Third Person POV
"Yeah," Adrien replies with a dead voice. "I want a divorce."
"What?" Marinette asks. Frozen in place.
Adrien repeats himself slowly, "I. Want. A. Di-vorce."
"Wh-Why?" Marinette stutters. 'I hope he will tell me. I am curious if it's because he found out about Damian or-'
Adrien cuts off her train of thought, "I just don't want to be your husband anymore." 'So that's how he's going to be? Welp, I'll just go with the Adrien-not-knowing plan.'
Taking a deep breath, Marinette let the feelings she buried three years surface. Tears welled up and she started hiccuping. "Wh- What d-did I do wrong? Isn't th- there anything I could do to change your mind?"
"No," Adrien replies, his voice still void of emotion.
Tears staining her cheeks and wetting her dress, she dashes into the house. She slams and locks their bedroom door. Unable to stop her sobs, she throws the first of her clothes that she can grab into a large duffle bag. She unlocked the bedroom and ran out of the house while Adrien just stayed in the same spot.
She ran into her car and started driving to Le Grand Paris. She dialed Damian the second she was out of the driveway as she wiped at her eyes, he picked up on the 3rd ring. "Hello, this is Da-"
"It's me, Habibi. You can cut the act," Marinette sniffles.
"Habibti," Damian exclaims, alarmed by her distress, "what's going on?
"How long until you can get to Paris? He finally decided that I wasn't worth the hassle," Marinette replies through a mixture of laughter and tears.
"I'll be there by tomorrow morning, love. We'll deal with that bastard together," Damian tries to soothe his Angel. "We have a plan and can get through this. I'm not leaving you. I choose you. Remember that, sweetheart."
Marinette nods, she mumbles, "Okay..." and hangs up.
Before long, she pulls up to Le Grand Paris, gives the valet her keys, and goes to the front desk. "Hi," Marinette says to get the person's attention while wiping the still flowing tears, "can I have one of the single suites?"
"Dupain-Cheng!?" a voice that demands attention shouts. Marinette whips her head around to see Chloe standing with one hand on her hip and the other holding her phone. "What are you doing here?"
"I- uh' umm..." Marinette stutters and tears continue to spill over.
"Great, what did Adrikins do now?" Chloe sighs with an eye roll. "You!" she shouts while pointing at the person behind the desk. "Get Dupain-Cheng situated and add that spa package to it. She looks ridiculous, utterly ridiculous with those puffy eyes and all." Everybody in the lobby is still and looking at Marinette and Chloe. Chloe claps her hands loudly, "Did I give you permission to take a break? Keep on moving! Get out of my face, you need a makeover, that outfit is ridiculous, utterly ridiculous, and I still haven't said that you can take a break!" Chloe bosses everyone around while Marinette gets her room situated.
Marinette got one of the suites meant for one person and flopped onto the bed. After a few more hiccups Marinette fell asleep. By the time she woke up, Damian had already checked into the single suite next to her and booked a family suite for when his family inevitably came to see why he had left without warning.
With the scene she had caused by leaving her house in tears, a few people hadn't left their houses street, and the scene she and Chloe caused in Le Grand Paris, the media was going crazy and word of their divorce was on almost every front page.
"Mr. Agreste! Mr. Agreste! Why are you and Mrs. Agreste separating? Did something happen? Was there a disagreement?" a reporter had asked Adrien.
"We just weren't working out. That's all I have to say," Adrien had replied to the reporter.
"Mrs. Agreste! What do you have to say about Mr. Agreste's comment? Do you agree?" another reporter had cornered Marinette in the Le Grand Paris lobby a few days later.
"I don't want to talk about it!" Marinette whimpered before sobs started arising from her and she ran to her hotel room.
"I can't deal with this Damian," Marinette hiccups and slumps against the hallway corridor.
"Is there anything I can do to help?" he asks as he kneels next to her and rubs her back.
"Not even you can stop the paparazzi..." Marinette sniffles with a few giggles.
"Are you sure about that?" Damian asks with a dark undertone and brings his face closer to hers.
Marinette giggles and pushes him away softly, "No way, Dami..."
"There's that pretty smile," he grins and hugs her. "I've ordered you your favorite pasta. It will arrive soon, now let's get off of this floor."
He smiles as her smile turns to her jaw-dropping. "No!!" she gasps. "You did not order that! It's too expensive!"
"You've been a part of the high class for how many years now and you still have quite different ideas of expensive than the rest of us," Damian chuckles with a shake of his head.
The next day, the headlines were filled with photos of Marinette and Damian in the hallway and the paparazzi were swarming Le Grand Paris.
"Will you be okay out there, Habibi?" Damian asks the love of his life as he puts on his clothes.
"I'll be okay," Marinette replies with a soft smile. She continues to prepare herself as Damian goes to his room through the door that conveniently connected the two rooms (hence, why they chose them).
Pushing her shoulders back and trying to mentally prepare herself for the bombardment of questions. Marinette enters the hallway and heads straight to the elevators. 'Let's get this shit-storm out of the way...' she mentally sighs as the elevator makes its way to the lobby.
"Marinette! Marinette! How do you feel about the pictures of you a Damian Wayne? Marinette!"
"Mrs. Agreste! What do you think about getting caught?"
"Why do you think that your husband has refused to comment on the allegations of you being unfaithful?"
"Mrs. Agreste!"
"Are you and Mr. Agreste separating because of your affair?"
"Marinette Agreste!"
"Mrs. Agreste, will you confirm that you cheated on your husband, Adrien Agreste?"
"I didn't cheat on him, he cheated on me!" Marinette screams and the reporters. Tears brimming. Gasping, her eyes widen as she covers her mouth with her hand and dashes away from the stunned reporters to the waiting car.
Once in the car she slumps and lets the tears fall. A ring emanates from her purse and she picks up the call without looking at the ID. "Angel..." is all he says.
"Hi, Damian," Marinette whispers and she dabs at her eyes.
"I'm sorry you had to go through that," he whispers to her through the phone.
"It was bound to spill eventually anyway, might as well use it to make the divorce go my way. I did agree to this plan after all," Marinette replies as the tears slowly cease.
"That doesn't change the fact that you're going to have to relive everything. I'm sorry that there wasn't a better way to handle this, Habibi..." Damian sighs.
"At least I can have my revenge," Marinette dryly chuckles before adding, "and I stop you from killing my soon-to-be ex-husband."
"I find that last part unfortunate though not necessarily true. Agreste might happen to have an accident when no one is around after everything settles.
"Damian Al-Ghul Wayne," Marinette chastizes.
"I'm only teasing, love, only teasing," Damian chuckles, but the dark undertone tells her that he'd gladly be serious. "Good luck at work."
"Thanks..." Marinette giggles. "I love you."
"I love you more than words can describe," Damian replies and she hangs up.
At work, she deals with even more paparazzi bombarding her and workers giving curious looks at their boss. Sighing, she just heads to her office and sketches outfits for her new winter collection (it's fall), as well as the custom-designed outfits high paying customers, had ordered.
While in the middle of a sketch, a wrap on the door echos through her office. "Come in!!!" Marinette exclaims from her sketchbook.
Her secretary, Octavia came clutching her laptop. "Mrs. Agreste?"
"Please, don't call me that... Besides, I prefer Marinette," Marinette smiles softly.
"O- Of course, M-Marinette," Octavia stutters.
"Is there something you need, Octavia?" Marinette asks with a crease of concern forming between her brows.
"I- umm- well..." Octavia stutters while Marinette patiently waits. "There have been many requests for you to um- well... Would you mind doing an interview?"
"Is that all?" Marinette asks with a kind smile. "Don't worry over that. I have a meeting with the PR manager in an hour. Tell them that for now, I'm not doing interviews. I'll let you know what we decide and discuss who I'll have the interview with if it changes."
Two hours later Marinette tapped on Octavia's desk. "Octavia?"
Octavia yelps and looks up from her laptop. "M-M-Mrs- Marinette?"
"Can you put something on my schedule?" she asks.
"O- Of course, what is it and when?"
"A televised interview with Nadja Chamack on Face To Face, Thursday from 5 to 6 PM," Marinette replies. Octavia nods and starts typing away as Marinette thanks her and leaves the office. The second she exits the elevator, she saw a hoard of people waiting outside the lobby doors with cameras and mics.
By the time she managed to get back to her hotel room, she was completely drained and her patience nonexistent. She immediately took off her shoes, undid her hairdo, and flopped face-first onto the bed. Damian, sitting on the couch waiting for her, chuckles at his lover's antics and made his way to her side.
He started rubbing her shoulders as she turned her face to the side to talk to him, and breathe while sighing in satisfaction as he rubbed the tension out of her shoulders. "I have an interview with Nadja Chamack in two days..." she mumbles.
"You'll be amazing, sweetheart," Damian whispers.
"Nhg..." Marinette groans. Damian just chuckles in response. Just then, loud ruckuses from the hallway can be heard. A door somewhere to the right of the suite is slammed open. Now it's Damian's turn to groan. "What?" Marinette asks as the sound of things being thrown begins. "Is someone robbing a room?" she asks as she turns over and sits up to look into his eyes.
"No..." Damian groans and drags his hand down his face as the sound of another door being slammed open echos down the hall and all the rooms connected to it. This time it's even closer. "Those imbeciles..." Damian mutters, his face scrunched up in frustration.
The next door to be slammed, forced, open was her room. "What the shit?" Marinette screams as voices arise.
"Found his room!!! He's not in it though!" a male voice screams.
"We should wait in his room then!" another shouts back.
"He'll kill us if he finds us in there!" the first voice retorts.
"I found a note in the big suite for us!!!!!" a different voice adds to the conversation.
"Damian, do you know the person that just broke my hotel door?" Marinette asks.
"Yes..." Damian snarls.
"Shit," the person who broke her door says before screaming. "I broke someone's hotel door!!! They're in here."
"Crap!" the second voice curses.
Groaning, Marinette gets up from the bed and goes to the doorway to find a tall man with a white streak in his hair and blue eyes standing in her room. "What the hell are you doing in my room?" Marinette questions him. "I've had a horrible week and do not need someone barging into my hotel room, so you better have a damn good explanation."
"Not your business," he mutters and turns to leave.
"Asshole," Marinette growls and flips him onto his back. "Now, I asked you a question. Why the hell did you break into my hotel room?"
"Hey, Jay-Ja- Oop!" the second voice, which belongs to a bubbly; blue-eyed; black-haired man, exclaims as he sticks his head into her room.
"Great, another one," Marinette sighs. "Why the hell are there so many idiots breaking Le Grand Paris property?"
"I just call them imbeciles," Damian makes himself known. "Todd, Grayson. I see you've met my friend Marinette. I'm helping her with a certain problem."
"What's all the- Oh my god!" the first voice, belonging to yet another blue-eyed, black-haired male screams as enters her room. The man holding a large to-go-cup filled with something. "You're Marinette Agreste! I LOVE YOUR WORK!!!! I'm Tim Drake. Can you make me a wardrobe?"
"Drake..." Damian growls.
"Please..." Marinette winces, "don't call me Agreste."
"Oh right! The divorce!" Tim exclaims. "Ahhhh!" Damian throws a kitchen knife at Tim's head. Tim barely dodges.
"Inconiserate asshole," Damian growls.
"These imbeciles are, unfortunately, are my brothers," Damian tells Marinette. "Grayson, Todd, and Drake," pointing at each male respectively.
"Dick," Grayson corrected.
"It's Jason, you fucker," Todd growls. "Marinette is it?" he asks, giving a cocky smile while starting to get off of the floor.
"Yes," Marinette answers and shoves him back on the ground, "Now someone answer my question or I'm going to start tossing people."
"We were looking for that brat!" Jason exclaims.
"And that gives you a right to break into other's hotel rooms?" Marinette asks. Her voice dripping with annoyance.
"We-" Dick starts but is silenced with a glare from Marinette.
"You and Damian are together," a female voice cuts through the silence. "That's why you didn't try to stop Adrien from divorcing you, but it's not the reason, is it?"
"Who's this, Damian?" Marinette asks, moving away from Jason.
"Cain."
"Cass," she interjects.
"Well, Cass, it's nice to meet you," Marinette says.
"Wait, she's correct?" Dick gasps.
"You're surprised that Cain is correct?" Damian throws back.
"Bu- she's married!" Tim screams before Marinette takes his cup away from him and throws him face-first onto the ground.
"Quiet," Marinette growls. "You'll have to watch the god damn interview to understand. If you can figure it out on your own after that, I'll tell you," she pauses. "Is this coffee?" Tim nods. She helps him up while dumping the coffee into the sink. Pointing out to the hallway she demands, "Go to the room Damian got for you guys and sleep. If you do that, I'll see if I can find room to make you an outfit. Deal?" He nods and makes his way to the family suite.
"Now the rest of you get out of her room," Damian demands and starts kicking people out.
Time Skip to Thursday
"Good evening. I'm Nadja Chamack and this is Face To Face. Today, I welcome the famous fashion designer, Marinette Agreste Hello, thanks so much for accepting this exclusive live interview."
"Hello, Nadja, thank you for having me," Marinette smiles softly and waves towards the camera.
After a bit, Nadja cut to the chase, "So, Marinette, what is going on with you and Damian Wayne?" and plays the video of them talking in the conversation.
"Damian Wayne is someone who's been there for me for the past three years. He came to Paris to help me when I told him that Adrien decided to get a divorce," Marinette explains.
"So, he has nothing to do with your and Adrien Agreste's separation?" Nadja pries.
"I honestly don't know," Marinette answers. "I have my ideas as to why he wants to separate, but I didn't ask why now or just why. I don't know why he doesn't want me anymore nor do I really want to anymore."
"Why don't you think he wants you anymore?" Nadja asks.
"Well," Marinette chuckles sadly, "for one, he said that he wanted a divorce."
"But you didn't stop him," Nadja questions.
"No," Marinette's answer is short, but the pain is evident.
"Because you think he's cheating on you?" Nadja urges and plays the paparazzi hounding her and her exploding.
"I don't think..." Marinette whispers, tears streaming down her face, "I know."
"How did you find out then?" Nadja pushes. At that Marinette is transported back three years ago.
"Hey, Bugaboo," Chat Noir cheers as he lands behind Ladybug.
"Hi, Kitty Cat," Ladybug replies. Before she can process what's happening, he leans in and kisses her. She pushes him away. "Wh-What are you doing? You have a girlfriend..." 'Why is he say doing this? He just left said that he loved me. Is there something wrong with our marriage?' (Marinette knows that Adrien is Chat Noir, but Adrien doesn't know that she knows or that Marinette is Ladybug)
"Actually..." Chat Noir replies, "we broke up..." and smiles sadly at her. 'What?' she thinks, 'Why would he say that? We're still living together... He didn't say anything. Is he going to ask for a divorce when he gets back?' He goes in to kiss her again, but she stands up.
I- ummm... I need to go home and help my roommates," she chokes out before zipping away.
"Mrs. Agreste? Mrs. Agreste?" Nadja asks. "Mrs. Agreste, are you okay?"
"What? Oh, yeah," Marinette sheepishly replies. "Yes, well, I found out three years ago. I-"
"Wait..." Nadja interrupted, "did you say three years ago?"
"Yes... I tried to be a better wife and... and- and- and..." she hiccuped and started crying, but wiped her tears. "I was on a trip to Gotham to make suites for the entire Wayne family when I met Damian. On the fourth night, Adrien told me that his trip was extended and he wouldn't be home for another week. Damian found me crying and saw the message. Told me I was pathetic for crying about that and should fly to visit him if I miss him so much... I was so mad at him for saying that. I slapped him in the face and screamed that 'I'm not crying because I miss my damn husband. I'm crying because he's extending that godforsaken trip to fu- sleep with- with-" she pauses to choke back a sob. "Anyway, long story short, I had to stop him from flying to where he was staying," laughing softly at the memory
"But... how did you find out?" Nadja pushes.
Marinette thinks about when she would have found out if she hadn't known he was Chat Noir. "Well," Marinette sits back into her chair, "three years ago, I was traveling to surprise my husband on his business trip. You see, he had been having many and all of them constantly getting extended. I had lost my phone on the way to the hotel and ended up having the stomach flu. I called Adrien's phone using the hotels to tell him that I had planned to surprise him with a romantic surprise..." she pauses to wipe another tear. 'to try and reignite our relationship and prove my assumptions wrongs.' Sighing, she continues, "The person that answered my husband's phone was not my husband. The one that answered was- well, I don't know who answered the phone."
"So, you say that your husband was unfaithful is because someone else answered his phone?" Nadja accuses.
"No!" Marinette exclaims before settling down. "No. After the stomach flu passed, I went to his hotel room. The one who answered was... well, it was Lila Rossi. Wearing nothing but a short, lacy, see-through nightgown. She told me," she takes a breath, "everything."
"Then why haven't you told anyone?" Nadja asks. Delighted that she got this scoop, but heartbroken for the girl that used to babysit Manon.
"Because despite everything, I was still in love with him and I tried to fix our relationship," Marinette answers. "For an entire year, I tried to find out what was wrong and how we could move on from it. Plus, as Lila had pointed out, if this got out, it very likely could ruin Adrien and could even destroy my business. It still hurt like hell every time Adrien had a sudden 'business trip' before he told me he wanted a divorce. There is also the matter of assets and everything else. Look at what's happened to my life since we started this process, Nadja. All of these people trying to pry into my life and use it for their own benefit and getting a divorce hasn't changed the pain and betrayal I felt and feel one bit. It's honestly just making things worse at the moment. The only stable things in my life that have been keeping me grounded are my job and Damian. Damian is being scrutinized and slandered because he flew over to support me and things are getting shaky at work due to the allegations. So yeah, I didn't want my life to be turned upside down."
After the interview, Marinette went back to the hotel and sighs into Damian's arms. "Hi..."
"You seem tense," Damian whispers and turns her to rub her back.
"So... You guys are together?" Dick asks them.
With an annoyed sigh, Marinette turns to face Damian, grabs his face, and passionately kisses him before turning back to face Dick and rhetorically asks, "What do you think?" as Damian resumes rubbing her shoulders. Adding a few kisses on the neck to try and calm her down.
"When?" Tim yawns, just waking up from his name to get a snack and go back to bed.
"Around two years ago," Marinette answers. "He had a conference in Paris and Adrien was away, fucking Lilia or maybe some girl that would be too drunk to remember. He came over and had a drink with me. Something happened and one of us kissed the other. The rest just fell into place."
"What's going to happen now?" Bruce asks, unhappy that his son was with a married woman, but understanding that it wasn't his place to say anything and it'd be better to figure out how to continue.
"Just follow the plan," Marinette shrugs.
"Like that worked well," Jason snorts. "The two of you got caught."
"Tt, that was part of the plan, Todd," Damian sighs.
"So was my 'accidentally' blurting out Adrien's adultery," Marinette shrugs. "Sometime after the divorce is finalized and everything is settled, Damian and I will 'start catching feeling for each other' and later do an interview where we'll explain that through our friendship and Damian being there for me in my darkest time, something more grew."
"It's technically the truth," Damian tacks on, "just a few years after it happened."
"Were you planning on telling us or just going to keep this fucking secret until it blew up in our faces?" Jason throws his hands in the air. "No offense to you, Pixie Pop. You seem like a nice person."
"Nice?" Damian growls. "Nice is not a word that should be used when describing my Angel. She's much too wonderful and caring to have the word nice describe her," and kisses her shoulder.
"Well... we're going to leave the two of you," Dick interrupts. "Have a nice night!" and ushers everyone out, cooing about them being an adorable couple.
"Finally," Damian growls possessively. "I have you all to myself."
"Oh," Marinette teases, "and what do you have in mind now that you have me alone, Mr. Wayne?"
"More than you can imagine," he whispers into her ear and nips her neck. "You'll have to wait and see."
"I'm too impatient to wait. How about you just show me," Marinette smiles and turns in his lap to face him.
"That I will," he growls and captures her lips.