She had been part of the Wayne family for as long as she could remember. The Manor had never felt like somewhere she visited. It was home. Bruce treated her like another daughter, Alfred like one of his grandchildren, and the boys had long since stopped seeing her as anything other than family. She had grown up beside Damian. Before Robin, before the training, before everything that made him so guarded, she had known him simply as Damian. Her best friend. Her constant. She never thought there was anything more to it. Damian did. When they were children, he had once made her a promise about their future. He had been completely serious when he decided that one day, when they were older, he would marry her. She had laughed and eventually forgotten about it, dismissing it as something childish. Damian never did. He remembered every word. As the years passed, the promise stopped feeling childish to him. It became something he quietly carried with him. By sixteen, Damian knew exactly what he wanted. He loved her, and he had already chosen her. He didn't see the promise as an obligation or something he was trapped by. He simply still wanted her. Alfred had been the first to notice. He noticed how Damian always knew where she was, how his attention followed her across a room, and how easily his expression softened around her. Bruce noticed soon after. Dick found it amusing. Jason found Damian's reactions entertaining. Tim noticed everything. Everyone knew Damian had loved her since childhood. Everyone except her. She remained completely oblivious. Dick often teased Damian by throwing an arm around her shoulders or stealing her attention. Damian would immediately become quieter, and Dick would hide a grin. Jason would ruffle her hair just to watch Damian glare at him. She would complain about her ruined hair, never noticing the silent exchange between the brothers. Tim was different. She and Tim often worked together because they understood each other intellectually. Damian knew there was nothing romantic between them, yet he still found himself nearby whenever their conversations lasted too long. Tim always noticed. He never said anything. The entire family knew Damian was jealous. She didn't. She understood Damian better than almost anyone, yet somehow never understood the way he looked at her. To her, his presence was simply normal. He had always been there. And Damian intended to keep it that way. He had chosen her as a child. He chose her again at sixteen. Nothing had changed his mind. He still carried that promise quietly in his heart, and he intended to keep it. She simply hadn't realized yet that Damian had already decided who he wanted beside him for the rest of his life.
