You Knew Damian Would Take His Time Getting Adjusting To Your Presence. Of Course He Would. He’s Even

you are the only exception, from vi

ᰔ pairing . . . d. wayne !

ᰔ category . . . fluff , one - shot , requested ᰔ requested by . . . @xoxorory !

ᰔ with . . . a wonder!fem!reader !

ᰔ in which . . . you & damian bond quietly over time▰through missions, late-night snacks, & rain-soaked walks. until he realizes you’re not trying to fix him, just choosing to stay.

ᰔ tags . . . 3.9k slowburn(ish). tension. quiet understanding. strangers to teammates to something more. subtle affection. team dynamics. mutual respect. gentle banter. protective!damian. observant!reader. late-night walks. rain scene (classic). reluctant softness. grumpy x calm dynamic. titans tower bonding. canon divergence(?). reader lowkey has mythological trauma. emotional healing. damian wayne character study. teasing under affection. enemies to allies to "maybe." relationship misunderstanding. very ooc. reader is low-key flirty af.

ᰔ look around . . . m. list, d.wayne & detective comics m. list

────── vi whispers . . . ᰔ

001. woah.

002. i acc made this in my mom's office lmfao😭😭

003. not proofread obvi

004. "damian is a vege —" in other storylines,, he eats meat btw ! i js forgot which comic essit

the first time you got to meet damian wayne wasn't anything compared to the rest. at least, not the rest who were also members of the teen titans.

the first new recruit to enter was always eyed with suspicion. the team was a machine, & each new piece of machinery had to fit exactly, or it would break down. but when damian wayne arrived at the titans, it was as though a storm entered the room. the rest of them did have their misgivings▰some put theirs more squarely than others. some rolled eyes at his brashness, his refusal to work with. others, like gar, tormented him pitilessly, but you knew better. you saw a guy who'd been toughened up by an existence he never solicited, a life that had been too grim to shatter.

you could see that.

whereas the others were, you weren't all smiles and forced smiles. your calmness, your unobtrusive confidence, didn't stem from naivety. it stemmed from knowing the depths at which people could reach when life didn't give them a moment to be children. and, in spite of everything, you recognized that damian was a child, although he refused to acknowledge that.

it wasn't that you were naturally great at relating to people▰it was that you were simply more aware of the fact that everyone had his or her own silent wars. yours just happened to have been against the gods.

but the first time that you spoke with him? you could almost sense the electric shock in the air. as if zeus striked you for no reason. damian wasn't a big talker▰he never was, unless he was compelled to drop some biting comment. the others were,, well, acclimating to him, but there were still missteps. still moments when the words didn't align with the intention. but you? you'd been taught by someone who could step into a room, & the entire room would sense the presence. you weren't intimidated by damian's intensity; you saw it.

it began as a mission, something straightforward. stopping a gang who'd somehow fallen under the influence of an ancient magic. it was meant to be simple, a routine patrol for the team. but things had gotten out of hand fast, & there was damian, barking orders sharply while gar attempted to make jokes. it was your responsibility to maintain the peace in times like those.

"damian," you said, your voice cutting through the mess of noise around you. "focus."

he scowled but didn’t look away. "i’m always focused."

"clearly." you raised an eyebrow at him, then shifted your attention back to the enemy. “just. don’t get yourself killed, okay?”

there was a beat of silence before he scoffed under his breath. “i don’t need you to babysit me.”

you laughed, your tone gentle but distinct. "nobody needs to babysit anyone here, damian. but one of our duties is to be a team. which means cooperation is a must.. you don't go off by yourself unless you're willing to face the consequences."

& it was there, in that shirt conversation. where the tension lessened with unspoken reality▰that something moved. the ire in damian's eyes grew a little softer. you weren't attempting to gain control. you were attempting to keep him alive. & for some unknown reason, that mattered.

it wasn't friendship in the beginning, no. but there was mutual understanding that grew with time. you weren't like the rest. you didn't view him as some lone wolf to be controlled or combated. you viewed him as someone who merely needed a bit of space, a bit of trust.

then, after that mission, when the team met back at the tower, it was not hard to tell how much stress had still accumulated between him & the rest of them. but you weren't going to be swayed. you approached him, standing a bit taller than normal, but not quite invading his space.

"you good?" you asked flatly.

damian raised an eyebrow. "i'm fine."

"you don't look fine."

"i said i'm fine."

you shrugged. "alright, then."

it was the little things that warmed him up to you in the end. the gentle side glances, the times when you both slipped into the same rhythm without words. small things, such as when you'd grab the last piece of pizza, & he didn't complain, didn't snatch it away. & you would catch him glancing at you from the corner of his eye, like he was still unsure, but maybe▰just maybe▰he didn’t mind your presence. you didn’t force the conversation. you just were there.

it was a few years on, after one particularly draining mission, when you and damian ended up walking the city streets at midnight, out of costume, just a couple of weary titans hoping to recharge.

the mission had drained everyone, but when the team went back to the tower you could tell that damian was. well, not exactly in the best mood.

"damian," you started, casting him a sideways glance from the corner of your eye, "i don't know about you, but i'm famished."

he shot you a sideways look. "i'm not hungry. i have better things to do."

you rolled your eyes. "come on, just one kebab. i'm not going to accept no for an answer."

he scowled but didn't argue further. that was the thing with damian▰you didn't push too hard. if you made it seem like you weren't desperate for his company, he'd eventually give in. you didn't need to ask twice.

& so, there you were, sitting on a street corner, having a midnight snack of kebabs like you didn't have anywhere to be. the quiet between you wasn't uncomfortable. it was relaxed, organic. like you have done this multiple times.

but you noticed something as you sat there, working on your food: damian wasn't generally like this. he wasn't this at ease. the tension in his shoulders had relaxed, the sharpness around his eyes eased, & there he was, simply. eating.

you couldn't help but stifle a laugh. the look of him▰this tough, near-royalty hitman who was now sitting on the curb, attempting to eat a kebab without vomiting from sheer contempt was truly priceless.

damian gave you a bewildered stare, furrowed brows as he chewed. "what?"

you couldn't help it. you bursted into laughter.

"nothing," you said between giggles. "you just… look different."

damian's scowl intensified. "i look fine."

you brushed a tear from your eye, still smiling. "i know, i know. but it's just. you never drop your guard, not even for food."

he growled something under his breath, something that might have been an oath, but you didn't hear it. the tension crept back into his voice, but the warmth remained. he was embarrassed, yes, but for once, he didn't hide it.

the evening dragged on, & as the two of you walked back to the tower, the rain started falling.

"great," damian grumbled, his face darkening further. "now i'm going to get soaked."

you didn't let him get away with it. you were already wading into the downpour, a smile fixed on your face. "oh, come on, it's just rain!"

he huffed, standing there & watching you spin about in the rain, dancing as if you didn't have a single worry in your head.

"you are insane." he grumbled, hands stuffed in his pockets.

"that's the point!" you shouted back, still turning, relishing the cold, the wet, and the sense of freedom. "you should give it a go!"

& to your surprise▰after a moment of silence, damian trailed behind. he wasn't smiling, not even slightly. but there was something in the fact that he observed you that tempered his irritation with something a little less bitter, a little more. affectionate.

as you moved, you couldn't help but blurt out a random fact, something that just felt appropriate in the moment. "did you know the greeks used to think rain was the gods' tears? maybe it's aphrodite weeping for us. or zeus, having a tantrum again."

damian gave you a look, his face half-obscured by the rain, but you could see the faint twitch at the corner of his mouth.

"you are strange."

"yeah, but i'm your strange," you teased, grinning even wider as you drew him deeper into the downpour.

by the time the two of you stumbled back into the tower, soaked but happier than you'd been in days, you discovered the other titans waiting for you inside, giggling at your dripping condition.

but before you even got the chance to tell them what happened, damian sent a glare their way & glared. "she pulled me out there."

the rest of the team laughed, but you & damian both knew there was something more than just the rain between you now.

the doors of the elevator slid open softly with a dinging sound, & you walked out first, your shoes making squelching sounds on the wet floor. damian followed you, his face unreadable but his body tense. the rain had penetrated through both of you, although it didn't seem to affect you as much. he, however, was obviously upset, though you could glimpse the tiny flashes of something more in his eyes. was it. affection? perhaps, just barely?

"well," you said, attempting to shake off some of the wetness, "this is where you're supposed to tell me to go get dry. go take care of yourself."

damian glanced at you, squinting slightly. "you're the one who got me into this," he stated sharply, but there wasn't actually any venom in the tone. he was still dripping, & his characteristic scowl was lessened, as if he wasn't sure what to do with the moment.

"i didn't drag you. you volunteered." you smiled, jabbing him in the ribs with your elbow.

he didn't respond initially, his jaw clenching. then, to your surprise, he put a hand on your shoulder. "come on, i'll escort you to your room."

you blinked, slightly taken aback by the offer. "uh, damian, i can make it myself."

"it's the least i can do after you pulled me into the rain," he insisted, voice low and steady. his eyes flashed to you once more, his softening just slightly, something you were still growing accustomed to seeing. "besides, you're still wet. it's… not safe for you to be out like this."

if you told your younger self that the damian wayne just placed an arm in your shoulder, she would've laughed at your face.

you laughed softly, although his seriousness tickled you. "i think i can do it, damian. i'm tougher than i appear."

he didn't release your shoulder. "not this time."

you rolled your eyes, entertained by his persistence but thankful for the effort. you'd been through a lot as titans & as teammates who had to learn to trust one another. after a moment, you released a gentle sigh and nodded, your lips curving into a smile. "okay, lead the way then."

the jwalk to your room was silent, save for the dripping of your clothes. you couldn't help but look over at damian, still attempting to understand this iteration of him. he was no longer the prickly, withdrawn young man who had originally joined the team. there was a serenity to him now, a quiet concern that he kept masked beneath his stern expression. it was odd how much he'd changed since the time you'd known him, & it made you notice just how much you'd changed as well.

you paused at the entrance to your room, turning to him as you inhaled deeply. "appreciate you for walking me to my room, damian. i really appreciate it."

he looked down at you, his mouth set in a thin line. "it's no trouble."

it wasn't a rejection, but it wasn't exactly a compliment either. typical damian. but you didn't mind. the fact that he'd even suggested doing this in the first place was a small win.

"well, you can go now," you said, pushing him gently towards the door.

damian didn't budge right away, his dark eyes examining you with interest. it was sometimes difficult to read him, but something in the way he regarded you now, a spark in his eyes, caused your heart to beat just that little bit faster. you swallowed hard, full of conflicting feelings, but before you could get a word out, his voice stopped you.

"if you need anything," he said softly, "don't hesitate to ask."

your eyes went soft as you nodded. "i won't."

there was a moment of silence. then, to your shock, you moved closer to him, tilting your head up slightly. you reached up & kissed him on the cheek, the gentle touch of your lips on his skin a moment that seemed to catch him off guard.

damian froze, his whole body rigid as if he didn't know what to do with himself. his breath caught, & you couldn't help but smirk silently at the sight. the angry scowl came back onto his face as he sharply turned his head away, although there was something there, something more.

"damian?" you said teasingly, your voice gentle, your lips still retaining the remnants of a smile.

he didn't respond immediately, & you could see the blush rising up his neck, hardly perceptible but enough to make you laugh.

"well," you said, taking a step back, "thanks again for the escort, & for the rain dance. i'll see you around."

before he could respond further, you hastily turned & glided into your room, closing the door softly behind you. you stood leaning on the door for a moment, your heart racing. you hadn't anticipated the kiss to be like that. & you certainly hadn't anticipated damian's reaction. you really wanted to go back out there and taunt him some more, but the thought of leaving him in such a state was too hilarious to let pass.

you smiled to yourself, removing your shoes & gazing at your image in the mirror. this had been a night you wouldn't soon forget.

in the meantime, beyond your doorstep, damian was frozen, his hand still suspended in mid-air as if to knock but was unable to muster the courage. his head was spinning from the kiss, & he couldn't even determine how he felt. that odd sense of heat rising in his chest had caught him totally off guard.

the silent corridors of the tower were suddenly too noisy, and damian couldn't help but notice the odd feeling of exposure he had. he grumbled to himself, irritated by the entire episode but unable to dispel the way his heart was pounding. why did she have to do that?

it wasn't as if he hadn't enjoyed it. far from it. but that she had kissed him. it changed something within him. he despised how quickly it had impacted him. this was not something that was to happen.

as he finally turned away from her, he couldn't help but relive the moment in his head. he couldn't help but think of her smile, the laughter she brought forth, the way she always lightened the load. she's impossible, he could think, though there was a small smile that danced at the corners of his mouth. totally impossible.

but somehow, he couldn't even be mad about it.

it had been two days since that kiss.

damian was behaving… differently. to say he was behaving out of character was a gross understatement. he was still damian, naturally. the perpetually serious, overly-disciplined, stubborn & almost insufferable young man▰but there was something off. new. extra. he was softer, his normally sharp edges a little less rough around the edges when it came to you.

you didn't resent it. in fact, it felt pleasant. his body language, while still damian▰infrequent, was a bit more considerate. the manner in which his eyes lingered on you when you spoke, or the way he'd make an effort to include you in all plans. he'd even begun to be a bit. protective? it was weird, but you assumed maybe it was only his way of demonstrating that he was growing more trustful. you didn't really give it much thought. at least, not at first.

you had taken, at least, for granted that the two of you had progressed to a new, greater depth of friendship. that he had let you in his palace. there wasn't an outright point where you & damian had professed anything to one another. you hadn't even assumed there was a need for one. the kiss had come as naturally, but perhaps it wasn't something substantial. perhaps it was simply an expression of warmth between friends. perhaps he was trying to ignore it. perhaps he wished you didn't lean in & kissed his cheek.

of course, the rest of the titans were paying attention. you'd been with them long enough to recognize when they were baffled▰hell, when they were flat-out stunned. they were used to observing you & damian bickering at each other. to them, your dynamic was as much about reciprocal frustration as romance. but now? something had changed, & they were not overlooking it.

you, on the other hand, were happily oblivious to their speculation. your attention was primarily on damian, who had become accustomed to lingering around you more than ever before, his subtle displays of concern a tad too overt to be overlooked. his little touches on your arm when he gave you something, his eyes tracking you as you moved across the room, the way he'd insist on walking you to places with that added tinge of insistence. you just assumed it was damian being. well, damian.

& then, at last, it all boiled over.

it was a relaxed scene in the common room, nothing unusual. the titans were lounging about in different locations. cyborg fiddling with devices, raven reading, gar cracking awful jokes, and you & damian observing. the rest of the team were generally occupied with their own activities, but there was an underlying tension that you couldn't pinpoint.

damian had only just given you a drink, & you grumbled your thanks, taking a sip as you settled back into the couch. your gaze wandered over to him, where he was standing at the window, arms folded, gazing out at night. there was a gentle sort of sadness in his stance, or was it concern? something that caused you to feel you should go & ask what was on his mind in that clever brain of his.

but then it happened.

damian, as if out of nowhere, whirled on you & exclaimed, "beloved, i would rather that you stayed away from there so late."

you stopped mid-sip. "what?"

damian, oblivious to your shock, kept going with a scowl. "you know it's not safe for you to go out by yourself at night. i'm not requesting your safety. i'm commanding it."

you blinked. beloved? did he just refer to you as beloved? be.lov.ed? is aphrodite playing games?

the room fell silent. raven's gaze narrowed suspiciously from the other side of the room. gar stopped in mid-chew of whatever food he was eating, his mouth agape with shock. cyborg, who had been fiddling with his arm, looked up at once. they were all gazing at you & damian, their faces screaming, you're dating!?

you, however, were blinking frantically, still trying to process the word beloved that had so readily fallen from damian's mouth. you turned to look at the rest of the titans, who were obviously waiting for some kind of explanation.

"we're… dating?" you said, finally able to get the words out, your voice full of confusion.

the rest of the team looked at you like you had just uttered something in another language.

"what?" raven asked in her deadpan tone, looking clearly confused. "wait… you're dating?"

gar leapt to his feet. "hold on, hold on! you & damian are a thing now??”

"the lone wolf & twilight sparkle?" cyborg questioned, obviously having trouble understanding what he was being told. he swiveled around towards damian, who had stiffened slightly at the focus. "seriously?"

you spun around towards damian now, waiting for an explanation. he lingered there for a second, as though he was going to speak, but then closed his mouth, blinking as though the truth was only registering on him as much as it was registering on you.

damian had opened his mouth to speak, but then shut it again, his eyes flashing to the others in the room, his jaw clenching. "i▰ i thought we were▰i thought the kiss▰"

“kiss!?”

"the kiss?" you asked, a flush rising to your cheeks as you recalled that night. "that kiss was just▰just… a kiss! it wasn't like▰"

damian let out a deep sigh, massaging the back of his neck. "i thought.., after the kiss & everything that happened afterward▰ i assumed… i'm not good at this." his voice caught for a second before he appeared to pull himself together. "i'm not accustomed to such things, but i thought▰ we were... & you leaned in."

you blinked in shock, now totally confused. "wait, wait. you thought we were dating because of a kiss?"

damian's stance improved. "it was not the kiss alone. the way you. behaved afterward. it was the way you remained with me. the way you▰”

"wait, wait, no," you broke in, shaking your head, finally beginning to put the pieces together. "you thought we were dating just because of,, that kiss?"

he scowled, clearly frustrated by the misunderstanding. “yes. i thought you knew.”

you stared at him for a moment, then shook your head, biting back a laugh. this was damian wayne, the same guy who could go toe-to-toe with the best of them, & yet, here he was, utterly flustered & confused over a kiss. you couldn’t help but giggle at the thought. "damian," you started, attempting to suppress your giggles, "we never really discussed it. i didn't know you were. i didn't know you thought we were going out."

"i didn't know you didn't know," he retaliated, obviously irritated. he touched his wayward hair, his expression nearly agonized. "this is. complicated. i▰"

you put your hand on his arm, halting his tirade. "you don't need to apologize, damian. this is… this is just you, & i understand. we'll sort this out, okay?" you smiled at him softly. "& perhaps we should discuss this properly. not in front of the entire team."

damian seemed to relax a little, but his expression remained intense, like he was still processing the whole situation. the titans, however, were still whispering in disbelief, with gar having the audacity to go “this is so cute, bro!” from across the room.

"fine," damian grunted. "we'll discuss this later. but it is complicated." his gaze softened as you met his eyes, & for the first time in a very long time, there was actual warmth there.

after a few seconds, you laughed again, more due to how damian was behaving than the actual situation. "alright," you said, taking a step forward. "let's say. dating, then. for now."

damian arched an eyebrow, as though expecting some validation. you touched out, cupping his cheek & drawing him down for a kiss▰a soft, fleeting kiss on his lips, which left him more than a little taken aback. you drew back hastily, your heart pounding at the contact.

"that's official enough for me," you said, smiling up at him. "now, we can work out the details later, okay?"

damian looked at you for a very long time, his breath caught in his throat. his scowl was still there, but now it was accompanied by a new softness, a reluctant warmth.

"alright," he said, voice softer now.

expect the team( mostly gar & cyborg ) teasing you for months, though.

© MINORLYATFAULT

i cant let them go yet apparently

saw this and immediately screamed ‘BABIAN!!!!!!!’

one and only

IMAGINE‼️

Baby!damian crying, literally sitting up in his crib and is shaking it with all his might as his twin. Twin!reader sleeps peacefully, Bruce who is tired walks in. Picking up a red faced Damian as Damian screamed and cried. Soon waking up twin!reader who cries. Bruce groans in tiredness meanwhile Damian stops crying and tries to reach the now crying baby. Bruce raises a brow and put his two boys together. Damian crawls over to reader, silently staring at reader before lying down by him. Reader slowly starts to stop crying as Damian pats his chubby little hand on reader’s chest to “sooth” him. Soon the two twins pass out as Bruce just smile and goes back to bed.

year's end

Jason: *walks into the kitchen, still half asleep* dick: *sitting at the counter* hey! How’d you sleep? Jason: Jason: *takes long drag of coffee* hmm. Dick: . . . What? Jason: decaf. Dick: what . . . Jason: *growing more angry* DECAF. Alfred, more than used to the batfamily’s one word morning speak: he says someone put decaf coffee in the coffee machine, master Richard. Dick: Jason: *eyes narrow* you Dick: *already backing away* TIM NEEDED SOMETHING OTHER THAN CAFFEINE, ITS NOT HEALTHY Jason: your FACE isn’t healthy Alfred: *calmly hands Jason a caffeinated cup* here, master Jason. This might allow you to articulate your words better dick: *under his breath* you mean make him make sense!? Alfred: Jason: *in an absolutely terrifying voice* heard that Dick: oh shit *speed walks out of kitchen*

nerdjo

I hate the way that you walk, the way that you talk I hate the way that you dress

I hate the way that you sneak diss, if I catch flight, it’s gon’be direct

Guess who caught up in the manga