The question is more revealing than his expression. In that, perhaps he takes after me. When I search for the signs, I stumble across them, littered about and haphazardly corrected. A jaw kept purposely loose against the bright and almost boring shine of his eyes. His hands rest by his sides, relaxed. And the element of control, the one that Jason Todd always lacked for the entirety of time that I knew him, is something that I find now in Damian, a blessing that isn't to be taken for granted. There is anger underneath the facade in both of us, and a ravine to be crossed. I've hardly made the attempt.

I can already hear Alfred's encouragement in the back of my mind, even in his absence.

I turn to face him fully; it's the most I can offer. "No," I reply, firm. No, this is not going to be the way things remain. No, I don't plan on keeping him at a distance. No, after what I've seen of his actions, I know that he is not solely his mother's son. If anything, he's more of mine.

"Damian, I expect you to be here when I return."

In many ways, he holds the greatest amount of potential on his shoulders. Tonight, I wonder if that's the very reason I've shied away.