Tim clenched his jaw, ground his teeth, and burned with rage.
If anyone in this whole story was innocent, it wasn't Batman, who lived by the creed of "I love you, but I can't say it," nor was it the Second Robin, who had charged off alone despite being warned, fueled by hotheaded courage and hope for his mother.
It was him, Tim Drake!
Who had he ever wronged? All he'd done was follow his idols and sound the alarm when he noticed one of them starting to fall into darkness.
At first, Batman had disliked him and refused to acknowledge him as Robin. Then, after discovering that he was the ultimate born employee, Batman had dumped all the company's business on him without a shred of guilt, devoting himself to his "dark and brooding side job." Next, his predecessor had come back and beaten him up without a word of explanation, calling him a "fake" and a "replacement." After Tim had finally waited out his bad mood and earned his acknowledgment, along came a demon brat whose combat skills were already maxed out at ten, who proceeded to beat him up all over again.
Even someone as well-mannered as Tim wanted to swear.
Did I offend the goddess of fate? Why do I, an innocent bystander, have to get caught in the crossfire every single time it's their problem?!
Damian gave a haughty snort, still wearing his usual "I'm the greatest, and all you mortals are trash" expression, but for once, his mouth wasn't spewing venom. After all, when he'd ambushed Tim back then and punched him off a high ledge, he'd fully intended to kill him.
*Not my fault you were the only Robin at Father's side back then. Killing your predecessor to take his place is a