It started with reports.

Small thefts.

Clean escapes.

Nothing violent.

Nothing sloppy.

The kind of work that made Gotham suspicious.

And unfortunately for Damian, the trail kept leading back to one person.

Not Catwoman.

Her new sidekick.

Young.

Fast.

Annoyingly good.

Worse—

They had attitude.

Damian hated attitude.

Mostly because he recognized it immediately.

The first meeting had lasted exactly forty-three seconds.

Long enough for them to disappear with something they absolutely should not have been able to steal.

Long enough to leave Damian standing there irritated.

Long enough for him to remember every story he had ever heard about his father.

He disliked that realization instantly.

Back at the Manor, Bruce looked up from his work as Damian entered.

“You’re distracted.”

“I am not.”

“You’ve corrected the same report three times.”

Silence.

Bruce slowly lowered the file in his hand.

“…Oh no.”

Damian narrowed his eyes immediately.

“Oh no what?”

Bruce looked entirely too calm.

“Is it Selina’s sidekick?”

The room went quiet.

Damian looked offended.

Deeply offended.

“I fail to understand your implication.”

Bruce leaned back.

“You’re investigating them voluntarily.”

“I investigate everyone.”

“You requested their file twice.”

Damian said nothing.

Bruce’s expression shifted into something dangerously close to amusement.

Across the room, Alfred quietly left.

Coward.

Damian crossed his arms.

“This conversation is beneath me.”

Bruce nodded.

“Mm.”

A pause.

“Still following in family traditions, I see.”

Damian looked horrified.

Because absolutely not.

Absolutely—

…possibly.

Which was worse.