Who: Damian Wayne and Alyssa Hamilton What: Damian apologizes for acting like a jerk When: Backdated: End of June Where: Alyssa's House Rating: Family Friendly Status: Complete
Having talked to Dick and Raven, Damian realized that he had been kind of an ass when Alyssa had told him about her engagement. The news had come as quite the shock to Damian, considering how long they had been together and how they’d talked about their future together before Alyssa had broken up with him and now she had only been dating this new guy for a few weeks and was engaged. It hurt because Damian had to wonder how much he could have meant to Alyssa if she could get engaged to someone else so soon. Regardless of how he felt, Raven had assured him that when she’d met Alyssa it was obvious that the redhead had indeed loved him, which meant that Damian owed Alyssa an apology.
He’d thought about texting her, but that seemed so impersonal for this and instead he’d headed over to her house, which he hadn’t been at in quite some time. Pulling into the driveway, he stared up at the house that had been his home for over a year after his mother had died. There were lots of memories here and Damian almost decided to turn around, but he needed to do this if he was going to salvage his friendship with Alyssa.
Getting out of the car, Damian headed to the door and rang the doorbell.
Peeta had finally felt well enough to go back to work, and Kitty was out with her girlfriend. Alyssa was spending time with Flowers the cat while indulging in a book that she actually wanted to read since school was out for the summer. The doorbell rang, and Alyssa blinked. She wasn’t expecting anyone or any packages, but Peeta or Kitty might have something coming. Hopping up, she answered the door. Of all the people in the world, she didn’t expect Damian.
As Alyssa opened the door, he bit his bottom lip and ran a hand through his hair, “Um, hi. So, I know I’m probably the last person you’d expect to see right now, but can we talk?” She had every right to tell him to leave after the way he’d acted when she’d told him she was engaged, but he really hoped that she didn’t.
She nodded, moving back so he could enter. He was being civil, and so could she. “Come in. Are you allergic to cats? You haven’t met Flowers yet.”
“No, pretty sure I’m not.” Damian was pretty sure that if he were allergic to cats that he’d know by now since he’d been living with a dog and wolf for awhile and he was pretty sure that they were more or less the same when it came that sort of thing. “And does he still look evil like in that picture you posted?” He glanced around as he stepped inside; everything looking as it had when he’d lived there. When they’d been together.
“Of course he still looks evil,” Alyssa smiled faintly. The cat was currently sleeping on the sofa, belly in the air, snoring faintly. “He’s not, but he looks it.” She wondered why Damian was there, but in truth, she was alright with it. She wanted to be friends with him, and she wanted to work it out.
“Are you sure? He might be hiding it.” Damian said, brows rising slightly as he turned to face Alyssa again and was quiet for a moment, “Look, um, I’m really sorry for the way I reacted the other day. It’s just that, when you texted me, the last thing I expected was for you to say you were engaged and I acted like an ass.”
The quip she’d been about to toss at him died on her lips, and she sighed when he apologized. “It’s all right, I should have expected it and been more sensitive.”
The fact that Alyssa said she should have expected the way Damian reacted caused him to flush slightly. If anyone knew how jealous Damian could be, it was Alyssa considering how he’d acted when they were dating whenever Logan was mentioned. “I just….I guess I reacted that way cause we talked so much about our future and we were together for over a year and I guess finding out that you got engaged to someone after less than a month….I have to wonder how much I could have meant to you if you’re so quick to get engaged to this guy.” He leaned against the arm of the couch, arms crossed over his chest as he dropped his gaze to the floor for a moment before looking back up at Alyssa.
She folded her arms. “That’s like comparing apples to elephants, Damian. My relationship with Peeta has nothing to do with you, same as how when I was with you it had nothing to do with Peeta. Or Logan.” Were they still fighting about this? “You need to realize that I’m always going to be your friend. Just like Raven, or Dick, or anyone else. Just because Bruce Wayne is a bell-end and doesn’t realize how good you are doesn’t mean that we’re going to stop suddenly.”
Damian didn’t really understand what his father had to do with anything and he hadn’t even mentioned Logan, but that wasn’t what he was here for, “I know, but you know how insecure I can be, which is stupid really cause there’s a girl that I like and she likes me, so I don’t even know why I took this so hard, but I’m sorry.”
“It’s all right. Just remember that I’m not going to leave you as a friend. And tell me about this girl! Do you want a bevvie?” She moved toward the kitchen, but laughed when Flowers snorted, sat up, looked around, and resumed sleeping.
“Ah sure. Water is fine.” Damian said, moving away from the couch to follow Alyssa into the kitchen, stopping when she did to look at the cat, “Wow. He’s pretty lazy.” He glanced at Alyssa, quirking a brow, “I thought cats did stuff.” People were always sharing videos of cats online where the cats were doing things, but this cat was just sleeping. “Are you sure he’s not broken?”
She went to grab a glass and pour Damian some water from the pitcher in the fridge. “He is not broken. He’s a bit older - I didn’t want to get a kitten since they get adopted so fast. Older animals usually sit at shelters far too long.” Handing the glass over, she smiled.
“So now he’ll just sit here instead.” Damian watched the cat for a moment longer before following Alyssa into the kitchen, “He looks like, if you had a mouse in the house, he’d just watch it run by.” “Now he’s comfortable and happy. And I’m fairly sure there could be a mouse as large as Mickey in the house and he’d just yell at it for treats.” Alyssa’s tone was fond, and she took a sip of her own water. “But really. You’re okay?”
Damian took the glass of water that was his and took a sip before nodding, “Yeah. I’m sorry again for acting like that. It was stupid.” He ran a hand through his hair, “I should probably tell Celaena that I have a tendency to spazz out about stupid things and make them bigger than they are.”
“Is that your girlfriend’s name? You probably should, yeah. In case she has any male friends. Or exes.” Alyssa smiled to let him know she was teasing, but there was a small grain of truth there.
“Well, I don’t really know if we’re dating or not, but yeah, that’s her name.” He took another sip of his water, thinking back to the last time he and Celaena had hung out and whether or not that would be considered dating. They’d kissed, so it was possible. He was going to have to figure out a non awkward way of bringing it up.
Alyssa smiled and leaned back against the counter. “I’m just happy you’re happy, Damian. You deserve it, more than a lot of people we know.” He’d just been through a lot.
“I’m surprised you can say that after I was such an ass the other day.” Damian had thought that Alyssa might be a little more angry than she had been, but then again she’d always been able to forgive fairly easily once whatever they’d fought about had passed. Except maybe when they’d had that big fight about Logan that one time. It had taken her a little longer to forgive him that time.
“You were upset, you acted like a bell-end, you apologized. Damian, it’ll sound rude when I say this, but this isn’t the first time. The fact you realize it and apologize is why we’re still friends. And it’s hardly as if I acted correctly. I could have been more tactful.” She took another swig of her water. “Sometimes it feels like ages ago we were together.”
Damian nodded and leaned against the counter, “I’m glad that we’re friends. I really am. For the longest time you were the person who was always there for me, aside from Bran and I’ve missed you. So, I’m glad we can be friends now.” He watched her, a small smile upon his lips, “And I know what you mean. But it wasn’t really that long ago. I mean, it feels like we were together for so long, but it wasn’t even a year.”
“I know.” She chuckled. “It’s funny, but I feel like you were the last thing I did as a little girl. Too much in my life made me grow up very fast, but that’s simply how it is. Peeta almost died recently - his dreams made him so ill, it’s why he proposed.” She felt her eyes water. “Between that and Mum, dunno. Sometimes I feel very old.”
"I know what you mean," Damian hated the fact that Alyssa knew what it was like to lose a parent even if her and her mother hadn't been as close, "I mean, I was sixteen when my mom died and I moved out here." Of course he didn't really like the way that Alyssa had worded things because it made him feel like her feelings for him hadn't been as strong as his for her, but he wasn't going to mention that because things were going well at the moment.
“We’re both eighty-something teenagers, yeah?” Alyssa chuckled. “Speaking of, do you want a cuppa?”
“Well, not really teenagers anymore. You just turned twenty and I’ll be twenty next year.” Damian finished off his water then shook his head, “Thanks, but still not much of a tea drinker.” If living with someone from England hadn’t made Damian a tea fan before, nothing would now.
She shrugged and put the kettle on for herself anyway. “Not really. If we ever were.” Turning to look at him, she met his eyes. “I’m still sorry, you know. For all of it.”
“I know. And I’m not gonna say that I understand, cause I still don’t, but I’m just glad we’re able to be friends.” There were a lot of things that Damian still didn’t understand, but he didn’t want to ruin what they had now by bringing anything up.
“There might not be a way to make you understand, no matter how much you want one. I’m glad you’re okay with being friends.” Alyssa sighed as the kettle whistled, unplugging it before looking for a bag of her usual in the cupboards.
Damian nodded, arms crossed over his chest, “I think the most important thing is that we’re able to be friends and we’ve both moved on. Even if I didn’t really act like it the other day.” He was gonna have to talk to Celaena about the fact that he got jealous on occasion. It would be better if she knew about that from the start.
“Well, you apologized, that’s what matters. Thank you.” Smiling at Damian, she was hopeful for their friendship and the future, which truly was important to her.