"My heart feels splintered because I miss you
But when I'm with you, all of our baggage unpacks
And I don't want to lose a friend,
but if I keep my distance, I know this will end
I know that you're not trying, but you pull me in
And I can't seem to escape
No, I don't want to lose a friend"
~ Beowulf & INTRN, "Lose A Friend"
Chapter 25: With Time
2 years ago
As soon as he entered the cave, the low voices that had been chatting immediately stopped. A heavy silence sunk into the vicinity, and he knew everyone's eyes were on him as he made his way towards the display cases, eager to remove his gear. The young hero could hardly take off his gloves; his hands were shaking, and it only made him even angrier than he currently felt. With a burst of frustration, he ripped off the gloves and practically threw them on the floor.
"Damian..."
A low, rough voice spoke up behind him, sending a ringing sound through his ears. There was barely any sense of control in the emotions rolling off his body as he stood there, eyes closed while he struggled to take even breaths.
"Damian, I—"
It happened too fast.
His fist connected, hard, with the older man's face, disrupting the room's previous quiet. Jason reeled back, hand to his cheek after the impact. Somewhere, in the corner of Damian's eye, Bruce was heaving a big sigh and Dick was stepping forward in alarm. Tim was probably somewhere outside his vision, but Damian couldn't care less about the audience, not when his whole body was taken over with hot rage and animosity.
Jason straightened up, his nose bleeding underneath his gloved hand. Blue-green irises were aflame with irritation as he spat on the floor. "Alright. I guess I deserved that," he said flatly.
"You deserve so much more," Damian nearly growled between clenched teeth as he moved closer, his hand gravitating to the katana still at his waist.
"Damian," Dick warned. "Let's think about this for a second."
Ignoring him, the younger hero never removed his furious glare from his older brother, who was holding his gaze easily. "This is your fault, Todd," he spat, pointing at him. "It's because of your infuriating incompetence that this didn't go as planned. Her father is in the ICU because of you."
"I already told you what happened, you brat," Jason countered, eyes narrowing. "How the fuck was I supposed to fulfill my part of the mission when—?"
"You are a disgrace to this family, you realize that? I was counting on you, and you were useless—"
"I'm a what now?"
Fiery, green eyes sparked as Jason stepped closer. Damian's brows were knitted together in his immense glare. In a voice that was eerily calm, he went on without hesitation, "You're an absolute disgra—"
Jason threw himself at the teen, but neither of them even managed to make contact with the other. Strong arms had immediately wrapped themselves around Damian, yanking him backwards as soon as he reached for his katana. In front of him, Dick was standing in front of Jason, using his arm to push him backwards. A quick glance told him that Tim had been the one to intercept; Damian shoved him away, but even as he attempted to move towards Jason, Dick was blocking him.
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Rites of Passage | Damian x OC
FanfictionEvery kid dreams of having superpowers, yet for one Central City teenager, her meta-human abilities have been nothing but a reminder of something that ruined her whole life. Jessica Fairchild searches for a way to cope by stirring up trouble in Goth...