Grimmy: This has been sitting in my notebook, most of it anyways, for at least a month and a half now and after ingesting liquid courage I finally finished it. It was inspired by what was definitely the best Damian/Steph fanfiction in the history of forever. And I will always thank Asty for linking me to that. Anyways, I was feeling extremely down after I read the final chapter so I tried to perk myself up. So, to anyone reading this, you should definitely go and check out No Dawn, No Day. I am so not exaggerating when I say that, that is the best Batman fic I've come across. Ever. I'm still debating on just what I should review. Oh, and I don't own Batman.

Stephanie's smile was weak, tired, and so obviously forced that it made his chest burn. He understood that she was trying to prevent another argument by forcing out a half-assed attempt at what she considered humor but he wasn't amused in the slightest and his deep scowl portrayed that. The corners of her lips drooped a bit and her shame was evident. And that was almost like a super powered punch to the gut.

Because she was ashamed of just what had transgressed between them the previous night. His attempts, as feeble as they might have been, to court her, coax her into seeing him as more than just an angry brat had obviously failed. Which had really been unfair because he was trying... Trying to disregard everything that had been etched into his being. To completely shun his upbringing, even after he'd come to live with his father, and open himself to more juvenile experiences.

Damian was open minded, it was a requirement both on and off the field. He needed to know how and why people acted and reacted as they did. And to do that he had to first learn of many different types of ideals and the opinions that came with them. It didn't help as much as it should have. It didn't make fun, in the traditional sense, easier to understand.

But he managed to grit his teeth and grin, just barely enough. He was able to force down just enough of that sticky and entirely too sweet, brightly colored fluff(he would never admit to enjoying it). He'd even cracked a few jokes, granted they were either dark in humor or irk inspired jabs at amusement park simplicity. Even nearing her third decade, she managed to act more like a teenager than he did.

Which just so happened to be a big part of why she'd awoken in his bed, a little confused and feeling awkward. And that, in turn, left him feeling slightly flustered and unsure, of what, he wasn't certain. His pride invoked victory high quickly fizzled after that.

Perhaps he should have listened to the better half of his brain and disregarded the fact that opportunity was knocking, instead of listening to his insistent cock. But her sexual knowledge, experience even, had been evident when she made the first move. Feeling him up on that stupid, movie cliche, Ferris wheel.

He was no blushing virgin, thanks to the naughty playboy persona that Gotham media was so happy to supply him with. But he wasn't quite sure that he'd ever get the chance, with her, again. And that little snippet of knowledge had worn him down.

His rough exhale was audible enough to catch her attention and his irritation was slowly becoming more and more evident. She flinched, more so because she was startled, as her bright blue eyes focused on him willingly. For the first time that morning(he was pretty sure it was morning). The shame hadn't vanished, not completely anyways, and now he detected amusement. He clenched his firsts so tightly that his knuckles cracked.

"Stop looking at me like that," he said through clenched teeth. His voice was hard and as commanding as he could muster, all while keeping it his own.

Her face shifted as she reined in her emotions. She was nowhere near as good at it as he was, her eye roll displaying her budding agitation, but her attempts were good enough to keep him from reading just what she was thinking. "What are you talking about?"

The small, it felt bigger than it really was, fact that she hadn't made a move to exit his bed did not escape him. Yet, he felt his patience wearing thin and his anger escalating faster than he wished. It was a lot harder to regain control when anger came so naturally to him, it was an extremely large part of who he was. "I am not a fucking child." His tone was clipped and her eyelashes fluttered. She wanted to roll her eyes, she was resisting.

And like his anger, that exaggerated little eye roll was a part of who she was. It annoyed him greatly, but he understood, she couldn't help herself. He secretly liked it. "Way to state the obvious."

They argued. Constantly. Even two or three years shy of a decade - just where had the time gone - that much still hadn't changed. And they probably would always argue. It was mostly harmless, but more importantly, it was their thing. He'd be a fool to not notice that another argument was brewing and he didn't want that. No matter how harmless. Not now anyways.

So he remained silent.

And she remained silent.

And he observed her watching him, curiously. His skin stretched as his muscles tensed and he wasn't self conscious but she was starting to make him feel uncomfortable. His Adam's apple bobbed when he swallowed and that small, slightly less confident part of himself happily pointed out that she'd probably done this. With Drake. Who knows how many times? He'd sooner die than admit that very short lived feeling of inadequacy.

He didn't like losers. No one liked losers. And he... God forbid he ever lose to him. His mouth stretched into a straight line as he tried to quell his irrational anger. "Yes?" He felt a slow heat creep up his neck and attempt to settle in his cheeks but he refused, absolutely, to flush. That was completely unacceptable.

She was quiet for a moment, collecting her thoughts, eyes half lidded and casted down towards the soft comforter. "We had sex didn't we?" Whoever said there was no such thing as a stupid question should have been shot, stoned, then shot again.

"Do you have a problem with that Stephanie?" He didn't really have to spit her name like that. He didn't mean to. Well maybe he did, a little. "I assure you I was more than capable of -"

She cut him off quickly, palm against her forehead and fingers buried in her honey blonde hair. "Oh god Damian, just..." He found him himself feeling curious when he noted the sudden pink hue to her cheeks, yet she hadn't blushed at the realization of their naked state. Even with the blanket covering the necessities. If he shifted his thigh he'd be touching her. Touching her again. He twitched. "I'm just making sure I wasn't dreaming or something. Y'know, about...," the color in her cheeks darkened for a bit when she paused, "about some fuzzier details."

That made his lips twitch upwards, trademark smirk sliding into place so easily. Smugness included. Unfortunately that included an unprovoked, and thought lacking, verbal response. "Been dreaming about me?" Purely reflex.

Stephanie sucked her teeth, a foul sounding habit that he wished she'd knock already. "Would it kill you to quit being so defensive?" Yes. And for a while there he'd thought she'd been talking about his tense, guarded state. It was a struggle to force himself to relax, no matter how slight it was.

Damian was no fortune teller but he'd gotten good at analyzing situations and predicting their possible outcomes. And when it came to protecting himself, no matter what it was against, he had a habit of plotting a solution or an escape route for those possible outcomes. But he had no way of reading this, reading her, and that left him feeling beyond uncomfortable.

So when he saw that questioning look still burning hot in her eyes he tensed right back up. "What?" he snapped. He was almost afraid when he saw her shift. He didn't want her to leave... Don't go.

But she didn't get up and go like he'd expected. Her blue eyes burned into his. "What could have possibly made you so insecure that -"

"I am not insecure." He didn't even realize it was a like until he'd said it aloud. And it'd passed his lips so easily. Almost as easily as he pinned her to the bed. He didn't really think she'd try to hurt him but his body made it known that she could, easily. Especially when he pinned her so sloppily. A single knee between her thighs, abdomen arched slightly so that his face wasn't too far above hers, and hands holding her wrists in place.

He ignored that he was stiffening against her bent leg, against her thigh. Aside from the color seeping back into her cheeks, so did she. Her voice was entirely too calm when she spoke. "Then quit acting like it."

"I'm not -" she tilted her head and he exhaled sharply before leaning down to kiss her a little rougher than necessary. But if she wanted him off, didn't want him, she could have easily brought her knee between his legs. At least harder than that because that was not an attack meant to... Oh hell.

Stephanie responded instantly. Eagerly. And Damian found himself groaning into her mouth. He was at a loss. Running on impulses only got him so far, he wasn't the West girl. Were they... Was this where they engaged in... His grip on her wrists tightened momentarily before he released them.

He didn't want to pull away. This was disgustingly satisfying and he could taste that Milky Way she'd had the night before after they'd had sex. Beneath the morning taste of course. Overlooking that was surprisingly easy. And her tongue was just as smooth as he'd remembered. Lips just as soft, glossed with the thin layer of saliva she'd supplied when she licked her lips. Christ.

But she pulled away for him, nose scrunched up and lips puckered into a tight frown. She exhaled roughly through her nose. "Jeez, we need toothpaste. Lots of it."

That was frustrating. He rolled his eyes and swore at himself mentally. "Correction, you need toothpaste. I'm willing to overlook it." He dipped back down and kissed her again. He really didn't mind. If it meant he could do this longer. Just a little bit longer. He slid a hand down her side, settling on her waist before reconsidering and pushing his fingers between her butt and the bed. He squeezed. That little shaky gasp was just, so much more than enough.

Stephanie pulled away again, giggling breathlessly. And he licked his lips. When had she put her hand on his chest? He really wished she'd stop pushing, even if it was lightly. "We have to at least get Krispy Kreme first. It's like, completely mandatory." Her smile was genuine, contagious.

He was certain he looked a little off, smiling as he asked, "What the hell is a Krispy Kreme?"

Her face fell completely and she stared at him. After a few moments she shook her head and smiled again. "Doughnuts. We're going for doughnuts. And when we get back we will fuck. And I won't have a problem with it." Her smile flashed a lot less teeth now. "Because I like you." She patted him on the shoulder.

He huffed and rolled off her. And when he was pulling his pants on he made sure he was facing away from her when he muttered, "I like you too."

Grimmy: There! I'm done. Completely. And exhausted. And I really shouldn't have been working on this but I saw it in my GoogleDocs and I just felt compelled to finish it before I wrote anything else. I still don't have a solid internet connection and a good third of this was prewritten sooooo... Bah, excuses. I'm so easily distracted. Anyways, I hope you guys enjoyed and I'd appreciate it if you pointed out any mistakes. Thankies~