Maribat/Adribat: One-Shots ✅

The Ice Prince And His Skater

"I love you."

Marinette smiled, burying her head into the chest of the one who had spoken. "And I love you, my Ice Prince."

Damian ignored the blush threatening to burn his cheeks, and instead leaned forward to place a kiss on her head. The way she groaned out of embarrassment and moved further into his embrace made him let out a slight chuckle.

They sat in silence for a few minutes more, both enjoying the harmony that came with the quiet. A fire roared in the background, only adding to the cozy and comfortable atmosphere.

"...Dami?"

He shuffled to see her better. The new view allowed him to gaze upon her suddenly nervous features, that held a small frown and pursed lips.

"Yes, Angel?"

She seemed to hesitate for a moment - as she opened her mouth a number of times to speak - before finally sighing. "I...when will I meet your family?"

"Tomorrow afternoon. Why?"

"I just..." she started, glancing down. "What if they find out that I'm not here legally? Your family is rich, they're bound to do something about it. I...I don't want to be sent back to where I came from."

The male wrapped an arm around her shoulders, pulling her close. "They won't do that, Angel, I'll make sure of it," he responded, and at the way her face expressed doubt he added on, "You're the 'epitome of sunshine', as Jon says. It is impossible for them to think of you as a criminal or anything of the sort."

A flash of something akin to guilt flashed through Marinette's bluebell eyes, yet she hid it by plastering a grin on her cheeks. "Yes, of course. I hope so."

She missed the way his eyes softened, as a vibration from his phone prompted him to raise a brow and pull the device out. It displayed a text message - one that made him sit up in alarm.

"What is it?"

"Mr Freeze," Damian replied. "He is currently robbing a bank near to where Grayson and Todd are. I should make sure that they're safe."

The half-truth slipped out easily from his tongue, provoking the bluenette in his arms to smirk. However, she wiped the show of smugness off when he placed her onto the ground in a gentle manner.

"I am sorry that I have to go," he apologised. "But I assume that I shall see you tomorrow at our usual spot?"

Her lips quirked up. "Yes, you will. For now, be sure to stay out of danger."

~*~*~

"This is ridiculous! I refuse to have any form of conversation with that skater."

Batman fought off the urge to sigh. In a stern tone, he repeated, "It is important that you do. Wonder Woman in particular is keen on recruiting Lady Ice into the Themysciran army. I would rather not have an international incident on our hands involving warriors and magical artefacts being present in Gotham."

"More like you don't want Diana to come at you with a sword," Red Hood mumbled under his breath from nearby. Tim snorted at the vigilante's words, yet covered his reaction up with a cough.

The Dark Knight didn't refute the claim. He simply stared down at Robin and carried on, "I expect that you'll have a civil talk with her?"

Damian grumbled in agreement. He turned his backs to the males, before shooting out his grappling hook. It pulled him into the air, where he zipped past several buildings and soon landed effortlessly on a ledge.

The moon above made shadows dance around his figure as he sprinted across numerous rooftops. A breeze blew strong against his flushed cheeks. The sounds of owls hooting and cars whirring reached his ears.

"Demon Spawn, you can't just run away."

Robin placed a hand to the comm in his ear. "Watch me, Todd," he hissed quietly, before muting the device to prevent anyone from listening in. There was a moment of static, then the absence of any voices.

He exhaled in relief. Nimble fingers pressed the trigger of the grapple gun again, sending him into suspension for another time. Lampposts and lights went past in blurs. People appeared to be ants from the height that he was at.

The familiar sensation of tiredness soon came over him. The teen performed a flip in the sky, before choosing to settle on a gargoyle nearby. He regained his breath, whilst glancing around to see if anyone would spot him.

The search ended up being fruitless. Damian readjusted the mask concealing his eyes, then prepared to launch off and to the ground below. At least, until some peculiar sounds made his ears perk up.

There was music - classical music - accompanied by what he interpreted as scraping. The song reminded him of both galas and funerals. It held an undertone of pathos beneath the top layer of elegance.

Robin's eyes narrowed. He swung to the source of the noises, scanning about with curiosity and impatience. Everything was dark about. Shadows loomed in all corners present. However, he managed to catch sight of one area in particular that was lit up.

Lanterns softly glowed, the many of them outlining a patch of ground that was smooth and blue. On it were thin lines that went about in every way - there was no order to them.

The thought suddenly struck of what was in front of him.

An ice rink.

The hero's eyes drifted over to where the melody was emanating from, only to see a form whizz past a speaker placed on a park bench. His focus snapped to the person.

A puff of air escaped him.

Since there, gliding around with a sense of regalness and beauty, was Lady Ice. The ladybird theme of her outfit consisted of hexagonal spots on a light pink fabric, like usual. The most miniature of snowflake swirls were printed all over.

Her midnight locks were tied into a long plait, that swung about like a hypnotising pendulum with every movement she made. An ice tiara was laced into her hair strands, along with a ruby hair tie.

At the centre of her waist was a ladybug symbol, that matched the look of her yo-yo and earrings.

Damian couldn't help but be enamoured by her performance - even if it wasn't meant to be seen by prying eyes. The way the girl angled her body for the best trajectory, the way she shaped her figure into a shining star when spinning off of the ice...

...the way her ocean orbs shone with mirth just after landing the perfect move. It was all so amateur yet practised that the only thing he could do was watch her intently, paying attention to everything that was happening.

The tune playing what seemed to be all about began to grind to a halt, but he didn't notice. His focus was on her and her only.

Lady Ice skidded and stopped on the ground, then hesitated only a moment before turning her head right up to exactly where he was. A grin took over her features.

She hurled out her yo-yo to a pole above, and allowed herself to swing up then lower down right in front of Robin. His cheeks burned with a shade of red that could rival her own costume. His mouth was slightly open from what she perceived as shock and processing his surroundings.

Marinette leaned forward, pressing her lips right at his ear. "Hope you enjoyed the show, Mon Prince de Glace," she whispered, tone laced with desire and knowing. "I'll see you tomorrow."

She moved back, relishing in the way that his face became dusted in a darker colour. With one last smirk and an amused twinkle in her eye, she zipped off, leaving him all one in the now-cold atmosphere.

There was a warmth encasing Damian's heart, that flooded him with feelings of safety and love, however, he elected to ignore it for the moment.

"Ice Prince....?" he mumbled hushedly. "But- that means..."

His breath caught in his throat. He whipped back, scanning every nook and cranny all around with an intense fervour.

The only thing he found was the familiar figure of his father in the distance.

Not the skater that had once been there seconds before.