#konnette

Tim sat up straight, immediately switching to mission mode and scouring the Watchtower’s feed scanning for any crises popping up anywhere in the world.  “What is it?” he demanded, his blood pressure steadily increasing with each negative result.

“No way,” Kon repeated again.  He bolted up off the couch and flew out the door toward the west wing, moving so quickly, it was close to being literal.  Tim rushed after him with absolutely no hope of catching him even if he hadn’t taken a few extra seconds to carefully displace his laptops.

Kon skidded to a stop at the end of the west wing’s hallway barely missing colliding into the two figures that had stopped in the middle of the hallway, the woman clearly didn’t let her significantly smaller stature hold her back as she stood staring up the other man, hands on her hips with a cocky smirk on her lips while the man didn’t look chastened in the least.  The woman eeped and jumped back at the sudden intrusion while the man sighed heavily, the amused uptick to his lips dropping instantly.  “What are you doing here?” he glowered.

“And good to see you too, Damian,” Kon grinned.  He took a step to the side just in time to avoid Tim bowling into him as he rounded the corner but grabbed his arm to help him skid to a stop before running into the other two.

Damian leaned back and crossed his arms as he glowered at their dumbfounded stares.  “Oh good, the peanut gallery.”

Tim and Kon would have responded any other time, heartily dished back the attitude Damian was giving them, but they were too dumbfounded at seeing Damian with a friend other than Jon, a female, non-hero friend, to really register his words.

The woman waited a few beats, looking back and forth between them before deciding to take matters into her own hands.  She grinned at them and held out her hand.  “Hi!  I’m Marinette.”

Tim stared at the hand, still too dumbfounded to register what was going on.  He leaned back closer to Kon, “What the fuck is happening right now?”  He meant to whisper, and technically, he did, but it was still loud enough to travel crystal clear to both Marinette and Damian.

“It’s a hand… you shake it as a greeting,” she explained slowly.

Tim blinked a few times before he reached out and shook her hand woodenly.  He looked over at Damian while still holding her hand, eyes wide in shock.  “You brought someone home.”  He didn’t realize he was still holding her hand until she chortled quietly at his astonished tone, only then letting go of her hand and offering her a sheepish smile.

“Obviously,” Damian retorted.  He pretended to flinch when the woman elbowed him in the ribs and sighed dramatically.  “This is my friend Marinette Dupain-Cheng.  Marinette, this is…”

“She’s a gir…” Kon cut in.  His eyes darted to Damian for just a second before returning to the woman in front of him.  “You're a girl,” Kon stated to her, meeting her eyes with an incredulous stare as though she should understand why that was so problematic to his world view.

She straightened instantly and her eyes hardened.  “Yeah, well spotted.  Good job.  Now do something impressive, like figure out what you are.  I'm guessing cryptid,” she snapped with a coldness he hadn’t anticipated from someone dressed in so many pastels.

He blinked like he was really seeing her for the first time and leaned back to better view her with an assessing once over and raised an amused eyebrow as his lips curled up in a smile, “Nah, that's usually Tim.  He dresses for it and everything,” he motioned toward Tim’s hoodie.  “I’m a different type of legendary beast.”  He waggled his eyebrows at her.  “I’m more one of the tall, sexy creatures that visit maiden’s dreams.”

“No, you aren’t,” Damian declared.

Marinette crossed her arms over her chest and leaned back, her eyes narrowing.  “Like a Liderc maybe,” she scoffed. 

Kon hummed in mock consideration and took a step closer to her.  “Is a Liric…”

“Liderc,” she corrected.

“… tall and sexy?” he finished leaning closer to her.

She pushed him back with a smirk and a finger to his chest.  “Not exactly… more like a little superhuman…”

“Supernatural,” Damian corrected quickly.  He shook his head curtly for Tim without bothering to look over and see the questioning glance he knew must be on his face.

“…creature,” she continued without acknowledging Damian’s interruption with a nonchalance indicative of well-established prior experience, “hatched out of a pod…”  Her smug expression dropped and her eyes unfocused for just a second before she turned to Damian, missing the way Kon’s face froze, “pod?”

“Egg,” Damian answered.  He waited until she’d turned back to Kon before meeting Tim’s eye this time and curtly shaking his head.  Tim raised his eyebrows higher and bobbed his head incredulously.  Damian subtly shrugged then nodded.  Tim’s face stretched in an impressed glower as he returned his attention to the conversation between Marinette and Kon with a renewed interest.

“…egg…” she continued oblivious to the silent conversation behind her, her smug expression fully back in place.

“Pod was more accurate,” Tim snickered just loudly enough for Kon to hear.  Kon huffed and shoved his head away.

“…that flies around and attaches itself to single women,” she finished.

Tim doubled over, the sound of his roaring laughter echoing down the long hallway.  Even Damian grinned at her description and Kon’s flabbergasted expression.  “I thought…” Tim stopped to gasp for breath and grabbed onto Kon’s shoulder for support, “I thought you hadn’t met her yet.  She seems to know you pretty well.”  Kon scowled and shoved his hand off his shoulder, taking a small measure of enjoyment from Tim almost falling over with the loss of support.

“It also helps form the Hungarian word for nightmare,” Damian added with a smirk.

“See, there you go, she thinks you’ll visit her dreams,” Tim chortled and patted Kon’s chest.  “Sounds like you were right after all.”

Damian’s smirk quickly dropped.  “There will be no dream guest appearance except between us,” Damian insisted.  He tugged Marinette a bit closer and into his side, moving her further away from Kon.  “Let me know when Jon arrives.”  Marinette glared at him pointedly.  “I will not say ‘please’ no matter how hard you stare,” he stated, deftly avoiding her eyes and starting to move them out of the hallway.

“I’m not your assistant,” Tim growled.  Damian stopped and raised an eyebrow at him and smirked.  “You got something to say?” Tim asked sharply.

“Oh, I finally get to meet Jon?” Marinette asked, a bit louder than necessary for their proximity, and moved between the two, directly into Damian’s line of sight.

“Yes,” he confirmed as he finally lowered his eyes from the broken staring contest.  His face softened as he continued moving them out of the hallway again.  “He will be here in a little bit.  He said he had something to do first, then he’ll be over and will stay until the New Year’s party tomorrow.  He was quite excited to meet you as well.”

She quirked her head to the side slightly.  “Will he be here in time to…”

“He will indeed,” he cut in sharply.  He frog marched her away from the bedroom wing and toward the east wing before she could ask anymore questions.

“Wait!  Damian, you haven’t introduced us!” Marinette objected and tried to turn around toward the men but had to settle for vaguely motioning over her shoulder.  “I don’t even know their names.”

“Yes, good observation,” he praised with only a hint of condescension in his voice and a bit more force in his hands.

“Damian!” she tried to twist to smack his chest but his hands were unyielding.  “That’s rude.  I don’t want to start out by being rude to your family.”

“First, they are not both family,” he scoffed.  “Second, you called one of them a Lidrerc and I’m being rude?”

“Yes!  That’s different.  And you know it,” she huffed.

He eyed her skeptically but shook it off.  “Third, I tried and they interrupted.  It is their fault if they did not get a proper introduction.  Fourth, and most importantly, they are a waste of our time and attention, and I assure you they will not think of this as a reflection on you.”

“Damian!” She gasped and succeeded this time in twisting under his arm to confront him.

The only concession Damian was willing to give to indicate how impressed he was with her ability to break free from his grasp was a raised eyebrow.  The rest of his face remained stoic, if a little exasperated.  “I’ve known them for almost 10 years now.  I stand by my evaluation,” he intoned as he turned her around again and continued to push her down the hallway.

“I’m so sorry,” she called over her shoulder as she attempted to give them a parting bright smile and wave.

“I’m not,” Damian called just as loudly but without taking his eyes off the path ahead of him.

Tim scoffed and shook his head at their retreating backs.  “He brought someone home… a girl… and she seems…nice… and normal… and nice,” he murmured incredulously.

“Oh, she seems very nice,” Kon agreed, watching just as intently, but focusing considerably more on one of them in particular.

Tim smacked him in the chest.  “No,” he ordered sternly.

“What?” he asked in mock innocence that he couldn’t have pulled off even fresh out of the pod.

“Damian’s friend… well, friend.  You know, I’m not sure what that is,” he motioned vaguely toward the east wing, “but you will not interfere.  Damian doesn’t make friends.  This is big.”

“I haven’t done anything… yet.”  He winked at Tim and started back toward the living room.

“Kon…” Tim started warningly.

“Come on, I’m not going to intentionally hurt him no matter how much of an ass he usually is.”  He grinned devilishly back at Tim.  “Tell you what, you go start the research on her we both know you’re going to do, and I’ll grab some food from somewhere.  I can tell you what I heard them talking about when I get back and why he brought her.”

Tim sighed and jogged to catch up with him, smacking him upside the head as soon as he did.  “Stop listening in on people’s conversations outside of missions.  It’s creepy.”  They made it all the way back to the living room before he broke.  “But since you heard it already, tell me everything when you get back.”

Kon grinned and shrugged on his jacket.  “I’ll bring back Batburger.  That feels like a spilling the tea kind of food.”

><><><><><><><><>< 

“I know where the art room is, you know.  I don’t need an escort,” Jon pointed out as he followed closely behind Kon and Tim on their way down the east wing’s hallway.

“Oh, we’re not escorting you,” Tim corrected.  He met Jon’s eyes over his shoulder with a look that did not comfort Jon at all.

“We’re tagging along,” Kon clarified, giving Jon the same look, which was considerably more concerning for Jon when coming from Kon.

Jon eyed them suspiciously.  “Why?”

“Curiosity,” Tim answered at the same time Kon said, “Interest.”

Jon’s eyes narrowed further.  “Uh huh.  That’s not fishy at all.  I’m not remotely concerned now,” he grumbled.

“Nah, I researched her,” Tim assured him.  He moved to the side and slowed his pace just a fraction to match Jon’s.  “She’s clean.  Seems like a good kid.  Might even be good for Damian.”

Jon nodded unsure how to respond to Tim’s candor.  “Good, well, that’s… that’s good.”  He started to say more, to compliment Tim on looking out for his brother but before he could figure out how to form the words, Kon snorted.

Tim raised an eyebrow.  “What?”

Kon waved him off like it was nothing, but the tightening of his jaw indicated otherwise.  “Nothing.  She's just complementing the composition and contrasts of his art and how talented,” he spit the word out like it personally offended him,“and he is absolutely preening at it.”

Jon smiled.  “It’s good to know she’s supporting him.  He really likes her, which of course he won’t say, but he talks about her a lot.”

“Really?  I hadn’t heard anything until today,” Tim noted curiously.

“Not too surprising,” Jon shrugged.  “Doesn’t really tell you anything about his life, does he?  Dick maybe, but you…”  He let the sentence trail off.  They both knew what Tim and Damian’s relationship was.

Tim grunted a sound similar to an agreement but suddenly smacked Kon upside the head.  “And stop listening in on other people's conversations.  It's creepy.”  They took a few steps before he leaned slightly toward Kon and lowered his voice as though Jon couldn't still hear him and said, “But let me know if he does anything embarrassing.”

Kon grinned and nodded at him with a wink, but his face quickly dropped into a pout as he scowled at the door just a few steps down from them.  Tim looked from Kon to the door slowly, suspicion permeating his expression as he slowly opened the art room door, fully expecting the worst, which is why the fluffy sight in front of him was such a relief.

Damian and Marinette were standing in front of one of his paintings, her head on his shoulder and his arm around her waist whispering to each other as she pointed to different points in the painting.  Tim looked back at Kon as he stepped into the room and snorted at his deepened scowl at the sweet sight.

The noise knocked the two out of their little bubble, seemingly affecting Damian more than Marinette based on the speed at which he dropped his hand and jumped away from her, causing her to almost fall.  He reached out to push her back into balance but instantly returned his hand behind his back and straightened up to his full height before them.

“Jon, it is good to see you.  Glad you could make it,” Damian welcomed.

“Of course,” Jon said warmly and hugged Damian, which Damian allowed to happen, but didn’t return.  “I’m here for you.”

“We didn’t get that greeting,” Kon chortled.

“No, we did not,” Tim agreed.  “It’s almost like he doesn’t want us here.”

Damian glared at them over Jon’s shoulder.  “It’s not almost like it,” he corrected curtly.  He returned his attention to Jon and continued before they, or Marinette, could respond to or chastise him.  “Jon, this is my friend Marinette.  Marinette, this is my friend Jon.”

Marinette smiled brilliantly, lighting up the entire room, and hugged him.  She backed away just far enough to not share breath.  “It’s so good to meet you!  I feel like I know you already.  Damian talks about you all the time.”

Jon blushed deeply and shoved his hands in his pockets, looking away sheepishly.  “Thanks.  It’s really good to finally meet you, too.  He talks about you all the time, too.  Like non-stop.  I can’t wait to spend time with you and get to know you better.”

Marinette, whose smile couldn’t get any bigger, got warmer instead.  “Absolutely.”  She kept his gaze for a few moments before shifting it over his shoulder to the two figures standing behind him and waved.  “Hey again!  Sorry we didn’t get to meet earlier, because Damian is rude,” she added pointedly with a glare to Damian added in, to which Damian shrugged unashamedly, “and didn’t introduce us.  “I’m Marinette.  I believe I heard your name is Tim?” she asked uncertainly, waiting until he nodded before continuing.  “So, you must be Tim Drake, yes?”

“I am” he grinned and ventured further into Damian’s art room than he had ever been allowed to venture before to shake her hand.  “Nice to meet you… officially.”  As soon as she turned her attention to Kon, he smirked at Damian, fully enjoying the glare Damian was shooting him.

Marinette stepped closer to Kon and held her hand out.  “And based on the leather jacket, that would make you Jason Todd?”

Kon sputtered and Tim burst out laughing.  “Uh… no, not Jason,” Kon corrected.

Marinette’s face dropped almost as fast as her hand.  “I am so sorry.  It is nice to meet you...”

Kon stepped forward with a small smile and opened his mouth but before he could comfort her Damian pulled her back closer to him and tried to physically angle her toward Jon and main part of the room.  “His name is unimportant,” he stated firmly, making no doubt that the conversation was over.

Jon shook his head, exasperation bleeding from his expression and tone.  “It’s the holidays.  Be nice, Dame.”

“I don’t see how the time of year should affect my behavior,” Damian sniffed.

Marinette dropped her head into her hands and let out an exasperated sigh.  “Damian…”

Damian sighed heavily and rolled his eyes.  “Fine.  That is Jon's brother.”  He tried to angle her toward the room again, but Kon took her hand before he could, moving so quickly, it was dangerously close to exposing his identity.

“Kon.  My name is Kon.  And it is really nice to meet you, Marinette.”

She raised her head slightly and looked up at him, causing her to look through her lashes to meet his eyes, unintentionally taking his breath away.  “Nice to meet you, Kon.”

“No, it’s not,” Damian grumbled and pulled her away from Kon, settling her on his other side next to Jon instead.  He turned to face Kon full on standing between him and Marinette.  “We were in the middle of something.”

“We were just about to go play a game,” Marinette added, popping up over his shoulder.

“We were not.”

“I’d love to play a game,” Jon cheered.  Marinette grinned brilliantly at him and clapped like the decision was made.

Damian groaned dramatically and motioned toward the hallway.  “Fine.  The game room is down the hallway.”

Marinette nodded and started toward the hallway but froze mid-step.  “You have a room just for games?”

Kon chuckled, taking more pleasure than he should from the fact that she’d stopped directly in front of him.  “Rich people,” he shrugged.

She nodded contemplatively like that explained everything but suddenly popped up.  “Oh!  I know!  Do you have Candyland?”  She looked back to Tim and Kon with a wicked grin.  “I get the feeling that's a game Damian would absolutely hate.”  She made a noise somewhere between a squeal and exclamation and twirled in excitement at the prospect of Damian playing the game, heading out the door in full confidence he would follow her.

“It's pure luck!” Damian exclaimed following after her as expected.  “There is no skill involved at all!”

“That's the point,” Jon chuckled.  He jogged up to them and slung his arms over both their shoulders.

“What's the point if you can't win through your skills,” Damian grumbled.

“It's just supposed to be for fun,” Marinette chided.

“That does not sound fun,” he huffed petulantly.  “It sounds like a children’s game.”

“It is a children’s game,” Jon laughed.

Damian stared at him incredulously.  “Then why are we playing?”

“Because you’re just a big kid,” Marinette snarked, her smirk only growing in response to Damian’s aghast look.  She turned back toward Tim and Kon who had stayed next to the art room door watching their interactions in wonder.  “Did you guys want to join?

“They are far too busy,” Damian assured her hastily and loudly.

“Nah, we’re completely open,” Kon grinned.  “And I’ve never even heard of Candyland.”

Marinette gasped loud enough Kon didn’t need to use his superhearing to detect it even from down the hall.  She tried to turn back to them but Damian reached around Jon to keep her facing forward.  “Damian, he’s never even heard of it!  We have to let him play now.”

“We do not.”

“Oh, come on, Dame, it will make it more fun,” Jon insisted.  His voice and eyes were filled with an excitement that Marinette seemed to feed off of, her own smile growing at Jon’s response.

Damian looked between them, his petulant frown staying firmly in place, but he let go of Marinette’s arm and continued forward, knowing full well she and Jon would take it as an agreement.  “Including Drake has never made anything more enjoyable.”

“Come on,” Tim snickered.  “Now I have to play.  Plus, I bet she's right about Candyland and I want to see Damian restraining himself from ripping the board in half as he pretends to be normal for her.”

><><><><><><><><>< 

As it turns out, Marinette was, in fact, correct.  Damian absolutely hated the game.  If he had laser vision, the ice cream turrets on the Candy Castle would have been eviscerated.  “This is stupid,” he groused as Marinette’s piece landed on the final rainbow square.  He punctuated his displeasure by crossing his arms and pushing away from the table.  He could have handled Marinette winning once, but three times was uncalled for.

“Cheer up, Damian,” she tried consolingly.  “It’s just for fun.  It has nothing to do with your skills.”

“It’s a game of luck, remember,” Jon chimed in, which was easy for him as his pieces were usually not far behind Marinette’s while Damian kept getting picture cards that inevitably sent him back toward the beginning of the board.

“Yeah,” Damian glared at Kon, “luck.”

Kon looked to the ceiling innocently and mimed whistling.  At the same time, Marinette reached up to touch her earrings guiltily, “and I do tend to be a bit lucky.  Sorry.”

Kon opened his mouth to ask if meeting him was an example of getting lucky, but before he could say the line that would definitely end in him getting hit with kryptonite-laced brass knuckles, Dick bounded into the room.

“There you guys are!”  He smiled at all of them, but his eyes kept darting back to Marinette.  He couldn’t stop moving, shifting from foot to foot and rubbing his hands as he waited exceptionally impatiently for her to be introduced.

Damian finally stepped up for the task, standing tall in front of Dick and motioning toward her.  “Marinette, this is my brother Richard Grayson.  Richard, this is my friend, Marinette Dupain-Cheng.”

“Marinette, it is nice to meet you,” Dick grinned, his grin widening as he looked between her and Damian.  He took her hand with both of his to shake it, pumping it so hard in his excitement he was almost lifting her off the ground.  “Please call me Dick.”

“And you,” she agreed breathlessly.  It took a few moments after she reclaimed her hand before she could speak again.  “He speaks very highly of you.”

Dick’s eyes sparkled as he watched Damian sidle closer to Marinette, dipping his head just slightly to catch her eye, raising an inquisitive eyebrow and only looking away again once she nodded back to him, but made sure to put his arm around her again.  “He speaks of you at all,” Dick grinned, “so I know you must be important to him.”

Marinette blinked and plastered on a smile.  “Thank you.”  She waited until he’d dropped her hand before adding a quiet, “I think.”

Kon joined her on her other side and smirked.  “Don’t worry, when Damian is involved, that’s a compliment.”  Marinette pursed her lips and bobbed her head to the side nodding after a moment in agreement.

“Now, the reason I was really sent in, not that meeting you wasn’t absolutely at the top of my list,” he added to Marinette.  “Dinner is about to be served.  Alfred would like us to start getting seated.”  He glanced over at Kon and eyed him for a second before adding, “you should lose the jacket before Alfred sees it at his table.”

Kon glanced down and looked back at him with a raised eyebrow, but finally nodded.  “Right.  Be right back.”

“Take your time,” Dick called as he replaced him by Marinette’s side.

“Don’t worry, I’ll put the game away,” Tim called after them.

“Thank you!” Dick called back to him.  “So, you’ll get to meet almost the entire family.  Cass and Stephanie are living in Hong Kong, but we hope they’ll make it for tomorrow.  Hey!” he called out after a large man shoulder-checked him.  “And that is Jason.”

Jason turned around and did a double take at Damian’s arm around Marinette’s shoulders.  He looked up from the display to look between them.  “What in the fuck knuckles…”

“Dude…” another man mumbled as he shook his head.  He sighed and looked back up with a strained smile.  “Sorry about him.  Hi, I’m Duke.”

Marinette grinned at him and reached out to shake his hand.  “It’s okay.  I’m Marinette and I do like Pink and making pies, so…” she shrugged then snickered at Damian’s bewildered look.  “But there is an important difference,” she met Jason’s eyes pointedly but not unkindly.  “We are just friends.”

Jason raised an eyebrow but nodded and moved to take a seat on the far side of the table.  “Impressed.  Honestly did not think you’d know that one.”

She scoffed.  “I have some pretty depraved friends.”

Jason mock gasped, drawing his hand to his chest to accentuate the scandal of the situation.  “Depraved!  Depraved?  Liking that movie makes you depraved?”

Duke patted him on the shoulder as he took a seat next to him.  “Sounds fair.”

“Oof,” Kon grunted as he walked in.  “Hate to think what that says about me.”

“Probably something pretty accurate,” Damian clipped.  “Marinette, you remember my father.”

Marinette straightened instantly at the figure walking in from the opposite side of the room.  “Of course.  Nice to see you again, M. Wayne.”

“And you, Ms. Dupain-Cheng.  Welcome to our home.  I hope your showing went well,” he answered warmly.

“It did, thank you,” she smiled back.

“Are you an artist?” Dick asked as he took his seat next to Duke, to the left of the head of the table.

“A designer, actually,” Marinette offered.

“A brilliant designer,” Bruce corrected.  “I was quite impressed,” he assured Marinette firmly as he took his seat as well.

“I’d love to see it sometime,” Tim smiled.

Marinette blushed brightly but nodded with more confidence than she felt.  “Okay.”

She eyed where Tim had sat, two seats away from M. Wayne, and Kon making his way to sit between him and M. Wayne, and knocked her arm into Damian, looking pointedly at the last seat next to Bruce.  Damian nodded and cut in front of Kon to take the seat.  Kon blinked at him but quickly changed course to sit on the other side.  Jon stepped up next to Marinette and looked between the two remaining seats, one next to Kon and one next to Jason.  He looked at Marinette questioningly.  She shrugged and took the seat closest to her, next to Kon.  Jon nodded and sat next to Jason.

Tim leaned around Kon to verify that was really where Marinette had sat.  He was about to offer to switch spots with her so she could sit next to Damian, but Alfred entered at that moment and started serving the food.  As it turned out, she was fine where she was.  Marinette integrated with the family easily, laughing and joking with all of them.  It may have worked out better that way anyway as it gave her the chance to chat with Jon and Kon about Metropolis and get more information on the city before she decided if she wanted to move there after graduation.

The dinner was going amazingly so naturally it had to get cut short.  Everyone in the family knew something was wrong the moment Alfred entered mid-course.  “Sorry to interrupt, sir.  But there appears to have been an incident at Wayne Enterprises.”  Alfred leaned over and whispered in Bruce’s ear.  Whatever he said must have been really bad because he immediately stiffened, but in the blink of an eye, it was gone.  He gave Dick a pointed look.  He nodded at him, then bumped Duke and nodded to Jason.

Bruce stood up quickly, dabbing his mouth with his napkin, quickly followed by the other three men, although they didn’t bother to wipe their mouths.  “So sorry for the interruption, Marinette.  Please continue your night.  It was very nice to see you again.”  He was gone before Marinette could say goodbye.

Damain stood and moved over to Marinette whispering in her ear too low for anyone but Kon and Jon to hear.  She squealed and hugged him, giving him a kiss on the cheek before he straightened up.  Jon rounded the table to clap him on the back as well.  Damian nodded to the two of them then followed the others as they made their way out the door at a considerably slower pace than Bruce.

“You don’t have to come, Dame,” Dick whispered just outside the door.  “We have four people, we’re good.  If we need another, we can call for Tim.  Stay and keep your friend company.”

Damian glanced back into the room.  Marinette was smiling at something Jon was saying, which apparently required him to use both hands in uncoordinated movements.  He snickered at the scene.  “No, she will be okay where she is.  I won’t ignore my duty.”

Duke shook his head.  “We really need to work on your skills, man.”

Damian looked at him affronted.  “My skills are impeccable.  It’s your skills that need honing.”

Duke opened his mouth to respond but shut it and shook his head instead.

><><><><><><><><>< 

The mission had taken considerably longer than the family had anticipated, but seeing as it was a rogue team up, it wasn’t entirely surprising.  The only thing that was surprising, was the fact that Damian wasn’t acting like more of a constipated gremlin.  In fact, he was positively beaming, well, not glowering, which for Damian was roughly the equivalent of beaming.

Nobody knew what to make of it.  The mission had taken him away from his friend for almost the entire night and he seemed… happy about it.  Nobody who had seen them together earlier doubted he cared about her, so the fact that he was so blasé about having left her behind for so long, even to do something he valued so thoroughly, was confusing.  Even now as they walked into the living room, he wasn’t leading the pack to get to her sooner.

Which was a small mercy because it meant he didn’t have to be the first to see what they were seeing.  “What the hell is going on!” Dick roared.

Marinette’s head jerked away from Kon, their lips separating with a pop.  She eeped and tried to jump away from Kon, but he held her tight against him, allowing her to bury her face in his chest to hide her bright crimson cheeks.

“Oh damn,” Duke mumbled, eyes wide in surprise.

Kon kept one arm right around her and waved with the other.  “Hey guys.  You’re back early.”

“That’s all you have to say?” Jason hissed.

Kon scrunched his face slightly and looked to Dick for a clue, but his expression was just as thunderous.  He quickly shifted to Tim who shrugged, just as confused about the reaction as Kon.  “Uh… sorry I didn’t help?” he offered.

“Oh, no, its okay, you were too busy helping yourself,” Dick seethed.

“Helping my…” Kon trailed off.  He gaped at Dick and opened and closed his mouth a few times but before he could formulate how to respond Damian finally came in, his eyes down as he focused on dusting off his shirt, missing the way the entire room had stopped to watch him.

It took several more steps before he finally sensed the hostile atmosphere of the room.  He froze mid-brush and slowly lifted his head to take in the scene, just as slowly panning across the room until it settled on Kon’s arms around Marinette.  He lifted his eyes up, pausing momentarily at her hands on his chest.  His eyes snapped to hers.  “What are you doing!  How could you do this to me?” he yelled.  Marinettes eyes widened in shock and confusion while the rest of the room except Kon moved to comfort Damian.  “That is the wrong brother!”

“Excuse me?” Conner growled.

“Uh… what?” Duke asked uncertainly.

“You were supposed to end up with Jon not him!” he growled, moving in Marinette’s face and motioning harshly toward Kon.

Dick’s hands that were still perched from having been rubbing circles on Damian’s back slowly retracted.  “Wait.  I thought... why would you want that?”

Damian huffed and crossed his arms over his chest again, evoking the image of a child throwing a temper tantrum.  “Because it would be extremely convenient for me if my two best friends were dating.”  Tim had the misfortune of snorting when everyone else in the room had gone frighteningly quiet.  Damian’s eyes shot to him.  He pointed at Tim accusingly.  “She was supposed to end up with my idiot not your idiot.”

“That's why you brought me?”  Marinette asked.  “You said you wanted me to be here to support you while you spoke with your father because I made you feel better.  But you were just trying to pimp me out?”  Kon’s grip on her tightened at the hurt lacing her voice.  Damian’s eyes zeroed in on the movement and Dick had to adjust to holding him back instead of comforting him.

“I was not pimping you out!” Damian objected more annoyed than concerned.  “There was no payment involved and sex was entirely up to you.”

Marinette stared at him incredulously.  “Oh, thank you for that,” she snapped.

“You’re welcome,” he nodded, seemingly satisfied with her gratitude.

“She's not... isn't she here with you?” Jason asked carefully.

“Yes, she is here with me as my friend.  I brought her here so she could meet Jon and start dating him,” Damian gritted out.

“So... you two aren't dating or pre-dating?” Dick asked again, hoping Damians answers this time would somehow make more sense.  He had been so absolutely confident that they were just dancing on the edge of dating.

“Obviously.”

Dick stared at Damian, his answer not making the situation make more sense.  The room was completely still for a few moments before Duke finally broke the silence.  “What is pre-dating?”

Dick blinked at him.  “It’s when… it’s like before you’re dating.”

Duke shot him the flattest look he could manage.  “Yeah, thanks, got that from the ‘pre’ part.  I know how the English language works.”

“It’s when you’re laying the groundwork.  You haven’t actually asked them out yet but you both know it’s just a matter of time,” Dick clarified, his hands waving around in a pattern that seemed to accentuate his point in his mind but seemed completely non-sensical to everyone else.

Duke studied him.  “Do you both have to know?  What if it’s a surprise to the other when the one asks them out?”

“Still counts,” Dick answered at the same time Jason said, “That’s one-sided pining,” and Tim said “That’s just real life.”  They stared at each other in confusion.

“Hold up!” Kon cut in.  “I’m not an idiot.”

Damian scoffed.  “Based on how long it took you to figure out I’d insulted you; you appear to be mistaken.”

“You thought I was dating him?” Marinette asked, finally breaking away from Kon’s chest, though his arms were still resting lightly on his waist to direct the question to the rest of his family.  “We said we were just friends… multiple times.”

“Yeah,” Dick started slowly, “but I thought... right.  No, we knew that,” he finished as casually as he could manage.

She wiggled out of Kon’s embrace, much to his enjoyment, so she could step closer to Damian and smack him on the chest.  “I told you they would think we were dating no matter what we said.”

Damian rolled his eyes.  “And I told you they would figure it out.”  He motioned vaguely toward the rest of the room without taking his eyes off her. “Look at that they have.”

“Hey guys!” Jon greeted everyone as he tucked his phone in his back pocket.  “Welcome back.  Oh hey, you two finally separated.  Nice.  Perfect timing.”

Damian stared at him for a few seconds before rounding on Marinette.  “You've ruined the entire plan,” he growled at her.  “You were supposed to be here not separating from him!”  He motioned toward Jon.

“Well, you didn't tell me the plan, did you?” she hissed back.  “It helps to have collaboration on a plan when you INFORM YOUR COHORTS WHAT THE PLAN IS.”

“Yeah, Damian,” Jon added.  "It wouldn't have worked anyway.  I'm dating someone else."

“What?” Damian exclaimed, rounding on Jon.  “When did that happen?”

“A few weeks ago.  I was going to introduce you at the party tomorrow.  I just got off the phone with him,” he motioned toward his pocket.

“You cannot be dating someone,” Damian scoffed.  “I didn't approve of anyone.  I haven't done research on them.”

Jon and Mari let out matching scoffs.  "I don't need your approval to date someone," Jon reminded him.

"We are not chess pieces you can move around at your will to suit your whims," Marinette chided. Damian glared at her, a calculating look in his eyes.

"She was not issuing a challenge," Jon cut in before Damian could make any plans.

Damian huffed and rolled his eyes.  "You're more like checker pieces anyway.  Maybe even Candyland."

“So... you're not mad about...”  Dick motioned between Mari and Kon.

“Furious,” Damian huffed.

Mari rolled her eyes and rested her head on his shoulder.  The fact that he didn’t shrug her off signaled to the rest of the family more about his state of mind than any words either Marinette or Damian had said up until that point.  “But he'll get over it.  Are you guys going to join us for the movie marathon now?”

“You just missed Trading Places,” Jon nodded.

“We missed Trading Places?” Jason gasped.

“I mean, they pretty much did too,” Jon grinned, looking pointedly at Marinette and Kon.

Marinette batted at him, her cheeks blushing profusely, but Kon grinned proudly.  “He’s not wrong.  So, I’m okay with putting it on again.”

“Mon Dieu,” Marinette whimpered.  Kon wrapped his arms around her from behind and kissed the crown of her head.  But Damian pushed the two apart with a harumph.

“We will get popcorn while you guys get things set up,” he announced as he pulled her out of the room.  Marinette grabbed Jon’s hand and pulled him along with them.

“So... you and Marinette…” Dick started carefully.

“Yeah…” Kon hedged nervously.

“Congrats,” Duke cut in before Dick could say anything.

“She seems like a good kid,” Jason agreed.

“She's our age,” Kon grumbled.

“But Damian's friend, so a kid,” Tim grinned.

“No.  I'm dating her so we won't be calling her a kid.  No matter what Tim says, I’m not creepy, and that would definitely be creepy,” Kon ordered, voice firm.  He looked between Jason and Tim to make sure they heard him then narrowed his eyes at them.  “But what is creepy?  You two agreeing.”

Dick chuckled and popped up between Tim and Jason, throwing his arms over their shoulders.  “Fair.  Now come on, we need to get the room set up.  Jason, get out the blankets.  Duke, you’re on pillows.  Tim, Kon, and I will work on a plan to keep Damian from killing Kon.”

“I appreciate that,” Kon nodded.

“We got your back,” Jason nodded.

“If only to keep Damian from stabbing you in it,” Duke grinned.

Kon’s appreciative gaze turned flat.  “Thanks.”  Duke snickered as he dropped more pillows on the couches and chairs.  “Come on,” Kon implored, “he brought a beautiful, brilliant, creative, kind woman he wasn’t interested in dating home for the holidays.  He should have known something would happen.  You guys don’t bring people home because of that, right?”

Dick scoffed and threw a pillow at Jason who ducked easily under it before dumping his blankets on one of the chairs.  “I just assume he’ll go after them after we’ve broken up.”

“Hey,” Jason objected.  He threw one of the blankets at Dick.  “I only did that once… that you know of,” he added under his breath.

“What was that?” Dick asked, eyes narrowed.

“Nothing,” Jason said innocently.

“I don’t think we have the same taste,” Tim shrugged.

“I don’t bring anyone around for entirely different reasons,” Duke snorted.

“What reason is that?” Jon asked with a knowing grin.

Marinette and Damian followed closely behind carrying trays.  “We come bearing popcorn!” she cheered, holding up her tray with several bowls of popcorn.

“And candy,” Jon joined in, holding up his own tray with bowls of candy.  “And drinks.”  He motioned with his elbow to the tray in Damian’s hands, who grumbled and rolled his eyes rather than holding up his tray.

“Oh, this looks great!” Marinette squealed and started distributing the blankets.  Jon and Damian angled one of the couches toward the television before plopping down on it.  Marinette was slower to move, her eyes darting to Kon who grinned at her attention.  He reached out to pull her over to the couch he and Tim had just angled toward the television as well, but before he could Damian yanked Marinette down onto the couch with him.

Kon huffed but Marinette broke down in giggles.  When she finally stopped, she scooted closer to Damian and looked pointedly at the space next to her she’d just left free, a space just big enough for someone to fit in snugly.  “Let’s get started,” Damian huffed.

“Can’t wait,” Marinette agreed quietly, her attention squarely pointed away from the television and on the man next to her.

Kon grinned and threw his arm over her shoulders.  “Me either,” he agreed.

Kon crossed to the doorway she was in to kiss her, and she eagerly leaned in.

At the last second she turned her head so his lips met her cheek.

Conner frowned in puzzlement but assumed she'd gotten an itchy nose or something. He tried again when Marinette stayed still.

Her other cheek met his lips.

"Hey! It's been two weeks! I just want to kiss my girl!"

"Sorry," she giggled, not looking sorry at all, as she pursed her lips for a proper kiss to make it up to her boyfriend.

For a third time, he kissed her cheek instead of his intended target. Kon stepped back with a frown as Marinette snickered at his pout.

Sighing, he grabbed her face and pulled her into a breathless, toe-curling kiss.

He released her and immediately grabbed her waist to keep her upright as she wavered backwards, having lost her balance and breath.

"Was that good?" Her eyes sparkled with laughter and happiness.

"That was fantastic," he grumbled. "But that's how you show me you miss me after two weeks of not seeing you?"

"Of course not. I believe we have two weeks and three failed attempts' worth of kisses to catch up on?"

EDIT: JUST REMEMBERED I HAVE A TINY TAGLIST WHOOPS

@hmb-discord @questioning-blob-of-fog

Surely thirty minutes was too early though, right?  That would scare him off.  She should wait at least until after the wedding to text him.  Focus on Adrien and the wedding and then her boy.  This weekend was about Adrien’s love life, not hers.

Right. That's what she'd do… after a gigantic cup of coffee.  She nodded to herself determinedly and passed into the coffee shop’s patio, almost immediately tripping.  She watched the culprits with an amused sigh that turned into overwhelming giggles when they jumped up on her trying to lick her face and get as many good-boy pats as they could, to which she gladly acquiesced, or at least tried to.  She couldn’t give them all the pats they deserved, because they deserved all of them.

Entirely too quickly, she started to carefully extricate herself from their leashes, which had wrapped around her when they jumped all over each other, and around her, to urge her to pet them further.  With her luck, and clumsiness, she was highly likely to trip and knock herself unconscious and miss the wedding.  Or, worse, hit her face on the railing or a table and give herself a huge gash on her face just before the wedding, which would be a huge distraction from Adrien’s moment.  He would insist she still keep her place as his Maid of Honor, but she would feel terrible about it.

With one more pat for each of them, she shot into the café before she could let herself pet them longer and got in line to order.  She looked back at the dogs wondering if he liked dogs.  Would he want to get one?  He didn’t have one.  He’d said he didn’t have pets, but maybe he’d want to get one?  One like the dogs outside, still straining to get to her.  She could definitely see him with a dog.

She ordered politely and went back to watching the dogs while she waited.  It wouldn’t be so bad to send him a picture of the dogs, right?  It would only be a small violation of her resolve to wait to contact him.  She wasn’t asking him anything… just showing him something.  She could even make a cute comment about someone else trying to kiss her, but she guesses she’ll allow it in this case and then he’d send back a comment about how he wished it was him and they should see each other again that night, meet up and talk… maybe more.  She’d agree because she wanted more time with him before she returned to Metropolis.

One night was not enough and her dress for the wedding was stunning on her.  She’d designed it after all, along with Adrien’s tuxedo.  She’d barely had time to finish it with how quickly the wedding got planned and was happening, but it flattered her in every way.  It was sleek and sexy, a bit more than she would normally go for a wedding, but it fit their theme and vibe, and Adrien had been extremely encouraging.  It would be a shame not to show it off to her boy and let him appreciate it in person.

She picked up her drink and rushed out to get a picture of the dogs and enact her perfect plan.  The dogs were almost as excited to see her as she was to start her plan, immediately jumping toward her with such fervor the leashes were straining.  She set her coffee down, away from the chaos, where the good boys couldn’t knock it over in their excitement, because that would truly ruin her morning.

She crouched down and pulled out her phone to take the picture but had to readjust out of the walkway so a customer who was just approaching would be able to get by, but froze when she heard a familiar voice.  “Man, it was crazy!  I absolutely did not expect it when I first started talking to her but it was all night long.  Yeah, so desperate after just one night of a bit of sweet talk.  And it was so easy, like no effort at all involved.”

She knew who it was without having to look up.  She’d heard his deep, smooth voice in conversations all evening and then telling her, what she had thought were, genuine praises all night.  Clearly, he had not felt the same.  While she was picturing their future together and fighting the need to get back to him as quickly as possible, he had gotten what he wanted and moved on.  While she’d savored their deep, instant, genuine connection, he’d just been talking her up for a quick night.

She shot up and spun to face him with hurt in her wide eyes to see horror in his.  The dogs, oblivious to the events around them, yapped at her to return her attention to them.  When she proved too frozen to give them what they wanted, they turned their attention to her partner from the night before, their jumps just as eager as they had been with her, though not quite reaching as high on him as they did on her, but what they lacked in height, they made up for in enthusiasm.  Despite their best efforts, he was completely unmoved, frozen in place.

“Uh oh…” he muttered out.  He turned off his phone and reached for her.  “Marinette…” he started, but that was enough to shock her out of her freeze.

She brushed by him, just out of his arm’s length, and yet it felt like she was being drawn back to him.  She fought the draw and pushed on like she didn’t hear him, rushing away with such speed she was almost flying.  She had to move as quickly as she could and put as much distance between them as possible before he freed himself from the leashes.  The dogs had done a fantastic job of wrapping him up, but it wouldn’t hold him for long.  They definitely deserved far more good-boy pats than they’d gotten.  She could tell he was calling after her, but the blood was pounding too loudly in her ears, it was all she heard, not traffic, not the multitude of conversations around her, not the construction the street over, and certainly not him, just static.

She’d been played.  So.  Damn.  Hard.  And she’d completely fallen for it.  Hook.  Line.  And sinker.  She’d reveled in each duplicitous tingle and relished each honeyed lie and held them close to her heart so she could savor them like they meant something when she was the only one who believed them.  She was so stupid.  God, he probably wasn’t even from out of town.  He probably lived in town but just didn’t want to take her back to his place.  Had anything he’d said been real?

She felt even stupider for even asking and all she wanted to do was go back home to Metropolis and drown in a bottle of something strong that tasted terrible.  She didn’t deserve something that tasted good.  That was for people who didn’t let themselves act like brainless fools for every fuckboy who crossed their paths.

But she couldn’t.  She didn’t have time to slowly drown in her misery like she wanted.  She had to get to the hotel everyone was staying at, splash water on her face, and paste a massive, fake smile on her face.  Heartbreak didn’t have any place in Adrien’s wedding weekend.  She’d put too much effort into his wedding for it to get dragged down and Adrien deserved happiness too much for her to ruin it, damn it.  And it would ruin it because Adrien would be too concerned about her and let it interfere with his mood.  He’d stop everything to just focus on her, further proving her point that he deserved everything good and to luxuriate in ridiculously perfect happiness.

So, forget that guy.  Forget the night before.  Forget the scheming tingles.  She was never going to have to see him again anyway and now she knew better.  Lesson learned.  About the world and about herself.  And she would be better armed for the next time.  Like Master Fu told her, if you keep looking back, you’ll end up running into a lamp post.  Okay, maybe that was Plagg, but it was still valid advice… one of his few.  She had to focus on the future.  And hers was going to be delightfully free of that man.

><><><><><><>< 

Marinette threw herself into the wedding, making sure every detail for the rehearsal and ceremony were meticulously cared for, particularly getting their friends cared for, all with a plastic smile.  Thankfully, her friends knew were so familiar with her anxiety when working on a project they all wrote her mood off as planning stress.  Later she would tell Alya everything, well after Adrien had left for his honeymoon and it wouldn’t take away from his day.  Alya could focus on Adrien like she should instead of trying to comfort Marinette.

She went to Wayne Manor ahead of the rest of the group, trusting Alya and Luka to get everyone there without her, so she could check the ceremony site before the rehearsal.  Not that she didn’t trust Alfred to have watched over it, in fact during the conversations they’d had about the ceremony along with the planner, she’d come to trust him more than most of the people she knew, but she needed to check on it herself.  As soon as she saw the site, she knew she was right to have trusted Alfred.  The ceremony space was beautiful.  The flowers had been arranged like they’d discussed, sleek and contemporary with a touch of old-world sophistication.  It was perfect for them.

“Meet your standards?” a familiar voice inquired, significantly closer than she had anticipated anyone being able to get without her notice.

Marinette squeaked and whirled around on him with a light slap to his chest.  “Mon Dieu, Adrien!  You just about gave me a heart attack!”  He didn’t even have the decency to look properly chastised or even sheepish.  Instead, his grin widened and his eyes sparkled playfully.  She sighed helplessly and pushed up to give him a tight hug and kiss on the cheek.  “It doesn’t matter what I think.”  She ignored his scoff and continued, “What do you think?”

“I think it’s absolutely gorgeous, just like you,” he winked.  “But honestly, I’d be just as happy in a warehouse as long as it ends the same.  It’s not about your conditions, it’s about your partner.”

She smiled at his response, such a completely Adrien answer to give, sappy and sweet and utterly devoted to the people he loved.  She gave him another long, tight hug.  He was getting married to the love of his life.  He was going to be a married man and likely start a family after not too long.  It was all coming together for him, and she couldn’t be happier for him.  She wiped at her eye before a mirthful tear could escape.  “Speaking of which, where is your partner?”

Before he could answer a voice carried over from behind a hedge.  “I’m here.”  Moments later, a figure appeared around the hedge, bright smile, sparkling eyes, and clothes rumpled but presentable.

“Tim!” Marinette screeched and launched herself at him.

“Mari!” Tim called back, jogging to her with just as much energy culminating in an ebullient hug that swung her in a circle.  He set her down with a brilliant smile on both their faces.

“I missed you!” she lamented with faux devastation.

“I missed you,” he concurred in the same tone.  “A month is too long.  You have no idea how hard it is dealing with him day in and day out all by myself.”

Marinette chuckled at his over-the-top delivery.  “I do, actually.  That’s why he’s not my problem anymore.”

“He’s right here you know… and feeling a bit left out,” Adrien pouted dramatically as he sauntered up to them, hands in pockets and lips twitching to curl back up.  “Where was my welcome like that?”

“You got a kiss,” Mari scoffed.  “Plus, he didn’t scare me.”

“He got…” he motioned wildly toward them, “that.  You’re my Maid of Honor and best friend.  I feel like there are some questions about that here.”

“He got a kiss?” Tim pouted ignoring his fiancé’s insinuation.  He was well aware of how happy Adrien was that he and Marinette got along so well.  It was absolutely the best-case situation for him that his life partner and pseudo-sister were almost best friends themselves.

“I got you babe,” Mari cooed and gave him a matching pink lip print.  Movement just over his shoulder, back at the hedge Tim had appeared at, drew her attention as she was just making contact.  It was so shocking she almost missed his cheek despite only being millimeters away because standing there was her lamentable one-night stand.  She blinked at him for just a second then focused entirely back on Tim.  If she’d kept her eyes on him for a few more seconds she would have seen the shock on his face as well.

“Awww.  I feel loved,” Tim cooed and wrapped his arms around her shoulders to pull her against him so he could lean his head onto hers.

“I don’t,” the man grumbled.  He slowly made his way to the trio, his eyes darting between the three of them like he was trying to place the pieces together.

“You got plenty last night,” Adrien chuckled and shoved his shoulder playfully.

“Oh?” Tim asked.

“Uh… yeah,” he acknowledged awkwardly, trying to shy away from Marinette’s glare behind Adrien and Tim’s backs.  “Last night was…” he paused like he was looking for the right word.

“All shy now,” Adrien chided.  “He was going on and on this morning.”  Marinette felt like she was going to be sick and if Adrien ever knew it was her, she knew he would too.  Of all the people he could have called up to brag about his conquest, it had to be Adrien!  Adrien?  Not that it would have been okay in the first place but Adrien!  Really?  The only possible worse person would have been her dad.

“Why were you telling Adrien and not me?” Tim chastised but instantly pivoted.  He stepped between her and the man.  “Actually, it’s not important right now.  I haven’t even introduced you guys officially yet.  Marinette, this is my best friend and best man, Conner Kent.  Conner, this is Adrien’s best friend and Maid of Honor, not to mention unofficial wedding planner and possibly Alfred’s new favorite family member, Marinette.”

He sucked in a breath and stepped forward to offer his hand.  “Uh… my friends call me Kon.  It’s really nice to meet you.”  He said it with such sincerity, she absolutely would have fallen for it if she hadn’t heard him on the phone just that morning.

Marinette shot him a tight smile as she shook his hand.  “Conner, hi.  I’ve heard lots about you,” she enthused, saccharine sweet but yanked her hand back after one shake.

Conner winced like he was thinking through all the things Tim and Adrien would have told her about him.  He rubbed the back of his neck with the abandoned hand.  His chuckles were awkward enough that both Adrien and Tim eyed him curiously.  “Yeah… the rumors of my…” he looked around frantically as though he might be able to spot an appropriate word, “history have been greatly exaggerated.”

Tim snorted.  “If anything, I’ve under sold it.  You are the flirtiest flirt I’ve ever met.  Even Dick tames it down more.”  He shook his head and returned his focus to Marinette missing the glare Kon aimed at the back of his head, but Adrien didn’t, inciting a raised critical eyebrow.  “Come on, Mari.  I want to finally introduce you to Alfred.  Do you need any lunch or coffee?  He’s in the kitchen so we’ll be right there.”

Marinette kept her eyes Tim, determinedly not looking at Kon.  “Thanks, that would be great.  I had to abandon my coffee this morning when some lowlife accosted me before I could drink it.”

“Are you okay?” Tim asked instantly.  He pulled back to look her over as he said the words.  “Sorry, I should have just had you stay with us.  Gotham can get pretty grimy.  In fact, that’s what’s happening.  I’ll send someone over to get all your stuff.  You’re staying with us.”

“Yeah,” Adrien agreed coming up on her other side and pulling her into a side hug.  “You can stay with me.  We’ll have a last single night party, just us.  Face masks and mimosas and stuff.”

><><><><><><>< 

Marinette had been excited about the idea of staying in the manor with Adrien thinking it meant less opportunities for her mind to wander until she discovered Kon was staying at the manor as well… with Tim… in the next room over from theirs.  There was no escape.  Everywhere she went, he was there and she couldn’t for the life of her figure out his game.  He’d gotten what he wanted.  There was nothing left.

The only thing she could think was he didn’t want her to tell Adrien or Tim and make things awkward, but that was the last thing she wanted too, and she had no intention of letting him corner him and try to gaslight her into thinking what had happened was anything other than what it was.

But he was persistently insistent.  He kept trying to make ‘meaningful’ eye contact with her throughout the rehearsal no matter how much she staunchly avoided his eyes.  He’d tried to sidle up to her during the rehearsal dinner, but she made sure she was never without at least one friend, if not more, aided unintentionally by Adrien who seemed more clingy than he had been for quite a while.  By the end of the torturous party Luka had been plastered to her side, sensing something was wrong, but not quite knowing what.  Or more likely, he did but didn’t say anything, knowing she wasn’t ready for it.  He was good like that.

When it was time to leave, she saw him leave just before her in the same direction as Adrien’s room, so she invited Alya and Nino to spend the night as well so the four of them could have a last night together like old times… just without the crushes and with a baby on the way in Alya’s case.  She could almost hear his groan as they passed the corner he was waiting at and Adrien cut in to pull them down to his room before he could step forward.  She grinned to herself.  Good.  Let him suffer a fraction of the amount he’d made her suffer.

The next morning she actually thought she should send him a thank you.  The night had been amazing for her and exactly what Adrien needed.  He was so bright-eyed and excited the next morning waking up with his best friends next to him, she almost cried again for him, but then it turned to crying for herself and she had to turn it around right quick.  She excused herself to the bathroom when she heard a knock at the bedroom door and silently cried harder when she heard his voice in the bedroom saying something to Adrien who seemed more than eager to get him out of his room.  Her tears quieted when she felt something on her back, almost like someone trying to comfort her but when she looked around, there was nobody there.

She just had to get through the wedding ceremony and the reception.  She could do that.  Luka would be more than happy to help her.  His significant other would understand and honestly, they would probably help her as well.  Just a few more hours and avoiding him would be significantly easier.  He thought he could corner her, but he clearly didn’t know her and the lengths she would go to not to be noticed or put on the spot.  If it were literally anybody but Adrien at the altar, it would be flawless, as it was, there were a few vulnerabilities that she would just have to prepare for.

The first was the ceremony itself.  Avoiding his eyes as she walked down the aisle with Adrien to give him away should have been easy, but she found her eyes drawn to him like the black hole he was, and cursed him for it.  He looked impeccable in his suit.  It hugged his body like it was made for him, and considering what she knew of him from what Adrien had said, it probably was.  He looked as roguishly beautiful in a suit as a leather jacket, the bastard.

But it was his eyes that really made her want to march up and kiss… SLAP!  That made her want to march up to him and k… slap him.  He looked absolutely stupefied as he watched her walk down the aisle, like a faint breeze could have knocked him over.  Like he was remembering the night they’d had.  Like he wanted nothing more in the world than to do it again.

After the ceremony, he held his arm out for her to take as they walked down the aisle behind the happy couple and it should have been safe.  She knew that.  He couldn’t say anything as they walked surrounded by so many people, but she wasn’t willing to take the chance.  She reached out for his arm but smoothly redirected to give a guest on her side a hug.  When he waited for her rather than moving forward, she hugged the next person down and continued to shake hands and hug guests like they were best friends she hadn’t seen them in years until Adrien called to him to encourage him to come for pictures, so he had no choice but to move on.

She’d managed to keep her avoidant streak right up until the Wedding Party dance.  There was no escaping him during the dance.  And because they were the Maid of Honor and the Best Man, they had the entire song together… alone… face to face, or more accurately body to body.  There was no escape.  There was no distraction.  Just her and him and the awkward tension that had been building the entire day and those damn treacherous tingles that dared to come back the moment he took her hand.

She tried to keep her eyes busy, bouncing from subject to subject, what the subjects were had no rhyme or reason other than they weren’t him.  But Kon was clearly done letting her avoid him and was not going to stand for it any longer.  “Can we talk, please?” he begged, his eyes when she finally met them grudgingly, were pleading.

Her eyes narrowed and any warmth that had been in them from the ceremony rapidly drained from them.  “I think you’ve talked quite enough, don’t you?” she hissed.

His shoulders dropped but he kept his eyes determinedly locked with hers.  “Look, I know what you think you heard, but I didn't call to brag…” he started desperately, but interrupted himself, “well no, I did call to brag but not about the sex… No, I think… I mean…”  She scoffed and looked away again, but thankfully for him, the song wasn’t over yet and she would never do anything to purposefully disrupt Adrien and Tim’s wedding, so she hadn’t pulled away from him.

He took the opportunity to pull her a little closer, trying to communicate his feelings through his touch.  He might not be able to get his words to work right, but he was always more physical than intellectual, and if there was any way he could make it through this without using words, crush a mountain and present her with its heart?  Done.  Drill to the center of the Earth and bring her back a sample of Earth’s Core?  Tell him the day.  Hike to the remotest regions of the world and bring back a flower.  What color?  But he couldn’t.  He just had to power through as best he could.

“I did brag about the sex, but it wasn’t… I mean the sex was amazing, so it was deserving of bragging, but…” he trailed off at Marinette’s expression which had become increasingly pinched the longer he talked.  Instead of making it better, he was just making it so much worse.  He groaned and threw his head back.  “Damnit!  When did I lose the ability to talk?”

Marinette's face morphed into a look of mock pity. "Aww poor baby. Did I screw your brains out?"

“Yes!”  He threw his head back in exasperation, accidentally pulling her closer as his whole body lurched back in the movement, but he froze as soon as the words came out and looked back at her wide eyed.  “No, wait…”  He narrowed his eyes in a newfound determination.  “Okay, you know what?  Yes, yes you did.  But if I’m being honest, I was already a brainless lump before that, the moment I met you, really,” he corrected softly.

She stared at him incredulously and would have pulled away from him this time, but it felt like there was something wrapped around her, like a blanket, keeping her close to him, she could establish space, but she’d have to put effort into it.  “You better give more context before I assume you mean that's the only way you'd end up with me.  Or, better yet, I was so terrible to be around, you had to turn your brain off to deal with me.”

His eyes bugged out, his eyebrows shooting up to his hairline instantly and his arms instinctively pulling her closer.  “What!? No!  That is absolutely not…”

What it wasn’t got cut off by Adrien cutting into their dance before the song even ended.  “What the hell, Adrien,” he protested under his breath.

Adrien kept a smile on his face for the crowd but it was a harsh, sharp smile with none of the warmth that normally embodied everything about him.  “Back off,” he hissed as he pulled Marinette away playing it off like he was pulling her into a friendly hug.  “I've seen the way you've been looking at her all during the rehearsal and wedding and I'm here to tell you that it absolutely positively is not going to fucking happen!  After all the babbling you did this morning about the girl you met last night and how she was the one for you.  Going on and on about how amazing your connection was.  It was all so easy to talk to her and you didn’t even have to try to force the conversation.  And it was magical and there was just something about her.  I absolutely refuse to allow you to use Mari like this.”

Marinette blinked a few times trying to let the words register in her head.  That wasn’t what he’d said… or at least that wasn’t what she’d heard.  She studied Kon who was looking mortified and exposed.  “What exactly did he say,” she asked cautiously.

Adrien took her tentative, timid tone as hurt and intensified his glare at Kon.  “He was saying how he wasn’t expecting it, but he knew from the moment they started talking that they were going to be together, and she was the one and… and damn man she's got me contemplating marriage is half an hour too early to text?  Does that make me look desperate?  More desperate than I already am after one day,” he mocked.  “And now, I am absolutely not going to let you start hitting on my best friend just because that other woman ghosted you.”

Marinette turned her guarded gaze to Kon.  “You said that?”

He sighed but met her eyes, his eyes a window to his despair as he searched hers for a sign of what she was thinking.  “I did, yes,” he admitted.  “Words are easier when you're not looking into the eyes of your future wife who you want to give you a second chance.”

Adrien looked between the two of them and opened his mouth then shut it again.  “Oh… Oh!”  He started edging away.  “Right then, so sorry for interrupting.  I’m just going to… return to my new husband.  But I just wanted to say before I take my leave, that was a really fucking smooth line.  Like holy shit, man, that…” he stopped midsentence and snapped his mouth shut again.  “Right, I’m not needed here.”

He wandered away at some point, but they didn’t notice too engaged in staring at each other, surrounded by other couples dancing around them doing a terrible job of pretending like they weren’t trying to see or hear what was happening, before Marinette spoke up.  She pushed a strand of hair behind her ear to give her hands something to do other than twisting together or touching him.  “I thought there was a connection too.  I… I’ve never felt that strong that quick.”

Kon let out an anxious breath and grinned tentatively.  “Yeah?”

She pulled a lip between her teeth and nodded shyly, but then she finally broke eye contact to lower her eyes.  “I was so devastated when I thought…”

His arms were around her before she could finish her thought, pulling her into his chest like he’d been desperate to do since the morning before, especially when he’d heard her crying in the bathroom earlier in the day but couldn’t physically get to her.  It had taken everything in him not to burst through the door and hold her until all her tears had dried.  “I’m so sorry, Marinette.  I didn’t…”

“No, I know now,” she interrupted.  “I should have given you a chance to explain.  I was just so…”

“I know,” he interrupted softly.  He pulled away from her just enough to meet her eyes but kept her locked against him.  “Can we start over?”

She slid her hands from his chest, up his neck, and settled them along his jaw.  “No, not over, I don’t want to forget…” she looked down to hide the way her cheeks flared up in embarrassment, “… um…”

Kon grinned brilliantly.  “Our connection?” he offered, voice dripping with inuendo.

She glared at him without heat.  “Yes, that,” she agreed begrudgingly.  “But I mostly meant the connection,” she stressed stripping it of the suggestive nature.

“Oh, yeah, that,” he settled his hands on her hips then slid them around to circle her waist, his smile somehow getting cockier. “That was pretty good too.”  He continued to stare into her eyes for a few long moments, now swaying with her to the music long enough several songs had come and gone.

“You know,” he started quietly, showing more vulnerability than she’d seen in him to that point, “As much as I joke, I meant everything I told Adrien.  I’ve never felt anything like this before, like just knowing you’re close is enough to make my heart race and my brain calm at the same time and knowing I might get to see you soon makes my whole day better.”

She grinned up at him.  “Yeah?”

“Yeah,” he nodded.  He pressed his lips to her forehead.  They lingered there for a few beats like he couldn’t stomach the idea of not being that close to her.  “Stay with me tonight?” he whispered against her skin, but almost instantly pulled away to meet her eyes again.  “Not… not like… to talk!” he exclaimed frantically.  “I…”  He groaned and dropped his head in defeat.  “I still can’t say it right.”

Marinette pressed a finger under his chin to urge his head up again.  “Yes.”

“Yes?” Hope and excitement had made their way back into his eyes, which just moments ago had gone flat, and she took more than a bit of pride in that fact.

She hummed in affirmation.  “Yes.  We can change after the wedding and go somewhere to talk… and just be close.”

He tightened his arms around her and brought her into his puffed out chest again.  “Yeah, I like that.”  He waited a few beats before looking around them surreptitiously.  “Do you think they’d notice if we did that now?”

Marinette chuckled and shook her head.  “I think they might.”  Just then she caught sight of Adrien and Tim watching them very closely, a look of utter glee on their faces.  “Or not…” she snorted.

Kon followed her gaze and chuckled.  “That’s a not.  Come on,” he encouraged, pulling her hand toward the gardens.  “Let’s get out of here.  I promise to have us back in time for the cake.”  He took a step but stopped and looked back at her questioningly.  “Do you trust me?”

Marinette didn’t have to think about it.  The answer she’d been fighting all day burst out.  “Yes.  Yes, I do.”

He grinned and pulled her to him with a kiss.  “I’m going to get you to say that again someday,” he promised.  He took advantage of her blushy sputtering to pull her out to the garden and all to himself.

“I can’t say the right thing.  Words are hard,” she mocked.  “You’ve had some of the smoothest lines I’ve ever heard.”

Adrien sighed but nodded in understanding and pulled her into a hug.  He pulled away after a few seconds with a kiss to her temple.  “Let me know if you want company.  Or if you don’t want company but need someone there.  I promise I can just sit quietly with you, and I’ll be there in a heartbeat.”

Marinette scoffed and gave him a pointed look. “Maybe you can but you’ll be giving me looks the entire time.”

“I won’t,” he insisted in mock offense.  “I don’t have looks.  I have just normal looks… disinterested, indifferent, gorgeous looks.”  He met her doubtful gaze and rolled his eyes.  “Fine,” he groaned dramatically.  “I’m sorry I worry about you.  My bad.  I’m such a terrible person because I love you and want to make sure you’re okay.”  He congratulated himself at the small but genuine smile Marinette graced him with because of his dramatics.

“Glad we agree,” she commented with a nod.  “You’re a terrible person.  Night, Kitty.”

“Night, Princess,” Adrien said quietly.  He gave her a last squeeze before letting her walk away.  His heart clenching tighter with each step.  He may have gotten her to smile and chuckle a few times, but she was clearly hurting. He could see the pain in her eyes even as she laughed.

He waited until she walked into her building before pulling out his phone to call a familiar number.  He kept watching the door while the phone rang.  When it was finally answered, Adrien started talking immediately.  “Tim, Timmy, Sweetie, Buddy, Mon Amour, Light of my questionably existent soul, does B still have that store of kryptonite?”

He continued as if he hadn’t heard Tim’s loud groan.  “If you need plausible deniability, I can have Plagg go on a little stroll next time I’m in the manor.  He’d be more than willing to…” Adrien paused at Plagg’s growl.  “Actually, he’ll be more upset that he can’t do worse. Completely unrelated, can I stop by the manor tonight?”

Tim took a long, deep breath before answering. He knew something was not quite right with Marinette earlier.  Not only had she clearly been avoiding Conner, which Tim could see was hurting and confusing Conner the longer it went on, but she had just been off her game.  She had missed obvious openings, left herself open for hits she never would have allowed normally, and hadn’t laughed or really talked at all during the entire session.

He’d thought it was something minor, knowing Marinette and Conner’s relationship, it was almost certainly something small and stupid.  They both cared about each other too much for it to be something big.  But based on Adrien’s reaction, it was clearly something more significant than he had anticipated.  “Why?  What did the dumbass do?”

Adrien ignored the ‘Hey’ he could clearly hear over the line indicating Conner was walking next to Tim.  “Marinette confessed and he told her he wasn’t interested,” Adrien answered with an eerie calm.

“He did what?” Tim almost screamed into the phone.

“I did what?” Conner demanded, sounding almost as surprised as Tim.  “That is not what I said.”

Tim glared suspiciously at Conner and put his phone on speaker.  “That’s not what she thinks,” Adrien answered curtly.  “She’s currently walking into her apartment to go to bed in the middle of the day because she’s feeling too dejected to actually do anything because you told her you weren’t romantically interested in her whatsoever.”

“I said what?” Conner’s voice squeaked as he tried to make sense of Adrien’s words.

“And if that’s how you feel, that’s not your fault,” he continued.  “You have a right not to be interested.  And Marinette agrees with that.  She understands that.  She said it several times while we were talking.

“Except I distinctly remember you saying you were interested last week.  And I remember you flirting shamelessly continuously the past few months. Marinette might be an insecure, oblivious idiot when it comes to love, but to everyone else it was extremely clear.  I also remember you encouraging her to cuddle extra close to you last night. So, I have to ask, what the fuck happened, Conner?  Because she said you were angry when she told you.  She thinks you’re uninterested and angry at her.”

“I wasn’t…” Conner turned over the statement in his head a few times, but the third time running through didn’t make the words make any more sense than the first time.  He had never said he wasn’t interested, and he couldn’t think of what he might have done to convince her he was mad.  He had only said ‘not that night.’  And the only time he’d acted even remotely angry was when…  His breath stopped as the words from the night before came to him. The words from her note suddenly making more sense.

“What the Hell did you s…” Tim started but stopped at the gust of wind that hit him when he looked at where Conner had been a few seconds before.  He sighed loudly.  “No need for the kryptonite knuckle dusters.  I believe he’s on his way to talk to her now.”

There was silence on the line for a few seconds before Adrien spoke up.  “So… your idiot is on his way to make my idiot feel better,” he noted with intentional airiness.  “Want to get our date night back on track?”

Tim grinned.  “Absolutely.  Want me to order from that Thai restaurant and you can pick it up on your way over to the Nest?  I’ll get the series queued up where we left off.”

Adrien smiled, the smile widening when he felt a strong breeze hit him and the door of the apartment building open and slam shut, seemingly on its own.  “Yeah, that sounds brilliant.  See you in about half an hour.”

><><><><><><><><><>< 

Marinette trudged up the stairs at a glacial pace, each step harder than the last.  She felt like she had to push her legs to advance, as if the air itself was resisting her and the floor reluctant to let her feet go.  She briefly considered turning around and asking Adrien to come up after all but shook her head to dismiss the thought.  She needed the time alone.  She needed the space, even from Adrien.  She needed to not be pitied, not have sympathetic eyes on her feeling sorry for her, for tonight.

She wanted to let Conner’s words bounce around and settle in.  ‘I don’t want to kiss you.’  ‘Marinette stop,’ when she was confessing.  Or worse yet, ‘No,’ yelled at her when she asked if he was interested in her.  No remorse. No softening the blow.  Period.  Full stop. Just no.  She wanted to let the way he said it, the anger in his voice at the thought of her liking him, solidify in her mind so she wouldn’t go back, she wouldn’t try again.  So, she could know in her soul, it wasn’t an option.  If she had someone there with her, softening the blow, it might not etch into her consciousness and she might continue to think there was a romantic future.

By the time she reached her door, she was as exhausted physically as she was mentally.  It took a solid three minutes to fish her keys out of her bag and successfully slide the key into the lock.  She leaned her forehead against the door and closed her eyes as she took several breaths. Gathering the last reserves of her energy, she pushed the door open and pawed at it behind her to close it.

It took her a few beats to realize the door didn’t click shut.  She groaned loudly and dropped her head back in disappointment.  Couldn’t anything go right for her today?  Even the door was against her.  She turned sharply; her eyes still closed.  Might as well get it done.  It wasn’t like it was going to close itself.  She opened her eyes as she took a step toward the door and faltered immediately.

Kon was standing in the doorway, not breaching the apartment entrance without her permission.  He wasn’t out of breath, at least not from the run, but his breathing was labored.  He straightened up quickly and ran his hand through his hair a few times, trying to make it look less disheveled.  He stared back at her hoping desperately his panic didn’t show through.  He hadn’t thought about what to do once he got here, he just knew he had to get here as quickly as possible.

“Kon!  What… um… what are you… uh… doing here?”  She winced internally at her awkwardness.  She was hoping to be smoother, more casual about her interaction. Her internal wince turned into a curse. This is exactly why she needed time. She needed time to mentally prepare for exactly this.  Instead, she had to stuff it all down and push through with a smile on her face. Not the first time she’d had to do that, unlikely to be the last, it was just that this time she also had to have an iron grip on her thundering heartrate.

“What do you mean I rejected you?” he demanded instead.  He immediately mentally berated himself.  That was most definitely not what he had intended to say or how he intended to lead into this conversation.

Marinette’s face immediately froze until she started blinking rapidly.  “Huh? What?” she tried in an overly innocent voice.

Kon let out a shaky breath.  “Can we talk?”

Marinette gave him a bright, saccharine smile.  “Of course.  What’s up?”  He shifted awkwardly as he waited for her to open the door for them to enter.  He glanced between her and the door a few times before Marinette finally picked up on it.  “Oh, um…” she didn’t really want to have this conversation in her apartment. She desperately didn’t want to have the conversation at all, but if he was determined to have it, she really didn’t want it to be somewhere she would have to see daily and relive the rejection over and over again.

But there was no elegant way out of the situation. Regardless of her wishes to pretend like nothing happened, they were going to have the conversation and they were going to have it here.  Her smile turned weak as she moved out of the way for him to enter and trailed behind him with stunted steps, trying her best to not look like she was walking in front of a firing squad.

She turned away from him as she set her purse and coat on the kitchen island chair, allowing herself a few moments to ground herself before facing the inevitable.  Her control over her heartrate weakened with each step until her heart was pounding hard enough someone without super hearing would have been able to hear it across the room, there was no way Conner couldn’t hear it.  No matter how she tried to play it down, he would know she was lying.  Damn supers.

Conner waited restlessly behind her trying to control his urge to reach out to her.  He didn’t need to hear her heartbeat to know she was panicking.  He didn’t even need to see to see how tense her shoulders were or how her jaw was clenched, to know.  He knew her.  And considering what she told Adrien, he knew she was going to panic when she saw him before he even left Tim’s side.  “Can we… I’d like to talk about last night, if we can,” he asked gently.

“Yeah… okay.”  She turned around so her body was facing him, but she still wasn’t looking at him.  She bit her lip as her eyes darted between the floor, her hands, and his chest.  “I just wanted to say I’m sorry for last night…” she tapped her forefingers together nervously, still refusing to look him in the eye, “and if we can just go back to the way things were and forget about last night, I would really appreciate it.”

Kon sucked in a breath.  Hearing her say the words, even knowing why she was saying it and that she didn’t mean it, hurt.  The words pierced him straight to his heart.  He shook his head.  “I can’t forget about last night and I don’t want to go back to the way things were.”

“Oh,” Marinette looked down and nodded, her eyes already brimming with tears.  She clenched her fists to fight wiping at her eyes.  It would be a clear sign of how upset she was.  And she knew Conner.  She knew how he would take her tears, how her tears, more than anything, would hurt him, and he didn’t deserve that.  He might not want to be friends with her anymore, but she still cared about him and wouldn’t wish that on him.  “Yeah. Okay… um… I understand.”

Conner crossed the space between them until he was close enough to delicately take her hands in his and squeeze them to bring her attention to him.  “No, I don’t think you do.”  He hooked his finger under her chin and urged her to look up at him.  She yielded reluctantly but still couldn’t force herself to meet his eyes.  Her reluctance was grating at his heart.  Kon wanted desperately to hug her and hold her until all the anxiety and fear had melted away, but he couldn’t until they’d talked.  “You told Adrien I rejected you.  That isn’t… I didn’t.  That is not what happened, Marinette.”

Marinette’s eyes snapped to his.  Her face scrunched in confusion.  “Kon…”

Conner shook his head vigorously.  He needed to convince her.  He didn’t know what he would do if he couldn’t.  He took a step closer to her, trying to narrow the physical and emotional gap.  “No, I didn’t.  I wouldn’t,” he insisted.  “I…”

“But you did,” she cut in.  How ever he wanted to play it off, that wasn’t how the night went. She remembered.  The night was seared into her memory.  She took a step back.  “You said you didn’t want to hear me confess.  You said you didn’t want to kiss me.”  

Conner let out a rough breath.  He searched her eyes desperately.  “I have wanted nothing more than to kiss you since I met you,” he said sincerely.

She shook her head and tried to take another step back but the kitchen island kept her in place.  What he was saying wasn’t right.  That wasn’t what he indicated last night.  It sounded perfect but couldn’t be true.  He’d rejected her.  If what he was saying was true, she wouldn’t have left his bed unkissed.  She wouldn’t have left at all.  “But… last night…”

“You were drunk,” he finished for her.  “You were drunk, and I didn’t know how aware you were.”  He took a step closer again, gauging her reaction to the movement.  When she didn’t look upset or uncomfortable, he relaxed into the new proximity.  “I wanted you to be sure.  I wanted you to know.  I wanted to know you were sure.”  He brushed his knuckles along her jaw, touching her in the gentlest way possible, but his fingers still tingled from the touch.  “I wanted to know you would remember our first kiss.”

She froze at his words and his touch.  His touch was featherlight, but the feeling shot through her body like lightening, and she wanted desperately to sink into it, but she couldn’t, not yet.  Not without knowing what was causing the misunderstanding.  “You said you weren’t interested in me.  You yelled it.”

“I…” he faltered at that because he shouldn’t have yelled.  He knew that. He had no excuse for yelling, but he needed her to know why.  It wasn’t because he didn’t want to hear the words, it was the exact opposite. “I shouldn’t have yelled.  I’m sorry.  But I wasn’t angry at you.  I wasn’t. It wasn’t you, and I’m so sorry I made you think it was.  It was me. I was frustrated and couldn’t handle it.”

He sighed as he searched for the words.  He looked back up into her eyes.  “You were saying everything I ever wanted to hear, but you were drunk.  I couldn’t… I couldn’t act on it.  I never said I wasn’t interested in you.  I just said I couldn’t hear those words right then.  I couldn’t… I wasn’t strong enough.  I needed to wait.”

Marinette stared into his eyes for a few seconds searching them for something, Kon wasn’t sure what.  Whatever it was she must not have found it because she wilted in front of him, curling in on herself and resting her forehead on his chest.  His arms wrapped around her instinctively, but he immediately questioned himself.  He didn’t know why she had suddenly dropped, but it had to be bad. It had to mean she was upset with him, right?

“I’m sorry,” she whispered into his shirt.

He pulled away in shock.  “Wait, what?  Why are you sorry?”

She shook her head and looked up at him, the tears now freely falling.  “You were being kind and sweet and respectful, like you always are and I just… I messed it all up, like I always do.  I should have listened to you.  I didn’t listen and…”

Kon hugged her tightly burying her face into his chest before she could finish.  He kissed the crown of her head, a familiar and friendly gesture, one he’d done a hundred times before.  Because now he was sure they still were and no matter what happened now, however they ended the night, they would still be that; friends.

“You absolutely do not always mess things up.” He pulled away to look into her eyes again.  He cupped her face gently and lowered his head just slightly, enough for him to meet her eyes and bring his face closer to hers.  “Can we start over?”  He brushed away her tears gently, searching her eyes desperately.  “Can we please go back to the part where you confess and call me an idiot?”

Marinette couldn’t hold in the bark of a laugh that burst out.  She placed her hands over Kon’s.  “I did not call you an idiot.”

Kon smiled at the change.  Her eyes were still watery, but now they had an edge of bemused affection.  He shrugged innocently.  “That’s what I heard.  If that’s not what you said, why don’t you remind me what you said.”

Marinette chuckled.  “Smooth.”  Kon grinned widely enough, she could see his dimples.  She looked up at him shyly.  “Any part in particular you want me to repeat?”

“I love you.”

Marinette smiled fondly and squeezed his hands as she melted further into them.  “I did say that…”

“I wasn’t talking about what you said,” he whispered.

Her eyes widened.  The words rolled off his tongue with such sincerity, such honesty, she gasped. She pouted when he removed his hands from her face, but her heartrate picked up as he wound his arms around her waist again.  His smile widened. She pouted and cocked her hip to the side as she fixed him with a playful glare.  “That’s cheating.”

“What is?”  His voice was innocent, but his eyes were mischievous.

She leaned closer, relaxing into him.  “Listening to my heartbeat.  You can tell how I feel but I don’t get to know how you feel.”

He leaned closer until his nose was brushing hers. His eyes darted between her eyes and her lips, finally settling back on her eyes.  “Do you want me to show you?”

His voice was making her heartrate jump again. It was deep and husky and stole her ability to speak.  She looked up through her lashes and nodded.  He closed the gap with excruciating slowness, still wanting to give her room to back out if she wasn’t ready.  But she seemed to be tired of waiting on him and pushed forward to press her lips to his. It was soft and timid at first, as if confirming it was real, verifying they both really did want it and each other. It was barely more than a brush of soft lips to dry before Marinette pulled away just far enough to look up and meet his eyes, searching them for reassurance.

Conner immediately obliged, crashing his lips to hers insistently but softly, conscientious of how bad he could hurt her if he used too much force.  He slid one hand up to cradle her head as the other squeezed her waist closer.  She couldn’t be close enough.  Despite being pressed up against him, despite his tongue exploring in her mouth, despite her scent filling his senses, he needed more.

Marinette settled her hands around his neck, the thumb of one caressing his neck and jaw while the other wound into his hair to grasp it, grounding herself in the moment, giving her something concrete as the warmth of his body against hers and the feeling of his lips on hers and his tongue probing her, threatened to send her soaring.  She pulled his hair slightly to angle his head, deepening the kiss. She pushed harder when the action pulled a pleased moan from him.

They pulled away gasping for breath, neither one knew how long it had been.  It took a few moments of panting before they met each other’s eyes, but as soon as they did Marinette giggled uncontrollably. He picked her up and spun her around, his laughter matching hers.  She buried her face in the crux of his neck and shoulder as they spun, missing how they rise higher off the ground with each spin.

She finally pulled her face away so she could look at him adoringly, but immediately squeaked and pulled closer to him when she noticed they were no longer on the ground.  She pursed her lips and huffed at him playfully when she felt the vibrations from his snickering.  “You’re such a showoff.”

He rested his forehead on hers.  “Only for you,” he promised.

She gave him a flat look.  “I’ve seen you in public.  It definitely isn't just for me.”

He chuckled and pulled her higher into his arms, so her face was closer to his without having to crane his neck.  “Okay, especially for you.”

She ran her fingers over his jaw and into the hair at the nape of his neck.  “You’ve never needed it for me.”

Conner grinned and kissed her again, light and sweet, but lingering.  He pulled away just far enough to look at her adoringly.  He furrowed his brow in a mock pout.  “So, I take it you don’t want me to take you higher then.  I can, if you want.  We can go up and see the stars.”

She looked out the window thoughtfully shaking her head a few seconds later.  “How about another time?  Tonight, why don't we stay here, warm and cozy and… cuddling?” The last part coming out almost like a question, uncertainty clear in her voice.

Connor strengthened his hold on her and leaned back lazily so she was laying on top of him as they floated over the couch.  “Like this?”

Marinette hummed and cuddled into his chest.  They hovered for a few minutes, enjoying the feel of the other’s body against their own, relaxing into the warmth emanating from each other.  After a while Marinette rested her chin on his chest and stared at him affectionately.

He smiled at her and cocked his head to the side.  “What?”

“I just...” she smiled and ran her hand over his jaw as if to make sure he really was there.  “You're here.”

His hand froze over his mouth, his eyes caught on the bed and his heart sank as realization set in.  They were supposed to talk this morning.  They were supposed to figure out what they were now, where they wanted to go.  He had hoped they would discuss how they felt about each other now that he could be confident she was fully aware of what she was saying and what she wanted.  In his dream for the conversation, they ended up doing more than just talking after they confessed to each other.  But she was gone.  She had left and he had no idea what that meant.  Had she changed her mind?  Had she forgotten?  Had she meant it at all?

He sat on the edge of the bed for a few seconds trying to figure out what to do next.  What were the next steps?  Did he bring it up to her?  He should bring it up to her right?  Or did he wait for her to bring it up?  Should he follow her lead?  That’s what they usually did, right?  That was their relationship, wasn’t it?  She planned and he followed her.

He groaned and fell back onto the bed.  But not knowing was killing him.  He needed to know.  He needed to know how she felt about him.  He needed to know if he had a shot, if he might get to kiss her, if he might get to enact the amazing dream he had just had, or if it would stay a dream. He needed to know if he should tamp down his feelings and try to move on.

He opened his eyes and stared at the ceiling with a determined glint in his eyes.  He needed to talk to her.  That’s what he needed to do.  Because she was his friend and no matter what happened, they had always wanted the best for each other.  Nothing about this situation changed that.  And friends communicated.

He nearly jumped when his phone started ringing. He sat up and grabbed the phone but frowned when he saw a note on his nightstand.  “Yeah?” he asked distractedly as he started reading the note. His frown deepened with each word of Marinette’s note.  At least now he knew where she had gone, but he wasn’t sure how to interpret it.  ‘Decided to head out after all.  I’m sorry if I said or did something that made you uncomfortable. I get a little goofy when I’ve had too much to drink.  I hope you can forgive me if I did.’

That meant she hadn’t meant it, right? That’s… that’s what she was saying. But!  But it could still… “Kon?  Kon, are you there?”

He blinked at the interruption in his thought process, having forgotten about the phone.  “Sorry, what did you say?”

Tim chuckled.  “How late was your night after we left if you’re this out of it today?”

The teasing suggestion was clear in Tim’s voice and it annoyed Kon.  Did Tim really think he would take advantage of Marinette like that?  “It wasn’t very late at all,” he muttered slightly bitterly. “Marinette and I fell asleep, separately just a little bit later.”

Tim made a sound Kon couldn’t quite interpret. “Are you skipping training then?”

Conner groaned.  Training!  They’d planned training at the Watchtower.  It had been a running joke the entire night, who would be lucid enough for training the next day and who would still be a little too slow after their drinks and late night.  “I forgot about training,” he admitted.  “I’ll zeta there in a few minutes.  Let me just get changed.”

He hung up and tapped the phone against his lips, a small smile forming.  This could be good.  This could be exactly what he needed.  He and Marinette had been training together for the past few months.  That was one of the things that had brought them closer. Not that he hadn’t liked her before that.  The time together just made his already significant crush bloom even larger.  It had given them insights into each other’s personalities and an understanding of each other they hadn’t had before. Hopefully, it could have that effect again.

><><><><><><><><>< 

The obnoxiously loud sound of a ringing phone dragged Marinette out of the dreamless sleep she had finally succumbed to only a few hours earlier.  She groaned and curled into a ball in a futile attempt to protect herself from the offensive interruption.  She let out a relieved breath when the grating noise finally stopped and relaxed further into the bed only to let out a frustrated groan a few seconds later when her phone started ringing again.

She reached blindly around the nightstand, patting wildly until she finally found her phone.  “The world better be ending,” she grumbled to herself but immediately sighed in disappointment in herself because, no, she did not actually want there to be another world ending event.  Beyond the whole, you know, threat to humanity thing, she wasn’t sure she was in any state to fight right now.  She certainly wouldn’t be in top form.

She tapped the answer button and immediately winced at the sharp, stabbing pain in her head from the bright light that appeared on the screen.  “Yes?” she asked as politely as her raging headache would allow for but scowled at the phone like it had personally offended her.  She probably should have checked to see if it was her mom before answering because if she was certain it wasn’t her maman, she would have been considerably ruder.

“Well, good morning to you too, Princess,” Adrien chirped over the line, causing Marinette’s scowl to deepen.  She could have been rude and wasn’t.  “And how is your head feeling this morning?  You going to join us for training today?”

Marinette groaned and looked at the clock.  She’d completely forgotten about team training. “I’ll be there in a few minutes,” she grumbled into the phone.  “Just let me wake up and I’ll walk down.”

Adrien paused for a few seconds before responding. “You’re… you slept at the Watchtower last night?”

Marinette hummed in response, propping herself up slowly so she wouldn’t jostle her head too much.  Tikki hovered in front of her, her large blue eyes filled with concern. Marinette tried to give her an assuring smile, but it fell flat and only caused the concern in Tikki’s eyes to increase. “Transforming should help during training,” Tikki offered quietly.  “You’ll still need to take care of yourself after training, drink a lot of water to rehydrate yourself, but it will help for a short time.”

Marinette nodded.  It was a really good idea.  She was desperately hoping training in the suit would help dampen some of this pain, because otherwise she wasn’t going to last past the first hit, whether it was her landing it or her sparring partner.  Plus, it gave her the added layer of protection.  In her suit she was safe.  In her suit, Conner couldn’t read her body reacted.  She froze at the thought, her heartrate ramping up at the realization. She had been training with Conner a lot lately.  It was just assumed they would train together the past few weeks.

“Hey, Chaton, can we train together today?” She tried to keep the pleading out of her tone, but she was positive he heard it.  Her entire body went rigid at the knock at her door.  That couldn’t be Conner, right?  He didn’t know where she had gone.  She hadn’t said in the note and she was here precisely because he wouldn’t be able to hear her.  She took a bracing breath and opened her door.

“Why the sudden change of partners?” Adrien asked without any preamble, handing her a bottle of water as he passed by her into the room.  “You and Kon have been pretty inseparable the past few weeks.”  He narrowed his eyes at her reaction to the bright hallway lights flooding into the room. “What’s with the grimace?  I didn’t think you’d had that much to drink last night.”

“I don’t think it’s a hangover.  I think it’s dehydration,” she muttered as she took an extended drink from the bottle.  After she’d drained almost the entire thing in one drink, she continued without meeting his eyes.  “And I don’t think he’d want to and… and I think I might need a bit of space too.”

Adrien groaned and collapsed on her bed, tossing an arm over his eyes dramatically.  “You were going to confess to him last night!  What happened?  Whatever you said instead, it’ll be fine.  We can figure it out and I guarantee he isn’t offended.  It’ll be easier to come back from than you think. He’ll be looking for a reason to talk to you.”  He popped up on his elbows to look at her with a supportive smile.  “He likes you, Princess.  You don’t have to be so anxious around him.  He wants to be closer to you.”

Marinette shook his head, still avoiding looking him in the eyes. She wasn’t sure if she was ready for this conversation yet, even with herself.  She just wanted to ignore it, pretend like it didn’t happen, especially right before she was about to see him in person and have to interact with him like nothing was wrong.  But Adrien was watching her, waiting for her to respond with something, anything. Wanting to help, not realizing how it was actually making her feel.  “No,” she finally mumbled, “he doesn’t.”

“You’re wrong, Princess,” Adrien scoffed.  “I promise you.  It will feel better to have it out, to not be afraid of it.  You just need to do it, just confess.  He won’t say no.”

Marinette puckered her lips until a bitter chuckle finally broke through.  “You don’t understand.”  She finally met his eyes and Adrien could finally see the red veins running through them and the dried trails of tears on her cheeks.  “I did and he did.”

Adrien gaped, more astonished than if she would have admitted to having worked with Hawkmoth.  “What?” he finally breathed out.

Marinette’s lips quivered as she looked away again, searching for some way to hold back her tears, trying to ground herself before it all spilled out again.  After a few seconds she finally felt strong enough to voice her thoughts.  “I told him I loved him and wanted to kiss him.  He told me in no uncertain terms he does not want to be in a relationship with me.”  Marinette looked away, trying to hide the tears that she somehow, inexplicably still had enough moisture for.  “And now I just…” she shook her head and choked out a sob, “I just hope I haven’t completely ruined our friendship.  He was really upset.”

Adrien pulled her into a tight hug that Marinette immediately returned.  He whispered comforting words and stroked her back while she cried.  None of this made any sense.  None of it.  Kon liked Mari.  A lot. Maybe even loved her.  He’d heard Conner mooning over Marinette to Tim enough times to be absolutely certain of it.  He was talking about her last week.  Probably more too, that’s just the last time Adrien had actually heard him say it. It couldn’t have changed in that amount of time.  There had to be a misunderstanding.

He waited until Marinette pulled away and wiped her tears.  “You were drunk,” he started tentatively, both to avoid upsetting Marinette and as he tried to puzzle out what could possibly have happened.

Marinette let out a huff of air.  “There’s something about the person you’re head over heels in love with telling you they have no interest in kissing you, not kissing in general, just in kissing you in particular, that sobers a person right up.”

Adrien cringed.  He’d never been in that situation, but he’d definitely been in situations where someone had said something that seemed to drive the alcohol straight out of his veins, and something like that would definitely do it.  “Maybe… maybe you misunderstood?” he offered weekly.

Marinette shook her head and rested it on his shoulder miserably.  “I asked if he was interested in me at all and he said no, he wasn’t.”  She barked out a wet laugh.  “I don’t know how I misinterpreted that.”

Adrien furrowed his brow as he thought about her words.  “Tikki? Did you hear?  Do you know what happened?”

Tikki shook her head sadly.  “I was asleep.  I missed the entire thing.”

Adrien nodded.  He rubbed comforting circles on her back as he thought about what to do next, how to respond.  “Do you want to skip today?”

Marinette rested her head against his chest for a few more minutes, his offer rolling over and over in her mind as she considered it. Finally, she pulled away with a determined look.  “No. No, I want to keep moving forward,” she said with a nod that appeared far more confident than she felt.  “I don’t want to do anything to make him think anything is wrong, because he didn’t do anything wrong.  I just want to move past it and pretend like it never happened.”

Because if it never happened, it wouldn’t hurt as much. And if they never talked about it, she would never have to actually hear the words, which was the most terrifying part of entire situation.  She would be okay.  She would move on.  She would get past it… eventually.  And it would hurt but she could survive it.

But if she had to sit down with Conner and actually hear him say the words ‘I don’t like you like that.  I’ll never like you like that.  You should find someone who can,’ she might not survive it.  Well, she would, but it would hurt considerably more. Her heart might shatter into so many pieces she might never be able to put them back together right.

Adrien furrowed his brow so deeply, the wrinkles he was creating would take hours to disappear, but he quickly wiped it away to give her a weak smile.  He wanted more information on what she meant when she said Conner was upset, what he had done that made her think he was mad at her.  He knew Conner had a temper, but outside of a spar, he’d never done anything rougher than snap at Marinette a few times in the heat of a battle.

But Marinette had made it clear she wanted to forget about it for a bit, and he knew Marinette well enough to know she needed time to work things out in her own head in a safe environment.  It was when she secluded herself that he needed to worry about her.  Until then, he needed to make sure she felt supported while she worked through her anxiety and offer her a safe way to get it out.  “Okay, Princess.”  He pulled her into another tight hug.  “Let’s go train.  I’m not going to hold back,” he promised softly, “and you don’t have to either. Hit as hard as you need to.”

Marinette nodded and squeezed him back quickly. “Tikki, spots on.”  She relaxed her muscles as soon as she felt the magic wash over her.  “Let’s do this.”

Adrien opened the door for her and followed her out diligently, his concerned eyes didn’t leave her the entire walk to the training room.  Her body became increasingly tense, her steps wooden the closer they got.  He gently laid his arm around her shoulders in a silent show of support, but the tension didn’t decrease until they reached the room to find Conner hadn’t arrived yet.

Bart was on them in an instant with a bright smile. “How are we feeling today?  How’s your head?  Everyone make it home okay?  Did you drink more after we left?”  He searched Marinette and Adrien closely, appearing in a new position next to them with each question and each time closer to them as he searched for signs of distress.

Cassie rested a hand on his shoulder trying to ground him.  “Okay, calm down.  You’re going to vibrate through the floor.  And what exactly are you trying to see anyway?  You can’t see through the magic.”  She looked at Marinette with a smirk.  “Although, that is a good question; how did things go after we left?”  Her voice was pointed but soft, like she was assured of the answer she would receive.

Marinette froze under her gaze.  It was only for a moment, but it was enough for Cassie’s brow to furrow in concern.  “They didn’t,” Marinette answered quickly with a strained smile.  “I headed out not long after you guys did.”

Cassie’s eyes blew wide.  “You didn…”  she stopped mid word when she saw Adrien furiously shaking his head.  She was now thoroughly confused.  She would have thought Marinette lost her nerve, she had been extremely nervous before they headed over to the get together.  But with the way Adrien reacted, it seemed like something more was going on.  “Well… early night for all of us then,” she offered uncomfortably.

“Conner, you made it!” Tim called out suddenly. Marinette’s entire body went stiff as a board, her breath froze in her chest.  She flicked her eyes to him for just a second with a curt nod and tight smile in greeting, too afraid to actually make eye contact with him.  She could do this, but not if she had to see the guilt or pity or anger, whatever his reaction was going to be, in his eyes.  She would be fine.  She could do this.

Cassie moved to flank Marinette and offer a barrier against whatever was going on, but before she could Conner stepped between them, taking his usual place; right by Marinette’s side.  “Hey,” he said eagerly.  He smiled brightly and ducked down to catch Marinette’s eyes.  His body was faced toward the group, but his eyes were focused unequivocally on Marinette.  His expression was hopeful and calm, a direct contrast to the anxious tension in his body.

She glanced up quickly with a pasted on smile but quickly looked back to Cassie.  She was wrong.  She couldn’t do this.  She needed more time, more space, more distance from his beautiful, crystal blue eyes that used to hold so much warmth for her.  He didn’t seem angry with her anymore, which was good.  It meant he could probably move on quicker, but she still needed time.

“Hey!” Bart answered him excitedly.  “How are you feeling today?  Still recovering?”He looked Conner over hopefully, but his face quickly fell.  “Man! You were my last hope,” he pouted. “Everybody’s perfectly fine today.”

“Sorry, you’re out of luck.  That’s Ladybug’s area anyway,” Conner chuckled and looked quickly toward Marinette to see if she was giggling too.  He frowned slightly when he noted her smile.  Not only did his comment not make her giggle that light, bright laugh that makes her eyes crinkle, she was giving him her awkward smile, her I’m-in-an-awkward-situation-and-don’t-want-to-be-here smile.  He didn’t know if it was because she didn’t want to talk about it in front of everyone or if she didn’t want to talk about it at all.

“Okay,” Tim cut in loudly.  “Let’s start.  Pair up.”

Conner turned to Marinette.  He was still smiling but the hopeful edge to it had started to fade.  Something was wrong and he had a feeling that something was him.  But they just needed a bit of time one-on-one.   They could work through anything together.  “Are you rea…”

“Hey, Bugaboo, ready to train?” Adrien cut in. He tightened his grip around her shoulder, directing her away from Conner almost innocently.  Marinette followed Adrien without question and without looking back.

Conner snapped his mouth shut, watching as they walked away and along with them his chance to recapture what he and Marinette had started the night before.  He kept watching Marinette and Adrien as they began to spar, even after Tim had knocked into his shoulder to get his attention.  Conner shoved Tim away with a single, quick push strong enough to knock Tim back halfway across the room, without taking his eyes off Marinette.

He pursed his lips hard enough they turned white and glared at the ground.  That message was pretty clear.  She didn’t want to talk.  He was right to begin with.  She hadn’t meant to say any of that last night.  She hadn’t meant it.  It was just the alcohol.  He let out a long breath.  Thank God he didn’t give in and kiss her last night.  He had no idea how bad their relationship would be now if he had.  They could bounce back from this.  They could still be friends.  Just friends.  Just really good friends.