theknightshift | inbox (etraya)

You commanded, you didn't ask!

( that's what bothers him. being told to do something without being given the option to do anything else but obey. he has been a soldier his entire life, given orders he was told not to question regardless of how he feels about them - he was told not to feel.

damian opens his mouth to yell, to bruce how unfair his expectations are, how damian cannot live up to them because they are unrealistic - but rather than words, he snaps his teeth shut and gives an irritated growl. )

If you do not want me, say it. Because I will not be your obedient toy soldier. That isn't what I left Mother for. If my autonomy is not an inconvenience, then stop acting like it is!

[ it seems pointless to argue the semantics of the conversation now. The result would be the same. Damian doesn’t take orders. And Bruce is left twisting in the wind. He misses Alfred. Terribly. ]

It’s not your autonomy that’s the problem. It’s your attitude. You are not invincible or infallible. And if something happens to you—-

[ he cuts himself off. Leaves that thought where it is. ]

I am asking you to stop.

( questions of his invincibility aside - )

Nero and I are friends ( he still says the word like it's a foreign concept to him, but damian is using it. ) now, his father and I worked together during the last mission, and I may need to request the Bat-tank to handle Dante but we are not on terrible terms.

( yet. it's a work in progress with the latter, but he's fine with the former two. )

Do you want me to stop making friends? I thought that was what you wanted.

[ Under normal circumstances? Bruce would have some praise to offer. But Damian's attempt to keep the argument going is not appreciated. So Bruce will point out the flaws instead. ]

You trust too easily.

I said we are friends. Not that I trust him.

( there is a significant difference between the two, as far as he's concerned. but that isn't the point of the conversation regardless, is it. )

Are you concerned?

Then he isn't your friend.

[ Bruce trusts Clark. Which was admittedly a difficult thing to do. He and Damian weren't too dissimilar. Calling someone a friend without it is disingenuous. ]

I'm always going to be concerned about you, Damian.

I barely trust Grayson. If we are going to add trust onto the list of requirements for friendship, how am I supposed to be expected to make any?

( he's no longer yelling. no longer sounding angry. just - bone-deep exhausted, and not merely physically. rather than on the verge of yelling and losing his temper, damian's shoulders hunch over a little, curling in closer to himself. it almost makes him look smaller. )

You asked, so I will stop.

I trust you, Damian.

[ Despite anything he's said in anger, Bruce has worked with Damian long enough to know how capable he is and what he can accomplish when he's not trying to be spiteful for the sake of it. Bruce regards him a moment, how small he seems and once again, it's like he just remembered Damian is only 11. ]

You should rest. You look tired.

( it would be easy to point out that bruce had just said he didn't know how he could trust damian when he won't listen. perhaps damian is tired, because he doesn't see the point in futile arguments. )

I am never tired. ( both arms raise, crossing over his chest before his chin tips up so it's very obvious he's looking right to bruce's hairline. ) Maybe you should get back to your nap before the rest of your hair falls out.

[ For now the tension feels dissipated. And maybe they can get back to some sort of normal now. As normal as Etraya will allow them to be.

He'll have to get the hair taken care of now. It won't spare him any teasing once the other kids get a look at him, but it's better than what he's got now. And he can't stay holed up in the safehouse forever. They'll come looking for him, just like Damian had. ]

Maybe I should. You're resetting the security on your way out, right?

I -

( he takes a moment to consider it. the very obvious answer of of course i will versus what he actually wants to do. damian cuts himself off, presses his lips together for a moment before he asks, almost hesitantly - )

Can I stay?

[ Bruce doesn't expect the ask. Eventually, yes. But not right now. He won't say no. He'd never say no to that. ]

You can stay.

Then I will stay.

( even if he - feels a little awkward about it and it's obvious from how he steps back from the window and takes a moment to look around the room itself.

then back to bruce. )

Why are you staying here?

[ The easiest answer is convenience. The location is strategic enough that he's able to slip in and out virtually undetected. And the windows on the far side of the room line up perfectly with Arkham and the Tower of Justice. Places of interest he wants to keep tabs on.

But Bruce knows Damian and is well aware he'd likely want something a little closer to the truth. There's just no tactful way to say he wanted to be alone. ]

I'm keeping an eye on the Tower and Arkham.

[ So easy answer it is. ]

( the manor is not that far away. bruce doesn't need to stay here to keep an eye on the tower and arkham, he has other ways of making sure he knows what's going on within both facilities without staying this close to them. but bruce is well-aware of that, too.

which is why damian's face scrunches up, brows furrowed while he tries to pick apart the reasoning for the mistruths. )

The manor is getting dusty.

[ He does not have to question it; Bruce knows where this conversation is going. He sits down, quiet while he gets back to what he was doing before Damian arrived. Giving Langstrom's formula another pass. ]

I'll come back when I'm ready to.

Alright.

( because he understands that it means that bruce does not want to come back now, so. damian takes a few steps over to the wall furthest from the window and drops down to sit leaning up against it, knees pressed to his chest and hands resting on top of them. he said he was staying. this is comfortable enough. )

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