Misunderstanding

Chapter Five

Damian never expected her apartment to be so... cute.

Okay, maybe not cute, but definitely feminine. He looked around the small, studio apartment, neatly furnished and organized, but designed with small, almost delicate touches everywhere, a whole jungle of plants in the window. A framed picture of her and Tim sat by the aloe, their faces smushed together as she took a selfie of them both. Guilt and confusion speared his stomach and Damian flushed as he tried not to think about admitting to Tim that now he was... something with his brother's best friend.

You are sleeping with her.

Sleeping seemed a bit of a stretch. He wasn't exactly sure what he was with Raven, only that he knew he wanted to be something more. He rubbed the back of his neck and looked back at Raven as she leaned over a small duffle bag, carefully organizing her things. A few of her outfits were spread out over her bed as she packed them away. She wasn't bringing much with her, but then again... Damian's eyes swept over her, still dressed in his sweats, and he felt his heart do something strange in his chest. He wanted to wrap his arms around her and hold her tight against him, if only so he could protect her. He wanted to have her feel safe with him, and to not worry about anything at all.

But, Raven... Raven wasn't sure what she wanted them to be, and he didn't want to push her to find out. He could be patient, and he wanted to show her that he wasn't just her best friend's little brother. He was a man, and he was very, very much in love with her.

"I should bring my work clothes."

Her words pulled him out of his thoughts, and Damian kept his face expressionless as he watched Raven filled a small duffle bag with a few pants and skirts, button downs, and-

Oh.

He couldn't help the smirk that spread across his lips. Stockings. He sidled up behind her, pretending to only be mildly curious as he glanced over her shoulder. "I haven't seen these before." He reached around her hip to finger a pair of nude stockings with black lace around the thighs and a pitch-black backseam. Sexy. "I feel like I would have remembered."

He definitely would have remembered.

She flushed and pulled them out, setting them on the bed. "I bought those on a whim, I don't wear them to work." She paused, thinking. "Actually, I don't think I've ever worn them."

Damian kissed along the shell of her ear, humming low in his throat. His mind was suddenly filled with a hundred different images of her wandering around his apartment in nothing but heels and thost stockings, and his cock twitched against his leg. He nipped at her earlobe and dropped his voice low. "So... don't wear them to work." It was an unspoken invitation of where she could wear them, if she wanted to. Raven shivered against him, and Damian reached back around her to shove the stockings back in the bag. "But you're still bringing them."

Raven looked over her shoulder at him, pursing her lips, but she didn't fight him on it, and Damian felt like he had won at least some small battle. Stepping back, he kissed her cheek, feeling her skin flush under his touch. He glanced around her apartment again. "Did you want me to pack up anything else? Your shampoo or make up?"

Outside a car door slammed and he watched as Raven stilled, her eyes wide for a long, heavy moment. "No, I've got it."

Damian glanced over at her and realized her hands were shaking. His mouth slid into a frown and he stepped up behind her again, resting his hands on her wrists as a shirt fell into the bag. He waited until her hands stilled before he wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her tight against him, cooing softly into her hair, speaking in another language.