#our lil damibean has a crush

[ultimatetornshipper]

Daminette December Day 4

@daminette-december2019-2020

Princes and Pedestals

Chapter 4 – Flowers

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“So let me get this straight,” Dick said slowly, a disbelieving look covering his face, “You two were having tea in the garden with the Grand Guardian, when a tiny floaty bug thing, that she called a “kwami" spoke to her in French. The kwami thing then put down another strange round thing on the table and out of that thing came a floating, moving picture of a girl in armour with wings, who then said things to the Guardian that upset her. Things about some man named Gabriel taking a butterfly and bringing someone back? After which other people in their own strange armor were added to the floating picture and they all spoke in another strange language at which point you guys couldn’t follow the conversation anymore?”

Stephanie made a small noise of agreement. Jason nodded, “And she said that these kwami things were bound to their miraculous, and they’re what gives them their power. The floating image thing she said was a live magic picture of the person with the other miraculous. She said the meeting was just about a mission but she looked very, very upset about it. It wouldn’t be a stretch to imagine that it involves the person she seems to be mourning. Anyone got a clue who that might be?”

Dick sat there opening and closing his mouth and Damian had trouble believing everything himself. Sure he'd grown up with the Lazarus pits and they’d known the Miraculous were magic but this was… a bit much.

Cass was sitting silently and studying everyone else while Stephanie seemed to be thinking deeply about something, probably replaying a conversation. Jason was looking around, questioningly. His father pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed deeply.

He suddenly remembered their interaction in the throne room when she’d first arrived.

“Well, while I don’t know who, she looked upset after she caught my eye, so the person must have had green eyes,” he said thoughtfully. They all looked at him and seemed to consider it.

His father nodded, “Jason, you said in her conversation with the blonde bee lady, the woman said that the Gabriel man wants to bring back someone she simply referred to as him. So whoever she’s mourning is most likely a significant man in her life with green eyes. It’s quite likely that the man is also significant to this Gabriel and if your summary of the group she called's body language is correct, then he’s significant to them too. My best guess is that he was either family – a father or brother, a friend or a lover. It is also quite probable that he was part of their court. Jason, I need you to find out everything you can about the Miraculous Court, the Order and everything that’s happened that has anything to do with them in the last year. Dick, I want you to join him. Steph, as you have already befriended her I want you, Cass and Damian to spend some time with her. Separately and together. If his green eyes really do unnerve her Cass is most likely to see what’s going on beneath the surface. Damian is closest to her in age, and he has the green eyes. Report back what you can,”

They all nodded their agreement. Damian felt more than uncomfortable though. He wasn’t exactly known for being good with people, even less ones close to him in age. Not to mention the fact that he had to deal with the awkwardness of knowing his father wanted to arrange for them to be married.

“With that out of the way, I need all your opinions on something,” his father stated calmly, “I have a proposal that I’d like to offer the Order that I believe would strengthen our potential alliance with them,”

Damian felt the heat already rushing to his cheeks. He knew exactly what proposal his father had in mind and he had been dreading this conversation all day.

“I want to propose a marriage between us and them. Specifically Damian and the Grand Guardian Marinette,”

There were a few seconds of silence before the protests started. It warmed Damian’s heart that his siblings cared that much. Or what was left of his heat anyway.

“But we can’t just marry him off,” Cass said, probably keeping their previous conversation in mind.

“Yeah! No one wants to be pawned off into marriage. You can’t do that to him, they don’t even know each other,” Jason proclaimed loudly.

“Hold on now,” Stephanie said, frowning, “Tim and I have an arranged marriage agreement, and look how well our betrothal is working out,”

“Yeah, it’s not all bad, and she can come stay here. We can get a new sister,” Dick added, optimistic as always.

Dick's statement was one that Damian had been thinking over the entire afternoon. Maybe it wouldn’t be too bad. According to all the information he had, she was kind and intelligent and he didn’t need to be told that she was beautiful. They could potentially get along swimmingly. 

“But she leads a whole court! Asking her to move here is pretty unrealistic, Dick,” Jason replied, crossing his arms.

A cold shiver crawled up Damian’s spine and he froze. He hadn’t thought of that. And if the room’s silence was any indication, he wasn’t the only one.

Dick turned to Bruce, frowning, “He’s right, I know how important this alliance is but surely we could work something else out? Marriage can’t be our only option,”

Father looked around the room and sighed, “It’s ultimately my decision what we suggest and though I want Damian to stay here as much as all of you this is important. We need this alliance, probably more than they realize,” Damian felt dread weighing heavily in his stomach. A heavy silence filled the room.

“What if,” Stephanie started, seemingly thinking out loud, “What if we just asked?”

Everyone looked up at her and Damian could feel the desperation flowing off of him, he couldn’t imagine having to uproot his whole life. Again.

She met his gaze and his clearly frantic look must’ve been enough to convince her to expand on her idea.

“I mean she’s got magic, and if based on what I could gather from out conversation, the Miraculous Court are made out of people from all over the world, and they don’t exactly have a country to rule over. They just rule over matters that have to do with the miraculous and their holders. I don’t know, but I think that might be something she could do even if she lived here. And at the very least we could come up with some sort of compromise. I guess what I’m trying to say is, asking couldn’t hurt,” she spoke quickly, but everyone easily followed her words.

A few seconds of silence stretched along, all eyes turned to Father. Damian felt hopeful, maybe this would turn out better than he'd expected.

“Ok, we'll ask,” Bruce nodded, scratching his chin, “Negotiations are happening tomorrow, in the mean time please make Guardian Marinette feel welcome. Cass, Damian, why don’t you and Stephanie go show her the flower garden before sunset. Maybe introduce her to Ivy. And while you’re there, see if you can learn anything,”

Damian looked to his sisters to see Cass nodding and Steph smiling excitedly. Steph stood and grabbed both Cass and his hands, pulling them both out of their chairs and running down the hall. He went with it, knowing full well that resistance was futile. Cass laughed happily and Damian rolled his eyes but smiled fondly.

They got pulled along by the blonde until she eventually stopped, evidently tired. She let go of their hands and leaned against a wall, out of breath. The laughter still shone in Cass's eyes and Damian stared at her with a small smile, it was hard to believe that they’d only known Stephanie for a little over a year.

She stood and smiled at them, still panting slightly, “I think we should show her the roses first, they’re in bloom and we're most likely to find Ivy near there this time of day,”

Steph started walking and Damian and Cass automatically fell in beside her, she gestured wildly as she spoke, “But first we need to find her. It’s quite possible she’s already in the gardens-,”

She stopped and took a few steps back in front of a big window they’d just passed. He looked towards Cass but she simply shrugged and followed her.

Steph’s smile widened as she all but pressed her face against the window, “No way,”

Damian approached his sisters and followed Stephanie’s gaze, there in the rose gardens just mentioned stood Marinette conversing happily with Ivy over the roses. Ivy gestured to one of the roses and said something.

Marinette leaned forward and daintily sniffed the flower. She looked up at Ivy and said something, the other who nodded and smiled.

Ivy looked up and spotted them. She spoke to Marinette and after pointing them out, she waved.

The Guardian turned, gaze searching before landing on them, she smiled brightly and waved too.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw his sisters return the gesture. A little too late he gave an awkward little wave. His hand hanging in the air a little too long after she’d already turned back around.

He quickly snapped out of it and turned to see his sisters smiling at him.

He glared at them. They both burst out laughing.

Steph patted his cheek, her eyes shinning mischievously, “You’re glare is a lot less impactful when you’re blushing kid. Don’t worry though, we've all been there,”

She winked at him before turning. Cass squeezed his shoulder before following after her.

He touched his cheek, it felt warmer than usual. He looked to where Marinette and Ivy were conversing.

She was just like any girl. Sure, she had beautiful black hair that resembled the night sky. And her eyes reminded him of the ocean, deep and wild and worth drowning in. And she had a high position of power - not that that mattered to him personally. And yeah maybe his heart was beating faster than normal but they’d just run from the other side of the castle, it didn’t mean anything.

So why was he blushing?

“Damian come on,” Steph yelled from the end of the hall. He turned and saw her waving him over. He shot one last glance over to where Marinette was standing before jogging over to where his sisters were waiting for him.

Maybe he was just ill.

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