Bat Brothers: Schooldays

Super Sons Take on the Night

Bludhaven was a 33 minutes drive along the coast, the opposite direction of Metropolis.

"Any cases you're working on?" Damian asked.

"Not at the moment." Dick said. "Other than making sure I track down weapon and drug deals, I'm free to just patrol."

Damian slumped back in his chair. He was hoping for some action. When they parked Nightwing's supercar, they made their way up to one of the highest buildings. It was lightly snowing and so Damian flipped his hood up.

"Cold?" Jon asked.

"Never." Damian responded.

Static crackled over the comm link. It was Jason.

"Pawn shop break-in about a mile away. Figured I should tell you. The police scanner won't pick it up for a few minutes."

"Thanks." Dick said. "We're on it." 

"Don't mention it. I'm living the fucking dream being grounded."

Dick grinned and looked at the boys. "Ready?"

Jon jumped up into a levitation. "Ready!"

"Of course." Damian said. He pulled up a map of the city on a hologram that came from his watch.

They jumped rooftops and made their way across the city in the air. When they finally made it to the shop. Dick opened the shattered glass door.

"So are you hoping to pawn or sell tonight, gentlemen?"

Busy smashing glass cases, neither one paid him any attention.

He looked over at Jon and Damian. "Want to take over?"

Jon and Damian looked at each other and then looked at Dick.

"Yes."

Damian jumped up onto the glass cases and launched onto the back of one of the men, effectively slamming him onto the ground to take the gun tucked into the waistband of his jeans.

"Superboy, freeze this!" Damian said, tossing the gun over head at Jon.

Jon caught it and set it on the ground. He took a deep breath and breathed out ice, covering the weapon and freezing it to the ground. Superboy heard tires screeching and then footsteps rushing behind him from probably less than a block away.

"Um, Robin-" Jon began.

"Kind of busy-" Damian replied, dodging a knife slash and punching the man's face in.

"I think someone else is coming and-"

A loud gunshot.

Robin jumped back and swept the legs out of the robber and twisting his arm behind his back. He looked up.

Dick was standing by the entryway, still leaning against the shattered glass case. He knocked out the getaway driver with a straight punch to the side of his face.

Sirens.

"Let's go." Dick said.

Damian kicked each of the criminals for good measure and slipped out into the neon-lit night.

Dick brought the boys back to the Cave.

Alfred was up, looking much better than he did before.

"Hello, Mr. Pennyworth." Jon greeted.

"Good evening." Alfred returned.

Jason was watching YouTube videos on the main monitor.

"Jason." Dick exhaled.

"What are you doing?"

"What?" Jason asked. "Dad's not home. He doesn't need it."

Alfred looked at Damian- specifically at his legs.

"Any particular reason you have glass shards in your knees?"

"Oh." Damian said. "That." He looked at Alfred. "I guess I knelt on glass when I was disarming someone."

"Didn't you feel that?!" Jon asked, alarmed.

"I don't notice pain." Damian lied.

"Damian. You terrify me, sometimes. You are just not right." Tim said, walking by with a mug of coffee.

Damian smirked. Alfred insisted that he let him take out the glass and clean his knees.

"What are you going to say at school?" Dick asked.

"You should say you fell off of your bike on loose gravel." Jon offered.

"Why would I be riding my bike on loose gravel? That sounds like a terrible idea."

"Not as terrible as 'oh, that- I just knelt in some glass as I fought against crime with my big brother'. Seriously." Tim said, rolling his eyes.

"No one asked you." Damian frowned. 

Tim sighed. "Why do I even bother?"

Jon changed the subject. "Tim, did you go on patrol already?"

Tim took another sip of coffee. "No, I'm on the Gotham late-shift. Batman is coming home at 3."

"On a school night?" Jon marveled.

"It took some convincing." Tim shrugged.

Damian was sitting up. He had the deeper cuts glued and the superficial gashes treated with antibiotic cream.

"Don't bend your legs for two hours." Alfred instructed. "The glued sutures need to set."

Damian rolled his eyes. "Fine."

Jon sat next to the table, spinning around aimlessly. Jon stopped spinning.

"I'm dizzy." He said.

"Imagine that." Damian replied.

Alfred brought snacks for Jon and Damian. He handed a cup of earl grey tea with brown sugar and a lemon slice and a glass of chocolate milk for Jon.

"Thank you, Mr. Pennyworth." Jon thanked.

"Thank you, Pennyworth." Damian agreed.

Jon adjusted the table to prop up so Damian could lay back, sitting up, instead of holding himself up with his tired arms.

Jon jumped up into a levitation. "So what do you want to do for two hours?" Jon asked, floating around.

"Don't go too high." Dick warned. He was sipping a mug of coffee across the Cave.

"Right." Jon said, gently landing on the floor.

Tim was reluctant to help his dumb younger brother but he slipped his laptop out of his backpack where he was doing calculus at the briefing table, waiting for his shift.

"Here." He said, opening the laptop. "Watch Netflix or something. Just don't bend your damn knees."

"Thank you, Tim." Jon smiled.

"He better be glad you're around." Tim said.

"Watch it, Orphan." Damian growled, flexing his feet and feeling the skin on his knees stretch.

Tim logged on. "Here. You just pick what you want to watch." He left them alone with his computer.

"That damn Bastard." Tim muttered, walking back to the briefing table to finish up some homework.