#laydbug

Her nails were like daggers prodding into his cheeks. He was honestly surprised his skin wasn’t being pierced, that blood wasn’t running down his angler face, dripping from his chin. His siblings always squinted when grabbed by the smaller woman, but not him. Damian’s bright green eyes were wide open, staring back into the woman’s large brown ones, watching as she examined him.

“My god, its like someone chiseled your cheekbones out of marble.” She whispered, turning his face to the left sharply.

It had been almost three years since Damian saw his father’s eccentric aunt in person. Since then practically all of his baby fat had melted away, he’d grown half a foot, and had leaped over the finish line of puberty coming out the other side lean and lithe. All of the height and dominance of his father with the beauty and charm of his mother. 

“Well, I suppose mother did plan ahead with my looks while I was incubating. Probably did have a professional design my bone structure.” He wouldn’t put it past her at least.

Edna released his face and climbed off the table she had jumped up on to get to him. Back when he was ten or thirteen, he didn’t remember her being so staggeringly short, but now the height difference was alarming. 

“Truly a work of art, I must give credit where credit is do.” She walked past him towards his father, who was smiling with his hands in his pockets. “You will do nicely.”

“So glad my son will work for you Edna.” 

“Credit does not go to you,” She said, walking out the door, the two men following her. “From the story I heard, you quite literally had nothing to do with his creation.” Damian watched the woman walk and couldn’t help but compare it to the trot of a proud dog, which reminded him of Titus who was sitting back at the hotel all by himself. “Now Damian, my assistant will take your measurements so we can make sure all of the outfits fit perfectly for the photoshoots. We’ll be having it in the next couple of months.”

“Alfred could have done that back in Gotham.” He mused, following his father’s lead by resting his hands in the pockets of his jacket. “I didn’t have to miss school to come with you Father.”

He could hear the taller man laugh. “Just last year you nearly took my head off when I wanted to send you to the academy.” He was catching up to Edna now. “You should have seen him, we had to bribe him just to get him to go quietly.”

“Well, at least he’s enjoying it now.” She said.

Yes, he was very much enjoying school. Which he father appreciated, but Damian doubted he’d appreciate it quite as much if he knew his class was full of metahumans, demi-gods and demonically influenced children. Gotham Academy had not been what he expected but he did enjoy it. The pure chaos and calculatingly cruel aura of his class was something to behold. They may only be Sophomores but they were feared throughout the entire Gotham and Metropolis Educational System.

“I like to learn.” He said simply, walking closely behind the two. “What’s your collection about Enda?” He asked, ignoring the look his father shot him when he left off the family classifier. 

“I was visiting Greece last summer and was struck with inspiration upon hearing about the twins.” She pushed up her glasses as they walked into a studio space, a professionally dressed eighteen-year-old waiting for them. “This is Violet Parr, my assistant.” Edna introduced quickly. “Violet, be a dear and take Damian’s measurements.” She was y’all and very thin, with a round face and inky black hair hanging around her shoulders. Her eyes were large and a soft shade of lavender-blue. They reminded him of his cousin.

Damian followed the girl’s lead as she led him to a slightly raised platform and began pushing his arms straight out, a position that’d make her job easier. He’d had his measurements taken several times in his life, the most recent was when he was getting fitted for a new Robin Uniform, now that it was assumed he was finished growing.

“I can think of a few myths with Greek Twins.” Bruce said, sitting down in a white egg shaped chair. “Which ones inspired you?”

“Apollo and Artemis!” Edna chimed. “The Sun and Moon.” She twirled around, suddenly two sets of chains, golden and silver, in her hands. “The color scheme alone has been clogging my head for months!”

“Chains?” He heard his father ask.

“You think of me as an  Apollo?” Damian asked, ego flaring slightly.

“Oh no.” She set the chains down on the coffee table. “You will be my male Artimes. I have another model in mind for Apollo, I’m in talks with his father currently.”

“Artemis?” He and his father echoed. 

The Greek Goddess? Artemis? Damnian had met Artemis on a handful of occasions thanks to Diana, and he could attest he looked nothing like the amazon, even if she were male he still wouldn’t look like her. He didn’t even act like her. And he also felt like portraying her as a man was insulting her legacy quite a lot.

“Yes! One of them, I am planning to have a female set of my twins as well.” She smiled to herself, turning towards the desk in the room. She traced a picture frame with her finger. “And I have the perfect model to be Damian’s counterpart.”

The hair on the back of Damian’s neck stood, he could practically see the same reaction course through his father. They both knew immediately who Edna was referring to, because Damian only had one counterpart. One person who, when with, he felt an equalness or sense of yin and yang from. His blue eyed half.

His father would gush about his niece, really his cousin, whenever he got an opportunity to. Sometimes she would send him things, or make him a nice suit jacket or tie. So when he wore something the girl had made for him, he never missed a chance to network for her. He would never give out her name, just talk about how brilliant and kind and professional she was. Whenever she was ready to go public with her talent and family connections, Wayne Enterprises support would be evident. 

She was of course, all the things his father described her as, and so much more. But to their small inner family, she was also notorious for her relationship with Damian. Dick often cooed about how she helped him to act his age, and embrace being a young and childlike, which was just a nice way to excuse their pranks. Most of his family often failed to notice the utter awfulness of the girl’s mind and just what Damian did to it.

She was terribly clever, had been her whole life, or at least as long as Damian had known her. She was also hilariously sassy, never before had he come across someone who could rival Alfred’s one liners. His cousin was one of the few who would actually make him laugh. She was downright evil when his influence was added. And while she did helped him act his age, she also brought out a lot of his more devilish qualities. They were a lethal combination and everyone who had ever seen them interact knew it.

“Isn't she a tad preoccupied?” Bruce asked. “What with all of Hawkmoth’s rampages? I highly doubt Marinette could, or would even be comfortable with leaving Paris.” Damian glanced warily at Violet for a moment as she started the measurements of his legs. When the girl caught his gaze she gave him a strong reassuring smile and a small nodded. A super then, he quickly concluded. He knew Edna employed a handful of the ones she trusted.

“Oh, I’m sure I can convince her.” Edna’s smirk was deadly. “And if not, I’ll just have to have a chat with an old friend of mine.” She snatched another picture frame from off the desk. Damian could barely see the photo from his current angle, he was only able to make out the pattern of a Hawaiian shirt. 

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(part 1) - Here (part 2)  (part 2.5) (part 3) - soon

Marinette: CHAT NOIR WHERE THE FUCK WERE YOU?

I’ve been seein’ a lot of Adrinette drawings and general love square stuff for today BUT A CERTAIN SHIP IS LACKIN’ SOME REPRESENTATION SO HERE I AM TO PROVIDE