Robin's Angel

Chapter Twenty-Four - Beloved

Marinette woke up late that morning, feeling refreshed and completely healed of the injuries she had gotten the previous day at the akuma attack.

The dream lingered in her mind, a connection that she couldn't seem to make was tugging at her, but the more she tried to focus on it, the more it slipped away.

"Good morning Marinette!" Tikki's overenthusiastic voice broke Marinette from her thoughts.

"Morning Tikki, what time is it?" Marinette sat up in bed, rubbing her eyes.

"It's nine AM Marinette, you slept in later than usual, luckily it's a free day for your class to explore Gotham today so you didn't miss anything. Chloe didn't want to wake you up, but she told me to tell you that her mom is in town for a business meeting with a reporter and her son and that she was meeting up with her for breakfast, so you shouldn't wait for her."

Marinette nodded, a smile making its way onto her face at the mention of Chloe seeing her mom. Mari didn't really have anything planned for the day so she decided to have a day to herself. With everything being so hectic she was looking forward to having some peace.

Mari got ready for the day and grabbed her sketchbook. She made her way out of the hotel and set out to find the park she had searched up on her phone before leaving. Five minutes later, she found herself comfortably sitting underneath a big tree, completely absorbed in her sketches, searching through all the ideas she encountered since she arrived in Gotham, desperate to get them down before they slipped away.

Being so absorbed in her own thoughts, she failed to comprehend the sound of barking steadily growing louder by the second. A moment later, a large mass pummeled into Marinette, pinning her to the ground with slobbery kisses, sketchbook and purse knocked aside.

"Titus! Titus, heel! I apologize for the interruption-" Damian had just gotten his great dane under control when he caught sight of who Titus had tackled.

"Hehe, oh it's alright, I don't mind at all. Especially when the 'interruption' is as adorable as Titus." Marinette stood up and leaned forward, scratching the large dog behind the ears and watching as his strong tail thumped against the ground in obvious delight from her attention.

Damian bent down to grab her sketchbook off the ground. Having already been open, he caught sight of a gorgeous red ball gown with lace roses scattered around the length of the dress exquisitely.

"Is this what you will be wearing to the ball?" Damian's curiosity got the better of him. He usually wouldn't care to make conversation with anyone unless needed, but something inside made him want to know her better.

"Yes, but I haven't started on it yet. I was planning on going to the fabric store today to get started." Marinette blushed as he continued to scrutinize her work, holding her breath as she waited to hear his opinion on it.

"Now I see why my brothers are so obsessed with your work. Do you happen to make suits as well?" Damian tried to make his inquiry seem nonchalant, and failed, though Marinette didn't seem to notice.

"Yes, in fact I made the suit that Jason will be wearing to the charity gala in two weeks. I actually made a new design for a suit on the next page if you want to see it?" Marinette's blush refused to leave, much to her embarrassment.

Damian turned the page and observed the black suit with a deep red and black silk striped tie and pocket square. Without a word, Damian handed Marinette's sketchbook back to her and reached into his side pocket for his wallet. Marinette looked at him confused as he pulled several hundred dollars out, handing it over to her.

"Will this be enough of a deposit for the suit?" Marinette's eyes widened as she comprehended what he meant.

"Oh, Dami, you don't have to pay that much, I have a special discount for friends and family, so that's not necessary!" Marinette shook her hands in front of her, feeling wrong about taking his money.