sanctuary || d. wayne

THIRTEEN

WAYNE MANOR
OCTOBER 9TH
9:48 A.M.

Despite not actually napping on her couch, he still felt rested and good. He didn't want to admit it, but Noelle was having a positive effect on him. It felt...nice.

He began painting the canvas yesterday. The plain background was a light blue. Like Noelle, he decided to paint a young woman in the center. Hell, he had a reference picture on the side.

"I'm used to seeing you produce landscapes," the annoying familiar voice chimes from behind him. Damian rolls his eyes, but doesn't turn around in acknowledgement.

"You're in my room, Grayson," he snaps before putting the paintbrush in the cup. "Leave."

"What's with the portrait, D?" Dick retorts as he approaches his younger brother.

"The lack of light and beauty in this city only produces so many landscapes." Damian turns in his seat, hiding part of the portrait with his body. "What do you want?"

"I wanna know why you're painting a portrait of Noelle King here rather than doing this at her place."

Damian doesn't move and tries to not admit to anything with his facial expressions. But, the blush creeping up his neck and to his cheeks gave away everything Dick needed to know. Dick grins.

"So you are staying at a random girl's house after school," he clarifies, "and now you're painting a portrait of her."

Damian's face was red and Dick couldn't tell if it was because he's angry, embarrassed, or both. "How do you know about Noelle?"

"The real question is, who knows about Noelle?" Damian raises a brow waiting for an answer. "It's just me and Tim...and Jason."

"You told Todd?" He demands before biting the inside of his cheek to hold back any violent sayings. "What about Alfred and Father?"

"I didn't tell them," he admits, "but that doesn't mean they don't know." He notes Damian's stance. After seeing it many times over the years, he recognized it as Damian's thinking stance. Usually that's when he's trying to think of a lie or the important questions. "Wanna tell me how she suddenly became involved in your life?"

"She doesn't know about me, if that's what you mean."

"No, that wasn't what I meant." Dick notices Damian's quick response before giving a teasing grin. "You like her, don't you?"

Damian rolls his eyes before crossing his arms. "She is a positive influence and she's been teaching me...relaxation techniques."

"Is that why you're so less uptight these days?" Dick questions. Damian shrugs. "She's the girl who's window you crashed through, isn't she?"

Damian nods his head. "Yeah, she is."

"Damian," Dick starts before raising his brow at him, "that is actually kind of cute."

"Shut up!"

"I'm sorry, but I've never seen you like this." Dick gestures to the portrait behind him. "Is that for her?" Damian looks back before nodding. "It's good. I think she'll like it."