Bat Brothers: Schooldays

Thursday

Jon woke Damian up by knocking on his door. Begrudgingly, Damian got out of bed and opened the door. Jon was already in his uniform. Alfred had just done the laundry and ironed Jon's shirt until it was perfectly smooth. The elementary school uniform was different from the middle school uniform. Firstly, they didn't wear neckties or navy sweaters. They wore white polo shirts and a light knitted jacket. Jon looked pristine.

"Good morning!" He grinned. "Last night was so awesome!"

Damian stepped aside in the doorway to let Jon in. He opened the dresser drawer and opened his closet, throwing his clothes on the bed. He stripped off his shirt and grabbed the white cotton undershirt from off his bed, facing away from Jon.

Jon looked at Damian's back. It had jagged scars across the skin. Jon felt sad.

"You can't show your back, can you?"

Damian slipped an arm through the sleeves of his button-up shirt. "Or my arms." He started to button it and looked up at Jon.

"I'm not bulletproof like you." Damian said, feeling the sadness pool in his stomach.

Jon shifted nervously. "Well I'm going to get breakfast. I'll see you soon." He said, walking out of the room.

Damian sighed and moved the knot of the tie to his neck before pulling on his navy sweater. He walked down the grand oak staircase. When he was younger, Dick used to back flip down the stairs or jump off from the top and tuck-and-roll at the base before getting up to get told off by Alfred with a huge smile on Dick's face. Now, Damian walked down the stairs alone. He turned into the dining room. Jon was talking happily with Jason. Tim hadn't come down yet.

"Good morning, Damian."

"Good morning, father." Damian said, sitting down.

They finished breakfast. Alfred ordered Jon and Damian in the car for the long drive to school. When they buckled their seat belts, Alfred pulled out of the driveway and made it down the Wayne Manor property to the streets of Gotham. Alfred packed lunches for both kids but Jon ate fruit snacks out of a plastic bag.

"So." He said in between chewing. "What are you learning about?"

Damian put down his book. "I know everything. I'm not learning anything."

"What about American history?"

Damian frowned. "It's just one class. I've already read the textbook."

Jon shook his head. "Where do you find time to do all these things?"

Damian shrugged. "I read a lot." He paused in thought. "Sometimes I read when I'm on a treadmill."

After 40 minutes, Alfred was pulling away after wishing the boys a good day at school. The first bell rang and Jon waved good bye to his friend as he walked across the common area to the lower levels building. 

Damian adjusted the strap on his bag and walked up the marble steps to the middle school building. The second bell rang and Damian took his seat by the window next to his new friend, Tiana. She passed him a folded flyer.

"I'm in the Student activities council. Maybe you want to come?"

Damian opened the paper under the desk where his teacher couldn't see it. He read it and felt his heart jump into his throat it was a flyer for the fall dance.

"You should go."

Damian swallowed his nerves and whispered back. "Yeah. Maybe."

He folded the flyer and slipped it into his pocket. American history passed and Damian made his way to the locker rooms for gym. He changed in the bathroom stall like normal and wore a sweater over his gym uniform. Sam was sitting in the bleachers. Damian  took a seat next to him.