An Unexpected Daminette

Chapter 21

Marinette Prov.

"Damian, what's going on?" I finally decide to ask, after sitting at the center of the maze with Damian in silence for 15 minutes. Damian, looked at me for a few seconds before looking ahead of him with a scowl, like the maze wall offended his very being. "Damian," I say sterner, indicating that I would not drop the topic just because he was scowling, as cute as his scowling face was. "Tt. Can you accept that it was for your benefit and leave it at that?" Damian asked with a bitter tone, not wanting to talk.

"Nope. So tell me what's going on, or I'm going to ask one of your brothers." I answer, raising my eyebrow and staring him down. "Tt. Fine." Damian finally relented with a frown as he turned his body to face me and looked more serious than I had ever seen him. "After what happened yesterday, I asked Drake to look into you. He then informed me that he was already looking into you since Grayson and Todd asked him to and that he thought it would be best to just discuss this as a family. Father came home late last night and told us we would talk about the matter in the morning with my sisters as well." Damian started to explain, holding my hands in his almost like he was scared I would run away before he could say another word.

Giving his hands a comforting squeeze, silently urging him to continue, Damian continued. "This morning we got up earlier than normal and met in the living room. I told Father about what happened in the cafeteria, which got me grounded for this weekend, but then Grayson cursed and told Father what happened with the tour at W.E. Todd then told Father about how he found you lost in one of Poison Ivy's gardens before dark and what happened. By the end of all our tales, Drake suddenly grabbed Grayson's phone since he was showing Father and Seline your picture and said you were the Zombie girl who told him to go to bed. He was confused when he said that when he saw you, you both looked like you were just coming out of a downpour. This made Grayson, Todd, and my sister curse again."

"Gordan then asked what is being done to help you when Grayson said nothing and that your farse of a teacher is useless. Seline then asked what we could do to help you, without killing or maiming your idiotic class. Father said that he and Tim would look into it. My sister refused to stay on their getaway and will be here by this evening. Grayson, Todd, Drake, and I then decided that we would scare your class a bit since we would be in our own home and could pretty much do what we pleased. Grayson was the reason for those spills, Todd was responsible for the moving eyes and Drake used a few, umm pharmaceuticals on the sweet dishes that would cause vomiting and diarrhea." 

Absorbing each word that passed his lips, I only had one question urging to be answered. I couldn't help but whisper a soft, "Why?"  causing Damian to look at me baffled. "Because we care about you and you do not deserve this treatment. Not even that demon that is attached to your hip." Damian answered, leaving no room for argument. "But why? You guys barely know me, know us, so why help before we could ask you to?" I whimper, unsure if I could trust Wayne's sincerity. "Because... I don't know, Angel. I feel this need to protect you since the first time I met you in that blasted ally where you saved my ass. When I saw you at school yesterday, I wanted to be angry with you for what you did, but every cell in my body just wanted you close. I have no idea what is happening to me, but I know everything is as it should be when you're next to me. And I will be damned if I let anyone harm so much as a hair on your head."

Shocked into silence by Damian's words, I could only stare at him with wide eyes while my mind spiraled and jumped and scrambled because of his words. He wasn't lying. I could see it in his emerald eyes. His beautiful emerald eyes which brought me such peace and comfort after so many years of hiding my emotions, after so much unresolved trauma due to Shadowmoth and the attack two years ago. I hadn't even realized I was crying until Damian brought his hand up to wipe my tears away. "You are not alone Angel. Let me share your pain, please." Damian whispered as he searched my eyes trying to see if it was his words that brought me to tears or something else.

"Thank you, Damian. I... I... thank you..." I hiccuped before throwing all common sense, propriety, and everything else out the window as I launched myself at him in a tight hug. Wrapping my arms around his neck as I cried two years' worth of tears onto his shoulder. I felt his arms wrap around my waist, pulling me closer as he whispered comforting words to me. Later I would be mortified by my actions. Later I would ask him why his form of comforting words were promising slow painful deaths. Later I would deal with each and every panicked thought and emotion circling in me. But for now, I would just let Damian hold me as I cried.

- Little time skip brought to you by Alfred and Marinette baking together -

Half an hour later when my tears dried and the only sound I was making was quite sniffles, I was brought back to the mortifying fact that I had just bowled my eyes out on ... well not a complete stranger, but still someone who barely knew me and who I barely knew. Detangling myself from Damian, I slowly moved back to take my previous seat in front of him, eyes red-rimmed no doubt, and face horrible. "Sorry, but umm... thank you Damian." I whispered, tugging my hands firmly into my lap and refusing to meet his eyes. "Anytime Angel." came Damian's soft response, making me look up shyly only to see him smiling softly at me.

"You have a beautiful smile, you know." I couldn't help but blurt out, watching in confusion as Damian slowly reached up to feel his mouth. "I take it you don't normally smile, other than your smirk and those small corner smiles." I observed, silently making a promise to myself that I would get him to smile more for as long as he wanted me in his life. "No, I don't. I wasn't raised..." Damian started to say only to stop and frown. "You don't have to tell me if you don't want to. I understand. We're still strangers, technically. I know. How about we restart properly." I ramble, trying to think, speak, and swoon at the same time. 'Not now hormones!'

"Properly?" Damian asked with a smirk, eyeing me as thou I was the most amusing thing on the planet. 'Stop smirking you gorgeous specimen!' I mentally scolded before schooling myself into a less of a mess and holding my hand out in front of me. "Yes, properly. Hello, my name is Marinette Dupain-Cheng. I love to design clothes, my favorite colors are red and pink. I have four best friends who I think of more like family and I umm ooh, I love baking since my parents are bakers."

Damian looked at me in pure amusement before taking my hand. "Properly then. Hello, my name is Damian Al Ghul Wayne. I love art, animals, and my katanas. My favorite color is green, but it changes to red or grey sometimes. I enjoy vegan food and I have a circus for a family. It is a pleasure to meet you Miss Dupain-Cheng." Blushing five shades of red at the look in his eyes, I shook his hand once before letting our hands fall. "The pleasure is all mine, Mr. Wayne."