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cheeriecherry · 4 years

Text

Space Between [8/9] [Aizawa Shouta x Reader x Yamada Hizashi]

EraserMic x f!Reader

Part 8/9

Warnings: mentions of panic attacks, some fluff, no beta we die like men

It’s dark. So dark that you can’t see your hand in front of your face, or your breath in the air as it heaves from your lungs. The cold is all encompassing, and the damp chills your bones and makes them ache.

Where are you?

Water drips from a leaking pipe somewhere off to the side. You feel like you should know the place, but the name escapes you. A basement? A warehouse?

Where are you?

“Tell me who you work for boy, and who you brought with you.”

You whip towards the sound of the voice, a shiver crawling down your spine. You’d know that cruel, grating lilt anywhere...but if she was here, did that mean you were…? No, you couldn’t be back there. It was too dark, too silent, to empty…

“I’m not working for anyone! I’m loyal to-”

A slap cracks in the quiet, cutting sharp into your ears. You take a hesitant step towards the flurry of sound, then another, and soon you’re sprinting through the darkness.

A little piece of you knows you’re not getting anywhere.

“I’ll give you one more chance, hero scum. Give me the name of your partner, and I’ll let you live.”

Your foot catches on something unseen, and you topple forwards, colliding heavy with the wet ground. Your palms sting against the grainy floor, and your breathing is thick and laboured.

You look up to try and something, anything, in the pitch black.

“I...don’t...have one…”

You gasp and fling yourself away from the sudden and intrusive gurgling voice in your ear. So close, but so broken and distorted. You squeeze your eyes shut and fold your hands over your ears in preparation. You know what happens next. You know, and you don’t want to see, don’t want to hear it. Not again.

Just give her my name, you beg silently, wishing more than anything that the outcome of the situation would be different this time. Just give her my name!

A gun cocks, loud and violating, despite your covered ears.

A cold, violent laugh.

“Then you die alone.”

You gasp awake to the sound of a gunshot ringing in your mind. You’re covered in a cool sheen of sweat, trembling like an earthquake. You glance frantically around the room, looking for any signs of danger, and only when you find none does your heart begin to slow. You sit up.

Outside the window, the sky is lightening. The sun hasn’t risen yet, leaving the dawn greenish and undisturbed.

Shouta appears in the doorway, and you regard each other silently. He clearly hadn’t expected you to be awake at this hour, but everything in your panicked expression tells him why you are. He takes a seat on the edge of the bed, half-dressed.

“Nightmare?” he asks, though he already knows the answer. Still, you nod weakly.

“You were talking in your sleep,” he says quietly, as unthreatening as he can manage, “in English. Something about your name.”

That’s all it takes for you to burst out crying, tears exploding forth and pained wails breaking from your chest. Shouta moves towards you slowly and wraps his arms around you in a tight hug.

“My name,” you weep, leaning heavily against him, “why didn’t the stupid kid just give her my name?!”

Your boyfriend rubs soothing circles into your back, not truly knowing how to answer you.

“She made him give everything else! Why wouldn’t he give my name?! I was right there! I could have helped! I could have fought! He’d still be alive-”

You cry harder into his shirt, and remain tucked in Shouta’s embrace for several minutes. Your sobs eventually turn to snotty sniffles, though neither of you pay any mind to the mess you’re making on his shirt.

“He...he didn’t even give me the option to try and save him. If my cover had been blown, then I…”

“Would probably be dead, too.” Shouta’s voice is low and pained, as if merely speaking the words caused him distress.

You peek up at him through wet lashes. “You don’t know that.”

“I do,” he says, “Up until a few days ago, you were in no shape to fight Akuma and win. If you’d stood up back then, your partner would still be dead, and you’d be beside him, and every bastard you’ve put behind bars would still be out there.”

“But how do you know?” your voice crackles, fresh tears springing up. “How do you know I couldn’t have saved him?”

“How do you know you could have?”

You’re both quiet for several beats, before you sigh deeply and set your head back on his shoulder.

“I...don’t.”

You stay like that for another couple minutes, listening closely to the beat of his heart and the steady thrum of his breathing. And once your anxiety begins to settle, you start to squirm.

“You’re gonna be late for work, Sho.”

He pushes the hair off your face, and lays a tender kiss on your forehead. “The kids will understand.”

You grumble a little, and offer him a tired smile. “Thank you. But really, I think I’m okay now. It’s easier getting through this when you or Hizashi are around.”

Shouta looks like he doesn’t quite believe you, but he knows coddling you will only make you mad. You’ve come far enough, trusting him to see you during a vulnerable moment. He wasn’t going to push it further.

“Promise you’ll call me if you start feeling less okay.”

You roll your eyes lightheartedly. “Yes, dad.”

“I’m serious, Y/N. Me or Hizashi. We’ll talk with you through whatever’s causing you problems.”

You avert your gaze from his, inklings of guilt creeping into your heart. “You’re not my therapists,” you tell him softly, “You shouldn’t have to talk me through anything. It’s not your job to deal with all my fucked up shit.”

“But we do love you.” He reaches down and takes your face in his hands, thumbs gently stroking over your damp cheeks. “We’ll support you however you need, no matter what. We want to be there for you, okay?”

You lean into his touch for a couple seconds, letting your eyes fall shut.

“Alright,” you relent, “if something happens, I’ll call one of you.”

“Promise?”

“Promise.”

He leans forward and kisses you, then stands to continue dressing. You watch him as he moves around the room, collecting his various accessories and pouches, pointing things out to him whenever he can’t find it.

He’s out of the house a few minutes later, leaving you with a warm goodbye and a tight hug. Hizashi had gone even earlier, which now left you completely alone in the house.

It seemed more spacious than it usually did, now that you’re on your own. No background din of partners moving around, no sounds of quiet conversation, or television music. Your chest dully aches as you flop back onto the bed and pull the blankets over your body.

You didn’t particularly want to go back to sleep, but you could feel the tiredness still in your limbs, and the heaviness behind your eyes. On top of that, your therapist had suggested you try some breathing exercises when trying to fall asleep, and you’d yet to try them out. Even if you didn’t pass back out, it might still be enough to allow you to lay there with your eyes shut.

Lo and behold, not thirty seconds after you start measuring your breaths, you begin to drift off.

----

The next time you wake, it’s nearly one in the afternoon. You feel surprisingly rested with the extra couple of hours, but you’re even more amazed with the lack of recurring nightmares. Plain, decent rests were few and far between.

Feeling revived, you’re able to look at your earlier dream more logically. It’s obvious now that your past is still haunting you, and that you’re even further stressed about the events to come. Your confrontation with Akuma is less than a week away, and you can finally see how much it’s weighing on you.

You’ve been trying your best to remain optimistic, to prepare yourself mentally for the oncoming fight, but you’re just so...tired. All the time. Exhausted down to your very core. You know that therapy will help you in the long run, and that’s what you’re planning for, but you know it’ll be months until you start feeling the affects.

You might not even have months left to live.

You sigh deeply, wishing your negative thoughts would leave you alone. Your phone sits on the bedside table beside you, silently taunting you. You could call one of your boyfriends...but did this count as a stressful time; dealing with the very hard truth?

Probably not.

And you don’t want to feel like a burden, like you need help with every tiny thing.

You could get through this on your own, you decide. You had an appointment in three hours, so if you could make it that long, you’d be okay.

But...maybe you’d leave a little earlier than usual. Getting out of the house would probably be good for you, so maybe you’d stop to get a coffee before your session...

Your heart warms at the thought of a warm drink and a snack, so you roll out of bed and start going about your day. No more moping around, you tell yourself. You were going to hold your head high, and hope your mood gets the memo.

----

It’s a nice afternoon for a walk. Not too hot, not too cold, sunny with white fluffy clouds dotted around, and a light breeze. You sip at the drink in your hand, letting the sweet taste soothe you from the inside out. You weren’t entirely sure whereabouts you were, having been wandering the city aimlessly for the past half hour.

Oddly enough, it didn’t bother you. Most often, you liked to know your exact location, to know which way you could run if you needed to. But today, despite your earlier panic, you feel...good. Light. You can’t describe the sudden onslaught of positivity, but you know it’s there. Maybe because Shouta and Hizashi are just a phonecall away, maybe it’s because you’re taking the time to care for yourself, maybe it’s-

You nearly jump out of your skin when a car alarm starts blaring beside you. Anyone around you would probably chuckle at your actions, and you take a second to smile at yourself.

A shop owner must have seen your distress, because he nods apologetically at you as he rushes out of his store to turn the alarm off. He looks tired and spread thin, not unlike your own reflection, and you pause momentarily to watch him walk back into the shop.

You glance over the flyers pasted to the windows, and an odd tremor crawls up your spine.

You try for a moment to chalk it up to your regular anxiety returning, flaring up from your spook a few moments ago...but something in the back of your mind tells you otherwise, some intricately honed survival sense that you’d obtained from years of being under threat.

You look a little closer at the papers in the window.

Most of them are outdated; old advertisements for food deals and community events, images of a couple lost pets. But there’s one sheet at the very center of the mess that catches your eye.

The paper is so pink it’s nearly blinding in the sunlight, but you’re still able to read the details. A charity event at the shop where it’s posted, one day only, when proceeds from every order will be donated to local food banks.

Usually something like that would have you scribbling the date down to participate...but this one freezes your heart to ice and sends another peculiar tremble through your body.

It’s dated for next week. The very day Akuma is meant to attack.

You skitter back a few steps and look up at the store’s sign, fear beginning to roil around in your gut.

Chicken shop. Cartoon chicken mascot.

This is wrong, you think. She’s not meant to attack until next week.

You hurry along from the shop, nearly running as you try to get out of the immediate area. You cut and dive around various slower-paced people, paying them no mind as they scold you for your rudeness.

But no matter how quickly you run, you can’t shake the feeling of impending danger.

You duck into a small nook beside a larger building, a building you’re fairly certain is the radio station from Oracle’s vision, and pull out your phone.

You feel so stupid, while the phone rings and you wait for Shouta to pick up. Oracle has said they couldn’t confirm the date for sure, but you’d pitted everything on them being right. They’d even warned you to be careful about where you go, until the event happened, but you hadn’t listened.

“Shit,” your curse, when you get put through to your boyfriend’s voicemail, bouncing back and forth from one foot to the other.

“Shouta, listen to me,” you tell the recording, “We got the date wrong. I was stupid. I wasn’t careful enough, and I’m downtown. I don’t think this is my mind playing tricks on me, not this time. It feels different. I think Akuma-”

Your breath freezes in your lungs when something cold and pliable wraps around your throat, and a warm body presses against your back. You try to squirm away, but more icy tar wraps around your extremities, holding you in place.

“Hello, little mouse,” Akuma coos, sickly sweet in your ear, “It’s been a while, hasn’t it?”

Your phone falls out of your hand, landing on the sidewalk with a wet splat. It feels disgusting as Akuma’s tendrils wire and snake around your body, soaking through your clothes and into your skin. Your vision is already beginning to fade, and your breath is laboured as the air is choked out of your lungs.

“Your little partner resisted his death, but I have a feeling you won’t make the same mistake.”

The final thought you have is one of Shouta and Hizashi, holding you close with warmth and affection.

Then the world goes black.

#aizawa x reader #aizawa shouta x reader #yamada hizashi x reader #present mic x reader #erasermic x reader #bnha x reader #mha x reader #Space Between

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violetwolfraven · 3 years

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Modern!Wormsies Headcanons because I’m terrified wormsies is going to die before 2021 gets here

Tw for mild horror. I don’t think this is that bad but read at your own risk. I don’t l know why I created it I just felt compelled to but don’t read it unless you’re as insane as I am and are fully prepared to read the most cursed thing I have ever created. Seriously. This is by far the most cursed thing I have ever written. Good luck. 💜

So anyway they’re not selling to survive obviously since it’s modern au.

In my modern au they’re all theatre nerds cause why not.

So they’re backstage one day and Race finds this blue thing behind an old set that has probably been there for several years.

Lo and behold, it is a worm on a string.

And Race is kinda weirded out and wondering who left it there but he’s like aight guess I’m keeping this thing.

He ties it to a strap on his backpack and forgets about it for the rest of rehearsal.

Then Romeo (one of Race’s 3 adoptive brothers, the others being Jack and Crutchie) notices it and f l i p s o u t.

Romeo drags over Specs and Jack and Crutchie to show them the worm Race found and they’re all like omg this is the best thing we’ve ever seen.

Race is still kinda confused but like hey whatever this might as well happen and he just figures if his brothers and his little brother’s boyfriend are gonna obsess over worms, why not join in?

They all get worms somehow. Romeo gets a green one, Specs gets a purple one, Jack gets a dark blue one, and Crutchie gets a yellow one.

When they all show up to rehearsal a few days later with worms, a few others pick up on it and are like lmao let’s join in on the insanity.

So anyway Albert gets a red one, Smalls gets a green one, Mike gets a purple one, Ike gets a yellow one cause it’s the opposite of purple, and Elmer gets a green one.

All the others are all kinda just whatever do what you want don’t involve us in your insanity.

BUT THEN

Over the course of the next couple weeks, only a couple more people join in on getting worms.

Sniper gets a purple one and Finch gets an orange one.

But what’s strange is that everybody starts noticing...

The kids with worms pick up choreography...

Faster and Better...

Than the kids without worms...

They’re stretchier and more agile...

...almost like..?

Almost like...

They...

don’t...

have...

spines..?

They wiggle just like their worms wiggle wiggle wiggle.

And Specs is the most logical of the ones with worms but even he fully believes his worm gives him special powers.

They spend their snack breaks talking about this and a few more people decide to get in on it.

Jojo gets a yellow one, Mush gets a dark blue one, and Blink gets a light blue one.

Davey, Spot, and Katherine still refuse to believe in this.

Sarah got a pink worm and they were all terribly disappointed in her.

But anyway they hold out their lack of belief despite how the kids with worms continue to perform better in dance numbers than the few left without.

Kenny caves and gets a dark blue one somewhere in here.

There are now a lot more kids with worms than kids without and the holidays are rolling around.

Ike gets Hotshot a red worm and Hotshot in turn gets red worms for all his crowd on the stage crew (Bart, Rafaela, Joey, Hildy, York, and Vince).

Hell, even the crew kids perform better with worms, it turns out.

Cause they can run fast to get places they need to be and squeeze through spaces they shouldn’t be able to squeeze through.

But anyway Katherine and Davey and Spot are starting to get a little creeped out.

Cause their friends and partners are starting to act more and more like they’re in a cult, even more than the cult that they’re already in (the drama club).

They pretend their worms have fucking personalities and make tiny hats for them and stuff.

And the ones left without worms are dropping like flies and getting assimilated to the other side.

Buttons gets a light blue one, Tommy Boy gets a pink one, Henry gets an orange one, and

And Sarah gets Les a green worm.

That’s kinda the last straw for Davey.

He fucking waits until his siblings are asleep and he throws their worms in the trash.

But mysteriously

They both have their worms back in time for rehearsal.

And Davey gets home that night and there’s a light blue worm waiting on his pillow.

He throws it away but it’s tied to his backpack strap the next day.

He flushes it down the toilet and it shows up in his favorite hoodie pocket.

He tells Katherine and Spot, super freaked out, but they don’t really believe him cause there’s no such thing as magic worms... right?

Then Katherine finds a purple worm on the seat she usually sits in during breaks.

She’s moderately creeped out so she leaves it there and goes to a different seat but the next break the worm is on that seat.

She can’t remember seeing anyone move it.

Meanwhile Spot is making out with Race behind a curtain (obviously) and Race

Race fucking pulls a red worm out of his sleeve like a scarf trick and gives it to him.

Spot is super weirded out by this and wants to just throw the dumb thing away the minute he and Race are done making out, but he just...

He can’t.

He can’t get rid of the worm, so he ties it to his backpack.

Katherine and Davey are mildly horrified that Spot has given in and won’t give up his worm even though you’re encouraging their cult-like behavior, Spot, come on.

Spot insists that he could throw away his worm if he wanted to, he just... doesn’t want to. And besides, he can keep up with the others on theatre stuff now, so why would he?

So Kath and Davey are

The

Last

Ones

Left

Without worms.

Davey’s worm is still following him around but he refuses to give in and he always gets rid of it as soon as he finds it but it always pops up again.

Katherine’s shows up less frequently, but it starts getting more and more frequent and she starts getting more and more freaked out as one night, she goes into her room and that fucking purple worm is on her pillow.

None of her friends have been to her house in the last 24 hours so this development is fucking terrifying.

She calls Davey and flips out on the phone to him about it and he’s trying to calm her down but Sarah ends up stealing his phone after a few minutes because she’s my girlfriend, Davey, not yours.

When Davey gets the phone back, Katherine is significantly calmer. He asks her if she threw the worm away.

She

Didn’t

Throw the worm away.

She claims it’s fine, that they might as well give in, Davey, we’re the last ones left without worms, just out of stubbornness. And anyway our friends with worms are doing fine; look at your siblings if you need proof.

Sarah and Les are having a tea party with their worms and Davey is getting pretty scared at this point.

He’s the last one left without a worm, though that blue one still always seems to show up wherever he is.

Until

Opening night

Their

Show

Afterwards everybody’s pumped up and ready to go to Applebee’s to celebrate and Davey is relieved because no one has mentioned worms in the last 24 hours or even really looked at the ones still tied to their backpacks.

He thinks maybe the others got bored with it and this thing is finally dying, especially since that damn light blue worm hasn’t showed up today either.

But then Davey is just sharing a nice coffee alone with Jack backstage (which he hasn’t done since the worm thing started because honestly his boyfriend was creeping him out).

Jack suddenly starts crying, and Davey’s all like hey what is it? Babe look at me what’s wrong?

And Jack just goes I’m sorry love I know it hurts now but it’s better in the long run trust me.

That’s when Elmer, Specs, Sarah, and Mush burst in behind them and grab Davey, shoving a bag over his head and dragging him somewhere.

When the bag is taken off of Davey’s head, he’s tied to a chair in the middle of a choir room that all his friends have somehow squeezed into.

They’re all holding their worms.

And Davey is like guys if this is an elaborate prank it wasn’t even that funny to begin with but now it is very very much not funny.

But Sarah just goes in a sad tone it’s not a prank Davey.

Les not looking like he’s trying not to laugh is what makes Davey believe it’s not a prank.

And Davey is legitimately terrified at this point because even Spot and Katherine are looking at him with a solemn kind of pity and when he asks them for help they just shake their heads and tell him everything will be okay.

He turns to Jack and is still clinging to that last little bit of hope that one of the people he loves might not have gone off the deep end.

That last little bit of hope that the boy he loves is still the boy I fell for. I know you’re still in there so please just untie me Jackie.

Jack looks like he’s trying not to cry but he doesn’t move.

Instead he says I love you Davey. It’ll all be over soon.

Do it, Race.

Race steps forward and Davey just about has a heart attack because

He’s

Holding

That

Goddamn

Light blue

Worm

And he takes some rainbow duct tape out of his pocket and tapes it to Davey’s shirt.

And the others all start chanting one of us one of us one of us as Davey can practically feel the spine leave his body and travel to another dimension where there’s a man who collects them.

It turns out the others were right that he should just give in.

Now it’s time for them to get the rest of the school.

Edit: here is my attempt to justify myself for this. 💜

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avis-writeshq · 5 years

Text

Damian Wayne x Reader: If by Fate

Oh my god she’s writing

Requested: Nope

Pairing: Damian Wayne x Fem!Reader

Summary: Things happen for a reason. People do things for a reason. According to science, there was no such thing as ‘fate’ or ‘miracles’. Soulmates don’t exist either. But maybe, just maybe, things can happen for no reason. Maybe things can occur without a solid explanation. In other words, things can happen by fate. And if love and romance can bloom from nowhere, perhaps it really was by fate.

Warnings: Swearing, fluff, and trash writing

Other: Kinda soulmate AU? But not really? Damian and Reader are 17-18 (Bc driving and stuff…)

Word count: 6,714

Things you probably wanna know, for all you ‘x reader’ illiterates:

(Y/N): Your Name

(H/C): Hair Colour / Color

(E/C): Eye Colour / Color

(N/N): Nickname

***

You remember the day it all started. 3 years ago; the first time you had met Damian Thomas Wayne. It had been a stroke of luck, or rather, a blessing in disguise. It wasn’t the first time you had met someone on such strange accounts. If you hadn’t, you never would have met Sakura, your dearest friend. If you hadn’t met Damian Wayne, perhaps you wouldn’t be lying beside him, tucked into his side. Maybe you wouldn’t have met all your close and dear friends. If by fate this was meant to be, you were going to let it.

*** 3 Years Ago, Gotham City, Fall/Autumn ***

You let out a laugh as you weaved in and out of lampposts and people, Sakura on your heels. You heard her giggle from behind you, and you ducked from an old lady waving her umbrella around. Ignoring Sakura’s cry of slowing down, you ran faster to the grass areas where couples were enjoying the aesthetic of the red and orange leaves. You suddenly paused, Sakura almost hitting your back at your abrupt stop.

“Really, (N/N)?” She frowned, but you knew she was joking.

“Do you hear that?” Your words were quiet, contemplating your decisions.

The girl stopped for a moment, playing with a strand of her strawberry blonde hair. She was flawless like that. Tall, Sakura had brilliant blue eyes that could charm anyone she meets. She had a few guys at Gotham Academy staring after her, you were sure. “I don’t hear anything.”

“It’s a bird.” You were quiet again.

“All I can hear is a baby crying,” she drawled, a smirk playing at her lips. “Are you sure you don’t need your hearing checked?”

Ignoring her sarcastic reply, you took a few steady steps towards a bush, purple peonies growing from it. The cry of a bird became louder to your ears and you did your best to be as quiet as you possibly could. Well, you were sure you would have gone undetected if Sakura wasn’t being the whiny and complaining girl she was.

“(Y/N), there’s nothing here!” she whined, a pout on her face.

You twisted your head around to glare at her. “Shut up,” you hissed before turning your attention back to the bush. Lo and behold, there truly was a small bird in the bush. With black and grey wings with an orangey-red chest, you were pretty sure you knew what it was. The small bird let out another cry, and it was then you noticed the blotchy scratches on its wing.

“It’s so cute!” Sakura squealed, but you shot her an icy glare to silence her. “What kind of bird is it?” She whispered softly, being as quiet as she possibly could.

“Turdus migratorius, otherwise known as the American Robin,” you recited dutifully, a small smile on your face.

“You really know your birds, huh, (N/N)?” A smirk rose to her face.

“I did the robin for my 6th-grade science assignment, remember?” You rolled your eyes.

“And you got 110%! I can’t believe you got extra credit.” Her eyes lit up and she pulled you around by your shoulders. “What if this is a sign?”

“A sign?”

“You know, what if your soulmate, the man of your dreams, is Robin? You know… the vigilante who works with the Big Bat himself?” She grinned at you. “Isn’t he dreamy?”

“You’ve been reading too many fan-fictions,” you mutter, pulling away from her. “And think realistically Sakura! I’ve never met this guy before in my life, and I think that’s more of a blessing than a curse. Besides, who knows how he is under the mask?” You shook your head, attention turning back to the little bird. Taking off your cardigan, you scooped the little bird up, cradling it against your chest.

“Great. Now what, genius?”

“There’s a pet store a few blocks away,” you answered, your eyes still trained on the small bird. It didn’t struggle as much as you would have thought; instead, it let out a small chirp, opening and closing its eyes. You knew it was still alive from its breathing- but for how long was the question?

Racing to the pet store, you made your way to the counter.

“Excuse me, sir?” You offered a smile to the middle-aged man. “I found this injured bird a few minutes ago. Do you know any vets that can look after it?”

The man peered at you from behind his glasses. By now, Sakura was off looking at the little puppies being groomed. “Is it wild?”

“Yes, sir,” you nodded.

“It’s just a bird,” he drawled, and you glanced at his nametag. Mason.

“It may be just a bird, but it still deserves to live, Mr Mason,” you said coldly. “It was scratched and beaten with nobody and nothing to support it. I don’t know about you, sir, but if I was lying on the side of the road, I would want to be picked up and taken to the hospital.” You shot him a harsh glare, properly scaring him.

“Right, yes, well, I’ll see what I can do.”

“If I find out you have put him down,” you began slowly, watching the man cower in his seat, “you will be very sorry. You got that?”

The man nodded frantically, “y-yes ma’am.”

You stood up straight, a bright smile on your face. “Thank you very much. Let me know what the fees are and I’ll pay for the treatment.”

With that, you walked over to where Sakura was watching you, “wowie, (N/N)! Remind me to never get on your bad side!”

You shrugged, “he was being an ass, that’s all. I have consumer rights, ya know.”

“I don’t think that’s in the law…” she mumbled before looking up at you. “I have the tea!”

You raised an eyebrow. “Excuse me?”

“I mean… guess who I saw in the pet store!” You blinked, opening your mouth to answer when she quickly cut you off. “Damian Wayne!”

“How is that ‘tea’?” you asked, referring to her elaborate word choice moments earlier.

“I know that’s not super important to you, but he’s drop-dead gorgeous! And he was looking right at you!” She let out a dreamy sigh. “You’re lucky, (Y/N). Damian Wayne and Robin… you can choose between them.”

You scrunched your nose in disgust. “Why would I have to choose? I’m not gonna have either of them. Besides, I was causing a scene before. And everyone in our school goes to the pet store. He might just be looking for a pet.” She didn’t seem to be listening as her mouth was wide open, pupils dilating. She let out a few unintelligible sounds before pointing behind you. “What are you-?”

You turned around, only to be met with fierce green eyes. “Oh, hi Damian! What brings you here?”

The said boy shrugged. “I was just looking around. I saw you at the counter just now. You rescued a bird?”

You nodded, “yeah, it was a robin. It is migrating season, after all. It must have hurt its wing while it was regaining some energy.”

Damian hummed. “You seemed to be having a hard time. Are you really going to pay for the bills?”

“I was just letting him know that he was a sorry excuse for a human being…” you mumbled, “I guess in the heat of the moment I told him I’d pay for the vet bills,” you let out a groan. “I don’t even have that kind of money! I truly am an idiot.”

The green-eyed boy just smirked. “Remember who you’re talking to? I’ll pay for the bills.”

Your eyes lit up. “Really? You don’t have to; the bird is my responsibility…”

He shrugged again. “I got it. But, do me a favour?”

With a frantic nod, you agreed.

“Please tell your friend to stop gaping at me in the halls.” With that, he turned tail and left.

You blinked, turning around before shooting you friend a glare. “You ‘gape at him in the halls’? Sakura…”

“Don’t mind about me, what was that?!” She took hold of your shoulders, shaking you. “Are you secretly dating Damian Wayne?!”

You scoffed, shrugging her hands off your shoulders. “You really don’t have a brain in there, do you?” You rolled your eyes, “he was just helping me out. Besides, he’s the son of the richest man in the world.”

“Then why did he talk to you?!”

You hummed, thinking to yourself. “I don’t know. I was his biology partner for a day and-” You paused when you saw Sakura looking at you with a smirk. “GET YOUR HEAD OUT OF THE GUTTER, SAKURA!”

***

Damian took one last glance at you over his shoulder. You seemed to be telling Sakura off about something. With a small smile and heavy heart, he put his earphones into his ears before stuffing his hands into his pockets. Ah, the things he does for love. He never wanted to admit it, but you intrigued him. Sure, he was only in your science class and he was your partner for an hour, but you were different. At least, you were to him. You actually had the courage to speak your mind and show people who’s boss, and you did it all without violence. If it were him, he would have punched the store clerk’s face in a second.

Just as he turned the corner, he felt and arm over his shoulders. “Hey, Damian! It’s nice to see you again!”

Taking one of his earphones out of his ear, he turned to respond, but kept walking. “TT, Grayson. What are you doing here?”

“Ah, don’t be like that, Dami! I’m here for the Autumn Carnival like every year. Bludhaven holds one, too, but it’s nothing compared to Gotham’s. Maybe because Bruce is sponsoring it.” The man paused for a moment. “You are going, right? You didn’t go last year, and from what Bruce told me, you didn’t go 2 years ago, either.”

“Father needs to stop telling people about me,” Damian huffed, looking away. “And to answer your question, Grayson, no, I would not be attending the carnival.”

“Well, that’s too bad. It’s a good thing Bruce thought of something to get you to go.”

The Arabian boy eyes his older brother wearily. “And that is?”

“It’s either you go or you have to go to another one of Bruce’s balls. And…” Dick mimed a drum roll resulting in an eye roll from the younger boy. “I’ll tell him about (Y/N)…”

Damian choked, trying his best to ignore the heat that rose up the back of his neck. “TT, what on earth are you talking about, Grayson?”

“Oh, I’m sure you know what I’m talking about. (Y/N) (L/N). You’ve been crushing on her for months now.”

“And how could you tell?” He challenged, “Do you have any evidence supporting your ridiculous claims?”

“Well… you were at the pet store just now, correct? From what I heard of the conversation, you’re paying her vet bills.” A smirk made its way on Dick’s face.

“You are not a clown, Grayson, you are entire circus.” With that, he put his earphone back in his ear, closing the conversation.

When Damian arrived at the manor, Dick bombarded him with questions again. “So… when are you going to ask her out?”

With an unamused eyebrow raise, Damian let out a huff. “Maybe you should annoy Drake. I heard he and Stephanie were going through some tough times.”

“That is a lie and you know it!” A voice called out from the top of the stairs. “And who is Damian asking out?”

With a pointed glare, the said boy took his leave, racing up the stairs and jumping over Tim’s sad attempt of trying to trip him. Muttering to himself, he slammed the door shut, flinching when his cat let out a yowl and jumped off his bed, scurrying away. Titus strolled up to his master, giving a pleading look. That meant either 2 things; he was either hungry or in need of pats. Damian guessed it was in need of pats.

“Stupid Grayson,” Damian muttered as he scratched Titus from behind the ears. “Always meddling in other people’s business…” the black dog nodded its head as if to agree with his master’s comment. The boy smirked. “Even you could see it, right, Titus?”

The canine let out a bark of agreement, lifting his head up for a moment. Damian smirked, patting Titus’s head fondly. “I suppose I should train now, shouldn’t I?” Another bark of agreement came from Titus. Rolling his eyes, the boy grabbed his suit before racing into the cave.

***

You let out a small yawn as you held your head on the palm of your hand, tapping your Maths textbook with the end of your pencil. It was late – too late, in your opinion, – and you were bored beyond your mind. You were doing some extra revision in your room while your parents went out for a ‘date night’. You were just about to call it a day when a shadow loomed over you.

“What…” you spun around, only to see a figurine on top of a building. “Wait until Sakura hears this.”

You rolled your eyes at the thought of your best friend fangirling about what you had just seen, when the figurine took out his grappling hook and left. You pushed your window open, shivering slightly when the cool night air hit your skin. The t-shirt and sweatpants weren’t doing any justice at the moment, and goosebumps prickled your skin. You leaned over slightly, your hair whipping around in the breeze. Hearing the flap of a cape, you looked up, only to be met with the white lenses of a domino mask.

Letting out a yelp, you jumped backwards, tripping over your own feet. You saw Robin cringe at your fall, and you shot him a glare to silence him from laughing at you. “Stalker much?” You muttered to yourself, knowing full-well that he could hear you.

“Who said I was stalking you?” Robin huffed, climbing into your room, much to your surprise.

“Why the hell are you in my room?!” You demanded, scowling at him as you pushed yourself up from the floor. “Did Sakura put you up to this?”

The masked vigilante feigned surprise. “Who is ‘Sakura’?”

You shrugged, “a friend of mine. What are you doing here, anyway? Shouldn’t you be out wresting the hulk or something?”

“Trying to get rid of me so easily?”

“Considering the fact that you are inside my room without permission, yes, I do want to get rid of you.” You crossed your arms over your chest.

“Fine, then. Have a good evening, (Y/N).” With that, he jumped out the window and grappled away.

“Wait, how do you know my name?!” You yelled after him, only receiving a chuckle before silence. Yeah, Sakura was going to have a field day of fan-fiction when she hears this.

***

“ROBIN WAS IN YOUR ROOM?!” Sakura demanded, and you flinched at the cacophony she was creating.

“Shh, not so loud!” You slapped a hand over her mouth, faking a smile when one of the juniors looked at you weirdly. “And, yes, he was in my room. But it was only for a second and by mistake.”

“What do you mean, ‘by mistake’?! He climbed into your room.”

You shot her an icy glare. “I fell. He was just helping me up.” You slammed your locker door shut, clutching your science books in your arms. You spun on your heel, making your way to the Science Lab, Sakura chasing after you.

“No offence, (Y/N), but Robin has was better things to do other than help a girl up.”

“Chivalry isn’t completely dead,” you hissed. “And even though this school is the definition of haughty, that does not mean people can’t be nice. Besides, if people weren’t nice, there wouldn’t be any Robin or Bat-guy, would there?”

“You have a point,” Sakura nodded, “and it’s Batman.” She was quiet for a minute before her eyes lit up. “Are you going to the Autumn Carnival?”

You shrugged, “sure. I think my parents already bought me tickets, so we can go together. They can’t come though, another shitty business trip.”

“That’s 3 in the past month!”

“I know. Anyway, I better head go into class. You know how Mrs Medaleve gets when we aren’t in class when she is.” You huffed before giving her a look. “Don’t say a thing about what happened last night to anyone.”

“Alright, alright. Put in a good word to Jeremy for me!” She let out a sigh. “I caught him looking at me this morning. Do you think he likes me?”

“Why wouldn’t he?” you challenged, “Now go to your French class!”

“Bye!”

With a short wave, Sakura raced down the hall to her French class on the other side of the school. You rolled your eyes, a smile gracing your features. You turned around to enter the classroom when you felt a person run into your back. You let out a yelp, falling forwards, your books dropping to the ground. “Ouchie…”

“My apologies. Are you hurt?” A very familiar voice sounded from above you.

“Oh, Damian. It’s not your fault, don’t worry,” you smiled, getting to your knees to pick up your books. “I’m okay, though. Thanks.”

He nodded, picking up your biology textbooks and handing it to you. “I couldn’t help but overhear your conversation. You met Robin?”

You sighed, “of course Sakura would be loud enough to let the world know. Anyway, to answer your question, yeah, I kinda talked to him last night. It was an accident, so no biggie.” You offered a smile, placing your books down on your desk.

Damian was quiet as he placed his belongings on the desk beside you. He finally opened his mouth to comment. “That’s a bit strange, don’t you think?”

“Well, Sakura’s convinced that we’re soulmates and she’s gone off about way too many crazy things, so to tell the truth, that wasn’t the strangest thing that’s ever happened to me.” You shrugged. “But it was kind of weird. Maybe he just got bored on patrol.”

“Maybe…”

In reality, Damian was bored last night. He didn’t mean to talk to you last night, though, that’s for sure. He just so happened to be in the area and you caught his eye. Well, to be fair, every single time you were within a 10 metre radius of him, you always caught his eye.

After the whole ordeal, Bruce had reprimanded him for leaving his perimeter, even though nothing really happened. For Gotham, it was a quiet night which was unknown to the established city.

Class ended on a boring note, and Mrs Medaleve had requested you to clean the classroom before leaving to lunch (it was really unfair to you because you always paid attention to her classes). Luckily for you, Damian stayed behind to keep you company and to help clean the mess your classmates made.

“Thanks for staying behind, Damian,” you said once the classroom was clean.

“Take it as an apology for running into you earlier today,” he told you as the two of you walked into the cafeteria. “If you could excuse me, I have soccer training to get to.”

“Oh, sure thing. I’ll see you later, okay?” You smiled before walking deeper into the cafeteria, searching for a free table.

“(Y/N) GUESS WHAT?!” A voice sounded behind you, and you jumped in the air.

“Sakura, can you not scare me like that?” You huffed, “what happened?”

“So, Jeremy waited for me for me to finish class just now and…” she mimed a drumroll, “he asked me out to the Autumn Carnival!”

A grin stretched across your face. “Sakura, that’s great news!” You paused. “But what about my extra ticket?”

Horror dropped on the girl’s face. “(Y/N), I forgot all about that! I’m so sorry! Maybe you can come hang out with me and Jeremy, and give the ticket to someone else…”

“And ruin your first date with the guy you’ve been crushing on since freshman year? Saki, I can’t do that to you. I’ll be fine, you can go with Jeremy. I’ll find someone else to go to the carnival with, okay?”

“Thanks, (Y/N), you’re the best!” She wrapped her arms around you, smiling. “Come on, let’s have lunch with him and his friends. Maybe we could go on a double date.”

You laughed but nodded. “We’ll see how today goes.”

***

You came back to your home to find your parents out of the country. They had left a note on the kitchen counter explaining about what you’ll be having for lunch and dinner on the days they will be gone, as well as all the emergency numbers you can use in case of, well, an emergency.

You threw yourself on your bed with a groan. You were way too tired to deal with all this stuff. You probably won’t be going to the Autumn Carnival, either. As much as you wanted to go and check out the festivities, you really didn’t want to go by yourself. You sighed. At least tomorrow was a weekend. Then you could wallow self-pity for as long as you would like.

Morning came far too quickly for your liking, and you decided to take a walk. Maybe that would help let off some steam. You quickly changed your clothes and stepped outside, taking a walk to the park a few blocks down. After an hour of steady-paced walking, you took a seat on one of the park benches.

“Oh, (Y/N)! It’s a surprise to see you here!” A masculine voice said from beside you. A man with black hair and crystal blue eyes was sitting to your left, a bright smile on his face. “Wonderful morning, wouldn’t you think?”

“I’m sorry, do I know you?”

He was just about to respond when a very angry person yelled out, “GRAYSON, WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU’RE DOING?!”

‘Grayson’ let out a giggle and you saw Damian come into view, absolutely fuming. You frowned. “Damian?”

“Oh, (Y/N), I would like to apologise on behalf of my idiot brother.” He pulled his older brother up by his shirt, glaring daggers into his head.

“It’s alright,” you smiled. “I was getting lonely, anyway.”

“Where’s Sakura?”

“Hanging out with her boyfriend, probably,” you shrugged. “By the way, are you going to the Autumn Carnival?”

“Damian here is a party pooper,” Grayson piped up. “He hates carnivals.”

You deflated slightly. “Well, that’s too bad. I had an extra ticket if you wanted it.” You hummed, getting up from your seat. “I’ll see you guys around.” You waved goodbye and turned to leave when you heard someone call your name. “Damian?”

“I’ll pick you up at 10.” Was all he said, looking away from you. He tried his best to ignore the heat rising up on his cheeks.

“I’ll see you then!”

As soon as you left, Dick smirked at his youngest brother. “Ooh, la la, Damian has a date.” He grinned, nudging him on the arm. “Aw, look, he’s blushing!”

“Shut up, Grayson.”

“Don’t be like that, Dami! I’ll get you ready for your date with (Y/N), okay? Relax; just leave everything to big brother Dickie!”

Damian groaned. “My dream come true…”

***

The following Saturday, you were sitting on your couch. It was half-past 9, so you weren’t fussed about waiting. After all, it was you who was early and not him who was late. You decided to wear a pretty basic outfit that consisted of a grey coat that went mid-thigh, a Batman t-shirt, blue ripped jeans, black lace-up boots and a baby pink beanie. Because, well, why not? You were pretty calm while you were getting ready and had a decent breakfast. At Wayne Manor, on the other hand? Not so much.

“Damian, come on, I told you that you would look good in the blue!” Dick whined, shoving the shirt in his face.

“And I told you that I am perfectly happy looking the way I am,” Damian deadpanned, crossing his arms over his chest.

The two men were going on about outfits since 6 in the morning while Jason did his best to not decapitate both of them for not giving him his beauty sleep. Damian grit his teeth in agitation as his older brother tried his best to ‘help’ him with his outfit. Not that the younger boy needed it. He got his impeccable sense of style from his father. I mean, who else would think of putting an extra Batarang in their suit? Only Batman himself.

“Grayson,” Damian began slowly, “I know what I’m doing. I’m not a child. And I think I look fine in what I’m wearing, for your information.”

In all honesty, Damian did look good in his outfit. It was a casual red and black plaid collared shirt with black jeans. His hair was gelled back in its usual style, and instead of his usual dress shoes, he went with a pair of casual converse.

“Dammit, Dick, just let him go to his stupid date already…” Jason groaned from the other side of the wall. “He probably looks like a piece of shit like always.”

“Shut up, Todd,” Damian growled. He plucked his leather jacket off the back of his chair and powerwalked to the kitchen. Down a flight of stairs, turn left… Grabbing a pop tart from the pantry he swiftly tore his car keys off their hook and basically leapt into his car. He had 20, maximum 22 minutes to get to your house. Then it’s rush, rush, rush to get to the carnival to avoid unneeded traffic.

Being careful not to go over the speed limit, Damian pulled up in front of your house, doing his best to calm his nerves. The game plan was simple; ring your doorbell, walk back to the car without tripping on his feet, open the car door for you and attempt small talk. Not that hard… right? After all, Dick, Tim and Jason do it all the time with their significant others…

With 30 seconds to spare, Damian rang your doorbell. The door opened almost instantly, leaving Damian with zero prep time. ‘Stick to the game plan, stick to the game plan…’

“Hi, Damian!” You chirped, a bright smile on your face.

‘Shit, she’s cute…’ “Good morning, (Y/N),” Damian nodded at you. ‘Dammit, Wayne, smile for goodness sake!’

“Good morning to you, too!” You followed Damian to his car (a very expensive looking car, mind you). Like a gentleman, the young Wayne opened up the passenger side door, allowing you to step inside. With the nerves almost getting to you, you did your best not to trip while sitting down (that’s possible, by the way). “Thanks, Dami.”

You bit your lip through most of the car ride, trying to calm yourself down. The awkward tension was in the air and you tried your best to wrack your brains for a conversation topic. Unfortunately for you, your brain decided to die last minute without letting you know.

From the driver’s seat, Damian cleared his throat. “Have you been to the Carnival before?”

“I went last year with Sakura while my parents were on another business trip.” You shrugged. “How about you? I’m guessing from what your brother said, you didn’t go last time?”

He nodded stiffly, his emerald green eyes still trained on the road. “I wasn’t one for loud places.”

“Well then, thank you for accompanying me today. It really means a lot to me.” You leaned back in the seat. “People are always really busy… Sakura has a boyfriend now and had to bail on me last second. Both my parents are on another business trip and I guess- sorry, I shouldn’t be rambling to you!” You flushed, looking away.

“It’s fine, I don’t mind. Is there a particular music genre you listen to?”

“It depends on how I’m feeling,” you admitted. “Sometimes I listen to classical. I usually listen to soft pop, if you get what I mean,” you shrugged. “I’ll listen to anything as long as it isn’t overly loud.”

Damian hummed in thought. “I think it’s one of those things you just get used to. My other brother, Jason, plays rock music on blast all day.”

“It must be fun having all those brothers,” you said, looking out the window.

“Sometimes,” Damian admitted. “They can be nice when they want to be.”

***

Apparently, now was not one of those times. The night before Damian left to pick you up, Tim, Jason, and Dick had devised a plan to see everything that was happening. Tim, being the technology geek he is, strategically placed a hidden camera inside of Damian’s car, making sure it was properly hidden. Dick and Jason would be at the carnival; Dick wearing a full-body bear costume while Jason dressed up as a clown. They were both entirely unrecognisable. Hopefully.

“You guys know the plan?” Tim asked through the microphone.

Jason and Dick nodded, “absolutely.”

The two men were situated in the middle of the carnival area, around a large fountain. They were getting their carts read that was filled with popcorn and ice-cream .

“Let’s hope Demon Brat is too busy talking to his girlfriend to notice us,” Jason muttered through his intercom, holding onto the multitude of balloons.

“I doubt it,” Dick said honestly, rolling his eyes from underneath the bear mask. “He’s too observant for his own good. Timmy, how’s it going in the car?”

“They are… making a poor excuse of small talk,” Tim admitted. He could practically hear his older brothers sweat-drop. “Gah, they’re so in love it hurts.”

“What, what are they saying?” The eldest brother asked excitedly.

“They’re talking about… ice-cream.”

“… ice-cream?” Jason repeated.

“Yep… they both like boysenberry, though!”

“This hurts more than the time Joker killed me.”

***

You and Damian arrived at the Carnival, 10 minutes earlier than their opening time. Thanks to Damian being Bruce’s son, the two of you were allowed an early-bird entry, meaning you could play a few games without having to wait in a queue. Unfortunately, some of the games weren’t read yet, so you had to settle with the generic ones like darts. There was one particular game that you wanted to beat…

“You are aware this is rigged, right?” Damian asked as you passed the man a 5 dollar note.

You shrugged, taking the bucket of rings. “It’s still fun! Frustrating, I suppose, but fun.” You did your best to aim before launching the red ring at the glass bottle. With a clink, it fell to the side. “Aw, man.”

Damian rolled his eyes, watching you miss time and time again. With only five more rings in the bucket, you needed to get at least four of them in to win the big prize; the big teddy bear with a red bow around its neck. You threw the ring at one of the glass bottles and… missed. Again. And you kept on missing until all the rings were gone.

You grunted in frustration. “Dammit.” You shrugged, turning around to smile at Damian. “Oh well, there’s always next time. Come on, let’s go to another stall!”

The green eyes boy paused. “Didn’t you want the bear?”

“You were right, this game is rigged.” Your shoulders slumped. “It would’ve been great to get the prize, but… I don’t think anyone wins it.”

That sounded like a challenge. “One bucket of rings, please,” Damian said finally, passing the man a 50 dollar note, “keep the change.”

You raised an eyebrow but said nothing. Damian narrowed his eyes in concentration, gripping the ring in his right hand. With a flick of the wrist, the ring was shot right at a bottle. With a clatter, it landed right around the neck of the bottle.

You grinned, “you’re good.”

“Thank you,” Damian said curtly. In the span of 10 seconds, he had achieved to get four more rings around four bottles. “I believe that is the big bear, sir.”

The man gaped at the young Wayne but said nothing. Taking the bear off its hook, he handed the bear to the young adult who smirked at you with triumph. You giggled but said nothing until Damian extended his arms to you, still holding onto the oversized bear.

“I believe this is for you.”

A small blush dusted your cheeks and you grinned. “Thank you.”

“My pleasure. Now,” he stood up straighter. “Is there anything else you would like to do?”

With a twinkle in your eye, you looked up at him. “Photobooth?”

His smirk turned into a mischievous grin. “Absolutely.”

***

“Mayday, mayday, they just entered the photo booth!” Dick exclaimed.

“Why is that so bad?” Jason asked, rolling his eyes.

“That, my dear brother, is where couples go to do the do!”

“That’s crazy,” Tim muttered, “They’re probably just taking a few pictures, what’s the big deal?”

“The big deal,” Dick began, “is the fact that they are in there making memories! And not the photo kind!”

Jason scoffed, crossing his arms over his chest. “You are the biggest idiot I have ever met. Look, they’re coming out now, giggling over some stupid photo they took.”

The two met watched as you tucked the photo in your coat pocket before taking Damian’s arm and walking. Wait… the two of you were walking straight to where Dick and Jason were.

“Oh no. Oh no, no, no, no, no!” Jason panicked. “WHY DID I AGREE TO THIS STUPID PLAN?!”

“Shut up, you idiot!” Dick hissed, nudging his chest.

From the other side of the fountain, the two men heard you speak. “Hey, Dami, do you wanna get something to eat?”

“I believe there was a popcorn stand around here. At least, according to the brochure there is.”

“Oh, they’re on the other side! Come on, Damian! We could get ice-cream as well!”

The two of you walked around the fountain and looked the clown in the eye. Of course, neither of you knew that he was actually Jason Todd in disguise. You smiled cheerfully, “Hello! Can we get 2 medium-sized popcorns and 2 boysenberry ice-creams?”

The clown nodded and took what you requested, all the while Dick watching you carefully. “That’ll be 12 dollars.”

You fished into your purse to take out your card, but Damian beat you to it. “I’ll pay.”

You looked up at him, raising an eyebrow. “Are you sure?”

“If I wasn’t, I wouldn’t have offered.” He said, taking back his card from the clown. He was quiet before eying the clown sceptically. “You sound familiar… have we met before?”

“What? No, no, no, I would have remembered if we had, ho, ho!” Jason chuckled nervously.

Dick kicked his shin, “you’re a clown, not Santa Claus.”

Damian blinked, before shrugging. “Come on, (Y/N), why don’t we eat at those benches?”

“Sure. Have a nice day!” You waved at the clown and the bear before following Damian.

As you walked beside him, you couldn’t help but feel slightly uneasy. “Is it just me, or did it seem like they knew us?”

“You felt it too?” he smirked, lowering his voice. “They’re my brothers.”

Your eyes widened, “Seriously? I bet they were following us. Wait… aren’t most of your brothers adults?”

“Even though they don’t act like it, they are all adults,” he confirmed, “Dick Grayson, Jason Todd, and Tim Drake.”

You nodded before smirking up at him. “Why don’t we play their game?”

He raised an eyebrow but seemed intrigued. “Go on…”

***

Jason and Dick let out the breaths that they were holding, watching you with their youngest brother. Jason huffed, grumbling as he bounced the balloons up and down in his hand. “Damn, I can’t believe Demon-brat found a girlfriend before me. Gah! Can’t we just go home, Dick?”

The older man scoffed, rolling his eyes. “I have it worse than you, remember? I’m burning in this suit. Get ready for deep-fried Dick.”

Jason grimaced, shuddering. “Never say that again.”

“Please don’t,” Tim said through the intercom. “They left the vicinity, correct?”

“I saw them heading into the haunted house,” Dick said thoughtfully. “Do you think he’s using the rollercoaster effect?”

“That only works if there are no feelings to begin with,” Jason grumbled with a roll of his eyes.

“Yeah, and neither of them are scared,” Tim said, indignation in his voice. “Seriously, they’re just making fun of the dumb costumes.”

Before Jason or Dick could respond, Tim let out a shriek. “HOLY GUACAMOLE, I THINK DEMON GOT HIS FIRST KISS!”

“WHAT?!”

***

“Did you think they bought it?” You whispered, pulling the huge teddy bear away from Damian’s face.

The Wayne boy blew some fluff from his face before nodding. “Good thing we’re in a dark room,” he murmured back. “Tim’s watching through the security cameras. I connected their intercoms to my phone. I know exactly what they’re saying.”

You raised your eyebrows in surprise before a sly grin was plastered to your face. “Let’s hear it then.”

Walking out of the haunted house, Damian handed you an AirPod and you both listened to the 3 grown men. Before long, both of you burst into fits of laughter as you listened to the immature grown men talk about the most hilarious topics.

“They must really care about you,” you said, a gentle smile on your face. “Either that, or they’re really annoying.”

“It’s always the latter,” Damian rolled his eyes, wrapping an arm around your shoulders. Leading you to a bench nearby, he quickly changed the topic. “How is the robin you rescued?”

You shrug slightly, “I’m checking tomorrow afternoon. They sent him to the local zoo for rehabilitation. Do you want to come?”

***

You met Damian at exactly 1 o’clock the following day. Right outside of the aviary in Gotham Zoo, it was a strangely warm day for an October afternoon, so you were shifting your weight from 1 foot to the other in anticipation. Of course, the aviary was going to be no better; a lot of the birds they were boarding were from tropical climates. According to the vet and the staff in the zoo, everything was fine and the robin you rescued will be free within a week or 2. Meanwhile, Damian agreed (much to your disdain) that he would pay for the boarding and the hospitalization of the little bird.

You thanked him graciously for the rest of the day, vowing that you would pay him back as soon as you could. It seemed as though you were annoying him as you saw his eyebrow twitch upon multiple occasions. In some ways, Damian found your apologies tiresome and unnecessary. His father was a billionaire; he could board a million of those birds if he wanted to. On the other hand, he found it sweet; you truly weren’t like the other girls he met. Unlike them, you had an appreciation for the money you earned and you didn’t find wasting money to be a small matter.

When you thanked 43rd time you thanked him (yes, he was counting), Damian snapped. “You can thank me by being my girlfriend.”

He didn’t think when he said those words. You didn’t think when you responded to his words. “Okay.”

***

Nevertheless, it was smooth sailing from there. Within a few weeks you found out he was Robin, and you couldn’t help but laugh at the irony from the whole ordeal. Thus, you explained to him exactly what Sakura was telling you a matter of months ago, and he couldn’t help but smile with you.

So here you were, lying beside the youngest Wayne, his arm wrapped loosely around your torso. Within moments his eyes blinked open, revealing his bright green eyes against his sun-kissed skin. You smile at him, to which he responded the gesture.

“What are you thinking about?”

His voice was rough from the drowsiness and you felt a heat rush up to your cheeks. “Us,” you said, snuggling closer to him, “I’m thinking about us.”

**End**

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