sanctuary || d. wayne

EIGHTEEN

Of course, that only means she'll look more stunning than he imagined. Damian wasn't sure if he'd be able to handle that right now.

"So, why are you in the lobby instead of the ballroom?" Dick asks, putting his hands in his pockets. "You're only one room away from the press. Don't you hate them?"

"Those vultures have nothing better to do than question me about my relationship with Noelle," Damian snaps. "I want to be here in case they try to ambush her."

Dick grins before letting out a noise that resembles an excited squeal. This forces the younger one to aggressively hit his older brother's arm until the noise ceased.

"Damian, stop, that's adorable," Dick coos, trying to pinch his brother's cheek. Damian manages to slap the hand away every time. "I can't wait to tell the family."

"You can tell everyone except Father," Damian snaps. "Not until he meets her first."

"Ah," Dick realizes. He stops his teasing to lean against the wall like Damian is. "You've been worried about that."

"Of course I am," Damian agrees. "Father can be...unpredictable when it comes to my social life. I don't have a lot of data to form a hypothesis on how he'd react to someone I care about who's outside of the family."

"That...was a very roundabout way of saying you don't have friends." That earns Dick a punch to the arm.

"Asking for your advice was futile," Damian sighs. "Maybe I should ask Tim."

"No, no, no, wait," Dick says hurriedly, stopping Damian from walking away. "I was just kidding."

Damian glares at his older/taller brother but stays out anyway. "I'm not wrong for being worried," he says, "I want him to care."

"He does," Dick reassures, "and no, you're not wrong for being worried. Bruce is...Bruce. It takes time for him to get used to change. But Noelle is a good change for you. I know he doesn't show it often, but he does care about your happiness." Dick smiles before putting his hand on Damian's shoulder. "We all do."

Bright flashes of light and loud chatter interrupt the brothers' conversation. Damian looks ahead, recognizing the back of his girlfriend with the rest of her family. A reporter holding a mic was trying to push past Andrea and Dennis to get to the girl hiding behind them.

"That's your cue—" Dick started to say, but Damian was already walking over.

Damian ignores how some of the cameras shift to him. Reporters attempt to ask him questions, but he simply looks ahead. He will not be stopped.

"—harassing my daughter," he hears Andrea state calmly. "She is not accepting any questions or interviews at the moment, especially since she is a minor. If I see any of you try to approach her, you will be hearing from our lawyer."

Damian puts a hand on Noelle's shoulder, making her gasp as she quickly spins around. Her face softens at the sight of Damian.

"I've never seen the reporters handled so calmly," Damian admits, looking over at Andrea as she and Dennis face the family again.

"Damian," Andrea greets with a cool smile. "I'm sorry you had to see that, but protecting my daughter's image was necessary."