continuation of my last post
masterlist of all my damian/batfam posts here
credits to the artist of this lovely piece
His thumb massages your calf between pages. Propped against the wall, a leather-bound copy of Pride and Prejudice in hand. His annual reread.
You stretch away from him on your belly, watching a movie on his laptop. Gotham's summer air clouds your apartment.
You've used up most of your vacation time for days like this. He's done the same.
Sometimes, he'll use the spare key you gave him, slip in early in the morning. Lie down with you for the few hours before driving you to work.
He's sleeping more in your company, you've noticed. Dozing first. Waking up last so you can watch his beautiful face sunken into the pillow.
His clothes are in your dresser. An extra set of towels by your shower. threaded into your life, even in the sweltering August air.
"Oh, I almost forgot." His thumb stills when you roll over and reach for your phone. "I wanted to show you something."
He sets his bookmark. You play him a video from your friend. "Look, Batman and Robin passed Alicia's dorm during the Scarecrow heist."
The recording is dark and blurry, but the outline of a cowl and a silver cape swinging across the night is unmistakable.
"You get a better view of Robin with the angle he's facing," you say, swiping. "I took a screenshot." You show Damian. "Doesn't he kind of look like you?"
His eyes flicker across the image. "No, not really."
You look again—pixelated and distorted by shadow. "Not even a little bit?"
You show him again. He barely glances. "I don't see it."
"You're not even looking," you whine.
His head lolls back, "Are you honestly telling me you think I'm a superhero?"
"That's not what I'm saying at all. If I do this—" You form rings with your fingers, pressing them to his eyes in a makeshift mask, "—there's a resemblance."
The curve of his jaw. The bridge of his nose. Uncanny even.
He pushes your hands away. "Are you done now?"
You're confused. Unable to pinpoint your own intentions.
Part of you just wanted him to agree.
"Yes. Sorry."
That was six days ago.
No calls.
No texts.
Nothing.
By the third day, your one year anniversary passed.
On the fourth, you called the hospital he volunteers at. The receptionist said Damian hadn't been in for over a week.
By the fifth, you started borrowing Ettie's sleeping pills just to calm down at night.
Now you're hiking up to Wayne Manor in desperation, knocking until Tim answers.
He's happy to see you. Offers for you to come inside.
You decline. "Have you seen Damian?"
"Not since he and Bruce left last week."
"Left?"
"They went overseas." Tim frowns. "Did... he not tell you?"
The humidity is second to the heat flooding your face. "Thanks for letting me know." You turn sharply, the manor looming behind you. Aggrandizing the idiot you've been made out to be.
"Wait," Tim calls, jogging until he blocks your path. "I'm certain he didn't mean to hurt you."
"It's one thing to miss our anniversary, Tim," you seethe, "but to leave me wondering where he is for six days."
"I know! I know, and I'm not making excuses for him. He's an idiot," His hands lift, placating. "It's just, Damian is still learning how to go about this with..."
"With what?"
His gaze drops. "It's not for me to say."
You chew on your lip, trying your best not to redirect your anger at Tim. The exertion pools sweat at your brow. "How convenient for Damian then."
Tim doesn't try to stop you anymore when you leave.
By the seventh day, anger bubbles inside of you. Sharp and constant.
The eighth, it dulls.
On the ninth, you're tired. Numb.
You use the last of your sick hours to stay in bed.
The sun is setting when you hear a key in the door.
Damian stands there, swallowed by a jacket despite the heat. A bruise darkens his eye. A cut splits his lip.
You sit up but don't move closer. "What happened to your face."
He stands before you as if on trial. "I fell."
Fury blooms, scorching in your chest.
Nine days of waiting, and he lies to your face.
"Where were you?"
"It was an emergency," he says too quickly. "There was no time to contact you and by the time radio silence was lifted—"
"Where?"
He exhales. "Tibet."
"Why?"
"My mother was in trouble."
"What kind of trouble?"
His mouth opens. Closes.
"Get out," you shudder.
"I know I missed our anniversary. I had things planned—"
"Don't."
"I also know you went to the manor—"
"Three days ago."
"I came here as soon as we landed. I would have called, but—"
"I don't care," you snap. "Leave. I don't want to be with you."
His breath stutters. "You mean right now?"
You slow down. You have to. "I don't know."
He searches for words that don't come.
Then, something in him hardens. Like a switch flipped.
He locks the door. Pulls the blinds.
"What are you doing?"
He peels off his jacket. Beneath it, armor. An R etched over his heart.
"I will tell you everything." He kneels at your feet. "Just give me a chance."
You stare at the emblem you now recognize.
"My grandfather was the head of the League of Assassins. His daughter, my mother, had me with Bruce Wayne—the Batman. When I was nine years old, she brought me here to Gotham and I became his Robin." His hands shake in his lap. "Last week, she sent my father a distress signal. Nanda Parbat was infiltrated. We left immediately."
His eyes lift, wide and aching.
"Calling you risked tipping off her captors."
A knock interrupts.
You open the door just enough.
"I heard a raucous," Ettie says, trying her best to look inside.
"We're fine," you tell her. "Just a spat."
She squints. "You sleep at my place if you need to."
"Thank you."
When the door closes, you sit on the edge of the bed.
Silence.
"You have to understand," he whispers.
"I do," you say. "I've had a hunch it was something like this. Maybe not to the Batman-Robin degree, but something similar."
"If you had told me the truth a couple days sooner," you admit, "I think I could've forgiven you."
He collapses forward, arms around your legs. "Please."
"The problem is, I know you," you say softly, "You'll keep disappearing... Knowing why isn't enough anymore."
For a while, you sit there together.
His arms slip from your legs, close to his body. Sheltering himself from what he already knows will come.
"I need a break," you say.
He can't look at you. "I understand."
He's never seemed so unsteady. Standing up, pulling on his jacket as the armor disappears beneath it.
When he pauses at the door, you nearly give in. I didn't mean any of it, Damian. I love you. Maybe more than life itself.
"If I could show you that I can be different," he says carefully, "would you let me?"
You hug yourself. "Of course."
He nods once. Weak. Tired.
Then he's gone, and you finally break. Tears spilling into your mattress, limbs locked and trembling for relief.
HELPPP am I the only one sobbing rn cuz I can’t find that one scrumptious fanfic about reader getting reincarnated into twst-novel(ish) world where the love interests are the overblot gang and reader gets shoved into the protagonist role(out of their will) and slowly let's put into situations wherein they meet the (villains)love interests, and then there's fluffy, funny, and cute interactions and developments for each love interest, then they fall for reader who keeps rejecting them and after investigating they find out the the OG protagonist is just sitting around not doing their job so reader is stuck with seven guys pining after her— I CAN’T FIND THAT DARN FIC ANYWHERE
art of my surgeon Megumi and firefighter Yuji au cus I'm obsessed with my OWN AU I'm shitting as much art as possible for myself and posting it is actually a side quest with no reward
Half spoiler down below if u wanna read cus WE don't gaf and the fic will probably be dropped butt >>>>>>>
Yuji likes to draw, paint and doodle in this au and sort of wanted to become an artist, but some complications (sukuna) interfered so he just became a firefighter
Megumi wanted to be a vet, but due to some MORE complications (Tsumiki and his mom) he became a surgeon to help them, guess how that turned out
The fic is basically both of them not being able to achieve their dreams and being miserable because of it, but then they're roommates and end up finding their purpose (together, Inlove, kiss kiss)
and also Megumi is sort of immortal cus we like unexplained fic facts
ALSO they still live in a world full of curses and are able to be cursed, (but they aren't sorcerers) so Megumi lowkey got cursed with immortality and I'm still deciding on Yuji heh
What did i do to get grouped in with these people and then have everyone on jiraiblr see it?Everyone’s blocking me now so i know they won’t see this but im not… this.
@tia2jirai-neko i was not hating on you and i don’t hate you. I love jiraiblr; why are you doing this? What did I say? I probably said something really stupid and i just don’t remember. I was on your side; you even liked me at one point (i was gravy-anon). I’m so sorry…
I try so hard to be liked and it never happens. I’m not gonna tag a bunch of people or call anyone a bad person or tell them to block them. I just wanna know I did to deserve this…
