Blue Beauty

Chapter 2: If I Should Die

Marinette stood at the entrance of the store waiting for Damian to arrive, they were going to be late and that wouldn't be good whatsoever. Adrien would get suspicious of them being together like he did the first day and the whole thing would be called off and Damian could get hurt. Did the boy not get the gravity of the situation they were in? Did he not care? Marinette heard shoes clicking around the corner and saw Damian approach her and she grabbed his hand pulling him around the corner and into a car that would take them to Adrien's studio.

"Do you know how much trouble this is going to get us in?" Marinette asked frowning and Damian just smiled at her shaking his head.

"No, how much?" Damian asked giving her a sideways glance. "It is my second day in Paris and I thought I'd get a little more freedom considering that I came here to get a break not be bossed around by a girl who needs to stop thinking the only way to success is through using her looks and body to give away to someone who will never appreciate her true talent," Damian said and Marinette froze for a second.

"I-I..." Marinette started and Damian just smiled.

"As much as you don't want to admit it, perhaps we could work well together after all. Next time don't pull too hard on the jacket, it was my brother's," Damian said thinking of home and how happy he was that he had left otherwise he would have never met this girl sitting next to him, or he shouldn't have left at all because he would never have the girl sitting next to him. It felt stupid but a good kind of stupid like butterflies were spread through his lungs and the need for her was like his need to breathe and without her the butterflies would escape and he would never feel the need for another again. He had just gotten this feeling and he didn't want to give it up, it was dare he say addictive.

"Was?" she asked and Damian sighed.

"I ran away from home, took something from each of my brother's gathered up enough money to slip by and go back home when I'm ready but yes, was. My brother Jason died in an encounter with a mod boss, it wasn't very pretty, this was his," Damian said and the car stopped. Marinette couldn't help but wonder what kind of past he was trying to escape, was he in danger? Could he lead her to something more than a life of solitude and being a man's servant?

"I'm sorry," Marinette said and Damian glanced back at her.

"You have nothing to be sorry for except for your taste in men Marinette," Damian said and Marinette sighed.

"It doesn't make a difference, let's say hypothetically I do like you," Marinette started and Damian joined her at the back of the car helping unload.

"Hypothetically," Damian said.

"I can't be with you, I have to be with him in order to help Audrey," Marinette said and Damian sighed.

"Why not be with me in every way that counts?" Damian asked and Marinette raised an eyebrow. "Until your wedding day since you don't love this man you can be with me in every way lovers are but once you say I do to this man, I will disappear from your life forever, I promise," Damian said and Marinette thought it over for a second before nodding.

"Not such a bad idea for a runaway, I never would have thought about that," Marinette said smiling before pressing a gentle kiss against his cheek. "We really must be getting inside though otherwise, we'll both be dead," Marinette added dragging him inside.

Audrey was inside waiting for them and smiled to Damian greeting him like an old friend. Damian was dragged along to a room and Marinette grabbed a tissue coughing shooing Damian along to get ready but Audrey stayed behind with the coughing Marinette who swayed for a moment before getting a grip on her footing. Audrey watched as the girl threw away a tissue with specks of red in it and not thinking better she reached to grab it and shoved it into her purse for later to confront the girl on her mysterious illness.