#marijason

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“I hate this.” Jason huffed, tugging at the tie that Bruce had forced him to wear if he were going to attend the meeting with the board. Technically he wasn’t supposed to talk unless told to. He was there more as a last resort, a means to express to the board why creative outlets were important for adolescence to have easy access to growing up. He wasn’t Damian, he had zero skill’s in the art of sketching, but he read like crazy and dabbled in writing. I was therapeutic for him in a way. A method for him to put all his hurt and frustration and anger into something that wasn’t his family. And writing helped him think differently, which gave him the ability to think of more creative solutions to problems he might run into day to day.

“It’s only for a few hours. You’ll be fine,” Tim assured. “Beside’s this is important.”

“I know. I can’t believe these old farts are trying to stop this program from going through.”

“Yeah, we aren’t happy about it, but they still have a say in the proceedings of this business so we need to convince them.”

“Which is why I’m here.”

“If we need you. Adrien assured us that his guest would be more than enough to get our members to change their vote.”

“Did he say who he was bringing?”

“Perhaps.” There was a teasing look in Tim’s smile that Jason hated. “Adrien and his guest should be arriving on the elevator any moment, why don’t we go greet them?” Jason said nothing but followed his younger brother through the halls of the upper level of Wayne enterprises. They didn’t wait long before the elevator opened and Jason was not ready for who stepped out. He knew Adrien, most people did. When news of Paris finally reached the rest of the world, the Justice League had kept a close eye on him despite him having revealed himself as being one of the heroes fighting against his terrorist of a father (Ladybug, however, had not). Jason hadn’t been on watch duty, but he had still kept track of the kid out of his own sense of curiosity. After all, Adrien was another kid who had to work out of the overbearing shadow of his father, and Jason wanted to know how he handled it. So he knew Adrien, he, however, was not expecting to also know his guest.

“Marinette?” He gaped at the young Asian woman who stepped out. She was in a pantsuit, no doubt one she designed herself, and her hair was pulled back in a neat bun. There were splashes of color that laced their way around the navy outfit of hers, but no matter how much he looked out it, the colors only made the suit look more professional. It was beautiful, she was beautiful, and Tim elbowed him after he’d been staring a moment too long.

“Jason, I didn’t think you’d be here,” Marinette was all smiles, which is exactly how she always was, and Jason found himself slipping into the usual grin he wore when he was around her. “You work at Wayne Enterprises?”

“He doesn’t work here,” Tim corrected. “I don’t think he would survive in this environment for long.”

“Yeah, that doesn’t surprise me,” Marinette gave him a knowing look and he sighed.

“I have to say, I wasn’t expecting your guest to know my brother, Adrien. This is a surprising turn of events.”

“Oh trust, me the confusion here is mutual. Mari, how do you know Mr. Wayne’s second oldest.” As they spoke, Jason felt a small panic creep into his chest. He hadn’t told Marinette he was a Wayne. He hadn’t wanted to because most people treat him differently when they learn he’s someone of status and Jason hated that more than anything. He wanted to be treated as Jason, not as the son of the wealthiest man in the city.

“I didn’t know he was a Wayne,” she admitted, eye him up and down. “He’s a regular at the café. If it’s slow, he’ll sit at the bar counter and we’ll talk about whatever book he’s been reading lately. I guess it makes sense why you could tip so much.”

“The tips were for Ella.”

“Oh, I know. She appreciates it, by the way.”

“Wait wait wait!” Tim held up his hand, grabbing everyone’s attention. “Jason, you mean to tell me when you disappear for hours at a time during the day, you’re actually sneaking off to a little café to meet with this mystery girlfriend of yours you never bothered to tell the family about?” Jason’s face went red, and if they weren’t in a professional environment, he would have punched Tim across the room.

“We’re not actually dating,” He huffed out, glaring daggers since physical assault was out of the question at the moment. “She’s just a friend.” If he’d been brave enough to look at Marinette’s he would have noticed her face going completely red as well. Instead, he looked at Adrien who had a smile on his face that was some cross between pity and threatening. It was a cat-like grin, Jason realized, and the blonde's hero persona was slipping through, not that he looked like he was trying to hide it very well.

“Anyway, the meeting should be starting soon, should we make our way into the conference room?” Adrien suggestion, breaking them out of the moment. Marinette nodded eagerly, and Adrien went ahead, his guest following quickly behind. This left Jason and Tim alone and Tim was watching Jason with a knowing smile.

“Is there a reason you haven’t asked her out yet.”

“Shut up.”

“No, I’m serious—”

“And I’m going to kick your ass later for that comment.”

“Well, assuming she’s the same Marinette who leaves us coffee on her fire escape every night when we patrol, I would encourage you to act quickly. Pretty sure Damian has been growing more interested in her.”

“I’d love to see him try.”

“No, you don’t. If he tries, he won’t accept defeat.”

“Then you clearly don’t know Marinette well enough.”

“What’s that mean?”

“Oh, you’ll see. She’s Agreste’s ace, after all. There’s a reason he brought her in for this.”

“You know something.”

“And I’m not telling you what it is,” he ruffled Tim’s hair and went on his way to the conference room, ready for the verbal smackdown that was about to take place.

The meeting started without any problems. Each side stated their pros and cons as professionally as they could, although it was clear both Adrien and Tim were at the end of their fuse when it came to dealing with the older members of the board. Their argument was that the money used to fund the charity could be better utilized to help the growth of Gotham and other cities within the country. It was a weak argument, sure, but it was one they were sticking too. In reality, they just didn’t want to spend money on people they considered to be ‘lesser’ and their intent wasn’t hidden as well as they hoped it would be. Jason had picked up on as much, and a quick look to Marinette proved she’d picked up on their underlying racism as well. When it was clear that this meeting was going nowhere, Adrien rose and introduced Marinette as a special guest he brought specifically to talk to the board.

She smiled as she stood and made her way to the head of the table. Jason could tell from the looks on the board member's faces that they were expecting some sob story about how art had given her a chance to integrate into society and granted the opportunities she never would have received without access to methods to express her creativity. Her smile was tight, but her entire demeanor was that of someone who was just happy to be there.

“My name is Marinette Dupain-Cheng,” she introduced, looking the picture of non-threatening. “And I’m here as a representative of the Agreste Brand. I’m a longtime friend of Adrien’s and he asked me to speak with you all about the importance of this charity they’re trying to create, as well as the importance of access to materials that offer the ability to express creativity.” Her eye’s swept across the room analyzing each person as if she could read every man who sat at the table with a moment’s notice. Jason was pretty sure she could. Her eyes gleamed as if she knew everything that made these men tick and she was going to bare it for the entire world to see. She smiled like she was happy to be there, but her eyes watched everyone in a way that made them feel threatened even if they couldn’t pinpoint exactly why.

Truthfully, Jason didn’t know what Marinette’s plan was, but he leaned back in his chair and smiled, looking forward to watching what would happen next. And oh, he was not disappointed. Marinette spoke for a solid twenty minutes completely uninterrupted because nobody was brave enough to speak up and cut her off, and after speaking about why creative outlets were so important to the development of economic and cultural growth, she turned on them again and downright threatened them.

“The news of this charity has been covered widely by national and local news stations. If it were to happen, it would become one of the largest charities in the world. The reason Mr. Agreste reached out to Wayne Enterprises, is because they have a history of developing charities with the intent on improvement to society through basic needs and necessities. Housing, work programs, child care. Gotham has grown into a prospering city because of the work Mr. Wayne has put into giving back. So, a partnership between Wayne Enterprises and one of the most creative Brand's in the world? Yeah, people are abuzz about the possibilities. They assume it’s already a done deal, that meetings are now about our strategy to bring this entire charity to fruition. Imagine the shock if they learned Wayne Enterprises pulled out? Adrien has had to rebuild his father’s brand from the ground up. He’s done a very good job, and he prides himself on honesty. So, if asked, he won’t lie and say it just didn’t work out. He will express exactly why you all pulled out, as well as express the fact that Timothy was very much for the partnership, but he was outvoted by several older selfish board members. He could name you all by names, and it wouldn’t be slander because every word he says is the truth. Regardless of if you agree to this partnership, Agreste plan’s on moving forward with this charity. We had hoped by combining our profits together, we would be able to reach more people, but if you don’t want any part in this, it’s not going to stop us. The downside is that when people learn Timothy wanted to help with this charity but was outvoted, attention will turn to him. He might realize that the staff he has presently isn’t acting with the mindset of what Wayne Enterprises plans to do for the world. He might just have to let some people go. And if those people are the ones who vetoed this partnership? Well, I’m sure the majority of people aren’t going to care about a few rich men who have never done anything for them other than sit in an office and make decisions that tend to negatively affect them.”

The silence after was deafening. Tim was trying not to laugh and Adrien was failing to reign in that feral grin of his. Jason just looked proud. Eventually, someone managed to speak up.

“Are you threatening us?” He sounded offended, and Marinette turned to him slowly, that same sweet smile on her face.

“Oh, this is no threat. This is a prediction. Of course, you could avoid all the possible trouble simply by agreeing. It’s not like it’s going to make much of a dent in your bank accounts. Then again, perhaps you have some ulterior motive for why you refuse to agree. Perhaps you're being paid off? Perhaps you’re trying to undreaming the current CEO? Regardless of your methods, I’ve heard the local vigilantes tend to target corruption when they see it. I also heard they were in favor of this partnership with Agreste Enterprises. I’m sure if it fell through, they would investigate rather thoroughly as to why it failed. And I wouldn’t be surprised to find your names and faces in the news regardless of if Mr. Agreste explained why the deal fell through or not.”

Tim took that moment to interrupt. “Perhaps we should take a quick lunch break. I’m sure we all have a lot to think about and it would be nice to have a little time to process this new information.”

“Sir, you’re just going to let her threaten us like that?” One of the men asked, clearly outraged, but Tim didn’t care.

“I didn’t hear any threats. As far as I’m concerned, Wayne enterprises is an organization that has prided itself on giving back to the community. All communities. If anyone in this room proceeds without the mindset of how we can help others, then frankly I don’t believe they deserve a chair in this room. Evaluations will be happening after affairs are settled with Agreste Enterprises, And I’m not sure all of you will be sitting in this room come the next fiscal year.” He smiled at them. “This meeting is adjourned for now. We will continue in two hours.”

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Marinette hadn’t planned on being alone at lunch with just Jason, but here she was. It wasn’t accidental either. She’d watched Tim lean over to Adrien and whisper something. She’d seen both boys look back at her and Jason, and she’s saw their failed attempts at hiding their smirks when they declared they would eat lunch in Tim’s office so they could go over some business stuff. They then shoed her and Jason from the building, encouraging them to go get lunch. They’d been set up, and she was sure Jason was aware of it as well, but right now he was watching her as if she was someone completely new.

“I don’t think I’ve ever been more in love with someone before.” It was such a blunt statement that Marinette wasn’t sure how to take it. Her face was burning though.

“You can’t just say stuff like that, Jason!” She hissed.

“Okay, but it’s the truth. Like I knew you were a badass. I watched you singlehandedly take down a crook who tried to rob the café. I’ve seen you threaten people out of the store with a smile on your face. You threaten death with a look that assures the victim that their body will never be found, but there will be a smile on your face and you’ll send them off from the store with a kind farewell.”

“Jason, I swear—”

“You just stood in front of a room of grown businessmen, who probably climbed to the top by trampling people like you underfoot, and threatened them with the end of their careers while smiling at them like nothing was wrong.”

“I’m flattered, but the only thing I picked up from that was ‘people like me.’ What exactly do you mean by people like me?”

“The actual hard workers. The people who care about the betterment of others despite what it may cost them personally. The actual brilliance that does more for the world than the people who sit cozy in their high office with a city view and pretend like they actually care about making a change. When I say people like you, I mean people who make the world better simply by existing. If more people were like you, Marinette, the world might be a better place.” Marinette thought she’d finally gotten the blush to fade from her face, but it came back full force. How could it not? And the way Jason was looking at her? Like she hung the stars at night. “I’ll be right back,” he said, practically sprinting from his seat. She watched him leave and settled into her chair.

They were at a nice little café a short walk from Wayne tower. Technically Marinette was free for the day. And she probably should be heading back to her own Café to open it since she was the only one working today. She would have gone back, despite Tim and Adrien’s attempt to get them alone together, except Jason had insisted on lunch as well. He promised to give her a lift back to the café after they ate, and Marinette couldn’t really say no to him.

Jason had been one of the first people she’d truly gotten to know in Gotham. He’d been a regular at Starlight’s before Marinette had arrived, and after she’d arrived, the owners said he’d started coming around even more. I had been two weeks before Jason had plopped down at the barstool and introduced himself as Jason Todd. Marinette had introduced herself and the rest was history. She looked forward to when he would come. She looked forward to him going into detail about a recent book he’d just read. Jason came off as physically intimidating, he was a pretty big guy, but he was also a complete nerd. There was always a spark in his eye and a goofy grin on his face as he would talk about whatever character was leading the current book he’d absorbed. Marinette loved listening to him. Jason was a good storyteller, even if he didn’t know it.

It had taken her a while to realize she had feelings for him. It wasn’t as if the feeling wasn’t there, but Marinette had so many other things on her mind that it wasn’t until she actually sat down and processed her time in Gotham that everything became evident. Her day always grew brighter when Jason arrived at the shop. She hadn’t realized, but she’d been subconsciously watching the door around the time he usually showed up and would grow worried if he was late. She looked forward to their conversations and would oftentimes reply them in her head long after he’d gone.

Finding out that Jason Todd was actually Jason Todd-Wayne hadn’t been as much as a shock as it probably should have been. He was still just Jason to her; the same dork she would tease when he stumbled into the shop just before closing so he could talk with her and help her clean. The same Jason who would join her on outings and help her carry fabric back home because to him, carrying about fifty pounds of fabric was like “carrying a pillow.” The same Jason who always called her Pixie-pop no matter if he was a civilian or he was Red Hood. He didn’t know she knew, and she didn’t find a need to tell him. Secret identities were something she understood, so she provided them with coffee or tea when they went out on patrol at night because Marinette knew first hand that even the smallest of gestures would go a long way.

It was also a bonus that the heroes would sit on her fire escape for a little while and talk with her. She enjoyed their company and she hoped they enjoyed hers.

She glanced back at the door where Jason had just left. He'd moved in a hurry and Marinette wondered where exactly he had gone.

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Jason really really hated Tim. He had been fine with the relationship he had with Marinette. Sure he liked her…a lot, but he had a tendency to ruin a good thing and he didn’t want to do that with her. But Tim had to go and open his big mouth and drop a hint that Damian might be interested in Marinette as well. It shouldn’t have bothered him. He was sure plenty of people had been interested in Marinette romantically, have you seen her? It’s like a literal angel decided one day to come down to earth simply because she wanted to do good for people. She was the sweetest person he’d ever met, but she wasn’t a pushover. Far from it. It had only taken one time for Jason to learn that Marinette did not need anyone to fight her battles. So he stood to the side and watched. And the more he watched the more in love he fell. So, yeah. The thought of Damian swooping in and trying to date his Pixie-Pop was driving him up a wall. Marinette wasn’t his, he knew this. But the idea of losing her to anyone else upset him in a way he couldn’t quite place. And an impromptu text from Tim was all it took to clarify it.

“It’s called Jealousy and you’re an idiot.” That’s all Tim had texted him, and Jason “I don’t think my plans through enough” Todd decided right then and here he was going to make a move. Perhaps leaving Marinette alone at the café wasn’t the brightest idea, but he knew this area and he knew there was a flower shop around the corner, and if he was going to ask Marinette out he was going to at least have a little presentation.

“You look like you need something specific,” Jason had been staring at some prearranged bouquets with a frown. He wasn’t sure why, but none of them were right, and the clerk had noticed him. “Perhaps I can help?” She was a small woman, older, likely old enough to have grandchildren, but she had a smile on her face and it was clear she had been doing this for a while.

“I’m asking my longtime friend out. Roses seem cheesy, so I’m trying to avoid those, but for whatever reason, none of these seem right.”

“Oh? Well, perhaps I can make you something specific.” She gestured for him to follow, so he did. Further back in the store were assortments of flowers hanging in buckets waiting to be arranged. “Tell me about this friend of yours, young man.” And so Jason did.

“She is the most creative person I’ve ever met. She designs clothes, and honestly, I’ve never seen anything like what she makes before. She has bright blue eyes that I swear are hiding stars in them sometimes, and her smile could put the sun out of business. She laughs and it’s musical, and she always listens. People pretend to listen to you to be polite, but she’s always paying attention. She cares about people, not just herself. I can’t count the number of times I’ve watched her walk out the front door to hand a homeless individual a warm cup of tea and some freshly baked goods. She doesn’t take shit from anyone. She’s a tiny person, but her attitude towers over even the scariest of criminals. It’s impressive and terrifying. I’m always a little worried her attitude could land her in trouble. She has this confidence that infects people around her. People always seem more confident in themselves when she’s around. I just—This wasn’t love at first sight, nothing cheesy like that, but I know this is love. It was small and it grew into something amazing and I can’t ignore it anymore. I think I’d regret it for the rest of my life if someone else came and snatched her away before I asked her out myself.” Jason hadn’t realized how long he’d been talking, but when he finished the woman already had the bouquet made and it was beautiful. It wasn’t extravagant or overflowing, it was a simple piece that seemed to say a lot more than it was letting on.

“It’s perfect,” Jason said, taking the package carefully. “How much is it?”

“For you, it’s free.” She said. “It’s not every day I get to listen to a young man like yourself gush so openly about the women they love .”  

Jason barked out a laugh. “Oh no, I’m paying you.” He assured, pulling out his wallet. He pushed three one hundred dollar bills on the table. “Consider this a tip from a love-struck man who can’t thank you enough for helping him with this.” And he was out the door before she could argue.

It was a quick jog back to the café where he’d left Marinette waiting. Thankfully not a lot of time had passed, so she hadn’t been sitting there alone for long, but he bet she was confused. He had left rather suddenly after all.

Marinette was sipping her drink when he arrived, Bouquet in hand. He laughed as she choked on her drink, quickly putting down the mug and stared at him.

“Jason, what the hell? Where did you get flowers from?”

“I just ran around the corner and bought them. Figured I should at least have something if I’m going to do this correctly.” He knelt down on his knee, the goofiest grin on his face. “I realize it looks like I’m proposing, but I’m not. Maybe one day in the future I could do this for real with a ring instead of a bouquet of flowers, but for now, in this moment, Marinette, I would like to ask you on a date.”

“Oh my god.” She was covering her mouth with her hands, and Jason could tell she was trying not to laugh. “Have I ever mentioned how cheesy you are?”

“Maybe once or twice, but it’s because I’m around you that I’m comfortable showing that side of myself.”

“Yeah? Well, I’m happy you feel comfortable to be yourself around me. I would love to go on a date with you.” She accepted the flowers with a smiled. Her attention fell to something tucked into the side and she pulled out a slip of paper. “To the girl who’d put the sun out of business. This man is a keeper, don’t let him go.” Jason’s face went red as he snatched the paper out of her hands. It did, in fact, have that written there and he groaned.

“No wonder she wasn’t going to charge me,” he mumbled.

“Let me guess, you tipped her with a hundred dollars.”

“Three hundred actually. She put this bouquet together on the spot as I described you to her.”

“So, you think I could put the sun out of business, huh?”

Jason was bored. Hella bored. Why? Dick convinced Bruce for a family outing. Where did they go? To the beach. Dick looks excited, why wouldn't he? He is probably looking for some new girl to flirt with. He huffed.

Damian was scowling as usual. Tim was doing his work on his phone. Someone shouted very loud which caught their attention, "Dupain-Cheng, carry your lazy ass here and play with these simpletons. I refuse to bear them alone."

All of them turned towards a blonde shouting at a midnight blue-haired girl who was casually coming towards her.

"I'm coming Chloe, now could you please stop shouting like I'm on the other side of the world?"

The blonde- Chloe, huffed.

The demon brat had to open his mouth right there, "Look how these imbeciles are shouting, I bet I could play better than them as a toddler."

Jason raised an eyebrow. All of them went a little closer to see their match. On one side there was a blonde boy, a boy whose black hair had blue tips, and a boy with a cap? Who wears a cap at the beach. On the other side, a girl he can't see the face of but had blue hair pulled out in pigtails was standing with a girl with brown-red hair and glasses, and the blonde who was shouting earlier. It looked like girls vs boys match.

A redhead boy whistles from the side and they started playing. The whole bat family was watching in awe. The ball must not be visible to a normal person. The bat-family was not exactly normal but they still had to whip their head around so fast, that Jason rubbed his neck after a few minutes.

When they were done, the blonde girl turned to them and said, "How was staring at us?"

The blue-haired girl laughed, "Chloe, be nice!" Then she turned to them.

She just huffed again, "Play against us."

The bat family looked at the blonde like seeing if she was serious. Jason smirked, this is going to be fun.

The bat-clan was on one side while the miraculous team as they were calling themselves were on the other side. The match was hard. Both of the teams refused to give up. Damian had the disadvantage of being a kid. But they had the advantage of having more players on their side. They couldn't use all the skills they had to avoid suspicion but Jason could because he isn't living the rich boy's life anymore so he was the leader of their team.

They were equal on both sides. They decided the team who scored the next point will win. Marinette jumped in the air and attempted to score but before she could do so Jason had a brilliant idea. He winked at her with a flirty smirk which caused her to lose balance in the air and the ball hit the side of the miraculous team. They won.

Then they grouped near the net. Her male friends were glaring at him like he has committed some major crime.

"You chea-mphhh" The blonde boy Adrien was shut by the girl with glasses as Marinette came forward.

"Can we do something else for you gentlemen?" She looked at him.

"Yes," his mouth automatically blurted out. All of his family stared at him like he was crazy.

She stared at him for what felt like an eternity before she winked at him and turned to his family, "How do you feel about getting lunch together?" From her tone, it was obvious that she was talking to him.

All of them looked at Jason who had an easy grin on his face which failed to hide his flushed face. It wasn't his fault that she is so hot! And she is wearing a bikini! Well so is all the other girls but still!

Bruce smiled mischievously at him, "We will love to."

Two hours later they found themselves sitting in a restaurant with the group of youngsters.

Jason slowly walked to the balcony to see the stars. He, of course, noticed the presence beside him. They both sneaked to the parking space where she passed him a helmet as she sat on a red bike. "I'm driving."

He chuckled and moved closer to her face but she didn't back up, "Do I get a choice?"

"No."

"Then let's go." They both went away to an unknown destination ignoring the knowing stares of their friends and family.

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It was a fairly normal day for Tim. Well as normal as it can get when surprisingly his eldest brother grabs all of them to go to the beach. He has so much work to do and Dick threatened to ruin all his work if he doesn't come with him.

It is probably a "sibling bonding" trip. There were many people there. If it were up to Bruce he would have just bought the beach for a day. But no. So here he was sitting next to his siblings. They were sitting the nearest to the volleyball nets because..... Even he doesn't know why.

He looks at his phone but he had the feeling so he looks up just in time to see a tiny girl catch the ball just a few inches away from his face. But due to her speed and the momentum she ended up in his lap. He let out a low 'oof'.

She started at him. She had black hair that shone blue in the light, pale skin, her frame was very small, she was wearing a red bikini with black spots which reminded him of a ladybug and he could see that she had some freckles on her face because of how close she wasssss......... WAIT! Why was she so close and why is he leaning forward and she couldn't register anything anymore as he felt soft lips brush against his. They both closed their eyes and just enjoyed the feeling of each other's lips. He touched his lips with his tongue which caused her to squeak. He roamed his tongue in her mouth as she did the same. All he could feel was her tongue and her arms that were wrapped around his neck but- he was brought out of his daze by the sound of camera.

He pulled back which brought her out of her daze. She got off him as fast as she could. Both of their faces we're inhumanly red. They looked to see a group of their age and his family staring at them with their jaws on the ground.

He kissed a girl he never met without her permission in a public place in front of his family. He wanted to hide far away from everything. Why did he agree with Dick in the first place!

They ended up having lunch with them and he got to know that her name was Marinette. They both sat there embarrassed as her friends and his family laughed at them. She slid her number in his hand when no one was watching them. He smiled at her shyly as they made an exit.

He has a mission now "Mission future Mrs. Drake Wayne".

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