This is My Journal

“I was trying to get some homework done before you intruded” Damian huffed.  He had just gotten in and had been hoping to do his work without a member of his household interfering.

“What is it? Can I help?”

“Math and no.”

Dick didn’t really listen to his little brother.  Instead he pulled a chair up next to his brother and sat down.  Damian just ignored him and went back to doing his work.  They sat in perfect silence for a few moments as Damian did math exercises and Dick watched silently.  Slowly Dick started helping Damian with his homework.  Unfortunately for Damian simple math isn’t one of Dick’s strong suits, and he kept giving Damian incorrect answers.

“Grayson, a person cannot help if they do not know what they are doing” he finally snapped.

Dick looked hurt.  He was not expecting to be yelled at for trying to help. 

“Are you sure you don’t want me here?” he whimpered.

“Quite, go bother somebody else,” came the response.

“Oh… Okay” Dick whispered as he slipped out of the study and into the hall.

He didn’t have to go far be for he ran into Alfred.

“If you want to help Damian than stop moping and come into the kitchen with me” Alfred said kindly and without any warning.

Dick was shocked.  Not because Alfred knew why he was moping, he had figured out that Alfred knew everything that was going on in the house a long time ago.  No Dick was shocked because Alfred was telling him to go to the kitchen.

“Are you sure?  I thought I wasn’t allowed in the kitchen anymore.”

“You are not allowed to cook anymore,” Alfred laughed.  “You are most certainly allowed in the kitchen for other purposes, however, such as helping me arrange a snack for Damian and yourself; giving him time to do his math in peace.”

This made Dick laugh as he followed the older man to the kitchen.

Fifteen minutes later Damian was feeling a little irritated.  He had fixed all the problems he had gotten wrong when Dick was in the room but he still had more exercises that needed to be completed.  He was also starting to feel hungry.  Just when he was getting ready to take a break and go get food he heard a knock on the door of the study.

“What do you want?” Damian snapped as he turned around.

Dick stood in the door holding two very large Sundays.

Damian gave a huge smile and then very quickly covered it up.

Dick smiled back and when over to his brother and placed one of the Sundays next to his homework.

They sat in silence as they ate their ice-cream and Damian finished his homework.  This time Dick didn’t try to help. 

When Damian was finally done with his homework he stood up and took Dick’s empty bowl with him.

“Thanks” Damian whispered as he left the room.

“You’re welcome” Dick yelled after him, smiling.