#albtm

“It goes without saying that what I tell you does not leave this table,” he began, “I know I said that if I knew something I wouldn’t tell, but given Bourgeois’s forthcoming, I too can be a little forthcoming. Dupain-Cheng is now a ward of my Father for the rest of the exchange.”

Vogel nodded and glared at everyone at the table as if to ward them off even thinking of telling anyone what Damian was saying. It was…nice and appreciated. Vogul reminded him of Cassandra sometimes and it always left him feeling warm yet wrongfooted. The blonde wasn’t his sister but sometimes she felt like it and that also confused him. Nonetheless he gave Vogel a small nod of appreciation. “After the events at Wayne Tower and what followed, it was decided that my father take care of Dupain-Cheng for the remainder of the trip and actual chaperones are being flown in. The original plan of having the class merge with ours has been effectively thrown out the window and negotiations are being made where to place everyone as they will be separated. Dupain-Cheng and her friends will join our class but it hasn’t been decided where Rossi and her sycophants will go.” 

Allaway pursed his lips together and looked deep in thought, it was like he was trying to organize everything that was said and unsaid. He was someone who liked puzzles and mysteries. “You guys are building a case?” It was posed as a question but Damian knew the other boy better. It was a statement. Damian simply leaned back in his chair to give Allaway his attention, it took the boy some time to voice his thoughts so Damian waited before responding. “The question is, who is the case against?” 

“I would think that obvious by now Allaway.” Damian scoffed. 

Allaway stared at Damian intensely until he let out a deep sigh, “Yeah, I know, I was saying it to be dramatic.”

“You’re always dramatic.” Damian countered.

“No. That’s Claude.” Allaway shot right back.

“Guilty!” Hardy sing-songed. Damian conceded. Hardy was always dramatic. Every announcement he made to the group or even the school was so rich in dramatics that Damian wondered if the boy practiced what he said every day to make sure it was the perfect amount of dramatic or if it was something instinctual. Damian felt like it was the latter. Sometimes Hardy’s dramatics confused him but Vogel was good at explaining what the dramatic boy was saying, she was basically the Hardy Translator.

“We are getting off topic.” Bourgeois sighed. “You really want to know everything that witch did to Dupain-Cheng, Wayne? Then you better buckle in and take notes.

Damian nodded and pressed the hidden button on his watch that Lucius Fox and his son Lucas upgraded at Bruce’s request, that would record the rest of the conversation. Though he did take out a notebook and pen, he never wrote in pencil, writing in pencil showed you were not confident in your writing or knowledge. He was trying to break out of the habit though as it was one Ra’s made sure ‘stuck’ with his heir. His grandfather would never settle for anything less than perfect and the one time Damian took a test in front of his grandfather and used a pencil, he was punished. Damian hid a wince at the memories of that particular lesson and instead stared at his watch, it was a replica of his Grandfather's watch , the one he wore when he was murdered. It was a bit morbid but it was the thought behind it that made it one of Damian’s most prized possessions. 

It had been a little after he had been…introduced to his father and a little before his father’s seeming demise at Darkseid’s hand that Bruce had taken Damian aside into his study to talk to him. Damian thought it would be another reprimand of his methods but had been surprised when Bruce handed him a small box with a bow on it. He had been so hesitant, so wary, so suspicious that his father had gently taken the box from him and opened it to show a watch. A rather nice watch though Damian had noted its somewhat dated design. Like someone had purposefully made it look vintage.  “ It’s made to look like my father’s watch, your grandfather, though I have no doubt you were…informed of my parents before you came here -”

“ I know everything about you, Father, and my grandparents .” Damian had interrupted, eager to prove his knowledge, his worth. 

“ I don’t doubt that, Damian, but you were told about them by people who did not know them. That makes all the difference. There is time for stories so you get to know them like I knew them but this is the first one I will tell you. ” Bruce had looked sincere yet a bit uncomfortable, Damian had chalked it up to his father’s weakness of not getting over his parent’s death. Such a weakness was not allowed in the League, but Damian had said nothing of the fact even if he could. Richard had been teaching him just because you could doesn’t mean you should. It was confusing but his father seemed to agree with the sentiment so Damian was doing his best to learn it. 

His father continued. “ When my father was ten, his father bought him his first watch. I never met my grandfather, but when I was young, my father told me grandfather wanted to start a new Wayne tradition. When the heir of the family turned ten, they would be gifted a watch. I’m afraid that the reason is lost in time and forgotten memories but my father wanted to continue this tradition. I got my watch on my birthday and 9 days later my parents died. My father had been wearing his birthday watch that night .”

Damian hadn’t wanted to interrupt but he did want to touch the watch and his father seemed to understand that so he passed back the gift and watched as Damian had caressed the face of the watch with his thumb. 

“ I admit that I have bought your brother's watches as well but I know you are struggling to accept them. I won’t lie and say I understand but I want to feel connected to them, to me, to this family. I wasn’t able to give you a watch on your birthday but I am giving it to you now. I had this made for you in the image of your grandfather’s watch because I want to show you how important you are to this family and me. I could have easily given you a new watch as I had your brother’s but you deserve a connection to your roots. I hope you like it. ”

Damian had only nodded but the small smile his father gave in return had filled him with such warmth he hadn’t known what to do other than let his father put the watch on him. Later, Alfred would explain that Bruce had the watch built with many hidden features to keep Damian safe and to make sure his son wouldn’t be without a way out of a situation. The watch was made to resemble the Rolex Submariner that Damian had seen in a case along with a broken pearl necklace and some loose grimy pearls. He knows they were keepsakes of his grandparents that Bruce kept in a protected case in the Cave. He didn’t really believe it would make him feel any more connected to the Wayne name than him already being Bruce Wayne’s biological son but wearing the watch and seeing the original in its case when he was down in the Cave actually did make him feel connected in a way he couldn’t explain. Thus it became one of his most prized possessions much like his first straight double edged sword his mother gave him for the earliest birthdays he could remember. 

Damian inhaled slowly then exhaled to bring himself out of his memory before he looked up at Bourgeois and gave her a short nod. “Proceed.” 

___________________

Dick was doing all he could to relax and show Marinette the company’s botanical gardens as it was something she had wanted to do. It was good to see her smile and flit from plant to plant like a little honey bee or something, but Dick couldn’t get rid of his tension completely. He was always like that after dealing with Two-Face even if it wasn’t the usual confrontation between the two, i.e mask to two faces but it still left him feeling the same. Angry, restless and most annoyingly, scared. He wasn’t the same little scared Robin but dealing with Two-Face always made him feel like he was. He thought he worked past all that! But seeing Marinette in his arms with a gun pressed to her head brought uncomfortable flashbacks of a different tiny black-haired blue-eyed child. A child who got cocky in his skills as Robin and helper of Batman. He could still feel the long-since healed injuries throb in phantom pain. Dick couldn’t help the flash of another black-haired blue-eyed child, older than the first when he learned that being Robin wasn’t magical or whimsical. Thinking of that never did him any good, if anything it brought about an enormous amount of guilt and anger that Dick didn’t know what to do with. 

“Mari-gold?” A very familiar voice pulled Dick out of his thoughts and he cursed himself for being so distracted. 

“Ivy!” Marinette shouted out in glee as she ran to hug the woman she had seen fairly recently. It made Dick smile though, this kid loved with her whole heart and it was something he admired. 

“Now what are you doing here, Sapling?” 

“I came here with Mister Dick and Mister Tim. Though we lost Tim pretty early on.” Oh yeah, they did. Though Dick was willing to bet Tim just went to the coffee shop nearby, he seemed to have a built in radar for knowing where they were no matter what part of town they were in. It was kind of funny though since Tim wasn’t even a big fan of coffee, he more so just needed the caffeine. The guy preferred tea but he was really particular about which places made the best tea, specifically a good ol’ Dirty Chai. 

“And what brings you to the Gardens today, Ive?” Dick asked, deciding to partake in the conversation. 

“Oh just making sure they are doing okay and to give the workers a restock of my special fertilizer.” That made sense, Ivy was, on-the-down low helping the Wayne Botanical Studies team. While Harley helped them more with their night time business, Ivy was content to help in the more official business. With the occasional helping hand stopping a threat if they “got in over their heads.” Her words. 

“You make your own fertilizer?” Marinette asked. Look, Dick was also curious about that but after finding Ivy and Jason talking one night with these big-ass smiles on their faces, all teeth, he was like 80% sure that fertilizer was some of Jason’s…problems. But there was no way in hell that Dick was going to try and confirm that, and he sure as hell would not be telling Bruce that little theory. 

“Yes! It takes time but it-”

“My Passion Lily! I got your Matcha Lemonade and look! I found a wild Wayne.” They were interrupted by Harley, which was not a surprise, and she was dragging a resigned looking Tim with her. 

Ivy merely huffed out a laugh at her wife before taking the offered drink with a kiss to Harley’s cheek. “Thank you, Peanut, I also found a wild Wayne and a little Sapling.”

“Mari-Doll!” Harley squeaked out before almost knocking the poor girl off her feet in her hurry to smother the girl in a hug. Surprisingly they didn’t fall over. 

“Hi Harley!”

“You guys saw each other the other night?” Tim said, confused. 

“And?” Marinette and Harley asked in unison. It made Dick giggle and helped relieve him of more of his pent up tension. 

“Well since we're all here, why don’t we walk around together?” Dick offered. “Bruce wanted Tim to get some fresh air so try not to let him sneak off again.”

Tim gave an offended squawk which had Marinette laughing once more. “I’m fine!”

“Yeah, okay Timmy-Boy.” Harley said with a scoff as she laced her arms together with Ivy and Marinette. “And I’m the Queen of England.”

“You do need some time outside the Manor Tim. It’s not healthy to stay cooped up.” Ivy said as she happily walked with Harley and Marinette. Though she did grab Tim by the scruff of his shirt and manhandled him toward Dick. He looked very much like a cranky kitten. 

“What is this? Pick on Tim day?” 

“I believe Damian has that scheduled for next month.” Dick wished he was joking.

Marinette obviously noticed he wasn’t if her raised brow was anything to go off. “Oh?”

“He stepped on Titus’s tail three months ago, on accident.” Dick explained. “But Damian is very good at keeping grudges and he’s very good on cashing in on favors.” 

Tim merely whined in response and Dick couldn’t help but pity his brother for a second before he remembered how Tim used him as a human meat shield when Condiment King randomly joined in on a fight against some robbers. Apparently he was also planning on robbing the jewelry store after keeping a low profile from his then-recent prison break. Needless to say it took Dick forever trying to get the mustard smell out of his costume once again and had to beg Alfred for help once again. Even though Alfred refused to help with cleaning anything CK contaminated, it spiked his blood pressure or something like that. Dick thinks it’s because of all the first times he helped clean them up when the rogue had been new on the scene. That had been a long month and Dick had seen how Alfred got more and more annoyed each time they came home covered in mustard, ketchup, you name it. It was awful. Truly. So Dick didn’t feel all that bad. Stephanie was already coming up with a list of things to tease Tim about. She specifically waits for the days Damian declares will be Pick-On Drake Days so she has lists on lists compiled for that very reason. She hoards them and never shares until the scheduled day. Duke surprisingly joined in too and started making his own list. 

“He’s very dedicated.” Marinette giggled out.

“That’s one word for it.” Tim grumbled. 

From there they had a good time touring the different gardens with Ivy acting as a somewhat tour guide and Dick could see it was really helping Marinette unwind as well. The interview with Jim and Harvey had really gotten her tense which was totally understandable, it would be intimidating for anyone. Tim tried to escape a couple times but after Dick teasingly asked if he should get Tim a child-leash and Ivy offered to make one out of vines he stopped. He even seemed to be relaxing a small bit. It was nice, really and it seemed to be something that Dick needed too without realizing it. Eventually they went out for lunch and after they went their separate ways. The drive back to the Manor had been nice too, normal traffic and a nice playlist helped. Tim and Marinette had even made some good conversation, though Dick got worried at the mention of PowerPoints. He hoped it was nothing serious, but the fact that Tim found someone as obsessed with planning and making PowerPoints was a little frightening. Maybe more than a little, Dick could only take so many Tim PowerPoints. He loved his brother, dearly, with his whole heart, but his PowerPoints were long and…thorough. He even tested people on the more important ones with a freaking Kahoot match. Cass and surprisingly Damian always won those. 

As they made their way into the manor Dick was pretty much planning on taking a good, lengthy nap to catch up on the sleep he hadn't gotten last night. His brain felt fried and scrambled, like it couldn’t decide whether to sink into the depressing thoughts from before or just remember the good time at the gardens they all had, even Tim surprisingly had a good time. As he sunk into the couch in the family living room his mind seemed to settle on both. His eyes closed and he saw Marinette laughing and smiling at their afternoon activities, then it would flash to her being held against Two-Face. He could hear the rogue’s laugh deep in his bones, then it changed to the Joker’s unique cackle. Marinette changed from her to him to Jason at blinding speeds. He could hear Marinette’s voice firm and confident in contrast to the fear in her eyes when she told him there was no time and that she would lead Scarecrow away. He could hear her yelling and telling Alfred she and they weren’t safe. He heard his own cries and shouts mixed with Two-Face’s voice. He could hear what he imagined Jason sounded like when the Joker beat him to death. He could hear the accusations of others about his jealousy of Jason being adopted. 

That unfortunately brought up memories of the talk he had had with Bruce once upon a time about Jason and adoption. It felt like he had had to fight not only tabloids but even Bruce about nonexistent hatred. Dick never hated Jason, but he had been so caught up in his anger with Bruce that he let it affect his and Jason’s relationship. He had just been so angry and it wasn’t an excuse but sometimes it seemed like he was even trying to justify his actions to himself. Though there was some jealousy and hurt there that he didn’t know what to do with, okay he did know what to do but the fact it would have to involve talking to Bruce and Jason was not something that sounded fun nor easy. He liked a good challenge but that idea sounded impossible. Like yes, he was Bruce’s son now but for so long he was just a ward, like Marinette was now, he called Bruce dad, they lived together, they fought crime together, they took care of each other, and yet it took years for Bruce to adopt him. But Jason? Dick knew Jason was Bruce’s son, his first son, his favorite son. Jason got the Bruce Dick had always wanted and it had hurt. Jason’s death had impacted Bruce more than his parents. That was a fact. 

And…And Dick had no idea where this was all coming from. He knew he didn’t know Marinette well as her class’s tour guide but seeing her held against Two-Face, mere centimeters from danger had thrown him. She reminded him too much of himself and too much like Jason before his death. She wasn’t a Robin, she would never be a Robin, but she had been a hero like one. She saved her people as fiercely as a Robin protected Gotham and its people. She took the weight of her world on her shoulders, much like a Robin. She was a child turned soldier due to circumstance just like a Robin. Marinette was a Robin in soul with no Batman to guide her and maybe that was for the best but looking at how lost she looked when she spoke about the ‘akumatizations’ in Paris, Dick wished she had had her version of Batman. A mentor who could aid in the fight, who shared the knowledge and responsibility. Yes, there were other heroes, they were like her version of Teen Titans, but that’s just it she was just barely a teen, a child, when she took up the mantle of hero. And from the pictures Tim showed the family of the other heroes, it wasn’t hard to guess that the other ‘Holders’ were teens themselves. Seeing as Adrien was also a teen and a former hero. 

Dick, in a weird, roundabout way, felt responsible for Marinette. As soon as she looked at him with hope, determination and fear in her eyes he was hit by a wave of protectiveness for her. She looked at him like Damian did when he first complimented and criticized his work as Robin, he and Marinette had also pulled off a plan as smooth and seamless as Dick and Damian had been when they were the Dynamic Duo. Or as Dick liked to call them, The More Dynamic Duo. He knew his family was kind of freaked out by how well Marinette and Damian seemed to get along, but not him, sure he teased a bit but he just had a feeling they would be friends. Damian had been trying to get himself out there and make friends and he did have some! He just called them acquaintances right now but Dick knew it wouldn’t be long till they were bumped up to friend status. Though Jon would always be Damian’s best friend even if they weren’t in the same school anymore. They still video or phone called every day and they played games with each other online. Which games? Dick could never remember but the point was, Damian had grown and was very capable of making friends, it just took him some time. 

Speaking of time , Dick thought as his gaze lazily glanced at the clock on the wall. If he slept now, he knew he would not go to bed after patrol tonight. So with much reluctance he pushed himself up and off the couch. He figured he could see if Marinette wanted some company and maybe the two of them could get some tea and snacks from Alfred and tour more of the manor when they were done. It would help in the long term of Marinette’s stay so it was productive! When he got to her room he saw that the door was slightly open but it was still he knocked, if he could dodge a Pennyworth Lecture he would even knock his own bedroom door. As he did so though, the door opened more and with it came an overwhelming energy that left him feeling suppressed yet energized. He wasn’t around magic a lot anymore, but it always left him with the same feeling so he ditched being a gentleman and waiting for an answer and just barreled into the room to see what looked like a closing portal. 

“Shit!” That would be a dollar in the Swear Jar, but that wasn’t important. What was important however was the fact Marinette was missing, a portal had seemingly opened in her room and closed, and…and there was a note on the bed? 

‘Dear Any Wayne That Finds This,

Actually, are you all Waynes? I never asked, I should have asked. Anyways, please don’t freak out if you come to my room and I’m not here. Ladybug needed my help back in Paris and opened a portal to get me there. I shouldn’t be too long and hey! Maybe I’ll be back before anyone reads this but if I’m not then just don’t worry. Ladybug will return me once the akuma is dealt with.

 -Marinette who is very sorry if someone does end up reading this and is pleading they don’t worry or get angry.’  

“Double shit.” Dick said as he read over the letter. 

That was another dollar for the Swear Jar. 

_________________

Dick “Flying” Grayson @toflyistofall

Oops.

____

Bruce Wayne @therealbrucewayne

RE: Dick “Flying” Grayson @toflyistofall

       Oops.

Richard John Grayson-Wayne. What did you do?

_____

JBIrd @sidesteppeddeath

RE: Bruce Wayne @therealbrucewayne

       Richard John Grayson-Wayne. What did you do?

Ha! You got full government named Dickie! @toflyistofall

_____

Dick “Flying” Grayson @toflyistofall

RE: JBIrd @sidesteppeddeath

       Ha! You got full government named Dickie! @toflyistofall

Oh come on! I didn’t even add tags! How did he respond so fast?

#hahaimindanger

Kk, Caroline, Yanna, and Sarah’s POV

10:11 PM

The four of them watched Azzi walk out of the bar with a complete stranger just a few minutes ago, a very good looking complete stranger. 

“Ain’t Azzi tell us she wasn’t gonna go home with anyone tonight?” Yanna grumbled

“Fucking liar.” Kk slurred angrily, clearly intoxicated. 

”And that’s enough for you, babes.” Caroline said as she took the third gin and tonic out of Kk’s hand and placed it as far away from her as possible. 

“That’s it,” Sarah said as she stood up from the booth, grabbing Azzi’s keys “I’m following them.”

“Who are you and what have you done with our Sarah?” Yanna gasped, clearly stunned by Sarah’s out of character decision. 

“I’m not letting Azzi go walk around at night with someone we don't know anything about except for the fact that she’s almost a decade older than Azzi. Any objections?” Sarah asked, looking around to see not a single disagreement. 

“We’re coming.” Caroline nodded.

“Well yeah, you kind of have to.” Sarah said matter of factly. 

“Oh shut up.” Caroline rolled her eyes.

Yanna picked up her phone and saw the text from Azzi, sent four minutes ago. 

Azzi: Paige paid the tab. 

Yanna scoffed and mumbled something along the lines of “Paige my ass.”. Then she turned to the group “Azzi’s mysterious lover girl apparently paid the tab, so we can go.”

“Really?” Kk perked up.

“Yes. Now can we go?” Yanna grumbled once again, clearly irritated.

“Sheesh. We’re coming, dude.” Sarah said, trying to mediate(and failing miserably).

“Yeah well it’d be a lot more helpful if you could hurry your ass up.”

“No need to be so mad. Let’s just go?” Caroline said as she dragged a drunken Kk out of the corner booth.

The four made their way out the exit and to Azzi’s car in silence. Sarah got in the driver's seat and started the car while Yanna got in the passenger's side and Caroline helped Kk and herself into the back. 

“I’m just going to drive around until we see them, okay?” 

The rest nodded along and let Sarah do her thing. She drove around the block and the blocks nearby the bar for a few minutes until she spotted that familiar brown leather jacket in the distance walking next to a woman just a few inches taller than Azzi. “There!” Sarah gasped. 

“That has to be Azzi and Paige.” Kk said, still slightly drunk and angry, trying to say the blonde's name without actively gagging. 

“Are they eating… ice cream?” Caroline asks, squinting her eyes so she can see better in the dark. The four are baffled by the discovery because, well, Azzi doesn’t eat ice cream. Ever. 

Caroline started again, turning to Kk “Remember that one time-”

“Yes.” Kk deadpanned, cutting Caroline off. 

Last June, Caroline and Kk tried holding Azzi’s mouth open to feed her a spoon of vanilla ice cream and Azzi outright punched Kk in the middle of her chest, leaving her wheezing on the floor, then wrestled herself free from Caroline's hold and ran out of Kk’s apartment(barefooted I might add).

“Wait, I wanna know.” Sarah said.

Kk rolled eyes “That's a story for later, kids.”(Got me feeling like Ted Mosby ngl). “Back to the topic at hand.” Kk motions to the pair in front of them. 

The car wasn’t too far away from Paige and Azzi. Noticeable, if you actually tried looking. Maybe about fifteen or so meters away. The pair kept walking, oblivious to the fact that four girls were trailing them and watching their every move like kids following an ice cream truck in the middle of summer after their moms let them reign free at the pool so they could flirt with the lifeguard on duty(holy specifics wtf). 

“Wait.” Sarah said, stopping the car and looking away from the two. Her gaze shifted to the direction they were walking in and the street signs. “Isn’t this the direction to Azzi’s apartment?” 

“Well ain’t that just fucking hilarious.” Yanna said as she kicked the underside of the dashboard from the passenger seat. The car fell silent at the unexpected lash out from Yanna, Sarah looking in the rearview mirror at the pair in the back with an inquisitive look(I’m fancy).

“Okay what the hell is wrong with you right now?” Caroline finally asks.

“Nothing.” Yanna grumbles.

“Bullshit.” Kk said, clearly unconvinced.

“What did you just say?”

“I said bullshit.” Kk said, bolder this time. 

“How about you just mind your own fucking business?” Yanna snapped from the front seat. 

“Oh sorry, I didn't know I wasn’t allowed to make an observation.” Kk retorted.

“Yeah well-”

“Can you two just shut the hell up?” Sarah said firmly, cutting Yanna off. “Jesus Christ…”

There was a beat of silence before Yanna took a deep breath in. She exhaled slowly and turned to face Kk in the back. “I’m sorry. This entire situation is just making me so fucking mad.” Then she turned to the other two in the car “She can’t just wander off with a stranger at 10 o’clock at night and expect us to be okay with it?”. The others nod in agreement, momentarily forgetting they were supposed to follow them.

“Okay but what are we supposed to do? I mean even if they go to Azzi’s apartment and do… god knows what,” Kk shivers at the thought “its not like we can stop them. I mean like, does Azzi even know how to do all of that? Does she even know what scissoring is!? DOES SHE EVEN KNOW THAT YOU HAVE TO-”

“Okay shut up.” Caroline said, cutting Kk off. “I don’t want to hear any more of that lesbian shit.” 

Sarah looks at Caroline. “You and I are in enemy territory with these stud freaks.”(1)

“Girl boo we’re everything you wish you were AND more.” Kk said as she dapped up a grinning Yanna.

“Where’s Allie when we need her?” Sarah said, shaking her head in defeat.

“Shit.”

“What, Care?”

“We lost them.”

Sarah looks back out of the car windshield, looking straight at an empty sidewalk where a tall brunette and even taller blonde were supposed to be walking.

“Okay, it's okay. We think they’re going to Azzi’s, right?” Yanna said, looking around at the other three who were all nodding their heads in agreement. “Right, so we just drive to Azzi’s apartment. Easy as pie.”

Caroline starts “Actually, pie-making takes more than four hours at lea-” 

“Bitch shut the hell up. We ain’t got time for another one of your baking rants.” Kk interrupts. 

“Gee, fine. Didn’t know it was such a sensitive topic.” Caroline rolls her eyes.

“Can we PLEASE get back to the matter at hand? Jeez you guys can’t have one single-tracked conversation without it derailing.” Sarah says, leaning back to smack Kk on the forehead and then back to Caroline to give her one of her own.

“Someone didn’t take their ADHD meds…” Yanna mumbles, covering her mouth to hold back from bursting out laughing.

“Girl boo I ain’t even-”

“Got ADHD, it’s just my genes.” Caroline and Yanna finish for Kk in unison.

“Yes, yes we’ve heard this stupid shit a million times, Kamorea. Just go to the doctor.” Caroline said, sounding like a mom.

“Oh shit she pulled out the government.” Yanna said, barely holding it in. 

“PLEASE shut the hell up you three.” Sarah finally said, completely exasperated.

“Okay okay, fine. But I do not have ADHD.” Kk replied.

“Now we gotta get her tested for self-delusion.” Yanna said as she burst out laughing, unable to keep in it anymore.

Sarah crossed her arms and gave Yanna a look that is basically saying If you don’t shut the hell up I’m changing the password to your Fortnite account and locking you out, which Yanna does not want to test and immediately straightens up. “Good. Now we’re going to go to Azzi’s apartment.” Sarah says as she starts driving again.

The ride is mostly silent except for Yanna’s occasional muffled laughter at Kk’s grumpy face and the sound of the car’s tyres(2) rolling on the roads of outer Cambridge, bordering on the Charles River. “We’re almost there, a few more minutes.” Sarah informed the group. 

They nod along and return back to their individual activities, which consists of Caroline on her phone, Kk nearly dozing off against the door of the car, and Yanna staring out the window, looking at the city’s reflection off the Charles. 

They soon arrive at Azzi’s apartment complex and Sarah parks in Azzi’s designated spot. Sarah and Yanna step out of the car first while Caroline tries to pull Kk out of the back in her half-asleep state. Caroline successfully gets Kk out with only slight more resistance due to Kk only being slightly more sober than before. They walk about ten feet before Sarah stops dead in her tracks.

“What is it, Rah?” Caroline asks while holding up Kk.

“Isn’t that Ethan’s car?” Sarah points to the stupidly pristine white Mercedes Benz GLB 250.

________________________________________________________________

Azzi’s POV

10:32 PM

Azzi and Paige took the stairs up to Azzi’s top floor apartment(shut up and let me be fancy), which truthfully wasn’t too bad of a walk since there are only four floors in the complex, discarding their ice cream cups in the trash at the entrance of the building. They reached Azzi’s door and as she was reaching into the pocket of her jacket to get her key, Paige noticed the door was slightly ajar.

“The hell…” Paige muttered as she pushed open the door. Azzi followed behind her, watching in confusion. 

“Paige what are you-”

They walked in to find Ethan already lounging on the couch on his phone, seemingly having let himself in with the spare key he still owned. He jumped at the sound of footsteps, then got up off the couch looking all too laid-back with a shit-faced grin plastered onto his annoyingly well structured face. Ethan hadn’t even seen his cousin behind Azzi yet, already walking up to Azzi.

“Hey, Z. Thought you wouldn’t mind me letting myself in.” He said, getting way too close to Azzi.

Azzi took a step back, closer to Paige, almost backing right into her. “Ethan, I thought I told you to leave the spare key on the kitchen table when you left.”

Ethan finally looked up, noticing Paige standing behind Azzi with her arms crossed. His expression immediately changed to one of confusion and slight anger. “The fuck are you doing here Paige?” He said, stepping closer to Paige, trying to size her up even though she was clearly taller than him and much much more fit. 

“Well, I was enjoying a nice date with this pretty girl right here before I had to come babysit a certain quelqu’un.”(3) Paige spat with another level of distaste Azzi didn’t know existed. 

Wait, was that French? Azzi thought. That was really fucking hot. I didn’t know she spoke French… HOLD ON DID SHE JUST CALL ME HER DATE?

“Date?” Ethan scoffed. “Azzi isn’t even gay… right?” He said that last part with uncertainty because he knew Paige well enough to know that, yes- Paige has turned straight girls gay just for her. He’s seen it with his own two eyes on multiple occasions. Family gatherings where girls would be clinging to their boyfriends-Paige and Ethan’s relatives- before seeing Paige and asking for her number just as their boyfriends would go to the bathroom. Paige would always decline politely, sending them away with an excuse like ‘I’m only here to visit family’ or ‘I have a girlfriend, she’s just at home’. 

Paige glanced back at Azzi, the corner of her mouth twitching upward in amusement. She looks back at Ethan and shrugs “I guess we both contributed to her… transition.”

Azzi goes through several different emotions at that statement before landing on one of amusement. In short, she starts laughing out loud. They start off as cute giggles but escalate to more of a pitying laugh at the jab at Ethan.

Ethan’s face turns almost red in embarrassment and anger. “The fuck you say to me, dyke?” 

Azzi stops laughing at that remark, her face shifting to one of shock and anger, but Paige looks completely unfazed. “Ethan, my dearest Ethan,” Paige puts a hand on his shoulder “I hate to break it to you, but you kinda just sound like a whiney little bitch when you swear. Or just when you talk just in general.” 

Ethan shakes her hand off and backs away, his ego clearly wounded. He turns to look at Azzi behind Paige “Z, come on, you can’t just let her say that stuff to me.” 

“First of all,” Azzi starts after having not spoken the entire time “you’re the one that called her a slur first. Second of all,” she takes a step forward to him “you don’t get to call me ‘Z’ anymore. And lastly-“ 

“AZZI AZZI AZZI.” Yanna’s voice boomed as her, Caroline, Sarah, and Kk barged into the apartment, interrupting Azzi.

“Yanna? The fuck are you four doing here?” Azzi asked in confusement, turning to the crowd that had just entered her apartment. 

“We came because…” Yanna started, then leaned back to whisper in Sarah’s ear “Wait why did we actually come?” to which Sarah just rolled her eyes and stepped up to finish for Yanna. 

“We came because we couldn’t let you go out with Paige.” Sarah says. Then she looks toward Ethan “But I see there are more interesting things going on…?” 

“He’s just here to get his stuff back,” Paige says softly to the group, then turns to Ethan “and nothing else.” She says more sternly and pointedly. 

“The fuck did Kk go?” Caroline mumbled as she suddenly realized the younger gir was no longer behind her. 

“Huh?” Azzi voiced. Just then, a sound came from the couch behind Ethan. 

“Here…” A sleepy Kk said as she was almost completely knocked out on the couch. 

“What- why- Kk- how-” Azzi sputters, still in a daze at the amount of events that had just taken place within a time span of eight minutes. She runs a hand over her face and groans. “-okay you four go over there,” Azzi points to her couch” and sit.” Then she points to Ethan “And you can go around this place and get your stuff. You get thirty minutes before I just kick you out, got it?” Azzi asked, leaving no room for argument. 

Ethan started to protest, still angry from two minutes ago, but Azzi cut him off by speaking to Paige next “And can you follow him around and make sure he doesn’t try anything while I deal with these four?”

“Yes ma’am,” Paige mock saluted Azzi with two fingers before pushing Ethan to the bedroom like he weighed nothing and laughed before mumbling something along the lines of “Still can’t hold your ground, little Eddy.”

Which received a scowl from Ethan followed by a “I told you to stop calling me that. It doesn’t make sense! There are no D’s in Eth-”

“Dooooooooon’t care,” Paige interrupted as they walked down the hall to Azzi’s bedroom.

Yanna, Sarah, and Caroline all watched the interaction with bewilderment “Okay so like- what the actual fuck was that?” Caroline asked bluntly. 

“Yeah you have some explaining to do. A lot.” Sarah interrogated. “First of all, since when do you like women? Second of all, do they know each other? And how? Third of all,” She cleared her throat “SHE’S THIRTY??” Sarah whisper-yelled that last part in disbelief.

“Yeah, Azzi. I remember you had like six boyfriends in high school, right?” Caroline added. 

Azzi finally sat down on her lounge chair across from the couch. She rubbed her temple with three fingers on each side of her head, her elbows on her knees, as she was still processing the last ten minutes. The brunette finally looked up at the three pairs of eyes staring at her, knowing she had to say something. 

“Okay look, I’m sorry I left earlier at the bar but-”

“Azzi, that wasn’t what we asked you. We get that you’re sorry. But we need answers. No bullshitting.” Yanna said firmly.

Azzi got more defensive at the push from Yanna “And why should I have to explain anything to you about my sexuality? I don’t owe you guys anything.”

“I don’t think you get to just have a boyfriend for three and a half years and then suddenly find a hot woman at the bar who is way older than you and leave with her.” Yanna countered.

Azzi opened her mouth to speak, but no words seemed to want to leave. She closed her mouth and started again “Okay okay, I’m sorry. There’s just something about Paige that’s… different.” Yanna opened her mouth to speak but Azzi beat her to it “Other than her being fine as hell… and older.”

“Does she know how old you are?” Caroline asks softly.

Azzi looked down into her lap and hesitated before uttering a soft Yes which was followed by one long and simultaneous sigh from the trio. Azzi looked back up quickly “But I swear it’s not like that. I swear.”

“Fine. But what about… that.” Sarah motioned to Azzi’s bedroom where Paige was still watching Ethan like a hawk, occasionally saying playful demeaning things to him to hurt his ego. 

Azzi let out a laugh “You wouldn’t believe what I’m about to tell you… Paige is Ethan’s cousin.”

“WHAT?” Yanna half shouted, careful not to disturb the dead asleep Kk.

“How come she’s never met you at family gatherings?” Sarah asked. “I know for a fact you’ve been to all the Christmas parties those rich white fuckers have had for the past three years.” 

Azzi leaned back in her chair “On the way here, I asked why I had never met her before when I was with Ethan at family events and she told me she doesn’t go to family gatherings anymore. She only visits every once in a while at smaller stuff. Like birthday parties for her nieces and whatever. ”

“Why?”

“Don’t know,” Azzi shrugged. “She hasn’t really told me why yet. Probably just some shit with her family though. Didn’t want to push.”

There was a heavy silence between them before Caroline spoke up once again, trying to lighten the mood. “So you had ice cream, huh?” She laughed, which then Sarah and Yanna simultaneously smacked their foreheads. 

“How did you know I had ice cream?” Azzi asked suspiciously. 

Caroline's mouth made an O shape as she realized she had just outed the group. She then tried to salvage it, -“I mean- we just saw you- we like- there’s ice cream on your shirt?”- failing miserably. 

Azzi looked down at her top and found no ice cream residue. Her eyebrows narrowed “Did you four follow me?”. When all Azzi was met with was three silent looks, she immediately knew. “Why?”

Kk suddenly sprang to life on the couch, pouncing right onto Azzi and shaking her shoulders “BECAUSE YOU WERE GOING TO HAVE GAY SEX WITHOUT KNOWING SHI-” 

Sarah yanked the yelling Kk off of Azzi “Kk what the hell?!” and back onto the couch beside her. 

Azzi looked jarred to say the least, maybe completely, utterly, and 100% frightened at having a grown woman jump on her like a cat trying to catch the laser pointer. “What?” She managed to get out, hoping to god Paige hadn’t heard what Kk had so very loudly declared.

“Ignore her, she still hasn’t gotten her ADHD meds.” Yanna said.

Azzi turned to Kk, more concerned now, her voice soft “Kk, I thought I told you to go to the doctor I recommended.”

“Why do you all think I have ADHD? I ain’t even-” 

“Got ADHD, it’s just my genes.” Azzi finished for her, just the same as Yanna and Caroline did. “Heard you spew this bull for a while now, Kk.” Kk let out a huff and slumped back into the couch, crossing her arms and grumbling something unintelligible. 

Down the hall, Ethan and Paige were heard moving to the bathroom to collect whatever else Ethan had left, which took about forty seconds since Ethan never really had much in the bathroom besides a toothbrush, his cologne, and his shaving materials(as if he had anything to shave in the first place). They then moved more to the main area as they went to the kitchen next as Ethan claimed he had a ‘secret stash of snacks’. Azzi’s eyes had tracked Paige her entire way to the kitchen, watching as she followed Ethan with such intent. Paige didn’t look bothered by having to babysit the male character, she looked determined to do her job, which was even hotter. I didn’t know she COULD get hotter, Azzi thought.

“Let’s keep our inside thoughts to ourselves, okay?” Sarah said, snapping Azzi out of trance. She then realized she must’ve said that last part out loud, hopefully not too loud. Inside thoughts, right. “Oh and uh… here are your keys.” Sarah added, tossing Azzi her car keys. 

“Thanks,” Azzi mumbled.

Yanna cleared her throat “Anyways uh… I think we should go now,” she said as she stood up, turning to the group “right guys?”

“Oh uh- yeah, yeah.” Caroline added, standing up and pulling Kk with her. Sarah hesitated momentarily before standing with the rest of the group. They made their way to the door after cordial goodbyes. And then there were three.

Azzi suddenly remembered she was still wearing the boots and quickly kicked them off, feeling immediate relief flood her feet. She made her way to the kitchen next, standing in the doorway as she watched Ethan gather the last of his stuff, but she was watching Paige more. Paige was leaning against the kitchen counter near the sink with her arms crossed over her chest. She looked relaxed, but Azzi could tell she was tense by the way she could actively see Paige’s entire body flex every time Ethan moved around the kitchen. And holy shit was it hot. She could literally see every muscle in her arms, and god they were big. 

Azzi’s face felt hot, which she thinks can be solved by looking down. And boy was she wrong because the moment she dropped her gaze to the floor, she felt Paige’s piercing blue eyes on her. 

Is this what gay panic feels like? Azzi thought. Fuck my life fuck my life fuck my life fuck my li- 

“Hey.” Paige’s voice came from in front of her. And Azzi made the stupid choice of looking up. “You good?” 

FUCK MY LIFE.

Azzi’s cheeks flushed red as she tried to stay calm and collected “Uh- yeah. Just uhm… watching.” stupid stupid stupid. 

Paige smiled a cheeky smile “Me or him?”

Azzi’s brain seemed to not have processed what Paige had just said because what the actual fuck? “Uh- I uhm”-what the hell do I say?- “you.” Idiot. 

Paige put a hand on the doorframe beside Azzi and leaned in closer, only about eight inches of space between their faces. Azzi could feel the body heat radiating off of Paige, her cool breath just grazing Azzi’s lips. “Is that so?” Paige said with her stupid pretty lips and stupid white teeth and stupid perfect jawline and-

“Ahem.” Ethan interrupted from behind, causing Paige to pull back. “I have everything. Just need to get my PS5.” He said, trying to move past Azzi in the doorway. But she held her ground.

“No, actually. I’m keeping it.” Azzi said sternly. 

“What?” Ethan asked, completely taken aback. “I bought it.”

“Consider it compensation.” 

“For what?”

“For making me believe in love.” 

Dead silence. 

Ethan looked into Azzi’s eyes, and she looked back. She didn’t entirely want to, but those were still the same light brown eyes she fell for three and a half years ago. He looked down momentarily, maybe in guilt? And then Azzi felt guilty. But then she felt angry. Why should she feel guilty? She wasn’t the one who threw away her relationship for a mediocre looking white bitch with the personality of a used rag. She was the one who lost feelings over her ex for a superior looking white gentlewoman with the personality of a tropical mango. 

“You have your shit. Get out.” Azzi finally demanded. To which Ethan nodded, grabbed what he had packed, and left the apartment, never looking back.

There was a heavy silence between that settled in the apartment before Paige whispered something. Something Azzi couldn’t make out. 

“You say something?”

“Twenty-seven minutes and forty-eight seconds.”

“What?”

“Twenty-seven minutes and forty-eight seconds.” Paige repeated “He got out in under thirty minutes. With two minutes and twelve seconds to spare.” 

“I mean- okay? Whatever, I need a drink.” Azzi moved across her kitchen to her liquor cabinet “Do you want something?”

Paige moved to the counter across the one below Azzi’s liquor cabinet, taking off her glasses and setting them down gently on the counter, leaning against it once again with her palms resting behind her on the counter. She shrugs lightly “You got Pepsi?” 

“...yes?” Azzi answered.

“...Do you have rum?” Paige asked, cracking a small smile.

“Oh shut up.” Azzi rolled her eyes and turned back to her cabinet, hoping Paige couldn’t see the massive smile spread across her face. She pulled out two glasses from the cabinet beside the liquor one and crossed the kitchen to her fridge, brushing past Paige. Azzi opened her fridge and grabbed a can of Pepsi, then returned to her place with the glasses, brushing against Paige once again on the way. But this one was slightly more purposeful, not too much, but enough to send a sly message. She cracked open the can with one hand while the other reached for the rum in the cabinet. “‘s rude to stare, ya’ know?” Azzi said as she poured Pepsi into both glasses evenly.

“Would you like me to look at the dying plant in the corner of the kitchen?” Paige responded. “Or would you rather me watch you bartend?”

Azzi poured the rum into both, not too much, but enough to make it strong. God knows she needs it strong. “Ice or no ice?” Azzi asked avoidantly.

Paige moved to the other side of the kitchen next to Azzi. She leaned on her side against the counter and folded her hand on the counter, leaning down slightly to match Azzi’s height. Her face was once again just inches from Azzi’s, her breath fresh on Azzi’s cheek. “I do think I enjoy this view much better. Though, I like a drink if the bartender’s as beautiful as you are. And no ice, pretty please.”

God fucking damnit. 

She turned to face Paige to retort and was immediately met with a pair of incredibly soft lips on hers. And by no means was she complaining. She responded eagerly to the kiss, letting Paige lead the way. Kissing a woman was like kissing a man, except infinitely better- and nothing like kissing a man. Paige’s lips were gentle and patient. They didn’t rush like Ethans would. Paige’s lips let her decide what happened next. Ethan's lips did what they wanted without a second thought. 

Azzi’s fingers found the collar of Paige’s button up and gripped them tightly. Tight enough that one button of the shirt had popped open, then again, and again, and again, and again, and again. Until seven were undone(one already undone from Paige herself at the bar earlier since it was too hot) and Paige’s shirt was half open. Her black sports bra clearly visible now. 

Paige gently pushed Azzi against the counter, her hands settling low on Azzi’s waist. They broke the kiss and rested their foreheads together, catching their breaths. Then Paige laughed, or it was more of a low chuckle. “You kiss like you’re scared of something. Don’t be scared.” 

“Well I just happen to be scared since this is my first kiss with a girl… ever.”

“You’re doing great. Just follow my lead, okay?” Paige reassured Azzi, squeezing her waist playfully. The younger girl nodded and let Paige kiss her again. This time Azzi didn’t try too hard to not fuck up, she just went for it. “Yeah that’s it. Don’t be afraid, baby” Paige smiled against her mouth. 

Baby? Holy shit holy shit holy shit holy shit holy shit. Holiest of shits. 

Azzi tentatively moved her hands down again, reaching to undo an eighth button, Paige’s full torso on display now. And Azzi didn’t dare to look down, she just let her hands feel. And oh boy did they feel. She felt the clear ridges of Paige’s abs as Paige tensed up and flexed, then relaxed. Azzi felt an unfamiliar warmth pool in the bottom of her stomach as Paige’s hands-fingers- moved up her body to tangle into her curls, and it was fucking amazing. 

They both pulled back moments later to catch their breaths, though their hands stayed in place. Azzi’s the one that laughed this time, out of breath. “I wish I had known I was gay sooner. God knows what I’ve been missing out on.”

Paige let out a breathy laugh at that, responding with a “Yeah?” 

“Yeah.” Azzi echoed. “God bless for shitty men.”

“And why’s that?”

“Because then I would’ve never met you.”

The words hung heavy in the air for a few moments, soaking it in, before Paige kissed Azzi again. But this time it was slow. It was savored. It was wanted. She was wanted. 

Then Azzi pushed. She had gently pushed Paige backward toward the hallway, and then down to the bedroom door. And then they were inside. And then Azzi locked it behind her. And then they were on the bed. And then Azzi sees black.

And then Azzi wakes up the next morning, naked, wrapped in soft sheets. Clothes thrown on the floor.

To an empty bed. 

Cold.

And alone.

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

Footnotes:

(1) Okay I don't actually know irl what Caroline and Sarah identify as, but I made them straight just for this fic.

(2) Guys I'm not even from the UK I don't know why I spelled it like that.

(3) quelqu’un means "someone" in French by the way

“Oh our favorite and sometimes benevolent Ice Prince of Gotham Academy.” an annoyingly familiar voice sang out as the body it belonged to slumped against the locker next to Damian’s. “Have you heard the latest gossip, my liege?” 

“Hardy. How many times have I told you I do not listen to drivel?” Damian replied in the most monotone voice he could pull-off. The one that made Drake throw pillows at him because he disliked how robotic it made him sound. 

“Oh, of course, of course Milord. But…this “drivel” as you call it has to do with you.” Claude Hardy, active member of their drama club, well-liked, class clown and as always an avid gossiper told Damian. Damian didn’t talk to him a lot, or well, it was better to say he tried not to. With Hardy came Allegra Vogel: accomplished flutist, ballerina, the queen of gossip and his class’ president, Alan Lopez: writer, soccer player and like his friends Hardy and Vogel, a gossip and Sebastian Allaway: one of the school’s best track members and whose parents own and run The Cottage, the restaurant that replaced Bamonte’s Restaurant after Don Maroni died and The Maroni Family dissolved (assumedly). An odd group of…almost friends, more so associates maybe to him, he wasn’t sure yet if they were friends but Damian would admit they were entertaining at the least.

“Can you never just get to the point, Claude?” The newest addition to the friend group, and Damian’s associate circle asked dramatically. Damian’s gaze shifted to look over at Gotham Academy’s latest transfer Chloé Bourgeois. Nicknamed Queen Bee by the friend group, but Damian noticed she always smiled sadly when she was called that. Perhaps her friends noticed too because Queen Bee quickly shortened to just Queenie. Both nicknames were ridiculous if you asked Damian, he somewhat disliked nicknames. It was fine when Dick did it, because he did it out of affection, Jason did it to be a dick and Tim did it to be annoying. Well that was his theory in any case. 

“You missed it too Queenie!” Hardy helpfully pointed out. 

“Traffic was worse than usual but I’m not that late Drama King. English hasn’t even begun.” Bourgeois snarked back.

“Bourgeois has a point. The school day has barely begun, how have we missed anything vital?” Damian asked with a furrowed brow as he closed his locker and led the group in the direction of their English class. 

“It’s sad how you both don’t get here early enough to socialize like proper socialites,” Hardy sighed dramatically before he perked up and looked at them with a glint in his eye. One Damian was not a fan of as it often painted trouble for him. “That class exchange thing, the one Damian’s father is funding, the class arrived the other day and oh boy was Headmaster Hammer not amused!”

Damian stiffened but kept walking, the news startled him but he was not going to let it show. He could not let anyone know he knew about the class already and especially not about Marinette. “Oh? I thought they were supposed to start next week? That’s what Father said. I would also like to point out that one cannot be late to gossip as I was not here to begin with.”

“Exactly. At least Wayne has brain cells that work.” Bourgeois teased. 

“Are we teasing Claude?” And now another person was walking with them and Damian had to resist the urge to sigh loudly. It was too early to be this social. 

“Don’t we always Allegra?” Bourgeois asked as though the answer was obvious which to be fair it was. The group did tease Claude an absurd amount, but he just made it so easy. 

“Oh yes of course. How silly of me to forget.” The other blonde responded with a teasing laugh.

“Why are you guys so cruel? I’m just here, existing. I’m just a little guy.” Claude pouted. 

“You are taller than us.” Damian pointed out a bit bitterly. He was of average height for his age but it seemed like a lot of his male classmates surpassed average in grade school. 

“ANYWAY. Sir Ice Prince and Queenie, you both weren’t here on Friday-” 

“I had an appointment, I told the group this on Thursday.” Bourgeois interjected.

“I didn’t want to leave Richard alone after what happened at Wayne Tower on Thursday so my father excused me from class.” Damian threw in, in some way it was the truth. Dick had been rather…wound up after the situation at the Tower and the run in with Brat Chat hadn’t helped anything. He may be playing it off but Damian knew his older brother well and he knew that Dick was holding everything in still. So it was no surprise that Dick was sticking around Marinette more than the rest of them. He was worried about the girl, that much was clear and it didn’t take a genius to guess it was because he felt responsible for her being Fear Toxined when he was there and able to do something, but the fact of the matter was there really wasn’t much he could have done. Dick was stubborn though and would continue to blame himself until Dupain-Cheng was safe or until Damian could beat sense into him. He had no problem exercising the second option. Dick was too hard on himself. 

“That’s understandable. How is he doing?” Vogel asked softly. 

“Better.” He replied honestly. 

“I’m glad Dick is doing better, but you and Chloé really did miss one hell of an…interesting day.” Hardy continued. Damian merely hummed in response, he knew it was futile to try and argue that he was not interested because Hardy didn’t care. Or just didn’t believe him; either option was equally annoying. “Like I said, that French class the school is doing the exchange with arrived on Friday. Like the whole class. I can tell you guys now, they did not make a good impression on our dear schoolmates.”

“Oh…yeah…the class exchange. You said they’re French?” Bourgeois asked nonchalantly, though Damian could see her body stiffen as stutter as they walked before she collected herself. 

“Yeah. I thought they’d be nice to speak with. Especially this small group that had been discussing music but…” Vogel scrunched her nose up, it made her distaste well-known. Though, Vogel was not one to hide how she felt to begin with so the expression wasn’t a surprise. Especially to Damian who had knowledge of the class already and he knew he wouldn’t like most, if not all of them. “Instead of telling me about their songs and band and such they only spoke about this girl in their class. I swear, you would think she was newly Sainted or the like with how they looked at her and talked about her. It was like experiencing a cult without actually being in the cult.”

“Oh yeah. It was some real Jim Jones’ shit.” Hardy readily agreed.

“Language.” Damian couldn’t help but quip. He was too used to telling Jason, Tim and Steph that so they would have to add to Alfred’s ‘Swear Jar.’ 

“And the teacher acted like their behavior was normal!” Hardy continued as though he hadn’t heard Damian. Brat. “She acted like they were perfect little angels.”

“It was disturbing.” Vogul shook her head.

“The teacher…” Bourgeois was inspecting her nails, feigning disinterest but Damian could see the subtle shake in her hand. “What was her name?”

“Why? Think it might be your old one Queenie?” Hardy asked with a smile but the twitch of his brows told Damian he was worried about the answer Bourgeois might give. “What are the chances of that?”

“Just- What was her name, Claude?” 

“Uh, something with a ‘B.’”

“You’re beyond help Claude. How do you not remember?” Vogel asked.

“Look. In my defense, I don’t like her and I don’t pay attention to things I don’t like nor care for.”

“You’re horrible. Her name was Caline Bustier. Her class was supposed to be placed in ours but apparently now, that’s not even certain. I think I heard someone say Headmaster Hammer was not at all pleased with how they came in and demanded their schedules. I guess their class president was supposed to be present but she was not there. Word on the street and from the horse’s mouth is that she went missing after the whole Two-Face, Scarecrow situation at The Tower.” Vogel was as connected as ever. Damian was impressed she had all that info already given it had only been a few days since everything went down. Not to mention a weekend passed, which meant some of her sources were not available to talk with, or so Damian assumed. She probably had them all on speed dial for all he knew.

Another thing he observed? All of them looked at him like he had answers. He did, but he wasn’t going to say anything, it was for Marinette’s safety after all. So he sighed like he did best, “Even if I knew something, I wouldn’t tell you.”

They nodded. “Fair.” Hardy said with a shrug, he was used to those kinds of answers. He would have to be since he had been bugging Damian since he started at Gotham Academy. 

Bourgeois had stopped walking and though he wanted to just head into the classroom, it was quite literally fifteen steps away from them and if he went ahead it would be incredibly rude to ignore whatever was bothering the girl. Alfred impressed upon him how a gentleman behaved and leaving Bourgeois in this situation was most definitely against Alfred’s teachings. As though the man himself was watching him, Damian stopped walking and barely held in his complaints. His grandpa was terrifying when he wanted to be, especially when it came to manners. Damian shuddered at the memories of Alfred’s etiquette training but managed to hide it as he turned to face Bourgeois who honestly looked close to passing out right there in the middle of the hallway. “Bustier?” She gasped.

“Chloe?” Vogel asked as she placed a hand on the other blonde’s shoulder. 

“Oh my god, they are your old class.” It was a statement rather than a question from Hardy. The Style Queen Heiress’s reaction was all the answer they needed but she did give a stiff nod. The answer was…interesting to say the least but it also put Damian on edge. If that was her old class then she must have known about Lila Rossi, granted she had been at their school for about a year now but due to the family’s research, Damian knew the Lila situation had been going on for about four years. So Bourgeois had been in that class when it was happening, Damian knew the school sounded familiar, he just couldn’t remember why. He, of course, had done his own research into Chloé Bourgeois when she had been announced as the new transfer student but admittedly he hadn’t dug too far as Dick and Alfred told him that was not the way to make friends. He couldn’t help being cautious, it was a skill he had to learn very early in the League, so anyone new that came into his life he couldn't help but be suspicious of.

Honestly, he did the bare basics of a background research on Bourgeois that the fact he was being surprised by a fact he could have found out if it weren’t for ‘manners’ and ‘courtesy’, he would have found out about Bustier’s class before the exchange program was finalized. He could have prevented so many annoyances by arguing with his father about them. Though that would have meant never meeting Dupain-Cheng… he didn’t know how to feel about that. “We can speak about this after class. The bell is about to ring and I for one would rather not be counted late while I have the ability to be on time in mere steps.” Damian announces as he walked on, he would gather whatever information he could from Bourgeois at lunch, he had time. 

_______________________

[LUNCH]

Chloé took a deep breath in to calm herself for what felt like the millionth time that day. Ever since she found out her former class was the one that won the spot for the Gotham Education Exchange she had felt like her heart was about to beat out of her chest all day. She didn’t want to face them, she wasn’t ready to face them, ever since her move to Gotham Chloé had changed and she knew it was for the better. There was no Hawkmoth in Gotham, so no reason to not feel, and well, Jean-Claude made her go to therapy and though she found it ridiculous to begin with, she had to admit it did actually help if you put the work in. It was the end of collège for her when she realized just how absolutely miserable she was. Her parents’ fighting had gotten worse, her classmates were all sheep, she knew that before but she thought they had grown some kind of backbone when Marinette started standing up for herself but then that liar joined the class and things changed. It was terrifying to see just how fast everyone turned on the person they called their ‘Everyday Ladybug’. If they turned on her that fast, what would happen to Chloé? 

What happened was nothing she hadn’t expected. Much like Dupain-Cheng she had been sent to the back, at first she had been there with Sabrina but by 4’eme* the redhead had left her. She had the mercy of not being targeted by some of the classmates “pranks” like Dupain-Cheng had been but no one spoke to her, no one acknowledged her unless they absolutely had to. Chloé had tried to get her dad to do something about it but that was when he and her mother’s fights started getting bad and they paid less attention to her. The only one who seemed to care what was happening to her was Jean-Claude, he tried to help as best he could but there was only so much he could do. She thought Mme Bustier would do something as she had always been on her side but when Chloé tried to complain she was hit with that good old infamous ‘good example’ bullshit. It was like a slap to the face. Usually hearing that would have brought a smug smile to her face because it wasn’t her getting that talk, she was the one who got her way and the others were supposed to be the ‘good examples’. 

It threw her for a fucking loop is what it did and it sent her in a deep depression. She was so used to getting her way by throwing tantrums, throwing money or just in general throwing something someone’s way, then all of a sudden she couldn’t get her way by doing what she used to do and she was lost, utterly lost. Her mother and dad kept fighting, sometimes she expected it to get physical with how close both got to one another while shouting and maybe that was the one saving grace that never happened but she never wanted to see her mother throw her heels at her dad ever again. That was as physical as it had gotten and it scared her because one of those times one of the heels almost hit her when she tried to enter the room and beg them to stop fighting. That was the last time she tried. By her last year, 3’eme, they had at least taken to fighting with each other through their assistants and poor Jean-Claude in a ridiculous imitation of Mlle Sancoeur (she never did like when Chloé called her by her first name despite the fact she has known her since Chloé was in diapers.) But when they got lawyers involved they didn’t fight over one thing, one important thing, her. 

No. She was thrown around like the shared house furniture trying to be divided, except where they argued about who kept what piece of furniture, they argued why the other should keep her. They did it with her in the room. It was then that she realized that neither of her parents’ really loved her, oh she always knew with her mother there was never any love, but when her dad didn’t fight for her? It hurt more than she cared to admit and that was the day of her final akumatization, Folk-Tail. From pictures she had seen her hair had grown down to her feet in its ponytail but it took on the likeness of a scorpion’s tail, her skin had turned gray but it looked like she had cried after just putting on mascara that was definitely not waterproof since she had black streaks starting from her eyes going down her face, she wore what she always imagined Princess Potentilla wore when she was made to live in the small house by her jealous mother and on top of her ponytail sat a crown of forget-me-nots. The tale of Princess Potentilla and Prince Narcissus had always been her favorite fairytale. It was no surprise that her akuma had been fairytale based since at that moment in time all she had wanted was for her life to be like the fairytales Jean-Claude had often read to her. She just wanted a happy ending. 

Apparently her power was to assign roles to people, roles of famous fairy tale characters or creatures that she felt they reflected. Since she herself had been a sad reflection of Potentilla, her father was of course King Cloverleaf and her mother Queen Frivola. Those she did not personally know were given basic roles like a villager or the like. She had gotten to most of her class given they were hanging out at the park that day in celebration of their last year of collège. It was no surprise that she found out Lila had been turned into the Big Bad Wolf, what did surprise her was that she had hit Dupain-Cheng and the girl had become Melinette, the helpful, powerful fairy from her favorite story. It shouldn’t have been so surprising and yet it was. It was after she had been defeated that she reflected on it all, her akuma had been surprisingly truthful with what she herself felt but was too scared to acknowledge. Her father was only interested in what had his attention like the glory of being Mayor and his true love running his hotel much like King Cloverleaf loved being King but only because it gave him the means to hunt to his full pleasure. Her mother was a vain woman who cared too much about her reputation much like Queen Frivola who thought herself the most beautiful woman and threw the most lavish balls but when she saw the beauty of her daughter, she hid her from the kingdom out of jealousy. She had no Prince Narcissus. Yet she had Marinette, determined, helpful, kind Marinette who was very much like Melinette, the fairy who raised the Prince. 

If she had hit Hawkmoth with her ‘tail’ he for sure would have been Grumedan the Evil Enchanter. It was that akumatization and everything else going on around her that made her snap. She didn’t want to be like her mother or her father. Hell, she had spent so many years trying to be like her mother in an attempt to get the woman to just get her name right! Chloé didn’t even know who she really was but she wanted to find out and she knew that wouldn’t happen in Paris. She broke down to Jean-Claude about it all, she cried for the first time in a long time, she didn’t care if she got akumatized again, she wanted to cry, she needed to cry. That was when Jean-Claude took charge, he yelled at her parents, demanded a meeting with them and the lawyers outside of Paris because he knew emotions would be high and he demanded parental rights over Chloé. In some ways it shocked her and at the same time it didn’t because he was always the one taking care of her. He wanted her. He cared for her. Chloé had zoned out after his demand because she was just so overwhelmed, someone actually wanted her; she missed the fight and following negotiations. Since her parents didn’t want to take care of her Jean-Claude would be her parent, they wouldn’t change her name since Jean-Claude fully expected her parents to still provide for her.

Oh she knew they fought that with everything they had but Jean-Claude told her after the fact that he essentially blackmailed them. If they provided for her by sending money to her and Jean-Claude after their move and if they kept her as their heir for their respective businesses until she was old enough to decide if she wanted to take over either business, then he wouldn’t go to the media with some illegal stuff he knew had gone on and absolute neglect the put their child through. They folded quickly since there was nothing more important to Audrey and André Bourgeois than their reputations. Before she knew it, after all the necessary paperwork was completed, she and Jean-Claude moved in with his sister Margot in Gotham, New Jersey. It was quite the move and it was hard to adjust but Jean-Claude was patient with her but firm, they arrived in the summer which was the perfect time for her to start therapy apparently. She thought it would be hard adjusting to Gotham and its unique brand of crime but it really wasn’t. Costumed weirdos running around causing havoc? Old news. No Miraculous Cure? Now that, that was scary and took time getting used to. 

All in all she thought she was getting better and growing. She had friends, actual friends! She liked hanging out with them, listening to them, just in general being with them, she didn’t have to fake anything around them. Sure she had a hard time with Damian but that was just because he was so standoffish and kind of reminded her of Felix which wasn’t great but she was starting to separate the two in her mind. Though both boys were fond of their families, Damian wasn’t as conniving as Felix nor as fake, he was simply blunt and in some way it was refreshing. She liked their little odd group of friends and one acquaintance who was becoming a friend and she didn’t want anything ruining it. Especially not her old class but she was still fragile and they had the power to set her back and she didn’t want that at all. But Chloé Bourgeois was not someone who bowed to anyone and she wouldn’t start now but…she would talk to Jean-Claude about it all and maybe see if her therapist would be available for more sessions or even on speed dial. 

“Chloé?” Allegra’s voice tore through the murky fog that her thoughts had become and she finally realized she had somehow made it to their table. 

“Hey. You okay Chlo?” Sebastian asked. 

“This is about your former class, is it not?” Damian asked but the way he said it made it sound like it wasn’t a question. It made her wince.

“Damian. A little more tact next time please.” Allegra said as she pinched the bridge of her nose. 

“But he’s not wrong is he?” Claude asked next. 

Chloé looked at her friends and tried to swallow the lump that had formed in her throat, her hands clenched and unclenched around her lunch tray that she hadn’t noticed she didn’t set down and she took in another deep breath. “I am…I’m scared. I was not the best person to them as I’ve told you all before, I was a bully. But towards the end of my years with that class things changed. They changed. They didn’t speak to me. At all. Me and Mari-another classmate, we were isolated, basically banished to the back to be all but forgotten. Well…I was. Dupai-the other classmate, she wasn’t as…fortunate?”

“Fortunate?” Allan echoed.

Chloé nodded. “I would take my fate over hers any day. I was forgotten in a way, but they did bad talk me and insult me when they knew I could hear but they never acknowledged my existence. It was like I wasn’t there in the room while they were talking. But Ma-my classmate, they bullied her, worse than I ever did and I admit I bullied her for years. While I did it out of jealousy and to just get her mad or in trouble, they did it to break her. I did nothing to help. I was going through things, yes, but that’s no excuse and I don’t know how I’m going to face any of them.” 

It was quiet. Awkwardly quiet. Chloé was close to just pushing away from the table and just storming out because everything she was feeling was too much but a small yet loud ‘Hm’ stopped her and called her attention. It came from Damian who was staring at her with his calculating eyes that gave her the creeps from time to time. It was like he was trying to pull your secrets out of you with his eyes. She stared back at him as he stared at her and leaned his elbows on the table, interlocking his fingers and resting his face on his hands. “So you know Lila Rossi. Tell me about her and everything she’s done to Marinette Dupain-Cheng.” 

Well that was not what Chloé expected him to say.

________________________

Chloe Bourgeois

@Bee-utifulMe

School is barely halfway over and I’m already ready to call my therapist.

#imdonewithtoday #gothamacademy #itsbarelynoon 

💞MAPS💞

@ImTheMapImTheMap

RE: Chloe Bourgeois

       @Bee-utifulMe

[School is barely halfway over and I’m already ready…]

Mood.

#Iwasnotpreparedforthatenglishtest #TTuTT 

Notes: 

*4'eme (3'eme) are the last two level of schooling in college (French schooling). College typically goes from ages 11-15, 4'eme is for those 13-14, 3'eme is 14-15.

Prince Narcissus and The Princess Potentilla is a fairy tale that you can read here if you would like context -> HERE

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