to have a series of books with female characters so beautifully written with different personalities and goals, all complicated, complex and three dimensional and still find a way to compare them all the time and engage with them as if they are ya romantasy fantasy characters or kpop female idols in a popular kpop group is so frustrating. why are asoiaf fan spaces acting like this.
Marinette could feel the tension in the dining hall, as soon as she entered. A man, very similar to Damian, was at the head of the table. On his left was his mother and on the right were three gentleman; obviously his brothers from the way he described them. She could feel everyone's gaze on her immediately.
'Why did he decide now of all times to tell them about us?'
"So, how did you two meet?" Dick asked, immediately after Marinette had sat down.
"Dick!" growled Bruce.
"What we're all curious?" he defended himself, "Shouldn't we ask?"
"I see you gave them nothing." Marinette turned towards Damian.
"Was I suppose to?" he questioned, "I seem to recall a similar situation. Waterboarding would have been a better experience.
Mari giggled, "Maman was not that bad, not this quick, either. "
"Your father's size, at the very least, would have been enough." Damian recalled.
"I told you he looked big, but was a teddy bear." she smiled.
"Father is big." Damian stated, "You're father rivals Bane."
"Teddy Bear." Mari sang back.
Damian sighed. He knew he wasn't going to win this argument. He looked up to see his family was already examining their body language and mannerisms.
The Waynes remained silent. Damian and his girlfriend seemed close. She was teasing Damian and he wasn't getting upset. Apparently, he was secure enough to meet her parents. How long ago, they had no idea.
She turned towards Dick, "We met at university."
"How long have you been dating?" Tim asked next, "Apparently, Damian mentioned years? I was asleep when he told us."
"Two, almost three." she answered, calmly.
The Waynes sat there in shock. They knew Damian wasn't one to joke, but how had they not noticed him in a relationship for that long. How had he snuck out and left on dates?
'Have we gotten sloppy?'
Damian leaned closer to her, "They like to pry into every detail. They feel offended I was able to keep you a secret for so long."
Mari just giggled.
"What made you ask him out?" Jason questioned.
Marinette sighed, "Seems you've misunderstood. Damain asked me out."
She noticed that seemed to have caught them all off guard, even his mother.
Offended, Damian huffed, "I have eyes; thank you."
"Uh, De-Damian…same question." Jason spoke.
"Her creativity and intelligence." He announced.
"Huh?" Dick replied.
"We have business classes together." the youngest explained, "She has a unique way of looking at problems and strategizing her work."
"Why did you say yes?" Tim asked, quickly.
Damian's girlfriend smiled, "I like how honest he is."
"I mean," Jason shrugged, "that's one way to say 'offend people'."
"More like he is blunt with his words." Mari replied, "He doesn't mix his words or hide behind lies. It's not something everyone likes. People like to hear what they want, not what they need."
That wasn't the answer they had been expecting.
Talia sipped on her wine, "You know, Dear, you could do so much better."
"Mother!" Damian growled out.
Marinette remained silent and looked down at her plate.
'I guess everyone else thinks the same. They're all so quiet. His dad has just been looking at me and hasn't even asked me a question.'
"Silence, Damian." Talia remarked, "I was talking to Marinette."
'What?'
Marinette looked up towards Talia. She could see Jason cackling out of the corner of her eyes. She quickly looked at her boyfriend and surprisingly, he looked offended.
"My Dear," his mother continued, "if I have learned anything, is that these Wayne Boys, adopted or not, have the emotional compatibility of a gold fish. Something is always making them late for a date or they have to reschedule, last moment. Holidays like Valentine's Day or Anniversaries are not a priority for them; it's just another day to forget."
Marinette could see Bruce's face turning red and him attempting to shrink into the background. She couldn't help the snort and started laughing.
"Habibiti?" Damian asked, concerned.
"Relax, Damian." Mari smiled, "I'm sure your mother is just watching out for you. You mentioned your parents don't live together so she's sharing her experience. They do have a lot of questions; I believe my parents interrogated you as well."
Damian leaned against the back of his chair, "Tch."
They watched in amazement as Damian's girlfriend seemed to have some sort of command over him. He didn't talk back or complain. Talia watched as the boy she had raised fall in line with his lover. The feeling eased Bruce a tiny bit about the whole dinner.
"If our relationship were to continue, in the future, I'll sign whatever prenup you want me to, as long as my lawyer looks it over first." Marinette explained, trying to ease the tension in the room.
"Huh?" spoke a confused Tim.
"Well," Mari began, "Damian isn't as……extroverted as Mr. Wayne, but a woman does need her own reassurance."
"Such as?" Bruce asked, not sure if he liked what the answer was going to be.
"Damian keeps the Wayne fortune and I keep the money I make from my own business. I'll even keep my maiden name, if that's your desire." she stated, "Many woman want money, power or fame. Others…..revenge."
"And you?" Jason prodded.
"Let's just say if Damian were to follow in his father's….playboy theatrics," she smiled, "he would spend the rest of his life in regret and searching for someone who would never be found again."
Bruce cleared his throat.
'No wonder Damian told me not to use the 'Brucie' persona. She was definitely not a fan.'
"I don’t know." Dick chimed in, "He has the money and the power….the resources."
Marinette opened her mouth, but Damian shouted, "Enough!"
He turned to her and kept his gaze on his girlfriend, "Instantly?" he questioned.
Marinette glared at him, "Damian, you would be lucky if that's all I do. Adrien knows damn well how I get when I'm angry. I can and will leave you in a pile of ash, should you turn into my enemy. If you touch one of the few people I despise, beyond reason, I'll leave half your body on your mother's doorstep and the other, here, on the manor steps."
The room fell silent, with a bated breath for Damian's reaction.
"Understood, Habibiti." he replied.
"What if it's for a business meeting?" Dick quickly questioned.
He quickly found himself on the other end of Marinette's glare. He found he didn't like it and understood why Damian had caved. It was worse than Bruce's silence and Alfred's disappointment stance.
"Damian knows how to speak up for himself and say no. He doesn't like unknown people in his personal space and I respect his boundaries." Mari declared, "The fact that you have to ask me, tell me you still haven't learned this and you don't know your brother at all. The only thing that will happen is he will harbor resentment towards you."
"And if Damian chooses to come live with me?" Talia asked, shifting the focus.
"Fashion is universal." Mari smiled, "I can buy materials and sell from anywhere. I've had my own clients since I was thirteen."
Plagg zipped out from his hiding place, "Give me cheese, already! I'm tired of the back and forth when they all know."
"Plagg!" Damian hissed.
He turned to see his holder's family looking confused and frozen.
"Oh, they didn't know." he guessed.
"No they didn't!" Damian growled, reaching for him, "You're not getting your cheese now!"
"No!" Plagg cried, and quickly flew at Damian's face.
He latched on and whined, "It's your fault! You didn't feed me!"
"You didn't feed him!" Marinette asked, glaring at him.
The family watched the back and forth argument, trying to grasp what was going on. It was like Damian was being scolded for not feeding a child; no, not just a child, their child.
"I fed him!" Damian argued back.
Marinette gave him a pointed look.
"He fed me 'string cheese'!" Plagg cried out, "It didn't even taste like cheese. It was peelable! Bug, your husband is a menace to society!"
Marinette sighed, "That’s' why he's your holder."
'Wait! Damian's married!'
'Since when did he get a floating cat?'
'What is that thing?'
'How does she know what it is and why is Damian taking care of it?'
'If Demon Brat being a menace is a good thing. That thing isn't so good.'
Talia smiled, raising her glass, "Seems I underestimated you."
"Yes, you did." Marinette spoke, keeping her eyes on Talia.
The last thing she expected was for Damian's mother to say was, "Welcome to the family."
"Wait!" shouted Jason, "What?"
Marinette sighed, "Come out, Tikki. Might as well, since Plagg's stomach got him in trouble again."
The Batfam watched as a giant ladybug flew from out of nowhere and yanked on the floating cat's eat, chastising him.
"What are they?" Time questioned.
"Kwamis." Talia spoke, "Or Gods, to be precise."
Marinette glanced at Damian's mother. Talia held up her hands in surrender, briefly.
"Seems my son is much more tact when it comes to this relationships." she declared, with a smile "To think you hid a marriage from both of us."
Bruce tensed. He had forgotten the flying cat had called him that.
'He hadn't known Damian was dating. He didn't know he had gotten married. What else didn't he know about his son?'
Bruce looked over at his son and noticed his ear tips had turned red.
Mari declared, "They won't be picked up on any recording devices, visually or audio."
"Alfred!" Jason shouted, "Bring out the hard liquor."
Bruce just nodded. He hadn't expected anything that had happened this week. His son was dating someone with access to Gods. Talia was sitting at the dinner table like she had always lived there. The girlfriend obviously knew who they all were and about his son's questionable past. A drink sound like a good idea.
How it feels cuz I'm screaming and crying over noel gallagher at the Brits awards while my country is abt to be bombed along with other countries near us
