#plar

Marinette, after spending several minutes cooing over the motorcycle and the helmet he had presented her (it was pink with a cherry tree design on the sides, and custom made) she leapt into his arms again.

“Thank you, Dami. I needed this. Not the motorcycle, obviously, but the distraction.”

“Of course, malaki. I’m always here for you. We all are, from Alfred to Cass, we’re here for- oh no.” Damian blanched.

“Dami?” Marinette asked from his arms, craning her neck to look at him.

“We forgot to tell Cass.” He whipped out his phone, and groaned when he saw the screen. There was over a dozen missed calls from his youngest sister, and almost twenty texts.

“What? Oh, she’s probably so worried!” Marinette gasped. Damian frantically dialed, calling Jason to assess the damage.

“Demon Spawn, where the hell are you? You, Bruce, and Dick just up and disappeared, and took Alfred with you! No one has called us or even texted! Cas is flipping out!”

“Todd, shut up. We left for Paris. Tom and Sabine have…” He glanced at Marinette whose joy was gone, replaced with concern and sadness. “passed away. I’m just calling to tell you that we won’t be home for some time. Tell Cassandra, one of us will call with more information soon.”

“Demon Spawn, wait! You can’t ju –” Damian hung up and shoved his phone in his pocket, sighing. “Those back home have been informed of the basics. Now, I had Chloe bring a pair of your leggings, your sneakers, a leather jacket for each of us, and I brought my helmet. Want to take it out for a spin?” He gestured at the bike, and Marinette bounced in place.

“Yes!” She squealed, running back into the building.

X0X0X

They zoomed down the streets, bobbing and weaving through traffic. Marinette was pure grace on her bike, dancing between cars and trucks, guiding the motorcycle like it was second nature. He was sitting behind her, arms around her waist as she leaned into a turn. He leaned with her, taking the turn so sharp that they were almost parallel to the asphalt. They came to a stop in front of the bakery, and Marinette dropped the kick stand with an easy flick of her ankle. She reached back and tapped his knee, and he dismounted the bike, pulling off his helmet with the ease of practice. Marinette slid off the bike and removed her helmet, shaking out her hair, which was partially matted to her head with sweat. With the way the sun touched the horizon behind her, and how her hair shined in the light, she looked just like an angel. He felt his ears burn a bit, and he cleared his throat to grab her attention.

“Dami?” She asked, staring up at him. He coughed a bit, emotions clogging his throat. She looked at him who was so damaged and broken, with such trust, so much love, and all he could do was try to give her the world in exchange.

“You mentioned when we talked last week that a new fabric shop opened and you hadn’t had a chance to go yet. Would you want to go now? The SUV is parked in the garage, and I can park your bike while you change.”

“Really? That sounds fantastic, my knight. Let me run up to my room and change, I’ll be quick, promise!” She ran past him, froze, ran back, pecked him on the cheek, and ran off again. He chuckled, grabbing the handlebars of the motorcycle and carefully walking it back to the small garage behind the bakery.

After waiting almost twenty minutes, he began to worry. Marinette was picky with her outfits, but she never took more than fifteen minutes to get changed. Killing the engine, he stepped out of the car and made his way in through the back door. He was in the living room when he heard it. Muffled sobs, echoing from the ajar trap door to Marinette’s room. He bolted up the stairs, before freezing. His angel was sitting on the floor, still in her dress from the funeral. She was sobbing, no, bawling her heart out, clutching something to her chest.

“Malaki, mahbub, nur hayati, I’m here. Please, what has you so upset? All I want is to fix this, to see you whole once more. What’s wrong?” He dropped to his knees behind her, setting a hand on her shoulder. She couldn’t even seem to hear him, so lost in her pain. Damian gently scooped her into his arms, cradling her to his chest as he stood, walking over to her chaise. He may not be able to calm her down, but one of the many things Dick had taught him in the last seven years was that sometimes, crying was a good thing.

After far too long, her sobs abated. He stopped rocking back and forth (It had been an attempt to soothe her, okay? He wasn’t the best at emotions!) when he heard a few sniffles, and looked down to see his angel staring blankly at her knees, still curled into a tiny ball.

“Hey, malaki.” He murmured, hoping to catch her attention. Luckily, he succeeded. She blinked a few times, before looking up at him.

“I…I don’t know if I can do this.” She whispered after a few seconds of staring at him.

“Do what, my luck?” Finally caving to the urge, he shuffled his legs a little under her. She shifted herself to the side, curling up beside him so that she was in the fetal position with her head against his chest.

The ride to the funeral home was silent, Marinette having slipped her hand into his. It wasn’t long, but it felt like an eternity.

" Malaki,” Damien called, gently squeezing her hand. She looked up at him, eyes glazed. “we’re here.”

“Oh. Okay.” She opened her door and slid out, gently shutting it behind her. He jogged around the car and slid his had around her shoulder, guiding her up the stairs. He nodded to Dick, who was holding the door, ready to welcome people and hand out roses to lay in front of the urns. Tom and Sabine had made it clear in their wills they wanted to be cremated, with their urns placed into the Dupain family mausoleum. Damien walked Marinette inside, and sat her on one of the couches next to the entry to the viewing room.

“Do you need anything?” He asked.

“Could you grab me a glass of water? Then we can start checking that everything is perfect.”

“No need.” A voice called. They turned to see Chloe standing there in a loose-fitting t-shirt dress with a handkerchief skirt and a pair of black pumps. “The catering is dealt with, the florist has been payed, the organist is ready and warmed up. The pall bearers are prepared, and your grandparents are here and ready to give their eulogies. There’s a chair up front between the urns for you if you need to sit, along with a pitcher and a glass of water. I have tissues and make-up wipes, along with your foundation and mascara in case of emergencies.” Marinette bolted from where she was seated and tackled Chloe in a hug.

“Thank you!” She chanted, over and over, sobbing a little.  

“It’s what friends are for. Besides, as the bee, it is my job to keep the hive in balance. The balance is off because of that damn alley cat, so helping you is the least I can do, since you won’t let me handle that damn liar.” The blonde was refusing to look at them, glaring into the distance with red cheeks.

“Still, I can’t thank you enough. I don’t know how I would handle this without your help.” Chloe scoffed.

“It’s nothing, seriously. Now, do you want to go over everything one more time? People will be arriving any minute.” Marinette nodded, sniffling. “Let’s start in the buffet area.” Marinette nodded, smiling weakly when Chloe took her hand. Damien watched them go, before checking the time. In all reality, they had about five minutes, but he knew Marinette needed something to do.

“Damien.” His father called from behind him. He turned to see Father and Alfred were wearing black suits, his father in a black tie and Alfred in green. “How is she?”

“She’s mainly disassociated. I’m not sure if that’s good or bad, but Chloe is distracting her with the preparations.” He sighed and ran a hand through his hair, a bad habit Talia had never managed to stop.

“I have double checked the guest list, anyone not invited will be escorted out by the guards hired for the event.” Alfred said. “I refuse to allow such rabble to pollute this day and upset miss Marinette.” Damien nodded, grateful. If he saw and of his angel’s classmates, he would likely not be in control of his actions.

X0X0X

They were a half an hour into the funeral when it happened. Gina had just finished her eulogy, and Roland was getting ready for his. Luka was on Marinette’s other side, with Chloe standing by the door as a greeter.

There was a scuffling from the door, and Damien was torn. He could leave his angel alone and deal with it, or he could stay here and trust his family to deal with it. His choice was irrelevant when he saw one of Marinette’s classmates burst in. It was the one who tried to race a panther, K-something. He came running up the aisle, only to be tackled by Tim, who flipped the boy onto his stomach and pinned his hands. Tim looked up and nodded, making brief eye contact with Damien before dragging the boy to his feet.

“Lemme go!” The boy yelled, thrashing pointlessly.

“Nope.” Tim said, scowling. “You would have made a big scene and just upset ‘Nettie. You need to leave, now.”

“You can’t make me! You’re a dumbass for falling for Marinette’s lies! She’s just making this up for attention, her parents are on a cruise!” Damien saw red. He prowled down the aisle, and grabbed the slightly shorter boys collar, before dragging him behind him and slamming him into the wall.

“Insinuate that she is lying again and I will eviscerate you.” He growled, before dropping the boy. The boy scrambled for the door, where he saw Dick was using himself as a human barricade, trying to keep out nearly a dozen teenagers.

“MARINETTE!” The one who had harassed his angel earlier called “MARINETTE GET OUT HERE! YOU”VE LIED ABOUT SOME DUMB STUFF BEFORE BUT THIS IS TOO FAR!” He felt a soft hand on his arm, only to find Marinette standing next to him, looking furious, with Chloe behind her.

“Malaki,” he asked, gently grabbing her wrist. “do you want me to handle this?” She shook her head.

“I need to do this myself.” He scrunched up his nose.

“If you’re sure.” She nodded and walked slowly for the door.

“Dick, let Alya in.” He shot her a look, before grabbing the creole girl and shoving her into the room, before blocking the angry looking class again.

“Seriously, girl?!” Alya scoffed. “Hiring a bunch of body guards for a fake funeral? How low can you go?” Marinette took off her black wrist length gloves and handed them to Damien. “And is this a fake boyfriend? Seriously? I cannot believe you! Especially when Lila was just telling us about her boyfriend! I know you’re a greedy bitch, but- “Alya was cut off when her head snapped to the side. Marinette shook out her hand and carefully took her gloves back from Damien, tugging them on. “did you just-?”

“Slap you? Yes, yes, I did. I was prepared to listen, Cesaire. I was ready to hear you ask questions, or maybe even apologize. But I will not allow you to come here, to my parents funeral, and disrespect them and their memory by calling me a liar and an attention whore. I want you gone. All of you. If I see you here again, I will call the police. In case you’re forgetting, my parents were close with the chief, seeing as his daughter worked in the bakery for four years before she went of to college. If you have anything nice to say, say it before I have security drag you out.” Alya was stunned, one hand on her rapidly reddening cheek.

“You’ll get hit by karma soon enough.” Alya spat, before spinning on her heel and marching out the door.

“I don’t think so.” Marinette sighed. “I’m afraid it’s time for her Judgment.” The kwami nodded from Marinette’s hidden pocket. It was about damn time.

X0X0X

Alya stormed out of the funeral home, clutching her cheek. Marinette had to be lying! No way was she telling the truth! That would mean Alya had just stormed into a funeral and yelled at someone who just lost everything. She bumped into someone, and looked up to see Nino glaring down at her. They had broken up a few months ago, when Lila had opened up her eyes to how little time, he really spent with her, and how he spent hours every day working on his music or hanging out with Marinette.

“I don’t know what I ever saw in you.” He said, and shouldered past her, nodding at the guy guarding the door, who let him pass no problem. Alya kicked a post, and cursed when she hurt her toes. She jolted a little when she heard a voice that she knew too damn well in her head.

“Truth seeker, my name is- “

Damien sat in the back of the bat-jet, silent. He had sent Marinette several texts before she had to go to sleep. She had been allowed to for home for the night, but as of tomorrow she would need to find a guardian, and Damien would be damned if she was sent beyond his reach. The flight was taking almost six hours, which was far too long. He wondered why they couldn’t just take the zeta tubes.

“Calm down, baby bird. We’re fifteen minutes out.” Nightwing said from the seat beside him. “It’ll be five am when we get there, so we’ll have time to check into the hotel before we go see Mari-bug.”

“That’s not soon enough! She could get akumatized!” He growled, running his hands through his dark hair.

“We all know that Tikki will keep her calm, Damien.” Bruce called. “For now, you need to calm down.” Damien took a deep breath and let it out in a massive sigh.

“Fine. But the second I can, I’m going to her.”

“I would expect nothing less.” Bruce agreed.

X0X0X

The second the plane had landed; Damien was unbuckled and out of his seat. He grabbed his bag from under his seat and headed for the back ramp. Bruce just sighed and lowered the ramp. Damien jogged to the roof door, ignoring the stares of those using the hotel’s pool for an early morning swim.  He slammed open the door and began running down the stairs, meeting up with Chloe on the sixty-second-floor landing, and skidded to a halt.

“How is she?” The blonde asked, looking disheveled.

“Last I heard, she’s doing okay. She has Tikki with her, but I’m still worried.” He sighed as she opened the door to her personal suite.

“Me too. Leave your bag here, I’ll have it taken to your room. I know you’re likely wearing most of your Robin suit, but you can use my bathroom to get changed if you need. You’ll reach her faster if you take our kind of route.” Damien nodded and dropped his bag on her bed, digging out this mask, boots, and cape.

“Do you want to join me?” He asked as he tugged on his boots and slid his mask into place.

“Not yet. She needs you first. I’ll go see her later.” Damien nodded and flipped up his hood, heading for the balcony. He stepped up onto the railing and fired his grappling hook, waiting on it to catch on a gargoyle. He nodded to Chloe as he swung away.

“My Queen?” A groggy voice asked, and Chloe turned to see a sleepy looking Pollen floating over. “Why are you up so early?”

“Oh, Pollen. We need to talk.” Chloe sighed.

X0X0X

Damien flipped onto Marinette’s balcony, knocking on the trapdoor. He heard a small shuffle, before three quick, sharp knocks echoed through the wood. He rapped his knuckles twice heavily against the door, and sprung back as it was flung open. He was tackled to the ground by a blur of pink, and he landed hard on his back.

“Dami!” Marinette sobbed, her arms around his neck and her face buried in his chest. He guided her into a sitting position and carefully situated her so that she was sitting across his lap. He bundled her in his cape, and began petting her hair.

“I’m here, beloved. I’m here. Breathe.” He soothed, gently swaying her from side to side.

“It hurts so much, Dami!” She sobbed, and he saw Tikki poke her head out of the trapdoor. The small kwami smiled weakly at him before ducking back down.

“I know, angel. Let’s get you inside, it’s cold out and I don’t want you getting sick.” She nodded minutely, and he scooped her into his arms, before carefully descending the stairs to her loft. Tikki flew past and shut the door, and he sat down heavily on the bed. He let go of Marinette for just a moment, long enough to peel off his mask and remove his cape. “Do you wanna talk, or what? We can do whatever you want, angel.” He asked.

“Just cuddle me? Please?” She asked, and oh, how his heart broke. She looked so small and broken. Her hair was disheveled and her clothes were rumpled. Her eyes were puffy and red, and her face was covered in tear tracks. He scooted across the bed and wrapped his arms around her, feeling her go boneless. She cried into his neck for a while, and he saw Tikki settle against her side. After a bit, her sobs subsided and she fell asleep. He carefully eased one hand up to his ear, and tapped twice against his comm.

“Robin reporting in.” The comm crackled, before Batman responded.

“Batman here. How is she?” Damien glanced down at where Marinette was laying on his chest.

“She’s asleep right now. She cried a good bit. I swear, I’m going to hunt down who ever did this and – “

“Robin! No killing!” Batman barked.

“I was going to say ‘maim him’. Death is too good for the scum who did this.” He growled. “I need to go, she’s waking up.”

“Alright. Try to get her to eat something, and make sure she drinks some water.”

“Yes, Father. Over and out.”

Damien had sent a brief text to Chloe, informing her that he was with Marinette, before he slid down off the bed. He headed for the closet, gently pushing aside Marinette’s clothes until he reached a small row of clothes he had left here for after patrol, if he needed to spend the night. He snagged a soft cotton shirt and a pair of sweatpants that Marinette had made for him. HE ducked into the bathroom to change, keeping his hearing focused on Marinette’s room. He wanted to be there when she woke up, but he also needed to get her food and water….

The decision was made for him when he heard Marinette start to shuffle about. He finished tugging the shirt over his head and quickly walked back to the room. Marinette was sitting up in bed, staring emptily at the wall.

“Beloved?” He called; brows furrowed. Marinette turned to him groggily, before walking over and burying her face in his shirt. He gently pet her fair for a moment, and smiled a little when she wrapped her arms around him. “Let’s head downstairs. You need to eat, and have something to drink.” Marinette shrugged, and slid her hand against his, entwining their fingers tightly. He pulled a little, going down the stairs before her, in case she stumbled. He guided her through the living room and dining room, before stopping in the kitchen. Marinette slumped on a barstool, leaning her forehead against the cool island.

“What do you want to eat, Angel?” He asked, opening the fridge.

“Don’t know.” She whispered. Damien frowned and began grabbing ingredients. He whisked the eggs and smoothly poured them into the pan, before dicing mushrooms, bell peppers, and onions. Once the omelet was done, he flipped it, waited a few seconds, and added the vegetables and some cheese. He slid the spatula under the omelet and put it on the plate he had grabbed from the cupboard and set it in front of his Angel.

“Eat.” He sighed, and handed her the fork. She slowly cut off a bite and chewed slowly, before her eyes lit up.

“This is really good, Dami.” She smiled a little. It was weak, and a little wobbly, but it was still a wonderful sight.

“Thank you. I had Alfred teach me some easy recipes.” His cheeks burned a little. He refused to tell her it was to impress her. “What do you want to drink?” He asked, swiftly changing the subject.

“Could you heat up some of Mama’s mulled grape juice? There should be some left, and I really need it right now.” She whispered, and Damian was quick to grab her favorite mug from the cupboard. It faded from a pale pink to a vivid ladybug pattern when it was in contact with heat. He had it custom made for her sixteenth birthday last month, an homage to his love for all of her. He warmed up two mugs worth of the mulled grape juice, and ladled half into the mug. Marinette took it gratefully, sipping at it a little. He had just turned his back for a moment to ladle out a mug for himself, when he heard sobbing. He slammed the mug onto the counter and dropped the ladle before spinning around. Marinette had set her mug on the counter, and was a sobbing mess. He ran around the island, before scooping her into his arms.

He carried her, bridal style, to the living room, where he carefully sat in Tom’s favorite plush leather armchair. He remembered her telling him that she would sit in the chair as a child, pretending to be an adult, big and strong like her Papa. Damien settled her so that she was seated sideways on his lap, and he could carefully run his hand through her hair. Tikki came zooming down the stairs, looking around frantically. She sagged visibly when she saw the two of them.

“Tikki, could you grab us a comb and some tissues?” He asked quietly. The little goddess nodded, before phasing through the ceiling. She came back a minute later, carrying a box of tissues with an ornate comb he recognized as Sabine’s. The comb was cherry wood, with an onyx inlay in the handle. The kwami floated across the room, setting the items down on the end table next to the chair.

“Tikki.” Marinette sobbed, reaching for her kwami. Tikki floated until she was seated in Marinette’s cupped hands. Marinette pulled her kwami against her chest, sobbing still. Damien grabbed the comb and gently untied Marinette’s pigtails, setting the soft silk ribbons aside. He slowly began running the comb through his beloved’s hair, humming an old Arabic lullaby he had heard one of the maids at the league sing. Soon, Marinette’s tears had subsided, and the comb was gliding through raven locks with no resistance. He set the comb aside, and pulled her back against his chest. She sagged against him, sighing.

“What am I gonna do?” She whispered.

“What do you mean, beloved?”

“I could go with Nona, but that would mean leaving Paris, and I can’t. I have a duty as Ladybug! Uncle Cheng mentioned opening a new branch of his restaurant here in Paris, but the two of us can’t communicate! I speak French, English, and Cantonese, while he only speaks Mandarin!” Marinette was starting to hyperventilate. Damien set a hand on either one of her shoulders and started to massage them a little.

“Beloved, you need to breathe.” He said, taking exaggerated breaths in an attempt to get her to mimic him. After a second, she began to breathe like him. Four seconds in, hold for seven, out for five.

“Thank you.” She whispered shakily.

“Anything for you, beloved.” He murmured. “As for where you’re going to be living, Father would be more than willing to take you in. You could stay in the penthouse we have here in Paris. It’s a few blocks away, near Le Grand Paris. You wouldn’t have to worry about anything.”

“Do you really think so?” She asked, staring out the window at the cloudless sky.

“For you, my angel, my family would do anything.” He assured her, and dropped a kiss on the top of her head. “right now, let’s get dressed and go for a run.” Marinette sighed as she stood, stretching her back with a loud pop. She headed up the stairs, leaving him with Tikki.