Damian's eyes scanned the room. He was bored and had hoped to find at least one interesting person at the stupid ball he was forced to attend. And then she caught his eye: A girl w/ raven hair and bluebell eyes. How they rolled as some suitor tried to speak with her.
'Seems I'm not the only one bored here.'
Damian made his way closer to the other side of the room, when he notice the suitor grab her arm and yank her into a hallway. He quickly followed.
"Come on, M'Lady, dance with me." the suitor pleaded.
"You disgust me." the girl declared, "There is no way I'm dancing with you!"
"Now see here-" he began.
"Excuse me, "Damian interrupted, "but I believe this lovely lady said no."
Damian finally got a good look at the suitor: a boy with green eyes and blonde hair.
"Miss, would you like an escort back to the room?" Damian asked, holding out his arm.
"That would by lovely!" the girl smiled, taking his arm.
Damian led her to the middle of the dance floor and lowered his arm.
"That's it?" she questioned.
"Yes. Is there something you wanted?" Damian asked.
Marinette was about to tell him to leave when she noticed Adrien making his way towards them.
"Dance with me, please." Marinette pleaded.
Damian could tell by her eyes that she needed help, nothing more. He took up her hand and placed the other on her waist, leading them into the next dance.
"So, what happened? Ex lover?" he asked, prying information about the suitor chasing her.
"No; he's an old friend." She spoke.
"He seems interested." Damian declared.
"He does, but for all the wrong reasons." Marinette frowned, "Especially since he married my cousin last year."
"What?" Damian growled out.
"I snuck out one day and found him unconscious. He was in and out of it all day. I heard horses so I ran. Apparently, he woke up and saw what I wore. Last year, my cousin visited me and I lent her some of my clothes. She wore a red dress. He danced with her all night and in the morning, asked for her hand." Mari sighed, "Last month was when everything went wrong. She wrote to me, furious, that I had snared her in a trap of lies. She came to visit a week later, claiming that I was trying to steal her husband away. I had no idea what she was talking about. She informed me that when she packed up the red dress I had lent her, her husband questioned why she would pack it. It was then she revealed that the dress was originally mine and she had borrowed it from me. He became furious with her, claiming she had robbed him of his true love."
"All this because of a stupid dress?" Damian asked.
"Yeah." Mari sighed.
"Let's hope that he doesn't continue to act brainless when the crown princess arrives." he spoke.
"What are you here for?" she asked, blushing.
"Father has declared that I am to find a bride." Damian scowled.
"Are you not ready to be wed?" she questioned.
"I am, but I didn't want to be forced into marriage." he declared.
"Waiting sounds nice." She smiled, sadly.
"Are you here for a husband?" He questioned.
"Unfortunately. I'd rather wait as well. My parents have gotten rather insistent, especially after the matter with my cousin. They hope that seeing me claimed by another, will get him away from me." Mariette sighed.
Damian watched as the married man scowled in the corner. A woman, with similar looks, stood by him. He didn't seem pleased. Damian smirked and pulled her closer. The girl looked up at him and blushes.
"He's watching us and I'm assuming your cousin is here, as well." he stated.
"She is." Mari declared.
"Maybe we can play this off a bit for her, as well. Show her your not interested?" Damian suggested.
Marinette smiled, "How about a walk in the gardens?"
Damian smiled and bowed to her. Marinette curtsied. Adrien saw their dance had finally stopped and pushed himself away from Kagami, only to see Marinette take the man's arm again.
As they passed the curtains, Marinette whispered to the guards, "Let no one pass."
With a nod, they shut the curtains behind the couple.
"Someone you know?" Damian asked.
"Yes. He'll stop him from entering. We can relax a bit." Marinette spoke as she took a seat by the pond, "If I could, I'd watch the stars all night."
Damian turned to see the stars reflected in her eyes. She looked ethereal, like she was made of moonlight. Her skin as pale as the moon and her hair as dark as the night sky. Damian quickly looked away.
"What would you rather do then be here?" she suddenly asked.
"I read or fence. I've been studying martial arts." Damian spoke.
"Really?" Mari questioned, "Could you teach me?"
"Excuse me?" Damian responded.
"In case that guy comes back. He's family; I can be rude to family." Marinette pleaded.
"I don't see why not." he chuckled, "Although, I'm visiting for a short while."
Marinette frowned, but noticed him shaking his head.
"What?" Mari asked.
"Usually the visiting people stay at a person's home, correct?" he asked.
"Yes." she said, still not seeing where this was going.
"If I were to pretend to 'court' you, I could stay here and teach you." Damian suggested, " We'd get both of our families off our backs, at least for a while, but I doubt-"
"I'll do it!" Marinette cried.
"You will?" he asked.
"He'll leave. I'll be able to protect myself and we won't have to go to these stupid balls!" she announced, happily, "I can have a real friend!"
Damian smiled, "I'd like that as well."
In the morning, he announced his decision to court her and she accepted. It was only then that they realized they had never revealed their names when it was declared that the Crown Prince, Damian Wayne, of Gotham would court the Crown Princess, Marinette Dupain-Cheng, of Paris. Both of their families rejoiced as they leant in and whispered, 'Crown?'
Damian declared that he would stay in Paris to get to know Marinette better before they settled on a date. The two were often found reading or drawing together. Sometimes taking walks in the gardens. The people in the castle cooed over how close the couple appeared to be. What they didn't know was that Damian would sneak into her room at night and teach her martial arts.
Over the course of their 'courting', their friendship had bloomed, unaware the other felt the same. Marinette sighed. She knew that Damian would leave eventually, once the called they whole courtship off.
"Damian, would you mind taking a stroll with me in the gardens?" she asked.
Damian followed her lead. She took them back to the pond they had sat by that night of the ball.
"Damian," she began, "do you still mean what you said that night of the ball?" as she looked down into the pond.
"About what?" He asked.
"That you wish to wait for marriage?" Marinette questioned, keeping her eyes fixated on the water.
"No." Damian spoke, "I think I already have a bride next to me, if she'll have me?"
Marinette turned to him in surprise and nodded, happily.
"If you'll have me." She smiled.
At dinner, they announced their talk of marriage.
Adrien was upset.
'How dare she marry that guy! She was mine first; she should have be mine from the start!'
He turned to see her cousin next to him, sleeping peacefully.
'I have to convince her that this was all a mistake. She belongs with me.'
Thoroughly convinced, he slipped out of his bed and made his way to Marinette's room. Adrien smiled as he found her sleeping. He lifted the blanket to lay in bed with her when he felt a pain in his gut. He looked to see Marinette awake and glaring at him. She kicked him in the stomach and jumped out of bed. While he was disoriented, she grabbed his arm and flipped him over her shoulder.
Marinette regained her breath before she let out a scream. It only took a moment for the guards to rush to her room.
"Get him out of my room and see that he is thrown out in the morning!" Mari shouted.
Kagami watched as her husband was dragged from her cousin's room. She saw Damian rush over to her cousin's side and lead her back into her room. Kagami walked back to her room and shut the door.
Tom passed by Adrien's unconscious body and hurried to his daughter's room. He found her already curled up in Damian's arm. Damian was rubbing her back, trying to comfort her. He had seen how close they had gotten over his time there so he decided.
"Damian." Tom spoke, "I'd like for you to take Marinette to your room, tonight."
"Your majesty?" Damian questioned.
"She will be safe with you and I trust you not to do anything unwise." Tom stated.
Damian nodded and carried Mariette to his room. As she laid next to him, she pulled the covers up to her nose.
"I guess I have to get use to this at some point." she whispered.
Damian pulled her against him and whispered back, "He won't get you. I'll kill him before he does."
"Thank you for teaching me. I was ready." she smiled, as she closed her eyes.
Damian and Marinette were married next month. He had decided to stay in Paris, as his father still had his older brothers to care for the kingdom. Kagami went alone to the wedding and saw how happy her cousin appeared. She apologized for Adrien's insistence. Marinette had apologized as well, stating that she had no idea that Adrien had been lured in by the dress or she would have given her a different one, all those years ago.
Three months later, Kagami smiled as she read over the new letter she had received.
"Good news?" Adrien questioned, taking a seat at the table.
"Yes." his wife answered.
Adrien nodded his head and took a bite of food.
"My dearest cousin, Marinette, is pregnant!" she smiled.
Adrien choked on his food and downed some water quickly.
"What?" he asked.
"Marinette has given Damian an heir. She's always loved children; I'm sure she'll make a wonderful mother." Kagami explained.
Adrien fell silent and began to eat his food in smaller bites. Kagami placed the letter on the table and decided that congratulations were in order. When she left the room, Adrien quickly picked up the notice and read that Marinette was indeed pregnant. He sighed and pushed his dinner away, left to reminisce about his childhood friend and the laughs they had as children. The laughs that had been solely for him and his idiotic sway over his savior in a red dress; the dress that had become his undoing.