Simple Favor
Disclaimer: I do not own anything from DC universe or the Teen Titans. Just the plot :)
"Father.. you cannot be serious."
"I am serious son. This could be an excellent start if you plan to take over my company one day with Tim."
"And tell me how by bringing in a ridiculous date help me in anyway?" Damian asked, folding his arms over his chest as he watched his father typing away on the bat computer.
Bruce turned around in his chair to stare at his annoyed son that was standing in front of him. He sighed when he rakes through his hair with a hand. "Damian, people like me because I am good with people. I know how to communicate. I am also very sociable as well. People like that. Especially big investors. If they see you not being happy in any shape or form, they will start to stray away."
Damian narrowed his green eyes at him, not buying a thing that he had just said. All he knows that this is an idiotic idea that his father had come up and he was known to have smarter ideas than this. "Father.." he started to protest but Bruce interrupted him.
"It's just for one night Damian. If you need help in that department, I can probably can make a few calls—"
"I don't need help from you in that department," Damian said with a roll of his eyes. "You have terrible taste in women and that includes my mother," he muttered with a sigh after taking taking a deep breath, wrinkling up his nose. "I… have someone in mind."
Bruce lifted a brow with interest and leaned forward in his chair as she studied his son's unreadable facial expression. "Oh? Anyone that I know?"
"Tch. Just know that she will be there with me that night. That's all you need to know," he told him, walking out of the Batcave as he tried to ignore the face that his father was making behind his back.
Damian Wayne does not ask for help, nor does he ask for any favors. So, this was new to him. If it were any other person, he wouldn't be doing this. However, the person that he's thinking of is different. He trusts her and believes that she would do this for him with few questions asked.
It should be easy to ask her for a simple favor. If that was the case, then why is he having a hard time knocking on her door?
"Damn," he muttered, bringing his fist down from her door from a failed attempt at knocking on it. He runs his fingers through his dark hair as he stared at the name that was printed on the door, wondering why he couldn't just open it already. It's not like he was nervous or anything right? Though, he could've swore that he had felt a little flutter in his stomach as he walked down the hall towards her room earlier after getting back to Titans Tower. "It's just for one night," he grumbled to himself. "Stop being an imbecile."
He raised his fist to knock on the door and waited until he heard the word enter before sliding it open and stepped inside the room. He spotted her floating crossed legged in the middle of the room with her eyes closed as she repeated her mantra.
"Are you alright?" she asked, opening a purple eye to study him briefly before closing it again when she feels a wash of mixed emotions coming from him. "You seem troubled about something."
Right. He should know by now then to attempt to hide things from an empath.
"I need a favor," he said quietly, knowing that she could hear him. He watched her open her eyes when he spoke. She gave him a look of surprise. "What Raven?"
Raven shrugged her shoulders at him and smiled at him when she landed on the ground gracefully. "It must be that important coming from you," she teased lightly, watching his emeralds narrow at her when she laughed at him softly. She sighed when she caught a whiff of irritation coming from him. "I'm sorry. What do you need my help with?"
Damian cleared his throat as he tried to come up with a way on how to ask her. It should be a simple question, right? So why does he feel nervous the more that his green eyes stare into her violet ones that was looking at him and he knew that she was studying his emotions. "I need you to accompany me to a fundraiser event that's in two days."
Raven lifted a brow at him and crossed her arms over her leotard. "Why do you need me to accompany you?" she asked, titling her head to the side as she studied Damian in front of her.
"If I were to help run Wayne Enterprises one day with Drake, I need to start making appearances to these events. No matter how much I truly don't want to be there in the public eye," Damian explained, averting her gaze as he walked over to the big open window in her room, watching a few birds flying by the Titan Tower.
"And what does that have to do with me, Damian?"
"Father tells me it would help that it would appear that I am happy. And that I'm.." Damian paused as his mind tried to find a way to give the empath a explanation. "Likable. Otherwise, investors will start to stray away from WE. It's better to start now rather than later."
"Hmm.." Raven pondered, walking over to stand next to him. "Why me?" she wanted to know. If she were to do this, she needs to know the real reason why he had picked her specifically. Suddenly she could feel a wave of different emotions washing over her and she looked over at the former assassin that was standing next to her. "Damian… if this is for PR purposes…"
"It is for PR purposes Raven." Damian told her with a small sigh as he turned his head to look at her. "And I trust you. That's why I'm asking you for help. You know me better than anyone." He explained to her quietly, looking into her violet gaze. "Will you accompany me?"
"What color would you prefer my dress should be?"
"It doesn't matter to me Raven."
"So, Bruce tells me that you brought someone to the fundraiser event. Is that true? Because I don't see anyone next to you."
Damian sighed as he took a small sip of his champagne glass when Tim Drake walked over to him with his own glass in his hand. He was wearing a similar suit as him except Tim's tie was blue and Damian's was a dark green.
"Tch. Mind your business Drake. As I told father days ago that she'll be here. Where's Brown?" Damian asked, noticing that the blonde wasn't attached to Tim's arm.
Tim nodded his head behind him, and Damian eyes finally spotted the former Batgirl engaging a conversation with a board member as the two eat tiny sandwiches. "Working her charm as always," he said with a smirk. "You sure you got a date to this thing?" he teased the youngest Robin, looking all over the big ballroom of the fundraiser event. "Or were you just lying?"
"Drake.." Damian muttered, pressing his lips into a hard a line. "You do realize that I know how to get rid of a body correct?"
"Relax," Tim said with a roll of his sapphire eyes, scoffing at him. "We promised Bruce that we can handle this event without him. I'm just making sure that things are running smoothly
"Relax," Tim said with a roll of his sapphire eyes, scoffing at him. "We promised Bruce that we can handle this event without him. I'm just making sure that things are running smoothly," he told him with a slight shrug of his shoulder. "Here comes one of the vultures now," he whispered, leaning in close to the green-eyed former assassin. "Look alive," he warned.
Damian looked away from Tim to see Lois Lane from the Daily Planet walking over to them. She had her shoulder length dark hair high up in a bun and was wearing an off-shoulder light blue dress with a pen and notepad in hand. "Gentlemen, would you like to say something about the fundraiser event for the Daily Planet?"
"Of course, Ms. Lane," Tim said as he immediately went into business mode. "Anything for my favorite news reporter.
Damian rolled his eyes as he half paid attention to what Tim was saying to the reporter. His mind was elsewhere as he scanned across the room to see if he could spot a pair of violet eyes, wondering when she would make her entrance.
"You and Miss Stephanie Brown look quite lovely this evening," he heard Lois say to Tim and Damian casted his gaze back over to them to see Tim rubbing the back of his neck nervously. "How long have you two been together again?" she asked with a smile on her face. "A lot of TimStephs want to know."
"Gosh, Ms. Lane it's been almost a decade for us." Tim replied sheepishly with a small chuckle at the little ship name she had mentioned. "TimSteph huh? Clever."
"And what about you Damian? Are you alone tonight? Or have you brought someone as well?"
Before Damian could respond, he finally spotted a pair of violet eyes that was standing a few feet from the three of them and he could feel his breath caught in his throat at the sight of her. Even though they were only feet away, he could tell that she wasn't used to this kind of event. She had her arms wrapped around her strapless emerald dress loosely as she shook her head when a waiter tried to offer her a champagne glass.
She was wearing green just like his eyes.
Damian tried to recall any sort of conversation about what color dress that Raven would be wearing but he remembered telling her that it was up to her decide on what color to wear and she looked. He wanted to know why she had chosen that specific color. Not that she had looked horrible or anything because that was the total opposite from where he was standing.
"She just arrived actually," Damian told the raven-haired reporter and cleared his throat. "Excuse me for a moment." He said, walking by them and completely ignored a look that Tim was giving him behind his back as he walked over towards the quiet empath. She looked over at him once he had gotten closer to her. "You look…" he said quietly, eyeing her up and down as he tried his best to come up with a word to describe her.
"Out of place," Raven answered for him with a sigh, reaching up to play with the end of her braid that was over her shoulder. "I actually do feel out of place."
Damian shook his head in disagreement. "Quite the opposite," he told her, giving her one of his rare smiles that would a few people manage to bring out. "You look lovely."
Raven could feel her cheeks getting warm at his compliment and looked down at herself. "Thanks, I guess," she muttered as she looked over to look at Damian and his black suit. "Good thing I picked green," she said, nodding at his green tie.
Damian lifted a brow as he glanced down his tie and chuckled. "Come on," he said, holding out an arm and Raven hooked her hand through it. "Let's get this night over with."
He led them back over to Tim and the Daily Planet reporter and both raised a questionable brow at him as he brought Raven over to them. "This is Rachel Roth," he told them, watching Raven smile at them. "She's my date this evening," he placed a hand on her lower back and briefly looked at Tim. "I believe you've met her before," he reminded him, tilting his head to the side. "Remember?"
"I do remember indeed Damian," Tim said, catching on what Damian was doing. "It's good to see you again Miss Roth."
"Likewise, Tim," Raven said. "How's Stephanie doing?" she asked him.
"She's doing fairly well. She's talking to few board members actually," he told her with a small chuckle.
"Would you mind if I ask you a couple of questions for the Daily Planet Miss Roth? Is that alright with you Damian if I ask your girlfriend a couple of questions?" Lois asked them both, quirking up a brow as she got her pen and paper ready.
"Oh, we're not—"
"That is fine with me." Damian interrupted without thinking and looked at Raven sideways briefly and ignored a look that she was giving him. "Just make it quick," he demanded, crossing his arms with a sigh. "Drake and I have to make a speech soon."
"Of course," Lois said, nodding her head and then asked Raven a couple of questions. They were basic questions about the fundraiser event that was being held and how Raven felt about it and both Tim and Damian paid extra attention on how she was answering her questions. Damian noticed that she was a natural at answering them smoothly without skipping a beat. He was about to drag her away from the reporter, thinking that she was doing asking Raven questions when a question made him paused. "How long have you two been a couple? You make a lovely couple. Not to mention," Lois was saying, looking at the young adults and their outfits. "You two are matching tonight. Was that planned by any chance?"
Damian had realized at that moment, maybe he should have let Raven corrected the reporter. He had miscalculated the next set of questions that the sharp reporter would ask next. He could tell that Tim was trying to hold himself together at the mess that Damian had created for him and Raven and it was too late to try and fix things. Damian shot the Red Robin a glare and the older man had quickly took a drink from his tall glass of champagne.
He had only brought Raven to this event for PR purposes only and to listen to his father's advice. Damian also knew that this little story about him and Raven would make it to the front page of the Daily Planet, putting them into the public eye even more.
Damn.
"It's uh," Raven started, looking at the now frustrated Damian next to her. His emotions were screaming at her and it was hard to concentrate on what to say to Lois Lane. She cleared her throat and realized that this wasn't part of the plan that he had for them. "New. Fairly new. A few months to be honest." Damian turned to look at her when she had spoken, and she gave him a small smile when she reached down to place her pale fingers through his tan ones.
Lois smiled down at their joined hands and clicked her pen and placed her notepad in her front pocket. "Alright, I think I have what I needed. Thank you for your time and enjoy your evening." She cleared her throat as she walked away from them to grab someone else to ask more questions.
"Drake," Damian growled out in a warning when Tim was about to say something when his mouth had opened. "Don't you have to make sure that our speech is ready?"
Tim closed his mouth and nodded and turned on his heel to leave Damian and Raven alone. He looked down when he saw that his hand was still wrapped around hers. She was the first to remove her hand. "I apologize for not letting you correct that reporter."
"It is fine Damian," Raven told him, chewing her lower lip. "I did not mind it."
Damian ran a hand through his thick hair and sighed when he looked down to check his watch. "I should go prepare for the speech. Will you be alright here?" he asked, and Raven had nodded at him. "I shall return soon." There was a pause before he had walked away from her. "Thank you, Raven. For everything."
"You're welcome Damian."
It was very late in the evening when Damian and Raven had finally left the fundraiser and he was driving them back to the Wayne Manor. He had insisted that she should stay in a spare bedroom until the next day before they return to Titans Tower. The car ride was silent except for the low hum of his car. He tapped the wheel with his finger, wondering if he should break the silence between them. He replayed the whole even in his head, from the beginning to the very end when the reporter was asking Raven questions about him and her.
In his opinion, he was impressed with her. She had played the role extremely well despite the little hiccup that he had placed them in. It had made his stomach flutter with how she had spoken to the wife of the Kryptonian. It made him feel things in a way that is making him question everything slowly.
It made him wonder if she would do this again but for more than PR purposes.
"You are speaking very loudly," Raven commented, breaking into his thoughts. She leaned back against the leather seat of his car and stared out at the darken window at the passing trees. "Want to talk about it?" she prompted.
"I…want to thank you again for doing this favor for me Raven," he said, gripping the wheel tightly in his hands as he turned on the curvy dark road. "And to apologize again for putting you in a tight situation."
Raven looked away from the window to look at him and shrugged her shoulders. "You don't have to apologize. It was…rather interesting to say the least."
Damian looked away from the road and lifted a brow at her before turning his attention back to the road ahead of him. That was not the response that he was inspecting from her. He had hoped that she would be angry at him for the questions that the reporter had asked her about them being a 'couple.' Was she telling him the truth right now?
"Yes, Damian I was telling the truth," Raven answered him, and he rolled his eyes. "It was an interesting event," she told him honestly, nibbling her lower lip when she used her hands to undo her braid and let her hair fall on her shoulders. "If you need me to do this again…"
The words were left hanging in the air between them and it was quiet once again during the drive to the Wayne Manor.
Damian cleared his throat as he walked inside the spare bedroom with Raven and watched her looked around at the neat room. "Will you be comfortable in this room?" he asked her as he leaned against the open-door frame with his arms folded over his chest.
"It feels cozy," Raven said, placing the heels that she had borrowed from Kori at the foot of the bed. "Thank you."
"Good. Good night Raven," he was about to leave the room to let her get some rest when he felt a tug on his arm and looked down at her with his head cocked to the side in confusion. "What is it?"
Instead of answering him and before Raven could chicken out, she leaned up to kiss him softly on his cheek, blushing at the shock expression he was giving her and leaned away from him. "If you need me to do any more favors for you just ask me and I will do it. It doesn't matter if it's a simple favor or a difficult one. I would do it for you and for you only Damian."
"I'll…definitely keep that in mind," Damian told her in a serious tone, reaching up a hand to touch the spot where she had kissed. "Good night Raven," he said, clearing his throat and stepped out of the room.
"I'm going to definitely keep that in mind," he repeated to himself, touching the spot on his cheek again and his stomach started to flutter again. "Definitely."
AN: So, I am quite new to the whole DamiRae fandom and I have been reading tons of Fanfics of them via FFN, AO3 and Tumblr and I truly hoped that you guys had liked this one shot even though it was highly Pre-DamiRae lol. Please leave a review :) have a lovely day :)
