sanctuary || d. wayne

EIGHTEEN

GOTHAM GENERAL HOSPITAL
OCTOBER 19th
22:37 p.m.

After four days of nothing but tears and screaming, Noelle finally calmed down and went to sleep. On the fifth day, she managed to wake up after twelve hours. Her family stuck by her until they were forced to leave by the doctor's command.

The situation was explained to her. Well, not all of it. They knew what Robin told the police. Noelle and Silas managed to hang out with the wrong, crazy woman.

Silas was currently in his own home, safe and sound with his family. When he visited Noelle in the hospital earlier, he claimed he couldn't remember much that happened while he was under Jade's spell. Just how he felt. It was...weird.

Noelle played it off like she believed the story, but she could tell he was lying. She didn't press him. After all, she was still pretty tired from the past four days.

She needed to talk to Robin, figure out what the hell was going on.

He didn't want to scare her, but she already knew he was there. She became paranoid and temporarily sensitive to those watching her. Her greatest fears had been playing on repeat for the past four days, it's a miracle she still felt sane.

"You watching me like that isn't as comforting as you'd think it'd be," she jokes into the darkness of her hospital room. She was smiling, but it didn't reach her eyes like it usually does. It almost seemed force.

Robin steps into the moonlight, revealing himself with a worried look. He eyes her, noting the messy hair and the dark circles beneath her eyes. Her cheeks seemed a little more hollow only because she barely ate the last four days.

Rather than asking her the basic question, he says, "You look like shit."

Noelle lets out a chuckle, slightly grateful he acted like himself. For some reason, she wanted to cry again, but her tears ducts had practically dried up from all of the crying.

"Yeah, I noticed." She looks at him before scooting over. "Come, sit beside me."

He eyes the spot in her bed, it not being very much room. He lets out a sigh before looking up at her.

"I am so sorry," he apologizes, making her smile fall. "I shouldn't have let her get close to you like that."

Noelle scoffs before shaking her head. "Neither of us could have known—"

"No, I know that," he interrupts, clearly frustrated. She couldn't tell if it was with her or himself. "I...I let my emotions get the best of me when I fought her. Right before she..."

"Poisoned me for four days?" Noelle guesses before shaking her head again. "Again, that's not your fault."

"I should've—"

"But you didn't," she interrupts before giving a reassuring smile, "and that's okay. I antagonized her. That's okay too." She notices his hesitant look. "We can't take back what we did...or didn't do. It's important we just...move on."

"Or you can talk about it," he offers, looking up at her. He was offering the advice he rarely took. "You can talk about it...with me?"

Noelle's gentle smile made his heart jump. "Maybe not tonight."

He gives a smile before taking a deep breath. "I want to tell you something," he admits. Noelle raises a brow, only to raise them both in surprise as he reaches his mask.

"Are you sure?" She interrupts, leaning forward a little. "You don't have to do this."

He smirks, something that almost seemed foreign to her. The mask peels off easily, which was surprising to Noelle for some reason.

He blinks a few times before allowing his jade green eyes to look at her. He felt bold when he took off the mask, but now that she was staring at him, frozen in shock? He was suddenly nervous again.

"Green," she finally says after a few moments of staring, "like emeralds. They're beautiful."

He couldn't tell if she recognized him or not. She should considering her mother works for his father. Either way, it wouldn't matter.

She gestures to the open spot beside her, making him sigh before reluctantly agreeing. It takes a few seconds for him to get situated, but when he does, Noelle offers her hand to shake.

"Hello," she greets, "My name is Noelle King. You are?"

He shakes her hand before returning the small smile. "Damian Wayne."

"I know," she admits, "I just wanted to hear you say it."

"You're less surprised then I thought you'd be," he admits. She chuckles as she suddenly lays her head on his shoulder. He nearly jumps in surprise, but doesn't fight it.

"Well," she lets out, "now that I know I guess it wouldn't be hard to figure out."

"Oh, so now you happen to be a genius?" He teases. Noelle chuckles before lightly punching his arm.

"You're such a jerk sometimes." She looks up at his face again. "I guess I know why."

"Being Damian Wayne does not make me a jerk."

"No, I suppose that's just your personality," she sighs with a small grin. The two are quiet for a few moments as an interesting question pops into her head. "I know this isn't my business, but since you're Robin does that mean your dad is...Batman?"

"Yes."

Her eyes widen in surprise at the bluntness. She looks up at him again, admiring his eyes. "I didn't expect you to be so...blunt."

His chest moves as he chuckles. "You have a lot to learn, King."

"Which means you're gonna tell me?" She questions before letting out a playful scoff. "Way to keep the secret, HomeWrecker."

"You really need to stop calling me that."

"No. Damian's too new." She lets out a small yawn, tired from the past few days. "I could use some familiarity today." She wanted to sleep, but the idea of her fears plaguing her dreams scared her. She couldn't help but wrap her arms around his, pulling him closer. "Tell me a story."

"A story?" He repeats. "About what?"

Noelle shrugs. "You said I've got a lot to learn about." Her fingers stroke his arm. "If you're willing, I want to learn more about you."

Damian felt comfortable telling Noelle his story. Well, the less gruesome, more basic parts of it, anyway. She didn't need to fear anything else tonight.

"Okay," he agrees. She leans her head against him. "My name is Damian Wayne-Al Ghul..."

9/9/20
idk if I like this chapter but whatever
also,
THANK YOU FOR 5K READS?!?!
Y'ALL!!!!

So I have a Part 2 planned and partially written but I'm not posting until I have at least a couple more chapters drafted. Which means this lovely book is gonna be on hold for a min.
Part 2 is gonna have a little more fluff than Part 1 so get excited or whatever : )

Again, thank y'all