#ayyyyyyyyyyyyyy

The light above her head flickered, and Raven sighed as she took another box off the shelf, going through the files with an annoyed sigh. Her hair was falling out of her ponytail, wisps of it fluttering across her face. She took a deep breath and leaned back into the hard plastic chair she was sitting in. It felt like the whole investigation was disintegrating around her, like she was breaking apart with every new clue. 

“You know if you need a more comfortable reading place...” 

Raven jerked, and looked over at Damian, a flush darkening her cheeks. It had also been three weeks since... the incident. She had’t slept with him since then. They had both been busy, each caught up in different forms of the investigation. Raven had to admit to herself that she had thought about reaching out to him since then, but she wasn’t sure if she was... allowed to. Their relationship was complicated, to put it nicely. 

“Are you suggesting somewhere?” Raven pushed her hair out of her eyes again. “Because this is fine.”

“My office. If you need better light.”

Raven snorted and turned back to the file in front of her. “I distinctly remember what happened last time we were in your office, Mister Wayne.” 

“Damian.” His voice was a low growl, and he lifted his stare to hers. “And I am remembering what happened after my office more, Raven.” He came up beside her and stared at the stack of boxes next to her, a soft sigh on his lips. “You’re going to be here until next month if you’re looking at all of those.”

“I know.” Raven chose to keep her voice level and still, but there was something about his tone that burned her in just the right way. “But-”

“Come over.”

Raven jerked, staring at him. “Over... where?”

“To my home... for dinner.” He shifted slightly before pushing at his hair. “I’m asking you over as a date. Or, a working date, if you’d rather. We can look through the files together.”

“You’re not really allowed on this investigation, you know.” Raven crossed her arms over her chest and stared at him, her expression dark. “Just because you own he company doesn’t give her preferential treatment to the case.”

His lips twitched. “Do I need to put on kelvar to get you to agree to me? Is that what turns you on now?”

Raven leveled another annoyed stare at him, and she turned back to her files. She knew that she was flirting with danger by being involved with him. But, she didn’t know what else to do. The moment she tried to distance herself from him was the moment that she felt pulled back into him. It was a dance they were both skirting around, and neither one of them knew the steps. She chewed on her lower lip and looked up at him again. 

“And how would my coming to your house make this investigation any easier?” She cocked her head to the side and stared at him. “What purpose would that serve?”

“I wasn’t asking you as a detective, Raven. I was asking you as someone I would want to consider dating.” His back stiffened and he looked at her again. “I want to date you. Romantically.” 

She blinked, uncertain if she heard him right. “You want to...”

“Date you.” 

Her hands shook and she shoved them under the table, or he would finally see how weak he made her. Raven turned back to the files in front of her for a long moment, before...

“Pasta.”

Damian lifted an eyebrow.

“I want... I want pasta for dinner.”

A small smile pulled across his lips, and he leaned closer to her. “Of course. I’ll get it ordered. Anything else.”

Raven thought about shaking her head, or saying no, or trying to push him away, but... there was nothing that came to mind. And so she sat there, staring at him, waiting until the inevitable was going to come tumbling out of her mouth. 

“I want you.”