Anya's best excuse was presented when Becky decided to force her into the shopping spree. Damian and the boys had to get permission to leave the school grounds anyway which gave the girls exactly two hours to get things going. Luckily Becky had mostly everything ready. Anya didn't want to go shopping, she knew Becky would bombard her with gifts she wouldn't be able to refuse, however, the thought quickly turned into a convenient excuse.
"Okay fine but I should stop by my place first and grab some of my allowance."
"Why? I'm paying for it!"
"Because I should at least buy you a snack or something as a thank you."
There was a bit of a back and forth before Becky relented and they stopped by Anya's house. To Anya's relief, Loid and Yor were both home. They didn't question her as much when she asked for permission via begging. She knew they'd say yes but just in case she added in her secret weapon. "It's to guarantee a Stella." Its intended effect was instantaneous. They were walking her out the door before she could blink.
Heh.
She sighed in relief and thanked Becky for giving her such a great opportunity.
Unfortunately for Anya, shopping with Becky was always a tiresome experience. Everything she saw she wanted. And although Anya adores her best friend of years to no end… wasn't this shopping trip for her? She didn't want Becky spending so much on her but at the end of the day, Becky spent a lot of money on clothing for herself. Anya didn't know if she was surprised about this outcome but it was the better one nonetheless. Shopping for her outfit wasn't the worst thing. She found a nice dress with a nice pair of shoes to go along with it. Truthfully she didn't want anything fancy, something casual was the better and nicer option. It was supposed to just be a study date but with the added dinner and everything she figured dressing up made sense. The more Anya thought about it the more she realized how extremely unplanned this date was. No wonder Damian was so nervous.
Anya's nerves skyrocketed once she settled in Becky's bedroom where the study date was meant to take place. Becky planned to set up in a guest room and play some board games so she doesn't get bored with the boys. She left Anya alone once the doorbell rang. She made her stay so Damian would get the surprise of the century, fully convinced he'd become tongue tied at her beauty. Naturally the thought made her blush. She wasn't wearing anything too fancy. It was a simple sundress that made her feel oddly like a princess but also like she overdressed for something as simple as a study date. She's sure they plan to do anything but study.
The door opened causing Anya to stiffened.
"And here is your lovely date," Becky said in a singing type of tone. She presented Anya in all her glory. Anya had no idea where the confetti came from.
Damian stood by the doorway tongue tied much to the girl's amusement. He was wearing casual clothing but anything Damian considered casual is never actually casual. He blushed and cleared his throat. "Anya you, uh, look lovely."
Anya giggled. "You don't look bad yourself."
Becky shoved him in with a smirk. "Enjoy your date, you two!" She gave Anya a wink and closed the door leaving them alone.
The date has officially begun.
The table Becky managed to place in her room was hardly taking up space. She truly lived in a mansion. They sat down figuring they'd do some 'studying' before actually getting to enjoy the dinner part of the date. They were barely studying though as they ended up just talking about random topics and causal flirting, or at least she hoped she was flirting as she's never been one to flirt but it was working since Damian was a blushing mess at one point and she made it worse by kissing his cheek. They held hands the entire time too. It was simple and yet the most magical thing ever to Anya. She didn't know dates were supposed to be like this in the first place. Or maybe she's just exaggerating. Did Becky's overly romantic tendencies finally rub off on her? She's not the most aware of any of that type of stuff to boot, it took her Mama years to understand it and she was way older than her! Speaking of, she was glad things were fine with her parents, all was well on that front. She knew her Mama was setting up a meeting with her boss soon, she'll bring up the topic of retiring. Fingers crossed that all goes well and the Forger's can live normally.
She wanted nothing more than for this mission to be over.
But what about Damian?
She paused mid-sentence without even realizing it. Damian looked at her in confusion.
"You okay?"
"Huh? Oh yeah." Anya nodded and continued on whatever she was talking about. She mentally scolded herself for that. Of course, she's thinking about Damian, when does she not? But try as she might she can't think of a proper solution where everyone can get what they want without anyone getting hurt. She almost let out a groan but suppressed it in favor of laughing at whatever joke Damian just told. She can't even recall what it was but she's sure it was funny anyway.
The food finally came in, it was funny to see Ewen and Emile acting as waiters.
"Your food mademoiselle." Emile placed a fancy-looking steak in front of her. She says fancy-looking since that's what it looked like. She didn't expect Becky to go all out. She expected this date to be simple. Anya could only sweatdrop at the scene. At least Ewen and Emile acting as waiters was entertaining, they were quite convincing. She wondered if they were practicing at some point without anyone knowing. If she knew Becky like she thought she did it wouldn't surprise her.
As they were eating and occasionally sneaking glances at each other Anya's mind wandered again. It seemed like a bad habit she began to pick up lately, perhaps her guilty conscience trying to tell her something. But she knew what that something was, she wished she could talk to someone about this internal debate but her parents are off the charts, Becky doesn't know everything and Damian doesn't even know half of the truth and he's the reason she's conflicted in the first place. She wondered if she should be truthful, not fully but in parts so he can digest it all slowly. Of course she doubts he'll ever forgive her for the true origin of their relationship. In a way she wasn't much different from everyone else was she? She approached him with an intent in mind, everything else after was mostly due to their differences, big differences.
Huge differences.
But they were similar in a way.
They both simply wanted to impress their family, their father's to be more specific. Anya understood that need, to a certain extent. After all her Papa always praised her if she did well even if it was minor. Damian never received such praise and if he did it was rare and always seemed more backhanded than anything. An immense pressure was always placed on him and Anya wasn't sure what to do at this point. Should she try being slightly honest or is being silent better? It'll hurt him in the long run, she knew, but if his father is truly an evil mastermind…
War is not an option, I have to think about world peace.
Now that she's older she understands it a bit better. World peace isn't as easy to achieve as she thought it was. With all the war stories she keeps reading from her Papa's mind. Or the tales Becky's caretaker Martha would share now that they were older. Nobody wins in a war. And even if there's a winner… at what cost?
The cost of millions of innocent lives.
The grim reality was too much for her sometimes but she knew she had to complete the mission.
At the cost of Damian's happiness.
And at the cost of her own.
"You've been lost in thought, what's on your mind?" Damian suddenly asked which made Anya return to reality.
Anya blinked and quickly shook her head. "No, I'm okay."
"You and I both know that's a lie, you can talk to me about it."
Can I though? She had to be realistic here. The last time she so much as revealed part of the truth he didn't even believe her. Of course she still remembered that… the prom… the dance… her confession and him not believing her. Even if it was years ago when they were young she's sure no matter what Damian won't believe her. "It's nothing really."
"Anya."
She sighed, feeling a little frustrated. "If I told you, you wouldn't believe me."
Damian looked semi-shocked but then went back to his calm demeanor. "Try me."
Anya hesitated as she shifted around in her seat. "Well… you remember prom in first grade?"
Damian blinked and nodded. "Yeah." Why is she bringing that up, it's been years, I shouldn't question her though.
Anya got to the point. "I told you I could read minds."
There was a pause as Damian processed her words. He did recall that, although he dismissed it because it was crazy and Anya was always one to say things that seemed outrageous. "What about it?"
Anya cringed a bit as he read his mind. "Well…" More hesitance as she wasn't sure about what she was about to do.
Damian noticed her hesitance and it was starting to worry him. "Anya whatever it is you can tell me."
"You won't believe me."
"You don't know that."
"You didn't back then."
Another pause as her implication was immediately picked up by him. "Anya-"
"I can read minds."
The silence right after was deafening. A part of Anya immediately regretted her words but she couldn't help but at least try and be sorta honest for once. Although the idea of Damian leaving her over this was very much present she knew one thing. He wouldn't tell anyone about it, even if he didn't believe her. She watched as his expression went from shock to confusion to shock again. Anya was waiting for his response, the more quiet he was the more she felt her anxiety get the better of her. Although deep down she knew she wasn't sure if she even wanted a response.
After a bit he finally responded. "You're not joking are you."
Anya shook her head.
Damian let out a shaky sigh noting her serious expression and the fact that she looked like she was on the verge of tears. There's no way she's joking.
"I'm not."
Damian felt chills go down his spine. You're reading my mind?
"I am."
Damian looked at her in shock. "You weren't kidding back then."
"I wasn't."
Damian wasn't sure what to think. He had so many questions and yet had no idea what to even ask in the first place. "Since when?" He decided to start with the obvious one.
Her memories of back then were always full of pain and misery, until Loid adopted her. "Since I could first remember."
Damian nodded. "How did you figure them out?"
Anya sighed knowing she was about to reveal something super painful. "I was an experiment."
Damian felt like a bucket of ice cold water was dropped all over him at that. "What?!"
Anya watched as he went pale. She nodded and began to tell her story. The truth about her unknown origins and how Loid wasn't her biological father. As she told her tale Damian looked more and more horrified and even confused.
"Wait… you're adopted I get that but then… why lie?" Damian didn't quite understand that.
Anya wasn't ready to tell him the full truth so she made up a believable lie. "He didn't want anyone to know and treat me differently."
To Damian that made sense to the point he didn't suspect it being a lie. Anya was relieved to say the least. "Did your mom know?"
"Not at first." Anya confessed and then quickly clarified. "But then when my parents got married she was told the truth." A white lie, she wasn't ready to reveal the massive web of lies that the Forger family had spun so everyone could keep their secrets. Anya was the only one even vaguely aware of them due to her abilities. And obviously Damian didn't need to know her mother only found out more recently because of the fight they had in which had she not intervened her Papa would most likely be dead and she's sure her Mama would have eventually regretted killing him. Anya wasn't sure when she'd be ready to be fully truthful, she's not even sure if being truthful about her biggest secret was even right the move. But she trusted Damian then and she trusted him now.
Damian stared at Anya, he believed her, he fully wholeheartedly believed her. And he felt like a fool for not believing her back then. It was crazy, a very crazy concept. Very fictional even. But they were older now and Anya had no reason to lie, plus she actively read his mind. There was no way she could guess what he was thinking so damn accurately. Not by a landslide. "Anya." He reached out to hold her hand, albeit hesitantly because he wasn't sure if she wanted his comfort at this very moment.
Except Anya did in fact want it, it was her saving grace even, letting her know he doesn't plan to pull away from her. "Damian." She held his hand back, on the verge of tears.
Damian sensing her emotions and noticing her facial expression immediately hugged her tightly. "Thank you for telling me." He whispered and continued to hug her in a reassuring way.
Anya couldn't help her tears and began to sob, her sobs were quiet but loud enough for only Damian to hear. He only continued to hug her tightly, comfort her, anything really. He hated seeing her like this, he's always hated seeing her cry.
They held each other for what felt like hours before Anya eventually calmed down. Minutes later they resumed their date, it was mostly just chatting, Damian being curious and Anya answering questions about her abilities. They were mostly quiet about it since they feared Becky and the boys might hear them. Anya knew they weren't nearby since she couldn't hear their thoughts but just as a precaution that she's too distracted and doesn't notice anyone passing by. She was finally feeling better, feeling a bit more free now that she's told Damian her most well kept secret.
After a while it was time to say goodbye, they couldn't exactly stay out late, especially the boys since they had curfew. While Becky was talking to Ewen and Emile. Anya and Damian said their goodbyes in private.
"I'll miss you." Anya said.
"I'll miss you more." Damian replied.
Anya giggled and hugged him to which he responded by tightening the hug. "Are you sure you're not weirded out?"
Damian shook his head. "Not at all… plus it'll help with the whole…" He gestured around.
"Secret relationship thing." Anya laughed. She had thought about it but not fully. They could make plans and she could do subtle signals to Damian. In a way, him knowing her secret wasn't so bad now.
"Will you ever tell Becky?" He asked, a part of him wondered if she already knew.
Anya shook her head. "No she doesn't know… my parents know but I only told them recently."
Damian's eyes widened. "Really??"
She nodded. "It was just not something I was fully ready to tell anyone."
"But you told me all those years ago." He pointed out.
Despite their relationship back then Anya really did trust him. "I guess I trusted you a lot back then."
"Even though I was brat?"
Anya smiled. "You didn't seem like one at that moment, you even complimented my family."
Damian thought back to that memory, their dance and the conversation. "Yeah that's true, it wasn't a lie I still think that way."
"I know."
There was a pause before Damian continued. "Will you ever tell Becky?"
Anya blinked and then shrugged. "I mean it's not that I don't trust her…" She trailed off, it was already difficult to tell her parents, Damian, now she has to worry about telling Becky. And she's sure it won't end there. Eventually Ewen and Emile will have the right to know, they were her friends too. They'll feel left out if they ever catch wind of a secret being kept from them. Becky knew way more than Damian did initially, it didn't feel right to keep this particular secret from her now of all times. "I'll have to think about it soon." She sighed.
Damian squeezed her hand. "I can be there for moral support if you want."
Anya nodded and smiled, giving him a quick kiss. "I'll be fine."
"Promise?"
She giggled. "Promise."
They share another kiss which is then interrupted.
Becky clapped her hands. "As much as I hate interrupting the moment you boys need to leave and I need to take Anya home." Becky dragged Anya away.
"Damn you Blackbell." Damian grumbled as he followed behind. Ewen and Emile gave looks of sympathy as a car pulled up. The driver opened the door. Signaling for the boys to enter.
"I'll see you on Monday." Damian said holding Anya's hand tightly one last time.
"See you on Monday." She squeezed it and then reluctantly let go.
They both felt a sense of disappointment but knew they needed to go. Damian and the boys got in the car while Becky had Martha prepare their car. Anya waved at the boys as they sped away out of Black ell mansion. Once they were out of sight Becky called to Anya who quickly got in the car.
Once Anya got home she went to her room with a huge smile on her face. Her parents were confused but figured she did well in the study session which was good news for them, they let her be. Meanwhile Anya screamed into her pillow out of pure happiness.
…
It's been 84 years…
BUT IT'S FINALLY HERE WOOO!!!
Celebration aside, a friend of mine who went looking for my AO3 account found an account with my name on it and some of my fics on fiction hunt. I've never made an account there much less published anything, the only sites I've published my stories are AO3 and fanfiction dot net. When I went looking I found a Reddit post saying fiction hunt steals people's work
Please report the account, or better yet report the site as a whole and if you're a fellow author check to see if this site also stole your work
It's a shame how these people are so scummy and keep doing things they shouldn't be doing
That aside after a year I've finally finished this chapter that was eluding me lmao, in the end it worked out since we got the prom chapter LOL
And good news, chapter 13 is in progress already, hopefully the progress is steady and I won't get authors block again
