Chapter Text
“This is awful!” Max began throwing a newspaper down on the desk. “Now that Marinette has disappeared, we basically have no cast!”
“Aw,” Kim interrupted, “But we’re still selling seats, and that’s what matters. Don’t you see? Miss Dupain-Cheng’s disappearance is publicity. This is good.” Kim began to sort through the mail on his desk, and he pauses as he sees two letters in black envelopes. He didn't remember seeing those earlier.
“What are those?” Max grabbed the one that was addressed to him. “Dear Max, Marinette was fantastic last night, much better than Lila Rossi. The chorus was entrancing as well, but the dancing must be fixed.”
Kim grabbed the other note and began, “Dear Kim, I’m sending this letter to remind you that my salary has not been paid. No one likes a debtor, so it's better if my orders are obeyed.”
“Who would send this? It’s signed O.G., but…” Max trailed off as he realized, “Opera Ghost! Someone is taking this prank too far.”
“It’s not even a convincing prank. What kind of ghost wants money?”
“The type that’s not a ghost at all.” Just as Kim and Max were discussing how to deal with the supposed “prankster,” the three Wayne brothers stormed into the office.
“Where is she?” Jason Todd-Wayne all but yelled.
“Lila?”
“No, Marinette," he slammed his hands on the desk in between the two managers. "I’ll ask again. Where is she?”
The three brothers stood side by side forming an unbreakable line, and Max realized that they all seemed quite scary like that. He hadn’t noticed it before, but they seemed stronger than even Kim. He stuttered a response, saying that they don’t know where Marinette is.
“She disappeared last night,” Kim interrupted, drawing the attention off of Max.
“Did you send us this letter?” The oldest, Dick Grayson-Wayne, asked, stepping forward. The two managers could see that the black envelope was the same as the two that they had received.
“We didn’t send you any letter. What does it say?”
Dick handed the letter off to Max, and Max read it out loud, “Do not fear for Marinette. The angel of music has her under his wing. Make no attempt to see her again.” Suddenly Max could understand the three’s anger. This note was… concerning to say the least.
“This is ridiculous. If you didn’t write it, who did?”
At this moment, Lila rushed in with Adrien hanging by her side. “Where are they?” She turned to face the three brothers and scowled at them.
“What is it now?”
“How dare you send me this letter!” She screeched. The managers side-eyed each other. How many more letters were there?
“We didn’t send you any letter.” Tim began, trying placate the soprano.
“So, you three didn’t send it?” Adrien stepped in.
“Of course not!” Dick said.
“What is it that you think we sent?” Jason asked as he yanked the letter from Lila’s hand. “Your days at the Opera Populaire are numbered. Marinette Dupain-Cheng will be singing on your behalf tonight. Be prepared for a great misfortune should you attempt to take her place.”
“This is far too many notes for my taste.” Kim whispered to Max.
“And most of them are about Marinette,” Max realized. “All we’ve heard has been Miss Dupain-Cheng’s name.” Just as he was readying himself to place the blame on Marinette for the notes, Madame Tsurugi appeared with her daughter standing by her side.
“Marinette has returned.” At this the three Wayne’s perked up.
“Where is she now?”
Kagami stepped forward, “She’s in her room resting. You shouldn’t interrupt her, she was very tired when she appeared.”
“She will see no one.” Madame Tsurugi reaffirmed. “I have a letter.”
Everyone in the group stepped forward towards Madame Tsurugi. It was Kim who grabbed the note and read, “Gentlemen, I have now sent you several notes of the most amicable nature, detailing how MY theater is to be run,” at this Kim momentarily stopped to scoff before continuing, “You have not followed my instructions. I shall give you one last chance Marinette Dupain-Cheng has returned to you, and I am anxious her career should progressin the new production of Il Muto. You will therefore cast Carlotta as the pageboy and put Miss Dupain-Cheng in the role of Countess.The role which Marinette plays calls for charm and appeal. The role of the pageboy is silent which makes my casting, in a word, ideal. I shall watch the performance from my normal seat in box 5, which will be kept empty for me. Should these commands be ignored, a disaster beyond your imagination will occur. I remain, gentlemen, your obedient servant, O. G.”
“This is all a ploy to help Marinette! This was sent by the patrons!” At Lila’s accusations, chaos broke out. The Waynes defended themselves and Marinette, and the managers tried to calm the still screaming Lila down. Adrien, who was still attached to Lila’s side, looked increasingly uncomfortable.
Kim finally caught everyone’s attention when he said, “We do not take orders! Marinette will play the pageboy—the silent role. Lila will play the lead.”
“It’s useless to try to appease me. You would rather have that little brat. No one appreciates me. You’ve replaced me,” Lila cried.
“No, we aren’t. You’re public needs you.” Kim nudged Max in the side.
“We need you, too.” Max said, glaring subtly at Kim. “The world wants you.”
“You’re our Primadonna. You must sing again. Can you bow out when they’re shouting your name? Think of how they all adore you.”
“Enchant us once again! Can you deny us the triumph in store? Sing Primadonna, once more!”
“All right,” Lila said grinning, “My song shall live again. I took a snub, but the public needs me.”
Behind the walls of the office, The Phantom of the Opera stood, “So it is war between us! A disaster beyond imagination shall occur,” he whispered, eyes turning to where he knows the chandler hung above in the theater.
------
Bruce Wayne loved the arts, so when he received a letter from his sons’ friend, Marinette, asking him to come and see the opera she was in tonight, he couldn’t refuse. Before he went to sit down in box five, Marinette caught his arm. “Monsieur Wayne, I need to talk to you.”
“Of course,” Bruce answered, following where Marinette lead him into an empty room. Her eyes flittered around the walls, as if worried someone was watching through them. “What did you want to talk about?”
“You might have heard the rumors of a ghost living in this opera house.” She fiddled with her hands, “It’s true, except he’s not actually a ghost. He’s a man, and he’s had a hard life.” She looked at Bruce to see his reaction.
“Why are you telling me this?”
“Because he looks like you. I don’t want you to think that I’m crazy, but is it possible that he’s your son? He told me that his mother never told his father about him.”
Bruce felt his heart stop. If this… ghost was his son, he had abandoned him. “Is there any way I can talk to this phantom?”
“I’ll bring him to you. I worry for him. He needs a parent. Someone to guide him.”
Bruce nodded. He couldn’t leave a child alone, whether he was Bruce’s biological son or not.
-------
The Wayne family sat in box five watching Il Muto, and the three brothers couldn’t believe that the manager would force Marinette into a silent role just to appease Lila who, as Jason had loudly proclaimed, wasn’t even that good at singing. Bruce also found himself disappointed as he had heard of Marinette’s beautiful singing voice from his sons, and he had hoped to hear it.
“Serafimo, away with this pretense! You cannot speak but kiss me in my husband’s absence.” Bruce could feel himself cringe at the scene in front of him. Marinette leaned behind Lila’s fan to fake kissing her. This role seemed determined to embarrass Marinette.
Just as Bruce was about to turn away from the scene to talk with his sons, a loud voice boomed out from seemingly nowhere, “Did I not instruct that box five was to be left empty?”
Everyone on stage stopped the performance and stared at the ceiling, “it’s him,” Marinette whispered.
Lila turned with bright eyes full of hatred, “Your part is silent, little toad.”
“A toad, madame? Perhaps it is you who are the toad.” The voice loudly interrupted.
As the cast looked backstage, they could see the managers telling them to continue. They began were they had left off, and Lila sang, “Poor fool, he makes me laugh. Hahahahah--” Lila's voice croaked, quite literally in the middle of her solo. The audience laughed, but the Wayne’s sat confused.
The managers ran on stage, “Ladies and gentlemen, we are sorry for the interruption. The performance will continue in ten minutes time with Marinette playing the Countess. Thank you. Meanwhile we would like to give you the ballet from act three!”
------
Marinette wasted no time in running up to box five and telling the Waynes to follow her up to the roof. She knew Damian would follow her, especially if she was with the patrons.
They stood outside in the snow, and Marinette looked around. Finally, Jason spook up, “Marinette, why did you bring us up here?”
Marinette ignored his question, “Damian, I know you’re up here. Come out, please. We need to talk to you.” Bruce could see a dark figure step out from behind a gargoyle.
“Why would you bring them up here, angel?” Bruce felt his heart skip a beat. The man in front of him was wearing a mask, but half of his face was uncovered. As Bruce stared at him, he could see both Talia and him in the man (but he looked to be no older than Marinette. He seemed to be fifteen at most. He was a child, and he had been abandoned.)
Bruce stepped forward, motioning for Marinette to let him talk. “My name is Bruce Wayne. Is your mother by any chance Talia Al Ghul?” The boy stiffened, which Bruce took as answer enough. “I believe that I’m you father.” It was hard to imagine that a person who had lived through what Damian had lived through would ever been scared speechless, but he was. “I want to act like your father, too.”
“No, you don’t. You’ll just be like mother. You’ll abandon me just like she did.” While, Damian shook his head in denial, Marinette motioned to Dick, Jason, and Tim and they made their leave to let Bruce and Damian speak alone.
“I’m not like your mother. I lost my parents when I was young, and I don’t want you to experience life without a guardian any longer. How long have you been hiding out in the opera house?”
“Mother abandoned me to the circus when I was just five. I took me five years and an ally in the circus to build up the courage to escape. This is my safe haven, and I won’t let you take it away.” Bruce stepped forward, with his hand extended toward Damian.
“I don’t want to take anything from you. What’s your name?” Bruce asked.
“Damian,” he whispered, too shocked to step away when Bruce stepped forward and hugged him.
“Damian, I’m so glad that I found you. I know that you’re scared and shocked right now, but give me a chance to be your father.” Damian could feel tears fall down his face, and he inwardly cursed himself for being weak. He hadn’t allowed himself to cry ever since his mother sold him to the circus, but he couldn't control his emotions. He had the chance to live a normal life, with a parent who cares for him. He didn't completely trust this Wayne, his father, but he wanted to.
The chandler didn’t fall that night—not that anyone in the audience knew of Damian’s plan to drop the chandler on the unsuspecting crowd.
The opera went very well, but Dick Grayson-Wayne wasn’t able to focus on it. All that he was able to remember was his time in the circus and the little boy who he helped escape and even named. He never thought that he would see Damian again, but here he was. Haunting an opera house.
Dick didn’t know what was happening between Bruce and Damian, but he hoped that Bruce would be able to convince Damian to join the family. He had a hard life, and he deserved some love. As Dick watched Marinette’s performance, he thought that maybe Damian had already found someone who cared about him, and he had a family now.