Robin's Egg

Jason's Eggscapades

Damian's eye twitched.

He stood out in the pasture with Batcow, munching away at a tasty treat of fresh watermelon while the boy brushed his beloved pet. One would think that everything would go back to normal after Nygma was caught and all of the family was okay, save for some minor scratched and gas inhalation. Turns out that wasn't the case. One would also think that after being stabbed in the shoulder and threatened with an even more severe punishment, one would take the hint and leave Danny's core alone.

Once again, that wasn't the case.

Damian stopped brushing Batcow and went to grab the shovel used for manure cleanup to set about cleaning the pasture. He scooped some up and headed to the drop-off spot next to the barn... only to stop short by ten feet. With a grunt and a powerful swing, the boy launched the manure high into the sky towards the barn's roof.

He was rewarded with a "What the Fu-?!" and a frantic scrabbling from up top as someone lost their footing. Jason slid off the roof and had to grab the gutter before he fell off the barn entirely. The man hung in the air by one arm about ten feet off the ground. Damian planted the shovel in the ground next to him while giving his older brother a smug smirk.

Batcow continued to enjoy her sweet treat, not bothered at all by the human's antics.

"Dude! Who fucking throws shit at the roof like that?!" Jason growled as he frantically wiped at the offending material that rested on his clothes. It looks like the attack had been a direct hit, making Damian's smirk grow even wider. He hadn't been aiming.

"Maybe if you weren't acting like a creep on a roof for the past four days, someone wouldn't feel the need to make you feel at home up there," Damian replied with an amused arch of his brow. "Alfred told me I should be considerate of others, after all." Jason flipped his little brother off with his free hand, who rolled his eyes at the childish display. Instead, Damian put the shovel and brush back where they belonged, gave Batcow another loving pat, then started back towards the manor.

"Hey! You're just going to leave me hanging like this?!" Jason growled out in surprise.

Damian didn't even bother to turn around. "Yep. I'll help when you stop being a creep. So figure it out yourself." He continued his trek back towards the house as he called back. "Oh! And don't forget to clean up after yourself up there. We don't want to have Alfred clean that up after it's been sitting in the sun for a while, right?" With that, Damian sauntered into the manor to leave his adopted sibling to his fate.

Ever since the incident at the impromptu family dinner almost a week ago, Jason had started following Damian around. There was no doubt in the youngest Wayne's mind that his older brother was suspicious of Danny. Something had happened that night that had incited Jason to try and take the core from him. He just didn't know what, and it was annoying.

There was no way that Damian could ask without confirming Jason's suspicions in some way. The only thing he could think of was that both had died with possible pit involvement, and maybe there was a connection that only they could feel. If Danny was awake, he could ask the ghost boy, but there was no way he could confirm anything at this moment. So not only was Tim trying to figure out what was going on with the core, but he had another older brother attempting to take the core from him at any available opportunity. The only times Damian was not being stalked was when Jason had to head back to check on his turf. Hood seemed to pull in some favors because Jason suddenly had a lot of free time for his new hobby. It was amazing how bold his brother was being, too. Damian could almost respect it.

Almost.

About two days later, Damian was sitting in his history class (wishing against all odds that a rogue would attack so school would be canceled) when he noticed a strange movement out of the corner of his eye. Subtly, the eleven-year-old looked out the classroom window to see Jason watching him from the courtyard in dark clothes and binoculars. The boy wanted to roll his eyes at Jason's antics when an idea struck him.