Night Rider

16: Damian is Adorable... When He's Not Angry

AN: 300 reads, that's so awesome everybody! Here's the new update! (I know it's a little late...)
Picture above isn't mine, but I feel it's accurate for the end of this chapter.
...

I snuggled deeper into the clean pile of straw, completely cocooned in a bundle of blankets. Putting a change of clothes and camping gear in the barn was one of my better decisions as of late, since I now was able to continue avoiding my angry host family. That hadn't been the original purpose behind it, but that didn't seem relevant at the moment.

"Good night kids," I called out. Both horses nickered back to me sleepily.

I clicked off the lamp and waited for sleep.

...

"So you slept out here."

My brain snapped awake and I flailed around in my blanket cocoon violently. I ripped them from my face.

"Instead of coming inside when the temperature drops because it's nearly winter, you chose to sleep in the barn to avoid this conversation."
Damian was standing above me, arms crossed and a scowl on his features. His eyes narrowed dangerously.

I sighed, rubbing the sleep out of my eyes. "First of all, this cocoon of mine is rated for intense cold, and secondly," I dropped any pretense of humor from my voice. "There is nothing either of us can say to change what happened. An argument won't lead anywhere productive, you know that. But if screaming at me would make you feel better, then go for it."

He stared at me uncomfortably, chewing over that information before finally saying, "Father is still furious with you. Why is okay for me to yell at you when he cannot, as was evidenced by last night."

I shook my head slightly. "It's not the yelling... It's that you two are mad for different reasons."

"What is the difference?"

"You're mad because you were worried. Jason was too. And I'm betting money that's why Alfred and Dick are mad as well. For that I really am sorry, and I will do better in the future to not be a reckless idiot. You guys are my friends and I shouldn't get so consumed with myself that I forget how important you are and how much you care," I looked down and fiddled with my blankets.

"... And father is angry because?"

I looked up again. "Maybe he was worried, I don't know, but really he's just pissed that I didn't go along with his plans for my future," I mumbled through the last bit.

"And you have no intentions of following those plans."

I lifted a shoulder. "Yeah. Are you... still going to chew me out?"

...

He didn't end up screaming at me- extensively. Mostly he yelled for a little bit, then gave me the cold shoulder for the rest of the day. Which was fine.

I still needed to figure out the mess with Park after all.

But by the end of the day I was no closer to a solution, for either Park or Bruce, and while Bruce was waiting inside the house, Park was not in my immediate vicinity. I did what I tended to do best on the issue.
I procrastinated and avoided the problem of for now. Bruce I would deal with when I finally went inside.

Park could wait until I had more options to work with.

...

I peeped my head around the doorframe, looking for Bruce. The living room had been empty, as had the kitchen, and the other five rooms I had checked in, but he was sitting in the study. The one leading to the Batcave.