Damian and Titus- A Service Dog Fanfiction

Damian's Nightmare

When they finished their homework at the desks in their dorm, both boys brushed their teeth and Damian took his antidepressant as he did every night.

Damian hated going to sleep at night. He would rather be on patrol- sleeping in the bright day time- away from the visions of his childhood that haunted him.

It was about a quarter to three when Titus barked, waking up Jon. Service dogs don't bark. Jon turned on his bedside light and found Titus' paws propped up on the side of Jon's matress.

"What is it, boy?"

Titus walked across the room and placed his paws on Damian's bed, who was muttering and shaking in his sleep.

"Darn." Jon said, quickly getting up. Another flashback. He got out of bed and nudged Damian. "Hey." He said softly. He tried not to touch him- he almost got punched in the face that way once. Jon put his hands on the side of Damian's mattress and tried to shake it to wake him up. He heard Damian's breath catch and then he sat up straight.

"Mother- stop!" He was sweating. He looked at Jon, who was hiding a yawn behind his hand. "What time is it?"

"Early."

Titus jumped up onto Damian's bed and lay his body across Damian's legs. He pet Titus' belly. Jon was playing with Titus' ears and making funny faces at him. Damian frowned.

"What are you doing?"

Jon stopped. "Playing with Titus."

"I see that." He cleared his throat. "I'm going to take a shower."

"D, it's not even 4 in the morning."

Damian snapped for Titus to jump off and sit down and he got up. He walked past Jon. "I'm covered in sweat."

Jon looked at his friend. "What did you dream about?"

Damian grabbed a towel from his closet. "Don't worry about it."

"Your mother. You yelled at her again."

"If she were you mother, you would too."

Jon went back to bed and turned off his light. He adjusted the covers and rolled over. Titus was sitting, obediently at the bathroom door.

"Good morning, Titus." Jon whispered, closing his eyes and drifting back to sleep.

When Jon's alarm rang, he sat up, groggily, and rubbed his eyes. He looked up. Damian was doing push ups with one arm and reading a textbook off of the floor.

"What are you doing?" Jon asked.

"Push ups."

Jon sighed. "Did you ever go back to sleep?"

"Nope. Sleep is for the weak."

Jon pushed his covers off of him. "Then I'm pretty weak because I love sleep."

"My father doesn't sleep and he runs a billion-dollar company."

Jon frowned. "You dad gets punched in the head every night and dresses like a bat."

Damian stopped his push-ups and looked at Jon. "Well I'm not an alien."

"Your dad is still weirder."

Damian closed his textbook and stood up. He stretched. "You literally are the product of a human and an alien that came to this earth in a space shuttle."

"I'm bullet-proof."

"I'm faster."

"I'm taller."

"I'm older."

Titus whined and they turned to look at him. Damian sighed. "I know, boy. I'll take you out."

They got dressed in their uniforms and vested Titus, taking him from a walk on the snow-shoveled paths around the campus. "So do you want to talk about your dream?"

Damian shrugged. He was keeping his face down in his scarf amidst the freezing wind.

"Just revisiting the memory of when Talia sliced my stomach when I was 5."

"Wow." Jon replied. He zipped his jacket up all the way and pulled it down to uncover his mouth. "Why would she do that?"

"Because I didn't block her sword."

"But you were 5."

"I started assassinating when I was 5. I couldn't be weak."

Titus sat down and looked at Damian. He lifted a paw from Damian to 'shake' and shook his paw.

"Why did he do that?" Jon asked. "I haven't seen that one before."

"He senses that I'm anxious. He's just stopping a flashback."

"Hmm." Jon said, swallowed in his jacket with the hood up. He changed the subject. "How about we get breakfast?"

Damian looked at his watch. "We're pretty early."

It was only 6:30.

"I think it'll be fine."

Damian shrugged. "C'mon Titus." He ordered, letting the Great Dane happily trot beside his handler as they rushed in towards the warmth of the building. Despite not having slept much, Damian felt okay. He was just very, very glad to have Titus.