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Chapter Text

“G-good morning,” a young blue haired girl begun in shakily in English. “My name is M-Marinette D-dupain-Cheng and today I-I-I.” The red haired teacher at the front of the class put a hand on the small girl’s shoulder and spoke to her soothingly in French, “It’s okay Marinette. Just do your best, English is hard sometimes!” Marinette smiled a toothy grin, she was missing her two front teeth like most of the other ten year olds in her class. A blonde girl filing her nails with her hair tied up in two twin braids scoffed, “Dupain-Cheng can hardly do anything right. Just move along to the next presentation!” The carrot haired girl in glasses next to her giggled.

“Now Chloé, not everyone is a natural at English, and besides, Marinette-“

“I can so do things right Chloé! Just you watch and I-“ Marinette stomped as she brought her notecards up to her chest, then she felt a stabbing pain in her stomach. She fell to the ground and covered her stomach. Chloé laughed, “See you cant even stand right!!!” The class save for a young boy in a red cap that was far too big for his head and glasses who was Marinette’s best friend started to snicker. Marinette couldn’t react to her classmates harsh words and giggles, the stabbing pain was back and worse this time. She clutched her stomach and felt panic when she felt something sticky and wet clinging to her shirt. 

Rolling over to lay down on her back she drew her hand away from her belly to be greeted with a sickeningly salty red liquid that smelled metallic. Marinette heard gasps come from all around. She recognized her teacher coming over to Marinette to help and the redhead muttering, “It must be her soulmate.” Caline Bustier started to scream as a long cut was being drawn across her pupil’s throat from an invisible blade, “I NEED HELP IN HERE RIGHT NOW!!!!” Screams erupted as the class saw the blood gushing from their fellow classmate, a small petite blond in pink started to cry as she was shielded away from the scene by a tall black haired girl. Nino couldn't look at his best friend without bile rising in his stomach, this couldn’t be happening! It was all a bad dream! He’d wake up, and Mari would be fine and her happy loving self!

Marinette couldn’t stop wheezing, it was like she her lungs were burning. She was trying to breathe but she couldn’t. She felt something sharp pierce her neck. She felt her blood moving into her mouth. ‘NO NO NO!!’ all her senses screamed at her. She couldn’t think straight, it was as if alarms were ringing in her head but they all kept building louder and louder into a cacophony that gave her a headache. She choked on something and coughed up that same thing. She realized it was blood when she saw her horrified teacher with her blood she previous coughed up standing above her.

The last thing Marinette heard was her best friend shouting, “MARI! MARI NO!” 

The last thing Marinette saw was her teacher’s terrified yet helpless expression.

The last thing she smelled was a metallic salty substance that overused all the other smells she had ever known.

The last thing she tasted was her blood, like she was drowning in it.

The last thing she touched was the first scar she had ever received from her soulmate as she thought of how much she loved them even though she didn’t know them yet, how much she loved her parents and Nino.

Then black.

Sabine traced her fingers on the grain of her daughter’s maple coffin. It had been months and she and Tom were still too heartbroken to bury her. They had given her a proper funeral but refused to bury her, ‘ it made it too real, ’ Sabine mused. Sure people thought it was weird for parents to keep their dead child’s coffin in the room their child used to live in but people also thought it was weird for a ten year old to die because her soulmate was brutally murdered.

Sabine sighed, she and Tom had prayed so long for a child only for her to be taken away. Oh the resentment that brewed inside Sabine from her daughter’s soulmate… The soulmate bond, like the one she shared with Tom, connected the two hearts through spirit and body. The spirits of those in the bond would gain the injuries that the other had received. Sabine glanced down at the scar which led her to her soulmate. 

She had been in the bakery when a rather klutzy young classmate ran in and crashed into the door. Sabine had giggled and then realized a bruise appeared in the place bruise that the man had run into the door. She cherished it that’s when she had finally met her soulmate, the one she was destined to be with forever.

Sabine had always loved soulmate bonds, only about half the population had one, but when her pride and joy was dead because of the soulmate bond she was beyond angry. She knew Tom felt the same way, but he wasn’t as good at articulating it. 

Everyday she and Tom would find separate times to talk to their daughter. It had been this way since she died, Sabine relished the times she got with her daughter. She just said the little things, how her day was going, how much she missed her daughter, and how Tom was. One day she found herself so sick of missing her daughter, all sorts of parents and their children had visited the bakery that day. Sabine cried more than she ever had and cursed the very day Marinette’s soulmate was born.

Sabine closed her eyes at the memory, it wasn’t her proudest moment but she’d be lying if she said she hadn’t stopped resenting. Sabine sat on her daughter’s old bed and straighten out the covers. She felt tempted to open the coffin, she her beautiful girl one last time, but she couldn’t.

She remembered the time when she experienced her first loss, her grandmother. Her father had warned her the day of the funeral that when she saw her grandmother she wouldn’t be looking at the same person she knew for thirteen years. Her father said it was in the eyes. The eyes read the spirit of the soul. Sure enough, Sabine found herself, just a megear teenager, standing in front of the casket of her grandmother being haunted by the lifeless eyes that laid before her.

The eyes plagued her nightmares for weeks.

Choking out a sob, knowing that she had seen her daughter’s lively, bluebell eyes for the last time Sabine clenched her fists. She began to hear the cacophony of emotions calling her.

Anger, for the one who put her daughter there.

Fear, for the daughter who must have had so much before she died.

Sadness, for the girl she had loved so much.

And betrayal, betrayal from God himself. Sabine had never been overly religious but it was easier to have more to blame for the tragedy that befell her daughter. Sabine cursed Him, how dare he choose to take the one thing that mattered from him. Her sunshine, her daughter, Marinette.

Sabine felt her vision cloud, she started to feel her eyes cross over but remembered the trick her therapist taught her, ‘ five things I can see: Marinette’s pink bed sheets, Marinette’s desk, Marinette’s window, Marinette’s balcony, Marinette’s...coffin.’

Sabine shook herself, she needed to stay focused, ‘ four things I can touch: Marinette’s bed, Marinette’s old sketchbook, Marinette’s favorite dress, Marinette’s...coffin.’

Sabine gulped and took a deep breath as she continued, ‘ three things I can hear: the birds chirping outside, the mixer whirling downstairs, Marinette…’

Wait, Marinette?! Sabine shot up. She knew she wasn’t in her best frame of mind but she knew what she heard. It sounded like a whimper and then it disappeared. Then she heard it again, this time a scream sounding like her daughter’s and a pounding on wood. The pounding got stronger and the screams got louder. Sabine held her head as she keeled over. 

‘ Where is it coming from?!’ She asked herself, until she realized exactly where it was coming from. It was coming from the place she dared not to open. Sabine had to though, if there was even a small chance that her daughter was screaming. A small chance that it wasn’t Sabine’s imagination, she had to take it.

Sabine Cheng thrust open the coffin to her daughter’s eyes.

They weren’t dull like her grandmother’s eyes, there were rich, gorgeous, and alive. She stared in wonder as her daughter stared back, no longer screaming.

Marinette caught her breath before sitting up in the wooden coffin,

“M-maman?” She whimpered as Sabine wrapped her child in a hug. A now revived Marinette embraced her mother back as all her memories came back. She remembered the biggest memories first: the ones she loved, her favorite days and the moment she died. It was one thing to die, Marinette realized, it was another to die and then realize you were living . 

‘A miracle,’ Sabine cried, ‘ My daughter is miraculous.’

And at that moment two souls, two halves of a whole, were gone no longer.

They were reborn.

Chapter Text

Damian was surprised to say the least when his father informed him that he was brought back to life with the help of Darkseid on Apokolips. It hadn’t bothered him too much though, he kept his same cocky attitude and straight faced demeanor. 

What did bother him, more than he cared to admit was his soul bond. He knew he had one, he wasn’t as careless as his soulmate who got scrapes and bruises all the time, of course they transferred to him, but luckily she had never broken bones so the League never suspected a thing. Damian hadn’t dared to tell his mother or anyone else in the League of Assassins about his soulmate, soulmates were a mere distraction. When he started living with Bruce he didn’t say anything either, he wasn’t quite sure how to bring it up. Before he died though, he knew his soulmate would experience the same pain as him. He felt guilty, not that he would ever tell anyone, but he still assumed that when he was brought back to life his soulmate was too. 

It had been years and he quickly dispelled that theory, he never got injuries that he hadn’t earned himself. He was a little sad that the soul he was connected to was still dead, he felt somewhat responsible. Damian didn’t know why he felt these things for someone he hadn’t even met and would never meet but he couldn’t help it.

Damian wasn’t the kind to let things bother him but his dreams were infested with screams. He relieved being murdered over and over again, but from the perspective of his soulmate. It was different each time, sometimes his soulmate would be at home, at a restaurant, even in a grocery store but the outcome was always the same, his soulmate would lie there choking on blood and the last words they spoke were always, ‘ All your fault.’

He continued not to tell his family about his soulmate, it was his burden and after all his soulmate could only be dead. There was no point, six years had passed and Damian had to accept the truth, his soulmate was gone and wasn’t coming back.

Damian had attended West-Reeves private school for three years, part of an agreement with his father. Jon also attended, but was three grades below him. The poor kid wasn’t even in the 9th grade yet, but that didn’t stop them from being their hero duo.

As Damian pulled up to the school (on his motorcycle, he was no longer the spoiled rich kid who felt so entitled to take a helicopter to school) he let out an internal chuckle. Jon was waiting for him, like he had been for the past three years, ‘some things never change…’

Jon ran over, pushing his dorky glasses up on his face, “Did you hear Damian?!” Damian rolled his eyes, “TT. What Kent?”

Jon was beaming while he informed his friend, “We’re getting a new student!” Damian sighed, “How exactly do you know that? And why do I care?” Jon pulled out his phone and wore a hyper focused look on his face as he tapped the screen. He promptly shoved it in Damian’s face.

“So Erica’s best friend Monica told her cousin Clarissa that her aunt, Principal Dunin, said that we’re getting a new girl from France! And you should care because she’s in your grade!” Jon grinned, unable to contain his excitement. Damian pushed the phone back into his half-kryptonian partner’s face, “I still don’t see why I should care. Seems unimportant to me, TT. Unless…” Damian tapped his chin, “Does she happen to be the daughter of some supervillain?” Jon rolled his eyes and shook his head, “Not everything’s about superheroing!”

“TT.”

“This girl could be super cute! Wouldn’t you want to know her?! I bet she’ll be your girlfriendddd !” Jon teased, wiggling his eyebrows. Damian gutted and flicked the boy in between his eyebrows.

“Hey!”

“I’m not so juvenile as you to think having a girlfriend is an insult, either way I don’t have time for a girlfriend, you know as well as I do that we have a job to do.” Damian huffed as he stepped off his motorcycle. Taking off his helmet and placing it in his school bag, Damian saw Jon starting to get ready to fire back a response. The young Wayne sighed and folded his arms.

“Damian! Come on, being a hero is fun but there’s other cool stuff out there too! And who knows maybe that girl will be your first ever crush! Ahhh I can see it now!” Jon squealed, anime stars practically glowing in his eyes. Damian rolled his eyes, “TT. Unlikely.”

Jon heard the first bell ring and pulled Damian by the arm, super hearing did. have it’s perks. “Come on! We better get to class. I can’t wait to hear about your new girlfriend!”

“I haven’t even met this girl. TT. You’re immaturity floors me Kent, it really does.” Damian retorted as Jon dragged him across the courtyard. Jon rolled his eyes as he pushed open the double doors to West-Reeves. They were greeted with the normal soft chatter that filled the halls. Most people were buzzing about the new girl. Damian resisted the urge to gag, he had to admit their private school was small but not so small that this girl should be the only thing people were talking about. 

“I heard she was homeschooled.” Damian heard as he passed by a young blonde girl, maybe younger than Jon.

“Monica said she’s from Paris can you believe-“ Exclaimed a brunette Freshman. 

“I heard French girls are hotter than Americans!” Said a muscular senior on the football team as he and two of his other toxically masculine friends fist pumped. Damian brushed the rumors off, he couldn’t care less, he dealt with rumors all the time, being a Wayne and all. He assumed the new girl would be overwhelmed by the attention, but honestly he didn’t care. 

Jon and Damian went their separate ways as Damian walked up the steps to his homeroom. The midnight haired boy scowled at those who passed him in the hall and smiled, his demeanor hadn’t improved much since he was a child.

He was still the Ice Prince. The class addressed him as such as well as the media. Damian truly didn’t care, he wasn’t eager to please like some people. Let the people think what they want, Damian didn’t care.

Besides if they had been trained by assassins, died after becoming a vigilante at the hands of their clone, and caused their soulmate’s death he was sure everything would roll off their backs too. Ever since the League he was taught not to be sensitive. He had grown a lot from the murderous heir of the League of Assassins and some of his walls had been broken down, but most would forever remain up and guarded because of the soulmate whom he would never meet that he never told anybody of.

Don’t get Damian wrong, it wasn’t that he didn’t want to. Well, he didn’t, but it went deeper than that. The great Damian Wayne wasn’t afraid of anything, but if he was he might’ve been the tiniest bit afraid of talking about his soulmate. The prospect of them gave him nightmares, there was no way he would let them infest his day thoughts too. There was a point in which he contemplated telling Jon. 

He ultimately decided against it. The boy would ask far too many questions for Damian’s liking and he was almost positive he’d tell Superman. Clark Kent would surely inform his father and then he’d have to deal with that. 

Damian walked silently in the hall as he tugged on his backpack, realizing a part wasn’t fully zipped. He kept his eyes straight ahead and surveyed his surroundings in his line of sight and peripheral vision, a habit from patrol and his days in the League. Placing his hand on the doorknob Damian opened the door to his homeroom realizing he was the first one there. This was not surprising in the least, most of his peers socialized with their friends and waited until the very last second to walk in. Damian took his seat in the back of the class and pulled out his assigned reading material. Well, technically it wasn’t due until three months later, but Damian was always ahead so he could be prepared for anything. He cracked open his book and started to read. He noticed the students trickling in, one by one, taking their seats. He sat alone in the back of the class, so he didn’t have to worry about his literature being interrupted. He continued to read as chatter filled the junior’s homeroom. Just as he flipped the page of the new paperback he heard the door creak open and a cheery voice call, 

“This is your homeroom! And don’t forget, you can always talk to me if you need anything!” He listened as a meek voice responded, “Thank you, I appreciate it.” The 16 year olds in the class had their eyes glued on the door as they knew it was the new girl who was speculated to be arriving. 

He heard the class light up with a buzzing excitement as the new girl turned the handle. The students craned their necks like they were in some over dramatic play to see her. 

Damian rolled his eyes and kept his eyes on the book, he knew if the homeroom was any suggestion that this would be how the new girl was treated at every class. He buried his head into the book,

‘ This day is going to be horrific.’

Chapter Text

Marinette had been miraculously brought back to life six years earlier. Truth be told, she didn’t remember much of her resurrection. When she was brought back she didn’t have any scars, not even the one she cherished so dearly, the first injury her soulmate gave her. It seemed odd or silly to celebrate such a thing, but she did, and now she never could again… Although she didn’t remember much of her resurrection she did remember her mother holding her and crying but that was about it.

Everyday for six years she was protected like some giant secret. In a sense, she was. She wasn’t allowed to go outside, attend school (she was homeschooled by Sabine), or talk to anyone. It was more boring than being dead, Marinette remarked one day when she had breakfast with her parents. 

They promptly explained to her that they were only trying to keep her safe. What would the outside world think if the dead Dupain-Cheng child mysteriously showed up out of the blue? People had watched her die. It would be a witch hunt if they found out she was alive, her parents feared she’d be experimented on, but for some reason that made Marinette feel unsettled.

Not because she was afraid of being experimented on, but because it seemed like her parents weren’t being completely truthful. Marinette grew wary of them and that night marked the first day she snuck out.

Her parents were working in the bakery, and Marinette knew they wouldn’t be up to check on her for at least two hours. She put on sunglasses and a hat and made her great escape.

The world was so much more beautiful than she had remembered, but she had been cooped up in her room for three years before she even dared to venture outside. The only thing Marinette wasn’t impressed with when she left her house were the Parisians. There was even a man who was about to be run over by a car and no one did a single thing.

No one but Marinette, she sprung into action and pushed him out of the way. She ran back home as fast as she could after she made sure he was okay, that act would bring attention to her and her parents could not know under any circumstances that she decided to sneak out. 

Oddly enough after her dinner that same night there was a black box with scripture she couldn’t recognize in her room…

Ladybug was her only freedom, that was why she got along so well with Chat Noir. They had both lost their freedoms in different ways, Marinette of course didn’t tell him the whole story, only that her parents were overprotective and she was homeschooled. She and Chat were best friends, inseparable. It reminded her of her relationship with Nino.

Nino...It broke her heart so much when she found out he was akumatized. He was one of Hawk Moth’s first victims and it was all her fault. Nino was akumatized into a villain who could raise the dead, after an insensitive classmate inadvertently brought up Marinette. Luckily for the red clad heroine, she was able to purify the akuma before Nino got to her grave (the Dupain-Chengs made one for show after Marinette was brought back to life). Part of her always wondered what would’ve happened if he got to her grave and realized she wasn’t buried there. 

Although Marinette wanted nothing but to laugh with her best friend again she knew she couldn’t reveal herself to Nino, for her and her parents safety, but more selfishly, because she thought that he could never accept her, she’d basically lied to him for the years she’d been alive without telling him.

She made it a point to check on him as Ladybug every so often. 

Her freedom was stripped of her though, when she and Chat Noir defeated Hawk Moth. She almost cried, she should have been happy Hawk Moth no longer wielded his miraculous, but it just made her empty inside. When Hawk Moth’s identity was revealed Chat Noir revealed his identity as well so he couldn’t be seen as an accomplice to his father. Marinette was really the only one who stayed out of the spotlight, she didn’t tell a soul, not even Adrien. After all, she was legally dead, what would Paris think if their hero’s life was a lie?

Although it had already been an excruciating month since Master Fu took the Ladybug miraculous away from her, Marinette couldn’t help but reach for her earrings ever so often. Sometimes she’d even open her bag to talk to Tikki, only to find she wasn’t there.

The month without her freedom had been so hard to bear that Marinette snuck out in her disguise once more. Only, there was a strong wind that day and Nadja Chamack was passing by when Marinette’s hat blew off her.

Careless, she remembered scolding herself when she got home. She hoped Nadja wouldn’t recognize her, after all she still had sunglasses on, but when her parents came up to her room in a furious rage she realized that she wasn’t so lucky. 

Sabine yelled at her and Tom lectured her about going out. It was all a blurry haze of swirling emotions, she could barely recall what her parents yelled at her. She remembered the moment that broke her heart though.

She could still hear Sabine’s words in her ear, “Pack up, you’re going to live with your uncle in Gotham. It’s no longer safe for you here.”

Marinette understood, she really did. She didn’t harbor any resentment against her family either, they were just trying to help. She knew her parents loved her, they even acknowledged they were sending her to the crime capital of the world, so they sent had her uncle enroll her in a private school far away from Gotham. Her parents told her that it would take a while to get to school each day, but it was all in her best interest.

She believed them.

What a mistake that was.

Marinette was excited for her first day at West-Reeves. She could live as Mari Dupain without anyone remembering the girl who was a mere ghost. She hadn’t been to school with other people for awhile but she surely wasn’t expecting such a big fanfare.

The moment she arrived in the office she was whisked away by a cheery half-Guyanese girl with a green jacket and LGBT+ patch. Marinette surveyed her surroundings with suspicion, something she’d gotten used to as Ladybug. She hadn’t had human interaction outside of being the heroine for six years, the only way she knew how to act was how she acted as Ladybug. She even instinctively touched her earrings only to find her ears bare. She almost sighed, but she didn’t have time for her tour guide was dragging her to her homeroom.

At that moment Marinette realized she hadn’t really been paying attention. She was focused so much on the small details, or what would’ve been useful for her as a hero (emergency exits, possible defensive weapons) that she had missed pretty much all of what her tour guide said. 

She scolded herself and tried to pay more attention. There wasn’t much to pay attention too however, before Marinette knew it, she was outside a room which her tour guide started to open slowly as she said her goodbyes.

“Thank you, I appreciate it.” Marinette said as she shook the girl’s hand for the last time. “No prob!” Said her guide shooting finger guns at Marinette as she scurried off to class. 

Marinette chuckled to herself lightly before gulping and entering the room. She hadn’t been to school in a while, sure, but she wasn’t expecting the reaction she was given.

Everyone’s eyes were on her as soon as she set foot in the classroom. She stepped in the front of the room, choking back her nervousness. She was greeted with a bombardment of two blonde girls who looked like...Chloé.

Marinette wrinkled her nose at the thought, one of her last memories was Chloé telling her off, saying she wasn’t good enough. ‘Thanks but no thanks.’ Marinette rolled her eyes as she brushed past them.

The two blondes gaped at her as she rudely shied away from them. Marinette walked to the back of the classroom, friendly waves thrown at her (besides the two girls she shook off) as she tried to find an empty seat. She felt confident that if more than two people could fit at a desk someone would’ve invited her over, or maybe they already knew how unnatural she was…

Was it possible the waves and smiles were out of pity? Marinette entertained the thought before pushing it away and moving to the very back of the class. 

“Oh my god, she’s gonna sit with the Ice Prince!” Marinette heard a juvenile voice snicker. “Serves her right.” Whispered one of the blondes under her breath in a very Chloé like fashion.

“You think he’ll yell at her?” Whispered a voice too low for Marinette to hear. “Nah I bet he’ll start throwin’ punches!” Exclaimed a burly and immature jock.

Marinette didn't understand who the so-called ‘Ice Prince’ was or why they were being so mean about him. She decided immediately that she didn’t like any of her fellow classmates. 

Marinette slid wordlessly into the only empty chair, towards the back of the room. An alluring boy with tan skin, green eyes and black hair that complimented the navy blue uniform the school had was sitting with perfect posture while reading a book. Marinette was actually relieved he didn’t talk to her, she was able to enjoy some much needed quiet time. She never had this much attention when she came back to life, although the only time she really got out of the house was as Ladybug.

Marinette and the boy sat in silence for a while until the teacher hurried into the room. The woman stood in front of the class and clapped her hands, “Okay class! We will get started in just a few minutes, but as you might have noticed, we have a new student!” Marinette felt all eyes flicker to her. “Could you introduce yourself sweetheart?” Asked the teacher kindly.

“Sure,” Marinette said as she stood up, hand rubbing the back of her neck, “I’m Mari Dupain. I come from France, specifically Paris.” She had guessed that the teacher would ask her to introduce herself, Tom and Sabine had been drilling her over and over again so she didn’t slip up and reveal her real identity.

“It’s a pleasure to have you Mari! Why don’t you come up and get your copy of Animal Farm. Everyone had to read it yesterday, and we will discuss it, but it’s okay that you haven’t read it yet.” The teacher said sweetly motioning towards a book at the front of the class. 

“A-actually I have read it.” The boy next to her raised an eyebrow as she continued, “When I was homeschooled my maman- I mean mother made me read it in English.” The teacher gave her a blinding smile which made the class roll their eyes, another try-hard. Marinette walked down to the front of the class to grab her copy anyway and walked back to the boy in the back who had set down his book.

“Alright! Let’s dive right in then!” The teacher clapped her hands as she sat on the desk. “What do you guys think Animal Farm is an allegory for?” 

It was so quiet Marinette could hear a pin drop, she wanted to raise her hand but was nervous to. When nobody did the teacher remarked, “Ok, raise your hand if you read the book.” 

Marinette and the boy beside her were the only two who raised their hands. The teacher sighed and rubbed her temples, “One more than last time.” She mumbled. Sitting up straighter she asked, “So Damian, Marinette, can one of you tell me what Animal Farm is an allegory for?”

“It’s-“ Marinette began.

“Russia under the reign of Stalin and communism.” The boy- Damian interrupted. Marinette gaped, she was about to say something why did he start?

“Well technically not communism.” Marinette muttered under her breath. Damian raised an eyebrow, “How would you define it?” He asked with a slight bite underneath it.

“Damian-“ the teacher started. 

“Totalitarianism.” Marinette gulped, “Because communism was they wanted to achieve but it's impossible because of human greed.” The class almost hid under their desks, prepared for the next war. They motioned to Marinette to stop but she hadn’t seen it.

“Hmmm. Interesting point Dupain.” Damian said, Marinette beamed at him sweetly, she enjoyed having a conversation with someone else interested in academics.

She hadn’t had that in so long.

She hadn’t had human connection in so long.

Chapter Text

“Chloé, Chloé, Chloé.” Lila Rossi smirked as she circled the cornered blonde girl, “Whatever will people think when I remind them that your last words to that poor girl were insults?” Chloé’s blue eyes widened in shock.

“H-how? Marinette- I-“ She stumbled as she walked backwards, Lila pushing her against the wall.

“Oh yeah, I know allllll about the dead girl.” She smirked before chuckling at Chloé’s guilty expression. “You know this could all go away if you just let me have my way. After all there’s no more Ladybug to protect you.” She smiled before sashaying away.

“Lila, wait.” Chloé called as she ran after the Italian. Lila smiled, “Change your mind Chloé?” Chloé took a deep breath,

“I regret what I did to Marinette. She’s the- she’s the reason that I stopped bullying. You never got the chance to meet her, but if you did she would’ve helped you, tried to help you change from an insecure bully. Listen, I’ve taken a lot of lessons from Marinette, lessons that I could’ve taken earlier, but-but now she’s dead. And I’m not as nice as her, I’m selfish and would do anything to keep my reputation safe.” She said solemnly as she turned towards Lila. The brunette smiled slyly, she knew Chloé would come groveling to her to make sure nobody remembered what she had done.

“I’m not as nice as Marinette, and yeah I’m selfish, but I’m trying to be better so Lila…” Chloé said as she shuffled her feet. Lila raised a brow unsure as to where Chloé was going with her monologue. Chloé started to smirk however and look Lila dead in the eyes and said, “Go to hell.”

Marinette walked down the hall towards her next class. According to the map it was directly above her but she couldn’t for the life of her find any stairs! She frowned at her map as she surveyed her surroundings only to be met by friendly blue eyes.

“Need some help?” Asked a tall black haired boy with glasses only a few years younger than Marinette. His uniform tie was slightly out of place and his hair looked like it had been caught in the wind. He seemed almost like he was trying to regain his breath.

“Yes please!” Marinette smiled, “Could you help me find some stairs?” The boy brightened before nodding,

“Sure! Follow me!” He said as he grabbed her wrist with more strength than Marinette realized he had and pulled her towards the nearest stairwell. When they arrived in front of the staircase the boy held out his hand,

“I’m Jon Kent by the way!” He beamed.

“Mari Dupain.” She responded as she shook it hesitantly, trying to remember if that was the American custom. She realized it was when Jon shook her hand back eagerly.

“Nice meeting you!” He grinned as he started to turn around. “You too!” Marinette smiled, one of her first genuine smiles of the day. Jon started to walk away before turning around and rushing back to Mari who had made it up only a couple of stairs.

“Oh by the way! My friend, Damian, is in your grade. He’s a bit standoffish at first but if you get to know him I’m sure you’ll like him.” Marinette thought of the boy who she’d met earlier, his name was Damian. Surely no coincidence. He’d been the most tolerable in her class, the only one who didn’t gossip about her. They had had a stimulating conversation in English and although he was brash and rude Marinette thought it would be nice to get to know him better.

“I think I’ve already met him. He reminds me of two of my old friends actually,” she said as she felt pain in chest when thinking about Juleka and Max. Damian had seemed kind of like a mix of the two, brilliant for sure but a little detached like Juleka.

“That’s a relief! See you around Mari!” Jon exclaimed before flashing one more gleaming smile and walking off.

Marinette walked up the stairs as she thought about her old friends, making her heart ache. She only really remembered Nino, Juleka, Max, and Kim in fondness. She’d never liked Chloé or Sabrina and most of the other class had faded away from her memories. There were so many people she should’ve met if only she didn’t die. Why did she have to have a soul bond?

She felt a pang of guilt as she realized that she had essentially cursed her soulmate. She was so lucky to have one, not everyone got that chance.

Marinette sighed and crossed over to her math class. She was met with a few new faces but mostly people who were in her English class. The two blondes from the morning were glaring at her with their noses upturned. Marinette rolled her eyes and sat in the empty desk in the back of the class.

“You’re really everywhere aren’t you.” Damian said with folded arms as he placed his backpack on the floor and sat next to Marinette.

“I try,” she said as she looked Damian up and down. He looked disheveled almost. Granted Marinette hadn’t seen him since first period but what could Damian could have possibly done in that extra hour that made him look so…messy. She didn’t peg him as the playboy type but she hadn’t been to school in awhile so maybe he was and she didn’t pick up on it. Maybe he got beaten up? She looked him up and down, no scars or bruises. She didn’t doubt he could take someone down, he was very muscular, but he didn’t seem like the type to pick a fight. But what other explanation was there for showing up looking like he got out of a fight?

Marinette was startled out of her thoughts when she saw Damian with a raised eyebrow saying, “Anybody home?” It was a lot ruder than he meant it to be.

“S-sorry.” Marinette said as she faced the blackboard at the front of the class.

Class had not been all that interesting. History, her next class which she also share with Damian, was even less interesting.Marinette found herself spacing out like she had done before she died when she attended school. She hoped the teacher didn’t notice. Finally, the blessed bell rang. Marinette got up immediately.

“Mari and Damian could I see you please.” Shoot, she did notice. Marinette silently panicked as she followed Damian to the front of the class. The teacher embraced them with a warm smile, “So Damian, since Mari transferred in the middle of the year I was hoping you could be her partner for the history project. It shouldn’t be too difficult because it was only assigned yesterday, but are both of you comfortable with that.”

Marinette let out a silent sigh of relief. Damian side-eyed her as if trying to gauge whether he should take the teacher’s offer or not. The teacher picked up on it too and glared at Damian expectantly.

“Fine.” Was all he said. Marinette smiled slightly and Damian pulled her out of the room. Marinette began to brainstorm how they could work and what they could do.

“So should I-“

“We can work during study hall.” Damian said simply before walking away. Marinette sighed. “Well ok then,” she said to herself as she walked towards her next class.

Damian turned his head back to Marinette when she wasn’t looking and had already taken off in the opposite direction.

Hmm maybe Mari is more than tolerable.

Chapter Text

What their history teacher neglected to tell them was that the assignment assigned the day prior was going to be unbelievably difficult. They only had one day to work on it, and they had barely made any headway in study hall.

Damian huffed to himself as he watched Mari stare intently at a book. 

I could’ve done this much quicker without her . He brooded to himself, although deep down he knew that was probably a lie. Mari had worked much faster than he expected.

“Aha!” She smiled, pointing victoriously to a passage in her book. Her eyes lit up, and if possible her smile made her eyes look more blue. Damian finally noticed her freckles too. 

He felt a smirk tug at his lips by how excited she got a small triumph. Not unlike Jon, he noted. Ugh another Jon.

But maybe it wasn’t such a bad thing, he decided when he saw her tongue stick out slightly from her focus as she wrote into her notebook.

“Okay!” She exclaimed, snapping her notebook shut, “Done with the research! Now off to the project part.” She let out a small groan, “Any ideas?”

Damian held his sketchbook closely to his chest, not ready to let her see it. “Perhaps we can devise a poem and be done with it all.”

Mari pouted, then she smiled smugly, “Wanna take the easy way out, huh Damian?” She jibed.

“W-what?! No!” Damian spluttered, how insulting how dare she-

Oh...Damian realized as she saw her hold back a chuckle. She was joking . 

Well two could play at that game.

“Very well, what do you suppose we do oh great Dupain?”

“Well...if you’re not opposed...maybe we could meet up later to work? We don’t have a lot of time now, but I can probably explain my idea.”

Damian hesitated, he didn’t want to bring this girl back to the manor. Solely because he wasn’t sure he could trust her, certainly not because he didn’t want her to judge him for being a Wayne.

“We can meet up at a nearby coffee shop once school is over. I’ll inform father. What’s your idea?” Damian asked as he pulled out his phone.

“Well...I’m an amateur designer.” Mari said, looking slightly flustered, “And I thought since the project is an extension of what we’ve learned maybe I could design some period appropriate clothes? Just a sketch of course, I doubt I’d have time to actually make something seeing as its due tomorrow but-“

“May I see what you have?” Damian interrupted. 

Mari nodded slightly before pulling out a black book, not unlike his own sketchbook. She handed it to him and immediately looked away, embarrassed by her own work.

Damian flipped through the pages, “These are more than adequate Dupain.”

Mari blushed at the praise. Damian considered showing her his own drawings, but...considering he would seldom show his family or even Jon his sketches he was not inclined to show his to a girl he’d known for not even a full day. He handed the book back to her just as the bell rang. 

“I’ll meet you outside of the main entrance when school ends. Goodbye Dupain.” Damian said hiking up his book bag and heading off to his next class.

Of course she was in his next class.

And the one after that too. She was even in his last period, which meant Mari Dupain was in All. Of. His. Classes.

He understood, she was gifted academically and so was he, so they would share classes. Plus, the private school was relatively small in the number of students who attended, but still there was no other person Damian shared all his classes with. 

Suffice to say, if he hadn’t tolerated Mari before he’d need to now considering the new circumstances. Just as the final bell rang, instead of meeting Marinette outside he walked to her desk and silently waited for her to gather her things.

“I’m ready!” She beamed, zipping up her backpack. 

Damian eyed her, small and frail at first analysis. Her backpack had accumulated lots of books because she had transferred so late in the year.

“Would you like me to carry something?”

“No! I’ll manage! Thanks for asking though-“

“Ice Prince Charming.” A girl snickered on her way out to her friend. Damian glared at them both. Then without another word he walked with Mari out of the building.

“Why do they call you that?” Mari asked as she walked with Damian through the halls to the exit.

“Not that it’s any of your business,” Damian stated harshly before seeing her deflated expression and softening, “But it’s because I’m a black sheep here I suppose. I don’t play by their rules— that is, date, socialize, be on the football team, etcetera.”

“Huh, you seem normal to me.” Mari said, of course, unbeknownst to Damian she was leaving out the part where she hadn’t been with another human that wasn’t her parents, a villain, or Chat Noir for six years.

Damian side-eyed her, not sure how to respond. He realized quickly that she expected no response. It seemed her conversations were organic and raw, rather than ones in which the other person already knew what the next was going to say and planned for it. She wasn’t bothered by the silence that they walked in, which was odd, considering that she was a teenager most of which talked just to hear themselves talk.

Reaching the school’s exit, Damian pushed open the door for her.

“Thanks!” She chirped.

“Damian!” Jon called from across the courtyard, slowly registering Mari’s presence, “Oh, hi Mari!”

“Hi Jon!” Mari waved while Jon dashed over.

“So...what are you two doing now?” Jon asked, a glint in his eye as he smirked at Damian.

“If you must know, we’re heading to the local coffee shop to finish a project.” 

“Ooooh!” Jon exclaimed. Damian knew what he was going to ask next before the boy even asked it.

“And no, you cannot come with us.”

“Bummer. Oh well, I have to go back to my parents’ house anyway, but I’ll still see you later for...ya know?”

Damian sighed, great cover Kent , “Yes.” He gritted his teeth and led Mari away.

“Here.” He said, pulling out a spare helmet from his bag. “I’m assuming you’re not afraid of riding a motorcycle.”

Mari brightened, “Yeah! My Nonna and I rode all the time before I di- before she died.” Marinette sighed internally for her quick recovery, even if she kind of had to lie about her grandmother being dead.

“My condolences.” Damian said as he cleared his throat. Marinette could tell it was sincere which made her feel a lot worse…

Damian got onto the motorcycle and made sure to get close enough to the handlebars so that Mari would have enough space. He was really hoping she wasn’t stupid enough to hang her arms around his shoulders.

As she got on, he realized she was very proficient at being a passenger. She got on quickly and placed her hands on the tank to stabilize herself. Mari’s helmet was already on, so Damian started off.

He started driving slightly slower than normal, just because he wasn’t sure how comfortable she was riding a quick pace. That could mess both of them up if she wasn’t ready.

It wasn’t a big deal anyway, as it turned out, the coffee shop was less than a mile away from campus and they arrived quickly. 

Damian hopped off the motorcycle and extended his hand. Mari took it daintily as he pulled her off the vehicle. She dismounted easily as well. She handed his helmet back to him and they walked inside.

“Alfred, I found something interesting.” Bruce said as he pulled up a document on his computer.

Alfred looked over the document once and sighed, nothing really new , “You can deal with that later Master Bruce. There’s another matter that requires your attention.”

“Oh?” Bruce asked, raising and eyebrow, but not taking his eyes off the screen.

“Remember when Master Damian said earlier that he was going to work on a project? Well, it seems it was a partner project and pictures of him and his school partner are all over social media.” Alfred typed into the Batcave’s computer and pulled up Twitter, the most trending post was a picture of Damian helping a girl his age off his motorcycle in front of the coffee shop and the caption read, “Does the youngest Wayne have a date?!?!?!”

Bruce sighed, “Just tabloid gossip, nothing new.” He eyed the picture again, “Though maybe I should look into this girl…”

He scanned the picture in quickly and had the results he was looking for within minutes, “Mari Dupain. Moved from Paris, France to Gotham not too long ago.”

Alfred rubbed his temples, “Dupain...as in-“

“Yes.”

“How will you tell the young master?”

“He’ll...understand.” Bruce sighed, “Maybe not right away, but he will eventually.”

Alfred looked at him disapprovingly.

“Okay, you’re right.” Bruce muttered, “I'll talk to him about it when he gets home...I hope he’s not too attached to that girl...he’s not going to be happy.”

Chapter Text

So...what do you think?” Mari beamed as she showed Damian the book. Damian nodded approvingly, he felt a slight blush coming to his cheeks. Good designer, good student, good facial structure…

Damian pushed the thought out of his mind, yes she was attractive, but he didn’t know enough about her. He needed to learn more about her before drawing anymore conclusions.

“It’s good. You’re designing is very proficient, this will give us high marks.” 

Mari grinned, “Great!” She snapped her book shut as the smile fell from her face, “I guess I better be going n-“

“Or you can stay!” Damian blurted. A blush rose on Mari’s cheeks. Damian calmed himself down, this was purely for research, to make sure she could be trusted and that she was reliable. “I’d like to know more about you.” 

So why was he fighting a blush?! This should not have been this hard!

“O-okay!” Mari said, “What do you want to know?”

Hmmm, what did he want to know? Start with the basics, he decided.

“You moved here from Paris, correct? What was it like?”

“Yeah, I lived in Paris for all my life. To be honest...it was kind of boring. My parents were pretty...overprotective you could say so I was homeschooled for six years.”

Damian furrowed his eyebrows, “If they were so overprotective why did they move here, and let you go to school?”

Mari sighed, “They didn’t move here. I did s-something dumb...and they had me move here with my uncle. My uncle has a day job so he couldn’t really homeschool me, but he sent me here.”

“What exactly did you do?” Damian asked, it must’ve been something horrible, or perhaps her parents were abusive in nature.

“I...I don’t really want to talk about it, sorry.” She said looking down at the table.

Curious, Damian thought. He would need to look into that later, “Well in any case, how do you like living in Metropolis?”

“Oh, I actually don’t live in Metropolis. I live in Gotham, but I can take the bus to get here!” Mari clarified. Damian contemplated telling her that he had the same arrangement, but he wasn’t sure given that he still didn’t know enough about her.

“I also live in Gotham.” Damian found himself saying before he could stop it.

Mari brightened, “Really?! That’s cool, I wonder if we’ll ever see each other.”

Damian doubted it, unless he saw her on patrol as Robin he didn’t think his civilian self would go out enough to see her. “Perhaps.”

Suddenly, Mari’s phone started ringing, she looked at it and then at Damian apologetically, “I’m sorry, it’s my uncle, he probably wants to know why I’m out so late.”

She answered the phone, the person on the other line talked for a while. Mari seemed to wince at every word. “Yes I’m sorry Uncle, I’ll come back now.”

Mari sighed, “I have to go, I’m sorry.”

“It’s no problem, I can take you back though, my motorcycle will be the fastest option.” Plus I can find out where you live , Damian added silently.

Mari beamed, “Would you? You’re so kind, thank you Damian!” 

She stood up and kissed him on the cheek quickly. Damian hid a blush as she ran out of the coffee shop. His fingers went to the place where she had kissed him. Huh . Damian thought, trying to identify the feeling as he walked outside.

He felt a twinge of guilt when he saw Mari’s smile. She thought he was helping her, but in reality he was only doing it to get more information on her. He got onto his motorcycle and when Mari was on, he rode off.

~~~~~

Marinette blushed as she rode on the back of Damian’s motorcycle. It was just a friendly kiss on the cheek, but she really didn’t mean to, she just got really excited. 

Guess I still have a lot to work on people skills wise , she sighed. After what felt like an awkward eternity Damian stopped the bike and dropped her out in front of her uncle’s apartment. 

“Thank you Damian!” Marinette smiled.

“TT. Don’t thank me, it wasn’t a problem.” 

Marinette gave him an awkward grin, “Well thanks anyways. See you tomorrow.” She waved and then ran into her uncle’s apartment.

Damian narrowed his eyes as she walked in.

“I will be keeping a very close eye on you Dupain. I don’t know your secret, but I will soon.”

~~~~~

As Damian biked home he realized all he could think of was Mari Dupain. It wasn’t just about her secret either, he was replaying the moments in the coffee shop; specifically when she smiled or laughed. It didn’t make much sense and it was hard to piece together her secret when those...particular memories kept invading his mind. 

Maybe that was her secret, perhaps she had hexed him by making him think nonstop thoughts of her. Or perhaps she was a meta, who could draw people towards her. Those were the best explanations for his problems. 

As he pulled into a nearby safe house, just a few miles away from where Mari lived, he took out his phone.

Normally, he wouldn’t consult others for help on cases such as these, but he needed an outside perspective.

Jon wouldn’t do, and Damian doubted that the Titans would be able to help him, so he settled on calling Grayson.

“Damian, what a surprise!” Dick answered as he panted.

Damian narrowed his eyes, “Where are you and what are you doing Grayson?”

“I’m with Kor’i, what’s up?”

Damian rolled his eyes, “There’s a new girl at my school-“

“Ooh! The one you went on a date with?”

“What?! A date?! What are you talking about?”

“It’s all over the Internet,” Dick started with a teasing tone, “Damian Wayne and a mystery girl at a coffee shop.”

Damian sighed, “It wasn’t a date, we were merely working on a project together, and I did not trust her to come to our home.”

“Sure little D. Anyway, what about this girl?”

“I think she may be meta, or magical perhaps.” 

“Oh?” 

“Yes, it seems she’s hiding something from me, and from the moment I left her I couldn’t stop thinking about her. It sounds like a hex of some sort, wouldn’t you agree?” Damian asked as he stumbled into the safe house.

Dick snorted, “No little D, it sounds like you’ve got a crush.”

Damian felt his face heat up, although he had no idea why, “I fail to see your point. I’ve only met the girl today, only magic could have me so worked up about her. She must’ve figured out I was a Wayne and decided to bewitch me.”

“...I’m sure.” Dick said, the sarcasm evident in his tone.

“Don’t patronize me!” Damian snapped, feeling his face warm even more than before, “This girl could be a real threat.”

Dick hummed, “And what exactly do you know about this girl—aside from your speculation that she’s a witch—?”

Damian sorted through his memories, “She’s extremely intelligent, and can keep up with me. She’s an artist and aspiring fashion designer. She used to live in Paris before her family sent her to live with her uncle for some reason. She is objectively attractive, and seems to have met Kent.”

“Back up!” Dick exclaimed, “What did you just say?”

“She seems to have met Kent?”

“No, before that.” Dick said, unable to contain his glee.

Damian folded his arms and mustered a whisper, “I said she’s objectively attractive.”

“Uh huh.” Dick stifled a laugh, “Damian, crushes are normal, especially at your age. You don’t need to be embarrassed or ashamed, just embrace your feelings instead of hiding them. I guarantee if you spend more time with her she’ll like you.”

“Spend more time with her?” Damian asked, cocking his head, “Spend more time with her! Excellent idea, Grayson! That way it is assured I figure out the magic she used to hex me!”

“Wait, did you listen to a thing I sai-“

Damian hung up before Dick finished his sentence. Yes, spending time with Mari Dupain could prove useful to his mission. 

He would be able to start the phase of his plan tomorrow, for now though , he decided, he would check on the social media posts Grayson had mentioned.

Opening his phone to Twitter, he did in fact see the post Dick was talking about. In fact, it was the first thing on his dashboard.

A somewhat blurry picture, likely taken by a civilian rather than a professional photographer, showing Mari, grinning with a gleam in her bluebell eyes, getting off his bike. Damian was offering his hand to her, and looking at it now, Damian saw a slight blush on his cheeks. How odd , maybe it was the lighting , he speculated, ignoring the fact that the picture was taken outside. He admired the picture for a second, and then saved it to his phone.

Strictly for research purposes of course...

Chapter Text

Marinette watched through her window as Damian left on his bike.

“So...a boy, eh?” A burly man with messy brown hair and blue eyes teased.

“He’s just a friend, Uncle Alex.”

“That’s good.” He said, his face suddenly becoming stern, “You know you can’t let anyone too close. Nobody can find out about your secret.”

Marinette sighed, “I know Uncle Alex.”

Her uncle’s expression softened and he went to hug his niece, “I know it’s hard Marinette. I couldn’t possibly believe what it’s like to be in your shoes, but you know your mother and father only want what’s best for you.”

The light drained from Marinette’s eyes, “I’m not so sure anymore.”

Alexander watched helplessly as Marinette walked to her room and shut the door. He shook his head lightly, the kid had been through so much. She didn’t deserve this. Alexander flipped through his mail, mostly bills, but he’d have a solution for those like always. He wasn’t going to let his niece down.

~~~~~

Marinette stared out of the window in her room. She gauged the drop down, she was on the first floor, so if she jumped out it wouldn’t be noticeable, and because of her days as Ladybug she knew she could find a way to jump and not sustain a single injury. Marinette hurriedly opened the window and hopped out. Wincing as an unspoken apology to her uncle, who was none the wiser of what she was up to, she dashed into the direction of the location she was headed for.

The fabric shop, of course.

~~~~~

Marinette pushed open the doors to the store. Luckily for her, some of that Ladybug magic must’ve stayed with her because the shop was practically deserted. She glanced around the area, trying to find any fabrics that would suit her...project. Durability was key, but of course Marinette wanted to stay fashionable. As much as she loved being Ladybug she did not want another fashion disaster if she could help it. 

A flash of ruby caught her eye. She caught a glimpse of black. Perfect. 

She brought her chosen fabrics to the checkout and handed the cashier the money her parents gave her. Technically, the money was for emergencies, but what her parents didn’t know didn’t hurt them.

A plan was coming together in her mind. She was allowed to take her sewing machine and mannequin, but not many other ‘leisure items.’ The way her parents worded it made it seem that this was her punishment for sneaking out and almost exposing herself.

‘ If only they knew how much I snuck out as Ladybug,’ Marinette thought. She probably wouldn’t have even gotten to bring her fashion items.

She was grateful that her parents didn’t know, as her sewing tools were essential in the next part of her plan.

She was going to make Gotham a little bit brighter.

Ladybug style.

~~~~~

An evening of research yielded no results.

A disheartened Damian sighed as he sat back in the chair in front of the bat computer. 

He had tried to comb over the photos that were taken of him and Mari, trying to find any evidence that she’d bewitched him, but alas, nothing. Damian growled in frustration as he knocked Dupain’s files off the desk. 

With a huff, Damian closed his eyes and reran the day again in his mind.

As he tried to recall the events of his school day all he could see was Mari’s smile and her bluebell eyes. Further proof that he’d been hexed.

What was he to do when Grayson didn’t believe him and there was no physical or photographic evidence of Mari’s magic.

He decided to switch gears and instead think about why Dupain would target him.

Was it because he was a Wayne? Or did she perhaps know he was Robin?

Of course, Damian also entertained the option that maybe she simply did it for kicks.

Damian banged his head against the keyboard and left it there, groaning silently at his failure.

“Damian?”

He peeked his head up watching his father walk nervously into view through emerald eyes. Picking his head up all the way, and straightening out his attire, Damian raised an eyebrow at Bruce.

“Yes father?”

With a nervous glance, Bruce crouched down next to the chair his son was sitting on.

“We need to talk…it’s about your new friend?”

“I don’t know whom you speak of.” Damian said plainly, focusing his eyes back on the screen.

“The one you were caught with by the press.”

Damian snapped his head back, “Mari Dupain is not my friend.”

Bruce sighed, rubbing his temples, “Even so, we need to talk. It’s about-“

“Father, I can handle the press. I’m aware what it looked like from a trashy tabloid cover, however I was not on a date with the girl. I only met her today. In fact, I don’t even trust her. I’ve been looking into her, trying to figure out if she’s meta. Regardless, I assure you a situation like this won’t happen again.”

“Damian, no, that’s not what I wanted to talk abo-“

“Hey B!” Dick shouted, “Tim’s going on no sleep and trying to put his coffee, that he put energy drink in, into the oven.”

Bruce gritted his teeth and held back a groan, “We’ll continue this later.” He said, addressing his youngest son.

Mentally, Damian rolled his eyes. He reached for Mari’s file and opened it again, scouring for anything he’d missed. 

He was about to look into her life in Paris, but found that a search for Mari Dupain yielded no results.

‘Curious,’ Damian thought, ‘just who exactly are you, Mari Dupain?’

~~~~~

School didn’t differ much from Marinette’s first day. Students still treated her as the new kid and tried to befriend her, even some of the girls Marinette so eloquently classified as ‘bitches’ decided to try and talk to her again.

Fat chance she’d ever give into their manipulation. She refused to give into another Chloe for as long as she lived.

The only person who treated her differently than the other students was Damian. He seemed extra wary of her. He hadn’t talked to her much the day prior, and even when he did he always seemed to have his guard up, but Marinette couldn’t help but notice that he seemed almost suspicious of her.

Although it was a ridiculous thought, Marinette found herself wondering to herself, ‘ can it be he knows?’ 

She knew it was impossible. The moment her mother realized she was alive again, she had erased every trace of Marinette Dupain-Cheng. If someone had the means and looked hard enough, Marinette supposed they could probably find out about her, but she doubted that would happen. It’s not like she had attracted the attention of some heir of a billionaire who moonlighted as a vigilante sidekick, that would be ridiculous.

Marinette breathed a sigh of relief, realistically, nobody should have the ability to find out about her. She was just a normal girl, with a normal life here.

‘ Not for long though,’ she thought. 

If she worked everyday at her new project, it should be done in a couple months. She was used to staving off sleep so she was sure that her newest design would be ready just in time for the winter months.

Mind still focused on her project, Marinette sat down at her desk for the next class of the day.

Damian was studying her intently, as he had been all day, but he made no comment. Even as she was lost in thought, she could feel his eyes on him.

‘Creepy,’ she shivered. Something was definitely going on with him.

Something that was about her. She wasn’t sure what it was, she knew it would’ve had to have been something small to start. But she couldn’t stop this aching feeling in her chest that this would spiral into something much more. At first she had liked him, enjoyed his company, and even though it was only her second day, she knew she needed to be just as wary as him as he was of her.

Damian turned from her to the blackboard with a tenacious look in his eyes. Marinette gave him one last glance before deciding he wasn’t studying her anymore and focused on the lesson as well.

‘What is Damian up to,’ Marinette wondered to herself as the boy in question pondered to himself as well.

‘ I swear I’ll figure out what you’re up to, Mari Dupain.’

Chapter Text

After a good half of a day of research yielded no results, Damian was admittedly starting to get a little desperate. He couldn’t find a single thing on Mari Dupain. If anything, this made him even more concerned. He should’ve been able to find some details on her, even if they were only minuscule ones. This meant she was going by a false name, and possibly wasn’t from Paris either, given that he hacked into traffic cams there and found no trace of her. 

In his now frantic search, he decided to broaden how he searched. Assuming that Mari wasn’t lying about being from Paris (it was a distinct possibility she was, but he decided he could pry more out of her the next time he saw her about where she was really from if this didn’t work), he figured a generic, broad search should give him more leads.

He narrowed his eyes and typed ‘blue haired and blue eyed teen, Paris.’

When the page loaded, Damian shot out of his chair.

He spilled his drink over, but was too stunned to fix it. 

Ladybug: Savior of Paris, Gone but Not Forgotten

Damian clicked on the article hesitantly. He wasn’t sure if this would yield many results about Marinette, but regardless, he needed to know about a so-called ‘savior of Paris.’

The link opened to a news article. Underneath the headline was a very curious photo of a blonde boy in a catsuit and a blue-haired girl in a ladybug one. At first, Damian wasn’t sure what to make of this so he kept reading.

‘After villain Hawkmoth arrived in Paris two heroes came to combat him. These heroes, Ladybug and Chat Noir, were known for quite some time as the saviors of Paris until one day that ended up defeating the super villain, AKA Gabriel Agreste, fashion guru. We found out just afterwards that Gabriel’s own son, Adrien Agreste, was Chat Noir. Even though Chat Noir and most of the other superheroes on the miraculous team revealed themselves, Ladybug did not. In fact, the spotted heroine seemed to have disappeared entirely. Some praised this deed and saw Ladybug as someone truly selfless, who only wanted to protect Paris. Others were still curious about her identity and why she didn’t reveal it. Whatever the reason—it’s still clear that Ladybug was a true hero.’

Damian narrowed his eyes at the paragraph. 

Superheroes in Paris? One who was a major model who defeated his own father?

It didn’t add up, he should’ve known about this. 

Damian grabbed his phone out of his pocket. 

Damian dialed his father. After many a ring, he was disappointed, but not surprised to have been left with voicemail. Instead of leaving one, Damian opted to hang up. He understood his father was a busy man, he really did, and apparently busy men could never make time for their son…

With a sigh, Damian phoned another member of the League. After a bit of ringing, the call was answered.

“Ah Damian, to what do I owe the pleasure? Do you want to have a playdate with Jon?”

Damian scowled at the word playdate, and Clark Kent’s all too serious tone behind it.

“Kent, I’m calling to inquire about a situation the League might know about. I don’t need your permission to work with your son, and if we were to meet up it would certainly not be for a... play date. ”

Clark sighed on the other line, “Of course...What situation are you talking about exactly, and why couldn’t you ask your dad about it?”

“Father is busy. He would’ve been my first choice, believe me, but some of us have to work unlike you simple farm hands.”

“Damian...I’m sorry, I’m sure he’ll talk to you later.”

“Why exactly are you sorry, Kent?” Damian asked with a huff, “I know he’ll talk to me later, I am important after all.”

Clark cleared his throat, “Right, well what was it you needed exactly, son?”

Damian rolled his eyes at the word, but didn’t feel the need to correct the man, “A situation in Paris involving Gabriel Agreste and his son. According to some articles I found, Gabriel was a supervillain and his son a superhero.” 

There was a slight pause, “Damian, I’m not really sure what you’re talking about. Where did you read that?”

“Many articles Kent,” Damian said with annoyance, he scrolled further down the list, “There’s even a whole website dedicated to it. Hawkmoth? Ladybug? Akumas? Ringing any bells in your small brain?”

“Damian, don’t insult me, I’m not saying I don’t believe you, I just haven’t heard about this.”

Damian rolled his eyes, “I find it hard to believe the Justice League wouldn’t know about something like this.”

“I don’t know what to tell you son, I haven’t heard about this. I can bring it up in the next meeting though.”

Damian scoffed, “Don’t bother, it seems the supervillain has been defeated. I find that the JLA must’ve been very incompetent to overlook this issue however.”

Clark sighed, “Damian, we’re not omniscient.”

“A supervillain and superheroes in a whole city, Kent. Said supervillain and one superhero were celebrities. How could they not have known? How could your little newspaper not have known?”

“Honestly Damian,” Clark said, “That’s a very good question. You didn’t know either though as it seems, and the Agreste brand is still thriving so I think it’s obvious that Paris didn’t want to bring attention to this issue.”

Damian was puzzled, ‘but why not? ’ Adrien Agreste was not much older than him, and assuming his partner was the same age they were going up against someone almost three times their age and skill. Why wouldn’t they ask for help? It didn’t make sense.

In a flash he remembered Mari, the reason he’d started this search in the first place. He still didn’t trust her, but at this point, she might’ve been the best chance he had at getting more information. Plus, since she likely had a first hand experience with some of the attacks. He’d also be able to find out if she was really who she said she was and really lived in Paris based on whether she knew the situation or not. And for some reason, he started to feel an odd feeling in his stomach when thinking of talking to her again.

“Well, I’m going to ask someone who will be actually helpful. Good day, Kent.”

“Bye Damian, I hope you get the information you need.”

Damian hit the end call button. He would get the information he needed, one way or another.

He didn’t have the phone number of Mari Dupain, but luckily enough, he still remembered her address from when he took her home from their study session.

He dug around his pockets for the keys to his motorcycle, and dashed up the stairs and out the manor without a word.

Ignoring the shocked look from Alfred, Damian drove off and away from the otherwise deserted mansion.

———-

Bruce felt bad about missing Damian’s call, but his work was a little too important right now.

Especially because it could decide the fate of that girl he went to school with.

“I brought your papers sir,” called one of Bruce’s employees. His eyes narrowed when he realized which one it was; Alex Dupain, the uncle of Mari Dupain.

Once the man left, Bruce rubbed his temples. Lucius Fox walked in shortly after.

“When are you going to let that man go, Bruce?” Lucius asked exhaustedly, “You know he’s been embezzling, why isn’t he behind bars yet?”

“Things have gotten...more complicated,” Bruce began, thinking of Mari, “He has a niece who goes to school with Damian. From what I’ve found out about her, which isn’t much by the way; only what I could find from the school database, her uncle is her only guardian, and it seems, her only family.”

Lucius let out a soft sigh, “So you’d be condemning this poor girl to a life alone.”

“In foster care, yes.”

“While I understand where you’re coming from, you can’t just allow this man to keep stealing from you. You already have a giant litter of kids don’t you? Can’t you just add her?”

Bruce let out a bitter chuckle, “Yeah, I’m sure she’ll be real keen on being family with the person who sent her uncle to prison.”

Lucius looked at the floor, “I suppose you’re right…So what do you plan on doing?”

“Right now? Well...to be honest I don’t know.” Bruce sighed, “I’ve been meaning to talk to Damian about it, but I just can’t find the time...or the words...I’m really afraid he’s going to get attached to this girl, they’ve already been to a cafe together, and you know how he is...I don’t think he’d take kindly to the news that he’d probably never see her again.”

Lucius’s eyebrows raised, “So this niece is the girl from that tweet that blew up? Interesting...But how do you suppose Damian would never see her again?”

“West-Reeves is a private school, if her uncle goes to jail and she’s thrown into the system, she loses that money for the school and she’ll go to public school. If it weren’t for Damian knowing her, I wouldn’t have too much of a problem. I’d make sure she’d get into a good foster home, but he’s just been so...angry recently. I’m scared that any one thing will set him off and he’ll do something he regrets.”

“Oh I can’t imagine why he’d be angry...it’s not like his father works all the time and has been avoiding him.” Fox said sarcastically, “Seriously Bruce, you have got to tell him sooner or later. The longer you wait, the more likely he’ll be to blow up like you’re afraid of.”

Bruce blanched, “Maybe you’re right Lucius…”

“Damn right I am.”

“But when should I get Dupain arrested? I’d really like for Mari to not be home at the time, I don’t want her to have to see her own uncle be arrested.”

Lucius shrugged, “During her school day.”

Bruce huffed, “And so when she shows up at home her uncle is just nowhere to be found? A stellar idea.”

“Can’t you just talk to her, pick her up from school and explain the situation?”

“That would be a good idea in theory, but I have to be her guardian in order to even speak with her on campus.”

“Just tell her when she gets to her house then,” Lucius said plainly. Bruce raised a brow at that and Lucius winced, realizing what he had said, “Yeah on second thought, that might not be a great idea either.”

“I’d like to be able to explain everything to her while Alex Dupain is being arrested and she’s somewhere else, and somewhere where I can be sure to keep an eye on her. I don’t want to risk her snapping about this, you can never tell, anyone could be volatile. An ideal situation would maybe be her coming to our house for dinner, that way she can have Damian as a familiar face, but of course I’d have to explain everything to Damian and make him invite her to dinner.”

Lucius nodded, “What if you found some way to invite her to the Wayne Gala coming up? That could be a good time, right? Plus, she’d be surrounded by a lot of people, so even if she were to lash out or something, there’d be plenty of people to stop it.”

Bruce pondered the idea for a minute, “That could work...I’d just need a reason to give her a gala invite, I think Damian may be too stubborn to give it to her himself.”

Lucius rolled his eyes, “You’re Batman, I’m pretty confident you’ll come up with something.”

Bruce nodded and sighed, “I have to.”

Chapter Text

Marinette had been so invested on her sewing project that she almost didn’t hear the doorbell ring.

It was a busy, dreary Saturday afternoon, and Marinette wasn’t quite sure why there would be someone at the door. Her uncle was at work, leaving her alone in the house. Not that she wasn’t used to it, but at least she didn’t have to be silent anymore.

She was slightly nervous though. Why would someone be at the door? Did they know about her? Was it her parents coming to take back her freedom?

As her thoughts started to spiral, another knock startled them out of her.

She quickly got out of her seat and scrambled to the door. After opening it, she felt all the tension leave her body when she saw a familiar face.

“Hey Damian, what’s up?” She asked, beckoning him to come in.

Damian cautiously took the silent invitation and walked into her home. His eyes travelled across the room, “Your parents aren’t home?”

“I live with my uncle, but no, he’s not home.”

Damian nodded slightly, he was curious about why she lived with her uncle, but that information wasn’t why he was here.

“I have a question for you, Dupain.”

Mari gave him a tilted smile, “Shoot.” 

“Chat Noir and Ladybug, what do you know about them?”

Mari blanched. She brought her hand up to the back of her neck and squeezed her eyes tightly shut, forcing a smile. 

“W-What about them?”

“Anything and everything, I had no idea such a situation had happened in Paris, nor that celebrities were at the heart of it.” Damian stated stonily.

Mari sighed, “Well I can’t say too much—uh! What I mean is-is that I can’t tell you too much! Yeah, cause there isn’t much to tell...heh heh…” 

Damian raised an unamused brow at her.

“I mean, I really only know the common knowledge everyone had,” Mari began, “Adrien Agreste was Chat Noir and his dad was Hawkmoth. Ladybug and Chat Noir protected us for a while, along with a couple other heroes.” Mari tapped her chin and tensed, “Uh what else? Well, Hawkmoth could send out these things called Akumas. They could infect anyone with strong negative emotions: anger, sadness, the works. They could basically make anyone infected by one do his bidding, so he had a bunch of super villains at his disposal.”

Damian hummed, “That’s powerful. The heroes must’ve been pretty powerful too, though I do find it hard to believe that a teenager and his partner could take on a fully grown adult. Was this Hawkmoth not a great threat?”

“Are you kidding?! Of course he was!” Mari snapped, “We lived in constant fear of our emotions, afraid of getting akumatized. We feared that every battle fought would be humanity’s last. Don’t belittle what the heroes did just because you weren’t there. You can’t possibly hope to understand, Damian.”

Marinette was fuming. She knew, logically, that she had overreacted and the outburst could cost her her old secret identity. Red in the face, breathing heavily, she hoped Damian wouldn’t realize she had actually been Ladybug.

“I see,” Damian said, acting oddly uncomfortable at her outburst, “I apologize for insinuating that your situation was not dire. I did not mean to belittle the terror you had felt, I imagine that would be a hard situation.”

Marinette’s shoulders sagged. “I overreacted, sorry. I normally don’t get to talk about this. I just kind of assumed everyone knew.”

Damian shook his head, rubbing his temples, “We had no idea. Do you have any clue why your heroes, or your government for that matter, didn’t ask for help?”

Marinette bit her lip as she pondered how to respond. Slowly and carefully she crafted something she didn’t think would give too much away, “I think the government and the hero team thought that it was too much of a risk. If an already super-powered or otherwise skilled person were to get akumatized everything would’ve been absolute chaos. Those powers amplified...and for evil…” Marinette shuddered and thought of the first time a metahuman was akumatized. Originally the meta wasn’t even that powerful, but with Hawkmoth’s akuma, one of the hardest fights she and Chat had to face had become all too terrifying.

If that happened to someone with larger power, she honestly didn’t think they could’ve beaten them. Kwami forbid that Superman was akumatized...he’d probably get their miraculouses in a second and then wreak havoc on the world. ‘ Chat Blanc but a thousand times worse,’ Marinette mused.

A metahuman act was even made in Paris just to stop more akumas of that caliber. Every metahuman in Paris was forced to attend weekly therapy sessions, and no metahuman was allowed to enter Paris unless they lived there. The mayor was able to keep all the denied metas on the down-low due to some hush money.

Marinette almost sighed thinking about the terrible law. It was helpful to her team, but at what cost? She had always felt guilty when she realized being Ladybug gave her freedom, but denied others’.

She was startled out of the thoughts of her awful government and policies when Damian spoke again abruptly.

“Don’t you think heroes would’ve been professional enough to pull negative emotions away?” Damian scoffed.

Marinette huffed, “I’m not a superhero expert, Damian. Plus, Hawkmoth was conniving. The rate of resisting an akuma was less than a half of one percent.”

Damian narrowed his eyes and made a noise as if he was lost in deep thought, “Did you ever fall prey to an akuma?”

Marinette shook her head, “I was one of the lucky ones. Hawkmoth never targeted me.”

“Really?” Damian asked with a raised brow.

Marinette rubbed her neck sheepishly, “I wasn’t ever really out all that much, Hawkmoth probably didn’t even know I existed, and even if he did, I was basically a nobody to him. I...didn’t have any friends or ties to the superheroes back in Paris, so I imagine there was no point in even trying with me.”

She left out the fact that she had been targeted by Hawkmoth once and was able to resist. After all, if she was akumatized not only would there be no Ladybug, but the big secret that Marinette Dupain-Cheng was alive would be out.

“I never realized Gabriel Agreste was so cunning…” Damian muttered, remembering the time he had once met the designer.

Marinette nodded, “It was...a nightmare.”

Damian closed his eyes, if he was just a civilian like Mari and hadn’t lived in the crime capital for a good portion of his life he could imagine the shock and horror of all the Parasians. No outside help and only a few young heroes against a devious mastermind. 

To be quite honest, Damian might’ve even thought that without his family he may not have defeated Hawkmoth if Gabriel was really so awful as described. And although he would never admit to it, he could sometimes lose his temper. Not to toot his own horn or anything, but if he was akumatized he doubted that Ladybug and Chat Noir could best him.

Still, something was off about the whole situation he could tell. There was something Mari was not telling him, partly confirming his earlier suspicions of her. He needed more data, but he had to be strategic about it. She had mentioned that her uncle wasn’t home, but he wasn’t sure when said uncle would return. He couldn’t have anyone throwing off the rhythm of his investigation though. No, right now, Mari had the home court advantage, if things were not going the way she liked she could easily kick him out of her house or make sure her uncle got back sooner. However, Damian wasn’t sure what Mari knew about his status as a Wayne. Taking her back to the manor would surely intimidate her, but he couldn’t trust his brothers not to screw things up for his questioning with their endless teasing. Plus, an odd feeling came up in his chest when he wondered if Mari knew he was a Wayne. For some reason he didn’t want her to know. He couldn’t figure out just why yet, but he made sure to keep himself on track. His emotions, however abnormal they may be, were not relevant to figuring out the truth behind Mari for finding out her story would likely end the loud thumping in his chest when he saw her and the fuzzy feeling that spread around him. Getting back to normal was his top priority, but to do that he knew he’d have to go to deep depths to figure the girl out.

She was like a puzzle that he was missing just a few pieces to. He couldn’t even decipher her picture yet though. Her game may be dangerous, but Damian was willing to play, all to get answers. Research above all else was his goal, he would find out about her, and he’d do so on his terms.

“Say,” Damian began, “How would you like to head somewhere else? There’s a nice bookstore not too far from here.”

Mari seemed to be taken aback by his change in tactics. Damian resisted the urge to smirk, taking her off-guard was just the first step off his plan.

“U-uh, sure.”

‘ Perfect,’ Damian schemed, ‘ In no time at all I’ll be able to figure out exactly what is going on here. Then Grayson will realize he was wrong, so wrong, the Mari girl is nothing but a mystery for me to solve. Nothing more.’

Damian let a slight smile tug at his lips, ‘ game on Mari.’