mind over mask

seventeen

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Damian's POV

"I'm telling you, I could see you and Ladybug getting together, Dami!" Grayson bothers me again.

It's all he could talk about since we got back from meeting the Parisian heroes.

I know if I react to his former statement, the teasing will only get worse. So I respond, "I thought if I made a friend, you would stop calling me by that insipid name."

Grayson rolls his eyes, and plops on the couch beside me, spreading out his limbs. "I'll see it when I believe it with my own eyes. How do I know that you didn't threaten her hangout with you?"

"I wouldn't to do that to a girl," I mutter in annoyance. Does he really think I'm that helpless?

"I'm just saying," he puts his arms up in defense.

I stand up, ready to turn in after a long day, when I realize I didn't text Marinette that I got home safely.

I quickly text her back, even though it's pretty late.

Damian Grayson
Thank you for letting me stay over tonight, I appreciate it.

Marinette Dupain-Cheng
yeah ofc! it was fun

Damian Grayson
I agree.

In a spurt of confidence, I change her name from Marinette Dupain-Cheng to Angel.

That way, even if Grayson got his hands on my phone, he wouldn't be able to tell who I'm texting. And don't friends give nicknames to each other?

I don't get a chance to dwell on it, as the BatCave begins to calls us.

Grayson leaps from across the room to answer the call, feeling great after our previous success. I know he also itches to go home, he misses his family.

Bruce is sitting at the chair in the BatCave, and Jason drapes an arm across the back. Their relationship is still shaky, but it's much better than it used to be.

"Dick, Damian," Father says in greeting.

Todd grunts, "Yeah, yeah, it's good to see you two. Now onto business, do you have any new information about the Black Mask?"

Todd is emotionally invested in this, while he was on his Red Hood rampage, he posed as the Black Mask's protege to control crime in Gotham. There's bad blood between the two, and Todd is itching to see him back in Arkham.

"We've made some progress. Hawkmoth is a weird villain, he doesn't have any henchmen to do his work, he just preys on people's emotions. Black Mask hasn't made his presence known here, and Paris, well, Hawkmoth hasn't received any shipments from the Black Mask." Grayson reveals.

"You'll have to wait for him to make his move," Father concludes.

"Unfortunately, yes," I admit.

Todd opens his mouth to say something, but there's a large bang! over the speaker as someone drops something in the BatCave.