Your quote of the day:
"Love is friendship that has caught on fire." - Ann Landers.
— LADY MARINETTE DUPAIN-CHENG studied her betrothed, Lord Damian Wayne as he stood next his father, Lord Bruce Wayne.
He was a handsome man, she would give him that, but according to her father - the one of the most important Lords of the kingdom - he was extremely stand-offish and cold. She didn't know if she would get along with him.
But she was willing to try. For the sake of her family's honor.
Lord Damian Wayne was not sure if he would like his betrothed. She seemed to be the type who was always happy, bright like the sun - in other words, his complete opposite.
But he was willing to give it a chance. Only for his family's honor though.
"Now," said Lord Bruce. "The wedding will take place in 2 months. Till then, you both will get time to know each other better. Are we clear?"
Marinette nodded and Damian replied "Yes Father."
"Good." was the curt reply.
With that, Marinette's parents left with Lord Bruce to discuss 'issues'.
Marinette turned and gave her betrothed a sunny smile. "Shall we go to the garden to talk?"
The Wayne heir eyed her suspiciously and countered it with a question of his own. "Will there be any animals over there?"
"Actually, there are quite a lot of them there, Lord Damian, but if you are not comfortable we can sit in my room."
That was the first time Marinette saw a semblance of emotion in his eyes. The subtle way they lit up, the quiet twitch of his lips. "Quite the opposite really, I like animals. And please call me Damian."
Marinette inclined her head slightly and said "Then you must call me Marinette. And like you, I adore animals. Come along!"
As they walked to the gardens, Damian and Marinette made polite, small talk, trying to get to know each other. The two of them were discussing basic things before they were rudely interrupted by his wild brothers.
The first one to come was, of course, Grayson because out of all of them, he was the most excited to meet Damian's betrothed (even more excited than Damian, really). He ran up to them and smiled charmingly at Marinette.
Damian sighed. Here we go. "Hello Madame, you must be Damian's betrothed, Lady Marinette Dupain-Cheng, am I correct?"
Marinette smiled at him (It made her look exceptionally pretty, Damian noted in the back of his mind) and replied, "That is correct, Lord-"
"Richard Grayson but you can call me Dick. I am Damian's adopted older brother."
"Charmed." she replied.
Then Todd came with his brother Drake. He introduced himself and Drake to her. "I am Jason Todd and this is-"
"Timothy Drake." interrupted Drake. "I can introduce myself you know Jason."
Marinette smiled at them again and said "Damian's other two brothers, I assume?"
Todd and Drake nodded in unison. And just as Grayson opened his mouth to bombard his betrothed with questions, Damian glared at him. That, as always did not deter him but Drake pulling him and Todd away did (Thank god Drake had the sense to pull them away before Damian was forced to murder them).
Damian sighed heavily and turned to Marinette. "I apologize for their behavior Marinette, my brothers are...wild to say the least."
Marinette giggled (A cute sound, he realized, he would like to hear it again) and replied "Not to worry Damian, they were really very nice."
By the end of his stay (of a week, he would be back in 2-3 days), Damian could safely say, he didn't really mind Lady Marinette Dupain-Cheng.
Of course though, life was never perfect. There were always people like Lady Lila Rossi, though she could hardly be called one with her manners.
The Waynes and Dupain-Chengs were scheduled to dine with her and her parents, Lord and Lady Rossi to discuss some state matters.
It seemed that the Rossi heir did not know he and Marinette were betrothed or she was under the impression Damian would suddenly fall in love with her.
Before the dinner, Father looked at each one his brothers and him and said "You all will not be required to stay at the dinner for long, just for an hour or so, for appearances."
Although many did not know it, Father was a softie at heart. Unlike most Nobles with a fortune as large as his, he actually cared about his children.
But after meeting the Rossi heir, Damian thought that one hour was far too much. The lady did not take a hint. She constantly tried to make conversation with him (tried being the key word) and Marinette had the audacity to smile and giggle at his predicament!
Finally, Father let him and Marinette leave the horrendous Lady Lila after an hour. As soon as he said that, he was out of his seat (and the fact that Rossi's stupid monologues were interrupted just made it all the more sweeter) and dragged Marinette out.
Once they were outside, she burst out laughing, unable to speak. Damian wanted to be angry at her, but the slight twitch of his lips betrayed his true emotions. "Glad you find this funny, Marinette." he said gruffly.
Her laughter died down to giggles as she replied, "Thank you Damian. Come on! Let's go to the kitchens and steal some food and eat it by the creek! I noticed you didn't eat much at dinner."
Damian smiled at her and trailed after her as she slipped into the kitchens.
I would follow you to the ends of the world, Marinette.
Wait. Where did that come from?
As Damian munched on the snacks they had brought outside, Marinette couldn't help but stare at Damian under the moonlight. He look so handsome, it hurt.
The moonlight brought a glint to his bright green eyes and it made his hair look as dark as night. His lips looked soft and slightly chapped and were moving? Towards her?
Suddenly, his lips were on hers and they were kissing. And it was everything Marinette could have wished for and more.
He tasted minty and fresh and of the fresh berries he just ate. His lips, warm and soft, moved over hers sweetly and softly as she responded. As her hands came up to tangle in his soft hair, his hands slipped around her waist.
They could have kissed for seconds or hours, Marinette wouldn't know, but when the need for air grew too much, Damian smiled at her and softly said, "I think...I think I think I could love you with time."
Marinette smiled at him happily and leaned her head on his chest. "Me too, Damian, me too."
Thus, over time, a beautiful relationship was born.