Chapter Text
Two alarms ring at the same time. Two beds both creak as their inhabitants jump off the bed. Two bathroom doors swing open as two people brush their teeth, grinning at themselves in the mirror.
"Today's the day." They both whisper to themselves, giddy with excitement.
"Hey, it could happen." The woman continues saying to her judgy cat.
Both people's cats meowed as their owners passed them
Damian Wayne combed back his jet black hair, adjusting his coat over his shirt, his emerald eyes glimmered in the rising sun.
"Well, I'd marry you."
Alessia Knox ran an anxious hand through her own short black hair, shrugging on her blouse and washing her face.
"That's a proposal worthy face, right?"
Both of them ran down their respective stairs, grabbing their respective drinks. Damian opted for a cup of mint tea while Alessia drank her cup of milk. He cracked open a tin for his tuxedo cat.
"Alfred." He called.
He prepared his own breakfast, rehearsing what he would finally say to her. "I'm feeling much better, thank you for asking."
She was eating her own cereal, her cat meowing at her. "Hey, you try being normal about something like this." She rolled her eyes, her phone pinging with a text.
'Reservation at 7:30. I'll see you there."
She giggled to herself, replying at the speed of light. 'Can't wait! <33'
He smiled as his phone pinged back in response. He couldn't wait either.
They both checked their phones, time ticking by slowly. Both rushed to their cars.
Alessia turned her car on, praying that the snow wouldn't freeze the engine. The car was old and she knew it but it was too valuable for her to replace. She groaned as the engine turned for a second before stopping.
Damian ran back inside, using the key under the plant to get himself back in. He grabbed his messenger bag, running into his car, ready to start what might just be the best day of his life. He pulled out of 26 Norwood.
She pulled out of 26 Westwood.
His mother was now calling him, something that usually didn't occur too often but he knew why. He pressed to accept her call.
"So, dear, when are we picking up the ring?"
"Morning, mother. I already told you, I am picking up the ring during lunch." He was amused at his mother's excitement towards his engagement. "So, you know. I don't need help."
He wasn't a child anymore, he could do things himself but at least his mother was trying today. She really was trying. Talia al Ghul wasn't granted her own time for marriage, her father ruling over her...but now she didn't care for him.
"But you know how you can be, Damian. And that medicine can make you..." Her words trailed off, hands gesturing towards 'craziness'.
"Well, I don't think i'm going to forget my engagement ring, even while I'm sick. But thank you."
Her piercing green eyes laced themselves with suspicion. Her earrings jingled as she turned her head.
"Don't stop taking the medicine. No self-respecting woman to going to say yes to a man who has a blocked nose."
Richard popped himself into the frame, glaring down at Talia. "Remember, Dami, you only have one day a year when you can propose on December 30th. Multiple generations of Waynes cannot be wrong."
"Yes, yes, I know." He sighed. "But I have to go, I'll call you two later."
"Who would've thought, dear old Damian, named 'Most Likely To End Up In Prison' twice!!!" Dick emphasised. "Would end up with a woman with her own park bench?"
"I know." His thought immediately casted back to the woman of his dreams. "Well, I...I love you. I have to go."
Before either could say any more, he hung up on them. They were caring, they meant it but they were certainly overbearing at times.
"Dad proposed to you after one week."
"Well, that was a different time."
Alessia shook her head in disbelief.
"And you dad wanted to get laid."
Like marriage ever stopped the old geezer.
"In fact, he's coming back now, we're in our hotel room so..." Zatanna's words left.
"OKAY! TMI, Zee." She shook her head. "Anyways, he booked dinner reservations and said he wants to talk."
"I hope it's not cancer."
"What if...the first time you're meeting my boyfriend, he's actually my fiance?" She gasped.
"We've been down this road before and it normally doesn't end well." The older woman said, trying to quell the other's excitement. "You have a date, and that's amazing enough."
"I wonder if it's too-"
"Your sister will kill you if you change anything about yourself right before her wedding. I will meet you at the bridal shop at noon. Do not be late."
Alessia pulled into her usual parking spot, ready to take her day by storm.
Damian walked into the building with a pep in his step. Damian wasn't the smiliest man on board at any given time, but he had enough of a smile most days. He had brought in coffee for most of the staff.
"Big night, tonight, huh?" Tim grabbed his coffee from the holder. "It's not every night you propose to the hottest chick in town."
"Could you not refer to my future wife as a 'chick'?" Damian shot him a glare. "It's insulting and derogatory."
"Oh sorry. What else could I say?"
"Okay, stop. She's not like that."
"You used her Sonicare again?"
"I should've asked. My fault." They had stopped in the middle of the hallway now.
"There is things that couples don't need to talk about to share. Toothbrushes are one of them."
"Stop worrying about my girlfriend and worry about getting yourself one, Timothy."
"Hey, I'm fine without one."
"Sure, you are." Damian stalked off.
"Oh my god! You missed the best party ever!" Pomeline walked into Alessia's office. "Totally should have come!"
"Was going to but all you texted me was a building near Crime Alley and a random guy's name."
"Oh he was so cute. We should all get lunch."
"I would but I have my sister's final dress fitting. My sister is worried I'm going to put on an extra few kilograms and ruin her aesthetic!" She grumbled.
"After work, then!" Pomeline suggested.
"Hey, don't act like you don't know what might be happening tonight."
"Why are you getting engaged to a man who's hiding!"
Alessia had heard this over and over again and she wasn't lying if she said that it was odd. She hated the fact that he was constantly making excuses to not see her friends and family.
"He's not hiding! He's just studying for his black belt." She paused. "And he's getting over a really bad cold. I swear."
Pomeline made a noise of doubt. "For three months?"
Alessia pouted, giving up. "Can't you just support me? Okay? I think after Reva, this is what I need."
"I do support you." Pomeline made an unconvincing face. "I just do not think that Mr Right is the guy that calls you while he's sitting on your face."
Her face was contorted in all different directions, somehow becoming disgust. That's how she found most things anyway...pure disgust.
"My face is on a park bench, you're meant to call me."
"If they are looking for mental help, not vagina."
"But he said it was fate!"
Rolled eyes was the response. "No! No1 It was advertising, not fate. Fate is magical. It just happens regardless of anything prior. This is not fate. This is stupidity."
"I have to work. Please." Alessia pulled her lips into a tight line.
"Oh my god, you're so boring."
Alessia returned to her computer, just hoping and praying something would come of this. That she wasn't being stupid like Pom had thought. He was a nice guy. Hopefully. They'd only known each other a few months but it was going to work out.
"You're sure he's coming?" Zarina asked, sitting on the couch in the bridal shop.
As any other bridal shop, it was blinding white, the only colour that it could be. It was practically hell on Earth for Alessia, every corner stripping her of her vision.
"God, of course he's coming." She sighed, facing her sister through the mirror. "Why do you keep doubting me?"
Zarina flipped her wavy brown hair to the side, eyes widened. She was the lucky bride-to-be, albeit the controlling and less than pleasant type to deal with.
"Because no one has ever met him? And you do have, y'know, a history-"
"That was one time." Alessia responded through gritted teeth. "He. Is. Real. And I bet you all will love him."
"It's 40 dollars a plate." Zarina mumbled.
"And?"
"I mean, it's a lot-"
"So?"
"And we're not having a rehearsal to have like the nicest reception. And if he's not coming, we'll just invite Paris' Auntie D."
"Well, screw her because he's coming. And if he doesn't I'll pay you back."
"You could write it out to me." Zatanna suggested. She watched her daughters fight with a keen eye, as they had since childhood. Some part of her still thought that Alessia didn't necessarily see the two other women as family. Hell, she doubted if Alessia saw John as family.
"Isn't the groom's family meant to traditionally pay for the wedding?"
"I'm sorry, are you calling his family cheap? They're taking us out to a really nice brunch after the wedding."
Alessia brushed non-existent lint off her sleeve, trying to dispel tension. "I just really need to go back to work, are we almost done?"
"Oh god, see, Mom?"
Zee looked up, not really seeing the problem.
"How is me working going to ruin the wedding?"
"Oh, I don't know, you'll run into the wrong patient and get killed or something."
"I'm not even doing the physical counselling!"
Both girls looked at Zatanna, eyes straining. This constant vicious cycle again. Ever since childhood.
"You'll find a way to make my wedding all about..." Pause. "You. Prom?"
"Still haven't let that go?" Alessia growled, arms opened. "It is no way my fault that Gar preferred me over you."
"You're the one who made out with him in the guest bedroom so yeah, your fault." Zarina tilted her head, eyes judging.
"You were taking forever to get ready!"
Both girls looked at Zatanna. "Mom!"
"It's true." She shrugged.
"I knew. I knew I should've asked Katherine Karlo to be my bridesmaid."
"Katherine Karlo has pupils the size of pin pricks."
"Fine! Fine! Guess what, you're out. Out!"
Zarina's proclamations were overlapped by Alessia's mocking comment. "Oh really? Swear? Promise? Actually?" "Yes! Out Out!" The girls' conversation-if you could call it that- were blended into one chaotic hurricane of anger and sibling rivalry.
"Girls!" Zatanna finally got to her feet, separating the two. "You are sisters." She put emphasis on Alessia. "You are bounded by law to love each other-or at least pretend- and be in each other's weddings! That's how it goes, okay?"
"What now, you want us to say something nice to each other?" Zarina grumbled, hands gripping onto her dress for dear life.
"Sure."
"Nothing comes to mind, unfortunately." Alessia smirked.
"Here you go, sized and shined."
"Wow, thank you, this is incredible." Damian held the box in his hands, eyes shining.
"I don't think so." Talia appeared from behind, her voice piercing.
"Mother, what seems to be wrong with it?"
"It's horribly dull, Damian, this is not a box that calls out for marriage. Do you have one that's more appealing? Not just black?"
"Apparently, we are looking for the Black Canary of ring boxes." Damian said, completely stone-faced.
"We only have those." The salesgirl apologised, not quite comprehending the scene in front of them.
"My only son is getting engaged for the very first time. You can understand how I just want this to be perfect." Her voice had taken on a threatening edge, with a thin veil of niceness over top.
"And it will be perfect, so please don't worry about it."
"Well then, I want to hear it!"
"What." He gave her a look of disbelief. "No, no, no, no Mother, I'm not telling you my proposal speech right now. I'm not-" He sputtered. "I'm not proposing to my mother in the middle of a ring shop."
She gave him a pleading look, green eyes staring back at him. "Fine...but just this once, alright? And you're not allowed to interrupt."
She nodded.
He got one knee, ring box in his hand. "Ever since I saw your face, staring up at me from that park bench, I knew that you were the one for me. Your beauty, your drive, your energy..." He paused, then breathed in. "I mean, I never thought that some guy like me would end up with an incredible woman like you. You inspire me. You challenge me. You push me out of my comfort zone, because I know you just want me to be a better man. And because of you, I am." His heart was feeling full now, the sinking feeling of his youth disappearing. "Nika, will you please do me the great honour of becoming my wife?"
"Aw, Damian, of course I will!!" Talia clapped her hands, admiring just how grown her son was.
He got up, grunting. "Alright, that's enough mother, I-I'm done. It's fine." She pushed his hair out of his face.
Tonight was the night that he was going to propose to Nika Black. And nothing was going to go wrong at all.
"Wow, you look stunning." Damian said to the woman across from him.
"And you look quite dapper yourself," Alessia smiled. "I'm glad you're feeling better."
"I'm still on the medicine, unfortunately but that's a precaution." He kept staring at her, not breaking eye contact. "I know this place is a bit of a surprise but it's quite meaningful to me and my family. We have lunch here every New Year's."
"I think it's fun. I mean, the mocktails are super creative."
"Oh, should we order drinks?"
"I think Peach on the Beach looks good."
"It is one of their bests."
"I can't wait for tomorrow." She sighed. "You'll meet my family and despite them being cuckoo, I think you'll like them. The wedding is at 7 so-"
"Yes, yes, I'll just go into the city tomorrow, just for a while. Meet my friends and then come back and get ready."
"I picked up your tux from the laundry so you can just get ready at mine."
"That's perfect, thank you."
They both sat in awkward palpable silence.
"It's odd, despite only being together for such a short amount of time," Damian started.
"Only been a few months." Alessia chuckled. "Feels like forever."
"My parents-and brothers, I suppose-like saying 'When You Know, You Know'."
"When you know, you know."
"My brother, Richard, he got engaged at a Finnegan's."
Alessia cleared her hair out of her face, heart racing.
"Welcome to Finnegan's!" The waitress interrupted. "OMG, I know you! You're that medicine girl on the billboards!"
Nika smiled courteously, no longer looking at Damian. She was nodding politely.
"Thank you, yeah, that's me."
"Can I get a selfie?"
"Of course, sure." She didn't sound sincere at all.
"Is this a joke?" Alessia asked, completely dumbfounded.
"I think it's for the best." AJ responded.
"You think it's the 'best' to dump me right before my sister's wedding?" She still couldn't believe him, words turning in her head not computing.
"We have had a wonderful time together but I want this to end before it gets all complicated. With meeting family and seating arrangements, I wouldn't want to be a dick."
"You don't want to be a dick, AJ? That's exactly what you're being."
"Woah, I know my assistant messed up the reservation. The wrong restaurant, but this can still be a nice dinner, even if it's not upscale."
"No, this can't be a nice dinner, AJ. DId you think it would nicer to dump me over truffle pasta instead?"
"I'm literally going to die." The waitress squealed.
"Maybe we could get our drinks first?" Damian suggested. His tone was flat and irritated.
"Oh, he's funny! You're funny! Who are you, like her manager?"
"Damian is actually a really good vet and has a stake in business!" Nika clasped her hands around his.
No one really recognised him as one of the Waynes. Timothy and Richard maybe, his father definitely but him and Jason? Not so much. Being a vet was his normal job, just that that day, Timothy needed him for something.
"He's actually about to join my dad's clinic, right Damian?"
The statement clocked in his head, not quite sure if he heard the right thing. That wasn't right. The clinic in the city was more than enough and it needed more hands than her uncle's clinic did so it made no sense for him to work there at all.
"I am?"
"One of the heads is leaving."
"Alessia...I meditated on this last night and it came to me in a dream that the timing just wasn't ready. But maybe in another life-" AJ started.
"In another life what?" Alessia cut him off at the speed of light.
"Reincarnation."
"Oh!" She stared at him in disbelief before bursting out in ironic laughter.
"It's halfway to Nirvana."
She responded with repeated slaps to the table and through gritted teeth. "Well," Slap. "Thank you." Slap "So much." Another slap. "Kurt Cobain!" Every syllable punctuated by a hard slap to the wood.
"Not the right Nirvana. And that's what I'm talking about."
She scoffed, stabbing her arms through the arm holes of her coat. She hated his voice right now, his nonchalance, his general demeanour to get everything right.
"What are you doing? You're overreacting."
"You think this is overreacting?" She smiled. "This is overreacting." She threw a glass of beverage right in his face.
"AGH, Peach on The Beach!" He groaned. "What do they put in that? WHat is going on? It's been three months."
The next sentence hit her square in the heart. "Did you expect a proposal?"
She pouted, swinging her arms by her side. "I mean..no?" She sighed, voice breaking.
"Oh...shit. Okay, uhm." He paused. "This is awkward."
A barely audible 'okay.' came from her before she turned on her heel to leave, which was a damn shame because the dessert here was impeccable on so many different levels.
"Less, wait." He sighed, arms spread open.
She turned around, hope glimmering in her eyes. "Yeah?"
"I am gonna need the suit."
"Do not!" She stomped her foot. "Ever. Ever. Call me again."
In one of the next booths adjacent to them, Damian and Nika were dealing with their own problems.
"Oh my god, i could never imagine that. That was so embarrassing." She cringed.
Damian cleared his throat, back way too straight as he got down on one knee.
"My dear? Ever since I first saw your face-"
"Woah. Okay, uh, Dames, are you proposing?"
"Yes, I- Uh, yes!"
"Yes!"
"Yes?"
"Yes!"
"Oh, uh, okay!"
"Sit back down, sit back down."
"You don't want to see the ring?"
"I'm sure it looks wonderful but can it wait? For tomorrow. You know? The party and the stream?"
"But this is perfect...December 30th?"
"And I love your traditions. We are technically engaged now. Yay!" She pumped an unenthusiastic fist into the air. "Just do it again, exactly the same and I will say yes. Again. I promise."
"But why not now? I do not want to do it again tomorrow." He was firm in his decision, brows. furrowing in confusion.
"I just don't see what the big deal is...I mean, you got your proposal. I'll get mine tomorrow.
"You didn't even let me finish." This hot heat of anger was starting to rise in his chest. "Our proposal and relationship is not something you exploit for your likes. It is supposed to be personal and full of love. This would feel like a farce."
"It's not a 'farce'." She mocked his vocabulary. "It will be full of love but I have sponsors. This is my job. I get paid to influence. Food, what I do, where I get engaged." She got up, slipping her coat on. "There is no way in hell I'm wasting that type of opportunity at some place like this." She sneered, looking around at exactly what type of place she meant.
"You're leaving?" He asked. "We just got engaged."
"Woah, we did not. I am taking back whatever I said." She flipped her hair as she strutted out.
Damian felt the ring box slip from his hand slightly, the corners poking into the crevices of his skin like a bad reminder of what just happened. He sat there, lost and all hope draining from his body. Did he actually want to marry this girl anymore? If that's all she ever thought about? The money and the fame? He couldn't stand that for the rest of his life, what was he going to do?
"Hey!" The waitress squealed, seeing the ring box in his hand.
"Don't. No. No."
Alessia could feel the tears start to stream down her face, not quite getting there but almost. She was about to hope into her Uber when a girl with platinum hair pushed her out of the way.
"Thank you!"
"I don't. I don't work here!" The well of tears dried up with annoyance, the disrespect overtaking whatever disrespect she had felt in the restaurant earlier. "Great. This is bloody fucking fantastic. SO wonderful."
A man in a green sweater marched out of the door, distraught. "Did you see-"
"Tall, platinum hair, super fucking rude, bitchlike?"
He relented. "Yeah."
"She just left in my Uber." Alessia sighed into the night air. "Great job, Finnegan's. Bloody spectacle that's happened tonight."
"Do you need help?"
"Not unless you have an engagement ring in your pocket."
"Uh..." He clicked his tongue, wanting to say he did.
Damian thought she was pretty. She had these blue-grey eyes that were currently unfocused and blurred with tears. Her coat was a light blue but still ragged with little burn holes around the collar. Her hair was strikingly black, the type where in a clear night sky like this, it looked silver-ish in colour. She slipped into the cab, leaving him behind.
Alessia found the man somewhat attractive. I mean, definitely her type. He was tanned, athletic and those green eyes with his green sweater. Wow. He was incredibly hot. Oh god... But that wasn't really on her mind right now. She fucked up and Zarina was going to yell at her. She was going to be sacrificed to some wedding god because of this.
Well...she'd solve that tomorrow. For now, she was going to cry her heart out and maybe die on her bed. Time for the next day.