and every word you say, say something sweet;

[xuffasch]

WHO: xuffasch & OPEN;
WHERE: Dick and Damian's house;
WHEN: All day Wednesday;
WARNINGS: n/a
SUMMARY: It's Damian's birthday. He's currently mostly immobile thanks to his fight with the Joker. People come visit.
FORMAT: Tag in as you like!

Comments

[hells4children]

Alex knew everything, or at least he wanted to. So it wasn't any kind of surprise he knew what went down between Damian and the Joker. Much less that he knew it was the kid's birthday.

Damian was the kind he didn't usually feel like he was wasting time with when he spoke with him, which was rare and more treasured than Alex'd ever admit. The kid didn't know the whole game, but he was sharp and caught onto things quickly. He was worth appreciating.

Which is why Alex was waiting on the front step with a gift bag, ringing the doorbell.

[xuffasch]

Dick and Damian had designed the entire house from scratch, building in security and gadgetry into the already-standing structure of the firehouse. So from the small laptop he had with him, he could see Alex standing at the door, and could let that door swing open automatically.

"What are you doing here?"

[hells4children]

Alex pokes his head in, then leans against the doorjamb when he sees Damian on the couch. "Heard you were laid up here, figured it was no way to spend a birthday. You gonna let me in?" Since the door opening didn't seem invitation enough with the greeting being what it was.

[xuffasch]

Damian just nodded, which probably wasn't the easiest gesture to see, so he shifted into a seating position, and called out, "Alright, alright. Come in."

[hells4children]

He waltzed in and reached into the bag, pulling out a small plush mouse with a bell on its tail. He tossed it toward the kitten. "This is for that one." He then passes the bag itself to Damian. "The rest is all you."

In it, after unwrapping the gifts, he'll find a large metal Slinky, an old, illustrated copy of Peter Pan And Wendy in pristine condition, and a gourmet cupcake. It's a gift especially designed to say 'Damian, you are eleven.'

[xuffasch]

Damian, not being the most polite of kids, just nods once before he does said unwrapping. He sets the book aside carefully and puts the cupcake on the coffee table, but it's the Slinky that his him confused.

"What is it?"

[hells4children]

Which is exactly the one he expected to raise an eyebrow. He places his chin in his hand and smirks.

"It's a toy. Try putting it at the top of the stairs and give it a nudge, see what happens."

[xuffasch]

"That seems like an utter waste of time and energy."

[hells4children]

"As opposed to sitting on the couch and brooding? You're eleven, kid, don't let yourself grow up too fast."

[xuffasch]

"I haven't been brooding. I have been designing numerous new flight mechanisms, and perfecting the surveillance on the house, and..."

He breaks off after a moment. "And anyhow, I was never a child."

[hells4children]

"You say it with such disdain, like it's something so embarrassing to get caught being."

He moves his glasses down a little and peers over them with a smirk. "Well, looks like I caught you, then. No one thinks it's so embarrassing to be a kid except kids themselves."

[xuffasch]

"Isn't it? No one wants to be a child. It's worse than being a second-class citizen."

The latter part of Alex's statement has him wrinkling his nose. "Age shhouldn't be indicative of maturity. It's a stupid concept."

[hells4children]

"Then how about disparaging the status we do something to improve it?" There he goes again, always half-serious, with a hint of sincerity to it.

"But you've got it backwards, it's the maturity I was using as an indicator of age."

[xuffasch]

"Tt. Alright, then. How would we go about improving it?"

[hells4children]

"It won't be easy, and it won't happen overnight. It's the kind of thing you have to really settle in for a long fight with, and I'm not talking about a fist-fight."

Well.... "At least, not usually."

[xuffasch]

"I know the subtler methods. I'm no novice to them."