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“Let’s dance!” Marinette called out to Damian, taking his hands in hers.
“But I do not dance.” The boy returned.
“For me?” Marinette asked, her baby blues shining with hope.
“Okay,” Damian relented.
That was the same conversation they always had. Marinette would ask, Damian would say no, then agree after he was asked a second time. It did not matter what he was doing, things would stop and they would dance.
Damian would hum their tune as he and Marinette swayed to the unheard beat. Whether they just got home, were about to go to bed, or even before they left for work, if Marinette wanted to dance they would.
From there, Marinette would lean her head against Damian’s chest, listening to his heartbeat. They would sway slowly in circles, and Marinette would sigh softly, enjoying the dance.
Sometimes, it was the quiet, menial things that had the most impact. When Marinette was gone for various reasons, he would look out for the petite girl. Then, he would remember that Marinette was out, and return to what he was doing. Sometimes humming the soft song they both knew by heart.
Their song was only something they could hear. It played constantly in their heads, changing as quickly as moods. Growing somber if one was sad, and becoming energetic when happy. It grew loud and thunderous when angry, and soft and quick when scared. It grew louder the more terrified someone got, getting faster and faster and more repetitive until they calmed down.
They both had their song in their heads since each one was young. Not a day passed that Marinette bobbed her head to the tune, and Damian hummed a section of it.
——
When Damian was young, he always had a song in his head. At first, he detested it, as it interfered with his assassin training. He grew to love it over the years, and was always happy he never told his mother. At the time it was because Damian did not want to seem insane. Older Damian did not want to kill what he now knew was his soulmate. He did not want his song to be cut.
He was in Gotham when he learned what the song represented. Grayson was informing him of the notorious Gotham villains- and the reason they were who they were.
Dick Grayson had started with Two Face, and explained how the mix of an explosion costing half his face and losing his soulmate had driven him insane.
Damian hadn’t known what a soulmate was at the time, but did not interrupt.
Grayson told him how the Joker had lost his soulmate long ago, turning him insane.
Once again, the soulmate word popped up.
Nightwing explained how the Joker had almost ruined Harley’s soulmate bond- by electrocution and a vat of boiling acid. Still driving her insane, the bond was only repaired when Ivy and her bonded more- making the song bond stronger.
At that point, Damian stopped his eldest brother.
“Grayson, what is a soulmate? Is that why… is that why I am always hearing a song in my head?” Damian inquired.
The elder boy teared up at that, becoming somber.
“A soulmate bond is where you hear music based on your bonded’s emotions. And based on what you just said, I’d bet you have one.”
——
Damian met Marinette in a strange series of events. Firstly, he was sent to Paris. There was someone rumored to be lying about the Wayne name, and Damian was sent to gather evidence for a lawsuit.
He would attend Francoise Dupont, the school in which the teen liar resided. And it was far worse than imagined.
First of all, the liar’s lies were flimsier than a paper airplane. She had to be a metahuman with the tall tales she was getting away with.
Out of the entire class, there were only three people sensible enough to know the liar’s true colors. One of which lacked a spine. The other two were both girls, but one was a spoiled brat.
So, Damian fell for one Marinette Dupain-Cheng
——
Currently, Marinette was off in Paris visiting her parents. Damian would arrive that weekend, as he had to wrap up a few things from WE.
But before the weekend came, Marinette’s song changed. It grew panicked, before calming, like it does when she sleeps. Damian sent a text off, making sure she was okay. She would respond when she woke up, or someone would for her.
Later, Marinette woke again, only to become panicked again. She grew more and more frantic, and miserable as well. She was hysteric, and all Damian could do was call her. Resignation soon washed over their song.
Damian called her parents, who informed him that she was missing. He boarded on the quickest plane and flew out to Paris.
On the flight, Marinette’s song became more and more depressed. Pain and anger added their harmonies to the symphony. Damian grew increasingly worried and panicked himself.
Damian’s flight had landed when her song cut out.
Grabbing his bags, Damian ran all the way to the bakery. Tears cascaded down his face. He knew what a cut song meant. Hell, everybody knew what it meant.
He crashed into the bakery’s doors, slamming them open to reveal Tom and Sabine talking with the French Police.
As soon as the couple saw Damian, they understood.
It is said that if a human were to hear absolute silence, they would go insane. For bonded pairs, it was much the same. The one who felt and heard their bonded’s song cut never came out the same.
Some went mentally insane, like the Joker. Others became depressed and died, whether by broken heart disease or suicide.
Damian did go insane, but not like the Joker.
No.
When he went home, everyday, he danced with someone who was long gone.
Everyday he talked with the ghost of his lover.
Everyday, he still hummed their song, to keep it in his heart. He would never forget their song.
He would never forget Marinette.