The UnTamed

CH 9

Damian gently brushed her hair as she laid her head in his lap. When Asta came through the window, she didn't say anything; she just handed him a brush and laid her head in his lap without a word. He allowed her silence for a good 15 minutes before he asked, "Are you okay?" he stopped brushing as she turned in his lap, nuzzling his hip and stomach.

"I'm alright, just tired."

"Fall is approaching."

Asta didn't just have animal abilities but animal characteristics and behaviors, such as the need to hibernate. While Asta wasn't an actual animal (at least not all the time), she didn't need to hibernate, but she became incredibly tired and inactive in the colder months. She'd sleep at least 10 hours when it snowed, and when she wasn't sleeping, she'd seek warmth.

"No, I was up all night."

"Why?"

"Helping people.... lost my place."

Damian hated that. While Asta identified herself as a stray, he knew it was an excellent term for the homeless. Despite offering to house and assistance, she rarely takes. Fear of being a burden. She hopped from one abandoned building to the next. He really didn't like it. " You can stay here... or at one of the safe houses," he said, offering some solution. She hummed as she nuzzled further into his stomach "You'd be warm and safe."

"Don't your siblings come over more during the winter? Won't they see me?" she asked.

Asta was aware of Damian's desire to keep her a secret, to keep her to himself. She wanted to remain hidden, knowing that having connections with Damian's family of any kind in the dark or the light would be bad news. To be connected to the Batfamily meant being targeted by rogues and losing the trust of her people. And to be connected to the Wayne family meant being targeted by rogues, losing the trust of her people, and being harassed/pulled apart by the media and the rest of the world. She just wasn't ready for all that. She didn't have the mental or physical armor for any of that. She didn't mind being his little secret.

"Stay in my room, pretend to be a stray. They never question my pets anymore as long as they're not too big or dangerous. They won't mind another cat." As if on que, she shifted into a black cat and nuzzled her head into his hand. " I'm assuming this means you'll stay." She nodded.

-

Something is wrong with Damian. Everyone was in agreement. Damian had been acting differently lately, and his siblings had taken notice and come together to discuss and get to the bottom of these changes in behavior.

"I don't get what the big deal is. He's just going through some weird teenage former assassin phase. As long as he doesn't kill anybody, we're in the clear," Jason said as he took the other half of Tim's sandwich. Tim just glared as he ate the other half. " No, no, we're not waiting for that," Dick sounded panicked on the phone.

Everyone couldn't actually meet together met all together, so they were doing a phone conference with Dick in Bludhaven, Barbara at work, Duke Stephanie and Cass at school, and Tim and Jason at the manor. Dick had pestered them all into a group phone call. He was annoying like that.

"I agree with Jason. Not about the killing but about this being a phase. He's going through something he'll talk about when he wants to or not," Duke said

"Ooo, maybe he's got a girlfriend he's hiding," Stephanie cooed. Tim could practically feel her wiggling her eyebrows suggestively through the phone.

"Considering how Damian cannot hold a proper conversation with any of his peers, let alone a girl, without insulting them one way or another. His classmates are beneath him, or so he says,"