Not my favorite chapter but I needed to move on, I rewrote it about a bajillion times. I almost had a different ending but was like nahhh, I need this. Also, my friend gave me the idea of setting up hcs on tumblr for this series so if you have any thoughts/questions/whatever (im so bored quarantine sucks) ask me stuff on tumblr :D

Also, I want to give a big thanks to @whitelotustea for the cover!! I forgot to mention them last chapter!

My friend made that and i love it

Y/n pulled away from the hug to let her friend get back to work. He circled her shoulder with his thumb in an attempt to comfort the poor girl. She steadied her breaths while he reached to dry the tears on her face.

"Don't cry, no guy is ever worth crying over."

She nodded her head firmly, letting her thoughts sink in. She was a big girl and would get past this. Her scleroses were tinted pink from rubbing her eyes and from the tears. A headache was beginning to form in the back of her head, a tight throbbing pain shot above the nape of her nape. An aspirin would help.

"I should go, Felicity wanted to call," she clenched her jaw not wanting to strain her voice. Y/n moved from Richard to go to her room.

Dick shook his head in thought and sat back down. He clicked on another video of Brother Blood, taking notes on the team's next plan. The reporter on the screen brought up the topic of Blood's organization being a 'glorified cult'. Blood responded with his disappointment in America's attitude with his group and left the room.

"Grandfather would have been impressed with Blood," Dick swiveled to find Damian in his alter ego's uniform. "Running a worldwide cult as well as H.I.V.E."

"They're the same thing," the man told his brother. "He just makes them look separate." He looked Damian up and down. Y/n was right, he doesn't have an off switch. "Do you ever get out of that uniform?"

"Only when I bathe," Damian crossed his arms. Dick joked that it was time he showered to which Damian lifted his arms to smell his body odor, declaring that he was good. "I'm going out."

Dick felt the need to bring up his previous conversation with Y/n. "I hear you're gone a lot. Where do you go?"

Damian stopped in his tracks and whipped around. "You realize I'm not a child who needs permission to go outside." Dick told him to relax and that he wasn't interrogating him. "Oh, I go out on patrol."

Now it was time to meddle. "So, do you ever invite Y/n out on patrol?" Dick could feel the glare behind the mask, a feeling he was all too familiar with.

"Why would I do that?"

"She's your girlfriend and girlfriends appreciate little things like that."

"Just because she told you our problems doesn't mean you need to intervene," Damian growled. "Now I rather not speak about that to you." Dick rolled his eyes and turned around, ready to continue his work. "By the way, I should offer congratulations on your cohabitation. Star has proven herself to be a decent leader. I approve," his attitude flipped.

"Uh, thank you," Dick responded as Damian left. In his place, Starfire and Terra walked in asking about the research.

Damian thought about what his brother said. Perhaps inviting his girlfriend would put an end to their bickering. But what was the point? He knew she didn't like "wasting her weekends" - her words not his - and this would fall under that category. Plus, he liked patrolling by himself. It cleared his mind and allowed him to practice the phrase his father taught him: justice not vengeance. There should be a phrase to help him with Y/n.

Soon, the teen found himself at Y/n's door. Damian knocked and entered when Y/n gave him the all clear.

"What's up, Damian?" she looked up from her desk. She was on a video call with her family in Star City. Felicity was bouncing the newest edition to the family, Mia, on her knee. The baby was born some time ago. They kept the pregnancy a secret from Y/n in fear she would move back home before she was ready. Damian remembered her fight with them. He helped her calm down by letting her rant and sparring with her. "Can I call you back, Felicity?"

"Yup! I'll talk to you later!" The blonde looked down at the giggling baby. "Say 'bye-bye', Mia!" The baby drooled with a bright smile. "Bye, Damian!" He nodded a curt "good-bye" at the bubbly woman. The screen went black as Y/n closed her laptop.

"Did you need anything?"

Damian clenched one side of his jaw in thought. Was this solution just a temporary fix? He studied her face. The edges and curves and outlines of her soft skin (he knew it was soft from the times she curled against him during some nights). Although, it had been a few nights since they had shared a bed. Of course he never meant for his patrolling to cause a fight, he didn't know how to get himself out of the hole he dug. As the first romantic relationship he has ever been in, situations such as this confused him. But Damian knew he relied too much on Dick's advice and needed to be able to figure this out on his own.

"I overheard you speaking with Grayson," he started not really knowing what to do. He came in here with no plan, something he was still getting used to. "I never knew you felt that way. I apologize." It was difficult to set aside his pride and stubbornness but he knew he would come to regret it later on. "I like to patrol alone because it helps me clear my head. Sometimes being on my own is for my own benefit." In Layman's terms, he liked his space. "In retrospect I should have told you that straightforward. I'm sorry for yelling."

Y/n looked at him with doe eyes, not really knowing how to respond. It was rare for Damain to apologise and admit he was in the wrong. But this was a learning curve for the both of them and as much as she'd like to, Y/n wasn't going to hold this against him anymore. She stood up and moved closer to the foot of her bed.

"I understand that you need space, I'm sorry if I came off as clingy."

Damian, not knowing what to do anymore, walked to her and wrapped his arms around her waist and rested his hands on her back. He pulled her close and nuzzled himself into the crook of her neck. Y/n returned the gesture and wrapped her arms above his shoulders.

"Are you going to leave the team?"

Y/n sighed and thought about it. Her only friends were inside this building, her secret life. As long as she lived in the T-shaped tower, Y/n would be able to continue her life as Cardinal. But at what expense? A constant fear of dying? It was becoming too much.

She sniffled and Damian could feel her nodding. "Yeah. Yeah I'm gonna move back to Star City."

Damian froze and stepped back. "You're leaving?" He furrowed his eyebrows. "You're quitting?"

How could she leave? They just got together, just started the beginning of their lives. Damian didn't want believe her. The last time she left for Star City, he didn't see her for over two years. And they were fighting, perhaps she would move on from him. F̶i̶n̶d̶ ̶s̶o̶m̶e̶o̶n̶e̶ ̶w̶h̶o̶ ̶d̶o̶e̶s̶n̶'̶t̶ ̶g̶i̶v̶e̶ ̶h̶e̶r̶ ̶a̶ ̶p̶i̶s̶s̶y̶ ̶a̶t̶t̶i̶t̶u̶d̶e̶ ̶e̶v̶e̶r̶y̶ ̶t̶i̶m̶e̶ ̶s̶o̶m̶e̶t̶h̶i̶n̶g̶ ̶d̶i̶d̶n̶'̶t̶ ̶g̶o̶ ̶h̶i̶s̶ ̶w̶a̶y̶.̶ Beneath his gloves his palms were sweating, his throat closed, and his jaw clenched.

"Damian, I can't keep living like this. I'm tired all of the time. I'm sick of worrying about Richard and the others; about losing you. I can't lose any of you. I can't do it anymore."

He scoffed and took back his mask, placing it onto his eyes before leaving. Y/n was taken back at his actions. 

She jogged to catch up with him, he was midway down the hall. "Damian! Damian, where are you going?" Y/n caught up to him.

"Patrol."

Y/n blocked him, not knowing what else to do. "Really? I tell you I'm moving and you leave? What the hell! Damian, we need to communicate. We were fine ten seconds ago, what happened?"

Damian grunted, moving past her. "You said it, you're quitting the team."

"I'm doing what's best for me. Am I not allowed that? You're acting like I'm leaving you." Damian stood still. Was that how he felt? "Damian, I'm not leaving you."

Damian gave a silent but shaky inhale. 

Maybe not now.

Not knowing how to deal with the inner turmoil, Robin kept walking and left the heartbroken girl behind.