Damian met a lot of people. As one of the sons of Bruce Wayne, it was practically in his job description to have women (and men) throw themselves (or their daughters or sons) at him as though eventually one might stick.
It was exhausting.
Not because he objected to the idea of a partner, but because they didn’t mean it. Very few saw more in him than the dollar signs that came with his last name. They all had expectations on how he should behave, which to an extent was understandable, but sometimes also confusing. Often he didn’t know whether he was the pursuer or the prey.
The most recent gala he was pressed into attending had been no different, until the last two hours. He’d been stuck in a waltz with a woman old enough to be his mother fluttering her eyelashes at him, until a young woman in a red ball gown cut in.
“I hope you don’t mind,” she said, blue eyes twinkling as they turned. “I had to get away from a guy at the bar and you looked like you needed a rescue.”
“I’m not some damsel in distress.”
Her lips lifted into a smile.
“Not a damsel, but you were definitely in distress. You looked one inane comment away from committing murder,” she teased.
He huffed, and they danced silently for the next few steps.
“Maybe you should try it sometime,” she said when the music ended.
“Try what?”
“The damsel thing. Sure, helpless distress sucks, but having someone pursue you like a priceless treasure is kind of nice, if they do it right.”
“Tt,” he scoffed, walking with her to the edge of the dance floor. “I wouldn’t know. Most people pursue me as though I’m a walking ATM rather than some treasured jewel.”
“Well then, allow me to be your knight in shining armor.” She gently took his hand and brought it to her lips. His breath caught as she placed the gentlest kiss there, never once breaking eye contact. Letting go, she took a step back, eyes dancing with mirth as he stood there speechless.
She disappeared into the crowd, and he only saw a few glimpses of her for the rest of the night. When he arrived at his own apartment, exhausted from socializing, he found a slip of paper in his pocket.
It was lovely to meet you, cheri. xxx-xxx-xxxx ~Marinette
…
“Adrien, WHY did you let me go to that gala?” Marinette whined the next day, smacking her head on her best friend’s shoulder. “I obviously should be supervised, because otherwise I end up channeling you and making myself look like an idiot.”
He patted her head.
“Aw, Bug, it can’t be that bad,” he said, pulling her in for a hug. “Worst case is that he doesn’t get in contact.”
“Noooo, the worst case is that he uses his considerable influence to ruin my business because I had the audacity to flirt,” she groaned, flopping onto the sofa face first.
“Come on, Mari, I really don’t think that will happen. One, you didn’t actually do anything wrong.” Adrien sat down on the floor in front of her and poked her head. “You left him a note, basically giving him all the power in regards to whether or not it goes anywhere. He never has to see you again if he doesn’t want to. Two, he really isn’t so vindictive unless you give him a reason. If you had, I think you would already know by now.
And three,” he paused, so she turned her head to look at him, “your brand presence in the industry is pretty strong. I’m not sure Wayne even could totally destroy it. Some damage, maybe, but as long as you have Jagged on your side, I think you’ll be good.”
Marinette’s shoulders relaxed at his words.
“And you, Adrien,” she said softly. “I wouldn’t be anywhere without you.”
“I know,” he said with a cheeky grin, and she ruffled his hair with a laugh. “We’re the Cat and Bug Team, best friends forever.”
“I think you mean Bug and Cat Team,” she corrected, sitting up and patting the seat next to her. “Thanks for talking me down, kitty.”
“Always,” he said, leaning back as she reached over him to grab her buzzing phone. “That’s probably him now. If he’s not stupid, because only an idiot wouldn’t call.”
Marinette rolled her eyes.
“It’s probably Jagged calling to discuss details of the new album cover. He was supposed to call yesterday but Fang wanted to play and got stuck on a twisty slide,” she said, looking down at the screen.
“EEP!” she squeaked, and accidentally flung the phone at Adrien’s head.
“Ha!” he laughed, just barely missing a phone to the nose. “It IS him!”
“What should I do?”
He grabbed her phone off the back of the sofa and handed it to her.
“Answer him, silly.”
“Right, right, answer,” she mumbled, unlocking the screen and opening her messages.
Damian: I find myself intrigued by your proposal.
“I can’t believe that actually worked!”
“Of course it did,” Adrien said, booping her nose.
Her hands shook a little as she typed in a reply.
Marinette: I would love to discuss it further. Dinner Thursday at 6? I know a great place. I can pick you up, or we can meet there.
Damian: You can pick me up at WE.
Marinette: Dress casual!
She bit her lip to contain her smile, unsuccessfully, and then jumped up in a panic.
“We’re going out on Thursday! I have to get ready!”
…
Marinette: I’m here!
Damian was…optimistic about Marinette Dupain-Cheng. Truthfully, the date was a surprise to everyone, including himself. He was intrigued by a woman who showed interest, disappeared, then left a note in his pocket without him noticing. And no one had ever offered to be his white knight before.
He tucked his phone in his jacket pocket and arranged his expression from a smile to something more neutral. He had opted to wait in his own office rather than present a spectacle in the lobby, which ended up a mistake. Jason had taken it upon himself to vet Marinette as Damian’s potential girlfriend. Never mind that they’d already performed an extensive background check before inviting her to the gala.
“Is this really necessary?”
“Absolutely. Considering the kind of people you tend to attract, gotta make sure she isn’t some crazy psychopath under a sweet designer exterior.”
“Tt.”
He crossed his arms as the elevator moved downwards. When they walked out the lobby doors, Damian looked around for her, eyebrows raising when he saw her. Bathed in the glow of twilight, she was leaning against a red and silver motorcycle. Standing straight when she saw them, her face lit up with a smile.
“Damn! Is that an early 70’s Bonneville?” Jason asked, whistling when he saw the bike.
Her smile turned nostalgic as she ran her hand fondly over the seat.
“Yeah! 1970. It was my grandmother’s. The jacket too!” She did a little twirl to show it off. “She taught me to ride when I was in collège and I fell in love. Nonna gave me Bonneville when she couldn’t ride anymore.”
“Well, she’s definitely cooler than you,” Jason smirked at him. “Have fun kids.”
Damian narrowed his eyes as he watched him walk away.
“Are you ready to go then?” she asked, bouncing a little. “I’ve been wanting to try this outdoor market for a while, so I thought it would be nice to try it together!”
She unstrapped a second helmet from the back of the bike and handed it to him.
“Sorry, I know it’s a small bike. I don’t have a car.”
“It’s not a problem.”
He put the helmet on and sat behind her, and wrapped his arms around her waist. They took off, and she drove the bike like she was born for it. A few minutes later saw them parked at an outdoor market. They walked through the market, perusing the stalls, before stopping for something to eat. She insisted on paying for his meal.
“I asked you to dinner. That means I pay.” She pulled her wallet out of her jacket and handed the cash over to the cashier.
“I’m perfectly capable of paying for myself,” he argued.
Her expression was serious as they walked to a bench to sit.
“I know you can pay for yourself, Damian,” she acknowledged, turning to face him. “Just like I can pay for myself. But that’s not really the point.”
“Then what is the point?”
“Allowing someone else to take care of you, to share something with you, is the point,” she said, taking his hand in hers with a soft smile. “I want the chance to do nice things for you. Sometimes that might mean paying for things, and a lot of the time it’ll be making things because creating is my passion. I want to spend time with you, learn about what makes you happy.”
He didn’t know what to say.
“I find it to be an acceptable arrangement.”
She laughed.
“Does that mean you’ll go out with me again?”
…
They did go out again. In fact, Marinette asked him out once a week, and he only once declined. Every time she would meet him or pick him up, she brought something for him. Flowers, snacks, a scarf and hat set that she made. A drawing of a little bird she saw that reminded her of him. A box of chocolates she made herself. (That’s a lot of chocolate, he’d said, and insisted on sharing them with her.)
He let her hold his hand, open doors for him, buy him dinner. He listened to her talk excitedly about her passions, and rewarded her by telling her about his own. He showed her pictures of his pets, his paintings, and even some street art he’d done when he was a teenager.
Marinette was head over heels, and finally decided it was time to cook for him, and to introduce him to her best friend. Adrien would always be part of her life, and the real test of any relationship of hers was whether or not her partner could accept that. If everything went well, she planned to ask Damian to be her boyfriend.
She met him at the lobby of her apartment building and chattered nervously about her latest design for Jagged while they rode up in the elevator. The apartment door was to the left of the elevator and Marinette’s hand shook slightly as she opened it.
“Are you alright, Marinette?” he asked, eyes soft with concern.
“Oh! Yeah, I’m fine it’s just–”
“Mari!” Adrien shouted from the kitchen. “Is that tarte tatin for me? Oh! You’re not alone!”
“So, who’s your…friend?” Damian turned to her looking confused and hurt.
“Friend! He IS just a friend. Well, he is actually a lot more than a friend but NOT a boyfriend, he’s my roommate and my best friend? Really a lot more like an annoying brother than anything else.” She sucked in a breath and stilled her hands, which had been waving wildly as she explained.
“I see,” Damian said, turning to Adrien and nodding.
“The tarte tatin is for after dinner. Are you staying?” she asked.
“Nah, I have to get to the library. You two kids have fun.”
Adrien left and Marinette reached out for Damian’s hand.
“Thank you for understanding.”
He looked away, face pink.
“I was hoping you would consider the role of boyfriend?” she looked up at him hopefully, heart beating wildly in her chest.
“This is an acceptable proposal,” he said, and pulled her towards him.
“Can I kiss you, Damian?”
Instead of an answer, he leaned down and pressed his lips to hers.
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“Where is she,” Zoe wondered aloud for what had to be the fifth time in the last five minutes.
Marinette giggled and clasped her hand to ground her. “Zoe, she’s only a few minutes late. She said she’d be here any second.”
“Yeah, but that was like ten minutes ago, and honestly with Sandy,” she rolled her eyes, “she’s worse than you used to be and I’m hungry,” she teased.
Marinette gasped in mock offense and swiped playfully at her. “I am much better, thank you very much!”
“I know,” she crowed, “that’s why I said ‘used to be’ not currently are.” They glared at each other, trying to stare the other into submission, but both broke down into giggles after just a few moments. They were laughing so hard, they completely missed the limo that pulled up in front of them.
“Zoe!” a blonde-haired woman, who Marinette had to assume was Sandy, squealed as she launched herself out of the limo and into Zoe’s arms.
“Sandy!” Zoe squealed, matching Sandy’s excitement. They both made the same noise as they hugged, jumping around in a circle in their excitement. “I missed you so much! It’s so good to see you! You look amazing!” Zoe gushed all of it out in less than 10 seconds and at a decibel that Marinette had a hard time hearing.
“Oh my God! I missed you too. You have to tell me everything about Paris and your life there! You look so good too! But I have to give credit to my Daddy for my look,” she preened and fluffed her hair as she posed for Zoe. “He buys me the best things.”
“Your dad?” Zoe asked. Her eyes shot to Marinette in confusion. “But I thought you didn’t talk to…”
“No,” Sandy waved her off like the very idea disturbed her inner peace, “not my dad, my Daddy. My Sugar Daddy. Come on, he’s in the car. I’m dying for you to meet him.” She started pulling Zoe toward the car but froze after a step and turned to Marinette. “Oh! Oh my God! I’m so rude. I’m sorry! You must be Marinette. Zoe has told me so much about you.”
Marinette smiled and waved awkwardly. “Yep, that’s me.” Her eyes flicked to Zoe who suddenly looked uncertain, but she took a breath and turned back to Sandy again. “Zoe’s told me a lot about you too,” she offered kindly. “It’s really nice to meet you.”
“Sandy,” Zoe started carefully, her eyes shot to Marinette for reassurance before continuing, “I thought it was just going to be us at lunch and after.”
“Oh, don’t worry! Gary’s just joining us for lunch!” she reassured Zoe quickly, her voice full of excitement. “He’ll drop us off at Times Square after lunch and he promised to let me use his credit card for our shopping. But he knows the nicest places to eat so when I asked him where we should go and said I wanted to take some girlfriends out, he volunteered to go with us.”
“Oh, that was… nice,” Zoe faltered, finally able to settle on a neutral way to end the sentence.
“I know right!” Sandy gushed. There was no indication she’d caught onto Zoe’s anxiousness. “He’s the best Daddy ever. Come on,” she motioned them toward the door. “We don’t want to be late. Daddy doesn’t like being late.”
“Right,” Zoe nodded. She shot Marinette an apologetic glance before following Sandy into the car. Marinette sighed and followed Zoe into the limo.
Once she got in, it became clear Sandy had left out a few significant details and Marinette instantly wished they’d decided not to get in, because not only was Gary there, who she assumed was the man in the main seat Sandy had cuddled up to, but there were four other men in the car as well. All five of the men were in dark, poorly tailored suits, which she could tell without looking very hard, hid guns in shoulder holsters. The four men’s expressions matched their dour suits. Their eyes had a hard, emotionless set to them, and their mouths fixed into neutral flat lines.
She turned to Zoe with wide eyes, hoping she was picking up the same thing as Marinette, but Zoe was watching the way her friend and Gary interacted with poorly disguised distaste. Marinette had no choice but to grin and push past the four men, sitting two by two on the side benches, to get the seat facing backward. She looked past the partition to see the chauffeur, accidentally catching his eyes in the rear-view mirror.
To her surprise, his eyes were not devoid of emotion like the other men’s were. Instead, his vibrantly blue eyes looked almost confused at seeing her there until one eyebrow rose into something like a question. She gave a crooked smile back and shrugged. The question he was trying to ask was still a mystery to her but whatever it was, a shrug felt like the right answer. It was the answer to so many questions someone could ask right then.
Somehow, that small interaction made her feel significantly more confident about the situation. She could handle this. This was nothing. It was a lunch and then she wouldn’t have to see any of these men again. She could do that. She’d had dinner with Adrien’s dad… and his mom, not to mention Zoe’s mom. If she could survive them, this would be a breeze.
Her resolve was shaken the moment she looked up and had the unfortunate experience of meeting Gary’s eyes. He looked her and Zoe over like a predator, actually licking his lips at one point. His lips curled up into a wolfish smile. “So, who’re your… friends, Baby?”
“Oh!” Sandy brightened up and pulled away enough to motion toward Zoe and Marinette. “This is my old friend Zoe. We went to school together. We haven’t seen each other in forever, but we were best friends.” Marinette silently thanked the gods that Sandy had enough sense not to mention Zoe’s status, or rather her parents’ status. There was no way that wouldn’t be dangerous information for a man like him to know. “And this is her friend Marinette. She’s visiting from Paris.”
“Ahh, the City of Love,” he leered. He leaned forward and waggled his eyebrow. “Maybe we can help you find love here.”
Marinette subconsciously leaned away, but her eyes widened at the offer, which the man apparently took as interest instead of the repulsion she actually felt as his grin widened. “I’m actually hoping for more corporate pursuits for now,” she said tightly.
“Maybe we can help you with both,” he offered. He shimmied forward in his seat, still too far away from her to actually make contact, but he very much looked like he wanted to.
Marinette almost shifted further into the corner but before she could, the car took a turn unnecessarily sharply, knocking him back into his seat. “Hey! Watch the turns, incompetent jackass.” He leaned closer to one of the goons to whisper under his breath, “Never hire this guy as a fill-in again. In fact, never use that agency again.”
Marinette gave the driver a grateful smile while Gary settled himself again. “I’m good, thank you,” she stated firmly. “I’m going to do it on my own.”
“It never hurts to have friends,” he chided. He had the audacity to pout like she was hurting his feelings.
Her eyes moved from him to his goons slowly, uncomfortably before returning to him. “It depends on the friend,” she said carefully.
Zoe grabbed her arm and edged closer. “Marinette,” she warned, her voice was low enough for just Marinette to hear it.
“I can be very friendly,” he cooed. His voice was so sickeningly sweet, it made her nauseous. Combined with the utter disrespect he was showing Sandy, who clearly was not happy with the situation, Marinette couldn’t wait to get out of the car and breathe uncontaminated air.
She wanted to tell the creep that she was well familiar with the benefits of having the right friends because she had a friend who insisted on putting any new friends their group made through a thorough, slightly illegal… depending on the country, highly illegal in most countries, background check after the miraculous situation had blown up and they all discovered half of the parents and friends of parents were involved. So he was welcome to become a friend and be exposed to that kind of check, but somehow, she didn’t think that would end well for her while she was contained in the small car with five hostiles.
She was saved from having to say anything by Sandy’s shrill squeak as she pulled a jewelry box out of Gary’s chest pocket and showed it to him. “Is that for me, Daddy?”
He grabbed the box back and gave her a smarmy smile, though his eyes flicked to Marinette for a second. “Of course, Baby,” he crooned in that same saccharine tone. He held it out for her but pulled it away at the last second when she tried to grab it. She giggled and reached for it again only to have it pulled away again. They repeated the cycle a few times, Sandy giggling like it was a surprise each time. Marinette shot Zoe an unimpressed look that Zoe returned, hers with a significantly more uncomfortable inflection at seeing her old friend behave that way.
When Sandy finally grasped the box, she had it open in a matter of seconds and gasped loudly, clutching it to her chest as she gave Gary a kiss on the cheek. “It’s beautiful, Daddy! I love it!” she gushed as she did a little dance in her seat. She held the ostentatious diamond necklace out to show Zoe and Marinette. “Isn’t it beautiful? Thank you so much, Daddy. Will you put it on me?”
“Of course, Baby,” he cooed. He looked at Marinette and Zoe the entire time he was latching the clasp. “It’s what I do for my friends.”
Marinette couldn’t stop herself from reacting that time. She looked away and closed her eyes, forcing herself to take several long deep breaths as she edged closer to Zoe, trying to angle herself so she was almost in front of her, but Zoe wouldn’t let her do it. She kept her right by her side but clasped her hand to make sure Marinette knew they were in it together.
Fortunately, they didn’t have to sit there long. They arrived at the restaurant almost immediately after that. If she hadn’t known better, she would have said the chauffeur had been speeding to get them there faster. Someone opened the door from the outside and the four men on the sides filed out first, followed by Gary, then Sandy. Zoe gave Marinette a significant look and a nod before following her out.
Marinette, however, hesitated before moving. She needed a few seconds to calm herself down and build up her defenses before she could brave another extended period with Gary. She let out a few long, deep breaths, counting to five on the inhale and five on the exhale. “What have we gotten into this time?” she muttered to herself.
“You sure you want to go in there?”
Marinette jumped away from the partition, her hands flying to her chest. She’d forgotten about the chauffer, which said something about how unthreatening she found him despite what she was positive were bulging muscles under his suit based off the way it settled against him. Sometime while she was doing her breathing exercises, he’d turned around and settled his elbow on the partition to check on her.
When she met his eyes, she saw the concern but there was something else there, something surreptitious that should scare her, especially considering the kind of man he worked for, but didn’t. His roguish smile didn’t hurt either. It softened the sharp lines of his face, making him seem gentler than his scars indicated. “No, but I’m not sure I have much of a choice,” she admitted, more honestly than she’d meant to be.
The charming grin dropped from his face and his eyes darted to the door and back to her in a microsecond. “I can take you out of here,” he offered, his voice light in direct contrast to the weighted look he was giving her.
Marinette’s eyes traced the same path, to the door and him, but much slower than his did. “I can’t do that,” she shook her head doubtfully.
“You don’t need to worry about him,” he assured her. His hand rested gently on her arm and his eyes were steely, a reassurance that he meant what he said. “I can get you out of here before he notices.”
She smiled softly at him and rested her hand on his but shook her head. “I can’t leave my friend. We’ll just try to get through this as quickly as possible and get out. Won’t be our first dinner with a criminal.”
“You make a habit of dining with villains, do you?” he teased, but she could hear the edge of curiosity in her voice.
She huffed out a mirthless laugh but then let out a long-suffering breath. “More than I care to remember.”
“If I can’t convince you otherwise, then just be careful,” he said, all teasing long gone. There’s an exit through the kitchen, just past the bathrooms, a perfect cover if you want to get you and your friend out, and of course there’s the door in front. The back is easier though, less men guarding it and they won’t give a few women a second glance, especially if you’re giggling. Giggling women always get ignored.” He squeezed her arm just enough to let her know he was serious about his concern, but it was the worried look in his eyes that made her breath catch in her chest. “Get out, get to the far side of the alley, and start walking. Don’t stop until you’re at your hotel or safe.”
His words struck completely through Marinette, setting her on edge. There was something off in them. It wasn’t a normal warning. It was far too specific. Either the man she was dining with had a history of violent meals or something was going to happen during this meal, and he knew. She was just about to ask him about it when one of Gene’s men stuck his head into the car. “Boss says to get into the restaurant.”
Marinette’s eyes instantly narrowed and her back stiffened rod straight. “Excuse me? I don’t work for your boss. He can’t order me around.”
The chauffeur snorted lightly, just barely loud enough for Marinette to hear. She wanted to shoot a glare at him, but the goon was her more immediate concern and she didn’t want to take her eyes off of him. The goon glowered deeply at her and reached in to pull her out by force, but the chauffeur jumped into action, letting the limo jut forward just enough to throw the goon off balance. “You sure about this?” the chauffeur asked under his breath.
She nodded determinedly. “More than ever. I can’t leave Zoe with men like that.”
He nodded but kept his eyes on the goon still trying to get up. “Good luck then. You better go before he sends more goons.”
“Thank you,” she said quietly and gave him one more timid smile before exiting the car.
><><><><><><><><
Dinner proceeded with little fanfare. Dinners with the Agrestes and Zoe’s mom had actually set Marinette and Zoe up pretty well for dealing with Gary. It was miserable, but manageable and since he’d apparently rented out the entire room, they didn’t have to suffer in front of anyone. Of course, that also meant there was nobody there to appeal to if anything happened. They just had to hope that nothing happened to make it worse than it already was.
The entire meal was filled with self-congratulatory, pompous pontificating. The only time he asked them a question was to get their opinion of something he’d done, and even then, he started talking before they could answer. And the only break from the egotistical monologue was to overtly flirt, more with Zoe and Marinette than Sandy, who had clearly noticed and did not appear to appreciate the slight in the least.
Marinette and Zoe had strategically seated themselves as far from Gary as they could. Luckily, he’d chosen a massive table, so they were able to sit far away from him. Unluckily, that position also put them in direct eyeline for him, meaning he could casually ogle them throughout the entire meal, which he seemed to take great pleasure in doing.
By the time the dinner was over, Marinette and Zoe were praying nobody ordered dessert so they could end their misery, but Sandy of all people, destroyed that hope ordering the chocolate entremet. Marinette had to tighten her muscles to keep herself from throwing her head back with a groan. However, her body’s already rigid posture straightened even further at Gary’s next comment.
“That’s a lot of chocolate, isn’t it, baby? You sure you should get that? You’re not going to fit into that new dress I just got you,” he chided.
She pouted dramatically at him and shoved her chest out as she positioned herself to look up at him through her lashes. “But, Daddy, I love chocolate. And I thought we could share. I was going to eat off of your spoon,” she implored in a poor imitation of a baby voice. “I was going to lick it clean.”
His eyes flashed and moved to Zoe and Marinette, his lips widening into that same predatory smile from earlier, but before he could voice what was obviously on his mind, the door slammed open. Marinette jumped, her arm immediately reaching for Zoe, to pull her closer while she tried to assess the situation, but the only thing she could ascertain was that the bad thing the chauffeur had warned her about, had arrived.
“Girls, eat your dessert at the bar,” Gary barked at them, his eyes staring intently at the man who had just entered, only flicking away to note the men he’d brought with him and were spreading out throughout the room.
“But, Daddy, we were going to share our dessert,” Sandy pouted.
“I said leave!” he shouted at her and shoved her away.
Sandy was barely able to catch herself before she stumbled to the ground. Zoe helped her up and rushed her over to the bar with Marinette. Marinette eyed the door to the bathroom, but there was a man stationed at the door. She motioned for the two women to follow her and took a breath before walking up to him. “Excuse me, we’d like to use the restroom.”
The man looked over her shoulder to his boss before turning back to her with a shake of his head. “Hold it until we’re done,” he grunted.
Marinette glared at him, but let Zoe guide her back over to the bar while they waited to see what was going to happen. She didn’t listen to the words, focusing more on the men, what weapons they appeared to have, where they were positioning themselves, how much attention they were paying to the events around them, how confident they seemed. All of it fed into her planning, so when the first gun was pulled out, she was able to react instantly, pulling the other two women behind the bar and pushing them onto the floor, but making sure she had a good view of the exit at the back, which now had two men defending it.
If they could just get the men to move, then she could get Zoe and Sandy through the door and out the back. There was no way to tell if there were more men waiting for them at the door to the alleyway, but as the chauffeur had said, they likely wouldn’t think anything of a group of women. They were probably keeping their eyes out for the men working for whoever the enemy was and wouldn’t think twice about some women, especially vapid, weak women, which it shouldn’t be hard to convince men like that, that they were.
She stayed there, hidden, just listening to the sounds of bullets and punches flying, her eyes never straying from the back door, until one of the men stationed at the back door started toward them, a slightly deranged look in his eyes. Marinette patted Zoe’s shoulder to get her to look up. She could feel the moment she saw the same thing Marinette did, her entire body tensing, but she moved into position instantly, ready to defend themselves.
However, it had been quite a few years since they’d had to fight and as became crystal clear as soon as they started fighting, they were far out of practice. Zoe attacked him first, throwing punches and kicking him in the knee to force him down, but he seemed to not feel her hits at all, moving smoothly past her and bucking her off into the wall of bottles. She crashed down onto the floor with a soundless groan.
Marinette stared from Zoe to the wall of bottles behind her critically for a split second before making a decision and backing out of his way. The man leered condescendingly at her; confident he’d scared her into submission. She backed away from the man, close to Zoe to let the man pass before jumping into action. She grabbed the thickest bottle she could find, which had happened to be right next to where Zoe fell and swung it into the back of his head as hard as she could.
He fell instantly, his head smacking into the ground, but the sound muted by the cushioning matt for bartenders. Blood trickled from the back of his head, but not enough that Marinette was concerned. Zoe knelt to check his pulse, giving Marinette a breathless nod. Marinette nodded back and turned her attention back to the fight, seeing the damage for the first time. Several bodies were sprawled on the ground, but for the most part, the men appeared to still be fighting. There were several groups sequestered around the room, hiding behind inadequate barriers. Until two new players joined the fight with a loud bang of some kind of smoke bomb.
Marinette squeaked and ducked back behind the bar. She eyed the back door again disappointed to discover the second man was still there and clearly on the defense, his eyes darting around the room as he took it all in. She peeked around the corner of the bar which exposed her to the man at the door, but she was confident he wasn’t a threat to them, he was far too focused on the people with weapons.
Smoke had filled the room limiting her vision. All she could make out were vague shapes of punches being thrown, men falling against tables, and the occasional arrow, which actually confused her more than anything else she was seeing. Zoe popped up next to her, also scrunching her face to try to see better.
Finally, the smoke cleared enough she could see people’s faces and gasped. The chauffeur and another man who hadn’t been there before were in the thick of the fight; punching men, blocking them from shooting each other and the other man was shooting arrows that did all kinds of different things, at the goons.
“Is that… who is that?” Zoe whispered.
“I’m not actually sure,” Marinette answered blankly.
She was awed for a moment at their skillful, graceful movements but then a movement caught her eye. Two of the goons were creeping up on the men. Marinette moved before she could fully think through her plan. She grabbed two of the full bottles that looked like they had the thickest glass and deftly threw them at the men, both hitting their mark easily. She cheered at her success but squeaked and ducked back down when the remaining men in the room turned their attention to her.
She stayed ducked behind the bar until the sounds of the fighting were done, even then, not popping her head up without knowing who had won and whether Zoe and Sandy were safe. There was little to no cover behind the bar if someone bothered to come around the side, so Marinette tried to push Sandy and Zoe as far out of the way as possible, but Zoe wouldn’t let her leave, pulling her into hiding as well.
From her new position, she could barely see the entrance to the bar area, but she was able to see someone moving past the bar and into the back passageway. She heard a voice that sounded like the chauffeur’s, but she couldn’t be sure, calling across the room. “Hey moron, where’d you go?”
There was a pause before he laughed loudly. Marinette looked pointedly at Zoe, communicating an entire conversation with just a few looks. Finally Zoe huffed and rolled her eyes with a nod. Marinette smiled and crawled over to the entrance to the bar area just in time to see the chauffeur’s partner wheeling a large linen basket into the room with two goons knocked out inside. “Ahh, just taking out the trash then,” her chauffeur chuckled.
She took a second to take in the scene now that the fight appeared to be finished. Men were laying on the floor all around the room, some bleeding, some handcuffed, some tied up, some in nets for some reason, and at least one strapped to the wall with some kind of restraints tied to arrows. She ducked back behind the bar and shook her head in shock. Very little of the sight made sense and she’d seen plenty of fight aftermaths before.
She didn’t even notice when the chauffeur approached them, getting close enough to rest against the end of the bar and watch her, his eyebrow raised in what Marinette assumed was amusement. She smiled sheepishly at him with a shrug. He chuckled and shook his head as he held out his hand to help her up. As soon as she was up and standing on her own, he gently brushed the glass and dirt off of her. “I thought I said to go out the back,” he chided lightly. “Not hunker down and fight.”
She raised an unamused eyebrow at him. “Was there a secret passage we didn’t know about,” she asked sharper than she meant to use with the men who’d saved them. “Because the exit you told me about was well guarded for the entire fight. So, unless you have an invisibility cloak you meant for us to use, we didn’t have an option.”
He bobbed his head to the side in acquiescence and slightly sheepishly. “Well, it’s done now, let’s get you ladies out of here.”
Sandy whimpered and hid her face in Zoe’s chest, who wrapped her up in her arms and hid her eyes. “It’s okay, don’t look, Sandy. It’s okay. We’re okay,” she reassured her, speaking slowly and confidently even as she looked to Marinette for reassurance. Marinette nodded to her and let the chauffeur take her hand to guide her through the back passage out of the restaurant back to where the car was waiting for them.
Zoe took a long, cleansing breath as soon as they got outside. It took a few seconds before she could process everything again. “Sandy,” she shook her head exasperated, “I know I asked for a blast of a visit, but this is not what I meant.”
Sandy looked around them, edging further into Zoe’s arms and away the trash and the men who had been knocked out, and whimpered.
The sound of sirens broke through the silence. He whipped his head toward the sound and cocked his head, listening quietly for a few seconds. He turned back toward them and jerked his head toward the street. “That would be the police. I’d say they’re about four to five blocks away.” He opened the door of the limo as his friend pumped into the driver’s seat. “Would you ladies care for a ride?”
“Before the police get here?” Zoe asked suspiciously.
“I don't think you want to be involved in a police investigation, do you?” he asked pointedly.
“No, we do not!” Sandy agreed instantly and jumped into the limo faster than she had earlier. “Come on Zoe. Marinette.” Zoe bobbed her head to the side in agreement and crawled in with a sigh.
Marinette started toward the door but froze before getting in. “Our fingerprints are everywhere though,” she pointed out. “They’re going to know we were there and left.”
“We'll take care of it,” he assured her hurriedly. “Now, get in, we only have about 30 seconds.” He said it like a suggestion but shoved her into the car and followed after her. Marinette didn’t even have a chance to brace herself before the limo peeled out and just in time, they turned the corner down the block just as the police turned onto the block in front of the restaurant.
Marinette climbed onto the seat and rubbed her head. She studied the two men closely, trying to glean any clues to their role in what had just happened. They clearly weren’t with the authorities, but they also weren’t with the gangsters. But that didn’t mean they were safe. And with all Sandy’s attention on her hands as she processed what just happened, and all Zoe’s attention on comforting Sandy, it was left to Marinette to make sure they were safe, or at the very least safer than they had been before. “Who are you guys?” she finally broke the silence to ask.
“We're the good guys,” the original chauffeur grinned. The red headed new chauffeur made a noise that didn’t really seem indicate agreement or denial to Marinette, but it seemed to mean something to the original chauffeur. “We're the goodish guys,” he amended with a shrug to which Marinette hummed unconvinced entirely, but enough to not push it.
They arrived at the hotel in no time, again she was positive the new chauffeur had far exceeded the speed limit to get the back as quickly as possible. As soon as they eased to a stop, the dark-haired, original chauffeur got out and opened the door for them. “Don't forget, you ladies were never there. You were together shopping and drinking all day,” he reminded them pointedly.
“No, we weren’t,” Sandy choked like she was insulted by the insinuation.
“Yes, we were,” Zoe insisted pointedly. She turned Sandy by her shoulders to lead her into the hotel. “Remember? You must have had too much to drink. We were drinking and shopping but didn’t find anything we wanted.”
Sandy blinked at her but let her lead her into the hotel. “We did,” she asked carefully.
“Yep, we did,” Zoe reassured her. She glanced back over her shoulder to catch Marinette’s eye, raising an eyebrow once she did.
Marinette nodded back furtively. She waited until the door had closed behind them before turning to the man. “You knew something was going down today.” It was a statement not a question.
“We did,” he confirmed. “The shooting was a surprise though. It was just supposed to be a business deal that we were going to get on camera then steal the goods after,” he shrugged, “…to return it to its rightful owner,” he added quickly at seeing her raised eyebrow. “I did offer to get you out,” he pointed out and put his hands out in innocence.
“Couldn't leave my friend,” she shrugged. “Someone had to watch out for them.”
“That was very...” he looked away into the distance as if searching for the right word, “…stupid,” he finished. She gasped and punched him in his unfairly firm pectoral. She had to bite down the whimper at the pain that shot through her hand, refusing to let him know how it had affected her. She hadn’t even hit him that hard! But judging by the loud bark of laughter that echoed off the buildings in the street, she hadn’t been too successful. “But noble too,” he admitted, his voice softer, more intimate.
“Here,” he handed her a card with a number scrawled on it. “If you have any trouble with the police or that guys’ goons, or have questions, or you need a tour guide, here or Metropolis, or you get bored, or don't get bored, give me a call.”
She took his card and looked up at him through her lashes. “And who would I be calling?
“Me,” he grinned back.
She rolled her eyes but smiled at the joke. “And you are?”
“Jason. Jason Todd.” He held his hand out to her.
“It’s nice to meet you, Jason. I'm Marinette. Marinette Dupain-Cheng.”
“It’s very nice to meet you, Marinette.” He raised her hand to his lips and pressed a gentle kiss to it. He backed away, still keeping his eyes on her. He maintained his eye contact until he’d reached the passenger door. He gave her one more roguish smile before opening the door. “Use the card,” he called as he slid into the seat.
“I'll think about it,” she quipped, but her warm smile betrayed her interest.
“Think hard.” His annoyingly enticing voice carried to her even as the car pulled away.
She watched the car until it turned at the next block, only then whispering, “I don't have to.” She was already planning to text as soon as Zoe and Sandy had calmed down and they were sure the police weren’t going to question them.
I DID MARIBAT/DAMINETTE ART FOR THE TTT EVENT THE MARIBAT SERVER RAN THE PAST WEEK and COMPLETELY FORGOT TO POST IT Ó╭╮Ò Luckily, I posted everything in the server and that counted for the event, so now I'm just playing catch-up (；^ω^）This post will have everything I submitted for the TTT event for convenience sake lol
The two drawings at the top and the two just above are my Fae!Daminette au portraits, I spent a day and a half on them and I'm really proud of how they turned out ( ꈍᴗꈍ)
Next, I did Dickinette, Jasonette, and Timari as silhouettes/shadow couples, doing various couple-y things. I also did Daminette again, but theirs is a bit more special (｡•̀ᴗ-)✧
I have three versions of Daminette's silhouette/shadow couple piece, simply because I couldn't decide which one liked better ╮(＾▽＾)╭
I also submitted some screenshots from an upcoming vampire!Jasonette fic that may or may not count, but it wasn't finished in time to post, so that'll be coming out some time soon ¯\_༼ ಥ ‿ ಥ ༽_/¯
And that's all, folks! Have a good morning/day/night!
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