Author: Jinx

Fandom: Young Justice/Batman

Pairing(s): Gen.

Character(s): Dick G./Robin, Damian W.

Warning(s): Slight OOC, slight language

Note(s): Many have requested a sequel to "The Same," so I hope this is up to par. Damian discovers the events of the failsafe simulation.

The Difference

It had been over a week since Grayson had lamented his feelings of confusion and isolation. Damian had been trying his hardest to make him feel more comfortable, but it was ridiculously hard not to revert to his normal state. When Grayson made an idiotic comment, he had to physically rein in the sarcastic and somewhat hurtful rebuttal that was on the tip of his tongue. The younger boy—secretly—didn't regret anything that happened that night, but the constant use of that dreaded name made him wish he'd kept his mouth shut.

He could take the "Dami"'s, but "Lil D" still felt like a knife to the chest every time he'd heard it. Damian was sure that Grayson had noticed his flinches, but nothing was ever brought up on the topic and he wanted to keep it that way. Currently his barely teenaged father was flitting around the kitchen in undisguised excitement. Grayson could never seem to sit still for longer than a minute, but today it was worse. He was constantly pacing with a slight skip in his step, a huge smile on his face, and taking a bite of the waffles Alfred had made every time he passed his plate.

Damian himself had already finished his meager breakfast and was trying to analyze the events in today's paper. Keyword: trying. The next time his father passed him, Damian reached out and gripped his father's shoulder hard enough to make a point and then forced him into the chair beside him.

"Grayson. Sit."

Once again, Grayson's exuberance was anything but deterred. "I can't! Bruce said the team would be doing this failsafe sort of simulation today and I can't wait! Manhunter is making the whole thing up personally. Just think of all the things that could be in it!"

Damian rolled his eyes before turning the page. "It's a failsafe simulation. Most likely, it's going to be depressing."

The other black haired boy let out a giggle. "Lighten up, Dami! Besides, everything is depressing to you."

"Tt."

"Whatever," Grayson brushed off his brother's rudeness and hopped out of his chair much to the other's displeasure. "I'm heading to the Mountain now. Try not to have too much fun without me, Lil D!" With a wave and his infamous cackle, Grayson disappeared.

Although relief flooded Damian that he now had some solitude, another, unidentifiable feeling gnawed at him; something wasn't right.

Superboy had walked up to the ruined Superman statue with an indecipherable expression on his face. Robin eyed the destruction around them before joining his teammate's side. "They're really gone…"

'Bruce…' The Boy Wonder's thoughts were completely jumbled. Now that he thought about it and saw the ruins, Batman's death really hit hard; why hadn't it affected him like this earlier, when he had seen Batman d-die?

His… passing would affect so many people so greatly, both as Batman and as Bruce Wayne. Violent criminals would most likely run rampant, killing hundreds if not thousands of innocent people. Wayne Enterprises would most likely go under and eventually become corrupted without his mentor's guiding hand. And that didn't even begin to describe how it shattered him and the rest of the Wayne household.

Alfred… was he even still alive? The invaders had decimated almost every inch of the planet; most likely everyone he knew was dead. Bette… Barbara… Tim, the nice man from next door… Damian.

Robin's breath caught in his throat at his younger brother's name. His chest tightened, breathing became hard, and his heart literally hurt. He could feel tears in the corner of his eyes at the thought that Damian may no longer be around. Damian was pretty much his… everything. It was weird; the kid always seemed so angry, constantly scowling and degrading everyone… yet Robin couldn't help but feel attached to him. The younger didn't even feel like he was supposed to be his brother; instead something more, closer. Him being gone was completely unbearable, but him still being alive was… unbelievable.

"Uncle J'onn!" Miss Martian's elated voice cut through the air and Robin couldn't help but feel jealous at the fact that she was reunited with a loved one while everyone around him… If it was the last thing he did, their deaths would not be in vain.

20:23:45… 46… 47… is what his digital wrist watch said when Damian finally to a break from poring over a file. The notes inside the file contained information on a drug ring located in Crime Alley and all past and future meetings. Some unknown had just appeared out of thin air and was taking over the whole trade, killing anyone who stood in his way. Survivors had only reported a flash of red before everything went to hell. Bruce had trusted him to analyze everything he had and then triangulate a plan to confront the perp. Of course Damian himself would not actually be able to attend said bust as his current title—Robin—was being… "borrowed" for lack of a better term, by his father.

Though he showed respect (read: loved and cared) for his father, the one thing he resented about his condition—other than the obvious—was being stripped of his Robin status. Damian remembered his father back before any of this happened sounding excited yet conflicted about when he would grow into the role. Dick couldn't wait to share his vast knowledge in martial arts and detective skills with his son, but he restricted himself until Damian turned 10. Unfortunately, Fate would intervene and he would never be able to see his son turn 10.

When that day had finally come, Damian—cowardly, his subconscious sneered—hid himself in his room the entire day. Grayson had sat outside of his door for hours, pleading with the other to come out for only five minutes. Damian only allowed himself to leave his room when midnight rolled around, convinced that that day was finally over. He found his deaged father propped up against the wall beside his door, head lolling to one side and hand resting loosely on a small brightly colored box.

A gift, his mind supplied. Inside was a framed photograph of him and Grayson, the latter's arm wrapped around his shoulders. It was both of their favorites; Grayson's because while he wasn't exactly smiling, Damian wasn't scowling. It was Damian's favorite because it was one of those moments when he felt that his father was still there, hidden under the immaturity of a 13 year old. He'd never admit it, but said picture frame was now sitting on the end table beside his bed.

Damian stood up and stretched, back popping from being held in a similar pose all night, before a thought made itself known. Shouldn't Grayson and Wayne be back by now? As Grayson had been prattling on about all week it was a training simulation—a train for failure that should only have lasted a couple of hours max. Another quick glance at his watch confirmed that it had been just over eight hours since the two had left.

Grabbing the file to return it to the Bat Cave, Damian descended the stairs and made a point to "run into" Alfred. The man was cleaning up the kitchen after the dinner he had prepared had gone uneaten. "Pennyworth, where are Grayson and Wayne? I was informed they would have been present at this time and I do not appreciate this dishonesty."

On the outside, Alfred's stoic expression remained, but on the inside he was translating from "Damian-speak" to English; in other words: Where is Bruce and my dad? I'm worried about why they are not home yet. "I am sorry to tell you, Master Damian, that Master Bruce and Master Dick have yet to return. I am sure they will grace us with their presence before the night is over."

Damian gave his infamous scoff and his scowl deepened as he continued to the Bat Cave. Sliding the file haphazardly onto Batman's workspace the boy busied himself with bringing up the locations of Batman and Robin's comms. Both were located at Grayson's silly clubhouse in Rhode Island.

'If you want something done right, you must do it yourself,' is the thought that came to his mind as Damian slipped on one of the extra Robin masks. His clothes were indiscreet and plain enough to not give away any information. As a precaution—his father's voice rang in his head, "Don't leave home without your utility belt!"—he grabbed an extra belt and grappling hook too and made his way to the closest Zeta Beam Transporter.

Overall the journey was uneventful, but it felt nice to run over the rooftops, fly on the grappling hook, and make death-defying leaps and falls. Damian had always appreciated his father's teachings in acrobatics; he shared Dick's love for "flying." Not that he'd ever admit it to anyone, but it was certainly calming. Soon enough he reached the old, out-of-service telephone booth.

'How original…' he thought dryly as the door slid open and he stepped inside. The destination was set as "Mount Justice," a bright flash of light, and then he was gone.

To anyone else, Batman was calmly making his rounds to each of the teens, checking heart rates and their overall condition. To the trained eye, he was frantically flitting back and forth haphazardly while Martian Manhunter stood in the center, trying to wake all of them up.

A beeping noise informed him that Aqualad had just been lost in the simulation—so far that totaled the Atlantean, Artemis, and Wolf.

What had started out as a simulation to test the team if the Justice League should ever fall had spun horribly out of control when they forgot it wasn't real. The cause was the "death" of Artemis; Miss Martian could not distinguish between reality and simulation and therefore took a hold of the simulation. Now the members who had "perished" were stuck in a coma-like state and Batman feared it would be permanent if they could not break the young Martian's hold.

His journey to Aqualad's side was cut short when the computer system made an unexpected announcement.

"Recognized: Reserve, R-04."

Batman couldn't help the mix of emotions that washed over him—though his face remained as expressionless as ever—when he realized just who had transported to the cave. There was only a few more moments of silence before Damian was seen stomping his way into the room.

There was no greeting as the boy turned his murderous expression on the Bat. "Where is he?"

Batman gave no indication that he knew the boy was there as he continued checking Aqualad's vitals. "He's fine."

There was a loud "tt" noise that he was so famous for. "That was not the question. Where is my dad?" The word was foreign on Damian's tongue, but it felt nice to be able to say it again. A subtle movement from the man allowed the masked boy to see his father lying still, twitching every so often, on a cot on the other side of the room. It was brief and ever so slight, but worry did flicker in his eyes. "This simulation should have been completed by now." Damian didn't need, nor want, to say anything else.

Before Batman could respond, the sensors located next to Superboy began to beep rapidly. Damian looked in confusion before turning a glare on his current guardian—he noted that Superboy had now stopped twitching. "What was that?" he asked as the man made his way to the clone's side.

"There was a complication with the simulation."

"What kind of complication?" The venom in his voice was anything but disguised.

Batman was silent for a moment before deciding to answer. "We are unsure as of right now." He shot his youngest ward a look when he opened his mouth to chew him out. "As you know, the simulation was a train for fail. Whenever one of them has died, they have been stuck in a coma. Manhunter entered his niece's mind to try and fix what has gone wrong." From his position he could see Damian swallow thickly.

"Who is still… alive?" The question felt out of place.

"Miss Martian, Kid Flash, and Robin." Damian couldn't help the sense of relief that washed over him when he found out his father wasn't in a coma, but there was no telling if—when, his subconscious supplied—he would fall into one. He quickly fixed his expression to glare at Batman again, as if he had never stopped.

"What have you done to fix this situation? Shouldn't you be doing something other than monitor duty?"

The Bat glared right back. "There is nothing else that can be done. We must wait until—"

"Wait! Wait, until that heathen falls under herself and then I lose him forever!" Damian's rage was practically uncontrollable as he visibly seethed and clenched his fists tightly.

"We will not lose him." Batman stressed the pronoun. "This will be resolved, it only requires patience."The room fell silent as tensions rose. Damian was completely unhappy with the man's response. Neither of the two would back down from their glaring. If anything happened to Dick…

Only the sound of more frantic beeping broke the stares.

'No…' Damian rushed over to his father's side. He could care less about the speedster that had fallen under at the same time, but his father… it wasn't true. His glare increased tenfold as he no-so-gently shook the other boy's shoulders. "Wake up, you idiot." He demanded—no begged. A firm hand landed on his shoulder, but he paid it no mind when he realized that he lost his father—again. Tears were prominent in the corners of his narrowed eyes but none fell.

Then, as if by some miracle, Robin burst up to a sitting position, breathing heavy and sweat pouring down his face. The boy wonder didn't notice Damian standing beside him right away. Damian himself was, admittedly, too stunned to do anything to get his attention.

"You're all alive!" That voice chased away any relief he had been feeling and rage reared its ugly head. Just as he was going to kill—ehem, talk to the naïve Martian, a voice stopped him.

"What happened?" Artemis asked the question that was currently on everyone's mind.

Batman began, "It was an exercise—"

"Exercise?" Disbelief and confusion coated Robin's question.

"Try to remember. You were put into a doomed-to-fail simulation, that is why you did not grieve when you witnessed the deaths of the Justice League or when Wolf was disintegrated before your eyes; you knew it wasn't real."

Manhunter stepped forward. "That all changed when Artemis died. While M'gann knew consciously it wasn't real, her subconscious could not distinguish between simulation and reality and took a hold of the exercise. You all began to believe it was real and anyone who died in the simulation believed they had truly died and fell into a coma."

"It was just a… simulation?" Wally asked with uncertainty.

Robin shook his head and suddenly noticed the person standing to his right between him and Batman.

"Lil Wing?"

Robin had discovered a few weeks after entering the hero business that Damian knew about him being, well, Robin, and decided that Damian needed his own "hero name." While Damian knew he would never really need the name, he decided to humor his father.

"It will be Wing."

"Why Wing?" Dick asked with confusion.

"Because."

While he was unsatisfied by the answer, Dick accepted it. "Okay then… Lil Wing."

Damian's face rapidly became red. "Grayson!"

When Robin fully realized that was Damian standing in front of him, everyone watched as the young bird scrambled to stand up and the flung himself at the unknown boy. Damian stumbled back slightly when he caught the other in an embrace. The members each glanced at each other in confusion.

Robin dug his face into Damian's neck and practically crushed the life out of him with how tightly he was hugging him. In between ragged breaths he whispered, "I thought you were dead…"

Damian was frozen and completely silent after he heard the small voice. Usually he would have sworn up and down until he was released, but this time all he was concerned with was his father's previous statement. Slowly—and admittedly carefully—Damian removed himself from the embrace. He made eye contact with Grayson for a moment—mask lenses meeting dark glasses—before he turned his newfound rage to Batman.

"You did this to him." It was a statement spoken loud enough for everyone to hear. Even through the tears and uneasiness, the team was shocked that this little kid was talking back to Batman.

Their gazes narrowed back to the glares they had been previous to the team waking up. "It was not planned to turn out like this."

"I don't care if it wasn't planned, it still happened! You know what da—Robin's been through; what I've been through!" He glared at him a couple seconds longer, incapable of saying anymore words to the man, before turning around and whispering to Robin who had been frozen next to his bed the whole time. "Let's go, Grayson." The bird nodded his consent and wound his arm around Damian's and for once he wasn't going to complain about his father's need for physical contact. Their departure was blocked however.

"Stand down."

"No." With that single word the coldness in the air seemed to grow. Everyone in the room could only continue to stare in morbid fascination at the boy who dared question the Batman. Without hesitation, Damian continued to lead Robin towards the Zeta Tubes.

Batman did not try to stop them.

His father had fallen asleep around two hours ago, but Damian couldn't bring himself to leave his bedside. Grayson hadn't explained what exactly happened in the simulation, but the younger got the gist of it: Dick watched everyone he loved die. Again.

A small whimper broke his thoughts and his fists clenched in anger. When another pitiful sound followed, Damian sighed.

'Just this once.'

For the first time in a long time, Damian willingly curled up next to his father.

For the first time in a long time, both slept soundly throughout the whole night.