Raven Roth and Damian Wayne: The Walk of Life (Book 1 Of 2)

Chapter Seven

A/N: Ok, before you go any further be aware there is strong language and (trying to avoid spoilers) unpleasantness in this chapter. Keep that in mind, don't want to cause offence.

Raven sat in the back of the car staring intently at the pile of face up cards on the middle seat. She and Damian had taken to playing simple games of snap as every other game they tried had been decidedly unfair, because of the mental link between them they each knew what cards the other had. They'd been on the road nearly the entire day only stopping for ten minutes to fill up the car with fuel. Dick let a very long yawn escape as he blinked hard a few times trying to concentrate on the road. "Alright guys, I'm calling it. Time to find somewhere to rest up. We've got two throw up tents with us so a camp out could be fun." He said as he gently rocked Kori awake from a nap she had decided to take. Damian and Raven looked at each other. "Did he say two tents?" Raven asked Damian telepathically. Damian's face took on a confused expression as he nodded. Raven blushed a little. "Who's sharing with who?" She followed up. "Don't get any ideas back there. It'll be boys in one and girls in another." Dick smirk looking in the rear view mirror. Kori lightly punch him in the arm. "Dick!" She blurted out trying to hide the small grin that was taking form on her lips. "What? Blame them. They're the ones that are all rosy cheeked." He cried back with a laugh. Kori turned in her seat to look at the younger pair, who were indeed blushing up a storm and doing all they could to not make eye contact. Out of nowhere the cars breaks were thrown on and the car swerved left and right. "ASSHOLE!" Dick yelled from the steering wheel, bring the car to a stop. "DICK?! Language!" Kori scolded him. "Sorry babe, this pr, guy, like some world renowned genius, firstly cut me up and secondly just slammed his breaks on in front of me for no apparent reason." Dick said no fully alert. "This isn't good." Raven thought to Damian. "I know, Dick isn't someone you get on the wrong side of, even I know better than that." He replied. "No, not that. Well, yea but no. That other drive. I can feel the anger and hate coming from him. This isn't going to be good, for anyone." She told him as the man in the other car stepped out. He was large and had a shaved head, wore a tank top that showed off his extensive tattoos. Slamming his door shut he started walking to their car. "Hey! Dick! Get out ya car, ya ingrate!" The man yelled. "Do you know him?" Kori asked confused. "No. I don't think he meant my name Kori." Dick said turning to look at her. "Don't look at ya bitch, get out the car. Driving like ya own the road, taking ya sweet ass time." The man screamed as he started stumbling up to Dicks door. Raven, Damian and Kori looked wide eyed at Dick as a deep angry frown generated itself upon his face. He opened the door and stepped out into the road. "What got to get permission to do anything boy?!" The man continued screaming in Dicks face. "Damian, the man's drunk, clearly, and there;s a dark aura coming from him. I know he's bad news and everything but if you don't get a hold of your brother and stop him, that guy is going to get his head taken off." Raven said aloud and Kori turned her attention to the girl. "Raven, what do you sense? speak quickly." She asked. Raven looked to the man and closed her eyes. "Drinker, violent, women mostly, his wife a lot, sometimes their kids, in the car looking to cause an accident, trying to start a fight with anyone." She opened her eyes and looked back Kori and then back to Damian who was now rummaging through the bags in the back of the car. "No sword Damian. And I can't believe you brought it with you." Raven said to him. Dick stood listening to the man throwing insults at him, trying to remain calm and collected but he sure wasn't letting the insult to Kori go. "And what, with ya two offspring in the back? At your age? Had 'em young? Your slapper must be a whore to have two different skin coloured kids." The man continued. Hearing this Damian was now as angry as Dick, or so he thought but looking at his brother through the window he could see that Dick was, livid. "One, that's my younger brother, not our kid, two, I suggest you apologise profusely to my Fiancée, get back in your car and go." Dick said not bothering to hide how enraged he had become. "Oh is that right? Well pardon me, Mr fancy pants, I wasn't aware little miss spread 'er legs was ya bride to be. I take it all back then stupid fuck, one brother in the back and one brat from 'guess the father'." The man yelled back and Dick snapped. He throw a clenched right fist into the man's gut and swiftly brought his right knee up and he buckled over, connecting it to the man's nose, breaking it in the process. The faces of everyone in the car dropped in shook at Dicks brutal attack, even if the man had been asking for it. " Oh my god, Dick!" Kori cried from the car. Damian had already bailed out and was sprinting around the back of the car behind Dick, who quickly spun on his heal and pointed a finger to Damian. "You stay right where you bloody well are!" He yelled turning his attention back to the man, now crumpled on the floor holding his face while blood poured out of his nose. "Apology! Now!" Dick demanded as he lifted the man's head up by one of his ears. "I'm sorry, that ya girls a slut, ya pig shit pretty boy." He said as he spat in Dicks face. Dick moved his hand from holding an ear to grabbing the back of the man's skull and pushed it down, hurtling towards the ground. "Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos!" Dick came flying back towards Damian who caught him, and the beaten man slid away, back towards his own car enveloped in a shroud of magic. Raven lowered her hands and the magic dissipated. "Dick! Car. Get in it" Damian said sternly. "And you, pick a fight elsewhere. You're clearly not going to win this one." He said to the bloody faced man. "More God damn freaky brats, that's all this world needs." He muttered getting back into his car and speeding off. Dick stood up and brushed himself off and looked at his companions. Kori had stepped out the car and was looking at him from the other side, worry across her face. Raven had moved to the side and was helping Damian to his feet. Dick closed his eyes and took in a deep breath. "I'm sorry everyone." He said looking at the floor without opening his eyes. "That guy just said the wrong things, the wrong day, to the wrong guy. He was drunk and stupid and looking for a fight and I just, lost it." He finished. Damian walked forward and squared up to his brother. He used to be much shorter than Dick but now there must have been half a foot or so between them. "All true, and he was looking for a fight, with anyone. You, Kori, Raven, me. It didn't matter to him. Adult or child. Man or woman. Didn't matter. So out of everyone here, who do you think I would have preferred to fight him?" Damian asked as Dick straightened up to look at him. "Me?" He answered with a question. "Yes, I'd never want Raven to be in the situation where you feel such a strong need to punch someone who is, in essence, just a civilian. Kori shouldn't have to do that either. If it had been me, I would have snapped his neck long before any of you made it out the car. I'd do the jail time too, wouldn't matter a great deal, cause he's an asshole that beats his wife and children. Raven saw it in his mind. Yea, you broke his face but, he's alive right? So lets go." Damian said as he hopped into the driver's seat. "Also, you swore A LOT. In your head. Screamed it in fact. That high level of intensity, I didn't need to read you mind to hear it." Raven added as she got into the back of the car. Damian wound down his window and leaned out with a smirk. "Really? You'll have to put at least two or three dollars in the jar at the mansion." He laughed. Dick looked at him smugly. "Did you just joke?" He spat out and Damians smirk vanished. "Shut up. Get in and yes I am, you're falling asleep at the wheel, rotation is more efficient." He said as Kori climbed into the back of the car and looked over to Dick. "He has a point. I say we let him. This trip is about fun, relaxation and going with the flow. But only for this trip, any other time and I'm with Dick on you not driving." She said with a smile and caring eyes. "It's against the law." he protested. "You do let him ride a motorbike you know? Uniform or not, and crime fighting in general without a badge." smirked Raven. Dick rolled his head back in defeat. "Fine." He groaned. "But no one tell Bruce. He'll skin me alive for this. I swear." "We noticed." His three fellow travellers laughed. Damian looked over to Dick pulling himself into the front passenger seat. "On the subject of noticing, you two are engaged now? that's, neat." he said once Dick had shut the door. Kori and Dick froze for a moment. "I yelled that at that guy didn't I?" Dick asked creasing up his face. "Kind of loudly." Joked Raven from the back as Damian got the car underway. Letting out a sigh Dick turned so he was side ways in his seat and able to see everyone. "We'll talk about it when we make camp." he said. "Camp?" Damian put out. "I'm driving us to a hotel, not motel, hotel. what's with you and this camping idea anyway?" He carried on. Dick span his face round and leaned in closer to Damian. "Camping is fun, and maybe you could, you know, speak to Raven about something." Dick whispered. Damian Laughed hard aloud. "What's funny?" Raven asked as she and Kori leaned between the two front seats. Damian used the mental link with Raven to tell her what Dick said and how he'd put it. Raven chuckled and burst into laughter joining Damian. Dick and Kori looked at each other confused. "What have we missed?" Dick asked completely lost. "Like you said, we'll talk later, while camping i guess." Damian said, sighing the end of his sentence.