Work Text
Request from a Fanfiction person who wanted to stay anonymous: "Something fighting related training; martial arts or wrestling"
&& I chose to do martial arts better, because I could find better images and videos about that :) Hope you like what I did! It was not easy. I think next of your requests will be easier xD &&
TRAIN AND YOU'LL LEARN; DON'T AND YOU'LL DIE
The weather was incredibly hot and even if inside the building things were better, it was still noticeable than the persons gathered in front were suffering the consequences of the heat. Of course, they were in lands where there was more sand than cement and where the sun was more present than anything, but it was summer. And summer there was incredibly horrible for a lot of people that were new or were just too pale for their own good. One look up to his mother and he knew that she didn’t care a bit if they were suffering from the weather or not. Not like his grandfather care either, now that he was thinking about it. Still, Damian was just a little preoccupied for them.“Can I not fight with them, mother?” he asked, instead.“Not yet, habibi. You will train with your grandfather or me until time comes and you will be able to unite with them if you wish” she answered easily “But remember, you’re going to be the leader”Damian sighed. He already knew the answer to the question but he still would claim the same thing time and time again. He knew his place, he knew he was going to inherit all of that, he knew he had to be a strong leader and not a mate for them… He knew it too damn well. He had learnt it the hard way. He was more than them, he had privileges. And they didn’t. Still… Was it so bad wishing that?Later at the afternoon, after his studies that his mother had disposed him, his grandfather, Ra’s Al Ghul, entered in his room and stand there still for a couple of minutes. Damian turned his head slowly, looking to that stern look that would send him shivers all the time.‘Calm down stupid body! We’re four years old, we’re old enough to not be afraid! And it’s grandfather we’re talking about’ he scolded himself internally.Clearing his throat, he glanced to his grandfather and gulped.“Yes, grandfather?” he asked as calm as his voice let him.“Your mother is out. You’ll practice the martial arts with me today” he declared.Damian just nodded his head a few times and got up from the chair to follow his grandfather to the practice room his mother would use to teach him. It was specifically private, so no one but the three of them could enter inside.Entering inside, they stepped into the middle and made the standing bow, first Damian and then Ra’s. Raising their heads, they looked at each other.It could be seen that Ra’s could mostly be hired as a statue and Damian decided to go first, moving his right foot and his right hand with the fingers still towards the stomach of the other. Ra’s, with incredibly speed, opened his legs enough to get into a lower position and, moving to his left a little, he avoided the hitting and threw his left arm towards Damian’s neck to make him fall. Luckily, Damian was able to bend in time, put his hands on the ground and made a flip, regaining the space he had.Taking a deep breath and more determined than before, Damian threw himself in the air, directing his feet towards his grandfather’s head with a good speed. However, Ra’s just moved a couple of centimeters took his legs and directed his body to the floor. He collapsed against the floor and a jolt of pain passed all his back and he hissed, closing his eyes a little. He opened them again noticing Ra’s moved to an attack and he rolled to escape the hit just in time. Still, Ra’s had him between his legs so he could only make a movement. He took off one of his legs to one side and rotate to make him fall. Ra’s opened his eyes in surprise and jumped from the position to avoid it, leaving Damian free from the little cage he had made with the legs.Damian got up fast but not enough, since his grandfather took him from behind, holding his arms tightly. Knowing he wasn’t strong enough to made two of the possible techniques, he directed one of his feet to the nearer heel and pressed with strength. When he noticed Ra’s arms pressing less to his body, he directed his elbow to the chest to distance himself.Breathing hard, he shook his arms a little in an attempt to move the muscles with more ease. The black uniform that he was wearing was sticking into his skin due to the sweat of his body and it was making things more difficult than before. He wouldn’t hate it that much if he was doing in other thing that wasn’t martial arts with none other than his grandfather. The long sleeves of the uniform were making too much sound in the room for his taste, something that was a problem if he wanted to catch his grandfather by surprise and the thing that he knew less than him and that he couldn’t beat him, didn’t help a lot.Raising his eyes again to his opponent, his feet moved to the right trying to make an attack, but he hit the ground before he would even turn his body. He grunted and went to get up but he was stopped with just one foot in his stomach.“No. You’re going against your enemy with pure rage and that disappears with the wind. Emotions will make you lose. You’ll never win a fight if you let them control you. Control your rage”“… Yes, grandfather”“Now get up again and start everything from the beginning” he said, freeing him.Damian closed his eyelids for a second and then got up from the ground, looking to his grandfather for a second. He would have hissed for the pain he was feeling in every fiber, but anyone that had been long enough in the League and that used the brain would know that complaining wouldn’t help at all; it would make things just worse, if that was possible.Taking a deep breath, he started the practice all over again, throwing himself to his grandfather to hit him at his right with his left arm. However, he was taken by some part of his clothes and was stopped, almost falling to the ground for the pressure that his grandfather had put; he regained his strength in no time, noticing that he was going slower, meaning that he was losing his strength. And yes, with one moment that his grandfather was able to avoid, he was able to notice his legs and arms like almost jelly, his muscles and his nerves screaming in pain… His brain going slow in the movements of either defense or attack. He was going to fall and nothing could be worse than not lasting what his grandfather expected him to last.It could be worse, obviously. His grandfather could had made him wear more clothes to make him an easy target and the weather would have gotten the best of him if his grandfather would had done that. These ones, the uniform he was wearing, were soft and light and they were these types of clothes that were made for countries like the one they were in. It was easy to move with them, which was one of the reasons why it was mandatory on the League to wear them: Because getting a job done in that clothes, was an easy subject.Still… He was still too young and as much as he wanted to last more, he was not going to make it. They had been practicing for at least one hour and a half; it was a mystery how he was alive yet.Gritting his teeth, he noted his throat tightening and asking for air and he narrowed his eyes. He was at the verge of tears. His flips and turns were slower than before, his movements had become into a mess, with no coordination at all and clumsy… His body was failing him little by little and nor his brain or body were responding to his demands; even if he wanted them to command them to respond to him, they wouldn’t.His grandfather raised his head to look at him, if only a little bit, with that stern look that could freeze and kill a person in a matter of seconds. Damian shivered and felt like he wanted to talk, but couldn’t.“Get on your knees and take off your upper part” his grandfather told him suddenly.He looked up in a snap and swallowed at seeing a whip in his hands. Slowly, he reached for his upper part and took it off, leaving it in the ground. Glancing his grandfather again, he saw no indulgence or mercy for him and finally, he decided to get on his knees. Gripping himself to not move, he heard him moving in his direction and closed his eyes like not wanting to know the pain he was going to feel for the next couple of weeks.“Let’s see if you learn something this time, Damian. And I want you to count them all” he informed behind his back “Understood?”“Yes, grandfather”He heard him making some steps back from him, heard him moving his arm and he closed his eyes with strength.
&& As always, comment, favs, follows, etc... Thanks for reading :) If I'm fast, I maybe will have Twisted Turn this weekend (also, if my university professors don't send me anything ¬¬ but, just pray and cross your fingers hahahah)! Have a nice day/week/whatever! &&
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
I'M INNOCENT UNTIL IT HAS BEEN PROVED!
In just a day, Alfred Pennyworth had found several problems in the entire house. And what it was worse is that the day had barely started at all. He sighed. He really didn’t get paid enough for this, he was sure.The several crimes (yes, THAT were crimes) had already made the entire morning a disaster and he was already in a bad mood. A table completely ruined because SOMEONE had decided to paint on it (in different places, if that were not enough!), a very expensive vase which surely had been broken and had been put back PIECE BY PIECE trying to mend the harm (it had just only got worse), the good carpet of the living room had an ENORMOUS stain of coffee which had been covered with Damian’s cat (seriously the culprit thought that would be enough to cover it?!), one of the ceiling lamps of another living room was hanging on a THREAD for dear life (a little more and it would be on the ground broken!), the microwave of the kitchen was totally SCORCHED and dead (what the person had done to do that?!), the railing of the stairs had been broken and had been hidden in the CUPBOARD trying to cover the crime (as if that would help, for sure) and last, some flowers of the garden had been killed and buried near the GRAVES (and the culprit had thought that putting another ones that were equal was a good idea and that he would not notice)! He wasn’t sure who were the guilty (though he had a pretty good idea) in each crime but he was sure of one thing… They were really going to gain a punishment. He didn’t care one bit about “master Bruce’s opinion”, they were all going to pay!Finishing his chores, he cleaned his hands and went to search for the boys. The first he found was Jason outside in the balcony, smoking. Always the same.“Master Jason! Stop smoking and come here immediately!” Alfred said in an almost angry voice.Jason straightened up, cursed and swore in a low voice and obeyed what Alfred had said, trying to smile when he got near him.“Hey Alfie! What’s up?”“Don’t Alfie to me! I discovered your crime against this house! Did you think you would get away or that I would not notice?” he looked at Jason, annoyed.“I… maybe hoped it?” he smiled embarrassed but stop doing it when seeing Alfred’s look “Okay, it was a bit stupid…”“It was horrendous! How did you think that I would not notice that the vase had been broken?!”“Wait… what vase now?” Jason looked at him in disbelieve.“You did not break the vase?” Alfred glanced him, astonished.“I didn’t even touch any vase of this fucking house…” he answered slowly.“Well you obviously did a crime to this house… I’ll figure out which one!” And he left in a hurry.“Okay… That was weird… And we’re doomed” Jason commented to himself.Alfred walked through the hallway, thinking all the time how he could had been wrong about who was the culprit in that crime. He would get all the culprits anyway but…He saw Dick leaving his room and he went towards him.“Master Richard!”“Oh, damn it…” Dick cursed and turned slowly “Hi Alfie…”“How many times I’ve tell you to tell me when you do your crimes?!”“Ehm… maybe a lot of times?” he answered, smiling a little.“Don’t you smile, young boy! You left that lamp hanging on a thread! “What were you thinking?!” Alfred said angry.“I’m sorry, you know I’m horrible… Wait, have you said lamp? I didn’t touch any lamp…”“You… haven’t?” Dick shook his head at that “What’s with these crimes today, that anyone seems to have done them?”And before Dick could answer him, Alfred left the place fast and in a bad mood. Dick just stayed there looking where Alfred had disappeared and he shrugged. Well, that was something new.Going back to the kitchen he found Stephanie taking some cereals and went towards her.“You, young girl!” Alfred said“I’m sorry, I didn’t do it on purpose! It was an accident and it isn’t broken yet!” she said in all a rush.“Not broken? It’s totally dead! What were you thinking with the microwave?!”“The… what now?” she looked at him surprised “I didn’t even touch it, I found it just now that it was broken!”“Oh, for the love of God! I suppose the cat did all the crimes by himself! Or master Bruce maybe!” and he left, in worse humor than before.Steph observed him leave towards the garden, not even understanding a thing of what had happened.Fuming all the way, he saw Damian meditating and went towards him.“Master Damian! How many times I’ve told you to be careful with the things of the house?”“My apologies, Pennyworth. I didn’t calculate my strength. I’ll pay for it, if I must. Besides, Gordon will need it. I put it away so…”“Wait, how is miss Gordon going to need the table, Damian?”“What table?” he asked, not knowing.“The one that has been ruined with painting!”Damian shook his head, as if telling that he didn’t know about the table and less he didn’t even touch it. Alfred looked at him in disbelieve to later disappear faster than the other times, leaving Damian before he could even pronounce a word.“I’ll tell him later, I suppose”When entering, he encountered Barbara, who was going towards the living room.“Miss Gordon!”“Oh, Alfred… I’ve looking for you… I wanted to apologize for what I did. I don’t know what has gotten into me this morning… How I could make that mistake…”“Yes, and again if I must say!”“What are you talking about?”“The railing of the stairs, of…! Wait, don’t tell me, I’ll guess. You didn’t even know they were broken…” Alfred said and Barbara shook her head “I can’t understand this family anymore!”And left without saying anything else, almost colliding with Tim who was going towards the kitchen with his coffee mug in one hand.“Master Tim! If I see another stain of coffee made by you in the carpet or any other place, you won’t see the coffee in six years!”“Another?” he asked this one, looking at him as if this one was crazy “I haven’t even made a stain today so…”“But there’s a coffee stain in the carpet of the living room!”“Not me, I promise”“What crime have you committed then?! It seems I don’t get any culprit well…”“Why I have to have done a crime?” Tim asked instead, warily.“There are seven crimes and I know that five people have done something but not what I think they have done… So, I’m assuming that each one of you have done one in this house and I’m going to figure it out!”“Okay…”Alfred left once again and he found Cass in the dining room, scratching the head of the cat.“Miss Cass… I asked her time and time again to be careful when in the house”“I’m sorry…”“You know that plants are very sensitive and you have to be extra careful with them…” Alfred stopped talking when seeing that Cass was raising an eyebrow, like she didn’t know what he was talking about.“Oh, for the love of… I’m done! Each one of you, go immediately to the living room. I want to talk with all of you!”All of them, looking to themselves a little, went towards the living room together and went to sit in the sofa and around the floor in pillows that they disposed.“Good. I have seven crimes and it looks like most of them have done something so… anyone wants to confess?” Alfred looked at them.“I wanted to tell you Pennyworth but you left before I could even say anything… I broke the railing of the stairs this morning. I was pissed with father and I didn’t calculate my strength. As I have said, I’m sorry. I’ll pay it if I have to” Damian spoke.“And why, in the name of God, did you hide it in the cupboard?” he asked in disbelief.“I thought that if I would leave it on the stairs, someone could trip over and fall” he answered.“… Okay. That was unexpected but…”“And I was going to say that I scorched the microwave, sorry” Barbara followed “I don’t know what was wrong this morning with me…”“I painted the table… Well, I was trying to paint something in papers but I got mad because I wasn’t doing anything right…” Dick confessed.Alfred covered his face, like in embarrassment.“My crime wouldn’t have discovered if the cat had cooperated…” Jason commented.“I just didn’t know lamps were so sensitive and dangerous!” Steph said, almost crying.“I maybe stepped on the flowers and killed them? But it was totally an accident and I put some to mend it” Tim scratched his head, looking away.“I broke the vase and try to repair it. But I’m not good at crafts” Cass said, the last confessing.Alfred looked at them for several minutes before sighing in despair.“I can’t believe that each one of you made a crime that never you would do if you would had been more careful! I’m impressed. You all have one punishment of making a house chore starting today. You are going to be sorry for everything!”“Yes…” everyone said at the same time.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
FROZEN MEMORIES
The look his father was giving him was of something between the concern and the disbelief. Like he was deciding if it was weird of him to doubt or if he was just out and not thinking. He cleared his throat, as if trying to make sure he was giving him attention and the head of the boy practically snapped up to his father, fixing his eyes in surprise in his dark figure.“Robin, we have to get in to save those people in time” he said, as stern and calm as possible “Come on”“I… I am going, Batman”He heard the hesitation on his son’s voice but decided not to say a thing when seeing his son entering inside the waters of the only river in Gotham. Turning to the scene that they had in place, he started swimming towards the boat that was sinking down, followed by him.Damian bit at his lip at his hesitation and would have called himself stupid. Assassins didn’t doubt, assassins weren’t afraid of something so little… Assassins knew better than that… But… It was difficult when all he had, was that memory playing inside his head time and time again.
This was crazy. No, scratch that. His mother was crazy. Did she really want him to swim in that freezing cold water?! That was more than madness!
With his neoprene suit already put on, he looked over into the water, seeing his own reflection in a confused state. Not that it wasn’t obvious because, let’s be honest, even if he would be able to pass it, there was no way that he wouldn’t catch a cold or a pneumonia. Actually, the only reason he was going to avoid death was because of the suit; that water would kill him if he would just enter with even normal clothes, not matter how fast he could swim.
They had gone to Siberia now that the winter had started, so the water was half ice in some parts but was most of all freezing. If you looked twice, there were parts with ice closer to where he had to start but since it was fragile, a barely move could break it.
Behind his back, he could feel his mother fixing her eyes in his little figure and he swallowed hard. Slowly, he bent down to sit on the ground and was going to touch the water of the lake in front of him when he thought it better and shook his head. No. If he was going to get in, better if he did it as fast as possible. Getting up, he took a few steps back and threw himself into the water, the freezing temperature contrasting with his warm skin in just a second.
He clenched his teeth, took a deep breath and shivered. Taking his right arm out of the water, he started to move towards the other side of the lake. The water was more than freezing and he wondered how he was moving a muscle at all. But, he guessed that if his mother had requested him to do it, it was then possible to do. Possible, but still a next sentence to death too.
He sneezed and his feet hit something that was floating underneath the surface and inside the lake. He instantly got goosebumps the minute he noticed something climbing on his leg and he was about to shriek if he hadn’t covered his mouth in time. As hard as he could, he hit with his other leg (the one that was free) the thing that was clinging on his body and finally, he noticed it letting go. Swimming as fast as he could, he tried to get as far away of that area as possible. He almost was freaking out and he wanted to tell his mother about that thing that had perched in his leg, but he feared her reaction.
Pursing his lips, he decided to continue swimming to the shore as fast as possible, with the weather and the cold against his muscles. He could notice them tightening and it hurt like hell trying to move them each time.
Also, maybe it was his imagination, but he couldn’t shake the feeling that the water was getting inside his suit and freezing him faster.
Suddenly, something gripping his leg again and this time he was unable to control a yelp when he noticed that thing trying to drown him in the water.
“Mother!” he was able to say before his head got inside the cold lake.
The freezing water hit every nerve of his neck and he could feel all the coldness even at the tip of his hair. He struggled for some seconds and try to get free of the grip. Bubbles came up and he tried to go higher so he could catch his oxygen since the sudden hit hadn’t let him take as much as he would have loved to.
Trying to fight with the thing that was drowning him more into the water was incredibly difficult, especially since he was not more than six years old and the size of the hand that have grabbed him had to be of an adult.
He was able to get his head outside and took a deep breath before that thing pulled him inside once again. Now with oxygen and his head a bit clearer, he searched inside his neoprene suit a dagger that he had gotten inside one of the long sleeves, taking it out as fast and as careful as he could. He flipped over himself and without a second thought, he stabbed the hand at his ankle as hard as he could. The hand seemed to loosen up a bit but grabbed him strongly. A few bubbles came up and Damian struggled not to scream. Inside the water, he barely saw a thing and he could only relied on his senses, so he went towards his feet, where the person or thing (whatever and whoever it was) had to be. Reaching down, he was able to find what it looked to be the chest of someone and fast, he stabbed there the dagger. Once. Twice. Three times and the hand grabbing him released his ankle.
Going up to the surface, he could see blood coming up from down there and he resisted the urge of throwing up. Getting his head out of the water, he took deep breaths and swam as fast as he could to the shore. When reaching it, he put his hands on the cold snow, didn’t give a damn about the burned feeling he felt in his palms and got out of there as fast as possible.
“Well… you at least got out of the lake, so it’s better than nothing. But, you could have done better, Damian” his mother told him, getting near him.
“Yes, mother. Forgive me, mother” Damian said, still on his knees in the snow.
Talia just hummed before throwing him a small towel and sighed.
“Come on. Let’s go to the temple. We’ll tell your grandfather” she just said.
He shook his head. It hadn’t been not even that much but still… the remembrance of something grabbing and pulling him inside the water had stayed in his brain and it was hard to forget the feeling of the moment he sank. He could have pinpointed that staying calm in that situation had been tougher than hurting (or killing, he wasn’t sure) that person. Maybe it had been the training he usually received from the League… However, that should have guaranteed him peace of mind by the time he had noticed that hand clinging to his ankle.Reaching to the boat that could barely be seen, he shook his feelings and decided to concentrate on the mission ahead. After all, that was what he had trained for. His fears could wait one more day.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Bruce had been very sure to keep it buried. He had checked everything like at least three times and even he took his spare time to check it all again every time he could. So obviously it was an understatement that he didn’t know how the hell two of his sons had discovered this.“When the hell did that even happened, Bruce, seriously?” Dick was saying, almost raising his volume “And with Talia, of all people?”“That is not the problem, Grayson. Father and mother can have a relationship as much as they want to, but when you both were going to tell me that I now have a sister?” Damian complained, crossing his arms.Bruce rubbed his temples slowly and took a deep breath. He knew this was going to be a problem and that it would come back to bite him. Yeah, he needed more patience.“Okay guys… I’ll go very slowly and explain everything” He said looking at his two sons “While I’m talking, I don’t want any interruptions. Is that clear?”“Yes” they said at the same time.“Good” Bruce nodded to himself “As you both know, I went three years ago to the Middle East for my company’s work since there was an issue that had to be dealt with extreme precaution and I didn’t want anyone making mistakes. During that week, I encountered myself with Talia at the market. She was kind of changed and made her way to invite me for a drink in a bar. I guess I should have known that she would try to drug me once again, but I didn’t think she would be so bold to do it in front of my face”He made a little pause to drink water and breathe before continuing “When waking up, I came into the realization that I couldn’t remember anything of the previous night and found myself in a bed with Talia next to me. She was really explicit on the things that we made that night and explained to me that I promised her to a relationship with her (secret if I so much wanted). After leaving the country and nine months later, I received a message that she got pregnant and that she had a baby. I tried to keep it in secret because I know it would freak you guys out.”“Well, it’s still freaking me out… Bruce, this is Talia we are talking about” Dick said, nervously “She tried to murder Damian, to murder any of us, has put a lot of threats in this family… Alfie, tell him something”“I have already done that, master Richard” the old butler declared.“So… when am I going to meet her? What is her name?” Damian asked, ignoring everyone.“I know what Talia has done, Dick. But I can’t change what happened. Now, Damian… About meeting her, since she made me have a relationship with her, I told her that in exchange we would share her custody every four years. So she would stay four years with her mother and the next four with me. It wasn’t easy but Talia end agreeing” Bruce explained “And… we decided to call her Selene”“That’s a nice name” Dick couldn’t help commenting with a known smirk. “So next year we will meet her, right?” Damian questioned, his eyes concentrated in his father.“Yes. Talia will come here with her and leave it here for four years” Bruce confirmed.“When were you going to tell us if she was going to come next year?” Dick asked, biting his lip and furrowing his eyebrows.“Ehm… I was thinking on making it a surprise?” he said, not even convincing himself “I really didn’t think it much”“We can see that, sir” Alfred patted his back.And… The only thing Bruce could think, as his butler and his children left the cave, was… How the hell did he get in this mess, to start with?