Not Falling in Love (Daminette)

Ch 8 (Damian)

“Tt, are you incompetent fools capable of doing anything correctly?” I snap at my siblings.

“Sorry, Little Bird,” Nightwing scratches the back of his head. “We should have been more cautious when we charged into the ballroom.”

“Yes, you should have! Do you have any idea how long I was trapped in those vines? Meanwhile, all of you were fighting each other like tantruming children!”

“Well…technically it was your own fault for getting trapped in Poison Ivy's vines to begin with?” Red Hood dares to comment.

I turn my face away from Nightwing, Spoiler, and Red Robin so that I can focus my attention solely on the idiot wearing the red helmet. “Todd, do you wish to die a second time?”

“N-n-no. Haha, actually you're right, this was completely our fault…”

“Good to see that your brain is still capable of occasionally making rational decisions.” I slide my dagger back into the sheath that attaches to my Robin costume.

I feel my father's hand touch my shoulder.

“Don't go too hard on them.” It is impossible to read his facial expressions beneath the mask of his black cowl. “None of us could have predicted that Poison Ivy would be carrying an entire pouch of her pollen powder.”

“We were all caught off guard,” Nightwing sighs.

“I thought that we had already blocked off the dealer who was supplying Ivy with the seeds,” Spoiler grumbles. “How did she grow more of those flowers, and harvest the pollen, if we blocked her only access to the seeds?”

“She must be getting them from another supplier,” I say.

“It's a shame, since Ivy has been changing for the better lately,” says Batman. “Harley agreed to have a long chat with Ivy and see if she could figure out what's really going on. If that doesn't work, Oracle offered to review all of the security footage that Ivy has been seen in for the past month.”

“Oh…that's going to take a while,” says Red Robin. “I can offer Oracle some help with that.”

“I'm sure she would appreciate it.” Batman rubs the area of his arm that was bitten by Spoiler while they were under the influence of the pollen. “Let's head back to the Batcave.”

“Yeah, that sounds good,” Red Robin says as he wipes the blood that drips from his nose. “I forgot how bad Hood's face punches hurt.”

“Sorry about that, Replacement.” Red Hood shrugs his shoulders. “Blame the pollen.”

“You all may return to the cave without me,” I say as I glance at the doors that lead towards the ballroom's exit. “There is someone who I must check on first.”

“Oooooo~ would that certain someone happen to be Marinette Dupain-Cheng?” Nightwing teases in an obnoxious voice.

“Tt.” For some strange reason, it has suddenly become difficult to meet my family members' inquiring gazes. “She helped me escape the vines. It is only right that I make sure that she is safe.”

“What? Wait! Who is this girl?” Spoiler glances between Nightwing and myself. “Can someone PLEASE explain what's going on.”

Batman stares at me with a questioning expression.

“I-i-it's nothing of importance!” I cringe at the stuttering in my own voice.

Red Hood crosses his arms over his chest. I can already imagine the infuriating smirk that his mouth must be making under his helmet.