Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Damian sighed. It’s been a few months since he had become Robin, a few months since his father had died and Grayson had taken on the role of Batman. However, that also meant guardianship over Damian.

It was not… a bad thing, so to speak. Under Grayson’s tutelage, Damian is learning a few new skills. However, his upbeat attitude and lack of firm resolve to end people will probably be the end of him. After all, Grandfather and Mother had taught him that lethal actions are faster and more efficient to end crime. If only Father and the fake heirs he had taken in could understand.

However, his heroic alter ego was not the reason for his annoyance. Currently, they were on a business trip in Paris. Grayson thought it would be beneficial for him to experience what it would be like, which Damian believe it would be. He was to inherit it (after he gets Drake’s name off from being heir to the company) once he was older. If only that was the case… No, he ended up being pushed aside, deemed “too young” by the business partner they were meeting. Now, he was stuck wandering around in the hotel.

Might as well explore, Damian tsked. Grayson wouldn’t mind. He knew Damian knew how to take care of himself. Turning around, he walked off, down the hallway. He passed by a huge room, seeing a short Asian woman and a huge French man set up baked goods. With no doubt this was the destination of the gala that will be held tonight. Before he could continue his thoughts, he soon felt a huge force rush into him and knock him onto the floor.

“S-sorry!” the girl in front of stammered. “Way to go Marinette, your clumsiness strikes again.”

“I would say,” Damian huffed. “Do refrain from knocking people over.”

“Here, lemme help you up,” the girl reached out with her hand. “I’m Marinette Dupain Cheng.”

“I don’t need help from elephants who cannot control themselves from running over others,” Damian pushed the hand away before picking himself up. “Your assistance is not needed.”

“You don’t have to be rude about it,” Marinette frowned. “It was an accident and no one got hurt. You should apologize for being mean.”

“I have no incentive to apolo-” Damian started before his ears was soon pinched and twisted. “What is the meaning of this?”

“Apologize,” Marinette demanded, earning a glare from Damian. “Maman says if you say something rude, you should apologize. So, until you apologize, I’m not letting go.”

Damian muttered a curse, trying to pull himself away, but damn this girl had a good grip on his ear and even tightened it.

“What was that?” she raised her eyebrow.

“…I apologize,” Damian muttered reluctantly after a few moments of failed escapes.

A minute or two passed before Marinette decided to let go, seemingly satisfied with his apology. Damain tsked before rubbing his ears, relieving it from pain.

“Anyways, you’re not from around here aren’t you?” Marinette asked, her expression no longer of annoyance, but of curiosity.

“I do not see the need to inform you of my status,” Damian huffed. “…but yes. My brother is currently negotiating a contract with a potential business partner and I was unfortunately seen as dead weight.”

“Well then,” Marinette grinned, swaying in place, “why not hang with me?”

“For what reason do I need to hang out with some hooligan I’ve never met,” Damian narrowed his eyes, “and someone that is not worth my time?”

“Well, it probably would be nice to have someone familiar with the city,” Marinette huffed in returned, crossing her arms. “and I so happen to be the perfect candidate, so not a waste of your time.”

Damian glared at the girl. She refused to budge from her offer to show him around. Sighing, he crossed his own arms and agreed.

“Perfect!” Marinette grinned, grabbing his arm. “Let’s go!”

—–

Damian had to admit. The girl was not as useless as he had thought. She did know her surroundings and gave him adequate info about each place. She showed him her school, the hotels, the Louve, the stores, the parks, anything that she knew, she ranted about in details.

And running around with her was surprisingly tolerable. Putting her first actions aside, she was not as rude or aggressive as he had thought. And she had even gotten him to open up a bit about himself as well.

“What’s your name?” She had asked him while giving him the tour. “Sorry, after all this, I forgot to ask.”

“Damian,” he replied. “Damian Wayne.”

“It’s nice to meet you,” Marinette smiled. “Bad first impressions aside. I hope you find Paris.”

Damian was a bit stunned. He wasn’t exactly polite either, but she still had put in some effort to ignore that and continue talking to him. She didn’t even have a big reaction after hearing his last name. Did she know about how influential his name is? Did she not care? She didn’t pry for a lot of information as well and left many things alone. Perhaps she was not that type of girl.

“What kind of places do you like to go to?” Damian’s mouth moved before he even realized what he was going to say.

Marinette looked a bit surprised, but took it in stride.

“I love going to the park or the museum to get inspiration,” Marinette grinned. “I love clothes, and I can’t draw well yet, but I want to be a fashion designer. There’s also a fabric shop I like going to cause of that.”

“Where’s the fabric shop?”

“Down the street over there! Would you like to come? It’ll be nice to have someone to go with.”

“Don’t you have friends who would accompany you?”

Marinette frowned and looked away.

“…I don’t exactly have friends,” she spoke quietly. “Chloe usually keeps everyone away from me that I can’t make friends.”

“Oh,” Damian simply said.

He inwardly cursed at himself. She says she’s being bullied, but all he can do is say ‘Oh’? He should probably do something. What did Grayson always do?

“You’re mistaken,” he fumbled a bit. “Since you’ve been gracious enough to spend some of your time to show me around the city, I guess you could say we’re more than acquaintances. You’re more tolerable than most I have met in my life.”

Damian felt his cheeks get a bit red before looking away. However, it didn’t take long for his attention to turn back when he felt her grab his hand.

“Thanks Damian,” Marinette smiled brightly.

He couldn’t help but notice her eyes were very vibrant and filled with life.

“It’s nothing to be grateful about, Marinette,” he replied, choosing to use her first name. “Now let’s head over to the shop. I only have a limited time before I must return.”

—–

“So, how do you like these crepes?” Marinette asked.

The two were at a small cafe, eating a bit of lunch. In an hour or so, they would have to return to the hotel they left. Damian, to return back to Grayson and Marinette, back to her parents.

“It’s adequate,” Damian shrugged.

“Are you sure it’s just okay, Damian?” Marinette smiled. “They’re one of my favorite!”

Staring at the food for a sec, he pushed his plate onto Marinette.

“You can have the rest,” Damian said nonchalantly. “I believe you would enjoy it more than I would.”

“If you’re sure,” Marinette pouted. “but you have to have my Chocolate Mousse.”

With that, they exchanged their food and ate them. Though at some point, they did steal the other’s food to take a bite once again.

—–

“That was good,” Marinette hummed. “Though I guess it’s time to head bac-”

Before she can say any more, she was interrupted by a shout. They both turned to the side to see someone running towards them. The stranger had dark baggy clothes and a hat covering his face. In his hand was a purse, the purse of the woman he just robbed.

“Stay back,” Damian started, but before he could continue any more or get into action, Marinette was already on the move.

She raced to the man and easily slipped under to trip him before wrapping her body around to restrain him. Her flexible and graceful act had Damian stumped and still, however the criminal’s grunt of surprised pain gave Damian a quick wake up call to get into action as well. As the man got up, Marinette slammed him down once again before grabbing his right arm and pulling it back. She then began leaning down to try to hold him there, but she was just 10 as well, too young and lightweight to keep him there. There, Damian went and kicked the guy in the head, knocking him unconscious.

“Angel, are you all right?” Damian asked, checking to see if there was any wounds.

“I’m okay..?” Marinette was a bit shocked. “Angel?”

“Ah,” Damian’s face grew red once again. “I apologize. Your behavior today, how kind you were after I was rude to you and how righteous and graceful you are reminded me of an angel. I won’t call you that if it bothers you.”

“N-no no!” Marinette stuttered. “It’s fine! I don’t mind! I’ll just find a nickname you’ll be okay with too.”

“That sounds fair,” Damian nodded before turning towards the woman rushing after them. “Mademoiselle, I believe this belongs to you.”

“Thank you,” the woman sighed in relief. “I wouldn’t know what I would do without this. Thank you both!”

—–

“I guess this is it,” Marinette smiled sadly. “Our only day we could ever speak or see each other?”

“Maybe not,” Damian smirked.

He pulled a napkin he took earlier and a pen he kept on him. Writing down his contact info, he gave it to Marinette.

“You can talk to me on this,” he told her. “Feel free to talk to me anytime about anything. Though if the talks end up being irrelevant or nonsense, I’d have half a mind to end it all.”

“Thanks for everything, Damian,” Marinette hugged him before walking off. “I’ll be sure to contact you soon!”

Damian nodded and watch as she disappeared from view. As the only person he had as company, she ended up not being as bad as he would believe her to be. And she had somehow managed to worm her way into his soft spot, certainly faster than how Grayson and Pennyworth were, albeit reluctantly so. Perhaps what Grayson was teaching him had a bit of meaning. There were more to life than just the legacy and what the League of Assassins had taught him.

“Little D!” Grayson grinned. “How was exploring Paris?”

“It’s none of your concern, Grayson,” Damian replied curtly. “Though it wasn’t intolerable.”

Chapter Text

It was a beautiful day at the city of Paris, France. It was peaceful and quiet. All until laughter filled the air near the Tom & Sabine Boulangerie Patisserie.

“Grayson did what?” Marinette giggled. “I can’t believe he burnt the pancakes.”

“Grayson was always inept in cooking. Though everyone in the family is. You should see father burning the water,” Damian rolled his eyes. “We’re lucky to have Pennyworth with us.”

Marinette chuckled, understanding that Damian was actually showing that he cares for his family. It has been 2 years since they had first met and exchanged numbers. They had exchanged emails very frequently, and emails then turned to phone calls before it turned into video calls. All that time spent talking to each other helped them both know each other’s quirks. At least, she hoped so.

“I’m glad your father’s back safe and sound,” Marinette smiled.

Damian had informed her that his father, who was missing or most likely dead, had been found. He was injured and needed time to heal, but overall, was relatively safe and sound. She was so happy to hear that, especially since his mother figure was not a part of his life anymore so he said.

“I am too, although,” Damian frowned. “now that he’s back, things will be different.” Will I be accepted? He seemed to radiate, from what Marinette can tell.

“Damian,” Marinette decided to interrupt his thoughts. “you are amazing, and from what I hear, your dad will love you.”

“Angel, thank you,” Damian gave her a small grateful smile.

Marinette grinned, opening her mouth to respond when her mom called her.

“Dami, I got to go,” She frowned. “I’ll talk to you later, okay?”

Giving their goodbyes, she ended the call before heading downstairs. Down in the kitchen, her dad was kneading some dough and her mom was nearby, a phone in hand.

“Maman?” Marinette called. “What did you need?”

“Marinette, we just got a huge order of catering, though the location is pretty far.”

“Where Maman?”

“Gotham.”

———-

Damian sighed, hands in the pockets of his jackets. He observed his father looking over the decorations and progress of the setup. His father had decided to hold a gala in honor of his return. He had understood his father had to show he wasn’t fazed and pick his playboy facade back up, but Damian so did not like these meaningless social interactions.

“Why the sigh, Lil’ D?” Dick asked. “You’ve been doing it more often.”

“Probably cause he hasn’t done his weekly thing,” Tim yawned, typing away on his laptop. “Whatever that is.”

Damian scowled and looked away. He couldn’t be bothered with Drake at the moment. It’s been around 2 weeks since he had last called Marinette. She hadn’t shown up and picked up the call the last two times he called, the most recent being yesterday. She had said she was busy and went awol. O-of course he wasn’t really worried, he told himself. She could just be really busy.

“Ooh, you may be right, Replacement,” Jason smirked, leaning onto Dick. “The demon spawn hasn’t stayed his room for hours. I wonder, maybe he’s hasn’t been-”

Before he could continue, Dick elbowed Jason in the ribs, earning a yelp from the latter. Jason glared at his older brother, only to receive an annoyed look that said ‘Are you serious?’ In return, he stuck his tongue out playfully.

“You don’t know what you’re saying Todd,” Damian scoffed, narrowing his eyes when he felt someone ruffle his hair. “Cease that, Grayson.”

“Dami, you know what you need?” Dick grinned. “Sugar. And you know what? They have some desserts at the cater table, and I’ll bet they’ll let you have something sweet.”

“You know I don’t care for sweets.”

“Just have something, Lil’ D. If anything, you can check on the food.”

“Very well.”

And with that, Damian begun heading over to the food, but not without hearing Jason whispering to Dick.

“Dickie Bird, you’re up to something. Spill,” Jason interrogated Dick.

“Just being a good big brother,” Dick cheerily replied.

A good brother? Very unlikely. Damian rolled his eyes. When he got to the area, he saw a large man and a woman setting up the food. It smelled good, and somewhat…familiar? There was one place he thought up, but how could it be here when it was at-

“Maman, Papa! Here’s the rest of the order!” A girl, carrying multiple boxes tried to rush past him.

However, she didn’t notice him and bumped into him, sending her almost tumbling down. That is, until Damian helped steady her.

“I’m sorry,” the girl replied. “I’m so clumsy. I-”

Damian’s eyes widen. He knew that voice anywhere. Adding the clumsiness, that could only mean…

“Angel?”

———

Marinette’s eyes widen, realizing who it was that stopped her. She figured there was a good chance of seeing him, but she thought it would be more of her telling him than running into him.

“…We’ve got to stop running into each other,” she smiled, slightly embarrassed she had yet again, ran into him.

“I don’t mind,” Damian chuckled. “Let me help you.”

Grabbing two-third of the boxes, he begun to walk to the table. Marinette immediately followed, still stuck in a dazed state.

“Oh! Thank you, sir,” Sabine quickly relieved Damian’s load. “I hope our daughter didn’t cause you any trouble.”

“It’s no problem, Mlle.” Damian smiled. “It’s an honor to finally meet Marinette’s parents. She told me so much about you during our chats.”

“Chats?” Tom questioned. “Oh! You must be that boy she calls frequently. She mentioned how-”

“Papa!” Marinette called. “Don’t you need to finish setting these up or something?”

Her dad chuckled before going back to his work. Marinette sighed, feeling the heat still on her face. Damian didn’t need to hear what she said about him.

“Marinette,” her mother called, catching her attention. “We’re almost done here. If you want, you can go spend some time with your friend.”

“Really?! Thanks Maman!” Marinette kissed her parent’s cheeks before grabbing Damian’s hand. “Let’s go!”

———-

“So that’s the Wayne Memorial Clock Tower, that’s the Wayne Animal Sanctuary, and here we are at the Gotham City Central Park.” Damian pointed out to Marinette.

“The park’s beautiful Damian!” Marinette grinned.

The plants looked really taken care of. The flowers planted were blooming and bright and beautiful. But before she could say anymore, she felt her stomach rumble, and it wasn’t quiet at all.

“…I’m feeling a bit famished.” Damian looked away. “Do you want to accompany me?”

“S-sure!”

“I know the perfect place.”

———-

“Welcome to the Wayne Manor,” Damian smirked and gave a playful bow.

“Damian, a-are you sure?” Marinette seemed unsure. “It’s a bit sudden and what if your family doesn’t like me?”

“It’ll be alright. They're probably still handling the arrangements for the gala anyways,” Damian assured her. “Nevertheless, they will like you, I’m sure.”

After all, Damian thought inwardly, this was all set up by at least Dick.
“Welcome home, Master Damian,” Alfred greeted them. “And I see you brought a guest. I hope he has been well behaved?”

Marinette giggled and stuck her hand out.

“He’s been quite the gentleman,” she replied. “Though I’m guessing that might not be normal? I’m Marinette Dupain Cheng. Is it safe to guess you’re the all knowing Pennyworth?”

“How right you are Mrs. Dupain Cheng,” Alfred confirmed, reaching out and shaking her hand. “Just Alfred is fine. It’s a pleasure to finally meet you. I’m glad Damian made a friend. As you may guess, he has some difficulty getting along with many of his age.”

“He has his quirks,” Marinette admitted. “But he’s a sweet guy once you get underneath the tough layer.”

“Pennyworth,” Damian interrupted. “I would like to request a meal prepared for both of us.”

Alfred nodded. “Very well, young Master. While I do that, you may keep yourself occupied in the living room.”

Damian took that time to do a quick tour of the house. Of course, he avoided the areas that could reveal the family’s nighttime occupation. They may have made it hard for visitors to figure it out, but Marinette wasn’t normal. Of that, he knew. She probably will figure it out within the day if he wasn’t careful enough.

He did show her a quick view of his room. It was the place where they chatted anyways, so Marinette was somewhat familiar with it. She complimented many of his drawings hanging on the wall (No, he was not blushing. It was just kinda hot in the room), and was curious about his weapons in the room. Not long after, they decided to hang in the living room, where they quietly conversed.

“Alfie!” Dick’s voice rang out. “We’re home~ We got hungry and thought we might as well have some of your wonderful cooking.”

Oh no. This is going to get troublesome pretty quick.
“Hey, look who the demon spawn brought in,” Jason’s voice rang from the door entrance of the living room. “Looks like the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.”

“Close your mouth before you sprout even more ridiculous ideas, Todd,” Damian spat. “What are you doing here.”

“We got hungry,” Tim replied, walking into the room while typing on his laptop. “We didn’t want to go out and eat.”

Damian scoffed. “Nice cover up. Did Grayson tell you to say that?”

“Chill, Lil’ D,” Dick appeared right behind him. “Let’s not have our usual fights while your friend is here. Speaking of which, introductions are due. Hello miss, I’m-”

“Grayson,” Marinette interrupted. “And you’re probably Drake, and that’s Todd. .... A-ah! I’m sorry I interrupted! I’m Marinette Dupain Cheng.”

“It’s all good cupcake,” Jason grinned, “but call me Jason. Todd’s my last name.”

“Tim Drake’s mine.”

“Richard Grayson, but call me Dick.”

“D-dick? But isn’t that…?” Marinette questioned, but decided to drop it, deciding to turn to Damian. “Wait, I thought- Damian, you didn’t tell me that those were their last name.”

“It wasn’t important,” Damian shrugged. “They’re not of importance.”

He looked at Marinette to see her eyebrow raised. A silent scolding clear on her face that made him feel a twinge of guilt.

“Ignore him,” Marinette turned back to the group. “He doesn’t say it often, but he does care about each of you.”

“Marinette,” Damian glared at her, but unfortunately it didn’t seem to faze her.

“So, the Demon Spawn actually cares for us,” Jason grinned, earning Damian’s death glare, “How sweet~ The devil has a soft side.”

“Todd,” Damian began before he was interrupted.

“Demon Spawn?” Marinette asked. “Isn’t that a bit harsh?”

“It’s a bit of an inside joke,” Tim explained. “Though he does acts like one sometimes.”

“It’s a term of endearment,” Dick whispered to her.

Marinette nodded, “Ah. Wait, Dami, is that why you call me Angel now and then? Demons and Angels...?”

Damian winced. Maybe it was a mistake bringing her to the manor. He wasn’t going to escape with his dignity intact.

“He calls you Angel?” Jason’s eyes bulged in glee. “Ah, this is good blackmail.”

“Don’t you dare,” Marinette warned. “You’re not gonna use this as blackmail.”

“And what are you going to do about it, munchkin?” Jason smirked. “You can’t stop me.”

“Can too,” Marinette stuck out her tongue. “Bet this tiny girl can kick your butt.”

With that, they decided to have a match after lunch. Damian knew she could take care of herself. Hell, that was a part of why he was quickly taken in. But Jason was older and had more experience, he was sure. Plus, his violent tendencies might take over, and he didn’t want her to get too hurt.

———-

Marinette was in awe when she got into their workout room. It was huge, with many equipment that she had not seen used as a workout as well. But luckily, there was a large empty area, with mats she assumes is the area where they spar. Damian had told her they do that to practice their self defense.

“Ten bucks that Marinette is going to beat Jason,” Tim grinned, looking over to Dick.

“Fine,” Dick agreed. “She’s a firecracker, but don’t think it’s enough to beat Jason just yet.”

“Tt,” Damian scoffed. “Imbeciles. Betting over things like this?”

“Dami, it’s alright,” Marinette grinned, feeling a bit mischievous. “It’s nice that Tim believes in me. And if anything, it’ll be fun to rub the fact I wiped the floor with Jason to both him and Dick right?”

“No mercy,” Damian smirked.

Marinette shared his smirk, taking position on the mat.

“I’ll go easy on you,” Jason announced.

“Big mistake,” she chuckled.

With that, they began. She sent a big punch followed by a side sweep, predicting where he would move next. He was good, dodging and landing his own hits, but she also was able to land her own. After a few minutes, she did see a certain pattern. He tended to reply on his fists more than his feet, and left his side open. It wasn’t a big blind spot from what she could tell, but a blind spot nonetheless. It was obvious that he spent some training making sure his weaknesses was minimal.

Looking for the right opening, she noticed he still had his leather jacket on. Maybe she could… She looked at her surroundings. Okay, nothing else to work with but she could still do something.

Dodging a right punch, she spun behind him. Before he could react, she grabbed onto the back of his leather jacket, and flipped over him, letting the jacket go over his head. She yanked on it so that it started to come off, but before it completely came off the sleeves, she dived under him before using that sudden weight and pull to keep him pretty subdued as she dragged them both on the floor, her being on top of him.

“Owned by a pixie,” Dick teased.

“Fuck you,” Jason replied. “though he’s right. You got me. Nice job kiddo. Clever idea. Though… hm, I think there might be a slight rip now.”

“Ah! Sorry,” Marinette apologized. “I tend to use my environment to help me, and your jacket was the only thing…”

“It’s alright,” Jason waved off. “I can get Alfred to fix this.”

“No, wait, lemme fix it since I caused it.” She insisted.

Relenting, Jason handed over the jacket. Quickly, she grabbed her sewing kit that she carried everywhere with her. Taking out the necessary items, she quickly went to work. It took 10 minutes, she fixed up the jacket. It was just the stitching that came undone.

“Good as new,” she cheered, handing it back to him.

“Thanks Tinkerbell,” he grinned.

“Tinkerbell?” Tim raised his eyebrow.

“Yeah, she can find things and make something new out of it, assuming she can, and she can fix things,” Jason shrugged. “Plus, she’s as small as a pixie.”

Marinette rolled her eyes at his jab at her height. Damian walked next to her and gave his hand.

“Good job Angel,” he praised. “Knew you could do it.”

“Thanks Damian,” Marinette smiled.

“Dick, you lost the bet, so pay up,” Tim cackled.

“So you were betting instead of getting ready for the gala?”

Everyone turned and standing at the door way was a man in a suit. Tim and Dick had quickly walked over to him and informed him of what was going on, from what Marinette was hearing.

“Welcome to the manor,” the man smiled, sticking his hand out. “I’m Bruce Wayne. Thank you for taking my son down a peg or two.”

“A pleasure,” she replied. “wait, Wayne, then does that mean?”

She swiveled to Damian, who only smirked and nodded. Oh dear. Ooooh dear. She was with the Waynes. The rich billionaire family, and she just beat one of them.

“Wait,” Dick was laughing when he realized. “Marinette, you didn’t realized we were the Waynes?”

“I-I just thought,” Marinette sputtered, rambling off a bit. “the W-waynes were pretty common. I didn’t think you guys were the Waynes. Though I guess the manor and butler should've tipped it off.....”

“… I like her,” Jason grinned. “Can we keep her?”

Marinette still felt a bit embarrassed, though Damian gave her a small pat.

“She’s not a pet,” Bruce joked back. “Marinette, I know your parents will be catering during the Gala, but how would you like to accompany my sons and keep them entertained during that time? They tend to find trouble when bored.”

And that was how Marinette got swept up into more of the Wayne’s shenanigans (with her parents’ permission of course). They gave her a beautiful dress to wear (where did they get it so quickly?). And at night, they came to the gala by limo.

“Ready, Angel?” Damian offered his arm as Marinette came out of the limo.

“It’s now or never,” Marinette took it, letting him lead into the building.

The night was fun. She danced with all of the members of the Wayne family. Jason, pulling her into a very energetic tango. But she danced with Damian the most. Though like Bruce had predicted, she had to stop the boys from starting bits of trouble here and there, especially when they would try to do it behind her back. Jason did take a picture and suspiciously began typing on his phone, but she did not give it any thoughts. Before they knew it, the night was over, and they dropped her off to the Gotham Royal Hotel.

“I had a great time,” Marinette chuckled. “Thank you guys! I had a great time!”

“No prob, 'Bell,” Jason grinned. “We’ll keep in touch.”

“We’ll come visit,” Dick winked.

Waving them off, Marinette stood by the doors for a few seconds. She then felt the vibration from her phone. Pulling it out, she saw she had a new message, from Damian. It was a link followed by a, ‘Todd is an imbecile'.”
She pressed it, noticing it took her to the social platform, Tweeter.

@JayTodd
Welcoming Tinkerbell as an honorary member of the Wayne family. Don’t let looks fool you. This pixie can beat your ass.

The picture earlier! She realized. At least, he didn’t actually show her face, not completely where people can identify her. But this tweet he sent was already at 1.3K and counting.

“JASON!”

———-

And after that, they did meet up more often. Sometimes Damian and his family would visit her, and sometimes they flew her over. She felt bad and didn’t want to keep having them fly her over, but they insisted.

After the first social media fiasco, Marinette did appear more frequently on their social media, though hidden. She ended up making an account for it though, but everyone didn’t know who she was, only knowing her as Tinkerbell.

It was a fun time, and she was really happy. She had another family that cared for her, who she cared for. And she wouldn’t change it any other way.

She hummed softly, sewing her newest idea when her phone rang.

“Hello? Jason?” Marinette greeted, a bit curious.

The other line was silent for a while, making her worry.

“Jason what-”

“He’s gone.”

“What?” Marinette’s eyes widen with worry. “Who are you talking about? Who’s gone?”

“Damian, Marinette,” Jason replied, his tone dead. “There was an accident and…”

“He’s gone.”

Chapter Text

“My apologies for this entire mishap, Mr. and Mrs. Dupain-Cheng,” Mr. Damocles said. “Starting tomorrow, Marinette can come back to class. She is no longer expelled.”

Marinette sat in the chair in front of the principal’s desk, her parents standing right behind her. Earlier that day, Lila had planted the solution to Ms. Bustier’s test in her backpack. Not only that, Lila framed her so that she would seem like she pushed Lila and stole from her as well. It had not ended well and caused for her expulsion. It had almost caused her to be akumatized as well.

Now, here they are again, but this time, with good news.

“Mr. Damocles,” Her mom began, “I do hope that the school creates a better system in case such an incident began again. What if another person had to go through this same incident? What if she wasn’t as fortunate to have this all ‘cleared up’ as you said?”

“I understand your concerns,” he replied. “this was very unfortunate, and I am glad to have Marinette back. We will ensure that new measures will take place to prevent an innocent student facing punishment again.”

“I do hope so,” her dad huffed. “or we will take this to the school board.”

That had caused Mr. Damocles’ face to fall.

“Marinette, I really am sorry,” Lila apologized, catching all of their attention. “I don’t have control of my lying disease. Please forgive me.”

Marinette was puzzled. Why was Lila apologizing? Could she have learnt her lesson? How? When? Maybe… Maybe she had changed for the better?

“Of course, Lila,” she accepted the apology. “I understand but be careful. I hope there won’t be any more misunderstandings due to it.”

“There’s a few more things your mother and I would like to talk to Mr. Damocles about,” Her dad informed her. “Why don’t you and Lila head out while we do the boring talks?”

“Sure,” Marinette agreed, getting up along with Lila. “Have a good day, Mr. Damocles.”

“So, what’s going on?” Marinette inquired once they were outside and out of hearing range. “First, you got me expelled only to lie in order to take back that expulsion. I find it a little hard to believe that you changed for the better.”

Marinette turned and crossed her arms, raising an eyebrow at her adversary. How was she going to reply? Lila smirked, pushing herself off the wall she was leaning on.

“Wouldn’t you like to know,” Lila mused. “Things aren’t what they seem. I don’t need to get rid of you to deal with you. You can stand right here and watch as I take everyone you love.

“Convincing everyone that you are a cheat and a thief was child’s play.” Lila continued as she stepped closer to Marinette. “Imagine what I can make your friends believe next.”

“Don’t you dare hurt my friends,” Marinette growled, “I-”

“Don’t worry,” Lila rolled her eyes, admiring her nails. “As long as they stay the sheep they are, I won’t do a thing to them. To you though…”

With that said, Lila walked off first, leaving Marinette to her thoughts. She glared at Lila’s back, silently fuming. Even if she doesn’t target them, Lila’s lies are going to catch up and they’ll lose chances at great opportunities in the end. The results aren’t going to be pretty.

“Marinette?” Tikki called, snapping Marinette out of her thoughts.

“I’m good Tikki,” Marinette smiled. “Don’t worry about me.”

She sighed in frustration. If only she could say something. Well, she could, but at this point, many wouldn’t listen.

Damian would probably be disappointed, she mused. She imagined what he would say to Lila’s face. She imagined all the ways he could insult Marinette for not standing up to the liar, in ways to hide the concern he actually had. How she wished he were still here to tell her. She still remembered the phone call a year or so ago.

—–

“He’s gone.” Jason had told her solemnly.

“Jason, what are you talking about?” Marinette asked. “What accident? What happened?”

“His mother’s side of the family decided to visit,” Jason answered. “Shit happened and he got pulled in the middle and well … I’m sorry but he’s gone.”

There was a hitch in her throat as she took in all this. Damian, her childhood friend, the one who was by her side for years, dead?

“N-no,” Marinette began to hiccup slightly. “H-how, I-”

“I’m sorry, Belle,” Jason apologized. “Sorry for springing this bad news to you. I’m heading over there right now, and we’re picking you and your family up for his funeral, sound good? Be strong, we’ll be there soon.”

Giving a sound of acknowledgement, she hung up the phone and went to her bed. She hugged the huge cat pillow that Damian had gotten her, trying to recall his voice and presence. Face-planting the pillow, she took a deep breath and screamed until her voice got hoarse.

—–

She went to Dami’s funeral and said her goodbyes. It still hurts, but she had made peace with the fact that he left the world too early. However, that doesn’t mean she stopped having contact with the rest of the Waynes. Nah, Jason was too much of a troll and loved dragging her into some of his shenanigans to let her get away. Even then, she wouldn’t have dropped them anyways. They were all special to her. Which reminds her…

She pulled out her phone and opened up her Tweeter. She then opened up her tweet from this morning to check on it.

@BelleOfGotham

You think it’s possible to make pants that will catch on fire when someone is lying? You know ‘Liar liar, pants on fire’? Just wondering.

@theJToddler

@BelleOfGotham Yo, who we raining hell upon, Tinkerbell?

@HeIsGRAYceHeIsSON

@BelleOfGotham You mean like real fire? Wouldn’t that be painful?

Calming down, she quickly wrote replies to them both.

@BelleOfGotham

@theJToddler Nah, it’s all good now.

@BelleOfGotham

@HeIsGRAYceHeIsSON They can perish

“Come on Tikki,” Marinette grinned. “I wanna do some research about flammable clothing.”

——–

The next day came quickly. Marinette, after finishing her homework, had gotten really engrossed with her research and didn’t realize how much time had passed and fell asleep on her desk. Surprisingly, she had woken up an hour early, so she took her time getting ready and eating breakfast before she headed towards school.

As she reached her classroom, she could hear the chatters of friends and fellow classmates in there. Taking a deep breath, she walked in and braced for the worse.

“Girl, you’re back!” Alya grinned, waving her over. “How does it feel, to have joined the dark side and rebelled against the school?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about Alya,” Marinette laughed. “It’s not like I meant to do it in the first place, so I was an unwilling prisoner.”

“Unwilling to ditch school or from seeing a boy?” Alya smirked.

“Marinette!” Rose and Juleka rushed over. “We’re sorry we had doubted you. It was so shocking we didn’t think straight, and we’re sorry!”

“Yup, same as those two,” Alix piped up from her seat. “Sorry I jumped the gun and believe you had cheated.”

The rest of the classmates also voiced their apologies, to which Marinette had accepted. It was fine! It wasn’t their fault after all. Evidence can be misleading and accusing without proof wasn’t exactly the best thing she did again. Just like the Rogercop incident.

“Marinette!” Lila cooed as she rushed towards her from the door, “I’m so happy that you’re back! I’m so sorry about accusing you! That was so wrong of me. If only I had control of my lying disease.”

“Thanks…” Marinette cringed away from her overly sweet tone. “Maybe next time make sure if it’s your disease talking or not?”

“Of course, Marinette! Though…” Lila continued, Marinette noticed a glint in her eyes, “I know what I did was wrong, but I think that pushing me down the stairs was unwarranted, don’t you? And how did my necklace end up in your locker?”

Murmurs then flew around. Yes, how awfully strange, she hears. She did push Lila earlier. How did the pendant find its way into her locker?

“Everyone, chill,” Alya talked over them. “Give her some slack. We don’t know for sure that was the case. Maybe she pushed Lila on accident, and someone may have planted it in Marinette’s locker to frame her.”

“Yeah, Lila,” Marinette grumbled, unfortunately too loud.

“Mari,” Alya frowned. “for the last time, you can’t just go accusing people without proof. Hell, that’s the whole reason why this started, remember? You’re not helping your case out at all girl. Plus, Lila being the one to plant it would be too obvious. It’s likely someone was framing the both of you.”

Marinette felt her nails digging deeper into the palm of her hands. How could she get people to see the signs? Lila for some reason still has a hold of the class and she’s not letting go.

“Alya, I never pushed Lila and there’s no way-” Marinette began.

“It’s okay, Marinette!” Lila interrupted plastering a smile Marinette knew was fake. “Of course Alya’s right, with her amazing detective work and all. I guess someone is framing the both of us. Maybe they want the tension between us two to grow bigger. I don’t know what I did for you to start to hate, but I forgive you! Even for pushing me down the stairs.”

“Lila,” Adrien cut in, frowning, “Marinette said she didn’t do it, and I believe her. She’s not the type to hurt, let alone cheat and steal from others. Maybe you accidentally tripped on the top of the stairs. Whatever the case is, stop making it sound like she had something to do with it.”

He stepped in front of her, seemingly like he was shielding her from the rest of the class. Marinette had no idea what he was thinking of, but she was glad to see he stepped in. He had her back after all.

*brriiiing*

“Class, to your seats please.” Ms. Bustier walked in, papers in hand. “We’re going to start class in a minute.”

The class quickly rushed to their seat, current conversation forgotten. They hurried to gather their tablets and prepare for the lesson of the day. Marinette sighed in relief as she hoped for the rest of the day to go by quickly. Already lost in her thoughts, she didn’t realize how Nino and Kim were giving each other looks.

——–

And luckily, the rest of the day went by peacefully. No one else brought up the problems, no one was akumatized, and no one started trouble. Adrien was one of the first people who finished packing and before he left to his limo, he was grabbed by none other than Marinette herself. They reached a corner of the school building, where no one would give them any second glances.

“A-adrien, I-,” Marinette stammered, feeling slightly nervous. “hanks for telp- I mean thanks for helping me out there.”

“No problem, Marinette,” he grinned, which Marinette noticed wasn’t as big as usual.

He then proceeded to grab Marinette’s hand. “Marinette… I haven’t exactly been the greatest friend, have I?”

“That’s not-” Marinette began, only to have Adrien shush her.

“I know,” he continued. “I’ve been home-schooled and raised to let people walk over me and keep things civil. However, I said ‘what does it matter as long as we both know?’.”

“I said I would have your back and for a while, I didn’t. I let Lila lies hurt people, Kagami, Natalie, my bodyguard, and you.” Adrien grimaced. “I let you down, and I let her lies cause you pain and trouble when I could have prevented it.”

“I’m so sorry about that,” he apologized. “That’s why I had to stop her and make her lie to have you come back.”

Marinette studied Adrien, saw his sincerity. However, she also noticed how uncomfortable he looked. How hurt he was.

“Adrien,” Marinette bit her lips. “What did you do?”

“I made a deal,” he replied. “I’ll be her ‘friend’ and you return to school. It’ll be fine… I’ll be fine.”

“No, you’re not,” Marinette frowned. “But… thank you…for proving yourself to be a good friend.”

She wrapped her arms around Adrien. Adrien was stiff for a second before he melted in her embrace.

“If she causes you problems, let me know,” Marinette warned him. “She doesn’t hurt my friends and get away with it.”

“Thanks Marinette! From now on, we’ll have each other’s backs,” Adrien smiled. “I guess that makes us partners huh?”

“I guess that does,” she agreed, smirking and held her fist up. “Partners?”

“Partners.”

“Pound it!”

Chapter Text

“If she causes you problems, let me know,” Marinette warned him. “She doesn’t hurt my friends and gets away with it.” 

“Thanks Marinette! From now on, we’ll have each other’s backs,” Adrien smiled. “I guess that makes us partners huh?” 

“I guess that does,” she agreed, smirking and holding her fist up. “Partners?” 

“Partners.” 

“Pound it!”

—

A pause settled into the air for a minute or two as both of their brains short circuited. It had made the connection of the all too familiar gesture.

“...Mon chaton?” Marinette hesitantly asked. 

She studied Adrien’s face, which had an unreadable gaze. Was this a mistake? Was she going to out herself to a civilian, one she has a crush on? How was this going to affect their relationship? She’s going to have to go on the run. Make herself a new identity. That wasn’t going to be hard right? Maybe-

“...Our everyday Ladybug inside and out of the mask,” Adrien finally settled on, “and I would not have it any other way. My lady, I am glad we got to reunite outside the mask. Like in Cinderella, I’ve found my purr incess.”

Marinette felt heat flow up to her cheeks. Imagine that. Her prince in shining leather, next to her, all this time. Then the last thing he said registered.

“... Chaton, out of all the times to pun, it had to be now?” 

“My lady, if not now then when ever? Get used to it cause this cat is armed and loaded. If you don’t like it, I guess you’d better put me under Agreste .”

* groan * “Adrien, that was the lamest thing I’ve heard yet.”

—

“Hey Mari!” Alya called out to her once Marinette stepped into the classroom. “Where were you Sunday? We were waiting for you girl!” 

“Sunday?” Marinette tilted her head to the side slightly. “Was there a hangout or something?” 

“We had a class picnic, remember?,” Mylene informed her, “you promised to bring some pastries from the bakery, but you never showed.” 

“Wait, what?” Marinette was stunned, “what-”

“Marinette,” Lila cooed, “if you weren’t going to be able to make it, you should’ve at least given us a head’s up. We would’ve been able to find an alternative. In fact, I know a patissiere that would’ve been able to help if we gave them an early notice.”

Marinette was stunned and a bit hurt. What ploy was this? Looks like everyone knew about it but her. Well, almost everyone. Adrien would’ve told her. 

After the reveal, she felt that their bond was closer than ever. Now, she had someone to talk to, to relate to, about having two lives. He wasn’t just her best friend in the mask, but outside too. They chatted a lot more, especially through text and video calls. She no longer stuttered around him, and he opened himself more to her as she did to him. So, it goes without saying that whatever happens, they would let each other know.

“Marinette,” Lila pouted, “I know we haven’t gotten along well, but I didn’t think you would flake out on us. I- I’m sorry if I caused you some ill will…” 

Tears began pooling under her eye and she started to sniffle. Marinette’s anger began to grow. It was the same thing over and over again. When will she quit?

“Lila-” Marinette began before stopping herself.”Funny, I wouldn't do that. I didn’t even know about it in the first place. So, how was I supposed to make baked goods if I wasn’t even aware?”

“But Lila said she texted you,” Nino chirped in. 

“Yeah, Lila volunteered to let you know and was the one who told us you agreed,” Kim continued, both him and Nino looked at Marinette with a skeptical look on their faces. 

Marinette bit her lips. The room felt big yet suffocating at the same time. How could she prove herself to people that didn’t give her the light of day?

“Where was my invitation?” 

Everyone turned over to look at Adrien who stood at the doorway. He walked over to Marinette, wrapping his arm around her shoulder. Unlike his usual smile, he was giving the class a stern look. 

“Why wasn’t I told of the picnic too?” Adrien pressed on.

“Adrien,” Lila plastered on a sympathetic smile, “you were busy with a photoshoot yesterday, so we didn’t want to bother you. Your dad told me how important it was. That’s why I didn’t message you, but I did message Marinette about it. I don’t know why she’s lying and trying to make me look like the bad guy.”

Tears began welling up again.  

“And I’m telling you,” Marinette butted in, “I never received any text.”
“But you did,” Lila insisted, “see?” 

Lila pulls out her phone and unlocked it, sharing her screen with the class. There, shown, are the messages “Marinette” had sent, agreeing to it.

“Girl,” Alya peered onto it, “the pics don’t lie. If you were too busy or got held up, you should’ve said something, not pretend not to receive anything. We would’ve totally understood.”

“I-” Marinette began once again, trying to defend herself, but the bell rang, signaling the start of class. 

Sighing, she walked to her seat and got her tablet out, ready for class. Alya gave her a pat on the shoulders, but Marinette didn’t feel any better. Looking around, she saw a few disappointed looks pointed her way along with Lila’s smug one. She couldn’t help but bite her bottom lip as she forced herself to focus in class, forgetting everything else around her. 

—

Unfortunately it got worse from there. More forgotten invites, some accusations which included her allegedly saying things here and there whether it be insults or creating rumors, and even “evidence” of her bullying Lila. Between those lies, Lila made sure to point out the moments where Marinette really did have to flake out or was being impulsive. Her little comments festered until those around her began to harbor resenting feelings. 

It frustrated Marinette that Lila’s promise seemed to be working and her friends were distancing themselves more by the day. While they were still friends, she noticed them having less patience with her, making more snide remarks, and gave her less invites to hangouts. Though that wasn’t the only thing that was happening…

* splash * 

Bringing her hands up, Marinette wiped away the paint that dropped on her. Her classmates began to prank her with the encouragement of Lila. She spewed how it would help them all bond closer, especially mend their friendship (as if there was one in the first place). It started small that she paid no mind, but it became more daring recently. 

Marinette grimaces as she surveyed the damages. Luckily the paint wasn’t going to permanently stain her outfit, but it was definitely going to be a pain in the ass to get rid of. 

“Oh dear,” Lila cooed apologetically, “it seems there was a mishap. I thought I was carrying a bucket of water I got from the art room, but it was paint by mistake. My bad.” 

“Mari!” Adrien quickly walked up to help Marinette, frowning at Lila. “Lila, this is going too far. This ends now.” 

He placed the bucket upright before surveying the extent of the mess. Marinette watched a few emotions go through his face before he looked resigned but resolute. He placed an arm around her and turned her towards the door, gently pushing her towards it.

“Now Adrien, don’t be silly,” Lila chuckled. “We meant no harm! It was just a joke! We didn’t do anything wrong.” 

“Yeah, take it easy sunshine,” Alya went up to pat Adrien’s shoulder. “You know tensions have been rising between the two. Maybe a good laugh will help the two get along.”

But I’m not laughing…

Marinette sighed, giving up. It’s been months at this point of her trying to clear things up with Alya, but she’s stubborn. In other cases, Marinette could give her some respect for it cause she’s not as easily swayed. However, it was also a con cause once her mind’s made up, it’s hard to deter her from her conclusions. 

“Babe, my bro’s right. Even with the water, it would’ve been harsh.”

Everyone turned towards Nino who had voiced this. Kim stood next to him nodding as well. They moved through the crowd until they stood besides Adrien and Marinette. 

“Nino?” Alya called, confused. 

“Alya,” Nino looked disappointed. “This is getting closer to bullying. I’m not gonna stand there and watch my friend get hurt.”

“Come on guys,” Kim continued. “Think about this. Whether paint or water, it’ll ruin Mari’s clothes. We all know she makes her own outfits and it can get ruined with this. Think of all the effort she puts into making them.”

“Nino, Kim,” Lila feigned hurt. “Do you guys really think I’m a bully? When it was Marinette that was mean to me from the very start?” 

She started sniffling, placing one hand over her nose and mouth. 

Here comes the waterworks . Marinette gave Adrien her biggest done face. He seemed to share it too, albeit more subtle.

“Maybe I do,” Nino stated. 

“Nino!” Alya was growing more visibly upset.

“I’ve known Mari since école,” Nino argued. “No matter how she felt, she has always helped others. She would never do the things Lila claims. Lila, on the other hand, only got to know and from the actions I’ve seen? Hasn’t earned my complete trust. So, yeah I’ll believe Marinette and side with her over Lila any time.”

“What Nino said,” Kim smiled, turning towards Marinette. “Let’s go get you cleaned up.” 

Ignoring the class who began comforting Lila once she began full on “crying”, the quartet left. They came across Mrs. Bustier, informing her that they were going to Marinette’s to get a change of clothes before coming back.  However, there were no guarantees as to when. 

“Thanks guys,” Marinette smiled, “I appreciate the support.”

“Of course!” Nino replied, rubbing his neck sheepishly. “We’ve been through thick and thin. We know you’re not what Lila paints you to be. Which is why…uh… Sorry for not believing you before, when you tried warning me and Alya.”

“Yeah,” Kim laughed nervously, “we started noticing some of the things she said were too good to be true. Not only that, but her trying to expel you and framing you for thief wasn’t cool. We should’ve noticed it way earlier though, sorry Mari.”

“It did hurt at first that my friends believed that I was such a bad person,” Marinette admitted, earning a wince from the two, “but I accept your apologies. Thanks for realizing the truth and standing up for me.”

“I’m glad Princess,” Adrien chimed in from the side. “Now you have more people in your corner. I guess this kitty will have to learn how to share.”

“Yeah, but don’t worry, you’ll always be my favorite.” She quipped.

“Of course, this stray cat isn't going anywhere. Now let’s go, you’ve been drenched in paint long enough!”

“You just want to take some of the pastries.”

Adrien and Marinette teased each other relentlessly much to the bewildered Nino and Kim. This was the first time seeing Marinette interacting with Adrien without stuttering or being more clumsy than usual. 

“How long has this been going on??” Kim exclaimed, much to their amusement.