Real-ish

Pillow Talk

He takes the next opportunity to spin me into his chest. I squeak a little in surprise, to which he laughs lightly. I send a playful glare at him, and his smirk grows wider.

All too soon the moment ends with the song. There's that applause again, snapping me from my flirtatious trance. The blush on my face gets hotter.

If I looked for her, I could spot destiny standing on the edge of the group, glossed lips twisted into a scowl.

"Enough dancing?" Damian whispers lowly.

 I nod thankfully, and I feel him chuckle as he leads me away, towards the doors this time. No one stops us, they most likely heard the conversation from earlier.

The music starts to get quieter as we go farther into the manor, I feel myself relax with each step. I'm no longer clinging to Dami, my grip firm but not as tight.

We walk in comfortable silence, the only sounds being distant music and the click of our shoes on the tile. I feel the last of my adrenaline dissipate quickly, leaving me feeling much more drained than before.

Sooner than you would think, we arrive at our doors, but I don't want to leave him just yet. I mean, I literally just found out that he loves me too.

"Do you want to stay? With me? Just for tonight?" I ask cautiously. Not daring to look into his emerald gaze.

"Of course. Allow me a minute to change. This suit is not very comfortable sleepwear." He says. I look at his face, finally seeing his soft smile and loving eyes.

"I'll meet you in my room then," I say, feeling much more at ease having seen his reaction.

We part ways and I get changed as soon as my door closes.

I take off my remaining makeup as soon as I'm done, Dami did a good job with his initial clean-up. I put my hair up and I go to do my nightly routine as well. I try not to stare at myself too long in the mirror.

Just as I'm putting on my moisturizer, I hear a soft tapping at the door. I quickly try to rub the cream in and walk to the door at the same time.

Once I think I've got it all I open the door, revealing a very comfortable-looking Damian. He has on grey sweatpants and a black tank top. His previously gelled hair is wet and slicked to the side. He looks just as amazing as he always does.

"Cora? Is everything alright?" He asks, placing a gentle hand on my shoulder. I snap out of my apparent trance.

"Yeah, everything is fine. You just look really nice is all." I say truthfully. There's no point in hiding it now.

"I could say the same for you. May I come in?" He says politely. I move to let him past me and into my room.

Once inside I'm hit with an intense feeling of awkwardness. I wanted to spend more time with him, maybe talk some things through, but what do I do right now?

"Cora, are you sure nothing's wrong? You seem a little, out of it." He asks cautiously. I sigh at myself. I'm getting anxious over nothing.

"Yeah, I'm just feeling a little awkward is all. I mean we haven't really talked about what just happened and I don't want to go too far. I don't know what your comfort zones are with this and this is my first relationship so I'm not even sure what the normal comfort zones for a new relationship would be and-" Damian cuts me off with another hand on my shoulder.

"Slow down. Let's start small, alright?" He asks gently. I take a deep, calming breath and nod.

"Okay, yeah, good plan," I say, feeling myself calm down a bit, with help from Damian rubbing my shoulders.

"Let us start with the present, what do you need or want at this moment?" He says slowly. That's a good question actually.

"Right now, I want to relax and talk everything over so we're on the same page," I say slowly. He smiles gently at me.

"Then that's what we'll do. Come on." He says, leading me towards my bed. I follow him easily.

He sits on the edge of my bed, so I sit beside him. I lean my head on his shoulder, getting comfortable. Damian wraps his arm around my shoulders.

"Where do you want to start? Past, present, or future?" He asks, making it easier to arrange my thoughts.

"Past."

"Which part of the past?"

"My freak out in the woods. What were you even doing there in the first place?" I ask, getting more confident while feeling more comfortable.

"You seemed off. I was going to go check on you, and when I couldn't find you in the garden I went to check the forest. I'm glad I found you." He explains.

"Oh. As happy as I am with the result, you weren't supposed to see that." I say sadly. Oddly enough, I feel guilty. Logically I know I didn't do anything wrong, but I feel like I've just exposed him to horrors beyond imagination.

"Why not? I'd want you to feel comfortable sharing anything with me." He questions, seeming to be completely genuine.

"Because. Those aren't things you typically share with someone who's only known you just over a month. And I don't like sharing that stuff with anyone." I explain with a sigh.

"I'd still like it if you did. If you don't feel comfortable with it I understand, but I'd like to hear about everything you're feeling. Negative feelings included." He says sincerely. His words stir warmth in me, like seeing Niagra falls with someone holding your hand.

"Are you sure? I highly doubt it will be a pleasant experience." I offer him an escape.

"Positive. From what I saw earlier, you most likely need to get some things off your chest." He says. He's probably not wrong.

"You may be right," I admit. "You'd probably know better than most." I realize.

"I hardly have anything to talk about." He says indignantly. I raise a brow.

"Oh really? So being raised as an assassin doesn't leave you with anything you'd want to talk over?" I prompt, hoping and praying that I'm not overstepping.

"Nothing you'd want to hear." He says with a hint of sadness in his voice. I turn my body towards him, so we're face to face. I feel my eyebrows furrow.

"I want to hear all of it. If you're going to sit through my, whatever it is, then I want to listen to you too. This isn't a one-sided relationship, Damian. I want to help you too." I say, completely serious. He looks taken aback.

"But, I don't want to scare you." He says in the smallest voice I've ever heard. I cup his cheek, making sure he's looking right at me.

"You could never. I know who you are now. That won't change if I know who you used to be. I can't promise that I won't be a little shocked at times, but nothing you could say or do would make me scared of you." I say, willing him to understand. I see his eyes water a little, but he blinks it away quickly.

"Thank you." He says. I can't fully explain how his voice sounds. It's quiet yet steady, and still, I can hear that same sadness, only now it's mixed with hope and gratitude. His face is just as complicated with the same emotions. I can't stop myself from wrapping him in my arms.

"Anytime, Dami. You're important to me." I say softly. Damian hugs me back tightly. I've noticed that he usually hugs me tightly as if I might slip through his fingers if he doesn't. I nuzzle my face into the crook of his neck, feeling completely content right here.

"You're important to me too, Beloved. Probably more than you know." He says calmly. I start to run my fingers through his hair.

"Don't worry, I know," I return gently.

I like this kind of quiet. I like how relaxed and peaceful I feel. I feel like I'm exactly where I'm meant to be for the first time in a long time.

I'm with Damian.