Damian woke up to his door being kicked open . The boy shot up on his bed, protectively hiding his little sister behind him as he stared down his mother .

"Get up you worthless children ! Just because it's the weekend doesn't mean you get to be lazy ! Clean up NOW !" Talia shouted .

"Mother we already cleaned everything last night ."

"Then clean it again !" Talia glared at her son . "And make my breakfast while you're at it ! Today's shopping day too so get your ass moving ! Take that little rat with you ! Oh and don't forget my cigarettes !"

I'm going to kill her one of these days . Damian swore as Talia slammed the door behind her .

A small hand tugged on Damian's shirt trying to get his attention . "Yes ?" He turned .

Cassandra looked sadly at her brother. "Why doesn't mom love us ?" The girl asked .

"I don't know ." Damian's tail went down hearing the sadness in her voice . "But I'll always love you ." Damian hugged his sister .

"Is that enough for now ?" Damian asked, stroking the girls hair like Talia use to when he was sad .

"As long as I have you that's all I'll need ." Cass hugged back, making Damian's tail purck up .

After making breakfast Damian dressed his sister and himself they headed out the door . He led Cassie to a Japanese food stand nearby .

Damian would help around shops in exchange for some of their product since they wouldn't pay a minor and any money he brought home his mother would spend on booze .

"Morning sir ." Damian greeted, getting the owners attention .

"Oh hello again, I see you've brought someone with you this time ." The man smiled at the small girl .

"Yes . This is my younger sister, Cassandra ." She nodded in recognition . "She doesn't talk much ."

"Nice to meet you young lady ." The man looked back at Damian . "What can I do for you kiddo ?"

"The usual please ." The man nodded and turned around .

"Here you go ." The man handed Damian a basket with a thin blanket over the top .

"Thank you sir, I hate to be rude but we need to go shopping ." Damian said with a little guilt about taking and leaving .

"No problem, keep safe ." The man said genuinely caring about the children's well being .

"I'll get the basket back to you on Monday Mr. Kline ." Damian said waving good bye.

Damian lifted the blanket half off and gave his little sister a thing of takoyaki, her favorite . They were fresh and warm, practically melting in Cassandra's mouth . Older kids made rude remarks as the siblings past by .

"Demon spawn !"

"Shameless devil!"

"Walking evil !"

Damian never hides his horns, tail or bite sized wings . He's not ashamed of them, even if he was there's nothing he could do about it .

The neighborhood was split about Damian, between tolerance and hatred . Some of the adults would simply ignore him and let him be while other demanded he'd stay away from their kids .

Most kids pick on him or beat him ... well they would try . Damian would either ignore them or kick their ass .

Damian snacked on some castellas while they walked to the marketplace, it was closer and cheaper than a store .

People at the market always gave him good deals, he guessed it was because of all the scars and bruises . He doesn't want people to feel pity for him but at least it helps him get food and other supplies for his sister .

After visiting the market and grabbing a pack of cigarettes the siblings returned to their mother .

"Where's my smokes, mistake !" Talia had a bottle of wine in hand as she stood from the couch .

"Here mother ." Damian handed Talia the pack which she snatched away .

Fucking bitch . Damian felt an urge to grab the liquor out her hand and smash it over her head . Instead he stayed calm and when to the kitchen . His sister followed to help put away the groceries .

Afterwards they split the chores, with Damian taking most of the load so Cassandra wouldn't have to work as much . Once it was nighttime Damian sent his sister to bed before finishing his last chores and dragging his drunk mother to her room .

Damian was tired and ready to go to sleep . He retired to his bedroom where he saw Cassie fast asleep hugging a spare pillow as she laid in a peaceful slumber . Damian smiled at the site and crawled into bed .

He didn't mind sharing his room with his sibling, granted the room was a bit cramped but at least Damian could protect her from Talia . The boy slowly fell asleep holding his sister .

The sound of glass breaking and a woman screaming came from the other side of the kids bedroom, immediately waking up the eldest .

Damian crept off the bed and peeked out their door .

He could see two men in hockey masks, they had weapons and were standing over Talia . Damian didn't care whether she was unconscious or dead, he was more concerned for his sister . He silently closed the door and locked it .

Damian calmed himself before slipping on some shoes and grabbing the bags he had packed in case of emergencies .

He went over to Cassie and shook her awake, covering her mouth before any words came out . "Shh I need you to listen to me very carefully, okay ?" He whispered .

She nodded and he instructed Cass to put on some shoes as well, explaining they didn't have time to change into proper clothing .

Damian grabbed an extension cord tying an end around a table leg . He tied the other end to the bags and lowered it down to the ground to generate less noise .

The door knob started jiggling and they could hear the robbers talking .

"Dami ." Cassandra was scared and was on the brink of tears .

"It's okay Cass ." Damian whispered comforting his sister before helping her down the cord as the man tried to break down the door .

The girl untied their bags as Damian slid down . They could hear the door break in after Damian landed on the grass .

Damian grabbed the girl's hand and led her away from the threat above .

They ran until Damian thought it was far enough away to allow them to catch their breath .

Damian was use to running for miles but his sibling wasn't, Damian was panting heavily while Cassie was coughing . He went down to his sister and feels Cassandra's forehead .

Damnit . Damian knew she was sick . She never tells me about these things .

Damian sighed getting back on his feet . He needed to figure out what to do . He didn't have anyone in the neighborhood they could stay with, most people here hated him .

There's no way they would help him or his sister, even if he showed them a sick child . They're just that cruel .

Damian took a deep breath, running his fingers through his hair . Come on Damian think !

He can't have a sick 4 year old sleeping in a alleyway . He had to find a place to stay at least for now . Damian had some money stashed in his bag, enough for a couple nights hotel and a few meals .

He decided to think of a long-term plan later, it felt like if was going to rain and he couldn't have Cassie getting any sicker .

End

HEY THERE LOVELYS THANKS FOR READING, cat :)