#daminette fic

[starwarsmum]

Chapter 29 of Introducing: Mousinette, An Adequate Birthday

https://archiveofourown.org/works/58529116/chapters/149111176

“Damian!” Turning at the sound of Marinette's voice, Damian caught her as she launched herself at him. She laughed as he held her off the ground, and he smirked when she squirmed and told him to drop her. She kissed him before pulling back slightly to say, “Happy Birthday.”

“Thank you, Starling,” he replied, finally letting her down but keeping her encircled in his arms. They had not talked about birthday plans explicitly, but she had implied fairly often that she had made plans for his birthday. 

“So, ready to have an amazing day?” She asked, giggling at the frown that passed briefly across his face. “Come on Dami, I promise it'll be fun, and I made sure we'll have time for just us this evening.”

With that promise, he reluctantly followed her away from Wayne Enterprises and to the car Pennyworth had driven around for them. He greeted them cordially and wished Damian a happy birthday as well. Damian gave a curt nod in thanks and climbed into the car behind Marinette.

When they pulled up to Wayne Manor behind Todd's motorcycle, Damian grimaced involuntarily. He knew that his family would want to celebrate his birthday as they did every year, but he hated all of the attention and, besides which, his mother's side of the family had never made reference to his birthday in a positive light.

“Hey, I promise it won't be as bad as you're thinking,” Marinette said quietly, grasping his hand tightly in her own as they walked over to Todd. He gave her a weak smile, mentally preparing to endure the next couple of hours for her sake. 

When they arrived in the dining room, he was surprised by the lack of people. His father and Grayson were seated and talking quietly but otherwise nobody was present. Even Todd merely poked his head in before heading further into the manor. Pennyworth proceeded to serve a veritable feast of vegetarian foods, including all of Damian’s favourites.

Grayson and Bruce were mostly quiet through the lunch, although the former made a point to wish him a happy birthday, and to remark that the changes Damian had undergone since his last birthday were impressive and commendable although he phrased it more emotionally. It made Damian feel like someone had inflated a balloon in his sternum and he gave Grayson a curt nod and thanks.

“Okay, so the next part of your birthday is in the home cinema, where everyone else is waiting to give you your birthday presents - yes, you have to accept them - and then we're going to watch a family movie!” Marinette chirped, pulling Damian out of his seat once lunch was finished. 

Damian complied, feeling rested and full enough that he did not dread spending time with the rest of his family. They approached the home cinema which was, again, surprisingly quiet. Marinette entered the room ahead of him and nobody shouted ‘surprise’ or ‘happy birthday’, much to his relief.

Everyone was already seated when he entered the room and he took his own seat in the centre. One by one, each family member approached him to give him a gift and wish him a happy birthday. He appreciated that they had put thought into the gifts, as he received numerous new weapons, a new blade sharpening kit, and several new paintbrushes and watercolours.

The film was an old one about animals at war: dogs, who were attempting to keep their humans safe, and cats who were bent on world domination. It was ridiculous and sentimental and Damian would never admit to loving it as much as he did. But he was blown away by the thought and consideration that had gone into planning his birthday celebrations.

Both he and Marinette stayed for a little longer before bidding farewell to all family members and making their way to her apartment. He took the time to put away his new gifts, and thanked everyone quietly. But he was happy when he and Marinette pulled away from the manor on his motorcycle, and reveled in the feel of her strong arms around his waist.

At her apartment, she had prepared a traditional Chinese dish of tofu dumplings in stew, as well as buying green tea ice cream for dessert. He was touched once again by how thoughtful she had been in arranging a meal she knew he enjoyed and buying an unsweet dessert, in spite of having a sweet tooth herself.

“So, as horrendous as you thought it would be?” Marinette asked, her feet in his lap as they watched a baking show together. She had made sure his laptop was with them and he was working on an essay for one of his classes, whilst she was knitting a blue and black scarf with tiny Nightwing symbols. 

“Tt, I have had worse birthdays,” he admitted, glancing at her as she smiled at her knitting needles. Her eyes darted up at his a second later and the smile widened to a grin. “Thank you, Starling, for organising a day I truly enjoyed. I did not think it possible to make time with my family so enjoyable, but you have succeeded.”

“Anything for you,” she vowed, putting aside her project to lean forward and kiss him. She hummed pleasantly when he cupped her cheek to pull her closer, but didn't push away his laptop. As much as he would enjoy forgetting the work, it was due later that week.

He released her reluctantly, and she smiled sweetly up at him before returning to the scarf. They stayed like that for several episodes of Marinette's show - that Damian was not watching, he could not help it if he was trained to retain information - before he eventually and begrudgingly said that he needed to head home for patrol.

“It’s okay,” she said, putting the knitting aside to stretch. His eyes followed the lines of her body and he regretted spending so much time working. He loomed over her to kiss her again, and it quickly became fierce. Her hands were buried in his hair again, angling his head and making him groan. 

They were both breathless when he finally pulled away, and her eyes had turned dark blue with desire. It was almost tempting to call out from patrolling, but he knew he would never hear the end of it from his brothers. So he kissed her one last time, hard, before saying goodbye.

“Text me when you get in, okay?” She murmured against his lips, and he promised he would. The drive to the manor felt like it took an age, every minute put between them making him grouchier. By the time he was in the cave, dressed for patrol, he was frowning.

“If you're just gonna be pissy, Demon, you should have just canceled,” Red Hood said snarkily. Damian did not dignify that with a response, seating himself at the planning table next to Spoiler. She merely nodded at him before continuing her conversation with Red Robin.

“Alright, let's settle down,” Batman said, and the room quickly focused on him. “Looks like there's no chatter about anything big going down, so we'll stick to our standard patrols. Nightwing, you and Robin get Amusement Mile for tonight, see if you can track down what was happening with the Joker's goons.

“Red Hood, you and Spoiler take Crime Alley. I'll go with Batgirl and do a general patrol starting in the financial district and work our way up. Red Robin, you'll be minding the comms and let us know if we need to get on anything.”

“Yeah, B, I know,” Red Robin said, rolling his eyes at Spoiler. Batman as usual, ignored the insubordination and ordered them out. The flurry of activity meant that Damian was not subjected to Nightwing's inevitable questioning about how his day had gone.

But it seemed as though he was still being mindful of Damian's birthday as it took well over an hour of trawling through Amusement Mile in silence before he finally broke his self-imposed silence.

“Soooo, have you had a good day, Baby Bird?” Was the question he was met with, and he sighed internally. He continued opening crates that looked untouched, but gave an affirmative tut. “Aww, come on, you must have more to say than that! Mouse tried really hard to come up with stuff you would enjoy, but if you didn't we need to know so we don't do it again!”

“Tt, the day was adequate, Nightwing. If I am forced to celebrate the passage of time with you people, today is an example I would ask you to use in future,” he said at last, not wanting his busybody brother to tell Marinette erroneously that he had not enjoyed the day. “Besides which, I have already conveyed my gratitude to Mouse for her thoughtfulness and care.”

“Oh, good,” Nightwing replied, clearly wrongfooted. It took several more minutes before he attempted to start the conversation again. “What did Mouse get you for your birthday, anyway? She was really tight-lipped about it, but she insisted she was getting you the best present.”

“None of your concern,” Damian said, dismissive but his mind went back to the twin plush toys Marinette had created of his beloved pets. They were physically accurate miniatures of Titus and Alfred the cat, adorned in the batsuit and Robin suit respectively. Alfred even had a tiny toy katana that Damian suspected she had crafted herself, and Titus had a miniature grappling hook. They were perfect and he was floored by the thought, time and love that had gone into their creation.

“Fine,” Nightwing sighed, sounding as though it was the worst thing in the world. It appeared now that he had started talking, however, he was going to make up for lost time. “I'm surprised Mouse isn't out here with you, getting as much time as possible.”

“It is an additional part to my birthday present,” Damian admitted at last. “She is aware that I would struggle to focus on patrol if she were out tonight, and so has decided to stay home so that I may enjoy it.”

Nightwing tried to suppress a squeal but only succeeded in elongating the sound. Damian shot him a grumpy look before resuming his investigation. He was still slightly grumpy from having to leave Marinette's home but doing investigative work was helping. 

Nightwing's inane chatter moved on to his own life, discussing various aspects of work and other heroes he often associated with. It was something of a relief when Red Robin alerted them to an ongoing crime at Cherry Hill Park that required their assistance. He clipped out an affirmative before launching out of Amusement Mile.

The rest of patrol passed pretty quietly in terms of conversation, a string of average Friday night crimes keeping the pair busy. 

_ _ _

Over the next two weeks, Marinette found that she was busier than she had ever been before. In between her ever increasing amount of commissions, her schoolwork which she had thought she was far enough ahead on only to get a very rude slap from another 3,000 word essay, and her work at Wayne Enterprises, she hardly had any time to work on her Christmas presents. 

On top of all that, she was trying to spend time with Damian and get into a regular routine for patrol. She envied her younger self’s simple life with only the occasional commission, schoolwork and patrol. Even the sporadic dates she had been on hadn't really impacted her life too much. She was very much looking forward to a week of peace in Paris. 

In fact, now that she had handed in her last essay for the semester, she was scurrying around her apartment trying to pack up the presents she had already completed, as well as her bags for the week-long stay at her parents. She cursed aloud when she heard Damian knock on her door before letting himself in.

“I'm so sorry, I'll be ready any minute,” she said, sparing only an apologetic glance in his direction. He gave an amused snort before coming to join her packing efforts. With his efficient movements her bag was packed shortly after that, and she sighed in relief. “Thanks, Dami! I can't wait to get on the flight tomorrow morning, I haven't had a decent rest in forever.”

“Of course, Starling,” Damian mused, before he pulled her into his arms. She kissed him hello and cuddled close to him. He smelled clean and like the outdoors, a hint of his aftershave tickling her nostrils. After several long moments, he pulled back, much to her disappointment. “As much as I would like to stay here with you, we have promised my family that we will have dinner with them tonight.”

“I know,” she grumbled, flitting over to her bedroom. He followed behind her, leaning on the door frame as she grabbed the Miracle Box and sling it into a backpack. “Thanks again for saying I could hide this in your room, I didn't really want to take it across the world again.”

“Tt, it is nothing. Perhaps I am merely trying to make the idea of moving into the manor more attractive to you,” he said teasingly, and she grinned back at him. He had made several comments about how much easier it would be if she was living there full time, but she liked having a separate creative and living space that was purely her own.

“Or maybe you should move in here with me,” she countered, cocking a hand on her hip. “Just imagine, no nosy brothers and sisters checking in on us, calm evenings relaxing on the sofa together…we could even start patrol from here if you wanted.”

“...is that something you would actually like?” He asked, the playful tone dropping from his tone as though he was seriously contemplating the offer. She held her breath, nervous but one hundred percent on board with the idea of him living with her. She gave a tentative nod and he strode over to her. “Perhaps we could agree on a timeshare of the two?”

“Sure,” she whispered, a warm glow filling her. She fumbled on her nightstand for a moment before turning back to him. “I was planning on giving it to you soon anyway, because I know you hate when I leave the door unlocked for you. But, um, now you can just have it for whenever you want to be here, whether I am or not.”

Damian stood there, dumbfounded. She had had a key made for him? And was planning on giving it to him, so that he could access her apartment at any time? He cleared his throat of the lump that had formed, cupping her cheek with one hand as he accepted the key with the other.

“Thank you for trusting me with this,” he murmured, gazing into her eyes. A text pinging onto his phone spoiled the moment, however, reminding them both that they had places they needed to be.

The meal with his family was as festive as any Christmas day Damian had attended at the Manor. Grayson had been devastated to find out that Damian and Marinette would be in Paris over Christmas, and insisted that they have a meal with them before they left.

Apparently that meant that the pair would be subjected to an early Christmas celebration. They would not be opening their gifts, but Pennyworth had created the usual Christmas feast and the rooms had been decorated for quite some time anyway.

Damian mostly watched as Marinette laughed and played with his family, her voice cheery and bright. He loved the way she fit so seamlessly into his life, even his vigilante one. He was becoming more accustomed to her being out with them, and her training was improving dramatically now that they had increased the amount she was doing.

When it finally came time to go to bed, he fell asleep quickly and was content in a way he seldom was when she was absent. The last thought that crossed his mind before he fell unconscious was that he would be able to fall asleep next to her everyday if they so chose going forward.

[editorofeverything]

Chapter 10 is OUT

I've been sitting on this chapter for so long, and I could not for the life of me figure out what was wrong with it, so I planned on just posting it as is and taking comfort in knowing I could always go back and change it later, but I did it! I fixed it and finally posted it!

[ggomos-maribat]

Double Lives

Damian was certain that his wife was keeping a secret from him.

He trusted her with his life, of course—Marinette had kept a number of things from him in the earlier stages of their relationship, like her experience and trauma in Paris. He knew not to pry, and eventually she opened up. He was glad that some burden was taken off her shoulders.

But this was different. She was deliberately trying not to get caught; she took care to hide her phone from his view, and there were days she'd come home very late. When asked, she'd get irritable but also nervous around him. Damian didn't want to assume things right off the bat, but he did hope she would finally grow comfortable to talk it out with him. And so he resisted using his ‘resources’ to peek into her life—what kind of distrusting partner would he be if he did that?

He knew, too, that he was being awfully hypocritical. He was still yet to sit her down and reveal his vigilante alter ego to her as well as his family's. Damian would swear he planned to rip the bandaid off when they got engaged. But he couldn't bring himself to do it, out of the fear that she'd leave him. As far as he knew, Marinette wanted a normal quiet life after living through the Evil Butterfly Man's reign of terror. Telling her his identity would just put a target on her back, if there wasn't any already after she became a Wayne.

He couldn't imagine his sweet innocent wife exposed to the horrors of vigilantism.

Still, even though he had his own secrets, it felt quite frustrating not to know hers. That was what Damian was thinking one dark night when the door finally opened, signalling her arrival from work.

“Damian?” Her eyes widened. “Why are you still up? You shouldn't have waited for me.”

“It's alright. I couldn't sleep anyways.” And I will be sneaking out for patrol later. He stood up to kiss her cheek—

But froze upon seeing a red mark right at the base of her neck.

Marinette hummed tiredly. “Next time, don't wait for me if you're tired, okay?”

“. . . What's that on your neck?” He dared to ask.

Her hand immediately flew to the spot on her skin. For a split second, her expression changed into a hint of annoyance. “It's—it's . . .” she stammered, “I accidentally hit myself.”

“You hit yourself?”

She nodded meekly.

Damian stared at her for a moment. There was one thing he knew about his wife: she was a bad liar. But she was expert at omitting things, partly because she probably knew he wouldn't interrogate her further. He knew that she was aware it was the vaguest of explanations but she never tried to elaborate.

He mustered out a smile. “Be careful next time.”

She let out a nervous laugh and squeaked out a ‘yes’.

“By the way.” He took a deep breath, “I visited your office this morning.”

“Oh?”

“Yes, and your secretary told me you hadn't punched in for the day yet.”

The silence between them was thick.

“Ah . . .” Damian could practically see the gears turning in her head. “That was . . . erm, I had to run an errand before work! Yeah . . .”

“I see. I was hoping to have lunch with you earlier but it seems that you're busy nowadays.”

She cursed in French under her breath.

“I'm really sorry, Damian.” She fidgeted with her fingers. “I'll make time this week. I promise.”

She hurried off to their bedroom, leaving Damian with his thoughts.

He really really didn't want to assume the worst. But his heart was racing and when he looked at the signs, they were clear as day. His mind started to spiral a little, wondering where he could've gone wrong, wondering if he didn't spend enough time on her or if she felt that he wasn't giving enough effort.

But he pushed all those thoughts away and followed her to bed.

***

One Saturday afternoon saw Robin and Superboy in the Watchtower's breakroom, talking about Damian's predicament. He hoped his friend could at least contribute an objective outsider's perspective in his dilemma and encourage him to broach the topic with Marinette.

“She's cheating,” Superboy deadpanned.

“She's—she's not,” he argued back, “Perhaps I am just reading too much into it . . .”

“Um but the hickey? The late night escapades?” Superboy frowned. “I don't know about you, but I don't think there's any other explanation for it.”

Robin bit his tongue. No, it's not possible. He loved Marinette terribly, and he knew—he could feel the same love from her if not more.

His friend sighed, “Look, I know it's hard to believe. Even I don't think M can be . . . unfaithful but you should confront her about it.”

“I can't. I can't face her like that when I am still keeping a secret of my own.”

“Then tell her you're Robin. A secret for a secret, hm?”

Robin didn't even want to think about how messy that conversation would be.

“It's all just about communication,” Superboy continued. “If you're worried she won't accept you, take my mom and dad as an example—”

He stopped talking, indicating that he sensed another presence nearby. Just on cue, a fuming Ladybug stomped into the breakroom, heading straight to one of the refrigerators.

The two men watched as she muttered angrily while looking around for food—Robin could see the clear exhaustion on her tensed figure. The Parisian heroine had joined the Justice League after the Hawkmoth fiasco became public; the heroes were quick to recruit her but not before she voiced out her complaints about the League neglecting her city. Though she hadn't revealed her identity to anyone, she had formed bonds with the other heroes her age, not excluding Robin and Superboy.

Superboy winced when she kicked the fridge door.

Ladybug did a hundred eighty, showing both the fires of hell and sleepless nights in her blue eyes. “You don't happen to have an extra stock of Kryptonite, do you?”

Superboy looked at her warily. “What happened this time?”

“Your dad assigned me to another magic-involved mission!” She tugged at her hair, sitting beside them. “I thought I made it clear I didn't want to be involved in too many missions especially if it's non-miraculous related ones!”

“You could . . . tell him that?”

She shot a sharp glare at them. “You don't think I did? They're insisting it's miraculous related when Constantine hasn't even confirmed anything! Just because Paris was terrorized, it doesn't mean miraculi are going to pop out from everywhere! These missions are affecting my normal life!”

It was a common complaint for heroes who had alternate civilian lives, but Robin was a bit surprised that she was that open about her feelings.

“And—and Batman too!” She pointed a finger at Robin. “I know Monsieur Furry's guilty about the Paris thing and all and me not having a mentor but he keeps checking on my progress after missions liked a damned helicopter parent! “

Before either of them could reply, she continued ranting, “I was going to meet an important client yesterday but they just had to call me in to help with the mission! And then it goes on until freaking midnight! What about my precious sleep?! Then Zatanna accidentally used a spell on me—it hit my neck and now it looks like a hickey!”

Her head dropped onto the table. “How the fuck do I fucking explain that to my husband?!”

Robin and Superboy looked at each other, wide-eyed.

“You—you haven't told your husband that you're a hero?” Superboy asked carefully.

Not lifting up her head, she replied with a muffled voice, “Of course not! I can't do that to him! He's already exposed to enough danger because of his last name! I just can't tell him ‘ hey mon amour so I'm actually that heroine from Paris on top of my emotional PTSD!’”

Robin swallowed. That was Marinette's name for him.

It ticked too many boxes.

He started to subconsciously connect the dots: catching his wife absent at work at the time the magic-wielding team of the JL was away on a mission; Ladybug sharing that she finally linked up messages from her yoyo to her personal phone; his wife coming home late, tired and fatigued from head to toe when all she was supposed to be doing was designing.

“I'm sure he'll come to understand your circumstances,” Superboy consoled.

“He won't.” The heroine sat up, revealing that her eyes were now welling up with tears. “He probably hates me right now because I'm sending the wrong signals. What if he thinks I'm just taking advantage of him for his money? His family already hates me! What if he's filing for a divorce right now?”

Robin felt the nudge from his friend, as if to tell him to do damage control. Superboy abruptly stood up, spouted out an excuse about being called by someone, and left the room to the two of them.

Ladybug sniffed, “Sorry, you probably didn't want to hear all of that.”

“It helps to get your problems off your chest.” Robin awkwardly patted her head. In truth, she was really Marinette, he wanted to pull her into a hug already.

He coughed. “Why—why do you think your husband's family hates you?”

“Oh . . . I don't know, but his father’s always distant. Whenever I'm at a family dinner, they're just very quiet,” she replied sadly. “I know they're good people but I felt like I didn't belong somehow. My husband keeps saying they adore me though.”

Robin wanted to sigh out loud. His father still had his guard up because he believed she was a civilian, hence there was a side of her family they could never show her. It was always quiet due to Alfred's stern lecture about behaving in front of Marinette lest they accidentally spill something they shouldn't.

“It sounds like your husband cares a lot about you,” he told her, “Don't you think he would trust you if you told him the truth?”

“But I can't! I don't know where to begin!” She pursed her lips. “He's always been good to me and he never steps the line even if I'm obviously lying. I just . . . I thought I could tell him before we got married but I was too scared and I didn't want to ruin what we had.”

“But he won't think any differently of you, would he?”

“No . . .”

“Then you have nothing to be afraid of.” He smiled a little. “It may come off as a shock at first but he will accept it in time. You will be stressing yourself out even more if you keep thinking about the worst scenarios.”

She stared at him. “When did you get so wise?”

“Ever since I started thinking about what my wife was doing.”

She tilted her head. “Huh?”

It was unmistakable. Those gleaming blue eyes were Marinette's.

He was such an idiot.

“She keeps coming home late, hides her phone every time I'm near,” he listed, gauging her reaction. “Last night, I found out she hadn't come to her office even when she said she was working, and I caught her with a strange mark on her neck.”

Her eyes slowly widened as she seemed to come to the same realization. The heroine's gloved hands flew up to cover her mouth. “Damian?” she whispered.

He checked if the coast was clear and slowly peeled off his domino mask to show his full face. “I'm sorry I didn't tell you habib –”

He was cut off by her warm lips, her arms winding around his neck. Damian immediately melted into her touch, relieved that they finally divulged their secrets. He wouldn't have to be worried about introducing her to the hero world after all.

He was extremely relieved, in fact, that he hadn't noticed his father and eldest brother stroll into the room.

“ROBIN! Are you cheating on your wife?!”

Robin pulled away from Ladybug, withholding a sigh of exasperation. He put his mask back on and turned around to see Batman looking constipated and Nightwing utterly shocked.

"How could you do that to—to . . ." Nightwing cried out.

"Leave us." He glared.

"Robin—" His father's voice was tinged with disapproval.

"Leave. Us."

Fortunately, the two scurried off. Damian faced his wife, who seemed as flabbergasted. He was worried since it was her identity that was at risk, unless he embraced the unexpected cheating allegations.

"Oh my kwamis," Ladybug said softly, "I called my father-in-law a furry ."

"It's deserved." He rubbed up and down her shoulders. "What do you want to do?"

"Oh um . . ." She ducked her head. "Maybe go home and I'll—I'll explain everything from the beginning."

***

Damian had to recount his life story after his wife shared hers whilst they cuddled in bed. After they talked, he was surprised to learn so many new things about her—he thought he had her memorized already, even before they exchanged vows. At the same time, he was mentally kicking himself for thinking that Marinette was never closely involved in the war against Hawkmoth.

Of course she was Ladybug.

Of course she was a hero.

So while she was spiraling at the number of times she'd unknowingly mocked her in-laws in the suit, he was regretting not telling her the truth sooner. If they'd opened up years ago, he would've stayed by her side during missions, helping her deal with the troubles of having a masked alter egos, and sharing his own experiences with her. A stronger bond would've formed between them, because they both understood the hero's life after all this time.

Not long after, she finally decided she was ready to tell the Waynes who she was. ‘It would do more harm than good if I kept hiding it anyway,’ she reasoned. He did agree, since she was part of the family, both as Ladybug and Marinette. The others would surely be overjoyed (and less overprotective) if they found out that she was a hero. What Damian found strange, however, was Marinette seemed to worry that Bruce's opinion on her would change and he'd become ‘distant’ as Batman as well.

“Remember, Batman is afraid of you,” he had reminded her over and over again.

(And Batman would be ecstatic to discover that Ladybug was his daughter-in-law, but Damian would never tell her that. The caped vigilante had grown fussy over the Parisian heroes as his way of ‘making up’ for the Paris incidents . . . But at the same time, he cowered ever so slightly when Ladybug raised her voice on him. Damian's siblings blamed Ladybug's black hair and blue eyes for triggering the adopt-itis.)

And so Damian and Marinette decided to arrange a family lunch to break the news to everyone. It was then Damian remembered that there was one issue he hadn't resolved yet.

“If you don't tell Marinette today, I'm telling her.” Dick glared at him from across the table.

Damian glanced at his watch. His wife wasn't present yet, and had sent him a message about picking up pastries from Paris first.

“Tt. That would mean revealing our identities, Richard.” He crossed his arms.

“Just because you have the mask on it doesn't mean you can do that to her!” Dick argued. “Does Ladybug even know you're married?! ”

“What did he do to Pixie-pop?” asked Jason.

“He---he—” Dick was once again trembling in anger and disbelief.

“We saw him kissing Ladybug.” It was Bruce who replied. “Damian, I never expected this from you. You will have to talk and apologize to Marinette.”

“You did what?!” Jason stood up so abruptly that the utensils clattered.

“What the fuck?” Tim exclaimed.

Stephanie gasped. “What the hell Damian?”

“Holy shit,” Duke whispered.

Damian could only stare at the entryway of the dining hall, hoping that Marinette would arrive soon. If he was left with his family any longer, they'd be beating him up and disowning him.

“I have . . . a reason,” he said through gritted teeth. He couldn't exactly tell them right off the bat, since Marinette wasn't there yet.

“Open . . . open relationship?” Cass frowned.

Suddenly, a bright light appeared at the ceiling—a portal— and from it, a figure dropped down, much to everyone's shock. Ladybug, unified with the Horse miraculous, grinned at them with an armful of boxes filled with croissants and macarons.

“Ladybug?” Bruce gaped.

“Your daughter-in-law actually.” She lowered the sunglasses, showing her narrowed eyes. “And your worst fucking nightmare.”

“W---What?”

Damian could barely control his laughter, seeing his father frozen.

She detransformed completely and scowled at Bruce. “This is technically your fault, furry old man! If you didn't keep agreeing to send me on those magical missions, I wouldn't be so tired and caused a misunderstanding in the first place.”

Damian didn't have time to shield himself from the eruption of noise on the table. With his wife's theatrical reveal, everyone was in different states of shock. Tim stood up quietly to face a wall with a blank stare, entertaining another existential crisis. Duke choked on the water he was drinking. Jason was crouched on the floor miserably with his hands over his face, perhaps because of the times he complained to Marinette about Ladybug's uptight methods. Dick's jaw was completely unhinged, and he was slapping himself every minute or so. Stephanie passed a hundred dollar bill to Cass.

And Bruce. Poor Bruce was paler than their porcelain plates, speechless and unmoving.

Damian exchanged a wide smile with his wife. He loved her so much.

[aliensunflower-fics]

My Recommended Fic List

So, I got this ask awhile ago, and since I have been re-reading a bunch of my old favorite fics as a way to cheer up after work I figured why not. This list will be long... and varied but mostly its older fics cuz idk there my favs. Now lets go:

Fashion Upgrade - By @soap-lady : Straight up one of my favorite fics ever, its fun, its creative, it never fails to make me laugh when I need something warm and wholesome after a bad day. Also go check out the rest of her stuff there's so much good okay like shes just a writing queen. Shes on AO3 I don't want to spoil you on her other stuff just GO experience it for yourself.

Ode To Decoy pt 1 / 2 / 3 - By @a-marlene-s : Ive always liked this short sweet little fic about Lila getting caught. Its Lila + class salt though so avoid if that's not your flavor.

EVERYTHING - By @unmaskedagain : They have salt, they have sugar, they have funny, they have crossovers. Like honestly they are a just a great writer with so much variety so go check out the masterlist I linked and I guarantee there will be something there you like.

@ravennm84 Is a writer on the saltier side but they have a wonderful selection of weird wacky tales from the salty but oh so well written Damning Evidence that sees Lila get caught in the best way to the 3 part Horror inspired Serafina other great fics from them include Marinettes Family Court Circus pt 1 / 2 and Of Moldy Bread and Cockroaches / Be Kind to Servers honestly its worth giving there blog a look.

@mochinek0 Is another writer with several beloved fics. They write a lot of Maribat and we love them for it. Ones to check out would be Blind Date / Bruce vs Gabriel just go check out there tag list of daminette for more.

Accidental Crime Boss Marinette - By @lady-literature : This is a wonderful idea and a wonderful little fic and I just... I just like it okay. Sadly I haven't read a lot of there other stuff... But I might after finishing this list considering how much I enjoy this one.

@nobodyfamousposts I love a LOT of there fics. They are one of the best when it comes to striking that sweet spot of calling out the show for some of its garbage while not getting so salty that you cant have fun lighthearted goodness. I have been looking for a masterlist of there work but cant find one so just go stalk there tags. I do recommend there Chloe's Lament Series 1 / 2 exploring how certain 'wishes' would backfire. Guardian Assistant Kevin is also a good one Miracle Queen Aftermath pt 1 / 2 / The 8 parter Burn the Witch series / The Wisdom Teeth Reveal / Kagami Vs The Wall of Faces / Resigning With Grace & Spite / I tried to give a lot of links cuz they have a lot of stuff

Kill Them With Kindness - By @luki-fanfic : Well written, good salt without going overboard. Just good vibes. I havent stalked there other stuff but if its anything like this fic its probably excellent quality.

Stephen Vladislav pt 1 / 2 - By @stormiclown : Adrien centered salt on the idea of finally giving Adrien his own proper rival. I like the idea of Adrien having a rival because its usually Marinette and this was just the right length to get those creative ideas flowing. Also just well written what more can you ask for.

Power Trip - By @storygirl000 : This was the first fic that made me go... Wait would it be more fun if Lila was actually competent? And that set me on the path to writing my own fics where Lila is more villainous and more capable. Its short, well written. Good.

Your Wish is My Command - By DemiGoddess28 on AO3 : A great 11 chapter fic looking into Lila's life if she were to win and get a miraculous wish. Its got sugary goodness for our protagonists and the class and salt for our dearest friend Lila.

LadyBugOut AU - By Miraculous-Content on AO3 : A 50 chapter fic made up of snippets and ideas. I found it really inspiring in many ways. I also love how it redeems Marinettes classmates showing how and why they were tricked but holding them accountable anyway its just... Good.

Juleka vs The Forces of the Universe - By goldenlaurelleaves on AO3 : For those of us not yet ready to accept the death of luka/mari we have this wonderful fic showing Juleka being the biggest wingman as she helps these idiots find there way together.

ChaoticNeutral on AO3 has there own Chloe's Lament fic as well as a Gabriel's Lament fic for people who need sweet salty of those two characters.

BroadwayCutie16 was Inspired by the person above and DemiGoddesses your wish is my command fic to write Lila's Lament fic going over Lilas failed wish. Honestly I always love these fics because there just so interesting and the way wishes can be taken and twisted is always a fascinating idea to me.

#WayneAngel - By Tired-Writing-Teach on AO3 : For us Maribat lovers. Its fun and lighthearted with some good gags and some light fluff.

Damian in Paris - By Lilliesandliveries on AO3 : A sweet Maribat series showing what would happen if Damian ran away from home and found himself in Paris and getting therapy.

How a Demon Commissions an Angel - By AlixAnonymous : Damian blackmails Marinette into letting him be her client so he can get his bros the best gifts, they end up becoming penpal buddies.

Mythomania - By LadyEnna_50 on AO3 : Proof that I dont hate Adrien or Mari/Adrien. In this fic Adrien's spine gets titanium plating and he sees just how bad Lila is hurting Marinette and does something about it.

The Contingency - By AbyssalGuardian on AO3 : SALT. Also Tim/Mari but even still I love the way this was written, the style, and some of the ideas just ugh love it. Its not for those who dont like salt so just avoid at your own discretion. Its about a chaotic Marinette done with her life running away to Gotham where she meets her true black cat, and gets her life back on track.

The String That Binds Us - By FaithAndATypeWriter on AO3 : Okay so is there any Mari/Bat fan who hasnt already heard of this one? Who cares its good, its cute, I love it. May the author be blessed with snacks.

The Great IKEA Game - By @batsandbugs : Okay again... I think every Mari/Bat fan has probably heard of this one already because its just that good and that popular. But who cares I am recommending it anyway. Don't read if your allergic to fun I guess.

If this list still doesn't somehow have enough salt for you then try @goggles-mcgee fics here is a link to there Masterlist. They are in a way a professional at salt and angst and they make you want to adopt Marinette and pop her in a blanket fort.

Honestly I could keep going but this list already feels so long for other great recs though I can link you to @jayphoenic who has some great Daminette Fic Recs and some Lila Salt Fic Recs!

Feel free to reblog this and add some links to stuff you would think I or others might like! Also lets just acknowledge how many talented authors the community has like wow.

[person25]

for some reason, every time i get back into dc and/or miraculous i always end up here:

[fanfic-recs-01]

Daminette Fic Recs

So it looks like my posts are getting too big for Tumblr lol

I'll now be separating them a bit more and will have to make multiple parts for each post.

Link to Part 2

Updated 11/2/24

Marinette Dupain-Cheng/Damian Wayne

She’s Sunshine, She’s Grace, She’ll Punch You in the Face by Brinxiethebear *Finished*

~Marinette struggles to stay happy nowadays but what better way to change your mood than with a change of location? Adrien gave up his miraculous so he could start fresh. After all, his dad was in prison for being the super villain Hawkmoth and his other caretaker Nathalie died from over use of a broken Miraculous. So now Marinette is the guardian of the miraculous. ~

for us to collide by LadyLiterature *Finished*

~The story of Marinette stumbling upon the illustrious Wayne family over and over again, as well as the more infamous Bats, over the course of her many visits to Gotham. She, of course, charms the whole lot of them and finds that the same is true in the reverse.~

A Robin and His Lady by ProudGeek4Ever *Finished*

~Marinette lost her friends to Lila, Adrien was long forgotten and Chat Noir kept getting more irresponsible. Being a teenage superhero was stressfull, but Marinette's life takes a turn for the better when a chance meeting in Gotham changes everything. Damian changes everything.~

No, Mr. Wayne, You Can't Adopt Me! by ggomoz (ggomo_springtime) *Finished*

~Bruce's personal assistant is scarily competent---she seems to know the best decision at each time, predict emergencies, and is an expert at handling all of his children. But what if there's more to her than meets the eye?~

More Than One Secret by Tyshian  *Finished*

~Marinette Dupain-Cheng has Secrets. Damian Wayne has Secrets. The pair together have Secrets.~

Reunions are... interesting if you’re a Todd by crazyjc *Finished*

~Alright, this is based on laraceleste's Tell Me More where Jason Todd is Marinette’s big brother with one exception—Marinette didn’t know where Jason was after she was adopted until after he died when she was ten. They were apart for three years here, as GCPD got her at 7.~

It's Just Indifference by dontyoublink *Finished*

~Marinette thought she would just get some inspiration for her designs when she headed to the park. As luck would have it, she also meets four (interesting? unique? slightly insane?) Americans. Frisbee, ice cream, and much-needed conversations ensue.~

World's Greatest Detectives, My Ass by Appleberry84 *Finished*

~Marinette figures out the Batfam's identities and decides to torture them.~

Leave it Behind by ShannonEsmerelda *Finished*

~Marinette Dupain-Cheng has grown tired of Paris, and the miracle box was no longer safe there. It'd been active in the country for too long, seen too much damage. She needed to find a place for both her and the kwami's to heal, while still having the ability to be a hero. So, why not Gotham? The city had enough crime for both her and the bat family without getting in each others way, right? Right?~

Report to HR by SimplyAnotherWriter  *Finished*

~Look; Bruce liked Marinette. If the girl hadn’t already had loving and adoring parents that had spotless records and nothing incriminating about them whatsoever(Bruce had checked long and hard), he probably would have adopted the girl just like he had the others.

However, things wouldn't remain this perfect if Damian continued to try and mess it up by SCARING the poor girl!~

The Sun Who Lit Up The Night Sky by FandomQueen10325, leaping_lizard_babe *Finished*

~4 months after the defeat of Hawkmoth, the akuma class wins a trip to Gotham. While they are there, Marinette keeps attracting bad luck, and can never seem to stay out of trouble. The Batfam is very interested when they learn about what had happened in Paris, so they question ladybug.~

Travels of Passion by StarShine583 *Finished*

~When people as famous as the Waynes come to visit your city, the most you'd expect to get from them is a quick little smile. A hand shake if you're in the right place at the right time and extremely lucky. Marinette didn't really expect to get either, and she certainly didn't expect to get what she actually got.~

Of Birds and Bugs (revising and rewriting) by orphan_account *Finished*

~Marinette was a busy girl. Between her idol work as NeTi, and her duty as Ladybug, it was hard to do everything else, like being a good class president. Still, she was able to pull through.

Somehow, the class get's a trip to Gotham, sponsored by Bruce Wayne himself, and it looked like Marinette would be able to take a break for once.~

Dinner at Wayne Manor by littlefleetinglight *Finished*

~In the front hall standing in a line was Bruce, Dick, Jason, Tim and Damien; in that orders, with Alfred standing in front of them like an officer in front of his troops.

“Now, when Ms.Marinette arrives there will be no inappropriate language, no crude gestures or noises, and there will be no interrogation. Do you gentlemen understand?”~

#SunshineOfGotham by sixtyeightdays *Finished*

~All of Gotham knows Marinette, the Sunshine who's made her way into everyone's hearts. But so what if all of Gotham knows Marinette? Does her class know that they know Marinette? Of course not, why would they! But, well, let's see how they find out.~

Rockin’ the House by littlefleetinglight *Finished*

~It was another charity gala held by the Wayne Family; this one was raising funds for art programs across the world, and because it was for art there were artists of all types from all over, including the famous Rock’n’Roll artist Jagged Stone…and his guest.~

To marry an Assassin by PL_Panda *Finished*

~Marinette wakes up in a cell and later is forced to marry a member of the League of Shadows, who is also less than willing. Exactly what she was pulled in? And of course there is magic involved, so no cancellation. And apparently in Tibet ancient orders can marry minors off just like that. This was definitely not Damian's day. Or Week. Or month. He got married with a random girl...~

Who Needs Words? by AKP31E *Finished*

~After the defeat of Hawkmoth and the retirement of Suhan, Marinette’s life is just getting crazier. She doesn’t know how a soulmate could ever fit into her life, and sometimes she thinks the two letters on her wrist are just the universe’s joke to her, but she knows better than to bank on it. Her soul mark isn’t even a word. Who is going to say “Tt” to her?~

History Repeats by DesertSnowQueen  *Finished*

~When Kitty Noire makes an appearance in Gotham, she finds herself drawn to a certain little bird whose brothers are far too entertained by this turn of events~

Magical Girl by Judysupremus

~Marinette accidentally portals into the batcave.~

The Power of Luck by FridayFirefly

~The Ladybug Miraculous had quite a few side effects, none more powerful and unpredictable than the power of Miraculous Luck. When Marinette's family relocates to Gotham, Marinette finds her Miraculous Luck leading her down a path she never would have expected, a path that leads straight to Damian Wayne.~

The events on a Saturday Morning by orphan_account *Finished*

~Marinette and Damian have been in a long distance relationship for over a year with (most) of the Batfamily not knowing at all until a young girl stumbles through a portal on a Saturday morning.~

Friendly Sunshine In Gotham by M1dn1ght_Star *Finished*

~Marinette is happy to be back in Gotham after a visit with Jagged several years ago. This might just end up being the perfect way to expose Lila once and for all, as a nice bonus to seeing her honorary family and boyfriend again.~

Daminette Soulmate AU by keeptellingyourselfthat *Finished*

~Tradition says that your soulmate will have another tattoo, something that relates to you. When they meet you, it is said that the tattoos start glowing a bright gold.~

Calling for Help by Dramatic_Squirrel  *Finished*

~It's been a month since the Battle of Miracle Queen and Marinette has been struggling alone under the pressure of being the new guardian. With her training yet to have been completed, Marinette makes her first official decision as the new guardian, to ask the Justice League for help.~

serendipity by keeptellingyourselfthat *Finished*

~The last time Damian AL-Ghul saw Marinette was when they were twelve. He didn't think he would see her again. So, it's a huge surprise when he stumbles upon her in WE while exposing the liar of the class from France.~

In The Wrong Bed? by San_fics  *Finished*

~“Like I said,” Jason yawned. “Eventually everyone in this family goes crazy.”

“I'm not crazy!” Damian protested. “She was here!”

“Maybe you just had a very realistic dream?” Dick suggested.

“I’m perfectly capable of distinguishing dreams from reality, thank you very much!” Snapped Damian. “She was real and she was in my bed!”~

Cat Cursed by TheStarfishAlien *Finished*

~The Cheng family carries a curse. Every other generation carries a second form, that of a cat. Their dual nature makes it difficult for those with the curse to fit in with society. Some flee permanently into the form of the cat, while others try their hardest to pretend that their cat form does not exist. Very few find a balance in the middle.~

Secrets, Masks and Family Gatherings by ggomoz (ggomo_springtime) *Finished*

~After nearly a year of being together, Damian finally decides to introduce Marinette to his family.~

living among the regular people of the world trying to blend in by another_cancer *Finished*

~Marinette was an assassin named ladybug that was supposed to kill Damian, but she didn't and now they meet again years later.~

New but True by yannowhatigiveup *Finished*

~Damian and Marinette are kidnapped from their lives to be betrothed to one another. Unfortunately, they were separated and missed the other greatly. Once realising that Marinette is in Gotham for a school trip, Jon, being the good friend he is, reunites them.~

Eons & Eternities by Utopian_angel *Finished*

~After dedicating many life cycles to an endless conflict between chaos and order, Ra's Al Ghul decides to use his last chance to form a union.

A union between their respective heirs that will last for eons & eternities.~

Use Your Brain by Judysupremus *Finished*

~Marinette and her class go to Gotham. What happens when she has to rescue Chat Noir from Batman?

The is silly, potentially crack.~

An Awkward Reveal by Miraculous_786 *Finished*

~Who can blame Edward Nygma for being protective over his adopted daughter?

The very daughter who was dating Damian Wayne right under his nose.~

The Bride that can Break Bones by LovesWifi *Finished*

~Marinette and Damian are betrothed and that's all you need to know.~

Senses by Alexiessan *Finished*

~Marinette never thought that she would be among the 0.1% of the population to have a soulmate, and yet, here she was.

She wasn't ready for her life to change drastically because of it.~

A Welcoming Change by Brinxiethebear *Finished*

~Damian Wayne always saw himself in a certain light. He was calculating and cold and he always took his work seriously. He was what others would call the Ice Prince. He was a loner and by choice. The only people he ever really tolerated talking to was his family and his only friend, Jon. Mainly he just spent time with his pets.~

Never alone by Alexiessan *Finished*

~For a moment, ever since Lila came into her life, Marinette thought she would lose everyone dear to her. Turns out, if she keeps trying, she can do anything and make everything turn out for the better.

Contrary to her belief, Marinette was never alone.~

#8024 by SimplyAnotherWriter *Finished*

~“Inmate #8024 of Gotham Asylum Institution. State your name.”

“Marinette Dupain-Cheng.”

How had she come to this, you might wonder? Well... It wasn't as long of a story as you would think.~

Summer in Gotham is a time for the Akuma Class to relax and oh wait are those assassins? by baby_blue24680 *Finished*

~After hearing a brief description of the class dynamic of the Akuma Class, Mayor Bourgeois all but blackmails Bruce Wayne into sponsoring a trip to Gotham for the summer semester, believing that it will lead to fewer akumas. Word travels to Talia al Ghul, who decides to give an old friend a visit and literally and figuratively throws an engagement at Marinette.~

Four times the Ladybug magic teleported Marinette to where she would be safest, and the one time she was already there by EditorOfEverything *Finished*

~This is part one in a five part series. I have never actually completed a fic before, so this is kind of my NaNoWriMo goal for myself, I guess... So, without further ado, here is four times the Ladybug magic teleported Marinette to where she would be safest, and the one time she was already there~

The Bug, the Bird and the Bats by whoscountinganyway *Finished*

~Everyone knows that Damian Wayne doesn't have any friends; he pushes away anyone who wants to get close to him, denies those close to him the knowledge that he cares, vehemently refuses to be in the presence of wanna-be suitors. He simply isn’t social.~

The Eyes are the Window to the Soul by Brinxiethebear *Finished*

~Have you heard the saying that the eyes are the window to the soul? In a world where soulmates are common, one might think that soulmate marks dealing with the eyes would mean something tremendous, and they would be right.~

In Which Damian Needs a Tutor and Marinette Needs a Job by kceedraws *Finished*

~It starts with an offhand comment on Tim’s birthday.

Damian blinks. “It looked like what?”

“Lit,” Richard repeats. “Isn’t that what you kids call it, with the music and dancing…?”

“I don’t follow. The video had rather dim lighting, if you asked me.”~

Freezing Fate by boldlyanxious *Finished*

~Like everyone, Marinette received her soulmate journal when she was ten. She was excited about all the possibilities it offered, but she never expected her soulmate to show up a few weeks later to take the journal away from her.~

Gotham For Two by multifandomscribette *Unfinished*

~Marinette Dupain-Cheng organized a spring field trip for her class but of course things didn't go as planned and she is still shunned by her class. Cut off from her formed support system and almost completely alone in the most crime ridden city in the world, Marinette meets Damian Wayne via his dog, Titus and she might not be so alone anymore.~

Lost And Found by FridayFirefly *Unfinished*

~The thing Marinette wants most in the world is a Soulmate. But no matter how much she tries to convince herself that her perfect match is out there, she still has her doubts. In a world where your Soulmate finds the things you lose, Marinette only ever seems to lose things. In eleven years, she's never found a single thing her Soulmate lost.

Until the day she does. That's when it all begins.~

The Paris Problem by newdog14 *Unfinished*

~Damian Wayne, one time assassin, present-day vigilante, and entirely uninterested in getting the normal teenage experience. Marinette Dupain-Cheng, part time superhero, full time guardian, and very much wishing for the days of being a normal girl again. They’ve been brought together by circumstance and common enemies, and they’ll never be ordinary, but together they might just find a new normal as they work together to solve The Paris Problem.~

Damian Wayne by deathsong *Finished*

~ the class goes on an exchange program to Gotham, and Lila decides to say she's dating the billionaire's son, Damian Wayne. Who is sitting like three seats away from her.~

[hlyreg]

I Need A (Girlfriend)Hero!

Chapter 1

For those of the mlb community who haven't seen the fics of this crack ship, and those who have but haven't read the incredible "I need a (girlfriend)hero!"- by LilaVaporizer9000, go check it out. ✨️it's amazing✨️.

I'm currently rereading it and practicing my art skills through drawing a comic for certain parts that I think being drawn would be justified.

[itriedwritingandhereiam]

Take out your earbuds- I swear- Am_I_really_a_writerhuh

daminette pt 2, roughly 7k

That was stupid. The absolute worst ! She would never be able to look him in the eyes again. She was going to have to spirit him (was that the term? Spirit…ghoul…ghost?) and pretend she didn’t know him to live off the embarrassment.

 It happened over six hours ago and she was dwelling on it.

This wasn’t the first nonsensical excuse her brain word vomited in the spur of the moment onto a poor recipient. No, her brain to mouth filter was dysfunctional seven days a week, twelve months a year. 

But usually it only happened around close friends and family who were used to it! Who could laugh it off or in a rare case, make sense of what she was saying.

She’d seen the gothamites' faces when she booked it out of the cafeteria. Utter bemusement.

“He probably thinks I’m weird now,” she whined into her pillow. Tikki pat Marinette’s head with her tiny hand (paw?)

“Aw Marinette, I doubt Damian thinks you’re weird,” she cooed, then quickly added,  “or any weirder than he already thought you were,” to which the girl groaned,  “He might be a little confused but it will be fine as long as you give an explanation…that…makes…sense,”

“But then I have to talk to him!” she threw her hands in the air. The kwami sighed and shook her head.

“Marinette, we did not move halfway across the globe for you to be afraid of talking to a boy you like again!”

With wide eyes, the ravenette looked at the little being surprised by her statement.

“Who said I liked him? I never said that! I don't like like him!” she protested, although her blush betrayed her, “He’s just a friend,”

Ew. her mouth felt weird forming those words.

“And where have we heard that before,” Tikki asked, tapping her hand (paw?) on her cheek, watching her holder turn away.

”I have no idea what you’re talking about,” Marinette insisted.

“Then you would be able to look me in the eye and tell me that,” the tiny goddess raised an eyebrow.

Still, her human did not turn to face her.

“Hmph,”

“ Oh Adrien, I love you so much, together we’ll have a little house and three kids and a hamster~” Tikki raised her voice a pitch higher and move closer to Marinette’s ear, feigning a love sick swoon, then she made a shoving motion, changing her expression and deepening her voice, “ I’m sorry Marinette. To me. You are just a friend, I hope you can forgive me-”

After her short performance, she stared at the pouty parisian who’d now folded her arms.

“Does that not sound familiar to you, Marinette? Not even a little?”

“Not in the slightest,” she crossed her arms.

“Careful, you’re starting to sound as prim and proper as your favourite English tutor,” the kwami snarked.

A loud and exasperated gasp filled the room.

“Take that back !” 

The kwami blew raspberries and flew away, escaping the conversation and off to steal some cookies from the kitchen, forcing Marinette to be left alone with her thoughts.

In all honesty, Tikki wasn’t wrong in the slightest. In fact, she’d hit the nail on the head. 

About Damian, not her tutor, Fèlix.

 Marinette had moved to America under a scholarship in need of a break from Paris and all the drama attached to the city. She’d escaped the constant akuma news updates (despite still having to teleport back to fight them), the snake(s) at her previous school and most of all, distanced herself from her long-time crush-turned-awkward-best-friend.

 All three of which had been at least eighty percent of her stress.

It had been a small struggle to adjust to the constant use of English but with the help of her drill sergeant, Fèlix, it was a smooth adjustment. The only thing she had yet to master was the use of slang. Due to the fact that Fèlix spoke like a Victorian English aristocrat, he spoke ‘proper’ English through and through.

“If you want to speak slang, I’ll gladly acquaint you with the delinquents at the bottom rank of my class. Save us both the trouble of this bloody session” he’d offered.

She’d take her chances speaking like her birthdate fell some centuries ago.

Classes at school were fine, she had minor issues adjusting to notetaking and lectures but otherwise it was problem-free. Her classmates had been strangely enthusiastic towards her. 

At least they didn’t not like her.

~some weeks earlier~

Meeting the boy in question had been a fucking heart attack in the making. Damian, not the blond brat.

She was some days into her first week at Gotham Academy and was doing just peachy. It was sixth period and she was walking out of literature eager for the awaiting pastries in her bag.

 She’d sat down at the first empty table she saw, it was in a nice corner of the cafeteria. 

She liked the cafeteria, the food wasn’t as bad as she’d been led to believe and the people weren’t as rowdy as the  movies she’d watched depicted them to be. Sure there were a few odd outbursts but it could have been worse.

Fishing out her headphones from her satchel, she quickly turned on the inspiration for her current project and got to work on her latest Jagged Stone album cover commission.

This is what Jagged called payment for her staying in his Gotham residence. (nevermind that he’d insisted and she didn’t really have a choice after her parents sided with him)

Out of the corner of her eye, she’d seen a figure approaching and seating themself opposite her. She was going to say hello, but before she could even look up, she felt his gaze burning a hole in her forehead. 

An all too familiar feeling.

The person had just sat there and stared . Being her , she panicked when he tried to gain her attention. He tapped his fingers as though waiting and a thousand thoughts scrambled through her brain as she continued ignoring them and sketching.

It took all her willpower to not look up or give any acknowledgement.

 The most prominent worry being, what if she pissed off a fucking bully or some rich kid. It wouldn’t be the first time and it most certainly would be very on brand for her.

And it would certainly lead to a repeat of her ‘Be tormented by a Bourgeois era’ again.

As casually and nonchalantly as possible, she moved her hand to pick up a macaron from the brown bag some distance from her sketchpad and nibbled it, trying to ignore the unsettling feeling emanating from her current seatmate. 

If she ignored the problem, maybe it would go away.

Aha.

Ha. 

As if.

He clears his throat, clearly still trying to get her attention and Marinette feels like she’s going to have indigestion. A few moments later and she hears them let out a long sigh. 

Seeing as he didn’t actively kick her off, she continued ignoring them and waited for them to leave first when the bell rang.

~

Only in her History period later that day, did the girl sitting next to her, erm, Mary? Yes, Mary, chose to lean over and whisper in the most conspicuous manner that the person was in fact Damian Wayne.

As to who the hell Damian Wayne was? Mary also kindly supplied that his last name was slapped over half the buildings in Gotham and first name was rather infamous despite his current quiet and self-kept demeanour.

In other words, her Dupain-Cheng luck struck again and she was definitely screwed.

~

Two days later and Marinette is so freaking fed up . 

There are two main contributors to her current mood, one of which is the kids in her year group constantly buzzing around her like a case of paparazzi and the other is the hectic adjustment of time zone to timezone whenever she had to travel back to Paris for an akuma.

The akuma thing alone was a whole can of worms she didn’t want to open.

Hey, at least she could cry in peace in Gotham.

~

She was foreign. She got that. She wasn’t native English, she got that. She was from a city being terrorised by butterflies, she knew that all too well. Why the hell did one in every four people she was forced to be around want to hear her life story?

It was a constant bounce from “Can you say this very mundane phrase in French for me?” to “Oooh you’re from Paris? Is it true you guys are possessed on a daily basis? I’m sure it can’t compare to our rogue attacks though,”

As if a fucking deranged murder clown could beat having your nightmares become tangible.

She came to America to get a break from hearing about Hawkmoth, and yet she was hearing even more about the megalomaniac than ever  before.  

Why the hell did she have to endure this? For the sake of niceties, she answered all the questions dawning her best customer service smile. All that time behind the cash register back at home was definitely coming in handy here.

Marinette liked people, generally. She wasn’t built to be a loner but the Gotham Academy crowd sure wasn’t making itself appealing. She’d had the odd interaction with a decent person who didn't want to know what her dad did and how many zeros followed her family’s bank accounts but she hadn’t spent enough time around said people to call them friends.

Yet. 

She would work on it though. Right now she just needed to rest.

She decided that yet again, she needed a break from people in general. She had options. She could hide in the library, but then she couldn’t eat. She could find an empty classroom, but then she’d have to risk getting kicked out . 

Despite full knowledge of whose table it was and what she’d done, for some unknown reason, she sat back down at the table. Maybe being around the ice prince (so he’d been monikered by the other students) would limit people's need to constantly talk to the new kid. Considering she hadn't been kicked out the first time, maybe if she left him alone again he’d do the same.

It worked.

~

The bell had rung and she was shoving her physics book into her bag aggressively. How she loathed the subject. It was so much work ! 

The most she could confidently say about physics was that the stunts she pulled back at home definitely didn’t obey any of the laws in that god-forsaken textbook.

Just looking at the board at the front of the classroom left a bad taste in her mouth.

Usually she’d be able to go home and lament her woes to Adrien and he’d gladly reteach it to her in a way that the concepts made some semblance of sense but she had no one in Gotham she could go to. 

She’d have to wait till later that evening to call her favourite blond and attempt a tutoring session over the phone.

With the little pastel pink bag she kept her books slung over her shoulders, she dragged her feet out of the classroom. Her eyes were glued to the ground when she’s stopped abruptly by a hand stuck out in front of her. 

With a frown she looks up to see one of the kids in her class…Michael? Yes, Michael was staring intently at the corridor. 

Following his gaze she watched as everyone in the hall subtly shifted away from the centre of the corridor, their stares all following the same figure, even as they continued their conversation as normal.

The boy who’d stopped her leaned down and whispered in her ear, “Babes, you have to watch where you’re going. If you bump into one little shit in these halls you’re gonna get a call telling you yer bein’ sued for harassment. See how everyone’s shifting? It’s ‘cause a Wayne is passing through and this generation’s asshole won’t hesitate to break your arm.” he back peels a bit, “Actually, he’s been pretty chill this year but I still wouldn’t tempt him. He’s a take no shit, do much harm type.

One scholarship student to another? Don’t piss off the rich people, especially the assholes. Those are the ones who aren’t afraid to sic mommy and daddy’s wallet on ya,”

“Uhm, okay then,” she nodded, not particularly registering his words with her eyes trained on the subject. 

She watched as the ‘Wayne’ walked through the hall, he too had his gaze dropped to the floor and two spiral bound notebooks in hand. 

He was tall . That was the first thing she noticed. Maybe it was whatever the hell they ate, but Americans in general had a tendency to tower over her like Adrien did. Maybe here he would be considered average height over here. His black hair was probably styled with more gel than Kim ever used to use, which was… a lot. 

When the boy’s gaze flicked upward, Marinette melted.

He had green eyes. They weren’t wild and electric like Chat’s, nor were they soft and soulful like Marc’s. His pupils were this beautiful deep shade of emerald.

Marinette was a sucker for green eyes.

She did not fall for him from one look.

She would not .

Not. at. all.

She was allowed to admire a pretty person’s prettiness.

“That wouldn’t by chance be Damian Wayne would it?” she whispered back to Michael.

“That it would be,”

~

Two weeks later and she finally gained the courage to actually acknowledge him with a simple nudging of her pastry box forward. She snuck a glance to see him smiling. She resisted reacting and the heat in her cheeks   and continued sketching like she’d seen nothing. 

~

He started bringing food for her too. 

He talked to her! She talked to him . He was so cute when he nibbled on the treats she’d brought and she’d have to fight off the blush on the days he’d pulled up to their table (yes it was their table now, not just his) and just sit, watching her while she designed.

The way he’d just prop himself on one arm and his gorgeous green pupils would follow the movement of her pencil and the little twitch of his lips she was assuming was some form of a smile…

Kwami, she was smitten.

Oh God, she could not afford to go through that phase again.

Marientte did not fall asleep till after three that night.

~

The next day, she’d been in and out of consciousness through her classes right up until lunch. What actually happened during geography and physics? Who knew? Not her. 

A particularly early morning (or late night?) akuma had taken her out. It took hours to take care of and by the time she made it back in bed her alarm sounded.

If looks could kill, that one girl who shook her awake for a pencil last period would be six feet under.

She’d taken her spot at their table, rested her bags on the ground and used her arms as pillows. Her heavy eyelids dropped instantly and her brain praised her for the much needed rest. Her muscles immediately relaxed and just like that, sleep was quick to take her away from the noisy cafeteria.

.

..

…

“ÆÆÆÆÆÆAUGH!” some imbécil screeched from across the room.

Marinette woke up with a start. Being ripped from her dream and flung into consciousness, she felt the whiplash of getting up too quickly. She rubbed her eyes, and mouth where she’d been drooling and blinked slowly as her eyes adjusted to the harsh lighting. As her vision clears, she realises there’s a boy sitting opposite to her.

It’s Damian.

And he’s…drawing? 

Play it cool Marinette.  

“What are you drawing?” she asks, words partially slurred in her grogginess. 

Eh, cool enough.

He looked up from the book and his eyes widened. His ears reddened too, or maybe she was imagining it. 

“ I didn't know you woke up,” he says, “Uhm, it’s just a rough sketch, I- I’m practising drawing from observation,”

“Oh, would you mind showing me?” She was curious to see his art.

He bites inside his cheek and slowly lifts the book. As he turns it to face her, he too turns, although in the opposite direction almost as though abashed.

It’s her on the page.

Specifically, her comfortably resting on her own arm asleep on the table. Thankfully, he’d excluded the trail of drool that’s been running down her cheek. The ravenette felt her cheeks grow hotter by the second.

“I-is that- That’s me,” she states the obvious, quickly wiping the wetness off of her cheek.

“Yes, yes it is. You are in front of me and I am practising drawing from observation, that is all,” as he speaks, his tone vaguely reminds her of when she, in her delusion phase, tried to convince herself some of her plots were not entirely revolving around getting Adrien’s attention.

“Uh huh,” she replies, still trying to fight off the blush, “Do-do you sketch a lot?”

He clears his throat.

“Yes, although I do not have any of my other works on hand to display at the moment,”

“How about tomorrow? Could you bring some tomorrow to show me? Or just pictures, that’s fine too,”

“I- I can do that. Yes, that is easily doable,” he nods to himself.

“ Adam, the son of a bitch sketched her portrait,”

“He what ?!”

“Look over there! And he’s blushing like a fucking tomatoe too!”

“What kind of historical fiction shit is this? It’s not the sixteen hundreds. Oh fair lady, thy beauty has pierced my heart and the only outlet for this longing you have stricken me with is that of the canvas- OW”

“Shut up, it’s romantic”

“Yeah shut up Adam, like you would know anything,”

“You too Britney?”

~

“So, tell me about your new man,” The blond grinned slyly as he lay down in bed, face mask on and  fuzzy headband in place.

Marinette scowled at him.

“You are disgusting,” she remarks, adjusting her matching face care set.

“You’ve been talking about him a lot recently. I worry that you haven’t made any other friends yet because of how his eyes have you in a chokehold. Tell me, is he as sexy as me? I bet he is, you have taste,”

“I will not be dignifying that with an answer,”  she frowned, “ And I do have friends! There’s…Michael from physics…and uh…Louie…in…art. Sacha…?”

“Mmm, you don’t sound very sure about that,”

“Shut up,”

“ At least give me a name bug, I wanna know who I have to give the shovel talk to,”

“You will not ,” she warned.

“I will,” he corrected, “Anyways, what did you bake for him today?”

“Coconut macarons,” she begrudgingly answered. 

He snickered.

~

“ You have pets! OH mon dieu, il est tellement adorable! J’ai envie de le caresser! Il est tellement mignon!” 

“Ah yes, this one is Titus, I have had him since he was a puppy,”

Currently, it is the next day. And with this new day, came some progress. It’s lunchtime and Damian had, apparently, taken a picture of every sketch in three of his filled drawing pads. Majority of which starred his menagerie of animal familiars.

Marinette was absolutely loving it. 

Damian, however, was in a very awkward position. From the moment his sketchbook saw the light of the cafeteria, Marinette had jumped from her seat and crouched over his shoulder where he sat.

Her breath was hot against his neck and loose strands of hair tickled his ear. He barely kept the heat in his cheeks and the tips of his ears at bay. Everytime he flipped a page, the sound of sincere praise hummed in his ear and his chest felt tight. He’d already shown her some simple sketches of Titus, Alfred the Cat and Jerry.  

“I’ve always wanted a pet,” she sighed.

His eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

“Do your parents not allow you to keep one? Or are you allergic? Either is rather unfortunate,”

“Neither,” she smiled lopsidedly, “I lived in a bakery so it’s against health regulations,”

“Oh,” yeah she wouldn’t know how to respond to that either.

“Yeah, I’ve had some strays stop by now and then on my balcony but can’t keep any. There was one mangy cat that kept coming back, I loved him so much but he’s still back in Paris and I’m here,” a sigh escaped her lips.

She thought fondly back to the nights where Chat would knock on her window and she’d hit him with a broom because burglars are a real thing.

“If…If you would like, you could come see Alfred the Cat? He’s rather apprehensive of people but… perhaps you’d be the exception,”

Did he just invite her over? Was she reading too much into this?

“Do you mean it?  Can I really?���She held an excited grin.

“I-, yes, o-of course. I wouldn’t lie ,” he croaked. She stared at him and he stared at her. She jumped back suddenly, realising how close she was to his face, “Sorry! I didn’t mean to get so close!”

“It’s fine,” he managed, “What day would you like to come over?”

“Euh, when is fine?”

“Today?”

Today? That’s so soon! She wouldn’t have time to pick an outfit!

“Yeah that’s great!” Fuck.

~

He’d told her to wait outside the school entrance after dismissal, so here she was. 

Turns out, she did not need to worry about what to wear because she’d be going in her school uniform. Marinette discreetly looked down at her purse to see a red kwami with thumbs (?) up and mouthing “you got this”

She most certainly did not.

Within moments, a black and heavily tinted limo pulls up in front of her and the back window rolls down slowly to reveal Damian.

“You drive in a limo?”

He raised an eyebrow, “Yes? You do know I’m a Wayne right? Shall we?”

He opened the door and scooted across the seat to make room.

Right, rich people.

~

Marinette felt minute staring up at the raised ceiling of the manor. Even the banquet hall of Le Grand Paris paled in comparison to the grandeur of this monument. The intricate detailing of the wall panels alone had her itching for her sketchbook.

A quick glance around the entrance and it was no secret that the caretakers took pride in their work. The place was almost pristine in appearance save for the minor details like a newspaper on the stand, a coffee mug here and a batarang there.

Huh?

“I heard gothamites stole batarangs off of crime scenes. I didn’t know it was true,” she remarked, staring pointedly at the weapon laying harp hazardously on the floor.

Alfred hummed and Damian tensed.

“Who wouldn’t want a keepsake from Gotham’s protector?”

“So do you put them on display? Or are they a bit more functional, like letter openers,” she hummed in thought, how well would they cut fabric? Or how easily could she handle them as self defense tools? She had one or two at home from second hand sources.

“Both,” he replies then clearing his throat, “Perhaps we can save a tour for another time, after all, you are here for a purpose, no?”

“Of course, who are we visiting first?”

“Jerry the turkey,”

~

They love her.  Jerry, Batcow and Alfred (the cat)  alike. The last of which earns a small praise from Damian.

“He’s usually more apprehensive of strangers,” he claims watching as she showered the feline with affection, “You must be special,”

Marinette has to fight off the blush for that last part.

Sure he was just talking about Alfred’s introduction to her but hearing him call her special just had butterflies blooming in her stomach and heat colouring her cheeks.

“Pshh, I’m not special ,” she waves of the comment, “ this cutie however,” she rubs beneath his chin and he falls over dramatically, revealing his belly. 

Alfred The Cat revelled in the attention.

Marinette joins the feline on the bed, lying comfortably on the side while Alfred The Cat purred. An amused smile crosses her classmate’s face.

“What?”

“Nothing,” his smile widened, the boy turned around in an attempt to mask his expression.

Cute.

Marinette had resigned herself to the fact that her heart beating a mile a minute anytime she held the green eyed boy’s gaze too long was not nerves. She sighed softly as Alfred The Cat purred softly, the vibrations inducing a sense of calmness.

“When you are done,” he began, “Would you like to go for a stroll in the garden? We can look for Titus,”

~

“Alfred said Titus was out in the garden so it may be a while till we find him. Would you like to carry your sketchbook? I feel you might want it,”

She hummed. As they both got off the bed, he led her out the room and through the long and winding hallways. 

The passage was dim, the only source of light being the decorative lights at the centre of each panel of wooden designs. She pulled her blazer closer to her body as a chill blew through.

“Are you cold?” the boy’s eyebrow quirked.

“No, no it’s just a little chilly,”

“We’ll be outside soon, it is warmer there”

They passed the library, from which the ajar door she could see another figure seated on the floor crouched over a book against a shelf. Then they passed several other closed doors and one or two sitting rooms with velvet cushions and intricate pieces of decor.

She’d liken the house the Le Grand Paris in its grandeur but the manor held a different air to it.

Where the Bourgeois’ Place was flashy, gold embellishments adorning every nook and cranny, marble on every floor and counter, the manor was more subdued. It was old but preserved well and much cozier.

“J'adore être ici chez toi,” she remarked.

“I’ll make sure to let Alfred know, he takes care of the manor. It’s thanks to him it’s standing at all,”  he jokes.

She looks at him curiously.

“My family is a bit…accident prone,”

“Ah,” she grins, “I think I’ll fit right in then, I am a klutz,” she revealed.

She thought back to the multiple close calls she’d had with her locker door. The damn thing was always stuck shut and when she applied too much force, the hinges would cry and she’d narrowly miss smacking the nearest bystander in the face.

Then there were the occasions where quick reflexed classmates saved her from faceplants imminent, the only culprits benign her two left feet.

And of course, her acrobatics during gym. She’d had no problem completing any of the circuits the teacher had thrown her way, she had a decent build after running on rooftops and lifting impossible weights in Paris. Oftentimes, Marinettte would forget that, no, doing cartwheels and flips to avoid dodgeballs were not normal at all. Especially when she’d managed to pull off stunts that’d rival olympic competitors only to slip on her own shoelace the second after.

~

“Titus!” Damian called to the vast expanse of foliage. His voice projected but seemed that the canine was either not within earshot, or not as disciplined as Damian had led her to believe.

Her friend huffed in annoyance.

“We’ll find him eventually,” he promised. 

Marinette smiled softly.

“I don’t doubt that,” taking in her picturesque surroundings, she posed the question, “How- how about you show me the rest of the garden? I can tell a lot of work goes into maintaining it. The few plants I had on my balcony alone are such a hassle,”

Was her maman checking on them? Watering them? Tikki and Pollen had loved to go rolling in the flower bed and sniffing them. They flourished with the constant visits from the little gods.

“As you wish,” was his curt response. A warm hand slipped into her grasp, fingers interlocking themselves between her own.

Badump.badump.badump.badump-

Her heartbeat skyrocketed at the sudden action. He didn’t look back at her as he advanced on the pathway. Although, she noticed the tips of his ears tinted a few shades redder.

Heat rose to her cheek as her stomach did somersaults. 

The further they ventured into the estate, the greener her surroundings became. Little shrubs gradually grew into towering walls of foliage, petals of every colour blooming from old pots and decorative ceramics.

She could feel Tikki vibrating with excitement by her side. She spared the boy holding her hand a cautionary glance before cracking her handbag open and whispering to the little being.

“Be careful, make your way back to me by sunset,”

A toothy grin and eager nod followed before Tikki zoomed off.

“Alfred takes much pride in his work,” Damian remarked.

The greenery thinned out and soon there was a clearing, lawn grass carpeting the ground. A mini maze of hip-height shrubs formed mandelas, coloured with various pigmented plants. In the centre, was cast a towering marble fountain featuring a statue with water cascading from the top.

Marinette stood breathless as she took in the scene.

Ethereal .

The garden was unreal. The orange tint cast by the dipping sun illuminated the entire gardenscape with a soft glow. Sunsets were always such a beautiful time of day. Seeing the gradient of hues changing by the minute was a sight to behold.

Marinette had spent countless evenings atop the Eiffel Tower, simply watching with her partner at her side. Just  as many as on her balcony with her aerial view of Paris or near the Seine with her friends and an ice cream cone.

“We can sit, if you’d like to sketch? We used to have a swing installed but after multiple incidents it was…removed,” his face contorted, as though recalling an unpleasant memory.

“I would love to. How do you not spend every evening here,” she gestured to…everything.

He chuckled.

“I do seek refuge here from time to time,”

The two sat at the edge of the fountain. Damian fell back on his hand for support while she leaned into his side.

An evening gown. Flowing fabric, maybe silk? Oranges, honey yellow, deep purples. Sweetheart neckline? No no, a mesh, fading from the bust up to the collar bone. Long sleeves, not tight fitted, flowy. Like a shawl? Plunging back. Waistline…basque? Hmm no, that’s not right-

“It’s pretty,” his breath is hot against her ear.

“Eep!” she squeaked, flinching.

A bad move, her hand loses grip of the book and her pencil goes flying. In one swift movement, he extends himself and grasps the corner of it just before  it plunges into the fountain.

“Oh my god,” she sighs in relief.

“Sorry,” he mumbles.

“No no, it’s fine . You’re fine . N-not like That! I mean yeah , you’re fine ,” she rolled her eyes, “ But I meant you’re fine. It’s-”

“Fine?” he offered.

“Eeeexaclty,” 

He bit his lip, clearly a poor attempt at suppressing his laughter. A laugh escaped and soon the dam broke. He erupted into an uncontrollable fit and it was infectious .

The two were reduced to a pile of belly pain and struggles for breath. 

Some moments later when the two were composed, they sat on the ledge in a comfortable silence. He was smiling brightly at her, and she, him.

She liked when he smiled. Oftentimes, she’d seen him scowling in the hallways and as hot as he was when he was broody, the warm expression he wore now had the butterflies in her stomach fluttering like never before.

His grin so wide,it reached his eyes, his beautiful deep green eyes. His hair was spiky and god knows how much gel he went through on a monthly basis but god dammit if it didn't make her just want to run her fingers through it and mess it up a bit.

  She finds herself staring at the boy, rather than her sketchpad, and he in turn returns this soft gaze. There's a subtle shift, he leans in a bit and so does she.

Oh my god was this really happening.

Pinch her if it wasn't real.

The ravenette tilts her head, ever so slightly. He parted his lips and not a second later the distance was closed. A hand found itself on her waist and another crept up her neck and gently held her head.

And they were kissing.

Marinette closes her eyes and leans in further, encompassed.

A red blur zipped passed her at bullet speed, flipping the pages of her sketchbook, raising fallen leaves and sweeping their hair in a westward direction.  

Tikki why .

She didn’t get the chance to lament her woes at the ruined moment much longer as almost immediately after, she was bowled over. Not a moment to react and in the blink of an eye, she was soaking wet.

Marinette rose to her feet immediately and gasped for breath, she could hear Damian do the same.

And then.

Then the absolute cutest thing barked at her. Tall and lean with a sleek coat was this dashing hound, panting and wagging his tail. He barked twice more before jumping to his feet.

“Ooooh, Qui est tu mon chéri~” she cooed as the canine jumped around in circles. She rubbed water out of her eyes and wiped her face. Her sorrow at the lost moment instantly vanished.

“Titus,” Damian sighed, “How nice of you to join us,” he gritted out.

The dog, Titus, barked happily, uncaring of his apparent owner’s tone.

“Marinette, I am so sorry for his behaviour I-” he suddenly paused.

Marinette blinked away from the water that was still irritating her pupils.

His hair was slicked back, he’d obviously passed his hand through it in an attempt to tame it.He was drenched in fountain water, just as she was. Fabric clung to his body like a second skin and boy could she have been more blessed.

Just like that glass cutting jawline, his muscular physique was now on display, akin to those statues Alix would info-dump about when they visited Monsieur Kubdels place of work.

Defined as though carved from marble from his bicep to his abdominals, everything about Damian screamed could-throw-you-across the park.

Marinette knew he was fit, he already towered over her and his calloused hands led her to believe had some sort of weapon based training but good lord, not even Tikki could have blessed her with a sight like this.

She had just kissed this work of art.

This work of art had just kissed her!

She could die happy.

The girl was so busy drooling over his abs, she hadn’t really noticed his mirrored gaze. 

Marinette made the mistake of looking up. She’d immediately caught his gaze, which was trained at her abdomen.

He was staring at her too.

Fuck she was staring at him!

“Eep!” she squeaked, “Je suis désolée Damian, Je ne voulais pas te regarder fixement!” she splutters, he quickly averts his own gaze and turns around.

She looks down at herself. Merde. Her black bra was showing, stark against her white chemise. Marinette pulled her blazer closer.

This was so embarrassing. She was never going to live this down.

“I..am..also..sorry,” he muttered, still not watching her, although she noticed the tips of his ears had gone all red again, “Inside. We should go inside, it is cold. You will get sick,” 

~

A towering figure. Much like her friend but a few centimetres higher, which was ridiculous . He was as tall as her papa! What did they feed these American boys?

Utterly so, her mind helpfully supplied.

He was pale, a deathly sort of pale with electric blue eyes. If his jarring stare wasn’t unnervingly pretty enough, the swoopy mop of jet black hair, a single stark tuft of white at the front was lethal .  Who was this man and why was he so pretty?

The man bore an amused expression, his lips tugging upward every so slightly and sheer delight twinkled in his eyes.

“Todd,” Damian addressed him, tone flat.

This was his brother? Height and lethal face cards (was that the term Adrien had shown her?) aside, they looked nothing alike. Damian had mentioned adoption at some point, hadn't he?

“Demon,” the man raised his voice a decibel and mocked the tone, his eyes giving them both a quick scan, “Had an early evening swim?” he cocked an eyebrow at their drenched figures.

“And who’s the lady friend?” his gaze fell on her, then a wicked grin crossed his face, “Or’ she somethin’ a bit higher up the ladder?”

Heat creeped up her skin at the implications.

“Don’t you have places to be?” Damian huffed, “Or has unemployment taken you hostage again?” he snarked.

The man looked almost offended, guffawing and placing a hand on his heart.

“Again? Yer making me sound like some sorta’ delinquent? I’ll have you know that I have the most stable job outta the whole brood, Timmy’s the runner up,”

He received a pair of rolled eyes in response.

“You know what? I won’t keep ya’. The nearest guest room should have towels, go dry off, yeh? Wouldn’t want you to get sick on a school night,” he sidestepped and walked down the opposite direction, not failing to ruffle his brother’s hair then pick up the pace.

“It’s a school night!” Damian yelled at the retreating figure.

“Do not give a fuck,” the man shrugged.

~ 

 “Is your house always this empty?” Marinette questions from her burrito wrapped position near the fire.

Recollecting Damian’s…stories, there were at least ten of them. Which was a lot. Maybe some of them no longer lived in the manor?

“No, but everyone else is rather busy tonight,” a lie, he was benched for the week after he shoved Tim off the roof. Which was completely unfair, because nothing broke. Although, perhaps helping Catwoman fuck up ‘Paw for All’ bastards who’d been abusing the strays they caught did not help his case. Which was also justifiable behaviour!

“Oh,” she remarks,  worming closer to the flames, her entire self is wrapped head to toe in a thick comforter and she’d insisted he did the same. His apprehension had been immediately dispelled at the unlikely comfort he’d discovered. He bit back a laugh at the sight. It was adorable.

“Does that happen often? From what you have told me, there are a lot of you,”

He scrunched his nose.

“No, we are very lucky Todd was the only encounter tonight,” and they were, everyone being out tonight was one of the main reasons he’d taken his chance and invited Marinette over. Although his perfect evening had been foiled at various points, it was still salvageable. 

~

“Miss Marinette,” Alfred appears beside the nearest couch, crouched down to whisper in her ear.

The parisian’s heart jumps out of her ribcage.

“Alfred!” she squeaks, flopping over, “Aha, when did you get here?”

He only offers a hum in response.

“Does your little friend fancy cookies? I’ve just made a batch, and I figured I’d offer before the young masters got a wind of them,”

Her what.

Her what .

“My what,” she blanches, how did he figure it out?

Did he see Tikki????

Was she compromised???? Already?!

Oh my god she was such a terrible secret keeper! Even Damian's Grandfather was able to figure her out! She was going to have to renounce her guardianship and lose all her memories and start from ground zero! 

She’d have to find a new ladybug holder to help chat and then he'd be so heartbroken to lose his partner but at least she wouldn't have to stave off guilt because she wouldn’t remember anything. Oh my god, how would maman and papa feel?

From what she could remember Fu saying, she wouldn't remember anything after she became a miraculous holder. Did that mean her memory would regress to benign fourteen? What about school work? Would she forget everything she’d learnt? And her friends, oh kwami-

“Do not fret Miss, your secret is safe with me. I have had a few…encounters with a man by the name of Wang Fu and couldn’t help but notice your earrings,”

Friend or foe? Friend or foe?Friend or foe?Friend or foe?Friend or foe?Friend or foe?Friend or foe?Friend or foe-

“He is a dear old friend of mine,” he adds with a fond smile.

Friend . 

?

Hopefully. 

“Tikki would enjoy a cookie,” she whispers back.

Kwami, hadn’t her heart been through enough today?

Deep breath in.

Exhale.

Deep breath in.

Exhale.

Safe. She was safe, the miracle box was safe. The kwamis were safe .

~ 

“It’s late,” she decides, “I should get going,”

Even though she doesn’t really want to leave. But she can’t just invite herself over for the entire night! She’d already taken a pair of clothes and gotten Damian drenched in mossy fountain water.

Though, she’s blaming that one of Tikki.

She does little summer salts in her mind as his expression melts into a frown. Was he sad to see her go?

“You’re right,” he replies and she internally, deflated like a balloon, “It’s late. You should spend the night,”

Come again .

“What?”

Did he just? 

“It’s late,” he repeats, scarlet tinting his cheeks, “This is Gotham. I cannot, in good conscience let you leave at this god-forsaken hour. And we have more than enough room.”

She finds herself nodding along in agreement. 

“That’s an absolutely great point! It’s too dangerous, I should definitely stay the night! What great thinking Damian,” she plops herself back on the couch.

He sends her a peculiar look.

“Aren’t you going to inform your host family? I’m sure they’d be worried in your absence,”

Right. Host family, that she definitely had, she wasn’t at all living in the penthouse Jagged Stone had basically forced her to take after hearing she was moving to Gotham for the rest of her academic career.

She definitely hadn’t omitted that little detail to literally everyone.

“Good idea!” She quips, pulling her phone out of the handbag resting on the coffee table.

She scrolled through her contacts to Chaton and got up, moving further out of hearing distance.

“Adrien,” she whispered-yelled into the phone.

‘ Marinette, it is two in the morning what the fuck’

“ Well you don’t sound very tired so I’ll assume you were awake anyway,” she rolls her eyes.

‘Whatever. How can I be of service, m’lady?’ he purred. She rolled her eyes.

“If I die, it was the Waynes,” she responds not cryptically at all.

‘Did you steal from another group of rich people, bug? Honestly it’s a bit of a problem at this point. We might have to diagnose you with klep-’

“I did not steal from them you mangy cat,” she hisses into the phone, “And your lack of fate in me is absolutely appalling,”

‘ What’s a-paw-ling is the amount of times you’ve stolen my phone. Anyway, why would the Waynes kill you? They’re good people. As far as I'm aware anyway, I haven't met any recently though.’

“I’m staying the night with Damian,” she mumbles.

‘Eh? Bug, I know my hearing is out of this world but you gotta speak up,’

“I’m staying the night with Damian,” she repeated.

The line went silent.

‘ You haven’t even kissed yet don’t you think you’re moving a bit fast? Where was this initiative when we were together? Even with Luka-’

‘Shut. up. I’ve said my piece, good bye.’

“I want all the de-’

BEEP.

She turned to Damian with a smile.

“They said it’s fine,” she chirped happily.

~

Somehow, they end up watching ‘The Devil Wears Prada’. Damian had found a ridiculously large and fluffy comforter and they’d huddled together on the couch watching Anne Hatheway survive her new job’s demanding nature.

Marinette spent a good portion of her time watching american films while learning English so it surprised her when Damian revealed he hadn’t seen this one. Apparently his living situation before coming to his Father’s care meant his exposure to media was very limited.

 The more you know.

The Parisian enjoyed watching The Devil Wears Prada especially when she was fluent enough to remove the French subtitles. Every watch had her wondering if her life would parallel Andy’s had she gone to New York when Audrey Bourgeois had offered.

Would Audrey become the Miranda to her Andy? It wasn’t hard to imagine there would be difficulty dealing with Audrey on a day to day. 

“Get me a coffee, Marigold,” she’d demand, Marinette would scramble down to the lower floors in search of a machine then panic because, good lord she hadn’t asked what kind, and to follow through with the bourgeois tradition, Style Queen would dump whatever poor choice she’d made down her blouse and she’d go find a hole to crawl in and cry.

She kind of missed the Bourgeois (plural). Just a little. There was charm to their bitchiness.

“I want to go New York,” she sighs watching as Andy walks through the shopping district, “you’d never see me again if I stepped foot in there,”

Sure, she’d been to New York with her class. But they didn’t have the freedom to roam as they pleased and she desperately wanted to explore the capital of fashion in America.

“Perhaps another weekend. Although I’d rather not lose you to the streets and bolts of fabric,” he remarks.

She turned to him and leaned in with a grin.

“Really? You’d go with me? Gosh, that would be so much fun!”

In her giddiness, she sat nose to nose with the pink tinted boy, eyes wide and blinking excitedly. She didn't seem to register the proximity while his heart more or less leapt out of his chest

“We could go Friday,” Damian blurted, pulling back and creating some distance, “Together. After school. You have no extracurriculars on this day, yes?” his face contorts in a manner suggesting that maybe his mouth was moving a bit faster than his brain.

Oof, she knew the feeling

“Yes!” Marinette blurts in the same fashion, a little too quickly, “I would love to. Pick me up in the same spot?”

“Of course,”

“It’s a date,” he decided.

She was going to combust.

The parisian turned once more to face the screen.

Wait.

They were going to New york?

But

They were in…New jersey?

What?

“Damian,”

He hummed, eyes glued to the television.

“New York?”

“Mhm,”

“That’s a different state,”

“...yes?”

“How are we getting there?”

“By jet, how else?”

Goddamn rich people.

~

The movie credits rolled and Alfred was instantly hit with a wave of mushy feelings at the sight of the young master and the lady. An amused smile tugged at the corner of his lips at the sight of the two atop one another, fighting for space on the couch.

The young miss snored softly, her head rested in the nook of his grandson’s  shoulder as she lay sprawled out on him, legs tangled in his and the blanket long abandoned, haphazardly thrown onto the floor. He seemed most delighted, one arm one his own head, blocking the light emitted from the tv and the other on the girl’s back.

He shook his head and covered the children with the blanket previously strewn across the ground.

“Aren’t kids adorable?” the kwami on his shoulder cooed, “I’m glad my chosen has found some happiness here,”

“As am I, Tikki. As am I,”

ao3 link

pt 1 link

[artemisiasthings]

The Great IKEA Game by @batsandbugs

She’s done. My first bind. 🤌🏼 I’m so proud of this book and I cannot believe I made this with my own two hands!!!!

The story is incredible, The Great IKEA Game is a fic I come back to time and time again when I need a pick me up so it was a no brainer to choose this as my first bind. It’s the perfect length and I know I’m going to be eternally grateful to have it in my shelves if society collapses and the apocalypse comes 😂

I learned so much throughout this process about typesetting, materials, graphic design, conservation-grade techniques, and everything else that goes into making a finished, readable book. I wouldn’t have such a beautiful finished project without the incredible support and tutorials from creators on instagram and TikTok! I was blessed to find an answer for any question that came up either through existing videos or through kind responses to my frantic 3 am insta stories.

Needless to say, having a physical book that I CREATED WITH MY OWN TWO HANDS is fueling my god complex and I cannot wait to bind even more 😈

Progress Posts: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4

[nana-mizu-shiki]

It good. Read. Kudo. Do it.

[starwarsmum]

Day 2 of Daminette December: Forced Proximity

@maribat-calendar-events

How did Marinette get into these situations? Her finger jabbed the ‘door open’ button uselessly, the power completely cut. She growled and mentally cursed her best friend soundly. She should have known he was up to something when he had convinced her to enter the elevator first, but she had been distracted by the absurdly attractive boy who had entered first. 

The boy, Damian, was part of the class that hers was shadowing for their trip to Gotham and he had fascinated her from the moment she had seen him. He had been coldly haughty to everyone she had seen him interact with, even the tall boy he called his friend, but he didn't go out of his way to insult other people.

But what had intrigued her most was something she had seen by accident. During one of their lunch breaks, she had been looking for a quiet place to get away from Lila and stumbled across him. He had been sitting alone, a sketchbook in front of him and a tray of portable watercolours next to him. He was painting something from memory and she was awed by the confident brush strokes and obvious thought going into the painting.

Since that non-interaction, she had been drawn to the enigmatic boy. She had done her best to curb the attraction she felt for him, but it was fighting a losing battle. He had all but refused to interact with her class unless a teacher forced him but it didn't seem to deter her growing crush.

“Tt, this is absurd,” Damian said, his gorgeous green eyes glaring balefully at the number pad on the side of the elevator. He plucked his phone out of his pocket and sent a message to someone before turning towards her. “I have alerted my brother to our predicament but he will likely take some time to arrive.”

“Oh, you're fine- that's fine,” she yelped, correcting herself as fast as she could, mortified at her awkwardness. “I mean, you're fine too, but it's- the situation is what I meant, I've been in worse and- not that this is bad! You seem like a really great guy, from what I've seen and gorge- great, I mean, just great.”

Someone put her out of her misery, she was dead. Her face was burning and his eyebrows rose with every fumble she made. He looked almost amused, leaning nonchalantly against a mirrored wall. She forced herself to stop, swallowing hard and mentally writing her will.

“You are amusing,” was all he said, looking away from her at last. Any hope she had of coming out of this encounter with a positive impression was shredded beyond repair. If she got out of here without combusting, she was going to murder Adrien and frame Chloé for it. She was sure the blonde girl had a hand in this, the childhood friends had been suspicious all day.

“What should we do while we wait?” She blurted out at last, freezing momentarily when he looked back at her. He shrugged elegantly and she forced back a groan at how badly she was doing at this. “I mean, if we're stuck here anyway, maybe we could do something to pass the time?”

“I suppose it would not hurt,” he responded in a cautious voice. He seemed to be debating something before sighing and sitting down. She followed suit immediately, not wanting to be looming over him. Whilst the power seemed to have been cut to the button panel, the lights were still on which meant at least they weren't sitting in the dark. “Perhaps we could play a game? I understand ‘twenty questions’ is often used to alleviate the stress of an uncomfortable situation.”

“Oh, uh, okay,” she said, trying not to visibly deflate at the word ‘uncomfortable’. She knew he wouldn't be thrilled to be trapped in an elevator, but she had hoped he wouldn't have minded being trapped with her in particular. “You should go first since it was your idea.”

“Alright. My first question is about the Parisian heroes, Ladybug and Chat Noir. Have you ever met them?” Marinette stared at him, her confusion at the direction this had taken leaving her speechless for a moment.

“I mean, yeah, most of our class has met them,” she hedged cautiously, trying to think why he would want to know this. “Hell, most of the class were akumatised at least once during Hawkmoth's reign, so it was kind of impossible not to meet them.”

“Hm, interesting,” he said, and she could almost see him cataloguing her answer for later review. He nodded once before gesturing at her. “Alright, you may ask me your first question.”

“Right, sure, okay, um…” she wracked her brain for a question that would make her seem interested but not invasive. She settled on something she assumed was a safe topic as he had already mentioned it himself. “You said you have a brother, what's that like? I'm an only child,” she added as an explanation when he frowned at her.

“Grayson is singularly the most annoying and most supportive person I know,” Damian said after a few moments' consideration. “He is an adopted brother and I did not meet him until I was ten and came to live with my father. You said that most of your class has been akumatised, is there anyone who has not been?”

“Oh, um, just…just me,” she said meekly, blushing as he appraised her again. As he had been thorough with his own answer, she decided to go into more detail. “I mean, there were a couple of close calls but it never actually happened. And, I think Adrien said that he was only akumatised in an alternate timeline? Or that's what Ladybug told him.”

“I see,” he replied, fingers twitching a little as though he were typing something, or would if he had access to a keyboard. “That sounds like it was a stressful time. My understanding of the situation is that akumatisation occurred when negative emotions overtook an individual, making them susceptible to the supervillain.”

“Oh, yeah, that's a pretty good summary,” Marinette said, feeling inordinately pleased by the slightly smug look on his face at her compliment. “Okay, so, my second question is: do you have any pets?”

“I do. Currently, I house a cat, a dog, a cow, and a turkey, although I do some volunteer work with an animal shelter and will occasionally foster an animal.” He said all of this as though it was completely normal to have a cow as a pet. She must have made him a little uncomfortable because he coughed and looked away before continuing. “I find animals to be better company than most people. You mentioned your friend, Adrien Agreste. Is your relationship with him of an intimate nature?”

“What?” Marinette shrieked, clapping her hands to her cheeks in embarrassment. When he remained coolly detached, she forced herself to calm down and swallow the bitter taste of disappointment. For a second there, she thought he was asking because he was interested in her. But if he was, he was very good at hiding it. She sighed slightly before answering, as honestly as she was able without giving up secret identities. “I mean, we're just best friends. Maybe when we were younger it could've happened but it would just be strange now, I think.”

“But you would not have been opposed to a romantic entanglement with him,” Damian said, his tone going slightly flat. She looked at him curiously, because he hadn't asked a question, per se, but he had said something so she needed to respond.

“When we were fifteen and I had a crush on him, sure,” she said, shrugging. She heard him exhale softly and continued tentatively. “But we know each other a lot better now, so I think we're better off as friends.”

Before she could continue, or work out why his eyes were suddenly completely unreadable to her, the lights finally flickered out and plunged them into darkness. She squeaked and moved a little closer to him involuntarily. Even though she wasn't scared of the dark, the surprise made her grab automatically for his hand.

What surprised her was that he didn't pull away at the contact, his hand flipping so that he could hold hers too. Her stomach erupted in butterflies and she was glad he couldn't see the blush that flared to life across her face. 

“It is your turn to ask a question, Marinette,” Damian murmured, leaning closer to her. She could feel how close he was and her brain malfunctioned completely, leaving her trying to discern his features with wide eyes.

“Ah, right,” she said, her voice squeaky from the stress. Quick, think of a question, her mind screamed at her uselessly, trying to function. “Uh, so, are you dating anyone?” She eventually blurted out, cringing at herself and wishing the elevator would just drop suddenly. Honestly, death seemed preferable to the awkward pause that followed.

“I am not currently dating anyone,” he said at last, leaning back and she almost sobbed with disappointment at the cool air that rushed in from his absence. She cursed her stupidity, wishing she could take the words back. “You mentioned Agreste had spoken with Ladybug previously, is he in contact with her?”

“Um, well, his dad was kind of the supervillain, Hawkmoth, so he spoke with her more than anyone else,” she said, again carefully choosing what to tell him without lying. “My turn! What's your favourite art medium and why?”

“I was not aware you knew of my artistic inclinations,” he said, his tone warmer again. “I think I prefer oil paints as I find it relaxing to sit with a canvas and brush. I often try to find time and space on the manor grounds with my pets and paint.”

“Manor, huh?” She said, wondering how she kept meeting rich kids. He tensed slightly and she tried to put him at ease. “I guessed you came from a wealthy family, since you go to Gotham Academy. It's fine, most of my friends come from the upper crust of Paris,” she joked, smiling reassuringly even though he likely couldn't see her.

“Tt, and I suppose you have heard many rumours about my family,” he said grouchily. Marinette was bewildered for a moment, trying to work out how on Earth she could have heard rumours about his family. When the pause spread, he coughed awkwardly and pulled his hand away from hers. “You said you were friends with wealthy individuals, what of your own family?”

“Well, my parents run a pretty successful patisserie,” she replied, curling her arms around her knees to hide how hurt she was by his withdrawal. She decided she wasn't enjoying the game so much any more and tried to think of a question that wouldn't offend him further. “What's your favourite subject at school?”

“...I enjoy mathematics,” he said, a puzzled tone entering his voice. She made a non-committal noise but didn't press for further information. He was prevented from asking another question when his phone lit up. She looked away as his face was illuminated, not wanting him to see that she was upset. “It appears Grayson has arrived and is working to release us.”

“That's great,” she said dully, inspecting the hem of her skirt in the sudden light. She could feel his eyes on her but didn't look back at him. The phone mercifully darkened and they were in darkness once more. “If you still want to play while we wait, it's your question.”

“I do not-” he was cut short when they heard shouting and thudding coming from above them. He glanced up and Marinette decided it was time to stand again, stretching as she did so. The emergency hatch opened above them and light flooded from it.

“Lil D, you okay in there?” A cheerful voice rang out, tinged with a touch of concern. “We're gonna have you out any second, it looks like there's a little corrosion on the elevator wire, so we're being real careful. But if you could get ready to climb up- oh, hi.”

“Hi,” Marinette said awkwardly, waving as the handsome older man looked at her in surprise. So apparently Damian hadn't said there was someone else in the elevator - whatever hope she had that he was just shy or something shriveled into a hard lump. “Thank you for coming to get us.”

“Uh, no problem, sweetheart,” Grayson said, smiling at her bemusedly. She mustered up a smile that vanished as soon as he ducked out of view. She and Damian stood awkwardly, much further apart than they had been five minutes before. He was staring intently at her but she kept her gaze fixed on her hands. 

“Okay, I'm going to pull Damian out first because he's heavier, okay Miss?” Grayson said, dangling further into the elevator with a harness around his torso. She gave a soft okay, cupping her elbows with her hands. Through her peripherals, she saw Damian hesitate before reaching for his brother's hands and allowing himself to be pulled out.

She could hear the vague sounds of whoever was supporting Grayson as they took on the burden of removing Damian. Before too long, Grayson lowered himself back and offered her his hands. She grasped them tightly, pulling herself up with practiced ease, before the crew started pulling them out of the space.

The bright lights of the mall made her squint when she exited the elevator shaft and she was immediately engulfed in Adrien and Chloé’s arms. She glanced at Damian and Grayson, who were standing to the side of everything and speaking in low voices. 

She flushed again when Damian looked over at her, and pointedly looked away, furious that he had caught her watching him. Adrien looked at her curiously, but she could also see a flash of guilt which told her the elevator hadn't been malfunctioning naturally. 

“You are in so much trouble,” she hissed, glaring up at him. He rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly, muttering sorry as she huffed. “Also, you probably ruined any chance I had of getting to know him normally, so thanks for that.”

“Miss, I hope you're okay, we have paramedics that can check you over if you would like,” Grayson said, having approached them. Damian hung back, still watching her, but she made no move towards either of them. “Damian said you kept really calm in there, so you did a great job.”

“Thank you, but I'm fine,” she answered, offering him a smile again. “There wasn't really anything for me to worry about, and Damian told me he had asked for you to come and rescue us. I'm sorry you had to take time out of your day to help.”

“Anything for Lil D, and his friends,” he responded jovially, and Damian made a strange noise that made Marinette ache again. It shouldn't hurt that he didn't think of her as a friend, because they weren't, but that didn't lessen the sting.

“That's very kind of you, Grayson, but I'm just one of the French exchange class,” she muttered, glaring at the floor. She missed the curious look he sent towards his brother, but carried on regardless. “Thank you for your time, Damian, I hope the rest of your day is pleasant. Adrien, Chloé, we should rejoin our class.”

Damian watched her stalk away, confused and frustrated. Marinette had been one of the few students from the Parisian class that hadn't annoyed him with questions and power-hungry looks. She had intrigued him with her generally pleasant demeanour and the cordial way she spoke to everyone she met. 

So when the elevator malfunctioned he had thought the game would be a good way to get information about Paris’ heroes without generating suspicion. But he had surprised himself when he asked about her relationship with Agreste, slightly unnerved by his own burning curiosity and the anxiety he felt while waiting for her answer. He had also been fascinated by her responses, charmed in spite of himself when she blushed and stammered.

And then she had asked about his own status and he had immediately been wary. Often, young women, and men, expressed an interest in whether he was single and immediately proceeded to ingratiate themselves so that they could work their way into his family.

And when she had tried to backtrack, his heart had sunk, convinced that she had overplayed her hand. But then she had deviated from his experience by giving a short, probably understated view of her family's standing. And she had withdrawn completely from the game, showing no interest in the final question she had been able to ask.

“She was cute, did you get her number?” Grayson asked slyly, a mischievous smirk on his face. Damian gave him an unamused glare, not wanting to admit that he seemed to have offended her. “Oh come on, D, I'm joking. I'm just impressed she came out of there without any broken bones, you hate being stuck with random girls.”

“Tt, she is not random, she is one of the students here for the French exchange trip,” Damian said, annoyed by Grayson's immediate interest. “Regardless, I have not caused injury to any of my peers in quite some time. Additionally, she was able to give me some insight into the Parisian heroes, causing an injury would have been counterproductive.”

“Oh, it was part of the mission then.” Grayson had the gall to sound as disappointed as Damian felt, and it grated on him. “Well, I hope she didn't make you too uncomfortable in the process. Maybe you can ask someone else about anything you didn't get?”

Damian was saved from this excruciating conversation by Kent jogging over to them. He looked far too happy, and it irritated Damian more given his own emotional state. Grayson greeted him warmly but Kent was grinning at Damian in a way that made him wary. He had the sudden suspicion that his conversation with Marinette was not as private as he would have liked.

“So you got stuck in an elevator with Marinette, huh.” Damian’s suspicions were confirmed by the way Kent stressed her name, and he growled a warning to the half-Kryptonian. “You know, you're very grumpy now that you're out of the elevator, what's wrong, did Dick interrupt?”

“Kent, I would advise you to shut your mouth,” he snarled, a blush spreading up his neck when Grayson stared at him. “Tt, there was nothing to interrupt, as I have already explained to Grayson that I was gathering information on the Parisian heroes.”

“Oh? And the relevance of asking about whether she was dating her model friend?” Damian was going to murder him. He hissed as much to his now ex-best friend, acutely aware that Grayson was far too interested in the exchange. “Besides, I don't think I've ever heard you talk about your art with anyone before.”

“I was gaining her trust,” he ground out, before turning to glare at Grayson. “Do you not have somewhere else to be?”

“Oh, I think I can spare a few more minutes,” his traitorous brother said, grinning more widely than Damian had ever seen before. “I can't wait to tell Tim and Jay about this. You sure you didn't get her number, little bro?”

Kent snorted and any hope that Damian had of keeping the disaster the rest of the conversation had been disintegrated. He looked away, glaring into the distance as Kent proceeded. “He offended her; apparently he's allowed to ask her invasive questions about her ‘romantic entanglements’ but she can't ask if he's single.”

“She asked if you were single?” Grayson squealed, whipping around to see if he could see her still. He looked disappointed when it became clear that she was out of sight. “Dames, I can't believe you weren't going to tell me any of this! I could've helped!”

“There is every chance that she was only enquiring to further her own ambitions,” he said grumpily, glaring at Kent when he sighed exasperatedly. “What is the problem, Kent? You are perfectly aware that most everyone who approaches me is interested only in my father's money. It is not as though I have a winning personality that bids them to approach me.”

Neither Kent nor Grayson had anything to say to that, and Damian felt vindicated, if a little hollow. Of course she was only interested in the Wayne fortune, and if even overly optimistic Grayson could not argue the point, it was practically fact. He had hoped, when she had asked about pets and his art, that he could explore the strange attraction he felt for her, but it was a risk he dared not take.

The remainder of Marinette's day was overshadowed by the frustration that she had already blown her chance of getting to know Damian better.

_ _ _

Adrien was nervous. He knew he had taken a risk when he had let Plagg mess with the elevator to force Marinette to spend time with Damian. She had been mooning over the youngest Wayne for the past week and a half and they only had a few days before they returned to Paris.

But apparently it had backfired, and now Marinette was angry and disappointed - not to mention slightly heartbroken. She had locked herself in her room at the hotel they were staying at, courtesy of the Gotham Academy exchange program, only coming out for dinner. Her eyes had been a little puffy and she had made a point of talking to everyone else during the meal.

And when they had gone back to the school the following day, she had made herself small and unobtrusive, barely talking to any of the Parisian students. And whenever she was in the same room as Damian, she had completely shut herself off, buried in her schoolwork or, if she was on break, her sketchbook. 

He wasn't blind, he saw the young billionaire’s son watching his lady, and wondered how true it was that he had ruined any chance she had. It had looked like he was going to approach her several times, but each time she had mysteriously become busy and vanished. A sour look was common on Damian's face, but even his usual glower had nothing on today.

As they approached the last lesson of the day, Damian's tall friend made his way over to her. She looked up at him, a brittle, bright smile fixed on her lips. The smile faded as he spoke, a concerned frown taking its place. She stood, abandoning her work and nodding to the boy before following him out.

Marinette followed Jon to an empty classroom, wondering what he needed to talk to her about. He had said it was urgent, and all but begged her to come with him so she had relented. But she couldn't think what he possibly had to say to her. Was he going to warn her to stay away from Damian? Because, if so, he would likely be surprised by how quickly he'd get her agreement.

“Sorry to drag you away from your work,” he said sincerely, and she nodded confusedly. “I just wanted to talk to you about what happened yesterday. Damian hasn't said much but he's been pretty grumpy ever since.”

“Oh.” Her throat tightened and she felt a hot prickle of tears in her eyes. Even though she had figured this was how it was going, she didn't know what to say. ‘Sorry, I made your friend uncomfortable and he hates me, which is a bummer because I have a crazy crush on him’? Yeah, not likely. “I mean, it was- bad luck, really. It sort of follows me around sometimes, but my best friend was the one who pushed me into the elevator with Damian.”

“Adrien, right? Why'd he do that?” Jon looked earnest, and she felt her will to keep quiet crumble away slightly. She mumbled something incoherent, not wanting him to think she was completely insane. He waited patiently, cocking his head to the side.

“Look, my friend thought that, if I was forced to spend some time with your friend, I'd get over my nerves and tell him I think he's cute,” she said eventually. She was rapidly losing her desire to keep it to herself in the face of telling someone who knew Damian well enough to put her mind at rest. “But I blew it because I have precisely zero chill and rushed into asking him if he was seeing anyone and now he hates me.”

“Whoa, hang on, you think he's cute?” Jon looked like Christmas had just come early, bouncing onto the balls of his feet. “Sorry, sorry, I just- Damian thought you were asking because you wanted to get close to his family, since that's how these things usually go.”

“Why would I be interested in his family?” Marinette was bewildered, her mind turning over their interactions and picking at them. In none of their conversations had he ever mentioned who his family were, and she had been so overwhelmed on the first day that she'd only caught people's first names. “I mean, I get it, I know enough people with money that I've seen the kinds of people that do that sort of thing. But he's the one who mentioned Grayson when we were talking.”

“Kent, you are supposed to be speaking with Mr-” Damian strode into the room and froze when he saw Marinette. She squeaked and turned away, apologising for intruding before racing out of the room. She didn't make it far before someone caught her arm. She pulled out of the hold automatically, turning to face whoever it was. 

“Apologies, I did not want to shout and cause a scene,” Damian said stiffly, arm slowly lowering. She blushed again, trying to look at anything other than him but only succeeding about twenty percent of the time. “I did not mean to interrupt you and Kent, you should go and continue your conversation.”

“No, no, it's fine,” she said breathlessly, trying not to let him see how panicked she felt. She got the impression that she was failing, abysmally. “He just- he wanted to make sure I didn't do anything in the elevator yesterday, I think. But I was rambling and I think I just confused him, so I think it would be better if I-”

“Marinette, calm down,” Damian instructed, stepping closer to her. She stopped breathing as she looked up at him with wide eyes. The only thing she could see was his steady green eyes and she felt dizzy. “Marinette, take a breath for me, I am concerned that you will faint otherwise.”

She gasped suddenly, and something like relief shone in his eyes. “Why do you think I'm only after your family?” She blurted abruptly, flushing when he jerked back from her. “I mean- Jon said you thought I was only interested in you because of your family, but I don't even know who your family are. Obviously I'd like to meet them some time but it's not like we're even dating, so that's kind of a moot point.”

“...you are interested in me?” He said quietly, stepping closer. She blushed harder, stepping back and looking away. He stepped back into her space, and she retreated once more, continuing until she was against the corridor wall. He used a surprisingly gentle hand to turn her face towards him searching for an answer.

“Obviously,” she whispered, her hands somehow gripping his lapels. He didn't seem to care, the hand on her chin moving to brush a loose strand of her hair out of the way. She licked her lips, a quick darting motion that he tracked, which made the butterflies return in force. 

“Then I should probably tell you that I find you attractive,” he murmured, his head lowering towards hers. His breath fanned over her face, but he stopped short of actually kissing her. They stood, suspended in that moment for several seconds before they moved.

Marinette could not swear to what happened next. All she knew was that she felt the pressure of his lips on hers and she thought she had died and gone to heaven. It lasted for the briefest moment before someone else came into the hall, and Damian jerked back again, cheeks adorably flushed.

“Oh, I'm so sorry to interrupt,” came a sickly sweet voice that made Marinette close her eyes in anger. She turned to glare at Lila, hands falling away from Damian’s shirt. “Adrien was just saying that he hadn't seen you for a while, and with class starting soon we should come and find you. I didn't realise you were…busy.”

Before Marinette could retort, she skipped away, flashing a smirk at Marinette over her shoulder. She looked back at Damian, who was eyeing the retreating vixen with suspicion and resentment. He glanced back at Marinette, a warmth coming back to his eyes.

“I apologise for my forwardness, Marinette,” he said, taking her hand and squeezing gently. She grinned at him, flushing as she thought about just how forward they had both been. “But…if it is alright, perhaps we could spend some time together this evening?”

“I'd love to,” she said, practically buzzing with excitement when he gave her a crooked smile. She excused herself to go and get her things from the lunchroom, after giving him her number so they could find each other at the end of the day.

When she got back to her bag, she found Adrien sitting guard over it. He smiled tentatively at her, clearly hoping he had been forgiven for the previous day. She gave him a mock glare, but the heat that had been behind it that morning had dissipated.

She still planned on getting him back for putting her and Damian in danger, just because he thought she needed a push, but she could let him have a false sense of security for now.

As the last class of the day ended, Marinette received a short text from Damian, letting her know where to find him. She said goodbye to Adrien and Chloé excitedly before shooting off to inform the teachers that she would be spending time with one of the Gotham Academy students. 

When she approached their meeting place, she slowed when she spotted Jon practically hovering behind Damian, an excited spark in his eyes. He waved exuberantly at her and she gave a small one back but smiled brightly at Damian.

Damian had been dealing with Kent's smug behaviour for the final hour of the day and he was irritated that the super had decided to stalk him to his meeting with Marinette. He was convinced that his meddling had resulted in the resolution of Damian and Marinette's conflict and it made him unbearable.

When she finally appeared, she seemed reluctant to approach whilst Kent was with him, making him even more annoyed. But she gave him a smile so lovely he forgot his bad mood momentarily, smiling back at her. She stopped within touching distance, gripping the strap of her bag tightly. 

“Apologies, Marinette, Kent insisted on accompanying me to this meeting, but he will leave in a moment,” he said, turning sternly on his friend. Who proceeded to ignore him in favour of the girl he was attempting to woo. Damian seethed quietly, swearing he would find a way to get back at Kent. 

“It's fine, my friends have been trying to butt in since yesterday,” she assured him, giving Kent a stern and disappointed look. Damian smirked at the wounded look on the other boy's face, relieved that Marinette was not deterred by his presence. “But would you like to get going? I have to be back at the hotel by 7pm and I'd like to get to know you better.”

“Of course,” he said immediately, offering her his arm which she took without hesitation. “I'm keen to learn more about this famous patisserie your parents are responsible for.”

“Besides, we can always plan how we're going to get revenge over coffee,” she said sweetly, shooting Kent a wolfish smile. Damian laughed aloud in surprise when Kent squawked. Marinette was certainly far more interesting than anyone else who had approached him and, if she truly did not know who his family were, she could not possibly be angling for the Wayne heir specifically.

(Now with Part 2)

[professor-beaker]

How my parents view me being aroace: Ew romance! I hate everything romance! I am so Independent and hallmark movies are the scum of the earth!!!

Me: *reading the twentieth fluff fic of the same pairing today*

[ggomos-maribat]

Secrets, Masks, and Family Gatherings

Cross posted from AO3

It had been nearly a year since she moved to Gotham City, but the skyline seemed new each time she went out for night patrol. Ladybug zipped to another building with Red Hood to gain a higher vantage point. Her wings fluttered slightly with the breeze behind her.

"All clear here." Red Hood pressed on his comms.

"Okay. We'll wait for an update from Robin and Spoiler then we're finished for tonight if there aren't any problems," Batman replied.

"Yeah, it's a miracle we get to finish up early." The vigilante rolled his shoulders and stretched his arms. "So LB . . ."

"This small talk again?" Ladybug groaned.

Red Hood put his arms up. "Hey, I'm just curious."

"What is it now?"

"I was just wondering what made you transfer to Gotham." He perched on the ledge right beside her. "You defeated your city's villain, right? You had nothing to do anymore."

He's not wrong. She often thought about it herself. Her past and responsibilities clung to her like unshakeable nightmares. Ladybug knew the moment she gained guardianship that her life had no chance of reverting back to 'normal'.

"I think you know how it feels," she said.

"How what feels?"

Ladybug sighed, slumping. "When we defeated Hawkmoth, I thought we could finally rest easy. But I couldn't. I was restless, and between that and taking care of the aftermath, I realized I was missing the superhero life." She shrugged. "That's why I'm here now---it's inescapable. As the guardian, I decided it was better for the Miraculi to be used for good instead of sitting unused."

"Ah, classic PTSD like all the Bats." Red Hood nodded.

She snorted. "But that doesn't mean I still live a restless life. In fact, I've gotten used to life in Gotham."

"But why Gotham of all places?"

"The Miracle Box told me something. I can't divulge anything more."

"Just like you don't divulge anything about your civvy life."

She rolled her eyes, elbowing him on the side, which caused him to flinch dramatically. Bats and their nosiness. "Hey, we're not that close yet for me to reveal my identity. And it's a fair game. I don't know any of you either."

"I'm surprised B hasn't dug up anything on you. And he has contingency plans for all the JL members."

"I told you, the glamor protects us."

At first, she'd been hesitant to work with the vigilantes and at the same time, Batman had been wary around her especially when she was entering their territory. But she had gotten to know them well over time, despite not knowing who were behind the masks. She could also tell they'd grown to trust her like one of theirs.

"All clear near Crime Alley," Spoiler reported over the line.

"Good. Thank you for your help tonight, Ladybug. Everyone else, back to the cave."

Ladybug stood up abruptly. "Thank you too. I'll join the Signal during the weekend. He mentioned he might need some help."

"Oooh, you seem in a hurry to get back home." Red Hood tilted his head.

"No, I'm not spilling anything about my plans for the night," she huffed. "And I need to go because I'm hungry and my timer's running because you forced me to use my Lucky Charm to win that bet with Red Robin."

"The look on his face was priceless."

Ladybug threw her yoyo. "Good night, Hood."

After double checking that none of the others had followed or tracked her, Ladybug detransformed and walked back to her apartment building. She could practically hear the coffee calling to her; she'd drown in it endlessly whenever patrol nights ran late and she needed commissions to finish afterwards.

In the empty elevator, Tikki hovered up to her shoulder. "It's a good thing patrol ended early, Marinette."

"It's not a good sign, Tikki." She smiled grimly. "I think something big's going to happen. A massive breakout or a big plan by the Rogues."

The kwami hummed. "You can try to get plenty of rest before that happens."

"No promises. I have twelve designs I have to submit to Audrey by next week."

Just as she headed to her apartment door, her phone rang a familiar customized ringtone. Tikki also gasped in excitement upon seeing the caller's name.

Marinette tucked her phone between her ear and shoulder while jamming her keys through the doorknob. "Hey, Adrien. What's up?"

"Hey Nette. Done with patrol?"

"We finished early tonight. The Rogues are suspiciously silent. How are you? How's Plagg?" Marinette stepped into the room and Tikki turned on the lights.

"Currently pigging out on cheese. As always." She could almost see her best friend's eye-roll. "Anyway, I called to tell you that I'll be visiting Gotham on Friday. Wayne Tech is partnering up with our brand and Chloe and Kagami are coming with me."

"That's great news, Adrien! I'll bake something special---or should I take you out to a restaurant? I know some good ones near my place."

Adrien chuckled. "Pick anything you want. I'll tell Chloe to send you our schedule so we can reserve lunch or dinner with you and----no, Plagg! I'm not telling her to buy extra cheese!" He heaved out a breath. "At night we can have a short . . . run. You can introduce me to your new partners."

"They're not my partners. It's just you, kitty cat," Marinette said pointedly. "We're just allies."

"You gush about winning prank wars against them."

"It's fun being around them but that's it!"

He laughed. "It's okay. I'm glad you're enjoying your time over there. Send my regards to Damian."

A knock suddenly sounded on the door.

"Speaking of Damian, I think he's here. Gotta go, and say hi to Plagg and the others for me!"

"Pfft, you keep stroking his ego."

With one last goodbye, Marinette threw her phone on the couch and ran to the door. She hadn't expected her boyfriend to drop by, but she was glad he could make time for her. She knew Damian was as busy as her and she was worried he'd end up not taking care of himself like she always did.

"Dames, I thought you had work at the company for the whole night." She gave him a tight hug and a light kiss as soon as she opened the door.

Damian pecked her cheek, winding his arms around her waist. "They let us go early and I thought I should surprise you."

"Good, because I'm surprised," she beamed. "Are you staying the night?"

"Of course, habibti."

Damian Wayne had been an unexpected addition to her Gotham life. They had met in the park while they were working on their sketches---him, a portrait drawing and her, an inspired dress design. Before she knew it, she was with someone who she believed she could spend the rest of her life with. Damian was her support, her confidant in all aspects except her secret identity (though the thought of finally telling him had crossed her mind too many times).

"Are you hungry? I haven't had dinner yet and I was just thinking of cooking instant ramen . . ."

"We can have dinner together, but . . . there is something I need to talk to you about." Damian rubbed her arms, gazing at her intently.

Marinette's heart quickened as she subconsciously thought about all types of bad news. Did he get hurt? Did I do something? Is he going to break up with me?

"Habibti, love, I can already read your thoughts." He kissed the tip of her nose. "It's not anything terrible."

"What is it?"

Damian took a deep breath. "I think it's time for you to meet my family."

Marinette felt her jaw drop. "Your . . . your family? Are you sure about this?"

For the longest time, Damian had expressed his distaste at the thought of her meeting the Waynes. At first, she'd thought that it was the status difference, but he seemed more worried about his father and brothers doing something crazy.

On the other hand, they had both flown to Paris four months ago for Damian to officially meet her parents and friends. It had gone smoothly, and Damian was convinced that the opposite would happen if she met his family.

"Yes. I've thought about it." He sat down with her as she ran her thumb over the back of his hand. "They're already asking about you and if I stall for any longer, I know they will start prying into your life."

"Oh . . ."

Damian had talked about his brothers before, and Marinette saw them sometimes in news and tabloids. In her impression, they didn't seem too bad.

"But don't worry," he assured her, "I will be with you the whole time. We'll have lunch at the manor tomorrow---"

"Wait, tomorrow?"

"Is it too sudden? I worked with your free schedule and---"

"No, no, I'm definitely free tomorrow." Her eyes widened. "Let's meet them tomorrow. It just caught me off guard. I have to prepare my outfit and buy a gift and----oh no, what would your brothers like? What about your father and Alfred?"

Damian smiled gently. "You don't have to concern yourself with that. You’ll make a wonderful first impression."

"But---"

"I have to warn you about my brothers instead." His lip curled. "They will be a handful."

She laughed a little. "You already warned me a million times."

"Because I can't overstate how troublesome they'll be."

Instead of her reply, Marinette's growling stomach echoed in the room. She blushed as Damian pulled her from her seat, kissing her cheek. "It seems that we have an emergency to take care of first. I'll help you cook."

---

Marinette smoothed down the remnant wrinkles on her skirt. She'd chosen a simple pleated dress to wear to her first family lunch with the Waynes. At the same time, the car pulled up in front of the Wayne Manor. It was just as intimidating as she remembered---she'd only ever been to the manor once, to wait for Damian.

"Nervous?" Damian touched her hand.

"Should I be?"

"Never," he replied firmly. "If anything, I should apologize ahead of time. Also, there is no reason to be nervous. If they aren't busy acting insufferable, they'll be impressed by you."

Though the words were warm, they did little to calm her heart. These were the Waynes, royalty of Gotham. She even found it hard to believe that she was with Damian in the first place.

"Come on." Damian helped her out of the car and guided her to the front steps. He pushed through the large wooden doors and they were both met with a broad-shouldered man rushing down the main hallway.

"Todd," Damian called out. "Where on earth are you going?"

The man---Jason, she assumed---stopped, glanced at them, and gave her a quick once-over. Marinette noticed the motorcycle helmet he held on one hand.

"Demon brat." Jason tilted his head. "I have work to do."

"But lunch---"

"I promised to drop by. I didn't say I'll stay." He gave Marinette a single nod and went off.

"I bet he had another fight with Father," Damian muttered under his breath. Marinette squeezed his hand.

"I'm sorry," he murmured.

"Don't apologize. Let's go," she told him softly.

Damian led her to the dining hall where the others were already sat around the table. Curious stares burned through Marinette, making her duck her head away. Damian himself was unfazed, wearing a half-scowl as he helped her to her seat.

"Master Damian, Miss Marinette, welcome." Just in time, Alfred strolled in with the food. She gave the butler a meek smile.

Then, she took a look at the Waynes one by one. The poised Bruce Wayne was at the head of the table, his presence the most prominent  in the room. Across from her was Dick Grayson, who looked like he was studying her. Positioned beside him were Tim and Stephanie, both whispering to each other. Finally, Barbara was at her other side, offering her a small smile of comfort.

"I'm glad to finally meet you, Marinette," Bruce greeted. "Damian talks a lot about you."

Marinette momentarily eyed the array of silverware near her plate which she did not know how to use. "The pleasure is all mine . . . sir."

"Please call me Bruce." He gestured to the food at the center. "Go ahead and help yourself. Alfred cooked a feast for us."

She cleared her throat. "Thank you, Bruce."

"How did you both meet?" Tim questioned.

"In the park, Drake. We were both drawing. I already told you," Damian butted in.

Tim waved him off. "I want to hear it from her, not you."

"I---"

"It's okay, Damian." Marinette nudged him a little. "I was sketching in the park when Titus came to me. Damian was drawing a picture of me while I was absorbed in my designs and accidentally let go of his leash. Titus led me to him and it all started there."

"You design?" Barbara asked.

Warmth crept to her cheeks. "It's my dream to become a fashion designer. I just do a few commission pieces here and there. I'm trying to take small steps to reach my goal."

A quick glimpse at her boyfriend told her that he was radiating all the pride in the world.

"Little D mentioned you came from Paris?" Dick sipped on his drink. "Why did you decide to leave?"

"Oh, please don't get it all wrong. I know Paris earned a bad rep after the Hawkmoth fiasco but that was years ago. I just decided to move here to find more opportunities for myself," Marinette answered smoothly.

"Why Gotham of all places, if I may ask?" Bruce chimed in. "Admittedly, this isn't the friendliest city in the country."

"Father, stop with the interrogation," said Damian.

"It's okay, Dames, I don't mind. Promise." She squeezed his hand under the table.

"Fine. But do not answer anything if you're not comfortable."

Marinette looked at Bruce. "One of my friend's parents who works in fashion suggested Gotham. There's a low competition among the designers here so it might be easier for me to make a name for myself."

"That's not a bad move actually," Tim remarked.

"So back in Paris, did you get to meet any of the heroes?" Dick leaned in.

"Grayson," Damian warned.

"That's---"

A sharp ring blasted out, cutting off her statement. Bruce fished out his phone, a muscle on his face twitched, and he abruptly stood up. "There's an emergency at WE."

"Emergency?" Tim peered at his phone as well.

"Yes, Tim. You're needed. Also Stephanie." The eldest Wayne looked around the table and uttered monotonously. "I apologize for cutting this short. We have an urgent matter at the company---"

"Father."

Bruce shook his head. "This absolutely cannot wait, Damian."

The three filed out of the room in a flash. Marinette, stunned at the sudden interruption, saw Dick also checking the emergency.

"Sorry, Babs and I need to go." He stood up and picked up his coat, going around the table to help Barbara. "It's nice to meet you, Marinette."

"Let's go out for drinks sometime, okay?" Barbara reached over and patted her shoulder before they left.

The disappearance of the Waynes left her fidgeting with her fingers and wondering what the big emergency could be. She peeked at Damian hesitantly. "Do you need to go too?"

His jaw clenched. "I think so."

"You can go." She cupped his cheek, pecking the other.

"I can't tell you---"

"I know. I won't ask, I promise," she assured softly. He didn't have to explain anything to her; she'd gladly wait for him to open up. "Go."

"I'm sorry."

"Damian."

He pressed a firm kiss on her forehead. "Alfred will drive you to your apartment. I'll come to you later, alright?"

"Okay."

She could hear Alfred offering her food to take home and guiding her to the car, but it was all a blur. Marinette knew she had nothing to do with what happened yet she was afraid that it would sour Damian's relationship with his family. Her fists clenched around her skirt as she looked down, feeling Alfred's keen eyes checking on her through the rearview mirror.

"Please do not take it personally, Miss," Alfred said softly.

"Yes. Thank you," she whispered.

Finding nothing better to do than to check her phone, Marinette noticed the numerous alerts plastered all over her screen. Arkham breakout. Fuck. No wonder it was so quiet last night. There were a number of messages from Red Hood (which was directed from her burner phone), asking her if she could help.

Marinette looked out the window. Sure enough, there seemed to be a racket coming from the other streets.

"Umm, excuse me Alfred?" She searched for a safe alley to transform. "Can---can you drop me off at the cafe over there?"

"Are you certain? There are Rogues running around the city at this time."

"I'll stay inside. Don't worry."

Fortunately, the butler did what she asked and she made a beeline to the cafe as soon as she stepped foot out the car. Transform. Connect comms. Head to the upper east side. The same words ran through her head.

Her phone rang suddenly right before she could say her transformation words.

"Adrien! Can't talk right now. Arkham breakout. Big emergency," she said hurriedly into the phone.

"Oops. Need backup?" He asked.

"Maybe not. I don't know." She massaged her temple. "Can I ask you guys to standby? You can take your power-ups just in case."

"That's fine. Stay safe," Adrien said, "How did lunch go by the way?"

"Gah! Not now, kitty!"

"Right, right, right. Emergency in Gotham. I'll hang up now."

Marinette sighed. "It was a disaster, by the way. I'll text the details later."

"Aaaand Chloe's yelling at me to spill right now. You should go."

---

Ladybug swiftly landed beside Nightwing when she arrived and the Bats had just finished capturing Penguin and his men. On the next rooftop over, she could see Robin with Batman---they were loud enough for her to deduce that they were having an argument but she couldn't make out the exact words.

"What's up with them?" Ladybug frowned. She had always known Robin as the cold, closed-off one in the group but it was her first time encountering a complete outburst.

"Personal stuff. Happened earlier," Nightwing replied briefly. "I'm surprised you came. I thought you had an appointment today."

She bit her tongue. "Uhh, it got cancelled."

Batman told Robin something which had him storming off, grappling away to another direction. Their comms buzzed to life.

"Ladybug, team up with Robin. The Riddler's in the next avenue," Batman ordered curtly.

Ladybug turned to Nightwing with wide eyes. The stress was obvious in the sag of his shoulders and tight grip on his escrima sticks.

"He's mad at all of us," he explained. "It's better if it's you who joins him."

Ladybug only nodded, throwing her yoyo to follow Robin. Her curiosity was growing by the minute, but she focused on thinking of ways to calm down her fellow vigilante. If he became too riled up, he could lose focus and get injured.

She followed him close enough for him to hear her. "Robin, you have to slow down."

"No, I have to get back as soon as possible."

"Get back to where?"

She only received silence.

Frustrated Robin equals not a good Robin. Ladybug leapt to match his pace and blocked his way. He glared at her. "Move."

"Look, this is the Riddler we're facing. He's still dangerous and if we're not careful, we'll get caught in his traps."

"I don't care. I just need to get this over with. Stay out of my way."

When he pushed past her, she had half the mind to wrap him in her yoyo and deliver him back to Batman for a time-out. She huffed as she followed him. You're not the only one having a bad day, grumpy boy. Robin anchored his grappling gun to a faraway building and at the second he jumped off, he careened to the side, swept away by an elaborate trap by the Riddler.

Before she knew it, Ladybug was after him. Her teeth gritted and her legs ran a mile as she groaned out loud. "This is exactly what I was just talking about!"

They were trapped in an empty little box with a puzzle lock on its door.

Ladybug released a shaky breath.

The worst argument I've had with one of the Gotham vigilantes was when I interfered with Red Hood's mission and he got overprotective. She stared at Robin, who was relentlessly kicking the metal walls. But that might change today.

"Robin," she called out. "I understand that you're mad at the others but it doesn't mean you can act reckless while you're in that suit."

"No. You don't understand." He raked a hand through his hair. "I told them. I already told them and they still . . .Do you know what they did?"

She opened her mouth to reason with him again but he beat her to it. "I only wanted at least an hour. No interruptions." Robin clicked his tongue. "For them, there is nothing more important than capturing these criminals even if there are other heroes who will help. And Father had to be the first to run out."

Ladybug gaped. She knew the Bats were somewhat of a family but it was Robin's first time referring to Batman as a father. "Are you sure you should be telling me---"

"Yes, so you know how unfair they acted earlier." He twirled his katanas, looking for a simple way out. "I only wanted them to meet my girlfriend. I brought her home. And they all left for this. Father didn't give a sincere apology and my brothers either don't care or are suspicious of her."

Wait . . .

She thought she'd stumble back, but her feet were surprisingly still planted on the ground. Lunch. Earlier. Girlfriend. Shit. Her breath was knocked out of her lungs as she processed Robin's words.

Damian's words.

She wanted to laugh. All this time, she'd been anxious about telling him the truth when he was already living the same life as her. The Waynes, the sudden emergencies, staying out late. Merde, it all makes sense now. It was ridiculous how she didn't recognize her own boyfriend.

"It was a mistake after all. I shouldn't have invited her to come," Robin sighed. "They're wary because she's a civilian---she'll be my weakness if anyone finds out about our connection. They know that, which is why they don't approve."

Her first instinct was to tell him that it wasn't true, but an identity reveal would be too much given their current situation. Ladybug pieced her words with care. "I'm sure they'll listen if you tell them how you feel. Your girlfriend will understand too."

"We don't communicate healthily, in case you haven't figured that out."

Her heart was still drumming against her ribcage. Damn it. Marinette would work better in consoling him. Ladybug's just a colleague. "I know. But a few words can go a long way. Tell them you'll be careful. Ask them to help protect your girlfriend if anything ever goes wrong."

As Robin lowered his gaze, an urge to come up to him and hold his hands washed over her. She counted the seconds of silence that passed. It looked like he was thinking deeply about it.

"I apologize for getting you involved," he said. "And for mindlessly telling you about my personal life."

She laughed nervously. "Ah . . . it's okay to vent out sometimes."

Yeah, and your story definitely did not reveal your whole identity.

Robin turned towards the puzzle lock. "Should we attempt to crack the code in his puzzle?"

It wasn't a simple coded lock---it was a six-wheeled puzzle that was embedded onto the door. "By the looks of it, it will take us hours if we go through that route. I think I have a better idea. Are there any cameras here?"

He surveyed the small enclosure. "I see two by the corners."

"Good. Break them and cover the lens." Ladybug touched her earrings while he did what she said. I have spare cookies in my purse. That should do. "We can't unlock the door by ourselves, but Tikki can phase through and let us out."

"The tiny god-being in your Miraculous."

"Yeah, that's Tikki." She smiled. I'll have to introduce them sometime. "Close your eyes?"

After making sure that the cameras weren't functioning and he couldn't see her, she detransformed, motioned to the puzzle lock and sent Tikki out.

"Before we were trapped, I saw other civilians captured in similar boxes," said Robin. "Riddler should be camped east."

Marinette crossed the gap between them and tapped on the back of his hand. GOOD. RIDDLER FIRST THEN FREE OTHERS.

"Morse?" Robin scrunched his nose. "Are you also cautious about revealing your voice?"

YES.

"Tt. That is too much. Most of us don't even use a modulator." He shifted. "I doubt that I will be able to recognize your voice."

She pursed her lips. We'll see about that.

---

Ladybug was lounging on the top of Wayne Tower as the vigilantes finished up catching the remaining inmates. She used the time to fully wrap her head around her discovery. Damian. Robin. One by one, she also pieced together the identities of the others. It was so stupidly obvious all this time.

She heard a familiar zip of the grappling gun. It wasn't Red Hood who she expected to check on her but it was Robin.

"The Rogues are secured. There are rumors that the Joker orchestrated the entire thing but he wasn't around during the attacks," Robin reported. "The injured civilians are being rushed to the hospitals. No deaths."

Ladybug didn't break her gaze at the horizon. "That's good."

". . . Ladybug?"

"Yeah?"

He sat next to her. "The people in Paris . . . did they get used to these kinds of incidents as well? When Hawkmoth was active?"

"With an akuma attack nearly every week, yes you can say we had no choice but to get used to it."

"Was there a lot of animosity towards Parisians after the truth got out?"

"Only a little." She looked down at her hands. "Mostly we receive pity. The press made it clear how the akumas affected everyone's lives."

"My girlfriend . . . came from Paris too. I always wonder what it was like but I never wanted to pry."

Damian . . . She bit her lip. She had been dodgy about the topic, but she should know better than to withhold her feelings about it. Damn it, this will be so awkward when he finally finds out.

"You're worried about her safety," she said.

Robin nodded. "I wonder if she feels afraid during Rogue attacks. Or just living in Gotham. I never want to find out that she was in a dangerous situation and I wasn't there to . . ."

"You don't have to worry. If she's from Paris, then she's strong. Everyone in my city had been on the edge of death one way or another. Our instincts were sharpened. We can block out our fears and emotions." Ladybug looked up at him. "I'm sure she can handle danger."

"But it's different here. There's no magic to bring things back to normal. It's permanent." He pinched the bridge of his nose. "I won't know what to do if something happens to her because of me."

"I think . . . you should ask her first---"

"I should break it off with her."

"What?!"

Ladybug nearly slapped a hand over her mouth. I said that too quickly. Thankfully, Robin didn't seem to notice anything.

"I've been thinking a lot," he continued. "I can't bring myself to tell her about this. About me. The mere fact of her knowing puts a target on her back."

Dear kwamis, please keep me from pushing my boyfriend off this rooftop before gets the chance to find out about me.

"Wait." She began slowly. "Don't you think she deserves to know before you try to make that decision for her?"

"What am I supposed to do?" His eyebrows furrowed. "I . . . I expect her to react badly. I've learned from today that I should keep her from getting involved any further. It's either I drag her into this dangerous life or I keep hurting her with my lies."

"You shouldn't start assuming things without trying first. I'm sure she trusts you and she'll come to understand everything in time. There's always a compromise." Her lips spoke the words before she could think. "You're not doing any good by cutting yourself off all of a sudden."

"If I end it now, she can eventually move on and stay safe. Nevermind how I feel," he argued, "I can let her go and she'll be safe."

"When I told you about how Parisians are strong, that's not what I meant." Tears pricked the back of her eyes as she raised her voice. "She can stay in a relationship with you and keep herself safe because she's strong. Can't you trust her as much as she trusts you?"

"I can't risk it. She's important to me."

"If she is, then talk to her. If you don't give her a chance to decide, you're not any better than your father or brothers."

"How would you even know how she feels?"

Ladybug's face contorted into a sharp glare. "I just know. I know better than anyone, Damian."

Anger morphed into shock as he stared at her. ". . . What did you just call me?"

She made a quick sweep of the area to make sure that they were in a blind spot. Then, she wasted no time standing up on the ledge, shuffling until the balls of her foot touched the edge. Then,  "I'm not defenseless, merde. And I really wanted to wait until the end of the day but . . . Tikki, détransformation."

Marinette watched Robin's face go through a storm of emotions. His jaw hung slack and his fists uncurled while he stood up to look at her.

". . . Marinette?" he breathed out.

She gently touched his cheeks with both hands, peeling off his mask to reveal his glistening eyes. "I can't believe you wanted to break up with me."

"Marinette . . ." He pulled them both away from the ledge and held her, mumbling 'I'm sorry' over and over again. His head was buried on her neck, with his hands pressed against her back.

"You. It's you," said Damian. "Of course it's you."

"It's me." She rubbed down his back. "For record, I only found out because---"

"Because I told you what happened."

She chuckled. "Yeah."

"I'm sorry. I'm really sorry, habibti." He pulled away a little to touch her cheek. "I was going to make a stupid decision."

"Are you upset that I kept this from you?"

He shook his head, kissing her head. "I can't and I don't have the right to be. I was keeping my secret from you as well."

"Come on, let's go home first. Then we can talk about . . . everything."

---

Ladybug swung into the night with a weight lifted off her chest. She and Damian had a long talk about their identities and relationship. They'd both agreed not to tell the other heroes until they were ready to. For her, it was better that they kept their secrets between themselves first and slowly ease into revealing the truth to her friends and his family.

She breathed in the breeze. Robin wasn't anywhere to be seen, but a group of vigilantes were. Nightwing. Hood. RR. What are they doing there?

The three immediately fell into a hush when she landed next to them.

"Hey, LB," Red Robin greeted.

She put her hands on her hips. "What are you doing?"

The brothers shared a look before Red Hood spoke. "Robin told you about his girlfriend, right?"

"Yeah . . ." she trailed off, dragging the syllable.

"We think something's up with her," said Nightwing.

"I'm sorry?"

"Sketchy stuff," Red Robin explained, shifting on his feet. "Well, we can't tell you who she is---secret identities and all---but she's from Paris. She's friends with Hawkmoth's kid."

Ladybug scoffed. "Adrien? He's not like Hawkmoth. I know him personally and he had nothing to do with that man's crimes. Trust me."

"Hmm, yeah but she's also close with the mayor's daughter. That one who also sided with Hawkmoth."

"You mean Chloe Bourgeois? She's proven that she's changed." And unbeknownst to the public, she was a hero again, this time under another alias.

"But she's so secretive. There's definitely something going on with her." Nightwing rubbed his chin. Ladybug wanted to bang her head in the nearest wall or groan to the heavens.

"What's wrong with being secretive? Aren't you guys the same?" she narrowed her eyes.

"That's not the main cause of our suspicion," said Red Hood.

"We weren't convinced about her reason for moving to Gotham, so we dug around," Red Robin continued, "She said something about more career opportunities but that's just a cover. We found classified files on superheroes in her apartment, including info on Justice League members. I bet she already knows about Robin's identity."

"You snooped in her apartment?!"

"It was an investigation," Nightwing snorted.

Her eye twitched. A secret had never felt so difficult to conceal. "I can't believe you'd break the privacy of a civilian just because you had baseless assumptions."

Red Robin winced. "Uhh . . . if you put it that way . . ."

She crossed her arms. "No, I know what this is really about. You're being overprotective of Robin; you can't accept that he now has a significant other and you think he's being naive about his choices. You think he's going to get hurt badly." She paused for effect. "Because you don't want him to repeat the same mistakes as you all did."

The look on their masked faces told her that she had hit the target better than any therapist they might have encountered.

Red Hood was first to deny. "We're not protective of the brat. We're trying to eliminate a potential danger."

"His harmless civilian girlfriend?"

"Think about it, LB. Why would she have sensitive files on the heroes?" Red Robin asked. "You can't deny that that's suspicious."

I don't know, maybe because she's a hero herself?!

Ladybug sighed heavily. Damian is really going to kill them when he finds out. "Does Batman know about this?"

"Nope, but we'll tell him when we gather enough evidence," Nightwing answered. "We're just trying to get Oracle to crack into her laptop. The security on it  is so heavy, it's insane."

Why is it a curse that I asked Max to protect my laptop? There are files on the Miraculi in there!

She discreetly took her yoyo and put it on the recording function. "Let me get this straight. So you're all investigating and prying into the life of Robin's girlfriend without the knowledge of Batman even at the cost of your identities and everyone's safety?"

"We're not risking anyone's safety---"

"It's more of research but---"

She pursed her lips. "And you broke into her apartment, went through her things and currently you're trying to hack into her personal computer?"

"Regular vigilante work---"

"Good, we're on the same page then." She smiled widely. Sinisterly. "Tikki, détransformation."

Pale. Pale faces were all she could see as the three vigilantes were engulfed in utter shock. Marinette held her smile, clasping her hands together behind her back. I can't wait to see how they try to make it up to me. Mon dieu! I'm going to mess with them. 

And as a cherry on top, Robin arrived at the scene, immediately putting her behind him when he saw that she was in civilian form. He directed an accusatory glare at his brothers. "What is going on here?!"

[aliensunflower-fics]

Man, Adrien's just wants everyone to be happy, and because he goes on the wrong way, he gets a raw deal.

Will he ever get a break in your fics?

... Okay I have gotten 1 to many asks like this even though if you check my pinned post you would see all my fics with tags a fair few of which include Adrienette or even just cool friends Adrien and Mari but to make your life even easier HERE I will link every single fic I have written (to this date) in which there is 0 Adrien salt ENJOY:

Alya Salt Prompt: Views (Alya Salt / Prompt / Mild Lila Salt )

Ladybug Is Addicted to Pastries ( Fluff / Comedy Short )

Corruption: A Prompt ( Light Adrinette / Lila Salt / Prompt)

Marinette Changes Schools: Funny Prompt ( Adrienette / Kagaminette / Felinette / Fluff / Comedy / Lila Salt)

A Sinister Sneaky Lila Prompt (Marinette Harem / Lila Salt / Prompt )

The Liar Trap: Lila Salt Prompt (Comedy / Lila Salt / Hints of Kagaminette )

Marinette The Perfect Daughter In-Law (Marinette Harem / Fluff / Comedy)

‘Akumatized’ Marinette: Funny Prompt (Marinette Harem / Fluff / Comedy / Lila Salt )

The Interview (Comedy /Gabriel Salt / Nathalie Salt / Lila Salt / BAMF Marinette)

The Interview Part 2: Live Broadcast ( Comedy / Gabriel Salt / Nathalie Salt / Lila Salt / BAMF Marinette / Hints of Daminette / Gay Adrien / AdriJon )

Jealousy & Honesty: Sugary Prompt (Innocent Lila AU / Marinette Is Insecure but Sweet / Marinette Talks to Her Mom / Prompt)

Who Framed Marinette Dupain Cheng (Comedy / Marinette Harem / Fluff / Class Sugar)

[person25]

i just realized that those ‘peter parker school trip’ fics are literally the maribat Wayne Industries fics just in a different font

[fanfic-recs-01]

Miraculous LadyBug Fics

This is a list of Miraculous Ladybug fics I like on AO3, if you have any recs for me feel free to send me some!

I have a separate list for Marinette Dupain-Cheng/Damian Wayne Fics Here: Part 1 Part 2

Updated 11/2/24

Marinette Dupain-Cheng/Felix Graham De Vanily

Hey, Little Songbird by charlietheepic7 *Finished*

~Really, Felix couldn't believe his cousin sometimes. Marinette was talented, beautiful, kind, and had a crush on Adrien bigger than the mansion, yet Adrien was blind to the treasure right in front of him. "Just a friend," indeed.

Well, if Adrien wasn't going to do anything, it wouldn't matter if Felix... snatched her up?~

Welcome To The Back by Geeeny *Finished*

~Marinette Dupain-Cheng sits alone in the back. Until she doesn't.~

birds of a feather by WithLovePoohBear *Finished*

~When Mme Bustier’s class gets a new student, Marinette might just finally find true friends who love and support her for who she is.

But more accurately, she finds her home.~

Pen Pals by That_Kwami_plagg  *Finished*

~Marinette and Felix have been Pen Pals for two years. She tells him everything. All of the abuse, lies and manipulations. He became her sanctuary, and her his. What happens when Felix moves to France? Can he help her through her struggles, or will he be another victim of Lila?~

Marinette Dupain-Cheng/Tim Drake

Tiny Tim by LeoLeonte *Finished*

~Tim leaned back on the chair. Disrespect was a common occurrence at the meetings he attended but usually people were far more subtle about it.

In which sleep deprivation makes people do, and say stupid things.~

The Contingency by AbyssalGuardian *Finished*

~After Marinette loses the support of her parents she decides that it’s time for her to enact one of her contingency plans and disappear.

Where better to disappear than Gotham?~

coup de foudre (came with a lightning bug) by newdog14 *Finished*

~“So unfortunately I’m being forced to turn in my resignation without having a replacement trained just yet,” Marinette said, looking genuinely regretful.

“Marry me!” Tim blurted out, and Marinette blinked at him in shock~.

Damsel in Distress by Izanae *Finished*

~All Marinette wanted to do was check out the competition.

Instead, she finds herself at the mercy of a Rogue - and a certain Red bird.~

Misc.

No Hesitation by orphan_account *Finished*

~Marinette could never have foreseen just how quickly Lila's plan would work - but now a new school year has begun and she has transferred to a new school that could support her fashion career far better than Dupont ever could.~

Accidentally on Purpose by LadyLiterature

~When Marinette had been chosen to intern with Monsieur Wayne’s PA, she hadn’t been expecting anything special. Sure, the Waynes were an odd breed and generally considered strange, but Marinette hadn’t actually expected to have much contact with them, if any at all.~

Multi-mouse will multi-wreck your shit by Assassinscred, Bloodhungrywolfpack *Finished*

~The whole world is watching the live stream as Multi-mouse's miraculous is ripped from her neck. They are all watching as the girl underneath is revealed. The super hero community, specifically the Bat clan, are stunned as she continues to fight, berating her foe the whole way.

With this new public knowledge, Batman once again reaches out to offer his assistance with the situation. Unlike a few years ago, this time Ladybug accepts.~

Siren Song by MelsCalamity *Unfinished*

~Or the story how Marinette Dupain-Cheng one night randomly woke up in Gotham City and suddenly got adopted by the Gotham City Sirens.~