Interrupted Dates
It was an unusually quiet evening in the safe house, the kind of calm that only came after a difficult mission—when the adrenaline had finally worn off and the weariness began to set in. The team was spread out in various places, decompressing in their own ways. Some were lounging on the couches, others were tinkering with equipment in their small lab, and a few had wandered outside to get some fresh air.
But in the kitchen, sitting at the table with a mug of tea, Damian was staring at his phone, his fingers drumming nervously on the edge of the ceramic cup. He was quiet—perhaps too quiet. The only sound in the room was the occasional clink of ice cubes from a glass of water on the counter, a reminder of the world that had been moving on outside. But for Damian, the world was a little different tonight.
Cassie, who had been on the couch across the room a moment ago, walked into the kitchen, her movements as graceful and quiet as always. She stopped when she saw Damian, noticing the tension in his posture.
"You okay, Dames?" she asked, her voice soft but filled with concern.
Damian looked up, startled for a moment, as if he hadn't noticed her presence until now. He quickly turned his attention back to his phone, though his fingers faltered as he tapped at the screen. It was clear he was distracted.
"I'm fine," he muttered, though his tone betrayed him. He looked at her, hesitated, then sighed heavily, his shoulders slumping slightly. "Actually... no, I'm not fine."
Cassie tilted her head, a smirk playing at the corners of her mouth. "Spill it, Birdy. What's going on? You've been weird all evening."
Damian shifted in his seat, avoiding her gaze for a moment. He looked down at his tea, his fingers curling around the mug as if it could offer him some comfort. This was new territory for him. He had never been good at expressing feelings—at least, not the ones that mattered most. But he couldn't ignore the way his heart raced every time she looked at him. The way her presence made everything feel... right.
Finally, he set the mug down and stood up, walking towards the counter. He wasn't entirely sure how to say what he needed to say. But if there was anyone he could talk to about it, it was her.
"Look, Cassie... I..." He trailed off, fidgeting with the hem of his shirt. This wasn't how he had planned it. He was supposed to be smooth—cool. But all his training with the League of Assassins hadn't prepared him for this. Not this.
Cassie raised an eyebrow, walking over to him. "You're acting like you've got a mission to take down or something," she teased, leaning against the counter. "What's going on, Damian?"
Damian glanced up at her, trying to calm his racing heart. "I want to go out with you," he said quickly, his voice almost a whisper. "On a real date. Not one of those random outings we do after missions, but... something actual. Just you and me. Together."
For a long moment, Cassie stared at him, blinking slowly, processing the words. She wasn't expecting this. She had always known Damian was different from the others. Stronger, more stoic, but also... more protective. But this? This was something else entirely. He was vulnerable in a way she had never seen before, and it made her heart flutter in a way she didn't fully understand.
Finally, she broke the silence with a small smile, the kind that lit up her entire face. "You mean like a real date-date?" she asked, her voice teasing but also full of warmth. "Are you sure you're not just looking for an excuse to wear that fancy jacket of yours?"
Damian smirked slightly, a tiny blush creeping up his neck. "Maybe," he muttered, but his eyes were sincere. "But I would like it to be with you, Cassie."
Cassie's heart swelled, and she moved closer to him, her smile softening. "Well, in that case..." She placed a hand gently on his arm. "I think I could be convinced."
Damian raised an eyebrow, almost in disbelief. "You'll go with me?" he asked, his voice quieter now, his usual guarded nature melting away.
Cassie's smile widened as she nodded. "Yeah, I'll go with you, Dames. I'd love to. You just better not try to make it a 'secret mission' or something," she teased, her eyes sparkling with amusement.
Damian's lips twitched into a small grin. "I promise," he said, his voice now a little lighter, the nervous tension from before dissolving. "No missions. Just... us."
Cassie leaned in, her voice dropping to a playful whisper. "Good. Because I wouldn't want to have to chase you down if you break that promise."
Damian's smile grew, his usual stoic demeanor replaced by something far more real. "Wouldn't dream of it."
For a moment, the world seemed to disappear. There were no looming threats, no Hydra agents waiting to strike, no missions they had to prepare for. There was just him, and her, and the promise of something new. Something normal.
It was a feeling Damian didn't often allow himself to have, but with Cassie by his side, it felt like everything might just be okay.
"I'll pick you up at eight?" he asked, his voice a little uncertain but hopeful.
Cassie nodded, her eyes sparkling with affection. "It's a date, Dami."
Damian had never been one for normalcy. As a member of the League of Assassins, his life had been filled with shadows, danger, and constant training. But tonight? Tonight was different. He was going on a date. A real date with Cassie, the one person who could make all the chaos in his life seem like it could make sense.
He stood in front of the mirror, adjusting the collar of his jacket for the third time. It wasn't as if he had never dressed up before—far from it. But this was different. This wasn't a mission. There were no weapons concealed under his clothes, no backup waiting in the shadows. There was only him and her.
Damian ran a hand through his hair and sighed. It had been a long time since he had allowed himself to just be. The team had all been teasing him relentlessly, especially Peter and Penny, who seemed to find endless amusement in his sudden bout of nerves.
At precisely 7:55 p.m., Damian took a deep breath and walked out the door, heading for Cassie's room. He knocked twice, his usual confidence returning as he stood straight.
"Cassiopeia?" he called softly.
A few moments later, the door opened, and there she was—Cassie, looking effortlessly stunning in a simple yet elegant black dress. Her hair was loose, and her usual intimidating presence was softened by the way she smiled up at him.
"You clean up well," she teased, her eyes flickering over him in approval. "I thought for sure you'd wear a suit or something ridiculous."
Damian smirked, his usual cocky confidence slipping back into place. "I can assure you, this is the most 'ridiculous' I'll get tonight."
Cassie laughed, stepping closer. "I'm ready. So, what's the plan? You going to take me somewhere nice?" she asked, her voice light and teasing.
Damian felt his heart skip a beat as he took in her appearance. "I had something planned," he said, offering her a small smile, "But we'll see."
Just as Damian reached for the door, signaling they were ready to head out, his phone buzzed. He froze, a sudden tension in his posture. Cassie noticed immediately.
"Something wrong?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.
Damian glanced at the message, and his expression darkened. It wasn't a message from SHIELD or the team—it was a call from Nick Fury.
"I'm afraid our date's going to have to be postponed," Damian muttered. "Hydra's making a move on an important asset. We need to act fast."
Cassie's eyes narrowed, but she didn't hesitate. "Let's go," she said, her voice steady. "We'll make it work."
Damian couldn't help but feel a pang of guilt. He had been looking forward to this evening more than he wanted to admit, but he knew better than anyone that their lives came with no breaks. Hydra didn't care if they were having a good time.
Within minutes, they were in the field, their masks on, weapons ready, and the date forgotten for the time being.
They arrived at the coordinates Fury had provided, an abandoned warehouse on the outskirts of the city. Hydra had been trying to move some high-level assets, and it was up to Project Dahlia to stop them. But as soon as they entered, the situation was far worse than they expected.
Hydra agents filled the interior, heavily armed and unaware of the approaching agents. The team moved silently. Cassie was all grace and lethal precision. She moved through the room like a shadow, taking down Hydra agents silently, her every movement fluid and calculated.
Damian was right beside her, his eyes sharp and focused. He trusted her, and she trusted him—two halves of a well-oiled machine. Together, they cleared the room in record time, the only sound the soft thuds of Hydra agents hitting the ground.
As they reached the control room, Damian threw open the door and quickly incapacitated the guards within. Cassie followed closely behind, securing the perimeter while Damian hacked into the system to retrieve the stolen intel.
"We're almost done," Damian muttered as his fingers danced over the keyboard, typing in rapid succession. "They've got everything locked down tighter than I expected."
Cassie stood guard at the door, watching their backs. "What else is new?" she replied, her eyes scanning the hallway. "But don't take too long. I like to finish my missions fast."
Suddenly, a group of Hydra reinforcements stormed the hallway, guns drawn. Before they could even react, Cassie had already moved, her blades flashing in the dim light as she cut through the group with ease.
Damian smirked as he finished his work on the system. "Mission accomplished. Let's go."
It was far from the date Damian had envisioned. But despite the chaos, there was something about the way Cassie fought by his side, the ease with which they moved in sync, that made him feel a sense of accomplishment.
They walked back to Cassie's safe house later that night, their mission complete.
Once they were inside, and the adrenaline from the mission began to wear off, Damian turned to her.
"Sorry about... all of that," he said quietly, his voice unusually soft. "I wanted tonight to be special. I didn't think we'd be fighting Hydra on our first date."
Cassie chuckled, the sound warm and comforting. "I've had a worse first date," she said with a grin, brushing a lock of hair from her face. "At least we didn't blow up a building this time."
Damian's lips quirked into a smile. "True."
Cassie moved closer, her voice quieter now. "Honestly, Dami, I'm just glad we got to do this. Mission or not, being with you... it's always worth it."
Damian's heart stuttered, and for a moment, all the weight of their lives, the danger, and the chaos, seemed to melt away. He looked at her, his eyes softening for the first time that night.
"I feel the same," he said, his voice barely above a whisper.
Cassie leaned in, her eyes searching his face. "We'll have a proper date one day," she promised, her smile warm. "And next time, no Hydra, no explosions. Just us."
Damian nodded, feeling lighter than he had in weeks. "I'll hold you to that."
And just like that, in the middle of the madness, a spark of something real had been kindled between them. A spark that wasn't about missions or shadows, but about two people who had found something worth fighting for—together.