Not Falling in Love (Daminette)

Ch 7 (Marinette)

I need to get Damian Wayne out of here. 

He's the youngest son of Gotham's richest man: a prime hostage target. I need to protect him from Poison Ivy's vines and make sure that he gets out of here safely.

“You're coming with me,” I say. “This place is too dangerous! Did you already forget that Poison Ivy had you tied up in vines? And that Batman, Nightwing, Red Robin, Spoiler, and Red Hood are under the influence of some type of aggression- inducing pollen and fighting each other in the ballroom?”

“I have not forgotten, but Marinette, I need to-”

“No buts!” I release my grip on his arm and immediately move to hold his hand. “Come on, we're getting out of here.”

Damian complies as I drag him down the hallway and out the doors. We walk quickly. Damian stays silent, which I am thankful for since my mind is busy thinking of a solution to this situation.

Batman and four of Gotham's other vigilantes have been effected by Poison Ivy's pollen. I have no way of knowing if Harley Quinn can stop Poison Ivy from attacking and convince her to release the gala attendees from her vines. I highly doubt it. Harley is probably just a temporary distraction. Someone needs to do something.

Should I transform into Ladybug? 

No. That's too risky.

Maybe I could rush back to my room in the hotel that I am staying at with Chloe and her mom. The miracle box is disguised as a sewing box and hidden in one of my suitcases. When I defeated Hawkmoth, I was finally able to reclaim the lost butterfly and peacock miraculous. The miracle box is restored. Maybe it's time for me to finally use one of the other miraculous in the box…

Damian and I hurry down the building's stone steps. 

People crowd around the base of the broken glass building. Orphan, Signal, and Catwoman guard the premise, preventing the curious Gotham natives from drawing too close to the building. These people don't seem to understand that a picture or selfie for a social media account isn't worth the risk of getting injured.

Luckily, the people are so distracted by the excitement happening in the glass building that they don't notice Damian Wayne walking past them. 

I see Chloe standing in the center of the crowd. She stands close enough to the building that she can search for me, but also far away enough from the danger zone that she can avoid being yelled at by Catwoman.

“Mari!” Chloe screams my nickname.

“Chlo!” I shout back.

I let go of Damain's hand and run towards my best friend. She wraps her arms around me and pulls me into a tight hug. I feel relieved to know that she is okay.

“Dang it, Dupain-Cheng, do you have any idea how worried I was about you?” Chloe pulls her head away from my shoulder to inspect me. “Are you hurt- oh my god what happened to your dress?!”

“I'm fine, Chloe.”

“Don't be ridiculous,” Chloe scoffs. “The hem of your dress is in tatters. And your hair is tangled with ivy leaves. And…Marinette…why are you holding a giant knife?”

“No reason.” I hide the cake knife behind my back.

Chloe shakes her head. “Please tell me that you didn't put yourself in danger and try to stop Poison Ivy by yourself!”

“Errr…uhmmm… where's your mom?” I attempt to change the subject.

Lucky for me, it works.

“Tim Drake and Dick Grayson said that it would be safer if mommy went back to the hotel, since Poison Ivy was specifically looking for her. That red-haired woman is utterly rediculous! The earth doesn't care if mommy featured plant-based fabrics in Style Queen's autumn fashion line!”