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The family returned back from patrol to see Dick in front of the television, in a state of shock. He had been benched with a broken leg, but they hadn't expected to see him still awake.
Jason laughed, "Did you finally find out that disco…. is in fact dead?"
Richard sat frozen, staring at the frozen screen.
"Hey, are you okay?" Tim questioned, putting his hand on his shoulder, "You did remember to take your pain meds, right?"
Dick snapped out of his stupor, "Yeah. Just….never expected this song."
"A song?" Damian rolled his eyes, "Did a rogue make it or something?"
"We should all get some sleep and-" Bruce suggested.
"We know her; the singer." the eldest admitted.
"Huh?" Tim spoke, "Do you know any singers?"
Bruce shrugged his shoulders.
"Well, who is it?" Jason demanded.
"She dated Bruce." Dick stated.
Jason scoffed, "Like that narrows it down."
"Play the song." Damian demanded.
Dick replayed the video. It said Lyric Video-Vampire.
'Piano?'
'Bar song?'
'Doesn't sound familiar.'
Hate to give the satisfaction askin' how you're doin' now
How's the castle built off people you pretend to care about?
Just what you wanted
Look at you, cool guy, you got it
I see the parties and the diamonds sometimes when I close my eyes
Six months of torture you sold as some forbidden paradise
I loved you truly
You gotta laugh at the stupidity
'Cause I've made some real big mistakes
But you make the worst one look fine
"We know her?" Jason asked himself, not able to put a face to the voice.
"WE know her." Dick spoke up, pointing between them, "Tim may know of her because of…….his detective work before he moved in. Damian's never met her."
I should've known it was strange
You only come out at night
"She knows!" Damian exclaimed.
I used to think I was smart
But you made me look so naïve
The way you sold me for parts
As you sunk your teeth into me, oh
Bloodsucker, fame-fucker
Bleedin' me dry like a goddamn vampire
"Are you sure?" Tim asked.
"She knows about Father; about us." Damian stated, "It's about his playboy habits."
"So it's a song about him dumping her and she's pissed off." Jason spoke, "Can't say I blame her, but there aren't that many chicks from Brucie's past that know."
And every girl I ever talked to, told me you were bad, bad news
You called them crazy, God, I hate the way I called them crazy too
You're so convincin'
"There's maybe……ten woman." Jason speculated, "Wait, is it prior Zombie mode?"
"Yes." Dick replied.
Bruce sighed, "I've asked you to stop calling it that."
Jason looked at the screen, but every face he recalled looked so different.. He knew his memories were still jumbled up.
He sighed, "Who?"
How do you lie without flinchin'? (How do you lie? How do you lie? How do you lie?)
Ooh, what a mesmerizin', paralyzin', fucked-up little thrill
Can't figure out just how you do it, and God knows I never will
Went for me, and not her
'Cause girls your age know better
"Mama." Dick whispered.
Jason whipped his head around, "That's Mom?"
"Mom?" questioned Tim and Damian.
Bruce just stared at the screen, feeling the color drain from his face.
I've made some real big mistakes
But you make the worst one look fine
I should've known it was strange
You only come out at night
Dick changed the screen from the lyrics of the song to the official music video. In the middle of a the stage stood a petite woman, dressed in black. She was surrounded by red curtains and candelabras.
"Looks like Phantom of the Opera." Tim stated.
"Gothic Victorian." Damian spoke up, "A good choice to describe Gotham without mentioning Father by name."
"That's Mama Mari!" Jason shouted.
"Yeah." Dick said softly.
Jason sat on the floor as the music video played on, "I tried looking for her, before I came back. How did she get a single?"
"She has a whole album from what I'm seeing. She's under an alias. Even her own label from before is gone." Dick admitted, "She was Jagged Stone's Unofficial niece and designer, remember? She had more connections than Bruce, from a very young age. Bruce had connections because of Wayne Enterprises and money. She actually knew people. Says if anything, she probably wrote down her frustrations and Jagged found them, making her sing."
I used to think I was smart
But you made me look so naïve
The way you sold me for parts
As you sunk your teeth into me, oh
"The song doesn't explicitly say that Father left her." Damian declared, "Only that she felt used and betrayed. She knew of Father's nightly outings, but it sounds as if Father treated her as any other woman. He made excuses instead of simply telling her."
Bruce quickly left the room.
"Does she know about Selina or Talia?" Tim asked, "Is it possible he slipped and cheated with her?"
"I hope not." Richard responded, "I hope not."
"Is-Is she happy?" Jason questioned.
"I don't know." Dick replied, "There's no trace of Marinette Dupain-Cheng anywhere, but there's no obituaries either. Her parent passed away last year, in an accident. The bakery was shut down and sold. The last time anyone saw her was at the funeral."
"She would have done well as a Wayne." Damian spoke up.
"What makes you say that?" Tim questioned, "Though you would have been on Team Mom."
"She knows how to hide and keep secrets." Damian answered.
Bloodsucker, fame-fucker
Bleedin' me dry like a goddamn vampire
"Tch, how long ago was this?" the Jason asked.
Dick looked up the date of the concert, "Maybe…five years after the break up. Why?"
"You don't see him?" Jason said, standing up and pointing to the pianist, "Luka. Loverboy still has feelings for her. Pathetic."
"Well, he moved on, too." Dick answered, "I don't know what happened , but I looked up his old band. He's married and has a kid on the way. There's a picture and I even ran facial scan over it; it's not Mama Mari."
You said it was true love, but wouldn't that be hard?
You can't love anyone, 'cause that would mean you had a heart
I tried to help you out, now I know that I can't
'Cause how you thinks the kind of thing I'll never understand
"Why did you call her Mama Mari?" Tim questioned, his older brothers.
Jason sighed, "It's what we called her. She was…..Mom. We'd get home and she was in the kitchen baking cookies or making dinner. She helped make our clothes. She was busy, but she always had time for us. We thought Bruce was gonna marry her."
"Mama lived in the manor." Dick continued, "Sometimes she would be up before Alfred. Maybe it was just that she never slept. She was a prodigy, like you Tim. She was desiging clothes for rock stars, musicians, runways, when she was only thirteen. She was making a name for herself. Bruce adopted me and was dating her. Later, I left and Jason was here. She treated us like her sons. We were her boys. She always said how much she loved us."
"What happened?" Damian pressed.
"I don't know." Dick admitted, "I was mad at Bruce. I was in Bludhaven. It could be because of Jason's death. It could be because I left. I never called or came back to Gotham until I heard about Jason. Even then, I didn't come to the manor. I found Bruce, kicked his ass, and went back. I only came back because Tim became Robin and Barbara was injured. I asked Bruce and he said she was gone. I'm sure Alfred was the one hurting the most. He lost Jason and Marinette was like a daughter to him."
I've made some real big mistakes
But you make the worst one look fine
I should've known it was strange
You only come out at night
I used to think I was smart
But you made me looks so naïve
The way you sold me for parts
As you sunk your teeth into me, oh
Bloodsucker, fame-fucker
Bleedin' me dry like a goddamn vampire
Jason scoffed, "Bruce pulled away and fucked things up…again."
"Why would he have made excuses?" Tim asked, trying to make sense of things, "As much as it pains me, Damian's right. She knew.
"I don't know if he knew that." Jason admitted, "We knew it. She helped bandage us and everything. She helped us practice acrobatics."
"She might have been more flexible that me." Dick stated, "I looked, when I came back. There was papers about Bruce with girls at galas; sometimes one on each arm. If she wasn't gone before that; she took the hint and vanished."
Damian smirked, "She made sure the World's Greatest Detective could never find her again. I wished to have met her."
Bruce sat at the BatComputer and watched the video play again. He let the tears roll down his cheeks; he knew his kids wouldn't disturb him right now.
'Did you really know? All this time, Marinette and you never told me? You never -'
"I've looked for you, Marinette." he whispered, "I don't know how you keep alluding me. I heard about Tom and Sabine. I know you have nothing tying you to Paris anymore. I've looked up every fashion designer I could. I never imagined you would become like me; a recluse. I knew how much u hated Gabriel and yet I've turned you into him, haven't I?"
'Do you know about Jason being alive? Have you seen the team grow? Do you know about Damian? Am I the reason you won't return to see them? They miss you. I miss you, My Shining Star.'
Marinette Dupain-Cheng quickly ascended to Queen of Gotham University. She was the French Beauty who no one could believe came to Gotham. She was kind to everyone, but also distant. She had come to Gotham at fifteen and quickly broke many hearts. She had become a topic everyone talked about and it annoyed her competition. It was whispered that she was like Damian Wayne; cold-hearted.
"Marinette!" a guy called out.
She turned and looked at him confused. She couldn't recall him from any of her classes and she needed to be at her next class in five minutes.
He took a deep breath and half-question, half-shouted, "What would it take for you to date someone? You have denied so many people!"
Marinette looked at the stranger shocked and actually thought about the question.
'What would it take for me to say yes to a date? I haven't thought about dating in years and everyone in Gotham seems so shallow. They care about appearance and money. They're just like Chloe and Lila. Oh!'
Mari smiled, catching the guy off guard, "Make me a dress to wear on the date. It can be simple. It doesn’t have to be expensive material or an expensive date. My only personal requirement is that the dress not be revealing. If it looks trashy, that tells me you are trash."
The guy smiled happily and ran away. Marinette turned and headed straight to her class. She had no idea the weight her words carried and to how many. Many onlookers turned to each other before rushing away; eager to win her heart.
Marinette groaned as the teacher informed her the lab was currently full for the third time that week. She peaked in and saw every sewing machine was occupied. There were even ten people in line waiting to use it. Mari sighed and turned around, deciding to work at home instead.
'It's not even finals week! What is going on?'
Marinette finally understood when people started bring her clothes and asking her opinion. Some were pretty, but too short. Others the sleeves were too long or mismatched.
"You're nothing but a liar!" A guy screamed at her, "We all made clothes for you to wear and you always pick something wrong with it! You're just wasting all of our time!"
Marinette glared at him, and hissed back, "I told one person about the dress requirement, not the entire school. I despise liars. I liked the dresses and gave valid information on how they could be better, but they couldn't even do the first part of design right."
The guy took a step back, never seeing her so upset.
'Fuck! I ruined my chance.'
"I have my design, right here!" A rejected boy called out, "My dress even looked like it!"
Marinette turned and eyed the design. She recalled it. It was a blue, off the shoulder dress, but it looked like it the bottom was uneven. There had also been no security band for the dress to remain above the chest.
"I told you what needed to be fixed." She stated, "You have not brought me a new version. You are throwing a tantrum because your so-called effort was wasted."
Suddenly, he was shoved to the side as Damian Wayne walked up with his own bag. Marinette looked at him and everyone went silent.
"You-" she began.
"I have a dress. I designed it, myself. I have the sketches in my art book. I have the receipts for the fabric. My mother taught me how to sew up wounds and asked Alfred how it would differ. He had me watch many video before attempting a single stitch." Damian announced, "This was my first attempt."
Damian pulled out a teddy bear that looked like it had been found in Crime Alley. He heard a few snickers behind him, but kept his eyes ahead.
"I have hope for you." She spoke, taking the bar and hugging it.
Craig scoffed, "Let me guess, cause he's a Wayne? I thought you were different!"
"No." She replied, opening his garment bag.
Mari showed off a plain green dress. It was sleeveless and so ridiculously plain, it looked like it was something off the rack from a store. Damian stood still, embarrassed feeling everyone judge him.
"Damian was the only one to ask me for my measurements. " Marinette announced, "You can design anything you want, but for someone to wear it, you have to know their sizes. Everyone has different body types and those deserve the same respect. None of you respected me enough to ask. I was a trophy to you."
The crowd remained silent.
"I'll try it on today and let you know how it fits." Mari spoke up, "Where would you like to go on your date?"
"Gotham Muesum and a cafe." He answered.
She smiled, "I'd like that." and left with the dress.
Damian felt his throat tighten as Marinette arrived to the museum in his green dress. Somehow it looked amazing on her. He could tell she didn't change a thing. There was still a few threads hanging loose from the bottom and on the side.
"You can change if you wish." Damian spoke, as she approached him.
"Does it look bad on me?" She questioned.
"No." He answered.
Mari smiled. "Maybe I will get inspiration while we're here."
"Am I taking you away from something?" He asked, "Do you have an event coming up?"
"Nope." She stated as she entered the muesum, "Just…. Maybe you can wear one of my designs on our next date."
Damian watched as she entered the muesum, leaving him outside. He smirked.
Lila collapsed on her bed, thankful her grandparents were so traditional. She had managed to convince her family she was sick and didn't want to infect her grandparents. They convinced her mother she was almost old enough to 'leave the nest' and this would be a 'test' to see if she would survive the real world. Lila had made promises to call if her 'symptoms' worsened.
It was Sunday night and no one was answering their phones. She tried to look through social media, but no one had posted anything; not even Alya.
'This is just a bad dream; this is just a bad dream. Everything will be fine tomorrow at school.'
Lila put on the bravest face she could manage when she got to the school. She entered the class with a bright smiled.
"I'm back!" she announced, "My mother had important business so we had to-"
The class turned and looked at her, but then went back to what they were doing. Lila immediately felt out of place.
'No! I couldn't have lost them already!'
"Hey, Alya!" she cried, rushing to sit with her.
"Hey." Alya replied, not even looking at her.
"I think I had some spotty reception when I was in Italy." Lila began.
Alya sighed, loudly, "I already told you, Lila, we know you made up the lie about dating Adrien. Adrien called out the whole thing."
Lila opened her mouth, but she didn't get the chance to speak.
"We were telling Marinette to back off and how creepy her obsessive behavior is and Adrien walked in." Kim declared.
Rose stood up and glared from her seat, "We told him we were trying to protect your love and get her to leave you alone. He said he would never date you!"
"Marinette laughed at us as we tried to figure out which one of you two was lying; you or Adrien." Mylene stated, "Then, she told Adrien why we were yelling at her and how he would eventually love her. He started yelling at us!"
"Marinette even told Adrien how obsessed she was with him and how he would love her." Juleka spoke, "You could hear how sarcastic she was about it."
"Adrien informed us that Marinette helped him with his first girlfriend." Max declared, "That he asked her to help him plan dates."
Nathaniel stood up, "He even told us that she tried to help them work through their problems so they could get back together, but they didn't."
Lila looked around the classroom, like a cornered animal. She could quickly see that everyone was against her. She couldn't tell what stung worse. The fact that Adrien had turned everyone against her in one afternoon or the fact that he was still on Marinette's side.
"Marinette left the room while Adrien was calling you a liar." Ivan insisted, "Adrien chased after her and we followed. She was kissing a guy on a motorcycle. Adrien went over to them."
"When Marinette and her boyfriend left, we went up to Adrien and asked what he found out about the guy." Nino continued, "Adrien said the only thing he asked was if they could set him up with a guy that looked like her boyfriend. They said they knew someone."
Alya shoved her phone in Lila's face, so quickly, she had to take a step back. There was a picture of Adrien eating Sweetheart's ice cream with a guy with blue eyes and a leather jacket.
"I asked permission to take the picture, just to show you. Adrien agreed." Alya smiled, "Meet Adrien's new boyfriend; Gabriel Approved."
Lila was on the brink of actual tears. All that she had worked for over the years was gone because of one vacation. Marinette had moved on and she had no idea how long ago. She couldn't use Marinette's obsession with the model anymore as an excuse to bully her now. She wasn't a model anymore and Adrien was dating someoen she couldn't compete with.
"Where do you get off telling people that we're dating, Lila?" Adrien snarled, announcing his presence to the room.
Lila spun around, caught off guard by the furious look in his eyes. Adrien walked over, setting his things on his chair, in the process.
"I'm so glad your best friend told me about your delusional fantasy." he snapped, making Alya flinch, "I told her you would be fired and I'm sure you've already gotten the message."
Lila glanced over to Alya, but she was looking towards Adrien.
"I've already started removing things off my website." Alya spoke, as if that would fix everything.
"Do better, Miss Reporter." He shot back, "I've heard you tell Mari for years to fact check; you couldn't even do that. I already told them, but let me make myself clear, Liar. I don't date trash; especially not some bitch who lies about my mother."
Lila opened her mouth as if to speak, but couldn't even remember if she had said something bad about his mother. If anything, she would have praised her.
"You don't remember?" he scoffed, "You told everyone here how I sang your praises and how you would be a much better actress than her; the lead actress from Solitude."
Lila grabbed the desk, as she felt the floor fall out from under her. She had buried her own grave and she could see the hatred in his eyes.
'That's what this has been about? I only heard he liked that movie. I didn't know it was that important!'
Lila hadn't felt herself sit down. She was too fixated on his eyes. His eyes spoke volumes. Adrien Agreste would never trust her again. He wouldn't even listen to her. All she saw looking back at her was her father's disgusted face; there was no winning him back.
"Just so you know, that was a project done by my parents, my relatives, Chloe's parents, and my ex-girlfriend's family. I believe my ex-girlfriend said it best: 'We're diamonds and you're just a stone'. No one is greater than my mother." Adrien finished.
Marinette walked into the silent classroom and Adrien immediatley lit up. He grabbed onto her arm, pulling her towards the others, away from Lila.
"Oh my God!" He cried out, "Konner is perfect! He is amazing and understanding! I wasn't prepared to meet him! Did he say I was weird? I forgot to ask you about his likes and dislikes."
"Yeah, you were too busy drooling over my phone." Marinette spoke.
Adrien chuckled, rubbing the nape of his neck.
Marinette took a step towards him and glared at him, "You keep Kon and keep your eyes off of my fiancé. Got it, Agreste because if I have to fight you for him, I will and Gabriel will be down another model. Kagami has taught me fencing over the years and your dear cousin has been teachign me martial arts. Damian can outdo them both. I've learned from the best. I'm sure Kon mention the…..extent My Damian will go to."
Adrien quickly nods.
Marinette smiled, "Good boy." before she leaned in and whispered, "I'd hate to tell him how you’re the reason I was bullied all this time. I took your high road. Every time the class yelled at me, every time the ripped up my homework, every time they pushed me down to the ground and I sprained my wrist and couldn't do my commissions; all I thought about was you. Your stupid words. How everyone would realize Lila was full of shit. You lied to me; you spoke up. If you had stood by me in the first place, I wouldn't have had to suffer. Kon hates bullies; he would never look your way again. Enjoy your boyfriend. His father is worse than yours and in politics. I hope Gabriel is prepared for the fallout."
Mari took her seat and everyone felt the power shift. It was undeniable with Marinette at the top and Lila, now, at the bottom. Adrien wasn't a prize she wanted, but they could tell by the way he wobbled his way to his seat, she was now in control over him. She hadn't looked at them and now they doubt she ever would. Any thought of regaining her friendship was immediately shattered.
"Habibiti." Damian spoke, "Would you explain to me what happened? It appeared he was distracted from his true intentions."
Mari sighed, "That was Adrien. He walked in on the class screaming at me."
"Why?" He growled.
"That lying bitch I told you about." she answered, "She decided to leave somewhere again and told them it was because I was stalking them on their 'date'. Adrien yelled at them for being idiots and that he wasn't dating her. I'm pretty sure he just gave them a whole new reason to doubt her."
"How do you feel about her demise?" Damian questioned.
Mari smiled, "She'll never see it coming."
Damian smirked.
'That’s my girl.'
Lila stared at her phone, in hand. She hesitated for one second before quickly dialing Alya's number. With bated breath she listened as it sent her directly to voicemail.
'Did she just block me? Since when does Miss Goody-Goody have a "biker boyfriend"? What happened to her wanting Adrien? Did something happen between them I don’t know about?' I can't even use Adrien as an excuse anymore! There's no way that Adrien Agreste would choose some guy over me! I'm exotic. I'm a model! I can literally make his life better and his dad likes me!'
Lila quickly brought up Marinette's social media, but found she had been blocked. Lila groaned as she quickly made a new account. The screen was blank; Marinette had the sense to private all of her accounts. Irritated, Lila tried calling Rose. No answer. Mylene? Nothing. Panic began to set in as she called her classmates, but no one was responding ding.
'They always take my calls!'
She felt a sense of relief as her phone pinged.
'Natalie! Perfect; I can-'
Lila dropped her phone in horror.
"I'm fired?" She whispered.
'What the fuck is going on and why now, when I'm stuck on this stupid farm?'
Konner sighed as he flew thru the open hotel window. Damian and Marinette were cuddled up on the couch watching a movie.
"Can someone explain to me why I am here?" He asked, "Jon called me screaming that I needed to pack a bag and come to Paris. To find you."
"I knew he was bored, without me, but not that bored." Damian chuckled.
DING
I'm not that bored!-Jon
"You are eavesdropping." Damian spoke, "You are bored."
DING
I was making sure you got there safe!-Jon
"Well, I suggest eavesdropping on the other side of the planet, soon." Damian hissed.
DING
Damian and Marinette turned to look at Kon. He huffed and pulled out his phone.
Is Mari in the hotel with him? Does she have a bag?-Jon
He rolled his eyes before typing back: YES
DING
I'll let him tell you-Jon
Kon groaned, "He said you would explain."
"Someone decided to drool over Dami." Mari began.
"And she's in what hospital?"
"He is very much not injured and wanted someone like Dami, but 'Not so angry-looking in the face'." she continued, making him chuckle.
"I am being….set up?" Kon realized.
"Yes." Damian answered.
"Uh, it might go well, it might not." Marinette quickly interjected, "It's the first time he's spoken that he's interested in guys, in general."
"What expression did Jason use?" Damian asked, "He pulls bottom energy?"
Kon looked at him confused.
"His last realtionship was with a girl who was stong, commanding, and spoke her mind. From what I can assume, he thouht Damian was the same and you might be too." Mari explained.
"He likes strong people." Kon seemed to understand.
Mari scoffed, "I thought he was going to lick my phone when I showed him your picture from the last BBQ."
"What was I wearing?" Kon asked, trying to remember.
"You're jacket and super shirt." Marinette looked up and smiled, "I thought his brain was going to explode."
"You at least seem to appease him physically." Damian interjected, "If you do not like him, you can go back home an d pretend it never happened."
Kon sighed, "Fine, but I'm leaving my stuff here. I'll be back in a few hours."
Adrien had asked if they could stop at Marinette's bakery really quick. They were an hour ahead of schedule. He only had a few questions to ask her. Natalie didn't need to know they were about Kon.
"Adrien, how lovely to see you." Sabine smiled, "Would you like a crossaint?"
"No, thank you." he chuckled, wishing he could say yes, "Can I speak to Marinette?"
"Oh, sorry Adrien." Sabine replied, "She's staying with Damian until he goes home."
"She….You…You let her stay with her boyfriend?" Adrien questioned, in shock.
'Father won't even let me have a friend over!'
"Of course." Tom spoke, coming out from the back, "We trust them both completely and we know how protective he is of her."
"Are you implying your daughter is…active?" Nat asked, uncomfortable.
Tom and Sabine started laughing, "If only! We would love a grandchild1"
Adrien turned red, realizing Natalie's question.
"Damian said he would wait until she graduates and secures her business." Tom explained.
Sabine nodded, "They have some more contracts to work through with her lawyer."
'Business? Lawyer?'
"Marinette has….her business up already?" Adrien questioned.
'I thought she wanted to work for Father.'
"Well, her clients have been talking with her about the things they didn't like from previous designers who didn't listen to them, things they would like, timelines, pricings; that sort of thing." Sabine continued, "Damian and his family are merely helping her work out how her contracts would look like in the future."
"I don't believe you have mentioned a 'Damian' in your class." Natalie spoke up.
"Oh, Damian lives in the Unites States." Tom stated, "They have a long distance relationship and after graduation, she'll be moving to his family's home."
"She's moving!" the model cried out.
Tom and Sabine looked at him confused, "She said she told the class."
Adrien shocked faced turned crestfallen, "I found out the class hasn't been nice to her, lately. She probably did, but they didn't believe her. I don't think I was there. I think the class is just now realizing that they bullied her."
"Never let Damian here you say those words!" a voice snapped behind them.
Adrien turned and saw the guy from Marinette's phone. He instantly felt his cheeks flush.
'He's here! He's hotter in person!'
"Konner, my boy!" Tom exclaimed, hugging him, "Marinette said you were coming to help with the bakery today!"
"As best as I can." Kon shrugged, embarrassed, "I'm more use to helping on a farm than making pies."
"If I can do it, so can you!" Tom laughed.
"What would this Damian do is he learned Miss Dupain-Cheng was bullied?" Natalie questioned, trying to piece together how bad this person would be.
Kon sighed, "Damian isn't subtle in what he cares about. He cares about his family, his pets, friends, and Marinette. He doesn't say it, but Marinette is at the top of his list and his family knows it! If he walked into a room and she was crying, he would attack his family to find out who hurt her and she could have just stubbed her toe."
"Last month, some girl tried to kiss him on Valentine's Day; he broke her jaw. Her parents were upset and demanded compensation. Damian argued he would sue her for sexual harassment and assult. He explained he had a girlfriend and their daughter attacked him. Bruce did confirm to the parents that Damian was dating and she wasn't at the school, but he knew who she was. The girl typed on her phone that she thought he was flirting with her. Damian didn't even know that they sat next to each other in two separate classes. Her parents demanded she apologize for her ….delusional fantasies. They said she always believed in fairy tales and about prince charming. Damian told them she obviously needed therapy if she had the same mentality as a five year old. She broke down crying and left. Her classes were changed after that." He continued, "If anything, Damian is in Paris because he's bored. His mom taught him everything and he only talks to my brother at school. He doesn't even need to go to school; Bruce has him go to be social with his own age group. Bruce probably doesn't care because he's calmer around Marinette and less violent. The Waynes love her for that, alone."
"Wayne?" Natalie asked, "As in-"
"Damian Wayne, the youngest and only son of Bruce Wayne." Kon smirked, holding out his hand, "I’m Konner Kent, cousin of Clark Kent from the Daily Planet. The Kent and Waynes are close friends."
Natalie gripped the tablet, feeling nauseous. They had already fired Lila after Adrien's tantrum, but this would have made them immediatley terminate her. Lila was creating rumors about Damian Wayne's girlfriend; Gabriel couldn't handle that level of bad press.
Kon turned towards Adrien and winked, "They also mentioned you wanted to see me."
Adrien just nodded.
"How about tomorrow; if your schedule allows it." Konner pressed.
"He has a free day tomorrow." Natalie declared, already deleting the schedule.
Adrien turned and smiled at him, brightly.
'I thought Jon was the only person who could look like a puppy.'
An alarm sounded off and Kon saw the light from Adrien's eyes drain in an instant.
"Adrien, you have a shoot in thirty minutes." she announced.
"Yes, Natalie." he responded, turning to leave, "Uh,…..tomorrow, here, at noon?"
Kon nodded, wondering what kind of person he just agreed to date.
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Talia smiled, "Can I have another glass of wine?" watching Bruce and Jason take two shots, each, "I'm quite enjoying this meal."
Alfred nodded, also pleased with the night's "entertainment".
As she swirled her new glass, she spoke, "I believe you said you preferred honesty, My Dear."
"I met Marinette, when we were teenagers, in Paris." Damian spoke, realized they were caught, "It was during an undercover mission. We kept in contact and I helped her move to America."
"You forced her to leave her home?" Tim exploded.
Marinette waved off his concerned, "Paris had become my prison; I did my job and left."
"What made you keep in contact?" asked Dick.
Damian shrugged, "Curiosity."
Jason snorts, "You were curious about a girl and stalked her?"
The batfam looked at each other uncomfortable as they realized they had never properly spoken to Damian about persuing a regular relationship. Persuing a target was different than going after a possible crush. Plagg cackled, bringing back the attention to him. He was hovering over Marinette, who looked way too embarassed.
"Uh….I-I don't have an issue with the….surveillance." She began, "After a……memorable rejection, at twelve, I swore I would be prepared the next time I had a crush. I am now aware it was stalking or ……surveillance, closer to your level."
"At twelve?" Tim whispered.
She shrugged, "I knew his schedule before he did. Who he would be with and where. I even manipulated his father a few times."
"What made you stop?" Richard questioned.
"He asked me to help him with his first girlfriend." Mari replied.
"Ouch." Jason winced.
Mari shrugged, "By the time they officially broke up, I was already over him. Some other girl was pursuing him while he was taken and someone I use to trust, blabbed about my previous feelings. Anything that went wrong-"
"Marinette was severly bullied due to her previous feelings and actions." Damian interrupted, "She was a heroine, but could never express her emotions. She had to internalize everything. I admired her strengths."
She glared at him, "You weaseled your way into my mind to make me talk! I wouldn't call our……reunion a joyous one." making her boyfriend chuckle.
Bruce looked between the couple confused.
"While I was still in Paris, Damian helped me get scholarships to transfer. I had already convinced my parents to pull me out of school and went online. It made going into battle, easier." Marinette spoke.
"You confessed you thought you were slipping." Damian responded.
"Into stealing Plagg and committing murder!" Mari shouted, "Not suicide!"
Damian pulled her close and kissed her head. Marinette crossed her arms, pouting, as he was quick to diffuse her anger.
"That is why you needed to leave, Habibiti." the ex-assassin continued, "Would you have battled with a clear head? You were able to strategize her take down from a distance."
Marinette nodded, accepting defeat. Talia smiled, watching how well they balanced each other. Even the two gods were looking at them with a smirk.
"How long have you been in Gotham……exactly?" Tim questioned, cautiously.
Marinette shrugged, "About six or seven years now."
"Were you already dating or is this still new?" Dick pestered, "What happened to the three years?"
"No, we weren't dating. The three years are accurate." Marinette mumbled, "I was still mad at him."
"For what?" ased Tim.
"Being right." Mari growled out, making Jason snort, "How else would you react to someone saying: 'It is unbecoming of someone of your status to act this pathetic. Once you have cleared your head, your solution will be relatively simple'."
"Those were not-" Damian began.
"Yes; they were." Mari growled out, glaring at him.
"I thought you liked his….honesty." Jason prodded.
"I do." the grand-guardian insisted, "I was just mad that I couldn’t focus. I was manipulated a lot, bullied, and had my….responsibilities. There were times I just laid in my bed, suited up, because being myself was too hard. It was easier to be Ladybug; it was easier to have people like me, to love me, to be wanted-when everything felt wrong as a civilian."
The family silently nodded, understanding the weight of her words. They were very familiar with the duality, to escape reality of civilian life and become someone else or for it to interfere completely and ruin something that could have been.
"Damian and I spoke online, mostly." she continued, "Sometimes, he would come over and check on me."
"Awww." Dick cooed.
"She is akin to Drake. Her survival was dependent on Paris' state." Damian declared.
"You said you're reunion wasn't a pleasant one?" Bruce interrupted, "So far, I have yet to hear anything bad with your…..relationship."
"Oh." Marinette spoke up, "Once, I got off the plane and saw him in the airport, I slapped him. He just looked at me with a face that was like….'Is that all you got?', so I slapped him again, on the other cheek."
Jason and Talia chuckled.
"I can see you keep him on his toes, My Dear." Talia commented, "I approve."
Bruce sighs, "Perhaps we can……continue this conversation for another day."
Mari looked at the grandfather clock and saw it was almost time for them to patrol. Talia wiped her lips and headed for the door.
"My Dear, I'd prefer if we could grab lunch tomorrow; just the two of us." Talia declared.
Marinette smiled, "I'd like that very much." as she got ready to leave as well.
Damian immediately glared at his father, making Bruce pale and uncomfortable. He could already read his son's mind: 'Look at what you did now!'
'This is going to be the longest patrol night in history.'
Runner Ups (in no particular order):
https://www.tumblr.com/sgtscuttle/777917553766023168 https://www.tumblr.com/cherrycoke1818/772716191893635072 https://www.tumblr.com/jasminose/797683487355355136
https://www.tumblr.com/krono2011/786775886174339072
DAMINETTE
Choosing You by StarWarsMum
Runner Ups:
Love Bites by maybemusing247
The Emotional Turmoil of Marinette Dupain-Cheng by otome_wandering
Lie Lie Lie by krono20112025
JASONETTE
This was a three-way tie, and we love this:
A Complete Forking Mess by Packetdancer
The (Not-So-Secret) Benefits of Friendship by Rierse
Ladybug's Trip by StarWarsMum
Runner Ups:
Since it was a three-way tie, we chose not to include runner ups (also, second place was a four-way tie)
TIMARI
The Batcave Incident (And Other Poor Life Choices) by otome_wandering
Runner Ups:
Fractured Souls by AbyssalGuardian
Meet-Uncute by Nory_Gail
Business Schooled by mochegato
RARE PAIRS (INCLUDING DICKINETTE)
Stupid Cupid by Izanae
Runner Ups:
The Forging of a Family by Rierse
The Prettiest Imposter by otome_wandering
The Adventures of Lady Grey by StarWarsMum
PLATONIC/BIOFAM
Astray by Izanae
Runner Ups:
Oh no! by Oliviaandersonisntmyrealnamelol
Of Course That Happened! We're the Waynes after all! by Jasmineose
Ladybug: a Daughter of a Clown and a Bat by HeartStrikerMaze
It may take me awhile to post, but that is because I am going through unfinished WIPs and deciding if to keep or trash them. If I don't like the direction, I save a note about the idea and put it in another folder for later. Some stuff is being rewritten and some is gone. Some stuff was the Lovesquare but redesigned for Daminette or another BatBoy.
Adrien froze as soon as he heard shouting coming from the classroom. He took a deep breath and halted as the voices became clearer.
"God, Marinette, you're such a bitch!"
"You need to stop obsessing over Adrien!"
"He's allowed to date whoever he wants!"
"You need to leave him and Lila alone!"
"You're so fucking pathetic!"
"I can't believe you interrupted their date!"
"Stop stalking him and ruining everything!"
"He's allowed to be happy without you!"
'What?'
Adrien slammed open the door to see everyone glaring at Mari, and her just sitting in her seat. She didn't even seemed fazed by all the yelling that had been happening.
'How often are they yelling at her that she isn't even fazed by it? What happened to all of us being friends?'
"I would like to know how Marinette is stalking me and why no one thought to mention it to me?" Adrien demanded.
Alya turned to Marinette with a smile, like they had won something.
"It's okay." Nino said, putting his hand on his shoulder, "Lila told us everything."
"I can't believe you had to deal with that!" scoffed Alya, "Lila was so uncomfortable that her mom took her to Italy to visit family. She says she'll be back in two weeks."
"I asked about Marinette, not Lila." Adrien stated, confusing everyone.
"She's ruining your dates with Lila, on purpose!" cried out Rose.
"I'm not dating Lila!" the model shouted, "Not even if my father forced me too!"
The class looked at him as if he had just sprouted another head. They looked around at each other, but their focus went back to him.
"What?" he asked.
"But…Lila said-" whispered Mylene, unable to continue her sentence.
The silence of the room was interrupted as Marinette's giggles broke through.
"Why are you laughing?" Nino shouted.
"She…what?" Marinette questioned, smiling at them, "Or is Adrien doing it?"
"You're enjoying this!" Alya scowled.
"I told you, but you wouldn't listen." She sang.
"What is going on?" Adrien demanded.
"I'm sooooooo obsessed with you so I'm bullying Lila because we belong together and you will eventually love me." Marinette cooed.
Adrien spun around to the class, "Better question, what is wrong with you guys?"
"But she is!" cried Alya.
"No, I'm not." Marinette smiled, as her phone chimed, "Bye."
Alya stepped in front of her as she tried to leave, "No; we're gonna talk about this!"
"I talk. You never listen." Marinette stated, shoving her to the side, "Now, it's my turn to ignore you."
"So who is lying?" Ivan pressed.
Adrien growled out, "Lila is!" rushing after Marinette.
'Fuck! I need to apologize! Is this what she has been dealing with this whole time? I can't believe they think I would date her!'
Adrien froze on the steps, the class right behind him, as they watched Marinette kiss a guy on a motorcycle. Adrien felt himself tense up as he took in the guy's olive skin and black hair.
'How old is he? He has so many muscles! That shirt is a gift from God to show us what's under it.'
"I…..I don't think Adrien is her type." he heard someone speak.
"Neither do I." the model replied, moving towards them.
'Where can I find me one of those?'
As he reached them, the guy turned and glared him down.
'Uh, or maybe not.'
"Did you have a question?" Damian demanded.
Adrien quickly turned to face only Mari, "Where can I find a guy like him……but not so much of my father in the face?"
Marinette broke into a giggle fit, while her boyfriend looked at him confused.
"He doesn't like your glare, Habibi." Marinette explained, "His dad is strict with him."
"Physical?" He asked.
"No!" Adrien expressed, quickly.
Something told him that if the answer was yes, he'd be an orphan.
"Just…..has my life….structured." the model explained, attempting to ease the new guy.
Mari's boyfriend stared at him for a few moments and sighed, "I recommend Kon."
"Oooh!" Marinette smiled, "I agree. Adrien reminds me too much of Jon."
"Kon?" Adrien asked.
"Konner." Damian declared, "A relative of an…..acquaintance."
Mari smiled, "He's his best friend's older brother."
"And he looks like this?" the model asked, gesturing to Damian.
Marinette bit her lip to keep from laughing again, as she took out her phone and brought up a picture of them at a picnic. Adrien looked at the picture and saw how happy Marinette looked with her boyfriend.
"This one!" She said, zooming in on one of the guys in the background.
Adrien felt his cheeks flush as he stared at a guy with blue eyes laughing. He was wearing a leather jacket and a Superman shirt underneath.
"Sign me up!" Adrien said, trying to take the phone out of her hands.
"I'l let him know." Damian smirked, "Who knows, he might even visit soon."
Adrien froze, trying to figure out what he would say to him. He was too busy with his thoughts to see Mari get on the back of the bike.
"Bye, Adrien!" she shouted, as they drove off.
'Fuck! I could have asked her what he liked!'
"Dude, what was his name?"
"Yeah! How do they know each other?"
"How long have they been dating?"
"How old is he?"
"Give us the details!"
"Oh, I didn't ask." Adrien admitted, "I just asked Mari how I could get a guy like him and they recommended me someone they know."
"A guy?" Nathaniel asked.
"Yeah. He looked……..beef cakey? Hunk-able? " Adrien shrugged, "I think that was the word, right Nino?"
Everyone quickly turned to Nino. It was written all over their faces on how he could keep such a secret from them.
"A gym bro?" Nino questioned, cautiously.
"So, you like muscular guys?" Alix smirked, elbowing Kim, "If so, Himbo, but he didn't look dense. Ripped? Jacked?"
Adrien smiled, happily, "I don't know yet, but I liked what I saw when they showed me his picture and I'm willing to try!"
"What did he look like?" Alya asked.
"Uh…..if Marinette and Luka had a baby, but was a badass!" he announced.
"That's no help, whatsoever." sighed Nino.
He shrugged, "Makes sense to me."
"I'm confused." Rose admitted.
Adrien looked at her, confused as well.
"Why would Lila lie to us about dating you? Why would she tell us that Marinette came to sit with you, on your date, even after you told her to leave? She said that Marinette was following you to the movies and to your picnic spot and -" Rose was sniffling.
Adrien took a step towards her, "Lila lied to you all. I have no feelings for her, at all. If I spend time with her, outside of school, it's because it's for a photoshoot and my father asked her to be there. I have asked him to find a new model because I know that Lila likes me. I've rejected her over and over again."
"Lila didn't lie about Marinette stalking you!" Alya cried out.
Adrien looked at Alya as if she was speaking a different language, "Did you see the guy she just left with?"
Adrien lifted up his shirt to reveal a flat stomach.
"God painted that shirt on him!" the model shouted, "Hell, that God was ready to attack me for getting close to Mari! His abs summoned me to him! I would have left me for him, too!"
"Lila was very detailed about the dates, Dude." Nino winced.
"I dated Kagami, which Marinette helped me with. She even helped me plan some of those dates. Kagami said she even tried to help her work out why it didn't work so we could get back together." Adrien confided, "That doesn't sound like jealousy or obsession to me. Kagami calls Marinette her best friend and I happen to know that Mari goes to visit her and Felix, once a month."
"She said you reserved a resturant and took her-" Alix began.
"Anything I want to purchase has to go through Natalie. I have to explain how it's useful to me and why I want it." Adrien interrupted, "I'm lucky I'm not writing an essay. There's no way I could reserve a resturant and everything I eat is through a diet and portioned. It's why I go home for lunch."
The class looked at each other and he could see the doubt growing.
"What about the park?" asked Mylene.
"It sounds like a nice idea for a date, but I'm allergic to feathers and birds would likely try to get close to the food." the model confessed, "I did have a picnic in my backyard with Mari once. We played video games. It was after Kagami broke up with me and she was trying to make me feel better."
"Hah!" Alya shouted, "She was trying to get you to like her! It was a date!"
"Marinette kicked my ass at UMS3, constantly!" He shouted, "She told me to get better! She's reigning champ with Max! Kagami called her and she answered the phone. She destroyed me with one hand! If anything I got a crush on her, just from that!"
"You watched Solitude with Lila!" Alya snapped, "She said the director knows her, personally! You told her she was as great as the lead actress!"
Adrien turned to Alya and snarled, "Call that Bitch and tell her she is dead to me! She'll be fired by the end of the day from Gabriel, just for that comment."
Adrien pulled out his phone and called Natalie, "Send the car. Father and I need to have a talk. Immediately."
"Wait!" Alya panicked, "Why-"
"Learn how to use Google, Miss Reporter." He replied, "I know the directors, the lead actress, the costume designers; I know everything about that film. There are only two people I have watched that with. My father and Marinette, because she tried to help me escape to see that film in theaters. I only watch the first ten minutes with her before fans realized I was there and she had to help me escape again. Father had a copy at home. That bitch is nowhere as great as the lead actress and now she never will be."
The car pulled up and before it could even stop, he entered it and slammed the door. The class had never seen Adrien that angry.
Nino looked down at his phone and gasped.
"What?" Asked Nathaniel.
"Lila is fucked and she was definelty lying about the movie." Nino answered, "I guess we owe Adrien and Marinette more than one apology, especially her."
Alya grabbed his phone out of his hand and looked over the movie. The lead actress was Adrien's mother. His aunt was her stunt double. The Mayor helped direct the movie, along with Kagami's mother. Style Queen and Gabriel designed the clothes.
'That bitch is nowhere as great as the lead actress and now she never will be.'
"Alya?" questioned Nino, as he slipped his phone out of her grasp.
Alya opened her phone and selected Lila's name. She pressed call and put it on speaker.
"Alya!" Lila cooed, "Today isn't a great day and-"
"Today was interesting here as well." Alya interrupted.
"Alya, I need to-"Lila tried again.
"We all watched as Adrien eye-fucked Marinette's biker boyfriend. He asked them to set him up with a guy and he has a date planned with him already. He literally called her boyfriend a God and wanted to lick his abs. Also, Adrien said he would never date you, even if Gabriel forced him to. Oh, and before I forget, Adrien called you a Bitch. See you in two weeks, you liar!" Alya snarled into the phone and hung up.
Alya trembled as she fought against her sobs. She looked in the direction Marinette had ridden off into and wondered at what point she stopped believeing her. At what point had she started disregarding her best friend's words as nonsense. When had Lila's words become so much more important ad believable. When had Marinette stopped being her best friend and become Kagami's? How had she not noticed Marinette's taste for guys change so much?
"It's Friday so we have to wait until Monday to apologize to Marinette and Adrien." Max spoke up, "We can apologize about all assumptions we listened to and learn more about them."
"Assumptions?" Alya laughed, "We listened to Lila and never questioned anything she said! We became mindless zombies to her words! She said not to talk with Adrien and we never did! We could have asked and-we yelled at her so many times. She said it herself: 'I talked; you never listened.' ." as tears streamed down her cheeks.
Nathaniel sighed, "I don’t know if Marinette's friendship is something we can get back at this point. Alya's right. We listened to Lila and didn’t listen to Marinette's side of the story. When we did, we still believed Lila and called her a liar."
"She did seem happy to see us all confused." Alix admitted, "She reminded me of Chloe, at that moment. She was waiting for everything to fall apart and be blindsided. "
"No." Juleka whispered, "She wasn't like Chloe. She was worse and we made her that way. Marinette was our friend and we bullied her."
The class remained silent as the truth hit them hard. They had bullied Marinette and now she wasn't the same person they remembered. They knew nothing about her and wasn't sure if she would let them back in. They all looked at each other, understanding they all needed to let today's information sink in and walked away.
A Christmas in Gotham by Mioshitomioka
A bond formed through trauma by Totally_no_one_like_me
Love Bites by maybemusing247
Love Letters to a Ghost by Sunkissedtherain
The Emotional Turmoil of Marinette Dupain-Cheng by otome_wandering
Café Noir by Rierse
Crimson Alley by issadaminetteshipper
A Recurring Emergency (AU August day 4) by ew_selfish_art
Soggy Promises by Jasmineose
Hugman (You Mean Hitman?) by BellflowerBee
Kitty Kitty Cat by ggomoz
Forced Alliance by Thinking_a_Latte
Lie Lie Lie by krono20112025
Unnamed Atrocities by StarWarsMum
Choosing You by StarWarsMum
Cute is NOT the Word by StarWarsMum
To Protect The Gods (Or To Protect My Goddess) by Intercoursefluids
The Curse by Leda_Lasombra
No Choices by StarWarsMum
Western Skies and Time Flies (AU August days 1&2) by ew_selfish_art
Wearing Grey may be Offensive by ew_selfish_art
Around the World by ew_selfish_art
Time and Time again by ew_selfish_art
Flirtatious Weaponry by StarWarsMum
When a Comet Becomes a Meteor by StarWarsMum
Ordinary life by maybemusing247
Steal My Phone, Steal My Heart (Daminette) by krono20112025
Copy, Paste by StarWarsMum
JASONETTE
The Weeping City of Lights by Robotic_PizzaSlices
A Complete Forking Mess by Packetdancer
Best (Birth)Day Ever by mochegato
The (Not-So-Secret) Benefits of Friendship by Rierse
Won't Settle for the Ghost of You by Kuroko
Crossed Threads by mochegato
The Tea Pixie of Gotham City by Rierse
Club Caper by StarWarsMum
Ladybug's Trip by StarWarsMum
I'll Always Come Back (To you) by BellflowerBee
Would you fall in love with me again? by Undercover_fangirl
TIMARI
Meowrific by boldlyanxious
Meet Uncute by Nory_Gail
Business Schooled by mochegato
Donde mueren los milagros: Devoción en las sombras by WanderedWriter
Fractured Souls by AbyssalGuardian
The Batcave Incident (And Other Poor Life Choices) by otome_wandering
I'm okay with a Ring pop by TheNumberFairy
RARE PAIRS (INCLUDING DICKINETTE)
The Forging of a Family by Rierse
Spin My World by boldlyanxious
Thunderstorm Warning by Izanae
International Snack Run by newdog14
All the Lies that I told Before by krono20112025
Stupid Cupid by Izanae
The Prettiest Imposter by otome_wandering
Worth a Thousand Words by otome_wandering
The Adventures of Lady Grey by StarWarsMum
A well placed jab to the hear—nose by boldlyanxious
PLATONIC/BIOFAM
Home is wherever we are Together... by Dray_147
Oh no! by Oliviaandersonisntmyrealnamelol
Astray by Izanae
The Story of How I Died (Jason Did It) by Nory_Gail
Of Course That Happened! We're the Waynes after all! by Jasmineose
how to heal a (bullet) wound by Babel (nuvolisa)
Ladybug: a Daughter of a Clown and a Bat by HeartStrikerMaze
We will live (because we cannot die) by WanderedWriter
Anya is live and ready to show you everything. Watch her strip, dance, and perform exclusive shows just for you. Interact in real-time and make your fantasies come true.
✓ Live Streaming✓ Interactive Chat✓ Private Shows✓ HD Quality✓ Free Actions
Free to watch • No registration required • HD streaming
Marinette regretted how she left Damian, the way she had. She knew they were both teasing each other and he had been so patient with her thinking of moving to Gotham. Lately, he had been dodging her calls. He was always too busy or tired. Even when she suggested she pop in for a bit, it was always a no.
'Did I upset him that much?'
Marinette looked at her phone, as the sound of her doorbell woke her up.
'No one I know would come and see me at this hour! It's only 7AM!'
She groaned as she rolled out of bed and dragged herself towards her door. She opened the door, ready to yell at whoever had mistaken her place, but found her boyfriend.
"Damian!" she cried out happily, hugging him, "I thought you were mad at me! I could have brought you over!"
"I believe you informed me you were not to use it so carelessly." Damian replied.
"He's right." Tikki announced, greeting him.
"The kid showed up!" Plagg cried out, making himself at home on Damian's shoulder.
All the kwamis came out of hiding and greeted their Guardian's mate, as they called him. It always brought a blush to her face.
"What did you want to do tonight?" She asked, but quickly frowned, "Oh no! I'm supposed to meet Maman and Papa tonight. I can call them and cancel!"
"Habibiti, I don’t mind spending time with your parents." Damian replied.
"Are you sure?" she asked.
"I just wanted uninterrupted time with you, even if that time is with Tom and Sabine." he answered, "No rushing away, unless there is an akuma."
Marinette and Damian arrived at the bakery to find it filled to the brim with her family and his.
"What?" she asked, shocked to see the Waynes there.
"I figured my family could distract yours, if I wanted any time alone with you." Damian whispered.
She giggled, as she was quickly pulled away for hugs. It was nice to see both families fitting together so well. Tom and Jason were baking, while Dick watched and asked questions. Tim, Bruce, and Sabine were talking business.
"We can see it better on the balcony, from my old room." Mari whispered, as the countdown started.
She pulled his upstairs. As soon as they got on the balcony, she gripped the rail and began to jump on her toes.
"30! 29!" she cried out.
"Marinette." Damian called out.
She turned to see Damian on one knee and a ring being presented to her.
"You mean everything to me. If you told me tomorrow, you wanted me to stop helping Gotham, I would. If you sided with Mother, I would join your cause. You are the only one in the world who could break me. And I would let you." Damian proposed, "Will you marry me?"
Marinette didn't answer. She just lunged forward and issed him. Damian and Mari fell to the floor; she kissed his face over and over.
"Yes, Damian! Yes!" Marinette cried out, "I love you more than anything!"
Plagg handed the ring box to Damian. Damian nodded and placed the ring on her finger.
"Wait! Damian what about-" Mari began to panic.
"I have already found an apartment, here, in Paris. It is on a month to month lease until we can find a place together." Damian answered, "If they desperately need me, I will take a zeta tube."
"Are you sure?" She questioned, hesitantly.
"Yes, Angel." He whispered, kissing her, "Happy New Year."
More and more students, took to avoiding Marinette. They had learned not to mess with her after what she had done to Damian. Damian was already back in his uniform and he hated it. He found he missed wearing Marinette's clothes. He never expected to see her silently crying in the library. Seeing her cry, confused and made him furious. It irritated him.
"What is wrong?" Damian demanded.
Marinette looked up at him and wiped her tears away, "Same stupid stuff."
"Obviously not." he stated, taking a seat next to her.
"I was bullied back in Paris, for years." Marinette admitted, "I had roaches in my locker, my belongings stolen, vandalized. I thought I could handle it. A new girl showed up and everything changed; it wasn't one bully, it was everyone. She would claim I stole something and my belongings were stolen. She claimed I bullied her so I was punished. My belongings destroyed. Sometimes I was beaten. I came to Gotham and created new social media accounts. Nothing that was tied to who I was in Paris. Even my fashion label, brand, and page were new. They found it."
Marinette pulled her phone away from her chest and showed him the screen. There were dozens of anonymous complaints sent withing minutes of each other.
"This is MDC!"
"She steals ppl's hard work and sells it!"
"Don't buy from her!"
"Poor quality!"
"It fell apart in the wash!"
"It wasn't the same color I ordered!"
"It didn't even look the same!"
"Worse than thrift shops!"
"Have you called your lawyer?" Damian asked.
"They're all anonymous." She sniffled.
"Still." He spoke, "Inform them, so there is a trail."
'I need to get Drake and Barbara on this. They will be able to figure out who these people are. I'm sure Drake would jump at the chance to help her.'
"The way I see it, they are jealous of your success." Damian stated.
"Huh?" she asked, confused.
"You have clients; high paying." He continued, "You have the money, the reputation; connections. Your photo is not even on the website."
Marinette had never thought of it that way.
"Whoever did this had to send their time looking: hours, days, possibly months." He finished.
Marinette nodded, understanding what he was saying.
"You remember my brother; you're number one fan?" He questioned, "He can easily help you with your website. He can remove every complaint. We'll call it…..restructuring."
"Really?" She asked.
Damian pulled out his phone and called Drake, in front of her.
"What do you want, Brat?" Tim asked, "Aren't you supposed to be in school?"
"Marinette needs help." Damian stated.
"What do you need?" Tim questioned.
He smirked her way, "Bullies from her past are harassing her website. I told her you would be able to make them go away."
"Give me-got it!" Tim cried out, "There is now a new page up on the site."
Mari grabbed her phone and refreshed her home page. There was now an 'Error' page with a timer, counting down.
"Give me two hours." Tim spoke, "The complaints will be down and the site will fully accessible."
"Really?" Mari cried out.
"Hey, Marinette, and yes, really." Tim answered, "I have a friend in IT and we can check to see if they are all from the same IP address. We should be able to block them, too."
"Thank you!" she replied.
Damian ended the call. He could hear Drake's smile and pride through his voice. He felt his body shift back as Marinette hugged him.
"Thank you!" she cried out, sitting in his lap.
Damian was frozen. Mari quickly recalled that Damian disliked physical touch, just as much as her.
"I'm so so sorry!" she shouted, as she pulled away, "I reacted and-"
Marinette froze as, she felt herself being pulled back against him.
"Don't let go." Damian whispered, "Please."
She could tell he was still tense, as if he was internally struggling to hug her. She wondered if something she had done was changing he felt or if he was trying to comfort her. Whatever it was, Marinette relaxed against him. She allowed herself to feel secure against his chest and smiled.
Damian was shocked how light she felt against him and how small she was in comparision.
'It is hard to imagine this is the same girl who dislocated my shoulder. At least her reasoning for physical contact is understandable now.'
Damian looked down at her as her breathing evened out. She had fallen asleep on him, with a smile on her face.
'One thing is certain, lives are about to be ruined for disrupting her life.'
The class was shcoked when people in suits filed into the room.
"Cerise, Max, and Alya." a man spoke, "You are hereby being sued by the Wayne family."
"What?"
"We didn't do anything!"
"This is a mistake!"
"My students couldn't have done anything!"
"Who the hell is Cerise?"
"Why would the Wayne family sue us?"
"Who are the Waynes?"
Lila sat still, knowing they used her real name. Everything was about to end.
"The Waynes pride themselves on keeping track of their own and who works for them." the man continued, "You are being sued for cyber bullying, harassment, stalking, and emotional distress."
"What did you, Alya?" Nino hissed.
She looked to him in shock, like he had betrayed her. She turned to Lila, only to see her in tears.
"Lila!" she whispered, "You know the Waynes. Why would they do this? We've never met them. It has to be a mistake, right?"
"Your parents can explain everything to you." the man spoke.
Three sets of parents walked in and Lila froze.
'Mom?'
"Cerise, or should I say Lila, we have a meeting with your parole officer." her mother announced, "Not to mention with the school board. With how much money I poured into this school, you would think they kept better control of their students!"
"Parole officer?"
"Wait! Lila is Cerise?"
"Wasn't her name Layla?"
Her mother sighed, "Cerise tends to bully her classmates. It seems she did it here, too. She was told if she did it again, she would go to jail. You would think that she would listen."
An officer walked in and immediaely handcuffed Lila.
"I didn't do anything!" She sneered, "I never put a hand on that damn bitch! They bullied her! They harassed her! They hit her!"
The class looked around confused: 'Is this about Marinette?'
At the trial, they learned that Marinette was the Waynes personal designer. They showed the jury pictures of Marinette with the Waynes. There were pictures of Damian Wayne and Tim Drake-Wayne wearing her deisgns. The Waynes had used their connections to track who had attacked their designer through their IP addresses.
Lois Lane debunked the Ladyblog. She called it 'amateur work', 'fanfiction at best' and tabloid nonsense'. She said there was nothing believable about it as there was no sources, no evidence, no sense of time. Alya was silently crying, as her hard work was ripped to shreds. She sat in silence once she learned that the Waynes owned the Daily Planet. She knew it was unlikely that she would ever get a chance to work there, now. Max sat silently, even after he explained how Li-Cerise had lied to them all. His mother was put on probation so she could keep a better eye on her son. She had been up for another chance to go to space, but now that chance had been given to someone else. Cerise, as they had learned, had worn a wig and contacts to school. She was sentenced to serve time in jail.
"You want to grant them leniency?" Damian shouted, slamming his hands on the table, "Why?"
Mari smiled and he fought hard to keep the glare on his face. The fluttering in his stomach made it to hard to disagree with her. She slowly stood up and walked over to Damian. She took up one of his hands and held it in hers.
"That Bitch is already in jail and can't hurt anyone. Everything she did to me is known throughout Paris and so is her fake persona. It's on her school records. When she gets out, everyone will be wary of her." She answered, "Alya's dreams are shattered. She turned against me and listned only to Cerise. She stopped preaching her journalism views; she gave up long ago and now she knows. Max is learning that being the smartest in the room means nothing if he can’t decipher people. He loves his mother and having her home will be a constant reminder of how he failed her."
Damian couldn't help but feel manipulated. The girl, in front of him, appeared so innocent, yet she ruined their lives more than if they had faced time in jail. She turned the very thing they loved against them. Somehow, he didn't care one bit. Damian brought their entwined hands up to his lip and placed a soft kiss on one of her knuckles.
"Never let go, Haibibti." he whispered, pulling her closer.
Daminette December 2025: 29-Compromising Positions
"Soooooooo." Tim began, at dinner.
Everyone turned to Tim, awaiting his news.
"Damian." He spoke, "I heard you're dating a girl from the office."
Bruce looked up. Dick smiled, happily. Jason turned to Damian like he had sprouted another head.
Damian sighed, "No."
"That's not what I heard." Tim beamed, "I heard you were found in a …..compromising position."
"What?" Jason asked, "Bruce, yeah, but him?"
Bruce glared at his son.
"Marinette-" Damian spoke.
"Aw!" Dick squealed, "You even call her by her name!"
"Was attacked by a coworker." he finished.
His family just stared at him.
"She had a drink thrown at her because she spoke the coworker's boyfriend." Damian stated, "He is a barista and She goes to that shop for coffee. The boyfriend made the mistake of bringing her a coffee, while plannign to go to lunch with his girlfriend. He said she was a loyal customer and had not been there in a while. He planned to leave her coffee with the receptionist and have her pick it up from there. It was only a coincidence that Marinette was in the lobby, at the time."
"Oh, well that was nice of him." Dick spoke.
He nodded, "The coworker took her drink and threw it at her. She called her a whore for seducing her boyfriend. The boyfriend broke up with her, telling her Marinette knew his boss and he wouldn't be fired for his controlling girlfriend with boundary issues."
"Marinette came to me for extra clothes." Damian continues, "I had to give her my shirt, as Drake donated the extra clothes that were in my office."
"Ooooh." Tim whispered.
"I informed her she could use any fabric, at no cost, and then bring me back my shirt. As she changed, I was facing away." the young Wayne replied, "The coworker must have heard she came to my office as she walked in and began to scream how 'Marinette was lying about her'. I was shirtless and Marinette was in mine. She likely assumed something had happened. It wasn't long after that I heard 'Marinette is sleeping her way to the top'."
"I personally spoke to the fashion floor, of Marinette's department, and showed them the security footage from the lobby." Damian declared, "They all pitched in to help make her an outfit. I asked if they could help dispel the rumor, as there was nothing between us and she merely came to a supervisor for help."
Tim turned red, looking down at his plate.
"It appears you did not speak to the right people, Drake." Damian scoffed.
"I …guess not." Tim whispered, "Sorry."
"Soooo, no girlfriend then?" Dick sighed.
"Hah!" Jason smiled, "I knew it!"
Damian sighed as he walked into his Father's office.
"What did you need of me, Father?" He demanded, "Could this not be done at home?"
Bruce remained looking outside, "When you can, please send Miss Dupain-Cheng up so I can personally apologize about our staff. I have already spoken to Miss Fletcher about her reaction the other day. She is on probation and will take anger management training again."
Damian huffed, "Wipe that smirk off your face, Father. We are not on display."
"Yes, I suppose you would know about how reflective the glass is……Son." Bruce replied, keeping the smirk on his face.
Damian froze, as he turned around.
"And please, buy Miss Dupain-Cheng a coffee." Bruce continued, "I'm sure she would greatly appreciate it. Corner of Steven's and Elm, right? You frequent that shop, a lot."
"I like their tea." Damian growled out.
"I'm sure that's all." Bruce replied.
Damian threw open the door and slammed it shut. Bruce smiled. He could see the moment Damian realized what their talk was truly about. He never expected to see his son's blush in the reflection.
'I'm sure he enjoyed his show. He should ask her out already. I quite like her.'
Lila huddled in the corner, with the rest of the class, avoiding The Riddler's gaze.
'I can't die here! Not like this! I'm supposed to marry a rich man! I supposed to be buried in a designer gown!'
"The answer is a snowflake!" a voice spoke.
The class turned to see Marinette stand up.
"What did you say?" The Riddler questioned.
"You asked 'I'm not a blanket, but I cover the ground; a crystal from heaven that doesn't make a sound. What am I?'" Mari stated, "My answer is a snowflake."
The Riddler laughed, "Correct, My Dear. Ready for another round?"
"What are you doing, Marinette?"
"Sit down!"
"He would have left us alone!"
"What can you break without touching it." The Riddler asked.
Mari sighed, "A promise.
"Very Good." He smiled, "Accent?"
"We're on a trip. We're not from Gotham." She answered, honestly.
"Shut up, Marinette!"
"What if he gives you harder riddles?"
"Next one!" He shouted, "I feel you move. I know your every thought. I'm with you from birth, and I'll see you when your rot."
"Max, any ideas?"
"No."
'Oh God; we're gonna die!"
"Why did we come to Gotham?"
"I wanna go home."
Marinette smiled.
"I suspect you have an answer, My Dear." The Riddler spoke.
"I do." Mari declared, "Your reflection."
The Riddler let out a cheer, "You are very clever, My Dear! I only have this much fun, with the Bats. I would say you are one of them, but you're not from here."
"It's my first time in Gotham." she replied.
"Then we must continue, immediatley!" He cried out, "I can be cracked. I can be made. I can be told. I can be played. What am I?"
The class looekd around to see if anyone could figure it out, but they all looked just as confused.
Marinette laughed, "You're a joke!"
"Marinette!"
"Is she trying to-"
"Correct!" He shouted.
'What?'
The Riddler turned at the sound of glass shattering. Marinette spotted the opening and rushed towards him. The Riddler was taken by surprise as she somersaulted his way and kicked his jaw as she performed a handstand. As he stumbled back, Marinette tackled him and pressed the button on his cane to disable the security system, allowing the police to rush in.
The class looked on in silence as Marinette took down one of Gotham's rouges. They had no idea she could move like that. Marinette stepped back as Batman and Red Robin approached her. She tossed the cane to Batman and walked away. The police rushed in and took The Riddler in handcuffs. Lila could hear a few of the classmates whispers.
"I didn't know she could do that. Did you?"
"No. Did you?"
"Thank you, Marinette."
"Yeah, thanks."
"You were really cool, Mari."
Damian walked over to the police and quickly explained that the group that was attacked was from Paris, France.
"It is unlikely that they will be able to understand your questions." Damian spoke up, "Wayne Enterprise will provide you with the full recording of what transpired in the lobby. We will also double check to see is the most prominent in English so you can speak to them."
"Thank will do, Mr. Wayne." Commissioner Gordon replied.
'Damian Wayne!'
Lila rushed over and latched onto his arm.
"Please!" she sobbed, "Marinette was in on this! Have her arrested! She's a bully and she probably planned this whole thing!"
Lila blinked, realizing she was now on the floor. She looked up to see Damian glaring at her.
"Filth, you do not have permission to touch me." He sneered.
'What did he call me?'
"Don't shove Lila!"
"Who do you think you are?"
"He acts just like Chloe!"
"What kind of man shoves a woman?"
Commissioner Gordon began to walk over, hoping to quell Damian's rage. He did not need another incident on his hands, right now. He stopped as Damian turned away from the class and walked towards a girl who was by herself.
'Why is he walking over to Marinette? Why didn't he listen to me about her? Everyone listens to me!'
Unable to handle being ignore by her 'biggest catch', Lila screamed, "How can you just ignore me like that?"
Damian Wayne turned and glared directly at her, "Mother informed me that a weak woman is a useless woman, who would crawl her way into another man's bed. Woman with strength, with power; those are who will remain loyal."
Lila simmered with rage, as the class shouted out her 'achievements'.
"She knows Jagged Stone!"
"She saved his cat!"
"She help Prince Ali and his environmental charity!"
"She helps build homes in the rainforest!"
"Shes a fashion model in Paris!"
Damian noticed Marinette roll her eyes; as the class continued to shout, to persuade him the girl, throwing a tantrum, was worth something.
"You do not believe her." Damian asked, out right, "Why?"
She sighed, "Everything Lila claims to achieve are lies. Her best friend has never even looked her up on Google! Is she even did a fraction of what she claims, everyone would know. Not to mention her 'wonder-like case ' illnesses would be a medical marvel and known throughout the world, just so other doctors could study and learn."
"She's been lying for years and I just learned how to tune her out and ignore her presence." Mari declared, "I don't associate with these people, anymore."
"Lila isn't a liar!" Shouted Alya.
Mari shrugged, "Are you willing to be your future dream on that, Alya?"
'Huh?'
Damian felt a chill run down his spine and a flutter in his stomach as Marinette turned and smirked, coldly, at her classmate.
"You do remember who you are talking to, right Alya?" She questioned, "The Damian Wayne? The same Damian who has the money and resources to confirm or deny anything Lila has ever said. His family owns the Daily Planet. He could even ask your idol, Lois Lane, to do the background check and do a massive interview about all of "Lila's Wonders". Imagine your blog apart of that."
Alya beamed happily.
"Of course." Mari continued, "If it's all lies, like I said,......your blog will be just laughed at by the very idol you worship and Damian will probably never hire you."
Alya's smile faded instantly. Lila could see the doubt creeping in. Marinette had turned the tide, in their war, instantly. Her biggest supporter was now backed into a corner and she was losing her kingdom. The class looked between the two former friends. They waited and waited for Alya to jump all in for Lila, but her hesitation made them worry.
"Alya?" Nino whispered, attempting to coax an answer out of her.
Damian took her hand in his and pulled it to his lips, for a soft kiss. Marinette felt her face heat up and pulled away, quickly. Batman and the police stopped what they were doing, seeing their city's Ice Prince show affection.
"Strength, power, brains....and a cold heart. My mother would love you." Damian stated, not realizing his father was still there.
"I stopped feeling anything years ago." Mari admitted.
"Even better." He replied, taking a step closer, "She believes emotions are useless."
Mari laughed, turning the tips of his ears red. Red Robin looked to Batman, eagerly. He could tell the Bat was happy, but also hesitant.
"It's starting to seem like your mother manipulated my life." She stated.
"It does sound like something she would do, but if she had, you would have been with me since childhood and we'd at age five." He declared, making her giggle.
"Oh, like Lila!" Rose cried out.
Mari snorted. Damian turned to look at the class. Batman looked to Red robin, who nodded. They needed to change immiediately before this blew up. They quickly rushed away.
"The same liar?" He asked.
"Yes! " answered Mylene, "Here in Gotham."
"I was born in Africa and lived in that country until I was ten." Damian stated, "It was only after that, was I brought to Gotham and met my father for the first time."
Lila remained silent.
"Lila?"
"But you told us-"
"Why would you tell us that if it wasn't true?"
Alya started to get nervous, "Surely, there must be pictures, right?"
"All of my brothers were adopted over the age of seven. There are no photographs of any of us as infants." Damian spoke, "Gotham does not even know who my mother is. Grandfather believed in traditional art painting."
"Oh, Kwami." Mari mumbled, low sodium the class wouldn't hear her.
The young Wayne immediately turned to her, "Habibiti?"
She looked at him confused.
He smirked, "You were saying?"
"Oh, uh, just that my grandfather, on my Dad's side, is traditional, too." She replied, embarrassed, "Nothing is what it was and must be-"
"Maintained to preserve the traditions." He finished.
Mari nodded.
"Perhaps, our families have more in common that I thought." He replied, "Join me for dinner."
She blushed at the sudden proposal of a date. The class looked between the two, now aware that they were being ignore and interrupting.
"Are you sure?" She asked.
"I believe this is the right choice. I do not ask anyone out; Mother warned me to choose carefully." Damian replied, "I don't hope that you will forgive me, but I insist on selecting the restaurant. I solely eat vegetarian and not every restaurant has a wide selection for me."
"Of course!" She exclaimed, "I have no problem with you diet."
The young Wayne nodded, "I will lead you to my elder brother. He will be leading your tour."
Dick rubbed his eyes, thinking he had started day dreaming. He even pinched himself.
'Nope.'
In front of him, Damian was leading a girl by his hand.
'Oh my God!'
He immediately pulled out his phone and started taking pictures. He realized they were getting closer so he rushed up to them.
"Are you Damian's girlfriend?" He quickly shot out.
"If she will, after our dinner tonight." Damian answered.
Dick squealed, happily, "That's amazing! Does Bruce know? What about Alfred? Are you coming to the manor for dinner?"
The class looked on in shock. The difference between the two brothers was monumental. Their 'tour guide' was fangirling over his brother and Marinette. Damian on the other hand was very direct. His bluntness had put them all on edge.
"I'm not sure who they are." Mari answered, " And no, Damian insisted on choosing the restaurant. I think it would be too soon to go to your home, no offense. Damian felt we.....connected, but the date may very well end with us simply being friends."
"You're so cute! I approve, Little D!" The eldest exclaimed, "I'll take excellent care of her throughout the trip."
"As you should, with the whole class." Damian spoke.
"Oh yeah." He said, looking up at the class for the first time, "I'll keep a special eye out for her, though."
Damian turned to Marinette, "I will pick you up at 5pm, when the tour is over. I will have you back at the hotel by 7pm, at the latest." before he left.
"You know, it's not often my little brother makes a friend." Dick smiled, "He's......very selective and even calls his best friend an annoyance. I'm glad he found someone who could get through that thick skull and armor of his."
Marinette smiled
Dick immediately pulled her into another hug, "You're adorable! I dont know how you won him over."
"I don't know, either." She answered, still in the hug, "He just said his mother would like me."
Dick froze and slowly pulled away. He looked at this girl, who seemed so innocent, and confused.
"H-He did?" The eldest brother asked.
She nodded.
"That's not a good thing.....is it?" Asked Juleka, "You look like you saw a ghost behind her or something."
Dick didn't answer, "What else did he say?"
Mari thought back, "We bonded over emotions being useless and our grandfathers preferring traditional values."
"And what do you think?" He questioned.
"I don't think about that kind of stuff." Mari admitted, "I have called off relationships a long time ago; its why I said we may simply be friends. I'm focused on owning my own company."
"Like Wayne Enterprise?" He asked.
"An international company?" She replied, making a face, "Uh, probably not, but you never know. I have selective clients and they do travel."
"SO, what do you do?" He asked, "You mentioned clients."
"Fashion design." She replied.
Dick smiled, "What do you think of our bats?"
Her smile turned into an unyielding glare, that made him shiver, "I think if I ever saw Nightwing, I'd punch him in his face. Disco died and it should have stayed buried."
He chuckled, "I can see exactly what attracted my brother to you. His mother was.....is a strong and independent woman. I should pro6start the tour. Wouldn't want to make you late for your date?"
'He's definitely B's son. A glare that stopped me cold; if he saw it, I don't think he would ever stop pursuing her.'
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It had been months since Marinette had spoken or seen her parents. They had turned on her like everyone else. They all believed Lila! Mari couldn’t understand why her words held no weight against hers. She wasn't jealous of Lila. She didn't like Adrien; she was dating Damian! She had been pushed aside so much, she left home. She had called Damian with the news and he immediately went to Paris. Now it felt like everything was unraveling.
Marinette kept her arms around Damian, as the officer tried to pry her away from him. Her parents were sobbing how they had been looking for her. Damian pulled her away and struck the officer.
"You-" the officer began.
"Continue to hurt her and I will do more damage to you!" Damian growled.
"Her parents-" the officer began.
"Have no custody over her." Damian sneered.
"She's sixteen!" The officer groaned.
"Marinette is emancipated." Damian snapped back, grabbing documents from his bag.
The police took the documents that had been thrust at him and read them over. Sabine and Tom looked at each other confused, not understanding why paper mattered more than their daughter. The officer sighed and handed him back the papers.
"You are aiding in a kidnapping." Damian growled out.
"I deeply apologize, Sir." The officer replied.
"Why are you apologizing to him?" Tom demanded, "Our daughter-"
"Is legally emancipated. " the officer finished.
"What does that mean?" Sabine asked.
The officer looked between the couple, "It means the court decided you were unfit parents and you no longer have guardianship over her. You can't tell her what to do and I can't make her go home with you."
Tom and Sabine stared at the officer in disbelief.
"She's our daughter!" Tom cried out.
"It's signed by the mayor." the officer stated.
"But we're good parents!" Sabine shouted, "Tell him!"
Marinette glared at them, "No, you're not. The only thing you taught me was to be silent and to be beaten."
The crowd that had formed, began to whisper.
"You never stopped the bullying! I told you, for years, that I was being bullied and you told me to 'be nice to them and it might get better'." Mari shouted, "I told you it wasn't one person, but multiple! I told you that I wasn't friends with people and you assumed we had a 'fight' and I would forgive them! You never listened to my side, only them! I came home with bruises and you asked if I tripped! I told you I was beaten and you asked if I hit my head! I told you I was being harassed at school and you did nothing!"
"I didn’t feel safe anymore! Not at school. Not at home." She continued, "So I did something! I stood up or myself! You're only hear because you were getting questioned! I haven't been to the bakery in months! I haven’t gone back to that school in months; I applied for school online."
Marinette sobbed, "I have customers, who buy my fashion design. I have enough money that I can pay for everything. I have my own bank account. You taught me how to file taxes; I don't need you. I needed love!"
She felt Damian pull her closer into his arms.
"We'll get you home, Habibiti." Damian whispered.
"Who is he?" Tom asked.
"My boyfriend; we've been dating for two years." Mari announced, "I was bulied because I was 'out of my mind with jealousy' over a classmate's boyfriend. I have Damian. I don't need anyone else…..and I never will."
Damian picked her up, "Let's get you to a hospital. I'd prefer you were checked out. You ran a lot. You have bruising on your arm and perhaps a sprain."
Marinette let Damian carry her away. The officer sighed and walked away. The Dupain-Chengs looked on as their daughter was taken away by her boyfriend. They could see he cared immensly about her and from the look on their daughter's face, she was deeply in love.
Sabine looked at her husband, with teary eyes, "He'll take care of her. He's stepping up, where we failed. We'll leave her light on so she can come home where she's ready."
"Marinette!" Tim called out, halting their movements, "If you need the rest of your things, you can get them. If not, they'll be at home when you're ready!"
"Damian is my home." She whispered back, "As for what I left behind, I'm not ready. Maybe someday, but not now."
Adrien smiled happily and ran straight to Natalie to tell her about the amazing week he had at Disneyland Paris. He quickly told her that he took pictures of the menu and his food, sticking to his diet. Natalie smiled, seeing him so happy and led him to the car.
As everyone else got off the plane, they looked around, saddened. Nothing was the same as when they had left Paris. They were supposed to make connections and promote themselves for opportunities for jobs. For Alya and Max, it was a chance at their dream jobs and they had been quickly shattered. No one had as much fun as Adrien did. Lila had practically been ostracized. No one wanted to talk to her or eat with her. She just followed the group around. Caline had tried to get them to sympathize with Lila, but it had ended badly for her, as well.
"Marinette was nice and look where that got her!"
"We believed Lila and Marinette was right all along!"
"Yeah!"
"She's nothing but a liar!"
"I put down things she said in my college applications! I trusted her!"
"I practically had the Daily Planet interview in the palm of my hand….and it's gone! Lila should be in that bed, not Mari!"
"What kind of teacher are you to make Marinette do all your work?"
"Why did she book the hotels and the trip?"
"Maybe you put her in the hospital bed!"
"It’s very likely. Between Lila's manufactured truths, our harrassment, and the planning, stress can take its toll on the heart."
Ms. Bustier was silent after that. She followed the class, feeling their words heavy on her chest. She would turn to look at Lila, hoping she'd say something to convince them it was a one-time thing, but she nevr did. Lila as too busy planning her exit strategy.
'It couldn't all have been lies, right?'
Lila practically pranced off the plane. She was ready to disappear.
'These losers are useless to me now. Adrien is a child and the only thing that makes me happy, right now, is that Marinette is hospitalized.'
She started to walk away from the group when she felt a tug on her arm.
"What?" she cried out, but froze.
'Fuck! Not him!'
She scowled as her wig was ripped off, in front of everyone. She could hear the gasps and the stares on her.
"You're still wearing these stupid things?" Her father's voice rang out, "Contacts, too! You're gonna end up dead, like your mother. You dress up like a whore, you're nothing but a whore! Let's go, Cerise; we have a meeting with the school board and I was told an officer was going to be there."
Lila was dragged away, like a child. Her lies, her identity had been exposed. There was nothing left for her in Paris and she knew her father wouldn't take what she had done lightly.
"Her mom is dead?"
"What about all the times she missed school?"
"Yeah. Wasn't she traveling with her mom?"
"Does that mean those charity events were fake?"
"Does she really know Prince Ali?"
"What about Jagged Stone?"
"What about her tinnitus and all her other illnesses?"
"Alya, I thought you said that Marinette was lying about everything?" shouted Alix.
"I thought you were checking Lila's stories!" cried out Nathaniel, "You posted them on your blog!"
"Did you just believe her?" asked Kim, "Why didn't you bellieve Mari? I thought she was your best friend!"
Lila watched as everything unfolded, as the door was slammed in her face.
'Choosing Gotham was my mistake. I won't make it again.'
It had been a week since they returned and everyone was tense. They had learned that Marinette was staying in Gotham, for her health, and had been transferred to Gotham Academy. They had heard the doctors were worried and studying her case, closely. They also had a substitute teacher, for the rest of the year.
Caline sat silently as she took in the information in front of her. She was being blamed for Marinette's health. Bruce Wayne was blaming her for causing Marinette so much stress. Her parents had agreed, saying she was entirely focused on making sure the trip went smoothly and what to do about the rogues. They explained that Marinette had taken to drinking copious amounts of coffee, for the time differences and the planning. The Waynes and the Dupain-Chengs both agreed that Ms. Bustier should have been doing all of this work. It was a teacher's job; not a students.
According to the document in front of her, she was suspended from teaching until she took remedial courses. Marinette's enrollment fee was reimbursed and the money the class had saved up for the trip, had been awarded to her as compensation. She had mandatory classes for bullying, health, favortism, as well.
As Caline sat through the lectures, she felt herself throat tighten and stomach twist in knots. According to them, she had been teaching her class all wrong. No one else relied heavily on their class presidents to do things for them. No one else let their class hold a debate so they could handle something.
Caline took notes, as she tried not to cry, thinking about all the times Minerva told her to straighten up and get ahold of her class. Everything was telling her she was unfit to be a teacher, so where did that leave her students?
'Am I a joke to the rest of the teachers? Were they laughing at me behind my back?'
Caline stood outside the school, avoiding the bakery. She still couldn't go in there, out of guilt. It was a brand new year and she felt more prepared than ever. She walked in and she could feel the staff staring at her. Silently, she walked up to Minerva.
"Caline?" She questioned.
"I'm sorry." Caline whispered, "I didn't realize how much I was failing at being a teacher. You tried to help me realize and guide me."
Minerva sighed, "Welcome back, Caline. I trust this year will be different?"
She nodded, "May I ask you a question? What became of my old class?"
"They had difficulty after you left. They barely passed; from what I hear, some are rethinking their future and some took a year off. " Minerva admitted, "That Rossi girl was arrested for attempted harm, for persuading everyone to got to Gotham. She had other strikes against her and her father accepted the plea deal. That girl is in jail and had to take a placement test, as she missed months of school. You should consider yourself lucky you are not in jail, as well."
Caline stood in the teacher's lounge alone, taking in the consequences of her actions.
"I swear I'll be better this year!" she whispered.
