mind over mask

sixty

Damian's POV

Marinette was passed out in my arms, as I raced on top of the rooftops.

Father was busy fighting the Joker, who was a mere distraction to his real plan. I'd thank Oracle later, because without her, Marinette could been hurt—or dead.

I grip her a little tighter, as I shot my grappling hook, and descended to the ground. Joker gas must've made her weak, if insomnia and overworking herself wasn't enough.

I called the BatMobile to me, and it emerged from the shadows. I put Marinette carefully into one side, and got in the drivers seat. I raced through the streets of Gotham, eventually down into the tunnels that led straight to the BatCave.

Screeching to a halt, the wheels smoked as I got Marinette out of the passenger side.

"Alfred!" I called, but he was already rushing over with a hospital bed. Dick and Tim stood nearby, looking nervous as ever. It had been a long time since anyone in the family had been hurt severely or kidnapped.

Then it hit me—I almost lost her.

How many times was the Joker going to get away with this?

Father should have let Jas—Todd finish off the clown when he had the chance.

Grayson should have let him die instead of putting him in a full body cast.

And Tim should've made sure to aim for his heart, and not his shoulder.

I stood there in pure anger, the only thing keeping me here and in the moment was the barely breathing body of my beloved.

I watched helplessly, following Alfred as he placed Marinette in the infirmary, instantly getting to work.

He cleaned her up after checking that her vitals were stable. An oxygen mask was applied over her face, and an IV into her arm for good measure.

"Mari!" The bug like goddess yelled, when she finally arrived to the Cave. Waves of sadness washed over her, as she rested just above Marinette's knee. She started to heal her owner, and it was the exact opposite feeling of the pit. I shivered against the awkward feeling, a headache rising in my head. Todd looked uncomfortable too, but I wondered if it was for the same reason.

He liked Marinette, but not necessarily how quickly she was welcomed into the family. I couldn't tell if he was jealous of her, or at me to find someone like her.

I looked away at Marinette's lifeless form, unable to handle that it was my fault that she was in that bed. I say next to the bed, still in my sweat slicked suit, listening to the constant beat of her heart.

Marinette's POV

A wave of deja vu washed over me as I heard my heartbeat on a screen above me. I pushed myself up in the bed of the medical room of the Cave. Tikki lay asleep on the bed, hugging my knee gently, a gentle warmth of healing waning over me.

I patted her head, and moved her off of me, careful not to wake her up. Someone had left their mask on the chair next to me, and I flipped it over only to find that it was Damian's.

I crept out of the room after I removed the IV's and machine hooked up to, turning off the machines.

Mostly everyone was gathered around the BatComputer. Bruce looked over the chair that Tim was in, and Dick was leaning back, snacking on a bag of chips. Damian looked intently at the screen, watching security cameras of my street.

"The camera was placed on a loop, one you can barely detect before the attack. This wasn't random, it was planned. We'll ask Marinette when she wakes up—"