[Comprehensive British and American] Family Matters

Damian doesn't feel much like going back to the mansion now.

On the first day he just ran away from home, he stood in an alleyway he was completely unfamiliar with to avoid surveillance cameras. People around him came and went, and no one gave half a look to the gloomy kid in the alleyway.From the roof, he watched the hordes of homeless children. Some children who looked cute and easy to be distressed were responsible for stopping passers-by from begging. In addition, the older children with flexible hands and feet took the opportunity to search the pockets of those adults who were eager to get rid of the dirty children in front of them. And leather bags.He watched punks put on airs to harass honest small businesses, and drug addicts huddled in abandoned buildings and smoked drugs.

This city looks very advanced and prosperous, and there are few big companies that do not set up branches here.The sound of mechanical operation in various factories in the industrial zone seems to never stop, and the cargo ships in the port come and go, regardless of day and night.But peel back the skin, and the city is rotten.He would see some disgusting pictures on almost every street corner, which made Damian wonder if his father's war was really meaningful, maybe the city was really hopeless, or human beings were hopeless ?

Just like what my grandfather said, human beings live up to their potential time and time again. They obviously have the opportunity to achieve extraordinary things, but they always miss the opportunity in ignorance.This city is like the sum of the actions of the ignorant people that my grandfather said, but his father is fighting day and night for these people, why?Since these people want to destroy themselves, why not let them be?

Damian couldn't see why.

And his father wasn't going to give him the chance to see clearly.

So Damian chooses to walk into his father's city by himself, hoping to find something... anything!As long as it can be proved that this war that has lasted my father's life is meaningful.

But he did not find this "gold buried in the muck."It seems that Gotham is the Sodom and Gomorrah of the real world. In this sinful city, there is only Wayne, a righteous family, and this only righteous person is stubbornly unwilling to be saved unless he can bring the city's people with him. The others followed him.

Damian almost wanted to give up all his expectations of his father, just go back to the mansion, and arrange him whatever his father wanted (Anyway, the Wayne family definitely has enough food to support him.) Then he waited for his mother to settle down Well, he can go home.But whether it is Damian Wayne or Damian O. Gu, he is not a person who gives up easily. Stubbornness is like a curse in the blood of these two families.So he persevered and hid in the most chaotic area of ​​Gotham. Those who looked down on him because of his age were all taught a lesson by Damian. Of course he didn't really kill anyone, his father would catch up.In the end, Damian almost forgot why he ran away from home, but sometimes when he faced the empty room, he would think that if it was Drake who disappeared, how would his father react?No matter what, he must be more concerned about the "devil boy".

Until Jason appeared in front of Damian and brought him all the way back to Jason's safe house.

After a hot bath and home cooking, Damian has made a decision - he's here to stay.

"Actually, you've always been sane, Jason." Damian stared at the bowl of lentil soup in front of him, his hand holding the spoon trembled, "Otherwise, please tell me, from the time you soaked in Lazarus Pool to the time we parted During this period of time, where did you go to the culinary art academy, right?"

Damian stuffed the spoon into his mouth, and the thick soup bloomed on the tip of his tongue with a familiar taste, which made him almost uncontrollable and directly picked up the soup plate and poured it.Pennyworth's cooking skills are quite good, but apparently before he came, the Wayne family's menu did not have Middle Eastern dishes.Damian is not the type who travels all over the world and insists on eating only local dishes, so he has never complained that the occasional Middle Eastern dishes on the table are not authentic.

But in Jason's place, Damian tasted exactly the same as when he was in the League of Assassins.

If he hadn't been sitting at the bar and watched Jason from preparing ingredients to cooking, he would definitely think that Jason hid the chef in this safe house.

"Uh... the big caste class teaches a lot of things, but trust me, cooking is definitely not one of them." Jason put the freshly baked naan bread and hummus sauce on the table, "Try it ? I don’t really like the seasoning of the chefs in the alliance. I made this myself. If you don’t like it, I can change it again, and then make more at a time and put it away.”

The still hot and fluffy naan bread was dipped in homemade hummus sauce. Compared with the chef of the alliance, Jason's seasoning seemed to have more garlic and cumin, but it was very appetizing in the mouth.

"Did you do it?" Damian took a mouthful of food and felt that this night was like a dream. First Jason appeared, then they solved Drake's conspiracy for many years, and then this meal again dinner.Mother never mentioned that Jason has this skill!

"I have a fully equipped kitchen——" Jason sat across from Damian, and raised his hand sideways to show Damian the cooking table behind him, "What else can't be cooked? These dishes all have recipes You can find it, and then add and subtract the ingredients and seasoning according to the taste I have eaten... That's it."

Damian swallowed the food in his mouth, stared at Jason blankly, until Jason couldn't drink his portion of soup properly under such gaze, then raised his head with a frown: "Again What's wrong?"

"So you really have been sane all the time." Damian felt that he should look at Jason with a new look. If the normal Jason is a little closer to the powerful boy his mother and he described, then a person from head to toe Tail is sane, but must be trapped in a body that cannot move, Jason, who has not yet gone mad and collapsed.

That's a will of steel, right?

Jason moved in his seat, as if he wasn't comfortable with the topic.But he shrugged his shoulders and continued to drink his soup with his head down, which was an affirmative answer.

"How did you do it? All the doctors said that you were unconscious. My mother believed in this conclusion, but at the same time she also thought that you could be cured. I think there is a sense of disobedience in you, but I can't tell where... …Now I know, you're really trapped, right? Your body is your cage, and no one hears you're locked in."

Damian suddenly felt that the delicious food in front of him was hard to swallow.The food is proof that he's the failed brother who watched his older brother suffer in front of him while he was stupid enough to ignore what he felt - Drake wouldn't have made that mistake, father It is said that Drake will be a better detective than him. If it is Drake, he will definitely find that Jason has always been sane, so maybe they don't need to take the risk of using the Lazarus pool. With Jason, the three will be together.

"Hey, rice." Jason snapped his fingers, bringing Damian back to reality from his own thoughts, "Finish your food, let me tell you, I'm used to the separation of consciousness and body , don't waste your head thinking about what you have and what you don't have, eating up the food is the best way to thank the person who cooks the food. So... open your mouth, eat well and be full. We have to think about how to deal with that insidious Timothy Drake."

As soon as Drake was mentioned, Damian felt the fighting spirit overflowing from every pore in his body. He always had the opportunity to listen to the other side slowly about Jason, but he missed the opportunity to hit Drake. There will be no next time!

Stuffing food into his mouth with all his strength, Damian even felt that he heard a divine mission calling him, he must liberate his father from Drake's clutches!

***

Confirming that Damian was unconscious in his bed, Jason returned to his study-studio and turned on his computer to investigate the life of Timothy Jackson Drake.

Before that, even at the dinner they met for the first time, Jason's impression of this person had always been that of a "smart and clever little friend".But now that he's taken his place, trusted by Batman's side, and if Damian's claims are to be believed, Bruce's taking the initiative to seek custody of a child with full parents, that speaks volumes for this Drake Bruce's heart is far more important than a night watch assistant.

Looking back at this moment, Jason felt that their first meeting was probably arranged by Drake on purpose.Hidden seat, he has been annoyed enough to pick him up, and the time comes when he wants to escape from the scene no matter what, says that he likes the second Robin the most, never misses any text message from Jason, even if Jason forgot After checking the time, the letter was sent at four o'clock in the morning.Then by such a coincidence, he took this position after Robin was vacant, and now he can stay in the Wayne Mansion openly and aboveboard not only during the night watch and during the day.

This kid is too scheming.

Imagine if Jason hadn't died, what would he have done?They were already friends, and Jason wanted to invite him to the mansion.Drake lived right next to Wayne's house, but he was studying in a boarding school. It was more than an hour's drive from the school to Wayne's house. Get the qualification to spend the night in the mansion for some reason.This is the reason Jason came up with on the spur of the moment. If Drake made the layout carefully, he would definitely be able to think of more subtle and natural ones.

It only takes seven repetitions to form a habit. After Drake becomes a regular visitor, he can "accidentally discover" the secret identity of the Batcave or Robin. At that time, Jason was not as careful as he is now.There's no way Bruce would let a kid run around with a secret, and he'd probably be silly enough to speak up for Tim and get Bruce to agree to join him in the cause!

But he definitely didn't expect Jason to "retire" so early. This must have caused setbacks to Drake's plan, but it was not without help——

Jason clicked on the Gotham Daily, there is no wifi in the large caste, he rushed all the way to Gotham to focus on finding and solving the nameless that had surfaced, and then his mother's life-threatening serial calls urged him to find Dami Ann, it is only now that I have the opportunity to sit down and study the development of the old bat over the past few years.

Another Form of Acquisition?Wayne takes custody of Drake Industries heir

"Batman Captures Two-Face"

"Wayne Enterprises successfully won the purchase of new unmanned combat aircraft"

"Blood Jobs?The staff of the Arkham Mental Hospital complained about working overtime, but the hospital has refused to take a stand so far »

"A large-scale escape of patients broke out again in Akhan, suspected of negligence of security personnel"

Skimming the titles along the way, Jason didn't know whether to be thankful for Gotham or the Gotham he was familiar with, or whether he should feel sad that the city has never changed.

Jason entered the day of his death in the search date: "Wayne's second son dies in car accident while traveling" The headline stands out in a barrage of socioeconomic and political stories.

The length of the report is not long, and it can be seen that Bruce didn't give the reporter too much information, he only mentioned that he was traveling, the car overturned and exploded on the spot, the driver and he died on the spot.Jason was quite sure that if all the reporters in Gotham were as dedicated as Vicky Weir, they would definitely be able to find similar reports from the local news, a car accident, an American teenager died.Bruce never does things halfway. He must have prepared a seamless scene, and he can even find local witnesses to give some plausible answers.

The accompanying picture for this report is only one scene of the funeral. The photo was taken from a distance, and only a few people with their heads bowed in a circle (that is, his tomb) can be vaguely seen.

Thinking of the tomb, Jason couldn't help looking at his nails. He still remembered the feeling of being overturned when his nails were dug on the coffin, and when he dug into the soil, those bugs and earthworms fell directly on his face. Feelings on, in your body, in your mouth.

"Cheer up, you're not there anymore. Breathe—" Jason took a deep breath and turned off the report, continuing to browse the news after his death, and he learned when Drake came to Batman.

"The crime rate in Gotham has soared, the dark knight who disappeared, where is he?" "

"Batman Is Dead?" "

"The Clown Appeared at the United Nations General Assembly and Was Subdued by Batman and Superman"

"Last Laugh?Gotham crime prince suspected killed in helicopter bombing

"Underwater salvage team still hasn't found the clown's body"

Wait... The Joker is dead?Jason couldn't believe it, the lunatic who beat him into shape with a crowbar while laughing loudly, and gave him the first death experience in his life, just died like this?

Jason couldn't help himself to click on the news. The reporter was there at the time and described in detail how the clown appeared in the United Nations General Assembly as an ambassador, and how he suddenly attacked during the speech.The appearance of Superman and Batman, and finally Batman chased the clown to board the helicopter, but the helicopter suddenly exploded out of control after the gunshot, and only Batman jumped out alone.

Does that mean Bruce helped him get revenge?No, it's impossible... this is Bruce!If spending so many days with Peter among the Vandals had taught him one thing, it was that some people die like that and don't change.

For example, Yondu treats Peter as his own son and hurts him, but in front of the spoiler's wealth, he will also ruthlessly give Peter a hard time, in the name of educating children.Several times, Jason felt that if he hadn't saved the scene himself, Peter would have lost a layer of skin if he didn't die.But does Yondu love Peter?of course!Whoever dares to cross Yongdu and toss Peter will end up waiting for death.Jason dared to guarantee with his head that Yondu was willing to die for Peter without blinking an eye.

But this can't change that Yongdu is a character who dares to kill even his own people for money.Willing to dedicate his life to someone does not mean that he is willing to change himself for someone. As long as Yondu is still panting, he will continue to cheat Peter, watching that kid jump into a rage and chirp, and when he laughs enough, he will become a short-term dad again. Anyone who dares to laugh along will be beaten.

So is Bruce.His principle of not killing has changed from a principle to a psychological constraint on himself. He would rather immerse himself in self-loathing: I didn't arrive fast enough, because I didn't investigate carefully, because I was too careless... Won't break a murderer's neck.

Expecting Bruce to kill the Quartet for Jason is like expecting Yondu to become the number one philanthropist in the universe for Peter.possibility?nonexistent.

"Tsk, what else do I expect." Jason turned off the news with a wry smile, trying to ignore the tightness in his chest.Getting up to make milk tea for himself, the things in the kitchen can always divert his attention. After finding the tea leaves, a single-handled iron pot, and a fine cotton filter, Jason opened the refrigerator and saw the empty drink holder before returning Luckily, this is not Wayne's mansion (home). He just left the den he found in the industrial area (abandoned packaging factory) amidst endless nagging from his mother, and moved into this safe house with his small luggage bag. Room.

Beans, flour, and some long-lasting seasonings are prepared early in the morning.However, things with a short shelf life such as milk, juice, eggs and meat products still have to be prepared by himself.

After mentally going through the shopping list, Jason opened Damian's door and took a peek to confirm that the child was really still asleep.Jason poked the little tree man who was watching a hot dance video on a tablet with headphones, twisting his waist and swinging his hips: "If the rice comes out, can you tell him that I went to restock the refrigerator? Do you want anything?"

The little tree man really tilted his head and thought for a while: "I am Groot." (OREZZA sparkling mineral water.)

"What the hell? There are also designated brands?" Jason got a nod in the affirmative answer from Groot, and took the shopping bag with a confused face and went out to search for a nearby 24-hour supermarket.After sweeping away the necessary food, the price of sparkling water that Groot asked for made him almost push his shopping cart into a shelf. (A can of mineral water costs 80 mg? Will drinking it make me immortal?)

Jason was extremely grateful to the person who invented the self-service checkout counter. Maybe he was petty and thought too much, but he didn't want to be labeled as "the person who came to buy super expensive mineral water at night" by the clerk at all.What he needs now is a low profile, and he is grateful for any extra attention.

Walking out of the supermarket with a heavy shopping bag on his shoulders, Jason could see the bat lights in the night sky as soon as he looked up.To be on the safe side, he still chose to pull up his hood before walking into the crowd. Facts have proved that his choice is wise, because he can be sure that just now, Nightwing flew with a hook gun from the building at three o'clock in front of him on the right Go to the next roof, then crouch on the edge of the low wall.

"Damn, now I know why girls say Grayson has a nice ass." Jason shook his head, lowered the brim of his hat and continued walking back.

So at this moment, Bruce's golden boy and the sinister red bird are in the city, maybe this is a good opportunity to test how much weight this kid has won for himself.

An effective plan gradually took shape in Jason's mind.

***

Red Robin is conducting a second search of Crime Alley.People here come and go, and sometimes some street children will spend the night in different places for several days in a row, so as not to be stared at by the big heads they can't afford.He didn't find Damian in the first search, but when he knocked on the door during the day as Timothy Drake and asked if anyone had seen him run away, many people They swore that they had seen the child.

Damian probably got all sorts of hiding places from other waifs for a kid his age, safe, inconspicuous, unsurveilled, social workers and police harassing them.

But Red Robin thought it wouldn't hurt to search again, maybe Damian came back from a different place today?And it looked like his luck was in place, for from his vantage point he could see a small figure huddled against the wall, and beside the kid lay something that no other waif would have: a samurai | Knife.

"Damian! Thank God, I finally found you." Red Robin heaved a sigh of relief, feeling that all the burdens on his shoulders were relieved at once, "Come on, let's go back and find your father, he can... …ah!"

As soon as Red Robin entered the house, he felt his feet tripped by something. In a hurry, he only saw vines, which wrapped around his ankles as if they were alive, and then pulled him to the ground.

"Matt!" It didn't feel good to face the ground, Red Robin endured the pain and reached out to take out his breathing filter. If it was vines, it meant that poison ivy was nearby, but when he just put on his equipment and was about to raise his head, something Someone hit him hard on the back of the neck, making him unconscious only in time to press the emergency call on his chest.