The UnTamed

CH 15

It had been three weeks since Asta's arrival. She had been healing nicely. She had no more open wounds, and her stitches were gone. She still had bruises and pains, she could walk but with a limp, And she had scans (CT, MRI, etc.) once a week to make sure her inside was okay. They didn't believe her when she said she was okay, and they wanted to keep track of her healing abilities, making sure everything healed properly. Her words could not be trusted when it came to her health.

Asta had been becoming restless in the coming weeks and stuck on bed rest. She wasn't doing well, sitting still with nothing to do for so long. Damian was with her most days, talking to her, watching TV, working on her reading, and such. He was there keeping her entertained while she was stuck in bed. Unfortunately, he couldn't be with her all the time. It was winter break, and the Wayne Family had many charity events to attend. While he could get out of most, he couldn't ignore all. Today was a day he couldn't ignore he was volunteering at a homeless shelter a good thing but it still left her alone.

And alone, the first thing she did was get out of bed and limp around. It hurt to hobble, but it felt good to stretch her achy muscles and shift her weight. At first, she paced around the room. Once she got tired of that, she tossed on a loose robe and poked her head out the door, making sure the coast was clear. She knew Alfred was lurking somewhere. He was the only other person still here.

Tip-toeing out of the room, she makes her way down the hall. It was strange. The hall was familiar, but the way she walked it was unfamiliar. She walked on two legs instead of four, and she was not being held and cuddled. She knew exactly where she was going, but she felt strange going there, especially by herself. It was like seeing everything in a new light. She followed the light to one of the sitting rooms in disarray with coats and hats thrown about. She'd make use of herself.

-

"You should be resting," Alfred said, stepping into the room. Asta sighed as she put down the duster.

"I just wanted to help". Asta felt rested enough to move, but Alfred didn't agree. She felt useless, an intrusion upon their routine. If she was going to continue to stay, she was going to earn her keep, and the easiest position at the moment was to help Alfred.

"Back to bed"

"I think I've rested enough, and dusting isn't that difficult. I want to help."

"Miss Asta, there's no need to help."

"I want to earn my keep."

Realizing, Alfred knew what was happening; same thing had happened to Jason and Tim. They had felt like they needed to work to stay. In a bit of contrast, Asta felt like she needed to work to repay what she had already taken/received. She did not like owing people.

"Would you join me in the kitchen, please?" she owed them nothing.

-

Damian was quick to stomp his boots and shake his jacket in the snow, clearly showing his frustration. He didn't enjoy human interaction and found very few people out of his family interesting. While he didn't particularly enjoy plopping mashed potatoes on trays, he was truly disgusted with the amount of journalists and photographers trying to talk to people and take pictures. While he didn't like people, he had enough empathy and common sense not to take pictures of people at their lowest( unless for blackmail. Blackmail is okay).

Damian was just about done with the day. He wanted to go upstair and curl up under some thick blankets with Asta. Watch a movie, read a book, sleep, anything as long as it is with Asta and no one else.

" So angry." Stephanie teased as she pulled off her own winter gear.

Damian ignored her as he started making his way upstairs. He was just starting his ascent when he heard giggling, and he stopped. He looked back to Stephanie, who shrugged. He quickly came off the stairs and made his way to the kitchen, where the sound originated from.

He found Alfred and Asta in the kitchen. They were sat at the kitchen table drinking tea with a plate of cookies between them. She noticed him standing in the doorway. A smile spread across her face as she picked up the plate of cookies and presented it to him. " We made cookies," she said.

"You're supposed to be resting," her smile became small. " Oh... um, that room was so stuffy, and I needed to move some muscles." Damian came in, putting the plate down.

"You need to go back to bed." he moved to pick her up, but she put her hands to stop him. " I can walk." Damian nodded instead, offering his arm, and she took it.

Standing up, she thanks Alferd for his time and lets Damian lead her away, slowly limping away the day's activities, finally weighing down on her. He held her close as her steps started to flatter.

"I understand the need to be active, but you shouldn't aggravate your injuries by moving so much."

"Yeah, those stairs kicked my ass," she laughed bitterly as Damian tried to move her to the bed. She walked past it to the armchair; Alferd had moved it in so Damian had a more comfortable seat while she was comatose. She sighed as she fell into the seat, shrugging off her robe. " I Just don't like staying in one place."

"I know"

"I don't like feeling useless."

"I know"

"I'm sorry"

"Don't apologize," he sighed. She had been apologizing a lot lately. It seemed like every other interaction came with one. It wasn't like her, but it made sense she wasn't herself. She'd been through a lot, and a lot was exposed, put on display, and changed. She didn't need to apologize for anything. She was forever forgiven.

"I'll go ready the shower for you."

"Can...can I have both?"

Leaning forward, he kisses her forehead. " Of course".