Be Better

Chapter Six: Carpool

He scoffs, "I don't do suits." 

She gives him puppy eyes, "Pleeaaase?"

He rolls his eyes but doesn't give in to her. See, he was still—

"I think a suit would look nice." Barbara says as she wheels into the room from the kitchen. She'd stayed the night to finish some university assignments since Bruce has the best internet. Another thing— besides being a redhead— she had in common with Jazz. Both were smart and cared profoundly about their good grades despite it being easy for them to achieve said grades with their intellect.

He stares at her, still not knowing how to act around her, before scoffing and looking away. He flies upward, phasing upstairs. Damian makes a "tt" sound and stands.

"I suppose I could drive us to school." He says, grabbing his backpack and putting straps on both shoulders as opposed to one, like Steph and Tim. 

"Yeah, that's not happening."

"I drive better than you, Drake." 

"You can't even see over the steering wheel, short stack!" Tim rebuts. 

"The only driving the two of you are doing is driving me insane," Dan hisses as he phases back into the living room. 

Everyone but Damian stares in shock as he's now dressed in a tight button down, the first three buttons undone and some of his broad chest peeking through. The dark blue blazer is slightly snug on him since it is obviously not his, but his eyes stick out nicely with it just the same. To Steph's dismay, he's still in the same jeans and biker boots from before but that could just be because Bruce more than likely didn't have anything that fit him. 

"And that's saying something since I've been insane since before anyone in this room was born." Dan continues, trying and failing to adjust the tight sleeves of the blazer, "Or spawned in hell." He adds with a smirk in Damian's direction. Tim snickers. 

"See, you clean up nicely." Barbara compliments, smiling up at him encouragingly. He shrugs and picks up one of the several different car keys. This one's for a Volvo. 

I swear, if any of these rats make a Cullen joke, I'm killing them all. 

"Bye guys, have fun and be good!" Babs calls to them as they file towards her, receiving their lunches from the redhead. Alfred made them of course, but she took it upon herself to distribute. Dan blinks several times when she holds out a lunch bag to him, his name written on paper that was in a clear tag connected to a zipper on one of the pockets. 

"...What?" He so eloquently asks. She snickers. 

"It's your lunch." 

"I—..." He absentmindedly takes it and stares down at the redhead woman who beams up at him. 

"It's nothing fancy, just steak and mashed potatoes, some corn and green beans, and left over spaghetti. Alfred wasn't sure what you liked or how much you eat so he gave you options." Barbara lists off before holding up a metal cylinder container. "And I poured some water in this for you. There's powder koolaid mixes in the bag too, in case you want juice." 

"I don't really need to eat..." He says after a moment. He moves to hand the bag back, but she stops him. 

"Then maybe Wally will want it." She suggests, something in her tone and smile changing. Dan squints, the expression disappearing before he can decipher the meaning. "Just take it, okay? Just in case." 

"...Just in case..." he repeats quietly. 

"We're going to be late, ghost." Damian huffs, glaring at Dan who rolls his eyes before waving at Babs and finally following the kids.