SON OF BATMAN

Damian walked down the hallway, his strides steady and purposeful. The silence followed him like a shadow until Grayson called out. "Where are you going?"

Damian didn't pause, didn't turn to look back. His voice carried back to them, calm and detached. "Out."

The Titans stood there, watching him go, their gazes drawn to the silhouette of his fading figure. The memory of his loss, the death of his father, hung unspoken in the air.

Roy Harper, the red-haired youth, stood rigid, his eyes fixed on Damian's retreating back. His jaw tightened, his face twisting with frustration and humiliation. He clenched his fists so hard his nails dug into his palms, the skin whitening over his knuckles. His whole body trembled slightly, the remnants of the earlier confrontation still gnawing at him.

Beside him, the blue-haired young woman stood unnaturally still. She was rarely at a loss for words, never missing a chance to deliver a sarcastic remark or a biting jab. And Roy, standing there trembling with barely concealed anger, was an open target. With his posture, his frustration radiating off him like heat, he was practically begging her for it. Any other time, she would have pounced on the opportunity, mocking him with a snide comment or a well-placed sneer.

But as she watched Damian's back fade further down the hallway, her icy gaze following him, and for the first time, emotions flickering in her eyes — ones that had never been there before, softening the sharpness that usually defined them.

Her cold heart, always calm, always frozen and barely beating, has now been racing since she looked into the bottomless abysses that are Damian's eyes, a sensation she had long forgotten. It was as though something had stirred it from its perpetual stillness.

As Damian walked through the dim corridor, his footsteps steady and deliberate, his sharp gaze flicked to the corner where two hallways intersected, and there, just barely visible, was a small figure peeking out from behind the wall.

It was a little girl, her wide eyes filled with curiosity as she snuck glances at him.

The moment their eyes met, she froze for the briefest of seconds. Then, as though startled by being caught, she spun on her heel and darted away, her small feet pattering softly against the floor as she disappeared down the corridor.

Damian watched her retreating figure for a moment, his expression unreadable, before turning his focus back to his path and continuing on without a word.

*********

The large double doors of Wayne Manor creaked open, revealing Alfred standing at the threshold, hands clasped neatly in front of him, the epitome of grace and poise. His sharp eyes softened as Damian ascended the steps.

Beside him stood Yvonne, her sharp gaze immediately softening as she caught sight of Damian approaching. The faint evening breeze brushed against her as she waited only a heartbeat before stepping forward.

Without hesitation, she threw her arms around him, pressing herself into his chest with a dramatic sigh. "You have no idea how unbearable it's been without you," she said in an exaggeratedly forlorn tone, her voice dripping with mock despair. "I thought I might perish from the loneliness. Truly, it was torturous."

Damian raised an eyebrow, his expression unchanging save for the faintest glimmer of dry amusement in his dark eyes. "I was gone less than a day," he replied, with a calm and measured voice, humoring her theatrics.

Yvonne tilted her head back to look up at him with a pained look. "Exactly. I don't know how I survived," she quipped, her tone playful but affectionate. Yet, as she lingered in his arms a moment longer, a flicker of unspoken understanding passed through her eyes.

She knew what had taken him away, and her silence on the matter spoke volumes. The fact that he was here now, calm and composed, told her everything she needed to know.

Raven's matter had been resolved.

Since that was the case, there was no need to further ask him about it.

As for Raven herself, Yvonne knew she would meet her soon enough. It was inevitable.

Her embrace tightened ever so slightly before she finally stepped back, her fingers brushing against his coat as she let him go. For all her dramatics, the faint warmth in her gaze betrayed her quiet relief.

"Young Master Wayne," Alfred greeted, his voice warm but formal, the faintest hint of a smile touching his lips. "Welcome home."

Damian gave a small nod, stepping past the threshold. "Pennyworth," he said in his usual cool tone, acknowledging the man who had served three generations of Waynes with unwavering loyalty.

The heavy doors of Wayne Manor closed behind them with a low thud, and Alfred gestured toward the living room with a polite nod.

Damian walked forward with his usual purposeful stride, while Yvonne, ever the shadow at his side, trailed him closely. Playfully, her fingers brushed his arm briefly, as though making sure he was real and not some fleeting mirage.

They settled into the lavish living room, where a pair of grand couches faced a roaring fireplace. Damian sat first, his posture as composed as always, his dark eyes scanning the room as though cataloging its contents.

Yvonne followed, seating herself beside Damian with a fluid, almost feline grace. She didn't hesitate to lean into him, her cheek coming to rest on his shoulder as she wrapped an arm loosely around his. She nuzzled against his side, rubbing her cheek lightly against his shoulder like a cat seeking affection.

Alfred remained standing, ever the picture of dignity, though the corners of his lips twitched with faint amusement at Yvonne's overt displays of affection. Clearing his throat lightly, he addressed Damian. "Young Master Wayne," he began, "I've taken the liberty of preparing the master bedroom for you. I thought it fitting that the master of the house finally occupy the master's quarters."

Damian's gaze shifted to Alfred, his expression as calm and unflappable as ever. "I see," he said simply. There was a brief pause before he added, "But it will have to wait. I'll be gone for the next two weeks."

At those words, Yvonne froze for a moment, her head lifting slightly from his shoulder as though she couldn't believe what she'd just heard. Then, as if on cue, she sat up straight, twisting to face him with an expression of exaggerated shock.

"Two weeks?" she gasped, clutching at his arm as if he'd just announced he was leaving forever. "Two weeks? You're abandoning me here for two whole weeks?" Her tone was laced with mock despair, her voice rising dramatically with each word.