Hero by Faouzia
"A true relationship is someone who accepts your past, supports your present, loves you, and encourages your future." - Unknown
-
Few things I really have to know
"Habibti, I need to ask you a few questions," said Damian.
Marinette, his new girlfriend, tilted her head curiously. "Of course, Dami."
Before I go and let you in
"Do you think you'll be fine with the press once we release our relationship?" Damian asked nervously. It wouldn't be the first time one of his girlfriends had run off because she couldn't deal with it.
And he wasn't willing to go through the heartbreak again.
Don't wanna be irrational
Marinette giggled lightly. "Yes, I will be."
"Really?" Damian wasn't really convinced.
"Really," Marinette confirmed. "You know, as Jagged Stone's designer and Adrien Agreste's girlfriend, I thought you wouldn't be too worried about that."
And make the same mistakes again
Damian's lips tugged up into a smile when he remembered. How could he have forgotten?
"I don't want to make the same mistake again," he said honestly.
Marinette's eyebrows furrowed for a second and then they shot up when she realized what he meant. "You mean...your girlfriends have broken up with you because of that?"
Nodding, Damian elaborated. "Because they let the fame get to their heads. After some time," he shook his head defeatedly. "They just...stop seeing me for who I am-"
He was cut off when he felt Marinette wrap her arms around him. "I won't ever let that happen."
Looking into her eyes, Damian believed her.
Would you be there
Alfred was surprised to see Master Damian's girlfriend at the door. So early, too, he thought.
Nevertheless, he smiled at her. "Miss Dupain-Cheng, this is an unexpected surprise. What are you doing here so early? On a weekend, too?"
5 AM on a weekend?
She looked surprised, as if she hadn't realized that.
Blushing when she realized it was 5 in the morning, she apologized. "Sorry, Alfred. I didn't mean to wake you up."
"Not at all, Miss Dupain-Cheng." Alfred said, not sure where this was going. "I was already awake."
Waving her hand casually, she said, "Call me Marinette. And to answer your earlier question, I'm here for Dami's birthday!"
She visibly brightened at the thought and Alfred couldn't help but smile fondly at her. "Of course, come in."
"So, I was thinking of making Damian's favorite cake because I'm a baker and I want this to be one of Damian's favorite birthdays-" she rambled and then came to a stop. "I'm rambling, aren't I?"
Chuckling, Alfred gestured to the kitchen. "Yes, you were. Would you like to make the cake in the kitchen?"
**
A truly delightful girl, Alfred couldn't help but think as he watched her bake with enthusiasm.
Through the thick and the thin
"Just leave me alone!"
Damian regretted the words as soon as they came out of his mouth.
He never should have taken his anger out on Marinette. It wasn't fair to her.
He expected Marinette to glare at him, yell at him, leave, break up with him.
But what Damian didn't expect was her eyes to soften and then wrap him into a warm hug.
Almost immediately, the underlying tension crawling beneath his skin (driving him crazy) evaporated and transformed into comfort.
Realizing he should apologize to her, he said, "I'm sorry, I never should have said that-"
"It's alright, Dami," Marinette soothed him, rubbing his back with her small palms. "You just need to let it all out."
How did he manage to land with such an amazing girlfriend?
Never second-guessing with you
"Are you sure?" Damian asked nervously. He had never told any of his girlfriends of his nightly activities.
If she told someone – Damian didn't want to think about it.
With confidence Damian had grown to love, Marinette nodded. "Yes."
Taking a deep breath, he closed his eyes and opened them again. "I'm Robin."
Marinette's eyebrows shot up. "As in the Robin from the Bats?"
Hesitantly (out of character for Damian), he nodded.
Suddenly she grinned, "Oh, that's nice. Because I think it's time I told you, I'm Ladybug. Superheroine of Paris."
Eh?
Choosing to ignore that part, Damian asked, "You're okay with me being Robin?"
Giving him an odd look, she said, "Yes. Of course, why wouldn't I be?"
Tension he didn't even know Damian was feeling slithered out of his body.
Pulling Marinette into a heated kiss, it lasted for several minutes.
They pulled apart when someone cleared their throat. "From the scene in front of me," Todd smirked, "I assume she took it well?"
Glaring, Damian kicked him out of the room. The idiot already knew the answer.
Turning to what was becoming one of the best things in his life, Damian raised an eyebrow at Marinette. "You were saying about superheroes and Paris?"
Don't wanna wake up
Marinette couldn't help but smile as she battled against Damian's unwillingness to get out of bed. "Dami," she whined. "Let me go – we're going to be late for 'family breakfast'."
Family breakfast was a new tradition at Wayne Manor. It was basically what the name suggested – breakfast with the entire family.
"We don't need to go, Habibti," Damian mumbled into her neck.
Huffing as she tried to untangle their limbs, Marinette said, "Yes, we do, because I want to ask Barb and Steph something,"
After 5 minutes of constant badgering, Damian finally gave in – grumbling, of course.
"Finally," Marinette missed Damian's warmth almost immediately. She was smart enough not to say so of course, otherwise they'd never get out of bed.
She yelped when she felt Damian's arms wrap around her waist, pulling her to the bathroom. "We're going to shower," he growled into her ear.
**
It was dirty little winks and smirks, the two of them received when they arrived 1 hour late to Family Breakfast with clothes covering their necks.
Wishing I never gave love
The time after she and Adrien broke up, Marinette thought she would never be able to fall in love again. After all, if she wasn't able to keep a relationship with her so-called soulmate, how would she ever date again?
But it was times like this – when Damian organized everyone for a party in honor of a promotion she received – that made her thank Tikki and any other god in existence that they didn't let her give up on love.
"SURPRISE!" Everyone yelled as they jumped out of their hiding places.
Marinette stumbled from where she was standing – right into Damian's arms. "What's this?" she asked stupidly.
"A party," Damian said quietly. "A party for your promotion."
And suddenly, Marinette's heart warmed in a way it had never before. All of these people – Damian, Bruce, Dick, Barbara, Stephanie, Tim, Jason, everyone – had come here to celebrate.
For her.
And the fact that they invited her parents made it so much sweeter.
So, she kissed Damian like she never had before.
And when they pulled apart, wolf-whistles were being blown everywhere.
Wishing I never gave trust
Marinette hesitated. Should she, or shouldn't she?
"Damian, I want to show you, my friend. Tikki," she said determinedly.
Damian looked at her, eyebrows raised. "The one who helped you when you were Ladybug?"
Nodding, Marinette let Tikki come out.
"Hello, Damian!" she said in typical Tikki-fashion. "I'm Tikki."
Her boyfriend, for his part, didn't seem too surprised and Marinette couldn't help but smile as the two of them formed a bond not unlike hers and Tikki's.
**
"He's a keeper," Dusuu whispered into her ear gleefully. "I can feel the love."
Blushing, Marinette couldn't help but agree with her.
Knowing it wasn't true
Marinette's voice was raw from all the screaming she had done. Her cheeks were wet with tear stains and her sheets were torn with her nails clawing at them.
Scrabbling for her phone, Marinette felt a weight in her chest lift when she heard Damian's voice on the other end of the line. "Habibti?"
"Dami," her throat itched with pain. "Can you please come right now?"
Sounds of movement were coming from the other end. "I'm coming. Right now."
**
"Shh," Damian whispered as he ran his hand soothingly over Marinette's back. "It's all right."
She sobbed quietly into his Robin suit – not that he gave a damn.
"Do you want to talk about it?" he asked carefully.
Marinette hiccuped and nodded. "I-it was terrible. Paris w-was in r-ruins again a-and I was s-stuck. I couldn't d-do a-anythin-" her voice trailed off into sobs again.
Damian felt his heart clench at her unhappiness. "Shh, Habibti. All is fine. It wasn't real. It was a nightmare, that's it."
If I was your hero, would you be mine?
Damian sighed fondly as he watched his wife work on her design. "Habibti," he called.
She didn't respond. That showed how deep she was in 'the zone' as she called it.
Walking forward, Damian tapped her lightly on the shoulder and couldn't help but laugh at her expression.
"Dami!" she yelled, flinging her arms around him. "What are you doing here?"
Damian shook his head when he saw the number of coffee cups by her side. "I'm here to make sure you take care of yourself."
He lifted her up into his arms, bridal style. "By first, making you eat."
Marinette gasped when she saw her favorite meals on the table. "All for me?"
"All for you," Damian agreed.
He savored the kiss she gave him.
Once she pulled away, she giggled and ran a hand through his hair. "My hero."
I know this ain't a fairytale, this is real life
Marinette smiled sleepily as she and Damian half-registered the movie they were watching.
"What are you thinking, Habibti?" asked her husband, somehow always knowing what she was feeling.
Marinette hummed, thinking about what to say. Finally, she settled on, "Just thinking how lucky I am to have you,"
Damian's chest rumbled against her ear. "I do too. Sometimes, I think this is a fairytale. That one day, I'll wake up and find that you aren't real – just a dream."
Tipping her head upwards, Marinette captured Damian's lips with her own. "Still not real enough?" she asked playfully.
Growling, Damian pushed her onto the sofa. "Perhaps you could help me?"
But if I were to save you, would you do the same?
Bruce watched, horrified, as his daughter-in-law was kicked hard in the stomach.
Doubling down almost immediately, her opponent took the chance to kick her.
Straight off the building.
As she fell, he heard everyone scream in pain, anger, he couldn't tell.
But faster than Bruce had ever seen, Damian ran to the next building and caught her.
Caught her in his arms and set her aside gently.
Bruce shuddered in fear.
He highly doubted Marinette's opponent was going to survive.
And catch me if I'm fallin', fallin', fallin', fallin'?
Damian felt his eyes fill up with tears as he saw his newborn child. Amelia, they had decided to name her.
As her green eyes, not unlike his, danced with laughter, Damian kissed her forehead as he had done to Marinette and made a solemn promise to himself.
A promise to protect her till he couldn't anymore.
If I was your hero, would you be mine?
Damian Wayne
A loving son, husband and father
Died on 19 March, 2058
**
Marinette Wayne nee Dupain-Cheng
A loving daughter, wife and mother
Died on 19 March, 2060