"Dick, come by the Manor right now, as soon as you can. I have someone you need to meet. A student for you."

That had been the brief 'conversation' between Dick and Bruce. Before the raven-haired superhero had even a chance to say "Hey Bats," Bruce had already stated his business and hung up. Nothing out of the ordinary, of course. Way to treat your first protege, Dick thought, Guess he must be happy with whoever this new kid is.

With a heavy sigh, Dick got on his motorbike - now, this bike wasn't anything as fancy as the Bat-mobile, but, courtesy of Tim Drake(who liked to call the bike the Birdbike, but Dick wasn't overly fond of that naming), it was a stylish and functional bike, helpful to carry things like a Nightwing suit and weapons in, as well as very efficient on gas. Tim had always been very great with things like this, and Dick was grateful that he had been willing to lend a hand. The bike was extremely satisfactory both as just a ride, and as a way to chase bad guys. It had been almost six years since Dick had retired as Robin. He had left Gotham for a little while then, in search of himself, and what he really wanted to do. A year after that, he came home to Gotham and decided what he wanted to do. A simple day job as a cop. No more vigilante business, and no more superhero-ing. As much as he loved backing Bruce up, Dick had come to realize that there were a lot of things in Gotham that vigilantes just couldn't solve. There was a need to be within the system to overturn it. Bruce had agreed with Dick's decision and had put in a good word with Commissioner Gordon for Dick, letting him get a good job, with a good partner.

Dick did occasionally miss Blüdhaven, but he had quickly gotten used to being a cop in Gotham city. Initially, he had been happy to just be a cop under Gordon. He was a really good commissioner, and among a city of corrupt, scumbag cops, he was one guy who had a genuine interest in justice. Dick's cop phase didn't last though. There came a point where he had to revisit Blüdhaven to bring back his vigilante suit (which wasn't exactly great, but was functional), because he was just jealous of seeing Bruce take Jason out as the next Robin. Seeing the duo of vigilantes going out and cleaning Gotham up made Dick want to continue his job as well, and so he resumed his night job. It was just around then that Dick had the pleasure of meeting a young Tim Drake, a little boy who loved to build things. Tim had helped Dick with making a few upgrades to the suit, thinking that it was for a university talent show. It was only later, once pictures of Nightwing hit the Gotham papers that Tim realized that the masked handsome vigilante was none other than Dick himself. It hadn't been a bad conversation, because, having tested the suit out in action, Dick was ready to let Tim in on the secret, so as he had started saying it, Tim had just completed his sentences. They were a pair made in heaven, and it was so great for both of them. It was only then that Dick learned that Tim was also in correspondence with Bruce, and was interested in becoming the next Robin, after the situation with Red Hood settled down.

All in all, it had been four years since Dick became Nightwing in Gotham. However, he hadn't stayed in Gotham the whole tie. He was always back and forth between Blüdhaven and Gotham, though for the past year, he had stayed mostly in Gotham. He was constantly fighting for good, be it along with Batman and Robin, or on his own. The great thing about not being the biggest 'hero' in the city was that Dick had the freedom to go around to other cities (mostly Blüdhaven and Central City) as well, and help them out with their cases, if they ever needed the help. Dick had also been the one to train Tim as the Red Robin, so it made sense for Bruce to call him in to train the next Robin - that's who Dick reckoned he was going to meet anyway. It had been a year since Tim had decided to quit being Robin and instead, just help at the desk, building the toys and helping the vigilantes over the comms, if they should need that support. It had been a huge upgrade, since the only person they had ever had on comms from the cave before was Alfred, and as amazing as it was to have Alfred's voice talking them through a mission, there were limits to it. For one, it was very distracting, because his voice is great.

When Dick finally reached the Manor, he walked straight down to the Batcave and as expected, Tim and Bruce were sitting there, near the computers. Tim had taken the liberty of installing advanced computers, with fast processors that could keep up with his brain when he needed to code or hack, and a large combat area in the middle, where Dick had spent a lot of time training Tim. Dick had already acquainted himself with all the technology, so he walked closer to the two. Bruce was responsible for the financing and Tim for the building. And Dick? Well, he did take care of the most important job. Comedic relief! Well, and he was an observer, to make sure that nothing was out of place even by a centimetre.

"Hey, Bruce, Tim. What's up?"

He sighed and went to sit on one of the chairs when he realized it was already occupied. No, that can't be. I never make a mistake with observation. There was no legs visible on the floor. He looked a little above the floor to find a pair of legs dangling off the edge of the chair. Dick blinked a couple of times and speed-walked around the chairs so he was standing behind Tim's couch, looking down to see the dwarf that occupied his seat. A pair of big green eyes was staring right at him from there. Somehow, those green eyes looked oddly familiar. Dick shook his head and looked down to see the body - it belonged to a very young male, most likely around eight. Dick shook his head, almost as if expecting to open his eyes again and not see the little boy on that chair. In fact, he hoped desperately that he wouldn't see the little boy on the chair. Somehow, the kid with the blue eyes had more than just a familiar set of eyes. He had a familiar aura, or even two familiar auras emanating from him. A part of Dick saw the personification of innocence in those deep green eyes that seemed to have no end, and just kept staring into his soul. But the other part of him saw desperation, coldness and thirst. A kind thirst that could not so easily be quenched. A thirst that had no limits, and the more that was consumed, the more the thirst would increase. An extreme…bloodlust?!

Dick just stayed still for what he knew was too long for this staring to not become awkward, but it strangely didn't. It must have been easily around 5-7 minutes of him just staring at the young boy, and being stared back at(good heavens, why didn't someone break the silence, it was getting scary!). Finally, after the eternity had passed, he turned to Bruce and tilted his head, "So you had a kid? I thought a womanizer like yourself would know all about protection."

Tim grinned and looked from Dick to Bruce, "I told you he'd say something like that, Bats!"

Dick rolled his eyes, "How long have you known me? And the best you can do is something like that? You should be able to tell the exact words I will say. Big bro is very disappointed, Tim." Dick rolled his eyes then looked back at Bruce, "More importantly, may I ask who the mother is?"

Before Bruce could even respond, the little child did. His voice was very high-pitched and baby-like, though the words that came out were rather mature-sounding, "You don't have to talk about me like I'm not here. Name's Damian. My mother is Talia al Ghul."

Dick blinked a few times and looked from Damian to Bruce and back. The resemblance was very apparent, but he could also see how Damian was Talia's kid. That would explain the bloodlust, and it would explain why his jawline, his nose, his neck all looked so much like Ra's. Dick then smiled and held out his hand to Damian. When Damian looked at him in confusion, obviously not having a clue what a handshake was, he sighed and dropped his hand to Damian's shoulder, "It's nice to meet you, Damian. I'm Dick, well, Richard John Grayson, but nobody calls me Richard. Dick is just fine. Is it okay if I talk to your father for a moment?" He smiled and looked over at Tim apologetically before turning to Damian and pointing at Tim, "Tim here is really good at making toys, I'm sure he can keep you occupied for a few minutes."

Tim seethed a bit internally, but then smiled at Damian, walking over to him, "That's right, I do make the toys." Dick smiled and patted Tim's shoulder in thanks then walked out of the cave, followed by Bruce. Once the door was closed behind them, Dick turned around and slammed Bruce up against the wall, holding his collar threateningly.

"You did it with Ra's al Ghul's daughter?" Dick snarled out in disgust.

Bruce tilted his head, "Technically, I never did anything with her. I just didn't know that Ra's would use my DNA for making a baby when I gave him a blood sample. I didn't know Damian existed until…well, today. Talia sent him over saying that he's been trained and should be an asset."

Dick narrowed his eyes, "The kid is what? Seven? Eight?!"

"Ten. Which is just around when you became Robin, might I remind you," Bruce corrected, but held his hand up in a gesture to tell Dick to continue.

"Ten, fine, whatever! He's still a baby! Nowhere near ready to be a Robin. And more than age, I'm concerned about his past training and conditioning. He's probably thirsty for vengeance. And the bloodlust is literally oozing from his body, I could feel it the moment I entered the cave. I can bet my life on the fact that he truly believes that the only way to victory is to kill. Remember how Jason ended up? And all they ever did to him was revive him! Damian is a kid they've brought up, and indoctrinated, for ten years!"

Bruce sighed and nodded, "And I agree with you, Dick. I know you're particularly passionate about this topic and that's precisely why I called you here. I want you to move back to the manor for a while. You would be the best person to train Damian. We could really use your help."

"Help?!" Dick spat out, "Don't joke with me, you just want me to do it."

Bruce shrugged and nodded, "Basically. I'll still need you out with me as Nightwing whenever possible. I won't be having any Robin for a while, since Damian isn't ready yet and Tim has already quit on me. I was hoping you could work with Gordon just a couple of days a week and stay home for the rest. It's not just training, but also educating that I want you to help with. Damian has been away from school, and I don't think it's possible to just throw him in, so I will need you to teach him all that too."

Dick grabbed Bruce's collar even tighter, pinning him against the wall and almost choking him, "You want me to babysit your kid, who just also happens to be the grandchild of Ra's al Ghul?! Why don't you just say it?! You want me to give him company so that you can be certain he isn't out killing people. Bruce, I can't train a kid who is going to go and become the next leader of the League of Assassins! I refuse to have that on my head."

Bruce sighed, not moving, "Dick, you need to. I don't want him to end up like Jason. Or like me… And that's why I can't train him."

Dick sighed and shook his head, letting to of Bruce, "Don't get the wrong idea. I'm still furious at you for putting yourself at the Bat family in this position. Not to mention, Damian. But Damian himself has done no wrong. So I'll do it. I'll make him the best bloody Robin you'll ever know."

Bruce sighed and his lips twitched up just a little, faintly like a smile, "Thanks Dick. Really."

Dick walked back into the cave and looked at Damian. It would seem Damian and Tim were sitting exactly where he had left them, Tim spinning on his rolling chair and Damian ignoring him completely. He tilted his head and walked over to Damian's couch, looking at the little boy, "Hey, little D. Did you not like the toys?"

Damian looked up at Dick with a glare, "Don't talk to me like I'm an infant, Grayson."

Dick blinked a couple of times and looked at the young male in utter shock. Well. This was going to be delightful. He sighed and took a deep breath, "Okay, I won't. How about you show me to your room. Bruce must have showed it to you right? And I can ask Alfred to bring us snacks."

Damian shrugged and nodded, walking out of the cave and towards the room Bruce and Alfred had shown him earlier. He didn't bother waiting for Dick to follow him. Dick sighed and looked at Tim, patting his shoulder lightly, "Well, you have a good night. You can see the kind of night I'm going to have." Tim smiled and bro-hugged his friend, telling him which room Damian would be in. Dick smiled and kissed the shorter male's head (it was something they had made a habit of since they became brothers, since Dick was already the 'dad' friend, and now he had the right to be), and sped out of the cave. Of course, Damian's room was the one next to Dick's own room at the manor. Way to be subtle, Bruce. He sighed and shook his head. Wasn't Tim more suited to a job like this anyway? He was funny, and friendly, and sarcastic in all the right ways. Well, I guess I'm all that too… Dick sighed and shook his head.

The 20 year old walked into Damian's room and sighed, seeing the boy sitting on the floor next to the bed, trying to fit into his pyjamas - which were actually Dick's from when he was around ten. Dick smiled and walked over to Damian, helping him into the pyjama pants and helping him button up the pyjama top. "It's okay, Alfred used to help me till I was twelve. And even then, I would always try to do it on my own. I'm pretty sure there's a lot of pictures of me struggling to get my clothes on, and making a complete fool of myself."

Damian rolled his eyes and stepped away once Dick was done, "Don't compare me to your incapable self, Grayson."

Dick sighed and ignored the comment, "Well, I told Alfred to bring us some food. He should be here soon."

Little Damian shrugged and nodded, murmuring out with little interest, "Mmkay."

Dick sighed and sat on a chair, pointing at the bed, "You can sit, you know. That is your bed right there."

As good as Damian was at holding his poker face, anyone could catch the flicker of surprise as he looked at the king size bed. Obviously, this kid had never had a bed this big to himself. Dick sighed and stood up, then sat on the bed, "Would you feel more comfortable if there was someone to share this huge bed with?"

Damian just quietly sat down on the bed and looked up at Dick, "I don't need you babying me, Grayson."

Dick smiled and nodded, "I'm not though."

And really, he wasn't. He was only seeing something in Damian. Somewhat like a potential to be a Robin. Well, the kid severely lacked humour, and was a little bit of an assassin obviously, but there was something about the air around Damian – something that was distinctly and undeniably like Dick before Bruce had trained him into the first Robin. Of course, even during his time with The Flying Graysons, Dick had always been lighthearted and known not only for his unrealistic acrobatic talent but also for his great(and sometimes lame) sense of humour. But Dick too had this untrusting aura. Like he would leap at anyone who tried to mess with him. And he had been just around Damian's height too, so it was a little eerie for Dick. Like he was looking at his own past. His humour was one of the reasons Dick clicked so well with everyone he met. Whether it was Wally, Roy, Jason, Tim or even Bruce Wayne himself - Dick just had a knack for turning mere strangers into his best allies. Maybe he could use that as a key to getting closer to Damian. "So, Damian, what are you into? Ra's ever let you play video games or anything?"

Damian hadn't broken eye contact with Dick for even a second. Those big green eyes we're staring holes into Dick's skull and it was driving him insane. Damian sighed and shook his head, briefly breaking the eye contact before establishing it once more, "Grandfather trained me to be his successor. I will be the leader of the League of Assassins."

Dick sighed and shook his head, "Look, Damian. Everybody gets to a point in their lives where they have to make that decision. A decision about what you're going to do with the rest of your life. For me, it was becoming Nightwing, because I want to help people in every way I can. For you, it may be choosing between being the leader of the League of Assassins and aiding into the chaos in this world, or being the next Robin and helping your father fight the evil in Gotham and in the world. And when you get to that point, you will make your own decision. But right now, you're just ten. You're a little child have all the fun in the world because, believe me, it won't last – especially while you are Bruce's protégé and in line to be Robin once you're trained and ready."

Something in Damian sparked at that, "I'm not a kid, Grayson! I'm a trained assassin and I most certainly don't need the likes of you to train me. I watched a video from before and you're so predictable. You're weak and pathetic, really, and what's with that stick? You should use the blade – way more effective and eliminating your-"

"Aaalright!" Dick cut him off, "I think that's quite enough. How about I show you a better way to prove your superiority than by killing and shedding blood?" Now that, it would seem, was how to capture Damian's undivided attention. His eyes were all but sparkling. Dick smiled and turned the TV in the room on, pulling out two joysticks and loading MarioKart on the console. He then smirked and looked over at Damian, "Think you can beat me?"

Damian quickly took hold of the joystick, examining it closely, "What kind of weapon is this?"

Dick smiled, "The lethal kind, but don't hit me with it! Here, let me show you the controls." He leaned over on the bed and help Damian get a feel of how to hold and use the joystick. Dick then picked a character for himself, letting Damian choose his own.

"All these characters look ridiculous, Grayson!" Damian sighed and went with Yoshi.

"Call me Dick," Dick smiled one of those dashing, gorgeous smiles at Damian.

Damian could feel his cheeks tint pink of it as he frowned, "I'm going to call you Grayson and there is nothing you can do about it."

Dick sighed and nodded, "Of course, Little D. Are you ready to start?" Dick waited for Damian's nod, and then loaded one of the easiest tracks to start on. He smiled and looked over at Damian, "Go wild! Don't hold back!"

Damian all but growled at that, "And why do you think I would ever hold back?" The words were at his tongue but the young one decided to just glare instead.

Dick couldn't help the small chuckle that left his mouth as he started the race, going quite slow to see if Damian had a good hang on how to use the joystick – however, it would seem his concerns were only in vain. The moment the race started, Damian was way in the lead. He was so good at the game, it was impossible to think that the kid had never even held a joystick before. Dick smirked and sped up, catching up to Damian in no time. Hey, Dick knew his way around this game. Compared to Kid Flash Damian was just…a kid (Yes, Dick just went there). As he started taking the lead, Dick started dropping banana peels to make Damian slip. Dick felt a little bad as he easily finished first. However, before he could celebrate, he was tackled to the ground. Damian was on top of him with a fist in the air ready to bring it down, "You cheated!"

Dick groaned and sat up, looking down at the boy straddling him. He did feel a bit of remorse, "I'm sorry, but you should know that there is no such thing as cheating. Just winning and losing. And I just won." He sighed and pet Damian's head as Alfred walked in with a rolling tray full of different kinds of food.

The British butler's eyes widened at the site in front of him, "Oh my! I must tell Master B that's you are already making significant progress, Master Dick."

Dick's smiled and waved at Alfred, "Hey Alfred. It has been a while since I saw you. And tell Bruce that there is no life lesson that can't be taught through MarioKart."

Alfred pushed the tray inside the room, setting it near a small table by the book shelf. He then crouched down next to the two males, "Is there anything I can do for you, Master Damian?"

Damian looked up at Alfred and nodded, "Kill Grayson. He cheated."

Dick's eyes widened and he let out is soft chuckle, and Alfred seemed to genuinely be considering Damian's order. The old Butler said, "That was rather childish of him, wasn't it, Master Damian? Perhaps some ice cream will cheer you up."

Damian looked over at the tray in mild confusion as he saw the numerous snacks and suites that the Butler had brought in – most of which he had never seen before. He stood up and looked down at Dick, kicking his side intentionally before making his way to the food tray.

Dickie yelped and squirmed, clutching his side and letting out a pained groan, "Ow! Dammit, kid… More like Damian it, amirite?" He smirked at Alfred, who looked utterly unimpressed.

Alfred cleared his throat, "Maybe if you played fair."

Dick rolled his eyes, "I'm Nightwing, not Superboy."

Alfred nodded, "Of course, Master D. If you were Superboy, you couldn't have made this much progress in an hour. In fact, in this situation, Superboy and Master Damian would be in the middle of a fight to to the death right about now. But don't cheat anymore. It's really not fair to a ten-year old."

Dick sighed, struggling and standing up, "Whatever you say, Alfred. Keep taking Damian's side. Nobody loves me." He pouted and walked towards the food.

Alfred smiled, shaking his head, and walked out of the room, headed towards Bruce's chambers to tell him the splendid news.

Damian glared at Dick, looking at the food possessively. Dick sighed and shook his head, "Come on, Damian, I said sorry, didn't I?"

Damian looked up at the tall raven and sighed, "Fine, but in exchange, you don't get any of this ice cream."

Dick tilted his head to the side. It was impossible to believe that this little child who hated people cheating and who was in love with ice cream after literally a lick was also training to be the leader of the League of Assassins. He sighed and pulled Damian into a hug. He didn't really know why, and he expected no less than a kick for doing it, but seeing the small frame in front of him, left him unable to stop himself from hugging the boy.

It had been 20 seconds since Dick had placed a hand behind the boy's head and pulled him into a tight hug, wrapping his other arm around Damian's shoulders. To Dick's surprise, no punch or kick came. Damian was just pressed against Dick's chest and he didn't move at all.

After the 20 seconds, Damian finally looked up at Dick, "What are you doing, Grayson?"

The older male blinked a couple of times and let go of the boy, holding his hands up as if he were arrested, "Oh, um, nothing. Just a hug. You know, the kind I give Tim."

"The one you shared with Drake was one second long and looked very different."

Good lord, this kid just had to be the most observant thing to exist. After Alfred, of course, nothing could get past that man. "Well, uh. It may have something to do with the fact that's Tim is around my age. I mean, I'm 20 and he is 17. And I've known him for a long time."

"Well, it looked completely idiotic."

Fuck, Dick thought. Damian was going to be the end of him. His curse-filled thoughts were proof - Dick always had better ways to say things than by swearing. He never used them, except for in cases of complete exasperation. Clearly, this was one of them. "Well, how did you feel about our hug?"

Damian shrugged, "It felt a lot like when mother would sometimes hug me. But it was nicer. I guess, it may have something to do with the fact that whenever she hugged me, my face was buried in her bosom. You don't have one."

Dick could feel the blood rising to his face at that. He was very well-built and he was definitely very aware of the fact that he was a good hugger - Tim would make that comment all the time, not to mention all the times he'd heard it from Wally West. But hearing it from the little kid, saying that Dick's hug was nicer then his mother's somehow made him feel very special. Especially since Talia al Ghul was a beautiful, strong an independent woman(and sociopathic, but that's beside the point for the moment).

Truth be told, dick had always felt a little bit inferior to Talia. He had a severe complex ever since he found out Bruce had left him in Gotham to meet her. He had assumed Bruce had slept with her, but it turned out that wasn't the case, as he had mentioned recently. Not that Dick had sexual feelings for Bruce(Ew, who do you think I am?!), but he had been left behind as a 10-11 year old for his adoptive father to go running off to China. He had always hated her for taking Bruce away. I guess this is what is meant by the wheel coming a full circle. Now, a Wayne is picking me over Talia. Dick thought absently.

"Grayson? Earth to Grayson!"

Dick snapped out of it at that, "For real? I thought you were away from Western Society and colloquial speech."

Damian rolled his eyes, "I was brought up in the mountains. Though relatively isolated, I was not in the Stonehenge era." He ate some ice cream hurriedly, trying to hide the sparkle in his eyes at how delicious this new dish was.

Dick's side and shook his head, eating a small piece of chocolate. He watched Damian ravaging the ice cream and He has to hold himself back from laughing. How was the one kid so adorable and so utterly infuriating at the same time? How was Damian not aware of how cute he was?

After eating quite a bit ice cream and getting it all around his mouth, Damian looked up at dick, "So, when do we start training?"

Dick tilted his head, suppressing a chuckle as he wiped Damian's mouth with a napkin, "Well, seeing as how you have already been trained, I was thinking I would spend a few days getting to know you better, and teaching you more about the world. I figure you'll also probably need an actual education."

Damian rolled his eyes, "Whatever, as long as you don't cheat or rig the ground. Can I still use the cave to train? Would father care?"

Dick's side, "Your dad wouldn't mind, but I'm not okay with that. I want you to stay away from it for a bit before we start training. You can't expect to always be in your best condition when you're out there with bats. And I want to see how you perform when you're rusty." It was so obvious the Damian have stopped listening after point. He was just wondering around the room, looking at the bookshelves. Dick sighed and ate some chips, getting back on the bed.

Damian looked at Dick until to his head. He couldn't understand that this man. No matter how much Damian had told him that he was ready to fight and ready to train, he seemed hellbent I'm treating Damian like a child and…taking care of him. Damian wasn't used to being taken care of. His mother was always trying to train him - trying to make him a better soldier, a better assassin. She wasn't always Allied with Ra's but they both seemed to have similar dreams for Damian. But then his father and this…Grayson had to come along and started spouting things about Damian making his own decision choosing what to do in the future. It's scared Damian, more than anything, because he could start seeing logic in their words and He hadn't even spend a whole day with Grayson! This was going to end in disaster. Probably with Grayson's death.