"Thank you for fucking it up,
Thank you for cutting it off
You're nothing but a bullet that I dodged
Thank you for fucking me up,
But it was worth all it cost
'Cause I found myself in all the blood I lost"
~ PVRIS, "Thank You (feat. RAYE)"
Chapter 36: Check, Check, and Checkmate
For as long as he could remember, he'd known the color red very well.
He had seen it numerous times, on his hands, reflecting off a blade, spilling across concrete and dripping between cracks in the pavement. The smell... that recognizable, metallic scent that he'd breathed in countless times, it hardly ever made him blink an eye. His life, over the course of so many years, had required his relentless skill in painting with that color red. Be it for his grandfather, his mother, for the suit that hung in a glass case and taunted him silently every night — Damian had always seen the world in blood red.
So it was nothing to him, the way his knuckles were smeared in it with its stench spoiling the air. Every swing lacked any ounce of thought or emotion. He was alone in his pure instinct fueled by a raw sense of greed... a hunger for bloodshed he hadn't wholly felt in so long because he'd worked to control it, turn it into something that felt more like justice.
But in these moments, Damian knew nothing of justice or control. He only knew the color red and the intoxicating taste of vengeance.
He didn't hear her shouting his name. Everything in him was focused on the bloody face below him, driving each fist with pent-up animosity that was so palpable, so out-of-control. Small but strong hands grabbed at his arm and shoulder, yanking him backwards and away. Damian found himself looking into a pair of widened, hazel eyes that were filled with alarm as they took in the group of teens lying unconscious on the ground.
Breathing heavily, he slowly came back to his senses, realizing that Jess was standing before him and staring at Kade nearby, whose face was a horrid, bloody mess. The blond was unmoving, having stopped fighting back… seconds ago? Minutes? Damian was unsure how long it had been since he'd given up.
"What… w-what did you do?"
The look she gave him was of visible shock, her words a trembling whisper. Unable to find his own voice, he only stood there, watching her eyes fall to his hands — without looking at them, he knew exactly what they looked like. His knuckles throbbed, a dull pain he'd experienced too many times to be bothered by it, and his entire body was warm with the outrage that had driven him here.
"Jesus, Damian. What did you—what did you do?" Jess demanded louder this time in a voice that cracked. She knelt over Kade, shaking hands feeling around his face and neck as if to check if he was alive.
Clamping his mouth shut from labored breaths, Damian stood his ground as she turned to him with fresh frustration written across her face.
"Damian, what the hell did you do?"
There was no answer coming to his lips. What could he say?
"Goddamnit, what did you do?" She was on her feet in the blink of an eye, hands shoving at him with emphasis.
Damian barely budged. Silently meeting her bewildered gaze, he was falling from his adrenaline high.
I gave him what he deserved… again, he longed to say.
The words still wouldn't leave his mouth.
With staggered breaths, Jess looked from Kade to Damian and ordered, "You… you need to leave."
Before he could even begin putting together an appropriate response, she was stepping away from him and towards the unconscious blond. Pain tightened in his chest at the sight of her turning her attention back to him.
Impulsively, Damian reached for her shoulder. Perhaps he could say or do something; the desire to do so was merely a visceral response to her distress. It wasn't right, the state that she was in. He had to fix it.
"I said you need to leave!"
As soon as his fingers touched her, she was spinning to face him with a fiery gaze — and the balled fists at her sides were now glowing with a strange blackness. Dark, grayish clouds or some kind of aura emanated from them. He had never seen such a display of power from her before.
She hadn't either. Chest moving with shaky breaths, Jess slowly lifted her hands and stared at them with wide eyes. The aura seemed to be… alive, pulsing and emitting from her trembling fingers.
Damian regained his bearings first. He took a tentative step in her direction, heart plummeting into his gut when she moved away. The darkness was fading as she lowered her hands and met his concerned gaze. Silence befell them, thick and uncomfortable in the air.
Eventually, his feet were moving on their own accord, stepping backwards for a few strides until he turned around and walked away.
Two hours earlier
"Are you certain you still want to go to this nightclub with your friends?"
Jess followed him from the hallway to his bedroom. "I am. I was worried I'd be exhausted after the game, but I'm actually pretty energized. Must be because of all that adrenaline," she said with a grin.
The small bandage taped across his friend's cheekbone was the result of the fight that had broken out during her hockey game. He was still in mild disbelief that his friend had gotten herself into a fight during her first game of the season and managed to earn an injury from it.
He strode over to his closet, intent on finding an appropriate outfit for their upcoming activities.
"I'm glad you're coming."
"Only because you were very adamant about my attendance."
"And I appreciate you agreeing." He could tell by her voice that she was following him into the closet. "But I'm a little surprised you're okay with us wanting to sneak in."
"I couldn't care less what your other friends do in their spare time," Damian admitted, taking a crisp, black blazer from where it hung. "Although I must say this is a considerably better option compared to what you were doing before."
He glanced over where she stood against the doorframe, taking in her knowing smile.
She told him, "Don't worry. I don't plan on getting blackout drunk or anything."
"Consider that another reason I decided to accompany you."
"Hey!"
Refraining from rolling his eyes, Damian answered, "There is a possibility you will change your mind…" He exited the closet and headed for his dresser. "Or forget to watch your drink."
"Okay, that's fair."
There were two folded turtlenecks in his hands that he held out to her, both a similar shade of gray. He watched her hazel gaze flicker between them as waited for her to choose one.
"What's the difference?"
He quirked a brow. "This one is merino wool, the other is cashmere."
"All I hear is 'expensive' and 'expensive,'" Jess said distractedly as she moved to peek into his drawer. "I know you have color, Dami."
At the sight of her reaching to retrieve something, he felt the urge to protest but didn't. His friend, with an air of decisiveness, flitted from the dresser and back to the walk-in closet.
"Your black ones are always nice, but—" her voice faded in and out as she entered and then returned with a dark crimson blazer in hand, "—we're going to a club, not a business meeting or black-tie event."
Damian eyed the blazer and black turtleneck that she handed him. He couldn't find it in himself to form an objection, especially when the smile she gave was an encouraging one.
"You look nice in red."
Soon she was crossing his room to leave, informing him that she was going to take a shower and get dressed. Her words echoed in his head as he mulled over his options. Ultimately, the former assassin was donning the combination Jess had chosen because she was right. Red did look quite nice on him.
Damian was on his way to check on her over thirty minutes later when she suddenly stepped out into the hallway, and her brows raised upon seeing him.
"See, the red was a good choice! Oh, by the way, I was gonna ask if you have bandages or anything to swap out this one."
His answer was stuck in his throat.
The last time Jess's appearance had fostered an unusual response from him had been on the night of Halloween. Similarly to then, he took her in with a quick, analytic glance: his gaze first saw the high, smooth ponytail then wandered down to the soft pink across her cheeks, a shade that nearly replicated her natural blush color. The sharp, v-shaped neckline of her blouse drew Damian's eyes — almost as strongly as the sparkling mini skirt that hugged her hips and flowed seamlessly into bare legs. Pointed stilettos nearly brought her to his height as she came to a stop before him.
It had meant to be an observational glance… yet he was finding the simple task of maintaining eye contact to be challenging. She didn't seem to notice that he hadn't yet answered, her enthused gaze waiting patiently.
"Wait for me," he managed to speak before brushing past her.
Damian was unsteady once more.
"Ow! That hurts, you know."
"Well, it needs to be cleaned."
"Yeah, yeah. It'd just be a lot easier if I healed it myself."
"No one is stopping you."
"No one except every single person who doesn't know I'm a meta-human. You know I don't want people to know, so I can't just have it magically disappear, unfortunately."
Damian tossed the dirty washcloth dotted with blood on the other side of the sink. From where she sat on the bathroom counter, Jess watched as he dried his hands on another hand towel, waiting patiently as she swung her heels to and fro. The wound that sat right on her cheekbone was nothing too concerning to him, but it was enough to warrant his own medical skills and care. As she'd said, she was unable to take care of it herself without people wondering where the bloody gash had gone, but thankfully, it seemed to be healing fine for the moment and would likely be gone in a week at most.
"Sit still," he demanded, and she immediately froze, looking straight ahead as he stepped closer to examine the half-inch-long split in her skin.
Satisfied that it was clean, he reached for the ointment and cotton swab beside her. "This may sting a little," he warned.
"Great."
As expected, her face contorted with discomfort while she sucked in a breath. Damian worked quickly and efficiently to coat the wound in a thin layer, brows knitted together in concentration.
"Have you learned your lesson then?"
"What, to not get into fights? May I remind you she started it?"
"So you are telling me this won't be the first time I treat your injuries."
Jess snorted, her eyes roaming his face as he proceeded to examine her skin more thoroughly. "What am I supposed to do? Just stand there and take it? This is just a one-off anyway. It was just my luck that she managed to rip my helmet off."
"I simply dislike seeing you hurt," he replied without thinking.
He could feel her gaze still on him while he put together the bandage that would cover the wound. It sent flutters through him — no, more like small licks of fire — and then Damian was suddenly and incredibly conscious of their closeness. Trying to refocus himself, he laid his concentrated stare on the area below her left eye, fingers gently applying the gauze and medical tape.
It wasn't until he had thrown the packaging into the trash and turned around that she responded. "I totally get that, but I promise I'm fine. It's not that bad. I've definitely had worse."
He had never looked up her medical records from the car accident, though he knew it had been enough to send her to the hospital... and kill her parents. The thought had his chest restricting uncomfortably; he could only imagine how he'd feel to see her in such a condition.
And I hope that is the worst you will ever have to experience.
"How does it feel?"
Scrunching her nose, Jess reached up and touched the bandage. "It's a little tight or something. Maybe it's the tape."
Leaning forward, Damian further scrutinized it and carefully peeled back the corner to readjust it. He used his thumb to gently rub over it, and that was when his eyes flickered from the tape to her hazel irises. They were trained on him as if she'd been watching him the whole time.
One look and he was exposed, everything in him and on his mind laying bare-faced for her to see.
Fingers still on her cheek, he was unable to break the eye contact. The mixes of light green and warm brown seemed to be pulling him in against the little resistance he was putting up.
Had her eyes always been so… captivating?
She was tapping between his brows all of a sudden with her index finger. "Earth to Dami. What're you thinking so hard about?"
Her words barely registered to him; he could hardly process the fact that she was even speaking when all he noticed was her touch, smile… and lavender. She always smelled like musky, light lavender. The only word that had managed to make it through was his name in spite of it being his idiotic nickname.
He watched the corners of her mouth fall slightly as her grin faltered, perhaps at the realization that he wasn't entirely there with her.
"What's wrong?"
Now it was Jess's turn to crease her brows. Hand falling from his face, she glanced sideways at the fingers that were still hovering near the bandage.
"Damian."
Something about the way she said those three syllables sparked the previous flame, spreading warmth through his chest first and then the rest of his body.
He wanted to hear her say his name again.
"Um... Damian? Hello?"
It was magnetic, the way Damian's gaze fell to her lips, though that wasn't the only thing his body was doing without conscience. His thumb, still at her face, was running from her temple down to her cheekbone, the delicate skin-on-skin contact stirring an eagerness in him. She was still staring at him, confused. He couldn't read what was filling those hazel irises — all he knew was that there was a desire growing from deep within, one he was unable to fight.
Her voice was still quiet when she said his name one more time.
It felt like a key turning in a lock, perhaps a switch being flipped.
He kissed her, his hand slipping behind her head to bring her face to his. Jess's lips were surprisingly cool, but the contact itself was warm, a soft light that enveloped him as he felt her finally respond to him. She leaned in towards him, one hand finding the back of his neck and the other touching his face—
"Damian."
The abrupt, loud snap of her fingers before his eyes yanked Damian from his dense, vivid thoughts, his imagination that had evidently run wild. Jess was still scrutinizing him with raised brows. He blinked and stepped away, suddenly flustered.
"Um, are you okay? You zoned out for quite a while there," she said tentatively.
As nonchalantly as his troubled nerves would allow, he averted his gaze and grabbed the leftover trash beside her to throw away.
"I'm fine. I was preoccupied."
"Yeah... That was probably the most distracted I've ever seen you," she commented while hopping down from the counter with clicks from her heels. "I said your name, like, four times."
"I've had many things on my mind lately," was all Damian could say.
All that was currently on his mind was the fictitious outcome of a desire that he hadn't acted on.
Despite scrambling for stability, Damian looked over to see the corner of his friend's mouth lifted in a soft grin. It matched the sparkle in her eyes and of her skirt.
"Then let's hurry up and get your mind off those things. I don't want to be late."
He should have made a remark about his punctuality, how he was never late, but Damian could only watch her leave the bathroom while remnants of a deep craving settled in him. A craving, yes, unexpected and forceful enough to shatter everything he thought he'd felt about his best friend.
Sometimes high school was just plain stupid.
Maybe it was just the experience of hormones, trying to "find" oneself, wanting to grow up as fast as possible, understand love and friendship, etc... But at the end of the day, the very source of petty drama and outrageous rumors was the high schooler — the teenager — alone.
Misty let out a long sigh.
None of that stuff manifested out of nowhere. There was always someone yearning to pick a fight, jealous of a friendship, seeking popularity like it mattered beyond school walls. Her dear friend Jess, for example, had fallen for a guy that turned out to be a lot more toxic and, well, just more of an asshole, than either of them had expected, and that had led to ridiculous rumors and then a broken nose (and a broken heart).
It was more of an adventure and a deep dive into the stereotypical high school experience than Misty had ever wanted to live through, and Jess herself couldn't even believe it.
"My life was a lot less interesting back in Central City," she'd said the other day after mentioning how their peers were still talking about her.
But as a result of all the unwanted attention and drama, the two teens had learned to navigate their lives at Gotham Academy a little differently. One of those changes was the fact that they were approaching a small club downtown, a popular establishment for young adults that "forgot" to check identification.
Misty had gathered a pretty small group of friends — ones that weren't stupid enough to believe the rumors were true — to check it out over the weekend, and her circle included Jess, Quinn and Zach, and, after some convincing, the nose-breaker himself.
This club was the kind that required flashy attire: short skirts or dresses, casual dress shirts and blazers. That meant Misty, having dug out a metallic, gray dress from the back of her closet, and Jess were treading Gotham's frosted ground and chilly air in heels and some amount of exposed skin… Damian Wayne had shown up in a predictable turtleneck and casual blazer.
Predictable as it was, his outfit emphasized other adjectives like "rich" and "attractive" and "will-possibly-break-your-nose."
Suffice it to say, Misty was hardly surprised the young man had gone out of his way to put knuckles right in Kade's face. In all her years at the academy, she'd never seen such a thing; she'd always heard about the few altercations that happened now and then but never one that someone had recorded. Plus, it just made sense that Damian was the kind of guy who probably solved things with his fists.
All one had to do was pay attention long enough to see it.
"Jonah said he got us on the list yesterday, so we shouldn't have a problem getting in."
They fell into the line trickling out from the club's street entrance. There was a man in a suit checking names off a clipboard and ushering teens and young adults inside where colored lights were flashing and electro-pop music blasted.
"I have high hopes for this, Misty," Jess replied from where she stood, shivering in the cold as she clung to Damian's arm.
"So do I."
Though she wasn't going to say it aloud, she knew her friend would echo her sentiment that Kade's parties were no longer an option for fun and entertainment. There were other kids who hosted parties, sure, but Misty had figured it was time to try sparkling wine and club attire instead of plastic cups and someone's personal playlist.
"Maybe we should've called earlier to make sure Jonah did it," Quinn said from the back of their small group as they moved up in the line. "You know how unreliable he is."
"If we don't get in, I'll call him and tell him he can't cheat off my calculus homework anymore."
The suited man scanning his list and then shaking his head at her name had Misty's heart dropping. That dumb-ass, she thought, picturing Jonah Newman's face.
She politely asked him to check again, but to no avail.
Quinn and Zach, the twins that they were, gave frustrated eye-rolls in unison. Misty stuck her hand in her crossbody bag, intent on giving Jonah a few choice words, when she felt someone breeze past her.
Damian was asking if he could speak with the owner, causing the teen to wrinkle her brows in confusion. What was he doing? The man said something in return, and the group of teens watched as Damian made his way towards a well-dressed man, possibly in his late twenties, that was standing near the entrance. His gaze, sweeping over the scene as if he was studying the club's operations, soon landed on Damian.
A few words and a handshake later, the club owner was gesturing at the man with the clipboard.
"You may enter," he said, reaching for the velvet rope that had been barring their entry.
Misty and Jess glanced at one another, sharing a confused expression.
"Did he just…?" Zach was asking from behind.
Jess made a sound of disbelief and headed inside towards Damian, who was waiting patiently with his hands behind his back — and a smug glint in the green eyes that were on her.
"He sure did," Misty said before shaking her head and following suit.
As expected, not a soul questioned the teens' presence. Their night started off trouble-free, alternating between pretty drinks at the circular booth they'd claimed and getting lost among sweaty bodies on the dance floor. This definitely wasn't the same experience as a house party, but Misty couldn't bring herself to complain, not even when other kids from school showed up eventually. It might as well have been some kind of high school reunion with the way their peers joined their booth to mingle or pull each other away to the bar or to dance.
But no one ever managed to separate Jess and Damian. A couple of teenage girls and young women had approached him, possibly to flirt or ask him to dance, Misty wasn't sure — all she did know was that they always walked away with looks of disappointment or even embarrassment when he said something in return. (Now that she thought about it, he never really looked at them, probably because he was barely interested.)
"Is your friend in the red single?" one shouted over the music to her at one point. She was quite pretty with a mane of blonde hair and a form-fitting, black cocktail dress. "Or is that his girlfriend?"
Misty followed the young woman's gaze to where Damian was standing at the wall, leaning down to hear whatever Jess was telling him in his ear. Even if he wasn't saying something in return with a smirk and she wasn't laughing and shoving his arm as if to scold him, Misty could see how anyone would assume they were a thing. Those two were usually always within arm's reach... and if she hadn't been sober so far, maybe she wouldn't have caught the young Wayne looking at Jess several times throughout the night.
The blonde woman was still watching them with interest.
Poor girl.
"Yes, he's taken. I'm sorry!" Misty told her with an apologetic grin.
It would have been too complicated to try and explain her friend's blindness to Damian's lingering gazes or how they were just friends but their friendship was obviously changing… at least on one end. Lying about his relationship status was a lot simpler — plus, it would save the intrigued girls from humiliation when he rejected them.
And to think Misty had seen this coming from miles away and months ago.
"What the hell is he doing here?"
Jess's voice at her shoulder snapped Misty from her thoughts. Her darkened, hazel-colored gaze was at the door where a familiar blond and several of his friends were passing through. He was sporting a casual button-up and none other than Olivia, his "friend," on his arm.
Oh, great.
Sighing and taking a sip from her virgin cocktail, Misty shrugged. "Word about this place was spreading fast at school these past few weeks. They must've decided to check it out, too… on the same night as us, of all weekends."
Her friend said nothing, turning to find Damian. She watched as his expression shifted from aloofness to something alert and grim as Jess spoke into his ear; his eyes strayed into the crowd — to find Kade, Misty guessed — but then Jess's hand was grasping his, like she wanted to keep him from walking off. She must've been warning him because Damian was glancing down at her, the determination on his face softening under the colorful, flashing lights.
Geez, they looked far too serious in an atmosphere like this.
Jess was at her side again. "I don't wanna leave just because he's here," she told Misty. "I'm gonna go to the bar."
And then she was gone, pulling Damian into the boisterous crowd, attached at the hips like the platonic lovers they were. But of course, he had gazes of attraction following him — as if he wasn't holding hands with the only girl who had his attention in the entire club. All Misty did was stand there, shaking her head and downing the rest of her drink.
She should've known he would eventually try to talk to her for, well, any of the number of reasons she could dream up. Deep down, since that awful night, Jess had half-expected him to approach her, whether to say he wanted to make amends, to be angry about what Damian had done, whatever it might be. Weeks later, she and Kade still hadn't spoken, continuing to avoid one another at school with averted gazes and pretending the other didn't exist.
Would she have ever reached out to him on her own? Jess would've liked to think she wouldn't… but that wasn't to say she'd wondered about it and considered it, only because a part of her demanded answers. Why had he felt so strongly and illogically about her friendship with Damian? How could he be so unbelievably mean when it came to prioritizing her and their relationship? On top of that, had he ever taken a step back to reevaluate what his behavior and stardust might've been doing to them?
And did he really think so low of her and her "baggage"?
To say the least, it had taken much of Jess's mental and emotional strength to come to terms with the high likelihood that she would never get those answers. "Tolerance of uncertainty," her therapist had called it. Despite how ignorant she'd been before, she realized now that allowing herself to go searching for those answers would only put her back on the doorstep of the person who would most likely hurt her all over again.
Seeing him in the hallway when she exited the restroom had her heart leaping into her throat. He was walking towards her as if on his way to the men's, so there was no mistaking that he'd seen her by the change in his blue-gray irises. She quickly contemplated her options between walking past him or going back inside the restroom — but he was already slowly approaching.
"Believe it or not," he began in a voice just loud enough to carry over the music, "I was convinced a few weeks ago that I wanted to fix things with you… even after Wayne came for me the way he did."
Jess didn't say a word.
"Really pissed him off, didn't I?" The warmth of Kade's tone had dropped almost instantly as he shoved his hands into his pant pockets. Faint, purplish bruising that tainted his tanned skin indicated the injury was healing.
She inhaled deeply, finally looking up at him. "I didn't ask him to break your nose."
But as I'm standing here, I'm glad he did.
"And the rumors about threesomes and you cheating behind my back?"
"What, you think I started those?" Jess scoffed derisively and shook her head.
But of course he would somehow think she was behind all those lies. Even if there was no reason she'd willingly put sensitive, intimate information like that out there, he still wanted to find someone to blame. Naturally, his first choice was Jess.
Kade didn't respond immediately, examining her carefully with hardened, icy eyes. "Control your guard dog," was all he said.
Days ago, she would have assumed a part of her might actually want to repair things with him. Maybe a voice in the back of her head would've wanted to hug him, to ask if there was some way they could be better, to give in to her feelings… But all Jess could feel as she stood there was frustration and even defensiveness, the same emotions he'd made her feel numerous times in their short relationship.
"We could've had it so good, you know that, Jess?" he was suddenly saying.
"No, actually, I don't know that. Is this some twisted way of saying sorry?"
Gray-blue irises glimmered briefly. "Who knows? Maybe I am."
She rolled her eyes, annoyance flaring under her skin. "Save your breath, Kade. You don't even know what you'd be sorry for."
Kade's hand reached out as she tried to sidestep him — his sudden grip sent hot, uncomfortable anger through her forearm.
"Did you piss him off, too?"
The cut on her cheekbone burned beneath his intrigued stare. Yanking her arm back, she threatened, "Don't you dare touch me or I will break something other than your nose."
"Jess—"
Her eyes burned with warning, and he stepped back once.
With that, she moved around him and walked off as quickly as her heels could carry her. Jess could feel his gaze on her back, but she kept going; with every step, the flashing club lights grew blurry in her vision, and she found it harder and harder to breathe.
"Noor."
The four teenagers standing near the back of the building turned to see Damian approaching. From where Misty stood, they simultaneously shared a wary expression that she honestly couldn't blame them for.
He stopped several feet away. "A word?" he seemed to ask respectfully (as respectfully as Damian Wayne could).
Kade stared at him for a long moment before saying, "How about two? 'Fuck' and 'off.'"
Beside him, Peter was biting back a laugh but Damian looked unbothered with a gaze that scanned over the boys.
A minute ago, Misty had caught Kade and his friends slipping out the club's side door… and then Damian's red blazer shortly after. Since Jess had disappeared with Quinn and another girl from school, the teen had made the impulsive decision to go check outside on her own.
She wasn't sure she'd made the right choice.
"You seem more comfortable with your miscreant friends at your side," Damian was saying coolly, "so I'll allow you this accommodation. Perhaps it will encourage you to be honest in telling me why you clearly cannot follow simple instructions."
Misty's hands were getting clammy from where she stood pressed against the building. It sounded like Damian had somehow found out Kade had intercepted Jess earlier (an encounter that had still made her friend determined to stay despite his presence… and one that she was pretty sure Jess hadn't mentioned to Damian yet).
Oh, she had a bad feeling about this.
Kade said nothing as he took a gulp from his champagne glass, cold eyes on the young man waiting patiently for an answer.
"I saw you speaking with Jessica."
The blond scoffed and gestured with the glass. "So you followed me out here because you don't want an audience this time? Planning on taking your anger problems out on me again?"
"That depends entirely on how you respond."
A heavy tension visibly settled over the teens, prompting suspicious stares and the shifting of weight from one foot to the other. Damian didn't move; if anything, Misty thought he looked weirdly calm. Maybe he was nervous under that facade — she definitely was antsy herself just watching the confrontation.
With a sigh, Kade downed the rest of the champagne and handed the empty glass to Peter. He covered the distance separating him from Damian.
"You take it out on Jess, too?" he asked in a derisive tone. "I saw that bandage on her face."
Damian's fist clenched at his side.
"I suggest you tread very carefully with that accusation, Noor."
Kade's eyes flared with irritation. "I'm not even hiding it anymore. I never liked you, Wayne, not since you stuck your nose in our business this summer."
"The feeling is mutual."
Something in Misty pushed her to intervene, to step in, to say something, but she knew there was a small chance she'd even be able to wedge herself between the young men's obvious tension. The suspense was thick in the cold air as she watched Kade look Damian up and down… as if he was sizing him up.
"You know what I think might be the best thing to come out of this?" he asked in a tone that feigned curiosity.
Damian didn't seem to react, still unfazed by the small steps the other teens were taking towards him.
Kade smirked and tilted his head. "Revenge."
His fist was suddenly flying — but it swung into open air. Misty watched, open-mouthed, as the red-and-black blur that was Damian sped back and forth among the group of teens. One by one, they dropped to the ground with a hand to their face, keeling over from a blow to the stomach, staggering backwards after a kick to the chest.
"Oh, no," Misty breathed, blinking at the insane scene before her.
Seriously, guys? Seriously?
When she finally snapped to her senses, she turned away from Damian's elbow connecting with Peter's face and hurriedly made for the club's side door. After shoving past a few bodies and a desperate scan of the crowd, the teen found the brunette she was looking for. Jess made for a punch the moment Misty's hand clasped her arm — geez, she was jumpy, wasn't she? — but her fist lowered once she saw the expression on her face.
"Jess, it's Damian," she shouted over the music and gesturing to where she'd entered. "And Kade."
Her friend was gone in an instant, the sparkle of her skirt disappearing towards the door. Trying to calm her rapid heart rate, Misty headed for Quinn and Zach nearby who were looking after Jess in confusion.
She made it back outside a minute later, just in time to see Jess standing from where she'd knelt over Kade. A quick glance around told her that Damian was gone. Misty slowly approached what looked a lot like four, beat-up, teenage boys on the cold ground, all of them seemingly unconscious. She gave a sharp intake of breath at the blood smeared across Kade's face and the swelling of his eye.
"What the hell?" she muttered slowly, gaze flickering between the teens.
Jess said nothing, meeting her friend's eyes with a stony expression. Her fingers were tainted with blood; the entire sight was making Misty's stomach uneasy.
A groan caught their attention. One of the teens, Anton, was pushing himself up off the ground… or trying to. He was wincing while Jess walked over and leaned down towards him. If the disheveled collar and busted, bleeding lip didn't indicate he'd easily gotten his ass beaten, Misty didn't know what did.
"Hey, are you okay?" Jess was asking as he managed to sit up.
Anton's dark eyes narrowed at her.
"Why do you care?" He spat on the ground before looking around at his friends out cold.
A curse word escaped from him as Jess stopped at Misty's side. They exchanged a glance then watched as Anton attempted to shake Peter, who was slouched against a dumpster.
"He really outdid himself this time," Misty commented quietly.
Her friend looked tired all of a sudden as she looked down at her hands and then gestured toward the street. "Yeah, I'll probably yell at him later or something, I don't know. Do you mind taking me home?"
"Sure thing. Let's go grab the twins."
Present day
"Are you absolutely sure about this?"
Jess stared out the window, taking care to breathe evenly and calm her galloping heart. She could feel Misty's eyes on her from the driver's seat.
"Only about eighty percent, but it's enough."
Her friend sighed. "I could talk to him myself, you know, be the messenger—"
"No, he wouldn't listen to you." Determined, hazel eyes looked over and met dark ones that were filled with concern. "Just give me a few minutes."
Before the other girl could say anything else, Jess was out of the car and heading up the driveway. It took two pushes on the doorbell button, but soon the familiar, gray-blue eyes were staring at her from inside the front door and then narrowing. Her gaze traveled from his irritated glare to the half-healed cut on his temple and faded bruising around his eye; it was obvious he'd been in a fistfight, but he still looked considerably better than he had the other night.
Kade was closing the door just as her hand shot out and stopped it.
"Five minutes. That's all I need," she told him.
He looked like he wanted to protest, maybe give her an ultimatum, slam the door in her face… but then he sighed and stepped away to let her in. The brunette had to fight the urge to glance back at Misty who was idling and (probably anxiously) waiting nearby.
Remaining near the closed door and crossing her arms, Jess readied herself for a conversation that could go sideways. "I need to know you're not going to tell anyone about what happened."
"You talking about the first time Wayne punched me in the face?" Kade asked in a tone dripping in sarcasm and acidity. "'Cause everyone knows about that. Or… do you mean the second time?"
"You went out of your way to talk to me—"
"Oh, come on, Jess. The guy is fucking unhinged for no reason, and you know it."
"Takes one to know one then, huh?"
His cold gaze narrowed.
Unpleasant memories greeted her without warning, ghostly touches of his fingers around her jaw and elbow making her breath unsteady as she stood there.
Steeling herself, Jess told him, "All you have to do is promise me that you'll leave me and Damian alone and forget that the other night happened." A scowl crossed his face, but before he could say anything, she added, "In return, we won't bother you anymore either."
With a bitter laugh that matched his eyes, he looked her up and down. "Seriously?"
She'd expected this reaction.
Instead of responding, the brunette stuck her hand in her pocket and retrieved something that immediately changed the expression on his face. His eyes lingered on the tiny crystals that sparkled in the small bag as his humorless smile faltered.
She didn't have to say anything. By the way he was swallowing and splitting a gaze between her and the bag of stardust that hung from her fingertips, Jess could see that he understood exactly what she was offering… and if she knew him well enough, it would seal the deal.
You always needed it more than you wanted me.
"Why would I do that?" Kade was asking, straightening up where he stood — like he was trying to play off the reaction that the stardust had roused. "Are you afraid people will find out that Wayne is psychotic? That I could press charges if I wanted to?"
She'd seen this coming, too.
Jess stepped forward, unblinking as she stared him down. "You could press charges, sure. Your three other friends that Damian beat down could press charges, too.
"But I don't think you will, Kade… because that means telling people you got your ass handed to you not once but twice," she taunted slowly, earning a flash of irritation in his eyes. "And it seems even more embarrassing the second time around, considering your friends couldn't even make a difference."
They stood in pressing silence for a while; the struggle to come to a decision was visible in his tense posture. His gray-blue irises kept landing on the bag then flickering back to her face that only held a patient expression. It didn't take much to know that his addiction to the drug was probably the loudest voice in his head right now; Jess herself had felt something, a small inkling of yearning when gazing at the glittering substance.
But she had higher priorities than a faint, lingering affinity that she had spent months working to overcome.
"How am I supposed to know you'll do what you say?"
Jess shrugged. "I could ask the same about you if we're being honest."
Another beat of silence, then:
"Fine," he finally said with obvious reluctance. His cold gaze drilled into her as he confirmed, "I won't tell anyone about what happened… and I'll leave you two alone."
"And my guard dog won't beat you and your friends up anymore," she couldn't help mocking before tossing the bag to him.
Jess turned and reached for the door handle, barely breathing a sigh of relief, when he spoke up again. "Just know that if anything changes, I won't have a problem with feeding in on the good ol' high-school rumor mill."
She just stood there, dropping her hand but keeping her back turned towards him. Kade must've taken her silence as a prompt to continue; the hairs on the back of her neck rose as she felt him step closer and closer.
"I was going to try and tell everyone all those rumors aren't true, but after all this bullshit… Seems easy enough to slip someone a white lie and see it where it goes."
He didn't have to explain for her to understand. Jess could imagine, as she stood there with uncomfortable chills crawling up her back, the multiple ways in which he could try and make himself look like the victim. Maybe he'd run with the lie that she'd cheated on him with Damian so their peers would look down on her.
All Kade had to do was stir the pot some more, tell someone about Damian going after him and his friends a second time and emphasize the idea that her best friend was, well, violent. It was true that Damian had gone to such lengths to prove a point and get revenge, or whatever the hell it was, but Jess knew she couldn't let something like that happen. It was bad enough that people were talking about the first incident — did they really need to deal with the sort of consequences or rumors that could come about from this second one?
Suddenly, she was just exhausted.
"You know what, Kade? Go ahead and say whatever you want." Jess turned around, meeting his eyes that narrowed at her response. She lowered her voice, allowing the short distance between them to carry her words.
"Go and run with the lies about threesomes or me being a cheater or something else entirely…"
She stared at him intensely and — injecting as much acidity and contempt as possible into her tone — warned quietly, "But I would just tell everyone that in bed, I always preferred Damian over you."
The anger in her veins was too hot and tangible for her to even enjoy the scornful look that took over his face. Glaring into his ice-cold eyes once more, Jess turned her back on him and walked out of the house for what was hopefully the very last time.
The only sound was the gentle rumbling of the Aston Martin as it idled at Burnley's edge. Though she was looking out the window and scanning the city lights glittering against a black canvas, she could feel his presence from the driver's seat — it was a vague nagging and tension that pushed her shoulder and knees away to the right.
"That was reckless, Jessica."
"You mean just like you knocking him and his friends out?"
There was a sharp exhale followed by "I had to."
Despite trying to remain turned away from him, Jess looked over and saw that he was staring heatedly out the windshield, carved jaw rigid with tension. "No, you didn't. I told him off when he came to talk to me. Nobody said you had to seek him out and—"
Green irises flashed at her instantly.
"I did," he barked. "I told him what would happen if he were to even glance in your direction again."
He had. She remembered the numerous recounts of that day from her peers, the threat Damian had made on video, the way Kade had boldly repeated his harmful words aloud.
"But confronting him in his home to make this 'deal' was extremely shortsighted—"
She was turning in her seat towards him, eyes blazing with frustration. "Well, I wouldn't have had to if it wasn't for what you did!"
That silenced him. She could feel the annoyance rolling off his body as he sat there, arms crossed stubbornly. Damian's acute glare was relentless, but she didn't buckle under it, not when the brunette herself was scowling right back.
"So breaking his nose the first time wasn't enough for you? Did you ever consider that you could get into more trouble going after him a second time? I mean, it was one thing that a ton of people saw you deck him in the middle of a party, but this time, you did way more damage."
"As you said earlier," he replied in an eerily calm voice, "I doubt Kade Noor is willing to tell anyone he was beaten not once but twice by me."
She searched his eyes, finding herself wanting to understand why he would go to such lengths to do something like this. Never before had anyone done such a thing for her, let alone something that involved violence. Was the breakup with Kade (and ignoring Damian's threat) something that warranted those kinds of reactions?
Damian turned to look out the windshield again. "Do you recall the day you revealed you were involved with Kade and the conversation that followed?"
Yes, she did.
"'If he hurts you, I hurt him,'" he recited with characteristic bluntness.
"Okay. You did," Jess sighed, "but not without consequences — I shouldn't have to tell you that. I went to Kade to make sure you're not gonna have GCPD knocking on your door or the press asking Bruce why his son is out getting into fistfights with teenagers."
He shook his head. "You were under no obligation to do that—"
"Would you stop with that?"
His green eyes followed her in silence as she abruptly pulled at the handle and exited the car. Gotham's night air was a cold slap in the face compared to the warmth they'd been sitting in. She heard his door open and felt him slowly make his way to her.
Their breaths fogged into small clouds, and Jess crossed her arms before facing him.
"Damian… you have to stop with this idea that you get to come running every single time I'm in trouble but I can't do anything for you in return. How is that fair?" She threw her hands up helplessly. "You break his nose because he hurt me? Fine, that's great. But when he had the audacity to talk to me, I took care of it myself, and you still had to find a reason to beat the shit out of him.
"So to save both our asses, I went to do whatever it would take to make sure he kept his mouth shut — yet all you care about is that I did it without you and without your approval."
She had to take a moment to breathe.
He seemed to contemplate her words for several moments before moving closer. "Jessica… I'm trying to protect you," Damian said quietly.
Her heart seemed to clench in her chest, maybe at his words, maybe at the short distance between them, maybe both. There was pressure behind her eyes, a slight urge to cry.
"And I'm trying to protect you."
Her response stirred something in his gaze.
"How did you manage to take all four of them on by yourself anyway?"
Damian's eyes flickered though his face remained stoic. "In Thailand, when I was young, I had the liberty of training in Muay Thai. It was only an extracurricular activity to occupy my free time… until now."
Well, that did explain why four-versus-one hadn't been an advantage for the teens.
"Muay Thai for fun… Geez," Jess scoffed lightly with a shake of her head.
"When you saw what I had done…" The hesitation was faint in his voice. "Did I frighten you?"
At first, she didn't quite understand what he was referring to, but then it came to her, bringing a touch of discomfort in her chest.
"No."
The single word wrinkled his brows.
"I think it was just my emotions getting to me," Jess confessed, managing to break eye contact, "like a defensive response to what I saw... or you not listening to me."
When she glanced back up at him, she spotted wariness in his eyes. "It's nothing to worry about," she tried to assure him. "It's not that you scared me. More like… I was surprised you had that in you."
It was true; she hadn't necessarily been afraid. Sure, the sight of Kade and his friends on the ground, beaten up, and Damian with bruised, reddened hands had sent her panicking, but the entire situation had just left her stunned. He'd gotten into it with Kade again in a way that was more extreme than the first time... and her powers must've manifested as a physical reaction to her emotions. Her alarm and frustration had peaked the moment she realized he wasn't leaving, she definitely remembered that.
But after witnessing that disaster, she'd worried that such a reaction meant something worse, like the possibility that she would have used her powers against him. Jess's intentions in those moments had never included hurting him, so why had her hands flared with darkness like that?
"He defied my threat. I acted to show him the consequence of doing so."
Jess tried reading his emerald green eyes that remained steadily on her. "Yeah… I kind of noticed."
All because you wanted to protect me.
"But how do you know he'll keep his word?" Damian asked then. "Promising to leave him alone seems like a weak offer."
Jess took a breath to ready herself.
"He couldn't refuse a stash."
"You—"
"I didn't get stardust from anyone," she cut him off quickly, knowing her answer would earn his disbelief. "It was his. I stole it that night at the club just to mess with him and make him go a little crazy thinking he lost it… then it came in handy."
He was scrutinizing her in his quiet frustration. "That's all?"
"I mean…" Her clearing her throat had Damian's brows raising. "I might've taunted him a little bit."
Could she tell him? Should she tell him? The thought alone already embarrassed her; Jess chewed the inside of her cheek, willing her heart to stop pounding so hard within her chest.
She took another steady breath as she moved to look out at Sprang River, recalling the bag of stardust she'd tossed into it months ago — at the moment, it seemed like it'd been years. It felt like her heart was beginning to lodge right in the middle of her chest where it didn't belong. Feeling Damian's eyes still on her, Jess found the courage to speak.
"People have been gossiping about that time you broke his nose. A bunch of my own classmates think that the reason you and Kade didn't like each other was because—" she cleared her throat again, "—I was either, um, cheating on him or all three of us were…"
Ugh.
Shaking her head dismissively, Jess went on, "He hinted that he'd try and use those rumors to his advantage or come up with something slanderous on his own…" Her attempt to sound nonchalant resulted in a shaky voice. "I may or may not have said that I would tell everyone I, uh, preferred you over him… in bed."
The silence that followed was quick but heavy. The blood thumped in her ears, and suddenly her hands were clammy. She hadn't looked at him since the beginning of her explanation; nervousness had her wanting to keep it that way.
Saying the words aloud had her face flushing with heat, too, and she could only imagine how pink she looked… which made things even worse because he would obviously see it.
The teen eventually forced herself to look up at him. Damian's eyes were on her, but the wrinkles between his brows had faded a little. In fact, as soon as they made eye contact, something changed in his darkened, green irises — he shoved his gloved hands into his top coat pockets, gaze lowering to the frosted ground… but not before giving her what Jess thought was a once-over.
"That is clever," was his response.
With a hitch in his tone, so slight Jess wondered if she'd imagined it.
Trying to ignore the incoming wave of fresh embarrassment, she started spinning her ring and scrambled for a change in subject.
"Look... I just want all of this to be over. I don't want to think about or deal with Kade anymore. Can we please agree to just move on from all this?"
Damian remained silent for a few moments before saying, "As long as he keeps his word and—"
"He's going to," Jess contended. "But if for some dumb reason he doesn't… Well, I guess we'll cross that bridge when we get there."
It might not have been as obvious to anyone else, but she could sense his hesitation. Even though he was easily holding her gaze, she knew better than to think Damian would be willingly pulled away from the overly-complicated situation that was the remnants of her relationship with Kade.
"You really don't have to fight other people on my behalf, Damian," she then emphasized softly. "Not once, and especially not twice."
He disagreed. She could see it in the way he was looking at her.
"I won't be making a mistake like Kade again."
She had to look away — it felt like his piercing gaze was seeing right through her smile, reading the sadness that matched the tone of her voice. Kade had been a mistake for sure, and as much as she wished she simply hadn't pursued anything with him, Jess just needed to learn from it and move on. At this point, she knew her judgment of character had really slipped with him and that she had to be more careful next time... whenever that was and with whomever.
"Do you know what a 'cross-check' is in chess?" he asked.
She shook her head, prompting him to go on, "Well, I presume you're at least familiar with a check — when a player's king is attacked or under threat of capture. A cross-check is a strategy in which a player counters or responds to a check by making a move that delivers a check to their opponent."
Huh?
He rolled his eyes at her puzzled look.
"You were put in check due to the possibility that Kade would retaliate after what I did to him. In response, you played your own check and evaded the original check by convincing him not to do or say anything for multiple reasons, including but not limited to public embarrassment and protecting his ego."
It wasn't like Jess had gone searching up bargaining tactics or chess moves, but the fact that Damian had made the connection was fascinating. She'd just considered it a (desperate) attempt at damage control and putting a cap on the entire situation before things got worse than they already were.
"I thought you said I shouldn't have done it," she wondered aloud, eyeing her friend.
Damian looked away for a moment before meeting her gaze again. "While I wish you hadn't gone out of your way to speak with him again, I do understand why you did," he admitted. "And I can appreciate an ingenious play when I see one."
"Hmm," Jess mused with interest. "Well…" Walking back to the passenger door, she continued, "Let's just hope I don't have to use chess moves on anyone again because I didn't enjoy it. I would rather cross-check in a hockey game — and that's a penalty."
He didn't respond until they were both in the car again. "I'm sorry, Jessica.''
Jess turned to see her friend regarding her with a look that was remorseful, even a bit… sad?
"Please don't put me in a position like that again," she managed to respond after a thoughtful moment.
Her words were soft but weighed down with exhaustion. She could almost see them sinking into her friend as he gazed at her… and the moment they settled was marked by his hand clasping hers with a gentle squeeze.
There had been a flaw in Jess's plan.
Granted her jump into action had been a sheer product of quick thinking and initiative, but Damian had soon realized that something was missing: a final move that would guarantee a victor and a loser. It wasn't enough that his friend had put Kade Noor into check — she should have made one more step and secured it before he realized he may still have a winning chance.
If there was anything at all that suggested he possessed even a hint of dedication, it was refusing to leave a job unfinished. And with the opportunity dangling before him and the so-called game incomplete, Damian Wayne was not going to be the one defeated.
Crouched upon a roof in northern Gotham, Robin looked down at the quiet street below. Darkness had fallen hours ago, and soft snowflakes were drifting in the air and melting immediately upon contact. It wasn't quite cold enough for the snow to stick, but it wouldn't have bothered him anyway. His focus was trained on the blond teenager who was now leaving a convenience store and crossing the road to his car.
On cue, a man emerged from the shadows nearby, sneaking up behind him as he fumbled around in his jacket for his keys. Robin watched as Jason (without his red helmet in sight) had Kade's face pressed against his car door with a handgun hovering at his head.
"Make any sudden moves or try to scream for help and your brain gets all over this nice car of yours," he heard him say.
He could see the teen's face from this angle. Kade was stunned and confused, hands held up as he scrambled to understand what was happening. Though he couldn't see who had a hand gripping the collar of his jacket and a cold barrel tapping his head, he knew enough to not run or make any undesirable moves.
"What do you want?" Kade managed to ask, his voice unsteady.
Jason shrugged. "Straight to the point, I like that… But you see, kid, what I don't like is the trouble you've been causing a certain someone."
The teen's brows furrowed in bewilderment. "What?"
"Jess told you a little bit about her past, didn't she?" From where Robin remained, the realization dawned quickly on Kade's face. "Probably mentioned the dangerous people she met along the way."
"We're not together anymore. I don't want anything to do with her… or her past," he said, prompting Robin to narrow his eyes at the scene. "It's none of my business."
Liar.
"That might be true," Jason answered coolly, "but what she's going through currently is my business, and unfortunately for you, Kade, it's got your name written all over it.
"But I won't waste much more of your time, so I'm just gonna leave you with some advice." He tightened his grip on Kade's jacket and ordered in a low, menacing voice, "Leave her the hell alone. Don't look at her, don't talk to her, don't even think about her. Remove yourself completely from her life.
"If I find out you don't know how to follow these rules, I'll do a few things: Mr. and Mrs. Noor will get an email from a concerned, anonymous citizen with evidence that their youngest son is a tweaker and likes to have illegal, underage parties under their own roof. Then GCPD will get a copy and so will Gotham Academy.
"Blackmail gets a little boring sometimes, so I'm throwing in a personal beating for free. Heard you've been getting quite a few handouts already, but I'll be sure to make it a unique experience."
"You're desperate enough to come to me of all people."
"I am not desperate."
"Yeah? Why me then, Damian? Why can't you do it? Third time's supposed to be the charm, right?"
The silence that reigned left room for the understanding to finally dawn on his brother.
"Ah. Right. You're trying to be 'better.'"
"Your glutton for punishment and violence is no different than mine."
"Sure. But what's the difference between you doing it yourself and me doing it for you?"
Jason tapped the barrel against Kade's head before shoving him roughly against the car door. "How's that sound, kid? Got all that?"
The blond appeared both frustrated and defeated as he remained in his pathetic position, but ultimately, he answered, "Got it."
"Good. Now when I let you go, you're going to stay right here and count to ten. Once you're done, get in your car and get on with your life... without Jess."
The oversight had been rather obvious soon after she had explained her "deal" with Kade. Using the teen's fragile ego and narcissism against him was a clever albeit amateur ploy — Damian had made quick work that same night, establishing a plan that would do what a bag of stardust and threats of humiliation wouldn't.
"I may or may not have said that I would tell everyone I preferred you over him… in bed."
A touch of pink in her cheeks, bashfulness in hazel eyes that refused to meet his own. It had only been a spontaneous jab at the blond's pride, a vindictive ruse to ensure his silence… But the words, despite being a lie, had awoken something in the former assassin as he stood feet from her, painting the very scenario in his mind.
He'd dismissed the imaginative thoughts like swatting an insect from the air. The same, unfortunately, could not be said about nights prior when he'd fallen victim to a sudden longing — he finally understood what it was about his best friend that had put him off-balance for some time, causing him to stumble into the depths that were her irises and be carried by the rhythm with which she spoke his name.
They were details, imperceptible as they had been before, that he now could no longer ignore… ones that had only spurred his desire to employ this scenario unfolding before him.
"The last couple times you said more than a few sentences to me, it was 'cause you needed something. Why would I do this for someone who's barely looked me in the eye?"
"It's not for me. It's for her."
"Oh. Is that what she said?"
He turned his back, fist accumulating years of irritation and careful inhibition at his side. What a fool he must be, thinking for a second this was a remotely good idea. But then he heard,
"I really don't give a shit that you have beef with this Kade guy… but why can't you just let it go?"
Hardened, emerald eyes were like cold daggers thrown across the room, and the older man's raised brows fell upon realizing what he had just asked.
They both knew the answer.
Admittedly, he couldn't care less about the blackmail. Nothing was a more convincing method than being held hostage by fear and manipulation — the cold barrel of a gun and a stranger's undisguised threats should have been more than enough for the Gotham Academy teenager.
Below, Jason was releasing Kade, holstering his gun and quickly disappearing back into the shadows. Robin, still on the roof edge, watched the blond stay against the car door for a mere five seconds or so — this was either a testament to his inability to count or his habit of not listening — before straightening up and glancing around as if he could find the man who'd confronted him. It wasn't until he finally got into his car and drove off that the masked hero was satisfied… or something close enough to it.
Checkmate.
She'd basically lied to him.
Yes, she'd been scared... but only because it was not for the reason he'd thought.
Everything she'd told him the other night was true though: how she thought her reaction upon seeing Kade was mostly out of surprise, that nothing about what he'd done frightened her or made her feel unsafe. If there was anything (or anyone) that did make her feel that way… it was the girl that had stared back at her in the mirror minutes ago, cold water dripping down her face.
Her hand trembled beneath the lamp on her desk, making the crystals sparkle and shine with each shaky movement. In her mind's eye, she saw the swell of darkness flowing from within her palms. An inkling of power twitched like electricity in her limbs — or maybe that was the faint thirst for the substance she had managed to crush over the last few months. Despite all her efforts to control it and keep it under her thumb, that didn't mean it was never there.
It had always been there, waiting for an opportunity to seize, searching for a gap in her defenses.
That strange surge of energy had been new to her in that outburst. Though it had only been for a few moments, that power felt like it intensified with each passing second. It had been like… a black hole, sucking her in, growing, swelling, telling her to give. Something told her that if it hadn't been for the bewildered look on his face, maybe nothing else would have pulled her out of it enough to see it, to see the blackness of her hands. What would've happened if she'd stayed in that brief but potent state of mind?
In all her times using her ability to hurt others, she had never experienced it this way.
The tiny bag carried just enough for one dose, too small for Kade to ever have noticed it was gone, and that alone was the only thing standing between her and another downward spiral. It dropped noiselessly into the drawer beside her among miscellaneous items that hardly ever earned her attention, and then she shut it with a determined push.
And just like most things in her life nowadays, like the glittering ring on her finger or the pretty painting that hung on the wall, all it had to do was serve as a reminder.
Just a reminder.
Note: i have to be completely honest, dear readers… i thought we were done with Kade until i woke up the other day and decided he needed to get beat up just one more time *sigh*
i know, i know, i kind of needed an excuse to rouse Damian's anger (again…) but for good reason! Wanted to explore it from Misty's POV and have Jess and Dami reap the repercussions of both him and Kade failing to restrain themselves lol. But look, at least he's now facing his feelings! Yay for progress?
While we haven't explicitly revisited Damian tracking Jess's whereabouts and all these characteristically controlling things he does, i would say he still is doing all of that (as we can also see from what he asked Jason to do), but she hasn't really been up to her old tricks lately so there hasn't been any room for confrontation or suspicion on that front. everything he's been doing behind her back will definitely come back to bite him sooner than later though, that's something i'm continuing to plan :)
Thank you as always for the reviews and new favorites/follows! sometimes you guys crack me up. Anyway, i'm hoping to have another update soon but i've been a bit busy with work and the holidays are coming up, etc. Hope you're all doing well!
