“Father,” Damian began as he stepped into the master bedroom, Bruce’s room, clearing his throat.

It was early in the morning, no later than six am, and the only sounds other than Damian’s voice were birds chirping outside and the tired footsteps of the other bat-kids elsewhere in the manor. Light of the sunrise shone through the blinds.

“I think it would be best if I stayed home from school today,” Damian requested, unable to meet his dad’s eyes as he spoke, gaze glued to the floor. “My.. stomach hurts. And I have a runny nose,”

Bruce quirked an eyebrow at Damian. He wasn’t buying it. This was the third time in a row Damian had said that, and it was just this week alone. Bruce hadn’t believed it the other times, either, but he’d let it fly. Not now, though.

“Damian,” Bruce began, folding his arms, “Did you really think you’d be able to fool the world’s best detective with a fake stomach ache?”

Damian exhaled slowly through his nose, lips pressing together, “Well, there’s a reason that title is,” he retorted in a muttered, “self-appointed.”

Bruce pointedly chose to ignore that comment.

Before he could say anything else, about how Damian needed to go to school, Jason suddenly peered around the corner of the doorway, eyebrows rose.

“Wait, Damian’s trying to skip school?” he inquired, sounding far too delighted about that.

Damian scowled over at him, “Don’t get excited,” he scoffed, “It’s not because your corruption has worn off on me.”

“Then why?” Dick pressed, tilting his head as he walked in, leaning back against the wall after entering, “Is your teacher mad at you or something? Did you threaten someone?”

Damian huffed, “No.”

Tim popped in as well, “Okay..” he muttered, trying to think of other reasons as to why Damian may not want to go to school. “Are you getting bad grades?”

Damian’s gaze snapped over to Tim, and he looked thoroughly offended. “What?” he snapped, “No. Do you really think that I, Damian Wayne, would ever allow myself to fail school? I am a prodigy, and that accusation is an insult to my entire—“

Bruce sighed as the tirade began.

Jason rolled his eyes, lazily throwing one hand up before letting it fall against his thigh with a light smack. “Yeah. Should’a seen that one coming,” he muttered to himself.

“—being.” Damian continued over them, “Education has never once been a challenge of mine, and I—“

“Okay, okay,” Duke cut in, holding a hand up as he looked at Damian with his eyebrows lifted expectantly, “Then why don’t you wanna go?” he asked.

Tim’s brows furrowed, seemingly beginning to have an idea. “Are you getting bullied?” he suggested.

At that one, Damian went completely silent, his lips pressing into a tight line as he refused to answer the question. He glared down at the floor again, unable to look directly at any of them.

The quiet gave everyone all the answer they needed. Tim was correct.

Jason’s amusement faded under the realization, and he sighed deeply, “Oh.” he mumbled.

Bruce seemed to hesitate, unsure of how to approach this, but he seemed less angry now that he knew Damian hadn’t just been trying to get out of school for the hell of it.