Chapter Text
Maria seemed to realize something, turning beet red. “Ohmygoshyoucalledmeyourlifethat’ssosweet!”
“I'm… glad you find it sweet.” Damian said, still blushing like he was caught making out.
Maria, Marinette, hides her face in her hands. ‘Damian, who I just realized I have a crush on, called me his life!’ she thinks.
She can see Jason still laughing in her peripherals. And it looks like Tim is also snickering behind his hand.
“Uh, what's going on?” Stephanie, who was just passing by with Cassandra, asked.
Dick, the only coherent enough at this point to process the question, just says, “You do not want to know.”
“Why not?” Stephanie questioned, sipping her orange juice.
Dick looked her straight in the eye with complete seriousness. “As we all already know, he likes her. And she likes him. And today she hugged him. And then he called her a cute nickname that means ‘my life’.” And at this point, he was also laughing.
Stephanie was also laughing. “They're flirting! This is hilarious! I'm snapping pics!”
Setting down her orange juice, she snapped her own share of pics. Blackmail material, you know.
Cassandra looked at the two and smiled. “When will they realize it?” She signed, fondly frustrated.
Damian and Maria were still blushing and avoiding each other's eyes.
Damian was the first one to regain composure. “So, uhm, chess…?”
Maria blushed again. “Right. Chess. Uhm, I'll show you a fully finished sketch of the costumes later?”
Damian nodded and looked at the chessboard, pretending to pay attention to the game. In reality, he was just being hounded by thoughts of Maria.
He had loved Maria since he was eleven and she was ten. Of course, he'd only realized that he was in love with her when she absentmindedly held his hand for the photo Stephanie took on the day of her moving in with them.
She still has that on her wallpaper, and though he looks like a dopey idiot or a ‘simp’ as Tim would say, the presence of that picture warms his heart.
He knows it's not meant to be, that he is the sun, and he will only burn anyone who tries to get close to him, and that she has already been hurt because of him too many times.
But she refuses to give up on him, and his heart refuses to see her as just a friend. Or best friend. Or sister, even.
Even so, he can't help but become happy at the fact that she doesn't want anyone to take Robin away from him. That she's willing to stay back or become some other hero for him.
She's too kind.
Of course, he is entitled to nothing except kindness and pity from her. He knows that he will never be worthy of her love.
He's killed and he's been killed, harmed and been harmed, ruined and been ruined.
She's too naive, and knows nothing about his past. That's why she's sticking around.
*****************Chess****************
They restart the game. She takes white and moves a pawn to h4. Huh. Unpopular move.
He takes black and moves a pawn to g4.
The game goes on. She takes her Rook to h3.
He moves a pawn to d4, leaving the bishop aiming for the rook.
She moves the rook to f3.
He moves the g4 pawn to capture her h4 pawn.
A pawn to c4 is next for her.
He gives up trying to get her to capture one of his own in retribution, and moves a knight to his h3.
And then her next move strikes him in the face. Queen to d4.
*****************Chess****************
Checkmate. He's defeated.
She smiled. “Great game, Damian.”
He blinks. When he becomes coherent, he replies with, “Tt. It was not great. I wasn't paying attention.”
She chuckles. “Then I suppose me hugging you was a great distraction?”
He blushes. “Tt.”
…
Bruce has had a great day at the office.
No interruptions to work due to vigilante-ism, no too-many-employees-who-need-me, nothing annoying about the day.
He's just been meeting clients all day. And reading long emails.
Which is why he instinctively knows that something serious is about to happen at his night job, and this is the calm before the storm.
Soon enough, his communicator-phone chimes.
Oracle
B, we have a problem. A huge problem.
And it's not even a rogue.
Please come as soon as you can.
He re-reads the message.
It almost feels like Oracle is… panicking?
Either way, time to go. Looks like Gotham needs Batman again.
Though, it is puzzling. What is it that needs their attention and isn't a Rogue?
…
It's late in the afternoon.
Everyone has returned to their room doing their own thing.
Damian and Maria are sitting in her room, him splayed out on her lap reading a book and her sewing a pawprint on yet another sweatshirt she made for him.
(He always insists he has enough clothing items, but still secretly treasures every single one she makes for him.)
It's very sweet and… domestic. Almost like they're already a married couple. She blushes at the thought.
Here she is, replacing one green eyed boy for another.
…Whatever. She's got the Robinette sketch ready. That's what they decided would be the best name.
(And also because they just want it because they do.
It just… gives her a sense of belonging. That she belongs with him.
That… probably goes both ways.)
Suddenly, Barbara wheels into their room. She takes a moment to smile at the scene before her, and then says, “Alright, lovebirds, relaxation time over, head over to the batcave.” Upon seeing Maria’s confused face, she said, “Yep, you too, Mari.”
Damian grunts, annoyed. “You have the worst timing ever. And we are not lovebirds.” He closes his book but doesn't lift his head from her lap.
She chuckles. “You're cute, you know.”
He blushes, indignantly scowling. “Tt. I am not ‘cute’ in any way.”
She giggles in response and sets the sweatshirt aside. “Alright. Now can you please get off me so I can stand up?”
He looks up at her, smirking. “No.”
Barbara, who has been watching this whole scene, smiles fondly and clears her throat. “As much as it has been wonderful to see you two acting all lovey-dovey with each other, we all need to get going!”
Maria blushes. “We're not acting lovey-dovey!”
Damian reluctantly stands up.
Maria smiles at him, her bluebell eyes glinting in the sun. “You look wonderful–I mean you always do but–well–uh, you look really wonderful right now.”
He blushes. In a moment of weakness, he swoops down and kisses her right cheek. “You too, you know.”
She gasps, caught off guard, then proceeds to melt into the chaise, a dopey grin on her face.
(He does not run straight downstairs to the batcave immediately after. No. You are seeing things.)
Barbara just laughs. “Holy shit, just get together already will you?”