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Assistant: Title: Cardinal Kin
        Author: TheRoyalLibrarian TheRoyalLibrarian 
        Chapter: 6/7 
        Summary: Waking up in your 10 year old body is… jarring to say the least.Presented with an opportunity he can’t waste, Tim fixes everything, but at a cost no one remembers. They’ve forgotten it all.They’ve forgotten him.He convinces himself it's better this way...because it is.~~~~Damian doesn't have the patience for high society, but if he has to conform, he might as well learn from the best.A continuation of Brothers Fight (Read Part 1 for context)
        Contents: Chapter 6: Acclimatizing
    

    


      
        
          
          (See the end of the chapter for  notes.)
          
      
  

  
  
    
    The first three days on the job are strictly training. Monday to Wednesday, Damian comes into Drake Industries for about 4 hours and Tamara, Fox’s daughter, walks him through the various duties he’ll be expected to do. It’s new at first but definitely doable. Mostly it’s just… boring. Tamara’s training is about 50% actually teaching and 50% observation. She gets Damian an extra chair at her desk and he just sits and takes notes every once in a while. He watches how Tamara takes calls, her kind yet no nonsense demeanor. He watches that kindness dissipate with people who are especially incompetent, but she always remains dignified—even if she’s  subtly  poking at their intelligence. It’s Damian's own preferred method of insult, though he isn’t nearly as subtle about it.He finds her particular brand of scathing grace fascinating, really.Honestly, watching Tam deal with idiots is probably the most entertaining thing yet. Tamara’s desk is just outside the door of Drake’s office. Yet, despite seeing him multiple times since he started, he has yet to say a word to Damian. He doesn’t completely ignore him, he’ll give Damian a polite nod when he arrives or when he needs something from Tam, but after 3 days he  still  has yet to properly greet him. It makes something ugly and irritated bubble up inside Damian, an indignation he had thought he was over and done with. It’s the last day of Damian’s training and for the first time, he’s starting to think maybe this wasn’t such a good idea after all. Tamara’s flight leaves tomorrow and starting then, Damian will be Timothy Drake’s full-time executive assistant. How can Damian possibly do this job without Drake even talking to him? Fox had said the position would be more than just the job itself, that he’d have a chance to learn. How can that be possible when he’s yet to even see the inside of his office? …Maybe his brothers were right about this—about Drake.  He’s on the last hour of his shift, trying to push away the feelings of discouragement and inadequacy, when Tamara suddenly stands. She walks right up to Drake’s door and pushes her way in without so much as a knock, closing the door firmly behind her. At first, their conversation is quiet, but within a few minutes, the sound of blatant arguing makes itself known. The office has some degree of soundproofing, so while Damian can’t discern the actual words, the tone and volume are abundantly clear. Damian’s eyes widen.Tamara and Drake have known each other for sometime and as such, in the few interactions Damian has been privy to, are clearly comfortable with one another. Even so, in everyone of those interactions, there was always a high level of professionalism between them. Now, however, well. Tamara is clearly not above calling out  anybody’s  b@llsh@t, including her boss. Damian respects that. A few minutes later, the arguing dies down and Tam peaks her head out of the office. “Come on,” she gestures him in. “Grab your laptop.” Damian obeys, bringing the company laptop assigned to him when he started. It’a top of the line Wayne Enterprises model, synced up to the monitor sitting on Tamara’s, soon to be his, desk. Damian slips by Tamara and enters Drake’s office for the first time. The office is large, though not as large as the CEO’s office at WE or even his father’s office. It has a grand sort of appeal, yet sparse in way that makes Damian think its occupant doesn’t care much to make the space more his own, in fact Damian can’t spot a single personal item. Drake’s desk is backdropped by a solid wall of glass, giving an impressive view of Gotham below. Damian hopes that glass is bulletproof, an assassination attempt by window would be all too easy. On the other side of the room is a living room sort of area with a sofa and 2 lounge chairs, assumedly for longer or more casual business meetings. There’s also a door across the way, likely a personal bathroom. Tamara heads straight towards the two chairs placed directly in front of the desk. It’s only as Damian puts his focus back onto Drake himself, sitting behind his desk, that he realizes he’s being watched. Drake’s gaze falls over him like it isn’t even there, empty and blank. It’s rare for Damian to see such deliberate neutrality anymore, not a hint of feeling to be found…it reminds him a bit too much of his grandfather. Tamara takes one of the chairs and gestures for Damian to take the other. “Once a day, Mr. Drake and I will sit down and discuss the current happenings of the company,” Tam begins without preamble.  “This is where he’ll give you specific tasks such as memos that need to go out, people that need to be contacted, appointments to be made, stuff like that.” Damian nods along, his attention rapt. “The time and place of these check-ins will vary from day to day, but it’s important that they happen and that the two of you are on the same page.” Tamara gives Drake specifically a hard look which he looks away from quickly. She shakes her head a bit and continues to Damian, “We’re gonna go through this meeting like we normally would. I want you to follow along on your laptop, making notes and scheduling things out as you would when I’m gone. We’ll review it together afterwards and any questions you may have.” “Understood,” Damian says, opening up the appropriate programs, and the meeting is underway. Tamara has a prepared list, probably from their last meeting, of tasks she’s done and if applicable their outcome. Drake responds in kind, giving updates from his side of things. Damian takes note of all of it, alongside Tamara. She’s introduced Damian to most of the major players and companies they work with often, so Damian is able to follow along with the conversation fairly easily.The two of them work like a well oiled machine, though Damian can’t help but notice Drake looks decidedly tense the entire time. He really hopes that whatever is causing him to be so uncomfortable wears off soon because, quite frankly, Damian is already sick of it. Regardless of whatever judgement Drake has evidently already made about him, Damian is here to do a job. By the end of the meeting, Damian is feeling much more confident about his abilities to handle everything. Drake communicates clearly and the tasks are all within the range of the training Tamara has given Damian. This part of the job, at least, he’s sure he can handle. Drake gives him a small nod of acknowledgment. “I’m looking forward to working with you, Mr.Wayne,” he says in a monotone voice. Damian narrows his eyes, seeing through the lie instantly. From the corner of his eye he spots Tamara blatantly rolling her eyes, at least he isn’t the only one. He doesn’t comment on it though, just gives him a nod back in return. Tamara takes him back out to their desk and together they compare and contrast their notes, making sure Damian didn’t miss anything. He doesn’t. “Well, I think that about covers everything,” Tamara says with a relieved sigh. All that’s left for her now is to pack and go on her well deserved break.“Thank you for your help,” Damian says genuinely. “Watching you work has been… informative.” Tamara smiles kindly, “I’m glad. It may take a few days to settle in but I’m confident you’ll have everything well in hand.” “I will.” A contemplative look falls over her face, “Walk with me, will you?” Tamara stands, walking away from the desk towards the elevator. Damian follows. They get in the lift and go up about 3 more levels, the doors opening to an empty looking floor. Tam leads the way towards a break room of sorts, complete with a fridge, microwave and comfortable looking couch. “This floor was never finished,” she explains, reaching into the fridge and grabbing two bottles of water. “If we expand next year like we plan, it’ll become a fully functioning floor, but for now, I like to come here sometimes to get some quiet. You’re welcome to do so as well.” Damian nods gratefully, accepting the water and sitting with her on the couch. “Before I go…” she starts. “I just wanted to- well. I know Tim’s been kinda…cold towards you these past few days. But I’ve had a word with him and I think with time he’ll adjust. If not, well… that’s his problem, not yours. Okay?” Damian nods once. He definitely  hopes  it’ll get better. Despite his father’s insistence that he can leave the job at any time, Damian is set on seeing this through to the end no matter what.“There's… also a few more things you should know,” she says haltingly. “I say this as his assistant… but also his friend.”Damian gazes back at her blankly. Tamara sighs, almost frustrated, but Damian doesn't think it’s with him. “Look.” she says firmly. “Tim isn’t always the easiest person to work with. He’s stubborn and he gets  fixated  on things like no other. He doesn’t notice time passing sometimes and he’ll get stuck until whatever he’s working on is done. He is a phenomenal CEO and he always tries to do right by people, especially his employees, but he  doesn’t always do right by himself.”Damian listens intently, but silently, unsure how he should respond to the new information. “He works himself to the bone. He’s exhausted constantly, and has an unhealthy addiction to caffeine,” she shakes her head fondly. “If you need to speak up, shock him out of whatever trance he has himself locked into, don’t be afraid to do so, even if it’s a bit outside of what is considered professional. Call him out when he’s being a dumbass, he responds well to blunt honesty. Hopefully you won’t need to but...” She shrugs, “You probably will.”Damian frowns. That almost sounds like the fits his father goes through at times, completely obsessive over something until he is satisfied it is either no longer a threat or adequately prepared for, contingencies and all. Although Damian doubts Drake’s habits can be  that  bad, he isn’t a stranger to knocking some literal sense into his family when they’re being obstinate, only in this case…“Won’t Mr. Drake find that… unbecoming?” he asks. “I intend to fill this position until you get back, I’d rather not be dismissed.” Tamara smirks, “He won’t fire you, especially for that. If anything, you guys might get along better.”Damian doesn’t understand what that means. “I will... keep that in consideration.” She huffs, “Good. And Damian? I know you’re here to learn. Don’t be afraid to ask Tim questions, or for advice, or even to sit in on his meetings. He’s doing a p@ss poor job at showing it, but he does want you to succeed.” Damian kinda doubts that at this point, but Tamara does know Drake better than he does. “Lastly,” Tam gets out a pen and a scrap of paper. “If there’s some kind of emergency or…if need my help specifically, you can contact me here.” She slips him the paper with a number scrawled on it. “I appreciate it, Ms. Fox,” Damian says, taking it. Tamara stands and offers Damian a handshake which he takes. “You’re gonna do great, Damian,” she says. “I know it.”  Tim is not doing well. Having Damian around is… a lot. Tim is good at compartmentalization; he’s the king of it actually. When he doesn’t or can’t deal with certain realities—his parents' indifference/neglect, Bruce’s tolerance, his family’s apathy, Jason and Damian’s outright hatred, or even being forgotten entirely— he puts his feelings aside in nice neat little boxes within his mind to be dealt with later. Sure, sometimes ‘later’ ends up being never but he’s  busy . So yah, coming to work everyday to see his former little brother there with Tam has been difficult. So Tim executes his tried and true solution for situations he doesn’t want to deal with—he ignores it. Tam lets him get away with it while she’s training Damian, but on her last day, she lets him  have it,  laying out exactly how inappropriate and discouraging his behavior towards Damian has been. And yes, Tim probably deserved it but  d@mn  that woman is terrifying when she wants to be. The three days of feigned ignorance did help him acclimate to the new situation though. Damian is gonna be here for the next 2 months whether he likes it or not. Still, accepting that reality and dealing with it are two different things. How is he supposed to talk to him? How is he supposed to work with him? He still doesn’t know. Tam is officially gone now— safely landed in Germany—but thankfully the rest of the week goes by uneventfully. It’s actually pretty slow, which Tim is grateful for because it means Damian can settle into the job properly and Tim can keep to himself. He doesn't all out ignore Damian like he was before, but he doesn't interact with him more than necessary. They go through their daily check-ins but it’s purely business, Tim trying with all his might to give nothing away. It’s far easier for him to show no feeling at all than risk Damian spotting his disingenuity. Damian is completely respectful the whole time—which makes Tim so much more uncomfortable. He briefly wonders if Damian is some sort of clone, but dismisses the thought quickly enough. Damian is putting in effort, he’s  trying . By Friday though, Tim can see how the monotony and boredom are starting to get to him. Tim checks the camera’s every now and then, ever the stalker, to ensure Damian is where he should be and not causing any trouble. He never is, he’s always at his desk, attentive as ever but so very listless. Tim sighs. He could see how excited Damian was on his first day. Now, he’s sullen, almost disappointed. That’s Tim’s fault, of course. He could be giving Damian more work, he could handle it and it would certainly help Tim get things done faster. But he just. He still doesn’t know how to talk to him. The little demon is clever, he has Bat honed detective skills. If they interact more regularly, and Tim acts more authentically, Damian is gonna know  something  is up. But what’s the alternative? Letting Damian waste away all summer? If this was somebody else, Tim would just keep it up until the person finally quit. But Tim knows Damian enough, even with how much has changed, to know he quite literally never quits. Tim rubs his eyes tiredly. As much as he wants to do nothing, he can’t let Damian throw 2 months of his life away for an opportunity he was truly looking forward to. The fact Damian  ever  agreed to any sort of assistantship position shows just how much he’s grown, just how badly he wants to learn and earn the things coming to him. And Tim can help him with that. But first, that means actually talking to him, building some kind of understanding. And besides, what's the worst that could happen? Even if Damian was suspicious, there is literally no possible way he could figure out the real reason without Tim explicitly  telling  him. And that’s something he will never do. Mind made up, Tim grabs his phone and places an order from a nearby Greek place that he’s particularly partial to and has a wide variety of vegetarian options. Then he stands and makes his way out towards Damian's desk. The desk faces away from the door, so Damian doesn’t immediately see his approach. As Tim gets closer though, he sees Damian’s attention is fixed on a spare piece of paper in front of him. The drawing is still coming together, but Tim easily recognizes the shapes of the plants and couches seen around the office. Tim can’t help but smile at the sight. “That’s very good,” he says without thinking. Damian doesn’t jump but it’s a near thing—his entire body goes tense instantly. Tim curses himself internally. Tamara knows he’s eerily quiet at times, but Damian is a trained assassin turned vigilante, practically nobody should be able to sneak up on him. Tim should be able to get away with it just this once, but…It’s just another thing to be careful about. “...uh..” Damian’s eyes are a bit wide, his expression uncertain—like he doesn’t quite know how to talk to Tim either. Which is fair. “Thank you… sir.” Tim’s face screws up in displeasure. Coming from Damian, that is  properly  unnatural. “You don’t have to call me that… ever, if you please.”Damian seems to relax a bit at that. “Oh, good,” he mutters, as if it would have been some great hardship on his part. It makes Tim want to roll his eyes and smile at the same time. Damian has always had problems with authority, the only people he remotely listens to are his mother, father, and— at least in the old timeline— D@ck. It’s good to know that deep down, he’s still a little sh@t. “Umm..” Tim starts trepidatiously, still trying to figure out how to navigate this as he goes. “I ordered lunch.. for both of us… if you like.” Damian stares at him blankly before responding, “I see…that would be…agreeable.”Tim nods once, “Ok, cool. The delivery should be here soon, just.. come on in when it gets here,” he finishes. Tim slips back inside without another word. Sh@t. Why the hell is this so hard for him? He can literally put a mask on around anyone, carefully altering his behavior just so to fit each interaction. But now? God, Damian probably thinks he’s an idiot. Well, he’s always thought that.Tim busies himself as best he can in the 15 minutes it takes for the food to arrive. When it does, Damian gives the door one firm knock of warning before entering with the take-away bag in hand. He comes up to Tim’s desk briskly, almost like he’s planning on just dropping it off to him, but Tim gestures him towards the more comfortable couch, 2 lounge chairs, and coffee table instead. Tim takes the bag and places it on the table, narrowing his mind onto the simple task of retrieving the necessary plates and utensils. Damian sits on the couch across from Tim as he hands him his food. Tim relaxes back into his chair with his own, focusing on taking a few bites and allowing the silence to linger. It isn’t exactly awkward but it’s not comfortable either. After about a minute, Tim glances back up to find Damian staring between his unopened take-away container and Tim’s in his hand, looking perplexed. Tim frowns, the meals are identical— just a simple chickpea mediterranean salad. He has never known Damian to be particularly picky with his food, but he does care about quality. He swallows, “Is it alright?” Tim asks. “I wasn’t sure what you liked, so I took a guess. I enjoy most of their options…” Tim’s words seem to shock him out of whatever trance he’s in. “No, it’s just...” Damian picks up his fork and opens the container quickly, taking a bite and nodding. “This is very good. Thank you.” Tim nods.They continue to eat in silence for a while, the atmosphere a bit lighter, and Tim mentally gears himself up. “So, Mr. Wayne, you’re a week in. How have you been liking things so far?” Tim asks. He knows the real answer, probably something along the lines of dull and frivolous, but he’s curious how Damian will react to the question. Damian thinks about it for a moment, “It is… not what I expected.” “In what way?” Tim presses, leaning back into the chair, attempting to show Damian this is a casual conversation, that he doesn’t need to mince his words too heavily. “I thought this position would be more… involved.” “You’re bored,” he surmises. Damian tenses slightly, but Tim doesn’t give him the time to overthink it. “That’s mostly my fault,” he admits, infusing his voice with a fair degree of sheepishness. “Tam has been my assistant for over 2 years now and well, I guess I’m a bit resistant to change.” Damian's face remains carefully neutral, but his gaze is piercing. Tim honestly can’t tell what Damian is reading off his expression and body language. He can only hope he’s being convincing. Tim continues, “From what I understand, you’re capable of handling whatever I have for you, so I’ll be sure to give you more to do next week.” “I would appreciate that,” Damian responds lowly. “And if there is anything you’re unsure about or if you have any questions about my work specifically, please feel free to ask. I want to be a resource for you as much I’m sure you will be to me.”“...Thank you, Mr Drake.” Tim holds back another cringe but Damian sees it anyway. He c@cks his head questioningly.“Uhh, you don’t need to call me that either,” Tim says. “At least, in the office. Unless we’re in front of shareholders or other prominent people.”Damian frowns, real confusion smattering his expression. “Why? It is respectful, isn’t it?” Tim wants to smile at the subtle way Damian relaxes enough to ask a question he genuinely doesn’t understand. At this point, Bruce would’ve had Damian carefully studying western mannerisms so as to not accidentally offend the upper class. If he is to insult someone, Damian likes to be  very intentional about it. Calling your superiors—or in this case, your boss—"sir/ma’am" or "Mr./Ms./Mx." is generally considered good manners, and Damian obviously is trying very hard to put his best foot forward. “It is,” Tim confirms. “I just don't particularly like it.” He shrugs, a bit surprised by his own honesty. He probably could’ve come up with a better reason, but he really just can’t stand that title coming out of  Damian’s mouth of all people.“You’re only a few years younger than me,” Tim attempts to explain. “It doesn’t really feel… natural, you know?”Damian continues to frown, as if to say ‘no, I really don’t,’ but he doesn’t protest. “What should I call you instead?” Oh. Well, Tim should have thought of that. Tam always just calls him ‘Tim’ unless speaking about him to somebody else, but that would be just as unnatural as having Damian calling him Mr. Drake. He could potentially call him Timoth-Tim shuts that thought down as soon as it enters his mind, forcing down the accompanying shiver that always comes with his traumatic memories. No, he won’t be able to deal with that either. “Just Drake is fine,” he decides quickly. Damian hesitates, likely seeing something in his demeanor shift slightly. Tim tries to relax further into the furniture, taking another bite of food to distract himself. “Very well, Drake.” Damian answers. “And you may call me Damian.” Tim smiles softly, knowing that when Damian says “he may,” he really means Tim had better—if he knows what’s good for him. “Fair enough.” With that, whatever tension was left between them eases. They’re both still being careful about what they say and do, but Tim would expect nothing less and overall the conversation is pleasant. They continue their lunch just like that, alternating between comfortable silences and discussing the work ahead of them. By the end of the day, Tim leaves the office feeling hopeful for once. Maybe this won’t be so bad after all.  Alfred comes and picks Damian up from Drake Industries when he’s done for the day.“How was it, Master Damian?” he asks. “Better,” Damian replies honestly as he buckles himself in. “I think Drake and I were able to reach an understanding.”Alfred glances at him through the rearview mirror with a soft expression, “Happy to hear it, sir.”Damian goes quiet for the rest of the drive home, replaying the day in his mind. Drake seems to have gotten over whatever hold ups he had with Damian, or at least he wants Damian to think so. Their whole conversation during lunch was.. Fine. It wasn’t necessarily bad, but Damian could sense it wasn’t wholly genuine either. It’s like Drake is… repressing something. Once they return to the Manor, Damian goes upstairs to shower and change into more comfortable clothes. By the time he’s done, Alfred has dinner ready.Only Damian and Duke live full time at the Manor these days, but it’s rare for them to be the only ones home. His other siblings come and go as they please depending on their personal, professional, and nightlife schedules. Usually though, everyone who is available comes to the Manor late afternoon/early Friday evenings for family dinner.After weeks, Steph and Cass are finally home again, though only for a few days. Their current mission requires them to travel a lot as they hunt down the locations of various human trafficking locations scattered around the US. He’d never say it, but Damian is glad to see them. Barbara Gordon is also present. It's rare for her to come to dinner seeing as she has her own family and her own team to lead, but at her core, she’s still one of the Bats.Damian is one of the last to arrive at the table. As he seats himself, he looks around fondly at almost the entirety of the Batclan; Richard, Jason, Cass, Steph, Duke, Barbara, Bruce, Alfred, and Damian himself. They’re only missing…Damian frowns, doing a mental recount. No, they aren’t missing anybody, everyone is here. Odd. Damian could have sworn-Steph suddenly comes up behind Damian and ruffles his hair. Damian ducks, knocking her hand away. She just laughs, “Good to see you, little man.”“The feeling is not mutual,” he grumbles with little heat.Steph rolls her eyes and sits back down next to Cass. “We hear you got yourself a summer gig, huh?” “Indeed,” he agrees, not elaborating any further, focusing entirely on his plate.“Damian is working at Drake Industries,” Richard supplies instead.“The way I heard it, he’s working  for  Timothy Drake,” Barbara says, raising an inquisitive eyebrow towards Damian.“I’m his executive assistant for the summer,” Damian confirms with as bland a voice as possible. “Damian…is an assistant?” Cass asks quizzically. Duke laughs, “Believe me, we were as surprised as you are.”“It is a good opportunity,” Damian defends himself. “I don’t know why you’re all so surprised, I’m more than capable.”Cas shakes her head, “Not surprised about that, you do everything to your best ability. But being an assistant does require some… humility.” “He had to have some character growth at some point,” Jason smirks, gaining a few chuckles. “We are very proud of Damian,” Bruce interjects. “He’s taking his first steps into a larger world.” “I mean sure, but Timothy Drake?” Steph asks skeptically. “He’s not entirely terrible,” Damian says. “That’s high praise,” Duke comments sarcastically.Damian shrugs. Jason narrows his eyes. “He hasn’t been a total pr@ck, then?”  he asks, his mouth still full. Damian considers how to answer that. Drake has never been outright rude to him, just distant. “I don’t think he liked me replacing his current assistant,” he says simply. “How so?” Richard asks, a touch of protective edge creeping into his tone. “He didn’t speak to me for almost the whole week. He seemed… high strung, stressed.” Bruce nods along thoughtfully, “It can be a stressful transition, especially if he’s had the same assistant for a while.” “Yah, but that doesn’t mean he can all out ignore their replacement,” Barbara points out. Bruce nods once as if to concede the point. “We talked more today,” Damian continues. “We had lunch together. He admitted he was resistant to the change. He apologized and implied things would be different going forwards.” Duke hums, “I guess that is something.”Jason rolls his eyes. “The bar is literally on the floor,” he gripes. Damian ignores him, mind still replaying the interaction over and over, trying to understand why his brain won’t leave it alone. He looks up, sensing his fathers eyes analyzing him. “Was there something else, Damian?” Bruce asks, perceptive as ever. Damian hesitates, trying to put his observation into words. “When we talked today, he was perfectly polite, respectful even, but…”“But?”“He seemed almost…sad.”  Richard frowns, “Sad?”“Like, about his assistant leaving?” Steph questions.Damian shakes his head, “No, not that. He doesn’t  act  sad. It’s like… it's always there in his eyes…it just took me a while to notice.” He snaps his mouth shut as soon as the words are out, aware of how ridiculous that probably sounds. “But- it's probably nothing,” he mumbles, going back to his food.  He expects his siblings to react mockingly, but the table is oddly contemplative at his admission, Father especially in deep thought. “I doubt your observations are incorrect, Damian.” His father says quietly. “It’s only been, what, 3 years since his parents died?” he directs the questions towards Alfred behind him, who nods. “4 years, sir,” he corrects. Damian’s brow creases, unaware of the fact.Jason too looks at them sharply, “His parents are dead?”Bruce raises an eyebrow, “You didn’t know?” “I-” Jason shakes his head no. “We had a lot going on back then. I wasn’t exactly keeping up with the news.” “That’s true,” Bruce nods. “Well, for your information, the Drakes were pretty prominent in the archaeological spheres. They were at a dig site in Egypt when they were ambushed by raiders. There weren’t any survivors.”Silence falls over the table.Bruce sighs, “Losing someone so important at such a young age… Well, I don’t need to tell you all, but it takes a toll. I’m sure it still affects Timothy.” Barbara tilts her head in thought, “Does he still live in the Drake Manor?”Bruce nods, “As far as I know. He’s just down the road.”Barbara’s brow furrows, eyes gazing directly out the window of the dining room towards where the Drake residency would be just a mile or 2 away. Cass follows her gaze, her expression going distant and sad. “So what?” Jason shrugs, looking between them both. “It’s a big house,” Cass explains softly. “Too big.”The words hang in the air, but no one has anything else to say about it. They continue their meal in silence for another minute or so before D@ck strikes up another conversation, the mood slowly becoming lighter again.Damian listens to his family’s words, but remains contemplative the rest of the night. He didn’t know about Drake’s parents, he had no idea. When he started to do his research on Drake Industries, he focused only on events relevant to the company. Jack and Janet Drake were owners basically in name only. They had a CEO working under their direction, but the man was steadily leading the company into bankruptcy before Timothy stepped in. Damian assumed Drake took over proactively to save the business from his parents' failings. He never considered Drake might have done it out of necessity, because he was the only Drake left to do anything at all. Timothy Drake fills his thoughts for the rest of the evening, even stretching into his patrol. He knew he was missing something about the man, and the revelation about his parents seems to fit that hole perfectly, but Damian has not survived this long by simply being content with what is given to him. He trusts his instincts, and until they stop yelling at him, Damian will continue to ruminate. It takes Damian far too long to fall asleep that night, and even when he does, he sleeps fitfully.  
   He dreams of an unfamiliar boy in an unfamiliar Robin suit. At first glance, Damian instinctively understands that he hates this boy, that the suit belongs to him, not this pretender. He devises various methods to get rid of him. He tosses the boy a live grenade, pushes him off the dinosaur in the Batcave to the depths below, and cuts his grapple line mid jump, all to no effect.  

   Despite his best efforts, the boy lives. 
 Damian awakes the next morning with a vague memory of jealousy, the desire to  hurt  and frustration at his failure to do so.But also with a distinct feeling of relief, happy he failed in whatever blood thirsty quest his subconscious was seeking.
  
  

    
      
        
        
          My thought process is that when Damian first met Tim in the OG timeline, he really did despise him. Over time though, he came to respect and even admire Tim deep down, but had no idea how to adjust their dynamic, so treated Tim the same and Tim went on thinking Damian still hated him. Had Damian not died and things progressed as they should have, they would have come to an understanding and their brotherly relationship would’ve deepened.If only. Also, thank you for all the support! I'm feeling a lot better than I did when I posted the last chapter. I really appreciate all the kind words!'
User: Summarize the chapter based on the content provided, ensuring to follow the set format and emphasize key aspects within the specified length.
User: Summarize the chapter based on the content provided, ensuring to follow the set format and emphasize key aspects within the specified length.
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