Cassie Jordan had always known that breakups were messy.
And breaking up with Damian Wayne?
That was next-level chaos.
It had been mutual, in theory. Things had gotten complicated, their lives pulling them in different directions. Neither of them wanted to hold the other back, so they had decided to end it before it got worse.
At least, that was the official reason.
But if that were true—if they had truly moved on—
Then why did it still hurt?
Why did it still feel like something had been ripped out of her chest every time she saw him?
Cassie didn’t know.
But right now?
Right now, she was trying not to think about it.
"Okay, okay—" Cassie was wheezing, barely able to hold her phone up. "Look at this text. He really just said that to me with full confidence."
Stella, sprawled across the couch, grinned. "Oh my God, this dude is so down bad for you."
Natalia smirked, stealing Cassie’s phone. "Okay, but do we like him? Or are we just letting him entertain us?"
Cassie snorted. "I haven’t decided yet. But he’s funny."
"Funny how?" Stella asked, grinning.
Cassie laughed, scrolling through the messages. "Like, listen to this—he actually sent me a poem last night. A poem, Stella. Who does that?"
Natalia gasped dramatically. "He’s a romantic! Are we swooning?"
"I mean—" Cassie bit her lip, smirking. "It’s kinda cute."
Stella grinned. "Ohhh, he’s got you blushing."
Cassie shoved her. "Shut up."
The three of them were laughing, teasing, just having fun.
Until—
The air shifted.
The energy in the room changed.
Because just then, Damian walked in.
And everything went dead silent.
Cassie felt it immediately.
The weight of his presence. The way Stella and Natalia suddenly stopped laughing. The way Cassie’s heart stumbled in her chest, even though she knew it had no reason to.
She didn’t look at him.
She couldn’t.
Because if she did, she knew she’d see exactly what she was feeling mirrored in his eyes.
And she wasn’t sure if she could handle that.
Damian stopped near the entrance, his posture rigid, guarded.
"Am I interrupting?" His voice was neutral, but there was a sharpness beneath it.
Cassie finally looked up.
And oh.
There it was.
That flash of something unspoken. That quiet, barely-there ache in his expression before he forced it into cold indifference.
Cassie forced a smile, trying to act like her chest wasn’t tight.
"Not at all, Wayne."
Damian’s jaw ticked slightly at the use of his last name.
Stella and Natalia exchanged glances.
Because this?
This was painful to witness.
The two of them, standing just a few feet apart, but feeling like they were miles away.
After everything, after all that they had been to each other, now they were just… this.
Strangers with too much history.
Damian’s gaze flickered to Cassie’s phone in her hand.
And even though he didn’t ask, Cassie knew exactly what he was thinking.
Knew exactly why his hands had clenched into fists at his sides.
He had heard them.
He knew.
And that realization settled like a stone in her stomach.
Still, Damian said nothing.
And Cassie?
Cassie refused to be the one to break first.
So she just smirked, leaning back into the couch.
"Did you need something?" she asked casually, as if she didn’t feel like the room was caving in on her.
Damian’s jaw tightened.
"No."
And with that, he turned on his heel and left.
The second he was gone, Cassie exhaled, her smile fading.
Natalia sighed.
"That was brutal."
Stella, for once, didn’t tease.
Because they both saw it.
Cassie was still in love with him.
Even if she refused to admit it.
But Cassie was trying to move on.
Really, she was.
She was texting new people, going on dates, laughing with Stella and Natalia, pretending like everything was fine.
And for the most part?
It was fine.
Until it wasn’t.
Until she caught Damian looking at her across the room like she was a stranger.
Until she scrolled past old photos of them on her phone and had to swipe away before it hurt too much.
Until she found herself reaching for his hand in a crowded place, only to remember that wasn’t hers to do anymore.
So yeah.
Cassie was trying to move on.
But she wasn’t sure if she was actually succeeding.
"So, are we gonna talk about the guy you’re seeing or nah?"
Cassie looked up from her phone to see Stella and Natalia staring at her expectantly.
She rolled her eyes. "You guys are worse than my dad."
Natalia leaned in. "Okay, but seriously. Do you actually like this guy? Or are you just using him as a distraction?"
Cassie hesitated.
Because that was the real question, wasn’t it?
Did she actually like him?
Or did she just like the fact that he wasn’t Damian?
Before she could answer, Stella and Natalia’s eyes suddenly flickered to something behind her.
And that’s when she felt it.
That familiar, heavy presence.
Cassie didn’t have to turn around to know who it was.
She already knew.
Damian had just walked into the room.
And just like last time, everything went silent.
Cassie’s grip tightened on her phone.
Because she could feel it—the weight of his stare, the tension in the air.
And she refused to be the one to crack first.
So she did what she did best.
She pretended like he wasn’t there.
She turned back to Stella and Natalia with a smirk.
"Anyway, as I was saying—" Cassie leaned back into the couch. "He’s fun. He’s sweet. And he’s hot."
She said it louder than necessary.
She knew it.
Stella and Natalia knew it.
And Damian definitely knew it.
She saw the way his shoulders stiffened, the way his jaw locked just slightly.
But he didn’t say anything.
He just turned and walked away, his movements tense, controlled.
And for some reason, that made Cassie’s chest feel tight.
Because she had spent years memorizing every part of him.
She knew exactly what that walk meant.
Knew exactly what that little twitch of his fingers meant.
He was holding himself back.
And that?
That was almost worse than if he had fought with her.
Because Damian Wayne didn’t hold back unless something really hurt.
And the fact that she had been the one to cause it?
Yeah.
That sucked.
Cassie exhaled, forcing a smirk.
"Well. That wasn’t awkward at all."
Stella and Natalia stared at her.
"Cass," Natalia said slowly, "I say this with love, but… you’re full of shit."
Cassie grinned. "What? I’m fine."
Stella rolled her eyes. "No, you’re lying."
Natalia nodded. "Like, impressively lying. It would almost be convincing if we weren’t literally watching you fall apart in real time."
Cassie snorted. "Wow, thanks, guys."
"We’re just saying," Stella shrugged. "If you were really over him, you wouldn’t have to try so hard to prove it."
Cassie opened her mouth—
Then immediately closed it.
Because, damn.
They weren’t wrong.
Damian had always known how to control his emotions.
He had been trained from birth to be disciplined, sharp, unshakable.
But when it came to Cassie Jordan?
All of that training meant nothing.
Because the second he heard her laugh—the second he heard her talking about some guy—
Something inside of him had twisted.
Something ugly and sharp and possessive had clawed its way into his chest, tightening his throat and making his fingers twitch with the urge to break something.
Because Cassie was his.
At least…
She had been.
But not anymore.
Damian inhaled sharply, forcing himself to walk away.
Forcing himself to be rational.
But no matter how much distance he put between them, one thing remained painfully clear.
He wasn’t over her.
Not even a little.
And worst of all?
She wasn’t over him either.
Because Damian had memorized every single part of her.
And he could tell—could see it in the way her smile didn’t quite reach her eyes, in the way she was trying too hard to look like she didn’t care.
And that?
That meant there was still hope.
Damian’s fists clenched.
Because if there was even the smallest chance—even the tiniest opening—
He was going to take it.
Because Cassiopeia Jordan was his.
And he wasn’t letting go.
Not yet.
Not ever.
But Cassie had a new boyfriend.
His name was Ethan. He was nice, polite, good-looking, and funny.
On paper, he was everything she should have wanted.
The problem?
He wasn’t Damian.
And everyone knew it.
Cassie had prepared for some level of judgment.
She had expected side-eyes from Stella and Natalia, maybe a few passive-aggressive comments from the Batboys.
But the second she introduced Ethan to them?
Yeah.
It was so much worse than she expected.
"So, this is Ethan," Cassie said, forcing a bright smile. "Ethan, this is—well, everyone."
Ethan gave a friendly wave, completely unaware that he had just stepped into the most brutal test of his life.
"Hey, nice to meet you guys!"
Silence.
Stella and Natalia just stared at him.
Tim raised an eyebrow.
Duke looked mildly unimpressed.
Jason took one glance at him and immediately turned away to take a sip of his beer.
Dick smiled, but it was too polite.
Cassie felt the tension immediately.
She cleared her throat. "Uh. Ethan plays soccer. He’s pre-law. He likes hiking—"
"Fascinating," Stella deadpanned, leaning back on the couch.
Natalia just tilted her head slightly, staring at him like he was a particularly interesting science experiment.
Ethan, still oblivious, smiled. "So, you guys are all close with Cassie?"
Tim hummed. "You could say that."
Jason snorted. "Yeah, we’re basically her big brothers."
Cassie winced.
Because Jason was never that direct about it—unless he was about to ruin someone’s life.
Ethan, still clueless, laughed. "That’s cool. I mean, Cassie’s great, so I can see why you guys are so protective."
Duke smirked. "Mmm. Protective. That’s one way to put it."
Cassie narrowed her eyes at all of them. "Okay, can you all stop making this weird?"
Dick smiled pleasantly. "Oh, we’re not making it weird. We’re just… processing."
Jason grinned. "Yeah, we just didn’t realize this was your type."
Cassie’s stomach dropped.
Because she knew exactly what he meant.
She knew who they were all thinking about.
Damian.
Ethan wasn’t Damian.
And that was the problem.
The second Ethan was out of earshot, Cassie turned to everyone in the room with a glare.
"Okay, what the hell was that?"
Stella scoffed. "That was us being polite."
"That was not polite!" Cassie threw her hands up. "You guys were being mean."
Natalia shrugged. "What do you want us to say? We don’t like him."
Cassie groaned. "You just met him!"
"And?" Stella crossed her arms. "He’s not for you, Cass."
"Oh my God, stop."
Cassie turned to the Batboys, who all looked equally unimpressed.
Tim sighed. "Look, we’re just… surprised."
"Why?"
Duke shrugged. "Because he’s not Damian."
Cassie froze.
She felt it before she could even try to deny it.
That sharp ache in her chest.
That twist of something bitter in her stomach.
Because she had spent weeks convincing herself that moving on was the right thing to do.
That she had made the right decision.
But now, standing here, listening to them say what she had been trying so hard to ignore—
She felt exposed.
Cassie forced a laugh. "Okay, seriously? You guys are acting like I’m supposed to date one person for the rest of my life."
Jason raised an eyebrow. "Weren’t you planning on it?"
Cassie’s chest tightened.
Because yes.
Yes, she had been.
She had pictured years with Damian. A future. A life together that wasn’t just temporary.
And now, she was standing here, trying to pretend like she hadn’t lost something huge.
Like it didn’t hurt.
Cassie clenched her jaw.
"Well, things change."
She turned on her heel, walking out before they could say anything else.
Because if she stayed any longer?
She wasn’t sure she could keep lying.
Cassie had been waiting for this moment.
She knew Damian would find out eventually.
She just didn’t know how bad it was going to be.
And judging by the way Damian Wayne was standing in the doorway of the Batcave, staring at her like she’d personally betrayed him?
Yeah.
This was going to be bad.
"So," Damian said, his voice calm but deadly. "You have a new boyfriend."
Cassie froze.
Because, oh.
Oh, she knew that tone.
It was the same one he used when interrogating criminals.
She sighed, turning away from the Batcomputer to face him fully.
"Who told you?"
Damian scoffed. "Tt. That is not important."
Cassie narrowed her eyes.
"It was Jason, wasn’t it?"
"And Richard. And Drake. And Duke."
Cassie groaned, rubbing her temples.
"Of course it was."
Damian stepped closer, his gaze sharp. "Is it true?"
Cassie crossed her arms. "Why do you care?"
Something flashed in his eyes, something sharp and unreadable.
"Answer the question, Cassiopeia."
Cassie clenched her jaw.
"Yeah, it’s true."
The Batcave was silent.
For a moment, Damian didn’t react.
Didn’t flinch, didn’t move—just stood there, completely still.
And then, after a long pause—
"Hn."
Cassie narrowed her eyes.
"That’s it?"
"What would you prefer me to say?"
"I don’t know, Damian, maybe anything besides ‘Hn’?!"
Damian’s jaw tensed.
"I see no point in commenting on something that is clearly a mistake."
Cassie’s stomach flipped.
"Excuse me?"
Damian took another step forward, his voice low and even.
"You and I both know that whatever this is—" He gestured vaguely. "It is temporary."
Cassie felt something sharp lodge itself in her chest.
Because the worst part?
The absolute worst part?
Was that he wasn’t wrong.
But she refused to let him know that.
So instead, she scoffed, forcing a smirk.
"Wow. Arrogant and bitter? You must be fun at parties."
Damian’s eyes darkened.
"You believe I am bitter?"
"Oh, I know you are."
Damian exhaled sharply, his patience clearly wearing thin.
"Cassiopeia—"
"What, Damian?" Cassie threw her hands up. "What do you want me to say? That I haven’t moved on? That I still think about you at night? That I hate every guy I talk to because they’re not you?"
Silence.
Cassie froze.
Because—
Oh.
Oh, shit.
She hadn’t meant to say that.
Hadn’t meant to admit that.
Damian’s expression shifted immediately.
"What?"
Cassie took a step back, shaking her head.
"Forget it."
But Damian was already moving forward, already closing the space between them.
"Say it again," he demanded, his voice lower now, dangerous in a different way.
Cassie’s heart pounded.
"No."
Damian grabbed her wrist, gently but firmly.
"Say it again."
Cassie swallowed, refusing to look at him.
"It doesn’t matter, Damian."
"It does."
Cassie exhaled deeply, her chest aching.
"You left, remember?" she whispered. "You walked away. So don’t act like I owe you an explanation."
Damian’s grip tightened, just slightly.
"You never owed me anything," he murmured. "But if you still want me—" He tilted her chin up, forcing her to meet his gaze. "Then say the word."
Cassie’s breath hitched.
Because damn it.
She wanted to.
She wanted to so badly.
But she was terrified.
Because Damian Wayne wasn’t temporary.
He was all or nothing.
And if she let herself have him again?
She didn’t think she could survive losing him a second time.
So instead of answering, she yanked her wrist free and took a step back.
"I need to go."
Damian’s expression shuttered immediately.
"Tt. Of course."
Cassie hated the way his voice sounded.
Like she had cut him open.
But she couldn’t deal with this.
Not yet.
So she did what she did best.
She turned around—
And walked away.
Even though every step hurt.
Even though she knew he was watching her leave.
Because this?
This wasn’t over.
Not even close.
Cassie had been in battle.
She had faced off against galactic warlords, fought crime alongside the Justice League, and survived growing up with Hal Jordan as a father.
But nothing—
Nothing had prepared her for this.
Because Ethan?
Ethan just told her he loved her.
And what had Cassie done?
She had stuttered like an idiot and walked away.
And now, she was screaming into a pillow, completely mortified, while everyone watched.
Cassie had practically thrown herself into the Manor, stormed into the living room, and collapsed onto Stella’s lap with dramatic flair.
Stella, used to this nonsense, barely reacted. "Oh, so it finally happened, huh?"
Cassie just let out a muffled scream into the pillow.
Natalia tilted her head. "Did he propose?"
Cassie lifted her head just enough to glare at her. "What? NO."
Dick grinned. "Oh my God, did he say I love you?"
Cassie groaned loudly, shoving her face back into the pillow.
Jason, already entertained, leaned against the couch. "And you did what, exactly?"
Cassie’s muffled voice came through the pillow.
"I panicked and left."
Tim snorted. "Incredible."
Duke nodded. "That’s a power move."
Bruce sighed, rubbing his temples. "Cassie."
"I KNOW!" Cassie flopped dramatically. "I know it was bad! But what was I supposed to say?!"
Natalia raised an eyebrow. "I don’t know, maybe I love you too?"
Cassie bolted upright. "But I DON’T!"
Silence.
Everyone just stared at her.
Damian, standing near the back, went completely still.
Cassie blinked.
Then realization hit her all at once.
"Oh. Ohhhhhh."
Stella smirked. "There it is."
Cassie groaned again, dramatically falling onto the couch. "I hate everything."
Tim grinned. "So let me get this straight—your boyfriend told you he loved you, and instead of saying it back, you ran straight here to scream into a pillow?"
Cassie, voice muffled again: "Yes."
Jason cackled. "Oh, this is fantastic."
Duke smirked. "Yeah, this totally isn’t because you’re still in love with Damian or anything."
Cassie froze.
Damian’s gaze snapped to her immediately.
Stella grinned, leaning down to whisper, "You are still in love with him, right?"
Cassie groaned aggressively.
"Shut up, Stella."
Natalia just laughed. "Cass, babe. You are so obvious."
Dick beamed. "So what’s the plan now?"
Cassie sighed dramatically, rubbing her face.
"I don’t know."
Jason grinned. "Oh, I do."
Cassie glared at him. "Jason, no."
"Jason, yes."
Damian, still silent, watched her carefully.
Cassie broke up with Ethan.
And she thought it went well.
He was understanding, didn’t make a huge deal out of it, and even said he’d still like to be friends.
Cassie figured, Hey, this is great. Clean, easy, mature breakup. No drama.
She forgot about Stella.
"You WHAT?!"
Cassie winced as Stella’s voice practically shook the Manor.
In the living room, the peanut gallery sat comfortably, watching the show unfold.
Dick and Duke were grinning.
Tim was holding back laughter.
Jason and Natalia were sipping coffee, enjoying every second.
Bruce sighed but did nothing to intervene.
And Damian?
Damian was leaning against the wall, arms crossed, silently watching.
Cassie sighed. "I broke up with Ethan."
Stella threw up her hands. "GOOD. That’s the smartest thing you’ve done in months."
Cassie gave her a look. "Gee, thanks."
Stella narrowed her eyes. "But why are you still friends with him?"
Cassie shrugged. "Because he’s a nice guy?"
Stella made a frustrated noise. "Cass. You don’t stay friends with your ex!"
Cassie crossed her arms. "Why not?"
Jason snorted. "Oh, I love this. Go on, Stella. Keep going."
Stella turned to the group. "Can someone please explain why this is a bad idea?"
Tim raised a finger. "You’ll never fully move on."
Duke nodded. "And he might not either."
Jason smirked. "He’s definitely still into you."
Dick leaned forward. "If you date someone else, he’s gonna get weird about it."
Natalia shrugged. "It’s kinda painful staying friends with someone you used to love."
Cassie blinked. "I never loved him."
Cassie buried her face in her hands.
Tim chuckled. "So… if you never loved him, why date him at all?"
Cassie muttered. "Because I was trying to move on."
Natalia nodded knowingly. "From Damian."
Cassie groaned louder. "I hate all of you."
Jason patted her back. "We know, kid. We know."
Bruce, watching everything unfold, massaged his temples. "So let me get this straight—Cassie broke up with Ethan but wants to stay friends, and now everyone is staging an intervention?"
"Yes." Stella, Jason, and Duke said at the same time.
Bruce sighed deeply.
Cassie flopped onto the couch. "I don’t get why this is such a big deal."
Damian, who had been silent this entire time, finally spoke.
"Because you shouldn’t settle for someone you don’t love, Beloved."
Cassie’s breath hitched.
The entire room went still.
Jason muttered, "Oop."
Dick smirked.
Tim mouthed ‘holy shit’ at Duke, who nodded.
Cassie swallowed hard. "I—I wasn’t settling—"
Damian stepped closer, eyes locked on hers.
"Then why are you here, Cassie?"
Her heart skipped a beat.
Because she wasn’t with Ethan.
Because she had run here the second things got serious.
Because she couldn’t love Ethan.
Because she still loved—
Oh.
Oh fuck.
Cassie should have known better.
She really, really should have known better.
But against her better judgment, she had agreed to play Truth or Dare with the most chaotic group of people she knew.
Now, she was stuck, sitting on the floor of Wayne Manor’s living room, surrounded by:
- Stella, the chaos gremlin.
- Natalia, who was trying to look innocent but was absolutely in on whatever this was.
- Jason, Tim, Duke, and Dick, all grinning like they knew something was about to go down.
- Bruce, watching from the armchair with a deep sigh, already regretting his life choices.
- And Damian. Sitting right next to her, watching with sharp, unreadable green eyes.
Cassie shifted uncomfortably.
"Alright, Cassie," Stella smirked. "Truth or Dare?"
Cassie, foolishly, said, "Truth."
Stella’s grin widened. "What’s your biggest 'secret'?"
The room went silent.
Cassie’s stomach dropped.
She glanced around. Everyone was watching her closely.
Tim looked way too interested.
Jason leaned forward, enjoying the show.
Natalia raised a brow, waiting.
Duke was already grinning like she was doomed.
Dick looked intrigued, like he already knew but wanted confirmation.
Bruce sighed but remained silent.
And Damian…
Damian was watching her intently.
Cassie swallowed hard. She could lie. She could pick anything else.
But the words were already bubbling up.
The truth was aching in her chest.
She exhaled, looked down at her hands, and said—
"I’m still in love with Damian."
Silence.
A full, dead silence.
Cassie refused to look up.
Then—
"I fucking knew it!" Jason cheered.
Tim and Duke high-fived.
Natalia sighed dramatically. "Finally."
Dick grinned. "Took you long enough, kid."
Bruce rubbed his temples.
Stella just smirked smugly. "Told you so."
Cassie felt her face heat up. "I hate you all."
"Beloved."
Her breath caught.
Because Damian had spoken.
And when she finally gathered the courage to look up—
Damian wasn’t smirking.
He wasn’t mocking her.
He wasn’t gloating.
He just… looked at her.
Softly.
With something warm in his green eyes.
"Say it again."
Cassie felt her pulse race.
She knew what he was asking.
So she took a deep breath, met his gaze, and whispered—
"I’m still in love with you."
Damian leaned closer.
"Good."
And then he kissed her.
The room erupted.
Jason: "OH MY GOD."
Tim: "FINALLY."
Dick: "About time!"
Duke: "Pay up, I told you they’d get back together."
Stella: "I hate that I have to see this, but also? Called it."
Bruce: "…I need a drink."
Natalia: "I knew this would happen the moment you two met."
Cassie pulled back, breathless.
Damian smirked. "I knew you couldn’t resist me, Beloved."
Cassie rolled her eyes, but she was smiling. "Shut up and kiss me again, idiot."
So he did.
And this time, she didn’t walk away.