No Nuance November

Retrospectively

 The sounds in the apartment were soft.

It was almost homey and comfortable. If the situation were different Damian would probably make use of the bed made up for him.

Grayson had agreed to one more week of supervision.

Part of why Damian had suggested it was to make sure the older man was okay. He wasn't back to his full strength yet. The other part was there were less people watching him here. Less people to get in his way.

Damian looked over the new updates on the open file for the shooting. His father had finally found three of them.

They really were nobodies. One was twenty-four and the other was twenty-one. Both had priors, but for minor things, shoplifting. The third was an old friend, he was twenty-three. All he really did was sell drugs on the side while he was in college. Nothing that suggested they would shoot up a corner store. No known associations with anyone nefarious, thank god. It would hopefully stay that way.

The other one was still at large.

Not for long.

Not with these three found.

Now it wasn't if they were found. It's when.

Part of Damian wanted to go to Gotham and help. But everyone had been a little too relieved Damian would be here. Out of the way.

Despite several reassurances from Grayson Damian still felt this whole thing was his fault. He'd let Grayson stay in the line of fire while simultaneously getting moved out of the way. He hadn't attacked the gunmen on site like he should've. He was Robin, and Robin didn't let people get hurt on his watch. In the uniform or not.

So instead of sleeping like he should be, he's awake. He's studying. Waiting for the moment when he can help get the last one. When he can get the person who shot his partner, his brother.

Damian knew where they were being held.

None of them had attempted to question, leaving all of that to the GCPD. They were in a bind.

Batman had no real reason to be investigating. None of them did. Crimes like this happened every day, and no one died in this incident. If any of them got involved it would raise too many questions.

So instead they poured over every available piece of intel. Every single police report, school and medical records, social media posts, interrogation footage, security cameras, bank statements, every single piece of information any of them could get their hands on. And it was leading to nothing.

The fourth person had no known associations. He was more of a nobody than the other three.

The interrogation footage showed they were willing to protect their buddy. It could only mean two things.

This was his first job ever and they wanted to give him a chance or he was well connected to someone big and dangerous.

Damian had been there. That kid didn't have the stomach to kill, but none of the others had a viable reason to protect him like they were. Especially if there wasn't a single connection found.

It was frustrating. Damian knew one conversation with them would name the fourth gunman. Any of them could conduct the interrogation and they would have a name.

But they couldn't. No matter how much they wanted to.

Grayson had expressed a desire to leave him alone. They caught the main three problems. He didn't think this kid was anything for them to worry about.

Damian worried. He worried a lot. The last month and a half had scared him deeply, more than anything fear toxin had shown him, more than anything that happened to him with shadows.