#dc rob

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You were sprawled out on your back when you hear the window of your bedroom slide open.

If you weren’t listening for it, you would’ve missed it. He moved with a silent agility that still surprised you some nights, in an attempt to not disturb your expected slumber. But when you move your forearm to take a peek, your boyfriend freezes.

He takes in your puffy cheeks, swollen eyelids, and the way gravity is holding you against the mattress and frowns.

“You’re supposed to be asleep.”

You groan and move the heel of each of your palms to rub your eyes. “I know, know, I just haven’t been able to.”

Slowly, Damian makes his way to your side of the bed. He lowers himself on his knees next to where your head is laying and carefully takes hold of your wrists. Removing your hands from your face to try and read the whole scene before asking.

“What’s bothering you?”

Your eyes remain on the popcorned roof, attempting to find some of the little pictures you create in your mind. “it’s nothing,” you sigh.

“Beloved,” his voice is earnest enough to make you tilt your head, allowing your cheek to rest on the pillow. While looking at him, you see something similar to worry threading his eyebrows together. “If you are still awake at four in the morning, with signs that you had been crying, it is not nothing.”

His hand cups your cheek and you lean into the warmth of it. “It’s stupid.” You grumble into his palm with a kiss.

“Then there should be no issue relaying the information to me then.”

Your eyes shrink into unimpressed slits while looking into his and he simply cocks his head to the right. Over the past two years, you’ve learned that this is his way of prompting you to explain. He doesn’t make it easy for a girl to avoid her problems does he?

“It’s just- it’s,” You shift your eyes back to the roof while stuttering. For how much you preached on communication and the importance of it, you still struggled with it. Especially when the other party’s eyes are staring so deep in your soul, you’re sure they even know about the $300 speeding ticket you got at seventeen.

“I have exams coming up and I’m freaking out. I work all day and then come home and try to relax for a bit because I’m tired. Then next thing I know it’s eight and I have a million assignments to do and a test I have to study for.” Your hands find themselves pulling at clumps of hair from your roots while rambling. “By the time I’m finally done with my homework it’s midnight, and I have to go straight to sleep so I can get at least six hours of sleep to then wake up and do it all over again.”

Your eyes meet his beautiful green ones again and you can’t quite hide the way your voice breaks or the tears threatening to spill over. “I feel like I’m always behind and barely making it by. I used to be super smart and ahead of the game, and now… now I’m just here.”

His eyebrows have relaxed and now that he realizes you’re not in any physical imminent danger, he can try to fix this. He thinks for a second before opening his mouth before closing it again, then seemingly deciding how he wants to handle this he begins again.

“Do you want advice, help, or just to talk about it?”

You hate that you’re pouting tight now, but too tired or stressed to care you consider the options Damian has given you. “Can you just get in bed with me? I really just want you to scratch my back and forget about this.”

The left corner of his lip twitches before he stands to his full height. “Anything you’d like my love. Allow me to get changed and make you some tea, then I will come to bed.”

“Thank you” you breathe out.

He bends down and drops a light kiss to your forehead with an “Of course.” Before retreating to the bathroom.

It takes him about ten minutes to make the tea before he comes back with two mugs and a warm hand towel. Placing the mugs on your nightstand, he sits next to you and begins patting down your face where tear stains line your cheeks with the damp cotton rag. He’s mumbling sweet phrases in Arabic that you’ve begun to pick up on, and your first smile of the night appears.

1-0; Damian and your University.

Once he finishes with the hand towel he folds it in his lap. You watch him pause for a moment before reaching for the mugs, he’s got an idea.

“Are you feeling better?” he hums while handing you your half of the I ♡ My BF mug. While he lifts his version to his lips.

“Yes,” you answer him truthfully. “I’m feeling a little better, thank you.”

Obviously not satisfied with the “little” aspect of your response, he lays out his plan.

“Would you like me to play some music while we lie down? I’ve heard that if you listen to happier songs, it helps improve someone’s mood.”

Not thinking much of it, you agree with a simple “sure.”

He stands up and walks ever so quietly to his side of the bed. Picking up his phone he presses a few buttons, and you blow on the tea creating little waves as the steam warms your face.

When the rim is about to touch your lips, you freeze hearing the familiar beat drop.

Peace up, A-Town down

Your head snaps to Damian where he’s studying you with the phone in his left hand. This cannot be what you think it is.

You blink at him. “Is this-” the song cuts you off answering your suspicion.

Usher, Usher

Your mouth dropped so much you were convinced your jaw unhinged.

Yeah-yeah-yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah

You start laughing, wholly and uncontrollably while snorting into the mug. Damian starts blushing with something he won’t admit is embarrassment and pauses the music.

“Why are you laughing?” His lips have the smallest upcurve at the sight of your happiness, a welcome contrast to when he entered through the window fifteen minutes ago.

“Why are you playing Usher?!” You couldn’t quite hide the incredulous look of shock on your face. Of all things you had imagined Damian to play, Usher wouldn’t have been in the top fifty.

“Do you not like this song?”

“I mean yeah but-”

“Then? I don’t see the issue?” He also looks like he’s struggling to keep a straight face, the crimson on his cheeks threatening to spill down his neck. The embarrassment didn’t bother him though, not at all actually. He’d sign up to be a jester or a king’s fool if it meant he got to hear you laugh like that every night. Damian Wayne would bend the will of the gods if it meant he never had to hear you cry again.

“The song is on Grayson’s training playlist.” He explains slowly after a moment, watching you bite the insides of your cheeks in trying to hide a smile. “Everyone seems to enjoy it when it begins playing during training. And if I am recalling correctly, I believe you danced to this song quite enthusiastically when you dragged me to the club last August.”

You shake your head, huffing out a laugh. “You’re ridiculous.”

“I’m practical” He argues back.

The apartment is silent, except for the hum of the radiator out in the living room. The whole world was going to collapse half an hour ago, but now with the boy who learned to love, it became a little more manageable.

“Come here you, idiot.” You place the mug down on the nightstand, and he does the same.

Crawling into bed, you lay down on his chest, and he holds you tight against him. Breathing in the clean scent of dryer sheets, silenced every thought that was taking you by storm. Here where you could hear his heartbeat and know that he made it back alive after patrol, it didn’t feel so scary anymore.

When his arms slid under your shirt and began tracing lines up and down your back, you caught yourself smiling at all the progress you’d made together. He was no longer that rigid boy who ran from his emotions. He didn’t hide behind a wall of swords and call you a weakness. He grew into himself and allowed you to become his greatest strength. He let himself fall in love and let most importantly, he let himself be known.

“I know you would prefer to forget about it, but I want you to know, you are not just anything.” You can feel him swallow. “You are everything. You are incredibly smart, beautiful, and dedicated. Tomorrow after class you and I will sit down, and we will try to set up a schedule to ease your stress, or I will find other means to help you.”

You shut your eyes to avoid blotching tears on his shirt. For all the times he acted like he didn’t know what to say, he sure had a way of knowing the exact words that would cut right through you.

“I love you Damian.” You whispered into his chest.

“I love you too hayati.” He pauses, dropping a kiss to the crown of your head. “Now rest, I will make sure you wake up for class in the morning.”

And finally, slept overtook you in the arms of the man who loved you like breathing.  

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A/N: This was inspired by my own lived experience last week where i studied for 6 hours to Yeah by Usher on repeat and pulled an 88 on my exam after knowing nothing about the course.