Chapter 5
Marinette found herself smiling softly to her new brother, and yes, brother, because that’s who he is, no matter how much he tried to grumpily protest it, reassuring him she’d be fine. “I’ll see you at lunch, mon tigre, okay? It won’t be long until then but try and drink more tea, mama and papa will be down in the bakery should you need anything.”
She tries not to giggle at the roll of his emerald eyes, but she couldn’t help it! Damien was adorable, even with the macabre way he went about things, and he genuinely didn’t realize it!
“I will be fine, Marinette,” he grumbles, but his brows did that slight furrow, a give to his worry, “but what of that vile viper you spoke of? Surely, we should inform your parents of her actions? Especially seeing as that Agreste will not do so. Honestly, your friends simply could’ve gone and asked HIM as well to verify your claims.”
It touched her that he worried so much for her well being, but…but she was Ladybug, she could handle a bully (more like 3)!But it made her feel good, knowing someone was unabashedly at her side, even if he kept talking badly about Adrien….
“I’ll be fine, mon tigre.” She presses a kiss to his brow, laughing at his disgruntled growls and shoves, leaving her room to head down and run to school.
At least Damien woke her early! She had even had time to eat breakfast.
~
Damien sighs as he tidies his bedroom, setting his sword away carefully before he went about organizing the books they obtained through the internet, and wasn’t that such an odd concept?
Even at home was it really home? he had kept most of his things orderly, minimal, and very few, he hadn’t even found the need to scent his room-as weak as his pup scent was- like others his age.
Here, he found himself needing his room a certain way, of course, but whatever inner beast he contained seemed to want to mimic Marinette’s way of decor. Organized clutter, if you will, with the comforts of a nest an indicator…? No, no, Alpha’s had dens as well, and Betas certainly enjoyed soft things as well-. Mr. and Mrs. Dupain-Cheng had certainly been most helpful in his recovery and obtaining paperwork to keep him firmly in their care had anyone worked so hard for him before?, even went so far as to offer him a scenting.
From what his grandfather had taught him, such things were strictly pack related; he had declined, of course, even as some part of him whined to be scented with their parental care
~
“Did you guys hear?! Bruce Wayne’s son just, VANISHED!” Alya spazzes at the front gate, pointing at her phone with a worried/excited(?) expression. Wocited. “No one’s seen him in almost a MONTH now, and there’s been no word of where he might be!”
“Yeah, I heard a bit about it. His youngest right?” Nino tacks on, fiddling with his phone to find the article she was raving about without needing to get whiplash by following her phone.
She bobs her head, “That’s right, Damien Wayne. His brothers are making a statement later today, but man, its apparently even has Batman stumped and he’s the best detecti-! Wait, where are you going?” Alya pauses, frowning as Marinette heads to the bakery instead of the cafe the three had spoken about.
The cafe had a plethora of new American desserts! She was NOT missing out on that unhealthy mess!
And with Adrien's driver looking the other way, the model was going to gorge himself.
They were good friends.
“Oh! I uh, well, I’m going home to take care of my new brother. He’s still sick.” She said, you know, very casually. As if she had ALWAYS had a brother. “Oooookay, gotta go, bye!”
Yeah, she took off out of there FAST.
Tikki giggles from her hiding place, smiling at the squawks of surprise left in the dust, as well as the calls to come back. Honestly, there were far odder things occurring all over Paris.
They’d likely interrogate her after lunch.
Marinette felt a thrum of warmth curl over her as she entered the bakery, the scent of home blanketing over her; she greeted her parents before she headed up to check on Damien, the safety of home a reassurance to her weathered soul.
(Lila was a pain and she hadn’t even interacted with the girl today! How are you an annoyance from far away??)
Said boy was on the couch, napping away with Alfred resting near his head and Titus greedily enjoying the dog treat Papa likely left for him. She coos sweetly to the big dog, scratching behind the ear he prefers, the steady thump of a tail hitting the ground, before going to the kitchen to see what Papa made for lunch.
Damien Wayne…
She glances over to the resting figure on the couch, heart aching at how he had settled into their home, his growls and grumbles ignored from how his scent smelt of nothing but longing pup, contented pup. His presentation was approaching, the faint curl of a beginning scent edging on the milky scent pups seemed to carry until they were thirteen; when he seemed the most content hidden in her nest, watching her sketch designs before he focused on his own sketches, she swears she smelled the curl of smoke? It smells like those perfumed incense that relaxes your body, and amber…she’s not sure why she thinks of amber, but she remembered one of those body lotion stores had a lotion with amber and those always smell nice.
In other words, she knows his scent will suit him nicely.
…But, back on the subject of hand, cheese and leek souffle tasting amazing on her tongue, her little brother hers, ONLY hers, her little brother ran across an ocean to leave. He is hers and he is pack and she will fight with fangs and claws and magic to keep it so is likely the lost Wayne. From what she has seen of the eldest two, as well as Monsieur Wayne, he certainly fits their looks.
Such a shame he’s not a Wayne.
He’s a Dupain-Cheng.
Mama’s contacts got back to her with those adoption papers.
The smile on her face settled there for the rest of lunch, especially once a certain grumpy-pants woke up, stomped to her side, and slumped against her as he ate his own food. Such a little kitten, her tigre was.
It had been a progress for him to lower his guard, and it seems he is the most comfortable with her, instincts and all; once they were both done with lunch, she checks over his temperature, frowning at the growing fever on him. It wasn’t a cold, but with his presentation so soon…, “Damien, have you found yourself doing anything…different than you normally do?”
“What do you mean?” He grumbles, leaning into her hands, snuffling at her scent gland on her wrist, whining softly until she scents her brother. Poor thing was leaning into the baser instincts of their secondary gender.
Marinette leant forward, kissing his forehead, “C’mon, mon tigre, you need to nap. I want you to nap in the nest, okay?” If this was going the path she believed, then being in the nest of another omega’s would help to ease the stress his body was causing.
They’d need to go shopping for more nesting materials for his own room.
~
A window opens as a figure gazes down to the butterfly resting there, grin stretching as the worry of an Aunt bubbled up. Her honorary nephew had been missing for so long, the perfect host for his akuma.