To Damian, it was almost as though the next few weeks went by as a timeless blur around him. Too distraught and embarrassed to face either his father or Tim again, he remained for the most part in his room, spending most of his time forcing himself to either sleep, or aimlessly pace the floor. He had even ceased going downstairs to get food after one accidental encounter with the older Robin; undoubtedly the most uncomfortable ten seconds of his life. He was only thankful that Alfred had eventually noticed his absence and began bringing meals up to his door.
Bruce never once came to talk to him; he seemed to be giving him the silent treatment or was waiting for him to approach first, which he wouldn't unless necessary. Alfred had told him that admitting he was wrong would make him a bigger person, that it was what adults did. But perhaps in that regard he was not an adult after all, because even though he could identify that he had been the one at fault, he couldn't bring himself to say anything otherwise.
Other than the few brief interactions with Alfred, Damian would receive bidiurnal text messages from Dick checking to see how he was doing. He never responded to them, though it did make him feel slightly comforted knowing that the older man truly cared about his wellbeing. It was a lot more than he could say for the others.
Who he really wanted to talk to more than anything though, was Stephanie, so much so that he would check his phone multiple times a day to see if she had messaged him; but he was constantly left disappointed. It was as if she had fallen off the edge of the world, and he wondered if she hated him for breaking Tim's leg and being part of the reason that their relationship was in ruins, if it was even that. In all honesty, he had no idea where Stephanie and Tim stood, for all he knew they could be working things out and that was why she wasn't trying to reach out to him.
It wasn't until a month later at Dick's wedding where he realized that must not be the case, as Stephanie was blatantly absent.
The ceremony was small and took place inside of the Wayne Manor. Alfred, Bruce and Tim were there obviously, though the way Tim and Bruce coldly ignored the younger Wayne was awkward to say the least. Barbara Gordon was also there, as was her father, Jim and also the Titans.
It had been a long time since Damian had last seen them, and it was strange to once again be in their presence. Upon coming into the study that had been transformed into some sort of floral, over the top alter room, he had caught sight of them right but made sure to sit himself at a distance. And he did just distance himself from them, no he sat away from everyone, opting to take his seat at the very back of the room, waiting for the ceremony to begin and end so he could escape to the privacy of his quarters.
When Dick and Kor'i finally entered the room, he was surprised to see that for once the alien princess was not wearing something that made her look like a hooker, though he supposed she had decided on a less revealing garment due to the small bump that was beginning to protrude from her stomach. But even with that she looked beautiful, and Dick looked great too. They both seemed happy and he was glad for that.
Looking over at Bruce, Tim and Alfred, Damian could see how proud they all were for him; Bruce even seemed a little less tense than he had before. Since he and his son were currently not on speaking terms, Damian had no idea what was going on with his aunt or with Widow. But the fact that nobody had told him anything and the fact that he hadn't been approached again gave him a feeling that the trail had run dry, something he knew that must have been quite the damper on his father's spirits.
The couple said their vows, exchanged rings, kissed, and the deed was done; they were now husband and wife, Mr. And Mrs. Grayson.
The reception was held in the garden, and they were all unbelievably grateful that the weather was nice, probably the nicest day so far in the year in fact, it was going to be great for their pictures. Out of respect for Dick and Kor'i, Damian forced himself to join the party, if only for a moment, to congratulate the two, trying his very best to ignore Tim, his father and the Titans who all didn't seem very interested in him anyway. It almost hurt him that the Titans were acting so distant, he had lived with them for four years and not one of them had even looked his way. Well, he didn't need them, he didn't need anybody.
"Grayson," he announced deeply as he walked up to the newlyweds. Dick turned to him with a smile on his face.
"Which one?" he chuckled, his voice quivering with humor that only he found funny. Damian lip twitched with the threat of a smile and he decided to ignore the dad-like satire.
"I just came out here to congratulation you, both of you."
Kor'i smiled, as did her husband. "Thanks, Damian." Dick cooed before his lips pulled down into a frown. "How are you holding up? You haven't been answering any of my texts."
Damian's stomach squirmed with discomfort and he swallowed dryly. "I've been fine." He lied. "I just haven't been using my phone that much."
"Damian, you do know that I can see when you've read them?"
Kor'i placed her hand on Dick's chest and gave him a sympathetic look, pleading for him to stop. Damian hated the look, it was pity, and he never wanted anyone's pity. Turning on his heels he gave them a nod.
"Enjoy the rest of your party." he mumbled, beginning to walk away. Dick opened his mouth to say something but Kor'i shook her head, urging him to let his younger brother go. The brunette appreciated that she knew he needed space. Before he could make it back to the manor's doors however, a light tug on the back of his suit jacket made him stop and he turned his head over his shoulder. His heart immediately felt as though it had stopped in his chest and his green eyes widened.
Standing behind him in a flowy, black cocktail dress, shoulder length black hair curled ever so slightly and violet eyes accented with a thin line of black liner and shimmered mascara, was Raven; his old teammate, his previous crush.
Turning around fully, Damian took a step back from her, his eyes shifting around them to see who was near. It had seemed like a lifetime ago he had spoken to her, and the last time he had he had been cold, jealous at the fact that she had started dating Gar. He had taken out his childish envy on her, and it hadn't been pleasant and he felt bad. Add it to the list of things he felt ashamed of.
Raven's thin lips pulled into a small, gentle smile. "Hey," she said quietly. There was no bitterness to her tone, no resentment. It was as though she put their last encounter completely behind her, something he found hard to do. "Long time no see."
Damian fought the urge to awkwardly rub the back of his neck; he wished to seem confident in himself like he always did. "Yeah."
"We miss you at the tower," Raven leaned on one hip, crossing her arms over her chest. Damian's eyes shifted down for a split second. She wasn't built like Stephanie; she was leaner, less curvy, but still pretty in her own way. He highly doubted her words, what with how indifferent everyone seemed to see him again, but she always tried to make him feel welcomed. It was part of the reason he had begun to like her. "It's different without you."
Damian shrugged his shoulders. "I'm sure you're all fairing fine." He paused. "How are things with Logan?"
"They're good. We're happy."
The brunette felt a ping in his chest and he exhaled air that he really didn't have. Raven watched him stir uncomfortably in his place, her eyebrows furrowing deeply. After a moment, he gave her a serious look and leaned forward slightly.
"You knew...didn't you?" he asked, lowering his tone to an almost whisper. "About my feelings?"
Raven didn't frown, she didn't smile, and she didn't blush. She remained just as stoic as she always was when she nodded her head. "I always know. The curse of being an empath, I suppose."
Damian scowled, suddenly filled with annoyance. Dick's words rung through his head, maybe this could have all been avoided had he and Raven had some sort of communication. She had known all along and she didn't approach him, she didn't say anything, and now he was here, completely alone, hated by more people than he had ever been.
"But I also knew that it probably wasn't what you thought it to be. Feelings are tricky like that, trust me, I know." The raven haired girl said after a moment, sensing his building rage. His eyes narrowed and he looked down.
"Yeah..."
Raven's expression became even more sympathetic, almost mimicking Kor'i's and she sighed. "I heard what happened, Damian..."
"Of course you did."
Leaning down slightly so that she could catch his attention that was directed to the grass beneath them, Raven frowned. "I just wanted to know if you're okay. You don't seem okay."
Reaching her hand out, she tried to touch his arm but he jerked away quickly, as if her touch was hot through his jacket. "I'm fine." He hissed. Raven stood up straight.
"I always know, remember? You're not. I won't push...but just know that I'm here if you need me."
Although he should have been thankful, Damian was sick of people offering him their ruth. First Dick, now the girl he once had feelings for but had decided to brush him aside like dust in a doorway. He wanted nothing from either of them; he would figure things out on his own eventually like he always did. And if bottling up his strife only added to his emotional damage, then so be it.
He gave her a quick nod and turned back towards the manor. "Like I said...I'm fine."
Without another word, Damian rushed back inside, away from her and away from everyone else. He made his way immediately to the kitchen, taking full advantage of the lack of life inside in order to grab anything he could to take back to his room. Alfred had luckily been bringing him his morning coffee, and a sweet every evening, he really loved sweets. But if he were to be locked away for any longer then he wanted something to snack periodically on.
Grabbing a few granola bars, a whole bunch of bananas and a can of peanuts, he turned to the door, getting ready to rush back to his bedroom. But as he reached the stairwell, the sound of the front door opening behind him caught in his ears.
"Knock, knock!" a loud voice sang out and he turned to see Jason standing there, closing the door behind him. He smiled upon seeing the younger man. "Guess I missed the memo that the apocalypse was coming. Why all the snacks kiddo? Isn't there a party you're supposed to be at?"
Damian's green eyes narrowed and he stepped down from the first step, casting the older man the death glare of all death glares. "You weren't invited." He snapped.
Jason laughed and watched towards him. "I didn't realize Dickie hired a bouncer for this shindig." He said, grabbing one of the bananas in Damian's arm and twisting it free from the others. He unpeeled it and took a bite. "I wasn't not invited. Come on, I'm not allowed to go to my own brothers wedding? That's just silly."
Damian rolled his eyes. Out of everything that was going on, Jason was always there to put the cherry on top.
"So," the blue eyed man jeered, snaking around Damian and taking a seat on the stairs. He looked up at him with a questioning look playing on his face. "A little birdie told me that there's been some drama in the big bats house." Damian's eyes narrowed even further as Jason's lips twisted into a smirk. "You wouldn't happen to know anything about that...would you Babybat?"
"Pound sand, Todd." Damian growled between clenched teeth. Jason laughed, placing one of his hands over his heart like he had been wounded and leaned back in his seat.
"Whoa..." he chuckled. "I could tell you what to pound...but...I heard you already know. I must say kiddo, that was pretty ballzy, and I don't just say that to anyone."
"Is that why you're here? To patronize me?"
"Actually," Jason held up a finger. "I came for the open bar. That's the great thing about weddings, am I right?"
Had he not been blocking Damian's path, he would have left right then and there and fled back to his room. But the Red Hood was insistent on ruining his life even further than he had already done himself, he was sure of it.
After a moment of silence, Jason let out a long sigh and leaned his head to the side. "Look kid," his voice was suddenly very serious. "I don't know you, and I'm not going to pretend to. I get that you probably have your own shit going on, but what you did-"
Great. Just someone else trying to purge Damian's life of sorrows, and if he had thought it couldn't get any worse than girl he used to have feelings on, he had been mistaken.
"You're right. You don't know me." He cut him off being he could continue any further. "So why don't you mind your own business and leave me the hell alone. Or did the Joker rattle your brains that much that you are no longer able to understand the concept of personal boundaries?"
Jason raised one thick eyebrow and took another bite of the banana. As he chewed it slowly, his blue eyes never left the younger man's green ones. Eventually he swallowed and spoke again.
"Dick said you like to hit below the belt." His voice was dry, but he soon shrugged and leaned back, letting his elbows rest on the stair behind him. "Be grateful I know you're going through stuff, or else I might have clocked you for that comment." Another bite. "I'm just trying to talk to you."
"Yeah, well save your breath. I've already had enough people try and talk to me. I told them all the same thing, you're no different."
Finishing the banana off, Jason flung the peel to the side. Damian watched as it landed on the floor of the entry way and for a moment imagined how funny it would be if Tim slipped on it and broke his other leg.
"See, that's where I think you might be wrong." Jason told him calmly. "I think I am different from those other stiffs, in fact I think I may be the only person on this whole goddamn planet who can actually understand what's going on in your demented little head."
"Enlighten me." Damian inquired, though he hardly cared, really. Jason smiled again.
"Dick never told you what happened last year, huh?"
"No, but I'm sure you're about to."
Jason blew one quick breath out of his cheeks and ran a single hand through his hair as though this was going to be some big reveal. Damian could only assume how much he was playing it up to seem bigger than it was to draw his attention in. Well he wouldn't humor it. He hadn't the time.
"Kor'i and I."
That was all he needed to say to completely take the younger man off guard and his brows furrowed in the center of his forehead.
"You expect me to believe that?" he shot. If it was a lie, it was a sick one. Dick and Kor'i had just gotten married; there was no way she had cheated on him, with Jason of all people. The has-been was full of it.
Jason shrugged his shoulders and leaned forward again, resting his elbows on his knees. "Why would I lie about something like that?" he asked, and the question sounded legitimate. "It was in October, she was deployed on a mission with Roy Harper to bring in this serial killer down in New Orleans and I just happened to be following the same nut job so the three of us teamed up. Mission went south, and...well," he paused to wipe his thumb across his bottom lip, his eyes leaning Damain's to look into the space in front of him. He was clearly having flashbacks of the event and it made Damian slightly mad. "Let's just say a lot can happen when you think you're living out your final hours."
Damian thought about his words for a moment. He vaguely remembered hearing that Kor'i had been in brief trouble while on a mission in New Orleans, though he didn't know she had gone with Roy Harper, or met with Jason Todd, so he was unsure if he was telling the truth or not. But the question Jason had asked did make sense, why would he lie about it?
Jason stood and stretched his arms high over his head, his white tee-shirt lifting up his perfectly toned stomach. He dropped them with a grunt. "But of course, who showed up to save the day but circus boy himself. Kor'i must have told him not long after, because a few days later he waited for me outside of my favorite pub. Beat the absolute living piss out of me."
Jason laughed and slowly walked around Damian. "Guess I deserved it. I didn't break his leg though."
"And what, you're both just fine now?" the brunette asked as he watched him walk towards the kitchen. Jason turned to face him but continued to walk backwards. He lifted his arms in the arm in a shrug.
"He got over it. It happened under weird circumstances, there was nothing he could really do about it, it wasn't like we could just...un-fuck."
He stopped walked just before the kitchen and nodded towards the front door. "Him and Kor'i obviously figured it out. Haven't talked to her since though, not even a 'hey'; probably why I didn't get an invite today, now that I think about it."
"Was it really that hard for you to piece that together?" Damian sneered. Jason disappeared into the kitchen but continued to yell back at the teenager.
"All I'm saying is, you and me, we ain't that different. Not in our morals, not in our drive. We see something we want, we go for it and we don't let anything or anyone stand in our way."
"I'm nothing like you..."
Jason reappeared with some sort of amber alcohol in his hand and threw back a drink, pulling back with a satisfying smack to his lips. "Deny it all you want, kid. But I'm telling ya, we're cut from the same fucked up, ratty assed cloth."
Damian went stiff as the older man slung an arm around his shoulder, pressing his cheek to the top of his head, the light stubble of his chin scratching against his temple.
"Let me share this tidbit of advice with you," he muttered, the smell of nicotine clear on his breath. "If you actually like Stephanie Brown and aren't just in it for the presumably amazing pussy she puts out, go and talk to her. The last thing you want is to have to watch her walk down the aisle with some other guy one day, while you drown your pathetic sorrows with a bottle of jack in the background like some heartbroken schmuck."
Jabbing his elbow out, Damian pushed at his predecessor but he did not budge. The fact that he had even spoken about Stephanie like that had disgusted him and made his stomach turn. It didn't matter how much this man tried to 'help' him or said they could relate to each other, he hated him. "Speak from experience do you?" he asked coldly, leaning away from him.
Jason snickered and dropped his arm, taking a step back. "I don't drink to mask my woes; I drink to forget lousy conversations like this. Take the advice or leave it, I really don't care either way."
Jason turned to the kitchen once more, pointing towards it with one hand. "I saw an éclair in there with my name on it, so I'm gonna go grab that and bounce before anyone else notices my presence. Good luck kid, may the odds be ever in your favour."
Damian stomped up to his room, but it was only when he threw his food down on his bed that he noticed a folded piece of paper sticking out of the banana bunch. He raised an eyebrow and picked it up unfolding it.
Written down, in god-awful, messy handwriting was an address, and he didn't even need to think about it to know whose it was. He looked back at the door as though he had somehow acquired super vision and could see back downstairs.
Perhaps Jason wasn't all that bad.
Going to Gotham was never pleasant. Going to Gotham in the middle of the night was even more so, especially in seedy neighborhoods like Damian was currently in. He almost feared leaving his Porsche where he had left it, not know if he would ever see it, at least in one piece, ever again. But as he followed the GPS signal on his cell phone, twisting through dark, piss and garbage scented alleyways, his thoughts were anywhere but his car. If this was the neighborhood Stephanie now lived in, God, he needed to get her out immediately.
Coming to the back of a hideous, brick eyesore, Damian took hold of the stairwell railing and stepped up each hollow, aluminum step, praying that with each crack he heard that his foot would not go through. Luckily he reached the fifth floor without collapsing to his death.
Taking a breath he stood for a moment, just looking at the translucent glass of the door. A light was on from somewhere in the house, letting him know that she was indeed home, as he supposed he had wanted her to be. But his heart was beating in his chest and he was nervous, of all things, Damian Wayne...nervous.
Raising a hand he quickly wrapped on the glass and waited. It only took a moment for the silhouette of a figure to appear and the door slowly pulled open. Her hazel eyes widened the moment she saw him, and it made his breathing shallow. There she was, just as he had remembered her. They had only been apart for just shy of a month, but he had felt as though it had been decades.
Dressed in an oversized baseball tee that fell to her mid thigh, hair laying in a loose mess around her shoulders, she was so leisurely but so beautiful. Her eyebrows batted at him.
"Damian?" she gasped quietly. Damian swallowed roughly; he had come all this way, but now that he was here he wasn't sure what to say to her. In fact, he hadn't really been sure what to say when he had first decided to come. It had taken awhile after he had left Jason; he spent almost the entire rest of the evening reading the address over and over again, mentally warring with himself if he should go or not to visit her. He had obviously ended up deciding to go, but why? Just to see her? Just to be in her presence? Because he sure as hell had no words.
Stephanie's lips pressed into a frown and her eyes shifted away from him. "How did you find me?" she asked, and her tone sounded distant. It hurt him.
"Todd, gave me your address." He replied, eyebrows furrowing.
"Why did you find me?"
He hesitated. "I thought we should talk."
"Talk about what, Damian?" now her tone was irritated and it took him everything he had not to bark back at her, but now wasn't the time to let his anger rule him. Instead he took a deep breath.
"I shouldn't have to answer that."
Stephanie stayed quiet for a moment as she thought, her lips pulling slightly into her mouth. "I don't..." he stopped as if second guessing herself, but shook her head and continued. "I don't think that's a good idea. At all."
"Why not?"
"Because...I don't know...I need to think about things."
The young Wayne frowned. She had about a month to think about things, why did she possibly need more time.
"What things?" Damian demanded causing her eyes to narrow. She straightened her posture and looked up at him again.
"Just things, okay! Tim, you, me, us, things!" she shouted, but her voice wasn't angry. It was wild; it was hurt and confused, but not angry. "I love Tim and I hurt him more than any criminal or super villain ever could! All of the trust that he had ever given me...everything he has done for me, none of that matters anymore. I just ruined everything."
Damian's eyebrows drew together and again he swallowed. "If you love him...why do you have to think about me?"
It was a stupid question, he knew that. They had been physical; there was no possible way he wouldn't be on her mind, at least at the back of it. Stephanie cast him an exhausted look.
"Damian...stop. Please." She begged, slowly closing the door over. Without thinking, he pushed himself between the door and its frame.
"Let me in." He ordered roughly causing her to look at him like he was crazy.
"Excuse me?"
"Let me in so we can talk."
"No," she said with the shake of her head. "I just told you I need time to myself to think."
"You said you need time to think. You didn't say you wanted to be alone. Let me in, and we can figure it out together."
Stephanie's eyes dipped in what looked like her way of suppressing tears and she shook her head again. "I can't..." she murmured. He looked at her; he felt so foolishly desperate. Damn him for these feelings he had, damn her for being difficult. Damn this whole situation.
"Why can't you?" he asked.
"Because, if I let you in..." She began to chew on her bottom lip and tucked one side of her hair behind her ear. Damian shook his head at her.
"If you let me in, what?"
"If I let you in...I'm going to ask you to stay..."
Her hazel eyes looked up at him and met his emerald ones. They stared at each other for a while, the dangerous city sounds of Gotham singing out behind them. He understood her concern, if he stayed there was no doubt that something would happen between them, and if something happened between them...well the situation would be concreted. She would be choosing him, not Tim. And that scared her. Hell it scared him; but if that wasn't what she wanted, if she really did love Tim and wished to stay with him, then Damian would have no objections. He would tell her it was okay, he still wished to be there for her.
"Then I'll stay." He said quietly, hesitantly reaching his arm up and brushing his knuckles gently across her cheek. Her eyes closed and she leaned into his touch, rubbing her lips together.
"I'm confused..."she cried. He nodded.
"I know."
Pulling the door all the way open Stephanie allowed him in. He looked around the dumpy little apartment; it was a mess; a small kitchen table, dishes that hadn't probably been touched since she had arrived a month ago, paint peeling from the walls.
When she locked her door and led him into the next room, he was half expecting it to be in a better state, and it was but barely. It was a small open concept living room/bedroom with a small bathroom off to the side. Clothing was strewn everywhere, again paint was peeling from the walls, and in the far side corner, a bucket sat beneath a molded spot on the ceiling that was dripping water. Stephanie kicked a pile of clothing out of the way of a small love seat and raised her arms slightly.
"Home sweet home..."she murmured, her voice still slightly sad. "Sorry about the mess. I would blame it on my depressed state for the past month but...it's kind of always been like this."
"This is where you grew up?" Damian asked, his nose scrunching at the sight of it. At least it smelled good. It smelled like her.
Stephanie nodded. "Yeah..."
She looked down at the love seat where another pile of clothing sat. Gathering it into her arms she dropped it on the floor and again kicked it away. "Here, sit. I'll put on some tea. Unless you want something stronger?"
"Tea's fine."
Stephanie nodded and slid past him back into the kitchen. Damian sighed before walking towards the love seat, taking his windbreaker off and folding it over the arm. He sat down on the springy fabric and listened as she prepared the drinks. It didn't take long, and when she came back she placed both mugs on a small coffee table that was littered with makeup supplies, used tissues and books. He looked at them, and although they were horrible, smutty young adult novels, he was still surprised she enjoyed reading. She had talked so much at the manor that he believed sitting down to a quiet pastime was something she was unable to do.
Pulling her legs up underneath her, Stephanie sat beside Damian and faced him, propping her elbow on the back of the couch and playing with her own hair. Damian leaned forward and brought his tea to his lips, gagging slightly on the amount of sugar she had put into it, but he swallowed nonetheless. This was hardly the time to complain about trivial things like how much sugar she had put in his tea.
The stayed quiet for a while; neither of them really knowing what to say. Damian cleared his throat after a while, realizing that she probably wasn't going to start the conversation.
"Dick and Kor'i got married today."
She smiled slightly. "Kor'i sent me pictures. She looked beautiful."
Damian nodded. He had never really thought about it before, but he now wondered if Stephanie had even been invited or not, or had she been ghosted like Jason. If it was a matter of trying to save everyone from an awkward situation by having the three younger members of the batfamily there, then Damian should have been the one absent. It was his fault after all. He had broken Tim's leg; he was the one who had pissed off Bruce.
"H-how have you been doing?" Stephanie asked, her voice awkwardly stuttering on her words. Damian forced another horribly sweet sip down his throat.
"I could be better. But it's been tolerable."
Stephanie clutched the back of the couch and leaned to the side to take hold of her drink. Blowing on it a few times she took a sip. Damian looked at her.
"You?"
"I've been a hot mess." She chuckled sadly. "I've talked to Tim a few times...but it's...not the same." Her forehead ceased as she thought for a moment. "And it's not just Tim who's changed...I just feel different."
Damian's green eyes searched her expression for what it meant but he waited for her to continue, she seemed to know where she was going in her train of thought, he could tell by her concentrated look. Taking a very deep breath, Stephanie leaned back over and placed her drink down, looking solidly at the boy in front of her.
"I think...I'm going to break up with him." She said and Damian almost choked on air. Placing his mug down, he raised an eyebrow.
"Are you? Why?"
"I think I loved him for all of the wrong reasons..."she confessed, but her voice trembled. "He saved me from...this." Damian followed her gaze around the room. "And he was a lot nicer than Clyde ever was to me. He supported me when no one else would, I latched onto that." She paused, her tongue running slowly over her bottom lip. "I do love him, in a way I will always love him...but..."
Her lidded eyes looked up at him and a feeling washed over Damian, one that he had yet to ever feel in his life. He wanted to hold onto her, he wanted to kiss her, but it was not lust that drove him. He wanted to show her that he supported her, that he would be there for her. He wanted to make her feel safe.
This girl had gone from being an absolute nuisance, to a tolerable friend, to a sex buddy, to someone Damian literally never wanted to be apart from, and although he could not identify exactly what he felt for her he knew that it was unlike anything he felt towards anyone else, and he knew it was something very real.
"But..?" he said in a whisper, urging her to continue. She didn't, and instead leaned forward into him, pressing her lips to his lightly. As if her body was magnetic, his arms wrapped around her and held her to him.
Their kiss was slow, and careful. It was not rough, it was not hungry. They had missed one another and were glad to be back together, that was it. That was where the kiss stemmed from.
Crawling on top of his lap, Stephanie's hands clung to the back of his head like she were afraid that he would disappear. His hands slid down her back, running over the round of her backside, down the length of her legs and up again, bringing with them her shirt. They parted for a moment while he brought the fabric over her head, she lifted her arms, allowing him toss it to the floor to join the rest of the mess.
Looking down at the red dress shirt he was wearing, her fingers fumbled slowly at the buttons, his green eyes watching her the whole time through thick dark lashes. Once she had reached the last button she returned to his lips, her hands pushing the shirt from his shoulders. He held her even tighter, taking in the feeling of her bare chest against his. He had missed the sensation, he had missed the sex, but he missed her so much more. Despite the dingy apartment they were in, despite the fact that his father thought he was doing something wrong, despite everything, he was where he needed to be. He knew it.
Their sex that night was different than it had ever been. They took things slow; they took the time to truly feel one another, to show what they meant to one another, and afterwards, when they had brought each other to finish, they fell asleep in each other's arms. For the first time in his life, Damian's sleep was sound.