The members of the Justice League that had visited Paris returned to the watchtower in almost complete silence. Damien sat down in the corner of the room, trying not to be noticed. Kara was pacing nervously.
Bruce eyed the two carefully.
"They're children! You can't tell me that we're leaving them to fight this battle alone!" Clark yelled.
"We don't have a choice. They were right, we don't have any idea how their magic works we don't know how their enemy works and we must not get controlled. The best we can do is be on standby." Bruce explained, watching his son who was avoiding all possible eye contact which was unlike him.
Clark narrowed his eyes, "it can't be all we can do!"
"Your face looks like a fork has been taken to it. You can't help them." Kara looked away.
Clark stared at her. "You know something."
She stiffened, "what? What could I possibly know that you don't?"
"You tell me. If you know anything that can help us help those kids... And that girl. You have to tell us." Clark demanded. "I failed my daughter I'm not letting lack of knowledge stop me from saving them too! She looked so much like her Kara please!"
"I don't know anything! Yes you did fail your daughter. For years you failed her but she's happy now and you won't get in the way of that!" Kara argued.
Clark straightened up and he grabbed Kara's cape. "She's happy now? You know where she is?!" He lifted her up.
"N-no! I've heard her heartbeat! We know she's safe and if she wasn't happy she would be back by now!" She was lowered to the floor again. Kara hesitated before speaking again. She hated lying to him but knew she had to... "You can't project her onto Crimson. You can't help everyone!"
Clark frowned "I'm going home." With that, Superman turned around and flew home.
The group disbanded once Bruce had said they'd regroup the next day.
Bruce and Damien returned to the cave in silence. "Are you going to tell me?"
"Tell you what?" Damien took off his mask and looked up at him.
"Why you weren't going to tell me that Marinette is Crimson?" Bruce sat down at the meeting table.
"What!? But how did you-!?"
"You dissapear into your room for hours at a time the link from your phone signal is to Paris. The only person you would ever willingly talk to for that long, is her. You told us about the situation, steered Clark away from Crimson and she was glaring at you." Bruce crossed his arms. "And you used our system to falsify an identity for 'Marinette Dupain-cheng' our dessert pastry caterers company name. Need I go on?" He tilted his head.
Damien went silent for a moment they just stared at each other.
"You've known the whole time."
"I am the world's greatest detective for a reason Damien. It isn't just a nickname."
Damien frowned at him. "you haven't said anything?"
Bruce sighed softly and placed his hand on Damien's head. He'd seen the way they acted together before she left. Damien wasn't one to get close to someone, let alone care enough to make a false identity for them. But he did for Marinette. But not only that but, he as well, could see how Clark's behaviour was affecting her. While Clark was his friend, Marinette was family, she spent more time in the manor than he did. He didn't want to see her life wasted. She would not get as far as everyone other than the Kent's could see she was capable of.
Moving away was best for the girl and the only people who would never admit it were the Kents. They were blind to the bullying she was victim to at school. They were blind to bow talented she was, blind to how much academic effort she put in.
It wasn't the level of neglect Tim suffered but it was a form of emotional neglect that must have hurt and the poor girl thought it was justified.
Bruce shook his head. "And I wasn't going to. But I wasn't aware of the heroism detail. Why is she the only one not to be healed Damien?"
Damien stiffened. "Kryptonian... She has powers. But that also means she's weak to magic. Therefore she is the only one to be hurt and the only one not to heal." Damien mumbled quietly bt he knew Bruce heard.
"She has powers? I'm sorry but we should tell Clark she'll need help controlling them." Bruce pulled his phone out.
Damien lunged forward and grabbed his phone and threw it away, it bounced off the wall and fell into the water bellow them. That's the 17th phone this month.
"Damien what was that for?"
"She has Kara. Keep Clark away from her. Promise me."
Bruce sighed, "Damien-"
"Promise me you'll keep him away."
"Look, I know you're in love with her but we need to help her."
Damien blinked at him. "Excuse me? What do you mean I'm in love with her?"
Bruce blinked in return, he thought he knew that. "Well aren't you?"
"I don't know. What does it feel like?" Damien tilted his head, his lips pursed as he waited for an explanation.
"It's... Well it's different for everyone. It often means you want to protect this person. You look forward to seeing them and get sad when they leave... They make you happy and you want them happy. Putting them before yourself... And sometimes when you see them you'd feel a tingly feeling, warmth. I'm not sure exactly of the science behind it." Bruce awkwardly explained.
"Oh."
"Are you okay Damien?" Bruce asked.
"I have been in love with Marinette for a long time and I was not aware. But I now fear I am too late. She and her partner are rather close." The boy deflated.
Bruce hummed. "Does she not tell you everything? She told you her identity correct? Would she not tell you if she had a boyfriend?"
Damien thought for a moment, "I suppose that's true..."
"Only way to know for sure is to ask her."
Damien sighed in response, "She is not happy with me at the moment."
"She'll come around."
..~~..
Adrien and Marinette were the last to be suited and Adrien had decided to treat Marinette to some sweetheart's ice cream.
Adrien's was red yellow and blue, it looked a little too much like a Super's colours for Marinette's liking but she wouldn't mention it. Hers, she knew was reflecting the current Robin. She smiled knowingly as she ate it.
"You can't run away from them forever you know." Chat Noir said from beside her.
"I can try..."
He sighed, deciding it wasn't best to get into it at that moment. "How's the powers going?"
"Frustrating. I keep randomly cooling down my coffee." She pouted.
Adrien was struggling to hold back laughter. "That's unfortunate." He snickered.
"Yeah it is!" She stuck her tongue out at him. "Now I think about it, I might have more powers than I thought. I e just never tried." She pondered.
"We could use Kaalki to get us to a desert and do some tests~" he smirked, "I'd be really happy to help."
"That face makes me nervous... What do you have in mind?" She finished off her ice cream as the walked alongside the Seine.
"You in or not?" He crossed his arms.
"Fine... But if you do anything that-"
"It'll be fiiiiine." Chat waved off. "Now get home and make things right with your boyfriend."
Marinette quickly turned red. "He's not my boyfriend!"
"Yet~" Chat winked with a mischievous grin
Is a little longer than normal but hope you enjoyed and have a good day.
A
lso, sorry bout typos, was late when I wrote this and my brain doesn't feel like proof reading as it has lost most energy left.
Also, might not be updated again for a while because I've got exams.
Anyway-
That's it
Bye :D