Robin's Egg

Complicated Eggmotions

"You don't seem to be surprised, Pennyworth," Damian said while he rubbed soothing circles into Danny's back. Since no one would dare to stand against Alfred, Damian made his way up to the manor proper with no resistance from the others. The trembling of the small boy in his arms lessened a bit, much to Damian's relief, but it still remained. He flinched hard when Alfred went to put a hand on Damian's shoulder but thought better of it.

Alfred had a knowing glint in his eye. "Whatever do you mean? Young children arriving randomly from dire situations would be the norm around here, wouldn't you say?" He replied with a knowing smirk. The pseudo-grandfather walked with Damian over to the stairs and stopped. "I'll make sure to bring up anything our new guest would need in a few moments. I want to ensure that the others give you two the space that you both need." With that, Alfred split ways with the boys.

Damian watched Pennyworth go for a moment before he continued his trek up to his room. Danny was still trembling and the small boy was so cold. He didn't know if this was normal or not and it was concerning. "It is okay, Danny. We will have to give them a proper explanation like we had planned earlier but they wouldn't dare to try and bother us right now. Not without getting on Pennyworth's bad side." A derisive laugh that ended in a cough had Danny's entire body rattling harder than before. Damian clicked his tongue and picked up his pace toward his room. "I need to look you over and you are freezing. Is it normal for you to be so cold?" Danny shook his head no and Damian felt it on his shoulder. "Would it harm you if I tried to warm you up in a bath?" Once again, the small boy shook his head. Relief flooded Damian as he opened the door to his room and set Danny on his bed.

He worked fast.

As warm water was being drawn in the bathtub, Damian left while it was filling to dig through his closet, pulling out the box of children's clothes that Father had given him from the baby shower. Who knew that these clothes would actually be used by anyone in the manor? He grabbed a space-themed shirt and pants that looked like they would fit. Complete with socks and a package of underwear. For a joke, Bruce had been very thorough. Which was just like his Father would do and Damian was grateful for it now. Damian set them on the sink, checked the tub to see that it was sufficiently full, and then headed back over to Danny, who was now curled up into a shivering ball on his bed. The small boy barely takes up a corner.

Damian kept his steps loud so that Danny would notice his approach but it didn't seem to matter. Danny still jumped a small bit when Damian scooped him up back into his arms but settled immediately when he realized who was holding him. Damian closed the bathroom door and was just wondering how he was going to get the jumpsuit off when twin rings of light spawned around the little ghost's waist and split up the boy's body to reveal a black-haired, blue-eyed boy covered in a multitude of wounds. The NASA shirt and jeans were ripped to shreds and stained with both blood and ectoplasm. Damian had to fight to keep his expression neutral as he helped Danny out of the destroyed clothing and saw all of the wounds the boy sustained on full display.

Bruises covered Danny like a patchwork quilt in a variety of colors. Most of them were yellow in the final stages of healing. The Y incision on the small boy's chest was practically healed over. It was an angry red that stood out against Danny's pale skin and it was hard to believe that Damian had watched the kid hold the skin flaps together to ensure that nothing fell out. He helped the de-aged boy into the tub, who initially tensed from the change in temperature, only to melt into the tub with a happy sigh. The clear water nearest him turned dark as the grime began to break away from his skin.

The two boys were silent for a few moments. Damian looked over Danny's wounds while Danny was stretching his small arms out and wiggled his tiny fingers. Taking in his little body. Neither knowing what to say or how to start this conversation. This was not how the 'hatching' was supposed to go. "...I'm small." Finally, Danny spoke up and it was weird for Damian to hear it out loud instead of in his head. It was a higher pitch than the voice of the teenager he had met in the alley but the accent was the same.