High Expectations

CHAPTER 4

"You've been down here a while. You good?" Tim asked cautiously. He wanted to ask about the events of the night prior, but the last thing he wanted was to annoy Damian, or make him go off.

"I'm fine. Thank you for asking." Damian paused long enough to answer, then returned back to pummeling the training dummy.

Wow, that was a polite tone. And had the demon just uttered a 'thank you'? Tim almost wanted Damian to snap at him. "Uh, you're...welcome. Steph is coming over later, and Cass is coming back home tomorrow. They wanted me to tell you." They hadn't actually told him to tell Damian, but oh well.

"I suppose it'll be nice to see them both again." Damian unwrapped the tape from around his fists. Tim nodded and tried to think of something else to say. This was a very one sided conversation, and it was awkward, to say the least. "Yeah, we'll all be home again, even if it's only for a little while. So, you finished down here?"

"Not quite."

"Have you even taken a break since this morning?" Tim asked incredulously. Damian shrugged. "A few times, yes. I had to hunt down a protein bar and feed Titus, Ace and Alfred the cat."

"Oh, okay." Tim hesitated, then went back up the stairs. Dick and Jason were waiting for him at the top of the stairs. "How is he?"

Tim shrugged. "He's being nice, a little distant but really polite. He didn't insult me at all."

"Hopefully it's just leftover guilt and he's trying to be good. I used to try to be good after I screwed things up." Jason said.

"Yeah, I remember that." Dick sighed. "You were so cute when you were little..."

"Hey! I'm not much younger than you." Jason scowled. Tim rolled his eyes. "Back to the subject. When's Bruce going to talk to Damian?"

"After lunch."

"That's going to be a sight to behold. Are we listening in?"

Jason and Dick stared at him like he'd grown a second head. "Is that a serious question?" Jason asked.

"We've spent most of our lives sneaking up on people, or training to sneak up on people and eavesdrop. Of course we're going to listen in!" Dick grinned.

Right. Tim had forgotten what kind of family he was in.

Two hours later, Tim and Jason sat in the kitchen. Damian was nowhere to be found, but his plate was gone. Dick had gone to look for Damian, but hadn't found him so far.

"You think Bruce is going to mess up again?" Jason propped his head on his hands and picked at his grilled cheese.

"No. I'm trying to keep an open mind." Tim answered.

"Same here. But....I feel like I kind of resent Bruce. Maybe because of how he handled it."

Tim nodded. He knew Jason wasn't referring to Damian's situation.

"I shouldn't still be ticked at him. He's apologized. But still. How do you let the maniac that's killed thousands live? How is that justice?" Jason pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed.

"I think it's because if Bruce ever intentionally killed someone, he wouldn't be able to stop. And he doesn't want us to become killers and live with the guilt." Tim shrugged.

"Yeah. I guess." Jason leaned back against his chair. "You're pretty smart, for a nerd anyways."

"Remind me who read through the entire library?" Tim smirked. Jason groaned. "Shut up."

The kitchen door swung open, and Damian walked in, flanked by Dick. Tim exchanged a look with Jason as Damian placed his plate in the sink. Alfred came out of nowhere and gently grabbed Damian's shoulder. "I'm sure Master Dick has told you that your father is looking for you."

Damian nodded. "He informed me."

"Good." Alfred led Damian away, and Dick practically vibrated in place. "He was outside, drawing the landscape. Something about shading practice, I don't understand art."

"We can tell. The best you can do are stick people." Jason grinned. Dick rolled his eyes fondly. "Come on, let's go spy on Damian and Bruce."