Chapter Text
Goons were being trounced this way and that, a chaotic free for all that was started by none other than Lady Noire herself.
Marinette was captivated by the power Plagg granted her, the energy seemed unyielding, unrepentant, and unforgiving. It was in complete opposition to her magic as Ladybug, and while she always found comfort in Tikki, something about being on the flip side of the coin was electrifying.
The Bats, she didn’t know how many of them were out, sue her for not counting, eventually joined her. They had the intel and she had the magic to act. Crates of weapons were unearthed and a swipe of her pinky made them blink from existence in fabulous neon.
Marinette knew that her powers as Ladybug had grown, and that her spells could be cast on repeat with her age and experience. She should have anticipated the way calling upon a Cataclysm spell would only leave her wanting to call it a million times more. It wasn’t that she couldn’t feel dangerous as Ladybug, it was just that she felt like she was the danger as Lady Noire.
A part of her broken heart screamed with joy knowing that her ex would never wield this power again. Good , because he didn’t deserve the rapture it brought or the reward of serving a higher purpose.
It wasn’t long before she found Robin himself by her side, and they quickly fell into their work dynamic. A quip here and there, a toss of one body over the shoulder and into a katana, a secret smile, a delegation of command from either person.
Robin started relaying the intel that Oracle was feeding to them through the comms and she did her best to understand the facts before relaying her own ideas. What could have been a much longer night of fighting off the Mob family’s small militias turned into quick work once enough of the ‘employees’ realized nothing was fazing the newest Cat in town. At least she got a laugh when one particularly bold group of goons confused her for Cat Woman and asked if she was on their side. As far as she knew, Robin’s on again off again step mother figure wasn’t working with Mob bosses, but it was nice to be compared to one of the greats.
“Lady Noire.” The deep, sullen voice of Batman called out behind her, making her startle slightly but not badly enough to throw a punch.
“A- Oh. Batman. Good to see you again, how have you been?” She tried to calm herself, her heart still racing after retreating to the rooftops. She knew Robin wouldn’t be too far behind, and clearly Batman knew that as well.
“Hn. I would like to request you join us in the cave for our mission debrief. Your assistance was appreciated, but with the evidence eradicated we will need your recollection to complete the case file.”
“Right, makes sense. But I don’t know what the plans are for tonight and I’m sure I can just email a file to Robin-”
“There is no time like the present to record the data. Agent A has insisted that they meet you.” the Batman declared, his tone no longer attempting a facade of being welcoming.
“What does Agent A insist upon?” Robin asked, now climbing onto the roof. As he approached her, his fist was stuck out in congratulations almost instantly, and she returned the gesture with a new warmth in her heart.
“They want me to join you guys for debrief- that okay with you?” She asked her best friend slash she-wasn’t- sure-how-her-heart-was-beating-so-fast partner in justice. Marinette knew she was putting the ball in his court on whether or not the family figured out who she was and who she was to him .
“Tt. Unfortunately I cannot think of a valid enough excuse to give to Agent A. If not for his personal request I would have escorted you back to the watchtower.” Robin finally settled on.
“Robin-” Batman began, his tone clearly exhausted despite staying so measured.
“Enough of that, I’ll have us both there within the hour.” Robin scoffed and quickly made his way off the rooftop and onto another.
“Er, what he said.” She smiled at the disgruntled Bat, before running and leaping to follow after Robin.
When she caught up to him, Marinette enjoyed the small smirk he gave her before he dived down into the alley way. Curious as the ears and tails alluded, she followed after him once more.
“If I recall, you’re a fan of motorcycles?” He called over his shoulder and she watched as he approached seemingly nothing in the alley. When he grasped the fabric at waist height she figured it out.
“No freaking way! The R-cycle? Made by Cyborg??” She bounced on the balls of her feet as he unwrapped the motorcycle from its camouflage cover.
“The very same.” He haughtily smirked.
“Wow, one conversation about us being more than friend’s and you’re already bringing out the big guns to win me over.” Lady Noire gave him the biggest shit eating grin.
“Yes well, it’s the least I can do for the heart attack you nearly gave my father.”
“Oh? When? I totally didn’t notice.” She blinked, trying to remember any inclination that the Bat had done anything but take down goons to the side of her own chaos.
“You wouldn’t have, but I suspect a fair number of my siblings are going to be giving him shit tonight following your appearance.”
“...Cause of Cat Woman?” She asked, a small embarrassed smile gracing her features.
“We’ll make a detective of you yet, despite your track record.” He sat down, the wrappings for the motorcycle now carefully stowed away.
“I spend a few years as a highschooler trying to track down my nemesis and all of a sudden I get the reputation as a-”
His snickering made her stop ranting and start laughing with him. Taking her seat behind him on the bike, she made short work of buckling in and putting on the extra helmet he had offered her.
“Uh hey, before we go… what’s our cover story? I don’t want you to have to talk about your feelings and then complain.” She asked more seriously before turning her tone back to her joking demeanor. Robin seemed to sit with it for a moment, contemplating a plan that she would agree to.
“We’ll say that you were escorting your friend Mari home. They know you’re connected to that identity but they don’t know it's you.”
“Hm. Okay, I’ll play along with that… and I’ll add that I felt guilty about saddling you with her and came back after escorting her home so that we could talk.” She hummed in agreement.
“They might also try to connect your recent break up as Ladybug, any thoughts on how to dodge that bullet?”
“Not really. I suppose I’ll say that Chat Noir and I duked it out for a week and that’s why I came back with his miraculous?”
“It might do. Prepare to bring about details, if you’re too lacking with data it will be blood in the water to them.” he grumbled and then off they went, her arms grasping tightly around his middle as the bike sped through alleys and streets alike.
Driving through Gotham was super fun, Marinette decided, and even parkouring amongst the terrain brought her a new joy. Maybe she could stand being a hero outside of Paris more often… As a Justice League member of course. Not that she would ever consider moving from her home, just that, this might be a good second home if need be.
Marinette stopped watching the road and started staring at Robin.
He had always been handsome, and she had always enjoyed their candor. This week had done nothing but prove to her that she could trust him and that she could like him in more ways than one. That all being said, after their dinner conversation, she wasn’t sure how to lead them forward.
Damian had even said as much, that he was taking her lead and following her into battle. How did she want to set the tone for them moving forward? How did she know what would be too much or too little? Obviously it was too soon for her, for them, to be intimate but was making out as they so brazenly did the other night on the table? It felt great but it ended with so much mixed emotion and turmoil.
She squeezed around his midsection as they pulled a sharp turn, and then it made sense to her. This is what she wanted right now. The safety in his presence and the small warm gestures.
Lady Noire pressed her cheek into the space between his shoulder blades, and though he initially stiffened, he relaxed into her contact.
After another few minutes of driving he spoke over his shoulder: “Look alive, we’re coming up to our destination.”
Marinette was glad she pulled back from him when she did, otherwise she would have missed the Giant Penny following their entrance to the cave. Relationship nonsense aside- She was in the Freaking Bat Cave!!
When Robin finally parked the motorcycle, she jumped off of it to quickly run and take in the various mementos.
“Hey there LB!” The friendly, extroverted voice of Nightwing greeted her first.
“Heya Nightwing! It’s Lady Noire tonight!” She greeted and corrected him all the same, always happy to see the most pleasant of all the birds.
“Oh trust me, we all saw your grand entrance.” The Spoiler cackled from not far away and greeted with a small wave which Lady Noire returned.
“I swear the dramatic flare comes with the claws!” She laughed and then saluted towards Blackbat who was hanging in the back, still assessing the cave in her full face covering mask. Blackbat nodded and Marinette decided the gesture seemed friendly enough.
“Why the downgrade from your spots?” Red Hood now appeared and decided to question. She should have known he would find an immediate way to get under her skin.
“Well, I spent a week collecting the new look off of a previous user so I figured I earned the right to wear it.” She rolled her eyes.
“Chat Noir is no longer a wielder?” Batman now asked, appearing from seemingly nowhere and yet standing in plain sight by the largest computer set up she had ever seen. And she had seen Max’s set up!
“Nope. Take my word as his official resignation, he isn’t going to remember to tell you, if you catch my drift.” Lady Noire sprinkled in the fact that his memory as a wielder had been permanently erased and hope it didn’t spark a larger discussion.
“Because of his treatment of you?” Batman narrowed down, not fully accusing her but also making sure that she discussed it. It was his way to give her room to clear the air, not that it came across that way.
“Chat Noir never wanted to be a part of the JL. He did it to appease me and when he was done with that facade he moved on. He gave it up willingly and had to have known the implications.” She gritted out and explained, not liking how much distrust he suddenly had in her to ask that question.
Her answer seemed to satisfy him, and the aura of distrust seemed to dissipate.
“What were you in Gotham for then kitty cat?” Hood asked and the nickname was… meh. She wasn’t mad at it, but as Robin joined by her side, she could tell he was planning a murder. She placed her forearm on his shoulder, treating him like an armrest. It wasn’t uncommon for them, especially when she was transformed as Ladybug. The room seemed torn on whether the action was notable or not.
“Taking a friend home back to Paris now that her POS ex-partner was out of the way. I know Robin told me that you all know her identity now, so before you get curious, no. Her ex was not Chat Noir. But Chat Noir is why I came back to Gotham, I wanted to talk it all over with Robin.” Lady Noire rolled her eyes and tried to sell the lie.
“It sure seemed like he could have been Chat given the timing of everything.” The voice of Red Robin greeted her and made her insides squirm. In a room full of detectives, she was more scared that he had figured out the truth than Batman himself. She knew first hand the number of ‘crazy conspiracies’ that he had proven on a whim (and several nights of not sleeping).
“You know, Adrien once used to wield the Dog miraculous. Maybe that’s why I never liked him. Regardless, it was just a sad turn of fate that my civilian contact and myself had such shit-ass weeks.” Lady Noire decided to try and throw them off her scent.
“Tell her to come back anytime, she managed to get the bird brat over there to actually take a break.” Hood interrupted Red Robin’s next question, earning a glare from both of them.
“I heard she helped you out, Hood.” Lady Noire spoke through nearly closed teeth. Robin was silent at her side and did his best to look disinterested. So far all the attention had been on her, there was no point in trying to interrupt that.
“Yeah, sure, super useful.” Hood replied, obviously not resonating with the fact that she was approaching him like she might physically try to take him down a few pegs.
“I heard she helped you, and then you shot Robin a few times.”
“I mean, with rubber bullets. The Demon can take it.” He blew it off nonchalantly, his tone unapologetic.
“Hm. Well then, next time, you can take a little hurt of your own.” She threatened, her arms crossed as she leaned into his space. The tension in the room was thick, everyone was unsure if she would actually attack him or if he would actually apologize to Robin.
Hood said nothing. None of the Bats engaged her.
“Good. Be quiet. And remember this: If she could make you better, I can certainly make you worse .” Lady Noire finished her threat and then walked away, taking a seat on the ledge nearest to Robin. Placing her hands crossed together on his nearest shoulder, leaning her weight forward.
“Lady Noire, one last question.” Red Robin asked after very awkwardly clearing his throat in the pin drop silent room.
“Hm?”
“Did you want to be part of our betting pool?” He asked, and the room broke into chaos, each of the siblings either laughing or groaning and Batman settling his head into his hand at his children’s antics.
Marinette was confused but Robin looked like he might blow a gasket at any moment.
“What betting pool?” Robin demanded to know.
“On whether or not Mari comes back into town and the two start dating.” Dick decided to be the one to answer, he was at the furthest distance and therefore the least likely to get slashed by a katana. Nightwing wore a shit eating grin and the rest of the family mentioned some sum of money riding on different things.
Marinette flushed, hearing the different ways they were trying to predict her relationship with Robin, and Robin was yelling at all of them. But then something clicked in her mind.
The majority of the time she saw his family would be under the disguise of their masks… and if Damian started dating Marinette, but Ladybug was being affectionate on the Watchtower and in meetings… oh no.
She couldn’t deal with that on her hands, now or later. So sending a pointed look his way (which he ignored as he was physically punching one or more of his siblings), Marinette settled on a new plan.
There seemed to be a vacuum, the second she cleared her throat, all the ruckus and yelling and insults flying stopped. Even Robin, as much as he was an insider with information and haughtily assumed he knew her next step, was curious to know her answer.
“Er, I’m going to not put any money on that ever happening considering he already lied to you about kissing her.” Lady Noire decided to truth bomb them with her new strategy in mind.
Robin went as pale as a ghost, so much for insider information- what on earth was wrong with her?!
“What on earth is wrong with you!?” He demanded of her, his flush blatant.
“I mean, I know we talked about keeping on with that for a little bit, but I think I’m just more comfortable telling them the truth?” Lady Noire awkwardly explained herself to the room but Robin was still just as lost. They had not discussed this!!
“I am not sure about this plan.” He told her as plainly as possible but knew it would be to no avail. His family would be on them to the ends of the cosmos with true echolocation if she didn’t tell them something now.
“I assumed you wanted more kisses?” She teased him, and though he was already flushed Robin turned completely red. He opened and closed his mouth a number of times. The Bats and Birds all looked at their exchange like she had three heads, none daring to speak.
“It was me ! I am the one who stood him up, and then I came back and well, uh, we reconciled! Robin and I are, er, maybe going to be a thing from now on! Potentially, well, uh, Probably!” Lady Noire announced, having the decency to be completely red while she had the audacity to lie through her teeth to the entire bat clan.
“I win.” The voice of none other than Black Bat broke the silence.
“No fair!” Spoiler, Hood and Nightwing called out while Red Robin just sighed and pulled up a very advanced betting sheet. Sure enough, Blackbat had predicted Ladybug and Robin would happen before any of the other pairings listed.
“She gets a 40 dollar pay out from each of us… Dammit, how do you always win these? You were gone, like, this whole time!” Red Robin replied.
“None of you are getting holiday gifts.” Robin announced.
“Maybe we should go over the list of all the weapons and cargo I just destroyed?” Lady Noire helpfully suggested but it appeared the whole family was squabbling again. Batman appeared at her shoulder.
“I would appreciate that information, but I also must insist you explain your intentions with Robin.” Batman spoke with an even tone and in a way that the rest of his family seemed to ignore. Turning to him and standing to her full height, which wasn’t much, Lady Noire spoke with her whole chest.
“He’s made me happier than I could have ever believed possible in one of the darkest times of my life. He takes care of my friends, he speaks candidly and he’s the most handsome man I’ve ever met. And… I know I make him happy too.”
“Good. Feel free to email your report, but please say hello to Agent A before you go.” Batman replied after a moment of calm consideration.
“Thanks Batman.” She smiles and it's earnest, for all his no-nonsense demeanor, all she can see when she looks at him is a happy dad.
The rest of the team is all squabbling still when she walks up and laces her arm around Robin’s own, pulling him into her gravity and his ire away from his family. The look he gives her should be illegal, it's all intrigue and joy and excitement unabashed.
“Help me find Agent A? I need to meet him before we go.” She asks, and it's not even a demand. If he said he wanted to stay and put these idiots in their place- she would help him accomplish that and he knows it. But his small smile is sincere and he is now ignoring the fight that’s being carried on by Hood and Spoiler.
“Of course.” Robin says, and unlinks her arm from his own, just as a matter of practicality so he can hold her hand. Dear lord, if he was going to introduce a partner to Alfred then he would need as much strength as possible. She squeezed his fingers the second they intertwined with her own.
Red Robin sends them a nod as he also leaves the argument, headed to sit down at the Bat Computer to get some work in. He smiles a little but he’s giving them distance on purpose- they both know he’s going to ask for a fashion related favor later and he doesn’t want to appear to be anything other than a staunch supporter of their relationship. (They both saw how he favored Damian dating Mari on the betting sheet- poor dude wouldn’t know what was coming his way.)
Black bat had likewise sent a small head nod and a wave their way- Robin and Lady Noire now taking the large staircase up and out of the cave.
It opened into the most ornate study she had ever seen. Sure her friends had wealth, sure her friends had generational privilege, but none of them had what this single room did. Family photos mixed in with fine art that had no doubt been appraised for millions. Old leather and wood carved in old techniques now lost, but soft well used blankets adorning the seats with coasters on each table.
There was investment and there was family, and this room that opened from the cave of The Batman truly encompassed both.
An elderly gentleman stood there with a small circular tray propped on one hand with two round mugs balanced atop it.
“Might I offer a warm cup of cocoa before you take your leave?” He asked, a small domino laying atop his cheek bones but disguising very little. Marinette felt her heart warm knowing this was the man who meant so much to Damian.
Years of missions together, years of talking about Superboy as his best friend and his animals and their hobbies in the arts. Years of her staying tight lipped about a lot of things that happened off the Watchtower but opening up about her love of museums and scifi novels and video games.
But in this moment she was realizing that all the stories could culminate into a few key messages:
They were both strong. They were both smart. They both loved Art, and animals and any number of other innocuous things. They both had hobbies and terrible sleep schedules. They both had a hero complex and enough humility to admit it.
Marinette learned to love openly almost as early as she learned to speak. She was as honest and extroverted now as she was the day she was born. No bastards could grind her down or change her.
Damian learned to love from his grandfather figure now standing before them and the investment his family, his real family , invested to help center him and love him more than he ever had. His love for them made him a better man, someone who could help someone like her. He was fiercely loyal and he always chose his company with care, because this old man in front of them proved to him that he could choose.
“It’s an honor to meet you Agent A. Shame Robin will have to skip cocoa so that we could share those two mugs together.” She smiles and her tone is soft, the old man smiles in return.
“I can assure you that the young Master would much prefer to enjoy it with your company.”
“I wouldn’t be so sure, but it's a nice compliment. Thank you for such a nice surprise.” Marinette smiled and Robin nodded his head at her, a smile gracing his features again. She took a mug and sat down, enjoying the way the plush couch was also worn, the way something high quality should be slowly holding up less and less over the years.
“Now, I will leave you both to enjoy. It was a pleasure to make your acquaintance.” Agent A spoke gently and turned to make his leave.
“Agent A?” Robin asked, though his larger question didn’t need to be voiced to be heard.
“I simply wished for the young lady to know that she was welcome in the manor beyond the confines of the cave. That does not need to be where your relationship lives. I believe you can explain to her our rules about masks in the household without my involvement. Please enjoy my leniency on the rule for this evening, it was a treat for us all.” And then off he walked, the now empty tray in his hands held behind him.
“Woah.” Marinette blinked.
“What are your thoughts?” Damian asked, not embarrassed to be bright red at his grandfathers implications, but rather embarrassed to be bright red because it was exactly how he hoped it would be happening.
“I love him. Ten out of ten.” She nodded her head and there was no hesitation in her voice. Marinette took a sip of her hot chocolate- and while it wasn’t parisian- it was delicious. “Remind me to bring him some sweets next time I’m in town.”
He relaxed and sat on the couch with her. They finished their hot chocolate while joking over his siblings antics, it wasn’t her fault that she thought it was adorable and he was right to express how annoying it was.
“So what are the normal rules about masks then? I’m guessing they aren’t normally allowed outside of the cave.”
“Exactly. It was… nice that he chose to forgo that rule to invite you to the manor. He’s going to demand being the first to know if you decide to reveal your identity.”
“Oh? Black bat already figured it out though? And I’m pretty sure Red Robin has as well.” She mused and he looked at her with a little bit of surprise before mulling over her observations. For a moment it looked like he was doing mental math.
“You might not be far off from the reality of the situation but, it's something to be able to figure it out versus being trusted with it. Alfred will appreciate having your trust.”
“Well, then he’ll be the first one I tell.” Lady Noire smiled back at Robin.
“Finished with your drink? Unfortunately we’ll have to go back through the cave to get out.”
“I am but nah. I’ll get us back… Oh wait, I don't have my Yo-yo to grab Kaalki while transformed as the cat… Nevermind. To the cave we go.”
Robin chuckled but said nothing about her failed proposal to get them home via portal.
“You’re not so tired that you don’t want to parkour back are you?”
“Why, you wanna race?” she snarked over her shoulder as they began their descent back into the cave.
“It wouldn’t be a fair race, I am far better acquainted with the geography and-”
“Hey weirdos!” She called out to his sibling who had long since moved on to arguing other things or working on their cases. All of them turned to her in an instant.
“Who wins? Robin or myself in a race back to his apartment? Get your bets down on paper now! Winners get a prize.” She smirked and Robin groaned.
“For what reason can you possibly rationalize involving them?” He asked with a distaste on his tongue.
“I’ve only learned so much about them outside of their duties in the watchtower and its two things in particular that i’m acting on here. One, that they love to meddle in your life regardless of your input and two, they like to make bets. I can meet them where they’re at.”
“You're trying to get them to like you.” He accused, disbelief in his voice.
“You caught on huh?” She blushed.
“Does the brat get to ride his motorcycle?” Hood called out, bursting their bubble. Turning to look at his siblings, they were no longer scattered in their own spaces in the cave. Instead they were all crowding around a new excel document on the main monitor of the computer.
“Do you wanna take your bike?” She asked.
“I typically take it to a safehouse and park it there before making my way home.”
“He gets it for a little bit.” She announced back to the group, who merely nodded and went back to their debate.
“Are you sure you don’t want a ride to the safehouse and then we start on even footing?” He rationalized not at all because he wanted her to hold onto him while he drove. Not at all.
“Nevermind, we’ll start at the same spot on foot!” She called out and laughed when that seemed to spirit more argument within the cluster of bats and birds.
“Off we go then.” Robin said, his annoyed sigh in exact opposition to how he felt to get to drive with and then race her.
It was a closer race than he would like to admit but honestly, with her handicap of not knowing where she was in the city and not having her yo-yo, he really should have won by a larger margin.
It's already morning by the time they get back to his apartment, and Damian closes the window after she slides through it.
“Claws in.” She says, her voice now mixed with a yawn. The bright light is less startling now that he’s seen it a few times, but it's brilliant nonetheless.
“Want a cup of coffee?” he calls over his shoulder, headed into his small kitchen and pulling things out from the drawers she knew they would be in.
“Not going to go to bed? It’s like 4:30 in the morning?” Marinette could hardly believe him.
“It’s a Sunday. Tomorrow I can be miserable in an office, but I'm going to enjoy today for all its worth.”
“Hm. Well I think you can enjoy it snuggled in bed for a few hours just fine.” She smiled and walked back into his personal space, her cute dress from the day before flaring at her sides as she approached.
“You’re making a strong argument and yet the siren song of caffeine appears to be calling me.” He smiled, stepping backwards into the space of his kitchen.
“Okay but I’m going to go make myself comfortable in your bed and then have fresh pastries in Paris. Is your plan really all that much better than mine?”
“Could we have pastries in Paris and then visit a museum?”
“We could, hypothetically, do exactly that.” She smiled, and he nodded his head as though a major business acquisition just took place.
“Then I suppose I can be snuggled. Let me change out of my uniform and take a quick shower then.” He turned heel and walked into his bedroom, and she heard the bathroom door click not long after.
She made short work of grabbing his large pullover sweatshirt and the leggings that she had commandeered the last few days and got changed before he could exit the restroom. Marinette was practically allergic to being awake at this hour and not in a magical suit, so she crawled under the covers and closed her eyes.
But the excitement of cuddles kept her awake, not that she was intently listening to his two minute shower or anything.
Eventually, she felt the bed dip beside her and Damian pull the blankets over top himself. She made no time at all traversing the distance of the bed that separated them before wrapping her arms around him and resting her head on his chest.
She could hear how rapidly his heart beat and she focused on it as it slowly began to slow down to a more comfortable pace. It wasn’t long before his arms wrapped around her in reciprocation, his fingers drawing small circles on her arm and back. Marinette felt herself release a deep sigh and when he repeated the expression of comfort a few minutes later, she enjoyed the way her bangs fluttered from his breath.
They forgot to set an alarm.
She figured that Montmartre was a good neighborhood to stick to. Her family was on the opposite side of town along with most of her friends, Damian would enjoy the variety of artist galleries and they could have their late brunch before she sent him home in a portal.
No one to run into, nothing awkward to talk about. Just a nice, relaxing afternoon with her best friend who she was super into and who was definitely super into her.
After a stroll through the better galleries, or at least the ones she preferred, they stopped at a little bistro where she knew the food would be good because the menu lacked the normal shotgun blast of four or five translations. If she turned pink upon hearing him speak french, no one saw it and she would take that fact to the grave.
“So, I suppose we might get down to each other’s intentions for moving forward.” He proposed with a fake nonchalance, attempting to make it sound like just another item on the docket.
“I suppose we might.” She laughed as she parroted him. “I figured I can get us here and there but, we’re long distance for now?”
“Of course. You will still need to move into your new apartment and take your time to be with family and friends here.” Damian began to mentally organize.
“Yeah, and that all seems to be happening quickly. If it's not the realtor blowing up my phone it's my mom or Alya or any of the others. Not to mention I took a week off of work.” She shrugged.
“You had one day with moderate success I thought.” Damian volleyed back, remembering how filled his apartment had been with fabrics and sewing materials and the like.
“You thought wrong. I spent almost the whole time making your new suits, which I’ll finish this week and deliver to you… I finished maybe three other orders?” she scrunched her nose at the low number.
“What’s your normal output?”
“Well you know how you talked about Replacement not sleeping?”
“Dear God.” The horror on his face was genuine. No sane human should live the way Tim lives.
“Yeah, I can get that bad.” She cringed at her own admission.
“Hm. Well, fortunately there is a zeta tube here in Paris so I might be able to use the time zones to our advantage. I’ll travel all the way here just to read you my finance reports until you fall asleep.”
“You are more than welcome to try!” She laughed, “When I get in the zone, braver men have tried and failed to get me out. My father can attest.”
At the mention of her family his jovial expression turned more pensive.
“...Are you going to tell your family about me?” And she had to think about it for a moment. They might see the writing on the wall when she tells them how over Adrien she is. They will probably ask her to invite her friend over in order to thank him for taking care of her.
“Maybe not yet. It’s too soon and well, other than promises we really aren’t anything just yet.”
“Your logic is stable as ever, I agree. I however, will be fending off all of my family members with sharpened blades for the next several weeks. Unless you say otherwise, I’m telling them nothing more than what you revealed earlier.”
“Sounds good to me!”
And then they got back on the subject of apartments and all the ways she wanted to decorate hers. They finished their lunches and began to walk over to her studio, he had been intrigued to see it and more of her haute couture line in person.
They didn’t hold hands but their hands brushed by one anothers more than a reasonable amount for the short distance.
Then they were at her work studio, which conveniently was not far at all from a local garden, so they walked that as well. Then they stopped into a small museum and ended up at a restaurant to grab a pick up order, which led them to eating and drinking wine on the balcony of her work studio.
“How long distance do we actually need to be? I can feasibly make it back to Paris every few days to work in the office here, and WE might have employee apartments I could utilize.” Damian began to try and plan out when he would see her next without trying to sound so obvious about it.
“I mean, it’s so easy for me to get to Gotham.. I can come on some of your patrol nights as well. It was fun to be out and about in a team again.” She smiled brilliantly at him.
“There’s always our missions for the JL to account for as well. We’ll be meeting in the atmosphere a few times a month.” He rationalized.
“So it sounds like we aren’t really going to be that long distance.” Marinette realized and gave a small laugh but it brought a new anxiety to Damian.
“I mean, if you would prefer to have more space-” He began, his intention to give her as much room still to heal as possible but not so much that she felt neglected.
“If I needed more space I would move to the Watchtower. I… I’m really excited about this. I’m glad I'm going to have time to live alone but I’m just, just, excited that we might be something more.”
“I share your sentiments.” He nodded and his small smile spoke volumes to her.
“Yeah? Not going to ask me to move in?” She teased.
“Don’t be silly, I would never ask you to move away from your home… I do have a duplicate key being made for my apartment should you ever wish to enter it on foot however.”
“Dork.”
“Tt.” He clicked his teeth but she knew it was done in a good humor.
“Damian… I… Thank you. I was a total mess and you lifted me up and gave me so much more to look forward to. I don’t know how I’ll ever repay that kindness.”
“It is not a debt to be repaid. I was more than happy to provide you some solace and… Likewise, I am looking forward to…us.”
“Well, then, to us.” She raised her glass and he mirrored her action, the crystal clinking against one another and ringing out like a promise.
“To you and to us.” He spoke solemnly before taking his sip.
“Hey! Don’t one up me! I was being cute there-” As soon as she swallowed the small sip of wine she called him out. She grabbed his glass and placed it by the sink and pulled out the golden framed glasses he was now familiar with.
“As was I, You simply need to take the opportunities as they appear-” He smugly replied, the smile now replaced with a smirk.
“Don’t be an asshole about liking me.” Marinette laughed and then called upon her transformation.
“Mayhaps I will be. You’ve said before that it’s part of my charm.” He smirked and the portal opened up behind him.
“Ugh. I hate that I totally have said that and have totally meant it.” She rolled her eyes, and placed her hands on his chest so as to push him backwards through the portal and into the safety of his apartment. But Damian was faster.
He leaned forward and pressed his lips to her cheek.
“See you soon.” Damian’s deep voice echoed in her ears as he then stepped backwards through her portal into his home.
Staring at the portal in disbelief, she took a moment to get her head on straight and then stepped through it herself. Marinette, though transformed still, did a quick glance around to locate him and then marched right up and into Damian’s space. Damian had already walked into his kitchen and looked pleasantly confused that she had joined him.
She grabbed his shirt collar and pulled him downwards to her height, making eye contact for a solid heartbeat before pressing her lips to his. It wasn’t as hungry as the one she had started a few nights ago, but it was tender and sincere. Damian returned it with equal sentiment and she questioned if she would ever get tired of his eyelashes fluttering on her cheek. It was soft, it was sweet and it made his heart burn.
Her hands released his shift collar, her left moving to cradle his jaw and the right laying flat on his chest just above his heartbeat. Damian shifted closer, his own hand now on the small of her neck and the other where her ribs ended to meet her waist. Closer and closer and closer… His fingers tangled with the hair not pulled into her ponytail and her fingers traced small circles above his scar.
When she pulled away, a taking in a shaky breath, he followed after her but not in the way she anticipated. He pressed a short peck to the corner of her mouth and then leaned forward to rest his chin on her head.
“For your sake, please take your time, but for my sake, please don’t be gone for too long.” His deep voice all but begged of her, his reverence of her mixed within his desire to keep holding her.
“I… I think I can manage that.” Marinette replied, her cheek pressed into his chest.
They slowly peeled themselves out of their tender embrace and he followed it with another short kiss, one she returned.
“I’ll see you Friday?” Marinette asked, tentative despite the fact that she was sure of his answer.
“...” He looked at her puzzled for a second, and while her instinct was initially to freeze, she started to share his confusion.
“We have a meeting on Wednesday don’t we?” She slapped her hand to her forehead.
“With the separatist Martian colony, no less, that’s been our calendar for weeks.” He nodded.
“Think we can get away with making out on the Watchtower?” She challenged.
“I have an office with a door that locks, you tell me.” He chuckled.
Marinette couldn't help herself, she leaned forward and kissed him again. Longer than the pecks he had been delivering but not containing any promise of longevity.
“See you there, but goodbye for real this time, Damian.” She smiled and Damian couldn’t help but return her sentiments as she generated a new portal and half walked into it.
“I’ll see you later Mari.”