously so—to pretend that injury, or something far worse, wasn't always a possibility, no matter how skilled or experienced someone was.
Dick recalled the night that just seeing her smile one last time was all he wished for if he was going to die. Flames licking closer. Smoke choking the air. His body failing him as he lay at death's door, heat pressing in from all sides, the fire hungry and relentless.
In that moment, with the world burning down around him, all he had wanted—everything he had wanted—was to see Kori's smiling face one last time.
Now she was here. Alive. Warm. And in his arms.
As the two of them lingered in each other's arms, Damian cast them a sharp look, his expression pinched with unmistakable disgust. His lips pressed into a thin line as his gaze flicked away, clearly disturbed by the very public display of affection.
Without a word, he stepped around them and continued forward, intent on putting distance between himself and the scene.
"Hey," Kori called gently, disentangling herself from Dick's grip just enough to turn toward the boy. "You must be little Robin."
Damian stopped.
Kori's tone was friendly, genuinely warm, as she offered a smile and extended the courtesy of an introduction, welcoming him to the Tower as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
Damian's eyes narrowed almost imperceptibly. The word little clearly struck a nerve. He squinted, alternating his glare between her and Dick, his irritation simmering just beneath the surface.
"Just Robin," he corrected sharply.
"I am Kori," she said, unfazed, still polite despite the edge in his voice. "Mind telling me your name?"
She already knew it—Dick had told her—but she asked anyway, giving him the chance to speak for himself.
"I am sure your boyfriend must have told you already," Damian replied curtly, already turning as if to wander off and conduct his own inspection of the Tower.
He barely took two steps before he caught Dick's look.
It was the look—the one that said behave. The one that quietly reminded him that Bruce could, and absolutely would, reestablish his punishment if necessary.
With an inward sigh, Damian stopped and turned back.
"I am Damian," he said stiffly.
"Nice to have you around, Damian," Kori replied sincerely. "Be sure to make yourself at home." She tilted her head slightly, studying him with open curiosity. "And try to get along with the others."
Damian scoffed. "You might be asking a bit too much."
Another look from Dick.
Damian exhaled through his nose. "I mean… no promises."
"Great," Kori said, smiling anyway, clearly choosing optimism over offense. "The others should be around. I'll go see what they're up to so we can make introductions."
She gave Dick a soft glance before turning and walking further into the Tower, her presence leaving behind a faint sense of warmth as she disappeared down the corridor.
That left Dick alone with his little brother.
Dick turned toward Damian, his expression shifting into something more serious, though there was still a trace of humor in his eyes. He raised two fingers and gestured toward his own face. "Remember," he said calmly, "your attitude here will determine whether you go back home still grounded… or as a free man."
Damian scowled. "Coping with these freaks might be more disturbing than dealing with the Riddler."
"Whatever, kid," Dick replied, unfazed. He leaned in slightly, lowering his voice just enough to make sure the message landed. "Right now, I'm your supervisor. You better do a good job and please me with your performance over the next couple of days. Otherwise, your grounded ass won't even be allowed to go to school."
Damian rolled his eyes so hard it was a wonder they didn't get stuck. Without another word, he turned and headed off, determined to find literally anywhere else in the Tower that wasn't here.
- - -
[Damian Wayne's POV]
Thanks to bird boy sticking his nose where it absolutely did not belong, I was roped into coming to this tower full of freaks and weirdos.
The place itself didn't help my mood. Titans Tower rose up like some oversized monument to poor taste—too much glass, too many open spaces, and not nearly enough dark corners.
Everything about it felt exposed. Bright lights reflected off polished floors, voices echoed through the common areas, and the faint hum of advanced machinery buzzed constantly in the background.
There was no silence here. No discipline. Just noise and movement and people who clearly had far too much time to socialize.
It's been less than forty-five minutes since we got here, and I already would have rather stayed home, even if that meant being grounded.
At least being grounded came with structure.
Father, however, had made sure I followed Dick over here. He had stood there with that calm, infuriating patience of his and explained—again—that it was good for me. That I needed to make friends. That I should associate with kids my age who understood what it meant to live a double life at such a young age.
As if shared trauma automatically made people tolerable.
I couldn't care less, but the conditions this time were painfully clear. Either I came along with Dick, or father would increase the severity of my grounding for my actions during Scarecrow's attack on Gotham.
And to make things worse, he made sure to remind me that any misconduct—no matter how minimal—would be enough to enforce the punishment anyway.
One mistake, and this entire trip would be for nothing.
So there I was, doing my best to keep my distance from everyone, lingering near the kitchen counter where no one seemed particularly interested in occupying the space. I leaned against it with my arms crossed, eyes sharp, observing. Old habits didn't die easily. I took note of exits, blind spots, reflections in the glass. If I was going to be stuck here, I might as well stay alert.
"Who's the broody kid?"
The voice cut through my thoughts.
I looked up just as another kid stepped into the room alongside Kori. He was wearing full armor—blue and black, sleek but bulky, faintly glowing with alien energy. According to my research into Dick's team of circus freaks, this one was Blue Beetle.
Jaime Reyes.
What I didn't understand was why he was fully armored indoors. Paranoia, insecurity, or just a lack of common sense?
"This here is Damian, a.k.a. Robin," Kori said, gesturing toward me.
I didn't respond. Clearly this building was more like a group therapy where everyone doesn't respects the other's privacy and just give away their hidden identify.
Looking my way, she continued, "Damian, this is Jaime, a.k.a. Blue Beetle."
Still nothing.
I simply stared at him, assessing. He shifted under the silence, clearly uncomfortable, his posture tightening as he tried to read me. His eyes flicked over my stance, my gear, my expression. Good. Let him be uneasy.
After a brief moment of the staring contest, he finally spoke. "Seems like apart from Nightwing, everyone else in the Bat-family acts all broody, like they got a stick up their ass."
So he was mouthy too.
He clearly didn't like me. Perhaps some kind of inferiority complex.
"Says bug boy who's probably only met Nightwing," I replied flatly.
His expression darkened. "What did you call me?"
He stepped forward, shoulders squaring, irritation flashing openly across his face.
"You heard me," I said calmly. "Unless you've got some kind of kink for being called bug boy, you wouldn't ask me to repeat myself."
"What—"
His arm suddenly shifted, metal plates sliding and rearranging with a sharp mechanical sound. In seconds, it transformed into some kind of energy blaster, glowing blue as it began to charge, aimed directly at me.
Predictable.
I had already drawn my sword, my body moving on instinct as I adjusted my footing, prepared to evade and put down this rabid kid if necessary. He was clearly unstable—most likely struggling mentally due to having an alien bug lodged in his brain. I wondered how they could trust that thing hadn't already begun manipulating him. How long until it decided to help kickstart an invasion?
Cutting it clean off might actually be doing him a favor.
"You both calm down. Jaime, stop," Kori said quickly, stepping between us, her voice firm but controlled as she raised her hands.
"Hey! Hey!"
Dick came rushing in then, followed closely by Cyborg, Beast Boy, and Raven. The atmosphere shifted instantly, tension thickening the air as everyone took in the scene. Cyborg's optics flickered, Beast Boy looked caught between curiosity and concern, and Raven stood quietly off to the side, unreadable as always.
"This arrogant brat pissed us off," Jaime snapped, pointing his weaponized arm at me. "He needs to learn some manners." He clearly was bluffing, he wouldn't just attack because I pissed him and his parasite.
"Don't worry, bug boy," I shot back. "I'll cut that parasite clean off. Rid you of the burden."
His second arm transformed as well, both now aimed squarely at me, blue energy pulsing dangerously.
"Damian, cut it out!" Dick scolded from the side, wisely keeping his distance now that he knew how high my guard was.
Then it happened.
My sword was suddenly ripped from my grasp, yanked away by an unseen force. It flew across the room and landed cleanly in Dick's hand. At the same time, Cyborg stepped in to restrain Jaime, muttering something calming while forcing his arms downward.
I didn't need to look around to know who was responsible.
I turned slowly toward the goth girl with the red gem set in the middle of her forehead.
Raven.
She met my glare without flinching, her expression calm to the point of irritation. I shot her a sharp stare before turning back to Dick and reaching for my sword.
He pulled it back. "No. It's confiscated."
"What?" I snapped.
"Either that," he said evenly, "or I tell your dad about how you managed to piss someone off less than an hour after arriving."
My jaw tightened upon hearing that second line.
I let out a frustrated grunt, fists clenching as I forced myself to stand down. This place was unbearable.
Without another word, I turned and made my way toward Kori. "Show me the room I'll be staying in." Of which she had already taken my bag to.
She nodded, offering a small, cautious smile, clearly relieved that things weren't escalating further.
As I followed her away, one thought echoed bitterly in my mind.
I honestly wished I was with Jason right now. Annoying as he might be, he was a lot more fun than anyone I knew.
- - -
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