Chapter Text
Damian was looking through his closet. He was searching for that jacket Jon had wanted to borrow last time he was visiting the manor but Damian couldn't seem to find it anywhere. This better not be one of Brown's pranks.
After another minute or so of searching, he gave up. He decided to go ask Pennyworth instead of continuing to stress over something so inconsequential on his lonesome. Maybe the elder butler had simply decided some of his clothes needed a wash.
It wasn't like it was just the jacket that was missing from his closet either...
He began walking down the halls to search for the butler. It was nearing lunch time so he was probably near the kitchen.
"Hi Damian. Are you heading somewhere? You look quite focused... And annoyed."
Duke came up beside him. Wearing mismatched socks Damian noticed.
"I'm going to ask Pennyworth if he did an overhaul of my clothing since I seem to be missing some."
"Oh, I was going to go ask him something similar actually. My favorite hoodie is missing and multiple of my socks are also missing from my room's dresser."
Well, that made Damian feel a bit more at ease even if he would not admit it outloud. Whether this was some ridiculous prank or an actual misunderstanding he was atleast no longer the sole target of it.
It didn't take too long for the two of them to find Pennyworth. He was setting the table, a bit earlier than normal. Usually the butler would still be making lunch at this hour, sometimes he would just be starting.
"Hey, Alfred? Damian and I noticed we were missing some clothes. Did you grab them for a wash by any chance?"
Pennyworth turned to them with a raised eyebrow and a small glint of humor in his eyes. That wasn't the best sign if Damian had to say.
"I'm afraid I did not, Master Duke. Could you two, perhaps, have misplaced them?"
Damian huffed, he'd never be so foolish as to leave his clothing carelessly around the manor. For Thomas, it was believable, but not for himself.
"Tt. That is impossible Pennyworth, I've never left any of my clothes outside of my room. This must be a play of some sort, I'll go search for Brown and ask her about it."
"If that's what you wish to do, Master Damian."
Damian turned around, ready to leave the room with Duke in toe when the purple dame herself walked into the kitchen wearing Cain's slippers instead of her own and a shirt that looked to be Gordon's.
"Alfie! There you are. Have you seen my slippers and my purple sleeping shirt, the one with the cats on the front? I can't find them anywhere!"
"No, Miss Stephanie. I have not seen those items as of recently. Could you have maybe left them in the wrong stop and someone grabbed them accidentally?"
"No, that can't be. I left my shirt in my closet last time I was here and I was just wearing my slippers last night when I was hanging out with Cass in her room. We searched for them everywhere!"
"So you are not the clothes stealer..."
Stephanie turned to the two boys, looking like she was just noticing their presence there and then taking a few seconds to understand what Damian just muttered.
She pointed at them with a surprised expression as she spoke.
"Wait, you've lost your clothes too?! That's so weird. This better not be a prank from Jason."
"That's impossible, Brown. Todd hasn't been around the manor since the day after Christmas."
Duke reached up to scratch the back of his neck as he seemed to think over their united circumstances.
"It is very weird though. I am a hundred percent sure I left my hoodie on top of my dresser last night because I wanted to wear it today but, when I woke up, it wasn't there."
"Could it have been Titus or Ace?"
"Unlikely. As smart as our canine companions are they wouldn't break into our rooms at night, much less to steal clothes that serve no use to them."
Alfred had already left them to their devices at this point, going back to the kitchen to prepare whatever was last needed before lunch.
Damian figured, upon seeing no results come from their conversation, that their best chance was to look through their rooms again for clues of what could have happened.
Before he could voice this thoughts however Cain came into the room through the same door Brown had used and tapped her in the shoulder to get her attention.
"Cass? Oh, did you find my slippers?!"
The black haired girl gave a small nod before signing her answer.
'I did. I found all the missing clothes. You won't get them back in a while probably.'
"What?! Why not?"
Instead of answering, Cassandra signalled for the three of them to follow her.
Confused by her words and curious, they all followed.
She guided them through the manor, up to the second floor and then to one of the entrances to the attic, or atleast one of the attics across the manor. She reached to pull open the hatch and lowered the stairs till they reached the floor very carefully. She then turned to them and put a finger to her lips, indicating them to be quiet.
Damian couldn't deny that his anticipation was growing with every second. Having to wait for the other three to climb up was annoyingly slow.
Once they were all up there, thanks to the light from one of the small roof windows, they found where all their clothes hand gone to.
"Ouh~ He looks so happy and peaceful in there."
In a pile of clothes from all the inhabitants of the manor with the exception of Jason, a human-ish figure was resting. He was curled up on their side, using some of the clothes he'd stolen as covers which only left their hair and their tail to peek out from underneath. The spade at the tip of the black scales thumped periodically against the floor.
Duke gave a small sigh as he massaged his own cheek.
"I guess I don't really need that hoodie that much."
Stephanie added her own thoughts after him.
"Yeah, totally. I can live without that shirt for a week or two!"
Cain and Thomas shushed her for her loud voice but the fiend didn't stir.
The three then turned to Damian. He was still half staring, half glaring, at the fiend they've been letting stay in the manor.
"Tt. I suppose I can allow the fiend to keep the particular garments he took from my closet since I have many others still."
After a few seconds longer, they left to let the fiend continue resting.
Damian would allow their stay to continue for now. But he hoped the fiend learnt some good etiquette soon and actually introduced himself properly after squatting at the manor intermittently for about two weeks.