#ttt2025

“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.”