It has been a few months since Y/n Agnes and Damian Wayne had been friends.
A lot has happened and is still happening.
Their twelfth birthday passed and they spent .
Damian and Y/n shared many things and found to have so much in common.
Both of them shared their skills in art, intellect, etc. They shared similar tastes. And, surprisingly, Y/n was actually interested in world domination.
Damian had gotten closer to Y/n. And now, one of the only people Damian talks a lot with is Y/n.
Damian didn't disclose his identity to Y/n, but he does share a lot of incidents that happened in his family, like how Duke threw a chair at Jason and Dick riding the chandelier at one of his father's work parties. Y/n also shared her personal experiences. Like the time when one of her maids' kids nearly set the mansion ablaze and somehow one of her maids ended up on the roof and was too scared to come down.It was a normal Wednesday afternoon until the bell rang.
Damian managed to get two friends-James from his math class and Skylar by coincidence as he was drawing a majestic dragon, thanks to Y/n's help for socializing and getting him familiar with the latest trends and interest for peers their age.
Skylar introduced Damian and Y/n to the Art club.
Y/n got to befriend Amelia and met Evelyn by 'coincidence' at History.
Evelyn was her childhood friend, now, school mates.
Both of them decided to introduce their friends and were now huddled on a cozy table in the cafeteria.
Each taking out their snacks and meals while talking about how their day went, they came to the subject of pets.
"Let's talk about ourselves!" Amelia said.
"Hm." Evelyn hummed, taking a bite from. "Alright. Let's talk about our pets."
"Okay!" Skylar agreed. "I'll start."
Y/n sipped her favorite flavored boba and hummed along. Damian ate the last cookie which was prepared by Alfred while James took another bite from his apple.
"So..." Skylar began. "I have a fluffy golden retriever named Sunshine, he's the best boy ever!"
Y/n, sipping her boba tea and humming along, listened intently. Damian, meanwhile, finished the last delicious cookie Alfred had prepared for his lunch, and James took another bite from his apple, eager to hear about his friends' furry (or scaly) companions.
Then, Evelyn, her voice taking on a slightly hesitant note, spoke, "Well, my pets aren't exactly...typical."
This statement aroused curiosity among the group while Y/n smirked. She knew what sort of pets Evelyn and her have, so the group's in for a treat.
"C'mon! C'mon! Tell us! I wanna know!" Skylar said.
"Alright. Alright." Evelyn began, a smirk now playing in her lips. "I have two pets. A white python, Lillian, and Timmy, my cute lion."
A gasp was heard from almost everyone, except Damian and Y/n. Damian raised an eyebrow. Y/n smirked and crossed her arms, leaning. James choked on his apple.
"Y-you have a WHAT?!" James spluttered.
"A snake and lion?" Amelia gasped.
"Wait a minute." Skylar halted. "Who names a python Lily-"
"Lillian." Evelyn corrected. "Her full name is Seraphina Lillian Clementine the Third."
"Alright. Lillian." Skylar conceded. "But what about Timmy? Who in their right mind names a lion Timmy?"
Evelyn shrugged playfully. "He just seemed so cute at the time, so..."
Skylar, still grappling with the revelation, simply muttered "Okay..." under her breath, unsure of whether to be amused or concerned.
"So, who's next?" she asked, her gaze shifting to Damian.
Damian, realizing its his queue, was a bit hesitant about his pets, keeping in mind of his previous reaction on the first day with the two boys, thought there could be no way his can be more abnormal than Evelyn's.
"Well," He coughed. "I have a cow, his name is William (also called as the "Bat-Cow", is Gotham's first and only crime-fighting cow), two dogs, one is Ace, and the other is Titus, and a cat named Alfred (who is not related to Pennyworth in any way)."
"Cool!" Amelia was in awe.
"Interesting." Y/n commented. "In a good way of course."
"And fortunately," James added. "Harmless."
"What about you, Y/n?" Skylar, asked, curiosity reaching her peak.
"Well," Y/n began, adding a touch of dramatic flair, "much like Evelyn..." with a quick glance at the now grinning Evelyn. "...I also have some rather interesting companions."
James, having a feeling he shouldn't take a bit of the apple in fear he might choke from it, didn't take a bite.
"So," She started. "I have a raven named Midnight. Although her full name is Midnight Aliénor Aurélie."
James sighed in relief and took a bite from his apple, a bit weirded out by the name but accepted it.
"Annnd, I have a white tiger named Luna Aria Avalon, and a black wolf named Shadow Esme de La Tour d'Auvergne."
James choked while Amelia and Skylar gave up being surprised. Damian patted James on the back out of pity while he quirked an eyebrow in surprise.
Well, at least now Damian knows he's not the only one with unusual pets.
"Why such a long name for them?" Damian questioned, voicing the thought that had undoubtedly crossed everyone's mind.
Y/n sighed dramatically, and explained, "Long story short; I gave Shadow a simple name at first, but she wasn't satisfied. I happened to be reading a history book at the time, and she pointed her paw directly at a very long French name. So, I playfully asked, 'You want a name like that?'"
Y/n paused, then continued with a smirk, "Being the clever girl she is," she added a playful curse under her breath, "she immediately nodded. So, I had to painstakingly read out every single name from a list I found online, both French and English. And guess what happened for the other two? It took an entire week!"
Y/n concluded her story with a laugh, leaving everyone speechless and amazed by their uniquely diverse and fascinating pets.
"Alright." sighed Amelia. "James. You're next. Spit out your pet."
"Well," James said, at long last he had finished his apple. "I have a fish. Her name is Bubbles."
"Is she a tarantula?" Skylar guessed.
" A shark?" Evelyn engaged.
"What about a dolphin?" Y/n responded, thinking of James personality.
"Ooh! Ooh! Let me guess! It's... a jellyfish!" Amelia tried.
"A box jellyfish?" Damian inquired.
"Wrong! Wrong! Wrong! It's a goldfish!" James spat out, choking at their guesses.
"Oh."
The whole group was stunned.
Everything they guessed was around a million times greater, and more dangerous, than a goldfish.
Damian, Y/n, Evelyn, Amelia, and Skylar guessed something that's either life-threatening, cute, deadly, or perhaps all of them combined.
In a split second, Y/n lost it. She was laughing so madly that she was slapping the table as if she was drunk. Evelyn and the others joined in, Skylar was clutching her stomach, and even Damian was laughing along. The others looked their way a bit strangely before continuing to have their meals.
"Who would've known James' pet would be the most harmless and cutest one from all of us?" Amelia laughed.
"No way, we can all agree mine is the cutest." Skylar exclaimed, whipping out her phone.
"No way!" Evelyn rejected, taking out hers. "Just look at my Snuggles! And Timmy!"
Everyone on whose pet was the cutest.
The bell rang announcing their battle to be over.
"It's not over..." Skylar warned. "I will prove my boy to be the best!"
"Nice try." Evelyn smirked.
"Guys, all our pets are cute, so let's go." Y/n ushered, already leaving. "We'll be late!"
"Oh, right!" Skylar ran. "I'm so done for math!"
"I've got to go." Evelyn sighed.
"Hurry Damian!"
"I'm coming." Damian followed suit after Y/n. After all they had history class together and Mr. Reynolds always expected punctuality.
Despite clocking in 40 seconds late on Mr. Reynolds' stopwatch, Damian and Y/n were let off the hook. Their stellar grades and first-time offense earned them a reprieve from their usually strict teacher.
The rest of the day flowed smoothly. After school, Damian, Y/n, and Skylar headed to the art club.
Damian sketched all his family members and introduced the photos to them. Y/n kept a memorable photo of Tim, who's sketch was perhaps drawn like a mutated goat on purpose.
Y/n's artwork depicted a woman in her early twenties, likely around nineteen or twenty.
Stunning dark lavender hair and matching eyes, she carried a serious look. Her figure wasn't the curvy kind, but it was elegant and held everyone's attention. Fair skin and soft, pink lips finished her captivating image.
As Y/n gave the finishing touches to her artwork, Damian finished his and showed it to her.
As Y/n added the finishing touches, Damian presented his finished sketch. "This is Grayson. Dick Grayson," he introduced, a hint of pride in his voice.
Y/n, genuinely impressed, complimented, "Wow... that looks so good!"
A faint blush crept up Damian's neck, a new sensation he couldn't quite explain.
Lately, he found himself inexplicably drawn to Y/n, admiring her beauty.
He noticed himself staring at her most of the time, his heart racing and palms sweating for no apparent reason. He dismissed it as a passing illness, hoping it would fade away, unaware of the deeper feelings blossoming within him.
"Guys!" Skylar waved. "I'm done! Are yours done too?"
"Mhm." Y/n hummed while Damian simply nodded followed by a short "Yeah".
"Then let's show them!" Skylar beamed. She was so excited that the pencil she held dropped on another student's head, who was very focused on their piece.
"Hey!"
"Sorry!" Skylar apologized while Y/n and Damian laughed.
"Alright!" Skylar said, grabbing her piece. "Let's show them at the same time."
"Alright." Damian replied.
"3... 2... 1!"
All three showed their artworks with delight.
"So pretty!" Skylar beamed towards Y/n and Damian's.
"Thanks" Y/n replied, and Damian nodded.
"Who are they?"
"This is Grayson." Damian introduced. "One of my brothers."
"This is Estelle." Y/n announced. "She is one of my closest friends & aide."
"Woah!" Skylar said. "You guys made them look so cool!"
"What about yours?" Y/n asked.
Skylar beamed and showed. Hers was Sunshine, her pet dog.
"Aw, so cute!" Y/n commented.
"It looks good." Damian responded, observing Skylar's realistic sketch.
"Thanks!"
"Alright everyone!" Mrs. Rose clapped, grasping everyone's attention. "I love everyone's work and appreciate it. However, the bell will ring in 10 minutes, and I would like everyone to organize their supplies and clean the room before leaving. Understood?"
Everyone nodded and started working.
As they continued busily, Mrs. Rose gave an announcement. "We have an important event coming six months from now, so listen carefully."
Everyone looked at her curiously, listening intently. Obviously, this would be taken in with utmost importance as it is very unusual for anything to be announced 6 months early. Usually, best bet would be 2-3 months from any sort of big event.
"Metropolis and Gotham's two most elite schools, will be hosting a school festival. Among these four schools, ours are included. So, I need all of you contribute your best to the Art Section by the Art Club here. And this festival will be hosted every year in a separate city!" said Mrs. Rose excitedly. "For example, this year it will be hosted in Gotham. Next year, Metropolis, vice-versa."
The bell rang.
"Well!" Mrs. Rose clasped her hands. "That should wrap up today's work! See you tomorrow, everyone!"
Everyone was ecstatic. They all hurriedly nodded, speeding as they thought of what they'll contribute as well as what they'll see at the festival.
Skylar was excited. And so was Y/n and Damian.
Skylar waved at the pair of them as her father pick her up.
"So, who's picking you up?" Y/n asked.
"Grayson." Damian replied. "What about you?"
"My chauffeur will." Y/n replied. "I've got to leave now. My ride's here. See you, Damian!"
"See you." Damian waved as Y/n got on the vehicle and left.
For a second, something felt weird in his stomach.
'Must be that weird looking cookie I ate this morning from Grayson.' thought Damian as he walked.
'I'll look into what sort of poison he put there.'
End of Chapter IV
W.C. (Word Count) : 2044