Chapter Text
It was not unusual for some of the villains of Gotham to make an appearance at a W.E. conference, this conference was no exception. In fact, in comparison to some of the previous years, this one seemed tame for the rogues. None the less, usually for the Bat family the end of the Wayne Enterprise Business and Leadership Conference was a relief. It was common for the tension in Dick’s chest to ease as he watched the many buses, that held the conference students, make their way towards Gotham Airport. This time he watched with an increased sense of uncertainty and perhaps dread.
With a quick glance at his family Dick knew that he was not the only one that was feeling off and sardonic as the last bus readied to turn the corner. On it was his newest sister still unrecovered from her time in Gotham. Dick’s fingers twitched from longing to jump into one of the family vehicles and race off after the bus and offer protection that he felt she still needed with all of the loose ends. Looking at his youngest brother directly in front of him he could tell that he wasn’t the only one with such desires. After having found each other once again after their wedding night it was probably killing Damian to have to watch her leave again.
Yet Damian’s expression remained neutral, refusing to display the emotions that Dick could feel simmering beneath the surface. He was sure the only reason that Damian was able to remain somewhat composed was the knowledge that her return was assured, even if their separation was troubled by the circumstances that had surrounded the conference.
Damian’s sentiments were shared by his best friend, who seemed to have no qualms displaying his emotions as he wiped at the tears that were falling from his eyes. His own special someone was also on the bus, offering Marinette the protection that Dick’s family currently could not as they were unable to leave Gotham with so many variables binding their hands.
For the first time in a long time, the Bat family was plagued with unrest in Gotham that they knew had nothing to do with the usual villains that stalked the Gotham underground. According to both Marinette and Damian, Plagg’s essence that had once been simmering below the surface had stirred with Marinette’s arrival. They were preparing for the inevitability that her departure would unleash it and send out a beacon that would call many unsavory characters to Gotham. As such, the Bats needed to remain to ensure there was a first line of defense to what was coming. In the meantime, Marinette and Adrien would wrap up their lives in Paris before they made the official move back.
Doing differently could ire unwanted suspicion.
Fortunately, the situation with the Masked Man, who turned out to be Dr Kellan, was delt with. Two of the three missing miraculous were returned to the Grand Guardian and Dr. Kellan’s mind was wiped of his knowledge of both the miraculous and what he had done. It felt weird that he was allowed to continue his job at W.E. without any other reprimand, but Marinette was convinced that he poised no threat and if able to find a new conduit for his energy converter his work would do some good for the world.
Surprising basically everyone in the family, Bruce allowed Marinette the right to decide what happened to Kellan as it was a miraculous matter and did not question her judgement or try to send Kellen to Arkham. Still, Dick did not envy Tim having to work with the man and pretend that there wasn’t some hostility between the two that would be unexplainable to Dr. Kellan.
So, while one worry was dealt with, the worst were still unresolved. The whereabouts of Deathstroke was still unknown, as were his motives. And Raven possessed the Butterfly Miraculous and had not been seen or heard from since she tried to kill Marinette. Dick was certain that there had to be more than just simple jealousy driving her actions but without talking to her he couldn’t speculate further. Being as powerful as she was with an equally powerful artifact left Tim sleepless and the rest of the family restless.
It was partly the reason that he knew Damian was on edge with allowing Marinette to return to Paris without him. The family was assuming that both Deathstroke and Raven had more interest in them than Marinette. Seeing as Alix did nothing to correct them on this notion, they planned their actions based on that belief.
Still, Damian had argued vehemently with Bruce to finish the next two weeks before graduation in Paris doing correspondence work. Bruce of course denied his request and Damian was even more pleasant than usual.
The bus had long since left their view and yet Damian and Jon had not left their post. Instead, the pair stood looking off at the distant corner that the bus had disappeared behind as if they could see through the buildings to the bus. To be fair, Jon could.
As none of his other family members said or did anything to get them to move, Dick carefully approached the two placing his hand on Damian’s shoulder. Though Damian remained unmoving, Dick was able to feel the tension in his body. Even though the separation was temporary and would only last for the month before her own graduation, Dick was sure that his brother was once again suffering from his heart breaking.
Dick had no way of wrapping his mind around the type of relationship that Marinette and Damian had. After all he only knew of his love for Kori and Mar’i. At times it was all consuming and he knew that if anything were to happen to one of them it would kill him. His love for both was for a lifetime, both strong and unrelenting. Yet Damian and Marinette’s love had spanned numerous lifetimes. He was sure that there was no love like theirs. Neither had directly stated it, but Tikki and Plagg had hinted to it several times, the pair had never truly known separation after their souls reunited, even dying closely together. So, while this distance was temporary and would not require a new life to be reunited, Dick figured the distance would be something that neither would handle well.
“Let’s go home Damian. She’ll be back in no time.”
Damian nodded his head but did not move from his spot. Dick moved away figuring there was no need to repeat himself, Damian and Jon would move when they were ready and there was little that anyone could do to make it otherwise.
As Dick stood beside the driver’s door waiting for the pair he turned back to see that Jon was muttering something in Damian’s ear. Damian’s jaw tightened not liking what he heard. Regardless, he moved towards the car with Jon following closely behind.
Nodding at Bruce who was already in the driver’s seat of the other car, Dick entered the vehicle and waited for the two teenagers to get in.
Looking at Damian’s expression, Dick could tell that what Jon had shared had really upset his younger brother, his eyes almost seemed to take on Plagg’s toxic green as he approached the car’s door. As soon as his hand grasped the handle, a grey ash spread throughout the entire car.
In a matter of seconds, Dick found himself going from sitting in his seat to laid out on the pavement below him, a fuming Jason beside him.
“What the fuck Demon Spawn.” Jason bellowed.
“Sorry,” Damian mumbled. “I have not gotten complete control over my powers yet.”
“You fucking disintegrated the whole car.” Dick still in shock looked around and noted that the entire car was in fact ash below them. “You just destroyed a 200-thousand-dollar car in public.”
“Just be glad he had enough control that you weren’t included,” Plagg offered, causing Jason to immediately button his lips but not before scowling at the small god.
“How are we supposed to get home now?” Dick rhetorically asked as he closed his eyes. Accepted his reality by laying down on the pile of ashes.
Marinette had imagined after giving Lila a Kaid Original for the gala their relationship would be better.
Somehow.
Of course, that was naïve thinking because it wasn’t so much that their relationship was bad to begin with, it was the lying to other people that made it to so Marinette couldn’t stand the girl.
Marinette and Adrien’s attitude were already sour thanks to having to leave the loves of their lives for the next few weeks and return to Paris. A place that no longer held anything that would keep them there other than a diploma that was sorely required for the next stage of their lives. Both’s moods only soured more thanks to Lila’s consistent need to be center of attention that started as soon as they had gotten on the bus taking them to the airport.
Lila began to regale those who listened, which was unfortunately most of the class, about her new relationship with a man named Lex Luther. The worst part of the entire sordid affair was that for once, as far as both Marinette and Adrien knew, she was not lying. Their sources could confirm it looked as if Lila and Mr. Luther were in some kind of relationship. Based on the age difference Marinette hoped that it wasn’t physical, but knowing Lila that particular detail would not deter her in her search for as much power, money, and influence that a man like Luther could offer.
Lila shared about the impending arrival of her ‘new boo’ to Paris shortly after their own. Then the promised trip back to Italy after she graduated and the final return to Metropolis to live with him before university. It sounded almost too good to be true, which of course meant that it was.
“Aren’t you excited to head to MU this fall Adrien? I am so glad that we are going to be together still. It will be nice to have at least one friend with me.” Lila raised her brow as she said the word friend, begging for Adrien to disagree with her in front of the others.
Adrien was grinding his teeth together so hard that Marinette could hear the creaking from her seat beside him. “I am still undecided between MU and GU.” In a more hushed voice he added to Marinette, “Gotham is starting to look better and better.”
Marinette’s lips twitched as she tried her hardest to repress the smile that threatened to break. She would love for Adrien to go to Gotham University with her and Damian, but she knew how much Adrien was hoping to be closer to Jon and his family. His family of course now including Kaelyn and Kelvin.
“I’m contemplating relocating to either Metropolis or Gotham myself.” Marinette whipped her head in the direction of the new voice, Alya looked sheepish as she took in the shocked expression on Marinette’s face.
“Why would you do that?” Nino asked for Marinette, a little bit of hurt crossing his own face.
Marinette had no doubt that as far as post lycée plans were concerned, Nino’s had included Alya in his and this sudden outburst had been a diversion from their original joint plan.
Alya didn’t look at anyone else as she explained, “I don’t really need to go to college for journalism. I still want to though, so I’ve been looking at some online schools that would allow me the opportunity to be where the action is. Plus,” she looked over to Nino, “with your DJing gigs really picking up now, I figured you’d be needing to move around too.”
Nino’s eyebrows furrowed briefly, before he nodded his head seeming to agree with her assessment.
“I’ll admit that I was a little shocked to see Ladybug and Renard Noir, who I am now convinced is actually Chat Noir, in Gotham. But, I should have guessed that they would start working with other heroes now that their time in Paris is done. They’ve been linked with all of the Bats and even Superman.”
Everyone surrounding Alya was enraptured by her theory and so she continued. “I believe that they are using this time to train under the older heroes while the Peacock Miraculous is moving. I still want to follow them and continue the Ladyblog, for that to happen I have to be where they are and still be able to pick up and move when they do. For now, I suspect they will be using Gotham as a base of operation. So, I’m thinking the same.”
Marinette looked around to see if those around her seemed to agree with Alya’s assessment. It wasn’t quite the truth, but it was close enough. Through the bus faces seemed to be contemplating what Alya had shared, even Lila who seemed to be scowling slightly at the news that her archenemies were likely to be in the same city as her. In truth, knowing what Lila was capable of and what they had come to learn of Lex Luther being in the same city or close by to her was likely a necessity for the safety of the world.
She looked over the back of her seat trying to find and make eye contact with Alix. Marinette tried not to read too much into it, because with Alix her behavior could literally mean anything, but she did notice that Alix was doing everything possible not to look in the direction of the current conversation.
“We’ll go wherever you need to babe. I can set up a home base wherever you are.” A round of awes accompanied Nino’s declaration.
Lila, not one to be upstaged took back the attention from the cute couple by returning to her tale on how Luther was going to take her apartment hunting as soon as she got to Metropolis. Marinette used the opportunity to zone out, no longer caring about what Lila had to share about her unnatural relationship.
“Marinette?” Alya refused to make eye contact, wringing her hands together as she took a second to collect her words. Marinette nodded her head acknowledging that she was listening and asking for Alya to continue. “If I end up in Gotham I hope that we might be able to hang out. I really have enjoyed getting to hang out with you over the last three weeks. It was almost like old times.”
Marinette swallowed, unsure what to say. It had been nice to have the occasional breakfast and lunch with Alya sans Lila. At times it felt like an unfortunate reminder of what their friendship could have looked like had Lila not gotten between the pair.
Realizing that Marinette wasn’t going to add to the conversation Alya continued. “I know that I have a lot to make up for. Our friendship seemed to wither away because of how close I got to Lila. I don’t know why it took me so long to see it, but my eyes have been opened to her during this trip. I realized what a mistake I made gravitating towards her and not you. She is a liar and a manipulator. I am worried about what a relationship with a man like Lex Luther could mean,” she whispered, catching Adrien’s attention beside her.
“You know?”
Alya’s attention flashed over to Adrien before she nodded her head. “It started at the club when she insisted we keep a distance between us and Marinette on our way home. Then what she said about you and those men that jumped us. It was wrong and I just knew she was lying on purpose. Then she went around saying that Kaid gave her that dress she wore to the gala, but you showed it to me that one morning saying you’d made it to wear yourself. I thought about all of the conversations we’ve ever had, and it was like a fog had lifted. Nothing she said made sense anymore, I’m sure it was all lies. I don’t know how I didn’t see it all before.”
Looked like Adrien’s and Jon’s theory was correct. Lila was likely a meta and Alya had just broken free of her spell. Lila would hopefully, theory going, never be able to pull the wool over her eyes again.
“I would love to hang out if you move to Gotham,” she looked at Nino, “with both of you.”