Real-ish

Breaking Through

Dick~

I wait impatiently as the microwave heats my drink. I hear soft footsteps behind me, followed by softer ones. I'm no longer surprised that Cora's footsteps are lighter than ours.

Turning around, I come to see Jason, Damian, and Cora looking at me hesitantly. I know I shouldn't have shouted like that. I just got so so frustrated with Cora's parents.

It's one thing to leave your kid alone because of something you can't control. A murder, for example. It's another to leave them alone by choice. And to have that level of blatant negligence is horrific. Just thinking of it gets my blood boiling.

A shrill beep from the microwave spins me around again without saying anything. I need to calm down before I talk to anyone about this. Even a Doe-eyed little girl.

I grab my mug from the glass plate and head over to the tap, pouring a small amount of water into the yellowish liquid. I'm so glad they have this here. I stir it slightly before taking a sip.

Relief washes over me, the tension slowly leaving my body as I continue to drink slowly. It's exactly the same.

I calmly turn back to my silent watchers. I feel much, much less aggressive.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to yell at you, it is not at all your fault Cora." I say, hoping she can hear the sincerity in my tone. Each of them relaxes as I speak, including Cora.

"It's okay Richy, you're not the first to get angry about my living situation." She says with a small smile. I feel more relief wash over me. I send her a smile back.

"You guys want some? It's my special tea~." I say, holding out my mug. Jason looks disgusted and Damian scowls in distaste. I'm just glad I'm not getting scolded.

"No way."

"That shit is nasty."

I hold a hand over my heart in mock offense. Cora seems intrigued though. I smile devilishly at her.

"And you? You want some?" I say. Damian is about to speak on her behalf until she cuts him off. A lovely occurrence.

"Okay. What's in it?" She asks oh-so-innocently. I smile specifically at Damian when I answer.

"Warm ginger ale and some water," I say casually. In truth, it's my favorite drink. My mom would always make some for me whenever I got motion sick on long journeys. Since then it's always been a relaxant for me. Or maybe it's just a typical home remedy.

Cora doesn't make any face of disgust. She still looks neutral and a little intrigued. A pleasant expression compared to my brothers' reactions.

"Okay. Can you make it for me? I don't know if there's a certain way you make it or... " She trails off with a shrug. Damian and Jason both look at her in horror.

"Sanchez you can't seriously be okay with consuming warm soda," Damian says incredulously.

"Please just call me Cora. And if he likes it then who's to say that I won't?" She says seriously. I love this kid. No one but the bat clan ever talks to Damian like she does. She fits right in and she hasn't even been a robin.

Damian on the other hand loses his slightly hostile posture. I almost drop my jaw.

"Right, I apologize." He states genuinely. I can't even hide my shock this time. I'm not sure which part he's apologizing for but that's not the point. He APOLOGIZED.

"What the fu-"

"Language." I correct, but I share Jason's sentiment. Cora looks at us like we grew two heads.

"What? What's wrong?" She asks. Oh, that's even better. She doesn't realize the effect she has on him.

He's been much calmer since we got here. At first, he was holding back, assessing the situation much like he was taught to. Now it's effortless with her. I shake my head.

"Nothing, nothing. I'll get started on your 'tea'. Should I make a coffee for Tim?" I ask, mostly absentminded. Jason sighs, very Bruce-like as much as he'd hate it.

"Uh-uh. That boy needs sleep." He says, adding to his similarities with the elder bat.

"Can you even call Drake a boy when he's 18? Father made it clear he is now a 'man' at the party." Damian asks rhetorically. Ah, fond memories, Tim was not expecting to get that drunk.

"Okay, Bruce wasn't as bad as Tim himself was. He shouted it from the rooftops." I remind them. Jason and Damian smile at me. Well, Damian smirks.

Cora looks a little lost so I try to fill her in quickly.

"When Tim turned 18 we had a party for him, obviously. Then Bruce let him drink because 'you're a man now Tim.' Yeah, big mistake." I grin.

"He got so drunk that he ended up on the rooftop of Jason's apartment yelling, 'I finally caught up you zombie bitch!' Apparently, he can still do acrobatics while drunk, which we learned a little too late." I recount, making Jason and Damian snicker.

Cora, much to my delight, bursts out laughing, holding her sides. It's such a bright sound, like a sunrise after a storm. I laugh with her. Eventually, we both calm down, hearing the shrill beep of the microwave.

I quickly make the 'tea' and hand it over to Cora. If she doesn't like it I'll just drink it. But, this girl is full of surprises.

"Hey, this is really good! It tastes like, hmm... It tastes homey. Like what you would think an herbal remedy should taste like when you see it in a movie." She describes vividly, causing Damian to put his head in his hands. Jason groans dramatically.

"Oh come on, it's not that bad!" I say defensively. It stings a little, but I know they don't know the story behind it, so I suppose I can't blame them.

"Yeah, have you two even tried this?" Cora says, it warms my heart. I get why Bruce keeps adopting kids. I get it now. To my shock, both of the accused look kinda guilty. I should scrapbook this.

"Well no, but it's the principle of the thing. Pop shouldn't be warm, it should be so cold and bubbly it hurts your mouth." Jason states, crossing his arms defensively.

"I bet you guys don't like pineapple on pizza," Cora mutters, rolling her eyes as she continues drinking.

"They don't, I do." Damian comments. For a vegetarian, I suppose pineapple might be the most flavor you can get out of a pizza without meat.

"Then just try some. It's not like it'll kill you." Cora says, holding out her mug for Damian to take. He eyes it warily. I have another sip of my drink while I watch the show go down. I wave away the thought of an indirect kiss. They're just little.

Little D finally accepts the mug and takes a small sip. He sets it down in front of Cora gently. His eyes are just a little wider than normal.

"I understand the 'homey feeling', as Cora put it." He says. He's quiet and I break into the biggest grin I've ever grinned.

"Hah! I knew you would like it!" I say, feeling unnecessary amounts of joy. Cora smiles as well, but much smaller than my face splitting bearing of teeth. Jason groans and starts to walk away.

"I'm gonna go help Tim, just to get away from you sickos." He says, almost getting run over by the very man he was talking about.

"No need Jason! I got the calculations!" Tim says excitedly. "I was able to find the exact numbers for Gotham because they don't have it here! Process of elimination for the win!"

"Way to go, Tim!" I express, being echoed with whoops and hollers.

The man, who remains a boy in my eyes, has rarely looked happier.