Have two suggestions. If you don't use either it's okay.
1. Reader is besties with Rhea and she introduces them to Damien and they instantly click. Rhea has to warn her bestie that Damien isn't exactly the guy to fall for but it's to late. Damien is willing to change for the reader. (Smut/Fluff/Humor)
2. Rhea and reader have been friends for a long time due to their parents being long time friends. Rhea thinks Rhea would be a perfect fit for Finn but it's Damien who turns her friend's head. The friend is considerably older than Rhea and has been like a big sister to her. As for Damien it's love at first sight but it's also love at first sight for Finn. This causes tension between Damien and Finn but it's the reader who sweetly and gently let's Finn down and while it hurts he steps aside and it's Damien whom the reader chooses. (Fluff and Humor)
A/N: I did you one better, I might have tried somewhat merging the two the best I could instead!!
Title: Reputation
Pairing: Damian Priest x Reader
Word Count: 2,305
“Look, I know you really wanted me to get to know Finn,” you sigh and look up at Rhea from across the small table, setting your drink down once you’ve taken a sip, “And don’t get me wrong, he’s an absolutely lovely guy, and I enjoy speaking with him, but…”
You trail off and slouch back in your seat, while Rhea does the complete opposite and leans forward, resting her elbows against the table. She quirks a brow at you and tents her fingers together, her curiosity piqued as she looks at you expectantly.
“But…?”
“Ever since you introduced me to Damian the other week…I don’t know. It just feels like me and him clicked right away. We’ve still been talking a fair bit over text and stuff, too.”
Rhea groans at this, her head hanging low for a moment before she snaps back up to look at you. If anything, she looks disappointed with this knowledge, though in the back of her mind, she’d already had an inkling that you’d come to find yourself in this exact situation.
Before you can even so much as fire any explanations or justifications her way, she holds a hand up, palm facing towards you as a clear sign for you to stop talking and listen to her instead. You comply without a second thought, bracing yourself for the incoming lecture from your best friend.
“God, I knew this exact bloody thing was going to happen,” Rhea huffs, lowering her hand before continuing, “I thought you and Finn would be perfect for each other, y’know? And as much as Damian is one of my best friends, I love him to pieces, but he’s not really the kind of guy you should fall for, trust me. I’ve told you this before. You’re one of my best friends, too, (Y/N). I’m just looking out for you.”
“Rhea, I hate to disappoint you, but it’s a bit late for that.”
You admit with a sheepish look on your face, much to Rhea’s dismay. Even though she’s already tried her best to deter you from Damian and send you in Finn’s direction instead, you can’t help how you feel about him. And you’re almost certain that her telling you that you shouldn’t pursue him has only succeeded in making you want him even more.
There’s still a pang of guilt that strikes you right in the gut when poor Finn comes to mind, though. He’s done nothing wrong per se, and you’d still be more than happy to remain friends with him if the feeling is mutual, but you know you need to do the right thing and tell him this sooner rather than later to avoid any potential hurt.
“I’m not saying too much, since it isn’t really my place,” Rhea begins, practically reading your mind before she swigs the last of her drink and tells you, “But if you’re not gonna pursue anything with Finn, you need to do the right thing and tell him so when they both get here. Because he and Damian have obviously spoken about you in conversation, and I don’t want it to start turning from bad to ugly.”
You inwardly curse yourself for the way your stomach flips at the knowledge of them, particularly Damian, talking about you. You also know that Rhea is absolutely right in what she’s saying, and you promise yourself that when they both get here shortly, you’ll pull Finn to one side and gently knock things on the head.
Another forty five minutes or so passes by, and you both catch sight of Damian and Finn walking through the door together to come and greet you and Rhea. Neither of you miss the way they both simultaneously light up when their eyes respectively land on you, and while the way Damian smiles at you sets off a swarm of butterflies in your stomach, they’re soon stomped out by the feeling of dread at the mere thought of the conversation you need to have with Finn.
“Look who finally decided to show up!”
Rhea laughs as the duo pull up chairs at your table, with Finn sitting on your left and Damian sitting to your right. You greet Damian in the form of a smile and a brief hello, your eyes lingering on each other before you remember yourself, reluctantly averting your gaze to swivel in your seat and face Finn instead and leave Damian to converse with Rhea.
“I was lookin’ forward to seeing you today, y’know,” Finn tells you with a gentle smile on his face, his eyes visibly softening, “And everyone else, obviously. But mainly you.”
Finn nudges his foot against yours from under the table, and you let out a polite chuckle. Even though he’s not long gotten here, you decide you don’t want to put the conversation off for much longer, instead wanting to rip the bandaid off and get it over and done with.
“It’s my round this time, right?” you ask your friends while standing up, turning to Finn, “Feel like helping me carry some over?”
Finn doesn’t give you a verbal response and instead follows you suit, rising up out of his own seat and heading over to the bar with you while Rhea and Damian hold the fort. Unbeknownst to you, Damian’s eyes don’t stray from your form as he watches you momentarily leave with Finn, a wistful sigh falling from his lips while Rhea shoots him a knowing smirk and a nudge.
“Hey, stay away from her.” she lightly teases him, but there’s also a hint of a warning in her words, “I’ve already told you once, and I’ll tell you again. I’m not letting you break her heart.”
Damian shakes his head at the thought, tearing his eyes away from you to turn towards Rhea instead. He’s met with a raised brow and a scrutinising look, wordlessly daring him to plead his case to her.
“I know what I’ve been like with people in the past, but it’s not like that this time,” he sighs with a shrug, “I really like her, Rhea. Ever since you introduced us both, I haven’t stopped thinking about her. And I get why you’re unsure about it, I get that you’re looking out for her, but I promise you, I don’t want to fool around with her. I’m willing to change for her if she actually wants to be with me, y’know?”
Rhea takes a moment to consider his words, studying him for any signs to tell her that he’s being anything but genuine, but she sees no reason not to believe him. Damian’s gaze is unflinching, unwavering as he stares right back at Rhea, and she makes the executive decision to trust one of her best friends on this.
“Alright, alright,” she hums and defensively holds her hands out to Damian, “But I’m warning you again. You hurt her, break her heart, even make her cry once, and I’ll kick your ass.”
Rhea does it again, playing her threat off like a joke as she lets out a laugh, earning a chuckle from Damian, too, before they resume their regular conversation while they await yours and Finn’s return with the drinks.
Anxiety gnaws at you from inside out as you stride over to the bar with Finn, and you’re lost in your own mind, not even hearing a single word he’s saying to you as you both walk over. Your mind is racing, paranoid with how he’ll take the news, how he’ll react, if this is truly the right time and place to do this. Probably not, but the longer you delay it, the worst it’ll be for both of you.
“(Y/N)? Hello? You okay? You’re miles away.”
Finn eventually snaps you out of your thoughts, and you rapidly blink as you attempt to ground yourself. You lie to him, dismissing his concern before you give the bartender each of your drinks of choice, and you drum your fingertips along the edge of the bar while you try your best to muster both the courage and the words you want to say to him.
“Finn, I actually wanted to talk to you,” you lead with that, grabbing Finn’s attention, “I’d rather talk to you now than leave it until later in the night.”
“Oh, okay. What is it?”
Here we go, you think to yourself, Just let him down gently. You can do it.
“Before I say anything, I don’t want you thinking this is a reflection on you at all.” your hands tremble slightly, and you grip at the edge of the bar in an attempt to conceal it, “Because you’re a great guy, really. And I’ve really enjoyed speaking to you and getting to know you a bit better, but-”
“It’s Damian, isn’t it?”
Finn interjects, almost instantly figuring out exactly where the conversation is headed. Though he’d been holding out hope for a very different outcome, he’s been fully aware the entire time that his good friend has been interested in you, too.
Neither man had wanted to back down, which has created an air of tension between them both over the past few weeks, but you’ve ultimately ended up making the decision for both of them. Finn purses his lips into a tight smile, doing his best to hide the dejection that hits him like a punch to the gut, but you see right through it.
“Yeah, it…I think I’ve really clicked with him, and I really like him. I’m so sorry if I strung you along at all, I’ve only recently figured it out myself.”
You apologise, your voice barely a whisper, and Finn casts his gaze down to the floor with a single nod, seemingly signifying him conceding to Damian. He sighs and eventually looks right back at you, obviously wounded by your admission, but he swallows it down and puts on a brave face.
“It’s obviously not what I was hoping you’d say, but I kinda guessed it. He’s crazy about you, y’know.” he tells you, “If you want him, go get him. I’m not gonna get in your way now, promise. No bad blood or nothin’.”
Finn gives you another small smile, this one more genuine, and you feel a tide of relief wash over you now that you know things won’t be turning sour between you both. If anything, you sincerely hope that you can both remain friends in the near future.
“Thank you for understanding, Finn.” you smile back at him, “And for handling it all so well. Again, I am sorry-”
“Don’t worry about it,” Finn interrupts you with a nod of the head towards your friends, still sitting at the table, “I’ll carry the drinks back. I think you should go talk to Damian, make his night.”
You hesitate for a moment, but you reach out and give Finn’s hand a brief, grateful pat before you approach Rhea and Damian once more. They both look slightly confused when you return alone, but before they can press you on it, you decide to dive in head first.
“Damian, can we talk for a sec? Please?”
You ask, and while Damian looks slightly surprised, Rhea is very quick to put two and two together. She rises up out of her seat, excusing herself to go and help Finn with the drinks instead to leave you two alone to talk.
You sit next to Damian, nerves threatening to get the better of you despite a few prior glasses of liquid courage in your system, but you force them down and face up to the situation at hand instead.
“Everything okay?”
Damian asks, his brows knitting together with concern, the tension only dissipating slightly when you give him a sharp, affirming nod.
“Yeah, yeah. All fine, just,” you clear your throat and swallow thickly before you take the leap, “I just had a conversation with Finn. I…pretty much told him that I’ve enjoyed getting to know him more, but…”
“But…?”
“I told him I’ve clicked with you better. And I really like you. And…and I know it’s a risk, because Rhea’s mentioned to me that you’re not really a settling down type of guy. But I can’t help how I feel, Damian.”
Your confession stuns him into silence. It’s definitely what he’s been hoping to hear, but that doesn’t make it any less surprising to actually hear it coming straight from your mouth. Damian lets out a chuckle, most likely in disbelief above all else, but he’s quick to fade it out and fight his case to you.
“Look, I know I have a, uh…a bit of a reputation,” Damian admits sheepishly, but he quickly turns solemn, “But I’m serious about you. I like you a lot, I like how things have gone so far, and I wanna get to know you even more. And I know it’ll probably seem like it’s all talk, I don’t know what Rhea’s told you about me altogether, but I can prove it if you give me the chance to.”
You want to continue to heed Rhea’s previous warnings, but despite yourself, you believe every word that Damian tells you. He’s given you no reason to doubt him so far. It’s not like he’s even attempted getting you straight into bed with him at all, and unlike what Rhea has told you about him and his typical patterns, he’s actually taken the time and effort to get to know you properly.
“Well, I’ll never find out if you’re all talk or not if I don’t give you the benefit of the doubt, will I?” you chuckle softly, your eyes meeting Damian’s as your mile wide smile mirrors his own, “But…yeah, I’ll give you a chance. I really want to see where this goes with you, Damian.”
