Chapter Text
It felt weird, standing in front of the place he had called home for the past four years while standing next to the woman he had only just reconnected with just a month ago.
In the month he visited her in the hospital, he got to learn more about his mother and the life she managed to create after leaving the League eight years ago.
He wanted to be part of her normalcy as well.
“It seems like you’re more nervous about this than me, mon chou.” Marinette teased, Damian turning to her with a slight scowl on his face.
“I am more concerned about how they might treat you when they see you.” Damian confessed. “They are not the best at taking anything well, especially new family members…
I think it started with Todd.”
“Who’s Todd?” Marinette asked as she knocked on the door.
“One of my adopted brothers…his death…” Damian took a deep breath. “Father, Grayson and Alfred didn’t take it well.”
“Is he a-” Marinette cleared her throat “-a taboo topic to bring up?”
“More like an eyeso-”
“Damian!” Jason just so happened to be the one to answer the door despite Alfred’s clear annoyance. “Who’s the girl? Wait, isn’t this the woman who you painted a month ago?”
Marinette turned to Damian with stars in her eyes.
“You painted a portrait of me?”
“Way to ruin the surprise Todd.” Damian said through gritted teeth. “I was planning on giving it to her at a later time.” Damian pinched the bridge of his nose. “Then again, I am not surprised at your lack of competence in holding your tongue.” Damian sighed. “And yes, she is the subject I painted a while back.”
He gestured to Jason. “This would be Todd, the eyesore, Mama.”
Jason dismissed the comment, the woman in front of him now his new center of curiosity.
“I thought your mother was Talia?” Marinette scrunched her face at the sound of that woman’s face.
Apparently that was something he should warn the others to not say in front of her.
“Has she been spouting that nonsense ever since I-”
“Practically since she brought me to my father’s home.” Damian filled Marinette in, about to elaborate when an ‘ahem’ interrupted them.
“As thrilled as I am to see the two of you get along, I think it would be best to greet our guest inside the manor, with a freshly brewed cup of tea.
Wouldn’t you agree, Master Damian? Master Jason?” Alfred suggested, the boys grumbling in agreement as they made their way inside, Marinette following. “It is a pleasure to meet you Madam Dupain-Cheng. Damian has been quite eager to introduce you to us.
It’s all he has been raving about this morning at breakfast.”
Marinette felt fuzzy from head to toe, her heart buzzing with giddiness as she continued to follow Damian to what seemed to be the dining hall.
“Pennyworth.” Damian fought to say sternly, the pink that dusted the tips of his ears betraying him.
“He’s not wrong.” Jason teased.
Marinette giggled at the siblings' antics, wondering what else she would learn about her boy tonight.
She did not expect Damian’s new family to be so…extensive.
She met Bruce upon entering the drawing room, learning about his work at WE and getting to listen to some of his cherished memories with Damian.
In return for those memories, Marinette shared infancy and toddler photos of a young Damian. At first, Bruce refused the gift, but upon hearing they were copies, Bruce happily accepted them.
Then she met Tim and Stephanie, ending up playing 20 questions with them when they heard she was Damian’s birth mother and not Talia.
She somehow managed to avoid telling them about the Miraculous.
Once it was time for dinner, she met Richard, Marinette quickly picking up on his facade, something she thought all of them would have had upon meeting her but after a while, understood why he was guarded against her despite his constant smiling.
He was jealous he wasn’t Damian's favorite person at the moment.
Marinette continued to answer questions and share memories she had with Damian while in the League, finding it adorable how Damian sank further into his seat with each story she shared of his infancy.
Dinner trailed well into the night, everyone excusing themselves one by one from the dinner table as the moon rose higher in the night sky. Soon, it was just Bruce, Damian and Marinette, signaling everyone that it was time to head to bed…or at least for Marinette and Damian.
Both knew the reasons as to why the others had left over the course of the night, both choosing to stay quiet and go along with the warm silence that filled the manor.
“-and this will be your room.” Damian signaled to the room that stood in front of them. Marinette opened the door, surprised to see a fully decorated room for her, wondering how much thought went behind the decorations. "I-" Damian cleared his throat. "Pennyworth helped adorn the room when he heard me say you didn't have a place to stay once you got discharged from the hospital.
And don't worry! I got Father's approval before we started-"
"Thank you Damian." Marinette ruffled his hair. "I love it."
"I will see you tomorrow, sleep well. Good night Mama."
"Good night, Dami."
Marinette sat up in the bed out of nowhere- no. She knew why she was up.
Someone was at the door.
She opened it, surprised to see Damian there, his hand quickly dropping to his side.
“Damian, it’s two in the morning.” Marinette looked down the corridors, realizing it was only him. “Is everything okay?”
Damian looked past her, scanning the room.
“I just wanted to make sure everything is to your liking.” Damian lied, continuing to scan the room until he realized he was only staring at the wall. “Is everything to your liking?”
Marinette simply smiled before gesturing for him to come closer. Damian stood at the doorway for a while before closing the door behind them.
“It’s perfect. Now tell me,” she sat on the bed. “What really brings you here?”
Damian balled his fists. “You can tell when you’re ready, okay? I’ll be here all night. And in the morn-”
“Can you sing me my lullaby?” Damian burst the request, taking a step back when he realized he didn’t let her finish talking. He looked away. “I’m-I apologize. You were still speaking.”
Damian took another step back. “And I’m 12, now…I shouldn’t be asking for a bedtime-“
“Okay.” Marinette softly accepted, sitting further into the bed.
“What?” Damian asked, wondering if he heard that right.
”What are you still standing there for?” Marinette patted the space next to her. “Come, sit down.”
Damian quickly made his way and curled himself into her side, a bubble of laughter erupting from Marinette as he did so.
”My, my. Seems like I still have my little kitten, don’t I?”
Damian only buried himself closer to her side in response. “Alright then little one. It’s waaay past your bedtime…
“Baby beluga in the deep blue sea
Swim so wild and you swim so free
Heaven above and the sea below
And a little white whale on the go.”
Damian smiled as she sang, trying his best to listen to her voice despite the need to yawn.
“Baby beluga, baby beluga
Is the water warm, is your mama home
With you so happy.”
The drowsiness won, Damian blinking his eyes in hopes that it would stop him yawning again.
Oh.
Nope.
Damian let out another yawn, feeling a burning sensation on the corners of his eyes.
”Way down yonder where the dolphins play
Where you dive and splash all day
Waves roll in and the waves roll out
See the water squirtin’ out of your spout,”
Damian closed his eyes when he figured that perhaps that would help with the burning in his eyes.
“Baby beluga, baby beluga
Sing your little song, sing for all your friends
We like to hear you.”
She sounded exactly like she did in his memories…like all those years ago…it felt exactly like it did all those years ago…
“When it’s dark, you’re home and fed
Curl up snug in your water bed
Moon is shining and the stars are out
Good night, little whale, good night.”
Marinette smiled as she continued to sing, brushing Damian’s hair as he continued to sleep. She had watched him try to fight the sleep off, only to surrender to it, the furrow between his eyes easing.
My little baby…you’ve grown so much…
She kissed his forehead before closing her own eyes, preparing herself to go to sleep as well...
“Baby beluga…baby beluga
With tomorrow’s sun…another day’s begun
You’ll soon be waking…”
He may no longer fit in the length of her arm, yet he still snuggled against her side, just like he did when he was a toddler.
She may have missed many years of his development, but now she has many years ahead of her to make up for them.
“Baby beluga in…the deep blue sea
…Swim so wild…and swim to free…”
She now had the time now to ask him what his favorite foods were…his hobbies…
All of that starting tomorrow morning…
“Heaven…above…and the sea below
And a little…white whale ...”
For morning to come…she…had to sleep..
The room grew quiet, the moon softly shining through the window.
Only soft snores could be heard, a calmness nothing dared to interrupt…
At long last, mother and son were reunited…this calmness was the least they deserved after being apart for so many years.
That, the universe knew.