15:21 [Little D] - Grayson is someone picking me up or do I have to walk? I've been waiting for twenty flipping minutes.

15:25 [Grayson] - Sorry, I had to do something important...Timmy's on his way.

15:26 [Little D] - Are you serious?

15:27 [devil child :S] - Drake, why the hell are you picking me up?

15:31 [devil child :S] - Tt are you even coming?

15:32 [Grayson] - Sorry, Little D! I'll make it up to you, I promise.

{-&&&-}

"Thought you'd never show, Drake."

"I don't text and drive." Tim replied with a wink, pulling up on his motorcycle.

Damian rolled his eyes and got on, reluctantly wrapping his arms around the older boy's waist.

"You're being quiet. It's creepy."

"Tt, I can give you creepy if that's what you want..."

"Look, I was trying to be nice. I can turn around and drop you right back off at school."

That shut him up.

"You've got to be kidding me. Please tell me this is a joke."

"Nope, this is the place." Tim smiled, getting off his bike and locking it up. Damian slipped off the back and looked up at the Red Robin restaurant.

"I'm not going in. I'm really not."

"Come on, have a heart for once." The teen dragged him in, not leaving him with a choice. The younger was immediately bombarded with service peoples shoving balloons in his hands and offering him a kids menu with crayons. He almost, almost, threatened one of them, but kept it inside. He'd keep his cool, just because he saw Dick in the background. He navigated his way through the many tables and people in the restaurant.

"Grayson, I swear, I'm going to kill...Father?"

Bruce smiled and put a hand on Damian's shoulder.

"Tt..." was all he said, but everyone in the room knew he was overwhelmed with feeling. He just wouldn't show it. And that was okay.

"Surprise, Little D! Do you like it?"

"It's funny." He threw the crayons down on the table and tied the balloons to the wooden chair, flopping down and crossing his arms.

"Aw, the birthday boy looks so cute in a little school uniform, balloons, crayons, and a blush on his face!" Tim teased, sitting next to Damian.

Damian's lip curled in a snarl, "Grayson sits next to me."

"Jeez, okay, you don't have to bite me."

"Boys, please," Bruce scolded, "not today. Not here."

Tim smiled and got up, sitting on the other side of the table next to Bruce, Dick taking his spot next to Damian. Everyone knew that Damian only really took to him, and all silently found it pretty cute. Dick himself was overjoyed.

"Who's freaking idea was this? Seriously?"

Dick wrapped his arm casually around his shoulder and crossed his legs, grinning, "I think it was a pretty genius idea." Damian squirmed, the blush darkening.

"Grayson, I-"

"Can't we just have one meal without hearing a bunch of whining and threats?" Tim rolled his eyes, but Bruce gave him another scolding look, silently telling him to shut the eff up before he seriously got Damian angry.

"Tt. Being with you makes me think I'm with a circus-oh wait..."

Dick smiled and shrugged, ruffling the boy's hair. "You know you love it."

Damian "tt"'d, but obviously looked pretty uncomfortable, taking out his cell phone and acting like he was texting. The truth was, he was flustered as hell and had no one to text. To look like he was doing something, he started typing to Dick, but then canceling the message, and repeating.

"So, what does everyone want?"

"Nothing."

"You have to eat, Little D! It's your birthday!"

"I don't care. That's nothing to celebrate."

"Yes there is!"

"I think I want the 'Royal Red Robin'."

Dick sputtered, choking on his soda and laughing.

"This really isn't funny, Drake."

"How about 'Red's Tavern Double'?" Dick suggested.

"Damian, I think you should get the 'clucks and fries'." Tim older brother joined in the snickers, neither of them being able to contain themselves. Bruce smiled and Damian scoffed, continuing to fake text.

The waitress came, taking their orders and smiling quite a bit at Bruce, who ordered the 'Ensenada Chicken platter', Tim, who ordered the 'Royal Red Robin' as a joke ordered for Damian as well, who just ignored the whole event, getting him the 'Chicken Tortilla Soup'. Dick ended with a grilled chicken burger, winking at the waitress, who winked back and left, wiggling her hips in an exaggerated way, bringing the food in the same way. Her flirting went unnoticed by the boys, who were intensely discussing computer programming.

The conversation was interrupted when the oldest son made a face when he smelled Damian's meal and shuddered, "Ugh, I hate soup."

Damian looked up from his texting and looked like a deer in headlights for a moment, before realizing how stupid he must look. He ducked his head and looked down at the soup.

Everyone started eating.

Damian pushed his chair in, "I'm going to the bathroom," he mumbled, and stalked off.

{-&&&-}

The eleven-year-old stared down at his dish, not touching it.

"Aren't you going to eat, Little D?"

Damian shrugged, not looking into Dick's pretty blue eyes and just a little while later, the stupid bimbo came back, holding an All-American 'Patty melt'. "Here you go, sweetheart, sorry about that." She picked up the bowl of soup and replaced it with the new sandwich and strutted away.

"What was that all about?"

Damian just grunted and started eating. Dick was looking at him in a weird way and he was too scared to glance up and see what kind of look it really was.

{-&&&-}

"I'm going to take a shower." The little assassin mumbled, trying to push through Tim and Bruce, who were walking a little too slow for it to be completely normal.

"Wait, Little D! We still have presents to open!"

"I already ate at that joke of a restaurant for Drake, what else do I have to-"

"Mew!"

Damian stared, as suddenly something warm and furry was in his arms, curiously nuzzling up to his face with big, yellow eyes.

A kitten.

"His name is Alfie!" Dick giggled, "It was Alfred's idea!"

"I do hope you like him, young master Damian."

Damian was dumbfounded, staring at the sweet kitty before finally responding, "Tt," he shoved it back into Dick's arms, "I'm going to shower."

But no one missed the pink tint on his cheeks that so often betrayed him, showing his true feelings.

{-&&&-}

"You know, we have other presents, too..." Dick stood in Damian's doorway, idely playing with the white cat.

"I don't want any."

Dick smiled and let the cat down, watching it patter away down the hall. He stepped into the room, closing the door. "What's up with that text you sent me when you were in the bathroom?"

"I don't want to talk about it." he mumbled.

"What? I couldn't hear you~" the older replied with a smile, sitting next to him on the bed.

"Grayson, please-"

"And what about reordering your meal when you found out I didn't like it?"

"I-"

Dick kissed his lips gently and Damian's eyes widened, his brain freezing, his hands dropping his PSP. The older man put it on his nightstand and helped him under the covers, tucking them tightly around him and turning off the lamp in his room.

"Happy birthday, Damian. Sweet dreams."

{-&&&-}

16:07 [Little D] - If it's my birthday, and I get anything I want, can you tuck me in tonight?