Chapter Text
"Damian!" Jon yelled, barreling into his room. With the start of the school year, the two had resumed their regular hangouts and shared patrols. Not that they had truly stopped for the summer, but the consistent schedule was back.
"Jonathan" he replied, grunting as the younger boy crashed into him, wrapping his arms around him. Damian wasn't tempted to reach for his sword, but didn't really know what to do with his arms pinned to his sides. "Release me"
"Oh! Sorry."
"Tt."
"Yaknow, I think you've gotten more receptive to me hugging you."
"What an asinine proposition"
"It's not that crazy. I didn't get stabbed. You're not even holding your katana." Damian wasn't able to refute that. Unable to stand Jon's insufferably smug grin, he attempted to change the topic.
"Have you finished your homework? We should work on that now if not."
"I know, I know. No patrol until homework is done. I have to read the Animal Farm chapters, that's it."
"I haven't read them yet either."
"Perfect!" Jon was grinning again. Damian said nothing else and grabbed his book, starting to read the chapters assigned.
The silence didn't last long, as Jon couldn't go five minutes in silence without needing to talk, apparently.
"So, do you want to go to the movies on Saturday with friends from school?" Jon had spent the first two weeks of the year focusing on attempting to force Damian into friendships within their class, rather than getting ahead in school. For the second year in a row. He was less than thrilled with the attempts, but consciously trying not to be a complete asshole. It was draining, as many of their classmates were dull, but there were some that weren't completely miserable.
"Which of your friends will be there?"
"They don't have to only be my friends, Damian."
"Some of them are insufferable, so you can keep those ones."
"So you'd be open to getting more than one friend?"
"You are not my only friend."
"Once again, I'm glad you're getting along with your brothers, but they don't count!"
"I have another friend."
"Oh really, what's their name?"
"I-" he paused, catching himself. He wasn't certain why he continued to hide his friendship with Marinette. Likely because he had a full-blown crush on her by now, but he could hide that if he only mentioned her as a friend, right? As he thought Jon took his silence to mean something else.
"See, you're lying. They don't even have a name."
"Of course she has a name"
"She? Dames now you're making thins up."
"Okay, Kent, then don't believe me."
"Why am I Kent again?"
"Because you're aggravating me!"
"Rude!"
"And you called me Dames. I hate that."
"I bet your other 'friend' calls you Dames"
"Marinette knows better than that. We've come to an agreement." Damian realized his mistake. He'd spilled.
"Ooh! Marinette. So she does have a name."
"Tt."
"Oh, don't give me that. If you're really not making her up you know I'm happy you have another friend."
"She's real."
"Where'd you meet?"
"My school trip last year."
"In PARIS?" Jon was yelling. Damian had already regretted spilling the tea, but this was making it worse.
"Yes, Jon, in Paris."
"How on earth did you make friends with someone all the way across the ocean in the ten days you were there."
"I- Well first she fell into me."
"And you befriended her instead of maiming her? Were you replaced with a hallmark character or something?"
"I hate that I know that pop culture reference."
"You do?"
"Yes. Marinette explained Hallmark movies. But no, I didn't maim her, and I didn't catch her like some fictional prince charming or something. She was trying to get away from a guy harassing her, honestly she had it handled, but after he left she was excessively apologetic and I asked her for a bakery recommendation to get those macarons I brought back for Richard in order to try and get her to calm down from the apologizing."
"And that's how you got your second friend."
"Well, I did end up accepting her offer for help on the gifts for the rest of my family. But yes, that's it."
"So some macarons, a borderline physical altercation, and way too many apologies is the way to your heart?" Damian tried very hard not to take his words as having any deeper meaning than friendship.
"It's not exactly formulaic, Jon, otherwise I might have more friends."
"I'm sure you would, Dames, I'm sure you would."
"Anyways, don't we have to work on this reading or go on patrol or whatever?"
"Wait can I meet Marinette?"
Damian spent the rest of the evening trying very hard to steer the conversation away from Marinette. And their path away from his brothers, who still didn't know about his friend. He was halfway successful. Jon was not easily deterred, however.
By the time they finished patrol, he was convinced to never Marinette to another person again, and reinforced in his prior decision to never hell his brothers about her. If that was the grilling he got from Jon, what would they do when they discovered he really had a cru- another friend. He had another friend. (And a crush (stop. they can't find out)).
"So Damian, want to talk about this 'friend' of yours?" Damnit. His earpiece was still in, and Oracle had likely heard many of Jon's comments. Making sure none of his brothers were in the cave, he responded quietly.
"No, not particularly,"
"Not even with your favorite big sister?"
"Tt. Don't disrespect Cas in such a way."
"Okay, I walked into that one. Still, who's the kid? Jon sounded like he didn't know them."
"Just someone."
"I can hack your phone, you know." Damian was cornered. He knew it. If Barbara wanted information, not much could stand in her way.
"Look, if I give you the answers I want, you can't tell my brothers." He was still alone in the cave, but ran to change, hoping to get back to his room before having this discussion.
"You know I can get the answers I want regardless, right?"
"Please, Gordon?"
"...I'll accept."
"Deal. I'll change and call you from my room." With that, Damian removed his com. No one was in the changing rooms, and he quickly ran upstairs after changing.
His phone rang the second he stepped into his room.
"Stalker," he muttered as he answered the phone. "Gordon."
"So Dames, gonna tell me about your friend."
"Can you please not call me Dames?"
"Since when do you say please."
"Gordon"
"Okay, I'll get back on topic. Who's your friend?"
"Marinette."
"You're friends with a girl?"
"Tt."
"I'm allowed to be shocked. You're prickly, baby bat."
"Well, she's... persistent."
"Sounds almost like a compliment."
"It is. I'm able to recognize when someone has admirable attributes."
"Oh, so she has admirable attributes. Just a friend, you say?"
"I resent what you imply, Gordon."
"Just saying. So how'd you meet?"
"I ran into her in Paris."
"Wait, you met a girl in the city of Love? You've kept a friend secret for nearly six months?"
"It's not as if we were friends the whole time. Initially, she was an acquaintance, but over time she was persistent and not nearly as annoying as many other people my age, so I consider her a friend."
"You're giving out a lot of compliments here baby bat."
"Tt. Any other questions?"
"I want more details on how you met."
"I ran into her."
"Yeah, you said that already. But where, how, come on give me details."
"Barbara..."
"Oh wow, you know my name."
"Tt. Fine. I was in a park. I ran into her. Literally. Or she ran into me."
"And she's still alive."
"Why do people keep saying that?"
"Again, you're prickly."
"Fine. No, it wasn't her fault. She was dealing with a classmate harassing her, and in apology for his error inconveniencing me, helped me pick out your gifts. Not that an apology was required."
"Wait, that's how you picked out the clothes you gifted us?"
"Yes, she's good with fashion."
"Wow, I'll keep that in mind for the future." Damian remembered as they spoke that Marinette also had a secret identity. And Barbara was likely going to look into her. That was less than ideal.
"Barbara, please don't investigate her. She's a normal civilian, and deserves her privacy."
"Since when does that matter? It's our family way to investigate everyone."
"She has her secrets. And they're not bad, but she deserves to keep them. Please."
"Okay, Damian, if you promise it's nothing dangerous, I'll leave her alone."
"Thank you, Gordon."
"Nope, you've called me by my first name twice now. No going back."
"Tt."
"I'll take that as an agreement, thank you."
"Fine. Do you have all the information you want?"
"I guess so. I might have more questions later, since I'm not allowed to look into her." He supposed that was the best compromise he'd get.
"If that's what it takes, then sure. Just please not in front of my brothers. Or Steph. Cas probably already knows."
"She's here, she nodded and signed that she does. And that Marinette is cute and is good for you."
"Ughhhhhhhh" Damian wanted to melt into the floor.
"She's also telling me to leave you alone. Goodnight, Damian, thanks for not threatening me with a Katana."
"Goodnight, Barbara, I appreciate you not blackmailing me too badly, I suppose." She laughed as she hung up the phone.
He laid in bed and stared at his messages with Marinette. More and more of his family was finding out about her. Cas knew, Barbara knew, Jon knew, his mother probably knew.
He sat up, suddenly uneasy.
His mother probably knew.
How had he forgotten that part of their exchange. And she was a civilian.
Wrapping a blanket tightly around himself, he brought up her contact and called her. It was still well before midnight in Paris, so hopefully she was awake. He knew he was panicking, but he needed to make sure she was okay.
His phone rang.
And rang.
And -"Hey Damian, what's up, isn't it like 2 am for you?" She was alive. For now at least, and safe at home based on her background, "Damian, why are you wrapped in a blanket? Are you okay?" Observational as ever, he realized he now needed to explain his erratic behavior.
"Sorry, I was just... uh..." his heart was still racing, even after seeing she was okay, and he couldn't think straight.
Marinette, who'd been moving around as she answered the call, had stilled and was sitting at her desk now, her attention entirely on her phone.
"Hey, breathe, you're okay, you're safe." She'd caught on to his panic, which only made him want to burrow into his blankets further. Instead, taking a deep breath, he focused his eyes on the blankets in front of him.
"You're safe," was all he managed to get out, trying to regain control.
"Yes, I'm safe. Is that what has you so panicked?" He nodded, staring at his bed still. Her ability to read him was a blessing and a curse at times, but in this moment he was only grateful to not have to speak. "Damian, look at me." He listened. "Copy my breathing," she said as she took exaggerated breaths, waiting for him to catch on.
He tried his hardest to follow, slowly feeling his adrenaline crash.
"I'm safe, okay. I'm in my room, about to go to bed. And if an akuma attacks, Ladybug is here and she hasn't failed Paris yet, okay?"
"I apologize." He said, finally in control enough to respond. The fear that his mother could still attack her hadn't subsided, but the panic had. "I don't know why I reacted so harshly. I'm sorry to interrupt your evening."
"No apologies, Damian. You had a nightmare, that's okay. It happens to everyone." A nightmare. That was a convenient explanation.
"But-"
"Nope, no arguing after a nightmare."
"Fine. You're safe, though?"
"Yes. I'm here, I'm breathing. I have all ten fingers and toes. Was that your nightmare? I was hurt?"
"You were... attacked... by someone and were taken and tortured." He winced after he added the last details. That was too much. Marinette seemed slightly surprised, but unwilling to show it.
"Well. That's dark." He just shrugged, "Can't blame you though, not with you being from Gotham." He smiled slightly at that.
"Yeah..." He didn't know what else to say, just watched as she put her hair up with a pensive look on her face.
"You know, I'm not helpless. Even if I would typically never engage an akuma, I do know some self defense. My Maman and Mme. Tsurugi both teach Kagami and I self defense and various martial arts. I wouldn't say I'm an expert by any means, but I can handle myself." Tsurugi was a decent fighter. And her mother, despite being blind, was well known and ruthless herself. Against his mother, it was unlikely any self defense would truly hold her at bay, but knowing she could likely survive long enough for others to get involved was comforting. After all, his mother hadn't attacked her yet and it had been a month at least since his own kidnapping.
"That... that does make me feel better."
"I'm glad, Damian. How are you feeling? Have you calmed enough to try sleeping again or do you need to talk longer?" Sleep again? Oh yeah, his 'nightmare'. He didn't want to get off the call, still somewhat afraid something would happen when she was out of his sight, but he could tell she was tired. She had been texting him when he arose for school that morning, and the circles under her eyes confirmed she wasn't sleeping much.
"I- I think I'm okay, you can go to bed now." Marinette stared at him, thinking for a moment. Unwilling to interrupt her train of thought, he sat silently.
"I have an idea. Give me ten minutes? I need to pop downstairs really quickly." He nodded, watching as she grabbed some clothes and headed down the ladder in her room. He wasn't expecting for a slight panic to hit him as she left, but he kept breathing slowly, trying his best to stay calm.
Seven and a half minutes later, she reappeared.
"Okay! Now we can both go to bed."
"...both?" he repeated, slightly confused as he realized she had changed into pajamas.
"Yeah, both. You're still on edge, but we both need sleep. So I'll get in bed with my phone, and you'll lay down with yours, and we'll just talk until we fall asleep." Damian appreciated the solution. He would feel infinitely better keeping an eye on her, at least until the panic was completely under control.
"You don't have to-"
"I want to, Damian," Marinette was staring at the phone again, "okay? I want to do this, so if you're okay enough to try and sleep...?" she trailed off.
"I am." He slowly laid down, his phone in his hand. The blanket burrito was slowly unraveling, but he just pulled the covers up in its place. She turned off her light and was situated within minutes.
"So... do we just lay here?"
"We can talk, just nothing serious."
"Okay, did I tell you about Titus' new trick?" He figured pets were a light topic.
Slowly, the two of them conversed, Damian growing more and more tired as they spoke. Eventually, Marinette was talking about one of her designs - a dress and a skirt? or a two-piece outfit? the details were getting blurry- and Damian fell asleep.
***** *****
The next day, he awoke to his alarm. He reached for his phone, which had somehow migrated to his nightstand, and turned it off.
He was sluggish the rest of the day, not nearly rested enough to recover fully from the panic of the night before, but he trudged along. By the end of the day, he knew he needed to call Barbara again. She was surprised that so soon after his request for Marinette's privacy he was asking her to watch over his friend, but the mention of his mother, and specifying to only track for league members and activity in or around Paris, was acceptable to the older girl, who agreed with minimal teasing. Relieved, he turned off his phone and headed for the cave, ready to train before Friday night's patrol.
His father was already in the cave, and considered him carefully as he began to train. Damian thought it was odd his father was watching him so closely, but ignored it in favor of focusing on his form and, eventually, his partner when Dick came downstairs to spar with him.
By the end of the night, his fathers' hovering and watching was nearing intolerable. However, Damian kept silent, knowing he was likely considering something, and that Damian would be looped in when he came to a conclusion.
Sure enough, as he exited the changing area, his father called out.
"Damian, do you have a moment?"
"Yes, if you'll explain why you have been monitoring me all evening."
"I should have known you'd noticed."
"I would be a bad Robin if I didn't."
"You're a great Robin, Damian. In fact, that's what I'm wanting to discuss with you."
"My performance?"
"No. An opportunity for Robin. You've done very well in the past few years since I returned from the time stream, and I've been impressed by your work. You're thorough, dedicated, disciplined, and you've learned to be kind." Damian wasn't sure if he was more taken aback by the praise or being described as 'kind', but he had a feeling his father could read the shock on his face, "I don't say it nearly enough, but I am proud of you, Damian, and I love you." Yeah. His father was definitely reading him like a book. He suddenly felt himself enveloped in a hug, and he wasn't certain what to do. His father's hugs were rare, or they had been. When he truly thought about it, he supposed he had become more tactile since the gala.
Damian's arms came up and wrapped around his father eventually, deciding to give in to the comfort offered. As they pulled away, he couldn't help but ask,
"Is that all you wanted to say?" That was sharper than he intended, "I mean-"
"You're fine, Damian. And you're right it's not at all what I wanted to say, but it did need to be said. No, I want your thoughts on the Paris situation."
"The heroes or the villains?"
"Both is fine,"
"Ladybug is an admirable hero. She has been a consistent source of hope and protection for her city. Rästik and Draco appear far more competent than previous sidekicks of hers, and even the new one, Honeybee, seems to work well with the team. You know my opinions on that mangy cat already, and the villain is a coward. He hides behind his Akumas and refuses to fight anyone himself except on a select few occasions. I will say, however, his ability to cause damage without being present or leaving a trace makes him a difficult coward to defeat. The magic that surrounds the miraculi is tricky, and I don't see an easy path towards victory for Ladybug without an unknown advantage coming from her brand of magic or a significant slipup from Hawkmoth." His father considered his answer for a moment then nodded.
"That's a good analysis. And you're correct, in our initial discussions it was decided that the Justice League in Paris could be catastrophic, for obvious reasons, and Ladybug was well aware of the same difficulties you listed. However, around a month ago she reached out to Diana."
"Oh? Did something change?"
"Not quite yet, but she indicated that some answers she found in a grimoire have left her hopeful for the future of her fight against Hawkmoth. As such, she needs more support from the Justice League. Especially since, as you so frequently have asserted, that 'mangy feline' is an obstacle rather than the equal partner she desperately needs."
"So the Justice League is sending her a partner? And you want my input on who?"
"Not quite. The Justice League is putting a team together to assist her with further planning and strategizing the endgame of her fight with Hawkmoth. The team would have the potential to go to Paris if everyone and Ladybug come to that decision. Wonder Woman suggested you as a potential member for this team." Damian was surprised by that. Diana was much closer with his older two brothers, and had never shown any sort of emotion, positive or negative, towards him. "She thinks your detective and strategy skills would be useful, along with your adaptability when it comes to fighting techniques. Additionally, you're close in age to how old we've estimated Ladybug to be, and are, according to Diana, 'quite possibly destructive enough in your own actions to balance her creation without any magic,'." Damian blanked at that.
"Is that... a compliment?" His father chuckled at that,
"I believe so. The miraculi are all about balance, I believe, and see creation and destruction as two equally important halves of a whole. However, it doesn't sound as if there is any potential for our members to wield miraculi, rather the balance disrupted by Chat Noir could be restored to alleviate some strain on Ladybug and her responsibilities."
"And you agree, you think I could be a good counterpart to Ladybug should the need arise?"
"Yes. You're a great fighter, and more importantly you care about Paris. Ladybug would never be able to work with someone who didn't care about the city she protects so unwaveringly. It may never come to that, it may remain strategy and advising, but you've also survived Paris without akumatization. Another point in your favor."
"So I'm to join a team with who else to advise Ladybug on how to use her potential advantage to turn the tides against Hawkmoth?"
"Currently Zatana has been suggested, due to her own magical expertise. Diana will be the third as she has her own history with the Miraculi and has been our main point of contact with Ladybug."
"And if I say yes?"
"Next Sunday we will join the senior members of the Justice League in debriefing Ladybug and officially kicking off the task force." Damian thought about it for less than thirty seconds. The opportunity to assist in making Paris more safe for Marinette was enough to draw him in, and the added bonus of potentially returning to the city was even better.
"I'll do it."