When a liar gets you left behind

Chapter Fifty-Three: ". . . it's still normal to be scared. . ."

D A M I A N

"Damian, where did you go?" Dupain-Cheng was asking him, the frantic edge of concern obvious in her voice as she examined him warily, searching for any signs of injury.

Damian held himself straighter, hoping she would not catch any signs of the minimal amount of injuries that he had received during the attack. She seemed to still be suffering from the side effects of Scarecrow's gas, which was very likely given how long ago she had been given the antidote.

She seemed to notice them despite his efforts, her eyes lingered on one bruise that was on his arm, but she did not comment, instead looking away without another word. She was still shaking, which was concerning, but it could be nerves from being so close to danger.

"I was separated at the beginning of the fight," he explained, his voice casual, perhaps too much so, because Dupain-Cheng looked at him weird.

He tried to brush off the look Dupain-Cheng was giving him. It was penetrating in a unreadable sort of way, which was odd for Damian as he was particularly good at reading people. She was looking at him as if waiting for a more suitable response, and when he was did not give her one, she simply sighed and shook her head.

"I'm glad you're okay," she admitted gently, though she still looked frustrated with him. "Me and Titus were both worried."

"You had no reason to be," he replied, his voice clipped and monotone. "I am well-equipped to handle a Gotham Villain attack, I know what to do."

She laughed, making Damian send her a look. She straightened her composure, though a smile still stayed on her face.

"It's just that, no matter how prepared a person is for something, Damian, it's still normal to be scared," she explained. "We are only so powerful, you can never know for certain if they'll be okay. Worrying is natural."

Damian looked at the calm, though still shaking girl, she looking at him with an open look of honesty. She was eerily composed for such a situation having just took hand.

"Worrying is an unnecessary act that makes one stress more than needed," he bit back bitterly, his thoughts drifting terribly close to his father.

"I don't know who told you that, or what sort of people you've been hanging out with," she said wistfully, her eyes drifting away from his, out towards Titus, "but that isn't at all true."

She gave him a small smile, "Even animals can grow worried, and if they can, why should we think it odd to be so occasionally? Sure, it's terrifying, but that's a part of life."

"I think the gas still must be in your system, otherwise you would be out of these deluded hallucinations by now," he replied pleasantly, his voice almost making it sound like a compliment.

"I'm not hallucinating!" She yelled.

"Of course, not," he reasoned skeptically.

They both grew quiet as silence surrounded them. Dupain-Cheng was glaring at him again, despite how insane her thoughts had been. He was silently looking back at her, unimpressed with her supposedly intimidating gaze. Finally, she withdrew and instead snapped her gaze back to Titus.

"You know, Titus was a mess," she whispered lowly, her voice thick with emotion, "I don't think he wanted to leave you. We had to move though, so I half-dragged him at first. . . "

He waited for her to continue, she did after a moment of hesitation. "Then one of the heroes showed up, Robin—I think that was his name anyway, and Titus was completely calm."

She looked at him, her attentive eyes watching him with such deep attention that Damian knew this was more than just an offhanded comment. Dupain-Cheng was much too smart for that.