Adding to the messy room headcanon

I’m continuing the head-canon that Marinette should always be messy. When her room is too messy and she hasn’t finished her project she moves downstairs to work and makes it messy there too 🤷🏽‍♀️. I can totally see her after an all nighter being told off by her mom to clean up her crap and go to sleep.

I’ve been putting this drawing off since august so it’s nice to finally finish it

“Discordant Sonata” Chapter 18

>>Click here to read on Ao3<<

>>Click here to read on Wattpad<<

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CHAPTER 18: AFFETUOSO

 Music glossary:

 Affetuoso: to perform with passion and emotion

**Chapter illustration by @corgi-likes-chat​ **

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(Mood Music: “Christofori’s Dream” - David Lanz)

Adrien’s eyelids fluttered open, a sleepy smile still present on his face. He breathed out a long, contented sigh, stretching his limbs out wide enough that they poked out of the bedcovers. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d slept so well.

Last night, after Marinette awoke him from his most harrowing night terror to date, he’d fallen back asleep and something remarkable happened: for the second time in years, he’d actually had a pleasant dream. The only other time he hadn’t suffered from his usual nightmares ever since becoming Chat Noir was on the first night that he’d arrived at the Dupain-Cheng residence.

He tried to think back, wondering what might have caused this, not just last night, but back on that first day Marinette had brought him home. What did these two occurrences have in common?

His mouth quirked to the side and his brow furrowed, deep in thought, trying to remember. He wasn’t exactly in the best frame of mind when he’d arrived a couple of months back, given all that had happened when he ran away from his father; so it was no surprise that his memory of that night was hazy at best. Nevertheless, he hoped to find a correlation; if there was one, maybe he could figure out how to repeat it.

His thoughts were interrupted by a gentle hand sliding across his midsection. Disturbed by his movements, a smaller body rolled toward him, settling comfortably on his chest and breathing out a drowsy sigh.

He looked down and there she was: sweet, lovely Marinette; one of the dearest and most important people in his life. The raven-haired girl stirred, letting out a small whine; Adrien stilled, subconsciously holding his breath, not wanting to wake her and accidentally reveal his identity.

This became much harder when she reached around him, her fingers lightly skimming across his rib cage. His muscles tensed and he bit back a laugh; why did he have to be so darn ticklish?!

He readjusted himself, trying to shuffle out from underneath her; but she clinged to him like an overgrown barnacle, even in her unconscious state. I guess she’s a cuddler, he thought, and he couldn’t help but smile about how well that suited her.

It was still pretty dark in the room, as the sun hadn’t risen yet. He glanced over at the wall clock; he still had about an hour and a half before he had to report to work at the bakery, so he didn’t have to rush to get ready. Relieved, he sagged back down onto his pillow. He could relax for a little longer, he supposed.

Deciding to check his notifications while Marinette slept, he gingerly reached towards his nightstand to grab his phone, careful not to disturb her. He’d deactivated all his social media accounts since running away from home, so there weren’t very many notifications; there was a school-related email and a couple of late night funny memes from Nino.

Adrien checked the Ladyblog next. No news about any akumas this morning, thankfully. However, there were a few blurry snapshots of the previous night’s attack. He scrolled down for a bit, then stopped, his eyes popping open as he focused his attention on a particular photo.

He couldn’t suppress the lovestruck sigh that escaped his lips when he stared at a picture of Ladybug. His Lady was breathtaking, her eyes so ethereal, her smile utterly resplendent. She was indescribably beautiful, both inside and out and there was absolutely nothing he would change about her. He was hopelessly smitten, no doubt about it.

A few months ago, he would have berated himself for feeling this way about his mortal enemy. But his entire life had been turned upside down since then, and he wholeheartedly embraced this unexpected development.

The next photo was taken after the akuma was purified and the Miraculous Cure had set everything back to where it should be. Ladybug had seen that Alya was about to snap a photo, so she grabbed Chat and turned him around to face the camera, wrapping her arm around his shoulders. She grinned widely, and did a peace sign with her free hand. So cute.

He glanced over to his own face and instinctively grimaced. He was winking at the camera with a goofy, cheerful salute, not bothering to channel the suave, sophisticated mannerisms of a proper model that he’d incurred over the years. God, I’m so cringy, he thought.

Nevertheless, he saved the picture onto his phone. It was the first photo of them together like this, as opposed to impersonal ones taken by the media from afar, or during press releases and interviews.

It had only been posted a few hours ago, but already it had thousands of likes and comments. He didn’t dare look through those, however. Not since he first discovered the kinds of things people wrote about Chat Noir, both before and after his change in alliances. It was better to avoid those, lest he ruin his day reading about how much some people still hated him.

But he remembered Marinette’s words from the night before. She was right; he had to have hope, and believe that things would slowly get better. Attitude was everything.

Speaking of Marinette…

He looked down at his roommate once again. By this point, she’d slinked and climbed almost entirely on top of him, utilizing him like a mattress. His eyebrows scrunched together, and he wondered how in the world he’d be able to slip out of bed undetected.

All the stealth-based videogames I’ve ever played have prepared me for this moment. I got this!! he thought, hyping himself up.

Taking a deep breath in, he rolled over to his side, managing to slide Marinette’s ragdoll-like form back onto the mattress. She made a small noise and he froze, electricity crawling up the back of his neck. A few tense moments passed, and her stirring subsided, her breathing becoming slow and even once again. He exhaled, just now realizing he’d been holding his breath.

Freedom!! Adrien celebrated as he stood, stretching his arms high over his head, taking care not to hit the ceiling lights. His skin felt grimy with dried sweat from the night before; a shower was exactly what he needed right now. He tiptoed over to get a change of clothes from the dresser, giving the occasional glance towards the bed to make sure Marinette was still asleep.

As he made his way to the bathroom, he stopped by her side, a warm smile spreading across his face. He bent over and gave the top of her head a small kiss. Where would he be without her and her family? She and Sabine especially went out of their way to help him feel at home, to make him feel like he belonged, instead of treating him like a nuisance, or like some freeloader just taking up space. He loved them all so much; he vowed to himself to make it up to them someday.

He pulled the bedcovers up to Marinette’s shoulders so she wouldn’t miss the extra warmth too much, then made his way to the bathroom to start the day.

--

Marinette stirred, enveloped in softness and a familiar scent of spice and fresh rain. Eyes still closed, she extended her arm, reaching for the oversized cat pillow on her bed that she always liked to cuddle.

Her searching hand found something soft. Aha! She brought it closer, snuggling it tight, then began to get comfortable again. But then, her pillow started poking her cheek, over and over and over. The pillow’s poking only intensified when she tried squeezing it even harder. How rude!

Wait... what?

A single eyelid groggily slid open, meeting a small pair of eyes of a distinctive shade of green. A rather frazzled-looking Plagg stared back, his expression unamused from being squished between her and the pillow she was hugging.

“Sorry, Plagg,” she slurred sleepily as she pulled away to give him some space. “What are you doing here?”

He crossed his little arms, raising a brow. “I live here, remember?”

“But why are you in my room–– oh, wait…” she stopped, the memory of last night starting to rush back to her. This wasn’t her room; it was Chat’s. She’d slept in his room last night. And the bed she was lying in was his bed. These were his blankets and pillows, and they carried his scent. Heat rose to her face and a multitude of imaginary butterflies swarmed in her stomach as she realized that she’d actually spent the night with him, albeit under less than ideal circumstances.

And then a second realization dawned on her: Chat Noir was gone.

She sat up with a start, her head whipping back and forth to search for him. As she was about to panic, she heard the shower running in the en suite bathroom, punctuated by some cheerful humming. With a heavy, relieved sigh, she laid back down, careful not to squish the tiny cat god next to her.

“By the way, Little Bug,” Plagg murmured, meekly rubbing the back of his head. “Thanks for helping my kid last night.”

“Oh, of course, Plagg!” she replied. “I’m always happy to help however I can.”

He gave her a melancholy smile. “I just wish there was more I could’ve done. I tried waking him up myself, but he couldn’t hear me at all, no matter how hard I tried.” He sighed, twisting his mouth into a pained frown. “He doesn’t deserve this. He's already gone through so much.”

“Plagg, no, it’s okay! You did your best, and I’m sure Chat knows that too. I’m just glad I was able to get through to him. It was lucky that I happened to be downstairs at that time. Chat couldn’t ask for a better friend than you.”

Plagg grinned widely at her. “I always knew I liked you,” he remarked, scooting closer and nuzzling into her.

Marinette smiled back, returning the hug and kissing the top of his head, followed by providing him with some gentle scratches behind the ears. He let out a small, contented purr as he leaned into her hand.

After a few moments of hesitation, Plagg spoke again, “Little Bug, there’s... something else you need to know.”

They pulled apart, and Marinette eyed him with trepidation. “What is it?”

“It was too dark, so you didn’t see it, but–” he said with a grim tone in his voice, “–I need to let you know what really happened last night.”

“Huh?” Marinette’s eyebrows furrowed together in confusion. “What do you mean? I know he said his night terrors aren’t usually this bad, but was there something else?”

A dark look flickered on Plagg’s face. “Hawkmoth tried to akumatize him last night.”

Marinette felt like she’d been dropped into a vat of ice water. “W- WHAT?!” she sputtered. “B-but how is that possible?! Akumatized?? He was asleep! Hawkmoth can’t akumatize people who are unconscious!!” She paused, pondering the possibility. “Right…?”

“It’s tricky, but not impossible,” Plagg replied. “Hawkmoth knows about Chat Noir’s nightmares, so he must’ve sensed his opportunity and finally taken it last night.”

Marinette brought a hand to her temple in disbelief.

Plagg continued, “I don’t know why he decided to try it now, instead of when he first ran away. And what if–” he gulped, and his voice quavered slightly as he continued, unable to conceal his fear, “What if he tries it again? What if he tries it every night?”

“No… he wouldn’t… he can’t!!” Marinette cried, staring at the bathroom door, her mind racing a million miles a minute. She clenched her fists as she tried not to give into the feelings of dismay and anxiety that were clawing away at her. “Plagg… What do we do?! Hawkmoth’s patterns seem to be getting more erratic and desperate recently. Is he under some kind of deadline? Why is he doing this??”

“I can think of a couple of reasons,” Tikki answered from across the room.

Marinette practically leaped off the bed in surprise due to Tikki’s abrupt entrance. “Tikki!” she exclaimed.

The brightly colored kwami hovered towards them and elaborated, “Firstly, as Chat grows older, his powers will continue to get stronger, as will yours, so you’ll be more difficult for Hawkmoth to defeat as time goes on. Secondly, I think the effects of misusing the butterfly miraculous must be catching up to him as well. His desperation suggests that maybe he thinks he’s running out of time.”

“Out of time? What do you mean?” Marinette asked, confused.

Plagg sighed. “It’s his health,” he answered. "He wasn’t doing very well even before we left. Slowly but steadily, it’s been getting worse for a while.” He turned to face Tikki. “You think Hawkmoth believes that he’s gonna… you know... soon?”

Tikki shrugged in response, her expression blank.

“Oh… I see,” Marinette said, her voice almost a whisper.

Her mind raced, a torrent of emotions crashing into her simultaneously, like a rowboat in a tempest, slamming into a cliffside without respite.

She wasn’t sure how to feel about this new information. Her chest felt tight, like it did when she wanted to cry. Should she feel happy or sad that her mortal enemy was getting sicker and sicker, to the point where his life was potentially in danger? Was it okay to feel–dare she say it– relieved?

What was she supposed to think? As a hero, was it more important to be merciful, or was it more important to be just? Her heart felt like it was being pulled in two completely opposite directions. Despite hating the man with every fiber of her being, part of her thought that maybe dying was too extreme a punishment. And yet, at the same time, the hurt, embittered part of herself thought that maybe dying would be too easy, like he was getting let off the hook instead of being forced to acknowledge his wrongs and feel remorse for the horrible things he’d done.

For years, she’d dreamed about the day when Hawkmoth would be defeated and his miraculous confiscated. It was supposed to be a happy time, full of rejoicing and excitement. But she’d never considered the possibility that Hawkmoth would be defeated by an entirely different force, one that she had no say in how or when it happened. It didn’t feel fair. She hated feeling this powerless.

Her thoughts were interrupted by a brief tug at her sleeve. She looked down at Tikki, who motioned towards the bathroom with a small nod. It was then that she noticed the noise–or rather– the absence of it, which could only mean one thing: Chat Noir had finished his shower, and he’d be coming out of the bathroom any minute now.

“I think that’s our cue to leave,” Tikki whispered.

Marinette nodded. She turned to Plagg and whispered, “We’ll talk more later. I’ll call Master Fu later today and see if he has any advice.”

“M’kay. See ya,” he replied with a small wave. “Bye, Sugarcube.”

Tikki looked back and gave him a reassuring smile, then followed Marinette out the door.

Plagg hovered towards the windowsill while he waited for his charge, plopping down with a heavy sigh. He leaned against the window, taking in the many colors of the dawn sky, which looked almost too bright and vibrant for his liking. How dare the heavens look so beautiful while he felt so miserable inside? The day hadn’t even really started, and yet the only thing he wanted to do was to just crawl back into bed. He dearly hoped that the heavy, uneasy feeling in his gut would go away soon.

(A short while later)

Work at the bakery had been lively and hectic today; so much so that Chat Noir had to be reminded when his shift was over and that he needed to head to school. He gave Sabine a parting hug, the latter thanking him for his hard work and giving him some encouraging words as she helped dust the flour off his suit and hair.

Chat retrieved his cloak from a coat hanger by the door and stepped into the stairwell that led to the living quarters, so that he could retrieve his school supplies and exit through Marinette’s balcony trap door as he normally did. That was definitely one of the plus sides of working in the kitchen while transformed; he could wear his school outfit underneath and not require a change of clothes or a shower when he was through. He could merely detransform and be good as new.

As he ascended up the stairs, he heard a familiar deep voice call out to him from below. Chat froze, then turned around, trying to keep his nerves under control.

“Could I speak with you for a minute?” Tom asked.

Uh-oh.

“O-of course, Mr. Dupain,” Chat replied, trying to keep his voice even despite his nerves.

Tom’s face was mostly neutral, but his body was rigid and there was a hint of gloom in his eyes. Chat did his best not to cringe as he stood in front of the much taller man who, despite not being a superhero, looked like he could toss him clear to the Eiffel Tower if he felt like it. To prevent himself from fidgeting, Chat finally opted to stick his hands inside his pockets.

“What is it, sir? D-did I do something wrong?” he asked. “I was running a bit late, so I apologize if I didn’t put something back in the right spot. O-or did I mess up an order?? I’m sorry, I can go back and fix… whatever it is!”

“No, everything’s fine; it’s something else,” he answered, and Chat felt the stiffness in his shoulders ease a tiny bit.

However, it came back full force when Tom didn’t say anything else. Chat’s heartbeat sped up as they stood face to face in silence, unsure of the route this conversation was about to take.

What else could he be in trouble for? Did he find out Marinette had fallen asleep in his bedroom yesterday? Oh no… Did Tom think he and Marinette had… done something unseemly together last night?! Was he getting kicked out of the house?? His mind raced and his chest thumped, and he prepared himself to beg on his knees for forgiveness if need be.

A few agonizingly long and awkward seconds later, Tom spoke again, “Chat Noir… I wanted to apologize to you.”

“Oh, I see. Wait… WHAT?!?” Chat felt like someone had yanked the carpet out from underneath him. “Apologize?? What for?”

Tom lifted his arm to rub the back of his head, his entire posture taut as a bowstring. “We didn’t really get off on the right foot, you and I. You’ve been nothing but cordial and polite, and all I’ve done since you arrived is give you the cold shoulder, and for that I’m truly sorry. I wanted to clear the air and start over, if that’s okay with you.”

“Mr. Dupain! N-no, please, it’s okay!” Chat sputtered, his hands waving frantically. “I totally understand why you would have reservations about me living here, o-or even interacting with you guys at all! They’re totally justified concerns! I mean, up until a few months ago, I was still working with Hawkmoth; so the fact that you even allowed me into your home at all is incredibly kind of you! I’ve never felt any ill will towards you, I swear! You were just doing what any good father would––” he trailed off, trying to keep the melancholy out of his voice, “–would do.”

Tom winced and sighed heavily, crossing his arms. “That’s exactly my point, though. It may have been justified at first, but that was back then . I tolerated you for the sake of my wife and daughter, but I was always suspicious. I should’ve given you a chance instead of just judging you for no reason, especially after all this time. So I wanted to try to make it up to you.”

It was then that Tom brought something shiny out of his shirt pocket. It was an adorable little keychain shaped like a croissant. But wait… no, it wasn’t just a keychain, Chat realized. There was a key dangling on the end. A house key. Tom handed it over, doing his best to try to conceal a timid smile.

Chat gaped at him, reeling from what was happening. “I… I don’t know what to say. That is so generous of you! Thank you, Mr. Dupain,” he replied meekly, staring into his hands at the key. HIS key.

He felt the man’s large hand pat him on the shoulder and Chat looked up, meeting his soft, forest green eyes. “Please, call me Tom.”

Chat had to consciously fight the urge to let his jaw drop. If he wasn’t dreaming last night with Ladybug’s revelation, he was surely dreaming now. “Y-yes, sir! Uhh, Mr. Tom, sir. Uhh, I mean…” he stammered, still not recovered from having been gobsmacked out of nowhere.

The older man gave out a hearty laugh. “Just Tom. And please, if there’s anything you need, just say the word. Even if it’s just someone to lend an ear. You’ve got a good heart despite the bad hand that’s been dealt to you, and you have so much potential. We’re happy to have you in our family, even if you’re only here temporarily. Just know you’ll always have a home here with us.”

Chat’s heart swelled with affection, so full that it felt like it might burst, and his eyesight became blurry with unshed tears. He threw his arms around the giant man in front of him, someone who he never thought would fully accept him, squeezing hard.

“Thank you, Tom! Thank you so much, I’m just–” he let out a shuddering sigh then continued, voice cracking, “–thank you.”

Tom squeezed back firmly, giving him an affectionate pat. Failing to hide a sniffle, he then added, “I should let you get going, I don’t wanna make you late for school.” The pair pulled apart, and Tom ruffled Chat’s hair. “Be safe out there, kiddo.”

After saying their goodbyes, Chat bounded up the stairs, practically floating with glee. He’d missed this feeling; the feeling of being part of a family. As he emerged onto the rooftop balcony, he took a deep breath of the crisp autumn air, his heart full of excitement and hope.

He arrived at the school in high spirits and a huge grin on his face. He detransformed in a discreet location and practically skipped to the school’s entrance; then he entered the campus, carefree, joyful, and blissfully unaware of the dark eyes that followed him inside.

To Marry a Vigilante: Part 2

MASTERLIST || First || Previous || Next

Disclaimer: Masterlist

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The day before Christmas… was a nightmare. Marinette had to admit that Damian was right. Her parents volunteered to help Alfred in the kitchen. The butler tried to argue, but his fighting with Sabine was an unstoppable force meeting an unmovable object. In the end, they got a compromise that the baker couple would help that day, but would be banned from the kitchen for the rest of Christmas. 

The boys meanwhile were ordered to decorate the house and prepare the formal dining room. And it was a mess. First, Dick and Jason spent almost an hour arguing over the decorations, only to then see that Mari and Damian already decorated the room with the merchandise Damian somehow got imported from Paris without their knowledge. Jason tried to dismantle the decorations that were put up without a warning, but it ended with Damian chasing him with a sword… again. It didn’t help that Todd kept riling the youngest Wayne up. Technically second-youngest since he was older than Marinette by a few months, but that’s beyond the point.

Then, when Jason ended up with a slight limp after he crashed into a cupboard when trying to cut the corner and Damian’s bloodthirst got satisfied, it was time for decorating the Christmas tree. When Mari saw the tree, she almost toppled over. It was put in the hall before the stairway to the second floor. It was tall enough to almost reach the ceiling. 

“That’s your tree?”

“In my defense, I tried to order a smaller one. It’s not my fault they gave size in the metric system.” Tim argued. 

“If you cut on coffee and instead got some sleep once in a while, maybe you would’ve noticed.” Jason snickered. 

Dick took the opportunity to climb upstairs and start decoration, only to be caught by Steph, who proceeded to decorate on the other side. Seeing the two already started, the three other boys also raced to start putting decorations. It was a mess, but somehow Marinette found it endearing. It felt… homey. Then she grabbed some decorations and joined Damian. Then she teamed up with Steph to make a large bat symbol on one side out of gold tinsel garland. Then she made a red ‘R’ inside it.

And this time nobody got hurt. 

After that, Dick and Jason left for their respective homes. Tim and Steph left shortly after, leaving Damian and Mari alone with the adults. Technically, Cass also stayed at the manor, but unless she wanted to be seen, only Alfred (and now Sabine) could find her. 

The teens decided to stay in the Manor. Marinette was dead set on making everyone their gifts by hand. She brought several unfinished designs that could be adjusted. Damian was kind enough to collect the measurements for each family member from Alfred. 

And so Mari then spent all evening in her room, where she worked on adjusting and finishing everything. She was beyond grateful that her room was already equipped with a sewing machine and anything else she would need to make the gifts. The whole time Damian sat nearby to offer some advice. Mostly, he just enjoyed watching her work on the designs. 

“Do you think putting a Red Robin logo on this tie would be too much?” She asked, showing a red tie with black accents. It had a meticulous black stitch going through the narrow part. It spelled MDC over and over.

“Maybe put it inside, so that it only shows when he put it upside-down,” Damian answered. 

“But then nobody will see it.”

“There is a bigger chance someone sees it than if it’s on the front.” The boy deadpanned. 

“Don’t be mean.” She scolded him, but her pearly laughter kinda ruined it. She put the tie away and reached for the sunglasses she was working on. They used to be black, but she tinted the glass deep-red and then added details at the side. Now, there was a small silver bullet-shaped decoration where they would fold. She had a case ready where she stitched the shape of a red handgun at the top of black leather. 

“And this?”

“Habibti. They will definitely love your gifts.” He gave her a soft smile. “If not, I will introduce them to my sword” He muttered, hoping she would not hear it.

“Damian!” She shouted. His hopes went in flames. “No murdering people!”

“Can I at least maim?” He asked with a hopeful voice.

“Hm… only if you ask me before.” She giggled at his expression. 

“I think it is high time I retreat to my bedroom. It’s almost midnight, Angel. Go to sleep.” He stood up and walked outside, only to be met with Sabine’s judging eyes. She watched him carefully before smiling slightly. 

“Good. You can go. I will tuck her in.” 

After she passed him, Damian let out a breath he didn’t know he held. That woman was scary.

--------

The next morning was still hectic, but no longer so chaotic. Mari spent half of it locked in her room giving the designs final touches. She did not let Damian or her parents in since she focused on their gifts and didn’t want to spoil the surprise. Alfred was the only one who got a peek inside and he didn’t even fear Sabine, so the chances he would tell anything to anyone were less than Joker genuinely apologizing to everyone he ever hurt. 

Finally, around midday, Marinette finally revealed herself. The room was a mess of cut fabric, loose papers, and Kwami knows what else. There was also a bowl of water in the corner. 

“That was a race.” She commented before grabbing Damian’s hand and dragging him into the living room to share a tea and cookies. All adults cooed. 

“So, Habibti. Care to reveal what you made for me?” The boy asked hopefully once they were both sitting side-by-side on the two-people couch. She held a cup of steaming tea while Damian put his in a small cup holder while he was eating a cookie. 

“Nope.” She grinned. “But I can tell you that you will like it.” 

“From you? I will like any gift.” He answered smoothly.

“Stop it!” She squealed, blushing heavily. “You can’t say things like that out of the blue.”

“Why?” He asked, giving her a barely noticeable smile.

“I can’t go around blushing all the time!” 

“But you look so cute with red cheeks.” 

“You don’t look so bad either, Mi Amor,” she retorted. She wanted to get some reaction from him, but he only smiled slightly more. 

They rested, cuddled together for a bit, enjoying the silence that surrounded them. It was interrupted when suddenly Cass dropped out of the blue. Or from the ceiling, but they would’ve sworn she was not there before. 

“You… Cousin?” The girl asked. 

“Oh! You must be Cassandra!” Mari recognized her. Cass was maybe her height. She was dressed in workout clothes. “Nice to meet you. I’m Marinette.”

“Marinette,” Cass repeated. “Call me Cass. Everyone does.” 

“Um… Sure. You can call me Mari if you like?” Both Damian and Cass grinned at that, much to the french girl’s confusion. “Did I miss some joke?”

“No, Angel. It’s just that Grayson’s daughter is named Mar’i” Damian looked at his beloved’s expression. 

“Oh. Oh…” The realization dawned on her. “Well, then what about… Nettie?”

“Nettie… Like it.” Cass responded.

“Cass doesn’t speak much.” The boy took it upon himself to explain. “She first learned to communicate through body gestures.” 

“Maman told me. I can’t believe aunt Sandra left you with that monster. Maman told her some things though, so maybe next time you two meet she will apologize.” 

“Mother… Apologize… Me?” The girl asked in disbelief.

“Maman is a very persuasive person.”

Cass didn’t speak about that, but a memory of the hug two of them shared yesterday surfaced at the top of her thoughts. 

“Anyway, you wanted to get to know me? Well… um… I’m fifteen, soon to be sixteen. I love fashion and design and I make almost all of my clothes. I also practice some martial arts in my free time. I love sketching outdoors. There is this small park next to my parent’s bakery that I love to visit. In the past, I adored the works of Gabriel brand, but after the owner turned out to be a major bastard I kinda decided to just stick to my own stuff. What else… I prefer tea to coffee unless I need to pull an all-nighter, my favorite sweets are macarons and my uncle named his soup after me when he won the cooking competition.”

“Soup… good?” Cass decided to ask. 

“Oh! It’s the best. Actually, maybe we could ask uncle Wang to cook for our wedding, Dami! Can we? He would be invited anyway but then people would get to…” 

“Of course, Habibti.” Damian interrupted her.

“Wedding?” Cass had more questions.

“Oh… Um… You didn’t know?” Marinette doubled back. “Of course you didn’t know. Damian tried to keep it down and I ruined it. Please don’t tell anyone. I’m so sorry Dami! I forgot! I was just so…” 

Damian, following the usual routine when Mari started to panic, pulled her to his chest, and hugged her. He whispered something low enough for Cassandra not to hear. She did notice the couple’s body language. Devotion and love.

When Marinette finally calmed, Damian let her out of his embrace. “Thanks. I still keep some of my… less desirable habits.” 

“It’s no problem. At least I have an excuse to cuddle with you without my brothers’ merciless teasing.” 

“Wedding.” Cass urged them. Her curiosity was peaking. 

“Ah! Right. So basically Talia kidnapped me and decided I would marry her son and then we both woke up tied before the altar and she threatened to kill us and our families if we didn’t go through with it. And I was so scared back then. And T… And I had no way to do anything else.” 

Cass saw her tense and stopped herself. There was more to it, but she didn’t drill. She would learn later. Or just get it out of Tim. He knew everything. 

“Well, now we’re stuck and there is this weird spell on us that makes it impossible to cheat on one another. At least I assume it works both ways since Damian didn’t test it.” There was no doubt in her voice and her body showed complete trust. Cass was actually impressed. 

“The bitch that my mother is,” Marinette wanted to scold Damian on the language he used, but then again, he spoke about Talia so he wasn’t lying, “used some old curse on us, probably from the time my grandfather was still young. We are tied together. But we made it work.” 

“Magic… bad.” Cass scoffed. 

“No!” Mari quickly protested. “I mean not all magic is bad. It all depends on who uses it! Besides, everything turned out better than I could’ve ever hoped.” 

“Good. I… Like you.” Her cousin smiled. “Hug?” She asked.

“Sure.” Marinette nodded and before she knew it Cass tackled her into the couch, almost breaking her bones. 

“Oooh!” a new voice cooed. Damian immediately whirled around with a small dagger that he pulled from wherever he kept it. Selina Kyle was standing there, watching everything.

“Tt. I don’t like being spied upon.” Damian scowled. 

“Relax, lover-boy. I just came and I was curious where everyone went and who were the new people.” 

“Oh. That’s probably my parents. Alfred kicked them out of the kitchen today. They will probably be relaxing in the garden since they rarely have a chance to just relax. They run a bakery in Paris.” Mari smiled at the newcomer. 

“Really now? And you’re the unlucky girl that got stuck with the short, dark, and brooding?”

“Tt. I’m not short.”

“I don’t hear you arguing about the dark and brooding part.” Selina teased. 

“Angel, meet my father’s fiancée, Selina Kyle. She is also Catwoman.”

“Oh. She is in on the family business then?”

“Tt. Yes. I don’t keep things hidden from my wife.” Damian kept scowling.

“Aren’t you a dutiful husband?”

“I’m not afraid to defend my wife’s honor with a sword, thief.” The boy threatened. Selina measured him for a moment.

“Good.” She turned to Marinette. “He will do. If he is causing you trouble, you can crash at my place.” She gave her a small square paper with an address before leaving. 

“Um… What was that?”

“Tt. That was Selina for you.” Damian was still in a bad mood until Marinette snuggled closer to him. 

------------

Around five, the guests started arriving. It was unanimously decided that the youngest couple would be the ones to greet their guests. And looking at the size of the table, there would be more guests than Mari assumed. Damian was now dressed in a flawless black suit with a matching bowtie and a white shirt. Mari chose to wear the red dress that she knew left Damian speechless every time he saw her. Her hair was let go and formed waves cascading down her back. 

Jason was first. He came on his bike alone. While everyone dressed in something elegant, he opted for an oil-stained t-shirt and brown leather jacket, complete with black cargo pants and heavy boots. Marinette had to admit he gave a bad-boy vibe that told her to stay away. But she’s seen this with Ivan and she was pretty sure Jason was, in fact, a big softie once one got to know him. 

Next to arrive were Tim and Stephanie. She wore a black and purple knee-length dress. It had no sleeves and hugged her form tightly. The design was several large squares of material sewn together so no two colors were the same. It was an interesting design. Tim wore a blue suit with black accents and a white shirt. They looked like a nice couple. And the boy looked almost awake, which was a success. Also, they were dragging a giant bag of gifts. 

Shortly after, a small van pulled close and five people exited. There was an older couple, a joyful boy around their age jumping around them, and two people Marinette recognized instantly. You couldn’t hang around Alya and not recognize Clark Kent and Lois Lane-Kent.

“Tt. Jon.” Damian greeted the boy.

“Sup Dames? Hello fair lady.” He greeted them, happiness almost oozing from him. Jon went as far as kissing her hand. 

“Could you stop with the flowers and rainbows?” Wayne growled.

“But it’s Christmas!”

“Tt. I know.” Damian was angry. Seeing it, his beloved grabbed his hand and squeezed it lightly.

“Hello Mr. Kent, Mrs. Lane-Kent.” Marinette greeted the adults, hoping to diffuse the situation  before Damian gets too riled up. 

“You must be Marinette. I remember Jon mentioning you when we talked about his trip to Paris.” Clark smiled. He then nodded toward the older couple. “These are my parents, Johnathan and Martha Kent.”

“It’s nice to meet ya, girl.” The man nodded toward her. 

“Hi. I’m Marinette.” She gave them a smile. Just as the Kents went inside, another car pulled in. 

This time, it was Dick with his wife, Kor’i, and daughter Mar’i. They all got out of the car.

“I still don’t understand why you insist on driving this thing. I could’ve flown us here twice as fast.” The woman had distinctively orange skin and her eyes were entirely green. Marinette instantly recognized her as Starfire. She wore a white shirt with bell-like sleeves that reached to her elbows and blue jeans that ended just above her ankles. Dick had a dark-gray shirt and jeans. She would classify their outfits as smart casual. 

“Yeah, daddy! I can fly too!” To prove her point, the little girl rose a bit into the air. She was dressed in an oversized purple jumper that reached to the ground. She also wore white trainers. Her skin was less orange than her mother’s but the color was easily visible. And her eyes were also entirely green without any white. And she was flying. Her hair was black though, as opposed to her mother’s fiery red. 

“Sweety. Come here.” Kor’i reached up and grabbed the floating daughter. The girl immediately nuzzled into her and smiled victoriously. She got exactly what she wanted. Marinette couldn’t help but giggle.

“Tt. I still find her annoying.” Damian scowled. 

“I don’t know, she looks cute to me. And you already admitted that you love cute things.” To make things worse for her love, Marinette gave him puppy eyes and a bright smile. He tried to scowl, but couldn’t muster enough strength to oppose his wife.

Dick almost tripped over the car when he started laughing. 

Since they were the last to arrive, Marinette and Damian returned inside to join everyone for festivities. 

----------

Somewhere else, in a much darker place, a lone figure stood in an empty room. His clothes were dirty and torn. The light entered only through a small window. 

“So you see? It was all a set-up!” He shouted. 

From the shadows, another figure joined. 

“But of course, sweetie. Of course.” They said in a patronizing tone. “I will of course help you.”

“You understand me. And what about… Marinette?” 

“I don’t understand your obsession with her, but I can share.” 

“Whatever. She will be mine!”

----------

Masterlist // Next

Playing with Fire – Ch. 6

Leaving the village doesn't go as well as Marinette had hoped.

Read on Ao3 

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Luka grunted as he shouldered the many bags Sabine had given them full of food and clothing and trinkets from Marinette’s childhood. Those were carefully packed in the bottom of the one bag Luka let her carry. “Protected for the journey,” Sabine had said with a twinkle in her eye that was aimed squarely at Marinette. 

“It’s just the walk to the tower,” Luka had grumbled at first, trying to tell Sabine that she needn’t have bothered and Jagged could get them supplies when he came through. He’d even offered to make trips more often in case they went through their food faster than they expected. Sabine hadn’t even answered him, just handed him another bag and kissed them both on the cheeks as she ushered them back out the door and she winked at Marinette behind Luka's back.

Marinette was thankful they were leaving after the sun had gone down; Luka didn’t seem to notice her embarrassed flush. Her mom wasn’t exactly being subtle. But it was a relief to know that she supported Marinette’s idea to try to find Luka’s family, even if it meant they might not be back to visit for a long time.

As she thought, she played with the stone at her neck, watching Luka’s blue fire play over her fingers. It wouldn’t be easy. She’d talked about some logistics with Sabine so she had a plan when she was ready to tell Luka about it. The first step was mastering sharing the fire without the use of the stones so he could remain in dragon form as long as he needed during the day. How would they even start with that? So far the stones had been the most reliable way to keep them stable, but without them they still switched back and forth according to the time of day and if they were touching or not. Which wasn’t ideal for a long-term journey like the one she had in mind.

She snuck a glance at him. He was walking beside her quietly, more at ease it seemed than the first time they’d walked through town, but definitely trying to deflect attention. The only thing drawing eyes to him right now was the fact that he looked like an overloaded cart horse. 

“Luka, I can carry some of that,” Marinette offered as he shifted the weight across his shoulders again. He smirked sideways at her and pointed to his chest.

“Dragon,” he said, then tapped his finger on the crown of her head. “Human.” 

“What does that have to do with anything?” she asked, her tone slipping into a defensive pout. He chuckled and shook his head, taking two of the bags off easily and handing them over. Two of the lighter ones, she happened to notice, but since he’d at least compromised she didn’t say anything about it. 

“Nothing. It’s just…” He glanced sideways at her and adjusted the bags on his shoulders again. “I don’t know, maybe it’s in my nature to want to protect you or something.” 

She hummed in acknowledgment, a habit she realized she was picking up from him. The realization made her blush and she hid her face by looking at her feet as she tried desperately to come up with anything else to talk about. 

“Um, you know, in those books,” she started nervously, fiddling with her stone still, “it said dragons liked to… well, you know, collect things. And they were very protective over whatever they collected.” 

“Gold, usually,” Luka agreed. 

“Right, so maybe…” Her heart sank to her toes as she thought it. “Maybe I’m just kind of part of your collection now.”  

His fingers wrapped around her wrist to stop her from hurrying away from him. When she turned to face him, his eyes seemed to blaze in the fading light, intent on her, and his jaw was set in determination. 

“Or maybe you’re someone I treasure.” 

Before she could help it, her eyes flicked to his stone. It was thrumming red in time with his heartbeat, which was faster than normal, and she was sure hers was, too. She opened her mouth to respond, but a voice calling her name behind her cut her off. 

“Marinette!” Adrien called again, and then a different hand was pulling her away from Luka, shielding her from him. She saw the pain flicker across his face before he smoothed it over and became the beautiful prince she’d met the first night at the tower. An indifferent marble mask. She pushed against Adrien, trying to get back to Luka, but Adrien’s grip on her was firm. 

“Are you okay?” he asked, keeping his narrowed eyes trained on Luka.

“I’m fine, will you let go of me?” She struggled against him again, trying to slip her arm out. He finally turned to her but his grip tightened. 

“We thought you were dead,” he breathed, “the whole town, everyone said you’d gone to fight the dragon and when you didn’t come back—” 

“I’m fine. Look, I’m here, I’m okay. Luka would never hurt me.” 

“Luka?” He turned back and Luka waved nonchalantly, although his lips were pressed into a thin line and his shoulders were trembling. And she didn’t think it was because of the bags still slung across them. 

Marinette watched as Adrien processed what she was telling him. After what seemed to be an eternity, he finally turned back to her. 

“That’s the dragon?” 

“He,” Marinette corrected him irritably, “He’s the dragon.” 

“And you’ve, what, been living up there with him this whole time?” 

When Marinette didn’t respond, Adrien glanced back at Luka and tried to drag her farther away, apparently hoping for a more private conversation, but she gasped when that familiar tug pulled at her heart and she saw Luka take a step forward as he grimaced. 

“Adrien, stop, please!” she cried, finally managing to wrench her arm away from him. She took a breath to calm herself and glanced at Luka again. That flame that had been in his eyes before had turned cold and it was focused on Adrien now. She had a feeling the only reason he wasn’t rushing to her defense was because she’d said Adrien was a friend. And she'd asked him not to hurt Adrien. But he definitely didn’t like the situation. 

Adrien’s brow was furrowed as he considered her. Waiting for an explanation, most likely, but her words were stuck in her throat. This should be so easy to explain. She’d already told her parents the story, and they’d accepted both of them. But this was Adrien, her childhood crush, her friend, and she didn’t know how he’d respond. Not to mention the entire town was subtly watching the small drama unfold. 

“We’re bonded, Adrien. I can’t go very far from him,” she finally managed to say, touching the stone at her throat as if that explained anything. Adrien’s eyes flicked back to Luka and he lowered his head to speak quietly in her ear. 

“Did he take you prisoner?” 

She rolled her eyes and pushed him a step back. “No, it’s nothing like that.” 

“I’m sorry, I’m just trying to understand here.” 

“It’s a long story and I don’t feel like telling it right now. Now please, we just want to get home.” 

“Home?” Adrien blinked at her. “But you are home.” 

She blushed. She hadn’t meant for that to come out the way it did. “To the tower,” she corrected herself. “To our home.” 

Adrien wrinkled his nose in distaste. “You mean you’re with him?” 

“That’s what I’ve been trying to tell you. It’s a soul bond, for life, and I’m not planning on breaking it.” 

“But there is a way to break it?” 

“Adrien, don’t.” 

“You’re my friend, Marinette. If you’re a prisoner, I have to figure out a way to save you. So come on, how do you break it?” 

“I just told you I’m not a prisoner! I chose to stay with him. He gave me a choice and I chose.”

“A choice between staying with him or dying? That’s not a choice.” 

“He would be the one dying!” The outburst left her and drew more eyes than she was comfortable with. She lowered her voice again. “He gave me a choice to stay with him or kill him. And I won’t kill him.”

Adrien paused to look at her. “You mean the only way to free you is if he dies.” 

“Well, yes, but—” Adrien pushed past her before she could finish and she was too stunned to follow. It was only when she noticed him drawing a dagger out from behind his back that she was spurred into action. 

She ran until she was in front of him and held him off, pushing against his chest to prevent him from taking another step. 

“Are you crazy?” she yelped. “What the hell has gotten into you?” 

“He’s a dragon, Marinette,” Adrien explained, gesturing with the dagger to Luka and drawing the curious attention of the entire square. “He’s dangerous. And if it’s your life or his… Why are you protecting him?” 

“He’s not dangerous!” 

“How many people has he killed, huh? How many have we watched go up there and never return?” 

“In self-defense! That's all!” 

She lunged for the dagger, but Adrien managed to twist past her and continued on his warpath. In a last ditch effort, she clung to his arm and tried to pull him backwards. 

There was no way to explain what happened. One minute she was powerless against Adrien, her pleas falling on deaf ears, and the next he hissed in a pained breath and dropped the dagger, shoving her aside in the same movement to inspect his arm. She hit the ground hard and could only gape up at him. 

A handprint—hers—had appeared where she’d been clinging to him. It was shiny and pink and already starting to blister. She looked down at her hands and they were glowing with a thin white film of flame, which dissipated along with her bewilderment. Adrien looked from his arm to Marinette, uncomprehending, until he finally caught sight of the stone she was wearing. 

Something seemed to dawn on him and he turned to look at Luka again, at the crackling white stone at his throat, and at Luka’s trembling hands that were clenched into fists as he tried to contain himself. 

While Adrien was still frozen in shock, Marinette picked herself up and ran to Luka. He’d dropped the bags while she was struggling against Adrien, and he opened his arms for her. She could still feel Adrien’s eyes—the whole town’s eyes—on both of them, but for the moment she let herself be relieved that she was standing within Luka’s protective embrace again. His heart was pounding a mile a minute under her ear as she buried her face into his chest, and his arms tightened around her as he leaned his cheek down on the top of her head and squeezed her to him. He’d been just as scared as she was, then.

Something pulled a growl out of him and she lifted her head in case anyone was threatening him again. Adrien had bent to retrieve his dagger, but his eyes never left the two of them. Luka moved Marinette to be behind him, keeping a tight hold on her hand. 

“You’re the reason, then,” Adrien started, “that she’s always been cursed with those flames.” 

She wouldn’t quite say that Luka answered him, but he did let out a quiet grumble that sounded to her like assent. 

“It’s some sort of spell you put on her. To use her as, what, a human shield? A bargaining chip?” He was gesturing with the dagger as he spoke, and even Marinette could hear the venom dripping from his words. “So when the time came we wouldn’t hunt you down like the monster you are?” 

When Luka didn’t answer, Adrien scoffed at him. “Nothing to say to that, then. You’ve got her to fight your battles for you now, right?” 

Luka was trembling again, his stone sparking and arcing, like the fire within it was in danger of breaking loose. She glanced down at their joined hands and was surprised to find that thin white film was back, and glowing brighter with each second. 

It flowed like a current, he’d said. They’d be able to pass it back and forth without thinking about it. 

Adrien’s arm earlier. Luka had wanted to help her, to protect her, and without being conscious of it, he’d given her the means to protect herself. And now that he had her back, now that her hand was in his… 

She glanced up at him. He wasn’t looking at her, all his attention trained on Adrien instead, and he looked like a coiled spring, ready to snap at the smallest touch. And Adrien was still goading him. With only a dagger to protect himself. The horror of the situation was starting to dawn on her. Luka would snap if it was to protect her. Adrien was defenseless—fragile, as Luka liked to say—and the whole town was watching.

Adrien would be fried to a crisp and the whole town would be after Luka. Just like he’d thought. 

“Hand her over,” she heard Adrien demand, and she whipped her head around at the murmurs of agreement she heard from the crowd that had been drawn. “She belongs here, with us, and you know it.” 

Don’t move, Adrien, she thought at him desperately. Don’t take another step.

But he did. One single step towards them was all it took, and Luka’s resolve broke. His armored scales rippled up his arms and throat, and she watched as his ears elongated into sharp points. Tendrils of smoke started to curl out of his nostrils and the hand that was gripping hers tightly had ebony claws. She could only stare along with everyone else as he glared at Adrien. 

“Try and take her,” he snarled, the threat in his words obvious. 

Adrien took an unconscious step back. Marinette tore her eyes away from Luka to look around at the horrified faces that surrounded them. They thought he was a monster. Her Luka, her bonded, her… dragon.

She didn’t think. In one swift movement, she dropped his hand and dove to pick up the bags she could get her hands on, then ducked around them both to run straight for the edge of the forest. 

Adrien would follow them. The whole town was with him. But she and Luka could get a head start. 

Luka had wings, after all.

The familiar tug at her heart turned into a zing, and then that blinding, ripping pain, but she pushed on, knowing that he would be behind her any minute now. 

She couldn’t help but smile when she heard his footsteps thundering after her and the pain behind her eyes cleared. He’d followed her. Adrien was safe. It worked like she’d wanted it to. 

She only slowed enough for him to catch up, and his hand wrapped around hers. They ran in tandem until she had to stop to catch her breath, and even then they only had a moment until the mob would be hot on their heels. 

“Trying to run away again?” Luka asked, breathlessly, but she could hear the relief in his voice. 

“As far and as fast as I can.” She grinned at him in between breaths, but then her eyes flicked behind him and saw the advancing crowd. 

She caught Luka’s eyes as she looped her fingers under the cord of his necklace and with a glance behind him he nodded. She lifted the necklace off him and put it around her own neck for safekeeping and couldn’t help her smile at the bewildered gasps from the townspeople as Luka shuddered into his full form and swept her easily onto his back. With a whoosh of wind he had taken off and Marinette scrambled to cling to the blue tuft of hair along the ridge of his neck, hiding her face in his scales as the ground disappeared beneath them. 

And with it, her village.

The Angel of Death Pt29

Inspired by this Story Starter by @someone-ev

AO3   Prologue   Beginning   Previous   Next

Tris didn’t respond. She was looking for cues from the others to see if or how she should. Gina was just studying Chloe and Tris got the impression she was surprised Chloe had actually put the pieces together so fast. Adrien and his mother both seemed lost in their own thoughts so no help there. Wonder Woman was studying Tris for some reason. Fu looked… pleased?

“You bastard, you meant for this to happen.” She didn’t need the small smirk to confirm her suspicions. “Why? What could you have possibly gained by putting yourself and all the Kwami at risk like this?” The man let out a disappointed sigh and it took everything in her to not throw one of her knives at him.

“I had hoped you would enlist the help of Tikki and Plagg’s holders rather than defaulting back to killing for one. It was not necessary to save me.” He sounded like he was explaining something to a toddler yet didn’t seem to understand the danger of doing so. She was going to have an aneurysm at this rate.

“I didn’t kill them to save you. If you want to get yourself killed that’s your prerogative. I killed them because you gave them information about me that puts me, the Kwami, and anyone who happens to be around me at risk of being tortured and killed. Well, stolen in the case  of the Miraculous but the point remains. You think Hawkmoth was bad? Imagine what all of them in the hands of assassins will do.” Everyone else seemed to be properly horrified by the idea. Fu actually rolled his eyes at her.

“It is very common in young people to think they are the center of the universe. I assure you others don’t see you as nearly the threat you think they do. When you get older you’ll understand.” She pinched the bridge of her nose and tried to take deep breaths. She tried to tell herself that he didn’t understand the situation, which he didn’t. She tried to tell herself that his attitude made sense in most normal circumstances. Unfortunately she was too focused on not becoming homicidal herself to think about the others’ reactions.

“This isn’t some regular teen drama, we’re talking about groups of trained killers and you’re being flippant! How did you ever even become a Guardian?” Wonder Woman broke down into cursing at the man in various languages. Tris was impressed both at the originality and the fact that she didn’t know some of the languages.

“Especially considering you don’t even know which group of assassins she was affiliated with. The fact that you even thought she came out of that group of fools says how little you know about either their skill or hers.” Gina’s voice dripped with disdain and Marinette was glad there was someone there who understood the difference between those fools and other organizations. Especially the League of Assassins.

“You know nothing about my past other than the code name I’ve been operating under. I assure you I’m not exaggerating my importance or the probability of others coming after me. If the people who trained me realize I’m alive all hell will break loose and anyone close to me will be acceptable collateral damage.” She actually shuddered at the thought of Talia showing up in Paris. They would be begging for Hawkmoth’s return.

“I don’t understand why you would allow someone with that background near the Miraculous in the first place.” Mme. Agreste was splitting her frowns between Tris and Fu, though it seemed more confusion than anything else. It was obvious she had no idea exactly how bad of an idea it was to let Tris near them, of course neither did Fu.

“That was our decision.” Tikki was hovering protectively in front of her along Plagg. “Tris may have been forced into a life of violence but she’s still a good person at heart. She needs us and will make a good Guardian if she accepts the task.” Everyone looked at the Kwami in shock. Tris knew they wanted her to train with Fu but she hadn’t realized they were thinking that far ahead. She’d been constantly noticing how lax he was when it came to protecting them, but she hadn’t really considered taking over herself. She thought they just wanted him to humanize her again.

“Marinette has always been one of the kindest and most considerate people I’ve ever encountered. No matter what she was trained for she’s still herself. You can see that if you look at the aftermath of all her jobs.” She blinked at Chloe’s defense of her. Even knowing that her Nonna had planted the idea she was surprised Chloe had actually researched her. It was kind of weird to think about to be honest.

“And how exactly do you two know each other?” Fu’s question brought another flash of anger as she remembered the discussion she had originally planned on having with him.

“If you had ever bothered to ask me whether it was a good idea to house me with your holders you would know that I was born in Paris and lived here until my training. Chloe knew me at the time.” Fu seemed rather taken aback by that information. He obviously hadn’t considered the possibility when he decided she needed to be taught a lesson. She couldn’t really blame him but at the same time he was playing with her by forcing her into that situation and that she took offense to. “Which is why you’re going to be fully explaining anything that involves me in the future, assuming I don’t just leave you to your own devices now that you’ve unleashed this shitstorm.”

“What about the Miraculous?” Wonder Woman’s tone was slightly panicked and Tris could see her demanding the box for safekeeping. It would certainly be safer than Fu.

“That is up to the Kwami. I wouldn’t take or leave them without their consent. My life may not be the safest but I at least know how to disappear and take precautions. If that is their choice they will be safe. But again, I will not force them to go, that would make me no better than those who took me.” She saw concern on Chloe’s face moments before she marched up to Tris and pulled her into a crushing hug. She still didn’t really know how to react to that. The Agrestes shared a look before something seemed to dawn on Emilie.

“Wait… Marinette, as is Marinette Dupain-Cheng?” She winced at the reminder of her full name. It had been so long since she’d heard or been called that it didn’t even feel familiar anymore. That girl was dead, despite what Chloe had said.

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The Miraculous Alignment: Dawn of the Wild Age

For @miraculous-mused from a prompt they reblogged that I dare not link lest this get lost to the crappy tumblr tagging system

When Marinette first began to merge with the ladybug that landed on her hand one day after the celestial event people were now calling the Miraculous Alignment, she was terrified. What if she became really small? What if her eyes got all creepy looking? What if she got a sudden uncontrollable craving for aphids that could never be sated because they were so dang small?

Luckily none of that happened. As the Wild age began its fledgling stages and people learned more and more about its affects, they realized that you didn’t get all the traits of the animal you merged with. Some believed it had something to do with you personality and scientists, those that had dropped what they were researching before the Miraculous Alignment to dedicate the rest of their lives to studying the Transformation, still weren’t sure.

For Marinette all she got was some mandibles sticking out the side of her mouth almost like tusks (that the boys and girls in her class swore to her were cute); a hard chitonous plating on her forearms, abdomen, and legs; some antennae; and a figurative green thumb. After she��d adjusted to the changes she took some time to mourn the fact that she hadn’t gained wings, it would have been nice to fly.

Some of the kids in her class had also been transformed. Most have them hadn’t been too drastic though. Kim had merged with a monkey, gaining opposable thumbs on his feet and a tail. Alya got a fox ears, tail, and hind legs. Kagami had merged with a bearded dragon and all she got was scaling and some horn like ridges over her ears. Alix got the ears, tail, and buck teeth of a rabbit which Kim has made the mistake of making fun of only once before he’d found himself on the business end of the powerful rabbit legs and feet she’d also gained.

Max got the trates of a horse that made him look like a satyr if they were part horse rather that goat. Max was thankful that nothing had changed to hinder his ability build robots or code and design video games. Luka had lost his legs to become basically a naga. Beyond that he hadn’t changed much in appearance besides some scales that accented his cheekbones and covered his arms. But if he opened is mouth you could see he had a full set of colubrid snake fangs that were thankfully nonvenemous. Like with Max, Luka was just thankful he could still play guitar. There were stories in the news of people that had lost their arms and hands for flippers or wings.

Nino had merged with a turtle and got a shell as well as scaling on his forearms, legs, and torso. Although his shell made his back basically immobile it otherwise didn’t hinder him too much in his day to day life. Kagami had said that he reminded her of a kappa when she’d seen it for the first time and Nino had taken such a shine to it he changed his DJ name to Cappa as a tribute to his new form and a nod to his cap that he was never without. He also found out after going swimming with the class one day, that he could breath through his butt, which all the boys, of course, thought was awesome. They had all spent the rest of the day timing how long Nino could spend underwater before he had to surface.

Chloe’s transformation was completely unfair. She got chitonous plating on her arms and legs that looked like elegant gloves and boots and the spoiled brat also got wings dang it. Marinette counted that as a negative for the existence of karma.

As if Adrien wasn’t going through enough being a famous model, the poor guy had gone and merged with a cat, gaining all the affects of a cat boy; ears, eyes, a tail, and some adorable little cat paws with toe beans to match on his hands and feet. He also gained a cult following from the Venn diagram intersection of weebs and furries. His dad, on the other hand, got the wings, eyes, and antennae of a Hawkmoth as well as an extra set of limbs that resembled their insect counterparts. As a result the man had shit himself in as a recluse and put his new appendages to work designing. They were at least good for multitasking.

Gabriel has been one of the more unfortunate victims of the Transformation. But none had had it worse than Lila, which Marinette counted tha as positive for karma’s existence although she still felt bad. Lila had had the misfortune of merging with a naked mole rat. First she lost all the hair on her body, which would have been fine people live with alopecia all the time. No, what made it truly horrible was that along with the hairlessness, Lila gained the wrinkly skin texture. So not only was she bald, she was covered in wrinkles that made her look truly unfortunate. Gabriel had taken one look at her with his many lensed eyes and fired her on the spot. Lila had taken the news extremely hard and had been dragged from the Agreste studio kicking and screaming. Marinette’s classmates had tried to console her but she’d practically bitten off the heads of anyone who tried to speak to her and the class walked on eggshells around her for about a month before she calmed back down.

After Lila calmed down Marinette noticed she started focusing more on her studies, especially biology. She even asked Max to help her get her grades up and study. When Alya asked her why the sudden change Lila vowed that should would find a cure for the Transformation. She said it was so people that had been affected negatively by the changes could get their lives back but Marinette knew it was so she could get back her smooth skin and glossy brown hair. The rest of the class saw through her charitous claims as well but ignored it in favor of praising Lila’s forward thinking. They figured that if she did find a way to reverse the changes at least some good would come from her vanity.

(Disclaimer : I do not own anything just plot.) hi guys this will be a bit longer than last chapter so without further a doo let's continue this chapter-ooo

Don't judge

=============================

Chapter 2

Marinette felt many eyes on her then suddenly someone-a boy came up to her and said

"Hi I'm Allan and you must be Mari Fu I'm your guide I'm at the school for the week oh and here's your schedule" he said handing it over " now follow me" he added prompting her forward so she followed him without a word with an emotionless face he brought her to her first class: math.

Math was fine she sat at the back not looking at anyone or talking just focusing on the lesson but soon the lesson ended and when she got out of class she was met with Allan's face

"Come meet my friends we all have Gym next so come on" he said cheerfully

Marinette followed with no noise and with a thought in her mind 'I don't want any friends'

she walked behind him until they stopped she looked up and was met with 3 faces 2 boys and 1 girl.

"Mari this is Allegra" Allan said pointing to the girl who smiled.

"Claude"he said to one of the boys who waved.

"And finally but never least Damian". He said pointing to the green eyed boy who just looked at her.

"And guys this is Mari fu she's from France"

Marinette flinched at France she's pretty sure no saw her but maybe Damian.

"Hi I'm Mari Fu  and I will not be talking to you or be wanting you to be my friends because I came here to learn now can you show me directions to Gym no need to use your word"

Marinette said with an emotionless face and used the directions they gave her.

"Oh my gosh she's like you Damian an ice queen" Allegra said a bit disappointed

"I wonder want made her like this" Claude said

"I think something happened to her at France since I saw her flinch at the word" Damian inquired.

"Probably, but now let's get to gym it's Monday which means dodge ball day" Allan said to ease the weird tension.

Soon they were all at gym all of Allans group on one team and Marinette and three others on one team.

At first Mari just stood there dodging balls and she saw one of her teammates out. Then she saw Allan throw a ball at her so she flipped and it went under her and hit another teammate .

Now it was just her and a jock VS Allan and Damian. So she still waited till her teammate was out. It was not late when her teammate got hit by Damian so then she started to throw all her balls and one knocked Allan so it was just her and Damian.

Everyone was shocked at how this girl who is now known as the ice queen beat everyone and it was just her left and Damian.

Marinette then saw an opportunity so she took a ball and put in front of her and took another one then flipped onto the ball and bounced up and flipped again and threw the ball at Damian's back while he was getting a ball. In slow-no it looked so slow but in reality it was in like 0.56 seconds or something.

Everyone was shocked.

Like literally a girl who was tiny just beat the god at dodgeball.

While doing the most amazing move.

When Damian got hit he froze because he always wins so he slowly moved and saw Marinette Standing there looking bored with her arms crossed so he started to walk to her.

Everyone thought he was going to shout at her but he didn't.

He instead put his hand out and said

"Good game"

She just looked at his arm then at him then turned on her heel but slowly out the door

"What just happened ?" Damian asked no one in particular. Then he went to his friends who were still gaping that she didn't care that the ice king was being nice for gosh's sake LITERALLY BEING NICE!!!! NICE YOU HERE ME NICE.

But then all the students started filing out still whispering about what happened.

Marinette really didn't care about what happened so she just got changed and went for English.

In English she stayed quiet as always till the teacher said I will partner up with Damian for a homework assignment. At the end of the lesson.

When class finished Damian went up to her said

"Come ask your parent/guardian if you can come to my house so we can do this ?."

Marinette nodded and took out her phone and called ivy

"Hi"

"Oh hi marinette"

"Can I go to a friends house for a school project"

"Girl or boy"

"Boy"

"Nop-"

"His name is Damian wayne"

"Ok I know brucys kids can take care of you call me if you need a ride home"

"Thank you and ok"

"I can come" Marinette said to Damian.

"Ok follow me and let's wait for Alfred"

"Ok" was all she said waiting for this Alfred

Soon enough a limo pulled up and a man in a suit came up and said

"You never told me you made a friend Master Damian"

" I'm not I'm just a classmate" Marinette said sternly.

And entered the car.

They arrived a while later and got out and was greater with shouting.

"I apologize about my family there a bit crazy"

"Aww demon spawn that's bad to say" said a boy she recognized as Jason Todd. Then he came out of the open door followed by Richard Grayson , Timothy Drake , and Bruce Wayne.

Jason came forward and said

"Jason Todd nice to meet you princess"and that did it she flipped him over her back then fainted.

"Ughhh" Jason groaned but the saw marinette on the floor and noticed she fainted.

The whole family looked at him.

" what did I do?" He said

Soon Alfred saw what happened and took marinette and put her on the couch.

Not soon later she woke up to some concerned faces. And so curiosity so she sat up and said

"I'm sorry for what happened. Just please refrain from talking to me with the nicknames 'princess' and 'm'lady' now Damian where do we go to the project?."

They all looked at her weird and then realization dawned on Bruce.

"I know you your harleys and Ivy's kid I saw it on the news this morning you were adopted just two days ago right?" He said

"Yes now please let's go Damian and do our project or my new parents are going to break into your house to get me" she said .

Damian got up and showed her too the room while leaving the others to talk.

"Her name is Mari fu but ivy changed it before it was Marinette Dupain-Cheng look here" Bruce spoke up.

He showed them Nadja Chamacks news report on how the chat noir the supposed hero of Paris killed her parents and her grandfather figure and how she was never seen again.

"Ok we need more digging into this" Tim said.

"Yes" Bruce replied

After a while Marinette finished with Damian and went home she slept waiting for tomorrow.

Woah that was 1199 words ( excluding this and disclaimer) pretty long now goodbye

Next

Of Birds and Bugs

Prologue

-_-_-_-

It was all Jagged’s fault, really.

Though did that mean Marinette should thank him?

It had been a normal day. It was after school, and Marinette was spending this rare piece of spare time working, trying to find the perfect destination for a surprise class trip that she was helping Mme. Bustier to arrange.

It was more difficult than Marinette had expected it to be. The budget was tighter than Marinette had hoped, and there was only so few places that would keep all of her classmates interested. Marinette knew that she didn’t necessarily have to try and make the trip good for everyone, but she also knew that Lila would turn it on her and say that Marinette made the trip bad on purpose.

So, Marinette had spent a couple of days brainstorming ideas and possibilities, both nationally and internationally. Different destinations, hotels, events and the like, but they would either be discarded for not being in the budget, or because it would probably not be enjoyed by the class.

Even if her classmates didn’t like her anymore, Marinette was still class president for a reason, and that was for the fact that she was efficient.

Marinette had even spent all night just researching one location, only to trash the idea when dawn broke, realizing that, while the idea was good as a concept, would probably not have been interesting enough for her classmates.

Then, when also counting in the fact that the trip was supposed to be at least somewhat educational as well…

It was safe to say, Marinette was starting to get desperate.

Her biggest fear though, would be to have it all planned and ready to book, just to be thrown to the side because Lila couldn’t come because of whatever stupid lie she would come up with, forcing Marinette to scrap the idea because; If poor Lila couldn’t come, then Marinette wouldn’t mind finding something else, right?

Marinette let out a tired sigh, Tikki patting her on the knee in silent comfort.

The moment of quiet, however, was broken by the ringing of a phone, the ringtone one that made Marinette jump up from her seat to pick up the call, running around her room to find her phone somewhere in the room.

“Penny!” Marinette exclaimed, slightly breathless from her searching, greeted once she answered the call.

“Hello Marinette,” there was clear amusement in the voice of Penny Rolling on the other line. “Jagged was wondering if you could drop by the hotel, there’s something he wants to discuss with you.”

“Now?”

“If it wouldn’t be too much trouble.” Penny sounded apologetic, and Marinette was quick to reassure.

“Of course not! I uh- I’ll hurry.”

“I’ll send a car over to pick you up. Take your sketchbook with you.” Penny added, and Marinette was already running around her rom, getting ready.

“Sure thing! See you soon Penny.”

A little break never hurt anyone.

 -

Break might have been a generous word for what she was about to do.

The moment Marinette stepped into the hotel room, she was swept up in Jagged Stone’s arms, twirled around for a while before finally being put down, a little dizzy.

“Mari! You are just the rocking girl I need right now.” Jagged exclaimed. “There’s going to be this super rocking charity gala meant to support young creative souls like yours here in Paris next week, and I want you to design my suit for it.”

It took a second for Marinette to understand what Jagged had said, her eyes widening once realization hit her.

“R-really? Are you sure?”

Marinette had designed a couple of things for Jagged over the last few years, all the way from album covers and posters to performance outfits.

This time was different though, because if Marinette was right about what gala he was talking about, then there was a chance that he would be asked about who designed his suit, which meant that he would be stating on international television that Marinette had designed it for him.

Sure, Marinette had been mentioned in a few magazines from time to time, but this was on a whole other level.

“Of course, I’m sure! No one gets my rocking style like you do Mari.” Jagged said. “Which brings me to the next topic.”

Jagged propped his booted feet up on the coffee table, his arms crossed behind his head.

“I’m allowed to invite one or two people to come with me to the event, and I was wondering if you would like to go with me and Penny.”

“I-I- that would be amazing!” Marinette yelled out in excitement. “I would love to!”

“Awesome! Penny is gonna contact your teacher about getting you free from school a little earlier so you can focus on this, alright?”

Marinette just nodded hurriedly, getting out her sketchbook and started asking questions, if there was anything in particular that he wanted.

“I just want the suit to be me, you know? None of that fancy crap, I want it to be Rock n’ Roll!”

Marinette had to pause for a moment to try and figure out which route to go with for the design. Despite Jagged being adamant that the suit could not be fancy, he was still going to attend a high-end gala.

An idea suddenly struck, and Marinette started sketching furiously, until she had a rough sketch of an idea she liked, showing it to Jagged.

Jagged’s eyes lit up, and with a few pointers here and there, Marinette was able to come up with a design that she was happy with.

“We’ll pay for whatever fabrics you need; you just focus on making that rocking suit for me, and of course a lovely dress for you.”

 -

After that, the next couple of days were a bit of a blur for Marinette.

Between school, trying to make that trip a reality, and finishing Jagged’s and her own clothes for the gala, Marinette had been so busy that she hardly even paid Lila any mind.

She didn’t even realize that Lila planned a party to be thrown the exact same day as the gala took place, or that she wasn’t even invited, her focus was solely on finishing Jagged’s suit on time.

Still, when the gala finally came, Marinette was not prepared for the amount of paparazzi that would be present outside of the gala.

Because of the amount of celebrities that would be present, no one outside of those invited were allowed in, making the place outside cramped as reporters tried to get a look at the various important people who would be present.

Penny, noticing Marinette’s discomfort by the number of reporters, tried to calm her down a bit.

“It’s going to be fine Marinette, both you and Jagged look wonderful tonight.”

“Yeah, my little Rockstar! You have nothing to be worried about.” Jagged tried to reassure.

“It’s not that. It’s just-“ Marinette thought about her classmates, about how Lila would lie and manipulate the situation, about the accusations of why she didn’t tell them about it. “Do you think I could get in another way?”

Marinette focused in her lap, not seeing the concerned glance that the two adults shared.

“Of course, I’ll go with you.” Penny said, and once Jagged Stone got out of the car and was flocked by various paparazzi, all of which held back by bodyguards. Penny instructed the chauffer to drive a little further ahead, where she and Marinette got out, and went in through another door.

Jagged was asked a wave of questions, from his latest album, to his next tour and, of course, who designed his suit for the evening.

The pants were a deep purple, with studs going along the hem and up his legs. The jacket was made of leather, but designed like a normal suit jacket, studs covering the lapels. His button up shirt was made of black, see-through lace, and he wore black lace gloves to go with, these not being fingerless like his usual ones. Marinette had said they looked more sophisticated.

The button up shirt wasn’t buttoned all the way up, and his boots were a little high, the heels being covered in a purple metal.

“This rocking outfit was designed by my favorite creative soul here in Paris, a girl named Marinette Dupain-Cheng.”

As the paparazzi asked more questions and Jagged slowly, but finally, made his way inside, another rich person came to walk the carpet to get in, and got swamped by all of the paparazzi.

 -

Penny and Marinette spent the time talking to one another while waiting for Jagged to get inside, a few people throwing curious glances at Marinette as they didn’t recognize her.

Penny was concerned, however. She had noticed over the week how Marinette avoided certain topics or would divert a conversation once it went to talk about her classmates.

Penny knew that Jagged had noticed it too, and if they were the reason Marinette was worried about walking down the carpet with Jagged, then they had to do something about it.

“So…” Penny started. “How is it going with school?”

“It’s going well, my grades are doing pretty good despite my occasional absences but-“ Penny cut Marinette off.

“I meant your classmates. How is it going with your classmates?” She tried.

Marinette looked down.

She had guessed that it was going to be brought up eventually, she had just hoped that it would have been later. She sighed.

“It’s… kind of complicated-“ Marinette was cut off once again, but this time by an excited Jagged Stone who just got inside.

Marinette, seeing this as an opportunity to avoid the most likely awkward conversation that was about to happen between Penny and her, looked up at Jagged with a smile as he slung his arm over her shoulder.

“You are going to be so busy from now on Marinette, I’ve already had so many people come up to me and ask for your contact information. Be prepared for an onslaught of emails in the future.”

And just like that, the conversation about classmates was forgotten in favor of mingling with the rich and famous. Marinette was introduced to a series of people, her email was shared, and for once, she seemed to smile just a little brighter than before.

Marinette was at the refreshment table when Jagged walked up to her, with a tall, muscular looking businessman.

“Mari! I’ve gotta introduce you to this rocking fellow. This is Bruce Wayne, one of the few good rich folks you’ll meet.”

Bruce seemed slightly startled by that description but smiled none the less to Marinette.

“It’s nice to meet you miss…”

“Oh! Uh- Marinette! Marinette Dupain-Cheng, sir.” Marinette hurried.

“Mari here is my favorite little designer. We’ve been working together since she was 14.” Jagged said proudly. “When I got invited to this fancy gala thing, I knew only Marinette could make me something to absolutely rock tonight.”

Bruce’s eyes widened in surprise, and he looked Jagged over, assessing the overall design and quality.

“You made this? The quality looks incredible.” He looked at her. “And I’m going to guess you made your jumpsuit as well?”

Marinette stammered, before quickly nodding her head.

While working on Jagged’s suit, Marinette had to make her own outfit as well.

She was originally going to just make a dress, but then she flipped through her sketchbook and found the design for the jumpsuit, and immediately started working on that.

The jumpsuit itself was deep red, accentuating her long legs, and with the kitty heels she was wearing, made her look slightly taller. It was sleeveless, and the top had sharp edges, making a small angular dip at her chest. Marinette had wanted to give a nod towards Jagged with her design, seeing as it was because of him that she could even be there, so she added a floor length (foe) leather skirt, cut down at the front to reveal her legs, and lined with a deep red on the inside.

“I was just glad that Jagged wanted me to design this for him.” Marinette said meekly, tugging at her braided side-ponytail.

“No need to be so humble, Mari! Of course, I wanted you to do this!” Jagged looked at Bruce, eyes wide and full of stars, almost like a proud parent. “Mari is such a talented girl, and she won’t even brag about it! But, that’s why I’m here.”

Jagged proceeded to tell Bruce about Marinette’s long list of accomplishments, from the various contests she had won, to all the things she had designed for him and Clara Nightingale, to how she had been class president for the last three years.

Marinette was slowly curling in on herself, her shoulders rising, her head sinking, trying to disappear from that very moment.

Bruce, seeming to take pity on the girl, decided to cut in on Jagged’s ramble about his talented “niece”.

“What sort of duties do you have as class president?” Bruce asked.

Marinette, straightening after finally being addressed, pondered the question for a moment.

“I’m often mediator in conflicts that pop up in the class and I arrange a couple of class trips.” She said. “I’m trying to figure out a longer trip away from the school, but the budget is pretty limited, so it’s hard to find something that goes under all of the requirements, not to mention interesting enough to for the rest of class.” Marinette frowned, thinking about all of the places she had considered, but ultimately not going with.

“I’m hoping to have found something by the end of the month but…” Marinette shrugged.

Bruce nodded in understanding, a plan already forming in his mind.

 -_-_-_-

I hope that was good! I plan on posting this every other week, with MJM being posted the other weeks

@ozmav I hope you enjoyed this long prologue

so close your fists tight (and lose your calm)

The sands of time have crumbled to dust at his fingertips and Felix has never been good at building them back together, piecing them into something worth sharing instead of broken shards cutting into the flesh of his palm. He can’t, though, so he holds on tighter, never mind the blood, and pushes anyone away who might get close enough to notice. 

It turns out he’s managed to pushed himself away too, and now he’s settling into a body he doesn’t recognize and a years’ worth of quiet destruction to salvage. 

Happy @felixmonth, y’all. 

Somehow, against every possible odd, Marinette is still talking to him. She’s talking to him, which is more than Felix expected at all, especially after the quiet distance Marinette maintained for most of the summer. Maybe it’s a byproduct of being seated together again, or the natural camaraderie they’ve built after a year of working together. Camaraderie doesn’t feel like quite the word. Process, maybe. It feels easy to work with her, like stepping onto a well worn path or like the click of a key into a lock fit just for it. 

She draws diagrams and he takes notes and they share at the end of the day, and Felix carries their homework down to the teacher every day because sending one person is faster than sending two. He corrects her imbalanced equations and she points out the missing commas, and neither of them talk. It’s quick and efficient, and a dawning respect begins rising in Felix’s heart at the way she moves through worksheet after worksheet. Marinette sweeps her hair into a bun and brushes her bangs aside, pushes a pencil through the mess of hair and doubles down on her work. 

Felix watches her more often than he does the board, and refuses to think about why. 

But it’s not him she chases after every break and every lunch anymore. There are no more days spent reading quietly side by side, no one at chess matches to cheer him on between homework problems. Instead, Marinette darts past him as soon as they’re dismissed into Nino’s waiting embrace. She spends breaks curled up beneath the trees with one of his headphones in her ears braiding flower crowns that Nino wears to class. 

But she’s talking to him, when she needs to. Felix counts it as a win and crosses his fingers on the way to camp that it stays that way. 

It doesn’t. 

As soon as Marinette gets the space, she flits away to something more interesting, shiny and glittering and new, just better than Felix could ever hope to be. She’s amassed a group of people that flutter around her, all twittering and chirping responses to Marinette’s quips they do not deserve to hear. Mostly, Marinette clutches Nino and sews flowers into the hems of his pants, leaves marker-inked tattoos on his wrists and falls asleep on his shoulder at lunchtime, but she always has a smile to offer anyone else who wanders by. 

Felix wonders what it would feel like, to have that kind of happiness so freely offered to him just for existing. He wonders how it doesn’t cost her, and he doesn’t notice the ways it does. He wonders what she wants. 

He tries not to think about what he would give to have her look at him like that when he walks by. 

Marinette is a completely different person at camp, sometimes. She comes to life, in a way that’s completely opposite to the focused maturity she embodies at school. Felix can’t understand it: he doesn’t change, here in the forest with nothing but himself to contend with. Why does she? Why does she? There’s nothing here for her that stays. Why bother building sandcastles before high tide? 

It clicks at lunchtime, forkful of pasta halfway to his mouth. It’s not that he hasn’t ever seen this before. Felix knows that smile like the back of his hand, like his own genes call out to a kindred spirit. He watches the same behavior every morning as his own mama flicks through her contacts list, offering smile after smile to every client that sends her phone vibrating nearly off the edge of the breakfast table. 

“Listen to me, Felix, listen. When someone offers you a smile, they’re giving you the end of a business transaction you did not consent to. Push back, child, and make them hurt until they let it go, because a person who smiles easily is a person who knows how to get what they want.” His mama pushes his hair back behind his ears. “And they’ll make sure everyone else gives it to them.”

“I won’t, mama! I won’t give anything to anyone, I promise!!” 

“Oh, but that’s the trick.” She stands up, reaches for her phone. “They’ll make you think you want nothing more. Now run along, child. You wouldn’t want to miss school!” 

She smiles. 

People who smile have something to hide. People who don’t… those are the people who are vulnerable, and vulnerability means affection. Mama taught him that, too. 

Marinette smiles least around Nino. It’s like she’s run out of them, handed them all out to people who don’t matter. Felix wonders what they give her. Marinette slips out of her smile like coming home, and doodles on Nino’s music sheets with her tongue stuck out and her shoulders more relaxed than Felix has ever seen them. 

Yeah. He knows, now, what she’s doing. 

The idea that she could be the kind of person who pushes people around, ties them up in their own desire until they’re strung up on her wrists like jewelry… it stings at Felix, itches beneath his skin deeper than he can reach. The chatter of the dining hall buzzes around his ears, impossible to tune into, impossible to ignore. Her voice wafts over it all and bites at his attention, sharp and insistent. Felix hates that he can’t stop listening, hates that he doesn’t want to stop. 

“I’m… glad you came back, Nino. I know you wanted music camp…” 

“Nah, Nettie, I’d rather be here with you! Besides, that camp is way lame anyways. They make you play scales!!” Nino pulls a face and peeks at Marinette, and Felix can see the hope in his eyes even from down the table. Marinette laughs, and Nino’s expression shifts to triumph. 

“...it’s just nice to have a friend here, is all.” 

“...yeah, I bet.” 

They sit in silence at that, neither looking at Felix, so determined not to, that they may as well have shouted his name. Something ugly and bitter and acidic bubbles in his gut, crawls up his throat like a creature he cannot control. His tongue is dripping venom and he spits it at her before it consumes him alive. 

He’s standing before he realizes he’s on his feet and the words come spilling out of him, sneering and snide and wildly out of his control. "You're no better than Chloe, y'know, shallow and selfish and sly. Only you manipulate people with a subtlety far greater and far more toxic than her brand of aggressive fear." 

And then Marinette is standing too, and Nino just a beat behind her. She doesn’t gape at him, or gawk, or screech or shout or push him. She just blinks, wide eyed, with all the hurt shining clear for him to see. Unshed tears glimmer on her lashes and Felix cannot ignore them any longer. 

A heartbeat passes, and then another. 

“...if I'm no better than Chloe, what does that make you?” She says it quietly, but it carries across the hall. She makes sure it does. Marinette walks away, trembling so hard Felix could see it in her shoulders. Trembling with the force of staying calm, Felix thinks, feeling floaty and detached and not quite feeling the weight of his words wrapped around his ankles yet. 

Nino is trembling too, but his seems more like rage. 

By the time Nino has stormed up to Felix and overturned the entirety of a pink smoothie over Felix’s head, all Felix has managed to think is “oh, it was anger.” Ice cold liquid drips down his spine. That might just be dread. 

Someone shouts behind him but there’s no memory of the words being said, just a moment of silence before food is flying everywhere. Felix is coated in it within seconds, but his body is numb to the sensation of it, ignorant of the bruises and stickiness that coat his skin. The world keeps raging around him, shifting and turning until he’s standing in the center of the food fight, stock still and stunned. 

Felix stands there staring at the space where Marinette used to be, ice cold horror finally dripping past the distortion of numb shock. It’s only now, in the hazy clarity of dawning horror, that Felix realizes how long it’s really been since she stood there at all.

Watchtower Woes

Week 1 Day 4 of Maribat March

Special thanks to @little-kitty-kanny , @ethelphantom and @the-navistar-carol  for beta-ing for me

It was a normal day at the Watchtower, well as normal as a space station for superheroes could be. The Watchtower looked down upon their home planet, making it seem so big yet so small amongst the sea of stars surrounding them. Today it was just Wonder Woman, Black Bat and Ladybug on monitor duty.

“Sister.” 

Ladybug, otherwise known as Marinette Drake nee Dupain-Cheng (the 23-year old designer behind the Lady Luck designs by MDC company), turned to see Wonder Woman looking at her with concern. She and Diana were rather close as the Amazonian princess had practically taken her as blood sisters when she learned of a new Ladybug; seeing as her mother had once worn the mantle as well.  Diana had also been her business partner when her company first began to take off.

“Are you feeling alright? You seem to be under the weather”

“She’s right,” Cassandra Cain-Wayne added in “Your center is off, you seem uncomfortable.”

“I’m fine. It's been a little stressful with the upcoming line with Wayne Enterprises,” Ladybug sighed, finding herself massaging her temple, feeling a headache already developing. “That and the team has been acting strange lately, I’ve been trying to investigate the cause, but the Miracle Book isn’t saying much, and I can’t exactly ask Master Fu anymore”

“How so, Ladybug?” Diana asked, taking a seat next to her while Cass took charge of looking through the security footage for them, still focused on the conversation.

“Well, most of them have gotten dangerously overprotective of me. Just yesterday Roi Singe took a hit for me against Hawkmoth 2.0’s latest creation. I asked him about it afterwards, and he just said that nothing could harm me? It was rather strange, especially seeing as Ryuuko and Abeille got more ruthless afterward. Chat was also hissing at people who approached me,” she explained with a troubled look.

“Even as civilians, Viperion, Monarch, and Paon were coddling me: Mari are you warm enough? Have you eaten today? No, Mari, let me get you a natural juice instead of coffee. It’s been so frustrating having to deal with their constant  babying.”

“It’s honorable for your team to care for your well being” Diana commented, heavens knew  how the JL got  whenever one of their members was  ill or was unable to perform their duties. Ladybug’s eyes just seemed to water at the implication, wiping the tears before they even fell.

“B-But that could just mean they don’t trust my abilities… what if they think I’m not worthy of being leader or even worse… of being Ladybug?” 

Diana did her best to console the younger woman while Cass looked at her skeptically.

She had seen the sudden change in emotion Ladybug had gone through like whiplash, from tired to content to worried to saddened. As Diana combed through Marinette’s pixie cut, Cass continued to think of the things happening these past few weeks.

Tim had once asked Barbara if there was anything that could help with back pains, stating that Marinette had been experiencing some rather hard period symptoms.

She recalled Adrien purring along with Alfred the Cat when they had gone to Wayne Manor last week along with Tim and Conner. Even Ace and Titus were acting like her personal bodyguards, not too different from normal, though Damian admitted that it was a bit more overkill.

Just last month for the Wayne Charity Gala, during the ladies’ final fitting, she had complained to Steph that her own dress felt a little tighter than she expected... though not unbearably so, so she had just decided to leave her own dress as is.

Had it really been so obvious?

She needed to recheck whether Tim deserved the title of Detective after this. Cass stepped out of the room momentarily to make what was potentially a life changing call.

“Robin and Superboy, do you read?” she knew her baby brother, almost eighteen years old, would be hanging out at the Titans Tower in the east coast with Superboy, now sixteen, but seeing as it was a quiet day and the other Titans: Green Lantern (Milagro Reyes), Nightstar (Mar’i Grayson), Scarlet Flash and Kid Speed (Dawn and Don Allen), and Speedy(Lian Harper) would be on standby.

“Is something the matter Black Bat?” Damian responded almost immediately.

All Bats were rather keen on making sure their comms were on in case of emergencies, even when silenced, they’d have the notifications on to see who was trying to contact them.

“Do you mind coming to the Watchtower with Superboy, there’s something concerning Ladybug𑁋”

“Is she alright?” she almost giggled at how concerned her brother was before keeping her cool and responding.

“I believe she’s alright but perhaps not aware of her condition”

“We’ll be there in a minute”

Not even a full minute after stepping back in with a much calmer Ladybug, did she hear the announcement of Robin and Superboy’s arrival before the two skid into the communications room with the three heroines.

“Robin and Superboy? I wasn’t aware you boys would be passing by today,” Diana asked curiously as Damian just puffed up.

“Black Bat called about checking Ladybug’s condition” he said eyeing the scarlet hero to see if anything was amiss; other than her red rimmed eyes and flushed cheeks he found nothing unusual.

“My condition? Cass what are you talking about?” Ladybug asked confused and a bit protective.

“Superboy,” Jon perked at his name before turning to Cass “Can you hear the heartbeats in this room?”

“Uh sure…” to say he was confused was an understatement. He was rather familiar with their heartbeats, having known them for years at this point. He could hear Diana and Damian’s rather war drum like beat, Cass’ steady and rhythmic beats, Marinette’s calm and slightly faster than usual heart and then there was𑁋

Wait, what?

“That’s weird” he whispered to himself before focusing again. Sure enough it was still there a soft echoe of duhn-duhn… duhn-dun as the fifth heartbeat. But he had never heard it before… and it was coming from…

Oh duh!

“Holy schmoly! Congrats Ladybug.” He flew up to her and gave her a huge hug, conscious of his strength now more than ever. Ladybug seemed confused while Cass smiled at her.

“You’re expecting!”

Suddenly everything made more sense, Marinette thought in that moment of realization, as she felt Diana give her her own congratulations along with Damian, who wished to both brag and inform the rest of the family.

This was really happening.

“Can— can we see Doctor Mid-Nite or Doctor Thompkins, please?” she heard herself whisper. The group looked at each other, Diana contacting the Watchtower’s doctor while Damian called for Tim and the rest of the Bat Family to come as soon as they could; was that overkill? Perhaps, but no one that was even associated with the Bats could be anything less than dramatic. Jon was the one who called Conner who called Adrien to go meet them at the Watchtower as well.

Half an hour passed and Ladybug found herself lying on one of the Med Bay beds with Doctor Thompkins, the woman having to be pulled until they mentioned Marinette requesting her assistance, making the last few configurations to the ultrasound machine.

“Are you ready, dear?” the kind doctor asked.

 Ladybug lifted her uniform, which she learned she could do at that moment, nearly squirming at the cold gel spreading at her softening abdomen.

“As ready as I’ll ever be” she laughed nervously before taking a deep breath. She couldn’t help but close her eyes, unsure if she wanted it to be true or not, before hearing the curtain open. Tim looked disheveled, most likely having come out of a W.E business meeting he had mentioned yesterday evening.

“Mari, what’s wrong!?”

Duhn-duhn…. Duhn-duhn… duhn-duhn

Marinette had never heard such a life-altering sound, feeling the tears swell in her eyes as her husband looked dumbfounded.

“Is— is that?” Marinette could only nod before being enveloped in a hug by him. He whispered sweet nothings and reassurances to her as the beautiful sound echoed in their heads.

“God, we’re going to be parents, sunshine”

“So it would seem, moonlight”

“M’Lady what’s—!” Chat Noir had sprinted from the zeta entrance having heard the far too soft heartbeat coming from the monitor, the Bats not far behind him. Suffice to say that the Watchtowers usual quiet was interrupted for the rest of that evening as cheers and congratulations went around the Med-Bay.

They would later learn that she had been nearly three months pregnant by the time they found out, explaining her team’s odd behavior due to the animal characteristics of the Miraculous. However, the worst news was to come a week later on one faithful morning.

“Oh kwami, get that away from me!” Marinette exclaimed as soon as she came out of their room in their studio apartment in Gotham. The scarlet hero having to rely on Pegasus for travel to and from Paris for the time being. Not that her team even wanted her on the field in the first place at the time but she was anything if not stubborn, a necessity for the Wayne family.

That was how the coffee obsessed duo discovered that Marinette and baby were disgusted by the mere smell of coffee. Truly, it was the hardest part of the pregnancy.

Six months later, when Thomas Louis Drake-D.C was born, his aunts and uncle would continuously call him the ‘Second Coming of Christ’ for doing the impossible and getting his parents to cut off their caffeine addiction, much to their annoyance. 

For now they were just a family of three, looking at the infinite stars of their baby’s eyes.

My AO3

Ko-Fi

To Marry a Vigilante: Part 9

MASTERLIST || First || Previous || Next

To Marry a Vigilante: Part 9

------------

The Gala. The Wayne Gala. The Wayne New Year’s Gala. The Wayne Gala to celebrate the New Year.

“I can’t do it!” Marinette screamed. “What if I trip and fall on Mr. Wayne and then he will break his leg!? Or what if I accidentally babble something I’m not supposed to and make it a disaster!? Or what if Lila makes a mess and I get blamed for it in front of thousands of people!?” She started breathing heavily. “Or maybe I’ll just look awkward and people decide that I’m useless and Mr. Wayne decides that I should leave Damian to spare him the embarrassment?! I can…” Tikki slapped Marinette when she didn’t respond to any of her pleas.

“Marinette! Breathe.” The Kwami instructed her. 

“Sorry Tikki. I’m really nervous. I know that making the announcement today is the best option since we’re starting school soon and the news would break anyway, but it’s just so… I’m not used to all that.” 

“I know Marinette. But you must accept that your beloved lives in these circles and you must respect some of the needs. He’s changing for you, but you can’t just demand he abandon his old life.” 

“I know… I really want to make this work. He… I know I can trust him like nobody else. Even… even you… I love you, but you’re not…”

“Human?”

“Yes! I’m sorry Tikki. You’re still my partner and my best friend. Don’t tell that to Chloé though.”

“My lips are sealed.” The kwami giggled. “You’re my favorite chosen too, Marinette. You have the true creation inside you.”

“Thanks, Tikki.”

“Not get on and show them what you’re made of!” The little goddess cheered. 

“Yes! I’m going to rock! I’m great!” The girl said confidently and put on the purple mask with golden lines. 

-------

Damian waited impatiently for his beloved to come. The guests were already filling in and his father and brothers went to greet them. Tom and Sabine, dressed in their MDC original outfits, were already on the dance floor, showing everyone that they could still move even in their forties. Cass was probably somewhere with Bourgeois, stealing cookies or something. The two seemed to bond over being the third wheel and treating Sabine like their new mother. 

“Wassup Dames?” A voice startled him and Damian whirled around with a punch that stopped an inch from Jon’s nose. 

“Tt. Aren’t you supposed to be downstairs? With the guests?” He grumbled. 

“Nah. Mom and Dad are with your dad, going over the safe questions to ask your wi…” Jon didn’t get to finish that word because Damian lunged at him and covered his mouth. 

“Tt. Shut up. The last thing I need is drama caused by your big mouth.” 

*muffled sounds*

“I don’t care. Mouth shut or I’ll test the new Kryptonite dusters.”

*more muffled sounds*

“I did get them. Want me to try them out right now?” Jon shook his head. “Good. We’ve got an agreement?” A nod. “Fine.” Damian let him go.

“You’re very violent, you know that?”

“Tt. Shut up.”

“I’m just saying.” 

“I told you to…” Damian’s words died in his throat. Marinette entered the scene.

“Shall we?” She asked, handing him a sleek black mask with gold details. When light reflected from it, a very subtle purple gleam could be seen.

“It’s incredible, Habibti. Just like the rest of my suit.” He was dressed in a pure-black three-piece, a white shirt underneath, and had a black tie. He screamed style and power.

-------

All in all, the trip was not yet a disaster for Lila Rossi. Her lies were slowly taking root in the people around her. Like the clerk at the Hotel. Soon, she would have them all wrapped around her fingers. Only Maribrat and Chloé seemed to be completely immune to her charms. But that girl was too goody-two-shoes for her own good and Bourgeois was hated even before she started her work. 

There was also that exchange student, Grayson boy… Darren, Damien, something like that. She couldn’t believe she thought that guy was Damian Wayne when he first walked into her class. She went as far as stopping Alya from being mean to him. From her research, all Waynes were kind and helpful. Damian Wayne supposedly volunteered at an animal shelter. The press described him as ‘cute in a special way.’ Blasted Waynes and their no-pictures policy. The guy in her class looked a bit similar to Bruce Wayne, at least at first glance. Then, she noticed that his skin was darker (not just solar tan), his nose was a bit different too. And his eyes were green. It was the only constant with the Waynes. They all had dark hair and blue eyes.

As such, she dismissed him as unimportant and focused on her more important goals. Making a deal with Gabriel Agreste, or rather Hawkmoth, was risky. In the end, it worked out for her in many ways. She gained a foothold from which she made her small empire. And Agreste boy was nice arm candy for a while. Until he went all psycho on Maribrat that is.

Now if she found one of the Waynes, she could start working on worming her way in. Blasted masks! They appeared too good in the media not to have a big dirty secret to exploit. Blackmail wouldn’t be new for her. 

The Gala was slowly starting when all the lights turned off. Two stage flood lights focused on the stairs leading to the second floor of the manor. Two people appeared on them. First was a young man, about her age, dressed all black. He radiated money and influence and she was sure what he wore was in fact an MDC original. But he was nothing next to his companion.

Her dark-purple dress shone in the light like a thousand diamonds. It hugged her figure perfectly and while she was most likely the same age as her companion, she still looked stunning. The high collar was embroidered with a golden thread that formed intricate patterns around her slender neck. The sleeves went down to her arms where they seamlessly merged with gloves. The line was blurred by twin bracelets that each had a symbol of a bat with flowers. A nod toward the Bats of Gotham while keeping it original. From the waist down, it opened on the side, giving her the freedom to move while still keeping the near-royal appearance. With each step, it flowed slightly, revealing the golden underlining. Her legs were also covered with the same material down to ballet shoes in a deeper shade of purple finished with golden lining.

Her blue hair reached slightly beyond her shoulders and matched her eyes perfectly. All the gold and purple served to make everyone focus on her. 

Lila cursed under her breath. There was no chance anyone would notice her with someone like that parading around. Something had to be done. Lila checked her own dress. It was pretty, but when compared to that, it came plain. 

All her scheming came to the halt when the pair walked over to Bruce Wayne and got him to stop speaking with Gotham’s mayor. They knew him. A realization dawned on her. It was Damian Wayne and his date. They had to be. But his eyes… they were green. 

“No…” escaped the Liar’s lips. The woman she was talking to noticed and followed her gaze. Some part of Lila’s brain noticed she also checked her dress and was saddened. At least her reaction was not out of place. 

Bruce Wayne walked with the two back to the stairs where the stand with a microphone was prepared before the lights were turned back on. Sensing a juicy story, all the journalists and bloggers swarmed as close as possible. Some even lost their masks. 

“Can I have a moment of your attention?” The billionaire asked. His eyes swept over the crowd. “Before I start, I wanted to remind you that there is a strict no-photos policy on the gala. We’ve hired a photographer with an exclusive contract and any pictures taken not by him will be considered a breach and will be met with a lawsuit.” 

The murmurs broke all around the crowd. It was a known fact that taking unsolicited photos at Wayne Galas was forbidden. There was no need to remind anyone about it unless it was a really juicy piece. The last time Bruce Wayne took time to remind everyone about this was when Jason Todd turned out to be alive and well, only slightly amnesiac. 

“Now. First I wanted to welcome everyone to this year’s Gala. We’re closing another year and I thank everyone for showing up to celebrate with me and my family.” He raised a small glass of champagne. “In particular, I wanted to welcome a class from Paris that is participating in the year-long exchange program funded by the Thomas Wayne Education fund. I hope you enjoyed Gotham so far.” The journalists were frantically noting everything down. Either for publishing or just to put it in tabloids with some conspiracy theories. “Now, onto the main reason for the announcement. You know I’m not good at speeches.” He grinned and the crowd exploded into laughter. “Since my son just returned from Paris, I’m well aware that this news would break anyway when he returned to school. I ask you to respect their privacy and… well, at least try not to bother them. May I introduce Damian Wayne and his girlfriend, Marinette Dupain-Cheng.”

Everyone started to either whisper or frantically make notes and think of questions to ask. The fact that Damian Wayne, dubbed Ice Prince of Gotham, got himself a girlfriend serious enough to be introduced to everyone was already front-page news for many of them. Even just the dress she wore was front-page news. Any journalist that dabbled in celebrity fashion would recognize an MDC original by now, at least from Jagged Stone or Clara Nightingale. The two refused to even consider anything else. 

“Tt. Against my better judgment, I know that teenagers are walking gossip machines so you would all learn it the moment we entered Gotham Academy.” Damian started his speech. “As such, I want to clear any and all confusion before it can start. This,” he motioned at Marinette, “ is my girlfriend. We met in Paris and clicked immediately. I expect you to show her the same respect you show my family or I will challenge you to an honor duel.” 

Damian was not even trying to hide his distaste for journalists today. He could see that Marinette was uncomfortable with this attention even more than he was. He grew up used to attention while simultaneously being taught that newspapers were at best a propaganda tool and at worst trouble to be dealt with. Obviously, he disliked them, even more, when he became Damian Wayne. Usually, he tried to remain civil to the journalists unless they were irritating. Today, he didn’t bother. Not that they didn’t know he was a private person. A certain paparazzi with a blade going through his camera would attest to that. 

“Angel, do you want to answer their questions or should I?” He whispered.

“Um… shouldn’t you first tell them more?” 

“No. It’s better if I only answer what they want to know.” 

“Um… Maybe you start.” 

“Fine.” He turned back to the microphone. “I will be taking the first question.” He pointed at Clark who had his hand in the air. 

“Clark Kent, Daily Planet. Could you tell us more about how you met?” 

“I joined Marinette’s class for the exchange program my Father mentioned. The only free seat was next to her, so that’s where I sat. What got my attention first was her willingness to stand up to injustice and forgive those who slighted her. She was open-minded and didn’t back down even when I was… Ehm… a bit rude.” He admitted. “I managed to ask her out and she showed me the side of Paris you don’t usually see with a tour guide. We share a passion for drawing and she shared with me her favorite place in Paris. No, I won’t reveal it. After that, my respect for her only grew when she was willing to accept an apology from a girl that bullied her in the past, helping her actually change her ways. Next question?” He pointed at a different journalist. He really hoped he picked right. The masks were making it harder than he assumed. A flaw in their plan that they overlooked. 

“Vicky Vale, Gotham Gazette” The woman introduced herself and Damian resisted the urge to curse. His Father’s ex was not exactly the most favorable toward them after their breakup, even if she tried to stay professional. “What more can you tell us about the mysterious girl behind the mask? So far we know she’s from Paris and likes to draw, plus some traits.”

“May I answer this?” Mari asked Damian, thinking it was high time for her to step up and help. He nodded and stepped back so she had free access to the microphone. “Hi. I'm Marinette. Mostly, I’m just a normal girl with a normal life…” She started. What followed was quite a long introduction where she gave the press enough to satisfy them while keeping private the parts she wanted.

There were many more questions. About family, plans, dreams, etc. The young couple answered some while dismissed others as too personal and rude. Finally, after over an hour they ended the event and told those who would stay to move on with the gala while several journalists were removed. In total, ten photographic devices were confiscated and Chloé got the honors of handling everything with Tim. He was there for a technical site, she was there for intimidation. 

One of the particularly irritating paparazzi tried to argue, but then Chloé started to rant until he was cowering in the corner. Pretty much everyone around them was now glaring at him with a hateful gaze. After that, they mostly behaved. 

-------

“Well… that was exhausting. And it’s only ten pm?” Marinette and Damian were resting next to the snacks table. They were enjoying a moment of peace once the initial wave of well-wishers passed. Jason was keeping an eye on the class to make sure they were stopped from making anything worse for themselves and everyone else. So far they were too stunned to deal with it. He was pleased to see that Alix girl was finally doing something and pointing out many flaws in their reasoning. The problem was Lila disappeared in the crowd for the moment. Chloé was on the hunt though. She was a master of dealing with a rich crowd, probably surpassing even Drake. 

“Here you are!” A voice startled the couple. Marinette and Damian turned to see a group of four people. Jon was one of them. There was also a girl with blonde hair pulled into a long braid and a boy in a blue suit with medium-long black hair and blue eyes. The fourth one made Marinette’s blood run cold. Her eyes went wide and she acted before anyone caught the wind of it. A strong straight punch sent the boy looking like Adrien flying onto the ground. 

Chatter around them died in an instant. Marinette tried to lunge at him, but Jon caught her. He was probably the only one strong enough to hold her back. 

“Let me go! Don’t you see he is a criminal?!” She was doing her best to get out of his grip. Damian suddenly was holding the blade to the neck of the blonde boy. 

“You have five seconds to speak.” 

“I’m sorry, but I’m not my moronic cousin. Would you please let go of me?” He asked with a thick British accent. 

“Tt. Prove it.” Damian scoffed. 

“Ugh. I’m really tired of dealing with everyone taking me for a criminal just because I look like him. Ask my mother!” 

Indeed, a blonde woman in a gray dress was making her way through the crowd. “Felix sweetie!?” She kneeled next to him while glaring daggers at Damian and Marinette. Reluctantly, he took away the sword but didn’t put it away. Dick and Tim also arrived.

“What happened?”

“That twit attacked my Felix!” 

“Tt. He shows up and looks just like a known criminal. You should’ve really chosen something other than a black mask and a black suit.” Damian frowned. He didn’t exactly feel bad about the incident, but the press would jump on that.

“It’s alright mum. I admit I’m partially at fault. I forgot the reaction Parisians have to me right now.” He bowed his head. “Please accept my apologies.” His lower lip was bleeding.

“Um… here. Let me help you.” Marinette pulled a tissue from her pocket (of course her dress had pockets) and handed it to him. Nodding, he wiped the blood. 

“Tt. I’m still not convinced.” 

“Damian! That’s rude. I remember Felix. He was in Paris once.” Then, she mumbled under her breath. “Caused a triple akumatization.”

“I am sorry for that…” 

“Felix joined our class this year. You left the day before he came.” The blonde girl explained.

“It was all just one big misunderstanding folks. You can move on.” Dick took control of the crowd and allowed the teens some breathing space. Except that’s when the class finally decided to start speaking up. 

“Yeah right! Marinette is just a big bully! I’m in her class and she was mean to Lila from the beginning. I wouldn’t be surprised if she dated Damian Wayne just for money.” Alya had to babble. The rest of the class (minus Alix) was either nodding or giving their own confessions, real or not, and always against Marinette. 

So far the Waynes avoided any accusations about gold-digging. The one journalist that tried to pick up the subject (subtly at first) was silenced by Damian’s evil eye. Now more people murmured. And the number of people able to respond was greatly limited as Damian, Chloé, Jason, and Sabine had to be restrained from hurting people. 

To everyone’s surprise, it was Cass who jumped on the table.

“Shut…! Up!” She shouted. Or what stood for her shouting, which was only slightly louder than normal people’s speech. Still, it got everyone’s attention. “Cousin Nettie is… kind. Good. Sel… Selfless. She is my family. Not… digger.” She glared at several people that were still muttering. “Saw her… date with Damian. She did not let him pay. Not digger!” There was a dangerous edge in her voice. That was enough to shut people up. Except for the class. 

“Of course you would protect her!” Kim stared at her. “You’re probably…” He didn’t finish because Alix covered his mouth. The girl noticed that Bruce, who was restraining Jason Todd was about to let go. She wasn’t sure exactly what would happen, but she wasn’t willing to find out. 

“I think it’s time for you to leave. Where is your teacher/chaperone?” Bruce asked, also glaring at them.

“Um… Madame Bustier is…”

“Madame Cheng is right there!” Mylene pointed to where Tom was doing his best to stop his wife from grabbing the Bag and cutting the class into tiny pieces.

“I… I don’t think it would be healthy for us to go with her right now. She is very emotional right now.” Alix offered. She was trying to act like the voice of reason. Something this class lacked. 

The teacher was quickly located flirting with one of the musicians invited to the gala. She was completely unaware of what her charges did. 

“I’m sure it was just some misunderstanding. Marinette indeed started acting out a bit this year. They probably overexaggerated a bit.”

“Tt. You mean she stopped being a doormat?” Damian huffed. 

“As I said, it’s time for the kids to leave,” Bruce said in a harsh tone. 

“Oh… Okay. I’m sure Sab…” 

“Caline. You’re the one responsible for taking care of them. You’ll take them away when Mr. Wayne asks.” Tom then pointed at his wife, who he was holding a few inches above the ground to keep her from doing something stupid. 

“Um… Of course.” The teacher sighed. “Kids. Gather your things. We must leave.” 

As they were walking out, people applauded. After Alfred closed the doors behind them it was finally safe to let the more violent part of the family free. In all that mess, nobody noticed that a certain sausage-haired girl was not with them

“Now, Wayne.” The blonde started. “Want to explain why we had to learn about you having a girlfriend from a press conference?”

“Or why did Jon know her before us?” The boy added. 

“I would also appreciate hearing how my bloody cousin earned your ire,” Felix added. 

“Oh! Sorry.” The girl turned to Marinette. “I’m Allegra and this is Claude. You already know Jon and Felix. We’re Damian’s friends. Or the closest thing he had to such.” 

“Tt. I don’t have friends.” 

“Bro. Not cool.” Claude argued.

“Shut up. Claudius.” he huffed. 

“You wound me.” The teen gasped and put a hand on his chest. “Dami.”

Felix and Marinette watched from the sidelines how the quartet bickered. Jon tried to help Damian sort things out. 

“For what it’s worth, I am sorry,” Felix said after a moment of silence. “My cousin is a daft git.” 

“That we can agree on,” Mari said absentmindedly while trying to keep the eye on Damian. She hoped he didn’t bring the kryptonite dusters tonight. 

-------------

Masterlist // Next

I’ll Never Forgive You Part Two

Again, thanks to @anjuschiffer and @fsketchart

Previous      Next

Marinette ran out of the apartment she shared with her boyfriend. She dropped her keys, all her belongings, she didn’t take a single thing, all she did was run out of the place she once called home. She ran out of the lobby, not caring who saw her burst out, as long as Jason couldn’t see her tears.

Jason wanted to follow her so badly, so badly. He resisted his urges and every sense that burned when he just stood there. The image of Marinette’s bluebell eyes flowing with tears didn’t leave his mind. He didn’t bother to shut the door. He crumpled to the floor and shoved his face in his hands. He sobbed too, just like the girl he loved.

Marinette didn’t realize what she was doing until she was at the train station. She already had a ticket in hand for the next train to...Metropolis? She only remembered wanting to get away, not caring where. She took a shaky breath as she sat on the bench waiting for the Gotham train to arrive.

Marinette opened her phone, which had been in her jacket pocket, the only thing on her before she left. She quickly unlocked her phone, noticing a droplet of water fall onto it. She was still crying.

“D-dick?” Marinette choked out before hearing, “This is the charming Dick Grayson! Unfortunately, I’m not available at the moment, but go ahead and leave a message and I’ll get back to you!” Marinette took a deep breath in, focusing on her words.

“I’m-I’m in Central Gotham Train Station and uh- me and Jay...I have to leave, tell your family I love them, and I’m sorry. I probably won’t be back, Jason and I...anyway, I just wanted to say goodbye and thank you.” She hung up, a little relieved that she only got his voicemail. She heard the train pull in before she saw it. Gathering her coat, purse and phone, the only things she had, she showed the conductor her ticket and boarded.

 She sat down, shoving her things down carelessly, feeling more rage for what happened. She almost took Tikki out of her purse to talk before remembering that she was in a public place. 

She vaguely recognized a man sitting down next to her but didn’t look at him. She focused her gaze out the window before the man tapped her.

“A girl like you shouldn’t be sad!” He smiled unsettlingly, before Marinette took in his features. White mask with clown features on it. It dawned on Marinette who the man sitting next to her was. He started to cackle, making it even more obvious who he worked for

“Turn that frown into a smile! Laugh with me!” 

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@shamefullove

@emjrabbitwolf

@actual-disaster-human

@littleredrobinhoodlum

@elijahcoser

@daminett4life

@18-fandoms-unite-08

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@moonystars14

Reason's Why

⬅️Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Alya held her friends from the back and watched Marinette and Luka hug each other. She knew those two were in pain and she pitied them for it. Love really does make them either weak or strong.

"Girls, we'll just check them later. Juleka where's your room?"

Marinette fell asleep on Luka's chest and as soon as she realized what she just did. It made her felt embarrassed. She just fell asleep with Luka! With a man!

She gazed outside and realizes it's nearing midnight or probably early dawn. She walked near the window and looked up at the starry sky as a memory visits her. She suddenly remembered their New York trip years ago under the same bright moonlight, she once danced with Adrien.

Adrien again huh?

Her phone in her pocket suddenly vibrates. She opened it and the group chat with the gang pops up.

"Marinette, enjoy the night with Luka. Girl, I guess you just want to hang out with him alone huh?" Attached with the message was a photo of her and Luka falling asleep in each other's arms.

Marinette could definitely hear Alya's teasing voice. That girl definitely ships her with everyone.

She was about to close the phone when she noticed another notification from a familiar name, Adrien. There's also a lot of missed calls from him that made her heart skip a beat. Why did he leave a voice message?

"Marinette? I stop by your bakery this evening but your parents said you're out. I forgot to ask where will you be. Anyway, chat me up if you hear this. We have something to talk about."

This wasn't the first time Adrien chatted with her in the middle of the night but tonight's probably her first time to reply in such time.

"Marinette? I'm sorry I fell asleep too." Luka stretched his arms as he walks near her. His hair was messy and Marinette can't help but yawn while unconsciously trying to reach his hair making Luka grin. "Are you still sleepy? You can sleep in my room. I just check Juleka's room and unfortunately, it's locked. I can't also find the key to our guest room. So do you mind sleeping in mine? Don't worry I'll just sleep here."

"I'm sorry to disturb you, Luka. " Her lips formed a line before she started yawning again. She then follows Luka upstairs to his room while her eyes are focused on replying to Adrien. As if that guy's still awake.

Marinette gazed at the man in front of her. Luka has been very supportive of her. He's a man every lady could dream of. Great musician, good-looking, and most especially a caring man. She can't even count how many times did she break down in front of him. It's always to him.

"Luka? Can I use the shower?" Marinette asked as she sat on the side of Luka's bed.

Luka turned his head as he was supposed to be leaving the room. "Sure thing. I just have to check the bath first. I'll call you when it's ready." He then walked towards the bathroom door.

"Luka?" Marinette called him shyly. "I know I've said this countless times but thank you for being the best to me."

A faint thin line formed on Luka's lips. "As always, I just want what's best for you, Marinette."

Just after Luka entered his bedroom's bathroom her phone started ringing and her hand starts shaking seeing the name on her screen. It was Adrien! He's still awake?!

She just stared at her phone that's now laying on the bed. A moment ago she just had a breakdown from this guy and now she'll be willing to talk to him again? She knows that Adrien's not to be blamed for crying over him but still, just how naïve can Adrien will be not noticing her feelings?

Left with no choice she answered her phone. "Hello?"

"Did I wake you?" Adrien's voice on the other line sounds so raspy as if he just called straight out of bed.

"No. I was awake." She laughed awkwardly not knowing what to say next. "Why did you call?"

"Alya seems to be hating me and Nino's been kinda quiet. Do you have any idea?"

Of course, she has an idea. She just didn't expect those two to be so obvious yet still Adrien's still oblivious. However, that question of him made her felt uncomfortable.

"Is that why you call in the middle of the night, Adrien?"

Her voice shifted and sounded so cold. She unconsciously said it out loud and when she realized it she can no longer take it back.

Adrien went silent. He's feeling guilty. He just can't ask Marinette directly what really was the question he had in mind. Honestly, he really didn't care about Nino and Alya that much. They've been quite distant and secretive to him these past few years and he's already accustomed to it.

"I'm sorry to disturb you with some silly questions."

Adrien buried his face to his pillow while still on call. He could definitely hear Marinette sighing in the background. She probably thinks he's being dumb.

"I felt like it wasn't your real question." He heard Marinette lightly laugh. She was laughing like she was tired making him felt worried.

"Are you fi—" Adrien cut off his words when he heard a shocking conversation between Marinette and that someone she's with.

"Marinette, the shower's ready." Luka's voiced echoed the silent room. "I just noticed. You're quite a mess." Luka added while chuckling.

"As if you aren't either." Marinette teasingly replied while pointing to his shirt where her dry tears are. "I caused that mess but clean up yourself."

"No problem."

Adrien's eyes widened. He felt like he just drank a coffee that wakes all his senses up. "I'm sorry I called in the wrong time."

Marinette almost forgot that she's still on call with Adrien. "Wait...What Adrien? What do you mean?" 

"I'm not that dumb Marinette. This call should not have happened. Good night."

He was mad. Does he even have a right to be mad? He doesn't know but the moment he heard the voice of Luka in the background his senses were trying to betray him.

However, even if he told her that the call should not have happened it helps him confirmed something.

She was right. For the first time, she was actually right and he hates it.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Chapter Four➡️

Chapter 2 - Strings & Papers Lukanette AU (Teacher!Marinette & SingleDad!Luka)

A/N:  Hi everyone! I’m very sorry for the delay of Chapter 2, I’ve been so busy at university and studying and everything. I hope to update faster next time, anyhow here’s the next chapter! :)

Tagging: @seraphkitty @canadianburd @macaknight @fher43 @vivilakitty @quickspinner @im-here-for-the-content @decaffeinated-happyshit @jessigurl-design @2sunchild2 @zebrabaker @didnwant2come @redscarlet95 @graduatedmelon @eve-is-the-dawn @anjuschiffer @alissawhited-blog @rudy-ruby @mystery-5-5 @winter-gardenflower @bresso23 @kayla-the-rambling-writer @teresarosiadeviluke2112 @captainmac6 @violatiger @crazywhitemofo @hauntedfreakdeputyhero @gingersnapnoir @a-marlene-s @omgelisahagemanuniverse @samslash @kryptored @lukatherat ​ 

Hope you enjoy!

Chapter 2

“Auntie Jule!” Leon stared up at his aunt, tugging on her the hand holding his securely as they crossed the street.

The woman didn’t answer immediately, eyes focused on looking left and right as they rushed across the street, once they made it safely on the other side, copper eyes stared down at the child questioningly. “Yeah, Leo?”

The boy pursed his lips in thought, trying to express himself in words, a feat his own father had trouble sometimes accomplishing. “Does…does dad have time to come to school sometime?” big brown eyes, his mother’s eyes, stared up at her expectantly.

Juleka Couffaine briefly stared at the sky, spotting the school not too far ahead, trying to recall her brother’s schedule. “Hmm…I’ll have to ask him. Why? Did something happen?” Worry immediately shot through her heart like an arrow, causing her grip to tighten slightly on her nephew’s hand.

He shook his head, much to her relief. “No, my teacher just wanted to see him!”

The woman rose an eyebrow in confusion. “Your teacher? Your homeroom teacher Miss Marinette?” that was weird, “Did she tell you why?”

Leon rubbed his chin, eyes squinty as he thought hard about yesterday and what Miss Marinette said. “Um…um….I think…I think…she said she would love to meet him.” He shrugged, not entirely sure if she had mentioned a reason. He remembered drawing his picture and hanging it up in class. Leon jumped, eyes wide and excited as he tugged on his aunt’s hand again. “Auntie Jule! Auntie Jule! I drew a picture yesterday you have to see it! Come on!”

The boy tightened his grip around her hand suddenly and marched forward like a soldier on a mission. Juleka stumbled before quickening her own pace, trying to keep up with the ball of energy that was her nephew.

Her thoughts were still on Leon’s words from earlier. Why did Marinette want to see her brother? She was sure Leon hadn’t done anything wrong, otherwise Marinette would’ve called herself or Leon would’ve mentioned something.

‘She said she would love to meet him.’

Juleka blinked, now very curious on the reason behind the sudden question. Then again, Marinette had a right to know where Leon’s parent was, up until now, it was Juleka she’d had regular contact with and who picked up Leon from school. Luka had attended parent meetings, but as far as she was concerned, Marinette hadn’t been there due to other meetings.

Taking out her phone while ascending the steps to the elementary school, Juleka typed in a quick text and sent it to her brother.

“Good morning Lea! Good morning Emma!” Leon’s excited shouts echoed in the hallways, greetings his friends with wild waving, immediately distracted from his initial goal of showing his aunt a picture he drew.

Juleka smiled, making small talk with the gathered parents ready to see their children off.

————–

A ping sound made the man quickly take out his phone, heart pacing in his chest worriedly.

Juleka normally sent a text at lunch, it wasn’t nowhere near lunch yet. Was it the school? Did something happen to Leon?

Luka’s heart raced wildly right up until he opened the chat, a relieved sigh leaving his lips when he carefully read the message from his sister.

‘Hey Lu, don’t worry, nothing happened. Was wondering when you’ll come to school, people are curious about Leo’s mystery dad.’ – Jule

Luka frowned. Mystery dad? He’d attended parent meetings before…granted, he didn’t come often to school like picking his son up like he wanted. He was sure some people did wonder about him, especially since he hadn’t met all the teachers yet either.

But he did come when he could.

“Something the matter?” his manager rose an eyebrow at the musician staring at his phone thoughtfully. “Something wrong with your kid?”

Luka snapped out of his thoughts, fingers flying over the screen to hurriedly send the message before pocketing the device again. “No, sorry.”

Bob Roth hummed, eyeing the man a moment longer before he pulled up a photo from his drawer. “Anyway, I wanted you to try and collaborate with my son for a few songs. He’s good on vocals, I thought you’d provide the back-up vocals and maybe some guitar on the side. How’s that sound?” the overly large lopsided grin on his manager’s face didn’t spell ‘a few’ songs, more like a whole album.

The picture of XY’s sleazy face stared at Luka, who grimaced at the too wide smile and the overbearing amount of jewellery on the younger man’s face.

Luka shifted uncomfortably in his seat, rolling the black and silver ring on his finger back and forth. “…I thought it was about producing more copies for my recent solo hit. Penny Rolling told me there weren’t enough copies in stock.” He rose an eyebrow curiously, wondering how they’d jumped from his music onto possibly collaborating with Roth’s son.

Bob laughed, a boisterous, too loud sound for so early in the morning. “Of course! Of course! We’ll get to that later, don’t worry Luka! Now, about my son-“

Luka wished there were more parent meetings.

—————–

Juleka’s phone vibrated with the zig zag pattern she’d set for her brother.

A message.

He must be bored, or stuck with Bob, that had been a very quick response.

She opened their chat and scrolled down to the new message, eyes briefly glancing towards Leon who laughed with his friends in class.

‘Sorry. Talk at lunch. Weasel’s here.’

So, he was with Bob Roth. Juleka rolled her eyes, sending a short ‘Good luck’ back to her brother. Any dealings with Bob Roth were mentally and physically exhausting, she just hoped Luka would have some free time during lunch to talk about school and Leon.

Juleka pocketed her phone as soon as she saw Marinette, who was watering the plants on the windowsill.

“Good morning.” The teacher turned around, setting down the watering can when she spotted Juleka standing at the doorway of the classroom.

“Good morning Juleka!” Marinette’s far more cheery greeting put a smile to her face. She was rarely ever in a bad mood and Juleka appreciated it. The teacher being in a good mood meant classes flowed smoothly and the other kids were infected with the positive energy she radiated. Mornings were always hard, standing up so early to get Leon ready for school if Luka had to leave even earlier for work, before Juleka herself had to head to work.

There were mornings that Juleka did get up for without complaint, when she would be treated to the too rare sight of her brother and nephew in the bathroom, her brother shaving and Leon trying to imitate him by spreading toothpaste over his mouth, which always elicited laughter from them. Or when Luka would play a relaxing tune to start the day at the breakfast table and the family would talk about their plans for the day.

She realized Marinette had asked her something and the woman grabbed her hair instinctively, feeling ashamed for having ignored her. “I’m sorry, what did you say earlier Marinette?”

The teacher smiled in understanding, shaking her head. “It’s fine Juleka. I just asked how your morning was.”

The woman smiled, heart warming at how considerate she was. “It was fine. Leon was a bit fussy while getting dressed, but it was alright otherwise.” She glanced at the two thermos flasks on Marinette’s desk and she smiled sympathetically. “Rough morning too?”

The teacher laughed nervously, rubbing the back of her neck. “I forgot to eat breakfast this morning, but Alya thankfully packed lunch for me and some coffee. Do you want some? I have enough for three people!” both women laughed and Juleka politely declined, spying the clock on the wall.

There was more than enough time to enjoy some coffee with the kind teacher, but she had to get to work. “I’m sorry Marinette, I would love to, but I have to get to work.” She shrugged, but other woman understood, nodding in understanding.

“That’s fine, I don’t want to hold you up any longer.” She glanced to the side, until her eyes widened and she impulsively grabbed Juleka’s hand. “Oh wait! I almost forgot!” she dragged the stunned brunette with her towards the side of the class, a string reaching from wall to wall with many drawings attached to it.

Marinette lead her to one particular drawing and upon closer inspection, a smile automatically lit up the young woman’s face. “That’s Leon’s!” without even glancing at the messily scrawled name in the corner, Juleka easily recognized the bright blue hair of what looked like her brother’s stick figure and her own purple mixed with black, along with a flower clumsily drawn on top of her head.

Juleka rarely wore any kind of accessories in her hair, but Leon had always liked putting flowers in her hair and in Luka’s too. It was a trait he’d since he was four, the time where they went on a little family trip and Rose had shown her favourite spots in a garden they visited. Juleka was used to people – particularly Leon or Rose – putting flowers in her hair, Rose being the primary suspect.

Their house was full of flowers, according to Rose, all pretty things deserved to have a flower to accentuate their beauty.

Juleka, in her eyes, was no exception.

It still made her blush, to this day.

Shaking her head to clear her thoughts, Juleka admired the creative picture, full of colours and adorable stick figures representing their family.

“Um…I’m sorry if I’m too forward but…” Juleka turned her head to look at the teacher, who suddenly shifted her weight and only hesitantly met her copper gaze. “May I ask about…Leon’s father?”

Juleka blinked. “My brother? Luka you mean?”

“Luka…yes.” Marinette seemed to test the name how it rolled off the tongue easily. “Does…I mean…is he home often?”

Honestly, Juleka couldn’t blame Marinette for asking, as far as anyone from the school staff was concerned, the principal was the only one who’d seen her brother more than a handful of times. Marinette had also been a bit unlucky, always missing each-other at parent teacher conferences.

She couldn’t help but giggle slightly. “Yeah, of course. But he works a lot, he’s busy but always manages to make time for Leon.” Warmth flooded her chest at the thought of the cute moments whenever she would stay over and catch her brother tiptoe his way to Leon’s room just to check if the boy was fine and sleeping.

When he would wake up earlier than he had to and prepare Leon’s lunchbox before collapsing on the couch for a few more hours of precious sleep. The sheets strewn about in his room, working on a new lullaby for Leon to fall asleep to whenever he had nightmares. It always made her brother anxious whenever his son shuffled into his room and crawled into his bed, small body cuddling up to his father to sought out comfort in the safety of his arms, who had never failed to offer that protection.

Marinette nodded, noting the expression on her friend’s face. “I see…I’m sorry if I’m prying Juleka-“

She shook her head, waving her hand dismissively. “Not at all, Marinette. You’re Leon’s teacher, you deserve to know about his family. It’s just…” she played with her bangs, nausea settling into the pit of her stomach. “Some things are…a bit more complicated. But Luka is a good dad, he always takes care of Leon and makes sure he doesn’t lack in anything. I’ll talk to him and try to clear his schedule so you guys can meet.” Her painted lips raised into a tentative smile, Luka’s message still at the forefront of her mind.

The polite smile remained on Juleka’s face despite the teacher’s yelp of mortification. “Thank you Jul- wait…h-how did you know I wanted to meet him?” the dumbfounded and increasingly nervous look on the teacher’s face made Juleka’s smile widen.

“Leon told me.”

“W-What?”

“Miss Marinette would love to meet him!’ Juleka imitated her nephew’s higher pitched voice, watching an interesting shade of pink spread over the teacher’s cheeks.

Hands quickly covered the teachers face in embarrassment. “Oh no, that sounds so wrong. I’m so sorry Juleka, I should’ve called personally!” Marinette groaned and ran a hand down her face, making her friend giggle.

“It’s fine, Marinette.” She squeezed her shoulder reassuringly. “I assumed it was to meet him, I think you’re one of the few teachers who never met him before. It’s weird, it’s been a few months of school already.”

Marinette bit her lip, shaking her head helplessly. “I was so caught up organizing events for school, I had to cover shifts from a few colleagues so I couldn’t really attend all the parent teacher meetings. But I’ll definitely be there for the next one!” she grinned, giving a meaningful wink to Juleka. “And I hope you won’t be the only one I see there!”

Juleka smiled. “Don’t worry, you definitely won’t.” Juleka excused herself before she kneeled down to be at eye-level with Leon, who was off in the corner playing with his friends on a colorful carpet. They hugged briefly and Juleka bumped fists with him, which made Marinette smiled, before both women waved each-other goodbye.

With the majority of parents gone and students shuffling into the classroom, Marinette stood in the center and clapped her hands. “Good morning everyone!”

Many heads turned and almost all the children yelled back, some energetic, some tired. “Good morning Miss Marinette!”

———————-

Hours passed and finally lunch time rolled around.

Juleka’s steps were hurried, trying to reach the coffee machine before all the coffee would run out. She glanced at her phone, reading the time and wondering when her brother would be free. He did mentioned around lunch time, but-

Her phone buzzed in her hand, the screen flashing with her brother’s name.

Juleka quickly answered and lifted the device to her ear, blinking owlishly standing in front of the coffee machine. “Lu?”

The breathless voice of her brother greeted her back. “Hey Jule, sorry it took me so long. Bob took his sweet time and I had a performance that dragged on with the fans. How are you?”

Juleka scoffed gently, wedging her phone between her ear and shoulder and grabbing a clean mug from the shelf, deftly preparing herself some much needed caffeine boost.

“Fine, just have so much stuff to do about work. You?” she grabbed three sugar cubes from the bowl and threw them into her mug, watching the machine come to life and vibrate as it processed the coffee capsule within it, the pleasantly smelling brown liquid filling her mug.

“Fine, wished I was already home.”

A laugh left the woman’s lips and Juleka shook her head, grabbing her coffee after the machine was done. “We’re in the same boat.”

“I guess. How was Leon? I’m sorry I left earlier, Bob told me that meeting we had was important, a shame it wasn’t. I would’ve made Leon his lunch.” The man sounded disappointed and Juleka knew the father in him would reprimand himself over not making his son lunch, despite the circumstances.

Juleka rolled her eyes, taking a small sip from her coffee. “You’re such a dad, you know? Don’t beat yourself up over it, I made Leon lunch and it was fine. He was fine, Lu.” Juleka’s gaze caught sight of her fellow co-workers, smiling amicably at them before her feet carried her downstairs.

A sigh was heard on the other line. “Well, I am a dad for your information. No offense Jule, but you used to make a better lunch when we were in school.”

Another eyeroll. “I’m hanging up, Luka.”

“Hey, wait, don’t, I was just kidding!” he laughed and Juleka pursed her lips, shaking her head at her brother’s antics. “Sorry, anyway, what did you wanna talk about earlier when you sent me that message?”

Juleka stopped by the stairs, a slow smile spreading over her lips.

With a certain lilt in her voice and a positively devious glint in her copper eyes, Juleka finally settled at her desk, eyes absentmindedly scanning the sketches depicting models for the upcoming fall season.

She smiled. “Oh, right. You remember I told you about Leon’s homeroom teacher, Marinette?”

Thanks for reading everyone! Let me know what you think :3

Broken and Repaired chat. 1

He didn't know what to do. The modeling, the school, the constant akuma attacks - he just didn't know what to do. So he continued to smile as if nothing was wrong. He continued to banter with his lady, as if the world wasn't slowly closing in on him. What else can you do when it's clear that the universe doesn't have a happy ending set for you? His mom was gone, he had to schedule meetings with his father in order to even talk to him- The lady of his dreams didn't see him like that.

But he still had his friends. And when he's in school, he doesn't want to think about anything else. He doesn't want to think about akumas and Ladybug and his parents- he just wanted act like a normal student with a normal life. Nothing out of the ordinary. Don't get him wrong, he absolutely loves the thrill of being Chat Noir. But he couldn't help feeling helpless and useless whenever he gets hit with the akuma. Sure, Ladybug always talks about them being equal but were they really? Really? He knew his lady could handle the akumas by herself. Coming back to school, lately it's just been a field mine. Most his friends still favored Lila and were fooled by her ways, while a few others were clearly not captured by her obvious lies. All in all, the drama was stressful. Just, why, why, couldn't something work in his favor for once? Just why couldn't anyone tell him what happened to his mother, why his father was always so distant, why, why, why. Why couldn't everything be easy? Not everything, just anything. Sighing to the millionth time that day, Adrien walked up the stairs with deliberately slow, calculated steps. Since when did he start to dread school? He didn't know, couldn't remember. Then again, that's where his friends are, right? He wouldn't be alone anymore. That did little to lighten his mood. Whatever, it beat being home, that's for sure. As he walked, he made sure to keep up his facade - no one needed to know that Adrien Agreste was breaking at the seams. But he has to admit, he felt a little bitter on how no one seemed to notice. Not even Nino.

That hurt a little. Who was he kidding? No one really liked him, they were just being too nice. He was just a spoiled, home-schooled boy who came crashing through their lives out of no where - why would they care? If he's own father won't pay attention to them, why should they? But suddenly, it was as if a the first sunray of the week was breaking through the dark clouds that surrounded his head when he caught sight of something that was on his desk. A familiar looking pastery bag and a to-go cup next to it. His eyes soften and the first real smile in a while was tugging on his lips. Because of course Marinette noticed. When he looked over at her to express his gratitude, he was greeted with the sight of a passed out girl. His smile quickly morphed itself to a frown, his heart aching at the sight. Besides him, it seems like the girl was always tired. He knew being the class representative and all those commissions coming in - she's barely gotten a break. Adrien stared at her fondly, sending to any God out there to give the girl the break she deserved because despite having her own problems, she still went of her way to make him feel better. That within itself made him extremely glad he came to school today. - All that warm feeling from this morning was gone. Completely replaced by anguish and concern- he wasn't expecting this. Marinette had quickly left once the lunch bell ring, only pausing briefly to shoot him a smile. A smile that was obviously forced but it was her eyes that shattered his heart. Those were not the warm, soft gaze of the bluenette he was use to, but one he often finds in front of the mirror. Lifeless, exhausted, dead eyes. It took a moment for his heart to jump start again. And only a few more to go search for her. He was already dreading about what he would find, but this, this wasn't what he expected. Wait, no. He had expected it but was hoping against all hope it wasn't it. The model found her in one of the corners in the locker room, hunched up in a ball. A tight, shaking ball. The sight froze him in his spot, unable to comprehend that this was Marinette - strong, amazing, kind Marinette - that was making herself seem small to the world. But the choked sob that came from that specific corner? That's what really had him dropping his stuff right where he stood and diving towards the shaking figure. "Marinette," he whispered, afraid of startling her. "It's okay, Marinette, you're not alone." He hated the sound of her cries, the way she seemed to jump at his voice, the way she refused to look at him. He wanted to do anything, anything, stop her from feeling like this. Unsure, but determined, Adrien wrapped his arms around her and pulled her towards him. Her cries came to a halt but when he pressed her head into his chest, hugged her tight, muttered soothing words against her hair, she came undone. He held her, refusing to let go until he knew she was feeling a little better. She's been there for him, it only makes sense for him to do the same. He still held on even when her cries stopped. God knows how much he wanted for someone to comfort him like this on his rough days but he would never, never, let Marinette feel that hopelessness. Not on his watch. "Lunch is almost over," he said softly, chin resting on her head. "Do you want to go to class or should I walk you home?" She didn't reply right away but that was fine with Adrien. He could wait right here all day with her. When she did reply, he was taken aback by the request but something warm blossomed in his chest. "Can we stay like this..." her voice hoarse, she tucked herself tighter in his embrace. "just for a little longer?" Who was Adrien to deny such a request? Without any other word, he made himself more comfortable and pulled her closer. And later that day, when he would glance at her and received the soft smile of gratitude, well, that was just between them. - He felt a little lighter when he went home - knowing he was able to make a good friend of his feel better had somehow made him feel a bit better. Like he somehow can do some good still. (The fact that of all people it was Marinette definitely had an impact but Adrien wouldn't admit it.) Up until he was sitting at dinner, alone, once again. Alone at a table too big and too cold. Eating a meal that hadn't been made with his wants in mind- very much like the cold and heartless walls staring back at him. Even Nathalie wasn't keeping him company tonight - was it really too much to ask for? Was it too much to ask the two adult he loves to pay attention to him, even just a little? Why must he have to spend his time alone? Adrien wanted to knock on his father's door, desperately. But the last time he did such things, it didn't end too well for him. It's pretty much clear where he stands with his father and it doesn't seem to be changing anytime soon. That realization left a bitter taste in his mouth, his throat closing up with the sheer weight of it. The dawning, terrifying conclusion that maybe his father didn't want him anymore. Suddenly, the bleak looking food was starting to make him sick. Pushing the food away and dragging himself back into his room, he collapsed on his bed. Despite how much he wanted to fight against that one thought, to throw it away and never have such an idea ever again, he couldn't. It made too much sense. He really was bad luck wherever he went. "Hey, kid, talk to me." Blinking, Adrien turned towards the voice. He almost forgotten that he wasn't completely alone. "What?" "You have that look again. Talk to me, tell me what's on your mind." The small creature landed on the boy's chest, staring at him intensely. He debated on what to say. Who was he to complain about his life? He was well off, had amazing friends, he even got to be a super hero, for goodness sake. How could he not be happy? Shouldn't he be happy? "No, no," Plagg muttered, tapping on Adrien's cheeks. "We can talk in a moment, it's time for patrol." Right. Patrol. With Ladybug. With much effort needed than necessary, he pushed himself up and called onto his transformation. - It's all starting to stack up. Being class representative, helping out her parents, being half of the super hero duo - it's just too much. Sure, what was there to complain about? She had amazing parents, her friends were great, she had amazing fighting partner - what could be going wrong? It definitely not because of the constant event planning, helping out any of her classmates with whatever problem arises, despite her lack of communication with a certain Italian she still manages to still make her day a mess and- Just everything. People are expecting too much from Ladybug and Marinette. But what could she do besides moving forward, pushing herself harder, trying to please everyone? Let's not forget that as Ladybug, she has a whole different weight on her shoulders. One she doesn't regret but makes some days harder than other. And the downside? She couldn't let herself get akumatized. She couldn't let herself feel too much. It was exhausting to constantly have to keep herself in check and some days, she just wanted to take the earrings off and scream. Scream, cry, just something besides bottling it all up with nowhere for it to go. Shaking her head, she dragged herself off her bed. There was, however, one thing on her to-do list she was more focused on than any other thing. And that was to get Adrien Agreste some breakfast. She's noticed how lately, the usual sunshine boy was not being himself. But when she brought it up to Nino or Alya, they brushed it off with a roll of their eyes, declaring that the blonde boy was indeed okay. But Marinette knew this wasn't the case. And every time she's brought him something, it was then that she would see that spark of his reignite again. She made up her mind, she'd try to bring him breakfast as often as she could. By the time she had rested the goods on his desk, she was barely able to keep her eyes open. She almost didn't make it to her seat by the time she passed out.

-

 It started the same.       With her partner by her side, staring at her in terror. The blood, the gash, the whimper that escaped his lips, the way-       "How could you do this, m'Lady?"       She couldn't move, couldn't speak - God, why couldn't she move?       Chat Noir fell to his knees, his eyes never leaving her's. The blood, there was so much, too much, why was there so much.       "Chat-" she choked out, her hands trying to catch him, but couldn't she move. "Chat, I'm so sorry!"       "It's all your fault." He cried out, slipping down and disappearing, leaving behind another one at his wake.

 "Look at you, you nasty bug. I loathe you." He growled, baring his teeth as he stocked closer. "What are you going to do? You're so tiny, I could eat you up."

 Frozen, shocked, unable to move as he lunged at her, she could only stare, fear gripping her heart tightly. The last thing she saw was the black lipsticked stained lips and hatred filled eyes before feeling arms wrapping around her, creating a barrier between her and the other Chat Noir.

 "Chat!" she found her voice, terror gripping her as she felt the body against her shudder and groan. "Oh, God-" she clutched the boy, feeling him sink to the ground, feeling him disappearing. She felt more than heard the cough that wracked his body. She pulled back and the sight she saw, blood dripping from his lips, ears losing their shine, him disappearing.       "Don't leave me, Chat." She whimpered, falling on her knees with her dying partner in her arms. "Oh my God, Chat..."       He smiled up at her, his eyes displaying the amount of love and affection he felt for her. "I'll always have your back, bug."       This was her fault. Everything was her fault. She failed Paris, she failed Master Fu, but most importantly, she failed Chat Noir, her partner.

Don't you dare, leave me, Chat. - The nightmare was brief and she had to thank her luck she didn't scream when she came too. But that, that nightmare would not leave her alone. With shaky hands, she undid her pigtails and ran her finger through her hair, trying to calm her crazed heart. The sight was still fresh in her mind, the way Chat Noir looked at her with such betrayal and utter distaste- it took everything for her not to break down right then and there. She caught Alya's gaze and gave her what she hoped was a smile. Clearly, it didn't work, if Alya's frown was anything to go by, but Marinette didn't have time to care. Shaking her head, Marinette decided to keep her hair down and focus on the board in front of her. But it just. wouldn't. go away. So much blood, so much hate in those eyes, Paris in crumbles behind him- how could she have failed her partner so devastatingly? So utterly? It's just a nightmare, Chat is fine. She knew it's only a nightmare and Chat is fine. Right? Right? Chat had to be fine. Sure, she noticed him being more reserved, more quiet, more not-Chat-like but he had to be - no, she didn't know. And it was all. her. fault. Wasn't Chat the one person she trusts her life with? The one person she felt the most comfortable around? The one person she would lay her life down for without any hesitation? So why doesn't she trust him with her identity? What if her nightmare comes true? What if she caused the down fall of Paris? What if Hawkmoth wins? The school bell rung, startling her out of her thoughts, only to have the emotions hit her with full force. 'It's your fault.' The words kept repeating themselves, seemingly getting louder with each one. She had to get out, get out from here. Bolting out of her seat, Marinette threw her friends a smile(she didn't want them to worry about her despite her coming undone) and sprinted towards the locker rooms. She could vaguely hear her kwami trying to keep her calm but she just couldn't. Not this time. Not while that cursed image was running through her mind. Not while he disappeared between her hands. She collapsed in a corner, the first sob breaking through before she met the ground. Curling herself inwards, she pulled her knees tightly against her chest, shielding herself from the world as much as possible. It was getting too much- the stress, the thoughts, the nightmares- all too much. Hawkmoth is going to win. She's going to fail. She's gonna lose Chat. Suddenly, she felt arms wrap around her, tugging her towards themselves. Glancing up, she felt her heart drop because why was Adrien holding her? But what he said next broke her. "You're not alone." Her walls crumpled, shattering what little composure she managed to build. And she cried. And cried. And cried because she finally could. Being held like what with no judgment, well, she wanted to embrace it a little bit longer. - "Chat." The boy in question's ear perked up, wary at the tone she used. But he couldn't help but frown while looking at his partner. He knew she was strong- God, he loves that about her- but lately? He could see the struggle through her eyes. The way her smile seems to grow smaller each time they see each other, the way she seemed to be just a tad bit slower, the way she didn't joke on their patrols anymore. He wished he could do something, anything, to help her. But she constantly pushed him away, declaring that she was fine every single time. Even the strongest people need to breathe and be vulnerable sometimes. "Ladybug." The spotted hero turned around to face her partner. The boy looked just as drain as she did- but his eyes. Where were the smiles? The jokes? The twinkle in his eyes? Her partner was cracking and she mentally kicked herself for not checking in on him earlier. But she has tried- oh, so many times. He always brushed it off, always joked about it, always deflected her questions- she just wanted to know if he was okay. "Do you..." she paused, glancing away for a brief moment. "Chat, are you okay?" Chat Noir took a step back, eyes furrowed in surprise. He wasn't expecting such a question. Ladybug recognized that and it only fueled her anger towards herself. "Chat, what's going on?" She repeated the question, her heart sinking when she noticed her partner raising his guard. His shoulder straightened slightly, his lips curling at the end in a way that didn't reach his eyes, the curt nod he sent her way. "Of course. Why do you ask?" "Chat." Just that one word. The way she said his name, so gentle and so soft, he couldn't stop his walls from falling, even if he wanted to keep them up. How could he tell her exactly what was wrong? How could he mention that without explaining what his life is like outside of the masks?

 What exactly is wrong?

Everything. But for just once, he didn't want to hide it. He didn't want to lock it up, put on a brave face, and act like nothing is wrong when everything is wrong. Not when she was staring at him like that, like he meant something to her. Call him selfish, inconsiderate, whatever- he was tired and wanted someone to see how not okay he was.

And Ladybug saw him. Ladybug watched him, her heart squeezing when she saw his composure crumble and oh- He wasn't just not okay, he was hurting. The pain she saw behind those bright, green eyes were going to haunt for the rest of her days. The tremble in his hands as he raked his fingers through his hair, the shaky breathes he took in, the hunched shoulder as he turned away from her-

There's nothing she wouldn't do for him at the moment.

"I think... I don't, uh," she stole a glance in the boy's direction, only to quickly look away again. "Do you think we should reveal ourselves to each other?" The silence that came after was too deafening as it stretched, both heroes staring at each with so much emotions, so many feelings. They both had too many restless night thinking about the other, too many of uncertain days, too many secrets. "Why?" Why now, Ladybug?  He wanted to ask. What changed your mind?

"Because," she said, letting her partner see the vulnerability she tried so hard to hide from him, the uncertainty, the pain. "I think we both need our best friend outside of the mask." Neither seemed ready to speak up quite yet after that confession. Hadn't that been what's been on their minds lately? How much easier would it be if they just knew who the other was?

Wouldn't it make everything easier? "We're... we're not okay, Chat. It kills me whenever I don't see you and I can't just call you up to see how you're doing. I hate you having to go to that prison of a home and I just-" she forced out, trembling hands covering her mouth as she choked back a sob. "I just want to know if you're okay." "Okay." Such a simple answer to a complicated problem. What more did Chat Noir want? Having his best friend be by his side, being able to call them up whenever-

 Have someone care for him.

And what she said was only the truth- they weren't okay and who else could he possibly trust other than her at this point? She's his best friend and the one person who's opinion really mattered. Having her with him, well, there's nothing else he would ask for. The spotted hero's shoulder slumped with relief. Where she got this irrational fear of him rejecting her was beyond her understanding but now? Now, she could breathe a bit normally now, the tight knot in her stomach loosening up. The thought of being able to just call him up whenever, to check up on him after an attack, overrides any fear she had about their reveal.

Because if there was one thing that kept them going, it was that fact that they were doing this together. "No matter who you are, kitty, you will always be my best friend."

That statement, that confession, had toppled down any other insecurity he felt about revealing himself. He took her hands, brushed his thumb against them and with a soft smile he nodded. "We're in this together, bugaboo."

And they were. Together- partners who trusts each other more than what was humanly possible, who would fight with every ounce of power in their bodies for each other, who would do anything to ease the burden of the other.

Home is Where the Heart is

AO3

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Thank you to some lovely people on the discord for helping me edit this!

-_-_-_-

"Are you Alfred Pennyworth?" The girl's voice was soft, hesitant. "I'm here on behalf of Master Fu."

A sinking feeling rooted itself in Alfred's stomach at the severity of what this visit could mean. Stones dropping as he wondered why his friend wasn't there himself. Rather than voicing his concerns however, Alfred just opened the door wider and beckoned the girl inside.

He lead her through the halls of the manor, thinking up any possible explanations to give Bruce and the boys. He could gather from the expression of the girl, that this was important, and the lack of Fu's presence confirmed as much.

Miraculous matters would be discussed, he had no doubt about that, but he had no clue what it could be.

Was this tied in to that feeling he had gotten two weeks ago?

Looking back at the young girl behind him, he could only feel worry growing from within him. She was so young. Why was she here in Gotham on her own? Fu wouldn't leave her to find Alfred by herself, would he?

Finally, they reached the room and Alfred opened the door for her, leading her into the kitchen. Wordlessly, he pulled a chair out, asking her to sit, before excusing himself quickly.

As soon as he arrived in the living room again, he was bombarded with questions.

"Who was at the door?"

"Did they leave?"

"Do you know what they wanted?"

Alfred held up his hand to silence the Wayne brothers,  sans Tim, looking at them patiently.

"I am afraid that I cannot tell you," The sounds of their questions grew louder, and Alfred could feel his patience slip. Normally he would be more composed, but whatever the girl had come to talk to him about was important, and he didn't like leaving her alone in the kitchen for too long. "I will explain what I can when I'm done, but for now, please stay away from the kitchen."

With that, Alfred gave the family a final bow, walking back to the young miss in the kitchen. When he stepped inside, he saw her fiddling with something, but didn't get the chance to see what, as she snapped to attention by his entering. She sagged in relief and smiled at him tiredly.

"I'm sorry for the wait miss, I had to take care of some things for a moment." Alfred started preparing tea, glancing back at her before focusing on what he was doing.

"Of course, I understand. Thank you for talking with me," The girl said, bowing politely from her seat.

There was silence as Alfred finished making the tea, before he sat down in front of her, placing two warm cups of jasmine tea down for them.

"I'm Marinette, by the way," She said in haste, probably realizing she had yet to introduce herself.

"It's wonderful to meet you miss Marinette," Alfred said. "You said you were here on behalf of Wang Fu?"

The girl, Marinette, nodded, looking down with somber eyes.

"He passed away six days ago," She said quietly, Alfred looking down as he took in the information that he had feared. "I'm the new Guardian of the Miraculous."

Silence overtook the kitchen for a few moments as Alfred processed.

"I take it you are not here to simply discuss a fellow friend?" Alfred asked, Marinette shaking her head with a serious expression. "I thought as much," He said with a sigh.

She looked apologetic for a moment, biting her lip in hesitance. It seemed she was about to speak up, opening her mouth, but she closed it again and her eyes furrowed. Alfred was about to ask what was wrong as realization dawned in her eyes, and she held up a hand to stop him from talking.

She looked at him, her expression unreadable as she mouthed words at him.

'They're listening at the door.'

Alfred's eyes widened before he quickly rose, walked towards the kitchen door and opened it, blocking Marinette from the view of Jason, Dick, and Tim, who must have gotten up from the Batcave.

"H-hey Alfred! Didn't know you were here..." Tim tried futily, Alfred just raising an unimpressed brow.

"I do believe I instructed you to stay away from the kitchen," His expression hardened as Jason tried to look inside, and Alfred promptly stepped out, closing the door behind him. "Leave."

Tim and Dick were quick to listen, and forcefully pulled Jason away from the door before he got them into any more trouble.

Alfred let out a tired sigh, before opening the door and returning to Marinette.

She smiled at him sympathetically as he sat down in front of her, and Alfred could see that she had calmed down considerably compared to when she arrived.

"So," Alfred started. "Where were we?"

Marinette seemed to consider her words before she spoke, swirling the tea in her hands in thought, brows furrowed. Giving herself what seemed to be a determined nod, Marinette looked up at him again, set her tea aside and pulled something out from her pocket.

"Per request of Master Fu and as the new Guardian of the Miraculous, I ask you to be part of the new order," Marinette bowed deeply, raising up her hands with what seemed to be an amulet resting in her palms. "Help me rebuild the Order," She said, and her voice took on a pleading tone. "Please."

Alfred looked at the girl in sympathy. She was alone with one of the biggest responsibilities in the world, and she didn't even seem that old.

"Please rise, miss Marinette. It's usually me who bows around here," Marinette rose, but her eyes were furrowed. He hadn't taken the amulet. "Tell me, how old are you, miss Marinette?"

She seemed taken aback by the question, but she answered him nonetheless.

"I'm seventeen..."

 "For how many years have you been training to take over as guardian?"

Her brows furrowed.

"Around four years...?"

Alfred mulled over her answers. She was too young to carry the weight of the world on her shoulders alone.

"Then it would be me an honor to become part of the new order," Alfred said, and he saw how her eyes lit up with joy. "I would like you to meet my family as well," Alfred immediately noticed her hesitance.

"I don't know about that Alfred. I've done what I came here to do," Marinette said, confusion ringing clear in her voice.

"Miss Marinette, what do you plan on doing once you leave?"

Marinette shrunk in on herself, not looking Alfred in the eye.

"I don't know..." She whispered.

Alfred sighed.

"I will accept the amulet after you have met them," Alfred stated, cutting Marinette off before she even got the chance to open her mouth. "And after you have taken a shower. You don't exactly smell of roses, miss Marinette."

The young miss seemed to take offense to that.

"I haven't exactly been staying somewhere with running water, you know," She grumbled, crossing her arms. Alfred narrowed his eyes at her, worry forming in his chest.

"Where exactly have you been staying, miss Marinette?" Her eyes darted around, refusing to look him in the eye.

"You don't have to call me miss..." She said instead of answering him.

"Marinette," His tone was hard.

"An abandoned apartment, in Gotham Village," She shrunk in on herself again, shoulders rising. "I don't exactly have any legal documents."

Alfred was torn between prying more information out of her, and simply offering help.

He chose the latter.

"I will help with the documents and you will stay here until then. Understood?" Alfred could tell that she was about to protest, but when he raised an eyebrow at her, she simply sighed.

"Only until we have my documents figured out," She mumbled out, but Alfred took that as a victory nonetheless.

-

"Alfred's keeping secrets," Jason pouted, slumped in his seat with his arms crossed.

"Well, what did you expect?" Damian asked with a raised brow. "He told us to stay away from the kitchen."

The other boys didn't listen, focusing instead on sulking and wondering what was going on.

"Do you think he's quitting?" Jason wondered aloud.

"Alfred wouldn't quit," Dick said with a shake of his head, voice firm and resolute.

"Think it's a family member?" Tim asked.

"He would tell us if it was family matters, besides, does he even have any family outside of us?" Dick questioned.

The group fell silent again.

"This is very out of character for Alfred," Jason said, being the first to break the silence. "He's usually not this mysterious, is he?"

"He seemed distressed when he told us to stay away from the kitchen," Added Tim

"And angry when he caught us snooping. He normally doesn't get angry," Voiced in Dick.

The trio nodded to each other, Damian watching the conversation perplexed. It was like the group just shared one brain-cell at times.

Bruce walked into the room, and upon sight of his three eldest sons, immediately understood what was going on.

"They tried listening in on the kitchen, didn't they?" Bruce asked Damian as he sat down in his favorite chair with a book. Damian just nodded his head, and Bruce sighed tiredly. "Alfred already told us that he would explain as much as he could when he was done."

"Well yeah but-"

Bruce cut Jason off.

"No buts. We will respect Alfred and his privacy in what is clearly something important. He will tell us what he can. Understood?" Bruce's voice left no room for argument, and Tim, Dick, and Jason were quick to start sulking again.

The living room was left in silence after that, Bruce reading his book, Jason playing a game on his phone against Dick, Tim reading an article, and Damian studying. The quiet atmosphere was broken however, by the sound of approaching footsteps and the living room door opening.

"If I could kindly get your attention?" Alfred spoke, and immediately all eyes were on him, before traveling to the petite girl standing beside him. "I would like to introduce you to Marinette. She's the granddaughter of one of my dear friends, who passed away recently."

A pin could be heard drop as Dick stared at the girl wide-eyed, recognition burning within him.

"Master Bruce, if it is okay with you, I would like for Marinette to stay for a while. I do not feel it is very responsible of me to leave her alone in Gotham," Bruce tried to see if he could find answers in Alfred's eyes, but all he saw was a look that said Alfred would explain later.

Bruce smiled at the young girl, noting how she seemed to hold herself like he was about to throw her out.

"Of course," He simply said, nodding politely at the girl. "She can stay for as long as she needs."

It seemed as if the boys would protest, but the swift glare Bruce sent their way shut them up.

"I'll be showing her to a room then," Alfred said with a bow, before heading to the door, Marinette following him, looking a bit like a lost puppy.

-

"Are you sure this is a good idea?" Marinette asked hesitantly.

It wasn't that she didn't appreciate the offer. In all honesty, the thought of not having to return to that awful apartment was a relief to Marinette. However, she didn't like this. It felt like she was intruding.

Then, of course, there was her certainty that the family was made up of the very same vigilantes she had run from. The reason she knew who they were wasn’t obvious. In truth, she would probably be the only person to pick up on it.

It was the corrupted magic in the boy with the white hairstreak that gave it away. It was the same magic she had felt in Red Hood the night before. She was unsure of what the magic actually was, but it felt familiar to her, like the Miraculous Cure, but perverted in some way. Asking Alfred about it seemed inappropriate though.

"I will not inform them of the Miraculous or the Order, I understand that it has to remain hidden. If anyone reveals anything about it, it will be you," Alfred stated, trying to reassure her. Marinette just sighed.

They continued their walk in silence, Alfred because he had nothing to add, and Marinette because of uncertainty.

"This will be where you are staying," Alfred said, opening one of many doors, leading her into a room that was larger than the one she had back home. "I will bring you some clothes that I think might fit you, the bathroom is to your left, just come back down to the living room once you are done."

With that, Alfred left, leaving Marinette alone in the rather extravagant room. The walls were a cream color, the doors made of dark wood in contrast. The bed was queen-sized and centered against the right wall, and tall windows took up the back wall, allowing the light of the setting sun to enter the room. Marinette put her backpack down on the bed, feeling the silk covers with her fingers, marveling at the fabric quality. A desk made of dark wood was placed at the left wall, along with a shelf filled with books, as well as a door that lead to what Marinette could only assume was a bathroom.

"Well, you heard what Alfred said Marinette, time for you to shower," Marinette jumped, startled by the sound of Tikki's voice behind her. She hadn't even noticed her kwami fly out of her jacket.

"Geez, don't scare me like that Tikki," Marinette sighed, taking her jacket off and folding it on the bed. "And don't think I've forgotten what you did when I ran into Jon again," She scolded, wagering her finger in her kwami's face. Tikki just rolled her eyes.

"Oh, don't act like you didn't enjoy your date," Tikki said fondly, causing Marinette to stutter a response that was interrupted by a knock at her door.

"Marinette? I believe I have clothes that will fit you," Came Alfred's muffled voice. Marinette opened the door, accepting the clothes from Alfred. "I will retrieve your own clothes to be washed once you're done," He simply stated, before giving her final nod of his head and leaving, Marinette looking at his retreating form.

With a sigh, she closed the door and locked it, before returning her attention to Tikki and giving her kwami a playful glare.

"We're not done with this argument."

"Whatever you say Marinette."

Marinette rolled her eyes and headed to the bathroom to shower for the first time since she arrived in Gotham.

-

It was quiet in the living room as the Waynes watched Alfred and Marinette leave. No one really knew what to say.

Dick was the one to break the silence.

"That's her," He said, voice small and confused. "That's the girl from yesterday."

Bruce furrowed his brows as he looked at his eldest son.

"Are you sure?" Bruce asked. "You said you didn't get a good look at her face."

"I'm sure," Dick nodded his head, eyes still fixated at the door. "The jacket's the same, though her hair is shorter than when I first saw her."

Bruce shook his head. These things seemed more circumstantial than anything.

"How can you be so sure then?" Damian questioned. He hadn't seen the girl himself in person, but Marinette was tiny, and from the brief exchange they just had with the girl, she seemed way too meek to be the one able to beat the vigilantes.

"It makes sense. Alfred says she's alone in Gotham, all of her clothes are exactly the same. Even her backpack's the same!" Dick exclaimed, Tim nodding along.

"I actually think Dick is right about this. I only got a glimpse of her eyes, but I was the one who actually fought her. That's the girl."

It seemed that Bruce was more willing to listen after Tim's input, and suddenly wondered if it had been a good idea to let the girl stay in his home. He sighed.

"Regardless of that, it seems Alfred knows her, or at least knows of her. He'll explain the situation once he gets her situated."

Damian's face scrunched up in disdain at the reminder that the girl would apparently be staying with them, almost like he had bitten a lemon.

"Why did you even agree to that?" Damian asked, looking at Bruce with furrowed eyes. "We don't even know her, and now you're letting her stay in our home? Isn't that kind of risky?"

Bruce shook his head.  Alfred seemed to trust her, and even if he decided that it was too dangerous to allow her to stay, he had already agreed.

"I trust Alfred's judgment. If he starts to believe the girl is a threat, we'll take things from there, but for now, she's a guest and I want you to treat her as such," The look Bruce sent his sons made them stop complaining.

When Alfred returned, so did chaos, as the room exploded with questions once more.

"Who is she?" Bruce asked, voice cutting through the rest, effectively shutting his sons up.

"Like I told you before, Marinette is the granddaughter of a dear friend of mine who has recently passed away," Bruce could tell there was more to it than that, but Alfred didn't say, sticking with the original story. "As far as I know, she's been looking for me for the last five days."

"What was she doing up on the roofs?" Jason asked, raising a brow. "Not exactly where I would look for a person."

"I don't know," Alfred admitted. "But she's not a threat. I still have some things to discuss with her, and I would like to keep her close until we are done."

Bruce didn't seem too happy about the lack of information, but if what Alfred said was true, then he would be fine having the girl stay at least a couple of days.

 -_-_-_-

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