mind over mask

sixty

"Marinette is not going to tell anyone until she feels comfortable enough to do so. We don't even know what the Joker did to her." Damian defended.

Tim and Dick looked at eachother, and both said, "Whipped."

Damian rolled his eyes at them. "Tt."

"He didn't deny it." Dick said in a singy songy voice.

Bruce sighed, before the boys could break out into a fight. "Let's get to bed. We have a busy day tomorrow, and some of us have university to go to." He stared down his youngest son.

Tim groaned, but left with Dick dragged him away from the computer and took away his coffee. Alfred and Bruce left up the stairs, leaving Damian and I all alone.

Damian took of an oversized sweatshirt, and without turning, he asked me, "When did you wake up?"

I answered him. "Only a few minutes ago."

He nods, and slowly takes the stairs down to get to me.

I go to give him a hug, until I see what's he's wearing. I stop walking to him, and does the same, confused. I take a moment to take him in until I get mad at him.

He's standing there, in a black tank top, his scars exposed to the cool air around him.

I know Damian feels ashamed of the marks he carries, but I think they're beautiful.

They're proof he's struggled, and that he survived.

His skin is like the night sky, and the scars are the stars that cover them.

My voice echos across the empty space, "You shouldn't have shielded me." I tell him, as his arms and waist are covered with white bandages covering his burns.

No answer.

"I literally have magic to protect and heal me, you shouldn't have pushed me out of the way." I press, and I finally watch him crack.

Damian 's breath quickening out of anger. Defensive. Not towards me, but the fact that I was in danger. He asks frustratedly, "Then what should I have done? Watched you suffer?"

"Yes! Because it would've been temporary, and Tikki would have healed me." I argue with him, showing the logic he fails to look for. I fail to mention it took her longer this time, because Plagg doesn't have an owner now. The balance was slowly tipping one way, which was a bad thing.

Damian shakes his head harshly, "You know I can't do that, Marinette."

"I can handle myself out there." I remind him, "I'm a distraction to you in the field, and it shows. Everyone knows."

"So?" He asks, nonchalant.

I spread my arms out to him, "So? You were the one who was so concerned with introducing me to your family, who would hide me away when we had long phone calls. You tell me. I can keep dancing around this, you choose Damian. Right here, and now."

He's ticked off, I can see it in the way he tenses his muscles. He knows I'm right, but he can't admit that he's wrong.

So he decides.

He starts walking over to me, and suddenly my courage fades. I start to back away, until I hit a grooved wall in the BatCave. Damian starts to corner me, but I don't feel trapped.

He places one of his arms against the wall, and he looks me straight in the eye. "Marinette," he whispers. It's the last warning he's giving.

"Damian," I answer back, my voice just above a breath.

He leans forward, and for a moment I think he going straight for a kiss, but his lips ghost across my cheek. His nose traces along my cheekbone, exploring my face, and I'm left trembling under his touch.

Finally, his lips hover mine, and then I meet him the rest of the way.

It starts out light, and innocent. Slow.

But then it deepens, and I wrap my arms around his neck, careful to avoid his burns. One of hands wraps around my waist, pulling my closer, another cupping my face.

It's not my first kiss, and it shows.

He knows, and suddenly, it becomes more competitive. I smile into the kiss, because I know that there's no where else I'd rather be.

I pull away first for air, and his emerald eyes look deep into mine. They seen lighter and happier now, not like he's carrying the weight of the world anymore. 

Without a word, I melt right into him, as his arm supports my lower back. I wrap my arms around him, and we stand there for a few moments, trying to convince ourselves that we were safe in eachothers arms. It was easy. We were, at this moment. But for the long run?

All I knew is that our masks would call us to different destinies.

But for now, we existed forever in this moment.

I was still mad at him, but I could always yell at him later. And he could always kiss me as an apology.