Chapter Text
There it was.
Your signature on the dotted line beside Damian’s. You looked at him from the corner of your eye, he looked straight ahead as he spoke to the lawyers, ensuring that the marriage license and the contracts were all legally sound.
“Ma’am-” Alfred’s voice pulled at you and you met the old man’s gaze. “Are you alright?”
You nodded and smiled. It was practised. Simple. “Yes, thank you.”
The old man didn’t seem convinced but he didn’t push more. You were fine with that. You were fine with being left by yourself.
The Waynes had suffered enough at the hands of Gotham and yet, here was the last one. Still trying to make something of this god-awful city. Why didn’t he just leave? He could afford it. You watched him, standing next to Alfred, ever dutifully.
Bruce Wayne was locked away in his estate due to a mysterious illness. But you knew. You knew that he was old, and severely injured. Unable to move much, unable to show himself to the city without speculations rising as to why the billionaire was covered in scars.
The rest had passed young, though; also very mysteriously. But you’d been told. Told what truly had happened. Why this- this sham of a marriage was taking place.
The Waynes were the Bats. The protectors of Gotham. But Gotham- Gotham was a ruthless city and she didn’t care for the ones who wanted to do good and one by one, they each fell. And now, it was just him left. The last Wayne, and his exceptionally old, greying butler who had an unrelenting loyalty and no sense of the word ‘retirement’.
The wedding was a ruse. Just to show the clamouring hands of the nosy people of Gotham that Damian Al Ghul Wayne was in love and married and to squash the rumours that came after the disappearances of the vigilantes when one of the Waynes died.
It had been a year-long charade already. Your father and Mr Wayne had agreed to this, but your mother- gods above and devils below , your mother had turned this into such a clusterfuck as soon the untimely death of your father had occurred.
You and Damian were supposed to get to know each other, figure out if you worked. But because of her constant meddling, things had to be pushed forward. Hurried through.
So here you were. Married. The new Mrs Wa- Fuck no, I’m keeping my damned name if it’s the last thing I do! You vowed to yourself, your fists clenched tightly. You swallowed and let out a breath to calm your nerves. Your mother’s shrill voice echoed in your head. Do as you’re told. Never say no .
Alfred watched you carefully as you kept yourself in control. Admiring how you hadn’t broken down yet. Yet , being the operative term.
He knew how far the roots of this union went. Your mother had almost sold you off to Damian just to have shares for the Wayne Enterprises. Your father’s steadily growing medical equipment company was now absorbed into WE and your mother had liquidated without a second thought of even what kind of a man Damian might be.
How odd, Alfred had thought but didn’t push. Not now at least. They already had much to handle.
“We’re done here.” Damian’s smooth voice cut through everyone’s train of thought. “Come.” He said a single word to you and offered his arm. You nodded politely and took it dutifully.
He led you out to the car, opening the door for you and circling around, getting in himself.
So far, there hadn’t been much conversation between the two of you. Nothing except the usual pleasantries or the posing for the cameras during the ceremony yesterday.
The ceremony itself had been beautiful, however.
It made you almost forget that this was… an arrangement. Not the truth.
It was a dreamscape. Things that little girls journal about. An outdoor event with flowers everywhere and at one point, butterflies had also been released. There had been plenty of food options and no drunken incidents. Your gown had been selected by Damian himself and before the event, you dreaded what kind of an outfit he’d choose but gods , you looked more stunning than you could’ve ever imagined.
There was no dowry but the gifts… oh god , the gifts. Surplus. From dignitaries, from senators, from people you’d never even heard of, and from Damian’s maternal side. The gifts ranged from the usual silverware to gold-plated ornaments to genuinely just plain gold to lavish jewels that you didn’t know where you would ever wear them.
You and him had posed for pictures and somehow expertly, Damian had ensured that every time your mother began to approach you both, he’d guide you away to speak to some other guest. You weren’t sure if it was sheer luck or he knew the kind of things your mother had a habit of saying.
In any case, this was it. You’d been sold off. Married . The new Wayne matriarch who was going to be watched at every given moment.
You sighed softly to yourself and took out your phone. Your Instagram followers had jumped from a few thousand to basically the entire population of Gotham and then some.
The whole world is watching .
The gravity of it all was now weighing down on you.
You told yourself that your father must have had some reason for this. He was a sensible man. He wouldn’t have done this without putting in a good amount of thought. But he just never got the chance to tell you. Never got the chance to explain the reason why him and why you .
You knew that there were many characteristics that made you an ideal candidate for someone like a Wayne. You were smart and well-equipped enough to help run WE, cover for when unavailability struck. And you’d grown up in the same financial lifestyle so you knew how to handle the Gotham Elite. But that couldn’t all that it was… was it?
Eventually, the car circled around the fountain and stopped at the massive daunting doors of the Wayne Manor. Before you could make a move to leave the car, Damian tapped at your wrist and left the vehicle. Circling around to open the door for you.
“Oh- Uhh- You- You didn’t have to-” You got out of the car, “There’s no cameras here-”
He simply scowled and tutted at you, offering his arm to lead you inside. You stayed quiet as you followed along. You knew you had a role to play. Do as expected, be as needed, and never say no , your mother’s voice rang in your mind again and you visibly shook your head to make it go away. Damian raised a brow at your gesture and you swallowed, ignoring it. Hoping that he wouldn’t push it.
Thankfully, he didn’t.
He led you through the manor. It wasn’t as ostentatious as you had assumed it would be. You’d only visited before for galas and parties, many years ago when you were younger. But to walk down the halls and corridors during the day was… different.
The light flooded in beautifully, there were pictures that dated back generations. Pictures of the ones who were no longer alive. A massive portrait of a young Bruce with his parents, followed by smaller pictures of all of Damian’s siblings. Then a picture of him and his parents, and finally, a picture- just the one - of all of them.
You wanted to stay, look at everything, admire the walls, the paintings, look at the pictures closely, but Damian walked with confident, unyielding steps and you weren’t sure if you could ask to break his stride so you just tried your best to keep up.
He led you to the third floor and stopped at large double oak wood doors.
“Your room.” He nodded, “I hope everything is to your liking. Dinner will be at 8 pm. It is not a formal affair. Father will not be joining us.”
Before you could even nod or ask more, he’d already turned and left.
And suddenly, you were standing alone. The silence was deafening, the only sounds that you could hear were some bird, someone whispering and an odd sound that you had never heard before. You bit the inside of your cheek and pushed the door open, going into your new room.
It was… lavish, to say the least. A massive four-post bed with a canopy, a shelf, writing desk, a vanity, a door leading to a walk-in closet, a door leading to a bathroom, massive windows for natural light and a view of the estate instead of the city.
You closed the door softly and sat on the bed. It was soft, the sheets were plush. You looked up, around, taking in every detail that surrounded you. It was… a lot to take in. However, the one thing you noticed immediately was that everything was yours only. There was no sign that your new husband was going to share this space with you.
Bizarre...