#ttt2025

“Jagged, I can’t just leave,” Marinette sighed, thinking about the fact that she no longer had hold of the horse Miraculous and couldn’t just take it off Max without an excuse. And it was hardly as though Hawkmoth 2.0 was going to give her a break for a couple of weeks. 

“Why not? It’s just a little break, I swear we can go for three days and I’ll have you back home before you can miss too much school.” 

“I’ll think about it, okay? You said you want to go next week, right?” Marinette smiled as Jagged nodded and made a note to herself to check it all out with Tikki. After all, if she could go to Gotham, maybe she could get the attention of the Bats to help with her current predicament. 

She hummed thoughtfully as she picked up her sketchbook, jotting down ideas and sketching a couple of loose drawings based on the Batfamily. She’d researched them a long time ago, when Alya had first convinced her to get in touch with the Justice League, not wanting to reveal the Miraculous to anyone who could do her more harm than good. 

“What do you think, Tiks?” Marinette asked when she was finally home with a bag of fabric and a sketchbook full of half-formed ideas. “I really do want to get an outside perspective on this, to see if they could find wherever Hawky Junior is hiding, who they are.” 

“It isn’t an awful idea, Marinette. You can always use powerups to get back to Paris if necessary, or ask Alya to get Pegasus to pick you up. We need more help in trying to find the butterfly Miraculous or it will just keep dragging on. It’s already been a whole year and a half,” Tikki said with a sympathetic wince. 

“Okay, so…it’s settled. I’ll talk to Alya and get things squared away ready for the trip,” she said decisively. Not wasting a moment, she called Alya and the girls started a discussion on the best way to get her where she needed to be. 

_ _ _

On the plane ride to Gotham, Marinette tried to sleep and failed abysmally. It was February, only a couple of days after valentines day, and it was chilly enough that she was layered up several times, with a blanket topping it off. Jagged had made fun of her but she didn’t care because the stewards were kind enough to keep bringing her hot tea and snacks to stay warm. Maybe that was because they were in first class, but she appreciated it nonetheless. 

If possible, landing in Gotham was worse than the flight, if only because it was raining. She’d tried to prepare herself for what the local climate would be like but she hadn’t expected midday to look like a dark and stormy evening in Paris. She had packed a poncho and umbrella, but she had the horrible feeling it wouldn’t do enough to save her from a dreadful cold. 

“How’re you feeling, Nette?” Penny asked, placing an arm around her shoulders and cuddling close. She laughed a little when Marinette gave a huff and glared at the sky. “I know, it takes getting used to.” 

“Yeah, I don’t think I’ll be trying to get used to it any time soon,” she grumbled, tapping her fingers against her leg. “What’s the plan for the next couple of days?” 

“Well, lil rocker,” Jagged said as he popped open his own umbrella to walk them to the car. “I’m planning to take you to all my favourite sights today, even in the rain. I’m busy tonight - family thing, nothing to worry about - but then the morning before we leave, we can see about getting some souvenirs to take home for you!” 

“Awesome,” she said, trying not to grimace at the idea of walking through rainy streets. “And tomorrow will be recovery, from your family thing, huh? Maybe we can have a whole design day!” 

“Sounds a plan, Nette. Okay, I have our driver ready to pick us up over there,” he said, pointing towards a man holding a white sign with the name ‘Jagged Stone’ on it in sparkling purple. She had no idea how he had convinced him to do that but it certainly made it easier to spot in the crowd of signs. “Hey Jake, lead on! We’ve already got our bags.” 

The driver nodded and attempted to take Marinette’s bag, but she shook her head in refusal. She didn’t want to relinquish her belongings to anyone in this cesspit of a city, and it didn’t seem to offend Jake. If anything, he seemed to give her a look of approval and walked ahead of the trio all the way to a non-descript car. 

She climbed into the back seat between Peggy and Jagged so that she wasn’t alone in the car at any time. But she didn’t relax even slightly until she was in the hotel suite, putting her bag in her room and collapsing onto the bed for a moment. She would need to get up and move soon but maybe she could rest her eyes for just a minute…

“Marinette! Let’s get going!” Jagged called through the door. She groaned again and lumbered off the bed to join the pair again.

_ _ _ 

The afternoon was fun, plenty of the sights were well worth seeing, and inspired many designs. She had brought a brand new sketchbook and it was already more than half-filled with sketches and notes, about fabrics, techniques she wanted to try based on the boutiques Jagged showed her to, and the different heroes and villains she could use for inspiration. 

But by the time evening rolled around she was exhausted and just wanted to sleep. Unfortunately, that wasn’t an option because she needed to go and find Batman and his flock of birds. She cursed quietly and stepped cautiously onto the fire escape outside of her window. Luckily (ha) she had been given the one that led to the roof and she was definitely going to use that fact to meet with the local heroes. 

She waited until she was up on the roof to call on the transformation, sending a quick note to Alya that she was currently transformed and would text when she was back in her hotel room to make sure she didn’t miss any akuma alerts. Taking the first step towards the edge of the roof, she felt a rush of exhilaration at the idea of leaping between new buildings. 

Swinging from one building to the next, she breathed in and felt herself centre a little more. Being Ladybug always made her more confident and she needed every boost she could get if she was going to talk to the Batman. 

Only half an hour later, Marinette found the first of the brood. An average sized man, at least in height, wearing black and blue, was chatting to a woman dressed entirely in purple on the edge of a tall building. The woman gave a jump when Marinette landed beside them but the man just tilted his head at her in a friendly way. 

“Sorry for dropping in on you,” she said as politely as she could while still trying to convey professional and confident. “I was hoping to speak with Batman, if he’s available. I have tried to reach out to the Justice League in the past and been unable to discuss Paris’s issues with anyone.” 

“Something’s up with Paris?” he asked, a frown marring the attractive shape of the lower part of his face. “Also, Batman is busy tonight, he won’t be able to meet with you. He’s free next week though.” 

“I’m only here for tonight,” she said with a wince, despair rippling through her as she realised leaving Paris was likely going to be for nothing. She couldn’t have Batman, who everyone knew had trauma for days, turn up in Paris where he could be taken advantage of by the new Hawkmoth. “Perhaps I can explain my problem to you? Are you a part of the Justice League?” 

“Nightwing, we got your alert,” a man in a cowl with two utility belts strapped across his chest landed behind her, effectively closing her into a circle of heroes. She tried not to flinch as they weren’t behaving threateningly, just making sure she couldn’t escape easily. “Who are you?” 

“I’m sorry, I forgot to introduce myself,” Marinette said, trying to be charming with a sunny smile. “I’m Ladybug, a heroine of Paris.” 

“Since when does Paris have heroes?” he asked, frowning as well now. Marinette went to answer when someone landed far closer to her on her left. All plans to be nice and non-threatening went out the window as she jumped a mile and almost socked him in the face. Fortunately, he dodged and took hold of her wrists, assumedly so she didn’t try again. 

“Sorry!” she breathed, looking up into the whited out lenses of Robin. He was one of the two heroes she’d researched fully, so she recognised the R on his chest and the red, yellow, and green suit he wore. They were inches apart as he held her wrists firmly and kept her from moving at all. “I- um- you startled me.” 

She was on edge now so when she heard a thud from what was now behind her she tried to twist to see what was happening. Robin allowed her to twist but used the motion to restrain her hands behind her back. She could probably break free but she had every intention of allowing them to control the situation now in the hopes that they would decide to help her. 

“We have no record of you arriving in Gotham, Ladybug,” Robin said as she spied a man with a Red Helmet that she had thought was a villain called Red Hood. “Are you using magic of some sort? Because we do not approve magic users without-” 

“Chill out Demon brat,” Red Hood said, and she could visualise him rolling his eyes behind the helmet. He seemed to be at least a little sympathetic to her and she shot him a grateful smile. “How’d you get here, little miss?”

“I am here on holiday, with family,” she said with a strained smile. “I just thought I should hit two geese with one brick, you know?” 

“Tt, two birds with one stone, you mean to say,” Robin said in a haughty voice, and Marinette decided she didn’t want him restraining her anymore. She twisted her wrists until one slipped free in a moment of luck, his glove not quite managing to keep hold of her as the magic of her suit made his grip loosen for a moment. 

“Sorry, I do not wish to seem ungrateful for you taking the time to come and see me,” she said, smiling at him apologetically. “But please do not try to restrain me again. You will not enjoy the results.”

“Damn, maybe she is a heroine. Losing your touch there, huh Robin?” Red Hood said in a dry tone. His head was tilted towards her and she really wished she wasn’t sure that he was a crime lord when she had looked him up. Why did she let Alya convince her that it was a good idea to research Gotham so much all that time ago? “Look, Ladybird or whatever-”

“Ladybug,” she corrected, keeping the smile fixed on her face. “And really, I just want to speak with Batman to get his help in apprehending the villain that has been plaguing my city for a year and a half.” 

“Well that’s-” 

“Say that again, O?” the one in the cowl said, glancing at Marinette and Robin, who were still in a stand off. He was silent for a minute before signalling to the group. “Okay, yeah, we’re on our way to it now. Listen up, folks, we’ve got a situation with Killer Croc and I need all hands on deck. Miss, you can either come with us or wait here but we have to move because he has a civilian in his lair.” 

“I’ll come with you,” she said immediately, stepping around Robin and offering her hand. “Lead the way.” 

_ _ _ 

They crept into the sewers as quietly as they could, Marinette sandwiched between Robin and Nightwing. They’d all introduced themselves on their way and she got the feeling that Robin was with her because he didn’t trust her. She was most of the way into the tunnel when she heard familiar laughter bouncing off the walls. 

“Wait,” she hissed, trying to see around the corner to where she was sure Jagged was. Why was he laughing? What happened to his family event? She felt Robin’s hand land on her shoulder and she shrugged it off as she kept moving forward. 

The sight that greeted her in the tunnel completely baffled her: Jagged hanging out with a man who had a serious skin condition. Killer Croc had come up in her research but more as a cryptid than anything else, so that meant no photos of him that she could find. She swallowed a shriek, trying to remind herself that she was protected by magical armour and several of Batman’s flock. 

Killer Croc caught sight of them and everything started going to hell. Several of the Birds started to move closer, shouting warnings and asking him to release the hostage. Marinette stared at Jagged hard, willing him to get out of the way so the local heroes could deal with this, but it was like he was actively trying to get in the middle of them. 

“Wait, isn’t that Jagged Stone?” Marinette heard one of the boys whisper, she thought Red Robin. When he got several noises of confusion, he continued, “The rockstar with the crocodile?” 

“Hold up, mates!” he was shouting, standing in front of Killer Croc. “I’m not a hostage! Christ, can’t a man visit his son on his birthday?” 

“Did he just say ‘son’?” Spoiler stage whispered, getting nudged by Nightwing to shut up. “Did he…you said he has a pet crocodile right?” 

“Spoiler, are you insinuating that you believe this man had improper relations with his pet?” Robin said with a hint of disgust. Marinette whirled on them, appalled, but before she could say anything Killer Croc spoke up in a resigned voice. 

“It's not unusual, Dad. The Bats always jump to the worst conclusions where I'm concerned,” he said, placing a hand on Jagged’s shoulder. 

“That's it, I'm punching Batman,” Jagged snarled, throwing his hands in the air. “That bloody wanker! I know you haven't been perfect, Waylon, but to attack you just because your old man comes to visit you?” 

“Monsieur Stone,” Marinette said at last, stepping forward to draw his attention. “And Monsieur Waylon? Are you alright?” 

“Ladybug! Thank God, someone with some sense,” Jagged harrumphed, making Marinette blush under everyone's attention. “Can you believe the discrimination?” 

“We're sorry to have interrupted your birthday celebrations. Clearly this could have been handled in a more diplomatic way. We'll be going now, and if you need someone to walk you back to your home I'm sure that will be no trouble.” 

Marinette grabbed onto the nearest vigilante and moved him. Robin gave an undignified squawk but she didn’t dare let go of him until they were out of sight of Jagged and…Waylon. Wow, she thought she'd been surprised when she found out that Luka and Juleka were his kids. 

As soon as they were a good distance away they all paused for breath and to update Oracle, their woman in the chair, with what had happened. She had no doubt that she at least had a gist of it, but the story deserved a proper rehash, if only because it was funnier the longer she was away from the situation. 

“I can’t believe Croc’s dad is a rockstar,” Red Hood said, sounding faintly awed. “What the hell?” 

“Not just a rockstar, Jagged Stone, possibly the most rock and roll star since Ozzy,” Red Robin said, shaking his head. “Well that was fun, but now we can get back to the matter at hand. What’re you doing here, Ladybug? And why do you seem to think there’s a villain operating in Paris that the Justice League doesn’t know about.” 

“Well, they ignored my phone calls for starters,” she said drily, making Spoiler cackle. “But I’m not here to bring up the past and find out why they didn’t want to help. I’m here because this is the second time this artefact has been abused within the past two years and I wish to free the kwami that’s being used. I cannot find anything out about Hawkmoth Junior, as I like to call them, and as I mentioned before it’s been a year. Is the Justice League at least willing to hear me out or not?” 

“Ladybug, we’re just struggling to understand how what you’re saying can be true when we can’t find anything out online,” a voice called out from Nightwing’s chest plate. 

“Mademoiselle Oracle, I presume,” Marinette said with a frown. “You should be able to find it online, we’re not hiding anything. But if you’re looking for aftermath of an attack, you won’t because one of my powers is to restore things to the way they were prior to the attack. But if you’re just looking for evidence, there’s a website called the Ladyblog…” 

There was a few moments silence before Oracle spoke again. Robin had stayed close to Marinette and she was starting to feel a little crowded by him, though she didn’t say anything. She didn’t want to appear weak or irritable just because she thought he was being overbearing, even if he was. 

“This isn’t a fan page for the Miraculous movie?” Oracle said quietly, the voice only just coming across from the speakers. “Jesus, that is some messed up-” 

“Getting sidetracked, O,” Nightwing chided, cutting off the rant that was clearly coming. Marinette winced slightly at the frown on his face and shrugged apologetically. She didn’t know what she was apologising for but she felt bad that she’d shown up and given them a new problem to face. 

“Oui, it’s all true- well, as long as you’re not viewing the old footage of Lila Rossi. That was all lies. But the hero work of Ladybug and Chat Noir is all real footage of fights and the like. But that doesn’t answer my question as to whether you will help us in the hunt for the new Hawkmoth. So?” 

“We’ll help,” Nightwing says, ignoring the glare that Robin shoots his way, and the muttered ‘Father will be displeased’. Marinette raises her eyebrows slightly and realises that perhaps the whole ‘Batfamily’ thing has more credit than she had believed when she first read about them. She’d thought it more akin to the way she saw her temporary heroes as a kind of family, but maybe the reason there was a new Robin as often as there had been. “I’ll come find you in Paris in a couple of days, and we’ll see what we can do.” 

Marinette practically melted in relief and thanked everyone for their time before bounding away and taking a long, roundabout route to the hotel to make sure she wasn’t watched. 

_ _ _ 

Designing with Jagged the following day was difficult, considering they had both been out much later than either of them would admit to. She could tell he was still mad about what had happened the night before but she couldn’t bring it up because Marinette didn’t know anything about it. She would just have to wait and see if he would open up to her. 

“Marinette, we’re all going out for dinner soon,” Penny said, jolting her from her thoughts as she doodled on the blank page in front of her. She didn’t manage to close the book quickly enough to prevent Penny from seeing the vigilante she had been drawing and she just knew she was in for some teasing. “Oh, I didn’t realise you liked American heroes too. Chat Noir would be scandalised to know you were doodling someone else.” 

“Why would he be upset with that?” Marinette squeaked, two bright red spots on her cheeks practically lighting up her face as ‘guilty’. “Besides, Jagged said he wants things from Gotham incorporated to his next suit, so drawing Robin sounds-” 

“I thought you didn’t know the American heroes by name?” Penny asked, eyebrows raised and humour written clearly across her face. 

“I don’t- I didn’t but…Never mind, you said something about dinner? Please tell me where we’re going out together for dinner, because I haven’t eaten since breakfast,” she said, her words punctuated by the gurgle from her stomach as she thought about food. “Oh, um, wait, when are we leaving?” 

“As soon as you’re  dressed and have everything you need. Come on, we can grab Jagged when we’re fully ready. 

_ _ _ 

Damian scowled at the table in front of him, detesting that Dick had made him accompany him to review what they knew about Jagged and Killer croc. They’d managed to hack the personal assistant’s - AKA, Penny - phone and locate the restaurant he had booked for the final evening of his very short visit. 

He noted, with interest, that the reservation was for three and he wondered whether the attempts at a birthday celebration was going to be more public. It would be amusing if that were so, but he could see that the reservation had been at least a week ago so there must be an unknown, third party involved. 

Arriving at the restaurant early for their new reservation, the pair got to choose their seats and strategically placed themselves where they would get the best view of the rest of the room. Which is how they were well placed to see the trio walk into the restaurant. The first was Jagged, loud as he had been the night before followed by his manager/partner, Penny Rolling. The third was a young woman with black hair that seemed to shine blue when she turned her head certain ways. 

“Come on, let’s see if we can introduce ourselves to Jagged and his entourage,” Dick murmured after Jagged and the others had been seated for ten minutes or so. His lips were barely moving in case the three could lip read for some reason. Damian approved of his caution, even if he thought the girl that had turned out to be the third party member was too delicate and ethereal to be a threat of any sort. 

“Can I help you two with something?” Jagged asked when they approached the table, his eyes wary and voice tired. Dick looked like he felt bad for interrupting, which was probably how he truly felt given what they all went through as celebrities of a sort. 

“Sorry for intruding,” Dick said smoothly, smiling apologetically. The same smile that made older women coo and try to pinch a grown man’s cheeks, whether that be facial or otherwise. It didn’t have much of an effect on Jagged but Penny looked amused. “It’s just…my brother and I are such huge fans and we’ve never seen you in Gotham before. We wanted to say hello, but-” 

“Rock on, mates! This is Penny, and my niece slash designer, Marinette. Lil M, these guys are a couple of fans! Isn't that cute?” 

Damian's jaw clenched so hard he thought it might break. He was not cute, he was a vicious killer that had been raised to be the most lethal person in the room at any given time. Just because he chose to follow a lifestyle that didn’t involve assassinations didn’t mean he wasn’t capable of it and therefore not cute. 

“Adorable,” Marinette nodded, her blue eyes sparkling with mirth. It was very distracting and Damian resented her for being attractive enough that he was paying attention to it. “But I think you’re embarrassing him, Uncle J, so perhaps you should stop.” 

“Spoilsport,” Jagged said under his breath, smirking when Penny gave him a nudge. “Anyway, it’s always nice to meet a fan, so thanks for stopping by.” 

Without a reason to stay at their table, Dick and Damian returned to their seats and settled for speaking in code about how they were going to confirm that there was, in fact, a villain operating in Paris and that Killer Croc really had meant him no harm. The second one would be tricky, considering that there was no way to ask it without tipping them off to who they were. 

Damian’s eyes flicked back over to Jagged’s table and met with the curious gaze of the designer, who was watching him with furrowed eyebrows. She flushed when their eyes met and looked away quickly but seemed incapable of completely disregarding him because her eyes unfailingly moved back to him- no, to him and Dick. 

The girl's eyes widened after another minute of studying them, and Damian wondered if she had worked out that they were the Waynes. It was strange, actually, that she hadn’t seemed to recognise them straight away because usually people bowed and scraped towards them in hopes that they would win their favour. It seldom worked, but he was surprised at the lack of it from Jagged and his group. 

Their meals passed relatively peacefully for a time, although Marinette now pointedly kept her eyes fixed on the plates in front of her. Penny kept glancing over at Damian and back to Marinette with an annoying look on her face, but Damian wasn’t sure what it was supposed to mean. When the older woman leaned in to whisper something to the teen, she squawked and tried to flap the woman away.

Unfortunately, a glass of red wine was just in the way of her arm and went flying over the table. The resulting chaos made Jagged roar with laughter and Marinette turn a shade of red that intrigued Damian. He watched, fascinated, as she slumped into her chair after she had cleaned as much of the wreckage as possible. 

Marinette, meanwhile, was ready to die of embarrassment. She didn’t want to have this knowledge and she didn’t want to make a mess of the restaurant, but here she was. She wasn't sure what to do with the information. On the one hand, she now knew how to get in touch with Batman! And if he tried to take the Miraculous from her, at least she would have a trump card up her sleeve. 

On the other hand, she now had very dangerous information about what amounted to a myth in a lot of the world. She couldn’t unsee the strong shoulders of Robin on the young man with the piercing green eyes, or the slope of Nightwing’s jaw on the slightly older but handsome man with the charming grin. And now she had to deal with the fact that if she spoke to them again she was going to be awkward. At least she didn’t know their names, so that was a small mercy. 

_ _ _ 

Marinette had gotten extraordinarily lucky with the fact that no akumas had struck while she was in Gotham. She didn’t want to think how difficult it would have been if an akuma had torn up the city while she’d been reveling in the freedom being out of Paris allowed. She’d taken a full hour before designing to cry and rage about most of her problems in Paris and Penny and Jagged had been indulgent and bought her ice cream and whatever snacks she’d wanted. 

But now she would have to get back to bottling up her feelings and hoping the lid didn’t blow off at an inopportune moment. After all, Hawkmoth Junior wasn’t above akumatising anyone, much like the original. And Marinette had never cracked, never been fully akumatised, which both Hawkmoths seemed to think of as a challenge. She was just glad Lila had been thwarted so she didn’t have to deal with the stress of her friends believing a liar over her at every turn. 

It took maybe three days for the Bats and Birds to show up in Gotham and send her anxiety spiralling again. She didn’t want to deal with the stress of knowing their identities when she had to talk to them. It was easier to forget it all when they were half a world away, and she had been grateful for the reprieve it had given her poor anxious soul. 

But she no longer had the luxury of ignoring her problems so she pulled herself up, told herself to get over it and called Chat to come and talk to her and the Gotham vigilantes. She tried to ignore that they’d definitely already seen her, and probably knew that she’d seen them, and sat with her feet dangling off the edge of the building like she always did with Chat. 

Apparently all of her luck had been used up on not having to deal with an akuma from Gotham because when she next casually glanced around, Robin was perched behind her. She only just managed to stop herself falling off of the roof when she jumped, face flushing as her mind filled in the blanks his mask left for her. She might not be able to see the shade of green that were staring at her, but she’d fairly committed it to memory and had a fantastic imagination. 

“It’s little wonder you have not defeated your villain considering I was able to sneak up on you,” he said after a moment, head tilting like a particularly curious cat. “Especially since you already knew we were here and for some reason did not come over to greet us. Do you no longer wish for our help?” 

“It- I was just waiting for my partner,” she stuttered, cursing herself for being a mess around hot boys. “He should be here any moment, really, and I wanted to have him here for any important discussions.” 

“Tt, we would have been willing to wait, it is rude not to welcome guests when you have specifically invited us,” he said, a lofty tone entering his voice. “You should have come over to greet us.” 

“Well I didn’t, so there’s very little point in arguing about it, is there,” she said flatly, rolling her eyes and almost reaching out to shove him before realising that she didn’t know him. Then his eyes moved behind her and she turned to see Chat leaping towards them. “Oh thank god, Chaton!” 

“M’Lady! I got your message and- whoa, is that Robin?! Dude, I am such a huge fan,” Chat cried, throwing his arms out and trying to basically jump on the boy. Marinette watched on both horrified and amused as Robin hissed and leapt out of the way of the Cat hero. Chat pouted and leaned instead on his baton, looking like an abandoned kitten. “Me-ouch man, I just wanted to say hello.” 

“That was not a hello, that was assault,” Robin almost screeched, and Marinette had to turn away lest he catch her giggling. It was futile, he was clearly aware that she was laughing at him because he turned on her next. “Make your mangy stray behave before I take him to be neutered-” 

“Jeez, take a breath, birdie,” Marinette said, propping an elbow on Chat’s shoulder since he was leaning so far down. It was a familiar motion and she felt stronger when they were united. “I forget you Americans are so prudish. We are expressive, here in France, Chat was most definitely not assaulting you.” 

“Everything okay over here?” Nightwing and Spoiler had leaped over at some point during the altercation, and Marinette wondered if they were going to take Robin’s side or not. With the way Spoiler was grinning and looking at Chat with glee, she doubted it, but Nightwing was frowning a little. 

“Oui, everything is fine, Monsieur Nightwing. But please remind your br- colleague that we are under siege of an emotional terrorist and his temper is going to get him akumatised,” Marinette said, probably enjoying Robin’s outrage a little too much. “Please, birdie, calm yourself. It was a cultural misunderstanding, nothing more.” 

“Why don’t we start afresh? Hi, I’m Nightwing, this is Spoiler,” he said, indicating the woman in purple for Chat’s benefit, “and this is Robin. Ladybug called us in to help find your villain?” 

“I’m Chat Noir, dashing, irresistible, black cat with a heart of gold,” Chat replied, doffing an imaginary hat. “It’s a pleasure. But, M’Lady, I didn’t know you finally managed to get someone from the Justice League to listen to us! That’s great news.” 

“Can we not get down to business?” Robin said moodily, glaring off into the distance. “How can we help?” 

_ _ _ 

Marinette tumbled into bed several hours later with a low groan and wished she didn’t have to get up for school the next day. The Birds had seemed to be quite put out by the fact that she didn’t have a direction to point them in but they hadn’t seemed overly surprised either. Nightwing had looked shocked and appalled that neither she nor Chat had any longstanding hero mentor to rely on for training or support and promptly told them that he was adopting them both. 

Spoiler had seemed to revel in the fact that Robin was irked by Marinette and Chat, constantly slyly suggesting he train them so that they had what Nightwing called ‘the chance not to end up dead’. And all the while, Marinette was trying desperately not to give away that she knew what he looked like underneath the mask. Not knowing who Spoiler was definitely helped because she could just focus on her instead. 

After a much too short sleep which felt more of a detriment than a help, Marinette was running from her home to the school and trying desperately not to trip on her own feet again. The last thing she needed was to show up to school with a rip in her clothes, or mud streaking down her from landing in a bush. 

The lycee being further away than college made getting to school even more challenging than it had been before, and whilst teachers were still extremely understanding of tardiness as a result of akumas, there hadn’t been one in the past few days. So if she was late today she was going to get written up again and then Alya was going to be exasperated with her. Or worse, she’d get a detention which she would have to skip if an akuma appeared, so it would spiral until it was written in her permanent record. 

She was so frazzled from her own internal spiral that she didn’t stop herself in time not to smack into someone standing outside the office near the entrance to the school. She gave a soft ‘oof’ and sprawled onto the floor. The person she’d hit was sturdier than her and remained standing, though they offered a hand to help her up. Which was how she was facing none other than Robin’s civilian identity just before her first class was due to start. 

“Oh, um, hello!” she squeaked, blushing as he seemed to forget to let go of her hand. She tried to think of a way to greet him without finding out his name because that seemed like a disaster waiting to happen. “You- have we met before?” 

“Yes, I believe you were dining with Jagged Stone in Gotham recently, were you not?” he said, his voice just a little louder than was perhaps necessary. Certainly loud enough to get the attention of civilian Nightwing who looked around and beamed at her. 

“Oh hey! What a small world, huh,” he said, motioning for her to come over properly and say hi. His eyes also flashed to their joined hands, looking surprised and vaguely impish. The look on his older brother’s face seemed to be more familiar to him because civilian Robin jerked his hand back suddenly and seemed to find the wall next to the office door extraordinarily interesting. 

“Yeah, small world. What, um, what are you doing here?” she asked as casually as she could manage while freaking out. 

“Oh, Damian here is looking to transfer across to this high school while I’m working with our dad’s company for the rest of the academic year,” civilian Nightwing said, and Marinette almost cried with the fact that she now had information she didn’t want. One, Robin and Nightwing weren’t traveling through the fancy Justice League system Marinette had heard rumours of, which raised the risk of one of them being akumatised and causing her Problems™. Two, she now had Robin’s name and she liked it more than she should. Darned green eyes and striking good looks. 

“Mhm, okay, well I assume we’re in different years, so I’ll just-” 

“Oh, Marinette, how lucky!” the receptionist for the front office said, making Marinette’s eye twitch involuntarily. It’s a common turn of phrase, she reassured herself. No need to think they’ll work things out just because she said that. “This is Damian Wayne, he’s going to be in your class for the rest of the year! Marinette here is our class representative for your class, so she’s the best person to take him to his classes and whatnot.” 

“You have time to complete all class representative work, even with-” civilian Nightwing began, but Marinette was quick to cut him off. 

“With all of my homework and stuff? It’s definitely a juggling act sometimes but doable,” she said, smiling at the receptionist widely. “I’ll, uh, I’ll take R- Damian with me now, if he’s all done with paperwork? That way we won’t be too late to our first class.” 

“Such an angel, thank you, Marinette! Don’t worry, Monsieur Grayson, Damian is in the very best hands. Marinette has always been one of our top students and is always happy to lend a hand to anyone who needs it. Why, one of her classmates nicknamed her our ‘Everyday Ladybug’,” she laughed, making Marinette’s eye twitch again, though she was looking down in embarrassment at this point so she doubted either of the vigilantes caught it. 

“We’ll get going then. Nice to see you again, monsieur!” 

Automatically grabbing onto Damian’s arm, she steered him through the halls and towards their homeroom. He didn’t kick up a fuss at being manhandled and she didn’t realise that was what she was doing until they were outside the classroom and she stopped to take a deep breath. Then she ripped her hand away and blushed again, stammering apologies. 

“Oh my god, I’m so sorry! I didn’t- I shouldn’t have- is your arm okay? Mon dieu, that was- I’m so used to moving my friends around but- but I should have asked before I touched you,” she babbled, wringing her hands. 

“Tt, it is quite alright. Had I wanted you to release me, you would not have been holding me,” he said with a faintly prideful look in his eye. She managed to turn the scoff that tried to escape her into an awkward giggle but she was sure it made her look fairly manic. 

“Okay, good. Um, I’ll try to remember not to do that, though. You seem like someone that appreciates their personal space,” she said without thinking, her mind bringing up images of when Chat had tried to hug him the night before. 

“As I said, don’t feel you must. I will let you know if your usual behaviour becomes a bother,” he shrugged - and wasn’t that interesting? He didn’t mind her grabbing him? Before she could question that further, however, the door opened and her teacher was looking down at her with an almost amused look on his face. 

“Late, Mademoiselle Dupain-Cheng?” 

“Only because she was assisting me in finding the correct classroom,” Damian said smoothly, bringing attention to himself and tipping his head in deference to Monsieur Allard. “I apologise, I am your new student, Damian Wayne.” 

Marinette couldn’t see Alya, but she heard her gasp and drop whatever she was holding. Probably her phone, if she was browsing as usual, and Marinette had the feeling she was going to know more about Damian than she wanted to by the end of the day. Why couldn’t this ridiculously attractive boy just stay in Gotham and visit mysteriously at night like she had assumed they would? 

The air felt like change and Marinette, for one, was wholly unprepared for it.

_ _ _ 

“Girl, what do you mean you don't know who that is?” Alya demanded as soon as they were alone in the girls bathroom. Marinette shrugged, washing her hands and hoping Alya didn't ask too many questions. “No, don't shrug at me! Adrien heard from Madame Patel that the rumour is that you met him in Gotham. So, care to try again?” 

“I mean, he came and said hello to Jagged, but that's it. His brother's a fan, apparently, but they didn't introduce themselves. And I was in Gotham, I wasn’t asking for any more information than strictly necessary, you know?” 

“Okay, fair point,” Alya conceded, frowning down at her phone. “But that doesn’t explain why you looked so cosy in every lesson today.” 

“I didn’t have much of a choice except to pair with him for everything,” Marinette argued, though she could feel her face heating up. “It’s not like there are a ton of spare seats just floating around in our classes. And as the class rep, they expect me to be on it.” 

Marinette had had an open seat next to her for most classes from the start of their first year, ever since their scholastic quad had become a trio. Nino was still in the city but he was going to a very specialised school for film and media. It took very few students every year and he had been one of the lucky few chosen with a full ride. Alya missed him, as did Adrien, but they commiserated by sitting together with Marinette sitting slightly to the side. 

“You’re right, maybe I’m just seeing things that aren’t really there,” Alya muttered, glancing longingly at her phone again. “Do you think Nino will be on lunch at the same time as us today? I feel like I haven’t seen him in forever.” 

“Maybe,” Marinette said aloud, though internally she was certain he had a meeting with one of his teachers to discuss a problem he was having with a piece of coursework. They finally stepped out of the bathroom and Adrien draped himself over Marinette’s shoulders. She sighed and patted his head, much more comfortable touching him casually now that they’d finally broken up. “Hey Adri, how’re you?” 

“Miserable! I miss my best friend but I just got a text saying he can’t come over tonight because he has an assignment due on Monday! I’m not used to him being so serious about things,” he admitted, burying his face in her shoulder. 

“I know, but hey! I think Alya’s free tonight, right Als? Nora has the twins since she’s home for the week and you were saying it’s been a while since we played any games,” Marinette said, forming the plan as she spoke. “Maybe we can ask Emilie if we can stay the night-” 

“Which way do we go for lunch?” Damian said as he appeared practically out of thin air. Marinette had to control her instant reaction of punch the jumpscare thing first, end the akuma immediately, and she was pretty sure he knew that she’d been startled. Apparently Robin could read her very easily. 

“This way. Do you want to join us?” Alya asked, eyes lighting up fully again. “Because I have some questions about-” 

“I am just a student here, Cesaire, I do not wish to discuss my father’s-” 

“Totally, I wouldn’t want to hear about Wayne Enterprises any more than you would enjoy talking about it. I want to hear everything you know about Batman.” 

Marinette had to force back the hysterical giggles that tried to burst free, but she wasn’t sure how successful she was. For one thing, Adrien - still draped over her shoulders - was shaking with laughter, making it look like she was also laughing anyway. 

“Very well, perhaps we can exchange information? I have some questions about Ladybug, Chat Noir, and Hawkmoth,” Damian stated, voice leaving no room for refusal. But Alya probably wouldn’t mind talking for hours on her views of Ladybug. Marinette just hoped she had enough presence of mind not to spill all of Marinette’s secrets.

_ _ _ 

At the end of the day, Damian had a bunch of information that he wasn’t sure how to use. A lot of the information about Chat Noir and ladybug was publicly found online,and the information on Hawkmoth was even crappier. The one highlight of his lunch was when Marinette had found something he had said funny, her whole body shaking with laughter as she tried to stop. 

He paused in his internal review of the day, fingers tapping the top of the bar while he thought. There was nothing extraordinary about the way they had interacted, not when most people had assumed that he was a grumpy young man with enough money that problems didn’t really exist. Nobody had come out and said he was unfairly affluent, but he knew what people usually thought of him, and his family. 

Every time he thought he was past thoughts of a dark haired, blue eyed girl from school, he found them straying back to her. He was insanely grateful that Dick and Steph had gone to check out any potential leads they had already gathered, because nobody was there to question why he kept blushing. He didn’t need the teasing and likely overanalysing that was sure to occur. 

His hand strayed to his phone which now housed the numbers of the three students he had spent the day with. Alya had insisted they exchange details and when she had suggested that Marinette would give him hers as well…

He wasn’t stupid, he knew the likely reason he had been so easy to persuade to trade numbers when ordinarily he would shut down any attempt to get closer to him. The fact that Marinette had been on his thoughts since he had met her in Gotham didn’t help matters, though it was easier to shut down those when she wasn’t there. 

Sighing, he pushed the phone away rather than pick it up and send a message he would probably regret. He couldn’t afford to form an attachment to a civilian that didn’t even live in the same country as him, let alone the same city. It was nearly March and he was only supposed to be here until the end of the academic year in July. And that was only if they took that long to find Hawkmoth; if they moved as quickly as they usually did then his father could recall them as soon as the paperwork to relocate them was complete. 

Across the city, Marinette was listening to Alya rant about the vigilantes of Gotham, and how unfair it was that Damian hadn’t been able to give her more than a bare minimum of information. It was taking a lot of Marinette’s self control not to blurt out Damian’s secrets given he didn’t even know that she knew. And it was also kind of hilarious that Damian’s oblivious act had worked so well on the now seasoned blogger. 

“I mean, he’s a Wayne! They’ve been supposedly saved by Batman more times than I can count and he still couldn’t tell me much about them,” Alya complained, throwing herself down on the chaise longue across Marinette, who merely gave an unenthusiastic hum. “You could be a little more invested, considering you have to work with them.” 

“I mean, I can work with them without knowing everything about them,” she shrugged, distracting herself by picking up her phone. “I mean, I still don’t know much about Chat, all things considered. And if they can help us take down Hawkmoth Junior…” 

“Yeah, I know. I just don’t like that they ignored our request for help so long ago and now are swooping in like they can fix it all by themselves.” 

Humming again noncommittally, Marinette opened her messaging app and found the new thread where Damian had sent her a very formal message to let her know it was him. If she was honest with herself, she would admit that she was attracted to him and that him being Robin just made him an incredibly appealing potential boyfriend. 

“Hey, is there something else going on with the new kid?” Alya asked, looking thoughtfully between Marinette’s face and the phone in her hand. When Marinette didn’t say anything, she waved a hand in front of her face. “Earth to Mars, want to tell me what’s going on?” 

“Hm? Nothing,” she replied, slapping at Alya’s hands. 

“That blush says differently! Come on, girl, spill.” 

“He’s just cute, okay? And he has green eyes, so I was never going to get away from him without at least thinking that, so don’t even think about trying to match-make.” 

Her phone chimed immediately after and she almost dropped it on Alya’s face. Mostly because the notification was from the open messaging app and she was so surprised to see a message populate in her chat with Damian that she couldn’t keep hold of it. It was like he could tell she was thinking about him. 

Damian: Marinette, I would like to impose upon your time this evening if possible, to discuss things Cesaire said about akumatisation and your lack thereof

“Is that from him? Are you two flirting now?” Alya pounced, turning to try and take the phone from her grasp. Trying, because Marinette had quickly come back to her senses and pushed her off of her lap, jumping up to race to her loft bed. “Marinette!” 

“Shhh, I’m trying to work out how to respond to his weird proper text speech,” she said without thinking. 

“So it is him! Oh my god, what is it with you and rich kids? First Luka, then Adrien, Felix was a curveball at least in that he was interested for a hot minute, and now Damian Wayne? The notoriously cold and unfeeling Ice Prince of Gotham!” 

“Als, please, I’m trying to focus,” she muttered, tapping the screen while she stared at it without really seeing. “He wants to meet up with me tonight and-” 

“Oh my god, you got him to ask you out in less than twelve hours. How? And why are you not saying yes immediately? You obviously have a thing for him already.” 

“I do not have a thing for him! He’s just…he’s cute,” Marinette pouted, unable to just explain that as Robin he was definitely capable of appreciating the difficulties she faced as Ladybug. 

“Girl, you are so screwed.” 

_ _ _ 

“Where are you going, lil D?” Dick asked, bouncing on the spot as Damian got ready to go out to meet Marinette. He hadn’t really expected her to say yes; he knew his messaging skills were rather lacking, and her acceptance had been more than he expected. But he wasn’t about to tell Dick that. 

“I have a meeting with that girl, to discuss akumatisation and how she has avoided it for so long,” he replied, frowning as he glanced in the mirror and saw that his hair wasn’t sitting quite right. After a little fussing, he decided it was adequate and turned back towards the door. “I shall fill you in with anything you need to be aware of.” 

“Oh, just for information, huh?” Dick said far too casually. Damian saw as the first Robin exchanged an unreadable look with Steph but resolutely refused to address it. “Well, make sure to keep your phone handy so we can get in touch if we need to.” 

It didn’t take long to arrive at the restaurant that Marinette had suggested and he spotted her standing just inside. He felt a flutter start somewhere in his lower abdomen and had to force himself to go to greet her. She spotted him as he came in and he almost forgot how to breathe when she smiled brightly at him. 

“I hope I did not keep you waiting long,” he said when he finally reached her side. She shook her head, a delightful pink flush stealing over her face. “Are we able to get a table?” 

“Oh, I called in ahead and made sure they had enough space for us,” she said, still smiling at him, though no longer looking him in the face. “I was just waiting for you, but the server, Elise, said she would be ready for us whenever you got here. And now you’re here! So, um, yes, shall we go and sit?” 

Elise appeared before he could answer and showed them to a smaller table towards the back of the room. Damian wondered if he could survive such close quarters when she looked like she was wearing a very distracting pink lipgloss. And the table was small enough that he would barely have to reach out and he would be touching her. 

He was supposed to be gathering intel but the moment she looked at him again he forgot everything he had been planning to ask. Her eyes were wide and expressive, something he wasn’t used to anywhere in Gotham. 

So instead, he let her lead the conversation and when he made it back to the apartment he and the others were sharing he wouldn’t be able to repeat any of it. Not because he didn’t learn anything, no, but because everything he learned was about Marinette. She talked about how she wanted to get her name out there properly, not just working with Jagged and Clara Nightingale (a woman known for her fun songs and constant rhyming). 

And he talked about his own interests, the things he didn’t find time to talk about to anyone else that mattered. Whenever he spoke to his siblings, they talked about vigilantism almost exclusively, and the people at school were all ignoramuses. But Marinette was easy to talk to, enthusiastic about whatever he shared, and offered an equal or greater amount in return. 

It was only when they paid for their meals - Marinette would not allow him to pay for both, which seemed absurd considering she knew he was the son of a billionaire but her glare had showed him that she was willing to fight it - that he realised that he had no further information about Hawkmoth and akumatisation than he had at the beginning of the night. 

“May we take a stroll?” he asked, hoping to change that. She smiled up at him and he almost forgot again what he was supposed to be doing. They walked over towards the Seine, idly chatting until he could see the Pont des Arts bridge, the one that used to hold the locks. Then he tried to broach the topic of Hawkmoth again. “Cesaire made it seem like akuma attacks were much more frequent than I have seen since arriving in Paris.” 

“Have you been here for long?” she asked, though she was very studiously not looking at him. Like she agreed but didn’t want it to seem like she did. He shrugged, hyper aware that he had, in fact, only been in Paris for one night. “It’s hard to say, it’s not like Hawkmoth Junior has a schedule. But maybe they’re recovering from Valentine’s day, that one was quite a nasty akuma. Then again, holiday ones always are. Especially the ones to do with love.” 

“Have…have you ever been akumatised?” he asked carefully as they stopped on the bridge. She leaned on the railing, staring out at the dark water and shaking her head. He stood right next to her, facing the same way and trying to ignore the way the arm closest to her tingled slightly. “That must take an enormous amount of control.” 

“Or luck,” she whispered, apparently oblivious to the way he glanced down at her. But he could see the way the lights reflected in her eyes and had the bewildering urge to try and erase the tiredness he could see etched in her face. “There have been some close calls. I’ve had to rely on friends, on pure determination to find another way, because it isn’t easy to shake off a butterfly once it’s actually in your head.” 

“That does not change my statement,” he said softly, turning to face her fully now. The movement caught her attention and she looked up at him properly as well, hand falling from the railing as she did so. His hand moved almost the whole way to her face before he realised what he was doing and dropped it. He cleared his throat and glanced back out over the river. “And based on my conversation with Cesaire earlier, luck has its own power here in Paris.” 

She gave a surprised laugh but it was subdued, and he wondered how much she suppressed all of her feelings. This time his hand brushed her cheek and she jumped as she looked back at him, her eyes no longer reflecting the lights as they stared at each other. He didn’t know why he was touching her, nor why she wasn’t pushing him away. They hardly knew each other. But like a magnet pulling him forwards, he couldn’t quite bring himself to stop. 

“You are impressive, Marinette. You deserve to celebrate your accomplishments,” he murmured, cupping her cheek and marveling at how well it fit into his palm. At the way her hair tickled the tips of his fingers. The way she leaned into the touch and her eyes closed at the simple contact. He leaned closer and could feel her breath on his face, slightly uneven and smelling faintly of the dessert she had eaten. 

He closed his own eyes, hyper aware of everything concerning her and getting overwhelmed by it. He thought he was swaying slightly, moving ever closer to her but not quite willing to breach that final distance. But it felt inevitable, the same way getting into a fight with Tim did when he was trying to be the overbearing knowitall. The same way Jon would burst into his room when a new crush made him talk nonstop about whatever new boy caught his attention. The same way the river below them moved inexorably towards its final destination. 

His phone rang harshly and they jumped apart, Marinette blushing deeply enough that he could see it even in the low light they had. It made him want to pull her back, to ignore the call and find out exactly why Jon was always so excited about this part. But duty won out, and he cursed when he saw that Dick was calling. 

“I have to go,” he said, tearing himself further from her. He tried not to jump back when she shivered, instead shedding his jacket and offering it to her. “Will you be alright seeing yourself home? If Richard is calling…” 

“I’m fine,” she whispered, throwing his jacket on and hunching down into it. It made her look even smaller than before and he felt something shift in his chest as he watched her, fascinated. And now Tim’s insistence on keeping Kon’s clothes for himself made sense too. It felt like he had marked her as his, even if that wasn’t his intention. “Go, I’ll text you when I’m home, okay?” 

Unable to leave without expressing something of what he was feeling, he grabbed her hand up and pressed his lips to her inner wrist. When he looked back at her, still clutching her hand, her eyes were wider than he’d ever seen them and it almost killed him to walk away. But Dick wouldn’t wait forever for a response and he did not want his oldest brother to catch him making eyes at Marinette.

_ _ _ 

The search for Hawkmoth Junior took less time than Marinette thought it would, once they had more money and technology at their disposal. As a full time student and part time designer, she’d never had the time to sit down and search, but the woman that she had learned was called Steph was there purely to focus on finding the second Hawkmoth. 

Damian never talked to her about their near miss with a kiss that first night. He was still polite to her, still talked to her about his art and the animals he had at home that he missed, but he never invited her for a meal and he never spent time with her outside of school (that he knew of). As Ladybug, she saw him a fair bit as well, especially when they thought they might know where the villain was hiding. 

On the night they planned to raid the person’s hideout, she arrived after the Birds. They were in a deep discussion and she was earlier than they’d specified, so Marinette hesitated to interrupt them. Her own teammates were going to be there slightly late, to give her time to remind the others who all was coming. But she completely stilled when she heard what they were discussing. 

“Why does it matter what I think of her? Once this is over, father will be calling us home and there will be no communication between us,” Robin said, a muscle twitching in his clenched jaw and his fists clenched. Involuntarily, she remembered how gentle his hand was when he had held her face and wanted to go over and soothe him. Which was ridiculous because he had no idea who she was. 

“Because we don’t have to go home straight away, Robin,” Nightwing sighed. “I just want you to think about it, because she’s clearly important to you and that doesn’t happen often.” 

“Tt, you just wish to insert yourself to my business,” Robin growled, glancing over to where Marinette was standing and clamming up. “And we are awaiting the team to begin our raid, so I will thank you to keep your opinions of my social life to yourself. Please try to act like we are professional vigilantes.” 

“Hey, um, sorry to interrupt,” she said awkwardly, waving and trying not to blush. They could be talking about anyone. It didn’t have to be her. “The others will be here in a few minutes.” 

“Very well, is there anything we should know?” 

As they got down to business properly, Marinette got swept up in the hopefully final steps of taking down the thorn in her side that had been Hawkmoth Junior. She was so relieved when they got word that the person that used the space was immediately inside, pacing and talking to themselves. 

Marinette utilised Rooster Bold to endow himself with invisibility and sneak into the room, planning to get him to engage with the villain and then they would have Pegasus create a portal to pull the villain into their circle. Bunnyx was on standby to help with the portal creations if necessary, but the hope was that they wouldn’t need to. 

The actual fight was anticlimactic, Rooster Bold managing to catch the person by surprise without even them having the chance to transform. He had her pinned by the time Marinette was even stepping through the portal that allowed her to pluck up the Butterfly Miraculous and free Nooroo from his second evil master. 

“And now I guess we should know who…Lila Rossi?” Marinette stumbled to a stop and stared at the girl that was snarling up at her. “You knew who the original Hawkmoth was long before I told anyone, didn’t you. God, this makes too much sense.” 

“The same Lila Rossi that was credited with being purposefully akumatised and lying to discredit M- another student?” Robin said sharply, glaring down at the girl as well. 

“The very same,” Alya said, as Rena Rouge. She too was glaring down at her former classmate and Marinette realised that maybe Alya was still harbouring some intense hatred for the girl that had so thoroughly bamboozled her and then run away without a chance to get closure. “Wait, how do you even know about that?” 

“We have our ways,” was all Robin said, and Marinette found it so funny that she snorted loudly enough to stop all conversations. She tried to stop but the stress from the past couple of years plus finding out her old civilian nemesis was now her currently defeated supervillain nemesis. It was enough to make her fall down in relief. “...we should wrap this up and get her to the Justice League detention centre.” 

_ _ _ 

It took less than an hour for the big three from the Justice League to appear and take Lila into custody. It turned out that the ‘girl’ who had been terrorising Marinette was actually a woman in her mid twenties who had worked out Hawkmoth’s identity almost immediately and - instead of approaching the heroes or police - decided to join the akuma class and tried to make everything worse. 

Marinette and Chat Noir traveled up to the WatchTower as well, promising to update the rest of the team when they were finished. Marinette got the feeling she was going to have to come clean with the Bats and Birds that she was savvy to their identities, if only for her own conscience. So when Chat said he was going to head back to Paris and start celebrating the latest victory, she hung back. 

“Ladybug, you’re still here,” Nightwing said, clearly surprised by her presence. “Did you need something or-” 

“I know your identities,” she said, the tension she felt far too much to keep it in. When he looked at her nonplussed, she had to fight to stop herself from saying anything more. 

“I don’t know what you think you know, but-” 

“Monsieur Grayson, please, let’s not beat around the bush,” she said tiredly. He started and checked behind him before stepping closer to her. 

“How?” he said in a low voice, pulling out a communication device and clearly sending a message to the rest of the bats. 

“It wasn’t on purpose, I have just met you on both sides of the mask. Robin is particularly memorable,” she said with a blush. Nightwing gaped at her and she tried to get her reactions back in control. “I just wanted to make you aware that I knew, now that there is no risk that your emotions could get you compromised by a super villain.” 

“Nightwing, what’s the SOS,” Batman said, striding into the room and pausing when he saw Marinette. “Ladybug, I assumed you went back to Paris. Isn’t there a celebration taking place?” 

“Probably, but it seemed prudent to make Monsieur Grayson and the rest of you aware that I am aware of your identities. And to offer you my own in return,” she said. “I can’t offer you the rest of my team’s, but none of them are aware of what I know and I don’t plan to change that.” 

“You’re willing to give us your identity, simply because you know ours?” Batman said slowly, glancing behind him as Robin stalked into the room. 

“Hey, lil D. Apparently you’re memorable,” Nightwing said cheerfully, making Robin glance at her suspiciously. “You remember Ladybug, right? We’ve been working with her for a bit. Apparently she worked us out pretty early on.” 

“How.” 

It was less of a question and more of a demand, and Marinette narrowed her eyes at him. 

“I changed my mind, I’ll reveal my identity to everyone except Robin,” she declared, glaring back at him when he scowled. It made it easier to not turn into a blushing mess, though she had the feeling that that would change if she could see his eyes. 

“If you think-” 

“It’s not necessary to reveal your identity to us if you don’t want to, Ladybug,” Nightwing cut in, gaining a frown from Batman and a downright glower from Robin. “Come on, it’s not her fault that she was able to clock us. And chances are we’ll find out eventually anyway, if she’s who I think she is.” 

“You think you worked me out?” Marinette said, head tilting. By the look on his face, he clearly thought he knew who she was. “Hm. You should tell me who you think I am and then I can tell you if you’re right.” 

“Will you both cease this-” 

“Oh, to hell with it, Tikki, spots off,” she said, letting her eyes shut as the magic washed out of her and left her as herself. She could almost feel Damian’s jaw drop and turned to look at him with a weak smile and a wave. “So, um, hi. We should probably talk, at some point.” 

“You-” 

Damian cut off, glancing at Dick who looked unsurprised enough that Damian assumed he had worked it out, even if it was only in the last few minutes. Now that he knew, Damian could see it made sense. She had been in Gotham at the same time as Ladybug, if she had worked him out it had to be because they spent time together. 

“Me,” she said after a moment’s silence. “So, yeah. If we’re all cool, I should go make an appearance in Paris…” 

She transformed again and headed straight for the nearest Zeta tube to get back down to Earth. Damian watched her go, frozen in place until he realised he would have to talk to his family if he stayed, at which point he raced after her and also went through the tube to get back. 

He spotted her getting ready to step out of the alleyway as Marinette and caught her arm before she could. She turned and tried to hit him, blindly, but he redirected the fist with ease before pulling her towards him. He stopped only when they were inches apart and her eyes were staring up at him, as wide and blue as ever. 

“I thought you were a civilian,” he murmured, gripping her chin loosely to keep her close. He wouldn’t be the one to close the distance, not when he was basically accosting her after a particularly stressful day, but he couldn’t bear to let her go. “That’s why I haven’t pursued you. I have thought of little else, but I thought you would be in greater danger if I were to let you know my feelings for you.” 

The lie had started small, as all of hers did, but then someone had offered her preferential treatment for the connection and…she’d gone a little mad with power. By the time the Waynes had caught up to twelve-year-old Lila she had accrued a new makeup set, a party dress for a gala she’d pretended she was going to attend, and a laptop. She wasn’t even sure how she’d gotten that one but she’d had to try it. 

Then she’d been confronted with Bruce and Damian Wayne who had shown up at her hotel on the penultimate day of their visit and served her mother and her with papers that put an end to that particular gold mine. The younger Wayne had glared at her as Bruce explained what had happened to her mother and, once he was done, spat that if she failed to keep his name out of her mouth he would be correcting her behaviour himself. It had terrified her because he exuded a very clear amount of violence so she had nodded frantically until he left. 

They’d made her return the laptop and then work off her debt for the makeup and dress, back home in Italy. It had been humiliating but she’d learned a valuable lesson about when to lie about famous people and how to benefit from those lies without tipping them off that she was doing it. A harsh lesson, but definitely something she could appreciate six years down the line when she was in her final year of lycée and had perfectly wrapped her class around her finger. 

But now she was being forced to return to Gotham on a school trip and she didn’t know how she was going to successfully keep the Waynes from ruining her credibility. Marinette was still constantly trying to undermine her and the girl was ridiculously lucky. When Lila had found out that half of the people she was lying about knowing actually knew Marinette, she’d been incensed. How? How was it that Marinette charmed the people Lila would give her left leg to be able to exploit? 

So, yeah, it would be typical of the baker’s brat to somehow meet the Waynes while they were in Gotham and end up winning them over too. She couldn’t afford for that to happen so she needed to prevent the possibility in any way she could. Should she skip the trip? No, there was the smallest chance that the class would find out information without her there to spin it favourably. So what lie could she weave that would keep the class from approaching the Waynes? 

_ _ _ 

Marinette sighed and stretched as the plane landed, glad that the nine hour flight was finally over. She hadn’t been able to sleep at all, her nerves about being so far away from Paris keeping her awake. It had been a hot topic of conversation for weeks with Tikki and the other Kwami, Marinette not wanting to go abroad when Hawkmoth was still at large but the tiny gods encouraged her to take the break while she could. She didn’t know if it would end in disaster but she desperately needed to have a mental breakdown without worrying that someone would take advantage of that. 

The akuma alerts were set to go off on her phone at any time of night and she had a whole container of sugar cubes available, just in case. Kaalki had sniffed but hadn’t argued about going with them, saying something about there being real celebrities in Gotham. She hadn’t thought too much on it and decided just to be grateful that she didn’t have to resort to bribery. 

“How’re you feeling, Lila?” Alya asked from behind Marinette, making the shorter girl tense slightly. She hated that she hadn’t been able to out Lila as the liar she was, desperately wishing she didn’t have such terrible luck outside of her suit. “You know, about being back in Gotham after everything you went through last time?” 

“Oh, it’s…I’m nervous but I hardly think it will be a problem,” Lila said, a hint of apprehension leaking into her tone. If Marinette didn’t know better, she’d believe it was genuine worry that put a slight quaver in the liar’s voice. “But I’m sure the employee that shows us around won’t have anything to do with…them…other than being employed by the company.” 

Alya made soothing noises and Marinette was curious in spite of herself. She didn’t for one second believe that Lila had a genuine reason to worry about someone - unless they’d worked out she was a liar too. The thought struck her and almost stopped her in her tracks as she excitedly contemplated what that could mean for her, to have someone else who knew Lila’s true colours. 

“Come along, Marinette,” called Caline Bustier, frowning at the class representative and motioning for her to hurry up. “We mustn’t dawdle, the coach is waiting for us to take us to the hotel we will be staying at for the next week.” 

“Sorry Madame Bustier,” she intoned dutifully, scurrying forward and sighing again as she sank into a seat on the coach. She was sitting next to Alix, who seemed more interested in checking her luggage had come through unharmed than talking to her just then. She sighed once more when the coach began to move, tuning into the conversation Alya and Nino were having when she heard the former say ‘Lila’ and ‘threatened’. “What did you just say?” 

“Oh, I was just saying to Nino that if I ever meet the stuck up brat that threatened poor Lila, I’m going to write such an exposé on him. I don’t care if his daddy is a billionaire, it was completely uncalled for and he needs to be brought to task,” Alya said, pitching her voice low as she glanced over at Lila to make sure she wasn’t listening in. 

Marinette fought not to roll her eyes as she thought through the implications of what Alya was saying. While there were plenty of influential and affluent people in Gotham, the most likely answer to her questions was the most obvious. If Lila had been caught lying about someone, why would she have gone for anyone less than the most famous man in Gotham, Bruce Wayne? And, based on what Alya had just said, his son, Damian Wayne was probably involved in whatever this was too. 

“Someone threatened Lila? Why?” she asked, careful to keep her tone light and vaguely concerned. Not super hard because she definitely was concerned that Lila was lying about someone who had the power to make life difficult for all of them. 

“She doesn’t like to talk about it much but, from what I’ve gathered, Damian Wayne disliked her for whatever reason and threatened to stab her. He’s well known for being prickly, so it could have been that she was just a touch too friendly when they met at the age of twelve but it shouldn’t have happened. He told her if she didn’t keep away from him and ‘stop being so cheerful’ he was going to test his blade on her. Ooooh, just thinking about it makes me so mad!” 

“Seriously, what the hell!” Nino hissed, frowning and gripping his pack of bubbles tightly. “I get not wanting to be bothered but to threaten a girl for being nice to you? Dude is bad news. So we’ve got to make sure that none of the Waynes bother our girl at all.” 

“Won’t that be kind of hard while we’re using a Wayne Foundation program to give us access to Wayne Enterprises and its affiliations?” Marinette asked, frowning now too. “Besides, won’t this Damian have grown up in the past half a decade? I hardly think an eighteen-year-old socialite known for his charity work would cause problems for Lila now.” 

“Well I, for one, don’t want to risk sending Lila into the lion’s den and just hoping she comes out alright,” Alya said, dismissing Marinette’s very valid points with a wave of her hand. “Besides, the CEO of a company isn’t going to lower himself to conversing with a group of foreign teenagers just because a foundation with his name on it sponsored us to be here.” 

Marinette might have argued more if the coach hadn’t pulled up to the hotel and gotten them all disembarked so they could check into their rooms. In a rare feat of luck, Marinette had been the name picked out of the hat to have a room for herself, so she didn’t have to worry about anyone seeing Tikki or Kaalki while they slept. 

Groaning as she entered her room she eyed the bed longingly, wishing more than almost anything that she wasn’t going on the group trip to Wayne Enterprises to greet the workers and find out what they would be working on individually. So instead of collapsing like she wanted to, she hauled herself back out of the door as soon as the luggage was put to the side. 

The foyer of the Wayne Enterprises building was tastefully decorated and fairly quiet. Marinette assumed it was because it was just after lunchtime and most of the workers were probably back to work by now, so she smiled at the few employees she could see. She received some very tentative smiles back that seemed more amused that someone was smiling so brightly than genuinely cheerful but she would take what she could get from the dreary city. 

“Hi there! Welcome to Wayne Enterprises,” someone said, clearly their tour guide by the way he was beaming and heading towards them. Marinette tried to focus on the tour, but she was too tired to make an honest show of enthusiasm. Eventually she started to fall to the back of the group, practically sleepwalking as the sounds of the tour guide led the group through numerous hallways.

A tall Arab boy (man? Maybe just old enough to be called that) strode out of one of the doorways they were passing and Marinette promptly crashed into him. Her shriek was muffled by her face being in his chest, his own balance apparently managing to counteract her lack thereof. His hands had braced her arms and she blushed deeply when they both stepped back. Curse her luck! 

“I'm so so sorry,” she managed to say, keeping her gaze averted and wringing her hands. The rest of the class had continued to move, not realising that she had been stopped suddenly. 

“I apologise as well. I was not paying attention when exiting the room and that is unacceptable,” he said, and his deep voice made her spine tingle. She dared a glance at his face and her breath whooshed out of her as she saw the most brilliant green eyes she had ever seen, staring intently at her. 

“Um, fat’s thine- that's fine,” she shrieked, clapping her hands to her mouth in horror. She was eighteen goddammit, why couldn't she handle pretty people yet? “I- uh- my class is getting away, I should-” 

“You are one of the French students, correct? I shall escort you back to them as they appear not to have noticed your absence,” he said firmly, gesturing down the hall where the class was almost out of sight. The only one who had turned back when she screeched was Adrien and he seemed to be waiting for her rather than cause a ruckus and make everyone wait. 

“You don't have to do that, my friend is waiting for me,” she said, mortified that she seemed incompetent enough not to follow a straight corridor. He cocked his head and didn't say anything, still waiting for her to start walking. She swallowed another sigh and began walking. “I mean- thank you. My name is Marinette,” she added hurriedly. 

“Marinette Dupain-Cheng, the author of the essay for your school submission?” He asked, eyebrows raising slightly. God she hoped that was because it raised her esteem in his eyes, not lowered it. “Your discussion of the potential market for ethical clothing design, fabric use, and strategies you would put in place was intriguing. You are a fashion designer, correct? And have your own brand at only eighteen, quite an impressive feat given you work by yourself.” 

Marinette stopped dead in the hallway again, eyes wide as disbelief that a random employee in the building would have read her submission. He stopped to look at her as well, eyes questioning but not verbally quizzing her. 

“Did they just send the essay to everyone in the building?” She squeaked, feeling her blush rise again. He gave a snort of laughter and she gave him a half-hearted glare. “What? If even you interns are reading it-” 

“I am not an intern,” he interrupted, smiling faintly. “I came here to visit my father for a discussion about my schooling once I graduate high school.” 

“But then why-” 

“My father wished for me to read the winning essay because he was impressed with your submission. He runs the company, after all.” 

“Oh my god, you’re Damian Wayne?” she said, voice pitching ever so slightly louder. Adrien seemed to get concerned because he called out to the rest of the class to get them to stop and return to collect her. “Oh, oh no, I don’t think you should be here when they get back here. It was nice to meet you, Monsieur Wayne-” 

“Damian. Call me Damian,” he said, his soft tone at odds with his commanding words. “If you do not object to me referring to you as Marinette.” 

“I- no, that’s fine, I just- there’s a girl in my class who-” 

“Marinette, is everything okay?” Adrien asked, approaching now that the rest of the class had joined him. He was looking at Damian with suspicion and something else that Marinette couldn’t quite identify. Hostility, perhaps? “We should really continue with our tour, sir, if you don’t mind…” 

“I do not,” Damian said, placing a hand on Marinette’s elbow. “My apologies for taking your time, Marinette, but perhaps I will see you again during your stay.” 

“Mr Wayne, I’m so sorry for any inconvenience-” the tour guide began, looking very concerned at the way Damian had a hand on Marinette. Perhaps the claims that he was violent had some basis, but he didn’t seem like a bad person to her. 

“It was no inconvenience,” Damian shrugged, dismissing the tour guide easily. “We just happened to bump into each other in the hall and I was planning to walk her back to you momentarily.” 

“Wait, that’s Damian Wayne?” Alya hissed, her eyes blazing with anger as she looked at him distrustingly. “The nerve-” 

“Alya, don’t-” Lila whispered, sounding every part the distressed girl that had been singled out by someone that meant her harm. 

Marinette glanced at Damian, who narrowed his eyes at Lila but he didn’t say anything to or about her. He watched her carefully for a moment before turning back to Marinette. She saw as his eyes softened and it moved something in her chest with a thump. 

“Until next time, Marinette,” he said in a low voice, taking hold of her hand and pressing a kiss to the back of it. She blushed all over again as he strode away, head high and glorious, toned shoulders back. The look on the tour guide’s face was one of astonishment and it didn’t help her embarrassment that he was clearly floored by Damian’s behaviour. 

“Um, so, the tour?” she offered weakly, trying to get them back on the right track.

_ _ _ 

The following day, Marinette had been quizzed endlessly by the class, some less kindly than others. Alya in particular had been disbelieving that he had just happened to have bumped into her when he had a prior connection to Lila. 

It was very gratifying for Lila to watch as Marinette slowly lost her temper with the questions and thinly disguised anger at Damian. It meant that by the time they arrived at Wayne Enterprises for the second day, Marinette was mumbling to herself grumpily and isolating herself from the group a little. Which would make it easier to ignore her and keep everyone wrapped in her webs. 

Unfortunately, the little witch must have said something to Damian about the lies she had carefully constructed about them because he approached them all just before lunch. The only solace she was able to clutch onto was that Marinette had gone to the restroom not long before, so she wasn’t going to be party to this little confrontation. 

“Lila Rossi,” Damian sneered, eyes narrowed contemplatively. “I trust you have kept to your side of the agreement, lest you be faced with consequences during your stay in Gotham.” 

Lila nodded and cast her eyes down, unable to believe he wasn't going to lay out in explicit detail what exactly she had done. Alya was bristling next to her but ever since the day before when Marinette had somehow - seriously, the luck on that girl! - introduced herself to him and gotten way further into his good graces than Lila would have ever believed possible, Lila had been trying to convince everyone else that confronting any of the Waynes with it was futile at best. At worst, it would cause problems for the Italian student even back home in Paris. 

“Good, because if you are going to be in Gotham, I expect not to have a repeat performance of your last visit,” he said with a smirk. 

“Yes sir,” she replied as meekly as she could, keeping her eyes on the floor to keep him from seeing the relief in them. She breathed out silently when he huffed out a breath and turned away from her. She glanced up to see him looking towards a set of doors that were opening to admit the wretched girl herself, and Lila had to school her features so that nobody saw the sour look of hatred she wanted to level at Marinette. 

Marinette had managed to calm herself down quite well by taking the time out from the class to use the restroom. Did she delay returning, just to give herself extra time? Absolutely, but it was something she needed not to murder Lila or one of the others. She splashed water on her face and prepared to face everyone again, squaring her shoulders as if she was Ladybug marching into battle. 

She was walking through the doors to the room she’d left them in to find Damian glaring at Lila with a small, triumphant smile on his face. He turned towards Marinette as she stepped further into the room and the smile became more an expression of genuine emotion, like he was happy to see her. 

“Marinette, I was wondering if you would care to join me for lunch,” he said when she was close enough that he didn’t need to raise his voice at all to issue the invitation. “I’m aware that you have an hour and would like to spend that time getting to know you better.” 

“I’d like that,” she breathed, frowning when she heard whispers begin from her class but she decided she’d had enough of their nosiness. He offered his arm to her and she took it with only a very faint blush. “Um, Madame Bustier, are we all going to lunch now?” 

When they received the go ahead, they led the way down to the cafeteria, ignoring any discussion happening behind them as they walked. They didn’t speak as they waited in line for food, didn’t say anything until they sat down together with their food. But at last they were out of earshot entirely from her class and she relaxed. 

They chatted aimlessly for a little while, lunches forgotten in front of them as they started to exchange little facts about themselves. Marinette was thrilled to hear that he was a fellow art enthusiast, as well as an animal lover. He painted, which made her smile and he mentioned offhandedly that she should come and see his work some time. Finally, after time had slipped away from them and she realised she didn’t have long until they were due to go back to their time within Wayne Enterprises. 

“So…I thought you were only here yesterday to speak with your father?” she said quietly, focusing on her sandwich instead of looking up at him. She was nervous and didn’t want to give away too much so soon. Really, she didn’t quite know why she was so taken with him, other than that he was absolutely gorgeous and had clearly read her essay with enough interest to remember and comprehend it. 

“Yes, but today I came to see you,” he said, no hint of shame or embarrassment in his voice. It made her eyes flick up to him immediately and he met her gaze with his warm, steady green eyes. “Admittedly, I also wanted to speak with the girl in your class, Miss Rossi, to ensure my name was not in her mouth this time.” 

“Wait, you really do know Lila? And threatened her for being ‘too friendly’,” she said in a disbelieving voice, adding the quote marks with her fingers. 

“I was acquainted with her when she used my name to access free things during a stay in Gotham. Prior to that I had no knowledge of her and I wished for her to stop using my name so we sued her. It was a long time ago, I may have threatened her during the course of the discussion,” he conceded, shrugging a shoulder. 

“Right, that makes more sense,” she sighed, head dropping into her hands. “Well, she still has a penchant for lying about famous people but I can say your name didn't come up until she knew we were coming to Gotham. And then she's only been telling everyone that you're violent and your family doesn't stop you.” 

“Tt, and the sheep within your class believe her,” he grumbled, glaring in their direction. “I should consider myself fortunate that you are not as naive as the rest of them, though it is of little surprise as you are the best of them.” 

“I- you- what-” she spluttered, blushing as she flapped her hands at him. He caught her hand when it connected with his arm, pinning it firmly but kindly to the table. “Damian, you can't just say things like that!” 

“I have been told that honesty is a desirable trait,” he said with a straight face, though his eyes were glinting with mirth. She probably would have melted into a puddle if someone hadn't appeared in one of the spare chairs, startling her away from Damian. Damian gave a sigh and withdrew his own hand, now glaring at the intruder. “Drake, to what do I owe the displeasure of your company?” 

“Not often you come to the building, I was curious as to what had changed today,” the man - Tim Drake, Marinette presumed - said. “But if I'm interrupting…” 

Marinette glanced at Damian, cheeks tinting red again as he merely scowled at his brother. Then his eyes flickered to her and the scowl lessened into a frown. “Yes.” 

“What?” Tim said, already halfway to taking a bite from a rather large sandwich. He seemed genuinely confused, which helped because Marinette was also lost. “Yes what, Damian?” 

“Yes, you are interrupting,” Damian said slowly in a low voice, a faint flush to his cheeks. “Marinette and I were having a conversation and you intruded with no regard as to whether you were welcome.” 

“Interesting,” Tim said, giving her a swift, searching look before making eye contact with Damian and taking a bite of his sandwich. A muscle in Damian's temple visibly twitched and Marinette thought she would perhaps get to see the violence he was renowned for when Nathaniel called out to remind her of the time. 

“Well, um, it was nice to meet you, monsieur Drake. Damian, thank you for keeping me company,” she said, smiling at him. 

Damian watched as she walked away, frown morphing back into a scowl as Tim hummed thoughtfully. Why couldn't he mind his own business? And now that Tim knew about her, everyone else was sure to follow quickly. If they hadn't already been informed of it all. 

“Well she certainly seems nice,” Tim drawled, grinning sharply at Damian when he glared at him again. “So, what was your real reason for coming here today? Something the rest of us should know about perhaps?” 

“Tt, don’t be absurd, Drake,” he snapped back, teeth clenching as he thought again about how he couldn’t have anything private in this stupid family. “If there was something afoot, I dare say you would be one of the first to know it.” 

“So why come into the office today?” Tim probed again, glancing the way Marinette had gone thoughtfully. “And why the show of trying to make it seem like I was interrupting you talking to a girl? She a person of interest?” 

“She is of interest to me. Not to the rest of you, although I’m sure that the others will insist on meeting her before her visit is over with now that you have. She was the one who wrote the essay for the French class, the fashion designer, Marinette Dupain-Cheng.” 

“The one that runs her own company, right,” Tim nodded, brow furrowed as if he was trying to solve a puzzle. “But that doesn’t explain why you’re interested in her.” 

“Why do you constantly speak of Dowd, Drake? She intrigues me,” he said with a shrug, focusing on his drink when Tim looked at him with slightly wide eyes. 

“No way,” he breathed, fingers darting to his phone as he stared at Damian. “You like her? What the hell, do you know her from somewhere? Have you been dating her in secret this whole time? Damian, I need answers.” 

“Tt, Drake, what you need is to have a lower caffeine intake. This conversation is asinine, I will leave you to your meal,” he declared, standing up and walking swiftly away. 

_ _ _ 

The next day, Damian made a point to show up early enough to greet Marinette as she came into the building. She looked tired, and annoyed, and he wished he could ease whatever was irritating her. Perhaps it was just exhaustion? She had mentioned that she was struggling with the time difference and he wondered if he should have picked up a coffee for her on his way in. If that was the case it was easily rectifiable and he made a mental note to swing by a local coffee shop after she had gone to work in one of the departments - he believed that her class was being separated to manageable teams so that they could get experience in various roles. 

Her look of annoyance melted away to one of cheerful surprise the moment she spotted him and he felt a warm glow start in his gut. He didn’t know if he should inspire such a positive change in her demeanour but he could not deny that it gave him a burning desire to touch her. He walked over to her and gave her a small smile of his own, leaning down to kiss her cheeks in an effort to be close to her. He could pass it off as being respectful to her culture in a way that kissing her hand could not be. 

“Damian! You’re here again?” she asked, biting her lip and looking at him from under her lashes. Many other people had attempted to use the same look on him to appear coy and it had irritated him every time but with Marinette…even if the look was fabricated, he found he did not mind because it indicated she had an interest in him just as much as he did in her. 

“You are only here for the week, correct? It seems foolish to waste any time pretending I do not wish to see you,” he said in a low voice as he stayed in her space. “You looked frustrated when I walked in, is everything alright?” 

“Yeah…yeah, everything’s fine, I just hate gossip,” she said ruefully, glancing over at her class. “I’m really happy to see you. Improved my whole morning, definitely.” 

“Mari!” Adrien called out from the other side of the groups, making every head turn in the direction of the pair. “Come on, we’re in the same group for today!” 

“I’d better go,” she sighed, one hand gripping her other arm tightly. Then she looked up at him hopefully and he almost forgot how to breathe. “Will I see you at lunch? I think I’m working in Research and Development for the day and I can find out when we’re taking a break so we could-” 

“Marinette!” the girl with glasses called out sharply, her gaze hostile as she looked at Damian. He narrowed his eyes right back at her, noting that she had an arm around Rossi as though defending the lying vixen from something. “Girl, what are you doing?” 

“Alya…” Marinette began, sighing again as she shot him an apologetic look. “Sorry Damian. Lunch? I’m pretty sure whoever I’m with would let you of all people know what time I’m supposed to be taking it,” she joked before darting forward to kiss his cheek and running away towards her class. 

Marinette was practically burning with embarrassment at having leaned up to kiss his cheek (she wasn’t entirely sure she’d even made contact, he was so tall!) but she joined her group in heading for the Research and Development team. Adrien hovered at her shoulder as they walked, not saying anything but clearly still full of whatever nervous energy had him watching her near constantly since they’d arrived. 

When they were let into the department, they were warned that they would need an escort to and from wherever they went so that they didn’t get locked out. They weren’t to be allowed their own badges to get through the doors as they were only there for a few days, and Marinette thought that was very safety conscious of them. 

“Good morning,” an older black man said, smiling indulgently at them all as he strode casually towards them. “My name is Lucius Fox, I’m the department head for R&D. I understand you’re all innovators or scientists of a kind, which is why you’ve been asked to join me here for your experience in Wayne Enterprises.” 

Both Max and Adrien nodded eagerly, but Marinette felt doubt creep up as she didn’t agree with that assessment. She was just a fashion designer, hardly anything that put her in the category of innovator or scientist. Lucius must have read the look on her face for exactly what it was because he smiled kindly at her. 

“Ms Dupain-Cheng, correct? From what I hear you are precisely the kind of person we usually hire in our department,” he said approvingly, gesturing for her to come over to him. “Mr Agreste, Mr Kante, I have two wonderful workers who will be with you for the next few days just over here. Ms Dupain-Cheng, you shall be shadowing me.” 

“Oh, um, I mean- are you sure? Because Max is way smarter-” 

“Are you insinuating that we made a mistake?” Lucius asked with an eyebrow raised. She flushed in horror and started shaking her head adamantly, only stopping when he started to laugh. “I read your essay, Ms Dupain-Cheng, trust me when I say you are extraordinarily clever and I look forward to learning more about your work with fabrics and fashion. It’s an area I sorely lack information in and I would be delighted to learn more from an expert.” 

Marinette’s blush grew even more and she stuttered out a few nonsense words as he led her to a desk that she assumed must be his if only because he took the seat facing the computer and gestured for her to take the one opposite. 

Time began to fly as Lucius drew answers about her designs and ideas from her with cleverly worded questions and prompts. Once she got into the rhythm of explaining things she lost all of her shyness and became quite impassioned, gesticulating and speaking quickly. Lucius was courteous, engaged, and made innumerable notes while she spoke, asking insightful questions whenever she faltered and keeping her talking for a couple of hours. 

She was only stopped when she saw that Adrien and Max were being led out of the room, and she wondered if they were both using the restroom. But then she saw the time and realised that lunch had arrived completely without her notice, meaning that she should join her classmates so that they could all come back together. But she stalled when, as the boys left, someone else entered, walking over to Lucius’ desk as though he owned the place. Which he technically didn’t but it wasn’t as though it was unwarranted. 

“I hope I’m not too late to accompany you to lunch?” Damian asked, holding a takeaway cup in one hand. As he approached her he held it out and she realised that he’d gone out to get her coffee. How had she found this guy? He was straight up magical and she smiled weakly at him before accepting the cup almost reverently. “Lucius, I trust you are well.” 

“Very, Mr Wayne,” Lucius said, looking slightly bemused. “I wasn’t aware you two were acquainted.” 

“Yes, well, it is a fairly recent acquaintance,” Damian said with a small smile aimed at her. “But truly, we must be going if we are to get anything decent from the cafeteria.” 

“Enjoy yourselves,” Lucius said as they made their way out of the area. 

“Thanks for coming to get me again,” Marinette said after a brief pause, holding onto his arm as they walked. “And for the coffee, I’ve been dying all day.” 

“It was my pleasure. If I had it made incorrectly, please don’t hesitate to let me know so I do not bring the incorrect one tomorrow.” 

“Tomorrow?” She asked, startled enough that she almost tripped into a door. Fortunately, because she was holding his arm, she didn’t and he kept her upright as they entered the cafeteria. Everything seemed to be going swimmingly until they had finally gotten themselves a table. 

“Dames! You made a new friend?” a man with black hair and blue eyes asked, bounding over to them, a huge smile on his face. She could almost feel Damian’s annoyance at the intrusion, his face turning stormy as the man got himself comfortable at their table. “Hi, I’m Dick, Dami’s older brother. It’s nice to meet you…” 

“Grayson, so help me-” 

“Shhhh, Dames, I’m trying to introduce myself to Marinette!” Dick whispered, smiling beatifically at her. Then he pouted and slumped a little. “But now she knows I know her name, she might think I’m creepy! I promise I’m not, Tim just mentioned that he’d met you yesterday-” 

“Grayson, shut up,” Damian hissed, eyes flicking to Marinette briefly before he kicked Dick’s chair. 

“Dami, I’m not going to say anything embarrassing-” 

“You just being here is an embarrassment,” Damian muttered and Marinette gave a small, involuntary giggle. His eyes warmed as he looked at her and she smiled brightly at him. She couldn’t help it; she’d never had siblings before and seeing the way both of the brothers she had met teased him made her heart fill with joy. And then he spoke in a low voice only to her, though she was sure Dick’s hearing wasn’t bad enough to miss it. “He does not need to join us, he will be insufferable if we grant him this.” 

“I don’t mind meeting your family, Damian,” she whispered back, leaning close so that her hair brushed against his forearm. 

“Ohmigosh, you’re adorable!” Dick squealed, practically bouncing out of his seat. It made it much harder to ignore the looks coming from her classmates’ tables. Alya was sitting very close to Lila, a comforting arm around her shoulder as the liar focused on her lunch. A lot of whispering seemed to be happening with the rest of the class and she dreaded finding out what was being said. “Aw, Dames, you found such a cute girlfriend!” 

Marinette almost jumped out of her seat, she was so surprised by that statement. If Damian’s slight blush and very obvious scowl was anything to go by, she guessed he was just as flustered by it. She ducked her head, letting her hair cover her cheeks and almost jumped up again when Damian’s foot found hers under the table. 

“Grayson, why are you being deliberately obtuse? You have lowered yourself to Drake’s level of interfering in my life, that is something you should be ashamed of. You have met Marinette, can you now please give us space to enjoy our lunch?” Damian said at last, talking through gritted teeth while Dick studied them both with barely contained glee. 

“Sure, of course. It was so nice to meet you, Marinette! Feel free to come and say hello any time.” 

Marinette gave a long sigh of relief when Dick got up and walked away, slumping enough that her head thumped onto Damian’s shoulder. And by the time she realised what she was doing he had curved his arm around her back as a comfort. And it really was comforting, so she stayed there to enjoy it. 

“I’m so sorry for my brothers. I wish I could say that would be the last we would see of them but I fear this is only the beginning. I would stay away moving forward but that would just leave you at their mercy when they inevitably visited again,” he said with a heavy sigh, fingers drumming against the table. 

“It’s- well, it’s fine, right? I would end up meeting them at some point, maybe it’s better to get it over with now?” She said with a slightly hysterical laugh when he gave her a dry look. “Look, none of them could be any worse than that, right?” 

“You do not know the rest of my family,” was all he said, his voice grim.

_ _ _ 

The next couple of days, Marinette found herself spending more and more time with Damian. On the Thursday, Damian showed up in the morning with coffee and a pastry and walked her to the Research and Development department and, instead of going, he stayed, talking to a couple of the workers that weren’t paired up with any of the Paris class. 

Then they got lunch, which was interrupted by his brother, Jason, and a sister that didn't say much called Cass. Marinette thought they were different kinds of funny - Jason had a very sarcastic, almost angry humour, and Cass was all facial expressions with minimal speech - but Damian clearly hated that they'd shown up. So she tried to hide her smiles and muffle her giggles behind her hand. Cass seemed to see it for what it was but she just sent Marinette encouraging looks. 

On the Friday, Damian showed up first thing again with a coffee and pastry, a smile on his lips even as Marinette could hear the angry whispers behind her. She focused on him, letting him walk her to the correct department and thanking him for keeping her company so often. He merely gave her a crooked smile and promised to see her for lunch. It was her last day at the company, so she worked as hard as she could with Lucius to get the maximum benefit of working at Wayne Enterprises. 

Lunch should have been quieter but two women showed up who didn’t even seem to work there tangentially. The blonde was overexcited by everything and kept squealing about how adorable she thought Marinette was, and the redhead studied her like Cass had, but spoke more often. Marinette didn’t think she was usually this quiet, but she definitely seemed to be keeping quiet as she looked at something on her phone. 

Damian, for his part, seemed to be resigned to the intrusions and bore it with enough grace that Steph, the blonde, commented on it. Which, of course, made him glare at her but she merely grinned and blew a kiss in his direction. 

By the end of lunch, Marinette could tell Damian wanted to snarl at someone, so she made their excuses a little early to give them more time to walk back to where she was working. And then he surprised her by saying he would be working with one of the other team members until the end of the day, so that he could spend time with her when the day ended. 

They made it to the foyer of the building where the rest of her class seemed to already be waiting. She hadn’t noticed Adrien and Max leaving the department but clearly they had. She didn’t want to waste any time she had to spend with Damian but she had hyperfixated on work and needed to use the restroom before sitting on the bus for an extended period. 

Ducking into the restroom, she planned to be in and out in moments, but it wasn’t meant to be. As soon as she exited a stall, Lila was waiting for her, scowling. She rolled her eyes and moved around her, washing her hands and just trying to get away from her, but Lila didn’t let her leave. 

“So, you think you’re so clever, sucking up to Damian Wayne, don’t you?” Lila said sharply. “You know he wouldn’t even be talking to you if he didn’t think it would annoy me, right? Our history-” 

“Any history you plan on making up right now, don’t bother. Your ‘history’,” she said, air quoting, “with the Waynes is a similar story to what will happen if anyone else you lied about finds out about it. Damian already told me that you got caught lying about him, I don’t need to know any more than that. And one day, you won’t be able to lie to my friends anymore. One day soon, I’d wager.” 

And without waiting another second, she strode through the restroom door with her head held high. She took a shaky breath as soon as she was around a corner, taking a moment to centre herself so she didn't end up ruining her last few guaranteed minutes with Damian.

Meanwhile, Damian had watched with narrowed eyes as Lila Rossi followed Marinette out of the room. Whilst he would love to go and confront the liar, he didn’t think Marinette would appreciate him trying to fight her battles for her. But as soon as the rest of the class saw what he was scowling about, they decided to confront him. 

“Alya, wait-” someone hissed as they half-surrounded him.

“No, I can’t stand this anymore!” Alya declared, grabbing onto Damian’s arm and pulling him around to face her. He stiffened but allowed her to move him if only because Marinette had asked him to be kind to her moronic classmates. “How dare you pretend to be a nice guy around one of our friends when you threatened another? What are you scheming?” 

“I am scheming nothing, Cesaire,” he said in as patient a voice as he could manage. “But if you do not remove your hand from my person, I will have to involve security.” 

“Oh, so you can threaten people but-” 

“I shall stop you there, as it is obvious to me that you do not have the whole story of what occurred six years ago. Ms Rossi was threatened with a lawsuit after she told several establishments that she was my girlfriend. She was made to return or work off the debt she accrued with her lies but I was a twelve year old who had been lied about so I told her I would correct her behaviour myself if she continued to use my name in future. The threats she faced were consequences for her own behaviour and the only thing I might regret is the precise words I used when ensuring she would not lie about me again.” 

“What- that’s a lie!” 

“I have the original paperwork, with Ms Rossi’s signature alongside her mother’s, if that would help,” he said with a sharp smile that had no warmth or joy in it. It was the smile of a predator about to catch its prey and he knew that she could see that. “Or you can look up the scandal that appeared in the newspapers around here at the time, given you are supposed to be a reporter.” 

“What’s going on over here?” Bruce said, walking over to them and shooting Damian a questioning look. Damian sighed and realised things were about to get a whole lot messier…and maybe more entertaining. 

Marinette re-entered the foyer and halted at the chaos that was unfolding. Damian was leaning against the front desk, his ankles crossed as he watched his father talking to her class, but his eyes moved to her as soon as the door shut behind her. She could see Alya’s pale face next to Lila’s increasingly red one and wondered what all had happened while she was out of the room. 

“Father is telling them about the lawsuit raised against Rossi and her mother six years past,” Damian murmured when she got close enough to him. He took hold of her wrist and pulled her towards him so that her back was against his chest as they continued to watch the fall out of Lila’s lies becoming common knowledge. 

“Mmm, I’m guessing none of them are particularly pleased with her,” she mused right back, settling into the comfort of his embrace. The talk took far longer than it should have, Alya interrupting every now and then to ask a question, though they became less frequent as time went on. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen Lila so mad. Hopefully she doesn’t try to take it out on me,” she added absently. 

“If she attempts to punish you for her own actions, I will ensure she faces further consequences,” he promised. Then he stiffened when his father turned towards them and surprise crossed his features followed swiftly by delight. “Oh lord, I suppose now he will want to meet you as well.” 

“What do you-” 

“Hello, you must be Marinette,” Bruce said in a voice that seemed to carry to every corner of the room. His smile was polite but his eyes seemed to sparkle with excitement. “I’ve heard a lot of wonderful things about you.” 

“Father, please,” Damian said, almost sounding like he was pleading. 

“What? I have! Lucius says you’re a fantastic worker, dedicated and easily able to adapt to new problems, as well as just generally pleasant to be around. Tim said you’re polite, Dick said-” 

“Father, I think she understands. Perhaps you can cease embarrassing the both of us in the middle of the foyer?” Damian ground out, a muscle twitching in his jaw. Marinette had to bite back giggles that were trying to escape, the thought of Damian embarrassed too much for her just then. He could probably feel her shaking from the effort but he didn’t mention it. 

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Monsieur Wayne,” she said when she had a handle on her breathing, reaching a hand out to shake his hand. It would have been easier if Damian wasn’t still holding her firmly, keeping her fully against him. 

“Likewise. I must say, I thought my other children were exaggerating but Damian really is quite taken with you,” Bruce said, still smiling even as Damian groaned and she flushed bright red. “I must insist that you come over for dinner tonight, Alfred will make sure-” 

“If she comes to dinner, father, I will escort her,” Damian clipped out, his arms tightening again. 

“Oh, um, I-” 

Luckily, that was when Caline called out that the bus was ready to take them back to the hotel. So Marinette merely smiled nervously at both of the Waynes, stuttering a goodbye and rushing away so quickly she was sure she had just ruined whatever good opinion Bruce Wayne had of her. 

The class were fairly quiet as they filed onto the bus, Marinette bringing up the rear as she contemplated the offer of dinner at Wayne Manor. She didn’t know if it was serious - why would Bruce joke about it at their first meeting? And Damian hadn’t shut it down… - but if it was she wasn’t even sure if she could go. Surely her teacher wouldn’t let her just leave the hotel to a billionaire’s residence for the evening- 

“Marinette,” Damian said, appearing behind her and pulling her to a stop. She blinked up at him, startled out of her thoughts suddenly enough that he had to catch her again. “I am sorry that my father thought it appropriate to embarrass me in such a way, but I wished to let you know that the invitation to dinner is a genuine one. Obviously you do not need to answer me now, but you have my number and you can let me know once you have had a chance to think it over and speak with your teacher. I hope to see you later.” 

He lifted her hand and pressed a kiss to it gently before turning around and marching back into the building. The building where she could see Bruce standing in the doorway, watching the both of them and smiling broadly. 

“Marinette, is everything alright?” Caline said with a concerned look, motioning for her to get on the bus before it got any later. 

“Uh, I think so? Um, the Waynes invited me to join them for dinner,” she stammered, hardly believing it. It seemed Caline was equally befuddled but seemed to be thinking it over as she settled into a seat at the front of the bus. 

They were almost back to the hotel when Caline told her that she didn’t see a problem with it as long as she kept her location on at all times and checked in regularly. Regardless of whether Bruce and his children were running the event that allowed them to be in Gotham, she didn’t think being extra cautious would hurt. Marinette didn’t see the need to point out that she was more than capable of taking care of herself. 

So she text Damian asking for times and letting him know where to get her from, as if he didn’t know. They were staying in a Wayne Enterprises hotel for a Wayne Enterprises event, it would be concerning if he had no idea. Then she panicked about choosing an outfit for the evening that would ingratiate her to Damian’s family while being cute enough that he would like it. 

It was maybe twenty minutes later that someone knocked on her door, and she frowned because Damian wasn’t supposed to be picking her up for another fifteen. Looking through the peep hole, she saw that Adrien, Nino, and Alya were there, looking dejected and upset. She sighed and opened the door to let them in. 

“Girl, I can’t believe Lila was lying the whole time,” Alya said after a moment’s silence. “I looked through the things Monsieur Wayne told us to look at and…it’s pretty conclusive. So then I had a look for everything else she’s ever told us and- god, I was so stupid about this.” 

“But what we came to do was apologise, dudette,” Nino said pointedly, nudging Alya who had buried her face in her hands. “And I really am, Mari. I’m sorry I didn’t believe you when you told us she was lying.” 

“Oh my- yes, Marinette, I’m so sorry for everything. For accusing you of being jealous, for dismissing your claims that she was lying, for not doing my own goddamn research even though that’s journalist 101-” 

“And I’m sorry too,” Adrien said glumly, leaning against her door as he looked solemnly at her. “I should have fought to get her lies out there, even after people decided I was just taking your side for whatever reason. I should have come clean in the beginning that she was a liar and that you were right about her, and if there’s anything I can do to make it up to you I will.” 

“It’s fine,” Marinette said after she was sure they were done. They all gave her incredulous looks and she rolled her eyes fondly at them. “Seriously, it’s fine because she’s been exposed already. And the huge nature of it means that nobody in the class is going to believe her if she tries to spin it another way, which is a huge win to me.” 

“You’re so amazing, Marinette,” Adrien said, smiling so much he got a dimple in one cheek. “That’s why you’re our everyday Ladybug, you know?” 

“Thanks,” she replied with a small smile of her own. “And, um, I’m really glad you came to apologise but I kind of have dinner plans. And Damian will be here to pick me up soon and I still haven’t gotten dressed…” 

“Oh? Mister tall, dark, and mysterious is taking you out tonight?” Alya said, raising an eyebrow. Marinette could see a hint of distrust under the flippant and excited words and she wished Lila hadn’t managed to make her hate the Waynes so thoroughly so quickly. “Since he’s not such a contemptible asshole, I guess he gets a tentative approval from me. He really does do a lot of charity work.” 

“Oh, we’re not going out,” Marinette said with a faint blush. “Monsieur Wayne invited me to a meal at their home because Monsieur Fox has said some positive things about me before. It’s not- He didn’t ask me on a date or anything.” 

“Boo! What, does he think he’s too good to take you out for dinner?” Alya said, frowning again, eyes narrowing in outrage even though it was imagined offence. 

“Als,” Marinette said with a touch of exasperation. “I’ve known him for four days, maybe take it down a notch?” 

“But you like him, we can all tell. Right boys?” 

“Oh, a hundred percent,” Nino nodded, pulling Alya close on the bed and smiling up at Marinette. “And he definitely likes you. But I don’t know if it’ll work with him living in Gotham and you in Paris.” 

“Yeah,” Adrien said, nodding like Nino had said something insightful and easily overlooked. “No matter how much he likes you, surely the distance would be a problem.” 

“Oh my god, I just said that I’ve known him for a little over half a week, can you all chill? Or failing that, can you just be happy that I’m getting to have dinner with a billionaire’s family so it will probably be an amazing meal?” 

“We just don’t want you losing your heart to a guy and then not being able to make it work,” Adrien said quietly, coming away from the door to join the three on the bed. “Besides, Nino said you already had someone you liked, back home? What about him?” 

“Nino! Wow, way to betray my confidences. I mean, it’s not like I don’t care about the person I used to like. I just don’t feel as strongly about him anymore. And Damian has been so…” 

She couldn’t come up with a descriptive word strong enough to explain just how perfect he was. Besides, the others would probably think she was on a sort of drug if she tried. And then someone else was knocking on her door and before she could get to it and stop Adrien, the door swung open to reveal Damian. 

Damian hadn’t expected to find anyone else in Marinette’s hotel room when he showed up to transport her to Wayne Manor. But there were three of the sheep that had been following Lila around like the sun shone out of her backside. He was especially disgruntled to see Agreste hovering in her room, but he was hardly going to tell her who to spend her down time with. 

“Good evening,” he said cordially, though lacking any real warmth towards the trio. For Marinette, she strode over to him and greeted him with une bise on each cheek. “I suppose you might need another minute or two to get ready for the meal, though you look absolutely wonderful as you are.” 

“Nope! Um, all good to get out of here,” she said nervously, staying in his immediate space as she glanced over to her friends to get their input. Nino was giving her a pair of thumbs-up. Alya was eyeing Damian critically, her eyes searching for imperfections that Marinette was pretty sure didn’t even exist. “Um, you remember my friends, Alya, Nino, and Adrien. And this is Damian,” she said, blushing slightly as she introduced them. 

“We have been acquainted,” he said, eyes flickering over the trio before coming to rest on Adrien’s face. His had the most interesting expression, with mild distrust and something else simmering underneath. He had seen similar looks on the faces of younger attendees of Wayne galas when their dates came to speak to one of the Waynes. He thought he might know what was causing it but it was pointless to discuss it. “We shall need to go now, if we wish to make it in time for Alfred’s starter.” 

“Sure,” she said, ushering the others out of her room as she took Damian’s hand. “I’ll let you know when I’m heading back from the meal, Alya! Have a good night, try not to skin anyone.” 

And with that, Damian led Marinette down to the motorbike he had brought to transport her - and he was glad he had done it because she lit up when she saw it, her whole body practically vibrating with excitement. He handed her the spare helmet he had brought along and she jammed it onto her head eagerly. 

Marinette’s reception at Wayne manor was one filled with excitement and claims to her friendship. Damian hovered protectively, baring his teeth at anyone he decided got too close but she didn’t mind. All of them, all together? Much more overwhelming than the ones and twos they’d approached her as at Wayne Enterprises. She appreciated the way Damian hovered over her and kept an arm firmly around her waist. 

“If you would all take your seats,” the person she assumed must be Alfred the butler said. “Dinner is ready and I would prefer to know where to find you with your meals.” 

There was a mass exodus from the drawing room they had all been in, Damian pulling Marinette along behind him somewhere in the middle of the crowd. She was glad to see that he was trying to get two seats together, with her on a table end so that she didn’t have to sit next to anyone else. He almost succeeded, but Jason slid into the end seat just before she could which meant they moved up a space. 

“So, Pixie Chick,” Jason drawled after the first course was done. She glanced at him, part startled and part wary, and waited for him to continue. “Now that we aren’t at Wayne Enterprises I have to ask: what the heck are you doing with Demon Spawn?” 

“I’m not sure I understand the question,” she said, looking questioningly at Damian. He gave a long suffering sigh and shot Jason a dirty look. 

“I presume he is asking why you are so willing to spend time with me. You and I do not have the same personality type; you are friendly, open, and cheerful, whereas I have a tendency to hit first and ask questions never. I like my privacy,” he said when she covered a smile with her hand. 

“Oh. Why wouldn’t I enjoy Damian’s company? He has been unfailingly polite to me since we have met and he does not treat me unkindly. And it certainly doesn’t hurt that we have a similar view on Lila,” she added as an afterthought. Several people around the table exchanged confused looks and Bruce stepped in to explain the situation. 

By the end of the explanation the main course had been provided, and Marinette managed to busy herself with her food again. Damian still glared at anyone who seemed about to question her but they all seemed to be digesting the information Bruce had given them. When the conversation moved on, it was Tim asking about the design work she had mentioned in her essay. He seemed particularly interested in what work she had already done for Jagged as he was a fan. 

“I mean, I just make him stuff sometimes,” she shrugged, flushing when everyone stared at her incredulously. “No, really! I met him during a school event and we’ve been fairly close since. It was just a case of being in the right place at the right time and I’m just happy I get to work with him.” 

“Yeah, but he’s Jagged Stone,” Jason said reverently. “I love his music and no amount of Bruce trying to get him to show us preferential treatment seems to work!” 

“He’s very particular about who he associates with these days. Ever since Bob Roth was fired as his producer, he’s been a lot more careful about allowing anyone to tell him what to do,” Marinette said, squirming in her seat a little. “If you want, I can call him and-” 

“You have his number?” several people shouted in unison, Dick looking like Christmas had just arrived early. He nodded emphatically, reaching across the table - how was that possible? It was so far across! - and clutching her hands like he was begging her to save a life. “Please. Please Marinette, call him and ask him to meet us some day. Or just ask if you can give him my number, he can reach out when he wants to-” 

Damian snapped his teeth at Dick who moved just as quickly back out of Marinette’s space. She watched him, bemused, before taking her phone out and dialling the familiar number. It took a couple of rings but then the line connected and she got a familiar: “Nette!” 

“Hey uncle J,” she said, smiling. “How’s things?” 

“Things are good! Everything okay with you? It’s not like you to call out of the blue like this,” Jagged said, concern dripping from every word. 

“Uh-huh, I’m actually calling because- you know how I’m on that trip to Gotham, right? My class won the essay competition-” 

“Because you wrote it, Lil M,” Jagged interrupted. 

“-and I made a couple of new friends who are big fans of yours,” she finished, smile growing as well as a blush. “I haven’t promised them anything but the guy I’m closest to-” 

“There’s a guy?” Jagged said, perking up. “Is he your boyfriend?” 

“Jagged!” Marinette squealed, scandalised. She knew the room had gone entirely quiet and it was impossible to imagine that they hadn’t all heard what he had said. If the amused looks Jason and Dick exchanged was anything to go by, Damian would have. She didn’t dare look at him to confirm, powering through with the call. “Irrelevant, I made a new friend and his family are huge fans. Can I give you their numbers so you can get in touch if you want to?” 

“Nette, if you have a new boyfriend of course we’re going to have to meet him! What kind of honorary uncle would I be if I didn’t come and make sure he was on the level. You’re still in Gotham now, right?” 

“Right, but I go home on Sunday,” she cautioned, having a horrible feeling that she knew where this was going. “Jagged, please tell me you’re not going to-” 

“Don’t worry, Nette, there’s a flight out in the next hour so I’ll be landing by the time you’re awake again,” he said cheerfully, before hollering for Penny and hanging up. She stared dumbly at her phone for a second before looking up at the people watching her with a sheepish smile on her face. 

“Um, he said he can be here tomorrow?” she said, wincing at the way her voice rose at the end. The excited screams that ripped through the air made her wince even harder. 

_ _ _ 

The next day, she got a call at far-too-early o’clock that made her groan and try to throw it across the room. Fortunately Tikki was paying attention and caught it, bringing it back to her until she looked at the screen. Seeing Jagged’s name lighting it up, she woke very abruptly and picked it up, shoving it hastily to her ear. 

“Morning Nette! We landed, we’re on our way to the hotel you told us you were staying at and we’ll be there in twenty minutes! Tell your boyfriend we’ll see him soon, and to prepare for the inquisition.” 

Marinette didn’t manage to get a word out before the line disconnected and she sighed before pulling up her messages. Damian had already let her know that he was awake, as were the rest of his siblings. There were several excited Waynes all ready to meet the rockstar and she bit her lip as she realised that she needed to set Jagged straight before they got back to the manor or it would be a total embarrassment. 

“Mari!” 

Someone was knocking on her door so she groaned and got out of bed, stumbling over to the door. She hadn’t expected to see Adrien, Alya and Nino at the door, but there they were, smiling at her. Alya looked surprised to see her awake, probably only knocking to invite her to breakfast on the off chance that she was. 

“Wow, what has you up so early in the day?” she asked, motioning for her to come out of the room. “Whatever, we’re going down for an early breakfast so we can get a jump on going out into Gotham proper for the day! It’s our only full free day and Madame Bustier says we basically have free reign as long as we check in regularly.” 

“Oh, um, well,” Marinette stuttered, flushing slightly. “I, uh, I kind of have plans? Someone’s coming to collect me soon and take me over to Wayne Manor again. I’ll probably have breakfast with them…” 

“Wow, you’re spending time with the Waynes again? Girl, are we ever going to see you again or are you planning to just stay here with your new beau?” 

“Alya! It’s not- we’re not dating or anything,” she squeaked before looking at the time and shoving her hands over her mouth and muffling a shriek. “Oh no, I only have fifteen minutes until my ride gets here!” 

“Alright, we’ll leave you to get even more beautiful for your not-boyfriend,” Alya teased, grabbing onto Nino and Adrien before dragging them away. “But remember we have a flight home tomorrow!” 

If she didn't have to rush to get ready, she probably would have had a minor meltdown at Alya's teasing. As it was, she flew through the shower and put on her cutest comfy clothes, hoping that Damian wasn't only interested in her when she was completely put together for a work internship. 

When she bounded through the lobby, she waved at her friends but rolled her eyes at them sending her kissy faces. Jagged’s car was outside for her and she slid straight into it to ensure that he didn’t end up showing himself to all of her classmates. She had the feeling they would have questions for him about Lila and she didn’t feel like getting delayed because of her. 

Pulling up to Wayne Manor again, Marinette felt butterflies erupt in her stomach. She wasn’t nervous to introduce Jagged to the Waynes specifically, but introducing Damian to the man seemed a lot harder. Maybe it was because Jagged had insisted on calling him her boyfriend even though she’d tried to explain that wasn’t it. 

Her case probably hadn’t been helped by the blush that refused to leave her cheeks, nor the sappy smile that kept appearing on her face whenever she said his name. Even Penny had joined in teasing her about it. 

“Welcome back to the manor, Ms Dupain-Cheng,” Alfred said when he opened the door. He raised his eyebrow at Jagged who was beaming and wearing his signature bright colours. She thought he might ask them to wait outside but he let them in without further comment, walking them to the kitchen where Damian had just come in with Titus. 

“Marinette, it is wonderful to see you again,” he said warmly, coming forward to kiss her cheeks. She smiled up at him before reaching out to pet the Great Dane who was standing to attention very well. “I was just about to take Titus on his morning walk, if you would care to join me?” 

“That sounds-” 

“Hey there, mate, I’m Marinette’s uncle, Jagged Stone,” Jagged interrupted with a mischievous grin. “So you’re the guy who’s been trying to sweep her off her feet, huh?” 

“Jagged,” Marinette hissed, face practically bursting into flames with how hot it felt. “I’m so sorry, Damian, he’s just-” 

“It is alright, I am sure your uncle is just concerned for your wellbeing,” Damian said soothingly. He faced Jagged and Penny fully and reached out a hand to the former. “It is a pleasure to meet you both, Marinette told us much about you last night. She has also mentioned you previously, although not by name until then.” 

“Huh, polite fella, aren’t you?” Jagged said, definitely amused at this point. “Well, let me be the first to say that if you mess her around I’ll have Fang eat you.” 

“That would be your pet crocodile? I would be honoured to meet him at some time, but I really must take Titus for his walk now. Would you care to join me, Marinette?” 

Jagged seemed vaguely impressed with the way Damian handled it and Marinette left both him and Penny with Alfred as she accepted Damian’s offer.

_ _ _ 

Jagged meeting the rest of the Waynes was chaos. There was no other word for it, not when Jason and Dick were fawning over the man and trying to goad him into performing something. Marinette tried at the beginning to rein them in but eventually even Penny had given up so she resigned herself to watching them. Damian had disappeared to talk to his father briefly and she smiled as he re-entered the room and came straight towards her. 

“May I speak with you?” he muttered, mouth barely moving as he leaned down to speak into her ear. Her nerves came back but she nodded after glancing at Jagged to make sure he was still busy.

Damian tugged her out of the room where his family were swarming Jagged, who seemed happy just to be adored. She followed him trustingly, wondering if maybe he was going to tell her that Jagged was too much. That maybe they should part ways if he was a part of a package deal. Or maybe he hated her outfit and thought she was lazy and disgusting. Or- 

Her train of thought was derailed when he pulled her into a dark room and closed the door behind them. Weak light was filtering in through a window but the blinds were drawn and she was pretty sure the sun was rising on the other side of the building. 

“I apologise for taking you away from your uncle whilst he was otherwise occupied,” Damian said quietly, brushing her bangs out of her face. “I am just aware that we have a limited time before you must return to Paris and I doubt such an excellent opportunity to get you alone will happen again before then.” 

“You wanted to- to get me alone?” She said, wide-eyed and blushing. It didn't help when he let his fingers linger on her face after the hair was moved, lifting her chin and gazing down at her. “U-um, do you- are you- are you going to kiss me?” 

“Not without your consent,” he murmured, leaning in but waiting. Her body felt like it was receiving an electric current and she pulled him the rest of the way towards her to close it. He braced a hand on the wall behind her and she slid her arms around his neck to steady herself as she stood on her tiptoes. 

They stayed there for a long time, losing track of time as they made out and talked. He’d led her over to the sofa that was in the room after the first time they came up for air, seating her in his lap as they spoke quietly. And interspersed said conversation with kisses. 

“I was wondering if I might come and see you in Paris,” he said a short while later. Her heart skipped a beat at the thought and she was momentarily struck speechless, which seemed to make him nervous too. “Unless you have no interest in seeing me again, or exploring this furth-” 

“I’d love that,” she blurted out, throwing her arms back around his neck and kissing him. “And- I mean, obviously we’re going to be graduating soon, and there’s a Wayne Enterprises branch in Paris, so maybe…maybe you could try a year abroad? I’d come here but I have something I still need to do in Paris,” she admitted, biting her lip. It was a lot to ask of a guy she’d met not even a week ago. 

“I would be honoured to spend time with you in Paris. A year abroad sounds like something I would greatly enjoy,” he replied, squeezing her waist gently. 

She couldn't even really argue that it wasn't her fault. It wasn't, but she wasn't going to tell on Kim, that wouldn't be fair. Plus, she wasn't a snitch, whatever Chloé liked to say on the matter. So she stayed quiet as they recapped her list of crimes, staring at the floor between her swinging feet instead of at Bruce Wayne and Richard Grayson, the latter of which was covered in honey and almond flour. 

“It was an absolute disaster,” André Bourgeois said, frowning at the Dupain-Chengs as he finished his rant. “Poor Monsieur Wayne surely just wanted to enjoy the gala his company were throwing in honour of the opening of the branch and you- you-” 

“Yes, André, I think we are all up to speed,” M. Wayne said, off to Marinette's right. Her shoulders hunched, as she saw him move in her peripherals and he stopped whatever he was about to do. “I think it would perhaps be best if Mademoiselle Dupain-Cheng didn't attend any more Wayne events. There's no need for any charges to be pressed against a child for being, well, a child.” 

“That's not a child, it's a hellion,” Marinette heard Monsieur Grayson mutter, and her shoulders touched her bright red ears. She really hadn't meant to cause such a mess , not when it could have such an effect on her parents and their business. She may only have been five but her Maman had warned her, over and over again, that her behaviour reflected on them.

“We should go and get you cleaned up, Dick,” M. Wayne said, a hint of disapproval creeping into his voice. Marinette stayed as still as she could, miserable and still waiting for her punishment, as Messieurs Wayne and Grayson left the room.

“Well, I suppose Monsieur Wayne has spoken,” M Bourgeois said, sounding a little less stern. “Marinette is hereby banned from any Wayne event in the future. Now I have some officials to speak with so if you can see yourself out…” 

Her Maman and Papa didn't say anything to her as they took her home. They put her to bed with very little fanfare, promising that they would talk to her in the morning when she was fully rested. It had been such an exhausting day that she fell asleep immediately, unable to even stay awake and stew over the possible consequences for her actions.

Avoiding Long-lived Consequences 

“And while we're in Gotham we'll be hosted by Wayne Enterprises!” Madame Bustier said, clapping her hands together. Most of the class started whispering excitedly - with one glaring exception. 

Marinette froze in her seat, mind whirring as she tried to work out how to get out of this trip. It was an instant reaction, the thought of being in the presence of Bruce Wayne after how she had destroyed his party making her palms sweat and her breath short. Kim glanced over at her, eyebrows lifting when she didn't send him her usual reassuring smile. 

“Yo, what's up Nette?” He shouted across the classroom. Everyone turned to look at her and she flushed at the attention. 

“It's nothing! I just…I have to ask my parents if I can go on the trip and I'm not sure I can be away for that long,” she said, wincing when everyone gave her confused looks. 

“But Marinette, you did so much work on the proposal to spend a week abroad, why wouldn't they want you to go?” Rose said eventually, clearly dismayed. 

“No, I know, it’s just that-” 

“If you have any problems, we’ll talk to them for you,” Adrien piped up, shooting her a winsome smile. And wasn’t that just perfect, her classmates would try to convince her parents that she should go because she’d been chatting excitedly to them for weeks. 

“...thanks, Adrien,” she said, turning her wince into a very unconvincing smile and looking away. 

The class dissolved into excited chatter again, until Lila said very dramatically, “Oh, I’m so glad that we’re being hosted by the Waynes! I’m friends with them, so it will be so nice to get the chance to see them again.” 

The room went silent before exploding in excitement again, everyone leaning in closer to Lila to get the details of their hosts. No amount of Madame Bustier trying to calm the class and rein them in with cautionary words about the Waynes likely being too busy to host them directly stopped them. 

When the day finally ended, Marinette trudged home to have the long conversation with her parents about her rotten luck. From inside her bag, Tikki pressed against her hip comfortingly. At least she would have her kwami with her through it all, and if push came to shove she might be able to get away for brief stretches of time with Kaalki. After all, she’d already been planning on taking the horse Miraculous so she could attend any Akuma attacks that happened. 

“Hey sweetie!” Tom called as she entered the bakery, his happy face beaming at her from the kitchen. “Your teacher called us to talk about your class trip, she wanted to make sure we knew about it all and we’ve already confirmed that we have no problem with you going for the full week.” 

“Thanks Papa,” she said weakly, going through to press a kiss to his cheek before disappearing upstairs with a halfhearted explanation of ‘homework’. 

A couple of hours later, they were seated at the dining table for dinner and both Sabine and Tom were talking excitedly about how lucky it was that Marinette was getting to attend the school trip. The fact that it was being paid for by an American company just added to the excitement for them and Marinette hated that she had to burst their bubble. 

“Maman, Papa, did Madame Bustier tell you which company was sponsoring our trip?” she asked, biting her lip when her parents looked at each other before shaking their heads. With a sigh, she continued, “It’s Wayne Enterprises.” 

“Alright?” Sabine said after a moment, brow furrowed in confusion. Marinette waited for the penny to drop but it appeared she was the only one that lived with the horrors constantly on her mind. 

“You know, Wayne Enterprises? Like, Bruce Wayne and his son Richard Grayson?” she prompted, hand waving as she waited for them to understand. It didn’t happen and she gave a whine. “Like the company that banned me from all of their events when I was five for the incident at the Bourgeois hotel?”

“Ooohhh,” Tom said, wincing as well now. But then he seemed to shrug it off, his face taking on a thoughtful look. “Well, I mean, it’s hardly as though you’ve been troublesome since then. I highly doubt they even remember who you are, much less what you did. Perhaps this will be a good chance to build a new relationship with the Waynes!” 

“Papa, Monsieur Grayson literally thought I was a devil child,” Marinette said, deadpan. “I highly doubt me showing up is going to make them anything other than irritated. I don’t want to be incarcerated in an entirely different country!” 

“Cherie, they’re hardly going to lock you up for something you did a decade ago,” Sabine said drily. “Unless you’re planning to do it again?”

“Maman, obviously not,” she said exasperatedly. “But what if-” 

“What ifs have never served you all that well. Better to just go in and hope for the best - and try not to cause any more problems for the Waynes.” 

General Mayhem

Marinette stepped off the plane and grimaced when they were met by a man holding a sign that read ‘Students of Francois Dupont’. She was mostly relieved that they didn’t pay her any particular attention, but she did wish they were traveling with an anonymous company instead of the Wayne Enterprises one. 

“Mari, is everything okay?” Adrien asked quietly as she skulked in the back of the group. She smiled but didn’t say anything, which made him frown. “Is there anything causing you any problems? Are you worried about something?” 

“It’s nothing, Adrien,” she said, trying to brighten her smile. “I’m just a little jetlagged. I’m sure I’ll feel better once I get some sleep.” 

“Yes, it’s a shame none of the Waynes were available to meet us,” Lila said forlornly. Marinette had to contain her eye roll, privately thanking every kwami in existence that they weren’t available. If, by some outrageous chance, Lila wasn’t lying through her teeth, her knowing the Waynes might be just the thing Marinette needed to hide in the group. After all, if they were too busy fawning over their ‘very good friend’ Lila, they wouldn’t have time to accuse her of anything that she didn’t want the others knowing.

“Aw, do you think Damian will come to meet you?” Rose cooed, looking like a real life fairytale might play out in front of her. “You said you’re best friends, right?” 

“Yes, we’ve been friends for so long, but he isn’t a very affectionate friend,” Lila said easily. “As I’m sure you’ve all seen in the news about the Waynes, he really doesn’t like anyone to touch him and he doesn’t like the press. If he does choose to come say hello, I’m sure it will be a more private affair.” 

“Ooh, do you think he might have deeper feelings for you?” Rose gasped, eyes taking on a faraway look. Lila gave a laugh and waved her hand. 

“Heavens no! We’re just very good friends, like I am with all of you. Or like I am with Jagged or Clara,” she said, smiling softly. “I’m not interested in him like that, we’re practically family at this point.” 

The conversation continued all the way to the hotel they were staying at, Marinette avoiding everyone’s eyes and trying to be as discreet as possible. She thought she was doing very well and congratulated herself silently when she made it to the hotel without incident. She was even feeling pretty confident when they all got back on the coach to greet Wayne Enterprises. 

She was just relaxing - while still trying to remain out of sight - as the tour guide for the building excitedly told them all what they would be doing that day when she spotted the very last person she wanted to see on this trip: Richard Grayson himself.

_ _ _ 

Jason was bored, sitting and watching the surveillance cameras to ensure a safe visit for the French students Bruce had sponsored to come to Gotham. It was supposed to help foster good international relationships and, since Paris already held a Wayne Enterprises division, it was simple enough to set up the visit through that branch. 

But watching just more than a dozen teenagers wander into the building was his definition of boring. He sighed and looked over each of the students, grabbing their identities through facial recognition software and jotting down any notes that sprang to mind as he went. He was mostly doing it in protest, planning to annoy Bruce with a thick file to read full of teenage behaviour. Really, anyone else could have done the work and the fact that he was making Jason do it just meant that he was punishing him for something. 

He was mostly just killing time when he noticed that one of the students kept ducking behind their friend, meaning he couldn’t get a clear shot of their face. It could have been a coincidence but the kid’s shoulders were growing less tense the longer they managed to stay out of sight. 

While Jason had a list of the kid’s names, he preferred to get the facial recognition because if the person was impersonating one of the students it would catch them out. But none of that was any use when they were avoiding the blasted cameras. 

“Hey Jaybird! How’s things going?” 

Dick had suddenly appeared in Jason’s office and he paused when his brother was staring intently at the screen. He tried to peer over his shoulder but he couldn’t see whatever the problem was by himself. 

“Dickhead, can you see anything much about that one there?” Jason asked at last, pointing at someone who was hiding behind a blond boy that Jason had identified as Adrien Agreste. “Whoever it is keeps dodging the cameras and I can’t tell who the hell they are. What if they’re nefarious?” 

“I mean, she looks like a teenager, how nefarious could she be?” Dick asked, unconvinced. 

“Demon Spawn is a teenager,” Jason said, deadpan. “Look, forget all of that, can you just come with me so we can check her out?”

“Fine, but only because you’re being ridiculous. She’s probably just shy.” 

They trooped down to the main entrance of the building, Dick leading the way while Jason seemed to check his gun unnecessarily. Dick shot him a look, shaking his head as he pushed through the door and tried to get a good look at the girl. He was fortunate enough that she looked over at them as soon as they entered and he was able to catch her eye. Even better, he knew exactly who she was. 

“YOU!” he screeched, eyes going wide and mouth hanging open. She went pale, mouth dropping open and horror etched across her face. “What are you doing here?” 

“Dickie? You know her?” Jason said, sounding flummoxed. He was no longer touching his firearm but he looked a little alarmed. 

“Know her? Yes, I know her,” Dick seethed, memories surfacing that made him wince even ten years later. “How did you make it past security?” 

“I- I-” she stammered, looking panicked. Her eyes were darting around like she was searching for an exit but Dick was too affronted that she was in the building to remember that he was a twenty-seven year old man and she was a teenager. 

“Oh my God, that’s Dick Grayson,” one of the students, a girl with glasses and an excited look on her face, breathed. She was batting excitedly at the brunette next to her who looked like the world was not going the way she wanted it to. “Lila, you said-” 

“Dick, will you please explain what’s going on?” Jason hissed, smacking Dick on the shoulder to get his attention back. “Is she a threat or what?” 

“A threat? She’s a menace! Not to mention she’s banned from all Wayne Enterprises events, so she shouldn’t even be here.” 

“Wait, you can get banned from the events?” Jason exclaimed, turning fully to the girl- no, the innocent looking nightmare. “How? Please, tell me your secrets!” 

“Um, excuse me sirs,” the teacher, a timid looking woman who was looking rather alarmed. “I’m afraid I don’t understand what the problem is. Why would Marinette be banned from Wayne Enterprises events? She’s our class representative and-” 

“You let her be in charge?” Dick cried, drawing even more attention to the group. 

“It was an accident,” Marinette wailed, burying her face in her friend’s accomplice’s shoulder. “Please, Monsieur Grayson, I really didn’t-” 

“Do you have any idea how long it took to get rid of that honey?” he screeched, ignoring Jason’s snort. 

“I was five!” she shrieked back, voice rising suddenly. She clearly wasn’t paying attention to anyone around her because a tall, athletic looking boy shot her a startled look but she didn’t react. She was staring at the floor and Dick was only distantly aware that other people were starting to come into the room. 

“YOU DOWSED ME IN HONEY AND-” 

“What is going on down here!” 

Dick faltered as he turned to see Bruce and Damian standing by the elevators. The former looked exasperated whilst the latter looked like he wished he was anyone else. It was a normal look for him to have so Dick focused on the fact that Bruce looked annoyed. 

“Monsieur Wayne,” the tour guide said, sounding terrified. “I- I’m so sorry, I was just getting ready to-” 

“Old man, you banned someone from your events when she was five?” Jason said loudly. Dick had almost forgotten he’d been with him the entire time. “You said it was impossible!” 

“Jason, please, I never banned anyone from Wayne Enterprises events,” Bruce said, sounding tired. 

“Um, yes you did, sir,” Marinette said timidly, looking like she was about to cry. Clearly a tactic to garner sympathy and Dick felt his lips pucker into a scowl. “I’m so sorry for coming, I didn’t mean to-” 

“When you were five?” Damian said, sounding bemused as he watched the girl. “What on earth could you have done to warrant a lifelong ban to events?” 

“Mayor Bourgeois was very clear-” 

“Ah, wait, I think I remember this incident,” Bruce said suddenly, shooting Dick a disappointed look that he felt was highly unwarranted. “Miss Dupain-Cheng, correct? It must have been a misunderstanding. I only meant that you shouldn’t attend the events we were hosting during the opening of the Paris office. Perhaps we could take a moment of your time to discuss this in private whilst your class begins their tour?” 

Dick watched in outrage as the hellion followed Bruce into the elevator, the class staring on in confusion as the tour guide tried to regain their attention. Then he decided he should absolutely be present for whatever conversation was about to happen.

Getting Unbanned

Marinette sat in the office, feeling the weight of four people’s eyes on her. M. Grayson was glaring at her; the man he had called Jason was watching her with something akin to fascination; M. Wayne looked deep in thought; and the boy who had seemed amused by everything was playing with what looked like a knife. 

“I’m so, so sorry for breaking your ban,” Marinette said at last, hunching in on herself when everyone focused on her again. “I really didn’t mean to but all of the travel was in place before they told us who was sponsoring the event. And I was committed at that point so-” 

“No, forget that, I want to know what you did to get banned,” Jason said from the other side of the room. When she looked at him, he grinned conspiratorially. “Please, tell me your secrets so that I can start skipping these awful events.” 

“Todd, don’t be ridiculous,” the boy said, tucking the knife back into his sleeve and looking at Marinette with barely concealed interest. “Father already said that she wasn’t banned for life.” 

“Right, but maybe I can just do something worse than what she did,” Jason said agreeably. M. Grayson made an affronted noise and Marinette huddled down in her seat, feeling five years old all over again. 

“I really don’t wish to talk about it,” she said, flushing bright red. “It was an accident, I only meant to complete a dare from a friend. It…got out of hand.” 

“What sort of dare-” 

“Dick, chum, perhaps now isn’t the time to rehash this old thing,” M. Wayne said tiredly. “I really only invited you up here, Miss Dupain-Cheng, so that you didn’t have to deal with the fallout from Dick’s theatrics alone.” 

“Oh,” she said, playing with her fingers as she waited for the ‘but’. 

“Father, if you do not intend to punish her, may I escort her back to her class?” 

Marinette stared at the boy, unsure of why he would ask for such a thing. He had called M. Wayne ‘Father’ and if Lila was to be believed that meant that he was a prickly, unsociable teenager. Not that she was in the habit of believing Lila but…

“What the hell, since when do you want to spend time with a person?” Jason demanded, making her think that Lila had done her research on the family before coming up with lies. 

“Tt, that is none of your concern, Todd,” the boy, Damian she was fairly certain, sniffed. 

“Fine, show her to her class, Damian,” M. Wayne said, though he also looked concerned. It made Marinette very nervous to go anywhere with him but she couldn’t think of a way to refuse without offending anyone or causing a scene. 

“Merci, Monsieur Wayne. Again, I’m very sorry, Monsieur Grayson, for any trauma you endured because of my actions,” she said, wincing when M. Grayson glared at her. 

“Just make sure you don’t try to pickpocket my brother, you hellion,” he snarked, folding his arms like a petulant child. Marinette flushed but followed Damian out of the office as quickly as she could. If she could just avoid the Waynes for the rest of her visit she was sure it would be an easier week. 

“I have rarely seen Richard so out of sorts,” Damian said conversationally, a smirk on his lips. “Nor have I seen Todd quite so upset that he has been unable to achieve what you have. It's a fond wish of his to be banned from all events so that he is no longer required to attend.” 

“Honestly, I just want to forget this whole thing,” Marinette said miserably. “Do you have any idea how stressful it's been, waiting to see if I was going to be denied entry to the building when I arrived?” 

“I cannot say that I do,” he conceded, holding a door for her as they made their way along the halls. She had to pass by him very closely and she was so nervous that she tripped. She expected to sprawl across the floor and give the second worst first impression she'd ever given, but he caught her easily and righted her by placing his hands on her hips. “You should be careful,” he murmured. 

“Th-thanks,” she squeaked, blushing all over again at his closeness. They stood there for a long moment before she cleared her throat and looked away. “So, um…which way now?” 

“To where?” He asked, seemingly completely at ease. 

“To- to my class?” She asked, looking back up at him before looking away quickly again.

“I haven't a clue where they might be in their tour,” he said with a shrug, making her frown in confusion. 

“But you said-” 

“I thought you would appreciate escaping my family's attention,” he said, shrugging one shoulder. “But it should not be too difficult to find them if you wish to return to them. Stay close.” 

Marinette walked along beside him, her heart beating a million miles a minute. Did she try to start a conversation? From how his brother had reacted to his offer to escort her back to her class she assumed that Lila had been telling the truth about Damian Wayne's reputation. But she couldn't ask questions because then he might rescind his apparent kindness and she would end up actually being banned from events. Which at the beginning of a week-long visit wasn't ideal to say the least. 

“What did Richard mean, about pickpocketing?” Damian asked as they went through another door. Marinette flushed again, trying to think of a way to spin this that didn't make her seem like a common thief. When she hesitated, he quirked an eyebrow at her. “Surely it cannot be that bad given your age at the time. Rather, I wish to know how badly to antagonise my brother for a child twelve years his junior getting the better of him.” 

“I-” she began, but faltered when she heard the unmistakable voice of her arch nemesis (no, that was Hawkmoth, she couldn't call a teenage girl the arch nemesis to Ladybug ) constant irritant of a classmate. 

“No, I'm sure Marinette is just having more restrictions put on her. Perhaps they don't want her to attend the gala at the end of the week,” Lila said, sounding disappointed to the casual observer but Marinette knew she was relishing the possibility. “It's such a shame this happened before I knew the Waynes, I could have tried to talk them down from such a harsh punishment.” 

“I can't believe they didn't recognise you, girl!” Alya said, shaking her head. “I bet it was one of Marinette's clumsy moments that spiraled out of control.” 

Chancing a look at Damian, she saw that his eyes were narrowed thoughtfully at Lila but not in a way that made her think that he was suddenly recognising an old friend. No, it rather reminded her of the way a cat looked at a mouse it knew it was going to kill but was looking for a fun way to do it. The thought should have made her concerned but she felt a shiver of anticipation travel up her spine instead. The thought of Damian Wayne debunking one of Lila's tall tales gave her stomach a flutter and she averted her gaze before he noticed her attention. 

“That girl is telling your class she knows us?” He asked quietly, still watching Lila with narrowed eyes that now bordered on a glare. 

“Yeah, to be honest I was hoping she was telling the truth this time,” Marinette sighed. Damian's eyes flickered to her questioningly and she elaborated. “If she was as good a friend to you as she says I was hoping to hide behind her reunion with you all. It didn't work,” she added with a grimace. 

Damian snorted elegantly, a small smirk playing on his mouth as he no doubt recalled the level of outrage M. Grayson had displayed. They stood there for another minute or two as Lila continued to weave a rope for her web of lies. Marinette just hoped this one would be used to hang her instead, she was far too confident that she wouldn't be called out in spite of being in the same building as them for a change. 

Then Adrien spotted them and let out an excited ‘Marinette!’, focusing everyone's attention on her. She gave a squeak and had the urge to hide behind Damian. She even took a half step towards him before realising how ridiculous that would be and stopping before she was pressed against his side. Fortunately no-one moved towards them, though they did all start urging her to come join them to talk about what happened. 

“Um, thank you for getting me back to my class safely,” she said softly, touching Damian's arm briefly before hugging her arms around her waist. She was not looking forward to the interrogation that was bound to happen as soon as the class got her alone. 

“Of course, it was my pleasure,” he said, loud enough that her entire class could hear him. She blinked up at him, surprised as he touched her arm in return. “I hope you will consider my offer to attend the gala as my personal guest. It would make the evening far more entertaining, and guarantees that Father will not change his mind based on Richard's theatrics. Here, my number so you can let me know your decision.” 

She took the slip of paper he held out to her, eyes wider than ever. She could only nod dumbly and stutter out another thanks as he caught her hand and curled her fingers carefully around his number and smiled handsomely. 

“Or if you would rather miss the gala, we could find something else to do with our time. I look forward to hearing from you,” he said in a much lower voice, just for her. This time the shiver couldn't be contained and she blushed at her reaction even as his smile widened ever so slightly. “Until then, Marinette.” 

She watched him go, face as red as her superheroine suit. It deepened even further when he turned back and caught her staring but she was too dumbstruck to look away. By the time she turned back to her class, she thought it must be on fire with how hot she felt. Alya's face was alight with curiosity and she just knew she wasn't getting out of this interrogation.

“Tell. Us. Everything.” 

Damian's Interest

When Damian returned to his father's office it was to the sound of raised voices. He could recognise Dick’s complaining tone and he rolled his eyes as he pushed into the room. Honestly, Jason was often considered the drama queen of their household but at least he usually had a reason for his theatrics. Dick was just unbearably overdramatic at times. 

“You just don't understand, Jay! Anyway, you were the one who thought she was a threat-” 

“Dick, please, she's a child-” 

“I have returned Marinette to her classmates,” Damian announced loudly, making the room fall silent. The reactions through the room varied but he was pleased to see that Dick looked mildly wrong footed. 

“Alright, putting a pin in Dickie’s insane crisis for a sec,” Jason said, ignoring Dick’s outrage. “Do you know her from somewhere, Demon Spawn? ’Cause if so, I'm gonna need to revisit his assassination theory.” 

“Tt, don't be ridiculous, Todd. I had never met her before Richard singled her out for his own ineptitude,” Damian said, startling a cackle out of Jason and a wounded gasp from Dick. “She was practically a toddler when you met her, whatever transpired can only have been your fault.” 

“I take it she was relieved to be back with her classmates,” Bruce cut in, watching Damian thoughtfully. 

“I assume so, yes. Though she seemed contrite over the incident from ten years ago,” he added pointedly, gaining a scoff from Dick. 

“Probably because she knows I plan on enforcing her ban to keep her out of the gala at the end of the week,” Dick muttered savagely, ignoring Bruce's displeased hum. 

“That will be rather difficult as I have issued her with a personal invitation,” Damian said casually, pulling his knife out to twirl around his fingers again. It was a familiar motion and helped to keep the devious look off his face when everyone stared at him again. “But if you insist she cannot attend I will be happy to entertain her elsewhere. Perhaps at the manor?” 

“You- you-” Dick spluttered, gaping in horror. It was a gratifying sight and exactly the kind of chaos Damian had hoped to achieve. Jason's look of surprise was almost as comical, his eyebrows practically in his hairline. 

“You asked her out?” Jason said, sounding equal parts amused and impressed. Damian shrugged but didn’t deny it, leaning back against a wall nonchalantly. Jason let out a low whistle, looking delighted and concerned. “Damn kid, what possessed you? And can we keep it instead?” 

“No, see? She must have done something to him!” Dick insisted. The others just looked at him, Bruce pinching the bridge of his nose as though to ward off a headache. “Why is nobody taking this seriously?” 

“Just because I showed an interest in her? You sound more insane than Todd, Richard,” Damian said derisively. 

“Don’t pretend like it’s not out of the ordinary! Bruce, you have to investigate her, please,” Dick said, turning desperate eyes on their father. “We have no idea why she tried to have me killed ten years ago and now she has Damian acting out of character-” 

“It wasn’t an assassination attempt, Dick,” Bruce cut in tiredly. “I will run a more thorough background check on the whole class but I expect we won’t find anything unusual. Until then, we treat them like a class that we invited to our city because that’s all they are. Now all of you, get out of my office so I can get some work done. Damian, Alfred will collect you if you give him a call.” 

Once they were all out of the room, Dick immediately ran off. Damian presumed it was to follow the class as stealthily as he could and shook his head after him. He, of course, had no intention of missing out on any further interactions with the class if it resulted in the same level of chaos so he didn’t bother to call Alfred.

“Hey, brat, now that Dick’s gone,” Jason said, startling him out of his thoughts. He turned to look at the large man with a raised eyebrow, waiting. “You’re acting kind of weird. Don’t get me wrong, I’m thrilled you worked out what girls are for, but he has a point. This is out of left field and we don’t want you getting taken in by something malevolent if we can prevent it.” 

“Understood. If it eases your mind at all, I mostly took an interest in her because of Richard’s frankly insane reaction. My invitation to the gala was because one of her classmates claims to know us and I rather like the idea of exposing her by ignoring her. If anything comes up in her background check, I would be interested to know.” 

“In that Marinette girl’s?” 

“No, you simpleton. In the girl’s with the double front ponytails and orange blazer. She was rather brazen in her lies and I would like to know if she is going to be a problem for Marinette.” 

“Huh. So if your interest was mostly because Dick was being mental what was the other part?” 

Damian didn’t respond, instead smirking and walking away. He was hardly going to admit that he found her attractive if Jason hadn’t already worked it out.

A Night to Remember

The rest of Marinette’s week was fairly uneventful, the class calming down after the initial demands to know what had happened both that day and a decade before. She spotted M. Grayson sporadically throughout their activities but he didn’t confront her again. 

The one thing of note that she hadn’t mentioned to any of her friends was that she had struck up a text conversation with Damian. The first message had been to ask whether he had been serious about her attending the gala with him to which he had responded in the affirmative. That had almost caused a complete mental breakdown because what? 

After that, she accepted his offer and they started talking about nothing and everything. Often, she stayed up late at night and text him until the early hours of the morning. It was tiring but so very worth it when she learned bits and pieces about him and what he liked. 

She was getting ready for the gala when Alya started talking about how excited Lila was for the event. Marinette tried not to grimace at her enthusiasm but it was difficult considering she now personally knew Damian. Hearing her wax poetic about his endeavours - all of which had been covered in the news so it wasn't like she couldn't have found out through that - made her vision go red and her palms sweat with rage. 

“And girl, you should hear about the work she’s done with him for the animal charities he supports!” She added, smiling like Marinette should be begging Lila for insight. But she’d already asked Damian about his charity work and he was going to help her choose an animal shelter in Paris to support. “I mean, you’re going to the gala with him, right? I bet you and Lila will start getting on better now that you have another friend in common!” 

Marinette was spared answering by a knock on their hotel door. She almost tripped over her own feet to answer it and found Adrien on the other side of it. He blinked down at her, a soft smile emerging as he looked at her dress. 

“Wow, you look lovely Mari! Red is such an amazing colour on you, I don’t think I’ve ever seen you wear it before,” he said. Marinette looked down at herself, checking the black sash to make sure it was sitting straight before beaming up at him. 

“You think? I normally prefer pink but I wanted to try something different for Gotham. It’s not particularly known for its pastels, you know?” 

“Oh, sure, it’s very doom and gloom here,” Adrien agreed. He seemed to lose his train of thought for a moment before she prompted him to explain why he was there. “Right! Your date’s here to pick you up. Madame Bustier sent me up to let you know so she could keep a look out for our coach.” 

“Oooh, I’ll come down with you, Nette! I’d love to meet my two best friends’ Gotham boy,” Alya said with an excited glint in her eye. She was already pulling her phone out, probably planning to call Lila down as well. 

Grabbing her purse and a black faux leather jacket she’d made to match one she’d made for Jagged, Marinette let Adrien lead the way down to the hotel atrium. They chatted politely as they went and she was relieved to find that she was significantly less tongue tied around him now. She didn’t have a lot of time one-on-one with him so it was nice to see that she really was over her crush.

The hotel was very grand and, as such, had a sweeping staircase leading to the entryway. It was beautiful and had lots of intricate carvings that had Marinette’s fingers twitching for a pencil and paper. But as soon as she turned the corner to stand at the top of the staircase her attention was completely stuck on the handsome boy she had been chatting with for the past week. 

He’d asked what colour her dress was and he had managed to colour match with a pocket square and tie. When he caught sight of her, his eyes traveled from the top of her head right down to the heavyset boots on her feet. It was Gotham after all, having sensible footwear seemed to be more important than trying to fit a high class aesthetic. Her eyes became transfixed on his as she made her way to him and she stopped hearing whatever Adrien and Alya were nattering on about. 

“You look enchanting, Marinette,” he said when she came to a stop in front of him. His hand came out to her and she took it automatically, fighting back a hysterical giggle when he pressed a kiss to the back of it. “When you described the dress, I must admit I did not think it would look quite so…” 

“She looks awesome, right?” Adrien said, breaking the little bubble around the pair. Damian’s lips pursed but he didn’t disagree. Marinette bit her lip when she realised her hand was still held tightly in Damian’s and a warm feeling spread from the point of contact. “So, you two are going ahead of us?” 

“Yes, my father expects me to be there from the beginning of the event to ensure I greet people. But I did not want Marinette to have to search for me, so we should leave now so that we are on time,” he said, tugging her towards the doors.

“Oh, can you wait for five minutes?” Alya piped up, glancing at her phone. Damian gave her a frown and she rushed to explain herself. “Your friend, Lila Rossi is here too! She hasn’t had a chance to catch up with you and I know she didn’t want to disturb you at the gala, so if you could wait-” 

“I don’t know any Lila Rossi,” he said firmly, raising an eyebrow when Alya started to protest, trying to show a photo of her. “I’m aware that there is a student in your class who claims to know my family but the only one I am acquainted with is Marinette. And only after she arrived in Gotham. I believe Richard is acquainted though that is…fraught.

“Regardless, I must be on my way to ensure that we aren’t late. I presume I shall see you all at the gala,” he concluded, dismissing the others as he led Marinette to the car where his butler, Alfred, was waiting for them. She followed him, stumbling a little as she tried to process what had just happened.

It wasn’t until they were in the backseat of the car that she finally found her voice. 

“You told them you don’t know her,” she said in an awed voice. She was speechless again for another minute as she tried to work out her feelings. “I…thank you. I know you did it for you, but hopefully they'll all stop blindly listening to her.” 

He gave her a measured look that made her heart pound even harder before he looked away. It was dark, but she thought he might have been blushing.

_ _ _ 

Dick gave a frustrated groan as he tried for the umpteenth time to tie his tie correctly. It didn't work and he cursed under his breath as he went in search of Alfred to help him. They only had a half hour before the gala and Bruce would put on his disappointed dad face if he didn't have it done up in time. 

“Hey, Little Wing, have you seen Alfie?” he asked after searching for ten minutes to no avail. 

“Yeah, he went out with the brat to pick up his date,” Jason said with a shrug, somehow expertly tying his tie. Dick nodded for a second before processing what he’d said and doing a double take. 

“Date? Alfred has a date?” 

“No, Dickhead, Damian has a date,” Jason said, sounding amused. “And Alfred drove him to pick her up.” 

“Who doesn’t have their own driver to the event that Damian knows?” Dick asked, thoroughly confused. 

“That little French chick, Mary-wotsit. Where have you been, it’s all he’s been focused on this week?” Jason said with a grin. “Baby bat’s in love.” 

“What? No. He wouldn’t have. I was very clear that she is exactly who we need to avoid, just in case she’s dangerous,” Dick said, feeling panicked. “We need to get him checked over for brainwashing, or drugs, or something! Why would Alfred just take him when he’s acting out of character?” 

“What are you two blathering about?” Tim asked, looking perfectly put together like the rich kid he was. When Jason gave him a watered down version of events, he sighed and shook his head at Dick. “Big bird, he’s fine. I ran my own checks on him, at his own insistence, and he’s one hundred percent clear of influence. Hell, I even managed to get Zatanna to give him a look over on the WatchTower and she didn’t find anything either.” 

“Then it’s undetectable! You can’t tell me it’s a coincidence that she showed back up ten years after a failed assassination attempt and Damian’s acting strange. She has to be messing with his head somehow.”

“Oh, I know how,” Jason said offhandedly. “Hormones. Kid’s a sixteen year old with a saviour complex that’s never had a girlfriend. She’s small and cute, big blue eyes and a smile that lights up a room - he was doomed as soon as he met her. Do you not remember what you and Babs were like? Or even you and Kor’i? It was only a matter of time before he fell hard.” 

“Oh, and he definitely fell hard,” Tim agreed, pulling something up on his phone. “I glanced at his data and text usage, and it shot up at the beginning of the week. And I took an even sneakier look at the messages he’s been sending and he’s been talking to her about his hobbies and stuff. Kid’s completely head over heels.” 

“And that’s strange! I’m telling you, something isn’t right here,” Dick said stubbornly, glaring when the other two laughed. “What if she’s a plant from the League? She could be here to trick him back to his old life and then what will we do?” 

“Well I have great news for you then, because I made sure Cass is aware and she’s going to talk to her tonight,” Tim assured him. “But if she gives her the all clear you’re going to have to apologise to her and admit that you got bested by a five year old.” 

“And when I’m right, you’re all going to have to apologise to me ,” Dick said, huffing. He probably would have said more but the door opened and Bruce reminded them all to get into the ballroom ready for the gala. 

Moments before the gala was due to start, Alfred opened the doors and admitted the errant Wayne and his date. Dick eyed them suspiciously, expecting Damian’s behaviour to be completely different to his norm. But, though he was definitely standing very close to Marinette, he was scowling at everyone else as he normally did. And he didn’t seem to be completely absorbed in her either, which made Dick doubt himself. 

But he didn’t get the chance to quiz the pair because they had to start greeting their guests. He kept half an eye on the pair but couldn’t see anything wrong with them other than the fact that Marinette was a hellion. Which…okay, with Damian’s past and his propensity for violence and mayhem maybe a hellion wasn’t that strange of a choice for a person he could date…

When the rest of the class arrived, Dick was interested to notice that the bubbly brunette with the glasses seemed to be more introspective than she had been. And the green eyed girl was glaring almost openly at Marinette and Damian, whereas before she had been quite animated when talking to her classmates. 

Finally, Marinette and Damian moved over to Cass and Dick slipped away from the guests he was speaking to so he could approach them as well. When he reached them, Marinette was talking animatedly at Cass about something, and the other woman was giving a small smile as she watched the pair. 

“Hi,” he said, trying not to grimace when Marinette turned her smile on him. “So, having a good evening? I think it’s pretty magical, myself.” 

“It has been acceptable,” Damian said, touching the small of Marinette’s back briefly before moving away. “Marinette was just telling us about her design process for creating her dress. Were you aware that Marinette is a fashion designer?” 

“No, I wasn’t,” he replied with as much enthusiasm as he could muster. By the sharp look Damian gave him, it wasn’t much at all. “You customised your dress?” 

“Made,” Cass said, nodding towards the younger girl. When Dick frowned, she tried again. “Not customised. Made.” 

“She made it herself, from scratch, Richard,” Damian said with an eyeroll. “Marinette is a fashion designer, she has worked with many notable people before.” 

“Dami, stop,” Marinette said, blushing as she hid her face in his shoulder. “I designed sunglasses and an album cover, it’s hardly a huge connection.” 

“Then you shall have to design something for me,” he declared, touching her wrist. Dick watched her carefully before cutting his eyes over to Cass questioningly. It took only a moment for her to understand what he was asking, and she signed only one word: ‘sincere’. It made him frown again but he couldn’t say anything until Marinette was gone. 

“How come you're not hanging out with your class, Marinette?” Dick asked innocently - though not quite innocently enough for the two trained assassins. 

“Damian asked me to come early so we could spend some time together,” she said brightly, beaming. He would think it was adorable if she wasn't so suspicious. “And he isn't very fond of one of my classmates.” 

Cass signed something to Damian, her sharp eyes picking something up from Marinette's body language that Dick hadn't caught. The smirk Damian gave was concerning but all he did was shrug at Cass. But when Marinette tugged on his elbow to get his attention back, he answered her questioning look without further prompting. 

“Cassandra was just asking if you also disliked Rossi,” he said, amusement obvious in his tone. Marinette's nose scrunched automatically and Dick wondered what this classmate had done to get on Marinette's bad side. He then immediately wondered if he had an ally to help stop Marinette's reign of terror and made a mental note to speak with the class next. “The classmate in question-” 

“Dick, chum, can you come over and join me to greet the class,” Bruce said, appearing behind him. Marinette, surprisingly, didn't visibly startle when he appeared and Dick assumed she'd seen him approach. When he agreed to come with Bruce without complaint the older man squinted at him. Fortunately they were short on time so Bruce merely led him away from Marinette and towards the rest of her class. 

“Good evening, monsieur Wayne,” the teacher, Madame Bustier said with a bright smile as she corralled the class to greet him. She introduced them, one by one, and Dick’s eyes narrowed at the ones acting differently to when he met them previously. “We must thank you, once again, for your hospitality while we have been here.” 

“It’s nothing, we love having connections to other countries and building relationships with young minds to help make a better future. And my youngest seems to have made a friend in your midst as well,” he said, gesturing over to where Marinette and Damian were approaching the group slowly. They had their heads bent together, Damian seemingly whispering into her ear as they walked and Marinette had a faint blush on her cheeks. 

The conversation was mild for several moments until one of the students piped up with a question. 

“Mr Wayne, have you ever met anyone in our class before?” The ombre haired girl asked loudly, her eyes slicing towards the one with three ponytails. “Other than Marinette, I mean.” 

“I can't say that I have,” Bruce said slowly, his tone one of genuine confusion for a change. 

“But we're happy to meet you all now!” Dick said eagerly, looking at the girl as well and remembering how she had been glaring at Marinette. Maybe she was the one Damian had been referring to? 

“Sorry to ask for clarification,” the other girl said as if he'd never spoken. “But we were all under the impression that your youngest son was close friends with one of us. That you were, in fact, not in Gotham which is why she hadn't introduced us personally. And it's making me wonder if any of our classmate's so-called celebrity friendships were, as Marinette has always been telling us, fabricated.” 

“Alya, I really don't think you need to bother Monsieur Way-” 

“Well I disagree, Lie-la!” Alya shot back, glaring even more harshly. “Because you've been trying to tear Marinette down for as long except - apparently - I couldn't see it for what it was! How dare you make us think she was jealous of you for your connections, for your ‘good fortune’ to be an Agreste model? To be close to Adrien who apparently she isn't even in love with anymore!” 

“What?” A blond boy said quietly, his eyes going wide as he turned to where Marinette was hiding behind Damian. But none of the other students were paying attention to him, their eyes glued to Lila and Alya. 

“Maybe we should all just-” Bruce began, clearly hoping to cut the conversation short before things turned physical. But Lila started speaking quickly, eyes darting everywhere except at her class. 

“Look, I'll admit that I didn't know the Waynes, and I’m sorry that I lied about that,” she said, eyes shining with tears. “You all expect me to be so- so well connected all the time, and I thought that this was a harmless white lie. And I know that Marinette hates me and always says I’m lying when I’m not, but I really do know everyone else I told you about-” 

“Yeah right,” Dick heard Marinette scoff softly, and he turned his head to scrutinise her. It hadn’t been said loudly enough to be heard by the class but Damian was smirking again as he reached his arm around her shoulders. 

“-and I really did think she was jealous, which is why I thought she hated me! But if that isn’t the case and she doesn’t hate me then maybe we can become friends now that any misunderstandings have been cleared up. Unless you don’t want to be friends, Marinette?” Lila finished, turning hopeful eyes on the other girl. 

“Given you’re still lying through your teeth?” Marinette said when everyone had swung around to look at her. Damian’s hand on her opposite shoulder tightened and if Dick didn’t know how much Damian lived for these petty arguments at galas he might have believed he was trying to caution her. But it was much more likely that it was encouragement and Dick could just feel that things were about to go crazy. “I mean, it’s easy enough for us to prove some of your lies are just that. Isn’t that Jagged Stone right over there?” 

“Why do you always have to be such a goody-two-shoes?” Lila growled, face changing to a scowl without a tear in sight. When she stepped towards Marinette, Damian growled audibly enough that the entire class were staring at him. Lila ignored him and kept glaring at Marinette, who stepped sideways to confront her. 

“Why do you always have to be such a lying asshat?” Marinette quipped back, eyes gone hard and flinty. Lila gave a half scream that drew the attention of everyone else, but it looked like she was too focused on Marinette to realise that she was the centre of attention. Dick’s jaw practically dropped open when Lila threw herself at the hellion but it was on the floor when Marinette moved. 

If he didn’t know better, he’d have been impressed by the backflip she executed as she dodged the other girl. Damian was clearly on the other side of impressed, his eyes slightly wider. Lila landed on a table, things crashing to the floor and smearing all over her dress. Marinette landed gracefully behind her but slipped when she tried to step closer to Damian because a drink or ten had spread over the floor, soaking into Lila’s skirt. 

Hardly missing a beat, Lila leapt to her feet and threw herself at Marinette, fists flying and shrieking in outrage as she swiped an hors d'oeuvre from her cheek. Once again Marinette dodged albeit with slightly less grace this time, But then Lila swung again and clipped Marinette in the middle, taking her down into another table. 

“I hate you!” she screamed, and Dick hesitated to step in because she was moving too erratically. Well, and because it was Marinette who probably orchestrated this whole thing to attack him and leave him either injured or dead. “Why are you so-” 

Marinette managed a maneuver that ended up with Lila on her front with Marinette perched on her back, pinning her arms to stop her from causing any more damage. 

“Quick, Dami, grab a zip tie or something,” Marinette said with a commanding look on her face. 

“Yes ma’am,” Damian murmured, grabbing a napkin and handing it to her to tie up the prone girl. 

Dick scowled while Jason cackled in the background, wondering how Marinette had caused this mess while looking like the victim.

Still Not Banned

“You are glorious, Marinette,” Damian said in a low voice as he sat beside her in M Wayne’s office. “Your talent is intriguing and I would love to see what else you are capable of.” 

“Damian, I really don’t think this is the time,” she whispered back to him, cheeks flushed and gaze averted. 

“No, it really isn’t,” M Wayne said with a heavy sigh. He was pinching the bridge of his nose and had the surveillance from the gala open on his computer. Marinette was forcibly reminded of the last time she’d attended one of the Wayne galas and groaned as she realised that it had ended much the same way. 

“Monsieur Wayne, I am so sorry-” she began, wishing she wasn’t in this situation again. 

“It’s fine, Marinette. I don’t think anyone here can blame you for the events that unfolded today, but it is unfortunate that it surrounded you once more.” 

“I don’t know, I’m pretty sure I can blame her,” M Grayson muttered, rolling his eyes when Damian hissed at him. “What? You think it’s a coincidence that the gala imploded again ? When the only other time things have gone this badly wrong is when we have a Rogue attack or she is involved?” 

“That is irrelevant, Marinette cannot help that the night turned chaotic,” Damian insisted, slipping his arm around her waist and pulling her out of her seat and into his lap. She tried to protest slightly but didn’t try to move away when he squeezed her hip. “You have been treating her unfairly this entire time because you are incapable of admitting you were bested by an ordinary child.” 

“She is not ordinary-” 

“No no, he’s right, I’m just a normal girl, with a normal life,” Marinette said hastily, flapping her hands slightly. Damian frowned at her and started to deny it until she laid her hand on his arm. “Really, I am, and I’m fine with that. I don’t know how to assuage your fears, Monsieur Grayson, but I didn’t intend for things to go so wrong today, or indeed last time.” 

“Marinette, please accept my apologies for Dick’s behaviour,” M Wayne said before M Grayson could argue. “He seems to have forgotten again that you’re a teenager, and that he is more than a decade your senior. Dick, chum, please stop causing problems or I’m going to have to ask you to go home.” 

“What-” 

“Yo, B, I got the French kids back to their hotel alright,” Jason said as he burst into the room. Marinette blinked at him when he looked at her and raised an eyebrow. “Demon Spawn, put her down. For god’s sake, you’ve known her a week, have some self restraint.” 

“Tt, I hardly see how it is any of your business,” Damian sniffed, but he did let her get down from his lap to sit back in her own seat. She shouldn’t have been disappointed and yet…

“Jay, son, can you please not antagonise your brother in front of company?” M Wayne said exasperatedly. “I truly do not need the extra headache. I apologise again, Marinette, I wish the night had gone more smoothly for us all.” 

“I don’t blame you, sir. Lila…has a way of creating situations that she twists to put me in a bad light. It’s unfortunate that she did it at your gala but I would be lying if I said that it was unusual,” Marinette admitted ruefully. “And I really, really am sorry I showed up to this event even against my better judgment.” 

“Next time I shall endeavour to make plans that do not include the gala,” Damian nodded solemnly. Marinette almost missed the casual referral to his wanting to spend time with her again - almost. As she didn’t miss it, she flushed again, her cheeks positively radiating heat as she dropped her face into her hands. 

“Damian, please, you can’t just say stuff like that, you’re going to kill me,” she said, her voice muffled by her hands. 

“Why shouldn’t I say that I intend to continue seeing you if that is my intent?” Damian asked, sounding confused and a little affronted. 

“Because you’re flirting with her in front of the rest of us, so knock it off, kid,” Jason said, sounding both disgusted and amused. “I get it, you got yourself a cute girlfriend, but please just keep the gross PDA to a minimum.” 

Both Damian and Marinette blushed and began to deny it, unable to look at each other as they did so. She knew how she felt about the boy currently pressing their pinkies together, but she didn’t know for sure how he felt about her. She hoped he cared about her too but she didn’t expect it at this point, not with her history with relationships. 

“Alright, that’s enough,” M Wayne said, though he was smiling when he did. He was watching the pair of them with something like pride on his face, and that made Marinette blush even harder. “Damian, why don’t you take Marinette back to the hotel as well, she has an early flight tomorrow and needs to get some sleep before she goes.” 

“Tt, very well. Come along, Marinette, I shall find Alfred so that we can see you safely home.” 

Half an hour later, Damian walked her into the empty lobby, his gait slower than usual but no less confident. Marinette felt her face heating up as she tried to gather her courage to say goodbye to him. He looked down at her when they reached the elevators, his face practically unreadable, and she felt her heart skip a beat as he stroked a finger across her cheek. 

“As chaotic as the evening was, I had a wonderful time,” he said in a low voice, the timbre sending a shiver up her spine. “And whilst you live in Paris currently, I would like to continue getting to know you if it is something you are amenable to?” 

“Yes!” she squeaked quickly, clapping her hand to her mouth at her own eagerness. She cleared her throat and tried again at a lower pitch. “Yes, I would love to get to know you better, Dami.” 

“Good,” he murmured, leaning down slowly towards her. She had every opportunity to stop him, to move away but she didn’t want to in the slightest so she reached up on her tiptoes to meet him halfway. 

The kiss made her veins sing and the blood rushed in her ears as she slipped her arms around his neck to keep him close. 

Epilogue

They broke apart a short time later to find that they were no longer alone. The elevator had arrived carrying multiple of Marinette's classmates, all of whom were watching them with delight and glee. Damian was not ashamed to say that he beat a hasty retreat, promising to call Marinette the following morning. 

When he arrived back at the manor, everyone was still arguing discussing all that had happened at the gala. Dick was even more wound up than when Damian had left, his body language erratic and on edge. Cass was sitting to the side, looking amused, and Jason was arguing that Marinette was literally more than a decade younger than Dick, though Damian wasn’t sure why he was arguing it. Maybe just to remind Dick of his age. 

“Dames! Thank god you came back safely, I was worried-” Dick began, only to be cut off by Bruce again. 

“Dick, son, we’ve been over this several times. Marinette has done nothing wrong, and she wasn’t even the reason things went sideways at the gala, not entirely. The other girl in her class, Lila Rossi, has apparently been lying about knowing Damian and the rest of us for some time. Marinette knew that because she’s been lying about knowing other affluent people.” 

“Right, but she’s got Damian doing things like asking her out and escorting her to galas, which is weirder than someone telling lies to further themselves,” Dick argued. 

“Genuine. Likes Damian. Not sneak,” Cass said in her stilted speech. Damian flushed at the reminder, thinking of the kiss they had shared and tried not to draw any further attention to himself. But it wasn’t as easy as that, and Cass gave him a sharp look at the change in his demeanour that morphed into a devious smile. “Kissed. Brother happy.” 

“Cassandra,” he sighed, ignoring the way Jason threw back his head again and laughed loudly or the way Dick’s look of concern worsened. “I am still my own person, Richard. I just…enjoy Marinette’s company. She is far more interesting than any of the other insipid girls you all insist I speak to at these events, and she has the added benefit of irritating you.” 

“Damian, she’s more than just irritating, she’s dangerous,” Dick argued hotly, but Jason finally managed to get enough air to speak and pointed a finger at the original Robin. 

“Yo, Dick, it’s time to admit you were wrong about the little Pixie,” he said sternly. “Cass, you’re giving her the all clear, right?” Cass nodded emphatically, shooting Damian a thumbs up and a smile. “Right, so now, Dickhead, you owe everyone an apology, as discussed. Demon brat came up clean on bloodwork, a magic check, and now good old fashioned body language is giving them the all clear. Timbit said earlier that you’d need to apologise and the piper is due.” 

“I am not-” 

“Dick,” Bruce said firmly, his expression one of steel. “She’s been vetted more highly than anyone else we know that’s a civilian, let alone one as young as she is. Just admit you were wrong and find a way to get past it for your sake, please.” 

“Wait, shouldn’t we get a Super to check her out too?” Dick said, sounding desperate. “Damian’s only other friend has super hearing, he could check to see if she’s lying, or-” 

Damian sighed and rolled his eyes. It was going to be a long night, and he didn’t have the benefit of sleeping in the following day. So he resigned himself to listen to Dick’s absurdity in passing and leaned back on his seat to try and rest. 

Telling her friends and family that she was planning to move to the crime capital of the world went as well as she thought it would. Her parents had been worried for her, her friends had told her she needed to be sectioned, and her best friend told her that if she got attacked and saved by the local vigilantes, she’d better get an autograph. 

“But seriously,” Alya said after they’d both stopped giggling. “Be careful, okay? Gotham isn’t like anywhere else, its crime rates are at a stupid high. I know you’re going so you can work with Wayne Enterprises - get your foot firmly in the door since you won’t let Lila hook you up - and that you don’t want to move there permanently, but just- be careful.” 

“Sure,” Marinette said softly, hugging her reporter friend tightly. Ever since she and Adrien had broken up, their friend group had been fractured. Fractured enough that Nino and Alya also decided to call it quits when their two best friends were hurting enough that they couldn’t spend time together. “And hey, once I start traveling I’ll hit you up so I have somewhere to crash, wherever you end up.” 

Alya giggled and hugged her again before saying she needed to get back to work. Marinette waved and headed back to the bakery to finish packing. 

_ _ _ 

Standing in the airport waiting to claim her luggage, Marinette could already tell that the city needed her help as Ladybug. The oppressive destructive energy lingering in the air made her feel vaguely unwell and she got the feeling that the only way she would be able to live here for a whole year was if she actively combatted the miasma floating around. 

That didn’t mean she had to don the spots again. On the contrary, when she spoke with Tikki after she was safely tucked away in her apartment she was told that transforming would be detrimental to both of them. Not that she wanted to transform, it would be bad if anyone put two and two together and got to the correct conclusion that she was Ladybug. 

Her first night in the apartment went well, sleeping enough that she didn’t feel like she was going to keel over or commit a murder on the first person to wrong her. She was due at Wayne Enterprises by 10am and Marinette refused to let her first impression to her new employer be that she was chronically late. She had gotten so much better since defeating Gabriel Agreste because she wasn’t running off to save the day constantly. 

So she was pleased when she managed to arrive at the building a full fifteen minutes before they had been asked to show up. The receptionist was friendly enough but looked like she wasn’t quite sure what Marinette was doing there. She was used to the scepticism, being only twenty and running her own successful business so she let it wash off her back. The person calling the shots knew everything about her and had hired her anyway, so there was nothing for it except to prove she had a right to be there. And she would do that by succeeding at every request they threw at her. 

She was fetched from the lobby by a woman she thought must be Tamara because she thought she recognised the haircut from the video interview. They chatted briefly on their way up to Tim Drake’s office and Marinette found her to be refreshingly willing to accept her expertise in spite of her age. And she showed her into the office without making her wait outside, which massively bumped her up in Marinette’s esteem.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Monsieur Drake-Wayne,” Marinette said to the young man behind the desk, smiling as she entered. She hadn’t done much research on the people in the company she would be working for, just the company itself. So she knew that Tim was considered very young for a CEO but she hadn’t expected him to be her age. It was sure to make it easier to work with him, she was sure. 

“And you, Ms Dupain-Cheng,” he replied excitedly, standing up and practically bouncing in excitement. “But please, call me Tim. I wouldn’t even know you were trying to talk to me if you called me Mr Drake-Wayne all the time.” 

“Then please, call me Marinette,” she said with a grin of equal exuberance. “I’m thrilled to be working with you for the next twelve months; Wayne Enterprises is such a great company. And I’d heard you were young but I didn’t realise how similar in age we were.” 

“It’s one of the reasons I’ve always wanted to work with you,” Tim said immediately, nodding his head to the chair on the opposite side of the desk to his own. “The other main reason was because of your work with Jagged Stone! Your black and pink suit, that he wore for his last concert, was iconic. Not that that’s the sort of thing you’ll be making here, necessarily, but I feel like it’s important you know what I like about your work.” 

“I’m sure we’ll work out styles that you’re comfortable in and work with your style,” she said diplomatically, smiling when he grinned. “And I know that it says in the contract that I’ll be helping with more than just yourself, you have a few different brothers that I’ll be styling as well. But Monsieur Wayne declined, is that right?” 

“Yeah, he’s very particular about who dresses him,” Tim said, nodding. “But for day to day, it’ll just be me. Everyone else will need to be fitted for galas and special events, none of which are happening until you’ve been here for a couple of months.” 

“Okay, well I think it would work best if I get everyone’s measurements right at the beginning so I can start designing things when I have free time rather than waiting until there’s the added pressure of a time crunch,” she mused aloud, opening her sketchbook carefully and getting ready to make some notes. “How many people will I need to work with?”

By the time she left to be shown to her own office, she had a longer list than she expected of people she needed to meet with, as well as the contact information for all of them except Damian. At the age of sixteen, she’d felt more comfortable asking for someone with parental responsibility to be present when measuring and fitting him. Especially when Tim told her he was a little violent. 

Her office was beautiful and she stared in awe at it for a solid few minutes before stepping fully into it. It was down the hall from Tim’s office and he had told her to let Tamara (Tam, the secretary had insisted) know if she needed anything, within reason. Marinette, of course, had no intention to ask her for anything if she could help it because Tam wasn’t her secretary. She was sure her workload was heavy enough without putting more on her.

_ _ _ 

It took two weeks for Marinette to arrange time with each of the Waynes and Wayne adjacents. She’d already made three suits, a hoody that looked semi-professional, and a sweater for Tim in that time and she was more than ready to start designing for more than one person. Two people, if she counted the fact that she still designed stuff for Jagged, and three if she counted herself. Not that she did. 

The first person to meet with was Damian and his father. Bruce Wayne had managed to arrange it so that it was over and done with, and she thought she heard him hiss at the teenager to keep his knives to himself. Not one to back down from a challenge, she’d dismissed that and had a brief chat with the kid and measured him as efficiently as possible. She then asked him how he would prefer to communicate his clothing preferences and let him know that it could all be done by text or email if that worked better for him. 

He had a satisfied look on his face when he left and she thought Bruce looked impressed, though she tried not to read into it. Of course the sixteen year old didn’t want to hang out with a young adult employed by his father, he was sixteen. And giving him a different way of communicating considering he was in school and had things to do should hardly have been a surprise. 

The next person she was due to meet was Jason Todd, who seemed something of a mystery. After meeting Tim, he’d warned her that Jason had something of a temper and not to worry if he was slightly rude on meeting her. So she’d done a little research and found that he’d been declared dead for a while. Which, yeah, that sounded stressful. 

So when she heard a knock on the door she braced herself. There weren’t a whole lot of pictures of him online so she wasn’t sure what to expect. So when a smoking hot twenty-two year old walked into her office she almost swallowed her tongue before she remembered she was in a professional setting. 

“Oh, hello,” she said, blushing as the tall, broad man in front of her looked her over. She felt the need to babble rising and forced herself to stay silent. It was a herculean effort but she managed by gesturing for him to come all the way in and grabbing her measuring tape. 

“You know, when Timbit told me I was going to get measured for a new suit, I pictured a stuffy old lady,” he drawled as he sauntered across the room. “Not a gorgeous woman wearing a dress I’d like to see on my floor sometime.” 

“I- um, that’s- should we get you all measured up?” she asked, completely flustered and bright red. He was smirking cockily and she felt like she’d stepped into an alternate reality. Since when did hot guys talk to her like that? Was this a new thing? Curse her for being at work! 

“I think red might just be your colour, babygirl,” he said in a low voice while she was measuring his extremely beefy arms. She swallowed loudly when she noted the circumference of his bicep and roughly shoved aside thoughts of them for later. 

“Speaking of colours,” she said in as normal a voice as she could manage. “Are there any colours you would prefer, or that you would like me to avoid when designing for you?” 

“I think I’d rather leave myself in your very capable looking hands,” he commented, smirking again when she blushed harder. “You been out to eat much since you got here? B said you’ve been pretty dedicated to work and it’d be a crying shame if nobody took you out on the town.” 

“Th-this feels like an inappropriate conversation for a workplace,” she managed to stutter out. 

“Good thing I’m not an employee then,” he said, though his smirk softened slightly. “Unless I’m making you uncomfortable, in which case you can tell me to fuck off without worrying about your job.” 

“Um, maybe- I don’t- I’ll let you know? I don’t know the rules on any of this,” she admitted, making his grin broaden as he leaned on her desk, measurements gathered. He nodded and leaned into her space a little, though not in any way unwantedly. 

“You do that, doll,” he said, taking her hand and a pen to write down his number. She frowned slightly because she could already contact him but he touched the pen to her lips when he was done. “My other number is the one I give to people for stuff like this. The number I just gave you is the one I only give to people I like. Don’t be a stranger.” 

If she melted into a puddle as soon as the door closed behind him, he wouldn’t know.

_ _ _ 

Marinette gave a shaky breath as she looked at the message she had yet to send. Jason hadn’t been wrong that she hadn’t seen much of the city yet and she wanted to, especially if it was with him. Plus, Tam had confirmed that, as long as she was transparent about it, she was welcome to date anyone connected to the company. It was viewed as normal and the transparency was just to make sure that everything was still run fairly. 

So, biting her lip and breathing out slowly, she clicked the send button. Tikki gave a small cheer and went to celebrate by eating a large cookie. The phone lit up again much sooner than she would have expected. A huge grin lit up her face at Jason’s enthusiasm to meet with her sooner rather than later, asking if she was free in the next half an hour. It was kind of adorable. 

He told her to dress warm enough for a bike ride and she got even more excited, if that was possible. He rode a motorbike? And was going to take her out on it? She thought he might just be perfect, which was crazy. 

“Hey there, darlin’,” he said when she came to meet him a block from her address. She was interested, not stupid. “You look positively delicious, you sure you want to go out?” 

“Oh my god, how are you flirting more now that we’re actually going on a date?” she asked, blushing even more. 

“Well now I know you’re interested,” he said with a smirk. He held out a spare helmet to her and she took it easily, placing it over her hair carefully before climbing onto the back of the bike. It was the perfect ride, her arms wrapped around him and pressed flush against his back. She kept track of the turns they took, not wanting to get taken somewhere she couldn’t get home from, even if Jason was one of the Waynes. 

They pulled up outside a fairly non-descript building that made her raise an eyebrow at him, which made him laugh. 

“It’s nothing dodgy, promise. Going to need you to extend a little faith though,” he said with a devilish grin. She didn’t feel any malicious intent so she accepted his outheld hand, following him into the building. Where she was immediately met with bright lights, shrieking children, and a huge sign outlining rules of the game. 

Things passed in a haze as the workers greeted Jason by name and ushered them into a room to set up. They covered the rules verbally as well, and Marinette felt a spark of excitement when she picked up the heavy game gun. 

“I didn't even know you had laser tag here,” Marinette said as she twirled the bulky gun around her finger. She grinned when his face sported a look of surprise, probably because she didn't drop it, and she pointed it at him. “But rest assured, I'll let everyone know how thoroughly I trounced you.” 

“Oh, it’s so on,” he said, nodding to the woman running the game to show that he was ready. “We’re on the same team so what’re the stakes? And how do we tell who wins?” 

“Kill shots, obviously,” she said, smirking at him. “And how many times you get shot subtracts points too.” 

The look in his eyes promised a challenge and she was so ready for it.

_ _ _ 

After Marinette fully demolished Jason at a game of laser tag, he thought he might be a little bit in love with her. He’d been intrigued by her when he met her at his appointment for measurements and it had only grown when she had gotten completely flustered by a little light flirting. 

When Tim had asked him how the meeting went, he straight up declared that Marinette was going to be his girlfriend by the end of the week. It might have taken a little over a week for her to actually message him, but that was okay in his book. He liked a little unpredictability in a woman. But in the intervening time, he had badgered Tim for as much information as he could get, finding out what she liked, what she was good at, where their interests might intersect. 

So laser tag had seemed like a good bet because, even if she wasn’t very good at it, it was usually a good time. And if they found they didn’t mesh as well when they were actively spending time together, they could call it a good try and walk away after having had a fun game. 

The fact that she was better than him at the game just cemented her in his mind as the perfect woman™. It wasn’t as though he met someone who could keep up with him all the time, and for it to be an elfin beauty? Yeah, perfect might not be a strong enough word. Her closeness with Tim was a little off-putting but not a deal breaker, by any stretch of the imagination.

“So, do you want to get dinner or something?” she asked as they approached his bike. 

“That sounds like a great idea, Pixie,” he said, putting on his helmet but leaving the visor open. “You want to go get a pizza, or a burger? Shooting always makes me really hungry.” 

“Burgers sound great,” she said eagerly, putting her own helmet on and waiting for him to climb onto the bike. Her arms wrapped around his waist made him grin and then he was revving away from the street towards the fast food chain. It might not be the fanciest but it was a decent amount of food for your money and it was nicer than a lot of the dingier looking ones. 

They got to know each other more over their meal, chatting about the different things Marinette had gotten up to in Paris over her teen years. They talked about the supervillain that had terrorised the city when she was still young, and Jason had to bite his lip to stop himself from sharing his own experiences with villains. Hardly the kind of thing he wanted her to think about when he was hoping to get a kiss goodnight. 

That conversation bled into talking about her work at Wayne Enterprises which got him an impassioned speech about fashion and how she wanted to make her own brand of clothes for the world. 

“I mean, I want to travel before I do that, get a feel for different cultures and the different potential designs out there,” she said, eyes shining with excitement as she pictured that far away day. 

“What’re you doing in Gotham then?” he asked, genuinely bewildered. It wasn’t really a place known for its fashion, and if this was her first stop on her travels, there was the risk that it would be her last. Gotham wasn’t kind to beautiful, smart, funny outsiders. “There must have been better places for you to start.” 

“Hah, yeah, this is definitely not a forever kind of home. I’m here because working with Wayne Enterprises gives me a couple of things: I can earn a decent sum while I work, hardly any of which is used towards living expenses so I’m saving a bunch; and I get to build a reputation with one of the most ethical, forward thinking companies in the world. It was a no-brainer when I saw the position open and I like to think that I’m fitting in quite well with the company.” 

“I know what you mean, Gotham kind of sucks the life out of you,” he nodded, thinking of all the horrors he had already faced and wincing. “It’d be nice to get out of here, see better, brighter things.”

“Well, I could always use company when my contract is up,” she said, her face flushing prettily a nano second later. “I-I mean, if we keep seeing each other, maybe next year you’ll want to- not that-” 

“I got you, Nette,” he said, a warm feeling spreading through him. “Wow, the date must have been pretty damned good if you’re inviting me to travel with you.” 

“Oh, shut up,” she laughed, still bright red but smiling now. “Like you didn’t have an amazing time.” 

“I most definitely did, doll, even if you did mortally wound my pride. I’m going to need a do-over some time, maybe give you a handicap so I stand a micro-percent of a chance.” 

“Sorry, you’d still be a total loss,” she grinned cheekily, scrunching up the wrapper from the burger and throwing it at his head. He caught it and threw it back which started an all out war that ended with them being asked, politely, to leave if they were finished. 

“I guess this is the part where I take you back to the street corner I found you, huh?” he said, thinking of how he could make sure she made it home safe without stalking her. He frowned when she made a choking noise and he glanced at her to find a red stain on her cheeks again. “What?” 

“Um, maybe don’t say you found me on a street corner, Jay,” she giggled, and he started when he realised what he’d said. “And, um, I don’t mind you taking me back to my building.” 

“Then let’s go,” he said with a genuine smile. They sped along the streets but slower than when he’d been trying to get to the laser tag place. Now that the night was over, he wanted to prolong it if possible, to really enjoy the way her arms felt around him. 

But it couldn’t last forever and when he pulled up outside her place he thought there was some reluctance in the way she moved. She was definitely lingering next to him instead of rushing away, but he didn’t want to take off the helmet and seem like he was pressuring her into anything. He really didn’t want her to decide he was only after one thing and never see him again. 

“This was really fun,” she said, fingers drumming on the top of the spare helmet. When she glanced up, he flipped open his visor so she wasn’t talking to someone faceless. It was a great intimidation tactic when he was Red Hood but it wasn’t exactly what he wanted to happen here. “Maybe we can do something like this again soon?” 

“Is tomorrow night soon enough?” he quipped, his only aim being to make her laugh. Her giggles made him grin and he accepted the helmet from her, fingers brushing hers deliberately as he did so. “I’ll text you when I get back safe, okay? And we can work out another date soon, promise.” 

“Night, Jay,” she said quietly, the ghost of her laughter still on her lips. “Be safe getting back.” 

He waited until she was past her locked outer door and had secured it behind her before flipping the visor back down and roaring down the street to get home. 

_ _ _ 

Over the next couple of weeks, they saw each other sporadically and Marinette was loving it. They’d been spending time during her lunch breaks, and she went out with him one more time where they saw a new movie that he made fun of the entire time. Apparently the spies in the film were highly inaccurate in handling weapons. The only thing that was missing was their first kiss. 

She hadn’t meant to let it go so long without kissing him, given it was all she thought about when he wasn’t there. But a natural moment hadn’t appeared, since he was always dropping her off on a motorcycle and wearing a helmet. Or they were in her place of work and she couldn’t justify making out with her boss’s brother in her office. And it was too soon to invite him up to her apartment, though now that they were heading towards third date territory…

“Hey, babygirl,” Jason said, slinking into her room not long before her lunch was due to start. She glanced up at him with a smile and motioned for him to sit on the chaise longue she had in her room for guests. He looked a little ridiculous given how tall and broad he was, but she liked seeing him fitting into her life. “I was thinking we could try that Korean fusion place you spotted last week, maybe order in?” 

“Sounds perfect,” she said, frowning slightly as she sketched something out and compared it to a design on her screen. “Ugh, I really need to see this style in person some day, I feel like I’m never going to do it justice.” 

“Do you know what you want to eat?” Jason asked, and she forced herself to look away from the work to focus on him for a moment.

“Oh, uh, anything sounds good, I just really need to get this suit done for Damian,” she said, smiling apologetically at him. “I’m not a fussy eater in any way, shape or form, so pick whatever sounds good to you and get a lot of it.” 

“Yes ma’am,” he said with a lazy salute. Then she got immersed in her work and didn’t come back to herself until Jason tapped her on the shoulder to let her know food was there. “Babe, you make Tim look like a well adjusted worker, and he doesn’t know the meaning of the word sleep schedule,” he said with a hint of disapproval in his voice. She grimaced, knowing he was right and stretched before joining him for food. 

_ _ _ 

The week before the gala, Marinette found herself making her way over to Wayne Manor at the invitation of one Alfred Pennyworth. He had reached out to her to let her know that Damian didn’t want to come into the office to try the clothes for the gala, and she’d been more than happy to accept. Jason had talked about Alfred just enough that she knew the elderly British man was important to him and she was determined to make a good impression on him. 

So after she had finished stitching Damian’s outfit - at home because Jason was right and she was a workaholic and a perfectionist - she spent more time than she would ever admit to baking some desserts for the occasion. She purposefully made more than she needed for the dinner she had been invited to so she could wander around the streets handing extras out to the homeless she knew were there. It gave her an excellent excuse to wander the streets and focus her magic on reducing the malevolent chaos that permeated the air. 

It was a little difficult, in that she had to focus on what she felt every now and then instead of her surroundings, but the luck that had followed her around as a teenager meant she didn’t encounter anyone with bad intentions while she was working to improve the city. It wouldn’t save her if she went about after dark for no other reason than because she could, but she could improve things without worrying too much. 

“Ah, Miss Dupain-Cheng,” the man she assumed to be Alfred said when she rang the doorbell. “It’s a pleasure to meet you at last, the young masters speak about you with great fondness.” 

“Likewise, Monsieur Pennyworth,” she chirped, allowing him to lead her to the kitchen but refusing to relinquish her boxes of pastries. “Jason in particular speaks of you often.” 

“What a coincidence, that is who I have most often heard speak of you,” he replied, ducking his head a little. It didn’t stop her from seeing the smile on his face. “Master Damian, Miss Dupain-Cheng is here to check the fit of your gala outfit.” 

“Tt, very well,” the boy in question said, standing up to follow Alfred to another room to change. “I shall be back momentarily, do not move.” 

Marinette raised an eyebrow but didn’t decline as she busied herself making sure the pastries had survived the trip from the apartment. She’d had to catch a bus and walk most of the way when it didn’t go beyond Gotham proper, so she had been concerned that some of them would have broken without her noticing. Fortunately that wasn’t the case, and she smiled proudly at the delicate macarons, arranged by flavour in each box. 

When Damian and Alfred returned, she turned a critical eye on the ensemble, muttering to herself as she tugged on parts and visually checked that it sat correctly across his shoulders. He had been very specific about the clothes, asking for hidden pockets that she decided not to question, and a range of motion that she also didn’t think was necessary for a formal event. 

“How does it feel?” she asked, grabbing her sketchbook to make her own notes and capture any feedback he had for her. “And don’t hold back, I can’t make it comfortable if you’re too nice about it.” 

Alfred made a sound that made her frown in his direction. Either he was choking on something or he had been amused by something she’d said. But Damian was smirking to himself before, grudgingly, admitting that he thought the suit fit perfectly fine, and assured her he would have no issue in speaking his mind if that wasn’t the case. 

“Wonderful, that’s your outfit all finished then! Monsieur Pennyworth, do you need my instructions on how to care for the garment or are you happy to take it from there?” 

“I can take it from here, Ms Dupain-Cheng. I believe the other young masters are currently relaxing in a drawing room on the first floor, if you would like to join them. Master Damian, would you show her the way?” 

In spite of him grumbling about it, Damian did as he was asked, though he moved quickly and without a whole lot of regard for whether she was keeping up. She did, but he didn’t seem to care one way or the other. 

“Hey, Nette’s here!” Jason said when Damian let her walk herself into the drawing room. There was a television and gaming system set up and Dick was battling against Tim in a heated battle. Even turning to say hello to Marinette didn’t stop him from defeating Dick with ease and she tried not to laugh too hard at Dick’s disappointed face. “Please tell me you’ve come to knock Tim off his champion’s podium, he’s been unbearably smug about how good he is at this game.” 

“It’s not why I came but…” she said, smirking at Tim when he shot her a look. “Hey, if you’re scared to play a French champ, you can keep your title for now.” 

“Oh, hell no, it’s so on,” Tim said, nudging Dick to get out of the seat where the controller stretched to. She took the seat gracefully, stretching and shaking out her hands to make sure she was ready to go. Once the avatars were selected, Marinette took a relaxed approach to defeating him, not bothering to get serious until she had a better feel for his abilities. 

The first round was the closest of the three as she allowed him to get a couple of strikes in in between her own more lethal combos. The second round she allowed him to get the first hit just to make him think it was going to go his way before pulling off a few combos that were tricky but most dedicated players could learn them. But in the third round, she didn’t give him a chance to fight back in the slightest. The shouts from Dick and Steph would have distracted a lesser player but Marinette was the best.

“Kick his ass, babygirl,” Jason crowed, making Marinette laugh as she executed a near impossible combo that sent Tim's avatar sprawling. Which she followed up by using her finishing move and obliterating what was left of his health. 

“How?!” Tim cried, hanging his head in defeat. Dick and Steph were in shock, staring at her without blinking as she grinned at Tim. 

“What can I say, very few people are a challenge for me,” she shrugged, sending Jason a sweet smile when he snorted. “It’s not just UMSIII, I’m good at other games too, right Jay?” 

“Wait, what did she beat you at? No, let me guess, you played MarioKart,” Dick said, laughing when Jason tried to shove him off the back of the chair he was perched on. 

“No, Dickhead, I took her to laser tag and she smoked me,” Jason said, a hint of pride in his voice alongside good humour. “I still think it’s because she’s so tiny, harder to hit a small target, you know?” 

“The vests are all the same size,” Marinette sang, sticking her tongue out at him when he scoffed. She probably would have said more but Alfred came in to let them know that dinner was ready for them, meaning that they all headed to the dining room. Marinette and Jason were bringing up the rear when he tugged her to a stop, making her look at him questioningly. 

“Did I mention how hot it is that you can game like that? Because it was insanely hot,” he murmured, leaning down as he cupped her cheek. A thrill sang through her as he got closer, lips stopping just far enough away that she could turn away and decline a kiss. But that wasn’t what she wanted, so she met him the rest of the way, pressing her lips to his in a spine tingling kiss that reached her toes. 

“I said dinner is prepared, Master Jason,” Alfred said, making them both jump. He wasn’t in sight but he clearly knew they were otherwise occupied. Jason gave her a sheepish grin before taking her hand and pulling her out of the room. 

_ _ _ 

Marinette bit her lip as she waited for Jason to finish putting on his suit for his final fitting before the gala. She knew it was going to look amazing on him but she’d mostly seen him in leather and jeans so she wasn’t sure she was prepared for how well he would clean up in a suit. 

The moment he stepped out of her adjacent dressing room she knew she’d been right. The suit hugged his shoulders without looking tight and although he had muscular arms she had given just enough room for them to be nicely fitted without restricting his movement or looking like the seams would pop. He strutted over to her, smirking as he likely saw her very obvious reaction to how he looked. 

“You look very handsome,” she said, pretending to dust lint off his lapels and shoulders. Really, she just wanted to touch him and he didn't seem to mind as he caught her hands up and kissed her. She pulled away reluctantly and swiped her lipgloss from his lips. “Careful, you don't want to look a mess when you go to the gala.” 

“I don't get why you're not coming with me,” he groused, tugging on his tie. She frowned and adjusted it for him, testing it to make sure his discomfort wasn’t a fault in the design. She squeaked when he swooped down and kissed her lips lightly again. “Do you think it’s too late to add you as a plus one?” 

“Since the gala is tomorrow? Yeah, I’d say so. But who knows, maybe I’ll stay up in case you can get away early,” she said with a shy smile, enjoying the way he grinned at that. 

“Well, maybe I’ll just be sick that night and you can nurse me better,” he said, sliding a hand to the small of her back to keep her close. 

“Behave! Now, is there anywhere in the suit that feels wrong…” 

_ _ _ 

Jason moped around the back of the gala, trying to avoid the numerous socialites that were trying to engage him in conversation. There weren’t that many in comparison to those that flocked to Damian and Tim, thank god, but there were enough that it stressed him out. 

“You look like someone killed your dog,” Dick remarked, sauntering over to him. He pulled a face at the eldest Wayne kid and went back to brooding moments later. “Christ, what crawled up your-” 

“I just don’t see why I have to be here,” Jason burst out, gesturing angrily at the event. “It’s not like any of these people care if I don’t show up. They’re all more interested in rubbing elbows with Bruce, or trying to impress Demon Spawn and Replacement. It would be better if I had a date here to spend time with, but instead I’m stuck here with you.” 

“Ouch, tell me how you really feel,” Dick muttered, shooting him a sour look. “Look, I get that you want to spend time with your girlfriend but-” 

“-we have to show up to these things so we show a united front, yeah, I know. But I could just miss one-” 

They were interrupted when Cass came over, determination in the set of her jaw as she grabbed Jason by the arm and pulled him onto the dancefloor. He figured it was a request from Bruce that she get him involved in the festivities because she normally liked to stay by the sidelines too, rather than get accosted by every curious man who thought she was a delicate woman they could woo. 

After a couple of turns on the floor, he led her back over to the side of the room, dodging people who looked like they might ask her to dance if they had the opportunity. Cass smiled at him and signed something along the lines of ‘where’s Marinette’. She put it slightly differently but there wasn’t a lot of nuance in sign language, so the gist was there. 

“She didn’t have an invite,” he sighed, running a hand through his hair. He always refused to have it styled, not wanting to seem any more high class than he was lest someone forget that he was a street kid that Bruce magnanimously adopted. They, of course, didn’t know that there was more to the story so they often looked on him with a mixture of fascination and barely concealed disgust. It really ground his gears to know he wasn’t allowed to just deck one of them if they were too obvious in the disdain. 

Before much longer, Tim appeared and asked Cass to dance, likely trying to continue the trend she had set of dancing with a family member instead of one of the adoring public. It left Jason to himself and he decided to seek Bruce out to get his approval to leave as soon as possible. Marinette had sent him her apartment number so that whenever he got out he could join her. It was a message that made something akin to excitement course through his system. 

“Jaylad, you don’t have to stay on my account,” Bruce chortled, acting up the part of ‘Brucie’ in front of the people he was with. “The kids are always looking to get into trouble these days,” he added in a stage whisper before turning back to Jason and giving him a plastic smile. “Just make sure to be safe out there, chum!” 

He didn’t care if Bruce thought he was going on patrol, he just wanted to get out of there. So he offered the gathered citizens of Old Gotham a smile that made one of them take a step back, and made a beeline directly for the doors.

By the time he arrived at Marinette’s, he wondered if it was too late to call on her. It was already 11pm and she’d been up early to make sure there were no last minute changes to the outfits before the gala. But she buzzed him up seconds after he rang the bell and he took the stairs three at a time to reach her. 

“Hey,” she said, opening the door wider the moment she knew it was him and stepping back so he could come inside. “You must have broken several traffic laws to get here as quickly as you did.” 

“No way to prove it now,” he said with a smirk, following her into her living room. She’d set up blankets, popcorn, drinks, and a movie with lots of action in it, and he stalled a little when he saw it. “All this for me? You didn’t have to.” 

“I know, but I wanted to do something nice with you,” she said quietly, tucking herself under the large blanket she had spread out for them. “And it’s not like we can’t relax and enjoy ourselves even if it’s late, right? So stop hovering and get over here.” 

When he settled under the blanket with her, she snuggled into his side and snagged the popcorn bowl to put in his lap. He swallowed as she dimmed the lights and started the movie, cuddled close and totally relaxed with him.

_ _ _ 

The first time he stayed at her apartment was an accident. He’d meant to show himself out when she’d fallen asleep working on a shirt for Tim, but when he’d moved her to her bed, she’d clung to him tightly enough that it was going to cause problems if he tried to leave. Like, losing his shirt and having to brave Gotham in just his leather jacket, kind of problems. 

So instead, he’d curled up with her, accepting the fact that he was trapped when she crawled up onto his chest and wrapped her arms around him in a vice-like fashion. It had been absurdly easy to follow her to the land of nod and he didn’t wake until after she did. At which point she’d smiled at him so sweetly that he wished he was waking up there every day. 

After that, they started to plan for nights he could stay over, letting him leave things there for if something like that first night should happen again. He didn’t fully know how to describe the feeling it gave him to know that he had a toothbrush next to hers, but it was warm and fuzzy. 

They were lounging in her apartment one Sunday after a night where they’d settled down for a movie and let it run while they talked. She’d mentioned something about a gift her Nonna had given her, a map of the world that you scratched off the countries when you’d done them until you had a multicoloured map. It was gimmicky, and she hadn’t brought it with her to Gotham, but she described it and showed him a picture on her phone of where it was pinned up on her childhood bedroom wall. 

When he asked about where she wanted to go first, she couldn’t give him a full answer straight away, humming and hawing about the variety of places her grandmother had seen in all of her years. Marinette said that she hoped to be just as well traveled before she settled down in a nice city, with plenty of green space. 

“I just…I want to see the world, you know? But I've always wanted someone to share it with, someone to see everything I do and make it worth seeing,” she said with a shy smile, glancing at him before looking away blushing. 

“Yeah? Where would you go, darlin’?” he said in a low voice, hoping she would open up so he could promise her to see them with her. 

“Italy, Africa, Russia…there's just so much of the world I haven't seen! My Nonna is from Italy, it's somewhere I should have gone a long time ago but I never managed to before,” she mused, eyes going slightly misty as she thought. “And I’ll be going as soon as the contract with Wayne Enterprises is over, so it’s only really another ten months. Which feels scary close sometimes, you know?” 

“It doesn’t feel like enough time, huh?” he asked, and she beamed at him and nodded. 

“Exactly! But I only get the chance to do this while I’m not locked in one place. My contract for this apartment runs out two days after my contract with work, it’s perfect,” she said, and he smiled at how excited she was.

_ _ _ 

The next few months went just as well as the first one had. Marinette found that she was excelling at work, enough that when Christmas rolled around she was given a sizeable bonus that she put straight into her travel fund. It would pay for flights back to Europe as well as a long stay in several countries. She would be able to buy a motorbike or scooter, or even grab her one from Paris so she could travel quickly and easily between all the European countries. 

And when Jason landed, they could either have his bike shipped or get him a new one for traveling around Europe. She was sure they’d be able to find one easily and then they would be carefree as they went from place to place, seeing everything and making memories that would last a lifetime. 

She’d told him about her plan to visit each of the fifty states before heading towards Paris again and he’d smiled and told her he couldn’t wait. She’d almost been tempted to tell Tim she had to resign so they could just go. But they hadn’t been together for even half a year at that point, it seemed silly to deviate from her well thought out plan just because she was in love. Traveling could wait until the year was up and she and Jason were even more in sync. 

They spent more time together than apart at this point, but there were still nights when she would go out into the slums of Gotham, pushing back the evil presence lurking in the air. She didn’t know what Jason got up to on those nights, but he never complained that they had the time apart. And when they were traveling, they would be together all the time, so it was fine that they had their own space now, healthy even. 

It was valentine’s day when he first told her he loved her and she was so overflowing with love that she’d kept to herself that she’d hardly been able to say it back. She hadn’t wanted to scare him off with her intensity, not when she saw that he still had some scars from things that he hadn’t shared yet. He always shied away from the words, and she loved him too much to lose him. 

But then he said them first and her heart was so full that she had cried. That had made him panic, but she assured him that it was happiness, that she loved him too, and that she wanted a future with him. The grin he gave her was better than a thousand sunny days that she sometimes missed, living in Gotham. 

And every time he said those words to her, it was like he was giving her a piece of himself, of his heart, and she accepted it gladly every time. 

_ _ _ 

Marinette stared at the date in her calendar, blinking at the bold notes she’d left about her last day. Tam had talked to her about renewing her contract but she’d declined several times over the past couple of months so she hadn’t been paying attention to the deadline. 

A knock on her door broke her out of her thoughts and she called out a ‘come in’ without really meaning to. Tim came in, looking sad but understanding.

“I can't believe your contract is over already,” he said ruefully. “And you're sure I can't convince you to renew?” 

“As much as I've enjoyed the work, Gotham isn't my forever home. I'm not sure I want a forever home yet, I want to be free to travel and I can't do that if I have a full time job here. But you have my details and I'm happy to work on commissions! Jay and I should be coming back at intervals so he can see you all, just like we will with Paris.” 

“Jason's going with you?” Tim asked, sounding surprised. 

“Well yeah, we've talked about getting out of Gotham for almost as long as we've been together. I can't imagine that's changed…” 

“Yeah, of course,” Tim said, though he sounded doubtful. It made Marinette feel tense and she tried to think back to the last time they'd talked about it properly. “Look, I'm sorry that you won't be staying to be my exclusive designer but I'm happy for you and Jason. I don't think I've ever seen him as happy as when he's with you.” 

“I promise you I’m every bit as happy,” she said, smiling so widely her cheeks hurt. “I don’t know how I got so lucky to find a guy like him in a city like this, but I have no plans to let him go, which he knows.” 

“Let us know when you’re flying out, yeah? Or traveling, I guess, depending on where you’re going. We’ll want to make sure you get a proper send off before you do, especially if I’m not going to have clothes on demand.” 

Marinette laughed and threw her arms around Tim in a tight hug. Over the months they’d worked together, and the time she had spent with him while she and Jason had been dating, she thought of him as one of her best friends. It was one of the reasons it was a little bittersweet to leave and go on her trip. 

When she left that day, she handed in her pass card and hugged Tam goodbye, promising to come by next time she was in Gotham to drop off baked goods. The secretary had seemed tearful but she had wished Marinette all the best in her life going forward, insisting that they stay in touch by message. 

Her trip back to her apartment was shorter than ever, her excitement for getting ready to pack making her practically giddy. She didn’t know if she would need to take much with her, or if she should send most things to the manor for safekeeping until she and Jason came back to visit or found a permanent home somewhere. 

She text him telling him they should celebrate that night and got back a thumbs up and a question mark. Given she hadn’t remembered that it was her last day of work, she couldn’t blame him for not knowing and sent him back a shushing emoji. 

When he arrived, she was halfway through boxing up some of her kitchenware that she didn’t think she would have time to use in the next couple of days before her rental agreement was up. He came straight over to her, kissing her deeply and smiling at her when she pulled back. 

“Something’s got you in a good mood,” he said, brushing sweaty hair out of her face. She hadn’t even realised she was so warm until he did it and grimaced in apology. “So, pretty lady, what’s got you so happy?” 

“It’s my last day! And I totally forgot because I’ve just been doing so much lately, but I packed up my things and-” 

“Last day of what?” he asked, brow furrowed and confusion etched deeply in his face. It made her heart flutter uncertainly and she bit her lip as she tried to explain. 

“Officially my last day at Wayne Enterprises,” she clarified, watching as his brow furrowed. “I know I didn’t mention it before today, but I really did forget that it was coming up. And I’ve already started packing because I don’t have long until my lease is up. Do you think Bruce would mind looking after some of this until we need it?” 

“Why not just put it to your new place?” he asked, and it was a sideways step instead of a logical step forward for her and it made her nervous. 

“Because we're going to start travelling, right?” she said, her mouth going completely dry as she looked at him, as realisation seemed to dawn on his face. 

“It's a bit soon, isn't it? I mean, you only worked here for a year and-” he began, hands running through his hair. 

“And that was always the plan,” Marinette interrupted, a sinking feeling hollowing out her chest. “Jay, why do I get the feeling you're about to tell me you're not ready to leave?” 

“It's- I just don't think now is the right time,” he hedged, eyes shifting away from her. She must have looked upset, or angry because he tried to explain it away. “Nette, it's not like it'll be forever but right now-” 

“Right now is when I'm leaving. I told you right from the start, the moment we started dating, that this was important to me. You said you couldn't wait to get out of Gotham, so what changed?” 

“Pix, my whole life is here, I can't just up and-” 

“You said I was everything to you,” she said quietly, heart breaking. “Or was that all just…pretty words to you? I'm not forcing you to leave, Jason, but I'm not sticking around here. And if you're not coming with me I can't do long distance, not romantically. It would kill me, Jay.” 

“You can't just give me an ultimatum, that's not fair-” 

“It's not an ultimatum! Or, maybe it is, but it's not like I'm trying to force you to pick what I want! Jay, do you think this is easy for me? That I want to make you choose between me and where you apparently now want to live? Well fine, now there's no choice in it for you. Get out, Jason. I'll drop your stuff off at the manor, whatever, you can take what you can't live without right now, but this is over.” 

“Nette, please, let's just talk-”

“There's nothing to talk about!” she shouted, tears now streaming freely down her face. “You don't want to leave, I see that now. Maybe you never did and thought you could convince me to stay. I'm not the one that changed my mind about everything! Get. Out!” 

Jason looked like he wanted to argue with her but she turned away from him and stayed that way until the door closed behind him.

_ _ _ 

Jason didn’t go to the leaving celebration that Tim threw for Marinette. He didn’t try to stop by her apartment or call, or text, because he didn’t know what to say to her without begging her to stay. He’d watched her, as Red Hood, from the rooftops as she went about putting her things in storage and giving away everything she didn’t want to keep. 

He didn’t want to admit that he’d screwed up, that he’d told her that he was ready to leave when really he had never been certain. He’d always thought he had more time, that he would be able to convince her that Gotham wasn’t that bad. It was his home and as much as he wanted to travel, he would always think of coming back to Gotham at the end of it all so he could settle down with her. 

And when she’d told him that it was already time to go, he’d panicked and tried to sway her too soon, using all the wrong words to convince her that they had more time. If he hadn’t been so blindsided, he could have prepared for it, but time had melded into one and left him completely ignorant to what was going to happen. 

She’d text him the day after their argument and told him that she would stop by his place before she went to the train station, to see if he was coming with her. He hadn’t had the strength to text her back and tell her that he wasn’t going to change his mind, that he needed to stay for a while longer before he traveled. 

“Girl, what are you doing? I thought you were working on a fancy suit for some American but you’ve been sitting there for half an hour without blinking,” Alya said, sliding into a seat opposite her at the cafe they’d agreed to meet at. 

“You don't understand,” Marinette said with a groan, throwing her head down onto the table. “He's the stupidest man I have ever worked with and it's going to send me insane.” 

“Totally, this could be your villain origin story,” Alya said as she quite clearly suppressed a laugh. Marinette lifted her head and glared at her again before sighing and rubbing her eyes tiredly. 

“I'd like to see how you handle a billionaire so dumb he mixes up basic fashion terminology with something about taxidermy-” 

Marinette’s rant was cut short when a communicator buzzed in the depths of her bag. She paused and glanced down to see Tikki’s wide eyes picking up a communicator she’d gotten from Wonder Girl back when she’d helped her out with a new costume design. It had been a fun thing to do for the superheroine and she’d offered to be on call if she needed anything. 

For it to be ringing now…she checked the message and stood up immediately, Alya following suit as she raised an eyebrow questioningly. 

“How do you feel about suiting up to go and take down some guy in Zandia?”

_ _ _ 

Landing at Young Justice headquarters, Marinette smiled and greeted Wonder Girl with a kiss on each cheek. Rather than give away all of her powers without knowing who would be there for the fight, she and Alya had portalled to nearby before making the rest of the way on foot. They didn’t speak directly with Wonder Girl but were ushered onto the plane to get them to Zandia as they were a couple of the last to arrive. 

Neither of them knew the people around them but they were more than happy to build a quick camaraderie before they went to battle - being on the same wave length as those around them could be the difference between life and death in a lot of cases. Alya melded seamlessly with some of the nearby boisterous groups and Marinette gravitated towards the more serious, quiet ones. 

It was a relief when they finally landed in Zandia, the groups segmented into three troupes, under Wonder Girl, Robin, and Superboy. Alya wished her luck half-jokingly, and Marinette returned the favour more seriously before they went their separate ways. They had no idea if Marinette’s blessings really did anything, but why take the chance? 

When the fight started, Marinette lost all track of everything except what was going on in front of her. The number of times she used her yoyo to disrupt an attack or pull someone out of the way was higher than she could count and she focused hard enough not to know how long the fight had been going on. 

But, the battle raged on and Marinette wondered if there was any more she could be doing. Her powers weren’t great for straight up brawls to apprehend a villain, though her willingness to throw hands was. It was probably why Wonder Girl had put her with Superboy’s unit, whereas Alya had been put with Robin’s, the sneakier YJ member. 

“Look out!” Superboy shouted, grabbing hold of her and pulling her out of the way of a blast. She gave a soft squeak before refocusing on the task at hand. Immediately she saw a course of action that would probably lead to at least four of their opponents being put out of commission. 

“Hey, put me down over there,” she shouted over the general din around them, and Superboy gave her a nod and launched her in the direction she suggested. It wasn’t what she had expected but it was definitely quick and something she was capable of handling, so she couldn’t complain. 

It was strange seeing Superboy so serious but it was very attractive on him. She definitely loved his brash and flirty nature normally but she really liked it when his more focused side came out. It was obvious he was trying to lead his team as best he could and she could appreciate that it wasn’t as easy as a lot of people tended to think. 

By the time the fight ended, Marinette was hoarse from shouting in defiance and calling out to teammates. It didn’t matter that she could hardly be heard over everyone else present, it made her feel better to vocalise when she was in a straightforward battle. It also had a tendency to make opponents think that she couldn’t be quiet which helped when she did have to do stealth missions. 

Superboy was flying around and checking for any injuries as they tried to get everyone onto the plane again. She was maybe the last person he approached, probably because she was quite obviously absolutely fine, but when he did she felt the usual flutter in her stomach when she was faced with the Super. 

“It was great to have you out there with us,” Superboy said, his usual flirty grin back in place now they didn’t have anyone to fight. Fighting back the blush that was spreading up her neck she nodded sharply to him. She didn’t dare say anything in case she stumbled over her words like she usually did when faced with a hot person. Thankfully, Wonder Girl came over to greet them both and she could focus on her instead. 

“LB, thank you so much for joining the fight today. I’ll do a big thanks to everyone soon but…I really appreciate you throwing in since we haven’t really fought together before.” 

“Of course! What are friends for? Besides, even though I’ve never met Empress before, one of our original team had a hard time of things because of a villainous family member so I feel for her. If she ever wants a sympathetic ear feel free to give her my contact and I’ll come over with some sympathy macarons.” 

“You bake?” Superboy asked, sounding surprised. She’d almost managed to forget he was there but the blush she had tried to keep at bay started to creep up on her again. She nodded again and looked anywhere but at him to settle herself. 

Luckily, Alya came leaping over to them, following along behind Robin who was probably coming to talk to the rest of his team. She knew Impulse was busy running around the troops to flag anyone who needed medical attention, same with Secret, but she wondered where Empress and Arrowette were. Then again, maybe Arrowette was comforting Empress after what was probably a very emotional battle against the latter’s grandfather. 

“Girl, when you said we were going to brawl today you were not kidding. Cara’s not going to believe what we got up to when I catch up with him later,” she said with a grin. “Speaking of, I should probably head on home now that things are finished with here. Think you could take a minute to get me back?” 

“Sure, let’s go,” Marinette said, smiling at both Superboy and Wonder Girl before following Alya to a quiet clearing. They raised eyebrows back at her but didn’t stop either of them as they found some privacy. “I’ll probably hang around to see if they need any more help before I head back. It’s not like I have Cara waiting for me.” 

“Yeah, and if the eyes you’re making at Superboy are any indication, you’d rather hang around and flirt,” Alya laughed, making Marinette squawk indignantly before combining Tikki and Kaalki to open the portal for Alya to step through into her apartment. 

Hanging around turned out to be an excellent plan because the other heroes were planning on an all-out party to celebrate, inviting the non-members of Young Justice to join them. Marinette agreed, hopping onto the plane and chatting animatedly with a couple of other heroes as they flew back towards headquarters. 

The party was thriving within a very short amount of time, the music blazing and there was pizza ordered for roughly a hundred people. The pizza guy that showed up looked exhausted and Marinette made sure he got a hefty tip from Robin before he left again. 

“So, did you have fun with the team today?” Superboy said, floating over to her and grinning widely when she jumped slightly. 

“I mean, we were fighting for our lives which I don’t generally count as fun,” she shot back, raising an eyebrow that he couldn’t see, though he seemed to understand the sentiment if the way his grin broadened was any indication. “But this? This is pretty cool. Certainly better than the work I have waiting for me back home.” 

“You work?” He asked, eyebrows knitting together. “How old are you?” 

“Sixteen,” she said easily, flexing her hands and grimacing as she thought about trying to talk to Bruce Wayne again. “I run my own business, but the guy I’m working with at the minute is a total idiot. It makes me regret choosing to offer commissions to anyone other than my uncle.” 

“Wish I could say I relate but…” 

“Oh yeah, no, you don’t. I’m sure you’ve never had to deal with people with more money than sense in your civilian life.” 

“Yeah, I don’t even have a civilian life,” he shrugged, grabbing a set of string lights and making them dance around her. She gave a giggle when they started to shape themselves like love hearts, batting them away when they got too close. “Sounds like a lot of work, juggling the two, and I don’t even like trying to manage the hero side of things.” 

“You’re not wrong,” she sighed, slumping against the wall a little. “If I could be either a hero or a civilian the whole time it would be simpler. But my only choice would be to give up the hero-work and I can’t imagine that.”

“Since you’re one of the best heroes around? Hell no,” he said, leaning over her a little. “You know, I could be convinced to recruit you if you wanted to join a team that would understand needing to juggle two lives.” 

“Become a YJ member?” she asked a little incredulously. It wasn’t that she didn’t want to be part of a team, it was just that it was so far from home. “The commute might be just a little too far to be workable, Superboy.” 

“Call me Kon,” he said, placing his hand on the wall next to her head. “Superboy is such a mouthful.” 

“Was that an innuendo?” she asked, biting back a smile and looking at him disapprovingly. The blush on her cheeks probably gave her away because his smile turned roguish as he leaned closer. 

“Depends, is it working at all?” he shot back, chucking her under the chin to tilt her head back. 

She was saved from answering by Impulse running in and crashing into Kon, babbling about the music and setting up some video games. Kon shot the speedster a look of pure frustration but Marinette gracefully took the breathing space to remind herself that she had work to do. 

“Well, enjoy the rest of your party, boys,” she said, smiling apologetically at Kon, who looked disappointed but accepting of it. “I’d better get home and back to work.” 

“You said she already knows about the whole Young Justice thing, right? And she knows you’re Superboy, so…what exactly are we supposed to be able to do to freak her out? And why would we?” she continued, although the tone she used made him think he was about to hear why. “I mean, it’s not like you hid a serious relationship from all of us - one that was serious enough that you went around the world with her - or that you told her your identity before talking to us-” 

“Okay, I get that you’re a little mad,” he said, trying not to roll his eyes. Bart snorted but zipped off before Kon could level a glare at him. “Hey! I didn’t tell you because I met her through Lois and she didn’t have any idea I wasn’t one hundred percent human. Bart’s not exactly someone who keeps his abilities on the DL, you know?” 

“And why didn’t you want her to meet me?” she asked quietly, and Kon thought he heard a little real hurt in her voice. “Is it because we used to date? I thought that was all…water under the bridge.” 

“Cass, Tim doesn’t even know about her,” he said softly, hoping that would relieve some of her annoyance. It didn’t.

“Oh, sure, because he’s on a mission,” she scoffed, looking away. 

“I know, and I’m sorry I didn’t tell you sooner,” he said. “But I’m here now, and she’s coming over any minute to meet you both. I just wanted to give you the chance to duck out if you didn’t want your identities compromised.” 

“Get lost, of course I want to meet the girl that has you completely gone. But I want it on record that I’m mad at you for being a jerk.” 

“Noted. Okay, I’ll text and let her know she can come on in.” 

Almost immediately, there was a knock on the door, and Kon wondered if she’d used the horse Miraculous she’d told him about to get there so quickly. Before he could move over to it, Bart had appeared by it and opened it to reveal his stunning girlfriend, wearing a pink summer dress and carrying a box of desserts. 

“Hello! You must be Bart and Cassie,” she said, almost gliding over to Kon. “It’s so nice to meet you at last, Kon talks about you both all the time.” 

“I wish I could say the same,” Cassie said, though her tone was light. “But I’m pleased to meet you now. Marinette, right?” 

“That’s me! I brought some macarons, in case-” she was cut off when Bart moved fast enough that the box was out of her hands in the next blink. “Oh, right. Yeah, you can just…” 

“Jeez, Bart, manners much?” Cassie said, coming over to Marinette herself. “Sorry about him, we tried to housebreak him but…” 

“Yeah, I know the type. My best friend in collége - middle school here - was awful for it. He was chaotic, but it was endearing in ways too. Not so much when we got to high school and he wouldn’t get serious…sorry, I ramble when I’m nervous,” she said, stepping a little closer to Kon. 

“Don’t worry, it’s cute,” Kon whispered to her, and he felt smug when she flushed. “So, anyone up for a round of Ultimate Mecha Strike?” 

_ _ _ 

Kon had flown her to Paris so he could meet her parents, something she was thrilled that they could just do. It might not be the most legal way to travel but nobody was going to stop a Super from flying around. It had been wonderful and she was so relieved that it went well that she could almost forget everything that was worrying her. 

After she had met most of Kon’s team except his best friend, Marinette was feeling pretty good about what they thought of her. She and Cassie had hit it off almost immediately, and she had Bart's respect when she took every single one of his favourite games and beat him at it. 

But that still left the mysterious best friend, Tim, or Red Robin, whoever he was. But Kon assured her he was still on some undercover mission so it would have to wait. He couldn't even tell her more about him because the Bats hated leaking their secret identities. Kon had told her about the way it had caused the pair to butt heads in the early days of Young Justice. 

Not only that, she knew the weight that keeping a secret identity was, so she didn't begrudge Kon wanting to give him the choice. She just wished that they could meet already so she could earn this guy’s trust and convince him that she wasn’t going to blab big secrets to anyone else. 

“You’re overthinking,” Kon whispered, pulling her back into his chest as they stood on top of the Daily Planet building, watching the world from a distance. As soon as they’d found time, he’d shown her to it so they could get away from the pressures of the city. “Why are you overthinking, beautiful?” 

“I just want your friends to think I’m good enough,” she said softly, sighing when he turned her in his arms. The look on his face was one of amusement tinged with understanding. “What if Red Robin thinks I’m a risk? Or just that I’m too damaged, or-” 

“You are not damaged,” he said fiercely, tilting her chin up and gazing into her eyes. “And if he has a problem with you, I have a problem with him. And the only risk you pose is one I’m happy to take, because it’s just that you have my heart. I trust you not to break it, or even scratch it, okay? But that’s just the risk anyone takes when they fall in love.” 

“It’s a pretty big risk though,” she whispered, memories assaulting her and making her tear up. She hadn’t talked a lot about what had happened with her ex but…maybe they should before she met this other friend. “The guy I dated before…I was in love with him too. I trusted him and when it came down to it, he didn’t follow through with his promises and left me to pick up the mess by myself. 

“It was so hard to let you in,” she continued, staring intently at his shirt as she traced his collarbone and the centre of his chest. “And I’m so glad I did. But I’m still scared that this is going to go wrong, that one day I’ll turn around and you’ll have changed your mind too.” 

“If I could make you believe that I’m here to stay, I would,” he murmured, hand running slowly up and down her back. It made her shiver, her hands clenching as he kissed the top of her head. “But I guess all I can do is be here, day after day, until you do.” 

Tears blurred her eyes but it didn’t feel like she was falling apart. It felt more like the tears were cleansing a part of her battered - but no longer shattered - heart. 

_ _ _ 

Kon paced the room, trying to calm himself down as he rehearsed what he wanted to say. It had been two months since he’d introduced Marinette to his friends, and four since he’d admitted out loud that he was in love with her, in Italy. Ten months since they’d decided to give dating a chance, or since he’d apparently managed to worm his way into her heart and get the chance to prove he could treat her right. 

The ring in his pocket practically burned, and he wished desperately that he knew whether she wanted him to propose. He knew this was yet another risk, that if she wasn’t ready for this that he was putting their relationship in a precarious position. But he also knew that she wanted a wedding, that she wanted to have a family and a life that meant she came home to that family after whatever work she did. 

And damn it, he wanted it too. Not only that, he wanted it with her, and he knew that so why should he wait? Tim would have to meet her after he proposed because if he waited another day to ask her he was going to spontaneously combust. 

His mouth went completely dry as his sensitive hearing picked up the jingle of her keys in the door, and he started to panic all over again. Did he look okay? Was his breath as fresh as he could get it? Where was the bouquet of flowers he’d bought? But he was thinking too much at once, so he stood there frozen as she came in and locked the door behind her. 

“Hey, I was hoping you’d be here,” she said, smiling and coming over to kiss him hello. He let the familiarity of the motion calm his pulse a little, pulling her in for a longer kiss when she started to pull away. She made a surprised but pleased noise and dropped her bag to cup his face and opened for him to kiss more deeply. “Wow, that’s a hello I could get used to.” 

“Yeah?” he asked, searching her gaze to see if she was just being flippant or if she meant it. His nerves were slightly distant but not non-existent as he trailed his hand down her side and tried to pull her even closer. “Like me that much, huh?” 

“I love you, you dork,” she laughed, pushing his hair further up and out of the way. She’d gotten so much more casual with her ‘I love you’s and it never failed to make his heart swell in his chest. “Are you okay? You seem a little…frazzled. You don’t have another big secret to tell me, do you?” 

“Pft, no,” he snorted, pulling away a little before leading her into her kitchen and helping her jump to sit on the countertops. His heartbeat started to race again, and he swallowed hard as he nestled himself between her knees to stay close. “No, nothing new to tell you. I just…you know that I love you, right?” 

“Right,” she said slowly, brow furrowing. “What-” 

“Wait, just…I need to say something. It’s not bad, I just don’t know if I can say it if you ask questions or interrupt. Can you give me a minute?” 

“Of course,” she said softly, and he felt as her heart started pounding. He could hear the anxiety in her voice as well and leaned down to kiss her thoroughly again. He stopped before he could get too carried away, though he’d managed to pull the ring box out. 

“Mari, I love you so much. More than anything, I want to make you happy; I want to make you smile when you’re sad, hear you out when you’re angry. And I want to be able to kiss you, and tell everyone that you’re mine in every way. And I know that it might be sooner than you expected, but I know what I want. And I want to call you my wife,” he said in a low voice, fumbling slightly with the box as he opened it for her. She gasped and covered her mouth with both hands, tears appearing in her eyes that made him swallow nervously. “So…will you marry me?” 

It took him a moment to realise that her shaking was coming from her nodding her head as tears spilled over. Relief flooded him again, both of their hands shaking a little as he lifted the ring from the box and slid it onto her ring finger. As soon as he was done, he pulled her back into his arms and kissed her, hard. He murmured ‘I love you’s into her mouth as he pulled her towards her bedroom door.

_ _ _ 

Lois was predictably thrilled for them both when they shared the news about their engagement and Clark was almost as enthused. Jon had given a semi-interested ‘huh’, and said ‘congrats’ before wandering off back to his room. Marinette imagined a wedding was the least interesting thing to a teenager, but she hoped he would be up for the fittings she was going to put him through. 

When she called her parents to let them know, they’d admitted that Kon had asked for their blessings and were so pleased that she’d found herself such a ‘nice young man’. Alya had practically screamed into the phone and promised she would be there to help with wedding planning whenever her schedule allowed. 

One of the most surprising things to come from Marinette introducing Alya to Lois and Clark was that Alya had apparently gotten wise to Lila’s fabricated reality at last. When she’d mentioned the woman to Lois, the older reporter had denied any knowledge of her and told Alya to be wary of trusting people who dropped names so casually. 

It was nice to know she wasn’t going to have to deal with Alya requesting Marinette add the liar to her wedding in some way, as a gesture to the ‘family friends’. It was even nicer to get an apology for the intervening years where Alya had let Lila cause friction between the two best friends. 

Sometime during all of this, Marinette and Kon found an apartment they both liked that had a longer lease, and moved in together. She had wanted more space anyway but getting to move in with her fiancé certainly made things easier, so she was excited that they’d found a place together. She was still traveling fairly regularly, though he now met her most nights while vanishing to work with his friends in the day. 

It wasn’t until a good month after he proposed that Kon finally got a phone call from Tim.

_ _ _ 

Tim got back from his undercover assignment after over a year away and sighed with relief to be back in his own clothes and his own bed. The nap that followed took him from the morning to dinner, only waking up when Alfred tapped on his door and insisted he join them after such an intense undercover mission. And he was happy to agree, absolutely ready for a normal meal with his family. 

And, apparently, Jon. He smiled at the kid, though it was a lot weaker than the smile he gave the mug of coffee Alfred put in front of him. Apparently being away from the manor for as long as he had been gave him some special treatment as far as coffee in the evening was concerned. How long that lasted was another matter, but he wasn’t going to question it for now. 

He had almost fully relaxed when he finally tuned into what Jon and Damian were talking about and nearly dropped his mostly finished mug.  

“Yeah, and Kon’s fiancée is stressed out about some big-” 

“What did you just say?” Tim blurted, nose and forehead completely scrunched up in confusion. Because Tim had to be getting something confused, Jon couldn’t have said ‘fiancée’. 

“Kon’s fiancée’s stressed about something?” Jon said, glancing at Tim in confusion. Okay, not mishearing. Something seemed to click into place and he bit his lip before speaking again. “You haven't talked to him since you got back?” 

“I literally got back this morning and slept until Alfred woke me up for dinner! What do you mean ‘fiancée’? He wasn't even dating anyone when I left!” 

“Well, he asked her to marry him after they went to Paris a month or so ago but-”

“Drake, why are you asking Jonathan all of this instead of Kon-El? Surely he would have more information for you than Jonathan,” Damian said, rolling his eyes. Tim gaped at the not-so-little gremlin, not wanting to concede but realising that he might be right. 

“Where are you going, Master Timothy?” Alfred asked, completely unamused as he stopped Tim from running back to his room to call his best friend and demand answers. Instead, he was forced to sit and stew in his thoughts until dinner was finally over and then he ran to call Kon.

_ _ _

Marinette was teaching Kon how to make tarts when his phone started blasting the old Rockin’ Robin song that was Tim’s special tone. He shot Marinette an apologetic but excited look before darting out onto their balcony to get some privacy for what was undoubtedly going to be a long, probably emotional conversation. Tim was his best friend - but the only one who didn’t know about Marinette. And his opinion mattered, but he also didn’t think Tim was going to take it well that he’d gone and fallen in love while Tim was away. 

“Tim! Jesus man, how long was that missi-” 

“Cut the crap, Kon, what’s this I hear about you getting engaged?” Tim demanded immediately, making Kon’s mouth drop open. 

“How on earth did you hear about it before you called? How long have you been back?” Kon shot back, ready to be hurt that Tim hadn’t gotten in touch the same day as he’d returned. They were best friends! 

“I got back this morning, slept the day away, and then Jon told me you have a fiancée at dinner. But what I’ve done isn’t up for conversation: you got engaged?” Tim sounded aggravated and hurt, and Kon wasn’t sure how he was going to fix that. 

“Okay, first of all, you’ve been gone for a year. Second, I can’t let you meet her unless you’re cool with secret identities being out of the window. She already knows your first name, but she also knows that you’re Red, so if you meet her she’s going to know who you are. And since she lived in Gotham for a bit, that’ll probably give away other identities, intentional or not.” 

“So, what, I don’t get to meet her until I check that everyone is okay with our identities being out?” Tim said, and Kon swore the man was pouting. 

“I just don’t want there to be problems. She’s too important to me, and Cassie was already kind of pissed that I didn’t introduce her until after we got together.” 

“I guess I'm relieved you didn't get engaged before she met the others?” Tim said, sounding incredulous. “Kon, buddy, what the-” 

“I met her through Lois, they're co-workers, okay? She was just there at dinner the night I took you for your mission and it was love at first sight. For me, at least, she took a little convincing that it was a good idea.” 

“So that’s it? I don’t get to run a background check before I decide if I give her my identity or anything-” 

“She’s not dating a bat, she’s engaged to me,” Kon said quietly but forcefully. He didn’t want Tim to find anything he shouldn’t before Marinette had the chance to charm him in person. He knew how a background check could look, even on the best person, and he wanted their relationship to have a fighting chance under Tim’s scrutiny. “If you can’t agree…” 

“Fine, I’ll have the answer for you by the end of the week, okay?” 

“Thanks, Tim,” he said softly, grinning and glancing towards where Marinette was still baking in the kitchen. “For what it’s worth, Clark thinks she’s trustworthy and had no problems with me sharing the family secret. And I really love her,” he added just as quietly, trying to make it clear just how non-negotiable she was in his life. 

“Okay, I get it,” Tim said, voice softening. “Cassie already gave her a hard time, huh?” 

“Cassie gave me a hard time,” Kon snorted, running a hand through his hair. “But she loves M. Not as much as I do, but they’re friends now, and Bart doesn’t have any problems with her either.” 

“Sounds like she’s just one stamp of approval away then,” Tim said begrudgingly. “I’ve gotta go, time to rally the troops and convince them it’s okay to spill our secrets to someone we’ve never met. Catch you later.” 

“Seeya, Tim. And it’s good to have you home,” Kon said, with feeling. He spent an extra minute outside after that, breathing deeply and trying not to turn into a puddle of relief that Tim hadn’t pushed for more information. 

“All good?” Marinette asked as he walked back into the apartment, smiling over at him as she pulled a tray of tarts forward to inspect them. 

“All good,” he assured her, taking the tray and kissing her once there was no risk of injuring her accidentally. 

_ _ _ 

“This is insane! What do you mean you want to give our secret identities away to someone without meeting them first?” Jason complained loudly from his side of the table. Tim grimaced, taking a deep breath and counting to ten. He’d hoped that the man would have mellowed out over the last year since his break up, but apparently not. “That’s bullsh-” 

“Tt, it’s hardly as though it’s an unknown variable,” Damian said unexpectedly, inspecting a dagger and ignoring the stunned looks that came his way. He sounded almost bored as he continued. “Jonathan has spoken of her enough that I believe she has no ill-intent. Indeed, she appears to have ingratiated herself to the entire Lane-Kent clan, and Lois at the least does not succumb to optimism easily.” 

“So you’re just fine with giving away our biggest secret?” Jason asked incredulously, hand slamming onto the table. “Where was all of this relaxed attitude when I wanted to share-” 

“That’s not what this is about, Jay,” Dick said tiredly. He looked like he’d been doing all-nighters and Tim felt a little bad that he’d called an emergency meeting but he also didn’t want to wait any longer than necessary to give Kon the all clear to arrange a meet up. “Timbo, you trust Kon’s assessment?” 

“I trust that he wouldn’t have told her his own identity without being sure. And he wouldn’t ask me to share unless he was deadly serious about her, so yeah, I trust it. Look, I know it’s a big ask, but it’s not like it’s the first time a significant other has access to this information, it’s just unusual that they’re not also a hero of some sort. But I already missed so much of their relationship, I can’t miss out on their engagement too, please. And if she isn’t what she seems, I’d like to know as soon as possible.” 

“Okay, so what did her background check say?” Steph said, throwing a ball in the air and catching it while keeping eye contact with TIm. When he grimaced, she raised an eyebrow. “You didn’t do a background check? Wow, Kon must have had a pretty compelling argument to get you to forgo that vital step.” 

“He won’t give me her name, and neither will Bart or Cassie,” he admitted, before realising there was another way to get the information. “But hey, Demon- uh, Damian, you’ve known about her for a while, right? Hell, you might even have met her and I feel like her having an association with Jon would make you pay close attention, so-” 

“I do not know any more than you do,” Damian said, now sounding bored. “Jonathan didn’t bother to get the woman’s surname and I have long since forgotten her first name. But you know my opinion on this matter, so I feel there is little point in going around in circles. Father, your opinion?” 

“If Clark and Lois say that it’s fine, it probably is. I would have liked Diana to meet her too but there’s no point now. If she already knows the Supers, and has done for a while, I think we should be fine to go and meet the woman. Set it up, Tim. Everyone will attend,” Bruce said sternly, meeting Jason’s glare steadily and refusing to be the first to look away. “I’ll call Clark and let him know to arrange it at the farm, to make sure we don’t have a civilian freaking out where she can be heard.” 

_ _ _ 

“So,” Kon said the following afternoon after she returned from work. “You’re not traveling somewhere this weekend, right? Because Tim got the go ahead to meet you and now the whole Batfam is planning on descending on Ma and Pa’s farm.” 

“All of them?” Marinette asked, eyebrows raised. She knew she would need to meet Red Robin, but for the rest of them to come…

“Yeah, apparently Bats said they all needed to attend so they’re all coming. I’d say it’s unusual but they don’t really do things by halves,” he said with a grimace. “Is it okay? Because if you want to meet Tim first, I’ll fly him here now and then we can get the kinks worked out before they all get here.” 

“No, no, I’ll wait for the weekend,” she said while biting her lip, trying to plot how she was going to get enough baking done in time for the weekend. “Nobody has any allergies, right?” 

Armed with all necessary knowledge, she focused on planning out her evenings and the Saturday morning before Kon flew them both down to Smallville. 

Kon watched as she set to work, completely enamoured with the way her lip caught between her teeth as she stared into the depths of their cupboards to work out what ingredients they might need. He knew better than to suggest she didn’t need to make the perfect desserts, that it was her way of controlling one aspect of a day that he knew would probably be overwhelming for her. 

_ _ _ 

On Saturday morning, Kon woke up even earlier than normal and he still didn’t beat Marinette. She was already baking fresh croissants and humming as she danced around the kitchen, still in her pyjamas but with her hair tucked neatly into a bun on top of her head. It was one of his favourite things, seeing her first thing in the morning and getting to listen to her in her most unguarded moments. 

“Hey,” she said when he came to sit at the counter, flashing him a smile before turning back to her baking. “So, today’s the day, huh?” 

“It’s going to go great,” he said immediately, darting around the island to hug her from behind. She’d gotten used to his sudden movements in the time they’d been together that he’d been open about his powers, so she leaned into him as she continued working the pastry dough. “Tim is going to love you, not as much as I do but as much as Cassie does. You’ll win everyone else over with baked goods, except for maybe the gremlin because he’s impossible to please.” 

“And if he doesn’t like me?” she asked quietly, the worry in her tone breaking his heart a little. “I don’t want to come between you, so if-” 

“I don’t think that’s a possibility, Nette,” he said softly, running his nose along her exposed neck and peppering kisses as he went. “But, good or bad, we’ll know soon. And I promise you that any annoyance he has over not having met you yet is aimed at me, not you. So just be you, and I know that he’ll be happy for us.” 

The rest of the morning was almost a blur, Kon flying first Marinette, and then all of the finished boxes of baked goods over to the farm. He had to go much more slowly with the boxes because he didn’t dare ruin her perfectly decorated food, but he was still there in plenty of time before the Waynes arrived. 

“How do I look?” Marinette asked, hands pulling at the skirt of the dress she’d chosen so she looked as non-threatening as possible. It was adorable and he told her as much, pulling gently on the high ponytail she’d gathered her hair into after changing. “Okay, I’m going to help Martha with a couple of bits if she’ll let me. Come get me when they all get here?” 

“Of course,” he said, kissing her chastely on the lips so he didn’t get carried away and mess something up. And the moment she disappeared back into the kitchen and beyond, he started pacing as he waited for everyone to arrive. Fortunately, Tim must have been just as anxious to have everyone meet as he was because they arrived way earlier than they had agreed. He was the first out of the car they’d used and practically ran up the front steps of the farmhouse to come in. 

“Tim! Hey, it’s so good to see you,” Kon shouted, running to the front door and hugging him tightly. “Come on, Ma and Pa set everything up out back. And Marinette is so excited to meet you all-” 

“Wait, did you say-” 

“Kon, Jon said- Tim?” Marinette said, appearing at the door leading to the kitchen and coming to a stop. “Um, hey, haven’t heard from you in a hot minute.” 

“Wait, you two already know each other?” Kon said, something like dread filling his chest. She’d talked about her ex in Gotham, but she hadn’t ever told him the guy’s name… 

“I told you I worked at Wayne Enterprises as a designer,” she said slowly, coming to stand next to him. “Tim was the one I designed for, mostly. You said already…you mean-” 

“Yeah, Tim’s the last one you needed to meet,” Kon laughed, the worry easing slightly. It was kind of dumb that he hadn’t figured out she might already know Tim since she was the head designer. 

“So that means that Jon’s friend is Damian, right? You know what, I see it now. Wait, didn’t you say you everyone was-” 

“Tim, can we get this over with? I have stuff I need to do back home.” 

Kon felt as Marinette stiffened completely, shoulders tensed and suddenly he wasn’t so worried about Tim being the one she had dated. Jason had also completely stopped in the doorway, his mouth dropping open as he looked at the pair. Kon squeezed her hip, trying to pull her back from whatever thought had caught her. 

“I’ll just go and see if Martha needs any more help,” she said after another moment. When she was gone, the three men stood awkwardly for several moments before Kon decided to try and break the ice. 

“So…you all already know Mari then?” he said, trying to turn it into nothing. “Well that makes this a whole lot less awkward, right?” 

Tim and Jason exchanged a look before the latter muttered something that Kon chose not to listen to and stalked out the same way Marinette had gone. Kon wanted to go after him but he didn’t want to make it look like he didn’t trust her. He just wanted to make sure she was okay, to find out if what he thought was true and assure her that he wasn’t going anywhere. 

“I’m guessing the ex-boyfriend that screwed up and gave Mari a mountain of trust issues was Jason,” he said after another minute of silence. Tim blew out a heavy breath and nodded, frowning in the direction of the garden. 

“Yeah, I guess so. I knew it had been a rough break up, because he was a huge asshole for a long time after- well, bigger than he usually is, anyway. But I didn’t know if I should reach out to her after everything went down, and then I went on that  mission…but that’s whatever, in the past. Tell me how you two met!” 

Outside, Marinette stuck close to Lois after Martha shooed her away, telling her to mingle and get to know the Waynes. She didn’t have the heart to tell her that she already knew them - some of them too well - so she’d attached herself to Lois with a weak smile and the reporter was instantly her best shield to the others. Until Jason came over to talk to her and she couldn’t think of a polite way to say no. 

Following him over to a quiet area of the lawn, she tried to prepare herself for whatever he had to say. She wasn’t in love with him anymore, she knew that. Kon was amazing and she wasn’t sure that Jason would have been the right choice even if he had gone traveling with her. She’d never been a strong believer in fate but she didn’t think there was much else she could have called it. 

“How have you been?” he asked and she shrugged, unsure how to answer that without it sounding like she was trying to rub it in his face that she was over him. 

“Things have been good,” she said when it was clear he wanted a verbal answer. “I mean, obviously things have been good, or we probably wouldn’t be seeing each other again now.” 

“So you and Kon are really…” he waved a hand in the air, and it made her frown. 

“Getting married? That’s the plan, yeah.” 

“Isn’t that a little rushed? How well do you even know him, really?” 

“Better than I’ve known some people, apparently,” she shot back, letting a cool detachment seep into her voice. If that’s how he wanted to play it, she was more than happy to let her annoyance at him resurface. “Jason, I don’t get what the problem is. You made it very clear that you didn’t want to leave Gotham any more and I was never going to stay. I found someone who makes me happy, that I love and want to spend the rest of my life with.” 

“I thought you wanted that with me,” he said quietly, and she thought she might scream with frustration. 

“I did, once. But then you decided that you didn’t,” she all but growled. She was trying not to make drama, knowing that half of the Kents could hear what she was saying at any time. “So I moved on. And you can be upset about that, you can be sorry that it happened the way that it did, but you cannot try and insinuate that I’m making a mistake.” 

“Look, that’s not-” 

“Yes, it was. Like I said, you can think whatever you want, you just need to take those thoughts and-” 

“Marinette!” Dick squealed, running over and bowling her over. The air left her lungs in a soft ‘oof’ that turned into a laugh as she hugged him back. “Oh my god, I can’t believe how long it’s been since we last saw you! I thought you were only staying in Metropolis for, like, a month.” 

“Hey Dickie,” she giggled, shoving him off after another moment or two. “I got an offer I couldn’t refuse, so I stuck around - kind of.” 

“And you made friends with the Kents! That’s so awesome,” he said, ruffling her hair a little. “Do you know Kon’s fiancée too? Jon’s been so hush-hush about her, even to Damian and-” 

“You’re talking to her, Dickhead,” Jason said sourly, glaring at them. 

“Wait, seriously?” Dick said, doing a double take and spotting the ring on her finger. “Wow, congratulations! An offer you couldn’t refuse, huh?” 

“Not that one,” she laughed, deciding to follow Dick’s lead in ignoring Jason’s bad mood. “I got a job at the Daily Planet that mostly pays my expenses for traveling. Kon’s a wonderful bonus that I didn’t expect but-” 

“Great, much as I would love to hear all of this, I’m going to see if Pa Kent has anything stronger than iced tea to drink,” Jason interrupted loudly, stalking away from them with a face that screamed ‘leave me alone’. Marinette felt the old urge to go and see if he was okay, to hold him and make sure he knew he was loved. But it was a dulled sensation and she resolutely pushed it away to talk to Dick about the plans she and Kon had for their big day.

_ _ _

Kon’s eyes moved over to where Marinette was talking to Dick as soon as he came out of the house, something in his chest easing as he watched her laughing brightly. He could see Jason glaring moodily at the pair but there was distance between them and she seemed to be every bit as happy as when she'd been baking that morning. This was all going to be one hell of a story to tell to Bart and Cassie when they next got together. 

He also saw that the rest of the Waynes had gone around the house and straight to the yard, forming into group and pairs. Cass and Steph were deep in a conversation with Pa, Bruce was talking to Lois, and Jon and Damian were conspiring in a corner. 

Tim clapped a hand to his shoulder as he came out behind him before shooting off to throw himself at Marinette and hugging her again. They landed in a heap and Kon tuned into their conversation ignoring everything else for a minute or two to see how they interacted. 

“Tam is going to be so jealous that I saw you today,” Tim said, hugging her tight. It made Kon smile, relieved that all of his worries about Tim finding fault in her were now completely gone. “Here, come take a picture with me so she can see I’m not lying.” 

“You want me to help bully Tam?” Marinette said disapprovingly, though Kon could see she was fighting back a smile as well. “Tim, buddy, she was a lifeline when I was making all of your clothes, why would I help you torture her?” 

“Because you somehow snuck around my back and got engaged to my best friend? And if you do this I won’t kick up a fuss about it ever again?” Tim wheedled, brandishing his phone and pulling her to standing. 

“Forget it, I’m going to call her and get her to come up to Metropolis for a day out. She probably needs a break from all the Gotham craziness,” Marinette snarked back, letting him pull her up before pushing him gently. “Besides, now that I know you’re Kon’s best friend, I can probably just make you a new hoodie and call it even. And now that I know you’re Red Robin, I can even make you themed clothes-” 

“You’re going to make me a Red Robin hoodie?” he squealed, and Kon moved his focus away, laughing. 

_ _ _ 

Jason was having a bad time. He’d missed Marinette ever since she’d left Gotham behind, and seeing her at the Kent farm, engaged to Superboy, made him want to break something. He hated that she looked happy, constantly reminded that she’d moved on. He thought, when they talked earlier, she had seemed to still be affected by him but the moment had passed and now he had to watch Kon touch her casually while she smiled up at him the same way she used to with Jason. 

Finally, Ma Kent called for everyone to take a seat at the dining room table. Jason managed to get a seat as far away from the happy couple as possible, but it put him near Damian and Jon who had been talking quietly together all day. It would be less concerning if Damian hadn’t been the only one to potentially have known who Kon was dating. 

But the brat had seemed just as surprised as the rest of them when he’d seen her, so whatever they were discussing, it was probably nothing to do with Marinette and Kon. That didn’t make it any easier when Jon called for everyone and raised his glass. 

“I’d like to propose a toast,” Jon said, the rest of the table quieting to listen immediately. “To Marinette, who turned into a kind of big sister I didn’t know I wanted until she showed up. I’m kind of excited to call you my sister for real when you two decide to tie the knot, and even more excited to be an uncle some day.” 

Marinette turned bright red and covered her face with both hands, though everyone else except for Damian and Jason laughed. Kon was chuckling quietly, his arm wrapped around her shoulder and his mouth finding her ear to whisper into it. Jason looked away, not wanting to see how casually he touched her, how easily they fit together. He wanted that - hell, he’d had that - and watching everything he wanted given to someone else was more than he thought he could bear. 

When Jon sat back down Damian shoved him lightly but didn’t look too annoyed by the youngest Super’s outburst. Unfortunately, it seemed to start a trend of people speaking on the couple’s behalf and Jason wasn’t stupid enough to try and interrupt something that was making Ma Kent smile. It didn’t make it any easier and he had to swallow down his anger until the end of the meal. 

As soon as everyone started standing, preparing to head home, Jason stalked back over to Marinette and tugged her elbow gently until she looked at him. There was a world of distrust in her eyes - and in Kon’s, but Jason was trying to ignore him - but he powered through to try and get her to talk to him. 

“Marinette, please, can we just talk about everything that happened?” Jason asked, desperation fuelling a despair he didn’t know how to get rid of driving him. She looked torn but ultimately agreed and he felt relief flood him. They walked out onto the driveway while people continued to say goodbye, though he could feel interested eyes lingering on them while they were inside. The door didn’t close behind them, and he knew it was at least in part so that Kon could see them. “Nette, I know how it sounded, when I said my whole life was in Gotham but now that you know about everything, you can see-” 

“Can see what? That you chose being Red Hood over being with me? Yeah, Jason, I’m not stupid,” she shot back, making him wince. 

“That’s not- Cut me some slack, Pix, I wasn’t doing it to cause you problems, I wouldn’t be able to leave until I sorted out everything I was working on! Why’re you taking this personally when you have to understand-” 

“No. No, I don’t have to ‘understand’,” she hissed, her eyes alight with fury. “And I don’t get why you’re trying to push this! Discussing this doesn’t change anything, it doesn’t give me some brilliant new insight. I’m not going to change my mind and suddenly come back to Gotham. I choose Kon because I love him. I’m in love with him and I want the future we’ve been planning together for the last year. So if that’s what you need to hear to get it through your head that I don’t care that you’re a vigilante and had responsibilities to wrap up before you could leave. You knew my plans, you knew my timeline. You made a choice whether you acknowledge it or not, and now you have to live with it.” 

“Wait-” 

“I think you’ve said your piece,” Kon said, appearing next to them and blocking the hand that was reaching for her. Jason felt the familiar rage swirl in him and hated the man in front of him with an intensity he thought was reserved for Bruce and Tim, back when he’d first come back to Gotham. 

“Mind your own business, Kon,” he snarled, going to shove him but being unable to because of the whole half-Kryptonian thing. 

“This is my business. You asked to talk to her, she agreed, and now you’re trying to convince her to do what you want. She heard what you wanted to say and she no longer wants to hear it, so keep your hands to yourself or I’ll make you.” 

“You don’t get to speak for her-” 

“Jason, stop,” Marinette said, her voice tight as she let Kon shield her from his view. “I choose Kon. No amount of talking is going to resolve this the way you want it resolved. So I want you to leave.” 

If she noticed that they all now had an audience she didn’t say anything, eyes hard and unwavering as she stared him down. His jaw clenched even further but he nodded before stalking over to the waiting car and hunkering down in a seat. 

Marinette turned away and went to seek solace in Kon’s arms, wanting nothing more than to curl up and cry about everything, but it wasn’t to be yet. Tim came over and laid a hand on her arm as well, smiling sadly before speaking. 

“I’ll come by another time, okay? I’m sorry, if I’d known it was you, I would have insisted he stay home. I really am thrilled that you two found each other, and I know you’ll be happy together,” he said, sincerity ringing in his voice and making Marinette’s tears spill over. They hugged and then he headed over to the car as well, waving slightly sadly. 

The mood was slightly sombre as she said goodbye to Ma and Pa Kent, and then Kon flew them home. She was quiet and looked exhausted as he pulled her into his arms and just held her. He hated that he hadn’t been able to prevent this. Should he have told Tim who she was? Should he have asked more questions about her friends in Gotham? He pushed down the guilt and moved her hair out of the way to look her in the eyes. 

“Are you okay?” he asked, voice quiet but steady as she leaned into his touch. “I know that can’t have been easy, seeing him like that when you weren’t expecting it. And I’m so sorry for stepping in, I just-” 

“I’m fine,” she whispered, eyes opening and mouth tilting up slightly in a small smile. “Thank you. For everything. I hate that I was so affected, that I couldn’t just tell him to get lost-” 

“It’s not your fault,” he said fiercely, hesitating for only a second before kissing her gently and breathing a sigh of relief when she kissed him back. “And if you need some space to think things over for the night, I can go back to Lois and Clark’s place.” 

“There’s nothing to think over,” she said, hands gripping his jacket more tightly. “It was a shock, but that doesn’t mean anything changed for me. Does it…do you still-” 

“Marinette, I love you more than anything and anyone I’ve ever loved before. You have a history, and that doesn’t change things for me, it never will. If you want me to stay here tonight, I’ll stay; you want me to leave, just say the word and I’ll go. Sending me away tonight doesn’t mean I won’t be back the moment you ask.” 

“You’re perfect, you know that?” she blurted out, making him laugh a little. “But I really don’t want space from you. I want to go to sleep with you tonight, and wake up tomorrow in your arms. And one day soon I want to marry you. And some day,” she said, voice dropping low and sincere, “I want to have a family with you.”