Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

“Pound it.” Ladybug shared the customary salute with Chat Noir after a painfully exhausting akuma. Three lucky charms and two cataclysms later ‘Defector’ was finally back to his civilian self.

Taking a step towards the man who appeared seemingly well composed,- considering the ordeal he just endured- Ladybug found her movement towards him cut short by his curt “I’m fine.” He then turned on his heels and walked away, quickly disappearing into the Parisian night.

Ladybug turned towards her partner mouthing ‘okay.’ The pair had failed to identify the cause of his akumatization; he had merely stated his name and then remained mute for the remainder of the battle, not even asking for their miraculous.

Chat made eye contact with Ladybug but simply shrugged his shoulders, as he closed the gap between the two.

“Any plans for the weekend LB?”

“Sleep, catch-up on homework annnd I don’t know…sleep. What about you Chaton?”

“Your plans sound quite purrfect. Unfortunately Father has my Saturday booked, but I get see my girlfriend on Sunday, perhaps you would like to join Bugaboo?” There was a hopeful glean in his eyes, but Ladybug merely shook her head.

“And be a third wheel again, no thank you.” She punched him in the shoulder as he pouted. “Come on Kitty you know what it’s like to be a third wheel.”

Memories of Adrien and Marinette’s awkward interactions while third wheeling in their first year of friendship came to mind.

Fortunately, once Adrien began to date Kagami, Marinette abandoned her crazy obsession and focused on establishing a real friendship with Adrien. Shortly after, with their identities revealed to each other, the titles of partner and best friends merge into something else entirely.

As the pair became the trio, third wheeling became fun, but as time went on and the couple’s relationship became more intimate, Marinette began to feel out of place. She began to take a step back from the trifold and let them to be a duo more frequently.  

“Well Kitty, as much as I would like to spend all night on the rooftop catching up, maybe if I get home and do that homework, my weekend can comprise of just sleep.”

“Boooo. Patrol Sunday night?” Chat drew his baton from his back and walked towards the edge of the roof in the direction of his home, lingering for her answer.

She nodded before latching her yoyo at the closest building. “Patrol Sunday.” Ladybug gave a small wave to Chat before turning and swinging away.

A few minutes later Ladybug landed in the back alleyway close to her family’s apartment. A red light engulfed her leaving behind Marinette. It took her a second for her eyes to adjust to the lack of light, making her miss the slight movement above her.

She fished around her purse to pull out a strawberry macaroon, giving it to Tikki. “I’m so glad that I don’t have the silly time limit, it is so nice to be able to guarantee a return close to home before transforming back.” Marinette cupped her kwami in her hands, exhaustion creeping in from the battle that had taken over four hours to complete.

“And your powers will get even stronger as your energy connection with my miraculous continues to grow. I so love when I get to spend time with you my little Coccinella.” Tikki twirled in the air before plopping the rest of her cookie in her mouth and zooming into Marinette’s open purse.

Marinette smiled at her kwami before she snapped the purse closed. Walking towards the main road, without warning, her vision began to spot before tunneling into darkness. Her balance unsteady, she felt herself fall towards the pavement. The last conscious thought, as the world faded to black, was a sharp pain registering on her neck.  

Marinette woke up and slowly stretched in her bed, she rolled over to her side reaching for her cat plush to try and sleep a little longer. Failing to grab her plush or even her pillows, she opened her eyes to see none of her familiar objects.  The memory of falling in the alley startled her out of the bed.  Panicking slightly, she quickly placed her hand to her neck where the phantom pain lingered, but found nothing. She continued up her neck to her face to surprisingly find a crude mask covering her eyes. Was this to protect her identity or to provide her with the illusion of anonymity? Her hands withdrew from the mask to her ears and once again, found nothing.

Despite not being transformed, she quickly took on the Ladybug persona and abandoned panicking Marinette, choosing to calmly take note of her surroundings and the situation.

The room was mostly void of decoration, yet despite the austerity, it seemed calm and serene. It triggered nostalgia of Master Fu’s parlor from when he was alive.

The furnishings were sparse, she laid upon a shikibuton that was centered on a wall. To her left she found a small wooden side table and on her right a set of double doors flanked by two oriental chests. Directly in front of her was as an impressive wall of picture windows overlooking one of the most breath taking landscapes Marinette had ever seen with her own eyes.

Wherever she was, it was safe to say she was no longer in Kansas Paris anymore. She was surrounded by a beautiful snowcapped mountain range with a large turquoise lake in the valley before her.  As much as Marinette wished to gaze out in awe and sketch many of the pieces that such a sight inspired, those feelings were replaced by a sense of dread, as she realized the isolation a mountain range provides.

Marinette slowly approached the teak double doors and found them unlocked. She shot her head out and looked in both directions. The doors lead to a slate hallway, columns made of green wood were connected by wood inlay arches designed with Asian inspired flora and fauna. Between the columns sat similar doors to her own, concealing threats yet unknown. Iron lanterns strung from the ceiling by chains acted as sentinels keeping watch in lieu of guards.

Quickly and quietly closing the doors to the room, she walked back to the bed and took a seat at the bottom corner. Presuming that she was being monitored, she casually scanned the room to see if she could confirm her suspicion. Failing to spot any obvious devices, her eyes fell upon a note on the side table that she had overlooked in her initial sweep.

Grand Guardian,

Some aspirin for the headache.

Noticing the two white pills sitting beside the note, she flicked them off the table one at a time with her index finger. She had shown up to this place having been drugged…there was no way she was going to take unknown pills or beverages.

So many questions flooded her mind: who had taken her and why? Was her identity compromised, when, and how? Why wasn’t she confined to a cell? How was she going to escape?

Her hands instinctively returned to her ears. There was only one being that might be able to help answer some of these questions.

Sitting further back in the bed, Marinette crossed her legs and sat up straight. Taking deep breaths in and slowly letting them out, she calmed her breath to find her center. Reaching out for the Ladybug earrings, she crossed her fingers that Tikki had forced herself into the void as soon as Marinette hit the ground.  No sooner had she felt the earring materialize comfortingly in her ears, was she hit with a force that knocked her back into the bed. Tikki hugged her face tightly as a small tear left the goddess.

“Marinette, I was so worried.” Tikki placed her paws on each side of her companion’s face looking deep into her eyes. “When they took you I thought that they might try to take the miraculous so I decided to return to the box, knowing you would call me when you were conscious.”

“That was smart, Tikki.” Marinette took her index finger and scratched the top of her kwami’s head. “Any ideas on who kidnapped us and what they want?”

“Yes and no.” Tikki looked sadly at her chosen.

“Care to elaborate?”

Tikki took a deep breath before landing on Marinette’s newly outstretched hand. She seemed hesitant, opening and closing her mouth multiple times. “When you passed out, you were approached by some Guardians of the Miraculous. But, they weren’t alone; there were at least two more who were with them, dressed in all black.”

“Wait,” Marinette slightly scrunched her face as her eyes darted back and forth, looking as if they were processing information from sheets of paper. “I thought Fu was the last guardian before me?”

“Yes, that is what we thought as well, but they clearly had the Mark of the Guardians and as you know there is no way to fake them, being magic and all.”

Tikki sighed deeply looking down and away from Marinette. “I would like to think that they simply wanted to contact you, seeing as you are the Grand Guardian, but their method is unorthodox, not to mention rude and adding the presence of the two unknowns….I can’t determine what their goal is.”

Tikki looked dejected by the end of her mini rant. She was clearly disappointed by the behavior of the guardians. They were sworn to protect the miraculous and by default the Grand Guardian, yet here they were having attacked her instead. Their method seemed to cement the idea that they had less than friendly intentions, possibly going as far as taking the Miraculous Box from Marinette.

Marinette moved towards the window again. “Do you know where we are?”

“I’m sorry Marinette, I know it might have helped for me to stay out of the Miraculous Box, but I was too worried about my miraculous.” Marinette cupped her kwami and brought her to her face, imitating a hug in hopes of reassuring Tikki.  “Shouldn’t we just leave Marinette; we could just call Kaalki and head home.”

“We might need to do that eventually, but right now we need to find out why I am here. Just leaving could put us at more risk. We don’t know who did this, why and most importantly how. Until we know, there is nothing that can stop them from doing it again.” Marinette took a deep breath and began to massage her temple with her free hand. “Ladybug has a duty with Hawkmoth around; I can’t go into hiding, so for now I’m vulnerable.”

Drawing Tikki closer, ensuring any audio devices would not be able to pick up her words she whispered, “Most importantly, we can’t afford them figuring out that I have the box with me, and calling Kaalki could alert them. So we’ll save it for when it’s absolutely necessary.”

When Fu had transfered the title of Grand Guardian to Marinette just before passing, she used her creation magic to fashion a box the size of a microchip, with a similar void as the inside of her yo-yo. Meaning all the miraculous could be contained similarly to the box she inherited from Fu, but in a much smaller space. Inserting the box under her skin by her hip, she tethered the box to herself, making it so that she could call upon the miraculous when she concentrated. In short she made herself the box. A stroke of genius according to Tikki and a fact Marinette wished to keep secret for obvious reasons.

Tikki looked resigned at the idea of remaining but simply returned to hovering silently. Marinette in turn decided it was time to find answers to her list of questions, starting with where she was. She moved towards the doors leading out of the room, reaching for the handles, she was stopped dead in her tracks by the sound of a knock.

Chapter Text

Damian raced up the stairs and down the hall clinging to the shadows as he made his way to his destination. He checked both directions before he opened the door into the room of his target.  Without turning on the lights, he swiftly removed a chair from the desk, using it to give him the extra height needed to reach the ceiling fan. To the center of the fan he rigged his trap, a piece of string attached to one of the fans blades. If it went to plan - as it usually did for Damian - his target would enter the room, turn on the light which would also turn on the fan, the string would be pulled and his trap would be sprung.

Finished he returned the chair to the desk and slowly crept towards the door. He did not leave the room, afraid that his target would be returning before he could escape undetected. Instead, he clung to the shadows, steadied his breathing, and listened- carefully - for the sounds of his target returning from the showers.

As expected, the heavy shuffle of a tired man could be heard approaching Damian’s location. He crouched down low ready to spring out of the room in one swift movement as soon as the door was cleared by his query.

The door slowly creaked open and the light flicked on. Damian watched as his prey’s face went from relaxed, to surprised, and settled on horror as he watched Damian slip around him and exit the room just as the fire extinguisher attached to the fan went off; covering his victim and his room in white foam as it swung around.

Listening as Todd released a colorful parade of curse words, a small smile tugged at Damian’s lips. His father would not necessarily agree with his form of revenge but at least he had not maimed or killed. Todd had stared this war and Damian had every intention of enjoying while he ending it.

Kicking back from the door he had rested upon to hear the aftermath of his well-executed plan, Damian made his way down the hallway back to his own room. Exhausted from patrol and the success of his prank, he didn’t even remove his shirt and pants before falling into bed and quickly to sleep.

Damian shifted as he heard footsteps approach his bedroom door; the gait was different from his brothers’ or Alfred. He quickly reached for the knife hidden under his pillow, to find…nothing. Panicked, he sprung from the bed, only to waver slightly by the sharp pounding in his head and the ache in his muscles. Drugged for sure, and telling by his condition for some period of time at that. Taking a quick survey of his surroundings it was confirmed that he was no longer at Wayne Manor.

And yet… his surroundings had an air of familiarity, it looked so close to what he had known before his father. Of course! It had to be his mother who kidnapped him and brought him back to Nanda Parbat.

What did she want this time?

The door to the room swung open. Speak of the devil and she shall come.

His mother strode into the room as if it was a common occurrence, not that this was the first time that she had seen him in over two years. The last time, he had ended up knocking her out after she attempted to incapacitate Superboy with kryptonite, during a Teen Titan mission to rescue an abducted prince from the League. The memory still left a bitter taste in his mouth.

 “Why am I here?” He growled.

Damian was no longer the emotionally stunted boy she had initially dropped off at the doorstep of his father. In the eight years he had lived with his father, he had learned what love was –although he would never admit to it. He was now a young man who was still icy to most, but those close to him recognized he guarded his emotions but still felt love and kinship intensely towards those he deemed worthy.

And his mother was not worthy of his love or respect.

Still, Damian loved his mother in a way -obligation probably- but he did not like her, the League, or what they stood for. It was not the type of love that most mothers would appreciate; it merely kept the rage he had towards her in check, so that he did not immediately take her out when she felt he was worthy enough to be graced with her presence.

His mother’s love however, had conditions. She never gave it freely. Those she loved were her greatest pawns; his father was used to create him and he was used to secure a legacy. Unfortunately, he knew it would be hard to escape her love, and he would have to face it when she deemed him useful.

Talia casually walked over to the side of the bed Damian was standing next to, she took a seat on the edge and patted the area beside her. Playing the role of a caring mother she placed her hand over his as he sat rigidly beside her. It took everything in him to not to throw her hand away.

“You are here so I can partake in the happiest day of your life.”

Damian narrowed his eyes, trying to process her statement yet coming up with nothing. He tried again, once more coming short of her possible meaning. “Explain.”

“It is your wedding day.” She smiled ever so gently at him; it did not fit the person that he knew. If not for the mischievous glean behind them, one might think her almost genuine.  “Now quickly get dressed, we do not want to keep your betrothed waiting.”

Damian sat in shock, his jaw dropping slightly, eyes blown open.

The League was mostly opposed to weddings among its members. Such attachments were distractions, potential weaknesses to be exploited and all too often hindrances to mission completion. Any and all weddings sanctioned by the League however were permanent, a testament to the vow, ‘til death do us part.’ Such arrangements were rare as the League was not willing to attach themselves to something that could eventually lose its benefits to them.

As Heir to the Demon Head, a marriage was even more opposed. Marriage would give equal status and therefore giving potential power; either through the marriage itself or any future heirs. If his mother was offering his hand, then the alliance must be very important to her and the organization powerful, yet still inferior to the League, so it could be controlled.

Damian would be expected to comply; if she had already secured the alliance, non-compliance would mean death. The only thing that would save him from such a fate would be the arrival of his father and brothers. Something he was sure his mother had ensured would be delayed till well after the ceremony.

“Why?” The only response he could muster after processing the meaning of her words.

“What do you mean ‘why’? It is a mother’s greatest wish to see her son married.”

“Mother do not play games…it does not look good on you.”  

“She is a lovely girl Damian, she will be as happy with the match, as I am certain you will be.” Her smile never left, but her tone betrayed it was a command and not merely a statement.

“Is she being forced into this marriage as well?” Damian raised his eyes brow at his mother, daring her to lie.

“Her order wishes for the marriage as much as ours.”

“That did not answer my question, Mother.” Damian stood from the bed, but kept his body turned towards Talia. His fists were clinched tightly by his side, he focused on his breathing to prevent himself from using them.

“It is not my concern if her order is forcing the marriage or not, she has been offered and I have accepted.” His mother rose to meet him, her stature put her well below his height, but her presence was still imposing.

Damian however, was no longer the small child who held his mother in veneration, he refused to cower. If not for the assassins no doubt standing guard behind the door, he would teach her just who should tremble.

“You would try to force myself and this girl to get married? You cannot expect the marriage to work with both parties unwilling.”

Talia grabbed her son’s hand and squeezed hard, a silent threat. He did not flinch, but narrowed his gaze. “This alliance is very important. No one will force you to get married but…should you refuse-” his mother’s eyes were menacing, daring him to question her sincerity, “you will have to ask yourself if you can live with her blood and the blood of her order on your hands.”

She smirked as she saw some color drain from his face, “Besides…how well your marriage works will be between you and her, we are merely after the marriage not the finer details. Besides, it is my understanding that she is just your type.”

“Tt, I do not have a type.” Damian crossed his arms.

Her eyes looked at him dead in the face, emotionless. “Hmm,” she smirked and walked swiftly towards the door. Hand on the door knob she turned one last time. “Now get dressed the ceremony will be taking place very shortly. I suggest you come to terms before then. I trust you will not disappointment me, Damian.”

With that, she slipped out of the room leaving Damian to his own thoughts.

“Tt.” His mother’s parting words confused Damian. His marriage was to protect his betrothed and her order? If they were so easy to destroy why hadn’t she done so already? It was unlike his mother to affiliate with those deemed weak. 

He softly cursed under his breath, there was more to this than she had relayed and with her departure he would be unable to cox the last of information before the expected wedding.

She had hit where she knew he would be weakest, threatening the lives of the innocent.

Damian walked over to the dressing table beside the window and grabbed the ceremonial attire laid out for him. Taking the green cape in his hands he absent-mindedly stroked the fabric as he thought of his betrothed. Who was she? What organization was she apart of? What was she like? How old was she? How would he explain being married to a much older woman? Fuck, how was he going to explain being married, period?

Would she like him? Sure, he was read as mostly unfriendly, Ice Prince of Gotham and all.

Still…there were those who constantly chose and sought him out, Kent for example. Surely as his wife, she too would seek to get to know him and perhaps choose to be around him; even if it was not a requirement for their marriage. Or would she be more like his mother, obligated to her organization and see him as nothing more than a burden or step into achieving more power?

He reluctantly got dressed as requested. He would not permit feeling sorry for himself, after all love was a distraction. This was simply another duty to perform, and no love was required. He tied his armor piece at the side and stood tall, reflecting his newly found resolve. He had no plans for marriage or romantic attachments before this, so he would not have to devote another minute to this after the ceremony, he would return to Gotham as if nothing happened. It did not matter if she liked him, he would not force his presence on her or have her presence forced upon him.

A final wish for his father to save him - hell he’d even take Todd – vanished with a sharp knock at the door.

A fate all too often befalling on the Robins was upon him. He would not be saved in time.

His fate was sealed.

Chapter Text

In the door stood a man who appeared to be close to eighty, dressed in the traditional guardian attire Marinette recognized from one of Master Fu’s books. He bowed before her and presented his right wrist.

Displayed before her was the Guardian Sigil, a symbol of those ordained as Guardians of the Miraculous. The forest green ink in the tattoo danced around in a way that could only be accomplished by magic, kwami magic to be specific, reflecting the blessing bestowed to members by a particular kwami. The forest green color meant a blessing by Wayzz. Her own tattoo located on her ribcage, had originally been red and pink reflecting a blessing by both Tikki and Mullo, back when she merely held the title of Guardian. Her sigil now swam with the colors of each of the kwami’s reflecting their blessing since taking the role of Grand Guardian; well that was each of the kwami’s except for Duusu and Nooroo.

How this man had received his blessing she couldn’t be sure. Guardian’s only received it once ordained and then blessed by the kwamis. Seeing as the kwamis had been with Fu since the fall of the order almost 200 years ago, it was improbable for him to have been blessed by Wayzz. Yet, the blessing was impossible to fake; no other magic could mimic the imprint and here it was, right in front of her.

She concentrated on reading his aura to determine the kind of man he was, seeing that he radiated light turquoise, she felt more comfortable with the man but fell short of trusting.

“Welcome Grand Guardian to the Temple of the Miraculous.” He bowed deeply crossing his right arm to his chest as he did.

“Where is here? Why am I here? And most importantly, why did you drug me?” She bit her tongue to stop the questions from flowing freely. After almost five years of Hawkmoth, she was more Vulcan than human when facing something unknown. Emotions in such times where illogical, one must deal only in facts. She learned to push down her emotions and deal with them at a more convenient time, which in Paris, typically meant never or when they no longer mattered. On occasion, Marinette would overshadow Ladybug with anxiety spilling out in the form of rambling. Her current situation was one such incident. Rambling would not look good on a seventeen year old demanding answers from someone four times her age, so she shut her mouth before he’d notice…she hoped.

“I know you have several questions Grand Guardian, perhaps you would be willing to follow me for some tea so we might be able to give you the answers you seek?”

Marinette looked quickly behind the door at the place Tikki was hovering beside her. Tikki flew to the ornate chest next to the door and grabbed Marinette’s purse. She solemnly nodded before handing it to Marinette and proceeded to fly inside.

Emboldened by the comfort her friend’s presence gave, Marinette slung the purse across her shoulder and clung to the handle like a life preserver, as she followed the guardian out into the hall. 

As they walked down the halls she noticed a few younger individuals in similar attire. They would stop and pull off to the side, before bowing to her as they passed. Others dressed in black trousers and jackets with vests of dark brown, grey or black begrudgingly moved aside, but followed their path with indignant regard.

She was a bug they wanted to squash, judging by the darkened auras emanating from them. Such auras that reflected lives filled with discipline, violence and deception. To most they would appear intimating, but to her they appeared conceded.

Of course, being in their same position she may have felt the same, as very little about her screamed, ‘fear me’.  She wasn’t short at 5’7, but these men towered over her, most meeting 6 foot and above. She was muscular, but in a more agile way, she was forged from the aerobatics she performed as Ladybug, rather than raw bulky power.

It was best when people underestimated her; it left them vulnerable to a quick take down, as they futilely struggled to regain lost ground from their initially dampened attack.

The guardian who had identified himself as Master Cao led her to a small sitting room, with a floor table surrounded by pillows.  Cao came to sit between two guardians on opposing sides of the table, motioning for her to sit across from him with an outstretched arm.

The guardians held their wrist out to Marinette displaying their sigils to ease the tension in hopes of identifying themselves as submissive.

To Marinette’s right was a smaller woman of similar age to Cao with darker skin and eyes a beautiful goldenrod. She identified herself as Master Balewa, her aura was a sunny yellow the edges a bright orange –the orange a sign of a previous fox wielder. Her tattoo was a bright orange, reflecting a blessing from Trixx.  Despite the approval from the god of illusion Marinette felt no trickery, unlike her companion across from her. Identifying himself as Master Dahl, he was of Nordic decent with blond hair and blue eyes. The youngest of the three masters, probably in his early 40s, he held himself in a way that betrayed his feelings of underserved –at least in Marinette’s opinion- superiority, further reflected in his deep purple aura, his tattoo was of Plagg’s acidic green.

Marinette tore her gaze from their auras. While easier for her to read now than when she first started, reading auras still required a deep concentration, especially when she was searching for miraculous magic within.

Not willing to waste time sitting in silence, Marinette broke the awkward tension. “Perhaps you would like to begin by telling me who you are and why I am here.”

“I believe that we have already done our introductions, Grand Guardian.” Master Dahl stated as if reprimanding a small child.

“Yes, you have told me your names and that you are guardians, which your tattoos would seem to confirm. However my understanding is that the order was eliminated almost 200 years ago, when the temple was destroyed, meaning that the miraculous have not been in your procession since then. So I am slightly confused how you have obtained your Guardian Sigils without the kwamis’ blessings.” She tilted her head slightly, while refusing to break eye contact with Dahl. If he dared treat her like a child, she would treat him the same.

After all, who was Master Dahl? Marinette had been fighting a miraculous terrorist for five years, trained to be a guardian for over a year under Fu’s tutelage, before being obligated to take on the title of Grand Guardian more than three years ago. Sure they may be guardians in some fashion, but without the miraculous they were at best guardians of theory, not practice. So who was he to act superior to her in such matters as the miraculous?

“Forgive us Grand Guardian, what you were told was true, the temple and order were destroyed. The new order is comprised of those who were taught by Guardians who were scattered around the world looking for potential holders at the time. Those trained were given the sigil by the previous guardians when ordained. Some, like Master Balewa, had received a blessing from the kwamis while wielding them, once ordained these blessing appeared in their tattoo.” Master Cao took a sip from his tea before his eyes reached Marinette’s, her expression remained unchanged with the new knowledge.

Balewa seemed to read that Marinette was not impressed. “The few who survived combined their knowledge to create a new order. Searching out those Fu had used at one time as holders and those who longed for greater purpose.” She took a deep breath, looking ashamed. “It has taken more than a hundred years to get where we are. The knowledge those original guardians had was lacking for sure, each only really knowledgeable on the miraculous they were chosen to search holders for. But, as time has passed we have gathered a fair amount of the lost knowledge.”

“We have been greatly limited without the kwamis’ or the Grand Guardian’s teachings and leadership. But, we have finally made an alliance that gives us a home and security, allowing time to rebuild both numbers and with your help, the knowledge that was lost.” Cao continued.

“So welcome Grand Guardian to Miraculous Temple.” Dahl boasted.

Marinette rolled her eyes; this guy could not be serious.

“I would like to thank you for the welcome, but seeing as I was kidnapped and not asked to come…” Marinette left the comment unfinished, looking into each of the Master’s eyes. “Surviving guardians would explain how you were able to receive the Miraculous Sigil and have rebuilt the fallen order. But, I don’t know how to trust you right now.”

“Forgive us Grand Guardian, as Ladybug you were impossible to get close to and we did not and still do not know your civilian identity. Out of respect, we placed the mask on your face before we removed you in the alley.” Cao lowers his eyes, unwilling to look at the Grand Guardian, ashamed of the actions they were forced to take to secure her.

“You still had the option to ask me as Ladybug to accompany you. Yet, you chose drugging and kidnap.” Marinette lost some of her composure as she leaned back into her arms rather than sitting rigidly on the pillow.

“We had attempted on several occasions to approach you after akuma attacks, but failed. Our allies were impatient and were unwilling to accept no for an answer. It was their decision and actions that brought you here.” Dahl looked unapologetic.

“So you not only allowed for my civilian identity to be potentially compromised while there is a miraculous terrorist running around. But, you allowed me to be kidnapped and brought here for what end?” She looked at the guilty expressions on each of the master’s face, except Dahl’s “Surely you could’ve waited for me to come once I had defeated Hawkmoth? Unless, you promised them something they came to collect… like the miraculous?”

Looking at the table in front of them, Cao spoke each of his words carefully, as if not wishing to anger her. “Unfortunately, in order to create stability for the order, some protection was required to prevent a massacre similar to the last and protect the miraculous from falling into the wrong hands.”

“No one would have been able to take them if you hadn’t drugged me, they wouldn’t have figured out I was the Grand Guardian! In fact how did you even figure it out!?” Marinette yelled, her emotions again getting the better of her.

“You may be the Grand Guardian, but you are not untouchable. Ladybug is a public figure; anyone with any real knowledge of the miraculous could have captured you, both because of your age and your lack of a support system.” If Marinette was unsure of Dahl’s opinion of her, his rash tone confirmed it. “If our allies were able to capture you, there is nothing that could prevent others from doing so. At least our intentions are for the good of the order and the miraculous.”

Dahl had a point, but she still didn’t like the position she and the miraculous were in. She returned to a Vulcan state, use of logic over emotions. “So I am a prisoner?”

“No,” Balewa screamed, startling her companions and Marinette. “You shall return to Paris shortly.”

“Then again I ask. Why I am here?” Marinette looked straight at Dahl, her body language expressing the desire to no longer be toyed with.

“To secure the alliance we have made.” Cao finally looked in Marinette’s eyes as she shifted her gaze from Dahl.

“So you want the miraculous?” Marinette jumped to her feet and positioned herself into a battle stance. “The order will fall again before I hand them over to an unknown entity or even this ragtag order.”

Dahl lifted himself to stand between her and the doors, his own hostility bleeding out. “No, the League would never ask for the miraculous, they understand the importance of the Order. They simply wish to create an unbreakable alliance through marriage.”

“A different kind of prison then!” Marinette did not lower her stance; her words like venom spewing out of her mouth. “You are naïve to believe that this League has no plans for the miraculous and yet you call me a child!”

“We regret the terms of our arrangement with you being so young and not having a say, but we had to do what was right for the Order. In the end, this is bigger than you. Sacrifices must be made for the greater good.” Dahl spat back.

The greater good, had Marinette not sacrificed enough for the greater good. She had dedicated and almost given her life many times over, to being Ladybug and the Grand Guardian. She had sacrificed her friendships, her parents’ trust, her dream career, and often her health and well-being all for the miraculous. Still, she had made these sacrifices and knew she would have to continue making them, because that’s who she was and what she was supposed to do.

But an arranged marriage? She knew everything she held dear could one day be sacrificed, but it was always her decision; this seemed a step to far.

“You will not talk to the Grand Guardian with such disrespect. She is the Kaiduan of Creation and you will treat her as such. You have no idea of the sacrifices she has made, nor are you in the position to demand anything from her.” Tikki phased from Marinette’s purse and rose into Dahl’s pinched face, angrily waving her paws, looking ready to smack a fool.

The three guardians fell back in surprise by the sudden appearance of the small goddess. But Dahl was first to regain his composure and stand fast in front of her.

“Forgive us Tikki, Goddess of Creation; we were not aware you were here.” Cao bows his head in her direction, eyes unblinking as he took in Tikki’s unassuming appearance despite her alleged power.

“Even if I was not here, you have no right. My Kaiduan has always done what is best for the Order, even more so the world, but it should be her choice not yours who she is attached to in this life.”

“What is a Kaiduan and why would that matter to the protection of the order.” Dahl spat.

Tikki’s sight shifted to Dahl once more, he finally wilted under her poisonous gaze.

“Plagg and I were the first to bound ourselves to the miraculous, it was new magic and we did not know the consequences. We searched long and hard for souls that reflected the essence of our being and once found completed the first transformation. At that point we lost a piece of our soul which in turn tethered to theirs. These souls are who we call Kaiduans. While anyone can use our jewels, Kaiduans are able to tap the most magic from the miraculous, using the soul piece as a type of catalyst. The piece of our soul also allows them to use some of our magic while not transformed. My little Coccinella for example, has the ability to heal injuries and has an excess of good luck and creativity.” Tikki looked fondly at her friend. “The kwamis bound by the miraculous have made the same sacrifice and given freely a piece of their soul. As such, when the Kaiduans are reincarnated again and again, their souls search for us; in essence they are our soul mates.”

Tikki’s smile dropped as she again made eye contact with Dahl. “You attempt to dictate to the Grand Guardian and the Kaiduan of Creation, yet your order, if it can even be called such, lacks even the most basic knowledge of the miraculous. You speak of sacrifices, yet my Coccinella in every life has been bound to me and as such she has sacrificed each time for the miraculous. Never allowed to live a normal life, she is always fated to be reborn during a time of great need. ”

“We know that we cannot force the Grand Guardian, but we had hoped.” Cao eyes fell to the table and did not rise again.

Marinette placed her head into her hands, rubbing her eyes before dragging them down to her mouth. She had every intention of restarting the order once she had defeated Hawkmoth and here she had all the foundations. Still, the small guild of guardians, who she would charitably describe as a bunch of newbies in the world of miraculous, had allied themselves with an unknown entity.

To be forced to marry could lead to an unfortunate future for herself and the miraculous, but refusal… 

Chapter Text

Following his assassin escorts, it quickly became evident that these were not the halls of Nanda Parbat. While the rooms near his were adorned in a similar fashion to what he had grown up in, the remaining areas were warmer than any place found within the League.

Damian found himself walking onto an outside terrace, the sight before him could not be compared. The temple was affixed to a sheer cliff face of a towering mountain. Below them lay the frigid blue waters of an alpine lake which reflected the snowcapped mountains like a pristine mirror.

Concealed in plain sight by mimicking similar architecture from the area, the building had more in common with a Buddhist pagoda. Adding this to his observations of the mountains, they were most likely somewhere in the Himalayas.

The outdoor terrace led to a small bridge that connected the larger temple they had exited from to a smaller one. Upon entering Damian noted it was a ceremonial chamber with a small dais. On one side of the room a fair number of assassins had congregated. Damian noted the presence of several higher ups. He was both curious and on edge, not knowing who his betrothed was to have sparked the presence of so many important figures. At the dais itself stood his mother and Lady Shiva, the smirk on both of their faces only unnerved Damian further.

Talking his place beside his mother, Damian turned back towards the entrance to await his betrothed. A hand shot out in front of him with a mask. “What is this?”

“A condition,” his mother’s released a small chuckle. “Your betrothed and her order are very clever and despite our best attempts, they have been able to hide her identity. An annoying condition to our agreement was her right to reveal it when she chooses.”

Damian raised his eye brows and looked back to his mother. “You allowed this? What good does this marriage serve if I do not know her identity?”

“It does not currently affect our goals, so I have allowed it, as well as given you the same opportunity to reveal your own. Do not worry son, how could she possibly hide herself from you for long.” Her finger swiped under his chin before falling back to her side as she returned to her position slightly behind him.

Easily he thought. He was broken, his past haunted him, and he knew that his personality was not the easiest to get on with. He denied himself romantic attachments for the sole reason that he though no one would ever be capable of truly loving him. Why invite heart break, especially with his line of work where it was already such a large part of life?

His mother had given him a gift however of hiding both Robin and Damian Wayne until he felt his new wife could be trusted.  And if not…

A solemn bell tolled as he secured the mask in place. The chamber doors swung open to reveal several monks. They differed in age and ethnicity, each wearing robes of white trimmed in orange. They took to the other side of the dais from the assassins. Those in the rear had the addition of an orange sash across their chest; Damian guessed this signified their rank within their order.

A quick assessment of the monks left Damian confused. The League could decimate them in a matter of minutes if they so desired, so what were they capable of to warrant such a powerful marriage within the League?

A second bell tolled and the monks all turned back towards the doors and bowed as four additional figures entered the room. Damian noted the first two were an older woman of African descent, and middle aged male, possibly Nordic. They obscured the two behind but he noted that one was wearing the same as those in front, the second was dressed in something entirely different.

Reaching the dais the two in front peeled off to the right, leaving an older Asian man and a young woman in a mask before Damian. The older man went to join the other two, but not before squeezing the hand of the young woman. She continued a few steps forward to stand silently beside him on the dais before turning to face him.

Before him stood an angel, of that he was certain. She was wearing a traditional chuba, but the design was unique. It was mostly white with red lining, looking closely he noted lotus flowers embroidered with red thread on the red fabric, highlighted only by strategically placed beading. It was simple yet elegant, the perfect attire to accentuate her form. Her midnight blue hair was swept into a loose updo allowing her face to draw the attention. Despite her mask, Damian could see the depth of her sapphire blue eyes. In short she was exquisite.

Once his eyes had found their way to hers, he could not look away. He felt drawn in by their energy, they told a similar story to his own but different. Of responsibilities bigger than themselves, of pain, of sacrifices but he felt they also told those who looked, about hope.

One look at his betrothed and Damian knew, she was the reason his mother wanted this alliance. In the rushed observation he had, he could already tell that any room that she walked into, she would be the center of attention. Despite himself and the situation he was in, he was glad for it, glad that he was going to get to call this angel, his.

Marinette held her breath as a second bell tolled. Her view into the chamber was blocked by Balewa and Dahl, but she could see an outline of a podium in the center of the room with guardians on one side and members of what she assumed were the League, on the other. She could feel Tikki rubbing small circles into her neck from her position in her dress. A dress she was fortunate that the guardians had allowed her to alter before the ceremony. If she was going to be married, she at least wanted to be married in a dress she could be proud of.

Despite not wanting to be wed at seventeen, she could not deny the additional protection would be beneficial. At least until she had defeated Hawkmoth and could come up with a better plan. If her future husband provided protection, she could not currently turn it away.

Tikki however seemed to have more reservations and had attempted, while Marinette worked on her dress, to talk her out of the marriage. She knew that the small goddess hated that she constantly sacrificed her own happiness far too often. Marinette realized however, that as Grand Guardian and Ladybug, finding and holding onto love would be hard and had already mourned the inevitable sacrifice years before.

She only wished that her future husband was a good person, someone she could at least have some kind of positive relationship with… at least eventually.

Before she knew it, she was being escorted to the podium by Cao and placed in front of a young man and two women. She took note of the women first, fear rising as she examined their aura, red, crimson red. While she felt no ill intent towards herself, she did feel that these women meant death to those they targeted.

Concerned for what she may see, her eyes narrowed as she shifted her gaze to the man in front of her, her intended.

A light weight, obsidian colored armor with gilding covered his torso and continued to a paneled skirt held up by a thick black woolen sash with gold trim. Beneath the armor, midnight-black linen could be seen covering his legs and arms, while obsidian greaves and bracers cinched the fabric near his calves and forearms. A mandarin collar flanked by metal pauldrons led to an emerald green cloak giving an air of nobility.

At his hip sat a katana, his hand gripped the hilt as his thumb circled the pommel as if seeking comfort.

He was tall, over 6 feet, lean and muscular. Tilting her head to look at his face, she noted that he was handsome, even with the mask he bore. Her eyes quickly found his emerald green and she was unable to look away. They were beautiful, they held strength and determination, things that she often saw when she looked in the mirror as Ladybug, but most importantly they held a pain, not completely dissimilar to her own, but more intense, more akin to a feeling of unworthiness.

Their eyes did not stray even as one of the women began to speak, “Heir to the Demon Head, allow me to introduce you to your betrothed, the Grand Guardian of the Miraculous, Ladybug.”

“Grand Guardian please meet the Heir of the League of Assassins.” Marinette stiffened at the introduction. She was to marry the leader of murders?

Damian saw the horror that crossed her face at the word assassin. He panicked, her feelings towards him already influenced by the monk’s words. He swallowed visibly as he shut his eyes, feeling his palms start to sweat. He had always been running from his titles, heir, assassin, murderer, demon, but try as he might, they continued to shadow him. Even now years after he had changed into a son his father could love, a vigilante criminals would fear, and a hero that the Justice League could count on, he was still haunted by his past.

He dared to look again into the eyes of the angel before him; she appeared to be searching deep into his eyes looking for something. He hoped that she would see his own disgust in the titles, his shame, and most importantly, he hoped, that somehow, she could find the person he was today and hoped to become tomorrow.

Her eyes suddenly stopped moving as a bright smile adorned her face. Damian’s breathe hitched at the sight; he felt a small smile pull across his own. The smile was surely a blessing given by an angel.

Damian barely noticed the lack of talking going on around them, bringing his attention to the man that had appeared before them unnoticed.  The man cleared his throat, repeating the question he had apparently asked Damian before. “Do you?”

 “Yes?” Damian was embarrassed at his answer sounding more like a question. But, he was not certain what had been asked.

“Do you Ladybug?”

“Yes.”

Marinette’s attention briefly skimmed to the priest before returning to the man in front of her. She wasn’t sure what she just agreed to, but she suspected it was her marriage vow.

She took a moment to read his aura; it was unique, currently pulsating. She had feared the word assassin, but she had noted that unlike the women in front of her, the killing aura was small, confined to the edges. She couldn’t be sure, but she suspected that it signified a past not the present. The rest of his aura was a dark green radiating a sense of safety and protection.

Before her, Cao suddenly appeared with a chalice, one of the women held a similar one before her soon-to-be husband. Simultaneously, their hands were grabbed and their ring fingers cut. Their blood dripped down into the cups before bands of an unfamiliar metal were slide onto their fingers.  The priest poured wine into a third glass chalice before their blood was mixed in causing a small plume of smoke.

The Heir was offered to drink first; he took a large gulp from the cup before handing it back with a small grimace on his face. She was then offered the drink; bringing the cup to her mouth, she hesitated. Closing her eyes she tilted the contents, draining it. Upon swallowing, a warm sensation spread through her body. A small pulse of magic, a bitter magic, caused a similar grimace as the man’s across from her. The tingling sensation ended at her ring finger drawing her eyes down to her hand, in her periphery she noted her companion doing the same. The metal ring on her finger imbedded itself into the cut, only for her skin to fuse seamlessly over it. The only sign of its existence was a small groove, unnoticeable if you didn’t know what you were looking for, only distinguished by touch.

The priest smashed the glass chalice onto the floor between the couple drawing her attention back. “May the union between the League of Assassins and the Order of the Miraculous be fruitful?”

Chapter Text

A quick reception followed the wedding. Damian refrained from participating in most of the festivities, as had his new wife.

Wife…which meant he was a husband.

Wife… did someone seriously hold that title in relation to him? He had found some girls attractive, most notable, at one point Raven.  But, his infatuations were always surface level and quickly passing; never strong enough to pass a desire for more than a friendship, if even that on almost all occasions.

He would swear to his dying breath that it was because such attachments were distractions and because no one had really inspired anything more. While both reason were true, they hid his real reason, fear of rejection. Disappointment seemed to be a constant in his life, first during his training with his mother and then his father when he had come to live with him. So knowing his bad luck, he feared that anyone he would want to love and be loved by, would reject him and be disappointed. To prevent that inevitable hurt, he swore to himself to never form that type of attachment and up to this point he had been successful.

Yet, here he was facing all of the reasons he had avoided commitments, all at once.

Was she a distraction? Yes. He had spent most of the evening trying to steal unobserved glances in her direction, trying to take in her many features, her small movements, her tells, even trying to imprint her smell in his memory -vanilla, cherry blossom and something else similarly sweet.

Did she inspire desires within him? Yes, too many times to count and none that he would ever relay.  His brothers would perpetually torture him, should they ever gain such knowledge of the many thoughts that crossed his mind during the last few hours.

Was he risking disappointment? YES. He wanted her and he wanted her to want him. But he feared that if he talked to her, she too would give him the monikers of Ice Prince or Demon Spawn. He didn’t know what it was about her which made him so desperate to be known as anything but.

He was unsure if it was fortunate or not that Ladybug seemed to be on a similar edge as him. Her plate of food sat picked at, the wine untouched. He caught her eyes shift over to him, before quickly pulling back to the crowded room. All too often he spotted her awkwardly talking into her dress, too softly for him to pick up the words. Perhaps she was searching for possible conversation starts.

He wished to help her, but even in the best of social situations he failed at casual conversations.

“I-” he closed his mouth as soon as he started. I’m sorry you are married to me? I’m sorry you have no choice? I’m sorry my mother ruined your life?

She seemed to have heard his attempt at a conversation and turned her attention to him fully.

When he failed to complete his thought, she began instead. “Forgive me if I’m wrong, but uh-” Her accent was as angelic as her person, French if he was correct. She appeared to be mulling over her next words. “I’m going to guess that you have known about this marriage for as long as I have?”

“Yes.” Damian internally kicked himself, short and blunt was not endearing.

“I’m sorry.” He hated the pained look that crossed her face. He did not want her to be sorry for him; she was the one that people should feel sorry for.

“You have no need to be sorry; you were roped into this marriage as much as I was. I am sorry that you were given no choice.”

“Is it not common in the League to have arranged marriages?”

“No it’s not common, in fact they are frowned upon usually.”

“I’m sorry that you were unable to escape one then.”

Damian found her choice of words ironic. “Yes, well, I thought I had escaped the League some years ago when I had gone to live with my father. But my mother loves to prove that she still has some power over my life and will literally kidnap me just to remind me. It seems I may never escape her.”

Ladybug appeared to be taken aback. “You mean you were kidnapped by your own mother to get married? Man, I thought I had it bad, but at least my family didn’t do this to me.” She covered her mouth as the words left, she turned towards him. “I’m sorry that was not a very nice thing to say.”

“No, your sentiments are not unfounded. My mother is given the title of family only due to our shared DNA.”

Ladybug’s mouth opened but quickly shut by the interrupting appearance of Talia. She leaned between the new couple, arms draping across their shoulders. “It is time to consummate your marriage.” She casually tossed, before removing herself to join Lady Shiva in preparation to escort them to the bedding chamber.

Damian nodded curtly, swallowing his nerves before turning to face Ladybug once more.  He noticed the slight drain of color from her face. He held his hand out to her, in hopes of comforting her nerves; she lightly placed hers in his. It fit perfectly!

He cupped his fingers around hers, squeezing slightly and attempt what he hoped was a reassuring smile before he guided her out of the chair and in the direction of the door.

Marinette sat at the edge of their now shared bed, observing him removing bits of his armor. She tried to look anywhere but at the eyes of her husband.

Husband.

Firstly, how was she married?  Secondly, how was she expected to consummate it with someone she barely knew? She couldn’t deny her attraction to him. The whole evening he had sparked reactions she thought she would never feel again, not since Adrien or even to some extent Luka. His slight accidental brushes had caused an electrical current through her spine; his sight on her brought a blush she thought she had outgrown at fourteen.

When Adrien had begun dating Kagami, she was certain that she would never find love again. An idea cemented by her inability to move past friendship with Luka despite her best efforts; thwarted at every turn by her responsibility as both Ladybug and Grand Guardian. Their dating could only be at best, described as casual.

So here she was having known her husband for less than a day and expected to do something that she had only thought about in her dreams. The cherry on top, was it couldn’t be like how she pictured, because she would not be sharing the moment with someone she loved and someone who loved her.

Finally looking back at her husband, Marinette saw the same fears and hesitation reflected in his face. He seemed lost for words; she however was the ‘master’ of filling silence. “No offence but I think calling you Heir of the Demon Head is a mouthful. Um…perhaps I could call you something shorter, like um…Demon?”

She cringed at the suggestion; of course he wouldn’t want to be called Demon. It was just Gorgeous or Adonis seemed just as cringe worthy.

“Only if you’ll be my angel?” She blushed, how would she survive if he not only looked good but was so good at causing her heart to skip with his words?

She should be weary of him, but everything he had said and done so far screamed safety. While not infallible, her aura readings were usually never wrong, so she trusted her instincts and trusted him.

“Are you okay with this?”  She wished at this moment she could read the emotions behind his question, but his face remained stoic.

“Do I have a choice?” It wasn’t what she had wanted to say, but she didn’t know how to articulate the various emotions she currently felt.

“There is always a choice.” Would he seriously stop if she said she wasn’t ready? She found herself only needing the illusion of choice; it had been a pattern that matched the rest of the day.

With every smile, every light squeeze to his hand and every blush coloring her perfect cheeks, Damian found himself floating on cloud nine. The butterflies in his stomach kept him grounded, he knew he was both anxious and excited at the prospect of the night’s activities. But he wouldn’t force her, he could never force her.

“Yes!” she blurted. Her eyes bulged, seeming to have surprised even herself at the sudden outburst.

Ladybug’s head lowered slightly and Damian grabbed one of her hands, interlacing their fingers and using his other hand to tilt her chin up. He needed to see the consent in her eyes. He needed to know that she wanted this, not that she was doing it out of obligation. He needed her to know that he wanted this, not as the Heir of the Demon Head consummating an alliance with Ladybug, but Damian wanting to love an angel.

As soon as her eyes met his, he couldn’t hold back the smile. The muscles around his mouth were starting to hurt. It was clear to him that he had obviously not used the muscles often enough, but then again in Gotham, there were not many things that would warrant smiling.

He knew what lust looked like, he saw it all too often in the many girls and guys that threw themselves at him. As he looked into her eyes he saw lust, but there was something more, something missing from the floozies of Gotham.

“Can I just ask for one favor?” She attempted to look down, but his fingers under her chin kept her gaze locked.

“Anything Angel.” He noted the blush and was proud to be the cause.  

Her eyes went to her lap as she sat at the edge of the bed. “It’s slightly embarrassing to admit, but this will be my first time, and I kind of had an image in my head of what it would be like.” She took a long breath, and released it just as slowly, “so if it wouldn’t be too much trouble, um…” He watched as her hands fiddled with the hem of her dress, before firmly gripping it as she closed her eyes. “I always thought the first time would be with someone I loved, so…couldyoupretendthatyou’reinloveme?”

Damian kneeled in front of her and took her face in his hands. Her eyes opened and their eyes locked for the hundredth time that evening. He lightly grazed his thumb over her lip before slowly bringing his lips towards hers. Pausing slightly to give her the opportunity to pull away, he looked for permission in her eyes.  When he saw what he was looking for, he pressed his lips softly to hers. Instead of the expected freeze on her end, she pressed back deepening the kiss as she titled her head. Their eyes closed together as their mouths began to dance in sync with each other’s.

Needing breath he pulled away to rest his forehead to hers. Removing his hands from her face, he untied his sash tossing it away before he pulled at the ties binding his chest plate. He moved away slightly in order to throw his armor to the side of the room. He placed his hands at the bottom of his tunic, prepared to raise it above his head, only to be stopped by a pair of delicate hands over his.

He looked up to make eye contact with their owner; her smile was warm but reflected her nerves. She replaced his hands with her own, eyes searching for permission to continue. He gladly gave it with a nod, before she raised his tunic over his head tossing it to the side as well.

Her hands glide down his abdomen, taking in the peaks and valleys of his muscles before landing on the deep-v peeking out from his trousers. Her eyes were focused on the spot as she trapped her bottom lip between her teeth.

Unwilling to watch her abuse her lip further, Damian again crashed his lips to her own. He flicked his tongue across her bottom lip begging for entrance, eliciting a small moan as he took advantage of the permission.

Once again breaking for breathe; he took to placing delicate kisses along her neck. Keeping his eyes open to assess her dress, he noted the zipper on the back. Moving his hands from her waist where he had placed them during their second embrace, he raised one to grab at the zipper while the second drew small circles on the side of her hip. Again giving her time to respond, he slowly slid the zipper down her back. Once he had reached the end and having heard no objection he used both hands to guide the dress from her shoulders and allowed it to pool at her feet.

He pulled back slightly wishing to take in the sight of the goddess before him. To no surprise she was just that. Her chest was caressed by a dark crimson lace bra contrasting beautifully to her porcelain skin, between her thighs black lace covered her modesty.  Unexpected was her build, while appearing lean and somewhat fit through her dress, the removal of her clothing just proved how fit she was. There was no doubt that she had muscle that could subdue a grown man. Her abs were perfectly sculptured, looking built for purpose rather than display. Her arms and legs were taut; he feared what could happen should he delve between them. But, if the watering in his mouth and the pressure between his legs were any indication he had no problem with finding out.

She felt self-conscious as his eyes roamed her body. But when they again landed on her face all she saw was appreciation and longing radiating from them. Who would she be if she did not admit the same desire from herself?

Drawing on all of her confidence and leaving her anxiety at the door, she took his trouser strings between her fingers and pulled. She then slowly began to unlace his pants, giving him the same chance he had given her to stop at any moment. Instead she felt a small involuntary buck of his hips and a barely audible moan as she brushed his crotch with her hand.  Feeling emboldened by the response, she snaked her hands behind him, sliding them below his waist band and cupping his butt. The space caused by the presence of her hands lead to his pants slip down his legs.

In the room now sat two young adults, married yet strangers, in nothing but their underwear and masks. Want, lust and other indescribable emotions between them, there should have been a sense of discomfort, yet Marinette felt like she was where she was supposed to be.

She couldn’t look away easily when she caught his eyes; it had been that way, all evening. Her eyes only seemed capable of closing when his lips locked with hers, but the feeling she felt from his gaze echoed in their kiss.

His hand moved from her hips to her face as she opened her eyes as he pulled away. She wanted to lock their lips again, but something in his eyes told her to wait. His hands disappeared from her face, felt again on the hair pin holding her hair into the loose updo. He slowly pulled it out, causing her hair to cascade to her shoulders. His hands glide through her hair to where his left hand came to rest at the nape of her neck, while the right returned to caressing her cheek.

“Tonight, I won’t have to pretend to love you.” He leaned forward once again to capture her lips with his own, her eyes closed again in anticipation.

Chapter Text

Damian awoke for the second day in a row to the sound of familiar footsteps approaching the door. His movement was hindered however by a weight across his chest. Opening his eyes, he was greeted by the sight of midnight blue hair just below his chin and a small hand spread across his chest.  His left arm was wrapped around her back while his right caressed the smooth leg pinning his hips to the bed. He smiled as warmth settled in his chest at both the sight and memory of the previous night.

He was happy and content, a combination of feelings that he could not recall the last time he had felt. How was it possible for him to feel this way about someone that he had met less than twenty-four hours ago and through an arrangement his mother had made no less? Of course, it would be thanks to his bad luck that they would be brought together through an arranged marriage.  True to her name sake though, Ladybug clearly possessed ample amounts of good luck to counter his bad luck for the evening to have gone so well.

The door to the room opened slowly to reveal Talia. She smiled smugly at Damian as her eyes swept the bed. “Quickly get dressed and follow me.”

Damian wondered if he should feel embarrassed being caught by his mother in such a compromising position, but he did not. Instead, he kissed his angel’s forehead before carefully removing himself from her hold. She grimaced slightly at the shift, before rolling over to the other side. Her breathing returning to its slumbering cadence before he lightly pressed a kiss to her forehead and transitioned off the bed.

Becoming aware of his naked form in front of his mother, he looked around for his discarded clothing, seeking something close at hand to restore his modesty. Finding clothes strategically placed by the bed, he rapidly got dressed.

He removed his mask, considered it for a moment, and then placed it where his clothes had been. He would share his identity when he returned. He wanted Ladybug to know who he was. Damian could no longer return to Gotham as if nothing happened, as if she was nothing to him.

Taking one last look at the form he left in the bed, he followed his mother out of the room and down the corridor.  

Led into a chamber that was likely her room, Talia directed him to sit on the couch across from where she sat, poised comfortably with an air of victory. “You have done very well Damian.”

He could not explain it but her words enraged him and caused bile to rise in his throat.

He would not allow her to cast doubt on the sincerity of their shared passion the previous night. He did not want to believe, or rather accept, that it had occurred only to fulfill a duty. Everything that had happened last night had felt too real to just be the result of duty and obligation.

“We have done as required; this will be the end of your interference.”

His mother laughed quickly and sharply before she settled her gaze pointedly upon him.

“For now,” Her words were spoken lightly, discounting the weight behind them. “You both will be allowed to return to your normal lives. But once she has completed her current obligation, the League will no longer feel compelled to uphold our part of the deal to protect her identity.” A menacing smile was directed towards him. “After all, you are both young and we can wait a little while for an heir…but not forever.”

“What makes you think I will sire you an heir.” Damian growled at his mother and at himself. In his lust filled haze he had forgotten the golden rule drilled in by Todd and Grayson during their annoying sexcapades talks. Never forget a condom!

Had he already given his mother what she wanted unknowingly?

“Don’t worry, if this morning is any indication, we only have a short while to wait. After all she is holder of the Goddess of Creation, I do not imagine it would be hard for her to…” she raised her right eyebrow slightly as her smile broadened, “create.”

Damian was unable to school his confused expression. What did she mean she was a holder of a Goddess of Creation?

“Besides, you don’t have to worry, our alliance has made it so that your children will be trained by the Grand Guardian herself. I am confident she will allow you to assist. We only wished to ensure that the order’s heir is ours as well. A perfect union, no?”

Their conversation was interrupted by the sound of breaking glass. Both turned their attention to the three men landing in front of the broken window. It appeared that Damian’s rescue squad had finally arrived.

Just twelve hours late.

Seemingly unconcerned, his mother turned back towards Damian and whispered so only he could hear. “Just so you are aware, the wine you drank during the ceremony was a binding spell. If you value your life, I would refrain from any…lustful behavior towards anyone but your wife.” She darkly chuckled. “We have to ensure a true heir is conceived after all.”

Talia turned her attention to his father; swaying her hips as she sauntered over to him before placing her finger lightly on his chest. She slowly traced her finger across it as she stepped behind him. “How nice of you to visit, however I am afraid you missed the festivities.”

“Why did you take Damian, Talia?” Batman growled, unwilling to play into her typical games.

“Nothing that concerns you, beloved.  He is now free to go with you if he desires. I am finished with him for now.” She moved away from his father and stepped towards the door, turning one last time in his direction. “Remember what we talked about Damian; you have time but eventually we will collect. Let’s not wait so long between visits, yes?”

As she disappeared behind the door, Nightwing and Red Hood rushed forward to stand beside Damian, ready to defend against the onslaught of assassins who would follow Talia’s departure from the room.

Only they did not come.

Nightwing and Red Hood glanced quizzically at each other as they observed the lack of movement by their brother.

Hood took in his appearance. Attire was impeccable as always, a black robe over grey trousers, the typical assassin’s attire, but there was something off about it.  Whatever had been the motive for his abduction must have done a number on him. Having him freeze instead of jumping into action was unusual.

“Holy Fuck Demon Spawn you look like sex.”

Damian’s head snapped towards Hood with his eyes wide open. He gaped at Hood, which caused him to laugh. “If only…right? Imagine you having sex…wait…don’t. I’ll have to burn my eyes out if I do.”

Damian stood still like a statue; it was quite unnerving. Over the comms Batman was instructing them to move Damian to safety.

Snapping back into action, Hood moved swiftly by throwing Damian over his shoulder and moving towards the window.

Apparently snapped out of his daze by the quick change in altitude, Damian started to kick him. “Hood, put me down.”

“No can do Demon Spawn, we need to get out of here before the official welcoming committee arrives.”

Damian continued to struggle against him. “Not yet, we need to get my wife.”

“That’s a good one. Hear that Nightwing?” Hood chuckled as he tied a rope around Damian’s waist despite his squirming.

“I am not kidding Hood!” Damian lifted his leg and managed to knee him in the gut.  From the impact, Hood’s grip loosened and Damian used the opportunity to slip out of his grasp. Hood positioned himself in preparation to subdue his younger brother again. “That’s why my mother brought me here, for an arranged marriage. I am not leaving Ladybug here to deal with my mother.”

Hood paused, a quick read of Damian's face and he knew. “Shit.”

His hands moved to his holster, clenching and unclenching his fist around the handle of his guns several times before speaking into the comms. “Give us a minute; we need to acquire another asset before we can leave.”

The pair did not wait for an affirmative before moving out of the room.

What should have been halls bristling with assassins blocking their forward movement, were instead eerily empty passageways. Pausing at each corner, the fear of an ambush intensified as they were met with hauntingly silent corridors. 

Pressing forward cautiously they finally reached the chamber Damian had spent the previous evening. 

Hood’s skin crawled, it had been too easy, there was no way that the League was being so…accommodating. First, with Talia simply walking away from Damian and now their unopposed jaunt down the halls. Every fiber of his being screamed, ‘it’s a trap!’

Drawing his pistols, Hood nodded to Damian who tightened his grip on the katana he had acquired from his mother’s room. With a deep breath he got ready for the onslaught awaiting them on the other side before he kicked open the door. Following Damian quickly into the room, he shifted around drawing a bead on potential threats. He lowered his pistols at the same time Damian dropped his katana. The room was…empty.

Marinette awoke to an empty bed. She couldn’t mask her disappointment. Another had left after using her and without as much as a…thank you, a lie about seeing her later, or even a ‘good screw’ emphasized by finger guns. He had said he could love her for the night; there were no promises made for the morning.

She felt a tear slide down her face, which she quickly brushed away with the back of her hand. Seeing her distressed holder, Tikki flew down from the post she had spent the evening on. She hugged the face of her heartbroken friend. “He was called away by his mother this morning. From the look on his face, he had a hard time leaving you. He even kissed your forehead before leaving.” The small goddess cooed.

“Really Tikki?” Her kwami nodded her head as Marinette wiped the second tear that had fallen down her face; a bashful smile taking its place.

She took a moment to stretch in the bed, moving her head to take in the surroundings she was too preoccupied the night before to notice. The room was large but lacked furniture. A king bed took up the center of the room, with two small nightstands on either side. The left held her belongings, the right a single black mask, her Demon’s.

Did that mean that he had no intentions of returning, or that he was ready to share the biggest secret between them, their true identities?

She rolled over to the small table with her purse and took out her cellphone. She clicked it on and took note of the time and date before dropping the phone to the bed.

“Tikki,” she shrieked. “I need to transform we’ve been here for three days! Why didn’t I think to check yesterday before the wedding? There is no way that Hawkmoth has been quiet this whole time. He’s probably already destroyed half of Paris. Chat is probably in danger, if not hurt. I failed as Ladybug, all to get married and have sex! Go ahead and write that on my monument! ‘Ladybug abandoned Paris to get laid.’ I am the worst Kaiduan ever.”

“Marinette, STOP!” Tikki took Marinette’s face into her paws, forcing eye contact. “I will never know how we have survived being bonded so long with the way you can’t get out of your own head. You would have thought you could have grown out of it already.”

“Tikki!” Marinette squeaked embarrassed, covering her face with her hands.

“Just transform Marinette. Find out what is actually happening in Paris, instead of catastrophizing.  Your imagination should not be allowed to run rampant on worse case scenarios.”

“Right!” Marinette nodded as she smiled at her friend. “Tikki, spots on!”

As the red light faded, Ladybug flipped open her yo-yo to a Parisian news station. She found live coverage on an akuma that was fortunately only active for the last two hours.

She steadied herself to search in the void of the box for the horse miraculous. She took special care to have it materialize in her hand in a way that made it look as if she was taking it out of her yo-yo, hoping to draw suspicions away from potentially prying eyes.

 “Well, can’t stay here forever.” She spoke to no one in particular, perhaps the camera or audio devices she suspected. “As you’ve said, you know where to find me.”

She merged with Kaalki to transform into Lady Mare, before opening a portal back to Paris.

Chapter Text

Marinette waited for the streetlight to turn red before crossing. Her mind was still racing from the events of the weekend. She had returned just in time to purify the akuma and then struggled to escape from the embrace of her partner. Chat had been worried when she first failed to show up for school on Friday and more so after failing to show for the attack.

He had been shocked to hear that she had been kidnapped by an order that they had all but thought eliminated. Even more so to learn her parents hadn’t reach out to him or her other friends when she had been missing for three days.

Marinette however, was not quite as surprised. Her parents stopped monitoring her whereabouts or caring what she did a while back. After they had deemed her no longer ‘trustworthy.’

Show up late for a couple of events or not be where you say you’ll be and suddenly they forget about the stellar grades, the successful small business, and the free help at the bakery. Unexpectedly, you become a social pariah acting out in teenage rebellion.

She lamented the fact that her relationship with her parents had become so fractured that they didn’t care or notice if she was missing for three days. Perhaps this was best for a superhero with civilian parents. At least they weren’t becoming stricter, but then she would have known they at least cared and not felt so neglected. No, the truth was she lost her relationship with her parents a long time ago, it just looked better to the outside observer than say Adrien’s.

She was so focused on her feelings; she failed to notice her pace slowing as she crossed the street. An impatient car swerved dangerously around her, honking their horn and yelling some colorful words out the window. She barely registered the disturbance as she maintained her sluggish stride towards school.

She often felt herself wishing she could talk about some of the burdens weighting her mind with her parents. Instead, she had to have conversations with them about bullying allegations, the bad things her old friend had suggested she took part in, even the results of a drug test she was forced to endure thanks to a tip from an ‘anonymous’ caller.

At some point her parents gave up trying to ‘get through’ to her and left her to do what she wanted.

The allegations of bullying stopped, as did the anonymous calls. She suspected it had to do with Lila trying other tactics when the results of her initial efforts were never permanent for Marinette, as no one could offer proof.

Little did Lila know how successful her schemes had been. The trust between Marinette and her parents had disintegrated and neither side moved to rebuild it.

Marinette wasn’t sure what they thought she did with her time now, but she knew it wasn’t what she actually did.  They didn’t participate in her business with Jagged; the money she earned went into a different account and they never inquired about her commissions after the second album cover. They didn’t even know she was the anonymous designer Kaid –short for Kaiduan of Creation, because she never bothered to tell them. Marinette wasn’t even sure that they knew who she was still friends with. She was confident that since they didn’t know all that, they had no clue that she spent a large portion of her time swinging around the roof tops of Paris.

So, there was no way that she could unburden herself and let them know that she had been kidnap and married off. No, that was something she couldn’t share with anyone but her partner. Yet, she was having a hard time working up the nerves to even tell him that important detail.   

As she approached the steps to the school, she spotted Nino and Alya sitting at one of the benches. They were sharing a pair of headphones, listening to something on Nino’s phone. She paused at the sight, not dwelling on the lost friendships, but jealous of the affectionate display between the couple. It put a small weight on her heart. She was attached to someone, even more so than the pair before her, and yet she may never get to share such moments with him.

She had returned to the temple after the akuma attack in search of her Demon. She found that her husband had not waited for her and had returned to his prior life without a way to contact him.

Talia, as she learned was her name, refused to give his identity until she shared hers. It left her baffled as to what the purpose of the marriage was if they would not learn each other’s identities. Both sides of the union didn’t seem in a hurry to have the teens together past the single night.

She was a wife with no husband! A constant bond that prevented her moving forward to choose another and yet prevented from being by his side. She was like a widow of yore, married in name only and no one was willing to answer her burning question, what…was…the…point?

She had felt loved for the evening and felt she could have been happy with him. But he had left her and as far she could tell he had no intention of a relationship beyond that night. The words he whispered sweetly into her hair as he held her head under his chin, were the result of the circumstances and perhaps the wine.

She could dwell on the fact or she could compartmentalize her feelings about it and focus on the here and now. She still had two missing miraculous, a duty to recover them and no time to spare in a search for someone who didn’t wish to be found. 

Brought out of her stupor by an arm hooking around her own, she looked up to see the bright smile of one of her besties. She tried her best to return the smile, but it fell flat. She watched the icy blue eyes furrow in concern. She squeezed the arms of her friend hoping that she gave her some reassurance, but it failed too.

“Are you okay, Dupain-Cheng?” Chloe asked hesitantly, already knowing the answer and the lie that would be given.

Marinette started up the stairs dragging her friend with her. “You know how it is Chloe, just typical teenage drama.”

When the Batwing returned to the cave, Damian exited quickly and rushed to his room avoiding the concerned looks from his family. Once again he had been abandoned, feeling that someone loved him just for them to walk away without concern for his feelings.

The last thing he wanted was the hollow pity of his brothers.

Damian and Red Hood had sprinted through the halls after entering the empty room looking for his Angel, only for no one to know her whereabouts. She had been left in the room and no one had seen her since the reception the evening prior. She had simply vanished and apparently on her own accord.

Tears began to swell in his eyes. She had used him, just like his mother. He felt stupid for allowing himself to feel wanted and desired. Stupid for believing that someone who had simply been told to marry him could ever feel anything for him. Stupid for thinking that she was as much of a victim in this marriage, as he was. But most importantly, he was stupid for allowing himself to even care about these things.

As he fell onto his bed, he felt the tears slowly falling. His body contracted in on itself as the tears continued to stream down his face.  He didn’t understand the tightness in his chest, but he suspected it was what others had called heartbreak.

Adrien looked up from his desk as Mari and Chloe stumbled into the classroom. One look at Mari and his concern from the previous day returned tenfold. She looked like a zombie. He had left her tucked into her bed around midnight, but here she was looking as if she hadn’t slept a wink.

It had taken time for Adrien and Mari’s relationship to get to the point where they could read each other. No, it hadn’t taken time, it took events. Beginning with him dating Kagami. He may have been oblivious before, but when the stuttering stopped and she appeared more comfortable around him, it didn’t take him long to recognize the cause of her changed behavior. Regardless of the unspoken acknowledgement, they became close friends quickly after. So quickly in fact, there was no surprise when they revealed their identities shortly after she became the Grand Guardian following Master Fu's death.

Adrien watched as Marinette literally fell into her seat. An unspoken weight acting like additional gravity on her form causing her shoulder to hunch and he neck to curl in.  She had filled him in on the thirty-six hours she’d been missing, but the tension never left her shoulders. It concerned him.

He could tell she was hiding something in her story, something big. She wasn’t lying, she hated people that did. But she was strategically omitting something and whatever it was weighed on her conscious heavily.

He wouldn’t push her to tell him, it never ended well when he did.  But, he hoped that she would tell him before it ate her away slowly, just as the Lila incident had done over four years ago.

As the warning bell rang, a loud and obnoxious voice filled the classroom. “Oh yes, I already talked to him about putting in a good word. After all we can’t count on Marinette’s essay actually having a shot. He wants us to win so he can see me, but it’s still his father’s decision.”

He watched as Marinette tensed further. A silent rage flashed in her eyes before it was extinguished just as quickly.

If he couldn’t help her with what was really bothering her, he could be there to help against the constant annoyances.

Tim was concerned. People that didn’t know Damian, thought him incapable of feelings, but his brothers knew better. Damian expressed his feelings through his actions. He showed fear by fighting harder, excitement in the spring of his steps and love through his protectiveness.

So the first time the emotionally constipated teen freely expressed any emotion, other than judgment - and it was of pure unfiltered pain - Tim was more than concerned.

“What happened?” Hood whipped his head from the direction his youngest brother had disappeared to look at Tim.

“She wasn’t there. No fight to get there, no ambush when we arrived and no one seemed to know where she went.”  Jason removed his helmet and ran his hands through his hair.

“Did she leave on her own free will?” Tim was confused, how could she just disappear with no one in the League knowing her whereabouts? Such things don’t happen when the League is involved.

“Looks that way.”  Jason leaned back in his chair, allowing his body to sag. “I have never seen Demon Spawn so edgy. He was desperate. When it became obvious that she left, I can’t believe I’m saying this, but he looked heartbroken.”

Tim nodded his head at the observation. He would even go as far as to say Damian still looked devastated.

Tim turned his chair to look at the computer behind him. He may not be able to help his brother process his emotions, but he could at least find out more about his ‘wife.’ “What do we know about her?”

“The few things I could piece together, she’s about his age. Known her by the name Ladybug. Her title is Grand Guardian of the Miraculous. And she has a slight French accent when speaking English.”

Not much, but Tim had done more with less.

A quick search of Ladybug and France produced no results outside of the normal insect articles. Adding the miraculous to his search he noticed a firewall. Changing his VPN settings to appear in France, more images populated. The new images were from personal social media accounts with the strictest privacy settings, featuring either a girl in red spandex with black dots, or the same girl accompanied with a boy in all black. All with location tags in Paris.

Switching the VPN settings to read in Paris, and suddenly the search returned thousands of images, articles, and videos of a local spotted hero known as Ladybug. Tim clicked on the first link, it was a blog called the Ladyblog. The newest post titled ‘The Chat Played Alone.’ A quick scan of the article and Tim could tell that it was more of a tabloid but he still clicked on the attached video.

A boy dressed in a skin tight black suit including cat ears and a…tail -Tim assumed him to be the Chat Noir the article referenced- was fighting off a woman wearing an atrocious ice blue ball gown with nothing more than a baton. The woman appeared to be using a scepter as a weapon, aiming it at people as it emitted a bright flash of blue light. The people hit seemed to age at an accelerated rate, it was scary to think what might happen to them if given an extended period of time. The woman screamed in French about age restrictions in beauty competitions, while Chat seemed to be goading her with age related puns. It successfully kept her focus and rage on him instead of the surrounding civilians.

The video, clearly edited to show the highlights of the battle continued with Chat narrowly evading the shots taken by the beauty queen. All the while trying and failing to get closer to her. Eventually her dress got caught by a bike rack Chat had thrown at her, causing her to be yanked back onto her bottom. He grabbed the necklace from around her neck before yelling something that sounded like ‘cataclysm.’ A black orb appeared in his right hand, crackling with some type of energy. He suddenly broke the necklace and a purple butterfly flew out. He looked as if he was about to touch it with the black orb when a yo-yo of all things, zipped past his shoulder and captured the butterfly. Chat appeared relieved as his shoulders sagged and he touched a nearby lamp. The Bats watched in awe as the lamp disintegrated into ash.

Quickly the video panned to show a second figure step beside Chat, releasing a white butterfly from her yo-yo and waving to it as it flew away. Throwing her yo-yo in the air, the screen went red as what looked to be ladybugs swarmed past the camera. In their wake all the damage from the battle was repaired. Chat then engulfed Ladybug in a hug just as the video ended.

“What the fuck did I just watch?” Jason turned to Bruce in shock.

“What time did we enter the temple?” Bruce interjected, as he studied the information in front of him.

Tim scrolled through the plane’s log, deducing the direction Bruce was heading.

“2220, Parisian time.” Tim opened the Ladyblog again, scanning the article quickly for a time stamp, “If we go ahead and assume that’s her, we at least know that she didn’t just leave Damian.”

Dick dramatically collapsed into his chair. “Oh thank god, he married a hero!” 

Chapter Text

Marinette quickly let the rage subside from Lila’s insinuation that she was incapable of winning something due to her own efforts. Naturally, Lila would set it up to where if the class lost the contest it was because Marinette failed, but if they won it was due to ‘her’ influences.

The liar sent Marinette a smirk before taking her seat next to Alya, all the while prattling on about her fictitious contact.

“Even if we don’t win, I’m excited to see him this summer before uni. We used to be so close before I moved here. In fact…” Lila twirled her finger around her ponytail, one of her more becoming hairstyles since ditching the sausage rolls, “well…I really shouldn’t say.”

Lila placed her hand to her mouth as if preventing the words from escaping. Marinette knew she did it to allow herself time to compose more lies and check the pulse of her audience. It was disturbing how she successfully applied the technique to spin a more impactful narrative.

“Come on Lila, you can tell us.” Rose whispered loudly from her table just behind Lila's seat.

“Well, I told him that if we won, I would let him take me on a date or two.” Lila drew her hands and placed them lightly to her chest, shyly looking up as her eyes slide from one observer to the next. “I have known my Damiboo for so long; it’s only natural that at some point we would start to date. In fact, his father tells me often that I would make the perfect daughter-in-law.”

Marinette chocked on the coffee Chloe had magically procured for her when they first entered the school. She quickly raised her hand to catch the liquid dribbling from her chin. She suppressed a laugh at the thought of Lila being a perfect daughter-in-law to anyone but Satan.

Beside her, Chloe was also holding back a laugh at Lila’s manifesto.

The stifled sounds caught the fox’s attention causing her head to whip around to face the two girls. “Jealous,” she said sardonically.

Before Marinette could retort to Lila’s baseless claim, the class bell rang and they were interrupted by the entrance of their business teacher, M. Delacroix.

“Good morning.” M. Delacroix easily strode from the door to the front of the large table at the head of the class. He turned to face the students while extending his arms behind him, as he casually leaned against the table to address the students. “I know since Mlle. Dupain-Cheng entered the class to win a slot at the Wayne Enterprise Business and Leadership Conference that you all have been patiently awaiting the results.”

Excited whispers filled the room as the students speculated on the timing of M. Delacroix announcement.

“Well,” he released a heavy breath, “we finally received the email with the results this morning.”

The room became quite as everyone eagerly awaited.

A three-week all-expense-paid trip to Gotham included: a week-long conference with leadership and business seminars. Followed by a two-week internship at one of the many Wayne Enterprise subsidiaries.

Being selected was an honor, given to only five business classes around the world; and Marinette had worked hard to try and make sure her class was one of them. She may not be close friends with most of her classmates anymore, but she was sure that their accomplishments spoke for themselves.

Chloe, since her return from New York, had started writing for her mother’s magazine with articles focused on the importance of politics for youth.  Luka had already gone on tour with his dad for a year. He chose to push his last year of school back so he could experience touring before deciding if it was the career he wanted. Loving it, he’d spent the year so far working on his first album set to be released after graduation.  Adrien and Kagami were representatives of their parents’ companies, all too often rubbing shoulders with many big names of the business world. Alix had become the team captain of the French Roller Derby National Champions, who were competing in the World Cup in July.

And those were only the accomplishments of her friends.

Nino was an up-and-coming DJ. Alya still had her blog, despite it being labeled a tabloid over the years. Mylene and Ivan had started a local non-profit for environmental projects through the city. Nathanial and Marc had written several award winning comic books. Juleka and Rose began a successful channel that no one saw coming but apparently people loved, the Contradictions of a Goth and a Fairy.

In short, the first period of M. Delacroix’s Business in Practice comprised of many of the up and comings of Paris, perhaps even France. Put together in a single class, Marinette suspected, to help inspire success within each other. Which was why she had no clue how Lila was included. Her accomplishments were tall-tales and her grades were, well Marinette wasn’t sure. She knew that Lila had missing assignments from all of the extensions she constantly requested, but she was unsure if she was ever held accountable for them. To this day the school still held on to the fact that she couldn’t be held accountable for her actions due to a lying disease, while at the same time, still believing every word that came out of her mouth.

“You did it, Dupain-Cheng! You did it!” Chloe grabbed her by her shoulders and shook her, causing her head to lull back and forth uncontrollably.

Marinette was brought out of her musings on Lila to focus on the cheering around the classroom. She had done it, she had won the contest, she could not help the smile that burst forth. The first real smile she had since her return from the temple. She briefly felt on top of the world.

She looked around at her classmates making note of her their expressions. Glancing over the faces of those Marinette had once called ‘friend,’ she found her mind wondering again. Four years ago, she would have been excited at the prospect of a trip with every single person in this class, –excluding Lila, naturally- especially her old friends. Yet here she was unable to truly bask in the excitement.

Her past friendships hadn’t gone down in the flames that Lila had promised, but they had drifted apart enough in that first year that even now the embers of friendship were snuffed out almost completely.

Three years ago, Marinette had been struggling with her new role as guardian, she was overwhelmed and the tasks kept piling up. Slowly, she began to drop the ball, not finishing pieces and missing out or being late for events with her friends. In the past, her friends would have forgiven her, but Lila whispered in their ears about her being unreliable and clearly not valuing their friendship. Soon enough, her friends stopped asking for things and eventually stopped inviting her to do things. Being so overwhelmed, she didn’t press back and so the friendships simply fluttered away. Then came the accusations of her bullying sweet…innocent…never can do any wrong, Lila. While they never amounted to anything more than lectures from her parents, the betrayal kept her from reaching out again to her old friends when Lila stopped the direct attacks against her.

“Okay, okay, settle down,” M. Delacroix attempted to rein in his students. “Be sure to thank Mlle. Dupain-Cheng. We will be leaving in three weeks to head to Gotham, be sure to have your parents sign and return these information packets.”

Marinette’s smile returned, Gotham for three whole weeks. She couldn’t help but think this would be the break that she needed from the drama that was her life.  If only Hawkmoth could be defeated beforehand....

Damian took his time making it down to the dining room in the morning. Having awoken to a puffy face and slight headache; he was unsure how to rid himself of his forlorn appearance.  He was Damian Al Ghul Wayne; he was not to be controlled by his emotions. Especially ones caused by someone he had known for less than twenty-four hours.

She must have been some kind of a witch to have such an effect on him so quickly. She was easier forgotten than dwelled upon. Deciding on that fact, he quickened his pace to the dining room. He would move forward as he had originally planned, as if the wedding had not occurred at all.

He made it to the room with his head held high, giving off an air of indifference before it was quickly replaced by confusion, as his eyes fell upon an unfamiliar sight for the morning. The whole Bat clan was seated quietly around the table and a beaming Jon Kent hovered in the chair next to Damian’s.

“What’s the meaning of this,” Damian huffed.

“What’s the meaning of what Demon Spawn?” Todd said in a very suspiciously nonchalant tone.

“This,” he gestured towards the table and the occupants around it, “sitting around the table looking like one big happy family. Why is Kent here?” He pointed and glared at Kent, who merely looked away sheepishly.

“Just wanted to cheer you up, Baby Bird. Jon included.” Grayson placed the side of his head on the palm of his hand, fluttering his eyelashes. “Is that so wrong?”

“I don’t need you to cheer me up.” Damian darkly muttered.

“See, that’s where you’re wrong Demon Spawn, and we know just how to do it.” A mischievous grin spread across Todd’s features before he wiggled his eyebrows at Damian.

“Tt, there is nothing you could do that would possibly cheer me up Todd, except maybe accidently fall on my blade.”

“Replacement, here…” Todd placed his hand on Drakes shoulder,  “was able to find your wife.”

Damian’s head whipped quicker than a cats tail in the direction of Drake. “Where is she?”

“Where not going to tell you…” Todd sang, “Yet!”

“I swear Todd, if you don’t tell me where she is, you will be down a set of balls.” Damian threatened.

“Oww, someone became a man and now he threatens others’ manhood.” Damian blushed, but still glared at his sorry excuse for a brother.

“We have every intention of telling you, you just have to do a little something for the info. Bruce wants you to wait for the leadership conference to be over before you track her down since it might take some time.” Drake rounded the table to approach Damian, placing a photo before him. “Is this her?”

A photo of a girl around his age in a red and black spotted outfit faced Damian. Her hair was pulled into twin tails and she had a yo-yo grasped in her hand looking posed to use it. She had all of the characteristics of his wife, but he had a hard time distinguishing her facial features to be sure.

“She is of a similar height and build, and her hair color appears the same. But, for some reason I cannot make out her face even as I look straight at it.”

“I suspect it might be some magic at work.” Drake clapped his hands excitedly. “Let us begin by alleviating some of your disappointment. She didn’t abandon you. If our Intel is correct, she had to return home to take care of a supervillain.”

“Good news, Damian, she is a hero like us!” Kent slapped his shoulder with more strength than necessary causing his chest to ram into the table.

Damian glared at his friend as he straightened back into his chair. It took a second to process the information his brothers had offered. His wife was a hero. The League had him marry a hero. She had not abandoned him. She was home. His brothers knew where to find her. They were unlikely to just hand over the information.

He felt the pressure in his chest start to dissipate.

“What do I have to do for you to tell me where she is now?” Damian fought a smile from appearing on his face, determined to appear mostly un-invested.

Grayson clapped his hands together and began to wag excitedly in his chair. “That’s the fun of it Baby Bird, you just need to complete a quick to-do list.”

Kent quickly shoved a folded piece of paper in front of Damian. Unfolding the paper gingerly, aware of the typical shenanigans of his family, he scanned the list carefully before crumpling it and tossing it towards the center of the table. “Not going to happen.”

“That’s the payment for the information, take it or leave it.” Damian gave Drake his best glare, but he was un-phased.

Running his hand down his face, Damian wondered what it would take to have the world swallow him whole. Answer, too much.

“Fine.” He growled as he retrieved the crumpled paper and stormed off back to his room.

Chapter Text

It had been over two hundred years since the last time Tikki was released from the Miraculous Box when Hawkmoth first appeared. As always, the transition from the box to the human world was disjointed. The times had changed, society had changed, the types of battles had changed and her Kaiduan would have to change with them.

The initial excitement of being reunited with her Kaiduan, was quickly replaced with trepidation. Tikki knew that this life cycle would be difficult for her little Coccinella. She was as quick as ever to spiral into bouts of overwhelming anxiety, a personality trait she never seemed to abandon with each reincarnation. In the time of social media where people were able to compare their lives to one another with a simple click of a button, her anxiety seemed worse. Fortunately, as time went on, she got better, not perfect, but capable of getting out of her spirals quickly. The lack of confidence was new however, but Tikki once again chalked it up to another effect of growing up in the current time. Luckily, when she transformed and tapped into the memories of her previous life, she drew strength from her previous confidence. Now four years later, all aspects of her life echoed that confidence. It mixed beautifully with her ever-present determination and hope.

But… there were still two things working against her Kaiduan, her little Coccinella.

To begin, both Tikki and Marinette were adjusting to being active in this century. Tikki struggled as she got use to the technological and cultural changes. Marinette struggled with juggling a large bowl of superhero and Grand Guardian responsibilities, topped with a heaping helping of trying to survive as a modern teenager.

Tikki had teenage holders before; in fact, many times she was paired with her Kaiduan when she was only a small child. But this was the first time that her Kaiduan’s movements were so dictated and monitored. Her parents had stopped caring where she went after school, but they still expected her to attend classes and help in the bakery when it suited them. Marinette was already launching a successful career in fashion which took an exorbitant amount of her time. A thing called the internet dictated how well she was doing at it and how long she should spend doing it. Her friends made sure that she participated in weekly hangouts and monopolized the little time she had free between classes. All of that was just the expectations on her as a teenager, and didn’t include her miraculous duties.

There was just not enough time in the day for her Kaiduan to thoroughly investigate the missing miraculous.

Sure, she could always choose to disappear from public life, but a Kaiduan’s life is always given to fulfill the needs of the miraculous. Kaiduan’s are never reborn with the intention of having a normal life, they are always reincarnated by Fate when Fate foresees a time of great strife in the world. So, Tikki could never ask Marinette to give up the small semblance of normalcy on top of everything else.

While her time as Marinette was dictated and critiqued, during this age, people were also watching her every move as Ladybug. The television and internet made sure that people could watch every battle, every patrol, every press conference and then comment with their ‘expert’ opinions. It was a lot of stress for an already stressed teenager.

It could have all been made easier if the Kaiduan of Destruction had been found. They were yin and yang, a pair fated to be brought together, always.

Plagg felt the presence of his soul on this plane when removed from the box. But after combing the city for a week, there was no trace within. When Hawkmoth launched his first attack, they were out of time and options, so Master Fu was forced to give the Cat Miraculous to the most compatible holder in the city. While it worked out so far and Plagg liked his kid well enough, Tikki knew that he still longed for his kitten and the Kaiduan of Creation needed her Destruction.

Never in their history had one been born without the other. Never had they failed to come together to meet the challenges Fate had foreseen. But this time they had not, and Tikki and Plagg were left wondering if Fate had made a mistake.

“Plagg?” Tikki whispered closely into his ear.

The cat kwami slurred into his pillow, “5 more minutes Adrien.”

“Plagg!” she said with more conviction adding a slap across the back of his head for good measure.

Plagg jumped up and hissed in the general direction of the offending appendage, before recognizing it belonged to his better half floating beside him. “Sugar Cube, what are you doing here?”

“We need to talk in private. Come on.”

She zoomed into Adrien’s en suite before he had time to protest. Following her as slowly as possible without angering his companion, he complained loudly about disturbed sleep to himself.  She stopped and sat on his large vanity. Plagg phased through the door and joined her, hovering instead of sitting beside her. 

“Is this about the Guardians? Shouldn’t you be talking to Pigtails about this?”

“She hasn’t worn pigtails in years unless transformed, Plagg. Can’t you find a better name for her?” Tikki fondly rolled her eyes, “But in answer to your question, yes and no.”

“Why would I be interested in anything regarding boring old guardians,” he moaned, “unless they’re like the Benedictine Monks who make wine. Please tell me that these new Guardian’s aren’t sticks in the mud like the old and might be willing to make smelly, beautiful cheese.”

“They are worse than the old Order, Plagg.” Tikki blurted out preventing the inevitable Ode to Cheese.

“That would be quite the accomplishment, Sugar Cube.” Plagg lazily shifted to float on his side, looking as if he was lounged on a chaise.

“She got married.” Tikki barely whispered as she looked sadly at him.

Having spent millennia with him, Tikki knew it took a lot to get him to show any sign of caring. He was truly the master of feigning indifference and laziness. But upon hearing the words leave Tikki’s mouth, his green eyes took on a more sinister sheen as the green became more toxic. A threatening growl emanated from his throat as his ears flattened and his tail whipped from side to side.

In short, Plagg was livid.

“And it’s not to my Kaiduan?” he delivered sharply, the growl almost transforming to a hiss. “Are you going to tell her about them? She deserves to know the truth before she has a memory that reminds her of him.”

Tikki released a heavy sigh. “No, we keep with the pact we made after their fourth reincarnation. She has never liked the implication that their souls are predestined just because they carry a piece of ours. She likes to know when it is all said and done; they chose each other because they wanted to. That’s why she asked us to never tell her…and I never will.”

Plagg’s eyes returned to their original size and color. The only indication of annoyance still present on the Cat Kwami was the continued swish of his tail. “You think that’s wise, was she even given a choice?”

“No, it was an arranged marriage. I tried to talk her out of it, but she was resolute.  Telling her about your kitten, would make her feel like I’m taking away her choice. All she ever wants is the ability to choose…,” her antennas drooped, “well, to choose him at least.”

“So, the stupid Guardians took away her choice?” He hissed.

Tikki’s entire body slumped in the air. Her eyes began to swell with tears before she launched herself at Plagg. Slightly unprepared for her sudden weight, he stumbled back in the air, but quickly recovered before wrapping his arms around his other half.  “So, what now Sugar Cube?”

Wiping her nose and eyes, Tikki straightened herself and looked right at him. “They have a right to choose someone else. They are only destined to be born together, not to have to be together. They are not soulmates or anything like that.”

“They're as close to soulmates as Fate allows...Let’s just hope that they never meet in this life. They’ve never chosen anyone but each other. Ever! And you know mine doesn’t share. If my Kitten finds out…well I know I am responsible for a lot of cataclysms through the ages, but Pompeii was not because of me…directly, anyway.”

Chapter Text

Damian looks at the first item on the list and groaned, 1. Sleepover with Best Friend.

He was curious to know how Kent had managed to weasel his way into being included in the ‘family’ checklist, but knowing his brothers, it was to add an extra layer of torture.

Before Damian was able to knock, the door of the Kent family apartment swung open with such a force he was surprised that it remained on its hinges. In the doorway stood an intimidating figure, an impression ruined by the giddy smile and excited restlessness of the individual.

“Kent.” Damian flatly greeted as he pushed his way into the homely apartment.  

Kent’s parents sat on the loveseat closest to door, his father reading the recent edition of the Daily Planet, while his mother typed away at her most recent article. He paid little mind as he moved swiftly past the cozy living room and into his best friend’s bedroom. The only acknowledgement of his entering the apartment was by Kent Sr., whose hold on the paper slacked as he briefly made eye contact with his son’s best friend. Both narrowed their eyes in recognition before Kent Sr. snapped his paper back to attention.

Dropping his stuff at the foot of the bed before turning to the doorway where his best friend waited, Damian crossed his arms and scowled.

“Okay. Let’s go.” Kent turned on his heel and bounded back towards the entrance.

Damian watched gob smacked at the abrupt departure. “Tt, I thought the deal was a sleepover,” he called after the retreating figure.

“It is, but first we’re going to hang out with our friends.”

“Friends?” Damian asked incredulously, to which Kent rolled his eyes while continuing out of the apartment.

Damian followed quietly, already cursing the ludicrous checklist.

Kent dragged Damian into the Zeta-Tube and straight into the common room of the Teen Titans. It had been three years since Damian had permanently left the team, and almost as long since he had been in the headquarters.

He knew that his teammates had been upset by his decision, but everyone acknowledged that Teen Titans was only a training ground for young heroes. He still kept in touch with them by participating in missions as often as deemed prudent, but in the end, Gotham was his playground.

“I thought we were having a sleepover?” Damian cringed at how desperate he sounded. While he had often slept in the same quarters as his friends, he had never done what his peers in school would consider a sleepover. It was beneath him to do such inconsequential ‘teen rituals.’

“Don’t worry Damian, we won’t ruin your sleepover with your bestie,” Logan smirked and winked after appearing out of nowhere. “We’re just here to make sure Jon has some fun before he has to spend the evening bored to death by you.”

“Tt,” Damian stormed angrily past the pair.

In the common room sat three couches squared around a large television on a wall. Roth sat on the center couch meditating. Upon sensing Damian’s presence, a small smile spread across her face. Her meditative state was forced to be abandoned when Logan pounced onto the cushion beside her in lion form.

Behind the left couch was the team computer where Stone sat concentrating on his latest project. On the couch lounged Reyes lackadaisically perusing his cellphone.

The only available seating was on the couch across from Reyes. Moving to sit, Damian was shoved out of the way by Kent as he plopped down in the seat before him. Pushing against an immovable object, Damian was forced to squeeze in tightly between an asshole and an armrest,

“So glad we could see your ugly face, man. It’s been a while.”  Stone finished what he had been working on with a dramatic flourish of his fingers over the keyboard before spinning around multiple times in the computer chair and stopping as he came to face the couches. He came behind Reyes, smacking him lightly over the head, forcing him to lift his legs and allow him to take a seat.  

“I have been a little…preoccupied.” While true, the fact remained that Damian preferred to avoid social calls that left him feeling awkward, such as the current one. He was great at missions, but interactions such as these forced him to address his shortcomings in social skills and general teenage experiences.

“Jon said that he needed our help in giving you the full sleepover experience.” Roth’s eyes shined with mirth as she made eye contact with Damian. She gave him a reassuring smile, yet he felt anything but.

“I can assure you it is not required.” Damian began. His mind spiraled into all of the ‘experiences’ he’d witnessed through the various movies Grayson had forced him to watch. The idea of make-overs, painting nails, and awkward conversations about crushes…Damian fists tightened to the point of turning white at the mere thought.

Reyes sensed his anxiety. “Hey, it’s not like that, a sleep-over is no different than us just hanging out like normal. We’re just use the word as an excuse to hang out outside of a mission.”

 “So, what must I do to complete this ‘sleepover.’”

His gaze fell on Kent whose grin grew impossibly wide. “First were going to watch a movie and then a game of truth or dare.”

“Perfect.” Damian deadpanned, before taking a steadying breath. It was going to be a long night.

“Okay… truth or dare time.” John flew to the coffee table after the movie wrapped up, excited at getting to partake in Damian’s first experience with ‘fun’.

Damian hesitantly removed himself from the couch to join him on the floor. He maintained a rigid back with impeccable posture as he sat cross-legged beside him. Jon nudged his shoulder attempting to get him to relax, which was ignored.

On the other side of Damian, Rachel lowered her body seductively by leaning in towards him. Her chest hovering at his eye level with him for several seconds before her body finally reached the floor. Her left arm caught her weight as she extended her legs out in front, her proximity to Damian remained unchanged as she planted her free arm behind the small of Damian’s back.

Jon caught Damian’s heart rate spike, and if he hadn’t known his best friend better, he would have thought the reaction was from the thrill of her close proximity and behavior. But, Jon knew from the clenching of his jaw that it was the result of his discomfort from the situation.  

There was a point when Damian had a slight crush on Raven, but not Rachel. The distinction between the two identities a prerequisite to understand that his crush was more admiration towards Raven’s abilities versus an attraction to Rachel as a romantic interest. That had been years ago and short lived, an ember that had never stood a chance to ignite.

This made Garfield’s current scowl -the result of Rachel’s close proximity- unwarranted. Rachel’s obvious feelings aside, Damian clearly had none and with his current predicament, Jon knew he would never allow himself to either.

“Let’s play dare or dare instead. I already know all of your guys’ dirty secrets.” Jamie said as he reached for the bowl of popcorn at Victor’s feet.

Victor swiped the bowl pulling it close to his chest. “Get your own.”

“Can someone explain the rules?”  Five sets of eyes landed on Damian, he shifted slightly under their scrutiny. Jon snickered to himself having expected such a response from his best friend.

“You mean you’ve really never played?” Garfield looked scandalized.

“Why would I, Logan?”

“Because you’re a teenager and beer pong is not an option.” Leaning over towards Jamie, Garfield held out a fist “Legally, anyways.”

Jamie returned the gesture, “-yea, buddy!”

“What is beer pong?” Rachel giggled slightly at the shocked expressions on the boys’ faces.

“Oh, sweet baby Jesus.” Jamie cried.

“Don’t worry I’ll let Jason know that he needs to explain. Perhaps we can get ‘go to teenage party’ added to your list.” Jon said as he clapped Damian on the back. “Oh…or maybe I can talk them into making you throw a party instead.”

“Rules are simple. You get dared. You do the dare. Then, you dare someone else. House rule, if you refuse a dare you have to do two instead.” Victor interrupted.

“Why don’t I go ahead and go first. You can dare me.” Jon said looking at Damian.

“Fine,” Damian appeared deep in thought, which had Jon wiggling in anticipation. “Go and bring back my father’s cowl.

Damian expected the Kryptonian to flat out refuse. Surely, he would not risk angering Damian’s father and his own.

“Okay!” before Damian even had a chance to process his best friend’s words, Damian had his father’s cowl in his lap and five laughing friends peers pointing at his slacked jaw.

“You-” was all he could muster.

“Honestly Damian…that is one of the tamer dares this group has come up with.” Kent smiled wickedly before turning to Logan, “I dare you to take Batman’s cowl and wear it around Gotham, transformed as a sheep.”

“A sheep… that’s the best you could come up with?” Logan rolled his eyes at Kent before putting the cowl on and walking to the Zeta-Tube.

Stone walked over to the computer and pulled up the camera feed closest to the tube’s exit in Gotham. Logan appeared on the camera about two minutes later as a sheep with the cowl snuggly clamping his muzzle shut. Beast Boy began to kick trashcans down the street with his hind legs, causing such a ruckus that several confused Gotham residents walked out of their building and filmed the commotion.

As the other’s laughed, Damian took a deep breath, sending out silent prayers that he would be spared from such humiliation, which would incite the ire of his father.

“My turn,” Logan rubbed his hands together as he returned from Gotham and took his seat next to Roth on the floor. “Jamie, call Traci and recite the first five pickup lines you find on the internet.... Oh, and you can’t say anything but the pickup lines.”

A deep red blush covered Reyes. “Fine.” Grabbing his cellphone off the coffee table, he typed something in the search bar. Stone jumped over the couch to plug into the computer and instantly hacked his feed and displayed it onto the large TV. The group snickered as they read the top five.

Groaning as he typed in her number, he put the call on speaker before switching back to the internet search.

“Jamie?” a feminine voice could be heard on the other end.

“Do you have a plaster…because I just scraped my knee falling for you?” Reyes cringed after delivering the line.

“What do you mean do I have a plaster? Jamie, I’m not even in the same state as you right now. Don’t you have plasters where you are?” Confusion and concern were evident in her voice. “Jaime what’s going on?”

“Well, here I am. What are your other two wishes?” Reyes shrank in embarrassment as she replied with a guttural noise.

“Aside from being sexy, what do you do for a living?” Logan suppressed a laugh by placing his hand over his mouth. Even Roth smiled at the discomfort of Reyes, making quick eye contact with Damian before dropping her head on his shoulder and lightly giggling.

Damian tensed at the contact. He knew this kind of behavior was considered flirting or usually performed by those considered to be in a relationship or perhaps just close. He was unsure how to address the attention. Any other he would have immediately thrown them off and threatened bodily harm should they repeat the mannerism. But Roth was his friend; surely there was no further meaning behind the gesture. She could not be flirting with him, could she?

Lost in his panicked state, he had missed the conclusion of Reyes turn. “Okay, Damian your turn.”

Reyes eyes immediately locked on the more intimate position between Roth and Damian, he smiled playfully. “Seven minutes in heaven with Rachel.”

Roth shifted removing her head from his shoulder; a light pink dusted her cheeks. For some the sight would be defined as endearing. Not so for Damian.

“I must refuse.” Roth looked hurt, but Damian did nothing to acknowledge her.

“Come on man. You’re seriously going to force house rules over a pretty basic dare?” Stone protested.

“It’s alright if you don’t have feelings for her, it’s just a dare.” Reyes laughed briefly, cut short by the glare he received from Damian.

“It’s personal, but just know I cannot.” Roth’s expression dropped further. He could see the tension building in her shoulders. He finally chanced looking at her; he could see the sadness and disappointment in her eyes. He did not mean to offend her, but he could never do something like that with a person he had no feelings towards, nor be intimate with anyone other than his Angel.

Stone studied his face briefly, but appeared to come up short of any revelation. Logan and Reyes merely stared and Kent sat beside him biting his bottom lip.

Running his hand through his hair, Damian slowly released the breath he was holding. “I am married, so it would be improper for me to kiss or do anything along similar lines with another. More so, I was bonded during the ceremony, therefore any kind of intimacy would be fatal with anyone besides my wife.”

Stone blinked his one eye once, twice, three times. “I don’t even know what to process first.”

“Right??? Should we address that anyone would be willing to marry him, or the fact that someone felt it necessary to ensure he was only intimate with that person. He threatens bodily harm just for brushing past him on accident. I really thought he would die a virgin, by choice.” Logan moved closer to Roth and wrapped his arm around her shoulders.

“It was an arranged marriage.” Damian scowled at Kent’s slip-up.

“That explains it.” Damian shifted his glare from Kent to Reyes. “Perhaps Rachel can remove the bond?”

She perked up at the suggestion. “Of course! I would just need her to be present in order to remove it from you both. But, you are fortunate a person is not actually bonded until they are intimate and just kissing won't trigger it.” 

She smiled at Damian as he swallowed the lump in his throat; his finger passing the metal band on his ring finger. A deep blush rose to his face at the memory of that night. Her body moving above his own, her pace helped by his hands as they gripped her hips. Her eyes closed with her head tilted back, her bottom lip trapped between her teeth as small divine sounds escaped as they both worked to satisfy the other and by doing so, satisfying themselves.

He quickly placed his hands in his lap hoping no one noticed the increasing tightness of his pants. “That will not be required, I am content with being bonded.”

“She just said you weren’t bonded unless-” Damian knew that Kent had noted the change in his breathing and his spiked heart rate as a Cheshire grin crossed his face. “No. Fucking. Way!  You didn’t tell me?!”

“Drop it Kent.” His head fell into his hands to cover the red of his face before he remembered what they were supposed to be hiding and dropped them back into his lap.

“So, what’s she like?” Logan asked, wiggling his eyebrows at Damian.

Shocked by his lack of decency, Damian rounded on him. “None of your business.”

“According to the Bats, she’s a hero.” Kent changed the direction of the conversation before an argument could ensue.

“An arranged marriage to a hero, why?” Stone looked at Damian in disbelief.

Damian merely shook his head and shrugged in response. “Ask my mother.”

“You mean you don’t know much about her?” Roth avoided looking up from the floor, “and… and you choose to remain bonded?”

Ignoring Roth, Kent excitedly turned to Stone. “Maybe you could hack into the system and find the files his brothers are hiding?”

“Seriously Jon, I know it’s not smart to hack into the Bats computer.”

“But, you are willing to try?” Damian dropped his effort at a neutral expression instead attempting his own form of puppy eyes to convince Stone. He would do almost anything to save himself from this ridiculous family bonding and find his Angel sooner.  

Stone huffed as he plugged himself in to the computer again. Suddenly, several windows began to pop up on the large television in the center of the room. The screen settled on a large black box where Stone inputted several lines of code.  

“Almost there.” Stone announced. “…In.”

The silence in the room was suddenly punctuated by a loud voice singing “Red Robin,” followed by a far too seductive, “Yummm.”

All eyes turned to Stone, who appeared just as puzzled. Not a minute later the voice repeated and it became obvious that Stone was acting as a speaker. On the computer a message flashed.

Did you really think I wouldn’t expect you to use Cyborg?

Don’t worry, it will only last for the next 24 hours.

Love,

Red Robin

As the seductive ‘yum’ echoed again through the room, Stone rose from the chair and descended upon Kent.

Grabbing Damian’s arm, Kent pulled him towards the Zeta-Tube as maniacal laughter echoed in the room. Damian wasn’t sure if it was just him making the noise or not.

“That’s our cue to continue on to the sleeping part of the sleepover.”

Chapter Text

There are very few sights that Ladybug enjoys more than watching her partner’s carefree leaps across the rooftops of Paris. Even with just his close friends, he still held back to prevent being seen in a way that could be perceived as negative by his father. But as Chat, his joy was unparalleled.

Adrien was tethered to his father’s will, bound to the requirements of his couture lifestyle. But as Chat, all those shackles were broken and he was able to leap unbounded.

For Marinette, Ladybug was tethered to the will of Fate, bound to her duties and responsibilities as the Kaiduan of Creation.  As Marinette, she felt unburdened, free from her chains to explore her passions and creativity. At least that was the case until she donned the title of Grand Guardian. The new title meant that the freedoms she thought she could enjoy, were stripped from her as she was encumbered by additional burdens.

Patrols became an outlet for both heroes to satisfy the mask. For Ladybug, it was an opportunity to feel proactive in her duty to find the missing miraculous. For Chat, it was an opportunity to be released from his prison for the night. For the City of Love, it became a necessity as local crime increased and vigilante justice became a necessity.  

When Hawkmoth had first appeared, the akumas would send all of Paris into a frenzy. As time passed, there was a sense of numbness related to the attacks. People didn’t seem to care about the interruptions unless they were in the vicinity or directly impacted by the akuma. A blessing, as Paris was able to function despite the emotional terrorist, but a curse, as people attributed non-related crimes to the akumas.

The police had become overwhelmed as crime rates rose. Too many criminals were willing to test people’s resolve, and unfortunately too many crimes went unanswered by the scales of justice.  Ladybug and Chat Noir felt guilty and chose to take on the additional role of vigilantes several times a week to assist. They didn’t increase the number of patrols, merely altered the focus.

A crumbling brick vanished under Ladybug’s spotted boot, forcing her to focus her attention on her footing as she continued to tail her partner. She maintained her distance behind Chat, watching as he performed a series of tricks in the air. Using his baton to launch himself from the roof of a two-story building up to the top of a six-story apartment complex, Chat completed a full layout before landing and turning back to his partner. She followed behind using her yo-yo to swing up the building, tucking into a front flip as she gracefully landed on the roof before running closely behind her partner once again.

As Chat reached the edge he called ‘launch right,’ as he crouched down with his arms ready to cradle her weight. She increased the speed of her run to use his arms as a springboard to launch into the air. She angled her body to the right, before flicking her yo-yo to wrap around the closest rail. Her body altered trajectory based on the action, causing her to change to the direction called by Chat.

At the peak of her ascension, she quickly spotted what had drawn his ire. Two men circled a young woman that they had backed along a wall on the roof top.  The men moved in concert, much like two ravenous wolves slowly cornering their prey ready for attack. But unlike a buck struggling against the inevitable, the woman acted like a doe, accepting her inescapable fate.

Ladybug landed silently behind them, retracting her yo-yo as she gave the lady a reassuring smile. The steel tipped boots of her partner landed quietly behind her. Two swift hand movements relayed her plan to Chat. He nodded his assent before they both sprang into action.  

Taking on the closest of the assailants, she kicked her foot into the crux of his knee, causing it to bend and shift his weight towards the floor. Before he fell onto the ground, she twirled around to his front where she brought her knee into his gut. He groaned as he crumbled to the ground, his arms crossed over his stomach.  Walking past him, she shot her elbow into his back causing him to sprawl out across the floor. She pulled both arms behind his back and tied his hands together with a zip tie taken from her yo-yo.

Once finished, she turned to her partner to watch the second assailant collapse to the floor from a right jab across his temple. Ladybug handed Chat a second zip tie before turning towards the victim.

“Call the police Chat. I’ll help her.” She called across her right shoulder.

As Ladybug approached, she noticed that the girl’s age was hidden behind a mask of make-up and clothing more fitting of a young adult headed to a nightclub. The gravity of the position the girl was in, hit Ladybug like a ton of bricks. The world was too cruel.

Despite being out of immediate danger, once the girl caught sight of her two attackers apprehended, she fell to the ground into the fetal position. She began to rock back and forth, muttering incomprehensibly to herself.

Ladybug knew that this particular damage was outside her scope. The sooner the police arrived, the sooner she would be able to get the help that she needed.

She approached the girl with her hands held out and palms facing up, hoping that it would demonstrate that she meant no harm. However, the child seemed to ignore her presence and continued whimpering to herself.

Ladybug noticed the ominous butterfly approaching, but before she could act, it entered the young girl’s choker. She watched in horror as the amethyst butterfly mask covered the young girls face. The words ‘yes, Hawkmoth,’ were heard before dark purple bubbles encased her body.

Ladybug cursed Hawkmoth and quickly retreated.  Grabbing one of the assailants to prevent akuma justice she withdrew from the young girl, while Chat grabbed the other and followed suit.  

Hawkmoth’s creations were typically tame, all things considered. Despite having the option, he never went as far as akumatizing violent criminals, scoundrels, or sadists.  But battles where the akuma were victims of some form of violence were often the most devastating to Paris and the hardest to fight. Driven by righteous anger, their powers tended to resemble the crimes committed against them and they tended to direct their fury onto anyone they felt guilty of similar wrong-doings. Fueled by their vendetta, their movements were less predictable as their focus never seemed to stay on Ladybug and Chat Noir for long. Akuma fights were bad in general of course, hard for Ladybug and Chat Noir physically, but akuma fights with victims suffering from trauma were mentally taxing on the heroes and Paris itself.

The sound of the akuma closely behind them shortened their search for a place to dump and store the assailants.  Ladybug watched as Chat deposited his burden in the closest dumpster. “We’re out of time, so he can just take some time to ripen up.”

Ladybug hesitated but quickly followed suit. “Are we seriously leaving them here, Kitty?”

“Just taking out the trash, M’lady.” Ladybug rolled her eyes at her partner before launching herself back onto the rooftop with her yo-yo.

Chat quickly caught up, moving to take point as they raced back towards the akuma. Unfortunately, their small detour cost them visual contact. The victim had abandoned her pursuit of the two heroes in lieu of a different target.

Following the police scanners tracking the reports of the akuma destruction from Chat’s baton, Ladybug and Chat Noir landed in front of what appeared to be an abandoned warehouse. However, something had blown a hole into its side, revealing some form of trafficking operation in chaos.

Impish creatures, crimson in color, were physically pinning down the apparent traffickers. No taller than three feet, their angelic faces contradicted their demonic bodies. Long, bony fingers with talons for nails raked against the trafficker’s skin. In their wake, angry scarlet trails were singed into their bodies, with both steam and the smell of seared flesh filling the air.   

As soon as the target passed out from pain, the minion left their first victim and pounced on a second, but not before emitting a disturbingly angelic laugh.

Ladybug gasped in horror at the sight before her.

She quickly sent a text to the police, alerting them of the situation, before latching her yo-yo to the closest beam. “Let’s go Chat. We need to take care of this as quickly as possible before they multiply and leave the warehouse.”

The akuma victim stood in the center of the warehouse with a group of small children surrounding her. Dressed similarly to a porcelain doll, Ladybug was unsure if it reflected what had been expected of her, or the image she wished she could return to. A sardonic grin directed at the multiple victims of her minions never wavered. Her countenance offered no comfort to the small waling children who clutched desperately to her.

The smile dropped from her face as her sight landed on the duo.

“My name is Sweet Reckoning and my quarrel is not with you. If you would simply hand over your miraculous, I may continue what I’ve started.”

“We can’t let you keep doing this!” Chat shouted back.

“Why not, I am only returning the favor. Let them reap what they have sown!” She placed her hands on two of the small children huddled closely to her. Before their eyes, the children turned into imps in a flash of crimson light. “Go and bring me Ladybug’s and Chat Noir’s miraculous.”

“Right now, you’re no better than the those that did this to you.” Ladybug yelled as she dodged one of akuma’s minions.

“They will know the pain they have caused!”

Sweet Reckoning turned in her anger and touched each of the remaining children. As the crimson light faded around her, she directed the horde towards the heroes.

Before Ladybug knew it, they were quickly overwhelmed by the sheer number of imps. Unwilling to further injure the children, it was an uphill battle to get close to the akuma.

Time slowed to an excruciating crawl as Chat suddenly screamed out in pain. Ladybug twisted around to watch as her partner crumbled to the floor as several minions descended upon him. Smoke rose as their fingers traced his suit, exposing his skin to their searing touch.

Latching her yo-yo to a nearby rafter, she swung across the sea of red, to lift her partner to the safety of several stacked boxes.

Ladybug hoped to finish the battle quickly, as Chat nursed his scarred skin gingerly. Their safety was quickly threatened as several minions began to rock the boxes. Questioning the integrity of the tower in the face of the unrelenting assault, she called upon her Lucky Charm. Into her waiting hands fell a picture of the akuma victim, slightly younger. She was wearing a mirthful smile filled with innocence, beaming at what appeared to be her parents.

The use of the frame was straight forward for once. Ladybug called for the akuma’s attention and once gained, gently lobbed the frame at her. Sweet Reckoning caught the picture and simply looked at the image before falling to her knees and crying. Hawkmoth’s purple mask covered her face, but the tears did not subside.

“I just want to go home,” was all Sweet Reckoning repeatedly whined between sobs before the mask disappeared.

With her attention diverted from commanding her minions, Ladybug snuck behind her and removed the akumatized choker. Snapping it in half, she whipped her yo-yo out to capture the akuma. “No more evil-doing for you little akuma.”

Swiping her finger along the compact, it opened. “Bye-bye little butterfly.”

Delicately removing the frame from the young girl’s hands, she threw it in the air. “Miraculous Ladybug.”

A swarm of ladybugs reverted the minions back to children and reversed the burns to the traffickers and Chat. Ladybug caught the young victim in her arms and slowed her descent to the ground as she once again closed herself off to her surroundings.

Afraid the victim would not appreciate unwanted physical touch; Ladybug removed herself from the young girl. She chose to remain close hoping her proximity would offer comfort and reassurance to her and the other children.

In the wake of the madness, the blue lights of the police surrounded the warehouse. 

Grateful was never a word that Ladybug would care to associate with Hawkmoth. But, she was grateful tonight, that something positive came out of the akumitization. Without it, who knows how long those young victims would have been subjected to such human depravity. The scars from the evening would remain for some time, unable to be healed by ladybugs.

Chapter Text

Dick stood in the doorway, trying as carefully as possible to not be seen nor heard. In the back corner of the room sat Damian in a small chair, a towering figure at his daughter’s small play table. Around him sat a parade of stuffed animals in varying stages of ‘princess’ dress. Directly across from him sat the petite figure of his daughter, adorned in the voluminous bubblegum-pink tulle princess dress Damian had gifted her that morning.

A crown of Baby’s Breath sat upon her head, which she held unnaturally high in an attempt to seem more poised. A porcelain bowl of sugar held in one hand, a small silver spoon in the other.

“Sir Dami, one lump or two?”

“One, dear Princess.” Damian smiled at Mar’i, an unusual brightness behind his eyes, as she took a heaping spoonful of sugar and unceremoniously dumped it into the doll sized teacup.

He held back his laugh as Damian cringed while draining the cup.

“Sir Dami, don’t forget to lift your pinky.”

“Apologies Princess.” He lifted the cup once more with his pinky held dramatically up in the air. He begrudgingly ground the remaining sugar between his teeth as he returned the cup to its saucer. “Would her Highness grace this good Knight with another cup?” His usually harsh tone was soft and delicate.

“Of course, Sir Knight.” Mar’i swiftly poured a small amount of tea in the cup before depositing an even bigger spoonful of sugar. Panic briefly flashed in Damian’s eyes at the copious amount.

His brother was harsh, painfully stoic and rash in judgment, but Dick knew it was a front he put up to cover his vulnerabilities. His upbringing had forced Damian to build a wall around things deemed as potential weaknesses, such as emotions, family, and imperfection. He had made great progress in lowering the walls but was still uncomfortable exposing possible shortcomings. But with Mar’i, he knew there would be no judgment, no test to fail, no expectation he couldn’t achieve. This was when Damian was himself and it was a sight that Dick loved to witness.

He was a good kid… no, a great kid, when he wasn’t trying to hold himself to some ridiculous expectation. He was hoping that the family checklist would show Damian that the only person holding him to those expectations was himself.  Dick was confident that this Ladybug would love him, but only if he showed her who he really was.

Suddenly the high tea was interrupted by Titus, who had decided there was a lack of attention on him. Nuzzling his head against Mar’i, Damian had taken the opportunity to stand and unsheathe his play sword.  

“Worry not fair Princess, I shall save you from the ferocious demon.”

His daughter responded by floating into the air and into the arms of her brave Knight. Much to the apparent delight of Titus, who also raised himself into Damian’s arms, causing his brother to fall backwards onto the floor.

His daughter’s giggling echoed through the halls, followed shortly by the unconstrained chuckle of his brother.

Dick quietly walked away, snickering to himself.

Damian folded his arms across his chest as he sat in a supple leather couch in the family living room. His good mood from the afternoon with his niece, replaced with trepidation at the agony his third checklist item promised. 3. Family Game Night Hosted by Dick.

Grayson had spared him from the girls’ presence by declaring the evening a boy’s night, but he would rather avoid the evening all together in favor of protecting his ego. While master of the sword, hand to hand combat, intelligence collection, and languages, Damian would never admit that he often had a hard time measuring up in such simple games as Sorry or Halo. Therefore, he would often use family game nights as an excuse to ‘catch-up’ on reading or other mundane activities. Tonight, those excuses wouldn’t work, and he would have to avail himself to the tormentors known as his brothers. The instrument of his torture…playing games in order to get the information he wanted on Ladybug.

Drake was seated next to him on the couch, working diligently on his laptop. Damian noted the lack of dark circles under his eyes; apparently, he had been able to get some sleep in the last week. Todd lounged across the second couch nursing an extra-large whiskey. He loved to hang with his brothers, especially if it meant an opportunity to prank Damian. But Grayson could go over the top with his game nights, much to the chagrin of even the carefree Todd.

Speaking of the game master, Grayson sat in front of the television, struggling with an old VHS player while muttering loudly about the incompatibility of the old system with HDMI. Drake finally took pity on his brother by putting down his laptop before moving to assist in hooking up the two systems.

Finally, the television lit up with the word Clue boldly written in white letters against a black screen with the smaller options of: play game 1, 2, and 3 and their accompanying minute markers close to the bottom of the screen.

“Ready!” Grayson yelled out into the hallway. His father and Pennyworth soon appeared in the room, the former taking a seat in an empty armchair, the latter standing next to the large television looking much like Vanna White.

Grayson hooked his arms around Todd’s legs and swung them forcefully off the couch as he took the seat on the far left. Todd sat up and grumbled some choice curses under his breath, before draining his whiskey and rising to get another.  

“So I found this in the attic and thought it could be fun, Alfred was gracious enough to act as the Butler or MC for the evening. It’s supposed to be like the board game, but we watch a video and then we’re supposed to deduce the killer, weapon and where the murder happened from both the video and the clue cards here.” He gestured to a stack of playing cards on the coffee table.

“Sounds easy.” Todd said as he plopped himself back down onto the couch.

“One would hope for the world’s greatest detectives, Master Jason.” Pennyworth turned to face the television with the remote in hand, suppressing a sly smile as he pressed play.

“So I guess this is where we can start making our guesses?” Grayson placed his cards face down on the coffee table. He smiled to himself; Damian supposed this meant he felt confident in his guess?

“Yes, Master Dick. You may make a guess and then I will inform you if you are correct.”

“Okay,” Grayson took a deep breath before he smirked, raising his right eyebrow as he tilted his head down. He interlaced his fingers together, rocking his hands slightly causing them to crack. He then quickly lifted his head and made eye contact with Pennyworth.

“Ms. Scarlett killed Mr. Body. Jealous of his influence she worked to slowly turn his associates against him, its own poison of sorts. She then used actual poison to murder him, cementing his power for her own. Oh and she killed him in the kitchen, because that is where he dropped when the poison finally did him in.”

“Quite the interesting theory you have there, Dick.” Todd smacked Grayson on the shoulder following through just enough to reflect his slightly inebriated state.

“It was really quite elementary, my dear Bats.” Grayson flashed his 1000 watt smile at Todd.

“You would be incorrect, Master Dick.” Grayson’s smile fell, he slowly drooped into the couch. Todd smirked and even his father lightly chuckled at Grayson’s deflated ego.

Grayson had ignored the mocking of his brothers, but turned towards his father, “Okay, Greatest Detective, have you solved it?”

His father’s smile flattened as he took on his Batman persona. “It was Colonel Mustard, with the ax in the library. If we’re making up back stories, he too wanted Mr. Body’s power, having recruited many allies he was able to infiltrate Mr. Body’s organization, ready to make it his own. Upon his death he hoped to hack it apart and replace it with a structure of his own design.”

“Very interesting backstory Master Bruce, but just like Master Dick, you are incorrect.”

“Greatest detective my ass”

“Language, Master Jason.”

“Sorry Alfred.”

Damian was dumbfounded. How could this room boast having the world’s greatest detectives, but they had still failed to solve a game about murder? He took a deep breath and wracked his brain putting together all the clues he had, crossing off the long list of guesses already made.

“I have figured it out. It was Ms. White, with the knife in the billiard room. Mr. Body was her lover but he had replaced her, so she stabbed him in the back.” Damian was getting a kick out of making up the stories and of course if it involved a knife…et tu brute?

His triumphant smile quickly faded with Pennyworth’s, “Wrong again, Master Damian.”

For the first time in his life, Damian imagined throwing the knife hidden in his shirt at Pennyworth. Surely Pennyworth was renowned for knowing more than the rest, but he was far too smug for even Damian’s liking.

“Professor Plum used the bomb to kill Mr. Body in the conservatory. He’s just another Riddler believing he knows better than everyone else.” Drake yelled out, crumbling the paper he had started using into a ball and angrily throwing it at the closest wall. It mocked him by not even making it the full distance, pathetically falling to the floor only to roll to a stop just short of the wall.

“Afraid not, Master Tim.” Damian snickered at the frazzled Drake, who started pulling his hair in frustration.

Damian began to pace back and forth behind the couch, frustrated yet again. “Okay, it’s Mrs. Peacock with the rope in the library. Spoiler…by killing Mr. Body she also tied a noose around her own neck, leading to her own death.”

Sure his story was basic, the problem with having to become so inventive after too many attempts, but he was certain he’d finally found the right combination.

“Incorrect once again, Master Damian.” Alfred boasted, his stoic posture, unchanged from the beginning of the evening.

“Mr. Green with the pistol in the dining room, no real reason, no real motive, just because he can.” Todd angrily shouted as he downed the rest of his whiskey. His fifth for the night by Damian’s count.

“Afraid not, Master Jason.”

“Okay, that’s it! I give up.” Todd rose from the couch and smashed his glass into the fireplace. An overly dramatic reaction, that Damian reveled in. He loved getting to watch Todd ‘self-destruct.’

“Me too. Okay Alfred, who was it?” Grayson stood next to Todd, placing a comforting hand on his shoulder.

“It was the Butler with his bare hands in the hall.” Pennyworth stated as a matter of fact.

“That wasn’t even a fucking option!!” Todd screamed as he lunged at the still composed Pennyworth.

Grayson held Todd back, but looked just as willing to deck the old butler. While he had to admit that he had failed to solve a simple household game, his brothers had also failed. It was nice to see everyone a little upset at the turn of events, mad perhaps a little at Pennyworth, but he knew tomorrow it would be fine, all would return to normal.

“Joker card...,” Drake bobbed his head, “mood,” before he picked up his laptop and resumed his work.

Chapter Text

“Even if you’re barely wearing anything Adrien, you still need to connect with the audience. Make them want you....make them feel like you desire them.”

Adrien shifted his body slightly as he took the end of the stage. A slight adjustment to his posture would appease Estelle, she was only looking for him to appear like he was making an effort.

“That’s more like it.” Estelle praised.

Adrien pivoted on his heel and made his way back down the runway, rolling his eyes at the stupidity of it all. Just. Three. More. Months. That was all he had left before he would be given a renewal contract with Gabriel and graduated from lycée. Then he would be expected to head off to college, probably online courses, to study business while working to one day take over his father’s company.

A contract, he had decided he was not going to sign. He knew that he would be disowned the moment he refused, but he was done doing stuff just to please his father. He had more than enough money from his mother’s trust fund and a savings account from his modeling that rivaled even a well-established businessman. He had survived this long without his ‘father’, he could survive without his money.

Thankfully, he had a signed contract with his father’s current fashion rival Kaid, that took effect the moment his current one expired. It would infuriate his father to no end as he was still attempting to sign a collaboration with the mysterious designer.

Marinette had all but begged him to sign, not that she needed to, and made sure he knew she was ready with open arms to accept him as family the moment his father inevitably kick him to the curb. He knew that modeling wasn’t his long-term career goal, but he was grateful that his bestfriend was willing to employ him while he tried to figure himself out. He was ready for the real world, or rather ready to face it and stumble and occasionally fall. But as long as his lady was there he knew that he wouldn’t stay down for long.

Taking the final step off the stage, he began to weave through the other models, making his way towards his dressing room. As he turned the corner down the hallway for VIPs he came upon the last person he wanted to, Lila.

How she was still employed by his father after all these years, he wasn’t sure. She was an underserving diva that everyone catered to. Her ads were frequently some of the worst performing and yet, she was somehow still consistently picked for more ads and runway.

Sauntering over from her place on the wall, he attempted to continue walking past her while ignoring her presence. Snaking her arms around his torso from behind, she prevented his unhindered escape. He hissed as her nails dug into his hip bone as she strengthened her grip on his waist as he tried to wiggle out of her grip.

Unable to risk another complaint to his father by the fox, he attempted to keep his voice as professional as possible, “Lila, please remove your hands.”

Instead of removing her hands she began to trace her right hand up and down his exposed chest. She moved around him to face his front, both hands coming to rest on his chest as she leaned into him. Just as her chest was about to touch him Adrien grabbed her hands and pushed them away from him. “Lila, I have asked you not to touch me. I have a girlfriend.”

She purred at him.

While not returning her hands to his chest, she still hovered her body closely to his. She lifted onto the balls of her feet so that her face came to the same level as his, forcing eye contact. The sight made his stomach drop and bile rise to his throat. If eyes were the window to the soul hers was devious and dark.

She whispered innocently into his ear. “I can share.”

Adrien choked on the bile in his throat. He glared at her in a way he hoped conveyed his disgust, but a finger tracing down from his chest to the waistband of his trunks stopping just shy of dipping below, proved she didn’t notice or she didn’t care.

“I know you want me, Kagami is too much of a prude to give you what you want or need.” She wasn’t wrong but she wasn’t right. He and Kagami had not been intimate largely due to Kagami’s desire to refrain from sex until marriage. He wasn’t upset about it though because a part of him, a part he tried to ignore and deny, knew sex with Kagami wasn’t what he wanted.

Because at the end of the day she wasn’t Marinette and neither was Lila.

Lila lightly traced the rim of his waist band, her finger lightly tucked under. Chanting in his head ‘murder is not an option, murder is not an option,’ he fought the urge to throw her down the hall as he placed his hands on hers again stopping her movement.

“Get your hands off him, Lila.” Adrien released the breath he didn’t know he was holding at the sound of Marinette’s voice. She was accompanied by two members of the shows crew.

Lila jumped back from Adrien and curled in on herself. Exactly like someone who was caught doing something wrong but hoping to look innocent. “We were only practicing for the photo shoot,” she choked out between pretend sobs.

There were no photos for the show, or at the very least not with Lila. He’d already taken them some days ago. Adrien knew this as did the rest of the show’s crew and yet... “Oh you poor thing, we didn’t think that you were doing anything wrong dear.”

Lila sniffed as one of the assistants wrapped her arm around her shoulder and guided her out of the hall. The second assistant followed closely behind, leaving Marinette’s and Adrien’s jaws on the floor.

Had they truly not noticed his tense posture and stern words? Even if they didn’t and had followed along with her story, what part of it required her to be comforted?

“You really need to talk to your father about her.” Marinette finally broke the silence that filled the hall after the three women were long out of sight.

“He won’t listen. He never does.” Adrien shifted his gaze from the hallway to the floor. He had brought Lila up to Natalie on several occasions, but his protests were ignored. Just like he was.

“Talk to him as if it’s business. If she’s doing it to you, she has to be doing it to others.” Marinette turned to face him. Her gaze pierced his heart and soul.

Adrien stood still, unsure what to say. It was disgusting the things that she was able to get away with towards him. He was strong and he would never allow it to go too far, but what if she was doing the same thing to someone else. The bile that had disappeared with Marinette’s presence reappeared in his throat.

“Kitty, I can’t tell you how scared I was that your shorts weren’t going to stop her hand this time. It’s only a matter of time that she does something that will really upset you. Not that what she’s done isn’t bad enough and you should already be upset by it” She signed and grabbed his hand, squeezing it lightly. “I don’t want to fight an akumatized Kagami and I don’t want to go to jail for murder.”

She tried laughing as if it was a joke, but Adrien knew that she wasn’t joking.

“Is it some kind of Jedi mind trick?” Adrien wondered aloud.

“What’s that Kitty?”

“I just wonder how she does it. Everyone believes everything that comes out of her mouth or does what she asks without question. All she has to do is suggest something and suddenly it’s the truth. It’s like the only people that don’t believe her are people that know 100% that she’s lying. Even when people are presented with logical arguments against her lies, or common knowledge, or even…or even when they know something that could contradict her, even her own previous lies, they chose to ignore it in favor of her newest tale.”

Marinette only hummed in response.

They had argued the same points as they watched the same scene replay over and over and yet the results were always the same. Lila won.

So they did the only thing that they could. They kept away from her and separated themselves from those who followed her blindly. Adrien’s father had been furious with him upon hearing that Adrien was no longer entertaining Lila at school. But Adrien refused to budge, choosing to only have to put up with her at work. This unfortunately meant that events such as the present were becoming the norm with Lila, as she abused her privileges at work. She was still resolute to use him both physically and as means to get ahead in the industry.

“So… what brought you here this fine day, Princess?” Adrien hoped a topic change would break the tension.

“Just came to oversee a quick photo shoot with Uncle Jagged.”

“Ah, wearing yet another Kaid original.” Marinette winked at him as she squeezed his hand before releasing it.

“I’ll catch you later?” She moved towards her destination in the hall, pausing for an affirmation from Adrien.

He nodded before releasing a long sigh after her smile disappeared behind the door.

Stepping in front of the desk outside of his father’s office in the mansion, Adrien waited for Natalie to notice him. He was determined to talk to his father, the Lila situation had gone on for too long. Marinette was right, it was time to ensure something was done about it.

“Can I help you Adrien?” Natalie didn’t look up from her computer as he came upon her desk.

“I would like to speak to my father.” He steeled his resolve, he would tell his father that he would no longer work with Lila or he would no longer work at all citing sexual harassment.

“I will put you on his schedule.” She looked away from her computer to look at the tablet beside her. “His next available is Friday at 3.”

“No, Natalie.” She finally removed her eyes from her computer to look at him. He swallowed his nerves and glared back. “I will not wait to talk with my father, I will not be another block on his schedule, I am his son and he will talk to me when I need to talk to him.”

“Adrien, you know your father will not put up with being interrupted. I can discuss with him about perhaps being able to meet earlier, I can schedule breakfast or dinner on Wednesday.”

Sick of constantly being shoved to the bottom of his father’s to do list, Adrien simply slid past Natalie’s desk and moved towards the door of his father’s office.

Pushing the doors open he noticed the empty room. He thought it strange but took a seat on one of the chairs nevertheless. Natalie quickly followed him into the room.

“Adrien your father is not currently here, if you simply wait in your room, I will inform him that you wish to speak to him when he arrives.” Adrien watched Natalie twist her hand anxiously.

“No, I will lie in wait here. I am going to speak to my father tonight and if that means that I have to sit here to do it, then I will sit here all night.” Adrien looked away from Natalie.

“Please, Adrien…”

“That will be all, Natalie.” Shocked by his cold tone, a match to his father’s, she reluctantly turned and shut the door, leaving Adrien alone.

Just as he questioned whether waiting was the best use of his time, a clicking noise from his mother’s portrait caught his attention. The portrait opened and a lone figure dressed in silver and purple emerged.

Chapter Text

Checking his watch, he noted the time, 0600. The perfect time to start the day with a prank.

Quickly removing the foghorn from his pocket, he placed it next to his brother’s head. Covering his own ears to the best of his ability, he pressed down.

Jason watched in delight as Damian fell gracelessly out of his bed and onto the floor. “Rise and shine Demon Spawn, today you’re mine.”

Checklist item 4, Spend 24 hours with Jason. Let the fun begin.

Damian sighed as he looked at his watch, 0705, the day had barely begun, and already it was too long. Todd had refused to leave Damian alone as he got ready for the morning. Going as far as to awkwardly follow him into the bathroom. A shadow Damian could not shake, because unfortunately, he had to play by Todd’s rules if he wished to complete the check list.

Of all people to have to spend 24 hours with, Damian lamented the fact that it had to be Todd.

Jason looked Damian up and down as he turned from the computer. He could not have him go as Robin. While his contacts knew Red Hood worked with the Bats, they would refuse to work with one directly. 0814, enough time to throw together a new outfit.

“You’re going to hate it, but when we’re working with-” Jason waved his hand up and down gesturing at all of Damian. “You’re going to wear one of my uniforms and my helmet. And you’re going to have to act less like…you.”

“Fine, I will wear the helmet and act accordingly. But I will be allowed to pick my own outfit. I would look ridiculous attempting to fill one of yours.”

Jason attempted his best offended look. “What are you trying to say?”

“If I was trying to say anything, I would just come out and say it.” Damian smirked. “Allow me to demonstrate. You are an asshole. See, simple and to the point, no way anyone could question my intent or meaning.”

“Fuck you.”

“Wow, you catch on surprisingly fast.”

Hood’s contacts were late, it was 0923 and they were supposed to have arrived thirteen minutes ago.

Mini’Hood pulled at his put together ensemble, he could acknowledge the tactical advantages of the helmet, but he could not get over looking like a strawberry flavored condom.

Red Hood suddenly stood from the crate he had been sitting on, taking a defensive stance and placing his hand over his holstered guns. Mini’Hood followed suit but kept to the shadows.

Two men quietly came into view. Hood’s posture relaxed as he crossed his arms over his chest. “What do you have for me?”

“Scarecrow’s got an order coming in. Not sure what, but it’s big. If I had to take an educated guess, some kind of chemical transport.” The man spoke quickly and in a hushed tone. The second man continued to scan the building. Mini’ Hood had to commend Red Hood on his informants. They were obviously not the brightest, but they at least were vigilant to their surroundings and got straight to the point without prompting.

“I’ve written down the information for you. We’ll keep in touch.” He slipped a piece of paper into Hood’s outstretched hand then turned to take his leave.

Jason sat over Damian’s shoulder as he created a field report back in the cave. The information they had been able to collect from his informants was limited, but he would be able to follow up and hopefully land more solid information before it became a problem. 1033, a somewhat successful morning.

“I must admit that I did not know that you worked so much during the day.” Damian deadpanned.

Jason scoffed. “Contrary to popular belief, most criminal dealings occur during the day.”

“Perhaps you are not as idle as I once perceived.”

Jason clapped his brother on the shoulder. “You surprise me all the time too.”

Watching Todd lead the security team at Wayne Enterprise, Damian was shocked at the level of aptitude the man-child possessed. The man, whose sole purpose seemed to only be to torment and prank him, was surprisingly good at other things. Todd obviously had the respect of the security team, a few choice words and his meaning was understood and executed without question.

It was 1134 on a Saturday. Ten minutes into the meeting, the weeks plan was briefed, and the members dismissed.

Damian would never say it out loud, but he could not deny that perhaps Todd was not as incompetent as he once thought.

Only 1202 according to his watch. A Research and Development meeting on a Saturday wasn’t his idea of necessary.

“We are set to remain within budget as long as the prototype is successful with minimal changes required before production.” Mr. Easton, Department Head of R&D droned on.

“Perfect, what of the new hire?” Tim kept his eyes on his computer.

“Yes, allow me to introduce Dr. Ryan Kellan.” A young man probably around twenty-five stepped forward.

“Good morning. I can’t fully express how pleased I am to have the opportunity to continue working on my dissertation. I hope that within the year I will be able to put my theory on energy manipulation into practice”

“Perhaps you would be willing to give us a brief description of what you hope to accomplish?” Tim finally looked up from his work.

“To prevent going into too much science jargon, I have potentially found a way to manipulate energy to go from one form to another. It should take something like a piece of plastic and manipulate the energy from the atoms to create a pure or more malleable form of energy, while leaving behind only ash.”

Wow, that’s some Luther Corp level shit.

“Interesting, please continue.”

 Jason involuntarily threw his head back. God, it was going to be a long meeting.

At 1310, Damian was finally able to sit down for lunch. Todd had excused himself giving Damian a short amount of alone time. He closed his eyes and took a bite of the meal Alfred had prepared.

Surprisingly, he was bored without Todd’s presence.

How was it that a peaceful afternoon reading session turned into an afternoon of Riddles?

1455, they had been working through Riddler’s traps for the last thirty minutes. Red Hood was happy Robin and him were working together without biting each other’s heads off.

Perhaps this was a sign that forcing Damian to spend 24 hours with him was working. 

“Damn it, Todd, are you trying to get us killed? Do you even think before you act?”

Or not!

Robin had to admit that there was something about brute force. He couldn’t help but admire Hood as he took down goon after goon with merely the sheer force of his punches.

Perhaps he had always claimed Hood was more brawn than brains because he was jealous of this ability.

No, he wasn’t jealous of Hood, not anymore at least, he respected Hood’s uniquely ‘Jason’ style of fighting.

Perfect, 1505, less than an hour to take down the Riddler.

Did Jason find this moment odd? Yes, yes he did. It was not often that Damian would allow people into his studio to observe his work. Yet, here he was at 1635, in Damian’s studio, enjoying a book while Damian worked quietly on a canvas hidden from Jason’s view.

1737, just under an hour before they would be called to dinner.  Damian looked at the canvas in front of him, just enough time to get a preliminary sketch of Todd done.

He studied the composition; the original placement wasn’t feeling right anymore. His hand began to sketch before his mind caught up.

Taking a step back to survey his outline, he knew that he had unconsciously added what would have otherwise been missing from the piece. Belonging.

Jason had big plans for the evening, and he couldn’t wait to see Damian’s reaction. Would Damian hate it? Yes! Would that make it better for him? Of course!

His hope for a quick dinner was quickly squashed when a roll hit him. Looking up at Damian, he expected to see his arm following through from the surprise attack. Instead, he found Damian searching the table for the location of the attacker as well. His eyes landed squarely on Dick, who was attempting to hide his guilt.

He was further surprised when a second roll hit Dick squarely right between the eyes. This time, he witnessed Damian’s arm retract, only for it to lift again to block an attack from Tim.

Sides clearly drawn, the war began at 1845.

Damian looked at the full-length mirror in his room taking in his current outfit of dark washed, tight, but comfortable jeans, with a plain black fitted t-shirt. It had taken Todd fifteen minutes to find the ‘perfect’ outfit. Despite its simplicity, he knew he looked good. But it meant it was now 1955 and they were outside of Todd’s acceptable leaving window.

A final glance in the mirror and Damian followed Todd out the bedroom door. Perhaps it would be advisable to have Todd take him shopping sometime.

Jason looked down at his watch, 2059. A little later than he was hoping to arrive at the club, but as long as they were seated before 2150 it would be okay.

He handed Damian a card before they pushed forward to the front of the queue.

Damian looked down at the card, “It’s a fake ID.”

“Yeah and…”

“Why would I need one, Todd?”

“To act your fucking age.” He pushed his younger brother towards the bouncer at the door, handing over his own ID before prodding his brother to do the same.

“What is that suppose to mean?”

“It means that if I had tried to put the age you acted…well lets just say decrepit old fuck’s not an option.”

Jason couldn’t make what Damian mumbled in response as they approached the door, but he was certain it insulted his IQ.

The bouncer quickly scanned the IDs before moving away from the door, allowing them to pass.

Once they were past the narrow hallway lit by black lights, and into the main room, he turned back to Damian to take in his expression. He watched as Damian’s jaw dropped, a red blush quickly spreading from his ears to his cheek.

“A strip club! Seriously, Todd?”

“Golly gee wilikers. Reign in your excitement…. Aren’t you married? It was my understanding this wasn’t going to be the first time you’d see someone naked.” He smirked at his younger brother.

Damian narrowed his eyes at Jason. If looks could kill…well he would have been dead multiple times before tonight.

Yup, this was going to be fun.

Damian sat uncomfortably beside Todd as he slowly drank the whisky and coke that had been placed in his hands when they first sat at a VIP table. The section was raised above the main floor with an unobstructed view to the main stage. A cluster of small round tables with a crescent shaped booth trimmed in purple and silver velvet were partitioned from each other by black walls covered in oriental inspired murals. Strategically placed platforms allowed for private viewings to those willing to pay.

Unfortunately, at 2158, Todd had decided to request one of the performers, much to Damian’s dismay.

“Just pay attention, Maroni is in the booth beside us. He tends to do business deals here.” Damian sat back; shocked by the fact that Todd came to strip clubs not to stare at women. “We just need to listen while we enjoy the entertainment.”

Damian heard two voices from the booth beside them, which he was able to easily focus on despite the brunette who had taken to the small stage. She began to dance in what he assumed would be considered seductive, but to him the whole thing was contrived.

Perhaps a month back he would have found the experience titillating, but having seen a goddess at work there was no comparison or substitution.

Her head leaned back in faux ecstasy, responding to an invisible touch as her head shifted from one side to the other. Her lips were captured by her teeth and his focus on his surroundings was lost to a memory.

Midnight hair fell to the side draped lightly over her exposed chest as her head rested on her shoulder. Half of her bottom lip was captured by her teeth as soft moans escape with every rock back. His left hand gripped her hips, guiding her movements, while his right thumb worked to bring her to climax.

She lowered herself to bring her lips to meet his, capturing him in a passionate kiss. Her hand dragged up his side as they continued to move to the established rhythm. The touch was so light, it caused an involuntary shiver down his side, leading him to take control.

Tightening his grip on her hips, he slightly rocked on his side before flipping himself and her over to where she now rested on her back. His left hand shifted to the bed to hold his weight, as his other trailed down her body to find purchase with her thigh. Lifting it to bend her knee, he used his elbow to lock her leg as he deepened his thrust inside her. Her soft moans changed to heavy panting, a signal he had come to recognize as the night progressed.

Shifting slightly to hit at another angle, he felt her walls contract before-

Her bra was off and tossed in his face, breaking him from his memory and snapping him back to the dancer in front of him.

He noted the tightness of his pants and released a small whine.

It had taken the better part of thirty minutes for Maroni to wrap up his deal. Jason had to hold Damian back from leaving as soon as Maroni finished. It would have been too suspicious and so they would have to remain for at least one of the main stage acts coming up at 2245, just 10 minutes away.

Damian’s discomfort was radiating off him. At one-point, Jason was sure he saw Damian punch himself in the crotch, but surely, he was seeing things. Perhaps it was due to some feeling of disloyalty to his wife, or just Damian’s weird moral compass. But watching him try not to enjoy it, not even a little, well…it was the small things in life that bring such joy.

Stopping on top of one of the apartment buildings in Crime Alley, Hood surveyed a homeless camp below them. 2344 and so far, Gotham had been relatively quiet. Robin cleared his throat, Hood turned at the noise. “I need to apologize, I always thought you were going to such establishments for selfish needs, but I was clearly mistaken.”

Hood threw his head back and laughed. “Sure, Demon Spawn, I go there for the occasional stake out, but I stay for the entertainment.”

“In that case, please forget that I apologized.”

Hood looked scandalized. “Did you fucking say please?”

Red Hood watched from the roof as Robin dropped down to stop an assault in one of the back alleys. 0012 and their first action of the night, was over in less than a minute. To say that Hood was disappointed was an understatement. He was hoping to have the opportunity for some great brotherly bonding.

Already 0155 and there had only been the one quick scuffle in the alley. For once in his life, Hood stood quietly beside him, looking as reflective as Robin felt.

Damian had expected to hate having to spend more time than required with Todd. But here he was, having mostly enjoyed the day, and gaining a better understanding of who his brother was.

It was sad that it had taken him so many years to even attempt to get to know his brother. Worse yet, it was not even him who tried, he was forced. He would curse the checklist if it had not proven to be useful.

The silence surrounding them was finally broken by Hood, “Do you know why I prank you?”

“You get a sick enjoyment out of watching me suffer.”

“Well, yes. But it’s more than that.” Hood turned towards Robin, his attention completely focused on him.

“I get to witness the real Damian Wayne when he is fun and carefree. He doesn’t care what people think when he tries to prank me back. His reactions to my pranks are raw and unfiltered. I like Damian Al Ghul well enough; he is rather fun to annoy, but I love hanging with Damian Wayne.”

Robin did not know what to say. He opened and closed his mouth several times.

“Damian Al Ghul has been forced to scream perfection. He believes that people will only appreciate him if he does everything perfectly. Don’t get me wrong he is rather good at a lot.” He slapped Robin across the back. “Don’t tell him that, don’t want to inflate his ego.”

“Tt.” Robin felt tears starting to form at the edge of his eyes.

“But…I love Damian Wayne because he’s not perfect. He’s really good at a lot, perfect in other things, but he makes mistakes, annoys the shit out of me at times, pretends he doesn’t love me…” Robin scoffed.

Hood placed his hand on Robin’s shoulder cutting off any further protest from him. “I know you do love us, and you need to know that we love you. We don’t care if you’re perfect because we love you just the way you are. Family means that often times we’re disappointed, annoyed, and occasionally distant from each other, but that we still love each other regardless. Talia was a shit mom for making you believe that you were only worth something if you were perfect. She’s wrong.” He turned to face Robin, he could feel Hood’s eyes on him through the mask, “You’re worth more than the entire League, just as you are.”

Squeezing his shoulder firmly, “We all know that you and Bruce share the same emotional constipation, and that we boys are only capable of talking about emotions and dealing with them about as often as the world sees a solar eclipse. But don’t think for a second that doesn’t mean we don’t love you or that we’re not proud of you.”

Robin finally felt one of the tears fall from his eyes, allowing Hood to briefly pull him into a hug without protest. Of all the people to know what he needed, he had never expected it from him.

“You’re almost an adult and you’ve possibly had the shittiest childhood out of all of us. Sure, you’ve had everything that the rest of us didn’t, but you’ve also had impossible expectations thrown at you. First from your mom, and then from B, and now your expected to be a husband to someone you don’t know. All while you’re supposed to be a young adult getting to discover who you are and what you want.”

“I want to be Batman.” It was an automatic response and Robin knew it. Sure, when he was younger he believed it, it was his birthright. But now he was not as convinced it was the truth.

Hood shifted to looking out at the cityscape. “Even if I believed that, there is more to life than being Batman. Just promise me that you’ll spend some time thinking about what it is you want and who you really are.”

The clock hit 0227 as his head hit the pillow. It had been a long day, but Jason hoped that the last 24 hours changed his and Damian’s relationship for the better.

Chapter Text

After pressing send on the email between her and Uncle Jagged on his latest commission, Marinette stretched out on her computer chair. She threw her head back and pulled her hands to her face. Another night filled with homework, patrol, commissions and emails.

Her attempts to distract herself from her marriage were working. They say ‘tis better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all.’ The people who say that have clearly never had a night filled with insatiable, lust filled, orgasmic ‘love’. She would have much rather not had it, knowing now that she would never have it again. The saying ‘ignorance is bliss,’ was more apropos.

She was forced to compartmentalize her thoughts and feelings about her husband, as both led to uncomfortable realities. Such as, where it currently stood, the likelihood of her seeing him again was low to non-existent. Another, the constant discomfort between her legs when she thought of him, was hard to dispel. She had not found a solution that matched the real thing, and it was becoming extremely frustrating.

But she knew that it was just another case of her shifting the inevitable. Not addressing how she truly felt about her situation, would come to bite her in the ass. Something to add to the emotions she bottled to prevent usage by Hawkmoth.

She glanced through her splayed fingers to see thirty-two new emails, mostly from potential clients. Of course, seeing as she was still in school, a Parisian heroine and shortly going to Gotham for a month, most of those emails would be turned down.

As she typed out a response to an American businessman, the sound of frantic pounding on her skylight had her spinning around hastily in her computer chair. Noting Chat Noir frenziedly looking into her room, she dashed up the stairs to her bed and opened the skylight to the balcony above.

Without so much as a hello, Chat launched himself at her, knocking her back into the bed. Shocked, it took her a second to wrap her own arms around his trembling figure.

“Kitty what’s wrong.” He didn’t respond. Her gaze fell upon the open window, diligently keeping watch for any stray butterflies. She attempted to stroke his back in a way she hoped offered comfort. She wasn’t sure what had caused him to act so distressed, but they would get through it. As they always did.  

It took a while for Chat to calm down enough and release his transformation. Plagg usually one to beg for cheese, simply stared sadly at his chosen. His own purr offered in comfort.

“Kitty, what happened?” She asked more emphatically.

Adrien quickly wiped away the tears on his face, squaring his shoulders before he took a deep breath. “My father is Hawkmoth.”

Marinette wanted to be surprised, but he’d always been her number one suspect despite his akumatization. His detachment from Adrien, his eccentric behavior, his continued employment of…Lila. He just had cliché baddie written all over him.

“How can you be sure?” She lifted his chin so that his eyes were focused on her. Hoping the distraction would prevent him from dwelling on whatever else was swimming around in his head.

“I saw him.” His head fell back down to his chest, as he released another heart wrenching sob.

“Oh kitty.” She wrapped her arms around him once more. “Does he know that you’re Chat Noir?”

“No, I don’t think that he saw me. I was in his office waiting for him so I could discuss Lila, when he came in through the portrait of my mother. He was focused on the other side of the room from me when he dropped his transformation. Nooroo saw me, but said something to keep father’s attention away as I snuck out.”

“How can you be sure that he didn’t see you or that Nooroo didn’t tell him about you?”

“I can’t really. Natalie was at her desk and I tried my best to pretend that nothing happened. I told her that I was tired of waiting for him and to tell him I would speak to him in the morning.” He took a deep breath as he rolled his shoulders. “I waited around my room for another hour just to be sure that I hadn’t been caught, before I came here.”

All Marinette wanted to do was wrap her partner in her arms, pull some blankets up to their shoulders and eat endless amounts of ice cream. But she couldn’t. She had to be Ladybug, the Grand Guardian, she had to retrieve the lost miraculous. They could not lose this advantage.

“Adrien, I know this is probably the last thing you want to hear, but we need to go and get the miraculous while we have the element of surprise.”

“I know we do.” She was shocked how composed he suddenly became. But then again, just like the rest of Paris, he had been held emotionally hostage for so many years. Real emotions had to be quickly contained to prevent attracting akumas. “Should we call in the temps?”

Marinette thought for a moment. “No, this started with just the two of us; it will end, with just the two of us.”

Chat Noir led Ladybug through the dark hallways of the Agreste Mansion. They had done this innocently so many times previously as Adrien and Marinette, but tonight they had a mission.

Walking into Gabriel’s study, the room had taken on a more sinister feel from the first time he had entered it that evening. The creation he once thought came from this room, he now recognized were  malice.

The streetlights outside reflected onto the portrait of Adrien’s mother creating a halo effect. It made the secret room behind it appear to hold the savior of Paris and not the inner sanctum of its tormentor.

As they approached the portrait, Chat’s footsteps began to slow. He felt the hand he had forgotten he was holding tighten, causing him to look up into the eyes of the girl who he’d follow to hell and back.

He couldn’t help but think that might be exactly where they were heading.

The locking mechanism behind the portrait was simple, no special powers or complex combo needed to break through. Swinging the door open they stumbled onto a caged lift.

“Up or down m’lady?” He needed her to make the decisions. He was emotionally compromised, making decisions for them could lead to failure.

It felt like hours as she contemplated her answer. “Down. Up most likely leads to where he releases the butterflies. We don’t want to meet him there; it puts us at risk of potentially being hit by an akuma.”

They descended for some time before finally stopping several levels below what would have been a standard basement. When the doors parted, they were met by what looked more like an underground garden than a lair. Lush plants with some of the most beautiful flowers lined a pathway that led to a small statue in the center of the room. Some stray butterflies flew around without a care in the world. It was one of the most beautiful sights Chat had ever seen, but he could not enjoy it, as dread began to fill him as they stepped closer to the statue.

Some of his mother’s favorite flowers surrounded the statue made of glass and metal. Chat couldn’t help but tear up at the reminder of his sweet and beautiful mother. As they cautiously approached the statue it was obvious that there was something behind the glass.

His mother

Ladybug watched in horror as her partner dropped to his knees in front of the chamber that held his beloved mother. She looked so serene.

Suddenly, Hawkmoth’s motive seemed clearer. The things that men and women do for love, but sadly also the damage they create. Gabriel had neglected his own son for a campaign to help his mother.

“Dark wing’s rise.” Ladybug spun around quickly as the words were muttered. The element of surprise gone as their enemy snuck up on the two heroes. “Aw…Ladybug and Chat Noir, it is a pleasure that you are finally able to join me.”

“It’s over Hawkmoth. Hand over your miraculous.” Chat called from beside her.

“Funny, that is what I was going to say.” Hawkmoth quickly lunged at the two after drawing a rapier from his cane.

Chat parried the first strike with his baton, while Ladybug threw her yo-yo out to strike Hawkmoth’s legs. Her yo-yo missed as Chat struck a second blow to Hawkmoth’s ribs, knocking him back and out of the way of her compact.  

Shaking off the bruised rib, Hawkmoth recovered to jab at Chat’s face. Once again, his strike was deflected by Chat’s baton before the black clad hero twirled low to leg sweep. Hawkmoth fell flat onto his back and barely missed the death blow aimed at his head.

The aggression behind Chat’s strikes was evident. This was not the final conflict for his fellow Parisians; this was a battle between an asshole father and a scorned son.

Ladybug continued to remain out of the fray, allowing the two to battle it out; she would step in if required. She knew Chat needed this; it was the catharsis he needed after learning the truth about his father.

She watched as one lunged and the other riposte. Chat had the clear advantage. Years of fighting against supervillains had honed his skills, whereas Hawkmoth clearly talented with the sabre, did not have the same experience.  

Slowly Hawkmoth was losing ground, driven closer to his wife’s tomb.

Hawkmoth’s rapier flew to the side of the cavernous room and a metallic clang echoed off the walls. Ladybug took the opportunity to put an end to the fight by throwing her yo-yo out and restraining his arms tightly to his torso. She needed to prevent Chat from taking an action he would inevitably regret. 

The two heroes closed in on Hawkmoth’s personal space.

“Why?!” Chat sneered at the man in front of him.

“My wife, I wish to revive her. She fell into a deep coma after using the Peacock Miraculous. My son needs his mother.”

Chat stalked towards his father full of murderous intent. Ladybug debated stopping him before he ripped the butterfly miraculous off. A lilac purple light surrounded Hawkmoth, leaving Gabriel Agreste in his stead. “You didn’t do this for your son, you did this for yourself.”

“Yes, because I knew I could never be the father he needed. I found myself often contemplating whether it was worth the pain that I clearly saw him in. I kept moving forward believing the ends would justify the means once I used the wish to remove this timeline.” Hawkmoth flicked his eyes towards Ladybug; his gaze was that of a broken man. “Adrien would never have known about this timeline; he would only know of his mother’s love and support. This timeline would only be my nightmare.”

“What about Lila, would you really subject your son to such harassment even if he would forget about it? You left your son in the grasp of someone who took pleasure in sexually harassing him. He has to live with that now you’ve been defeated.” Chat continued to spat at the defeated villain.

“I can’t explain Mlle. Rossi, at first she was merely meant to keep tabs on my son, she later became a useful akuma. More willing to accept my conditions, she was stronger and more effective than most. Yet, when allegations of…as you say, harassment by Mlle. Rossi towards my son were made…I had called her in to terminate her contract. She managed to convince me to keep her on as she assured me that the harassment allegations were fabricated by a Mlle. Dupain-Cheng.”

Chat looked at Ladybug who had her hand resting under her chin, lost in thought as she gazed at his mother’s tomb.

Ladybug couldn’t help but feel an odd magic radiating from Adrien’s mother. It felt very similar to kwami magic, but slightly corrupted. Like the magic was attempting to pass through a filter and not allowed to circulate in its pure form. “What condition is Madame Agreste in?”

“She slowly got sick while using the Peacock Miraculous; she eventually fell into this coma like state.”

Ladybug finally turned to look at first Chat and then Gabriel. “What do you mean coma like?”

“The various doctors say that it appears as if at one point her body just stopped. Almost as if all her energy was drained and she hasn’t been able to recover it. She is still breathing and her heart is still beating, but it seems as if the degenerative nature of what was making her sick just stopped. She is frozen in time.” Gabriel adjusted his hands under his restraint as he stumbled while moving towards the tomb. “I’ve had her monitored all these years, and while she makes no progress towards coming out of the coma, she also makes no negative progress.”

“Tikki, spots off.” As Marinette appeared before Gabriel, he fell back in shock.

“Of course, that is why I was never able to successfully akumatize you.” Gabriel returned to standing as his binding’s disappeared with her transformation.

Marinette ignored the man’s musings and turned to Tikki. “I think that I might be able to heal her.”

“Together we might be able to remove the corrupt magic that’s draining her energy.” Tikki hovered next to Madame Agreste. “Then you should be able to heal the damage to her body on your own.”

Marinette smiled at her little companion, while Chat’s jaw dropped.

“Mari, y-you can really help my mom?” Marinette watched as a stray tear fell from her partner’s eye. 

She swiftly moved to her Chat's side. She took his hands into her own and looked deep into his eyes. “I feel like I can, but I won’t make any promises Kitty.”

“Adrien?” His father looked at the cat hero in shock, as Chat’s words spark comprehension.

Adrien released his transformation rolling his wrist as he gestured to himself. “The one and fucking only.”

Marinette watched as Gabriel curled in on himself after falling to the floor once more. She figured he was more than distraught at the revelation it had been a father and son battling it out for the last few years.

Looking back one last time to Adrien as he looked back to his father, Marinette took Tikki into the palm of her hand and walked to the tomb. “Let’s do this.”

Chapter Text

The sleepover with Jon had been awkward yet entertaining. Family time with Dick was frustrating yet fulfilling. The full day with Jason had been long yet enlightening…. But, Damian saw no way for today’s experience to ever being called anything other than exasperating and cluster of typical stereotypes.

He closed his eyes as he dragged both hands down his face. He had lost his usual composure some thirty minutes back and was hunched over on the store’s couch with his elbows resting just above his knees, his head in his hands. In front of him, Brown and Gordon were gushing over Cass’s latest outfit, number twenty-seven by Damian’s count.

Why the girls had figured that a day of shopping would make for a bonding experience, he could not fathom. At the moment, the only thing it had accomplished was give him time to decide how to murder someone at the mall without alerting the authorities.

How could the girls consider this the ‘Perfect Date,’ when it had been pure torture so far?  All he had done, was sit on the various couches as the girls pranced around in outfits before each other. He was then thrown various shopping bags containing their purchases, before being pulled into the next store to sit and repeat.

“Well, seeing as you’ve had enough time to observe. What are your thoughts on this outfit Damian?” Gordon looked at him expectantly.

He skimmed the recent outfit Cass was wearing. It was a nice piece. A long jumpsuit in navy blue, sleeves hung off her shoulder in a striped pattern going down to her elbow of alternating navy fabric and mesh. Unfortunately, it seemed to pool at the bottom, obviously made for someone with more height.

“It makes you look short.” Brown came over and smacked him on top of the head.

“Touch me again and I will be forced to remove that appendage.” He glared at her, but as usual, she simply ignored it and slapped him on the back of the head again.

“Have you not learned anything this last hour Damian? You’re supposed to complement her and only tell her the things that she wants to hear.” Gordon crossed over towards Cass, taking a stroll around her.

“I do not understand the point of this exercise, surely you know whether you look good in an outfit or not. Why is others’ approval required?” More precisely, why was his approval suddenly required?

“You did read that this was supposed to be a perfect date. We are just making sure that you understand what may be required of you when you finally get to date LB.” Brown’s smug face irked Damian, he was already married, what would be the point in ‘dating’ his wife?

As if reading his thoughts, Gordon interrupted. “You may have skipped a few steps by getting married, but eventually you will want time to get to know each other. A date would be the easiest way to do so without too much pressure. Besides, couples that are married still go on dates.”

“Let’s try this again. Cass, next outfit please.” Brown clapped her hands together, before gesturing for Cass to disappear behind the door with two flicks of her wrist.

Cass rolled her eyes before she fled behind the door again.

She returned a short time later in a different outfit. Another jumpsuit, but this time the pant leg seemed to be more fitting on her. That was about the only redeemable quality. It was a green camo print v-neck, with a thick belt cinching her waist. Damian was sure that the girls had chosen this particular outfit to make him suffer as he searched for…complements.

“This one appears to fit you better.” He tried.

“Close, but try and make it more of a positive about her.” Brown sighed.

“Why, it would do no good for her to believe that outfit is anything but atrocious. Lying to her could lead her to buy it.”

“Exactly, you need to make her feel better about herself because she probably already feels bad after seeing herself in that.” Damian took a second to consider Brown’s words and how he could spin a complement out of that outfit.

“I thought one was not to use clothing to define self-worth.” He coughed slightly as Brown looked at him unimpressed. “If you pulled your hair up it would allow the outfit to show off your adequate neck.”

Brown slammed her hand to her forehead, while Gordon grimaced. “Better, just try not to use the word adequate, not everyone sees it as a complement. And no, clothing does not define one’s worth, but it never hurts to make someone feel beautiful especially when they feel less than…. Let’s try once more.”

This time Brown disappeared behind the door to return five minutes later. She was wearing a red floor-length dress. Slim straps descended to a deep v-neck that plunged down to where the fabric cinched at her waist before cascading down to the floor. A large slit at the top of her thigh allowed for her long legs to be displayed and a break in the otherwise heavy looking skirt. Damian could not help but think about how the red was similar to the color Ladybug had worn for their wedding. He substituted Brown with his Angel and could not help but think the dress would have suit her better.

This was surely a complement that Brown would not appreciate hearing and result in him being hit once again. 

He imagined his Angel in the dress and found the perfect complement. “That color really brings out your eyes?”

“Perfect, just next time make it more of a statement than a question.

Two hours later and the girls had decided that they were finally done with shopping. Damian walked a fair distance behind them as the girls gushed about the nice outfits they had bought and how much Damian was improving.

He was fairly certain that up to this point he had made the right decision about dating.

Dating was worse than most forms of torture. Give him the worst day in the League than the torment of trying to come up with complements about outfits that were worthy of a trashcan and not the stores the girls had found them in.

The girls suddenly stopped in front of a coffee shop. “Okay, we’re going to go ahead and introduce you to something like speed dating. We could all go inside and sit together, but with the four of us together, it would never really introduce you to the intimacy that is a date.”

“I am not dating any of you, therefore this pretense is unnecessary.”

“Yes, Damian we know that, but your conversational skills could use some work. Lord help LB, she’s married to a man that would rather converse with his animals than actual human beings.” Brown rolled her eyes at Damian, who merely scoffed. It was not his fault that animals just tended to be better company.

Cass wheeled Gordon over to a two-person table, taking the seat directly across from her. Brown took a seat at a second table, leaving an empty chair for Damian. A waiter shortly followed, taking the other table’s order first, before standing beside Damian and Brown looking expectantly.

“Will you order for me Damian?” Brown put her menu down on the table before looking up.

Looking away from his own menu, Damian stared questioningly at her. “Why would I do that?”

“You know what I like.” Through years of observation, yes Damian knew he would be able to successfully order something for Brown, but surely women would not care to be dictated what they were in the mood for. Wasn’t this close to the usual plot line in romance movies where the ‘bad’ soon to be ex-boyfriend orders his girlfriend a salad, much to her dismay?

Not one to deviate from the script. “She will have the house salad with a water.” Damian took small pleasure from watching her mouth gape open in a manner similar to a fish, before closing it and sending daggers in his direction.

“Never mind, I will have the chicken sandwich with no mayo and a large vanilla latte.” Brown corrected Damian’s order, “And he will have the vegetarian sandwich with a black coffee.

The waitress glanced over at Damian, who merely nodded his acceptance. She gave him a once over before turning and walking back towards the kitchen. Damian rolled his eyes, used to the typical behavior from the women of Gotham, it had become worse since he turned 18.

“See Damian. It really isn’t hard to order for another.”

“It is true when one orders the same things at an establishment. My options are usually limited and therefore I tend to order consistently. Whereas I have seen you order almost everything on this menu at least once. It would be hard for me to determine which item you were in the mood for on a specific day. Assuming would as they say… make me look like an ass.”

“And ordering a salad doesn’t make you seem more like an ass?” She smiled at him as the waitress brought over his coffee and winked at him.

“I assumed you would like a salad, as that is what females tend to order when on dates from my limited experience.”

Brown rolled her eyes, “Damian you have no experience.”

“I have watched enough women at the galas and such. They tend to gravitate towards things that are deemed healthy such as a salad, or things that will not make a mess. Yet, men are assholes when they take this common behavior and apply it when ordering similar items on so called dates.”

“Damian, you really need to stop using Dick’s romance movies as guidance in the dating world.”

“Then you can talk Grayson into not forcing me to watch them.”

Time seemed to drag before the waitress returned to their table with Brown’s latte first and then their food. Up to that point, Damian was subjected to a discussion with Brown on all the ways Grayson’s movies were wrong about romance and dating. Damian frustratingly was forced to continuously argue how Brown’s own solutions were similarly asinine.

Damian watched as Cass proceeded to pick up her food and switch it with Damian’s before placing his at the table across from Gordon. Damian assumed that this was the part of the date where he was expected to ‘switch partners.’

“How was your date with Steph.” Gordon asked with a small smirk playing at the edge of her lips.

“I am fairly confident that if I was subjected to Brown any longer, one of us would undoubtedly end up with my sword through their chest.” Damian deadpanned much to the apparent amusement of Gordon.

“Aw well, that is what is so fun and important about dating. It allows you the opportunity to make those kinds of decisions and move on.”

“Yes, well, as we all know, I have not been given freedom to make a decision like that. So, pandering now to such behavior seems fruitless.”

Damian watched as Gordon’s gaze softened. “Yes, it’s unfortunate, but from what I hear from Dick, it appears that in the short time you’ve known her she has already made a strong impression.”

Damian did not reply. It was true within the twenty-four hours that he had known Ladybug she had made quite an impression on him. There had been no point in his direct interactions with her that he had wished to remove himself from her presence. This was the only reason that he continued to embrace his current suffering. That and his brothers had made it painfully clear that his ability to gain information on Ladybug would hinge on successfully completing the checklist.

Gordon’s eyes studied him. Having found what she was looking for, they dropped their gaze. “So, she is worthy of a second date then?”

“Yes.”

By the time it was apparent that Gordon’s portion of the date was wrapping up, they had finished their food and ordered additional coffees. Their conversation was less strained than his with Brown, but it mostly consisted of cases she was working with Grayson on at GCPD.

Switching back to his original table, he sat across from Cass.  He could easily read that her own enjoyment of the day was beginning to wane as she sipped on her water in front of him. They sat some time in silence.

As the waitress dropped the respective bills to each table, his own complete with her telephone number, Brown took to staring at Damian.

“Are you expecting something Brown?”

“Being a perfect gentleman usually includes covering the checks.” She retorted.

“I thought that the idea was to cover your own these days.” He countered.

“Sometimes, but we’re family and this isn’t really a date.”

As Damian placed enough cash down to cover both bills and a tip, he prayed to every god known to man that the date could finally be over.

“Now for ice cream!”

Chapter Text

Tim pulled up the Ladyblog, an action he did every morning since the family’s discovery of Damian’s wife. A banner flashed across the top of the webpage. Ladybug and Chat Noir press conference scheduled for today at 1300. Click the link below for the live feed.

It was 0655, meaning he had five minutes before the scheduled press conference. He sent a quick text to his brothers requesting they join him. Ladybug and her partner had not done a press conference or really an interview, for some time. Limiting their interactions with the media to sound bites and questions from the few reporters lucky to catch them after a battle. He was hoping that the press conference could shed light on the type of person she was. In her youth, Ladybug appeared confident, determined and positive to the point of bubbly. But Tim knew from experience, the weight of the responsibilities and expectations of being a hero and the leader of a team, could change a person. That was also discounting the fact that she was just a teenager and basically a child when it had started with no obvious mentor.

Jason was the first to come tumbling through the door, followed very closely by Dick. Even Alfred found his way down to the computer before the clock read 7:00.

“Are we waiting on B?” Jason asked as he took a seat at the table.

“No, he headed into the office early this morning. I already sent him a link so that he can watch.” Tim clicked a few buttons on the computer causing the screen to be duplicated onto the larger screen in front.

Suddenly, a large conference room appeared; in the center was a single podium with two microphone stands. A familiar girl around Damian’s age stood right in front of the screen. “Afternoon, fellow Ladyblogger’s. It’s your girl Alya. I’m here at City Hall waiting for our heroes Ladybug and Chat Noir to make their appearance.”

As if on cue, Ladybug and Chat Noir walked into the room followed by a tall but portly figure. From Tim’s research, it was the Mayor of Paris. Chat Noir seemed more reserved than previous press conferences and Ladybug’s confidence slightly diminished. Whatever caused the duo to call the press was something they feared people would not want to hear.

Ladybug stepped forward, separating herself from her partner slightly. The action ensuring it was known that she would be the one leading the press conference.

“Good afternoon my fellow Parisians, Chat and I have some good news we would like to share.” Ladybug closed her eyes and breathed deeply before looking pointedly across the podium to the audience below. “Hawkmoth has been defeated.” The statement was made with no fanfare, her voice rather monotoned and her face held no sense of victory.

The room broke out into chaos as the crowd ignored the clearly uncomfortable delivery of the news. The eruption of cheers and clapping was eventually drowned out by the chorus of reporters clambering to get their questions answered. 

Ladybug simply raised her hand and the room stilled.

“I would like to continue with my statement and then I will allow for questions.” She cleared her throat before continuing. “Chat and I engaged with Hawkmoth at an undisclosed location. At that time, we were able to apprehend his miraculous. That means, Parisians will no longer be held hostage to their emotions and the city will no longer have to live in fear of akumas. Unfortunately, Mayura was able to escape and is still at large. It is our belief that she has left the area and has no intention of returning. Chat Noir and I will continue to be diligent and return when she makes herself known again.”

The silence that emptied the room as Ladybug began her statement, was slowly filled by the low murmurings of disbelief. “We will now take your questions.”

Ladybug gestured at a woman sitting in the front row. “Nadja Chamack TVi news. Will you be releasing the identity of Hawkmoth?”

Ladybug’s nerves were obvious by the way she swallowed and bit her lower lip. “Hawkmoth’s identity will not be released. We understand that Paris wishes to see this terrorist be held accountable for his transgressions based on French law. However, this is first and foremost a miraculous issue and therefore he has been tried and punished accordingly, as one who abused a miraculous.”

The duo on stage grasped each other’s hand, looking for support from one another as the room let their displeasure with the outcome be known.

“Ladybug. Ladybug!” She motioned to the Ladybogger. “Alya Cesaire, The Ladyblog. What do you mean you will return? Are we to assume you are leaving Paris?”

“With the apprehension of Hawkmoth and departure of Mayura, Chat Noir’s and my time in Paris is at an end. Should Paris require our assistance again, we will be here. But, at this time our first priority is to track down and capture Mayura where ever she goes.”

The room once again fell into chaos. Ladybug’s attempts to gain control over the situation went unanswered. Throwing up her yoyo into the air she called upon her Lucky Charm. A red and black spotted button fell into her hands. She pressed it and a siren filled the room. The discourse stopped and attention returned solely to the podium.

“I believe that will be all of the questions we will be answering this evening. We wish for Paris to know that it has been our privilege to protect you these last few years and that we will continue to serve you by bringing Mayura to justice. I know you understand my sentiments when I say that hopefully this is the last time I say this in Paris...Bug out.” Ladybug saluted the cameras a final time before she and Chat Noir left the room in shocked silence.

Tim closed the window on the computer and turned to his brothers and Alfred.

“Shit, what are we going to tell Demon Spawn?”

Shit was right, the news was good for Paris, but how in the hell were they going to tell Damian that they had lost the only lead on his wife.

Adrien watched as his mother and Gabriel sat lovingly together at the end of the breakfast table. Both acting as if the last five years hadn’t happened. Of course, for them…it hadn’t.

Marinette had been able to revive his mother, her last memory was of falling ill all those years ago. Gabriel, as that was all that man deserved to be known as, thought he had only been a patient and loving husband waiting for his wife to wake from a coma. He had no knowledge of his involvement in holding Paris hostage for the last five years, nor of the miraculous and their connection in putting his wife in a coma.

Gabriel lightly brushed his mother’s cheek with his hand; her smile grew at the affection. She turned to face her husband placing her own hand on his, while the other grasped his face in response.  They were lost in their own world; all others were excluded as they made up for the years lost to them. Adrien was left to merely observe the scene before him, ignored, never called to participate.

He should have been angry at the situation, yet he was resigned. He had imagined a scene where his father praised his accomplishments while his mother beamed at him in loving tenderness. The thought had brought him comfort and warmth during those long cold years he suffered without his mother. Yet his reality couldn’t have been further from his idyllic imaginings.  His role in this new story was no different from the old…alone and isolated.

Gabriel had claimed he had been Hawkmoth to bring Emilie back for Adrien, but he lied. It was a shame it took his mother’s return for him to realize the truth…his father did not love him.

And his mother, her warmth used to radiate through the mansion before her coma. Now that she had awoken, it could be felt again. But like sunlight coming in from the windows, it could only be felt where the light fell. Blessed by the new light the first few days of her return, he had since come to feel that he had once again returned to his confinement in a windowless room.

She first came back and tried to pick up where they had left off, but Adrien had grown up without her. In fact, he was now legally considered an adult and she had difficulty finding where she fit into the new dynamic, much like a new stepmother. Instead of working through the discomfort to find something that could work for them, she disengaged. Leaving Adrien abandoned in the mansion once more.

“Gab love, I’ve been thinking.”

“Hm.”

“We should try for another child.” Adrien choked on the soup he had been trying to finish. Some spilling onto his shirt and the table in front of him.

“Please do try and have some manners.” Gabriel growled but didn’t look at him. His mother gave him a small reassuring smile.

Yes, let the fact that he choked on his soup and accidently spit a little on the table be the reason they remember that they already had a child. Who was currently sitting in front of them.

Ignoring him once more. “A child?” Gabriel grabbed his mother’s hand and began tracing the lines along it. Did he look excited at the prospect? Most likely not, just willing to give his mother her desires.

“I know we had a hard time conceiving Adrien. But I have missed out on so much and now that he is to leave, it will get so lonely.”

“If that is what you wish.” Gabriel dismissed further discussion on the matter with his hand and so his mother smiled warmly at him before returning to her soup.

Adrien felt tears welling up. So he was moving out? Sure he had wanted to before his mother’s return. He wanted to get away from the neglect, the quiet lonely mansion, away from his father’s scheduling, expectations and critiques. And while none of those things had changed, he had hoped that his mother would push for him to remain. Try to make things better and make up for lost time. But no, she had wanted a child so she could be a good mother, as she had been before her coma. But now he was an adult, so he would be pushed out and replaced.

Suddenly, Gabriel’s punishment didn’t feel sufficient.

As Grand Guardian, Mari erased Gabriel’s and his mother’s memories of the miraculous and created a seal which prevented them from ever using a miraculous again. His true punishment, however, was poetic. As Parisians moved forward -living their lives as if the last few years were a distant memory- his father would be plagued by their nightmares. As he relived the memories of his victims, the miraculous magic would erase them from his victims’ minds, eventually freeing Paris from the mental damage caused by him.

Hawkmoth would suffer the consequences of his actions, while Paris would get a form of therapy.

The dark circles under Gabriel’s eyes showed that the punishment was working. His sleep was obviously disturbed…restless. Even his waking hours likely provided no quarter from the torment upon his mind. The punishment promised a dissent into madness like the poetic lines of an Edgar Allen Poe musing.

But, Adrien was getting more and more bitter. Gabriel still had what he wanted, and Adrien had nothing.

A vibration from his pocket brought him out of his head. Reaching for his cellphone he noted a text from Kagami.

K: I have not seen you in some time, will be by in 5.

Grateful for an excuse to remove himself from a lunch with essentially two acquaintances, he placed his spoon to the side of the bowl with his napkin and rose from the table. He was not surprised when his departure from the room went unnoticed.

His attention was pulled down to his pocket by a light patting on his chest as he walked to the door.

“Hey kid, want me to curse them to never have kids again?” Adrien would normally laugh at Plagg’s attempted joke, but the sincerity in his eyes and tone had Adrien do a double take.

“Wow Plagg, add a little cream to that coffee. That was a bit dark.” He tried his best to joke, but he knew Plagg could sense his hurt.

“Yea, well, so is subjecting another child to that.” Plagg spat.

“Ask me again when I’m not so affected by it.”

“As long as you stay in this house, I don’t think you’ll ever be unaffected by them.”

”Love to know you care, Plagg.” He smiled sarcastically down at his kwami.

“Of course I do kid, always have.” Adrien stopped in his tracks and looked down at his kwami in shock. He knew that Plagg cared, but he was never so open.

“Hey, I’ve been kind. Now, how about some cheese?” Adrien chuckled, that was more like it.

Before he could respond, the doorbell rang announcing Kagami’s arrival.

As he opened the door he looked down at a smiling Kagami. She either ignored or was unaware of the foul mood plaguing Adrien.

Kagami latched onto his hand and began to lead him towards his room, pausing slightly at the sight of his parents in the dining room. She turned back and looked confused. He merely shrugged his shoulders as he took the lead to his bedroom.

Kagami took a seat on his couch before turning towards him; he sat on the other side facing her as well. “Adrien, is that your mother?”

“Yes.”

“Why did you not tell me she was back?” Her gaze had softened but her body maintained its rigidity.

Adrien sheepishly looked away. “It didn’t cross my mind?”

Kagami’s gaze hardened once more, “How could you not think to inform me of something so monumental?”

“Oh, I’m sorry if my mother waking up from a coma after I had been led to believe she was dead, gave me more to think about than remembering that you might want to know.” Adrien snapped.

Kagami looked like she had been slapped by his words. “Yes, I am sorry Adrien. I did not think that you might have been otherwise occupied.” She paused before looking at her lap. “Does anyone know she’s back?”

“Obviously me… Gabriel, the Gorilla and Marinette know.” He counted each off with his fingers. “Natalie left before my mother woke-up, so there hasn’t been anyone to work on a press release. So they are waiting for the ‘right time,’ to tell the public.” Adrien finished his air quotes, missing the anger that flashed across Kagami’s eyes.

“Of course she knows.” Kagami lowered her head slightly, looking off to the side.

“Probably, but I don’t know why she ended up leaving, I guess the rumors around the office might have been true about her loving my father.” That was of course the rumor that was going to be promoted -with some possible truth sprinkled in- and not that she had stolen the damaged Peacock miraculous and skipped town before they could apprehend her.

“No, not her. Marinette!” Tension rose in Kagami’s voice. “You informed her about your mother’s return, but you failed to inform your girlfriend.” A small tear fell onto her cheek before she attempted to discretely wipe it away.

“Perhaps the title has more or less always belonged to her anyways.” Kagami all but whispered.

He remained silent. Unable to completely disagree with the sentiment.

It was at that moment, Adrien knew his relationship with Kagami was over. It had run its course. She had been a great first girlfriend. But they couldn’t deny that the romantic attraction they had felt in the beginning of their relationship had evaporated and been replaced with more of a fond camaraderie to their circumstances.

“Kagami, you know you are one of my best friends and I have cherished our time together... But I think we-”

To Adrien’s complete surprise Kagami nodded in agreement. “I was stupid to convince myself that you would be able to move past Marinette. I’m honestly surprised we did not break up sooner. I tried to force you to move past your feelings with Marinette rather than allow them to run a natural course. It may have led you to believe that you felt more towards me than you did. I was at least happy living in the illusion rather than reality. But all illusions are eventually shattered.”

“Kagami, can we still be friends?” Adrien looked at her hopefully, he wasn’t in love with her and honestly, they both knew he never was, but he still valued her friendship.

“Yes, Adrien, nothing will have to change, except acknowledging the truth.”

Chapter Text

A call to the study meant a performance review; either his behavior as Damian Wayne was too cold, or his behavior as Robin was too harsh.  This time he wasn’t sure what he had done to garner an evaluation, as this wasn’t a traditional call to the office, this was an item on the checklist.

Straightening his uniform blazer, Damian swallowed his nerves and knocked. His father’s baritone voice could be heard from behind the large mahogany door. “Come in.”

Cracking his neck in a way that he often did to prepare for an intense battle, Damian opened the door and entered the formidable space.

His father stood with his back to him, his hands clasped low behind his back as he looked out the window onto the estate’s vast grounds. Damian’s nerves returned at the sight of the familiar stance. A lecture was sure to follow.

Damian was surprised as his father turned around with an odd expression on his face. His father was by far the best of them at schooling his emotions, but here he was looking…uncomfortable. 

His father gestured for Damian to take a seat in one of the leather armchairs facing his desk. It took a second for him to shake out of his daze and sit in the seat he was directed to. He watched in surprise as his father circled the desk to take the armchair beside him, instead of the throne chair behind his desk.

His father awkwardly cleared his throat and opened his mouth yet failed to release any words before quickly shutting it again.

Damian’s own discomfort matched his father’s, both were outside of their comfort zone. A response to his father’s baffling behavior was outside of his reach. The Wayne family’s curse was their inability to deal with emotions. It was best to steer clear and deal with them with at least six feet of separation, so as to not tempt fate and catch them. Emotions were far too complicated and therefore they had no place in the life of a vigilante or more simply, a Wayne.

“Yes father?” He winced at his own words. Did he ask a question or make a statement?

“I um- I ah-” He cleared his throat. “I wanted to talk to you about something.”

“I assumed that to be the case as I was summoned to your office.” Damian deadpanned.

“I am sorry Damian, this is new to me and I am finding it…difficult.”

His father placed his hand upon his shoulder and took a deep breath. “Damian, when a man loves a woman…they tend to engage in a certain activity that-”

Damian’s eyes blew wide open, had his father truly begun the birds and the bee’s conversation? He mentally facepalmed.

“Father, perhaps I can spare us both from the embarrassment of this conversation. I have received sex education both through school and rather unfortunately through the replay of Grayson’s and Todd’s own escapades. I believe I am proficiently prepared in both practicing it safely and performing well enough to be successful in the finer details.”

His father nearly choked, but otherwise remained quiet.

“Furthermore, I am sure you are aware that this conversation is slightly late. Mother required a consummation of my marriage on the wedding night. I hate to report that I failed to perform safely. I am confident that my performance otherwise was satisfactory. Gaging from her reactions, I dare say even exemplary. “

This time his father choked before forcefully coughing. “Damian, I don’t need any details.” That was fine with Damian he would not relay any more. “But, is she pregnant?”

Damian scoffed at the question. “I am not sure how I could possibly know that father, as I have not been in the position to ask.”

His father nervously scratched the back of his neck. “Right, of course.” He closed his eyes appearing to collect himself before looking at Damian once more. “Damian, I cannot fathom how you feel about your marriage. But, I hope that your marriage does not result in a forced pregnancy.”

Damian knew his father was reflecting on his own conception and felt a slight pang of hurt.

Reading his reaction, his father was quick to continue. “But, if I may say from experience, sometimes things that are unplanned are unexpected blessings to one’s life.”

With those words he perked up slightly, his father in turn gave him a small smile as he squeezed Damian’s shoulder. “I may not say it enough, but I am proud of who you are. I look at you and know I’ve done something right.” He chuckled to himself slightly. “At least most of the time.”

The pressure on his shoulder disappeared as his father stood and returned to his perch behind the desk. “I really asked you to come here just to give you some quick advice.” He pivoted swiftly to face Damian. “Don’t be me.”

Confused, Damian could only stare at his father. Was this the same sentiment that Todd had on the roof top?

“I have been in love with Selina for as long as I can remember. But, I allowed myself to get in the way of us consistently. When things would get tough, I would abandon our relationship and focus on work. When I felt like I was getting too attached I would pull back, afraid it would prevent me from doing my work or get her hurt. I know that has made her feel like she was never a priority. I am fortunate that she stuck around and that I’ve had time to come to my senses.”

Turning from the window, his father made eye contact once again. “I don’t know if Ladybug is going to be that someone for you, but if she is, or if you find someone else who can be…then don’t be me. Don’t hold back and delay your happiness.”

Closing his eyes, Robin prepared himself to do something he did not do often. “I want to apologize.”

“Whatever for?” She kept her eye’s scanning Gotham’s alleys, looking for the inevitable trouble caused by Gotham’s finest, petty criminals.

“I am sorry that for the first few years I referred to you as the trollop or harlot.”

A sharp pursing laugh echoed loudly into the warehouse below. “Don’t worry about it Robin, I knew after the first year it was more out of habit than your real opinion of me.”

Hitting the nail on the head, Robin opened his eyes again. It had been an uneventful patrol so far, only a few muggings drawing the attention of the team. Taking a final survey of the ground below, Catwoman finally turned towards Robin. “As you know kitten, I get to ask you five questions that you are supposed to answer truthfully. I want you to know that while I hope you will be honest and willing to answer the questions, if you find it uncomfortable to do so, you don’t have to.”

Robin was grateful, he appreciated the ability to abstain but still. “I will be as honest and thorough as possible.”

Humming in response, she shifted to a seated position, before patting the area beside her. Robin rolled his eyes before moving to join her on the edge of the roof.

“How do you really feel about this arranged marriage?”

“I-” Several different thoughts replaced one after another. He had too many feelings and they were not harmonious. “I never thought that I would be married. Much like father, I always felt that I would put the search for justice before personal connections. But, I am coming to find perhaps it is more likely that I feel unworthy of such attachments. I was after all…an assassin. I have done things that no one, especially a hero, would feel proud to be associated with.” He bowed his head as he cast his eyes to the ground below him. “No one should be forced to be attached to me. “

If he had been able to see her eyes through her goggles he would have noticed her gaze soften. “Everyone is deserving of love Robin. If your father can love a thief, Ladybug can love a former assassin. After all, that’s not who you are, that’s who you were.”

What is the difference between who you are and who you were? Are they not still both a part of you? Can you truly become someone different? If the memories of his time in the League still plagued his sleep, are they nightmares of what he did, or what he is still capable of doing?

They say once a cheater always a cheater, is that not true for murderers as well?

“But that didn’t really answer my question kitten, how do you feel about the marriage? About her?”

“I must admit I am conflicted with how I feel. My immediate reaction is to tell you that I have never felt such a strong attachment to someone before. I felt safe, attracted and desired. When my thoughts drift to her, I want to be with her.” He closed his eyes as he recalled the tender moments they shared from their wedding night. Such as when she looked up at him in nervous excitement as she held his hand while he guided her to their bed chamber. When she smiled warmly at him when he feared a negative judgement during their vows. The ethereal halo that surrounded her form in the morning light before he left her to go with his mother.

As quickly as his mind was flooded with memories, an abrupt thought shattered them.

“She must be a witch. This is the woman that my mother has assigned as my wife and yet I feel so attached to her even though I’ve only actively known her for twenty-four hours. I am confident that her and my mother are working together. To what end though I am not sure.”

His head fell into his hands. “But, after I say that, it doesn’t feel right. There must be magic at work.  My thoughts on her are unfocused and conflicted. Logically I should be suspicious of her, yet deep down something is telling me that I shouldn’t. I can’t explain why I still want her, but I do.”

“From what I hear about your mother, I would not put it past her to use magic. But from what the boys have shown me, I don’t believe Ladybug would use magic on you.”

Robin sighed and Catwoman took a deep breath. “Until you can figure it out, I just suggest you treat this as if it is a natural attraction, because chances are…it is. Don’t let your suspicions get in the way of your relationship. She probably won’t be like me and a glutton for punishment. If she feels unloved or unwanted, she will leave.”

Minutes passed in silence; she had said the same thing as his father. Robin was unsure how to respond and Catwoman did not seem anxious to continue.

Just as Robin was prepared to take his leave, she continued her query. “What do you want out of life?”

“To become Batman after my father.” The reflexive response that he knew was no longer true came first. He sighed as he thought about it more. “Honestly, I don’t know anymore.”

“Let’s start with what you do know. Career aspirations?”

“I do like the business, but I am not sure that CEO interests me as much as Drake. I would prefer a job not quite as demanding, so that I can focus on the vigilantism more readily.” Drake’s dark circles, extreme fatigue, running off caffeine came to mind. Damian shuddered at the thought.

“What about outside of vigilantism. What about kids?”

“No, my mother has already made it perfectly clear that she would attempt to use any children I sire.” An uncomfortable feeling boiled in his stomach as bile rose to his throat.

“What if your mother wasn’t around?” Robin flinched as Catwoman placed her hand on his, but as she pulled away he flipped his hand to grip hers.

“Yes.”

“Why?”

“I don’t want to be alone.” Catwoman squeezed his hand before pulling him into a side hug. Robin stiffened before relaxing into her side.

“Kitten, what makes you think you’ll ever be alone?”

Robin tried to hide the sniffle that he used to prevent his tears from falling. “Eventually, everyone will move on from the manor. I will have to move on. Grayson has already left and when Todd or Drake decide to settle down, they will also leave.”

“Aww love.” She gathered him further into her embrace. “We may move physical spaces but will never move on. We will always be there for you, you’ll never be alone. Besides, you will never have to leave if you don’t want to. If the manor is big enough to house a cow, it is big enough for you and your family. Always.”

“I know I refuse to admit it and I will cut your throat if you ever repeat this to any of those heathens, but I love the chaos.”

“We know Robin…We know.”

A comfortable silence fell between them. Robin did not move from his position, still wrapped in a side hug with Catwoman.

“I am glad I’ve moved up from trollop.”

The embrace they shared was broken as Robin pulled away slightly to look at her.

“Me too, Mom.” 

Chapter Text

The final string of the guitar was plucked as Kitty Section wrapped up their final song. Luka opened his eyes with a small smile tugging his lips. A small crowd watching on the decks of the Liberty witnessed the end of an era.  

To celebrate the completion of his solo album, Luka had asked to play with his sister and the rest of the old band once more, a final hurrah. The band invited all their friends, both old and new to join in commemorating the band’s last performance together. Luka had also managed to talk Mari into allowing them to celebrate her entering adulthood.

That meant that the once happy group that used to be Ms. Bustier’s homeroom, were together again enjoying each other’s company. In ways that they hadn’t done for some years. The sudden comradery was prompted not only by the reunion of the band and birthday celebration, but the joy felt throughout the city at the news of Hawkmoth’s defeat.

Finally, all ranges of emotions could once again be felt. Sadness and anger could be released, and boy did people express them. There was no longer a question as to whether someone was angry, they let it be known. That was not to say that the City of Love suddenly became the City of Hate. As soon as the emotion would take hold and be expressed, the bearer would almost instantly laugh and feel joy at the freedom of just being able to feel without consequence. The kaleidoscope of emotions were on display throughout the city once again, no longer masked because of Adrien’s narcissistic sperm donor.

Adrien sat in the corner of the houseboat with a subdued birthday girl, observing the group as they drank to Luka’s future and the exciting month awaiting them in Gotham. He slowly nursed his own beer, as Mari sat with one to seem more sociable, but he knew she hadn’t taken a sip.

This exciting new reality for Paris was also the cause of the dampened spirits of the Parisian heroes. As with all wars when the dust settled the tolls were collected. The wounds on the body were healed after each battle, but the psychological impacts were still being unraveled as time progressed. Their ability to confront their mental state was hindered by the knowledge of a still missing miraculous and therefore an unknown duration of peace between conflicts.

As those they had once called friends passed, they raised their drink to Mari for her birthday. She responded with a smile that failed to reach her eyes and a tip of her drink. Eighteen should have been a time of excitement, but she entered the next year of life with more baggage than most finished University with.

Adrien watched as she worried her bottom lip between her teeth while looking out at the crowd. Her eyes were unfocused, meaning her thoughts were elsewhere.

They were both lost.

Mari for reasons that she kept tightlipped on but were obviously burdened with. Adrien by the many truths the defeat of Hawkmoth had brought to light. Harsh realities on how broken his family was…on how broke he was. The intense tempest formed in his psyche was intensified by not knowing what the future held, and where, if anywhere, he could fit in.

The trip to Gotham would be good for them, Paris held too many memories. Memories they needed a break from.

“What’s on your mind Bugaboo? It’s your birthday and you look like they told you your cat died? Still here!” He tried his best to smirk, but he knew he was failing to mask the underlining worry.

She jumped in surprise and turned quickly in her seat to face Adrien. “Nothing. Nothing at all. What makes you think that there is something on my mind? Is there something on yours?” She smiled brightly at him, but her typical light failed to shine in her eyes as she rushed her sentences.

“Come on Mari, you know I can tell when there is something bugging you.” He smirked at his own pun. “After all, we’re at Liberty to discuss, so let’s discuss.” She rolled her eyes as he placed his hand on hers.

“Fine. Just watching everyone enjoying themselves, being carefree with no real responsibilities…. I’m envious.” She looked back out at their peers. “Even now with Hawkmoth’s defeat, Ladybug isn’t going anywhere, I still have responsibilities. We should be celebrating, but I can’t help but feel that there isn’t anything to celebrate. We won a major battle but we’re still at war.”

He nodded in understanding. He had the added concern of not knowing if he was going to continue fighting in the war as Chat Noir. Who was he, if not Chat Noir? It had been his identity for five years, and he would be lost without it. He had nothing else, especially if Mari left to chase after Natalie. Then he would truly be alone.

Marinette grabbed her shirt, stressing the fabric as she pulled it with her fist. “They only have to deal with being teenagers, dealing with school and inconsequential teenage drama. I’m eighteen as of today, but we both know we’ve been adults stuck in teenage bodies for some time. You and I haven’t been allowed to just be teenagers. We’ll never get the opportunity back. And kwamis! Even the future is being decided for us, we just don’t get to look at the itinerary. There is this illusion that I get to make choices, but the next big villain gets to make those choices for me.”

“Is there at least a second seat still available on that flight?” He smiled at her, but the edges of his lips twitched. He held his breath waiting for her to deliver the bad news.  

“Kitty, as long as you want one there will always be a miraculous for you. You and me against the world.” She held her fist out to him.

The first true smile in some time greeted her as he bumped her fist with his own. “Always.”

The smile disappeared as quickly as it overtook him. “What is it Adrien?” She looked concerned as she searched his face for answers.

“Where do we go from here?” He looked at her in a way that he hoped conveyed that there could be multiple meanings to his words.

“I don’t know Kitty…I don’t know.”

At least before the answers were more certain: stay in Paris, fight bad guys. Now they had no leads on Natalie, so no directions on where to go for their personal and professional lives.

“Just like old times, huh?” Adrien and Mari looked up to see Alya standing before them with Nino lingering closely behind. Mari smiled at the two before nodding her head once in agreement.

“Do you mind if we join?” Alya, usually so certain of herself, seemed nervous. Perhaps she was fearful that the previous friendships were far too fractured. Past the point of being amicable to each other outside of classes.

Adrien felt no ill will towards the two; they had just drifted apart as lines were quietly drawn between those who believed Lila’s tales and those who had half a brain.

Mari’s smile finally reached her eyes, most likely excited at the prospect of hanging out like old times. The pair had talked extensively of the betrayal she felt at the hand of her once best friend, but she missed Alya. Kagami and Chloe just didn’t have the same vivacious personality. He’d be lying if he didn’t admit an occasional longing for his lost friendship with Nino. But, and it was a big but, staying friends with them meant regular fights about Lila. A far too toxic environment for a pair of teenage superheroes. It left him feeling no need to mend the broken bridges between them.

“Of course, pull up a crate.” Mari gestured towards the two free crates on the other side of Adrien.

“Thanks, dudette.”

At one point, fourteen-year-old Adrien was sure that this set up would be a constant. Nino and Alya double dating with him and Mari. But, if time had taught him anything, it was that change was constant. Change was the only thing you could count on. Well, change and Ladybug.

“Sooo, how are you two doing?” Alya seemed uncertain on how to begin a conversation.

“You know. Same old, same old.” Marinette was equally unsure how to continue one.

“We haven’t really talked lately.” Understatement. “What are you guys going to do once we get back from Gotham and finally graduate?” Adrien squeezed her hand under the table as he led them into a conversation. There was no need to worry, this was a normal conversation between classmates, not peace talks.

“I’m undecided. I was thinking of going and getting a degree in journalism. But…I also feel like I make a decent amount of revenue off ads for the Ladyblog already. I’m confident I could make enough to live a pretty nice lifestyle with just dedicating my time to a blog. After all, people are using online blogs as news sources more than papers nowadays. And this boss,” she pointed to herself, “does not require a degree for employment.”

“With Ladybug and Chat Noir leaving Paris who will you stalk now to keep that revenue?” The appearance of Luka was closely followed by Chloe and Kagami. “Mind if we sit?”

The four already sitting shook their heads. The two additional girls sat on the two remaining crates, leaving Luka to pull over a chair. Mari raised her eyebrow at Luka as he asked Kagami to switch with him to be close to Chloe. His recent interest in the heiress did not go unnoticed. He merely responded by placing his arm around her shoulder, Chloe melting into the embrace. Wow, apparently she had missed just how much of a development there had been.

How had she missed so much? Oh yeah, other stuff occupying her thoughts, like her own relationship status change.

“Well Superman has Lois Lane, Batman has Vicki Vale and Ladybug and Chat Noir have Alya Césaire.” Alya raised her beer to herself.

“Here, here.” Nino said as he lifted his beer next to Alya’s. The rest of the circle joined a moment later before taking swigs from their drinks.

“Speaking of the heroes, what do you think will happen to them? Kind of need to know where I’m moving to next.” Reporter Alya had entered the boat.

“I wonder if they won’t just disappear, much like the temporary heroes. After all isn’t their job done?” Chloe offered.

“As long as Mayura is around, I imagine that Chat Noir and Ladybug will stick around too. Where…” Luka nodded his head side to side, “I guess will be determined on Mayura’s next sighting. Isn’t that right Kagami?” Luka’s finger whipped out as he pointed accusingly at the fencer, before bursting out laughing.

“Luka, are you suggesting I am Ladybug?!”

Marinette casually shrugged her shoulders at her friend. “If the shoe fits...”

“I believe you would fit the bill more than I do, well even more so when you had kept your pigtails.”

There was silence before the whole group, minus Adrien, broke into laughter.

“Please, Dupain-Cheng as Ladybug. She trips on air way too often to possibly be considered.”

“Hey,” Marinette tried her hardest to look offended. “I’ve gotten better.”

“Yes Mari, you’ve moved onto tripping on real objects.” Adrien finally joined into the taunting.

Marinette glared at him, he knew that she had rid herself of her clumsiness as she gained more confidence. She only kept up the occasional trip as a charade to keep her identity secret.

“Speaking of looking like one of the heroes. Adrien still looks very similar to Chat Noir.” Alya cut in.

“Well, he is rather dashing so I’m not surprised you would think so. I only wish that I had his humor.” Adrien tried to joke, looking up longingly at the dream.

“I can confirm that your humor is just as bad, if not worse.” Kagami playfully poked him from across Chloe.

“Meow-ch.” Adrien dramatically grasped his chest.

“Case and point.” Marinette poked his other side as the group chuckled.

“Okay, I don’t mind the comparison; I would love to be that awesome. But if you could have any of the miraculous powers which would it be?” Adrien attempted to redirect the conversation away from identities, earning a grateful smile from Marinette.

“The Fox of course! Rena’s costume was sexy and being able to create illusions would be awesome.” Alya still continuously blinded by the illusions created by Lila gave irony to the statement.

Nino grabbed his girlfriend’s hand, “I would love to be the turtle dude. I think I’d look good in green.”

“Hell yea, babe.” Alya kissed her boyfriend before looking around him. “What about you Adrien?”

Adrien stroked his imaginary beard as he considered. “The Dragon, controlling the elements would be pretty awesome. Plus, I think I would make a pretty badass dragon, almost as awesome as Ryuko.”

“I think you mean as badass as Mushu” Marinette smiled.

“That is not an insult.” Adrien looked smug as he looked up at Marinette. “After all, it was Mushu that took out the bad guy with a firework in the end.”

“I can just see your costume now. Mostly red with a bright yellow stomach and blue horns. Your hair would be the best part, the same yellow as the stomach.” Marinette deadpanned before bursting out laughing.

“Hardy, har har, wouldn’t matter with this figure I’d still get all the ladies.” Adrien jumped onto the table between them flexing his biceps to the assembly, admittedly an impressive sight. 

“Speaking of superheroes and designs, I heard that Kaid will be designing Clara Nightingale’s benefit dress.” Alya continued. “I can’t wait to see all the different interpretations of the heroes at the benefit.”

The mayor had decided that Hawkmoth’s defeat had to be marked with a benefit gala for an initiative to help with all of the PTSD cases throughout Paris. Of course, Clara had asked for a Ladybug inspired outfit, but Marinette hoped that a big name wearing a butterfly inspired dress could help move people to accept that the Butterfly Miraculous was not inherently evil. Clara had agreed at once, much to Marinette’s joy.

“Perhaps, I can introduce you to Kaid? I help him with his designs all the time. I’m sure that I could ask him to look over your portfolio and give you some pointers.” Lila appeared beside the old group of friends, much to Marinette and Adrien’s disappointment.

“Lila, you exist.” Marinette fought the grimace appearing on her face, landing instead on a twitching smile.

“Sorry I’m late. I was covered in mud from planting a bunch of trees for the charity I volunteer with, so I didn’t want to come...” Lila smirked, “covered in mud. But I decided better to come for part of the time than miss supporting my friends.”

“That is so awesome girl, you should have said something. I would have joined you.” Alya pulled Lila to sit beside her.

“It was so last minute I didn’t want to bother you. But seriously Marinette, just let me know if you want me to give some of your designs to Kaid, I am sure you could use all the help you can get.” The glee was dripping from Lila’s smile.

“No need Lila, I’ve brought Marinette to every meeting I’ve had with Kaid. I would never approve of any design without my Melody’s approval.” Luka gave Lila his easy smile, but his eyes hid his mischief.

“No way, you’ve met Kaid too?” Alya pulled out her phone, hoping for the latest scoop from Luka and Lila.

“Of course, my father’s label will only work with her. She is designing all of my stage outfits and promotional materials.” Luka smiled at Alya, but his focus was clearly on Marinette. Additions to the group failed to notice the correction of Lila’s pronoun for Kaid.

“I love Kaid, his stuff is amazing. He just gets the aesthetic of whoever the design is for. It seems so rare in the fashion industry for a designer to not stick with a single aesthetic. Much less actually be good at more than one.” Alya quickly snapped her head back to Marinette and cringed. “Sorry Mari, you know that your album and sunglasses were awesome, but since Jagged started using Kaid, his fashion choices have been iconic.”

“It’s no problem. It’s a miraculous experience to work for Jagged. But you’re right, Kaid has helped Jagged define fashionable rock and roll and I for one can’t wait to see what comes out of Kaid’s head next.”

The conversation was disrupted by chaos herself whirling onto the deck with a small cake. The likes of which would have never graced the shelves of her parent’s bakery. Perhaps that was the reason it was all the more perfect, because it was made with no expectations other than to be enjoyed. A large candle in the shape of a ladybug sat atop princess pink icing. Anarka began singing the French birthday tune, gathering momentum as she got closer to Marinette.

As the song ended the group surrounding her chorused for her to make a wish. It took no time for her to decide just what she wanted. She closed her eyes and prayed to every kwami as she wished: Lead me to my other half.

Chapter Text

1. Sleepover with Best Friend, check. Of course, Stone was still angry over the automated message, but over the last month Damian had made it a point to hang out more regularly with the Titans and Jon. He had come to the realization that friendships were important and needed to be tended in order to be maintained. He’d even come around to calling ‘Jon,’ well, Jon and admitting he was his best friend when asked.

2. Princess Tea Party with Mar’i, check. As if it would ever be a problem for him to spend time with his niece. His new goal was to have her refer to him as her favorite uncle. A feat he would have already accomplished if Todd would stop breaking Grayson’s rules, like taking her for a motorcycle ride.

3. Family Game Night hosted by Dick, check. Completed much to the embarrassment of the entire family. He had continued to participate in the Wednesday night games. Enjoying Drake and Grayson get upset as they lost charades to Todd and him, a highlight to last week.

4. Spend 24 Hours with Jason, check. Todd wasn’t exactly the person Damian thought he was; most of his assumptions were wrong, dead wrong. It didn’t change his interactions with Todd for the most part, but it did change the intentions behind them. He no longer had vengeance inspiring his pranks, or rather angry vengeance. Instead, it was the pure satisfaction of causing mischief for Todd and the occasional team up against another brother.

6. The Perfect Date with the Girls, check. Unfortunately, he was still confident he had learned little from that experience.

7. Quick Meeting with Father in Office, check. Awkward, but enlightening.

8. Five questions with Selina, check. He still was unsure about a lot of the things they had talked about, but he was glad to have his Mom to guide him.

That left two items on his checklist. 5. IOU to Tim and 9. Show the Family You Care – Alfred.

The IOU was simple to complete, he simply typed it on the computer, printed it and had a lawyer from the company notarize his signature. He would present it to Drake at the family meeting tonight. At the same time, he would hopefully complete Pennyworth’s item. He would finally be checked out and know where his Angel was.

In the center of the living room sat an easel with a large canvas covered by a sheet. Damian stood beside it, nervously twisting his hands together. It was a tick that was rarely seen on the usually stoic boy, but if Tim had to guess the cause, it was his fear of the family’s reaction to what laid behind the sheet.

Surveying the room. Tim noticed a second canvas also covered by a sheet above the mantel on the fireplace. Having seen a few pieces of Damian’s work, he knew that the pieces would be exceptional. Damian had a clear gift for art, but as always, he was his own worst critic.

The sound of a throat clearing turned the family’s attention to the center of the room and therefore on Damian. “I only have two remaining items to complete the checklist, I would like to go ahead and complete them tonight.”

Damian turned towards Tim and moved towards him to hand him an envelope. Taking the envelope, he slowly opened it, not dropping his gaze from Damian as he did so.  Pulling out the parchment from inside, Tim finally looked down. Inside was a notarized IOU. He laughed; trust Damian to be so thorough in completing a simple task.

Tim folded the note back into the envelope and placed it in his back pocket. “Consider my item complete.”

Damian nodded as he returned to the easel. “For Pennyworth’s item I wanted to show that I cared by painting a family portrait, but I must admit I had a hard time deciding on the subjects.”

“Wow Demon Spawn, here I was pretty sure that after our time together you might have finally thought of us as family.” Jason wiped a pretend tear from his face.

“I could never consider a cretan such as you family, Todd.” The family look in shock as a small smile pulled at the corner of Damian’s mouth before returning to a more neutral expression. Had Damian just tried to joke with Todd? Tim was certain hell had frozen over.

“As I was saying, I could not decide on the subjects, so I decided to paint two. I hope you enjoy them Pennyworth.” Damian motioned towards the sheet covering the canvas before stepping aside.

Alfred stepped beside the large canvas and removed the sheet revealing a portrait of the Robins with Batman.

In the center was Batman, his body slightly angled while his gaze stared down the observer. His signature glare was perfectly captured to the point of being intimidating even through paint. His body looked caught between action and rest. His lower body was set, while his arms were tensed, bent slightly at the elbow prepping his fist for contact. His cape billowed around him caught by a phantom breeze. It perfectly captured the observant nature of Batman, and his readiness to act.

Above Batman, flew Nightwing, captured just at the peak of one of his flips from a grappling hook. His back was perfectly arched in his layout, his face looking at the observer.  His wingspan extended as he held his escrima sticks straight out at his side. His flight was caught perfectly by Damian, it reflected Nightwing’s natural disposition for aerobatics…graceful yet precise.

To Batman’s left stood Red Hood with a simple domino mask instead of his signature helmet. The helmet lay off to the side looking discarded. Facing backwards, his body slightly hunched by tension held in his shoulders, he looked to be walking away from a scene. His guns were drawn but hanging by his side, the barrels slightly smoking from recent use. His head looked across his right shoulder to the carnage left behind him, pleased with what he’d left, if his small smirk was a tell.   

Below Batman, he sat in uniform as Red Robin. He was crouched down low, leaning forward as if about to pounce on some unsuspecting prey from an imaginary ledge. His left arm hovered slightly above the surface while his right hand grasped his bo staff. His weapon held out behind his back, ready to strike with the first movement of his body. His firm gaze calculating; his lips pursed into a thin line, his penchant for strategizing before taking action clearly reflected in the pose.     

Finally, to the right of Batman, Robin posed with his katana. He was facing forward with his legs bent, with slightly more weight on his left leg in front looking ready to lunge forward. His katana held by both hands twisted to the right side of his body looked ready to slice through an unseen assailant.  It reflected his perfect form and technique through a single pose. He was adorned with his usual grimace, but instead of the usual disdain, it reflected Robin’s determination.

It should have been impossible to capture the essence of each of them through a single pose, yet Damian had done so. 

A blue blur flew from a chair before it crashed into Damian. “It’s perfect Baby Bird,” Dick cried.

“I thought the cave could use some art.” Damian briefly smiled before gesturing for Alfred to remove the sheet from the canvas over the fireplace.

Alfred complied and again the room was left speechless.

It was a family portrait again, but not in the traditional sense. It looked like a print of a photo that had captured an idyllic Sunday afternoon in the gardens. Well, that is if this family participated in anything that could be described as normal.

The captured moment was set in the gardens of the Wayne Estate. The forest that protected Wayne Manor, became the backdrop of Damian’s composition.

In the far-left background, the manor lay hazily behind Bruce and Selina, who sat together on one of the curved stone benches just off the steps of the manor. Bruce’s arm was draped lovingly over Selina as she rested her head on his broad shoulder. Their arms were interlinked together as they both looked out onto the gardens.

In the center stood himself, conversing with Alfred, as he nursed a cup of coffee. Tim recognized his ‘coffee stance,’ and Alfred stood as stately as always. His face reflected the love that Tim always felt from his grandfather figure.

Dick and his family were off to one side. Dick was tossing Mar’i in the air as she laughed. Kor’i had her hand to his back as they both looked adoringly at their daughter. Damian perfectly captured the joy and love the family radiated.

In the upper side, the three girls look lost in recent gossip. Barbara looked to be sharing a funny story as Stephanie let out a full body laugh, her head tilted back. Cass’s typical small expression was captured perfectly, displaying her enjoyment at the joke as well.

Most surprising however, was how Damian had chosen to capture himself with Jason. He had placed Jason hanging over him, one arm latched behind his neck, the other hand ruffling his hair. A look of pure glee in Jason’s face as Damian looked to be attempting to swat Jason’s hand away. But attached to his typical scowl was amusement reflected in his eyes.

Typically composed, Alfred attempted to wipe away stray tears without the family noticing. Tim smiled as the older man wrapped Damian in a hug before wiping away more tears and loudly whispering. “Perfect, Master Damian. True perfection.”

When Alfred released him, Damian turned once again to Tim. “Now that I have completed the checklist may I have the information you have collected regarding my wife?”

Tim panicked. He had hoped to delay telling Damian anything until they had gathered new intel, but it appeared his time was up.

“Drake, did you hear?”

“Yes… sorry Damian.” He looked out to the rest of the family hoping for one of them to save him, but no one moved. “We know she was a hero in Paris.”

“Are you indicating that I completed this ridiculous checklist for that singular piece of information?” Damian looked ready to stab him. “And what do you mean by was?”

“No, of course not, I have a whole file I will grant you access to in the Batcave.” Tim looked away unwilling to make eye contact. “But…” He licked his lips before biting his lower lip steeling his nerves. “We recently discovered that she defeated the villain, Hawkmoth, and has since become inactive in Paris.”

“Care to elaborate what you mean? Right now, I am drawing some unfortunate conclusions. It would be regrettable if my sword were once again to take someone’s last breath.” The glare Damian gave Tim sent shivers down his spine, leaving no ambiguity as to who the comment was directed towards. The act reminding him of ten-year-old Damian, who had attacked him with the intent to kill.

“At the press conference after Hawkmoth’s defeat, she announced she and her partner would be leaving Paris. Hawkmoth’s accomplice escaped and until she resurfaces, or we gather additional information, we have temporarily…Lost. Track. Of. Her.”

Jason came to stand beside Tim, he looked at Damian sadly, knowing that the information he had spent the last two days gathering was not going to be any more welcomed than Tim’s. “I went to the temple we sprang you from to try and get some answers for her identity. As I’m sure you know, Talia doesn’t know who she is, and her organization apparently doesn’t know either. The mask she wore during your wedding was placed on her before she was even picked up off the street in Paris. The single Guardian who saw her face would be able to pick her out of a line up, but nothing more. Turns out that their order has strict rules regarding identities. Only the Grand Guardian and the holder themselves can share identities, thanks to some kind of magical privacy setting. Ladybug, unfortunately, is both of those.”

Braced for the attack he was certain would come from his younger brother; Tim watched as Damian deflated instead. He looked defeated, sad, and resigned, just as he had when they returned a few weeks back from his wedding.

It was at that moment Tim swore he would do everything possible, use every resource they had, every favor they were owed, to discover the identity and location of Damian’s Ladybug.

Chapter Text

Damian’s eyes were bloodshot from the lack of sleep after hours upon hours of reviewing the footage Tim had finally relinquished. There were no clues within it as to how to find her, but it gave him a clearer picture of the kind of person she was.

Needless to say, he was even more enthralled by what he saw. She fought with skills that eclipsed even the League’s best trained assassins. It was no wonder that his mother wished for her to be his wife, his equal. In fact, he would be one of the first to admit that she was probably worthy of being described as superior.

Then there was the title he had bestowed on her, angel. From the limited news footage catching the aftermath of the attacks, it was obvious that she was truly worthy of the moniker. From her humane treatment of the victims after the attacks, it was obvious that empathy and forgiveness were instinctual. Even after Paris was destroyed and the death of many civilians laid at the feet of the akumas, her compassion was unparalleled to even some of the more seasoned Justice League members. The world did not deserve her…. He did not deserve her.

On the screen, a train came through a portal and was left hanging on top of Big Ben in London. How that incident alone did not reach international news was beyond him. There had to be some magic intervention that went beyond the scope of even the best magic wielders in the Justice League. Once they found her, he was sure that the Justice League would determine how she had kept the events in Paris from making international news, and undoubtedly try to capitalize her methods. 

Opening another video from the earlier years of his wife’s heroism, a strange sound and bright light drew his attention behind him. He spun around in his chair to find the source. A whirling aquamarine light opened to a rather non-descript room, it was remarkably similar to the portal that opened above Big Ben. It was too much of a coincidence, it had to be caused by one of the miraculous, which meant…

It was a few seconds before the figure of the woman who had been haunting his fantasies stepped through the portal into the Batcave. She took in her surroundings, glancing around the cave, looking like she half expected things to jump from the shadows.

She had yet to notice him, which he did not rectify. Instead, he watched her, the videos did not do justice to just how graceful she truly was suited-up. She moved as fluidly as a dancer en pointe, he was sure she only moved better when swinging from a wire. She searched the cave for something. While her body language reflected her failure to have yet found it, she still took time to observe the various tech, weapons, and vehicles she came upon.

For a reason unknown to him, he held his breath as she came upon the wall holding each of the Bats’ costumes. As if she knew which belonged to him, she walked right up to his Robin costume and took his cape in her hand. Taking the fabric between her gloved fingers she slid her hand down the cape, stretching it out to expose the bright yellow interior. He released the breath he had been holding, pleased that she had latched on to something that was his.

She finally turned her attention away from the wall as his cape slipped from her fingers and settled behind his armor. Her head was the last to turn as she walked in his direction, stopping only when her eyes settled upon him still glued to the chair.

“Demon.” She breathed; her voice as angelic as he remembered. He was pleased that he had captured the seductive qualities of her accent in his dreams.

“Angel,” he whispered, afraid that if he spoke louder she would disappear. “How did you get here?”

Despite the happiness of being reunited, he could not help the suspicion he felt at her sudden appearance.

“I honestly didn’t know if it would work. When I first arrived, I wasn’t so sure it had. But I thought maybe-” She continued to walk towards him. “-maybe, if I thought of where I wanted to be. Which was with you. That maybe the miraculous would take me there even if I didn’t know where you were.” She stopped when she was just out of reach. He was torn between jumping up and taking her in his arms and giving her the space that she had obviously left between them.

“But here I am-” She pointed a finger towards herself before she bit the side of her lip. Looking at him through hooded eyes, her voice reached his ears at something just above a whisper as she pointed to him and said, “-and here you are.”

“Why now?” Her eyes bore into his soul and he felt self-conscious as he realized that while she still wore the mask, he was nothing more than Damian now in front of her. Truth be told, he was perfectly okay with that. He no longer wished to be anyone else with her.

Her transformation washed away in front of him in a flash of red light. He was disappointed to find her still wearing a mask, but she stood before him again without magic separating them. She wore an intricate black lace nighty. Blocks of crimson fabric under the lace, likely her lingerie, prevented her from being exposed. A stiletto heel of a similar color ensured that the potentially innocent nature of the outfit was lost. Her hair which was usually tied in twin tails while transformed was now down, with loose curls at the ends.

She walked right up to him, but some of the confidence she usually held seemed stifled, as if self-conscious of the attire she wore before him. He hoped that it was caused by having never worn such an outfit in front of another. He never wanted any other man or woman to have the privilege of seeing his Angel as he did now.

Her intent unquestionable by her attire, his legs parted to accommodate her body between his own, as she closed the distance between them.

When her body finally made contact, she leaned down and placed both of her hands on his shoulders. Her gaze never once lost sight of his until she uttered, “I no longer have anything holding me back from being with you.” She closed her eyes and crashed her lips against his.

He was in ecstasy once again. He had almost forgotten just how good he felt in her presence. But, with her legs pressed against his, her mouth moved with his, her tongue danced with his, he wondered how he could ever forget.

They kissed as if finishing a reunion after a long separation, greedy for the kisses lost to time. Trying desperately to reform the mental map of their bodies from their night together. Their lips did not hesitate to navigate across the other’s mouth, face, and neck. Their movements were reminiscent of ones who had kissed a thousand lifetimes before, predicting and accommodating to the others wants and desires.

Momentarily, she stopped kissing him to look into his eyes. Emeralds were captured by sapphires and he was sure he was seeing into the depths of her soul from their shared gaze.

She shifted back and used her hands to guide his legs together. She placed her hands on the back of his chair and raised herself so that her crimson bra and the treasures it held, monopolized his view. Placing her weight onto her knees she straddled him before lowering herself onto his thighs. The heat radiating from her body warmed him and diminished the slight chill from the cave.

His thumbs rubbed her cheeks as his fingers grabbed for the back of her head. He pulled her closer to affirm she was truly there and not a hallucination. The action deepened the kiss and a small moan escaped her as she wrapped her arms around his neck as she finally let her weight settle on his lap.

She leaned her head close to his ear, her breath fanned across it before she whispered. “I need you.”

While he was happy to finally have her in his arms and have her words reflect his own truth, the position left much to be desired. He longed to have more physical contact with her, something not easily achieved in their current position. He moved his hands from her face to grab at her other cheeks before using all his core strength to lift them both from the chair. The only note that she was surprised by the action was a small squeak that escaped her before she wrapped her legs around his waist and resumed her work on his lips.

He spun them both around and took a few steps towards the desk in front of the large computer screen. While he wished to gracefully place her down, he rather forcefully dropped her onto the keyboard. Assertively pressing his body against hers, he began to attack her neck in a flurry of open-mouthed kisses. He wanted to worship her like the goddess that she was, but a month of pent-up sexual frustration only released in the shower or his dreams, made him insatiable.

He felt lost to a madness, not unlike one that comes from the pits. A voice, one that he knew was his own, begged him. It screamed of a desire for her, the need to fulfill her, please her, and ensure by the end she knew if she hadn’t already, he was hers. It begged him to give himself to her, body, heart, and soul. Doing so with a single demonstration, right here, right now.  Like the madness from the pit, it was a voice he found hard to ignore and so in this moment he listened and obeyed.

She did not seem to mind, in fact, she seemed just as out of control of her behavior and as desperate as him. She offered him clear access to the various places his mouth sought. Continuously grinding into him, she elicited whines as he resisted stripping himself and taking her without further ado.

He chose instead to simply lower the straps of her dress to blow upon her exposed left shoulder. In response she threw her head back and moaned loudly. Her dress slid down and exposed her crimson strapless bra. The sight made him hungrier causing him to pull away so that he could completely remove the offending garment and feast upon the sight of his wife unobstructed.

Desperately, he grabbed at the bodice of the lace nighty and pulled with all his strength, the garment ripped straight down the middle exposing the lingerie set underneath. She made no protest other than a loud gasp that was muffled by the sound of the tearing fabric. Once he let go and the garment was off, she bit her bottom lip and seductively smiled at him. Her own chest was rising and falling rapidly, reflecting her own quickening want.

In fact, she looked at him with her eyes traveling up and down his own garment, unspoken words conveyed with a single smirk. Remove yours too. With one hand he grabbed the edge of his black t-shirt and pulled it over his head, before tossing it into a random part of the cave. With two hands he removed his belt and jeans slightly stumbling when they briefly became caught in his shoes. But in no time at all, his entire outfit, minus his briefs, laid somewhere in the cave.

He pounced on her lips, an action she had not quite been ready for, causing her back to fall onto the table. It made it harder for her to press her hips against him as she lost her leverage with her legs. It did not bother him, as he intended to trail her body with his mouth and leave small reminders of his presence. It had been his one regret for there first night together, he was left with no physical reminders.

She seemed to be in ecstasy as he continued his descent from her neck to her bra.  Her own hands traveled up from her hips along her side, circling her chest and ending with the back of her left hand resting on her neck as her right pressed against her cheek as she tilted her head. Her eyes closed and her mouth released a pleased sighs.

Fortunately, her bra clipped in the front, allowing him to make quick and effortless work of its removal.  It joined her nighty as a pile of fabric that laid on the table below her.

Having not been one to gawk or even usually entertain seeing a woman in such a position, he was surprised at how much he found himself pausing to better appreciate it. He placed his fingers on her top lip and slowly dragged it down to her bottom, causing her lips to separate ever so slightly. She pressed her tongue out to greet his finger before it continued down to her chin. She tilted her head back to completely expose her neck as his finger continued. Her chest lifted off the table pushing her breasts up to meet his fingers. A moan escaped as his finger discovered the valley between them. His other hand joined the first to lightly caress her left breast, causing her to moan more soundly and arch further into his touch.

He took the rolling of her shoulders as positive affirmation and moved his mouth to continue giving her chest the attention it deserved.

His mouth went to replace his left hand, and he used his tongue to circle her nipple before lightly biting. The sound that escaped her was sinful, causing him to respond in kind, as a jolt was sent to his core. He switched the side his mouth gave attention to, receiving instead of a moan, a whine of desperation. The message behind the whine was communicated by the lifting of her hips.

He moved to continue his descent down her body, with a single target in mind, but her siren’s call prevented his further exploration. “Please…I want you,” she panted. “No, I need you.” She attempted to lift her hips and rub against him, but her movement was clumsy. “Don’t make me wait any longer.”

He lifted his face, but she did not meet his gaze. Her eyes were set on the last article of clothing on him that separated the two of them. He lifted himself away from her and she followed him so that she was once again sitting.

As he removed his briefs, she did the same, leaving them both fully exposed to the lightly chilled air of the Batcave. She shivered slightly, so any hope of appreciating her naked form was gone as he used his body to provide the heat that she missed.

Impatiently, she shifted slightly from his grip, moving her hips to the edge of the table. Before he had time to process what she was doing, he felt a warmth embrace him slowly. He automatically responded by pushing forward to meet her and in a moment, he was completely sheathed.  

Her left arm was draped around his shoulders, her hand playing with the hair at the nape of his neck. Her right arm held up her weight as her legs were wrapped around his waist, with the tip of her red stilettoes lightly digging into his ass.

His own hands found comfort in gripping her hips as he began to thrust into her. The only sound in the cave was the echo of flesh meeting, their heavy breathing and pleasured moans. Her rear slammed into the keyboard with each thrust causing different files on the computer to open, changing the color of the cave surrounding them each time they moved.

To him it only looked as if the color of the halo surrounding her changed as their bodies collided again and again.

As their passion grew, her eyes that had been hooded as she looked at him, finally shut. The moaning that he drew from her mouth, while soft grew louder and louder, signaling her impending orgasm. 

With no further warning, she let out a heavenly scream while her head was thrown backwards. Her spine arched so that her body was joined completely to his. The contraction of her walls and the knowledge of his success drove him to his own precipice, and he collapsed on her once finished.

He opened his eyes slowly looking forward to seeing her glistening body below him. Only to find his upper body hunched over the keyboard and his butt still firmly planted on the computer chair. No Ladybug below, behind, or beside him, only present on the computer screen above him.

The disappointment was resounding. It had only been another dream.

Chapter Text

The flight from Paris had been...well a flight. Marinette attempted to distract herself by using the time finalizing the designs of Luka’s pieces for his album release, while Adrien slept beside her. But it was close to impossible to be distracted as she resisted the urge to kick the seat in front of her, as Lila prattled on about her boyfriend Damian Wayne. Lila’s adoring fans loudly oohed and aahed with each story. Marinette settled for aggressively poking the inflight entertainment screen while playing a game of tic-tac-toe, only slightly interrupting the fantasies, and earning underhanded glares from the Italian.

Either Lila was finally telling the truth, the poor boy, or she was foolish choosing a son of the man who’d sponsored their trip to lie about. If the latter was true, at the very least she would finally be caught lying, hopefully not to the embarrassment or detriment of the class.

The few surrounding Lila had lapped up her story and seemed excited at the various things her Damiboo had promised with her return to the city. A city that Lila had claimed, when Marinette had announced participating in the contest, she would never step foot in. Claiming people who chose to domicile or even visit were ‘cracked.’ Funny how such smart individuals had such short-term memories.

The frustration had developed into a headache that Marinette was currently nursing. The medicine for such an ailment, a coffee spiked with an energy drink.

Unfortunately, Lila’s stories about the city continued, sounding like a recitation of the first internet search result on the city, as they waited for their transportation to the hotel.

Adrien was still mostly asleep, as he leaned up against Marinette. Luka and Chloe were sharing a pair of earbuds probably listening to his album and Kagami was busy checking in with her mother on the phone.

The airport was definitely one of a kind. The buildings were mostly non-descript, built out of concrete with large evenly spaced windows only two stories high. On top of the main building was a wire sign with the words Gotham Airport lit by spotlights. The very few planes on the ground all had stairs leading to the doors instead of the more modern gangways coming from the terminals. The whole scene looked plucked out of a classic film noir but in Technicolor, including the light fog lifting from the road. The only modern aspect was the taxis and cars lining the street before them.

The airport did not give visitors the impression that the city warranted anything other than the reputation it was famous for. Perhaps if the class had arrived in the day instead of the evening, they would have had a more favorable impression of their home for the next month.

But Marinette wasn’t sure that would have helped her reading of the city. Since becoming Grand Guardian she had not visited many places to compare, but she was certain she had never felt so much destructive and chaotic energy coursing through such a large area. It left her feeling on edge and vibrating in anticipation for something, despite the fatigue from the over eight-hour flight.  It was not helped by Tikki’s own vibrations felt through her scarf where the small goddess was taking residence to fight against the naturally colder weather of New Jersey.

She wished that she could consult with Plagg or at the very least Adrien, but the class was far too huddled together for her to risk it.

A large passenger bus suddenly approached the waiting area, the class held their breath hoping to be saved from the discomfort of the airport and driven to the relative safety of their hotel.  Collective groans followed the bus as it passed the French students and pulled out in front of a class Marinette had noted was speaking Russian earlier. The class returned to their previous musings, distracting themselves again as they waited for the next bus.

Two large stretch limos unexpectedly pulled in front of the class causing confusion.  A younger man probably around twenty-five, exited the driver’s seat of the first limo and walked towards the huddled French students. “Ms. Lila Rossi?”

“Here!” Lila pushed past Alya and Rose to be seen by the young man, waving her hand in his direction.

“Ah Ms. Rossi, someone who would like to remain anonymous has provided your class with two limos to escort you to your hotel.” He winked at her before stepping to take her luggage.

The girls surrounding her cooed and squealed as they excitedly jumped around.

Marinette could not believe it; Lila apparently wasn’t lying about her relationship for once. All the signs had pointed to a fib, especially with her behavior towards Adrien. But alas, Wayne was probably just another pawn in her grand scheme to become rich and famous.

“My Damiboo is just so sweet. I can’t believe he did this for all of us. I will have to be sure to really thank him tonight if you know what I mean.” Lila winked at the girls surrounding her before making quick eye contact with Marinette. Marinette felt bile rise in her throat, the images that unfortunately flashed in her mind were not something she wanted to picture, ever.

During her time as Kaid she had interacted with several wealthy men and she could say that most weren’t like Adrien and Chloe. Perhaps they were more like Chloe before she changed. If this Damian Wayne seriously went for someone like Lila, he probably deserved someone like Lila.

Marinette slapped herself lightly at that thought, earning a concerned glance from Adrien. She ignored it. No, no one deserved Lila.

Luck apparently was not on Marinette’s side in Gotham. She had attempted to get in the second limo sans Lila with the rest of her friends but was ushered by the driver into the first. She was therefore subjected to the whole limo gushing about the elusive Damian and just how Lila was going to thank him for his kindness.

While no longer a virgin, Marinette could never imagine being so open with others as Lila was in that limo. Her description of the favors she planned for her Damiboo put a blush to Marinette’s cheeks and occasional bile as well.

Fortunately, the cityscape that was Gotham occupied most of her thoughts during the drive. A much needed reprieve from Lila and her cohort. The neo-gothic nature was magnificent, reminiscent of some of the architecture found in Paris. Several of the gargoyles seemed almost posed for attack, breeding the dark and ominous ambiance. Beautifully mixed with the neo-gothic, dare say almost seamlessly, were art deco styled buildings reflecting the wealth of the city, or rather the prior wealth. They added a feeling of being suspended in time, straddling between the past and the present. While neo-gothic and art deco dominated the skyline, the ostentatious styles were muted by buildings in neo-classical and what American’s coined federalist styles. The city should have looked like it was lost in an attempt to find an identity, but it blended perfectly, almost as if every building was built to complement its neighbor. Unfortunately, too much of the city looked neglected and in need of restoration, but it didn’t stop one from appreciating what it had looked like at one time.

The city inspired several designs and Marinette could barely contain the itch to sketch, but she had learned during the second year of Lila’s reign to refrain from designing in her presence. Lila stole and then went to submit one of Marinette’s designs. It was not one of her best, winning only third in the contest, but it had taught her to be all the more wary of Lila and her intensions. She could not have Lila recognizing or even stealing a Kaid design. She didn’t want to risk being ousted yet, nor Lila to try and claim Kaid stole her designs or even that she helped.

Nope, better to sketch on her own free of Lila time. 

Without a medium for her designs, Marinette could only be distracted by the architecture for so long before forced to listen to Alya allude several times to Lila being responsible for the contest win. All thanks to her Damian. Lila was playing the story so well that even Marinette had to wonder if there wasn’t some truth to a possible intervention.

Why were people so willing to believe Marinette was incapable and undeserving of her achievements?

In her early years as Ladybug, people would dismiss Marinette as a possible candidate based on her clumsiness. While it helped keep her alter ego’s identity safe, it hurt that people couldn’t see any positive attribute from Ladybug in her, other than her similar appearance.

Of course, Adrien had called Marinette their Everyday Ladybug before he knew her identity, but that title was quickly dropped when Lila returned from ‘Achu.’ Lila took pleasure in destroying the nickname by pointing out all the ways that Marinette could not possibly be Ladybug. It was her friendship with Adrien that thankfully kept her from going down a dark and irreversible path. Adrien had led her to the understanding that Ladybug was not separate from Marinette, just an extension. In the end it was the magic and Marinette’s own efforts that prevented people from seeing it.

Fortunately, as much as Lila attempted to destroy Marinette by toppling the metaphorical beams that lifted her confidence, she unknowingly added some as well. As the topic in the limo moved from Lila’s sexual escapades, to her assist in winning the contest, the conversation finally settled on the conference’s gala.

“Of course, Damiboo made sure that Kaid designed me an original for the gala.” Lila bragged.

“How are you so lucky to know all these people, Lila?  The designer Kaid no less!” Mylene gushed.

“Well, it was Damian who introduced us, something about having to make sure I had the best of everything.” She took note of the focus on her, trying to hit home, “His brothers alluded to something along the lines of me needing a wardrobe fitting of a future Wayne.

Marinette scrunched her nose, wondering the truth of Lila’s statement. She had been contacted by a representative of the Waynes asking for a consultation. She had been too overwhelmed with Luka’s stage outfits to consider adding any additional commissions but had offered to reach out while in Gotham. She would definitely be reconsidering knowing that it might be for Lila.

That would be a hard, NO.

The rest of the occupants squealed in delight at the hinted proposal.

“Luka asked Kaid to make Juleka a dress for the gala too.” Rose said excitedly. “I can confirm that it is beyond gorgeous, so much so I would never take it off if it was mine.”

Juleka blushed, despite dating for more than four years it was still nice to see Rose able to bring color to Juleka’s cheeks. Lila clearly did not appreciate the attention being taken away or the fact that Juleka would have a real Kaid design. What Lila hoped to pass off as an Kaid original, Marinette could only guess.

“I can’t wait for Damian to pull off my dress of course. Not that there is much dress to take off either way. He likes to run his hand along my back, so he requested it to be bare. I will have to try extra hard to prevent his hand from traveling further during the gala.” Lila tried to give a seductive look to the girls in the car.

Marinette could not understand why the group was so enraptured by Lila’s tales of sex, after all most of them were no strangers to the act, herself now included. She had no interest in sharing her tales or hearing other’s. And how was it that she was talking about what Damian liked to do with her when a week ago she had said she hadn’t seen him in years? Must have been someone else.

The limo finally pulled in front of the Gotham Hotel. Marinette threw open the door before the driver even had a chance to exit and do it himself. “Oh thank god.” She said to no one.

The air outside of the limo smelled like despair and yet it was sweeter than what was in the limo.

The hotel was on the corner of one of the main streets in downtown Gotham. Done in an art deco style, the building was at least twenty stories high. The sides were more mundane to make up for the intricate design of the hotel entrance on the corner. The lobby was three stories high and sat well in front of the rest of the hotel. Above the doors were two large imposing stone sculptures. The first was of Themis, the other of her daughter, Dike, representatives of divine and mortal justice respectively. Both held their brass scales out towards the city, but their eyes looked down at those who would enter the hotel. They looked to say that all who entered would be judged by all laws. Their swords were pointed just in front of the double doors leading into the hotel, a threat or perhaps a promise. All in all, the sculptures were interesting choices for a hotel and not a courthouse.   

While the building was perfectly lit, further down the road in either direction, dark shadows hugged the sidewalks and alleyways. People scurried by, looking suspicious among the light fog hugging the ground. All that was missing from the film noir vibe was the sudden sound of a tommy in the distance.

Speaking too soon, the group froze to the sound of gunfire some blocks away. Quickly snapping out of their trance the students rushed into the building, missing the spectacle above. All except for Marinette and Alya. Both turned their attention to the skyline, use to the sight that usually accompanied such turmoil. Alya out of habit and Marinette out of longing. They were just in time to see a masked man swing across the street in the direction of the gunfire.

Marinette and Alya turned to each other and smiled, despite the darkness that enclosed the city, they were at least in good company.

Marinette felt a tug at her arm and saw Adrien also looking to the sky for the masked vigilantes. He pulled her softly into the hotel lobby away from the disruption outside.

The chaos outside was quickly forgotten by the opulence of the modern lobby space. The jetlagged students looked out of place among the luxuries and Marinette once again felt the urge for her sketch book.

M. Delacroix approached the class from the front desk. “I need you to partner up please for room assignment. Unfortunately, we are still required to adhere to the archaic girls with girls and boys with boys. So, if you would not mind when you find your mate, please come to me for your room keys.” He turned away and looked exhausted from watching twenty-six young adults already.

The lobby exploded in chaos as friend claimed one another. Marinette gave Adrien sad puppy eyes as she turned from him, after watching Luka claim him. Kagami, Chloe, and Marinette moved closer together, it was obvious that the threesome would be forced to split, leaving one person odd man out. Fortunately, Alix noted the dilemma and made her way over from Kim and Max.

Bad luck struck again, as Marinette was suddenly pulled by her arm by none other than Lila. “Mari, we simply must room together.”

“I’m sorry? WHAT?” Marinette blinked once, twice, three times, but was still unable to comprehend what Lila had said.

“I said we should room together, silly.” Lila lightly pawed at Marinette’s arm. “We’ve been in class so long and yet we barely know each other.” She cooed, causing the bile that had been kept at bay in Marinette’s throat all evening to finally make its way into her mouth.

She turned towards Adrien her eyes bulging as she mouthed. ‘What the fuck.’

“Oh girl that is just so sweet. What a great idea Lila.” Alya fussed, causing Marinette to look at her as if she suddenly sprouted devil horns. Sure they hadn’t really talked in years, but surely Alya knew that Marinette did not like Lila. “I’ll room with you Alix.”

Sharing in Marinette’s bewilderment, Alix mouthed, ‘what the hell?’ Marinette shrugged her shoulders, eyeing her in a way she hoped expressed. ‘I don’t know. You’re the fucking rabbit.’

Alix sheepishly looked away…message received.

Caught between the devil and the deep blue sea, Marinette felt cornered into accepting Lila’s offer. “Sure Lila.” She said through a clinched jaw.

The next three weeks were going to be hell.

Chapter Text

As soon as the plane started to descend, Plagg felt a familiar aura smothering the city. It screamed destruction, propagated chaos and assured bad luck, all the things Plagg exuded.  

The kwamis were not sure how or when they came into existence. The only thing they could agree upon was their genesis was quick, essentially exploding into existence. Suddenly on this plane of existence things were created and destroyed, time moved, feelings were felt, protection given, so on and so forth. Of course, the kwamis disagreed as to which came first, the kwami or their concept, perhaps even coming to exist concurrently. Regardless, in those early moments of this world, kwamis began to pop up all around in different times and places, Tikki and Plagg being the first and simultaneously.

Due to the nature of their sudden appearance, the area surrounding their birthplace was heavily infused with their essence. This meant the living things that came to settle in the area were blessed and, in some cases cursed by the magical residue of the kwami. For example, those who settled in Tikki’s birthplace were blessed by good luck, creative tendencies, and good health. Those who settled in Plagg’s were cursed with misfortune and chaos.

The site of Tikki’s origin became known as Eden, Plagg’s was apparently called Gotham.

“Do you think we’ll meet some of the Gotham heroes?” Nino asked excitedly to the entire limo.

“They’re vigilantes.” Chloe huffed and rolled her eyes.

“What’s the difference?” Nino ignored her attitude.  

“Vigilantes are usually mere mortals, who take the law into their own hands. Superheroes have powers and usually fight supervillains.” Adrien added to the conversation.

“Aren’t all superheroes technically vigilantes then?” Adrien carefully considered the question.

“I guess, but take Ladybug and Chat Noir, they’re heroes because they worked with the permission of the Parisian government. Then you have groups like the Justice League who work with the authorization of national governments, so neither group is really vigilantes.”

“Batman and his partners, while they work alongside the Gotham police, they don’t technically work with or for them, making them solely vigilantes. At least when they are operating in Gotham, you might use the term hero for his work with the Justice League of America. Likewise, Ladybug and Chat Noir were heroes when acting against Hawkmoth, but became vigilantes when they stopped ordinary crime.” Max finished by pushing his glasses up his nose as he turned off his tablet.

“I hope that we can see Batman at some point. I heard he has a scowl that would put our dear Kagami’s to shame.” Luka wrapped his arm around Kagami’s shoulder as she demonstrated her ice glare, as a large number in the limo snickered.

“Yea, I heard he is a real stickler for no nonsense, even more so than Ladybug.” A boy Plagg had never bothered to learn the name of interjected.

Plagg understood why this Batman character would be known for his stoic persona. Plagg’s essence left unbalanced, would undoubtedly attract criminals and supervillains alike. Those already on the edge would feed off the chaos, encouraging it to spread further through the city. Gotham would not be the kind of place to leave a smile on someone’s face. As for those who would seek to do good in Gotham to counter the chaos and crime within, they would unfortunately know a fair amount of misfortune.

“Let’s hope they never meet, it would suck if Ladybug became any more serious.” Adrien said dejectedly before swapping to a smile as Luka punched his shoulder.

The limo pulled up to the hotel and the class got out. Plagg shifted to the top of Adrien’s pocket to take a deep breath of the fresh air. They were closer to the center of Gotham, his essence was more concentrated. He couldn’t help vibrating to match the energy coming from the city.

He wasn’t sure but the energy felt newer. Almost as if something was inviting outside entities into the city, encouraging the disorder and furthering the imbalance. While these Gotham vigilantes were trying to help, inevitably they were powerless to stop it. They might be able to fight the tide, but they would never be able to turn it.

Gotham needed something, it needed Pigtails and….

Unexpectedly, gunshots were heard a block away from the hotel. He felt it then, what had been missing since he was released from his miraculous when Hawkmoth had first appeared in Paris, his Kaiduan.

It all made sense. Fate had chosen to separate them at birth not by accident but by design. Ladybug would be required to purify the creations of that stupid Moth Man. But fate needed something to bring creation to Gotham to help with the balance. So his Kaiduan was separated and destined to be here waiting, knowing creation would be drawn, fated to work together. Gotham needed to be balanced, even Plagg knew this; his essence was growing instead of remaining fixed. If it wasn’t already bleeding into the surrounding areas, it would be soon and dangerously so.

The only ones that would be able to restore it would be the Kaiduan of Creation and the Kaiduan of Destruction.

It was time to return to his Kitten.

Much to Robin’s chagrin, the month long W.E. Business and Leadership Conference was upon them. He could not understand his father’s insistence on holding the damn thing in Gotham of all places. The city was always bustling with crime, made worse when over a hundred high school students descended upon it. Not only did they bring their own brand of stupidity with their first taste of freedom, but also the many Rogues of Gotham. Each hoping to use the unsuspecting tourists as pawns in one of their ill-fated schemes in hopes of unleashing the most chaos in the city.

The month meant babysitting duty most nights instead of out fighting crime. It was made worse this year by Damian’s forced participation in the conference itself.

Fortunately, Jon, despite being a year behind in school, had been able to register for the business course a year ahead. Meaning he would also be attending the conference and would be staying at the manor starting Monday to help with patrols.

But it really didn’t do much in pleasing Robin’s current level of anger, as many of the schools had decided to arrive a full day early to combat jetlag. Which meant instead of responding to the current robbery on 8^th street with Batman, he was babysitting the Gotham Hotel with Red Hood.

Across from the Gotham Hotel on the roof of an investment building, the pair had the best vantage point. All streets leading to the hotel and specifically the lobby could be seen. The only tactical disadvantage was the inability to monitor the back entrance of the hotel. Fortunately, Nightwing’s and Starfire’s patrol route passed frequently, and Red Robin had installed cameras nearby to allow Oracle to keep it monitored. 

For the past hour since the first school arrived, the two had taken turns grappling back and forth along the hotel looking for unusual activity. Aside from some typical teenage behavior noticeable from the hall windows, the area was unusually quiet.

Two limos pulled to the front of the hotel, Hood motioned to take a closer look before using his grappling hook to lower down onto one of the ledges several floors below. Robin followed suit and landed on a ledge on the other side of the building to get a different vantage of the two limos. The door of the first limo opened and a group comprised of mostly high school boys stepped out.

“Tt,” Robin found it rather pretentious for a class to arrive by limos but W.E. had approved of the schools request to celebrate their students’ arrival to the city.

The second limo’s door opened, and a group of rowdy girls moved towards the entrance of the hotel.

“Looks like there’s going to be a lot of cute girls at the conference.” Hood’s smugness came through the comms.

“Tt. Why would it be of consequence to me the attractiveness of the girls attending?” From their vantage point it was impossible to note anything about the girls, other than hair color and height in relation to each other.

“Even though you can’t taste the goods, doesn’t mean you can’t browse.” Hood placed his hand on Robin’s shoulder having moved to his position. “Dating wouldn’t be the worst thing you could do.”

Robin slapped Hood’s hand from his shoulder, taking a large step away from him to create distance to prevent him from doing worse. “Don’t be so crass Hood.  Women are not objects. I do not need to as you say, ‘sample.’ I am already bound and leading on another would be improper. Not to mention the chances of me liking anyone to even consider dating is as likely as you being able to keep it in your pants for longer than a week.”

“And here I was thinking we were getting along better.”

As Hood laughed, a gunshot in an alley brought their attention back to the hotel. The group of girls had stopped, looking around for the direction of the shots before they all but sprinted into the lobby. All but two, who were looking up at the skyline expectantly.

Hood immediately took off in the direction of the gunshots as guided by Oracle. Perceiving that the two girls were not in any immediate danger, Robin shot his grappling hook at the building across the street and swung away to follow Hood.

Robin landed quietly beside Hood as he stood on a roof looking down into the alleyway. His hands were hovering over his guns, ready to engage, but delaying action to observe the scene before him. Ten men scattered among the alley were engaged in a gun fight. Large crates and dumpsters served as temporary cover from the bullets. As they failed to hit their marks and confined to the alleyway Hood and Robin had time to analyze the situation to determine the best approach.

Several of Galante’s and Inzerillo’s men were easily recognizable. Hood relayed a quick plan over the comms, before he gave Robin the signal to drop into the alley behind three wooden crates. A second signal sent Robin crouching to the floor, Hood drew his guns, aiming at the two closest goons as he took off sprinting. Using Robin’s back to launch himself into the air above the men, he showered rubber bullets down upon two hitting them square in the chest, temporarily taking them out of the fight as they tried to regain their breathe and bearings.

Robin stood quickly to engage his first opponent whose gun was raised to fire. He swung his katana hitting the barrel before it discharged into the closest wall. Robin prepared to strike with the hilt of his weapon at the nape of his neck, instead he came down on the shoulder as he was pistol whipped to the back of his head by a second goon.

The young vigilante spun to engage the second man but found a third beside him taking aim at his head. The gun fired but the bullet was deflected by his swift movement with the blade. However, his grip was weak from the blow to his head causing the sword to fumble out of his hand and careen to the other side of the alley. The loud embarrassing clang of the weapon landing caused a spike in Robin’s anger. He looked back and growled at the man who fired the gun. 

Twisting the man’s wrist, Robin was able to disarm him before kicking the man in the gut. Before finishing his attack, one of Inzerillo’s men jumped on his back and attempted a choke hold around his neck. Fortunately, Robin raised his hands just in time to catch the man’s arms before they were able to lock. He crouched while lowering his torso, using his own momentum to launch the man over his shoulder and into a large wooden crate. In one swift movement he unsheathed one of his knives and pinned his attacker to the crate below by his jacket.

Robin removed two batarangs, launching the first at the closest goon. He was disarmed before charging Robin. He stuck his leg out as the thug ran past causing him to crash into a pile of trash and empty glass bottles.

Robin then launched the second batarang at the man who had hit him across the head. It missed. “Tt.”

“Best you got?” The man taunted as he removed a knife from his shoe.

A large mass suddenly flew past Robin’s left shoulder, knocking into the goon and sending him crumbling into the ground. "Special delivery!” Hood shouted after hurling one of his own assailants.

Robin looked around to find a good half of the goons immobilized. Hood was engaged in hand to hand with two, but not currently requiring Robin’s assistance. Police sirens broke the silence in the alleyway signaling the imminent arrival of law enforcement. Hood and Robin worked quickly to try and take out the remaining men.

As the last two men tried to flee the blue and white lights of the GCPD lit the small alleyway. Officers Martinez and Graham stepped out of their cruiser to chase after the two fleeing men.

Taking the obvious leader of Galante’s men, Hood pushed him up against a crate to interrogate. “What was the shooting about?” The barrel of Hood’s gun pushed against his temple; the rubber bullets a promise of pain over death.

“I don’t know nothing. I was told to take Inzerillo’s men and that’s what I did.”

“Why take down Inzerillo’s men?” Robin asked knowing the interview was pointless, these men were pawns with limited knowledge.

“Why not?” The goon laughed before he spat at Red Hood.

A knock across his skull by Hood’s gun responded in kind, knocking the man out. Hood then turned on his heel to face the closest of Inzerillo’s men. “Why attack Galante?”

The man merely blinked his eyes and shrugged his shoulders. His head swayed down before returning upright to attempt to look at the Bats. His eyes were glazed over, a sign of a possible concussion. Robin huffed as he moved away from the man, grateful for the action but frustrated from the lack of answers.

“What’d you catch?” Officer Martinez slinked close to Hood after placing one of the escaping assailants in her cruiser. 

“Turf war as far as we can tell. If you learn anything more, you know how to contact us.” Robin growled before taking out his grappling gun and launched himself up to the closest rooftop.

Hood only shrugged his shoulder at the officers before taking out his own hook and following Robin.

Chapter Text

Marinette stared at a black dot on the ceiling; her eyes fluttered as her mind refused to pick either a state of rest or wake. The annoying ever-present noise of the sound machine Lila insisted to sleep with, droned on. Apparently broken the machine inconsistently squeaked, causing Marinette to stir just as she was on the precipice of slumber.

Planning to go to bed early to assist with the jetlag from the transatlantic flight, she was prevented by the meticulous beauty regime of Lila. For an eighteen-year-old the many stages, serums, mask, and silly ineffective exercises, took two whole hours to reach completion.  The process rivaled that of an older woman looking to capture her youth. Extreme for one who was supposed to be in her prime, leaving Marinette to question if Lila also lied about her age.  

Two hours behind her planned departure into dreamland and stuck in purgatory, Lila then insisted on turning on the garish machine. All the while, placing on a sleep mask and lying perfectly in the center of the bed, not moving for the rest of the evening, a perfect picture of repose. Except of course, when Marinette attempted to shine any form of light, in which Lila would sit straight up and hissing like Nosferatu. Forcing Marinette to turn off the light and banish any hope of passing the long night with at least designing as a distraction.

Elvis Presley broke the monotonous noise of the room with his sensual ‘Can’t Help Falling in Love.’ Lila sprung from her bed, looking like a kid waking on Christmas morning before turning the sound machine off and answering her call.

“Damiboo!” Marinette couldn’t understand the words on the other side of the line, but the voice sounded equally excited. “Of course, they were a lovely surprise. So many of my classmates had never been in one before. They were so excited. I can’t thank you enough.”

Shocked at the sincere expression she could read off Lila, Marinette took her pillow and pushed it into the side of her head, hoping it brought silence. The dreadful sound machine was a better accompaniment than the ‘bring up my stomach contents’ fluff happening on the phone. Of all the things Lila would tell the truth about, dating Damian Wayne was not one Marinette would have bet on. Actually, that’s not true, she would have placed all her money on it being a lie.

Lila moved to the bathroom to continue the conversation in private and Marinette shut her eyes hoping to get a little sleep before the day started.

Brushes tapping loudly on a desk brought Marinette back into the realm of the living. Opening her eyes, she noted that sun light was flooding the room from the open blinds leading to their unimpressive balcony. Lila sat at the room’s desk performing an equally tedious morning routine, surprisingly not cowering from the light.

Marinette knew she would not be getting any more sleep and opted to get ready. Choosing to remove herself from the room in order to find a spot nearby to sketch some of the ideas that had been plaguing her through the evening.

Taking a quick shower, she then put on a simple yet stylish outfit, brushed her teeth and hair, and finished prepping with her own beauty prep of simple mascara and lip gloss.

A trunk style suitcase of her own design sat at the foot of her bed. Inside were the items she feared being stolen in the crime capital of America. Guarded by an intricate lock and key mechanism, with the right combo she was able to lift the lid. Her purse sat to the far side nestled in an open corner that held a small plush that Tikki used as a lounge and bed. Marinette signaled to the small goddess to sneak into the purse as she grabbed her sketchbook before closing and relocking the suitcase. Protecting its contents not only from Gotham but her even bigger concern, Lila.

Her rush out the door was hindered by a knock answered by her roommate. Alya stood in the threshold looking too bright and chipper for so early in the morning. “Hey girl, what’s the plan for the day?”

“Oh, I’m sorry Alya, Marinette and I were hoping to get to spend some one-on-one time today. Isn’t that right Mari?” Lila turned back to Marinette her eyes daring her to disagree with the statement.

Of course, had Marinette disagreed she would be the bad guy unwilling to move forward with Lila. But, if she agreed she would be forced to spend the day with, Lila.

Ugg, choices!

Marinette took a deep breath preparing to lie. “I hope you don’t mind Alya, I’d hate to keep your best friend from you if you’d prefer to hang out. Perhaps we could all go together?” She could always ditch them later and Alya would temporarily act as a buffer from whatever Lila had planned.  

“Oh no Marinette, I’m glad you and Lila are moving forward! And it would be best if you did it alone.” It had been some time since Marinette had been on the receiving end of Alya’s scheming face. The one she’d seen frequently back when Alya was attempting to help Marinette woo and confess to Adrien.

“I’m sure we won’t be too long, I have a meeting with my Damiboo for lunch, but I’ll be free after it.” Lila winked. 

“Do you think I could tag along to get an interview with him?” Alya looked hopeful and Lila softly smiled in reply.

“I promise you an interview, but I would like to see my boyfriend that I haven’t seen for a while…by myself. I know you can appreciate the reason.” Lila passed off in the sickly sweet voice dripping in insincerity.

“Oh shit, of course girl I wasn’t thinking.” Alya waved her off, “I’ll leave you two to it and catch you later.” Turing to Marinette she added. “Perhaps we can hang out during lunch and catch up instead?”

Marinette wanted to tell her no, not in the mood or position to mend a broken friendship. But it was going to be a long month in Gotham if she completely decimated what remained. “I’ll find you when I get back.”

Alya smile brightened and rushed off back to her room.

Lila turned back towards Marinette her own smirk plastered on her face. She pushed past Marinette and grabbed her purse from her bed. “Ready to go?” Marinette glared in response, she had hoped the handout was only a ploy to avoid Alya.

Marinette stormed out the room and down the hall not looking back as she headed towards the elevator. “I’m going to need coffee for this shit!” She missed the gleeful smile on Lila as she slowly followed.

Marinette had landed at one of the coffee shops close to the hotel, asking for a triple espresso. Cup in hand she sweetly talked to the coffee, begging it to offer temporary solace the rest of the day promised to deny. She could barely hear Tikki’s small giggles at her antics.

A small seating area outside the café offered a perfect spot to watch the people of Gotham as they went about their business. Surprisingly, Marinette was enjoying her coffee and people watching as Lila mostly ignored her.

Here sat Lila primed for attack, a position she never failed to take advantage of, but the most she had done was take a single selfie with Marinette clearly in the background.

A small child two buildings away drew Marinette’s attention, barely noticeable and perhaps only because she was used to performing similar behavior, the small girl seemed to be looking out for something. A gesture, that she was confident to be some sort of signal, was given before she turned to walk and match the pace of a well-off man. They walked past Marinette and Lila before a hand quickly entered the man’s pocket drawing out his wallet. Another child, slightly older, came from the opposite direction and took the wallet from the small girl’s hand.

Marinette stood to intercept the older child, stopping him with a firm grip to his shoulder. He looked panicked as his eyes met hers. As nicely as possible she grabbed the wallet from his hand and chased after the man and the little girl.

“Excuse me monsieur, you dropped your wallet.” The man turned to her, shocked someone in Gotham was willing to return a lost item.

“Thank you very much.” He opened the wallet and appeared even more shocked to find everything in its place. “Really, thank you, miss.”

“No problem, monsieur.” She waved the man off before turning to the girl. “Come with me please.” Marinette could read the fight or flight response and quickly added. “You have nothing to worry about.”

The girl hesitated but followed Marinette to where her partner in crime stood frozen. She gestured for both to follow as she entered the café. They looked at each other hoping to find an answer for what to do. Marinette wasn’t sure if they found an answer, but after a slight hesitation, they followed her in.

Marinette lightly placed her hands on each of their shoulder, guiding them up to the counter. “Order what you like.”

Choosing a sandwich and drink each, Marinette tacked on two chips, two water bottles and four pastries to the order before paying.

The bag holding their order was handed to Kelvin, their names and circumstances learned during their small wait. She smiled warmly to him before giving him a loving hug. He froze before melting into the affection and Marinette wished she could do more. She turned to do the same to Kaelyn who gripped her shirt tightly before pulling away.

Kaelyn and Kelvin turned to leave, but Marinette called them back. Reaching into her purse she pulled out a hundred dollars’ worth of various bills. She discreetly placed the money in Kelvin’s hand. “I’m not completely familiar with Gotham, but I’ve read enough. Take this and don’t let anyone know that you have it.”

“Miss Marinette we could never take from you.” Kaelyn looked offended at the idea.

“Better me than someone not expecting it.” Both children looked away guiltily. Marinette felt horrible for their interpretation of her words. “I don’t blame you; we are all sometimes victims of our circumstances… just doing what we can to survive. I just wish I could do more.”

“You’ve already done more than most.” Kelvin stated nonchalantly. Marinette smiled, an idea forming in her head.

“Do you think you can meet me here next week? We could do breakfast? Same time, same place?”

“You really mean it?” Kaelyn jumped excitedly on her toes.

“Of course, I’ll be offended if we don’t.”

“Thank you, Marinette, see you next week!” Kelvin grabbed his sister’s hand as he swung her around and then guided her towards the exit.

Marinette smiled, she felt lighter than she had since arriving in the city. It took her a second to recognize the heavy essence surrounding the her since arriving had receded slightly.

Her brightened mood was quickly lost as she noticed Lila staring at her. She sighed as she made her way back to the table.

“Well, if you’re done being a goody two shoe, perhaps we can return to our bonding.” Lila choked out.

“What do you want Lila? Really?” She was about to answer when a man, fairly older than the two, sat down in one of the empty chairs at the table. Both Lila and Marinette looked at the man as if he had two heads.

“What are two lovely ladies such as yourselves, doing alone this fine morning?” He leaned his body towards Lila, but his eyes were locked on Marinette.

“Not interested.” Bewildered expressions from both Lila and the creep met Marinette. Of course, Lila would be interested, but what response did he expect from someone not even willing to entertain such forwardness?

“I’m afraid I must agree with my friend, signore.” Lila’s words contradicted the purr she said them with.

“Oh, Italians.” He matched her purr and his eyes locked with Lila’s olive green.

“Si and no. I am Italian but my friend here is Parisian.”

“All the better, I would love to go international.” Marinette gagged, while Lila only smiled in a way that could be described as flirtatious.

“You should at least offer to buy us a coffee first.” Lila’s eyes flashed with mischief.

The man stood to meet the invitation. “What will it be ladies?”

“Espresso, grazie.”

“I’m fine, thank you.” Marinette would not invite the trouble Lila was welcoming.

“I’ll be right back.” He turned to leave, but Lila placed her hand on his bicep.

“It would be better if you ordered the coffee and then were on your way. My friend is rather uncomfortable around new people.” He nodded before disappearing into the café. He did not return, even as the waitress brought Lila her coffee.

How had a man Lila had not known, or even interacted with for more than two minutes, been talked into buying her a coffee and then leave without a single complaint? Marinette was shocked. Perhaps Adrien was not so far off with his ‘Jedi mind trick’ theory. Having watched the movie only once at the bequest of Adrien, she wasn’t too sure of the mechanics, but she was pretty sure she didn’t catch Lila waving her hand.

Appearing smug as she sipped from the new drink, Lila had no concern for it possibly being laced or method used to obtain it.

“What do you want Lila?” Marinette repeated the question she had before the sleaze ball interrupted.

Lila took a small sip of her coffee and bat her eyelashes. “Whatever do you mean, Marinette?”

“Lila. We’ve known each other for over four years at this point. We’re not friends, and besides knowing the basics, we hardly know each other. But…” Lila nodded her head in agreement her facial expression unchanged from the wistful smile she held from the start of their coffee date. “...you know. That I know. When your FUCKING LYING. So, care to tell me why you have chosen this trip to start fucking with me again?”

“Oh Mari, truth be told...” Marinette rolled her eyes, keeping them at the crest trying to make sure that her brain stayed where it was, as she braced for the next lie to roll from Lila’s tongue. “Since I’ve gotten together with Damian, I’ve been trying to be everything that is expected of a future Wayne. If that means turning over a new leaf with you, I was hoping we might be able to have a semblance of a friendship.”

Marinette closed her eyes and took a deep breath, releasing it slowly before opening her eyes to lock with Lila’s. “Lie detector says, try again.”

“Fine, whatever, I tried to be nice, remember that. I know you’re Kaid.” A smirk replaced Lila’s smile as the words sank in for Marinette.

Unable to blink she could only stare at Lila, not looking at her but past, as her thoughts tried to focus on what to say next. “Sorry?”

“Oh, please Marinette, as much as you claim you can read when I am lying, you’re just as much of an open book.”

Marinette began pulling at her hair, a nervous trait she hadn’t dropped in all these years. If Lila was able to figure out she was Kaid, had she also been able to figure out she was Ladybug?

A small pressure applied to her thigh brought her back to the situation in front of her and out of her head. “How?”

“Nothing big, just little things that added up. First and foremost, I model for Gabriel because of my interest in fashion. I find his work to be uninspired, stale even, but Kaid is creative, progressive, and exclusive. I would recognize similar styles. So naturally, I was suspicious when I noted the similarities between your and Kaid’s clothing.”

Marinette twirled her wrist in a manner beckoning Lila to continue.

“This past month has probably been the most telling. The secret glances you thought were going unobserved when Luka mentioned working with Kaid. The way you tense when people mention Kaid. But preen when Kaid is complemented.”

“I do not preen.” Marinette scoffed at the insinuation.

Lila smirked again, “Perhaps not, but you can’t help the small smile that appears...But it was last night in the limo when you made that disgusted face when I told you that Damian suggested a consultation. Made me curious if my theories were correct. Your reaction just now confirmed it.”

“So what? We’re friends now so you can actually know a celebrity?” Marinette asked, her mind reeling.

“Mari, I know plenty of celebrities. I am a model and Damian Wayne’s girlfriend after all. What I really want is to wear a real Kaid original to the gala.”

“No.” Marinette said with no hesitation.

Taken aback, Lila’s mouth opened and closed like a fish before she recomposed herself. “What do you mean, no?”

“Hmmm, what is no in Italia?” She tapped her finger on her chin as if searching for the word, “Oh that’s right,” she snapped her finger, “NO!”

“I don’t think you know the position you’re in. Either I wear a Kaid original design or everyone finds out you’re Kaid. Something I suspect you wouldn’t be thrilled with happening considering for some reason you enjoy your invisibility.”

She wasn’t wrong. Originally, Marinette had kept her designs anonymous in order to protect her budding career from people like Lila and her fickled friends. But recently she had decided to maintain it so she could move freely as Ladybug and Grand Guardian without catching press when Hawkmoth was eventually defeated.

Lila however, had made one little miscalculation. “You could do that…but then you fall victim to the lies you’ve already built around Kaid.” Lila’s eyes widened, “After all, being friends with Kaid, helping with designs, Kaid being male…Admitting that I am Kaid also admits you’re a liar.”

Collecting her things, she stood to walk away. Instead, she turned and placed her hands just in front of Lila, leaning down she looked right at her so there would be no mistaking her words. “You should have learned the first time you tried to blackmail me. You. Don’t. Scare me.”

Marinette straightened up and brushed the imaginary wrinkles from her shirt. “Well, will you look at that, almost lunch time. Ciao.”

Chapter Text

The white noise machine turned out to be Lila’s best tool in slowly eroding Marinette’s sanity. A second mostly sleepless night left Marinette exhausted. Somehow, she had managed to fall asleep with four hours left before she would need to rise. It was blasphemously shortened by a wake-up call two hours before their required departure. All attempts to roll over and reenter dreamland were thwarted by the unnecessarily loud raccoon searching in a bag, the elephant crossing the room, the indecisive cat trying to decide in or out of the sliding glass doors and the annoying hyena talking to her dearest Damiboo.

Needless to say, Marinette, was the definition of exhausted and had nothing productive to show for it. To make matters worse, despite arriving early when she finally made her way onto the bus, everyone had naturally gravitated towards sitting with their suitemates, meaning the only empty seat was beside Lila.

“Morning buttercup,” Lila smiled brightly at her for the benefit of the class.

Marinette took her seat next to the devil as she muttered a very friendly “It is a very bright morning here in Perdition.”

Five minutes passed slowly as they waited for the driver to arrive. Marinette looked at the time on her cellphone and noted that there was at least another fifteen minutes before the bus was scheduled to leave. Looking out the window she saw the coffee shop from the previous morning. The line inside was only five deep and Marinette was sure her Ladybug luck would keep it moving. Between missing the bus and passing out from exhaustion, Marinette chose the first and announced her departure to Lila.

The heavenly scent of coffee and pastries greeted her, as she stepped into the small café. Taking a moment to appreciate the familiar aroma, she was almost knocked over by an object crash landing into her torso.

Looking down she noted the small figure of Kaelyn. “Marinette!”

She wrapped her arms around the new appendage, returning the young girl’s enthusiasm. Kelvin walked quickly to catch up with his sister, Marinette reading his desire for affection as well, gave him the tightest side hug, as Kaelyn refused to detach.

“Here to grab some breakfast?” She asked.

“We were going to spend some of the money you gave us.” Marinette smiled and pulled Kaelyn away reaching for her hand instead and then turning and offering her other to Kelvin. He did not hesitate to grab hold and allowed her to lead them further into the shop as she had done the morning prior.

When they arrived inside the line had completely disappeared, Ladybug luck be thanked. Marinette told the kids to choose a smoothie flavor and pick the pastries they wanted, as she again ordered two Triple Espressos with every intention of combining them to serve as her first morning coffee. The conference would certainly provide coffee for her second and third cup because those in business surely lived off coffee and fear.

The coffee was the first of their order to be done; Marinette graciously took the cup with a smile from the barista and turned to the kids. “I have to go. So I can’t stick around and eat with you two like I want to. But, I am going to be here for three weeks. Do you think that you could meet me here for breakfast every morning while I’m here? About 30 minutes earlier than we met today?”

Kelvin and Kaelyn both looked excited at the prospect, but suddenly his face dropped. “We don’t have a way to tell the time.”

Marinette’s face softened in understanding before removing her watch from her wrist. “Here. Use this.” She grabbed Kaelyn’s wrist and placed the watch on it. It was a little big on her petite wrist, but it wouldn’t fall off easily. “I’ll get you both better ones later, when the clock says 8:00, be here and we’ll have breakfast together.”

Kaelyn attached herself to Marinette once again. She wished that she could stay with the pair for the rest of the day, take them shopping, ensure they got three solid meals and even take them to have some fun and just be kids. Unfortunately, she had other obligations.

“I’ll see you two tomorrow?” Kaelyn and Kelvin nodded.

When she was finally outside of the café, she glared at the empty spot that her class’s bus had once occupied, realizing her first mistake of the day. She should have known better than only telling Lila where she was heading.  There was still five minutes before the bus was scheduled to leave and the sister bus, her only hope for a free ride to the conference center, had just pulled away.

Closing her eyes and releasing a deep breath as she cracked her neck, she turned on Ladybug, ready to find a solution to her predicament.

A taxi could take too long and be rather expensive. Ladybug couldn’t just show up in Gotham, especially during the day. And using Kaalki would wander into the territory of personal gain.  

A quick stroke of her imaginary beard, she decided to just roll with her shaky-at-best reasoning. Was it really personal gain if it kept her sane? Sanity was for the benefit of the kwamis and therefore the world, of course. Marinette turned to head to the closest alleyway to transform, only to plow right into a brick wall.

An over six foot tall, 200lbs of muscle…brick wall. Complete with black hair, a single white stripe giving an edginess to an otherwise straight up sex god. Eyes a similar turquoise to Luka’s, whereas Luka’s were as calm as ocean water, these were raging like a hurricane. In short, this man was intimidating.

Intimidatingly hot.

Jason walked towards his motorcycle after watching the last bus pull away from the hotel towards the conference center. Babysitting a bunch of high schoolers did not rank highly on his list of things needing to happen in Gotham today. As a Wayne and a Bat he was unfortunately obligated for the next three weeks to do so. Hopefully, the rest of Gotham could keep it’s shit together for a while. Knowing the crime circles though, he was sure it would be a three-ring-shit-show instead.

Coming upon the alley where he hid his bike, he was abruptly stopped by a force running into him. It took a great feat of strength and balance to prevent himself from being knocked back by the sheer momentum.

Looking down, he was shocked to find that the force was a girl. Even more shocking, despite the power behind the impact, she was still standing upright, when she should have been laid out on the ground. He surveyed her to look for injury, but the only sign of distress was in her eyes as she stared at him.

He found himself reacting in kind, looking deep into her sapphire blue orbs. They were entrancing; drawing their observer’s attention away from her other attractive features to permanently hypnotize them into only thinking and breathing…her. The light reflected felt blinding, but the slight dusting of freckles across her nose and cheeks drew the eyes to her lips where the observer could find solace from potential blindness, only to be plagued by desires for something else.  Every inch of her face perfectly accented the youthful beauty before him.

Oh god, youthful, she looked as old as Damian, perhaps younger.

Jason felt the metaphorical slap across his face at the impure thoughts for someone so young. If she was the same age as Damian, he was a good six years older. Which from a certain perspective wasn’t bad? Not great, but not bad. That was assuming of course, she was currently legal.

He noticed that during his internal panic she had stopped staring and started mumbling to herself in French.

Finding his voice, he asked. “Are you okay?”

She shook her head aggressively before returning her gaze to him. “Oui monsieur. I am so very sorry; I was not watching where I was going.”

Her accent was… sexy. NO, bad Jason!  

Frantically looking behind him and then her phone, she looked like she’d rather be anywhere else, which he hoped was not the case. “Are you sure you’re okay? You sure you didn’t hit your head too hard?”

Her head whipped up and her gaze settled on him once more. He preened at the attention her eyes gave him as she surveyed his body. He fought the urge to flex knowing his tight t-shirt would highlight his mass of muscles.

Biting her lower lip, he couldn’t help the smirk which seemed to shake her from her thoughts.

“No, I didn’t even hit my head… Sorry. I just have to be on my way. I missed my bus. And I’m probably going to be late at this rate. Then I won’t be allowed in. I’ll have to sit outside the conference room and if I keep talking that will definitely happen.” She smiled awkwardly.

He chuckled at her cute rambling and sensed an opportunity. “Care for a ride?”

She seemed shocked, and her cute demeanor shifted into a vixen as her hips tilted and her hand came to rest upon them. “I’m in Gotham. I know better than to take rides from strangers.”

Jason grinned like a Venus flytrap that caught its pray, “Names Jason Todd, now we’re not strangers.”

Her smirk matched his, a silent challenge.

“Where are you heading? Bikes just around the corner.”

“W.E. Conference Center. But you’re still a stranger. So I’ll get there on my own.” She took a step to move around him, but he stopped her with a firm hand on her arm. Her eyes caught his again.

He needed to get away from her, she only meant trouble for him, but despite the rational side of his brain screaming ‘you’ll go to jail,’ he couldn’t stop himself. “If you’ve heard about rides from strangers, I’m sure you’ve also heard about the even bigger danger of wandering around on your own?”

She still looked unconvinced. “Would it help if I said I am going the same way because my job is to ensure the safety of the kids heading to the conference there?”

“I’d say you’ve failed at your job considering I was supposed to be on one of those buses.” Her patience seemed to be wavering, but he was Jason Todd, he always captured his mark.

“Well, in that case you have to let me make it up to you and get you there personally.” He pulled slightly on her arm, allowing her to still resist if she wanted. Surprisingly, she complied and followed him towards the alley. She hesitated as they reached the entrance, so he stepped away to grab his bike.

Rolling it back to her, he handed her his helmet. “Ridden before?”

“Every summer with my Nonna.” She gracefully slid onto the seat behind him, shooting a quick text from her phone before she wrapped her arms around him.

Instead of the reaction he was expecting, he felt more of a need to protect, like a brother. It was amazing how looking away from her face brought him back to his senses.

“Ready?” he asked.                                                                                                                                                                       

She nodded and slightly tightened her grip. “Yes, just don’t go slow on my account. It’s no fun if you can’t feel the wind!” He chuckled, unable to agree more.

“Okay Pixie, hang on.”

“Marinette… my name is Marinette.”

“Sure Pix.”

The banter with Jason during their ride was easy. As hesitant as she was to jump on the back of a stranger’s motorcycle, as they pulled up to a parking spot at the front of the building, she couldn’t help feel she had gained a brother. They had clicked so easily, just as she had with Chat Noir.

She slid gracefully off the bike and looked at the building. Fortunately, Jason had been able to park right in front despite the limited spots. “Wow, front row parking. Must be lucky.”

He shrugged his shoulders, “Helps when you know the owner.” Confused, she tried to give him a stare that conveyed her doubt at the validity of the comment. “Bruce Wayne is my adoptive father.”

Shocked, her jaw dropped, she closed her eyes and scrunched her face, before opening a single eye to risk a glance at him. “That, Jason Todd?!”

Chuckling at her expense, he took his helmet from her. “In the flesh.” He locked his bike and turned to stand beside her. “Wanna go in before we’re late?”

Nodding, she began to run up the steps to the lobby, hearing his boots following closely behind.

The inside of the lobby was packed, it should have been hard to find her friends, but the mop of blonde hair was easy to spot. Having caught sight of her at the same time, Adrien’s face morphed into the largest smile possible and came bounding in her direction, engulfing her into a tight hug.

She turned to Jason to thank him, but was interrupted by the impact of the large alley cat. “Omff.”

She keeled forward, but was stopped by steadying hands on her shoulders interrupting her momentum. “Thanks, Jason.”

“Don’t mention it Pixie.” Something caught his attention around Marinette’s shoulder causing him to tense. “Sorry Pix, I’ve got to go, work and all.” He quickly side stepped around her and headed into the crowd of students. Surprisingly disappearing despite his height and clothing.

Thinking nothing more of it, she turned to face Adrien. “So, where were you bug?”

“I was delayed and prevented from getting back to the bus by both my strength and my weakness.” Met by a blank expression she filled in the missing pieces. “Coffee and Lila.”

“Ahh, well that would explain why you were off the bus, and why everyone thought you were still on it.”

He grabbed her hand and pulled back into the direction he came. “Come on. You’ve got to meet some cool cats from Gotham.”

A pleasant-sounding bell filled the lobby, signaling the start of the opening ceremony. The direct path to their friends was blocked by people making their way into the auditorium.

“Okay, well maybe later. Let’s just head in. I’m sure Chloe will ensure two seats are saved.” He pulled her towards the door as he began his impression of the Mayor’s daughter fighting off anyone wanting to take any seat near her. “Do you know who I am peasant? Ridiculous-”

“Utterly ridiculous.”

Chapter Text

Sunday was the definition of excruciating as they babysat a bunch of teenagers who are supposed to represent the brightest, future business leaders of the world but in fact acted like delinquents. It was trying for every member of the Bat family.

The groups of students seemed to have no regards for their own safety in the crime ridden city. They broke into small groups, making it their personal mission to draw out all the scum the city could offer as welcome. It made it close to impossible to stay in one place long enough to ensure anyone’s safety. Which gained the ire of Jon who wished to use the time to make friends. But was fine by Damian, as small talk was painful and pointless with people he had no intention of ‘befriending.’

“Even if we’re not successful, we should at least try to expand your friend list. You don’t have to worry about embarrassing yourself; you won’t have to see anyone you don’t want to after this.”

“Tt. Why would I do that? I have more than enough, and I am incapable of embarrassment.” He mumbled.

“Damian.” Jon released a slow breath as he looked incredulously at his best friend. “All of your friends are either heroes or vigilantes. Even your wife is a hero.”

“Your point would be what exactly? I am quite content with the number of acquaintances I have. I simply prefer individuals who are able to take care of themselves. It is safer in our line of work.”

“I’m not insulting the number of friends, far too many people seem to think the number is more important than the quality.” Jon hesitated, looking like he needed to find the right words. “Sometimes you need to have a connection with someone who doesn’t have the weight of the world on their shoulders. Look at my Mom and Dad, my Mom keeps my Dad grounded.”

“Your mother is a perfect example of why a civilian should never be involved.” Damian looked away from Jon. “She finds herself in danger more often than not, sticking her nose in business better left to the professionals.”

“She is the professional. In a world without superheroes, it would be people like my mom who would bring villains to justice.” Jon inflated his chest looking proud of his mother, while shooting a rarely seen scowl at Damian, daring him to continue the barrage against his mother.

Reading Jon’s memo, he crumbled it up and chose to disregard it. “I do not remember kidnapped and rescued by a superhero every other week as part of a journalist’s job description. It is not hard to see that your mother gets more out of the relationship than your father.” Damian glared at the wall.

“First off, rude…. Second, that’s what you fail to understand. Dad would disagree if you asked him. He feels underserving to have Mom and loves to have someone to come home to that doesn’t have to feel the same pressures but simply there to support.” Jon released another long-winded sigh. “I know you see those kinds of relationships as weakness, but they often give strength.”

Damian remained quiet, unsure how to respond as he had nothing to contradict.

“It’s not our training or superpowers that define us Damian. They don’t make us better; they merely offer us different opportunities." Jon exhaled loudly. "Can you just try doing one thing for me?”

Damian turned his eyes to Jon’s, giving him a non-verbal response.

“Try and make some new friends with me at this conference. If it doesn’t work out, I’ll never bother you again.” Damian raised an eyebrow. “About making friends.… Making friends, Damian!” Jon exclaimed.

“Too bad, I would have happily accepted your first offer.” Jon’s shoulders slumped, as his expression saddened, before he suddenly glared at Damian. Well, glared as well as the embodiment of sunshine could manage.

“You’re such an ass, sometimes.” Damian again raised an eyebrow, “Yea, you’re right, all the time.”

“I accept your proposal, but you must remain by my side and offer a way out if the people we meet are as I suspect them to be intolerable.” Jon gave him a knowing smile. “What?”

“You only want me there for when they become intolerable?” Jon smacked Damian across the shoulder. “When will you just admit that I am your best friend and you actually like my presence?”

“Tt.” Damian’s ears turned slightly red, but he quickly regained his composure. “How shall we proceed?”

Jon looked around the lobby of the conference center, his head swiveling back and forth as his eyes scanning for something. It took some time for his attention to lock onto a small group of students on the opposite side of the room.

Lips moving quickly, the group appeared to be deep in conversation. Based on the frowns on their faces the subject was not pleasant. Maybe it was the conversation that caused Jon to pick the group or perhaps it was because Jon figured there had to be at least one person Damian could get along with -seeing as each looked distinctive from the next. Willing to give Jon the benefit of his choice, he nodded his head in their direction, consenting to ‘try’ to befriend.

The group of four looked more cohesive the closer they got. Each looking as if they stepped out of a fashion magazine not only due to their outfits, but the postures in which they held themselves. The outfits were perfectly tailored and fitted. Not knowing them personally he could not confirm, but the outfits in a way seemed to mirror a personality. Meaning they were likely custom commissions. All but one that is, the outfit still read expensive, just missed the personality. They undoubtedly came from families with means. Jon was familiar with Damian’s opinion of kids from money, making his pick confusing.

The first was a tall male, probably even taller than Jon by an inch or two. He was slim, slightly muscular but his build was nothing in comparison to Damian or Jon. Black hair, styled professionally, stood out among the crowd due to his dyed teal tips. Yet, his hair was nothing compared to the aesthetic of his attire in drawing attention. He wore all of the elements of a professional business suit, but each was uniquely styled.  His slacks were basic black, tailored tightly to his legs. His shirt a white button up except where most would leave two buttons undone, his was without the buttons allowing for it to naturally form a V down from his neck. The maroon vegan leather jacket really set his outfit apart, the lapel was outlined in maroon studs, subtly giving a rocker vibe while maintaining an air of professionalism. The look was finished with various bracelets, black nail polish, and a tattoo sticking out from the edges of his suit.

On the left of the rocker stood a woman significantly shorter than her friends. She wore a black silk kimono inspired dress. The length defied tradition by going to her knees, where a dark blood red silk peeked out below the black. The sleeves billowed out, but unlike a traditional kimono they pinched back at her elbows. The embroidery that decorated her collar looked like her own pocket-sized golden dragon draped around her neck.  A sharp bob and piercing amber eyes gave the impression she would cut anyone who dared to mess with her, which clashed against the calm looking nature of the rocker standing beside her.

On the other side, under the arm of the rocker was a second woman, tall and lean, her attire a stark contrast to his. She wore a white jacket skirt combo. The skirt was knee length and high-waisted, with a black block of fabric separating it from a honey-colored silk halter. Her hair was in a high pony, the ends curling slightly at her shoulder leaving her icy blue eyes to stand out among her other attractive features. Her nose was tilted upward, reflecting a slight superiority complex.

As his eyes rested on the fourth member of the group it all made perfect sense as to why Jon’s attention focused on this particular group.  Wearing a less custom looking outfit, but still designer, stood sunshine incarnate number two. Despite the frown that adorned his friends’ faces, his smile was overly bright, as he threw his head back and laughed at what the smaller woman was saying.

Damian felt Jon tense beside him, yes, Jon was attracted to the blond haired, slightly over six-foot tall, well-built man with the features and posture of a model. Damian rolled his eyes, of course his friend would find someone whose personality reflected his own. He was unsure if he could survive a second Jon.

Turning his head slightly trying to catch Jon’s attention, Damian noted the love-struck fool had already taken point and was choosing to ignore him in favor of looking at the blond male.

The dread of the coming encounter was slightly dampened as he began to pick up on their conversation, being exchanged in French. If his memory of half listening to Drake droning about the conference was correct, the French class was from Paris. Perhaps they would have more information on Ladybug.

*“We’re in Gotham Adrikins; Dupain-Cheng won’t have Ladybug and Chat Noir to save her. There are some real villains here and she is a magnet for trouble.”

*“She can take care of herself Chlo, she is very resourceful.” The blond male gave a knowing smirk which the blonde female looked ready to smack off his face.

*“Adrien, we know better than most what she is truly capable of. But Chloe is correct; she tends to find trouble and a need to involve herself.” The small Asian looked exhausted, as if having repeated the same points before.

*“Something she does not need to do in Gotham of all places. She is ridiculous, utterly ridiculous.”

The blond rolled his eyes in exasperation at his friends; an attitude that slightly angered Damian. One should not discount the dangers that Gotham posed, no matter how resourceful and capable a person might be. *“She texted me that she’s safe and on her way.”

With a basic understanding of French, Jon was clearly unable to follow the conversation and interrupted it awkwardly. “Hi. my name is Jon.”

Like a shark locking onto its kill, four sets of eyes fell on Jon before moving to Damian. Their eyes analyzed the new additions in a way Damian and Jon were familiar with. They were being sized up.

Breaking the tension the blond male extended his hand, “Bonjour. My name is Adrien Agreste.”

“I apologize for interrupting your conversation. My friend Damian and I were hoping to get to know different people, and I have to admit y’all looked like an interesting lot.”

Agreste rubbed the back of his neck with his hand. “What gave you that impression.”

Jon chuckled nervously. “Well, each one of you looks like you stepped out of a different fashion magazine. Where everyone else, myself included with the exception of Damian here, looks like they took advice from The Idiots Guide to Dressing for a Business Meeting.”

Agreste and Teal Tips laughed.

“Helps when your father is a fashion designer-” Tips gestured to Agreste, before switching his thumb among the remaining, “-or you’re close friends with a designer.”

“That designer wouldn’t happen to be Kaid?” Five shocked faces looked at the Kryptonian, including Damian’s.

“Since when have you had an interest in fashion?” Damian accused.

“I’ll admit I’m not really into fashion. But I have recently been the victim to one of Tim’s coffee fueled rants on the illusive designer Kaid, and I recognized the signature on your pieces.”

“You must have very good eyesight. Kaid’s signature is very small to allow for the ability of it being hidden in plain sight.” The dragon owner looked at Jon suspiciously.

“Seeing this Kaid’s work up close I must agree with Drake’s assessment of the designer. Each piece is tailored and constructed meticulously, but the real accomplishment is the ability to impeccably reflect three different personalities with each outfit. A feat rarely accomplished by a single designer.” Damian complemented.

“That’s our Kaid, we’ll be sure to pass on the praise. I’m Luka Couffaine by the way; this is my girlfriend Chloe Bourgeois and our friend Kagami Tsurugi. ”

“The world ranked fencer, Tsurugi?” Damian inquired.

“The future Olympic Competitor, Tsurugi.” Agreste supplied, earning a small smile from the stoic figure beside him.

Jon’s eye’s flashed in recognition, “You wouldn’t happen to be Jagged Stone’s opening act Couffaine?”

Agreste slapped the rocker over the shoulder, “Just finished his solo album, Couffaine, actually.” The rocker blushed slightly over his friend’s flattery.

Normally, Damian would be annoyed by the less than modest praise, but Agreste seemed genuine and refused to allow his friends accomplishments to be underappreciated.

“You and your friends seem to have already accomplished a fair amount before graduating.”

“Of course we have.” The blonde preened waiting for the recognition of her own accomplishments. Since hearing her name he had hoped to engage her, she seemed the most likely candidate to possess information regarding his wife. 

“Aren’t you the Parisian superhero who foolishly exposed her own identity?” Jon catching on quickly to Damian’s angle disengaged from the conversation and pulled Agreste away to start his own. The blond seemed receptive to leaving his friends at Damian’s mercy and turned to engage him.

“I was fourteen and foolish, but I have learned from my mistakes and am much smarter and achieved more outside of a mask than I ever did with one.”

“That would be because you were only ever under the mask a few times before Ladybug gave your miraculous to Honeybee.” Luka chuckled; nuzzling her neck affectionately to reflect the playful nature of his comment.

“This was unfortunate for Ladybug, seeing as I was the better bee.”

Tsurugi turned her neck to face Damian covering her mouth from her friend’s eyes as she mouthed, ‘she wasn’t,’ earning a rare smile from Damian.

Trying to direct the conversation, “So you must know Ladybug?”

“Know? Of course, I know Ladybug! I am one of her favorite civilians, obviously.”

“Yes, I am sure that Ladybug loved you. If being the cause of many of the akumas she and Chat Noir faced.” Tsurugi tried.

“Why am I friends with you? That was before I returned from New York a better person.”

“You are friends with us because we make sure that you remain that better person.”

Damian was frustrated as the conversation moved away from his Ladybug. “What is she like?”

“How are you familiar with the heroes of Paris? It was our understanding that the mayor had kept the news from reaching outside of Paris as requested by Ladybug.” Damian tried his best not to send daggers, literal and by glare at the fencer, but her intentional block infuriated him.

“With the defeat of your villain Hawkmoth, news of the events in Paris were shared so that others could be on the lookout for Mayara. I believe that is her name.” Of course, he knew her name, but to obtain the most information, seeming casually informed would most likely play well. “Gotham has a pension for attracting villains. Knowing about the various villains and heroes of the world is our bread and butter.”

The three friends nodded in acknowledgement but said nothing. “As the mayor’s daughter and fellow hero, I thought you might have a unique perspective on the illusive Ladybug, perhaps you know where she is going next?”

Bourgeois’s pride swelled at Damian’s words, Tsurugi and Couffaine seemed more hesitant, but it didn’t matter he only needed one to be willing to talk.

“No one knows where she is going next. Well, perhaps Chat Noir but that’s because he is likely going with her.” Anger, or was it jealousy, flashed through Damian. “But, if you must know she is absolutely fantastic, working with her was like a dream. I use to have the largest crush and it wasn’t a celebrity crush because obviously I know her. She’s gorgeous-”

“Smart.”

“Fearless.”

“Resourceful.”

“Selfless.”

“She is what you hope every hero would aspire to be.” Luka finished.

“You sound like you all intimately know her.”

Panic flashed quickly across their faces, Couffaine tried to backpedal, “Not intimately, we‘ve all interacted with her a few times, saved by her more times than we care to count and unfortunately been de-evilized by her too.”

Perchance, making friends would not be as bad as he had originally thought. It seemed being friends with this small group could prove to be advantageous.

His interrogation, his attempt to get to know them was interrupted by Agreste bouncing on his feet. “There’s Mari, I’ll go grab her. Be right back.” He placed his hand on Jon’s forearm before running out into the crowd of students.

Damian and Jon turned to the direction the blond was bounding. His form blocked their view of the missing friend, but as he engulfed her in a tight hug, her black hair was visible just over the top of his shoulder.

Over his other shoulder Damian caught Todd, watching the same scene. He looked slightly disappointed at the pair, just as Jon did beside Damian.

“Are they dating?” Jon tried to hide the anxiety in his voice.

“Adrikins and Dupain-Cheng?” Bourgeois inquired. Jon first looked confused, but then appeared to process who she was talking about and nodded.

“No. At one point maybe they could have been, but now he’s just another in a long line of people that wished they were.” Bourgeois looked longingly in the pair’s direction.

“You look like a member of said line.” Jon’s new mood seemed to be stuck between hopeful and distressed.

“I am.” She was surprisingly blunt.

“Are you not dating Couffaine?” Damian asked, confused by the admittance.

Said boyfriend chuckled. “I’m also standing in that line, even though I was shortly allowed admittance.” Damian was sure there was a story there, but did not care enough to inquire. “I believe that there is an American song that goes something like “If you can’t be with the one you love, love the one you’re with.”

Chapter Text

In the movies, characters who traverse time usually have one of two purposes in mind, either to change it or to observe it. Alix hated movies about time because the ability to travel it was nothing like the movies.

For starters, she was limited to the time that she was physically in, so from the time she was born to the time she would die. Yay for that knowledge! It was often hard to remember if she was in the past, the now she lived, the now she observed, in the current future, or in a possible future. Through time the people who knew what she did, often coined her as the Keeper of Time, but really she was the Agent of Evolution. Her decisions, right or wrong, caused the course of time to change; evolved for better and hopefully not worse.

It was a duty that would make a person, what most would term, crazy. And it was hard work for Alix to appear ‘normal,’ knowing more than everyone, and trying not to influence the future while she lived in the current.

The few who had once tried to hold the Miraculous of Evolution after its creation, often ended up in a state of madness, overwhelmed by the knowledge and responsibility. They were unfortunately not up to the task of determining if action needed to be taken, what actions to take, and often unable to stop unconsciously influencing the future.

Eventually, the Guardians recognized their mistake and determined that the Kaiduan of Evolution would be the only holder of Fluff and trusted Fate would determine when she was needed.

It was hard, even after all her reincarnations to have all that knowledge. Cursed to inaction even when friends suffered, tasked to determine when action was needed to maintain balance and burdened to figure out what intervention would create the right outcome without unintended consequences.

But Alix loved it, especially when she had opportunities like today.

Sitting beside her was the always stoic Damian Wayne, Marinette’s husband. Not that he or Marinette knew it or that Alix was aware. That was the beauty of knowing time, rubbing it in that you knew more than everyone else when they finally figure it out.

There were many possibilities to how the month in Gotham could end, many forks in time where important decisions would influence the direction taken. So, Alix wanted to meet Damian before they came to the first fork.

A seminar on working across borders was not Alix’s idea of fun and entertaining, in fact the entire seminar portion of the conference would probably find Alix more in her burrow than attending. But it was the only seminar Damian would be attending alone and that is how she wished to observe him.

He had noticed earlier that she was watching him; she merely smiled setting him on edge. It was quite entertaining, him trying to figure her out. Knowing who he was, she understood his enmity, but she knew that he would figure her out soon enough, and so she wanted to enjoy pushing his buttons till then.

“If you continue to stare, I will be sure to give you something to stare at.” Damian growled at Alix, but his eyes never left the presenter.

“Sorry, you looked like someone I’m going to get to know.” Alix smiled, not even pretending to look away.

Damian looked pointedly at Alix; the lines around his eyes defined thanks to his constant scowl, “Is that your idea of a pick-up line?”

Alix broke out in a sincere laugh, drawing the attention of several participants around her. Theere were interested in how the Ice Prince of Gotham had caused someone to genuinely laugh. More eyes were on Damian than he preferred, he glared harder if that was even possible.

It is amazing how much he would change with Marinette by his side. He was not the man he would become, that man had less forehead wrinkles.

There was some level of bullshit going on and Adrien was not usually one to use such words. But how he and Mari were in the same seminar but not paired together was beyond him.

With the seminar focused on the application of business practices in other fields and both focused on fashion, it made sense for them to be paired up. Yet, Jon, the boy they had met yesterday, had somehow managed it.

Adrien wasn’t blind, Jon was extremely attractive. His 6’3’’ frame supported a fair amount of muscle, more than even Adrien, yet not too much to be described as bulky. His black hair was rugged, much like Chat Noir’s, accentuating his face so well that it appeared professional even in their current surroundings. But, it was easily his chiseled features that had Adrien most worried, they perfectly accentuated his blue eyes. They closely rivaled even Mari’s in depth; even from afar he could tell they spoke to those who looked into them. He could have easily been a model if he was just slightly less built.

That is why it was bullshit that Mari and Jon were paired together.

Throwing her head back in laughter at something Jon said, he felt the jealousy rolling off him in waves. If anything, he should have been paired with Jon.

*“Adrien, you need to stop staring at Mari and focus on the task.” Adrien turned away from the pair to look at his own partner. Kagami hid her hurt well, but after so many years together, Adrien could easily note the slight pain in her eyes.

Despite a mutual break-up and promises of friendship, there was still a slight tension between them when it came to Marinette. Kagami had clearly known the reason for their relationship not being able to move forward. She had known his feeling towards Marinette even before he did. That didn’t mean that she was happy that she had loved Adrien, and it hadn’t been enough for him to forget his love for Mari. Adrien liked and even loved Kagami, but he wasn’t in love, and if he was being honest with himself, he never was. Pretending hadn’t changed the facts and it had doomed their relationship.

*“Sorry Kagami, I’m trying to determine how I feel about our new friend Jon.” It took all his strength to not look over at them.

Kagami looked right at him; her eyes smirked while her face remained neutral. *“Well, we know how he feels about you.”

Wrecking his brain, Adrien tried to decipher her words. Did Jon not like him? Had he messed up another first impression? They had talked for some time after the opening ceremony while Mari had to talk to Mr. Wayne, as the writer of the winning essay? Had his disappointment at their pairing for the seminar been obvious? *“What is that supposed to mean?”

*“Nothing Adrien…nothing at all.”

Adrien hated that Kagami had tried to drop it. He had thought that their conversation had gone well. They had spent a good amount of time finding that they had many interests in common. They talked about the different anime that they both enjoyed. Finding camaraderie in liking the same characters and wishing misfortune to others. Surely, he hadn’t messed up that much?

He didn’t like to think he had misread the signs. He had promised himself after finding out about Mari’s crush on him that he would never fall victim of being unaware to other’s feelings. Yet apparently, he was here again, oblivious.

*“Adrien, stop staring or I will go over there and ask them to assist me with this problem as you seem disinclined.” Kagami huffed as Adrien panicked at the idea of them knowing he was staring. “Stop hesitating and ask her out already.”

*“I can’t do that Kagami, it’s not the right time and I can’t risk pushing her away.”

*“Why is it not the right time? She will not stay single forever Adrien, we both know her list of admirers is many and constantly growing. Your hesitation will only lead to your loss.” She gave Adrien a pitying glance, much to his dismay.

Kagami wasn’t wrong; there were very few people that didn’t have some kind of crush on his Lady. He even suspected that part of Lila’s problem with Mari was due to a crush, much like Chloe's had been. The longer Mari was single the more suitors she would attract.

The thought made him sick to his stomach, literally. Since arriving in Gotham and watching eyes lurking on Mari, his stomach had felt unsettled. He had gotten comfortable in Paris; all of her admirers were known and he knew she did not return their affection. Yet here in Gotham he couldn’t be as secure in his assurances and it left him feeling… odd.

Still, Adrien and Mari were both not in a place to start a relationship. Mari was still feeling a heavy burden by something she refused to share. Adrien was still dealing with the complicated relationship with his family and the emotions that came with it.

Gabriel was still a topic that he tried to steer away from. Leaving for Gotham almost a month after his mother had returned, their relationship hadn’t progressed much. In fact, the departure almost felt welcomed by Gabriel and his mother, which wounded Adrien deeply. He tried to seem happy, but the truth was he was still feeling bitter and guilty.

For all his resentment towards Hawkmoth, there was shamefully an equal layer of gratitude. His terrorist father having the miraculous gave Adrien things that he would not have had without it. Chat Noir was needed, that need allowed him his freedom from his isolated tower. Without concern for Adrien figuring out his villainy, he would have undoubtedly not conceded to Adrien going to school, making friends, and getting to experience more than the limited life of a brand model. Most importantly, without Hawkmoth he would never have met his Lady, Marinette, either from school or fighting by her side.

Now that he knew her, he could never lose her.

Laughter brought his attention back to the object of his affection. Mari had punched Jon on the shoulder bringing a toothy grin to the man’s face.

If they couldn’t become a couple yet, he would have to do the next best thing. Protect her from other would-be suitors. For now, that meant to make Jon a ‘friend.’

Katana…dagger…switch blade…karambit…bare hand, all viable choices to remove that look from the girl’s face.

For the entire seminar so far, the pink hair girl beside him held a cheerful smile. Stealing glances his way that he was confident she had thought had gone unnoticed. But he was trained by assassins and Bats; he could feel eyes upon him and knew when people were hiding things. What made it worse was her blue eyes seemed to know something, and that had him on edge.

He was trying his best to convince himself that it must be some form of attraction. But the more he looked at her the more he was unable to do so.

She seemed far too much of a polar opposite to find him anything more than an attractive face. While he wore an Armani suit with his hair perfectly styled, all things becoming of a Wayne heir, her white suit seemed to be for no one but herself. A notch lapel jacket was paired with capris suit pants with shoes that could barely pass for more than sports. In fact, he was confident there were blades on the heels, like an adolescent’s. Her powder blue shirt had her looking ready to hit the gym as soon as the seminar ended. He believed that her style was coined ‘skater’ and while the suit looked very well made, rivaling his own, it looked out of place.

So, while it was possible that she found herself attracted to him, the more he caught her stare the more he was sure that the smug look she carried held humor, not lust. He would have to keep a close eye on her. Her behavior was suspect, and he hated not knowing.

Chapter Text

Dick was used to plastering a smile on his face, as he performed the many obligations that were required of a son of Bruce Wayne. Chaperoning the city excursions of the leadership conference, however, was one obligation he usually thoroughly enjoyed. The kids mostly laughed at his jokes, the girls often innocently attempted to flirt before he had to shut it down, and he mostly got to enjoy his time with little expectation other than ensuring their safety from the rift raft of Gotham.

The French and Russian classes he was currently watching were adorable. As expected, the conversations tended to surround the more social aspects of the conference than the seminars. But the bunch seemed to be bright and perhaps he could talk Damian into giving a few a chance at friendship. Especially those from the French class who he’d recognized immediately as having some association with Ladybug. The Ladyblogger and the Mayor’s daughter most notably would hopefully be useful in getting additional intel on Ladybug, but t was Tim’s job to come up with a plan to approach them without it being too obvious. The other's were only to engage if the opportunity presented itself.   

So far, Dick had not had the means to engage the two naturally, as all the conversations on the bus were either in French or Russian. He did his best to appear aloof despite his ability to speak both languages, as several conversation surrounding him made mention of either his attractiveness or his butt. All while they made their way to their destination and parked.

“Okay, you will be given an hour and a half to wander around the gardens. Please try and stay somewhat close together. There are a few cafés around the premises that you can grab a coffee or lunch and feel free to take them with you as you enjoy the views. But, remember to throw away your trash and recycle. Please enjoy Gotham Botanical Gardens.” Dick excitedly performed the expected chaperone talk before gesturing for the students to exit the bus.

Halfway through the gaggle of students, one of the girls tripped as she approached the steps. Dick reached out and grabbed her before she tumbled down the stairs, failing to capture her belongings which flew down and scattered around the exit.

“Thanks, I can be quite a klutz.” She giggled, but her eyes were locked on the girl behind her. If Dick was a betting man, he would bet that the girl had something to do with the misstep.

“No worries. Here, let me get down there and help you gather your stuff.” He flew down the stairs and onto the pavement. The girl hadn’t lost many things, but a sketch book had flown open and several of her sketches were now on the move as the wind blew them about.

Gathering a few of the lost pages; Dick noted the girl had talent. He recognized many of the architectural wonders of Gotham, including some he was better versed with during his nocturnal activities. But then, he came upon some of her fashion sketches, they weren’t complete outfits, but he recognized a shirt here, a pattern there, all familiar to things he’d seen before.

Just as his mind was about to cross the finish line and make the connection, the girl snatched the papers from his hands and held them close to her chest, crossing her arms over them in a protective embrace. “Thank you, those are very important to me.”

Dick continued to stare at the young lady, still trying to place how he knew the sketches and shocked by her reaction. Meeting his stare with her own, she waited.  Coming to a decision, probably that he was not going to look away, she slowly nodded at him as she chewed slightly on her lower lip, “Okay then, I’m just going to go in.” She used both hands, still holding her book, to point behind her left shoulder before she quickly turned and ran off towards her classmates.

A small group standing off to the side of the entrance waited for her. Upon her approach they began to talk quickly, laughing at her, as she rolled her head similar to how one would roll their eyes. She smacked the blond male over the top of his head, causing him to cease his laughter, the rest followed suit. She said something more and the group nodded before she peeled off on her own.

This would have been the end of Dick’s observation if he had not caught site of several interesting circumstances.

The first being his genuine curiosity to view her sketches once again. He was certain if he could see them, if even just a little longer, he would be able to piece together what was so familiar.

Second, as the girl seemed to walk past the flowers in the garden, the blossoms seemed to be glowing in her presence. Not literally, but more like they were just brighter, more alive, standing tall. He would even go as far as to say they were following her movements and lingering in her direction once she passed.

Dick double checked several times to ensure that he was seeing what he thought he had. But each time it was only confirmed as the flowers that surrounded the girl were all pointing and leaning in her direction. If he didn’t know better, he would almost say that she was related to Ivy.

The final and most concerning thing that kept Dick’s attention, was the girl who had been directly behind her on the bus, was poorly trying to conceal herself as she followed behind.

Doing a far better job at concealing his movements, Dick followed the girls deeper into the gardens.

Marinette walked away from the all of the students, moving slowly as she fixed the spilled contents of her sketchbook as she walked.

Finally returned to its original state, she took stock of her surroundings. She felt several eyes on her, an uncomfortable amount. She glanced around but no one was near her. The path before and behind laid bare. The flowers and plants around her were verdant, but not enough that a person would be capable of hiding among them. Perhaps the trees would be able to hide one or two people but not the numbers she felt.

That was when she saw it, the plants, moving towards her. Looking around to observe them more closely she noted the ones she had moved past were leaning in her direction, the ones closest seemed to stand straight up and the ones she had yet to pass seemed to droop in comparison.

She placed her headphones into her ear, a habit she had adopted after being made fun of one too many occasions for ‘talking to herself.’ “Tikki what is going on, the flowers-”

“Isn’t it wonderful Marinette, your natural powers are growing again.”

“Why?”

“You know I can’t answer that. As your body physically matures, your ability to act as a conduit for my powers increases, manifesting in more abilities while transformed. But it is your mental maturity that allows for you to tap into more of my soul piece, facilitating in the growth of your personal magic. What causes that maturity differs every reincarnation and sometimes it’s just like age and comes naturally over time.”

Tikki pushed against the purse that held her, so that Marinette would feel her presence. “Based on the way that the flowers are reacting, I would say that your healing magic has developed into more of an aura. This means that you can heal those around you without having to focus your energy. I think the flowers are gravitating to you as thanks for the healing, they felt sicker when we arrived, but they look as healthy as can be now. It’s a wonderful thing Marinette and I am very proud of you! As always!”

Marinette smiled at her kwami, even though she was unable to see her. Content with her brief explanation she walked up to a small pond content enough with her surroundings to draw. She took out her sketchbook and got to work documenting the flowers that she hoped would inspire designs.

Not even ten minutes into her sketches a familiar presence approached slowly. Before she could act, her sketch book was smacked out of her hands and into the small pond.

Feeling like Rose as Jack slowly disappeared beneath the ocean water, Marinette watched as a month’s worth of sketches sunk to the bottom of the pond. The top sheet, a watercolor done to remember the night skyline of Paris from atop of the Eiffel Tower, bled as the book descended out of sight.

Anger flared, but Marinette held back from lashing out and physically attacking…just barely. *“Why the FUCK did you do that?”

*“I don’t know what you mean, Marinette.” Lila’s words portrayed innocence, but her body language screamed victory.

“Like hell you don’t!” The chaperone, Dick, spoke to Lila in English as he moved out from the shadows.

“I assure you I don’t. She must have been in shock by my sudden appearance and accidently dropped her book in the water.”

“And pigs can fly.” Dick ground his teeth at Lila. “I saw you push her sketchbook out of her hands.”

“You must be mistaken, perhaps from your viewpoint it would appear that way but I assure you that is was an accident.” Lila tried.

Marinette was having the time of her life, watching another fight for her for once. It appeared that at least one person in Gotham wasn’t stupid enough to fall for the obvious lies of Lila Rossi.

“Well, I had a different vantage point and saw the same. You, knocking the notebook out of her hand.”

Make that two people.

In a flash Lila was knocked to the ground by a large dog, as two women, one being the speaker, slowly approached from the other direction towards the small confrontation.

The two women were incredibly unique looking, and Marinette recognized them immediately. The speaker was no other than the recently coined ‘anti-hero,’ Poison Ivy. Her skin was slightly green which complemented her bright red hair. As other worldly as she looked, she was nothing short of gorgeous, even without her notorious outfit made of leaves.

Her companion was as equally recognizable, with her signature pigtails dipped in blue and red. Harley Quinn seemed like the type who would jump at being on the cutting edge of fashion. Would she call if Marinette gave her a card?

“Pam, what are you doing here?” Dick asked kindly, but not without a fair amount of warning layered beneath the question.

“Don’t worry Dick, my babies just seemed happier today. So I just wanted to find out the reason why. Harley wanted to join, and you know how she insists on taking Brucie everywhere. So…” Ivy waved her hand in annoyance but there was too much affection in her eyes for it to be the case.

“Will you call off this wild animal?” There was hysteria evident in Lila’s voice as she begged for reprieve from the animal.

“Don’t worry he’s just giving ya some kisses.” Harley puckered her lips as she lowered down to the level of the dog, placing her hands on her knees, “Weren’t yew Brucie…who’s a good boy, yews a good boy.”

Brucie, ran over to his owner and began to lick her.

“That,” Lila looked down at the sweet thing in disgust, “dog was attacking me. Doesn’t Gotham have some kind of leash laws?”

“Gotham does for dogs but Brucie here’s a hyena.” Harley patted the hyena on his head as his tail wagged happily at the praise. “Bitches like you on the other hand-"

“Keep your animal away or I’ll sue.” Lila turned and walked away as quickly as possible, leaving Marinette alone with the three adults.

“That pathological liar ain’t gonna do shit.” Harley looked in the direction Lila left.

“What makes you so sure?” Marinette knew that Lila was mostly words without action, yet she was curious what had made those in Gotham so untrusting of her. After all, it was something she rarely saw in Paris.

“I’m a psychiatrist doll face, diagnosing her is child’s play.” Harley pet Brucie behind his ears as the hyena licked her face. “Besidez her lies are obvious, only an idiot would believe ‘er.”

Marinette was really starting to like Harley. “You would be surprised by the number of people who buy her stories.”

Harley looked at Marinette before shrugging her shoulders and nodding her head while playing with a pigtail. “Huh, that’s very intra-sting”.

Harley’s attention was quickly lost as she went back to giving it to her hyena. Meanwhile, Ivy, or did she prefer to go by Pam, was circling Marinette. Her eyes remained focused on the plants, but Marinette could tell the occasional shift in her direction.

Dick also seemed to be monitoring Ivy’s movements. “Pam, why are you here again?”

“Don’t they just seem happier? Gotham seems lighter, the air less oppressive.” Pam gestured up and over to the many plants in the gardens.

Dick took a second to look around, his face scrunched in concentration at first, before a smile stretched across his face. Marinette began to panic, was Ivy able to communicate with the plants? Would she know about her abilities and then Dick would learn by extension? Would they find out she was Ladybug?

“The sun does seem to be shining a little brighter. Maybe the flowers are…I don’t know…standing a little straighter to reach it.” Dick took one of the plants in his hand as if studying it closely, before turning his attention completely to Ivy. “Any ideas?”

“That’s why we’re here Dickie.” Harley’s attention left Brucie as she stood next to Ivy taking her hand. “Have they told ya anything Pamalamb?”

Marinette froze, so Ivy was able to communicate with the plants. Marinette tried to think of a way to escape unnoticed but figured that any type of movement would draw attention to her, perhaps not from the three adults but definitely from the plants.

“Yes, they have been healed and they are thankful.” Ivy looked softly at Marinette, giving her a knowing wink before turning to Dick. “I don’t fully understand what they mean, but Sunshine has decided to shine in Gotham and it’s starting to heal.”

Chapter Text

The electricity in the large gym felt similar to the energy Ladybug felt before an akuma attack. The main difference being that over a hundred students were anticipating the upcoming battle, not just Ladybug and her team.

When the organizers had included the need for sports attire on the packing list for the conference, the entire class was wary. What could they possibly be doing at a business conference that would require such outfits?

Dodgeball, an American school yard game. As a French student, she was familiar with the concept, thanks to movies and American sitcoms, but had never played the game herself. She couldn’t admit to anyone but Adrien -him being in the same position- that despite never playing, she had experience with the basic principles thanks to several akuma attacks.

The rules were pretty straight forward, throw a ball to hit people, don’t get hit, no face shots and if you catch it, the opponent who threw it is out, no bring backs. Marinette was confident that the goal of the organizers was to have students create strategies and be able to apply them during the chaos of the battle. Or… at least that would be their excuse when asked for allowing the kids to just have fun this fine Wednesday morning.

The layout of the tournament was simple, schools had the opportunity to create two ten-person teams, and additional people could join teams from the other schools that were incomplete. Best two out of three would determine the winner of each match. The winners moving up the bracket till the final match, where a single game would determine the winner.

“Should we elect two different team leaders and then build our teams from there?” Pierre, an athletic boy who had become a close friend with Kim and Alix, offered.

“Perhaps we should first determine how many wish to play and build our teams off that.” Kagami suggested.

“Either way, I nominate Mari as team leader of the team I’m on.” Adrien smiled at Marinette as he wrapped his arm around her shoulder, leaning on her way too much that she should have collapsed under his weight.

“Please, Marinette is too clumsy and will be knocked out in the first minute. What kind of leader will that make?” Lila looked at her nails in a fashion reminiscent of Chloe back at her worst.

“I’ll be on team Dupain-Cheng.” Chloe stated nonchalant as she actually used a file to manicure her nails. Perhaps the gesture was not completely lost after all.

“You’ve obviously never seen competitive Marinette, Lila. She is a beast.” Hollowing his voice as he said the last word, Kim came to stand between Marinette and Adrien, wrapping his arms around their necks and pulling them into an awkward hug.

Naturally, Kagami, Luka, and Alix joined the team quickly. Ivan, Francis and Pierre rounded off the team of ten, only three others wished to play and joined an incomplete Brazilian team.

Aside from Lila, no one else seemed to oppose Marinette taking on the role of team captain. So, she disappears for a short time to sign up the team with the tournament organizers and get further instructions.

Upon her return she noted Adrien and Jon talking up their team to each other. Both sported matching grins, making it obvious that the hostile words were for show.

“Hope your school is ready to eat dirt.” Adrien crowed.

“I hope that was just a poor translation from French, because if that’s the best you’ve got, we’ll be wiping the floor with you in no time.” Jon tried. Really their insults were lacking, but it was fun to see them egging each other on.

“I might be having trouble with my English translations; after all they don’t have a word in English that translates to just how bad we’ll be kicking your butt.”

“That’s because America has never been defeated bad enough to warrant the need for such a word. The French on the other hand have needed several.”

“Damnnnn...shots fired,” came from someone nearby, knocking them out of their playful banter. Their attempts to rile up the other was like watching two kittens trying to maul each other, the attempts could only be described as cute.

“I should probably head over to Damian and the rest of my class so we can strategize. Good luck out there Adrien, you’re going to need it.”

Adrien winked at Marinette, “I guess it’s a good thing I have luck on my side.”

For the most part, Damian’s participation in this conference was a waste of time, even this Dodgeball tournament. As expected, Damian and Jon had dominated the competition, just as they did at school. The other teams had not stood a chance.

Frustratingly it wasn’t their team that was the center of all the conversations around the conference hall. Whispers of a team of assassins, who were plowing down the other teams in two matches flat, was the main source of gossip.  

Not only was the fact that this team was being referred to as assassins, irritate Damian, it was that it had people under appreciating Jon and his skills.

Fortunately, Gotham’s winning team had just finished their concluding round in the semi-final and was able to watch this ‘assassin team’ in action before they faced them in the final.

When they entered the large auditorium Jon and Damian were forced into a small corner of the room, as the rest of the conference attendees and some others including Todd and Drake -much to Damian’s surprise- were packing the makeshift bleachers.

The game was well underway, the group closest to Damian already weeded thin, with only three players left but currently hoarding all of the balls. They moved around each other trying to come up with a strategy that would work against the other side.  Any tactician could guess that their strategy could possibly result in some eliminations, but in the end the other side was only down two members.

Damian quickly recognized most of the players on the opposing team as the group Jon and him were attempting to ‘friend.’

As soon as the smaller team released their balls, the assassins, as they were called, moved in sync dodging them. Each ball missed their intended marks. Couffaine and the pink haired girl from yesterday took to collect the balls and hand them to Tsurugi, Bourgeois, Agreste, and an unknown female. Couffaine whispered to the unknown, who nodded before whispering back. All eyes turned to her before she gave simple hand gestures as instructions, understanding between them, each moved to a new position.

It was unnerving to watch a bunch of high schoolers able to accomplish something that had taken him years to realize with the Teen Titans.

The unknown female launched herself forward to throw her ball at the closest person on the opposing side, just for her to fake, pivoting to change her direction and throw it at the unassuming person to her left. But not before Agreste released his own ball at the original target, taking her out by surprise.

Leaving only one person.

The way the team moved around the poor man was like a dance, each shifting their position to find the best spot for attack. The Unknown flicked her hand in a way that told a man with blond tips to finish it. He moved forward and in one swift throw, the semi-final ended to the sound of deafening cheers.

While most would be intimidated, Damian was excited; he loved the idea of a challenge and it looked like the Parisians would give it to him.

“Come on Damian, we have ten minutes before the final match, let’s go congratulate Adrien.” Damian struggled to keep up with the overly excited Kryptonian as he weaved through the crowd to make his way over to their future enemy.

As they approached, he noticed that the Unknown must have been the girl the group had been referring to as Dupain-Cheng, as Agreste’s arm was slung over her shoulder. She shifted away from Agreste as she playfully kicked at the man who threw the winning ball. He laughed as he ruffled her hair causing her to swat playfully at his hand.

In a cliché way, suddenly the few people still in front of Jon and Damian parted like the Red Sea to give him an unobstructed view of Dupain-Cheng. The line comment from the other day made sense, before him was one of the most striking females he had seen outside of a mask.

A watermelon pink tank top covering a light gray lace backed sports bra, paired with simple gray leggings. It wasn’t anything special looking and modest in comparison to what most other attendees wore, but she wore it with such confidence. Her hair was in loose waves, perfectly styled in spite of their recent action and even without makeup she was gorgeous.

His unconscious gulp of air as they approached did not go unnoticed by Agreste who narrowed his eyes at Damian, before turning his attention to Jon standing beside him, and smiled. “Looks like we’ll be playing each other for the title of Dodgeball Champion.”

“Won’t be too much of a challenge then?”

“Your right, it won’t.” Agreste’s smirk was cocky yet playful.

Jon leaned towards Agreste, his attempts to flirt obvious. “Guess we’ll see who that’s true for.”

Dupain-Cheng seemed to have caught on to the flirtation, as her smile grew each time her eyes darted between Agreste and Jon. They stopped shifting as they caught sight of Damian, staring right at her.

Extending her hand, “Marinette Dupain-Cheng, this dork’s best friend.”

“Damian, the other imbecile’s friend.” She smiled, her eyes shined brightly, sparkling like the night’s sky.

“Looks like we’ll be playing one another?” She cocked her hip as she placed her right hand upon it. Her entire body spoke of the confidence she had on the outcome of the match-up.

“Cannot wait for the opportunity to show Paris what real competition looks like.” Damian deadpanned.

“We’ll see if you’re still singing the same tune when we easily defeat you.” She smirked before her smile rounded out, mirth dancing in her eyes.

“Confident.” She licked her lips before she shrugged her shoulders making an affirmative humming noise in response.

The action doing things to him he hadn’t felt since Ladybug. He would have punched himself again, but he remembered how well that turned out for him the last time.

He needed to calm down, he was married after all. This was just another case of attraction to a woman who exuded confidence and capacity to take charge. Similar to what he had felt with Raven, a fleeting attraction towards her capabilities, not her as a person. He would simply disengage and return to his team to prepare for the last match.

He turned away from Dupain-Cheng and took a single step forward. “Come on Jon, we must prepare to put this team back in their place.” He looked back at Dupain-Cheng, “Second that is.”

Damian smirked as he turned; he noted that Dupain-Cheng never lost her own smile as they walked away.

Damian tried to pry his eyes from Dupain-Cheng but it felt impossible. She had successfully orchestrated an offensive and defensive strategy that had wiped out most of his team. In less than two minutes, Gotham had lost half of its members, whereas Paris still held eight.

She was mesmerizing, the clear leader of the group. The team turned to her for instructions, which was impressive enough, but she also assisted in implementing the fatal blows to his team.

Finally getting to observe the team dynamic for more than the final play of the game, it was obvious that she utilized her teammates to take on roles that played to their strengths. The application of these strengths became a strategy that had proven so far to be unbeatable. That was of course, before they had gone up against him and Jon; who were unstoppable because this is what they did.   

The male who had taken the winning shot in the last game, was clearly just muscle, his aim was true for most shots, even if a majority were dodged. He was obviously a quintessential jock, joking around and taunting his opponents. His weakness however, while he tried to listen to the instructions from Dupain-Cheng he did not work in coordination with the rest of his team. His independence led to a lot of missed opportunities much to the obvious frustration of Dupain-Cheng.

Blake saw this weakness and tried to take him out, only for his ball to be deflected with the ball in the Jock’s hand. In turn, the Jock returned fire at his assailant, causing Gotham to be down to four players.

Damian’s mouth tightened before he brushed away the frustration and focused on Paris’s destruction.

A second male who appeared to also not follow Paris’s core team, was busy mocking Gotham with the Jock and missed the instructions coming from Agreste.  Jon used the distraction as an opportunity to launch his ball, striking the man in the leg.

The students who supported Gotham shouted as Paris went down to seven members.

Damian launched his own ball at the Jock as he was distracted by his friend’s elimination. The ball hit its target and Damian smirked at the bitter expression on Dupain-Cheng. She looked so feisty angry, but he much preferred the determined look that followed.

Not ready to deal with the weird feelings he was having for her, Damian refocused on the game. The Paris team was now only two members up, he just needed to focus on a strategy. Damian and Jon would work as they often did, in tandem. The other two members of their team would work around them; their survival was of no consequence; they were merely cannon fodder for the enemy while Jon and Damian worked. It would end with Damian and Jon ensuring Paris would never forget the day they tried to compete with Gotham.

Couffaine and Alix, as her teammates had called out to the pink haired girl, would need to be targeted quickly. They worked to ensure their offensive players had ammo and mostly stuck to the back observing. It was obvious they were meant to analyze and report to the players useful information. Removing them would eliminate the team’s second set of eyes.

Damian motioned for Jon to take out Couffaine, while he drew the fire of the rest of the team. He dodged a shot by Agreste, only to barely block the red rubber projectile launched by Tsurugi. Jon hurled his ball at the same time as his teammate Holder at the blue tipped musician.

Gotham was robbed of the satisfying elimination of the rocker as Bourgeois dived at Holder’s ball. What had first appeared as a sacrificial block, turned into a catch as she encased the ball with her body into a front tuck before standing with the ball held victoriously in her hands.

The room erupted as one of Paris’s brought Gotham down to three in such a dramatic way. Her triumphant smirk was swiftly replaced by a frown as she noticed her boyfriend moving to the sideline.

“Get your head back in the game, Chlo.” Dupain-Cheng barked, her eyes swivel as she analyzed options.

Dupain-Cheng motioned to Agreste who seemed to be the only player on their team to understand. He verbalized the plan to Tsurugi who nodded and relayed to Bourgeois.

All of the Parisian players first seemed to be moving around looking for perfect shots, before both Bourgeois and Tsurugi began to move in what they probably felt was attractive. Damian familiar with such grotesque attempts to gain his attention was unaffected, other than narrowing his eyes at the feeble attempt to throw off their game.

Unfortunately, Damian was not their target and Blake, who was, was very susceptible to their obvious flirtatious advances. Distracted, Blake allowed for the two girls to come closer to the middle line, as his body blocked an opportunity for Damian and Jon to react. Launching their balls at the same time, Blake was eliminated painfully as he was pounded by two balls to the chest. One after the other.

While unable to prevent Blake’s elimination, Damian took advantage of the celebration by hitting Bourgeois with his ball as Tsurugi acted as a blind spot to his aim. 

Alix attempted to take him out at that point, only to be thwarted by Jon who captured her ball against his chest as he crossed to protect Damian.

Bourgeois’ frustrated huff could be heard through the entire auditorium. Well, it would have been if the room was not filled with the deafening sounds of Gotham Academy screaming Jon and Damian’s name. Damian beamed from the positive attention even if the chant was still ‘Ice Prince,’ and not his actual name. 

Paris was still a man up, but the inflated ego they carried into the game seemed to be dulled, if Tsurugi’s and Agreste’s expression were any indication. Dupain-Cheng appeared as confident as ever, her eyes had locked on Damian and he felt his heart treacherously skip a beat.

Agreste stood on the left side of their court, Tsurugi on the right, with Dupain-Cheng close to the middle. Agreste motioned to Tsurugi just before they both moved to gather in the middle. It was a poor tactic that Damien prepared to use against them. For a brief moment the three were in alignment, and Damian released his ball with the intention of it hitting where Agreste would step next, only for Agreste to switch direction at the last second. He had in effect, blocked Jon from being able to see Tsurugi stop and aim her ball before releasing it at Jon.

If not for his ability to analyze movement quickly, Jon would have missed the change and been eliminated, but he grabbed the launched ball much to the disappointment of Dupain-Cheng.

She narrowed her eyes at Damian as he smirked at her. Time seemed to stand still as the two looked at each other. He did not like being on the receiving end of that look, but he was relishing the challenge she was presenting. If the look in her eyes wasn’t being misinterpreted by him, while frustrated, she was finding enjoyment in it as well. 

All too quickly the spell was broken as she returned his smirk with one of her own, turning to talk to Agreste quickly.

Jon launched his ball at her turned back, but it missed as she surprisingly moved in unison with Agreste to dodge. Much too late, Jon and Damian realized that by Jon throwing his ball, Paris now had possession of all of the balls.

An almost unnoticeable signal was given to Agreste, before they both sprinted off in different directions collecting the balls from around their side of the court. They launch them at Jon and Damian one after another in quick secession, perhaps hoping to keep the pair on their toes and be able to land a hit from their flailing. But it was almost laughable how off their aim was. It took very little for the Gotham pair to dodge and avoid the onslaught.

Jon lowered to scoop up one of the balls that had landed close to him when the pinnacle of Paris’s strategy was revealed. Agreste dropped the ball he was holding as he cupped his hands together between his legs and bent his knees. Dupain-Cheng sprinted over, placing her right foot in his hands before he log-tossed her in the air. It happened in a matter of seconds, she hovered only temporarily above Jon, but his head was down to grab the ball missing her departure into the air. Even with his head now raised, he failed to catch her position above him, as she hurled her ball at the unsuspecting Kryptonian. She returned to his field of vision just in time for him to see a ball smacking his chest with a resounding pa-tonk.

The crowd cheered again, as Paris had the lead after another awesome move. Damian even caught Todd and Drake in the corner of his vision with their mouths hanging open after watching Jon’s elimination.

Damian scooped up the closest ball, never taking his eyes off the pair, as he looked for an opportunity to attack.

If it had been anyone else, they would have missed the subtle way Adrien moved his hand, but Damian recognized the signal as he often used it himself. Watching Agreste tighten his grip on his ball before he moved away, Damian knew that his attention was meant to be kept on Dupain-Cheng who was obviously faking her own alignment to take him out.

Damian prepared to attack Agreste, throwing them off their game and tying them up once again. He propelled his ball at Agreste, who attempted to stop his movement, but could only skid across the floor as he struggled to change trajectory. The ball hit him squarely in the chest.

Damian choosing to gloat at Dupain-Cheng, turned in her direction as he scooped up the closest ball to end this battle once and for all.

PA-TONK.

He heard the impact before he felt it. A rubber ball smacked his shoulder before he even had time to straighten. He hadn’t even completely processed what had happened before he watched her kiss her hand and blow the imaginary kiss in his direction. Dupain-Cheng was not the distraction, Agreste was, and Damian had fallen right into their sacrificial trap.

He stood gob smacked as he processed the fact he had been defeated for the first time ever in dodgeball. He failed to hear the deafening roar, only able to watch as Dupain-Cheng was lifted on Agreste’s and Couffaine’s shoulder in victory over Gotham. Her eyes the whole time remained locked with Damian, rubbing the defeat in his face.

But there was no anger, only admiration, respect, and… something else?

Chapter Text

Marinette had no set expectations for the conference. After all, she had expected her and Adrien to be dragged back to Paris half the time to deal with akumas, unable to take advantage of the opportunity and enjoy herself. The original thought behind signing up to spend a month in Gotham was the need to pad her college application with something that could overshadow her ‘stellar’ attendance record.

The reality of the conference and her time in Gotham was far better than she could have imagined. To begin, Bruce Wayne knew how to hold a conference for young adults. She had expected seminars that droned on, but he ensured that the speakers required engagement beyond the simple asking and answering of questions. Which still could have lost the attention of a bunch of teenagers, but he broke it up with early morning dodgeball competitions and fieldtrips around Gotham.

First impression of the city had been questionable at best, and she was still unsure about the events at the garden. But just like Ivy, she was feeling the city begin to brighten and she couldn’t shake the feeling that it had something to do with her.

When the time came for her to leave Gotham, she could already tell that she would miss it immensely. Fortunately, a part of the application to the conference required the submitter to apply to Gotham University. Winning the conference meant a scholarship for the applicant, further motivation for an individual to apply and probably helped with Gotham University’s excellent reputation despite the cities less than.

Originally Marinette knew she wouldn’t be able to attend with her responsibilities in Paris, now that she was free and there were no sign of Mayura, perhaps a year or two in Gotham would be...refreshing.

Especially, if coming back to Gotham meant she would be able to spend more time with Kelvin and Kaelyn. In just four days, they had become the little brother and sister she didn’t know she needed.

Even Adrien thought the two were adorable. He had joined them for breakfast that morning and made it a point that he would join the daily ritual if they’d have him. Which they were more than excited to allow, even more so, when he promised to waste a fair amount of his father’s money spoiling them. He too had expressed a feeling of kinship towards the pair, and Marinette was excited that he was still open to love despite his own family situation.

If she could talk Adrien into coming to Gotham long-term, it could be perfect.

But maybe not, because as great as Gotham had been thus far, Gotham still meant…Lila.

“I am sure that you could make an exception for us, my boyfriend is Damian Wayne after all.” Lila purred at the guard.

After an exhilarating victory over Gotham Academy the class decided a celebratory lunch was in order. For convenience they had chosen a restaurant close to the museum they would be spending some of the afternoon at. That meant they had arrived at the Hero and Villain Museum almost fifteen minutes before their slotted arrival time and the museum was still closed for lunch. Leaving them stuck in the rain that had started just as they departed the restaurant.  

“Why would the fact that you’re dating Damian Wayne make me let you enter before your slotted time and chaperon shows up?” The guard was looking at Lila, as if she was a puzzle he could care less to figure out. Kwami, Marinette loved people from Gotham, another point for coming back.

“It’s not that I think my dating him would get us in, it’s that because of my medical condition, it’s hard to stand outside for long periods of time. I would hate for Damian to hear the museum was not accommodating.” Lila looked off to the side, raising her eyes from the ground in a way that looked remorseful, despite the warning in her words.

Normally threatening a guard would not get someone what they wanted, but Lila had proven she was not just someone. “Now wait, had I known of your disability I wouldn’t have hesitated to let you in. I’m afraid I can’t let you have reign of the whole museum, but you’re welcome to stick to the first room till your chap shows.”

The first room was quite eerie; it was an intricate labyrinth of Gotham alleyways, veering off a main roadway. Lit only by scant streetlights, the alleys were lined with dumpsters, crates, and other unsightly things, creating shadows in the artificial night.

Grabbing Adrien’s hand, she pulled him down an alley separate from the rest of the class. They approached slowly as they would in a real alley, taking in the attention to detail the museum had. A rubber substance was pooled on the floor to give the illusion of puddles and wet pavement from a recent rain fall. A light towards the end of the alley flickered, the shadows seeming to move every few flashes. A hidden speaker played the sound of dripping water and the occasional scampering of rats.

Marinette couldn’t help but smile up at Adrien. In normal circumstances, such surroundings would cause her to tense and prepare for an unknown entity to attack. But knowing they were in a museum, a feeling of excitement, versus the normal trepidation, overwhelmed her as she waited to see what they would find at the end of the constructed alley.

Passing the last dumpster, the lights flickered once more, going out for about five seconds before coming back on. Enough time for a shadow to move directly in front of them.

Marinette watched as Adrien flinched as the shadow took solid form. She grabbed his hands quickly as he went to strike at the apparition. She laughed at his horror-struck expression, as he processed what he had done and who had actually appeared before them.

Batman, or rather a figure dressed in what Marinette hoped was his original costume, had come from a trap door to appear suddenly before them. She couldn’t help herself from breaking into a full body laugh at the site of a spandex wearing vigilante.

“Man, that’s almost as bad as your costume Maribug.” Adrien whispered into her ear.

The jolly smile and mood quickly obliterated as if having not even been there. She smacked him hard with the back of her hand against his chest. “Hey, I didn’t really get to have a say in my costume and I was fourteen. He at least, had options.”

“I’ll admit I have little experience myself, but I imagine that-” he gestured at the monstrosity before them, “-is the result of too many drinks.”

“You’re not wrong.” She looked at the mannequin once again, studying it in a fashion she had often seen critics do. “Who in their right mind wakes up and says, that. That is what I want to look like when I fight crime.”

“The same person that said, I don’t think I’ll be able to know where my belt is, so make it bright yellow. That way not only will I be able to find my gadgets, but so will everyone else.”

Marinette held her hand out as if stopping him from talking. “No pants please, a unitard for simplicity and oh oh…bloomers. Bloomers to cover my junk that way no one knows I’m actually wearing a diaper. After all I can’t risk taking a break from fighting crime to go to the toilet. “

Adrien waved his hand at her in a dismissive fashion. “Yes, yes, and a cape with a cowl attached too. That way if my cape gets caught on something, I’ll know and so will all the villains, along with my secret identity.”

“I’m actually going to assume they’re separate... But make sure you draw on some eyebrows in white. Make them look like I’m surprised. That way the bad guy won’t know if I’m surprised to see him or if I’m saying surprise mother-fucker.”

He dramatically placed his index fingers to both sides of his head. “And don’t forget about the ears so everyone knows I’m a bat!”

“Yes, the ears are very important.” Marinette shook her head and rolled her eyes at the fact Adrien should not have been the one to comment on them. “I won’t be like a bat otherwise and just to be sure no one has any questions –“

“- just slap a huge yellow sticker with a bat on my chest.” A new voice broke their banter.                                                                                                                                       

Marinette smiled as she turned to take in the new comer. “Nah, I was thinking of being called Bat Man because, ‘I’m Caped Crusader’ leaves it ambiguous and just doesn’t sound as good as-“

“I am Batman.” Jason growled.

“Yes, that was it” she snapped her fingers, “perfect.” Marinette twirled her finger as it pointed to the ceiling. “Wrap it up, copyright and create little action figures for the kiddos.” Turning to Adrien, “You get all that?” she asked as she looked over his shoulder at his imaginary tablet.

“Got it boss.” He smiled at her as he clicked a few buttons with his imaginary stylus.

“So, Pixie, if you were a designer how would you improve the Bat’s suit?” Jason crossed his arms over his defined chest, flexing his biceps with the action.

“I have some ideas.” She tried innocently, placing her hands behind her back as she swayed slightly.

“Experienced with designing then?” Jason winked.

“Something like that…I’d be happy to give you some pointers some time.” She winked in return gaining her a playful smirk.

“Oh yeah…and what exactly would you change?”

Eyes scanning to take in his outfit in closer detail then she had when he first appeared, -which honestly was quite a bit- she looked for something to comment on. He wore tight fitted dark wash jeans with rips on the knees, black combat boots came right above his ankles. A white t-shirt stretched across his chest and stomach, tight enough to show his defined abs and pectoral muscles. The cowl neck dipped low enough for the observer to catch enough skin to know the muscles were in fact real underneath. The piece de la resistance was the black leather jacket that went just past his elbows lined in maroon, the color carrying to his fingerless gloves. His mane was tamed by a pair of all black aviators, only a few strands of his white streak had escaped back to his forehead.  

“Nothing.” She stated barely above a whisper, transfixed by his blue-green eyes.

Adrien clearly uncomfortable with the exchange stepped beside Marinette and grabbed her shoulder. “Come on Mari, we need to meet up with the rest of the class. Our chaperon should be showing up soon.”

Slowly, two eyes staring down at his boots moved up to his face. Their owner commented something, but it was too much of a whisper to be audible. Jason smirked at his ability to fluster the little spark plug.

Changed from the workout attire he had seen her in earlier that morning, her look had caught his attention as he entered the museum. He was not surprised to see he had known the owner as he had gotten closer.

Capri length jeans rolled at the bottom had their knees ripped out. A plain white t-shirt was casually tucked into the pants to display a rather simple black belt. Tall nude heels with two straps gave her additional height to combat the oversized cherry red cardigan that fell well below her knees. A pair of round framed black sunglasses pulled her hair from her face, as the rest fell past her shoulder in loose waves. Red, a single shade darker than her cardigan kept most of his attention on her lips.

Caught staring at her once again he missed her friend Adrien’s statement, but not his protective hand on her shoulder. He creased his brow, uncertain what could cause such a reaction, but quickly remembered as she let out a little squeak that his mind immediately classified as ‘cute,’ that she was at least six years his junior.

While she was the total package, uncomfortably gorgeous, sweet, strong, fierce and that’s all he knew about her from two days, she still didn’t deserve him lusting after her. The more he thought about it, their dynamic reminded him more like a sibling bond than romantic, as long as he wasn’t looking at her, that was.

God, he probably just needed to get laid. Fuck, he hated when Demon Spawn was right, he really couldn’t go for more than a week.

Marinette however, smiled brightly at Jason and motioned over her shoulder for him to follow.

“Hey guys, this is my friend Jason Todd.” He lifted his head up in acknowledgment to the group of four Adrien and Marinette had walked up to.

Said in French as if a whisper, but in a volume clearly not. *“Dang, Dupain-Cheng where can I get one?”

*“Chlo, everything is not a potential accessory for you and I don’t think Luka would appreciate hearing you say such things.” Marinette snapped at her friend.

*“I don’t think I have too much to worry about. From the look of things, he’s already a new member in our fan club, which is only one step away from being in a relationship with us.” The male, who Jason assumed was this Luka, chuckled at Marinette’s horrified expression.

*“What fan club is this?” Jason interrupted in French. Chloe and Marinette went bright red, while the rest looked shocked. Jason struggled to keep from laughing out loud to prevent attracting the rest of the class.

“You speak French?” Marinette accused.

Jason shrugged his shoulders. “Among other languages.”

“You never said.”

“You never asked, Pix.” He tried to school his expression but couldn’t help the slight up-turn of his lips.

“True,” She looked at him as if trying to figure him out, shaking her head and smiling again. “I forgot to ask, what has you gracing our presence this afternoon?”

“Chaperone…Bruce requires each of his ‘sons’ to perform certain obligations for the conference, one being chaperone to the classes as they go around Gotham.” She nodded in understanding. “Not that I’m complaining, I think I’m going to enjoy hanging out with you guys today. If your critique of Batman’s outfit is anything to go by.”

“Hmm…Dupain-Cheng ripping into other’s fashion choices might be an adequate pastime. Now that our chaperone is here, we can go to the different rooms, non?” Chloe linked her arm through Marinette’s and led her into the next room, which happened to be the Robins’ room.

Whereas, in the first room, patron’s met Batman down dark alleys, in the second, the Robins could be found in their natural habitat, the roof tops of Gotham. Perched beside gargoyles, falling from the sky and grappling from one building to another, the various associates of Batman looked to be playing an aggressive game of tag.

The group arrived in front of the first figure, Nightwing. He was positioned in a way that made him look like he had just started to fall while grappling from the building.

“Doesn’t really leave much to the imagination, does it?” Adrien asked as he came to stand beside Marinette and Jason.

“So many thoughts. Where do I even begin?” Marinette looked wistfully at the figure of Nightwing.  

“What’s the first thing that hits you?” Luka asked.

“It’s not what hits me, it’s what’s in my face.” She smirked mischievously, “Ken called; he thought he had copyrighted the alien crotch look.”

Jason snickered, the way Nightwing’s costume pulled, every single muscle was on full display, the cup he used in real life didn’t quite look like the mannequin, but obvious creative license had unfortunately made him look like he had a doll’s anatomy.

“I know Chat Noir looks similar but come on, he looks like he was watching an infomercial when deciding his costume.” Marinette continued.

Confused, Jason shook his head before looking at her incredulously. “What makes you say that Pixie.”

Mimicking the many late-night ads, Marinette altered her voice. “Tired of having to change between punishing crime and punishing lovers. Well, you’re in luck. With this one of a kind look you can do both.”

“Powder, zipper and way to relieve yourself not included.” Jason added.

She took her thumb between her teeth and bit lightly on it, as she turned her head to look at Jason. Wiggling her eyebrows she said, “Perfect for those with multiple kinks!”

“How would you know?” Jason raised one of his eyebrows to match hers, crossed his arms and looked down at Marinette.

Her face suddenly dropped, realizing the possible interpretation of her words. Her blush quickly receded and she took on a more playful expression.  “Wouldn’t you like to know?”

Jason tried to recover from his surprise at her snarky response with a forced cough, as Marinette moved forward with a smug smile in place.

Next to Nightwing, stood a proud Barbara version of Batgirl. Of course, she had not filled the mantel since the incident with Joker, but very few knew of the existence of Oracle, much less what she looked like. It was nice to still see appreciation for her.

Marinette looked at her before quickly shrugging her shoulders. “I’ve got nothing. It works.”

She placed her fist to her mouth as they approached Red Robin. His wax figure was perched on a gargoyle, as if looking out onto the city. The crinkle around her eyes betrayed that she was holding back some kind of comment or laugh.

“I’ve got a fever! And the only prescription is more utility belts.” She said in her best Christopher Walken impression.

“You watch American television?” Jason raised his eyebrows in question as he smiled down at her.

“It’s on late at night, and at times I tend to be an insomniac.” He took note of the black circles around her eyes, easily masked by the attention her eyes drew.

“You and Timmy would get along great. Let me guess. You live for coffee?”

“Don’t live for, but live because of, and thanks to.” She laughed at her own joke.

“I wonder why Red Robin is the only one to have a cape with bird like feathers.” The other Asian girl interrupted.

“It’s because he wanted to make sure people knew he was named after the bird and not the restaurant.” Jason supplied, garnering a chuckle from those around him.

The next figurine the group approached was his; he was genuinely curious what Marinette would think of his alter-ego.

“That helmet looks ridiculous, utterly ridiculous.” Chloe scoffed.

“Maybe, but it probably has a fair number of tactical uses. It also provides the best cover for his identity, considering unlike Ladybug and Chat Noir he doesn’t have magic to protect his.” Marinette said as she studied his outfit.  “I’m genuinely surprised people haven’t been able to figure out the other’s identities from their simple domino masks.”

Jason choked on his spit as he tried to cover his laugh at the thought about what might happen if she knew how Superman and Superboy covered their own identities. But it was interesting to know about Ladybug, it would be important to note for Tim, not that they hadn’t suspected magic already.

Marinette appeared to be studying the outfit with a critical eye; her emotions were hard to read as she stayed silent.

“He kind of looks like an Iron Man knock off with the helmet.” Adrien said, earning himself a glare from Jason.

“Except Red Hood’s outfit is better, the mask is a little meh, not really sure how one might improve it. But, his outfit is the best out of the group so far. It looks comfortable, tactical, and like he wanted a little bit of his own personality to be represented.” Marinette continued studying his getup.

“So, nothing wrong with it then?” Jason said smugly.

“Well, when your armor plates have abs, maybe you’re overcompensating for something.” She smirked before continuing.

The next corner of the room had Brown’s Batgirl and Cass’s Black Bat standing back to back, looking as if they were about to take on a whole group of assailants.

Luka and Chloe were studying Batgirl, while the rest studied Black Bat.

“I’ve only ever seen the Bat Signal from pictures, but she kind of looks like it shining in the night sky. Honestly, it’s kind of cool, if she is going for the whole beacon of hope thing.” Luka’s comment earned a peck on the cheek from Chloe.

“It’s nice to see that Paris isn’t the only city that has fierce women protecting them. This Black Bat’s costume is simple, yet still intimidating. Should she choose to change the accent color to red it would be perfect.”

“Not everyone looks good in red, Kagami.” Marinette added as she, Adrien and Jason continue down the room toward Robin’s figurine.

Robin’s pose was simple compared to the other; the family suspected it was to display the design choices Damian had made for his costume in comparison to the earlier Robins. His arms were folded across his chest, he looked down both figuratively and literally at his observers.

“Wow, I totally can appreciate the design, the influences are obvious, but why would he pick that atrocious color pallet? He looks like an American stoplight. Does he point at a color to dictate what criminals should do? Robin says red, so STOP.”

“It was a mantel he inherited. Keeping the colors was to respect those who came before and those who will come after.”

Damian’s appearance was slightly unsettling for Adrien. He was already having a hard time dealing with the attention Mari was receiving from Jason, but Adrien had been wary of Damian since the dodgeball game.

Even if Damian thought no one had noticed, Adrien had caught the many looks that he was sure his own face had when longing for Mari. It was making him sick to his stomach, literally.

Since arriving in Gotham and watching man after man throwing themselves in Mari’s path, he had been feeling unwell. Since the dodgeball game it had been getting decidedly worse. His muscles were aching, his stomach screamed for him to toss its contents and his chest, perhaps it could accurately be better described as his heart, felt like it was being squeezed. Karma seemed to be humiliating him for even trying to replace and forget Mari in the first place with Kagami, by forcing him to watch others try to get her attention as he waited for the right time.

Marinette suddenly froze as she looked at the Robin figure, her face paled as she took him in.

“J-J-Jason?” She turned to face him. “You’re from Gotham, right?”

“Course, Pix.” Adrien wanted to punch him every time he referred to her like that, the only P name she should be called is Princess, and only by him. “The only time I’ve been away, felt like death.”

“As far as you know, is this an accurate depiction of their features.”

Adrien looked closely at the mannequin that had captured Marinette’s attention.

“Well, I don’t think there are too many pictures that are close-ups, so I’m sure there are some artistic licenses taken in their likeness.”

Mari seemed to release some of the tension with his words. “Okay.” she breathed out quickly and shook her head.

Adrien wondered as he studied Marinette and the mannequin what had spooked her.

Chapter Text

While typically the immature antics of his brothers would annoy him, today they brought forth an amount of anger he had long thought gone from him. The cave which once felt vast and endless, now felt claustrophobic and constricting.

The end of the conference day had left him feeling conflicted and dear he say… overwhelmed with emotions he felt incapable of comprehending and even more so dealing with.

Drake, Grayson, and Todd were currently laughing at Jon’s expense as they watch on loop his elimination from the dodgeball game. While Damian would have normally reveled in the surprised expression, as the Kryptonian rarely expressed such an emotion and in such a raw form, the cause of the expression was the same as his emotional turmoil.

“How did you not see that coming?” Todd barely wheezed out between laughs.

“I caught it at the last second, but I would have risked exposing some of my power if I had tried to stop it.” Jon whined.

“Sure… we’ll go with that.” Grayson laughed.  “Your face said otherwise”

“But it was…” Jon scanned the room and locked eyes with Damian. “What about Damian, I’ve rarely seen anyone be able to wipe that smug expression off his face so quickly.”

“Which is why he is over in the corner sulking.” Todd laughed.

“I am not sulking; I am merely analyzing what went wrong and how to improve.”

“Sulking!” Jon and Drake said together.

Damian ground his teeth. Initially he was not upset that someone had bested him at such an easy game, but separation had his feelings oscillating between admiration and annoyance. Not to mention his confusion in his attitude towards the one who had defeated him.

He rose from his chair silently so as not to alert his brothers of his departure as they returned to re-watching the game.  Slipping out from the computer area, he moved towards his bike.

Donning his domino mask, he kick-started the engine. The purr of his bike droned out the infernal debate raging in his head. It appeared patrol would be his only way of finding solace tonight.  

Lotions, cleansers, masks, moisturizers and a cellphone attached to her ear, were the necessary requirements for Lila’s nightly ritual.

Marinette had listened to her drone on for over an hour, the sickly sweetness in Lila’s voice as she painted on yet another serum was like nails on a chalkboard. Only made worse by the obnoxious laugh barely audible from the other end of the line.

Motioning for Tikki to hide, she picked up her purse from her trunk to escape from the noxious fumes created by the chemistry experiment happening on Lila’s face and the nauseating sound of teenage sitcom playing out in real life.

Was it jealousy that caused her to flee her room and risk the dangers of the Gotham night? She wouldn’t even risk lying to herself. It was!

As guardian she thought she would never be in a relationship, only to be granted one, regardless of its origins, and then have it ripped out from under her. Now, the person she despised the most has what she wants and is currently rubbing it in her face. So, yea…she was jealous.  

A walk was in order to find solace for the night.

Robin was unsure how he had found his way to Gotham Hotel, but he knew it was his subconscious hoping for an answer to his predicament.

Patrol was meant to offer him a reprieve from his internal thoughts, but the night was too young, and the lowlifes had not yet made their appearance. So, he sat on the ledge of the fifteenth floor of the hotel, waiting. The hotel had been quiet for the most part, a few large parties of students returning for the evening.

A loud banging noise at the back of an alley drew his attention. He grappled over to investigate. Below a large burley man had someone trapped between him and the wall. His right arm was extended out, resting right beside the victim’s face. His left arm stroked out strands of what looked like midnight black hair. Words were being exchanged but Robin could not understand them from his position. He did not need to in order to understand what was happening, he had seen this too many times before.

The girl reached out and hit the man with the palm of her hand on his shoulder. He moved back slightly from the strength of the hit but returned to his original position. Laughing at her discomfort, the man slid his left hand up and down the side of her body. Even from Robin’s distance he could see the way that her body shuttered from the contact.

Rappelling down from his second story perch, he landed directly behind the man. Using the element of surprise, he grabbed him with both hands on the right shoulder and threw him across the alleyway. Grunting as he made contact with the wall, Robin approached with his fist raised, ready to knock the man out and call the police. He was stopped however, as a dainty hand grabbed his arm and pulled him back towards it.

“Hey-” she shouted,” -that’s my boyfriend.”

Robin turned his head from the attacker and took in the young lady before him. Her hair, midnight black, he had expected to be accompanied by sharp blue eyes but was disappointed by chocolate brown.

“Where you not getting assaulted, I saw you hit him.” The girl’s eyes bulged at Robin’s assumption.

“Oh my gosh, no. He just made a rude comment and I hit him for it…It just wasn’t one that really set the mood.” She rolled her head and arm in a way that Robin assumed was attempting to convey that the behavior was common.

“Why are you not at home…setting the mood?” Her cheeks became red with embarrassment.

“Our chaperone for our trip is very strict, we were just trying to get some alone time before we were in lockdown in our rooms for the evening.” The boyfriend spoke from the ground.

Robin dragged his hand down his face in exasperation. “You should return to your hotel immediately, Gotham is a dangerous place for that sort of activity.”

“Oh?- You don’t say! Even vigilantes attack people in alleys.” The young girl said as she moved past Robin to assist her boyfriend from the ground. 

Unwilling to continue to deal with the certain brand of stupid, Robin grappled back to the roof and sprinted away, choosing to return to his patrol route instead of the hotel. Foreign students just didn’t understand Gotham.

As he ran his attention was once again attracted by a loud banging noise coming from one of the streets. Although he was a good block away he could tell that another young lady was walking alone in the Gotham night, stupidly wandering.

Fearing for her safety, he took to following from a safe distance on the rooftops above. He could not tell more than the basics about her. She was of average height; her clothing was common, a simple pair of black leggings covered by a long maroon hoodie with the hood hiding her hair.  

Her movements were determined, she was not hesitant nor loitering, she had purpose and a clear destination in mind. It meant that Robin had to work to follow her while maintaining concealment in the shadows.

He had been tailing her for a good ten minutes when a metal trashcan fell in the alley she was passing. It had turned out to be a cat finding itself its nightly meal. The act though had caused the girl to turn her head in the direction of the sound and her hood to drop, allowing Robin the opportunity to catch sight of her profile.

It would be his bad luck that the person he had been following would be none other than the cause of his early patrol, Dupain-Cheng.

She swiftly continued her trek down the street, before turning abruptly and returning the way she first came. She was conversing on her phone and appeared to be getting more agitated as she spoke. Her volume increased but her words were still inaudible, even his recorder would be unlikely to pick them up as only the harshness behind them was apparent.

He unfortunately had to shift to a one-story building and feared that she had detected him. She abruptly stopped and her conversation lagged. But she was quick to lunge and grab a small child from behind a dumpster, alleviating his fear of having been spotted.

Only his concern was now for the small child she had accosted. He tried to keep watch just a little longer before acting, having already made one bad assumption for the evening.

He was shocked when he saw the small child embrace Dupain-Cheng in a tight hug.

Marinette walked down the quiet eerie street. She whispered into her headphones “Hold on Tikki, there is someone in front of us.”

The small goddess stopped talking and listened with her chosen.

Perhaps it was stupid of Marinette to walk down the streets of Gotham alone in the middle of the night, but she needed a reprieve from Lila and her Damiboo. Not to mention, a need to finally have a conversation with Tikki alone since their arrival in Gotham. She had been confident that she would be able to take down anyone who threatened her, she was stupid for putting herself in this position. It would have been smarter to have taken their conversation to a rooftop.

Two large dumpsters were on adjacent sides of the street, half a block apart from each other. The one closest hid the presence from her, she knew that they were watching, but felt no ill intent. She quietly approached the far side lunching quickly and grabbed at the black jacket of the small child she found hiding. She pulled the child to stand in front of her, placing her hands firmly on their shoulder to prevent the kid from leaving and to allow herself the chance to take a good look.

“Kaelyn, what are you doing out this late?” The small girl flung herself at Marinette and tightly gripped at her shirt.

Pulling her back slightly, Marinette lowered herself onto her knee and took a better look. There was nothing immediately obvious as to why the young girl would be out in the streets of Gotham at the current time and alone. She had on a pair of pajama pants, bright pink with hearts. A black jacket covered her shirt and she had been smart enough to place on her well-worn shoes.

She waited for the young girl to answer but she remained quiet. “Kaelyn, did something happen? Are you okay?” Marinette frantically looked around for a sign of her brother. “Where is Kelvin? Is he okay?”

Kaelyn slowly shook her head and smiled brightly at Marinette, causing the heroine to tilt her head in confusion. “We’re all fine, Mom and her Greg are out for the evening, so we’ve had the apartment to ourselves tonight.”

Marinette frowned, “That doesn’t explain why you are out alone at this time of night.”

“I was looking for you.” Her doe eyes sparkled, an innocence displayed that would made one believe that the act was completely normal.

“Why would you be looking for me and how did you know I would be here.” She looked suspiciously at Kaelyn.

“I fell asleep and I had a dream about finding you out here. When I woke up, Kelvin was still asleep, and I got bored, so I decided to see if my dream was real.” She smiled brightly. “And it was.”

Marinette was taken aback; Kaelyn had followed a dream in hopes of finding her. “Do you follow your dreams often?”

Kaelyn shrugged her shoulder, as her smile dropped slightly, “Sometimes I just get these feelings I should do things…and then I do.”

Marinette released a long breath, pulling her hands away to rub her eyes. “You’re very lucky that I found you.” She grabbed at the young girl’s hand as she stood. “Do you live far from here? We should get you home.”

“I live about twelve blocks that way.” She pointed in the direction Marinette had come from, it was not the best part of the city.

“Kaelyn promise me that you will not go out in the middle of the night again.” She looked up at Marinette, who returned her gaze with concerned eyes. She was heavily contemplating the request if the scrunching of her nose and furrowing of her brow was any indication.

“Okay, Mari.”

It killed Marinette knowing that a sweet innocent four-year-old was out in the city by herself. Even if it wasn’t Gotham, the act was dangerous in any city. How she had managed to not only find her, but hide and stay out of danger was truly fortunate. She knew that her and poor Kelvin’s home life was horrible, but this was truly atrocious.

If Kaelyn was to be believed, Marinette was walking her home to an apartment that currently only had a seven-year-old and no adults. At that moment she decided she would be calling the police as soon as they arrived.  

With her increased vigilance now that she had a little girl walking with her, the twelve blocks were done in no time and she quickly came to stand in front of a tall apartment complex.

She followed as Kaelyn started to ascend several flights of stairs; a light at each landing barely lit the small stairwell. They had climbed seven before Kaelyn stopped in front of a large door which Marinette pushed open. It led to a small hallway with several doors, gold apartment numbers were centered on each, a few had come unscrewed and hung upside down. Florescent lights were spaced far apart from each other in the center of the ceiling, lighting up the hall, but not enough as shadows still clung to certain parts. The color of the once floral wallpaper was not obvious, years of neglect left it discolored, covered in graffiti and peeling in several places. It looked more like a poor attempt at papier-mâché than wallpaper. The carpet looked like it had never been replaced and the smell which plagued the small hall proved the stains were signs of multiple soiling probably by drunken residents. The building could be described as run-down at best or ready for demolition at worst.

Kaelyn walked up to the apartment numbered thirty-seven and went to grab the door handle, but it moved away from her as the door swung open.

A man in his early thirties stood in the door frame. An artificial concern laced across his face. He wore only sweatpants and smelled of a recent activity that showed just how uncaring he was of Kaelyn’s disappearance.

“Where have you been and who is she?” His breath smelled of alcohol, but he was at least not reeking of it.

“Marinette!” Kelvin exclaimed as he saw her from around the man at the door. He looked down at Kelvin with disgust and then looked back at Marinette.

Despite having probably just had sex with the children’s mother, his eyes darkened as he took in Marinette’s form. She cringed and shivered in disgust.

Before she could explain, Kaelyn was grabbed from her hands and pushed inside the apartment. “Well thank you for returning her. You’re welcome to come in, so I can thank you properly.” He winked. Marinette tried to smile, scared that Kaelyn would suffer if she was rude.

“Thank you, but it is late and I should be heading back.” She waved at Kaelyn and Kelvin before turning swiftly before the man tried to argue for her to stay.

Unfortunately, with his presence in the apartment she lost her reason to call the police. Of course, there were several reasons she still could, but from what she had heard of Gotham CPS, calling would be pointless without evidence.

She ran down the stairs and back into the night air. She turned once more to take in the apartment building; she had a feeling that she would become familiar with this area and needed to know how to return. She was tempted to transform and survey the building from the roof, but chose instead to return with haste to the hotel as she felt the presence of a second tail for the evening.

Chapter Text

The morning seminar was much more entertaining than the current one for Jon. But that was most likely due to the addition of a certain blond. He had been enjoying Adrien’s company over the last few days, they just seemed to click. Their interests were similar, as were their personalities, if Damian’s griping was to be believed. It didn’t hurt that was he attractive.

Adrien’s suits weren’t as personalized as his friends, but he made what he wore look good. Jon thought that the Wayne’s were able to work a suit, but Adrien looked like he walked out of the womb wearing one. He tried not to think about what he might look like out of one too.

“Is Adrien interested in anyone?” Jon found himself asking out of the blue, during the group assignment.

The speaker had been droning on for some time, and he had only been able to vaguely pay attention as his thoughts were trapped in a loop of Adrien.  Damian had to pull his half-conscious form to the group of friends they had been hanging with since the beginning of the conference to work when the assignment was given.

Subconsciously, he patted Damian on the back for his progress. Damian was really taking to heart his advice on trying to make friends. Going as far as suggesting they go to the museum they were visiting yesterday and now dragging Jon along to partner with them for the group assignment. It was completely different from his typical behavior and Jon was coming to terms with having to share him for the first time.

Not that he was complaining. No, he really did enjoy the group, they seemed like a nice one to be a part of. Despite only knowing each other for a few days, they were starting to meld into the group as if they had been there all along.

Or maybe it felt like that, because Jon was too focused on spending time with Adrien he didn’t really notice if the other interactions were good or bad. So, yes, here he was supposed to be helping with the group assignment, but unable to do so when he needed to know if his daydreams were pointless.

“Other than his ‘very good friends,’” Chloe rolled her eyes as she gave air quotes, causing the group of friends to snicker. The reaction sparked Jon’s curiosity at the phrasing, “not that I know of.”

“Does someone have a crush?” Luka asked as he gave Jon a knowing smirk.

“If I did?” Jon swallowed thickly.

Kagami looked pensively at Jon “One should warn you before you become too invested in a possible relationship with Adrien… earlier they were not kidding about there being a line of suitors fighting for a chance to date Marinette. Adrien...is at the front of that line.”

Jon’s own disappointment with the revelation was masked by a concerning heart rate spike in Damian. A similar spike he had noticed at the end of the dodgeball game. Curious at the interesting reaction, Jon glanced at Damian but saw no obvious signs of distress, so he chose to continue his own personal research rather than monitor Damian further.  

“Could he move on?” Jon tried his best to not sound desperate.

“It is possible, but forcing him to try will likely end in a result you are not happy with. Hesitation can hurt, but forcing someone into a choice when they are not ready, can cause more pain.” Kagami face betrayed a longing, taking the look of someone speaking from experience.

Luka and Chloe gave Jon pitying looks. “You can move forward from Dupain-Cheng, but you have a tendency to look back.” Chloe smiled up at Luka as she spoke.

“It might seem weird for us to be in a relationship and reminisce about our failed shot at a relationship with someone who isn’t interested. But it’s Mari, once hear her song, you have a hard time getting the melody out of your head. It’s something Chloe and I share and kind of what brought us together. So we like to kid around, we both know that we don’t stand a chance and were moving on from that, together, with no false pretenses about where we are in the process.”

Jon noticed Damian’s heart rate spike again, to all other’s he seemed undisturbed by the conversation, too focused on Jon’s reaction. But, Jon’s mind worked at super speed, the slight twitches in his face did not go unnoticed. Damian had frowned and his jaw had clinched tightly together, before returning to its neutral position.

Jon smiled, without even trying, he had figured out what was wrong with Damian.

Kagami’s eyebrow rose at Jon’s confusing reaction to her friend’s confessions. “While Marinette has made it perfectly clear that she is currently uninterested in any of her suitors, as you can tell, that has not stopped their pursuit and I do not believe that Adrien will be any different. He has liked or rather loved her for a long time.”

Jon’s face dropped slightly as he remembered what had brought them to the conversation about Marinette in the first place. It wasn’t Damian’s feelings, it was his.

“When Adrien and I had gone into a relationship, I had done so knowing that he was in love with Marinette. I had convinced myself that he would be able to move forward and fall in love with me. As our relationship continued, even four years later, he still looked at her like she hung the stars in the night sky. I naively held out hope that one day he would look at me the same way. Needless to say, he never did.” She placed her hand awkwardly on Jon’s shoulder, in what he suspected she thought was reassuring. “It would be dishonorable for me to watch someone to try and pursue a relationship with Adrien under the same delusions.”

Jon tried his best to hide his disappointment, but he knew he was failing, as even Damian gave him his version of a pitying glance.

Chloe placed her hand lightly on his other shoulder. “Despite all that, I haven’t seen Adrikins give anyone the looks that I’ve seen him give you these last few days. And he has only ever referred to one other as ‘just a friend.’

John looked at her in a mix of confusion and hope.

“Marinette... He has only ever referred to Dupain-Cheng as ‘just a friend.’”

“So…that’s a good thing then?”

The group of friends nodded and Jon smiled. A very good thing indeed.

For the last hour, Marinette had started to regret coming to the conference. With Hawkmoth defeated, it was supposed to be a time for her and Adrien to be out of Paris, away from the memories associated with fighting a terrorist for the last five years. It was supposed to be an opportunity for Adrien to get away from his home situation and Gabriel’s influence. And for the most part it had been.

Breakfast with the family had been nice. While Marinette had come to like them, it was obvious that Adrien was falling in love with Kaelyn and Kelvin. But, all positive energy was lost as they sat in the second seminar of the day.

It had started with a group of Gotham Academy students approaching them because of Adrien’s celebrity status. It ended with two more girls approaching and sharing several English words that Marinette and Adrien weren’t completely familiar with. It was through context they came to understand that they had meant something akin to sexy. They were currently attempting to drape themselves on Adrien, talking about all of his money and influence thanks to his father’s brand.

Marinette noticed how stiff Adrien would become anytime his father was mentioned. What was supposed to be an escape for Adrien, still had him wearing his father’s boring suits, taking his father’s required seminars and listening to how great his father was. It made Marinette wonder if she had been too lenient with Gabriel’s punishment. No, in the end she could not risk hurting Adrien by involving the French authorities. 

His discomfort only compounded her foul mood, as they were once again stuck in a seminar with no other than Lila, who had chosen to cling to the pair as if they were actually capable of being friends. Not that she was really paying attention to them as she droned on to another pair of Gotham Academy students about her relationship with her soulmate, DFW, the acronym Marinette had come to refer Damian “Fucking” Wayne by in her head.

The seminar was on dealing with bad press, something both Adrien and Marinette had to deal with on a regular basis. Not that anyone knew that Marinette had to deal with it, because very few people knew that she was the designer Kaid, and even fewer that she was Ladybug.

“We’ve known each other for some time, since we were both children. It just never seemed to work out before with his father being the leader of a billion dollar company and my family traveling for diplomatic reasons.” Lila tried to look as sad as possible. “We both just never seemed settled enough to try for a relationship other than friendship.”

“Awe but it’s so romantic that you’ve finally come together.” The Gotham student prated.

Lila looked past the girl and gave a love sick sigh. Adrien and Marinette turned towards each other and gagged.

“Yes, well… now that we’re both eighteen and about to graduate, we both agreed it was now or never and with neither of us really feeling like never could be an option…”she pleasantly hummed. “I just hope that I can make him happy, we’ve always been close friends and now I’m glad that we’ve become more. He truly is…il mio amore.”

“The whole school has noticed that he has become more tolerable of other’s the last few weeks. In fact, my friend Johnny swears that he saw him smile in class several times. I’d say you were making him very happy.” Another student added as he wiggled his eyebrows.

“Yes, I swear the Ice Prince is daydreaming more and more during class. That is something no one has ever seen him do before.”

“Why do you call him the Ice Prince? It’s not exactly the nicest thing to call someone.” Adrien couldn’t help interrupting. Marinette turned her head to glare at him; after all there were worse things they had referred to Lila by. Surely her boyfriend would have an equally endearing nickname.

The girl sitting beside Lila shrugged her shoulders. “Oh, well, he isn’t known as the nicest person. He tends to freeze people out and Mr. Freeze was already taken.”

“Please Kara, if that was all that Damian Wayne did, then the newspaper wouldn’t have picked it up.” The boy beside her leaned over the girls to look at Adrien. “One time he broke a girls arm just because she touched him.”

Both Marinette and Adrien looked at the boy in shock; even Lila appeared confounded.

“Of course that was when he first arrived at Gotham Academy; it’s been a while since he has actually hurt someone.” Kara added.

“Lately, he just threatens bodily harm.”

Kara smacked her friend across his chest. “Trey, He hasn’t done that recently either, he just doesn’t care to make friends and he never seems happy. Choosing instead to keep to himself.”

Marinette felt sorry for him, maybe he needed a friend or two. She shook her head. Nope, he had Lila.

“I told him he needs to make more friends, but he’s just started to listen to me.” Lila dramatically placed her hand on her chin, shaking her head slightly.

“Well, I wouldn’t say that he’s really started listening. He still only really talks to Kent. He just seems to have loosened up a little. He still isolates himself from people, but he seems to be less angry about it. Then again… the last newspaper article about him said that he laughed at a joke his brother told him.” Trey intently stared at the French students, while his eyes darted side to side, excited to share his gossip. “Of course, I say pics, or it didn’t happen.”

“Laughing at his brother’s joke is newsworthy?” Adrien questioned Trey. “Speaking of photos, I don’t think I’ve ever seen a photo of Damian Wayne.”

“Damian Wayne does not laugh. And rumor is that Mr. Wayne has paid the papers to keep images of his children out of the media. He gives them the right to stay mostly anonymous, well outside of Gotham anyway, until they graduate from high school. Even then the photos are mostly limited to the occasional gala.”

“It’s probably why we didn’t know he had a girlfriend, Lila.” Kara added.

“With my modeling career my face is rather recognizable, so his father didn’t want to tip off the media that he was dating someone so that people wouldn’t recognize him and take our photo together.” That made no sense, but weird flex.

“No way, you’re a model like Adrien?  That is so cool. Where can we see some of your pictures?” Kara asked excitedly.

“The little pamphlets they hand outside of stores trying to entice you in. You know the ones you end up tossing without looking at.” Marinette said without thinking, wrinkling her nose at her mistake. Not completely true, but then again it was where a majority of her photos for Gabriel ended up.

Adrien let out a chuckle, but quickly turned it into a cough, when he caught the daggers Lila was shooting him.

“Why did you decide to come to this seminar again Marinette? Do you really think that you’re ever going to need to know how to handle the media?”

Marinette ground her teeth; she was upset with herself for taking the first swing and putting herself in this position yet again. “I’ve been in the paper quite a few times, thank you very much.”

“I guess maybe it would be beneficial for you to take this seminar after all, now that I think about it. Wasn’t it you in that photo, that one time, in your pajamas with Adrien?”

“No!” Marinette looked around apologetically to the few students who had turned to find the source of the outburst. “I mean sure there have been a few speculative articles about Adrien and I dating, even though we’re not. But I’ve also been in the press for some of my designs.”

“Oh, yes I forgot about those considering they were sooo looong agooo.” Lila giggled, she actually fucking giggled. Knowing the lie in her words would infuriate Marinette, because she couldn’t just come out and scream, ‘NO, just every other week as Kaid.’

Marinette pursed her lips into a thin line, as she tried to give Lila her best ‘subtle’ glare.

“At least I’ve been in the newspaper for my accomplishments. What was sit again you were in there for?” Adrien grabbed onto Marinette’s wrist hoping to pull her back and prevent the yelling match that could come from the hidden insult in her words. Even Tikki had pressed into her thigh from her purse which laid across her lap.

Lila was too good at twisting words, and so even though taking the high road was long abandoned, engaging often led to worse results. Thank kwamis for Hawkmoth’s defeat, because either Lila or Marinette would have been prey for an akuma right about now.

“Wow, Marinette,” Insert typical Lila crocodile tears, “I can’t imagine what you mean by that. It wasn’t my fault that people would get mad at me because of who I am, what I do and who I know. I can’t help when people get so jealous and akumatized.”

“Oh my gosh, I totally forgot that you guys had to deal with akuma’s. It was all over our news once it was over. I can’t believe it was happening for so long without anyone knowing.” Kara laid her hand on Lila’s, giving her a reassuring look. “Have you guys met Ladybug and Chat Noir, they look like the complete opposite of Gotham’s own dark and brooding.”

“Of course we have, in fact I’ve been saved so many times by Ladybug that we hang out a lot. I’m basically her best friend. Second only to Chat Noir, of course.” Lila puffed out her chest.

“No wonder, you’re okay being with Damian Wayne. Being kidnapped by villains is like a hobby to him. We’re all pretty sure he has Batman’s number on speed dial due to the number of times he needs to save him.” Trey tilted his head up in contemplation. “Maybe that’s why he’s always so mad; it must be embarrassing to have to be a damsel in distress all the time.”

Marinette had to return to her earlier assessment of the couple. DFW and Lila were probably one of a kind and perfect for each other.

Chapter Text

“Remember this tour isn’t because Wayne Enterprises is determined to bore you to death, but because you will be expected to rank order the different departments. This way we can match you with the best fit as we would like for you to get the most out of your internships.” Tim said in his best used car salesman voice, as the class entered the main 'unclassified; lab of Research and Development.

Usually, he enjoyed interactions that didn’t directly involve work or secret vigilantism. It required little brain work and if he was too tired he could just go through the motions, like most teenagers did anyway. But, with the leadership conference, the interactions were trying at best. He was barely older than those he was leading through the halls, trying to make the various departments of W.E. sound somewhat appealing to a bunch of students who would rather be anywhere else.

“This is Dr. Ryan Kellan, top of his class at MIT. He just recently joined Wayne Enterprise.” Tim gestured at the slightly older man as he came to stand beside him. “If you get the chance to intern in R&D, you may get to work with him.” Tim slowly moved to the right to give Dr. Kellan the floor.

“Right…thank you Mr. Drake. My name is Ryan Kellan. I just graduated with my Doctorate in Quantum Mechanics and Wayne Enterprise has hired me to make my doctoral theory a reality.” The room was quite as the French students continued looking at the two men in complete silence.

“I won’t bore you with the specifics of what I’m working on because unless you’re interested, it will sound like I’m a character from a Charlie Brown Special. Wa-wah wa-wah wa-wahhhh.” Kellan chuckled at his own joke, but was met again with complete silence.

“Tough crowd… I’ll just say that I’m working on a way to take the energy from things like waste material and turn it into a new form of energy that can power things like cars and lights. If you are interested and want to find out more, I’ll be in the corner.” He gestured towards the far corner near the entrance of the lab.

Giving the students finger guns, he left to settle in the place he had indicated. Surprisingly, a few students moved to join Dr. Kellan, as the rest filtered to explore some of the other projects R&D had put on display.

The lab had been cleared, with the benches moved out for the week, so that the rotation of classes Tim was ushering through would not feel claustrophobic. The few remaining tables were scattered among the space, filled with ‘unclassified’ projects the department used to try and entice potential interns. The center of the room was mostly void so that the students who had already decided R&D wasn’t for them, could congregate without being in the way of the others.   

Deciding to stand on the opposite end of the room from Kellan, Tim watched the students circle the displays. Kellan began to converse with a blonde that he had recognized from the dodgeball game, one of his brother’s new friends, Adrien. The two seemed to become lost in the conversation with each other, losing the interest of the other students, who began to float among the displays.

“Excuse me, Monsieur Drake.” One of the students approached him; apparently not finding what she was looking for among the displays.

“Yes Ms.…” He knew who she was, but he didn’t want to give away his more stalker tendencies.

“Ah. Marinette Dupain-Cheng, but please call me Marinette, my last name is a mouthful.” She smiled up at him, her blue eyes sparkling. He could see why Jason was drawn to her. She was extremely attractive, made worse by the fact she carried herself with an easy confidence that made her seem older.

“Monsieur Drake....Monsieur Drake…Mr. Drake.” She waved at him trying to recapture his attention.

“Sorry, Ms. Marinette, coffee driven musings.” He shook his head; he could not rationalize Jason’s attraction to her.

“I am very familiar with those. I was just wondering if you had the new lightweight weave fabric that I had read about last month?”

“You’ve kept up with the fabric line W.E. is developing?”

“Very much so. I hope to become a fashion designer once I graduate. And the idea of a lightweight fabric that could withstand a potential knife attack or even slow down a bullet, that is a fabric I would love to get my hands on.” She clapped her hands excitedly.

“That’s not concerning at all.” Tim chuckled.

“I would think someone from Gotham would appreciate a designer, who is willing to make attractive and affordable clothing that can stand up to your everyday mugging?”

“Yes, but you are not from Gotham.”

“No, but who’s to say I would never design for someone who is?”

“Touché…Do you have any of your current sketches with you? I’m not a hundred percent in the know of fashion, but I’ve been following a few designers as I’m expected to always look on the up and up as co-CEO.”

“No, I’m afraid not, I learned to keep my sketchbook under lock and key. I only bring my inspiration book with me." She smiled with a little regret, before raising her eyebrows. " Which designer is your favorite if you don’t mind me asking?”

“Definitely Kaid, not as much of a household name yet, but I really like what I’ve seen. I’ve been following them since they first started designing for Jagged Stone…. Can I let you in on a little secret?” She nodded hesitantly.  “I’ve been trying for a whole year to commission a suit or two. Well, my whole family has actually. Kaid is a favorite of all of ours and despite having Wayne as a last name, we’re still on the waitlist.” He smiled brightly at her. “I have to respect someone who has enough integrity to not just bump up people because of their name.”

Marinette looked at him contemplatively before reaching into her purse and handing him a small business card.

“While you are right that I don’t push people to the front of the line because of who they are in the world, I do push people to the front of the line because of who they are to me. And you, Mr. Drake and Jason have just jumped up into the land of new friends. So, consider this me reaching out and call that number for a consultation while I’m here.”

Confused, Tim looked down at the card she had handed him. In bright gold embossed letters read KAID, the back a single phone number. His head snapped back up to look at her, mind blank unable to process the golden ticket he had been given.

She smiled brightly, “I know as a Wayne I can count on you to be discrete, as I don’t currently have a NDA on me.”

He nodded his head before unlike a CEO, squealed like a fanboy slightly as he bounced in place. “I can’t wait to hold this over my brothers’ heads. We’ve been trying to figure out your identity for so long.” He paused and looked away from the card and back at her. “I hope I wouldn’t be too presumptuous to ask if you would be willing to design something for each of us?  I know it would take time, there are a lot of us, but we will definitely compensate you for the trouble.”

Her smile remained on her face briefly before it fell; he could clearly see her biting her cheek, a silent battle occurring in her head. Tim wanted to back track, she had only offered it to him and while he may feel a little guilty at being the only one to get a suit, he would rather that, then not get one at all.

“Of course, Mr. Drake, I would love to design for your family. I just have a single condition.” He braced himself for the bad news. “I would prefer to not design for anyone outside of your immediate family. More specifically I guess I should say your youngest brother’s girlfriend.

Tim was baffled by her statement. What did she mean Damian’s girlfriend? Did she know about Damian being married? How?

“Marinette, Damian doesn’t-”

He was interrupted by glass shattering on the other side of the room, announcing the presence of someone who wasn’t invited.

While those around Adrien, appeared to not care about the information Mr. Drake was sharing, Adrien was trying to absorb everything he could. The conclusion of the tour was probably one of the most important moments of his life, for the first time Adrien would be able to make a life altering decisions without the influence of his father.

Sure, he already had plans when his contract finished to finally rid himself from the iron rule of his father, but that was still a little ways away. The decision of where to intern for the next two weeks, he hoped, would give him some direction he could take his life after that.  

He hoped to stay by Marinette’s side, working to maintain the balance of the world. But outside of the mask she had fashion and he had…. Well, he hoped by the end of their time in Gotham, he would have a better idea of what he could have.

If he was being honest, so far the departments they had trekked through had yet to spark any real interest from him. Still, he had refused to give up hope and was currently being rewarded by his in-depth conversation with Dr. Kellan.

As Dr. Kellan was explaining some of the more complex physics principles behind his theory on energy transference, Adrien concluded that he may have something after all…physics. He couldn’t tell if it was his own excitement or Dr. Kellan’s, but they both seemed to be bouncing on their toes. If this was what working with him would be like, sign Adrien up pronto.

“So, Adrien. Have you considered interning with R&D?”

“I’ll be honest with you Dr. Kellan,” the man in question raised his eyebrows, “after this conversation you are at the top of my list.”

Kellan smiled brightly at Adrien, “In that case call me Ryan, I’m positive that we will work well together.”

“Yes sir. Ryan, sir.” Adrien awkwardly stumbled. “I-“

Adrien was cut off by the glass beside him breaking. Glass shards rained down on both him and Ryan. The Chat Noir in him grabbed Ryan by the scruff of his shirt and pushed him behind the closest table.

Looking around for Mari, he spotted her crouching beside Mr. Drake on the far side of the room. While it was no surprise to find her analyzing the situation, it was a little surprising to see Mr. Drake doing the same. Well, perhaps it wasn’t so odd once he thought about it. This was Gotham; villain attacks were almost as common as an akumas in Paris.

When his eyes met his partners, he motioned his head towards Drake. She turned her attention to him, taking a quick look before nodding back. She was thinking the same; perhaps the three of them would be able to do something about the coming threat.

Unfortunately, their interaction did not go unnoticed, as the man of the hour walked forward and pointed a gun in Adrien’s face.

“You must not be from Gotham, because if you were, you would know better than to even think about playing hero.”

The suit of the man who held the gun was rather nondescript. A simple charcoal grey, the design easily more than ten years old, paired with a white button up that had maroon stripes that clashed with the brown sweater vest and cherry tie. Making his way to the man’s face, caused Adrien to swallow roughly, it was covered by a burlap sack that had been cut and then re-sown with thick twine. Two small holes were in the space that his eyes should have been visible and a larger gap was sown shut in a crisscross pattern by the same twine instead of a mouth hole.

The sight would have had even a grown man pissing in his pants. Yet, Adrien had seen worse in his time as Chat Noir and it was not his appearance that concerned him, but the contents of the needle he held in his left hand.

“I always wonder what scares people if they aren’t scared of me.” Adrien was sure that if he could see his face it would have a sadistic smile. “So, I think while my boys wrap up grabbing the chemicals I came for, I’ll find out what scares you.”

Scarecrow stabbed the waiting needle into Adrien’s neck without any more fanfare, leaving Adrien without a chance to respond or avoid.

He heard Marinette calling out his name but was unable to focus on her words as his surroundings started to become fuzzy. He closed his eyes, hoping to escape the nausea that was coming with his inability to focus. He felt a sudden pressure on his arms, and wanted to throw them off, but as he started to pull back, he recognized the pattern of the fingers tapping. Marinette had somehow come to be beside him.

Adrien opened his eyes hoping to find comfort in seeing her beside him, but he did not find her. Instead, Gabriel sat sneering down at him, as angry and disappointed as ever. He frantically looked away in hope of finding her among the crowd. Finding instead his mother looking down at him in equal disappointment as Gabriel. She was saying something to him and as much as he tried his best to listen, it seemed just like his vision, his hearing was affected. The voices around him were distorted, as if he was trying to listen to them through water.

He focused on trying to hear through it, as his eyes landed on Marinette’s figure, only she was transformed. She too, was also trying to talk to him. He struggled to throw the arm holding him back and run towards her, but her words finally gained clarity and had him freeze in place.

“You’re worthless, Kitty. Didn’t even know that your father was the man we were after for so many years.” She spat at the floor. “I’m so glad I’m graduating soon and get to move on without you!” Her head dropped to look down, her lips twisted into a sinister grin, while her eyes looked piercingly at him, “Do you really think that I could love someone whose own parents don’t even love him?”

A tear escaped, as Gabriel’s voice became the loudest among the otherwise white noise. “You are nothing but my doll, you will always do as I say, look how I want, smile when I tell you.” Gabriel laughed.

“Whether it be a boy or a girl, it will be easy enough to move on. I’ve missed too much time to bother wasting what I have left with you.” His mother words were daggers despite her speaking to him in her soothing voice.

Another voice was speaking, but it was hard for him to focus on. The voice fought to break through the white noise, starting off quietly but gaining in volume as he focused on cutting out the other distractions.  *“Adrien, it’s- fear toxin- believe it- another Sandboy.”

How could he forget that he had just been stabbed with a needle filled with fear toxin? The people in front of him where not real, it was his mind talking to him? He would no longer cry at the things he feared, he would face them for what they were…his reality and they would no longer have control.

He no longer needed the approval of his father. He had grown up without his mother; he could enter the next stage without her, too. And the continued tapping and murmuring in his ears proved that Marinette would always be by his side, even if his fears thought otherwise.

He felt the grip on his arm suddenly tighten and swore he heard Marinette growl ‘Hawkmoth.’ A few second later the grip loosened again. He tapped his finger three times against the arm that had gripped his, the same familiar pattern responded.

Closing his eyes one last time, he opened them slowly. He followed the arm gripping his to find Gabriel still looking down at him, but he knew it was Marinette behind the awful form.

Perfect, let the ass kicking begin.

Chapter Text

Scarecrow came into the room, talking about obtaining chemicals while threatening Adrien. Tim had immediately clicked his transponder alerting his father and brothers to the situation.

Before he could react further, Scarecrow had already administered his fear toxin into the poor blonde, a departure from his typically long-winded speech on fear.  

Adrien’s eyes glazed over, the telltale sign of the toxin taking effect, and before Tim could stop her, Marinette broke from his grip. She rushed to Adrien’s side, grabbing his arm.

Tim was concerned for her, people on fear toxin were known for lashing out and acting unpredictably. Yet, the wrong move would draw attention and potentially lead to him having to deal with his own fears and being useless.

“Adrien, it’s the fear toxin! It’s not real! It’s just another Sandboy.” She repeats over and over in French.

Tim closed his eyes tightly as Scarecrow took a new needle and stabbed Marinette in the neck. He opened them to see her looked up at Scarecrow with an anger that should have never graced such innocent features. If Tim had not known the effects of the toxin administered into their blood stream, he would have been afraid for the safety of Scarecrow based on that look alone.

As the same glaze fell over her eyes as Adrien’s, she muttered something he was unable to pick up over the sobbing around the room. Her expression was not that of fear, or even the anger she had just seconds before. No, she was absolutely enraged.

An arm grabbed hers and she looked down in the general direction of it's owner. Tim could tell that despite their proximity, they were unable to really see each other. He knew from personal experience, while under the influence of the toxin your vision was clouded in a haze, preventing one from being able to focus clearly. This lack of focus allowed the mind to materialize one's fears into the environment before them. When they were surrounded by people, their presence would first be a shadow in the haze, before the mind would morph them into a personification of their fears. Which is often why the person would lash out and act irrationally to anyone who approached them.

An unspoken exchange occurred between the pair as their eyes finally snapped to meet and they gave a slight nod. It was something he had never witnessed while someone was under the influence.

“What are you two doing? Why aren’t you reacting?” If he was able to see Jonathon Crane’s eyes they would have been darting between the pair. Instead, it was his body language; from his tense posture to his slightly frantic movements, that betrayed his bewildered state. He turned to one of the thugs behind him. “Give me another needle. Looks like we’re going to have to increase the dosage.”

The man handed him an additional needle, then received a smack to the back of his head. “Next time make sure that you give me the right needle. There is no way that this…” he held up the first needle and threw it at the wall behind him, the glass syringe smashing at contact, “had the latest version. They should be wrapped up in the fetal position by now.”

Before he could turn back around and hope to stab even one of them with the needle, the pair had gone from looking at each other, to locking their sights on him.

Marinette dashed forward from her crouched position, surprising Scarecrow as the heel of her right hand redesigned his nose. Red began to cover the brown of his burlap mask, spreading quickly beneath the eye holes. She then stepped up to him and grabbed his face, only to twist him as she threw him over her shoulder and onto the ground. She gracefully followed his momentum onto the floor rolling backwards before she landed on top of him with her legs straddling him at his neck. He kicked his legs around attempting to buck her off, while his arms grabbed at her legs attempting to release the pressure around his neck. The only sign that it was a struggle for her was the tensing of her jaw as Marinette’s legs constricted his airway. Scarecrow eventually stopped moving and she lifted his head in her hands before slamming it into the floor, knocking him out for the rest of the fight.  

Adrien at the same time went to the right to take out the closest of Scarecrow’s goons. A single jab to the first woman’s cranium left her disoriented. The blond easily blocked another goon’s attempted karate kicks with his arms. The pitiful show was put to a stop by a side whip kick, bringing the goon crashing into the disoriented female before they both tumbled to the ground in a heap of tangled limbs.

The next thug to approach the model dodged his roundhouse kick, but Adrien didn’t miss a beat as he continued his rotation while crouching in order to sweep the man’s feet. He quickly returned to his previous defensive stance before he kicked the man in the head, taking him out of the fight.   

As all eyes focused on the fight occurring in the middle of the room, Tim used the distraction to take on the two goons closest to him. The first was easy with the element of surprise in Tim’s arsenal. Grabbing the man’s neck, he pulled him over his knee flipping the man onto the floor. A right jab across his temple, knocked the guy out easily before he could make any more noise to alert his friend.

Tim quickly glanced at the Parisians to see how they were fairing, concerned not only for their well-being but also those around them. Under the toxin it was close to impossible to decipher between friend and foe. Somehow, so far, those lying on the floor had been limited to foe. The pair appeared to be holding their own as Marinette used Adrien’s back to switch sides and take on one of the last of Scarecrow’s men.

Returning his attention to the last man responsible for holding the hostages, he noticed he had lost his one advantage. In taking the second to observe the fighting, the man’s buddy had finally clued into the fact that his friend was passed out on the floor. Fortunately, he was conflicted as to whether he should fight Tim or help his boss who was still a balled-up heap.

Using this hesitation as an advantage, Tim locked his arms around the guy’s neck, applying pressure against his windpipe as the thug struggled to find purchase against him. With the risk of losing his grip as the goon flailed around, he jumped to wrap his legs around his torso, putting him in a position to easily watch Adrien and Marinette.

As Scarecrow and his men laid spread out around them, the two Parisians, still high on fear toxin stood unmoving.

Unmoving except for their labored breathing, the only sign of them having previously been involved in any form of fighting, other than their readied stance.

Watching them, he noticed their eyes searching around them; it hit him suddenly why only foe lay at their feet. They only attacked those who attacked them, which meant Batman and Black Bat coming into the room and running directly towards them was probably not the best thing to happen at that particular moment.

Batman looked at him, clearly hoping for Tim to explain what had happened. But not only did Tim not know what to tell him, he didn’t have a chance before the duo were forced to defend themselves from the drugged-up teenagers.

Tim’s target finally dropped from asphyxiation, letting Tim sneak closer to the action. He pulled out his cellphone to record for further analysis. Not at all because he suspected Batman might get his ass handed to him. He wasn’t Jason after all.

Batman motioned for Black Bat to help Adrien, as he went for Marinette. Unfortunately, the teens were surprisingly able to hold their own against the seasoned veterans despite their current level of exhaustion. Then again, the Bats were likely holding back to prevent hurting the pair.

Black Bat was able to subdue Adrien relatively quickly, he was clearly spent and his skills, while impressive, were no match against a trained assassin fresh to the fight. She simply stepped past him and jabbed a needle holding the anti-toxin into the nape of his neck. She grabbed him as he crumbled to the floor. Tim rushed over to assist, -his phone still recording- so that Black Bat could help Batman, as he struggled to subdue Marinette.

Upon rising to help him, Batman quickly held out his arm, motioning for her to stay.

The reason was not immediately obvious; but as Marinette continued to dance around Batman it was clear he was no longer holding back, and Marinette was not yielding. Despite her exhaustion, her eyes shone with pure determination. She would not be taken down by anyone she deemed, in her drugged state, as a threat. Batman and Black Bat, while paired together often enough, they were not fluid when working together. They risked injury to themselves and more importantly Marinette if they were not perfect with their execution. Batman alone had a better chance of finding a solution that didn’t risk hurting Marinette or himself, while moving to end the fight quickly to get the anti-toxin administered before there was some real damage.

Blocking several kicks with his legs, Batman managed to land his own kick, causing her to face backwards. Not deterred by the hit, Marinette jumped in the air looking to land a twirling roundhouse kick. Batman easily dodged her oncoming leg, only for her tucked leg to stretch out and smack Batman right in the face with her heeled shoe. Batman stumbled backwards more in shock than in actual pain, his hand moving from his face to reveal an angry red scratch across his cheek. Tim was instantly impressed having not realized till that moment that Marinette had been doing all her fighting in heels.

Marinette fell to the floor after the impressive move, but quickly recovered and launched herself to her feet from her back, poised to attack Batman once more.

Batman’s suit prevented him from being as agile as Marinette, stopping him from getting a hold of her or even landing an effective hit that she didn’t bounce back quickly from. At the same time, it kept him from feeling the multiple hits she had managed to land. The strength behind them was starting to deteriorate from her increasing exhaustion.  Batman would eventually overpower her, it was only a question of when, and time was not something a person under the influence of fear toxin had in spades.

Batman tried to land a left jab; only for her to wrap her elbow around his outstretched arm, pinning it to her side. More out of reflex than planned execution, he tried to hit her with his right hand, but she once again wrapped her left elbow around him, effectively preventing him from using either of his arms with her own. Leaving it to a battle of the legs.

Batman tried to land a knee to her stomach, but she blocked each of his attempts with her own legs. With an unexplainable feat of strength, she pulled Batman’s torso towards her and head-butted him.

The fear toxin’s effect still strong, she failed to realize she was fighting Batman, and therefore did not know that he was wearing his reinforced cowl.

She let go of his arms to grab her own head in obvious pain, giving Black Bat an opening to sneak behind her and jab the needle of anti-toxin into her neck. Turning to strike at the person who attacked her, she stumbled forward swaying to the side, crashing into one of the tables beside her. She slowly collapsed as her arms swept its contents to the floor, before falling passed out into a heap beside it.

Batman took a second to collect himself, breathing heavily from the unexpectedly difficult fight, as Black Bat tended to Marinette.  He looked at Tim, “Can you explain what just happened here?”

“No.”

But, he had some suspicions.

Chapter Text

The security footage from Scarecrow’s attack, also known as Tim’s phone, was enlightening. After the dodgeball game, Jason knew his little Pixie was a badass. But, watching her land some good hits on B, was the gift that kept on giving.  

The images of a cute little sprite taking down all those goons and then holding her own against Batman, in heels no less, was so fucking hot. Bruce was humbled, as was forced to wear concealer the rest of the day to cover up the scratch she made with her heel. Jason had been allowed to try the move out on Tim to see how she had managed it. But found himself not agile enough to perform it. Once they got Dick to try, they discovered the unfortunate lack of power behind the kick. The fact it took fourteen attempts for Dick to even successfully mimic the move, made it even more impressive. Somehow she had done it in a single try while in heels, exhausted from fighting and yet, still able to cause damage to the infallible Batman. They were in awe to say the least.

Despite how well she managed to hold her own and how composed she appeared when he found her once it was all done, he was still concerned about the possible lingering effects of the fear toxin. So, it was no wonder he found himself at Gotham Hotel checking to make sure that his little Pixie was safe and sound.

It took some time to find her, the hotel room that she was assigned was empty when he found it. It had him concerned in the beginning, but the sound of laughter through an open balcony four rooms down, had fortunately led him to the room that held his Pix.

Marinette sat with Adrien against the headboard of the queen bed closest to the window. Her head resting on his shoulder as his right arm stroked her hair. She looked peaceful and content as she listened to Luka play his guitar from the other bed.  

His music failed to drown out the laughter coming from the area closest to the window. Adrien sat on Marinette’s right side and despite his hand comforting her, his attention was on Alix. Kagami sat on the sofa next to the window also enjoying the performance of Alix simulating the epic battle from the afternoon.  

As Alix, finished with Marinette’s unfortunate crash into the lab table, the room became uncomfortably quiet, as no one was able to enjoying laughing at another’s expense. Adrien pulled Marinette closer into his side. Her head hid as she buried it into the nape of his neck. Hood looked away from their intimate moment and his eyes caught movement on the roof of a building across the way. It was brief and had he not been looking at that exact moment he would not have seen it. But the wind had caught the red cape, just enough, to capture his attention.

As swiftly as a bat, he pushed back from his position and took out his grappling hook. Aiming for the building two stories higher than the one he had seen Superboy on, he moved in a way that he hoped would not attract his younger brother’s friend’s attention.

Landing quietly, he moved to the edge of the building and looked down at the position he had last seen the Kryptonian. To his shock, he hadn’t moved. Baby Kent stood with his side leaning against a gargoyle, looking down from his relaxed perch.

Hood moved himself to get a look at what had captured Superboy’s attention enough to miss Hood's movement and caught him staring into the same window he had been looking in, not five minutes prior.

He noted the boy’s slight grimace while he stood watch. Looking back at the scene in the window, Marinette had yet to remove herself from Adrien. Hood instantly understood that not only was Adrien competition for Marinette’s affection, but apparently so was the half-alien.

The thought sickened him. Mostly about his own behavior. He had already come to terms that he had strong feelings for Marinette and that they were mostly inappropriate considering the age difference. Six years separated himself and Jon and the fact they were both crushing on the same girl, was disturbing and he knew it.  

It was madness.

So much so, that he almost felt capable of rationalizing his behavior as the result of his madness from the pit. It was the only explanation he had to why he would go from feeling like an older brother when just talking or standing beside her, to wishing to have her the moment he looked into her eyes or watched her kick ass.

As he continued to watch Superboy and Marinette, he felt his excuse fly out the window. Luka and Chloe were right, there was a reason she had a fan club.

Tim had been sitting at the Bat computer for the last five hours staring at the screen, as he watched the battle between Adrien and Marinette with Scarecrow. The hour long debrief and attempts to reconstruct, aka Jason trying out new moves, had not provided answers. He was still unable to answer how Adrien and Marinette had been able to fight the toxin and kick Scarecrow and his goon’s asses back to where they came from.

When he checked their level of toxin he was shocked to find the levels relatively low. It contradicted the concentration in the needle so he couldn’t blame it on a faulty batch. There was a reason and he had some suspicions.

It had been plaguing his mind since Batman had first asked him if he could explain the events in the R&D lab. A good ten cups of coffee later and he felt that he was at the precipice of figuring out the meaning of life, if he could just figure out why he knew there was more to the Scarecrow fight and the aftereffects.

Returning to the security camera that had caught Adrien’s movements the best, he felt the first wall of fog disappear in his head. Adrien had crashed into one of the display tables after taking a right hook to the jaw. His hands had fumbled around him looking to take purchase of the closest object. He had found a hollow tube from one of R&D’s latest projects and wielded it in a familiar stance. Remembering his research on Adrien it was obvious that he was using a fencer’s pose, but the next movement was clearly out of regulation. Adrien bounced on his feet and ran at the man who’d punched him; he skipped to the side with his left foot, bounced to his right foot and then used the wall beside him to launch himself at the goon. His makeshift saber smacked the man behind his shoulders and knocked him to the ground.

The move itself was worthy of a Bat and impressive enough, but it was the way he flourished his saber once landing, that had truly drawn Tim’s attention. He had seen that move before and recently.

Pulling videos from an encrypted file he skimmed the hours of footage. It took some time before he found what he was looking for, but on the screen before him Chat Noir finished a saber battle with an akuma whose main weapon had been a sword. After an impressive bout, Chat Noir jumped away just as Ladybug’s yo-yo wrapped around the akuma’s sword. Luckily, the Ladyblogger’s camera didn’t move away from Chat Noir to catch Ladybug purify the akuma and instead caught the same flourish Adrien had done. 

At the end of the Scarecrow attack, Tim had known the truth even if he couldn’t explain it; Adrien and Marinette were more than they appeared. With the population of Paris being in the millions, the chance of French superheroes coming to Gotham through the W.E. conference was miniscule. Yet, seeing the pair in action, it should have been obvious and Tim was embarrassed at the time it took him to figure it out. He hoped he could save his reputation by having the excuse of some sort of magic preventing him from making the connection.

Now he only needed to figure out which superhero Marinette was.

Just as easily as it had been when the answer laid before him with Chat Noir, as he played an older video the identity of the hero before him clicked. She lassoed the victim before her, dragging him forward and into her personal space. The akuma who was dressed like the Phantom of the Opera met the Rocky Horror Picture Show, attempted to swing punch the young heroine. Like Batman, she trapped his arm at her side, before he swung with the other. In a similar movement she trapped both arms to her side before pulling him forward and smashing her forehead into his chin. Unlike at the lab, her opponent did not have a reinforced cowl, so he stumbled back. She finished by wrapping the Akuma with her weapon and pull him back to her waiting hand that grabbed his facemask before flipping away.

He took a steadying breath; the information was a lot to process. While he was certain of his conclusions, he could not share them…yet. He had already given Damian false hope in finding his wife, only for it to be ripped apart when Ladybug announced her sabbatical. This time he would be sure of his information before he shared with Damian.

He would have to be careful in his approach of confirming that Adrien was Chat Noir and Marinette was Multimouse.

A knock at the door ended Luka’s serenade of the room. Adrien removed his head from the top of Marinette’s to look towards the door as Luka answered it. Marinette had fallen asleep a short while before, tired from removing the remaining toxin from their blood stream. While the energy required to heal was significantly less than it used to be for her, he knew that she was already running on fumes from her time rooming with Lila.

When you room with a succubus, you’re bound to be drained.

He could hear a familiar voice on the other side of the door, but Luka blocked his ability to see exactly who it was.

Adrien softly moved Marinette from his shoulder and laid her gently on to the bed. He took the navy-blue blanket at the end of it and draped it over her body.  He moved the hair from her face that was tickling her nose and threatening to wake her before heading to the door.

Luka was clearly conversing with a familiar person and his body language suggested it was someone he liked. Seeing him approach, Luka moved to the side showing who had come to their room so late in the evening.

Jon stood there in a casual pair of jeans; a tight white t-shirt accentuating his physique. He and Jon were similar height, but Jon’s muscles were more defined than Adrien’s, and could clearly be appreciated in his current attire. He wore cobalt blue converse, like his favorite pair of orange, but the look would have been nothing if it hadn’t been for the blue denim shirt tied at his waist. All in all, the look could be described as casual chic.

Subconsciously, Adrien licked his lips as he took in the form before him before landing on his face. He found himself lost in a pair of ocean blue eyes hidden behind black frames.

“Hey Adrien, I’m sorry for bothering you guys so late, but I heard what happened and I wanted to make sure you were okay.” Adrien felt his chest tighten slightly, a reminder of the constant ache he had been feeling for the last few days. A reminder that Jon was another potential rival for Marinette’s affection.

“Yea, Mari is okay. It took a lot out of her, but I think she will be fine by tomorrow.” Adrien thinned his lips and nodded his head lightly, refusing to make eye contact with his competitor.

“That’s no-” Jon tilted his head slightly and his lip weirdly twitched. “-great. That’s great.” He released a long breath. “But, uh…how are you doing?”

Adrien watched as Jon put his hands in his jean pockets and hunched forward slightly as he made eye contact with him. Unsure of what he was reading in his eyes, Adrien tilted his head matching Jon’s. He softly smiled, touched by the other’s concern. “I’m good. As good as new.”

“That’s even better to hear…I was concerned about you.” Adrien was shocked to hear that the man before him was equally concerned for him as he had been for Mari.

He had been certain that they were becoming close friends, but Kagami had planted doubt when she had brought up Jon’s feelings towards him. He had been certain they were getting along great, and it appeared that he was correct. Kagami had jumped to the wrong conclusion, Jon was going to be a great friend.

Chapter Text

The direct aftermath of Scarecrow’s attack was a one-eighty from that of an akuma.

After an akuma, the people of Paris would watch as Ladybug’s ‘ladybugs’ would wash through the city and repair all of the damage. And then, people would go about their day. Usually only the victim, Ladybug, and Chat Noir were forced to deal with any real impact of the battle, and it was mostly emotional at that. Police involvement was limited to if the akuma or their target were involved in criminal behavior beforehand. Police no longer got involved with the battles themselves, when they learned it tended to do more harm than good.

Yet, after Scarecrow, Adrien and Marinette had woken up in an ambulance, police where everywhere, and they’d heard that the laboratory was still smashed to pieces. The similarity to Paris was the people of Gotham went about as if nothing happened.

She knew that Tim and Jason – having shown up at some point while Marinette and Adrien were still unconscious – were stunned by Adrien and Marinette’s parent’s reaction to hearing their children had been directly involved in the incident.

‘How can your parents be so un-bothered that you were directly involved in a villain’s attack.’

‘Easy, we dealt with five years of akumas.’ Adrien had told them nonchalantly.

‘How can they just chalk up the way you reacted as self-defense classes?’ Tim had pushed for answers.

‘Well, when your targeted by akumas one too many times, it would be unwise not to take classes to be able to defend yourself. Then over time you just tend to be able to handle tough situations.’

What were Marinette and Adrien supposed to say? The truth?

The fussing over the teens by both Jason and Tim, while appreciated, it couldn’t stop her eyes from crossing every time they asked her to explain what happened, again. The two brothers were obviously concerned about where her and Adrien developed their fighting abilities. Which if Marinette was being honest, was unfortunate. After all, anyone following along might be able to connect the dots to their alter-egos. But it was their concern for their ability to fight through the fear toxin that they pushed for answers to. And as to that, Adrien and Marinette had nothing.

It seemed obvious to the pair that once they had realized that it was the fear toxin creating illusions, their minds were able to fight back and ease the effects. Sure, perhaps if they could have told them what their fears were and how unfortunately for the last five years they had to face them every day, it could have helped explain….

After all, it was just another Thursday in their books. Why look at the fear you’ve dealt with every day and suddenly be frightened?

When Marinette watched Scarecrow’s form morph into Hawkmoth and his thugs turn into some of the more dangerous akumas, the answer was obvious, take them down and purify the butterfly.

It was a running theory that those who didn’t mean harm wouldn’t approach. She hadn’t known that eventually they would need to be administered the anti-toxin and unfortunately the person to do so, would be Batman.

But, when you’re having a moment… and no other than Chat Blanc approaches you…you assume that it’s your mind telling you that the biggest baddie has now decided to enter the arena. Perhaps her mind hadn’t been incorrect with that analysis. Fortunately…unfortunately… she thought it might possibly be a good idea to head butt him, not expecting a helmet that effectively ending their fight.

It had hurt and she would have still been suffering from a headache, if not for her natural healing abilities. A skill, which also allowed her to purify the toxin out of her and Adrien’s blood streams much quicker than the anti-toxin worked.

When they had been tested this morning to ensure they were fit enough to return to the conference, luckily Mr. Drake -or Tim as he was insisting on being called now- chalked up the lack of toxin in their blood stream as a faulty batch of toxin.

She had hoped that like the akuma attacks, by morning the Scarecrow attack would be yesterday’s news and for Gotham it was, as Penguin attacked a bank in the morning. But for the conference, it was all the students had been able to talk about as the morning seminars were not particularly interesting.

The afternoon was shaping up to improve Marinette’s mood. The schools had been paired off and taken to different parts of the conference center to complete several challenges. Their takeaway was meant to be teamwork and communication.

Luck was on their side, as Paris had been paired with Gotham, which meant that it was another afternoon they got to spend with their new friends Jon and Damian. Adrien had squealed ever so slightly at the news and it appeared that Jon was equally as excited as he pulled a halfheartedly ‘scowling’ Damian towards them.

It was a shame that Adrien was oblivious to Jon’s feelings and even more oblivious to his own. She had tried to allude to such but it had led to the firm assertion that Jon was ‘just a friend.’ But, she didn’t want another opportunity to be lost to hesitation based on a belief of unreciprocated feelings.

Marinette watched with a smile on her face as Jon and Adrien did a familiar dance around each other. The shy smiles at the unintended complements.  Adrien’s hand lifting to the back of his neck and rubbing it slightly to release his pent-up nerves. Jon’s obvious over the top flirting attempts.

It was both cute and frustrating at the same time.

“Staring at them will not make the solution suddenly appear.” Damian’s voice suddenly audible over Marinette’s right shoulder left her unsure if he was talking about the pair of oblivious fools, or the task at hand.

Looking back down at the equipment they had been given to complete the current task, it should have been simple. A rope close to 15 feet long and a football were meant to destroy a piñata that was two stories above them. The only stipulation was both items had to be used, no further instructions and no additional limitations.

“You don’t know that for a fact.” She answered back to both possible connotations made by his statement.

He merely quirked his right eyebrow in response. She couldn’t explain why but she winked at him, causing him to shake his head and return to scanning the room.

While she should have been scanning the room with him, she found herself instead staring at Damian as if he were a puzzle to be figured out. She would be lying if she said she wasn’t intrigued.

They had only really had one long conversation when he and Jon had suddenly appeared in the Hero and Villain museum. It had been enjoyable, as they had verbally sparred with Jason joining in. He had been a formable opponent then, and during the dodgeball game, even if during said game, he hadn’t stood a chance of winning.

With the relationship between their best friend’s only waiting on some kind of push, it was probable that they would be spending even more time together during the next two weeks.

“It would appear throwing the ball at the piñata is ineffective.” He stated as one of the other team’s ball came barreling back down and hitting a girl on the top of her head. Marinette cringed in sympathy, but couldn’t help the small chuckle that escaped.

“Yes, and whipping the piñata with the rope…well let’s just say that it isn’t a whip and no one here is Indiana Jones. “She watched as the rope Kagami had whipped up towards the piñata, gracelessly wrapped around her legs as gravity returned it to the floor.

An all too familiar sensation overcame Marinette as she again first looked at the rope in her right hand and the ball tucked under her left arm, then the boys close by. The solution all to obvious.

“There are no limitations to what we can do…right?” She raised her eyebrows to punctuate the question.

“Only limitations were that the ball and rope have to be used.” He met her gaze.

“Perfect, I have a plan then.” She turned towards the awkward couple beside them. “Would you two please stop flirting and get over here.”

The two boys turned cherry red. The embarrassment of their best friends was of little consequence, especially if they would have to continue listening to them droning on about the other.

“Jon and Adrien you look like you’re probably the strongest out of all of us.” She turned to catch the small flinch Damian made. Her eyes bugged out realizing her insinuation. “Not that I’m discounting your strength or anything, but Adrien and Jon are of similar height so it would make more sense for them to be the bases together.” She started to panic even more. “Not that I’m saying that you’re that much shorter. I mean, you’re only like maybe an inch, if even that. Which isn’t saying anything because you’re all extremely tall and good looking… and I need to shut up.” She pursed her lips shut, tight enough she hoped that no further words would dare escape.

Damian’s face remained stoic, but his eyes danced with amusement. She bit her lower lip and closed her eyes. Kwami, she was no longer fourteen, and she was surrounded by attractive looking guys all the time, Jon was attractive… Adrien… Luka. Why was she getting flustered over Damian?

Who was she kidding, it was because as much as she wanted to deny it, Damian had something that was just… je na sais quoi.  But she was married and despite the probability of never seeing her husband again, she could not go around lusting after other men.

“Don’t worry about it Dupain-Cheng, I know you meant no offense.”

“Please, call me Marinette.” She huffed.

“I don’t refer to people by their first name.”

“Not unless they’re special to him.” Jon interjected, slapping his friend over his shoulder. Damian glared at him, but then shook his head as if saying ‘you’re not wrong.’

“So what’s this plan, Marinette?” Adrien asked slinging his arm around her shoulder to highlight his height.

“So, the plan is that Jon and Adrien will act as a base. Damian will try standing on their shoulders, and if you don’t mind lifting a little more weight…” she looked at them hopeful, “I’ll then stand on Damian’s shoulders.”

She knew Adrien, after years of superheroing around Paris, would easily be able to lift Damian’s frame. So, she hoped that both Jon and Adrien together would be able to lift both of their weight without much difficulty.

Jon looked over at Adrien and smiled before winking. “Easy peezy.”

“What of the ball and rope?” Damian asked.

“Just let me worry about that.” Marinette looked down at the two objects and smiled to herself.

Damian stood to the side as he watched Jon and Agreste move a few feet away from directly under the piñata. They both looked back at him expectantly.

Behind him, he caught sight of Dupain-Cheng tying the rope to the end of the ball. Looking at how she had now fashioned them together, it became obvious that she intended to use the ball as a weight to whack the piñata, using the boys to get closer and increasing her probability of hitting the target. Having the ball tied to the rope allowed her to retract the ball easily from their shoulders to set up for the next strike.

Effective, but it would still take time for her to land enough hits to do the required damage.

Not that he currently had a better idea.

As she finished tying off her new tool, she looked up and smiled. He couldn’t help the way that his heart skipped slightly when she did so. She always had such confidence in her plans and abilities, it mimicked his own. The difference was clear however, she did so in a way that shared the fruits of her efforts; where his tended to stroke his own ego, he shamefully admitted to himself.

He turned back around and prepared to lift himself onto his friend’s shoulders. “Wait, I need to get on your shoulders first, otherwise there is little hope of me getting up their once you’re on top of them.”

He nodded and she approached him. “Turn around and spread your legs a little.” He directed.

“Wow! We haven’t even gone on a first date yet.” She looked at him with mock offense.

He tilted his head as if judging her statement and finding it lame. “Even then, we would not go where your dirty mind has gone.”

She laughed, “Ouch, I should be offended, but you made quite the assumption there could even be a date.” Not giving him the opportunity to retort, she turned around and spread her legs slightly.

He quickly ducked his head between her legs, before rising and sweeping her up so that she sat on his shoulders as he returned to his full height. The movement would have certainly caused most to stumble back, but she quickly found her equilibrium without freaking out and grabbing his hair.

From his position, he missed the blush that covered her face, but his best friend had not missed it, nor the matching blush on Damian.

“Okay, so I think that we should be able to lift them up like how your American, I think they’re called Cheerleaders…do.” Agreste looked at Jon.

Jon nodded turning to Damian, “Think you’ll be able to keep a strong grip on her.” Rolling his eyes at his best friend, he gave him a middle finger, which gained a small chuckle from their blond companion.

“Ready Mari?” Agreste said, as he regained his composure.

“Beam me up, Scottie.” She shifted her legs and weight around Damian, making him grip her thighs. He was amazed at the toned muscle he found and if he hadn’t known he was slightly attracted before, he was confident now.

A cough in front of him had him refocus to catch Agreste standing in front of him with his hands cupped. He rolled his neck at Damian, motioning towards his waiting hands. Damian let go of her thighs so that he could grab the other’s shoulders as he positioned his left leg into Agreste’s cupped hands.

Having watched him actually launch Dupain-Cheng in the air during the dodgeball game, he was confident that Agreste had some strength, and Jon, would have easily held the three of them with one hand for an indefinite amount of time if needed. So, Damian had no hesitation in putting his and Dupain-Cheng’s safety in the pair’s more than capable hands.

A quick jump and Damian and Dupain-Cheng’s weight was distributed between Agreste and Jon, who counted to three before straightening their arms, lifting the pair into the air. Once it became obvious that their weight was not a burden, Dupain-Cheng swiftly raised herself to balance on Damian’s shoulders.

Taking the hammer she had constructed, she swung it around a few times on her right side, before releasing it towards the piñata. If he was being honest, with her performance from the dodgeball game he had expected to hear the sound of the ball making contact with the cardboard, instead he only felt a small shift of her weight of what he assumed was the ball returning to her hands.

“You missed.”

She giggled. “Shows what you know.” He looked straight-up thinking that he would be able to see her face, instead he was looking at her perfectly shaped rear. He looked back down hoping she had not caught his lingering eyes.

“Adrien, Jon do you think that you could lower Damian and I to the ground, so that my dismount can be somewhat graceful?”

“Can do boss.” Agreste replied before grabbing onto Damian’s left calf as Jon took his right. He tightened his own grip on Dupain-Cheng’s calves to prevent her from falling forward or back from the jostling that was sure to follow.

Jon and Agreste slowly lowered Damian to the ground, managing to do so without much fuss. With his tight grip on Dupain-Cheng’s legs he was able to feel the small muscle movement’s she made to remain upright on his shoulders, he was impressed with her skill and once again with the amount of muscle he felt on her calves.

When he felt her legs significantly tighten he prepared for her fall by letting go of her and pushing her legs out from under her as if performing a basket toss. She shrieked as her body began to plummet backwards and he prepared to take the brunt of her weight.

Unfortunately, it appeared that his actions were unexpected and she twisted her body so that she was falling sideways instead of onto her back. He attempted to adjust his position under her, but she was falling too quickly.  

When he realized what had happened, she was still atop him, with his hands cradling a soft part of her body. A very soft…yet firm…relatively squishy…squeaking?

He looked at her face to try and figure out the cause of her distress.

Following her gaze he found the source of her discomfort, his hands were busy squeezing her chest. He quickly removed them as if burned, his own face becoming bright red as he said something he did not often say. “I am so sorry.”

She quickly scrambled to get off of him, which unfortunately added with his own scramble attempt to sit up, caused him to kick out her hand, which had been supporting her weight, with his right foot. She fell forward with her face in his lap.

Dead animals…his mother….his father….Todd. He willed himself to think of anything that would prevent his body from reacting to the familiar sight in front of him. A sight that he found himself missing and remembering when he was alone in his bed at the end of patrol. A sight that he feared he would never see again after Tim’s research grew cold. A sight that he should not be thinking about while another sits in the same precarious position by accident.

He grabbed her shoulders and lifted her up before she noticed anything amiss.

Figuring out if the color of her face was from noticing or from the embarrassment of the position she had found herself in, he was not sure he wanted to find out.

“I’m sorry I… I’m sorry that I fell…I’m sorry that I landed there. If I had just warned you that I was pulling on the rope, then you wouldn’t have thought I was falling. I’m so sorry. How embarrassing!” She dragged her hands down her face and left them there.

Damian took her hands in his and pulled them from her face. “We were both at fault. I am sorry that I touched you there, especially without your permission. I am ashamed of my behavior.”

“No, you don’t need to apologize; you wouldn’t have been in that position if I hadn’t twisted.”

“You would not have fallen further, had I not panicked and allowed you to remove yourself before I moved.”

“If you two would like to stop apologizing to each other we can win this competition.” Jon smirked as he held up the intact piñata.

Dupain-Cheng excitedly jumped up and ran up to capture the piñata from Jon. She grabbed it and placed it lightly on the ground, signaling for the boys to join her around it.

“How?” Damian asked, genuinely curious how she had managed to remove the piñata.

“I used the ball to latch the rope around the top of the piñata. During our fall I kept hold of both ends of the rope, ripping the piñata off the chain holding it.” She shrugged her shoulders at the rather simplistic solution.

“I underestimated you.” He complemented her, even if she would not recognize it as it was intended.

“Not the first time.” She winked, as she beamed at him.

She lifted her foot and waited for the three boys to follow suit. On the count of three, four legs descended back to the floor destroying the piñata.

Chapter Text

The morning’s embarrassment was long behind her and Marinette was now in her element. Somehow, the Parisian students had been lucky enough for their final guided tour to be at the Gotham City Mall.

Paris had plenty of shopping areas which could compete with the concept of an American mall. The chief difference between the ‘malls’ in Paris and Gotham were the stores. Paris was one of the fashion capitals of the world and Gotham, well Gotham, while close to one, was not. Most of the stores in the mall were filled with affordable and pedestrian fashions. Sandwich between food kiosk that boast a fine selection of artery clogging but still yummy treats.

These stores fascinated Marinette, as she hoped to one day move her fashion designs away from high end commissions. Or rather, have a separate line that would be more obtainable and found in a similar place.

Well, maybe not exactly the same.

The store in front of her looked nice from the outside, with a large entry divided by two glass doors which were folded up on themselves and pushed to the sides. The lighting above the stores name was warehouse chic, an interesting design choice as warehouse fashion seemed to match the merchandise inside. The prices were low reflecting both the craftsmanship and designs of the garments. Words she hoped would not be used to describe her own future line.

*“Considering that we are going to be required to remain in this gods forsaken establishment for the next hour, perhaps you would like to participate in a challenge Dupain-Cheng?”

Marinette turned to her friend, watching a mischievous grin spreading across her face. *“What kind of challenge do you propose, Chlo?”

Chloe brushed her hair off her shoulder. *“Only one that people of our caliber would be able to complete successfully.”

*“Are we not included in this list of people?” Adrien hip checked the blonde heiress as he suddenly appeared beside her.

Luka wrapped his arm around Chloe’s neck pulling her in as he kissed the top of her head. *“I have to be included or she wouldn’t be dating me.”

*“I believe if asked, she would claim it was her community service to the people of Paris to give them a fashionable rock star.” Kagami chuckled into her hand.

Chloe scoffed, Adrien snickered, and Marinette placed her hand on Luka’s shoulder. *“We all know Chloe isn’t the one responsible for your look." Marinette innocently smiled and looked right at Chloe, *“We all know that Chloe is grateful to be your arm candy.”

Her comment earned her a slap on her arm by the offended blond. *“It’s mutual, I enjoy having him as my arm candy too.” She kissed Luka on the lips. *“Regardless, as the most fashionable teens in Paris, and at the moment, Gotham, I say that we should challenge to see just who can take the title… most fashionable.”

The four teenagers looked at Chloe waiting for her to continue. *“So, one hundred American dollars to buy the most fashionable outfit you can.” Marinette smiled, the challenge excited her. “And no, Dupain-Cheng you may not alter anything.” Marinette fake pouted.” The prize will be you losers have to do the bidding of the winner for the day.”

*“You’re only doing this so that I will make you that dress you wanted before we left Paris that they didn’t have in your size.” Marinette crossed her arms and cocked out her hip.

*“I’d still have to win…but, maybe.” Chloe shrugged her shoulder at the blatant truth.

Marinette considered her chances of winning. Against others a victory could almost be assured, but a competition against a model, the daughter of the Style Queen, a rocker who was in his own element when it came to his personal fashion, and a fencer who had developed her own style in recent years thanks to the guidance of a model and fashion designer. Needless to say, victory was not assured. Still, never tell her the odds, otherwise Hawkmoth would have won a thousand times over.

*“Game on Chlo,” she spun on her heels and began walking quickly in the direction of one of the stores that caught her eye earlier. Delayed only a second as she yelled over her shoulder. “Meet back here in an hour.”

A lady on a mission, she failed to check around the corner she turned down and stumbled into a person standing at the end of the hallway. Surprisingly, it was Marinette who fell onto her butt. “Ouch.”

“Oh my gosh, Marinette, are you alright?”

Marinette looked up to see Jon standing in front of her with his hand extended out to assist her. She gladly took the assistance, a little sore on the rear from the surprisingly hard impact onto the floor. “Yeah,” she shook her head. “I’m fine. I’m sorry. I wasn’t looking where I was going.”

“Where were you heading off to so quickly?” Jon asked as he looked around her shoulder.

“Fashion competition.” Marinette smiled at Jon, knowing exactly who he was looking for behind her. “Last I saw him, he was heading into the store five shops back.”

“Thanks,” he grabbed her shoulders and was about to move around her, “I mean… who… is five shops back?”

She moved to the left out of his way, causing his hands to drop back to his side. She gave him her best knowing smirk. “You know perfectly well who. You might want to hurry before he leaves.”

Jon took the hint and rushed past her to find Adrien. She smiled as she watched him race off, before turning back around ready to continue to her original destination. Instead, she found Damian standing alone in front of her.

The posture he held himself in, made him look slightly uncomfortable in his surroundings. Yet, his outfit was perfectly executed for a casual hangout at the mall. Dressed in dark washed boot-cut jeans, the cuffs folded to display the designer combat boots on his feet. A knitted t-shirt in a stormy gray clung to his muscles in the best possible way. The color emphasizing the emerald of his eyes set in his devilishly handsome face. The only negative, if one could call it that, was the slightly gelled hair that made it look spiked. All Marinette wanted to do was run her hands through it and see how it would look, more disheveled.

A thought and impulse she knew she shouldn’t have about Damian.

Jon rushed off to see Agreste giving Damian a direct sightline of Dupain-Cheng, and once again his heart skipped a beat. A blush, off the shoulder knit top sweater wrapped around her chest to meet at a band that stopped just at the top of her acid washed high-waisted jeans. The sleeves were loose, the form coming from the cuffs at her wrist. Her jeans clung to her curves ending just above a pair of charcoal gray ankle boots with a two-inch wedge that gave her additional height. The perfect height, in fact, for Damian to swoop down and capture her pink painted lips with his own…easily.

Embarrassed by his inward thoughts, he could not help his bluntness. “Aren’t you supposed to be with a chaperone?”

Dupain-Cheng’s smile dropped slightly, her eyes rolling at his antics, “There were two girls I believe their names were Stephanie and Cassandra?  But they were left with 30 teenagers…in a large mall…and expected us to remain in one group. Not happening! They only asked that we stay together.”

“Yet you are here alone?”

She crossed her arms across her chest and leaned further back. “Are you going to tattle on me?”

He took her body language and tone as a challenge. “What do I get if I refrain?”

“How about a coffee and then when asked, I can say I wasn’t alone.” A smile returned to her lips and he watched as her blue eyes began to sparkle.

“Don’t you have a competition you have to win?” He hoped that she was suggesting she would blow it off, not only because he would be alone as his best friend was off chasing tail, but also because of the weird desire to get to know her more.

“It honestly would have been too easy, so not a whole lot of fun winning.” She winked at him. Somehow, he knew that she was lying, not at it not being easy, but it being the cause of her willingness to abandon it. “But either way if I lose it’s no big deal. Chloe is bound to win and she wants a dress out of it. A dress she would have guilt tripped me into making regardless.” She rolled her head and right arm at the silliness of her friend, before looking around her. “So, are there any good coffee joints in this place?”

“Let us just leave it with, there are coffee joints in this place.” Damian attempted to joke.

He was rewarded with a light giggle as she linked her arm around his and dragged him forward. Only for him to stop her and change their direction to the small café that had a patio.

A few minutes later, Damian and Dupain-Cheng made their way to the outside seating area, Damian with a black French press and Dupain-Cheng, a triple-shot Americano. They both moved without guidance to the back table closest to the outside exit.

Both froze as their hands touched when they went to sit at the chair with its back to the building. Instead of catching the embarrassment he had expected to see reflected in her expression as they looked at each other, he saw a silent challenge.

“Sorry Damian, if you don’t mind, I like to be able to watch people.” She gave him a smile, but he noticed how guarded it was.

He was not about to yield. “I do not like to have my back to people.”

She looked down at the chairs, and then out to the patio area, “Would you mind if we switched the chairs around so that we could both get what we want?” She motioned for the chairs to move to sit closely together on the same side of the small circular table.

As awkward as it might be to sit so intimately close, he could read from her body language that she was unwilling to relent. “That is an adequate solution.”

“So…” she pouted her lips and refrained to make eye contact as she went to sit on the left most chair in their new seating arrangement. “Can I ask you something that doesn’t leave this table?”

He glanced upward after taking his own seat, looking where her eyes should have been, but they remained on her finger which was drawing circles on the table. He hummed in response.

“I promise I won’t tell Adrien your answer, but…does Jon like him by any chance?”

Damian lowered his head slightly to hide the small grin on his face. “There is a reason Jon has been dragging me to all of the places your class has visited.”

She looked up and he caught her eyes narrow slightly before her expression went neutral. The sight caused Damian to panic. “I am not suggesting that we were stalking you.”

She released a carefree laugh. “Yes…that is exactly what you’re suggesting.”

Damian did not know what possessed him as he raised his hand up to his face. Sliding his index finger up from stroking his chin to lightly brushing his lower lip as he smiled at her. They made eye contact and he refused to look away even as her teeth began to tease her own bottom lip. “Is there a problem if we are?”

She released her lower lip from her teeth, licking it before seductively smiling. “So, it’s a ‘we’ now?”

As Damian continued to gaze into her enchantingly blue diamond eyes, he felt unable to control his mouth, as it unfiltered his thoughts. “I am not one to be dragged where I do not want to go.”

A blush crept up her cheeks, darkening the freckles on her face. It took all of his willpower to refrain from reaching out and using his thumb to feel the heat radiating from her skin.

Her eyes caught his hand twitching and she smiled softly as her eyes met his again. “So, there are two interested parties?”

Damian attempted to recover from his obvious blunder. “Jon has made his interest in Adrien very clear.”

“Good…” she took a second to reposition herself more casually in her chair, “like I said I won’t tell Adrien. I just didn’t want to push him in Jon’s direction if he was uninterested.”

Her hand gripped her coffee, firmly, her thumb caressing the cardboard cup-holder. It stopped moving only for her left hand's index finger to slide back and forth over the hole on the lid of her cup. Damian found the movement enticing. As if caught by some form of magic he continued to stare as she raised her cup up to her lips, before lowering it and returning to her previous movements.

This experience was completely different from the set-up date the girls had prepared for him. He knew he could not call this a date. He could not allow himself to be interested in anyone but Ladybug, but he would not deny that his mind was telling him that it was the closest thing to a date he had experienced.

So far conversation came easily; she kept him engaged and the gaps of silence felt natural. He could not explain his attentiveness to every action she made, such as watching her drink her coffee. But he was enjoying trying to interpret the secret meaning behind each of them and he knew it was not because he was suspicious of her.

Finding himself a willing participant was disturbing, but he knew that the answer was very simple. It was because it was...Marinette.

“Enough about the oblivious duo tell me more about Damian.”

“There isn’t much to tell.” He looked away taking an unnecessarily long sip from his drink.

“You’re lying.” She stated as a matter of fact, causing Damian to narrow his eyes at her. “You’re hiding behind a mask. I’ve seen it before. You’re a lot more complex than you lead people to believe.”

“You believe that you will be able to crack me open then?” Damian searched her eyes, concerned that she had been able to figure him out.

“Not unless you want me to... How about we just start with the basics and see if I can peel back some of your many layers.” She smiled warmly at him, disarming him slightly.  “What’s your name and what do you want to do when you grow up? That seems like a safe place to start.”

To most that would seem like the most basic of questions, but for Damian it was the most frustrating and convoluted question that everyone seemed to want the answer to recently.

“I am Damian Wayne and-”

Marinette’s eyes bulged and her smile quickly dropped. “You’re Damian ‘Fucking’ Wayne?”

Damian looked at her quizzically. “Just Damian Wayne, no fucking.” Her face remained unchanged by his joke. He continued, “You…did not know?”

Her face quickly morphed from pensive to angry. “NO! Why would I.”

The sound of metal scraping across the floor marked her sudden departure from her chair. “Was this fun for you?” Damian’s confusion grew. “How could you flirt with me and be attached to someone like her at the same time?”

Damian’s eyebrows rose to his forehead in shock as his heart rate began to increase. Gripping one of the weapons in his pocket, he feared using it on someone he had started to get close to. But… how did she come to know that he was married?

Her hands went to her temples and started to aggressively rub circles into them. “Of fucking course! Lila talked you into it, didn’t she? I guess shallow rich people really don’t have better things to do than to toy with us common folk!”

Damian remained still from shock, unable to comprehend what she had meant with her new ‘revelation.’

“Well, fuck you DFW.” She attempted to throw the remnants of her drink in his face but was stopped by the lid. She growled in frustration at the impotent gesture, struggling to remove the lid, only to find her drink empty. Howling in frustration, she threw the cup and lid onto the table in front of him before she stormed off.

Leaving a stunned, Damian ‘Fucking’ Wayne!

Chapter Text

Jon found himself sitting in a quaint coffee shop with Adrien and Marinette. The shop was one of the local cafés that served custom brews with coffee from their own suppliers in Colombia, roasted in house. The design was nothing too special, what some would refer to as ‘fresh.’ Light wood planks decorated the wall were the cash register and barista stand, accented by cream walls decorated with greenery. The tables matched the color of the wooden wall, with plastic chairs surrounding them. The one thing that didn’t seem to match the atmosphere was the music coming from the speakers. Adrien had told him he thought that they changed it up based on the time of day, when he had commented on it. The first time they had come it was the middle of the night and the music was a calming soft rock. Enough of a beat to keep one awake while listening, but not enough once they left. This morning, in an attempt to wake people up with more than coffee, the shop had chosen alternative rock.

It was easy to see why Adrien and Marinette would continue to patron the small shop. There was something about it that stood out in the darkness of Gotham and despite having explored Gotham many times, he had never stumbled on this shop before. But that was more than okay with him, he was happy that he would have a special place in Gotham that would remind him of his time with his crush.

For the past two days, he and Adrien had been spending a lot of time together, specifically in this café. After visiting his room after Scarecrow’s attack, he had asked Adrien to accompany him for an evening coffee, which turned into an evening stroll filled with a surprising amount of cat puns. By the end of the evening, Jon was sure he had never smiled so much in his life, which was saying something for someone who Damian referred to as Happiness personified.  

Then he had ‘accidently’ bumped into Adrien in the mall. They had spent a fair amount of time creating outfits that they thought would win the competition among his group of friends. They had managed to do so, by mixing their own clothing and adding some accessories from around the mall. Jon was thrilled to see Adrien wearing his plaid shirt; he had thought that he could ever be more attractive, but he was wrong.

Adrien offered a victory coffee to thank him for his help when he had accompanied the group back to the hotel. Therefore, finding himself in the coffee shop once again.

Chloe, Luka, and Kagami had been so certain that Adrien would not be able to get over his feelings for Marinette and yet…he couldn’t help but feel that maybe Adrien was looking towards the back of the line and wondering if it was time to step away. Because somehow, someway of all the people that could have been included, his crush had invited him to partake in a morning ritual he had with Marinette. He had given up alone time with Marinette, to spend additional time with him.

His head rested in his hand as he dreamily listened to the blond model relay a story about his best friend causing a catastrophic domino effect in their science class. Apparently, the consequences included something like exploding chemicals and the room being closed for more than a month.

He was barely catching every other word, as his focus was more drawn to the speakers mouth and how it would feel to move his own mouth in tandem. But he wasn’t the only one unfocused. Marinette sat beside the model in a position that mirrored Jon’s. The major difference being instead of looking at the model she was looking through him.

Marinette checked her phone for the third time in the seven minutes since they arrived. It was possible that she was counting down until it was time to leave. Perhaps he should not have assumed that while Adrien wanted him to join that she would feel the same. But, her heart rate was building and suggested there was something more to it. He needed to know, “Marinette are you okay?”

“Honestly…No.” Jon hadn’t pegged her as someone so blunt, with the way her eyes were searching the room she had obviously answered the question without thinking.

Adrien stopped trying to joke and turned his attention and body towards her. “Mari, want to tell us what happened yesterday? Maybe, we can help?” Yes, what happened yesterday. She returned from hanging with Damian looking like she wanted to skewer him, or rather that she already had.

“No…What?!” She squeaked, confused by his question. “I mean maybe… but no.” She waved her hands dismissively, “I’m not dealing with that right now.” Her eyes jumped from surveying the small café to scanning the streets around it. “What happened yesterday isn’t my current concern. I’m more worried about Kelvin and Kaelyn. They were supposed to be here when we showed up.”

“I wouldn’t sweat it yet, Mari. It’s the weekend, they probably just slept in.” Adrien laid a reassuring hand on her shoulder, but the tension didn’t leave them.

She looked up and switched her gaze back and forth between Adrien and Jon. Her eyes screamed desperation and panic. “Adrien, they have never been a minute late this whole week. It’s not like them. Not to mention with their home-life… I’m just so concerned that disgusting man has done something to them.”

“What kind of home-life?” Jon inquired.

“They live in the shadier part of town, but that’s not really the concerning part. Their mother and her boyfriend are alcoholics and completely neglect them. I met them when I caught them trying to steal some money to buy some food, since their mother forgot to. While they have a roof over their head it’s empty of what they need the most.” She looked livid. “The mother and boyfriend spend all day getting drunk or high and leave them alone to fend for themselves.”

Jon sympathized with the kids; it was an all-too-common story in Gotham. They were lucky to have been adopted, especially by Adrien and Marinette.

“Why are you concerned about the boyfriend in particular?” He asked, confident of the answer but just wanting to be sure.

“I found Kaelyn alone one-night wandering around, luckily I was the one who found her and returned her home. When that man opened the door, despite clearly just having had sex with her mother, he still tried to proposition me. I don’t trust people that can do something like that and in front of a child no less.”

Would it make you feel better if we went over there to check on them?” Jon asked.

Her face broke from one of concern to relief as she spoke with urgency. “Please!”

Looking down as he felt a hand grip his knee, he followed it up to find Adrien giving him a small smile, his eyes looking thankful. Jon returned the smile; it had only been a week of knowing them and yet he would already do anything for the pair in front of him, especially if it made Adrien happy.

Turned out, Damian needing a ‘friend’ wingman was the best thing that could have happened to him.

Patrol with the Bats had introduced him to a fair amount of Gotham. The skyline was as impressive as Metropolis, but unlike home there was a layer of foreboding to the city. Damian’s father worked hard both inside and outside the mask to help, but the truth was there was a reason that Gotham needed so many vigilantes.

The city bred crime and despair.

The apartment complex they had entered was proof of that. The building was one good hit away from crumpling and the rooms within were the personification of the misery the city felt.

Marinette had led them up a couple of flights of stairs and to the door of apartment number eleven. The door was made of steel, not an uncommon practice in a city where home invasions were too frequent. It did make it difficult for normal humans to hear what happened behind the doors. But he was not a normal human, and he heard the yelling within the apartment. An older male’s voice was calling someone foul names before a loud smacking noise echoed. It took everything in him to not knock the door down knowing what was likely occurring behind it.

He was shocked to find Marinette looking at the door with as much anger as he felt. Her expression grew as the echo of what sounded like more slapping and punching on human flesh could be heard.

She shocked him further when she took a step back to where she was up against the opposite wall and cracked her neck. Eyes closing, while a grimace covered her face, she took a deep breath before her eyes snapped open. No time to process -which was uncommon for him- she had swung back on her heels and rolled forward before breaking into a very short sprint. Four steps if he was to be exact, before she impacted the door with a force that had the walls shaking and the door itself flying off its hinges, Marinette with it.

The sight before him however prevented him from taking the time to understand how Marinette had done it. A woman in her mid-thirties laid balled-up on the floor, unconscious. A man of similar age towered over another ball of bodies blocked from their view. He was throwing punch after punch at the small ball with his eyes closed, while yelling obscenities. “Your mother is a whore and you two are cum stains that should have been left on the sheets.”

For once, Jon found himself frozen by what he was seeing. It was not that the man was viciously punching two children with closed eyes, which is horrible and would have had him throwing him through the wall. It wasn’t even the offensive words coming from his mouth, which deserved his teeth to be knocked out. The shocking part was the children were being shielded, not by a body but a green force field.

Adrien slammed his frame into the man getting him away from the children, as Marinette ran towards them. Adrien punched the man once across the jaw knocking him out before the man’s body even hit the floor. Marinette had somehow managed to get the force field to drop and secured the two children within her arms.

He could see the children now and why the two Parisians were enamored. The little girl had long golden blonde hair that naturally curled at the ends, currently a rat’s nest on top of her head. Her eyes a piercing sky blue, the epitome of doe eyed, were much too innocent to have witnessed what she saw today. The boy had short dark chocolate hair, with eyes a vibrant green of springtime. He could see them both slumped over in relief as they clung to Marinette. They did not smile, the morning had exposed them to far too much for that.

“Jon, we’ve got to call the police.” Adrien touched his shoulder. Jon flinched from his current state of inactiveness.  

“We do, but I need you to make the call.”

“What?” Adrien looked at him in confusion, removing his hand from his shoulder. “Jon you’re more familiar with the area than we are.”

Jon moved towards the closest bedroom, leaving Adrien standing in the place he had just vacated. “I know, but I need to make a call to make sure that they don’t end up in a Gotham foster home.” He shut the door before Adrien could protest further and took out his cellphone, calling the first contact on his list. The phone rang three times before it was picked up.

“Jon?”

“Dad, I need you to do me a favor.”

Two small bodies were pressed against her own. They shivered slightly as unshed tears swelled in their eyes. She wasn’t sure what to say, but she knew what to do.

Never let them go.

She knew she had been drawn to them the first time that she met them, but Marinette would never have guessed this and it made her feel like a failure as the Grand Guardian.

She had seen the strong protective aura around Kelvin when she had first met him, but she hadn’t known that she was actually seeing the strongest aura to resonate with Wayzz. Without the use of his shelter magic, she would not have been able to make the connection.  

Then there was Kaelyn, she had never tried to read her aura before now and she regretted her inaction. As plain as day, was an aura that reflected the essence of Sass. She should have connected the dots; Kaelyn had essentially fed her the answer. Talking about dreams coming true and acting on feelings. She would expect nothing less from the Kaiduan of Intuition. Whether she recognized it or not, her intuition had told her to seek out Marinette and make it known to her where her home was. Perhaps even the day they had met was the result of following her intuition to pick a target that Marinette would have seen, leading to their inevitable bond.

Having the Kaiduan of Protection and the Kaiduan of Intuition with her was exciting. At the same time, their presence together with the Kaiduan of Evolution was frightening. The fact that she was born during this period was bad enough, as she was only born when the world was in peril. But knowing that four Kaiduans were together at the same time and place had her stomach in knots as she questioned what threat was still out there. It was time to talk to Tikki, Sass and Wayzz to confirm her suspicions.

“All set,” Jon came back from the bedroom, tucking his cellphone into his jean’s pocket.

“Who did you call?” Adrien asked from beside the children’s mother, monitoring her condition. She still laid passed out from the brutal mix of punches and alcohol.

“My Dad, I asked if we could foster them. He’s calling Damian’s father to try and work it through the police.”

The mention of DFW caused a scowl to fix on Marinette’s features; the memory of his flirtation despite being with Lila came to the forefront. At first, she wondered if she had been too hasty in her opinion. After all, she was also in a relationship –of sorts- and she was flirting with him too.

Then she remembered that DFW flirted with malicious intent.  He was not genuine in his attraction; it was all a game that he and Lila had staged to toy with Marinette. She was disappointed in not seeing through the deception earlier, but she wondered if this was a similar mind warp that her classmates fell under when dealing with Lila. The idea of being too good to be true, which was what DFW was promising, should have been an indicator of just that. He was too good to be true. She just hoped that Jon was not the same. At the very least, so far, he had proven not to be.

The sound of a small sniffle and Marinette forgot about DFW and thought only of the two in her arms. The tears that were being repressed were finally falling freely from their eyes. Her troubles with Wayne were of little consequence when the protectors of the balance and therefore the world, cried in her lap. The two before her were her responsibility as Grand Guardian and a good human being. She needed to make sure that she took care of them and that started with making sure they were in safe hands.

“Why would you ask your father to foster them?” Jon looked taken aback and maybe a little hurt from the question, but quickly recovered.

“You really don’t want them to end up in Gotham’s foster system.” Jon shrugged his shoulders. “I figured if they stayed with us, you would both still get to see them.”

She knew it was close but still not the complete truth. Jon’s lying skills were subpar, his tells were minuscule but still obvious when looking for them. He turned from the suspicious eyes of Marinette and Adrien to mutter to himself. “Not to mention they’re metas.”

“Did you say they’re metas?” Adrien asked, surprising Jon who thought that his voice was too low to be heard.

“Umm…I-…hmm.” Jon seemed at a loss as to how to finish his statement, or maybe it was more along the lines of unwilling.

“Whatever it is I’m sure it’s a good thing.” She sent her best glare in Jon’s direction. Hoping that he would gather that whatever these meta’s were that in their current condition, it was best for the kids to not be upset by an unknown label.

No, now was the time to allow Kaelyn and Kelvin an opportunity they had long been denied.

An opportunity to just be kids.

Chapter Text

It was the type of call that Dick hated. Not only because of the nature of the events, but because it often occurred several times before it was ‘bad enough’ for someone to call.

“Are you sure you’re ready for whatever is in there?” Dick’s new partner Gomes inquired, causing Dick to give him a puzzled side glance.

“Lest you’ve forgotten in the last month, I was an officer in Bludhaven, in many ways it was worse than Gotham. Regardless, I’m from here, I haven’t been gone long enough to forget what Gotham can be like.” Dick opened the cruiser door and moved quickly to enter the apartment complex, leaving Gomes a few good feet behind him.

As he traveled down the tattered halls, busybodies were out of their apartment trying to catch the gossip on what had caused the police presence. If they listened close enough, they might have been able to understand the disgruntled voices coming from Dick’s destination. Three distinctly masculine voices were joined by a feminine one. One of the males and the female were definitely more hysterical than the rest, throwing accusations towards each other. The other two voices were raised but remained mostly calm as they argued.

Heads turned towards Dick and Gomes as they came closer to the apartment. The uniformed officers tilted their heads towards Dick in acknowledgement, as they continued taking their statements from the close neighbors.

A few doors down from their target, Lt. Meyers sat on her haunches attempting to comfort two small kids. They appeared in good spirits despite the obviously traumatic events of the morning.

“Hey Meyers, who do we have here?” She whipped her head around to take in Dick and Gomes, before looking back at the two small children in front of her.

“This here is Kelvin and Kaelyn, we were just talking about what cartoon’s they enjoy watching.” Dick smiled at the small kids who returned it without hesitation. The trust they displayed was unusual for kids from Gotham.

“You know who loves cartoons, Gomes here. Would you two mind if he tells you all about them while I talk to Lt. Meyers for a quick second?”

The little girl took Gomes by the hand and dragged him down to her level. “Sailor Moon is awesome, don’t you dare say otherwise. Miss Samantha doesn’t know what she’s talking about.”

Gomes turned his face towards Dick giving a slightly panicked look before returning his attention to Kaelyn in front of him.  Smiling, Dick moved off to the side to talk to Meyers.

“Domestic assault on their mother by her boyfriend. Seems cut and dry as there were 3 eyewitnesses, but the boyfriend is claiming he was assaulted. Not to mention that neighbors claim they could hear him yelling through the walls at the children and what sounded like hitting. But the kids don’t have a single bruise on them.” Meyers tilted her head back to the apartment. “Then there is the problem of the three teens that stumbled in on the scene refusing to leave the kids and they're the ones being accused by the main of assaults'."

Dick looked around her back to the apartment where the raised voices were still competing. He noticed that the door he had at first just assumed was opened, was in fact laying on the floor taken clean off its hinges.

“What happened to the door?” Dick looked back at Meyers as she blew out a loud breath and rolled her eyes to the back of her head.

“Well that is also interesting, the boyfriend claims that the girl in there came into the apartment by smashing through the door, like a surfer on a surfboard…. but that’s a steel door Grayson, people don’t just knock steel doors right off their hinges.”

Dick had to agree. He stepped around Meyers to get a good look into the apartment and noticed one of the teens was Jon. He closed his eyes and tried to school his face, that would explain the door, perhaps the boyfriend had mistaken just who was riding it.

He rubbed his forehead with his hand, Jon being included in the incident as a civilian meant a lot of paperwork to cover what really happened when they made it back to the office.

“Gomes will be fine hanging with the kids. Let’s go interview the teens.” Dick placed his hand on Meyers’ shoulder as she nodded the affirmative. “It sounds like to me that the female teen is the most agitated, so I advise that we separate her and the boyfriend first. You want to take her, and I’ll take one of the teen boys?”

“It’s a plan.” Meyers didn’t wait any longer before entering the apartment and walking over to the girl. It didn’t take long for Dick to immediately recognize all three of the teens in the room. Of course, the first being Jon, but the other two were the two Parisians who were involved in the Scarecrow attack. Great, even more paperwork.

If Tim was right, the two in front of him were heroes as well. The outlandish claim by the boyfriend was looking more and more likely. Jon would hopefully shed light on the situation, but it was unfortunate that he had sent Meyers to talk to the other two. It might have been a perfect opportunity to gather information on Multimouse and Chat Noir.

Jon having caught sight of him, immediately excused himself from Adrien who smiled softly at Jon before his gaze hardened as he refocused on the boyfriend.

Dick motioned his head to a door that Jon quickly escaped into. The teen turned back to him once he was comfortably inside the room. Dick followed quickly behind him closing the door just enough that their voices would not carry.

“Rumor is, something interesting happened. Care to enlighten me?”

“Officially, Marinette was concerned when the kids didn’t show up for breakfast in the morning. She’d caught the girl wandering alone in the street before, so she knew where they lived, and she wanted to check on them. When we arrived, we could hear the arguing behind the door and there was the sound of someone clearly getting hit.”

Jon leaned in closer to Dick, whispering so as not to be overheard. “Unofficially, this is where it gets weird. Next thing I know, Marinette is ramming through the front door. The mother was passed out and the boyfriend had turned his attention to the children, screaming at them while he was blindly punching. Which was fortunate because he missed the fact that he was punching a forcefield and not the kids. Kelvin had radiated some kind of… shield protecting him and his sister.”

Jon looked down at the floor momentarily, gathering himself before he continued. “I’m kinda ashamed to admit that I hesitated after seeing that, but Marinette and Adrien jumped right into action. It was almost like they were not phased seeing what the boy could do.” He rolled his head in a figure eight pattern as he added. “Although, I guess after everything they experienced in Paris it would take a lot to phase them.”

Dick slowly nodded his head as he processed the tale of events.  “I called my Dad hoping that he would be able to foster the two kids. Seeing as they are probably meta’s and will need guidance and understanding to help protect them.”

Dick smiled, “It wouldn’t be because you have feelings for a certain someone who is close to them?”

Jon turned a bright shade of red. “No, it’s because those two are great at judging character. They are friends with Damian after all.”

Dick chortled briefly, before nodding his head. Yes, anyone who was willing to see past his brother’s tough exterior had to be exceptional.  “I’ll call Bruce and see if he can help move the process along.”

Despite the morning’s less than stellar start, Adrien was happy that Kaelyn and Kelvin were getting to enjoy the afternoon in a way that kids their age needed to.

After the police had come, they were surprised that the two kids could join them for the rest of the day.  Without having to go to social services and before they went over to Jon’s parents to be fostered. It sounded like Jon used some connection that allowed for some of the red tape to disappear for an immediate foster rather than the typical drawn out process. The only stipulation was that Dick, chaperone turned police officer, had to accompany them and was therefore dismissed from the case.

Fortunately, it turned out that Dick had a daughter who was between the two’s age. He got his wife to bring her over so that they could have another kid their age with them while they got use to all the new adults in their lives.

A quick look at the young girl and it was obvious as to why Dick had felt it important to include his daughter. It didn’t take a rocket scientist to deduce that there was something unique about her. A first impression would have one believe that she was a spitting image of her father, midnight black hair and bright blue orbs. Yet when excited her eye color changed to a vibrant green. He suspected that it was similar to her mother’s who had not taken off her sunglasses the entire time she had joined the small group. If he had to guess, young Mar’i was not completely human.

Jon had suggested they head to Gotham Harbor’s Carnival after some essentials shopping curtesy of Adrien father’s credit card. Kelvin immediately took a liking to Dick’s daughter and insisted on riding every ride with her. Adrien was initially concerned that it would upset Kaelyn, but she seemed to have developed a small crush of her own. She insisted that Jon sit next to her on every ride and hold her hand while walking between them.

Even now as they walked towards the Scrambler, Kaelyn’s small hand rested in Jon’s larger one. Jon looked undisturbed by the semi-forced contact as he covered her small hand with his own and swung their arms back and forth. They both had a slight skip to their step as they conversed without a single care in the world.

Mari surprised him by lightly knocking her left shoulder against his. “Doing okay?”

Adrien’s focus remained on the pair in front of him, slightly frowning at the sight in response. She giggled at his side as she latched her arm onto his. “Don’t worry, you won’t be excluded for long, they both like you too much.”

Adrien looked down at Mari, who smiled brightly and winked at him before pulling them forward to stand just behind the other two.

Mar’i and Kelvin were ahead of them bouncing from one stall to the other looking over the various prizes available for each game. Dick and his wife, Kor’i walked a respectful distance behind the group, observing but also enjoying the carnival as they held each other’s hands.

Suddenly, Mar’i was bouncing in place when she saw a large pink plush at one of the stalls. The ‘animal,’ if that’s what it could be described as, was mostly non-descript, really just a blob with a face, but she seemed very excited at the prospect of obtaining it. Kelvin turned to look for Adrien, which brought a smile to his face. Reaching into his wallet he grabbed some cash and discretely passed it to the young boy.

The booth was a typical carnival game with a series of ten glass bottles stacked on each other in four rows, a player had three balls to knock as many down as possible. It was only natural that the plushie Mar’i wanted required all ten bottles to be knocked down, so Adrien pushed Marinette closer to Kelvin hoping that her good luck would rub off. The chances were slim seeing as the game was normally rigged, but even more so as a man of only seven, his strength was not as developed. Still, Adrien was rooting for the young man, being a romantic himself.

Kelvin grabbed the first baseball from the shelf in front of him. He rolled it slightly in his hand, tossing it up and down a few times acting as if he was getting used to the weight of the ball. He looked over at Mar’i who was standing closely beside him before returning his attention back down at the ball again. A devilish smile crossed his face as an idea clearly entered his head. He held the ball out in front of her face expectantly.

Mar’i looked down at the ball before looking back at Kelvin questioningly.

“Kiss it for luck.” Little Mar'i appeared shocked by his order, before she smiled widely revealing a missing front tooth. She gingerly took the ball in her hands and kissed it soundly before returning it to Kelvin.

Adrien looked behind him at her parents to see a mix of pride and panic across their faces. He chuckled slightly giving Kelvin props, he definitely had some Chat Noir suave.

Shifting the ball in his hand so that the kissed area was firmly in the palm of his hand, he pulled his arm back much like an American baseball pitcher might. He looked back at the bottles before down at the floor, back at the bottles before pulling his elbow back and then swinging his arm forward and releasing the ball with a flick of his wrist. The momentum of his throw had his back leg lifting off the ground.  

The ball left his hand with a nice spin, heading straight ahead, aimed to hit the bottles in between the second and third row right in the middle. Much to the delight of the two children and the shock of the vendor, all ten bottles crashed into multiple directions, loudly clattering onto the ground. The vendor didn’t take his eyes off Kelvin as he handed Mar’i the plushie.

She squealed in delight as she hugged the pink mass close to her body. “I’ll name it Kel, after you Kelvin.”

The boy in question blushed slightly before quickly recovering from his embarrassment and offering his arm to the young lady as they continued down the row of vendors.

“I want one too, Jon.” Kaelyn begged, pulling down at his arm, her mouth contorted into a pout that anyone would have a hard time saying no to.  

“Find the one you want, and I’ll get it for you.” Jon replied. Kaelyn squealed in delight and dragged him to the closest stall which was a ring game.

Adrien turned to Marinette when the two of them were outside of their hearing range. “How is it possible that Kelvin was able to knock down all those bottles, even I can’t do that-” Adrien turned to look at a random booth, slightly embarrassed by admitting, “-on the first try.” He looked back at Mari. “Does this have something to do with that shield he produced, which happened to look a lot like Shelter?”

The sight of Kelvin creating a barrier similar to Carapace’s without a miraculous had been unsettling, but it did not stop him from immediately reacting to save the two kids that he now thought of as family. But seeing Mari’s reaction, almost as if she expected it, had shaken him more. He knew she was still hiding something from him about her trip to the temple, and now he had a feeling that she was hiding even more.

“I need to talk to Tikki and then I’ll let you know what she says. I have some ideas but I’m not 100% sure so I don’t want to speculate.” She slid her arm from his elbow down to his hand, taking it firmly in her grasp as she lightly squeezed it in reassurance. “Now come on. We still need to show these kids the best time of their lives.”

Without even really realizing it, Jon had somehow become a part of the pact with Kaelyn and Kelvin. It was easy to see why Marinette and Adrien had adopted the two so easily and had formed a semblance of a family in just under a week.

Kelvin was so smooth for a seven-year-old. Already capable of getting and maintaining Mar’i’s attention, although from the looks on Kor’i’s and Dick’s face, the flirty behavior may not have been completely appreciated. The innocent nature of it was too cute, so the spectacle was not shut down, even when it escalated slightly before the family’s departure.

Then there was Kaelyn who had insisted on holding his hand the entire time. She also begged for Jon to sit with her on most of the rides, only switching occasionally for Adrien. Jon was a little disappointed that he didn’t get to ride at least one of the rides with Adrien, but Kaelyn was too cute to deny. Fortunately, by the end of the evening Kaelyn had taken to holding both his and Adrien’s hand and the thought had kept him content enough to not wish for more. At that moment at least.

Jon wondered if such actions could become the norm while the pair was still in Gotham for the next two weeks. With his parents fostering the kids, there were plenty of opportunities and excuses for this little group to come together. Now if only Damian was included, but for some odd reason Marinette had requested he not be invited.  

Having finished dinner at a local diner, they waited outside for his parents to arrive. Jon allowed both Kelvin and Kaelyn to hang from his arms as he pretended to struggle lifting them up and down. It served the dual purposes of entertaining them, while also hopefully attracting more of Adrien’s positive attention.

“Can’t…hold…on…much…longer.” He dramatically panted before bending his elbow ever so slightly causing Kaelyn to laugh in delight. She and Kelvin suddenly descended towards the ground before releasing their grips to jump to the floor.

Much to Kaelyn’s delight, Adrien swooped in and grabbed her by her waist. She squealed while he rocked her forward and back before depositing her on his shoulders. He then dramatically unsheathed two play swords that had been held by Marinette. He launched the first slowly at Kelvin, who caught the sword easily before twirling it several times in his hand. Adrien then twirled the remaining sword in his hand similarly to how Kelvin had, but with more finesse, before taking the foam blade in his hand in order to offer the hilt to the knight perched upon his shoulders.

Adrien looked at Jon and gave him the brashest grin as mischief danced around his eyes. “Will you mount your steed, Sir Kelvin? My lady wishes this to be a fair fight.”

Catching his meaning, Jon grabbed Kelvin and almost too hastily threw him onto his shoulders. What might have normally scared a seven-year-old, brought out the best of Kelvin. “Whoa, Nelly,” he said as he patted the top of Jon’s head with his free hand.

Taking the bait, Jon lifted his right foot to paw at the ground as he whinnied at Adrien causing the blond to smile brightly.

“You may have those newbs fooled, but I know you foul creature. Prepare to be returned to whence you came.” Kelvin yelled.

“You shall pay, you big meanie.” Kaelyn screamed before she kicked her leg to cue Adrien to attack.  Adrien gracefully took the foot to his face before charging at Jon. The two danced slowly around each other, giving the children on their heads time to clash the swords. Marinette giggled at the antics, catching Kelvin’s attention.

“Kaelyn?” Kelvin said as he lightly pulled Jon’s hair to get him to face his sister. “Perhaps we should join forces and rid this land of it’s true evil.”

He pulled harder on Jon’s hair causing his head to whip in the direction of Marinette. The humor on her face dropped immediately as if it hadn’t even been there in the first place. She slowly stepped back increasing the space between her and the swords.

“Oh, woes is me. The shocking betrayal. What shall I do?” She pleaded.

“Charrrggeee.” Kaelyn screamed from atop Adrien’s head, pointing her sword at their newest target. Marinette spun on her heels and didn’t even make it two steps before she was knocked back onto her butt. She lifted her hip to rub at the tender part while her head slowly lifted to take in the large form that had knocked her down.

Jon chuckled as he knew her eyes were likely bulging, as was the typical response when people first met the daunting figure before them.

“Hey Dad.”

Chapter Text

‘Like a Virgin,’ was blasting on the other side of the door as Adrien approached his destination. His fist hesitated before connecting with the door as a shrill voice was heard accompanying the song on the other side. He laughed to himself as he imagined Mari's pained reaction to Lila’s interpretation of a cat’s late-night serenade.

He finally knocked on the door, which swung open almost immediately. As if the person who opened it was hoping and praying for something or someone to intercede. As he expected, Mari looked halfway from murdering someone. Her entire face was scrunched in obvious pain as she rushed out of the room. She slammed the door shut behind her, bracing her body against the door, looking as if she was keeping a monster locked on the other side. Admittedly, Adrien felt it to be a fair assessment.

“She has had that song on repeat since I got back.” Mari kicked away from the door and headed down the hallway towards Luka and Adrien’s room, “I use to like that song, but now it will be too soon if I hear it again.”

“Not sure why she would be singing that song, we all know she’s anything but.” Adrien said off handedly.

Mari stopped dead in her tracks and turned to look at him with a playful smirk. “You know what that song is about, right Kitty?”

“Losing one’s virginity?” Adrien questioned. “Right?” He was sure based on her facial expression this was another pop culture question that he had answered wrong.

“Oh, you poor, sweet, innocent soul. Bless your heart.” Marinette said as she shook her head, her smile unwavering.

They passed several more rooms before Mari stopped and rested her hip on the wall beside Adrien’s door.

“I’m not the only innocent soul here, Mari.” Adrien inserted his key card and pushed open the heavy door, stepping to the side to allow her to enter the room first.

“Right.” Mari said in an uncertain tone, as she moved past him into the empty room. “Where’s Luka?”

“In Chloe and Kagami’s room. Chloe didn’t want to wait for us to return before getting ready. So, she insisted that Luka join them so she could dress him.” Marinette nodded her head, opening her purse to allow Tikki to fly out.

Adrien walked to the bed, opening his own shirt for Plagg to join. He sat on the edge of the bed to watch Mari do her make up on the floor in front of the tall mirror affixed to the closet. She was so wrapped up in getting her make-up out, that he was left to ponder his thoughts.

“Do you think we might be able to stay in Gotham?” Adrien inquired as he absentmindedly kicked his legs over the bed.

“What do you mean Kitty?” Mari asked as she finished applying her moisturizer and primer before picking up the foundation and working on applying it.

“I mean,” -he stopped kicking his legs and sat perfectly still on the bed- “do you think that maybe Ladybug and Chat Noir might be needed in either Gotham or maybe Metropolis once we graduate? We’ve both applied and been accepted, so it wouldn’t be hard to manage.”

Mari paused and turned to look at Adrien with the foundation brush pausing mid-stipple, the bristles still pushed into her cheek. “Is this about Kelvin and Kaelyn or maybe someone else?”

Both Tikki and Plagg took interest in the conversation and came to rest on the nightstand, watching the interaction between their chosen.

Adrien blushed slightly. “All of the above. I love the kids like they’re my flesh and blood and it’s a nice bonus that Jon’s become a good friend too.”

“Oh, does someone have a crush?” She smirked as she returned to blending her foundation.

“No, he’s just a good friend.” Sure, he was cute, and he and Adrien were getting along well, but Jon could never be considered anything else when there was Marinette…. Right?

“Adrien…” she finished applying her foundation before putting it down and standing to move over to the bed. She carefully sat down beside him, doing her best to not disturb him too much. “We’ve been friends for a long time, right?”

“Yes.” He looked into her blue eyes and she smiled sweetly in return.

She grabbed his hands, encompassing them with her own. “I think I can say that I am one of the only people that can read you like a book. I know that ‘just a friend’ translates to; ‘I have feelings for someone, but I think I still like someone else, so I’m not ready to admit I’ve moved on.”

Adrien was taken aback, how could she possibly think that he liked someone more than her? That he was over her? “That’s not true Bug, I love you.” Words he hadn’t said to her in some time, at least not with the same meaning.

Marinette chuckled and then sighed as she looked away. Taking a deep breath before she returned her gaze, reflecting her ‘Ladybug’ determination. “Adrien, I love you too. I know that you are holding on to your feelings for me and they are causing you to ignore your feelings for Jon. Worst of all, you’re ignoring the fact that he feels the same way.”

“Mari how could I possibly try anything with Jon if you love me too. I know we may not be emotionally ready for a relationship right now, but I can’t move on knowing that I love you and you love me.”

Marinette slumped her shoulders in defeat and both Plagg and Tikki came to float, equally dejected, by their chosen.

“What’s going on?” Adrien looked between the three, certain that they all knew something that he didn’t.

“I love you Adrien, I always will, but like a brother. If you really searched your heart you know you feel the same way about me.”

“You’re too scared that if you’re not in a relationship with her that she’ll walk away, Kid.” His kwami lightly patted his cheek. “She won’t though, you will always have a relationship I’m sure of it, just not romantically.”

“I don’t want you to not take a chance on a great guy because you’re holding out on to a chance with me.” She took a grounding breath with her eye’s closed. “Even if I’m wrong and you do have romantic feelings for me,” -her eyes opened and she looked right at him- “that chance will never happen, Adrien, because…because I’m married.”

It felt like a movie, where the camera zooms out just to immediately zoom back in on the stunned expression of the protagonist. The words were spoken but not comprehended, it took a good amount of time before a single thought was processed again. Had he heard her right? How was it possible?

“What do you mean you’re married?” Adrien felt lost, any form of confirmation would fracture his heart, surely. She was wrong after all, he loved her in every way, yes platonically but also romantically. The strongest relationships were made when both loves existed.

“The Order didn’t kidnap me to say hello. They kidnapped me to use me as a pawn for an alliance with a powerful organization. I was married off to the heir of that organization in exchange for protection for both the Order and the Miraculous.”

Adrien jumped from the bed and began to pace the room. How could someone as powerful and smart be trapped to do something against her will. How could someone as special as Marinette have her ability to choose a relationship, taken away?

He stopped pacing and threw himself onto his knees in front of Mari, he grabbed both of her hands and squeezed them lightly as they rested in her lap. Instead of the pain he thought he would feel, he felt concern. He wasn’t heartbroken for himself, but for his best friend. “It can’t be legal.”

She tilted her head and gave him a grateful smile. “Sure, it’s not recognized in France, but magically its binding. We consummated the marriage so my understanding is nothing but death can absolve it.”

She didn’t look sad, just resigned.

“Oh Kwamis Mari. Is this what’s been weighing on your mind.” Adrien ran his hands through his hair multiple times, “Who is he? Why haven’t I met him? Do you even like him?”

“It’s a part of what’s been bothering me. I’ve really tried not to think too much about it, because I don’t know who he really is or where he is.” She shrugged her shoulders casually, as if those two facts didn’t bother her. “He seemed like a good person, but a month ago was the first and last time I saw him. I’m not sure anymore if I really liked him and trusted him or if it was just the situation that made me feel that way.”

“Excuse my English, but…what the fuck?” Adrien jumped to his feet once again, standing in an unnecessary battle stance, ready to fight Mari’s husband.  

“Adrien please don’t worry, the morning after our wedding he returned home, and I did as well. Both orders are allowing us to continue living our lives for the time being and that’s what I intend to do. I don’t know who he is, and I don’t have time to focus on trying to figure it out. I’ve come to terms with it. It was a great fucking night and right now that’s all it was.” She stood beside him and gripped both of his shoulders, shuffling both of their bodies back to the edge of the bed. When his knees hit, she applied more pressure to his shoulders causing him to sit back on the bed.

“Besides, my problem, that has no immediate resolution, is not the focus of tonight. Tonight, we need to talk about how you’re going to finally act on a crush that you have on someone who is very clearly reciprocating your feelings.”

Adrien tried his best to glare at her, but he couldn’t, she was right after all. He was denying the obvious. Just like he had denied his feelings for Marinette by using his feelings for Ladybug.  Adrien wasn’t upset that Marinette was married because it took away his chance with her, it was quite the resounding realization. He was upset because it took away her chance with anyone else she might love.

Jon was hot and cute, wrapped in the same package. He was so great with kids, if today was any indication.  Jon was making this week one of the best in recent memory. Not Marinette, but Jon. He couldn’t deny it any longer, Jon had slowly been pushing Mari out of the top spot in his heart.

“How can I start something if we’re only here for another two weeks?” Adrien asked feeling slightly defeated by the unfortunate realization, just as he had come to terms with his feelings.

Mari brightly smiled down at him. “You were the one to point out that maybe Gotham or Metropolis could use something miraculous.”

Jon watched as Damian struggled with selecting an outfit for the evening. He held a black v-neck shirt up to his chest, before scoffing and switching it with an almost identical shirt only with long sleeves. He growled in frustration before flinging both shirts onto his bed and then himself, face first.

Jon giggled at his friend’s over the top antics. The behavior was not common for the son of Batman, but then again neither was the fact that he was even considering going to a club in the first place.

Damian pressed his head into the bed to muffle a loud yell, before flipping himself gracelessly onto his back. “I have nothing to wear.”

Jon straight up laughed at Damian’s dramatics. “Both of the shirts you just threw on the bed seemed fine with me. Why do you care so much?”

He was genuinely shocked that Damian was even considering going to this optional part of the conference. Dick had called on the Teen Titan’s to come so that they might talk Damian into going, but in the end it hadn’t been necessary. Damian didn’t need any convincing because he wanted to go. It had been obvious all week, Damian was becoming infatuated with one, Marinette Dupain-Cheng and he would go, so he could spend more time with her.

He just hoped that whatever had happened between him and Marinette yesterday, could be worked out. Jon rather enjoyed seeing his best friend, dare he say, smitten. It made him appear more human, which was saying a lot coming from a half-alien.

“Damian, what’s going on with you and Marinette?” Jon tried to ask as casually as possible.

“I do not know what you are implying, Jon.” Damian sat up on his bed but did not turn to look at him.

“I bet you don’t, I bet you haven’t noticed that your heart rate speeds up when you’re around her, that your focus is on her and no one else… and those puppy dog eyes.” Jon fluttered his eyelashes and smiled dreamily to the side, in a dramatic imitation of his friend.

“I do not do puppy dog eyes.” Damian sneered.

“True, but you didn’t say you didn’t do the other things.” Jon smirked as Damian’s mouth hung open. Damian quickly composed himself and closed his mouth tightly causing his teeth to grind.

“It does not matter what my feelings towards her are. I am married and despite anything that I might be feeling towards Marinette, that fact will not change.” Damian stood up and walked to his window.

He looked dejected as he leaned the right side of his body against the wall, his arm raised beside his head holding most of his body’s weight as he gazed down onto the gardens below. Jon felt his heart go out to him. He looked so much like his father at that moment; other than the obvious genetic similarities, the way his shoulders looked burdened by the weight of the world. It might have been more accurate to say that his heart was burdened and not his shoulders.

If it were not for his super hearing, Jon would have missed Damian’s statement. “Besides, she is mad at me for some reason.”

“Do you know why she’s mad?” He came to stand on the other side of the window, looking out as well. He crossed his arms as he also leaned his body against the wall. Taking in the waxing moon as it lit the expansive Wayne’s grounds. It looked so serene, a stark contrast to the state of his best friend.

Damian huffed and placed his back against the wall before lightly slamming the back of his head. “We were fine, then I told her I was Damian Wayne, which to be honest I thought she knew. She started yelling at me about flirting with her when I was already taken.” He finally turned to look at Jon. “I did not honestly know I had been flirting, I mean yes, I am attracted to her, but going as far as to flirt with her.... What would ever give her the impression I was flirting? Damian Wayne does not flirt. Not to mention, how does she know I am taken?”

Jon laughed, a side splitting, bending over laugh, over his friend’s rambling. “First…” -he tried to soften his laughter- “don’t refer to yourself in third person. Second, you honestly didn’t know you were flirting? Damian!” He swallowed, taking a second to control himself and smiling brightly and in knowing way. “You started flirting with her during the dodgeball game and haven’t stopped since.”

Damian looked away, “Tt, I was not…Why is it when I am finally attracted to someone, I am unavailable?” Damian threw his head against the wall again. The thud was quite loud, and it must have hurt as Damian winced slightly.

“You could always have Raven remove the magic binding you two and then go after Marinette.” Jon suggested, mirroring the same position as Damian against the wall on the other side of the window.

“I cannot!”

“Sure you can, Damian.” Jon looked up at the ceiling.

“Okay, maybe it’s better to say I do not want to. I am attracted to Ladybug as well. I could not pick right now, but I would not want to betray my wife over this temporary infatuation.” He sighed heavily. “It is so frustrating.” He slammed his right fist into the wall behind him.

Jon moved to stand in front of Damian, placing his hands on his shoulder. Damian raised his gaze to look at him. Jon could see the honest conflict of emotions, and despite the unfortunate situation, it was nice to see real emotions expressed by his usually stoic best friend.

“You don’t have to decide today. Maybe you’ll come to find out that Ladybug and Marinette are the same person. After all, they’re both from Paris and apparently both can kick ass.”

“This is not a Hallmark Movie, Jon. That would be far too cliché and my life is not a love story. People are not so lucky in real life.”

Jon snickered again. “Even in horror and action movies there is usually a happy ending to the love story.”

“Not sure which movies you’ve been watching.” Damian looked him dead in the eyes. “Most of the one’s I watch the love interest gets eaten by a zombie.”

Chapter Text

There was a sense of freedom in unburdening one’s troubles to their best friend, and Damian felt foolish for not realizing it sooner in life.

His developing feelings for Marinette had been weighing him down. He hated to recount his time with Ladybug as an obligation, a duty, but it started to feel that way as Marinette began to creep into his thoughts and maybe even his heart, in her stead. Marinette's face had begun to replace the mask in his memories and dreams, and he felt horrible for waking up to a reminder of Marinette and not his wife.

More than a month into his marriage and he felt as if he was cheating in every way but physically.

He had not seen Ladybug for over a month and knew her for less than twenty-four hours. How could he be confident of genuine feelings for her. Perhaps he had only been kidding himself when he refused to use the term duty to describe his attachment for her when talking with his mother. He could not help but feel the word might best describe his current feelings for her. Especially when there was someone currently present in his life who he was genuinely attracted to. An attraction that he knew was growing each time he saw and hung out with her. An attraction he could probably describe as ‘real.’

He needed to resolve his feelings and he knew it could only happen if he was able to explore them with the people involved. Since one of his subjects was currently out of reach, he would have to go with the one he could observe.  Accomplishing that would start with finding her tonight and rectifying the misunderstanding there was yesterday at coffee.

An empty W.E. warehouse had been transformed into a club for the evening. A large podium was constructed on the far wall with a DJ booth. Lasers stood beside the booth shooting out beams in varying directions as if dancing to the beat of the music. The room was mostly dark aside from the lasers and the spotlights swinging in random directions, casting light on small groups of party goers dancing in the center of the room before shifting to the next.

Against the walls were small booths for friends to congregate when they needed a break from dancing or to hold conversations as they drank one of the free ‘drinks’ from the bars. On both sides of the warehouse a long bar had been constructed to offer an array of alcohol-free drinks. If Damian had to take a guess, the metal flasks he had seen taken from the pockets of his peers, were transforming those drinks into something a bit lot stronger.

The bass of the music had the walls vibrating, and Damian could tell that the volume was annoying Jon as he winced when the beat dropped. Jon was choosing to ignore his discomfort as he anxiously scanned the crowd. The prospect of getting to spend the night with a certain someone was probably preventing him from asking to go.

He walked quietly beside Jon as they passed through the club. Roth stood in front of them looking back frequently despite what he assumed was her best attempt to go unnoticed. In front of her, Logan and Reyes were joking around, trying to trip the other as they walked. Stone was unable to attend, as incognito was not something he could easily achieve.

The group of friends made their way to one of the empty booths. Jon moved in first followed closely by Damian. Reyes attempted to move in next but was stopped when Roth hip checked him. Logan followed her closely giving Reyes a sympathetic glance as he was forced to sit on the end.

There were a fair number of teenagers at the party already, but it was still a little too early for a major crowd to have formed. Damian looked out to the dance floor making sure he had not somehow missed Marinette in the small crowd earlier.

Having misread his intent, Roth placed her hand on his thigh. Damian flinched at the abrupt contact which led to Roth immediately removing her hand and place it close to her chest as if it had been burned. “Sorry. I just thought that maybe you wanted to dance with the way that you were looking out at the floor.”

“No. I was just observing the spectacle.” Damian said dismissively as he returned his gaze to the dancers.

“Are you sure you don’t wish to join them.” She inched closer to him and had he turned around to look at her, they would have been far too close for comfort.

“No, I prefer to watch.” Roth hummed in response before turning to Logan and whispering in his ear.

Logan motioned Reyes to stand as he shifted out of the booth and took Roth’s hand to help guide her out. They moved swiftly into the sea of dancing bodies, expertly dodging flailing elbows and hips that carelessly darted in and out of their way. Continuing to move with the throng until they were mixed along with the dancers yet still visible to the booth, they finally stopped to begin moving with the music together.

The action had kept Damian’s attention, something that Roth seemed quite pleased with. She smirked in Damian’s direction as she moved to settle her hips between Logan’s hands. It was an awkward display that Damian had limited experience with, Roth swaying her hip with the beat of the music as Logan gripped her tightly. Her back was pressed against him and yet her eyes still sought contact with Damian. She was biting her lower lip as her head tilted back to rest against Logan’s shoulder. Damian was observing the spectacle in disgust, but it appeared to do nothing to dissuade her and Logan’s behavior.

“Could she be any more obvious.” He heard Jon say beside him. He turned his attention from the dance floor to look at his best friend.

“I did not know that her and Logan had a thing.” He cringed at his word choice but did not know how to describe…that.

“Garfield wishes they did, but they don’t. Rachel has a thing for you.” Reyes came to sit closer to Jon as he joined the conversation.

Damian looked at him in shock and quickly turned his head to look at Roth again. She was still dancing with Logan, but her facial expression suggested she was not enjoying it as much as before. When she caught him looking again, a smile reappeared, and she took Logan’s hands and lifted them as she moved her body lower against his.

Damian turned away again to look at Jon. “How did I miss it?”

“Hell if I know. She may not throw herself like the girls at the galas, but she hasn’t been very subtle lately.” Jon and Reyes chuckled. Jon opened his mouth to continue but something around Damian’s shoulder drew his attention.

“Hey.” Jon waved and Damian turned to find Agreste approaching with Marinette slightly behind him.

“Una chica muy guapa.” Reyes whispered to the occupants of the booth and Damian had a strong urge to punch him in the face.

“Hey Jon. Hey Damian.” Agreste said as he finally made it to the table. He looked around and noticed Reyes before he held out his hand. “Hey, I’m Adrien, this is my best friend Marinette.

Reyes returned the gesture and shook hands with Agreste. “Jamie.”

He then moved out of the booth and past Agreste to extend his hand to Marinette. When she placed her hand in his, instead of shaking it he turned it over and leaned down to press a delicate kiss to the back of it. Her eyes bulged and she swiftly removed her hand.

“Nice to meet you Jamie, Marinette.” She pointed to herself before discreetly wiping the back of her hand against her pants, causing Damian’s lips to rise slightly.

As she moved to stand beside Agreste, he could finally take in her entire outfit and Reyes’ words came short in describing how she looked. Her hair was straightened falling well past her shoulders, the crown of her hair was pulled up into a small high pony with three small braids. She wore a thin strapped crop top that could be best described as a bra with some extra fabric, the way it clung to the curves of her body. Made from a champagne gold lace with strategically placed crystals to go accentuate the pattern, it drew all the attention to her chest as they sparkled against the strobing club lights. She wore a pair of black pleather pants that stopped right above her belly button leaving a small amount of exposed skin below her shirt. The pants ended above her ankles were the fabric pooled slightly before meeting a pair of black gladiator sandals.

Unfortunately, Reyes took advantage of Damian’s inability to reboot from the sight and asked Marinette if she wanted to join him on the dance floor. Before he knew it, he was alone at the table as Jon was dancing with Agreste and Marinette with Reyes.  

Jon and Agreste faced each other as they danced, awkwardly moving around each other but doing so with blissful smiles on their face. Lost in their own world they ignored the beat in favor of matching the other’s movement and rhythm.

Beside them Reyes’ spun Marinette around, she threw her head back releasing a series of carefree giggles. Reyes guided her back to a solid embrace against his body, but she moved slightly to push away from him and maintain an appropriate distance.

Damian knew Reyes was not being aggressive and had in fact backed off from her, yet it didn’t stop him from standing. Intending on intervening and removing her from the rather uncomfortable looking situation. His movement towards her was hindered when Roth blocked his path, leaving Logan to dance alone. Logan’s expression could not be described as anything other than pissed as he angerly departed to the bar. Leaving Damian to entertain whatever Roth had planned.

“I thought that you wanted to observe?” Roth placed her hand onto his bicep, and without waiting for a response dragged him closer to their friends.

She spun him around when they finally reached them causing his back to face Marinette. In front of him Roth moved in a way that mimicked most of the females in the room. What he figured she thought was a seductive dance with her eyes never losing sight of him. His eyes however, were trying to look behind his shoulder to see Marinette.

With a clear disadvantage to observe his target, he looked around to find a solution that would not draw attention to his intent. He grabbed Roth’s wrist and wrapped it around her torso as he moved his body to cradle her back, his arm linked with hers around her torso. They were in a very intimate position but as he lowered his head to her shoulder, he was able to gaze upon Marinette and Reyes without appearing like he was staring.

Roth purred softly in the position, her hips continuously attempting to press further back into him, but Damian was able to maintain ample space between them, so that only his chest rested against her back.

The music changed and a more Latin flavored song began to reverberate around the warehouse. Reyes squealed in excitement and whispered something into Marinette’s ears. She nodded enthusiastically, before grabbing his outstretched hand.

Their movements started out basic, both getting a feel of the other as they moved in sync one direction before switching to the other. The beat of the music suddenly picked up. Reyes let go of Marinette’s right hand to place his hand behind her waist, guiding her into a small turn that had them switching places. He brought her arm up to have her spin around once, before performing some fancy footwork and spinning her back in. At this point Marinette loosened up and her body began to swing in step with the music as she closed her eyes and let Reyes take her away.

Reyes continued to flawlessly guide her. A series of spins had her gripping him in various positions as he changed the way she moved around his body. At times she moved her body away from him holding only onto his arm as she rolled her hips and flicked her legs in a seductive fashion before she was drawn back into their original embrace.  

Damian couldn’t help but imagine her hips moving in front of him. He would capture them just in front of him as she ground against him. He wished her hands which were currently caressing her own body as she moved around Reyes, were his own. His imagination was so carried away, he swore he could feel her hand now grasping his arms, as her hips pushed into his groin.

Shaking himself out of the thought before his body had time to react, he discovered the exact movements he had felt were not his imagination, but Roth.

Reyes pushed Marinette out and her body was now open to Damian, her eyes locked with his. Her smile from the dance shifted and in her eyes he saw disgust as she looked at him and Roth’s compromising position. Roth was still grinding on him and he knew that his face still held the lust and desire he had been feeling toward Marinette.

Reyes attempted to rewind her back to him, but her legs did not move causing him to stumble. The world seemed to stand still for the two seconds as she stared Damian down, before quickly shifting back into focus as she released Reyes hand and stormed away.

Reyes stood shocked momentarily before attempting to move to intercept her departure. Damian unceremoniously pushed Roth into his path, causing the two to collide, giving Damian the opportunity to intercept in his stead.

The crowd had picked up since their initial arrival and Damian struggled to weave around as he followed the path Marinette had taken.

Ahead he saw Luka and Chloe dancing beside Kagami. He knew that Marinette was most likely making her way towards them, so he moved in their direction instead of following her.

When he made contact, she spun around to face him as he lightly pulled her back towards him by her shoulders. Her face displayed her shock at the abrupt change of direction before morphing into anger.

“Marinette, why are you mad at me?”

“Isn’t it Dupain-Cheng?” She smirked at him with a fair amount of annoyance behind it. “I’m not mad, I just don’t choose to hang out with someone who likes to lead people on.” She casually shrugged her shoulders.  “I thought for maybe a second that I had overreacted yesterday, but now we’re at a dance and your girlfriend is here but your too busy grinding on another girl. At least now I know it wasn’t just me. Although I’m not really sure if that makes me feel better or not. I now know it wasn’t Lila directing you, but at the same time it takes away the chance that you were genuinely interested. Not that I should care at all.”

Damian dropped his hands from her shoulders and looked at her dumbfounded. “Marinette, I don’t have a girlfriend.” I have a wife went unsaid. “Who is this Lila you keep mentioning?”

The anger she carried was dropped immediately, confusion taking its place. She looked to the ground as she nibbled lightly on her bottom lip. She suddenly looked up at the ceiling and closed her eyes. She pushed out a deep breath and he could see her tongue behind her lips pressing against her front teeth.

Lowering her head to eye level, she opened her eyes. He was expecting her to look apologetic, instead she looked panicked. “I’m sorry…fucking Lila. She finally got me to believe one of her lies. I should have known that there was no way she could bag Damian Fucking Wayne. Then of course I took it out on you. You must think that I am a horrible person. I’m over here judging you for being a playboy when you have every right to dance with whoever you want. I even nicknamed you Damian Fucking Wayne. I am going to get kicked out of the conference. Your father is going to make sure that I never get hired anywhere. My reputation will be tarnished. And I will end up working as a sign twirler for the rest of my life” She deflated as she ran out of steam. Her shoulders hunched and the confidence that he had always seen coming from her seemed snuffed out. “I’m just going to go before I get myself in any more trouble.”

She abruptly turned on her heels and made her way back into the crowd before Damian had time to react.

“Marinette! Wait!” Damian tried, but she was already lost among the numbers.  

Chapter Text

Dancing with Jamie had been fun. When he asked if she knew how to salsa, she was excited to have a partner that promised to keep up. It had been a long while since she had taken lessons with Chloe for fun and nothing could top an unchoreographed dance routine. But the joy felt shortly lived when she spun out and finally looked out past her partner.

Damian had been looking right at her, which made her legs go weak at the knees. His body though was wrapped around a girl she had not seen before. She was pretty, her hair in loose waves down to just below her chin. The color reminiscent of Juleka’s, mostly black highlighted in violet, her eyes mesmerizing in a similar shade to her hair. She looked comfortable in Damian’s arms as she rubbed herself against him, and it stung to see Damian’s eyes filled with lust and desire. It was stupid for her to feel that way, she was bound to another and there could never be anyone else. Magic made sure of that.

The jealousy made her run. When he caught up with her, she couldn’t yell that she was jealous that he was with someone else. So, she yelled about leading her and this other girl on.

Just to find out she was wrong, well about him dating Lila. Not her jealousy.

There was no way that Marinette was ever going to be able to look Damian in the eyes again. She had messed up big time. She had fallen for one of Lila’s lies. It didn’t matter that Lila had pulled all the stops to try and make the lie as believable as possible, she should have known. Because the limos were just too over the top for Damian. And no one calls morning, noon, and night to hold an hour-long conversation each time. She was smarter than this, and yet she fell.

Even worse she had then judge Damian so quickly without even thinking. If she had just thought for a second, she would have known that he was nothing like the man Lila was presenting. While it could have been a sick joke between him and Lila, there was no way that Jon wouldn’t have noticed that something was off. That should have been the red flag that told her, Lila lied.

But then she went as far as to hold a grudge for flirting when he was involved with someone else. She was such a hypocrite, sitting here doing the exact same thing. Worse yet, she was married.

She felt like she was suffocating, she needed to get out of the club and breath some fresh air.  

She came up to Luka and Chloe dancing together. Luka was nestled in Chloe’s shoulder, his head tilted forward his eyes closed, while Chloe held the opposite position with her head up. They swayed and ground to the music, lost in the feeling of each other.

Equally lost was Kagami, dancing with herself just beside the couple. If anyone had said Kagami was capable of such a spectacle some years ago, she would have laughed in their face. But since turning eighteen, it had become a common occurrence for the heiress. 

She approached quietly so as not to disturb the dancing couple. As expected she did not go unnoticed by the previous dragon, neither did her state.

“What’s wrong Mari?” Kagami wrapped her in an awkward hug, physical comfort was still not her forte.

“I just need to get out of here, I’ve embarrassed myself enough for the evening.”

“Knowing you Mari, there are many more ways you could embarrass yourself. No one would think less of you if you did. But I have no issue with leaving, so I will accompany.”

“Thank you, Kagami.” Marinette smiled brightly at her friend.

Another hand was lightly placed on her shoulder. Turning her head to look behind, she found Luka with his arm around Chloe’s waist. “We’ll come too.” 

“No. Chloe and you need to have fun. Kagami and I will be able to take care of ourselves.” She winked at him, she and Kagami had more than enough skill outside of magical suits to manage.

“They haven’t started the shuttles back to the hotel, can you at least wait till they start so we don’t have to worry?” Marinette rolled her eyes and glared at the musician.

“How about I ask Adrien if he’ll come?” She crossed her arms over her chest and jutted out her hip. He might be unwilling to relent on just the two of them leaving the club, but would if he knew that Adrien would accompany them.

He paused slightly, pondering her solution. “Deal.”

She pumped her arm in the air. “Great. Love you two. Have fun and don’t do too much more than I would.” She grabbed Kagami’s hand and dragged her in the opposite direction of the door, trying to rush before Damian had a chance to catch up with her again.

As soon as they were lost in the crowd, she abruptly changed their direction and headed back towards the exit.

“Are we not going to grab Adrien?” Kagami pondered aloud.

“Hell no, he’s having fun with Jon. We’ll be fine without him.”

“You lied to Luka?” Marinette stopped dead in her tracks and turned to face Kagami. She had expected to see disappointment from her friend, but instead Kagami had an amused expression. Marinette nodded her head, trying her best to not look as guilty as she felt for being caught doing the one thing she hated.

Kagami shook her head and rolled her eyes. “Come on, it has been a while since we’ve hung out just the two of us.” She linked her arm with Marinette and pulled her towards the exit.

When they were no more than a few paces away, a hand grabbed hold of Marinette’s forearm preventing further movement. She whipped her head towards the person who had stopped them only to find the one person that she had not wanted to see at that moment.

“You two wouldn’t happen to be trying to find your way back to the hotel?” Lila asked innocently. Alya was standing slightly behind her, her arm linked with the manipulative brunette’s.

“We are.” Kagami answered for the stunned Marinette.

“Would you mind if we join you. Damian couldn’t make it, so we really don’t see a need to remain. But we need a group to go with since the busses aren’t running back to the hotel yet.” Lila lied.

“Really? Because I saw Damian grinding with another girl just over there not too long ago.” Marinette seethed as she pointed in the general direction she had left him. 

Alya looked offended for Lila, whereas Lila looked like a deer caught in headlights. “Oh my god, Lila. I’m so sorry.” Alya unlinked their arms and gathered Lila into a strong embrace. “I’m sure it doesn’t mean anything. He would be an idiot to cheat on you.”

Lila finally wrapped her mind around what had been said and sent a glare in Marinette’s direction. Not even trying to hide it from Kagami. When Alya pulled away from the hug, Lila pulled out the fake tears and scrunched her face into an expression that might reflect some Hollywood silver screen interpretation of heartbreak.

“Come on, girl. Now there is really no reason for us to stay here.” Alya grabbed Lila’s hand and pulled her out of the warehouse.

Kagami and Marinette followed shortly behind, rolling their eyes at their bad luck in having to be accompanied by the other two. Lila stormed down a random street, increasing the distance between the pairs. Marinette knew it was the wrong way, but Lila continued despite her protest, keeping Alya in tow by using her recent ‘heartache’ as an excuse to ignore the pleas.

Kagami stopped and pulled Marinette back slightly, forcing her way into her line of sight. “Mari, that is the wrong direction, it would be dangerous for us to follow her and go that way. Especially with the spectacle she is currently performing, it is bound to draw attention.”

If it had been anyone else watching Lila walk in the wrong direction, they would have probably let her continue to walk alone. Gotham was not a place to walk down a street at night without a death wish or combat skills. But Marinette was a hero, and in Gotham, even Batman sent his enemies to prison and not the morgue.

The bass of the music was unfortunately causing a slight headache, but Jon could easily ignore the pain in lieu of the joy in his heart. Adrien was dancing with him and he was dancing with Adrien.

Jon had several crushes through his life, in fact, at one point he had hoped that Damian would return his affections. But he was glad he hadn’t. Damian was his best friend and he knew that their love was nothing more than platonic.

He hoped that he wasn’t reading the signs wrong when he and Adrien had started off dancing close to each other but not touching. At some point, when watching the impromptu dance performance by Marinette and Jamie, their hands had subconsciously intertwined and slowly their bodies followed suit.

He was in heaven as he looked into spring green eyes, that looked back at him with admiration and longing. The moment was shattered when a pointed finger stabbed into his shoulder muscle, causing his head to look away from Adrien.

Damian stood before him, looking slightly flustered. Jon’s good mood dropped as he took in the state of his best friend. “Damian? What’s wrong?”

“She thought I was attached to someone named Lila. I of course denied it. But then she started rambling to a point I could not follow and abruptly ran off.” While his body and face were in Jon’s direction, he had been looking past him. Damian’s irises retracting, were the only sign of his focus returning to Jon. “What do I do?”

“We get out of here and talk about what happened and how to fix it.” Jon was disappointed that his crush suggest they leave what had originally promised to be an exciting night. But he appreciated him even more for being willing to not only allow Jon to be there for Damian, but offer his own support as well.

Adrien placed his hand on Damian’s shoulder spinning him around and pointing him towards the exit. Pushing him slightly in order to get him moving, his hand acted as the guide Damian sought. To Jon’s surprise Damian did not retreat from the physical touch, instead seemed to slightly lean into the friendly display. If he didn’t know better, he would say that Damian had truly allowed himself to make another real friend.

As Adrien moved, he grabbed his hand and began to pull him. Jon looked at the hand that had grasped his. It was strong, determined, resolute and yet tender. The small gesture, Jon felt, was an indication of just how his feelings might be reciprocated.

It could be dangerous of him to make such an assumption, dangerous for his heart at least. But, hopefully before the end of the night they would be able to figure out what was going on between Damian and Marinette and more so, what could happen between him and Adrien.

When the ‘lovely’ smell of intercity Gotham, hit his senses, Jon became aware of the presence of several of the Batclan above. He was unable to focus on them as Adrien once again grabbed his hand. Jon looked at his face with a little bit of amazement and shock, Adrien smirked and squeezed his hand. Jon’s smile that he realized had barely left his face all night, brightened. It all felt so right.

They all walked in comforting silence, as they made their way further from the club. Damian seemed to have relaxed, but Jon knew that he was still uneasy and what had been bothering him needed to be addressed. “Damian, what did Marinette say?”

It wasn’t Damian who replied, if replied could even be the right word to describe what happened next. Adrien began to cough uncontrollably before racing between two metal trashcans and retching his stomach’s contents.

“Oh my gosh Adrien, are you alright?” Jon put one hand on Adrien’s shoulder while the second drew small circles on his back.

“Yea, sorry I don’t know what happened. I haven’t been feeling great all week. It just suddenly got worse, and I couldn’t hold it in any longer.”

“You haven’t been feeling well all week? We could have left earlier if you weren’t feeling well.” He placed his hand on Adrien's back drawing small circles hoping it offered comfort.

“No, it’s nothing, just an annoying headache that won’t go away. I just had a weird feeling that we were being followed and then a sudden urge to be sick.  It’s gone already.” 

Both Jon and Damian looked at each other, both not convinced by Adrien’s explanation. They were stopped from further interrogation by Red Robin and Red Hood dropping from the roof to stand right in front of the three friends.

 Alya and Lila disappeared around their fifth alley just as Kagami and Marinette were about to catch up to them. Marinette looked over at Kagami to catch the other girl rolling her eyes. She couldn’t blame her; it was starting to get ridiculous how much they were having to chase the other two girls.

Two girls who seemed determined to stay just out of reach and ignore their protesting. But Marinette and Kagami thought it prudent to refrain from yelling at the two so as not to draw unwanted attention.

As they turned the corner however, it became apparent that they had failed. Perhaps their friends where right about her bad luck and landing herself in bad situations. In front of her stood Lila and Alya restrained by two men as they thrashed in an attempt to free themselves. Around them stood at least ten additional men each armed with a cattle prodder.

Marinette was contemplating the pros and cons of turning tail and running off to transform. Burley men attacking her and Adrien as civilians, was one thing. Well, no it was still stupid. But, at the time it couldn’t be helped, as her better gauge on smart moves was altered by fear toxin. But twelve men with the ability to electrocute her and three civilians…these traffickers had the upper hand.

Two of the three girls with her, had fought beside her before, but Lila was perfectly useless. Perhaps if Lila asked them to let her go, they would be compelled or something like that. But even Marinette wasn’t that lucky.

From her purse she felt Tikki pressing into her side, a comforting reassurance that she would be okay. Better than most girls who would find themselves in this situation. A thought had her distracted as the first prod made its way towards her abdomen. She barely dodged it as the thought re-appeared in her mind. It was stupid and she would never hear the end of it, but perhaps she had always misinterpreted her luck.

Tikki told her as the Kaiduan of Creation she possessed unlimited amounts of good luck. But she always questioned that. After all, she had to deal with Lila, she was in a love square with herself for a good year, and she constantly found herself in situations like her current one. How could that ever be interpreted as good luck?

She dodged a second man’s prod by moving her head to the right slightly, before punching him in the gut causing his prod to clank to the ground.

A plan formed in her head.

Step one, give the other three a chance to escape and have them tuck tail and run. Step two, allow these bastards to capture her. Step three, give those victims already in their custody a chance to escape. Step four, transform and make sure the men could never subject another child to the horrors of the trafficking network.

She finally understood her good luck wasn’t for herself, her luck put herself in a position to help others… and that was just what she was going to do.

Chapter Text

When superheroes first appeared on the global stage, most people thought they were a new phenomenon. Yet heroes were as old as time. Only the early heroes weren’t quite as flashy as modern ones. They fought in the shadows, out of the public domain, the knowledge of their existence never reaching beyond the whispers on the wind.

One set of heroes that still stuck to the shadows were Batman and his team. Everyone knew about them and were at least familiar with the name of some of the heroes that tended to run in the same circles. Yet, the image that the media tended to paint of these vigilantes, as pictures were grainy at best, did not do justice to the men that were currently standing before Adrien.

As Chat Noir he had come in contact with a countless number of villains, each with intimidating powers and builds. Still, these villains didn’t hold a candle to the intimidation factor of the two Bats.

Why?

Adrien had chosen to become Chat Noir when the ring was left in his room, but he had done so without knowing what being a ‘hero entailed.’ He had no training, he had never stood up against someone who wanted to cause harm, and his knowledge of heroes was limited to the fluff pieces the media presented. It only took two months in the gig to realize how wrong his idea of heroes was and how unprepared he had been. Fortunately, he was equipped with a pocket god, who gave him an indestructible suit and the power of destruction at his fingertips.

The vigilantes of Gotham took it upon themselves to take down the scum that plagued their city with only their training and armor-plated suits. They had no magic, no indestructible suits, no laser vision, no super strength; only their wits, skills, technology, and each other. It made them quite the intimidating figures. Who were now… staring him down.

As the two vigilantes came closer, his vision blurred and his head began to spin. He felt as if he had just downed an entire bottle of champagne and then tossed on a small lifeboat during a hurricane, with the uncontrollable nausea and lack of stability on his feet. He almost fell to the ground before Red Hood reached out and braced him using the alley wall.

“Hey man, are you feeling okay?” Adrien was unable to see his facial expression due to the helmet covering his face, but the concern was present in his voice.

“Yer-p.” Adrien tried to speak coherently but was stopped as his stomach threatened to empty on the formidable wall of muscle and flesh before him. Something he was sure Red Hood would not appreciate.

Both Red Robin and Red Hood turned to look at each other, some form of silent communication between them.

“Is there a chance that he has been drugged?” Hood grunted at Jon and Damian, his hands still holding Adrien steady.

Jon looked over at him, Adrien shook his head, the action causing him to stumble slightly against Hood.

“We only ask because your behavior is similar to someone that has been roofied and we stopped you because we noticed a woman following you.” Red Robin explained.

“Woman?” Damian narrowed his eyes, before looking at Jon. Jon was looking out, as if he was trying to look through the walls to see if he could find said woman the Bats had been referring to.

“Yes, we noticed that she was following you closely, but when we went to engage, she managed to evade us. That coupled with your drugged like state… I am concerned about her motives.” Red Robin held a tool to his forehead, a small tablet in his hand as he read the results of whatever the test told him.

“I wasn’t roofied, I’ve been-” a new wave of nausea caused him to pause and swallow the bile that rose to his throat, “-feeling this way all week, it just seems to have come to a head tonight. What did this woman look like?”

“She looked to be in her late forties, perhaps that is even being generous. She looked rather ragged. Black hair with gray spattered throughout, it looked like she had a large portion of it dyed red at one point, but it had grown out and was rather unkept in a loose bun. Height about an average 5”5’, lean…sickly in fact. Wearing a business suit that looked like it hadn’t been cleaned for a long fucking time.”

Adrien felt his world come to a halt, there was no way that the person that he was describing was here. What would have brought her to Gotham? Was it possible that she knew that he was Chat Noir or was she after him as Adrien? He needed to get to Marinette as soon as possible. If his identity was compromised, it was likely that hers was as well.

His thoughts were interrupted by the sound of shrill screaming coming from around the corner. Having seen Red Robin and Red Hood, two females came bounding down the street heading straight towards the masked vigilantes.

“Reds, you need to help, two of our classmates are being attacked by a group of men with cattle prodders.”

“We tried to help them, but they seemed like they wanted to get caught.” The sickness that Adrien had been feeling since leaving the club was instantly forgotten as he came to recognize the two girls talking as Lila and Alya.

Alya looked over to Lila in slight disgust but shifted her sights back to the vigilantes and her expression returned to concern. “They gave us the opportunity to escape, I don’t think they want to get caught.”

“Marinette and Kagami?” Adrien stated as a matter of fact, interrupting Alya.

“Where?” Red Hood growled. She pointed down the alley not too far from where the group stood.

Without further discussion, Hood pulled out his grappling hook and shot it at one of the closest roof tops. He swung in the direction Alya had pointed without a word. Red Robin watched as he disappeared onto the roof top, most likely choosing to run on top of them to his destination. Looking back at Damian and Jon with a concerned expression, Red Robin nodded his head as he shot his own grappling hook to follow Red Hood’s tracks.

“Get back to your hotel.” Damian growled at the two girls before following after the two vigilantes from the ground. Jon watched as he left, his head swiveling between where the three had disappeared and the two girls. He seemed hesitant to leave the girls alone again but conflicted by his concern for the girls they had left behind.

Not caring about his current situation, Adrien ignored how bad he was feeling, to rush off in pursuit as well. He hoped to be able to lose track of the other two boys, temporarily of course in hopes of being able to transform to assist in Marinette and Kagami’s rescue. He could figure out an excuse as to why Chat Noir was in Gotham later.

Noticing that Jon had still not left the two girls’ side and Damian was now a good distance in front of him, Adrien dodged into the closest alleyway. He jumped behind the closest dumpster, surveyed his surroundings, including the rooftop, before opening his jacket for Plagg to join him.

“Kid you shouldn’t try to transform. It isn’t safe for you.” Plagg warned Adrien.

Adrien waved his hand dismissively at Plagg, ignoring the warning of his friend. “Probably not Plagg, but Marinette should not be alone in Gotham, Chat Noir needs to save his Ladybug.” Another round of nausea had him slurring the words, “Plagg, clawz oout.”

“No, st-” Plagg swirled around as he entered the ring. This time however, there was no green light that encompassed Adrien’s body. Instead, he was embraced by a searing pain over every inch. Adrien dropped to the ground immediately as he convulsed from the sheer intensity of the pain coursing through him.

The last thing Adrien saw was Plagg spinning out of the ring and gracelessly landing on his chest. Weakly raising his head, ‘sorry kid,’ was the last thing he heard before losing consciousness.

Hood knew that Marinette could fight, he had seen her with Scarecrow and Batman.  But seeing it in person was truly a sight to behold. She was graceful, fluid in her movements, and yet able to pack a decent punch despite her size.

Surrounding both Marinette and Kagami were twelve men with cattle prods. If he had to guess they were probably sex traffickers looking for easy victims, although the girls were clearly not the easy targets that they had hoped for.

A handful of the men were already laying on the ground with their prods scattered around them. Unfortunately, they didn’t stay down for long and the two girls were becoming overwhelmed as they began to tire. Kagami had taken one of the prods and had begun to use it as a foil against the assailants. She was doing well despite having been on the receiving end of several zaps, but in comparison to Marinette she was tiring quickly.

“Kagami get out of here.” Marinette yelled to her friend as she dodged two prods that simultaneously swiped at her head. As she returned to standing, she sent a right hook into the stomach of one of the men and then spun around to perform a foot sweep to another.

“Marinette, you know that I cannot leave you to the fate of these men.” Kagami replied, knocking out the man in front of her.

Even from a far, the increasing tension could be seen in Marinette’s shoulders. She was obviously upset with the response of her friend. But there was more to it than mere anger, watching Marinette’s moves she was clearly holding back. There were opportunities for some easy hits, but it seemed like she was avoiding hits that might permanently put someone down. She was also cutting her punches short. While it resulted in the men usually falling to the ground, they were back up quickly, rather than knocked out like Scarecrow’s goons had been. The only time it appeared that she fought at her best was if she was in danger of being taken out by a prod, which made when she wasn’t truly fighting, all the more obvious.

Whatever plan she had in her head, which there clearly was one, was not a good one and could get her in more trouble than she was already in. Wasting no additional time, Hood jumped down from the roof to join the two girls in the fray.

While normally, a person would be grateful for a Bat coming to their rescue, the look on Marinette’s face was anything but. She looked pissed, like Hood had ruined her fun. The look made Jason even more certain that Marinette was someone special he needed in his life.

As two men got into position to attack Hood, he was quickly joined by Red Robin, who fell from the same roof to smash his bo staff down on the two men. Both bent over in obvious pain before Red Robin finished them by hitting them on their head with the end of his staff one at a time. The act was easy enough that it only confirmed that Marinette was going far too easy on the men attacking her.

Not even a moment later, Damian came racing down the alley to their location. He paused only a moment to take in the scene in front of him before rushing in to join in fending off the men. He didn’t target any one particular only swinging at those who got in his way as he moved closer to Marinette. Hood was grateful that there was now someone to protect Marinette directly as she didn’t seem in the mental state to protect herself. But now with Damian fighting beside her, taking most of the hits directed towards her, she seemed to have woken up and her strikes became more lethal.

“Hood, call the cops.” Red Robin came behind Hood as the last thug was knocked out and tied up, causing the older man to bristle at being ordered. He wanted to make sure that Marinette was okay.

“Oracle’s already called, I want to talk to Marinette.” He moved slightly in her direction, only to be stopped by Red Robin’s firm hand on his chest.

“I know you are concerned about her, but I can tell that you are more anxious then normal, approaching her right now would not be advisable. I’m concerned that you might be a little too familiar with her and compromise our identities.”

Hood glared at his younger brother; he would never do something that could potentially give away their secret. The audacity of him to even suggest was infuriating.

Knowing what his brother was likely thinking, Red Robin immediately acted to calm him down. “I know that you would never do it on purpose, but she is very smart and I want to use her current state to hopefully get some information out of her that she might not otherwise be willing to give. I can’t do that if the Pit is talking through you.”

Hood scowled; his brother was right. He wasn’t quite in the best mindset. He hated to see the people that he cared about in danger, and he hated to admit to himself, just how much he might care about her.

And now the madness was festering from it.

Red Robin had already had a minute with Marinette by the time he came to his senses and marched over to where she was being grilled. She was standing with as much confidence as he had seen before, but she was positioned in a rather defensive stance before the masked vigilante. Whatever Red Robin was talking to her about was not a topic that she was comfortable discussing, but she was doing her best to cover that fact.

“How is it that you are able to fight so well against a bunch of men with cattle prods? Most people would have been taken out within the first minutes. But you and Kagami, was it? You two were able to hold yourselves for at least ten minutes before we arrived. You have experience fighting, care to explain?”

Damian had come behind Marinette and was sending death glares to Red Robin. Hood was confident if he had one of his katanas the no kill rule would have been broken or at least tested. He was shocked to see his youngest brother grab a hold of Marinette and draw her into a side embrace. He was even more surprised to see Marinette melt into the embrace as the tension in her shoulders dropped.

Hood felt some of his repressed anger surface again. He was jealous of his younger brother’s more intimate position with his Pixie. He could no longer deny the fact that despite their age difference he wanted her to be in that position with him, and not Damian.

“I can fight because I came from Paris. Up until recently if you were from Paris and you didn’t have ways to defend yourself, you would quickly become a victim to an akuma.”

“I don’t believe that.” Red Robin crossed his arms over his chest as he stared Marinette down. At this point, even Hood was looking at him in disbelief at his bluntness. What was he trying to get at?

“Excuse me!” Much to everyone’s shock, she sat up from leaning on Damian and pushed him away from her body with both hands. He was unprepared for the action and landed swiftly on his ass. Marinette who Hood knew would usually feel guilty for her action, appeared too livid to even care.

“I said I don’t believe you. I think that you can defend yourself because you were one of the heroes that defended Paris.” Red Robin visibly swallowed but didn’t cower from her intense gaze.

“I don’t know what you could possibly mean.” Her body language was not denying the accusation but challenging him to continue on his train of thought and find out what would happen if he did.

Red Robin rose to the challenge and took a step closer to Marinette, their bodies were now only a few inches apart from each other. “I think you do…Multimouse.”

In a twisted turn of events, Marinette relaxed. The act was subtle, she was still glaring at Red Robin, leaning in towards him even more threateningly, but the tension in her shoulder completely released. “What is this? Tell everyone your secret identity day?  Should I try to guess yours?” She spat.

Kagami came to place her hand on Marinette’s shoulder, her head did not move, but her eyes looked to see who had come to touch her. Poor Red Robin was on the receiving end of two very Bat like glares that made the two women before them look like they would chew him up and spit him out.

“I..um…sorry. I was a little rash, but I felt the need to be blunt as I need your help.”

Marinette’s gaze softened, while Kagami continued to glare. “How might I assist one of the illustrious caped-crusaders?”

“I was hoping that you might know the identity of Ladybug and be able to get in touch with her.”

Marinette looked taken aback by the comment but quickly recovered. “I haven’t seen Ladybug since the last time she asked me to assist in a fight against the akuma, Trade-iator. I think it was. As far as I know, no one knows her identity, I wouldn’t be able to begin to guess how to get in contact with her since she left Paris. Why do you need to get in contact?”

Damian sat frozen on the ground, his eyes never leaving the confrontation between Marinette and Red Robin. He knew the direction the conversation was going, Red Robin was searching for information to help get in contact with Ladybug for Damian’s sake. Hood was impressed that Red Robin had been able to deduce one of Paris’s hero’s identities but couldn’t determine how Damian felt about it. His face displayed his typical lack of emotional response. Something the family had thought long forgotten since his marriage to Ladybug.

“I cannot divulge that information without a guarantee that you can get in contact with her. From what you just said that doesn’t sound like the case.”

Marinette’s tongue pressed against her teeth as she contemplated her next move. She refused to take her eyes from Red Robin, even if she was unable to make eye contact due to the white filter over his eyes. “What if I knew someone that could get in touch?”

“I would ask you to give me their information so I could talk to them.”

“See I can’t do that. Unlike you, secret identities actually mean something to me.”

“Then…I would tell you to pass on a message.” Marinette tilted her head and raised her eyebrows, waiting for his message. “We know where her husband is.”

As the words left his mouth, the two girls gasped in surprise.

“Ladybug is unable to find Chat Noir?” Kagami asked. In response, four surprised faces greeted her.

“What?” Marinette shrieked before looking confusedly at her friend.

“Well, with their history one would assume that if Ladybug was married, it would be to Chat Noir. Therefore, it would be easy to deduce that if the Bats know of his location, one would assume that Ladybug doesn’t know where he is…or he was kidnapped.” Kagami’s head swiveled slowly upward to Red Robin and then in fashion best described as a porcelain doll from a horror movie, over to Hood. An extremely dangerous gleam to her eyes, had Hood’s bravado flicker.

Hood held his hands out to placate the angry teenager. “No, this has nothing to do with Chat Noir.”

Both Damian and Marinette whipped their head in his direction. Damian was seething, whereas Marinette’s gaze was more calculating. She spent what felt like a good two minutes trying to solve a problem, suddenly her face lifted as if she had figured it out and changed her target to Red Robin.

“I will pass your message to someone I know who is able to get in contact with Ladybug. But I would also like to pass on a time and place for you to meet. I will assume if she knows what you’re talking about she would be willing to meet you there. Seeing that this is your city, perhaps you could suggest where.”

“Ladybug is here?” Hood looked shocked on behalf of himself and Damian.

“I don’t know where she is. I don’t know who she is after all. But if you are familiar with the heroes of Paris then you know she has her ways of getting around without too much trouble. I can get in contact with someone who may be able to get in contact with her. No guarantees and I have no way of informing you if I am successful or not, but hopefully it will be of some help.”

“Right, then please pass on that we will be at the top of Wayne Enterprises at 2200 tomorrow night.”

Marinette nodded her head, the conclusion of their conversation just in time for the arrival of the blue and white lights of Gotham’s finest.

Chapter Text

Plagg awoke feeling like he'd been hit by a semi-truck. Repeatedly. 

The last thing he had remembered from the night before was being thrown out of the ring after he forced the transformation sequence to drop. The effort taking most, if not all his energy. He wanted to explain to his kid what had happened, but he felt ashamed that he had chosen to hide what was happening to him for the last week.

After all, how could he tell Adrien, that he was going to have to leave him, or he was going to kill him.

A hand began to pet him in a loving fashion, the words that were only white noise when he had roused, began to form into a coherent language. “Is he going to be alright? He has been asleep for over twelve hours. He’s lazy but not that lazy.”

“I’m sure he’ll be fine Adrien; Stinky Socks is a lot stronger than he looks.” The sweet voice of Tikki filled the room, but it was laced with concern. He was going to have a lot of groveling to do when she realized he had been keeping a lot of things from her, his kid, and Pigtails.

“I know…I just can’t explain what happened. Why I still feel like shit! I haven’t felt good all week and now I can’t keep anything down.”

Plagg slowly opened his eyes. Delaying the inevitable would only cause his kid to be hurt more and Adrien had been through enough thanks to the sperm and egg donors.

“Kid, you need to take the ring off.” His voice croaked in a very unflattering way that made him take a second to clear his throat.

“Plagg!” His sight hadn’t completely focused before he was scooped up and lifted off the comfortable bed. His head spun from the act and it took a second for him to be able to even try and focus on the room around him.

“Hey Kid,” Plagg did his best to comfort Adrien by snuggling his cheek and talking in a calm and level voice. Still so weak that the act was something more akin to a light pat with his paw and a whisper.

“Are you alright?” Adrien looked down at him with grave concern, he could see the red circling his puffy eyes. The kid had been crying, making Plagg feel even worse for the bad news he had to share.

“I will be Kid. But for you to get better, you need to take off my ring.” Adrien looked at him with confusion and hurt. The kid was a lot smarter than people gave him credit for, he knew what taking the ring off meant, and so did Tikki. She looked at him suspiciously, narrowing her gaze as he tried to not make eye contact with his other half.

“Why?” Adrien looked perplexed at him.

“He’s here.” Plagg looked down at the palm of Adrien’s hand, his ears and tail drooping even more from his sadness. He should be excited about being with his Kitten and he was, but he had grown extremely attached to Adrien, although he would never admit it.

“Whose here? What’s going on?” Marinette rose from the couch on the other side of the room and marched over to the bed where Adrien held Plagg. He knew the mask that graced her face, she was in full Guardian mode. There would be no beating around the bush unless the God of Destruction wanted to come face to face with two forces of creation.

“Two things. First and I guess most importantly, my Kaiduan is in the city.” Plagg looked directly at Tikki watching as her mouth hung open, before closing it shortly and looking at Marinette. No doubt concerned about the implications of coming upon his Kaiduan.

Marinette for her part was handling the information as well as expected, not truly understanding the gravity of the situation. While the Kaiduans often unlocked their memories from previous lives when they merged with their Miraculous for the first time, they were not filled in with details until they searched for them and sometimes even then they could still be locked. The memories were like a blank map that was filled in as they lived through different experiences, the first memories were usually the various combat and language skills. Her memories of the Kaiduan of Destruction would likely remain locked until she needed to remember him.

“What does that have to do with Adrien?” The tension in the room was palatable, but answering the question meant that the final dominoes would fall and Plagg would leave his kid.

“Plagg.” Tikki huffed in exasperation.

Muttering under his breath, he hoped no one would hear him, but Tikki wouldn’t be able to scold him for not saying it. “My Miraculous is rejecting him.”

“What? Why?” Adrien looked panicked at the news, almost dropping Plagg as his arms dropped to his lap.

“My soul longs to be reunited with the severed piece and the Miraculous does that. As soon as we came in close proximity to him, the Miraculous began to reject you, so that you would have to give it to its rightful owner. That’s why you’ve been feeling ill.” Plagg began to curl in on himself as he saw the tears running down Adrien’s face as the understanding of what this meant dawned on him.

“Is that why I wasn’t able to transform?”

“Yes and no. At some point during the night, we came in close proximity with the Kaiduan of Destruction. I can’t pinpoint when; I feel his presence anytime he is within fifty feet of us. Throughout the night we were in close contact multiple times, he was there before we even entered the club. Since you’ve been in proximity to him all week, your body is reacting more negatively to the Miraculous as time passes. I stopped the transformation because the Miraculous would have killed you being so close to my Kaiduan. It took almost all of my energy to stop the transformation and keep you alive.”

Both Marinette and Adrien paled at the declaration. Tikki looked sadly at Adrien.

“How long have you known?” Plagg closed his eyes again, he was feeling weak and didn’t want to deal with Tikki’s interrogation right now.

“The night that we arrived in Gotham; I immediately knew something was up as soon as we landed. We’re in my birthplace Tikki. I’m sure you can feel it, my essence is suffocating the place. It was the same night I felt my Kaiduan.”

Tikki flew up to him and smacked him on the back of his head, he didn’t have the strength to do anything more than moan. “You didn’t tell me!”

“I wasn’t ready to leave the kid, he needs me.” The tears that Adrien had been holding back finally fell. Ugly crying like that would have normally driven Plagg crazy, but now seemed appropriate. It would be the second time in a single month that he’d seen the kid break down in such a way.

“I’ve been sick this whole time and you didn’t think to tell me why? Not when I was complaining? Not when I was retching into the toilet?” Adrien looked at Plagg with nothing short of disgust. “My whole life people have hidden things and lied to me. I really thought you wouldn’t do that Plagg, at least not when you didn’t have to.”

He was ashamed of his behavior, Adrien was right, he had acted in a way that he thought was best for Adrien. He was no different than his father in that regard, not letting Adrien partake in deciding what was best. Failing to let him come to terms with information, instead forcing him to accept the truth when it could no longer be denied.

Before he had a moment to apologize, Adrien took off the ring and chucked it at the pillow on the bed. Plagg didn’t even have the energy or right to protest as he was sucked back into the ring.

She couldn’t blame him, not really. Adrien had been dealing with a lot; from learning his father was Hawkmoth, to not having the happy reunion with his mother, and now he had just learned that the one outlet that had given him freedom and the one being who had been there through it all, was going to be taken from him.

No, Tikki could not fault him for renouncing Plagg without so much as a goodbye. Perhaps someday and hopefully someday soon, Adrien would be able to forgive him. Even though Plagg had a stupid way of going about it, he was only acting in the way he thought would hurt Adrien the least.

Plagg never was particularly good at empathy and couldn’t easily comprehend that his actions sometimes ended up hurting people more. The God of Misfortune and such.

Tikki hovered over her Coccinella’s shoulder as she watched him breakdown. He was quick to recover, wiping the remaining tears from his cheeks as he looked to Tikki and Marinette for more answers. “What happens now? What am I going to do? Who am I, if not Chat Noir?”

Marinette walked over to Adrien’s side of the bed and sat on the edge, taking him into her arms, she hugged him tightly. Tikki slightly hesitated before she joined the hug, lightly stroking the blonde’s mane as he cried softly into her Kaiduan’s shoulder.

“I promised you that as long as you wanted one, you would always have a Miraculous. Obviously, I can’t give you the ring back. But you are free to choose the one that you would feel most comfortable with.”

“Why don’t you choose one for me?” Marinette and Tikki smiled at him. Happy that he was still willing to wield a Miraculous even if it wasn’t Plagg.

“I think I know which one would suit you well, but I want your opinion. I don’t think that I can give you Sass or Wayzz, I’m confident that the same thing would happen as with Plagg. I believe Kelvin and Kaelyn are Kaiduan’s as well. But the rest are for you to choose from.” Marinette looked to Tikki searching for her opinion.

Tikki had to agree with her assessment on the two kids. It almost seemed that Fate had placed them here to meet the Kaiduan of Creation and Destruction. It was concerning to say the least, so many Kaiduans and the powerful ones to boot, all released into the world in the same time and same place. But unfortunately, they couldn’t predict what was to come or do anything until the cards began to be played. So Tikki merely nodded her head at Marinette and gave her a warm smile.

Marinette turned back towards Adrien, looking expectantly into the young man’s eyes.

“The Fox.” He said with little hesitation. Marinette smiled brightly and waved her wrist to have her palm facing up, the Fox Miraculous presented before the blond model.

“Your aura is tainted with misfortune and bad luck, but you miss the chaos and destructive tendencies that would have made you a perfect fit for Plagg. It is not in your nature to destroy. But your soul is orange like Trixx, reflecting the mischievous nature of your personality. The illusions that you were able to perfect in life when it came to the expectations Gabriel placed on you, make you a strong match for the Fox Miraculous.” She stroked his cheek lovingly. “I’ve always thought you could be a perfect fox, but you’ve also been too good of a kitty.”

Adrien smiled brightly back at her. Preening at the positive reinforcement. He looked at her with so much respect, admiration and love. The platonic type of course but love all the same. “I’ll miss Plagg, but I understand this has to happen. I am happy that I get to stay by your side.”

“You and me against the world.”

“Always.” He replied, the final tear of the evening making its way down his chin.

Marinette held out the Fox Miraculous to him. “Adrien Agreste here is the Miraculous of the Fox, which grants the power of illusion. You will use it for the greater good. When you no longer wish to hold the title of a Miraculous bearer, you shall return it to me. Can I trust you?”

Adrien grabbed the Miraculous from her, watching as it transformed from its previous form. “Of course, Grand Guardian.”

He placed the necklace on his neck, before a bright orange light flashed and Trixx appeared before the pair. He took in both Adrien and Marinette. Bowing at Tikki’s chosen, “Grand Guardian,” and then before Adrien, “Plagg’s chosen.”

“Trixx, Adrien will now be your chosen. I have every faith that you will make a perfect duo.”

Trixx studied Adrien with a scrutinizing eye before it turned mischievous. “We are going to have a lot of fun together Kit. I’m positive you will make a far better Kit than Kitten.”

Tikki was happy for Adrien, Trixx was the perfect kwami to help Adrien heal. Losing Plagg was unfortunate, but Marinette was right, Adrien would make a good fox and he needed some mischief instead of misfortune in his life.

The tension in the room however was not completely alleviated. The cause of the current situation was still sitting heavily on human and kwami’s alike.

“So, what now? How should we go about finding Plagg’s Kaiduan?” Marinette asked no one in particular. 

“I believe the Kaiduan is someone from the conference. I’ve been feeling the most ill when we’re there or events sponsored by it.”

“For the time being we can read aura’s and try and narrow it down, then once Plagg has had time in the box to heal from saving Adrien we can call him out and get him to confirm.” Tikki suggested.

“Is there no way you could tell who he is outright?” Marinette asked Tikki.

“If I could look into a person’s eyes, yes, as eyes are the window to the soul. But no one other than the kwami for which the soul piece belongs, can it be recognized on sight alone. Marinette and I can read auras and try to find one that match what one would find in the Kaiduan of Destruction. But aura’s change as people change and are reborn. Not to mention many people may hold the properties that would make them a viable candidate of a holder, much like you did. The only reason we can feel confident that Kelvin is the Kaiduan of Protection without Wayzz, is his use of the protection magic.”

“So, for now, we narrow down the auras to hopefully find the right one. Check.” Marinette tried to say as cheerfully as possible. Fortunately, they had two more weeks to find Plagg’s Kitten. More than enough time.

“Speaking of finding someone…” Adrien nervously scratched the back of his neck. “I can’t confirm the sighting, but before I passed out last night-… Wait how did you find me after I passed out?”

“Jon said that he heard you screaming in pain and then found you collapsed in an alleyway.”

“Wow, he really is my knight in shining armor.” Marinette bit her tongue between her lips as she tried to hide her smile from Adrien. Tikki was just as excited as Marinette that Adrien seemed to have found someone that he could possibly be happy with.

“Adrien focus, you were about to tell us about having spot someone?” Marinette rolled her eyes at the hopeless romantic, causing Tikki to giggle at the dynamic.

“Red Robin and Red Hood made it sound like we were being followed by someone who fit the description of Natalie. Or rather Natalie if she was homeless since the defeat of Hawkmoth.”

Marinette stood still in shock, causing Tikki to approach her and wave her hands in front of her face trying to get her to return. “Why is she here? How is she here? Why is she following you?”

Adrien shook his head and shrugged his shoulders. “I don’t have an answer to any of those questions.”

Marinette stood from the bed and began to pace along the narrow path between the beds. She stopped at one end before returning to her silent march. She paused again, but this time opened her mouth before closing it. Tikki looked at Adrien and Trixx who seemed just as confused by the pacing.

She nodded her head once before coming to stand in front of Adrien and the two kwamis. “Fortunately, the Bats are expecting Ladybug to make an appearance tomorrow. We can leave earlier than the time we are expected to meet up with them and patrol for Natalie.”

“Why are the Bats expecting Ladybug?” Adrien looked at Marinette confused.

She turned to look thoughtfully out the window. “Robin is my husband.”

Chapter Text

“Are you ready?” It felt like it had been quite some time since Adrien had been asked this question, and at the same time, like it was just yesterday. It was a loaded question that was thrown around so often, that to most it was rather casual. Are you ready… to eat, to go, to capture your father’s Miraculous? Usually, the question was asked to determine if someone was ready for something inconsequential, but here she was asking him if he was ready for something that would mean yet another dramatic shift in his life.

Had he been ready to face Hawkmoth? Yes! It had been everything that his teenage years seemed to be leading to. Had he been ready to face the fact that his father was his enemy? No! But the fact was, for some time he’d known his father wasn’t the person that his youth had fabricated.

So, was he ready now to transform for the first time with Trixx, knowing he could never become Chat Noir again? He wasn’t really sure how he felt, but he didn’t have a choice. It was this, or give up being a superhero altogether.

“Are you ready?” He misdirected, offering her the same laden question.

Her posture suggested she was confident, ‘ready,’ but her face gave away the slight hesitance. Her confidence was artificial. He knew she was hesitant to be reunited with her husband, a man she barely knew.

She didn’t respond to his question but called upon her transformation before merging with Kaalki to become Lady Mare.

The Fox Miraculous around his neck felt like it weighed a hundred pounds. The chain that was once silver had taken on the appearance of black leather. The pendent, once in the shape of a fox’s tail, now looked like a fox’s claw. The added weight was similar to how the Cat Miraculous had felt for the first few weeks that he had it.  He knew that the added weight was once caused by the new responsibilities of becoming a superhero. The renewed weight of the miraculous was not because of new responsibilities this time, but the weight in his heart at the changes he would now face.

As he looked at his new kwami a pain pinged in his heart. What was once a black, indifferent-acting, cheese gremlin; was now an orange, excited, mischief maker. Before his first transformation with Plagg, he seemed bored and unenthusiastic at the thought of training a new hero. It often left him feeling guilty for forcing Plagg to transform. Trixx however, hovered just above his face waiting impatiently for Adrien to call the transformation phrase. His excitement almost seemed to be sending an electrical current around the room. Hopefully, Trixx’s positive attitude would help Adrien overcome the guilt he felt of betraying Plagg.

Lady Mare must have noted his hesitance and grabbed his hand. Her smile was warm, but her eyes held some of the same tears as his own. “You and me against the world, Kitty. No matter the costumes we wear.”

He couldn’t help but smile, she was right. “Always, M’Lady.” With renewed determination he looked over at the Fox Kwami. “Trixx…Let’s pounce!”

A bright orange light surrounded him, reflecting Trixx’s magic at work. While Plagg’s had felt almost oppressive and electrically charged, Trixx’s magic felt warm with a tingling sensation that scampered up his body. He would never admit it to Plagg if he ever saw him again, but he already had a clear preference.

As the light washed away, he found himself still staring into the eyes of Lady Mare. Her irises constricted from being overwhelmed by the bright light and widened as they returned to normal. It took her a second as she took him in, but she was suddenly beaming at his appearance.

He swiftly moved to his room’s full-length mirror to take in his new suit. Expecting to find himself donning an outfit in the bright oranges and whites of the foxes of Paris, he was surprised by what greeted him. Inspired by a rare black fox, his suit was predominantly black with gray accents. His mask looked exactly like his Chat Noir, except his eyes were no longer cat like, they were the green he saw in the mirror every day. Even with his limited non-existent run ins with the Bat family, the design of his suit would allow him to blend in quite well among them. The costume took on a more kevlar armored plating that was reminiscent to Nightwing’s, with grey accented plates creating an interesting design along his side and arms. The Fox Miraculous slid into an enclosure in his chest instead of hanging free from his neck, once activated it looked like a claw dipped in silver verse its dormant black.

If not for the surprisingly fluffy black tail peppered with white and grey and large black ears coming from his head, he would undoubtedly been mistaken for a Gotham Bird.

As he looked in the mirror, he saw that the tail and the ears functioned in much the same way as his Chat Noir costume, including his ability to ‘unbuckle’ his tail. Once outside he hoped to find that he possessed the same nocturnal vision as a fox that he had as a cat.

He almost cried as he twisted to find attached to his back, a baton just like he had as Chat Noir. He was honestly not looking forward to having to figure out a new weapon. Perhaps Trixx had been nice enough to make the modification from the flute, although using mirage with the baton would be interesting.

“Ready Kitty?” Lady Mare hesitantly asked.

“I’m a Kit now.” He smiled back, his reservations towards the makeover gone as the change was not as dramatic as he feared. He was no longer Chat Noir, but he was still a noir… Renard Noir.

As Ladybug had suspected when they arrived in Gotham, the roof tops were a completely different habitat to those of Paris.

While in Paris, the duo was able to run and hop from building to building with ease, only occasionally having to use their yo-yo and baton to get to a higher point. Gotham’s playground however included dramatic changes in altitude; a seventy-story skyscraper gave way to a forty-story apartment building, only to drop to five story buildings for a block. It meant having to work more with her yo-yo, but thanks to the magic she never ran out of cable and she had learned to just trust the magic would react how she needed it to.

Renard, however, was having a harder time getting use to the level of extension required of his baton to make it to the top of some of even the more modest skyscrapers. Paris had not allowed him the experience of having his baton extend past the point that he was unable to see the bottom.  He wasn’t a cat anymore and she didn’t remember if there was a saying about foxes landing on their feet. Perhaps they could see if Trixx could adjust the suit to include some form of grappling hook like the Bats’.

Already, the spotted hero had to save Renard from falling to his doom after smashing into the side of tall building when he failed to extend his baton to the right height. Watching his difficulty with a weapon he had used for the last five years, made her grateful for her own.

“Bug, I think that we are moving around rather blindly, don’t you think that we need to come up with some kind of plan in order to find Mayura?”

Ladybug stopped in her tracks. He was right, they were currently just moving, trying to get a feel for their new battlefield. They needed a plan if they were hoping to end it with Natalie quickly before she disappeared again. They had been fortunate that she had appeared in Gotham at all, if it really was her that is. It was likely that if she found the heroes of Paris to be in Gotham too, she would leave.

“She was caught following Adrien, perhaps her purpose in coming to Gotham has something to do with him.” It was fortuitous they had a fox. “Renard, care to practice creating an illusion? Starting with our dear friend, Adrien Agreste.”

“Of course, M’lady, he is quite foxy.” Renard pulled out his baton.

Ladybug rolled her eyes and chuckled to herself. “Probably best that you just stick to the cat puns, Kit. While you look good as a fox, your puns just aren’t as sly.” She was glad to see that his costume change hadn’t affected him too much.

Renard Noir stared at his weapon for a second, turning it around in his hands to find a way to use it as Rena Rouge did during her brief tenure. Having found some holes that were large enough for his mouth and fingers, he lifted it ready to play a tune.

Before any air could escape his mouth, a feathered dagger flew in front of his face. Both heroes immediately looked at where the dagger lodged into the roof to then follow its trajectory. At the end of the line, they found Mayura standing in her presumed glory directly above them.

It was easy to tell from looking at her that the broken Miraculous was taking a toll. At first glance, she appeared as she did the few times she made an appearance in Paris. But a closer inspection showed that her body was slightly hunched as her breaths were more labored. The energy drain Gabriel had described happening to Adrien's mother was evident on Mayura.

In a fair fight Renard and Ladybug would be able to take the Peacock down quickly. Ladybug knew that, and undoubtedly Mayura knew that too. She would therefore not show up unless she had a plan, and the fight would be anything but fair. Natalie was too resourceful to do otherwise.

A pleased laugh could barely be heard above the whistling wind before Mayura jumped across the alleyway that separated her from the heroes. Her laugh did not falter and the shortened distance allowed the heroes to hear it clearer, it sounded on the edge of sanity. While there was an obvious physical toll the Miraculous was taking on Natalie, there appeared to also be a mental one.

“I knew that if I followed Adrien, he would eventually lead me to the heroes of Paris. I’m slightly disappointed that Chat Noir isn’t present, but it is probably better in the long run. It will make taking you down, Ladybug, so much easier. I will just have to deal with that mangy alley cat later.” She flicked her fan in front of her face to hide her giggle. She quickly plucked a feather from it and the heroes watched as it began to bubble with the black and violet malignant energy.

Ladybug readied her yo-yo to extract the feather from her grip and capture it before Mayura merged it with whatever object she intended. But she was unable to stop Mayura as she bent her wrist and touched the amok to the bracelet she wore before Ladybug’s yo-yo could even leave her hand. Beside the blue villain, layers of violet and black bubbles merged on top of each other until they were in the form of a tall man. The bubbles then gave way to reveal an exact replica of Hawkmoth.

Both heroes looked at the Sentimonster in horror, praying that it did not possess the same powers as Hawkmoth, but knowing better. The likelihood and hope of Mayura’s take down being simple disappeared.

“Hawkmoth, love, please capture Ladybug’s Miraculous. She won’t be able to defeat you this time. When I get Ladybug’s Miraculous, her stupid cat will come to save her and then I will have both. And then I will make my wish for us to finally be together.” The typical villain monologue only reflected the mental state of Mayura, but at least the duo knew her goal. Although it made her originally working with Hawkmoth, considering his intentions, seem a little counterproductive.

Unlike the villain he copied, this Hawkmoth was able to create a butterfly already infused with dark magic. Ladybug and Renard’s reflexes kicked in as they left the two villains to chase after the released akuma. Hoping to capture it before it reached its intended target, to prevent a battle Gotham was likely not ready for.

“Thank kwami, Mayura never created a Hawkmoth Sentimonster before.” Renard yelled at her as they jump from the building, down to the dark alley below.

Ladybug used her yo-yo to swing from a lamppost to decelerate her descent while Renard used his baton to step down onto the road.

“Her emotions towards Gabriel were probably not strong enough to create a monster this powerful until he was defeated. We need to be careful, we were too lucky the first time. This is likely the final showdown that should have happened with Hawkmoth.”

“Isn’t luck your thing?” He yelled.

“Yes, but without a black cat in circulation, my luck is unbalanced. Not to mention this city obviously reeks of Plagg’s bad luck. This is not going to be easy.”

The pair darted down the street following the butterfly as best as they could. Unfortunately, the akuma was able to phase through walls and the predictability of where it would reemerge was hard to determine for the two heroes, especially while tracking in a new city.  

Ladybug stopped as she caught fluttering wings out of the corner of her eye in the alleyway she had just passed. She took her yo-yo from her hip, twirling it to strike at the akuma before it attached to a man who looked to have been recently mugged, based on the state of his attire and busted lip.

The compact went flying for the butterfly, just as it was about to settle, only to be knocked off course by a dagger from Mayura. She cursed her luck and watched as the akuma fused with the man’s emptied wallet. He was instantly covered with the violet and black bubbles the duo hoped to never see again. They disappeared and left a man dressed in a costume remarkably like the Dark Knight’s original. The difference being it inverted the original colors, whereas Batman worked in the shadows by having a darker costume, this was the bright yellow of Batman’s utility belt, with dark blue accents. Ladybug had thought the original was horrid, but this monstrosity… no words.

“I am Manbat. I will do what Batman has failed by permanently ridding Gotham of the vile people who have overtaken it.” From his utility belt he acquired several batarangs. He turned from the heroes and ran further into the alley, straight into a bar that occupied the end of it.

Before Ladybug or Renard were able to catch up with the akuma, the door of the establishment swung open from the force of several patrons who were now adorn in the costumes of their city’s birds, each with the inverted colors of the original.

All the Parisian heroes could do was watch in horror as dozens of birds took to the sky using grabbling hooks, scattering in all different directions like a flock disturbed by a rock thrown into their center. The teen heroes were at a loss as to how best approach the situation.

“Rid Gotham of its criminal infestation.” Manbat bellowed as he threw the limp body of one of the patrons onto the street before him. “And capture Ladybug and this Fox’s miraculous.” He turned his attention towards the pair, slowly moving in their direction.

“Plan Bug?” Renard asked, anxiety layered in his voice.

Ladybug stood silently, frozen as she surveyed the body of the man thrown to the street. He laid motionless, his chest failing to rise and fall signaling the lack of air filling his lungs. Already a dozen of these murderous vigilantes had scattered around Gotham, they had never been forced to deal with minions who straight out murdered others. Not to mention, all efforts to stop them would likely be thwarted by Hawkmoth and Mayura. They were gravely outnumbered, and their Miraculous Team was back at the hotel. 

They were going to fail. Gotham would fall, potentially the entire population would die at the hands of the minions. This would be the end of Ladybug and Renard Noir. She would never meet her husband again. The miraculous would be in danger if anyone discovered her implant. The Ladybug Miraculous would be lost to someone clearly insane. The world was doomed.

“Bug!?” Renard yelled, his head swiveling as he surveyed their situation, snapping her out of her downward spiral.

“Retreat and gather reinforcements. We are going to need all of the help we can get.”

She shot out her yo-yo at one of the closest gargoyles and scooped Renard with her free arm. They swung a short distant before one of the bird minions crashed into them swinging from his own grappling hook. He sent the heroes tumbling back onto the street where a delighted Hawkmoth stood stoically waiting.

Before Ladybug could return to her feet, Renard was kicked by the artificial Hawkmoth, landing clear across the alleyway. Ladybug called out to her partner, but it came out as nothing more as garble as the Sentimonster lifted her off her feet by her neck. His grip tightened around it, squeezing the last of her air as she kicked her feet trying to find purchase against his body. Her hands clawed at his to get him to release her. Neither effort was rewarded, and she shortly began to see black spots scattered across her vision.

As darkness was about to claim her, she felt his grip release from her throat and air once again fill her lungs as she was unceremoniously dumped back to the ground. The spotted hero failed to land on her feet and just barely raised her head in time to catch Hawkmoth’s body flying towards the wall in the peripheral of her vision.

Instead of looking at the villain’s slumped body against the wall, she considered her savior. It had been a while and she knew she would be happy, but nothing prepared her for how ecstatic she felt seeing her husband again.

Chapter Text

Robin’s family had proven over the last month that they were supportive and understanding of his predicament in relation to Ladybug. So, when Robin asked to be excused from patrol for the evening, it was instantly granted, as each knew that he was allowing his nerves to get the better of him.

He chose to wait at the W.E. tower where he was set for a reunion with his wife. Although each of his brother’s offered to accompany him, he knew they were incapable of being emotionally supportive. Not to mention, it would be extremely likely that the encounter would be awkward enough without the help of Grayson, Drake, and Todd interfering. Robin was grateful that Jon was willing to wait with him, to act as a distraction until her arrival. It was not necessarily ideal, seeing as his superhearing would mean he could still intrude on their reunion, even if he gave them space.

Still, having his best friend’s support meant a lot, even if he would never voice it.

Considering that they were counting on Marinette getting the message to Ladybug, he would need Jon’s support if his hopes of being reunited with his wife were crushed if she did not show.

Superboy sat beside him on the ledge of the tower, his legs kicked out as he relayed the previous evening with Agreste. Robin was of course happy for his friend, but it brought up the bitter feeling he had about his encounter with Marinette. As much as Superboy was supposed to be a distraction to the impending meeting with his wife, thinking about Marinette left an uncomfortable feeling in his stomach. He was not naive, he knew exactly what was going on, but he was inexperienced. He was conflicted on what to do with his growing feelings for the other Parisian in his life. Especially as it seemed that he would now get the chance to interact with both while trying to decide which he wished to pursue.

Would it be detrimental if he were honest about being unsure about their marriage because of a crush? Would it be worse if he lied about it and his relationship with his wife was built on indecision? For at least the next two weeks he was going to be forced to have interactions with Marinette, he knew better to believe just because his wife, a person he really did not know, showed up that he would suddenly be able to forget about his crush.

Luckily, he had not fallen in love. Or at least that was what he had convinced himself.

He knew he had a duty, that was what his marriage to Ladybug was. She was special, undeniably. But, for their marriage to work, it had to be built on more than duty, lust, and admiration. Pretending that it was currently anything more, would be naive. He must be pragmatic. It is best that they face the truth that they are mostly strangers, and they should at least make sure that the marriage is one they both wish to pursue, not one that is forced. He may not have known prior to Ladybug that he desired someone to share his life with. It still very well could be Ladybug that he does. But he knew that he needed to be certain of the choice for the sake of his future relationship. In the hero business an unhappy marriage is a potential catalyst for world ending events.

Both Robin and Superboy were ripped out of their personal ramblings, one verbal one not, by Oracle yelling into the comms. “WE’VE GOT A MAJOR PROBLEM.”

His father’s emotionless tone cracked over the net. “Oracle. Report.”

“I spotted Ladybug and another hero in some of the street cameras on 5^th and Broome.”

“That doesn’t sound like a problem.” Nightwing’s voice sounded excited, a starch contrast to the horror and lack of emotion of the previous two speakers.

“No, that isn’t the problem. They are fighting what looks like a dozen Nightwings, Red Robins, Red Hoods, and Robins. All of which are currently killing people.” Her voice usually calm and collected as the eyes and ears of the team, was laced with panic.

“Cosplay Bats? Who do we think is responsible? Joker perhaps?” Hood asked.

“Perhaps they are in your costumes, but their colors are brighter. Almost seems, like Joker’s M.O. But something is off, their skills are too advance for Joker to have secured so many. Not to mention their numbers are steadily increasing… I swear I saw someone in the street suddenly turn into Hood.” Through the comms Oracles frantic typing could be heard, as well as a sharp intake of breath. “This is not good. Ladybug and her partner are outnumbered considerably.”

“Sounds like an akuma.” Red Robin breathed through the comms, his slight pant suggesting he was already moving on his way to intercept.

“I thought she defeated Hawkmoth?” A grappling hook being shot into the air could be heard on the other side of Hood’s comms.

“It is likely we will only get answers from Ladybug. Everyone move to intercept. Now.” Batman’s voice was still calm and steady despite the situation.

Affirmatives could be heard from each member of the team, all except for the girls who were busy cleaning up a drug raid and promised to join as soon as possible.

“Can I give you a lift?” His best friend approached him and placed his hand on Robin’s shoulder.

Robin jumped from the unexpected contact. He had not realized hearing that his wife was in trouble would cause him to freeze. He knew she was capable, but he was scared she would slip through his fingers just as she had done before. If Oracle was to be believed, the current situation threatened to make it more permanent.

“Tell no one.” He growled through his teeth. His anger was not directed at his best friend, but the situation.

Superboy nodded his head, but his usual gleeful smile was missing. It appeared he understood the tension present in Robin and getting him to his wife as soon as possible was the only way it would be released. The Kryptonian used the kevlar chest plate to lift Robin, before zooming in the direction of the fight.

Robin never enjoyed the speed in which the Supers were able to travel from one place to the next. Sure, it had its advantages, but it was rather disorienting and despite having been in the position many times, he was still not use to the sensation.

Therefore, when Superboy dropped from the sky directly into the center of the chaos caused by the akuma, it took him longer than usual to gather himself and take in the scene in front of him. As described, colorful copies of himself and his brothers were moving around the street, aggressively attacking people as they swept through. Fortunately, due to the bright colors they would not be confused for the real deal. It was still disconcerting to watch a Red Hood lookalike walk down the street shooting at people who seemed only guilty of being in the street at night. He was sure the sight would lead to uncomfortable memories for the family.

He was ready to intervene, hoping to take some of them down before meeting up with Ladybug, when a different sight caught his attention. Not far from him he watched as a man dressed similarly to Nightwing, but in even more muted colors, was kicked clear across the street. He grabbed his head as he stumbled to get up. On closer inspection it was obvious it was not a Nightwing copy as his outfit included a fluffy tail and tall black ears. Based on the videos he had seen on the Ladyblog, it was likely a fox hero, but not one that he had seen in the Paris footage.

Superboy flew over to the fox in a flash, checking to make sure that the hero was okay. Seeing as the other hero was being taken care of, Robin retraced the direction of his trajectory. He was met with a man who matched the description of the supposedly defeated Hawkmoth. In his hands was the flailing body of his wife.

Anger and fear laced his body as he used his grappling hook to swing as quickly as possible over to the man who held his wife’s life, literally in his hands. He landed swiftly beside the supervillain, drawing his fist back and connecting as hard as he could with the man’s face.

Hawkmoth dropped Ladybug before crashing into the wall beside him. Despite having her airways restricted for a period, the only sign of such, was her body temporarily on all four before she returned to standing. Never once looking away from her savior.

Robin briefly took his eyes off the man who looked like he took his fashion sense from the Riddler and took in his wife. There was undoubtedly a haze over her appearance, he was looking at her, but as he tried to take in her features, he found himself unable to focus. All except for one part, the part he had been the most enraptured by from the start. As he caught her eyes the world seemed to stand still. Even through the white film that covered his, his mind seemed to replace what was clearly in front of him with what he remembered. The sapphires that he dreamed of and looked lovingly into for the twelve short hours that she was his alone, were looking back.

For the first time in some days, all thoughts of another disappeared.

He was subconsciously aware that he had been looking at her for only a second, but it was enough time for Hawkmoth to collect himself and stand. He was acting as if being thrown into the wall had not affected him and it slightly unsettled Robin. He was not sure how much the suits affected Miraculous wearers, but he hoped it would not be like fighting a Super.

Doing the only thing he could think of, Robin responded by pulling his katana from his back and placing himself between the man and Ladybug. Hawkmoth withdrew a rapier from his cane and pointed it in Robin’s direction.

Out of the corner of his eyes he saw Ladybug come to stand close beside him. “He is a Sentimonster, created by Mayura. You won’t be able to hurt him, but if he is like the real Hawkmoth his skills are slightly above average with the sword and his strength is enhanced. The only way we’ll be able to stop him is by getting the Amok off Mayura.”

He nodded his head, not taking his eyes from the Sentimonster, as Ladybug had called him. “I will distract him as you get the Amok, Angel.”

Out of the corner of his eye he caught her hesitation and blush. “Right,” she muttered as she lightly placed her hand on his shoulder before leaving him to the battle of blades.

Superboy watched as a young man was kicked back in the alley before hitting his head against the wall. He got up rather quickly even though his body had left a small dent, yet he stood gripping his head.

Superboy raced over, to check on his condition. The knockoff Nightwing with ears and a tail looked up at him and quickly settled into a defensive position. “Who are you?” He growled accusatorily.

“Superboy!” The Fox’s brows creased as he took him in, he stared slightly longer than would be normal before shaking his head and looking away.

“You mean like Superman.”

“That would be Dad.” He tried to sound as casual as possible. For the first time he hated the fact that his name had boy in it, for some reason he didn’t want the hero in front of him to think of him as anything less than a man.

“Renard Noir, Ladybugs partner. At your service.” The fox hero, or so he assumed, waved his hand in a way similar to a royal and bowed before him.

Superboy took the appearance of Renard Noir. He was undeniably attractive, even if he can’t explain how. As he looked into his eyes, he felt an immediate connection to the hero.

A batarang that he just barely dodged brought his attention back from the blonde-haired hero and back into the fray of the battle.

“Come on little fox, there is a battle to win.”

“Hey, I’m not little.” Renard whined.

“No. No, you’re not.” Superboy muttered under his breath, shocked when Renard replied.

“Glad you agree. Let’s try to capture the akuma for LB.” Superboy followed without hesitation. After all this Renard Noir had more experience dealing with the akuma than he would.

The only thing missing from the chaos Hood had come upon when he finally rendezvoused at the coordinates Oracle had led them to, were the reports of bombs having exploded. In the streets laid the bodies of far too many to be caused by anything other than an explosion.

The sounds that followed the carnage, where more aligned to what he expected to hear. Panicked screaming filled the air, as cars crashed, windows broke, and grappling hooks shot into the night. As the noise became louder, he was shocked at what he found. Just as Oracle had described, different colored copies of the Bats were running around massacring innocent people. And in the far-off distance, seven unique figures stood battling in the open streets.

The sound of a retracting grappling hook had him reaching for his gun holster on his thigh, but the sight of the familiar attire of his father had him relax slightly. He still had to do a double take to ensure he was looking at the genuine article in contrast to the yellow monstrosity he saw in battle with Superboy and another further down. They were joined not a minute later by the landing figures of Nightwing and Red Robin.

“I am not one to usually cuss, that’s normally your department Hood. But, shit! How did a bunch of teenagers ever manage against a supervillain that could cause this?”

“No shit.” Even Hood had to admit it was far-fetched to believe a bunch of untrained teenagers were able to overcome situations like this on the regular. “The death toll has to be exceeding the total of even all of Joker’s carnage.”

“Engage the enemies, try to prevent them from taking any more lives. I will coordinate with Ladybug and come up with a plan. Keep your comms on for further instructions.” B shot his grappling hook in Ladybug’s direction and disappeared into the shadows.

Hood took a second to take in the sight of Ladybug. She oozed a confidence that wasn’t even dampened next to the intimidating figure that was Batman or the dire situation surrounding them. He was sure that B would try to lead the charge, but from the position she had cocked her hip, it was obvious she was not going to let him walk over her authority.

She turned away from B, as she struck out her yo-yo at the woman who was now attempting to flee. The yo-yo wrapped around her feet causing her to fall. Ladybug took a second to bark something at Batman and from the tension in his shoulders Jason could tell that he was frustrated by what she had said.

His voice broke through laced with evident frustration. “Everyone maintain assignments, the Batman in yellow and Mayura are priority. Ensure that the minions are kept from preventing the apprehension of those two figures.”

Hood smiled. This Ladybug was quite the woman to force B into a subordinate position. Probably a perfect complement to Demon Spawn, he needed someone that wasn’t afraid of him either.

Since his parents died and he first took on the title of Robin, Nightwing had seen many things. But fighting someone who looked just like him, but with inverse colors was not something that he had ever expected. Worst yet, the akuma’s minion seemed to be versed in the same fighting style and skill level as him. Every movement he made, the ‘Wingnight’ mirrored and countered. Neither gained the upper ground. At least with the copies of his brothers, the ability to predict their moves paid off and he was able to take them out, if only momentarily, to prevent the next attack on the poor soul who happened across them.

With a dozen or so fighting, it was impossible to ensure that he was only fighting his brothers’ copies and not himself. Which is why he was currently at a stalemate with the impending arrival of another ‘Black Hood’ threatening his chances of surviving the night without major injury.

The ‘Black Hood’ aimed his gun at Nightwing, as he was held back by his copy. He swallowed the bile that seemed to find its way to his throat. He knew that the gun being pointed at his head was not filled with rubber bullets like his brother’s. He had unfortunately watched another copy of ‘Black Hood’ gun down two others.

The world around him to narrow into a tunnel that focused on the gun barrel as the rest went out of focus and the loud city noises became white. The gun being cocked had made an interesting sound that he was not counting on, it almost sounded like a metal whistle, but he figured his impending death would alter it.

The gun moved from his face and the world around him returned to focus. Ladybug stood off to the side. Her yo-yo retracting to her hand followed shortly by the gun which she caught with her free hand before using her superstrength to crush the barrel.

Nightwing returned to his senses and punched ‘Black Hood’ with the end of his escrima stick. He turned to thank Ladybug but found her once again engaged with the villain Mayura, alongside Batman.

He grappled away from the ‘Wingnight,’ to prevent an attack by a ‘Yellow Robin’ on a child who had somehow found his way onto the street. He landed on top of the lookalike, knocking him out by slamming his head to the pavement. He surveyed his surroundings for the next most pressing issue to find Robin in battle with Hawkmoth.

Robin had always been impressive, the most skilled out of all of them even if no one was willing to admit it. Watching him fight against a swordsman was mesmerizing. It showcased skills that far too often lay dormant against their typical assailant. He could tell that his youngest brother was tiring slightly, but his attack was still effective in preventing the villain from interfering with the other’s efforts. His katana slashed the villain on multiple occasions, but the Hawkmoth did not falter from the strikes that would have caused normal people to at least pause from the pain.

“Robin,” he yelled over the sounds of intense battle. The only sign of the engaged vigilante having heard him, was the slight tilt of his head in Nightwing’s direction. “Removing an arm might assist in making him less of a threat.”

“That is not what we do, Nightwing.” Robin yelled back with a strong conviction.

“No, but this isn’t really a person, think of him as a robot, an AI.” His younger brother dropped his defensive stance momentarily, obviously pondering the implications of Nightwing’s words and the potential action.

Hawkmoth’s clone seemed to take the hesitation of the vigilante as a perfect time to strike. But he stood no chance against the ex-assassin, whose response was automatic, he had clearly decided on a course of action in relation to Nightwing’s suggestion.

“Oracle, we need back up and we need it now. We are fighting far too many copies of ourselves and we are making no progress.” Red Robin yelled into his comms. The girls were taking far too long in their drug raid. At this point, them leaving the area as it stood was a better alternative to the damage the Bat copies were causing.

The only positive from the team’s effort so far was Superboy and Ladybug’s new partner, had prevented the akuma from producing more copies. But Batman and Ladybug were constantly interrupted from stopping Mayura by the minions. Robin was barely holding Hawkmoth at bay. And Red Robin, Red Hood and Nightwing were doing their best to prevent additional casualties and unfortunately, they were not very successful thus far. Despite their best efforts they were doing little to stop the akuma’s minions from spreading carnage around Gotham. For every death they were able to prevent, three more were occurring in its stead. At this rate, half of Gotham’s population would be dead before the night’s end.

“They’re on their way, eta ten minutes.” While he was happy to hear that backup was finally on its way. Ten minutes was a long time, and three more vigilantes could help move towards success.

Batman was knocked back by a pair of ‘Wingnights,’ Ladybug yelled something at him, inaudible among the chaos. Batman’s gravelly voice was over the comms before attempting to re-engage with the Parisian hero. “Change of plans. Red Robin, Hood, Nightwing, abandon pursuit of the akuma’s minions. Converge with Ladybug’s partner and Superboy, we need to stop them at the source.”

“But if we abandon them, civilians will die.” Nightwing started.

“They’re too many of them for us to stop them. Drawing them back to the akuma may help. In the end the only way to stop the carnage, is stopping the akuma.” Red Robin shot back.

“Copy.” Echoed the brothers.

As Red Robin got closer to his youngest brother’s best friend, the more concerned he became. The two heroes were having a hard time directly engaging the akuma as they fought off the many minions who protected their creator. They were managing well enough in comparison to the Bats, thanks to the powers and abilities of the two, but they failed to make progress that allowed them to directly engage the akuma.

He ran to assist, but quickly found his progress halted as he became overwhelmed.

Fighting as Renard Noir felt like being Chat, without the destructive tendencies. Trixx had been nice enough to provide him with the same weapon, and his ears and tail worked in the same way. He was even fortunate that while it wasn’t as good, he still had some form of night vision. Despite this and the fact a Super was fighting beside him, they were still struggling against the akuma. The battle was missing the Parisian teamwork and their enemies were trained more than their average run of the mill akumatized supervillain.  

There had been a reason that they had not called upon the Justice League. While the akuma was not Batman, he had essentially chosen a power that made him the same. Not to mention he had created numerous clones of his partners. They fortunately were mere mortals with no powers to speak of, but the minions the akuma created had the knowledge and skills of those they were made to look like. One or two of these would be easy to take care of with the team that had assembled around him, but now there were more than three dozen. It was far too overwhelming, despite the years of experience.

As Chat, he always acted as the distraction, allowing Ladybug the time to come up with a plan and then assist in the execution. But there was no distraction he could provide, Ladybug was engaged in her own battle. He and Superboy had to take care of the Akuma alone, but they were simply overwhelmed with the copies of the Bats.

He gripped his baton tighter, his fingers dipped into the holes present along the staff; a reminder of the slight difference and power his staff provided. He had been doing this all wrong, he had been fighting as if he was still Chat Noir, but that was the problem and solution. He was no longer a cat; he was a fox.

He needed to become the fox.

A plan quickly formed in his head. It was one that the fox holders of Paris had used frequently. He was only going to increase the scales to their favor, or something like that.

He lifted the baton to his mouth and played a small tune, watching as the orange ball of magic settled on the tip of the weapon. Envisioning the illusion he wished to create, he whispered the word, ‘mirage,’ before the orange light dispersed from the tip.

The street that the akuma had been cornered in was narrow and already filled with the inverse replicas of the Gotham vigilantes. In a flash of orange light, a horde of Gotham heroes rained down from the rooftops above them. In a matter of seconds, the akuma and his minions were overwhelmed as they attempted to battle the arriving heroes. Only to find themselves incapable of doing so as the new vigilantes performed feats of inhuman dodging and disappeared in a haze when touched. It was the perfect distraction to allow Superboy to sneak up upon Manbat and rip his back pocket exposing the akumatized wallet.

“Rip it!” Renard yelled before watching Superboy easily tear the wallet in two and a violet butterfly emerge from the remains.

The battle with Mayura was taking far longer than it should have considering her weakened state. Yet, the minions the akuma created were preventing Batman and Ladybug from making progress against the Peacock. Why she stayed was too obvious, and Ladybug hoped her luck remained intact despite the bad luck surrounding the city. Mayura was clearly waiting for Ladybug to succumb to the exhaustion creeping steadily upon her from the prolonged fight. She was sure that Mayura had not planned for this to go as well as it had, but Plagg’s essence was more than likely influencing the balance in her favor.

Batman suddenly fell as one of the two katana wielding anti-Robins, were able to land their blade through his shoulder armor. While the injury would most likely be superficial and only require stitches, his exhausted state had him fall to his knees and hunch over. Both anti-Robins readied their katanas in a way reminiscent of the executioners of olden days.

Ladybug turned to see Mayura’s satisfied smirk plastered across her face. She turned away and moved her body in the direction of the Dark Knight ready to interfere before he was forced to face his death. Only for the two anti-Robins to freeze and lower their weapons. A quick survey of the battle front showed all the anti-vigilantes frozen, looking confused and baffled at the destruction around them. Which meant only one thing…the akuma.

Ladybug looked for her partner, knowing he would be tracking the direction the butterfly escaped. Seeing him some distance away, she followed the trajectory of his head to find the akuma fluttering its way in her direction. She released her yo-yo as she had done a thousand times before catching it with only a flick of her wrist.

With the butterfly safely away in her compact, she turned to face Mayura. Refraining from releasing the butterfly and having the artificial Hawkmoth create another akuma.

The look on Mayura’s face was priceless, she knew that she was now at a disadvantage. She turned to flee but ran into the pointy end of the real Robin’s katana. She paused as she took in the threat before her. Both her and Ladybug’s eyes darted to the Sentimonster, Robin tossed before her. He laid hog tied with several wounds across his body, but unlike a natural wound no blood escaped. It did not take a rocket scientist to know that Mayura with no tactical training, stood no chance in a fight against any of the heroes present, but most definitely not against Robin.

“Her bracelet.” Ladybug called, hoping Robin would understand her brief message. In a flick of his wrist his katana swiped across Mayura’s wrist breaking the jewelry, leading it to fall gracelessly to the ground.

The purple feather followed suit, slowly descending in the same direction as the bracelet. Only to be captured by Ladybug’s yo-yo before it reached the ground.

Robin returned his katana to Mayura’s neck preventing her escape, before locking eyes with Ladybug. She smiled at him and her heart flipped in her chest as he smiled back. Feelings from a day that felt too long ago returned all at once. She may have felt something for a civilian, but she couldn’t deny the way she felt now in this moment.

Their happy reunion however, was dashed as a blood curdling scream broke out behind her.

Chapter Text

A scream of pain pierced the night sky. It spoke of heartbreak, desperation, and helplessness. The voice was recognizable to Robin, it was undeniably Batgirl.

Robin shifted his weight to look past the villain Mayura to try and identify the cause of her distress. Among the sea of inverted Robins, Red Robins, Red Hoods and Nightwings, it was hard to identify anything else.

With the scream all but petered out, it was replaced by dead silence.

He was too distracted taking in the chaos in front of him, he missed Mayura grabbing a dagger feather from her fan.  She struck at the blade of his katana removing it from herself. She used the temporary reprieve to dart around the hero and leap up onto the roof of the barber shop in front of them.

Robin sheathed his katana and pulled out his grappling gun, ready to chase after her, when she jumped back down into the sea of vigilantes and a bright blue light flashed. He moved next to his wife ready to follow her lead, seeing as it was her villain, but was surprised to see her standing still. Frozen in the direction that the villain Mayura had disappeared.

He placed what he hoped was a comforting hand on her shoulder to snap her out of her daze. “She’s lost in the crowd and in her civilian form. It would be close to impossible for us to find her.”

He balled his fist. Dismayed they had lost the last villain that his wife was chasing and probably the cause of her eventual departure from him once more.

“Good news, we know who she is, and we know what she wants. It won’t be long before I have her miraculous.” She turned to look at him and placed her hand over the one still resting on her shoulder. She smiled warmly at him and he felt content for the first time in a while.

“Robin, bring Ladybug. Red Robin’s down.” Shocked at his father’s words in the comm, he wasted no time, pulling her hand as he sprinted into the crowd towards his father’s beacon. He now understood why Batgirl cried the way she did. He prayed that it did not mean what he thought, his father’s voice sounded broken, an uncommon thing, even in their line of work.

Watching the real Robin trying to get by, the crowd parted like the Red Sea and revealed a scene before him that had his heart and stomach drop.

Batgirl clung desperately to Nightwing, sobs racking her body as his arms pulled her in close. His own body stood hunched in on itself, trying to stand strong for the girl he held, but his own grief and injuries were evident from the battle. Batman stood off to the side, his hand holding his injured shoulder, his head looking up at the empty sky.

Most disturbing of all was Red Hood on the ground rocking back and forth as he cradled the unmoving body of Red Robin as Black Bat sat beside him. Her hand sitting comfortingly on his shoulder as she stared down at the two men beside her, her own shoulders drooping.

The Fox Hero and Superboy ran up to the scene from the other side. It was obvious when Superboy understood the gravity of the scene before him, for he left the other hero and was instantly across from Red Hood, scanning the unmoving body.

The Kryptonian’s head snapped up and he took in the people surrounding him. His eyes reflected his sorrow and a few tears had already slid down from his eyes.

Robin closed his eyes and felt his own tears start to form, for once he did not care if others saw how he felt. He had been through a lot since his birth, but he had never wanted to know what it felt like to lose a brother. Never know what it felt like to lose someone he loved.

Ladybug removed her hand from his and stepped forward. She turned back around to look back at him and gave him a reassuring smile. He could not fathom what could possibly have her smiling at such a time. He wanted with all his heart to say that it gave him comfort, but he felt like nothing would be able to fill the hollow feeling in his chest.

Her gloved hand lightly wiped at a tear he had not realized covered his cheek. She turned back towards his family and moved closer to the two bodies on the ground.

“Don’t worry, I will make this right.” Each member of his family and Superboy looked at her. Their faces matching his own disbelief.

She took her yo-yo from her hip and swiped a finger across the center. It opened to release a white butterfly and feather from the compact. The feather slowly descended to the ground swaying gracefully as it danced in the Gotham wind. The butterfly flew up into the sky, standing out against the dark buildings, only to quickly disappear behind the first corner.

She gripped the yo-yo with her whole hand before launching it into the sky and screaming, “Miraculous Ladybug.”

He knew what happened next, he had seen it on video, several times, but a part of him still believed it was expensive CGI. It was unfathomable that there was a hero that was able to undo all of the damage, death and heartbreak before them. Still from her yo-yo a bright red and white light flashed before thousands or maybe millions of ladybugs swarmed around them. He watched as the inverted vigilantes returned to their civilian selves. The destruction and damage done to the streets and buildings returned to the state they were in prior.

But most importantly he watched as they passed by the bodies littering the street that he ashamedly ignored in lieu of his brother’s. Rushing off as fast as they came, the ladybugs left the person underneath gathering themselves as they tried to process where they were and why they had been laying on the ground.

He ignored all else as the ladybugs made their way to his brother. As they moved past him, the family watched as Red Robin’s chest cavity once again filled with air. The sound of his desperate gasp was like music to their ears. Despite the families more common show of no emotions, Red Robin was almost robbed of air once more by the crushing force of three brothers, one sister and an ex-girlfriend piled on top of him. Red Robin laughed and the hole Robin had felt grow in his heart was almost completely healed by the sound.

The happy moment was ruined by the gruffly sound of his father’s voice. “Ladybug.” Robin looked up at his Angel, who despite the clear exhaustion from the battle still held her own against his father. He only knew of a few heroes from the Justice League who could look at his father without cowering.

She nodded at Batman, saying nothing, allowing him to question her as she knew was his intention.

“Can you explain what we stepped into now?”

“Of course. Perhaps we should continue this conversation on the roof top, away from prying eyes and ears?” She motioned to the many civilians who still lingered around. She pulled her yo-yo out but hesitated before using it. “Renard, why don’t you recharge just in case.”

The fox hero nodded before using his baton to launch onto one of the closest roofs. “Don’t forget Superboy has super hearing.” She yelled into the wind as the hero disappeared behind a smokestack.

The Super in question, blushed slightly as if caught doing something wrong. She smiled and winked at Damian’s best friend; causing a small amount of jealousy to rear its ugly head.

“Shall we?” She questioned as she gestured back towards the roof of the building in front of her.

“Do you need to recharge too?” Red Robin had moved enough to detangle himself from the limbs of his family. Causing the rest of them to scurry into returning to their dignified stances. A large portion of Gotham was still watching after all.

She looked like she was hesitant to answer. “I did not use my lucky charm so there is no need.” The lie sounded believable, but the delivery was off. Cutting off his brother’s other questions she flicked her yo-yo and launched herself up to the roof. The Bats only momentarily delayed in following her.

Robin lightly landed beside her, as the rest of his family formed a circle around them. She ignored their presence and instead focused on him. He blushed at her obvious attention, feeling self-conscious of his behavior in front of his family. She seemed to read his mind and took a step away from him, giving him enough separation to not feel suffocated by her presence.

“When we captured Hawkmoth, we discovered the identity of his partner at the same time. However, she slipped away while we were dealing with him. Apparently, she followed some civilians that she believed would lead her to myself and Chat Noir.”

“Who did she follow?” Red Robin inquired.

She looked hesitant to answer, her eyes were studying the vigilantes in front of her. She blew out the air from her lungs through pursed lips causing the bangs in front of her forehead to lift before resettling. “If I release this information, I hope that it does not leave this circle.”

Robin immediately nodded his head, offering Ladybug the trust that his wife deserved. It took the rest of his family only a second to ponder the deal before nodding themselves. “Adrien Agreste.”

It was barely audible, but Superboy took in a fair amount of air at the sound of his crushes name. Robin prayed that she had not heard the Kryptonian. There should be no reason for Superboy to be familiar with the name, nor show that level of concern in hearing that he was the target of a supervillain.

Fortunately, she seemed to not hear it as she continued. “Hawkmoth turned out to be Gabriel Agreste, Adrien’s father. He is no threat as I have taken away his miraculous, his memories and his ability to ever use a miraculous again. I have also punished him in a way that is appropriate according to Miraculous law. But his assistant for the past few years, Natalie Sancoeur, turned out to be Mayura and escaped. At the time, we weren’t aware of where she disappeared to or her motives for retaining the Miraculous.” She started to rub her temples with her hand. “She showed her cards tonight and apparently she still wants the Ladybug and Cat Miraculous… but this time for herself. Adrien informed us of her presence and before our meeting time, my partner Renard and I went searching for her.”

“Where is Chat Noir?” Robin asked, curious why she had replaced her longtime partner knowing he was in the city.

She paused, turning towards him, her eyes narrowing. Robin was curious as to why she was suspicious of his question. “He retired. Personal reasons have prevented him from continuing to be Chat Noir.” Her word choice was deliberate, his retirement was likely caused by his father turning out to be the villain. But she would not be able to confirm that as she was unaware of the Bats knowing his identity.

“Can we expect another attack in Gotham of this scale?” His father’s tone seemed unemotional, but the group could see the tension in his shoulders. In fact, as he spoke, the entire team seemed to be riddled with anxiety at the implications for Gotham based on the answer.

“Unlikely, but not guaranteed.” She fiddled with her yo-yo as she pondered her next words. “The Peacock Miraculous is damaged, it therefore drains energy instead of giving. Based on the length of this battle, I would say that it would be a month at the very least before she has the energy to transform again… If ever again... Which of course gives us the advantage of trying to locate her in civilian form, as she will be severely weakened.”

Robin grabbed her hand and gave it a light squeeze, hoping it relayed his intentions to assist in finding Mayura. She smiled back, but it did not have some of the warmth he had seen it hold earlier, she was clearly exhausted too. “As far as dealing with an attack like this. Her sentimonsters are powered by emotions. Hers are very strong towards Hawkmoth. The likelihood of her being able to repeat creating him again is unfortunately high. Perhaps with luck, although I seem to be having trouble with it lately.” She seemed to whisper the last part more to herself than the group. “If she is able to create him again, Hawkmoth will likely not find another victim with the same grievances to cause another akuma that will recreate your team.”

The tension between the small group was palatable. Not between each other, but the situation at hand.  It was broken by the arrival of Renard, unaware of the bad news Ladybug just shared.

“Wow, they really aren’t downplaying the doom and gloom you guys exude.” The edges of Ladybug’s lips upturned as she tried to keep from smiling at her partners attempt to bring some light back to the group.

His father ignored the comment. “We will assist in any way we can. Oracle and Red Robin will work on trying to find her location. While asking the police to put out an APB. Our goal will be to capture her before she can transform again.”

“The world’s best detectives are on the case, how exciting.” Ladybug looked pointedly at her partner, causing the blond-haired hero to press his lips in a thin line and straighten under her gaze.

“I know this was supposed to be a reunion for the two of you, but I hope you understand based on the lateness of the hour, I am going to suggest you meet on another night.” He looked right at Robin, who nodded. The emotional toll of the battle still lingered despite her ability to erase the physical signs. Waiting on the emotional reunion was advisable.

“Give me a moment alone, so that we may discuss an appropriate accommodation. I imagine it is not easy for her to get to Gotham.” He could not risk parting without having a solid plan to meet again. They had a lot to discuss.

His father nodded, taking a second to look between Robin and Ladybug. “We will see you back in the cave. Superboy will remain to accompany you home. Do not make me send the others back out to retrieve you.”

Hood, snickered. But immediately straightened when Robin glared at him.

“Understood.”

Chapter Text

When she first saw the figure of Robin at the Heroes and Villains Museum, she thought he looked like her masked husband. Now as she looked at him after Superboy had taken Renard and left them alone, it was undeniable. Of course, her favorite feature was currently missing. The masks of the Bat family had a white film, covering the green eyes that haunted her dreams for the last month. Eyes she feared were becoming easily mixed with the green eyes of another man who had occupied her thoughts lately.

A quick check of his aura and she knew that she was once again in the presence of her Demon.

“I never thought I believed in fate, but seeing you here now… I can’t help but feel that something continues to bring us together.”

She smiled at him. It was a pleasant sentiment, but she knew it didn’t work like that. “Fate exists, but does not have the power that it is often prescribed to have. Fate cannot play in specific events; it can only place pieces in their starting position and hope they have placed them well enough to help in the bigger picture and then observe. It is up to us mortals to occasionally be these pieces and hope for the best outcome, even when forces work against us.”

“You do not believe that Fate brought us together?” He smiled gently at her, she looked down and smiled herself. He was playing with her. “Unfortunately, not. But that doesn’t mean that I am not happy that we are together all the same.”

“There must be something at work, for who would summon an Angel to this Demon?” Even without his eyes she knew he was earnest with his words.

“Yes, and she goes by the name of Talia.” She laughed, but noticed his face drop at the mention of his mother. “Oh, my kwami, I am so sorry. I didn’t even think about how you might take that comment. I was just trying to be funny, but I can see how you might not think so. She is your mother after all. Even if she is kind of a bitch.” Her eyes blew open as she looked at him, mentally scolding herself for calling his mother such a name. “No, I mean she seemed like she could be pleasant. It was likely just the situation that had her come off as not the nicest person. I mean she has to be nice to have raised someone as nice as you.”

He gripped her shoulders and began to laugh. “Breath Angel. I am not offended by you calling my mother a bitch. There are other more offensive words that often cross my thoughts when I think of my mother. Bringing her up, only had me thinking of something I hadn’t thought of in some time but needed to ask.”

Ladybug took a deep breath. He hesitated after his declaration, as if the question he was about to ask pained him. It didn’t, but the potential answer did scare him.

“Do you know the intentions behind my mother’s scheme for our marriage?”

She slowly shook her head; she had of course wondered. Talia would not tell her and so she could only gather that it must have had something to do with the League trying to take control of the Miraculous. Although now knowing that Robin had little to do with the League as he moved around with the likes of Batman, any hypothesis she might have come up with didn’t quite make sense.

“Her intention is to have an indisputable heir to both the League of Assassins and your Order.” She looked up at Robin dumbfounded, of course that was it, why hadn’t she been able to draw that connection before? “So, forgive me for asking, although I guess it is within my rights to know. Are you pregnant?”

He looked uncomfortable as he searched her face for a reaction. She was unable to hold back a small smile, relieve that the answer was simple and would likely remove a great burden. “No.”

“Are you sure, we failed to use a condom every time we consummated.” She couldn’t help but laugh at both his discomfort and the way he worded their activities from that night.

“I’m on birth control to help with cramps. Trust me, even with the situation we were in, I would not have gone ahead with having sex with you no matter how bad I wanted it, if I did not have some level of protection. I wouldn’t unnecessarily risk bringing a child into the world when I’m still in school, fighting supervillains, and having known my husband for less than a day.”

The tension she hadn’t quite noticed through his shoulders, disappeared. “I hope you will not take offense when I express my gratefulness in hearing that news.”

“Absolutely. I can’t imagine being in your position for the last month, not knowing if you fathered a child. Here I was, only having to worry if we were ever going to be able to have a repeat of that night.” She slapped her hand over her mouth. “I mean if we were going to be able to see each other again.”

He smirked at her and she felt butterflies fluttering in her stomach. She shifted on her feet, feeling heat rising from her core as she thought about the implications of her comment and his reaction.

They are interrupted however by the appearance of her alter-ego.

Being part alien and friends with a diverse group of superheroes, he’d seen a thing or two. So, watching a bunch of ladybugs clean-up damage and repair everything from before a battle didn’t faze him…much. However, the idea that these same creatures were able to return people from the dead was something he wasn’t sure he could fathom. Yet, Red Robin’s heart did start to beat in his chest once more and Superboy found himself thankful such magic existed.

After Red Robin’s revival, he stood off to the side with Renard. He had been impressed by the Fox hero. Although, the Bats showed no recognition, he seemed like a seasoned fighter.

It was nice getting to fight with someone who shared the same exuberance while fighting, not expecting him to be serious all the time. Robin constantly scolded him like he was a small child for taking the many battles they fought lightly. But for him it was just his personality, a coping mechanism for the many things that they saw and fought. He was glad to find that there was another hero that seemed to feel the same way. His puns during battle were refreshing and while it wasn’t the type of humor that Superboy often participated in, he found that his own worked well and left openings for the Fox hero to insert several puns, leaving their banter effortless.

It was always nice to have a connection with other heroes and Superboy felt an easy one with him. Renard, however, did not seem as equally drawn, instead his own eyes were locked on the scene in front of them. He had been instructed to remain to make sure that Robin had an escort home, meaning that he was left to observe his best friend and reunited wife standing a building away with a returned Renard.

“How long have you two been partners?” He inquired.

“Honestly, not since the defeat of Hawkmoth. Chat Noir was forced to retired and I replaced him.” Renard finally withdrew his attention on the ‘newlyweds’ and looked back at Superboy.

“You two seem closer, than a few days of partnership.” Renard’s eyes widened, Superboy attempted to hear his heartrate but it appeared that the magical suits protected him from his powers.

“I’ve been training with Ladybug for some time. Chat’s retirement and Hawkmoth’s defeat was unexpected, so I never got the grand roll out in Paris before Ladybug left.”

“Did she search for him?” Renard looked confused by his question.

“Chat?”

“No, Robin.”

The Fox hero mouthed an ‘o’ before tapping his chin while thinking of his answer. “Honestly, I don’t think she had anything to go off to be able to find him. And up until recently she was still trying to be the light in the dark of Paris, hoping to attract and zap the crazed Moth Man.”

Superboy laughed at Renard’s joke, something he had been doing often despite the circumstances of the evening. “Fair enough. So, if you don’t mind me asking, what exactly is your power?”

Renard shrugged his shoulders, moving away from the couple to give them more space and some time before they separated for the evening. “Aside from additional strength, stamina, mostly invulnerable while suited up, and supermodel good looks; the Fox is given the power of illusion.”

“You added all of the Bats running around right before I smashed the akuma?!”

Renard bowed deeply while rolling his wrist. “I always bring the party.”

Superboy started bouncing, excited at the possibilities. “What else can you create?”

“Well, it’s kind of like Green Lantern’s power, as long as I can imagine it, I can create it. Difference is, mine is solely an illusion that disappears when it comes in contact with something. Would you like me to demonstrate?” Superboy wanted to, but they had given Robin his five minutes that Batman had offered. He did not want to face the wrath of Batman should they arrive back at the cave late.

“I’ve got to take Robin back to the nest.” He replied sadly, surprised at how quickly he had started to enjoy the Fox’s company. Luckily if Robin was going to see Ladybug more often, it could be assumed he was just as likely to see Renard.

“How about I use my magic to break them up. Just don’t tell Ladybug or Robin, I wouldn’t want her to get mad at me for abusing my powers.”

“Won’t she know?”

“No, we have to take a portal home, she won’t know that my illusion disappears when we do.”

Superboy used his hands to sweep them in a gesture that told Renard to go ahead. The hero took his baton out from behind his back and pressed it to his lips. A soft ditty came from the instrument weapon before an orange light manifested at the bottom. He pointed it at a building across from the couple while muttering ‘mirage.’

Out of nowhere a gray and pink suited hero complete with a jump-rope tail and spacebuns that looked like ears, appeared.

“Who is that?” Superboy asked.

“Multimouse.” Renard replied as if the answer was obvious.

Superboy shifted uncomfortably. If he understood the events of last night, Marinette was Multimouse. Robin’s crush being at the same place with his wife would be extremely uncomfortable for his best friend. But he wasn’t sure how to tell Renard without giving away something Robin wouldn’t want known.

Multimouse stayed at the edge of her roof top, capturing the attention of the polka dotted hero. Quick words were exchanged between Robin and Ladybug before she sprinted off in the direction of the mouse hero.

“That’s my cue. Remember not a word.” Renard winked at Superboy and the Kryptonian's ears blushed crimson at the flirting. “Hope to see you around Superboy.”

With a two-finger salute, the hero raced after his partner and the illusion. Superboy stood still for a few seconds before watching a flash of aquamarine light in the distance. His superior sight allowing for him to notice Ladybug swallowed by the light before her outfit changed and a portal opened before them. The Parisian heroes jump through the portal before it closed and Multimouse disappeared in a wisp of smoke.

He quickly flew next to his best friend, ready to support and prod for his current emotional state.

“Were you able to scan them and figure anything out?” His best friend inquired.

“No, their magic makes it so that I can’t even pick up their heartbeat or x-ray them.”

“Tt,” the stoic Robin had been opening up for the last few weeks, looked as closed off as ever. He turned abruptly, pulling out his grappling hook. “Father is waiting, we best go.”

Superboy reached out for his friend, feeling the barriers return. He was not completely sure of the cause nor the course to rectify. He really did not know if it would be better to tell Robin that Multimouse was an illusion or not. She was just a reminder that at the moment his heart was going in two different directions, that would remain true whether she was an illusion or not.

He flew silently beside his best friend, offering the only thing he could, his presence.

Marinette dropped onto Luka’s bed after she transformed back. They had been fortunate enough that Luka had obviously fallen asleep in his girlfriend’s room.  She sat up on her elbows and glared at Adrien. He looked at her sheepishly unsure what he had done to cause such ire.

“What was up with you conjuring Multimouse?”

“Superboy wanted to see my powers, but he also needed to take Robin back to the nest.” He shrugged his shoulders. She could be mad, but it served multiple purposes.

“But why Multimouse?” The anger in her gaze was gone and replaced with curiosity.

“I figured that since the Bats already knew that you were Multimouse, that it might pay for Robin to see Multimouse and Ladybug together. Kind of like you did when you made the illusion of Ladybug and Marinette together that one time.”

She smiled at him, and he beamed with pride, even if the tactic hadn’t been his own. He pouted slightly however when she began to shake her head while smiling.

“That would have been a brilliant plan Kit. If not for the fact that Superboy knows that you created the illusion. It doesn’t hurt, but they’ll know Marinette wasn’t there as Multimouse.”

Adrien cheered up and pointed up to the ceiling in a very ‘ah ha’ fashion. “Yes, but Superboy promised he wouldn’t tell.

Mari raised her eyebrows at her best friend and hummed in a way that spoke that she didn’t believe that would happen.

“I don’t know Mari, I just know that he wouldn’t tell unless there was a reason. At the very least he might hold the secret long enough, till the time you’re ready to share who you are with Robin.”

She smiled sweetly at Adrien, dropping her head and shaking it again. “Don’t change Adrien. Never change.”

Chapter Text

There were many things that Batman’s Robins shared: A legacy that included a uniform of green, red and yellow. Adventures assisting the Dark Night of Gotham. Life in a chaotic mansion with a bunch of siblings they didn’t choose but wouldn’t trade. And now, they all shared the fact that they had died and come back to life.

Tim remembered his death, but not the time that he was dead. He had been overwhelmed by the akuma’s minions and before he knew it, katana blades were piercing him, bo staffs and escrima sticks were breaking his bones, and guns were shooting bullets into his chest. All before nothing, only to return what felt like instantaneously in the arms of his family.

Parisians must have some of the strongest mental resolve in the world. To have spent five years under the tyranny of similar experiences. No one should ever have to die in such a way, much less then have the experience become a norm.

Here he was the morning after with only a single experience in death and unable to move from the couch he had fallen onto the night before with Stephanie.

How was he expected to process that he had died and was only alive because of the existence of magic that could reverse death. He finally saw deeper into Jason and Damian’s mindsets. They had both died and come back, yet there was time between the two actions. The world had moved on without them, forced to deal with the lack of their presence and thinking they would not return.

He was fortunate enough that the world had not had to move without Red Robin and Tim Drake. But all evening he thought about what would have happened if it did! Tim was left pondering what he would have never accomplished. What he would have no longer been a part of.

One thing he would have not been a part of was currently curled up in his arms, latched on to his Gotham University sweatshirt. Afraid to let go in case she woke from the nightmare to find that Ladybug had not been able to bring Tim back.

A year ago, they had broken-up. Steph had felt like a second fiddle to everything. She wasn’t wrong. He’d always prioritized his time to solving another case, dealing with another problem. Choosing to live off coffee over the love and affection she offered. He had believed there was too little time to waste.

He had been right, there wasn’t enough time. Not enough to waste not being with the one that brought him happiness. The one who offered to keep him grounded. The one who helped him to be at his best to solve cases efficiently instead of living off the coffee that allowed his brain to work at half capacity.

So now, he tightened his embrace around her just as tightly as she gripped him. Determined to not let her walk away from ‘them,’ determined to not give her cause, again.

“I love you.” He purred into her ear.

She didn’t respond with words, merely burrowing her head further into his chest. He was slightly hurt that she hadn’t reciprocated the words that use to be shared frequently between them.

The grip he held her with slackened, she used the opportunity to lift her chest to look up at him. Her eyes were watery, but the smile on her face confused him. Until she pulled his face to her and kissed him.

Through the kiss he felt what she hadn’t said. ‘I love you, too.’

Dick was originally supposed to be at W.E. safeguarding the conference students, but Kor’i begged to take his place. He was not one to deny his wife or pass-up the opportunity to spend time with Mar’i. But instead of playing with his daughter, he was forced to watch on the sidelines as she video chatted with her new friends, Kelvin and Kaelyn.

Kaelyn had been coming in and out of the screen, keeping Clark on his toes as he chased her around sounding like a monster. He imagined the scene similar to when Jon had been at the same age, he was envious of the Kryptonian however, knowing that fifteen years from now he was unlikely to have anywhere near the same level of energy.

With the young lady thoroughly distracted, or perhaps it was Clark who was being distracted, Mar’i was left to mostly converse with Kelvin about video games.

“Adrien bought me Mega Strike Four. It’s a popular game where he’s from. It just came in the mail today and I am so excited to try it. Though, I wish we could play together. I know that it would be more fun to get to play with you.”

He watched as his daughter’s skin flushed a slight rouge. It was quite endearing to watch her reaction.

“Perhaps we can ask Uncle Clark to bring you over so we can play?”

She seemed overly excited at her own suggestion, as she started to float in her seat.

“I’ll ask. Give me a second.” He disappeared from the screen while yelling ‘Mr. Kent.’

Mar’i nervously chewed on her fingers as she waited for him to reappear. Dick swore that she looked very much like a six-year-old going on sixteen. His face dropped at the thought, human sixteen-year-old girls were bad enough, he didn’t want to imagine.

“He said yes, and we can be there in ten minutes if it’s okay with your Dad.” A bodiless voice said through the computer.

Mar’i turned her puppy eyes on her father. Not so much to appear cute and innocent, but to dare him to deny her.

“Sure.” He said uncertain.

Both children squealed in delight before logging off. Mar’i jumped into her father’s arms. “Thank you, thank you, Daddy.” She kissed his cheeks excitedly before looking down at her outfit. “Oh no, I need to change quickly. I can’t see Kelvin in this.”

Dick was left speechless as his daughter wiggled out of his arms and sprinted up to her room. Did she seriously go change for a boy?

Oh no, she was too young to have a crush and he was not ready.

Adrien looked down at the envelope that held the information for his internship. It felt like the golden ticket Charlie Bucket found in the chocolate bar that changed his life for the better.

Moth Man would be furious if he knew what it said, but he hadn’t even called since their arrival in Gotham, so who was going to tell him. Not that Adrien would have cared if someone did, it wouldn’t have changed anything. He was finally doing something he wanted to. Taking another step, after Renard Noir, in the direction of the future he wanted for himself. Not what others decided for him.

Ryan Kellan in Research and Development was going to help guide him in the direction he’d chosen, and he could not be more excited.

Next to him walked Mari. She looked at him and he gave her his most genuine smile, not the model smile as she coined it. She smiled back, almost as warmly. They were both moving forward in a known direction. Yet, he wasn’t 100% sure she wanted to walk in the direction her path was leading.

He'd known her long enough to know when she said things to portray confidence and certainty, but he could see the signs that displayed her hesitance. At this very moment he was catching those very signs her body was betraying.

“Excited for your internship?” She smiled at him, his own smile dropped slightly. He recognized her distraction technique.

“Dr. Kellan was awesome when we met him before Scarecrow. I think I could learn a lot. At least know if science is a path that I would like to go down. You?”

He surveyed her face to see if her expression matched the words that were about to follow. “It’s a generic position. Wayne Enterprise doesn’t have a fashion department or more importantly a superhero department.” She whispered the last part. “So, I’ll just get to witness the inner workings of a business. No big deal.”

Before he could comment on her tense posture a snake slithered her arm around Adrien’s. Her unfortunate perfume and the familiarity of the movement alerted him to whom the appendage belonged to without the need for her to speak.

News of ‘her’ Damian Wayne’s disloyalty had spread among their class and she had spent the morning telling anyone who would listen everyone, about her being cheated upon.

Unfortunately, this meant she was once again targeting Adrien for affection. Fortunately, Adrien no longer cared about what his sperm donor did, and his contract was soon to expire. Nice, was no longer the game he had to play.

“Lila, if you touch me again, I will sue you for sexual harassment. I’ve asked too many times for you to not touch me when we are not modeling together.” He hissed in a way Plagg would have been proud. He swore he heard Trixx’s ‘tell her kit,’ from his pocket.

“Sorry, Adrien. It’s just since I discovered Damian was cheating on me and the attack by those men on Saturday night, I’ve just been looking for comfort from my friends.” She tried to create the beginnings of what could be described as tears.

“Then please maintain searching for this comfort from your friends. Something that we are not." He pried her hand from his arm. Choosing to loop his through Mari’s instead to prevent Lila from attempting to reattach. "Not to mention, you can’t be comforted for something that wasn’t real.” 

At that moment he noticed the tension increase in Mari's body, more present than he thought even she was aware. “Mari are you okay?”

“Perfect. Absolutely peachy. Never better in fact. This week is going to be fun. Why wouldn’t I be okay? The sun is shining, we’re in Gotham and not Paris. I am fine. Perfectly fine.” She rambled.

“Mari.” He looked down at her and tried his best to give her a scolding look. But she kept her eyes looking forward. She led them closer to the front entrance of the Conference Center. He tried to dig his heels to get her to look at him, but he failed. Despite being older, taller, and both superheroes, she was always a little stronger than him, even as a civilian. He wondered if it must be because she was that Kaiduan thing.

Feeling him pulling her back, she relented slightly. “It’s just Lila getting to me again and the stupid things I do because of her.” She released a long breath. “Come on, I see Jon up ahead.”

Sure, Jason had a better relationship with Bruce now that he had returned to living in the manor. There were still some unresolved issues, but for now they didn’t overshadow his relationships.

Bruce had realized that he couldn’t control Jason or Red Hood like he wanted. He accepted it, leaving them on better, not great, just better terms.

Red Hood worked in Batman’s circles, but he made sure the scum of Gotham understood he worked for himself.  Recently as the bridges mended in his relationships with his adopted father and his brothers, the difference between what he wanted, and Batman blurred.

Lately, if Batman asked Red Hood to do something, he did. Which is why, although Red Hood had better things to do, Jason was currently babysitting a bunch of high schoolers. Or maybe that’s what he told himself to cover the reality that he relished the opportunity to observe Marinette.

She had just come out of the W.E. Conference Center with Adrien and Jon, heading towards the buses that would take them to the buildings that housed their internships. She wore a pencil skirt that went just below her knees. A unique geometric pattern mostly black accented with soft yellow. Her shirt, a much more electric yellow halter, was layered under a jade green blazer she left open. A pair of black pumps finished her look with her hair held in a low pony. He was never one for business suits, but Marinette made everything she wore look good.

The two seconds that he was able to divert his eyes he caught Damian walking a far distance behind, isolated. Even though Jon was close by walking with Marinette and her crew.

The sight concerned him. Demon Spawn hadn’t returned from his rendezvous with Ladybug in the good spirits the family had expected. Initially they figured he was still bothered by Tim’s death. Hell, they all were. But having grown-up in the League and use to the Lazarus Pit, Damian should have been less impacted by it.

He sprinted across the street and made his way to intercept Demon Spawn. It was time for big brother Jason.

Damian was at a loss as to the action he should take. Marinette and his last interaction had been awkward with her rushing off. He wanted to talk to her, but he was conflicted as to what the aim for the conversation would be now that his wife was in town.

He was elated to meet his wife the night before. Determined to find out if he would feel the same way he had on their wedding night. Also to compare if he could feel the same connection towards Ladybug as he had towards Marinette the last week. When Multimouse, who he knew to be Marinette, had appeared beside Ladybug he knew that he would not be able to forget his developing feelings towards Marinette, despite his reaffirmed feelings towards Ladybug.

He felt as if he was a cheating scum bag.

“Demon Spawn, what’s got you so down?” The voice of the one person who had been his point for advice in the family lately, was currently unappreciated. Todd had a delivery that was not sympathetic, which usually was appreciated by Damian, but not on this matter.

“What do you want Todd?”

“Just wondering what crawled up your ass and died that’s leaving you in such a foul mood?” Todd said casually as he matched his stride to Damian’s.

“Nothing that concerns you.” His gaze met with the object of his mental anguish. A gesture that did not go unnoticed by Todd.

“No fucking way.” Damian stopped his progression towards the buses and turned to face his brother. Hoping his obvious gesture did not completely give him away.

Schooling his features back into a judgmental glare, he hoped to intimidate Todd into backing down from his assumption. But Todd was not one to be intimidated.

“You have a crush on Marinette! You’re already fucking married, and you say I’m fucking disgusting?” Todd whisper screamed.

“I’m well aware, Todd.” He hissed under his breath.

“Then what the hell. I thought that you loved Ladybug.”

Damian attempted to walk away as the buses prepared to leave. This was not a conversation he wished with have with Todd. Not right now at least. But Todd grabbed his arm, risking the loss of his limb, to stop him from walking away.

Damian sighed. “I thought I did. I’ve been feeling similarly, if not more so with Marinette. I merely wish to evaluate my feelings before I commit and force Ladybug into a relationship I may not be fully committed to. Roth said she has the ability to sever my bond, if needed.”

After all, he could give concrete reasons as to why he had a crush on Marinette, not something he could currently do for Ladybug.

Todd looked at Damian, studying him. Damian knew he had to be mistaken when he saw the toxic green flash in Todd’s eyes.

Yet, in a tone reserved for when Todd was angry, he growled at Damian. “I suggest you stick to your wife. Marinette has better prospects.”

With those parting words, Todd stormed away.

Damian did not have time to fully analyze Todd’s words as the buses left. He rolled his eyes at his bad luck as he pulled out his phone and called the one person who could help him out of his current predicament.

“Pennyworth, I am in need of a ride to the headquarters.”

“Of course, Master Damian. I am just around the corner.”

At least there was one constant in his life.

Despite his attraction to the new hero Renard Noir, Jon knew that he was head over heels for Adrien. It occurred to him the moment he recognized he had distracted him enough that he hadn’t realized they had lost his best friend somewhere before they got on the bus. It wasn’t until Marinette pointed out that she had not seen Damian that it clicked.

As the trio went their separate ways once they reached W.E., Jon ran into a girl named Alya that was from Adrien and Marinette’s class. She introduced herself immediately as Ladybug and Chat Noir’s Lois Lane – which had him snickering. Launching into how her goal was to follow them and their exploits now the pair had left Paris, Jon listened intently hoping she would address why Chat Noir retired.

“Didn’t Ladybug show-up yesterday in Gotham with a new partner?” He asked hoping to guide the conversation into what she knew about Adrien’s alter-ego.

“Yea, with the little footage of him available he seems pretty good. He worked really well with Superboy, I almost thought they were partners at first.”

Jon tried to keep himself from blushing. He had initially hoped that Adrien was Renard Noir, at least that would explain his immediate attraction. When he brought this up to Red Robin he was shot down, Adrien was Chat Noir. “Why do you think Chat Noir didn’t show up instead?”

“It’s possible that like Ladybug’s temporary heroes he decided to return to a normal life. But, he and Ladybug are such great partners that I doubt that she would ask him to give it up.” She paused as if lost in thought. “No, if Chat Noir is done, he made the decision to step down.”

The thought struck Jon. Adrien had made the decision not to be a hero. Was he tired of being a superhero? Did that mean he wouldn’t want to be with someone who lived the lifestyle? Was their relationship doomed before it even had time to really start?

No, even in the week that he had been in Gotham, he had shown several of his hero tendencies. With the Scarecrow attack and protecting Kelvin and Kaelyn as examples. He was overthinking it.

“You know… Ladybug’s best friend might know.”

Jon looked at Alya confused. “Whose Ladybug’s best friend? Isn’t it Chat Noir?”

“I can introduce you at lunch if you want, she is one of my best friends too. If anyone knows why Chat Noir quit, it’s her.”

Jon questioned if this person was truly Ladybug’s best friend, after all claiming such things was dangerous. But, he needed to know why Adrien gave up being Chat Noir. “That would be great. Thanks!”

Marinette reached around a girl to push the button for her floor on the elevator. The 70^th floor was going to be her home for the next two weeks according to the paper inside of her internship packet. It was only a couple floors down from the top and it made her wonder what level her supervisor was going to be.

Naturally, she was curious if that would have her close to Damian as he was likely to have an internship with his father or brother. The thought of being close to him both excited and frightened her.

Finding her husband should have been everything she wanted. First or rather second impressions of him proved that he was everything that she could want out of a relationship. He was protective, could take care of himself and didn’t seem to be in league with his mother. But she couldn’t help the conflicted feelings she had that were caused by Damian Wayne. There was no denying that she liked him and wondered if she wasn’t already bound to another if she would have seen if something could have happened between them.

No, that was unlikely, she could never ask a civilian to be bound to her and her lifestyle. Not without offering them a Miraculous to protect themselves and her. But she could never do that without a good reason, and wanting someone to be with her was not it. Not to mention with the public profile like the Wayne’s there is no way that he would be able to keep being superheroes quiet. It was what had first made Marinette suspect Gabriel Agreste as Hawkmoth, if only she had listened to herself.

It was best for her to go ahead and forget DFW and focus on making a relationship with Robin work. She would spend the evenings patrolling with Robin and get to know him. It was for the best.

Lost in her thoughts, she missed as the number of people in the elevator thinned as she reached the upper floors of the tower.

The counter flashed two more times before announcing her arrival on the 70^th floor. The door opened to a woman standing impatiently in front of her. Her countenance changed however upon taking in Marinette. “Ah, Ms. Dupain-Cheng we were waiting for you.”

We?

Behind the woman stood a stoic and equally shocked Damian Wayne.

Chapter Text

“He didn’t know he had powers until his Mom’s boyfriend attacked his sister. He says that it was the first time that he ever turned his aggression on them.” Clark filled Dick in on the things he had learned from the children that would not be seen on the police report.

“Any idea why he did this time?” The boyfriend had kept quiet about what lead to the altercation, too fixated on Marinette’s storming of the apartment to answer anything during his questioning.

“Kaelyn had never put herself between him and her mother before. Kelvin says she knew better. When I asked, she claims she knew what she was doing.” Clark lifted his hands and shrugged. “The kids speak in riddles that I didn’t understand.”

“Is she showing any signs of powers like her brother?” Dick kept his voice down while they conversed to keep the children from hearing.

He watched as Kaelyn seemed content simply observing Kelvin and Mar’i play their new video game. On occasion she would scold one or the other on their predictable moves that would inevitably lead to their downfall.

“Not yet. She’s four and Kelvin is seven, it might be some time before her powers show, if she has any. Meta powers aren’t like aliens, for some it takes time and others… triggers before they manifest.”

“Are you planning on keeping them?” Only partially paying attention to the conversation he was keeping with Clark, Dick moved closer to his daughter as her signs of frustration at losing the game grew. Kaelyn had taken Kelvin’s controller and had insured that Mar’i was soundly losing. He feared that an intervention may be needed.

The adults were aware of the powers between the three children, but that didn’t mean the kids needed to know about each other’s.…Yet.

If Dick hadn’t been trained as a vigilante, he would have missed the deliberate movements from Kaelyn. The sequence began with her asking Kelvin to switch seats with her so that he sat between her and Mar’i. Out of the corner of her eye she ensured that her body was hidden behind her brother. Her gaze then returned to the TV before her fingers lazily executed a few combinations to keep Mar’i's character at bay.

Dick could tell that Kaelyn was waiting for Mar’i to make a specific move. He was thoroughly impressed; he could not remember his own daughter being capable of patience at such a young age.

“Mr. Kent would you mind grabbing my water from the table? Please.”

Clark moved to get Kaelyn’s water and not a second later a smile crossed her face. She quickly lifted the controller and played a sequence. The result on the screen was the bot completely annihilating Mar’i’s, quickly and with no mercy. Kaelyn laughed before snuggling as close as possible to her brother looking for protection.

The movement baffled both Dick and Clark, who shared raised eyebrows, both confident she would gloat about her well-planned win, not cower behind her brother. Confusion was replaced with anxiety as an angry Mar’i rose from the couch and floated in front of her friends.

Her eyes shone the same green as her mother’s, frightening Kelvin enough to raise his shield. Dick was confident that Mar’i’s next action was caused by surprise when she fired her own beam at Kelvin.

Fortunately, his shield deflected her beam, protecting both him and Kaelyn. Unfortunately, it ricocheted, firing past the exact spot Clark had just vacated and hitting the wall instead of the Kryptonian.

Clark moved back to his position next to Dick, his eyes not moving from the singed wall.

“I think she already has a power, and she seems pretty adept in using it.” He taunted the far more experienced superhero.

They both chuckled good naturedly at the kids, who instead of screaming scared or angerly at each other, were laughing excitedly. Talking over each other to gloat at how cool their other friend’s powers were.

“I think it’s safe to say they need to at least be fostered by someone who’s familiar with kids with powers. And seeing that Jon has taken such a liking to the two of them, I’m a little scared that if they don’t stay with us, he will be adopting them as soon as he turns eighteen. So, I think they’re staying.”

Red Hood was supposed to be watching the perimeter of the many Wayne buildings that the high schoolers were currently in, but he needed to get away.

He’d gotten mad at Damian. Not just any old kind of mad, pit level mad. He wasn’t sure what about admitting he liked Pixie had set him off. Hell, half her class had admitted the same. Perhaps it was the fact that she had already turned down the rest of her suitors, but not Damian. He’d seen the way Marinette looked at Damian, with a certain level of interest.

As if Demon Spawn didn’t get handed everything he wanted already. He was married to a great hero and yet he still wanted more. And Jason, he just wanted one thing for himself.

Fuck his brother’s greed. He wasn’t going to sit back and let Damian take more than he needed and deserved. He was not going to let Marinette, who was too good for the world, become a victim.

After all, no one could guarantee Raven could remove the bond. This was the League of Assassins they were talking about, they had some of the best magic wielders at their disposal. Talia would never allow for a bond to be formed between her son and her leverage if one of Robin’s known associates would be able to easily break it.

No, the bond wouldn’t be broken, and Jason could not allow for Damian to break her heart after stringing her along. He needed to ensure she didn’t fall for Demon Spawn.

The best way to do that was to ensure that she was with him. He knew that he was falling for Marinette and he was certain she could fall for him, if not already.

He punched Two Face’s goon across the jaw. “Care to lie again about what you know?”

“I told you Two Face ain’t got nothing planned. At least, not that he’s telling us.”

Red Hood knocked the guy out before walking to the exit. It had been the same story among all of the villain strong holds an angry Red Hood had infiltrated all morning. No one was planning anything if they were to be believed, which meant someone was planning something big.

“Okay Adrien, now that I’ve shown you around the spaces we will be using. I have to ask what you are hoping to get out of the internship?” Dr Kellan pulled up a stool at one of the lab benches and gestured for Adrien to sit across from him.

Adrien thanked Mari’s Ladybug luck at being paired with Dr. Kellan. He was treating him more like an adult than Gabriel ever had. He already felt like he was seen more as a competent assistant than a high school intern.

“I want to see if science is a career I can find a passion in before I start studying it.” Adrien smiled.

“That is a good idea. Any other interests?”

Dr. Kellan folded his hands in front of him and gave Adrien his complete attention. It was slightly unsettling as no adult had ever shown such an interest in what Adrien wanted or thought. In fact, only Mari and now Jon had ever shown such interest before. It almost felt like a scene from a movie where the older brother was giving advice.

“Honestly, no. I model, and I could see myself still doing it as a hobby, especially to help my best friend who’s a designer. But it’s not something I want to do for a career.”

Dr Kellan smiled at him. It was one of understanding and compassion. “Yes, one should never choose a career just because they are good at it. Enjoying it is very important.” He clapped his hands together, taking Adrien by surprise. “So, right now it’s science or bust. I better make sure you love the next two weeks then.”

He winked at Adrien, causing the blond to smile brightly.

“Okay. I’ll be honest, I’m the new guy, so my funding is limited, and I don’t get an assistant assigned until I show some results. That is where you come in. I’ve seen your grades and your school was nice enough to send over some of your science papers. You’ve got talent, otherwise, you wouldn’t have stepped foot in here.” Adrien gulped at the pressure. “I know my theory checks out. I just need a conduit. I think I might have found it recently, so I will be working on building a small prototype.”

Adrien nodded his head. “Let’s get started then.”

Kellan laughed. “I love the enthusiasm… but first you need to understand the theory.”

He dropped a small novel on the table with a small thud. Adrien lifted the cover and flipped through the first few pages. They were filled with words and the occasional formula and diagram. He rested his head against his palm, sighing at the monumental task.

Kellan laughed again. “Read it, even though you may not understand it all. Once you’re done, we can start the prototype.”

Opening the first page he settled his butt into the chair, readying himself for the long stretch ahead and started.

Girls.

Jon was surrounded by a gaggle of girls. All a part of a court that belongs to the girl Alya had identified as Lila.

Not that he could blame them. This Lila girl was quite interesting. Her life was one big adventure, and this was coming from a superhero.

The way she talked about Ladybug and Chat Noir it was obvious they were close, perhaps she even had time behind a mask. But then again, it didn’t explain why she didn’t appear to be close to Adrien.

“Of course, Ladybug visited me. She wanted to introduce me to the new fox hero. He’s pretty cool. Between us, a better match to Ladybug’s personality than Chat Noir.” She said as if it were no big deal. It infuriated Jon a little, who felt it a personal attack against Adrien.

 “You and Mari got to meet Ladybug’s new partner? That is so cool.” The girl who introduced herself as Rose squeaked.

“No, Marinette spent most of the night with Adrien again.” Lila rolled her eyes, the gesture missed by the rest of the group.

“Oh my gosh that means you’re the first to meet him. You’ve got to get me an interview.” Alya was practically jumping in her seat.

Thanks to his superspeed he noticed the panic that flashed across Lila’s face, before it settled on a too sweet smile.

“Sure, but let me get to know him a little better first. After all, I only got to meet him once and for a short time at that.” She tried to placate her friend.

At least Lila was smart enough to not broadcast she knew superheroes and used her friendships to secure interviews and the likes for friends. It would make her a target just like it had his Mom. It was probably the reason she panicked; she didn’t want to disappoint her friend by straight up rejecting her interview request.

No wonder she was friends with Ladybug. She was smart and resourceful.

“You, Superboy, and the Bats.” The girl Mylene interjected.

“Oh my gosh, that’s right. Maybe I can contact Vicki Vale and Lois Kent to work on a joint collab for the Ladyblog.” She pulled up her phone and began typing away, only to stop a second later to stare at Jon. “Wait you’re from Gotham?!”

“Metropolis actually.” He swallowed hard, Alya looked like a lioness who found her prey. It had him feeling on edge.

“Even better, you have a perspective on both cities’ heroes. So, tell me, what are your thoughts? Who’s your favorite among the Bats?”

He rubbed the back of his neck as he prepared to lie. “Don’t tell my best friend, but Nightwing. He’s so good at acrobatics, it’s almost like he’s flying with his wife.”

“Who’s the friend that would force you to claim another hero as your favorite?” Alya asked.

“He would maim me five different ways if he knew that I said anyone other than the latest Robin. But surely you know who my best friend is. We’ve been hanging out with your classmates all week. You know Damian Wayne.”

The table quickly became quiet as all eyes fell on him. He was sure they could hear his heartbeat as it sped up from the awkwardness.

“Damian Wayne is a cheating scum bag.” Juleka yelled, the quietest in the group so far was seething, drawing the attention of the table beside them.

Jon was confused. Damian cheating was a foreign idea, sure he was torn between two, but he would never actually cheat.

“What do you mean? Damian doesn’t have a girlfriend.” Jon defended, playing dumb to the knowledge of his wife. There was no way they knew about her.

“What are you talking about? Lila is or rather was his girlfriend.”

Damian’s supervisor was busy ensuring Tim’s work got done as he took his first unplanned day off. So, the youngest Wayne was temporarily assigned to Ms. Bell, who was currently performing double duty.

The whole internship was superfluous for him. He had spent the last eight years shadowing his brother and father, what more did he need? That was what he felt, until the elevator opened to reveal Marinette.

Watching her walk in, her own eyes locked with his own. Yet another reminder, despite Todd’s warning, that he would be unable to ignore his feelings for Marinette. Not when they were stronger than the ones he currently had for his wife. He had two weeks with her to figure out what it all meant and what he wanted.

“Now that you have set up your accounts, I can take Ms. Dupain-Cheng around for a tour. I know it would probably be pointless for you Mr. Wayne.”

Ms. Bell smiled prettily at Marinette. Her body language to both him and Marinette pointed towards flirting or brown nosing. Somewhat expected towards him as the Wayne heir, mostly reflecting behavior of the harlots at the galas. It was unfortunate that Marinette was subject to a similar treatment, probably so that Ms. Bell hoped Damian would not notice or think much of her behavior.

“Call me Marinette, Ms. Bell. My last name is a mouth full, and I don’t really like it.” Marinette gave Ms. Bell her bright smile, which was returned.

The woman turned to look at Damian. Surely, she did not expect him to allow her to address him so informally. “I will accompany you so that I may be familiar with the areas that I will be expected to use frequently during the next two weeks.” He dismissively stated, as he did with most of his father’s employees. He looked to the side however trying to gage Marinette’s reaction. For some reason he could not understand, he did not want her to have a negative opinion of him thanks to his interactions with others. But he could not completely change who he was.

Marinette only quirked her eyebrow at him before returning her attention to Ms. Bell. The supervisor rolled with his attitude and started to walk out of her cubical space, Marinette and him following shortly behind.

Ms. Bell was efficient with her tour, giving the pair only the uses they would personally have for each of the spaces they visited.

As they were walking back to her office area, her cell phone chirped. She pulled it out and read her text before moaning. “I’m sorry. I’ve got to go and meet up with my counterpart in the finance department. Its lunch time so why don’t you two go to the cafeteria while I do that?” She placed her hand on Marinette’s shoulder. “Mr. Wayne knows the way. I’m sure that he wouldn’t mind showing you, Marinette.”

“Of course. This way Marinette.” He gestured with his hand towards the closest elevator. It felt satisfying to see that she did not hesitate to move in the direction he pointed.

Ms. Bell’s hand slid from Marinette’s shoulder as she walked away. When it finally fell back to her side, she moved in the opposite direction, leaving the two young adults alone.

He called the elevator and an awkward silence developed between them. It continued as they came to stand next to each other on the lift. When she began to sway back and forth on her heels, it became too much for him not to break. Which surprised even him, who usually preferred silence.

“I want you to know, I am used to girls claiming attachment to me. I do not think any less of you because you believed a friend. I would like it if we could be friends again and pretend that the misunderstanding and subsequent actions did not occur. I have enjoyed our time together prior to it.”

Her mouth gaped open as she looked at him in shock before she smiled and a blush began to paint her cheeks. If his own neck started to reflect a similar color, he would never admit it.  

“I’m sorry, when I make mistakes, I tend to think bad things will happen because of them. I figured you would think the worst of me. Then my future would be ruined. My design company would disappear. And your father would make sure I was homeless.”

He tried his hardest not to laugh. Her rambling was cute, and her mind drew very outlandish conclusions. Her usual confidence was gone and for once she appeared vulnerable. It was something that he would normally detest, but for some reason, the thought of her showing this side to him made him feel special. Like she trusted him to protect her and not extort her weakness. Much like Ladybug had done on their wedding night when she asked for him to pretend to love her.

“You missed the most obvious conclusion.” Looking at him in confusion, he smiled at her. “I’d recognize the misunderstanding and proceed with our friendship.”

She lightly hit his shoulder with her arm, while a warm smile spread as she looked at the floor. “I like us being friends.”

The elevator arrived on the 23^rd floor where the company’s cafeteria was. Already the sound of many high schoolers speaking in multiple languages could be heard as they stepped off the lift.

Damian gestured for her to move first. She began to move only to stop as she rocked back onto her heels. She pointed towards a door at their right. “I’ve got to go to the bathroom really quick. Meet you inside?”

Hesitant to leave her so quickly after repairing their friendship, it took him a second before nodding his head. “I’ll save you a seat.”

Marinette quietly shut the bathroom door. It wasn’t much of a surprise that W.E. splurged on the bathrooms, each an individual room instead of stall. Affording her some privacy she hadn’t had all day.

Opening her bag, the small red goddess who had been tapping her hip since they arrived on the floor, rushed out. Zooming around in small circles in the enclosed space.

“Marinette, I’m glad you and Damian made up, but you know we need to find Plagg’s Kaiduan. We only have two weeks before we have to return to Paris.” Her small voice shrilled.

“Tikki, why can’t we just wait for Plagg to be better in a week and find him like Master Fu had done?”

“Plagg’s miraculous has been too close to his Kaiduan, anyone who wears it would last maybe five minutes before passing out. It would be longer for you as the Grand Guardian, but you too would eventually succumb to the rejection. With Natalie around we can’t risk you out of commission for even a minute. So, for now, we’ll run recon and narrow down some possible candidates and then have Plagg check them out later.” Tikki squeezed Marinette’s cheeks in a way she hoped was reassuring.

“You’re right Tikki. I just don’t love how searching auras makes me feel.” Marinette looked down at the floor. Reading auras was like wearing glasses that were in the wrong prescription, eventually she would feel sick from forcing her eyes to work against their natural state. 

“I know my little Coccinella.  If I could help you I would. But there are too many eyes. I would be seen the moment I lifted my head out of your purse.”

“How will I know if he’s Plagg’s Kaiduan? I only recognized Kelvin and Kaelyn after I knew who they were.” She blew out and slumped on the toilet seat she was sitting on.

“Just look for ones that resonate with Plagg the most, the misfortune and bad luck you saw taunting Adrien would be his souls major color. When you have a list, we’ll have Plagg check it out. Only he will be able to see his soul piece from afar.”

“Okay, I’ll look this week and make a list. Next week we’ll have Plagg check my work.” Holding her body in a way similar to when she was about to jump into an akuma battle, Marinette looked out as if able to see past the room she was in.

“That is a very good idea, Marinette.”

She deflated slightly and looked sheepish as she hunched her shoulders while opening her purse for Tikki. “But first, I really need to go to the bathroom.”

Tim lazily ran his hand up and down Steph’s back as she laid on top of him. A position they had not moved from since re-establishing their relationship that morning.  “We really couldn’t have been luckier with Damian’s wife.”

The sudden feminine voice broke the silence of the room and Tim’s tranquil state. “What do you mean?”

Sure, they were lucky someone was happy to marry Demon Spawn. But that wouldn’t have caused the outburst by Steph.

“Well, I assume she’ll probably stick around, especially after we help her capture the Peacock. It’ll be nice to know that we have someone on the team that can bring people back to life. Heaven knows this team needs someone like that, too many deaths.”

Tim froze under her, the words too close for comfort. Her eyes widened in response. “Too soon?” She looked at him in concern, she had not thought of the possible impact of her words.

He relaxed marginally. “Just a little.”

Steph bit her lip as her eyes searched for a new topic of conversation. When she found it, she looked at him again. “What about Renard Noir? What was with that load of crap about him being a new hero.”

Tim looked at her confused, first from the abrupt shift of conversation and secondly, he wasn’t sure what garnered that opinion. “What do you mean?”

“I’m sure you couldn’t observe it too much at the time, but he was good. His ability to fight was impressive. I’m sure that he could easily keep up with any one of us without powers. Not to mention his interactions with Ladybug were not someone who just got in the game. Either he was dating Ladybug before, or he was a hero that worked with her frequently.”

Tim raked his brain, but continuously came up empty. “No, there was no Renard Noir in Paris. Unless he was wielding a different miraculous. But…I’m sure that I would have recognized the similarities between heroes.”

Steph stayed silent as she watched the gears in Tim’s mind make the necessary connection.

“Stupid magic!” He yelled. “Of course, their appearance doesn’t change, it’s just the magic that forces our minds to think it has.”

He all but threw Steph off him as he rushed off towards the cave. “Sorry babe.” He yelled over his shoulder.

The response was barely auditable as he entered the grandfather clock. “No one to blame but myself.”

Several Ladyblog clips later and Tim was certain that the new fox hero was none other than Chat Noir. Although, he wasn’t sure why he changed identities. It was possible they hoped to protect the miraculous by taking it out of circulation.

This meant of course that Renard Noir was Adrien. Could this mean Ladybug could be someone currently in Gotham too?

Assuming that Adrien knew Ladybug’s identity and would be as close to her civilian identity as he was to her hero, that would mean that she was someone that Adrien hung out with frequently. Meaning either Luka, Chloe, Marinette or Kagami. If his theory was correct, the miraculous did not alter major characteristics of its wielders, leaving Kagami and Marinette.

Kagami was a world renown fencer and use to be the girlfriend of Adrien. If their social media was to be believed, they broke up around the same time that Ladybug and Damian were married. It would make sense that she would break off her relationship with Adrien after getting married. Yet, she didn’t seem like the right choice. He’d watched a few fencing matches of Kagami’s and compared it to Ladybug’s fighting style. Kagami was far too rigid, overly technical. Ladybug’s greatest asset was her ability to alter her style and even modify the styles she used. She pulled from almost all the major styles and even some of the more obscure. Kagami wasn’t that flexible, she fought more like Ryuko.

That left Marinette but she was Multimouse. Their fighting styles were an exact match. Reviewing the fight in the lab against the footage on the Ladybug, there was no doubt in his mind that the two were one in the same, not to mention she never denied it when confronted.

On occasion you could see Ladybug use a similar style, although she tended to utilize others more frequently. Unless…Marinette restricted her fighting style as a civilian so that people like Tim, couldn’t use it to analyze who she was.  It would be brilliant and from what he knew of Ladybug, right up her alley. Considering protecting her identity not only as Ladybug but the Grand Guardian would be paramount it wouldn’t be farfetched, in fact almost a requirement.

It made too much sense.

Marinette was Ladybug.

Chapter Text

As Damian walked into the cafeteria, he noticed Jon awkwardly sitting with a bunch of Marinette’s classmates. His first instinct was to march over and remove Jon from their grasp, but he noticed him talking to Rossi.

While he was not afraid of the leech, he had no interest in interacting with her after learning of her existence at the club. Mostly because she had claimed an untrue association with him that had hurt someone he cared about and jeopardized his relationship with them. But also, because his too bubbly friend had gotten himself in the situation. Jon could learn about what happens when one is too friendly to people you just met.

Knowing who Jon was with, it was not a surprise to find Agreste sitting as far as possible from the table with the rest of their close associates. When they had first begun to interact with the friend group it did not escape Damian that they tended to isolate themselves from their classmates. The limited interactions he was able to observe would not lead to one believing there had been open hostility, just a simple desire not to interact frequently.

When he had suggested to Marinette that she had believed a friend about his relationship however, he did not fail to notice the way her face scrunched. There was something amiss between Marinette and Rossi, and he would bet extra patrol, the four people currently sitting alone held the same reservations.

As much as his curiosity towards the brunette begged to be sated, he had more important uses of his time over the next two weeks. Mainly getting to know and therefore determine his situation with one Marinette Dupain-Cheng.

Stage one, collecting intel from sources not found in a computer search. Also known as Adrien Agreste.

He sat beside the blond model, thankful that they were something more than simply acquainted, thanks to his best friend pursuing him, making the act seem normal. He had grown rather fond of the Parisian through their interactions, perhaps not as much as Jon and Marinette, but he was tolerable enough that interactions did not feel forced. Perhaps one day he would grow on him as Jon had.  

“Marinette still trying to avoid you?” The blond placed his hand on Damian’s shoulder, looking sympathetically towards him. He did his best not to shake the hand off, knowing it would unlikely be well received.

“No, she did. She wished to stop at the bathroom before coming in.” Damian opened the rice bowl that served as the vegetarian option and began to eat.

“Good. She is always the first to admit to making a mistake, but she always fears the consequences will be worse than they are, so she tends to delay dealing with them. This time it’s probably worse because she fell for one of Lila’s lies.”

“To think we could have debunked Lie’la earlier in the week if we had just known your last name. Ridiculous, utterly ridiculous.” The group of four friends all nodded their head solemnly, confirming his impression that the group had the same feelings towards the Italian.

“I am just glad that it is out now, and that Marinette is not under any false narrative that I am dating someone.” The words came out of his mouth and felt wrong. Almost like they were the start of a betrayal.

He was right, he was not dating, he was married.

“Oh no.” Couffaine exclaimed, drawing the attention of the entire table.

“What’s wrong Luka.” Bourgeois asked, her hand placed on the musician’s arm. Concern written across her face.

He turned dramatically towards his girlfriend, a small smirk lifting his lips. “There’s another one.”

“Another what?” Agreste went from concerned to confused.

“Another victim to Marinette’s charm. Damian Wayne has a crush.” Four heads turned in his direction and he felt the blood drain from his face.

“Welcome to the club.” Bourgeois smiled before returning to filing her nails.

Two of the three remaining looked at him with amused expressions, the third in sympathy. It was not a look that Damian took kindly, causing his mouth to move before he had time to think.

“Why do I get the impression you feel I do not stand a chance with Marinette? Do you think me so unworthy?”

Agreste looked slightly taken aback by his outburst, but quickly recomposed himself. “It’s not well known, but Marinette is…seeing someone.”

The news was like Bane crashing into him. It hurt and he felt unable to synthesize what he had just been told. For all intents and purposes, Marinette wasn’t free anymore.

He closed his eyes and breathed through the tears he felt forming. At least the decision he had been tormented by all morning, had been made for him.

“What are you talking about? I know the person Damian’s with and she isn’t Lila.” Jon confirming that Damian was dating was a mistake. After all he couldn’t say who.

“Wow, cheating is pretty bad in itself, but to actively have multiple people believing that they are dating you is a new low.” Alya glared at Jon, looking at him as if he was guilty by association.

“I knew the reputation that followed his father, but I always thought that Damian was different and didn’t approve. But it was all a ploy, he is a bigger player than his father. At least his father breaks up with his flings before moving on to the next.” Lila screamed through her tears.

The couple tables whose attention had been drawn to theirs only moments before, all gasped in horror. Jon unfortunately could hear the whispers that were beginning to spread through the room. Whispers of Damian Wayne’s playboy antics.

Jon wasn’t sure what happened, how he had contributed to it happening, and how he was going to fix it.

Paris had spent too many years trying to keep emotions from overwhelming them, that Adrien instantly recognized the traits of try to hold back. Adrien didn’t want to be the bearer of bad news with Marinette’s taken status, but he didn’t want his new friend to fall even more in love. Only for him to never have had a chance to begin with.

As open of a book he felt Marinette usually was, her exact feelings on her marriage were unknown. He hadn’t been oblivious to the way that Damian and Marinette had interacted prior to their little misunderstanding the week before. Had he not known that she was trapped in a marriage, he would have placed money down on the possibility of them ending up together. While her heart might have welcomed love from another, nothing could come of it now.

Knowing that she might love someone, and they loved her, only to be unable to be together in the end would break her. That was something that he couldn’t allow to happen. He was too familiar with that kind of pain.

He was fortunate his heart had been freed and allowed to move on. Jon had all the characteristics that attracted him to Marinette. But ones that finally made him able to look past her. He was glad that she had slapped some sense into him and made sure that he would not pass up on such a great guy. He just needed to talk to Jon about it.

Forgetting Damian’s current emotional turmoil, his focus turned to Jon and the realization he was missing from their table. He began to look out to see if Jon had sat without realizing where they were. It took him no time to spot him surrounded by the girls in his class, right next to Lila. Panic instantly filled Adrien. Knowing her capabilities, Adrien feared Jon falling victim to Lila’s manipulation and lies.

Without thinking he pushed from the table, his chair falling to the floor. His panic increased as he could clearly see Jon’s own panicked expression and Lila’s tears. Something was already going down.

Adrien moved as quickly as he could without actually running towards Jon. Lila was now being comforted by the girls at the table. The same girls were now openly hostile towards Jon. Whatever had occurred at the table to land Lila in her crocodile tears, was not in Jon’s favor.

Adrien reached Jon and placed his hand on his shoulder lightly pulling him back from the girls. The boy turned his head and stared at the person grabbing him with a panicked expression, the color drained from his face. Adrien motioned for him to follow knowing that any further engagement with the table would be futile.

When he was able to get Jon closer to their table, he finally turned to him. “What happened?”

“I messed up big time. Damian is going to kill me.” Adrien looked at him in disbelief, what was Jon capable of doing with Lila that would have Damian kill him?

As if reading his mind, “Lila was claiming to be his girlfriend, I said she wasn’t and then all the sudden Damian became a player.”

Adrien smiled and shook his head. The antic was typical of Lila, turning a hole in her lie into a larger lie. At least Jon knew that she was a liar.  “Don’t worry about it, that’s typical Lila. Her lies rarely leave that group.”

Jon looked more panicked than before. “That’s just it, some tables around them heard it and now its spreading like wildfire around the cafeteria. Which probably wouldn’t be a problem for most, but Damian is a Wayne. All it takes is for a reporter to get a hold of it before it becomes the top news in Gotham by the end of the day.”

A reporter just like Alya. The smile on Adrien’s face vanished, the expression that replaced it matched Jon’s. Panic.

“How do I fix this, Adrien?” Jon looked pained and desperate as he searched Adrien’s eyes.

Adrien took Jon’s face in his hands, stroking it with his thumbs in a way hoped calmed him. “I wish I knew how. Marinette and I have been dealing with Lila for a while. When she tells a lie people just seem willing to believe her. Like I said, its usually not a problem if it stays local, but no telling how far this will reach.”

“People know Damian doesn’t date or really interact with people in general. I don’t know how our classmates would believe for even a second that he would be playing multiple women at the same time.” Adrien snorted at the rumor; it was exactly what Marinette had basically been accusing him of at the club the other night. Jon’s offended expression stopped him from breaking out into a laugh.

“I have a theory that she is a Sith Lord; she uses her powers to make people believe her lies. Its only when you know for a fact that she is lying that you don’t succumb to her powers.” Adrien laughed, trying to pass off his joke as the reason behind his previous laughter.

Jon stared at him for a good couple of seconds, he tilted his head one way, paused and then did it the other. “You might be right.”

Adrien laughed again. “You know Star Wars is a movie and not real life.”

“True, but the idea of people having powers is real. She might be a meta.”

Adrien looked at him confused. It had been the second time that he had used that word, the first in front of Kelvin and Kaelyn. “What is a meta?”

“A meta is a human with powers. Born with them that is, not someone given them by other means like a Lantern. It’s possible that she has a power that can influence others to believe her. If you can’t explain why people fall for her more than obvious lies, it might be able to explain it.”

It would. Now to figure out how to combat it.

Marinette walked into the lunchroom and identified the table her friends were sitting at. She walked quickly over and took a seat beside Damian. He appeared lost in thought and didn’t seem to notice her arrival.

Looking out at the cafeteria she immediately began to look at the auras of those in front of her. With so many people, it was slightly hard to identify who the various colors were coming from, forcing her to focus harder, leading to the nausea instantly kicking in.

The soul of a person influenced the dominate color of one’s aura. Every reincarnation this would remain the same, it defined the person to the largest extent. The outer rim would often be colors that reflected the person’s current life experiences. Adrien for example, his soul had an aura that resonated more with Trixx, a pleasant orange. But the tip was dark green, reflective of the misfortune and bad luck in his current life, mostly caused by his father. It allowed him to be compatible with the Cat Miraculous, but only during this life.

Now that green sparkled reflecting a blessing from Plagg and orange from Trixx.

Fortunately, Plagg’s dark green almost neon aura was incredibly unique. Very few possessed it as a soul color, usually only gaining its color from the hard luck or bad things they did in their current lives.   

Looking around the room, there were a few dark green auras, mostly students from Gotham Academy, not quite taking on the neon aspect she would expect from the Kaiduan, however. It would make sense to see so many if as Tikki and Plagg were right. Plagg’s essence was overly present in the city, calling those with destructive auras like a siren.

If she remembered correctly, it might also pay to have Plagg check on Robin. While his was tainted by the red of death, his soul matched Plagg’s including the neon hue. Closer at least than anyone in the room.  

She kept moving her search till she crossed Lila’s table. No different from most days Lila was surrounded by her class, but she could see the liar wiping away fake tears. She was curious to the cause but hated the idea of making it her problem.

Moving along she saw Adrien talking with Jon, his hands comfortably gripping Jon’s face. She smiled with the knowledge that Adrien had taken her advice and was moving to be happy.

The unusual sparkle to Jon’s aura gave her pause. His aura was a bright pink not unusual for someone of his disposition, but she had never seen someone’s aura completely sparkle like his was. She would have to ask Wayzz what it could mean -were vampires real?

“Looking for someone?” Damian brought her attention back to the table, her eyes were slow to follow her head as she turned to him while she tried to finish her sweep of the room. As she looked at him however, she froze.

A dark green, almost neon aura with a halo of blood red. A close match to Plagg’s and an exact replica of Robin’s.

She rose from the table as if she had seen a ghost. Turning quickly, she walked briskly back to the bathroom as her stomach threatened her with its contents. All the while, her head was happily screaming an irrefutable, overwhelming truth.

Her husband was Damian Wayne.

Tim’s conclusion that Marinette was Ladybug was nothing short of speculative. He had no proof and without proof there was no way that he was going to tell Damian. He didn’t want to get his brother’s hopes up or fall victim to the end of his sword if he was wrong.

Especially since he knew that if Marinette was Ladybug, Damian would not be the only one affected. After all, Jason had not been very subtle in his obvious attraction to the Parisian.

Sure, it was a little disturbing for Jason to be attracted to someone who was Damian’s age But Tim could not recall Jason ever acting in such a way towards anyone.

Best to keep it to himself, at least for the time being until he could get concrete proof. Best to get it soon.

Maybe he should get Dick to assist. Maybe he should ask her outright? It worked well the last time.

Although, he imagined she would be more protective of her Ladybug identity than Multimouse.

Yet, his bigger problem would likely come if Marinette was Ladybug. Jason would need to be informed in a controlled environment and not find out on his own. Lest the Pit Madness take over.

Red Hood turned off the motor of his bike and dismounted. Punching several thugs had calmed the voices in his head to the point that he was not an active threat to his family. But he had not been able to completely dispel the current anger towards his youngest brother.

Rationally, he knew that he had no business being mad at him, but the voice kept telling him otherwise.

He took off his helmet and ran his hand down his face. It would probably be in his and Demon Spawn’s best interest for them to avoid each other for the foreseeable future.

He placed his helmet on the table and looked up to find Tim sitting at the computer. His presence in the cave was concerning since he had taken a day off from work to decompress after his death. More concerning was the fact that he was so focused on whatever project he was working on that he lost his usual vigilance and failed to notice Jason’s presence.

Choosing to grant him mercy considering the day Red Robin had yesterday, he chose not to prank him and instead announced his presence. “Replacement?”

Tim jumped out of his seat and quickly closed the windows on the computer, but not before Jason was able to take note. While the act would usually annoy Jason slightly, today, perhaps due to the madness, the act pissed Jason off.

“What the fuck are you hiding?” Jason snapped.

“I’m not hiding anything, just shutting down what I was working on.” Now Jason knew Tim was hiding something.

“That is a load of bullshit and you know it.” Jason aggressively approached his brother.

“I’m not ready to share yet, but when I am, I’ll let you know.” Tim looked slightly scared of Jason as the glow of the pits was probably reflected in his eyes.

“No, I want to know now.”

Dick walked into the cave once Clark and the kids had left, only to see Jason holding Tim up by his collar. He immediately ran over to separate the two. He was barely able to get Tim out of his brother’s grip. The green from the pit could be seen in Jason’s eyes, something that they had not seen in some time.

Usually, Jason had a great amount of control over the madness. Something major must have happened between the two for it to come to this.

“What the hell Jason…Tim?” He looked between the two, but neither seemed willing to explain. “Tim?”

“I don’t know, he just came in all angry. I was just doing some research on my computer and he started accusing me of stuff.” Tim massaged his neck where his collar had rubbed.

“He’s hiding shit. I saw him minimizing screens with Ladybug, Multimouse and Marinette.” Jason spat.

Dick was confused as to why this would anger Jason. It was a search that Tim had done before. How was it enough to bring out the madness?

Their conversation was interrupted by Tim getting a phone call on his personal phone. Although, he was clearly still angry from Jason’s attack, he moved away to take the call.

“Jason, are you doing okay?” Dick asked, concerned for his brother.

“No, I got set off today and I haven’t been able to shake the madness since.”

“Is there anything I can… we can do?” He placed his hand on Jason’s shoulder, causing him to roll his it to shake him off.

“Basically, don’t piss me off.” Jason smiled through gritted teeth, his eyes reflecting the anger that was still present.

“When you get like this Jason, there is very little included on the list of things that don’t.” Dick laughed.

“At least you know it. Just give me space. I’ll be at the gym tying to punch it out.”

Jason turned to leave but was stopped by Tim’s return. His phone was being tapped in his hand as he looked off perplexed. “The office just called and apparently several magazines want a statement in relation to Damian following in Bruce’s footsteps.”

“That’s not unexpected. He is graduating high school soon, so he is expected to take a post at W.E.” Dick crossed his arms over his chest.

Tim shook his head. “No. A statement on Damian following his playboy ways.”

Chapter Text

Marinette didn’t know what to do. She was mentally drained and wasn’t sure how she was going to survive patrol with Robin after spending all day with Damian. At first, she was relieved to have figured out that her husband had turned out to be the same person she had been crushing on. It had to be a sign that they belonged together, after all.

The temptation to tell him right then and there was overwhelming. But Ms. Bell was constantly looking over her shoulder and work wasn’t really the right place. Especially, when Damian seemed to only be willing to engage her professionally during working hours. She decided it would be best to wait for patrol where they would be able to talk about - them.

This was the case at least, before she started read some of the local news on her phone.

“Bug, what’s wrong?” Her flush skin was a dead giveaway that something was wrong, but she wasn’t ready to share.

She wasn’t ready to share that her ‘husband’ was a notorious womanizer like his father.

She looked back down at her cell phone where the evening news article by Vicki Vale glared back at her. The summary ‘Damian Wayne follows in the footsteps of his father with his playboy tendencies. Multiple girlfriends exposed,’ was enough to cause her to pale despite her best efforts.

Unable to give Adrien the truth, as it would expose Robin’s identity, among other things, she tried her best to lie. “Nothing really, Kit. Just reading some of the thoughts in Gotham about Mayura since she came to town. It’s just bringing a lot of flashbacks to Paris” She gave him an uneasy smile.

He didn’t appear to be completely convinced but dropped it.

“I’m going to get snack for Trixx and I from the snack bar downstairs before patrol. Need anything?” His body was halfway out the door as he paused for her answer.

“I’m good. I’m just going to finish reading up on Gotham news to see if anything points towards Natalie.”

He nodded his head and allowed the door to shut behind him.

Luckily, Lila was eating dinner with Alya, leaving her alone in the room so that her tears could fall freely. Sure, she had been wrong about Damian Fucking Wayne dating Lila, but she hadn’t been wrong about his flirting at the club.

According to the article, an eyewitness could confirm the existence of at least two different girlfriends. She could confirm him flirting with the girl at the club, the way she was grinding against him and the lust she could easily read in his expression. Was that girl one of the girlfriends the article mentioned? Then there was her, before today she was confident there was chemistry and flirtation between them. Was it all a lie? Or was she supposed to become another one of his notches?

Was it hypocritical of her to be upset with him for flirting with her when she was also flirting with him? Yes. But no! She had only flirted with one guy and perhaps it was inevitable, a side effect of the bond between them. Some form of failsafe in the magic that drew the two of them together.

Then there was him, married to her but still dating multiple women. At least she knew he wasn’t physically cheating, but did that really offer any comfort?

How could she remain married to someone who only stayed faithful physically because it would kill him otherwise and not because he wanted to. She was sure that emotional cheating would be worse in the long run.

Not to mention she could never trust him, not really. He’d already lied to his multiple girlfriends; she could never trust him to not lie to her about seeing others. After all, he’d already lied to her.

Virgin, please. He was too good for it to be his first time. She should have known better. No wonder he was so quick to leave her the morning after, he needed to get back to his life without her. A life he’s refused to give up after her.

Marinette felt Tikki wipe at a tear that had fallen down her check. She turned her face to her closest companion, nuzzling her forehead with hers.

“Thank you Tikki.”

“I didn’t do much Marinette. Just a little comfort.” The goddess smiled trying to hid her sorrow for her friend.

“Your luck had me stumble on this article before patrol. Where I would have made the biggest mistake of my life.”

Tikki looked at her confused. “What mistake would that have been?”

“Sharing my identity.” Tikki’s face shifted to understanding before landing on sadness. “Now we can find Plagg’s Kaiduan and leave without being held back by anything here. I may be married to Robin, but they never said I had to stay with him.”

Tikki nodded.

Damian may be Plagg’s Kaiduan, but she would make sure Plagg never saw him and she would never reveal to Tikki that the aura was a close match. She would never be tethered to Damian Wayne.

Superboy knew his best friend. He knew that his jaw was clenched just a little tighter than usual. Almost indistinguishable, but he was Superboy, of course he would notice. Several articles had been published following the lunchroom drama. He had expected Damian to be upset, but not this much. He usually brushed off such articles as frivolous gossip.

“Robin, I’m sorry.”

“What are you blabbering about?” Robin’s gaze remained fixed out on the Gotham skyline.

“The articles. I can’t believe the papers would buy into a bunch of lunchroom gossip.” The Kryptonian looked out in the same direction as Robin, bracing for his best friend’s next words.

Robin turned to look at him with his usual scowl. “Tim will have those imbeciles who published that libel and their articles taken care of before the morning. There is no reason to pay it any further mind.”

Superboy sighed in relief, he was not being held accountable for the mistake he made, and Damian was unaffected. Which begged the question, “What is bothering you then?”

He heard him release a long breath. “Marinette is with someone.” Although there sounded like there was no emotion behind the statement, Jon knew it was greatly impacting his friend.

“Awe man, I’m sorry. I didn’t know. I really thought you guys had some chemistry. Adrien never said, and everyone else made it sound like…that she wasn’t seeing anyone.” He put his hand on Robin’s shoulder. It spoke multitudes of his current state of mind when Robin didn’t immediately throw him off or verbally accost him.

“There is nothing to be done. It is her decis-” Robin tensed as his gaze locked on a building some distance away. Superboy turned his attention in the same direction catching Ladybug and Renard Noir making their way over.

In no time, or rather significantly faster than normal humans, the pair were standing before them.

There was a tension in Ladybug’s stance as her partner was carefully observing her. Telling by how she was pointedly avoiding looking in his direction, his concern did not go unnoticed.

Tension seemed to be the theme of the evening, as Robin was just as jittery. An unnatural state for the rather cocky Bat. Hoping to break it, Superboy broke the ice. “Perhaps Renard Noir and I can go on patrol together so that you two can get to know each other… alone.”

Neither party moved at his suggestion, so Superboy motioned for Renard Noir to step away with him.

“Right.” The fox hero looked over his shoulder at his partner, having only taken a single step away. “Be back here at midnight, Bug.”

She looked back at him and nodded before her emotionless gaze returned to Robin.

Renard followed Superboy quietly until they were some roof tops away. “Everything okay?” Superboy inquired.

“I feel like I could ask the same and get the same answer.” He smiled but it immediately fell as he released a long sigh. “She seemed happy for most of the day, then all of the sudden she was upset and it’s only gotten worse. I’m confident that the excuse she gave me was a lie.”

“Does she do that often?” Superboy wasn’t sure how he would feel about the answer. With Robin being a closed book, he wasn’t sure how well a relationship with someone similar could last.

“Too much. She is usually quite open with what is bothering her. But when she feels burdened with something that she thinks will also be a burden to others, she tends to keep those problems close.”

“Robin is similar, but it’s more that he won’t share what he thinks others will see as a weakness.”

“Looks like we’ve got our work cut out for us then.” Renard smiled brightly at him.

“We?” Superboy raised his eyes, curious and interested by the phrasing.

“You bet. I think it’s safe to say our best friends are married to one another and as designated third wheels, we should be friend too.”

The smile Renard gave him was blinding. He felt his heart skip as he returned it. He’d been wrong that afternoon, he was crushing strongly on two guys.

Robin wasn’t sure what to do as Ladybug stood in front of him. It was clear that she was facing him but not looking at him. How does someone, get to know someone? He should have paid more attention to the girls’ advice during his ‘date.’. Although, he figured asking her if she wished to be paid compliments while trying on clothing would not help his current situation.

“It seems backwards that we are married and now need to get to know one another.” He tried to break the palatable tension.

“We are married, and nothing will change that. I don’t see the point in trying to get to know each other. We’ve done all that is required of us, what is the point of continuing further down this rabbit hole.”

He noticed as soon as the words left her mouth, she appeared to panic, the words perhaps coming out harsher than she intended. Yet, if the slap had been physical and not verbal it would have turned his head and left an imprint from the impact. For some reason, the Ladybug he had met on their wedding night and the night before was gone. Replaced by someone who was almost as emotionless and blunt as well…him.

Was this who Ladybug had to become when confronted with the Peacock Miraculous? Lest her emotions be used against her and the city? It would explain the change in her normal demeanor.

“True, though I think I’d like to get to know you even if we weren’t married.” He tried to purr. Forced to cough as it caused his throat to uncomfortably tickle from the unusual antic.

The words were intended to be sweet; he’d heard Dick use similar sentiments on Kor’i. Apparently used by him they were not received as such. In a huff of anger, she turned and walked away in the opposite direction Renard and Superboy had left.

Her head turned back to him as she unclipped her yo-yo from her small waist. “Let’s just go try and find Natalie.” The yo-yo zoomed out to latch on a building some distance away before she gracefully dove from the rooftop.

Robin stood momentarily transfixed thanks to the way his time with Ladybug was currently transpiring. He was beginning to understand how his brothers had felt when dealing with ten-year-old him. His attempts to break through her tough exterior were being rebuffed, aggressively. Much like his brothers, he refused to give-up, launching his own grappling hook, he followed behind her.

It took some time for them to make it past the taller skyscrapers that littered the center of downtown Gotham. Ladybug kept moving while observing the darkened alleyways, as if hoping that Natalie would be casually strolling through the shadows. The mechanics of her yo-yo allowing for a fluid pace, whereas his hook required more prep to swing from one building to the next.

Each time he was able to get closer, her speed would increase to maintain the distance between them. His frustration began to overtake him as he pushed harder to no longer catch-up but prove that he was not to be underestimated despite being magicless. The superior specimen his mother had molded.

The magic she possessed however, was superior and he only caught-up when she came to a complete stop at the edge of a finance building. Robin came to rest beside her, his muscles aching from the over exertion from trying to keep up. She still failed to acknowledge his presence as she tilted her head down as if struggling to hear something.

“Hear that?” Her voice was curt, yet he could hear a layer of concern.

Robin strained to hear what had her spooked. It was faint and he was impressed she had heard it over the sounds of the city and the whistle of her yo-yo, but there was the distinct sound of someone in distress.

Latching onto a plumbing fixture, Robin repelled down to scout the windows below. Not surprised to find Maroni and five of his associates holding a family hostage.

Only having to look up for Ladybug to understand the situation, she called for her Lucky Charm. A metal shield painted in red and black spots fell into her hands. He scaled the building so that he could stand beside her once again, waiting patiently for her to decide on a plan while he informed Oracle of the situation.

She was beautiful the way her nose scrunched as she considered her options. Robin was trained to be a tactician, but admittedly it was not his forte. In the Titans, it took time and team input for their better executed plans to be formed. Personally, he was much more of a rush in and hope for the best, deal with things as they happened kind of hero. It didn’t stop him from being a capable leader, he was just better at direction in the moment then planning things out. Ladybug on the other hand from the footage he had studied of her, was much more of a planner. She often paused and removed herself from the active battle to plan out her teams moves. It was obvious that she planned out each teammate’s roles and the responses from the enemy. Unfortunately, when plans did not go as anticipated, it forced her to regroup before reattacking, as the ability to plan while acting was not her forte.

It would undoubtedly make them quite the duo, where one’s strength was the other’s weakness. For that reason, he allowed her to formulate the plan. Not because his level of planning would have been as simple as take-out-the-obvious-leader-and-then-hope-the-rest-crumble, or the fact something told him that he would be willing to follow her anywhere.

Without warning, she grabbed him around the waist, before jumping from the roof as she flicked her yo-yo. She used her legs to bounce off the side of the opposite building before they were swinging back into the window of the room which currently held Maroni. The shield was locked near her shoulder as she was leaning into it as they made contact the window causing it to shatter below them as they crashed into the space.

Instantly the room erupted into gunfire that was directed at the two heroes. Protected by her metal shield and her fast-twirling yo-yo, they patiently waited for the bullets to cease fire.

Moments later when the rain of bullets stopped and the thugs moved quickly to reload their weapons, Robin rose from behind Ladybug and removed his katana from his back ready to engage.

They moved simultaneously. Ladybug moved the shield to her back as she whipped her yo-yo out, wrapping the young girl by the waist before one of the men moved to use her as a shield. Robin meanwhile moved to free the man who had been forced on his knees in front of Maroni before they entered. Using his katana, he disarmed the man holding a gun to the victim’s head before he could retaliate.

Maroni however, aimed at Robin having not spent his ammo in the initial volley of gunfire. A red blob flew in front of him just as the gun was discharged blocking the bullet from hitting its initial target of Robin’s head. The shield lodge into the far wall, Robin turned the other way and nodded his thanks to Ladybug, who returned it with a weak smile.

He pulled the man towards his wife who stood frozen by the broken window, his intention was to remove them before engaging with Maroni’s men in such a confined space. Unfortunately, it took too long, and gunfire once again filled the room.

“Jump!” Ladybug screamed and despite his better judgement he listened.

The man instantly grabbed him around his neck cutting off his life support as they fell from the 43^rd story of the building. He struggled to maintain his hold on the man while trying to access his grappling hook. He regretted jumping immediately.

A solid mass rammed into him and they were suddenly ascending. His vision was blocked by the man he held, but he recognized the sensation of soaring. In no time, his feet were once again on solid ground and air was returning to his lungs.

Waiting on the roof was the man’s wife and daughter. He immediately ran to them, wrapping them firmly in his embrace.

Ladybug smiled at the family before turning to the Robin. “Ready to finish this?”

He nodded before they both jumped from the roof back into the battle ground they had left.

Maroni and his men were obviously not expecting their return as quickly, as their backs were to the window as they threw apart the victim’s office.

The spotted shield was removed from the wall and was being held by Maroni. He was the first to turn and chucked the shield in their direction, but both dodged it by splitting apart. His katana was once again unsheathed and Ladybug’s yo-yo was twirling at her side as they began an unchoreographed dance. As Robin’s katana disarmed one, Ladybug’s yo-yo wrapped around his legs and dragged him across the floor, releasing him into the nearby wall and knocked unconscious.

Meanwhile, Robin was engaging a second man using a chair leg as a weapon. Ladybug came to protect his back as two men took aim. Quickly disarming his opponent, he took two batarangs out of his belt and launched them at the two still firing at his Angel. The moment they were disarmed Ladybug went right as Robin went left. The men were down in seconds.

Pausing to look at Ladybug as she hovered over the downed goon, her head lifted to meet his gaze and he saw the bright smile he had been missing since their wedding night.

Glass breaking ruined the moment and both turned posed to attack, only to find Red Robin and Nightwing.

Outnumbered and cornered Maroni surrendered.

Gotham police arrived shortly after Red Robin and Nightwing, arresting the men who’d tortured the poor family by threatening the father in front of his wife and daughter. Nightwing had disappeared to bring the family down from the roof and to the ambulance as he was supposed to be the most disarming of the Bats. Ladybug supposed his smile did reminded her of Adrien’s more genuine one.

Statements to the police were brief, apparently Batman had a policy of sharing what he could and not to pester him for more than he gave.

“So, essentially, you don’t know why Maroni was here? You just came in, kicked butt and took names.” Ladybug looked at the officer, confused by the unfamiliar American slang.

Robin came to stand beside her glaring at the young officer. “Right, have a goodnight Ms. Ladybug.” She smiled politely, but he was hesitant to return to her gesture as his eyes remained focused on Robin.

She chuckled at the Gotham vigilante despite her current feelings towards him. Demon now seemed to be a more appropriate nickname, as it was the image he tried to impose on others. Although, she was confident it was merely a façade used to hide who he truly was.

“Should this be collected as evidence sir?” Another police officer held up her Lucky Charm to the one in charge.

Ladybug walked away from Robin towards the woman. “Actually,” she reached for it, “that would be mine.” The officer hesitated, looking to her boss for approval. With a shrug of his shoulders she was all but given it.

“Miraculous Ladybug,” she screamed as she threw the shield from her hand after the officer relented. Thousands of ladybugs filled the room repairing the window, bullet holes, and just the general damage before filtering out the window in search of the family to heal their physical injuries. Unfortunately, they could do little for their mental ones.

“Holy shit.” The looks around the room reflected the statement of the youngest officer. “How’d you do that?”

Ladybug shrugged her shoulders as she moved towards the office door. “Magic.” She left the room silent as Red Robin and Robin trailed behind.

They exited through the closest fire escape. She jumped to the roof while the Bats climbed the single set of stairs. Red approached before Robin could stop him and she could see a similar gleam she noticed on Alya when she saw a story.  “Care to elaborate how that magic works?”

She smiled. “Tell you what. The day I let Robin know who I am, I’ll explain my magic.” It was a promise made knowing it would never happen.

“Deal.” He reluctantly moved to the edge of the roof. “I’m off to rendezvous with Nightwing to finish our sweep. See you back in the cave Robin.”

Once again, they were alone, still high off the recent victory, she found it hard to remain angry toward Robin. He might not be the husband she was hoping for, but he was still the friend she had gotten to know over the last week. She felt guilty for treating him unfairly, for being stuck in this marriage. She just wished that her heart hadn’t been invested in both sides. It would have been easier if she hadn’t fallen for at least one side. But no she had fallen for both.

“It is getting late and we are expected to meet Renard Noir and Superboy at the tower. We should make our way over.” After her treatment earlier, he seemed unwilling to look at her, so he looked pointedly at Wayne Tower.

She turned to him and smiled. “I am sorry for how I was treating you earlier, I had some problems in my civilian life that I couldn’t shake.”

“It is alright, I just hope you know I am sincere when I say that I would like to get to know you?” She nodded and smiled warmly at him, the smile lacked the brightness it once did for Robin and Damian Wayne, but she hoped he could still read the warmth she attempted to radiate.

After returning from the new Temple of the Miraculous she had been given a false hope that she would not be alone as Grand Guardian. Now she knew it was all for naught, she would always sacrifice for the Miraculous. She was happy to be friends with Damian, but that was all she could be with him. She would leave after these two weeks, her duty to the miraculous stood firm.

She moved to the edge of the building in the direction of Wayne Tower. “Wait.” She turned around to see Robin moving to stand beside her. She tilted her head at him, unsure what would have him preventing their meeting with their partners.

She raised her eyebrows at him questioningly. “I just wanted to talk to you about something without prying ears.” He drew a long breath. “A friend of mine specializes in magic and may be able to remove our bond.”

The words were surprisingly like an arrow to her already shattered heart. “Is that something that you would like?” She didn’t want to know the answer, but she couldn’t stop herself from asking.

He took a second to answer and that in itself, felt like an answer.

“I feel honesty is the best way to maintain a healthy relationship.” She nodded her head, prepping for the answer that would shatter her heart now that the barrier had been broken. “Neither of us signed up for the marriage and while I instantly felt a connection to you that I had never felt before, I must admit that I have felt something similar with someone else recently. I cannot in good conscious force you to remain married to me when I am uncertain of my feelings towards you and another. I would like to figure it out without severing the bond, despite how selfish it is. I cannot in good conscious do so without informing you or offering the same opportunity.

“Thank you for telling me. I’ll think about it and let you know. We have time, yes? There is no deadline for when the bond can be removed, correct?”

He nodded his head, still unmoving from his position. “I can’t guarantee that she can remove it though. Talia would never do something, that could easily be undone. My friend from Teen Titan’s, Raven simply believes she would be able to do so.”

She looked at him and his face looked surprisingly soft. “Thank you for telling me.”

Chapter Text

Around the third year of being in possession of the Ladybug Miraculous, Marinette learned how to consistently tap into her soul’s memories. It mostly helped in battles where she pulled from her soul’s knowledge to assist her in some of the harder fights. As well as the occasional social interactions.

Despite having a plethora of experiences at her fingertips, she still made stupid mistakes and was forced to face lessons in her current life. Her past couldn’t guide her in how to not be typical Marinette, by letting her emotions take over instead of stopping and thinking more rationally about things.

It couldn’t get her out of her current predicament. The one that she had placed herself right into. The one that she had seemed to be putting herself into consistently…lately.

Last night she was thrown for a loop. She had gone into patrol content to maintain a distance from Robin after reading the article by Ms. Vale.

Yet, when she wasn’t actively thinking about avoiding him, she couldn’t do it, she felt drawn to him. And then there was the fight. They fought together as if they knew each other’s thoughts, trusting each other implicitly. As if they had been doing so for hundreds of years. It was a partner dynamic she didn’t even have with Chat Noir. Moving as if they had done a similar dance so many times before. If he truly held a piece of Plagg’s soul, with the Cat Miraculous there was no doubt, they would be an unstoppable team.

But then there were his words, ‘they could possibly break their forced bond.’ Hearing them had hurt, and she had spent most of the evening ruminating the meaning of his words. How could she have been so quick to dismiss him when the pain in her heart clearly told her that it wouldn’t be so easy? Running them through her head several times she came to the conclusion that it all stemmed back to feeling abandoned by him in the first place. She never really had time to unpack her feelings about him leaving the temple without her. No one seemed willing to help her find him or that he had even wanted to be found. Feelings that she couldn’t really address at the time as Paris was still hostage to the emotional chokehold thanks to Hawkmoth. By the time he was defeated and she could feel how she needed about the situation, she had buried what emotions she felt so deep she wasn’t sure there were any left.

Until last night when she realized she actually did have a whole lot of feelings about it and they subconsciously caused her to put up an irrational defense mechanism. That fortunately she was able to correct before she did something that could really destroy the relationship that she wanted with her husband.  

In the end she felt discarded…first by her parents, then her friends and finally by Robin. It made her feel like in the grand scheme of life she was always second choice. Her parents chose their bakery, her friends Lila and then Robin she thought, had chosen his life back at home. Hell, when Chat Noir had changed targets to a civilian, even though he had said he would love whoever was behind the mask he choice someone else.

What a hypocrite she was though, because she had also chosen someone else when Adrien seemed unobtainable. Instead of picking Chat she had chosen Luka. So she was no different, she needed to stop holding people to different standards then she held herself. Plain and simple.

This included Damian.

She criticized him for flirting with someone else and yet she had done the same before she knew that the two people she was crushing on where one in the same. She couldn’t blame him for doing so, he was also thrust into a marriage that he didn’t ask for. It would undoubtably take time, more than two months, to come to terms with that. She needed to remember that, and not hold it against him. Even if she wanted him to choose her, she couldn’t force him. You can’t force a heart to love someone.

For all she knew he could have been in a relationship with this person for years before he was forced to marry her. The whole article could have stemmed from someone overhearing him discuss his current predicament.  

Which brought up the horrifying truth. As close as she had been getting with Damian over the last week, she did not truly know him. He wasn’t exactly the most open person. He kept a lot close to his chest, something of a habit she knew from having to do so herself. She might seem like an open book, but the honest truth, however, was aside from Adrien no one really knew the real Marinette. They couldn’t.

But she needed to let Damian find the real her, while she needed to get to know him.

To do that she needed to allow him to create his narrative, not Lila and not a gossip column. If only she could kick her butt for not learning that after the most recent Lila incident. This time she hoped she learned better and wouldn’t fall into the same destructive tendency.

That realization had been groundbreaking at two in the morning, but it still left so many questions. Most importantly, ‘so what now?’

She’d escaped to the roof to talk to Tikki and received quite the lecture when she was honest about her initial reaction.

Tikki was obviously not happy with Marinette contemplating not giving Damian the ring if he was Plagg’s Kaiduan. It always sucked for her kwami to be disappointed in her, but this time it felt worse because there was no denying she was wrong.

Fortunately, Tikki’s lecture was not harsh, well, no harsher than the truth often was. Telling her she had to do better and reminding her that she had both her and Adrien if she needed someone to talk to. It was more than she deserved at that moment, but she was grateful none the less.

She had left the rooftop with two goals. The first, continue looking for Plagg’s aura. While she was sure that Damian had a very high probability of being the Kaiduan of Destruction, it still wasn’t guaranteed. She would have Plagg check the auras at the Gala on Friday as they had originally planned.

Unfortunately, because she couldn’t be sure that Damian was the Kaiduan just yet, she still needed to hold her identity close to her chest. Robin had told her that they might be able to break it, which meant that he might decide to not be with her. If he wasn’t the Kaiduan and broke the bond, there would be no reason for her to stay in Gotham and she couldn’t have the Bats knowing her identity if that happened. It put the Miraculous in danger and her job was to protect them.

But, that was not what she wanted. She wanted to stay in Gotham, she wanted to be with Damian. Or at the very least she had a strong feeling that she did. So that meant that she needed to get to know him and hope that maybe in the end he would choose her.

Unfortunately, her ability was slightly hindered as Damian’s advisor was back in. Which meant that he was on the opposite side of the floor.

“Marinette, sweetie. Are you all right?” Ms. Bell’s voice broke her from her trance.

“Yes, ma’am. Sorry.” Mari was embarrassed having been caught lost in thought. It was not a good impression for her second day at the internship.

“Don’t worry, I know those spreadsheets are rather mundane. You wouldn’t be the first person who allowed their minds to wander.” Kate returned her focus to her own work causing Marinette to return to her own.

The spreadsheet was rather tedious, something they’d covered in her business course. Kate was right to suspect it being the cause of her mind easily venturing into thoughts of her husband.

But now that her mind was off Damian, she could focus on the fact that she could sense a set of eyes on her.

Raising her head to look like she was searching for an answer from thin air, she did a quick scan of the area in front of her. The eyes that were locked on her shifted down to prevent being caught. As soon as Marinette appeared to return her focus to the work in front of her, the eyes returned. They were looking her up and down almost as if evaluating her worth.

This time Marinette purposely looked up to make eye contact, and this time the eyes didn’t dart away. Instead, her supervisor smiled back at her. The young adult bit her bottom lip unsure what to make of the whole situation. She knew part of the internship was mentor evaluation, but Ms. Bell was taking the watching part to a whole other level. It was causing her Ladybug senses to ping.

Kate stood from her desk across from her and strode casually to sit upon Marinette’s desk. “How about some lunch? I know a cute little tearoom across the street, since we’re a little early for the catered lunch in the cafeteria.”

As if predicting the future, Marinette’s stomach growled loudly at the suggestion. She forgot to eat breakfast as she no longer had a reason to get up early with Kelvin and Kaelyn in Metropolis.

“Sounds good!”

“Great, I can’t wait to get to know you better.”

Tim was back in the office, so Damian’s mentor was back. Which meant he was no longer under the tutelage of Ms. Bell and his desk was on the opposite side of the floor from Marinette’s.

Her presence was torture that caused him to scowl constantly and snap at unsuspecting employees. If someone had asked him the day before why, he would have told them he was angry that she was taken, and he was ignoring any attachment he may or may not have felt towards her. Not to mention his feelings towards Ladybug were only confirmed after the previous evening. They had just clicked, similarly to how he had felt on their wedding night. Fighting beside her felt like déjà vu. Like he had done it many times before.

Telling her about Raven’s ability to possibly break their bond, as well as his emotions towards Marinette, may backfire and end their marriage before it began. But keeping it from her and not offering her the same choice felt manipulative. A tactic he was used to implementing in the League, even occasionally as a Bat, but it felt wrong with Ladybug. He could never do it to her or Marinette.

Yet, he could not tell Marinette about his feelings for Ladybug, the need to protect identities and all.

They had arrived at different times, so he had not seen her for most of the morning. It was a coincidence that he had looked up from his computer to catch her passing with Ms. Bell on their way from a meeting. She was wearing a pair of gray slacks with a blush pink blouse. The sleeves were long cutting off right at her wrist, the fabric gathered right at her clavicle pinned with a cherry blossom broach before finishing in a mandarin collar. Something about the outfit was all her. He felt butterflies in his stomach and when she had caught him looking, he felt as if lightening had struck and the butterflies flurried in panic as she smiled at him with her usual warmth.

It was at that moment he knew he needed to decide if he was willing to risk his relationship with Ladybug to explore his feelings for Marinette. To figure that out, he knew he needed to put some space between himself and Marinette so that he could logically think about it. If he was constantly in contact with her, he was not sure the logical part of his brain would be making the decision.

So far, the attempts to make up his mind seemed fruitless. He would start by deciding that he liked Marinette too much to not investigate his feelings for the sake of his marriage or the fact that Mariette may or may not like someone else. But then quickly reminded himself that he had feelings for Ladybug, and it would be stupid to throw away their possible relationship to explore his potential feelings. Feelings that he didn’t know existed less than two months ago, or if she could return them.  

“You know your shirt Marinette is beautiful. I’ve never seen anything like it before.” A voice lightly carried from the photocopy room as he passed the closed door.

“Thank you. I designed it myself.” So, Marinette was the designer Kaid. He had his suspicions when her entire wardrobe seemed to be a work of art. He had watched a fair number of eyes wander over her outfits in both envy and appreciation.

“Do you think I could pull off something similar?” Damian recognized the second voice belonging to Ms. Bell.

“I don’t see why not. I would probably darken the color to better match your complexion.” Marinette squeaked, an odd reaction.

“I don’t know. I don’t have your sexy frame, or perky chest.” Was she purring?

Damian was sure she had purred.

“Um…thanks.” There was far too much hesitance in Marinette’s reply. Confident of what was happening on the other side of the door, Damian put his hand on the door handle ready to bust in.

He had been wrong yesterday about Ms. Bell. She had not been sucking up to the pair to cover up her behavior towards Damian. She was doing it to cover up her flirting with Marinette.

Admittedly lunch with Kate was an uncomfortable affair. At first the conversation was generic; what are your future plans, what do you want from the internship? Then it became more personal; are you in a relationship, what do you look for in a partner? Marinette wasn’t sure how to answer her questions, much less the appropriateness of them.

Marinette was just as uncomfortable now in the photocopy room and wished that she could easily sneak away and open the door. Kate’s words sounded mostly innocent, but her hands could not be described as the same. Marinette stood beside the copier waiting for their copies, while Kate stood unnaturally close to her side. As if she was required to touch Marinette in order to demonstrate how to use the machine.

Then when she complimented Marinette’s outfit, her hand traveled along the lines and the comment about her chest had led to an undeniable pass across them.

Marinette had watched her best friend suffer from enough of Lila’s harassment to know what was happening. “Ms. Bell, I would appreciate if you kept your hands to yourself.” She smiled but it held no warmth behind it.

“I’m sorry Marinette.” She removed her hand slowly, ensuring it went down her entire back before completely removing it.

Turning to confront her supervisor, she stopped as she noted the figure at the door. If steam could rise from a person’s head outside of cartoons, the look the figure was giving Kate would have produced a volcano.

“Ms. Bell, I suggest you go clean out your desk.” Damian spoke angerly through a clinched jaw.

Kate’s mouth opened and closed several times before her face shifted to one of determination as she naively straightened to stand-up against the ‘Ice Prince.’ “You can’t fire me.”

“No. Perhaps not, but my family will. Wayne Enterprises has a zero-tolerance policy towards sexual harassment. I was only giving you an opportunity to get your stuff before HR sends someone from security to escort you out.  I believe Todd is working today.”

Jason was an intimidating figure and Marinette wasn’t surprised by Kate’s eyes bugging out at Damian’s threat.

He turned to acknowledge her, ignoring Ms. Bell. “Come Marinette, I’ll escort you to HR.”

Lifting her chin, she moved quickly to catch up with Damian as he turned to leave. His stride was a sight to see. He commanded the room, refusing eye contact while still observing those around him. His gate was long, allowing him to cover a lot of ground without looking rushed. It was quite the feat for her to keep up with him. A half foot shorter and in heels, she just managed to look like she belonged beside him.

As soon as they entered the elevator, he turned towards her. “Are you okay?” The concern he looked at her with, had her stomach performing somersaults.

“Yes, thank you. You probably stopped me from committing murder. Adrien has had to deal with that kind of behavior all the time. All I want to do is deck the person when I see it. Being the target made me want to do more than a simple punch.” She struck the air to demonstrate, drawing a smile from Damian.

“I’ll help you incinerate the body.” He chuckled. The word choice having her look at him pointedly.

“Not hide?”

“No body, no crime committed.” She hummed in response. “I’m still sorry that it happened. No one deserves it, but unfortunately there are far too many people that believe such behavior is appropriate.”

Taking in his facial expression she noticed his look of disgust. “Speaking from experience?” Of course he was. He was just as famous as Adrien and in her opinion a perfect example of the male specimen.

“Yes, unfortunately due to my position, flirting by both women and men is common. I do not like to be touched by those I have not given permission and I have as hard of a time as you not ‘decking’ those who do.”

Hearing his words, Marinette moved to give more space between them. Damian monitored her movement and raised his eyebrows. Moving to his right he re-closed the distance between them. “You have my permission. You are my friend and I have noted you are a more tactile person. It does not bother me. At all.”

Smiling at him, she considered Damian. There was no way that the person before her match anyone’s definition of a playboy. As if she hadn’t been beating herself up over it the entire morning, she reminded herself how stupid she was for even considering it last night.

“What is wrong?” He returned her expression.

“It’s just…howdoyouputupwiththeliesaboutyou.” She blurted out.

“Sorry?” He looked confused by her quick ramble.

The floor became a lot more interesting as she tried to avoid his face after her outburst. “The articles. You don’t seem to match the person they describe you as. How can you stand people publishing such dripple?”

“If you are referring to the article from last night, then it was merely a tabloid. Jon told me that your friend Rossi was responsible for starting the rumor.” Marinette looked up at the ceiling, biting her lip and letting out a frustrated sigh, upset that she had not considered Lila doing something like that. For the second time Rossi had been responsible for tarnishing her opinion of Damian. “If you are referring to the Ice Prince persona, I am rather standoffish to those I do not know or want to know. So that persona is more of an accurate reflection of the persona I present to the media. I am pleased to hear that you have never prescribed such a moniker to me. Still, I’ve learned to ignore the press because the people who know me, get to make up their own mind. The rest I could care less about.”

The elevator doors opened, and Damian stepped through motioning her forward. It was at that moment she knew the answer to her question from the morning.

‘So, what now?’

Now! Now she had to show Damian who the real Marinette was so he could form his own opinion. At the same time creating her own about him, because at this moment what she knew about him she like. It was time to focus on learning from the primary source and that was Damian himself.  

Chapter Text

As the day progressed Marinette quickly realized how much she had allowed outside influences to dictate what she thought of her husband. Ignoring what she saw, how she felt, what she knew in her heart; all in favor of what she heard from sources known to be unreliable. When it came down to it, Damian Wayne was nothing like the man she had constructed in her head. That man was based too much off the boyfriend Lila constructed or the playboy the magazines gossiped about. The truth was Damian was closed off to those he did not know, earning him the title of Ice Prince. While those he was close with may appear to receive a similar treatment, they could find the warmth people felt lacking, not in his words or demeanor, but in his actions. He was caring, he was warm, he was loving, and he deserved it all in return.

Marinette hoped beyond hope, that Damian would choose Ladybug to offer him all of those things.  

Since leaving Ms. Bell, he had allowed her to hold his hand once they had entered the elevator. Not only to reassure her, but she thought, to reassure himself as she felt him squeezing her hand even though she was not panicked. An action, he admitted to not liking, or only with his close friends. A title she was glad to have and more.

When she attempted to drop his hand when they left the lift, he kept a tight grip as they made their way down the empty corridor towards the HR office.

Telling by Tim’s reaction when they arrived, Damian’s behavior was unusual. He began by staring at their joined hands and his jaw all but dropped when Damian inquired how she was feeling. It appeared that he wasn’t one to usually care about the emotional wellbeing of others. It made her feel special, loved, like there was a possibility of her being the other girl.

Marinette loved it…she loved him!

That fact scared her. How did she love so quickly, especially when her feelings for him had been so conflicted only moments before? It was Adrien all over again, falling so quickly and falling so hard. The love she felt for Adrien was still there but platonic in nature. Did that mean that this love would grow only to be platonic too? Especially if unlike Adrien, the other girl he loved wasn’t her and was the girl from the club instead.

Marinette pushed the thought aside, even if that were the case, he was still set to figure out his feelings. She just hoped that before he decided, he would get to know her well enough that he might seriously consider her. Yet their personal interactions throughout the day had been limited, as constant outside supervision and interviews was the day’s norm thanks to Ms. Bell’s behavior. Then, by the end of the day the opportunity was made impossible when both were stewing in anger as Lila regaled her audience. They both were forced to listen to lies that neither could call out, secret identities and all, without causing unwelcomed questions.

It seemed Robin as much as Ladybug, did not enjoy people lying about close association. If Damian clinched his jaw any harder, he was sure to crack some teeth. One could only hope that Lila’s choice to lie about learning Robin’s identity from Ladybug wouldn’t bite them in the butt. This was Gotham, the villains here were just as likely to check out the information for its validity, as much as just checking it out, knowing it’s falsehood, just to have some fun with the liar who spouted it.

Fortunately, Damian asked if he and Jon could accompany them for the evening. Adrien accepted immediately, excited to spend more time with Jon. Marinette had accepted with a warm smile and squeeze of his hand, not only grateful for the additional time, but the presence of a hero who was supposed to be in Gotham, should something come of Lila’s lies. She didn’t need Robin to figure her out if Ladybug showed up in Gotham outside of their scheduled patrol time. Or, more importantly, give any credence to Lila’s ‘Ladybug is my best friend.’

And so, the group of friends sat at a large table towards the back of the hotel’s restaurant, waiting for the inevitable. Even though three of them were only part time heroes and one was a civilian, each seemed to register the potential severity of Lila’s tale. This wasn’t Hawkmoth who recognized the fantastical musings of a teenage attention seeker. This was Gotham where others would take the attention her lies created and make it their own.

No sooner had the first course been placed before them, had the double doors at the entrance of the restaurant slammed open to reveal Two Face and a gaggle of henchman. Mass hysteria quickly erupted in the room as the classes, aside from the Parisian, were not used to threats on their lives.

As calm as their table was, the stampede of students scrambling to get as far away from the bad guys knocked Marinette and Kagami out of their chairs. Adrien quickly swept in to pull Kagami to her feet while Damian rushed to Marinette’s side. Jon stood in front of them protectively. His expression mimicked one that which Ladybug and Chat Noir often had. A feeling of responsibility and invincibility while protecting others.

It suddenly hit her why and she felt stupid. The unique sparkling aura, the best friend of Damian. If Jon was Damian’s best friend and Superboy was Robin’s, then Jon was Superboy.

Instead of working to get everyone away from Two Face, she registered a new mission. Get Jon and Damian out of the room unnoticed, so they can come back as their alter-egos, as soon as possible.

Easier said than done when one of the Russian students tackled Damian, essentially separating them as the wave of students caused Jon and Marinette to be herded back into a wall far from him.

A firm hand gripped Marinette’s, causing her to look at the person beside her. Alix smiled at her with such humor in her eyes it looked completely out of place in the tense situation.

“No spilling the beans to Adrien. The result is better when he discovers it himself.” Letting go of Marinette’s hand, Alix maneuvered her way over to stand beside a slightly disturbed Max.

The henchman began to gather the groups of scared students together. Essentially leaving the doors to the kitchen unattended. Marinette nudged Jon’s shoulder. Once she got his attention she pointed towards the door with her head. Taking her hint, he shifted towards it as stealthy as possible. Unfortunately, the door was not left as unobserved as she thought and one of the men noticed Jon’s movements. Before he was able to alert his friends, Marinette tossed a plate at the wall, bringing the attention of Two Face and his men on her, giving Jon and hopefully Damian an opportunity to slip away.

If there was one thing Jon appreciated about his costume, it was that for the most part it only required the removal of his shirt and glasses to be ‘suited up.’ However, he was currently in a bit of a pickle as wearing jeans under his dress slacks was impossible. Going back into the dining room dressed in his uniform shirt and his slacks risked his identity being exposed…

His father’s choice in skintight attire finally made sense.

Wreaking his brain for a solution, he came up with one relatively quickly but blushed at the implication. What could possibly be implied by wearing his boyfriend’s jeans before he even became his boyfriend?

Only one way to find out.

Superboy rushed up to Adrien’s suite trying to not be seen. He broke the door clean off, hoping he would be able to just push it back into place later. Unfortunately, Adrien’s jeans were far too fitted for him to even slip one of his thighs through without looking like a werewolf mid-transformation and ripping them. Leaving him with his second choice of Adrien’s grey sweatpants. The completed look made him look like he rolled out of bed, but it would do.

The dining room was no longer in the chaotic state it had been during his departure. Marinette’s distraction had been short lived, and the room was now basked in silence. A quick x-ray behind the wall and Superboy noted five bodies now in the center of the room. Two of those bodies were kneeling on the ground with guns pressed to the back of their heads. The fifth body paced in front, lost, no doubt, in a monologue. Obviously that person was Two Face.

Placing his comm in his ear, he hoped at one point Damian had done the same. “Damian, cough once if you can hear me.”

There was a small delay before a covered cough could be heard through his earpiece. “Am I right in assuming the two hostages in the center are Lila and Mari? Grunt to confirm.”

The sound that escaped his best friend was more of a growl than grunt, but he figured it was expected considering his feeling towards both hostages, one good, one… eh. “There are five additional gunmen, all concentrated close to the doors. I can cause a distraction to catch their attention. Then you and Adrien can take them out while I save Mari.”

Another growl to confirm. “Let me know when you’re ready to go and I’ll start the countdown.”

Superboy looked around for a possible distraction, finding the perfect one, he waited for Damian’s signal.

All too soon Damian could be heard clicking his earpiece three times. “Go in 3…2…1.”

The fire extinguisher closest to the doors exploded with a loud ‘bang,’ as Superboy punched it before throwing it into the room. Using his superspeed he burst in, noticing quickly not only had Damian and Adrien used his distraction but so had Kagami, Luka, Chloe, and Mari.

Each taking on their own henchman, Superboy was left with the one holding Lila and Two Face. In a matter of a few seconds, the hostage situation was taken care of, with Batman and Red Robin arriving only slightly before the cops.

Superboy left before the police so that he could sneak back in before anyone noticed Jon missing. Although, it would be hard to explain to Mari, who had given him the distraction necessary to get out in the first place. He was admittedly confused at first when she offered him a means to escape, but he suspected her intention was for him to get more people out. Whoops!

Still, the chances of her figuring out his identity were low. After all no one had figured him out before, even with the good ole ‘glasses are a disguise,’ for years. The Bats can be mad all they want because it’s worked for so long.

As soon as he entered the room, he made his way over to Damian who was standing unusually close to Marinette. His hand kept opening and closing as if restraining himself from touching her back. He no doubt wanted to offer comfort as Mari’s day had been…a day! Starting with sexual harassment and ending with her being held at gunpoint. Yet, she was too busy laughing at a joke Adrien was telling her. The cause of their laisser-faire attitude about villainy and predators was disconcerting, but he supposed it was due to the resolved situation in Paris and their time as Multimouse and Chat Noir.

“Hey Mari, can you believe Superboy is a fan? “Adrien whispered into her ear, Jon’s superhearing allowed him to hear it.

“What makes you say that?” There was a little bit of confusion on her face, but it looked a little forced in order to cover her more amused expression.

“He has a pair of your sweatpants. I will say I am surprised to find him fighting crime in them. They are comfortable though, so maybe it’s an upgrade from doing it in jeans.” Jon was baffled, there was no way that these were Marinette’s, they were way too big for her and he was sure that he’d seen Adrien in them before.

“Oh Adrien, I’ve only made one pair of sweatpants like those.” She was clearly biting her lips to keep herself from laughing.

“On my Kwami, Mari does that mean you know who Superboy is?” His crush whisper-screamed, causing his own heartrate to spike. Had she figured him out? If she did would she share?

“No, those are your sweatpants.” She finally released the laugh she’d been holding back.

Instead of sharing in her amusement, Adrien only looked confused. “Why would Superboy be wearing my pants?”

Marinette tried to reign in her giggles, only for her to snort instead. “That is the question isn’t it? As well as if you’ll ever get them back? Or is it, will you ever see him wearing them again?”

Red Robin liked to think he was a sympathetic person in general. Yet, the girl currently crying to the police couldn’t garner a single ounce of his sympathy. In the end, the situation she had placed herself and the other students from the conference in, was due to her own inability to shut her mouth.

Once she finished her statement with the police, which failed to mention her claim of knowing their secret identities, both he and Batman approached.

“Ms. Rossi?” Batman’s voice betrayed his annoyance with the young woman, though most would be unable to recognize the slight difference in his voice.

“Yes.” She answered innocently through her fake sniffles.

“I think you now know why it is important not to fabricate stories about knowing vigilantes and more importantly their secret identities.” Her eyes flashed with panic as she looked around to determine who was listening to their conversation. Noticing several prying ears, she calculated her next words carefully.

“I’m so sorry. In Paris it was never a problem to admit I knew Ladybug. I never thought it would be a problem here!” She smiled sweetly.

Red Robin was a little impressed and a little disturbed. Her statement placated to Batman’s need for her to acknowledge the importance of not talking about knowing vigilantes, without exposing that she had lied about knowing who they were.

“Ms. Rossi, I think you fail to understand what Batman was saying. It is important not to lie about knowing our identities. We would never share our identities, especially with a civilian.” He tried to cleanup Batman’s statement to make sure Ms. Rossi and her peers understood.

“Of course.” The fabricator smiled and winked at him, as if his words were some kind of code between them.

Had she seriously gotten away with this kind of crap before? The answer was an obvious yes if she kept doing it.

Batman stepped in front of her, his stance no longer reflecting the more approachable posture he tried to keep when talking to youth. Ms. Rossi gave her first ‘real’ response by stepping back in fear. “I’m still not sure you understand Ms. Rossi. If we hear that you are still claiming to know us in any capacity, which we both know is a lie, we will be forced to take action.” Looking at the Dark Knight as if he’d just threatened to kill her, the young woman swallowed forcefully while her eyes bugged out. “I’m sure we could work it out with your teacher to remove you from the conference and returned to Paris. This way your peers are not put in unnecessary danger like they were today.”

After watching her nod like a bobblehead, Batman turned to leave the hotel. With his back to her, the face that once looked at him in fear, narrowed its eyes to look at him in anger.

Knowing the headaches, she had caused the family in the last two days, both as civilians and masked vigilantes, Red Robin wasn’t so sure that Bruce wouldn’t have to follow through on the threat.

Chapter Text

Losing Ms. Bell was good riddance. Someone like her had no business remaining at W.E. It was unfortunate that Marinette had to become her victim before her true colors were exposed, but, she was caught before there were more victims.

Damian, despite his age, was a perfect replacement for Ms. Bell, having been trained for future work in the office since his arrival in Gotham. It slightly went against the spirit of the internship, but Damian didn’t stand to gain much from it either way.

Damian acting as Marinette’s interim supervisor however, was a can of worms Tim wasn’t sure he would want opened. There was the simple fact that the youngest Wayne, while proficient at any job they assigned him, his ability to be personable was…hmm. There wasn’t really a good way to describe it. Expecting him to put up with someone who may not be proficient with their understanding of the job, much like an intern, was unwise. It was more likely that he would willingly hug one of his brothers than not send the intern home crying before lunch.

If that was the only problem, Tim could probably warn Marinette, she seemed to be a fairly rational individual.

But, watching Damian’s and Marinette’s interactions the day prior and even this morning, there was a very clear chemistry between the two. His younger brother changed when he was with her, he became softer. Much like the change he demonstrated when he returned from his wedding. If Tim’s assumption was correct, it was very obvious that Marinette was the perfect match for Demon Spawn. She balanced him and made him almost human. Something that the brothers had been unable to do in the last eight years he had been in Gotham.

This should have been good news. If his theory of Marinette being Ladybug was correct, it would mean his brother would truly be happy with his wife. After all, he appeared to be falling for her civilian side without knowing it. Damian had only shown such a strong ‘romantic’ emotional attachment towards two people and they turned out to be the same. It had to be destiny. It was like she was his soulmate if such things existed.

The problem came in the fact he was not the only one in the family who held feelings for the Parisian. It had taken some time for Jason to get back in control of the madness, only for it to re-emerge upon hearing she was held hostage by another Gotham rogue. It wasn’t hard to connect the dots that the lack of control had something to do with his feelings for Marinette.

The situation they found themselves in whether Marinette was Ladybug or not was potentially catastrophic. For if she wasn’t, who knew how Damian would react to having feelings for someone other than his wife. And if she was… Tim knew he needed to book a ticket out of Gotham. He feared for Gotham and Damian should Jason find out that he couldn’t have Marinette and had lost her to his younger brother. Even worse, Tim feared what the ex-assassin might do if he ever finds out how Jason feels about his wife.

Now he just needed to prove his theory so they could inform Jason, possibly during a mission in space where he could blow things up without people getting hurt. Or too hurt at least.

As Damian moved away from Marinette after explaining her most recent assignment, Tim watched the pair exchange shy smiles. Damian turned around to walk to his desk only to bump into Tim. Quickly the smile disappeared from his face and was replaced by his usual scowl.

“Drake.”

“Mr. Wayne, would you please accompany me to my office. I have some paperwork that needs to be signed.” Damian looked at him as if he didn’t believe him, which was fair, Ms. Bell would never have been required to go to his office. Still, Damian dutifully followed Tim as he led him to the elevator and up to his office.

As the frosted glass door to his office closed, the youngest Wayne dropped his respectful act. “What are you playing at Drake?”

“Just noticed you and Marinette looked a little cozy and I was a little curious as to why.” He held his hands in his pant pockets, hoping it made him appear casual in his inquiry and not like this was an interrogation.

Damian’s defensive reaction was not only present in his words but his posture. “What business is it of yours? I have done nothing that would go against company policy, nor would I.”

“I know you wouldn’t, especially after she’s had to deal with Ms. Bell.” His brother flinched at the mention of the incident, concern evident. “I am merely inquiring as a brother, not as the CEO.”

“How are you and Stephanie?”

“Great! Thanks for asking." He ‘tsked’ at Tim’s response, clearly hoping the question would act as a distraction. “But back to you and Marinette."

“What is it that you think you are entitled to know?” His eyes were like daggers as they bored into Tim’s.

“Just curious about the nature of your relationship, considering you’re married to Ladybug.” Tim tried to appear casual, yet he could see that the question had enraged Damian. He hadn’t quite worded it how he intended.

“It is none of your concern, Drake.”

“I know that we aren’t very open with emotions, but I just want to make sure no one gets hurt.” Because lord help the family, if he is wrong about LB’s identity and he didn’t prepare for the fallout appropriately.

He really wasn’t sure when the appropriate time to inform Damian of his theory was. Did he mention it soon, so that Damian could be happy? Before he had concrete evidence? No, that was asking for more consequences if his theory was incorrect. Knowing just how his brother felt towards Marinette, it was important to feel this out, to be secure in his knowledge before he shared.

“If you must know I have already informed Ladybug that I have conflicting emotions in regard to her and Marinette, without mentioning names of course. She has been made aware that Raven may be able to break our bond. As well as, been given the same opportunity to have it broken if she wishes.” He took a deep breath. “I only want to make sure that I am making the right choice for me by staying with Ladybug, not because of an arrangement made by my mother. Marinette makes me question it, so, I must do my due diligence to figure out why. I highly suspect I know the answer already, but either way I have a decision I need to make without your interference.”

The young CEO could only nod his head. At least he had confirmed his brother’s attraction.

Damian turned on his heels deciding the conversation was over. Just as he was about to leave the room, he turned back around to look at Tim, his hand resting on the door’s handle. “Consider this the completion of your IOU as it was none of your business.” He didn’t wait for Tim to respond before he left the room and not so quietly shut the door.

Marinette was a little more than shocked to find, the moment Damian stepped away from his desk, his brother Tim standing in front of hers.

She looked up at him not bothering to hide the confusion she felt. He sheepishly looked down at her.

Narrowing her eyes at him, she waited for him to start the conversation.

It took him a few seconds before he started. “Ms. Dupain-Cheng.”

“Yes, Mr. Drake?” Her smile held her suspicion, thanks to his unusually timid behavior.

“So, as you are aware, Damian has been assigned to fill the role of Ms. Bell during his internship.”

“Is that what he was doing.” Panic flashed across Mr. Drake’s eyes and she feared she’d been too casual while addressing him by trying some dry humor. “I am sorry Mr. Drake that was not an appropriate joke.”

His shoulders dropped releasing the tension he was holding. “Considering the events of yesterday, I guess I wasn’t expecting it from you.”

“I’m sorry-”

“No need. I’m glad to see you are doing okay. I guess you’re wondering why I’m here.” She nodded. “The point of the internship is to give you experience in business that you would be unable to gain in a classroom. I have absolutely no doubt that working with Damian would give you this. Yet, another component is the ability to walk out of it with the chance that your supervisor writes you a glowing letter of recommendation based on their observations. Again, I have no doubt Damian wouldn’t give you anything but… yet his would not hold as much weight seeing as he is still a high schooler himself.”

The point he was making was valid. Still, she was hoping to get to use the time to get to know Damian better. “What do you propose?”

“You are in a unique situation Ms. Dupain-Cheng. As you are aware, I have already expressed a desire to hire you for some commissions.” Lifting her head to look at him her mouth formed a silent ‘o.’ “If you find it agreeable, I would like to create a unique internship where you could work on these commissions while I supervise you and assist in guiding you on the business aspect of your operations. It is up to you. But the benefit to Kaid, would be more than your current internship.”

She wanted to say yes, the opportunity was priceless, but Damian… “Won’t you be busy running the company?”

“As busy as you will be with the commissions. I would work with you during my free time.”

She looked at him incredulously. “You have free time?”

“Fair. I guess if I am busy and you need a break you could always come back here and learn from Damian.”

“Deal!” She yelled with a little too much excitement for the environment she was in, drawing the attention of several employees surrounding them.

He laughed, “I’ll remember you think everything is a negotiation when we discuss the prices of your commissions.”

“Just as I will remember you think that when I price them considerably higher than I normally would.” She snarked back.

Playfully narrowing his eyes, he looked her up and down. “Perhaps I don’t have much to pass to you after all, young Padawan.” He laughed at her offended expression. “We’ll start tomorrow, just shoot me a list of the things you’ll require to complete the outfits by the end of the day. Excluding the fabrics of course, I assume you pick those personally.”

When she smiled at him this time it carried her usual warmth. It was shocking to see the CEO of Wayne Enterprises shyly approach her because he was nervous she would reject a commission from him. Even more that he personally wished to mentor her.

“Pleasure doing business with you.” Standing with her hand extended to him, she waited for him to shake it.

He chuckled as he shook her hand. “See you in the morning.”

“Am I interrupting something important?” Damian stood behind his brother looking put out by the scene he came upon.

“Just your brother using underhand tactics to try and pilfer me to work for him. He was successful by the way.”

“Did he now?” The look he shot at his brother was very much what she would expect to see from someone who had been given the title Ice Prince. It seemed Tim was used to being on the receiving end, as he didn’t even blink.

Tim shrugged his shoulders, looked back at Marinette and gave her a mischievous wink. He turned and waved back at her as he made his way to the elevator. “See you tomorrow.”

The way Damian continued to stare at the elevator, one had to wonder if he thought if he stared long enough, he would suddenly gain Jon’s powers and be able to shoot lasers from his eyes and melt it. The sight left her feeling giddy as Damian seemed to be quite irate that Tim had stolen her from him. Another sign that she might just be the ‘other girl.’ She giggled excitedly at the thought.

The sound directing his ire on her. “Traitor!”

Marinette couldn’t help the further giggles that escaped at his mock hurt.  Damian’s face relaxed, but he still looked slightly irritated. “He made an offer I couldn’t refuse, including permission to bother you any time I want.”

His whole demeanor changed when she mentioned that she would still be seeing him. “I would have hated to not get to spend time with a friend, especially considering it already is so limited.” She smiled brightly at him, nodding her head in agreement. “Perhaps since we won’t get to spend all day together now, you’ll at least do me the honor of accompanying me to lunch each day?”

“I see you’ve taken business lessons from your brother.” He looked at her in confusion. “You drive just as hard of a bargain. But…I believe I can accept those terms.”

The smile he gave her was too short for her taste. “I have one last thing to do and then I shall collect you for lunch.”

“I’ll be here.”

Racing off towards the elevator in a manner unusually un-composed for him, Marinette had no doubt what his last errand was.

“What the hell Drake?” Damian yelled before he even entered his brother’s office for the second time in a single day. He had pulled the door open so aggressively that the door hitting the stopper created a ring that could be heard through the entire floor.

Drake looked up quickly, but there was no sign of shock at his sudden appearance.

“Are you so concerned about my marriage that you ensured I would spend as little time with Marinette as possible? That is a new low from you.”

“What is going on in here?” His father marched into the office, looking annoyed at Damian’s outburst. Although, at this point he should be used to them and know to keep his nose out of things when it involved fighting between the brothers.

“It’s fine, I’ve got it handled.” Drake shooed his father out of the office.

“As long as you’ve got it handled.” He placed his hand on Damian’s shoulder, squeezing slightly to check that he was okay. Nodding his head once, he sent his father on his way.

The door closed quietly, leaving an awkward silence to loom between them before Damian broke it.

“I may not completely understand social interaction, mostly because I don’t care. But I know that Ladybug and I don’t deserve to be in a forced marriage if we can find happiness elsewhere. I suspect I could find it with Marinette, and I want to make sure before I commit either way where my true happiness lies. Ladybug already knows this, for better or worse.”

Drake looked at him as if he wanted to say something, but quickly closed his mouth. Only to open it again. “Damian, I think you should know my theory-”

Damian cut him off, the thought of his brother offering insight, as well as interference, was unwelcomed. “I do not get it. Two weeks ago, the whole family was telling me to find myself, make my own decisions, be sure that what I do is because I want to do them, not because they are expected. Yet, now both you and Todd think that I should stay as far away from Marinette, because I have Ladybug. Regardless of my attraction and my heart telling me I strongly care for Marinette and your previous advice.” He took a deep breath. “When it comes to Ladybug and Marinette, I’m going to ask that the family keeps their nose out of it, I want to figure this out on my own.”

His knees buckled as he finished his rant, causing him to unceremoniously fall into the couch Drake often slept upon after staying too late in the office. He placed his head in his hands, unsure why he was suddenly unworthy of the advice they had given him.

“Wait, Jason told you to stay away?”

Closing his eyes, he tried to reign in his emotions as he prepared to return to Marinette. The interaction with Drake had been pointless so far. “If the green in his eyes was any indication, I think he may have been thinking of doing more than just telling me.”

“What do you expect when he’s crushing on her as well. Guess I was right about her being the cause of the Pit Madness’s return. Maybe it was some form of possessiveness that set it off.”

Damian had stopped listening at the mention of Todd’s crush. He had suspected after their last interaction, but he did not want to admit it. Jason was not known for crushes, just hook-ups.

He needed to get back to Marinette and get her to drop her deal with Drake. He did not need to compete with all his brothers for Marinette’s affection.

Fortunately, Grayson was married.

Chapter Text

As the elevator doors opened, Marinette looked up hoping to see Damian returned from his attack conversation with Tim. There were many bodies that filed out of the small lift, but no Damian.

Returning to her work, she once again became engrossed. Losing herself in the numbers before her that it wasn’t until the presence was right upon her that she noticed someone enter her space. It wasn’t completely surprising to find Jason had successfully snuck-up behind her almost unnoticed, most of the Bats seemed capable of doing so.

Fortunately, he would never genuinely surprise her as he radiated something similar to an aura that she didn’t need to concentrate to feel. It had a similar feeling to the essence that surrounded Gotham and when she noticed its slight variation and the fact it was coming from Jason, she tried looking at his aura. Only she was unable to see his aura as it was completely overwhelmed by a toxic green something.

Tikki had called it Lazarus Pit Residue. She didn’t give her much on what this pit was, other than saying it was a consequence of a wish. Apparently Tikki wanted to give Jason the opportunity to share, if he didn’t before they left for Paris she would share.

“Heya Pixie!”

Trying to sell her surprise at his sudden appearance, she jumped in her chair. “Jason! What are you doing here?”

“Well, after hearing that you’ve been held hostage by your second Gotham villain, I thought I could take you out for lunch and show you the good sides of Gotham.”

She smirked. “Awe, that’s so cute. You do realize I’m from Paris, where we had villains attack almost every day. This is like a vacation for me.”

The smirk he gave her as he looked into her eyes could be described as nothing less than flirty. “Ah, but I said hostage.”

Giving as good as she got, she tilted her smile to match his. “Like I said, so far, it’s been a vacation.”

The elevator doors opened to reveal a scene Damian had feared since Drake had confirmed his suspicions. Todd leaned casually against Marinette’s desk, smirking at her. The gesture was one Damian had witnessed many times before, usually when that heathen was trying to get into a girl’s pants.

That was not even the worst of it. Marinette was looking at Todd in much the same way, with her own flirtatious smirk. Could it be that Todd was the person Agreste had been referring to when he suggested he did not stand a chance?

He tried not to panic as he rushed over to his desk without drawing the attention of his floormates. “It appears I am going to spend all day breaking up your conversations with my brothers.” He gave a small smile to Marinette before glaring at Todd when she looked down.

“They’re like a lighthouse, helping you find your way back to me.” Her eyes bugged out and Damian was not sure if he imagined what Marinette could have been inferring. “Or just returning to work. Not to me. Not that you are not unwelcome. You just don’t need to return to me specifically. They are your brothers and I’m sure they don’t mind your presence. I don’t. I mean I don’t mind any of your guy’s presence. I just meant you needed to return to work. Not that you weren’t working. Shut up Marinette!” She let out a sad whine as she dragged her hands down her face. Damian could not help his smile, seeing how flustered she had gotten.

Jason wanted to punch Demon Spawn so hard for interrupting. He’d been able to get the stupid voice under control, barely a whisper now among his own conscience. But when he found himself in the presence of Damian it became louder and for some reason it wanted him to direct his anger at his youngest brother. It was getting harder not to be inclined to listen.

Apparently, the warning he’d given his brother had gone unheeded, as the teenager awkwardly attempted to flirt with Pix. Fortunately for him, as soon as she flirted back, she immediately retracted her statement.

Maybe he should feel sorry for his younger brother, but he had warned him that Marinette had better prospects…him! If the little Wayne was going to try and compete, he better be prepared. He was playing with the big boys now.

“So, Pix, about that tour of Gotham, I know you’ve got a short lunch break, so if you’d like to go, we should probably leave soon.” Try as Jason might he was unable to hold back the amusement in his eyes as Demon Spawn struggled to keep himself from clawing at his face.

“Oh… sorry Jason. I am contractually obligated as a friend to eat lunch with Damian.”

The smug look on Todd’s face dropped immediately. A younger, less mature Damian would have said something that would have made Todd even angrier. But he had gone through that family checklist and come out a better person. Forgetting for the moment, the progress he made with Todd because of it, seemed shortsighted. He really did enjoy having him as a big brother and was close to admitting he loved the idiot. A girl was not worth losing that progress.

Good thing this was not just a girl. This was Marinette. “So-”

“But I’m sure Damian wouldn’t mind if you joined us.” As much as he wanted to scream ‘I most certainly would,’ he could never deny the kitten eyes she was giving him.

“I honestly could not fathom a greater torture, but for you Marinette I would walk through hell.”

“Then lead the way.” She turned her body away from him and practically skipped to the elevator with Jason right beside her. The only thing that kept him from pulling the dagger out of his shoe and stabbing Jason in the back, was the blush he was fairly confident he had seen on Marinette, caused by him.

Marinette was currently suffering from a menagerie of emotions; jealousy, excitement, pure joy, a little anger, but mostly contentment. Content because for the first time since she found a small black box on her desk, she was feeling a full range of emotions without having to cut them short.

As the two boys walked ahead of her as they must have forgotten about her during their ‘competition,’ she might have felt anger at being slightly neglected, but she was jealous. Jealous of their sibling bond. She would have killed to have a sibling or two to grow up with. Even with their aggressive banter, if one observed close enough they could tell they were holding back enough to prevent their words from causing any real harm.

The excitement came with the knowledge she would gain Jason as a sibling and could have her own family banter with him, Tim and Dick if she could get Damian to pick her. Although, if she was being honest, she already felt like she’d gained Jason as a brother, even without the official part.

Every time she caught Damian look behind to catch her gaze as he exchanged words with Jason, she felt joy. Joy, because the butterflies in her heart convinced her that she was right. There was no way he would look at her like that if she wasn’t the other girl.

But, the more she thought about it, the anger would creep up. Because the doubt would creep into her mind and tell her that Damian or rather Robin never looked at Ladybug like that. It wouldn’t have been much of a problem, after all Damian/Robin spent more time with Marinette than Ladybug, so it kind of made sense. If he was more into Ladybug or even just as much into Ladybug as Marinette, she would be concerned that he wanted her alter-ego for the wrong reasons. Much like she’d thought Chat Noir did in the beginning. With the little time they had spent together there was no way he really knew the real Ladybug. Yet the anger or fear stemmed from the acknowledgement that as much as she wished and tried to convince herself she was the other girl; the likelihood was that it was someone else, someone he’d known longer. After all, he’d been looking for a way to break their bond even before she’d showed up, there had to be a reason.

The anger completely dissolved, as he held the door open for her once they’d reached a small vegetarian café. Guiding her through the door with his hand steadily placed on her back, it acted like a sponge absorbing all of her anger. Leaving her with a tingling sensation where his hand once rested and the ability to ignore the little voice, with the unpopular opinion, in her head for a little longer.\

“If I wanted to eat grass, I would have just gone to the park. Is it seriously $15 for a plate of greens?” Jason spat.

“If you could actually read Todd, you would notice there was more than greens on the menu.” Damian retorted. “Not to mention, you’ve been here before and always order the same thing, so reading the menu is pointless.”

“Look Jason, rice.” Pixie pointed at the menu. “That’s white… Oh and cabbage that’s purple and black beans those are black.” Her finger flew across the menu as she pointed each item out.

“Since when are you in cahoots with my brother Pix?” The hurt in his voice was fake, but what wasn’t fake was his concern for how close she was getting to his brother.

For a split second she looked distressed as she held her hand to her chest, before she wiped away an imaginary tear. “I’m so sorry Jay. He said you couldn’t read, and I just wanted to help. I thought maybe you didn’t know your colors too.” She burst out laughing and even got the nonhuman to join. Jason playfully swatted her arm, earning him a mock glare.

“I just haven’t had the right teachers Pix. Maybe you could start tutoring me? That way before you leave, I’ll know my ABC’s.” He tried to look at her with his best pleading eyes only to find her attention no longer on him.

Damian shuffled through his phone quickly hoping to find the picture he was looking for before a change of topic. As Jason began to flirt with Marinette again, he passed her his phone, drawing her attention to a picture of him taken not three months prior. In it, Jason stood with his body pressed casually against a bookshelf at one of the local bookstores, his knee bent as he appeared to be reading a book. His body was giving off relaxed seduction, which had been aimed at an attractive brunette who had been shopping nearby. That was not the reason behind him snapping that particular shot however, no, the main attraction was the book Great Expectations, held upside down as he ‘attempted’ to read it.

“Looks like before we even begin with teaching you to read, we’ll have to start with how to hold a book.” Marinette held the phone out to Todd, so that he could see the picture before she laughed at his disgruntled expression. Damian tried his hardest to not look smug when Todd tried to level him with a glare. It quickly disappeared as his older brother reached for his cellphone and began to scroll. Both he and Todd took pride in capturing pictures for later blackmail material, perhaps it had not been a good idea to start this war.

“I’ve read that book so many times, I can do it with my eyes shut.” Jason defended himself still scrolling on his phone.

“Then there must be a story behind the photo than.” Marinette pressed, causing Damian to smirk as she gave him the lead in he had hoped for.

“Oh, there is-” His intention to spill Todd’s true nature, was stopped by his brother’s leg sharply kicking his shin; causing his leg to respond by hitting the table. Both brothers tried to play it off with fake smiles as Marinette looked at them to explain the table’s sudden lift from the floor.

“Has Damian told you about the time he dyed his hair?” Damian panicked, if Todd showed her a picture of that, he was doomed. If Ronald McDonald had a younger, tanned brother, that would be who he looked like after that prank.

As the phone passed over to her hands, he held his breath. His heart dropped as her eyes quickly popped open in amusement and she used her hand to dampen the sound of her laugh. The young Wayne normally would not be so concerned over a photo of an obvious prank, yet it was Marinette, looking at an embarrassing moment.

As if it was not understood before, this meant war.

Jason looked at his brother, feeling victorious. Compared to his book photo, which Marinette will never know the context behind, this was a truly horrible look for Demon Spawn. With the addition of the scowl he sported, until he was able to get the dye out of his hair, he looked like Chuckie come to life. A terrifying sight, that no one would want to become the ‘Bride of.’ When Jason took a ‘shot,’ he never missed.

“When Todd says that I dyed it, what he meant to say is he put the temporary dye in my shampoo bottle as a prank.”

Pix bit her lower lip as if trying to stop herself from saying something, but eventually relented once she handed Jason his phone back. “Red hair that bright is an extremely hard look to pull off… But… with your tan skin, a dark green, similar to your eyes could look pretty good, if you tipped your hair.” She ran her hand through the small demon’s hair, while looking into his eyes.

Fuck!

Point Damian and a reminder to stay away from photos that draw her attention to his hair.

“Dye the tips of his hair, come on Pixie, you’ve hung out with Mr. Prude all week. He’d never do something so unbecoming of a Wayne heir. Unlike me.” Pointing to his own unique addition to his hair, he secretly hoped she would reach out and run her hands through his hair too.

“Never said he should, just that he could. Hair dye doesn’t work with everyone’s self-expression.” She reached out and ran her finger through his white tuff. He struggled to keep his eyes from closing and releasing a content sound. “Like this works with your bad boy persona, but not so much if you were more of what the movies call a frat boy?”

“Don’t worry, frat boy is never a persona I’d ever try to pull off.” He tried to give her a flirtatious wink but the effect was ruined by Damian’s interruption.

“Because Bad Boy is so much better? Same persona different outfits.”

“Oh, because miniature businessman with a stick up his ass is so much better!” Jason growled.

“I have not dressed like that in years.” Damian growled back.

“Still haven’t dropped the stick up your ass, even if you’ve moved on to jeans.” Jason folded his arms across his chest, leaning back in his chair, feeling victorious as he showed Marinette a picture of eleven-year-old Damian.

Damian bit his lip to the point that Jason was positive he had drawn some blood. Another point to Jason. Now to take it home.

Leaning over Jason swiped over to the next photo on the roll.

“Oh… funny story about that photo.” Damian looked over to see what photo Jason planned to torture him with next. He drew back in confusion, the photo was tame, a simple head shot of Damian, used for fake ‘official’ documents.

Marinette looked excitedly at Jason, waiting for the ‘funny story.’

“I had to get a normal looking picture of him for his fake ID. I knew if I used one of his normal shots, the bouncer at the strip club would know it was a fake… Because who would seriously dress like a forty-year-old businessman willingly?”

“I was going through a bit of an identity crisis when I was younger. What can I say?” He looked at Marinette and she smiled back at Damian as if she understood. “Wouldn’t have mattered either way which photo you used. Since you’re on a first name basis with the bouncer and I’m sure he knew I was underage regardless.” Marinette snickered.

“Of course he knows who I am. He works for me in security at W.E.” Jason smirked at Damian’s failed attempt to embarrass him in front of Marinette.

“Does that also explain why the strippers have your credit card number memorized.” Damian narrowed his eyes, his lips lifting as Jason’s slightly shifted in his chair.

The verbal spar had both Jason and Damian so fixated on getting a good dig, the rest of the world faded out of existence, even the person whom the spar was directed to impress.

“Boys! Stop! I get it you love each other. You don’t need to convince me; it is very obvious. But perhaps you two would like to tell the very nice waiter, whose been standing here for the last few minutes, what you’d like to order?”

Fortunately, the waiter did not seem to be put out for having to wait for the two boys to finish their game of one-upmanship. If the smile across his face was any indication, he was enjoying it. Marinette on the other hand, had first found the banter cute, but now she wasn’t so sure of the purpose. It almost seemed like they were trying to make the other look bad in front of her.

Yet, if that was their goal for whatever reason, they were both failing. She could easily read the exaggeration in their insults.

When Jason talked about Damian in his younger years, she figured it was the Damian that was a result of Talia’s influences. Jason had referenced him growing out of it, which would explain why he wasn’t a part of the Leagues Miraculous domination plan, even if he had an expected role. She was happy to know that he had chosen to become more than his mother had defined him, especially since her opinion of the woman was not favorable.

Damian had also given her a little more of a glimpse into Jason. She wasn’t sure what she was supposed to think about them going to the strip clubs. Damian’s body language expressed that he was uncomfortable with the topic. His going to the club was obviously a gag, which is why Jason thought it funny to bring it up. As for Damian insinuating Jason was a regular patron, it didn’t offend Marinette. Jason as far as she knew was single, going to strip club was no different in her opinion of watching porn. She wasn’t naïve to believe people didn’t watch porn after all, she had been guilty of it before her wedding night. After her wedding night, she found herself not needing it anymore.

So far, lunch was truly enjoyable, as she loved getting to read between the lines to find out more about the brothers. Even more so, getting to watch the dynamic between the pair, she wondered if it ever got old? She’d have to ask Tim.

Chapter Text

How was the perfect being that was Jon Kent, currently standing across from him, and Adrien was incapable of telling him, ‘hey I like you?’ After all, he’d basically screamed it to LB everyday their first year together. Oh yeah, it was because it worked out so well the last time.

This was different though, there were no secret identities to confuse them as to who their feelings were directed towards. Adrien’s friends worked to convince him of their chemistry and mutual attraction, unlike the last time where feelings were treated like the worst kept secret and his friends hoped his sheltered ass would pick-up what they were putting down. No, this time was different, so why was he so scared of getting the same result?

“Ready?” Jon came to stand beside him in the lobby. They worked on different floors therefore it was the best place to meet before heading to lunch off campus or in the cafeteria.

Adrien looked into the sky-blue orbs of his ‘friend’ and felt himself longing for Jon to be more. What could be the harm in asking? If Mari’s marriage to Robin meant anything, it meant there was a big possibility that the Miraculous Team would be staying in Gotham. And Metropolis wasn’t too far if they were together… or too close if he said no.

Jon hit his shoulder, bringing attention to the fact he had not answered the question. “Yeah, let’s go grab lunch. I’m starving!”

Jon linked his arm through Adrien’s. The blond was slightly frozen by his boldness but shifted closer towards him as they started walking. “Aren’t models always hungry?” His arm was lightly squeezed so that he looked up to see Jon’s lips lightly turned up.

“Prior to Mari, absolutely! But she noticed my boss was underfeeding me and supplemented with only the best pastries in all of Paris. Now that my old man is an ocean away, I haven’t felt a single pang of hunger and my pants are finally fitting right.”

Jon looked at Adrien with concern, he’d tried on his pants, he could barely fit his calf into his jeans, and those loose sweatpants were almost skintight on him. It was disturbing to hear that those were still loose on Adrien and that he was only recently starting to ‘fill them’. He’d known he was a model, but he was also a retired superhero, how had he possibly done both while starving?

“Do you like tacos?” Jon looked off to the side, berating himself for the tactless question he used to bring himself out of his internal rambling.  

“If anyone says they don’t like tacos it’s because they haven’t tried the right one.” He looked like a kid being offered their favorite meal. “I have not personally found one that I have not liked. Are you suggesting tacos for lunch? Because if you are, I’d love you more.”

A heartbeat picked up suddenly as the words that were shared were finally processed, but it wasn’t his he was hearing. Adrien shifted almost unnoticeably, but his hand moved to his neck which he meekly began to rub. His sign for discomfort.

There was no time like the present to return his crushes words. He only had a little over a week left and he didn’t want to waste a second hesitating. Kagami had a bad turn of it, she had forgotten there needed to be two willing parties in a relationship. She wasn’t wrong about not hesitating when confessing her own feelings, she was wrong about forcing Adrien to address his own before he was ready, before he was able to give their relationship his all.

If Jon hesitated any longer about his feelings, he risked his own happiness. If Adrien didn’t or couldn’t return his affection… that was okay. It would hurt, sure, but at least he’d know where Jon stood if he changed his mind. Not to mention, it hurt more standing in limbo with Adrien. Not be able to hug him as he lamented over a career he hadn’t chosen, kiss him when he was too cute because he was excited.

Sometimes it was worth risking everything for happiness.

So, he turned towards Adrien and grabbed his hands, encouraging him to look at him. Begging him to acknowledge the spark of hope he created in Jon with four simple words.

“So, tacos?” Adrien attempted to distract Jon. The way he was looking at him, he knew that Jon had heard his words and interpreted their hidden meaning. Even if he hadn’t intended on saying them right then, like that.

“There is a taco truck just down the street that stops for lunch. I wanted to take you there because I like tacos, almost as much as I like you.”

Closing his eyes seemed to be the opposite of what he should be doing at the moment, after all, he needed his eyes to be open so he could make sure he wasn’t dreaming.

Jon liked him! Jon admitted to liking him! And he still hadn’t said anything in return!

“I like tacos too!” He felt his own eyes cross at his word stumble, as Jon deflated. When did he become Mari? Stumbling over his words so spectacularly? “I meant,” he took a deep breath, steadying his racing heart, “I like you too,”

It was impossible to not emulate Jon’s smile when he saw it. The pure happiness it exuded; it was as if he had just been told the best news of his life. For the first time someone he was truly enamored with was returning his affection. He prayed that he would find love with Jon like the love he found with Marinette, free from expectations other than existing in the best way for each other. And this time it would be romantically.

So caught up in each other, they failed to realize they’d made it to the food truck. “What will ya have?”

“Him!” Jon answered without looking away from Adrien.

The older man in the truck chuckled deeply. “I’m afraid he’s not on my menu. And it looks like you already have him.”

Jon looked at Adrien hopefully. “Do I?”

Adrien’s hand moved from the crux of Jon’s elbow into his empty hand. It felt so right as he threaded their fingers together squeezing his hand as their hands ‘clicked’. “He does, so I guess we’ll take one of each, please.” He finally looked away from Jon to smile up at the chef, who winked at him before moving to make their order.

“One of each? You really are planning on giving it to your father.” His laugh did things to Adrien, leaving him feeling like his ‘father’ had released a hundred of his butterflies within his body.

“I figured we could share, if that’s okay with you?”

“I’ve never had someone to share with.”

The suave that he was renowned for as Chat Noir made a quick appearance as he smirked at Jon. “You do now.”

The tacos were as delicious as always, maybe even better because they were shared. It felt so domestic for such a new couple, yet so right that Jon hoped it would never end.

But, as the last taco was shared between the pair, there was nothing else to fill their mouths and keep them from the conversation that needed to happen.

They both slowly chewed their final piece trying to delay as long as possible. “As excited as I am to spend your last week with you, I’m not going to lie and say I’m happy about it?”

Adrien looked at him as if trying to decipher his words. “You don’t want to be with me?”

“No,” Adrien looked like he’d taken a punch to the gut, causing Jon to panic. “I won’t be happy with only the week! I’ll be honest, I’ve never been in a relationship before. But, I am fairly confident that l am not a one-week-stand kind of guy.”

Adrien looked relieved. “Me either.”

“We should probably see how this week goes before we make any long-term plans, but I just want to be upfront. Now that we both know how the other feels, I want to be with you even if there is an ocean that separates us.” Because flying across the ocean all the time wouldn’t be too hard, and he was sure that at some point soon there would be no secrets between them. Perhaps a little premature to say they could be at that level of trust so quick, but Jon just had a feeling.

“We’ll take it a day at a time. But I don’t do long distance.” Jon felt his heart sink. “Which is why it’s a good thing I’ve already been accepted to both Gotham and Metropolis University. And I hadn’t planned to leave Kaelyn and Kelvin now that they’re family.”

“Well, you need to go to MU then because Kaelyn and Kelvin are now my family.” There was nothing he meant more, the two completed his family. They had brought something into the city apartment that was missing.

Conner was his ‘brother’ but his relationship with his father was strained at best, meaning he rarely spent time at ‘home.’ It was why Jon spent so much time at the Wayne Manor, aside from Damian being his best friend, the chaos of siblings was sorely missed in the Kent apartment. Not this last week, and he hoped it never went back to the way it was.

“Our family then.” Jon froze for the third time since the beginning of lunch, Adrien’s sentiments shockingly matched his own. With Adrien; Kelvin, Kaelyn and Jon were a family. “Too soon?”

Adrien looked sheepish, as if he’d overstepped an imaginary boundary. Jon knew it was moving fast, expressing their desires so openly when they’d just expressed their feelings and yearnings for a relationship.

“Is it wrong of me to say no?” Grabbing Adrien’s hand, he prepped himself to ask a question that would seem out of the blue, but lead to a conversation he needed to know an answer to, ‘what is his current feelings towards heroes?’ “You know they have powers?”

Adrien took his hand away as if it had been burned. His eyes opened as wide as possible, not out of shock but fear. “Yes.” He breathed, looking like he was trying to fight off an urge to run, strike? Jon couldn’t be sure which. “I’ve seen people with similar powers in Paris, almost every day.”

“Yet you didn’t seem all that surprised or bothered when they had powers without the help of a butterfly?”

Adrien narrowed his eyes, he was first shocked by Jon’s blunt question, now fearful. Mari had been suspicious of the two being Kaiduans of the Miraculous. They hadn’t had the opportunity to be alone with the two to confirm.

Jon had mentioned his suspicion of them being meta and Adrien wasn’t familiar enough to know if there was a difference that could be detected between a meta and a Kaiduan. Jon and his family strangely seemed to be awfully familiar with metas, he wondered if they would be able to pick-up on it?

If that was the case, or even if it wasn’t, what was Jon’s aim in asking him? Did he know of the link to the kids and the Miraculous? Did he ask Adrien because he knew of his own connection to the Miraculous?

Without realizing what he was doing he found himself standing and taking a defensive stance. This seemed to shock Jon, but he merely raised his hands in a placating manner. Adrien tried to relax, realizing that his reaction was probably disproportionate to what the circumstances called for. If Jon didn’t suspect anything before, his behavior probably gave away that there was something to suspect.

Why did their powers interest Jon and his family anyway? Why were they the ‘appropriate’ foster family?

Before he could even pretend to relax, Adrien returned to a defensive stance. Almost ready to call Trixx and make his way to Jon’s parent’s home -even if he didn’t know where that was exactly- and spring the children from the danger he never suspected could come from Jon.

“What…Who…..Ar-” What did he need to ask Jon? What could he say that wouldn’t further compromise himself or hint at the fact that he suspected the kids to be in danger?

“Calm down Adrien, I’m not sure what’s wrong, but you need to calm down. Your heartrate is starting to be concerning.” Jon tried to reach for him, but he dodged his attempt.

“And how would you know what my heartrate is?” Jon looked like he’d just been caught with his hand in the cookie jar. Just what secrets was he keeping?

“Um…your facial expression and posture say it all?” Whatever secrets Jon kept he needed to work on his lying if he hoped to keep them.

“They might, but we both know that’s not how you know. If you’re going to lie you shouldn’t question your own excuse.” Adrien smirked, it was a mistake that Marinette and him had made in their earlier years of superhero-ing.  Whatever secret Jon was hiding he either hadn’t been doing it long, or he hadn’t been called out before.

“I can hear your heartbeat.” Adrien dropped his stance. Jon had superhearing!

“You’re a meta, too.”

It was a statement and not a question, yet Jon answered it. “No!”

Unlike earlier, Adrien could tell that he wasn’t lying. If Jon wasn’t a meta why did he have superhearing. Not to mention, superhearing isn’t exactly something someone would need to hide. Sure, a lot of people wouldn’t appreciate the fact that he could hear their private conversations. Adrien would have to be sure to keep far away from him if he ever needed to have a conversation with Trixx. But…

He wasn’t hiding just superhearing. He wasn’t a meta. Something was poking at his mind, reminding him that he had just recently heard from someone that he needed to be careful because of someone’s superhearing. When was that, who said it, and who had it been said about???

If Adrien hadn’t been looking at Jon already, his head would have snapped up. Instead, his mind went to studying the man in front of him. As a model, use to recognizing measurements in much the same way a designer would, it should have been obvious from the beginning. The build was so familiar, why had he ignored it? A superhero wearing his pants of all the clothing available at the hotel. The easy conversations during patrols….

Adrien surprised Jon as he reached out for his face, he flinched slightly but gave no further reaction. Placing his hands on his cheeks caused Jon to lean into the contact and shut his eyes.

Perhaps it was a betrayal, but Adrien needed to know. He hesitantly raised his hands to take hold of the glasses on Jon’s face. He expected to feel some resistance but met none before he looked into the uncovered eyes as they opened to look Adrien earnestly.

“I have to admit that I like looking into your eyes without the obstruction…Superboy.”

As he reached for his face, Jon knew that Adrien had made the connection. How, he wasn’t exactly sure, as neither Adrien nor Chat Noir had any interactions with Superboy outside of the hotel holdup. How had he been able to make a connection that other heroes that had worked with him for years had been unable to make.

“I like looking into your eyes too, Adrien, but I think it would only be fair to one day look into Chat Noirs.” He didn’t know if he made the right move, but he wanted to be honest. Was it too soon? Possibly, but it seemed to be a lunch chocked-full of honesty.

Watching Adrien’s face drop into a sad smile, the name seemed to bring a weird longing from Adrien. “I’m afraid Chat Noir won’t make an appearance again.”

“Why not? I know it’s rather insensitive to ask, but what happened? Why did you give up being Chat Noir?”

Adrien guided them back into their seats choosing to sit beside Jon instead of across the table. He grabbed Jon’s hands and began running his thumbs over his knuckles.

“I’ll tell you what I can, but no questions right now. I can’t share everything without sharing too much and it really isn’t my information to share. Its Ladybug’s and when or rather if she chooses to share, I think you’ll have a better understanding of everything.” Jon nodded his head; he’d try his hardest anyway. “I didn’t choose to give up on being Chat Noir, circumstances prevent me from becoming him again.”

“So, you didn’t retire?” Jon couldn’t help himself, the idea that maybe Adrien still wanted to be a hero both excited and scared him.

If he still wanted to be a hero and couldn’t, how would he feel about dating someone who was. Would he be constantly rubbing it in his face while they dated? That didn’t seem fair. Maybe Batman could adopt him, his dad was a jerk from everything he’d said about him. The Wayne’s were proof that you didn’t need powers to be a hero and it wasn’t like Adrien didn’t have experience already. Or maybe Ladybug could give….

“No, I didn’t retire, Ladybug would never ask me to do that, she just gave me a different miraculous that works better for me.”

Jon shook his head to clear it, making sure that he had heard Adrien correctly. He already had a second miraculous. Ladybug had already given him another one. They could be heroes together.

Best day of his life!

“Wait, your Renard Noir?” Jon was surprised that it took him so long to put the pieces together.

“Was it the Noir part. I just couldn’t not pay homage to a part of my identity for the last five years.”

“No that’s not it. I had my suspicion the first day we met. But Tim told me that you were Chat Noir and I couldn’t imagine why you would switch Miraculous. But when I think about it, everything I love about Adrien is present in Renard. So, it is rather obvious.”

“You’re right. Everything I love about you is in Superboy too.” Adrien smiled so sweetly that he melted into the seat. He wanted so badly to kiss him.

“Can I kiss you?” Jon was surprised to find Adrien giving voice to his own desires, he nodded his head excitedly.

His first kiss and with someone as great as Adrien.

He wasn’t sure what he was expecting, it wasn’t the fireworks and sparks that he read about, that would have been too unrealistic. But, it was warm and made him feel content. Their lips touched lightly at first but then they both tilted their heads and they pressed into each other more firmly. He prayed his inexperience wouldn’t show, after all his last real crush was on Damian and that obviously went nowhere past an unspoken truth. But as Adrien lifted his hands to cradle Jon’s head, he didn’t think about how he was performing, he simply melted and mimicked to the best of his ability, considering that his brain seemed unable to process anything other than the feeling of happiness.

It felt like it had been hours, but he knew it had only been a minute before Adrien pulled away. His eyes were still closed, and he smiled as he licked his lips. Jon’s own tongue mimicked Adrien’s.

Adrien opened his eyes slowly and looked at Jon. “Kwamis that was perfect.” Jon felt himself blush. “You’re perfect.” He knew he was now bright red, causing Adrien to snicker. “I didn’t know that people could get as bright red as Mari from a simple compliment.”

The mood seemed to drop slightly at the mention of the one Jon had thought to be his toughest competition for Adrien affection, as of only a day ago. It wasn’t that he didn’t like her and think of her as a friend, it just wasn’t the name he wanted to be connected with such a perfect moment.

Best friend, Marinette was his best friend. But Renard and Chat Noir had claimed that Ladybug was his best friend. So was Marinette, Ladybug? No, she was Multimouse. But could she have used a different miraculous too?

“Adrien, is Marinette your best friend?”

“Yes? You know that.”

“Isn’t Ladybug, Chat Noir and Renard’s best friend?” Adrien looked panicked. “Is Marinette, Ladybug?” He whispered.

“I said not to ask questions.” Adrien barked, the first time he had seen the usually happy man snap. Only his anger was quickly replaced with an obvious realization. “Is Robin, Damian?”

Jon shouldn’t have been surprised, not really, but he was kicking himself for offering a connection that could be easily flipped and used on him.

Two hands came down loudly on the table, breaking the tension, causing both men to snap to attention. “No. No. No!” A heavily breathing Alix leaned hunched over the table, shocking both boys with her sudden appearance. Jon wasn’t sure that she hadn’t just materialized having noticed no sign of her approach. “You two got to discover each other’s. You are going to allow them the same right. Got it Agreste, Kent?”

“So, I was right?” Adrien looked at Alix like he had a clue as to what was going on.

“No, you don’t know. Understood?” Alix pointed at the blond, causing him to shrink in slightly on himself.

“Right!” He meekly whispered.

“Good! See you two soon.” She turned face with a smile and walked away quickly as if she hadn’t just left chaos in her wake.

“What just happened?” Jon asked, a little scared of the possible answers.

“I’m not sure if I’m supposed to tell. But considering that she just showed up out of her burrow and didn’t try to hide it by acting like a crazy lady and ordering us around, I guess she doesn’t care. But Alix is also a Miraculous wearer and she has the ability to travel across time. So, I’m guessing we are supposed to let Damian and Marinette figure this stuff out on their own, and not tell them that their love square is pointless.”

“She can what? Why would she do that?” Jon was confused.

“It’s best not to ask, she won’t tell you anyway. Just do what she tells you and know it’s for the best.” Adrien looked back at Jon, looking at him as if the last minute hadn’t happened. “Now, can we get back to us?”

Chapter Text

Working with Tim was like a dream come true. He set Marinette up with a small room that he had outfitted with everything that she had needed to make their commissions and more. The room was literally a single step away from being a professional set up, the only hold up was the size, which she couldn’t begrudge considering his time constraints and the reality she was only one person.

It was nice to get to work all day on her career of choice without having to worry about schoolwork and other interruptions. Tim for better or worse, had kept true to his word about him coming in during his free time. Stopping by for a ten-minute break here and there to work out her price model for commissions was not always a welcomed break yet still very enlightening.

Each time he came, he would leave abruptly as work called him back, leaving Marinette to focus once again on the family’s designs. A project she had gotten so wrapped-up in, she forgot to ‘bother’ Damian at some point before the lunch break. Which in reality, was all his fault, as she had fussed far too long on his design, needing it to be perfect.

Unfortunately, when her alarm sounded reminding her of her ‘commitment’ to have lunch with her husband, she entered his floor to find him nowhere in sight. Her previous desk neighbor gave her pity by informing her that ‘Mr. Wayne was currently in a meeting.’ A meeting that had no end in sight, so she’d be better off grabbing something to eat before her break ended.

She hated that she didn’t get to spend lunch with Damian, but she couldn’t help that work got in the way. So, she resigned to the fact and ended up in the Gotham Botanical Gardens, looking for some inspiration for her designs.

Once again, the flowers perked-up with her arrival. As much as she planned to sit and work as their beauty gave her so many ideas, she couldn’t help wanting to walk among the foliage. She dropped Tikki off into some beautiful sunflowers allowing her to zoom at her own pace, the small goddess offering up her own healing with her presence. Both worked to cover all if not most of the large gardens in their healing auras.

Ivy worked hard to give the best to the plants under her care, but she was not the goddess or Kaiduan of Creation, she could not heal like they could. Even as Marinette finished a lap of the garden, those strolling through gave voice to the renewed beauty and brightness in the garden not often felt nor seen.

Marinette wanted to slap herself when she realized that Lila was right, she did tend to preen slightly when others recognized the contributions she gave. Rather, she felt like she was happy, not at the recognition of her efforts, but that people could see the good her effort created. In Gotham, it was her efforts to balance Plagg’s essence.

“I should have known you were back in my garden when my babies began to cry with joy.” Marinette spun around quickly to the voice that she easily recognized belonging to Poison Ivy.

“Ms. Ivy.” Marinette said as she swallowed the bile that rose to her throat. She had spared her secret divulgence to Dick and Ivy the last time they met, but she should have known that it wouldn’t prevent Ivy from trying to satisfy her own curiosity later.

“Ms. Ivy. I like it, but you can call me Pam. All my friends do. And you Ms. Marigold, are a friend. Right?”

Marinette did not know how to answer. She definitely didn’t want to be an enemy and it seemed impossible to remain merely acquaintances at this point… but friends?

“Marigold?”

“The last time we met I believe one of your friends called you Mari. I find you to be gold among fools. And marigolds just happen to be some of my favorite flowers. I know that you will become one of my favorites, my babies love you and so, I know I will come to love you.” She came to take her hand. Marinette knew she should fear someone who was once an eco-terrorist, but there was far too much sincerity in her eyes. “Now, I would love to know just how you seem to be healing my plants.”

Marinette took a deep breath. The truth was out of the question. Revealing that she was Ladybug and had a piece of the soul of the Goddess of Creation was not going to happen. So, part truth, after all, the definition of meta was quite vague. “I have the ability to heal, but I would appreciate if you kept that knowledge to yourself.”

“Oh Marigold, you needn’t worry. I think I proved last time that I can keep your secret. From everyone but Harley that is, she is far too perceptive.” She winked at Marinette, causing her to surprisingly relax further. “So, you’re a meta. You don’t have to share but do you know how your powers work?”

Marinette paused. How much was she willing to share with Pam. Dick seemed to somewhat trust her and he was Nightwing, so... “I have an aura that heals plants.”

“Not quite a plant whisperer than, just a healer. Can you heal anything else?”

Marinette shrugged her shoulders and shook her head once. Hoping it conveyed something like, ‘not that I know of,’ without her having to say it.

Pam’s eyes softened but her eyebrow quirked up, almost like she didn’t quite buy it. “What a blessing you are. Have you ever tried to heal anything else?”

Yes, it was the first power she obtained outside of a transformation. But she shook her head feeling like she had hinted and therefore given away too much already.

“One of my friends has a daughter, of sorts, that was hurt by a deranged clown. He broke her spine and put her in a wheelchair. I just wonder if you might be able to help?”

“Joker.” Marinette had heard of the deranged clown of Gotham and the chaos and misfortune that seemed to follow him. It was likely Plagg’s essence that called him into the city and further deteriorated his mental state to become the villain he was today. It felt partially like she was responsible for the consequences of his wake, even if there was no rationality behind the feeling. If the city was more balanced perhaps Pam’s friend’s daughter would not be in a wheelchair.

“Achoo.” An over exaggerated sneeze caused the woman to turn to someone walking up the path in their direction. “They say you sneeze when someone is talking about you and look at that, the two of you were. I wonder why I didn’t sneeze twice.”

The Joker in all of his hideous glory outfit, stood before them, his sadistic smile aimed at Marinette. She freaked slightly wondering how much of their conversation the clown had heard. Pam quickly pushed Marinette, behind her shielding her from the psycho.

Marinette was panicking slightly, knowing that Tikki was in the flowers somewhere and she was unarmed against the most unhinged villain in Gotham. Going through the Miraculous available to her, she conjured the Mouse knowing that the Bats were already aware of her presence in the city. But the use of Mullo would be a last resort as she didn’t dare tip her hat to the Joker.

“I was just walking around when I noticed that something wasn’t right. I followed it and it led me here… to you two. Now we both know that Ivy isn’t right in general.” Said woman hissed under her breath. “So is the one your protecting have something to do with the pleasantness that suddenly is overwhelming the gardens?”

“Just a new blend to the fertilizer, it’s doing wonders don’t you think?” Pam spat.

Marinette could feel something start to wind around her legs, she looked down to see vines, likely moving due to Ivy’s influence. She tried not to focus on them so as to not alert Joker, but she hated not being in control and she knew that they would eventually do something more than simply wrap around her legs.

The Joker laughed before he looked straight at Pam with his head tilted slightly down. A small smile was barely visible thanks to the scars that marred his cheeks, giving him a sinister look. “Sure, then you won’t mind if I take the girl then if she is no value added.”

“You’ve known Pam-a-lamb long enough to know she’d neva just hand someone ova to ya.” Harley walked into the small clearing with a comically large mallet resting in her hands.

Joker smirked at the voice of the newcomer, his eyes never leaving Marinette even as he tilted his head in Harley’s direction. “She may not, but I know you have a hard time denying me anything.”

“That. Was the old me. The new me, can only give ya pain.” Her excitement did not quite match the threat in her words.

“I suggest you leave before you get hurt, Joker.” A third feminine voice entered the garden as Cat Woman slank her way towards the small group. Marinette now found herself protected by a thief in a catsuit, an ex-girlfriend with a vendetta, and a meta who could control plants. All trying to save her from a clown who may or may not know she had some kind of power.

The Joker laughed, the sound causing her hair to stand up on her arms. A transformation at this point was impossible. If Ladybug or Multimouse made their appearance at the same time as Marinette conveniently disappeared, the Joker would make the connection. And he was the last one that needed to know about her alter-egos.

“Nah,” He snapped his fingers and twenty gunmen, complete with clown make-up, came to stand behind him. “I think I’ve found a new plaything and I want to take her home to see what she can do.”

The twenty men droved forward towards the three Sirens at the direction of the Joker with a simple flick of his wrist. Marinette was instantly drawn back by the plants that had been wrapped around her legs, straight into a bush that could easily cover her. Tikki immediately crash landed into her face having waited for an opportunity to return to her holder. Marinette cuddled her briefly before placing her in the same pocket of her blazer as Mullo. She quickly placed the Mouse Miraculous around her neck to not risk losing it during the inevitable chaos.

Marinette peeked out of her hiding place to observe the fighting around her. She felt guilty leaving others to fight her battle, but this was the Joker, she was not prepared.

Catwoman was currently keeping several men at bay with her whip. The men had been disarmed and their weapons were scattered around them. As each went to grab at them, Catwoman would strike out with her whip preventing them from grabbing the weapon while striking with her legs at the others that were trying to take her down.

Ivy was doing her best to direct new vines to help her against the men currently attacking her, while maintaining a connection with her old ones. Five other men were currently wrestling with Ivy’s vines, using their knifes to try and cut themselves free, only to have new branches replace the old.

Then there was Harley who was also currently holding back a good number of men with her mallet. They were more vicious with their attacks on her than the others, likely on the orders of her scorned ex. Knocking her back occasionally with a well-placed punch or kick only to have the favor returned by Harley’s mallet.

The three Sirens were doing well holding their own against their attackers, but they were clearly outnumbered. Which meant that the Joker was able to make his way over to the bushes that Marinette had been deposited into with three of his goons.

Marinette might have been able to make an item that could help her, it was also one of her new powers that she was practicing outside of a transformation. The ability to make a lucky charm of sorts but with her getting to create what she wanted instead of what Tikki, or was it the universe, thought would help. Only problem was that it took a lot of energy, she hadn’t ‘matured’ enough to be able to do it every time she wanted. So, there was no way that she would have time to focus enough to create one and it would likely leave her more vulnerable to the Joker.

She tried her hardest to back out of the bushes without being noticed by Joker and his men, but her efforts were in vain. He immediately saw her red shirt in the foliage and send two of the men to grab her. Knowing that stealth had failed, she stood-up and went with the ever-popular, running. Her efforts were partially thwarted by the plants as they grabbed at her outfit, causing several rips to her blouse much to the designer’s chagrin.

Getting out of the bushes had cost her some valuable time and distance between herself and her would be capturers. Fortunately, she was faster than most would suspect, and she pushed herself to increase the distance as she made her way to the park’s exit. Hopefully when she made it to her freedom, she would be just another face in the crowd to the Joker and he wouldn’t be able to figure out her identity to try and see what powers he thought she possessed.

The exit stood not fifteen feet in front of her and she could taste her freedom, only for it to be soured by the taste of more malice in the air. Surrounded by the bushes that framed the exit stood the Penguin and Riddler with several of their own gunman.

She slid to a stop to keep herself from running into them, knowing that doing so would lead to a different death sentence. Unfortunately, the pause gave Joker’s men the time to close in.

“Well, isn’t this a riddle. What could the Jokers men want with this little beauty?”  

“Must be worth something. Maybe we should take her ourselves and find out?”

There was only a single word that she could use to describe her situation…Fucked.

Chapter Text

The beauty of being the head of security at W.E. was that Jason could monitor the building while also keeping tabs of the city in general. With over a hundred interns now running through the many buildings of W.E. there was a lot more work, and all of security was pulling double shifts to keep a strong presence and deter unwanted behavior. The lack of noise in the dark web should have been welcomed considering the additional pressures, but the honest truth was that silence usually meant planning and planning eventually led nothing good.

Jason had spent the last hour searching every post on the dark web of Gotham, searching for something that would give away some master plan, hint at something that he was missing. But as good as he had become at reading between the lines during his own stint as a crime boss, he couldn’t find anything worth finding.

Then it happened. The website was inundated with post after post all alluding to the same thing. Joker was making his way to the Botanical Gardens with twenty clowns in tow. Before he even had time to react a new thread appeared linking Penguin and Riddler to the same spot.

He was about to call it in when his own cellphone chimed. Selina had sent a message to all the Bats to suit up. The Sirens were currently protecting a young lady from being kidnapped by the Joker and needed assistance immediately.

The madness within Jason began to talk again. Memories that he tried to keep at bay flared to the forefront of his mind. Images of the torture Joker could instill on those he deemed to be his current plaything plagued him. Whether it be like Jason in physical torture or Harley with mental, this poor girl was being threatened by the clown. He had kept the madness at bay for the week, but it was starting to overwhelm him and he was tired from containing it.

Briefly relieved from the voices by a second message coming from Babs directing him to a link she had shot him in an encrypted email. He quickly locked the door to his office to prevent an uninvited guest and clicked open the link to watch as he suited-up.

The video was grainy, a street camera pointed at one of the exits of the garden. In it, Penguin and Riddler could be seen with at least fifteen of their men approaching. They moved slowly, as if without a clearly defined purpose. Almost as if their arrival came without a plan. Not even a minute later a girl could be seen coming into the camera from inside the park. She was running at top speed before she slid to a complete stop having seen the villains and their goons standing in the way of her exit. She looked behind her and then back, having a hard time deciding which direction she should go. Not thirty-seconds later it became obvious as to why as a small group of clowns came running up behind her.

This was obviously the girl that Selina and the others were trying to protect. He connected his utility belt and made ready to use the secret exit to make it down to his bike when she finally positioned herself to be seen clearly by the camera.

The girl was Marinette!

Marinette was in danger!

The clown was after Pixie!

Joker was going to die!

The choice was obvious when it came to a fight of two against one or more than ten verse one. She turned about-face and ran straight at the clowns that had been chasing her. They were completely surprised to see the girl they had been chasing rushing straight at them. She used this to ram right into them knocking them aside much like pins at a bowling alley. Unfortunately, her sudden departure did not stop the new players from losing interest in her, and they ordered their men to capture her before the Joker’s men had the opportunity.

Even with the Sirens, she had been greatly outnumbered and risked getting captured. Now with the Penguin’s and Riddler’s men added to the equation, the question simply became who would get her first and whose new ‘toy’ she would become?

With so many men chasing after her, the ability to hide and transform to at least even the odds was gone. So, she ran back towards the Sirens hoping that she would be able to assist them at least and they would note who took her when the inevitable time came.

She didn’t want to be kidnapped, who did?  But admittingly being kidnapped by either the Penguin’s or Riddler’s men sounded more pleasant than the Joker. If she was left alone for just a minute, she would be able to find a means to escape, but with the Joker, even the Bats had not turned out to be so lucky against the likes of him. She couldn’t imagine having any better luck as a civilian than the second Robin.

Before she made it back to the larger field that she left, she ran into the Joker. Instead of looking upset at the additional men chasing her, he looked excited. He clapped his hands and jumped on his feet, as if it was all one big game. Which knowing who he was and his MO, to him it most likely was.

The momentum she had built to try and outrun those on her tail prevented her from slowing and stopping before she reached him, meaning that she could only look determined as she prepared to steamroll the Joker. His own smile never faltered, giving her the creeps as he looked to relish the fact she was going to smash right into him. He bent down ready to grab her, giving her the best height to miraculously jump over him. Only as she was above him, he grabbed her foot and pulled down, causing her to unceremoniously slam into the pavement below.

She cried out in pain in spite of herself, causing the man to give her a toothy grin. He looked at her through his eyelashes as he watched her struggle to loosen his grip on her ankle. It would have been easy for her to break free, but she did not want to give him any ammunition to pursue her if she did. He was already suspicious of her thanks to Ivy’s protection, it was best, if even a little bit dangerous, to not give away anything that might confirm his suspicions. Even if it meant she was temporarily captured.

The men who had been in pursuit of her under the orders of Penguin and Riddler seemed at a loss as to what to do when they finally caught up to her. They clearly had an advantage of numbers against the Joker but it was one thing to move against his men, it was another thing to make a move against the man himself.

Fortunately, Joker seemed to loosen his grip slightly as he prepared for any move they might make. It was enough that Marinette was able to use her other leg to kick at his arm and wiggle out of his grip.

“I love when my toys play with me. It’s just. So. Much. Funnn.” She heard the Joker say as she stumbled to get away.

No longer in the grip of the Joker, she appeared to be fair game as she was followed by the others. Leading them straight into the battle that she had originally left, she was met with a sight that wasn’t too much better. Harley had a busted lip, and a couple of unmoving bodies surrounding her. Catwoman had been able to tie up several of the men to some of the post keeping them from re-engaging as they struggled with their bindings. Ivy was still holding off most of the clowns, but she seemed to be tiring and Harley and Catwoman were only able to offer marginal support to keep the numbers attacking her manageable. Which meant that the eight men that were tailing Marinette would not be a welcomed addition.

Didn’t stop Ivy from helping Marinette as soon as she entered her field of view. A plant immediately wrapped around her waist, lifting her away from the Joker and the others and depositing her safely beside her.

With as many guns that had been going off since the beginning of the altercation, it was amazing how the universe always seemed to make the shot that greatly impacted the situation sound so much more unique from the others. How a single shot became distinguishable against the others and forced those in play to pause and search for both the impact and the source.

Joker stood some feet away a smoking gun in his hand. “You’ve always been a thorn in my side.”

Pam fell to her knees clutching her abdomen, not even a second later she had folded in on herself. Without hesitating Marinette flew to her side, rolling her over onto her back so that she could look at the wound. She removed Pam’s hands to get a look and discovered dark red blood surrounding a small bullet hole. The color of the blood was too dark, she’d seen enough movies to know it likely indicated that she had been hit in a vital organ. If she wasn’t seen by a doctor soon she would likely die. Looking around there was no sign that anyone would be leaving the garden any time soon.

Hands grabbed her own and ripped her away from the bleeding anti-hero, causing Marinette to lash against the intruder with her full strength as they attempted to drag her away. Distraught from the impending death of someone who had risked their life to save her own and kept her secret, she kept escaping from the grip only to be captured as she stumbled to her feet. The sound of a bone breaking bone, was barely audible amongst her struggle, but she noticed immediately when her arms were suddenly free.

Nightwing stood looming over the laid-out body of Joker. Taking in the sight before her she noted that he and Red Robin were now in the fray, assisting in corralling the goons. Giving her the means to move back over to the bleeding Ivy.

She rushed over and dragged the Siren’s body to a more secluded area. The poor woman was barely conscious at this point having lost far too much blood. If Marinette didn’t act quickly she would die and there would be no power that could bring her back. She turned the anti-hero over to look for an exit wound and breathed a sigh of relief upon finding one. Marinette could create, but she could not destroy a bullet lodged in an abdomen. She carefully returned Ivy to her back as she looked around to ensure that all the criminals and heroes were currently engaged. Finding no one able to turn their attention to them, she placed her hands over the wound.

A soft red glow emanated from her hands, bathing the wound in a treatment of light. She knew she wouldn’t be able to completely heal the wound as it would raise too much suspicion, she limited herself to her liver and some blood. She focused on repairing the damaged cells and then creating blood to replace that which she had bleed out. The process was tiring, but she owed it to this woman to give her life back as she had tried to do for Marinette.

When the Kaiduan of Creation felt she had created enough to keep her friend alive, she returned to only putting pressure on the wound. For those who looked, it would be obvious that she had been shot, but it would appear as if it had been nothing critical. Some stitches were her only requirement now.

Ivy woke-up much like one does from a nightmare, gasping and sitting straight up. Marinette guided her back to laying down by firmly placing her right hand on her shoulder.

“You’ve been shot and lost a lot of blood. I wouldn’t advise moving.” Marinette spoke softly trying not to draw unwanted attention.

Pam looked at her and then at the wound that Marinette was still covering. “You healed me.” She whispered, conscious enough to take into account the situation surrounding them.

“Nooo.” Marinette tried to lie.

“Is it because of the plant DNA I’m infused with?” Pam looked eager to understand how Marinette had accomplished it.

“You have plant DNA?” Marinette slapped her hand over her mouth, realizing the secret her words mistakenly shared. “Yea…let’s go with that.”

“You lied to me.” Ivy smiled sweetly not looking the least bit insulted.

Marinette closed her eyes and took a deep breath. “Can you blame me?”

“Of course not, Marigold. Although I am thankful that you could do more than heal plants. If you risked your secret, I guess it was a gunshot I was not likely coming back from.” Marinette bit her lips shut, not wanting to admit just how close to death the woman had been. She merely hummed in response causing her to take Marinette’s hand. “Thank you.”

Marinette gave her the warmest smile she could muster considering everything going on around them. Hood and Batman at some point had joined the engagement. While their men were still fighting off the masked vigilantes, Penguin and Riddler where nowhere to be found. Those still standing were thinning but Red Robin and Nightwing seemed more distracted keeping Red Hood from Joker than taking care of the thugs.

“Come on, we need to move while everyone is distracted. Neither you nor I can be much help in this fight now that I’m out of energy and you need stitches.” Marinette put her arm around Pam’s waist as she carried most of the Siren’s weight in order to carefully move them out of the park and out of danger.

Their pace was slow, and they had to stay to the outskirts to avoid detection, but somehow they made it to the exit that Marinette had first tried to escape.

It felt like déjà vu as the taste of freedom was once again on her lips just as a shadow crossed their path.  With Pam resting her weight against her, forcing the young adult to essentially carry the woman, Marinette was helpless to act against the sword currently pressed against her throat.

Chapter Text

Damian made it to the garden only to hear two people approaching the exit. He hid in the shadows hoping to go undetected. Hearing what sounded like a person being dragged, as the abductor approached him he held his sword tip to their neck. It was a shock to find Marinette at the end of his katana, dragging an injured anti-hero.

He could not help that the look she gave him affected him more than it should, but instead of looking at the sword held at her throat and its wielder in fear, she looked at it with unmeasurable frustration. It was at that moment he knew that she was the woman for him.

It was only confirmed as she seemed to melt the second that she recognized he was at the end of the weapon.

“Do you seriously just carry a katana around hoping you might get to use it. I’m really starting to understand some of the nicknames.”

He sheepishly removed the katana not realizing he had not immediately dropped it with his recognition. “Sorry.”

“No don’t be, we still may have a use for it yet.” She smiled at him and all he wanted to do was capture her in his arms just to make sure she was real and not a figment of his imagination.

Just as his body was about to betray him, he remembered that he would be unable to do so, thanks to the woman who was being carried by her side. It took no time to realize that the anti-hero, whom he considered an aunt due to her close relationship to his mom, was greatly injured.

“Alfred is just around the corner. He can get us to a hospital quicker than an ambulance.” He started to guide them to the corner where the car waited, but Isley did not move her feet.

“You know I will be turned away from the hospital Damian. Just take me back to the apartment and Harley can sew me up after she’s finished beating up on the clown.”

Had it just been him and Isley the solution would have been clear. She knew his identity; it wasn’t much of a secret with the way Catwoman flirted with Batman and Selina’s marriage and devotion to Bruce. If someone knew one’s identity it was not hard to guess the rest. While the relationship with the Sirens started out a little tense; as Damian and even Jason were a little more hesitant to trust the ex-rogues, over time they proved they were not only able to be trusted with their secrets but were great allies when the time called for it. While Harley was the first to insist she be referred to as Auntie Harley by the boys, Damian would admit to himself that he felt the two more than deserved the title. Even if they sometimes put the Bats in a tough position with some of their less than legal activities and their behavior in general was questionable.

But Marinette was present, and Alfred being well versed in field-grade nursing, was probably not something that she should be made aware of…yet.

Marinette interrupted his thoughts. “Well, it’s a good thing that I am a world class seamstress and while skin is not fabric the principles are the same. Just need a sterile needle and some thread…Wait… what am I talking about I just need a lighter.”

“We’re not lost in the forest Marigold, there is no need to scorch the wound shut.”

Marinette looked at Ivy in shock, shaking her head and hands. “No. No, I just need to sterilize the needle I have.” She pulled out a small wallet type package from her purse. “Like I said I’m a world class seamstress. I always carry extra needles and thread.”

“No need for that, Alfred has some sterile needles in the car and things to clean the wound.”

“Why would he have that?”

“Gotham.” He responded at the same time as Isley.

Marinette hummed in response, before turning around quickly and looking behind them as if she forgot something important. “Shouldn’t we be a little more concerned about the scene we just left?”

“It’s the Joker, even when the police arrive, they will only take the Bat’s statement. When it comes to the Joker he mostly acts without rhyme or reason. The police stopped trying to figure him out a long time ago. Plus, he is supposed to be serving multiple life sentences. Another trial takes time and money, so they just throw him back in and wait for him to break back out.”

“That’s horrible.” Marinette looked offended at the idea. He couldn’t blame her, Jason wasn’t completely wrong when he got angry that the most they did to the Joker was put him back in a jail that wouldn’t hold him. If Jason had his way the clown would have a bullet in his head so that he could never hurt anyone else. But, it was their father’s moral code, for better or worse, they lived by.

“That’s Gotham, Marigold.”

Stitching up Ivy was easy, or rather it would have been if she actually had to. Instead, she used a little more energy now that she was out of danger to heal the rest of Ivy’s injury and cover it with a bandage, all while pretending to drag a needle through her skin.

As Alfred dropped Pam at her house, Marinette jumped out of the car to give her a hug. She wanted to thank Pam of course, but there was more. As she ran up to her she placed a card into the woman’s hand. She seemed confused as she looked down at what she had given her. The gold card flashed in the light as she moved it back and forth as if trying to find a secret font written on it.

“My personal number is on the other side. I want to thank you for saving me and keeping my secret.”

“Oh Marigold, you’ve saved my life and healed me right up. I think we’re even.” She winked at Marinette and placed her hand on the bandage that covered a completely healed wound.

“I would still like to thank you the way I usually do for my friends. I’m a designer and I would love to make you an outfit, it’s what I do. Plus, I kind of owe Harley and Catwoman my thanks as well.” Marinette looked at Ivy in a way that told her she wouldn’t back down from her offer.

The woman merely chuckled at Marinette’s obstinance, before a serious expression overtook her. “Well, Harley isn’t one usually known for wearing designer and Catwoman…well I’ll be honest she’s the friend with the daughter in a wheelchair...”

“I would never try and put Harley in a stiff design, the first time we met I was hoping to talk her into possibly allowing me to design for her. I find her aesthetic exciting, and I think it would be fun to experiment, if she was game.” Marinette began to wring her hands; she had really hoped that Harley would be up to letting her test out some new ideas on her.

“Harley would definitely be game for that; she loves to be on the cutting edge of fashion.” She laughed again. “Or rather just outside of it.”

Marinette smiled at that, but soon took on her own serious face. “While I would like to keep my secret from getting out more than it already has, I think we might be able to use my healing aura to help Catwoman’s daughter. If you and I could come up with a situation that allowed me in her presence a couple of times, I might be able to heal her without anyone suspecting a thing, other than time healing all wounds and all that.”

“Even if it takes us a year Marigold, I’ll help it happen.” She was pulled in quickly for a hug and Marinette immediately felt protection and acceptance that even her parents hadn’t given her for years. There was something about Gotham and the people here. Sure, it had villains like Joker, but it had good people like Ivy and Batman too.

It felt like Marinette needed Gotham as much as Gotham needed the Kaiduan of Creation.

She did not realize that she hadn’t released Ivy until she started giggling. “Get some rest Marigold, it’s been a day.”

Marinette stepped back and watched Ivy turn into the building that didn’t quite look like it had apartments, but she guessed it would be hard to rent as an ex-rogue.

A hand came to rest on her shoulder, and she turned her head to see Damian smiling down at her. He turned her body slowly back towards the car and pushed her forward. She got inside without saying a word, sliding over to the opposite seat so that he could sit beside her without having to walk around. He followed her in without a word.

She rested against the headrest as they quietly made their way down the streets of Gotham. She closed her eyes as the fatigue she hadn’t really processed overwhelmed her. It took a lot to heal someone who was on the cusp of death, because there was no doing it slowly, it was do it fast or fail.  She was grateful for Damian’s presence, it always had a way of making her feel calm, protected, warm and content.

Kwami, she really needed for the uncertainty of their relationship to resolve; she could only imagine how much more he would be able to give her if they were finally together with no secrets between them as a couple.

Her hand rested in the center seat, holding her up slightly to prevent her from collapsing from the lack of energy. An envelope of warmth timidly covered it, looking down she realized his hand had come to cover her own. She didn’t know what possessed her to be so bold, but she flipped her hand so that she was holding his.

“You okay?” He looked at her concerned. She imagined that she wasn’t looking her best due to the drain of her energy, the condition of her blouse thanks to the rips from the vines, and her overall disheveled appearance from her attempt to flee from all the bad guys.

Yea, he probably thought she was barely holding it together.

Squeezing his hand tightly, and looking at him with her warmest smile, she hoped that he could see that at least mentally she was fine. “I am now,” she replied softly.

Damian had walked Marinette up to her room before he raced back to a local café across the street to grab some coffee and food while she showered and changed.

First impression, she was holding up fine, drained looking, but her smile didn’t betray that the events had traumatized her. Which should have been distressing considering that no one should walk away from a situation with the Joker without a little bit of trauma. But, this was a girl who had lived through five years of an emotional terrorist’s reign, a girl who had helped fight against said terrorist. It gave him hope that she would be strong enough to be with him as such situations unfortunately became the norm for those who came to be associated with the Waynes.

Knocking on the door to her suite, all he had wanted to do since watching Isley hug Marinette, was do so himself. He wanted to comfort her, and he needed to be comforted. The thought of her being taken by the Joker had caused him to rush to the gardens with a katana in hand without his suit. He didn’t want to waste even a second changing.

He would have to pick up his bike that he left nearby, but that was a future Damian problem. Current Damian needed reassurance that she was alright. Be there incase her current state was a façade covering her real emotions. He could lie to the world that she needed him. That she needed to have someone make sure she was okay, and maybe she did; the reality was that he needed her and that struck him like a ton of bricks.

She opened the door and Damian was once again in awe of her beauty. Her hair was damp having just come from the shower, she held a towel to it, trying to press the last of the water out. She looked like she had regained some of her energy with the return of color to her cheeks, making her look flawless even without the little make-up she usually wore. Her attire was simple lounge wear, crème in color, it cinched at her ankles and wrist while a fabric belt held her pants up. It was basic, yet fashionable. Very much, her.

It was a sight he knew he would never get tired of. A sight he wished he could wake up to. A sight that would occupy his dreams.

Holding up the food as an offering, she squealed excitedly, basically ripping the bag from his hands, but grabbing the coffee as if it were a fragile vase prone to being dropped. He could not stop himself from chuckling at how she just represented so many dichotomies.

How was it possible that someone could be so confident and yet unsure? Strong and yet display vulnerability? Focused yet consistently rambling? Kind yet badass? Why did he fall so hard, so damn fast?

“-ian…. Damian?” He shook his head trying to focus on the voice that was calling him. “Are you okay? You spaced out on me.”

“Yes, I am sorry I was caught on a thought that had been plaguing me for some time.” He dismissed her concerned face by walking past her and to the small table on the far side of her room.

Following quietly, she placed the food she had taken from him on the table. “Care to share?” She took a long sip of her coffee, smiling in satisfaction as she swallowed. “This is perfect Damian. How did you know how I like it?”

“I have seen you order it the same way each time you have gotten coffee.” She shrugged her shoulders in answer at his observation, before taking another sip. She waited patiently, not giving him an opportunity to ignore her first question with more drabble. “To answer your first question, I guess I was just thinking about how much I have changed recently.”

“You’ve changed?” She looked at him not in shock but interest.

Damian took a bite of his power bowl, trying to determine the best way to explain. “A month ago, something happened that made me realize that somethings I had thought about myself were not true. My family exploited this opportunity to get me to open up more to them and get closer.”

“That isn’t very nice of them.” She wiped at the little bit of sauce that had made its way out of her sandwich and onto her cheek with her tongue. Distracting him from his story before he blinked pointedly to focus once again.

“Perhaps exploit is too harsh of a word. I guarantee there was no malicious intent, and I can also say that I have never felt closer to my brothers than I do now. So, while most would probably not see the changes that I’ve made, those close to me have. Mostly because I am letting them in more and allowing myself to recognize emotions and feelings that I had long thought myself incapable of having. Or at least buried them far enough I had not realized I could. This has kind of made me question some of the things that I have held to be true for so long, thus causing a change.”

“Are you happy with these changes?” She still looked at him with interest, no judgement passing her expression.

“Yes.” He was surprised that he did not even need to think of the answer. The checklist had left him with much time to ponder by himself and with his family. While he was unsure of his current relationship with Jason, and he feared what it could become, Jason had forced him to come to terms with a lot of ‘plans’ he had been wavering on lately. He was glad to have been forced to think and to change trajectories.

“I’m glad. Anything you care to unload?” She looked at him earnestly, like she longed to be the one that he unburdened himself to.

Could he tell her that he was going to ask his wife for them to be unbonded? That while he appreciated her and everything she had given him, such as the realization that he could want and need someone; the truth was that Marinette had shown him more was possible. He wanted to feel everything that Marinette offered, even if it was fear like he felt today. The feelings had made him feel the most human, feelings he had been missing that thanks to the training from his mother and grandfather. He knew now that he could not give those feelings up. They were not a weakness as the League had made him believe, they were a strength that allowed him to strive to be better.

No, he could not share that with her yet, after all these were his emotions and he needed to know hers before he laid that kind of potential guilt on her, should she not feel the same towards him.

Could he tell her that he no longer wished to be Batman? That while he still wanted to be a vigilante, as his brothers had suspected, he no longer wished to follow in the shadow of those before him. He had already held the mantel of Robin, a birthright and one he would treasure forever. But he no longer wished to take the mantel of Batman from his father. He appreciated the legacy that his father would leave behind, but he wanted to leave one of his own. He wanted to be remembered for what he was able to contribute, not for how he contributed to another’s.

No, he could not tell her that, at least not in those words.

Damian seemed lost in his own thoughts for a moment. She knew that there were things that he was probably not able to talk to her about, thinking that she was only a civilian. Little did he know that she already held the title of wife and that she wanted to fulfill all the duties that title had. The biggest being confidante. Marinette wanted to be the one that he shared his desires, his wishes, his dreams with.

So, she waited. Waited for him to collect his thoughts and try and find one that he could share.

“For my mother I was born not because she wanted a child but because she and my grandfather wanted an heir. Someone to carry on the family legacy and all the expectations that came with it. While for my father that was not the case, I know that there is almost a similar expectation now. That I will one day want to take the title of CEO, much like Drake has.”

She nodded along trying not to betray that she knew more than she should. After all, how could she explain that she knew about his mother and grandfather’s plans. She schooled her expression knowing that her thoughts were likely to flash across them if she wasn’t careful.

“I doubt I will ever be able to escape my mother’s desires.” She pouted at his expression; he was right that his mother seemed to be resolute on maintaining his association with the League and it wasn’t fair that he would always feel trapped. “But I’ve decided that I am not going to become CEO of Wayne Enterprises after my father, it is not what I want.”

She raised her eyebrows. She just hoped it didn’t mean that he intended on becoming an assassin’s heir full time.

“I love business, but the idea of being the CEO doesn’t interest me. I have liked when I am down on the ground level leading individuals, whose names I know, on a single project. Giving my all instead of spreading myself thin like I’ve watched my father and Drake do. I want to create my own legacy not follow in the shadow of my father or grandfather. I want to have people hear my name and think only of me and not how I am the son or grandson of another.”

“So, you have decided that you want to figure out what you want in life for yourself, free of expectations?” She smiled at him, all she wanted to do was kiss him, but she couldn’t…not yet.

“Yes, I have decided to no longer be tethered by blood, but choose where I go from here based on who and what I want.”

Chapter Text

Robin sat on the edge of W.E. Tower, where he had taken to meeting Ladybug since their reunion and battle with Mayura. Superboy had already flown off to meet Renard in their own secret meeting place for patrol. He would have been jealous that his best friend was so excited to race off to meet another, but he had far too much on his mind to be troubled by such a trivial emotion.

Robin was plagued by the potential consequences of the night. He felt confident in his decision, but it did not mean that he was not hesitant to share it, nor certain that even though he’d made his decision that Raven would be able to follow through.

The weight of the truth in his own words when he was talking to Marinette was grounding, he had changed, and he believed for the better. Which was why he was now sitting on the tower, concerned that he might be hurting someone else with his decision, rather than dismissing it as something the other person would have to get over.

Hopefully, Ladybug would be okay. She had not immediately told him that she wished to keep the bond, nor had she told him that she wished to dissolve it. It might point that she had been in a dilemma of her own. Yet, he hated the idea that he was the one making the decision for the two of them. Made worse, by knowing his honesty could cause irreversible damage to their relationship, if they were unable to follow through with it.

Could he be happy with Ladybug? Yes. To a degree he could be, had he not met Marinette he would have been more certain of the fact. But that was the problem, he had met Marinette. If they were to remain bonded and Ladybug knew he had wanted another, any kind of ‘happy’ relationship would likely be impossible. He would still want Marinette, Ladybug would know this and in the end it would mean an end to the relationship with both of them. He might be okay with a non-intimate relationship with Marinette long as she was still in his life and a solely platonic one with Ladybug; he couldn’t guarantee they would feel the same way.

Would their marriage be a happy one if this was how he was feeling? No, likely not, so he needed to be honest.  

Just as every other night he barely heard her arrival, the retracting of her yoyo was the only sound she made. She sat quietly down beside him, not saying a word as she started to swing her legs playfully over the edge of the building.

As much as he wanted to, he could not find it within himself to look at her. The weight of his decision prevented him from doing so. Sensing his distress, she placed her gloved hand gingerly over his own. “What’s on your mind, Robin?”

He opened his mouth to talk but could not seem to find the right words to express his desires and regret.

He could see her smile beside him, and he turned to catch it. It was small but seemed to reflect understanding. “You’ve made your decision then.”

“How did you know?” He looked into her eyes trying to see if he could find any sadness, regret, or emotion in general. There was none of those, perhaps only a layer of uncertainty.

“You have never struck me as someone who minced words. Your hesitation could only mean that there is something you are concerned to bring up. It might be a little vain, but I like to think that perhaps I am someone you are concerned about hurting. Which means…” She left the words unsaid, as both already knew the direction she was going.

“I am sorry. But I could not hold you in a relationship when I have strong feelings for someone else. It would be unfair.”

“Being forced to bond with someone isn’t fair to anyone.” She smiled at him. “Even if you chose me today, were both still young, too many people in our lives we haven’t met yet. If not her, there was always a chance… you’d find someone else some other time.”

“Regardless, I am sorry. I do like you, but I cannot deny that I think I love her. Knowing that, I cannot continue in this relationship knowing that there is a chance I could be with her. No matter how complicated it could be between us.”

“No need to be sorry. I am happy for you to find someone you can love. I have found someone that I think I love too.” Her words left him relieved. He only prayed that Raven would be able to lift the bond for both of their sakes.

She looked away from him and out towards the city. “Umm…have you told her? I mean never mind, it’s not like you could probably tell her that you were married and was thinking of ending it for her. That would just be ridiculous. I guess I mean…oh I don’t know what I mean.”

He laughed at her flustered behavior, it almost reminded him of Marinette. He guessed he had a thing for women who tended to stumble over their words when slightly flustered. Which was surprising to say the least, his mother would not be proud. “I think I know what you mean. No, I was going to tell her this weekend that I want to date her.”

“Good luck.”

“Is that all it takes for some of your luck to transfer on to me.”

“Oh no, I need to do this.” She began to brush at her suit, flicking ‘luck’ wildly in his direction. “Knowing you you’re going to need a little bit more than I normally give.” She pulled out her yo-yo and made a production of opening it up and picking something out of it by two of her fingers. She then lifted her hand above his head and rubbed her fingers together as if sprinkling pixie dust over him. “There, that’s about all I can do to help you.”

“Thanks. I-” He was cut off by an object that just barely missed him and zipped past his ear.

Both he and Ladybug sprung from their seats, taking a defensive stance as they looked in the general direction they believe the object had come from.

“Why is Red Hood shooting at us?” Ladybug twirled her yo-yo beside her, ready to deflect any additional bullets sent their way.

“That is not Red Hood. That is Deathstroke.” Robin growled through his teeth.

“I don’t remember reading about Deathstroke in my research on Gotham.”

“That is because he is not a villain in Gotham, he is more of a for-hire international villain.”

“What is he doing here then?” They both watched, as Deathstroke remained still, his guns still aimed at the pair, but unmoving. His behavior was unsettling and unusual.

“Not sure. Any chance he could be a sentimonster?”

“Unlikely, going off what Adrien Agreste said of Natalie prior to her escape and her bouts of sickness, she would need a lot longer to recover than a week after she used the Peacock. Should we engage or…?”

This was the man that had overthrown his grandfather, he was formidable. It no doubt hurt his pride to admit that with his skills and alterations, they would struggle against him. Not to mention he did not wish to put Ladybug’s life in danger with her not being familiar with him. “No, Slade Wilson is a dangerous foe, there is a reason that his nickname is the Terminator. We should wait for back-up.”

She looked at him concerned. “Will we survive waiting for back-up?”

He did not answer her, he was not sure what the answer was. Deathstroke’s appearance in Gotham was unsettling, his choice of target was unsettling. His missed shot was unsettling. No decision seemed to be the right one.

“Robin?”

“Retreat, Batman and Red Hood are ten minutes out from our location, we will intercept, just to be safe.”

She nodded her head and backed up slowly, ready to follow him as she was not privy to the instructions he was hearing through his comms.

The moment his back was turned to Wilson, as he prepared to jump from the building, the second gun was fired. The bullet was deflected by Ladybug’s yo-yo and was quickly followed by several more. The volley only stopped when the masked villain took the few seconds to grapple up to the same building as the two.

“Looks like we’ll have to hold him here for the next ten minutes.” Ladybug shouted over the whirling sound of her yo-yo.

Robin unsheathed his katana. Stay alive and wait for back-up it was.

Ladybug wasn’t sure how long it had been since they first started the engagement with Deathstroke, but she hoped that it been close to the ten-minutes the Bats had estimated. It wasn’t so much that he appeared like he was trying to kill or even hurt them, or they were unable to hold their own. Yet, Robin had not been kidding when he said that Deathstroke was a terminator, his enhancements made him a formable opponent even against the more magical properties of her Miraculous. Both heroes were clearly tiring.

Her lucky charm, a mask, remained unused as Deathstroke prevented her the time to analyze how she could use it. Every single attempt she or Robin made to disengage were immediately thwarted. Both sighed a breath of relief the moment Red Hood and Batman’s boots made contact with the rooftop.

Deathstroke, however, immediately stopped his attack and moved away from Robin and Ladybug. His smirk was concerning, he didn’t look like a man trapped but rather like everything was going to plan. He abruptly turned and jumped from the building, much to the surprise of the heroes. Batman and Red Hood sprinted immediately to the edge.

“He’s gone.” Red Hood kicked the ground in frustration.

Batman raised his hand to his comm. “Everyone keep your eyes open for Deathstroke. Oracle, find me where he disappeared to.” He turned to his youngest son. “Why was he here?”

“He didn’t really explain.” Ladybug interrupted. “In fact, I don’t think he said a word. His bullets did all the talking.”

Batman didn’t reply to her snarky response, instead raising his hand back to his ear. “Copy that. We’ll pursue.”

He turned to both teens, “I can trust you both to make your way back home, Wilson seems to be heading south, the rest of us will pursue. You two go and rest from your engagement.”

Ladybug could tell from the way his grip tightened on his katana this was not how Robin wanted things to go, but he nodded none the less. Batman and Red Hood disappeared from the roof without another word.

Taking her lucky charm, she studied it quickly to see if she could see how she was supposed to use it. Seeing nothing obvious she threw it in the air and muttered, “Miraculous Ladybug.” The ladybugs quickly got to work fixing the multiple bullet holes littering the roof.

“I will be busy this weekend, but if we meet up again on Monday we can discuss removing the bond. If that is agreeable with you.”

Ladybug nodded her head, unsure what to say, she felt a whiplash at the change of conversation. Her adrenaline quickly disappeared as she remembered the discussion that had her slightly on edge prior to being interrupted by knock-off Red Hood. The weight of her emotions overwhelmed her again. She wished with everything she had that this meant Damian was choosing her, Marinette. But, she still had no way of knowing.

Deathstroke had been an interesting fight, and a welcomed distraction from the emotional turmoil. But now she was forced to face them once again. Remembering the gala was tomorrow evening, she wondered if he would be telling her there. It just sucked that secret identities prevented her from asking him who she was.

Buttoning it all up much like she had to in Paris, Ladybug opened her yo-yo. “Renard, new player loose in Gotham. Return home A.S.A.P.”

She closed her yo-yo once more. “Monday then. Catch you around Demon.” Not allowing him to reply she dived from the roof.

The trip back to the hotel was uneventful, she could have used Kaalki, but she felt the need to think, free from Adrien and definitely free from her prison cell with Lila.

A block away from the hotel, she dropped into an empty alleyway. She quickly fed Tikki, before returning to the main street of Gotham. Failing to notice the person tracking her movement from the street.

Chapter Text

Marinette had spent the entire morning holed up in the room Tim had given her for commissions. She wanted to spend the morning with Damian, but she knew that she would have a hard time keeping herself calm. Waiting for something she had no clue when or even if it would happen. The quick interaction she shared with him as a morning greeting was like how she used to stammer around Adrien when she was fourteen. No doubt she looked more like Mullo’s chosen than Tikki’s with how skittish she had acted.

A relationship had never seemed possible since taking guardianship. All those who were interested could never know her secret and the one that did, had become too much like a brother to ever be considered anything but. Damian already knew her secrets just not her face. He was trustworthy, he had proven to be capable by holding so many others.  Most importantly he held her heart, and she had to know what he intended to do with it. If she was his choice she could finally have something she had long given up.

Truth was she was rather inpatient and knew she might demand an answer if she interacted with him. While the wait was killing her, she knew he needed to be the one to approach or else she risked giving away her cards. Not to mention that for now ignorance was bliss?

Marinette knew she wouldn’t be able to survive lunch with him, which was why she jumped at the opportunity to have lunch with Jason when he had come to find her.

Of course, informing Damian, had resulted in a similar stuttering fit and her basically racing out of the office. But not before confirming that he would save her a dance at the gala that evening.

Jason took her on the back of his bike to a local burger joint. The ambience was retro fifties with a jukebox in the far-right corner playing doo-wop on loop. After watching a few customers, it became obvious that it would take a fifty-cent contribution to get more current music to play. But Marinette didn’t care, she liked the blast to the past.

Jason led her into a sparkly crimson booth trimmed in white vinyl. The sight of Jason’s bad boy aesthetic against the vibrant seats made her itch for her sketchbook. She finally envisioned the outfit that would be perfect for the man who chose to hide himself behind a helmet.

The diner specialized in burgers reflecting each of the local vigilantes and heroes who visited the city. The sides were based off the villains. She wondered what kind of burger would be made in her honor if she were to remain in the city. Probably a veggie burger, which would likely become a favorite of Damian’s, considering the joints current vegetarian selection was a Poison Ivy Salad.

She tried not to look at it as a sign, but the Robin was an obvious selection. The guac for the green, a tomato slice for the red, and pepper jack cheese for the yellow, were meant to be representative of the color combo of Robins past and present.  A California burger by any other name was still her favorite.

“You wound me Pix.” Jason mocked.

“How have I done anything of the sort, Jay?”

“A Robin burger?” He looked at her as if her choice physically pained him.

“What should I have chosen instead.” She faked looking over the menu, as if there was a hidden gem she had missed.

He looked at her as if it was an obvious choice. Placing his hands on the table, he leaned over slightly making sure she understood his words. “The Red Hood, Pix. It’s the only decent burger at this place.”

“What about the burger is so great?” She folded her arms across her chest after placing the menu down and leaned back into the booth.

“It’s not so much what’s on the burger as much as who it represents.” The residential Wayne’s bad boy was looking like a hurt kitten as he pouted.

“I want a Red Hood?” She felt herself genuinely curious how he was going to play it off.

“Because of me.” He gestured to himself flexing his bicep. She looked at him shocked. Had he just outed himself? If he did, did he know that she knew? If he knew that she knew, did he also know about her? If he knew, did the rest of the Bats know? Did Robin know? If he knows why didn’t he tell her last night? Probably the same reason she’s not saying, fear of rejection. Shit, she told him that she had a crush on someone last night. She was going to end up single and alone. Watching the world pass by as an observer and not a participant. For the rest of her life.

“It’s the leather jackets. I know you appreciate a nice jacket.” She released the breath that had been held for too long. No, he had only wanted her to choose the Red Hood because it was him, not because she knew it was him. If there was one thing she had learned about Jason it was he was far from modest. His comments had nothing to do with her. Her identity was safe, at least until she told Robin…if she got to tell Robin.

“I also like decent burgers. And adding hot sauce to a bacon burger does not a decent burger make.” She sang.

“Pix that hurts.” He grabbed at his chest but smiled none the less.

Marinette laughed. “Not sure why you’re taking it so personally. I’m talking about Red Hood, not you. You’re a lot cooler than him anyway. But, there are a lot more interesting burgers than the Red Hood.”

“You’re right, we’re talking about a burger. The real Red Hood is far superior to any burger. I’m sure if you met him, you’d be unable to resist him. Much like you can’t resist me.” He casually leaned back into the booth, tilting his body to the side as his right arm draped over the back.

Leaning forward into the table, she whispered her next words like they were a secret she was giving him. “During my time in Gotham I have come in contact one way or another with every vigilante.” Hopefully, he didn’t catch that Marinette hadn’t come in contact with Batgirl or talked to Red Hood as a civilian. “Let me tell you Red Hood was easy enough to resist. But I’ve run into Ladybug a few times and let me tell you.” She wiggled her eyebrows to punctuate her words.

Jason looked like he swallowed his tongue and Marinette was left in stitches. Forced to rest on the table to prevent from falling onto the floor. Seeming to gather she was kidding he too began to chuckle.

Damian was currently swallowing his pride. Marinette’s behavior towards him in the morning was unsettling, made worse when she canceled their lunch. He had been hoping to ask her if she would attend the evening gala as his date, but she gave him no maneuvering when she ran in to his office to tell him the change of lunch plans and then exited just as quickly.

He really liked to think that he wasn’t one to fall so easily into the trap of jealousy. But here he was, stalking his brother and Marinette to see why she had canceled their own lunch to go out with Todd.

So far, the answer he was forming was not one that made him feel any better. The Bat’s Diner was not anything special, themed food that could be found anywhere else under different names did not warrant a cancelation in his mind. 

For once in his life, he felt dirty laying on a roof using binoculars to spy. This wasn’t a suspect he was investigating; this was his insecurities getting the best of him. Yet, as much as he tried to get up off the floor, the sight below kept him grounded.

He could not hear what they were saying and planting a listening device was a step too far. Or it was impossible without Todd realizing and blowing his cover. So, he was left only able to watch their seemingly easy banter, without knowing what they said.

Marinette seemed to be a person that was just able to click easily and completely with the people she met. Ivy had referred to her as family when she was talking to Selina after her run in with Joker. Tim had stolen her and redirected her internship for a special project that not even his father had been let in on. Jason, he had a total of less than ten people that he actively sought out and apparently she was one of them.

It had him questioning the last week, how their relationship had made him feel special. Yet, she seemed to have developed something with almost all of his other family members. Was he really special? He knew how he felt about their relationship, but how did she feel about it? The endless line of admirers, did they feel the same?

He hoped beyond hope, that when he offered his heart to Marinette, she would offer her own in return.

“Are you sure that you’re okay? The Joker isn’t a Gotham villain to mess around with. Trust me I know. I have a few scars on my body thanks to that psycho.” Jason reached out and grabbed Marinette’s hand. She was far too calm for his liking all things considered. He knew that Pix was a badass, it was one of the things that he liked about her. But even Jason Todd didn’t walk away from an altercation with the Joker without some trauma. Fuck, last night his dreams were plagued with images of Marinette being tortured at the hands of the clown and he hadn’t seen her near him.  

She placed her hand over his and smiled warmly. “Yea, Jay. I’m fine. From what I hear Harley got to him after Nightwing punched him out. Her mallet did a number on him and that was before Red Hood had got ahold of him. Ivy called me last night and said that he apparently woke-up without any memory of at least the last twenty-four hours. So, I guess I’m lucky that he doesn’t remember targeting me or even what I look like.”

“Yea, let’s go with luck and not some elaborate ruse by the clown.” Jason looked at her through narrowed eyes. Her word choice was interesting. Perhaps some of Ladybug’s luck was able to rub off on those who fought beside her.

“I’m no expert in Joker, but Ivy sounded convinced that wasn’t the case when I expressed the same concern.” She waved off his worry.

“Well in that case, let’s get some celebratory milkshakes to commemorate your removal from Joker’s most wanted list.” A raised hand called the waitress back to their table.

“And me crossing off more blocks in my Gotham bingo card. I now have all three Sirens, almost all the Bats, and three villains. Gotta catch them all.”

Jason looked at her in horror. “Pix, that’s not something to joke about.”

“Sorry.” She cringed at Jason’s tone, looking sorry for her poor taste in jokes. “I guess those of us from Paris have a different sense of humor when it comes to villains. I mean I’ve gone on a date with one or two, held hostage by numerous, targeted by others. I wish it could phase me like it used to or at least my reactions were more normal. But, c’est la vie. I deal with such situations with my humor and a little help from my friends.”

“As long as you have some kind of reaction Pix, we all deal with our trauma differently. I guess I should really know better than to judge.”

“Thanks Jay.” She smiled warmly at him again and dropped his hand as the waitress arrived to take their shake order.

Damian was so wrapped up in his thoughts he failed to pay attention as he walked back to his bike. It shocked him when he ran into someone, knocking them onto their rear. It would have been appropriate for him to reach down and offer his hand to pull the person up, but he was Damian Wayne. That was beneath him and they should not have been in his way in the first place.

Not to mention his current emotions just prevented him from caring. “Damian? Are you alright?” Apparently he had been staring down at the person he knocked down without really looking at them, long enough to garner their concern, as he failed to recognize them.

Focusing his eyes to finally see who was below him, he found Roth looking up at him with grave concern. She would know that a distracted Damian was something to be concerned with.

Coming to, he extended his hand to assist her back to her feet. She gladly accepted it, even if she did not need it.

“My apologies Roth I was preoccupied.” He muttered his fake apology.

“I’ll say. Don’t believe I’ve ever seen the Damian Wayne, so lost in thought that he would be distracted from his surroundings enough to knock into a stationary object.”

“Tt,” was all he could muster as a response.

“Could you use a friend to talk about what’s bothering you.” Roth offered, her hand coming to rest on his shoulder, which he quickly rolled off.

“I just need some time alone to think.” Damian growled. “Why are you here Roth?”

“Because you ran into me.” She looked at him with a smirk.

“I am not in the mood for games. Why are you in Gotham?” He folded his arms over his chest.

Roth used to his mood swings, let his behavior rollover her shoulders, as she looked at him unaffected. “Jon invited us over. Wants us to meet the Mr.”

“So, it is safe to assume you will be spending the evening in the manor with us.” He tried his hardest not to look annoyed by the news.

“Yup.” She popped the ‘p’ for emphasis.

“Then I guess I might as well call Alfred to pick you up.” He pulled his cellphone from his pocket and pressed the call button, knowing Alfred would come to the location of the beacon. She looked excited but it did nothing to lift his mood, being sociable was on the bottom of the list of things he currently wanted to do.

Chapter Text

The rest of the day at W.E. had been uneventful. Marinette had remained in her small office and Damian had only caught site of her as she dashed to leave to catch the bus with the rest of the students returning to the hotel. Not only had she abandoned him for lunch, but had failed to acknowledge him as she left.

Last night he had been ecstatic, on cloud nine, certain that he could not be happier, only for him to now feel uncertain. Ladybug was supposed to have sprinkled good luck on him, but he figured that his own bad luck was too overpowering.

As he entered the large foyer, he was not surprised to find it empty. A house filled with people and yet none could be found when he needed them.

He made his way up the stairs. While his movements were usually made with purpose, his current steps were filled with too much melancholy that they were slow and uncertain. It was only thanks to muscle memory that he moved in the direction of his room.

He passed the room that Jon had been occupying for the last two weeks, to hear the excited voices of the Titans. No doubt Jon was regaling them on his first ‘date’ with Agreste. The thought left a bitter taste in his mouth. Jon had found and been allowed happiness, something that he greatly desired.

As he passed, the door creaked open and Roth stuck her head out. She smiled uncharacteristically brightly at him, trying to mask the hidden concern in her eyes. Slipping out of the room, she quietly closed the door to not draw the attention of those still within.

She was dressed in a bodycon dress in a deep emerald. The sleeves and train were sheer, and a slim piece of elastic string kept the slit at her thigh from exposing more than intended. Her shoulder length hair was pulled into a basic French twist, with the shorter pieces in the back left out and her bangs covering the jewel set in her forehead. It was an unusual color choice for the girl who traditionally wore only black and the occasional purple. Perhaps it was vanity and something he needed at the moment, but he could not shake the feeling that the color was meant for him. Jon had hinted at Roth’s feelings towards him and while he felt nothing for her other than friendship, at the moment he could not help but feel thankful that someone had made him feel wanted.

The question remained however as to why Roth was currently dressed up.

As if reading his mind, “Jon got your father’s permission for us to join you this evening. Under the pretense of meeting Adrien. I gather that it might also have to do with the fact that he is just as concerned about you as I am.”

“Tt. I am fine. Even if for some reason I was not, I do not require babysitters.” He stormed off, moving with the purpose he previously lacked.

Damian would not admit to desiring some reassurance from his best friend, not to the point of giving him false hope and promises. He would admit that he was not looking for anything from Roth. As an empath she no doubt knew what he was currently feelings, but her own feelings would undoubtably come from her bias, and she did not need to know the intricacies behind his feelings.

As he walked into his room, he was unfortunately bombarded by the sight of the suit for the evening. He had spent a fair amount of time on the phone with his Father’s Armani representative to have a suit tailored for him.

Looking at the suit he realized that it was picked to be neutral enough to match Marinette, while allowing him to stand out in the crowd. It was a simply tailored black Armani suit with a barely visible obsidian striped pattern that fit him like a glove. The shirt was really the piece that set it apart. Instead of going with a more traditional style he chose a black linen button-up with a mandarin collar, much like his ceremonial undershirt at the League. The buttons were an emerald green that matched the lining of the suit and his eyes. His intentions had been to leave the top three unbuttoned to display his muscular chest in a borderline ‘appropriate’ way.

Choosing to commission a suit that was different from those already lining his wardrobe was a decision to step away from the prescribed route he had been expected to go. It was the first outfit he had chosen because he wanted it, not because it fit a narrative he was supposed to fill. It was his first taste of independence from expectation before he had officially decided on choosing Marinette.

“How is it that no one has figured out Mari is Kaid, when our whole group wears Kaid to almost every event?” Adrien watched Luka as he fixed his suit in their room’s mirror.

“Truth be told, we all have enough connections to know Kaid, without ‘knowing Kaid.’ Plus, it helps that Lila has them believing Kaid is a male designer.” Adrien rolled his eyes, of course it was annoying that Lila still lied about knowing people, but this lie helped keep Marinette’s secret a little easier. So..eh.

As Adrien caught sight of Luka’s suit he felt a little jealous. If Marinette ever focused on designing for Luka and Jagged exclusively, she would single handedly make the ‘rocker’ vibe much more mainstream then she already was. Luka was dressed in a black suit, the pants were the star of the show, looking far more like combat slacks with the way they were tucked into his boots. It was so clever how she was able to make the traditional suit fabric lay into the boots to make them formal while allowing for Luka’s more casual and laid-back aesthetic to take centerstage. The lapel of his jacket crossed over his body to meet a single button that closed his jacket just below his ribs on the side of his body. A silk black undershirt completed his suit. The only spots of color came from his brightly colored hair and bracelets on his wrist.

It was a suit wasted on a simple high school gala, but Luka like Kagami and Chloe were always excited to showcase their Kaid Originals. Not that it had been Adrien’s decision not to, he was still under contract with Gabriel.

“I just don’t understand how even my sister has fallen for that crap. She knows that Kaid is a female at least, Jagged and I have said it enough times.” Luka huffed as he came to sit across from Adrien on his bed.

“Jon suspects that she is something called a metahuman. He thinks she has some kind of power that makes it so people believe her lies.” Adrien shrugged his shoulders. If it was true there wasn’t much to be done about it.

“So how do you explain us?” Luka grabbed his guitar that had been resting on the side table and began to strum an unfamiliar tune.

“What do you mean?” Adrien asked.

The guitarist’s fingers glid across the fretboard as if simply walking while talking. “How is it that we don’t fall for it?”

Adrien looked up as if the answer laid somewhere on the ceiling. “I think it’s because we know with certainty that she is lying. She made a mistake or two lying about things that we all knew, like Jagged and his cat tipped you off. She lied about Marinette which clued me in. It’s almost like if you’re not certain and you’re wavering on it being true or not, her power makes it so that you fall on the side of believing her. But if you already know it’s a lie, she can’t change your mind.”

Luka’s hand suddenly missed the strings and it uncomfortably shrieked. “Do you think she knows she has this ability?”

“I hope not. The way she’s able to get people to believe her is scary. I can’t imagine what she would be capable of if she knew she could do it and somehow got into a position of power.” The thought had never occurred to Adrien. It was quite the scary thought however.

Luka picked back up his strumming. “Let’s hope that day never comes.” Luka began to hum along to his newly established melody, it was calming as they waited for the girls to get ready. “So, you and Jon?”

Adrien couldn’t help but smile as he thought of Jon. “Yea.”

“I’m happy for you. Does that mean you’re over Marinette?” Luka opened his eyes to look at Adrien’s reaction.

In turn, Adrien sat up to look Luka in the eyes. “I will never be over her.” Luka stopped his strumming, looking at him with a little concern. “That is because I haven’t really felt that way about Marinette for a long time, contrary to what a lot of people thought, myself included. Still, I will never be able to get rid of the bond I have with Marinette. She will always be my best friend. No, my sister. That is never going to change no matter who I am with or who she is with…. So, no I will never be ‘over her.’ But, I am so happy that I am getting to date Jon and hopefully, though it might be a little too early to say, I will never get over my relationship with him either, but in a more romantic way.”

“That has the potential to be a song.”

Adrien laughed.  “Have at it, if you want it.”

Luka chuckled back. “I might take you up on that offer…. I hope that you don’t ever get over our friendship either.”

Adrien held his fist up to Luka. “Never,” he said as Luka returned the gesture by bumping his fist to Adrien’s.

“Isn’t it a little risky to be dating a civilian?” Jamie sat on the edge of Jon’s bed looking at his phone.

Jon rolled his eyes, of course that would be what everyone was concerned about, not how happy he was. He couldn’t tell them that Adrien wasn’t a civilian, he had told him that their identity was to be kept a secret.

Adrien had already been through enough people breaking his trust. After all, how can you trust people when you come to find that the person you’d been fighting for the last five years, who tried to kill you, injure you, isolate you, all for their own selfish gain, was no other than your father. No, Jon would never break Adrien’s trust, he would make sure that he knew there was another person, other than Marinette, that stood beside him and would never do anything, on purpose, to harm him. So, telling them that he wasn’t dating a civilian was out of the question.

At least until Adrien and Marinette decided otherwise. After all it would be inevitable when Damian and Marinette finally took away their mask for her identity to be compromised. Seeing as Ladybug’s status as Robin’s wife was known to the Teen Titans already.

“Each relationship comes with their own unique set of challenges. Adrien being a civilian is not going to be one of ours.” Jon tried not to look smug, but he couldn’t help the fact that he was the first one in the room to have a normal ish relationship. Jamie and Traci didn’t count, considering even they didn’t know half the time if they were together or not.

Garfield suddenly turned into a monkey and climbed his way up the bed post to be at eye level with Jon. He stared at him for what felt like an eternity as he looked for something. “Shit, he knows. Did you rescue him and then share your identity?” He jumped from the bed and returned to his human form. “Father like son, huh. I guess your parents are the perfect example of how a civilian and hero can work really well together. How did he take it?”

Jon swallowed thickly and was glad that no one else in the room had his powers, they would easily be able to figure out that he was skipping around the truth. Rachel might be able to pick up on his discomfort, but she had slipped out when Damian arrived.

“He was okay with it. Having been a victim to several akumas in Paris, he was close to the Parisian heroes. The idea of being close to another hero, part alien at that, didn’t phase him. Or at least not that he was saying or giving off.”

“I’m happy for you man.” Victor pushed off from the wall he had been leaning on.  “Maybe since he knows I’ll actually get to meet him.”

“It’s too bad that you can’t come tonight like the rest, but I hope he’ll be cool coming back to the manor and then you can meet him.”

“No big deal. Can’t wait to meet the one who captured and returned Superboy’s heart.”

The door opened quietly, and Rachel walked into the room, her head down as if contemplating something.

“You okay Rach.” Garfield asked placing his hand on her shoulder.

Jon looked at her and knew that she had been outside having a conversation with Damian, but their conversation had been short and as far as he could tell had finished over five minutes ago. “Is Damian doing better?”

“He says he is. He seemed more aware of his surroundings then he did when he ran into me this afternoon.” She looked at Jon and her eyes narrowed. “Are you sure that you have no clue what is going on with him, his emotions were definitely in a dark place.”

He tried not to look sheepish as he rubbed the back of his neck. A habit he must have picked up from his boyfriend. He failed miserably. “Jon do you know what’s wrong with Damian?” Racheal’s voice took on a more sinister tone.

“I might. But it isn’t for me to tell. I am sure that when he is ready, he’ll share.” Everyone looked at him in disbelief. “Well, probably not, but you might be able to piece it together. Still, not my story to tell.”

It really wasn’t. Sure, he knew that Damian was having a hard time picking between Ladybug and Marinette, but he was confident that soon he’d know they were the same person and it didn’t matter who he picked. Then his best friend would be back to his same old self. Well, maybe not the same old self, after all since meeting Marinette, his friend had been opening up. Jon felt confident that once they were together officially, well more officially than an arranged League of Assassin’s marriage, she would continue to bring out the best of Damian. That way more people could see just how amazing his best friend was.

“Are you seriously wearing that?” Marinette looked at Lila without hiding even a hint of her disgust.

Lila rolled her eyes and continued applying her mascara. “What is so wrong with my dress.”

Marinette huffed. “Everything. You are trying to pass off that monstrosity as a Kaid. It is an insult to everything I design and will design, if people believe that to be one of mine.”

“This dress isn’t even that bad and there isn’t much I can do about it, is there? The girls already believe that I am wearing a Kaid Original and I am not going to do anything to fix that.” Lila slyly smiled at the mirror, using it to look at Marinette.

“One day I will go public as Kaid and your kingdom will tumble.” Marinette sneered. The dress wasn’t hideous and could be considered in fashion, but it was definitely not something she would want to have her name associated with. It lacked creativity and was merely fabric placed together to show off as much of the wearers skin as possible. It was a bright yellow in color that did work well with Lila’s more olive skin tone. But, it had a high neckline that was ruined by a large slit down the front that placed Lila’s larger chest on display. Simply closing it would have done wonders for the dress and allowed the back, which was bare aside from three thin straps, to take the attention it deserved.

“That might happen, but at that point those who I lied about this being a Kaid Original will be long out of my life and it won’t matter.” Marinette crossed her eyes and sighed before moving to her closet. She took out her own dress and placed it on the bed so that she could put it on. She then stared closely at the back-up dress she had brought.

It would hurt, but the damage of the media believing Lila was wearing a Kaid, would hurt even more.

With all of her close friends already wearing Kaid Originals, she didn’t believe it would take much from Lila for the media to believe that hers was yet another. At least if she wore this one, she wouldn’t be lying and Marinette wouldn’t be ashamed of her alias being associated.

She quickly threw the dress at Lila before she changed her mind. “Wear this and don’t say anything. I’ll need to pop the hem to accommodate your extra height.”

She never thought in a million years she would ever see the reaction Lila had, but she was glad she did. She almost missed Lila taking the dress in her hands, when she thought Marinette wasn’t looking, and looked at it with admiration. Before she caught Marinette’s eyes on her and changed her smile to a more victorious one. She quickly turned around and held the dress close to her chest, if it hadn’t been for the mirror placed over the dresser she would have missed the return of a truly happy smile on Lila’s face.

Wasting no more time, the girl stripped in front of Marinette and placed on the dress she had given her before giving a small turn to show it off. For a second the smile the two shared almost made it feel like they could be friends. Almost.

Lila rolled her eyes ending the moment. “Better?”

Marinette nodded her head. The fleeting moment was just another shared illusion.  

Chapter Text

The knock on the door was surprisingly light knowing who was behind it. Adrien walked up to it with a skip to his step. Had the person on the other side been just a little stronger, the door would have come clean off its hinges with the strength that he’d ripped it open with.

“Jon.” He breathed. He’d known who it was, but to see him standing before him, like that...

Sadly, Adrien was wearing a traditional Gabriel tux with a skinny black tie, his sperm donor hadn’t truly contributed to fashion for some years in terms of creativity.  Jon suit was not designer, but was he wearing it. A simple navy-blue three-piece suit with a white button-down shirt was obviously tailored to his size to accommodate and show off his definition in the way it did. Adrien had never wanted to rip a suit off someone so fast, and he had been dressed in some unfortunate Gabriel designs throughout his life.

The smile that met him was blinding and Jon did not wait for an invitation before he moved into the room.

Adrien had barely shut the door before he found himself pressed up against it. Warm, soft, yet aggressive lips captured his. He was momentarily shocked before he returned the gesture with his own fervor.

When kissing Kagami, he found her to be as precise and aggressive as in her fencing. For every action she initiated, Adrien would be required to respond with a predetermined and precise movement. Failure to respond with the correct choreography would often lead to an abrupt end to their make-out sessions and Kagami questioning his well-being. He liked Kagami and she was a decent first relationship, but he did hate how it was too organized, too much of a performance.

Adrien was a romantic at heart and believed that relationships were supposed to possess spontaneity. They were still a dance of action and then reaction, but without choreography. A dance on the floor where both partners were familiar with the moves but chose in the moment what would come next and how to react to their partner.

So, while Jon’s aggression was familiar, Adrien’s reactions were not. He melted into the kiss Jon was giving him. There was no thinking about what to do next, his body just responded while his mind only thought of a six-letter word...

Perfect.

As Jon pulled his head away, Adrien found himself chasing his lips, causing the man still holding him against the door to chuckle. A forehead came to rest softly against his. “Hi.”

Adrien closed his eyes, smiled and breathed out his reply. “Hi.”

They remained lost for a moment in each other’s smile before Jon stood up straighter. Adrien was no longer pressed against the door, but Jon’s hands were still resting on his hips. “I’m sorry I’m running a little late. I had a hard time avoiding Damian. He was sulking a little and didn’t seem happy having our friends escort him to the gala. It probably would have been easier if I had just gone and talked to him, but I was worried about spilling the beans.”

“Why would seeing him make you spill?” Adrien grabbed his boyfriend’s hand and pulled him towards his bed. He sat down and motioned for him to join.

“The last time I talked to him, he was a little distraught at having to choose between Ladybug and Marinette. I am not sure who he chose, but I think it is eating him up a little.” Jon looked at his boyfriend with thinly veiled concern.

Adrien ran his thumb over the hand he was holding. “Won’t matter in the long run seeing as they are the same person.”

Jon looked up at the ceiling for a second before looking at Adrien. “Can you tell me that before you knew Ladybug was Marinette that you didn’t have a crisis because you had feelings for both girls?”

“Well, yea I guess. Had I not been dating Kagami at the time I would have been thrilled that they were one in the same. I mean I was regardless, but…yea I see- I see what you mean.” Adrien looked down at the bed, it felt weird talking about his past romantic feelings towards Ladybug and Marinette with his boyfriend. After all, it hadn’t been too long ago that he was still holding out for her.

“Damian isn’t used to the idea of liking someone. He’s only really liked one person before. Even then it wasn’t like he was really interested in pursuing a relationship but more like she was a hero, and he respected her abilities, not to mention they were in a similar situation. Marinette and Ladybug are the first person that he has had any real romantic attachment to and so it’s harder for him to process that there are two women that he wants at the same time.” Jon quickly pecked him on the lips. “Let’s just hope that they figure it out soon.” Another kiss. “The longer this goes on the worse this can get…for me.” Jon kissed him again, but this time with no indication of pulling away.

Adrien was content to let him, talking was overrated.

While Jon had initiated their intimacy, his inexperience showed, causing their teeth to clash occasionally as he tried to change the angle of his head. Adrien worked with him to find positions that worked to prevent further clashing.

Eventually he decided to change the role that he had found himself in and became the aggressor. He placed his hand on Jon’s chest pushing him lightly until Jon got the hint and laid himself down on the bed. Adrien then got onto his knees so that he could straddle him. He carefully took off Jon’s glasses and placed them on the bedside table. He was now looking at the image of Superboy, unmasked and true to himself. All that he felt was love and maybe definitely lust.

Being a half-human/half-alien hybrid might have weirded out others, but Adrien usually had one of two gods hanging out in his pocket, he embraced weird. Knowing that someone as special as Jon had chosen him, left a permanent smile on his face as he began to kiss Jon in earnest.

“Why are you smiling so much.” Jon chuckled as it became harder for them to kiss.

He placed Jon’s head between his hands as he reached down to kiss him hard before pulling back. “We’ve only been dating for a day, but I don’t think that I have ever been so content and happy. At least not in a really, really long time.”

Adrien finally understood what his friends had meant when they said that he and Marinette had blinding smiles, as Jon smiled at him in a way that brightened up the room considerably. Faster than his brain had time to process he was the one on his back with the man of his dreams literally hovering over him.

His lips were captured once again and some of Jon’s weight rested on him, and their movements became more passionate. Jon trailed his lips down his neck, nibbling softly enough to prevent himself from leaving a mark.

Adrien pushed Jon to sit up so that he could remove his jacket, Jon did the same quickly before Adrien found himself laid back out on the bed. The buttons on his shirt were unbuttoned as if by magic as his shirt spread open to reveal his chest to the cold hotel room. But the sting of the air was shortly lived as warm lips quickly returned to his neck and a body radiating heat blanketed him.

Jon’s lips trailed down his neck to his chest where he hesitantly took Adrien’s nipple between his teeth. He looked up at Adrien to see his reaction and when he didn’t, Jon bit it a little harder. The result was a small arch of his back and the gathering of black hair between his fingers. His boyfriend repeated the action on the other side before continuing his descent down Adrien’s abdomen. When he reached his navel, Jon used his tongue to circle it.

Adrien was glad that he was no longer looking at him as he blushed at the contact. He wanted so bad for Jon to keep going, for the button of his pants to find itself open just as quickly as his shirt had. But this was the furthest he had ever gone. Kagami had always been adamant that she would refrain till marriage and Adrien had never felt the need to push against her boundaries.

But at this moment his body was radiating heat and red in color, not from the contact but from the desire for it to continue, and fear that it would.

As Jon approached Adrien’s pants he contemplated if he should continue. As much as he wanted to, he didn’t want to rush this. He hadn’t even kissed a guy before yesterday, was he really ready to do anything else. With Adrien he felt that the answer was ‘yes.’ But truth be told he wanted to savior each experience with him. Not rushing through them as if they were a checklist he had to accomplish before Adrien returned to Paris. A strong desire remained in him to leave themselves something to look forward to when they reunited in Metropolis or Gotham post-graduation.

So, he returned the way he came, slowly kissing and running his tongue among the grooves of muscles lining Adrien’s stomach. He avoided Adrien’s nipples on the second pass knowing that he would want to spend too much time making him react as he had the first time.

A new power emerged that even as a Super, he had never had before. It left Adrien weak and reactive to his touch, to his kiss, to him. He hoped that he would always be able to elicit the reaction and hone it as he became more experienced and knowledgeable of Adrien and his body.

At the base of his boyfriend’s neck, Jon took a second to catch his breath before he readied himself to return to kissing his soft lips, hoping that he could hold it long enough to have them both coming out of it feeling like they’d been kissed senseless. As he released a little of his breath at the point where the shoulder met his neck, Adrien shivered from the attention.

Loving the outcome, the Kryptonian steadily blew on the point causing Adrien to whine from the intense pleasure. His whole body reacted as Jon replaced the air with his lips, his hips bucking into Jon’s causing him to stop his assault on his neck and moan out.

The sound startled them both as they quickly realized the destination they were quickly heading towards. While everything felt right, and he knew he wouldn’t regret it, should it happen, now was not the time.

Now was not their moment.

“I want to Jon.” Adrien tried to say, panting while he tried to come down from the high the last few minutes had created.  “But I don’t want to rush this.”

Jon nodded his head, also struggling slightly to gather his wits from their shared moment. “You’re right, we don’t have to go that far until we are both ready….” Jon timidly looked at Adrien. “Does that mean we can’t have more moments like this?”

Adrien smirked. “No, I would like to have a lot more moments like this before that.” Turning a little red he turned his head to look away from Jon. “Perhaps build up to it a little more.”

Jon looked at Adrien and his eyes sparkled despite the lack of light in the suite, a sign of the excitement that Adrien wanted to do more. “We better fix ourselves up and get going.”

“You’re right. I’ll get in trouble if we’re late and it’s probably going to take me at least five minutes before I look presentable again.”

Chapter Text

Adrien was surprised to find that he and Jon arrived at the gala before his class. Then again when you have a boyfriend who is able to travel at the speed of light, one shouldn’t have been so surprised.

The large banquet hall W.E. rented out was decked with decorations in a soft white and gold. For something that was free for all of the schools that were attending, Adrien was surprised at the level of detail and expense that Mr. Wayne put into the event.

Despite only one of the buses having arrived thus far, the gala already looked in full swing. The Chilean and Russian students were on the first bus and were using the opportunity to take advantage of the calm before the storm. Looking out it was an obvious sea of differences. A few Gotham students who had arrived on their own were scattered among the others. Their dresses and suits were reflective of the money one needed to attend Gotham Academy, whereas the other students were more off the rack. But each cleaned up well to make them appear their best in front of potential employers and university representatives.

Jon and Adrien had chosen to enjoy a dance while they waited for their friends to arrive. Adrien had no intention to treat the evening like he would the normal galas his father made him attend. There would be no networking, no selling a product -himself- and no artificial conversations about things no one cared about.

Tonight, he was going to enjoy his time with his friends, his boyfriend and officially get to know his boyfriend’s friends.

Jon’s friends arrived after their third dance, walking in with Damian who looked like he would rather be anywhere else as he was dragged by the arm. Adrien had a quick encounter with them when they had gone to the club the previous weekend, but they had left so abruptly he didn’t know much about them.

“Jamie… good to see you again.” He held out his hand to the man he was introduced to the previous weekend, who took it with a warm smile.

“Yeah you too. I guess you didn’t really get the opportunity to meet the rest last time. So, let me introduce you.” He moved aside to give Adrien a clear view of the two additions.

It felt deceptive to pretend that he didn’t know whose hand he was shaking as Jamie introduced him to a man who was on the shorter side, well in comparison to him and Jon. He had black hair with vibrant green tips that matched the unnatural green shade of his eyes. “This is Garfield.”

“Nice to meet you, Garfield.” There was no way that the person before him was not Beast Boy.

“And this is Rachel.” Garfield introduced the girl that was dragging Damian around to Adrien, pulling her forward so that she had to detach herself from him. She took his hand and noticed his eyes as they made way to the jewel mostly covered by the bangs on her forehead. She didn’t respond and Adrien dropped his eyes trying to pretend that he hadn’t noticed.

Overall, considering that their hero personas weren’t hidden by magic, they did a pretty good job of covering their secret identities. It was mostly only because he knew to be on the lookout that he had been able to figure them out.

His eyes looked past her and towards the man who she had basically dragged into the event. He seemed much more reserved, nervous maybe, not quite as haughty as he imagined Damian Wayne to be at an event like this. Even if it were meant for a bunch of high schoolers to socialize, he imagined he would still be expected to uphold the Wayne name, so seeing him in such a condition was jarring.

He hoped that Marinette would arrive soon and turn his friend’s demeanor back to normal. The longer that love square was allowed to exist the worse off he felt Damian would become. Not to mention maybe once the pair laid bare all that could be exposed, Adrien could come clean to Jon’s friends and this little pretense of not knowing who they were could be dropped and Adrien could make more friendships with people that would know the complete him. The him who included the hero behind the mask.

Marinette had to give it to Mr. Wayne and the event organizers, they went out of their way to make the gala feel much like the ones she had attended with Adrien on behalf of his father. The media presence outside was almost as stifling, whether they were truly reporting or simply flashing cameras in their face was to be seen. But in the case, she was glad that she had given Lila a real Kaid Original as she continued to prat to those who asked -of which there were many- about the designer of her dress.

As they entered the venue the room was lit to put people at ease, light enough to see clearly, but dark enough that one didn’t feel like they could become the center of attention. The color scheme of cream and a soft gold ensured that every outfit would not clash with the decorations. Even if only half of her class was wearing a Kaid Original, the rest still fit in well with the designer outfits of the Gotham students and the upper crust of business leaders present.

Marinette took some time to inspect the fashion choices of those around her, surprised and impressed by the variation before she caught sight of Adrien and Jon. As she got closer, she noticed that Adrien’s face was slightly distressed. His eyebrows were furrowed, and he was whispering something to Jon, looking, dare she say, pissed-off. Jon didn’t look quite as upset and had both hands resting on Adrien’s shoulders as if trying to prevent him from doing something impulsive. Whatever was being said to Adrien was having a mixed effect, he was considering what was being said, but concerned about what wasn’t. It made Marinette rather uneasy as she continued her approach.

She wasn’t too far from them when Jon finally took his eyes off of Adrien and looked at her. She stopped dead in her tracks from the expression marring his face. It must have had the same effect for Adrien, as he spun quickly to look at her as the color drained from his face. He escaped his boyfriend’s hands, whispering something to him before he left and quickly made his way over to Marinette as if intercepting her.

Marinette moved outside of Adrien’s grasp as she moved to come closer to Jon. He was trying his hardest to not look at something specific and she knew exactly who it was. She looked to her right and found nothing, she looked to her left, but her sight was blocked by the back of a boy with lime green hair.

She leaned forward into Jon’s space to see around him but felt Jon’s hands suddenly on her shoulders preventing her from doing so. Unfortunately, for him or rather was it for her, she caught sight of what they didn’t wish for her to see as the guy in front of her shifted his weight.

As soon as he walked into the gala the nerves that had been clinging to him since he made his decision took hold once again. Sure, he had made his decision, but he knew that Marinette still had to make one. He was placing his heart on the line and offering it to someone that could take it and keep it next to her own, or take it and throw it as far as possible. It put him in a state he was unfamiliar with, it was close to the way he felt when he tried so hard to wrongly win his father’s affection. He knew that he needed to put up the cold façade that he had been using for so long, but forcing himself to act okay was not working. He knew it from the way that everyone was looking at him. It did not help that Roth seemed determined to ‘help’ him forget by hanging off him and dragging him around in a way that made him wish to lash out at her.

It was only by the skin of his teeth that he was able to prevent himself from responding to her as he would others who thought that they could touch him without regard for his boundaries and their safety. He thought that at the very least Roth would know him well enough to know better, after all they had spent an entire year together in the tower, not to mention she was an empath. She had to know how he felt about her current hold on him, but she seemed determined to ignore it.

When they approached Jon and Agreste he did not miss the way that his friends bit hard on their lips as their eyes caught the way that Roth was grabbing him. Roth seemed to also heed their warning in their look and released Damian… for the moment.

But as a slower song came over the speakers, Roth did not ask as she led him onto the small dance floor. She placed his hands on her hip and moved to close the distance between their bodies as her hands clasped behind his neck. Normally the act would not necessarily anger him. He had often asked Roth to act as a buffer at a few of the Wayne Galas to prevent harlots that often attended from attempting to attach their tentacles to him in a similar fashion.

Tonight, the close contact was unwelcomed. He wished that he could throw her off and storm away. But, he was at a Wayne sponsored event and while most of the occupants did not know who he was, there were enough Gotham Academy students and businesspersons who did. He would be forced to endure at least one dance with Roth to maintain a proper decorum before he released a little of his righteous anger on her.  

He kept looking forward, his eyes not focusing on anything other than the sea of bodies congregating closely along the dance floor, their chatter louder than the music drowning out his current thoughts. Roth was looking up at him, but he did not wish to meet her eyes.

He focused on nothing in particular until out of the corner of his eye he caught a weird interaction between Jon and Adrien. Even though a part of him wanted to be jealous at his best friend for having what he wanted , he was happy for him to finally be in a relationship. Though it did seem rather early for the two to be fighting.

Adrien quickly stormed off and Jon looked over at him before quickly looking away.

Jon was mouthing words, but he did not have super hearing that he could use to hear them. Several students were cutting in and out of his line of sight, so he was unable to read his friend’s lips.

He looked to Adrien to see what had caused his sudden departure but could not find him, instead he found Logan glaring in his direction. His eyes were not on him but the person in his arms. Of course… Jon was concerned what Logan would do to Damian if he thought Roth and him were in some kind of relationship.

He released the breath he was holding out in a long sigh, which was interpreted as an invitation by Roth to lay her head on his shoulder.

As he was about to throw her off for the unwelcomed intrusion, he caught site of Jon holding someone back. He found himself no longer moving, as he tried to interpret the interaction. Logan following his line of sight turned to see what had caught his attention. His movements allowed for Damian to finally see who was in Jon’s arms.

Goddess, was the closest word he could come up with to describe the woman before him. Yet calling her the Goddess of Beauty seemed to undermine all of the other exceptional attributes she possessed. Her dress looked familiar, but he wasn’t quite able to place it. It was more of a jacket as it covered a silk cream shirt with sleeves reaching down to her elbows. The lapel of the shirt covered her jacket in a style indictive of a chuba.  The ‘jacket’ cut at her waist in the front to expose a pair of cream silk pants, the back spread out into a full-length skirt trailing behind her. The silk fabric of the dress was a gorgeous red, embroidered in gold and cream that made a pattern he couldn’t discern from the distance, perhaps one that paid homage to her Chinese heritage.

It was with luck that he was able to note the elements of her dress as his eyes never truly drifted from her face. Her hair was in a loose updo that kept scratching at a memory that held the secret to where he had seen the dress before. She wore little make up and yet her eyes sparkled, possibly due to the unshed tears in her eyes. Even from the distance, her eyes enraptured his, keeping his attention like no others before.

Except there had been another set that had done so, in almost the exact same way. Making him feel like he was exposed. Exposed so that the holder could pass his final judgement and deem him worthy or not. Those eyes…these eyes…the exact same eyes but covered by a mask.

The embroidery on the dress he was sure he would find to be the pattern that had been on his Angel’s wedding dress. The lotus flowers that had been barely visible when applied in the red thread among the red lapel of her wedding dress, here stood proudly in cream against the red.

Marinette was his Angel.

He had fallen for the same woman twice, and at that moment he could not be happier with that knowledge.

At least, until the first tear fell.

Chapter Text

Damian was looking at her and Marinette felt frozen to her spot. She had been protected from the scrutiny of his gaze by the man with the green hair, but he had noticed something amiss and moved. The action exposed Marinette to a scene that caused her stomach to drop and her heart to fracture.

He had chosen… that much was evident. They stood spotlighted, almost alone on the dance floor in each other’s embrace. The girl from the club, rested her head on his shoulder as they swayed along to the music, that was until he caught sight of Marinette and stopped abruptly.

His thoughts were unknown, but she was sure that she would never want to really know what was going on in his head as he watched her break apart in front of him. She thought she knew love and heartbreak when Adrien had begun dating Kagami. It felt like something one could easily recover from with the knowledge that the person that you loved was happy, it brought her some happiness. But this time she couldn’t find that happiness, she couldn’t give her best wishes to him. His happiness would not bring her happiness, not yet, and she doubted it would for an exceedingly long time.

She had deluded herself into believing that she could be the one that he loved. She thought that she saw all of the signs. But she was likely projecting the things that she wanted to see.

His choice’s head lifted from his shoulder as she noticed his lack of movement. Noting his turned head, she turned hers to look in the same direction as him. Marinette wasn’t sure what exactly happened, considering her eyes could not leave Damian’s, but she was confident that the girl was judging her and found nothing too concerning as she returned to resting her head against his shoulder.

That was when the first tear fell. As well as she had been keeping them contained, the acknowledgement from the girl that she had ‘won,’ was more than Marinette could take. She had lost and that was that. The only thing left for her to do was to graciously leave, transform and find the most secluded rooftop to cry and allow her heart to completely shatter without an audience.

So, she smiled to the best of her ability, physically giving Damian the well wishes that she mentally could not. He might not understand the gesture, but that was okay. She needed to do it for her. Ladybug understood she had not been selected, and now Marinette did as well.

She slowly stepped back, raising her hand to her arm where Adrien had a soft hold. She lightly patted it and turned to look at her best friend. She smiled at him in much the same way she had Damian. Unlike the former, he would understand the smile. He would know that while she wasn’t happy, she accepted the outcome.

His eyes betrayed his understanding, and he opened his mouth most likely to offer comfort. She shook her head and placed her finger across his lips, this time offering him a slightly more genuine smile. Pulling back, she felt him tighten his grip, as much as she wished to say something she knew opening her mouth would release the flood of emotions she was currently holding on to. She held up her hand ordering him to hold in a language only partners could speak without words. Her feelings were her own, she needed to ensure he did not share the burden that was currently in her heart.

Undoubtedly, he would receive some kind of scolding later for his behavior, if it ever reached back to his father what he did. Without even thinking, although he would admit that it would have been the same outcome if he had, he pushed Roth off of him. She gracelessly fell onto her rear for the second time that day, unable to use her powers to prevent the embarrassment.

He didn’t apologize or spare her a glance as he ran from the floor to chase after his Angel.

There was no way yet to be sure what had upset her, but he could guess it had something to do with the fact that Roth had been hanging off him. The memory of the exact same reaction occurring just a week ago at the club sprung to mind.

He ran his hand through his hair as he processed what her exact thoughts could have been. He had admitted to Ladybug that he had wanted to sever their bond to be with someone else. Did she somehow conclude it had been Roth when she saw them together? Was that what Jon had been trying to warn him about and not Logan’s reaction?

That would have required her knowing he was Robin. For some reason it made sense to him, as Grand Guardian she might have some way to have figured it out before him. He knew when magic was involved crazier things were known to happen.

Ladybug had mentioned there being another guy… unless she was hinting at the fact that he was the other guy. Did she know that he had fallen for her and was trying to help him connect the dots to her identity? After all her dress was basically a neon sign that said ‘Ladybug,’ pointing directly at her.

Marinette had wanted him to choose her, and he had allowed a situation to make it appear that he had chosen someone else.

It was all his bad luck and he now needed to fix it.

First, he had to find her.

The outcome was always a possibility. Marinette knew that it was possible that Damian loved someone else, she just secretly hoped that her Ladybug luck would finally be in her favor. Didn’t stop the hurt that she felt when she realized she had initially been right, she wasn’t the girl that Damian was considering over Ladybug. As strong as she had become both physically and mentally through the years, spending an evening watching your heartbreak on display was not something even the ‘great Ladybug’ could manage. So, she chose to gracefully leave.

Once she exited the building she had to slow her retreat as the media was still catching some of the last-minute stragglers to the event. It was hard but she knew she could not storm out of the venue. First because it would draw unnecessary attention. Second, because as she tried to move quickly, clumsy Marinette was making a reappearance. And thirdly, she didn’t have a right to.  You can’t force love, she couldn’t expect him to love her.

So, walking as calmly as possible, as if she actually knew where she was going, she successfully made it a block away and into an alley that she hoped she could transform in. The further she went the higher chance she took in potentially ruining the dress she had spent so long on. After her wedding, she had been inspired by the chuba she had worn and created a design that she would have worn to the wedding if she had time to prepare for it. This dress was the result, although the colors were inverted, as this was not a wedding and so red being the dominant color made more sense.

As soon as she thought Damian was going to confess to her, she made a special trip back to Paris with Kaalki to acquire it, hoping it might help him connect the dots.

In the end it had all been for nothing, he hadn’t recognized her or rather if he did, he was still with someone else. Didn’t change the fact that she didn’t want the dress to be ruined, it still meant a lot to her. A reflection of what she wished could have been.

She paused behind the dumpster and waited for Tikki to make her way out of the pocket she sewed into her skirt. Imagine her surprise when instead of her kwami’s presence she felt someone wrap their arm around her waist and lift her out of the alley.

The situation was not ideal, but he hoped that some of Ladybug’s luck had rubbed off on him for this moment. If anyone saw him, running up to a beautiful girl in a gorgeous red dress before grappling to the roof of the building and seemingly kidnapping her, there would not be an easy explanation.

He was certain that it took her only a second to realize who had pulled her up to the roof as she did not scream, but her initial shock had her clinging to him like a lifeline, even after his shoes made contact with the roof.

There was no doubt in his mind that he should have let go of her at that moment and explain himself. Explain that everything was a misunderstanding, but he did not. The idea of letting her go felt like it would be a permanent action and he was not sure at this moment if his words would be useful. Instead, he chose to speak with what he could, his heart.

As her arms were already latched around his neck, he allowed her legs to briefly make contact with the ground, giving him a second to stabilize himself before lifting her again and forcing her legs to wrap around his waist. Without a second to think about what could happen if she did not take it well or the fact he had not asked for consent, his lips were on hers. His hand came to rest behind her head, offering her something to counter the pressure of his lips as they pressed all the longing, desire, love, lust and every other emotion he was feeling but unable to convey with words.

As his lips made contact, he was surprised to find her returning his kiss without even a moment of hesitation. Her hands instantly left his neck so that she could weave them into his hair, offering him the same counterbalance as she pushed her own weight into their kiss.

They pulled apart with a loud gasp as they filled their lungs with the air they had been denying themselves in lieu of extending their conversation.

It was too dark for him to be able to see her eyes, but the memory of staring into them almost two months ago, was vivid enough that he knew it was his mind transplanting the memory to her face now.

“I love you.” It was not enough, how could three words express so much. Yet, he hoped it would be enough in the moment.

 She did not immediately respond, her eyes searched his face, even though he knew she could not see him. He opened his mouth, hoping that the right words would somehow leave.

The interrupting voice was soft, barely above a whisper. “What about her?”

Admittedly the turn of events was unexpected. She hadn’t expected him to chase her, nor grapple her onto a roof. Only to then wrapping her body around him and then kissing her with a ferocity that she would have never predicted. She responded in kind, loving the moment, it felt like everything that she wanted. Then he surprised her further with three simple words. Words that she wanted to hear only from him. Forever.

Just as she was about to say the words in return, she remembered the scene that had brought her here in the first place. She lowered her head to his forehead, unable to look at him as she waited for his answer to her question.

“There is no her, there was only ever you. Ladybug and Marinette. You were the other girl. It seems I am destined to choose you. Only you.” He removed his head from hers and captured her lips in another passionate kiss.

It was too short but gave her a second to form her reply. “There is no destiny, there is only the choices we get to make.”

“Destiny or not, I still choose you. I chose to love you since the night we were married, and it turns out I have not stopped loving you since. Even if I thought I had, I only fell more in love with you as I got to know you behind the mask.” He ran his hand down her face, swiping the happy tears that had started to fall. “Roth is only a team member, who asked or rather dragged me into a dance. From this moment on I only want to dance with you… my love.”

A kiss on the cheek. “My wife.”

A kiss on the nose. “My Habibti.”

He leaned back and looked at her, all of her. “My Angel.”

She didn’t know how he did it, but moments like these Damian, her Demon, was able to overwhelm her with the right words.

“I love you too.” Grabbing his face with both hands, she lowered her lips to his. Their kiss no longer held the aggression and desperation their night had started with, instead it was slow, tender, loving.

It reminded her of their first night together, how they took their time to explore each other’s mouths and bodies, discovering what caused the other to moan. Only this time she remembered, as her mouth moved to nip at his ear.

He moaned and she felt his body shutter as she blew softly on it. His hand went to her chest and not for the first time that evening she regretted her choice of attire. The silk was too thick that she was barely able to feel his hand and unfortunately there was no way for him to be able to get under it without completely removing her top and skirt.

Fortunately, he was not under the same constraints and she rocked her hips causing him to place his head into her chest to stifle his moan. She chuckled at his uncharacteristic shyness and rocked her hips again, lifting her head at the pleasure that came from his hand gripping her thigh tightly when he moaned louder into her chest.

She opened her eyes when his mouth contacted the pressure point along her neck. Only to shriek when she caught sight of a shadow looming at the edge of the building.

Damian felt Marinette’s body stiffen under his hands before she screamed. He turned in a panic to look at what had caused her fear. A shadow in the form of a raven loomed over the edge of the roof, he quickly recognized it as the soul-self of Raven.

He slowly lowered Marinette so that her feet were on the floor, placing himself in front of her. “Raven.” He said flatly. He was beginning to resent Roth. Her behavior the entire evening had been grading on him. She was an empath so her inability to pick up on his annoyance and anger was impressive, he wondered if she was choosing to ignore them.

The human form of Raven materialized in her gala outfit. She glared at Marinette and by the way Marinette was squeezing his arm she knew it. “The way you ran out of the venue had me concerned. I wanted to make sure that you were alright as your emotions were all over the place.”

“As you can tell, I am more than okay now.” He kept his tone level. Roth was his friend, but he was not comfortable with the current situation.

From what he could tell, her eyes had not left Marinette. She was clearly scrutinizing her, and Marinette was rising to the challenge as he felt her shift behind him into a more confident stance before moving to stand beside him.

“I can feel that. Though I wonder how your wife would feel knowing just how you feel now.” He could hear the disgust rolling off her tongue as she spit the words.

“I hope that I was able to convey it successfully, but if there is any doubt perhaps I could ask you to confirm them for her.” Damian deadpanned.

Marinette tried to stifle her giggle and it made him smile despite himself. “I think I’m good thanks.”

It all made sense now that all of their secrets were barred to each other. The other woman that Marinette had been so concerned about had turned out to be one of his team members, who may or may not have some kind of crush on him. Her behavior had screamed a possessiveness that reeked a similarity to how Lila had acted towards Adrien. If she had studied it closer and ignored her jealousy she might have seen it, like she had with her best friend.

Damian’s own feelings towards Raven were not lost to her now, she could tell that there was a level of caring behind them, but nothing more than friendly. The lust she had seen in his eyes when they were at the club, most likely had been directed towards the one he was looking at, her, and not the one in his arms.

She no longer felt the need to question the sincerity of his feelings, but it was nice how Raven’s comment confirmed it. At that moment all she wanted to do was ensure that he knew she felt the exact same way. Perhaps she could ask Raven to pass on the message.

“Raven, I hoped to introduce her under different circumstances, but this is Marinette. My wife.”

The woman before her looked as if the air had been sucked from her lungs and then slapped across her face. The news unwelcomed and unwanted clearly. Marinette would have felt smug considering the amount of internal turmoil Raven had caused her the entire week, but she knew how devastating it felt for one’s crush to not return their affection. After all, not ten minutes ago, she had thought herself in the same position.

It took a minute for the now awkward silence to be filled. “Well, I would love to hear more about her when you return to the manor tonight.”

She would have growled at the insinuation had Damian not done it for her. “Tt. I am afraid it will have to wait till tomorrow. I have been separated from my wife for a while now and I will be occupied all night. I imagine I will not be returning to the manor.”

He scooped up Marinette into a bridal hold before walking away from Raven. He paused however and turned to her one last time. “Please let Alfred know, I am sure he will inform those who need to know.”

Chapter Text

Transforming into Ladybug would have probably made more sense than allowing Damian to continue carrying her around the rooftops of Gotham. Yet returning to the mask that in a unique twist of fate kept them apart, felt foolish.

He finally stopped when they made it to one of the taller buildings in the area.  Away from prying eyes and she was confident also away from security cameras.

There were no more words shared between the pair as in the end nothing needed to be spoken. They both had said their truths moments before, expressed their feelings with their actions, allowing for an understanding to be reached.

No more masks.

No more secrets.

Only each other.

Together.

The Gotham night was brisk, especially considering how high up on the building they resided. Damian removed his jacket and draped it over Marinette’s shoulders. She moved her arms into the jacket allowing it to swallow her from its size. Grabbing the sides, she pulled them into her and lowered her head so she could take in the cologne that still lingered. It was a smell she hadn’t realize had been haunting her for some time. The scent was mostly sandalwood with hints of ginger and clove. The spices were occasionally present in the aroma of the bakery during their month apart, it had left her wanting each time and yet she hadn’t made the connection. Smelling it now, it all made perfect sense and left her with the same feeling.

Want.

Looking up at his face, she wanted nothing more than to be able to stare into the emerald eyes that had looked at her so often in her dreams. Yet, the night was too dark, and the red exit light altered their color.

With her back to a wall, he slowly stepped towards her. She moved back, not out of fear or lack of desire, but hope that the wall would catch her when her legs gave out. As her back hit and he hovered over her, he placed both hands against the wall, trapping her in place.

She felt like his prey at that moment, captured and at his mercy.

There wasn’t a place she’d rather be.

“It would be a shame to ruin your attire. But I am afraid that if I kiss you again, the result will be nothing less.” He whispered into her ear, a whimper hinting at the desperation to do just that and so much more.

“Kiss me.” She whined, the heat in her body was longing for satisfaction, dress be damned.

He chuckled at her and she huffed out of frustration. “Angel, I know your Kaid and I know as a designer me destroying your dress… would be unforgivable.”

“Damian, I have the power of creation, I can just recreate it. But if you don’t kiss me soon, I may find a hidden link to the power of destruction.”

He leaned down and kissed her lips. She wrapped her right leg around his waist to pull him in to her body. Her hands drifted up to the linen of his shirt, the fabric was rough against her fingers. She moved towards the buttons in the middle but was stopped as he bit on her lower lip and grabbed her hands by her wrist, lifting them above her head. He grabbed something from his back and brought it to her chest.

Damian chuckled briefly, “one of us needs to remain decent to cover the other in case we get caught.” A knife cut through her dress and shirt, as he swiped his hand down. The bra she had been wearing was a casualty as well and fell to the ground leaving her front completely exposed to him and the chilled air.

The knife was returned to its hiding place and his lips finished their trail down her neck before he released her hands. He held the small of her back, under the shreds of her dress, while his mouth attacked her hard nipples. She arched her back and mewed from the contact. Her hands found his styled hair and ensured it would not be fixable as she pulled it, eliciting both a moan and a light growl.

Lost in the moment she almost forgot they were currently two young adults on top of a roof about to engage in something probably illegal. Yet she couldn’t give a single...well maybe just one.

He continued his assault on her chest and abdomen with a renewed fervor, switching between kissing, biting, and sucking. Her head rest against the wall as her eyes closed and she relished the feeling of both his touch and mouth.

She hadn’t noticed his hand had disappeared from her, until her pants became a shredded heap on the floor below her. The Gotham chill caressed her body and her legs almost gave out from the shocking sensation, but her Demon’s hands kept her propped up firmly against the wall.  

Forced to grip the emergency light due to him lifting her right leg and placing it over his shoulder as he lowered himself onto his knee, she struggled to remain upright yet again. A finger was lightly tracing the outside of her thigh while his mouth blew on the inside. Her knees threatened to buckle from the intense sensation, yet she was able to limit her reaction to moaning for the time being.

A sharp intake of breath, when his mouth was finally latched upon her, echoed against the wall. Her right hand remained on the light, while her left buried itself in his hair. She found her body squirming above him as it seemed undecided on whether it should escape from his lips or press further into him.

A tingling sensation found its way up her body, growing in intensity. She was no longer able to keep her breath even and was forced to adjust her grip on the light as her body moved in anticipation.

She pulled up on the light for a short reprieve from the sensation, only to be pulled back down by her thigh. His fingers were no longer caressing the outside of her thigh, but grabbed her leg to give him purchase as he continued to work. His other hand moved slowly up her other thigh to join his tongue and Marinette eyes flew open to take in the stars above her.

Her hand left his hair as it tried to find another place to grab hold to keep upright as her other leg barely kept her standing. A divot in the brick wall gave her enough leverage as she rolled her hips into his mouth and deeper onto his fingers.

The stars above her gaze twinkled either from their beauty or the tears of pleasure and joy collecting on her lower eye lid. Suddenly the stars went supernova in a flash of blinding light and Marinette yelled out as her vision temporarily blurred and intense pleasure wrecked her entire body. Her arms became like putty, and she collapsed expecting to fall to the floor. Only to be stopped by the strong arms of the one she loved below her.

On their first night, the first time had been far too short. Virginity and lack of experience to blame. Fortunately, youth provided a quick recovery time, and he was able to go again…and again. That night Damian had been so lost in pleasing her while simultaneously chasing his own, he had missed the moment where her pleasure overtook her. It had been well over a month, and he knew he would not last long, much like the first time, so ensuring her satisfaction before his own was his priority. It also meant that this time he got to watch the fruits of his labor.

And it was divine. Her head was tilted up and away, so he did not get to watch the expression on her face. Yet, the sound that escaped her left a clear picture in his mind. The soft moans increased in volume and their interval between began to shorten. Her chest rose higher and higher as if trying to touch the sky as it glistened with a thin layer of sweat. Her hand left his hair and he missed it immediately as she grabbed at the wall. He felt her pulling away, but he kept her steady by pulling down on her thigh.

Suddenly, she yelled out, but her voice seemed to catch. Her body trembled and he felt her tighten around his fingers. He gave her a second to come back to Earth before returning her leg to the ground and standing himself.

He had not even had a second to recover before she pulled him down from his neck and captured him in a kiss. Usually proud of the way he kept his wit about him in all circumstances, kissing Marinette he felt lost to everything around him. He could not even think as she sucked on his lower lip after her teeth had briefly bit it. His reactions were involuntary, an autopiloted response, as his body answered to his brain’s mantra of ‘more, more.’

Re-equating himself with his Habibti’s body was as exhilarating as it had been the first time. His and her desire both drove towards a shared moment of ecstasy.

Marinette pushed him away just a bit, the action confusing him but he used the moment to catch his breath. Her hands slowly traveled up her body and his eyes watched them as if they were about to perform magic. As they made their way over her chest they flipped so the backside grazed them and the palm of her hand traveled up the lapel of his jacket. As they reached her shoulder her hands fully grasped his jacket and her dress, pushing them back slowly; exposing the fair skin of her neck, shoulders, and then arms, before they both fell to the floor.

She stood bare before him, exposed completely, finally with no mask between them. Only the linen shirt and his pants kept them completely apart as he returned to pressing himself against her. His hands found the small of her back, pushing her lower body into him. She gasped as she felt just how much she was affecting him, biting her own lower lip as she tried to prevent a smile from overtaking her.

The button of his pants was suddenly undone, and her hand was pulling down the zipper. He sucked in the cool Gotham air as the pressure in his pants was finally freed. He pushed her back against the wall as aggressively as possible without hurting her, as he wrapped her legs around his waist again.

Her hand returned to the emergency light and the crack in the wall so that she could raise herself just enough before slowly coming down on him. His forehead went to rest upon her heart. He could feel the beating in her chest echoing his own increased heartrate. A moan was shared between them as they adjusted to something still relatively new and yet so right.

She shifted herself and his nails found themselves digging into her rear as he tried his hardest to not be overwhelmed so early. He was grounded as her nails dragged down his back eliciting pleasure from the pain. His right arm went to the wall behind them to keep himself from pushing so hard against her as he withdrew and then pushed back into her with his hip.

Her moans harmonized with his, as he repeated the action slowly and deliberately. If the decision was left up to him, the night would be filled with moments like this, just as their wedding night had. But the first time, even if it was only the first time in a long time, was not going to be treated like the rest. Even if they risked exposure, more than they already were as they performed for those who might stumble upon the roof top, he would savor the moment.

Taking his time to ensure he paid tribute to every place he remembered giving her the most pleasure, he worked in earnest to elicit each moan. He took special care to try and find more places as he worked.

He ran his hand across her hip bone, causing her to arch her back and cry out. He caught her moan with his mouth, taking the opportunity to slip his tongue into it. Her tongue found his and they fought for dominance until a different angled thrust caused them both to cry out in pleasure. He pulled back from her to try and hit the same position again.

Marinette let her upper-back and shoulders rest firmly against the wall, her hands flipped upside down beside her ears allowing her to push away. He had to use both hands to hold her hips as she threatened to fall. The position was pure ecstasy for both as he slammed into her.

He knew that he was close, but she did not appear to be at the same place. He moved his hand between them and used his thumb to assist his efforts. His Angel’s forehead furrowed as she closed her eyes tighter. He longed to run his hand down her front, following the sweat beads as they ran down to her naval. But removing his hand threatened to delay her release and he did not wish to finish alone.

Damian’s eyes remained open to watch her and he was glad they did. Her movements which possessed so much beauty and grace were captivating. As she got closer the sounds between them became an echo, both so close, yet trying their best to delay the encroaching inevitability just so they could chase the pleasure for longer.

It hit him suddenly and it was close to impossible to not shut his eyes, but doing so risked not seeing her. It was fortuitous as she followed closely behind, her face was indescribable as she rode her pleasure out.

The chill in the air was forgotten as they both had enough heat from the exertion, but eventually the shuttering of his Habibti was not from the aftermath of her pleasure but the cold.

He lowered her body back to the ground before grabbing his coat and wrapping her in it. Her dress laid ruined on the floor and he felt guilty for ruining such a beautiful thing. Yet, seeing her wrapped in his jacket was priceless, he merely wished he had his Robin attire so he could wrap her in his cape, the much warmer option.  

With her legs crossed at her ankle as she held his jacket closed, she looked shy as she lightly twisted her foot against the ground as she looked down in his direction.

“You mentioned not going home tonight.” Her words were barely audible above the wind.

He grabbed her face and forced her to look up at him. “Husbands are supposed to spend their nights beside their wives. Too many of my nights have been forsaken already, I refuse to allow another to be wasted without you. Bringing you to the manor would risk losing you to my brothers.” He shuddered as he thought of Jason’s reaction and how it would ruin the night. “Not to mention I think Raven might need some time and I do not want to share you with Jon-”

“Or Adrien.” She chuckled. “I don’t really want to go back to my room with Lila there. And the rooftop while fun…not sure it’s the place I want to spend the night. Although, I guess with a couple of blankets it couldn’t be any worse than what we just did. But I would really like to clean up at some point and a shower wouldn’t be possible unless it started raining. If it started raining though… then we’ll both get sick and be vulnerable to Mayura. And-”

Stopping Marinette was as easy as kissing her, but it was rather awkward as he was left smiling from her rambling. He pulled away before it risked becoming more, and he struggled to keep it that way as she moved to chase his lips. “I was thinking about using a safe house for the night.”

She breathed out in relief. “Well, that makes sense.”

Grabbing her dress from the ground he looked at it like a puzzle, unsure how to carry both her and it while grappling around the city. Of course, she could transform…

“Perhaps Ladybug would like to join me for a stroll through the city?” He held his hand out to her.

She tapped her finger to her lips as she silently contemplation his request. “I have a better idea! Since we’re using my mode of transportation perhaps you wouldn’t mind getting to spend a night in Paris, so we don’t have to worry about someone stumbling upon us?”

He found himself nodding, as a pair of glasses made their way onto her face, manifesting out of nowhere.

“Good! Kaalki, full gallop.”

Chapter Text

The manor was quiet for the evening as Damian and his friends were out at the gala with Bruce. Nightwing, Black Bat and Batgirl were still out on patrol and only Tim and Victor remained awake somewhere within the manor, Dick’s family already asleep for the evening.

It was a peace that Jason treasured, a calm that found him in his corner of the library holding back tears as he re-read the love in Elisabeth Gaskell’s North and South. It was unfortunately interrupted by a shuttering shadow that seemed to cover the manor all at once.

Grabbing one of the guns he left stashed near his secret hold, he rushed to the entrance of the manor, a surprisingly awake Victor following closely behind him.

The shock of Raven blasting the doors open did nothing to ease his edge. She looked ready to light the manor on fire as she was followed closely by Garfield, Jon and Adrien. Jamie followed further back, looking unsure how to respond to whatever had caused her distress.

Victor approached her, but with the look she gave him had him raise his hands and retreat to stand beside Jason.

Tim came from the living room looking tired from no doubt another night of endless research. “What’s going on?”

“What’s going on?.... What’s going on is your brother’s wife is in town and he is fucking her on the rooftops of Gotham.”

Jason snickered at how crude Rachel was. She wasn’t one to usually mince words, but this didn’t quite seem like a normal reaction for her. Not to mention the idea of Demon Spawn and Ladybug up on the rooftops actually having sex… unlikely.

When she heard him laughing, her ire landed on him and he felt his madness buck at the challenge he saw in her eyes. “I don’t know why you find the situation so funny. She is the one you were chasing just last week and if I got a correct reading on your emotions, you’ll be jealous it’s not you she was pinned by.”

Her words were a dagger straight through his back, twisting even without the confirmation of the identity of the girl behind the Ladybug mask. “Marinette?”

“I believe that’s the name-”

She was still talking, but her words no longer mattered. They were a white noise among the static in his mind. He began to feel the madness reappear as he processed what he already knew. Marinette was Ladybug and Ladybug was married to his youngest brother.

The mind is a dangerous place especially when two completely different thoughts are fighting against each other to be the dominant. A part of him was happy for his brother, Marinette was a sweet, sexy, confident, badass and she was already proving to be great for his youngest brother. Damian had grown from his faults and become a man worthy of the best even if he couldn’t see it. Marinette was that best. Yet, the other side of him demanded her, she was meant to be with him.

The pit was making its desires known as the voice became louder and louder in his head. Words like destined, mine, eliminate, take; chanted in his head, overwhelming the rational part of his mind.

He knew she wasn’t property; she wasn’t his and her decisions were her own. Not to mention the competition the madness was calling to eliminate, was his brother. The one he loved the most, but would never admit, the one he helped raise during his stint in the League. The one he refused to allow the world to hurt and would never, ever hurt himself.

Destined, mine, eliminate, take.

The madness he had spent so many years controlling, quieting, and ignoring was speaking at a volume he couldn’t ignore. It was winning as he felt his own conscience begin to slip to the chorus in his head.

Destined.

Mine.

Eliminate.

TAKE…

Taking in his posture and facial expressions, Tim was amazed at how Jason was keeping it together after Rachel exposed the identity of Ladybug. He expected Jason to storm out and look for Damian immediately, but he stood still, only looking like he was trying to process the revelation. No indications of wanting to do anything with the information.

It was surprising and shocking considering. He hadn’t wanted the reveal to happen as it did, but Rachel was proving to be a variable he hadn’t predicted.

“Rachel, you knew Damian was married.” Garfield placed his hand on her shoulder but removed it like it had burned him. Perhaps she had.

“He texted me on Thursday evening saying he and Ladybug wanted the bond to be removed.” She cried.

Jon looked at her. “I had a feeling he chose Marinette.”

“Is Damian all about skipping the dating aspects of his relationships and moving straight towards marriage. Doesn’t he realize marriage is supposed to be a onetime thing? How will he ever know if there is someone better out there if he’s always trying to be permanently locked down.”

Rachel crumbled to the floor and began to weep. Garfield and Jon went to either side of her and tried their best to comfort their friend. Her reaction was a typical teenage heartache, full of regret for what they believe could have been. Even superheroes could not escape such human trials.

“I’m not going to lie, I have no clue what just happened. But, should I be concerned that Jason walked out at the start of it?” Victor motioned over his shoulder towards the entrance of the Batcave.

Tim could kick himself for being so wrapped up in Rachels drama that he forgot to check to see if Jason was still stable. He rushed off without a word to the rest, although he knew they were following him to the Batcave.

No sign of Jason’s bike. And two of his guns were missing when they arrived.

“Jason has a crush of some sort on Marinette and I’m pretty sure the Pit Madness just took over.”

A single sentence was all it took for the Titan’s and Jon to understand what was happening. Poor Adrien was confused, but gathered that time was of the essence, so he refrained from asking questions. What was the Pit Madness and what did that mean for Marinette?

Garfield stayed with Rachel to try and ease her heartbreak, while the rest of the group were divided to try and keep Jason from trying to kill his youngest brother.

“Babs is surveying the camera feed to try and find out where Jason went and where we might be able to find Damian and Marinette. Jason is as clueless as us as to where the couple might be, but I imagine like me he would expect to find them at one of the safehouses. Considering none of the sensors have tripped were going in blind.”

Tim was going over the video feed of Jason since leaving the cave, and Adrien tried his hardest to pay attention, but it was hard when one was in the Batcave. Never in a million years would he have imagined himself privy to the experience. It was everything he imagined and so much more.

It was dark and cavernous, shadows hugged the walls, a perfect place for someone to lurk. The stalactites were present even above the computer, a special contraction laid over the areas that the Bats primarily used to capture the moisture that dripped from the rock formations. The sound of the water dropping was surprisingly calming. So much technology and badassitry in one space with the strongest reminder of just how fascinating and powerful nature was as it surrounded it. The Batmobile sat off to the side with several other mobiles surrounding it. The willpower for Adrien to not leave the group and run over to it, just to look of course, was wavering. As was the ability to suppress the desire to press buttons and pick up all the shiny gadgets close to him.

Yet his partner and friend were in danger, so he tried his best to keep himself and his mind where he stood.

“While I’m sure Damian is the current fixation of Jason’s madness, anyone that ends up in his way before that could get hurt or worse. So the quicker we get him off the street the better.” Tim continued his brief.

“That’s putting it lightly.” Jon mumbled under his breath.

Tim ignored his boyfriend and chose to continue. “Blue Beetle and I will team up. We will be the most useless against him in his current state, so we’ll focus on trying to locate him or the couple. Jon and Victor stand the greatest chance of restraining him on their own, so well keep you separated. And Adrien hopefully Renard can create an illusion of Marinette and Damian and maybe lure him back to the manor or at least to Jon or Victor?”

Adrien shook his head and looked at Tim. “You know?”

Tim laughed. “You thought we’d let you in the cave just because?”

Adrien blushed lightly from the embarrassment. “No.”

“Figured you and Marinette out a while ago. Guessing the same applied for you, seeing as you didn’t seem surprised when we entered the cave.”

Adrien rubbed the back of his neck. It was really easy to piece together when you had just one piece of the puzzle, but it was weird to admit to the greatest detectives that they were just as easy to figure out as he was apparently. “When I figured out Damian was Robin the rest of your identities were easy to piece together.”

“Well, this is great but shouldn’t we be out stopping Jason?” Cyborg interrupted.

“Right. Adrien go with Jon. Report back if you have eyes on any target.” Tim placed his hand to his earpiece. “Anything Babs?”

“Thanks.” He focused back on the heroes assembled before him and began to type at the computer. “Marinette and Damian were last seen heading to the roof of this building.” A building in the center of Gotham was circled on a map displayed on the large screen above the table. “Jason was seen in his suit heading south but was lost coming out of the tunnel. Let’s go bring him home.”

The group nodded and Jon disappeared for a minute before he zoomed back changed into his casual Superboy costume. “Wow that was superfast, but I’m faster.”

“Trixx, let’s pounce.” A warm orange light surrounded him before it disappeared, and Renard Noir stood in front of his boyfriend.

“Have I told you how cute you are?” Superboy pulled Renard into him, their faces were mere centimeters apart.

Renard rested his forehead against him. “Not within the last twenty minutes.”

“Well, you are, but you are freaking hot when your dressed in black, Mr. Noir.” He swept in to quickly kiss him. “Though I have to admit I’m a little disappointed.”

Renard looked at him confused. “Oh?” He tried to sound casual, but he knew the crack in his voice betrayed his slight hurt.

“I just imagined a transformation sequence, not a simple flash of light.” His boyfriend cutely pouted, making him want to kiss him silly at his ridiculousness. They really were meant for each other.

“This isn’t a kids superhero cartoon. Do you know how much time it would waste and the chances of being caught if I waved my arms and body around as my suit covered me. Performing for a nonexistent audience as my hands drew an imaginary. Then I’d use an imaginary scratching post just so I could prove this Noir has claws….”

They both laughed at the ridiculous notion.

“Come on let’s head out, while everyone else has to get ready I would like for our best friends to still be alive at the end of the night.” Jon wrapped his arm around his waist and started by hovering off the floor before taking off out of the cave into the Gotham night.

Once out of the cave and in the air, finding the destructive path of Red Hood wasn’t that hard. He hadn’t left to massacre the city, but he hadn’t been idle in his search for Damian and Marinette. Jon’s superhearing allowed him to easily determine his current location, as it sounded like he was in the midst of a gunfight. The chances of it being some other kind of criminal activity was high. but it was their closest lead and in the direction Hood was last seen heading.

It also helped that Nightwing and Black Bat had heard the disturbance and gone to investigate and were reporting a forced engagement with Hood.

Superboy landed on a roof close to the reported location, dropping Renard off so that he remained unseen by Hood. “What’s the plan?”

Red Robin could be heard in their ears relaying his intention. “Use an illusion to get Jason back out of the city, Superboy will then capture Hood so that we can contain him until he has control over himself again.”

Renard nodded his head and took out his baton. “Be ready to fly away with me.” He winked at him and Superboy felt giddy. He loved that his boyfriend even in the midst of a fight was able to make him feel this way. He hoped it was something they could share together for a long time.

A small ditty was played on the flute end of his baton as an orange glow pulsed at the end. “Mirage.” Renard Noir whispered.

An illusion of Ladybug and Robin rode in on Robin’s bike. The pair dismounted and ran to join Nightwing and Black Bat in fighting Hood.

Renard took special care to make it seem like they were in the fight without having them physically interact with any of the players. As soon as Hood took note of the presence of Robin, he stopped fighting Nightwing and launched himself at his younger brother’s image.

The illusion barely dodged the assault and ran over to his bike in order to flee, Ladybug settling behind him. Superboy understood Noir’s intentions and picked him up ready to fly them through the city to keep the illusion moving with Hood on their tail.

He started off at a slow pace so that Renard could ensure the illusion was kept from hitting walls and other cars as he had it race down the streets of Gotham with an enraged Red Hood falling closely behind.

The illusion remained ahead a good distance, but not far enough that Hood would lose track of them. The first obstacle to the plan came with the Gotham Tunnel laden with heavy traffic, making it harder for the illusion to move between them. Not to mention he would not be able to move Noir through the tunnel without risk of exposure.

Before he had a chance to express his concerns, a car swerved out in front of Hood cutting him off from his path, causing him to swerve to avoid the vehicle. Red Hood’s bike circled around him as he tried to determine how he was going to proceed. He eventually found a small pocket between several cars allowing him to continue the pursuit.

The delay was enough that the illusion appeared to make its way into the tunnel, allowing Superboy to race to the other end and hope Hood would follow and eventually catch up.

He turned back around to make sure Hood followed into the tunnel, only to catch the car that had given them the lucky break disappear into a misty haze. “Clever.” He stated, amazed at the brilliance of his boyfriend.

“Thanks, I loved being Chat Noir, but I feel like I am much better at misdirection than destruction.” He said proudly, pumping out his chest to the best of his ability against Superboy’s side.

The sound of a motorbike approaching the exit of the tunnel, brought Renard focus back to his illusion which began moving among the cars once again. He had it pretend to be forced to slow down after a wrong move in the traffic, giving Red Hood enough time to catch-up.

His actions however had not accounted for Red Hood to unholster one of his guns and begin firing. Fortunately, Hood had not been in the right mindset and didn’t realize that his bullets were still rubber, but it caused them to ricochet among the cars much like a pinball. The illusion raced away, trying to avoid the cars and stray bullets.

A good quarter mile from the exit, the illusion shattered as a stray bullet finally bounced off a car and straight into what would have been Ladybug’s shoulder. The illusion dissolved with little fanfare, causing the bike that had been chasing them to slow to a complete stop.

The moment the pieces clicked in his mind was obvious as Red Hood emptied his magazine into the tire of the car closest to him. “Put me down, looks like it’s time for you to intercept. I’ll follow as fast as I can.”

A kiss to the cheek sent Superboy off to stop the fuming vigilante.

Before the man in a red helmet was able to come up with a decision on what to do next, the Kryptonian had slammed into him, lifting him off the bike and flying into the small grass area that bordered the highway.

The sound of an engine revving to life, told him that Renard Noir would be following closely behind as he flew faster than the flailing body to intercept it before it risked harm from an impact.

Unfortunately, Hood was not so shocked by the sudden half-alien hitting him as he had hoped and was lucid enough to prepare for the eventually interception. He had his guns raised and firing once Superboy had stopped in front of his intended path.

The sight would have been hilarious if not for the situation, but he couldn’t help but smile as she saw Red Hood upside down as he flew towards him in slow motion, shooting at him. The bullets hit him, but merely felt like an annoying nit flying into his body.

As Hood made contact he twirled his body to prevent him from hitting him like a fly to a window. He lowered him to the ground and then proceeded to punch him just hard enough to pass out but not cause any permanent damage.

With the limp body of his best friend’s brother in his arms he made his way back to the manor.

Chapter Text

There had been a longer than expected detour to the highest platform of the Eiffel Tower before the married couple had found themselves in Marinette’s bedroom. Fortunately, the time difference between Paris and Gotham meant that their 0100 (Gotham time) arrival did not allow the risk of being found by her parents as the bakery hours were well into swing. Allowing them to spend what would have been a Gotham evening, instead a Parisian morning, in peace as they proceeded to sleep, among other pleasant things.

Marinette would have happily stayed in Paris for the day, alone with her husband, but she needed to check in with M. Delacroix and some text from Adrien had her slightly concerned.

A pit stop at the hotel later, and Marinette stood in front of an exceptionally large manor. The house was as large as many of the chateaus of Paris, but the home itself seemed to be in the style of an English estate.

Naturally, she knew that the Waynes were rich, but she thought it would be closer to the size of the Agreste Mansion, which was quite large in itself, but this… even with the large family Damian claimed roamed the halls, it still felt enormous.

She tossed around the idea of the portal dropping them off inside the house but felt her first introduction to his father and the family as Marinette, his wife, should be done according to some level of decorum. Which meant for them to enter through the front door.

As she approached the double doors that served as the grand entrance of the home, she paused. This was it, this was when her secrets would be open to more than her, Adrien and a bunch of the most powerful beings in the world. It was daunting to say the least, but necessary. She could still hold some of it close to her chest for now, but if her suspicions were correct, a fair amount of it would come to light anyways. The family appeared close, there was little chance that Damian would be able to hide the disappearance of Robin in lieu of his Black Cat persona. They were detectives after all, if she didn’t tell them, they would likely draw their own conclusions.  

But telling a family who was a part of an organization who may not respect her autonomy as the Grand Guardian of the Miraculous was nerve racking. Especially since she didn’t even want to give any power over to the order made to protect them. Although, if she was honest that was mostly caused by the fact that the Order just felt like a fan club at this point, not the knowledgeable, skilled organization Fu had led her to believe it once was.

Damian seemed to sense her hesitation and squeezed her hand, stepping in front of her and putting his free hand to her cheek. She pressed her head into his warmth and looked into his eyes. They held a softness that she noticed he never looked at another with. It ground her, comforted the nerves that threaten to spill.

“We can always go somewhere else and come back later. There is nothing pressing in there that requires our immediate attention.”

She smiled but quickly looked back through the texts Adrien had sent her the previous evening.

A (0127): Stay away from Batmanor!

A (0130): Red Hood is so scary but so awesome 2

A (0132): Can I somehow join this family

A (0246): x that

A (0247): all yours

A (0602): could use Pollen

A (0602): no rush, but rush

A (0632): need ur help

                                                                        M (0642): wut do u need.

A (0642): pollen

                                                                        M (0643): y

A (0643): bcuz I need venom.

                                                                        M (0643): y

A (0644): jason

                                                                        M (0644): …

A (0644): just come soon

A (0644): plz

A (0645): thx

While she wasn’t ready, the thought of Jason needing to be immobilized was concerning. Especially considering that Damian seemed to have an idea as to why but wouldn’t explain.

“Damian, Jason needs us.”

He narrowed his eyes and scoffed. “Tt, I do not think that he needs us. In fact, our presence might make things worse.”

“Are you going to finally tell me what makes you think that?” She searched his body language hoping to see a sign that he was about to acquiesce, but he remained still. “Fine then, I guess I’ll have to find out myself.”

“He has a crush on you.” The words rushed out of his mouth, before he looked away, embarrassed.

She looked at him as if the words he spoke where a foreign language she didn’t understand. “Oh?....Ohhh.”

Suddenly some of his behaviors that seemed to be a little close for someone she considered to be a bigger brother, made sense. Marinette had dealt with many crushes before, so she wasn’t sure how she had missed the signs.  

“And this crush has led to him needing to be restrained?” She raised an eyebrow at Damian, not quite believing that someone’s interest in her would lead to that. But she quickly remembered Theo, Nathanial, Luka, Thomas, and Enzo just to name a few. Yet, Adrien hadn’t suggested their problem was akuma related.

Damian sighed and threw his head back. “We should go in. At least we can have this conversation sitting down.”

Before Damian could place his hand on the door, it opened quietly to reveal a stoic older gentleman in what could only be described as a dignified three-piece-butler ensemble.

“Ah, Ms. Dupain-Cheng, Master Damian, we’ve been awaiting your arrival.”

“Thank you Pennyworth. Will you let my father know that he can find us in my room? We have a few things we need to finish discussing before we meet with the rest of the heathens.”

“I’m afraid I have been instructed to lead you to the cave as soon as you arrived.”

“Tt.” She could see that Damian was not happy with the change in plans but had no intention of arguing. He moved forward still holding her hand, but Marinette would not move past the doorway. He looked back at her in confusion, perhaps thinking that she was not willing to comply. But she lifted an eyebrow, looking at Damian as if he had just committed a great offense, which he had, before shifting her eyes towards the man he had failed to introduce her to.

He smiled and softly shook his head. “Where are my manners. Forgive me Marinette, Pennyworth. Pennyworth this is my wife, Marinette. Marinette this is my grandfather, Pennyworth.”

She removed her hand from Damian’s and held it out to Pennyworth. “It is very nice to meet you Pennyworth.” She smiled warmly to the older gentleman, getting a soft and mischievous one in return.

“Call me Alfred, please.”

“Of course, Alfred.” She pointedly looked at Damian. “Only if you call me Marinette.” Their hands settled into a friendly handshake before she released it and returned her hand to Damian’s arm.

“Shall we meet the rest of the family?”

The night had been long, and the day was promising to be no different. The fact that the manor was still standing, was a testament to its construction. Despite their best attempts, it was as if a switch had been clicked and then destroyed as Jason’s anger failed to dissipate.

Once Jon and Adrien had brought him back they had placed him in the medical bay, being knocked out by a Super required monitoring, even if they trusted Jon’s control. As soon as he woke-up he returned to his rampaging nature throughout the manor. Jon was fortunately able to subdue him long enough to get him into the training room, which they locked down – a protocol Bruce had installed after Jason’s third Pit episode. But, where the rage usually subsided after getting to hit and destroy a few things, at least enough to barter with his rational side, this time it was as if the rage was being fed by something more.

It couldn’t be just that Damian and Marinette were married. Sure, Marinette and Ladybug by extension were something special, her skills were beyond their own and her abilities would have her mature into the most powerful and formidable of heroes. But Jason had known her for less than two weeks, it was too soon for him to be so enraptured.

Then again, Damian had known her for the same amount of time or even less when he showed a similar level of attachment. Perhaps there was a pheromone that the Ladybug holders released to make her attract males, like the actual bug. It would be wise to maintain his and Dick’s distance until he confirmed the theory one way or the other.

Either way, Jason loved Damian. Definitely more than Tim and probably even Dick. Their relationship was strange, but it always pushed out the best of each of them. Jason would kill for Damian, he would never harm him. He would fight the madness tooth and nail if it meant harm coming to his youngest brother.  

Jon had entered the room to give the walls and equipment a break from the relentless punishment. Short of knocking him out, Superboy was at a loss as to what more he could do. The hope that at the least exhaustion would help only seemed to temporarily alleviate the problem, as the Kryptonian allowed the man to land hit after hit on him.

The sedative they gave him worked only for thirty minutes at a time as his body fought the effects. They eventually pulled Raven from her own internal turmoil to attempt to overpower the magic that impacted his mental capacities. In all the time that he had known Raven he had never seen her so powerless. She attempted to lock onto his emotions and control them only for her to fall to the floor screaming in pain. Thirty minutes later and she confirmed what Tim suspected. The madness had fought her, and she was not as powerful as what had been influencing his current state of mind.

They were at a loss as to how to help Jason and Adrien seemed to think that only Marinette would have the ability to help. His text went unanswered for hours however and they were left waiting and hoping that her and Damian would find their way to the manor sooner rather than later as they continued to watch Jason suffer.

Their savior arrived at eight in the morning, her face filled with concern as she was rushed past Adrien and straight down into the Batcave. Adrien seemed unbothered as he quickly followed her, filling her in as she pulled a comb out of her purse and put it in her hair. A few muttered words later and she was covered in a bright yellow light.

The person who replaced her, looked just like Marinette but with a mask. The glamour likely broken now that they knew who was behind it. She wore black pants and turtleneck, with a bright yellow trench coat lined with black stripes around her chest and black fur around her neck and gloved hands. Her feet were covered by yellow ankle boots with the same black fur at the ankle giving the illusion of a bumble bee. Her hair was in a high ponytail with a yellow ribbon looking very much like antennas.

She said nothing as she entered the training room. Everyone in the cave surrounded Tim as they watched her from the security cameras approach Jason. As soon as the bee themed superhero entered the room, he wasted no time attacking her. The saying ‘strike like a viper, sting like a bee,’ must have been created after watching her, as even Bumblebee failed to imitate her namesake as well.

Marinette dodged the attack almost at a speed that rivaled the Supers before she called ‘venom,’ and stuck Jason with the end of her weapon. He stayed frozen in his spot, unmoving. It was almost as if Mr. Freeze had attacked without the ice. His eyes were still moving, and the green haze of the pit showed who or rather what was in control.

The transformation dropped and Marinette stood before Jason. His eyes caught hers, and the teal blue quickly replaced the green and the tension in his face immediately dropped before he fell passed out to the floor.

The family quickly entered the room, seeing the madness finally break. Damian smartly stayed back, keeping his distance from both Jason and his wife. Tim and Dick took to circling their brother hoping to find some physical explanation for his condition.

“Tikki?” Marinette looked upset as she talked through her teeth.

A red supersized bug flew out from its perch above them and into her face. The bug looked remorseful as its body was hunched in on itself and its antennas were drooping. “It’s the effects of the Lazarus Pit. Although this is honestly one of the worst cases I’ve seen. He must have used it a lot.” She looked uncertain. “But, he doesn’t reek of it like one would if he did.”

“Are you going to tell me what that is now?” Marinette crossed her arms.

“I was hoping he could tell you. The use of one of the Pits is a very personal experience, but seeing how he is, I guess it’s time. The Lazarus Pits are a result of a wish to live forever, a fountain of youth, if you will. My contribution was regenerative, life returning power. It is balanced by Plagg’s magic which causes the user to lose parts of their humanity.”

“You created the Pits?” Dick looked at the being in anger.

“Yes, but not how you think. Long before the Order of the Miraculous was created, our miraculous tended to fall into unwanted hands more often than I care to admit. One time we were captured by a man who wished to have the means to be young forever. The Pits were a consequence of that wish. We have no power over how a wish is fulfilled or the consequences because of it.”

The family nodded their head as they took in the new information.

“Is there anything we can do to help him if it’s a consequence of a wish?” Marinette looked back at her companion with hope.

“I’d need to confirm with Plagg, but it should only require the Kaiduan’s of Creation and Destruction.”

Marinette winked at Damian, leaving him confused as he tried to process what could have caused her to do so. “Guess we better ask Plagg to join us then.”

“We’d still need the Kaiduan of Destruction, Marinette.” The red being, that had for the most part given them space the night before said.

Again, Marinette smiled at him, she knew something and somehow he played a part in it.

“Not a problem, Tikki.” The red beetle followed her eyes and looked at him. Understanding crossed her face, he had a strange feeling it meant they both thought that he was this… Kaiduan of Destruction.

Marinette closed her eyes and twisted her wrist. When she opened her hand a silver ring laid in its palm. She took it and placed it on the middle finger of her right hand. She wavered slightly as a green light flashed from the ring, hovering in front of her face. He could read the pain that flashed across through her body as she took a deep breath before opening her eyes to a small cat like being similar to the red beetle replacing the light.

“Cheese.” The being said in the most pitiful voice it could muster. It fell slowly onto Marinette’s shoulder settling on its side with its paw draped across its eyes.

When not even Marinette moved at the command, the creature peeked out from under its arms to inspect its surroundings. The gig was up and so it returned to floating. As it surveyed those assembled, its eyes landed on Agreste. It zoomed quickly over to him, running into his face, only to begin purring.

Based on the reaction and returned affection, it did not take a detective to figure out that this being was the one who gave Chat Noir his powers.

“It’s good to see you too Plagg, I’ve missed you.”

An orange fox being flew from Agreste’s shoulder, smiling at the scene. Damian was not sure how he had missed seeing it when he first entered.

Drake cleared his throat breaking the reunion and the spell that had fallen over the room’s occupants.

“Plagg, can you look at Jason over there and tell us why the Lazarus Pit’s rage won’t seem to let him go?” Marinette requested.

Plagg took notice of the body lying on the floor towards the center of the circle that had formed. The unnatural green of his eyes flared in intensity momentarily before a haunting smile overtook his face.  He flew over to Todd and curled up onto his chest.

“Gotham is fortunate it is not currently raised to the ground if the Lazarus Pit is clouding his mind. Hell, even if he was of his own sound mind, the result would have probably been the same.”

“What are you talking about Plagg?” The red beetle, Tikki took to hovering over her companion.

“Are you seriously surprised, Sugarcube? The last time he found out that your Coccinella was forced to lay with someone else, he destroyed a whole town leaving its occupants nothing more than hollow ashes. It’s still funny that Rome used a volcano eruption to explain Pompei.” The red beetle gasped in surprise. Her eyes darting between Damian, Marinette and Todd. Plagg smiled again. “That’s right Tiks, he’s my Kitten.”

Chapter Text

“What do you mean your Kitten?” Marinette shrieked.

Marinette looked at the God of Destruction feeling a small wave of nausea in her throat. Damian had all of the characteristics and aura that matched Plagg, she had been so sure that he was the Kaiduan of Destruction. Sure, her memories of him in her past life were still locked, but Plagg had to be wrong, Jason couldn’t be…

“I mean that he is the bearer of my soul piece. The original Black Cat. He who passes on bad luck and brings destruction to those that deserve it. The Kaiduan of Destruction.” Plagg ignored the blank or shocked stares. “The reason the Pit Madness is overwhelming him is because it is being fed by the possessive nature of my soul. I expected a little more chaos from him finding out his brother was sleeping with the love of his lives, but then again his memories are probably still locked. So, get ready for that shitshow when it happens.”

“Did you just suggest that Pompei was this Kaiduan of Destructions fault? No, Jason’s because Marinette had sex with someone else?” Tim approached Plagg, looking at him skeptically, but also with a layer of fear.

“No, not Jason and Marinette but the incarnation of their soul. She had been sold by his father and forcefully taken by her new master. Pompei paid the price.” The cheese gremlin shrugged his shoulders as if the event was no big deal. Knowing Plagg it was likely due to the fact his own behavior was responsible for several bigger disasters, like the dinosaurs.

Marinette felt blind-sided with the information Plagg was sharing. Even now with a piece of the puzzle unlocked she was unable to recall the memory. The thought that she had been the cause of something so devastating was disorienting, specifically because she couldn’t recall anything about it other than some memories from that time where she was alone. Although, from the sounds of it, it was an experience she would rather not recall.

“Plagg, instead of walking us down memory lane, would you like to tell us how to rid him of the Lazarus residue so that we might prevent a similar outcome?” Marinette desperately needed to not be reminded of her possible past relationships with Jason.  There was no way that she would be giving up on Damian, she loved him. Her and Jason’s souls may have mated in the past, but she was determined to stay with Damian during this lifetime.

Tikki had sworn that the concept of soul mates did not exist, that only a Kaiduan and their Kwami could really claim to be anything close to the concept. She was reassured that she got to choose who to love, and she had made that decision in this lifetime and that choice was Damian, her Demon.

“I’ll need some cheese.” Plagg crossed his arms in defiance, moving to ignore everyone in the room till his demand was met.

Marinette huffed in frustration. She turned to Dick and Tim hoping that they would be able to help rectify the situation.

“I’ll go and see what we have.” Dick turned and disappeared around the corner.

The room was silent as they all processed what little Plagg had shared. It had been enough for the atmosphere to remain awkward. Marinette was unsure how to interact with Damian with the knowledge that in several of her past lives she had been a couple with his brother. Of course, it wasn’t this life, but she knew it would only be a matter of time before recalling a memory would be necessary and it would lead to some further discomfort.

Damian from what she could tell was in a similar position. The distance between them had grown as he had stepped back from her side. As if afraid it was no longer his place to be beside her. She hated it but didn’t know what she could say that would alleviate his fear. There was too much information missing and they couldn’t have a real conversation until that was no longer the case.

Yet, as she stared at Jason, she felt nothing more than the sibling bond she had felt earlier. Jason may have been her past, she rationalized, but that was because she had never known Damian. He was her present. When it came down to a choice between the two, which in a way it had, she chose Damian, and she would again and again.

“What is this?” A loud baritone broke the silence. The imposing figure of Bruce Wayne walked into the room which held the assembly of heroes. His face gave no indication to his feelings on the unusual sight, but his body was slightly rigid betraying his confusion or anxiety at what he had come upon.

Silence met the Dark Knight’s inquiry. Tim figured that no one really knew what was going on other than the small pixies.

“I’m afraid that we all only know bits and pieces of what is going on. So, we are more or less in the dark as much as you are B. We were just waiting for Dick to return, before the being called Plagg filled us in.” Tim tried, knowing that not giving Bruce an answer wasn’t an option.

“I assume that the presence of two civilians can be explained. As well as Jason passed out on the floor?”

“I thought he was the Greatest Detective?” Adrien whispered into Tim’s ear. Jon could be heard snickering beside him, bringing Bruce’s ire.

Regardless, Tim tilted his head in Adrien’s direction and did not whisper back. “He hasn’t held that title in a while. Most of the information he acquires is from my debriefs.”

Victor always one to ask the questions on his mind, broke the awkward silence to follow Tim’s statement by inquiring from Bruce, “Are you suggesting you were not aware of their alter-egos?”

“Chat Noir and Multimouse?” Bruce knew this, but it was obvious he was fishing as to why the Bats and Teen Titans had revealed their own identities to the two retired heroes.

“How many hero persona’s do you guys have?” Jamie asked excitedly. Bruce raised his eyebrows, as he pieced the meaning of his statement together.

“We’ve had a few alternative ID’s through our tenure. I was mostly known as Chat Noir before I became Renard Noir.” Adrien gave a small bow to his audience.

Marinette shrugged her shoulders as if it was no big deal. “I’ve used Multimouse a couple of times when the circumstances required her, but usually I just merge a miraculous with the Ladybug.”

“You can do that?” Tim inquired. The powers of Ladybug could be endless if she could merge with any of the miraculous that they knew about.

“Only a Kaiduan has the energy that can sustain a multi-miraculous transformation.” Tikki supplied from Marinette’s shoulder.

“What is a Kaiduan.” Raven spoke from the shadows. She was not standing in the circle that had formed around Jason. Which if Tim was honest, was no surprise. She had come into the manor heartbroken; it would be understandable that she wished to not be front and center to the show taking place in the cave.

There was an evident layer of mistrust as the red pixie looked at the half demon. Tim wondered if there was a history there but thought better than to ask. Tim was more interested on the information pertaining to the Miraculous than why Tikki didn’t like Raven. There was literally no information on them other than their involvement in Paris. Even that was limited to only the acknowledgement of their existence and a rough idea of what the Miraculous looked like. He found himself subconsciously looking at Marinette to see if she was wearing the Ladybug Miraculous, but it did not appear to be the case, instead some simple black studs.

“I have spoken more than I should, it is up to the Grand Guardian to determine what shall be shared and with whom.” Tikki looked indignantly at Rachel.

Before anything more could be said, Dick returned to the room holding a block of cheddar. The black pixie zoomed over to him taking it quickly and scarfing it down in a single bite. “Not the best, but it will do.”

Jason began to moan on the floor, causing everyone in the room to tense. While it appeared that the madness had released him before he had passed out, there was no telling in what state of mind he would awaken or what might set him off again.

“Plagg, time is of the essence perhaps you would be so kind as to share how we might help Jason.” Marinette pressed again.

“As the Kaiduan of Destruction he just has to transform, and our connection will allow me to destroy it without a problem. You’ll just need to be on standby to repair what I end up destroying.”

“I can do that. How do we stop the madness from using the powers in the meantime?” Marinette was biting her lower lip, talking more to herself than anyone within the room.

“When he transforms he will likely be overcome with some of his memories, giving me enough time to work before he can do anything. But, if you’re really concerned we can always use the Bee Miraculous to immobilize him.” The cat being yawned as he spoke, as if all of this were common in his line of work.

“Tim?” He looked at Marinette and raised his eyebrows to acknowledge he heard her. “Would you mind transforming with the Bee, you’ll have to maintain your transformation to keep him paralyzed, something I won’t be able to do if I’m healing him.”

Tim usually had a strong distrust of magic, but he wouldn’t deny that the idea of getting firsthand experience with a Miraculous was too tempting to refuse.

“Okay.”

As they waited for Jason to wake up so he could transform, Marinette went over the plan with Tim. The Teen Titan’s had left needing to return to their base and Jon and Adrien had retired to Jon’s room having spent the night watching over Jason and being no further use.

Mr. Wayne had put Jason in a chair so that he was more comfortable as the argument as to whether it would be better to wake him or let him awaken naturally still lingered.

To further lower the risk of the madness manifesting, Damian and Marinette were left to themselves in the center of the Batcave. She supposed it was so that they may talk in private, instead they sat together in silence. It wasn’t that she didn’t want to talk, there was a necessary conversation between the two that needed to happen. It was more akin to the fact that she knew about as much as everyone else about her relationship with Jason’s soul. There would be no telling Damian what it all meant for them because she didn’t know. Plagg had insinuated quite a bit and she could connect the dots to know that she had been in a relationship with the Kaiduan of Destruction in at least most if not all of her incarnations. Yet, she had no memories, she couldn’t share why, how, in what capacity they had been partners in their past lives or why in this life she chose Damian over Jason. Which wasn’t even the truth, never had she felt a romantic connection with Jason. Sure, momentary lust when she first came upon him, there was no denying the Jason was a fine specimen, but she felt like he was a brother, not a lover. At no point had she felt any conflict in her heart as to who she loved, or rather only momentarily as she pondered between Damian and Robin before she knew they were one in the same.

Tikki and Plagg were of no help. Both insisting it would make more sense when Jason transformed for the first time. Asserting that her memories would do better to explain, then any words they could share.

So, for now she sat wrapped in Damian’s arms. She couldn’t offer him words that would ease the tension she felt through his entire body, but she hoped her presence would ease it just enough, that her soft kisses would reaffirm what she knew in her heart. That she loved Damian ‘Fucking’ Wayne and nothing was going to change that.

Bruce Wayne entered the room so quietly that had they not been quiet themselves they would have missed it. As it was, both turned their heads to acknowledge his entrance. “He’s awake. He’s been fighting off the madness, but he’s having a hard time. It is probably best that you do this quickly.”

Marinette nodded her head and stood to follow her husband’s father. It was concerning that Jason was already having to fight off the influences of the madness, and if he were to succumb to it again, there was no telling how long it would take for him to regain his sanity or who was to say he would ever have it again?

She entered the room he was held to find the entire house including Alfred circled around Jason as he sat in his chair with his head down between his hands. He looked up briefly, only long enough for her to see the toxic green of the Lazarus Pit flickering in his eyes before he grabbed his head again and pulled at his hair fighting off the influence as much as possible.

Wasting no time, she quickly walked to him and pulled his hands away from his head so as to look into his eyes as she spoke. “Jason, I am going to put Plagg’s ring on your finger, then I need you to say, ‘Plagg, claws out.’ It will all make sense when you’ve done that. Okay?”

His eyes continued to flicker between their naturally beautiful teal color and the toxic green. He was holding on but barely. Plagg hovered behind him looking concerned at Marinette. Only moments before he appeared so confident, but as he looked down at his ‘kitten,’ he didn’t appear as certain, if not bordering confused.

Regardless, she looked at Tim, who as discussed, had already transformed and was at the ready to sting Jason. She slowly placed the silver ring on his finger and watched as it morphed into a thicker silver band. His words were slurred but he managed, “Plaggg, claaawz out.”

The green light that overtook his body caused her to close her eyes and look away. As she did she was not met with the dark green light that highlighted the recesses of her eyelids. Instead, she was met with an image of a man standing beside her looking down at her with admiration. He was holding her hand as he smiled softly at her. On her wrist she could see crude gold bracelets belonging to an early civilization. A ladybug patterned fabric laid across her one shoulder, covering one of her exposed breasts. The man in front of her was shirtless as well, a black tri-layered skirt rested on his hips. He wore a black mask, which had emerald cat eyes looking deep into her soul before her lips were captured in a kiss. She felt all of the love that she poured into returning the kiss, as her past self closed her eyes.

Her first life, Mesopotamia if she recalled correctly. Her first transformation with Tikki, his first transformation with Plagg. Her first love.

Her eyes opened again, and she was met with an image from her time in Japan. She recognized it immediately as she had often used those memories to assist her in her weapons training in her earlier days as Ladybug when she was still green. She wasn’t transformed as she watched a man off in the distance going through his paces as he practiced with his katana.

She felt it again, the same intensity of love that she felt towards the first man. He swished his sword down and turned in her direction. He caught sight of her in that moment and quickly sheathed his weapon and ran up to her. Lifting her by her waist, he swung her around. Even her present self-became mesmerized by his familiar green eyes. She saw through them to the depth of his soul and she knew immediately it was the same man from before.

Her mind moved quicker through the accordion of memories of him as an Egyptian Bast, followed by the armored Black Cat to her Joan of Arc, the Mayan Leopard, followed by her Barbarian Katze.

The final scene to flash in her mind was her time during World War II. One of the only times she was born into an era where she would not hold the Ladybug Miraculous, as Fu was forced to keep them safe after losing the Butterfly and Peacock. In that life she knew nothing of the Miraculous nor her past selves. But she still had some of her magic from the soul shard and she worked to sabotage the Nazi efforts, with him by her side.

In all of the interactions of her lives, he stood in some way beside her, her feelings for him always the same and always so strong. With or without the mask she would always recognize him, for as she looked into his eyes they were always the same, they always held the same soul. She opened her eyes to the world around her, and looked straight into Jason’s teal eyes and smiled.

They may not be soul mates in the traditional sense of the word, but she now knew that she had always chosen to love the Kaiduan of Destruction and that would never change.

Chapter Text

Damian had been numb since hearing that Todd’s soul had crossed with Marinette’s many times before. He did not know what to make of it, and neither did Marinette apparently.  His mind jumped between thoughts, afraid that if he tried to focus on one for too long it would expose a truth he was not ready to face. Was this the end of the good relationship that he and Todd had developed since the checklist? What did this mean for him and Marinette? What future was there for Marinette and Todd? Had Todd known it would come to this all along?

Tikki had been looking at him with so much sympathy in her large blue eyes, it left him feeling like she was admitting Marinette would eventually choose Todd over him.

Watching as Marinette placed the silver ring on his brother’s finger felt foreshadowing and he placed his hand on his own ring finger where the metal that represented his own union to Marinette laid under his skin. He expected the indent to disappear as the ring on his brother’s hand seated, but it remained.

He rubbed it as he watched, hoping that the skin would give way so that the ring would be exposed, and he could show to the room that Marinette was his and under her own skin was the proof that he was hers.

Todd called out the transformation phrase before a green light encased him, momentarily blinding all of the occupants of the room. Watching it felt so wrong, his stomach twisted, and he resisted the urge to rip the ring from his brother’s finger and place it on his own.

The light receded and a distorted image of Red Hood sat in front of them. His outfit was all black and only a domino mask laid on his face instead of his signature helmet. It did not take long to know that the madness had taken over once he had transformed and his eyes glowed a very unnatural toxic green behind the mask. They were reminiscent of Kor’i’s when she was upset with the way the whole socket glowed green, except for the black cat like slits.

Drake jumped into action and screamed ‘venom’ before sticking Todd with his top. His largest brother froze in the seat, but his eyes wandered taking in those around him.

Marinette stood beside him also frozen as she looked like she was peering into the depths of his soul. A warm smile slowly grew on her face as she looked at his brother. A similar look he had seen, just that morning, when she had been looking at him.  

Throughout the time between their marriage and this moment he had thought he had experienced heartbreak many times over, but this moment proved he had not. Watching her look at his brother as if he hung the moon and the stars made him feel physical pain in his heart and he was not sure how anything would ever feel right in the world again.

He was only a second away from walking away from the scene, when his eyes landed on his brother one last time. The brightness of the green in his eyes was receding, it kept him glued to his spot. Despite his own current feelings, he could not fight the happiness that was bubbling to the surface with the knowledge that the change in eye color must have reflected the state of the madness in his head. When the color of his cat eyes turned teal blue, he knew it meant that Todd was finally done with the consequence of his dip in the pit.

The happiness was short lived as Marinette shook her head and seemed to come out of the trance that held her. She looked concerned before she took Todd’s face in her hands. A soft pinkish red glow radiated off her body before transferring to Todd and surrounding the pair. She looked divine as she did it, a literal angel as the atmosphere around her seemed to pick up her hair and radiate the power she was giving off.   

As the light disappeared from around her, she stumbled back slightly, and he caught her before she fell. The smile she gave him temporarily warmed his heart as she searched his gaze for something. The look reminded him of the first time that their eyes met, it was as if again she was searching into the depth of his soul. Once again he knew the exact moment that she found what she was looking for. It was quick, unsettlingly quick, but her smile was so bright, so warm and so comforting. With no words shared between them, he felt that she was telling him that everything would work out.

Todd’s hand twitched and her gaze left Damian’s, as did the warmth. He could not help the glare he sent towards his brother, but it appeared jealousy was a hard emotion to control.

“Why is he moving.” Drake inquired coming to stand directly in front of Todd as if he were a medical mystery.

Marinette grabbed his shoulder and pulled him back, her face hiding amusement at Drake’s reaction. “Venom takes a lot of energy to sustain, most newbies can only produce enough to hold the standard five minutes of power and then about 10 minutes before you transform back.”

“That seems like quite the limitation, does it not change when one is an adult?” It was moments like these that made Damian wonder why Drake had chosen to become a CEO over something that allowed him to research to his heart’s content.

“Who’s to say when one reaches adulthood. Society has placed a magic marker on the age of eighteen, but it wasn’t always that age. We say one becomes an adult when we expect that they have matured to an extent based on markers that are identified by society. Magic does not work the same and yet it does. It decides when you have matured enough to withstand the energy it gives and is required to have. I could give you the miraculous on a long term and probably pretty quickly you would gain some time and strength just because your body is more mature. But magically you’re like a little baby, you need to learn how to use it before you can be expected to excel with it.”

Drake pouted and whispered to himself. “That is why I hate magic.”

Marinette chuckled. “Would you please transform back to Tim so that we can speed this process along. I need to talk to Plagg.”

The bright yellow light that transformed him quickly rippled across his body leaving Drake back to his sweatpants and t-shirt. Todd fell forward, as if he had been previously stopped from getting out of his chair, which he had, causing him to fall to the floor. He rolled out of the fall and up to his feet as if he had intended the action.

The, Jason Peter Todd-Wayne, the family loved was back. He followed through his roll and picked Marinette up off her feet trapping her arms at her side as he swung her around. “Thank you, thank you, thank you.”

She giggled at the antics, and Damian felt himself ready to punch his lights out as he peppered kisses onto her cheeks in between his expressions of gratitude. “I don’t hear it. The voice are gone. I finally feel like myself.” More kisses from Todd and more anger from Damian followed.

“Jason, please I need to talk to Plagg. Can you say ‘Plagg, claws in?’”

He put her on the ground and stepped back from her. “Sure thing Pixie. Plagg, claws in.”

The bright green light flashed around Jason and Plagg came zooming out of his ring. Looking surprisingly energetic having just transformed and undoubtably performing some magic to rid Jason from the corruption, the usually lazy Plagg raced into the arms of Tikki.

If Marinette didn’t know better she would have sworn that the small cat god was crying. It was unsettling and made her all the more confident that something wasn’t right. The eyes that had stared back at her when the madness was alleviated were not the eyes she had admired through the centuries.

“He’s not my Kitten, Sugarcube.” Exactly, Marinette thought.

“What do you mean Plagg?” Tikki tried her best to comfort her other half, but his wails became louder and surprisingly more believable.

He flew up into Marinette’s face, his eye’s pleading for her to understand. “You know what I’m talking about Pigtails. He has my soul shard, but.. It’s. Not. Him!”

Nodding her head in agreement, Marinette looked back at the man standing a few feet beside her. “The eyes are wrong. I’ve looked into them a million times. Even if I don’t know why at the time, I’d recognize them anywhere.”

Plagg followed Marinette’s gaze, before tracing the trajectory in a flash of black. If the situation wasn’t so tense Marinette would have chuckled at the panic clearly written across Damian’s face as Plagg asserted himself. He tried to look at the black cat, but his eyes continued to stray to Marinette.

Plagg’s tail and ears were drooping, reflecting his disheartened feelings. It felt like an eternity after Plagg finally got Damian to maintain his attention on him before his tail suddenly stopped.

She smiled knowingly, sure that Plagg would figure it out. His ears and tail finally stood at attention before Plagg launched his entire being at Damian. “Kitten!”

There was a moment of confusion as Damian’s hands went straight out, his hands twitched as they tried to decide what they should do. Not long after he began to stroke the black cat that had nestled into his chest. Leading to the usually grumpy cat to purr contently. Damian smiled warmly down at Plagg, the sight tugging the memories of similar acts throughout their lifetimes.

A voice ruined the happy reunion. “This all seems like quite the happy moment, but I am just so confused. What just happened?”

Jason couldn’t explain what had happened in the last ten minutes, or even what had happened to him since he had been in the foyer and the madness took over. It had been so quick; he didn’t even have time to try and fight it. One minute he is hearing about Rachel being upset that Damian was happy with his wife, then all the sudden he found out she was Marinette. He was slightly disappointed of course, but happy for his brother. Yet the voice in his head was enraged and he lost the battle he didn’t even know needed to be fought.

The next thing he knew he was standing in front of a bee themed hero that wasn’t Bumblebee, before passing out from exhaustion. When he finally came fully around again he felt in control but exhausted, he was sure it was a similar feeling to how Tim operated. Like his body had been in motion for over twenty-four hours. Well past the point that a body, despite being hyped up on adrenaline or in his case madness, could or should continue. He heard the voice in the recess of his mind, trying to take over again, it was weak, probably a sign of his own exhaustion. He felt moments of it taking over, only for him to push it back.

Marinette approached him at that time and he felt the voice trying once again to take over. It was becoming harder to fight as the exhaustion became too much. He did as she asked though and said the words. He felt an electricity cover his body and the madness win the battle over his mind. Before he lost consciousness once again, he felt a needle being jabbed into his back. He welcomed it, afraid what the madness had done and would do.

The next few minutes were miraculous, he wasn’t sure what happen exactly, but he felt the madness fighting something that wasn’t him. That something was winning as he became more aware of what was happening around him. He saw his family focused on him, concerned faces slowly morphing as they began to smile. At last, it felt like an elastic band that was his constant battle to keep ahold of his sanity clipped. He once again had complete control, but not only that, the voice that was always present in the back of his mind, trying to feed his negative emotions and telling him to do things that he had not allowed himself to entertain since returning to the manor, gone.

Still, something felt wrong, his thoughts were slow, like a three-wheeled cart trying to cross a finish line, they struggled to form. Marinette then grabbed his head and he watched as a red light emitted from her before encompassing him. He wasn’t sure how long it took, but before he knew it he felt like he had before his death by Joker. He knew that he could finally be Jason Peter Todd-Wayne again. No one or thing would influence him, everything now would be because he wanted to do them not because he was listening or trying to contain ignore a voice.

But as he transformed back to himself, he was left feeling that there was regret from those who freed him. His good fortune came at the cost of the small cat like blob’s happiness? Only for it to be returned when he got a good look at Damian. Needless to say, he was confused, and if a quick survey of his family was any indication he wasn’t the only one.

“For some reason you have Plagg’s soul shard, but you’re not the soul that should have it. Damian’s is.” A red blob next to Marinette spoke to answer his question.

“Can he get it back?” Marinette took her eyes off Damian and looked at the red blob, who shrugged her shoulders in response.

Pixie tapped her finger to her lips, before she snapped her fingers and proudly exclaimed, “Bunnix.”

Jason was an avid reader and had stumbled upon many terms during his time as a vigilante and anti-hero, yet he had never heard of a ‘bunnix.’

As if it were a summoning word, a white circle of light with a light blue outline formed in the Batcave and a woman with dark pink hair dressed in a white and light blue suit paired with an umbrella stepped out.

Chapter Text

Bunnix had been waiting for this moment, watching from her burrow the many events that had led to it. Searching in the future and past so she would have the answers to their questions. She wouldn’t lie and say that she hadn’t been waiting in the burrow since five in the morning. Too hyped up, ready to be the catalyst which really starts the Kaiduans of Destruction and Creation’s purpose in this lifetime.

There were very few incarnations of the two that she did not accompany. After all, the Kaiduans of Destruction and Creation were not often called upon unless universal balance was at stake. All too often that required a failsafe, her, to ensure that they were successful in their purpose. Her memories of the times with them were some of her favorites, because when they were involved, life was a rollercoaster. Despite the many ways that this could go down in the end, it would be interesting and an honor to be a part of.

“Sup.” She strolled into the room as if she had been there numerous times, which if she had come as her future self would have been the case. But as it was, she had viewed the cave through her burrow enough times to at least be able to act like a boss. “We should probably go to the debriefing table. We have a lot to discuss.”

Smiling to herself she exited the room and went back to the main cave, leaving a little bit of chaos in her wake as the Bats tried to wrap their mind around what had just happened, while Marinette followed her dutifully.

Jon and Adrien were sitting patiently at the table already. They had been her first stop in the morning, she knew that it would be important for them to be at the meeting as their involvement was inevitable. Fortunately, this was not Jon’s first interaction with her, so he was not surprised when she dropped her transformation to take the seat next to who would become her favorite Bat.

She wasn’t surprised to see Marinette and then by extension Damian coming to sit to the right of Adrien and Jon. The four would form their own group separate from the legacies that surrounded them. Unfortunately, she could not see past her own death to know the final legacy they would leave, but she could guess from the lessons she could take from their past that this legacy would be one of their greatest.

The great Batman, aka Bruce Wayne, was one of the last to come to the table, he brought with him his wife who without saying a word sat beside Damian. Bruce looked slightly perplexed, as he sat next to Tim. Selina shrugged her shoulders. “I’m here to support my son, not you Bruce.”

She took hold of Damian’s hand and lightly squeezed it. Damian’s face softening was barely noticeable, but if you knew what you were looking for you could see it. Stephanie was the final Bat to enter the room pushing Babs in with Cass by their side.

Alix caught Marinette looking at Babs with her eyebrows furrowed before the lightbulb went off. “Ivy’s friend’s daughter?”

The occupants of the table all looked at her in confusion, but Selina smiled. “You think you can help. I guess you’re the girl Ivy told me about?”

Marinette nodded her head. “For obvious reasons I couldn’t tell Ivy exactly what I could do. But if you would like-” she looked at Bab’s, “-I can heal your spine injury in probably three sessions?”

“I’m sorry. What?” Exclaimed Babs, looking at Marinette in equal parts confusion and hope.

“As the Kaiduan of Creation, I have the ability to heal. An injury like yours will take a fair amount of energy so multiple sessions based on my current skills. It’s up to you if you’d like me to try.”

“You’re saying that I will be able to walk again. Fight again?”

“The choice would be yours as to how far I heal you. But I can make it so that the injury was never there, returning your spine to its previous condition, or heal it enough that doctors wouldn’t be confounded if you ever went to a hospital again.”

“How long would it take to complete three sessions?” The excitement in the former Batgirl’s voice was growing.

Marinette smiled warmly. “As long as I’m not needed for anything else... one session tonight, one in the morning and then I’ll have you walking before bed tomorrow evening.”

Barbara was not the only one with tears in her eyes at the news, but hers quickly became sobs as she became overwhelmed by the news. Alix smiled but tried to make it look like one that shared the joy in the news, not in the joy of knowing.

A small group of the heroes went to comfort their friend and wrap her in a tight hug. But the joyous news while shared by those who remained sitting, did nothing to squash the more pressing issues keeping them grounded in their seats. Jason who was seated beside her, was taking her in, his face was scrunched as he tried to figure out why she looked familiar. She laughed because she knew exactly why. She had been caught after his dip in the pit. She was surprised that he was recalling it, despite the state of mind he had been in.

“Yes, you saw me when you came out of the pit. I just had to check on a theory.”

Jason tried to look at her as if she wasn’t a zoo exhibit, but he failed. “Did you get your answer?”

“Yes, and it is that answer that brings me here.”

Damian looked at her in much the same way he had when they first met in one of the conferences seminars. She smiled at him in much the same way. “I told you that you looked like someone I was going to be friends with.” She winked at him and he narrowed his eyes. “Don’t worry D, soon enough you’ll remember just how much I can drive you insane.”

Marinette placed her hand on Damian’s forearm, curbing the hostility that he was currently feeling towards Alix.

Alix cleared her throat loud enough to draw the attention of the people who were still busy crowding Babs. There wasn’t much of a rush, but she knew several of the family members needed to sleep after the long night, even if it was for different reasons.

“Tikki, Plagg, Trixx I am going to need help explaining all of the things this lot will want answers to. Of course, Damian had to be born into a family with a bunch of insatiable detectives.” The three kwami’s flew out to the center of the table ready to contribute. Fluff joined the kwami circle but would hopefully keep her mouth closed as she had a tendency to be more confusing when she tried to help with explanations.

The last time Alix let her talk to someone uninhibited, Lewis Carroll went on to write several books. She’d recently heard that people suspected he was high while writing them.

“I’ve talked to myself a few times and we’ve come up with a working theory with the little information we’ve been able to piece together. But this timeline hasn’t really had a chance to playout yet for us to be able to work past the point of hypothesis. Next time I enter my burrow I’ll know at least if I’m wrong.” Alix was talking more to Fluff at this point, knowing that her Kwami would understand her if no one else.

“Does she always talk in riddles?” Jon asked no one in particular.

“It’s not so much riddles, as its- you need to have more of a context as to how her powers work to follow along.” Adrien tapped his chin as he thought. “Well, I guess you just know that she is speaking in a way that makes sense, but you’ll never really be a part of the club that understands. So, just nod along so you don’t feel stupid.” Adrien whispered in his ear, loud enough for her to hear, Alix refrained from snickering or commenting.

Tim missed his second comment and inquired on Alix. “Would you care to enlighten us so that we might try to follow along?”

In her most serious voice, one that sounded more like a priestess praying at a shrine, Alix spoke. “Oh, Grand Guardian, I humbly request permission to inform these plebians of the intricacies of the Miraculous.” Alix smirked at Marinette, to which her friend responded with a red blush spreading out from her ears.

Marinette tried to cover her embarrassment by rolling her eyes. “As if you don’t know that you already have it or not.”

“True, I was just trying to set a good impression for the new family.” Alix smirked knowing that she would probably hear about her behavior later. Not that she cared. Watching Marinette flustered was hilarious. “Anyway, I am the Kaiduan of Evolution. I can see the past, the present, and the future. Future however is not what you think it is. I can see what may happen based on the way the current is tracking. Think of it like a boat on a river. Just like a river the future has many paths it can take, sometimes ending in the same destination and sometimes completely different. Just like the boat, every person is afforded freewill. This means that they can change the projected path. I can see what is expected, but all too often people choose to go down an unexpected path, or sometimes outside entities force a different choice and that causes a change in the future. When a different decision than expected is made, a new parallel future is created, the other erased. Then only I have knowledge of what could have been.”

“There is not enough coffee in the universe for that to process.” Tim mumbled as he left the table to grab more coffee from the pot that Alfred had been kind enough to bring down.  

In theory it made sense, but what did it really look like in practice. It was what made her the most unique of the Kaiduans, because in reality no one else could manage to wrap their heads around what evolution really meant in a single lifetime. It kept her on her toes!

“Probably not. It is extremely complicated and would take more than a day to even make a dent on the meaning. So.. try this, basically Fluff allows me to enter the time stream and see the past and potential futures. I can then go to these places and change things if the future doesn’t turn out right or look to the past to understand what caused ‘right now.’ I rarely do, mostly I observe. Get to know more than everyone else, even if I don’t get to share with anyone.” She looked out at each of the Bats knowing how her relationship was going to develop with each of them. Not that she could share, no, she would have to wait for each to come to fruition.

“Perhaps we leave it at that, there are more pressing issues, no?” Marinette tried to reel the conversation back to Jason and Damian. Marinette knew all too well, after all she had delt with Alix over many lifetimes, that one does not really grasp the intricacies of the Rabbit Miraculous. She has had lifetimes to try.

“Yea, like… why the fuck you were there when I woke from the pit?” Jason took the opportunity to shout.

“For some reason, the soul shard of the Kwami of Destruction has attached to your soul. Where it clearly does not belong.” Alix stated flatly.

Plagg zoomed into her face, grabbing it with his little paws so that her focus was on him. “Is Damian my Kitten?”

“Yes, Plagg. Damian is and as far as I could tell, held your soul when he was born in this time.” Each time a Kaiduan is born into the world, there is a ripple in the time stream. An alarm of sorts. Fortunately, Alix was born a couple of months before Damian, so she was able to travel back to see herself responding to the shift. Otherwise, she would not have been able to confirm. “Without getting too close, I tried to pay attention to Jason to figure out when the soul piece had come into play for him. From what I could tell when Damian died, the soul piece latched onto Jason.”

“What? Why?” Marinette asked confused, looking between the kwami’s and Alix.

“That isn’t supposed to happen. Our souls are tethered to the Kaiduan’s.” Tikki joined Plagg to hover in Alix’s face.

“Is it because of the way I was brought back?” Damian interjected, looking down at the floor. Ashamed in both his failure to best his clone and the way he was returned to life.

“No, from what I can tell it was almost instantaneous. You died and not even an hour later there was this drastic change in Jason. Your family thought it was because of your death, but I suspect it was because Plagg’s soul was able to calm the madness in his head.” Alix knew better than to smile at Damian. His biggest fear in life was feeling like a failure, losing the soul shard undoubtedly left him feeling such. Understanding what happened would be the only thing that could bring him comfort now, not warm words or expressions.

“But why would I get the piece of Plagg’s soul?” Jason was now intrigued. He remembered the shift in his head. Like there was something other than him controlling the madness. It was the same thing that he felt controlling it the past few days in relation to Marinette.

Plagg looked back at Damian and rolled his eyes before whining. “Stupid Kitten. It actually makes sense. I bet before his soul moved from this plain of existence he destroyed the bond so that the shard would still be here. His protective tendency towards Marinette’s soul would likely have led him to believe that she would still need her Black Cat, having not met her in this life so far. Since the residue of the Pit is basically my essence he could have used it as a conduit to transfer the soul piece.”

“That way the full potential of the Cat Miraculous would be here if needed,” Alix added. “That was my working hypothesis.”

“But, with his lack of experience with the powers and no memories to help, he would never be as powerful.” Tikki looked at Jason, a hint of desperation in her voice. She would naturally be concerned for the future should her Coccinella’s Kitten not be at his full potential in their time of need.

“Tikki, my Kitten is very smart, but when it comes to her, he doesn’t always think things through. Need I remind you?”

“Why would he be so certain that something bad enough was coming that she would need him? Or rather this soul piece?” Bruce Wayne, finally tried to establish a presence in the conversation. Alix was surprised he had not tried to do so earlier, but with all of his boys finally grown, it was about time for him to take a back seat.  

“Creation and Destruction are yin and yang. You do not have one without having the other. Much like Plagg and I, the Kaiduans of Creation and Destruction have always come into circulation with each other. Up to this point, we were concern about this life being different and the possible repercussions. But as you can see that is not the case.” Tikki moved to return to the center of the table to address the room.

“Didn’t exactly answer his question. What is a Kaiduan? In fact, what are you exactly?” Tim continued moving the conversation.

“They are kwami’s” Alix pointed to the small animal like beings. “In layman’s terms, they are gods that are the embodiment of concepts that have come into existence. The ones that you can see exist on this plain by choosing to bond with jewels that are known as Miraculous.” Alix said as if she had said the same thing many times over. Which she had.

“Those of us that decided to stay on this plain had a small price to pay. Being bonded to the jewel rather than being allowed to roam free. The first time a human used these jewels so that they could use some of our magic a piece of our soul broke off and tethered onto them. After we discovered that it remained attached to that soul as it was reincarnated we have taken to the term Kaiduan or First to describe them.” Tikki smiled brightly at Marinette.

“Because they have a piece of our soul, they are able to funnel our powers more efficiently making them more powerful when they are transformed.” Trixx spoke for the first time.

“As well as able to use some of our powers when they are not transformed. Like Marinette’s healing.” Tikki finished.

“Do I have powers?” Jason looked mischievously, raising his eyebrows at Alix, causing her to laugh.

“Yes, among others you can destroy things with your touch. But considering your soul isn’t used to it, I would probably have to teach you how to funnel it first. Thankfully it’s probably why you didn’t destroy Gotham when the madness led to my soul piece going into possessive mode of its bug. Dodged a bullet there.” Plagg snickered.

Batman hummed. “You still have not answered why Damian thought that there was something that he hadn’t faced already, still coming?”

Marinette and Tikki looked at each other. Plagg’s tail started to wag erratically. “The Kaiduan of Creation and Destruction are usually only born when Fate sees something in the timeline that could greatly impact the balance. They are the strongest, most powerful and most experienced of the Kaiduans.”

“While Adrien’s sperm donor, is an asshole and a great warm-up for Pigtails. His wish would not have been catastrophic enough for Fate to bring them in. My kid could have kicked his ass by himself once he figured out who Hawkmoth was.” Plagg showed an uncharacteristic display of affection, by nuzzling up against Adrien’s cheek.

“Not to mention anyone who uses the Ladybug Miraculous, can use Miraculous Ladybug as long as a Miraculous is involved.” Tikki piped up.

“So, you’re saying something worse is on its way other than Hawkmoth and the many other world altering events Damian has been present for so far?” Tim looked like he was about to lose the contents of his stomach.

Color drained from Marinette’s face, as the reality her mind had been drawing in her head since arriving at Gotham finally seemed to be a complete picture. “Way worse,” she whispered.

“What is worse than a man that can create something that can replicate us? Or even, I don’t know Darkseid or Kalibak?” Jason took to pacing behind Alix.

“Kaiduan’s are only born in trying times. Usually only one or two at a time. The more present in one time, the worse off the event Fate foresaw is likely to be.” Alix explained.

“You keep talking about Fate as if it was a person.” Steph was paying attention but felt the information was well above her paygrade.

“Fate is a GOD.” Plagg said in a voice that sounded like it was trying to be intimidating, but it failed because most everyone in the room had seen him when he tried to appear weakened by a lack of cheese.

“Fate see’s the past, fate sees the present and fate see’s every way the future could become.” Fluff spun around in a circle, looking as out of it as her words.

“Explain.” Cass asked the small bunny, but it was Trixx who answered.

“From what we can gather, Fate is a bigger picture Alix, they see what could happen in the future and is able to make sure that certain souls are born into the timeline to allow for the best chance of retaining the delicate balance. When something or someone comes along and threatens it. Fate can select a Kaiduan to be born into the time they are needed, and hope that they will stem the tide into a favorable outcome for the universe.”

“Like when the aliens attacked ancient Egypt, and the Mayan Empire.” Fluff was now hovering upside down.

The room all looked at the Rabbit Kwami trying to determine if she was still talking in riddles or if she was referring to an actual event.

“Are they only born on Earth?” Jon inquired.

Alix tried to sound sagely as she replied. “Yes and no, Kaiduans and Kwami’s are not the only entities in play to maintain balance. But Miraculous are only found on Earth… for now, so that is where the souls are returned to.”

“How bad can it be if the three of you are born in this time.” Barbara was wheeling back and forth in her spot, itching to get to the computer and see if there were any signs of this impending doom.

“The three of us being born together happens often. I am the most recycled soul. I often supervise other miraculous holders.” Alix looked at her nails before buffering them onto her shirt, earning a snort from Jason beside her.

“Whew, so it’s not that bad. Me not having experience won’t be too bad then.” Jason returned to his chair and put his feet up on the table.

“If only it was the three of us.” Marinette reached across the table and slapped at his feet, causing him to sit correctly in his chair.

Trying to ask the question as delicately as possible, Selina looked at her daughter-in-law. “How many of you are there then?”

“That I know of five.” Marinette seemed to curl in on herself, Alix nodded her head confirming. A fact she had been hiding from everyone for some time.

“Who are the other two?” Selina asked, searching the faces of those around the table.

Adrien didn’t look up from the table as he spoke. “I think that we all know the answer.”

“Kaelyn and Kelvin.” Dick paled slightly, realizing exactly which of the Miraculous they knew the pair belong to.

“The Kaiduan’s of Protection and Intuition.” Marinette clicked her tongue. The pairs powers are some of the most beneficial in offense and defense. If Fate felt them a necessity for the upcoming future…”

“So how bad will it be?” Jon inquired.

Alix looked solemnly. “You know I can’t tell you that. Even if I could give you a hint I could only tell you the way it currently plays out, not how it will be based on what happens five minutes from now.”

“That bad then?” Marinette sadly smiled.

Alix looked at her friend and thinly smiled. “It’s not going to be a walk in the park, but you’ve always come on top Bug… when we’ve really needed you to.”

Marinette closed her eyes, taking a deep breath before slowly letting it out as she was lost in thought. “Is there a way we can get the soul piece back to where it belongs?”

Alix rubbed her hands together in excitement. “Thought you’d never ask.”

Chapter Text

“Be right back.” The girl Alix, called on her transformation before she disappeared into a portal before them.

There was a loud silence in the room, as everyone tried to take in the information that had just been shared at the table. Even without whatever Alix would soon share with them, there were many uncomfortable conversations that would need to happen.

Jason would need to apologize first and foremost. For the first time in years his mind was clear of any influence other than his own thoughts and yet, he honestly felt conflicted. He looked at Marinette and was surprised to find that all the lust and attraction that he had felt for her, even just a few hours ago, gone.

Sure, she was still attractive and a badass, but he didn’t want to take her against the wall anymore. How was it that such strong desires and impulses could just disappear?

The small being named Plagg caught him staring at her and smirked. It made Jason uncomfortable, he didn’t want the small god to think that he had impure thoughts towards his sister-in-law. He used to, but were they really his thoughts? Or was there something influencing it?

“Let’s go ahead and get it out there.” Plagg began loud enough that it caught the attention of everyone in the room. “I bet you’re wondering why you wanted to have Marinette in ways you shouldn’t and now you don’t?”

Jason looked around the room, a little embarrassed that he was so easy to read. Those at the table looked at him with a little sympathy or at the small god with interest. The only one not to do so was Damian, who looked at him as if he wanted to plant a dagger through his chest, probably suspecting that the feelings may still be lingering.

Not knowing how to respond, Jason nodded his head.

“The soul piece you have, contains the whispers of memories from my Kitten’s and Pigtail’s lives. That draws you towards her. Mixed with the influence from the Pit probably overwhelmed the emotions outside of your control, and then my protective nature mixed with all that. Dangerous combination. Now that the madness no longer has control you’ve probably still got some strong pull towards her, but you’ve got more control on how those feelings manifest.” Jason nodded again. “Whatever you feel towards Marinette has been amplified by the madness as well as the soul piece. You weren’t really in control so you shouldn’t feel bad... Unless you still feel that way?”

No, he wanted to protect her, even if she could do it herself. But that was it. He wanted to laugh with her and help her annoy Demon Spawn, but that was as far as his feelings towards her went. Thank God.

“No, she’s my little sister. That’s it. I am really happy Damian has her. They are perfect for each other. Now that I think about it, I know it was my voice in my head thinking otherwise.”

Damian’s scowl relaxed with his words. Jason knew that he owed him more. “I’m sorry about the things that I said. She is exactly what you need, and I know you’re exactly what she needs and more than worthy of her.”

Damian stood from his chair beside Marinette and walked around the table. Jason stood from his seat ready to receive the hit that he deserved for his behavior, even if it wasn’t really his fault.

He was surprised however, when Mr. Emotionally Constipated wrapped his arms around him and gave him an awkward hug. Jason froze from the shock, but surprised even himself when he returned the affection.

A quick survey of the room showed its occupants in an equal amount of shock, except for Jon and Adrien who were smiling as if they had just watched the perfect ending to a Korean drama. He would have pulled away quickly, if he hadn’t caught sight of Marinette, her smile mimicked Jon and Adrien’s but her eyes sparkled with an understanding of just how monumental the moment was. Because of it, Jason couldn’t pull away from the hug as if caught doing something he shouldn’t. Instead, he chose to embrace the gesture for what it was, further progress in his and Damian’s relationship.

Admittedly, the moment lasted a little longer than it should, and he could feel Damian tensing. Both were unsure how to end the moment without it being awkward. Fortunately, they were saved by the appearance of Bunnix’s portal.

Shockingly, it was not the eighteen-year-old Bunnix that stepped out. Instead, it was one that looked to be closer to his own age. She quickly dropped her transformation before taking a seat beside him.

She winked at him as he took her in. Alix was still sporting her signature pink hair, but the style was more mature. Gone was the quirky side pony and instead it was styled in a way that drew attention to her bright aqua blue eyes. She wore denim shorts over a pair of black leggings that accentuated her toned legs and perky ass. A hot pink shirt was covered by a black leather jacket that looked like a mirror to one of his own.

She looked like she belonged on the back of his motorcycle.

He always thought that a woman in stilettoes was his wet dream, but the combat boots she sported he wished would push him down and hold him in place instead.

Fuck

Alix watched as Jason shifted uncomfortably in his chair. Of course, she knew exactly what was plaguing his mind and she couldn’t help the smirk that formed knowing that she was the cause. She was careful to hide anything that would give her away, because she knew better than anyone what happens when you mess with time. But watching her husband squirm the first time he realized he was physically attracted to her was hilarious.

It begged the question, however, was this the first time? Or would the first time be when it naturally happened in the timeline two years from now when she finally turned twenty and they became more than close friends? Even with her extensive experience with surfing the timeline she couldn’t decide.

There was no hiding the fact that they were in a relationship from herself, but she did keep how they got there on the DL. The future was uncertain, there were far too many points that a single decision would impact the direction the future would take, including their relationship. As she became burden with trying to ensure that there was a future for Earth, Jason would become her rock and she didn’t need for the current version of herself to try and force a relationship when it really needed to form naturally from the strong platonic bond they would come to share.

Besides, he wasn’t attracted to the eighteen-year-old version of her, and she would gladly say ‘thank fuck for that.’ Eighteen-year-old Alix was a work in progress, just trying to find who she was. Her past self already felt drawn into Jason’s bad boy aesthetic and it wouldn’t be long into their friendship that some of his pieces would disappear and find their way into her wardrobe, like her current jacket. With Marinette’s help she was able to express herself in a comfortably masculine influenced bad girl. Something that she now knew Jason was really attracted to, even now. Added to her sparkling personality, that she eventually hones, Jason couldn’t resist, and eventually he didn’t.

She had to look away from him before she risked giving too much away, after all this wasn’t her Jason, not yet.

“Alix, how bad is it if we are graced by the older version of you?” Alix’s smile dropped slightly; she had been too distracted by Jason that she almost forgot the reason behind her visit.

“Sorry Minibug, I know that my presence always sets you on edge. But this time, I come with the gift of good news. I only came because it’s easier for me to work through this with you than it would have been for Minibunny.”

“So is there a way to get Damian his soul back?” Jason chuckled at his own joke, causing Alix to do the same.

“I think so.” Alix replied.

“You mean you don’t know.” Damian glared at her, a response that she had been expecting.

She smiled at him condescendingly. The versions of the Kaiduans didn’t change too much with each reincarnation, at the core they were always the same person, the same soul. But, as with all else, the experiences in their current lives always influenced their personalities. Unfortunately, Fate was forced to make this one the product of the League of Assassins so that he could be where he needed to be. That meant he was a little more hoity than normal. Fortunately, Marinette would help mellow him back to normal, otherwise…

“Look Demon Spawn,” Jason snickered beside her, and she cringed slightly, she couldn’t help what she picked up from him. “We literally just figured out that our theory behind where the soul piece went and why was right. In other words, the future has already been rewritten and I am dealing with more possible futures and a new one even for my future self.”

She watched as the table seemed to be confused by her words. She rolled her eyes; she really did have the hardest Miraculous to deal with. There were so many times that she wished that she could go all the way back in time and stop herself from transforming that first time, but those feelings were fleeting, so she guessed she was lucky that the magic prevented her from doing so.

“In other words, the future is being written based on the decisions and actions we’re making right now. So, as we discuss and come up with a plan, new memories are being written so I should know if we are successful or not.”

“Doesn’t that mess with time and aren’t you not supposed to do that?” Steph asked what everyone was thinking.

“Usually, but this is a special circumstance. I can’t give you details but just know that Damian not having his soul piece is knocking the balance of the universe. So, me making sure that he gets it back is more important right now. Just don’t ask questions, I’ll share what I think is important, but know that while I’m doing this to restore balance, overstepping will only knock it back off.”

“So, what’s the theory?” Marinette spoke, trying to get the conversation back on track.

Alix took a deep breath and slowly released it. “Jason has to die.”

The room became quiet, so quiet that the drips of water from the caves’ ceilings sounded as if they were under a microphone.

Jason shook his head, “What the fuck do you mean I have to die.”

“Language, Master Jason.” Alfred spoke from the shadows as he brought a tray full of drinks to the table.

“Sorry Alfred, but I think I have every right to curse at a woman that walks into the cave with my execution warrant.”

Alix rolled her eyes. “It will only be temporary.”

“Alix, you know that I can’t bring him back to life if he dies.”

“Yes, unless he dies at the hand of a Miraculous.”

She made eye contact with Marinette’s as she connected the dots. “Oh, but…”

“You mean Ladybug can’t just bring anyone back to life?” Tim looked slightly pale from the news.

ringing a soul back requires balance. Which is why the Lazarus Pit leads to madness as it takes a piece of your humanity. When a soul leaves this plain, it is fated and should not return until its reincarnation. Miraculous Ladybug is only able to bring back life because miraculous are used to maintain balance and for good. So, when it is used for other means and cause death the magic allows for the soul to return. But only if it is used by the Kaiduan of Creation.  Marinette is the only person who can funnel enough of my magic to break through the plain and return the soul. Anyone else who uses my Miraculous would not be able to do so.” Tikki interjected.

“Are Miraculous so limited when used by non-Kaiduans?” Tim pushed.

“Yes and no. As with all magic, the vessel using it must grow with it. So, someone new to using it would be hindered in their abilities. As they continue to use it they get better. Which is why when Adrien and Marinette first started they had a five-minute time limit after using their special powers. Marinette has tapped into her soul piece and therefore no longer has one, but as Adrien has grown with his magic usage he can now hold his transformation for more than fifteen-minutes. If he had started as a Fox his illusion would be small, unable to move, unable to respond to their environment. Now because he has grown with his magic he can make large, complex, flexible and even mostly autonomous illusions. In fact, he is so attuned to my Miraculous he can even create new illusions when one is already in existence. My Kaiduan has been the only other user that I’ve ever known that has been able to do that. I imagine in time, Adrien will be capable of accomplishing everything my Kaiduan can with my Miraculous. The only difference is without my soul piece, he is unable to do so untransformed.” Trixx bragged.

Adrien looked like he was about to cry from Trixx’s kind words and the slight wiggle from his nose might have indicated he was trying hard to prevent just that.

“What are the limitations for the Ladybug and Cat Miraculous.” Dick asked curiously.

“As the two most powerful Miraculous’ they require the most amount of energy to use. No one other than our Kaiduans have been able to tap even a portion of their potential. Usually, the Cat can only destroy a single item, much like Chat Noir was able to. Adrien became so good at it he was able to destroy larger items that many others have been unable to.” Plagg bragged.

“A Ladybug usually is able to call upon my Lucky Charm and is limited to repairing damage that is caused by a Miraculous. Which isn’t often as there haven’t been very many times that they have been used incorrectly. Marinette can repair damage and death caused by a Miraculous as well as repair damage on a large scale caused in battles that a Miraculous is involved, even if it did not directly cause the damage. And that is only a small part of what she can do.”

“Just not bring back to life people who are killed by other means.” Tim closed his eyes, no doubt thankful that his death was caused by a Miraculous.

“I can heal someone from the brink of death, as I had for Ivy. But no, once the soul has crossed over, I can only bring it back if a Miraculous is directly involved in its cause.”

“Okay, so as long as I am killed by someone wearing a Miraculous I’ll come back. Fucking awesome, still got to be killed though.”

“How do we ensure that Jason is able to push the soul piece back as Damian had. From my understanding this is not something that had been done before?” Bruce interrupted.

“Wow B, way to sound so clinical about it. Glad to know that my impending death is going to affect you about as much as my last one.” Jason huffed. Alix felt for him, even without the madness plaguing his thoughts, the bitterness of his death was still present.

“Jason, you know that isn’t how Bruce feels. He has a hard way of showing it, but we all know just how much he was affected by your death.” Selina looked at him pointedly.

He growled under his breath before rolling his neck and releasing the tension in his shoulders. “You’re right. Sorry B.”

Alix couldn’t help rolling her eyes again, a common occurrence when she was with her family. Seven years later and emotional responses were still something that they were working on.

“In regard to your question, I am not sure. I don’t have any way to help him when he gets on the other side, as mortals aren’t able to cross and come back. We have to hope that he will be able to figure it out while he’s there and we don’t try and pull him back too early.”

“Mortals may not be able to, but part demons might. Part demons like Raven?” Tim pondered aloud.

“You mean the same demon that just had a meltdown upstairs because Damian is married?” Jon raised his eyebrow at Tim. “Not saying she wouldn’t. Guess it doesn’t really hurt to ask? I can do it and tell you what she says.” Jon interrupted before leaving the table, taking out his cellphone to call Raven while the rest of the family continued their conversation.

“So aside from being sure that he can push the piece back, how can we ensure that Damian receives it? Wasn’t it the Lazareth Pit residue that allowed it last time?”

“Ahh, that one’s easy. He just needs to wear my Miraculous.” Plagg said before he threw a piece of Camembert into his mouth from the tray Alfred provided.

“Won’t that make him sick?” The concern for Damian was plastered all over Adrien’s face. No doubt remembering the pain from the last time he tried to transform with Plagg.

“As long as he doesn’t try to transform while Jason’s alive, he’ll be fine.” Plagg dismissed Adrien’s statement with a flick of his wrist.

“Which just begs the question…Who’s going to kill Jason?”

Chapter Text

“A grande caffe lungo? Per favore.” The barista looked unimpressed at Lila’s Italian. His face remained blank as he looked the model up and down.

“This isn’t Starbucks, sweetheart. Perhaps you would like to order from our menu?”

Adrien held back his laugh, enjoying someone finally acting unimpressed by the Italian’s flirtatious habits.  Lila had spent the morning speaking either Italian or French to the various high school students who had joined them for the tour of Metropolis University. So far everyone had been impressed by her language skills and her fables, so it was always appreciated when someone saw through them.

“I’ll have a double expresso please.” Lila huffed before handing her money and moving to the receiving end of the counter.

Adrien ordered his black coffee, an unfortunate side effect of not being allowed the extra calories due to his father’s strict diet, before moving to the side to join her.

He wasn’t sure how she had managed it, but what was meant to be a solitary excursion, turned into another day of cling-on level five.

Saturday had been draining to say the least. After a whirlwind of events starting on Friday night, it didn’t stop until late Saturday evening. There was a lot to process, most notably that there was at least one world ending event on the horizon and Alix would not give any hints as to what or who.

Knowing that something like that was coming made simple things like which college Adrien intended to attend in the fall, seem inconsequential. But as with Hawkmoth, the impending sense of doom was always on their doorstep and so, it was business as normal. At least until Raven was able to join them to perform the ‘ritual’ on Damian and Jason.

Hence his tour of MU. He had gotten into both Gotham University and Metropolis University, but he was stuck trying to decide between the two. Over the weekend Marinette had easily decided that she was going to take the scholarship to Gotham University that came with the conference prize.

So, while Marinette and Damian would be attending GU together in the fall and get to be the romantically disgusting couple, Adrien had to decide if he’d rather be in Gotham with his best friend or Metropolis with his boyfriend. Either would provide him the ability to remain close to both as the distance between the cities was manageable. Not to mention Jon would still be attending Gotham Academy for his final year of high school. But Adrien also wanted to be close to Kaelyn and Kelvin, they were family after all.

In the end either university would afford both pros and cons in terms of distance to the things he loved, so he decided to let the campus and their programs decide for him.

It was extremely hard however for him to be able to take in and try to appreciate what MU had to offer when he was forced to listen to Lila yet again. Somehow or another she had managed to get herself on the tour with him, although she had expressed little to no interest in Metropolis prior to it. He suspected she likely met someone at the gala on Saturday. She had at the very least kept her distance from his person, at least more so than usual, taking the warning he gave her last week a little to heart.

That was what he thought before her arms latched on his as they waited for their drink in the university coffee shop the tour guide had dropped them off at.

“Isn’t this campus amazing, I can just see us fitting in perfectly.”

“Lila, when it comes to you and me, there is no us.” Adrien grabbed her hand and pulled it off his arm. He tried to be as direct as possible without hurting her, but he was so over her touches that he was sure he probably took after Damian in that moment by almost breaking her hand. “I thought I warned you that your physical contact was to stop immediately?”

“I don’t know why you suddenly are rebuffing something that comes so naturally between us.” Lila purred, removing herself from his person. She still stood awkwardly close, but he would take what he could get.

“There you go again with the us. I have never been comfortable with you touching me in any capacity.” She opened her mouth to rebuff his words; he continued before she could. “It was not my decision to allow it to happen, my father, in short, forced me. Now that I am eighteen and my contract with him ends once we graduate, I am no longer going to do what he asks. I owe him and you nothing. I will no longer allow my father to dictate who is allowed to sexually harass me. The answer by the way, is no one, including you.”

It felt so good to get it out in the open, to really call her on her behavior. His father had lost any hold over him the moment his true character was exposed, and without Hawkmoth, he no longer had to worry about angering her enough to cause an akumization. Not to mention, if needed, his boyfriend could kick her into outer space by accident.

“I didn’t know that you didn’t want it. My intention was never to sexually harass you.”

“You know I don’t fall for your lies, so I don’t know why you keep them up with me. Although, I guess you’re right, your intention was not to sexually harass me. It was to get in my pants and then try and use me to gain influence, fame and wealth.”

Lila’s demeanor instantly changed. She went from innocent flirt to viper in ten seconds flat. “Don’t flatter yourself Adrien. A model is the bottom of the barrel in terms of influence. There are bigger fish to catch than you.”

Adrien laughed, “You mean like Damian Wayne.”

“How was I supposed to know about Damiboo’s indiscretion?” Adrien rolled his eyes, even with the cease-and-desist order she was still holding on to that lie.

“Lila isn’t there an order out against you that makes sure you don’t keep spreading lies like that.”

Lila scoffed. “They can sue me for all I care, with Bruce Wayne’s reputation, it wouldn’t be hard to convince a judge that it is Damian who is lying. I’m not worried.”

She might be right, if she does have these meta powers that Jon and he were certain she had. At least the story was retracted from the tabloids and Damian’s reputation scrubbed clean. It didn’t hurt that they were able to use his new relationship with Marinette to explain that it was a scorn admirer who spread the rumor.

Still, it begged the question of would she really be able to use her powers to convince a judge that she was the victim in all of this. He didn’t really have to worry about it. If any family could go toe to toe with the likes of Lila, it was the Waynes. Especially, since they had the weight of the Daily Planet behind them thanks to the Kents.  

“If you continue to string this web of lies, eventually they will catch up with you Lila.” He picked up his coffee that had conveniently just been placed on the counter and made his way to a table in view of the large shop windows. Leaving her high and dry before she could respond.

He waited patiently at the small table, waiting for Jon so he could meet the parents, but his quiet moment was ruined by two things. First, Lila pulling up a chair and choosing to sit beside him. The second, the knowledge that someone was watching them.

He tried to watch the stranger in a way that would not be easily noticed. But, this guy was good, he was able to position himself so that the only way Adrien would be able to take note of anything about him, other than his lack of hair, was to completely expose himself to similar scrutiny.

As he grew tired of being the victim of someone’s interest, he was of half a mind to march himself over and cause a scene. Before it came to that however, the man rose from his seat and made his way over to the table.

His eyes focused on Adrien and it caused him to shutter. Adrien was unable to completely read the intent behind the man’s eyes, but was able to understand it was nothing good. The man’s eyes quickly changed targets to Lila, who lit up from the man’s attention.

He was easily old enough to be her father, but it didn’t stop her from shifting her shirt enough to expose -well more than she already was- her chest. Adrien knew she was desperate, but not that desperate.

“Fancy seeing you here.” She preened, seductively biting her finger as it rested on her bottom lip.

Jon had been disappointed when breakfast had been canceled, but he understood the reasoning. The time between Adrien, Kelvin and Kaelyn was precious, needed to be protected. Allowing someone like Lila into that sanctuary was something that he couldn’t allow. He wouldn’t expose Kelvin and Kaelyn to someone as manipulative and potentially as powerful as Lila Rossi.

Which was why he almost shit himself when he walked into the small campus coffee shop to see Lila conversing with no other than Lex Luther. It was a match made in some dark corner of hell that even the Devil himself would have tried to prevent. If Luther ever caught wind of the potential power that Adrien and he believed that she was capable of, the duo could create a heap more trouble than the man alone was able to, which to be fair was quite a bit.

Adrien fortunately seemed to be on the same wave link even if he didn’t know the kind of man Luther was. From the distance he could see Adrien was giving Luther his model smile as he responded to his questions. As soon as Lex would look away, the edge of his lips would curl down, and his eyes would look warily at both Lila and her male companion.

Jon stood some distance back listening to the exchange, curious as to how Lex Luther had somehow attached himself to the two Parisian teenagers. Sure, Lila was uniquely attractive, she was a model after all, but he was old enough to be her father. Not that he was sure that had stopped the likes of him before. Adrien as much as he tried not to, exuded a confidence and attire that screamed money; it might have attracted Lex to them, he was always looking for ways to secure more money and more power. But fashion did not seem to be in his wheelhouse; it seemed like too much of a stretch to believe that he would have searched out Adrien.

Perhaps and scary if it was true, Lila had been the one to seek out Luther. From what Adrien had told him about her she craved money, power, and admiration. Things that someone like Lex Luther had in spades. It did seem to be the more likely cause for the scene in front of him. Lila Rossi had chosen her next catch. Unfortunately for her, or was it for the world, she didn’t really know the kind of man she had chosen.

She praised Luther, as she batted her eyes at him. She smiled seductively when he spoke to her alone. Their conversation was tame considering how wrong it was, keeping to pleasant things like her past, the campus, and his business.

Jon also noticed that she would scowl slightly when the attention was taken away from her and briefly given to Adrien. Luther was not one to pass on an opportunity. Ignoring Adrien, even if he were drawn to Lila would set a bad president, but that obviously didn’t matter to Lila. As Adrien would answer with simple three worded sentences or simple yeses and noes, Jon couldn’t feel prouder of his boyfriend for recognizing a snake when he saw one. At least Lila had been good for something, teaching Adrien that there were people who could talk like silk but were true vipers.

If he couldn’t save the world from the duo of Rossi and Luther now, he could save his boyfriend at least. Then informing his dad shortly after.

Jon walked up to the table, standing off to Adrien’s shoulder waiting for the other occupants to recognize his presence. Adrien being the superhero he was, had noticed his arrival as soon as Jon had started to approach. Jon had noticed it when his smile became real but kept his attention on Lex and Lila.

Finally, Luther took his eyes off Lila long enough to notice the presence of another at their table. He looked in Jon’s direction before he had to do a double take. Clearly not expecting to see Jon, especially not standing at the table as if he were expected.

“Kent Jr. To what do I owe the pleasure.” He ground out through his teeth. As much as Luther hated Superman, he hated Clark and Lois Kent just as much, if not more. So, by extension he also hated Kent Jr.

“You don’t owe a thing Mr. Luther. I am here for my boyfriend, nothing more.” He made eye contact with the menace of Metropolis, trying to make sure that the look he was giving him relayed that he was lucky it was ‘nothing more.’

“Mr. Agreste here is your boyfriend?” Even Lila looked a little dumbfounded by the news.

“Yes sir.” Adrien stood from his chair and placed his arm snuggly around Jon’s waist. “I got really lucky the day Jonathon Kent agreed to date me.”

He kissed Jon lightly on the cheek, before turning his own eyes on Luther and Lila. Jon couldn’t be sure what his eyes were saying exactly, but from the look Lex was giving back it probably looked like his own.

“Well, I hate to take you away from a conversation with a new acquaintance, but the rents are watching the kids and waiting for us.”

As Adrien turned to look at him, he could see the remnants of the hostile look before it merged into a loving one.

“Best get going, you know Kaelyn hates when people aren’t predictably on time…” He winked knowing that Jon would pick up on the joke. “Mr. Luther, it was nice to meet you.”

Adrien looked at Lila, like he was about to add something, but closed his mouth and turned to Jon, taking his hand as he led them out of the café.

“I really don’t like leaving her with him, but I don’t want to have to hang out with her to prevent it from happening.” Adrien finally said as they were about a block from the café.

“Do you know Lex Luther?” Jon tried to get ahead of him just slightly to gage his reaction to the question.

“No, but I don’t get a good vibe from him. He gives off a similar vibe to Lila, like he’s manipulative. It was really gross having to sit there and listen to the two of them talk and flirt?”

“So, they were flirting?” Jon wiggled his eyebrows, laughing at his boyfriend’s discomfort, before cringing as he allowed a brief picture to playout in his mind. Gross!

“You missed about a good fifteen minutes of it. I knew that Lila was ruthless, but I didn’t realize she would be willing to go that far.”

“My family knows Luther on both sides, and he is bad news. We’ll have to let my dad know, if she really is a meta those two together can only spell one thing-”

“Bad news?” Adrien cut him off.

“Exactly.” Jon lifted Adrien’s hand that had been enclosed by his own and kissed the inner wrist. A habit he had taken up since they started dating. He hoped that the repeated behavior would make it so Adrien would think of him every time he looked down at his palm. “Ready to meet the family?”

“I won’t say that it wouldn’t be intimidating enough to really get to meet your father as your boyfriend, but now knowing who I’m really meeting…I’m scared I might piss myself.”

Jon smiled and looked down at the sidewalk shaking his head. “Don’t worry, at the end of the day their just Mom and Dad, that’s who they really like being known as.”

He pulled Adrien’s hand a little to get him to speed up slightly. They had just turned the corner of the restaurant they were set to meet his parents, Kaelyn, and Kelvin, when a loud explosion shook the atmosphere and utter chaos commenced.

Chapter Text

Jon looked back at Adrien but didn’t say a word. Adrien knew what he was silently asking and knew the answer he had to give. This was Metropolis, Superman’s and Superboy’s turf, Jon needed to go, Adrien couldn’t expect for him to sit by while his city was in peril. Much like Renard would have if the tables were flipped and this was a Miraculous matter.

So, Adrien shook his head and nodded in the direction of the explosion. Jon took off into the closest door, seconds later Superboy flew towards the smoke that had begun to rise between the buildings just ahead.  Adrien continued to watch until his boyfriend flew past the corner and he was left alone on an unknown street.

The loud booming rocked the nearby buildings; the time between them seemed to increase. It concerned Adrien, he knew that almost nothing man-made could seriously hurt his boyfriend, yet the city his boyfriend called home was not as indestructible. If he was correct the sound he was hearing was from cannons, but having not heard a real one in person he couldn’t be sure.

He rocked on his toes to fight the temptation to run into battle. It had been five years since the last time he had not run directly into danger and away from it. Yet, he knew better than most that this was not his fight. This was Superman’s and Superboy’s.  Ladybug would not be happy if he made this a Miraculous matter. Still…

As if the decision was made before he was able to process what his mind had decided, his feet began to carry him towards the battle. When the sound of the cannon’s was loud enough to convince him that he was close to the cause of the destruction, he turned into the nearest alley to transform.

“Trixx?” His kwami flew out from his jacket, giving him a pleased grin.

“Shall we join your partner, Kit?” Trixx’s eyes searched his own looking for something in his gaze.

Adrien furrowed his brows, confused by Trixx’s comment. “No Ladybug isn’t here.”

Trixx smiled mischievously, licking her canines as if she were up to something. “I wasn’t talking about Ladybug. You will always be a team, but she has her partner, the Black Cat, now need yours.” She gestured her head in the direction Adrien knew Superboy was fighting.

Adrien looked in the same direction. His heart raced with Trixx’s words. Ladybug would always be his first partner, but somehow he always knew it was temporary. He knew she was only his during the fight against Hawkmoth. She would always be his friend, teammate, and his leader, and so it would be as long as he had a Miraculous. But partner? Trixx was right, Damian was hers and now Adrien needed to choose his own.

And he chose Jon, if he would have him too.

“Trixx. Let’s pounce.” A bright orange light surrounded him leaving Renard Noir in his stead.

He dashed off without further hesitation into the battle, where he belonged.  

Smoke drifted through multiple streets, but the battle seemed to be concentrating down just one. As Renard Noir turned down the street he entered a chaotic scene. It looked like the Battle of Waterloo had been transported to take place on the modern street. Soldiers dressed in nineteenth century uniforms stood on opposing sides; one in British regale, the other French. Rifles and cannons took aim and fired at the opposing sides, causing casualties among the soldiers, the buildings, and cars around them. Fortunately, the civilians in the area new better and seemed to take refuge away from the battle. Only Superman and Superboy were left fighting the forces as best as they could while trying to prevent further damage to their city.

Renard Noir jumped up to one of the larger buildings to survey the battle below him. He chose to observe first so that he might know the best way to assist. As he watched quietly it became obvious from the movements of the ‘soldiers,’ they were nothing more than toys, unfortunately, with real bullets and cannon balls.

Soldiers and cannons were destroyed alike, either by ‘enemy’ fire or by the Supers. But the destruction seemed endless as they were replaced as easily as destroyed. Whomever had created the minions had been doing so for some time as there were many to spare.

Renard watched in wonder as the bullets that managed to find their way to his boyfriend and his father were casually deflected back to the ground. It made him curious if his own suit would offer the same protection. It was suspected, but Ladybug and he had never been one to unnecessarily test theories. After all, they could never risk the fact that the Miraculous Cure might not bring him back.

Unfortunately, the cannons did not quite have the same effect. Superboy wasn’t paying too much attention to the bullets and cannons firing at him and stepped or rather flew right into the path of a cannon ball. It hit him directly in the chest. His body flew with the ball right into the side of a building, leaving a large crater.

When the hero did not immediately emerge from the wreckage, Renard began to panic. He didn’t think that his boyfriend would be able to succumb to something so simple as a cannon. But having been hit with similar objects during his time as a hero he knew that it would hurt and possibly take him out temporarily. Or even worse, with Superboy crashing through the building it was possible that he had been impaled by something on the other side.

Renard leapt from the building he was standing on and made his way quickly but still stealthy into the hole Superboy had created.

The inside of the building looked worse than the outside. Desks, papers, partitions among other things were scattered around the floor in multiple pieces. The cannonball would have caused a fair amount of damage but adding a steel like body to the mix caused a lot more.

There was no sign of Superboy, the ball itself was lodged into a far wall. Renard panicked slightly more, unsure where he would find his boyfriend. He raced inside and began to overturn the many desks and partitions that littered the floor. Each turned up with only more broken pieces and no half-alien beneath them.

“Superboy? Superboy!” Renard voiced, trying to remain calm, knowing he was panicked for no reason. He’d seen videos of his boyfriend being thrown through walls before, always emerging as if he had just jumped into a foam pit. This should have been nothing. Yet, where was he?

The sounds of the battle continued to rage outside. The volley of cannons and bullets had not relented in the five minutes that he had been searching. Yet he could hear two distinct voices yelling over the commotion; it was only thanks to his superhearing that he was able to make them out. He recognized one of them instantly and it gave him hope. He moved back to the hole that the cannon ball made to peer out onto the battle scene. There was Superboy once again fighting courageously against the toys.

Renard was unsure how he had missed his departure from the building, but he was glad for it. His heart and nerves finally settled, as he watched the Supers work together to try and finish the battle. There was no doubt in his mind that the pair would be able to defeat whichever villain was responsible. Yet, the destruction to the city was horrific and with no Miraculous Cure, the cost and manpower to fix it would be astronomical. How did people continue to live in a city that could and often did face so much destruction?

The battle needed to end and soon. He tried his hardest to think of a way to accomplish that. When dealing with Hawkmoth, they would look for the akumatized person, the leader in a sense. Take out the leader and the minions would fall. It was safe to assume that the toys would react the same, yet there didn’t seem to be an obvious controller in sight. Perhaps he or she worked in a similar fashion as Hawkmoth, behind the scenes. It would explain why the Supers were focused on fighting the minions.

Studying the toys a little closer, he realized that when they encountered one of the Supers they acted confused, as if not prepared to interact with them. It must be outside of their programing or something. Which made sense if they were trying to recreate a battle, which would mean if he were able to completely change the parameters in which the battle was being fought, they might not know how to react.

Renard racked his brain trying to come up with the best illusion he could create that would go completely against the ‘programing.’

Using his boyfriend and his father as inspiration and hoping that he didn’t offend them with his less than accurate depiction, the fox hero pictured his illusion before placing his baton to his mouth to play a little melody. The orange ball of energy pulsed at the bottom of his baton before he pointed it up into the sky and whispered ‘mirage.’

Not having any experience with the subject and only having a few movies in mind to draw inspiration, the sky in Metropolis darkened as a large metal circular object eclipsed the street in which the soldiers’ battle took place. It looked like the battle scene from “Independence Day,” as many smaller ‘alien’ space craft began to fire on the toy soldiers. Renard wished that he would have been able to warn his boyfriend before he began the illusion as he watched Superman and Superboy try to take cover among the wreckage from the fire of the new player.

As the lasers from his illusion began to rain down between the toys, he watched in glee as the heads of the soldiers began to shake side to side as if trying to analyze what was happening around them, but unable to do so. It took some time, but eventually smoke began to come out of their ears and the toys heads all but exploded.

His plan had worked, and he had done it without Ladybug. He truly felt in that moment that he had come into his own as a hero. While he longed for a partner, at that moment Renard knew that he didn’t need one.

Superboy took shelter with his father under a piece of a building that had fallen due to the cannon fire. The new enemy was unexpected and concerning. The toy soldiers were no doubt the work of the Toyman, someone they would have to work to find once they had destroyed all his playthings. While Toyman was annoying and the damage he was causing would take millions to repair, an unknown alien invasion of this multitude was worse.

“Do you have your comm on you? We need to call for backup.” His dad placed his hand on his shoulder. He reached into his pocket and gave his dad his earpiece. A call from Superman was needed if they wanted support as quick as possible; Superboy just didn’t have the same weight to throw around.

He returned his gaze to the battle before them. He watched in awe as the toy soldiers appeared to be just as confused by the sudden appearance of a new enemy and he was shocked to see them combust because of it. He breathed a sigh of relief knowing at least they would only be fighting one enemy now.

He noticed that as the lasers that were being fired from the spaceships contacted anything, they seemed to release an orange haze yet not burn or singe what they had come in contact with.

A smile spread quickly, and he placed his hand on his dad’s shoulder before he was able to call into the Justice League. “It’s okay Dad, its not an alien takeover.”

“What are you talking about? I don’t know of any one on Earth that has this kind of technology.” His dad looked at him as if he were trying to figure him out. It was exceedingly rare for him to know more than his dad and apparently it made the Man of Steel uneasy.

Superboy chuckled, “Its an illusion, watch where the lasers hit.” Perhaps it would be a good time to share with his dad the fact that Adrien was Renard Noir and was assisting them with their little problem.

His dad looked out into the street, his brows furrowed, and Jon watched as the realization came to him and his face relaxed. “Of course, Renard Noir. But what is he doing here?”

Was it really his secret to share? The Bats knew, but they tended to know a lot more than anyone else. Sharing Adrien’s secret put the Miraculous in danger, which was something he had made Jon swear he would help to protect.

The Supers watched as the last toy seemed to combust and the sound of guns and cannons stopped, leaving only lasers and spaceships. They too quickly disappeared into an orange mist, leaving only the carnage of the battle. “Let me introduce you to him Dad and we’ll see if he feels like sharing.”  

Chapter Text

As the last wisp of his illusion disappeared, Renard jumped down from his perch on the destroyed building. The single city street looked like it had survived a nighttime air raid and then some. Large craters littered the asphalt with cars sticking out of them as if in the middle of being swallowed by the ground. The walls of the buildings surrounding the road looked like the skeletons of their former selves. Very few buildings survived intact, looking out of place among the destruction, oddities among the wreckage. Small fires still lingered among the damage, filling the silence with their crackling whips, their smoke circling into the air, a reminder that the damage was recent.

The civilians from the area had long vacated, like Parisian’s, the people of Metropolis were far too familiar with this level of violence and destruction that protocols were followed to limit human casualties. But even now as he looked around, he couldn’t be sure how a city survived such damage again and again, the cost alone would be astronomical. Yet, Metropolis looked like a booming city, and unlike Gotham who saw similar violence, there was still a brightness, there was still hope.

The hope created by the two lone figures now standing in the center of the toys’ carnage, Superman and Superboy.

Despite being the hero that ended the feud between the opposing armies, Renard did not feel like he could approach such a legend as Superman. Kwamis, how was it that he was dating someone as awesome as Superboy, the son of a living legend?

Before he could spiral into his negative thoughts on not being worthy, he was plowed into by a strong force. It took a second for him to realize that Superboy had used his superspeed to fling himself at his boyfriend. “Thank you. We were having a hard time keeping up with destroying the soldiers. You were brilliant, creating an illusion that caused them to self-destruct.”

Renard blushed from the compliment. As Ladybug and Chat Noir, he was often the one carrying out the plans and not coming up with his own. It felt nice to execute his own and for it to be successful. He chuckled as he placed his hand at the nape of his neck. “You looked like you could use a paw.”

“I think it’s safe to say the city is thankful for your help and the further damage it prevented.” Superman now stood in front of Renard, his hand fell from his neck, and he stood straighter as if his boyfriend’s father’s gaze was judging his worth. Which brought up the question, did his father even know that Superboy was dating Renard Noir? It would require knowing his identity if he did.

The fox hero realized that Superman was looking down at something between the couple, causing him to lower his head to see what had captured the Man of Steel’s gaze. It had been so natural, something that they had been doing for almost a week now that he hadn’t even realized that their hands had come together. So, if Superman hadn’t known of the superheroes’ relationship before, he did now.

It surprised him when the veteran hero simply chuckled before looking at the pair with a warm expression. “Now I understand why Renard Noir was in the city.” He held his hand out for Renard to shake. “Must say, I’m rather glad to see that the Miraculous Team hasn’t disappeared since wrapping up in Paris. Perhaps we can sit down at some point and have a conversation about you joining the Justice League.”

Renard placed his hand hesitantly into Superman’s. He was shaking hands with a legend, someone who had been in the game longer than he’d been alive. It was just as intimidating as shaking hands with Batman.

“I’m afraid that will have to be a conversation you have with Ladybug, I would happily facilitate a meeting. Although, you might want to hurry up because I’m sure Batman might already be having that conversation with her.”

“I’d forgotten Ladybug was currently in Gotham. Perhaps I should make a trip down there before she leaves. Having a Miraculous wearer on our team has already proven its worth.”

While Marinette being married to Damian essentially ensured that a Miraculous user would be at the disposal of sorts to the Bat team, Renard wasn’t sure that the Grand Guardian would allow the Miraculous to lose their autonomy by joining the League. Assisting on their own terms was likely the most she could give.

“The Miraculous Team will always help when good people need it. Speaking of which, considering that a Miraculous was involved in this fight, a call to Ladybug might be able to repair some of the damage.”

Superman looked at Renard as if he had spoken in a foreign language, which was fair. Renard thought hard about whether he had spoken in French instead of English but was certain he hadn’t. He shrugged his shoulders and pulled out his baton.

Ladybug’s contact was not active, so he chose to call Marinette’s personal phone. “Kit?”

“Hey Marinette, think you could hop over to Metropolis and undo some damage?” The other side of the line went quiet and Renard held his breath.

“Were you involved?”

“Yes?” He answered like a child being scolded by his parent. “I didn’t cause any damage, but I was present and stopped the battle.”

“Okay, I’ll be there in five.”

Superboy watched as his dad’s mouth dropped open as the damage caused by the Toymaker disappeared in a flash of Ladybugs. It was insane to know that as long as a Miraculous became involved in a battle, the physical damage could be erased with a simple flick of a wrist. The magic was unlike any that he knew in this universe or any other for that fact. Ladybug was truly one of the most powerful beings he’d been fortunate enough to meet and have on their side. It made him very curious as to what the magnitude of Damian’s power would be once they recovered the piece of his soul. If he was Marinette’s equal he could only imagine what the Kaiduan of Destruction would be capable of.

He thanked the forces that be, that Damian was on their side.

Ladybug smiled as she took a look at the job her little army of red bugs had completed. The street seemed to sparkle just a little more, as if blessed by her creation magic. “Well, if that’s all, I have a date I was getting ready for.” She looked over at Renard. “Need a lift back?”

Renard looked at Superboy and smiled. “Nah, I’m good.”

Superboy felt a jolt of electricity run down his spine before he returned his boyfriend’s expression.

“Alright then. Superman it was nice to meet you. I’m sure I will see you around.”

His dad tilted his head in her direction. “Till we meet again, Ladybug. Boy’s I have to go and check in on the other assets and then see if I can figure out what Toyman was really after by using this distraction.”

Ladybug looked out in the direction his dad quickly disappeared in. “They really don’t exaggerate about as fast as a speeding bullet do they?” She looked back at the couple and gave them a warm smile before looking pointedly at Superboy. “I hope that’s not always the case?”

His eyebrows furrowed as he tried to understand her meaning, but a choked noise coming from his boyfriend did it for him.

“LB did you just make a dirty joke?” Superboy couldn’t stop the spread of red from his neck. He now completely understood Ladybug’s meaning.

She whispered into Renard’s ear, completely forgetting that Superboy would be able to hear. “Payback for this morning.” It made him curious what Adrien had said to cause her to be so crass in front of him now.

Much louder she finished, “Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do.”

Renard squeezed his hand and shot back, “Not a whole lot included in that list now days, Bugaboo.”

Ladybug’s mouth slammed shut and her eyes popped as she looked at Renard. She abruptly turned and called forth a new transformation before opening a portal and stepping through. Just before it closed, causing her to disappear from their sight, she turned around and looked right at Adrien with the most mischievous grin. “I put a condom in your wallet, don’t forget to use it.”

The portal closed and both Superboy and Renard stood looking at its wake, both as bright red as a tomato. They both refused to look at each other as they stood there awkwardly. Superboy was both parts embarrassed and excited. The fact that Ladybug had alluded that she and Adrien had been having some kind of conversation about sex, meant that Adrien must have been thinking about it.

Then again, the conversation was inevitable after the whole group had been in the room when Tim had stumbled upon a video of Marinette and Damian getting hot and heavy on a rooftop before they disappeared into a dead zone. Sparing the family fortunately from having to witness too much. But Ladybug had alluded to Adrien and Jon doing it, and Adrien had not done anything to dissuade the idea. Merely thrown it back in her face.

A loud beeping noise broke the silence between them. “You’re about to transform back. We should find somewhere private.”

“Should we?” Renard wiggled his eyebrows. Breaking the awkward tension as both burst out laughing.

Superboy held out his hand for Renard to take. “Come on you Fox, I’m curious to find out what the fox says.”

Renard ignored his hand and instead cuddled up closely to Superboy’s side, choosing to wrap his arm around his waist. Superboy mimicked the hold around his boyfriend before he rose slowly into the air. Once they were well past the top of the nearby buildings, Superboy flew quickly towards the Zeta Tube in the city.

Jon continued to pull him, even as his transformation wore off. Trixx snickered as she zoomed closely behind.

Before Adrien knew it, he was thrown into a room. Taking a look at the room it looked sparsely furnished, a twin bed sat to the far right of the room, with a small bedside chest of drawers. On the walls were several pictures of Jon and the rest of the Teen Titans. The room appeared to belong to Jon, but as far as Adrien knew he’d never been a part of the team.

“I’m not an official member, but I join them often enough. More so when Robin was on the team, but they’ve left me a room for when I visit or am needed.” Jon took Adrien’s hand and led him over to the bed. “This is the only place I could think of that we might get some privacy. The apartment has Kaelyn and Kelvin, the manor the Bats, with the tubes we could transport just about anywhere, but it still wouldn’t be as private as this.”

Jon moved back on the bed, placing his head on the pillow before he motioned for Adrien to join him. There was no hesitation as he laid down beside his boyfriend. He intertwined their hands and raised them so that he could watch himself running his fingers along the lifelines on his boyfriend’s hand.

They sat there in comfortable silence for some time before Jon lowered their hands to rest between them. Adrien turned his head to look at Jon and see what had caused the sudden change. Jon was already looking in his direction.

Jon turned his body so that he was facing him completely and Adrien did the same. Jon’s free hand came to rest on the side of Adrien’s face, lightly caressing his cheeks as he looked down at Adrien’s lips.

Knowing what he wanted, Adrien leaned his head in closer, looking at his boyfriend’s lips and licking his own. Jon quickly closed the distance between them, Adrien’s free hand rose from his side to cup the back of his boyfriend’s head and pull him in closer.

Jon’s leg in turn wrapped around his own, causing their bodies to be as close as possible while remaining on their sides. At the same time, Jon’s tongue grazed over the bottom of Adrien’s lips asking for permission that was quickly granted.

Adrien’s hand dipped down from the nape of Jon’s neck and slowly trailed down his back, causing the Kryptonian to shutter and gasp. Adrien substituted the loss of Jon’s lips by attaching his mouth to Jon’s neck. He wondered if he could leave a mark on skin that could stop a bullet, especially when such skin felt soft beneath his tongue. He went to test said theory causing a moan to escape the subject.

The sound only acted to spur Adrien on, he pulled away slightly so that he could continue to trail down his boyfriend’s body, trying to leave a trail of love bites in his wake. The bulge between his and Jon’s pants were the only physical sign of his attention when he finally pulled away to survey his work.

Jon and Adrien hadn’t had a lot of ‘alone time,’ since they started dating. What with the drama between Marinette and Damian and just the logistics of finding a private place, but it hadn’t stopped their hormones from forcing them to try and find hidden alleys, locked closets, or other places where they could sneak away for a short period of time to be as intimate as allowed.

Now, laying on Jon’s bed in the Teen Titan Headquarters, they were finally in a place that they could take things slowly and see just how far they were ready to go. As Adrien’s hand traced first the pecs and then abdomen of his boyfriend, he realized that he had no intention of stopping. He just wondered if Jon felt the same.

Chapter Text

Marinette looked in the mirror once more. Something about her outfit just didn’t feel right. It was like she was trying too hard. Which to be fair when it came to Damian she always wanted to impress him. But this felt like she was trying to impress everyone else and losing herself.

Sadly, this was going to be their first date. They had been married for almost three months at this point and they had had countless intimate encounters and yet they had not had a proper date. As luck would have it, this wasn’t only going to be a date this was going to be a publicity stunt.

Marinette and Damian had skipped quite a few steps before they were married, and aside from the Bats, the Miraculous Team, and the Teen Titans no one else knew of their union. But no country recognized their marriage, even if theirs was far more sacred and binding than any other ceremony a country would recognize. As such, Marinette and Damian were unable to just come out and say, ‘hey were married now.’ It would raise more than a few eyebrows and with Damian’s public profile it would gain additional scrutiny (because taking one of the world’s most eligible bachelor would cause a lot) that they didn’t need.

So, this date was not only so they could finally act like the couple that they were, it was an opportunity for Marinette to be introduced as the significant other or girlfriend, so that their relationship could appear to progress naturally before they announce their engagement and then marriage to the world.

Throwing the dress she had been wearing back on to her bed, she moved to stand in front of her closet in just her black lacey bra and matching lace underwear. She thumbed through her shirts trying to find something that matched her mood.

Concentrating far harder on her task than was wise, she failed to notice the door to her room quietly shutting. The presence moved stealthily as they made their way behind her. They waited, holding their breath to see if she noticed them. When she failed to do so, they slid their right hand around her neck, the thumb caressing her chin, the other hand wrapped around her stomach to pull her back into them.

Marinette tensed from the contact but relaxed as she took in the scent of the man she loved. “Not exactly the kind of outfit that I was expecting you to wear on our date, Habibti.”

She pulled the shirt that she currently had in her hands from the closet before she spun to face him. She lightly kissed his lips, lingering over them but not kissing him further. “This is for later,” she gestured to her undressed form, “I was working on the rest of my outfit before you interrupted me.” She leaned away to look him in the eyes. “What are you doing here so early? Haven’t Stephanie and Babs told you to never be early for a date?”

“Habibti, you were supposed to meet me in the lobby fifteen minutes ago.” His hand gazed across her cheek as a soft smile graced his sharp features.

Marinette quickly turned her head and looked at Tikki, upset she hadn’t informed her. “I tried to tell you, but you weren’t listening to me as you were so fixated on the mirror.”

She huffed and Damian lightly chuckled, before he cleared his throat. “I guess you weren’t lying about struggling to be on time. That is something that we will have to work on, Angel.”

She stuck her tongue out at him before completely pulling away to search for a pair of jeans to go with her shirt. As she turned again, she got to take in the outfit Damian was wearing. A classic pair of dark wash jeans were paired with dark brown boots and a maroon v-neck sweater that looked like liquid skin clung to his muscles. She looked down at the shirt she had pulled from the closet and realized she had chosen a similar colored sweater.

“Are we at the point in our relationship where we can wear matching sweaters?” She inquired.

“Is anyone ever at that point? I feel that most couples that purposely do something like that are trying to prove to the world that their relationship is stronger than it actually is.” Damian moved towards her closet and began to peruse her outfits.

She came to stand beside him, pretending to be pondering her own half of the closet, admittedly she had a lot of clothing with her for a three-week trip. She gave little thought to the items that her hands touched as she was more focused on watching his face as he pulled out each shirt that seemed to catch his attention.

 “What about couples that don’t do it on purpose?”

Without a second’s hesitation, he stopped what he was doing and pulled her into him by her waist, capturing her lips in a searing kiss. “Just shows how much they are made for each other, but I imagine those couples are rarely seen wearing their matching outfits together, as one half of that whole is a fashion designer who will insist on changing before they leave.”

Rolling her eyes but unable to mask the lovesick smile that followed, she pulled out a burnt orange blouse that buttoned up loosely in the front. “What about this one?”

He crunched his nose, of course she had thrown that out there without thinking. Had she pondered for a second she would have never suggested it as their color combo would have suggested a fall date instead of the date that was occurring on the nice spring evening.

“I think I would suggest this instead.” In his hand he held a cream three-quarter sleeved sweater. The knit was looser which would allow the spring breeze to prevent overheating while offering some protection against the colder weather that would come during the evening hours. It had been a design she created for a trip to London that never happened thanks to Hawkmoth. It was perfect for their springtime date. Simple with a single ruffle that traveled just above her chest and across the top of her arms. Stylish without seeming like she tried, she paired it with her lighter wash jean that ended just at her ankles. She quickly grabbed her suede brown ankle boots to complement her Demon’s.

After she threw on her outfit, she didn’t even bother to look in the mirror confident that Damian would tell her if anything was amiss before she stepped out of the room pulling Damian by his hand to begin their first official date.

Although Damian could not wear the Black Cat Miraculous, Jason had not denounced Plagg. As such he was able to stick close to his Kitten as they waited for the one they called Raven to be able to assist in returning his soul piece back to the soul it belonged. Even though he couldn’t feel the strong connection that he normally would with Damian, he’d only been back by his Kaiduan’s side for two days and Plagg was the happiest he’d been in a long time. There was no denying that through the multiple lifetimes that they shared, Plagg and his Kaiduan had been able to create a relationship that went beyond being soul mates.

As he and Tikki watched their Kaiduan’s from their perch in the small Moroccan restaurant, it was obvious that the pair before them were the same. While Plagg and Tikki kept their memories intact of all the times they were with their Kitten and Coccinella, the pair below, always came together without them.

There was no such thing as soulmates. No soul ripped apart and only made whole by being with the person who possessed their other half. No other person who completed one’s soul perfectly. Aside from the Kaiduan’s of course. If there was, Marinette and Damian’s souls would be the perfect example. In all of their time on this plain of existence, Tikki and Plagg had never, and he meant never, met two souls that resonated so much with them. So, it would make sense that as Tikki and Plagg where two halves of a whole, the perfect complements, unable to have one without the other; so too would Marinette and Damian.

“I will never get tired of watching these two fall in love.” Tikki sighed as she placed her head on Plagg’s shoulder.

“Don’t you think there already there, Sugar Cube?” Plagg wrapped his arm around his other half.

He hadn’t been lying the many times he’d stated that human emotions bored him. The only love he knew was for his Sugar Cube, his Kitten and cheese. But, while he gave two shits about the romance between his Kitten and Tikki’s Coccinella, he did like to see his Kitten happy and since she always seemed to be the cause, he tolerated it.

“The attraction is there, the lust, the chemistry, but love takes time to develop. She has most of her memories of them, but he still needs to connect with your Miraculous before he has his.”

Plagg rolled his eyes, tolerating things usually meant not talking about them. “She wouldn’t have gotten her memories of him, if she didn’t already love him. You know that’s how the magic works because that’s how she wanted it.”

“Maybe, but with the circumstances, I thought it might have been a little different this time so that she would realize Jason wasn’t your Kitten.” Tikki looked down at her paw sadly.

Plagg pulled her in closer. “Just look at how she is looking at him Tiks. It’s the same way she always looks at him and he’s looking back at her the same way too. Their love story may not be written in the history or literature books, but they are the perfect example of the relationship goals that all the well-known couples hope to imitate.”

Tikki wiped a small tear from her eyes. “You’re right Stinky Socks, they really are in love already. I just hope that we don’t have to part with them too soon, like all the other times. I’d really like to see just once how much their love can grow, rather than have it tragically cut short.”

Plagg rubbed his paw up and down her arm, hoping that it would offer a little comfort. “The world is full of heroes that will support and help them. They may be facing something like they’ve never seen before, but they are better than they’ve been before, and they have friends who are just as strong and can help. We’ll get to see them to their old age this time Tikki, I can feel it.”

“I hope you’re right Plagg…. I hope you’re right.”

Dinner was delicious and despite never having to carry on a long conversation with anyone, ever, Damian had managed to keep up a two-hour conversation with Marinette. Not that he had even realized he was doing so. One minute they had sat down and placed their order, the next they were finishing off the mint tea and chbakia, the fifth and final dish of their meal.

As far as first dates went, Damian was sure that this one was going well so far. She was smiling the entire time and as a result there had been one plastered on his face as well. When he finished paying for their meal he wished that the night would not end. But it being a Sunday night, after nine p.m., both being eighteen and in the US, the options for where to continue the evening were limited.

“I would suggest a stroll through the city streets as that seems to be what such a night calls for. But this is Gotham and such an act is a death sentence.”

Marinette chuckled as she snuggled into his arm as they paused outside the restaurant. He loved having her close, but she did not feel close enough. He removed his arms from her grasp so that he could press her against his side and cradle her in his arms.  

“Coffee?” She looked hopeful as she turned up to look at him, her blue eyes danced as the overhead light shone into them.

“At this time of night?” He wanted to spend more time with her, but a night hyped on caffeine didn’t seem smart.

She looked away and released a sigh. “No, I was probably going to just have some hot chocolate, but I don’t want this night to end.”

Damian bent down and kissed the top of her forehead. “Me neither Angel. Coffee shop it is. I know of one just around the corner, it’s not the best but it will do the job for tonight.”

“Lead the way Mon Coeur.” Damian smiled at the new nickname, if he was her heart, then they shared the same one.

The coffee shop was two blocks away from the Moroccan restaurant, they made it there quickly knowing that it was unlikely to be open past ten. As they approached the soft music of a live band could be heard playing inside. Due to the late hour and day of the week, the music they played was slow and jazzy. Marinette instantly began to sway and move in time with the music against him.

Damian hoped that due to the late hour, no one would catch him, but he did not want to miss the opportunity. He quickly grabbed her hand and pulled her to him so that she was facing him. He placed his free hand on her waist and lightly held her hand up. She tripped at the abrupt change of direction, but he stabilized her before he began to step in a waltz around the sidewalk to the beat of the music.

She started off tense as they began to move, looking around them as if to make sure that no one was watching. But he did not care, let them watch if they chose. He wanted to dance with his wife, and he was going to. It took only a minute for her to relax and lean into his hold, her arm draping over his shoulder, her cheek eventually coming to rest against his. He kept the footwork simple as they glid along the pavement, they were dancing for themselves after all. He noticed a few patrons from the coffee shop take notice of them and pull out their phones.

The old Damian would have stopped what he was doing immediately, but not Marinette’s Demon, he just continued to dance with his Angel.

Chapter Text

“LB usually you’re more mindful about the minor details of an outfit than even Gabriel Agreste or Ralph Lauren. How did you not realize?”

“I was a little distracted.”

“I bet you were.” Ladybug glared at Renard Noir through her mask, faking annoyance with the direction the conversation. They were supposed to be looking for Natalie, not talking about this. “And what is that supposed to mean?”

Renard held his hands up to deflect her mock rage. “Nothing, I just know what it’s like to be in a new relationship. Hands seem to have a hard time staying off each other and tend to lead to everyday normal things being forgotten. I just find it hilarious that the fashion designer forgot what happens when a black bra is worn under a cream shirt and camera lights get involved.” He clapped her lightly behind her back as she crossed her arms over her chest and huffed in annoyance.

As predicted, pictures of the ‘new’ couple’s first date had started to make their rounds on the internet and newspapers. Unfortunately, because of her association with Jagged Stone, the identity of Damian Wayne’s first girlfriend (now that the rumor about multiple girlfriends was cleared up) was easily discovered. Like wildfire the news of her dating one of the most eligible bachelors – if only they knew the truth - had made its way back to Paris as well. Even more unfortunate, the picture that shared the happy news was a shot taken when Damian had decided to guide her through an intimate dance in the middle of a Gotham sidewalk. Despite the fact the shot was likely taken by a cellphone from one of the coffee shop patrons, she loved the moment that had been captured and the way it displaced the love that she felt. Yet, the flash of the camera ruined the perfect picture by causing her racy black bra to be exposed to the whole world. The incident wasn’t really that bad as it didn’t even get mentioned in many of the articles, but Adrien had been making fun of her the moment he caught sight of the images.

And he wasn’t wrong, it killed her as a designer to have been caught in such a silly blunder as an underwear mishap.

“Okay, okay, I’ve had enough fun. On to a more serious topic of conversation. We are in our last week in Gotham.” The smile on Renard’s face dropped and his hand went to the back of his neck. A sign of his discomfort with the impending conversation.

Ladybug looked away from him; she knew where this conversation was going. “It is…”

Renard took his hand and placed it over the one Ladybug had stretched out behind her. “So where is this plane heading next?”

“We still have to capture Mayura. If you’re still willing to stay by my side for that?” She finally looked up at him. She knew that Damian with their relationship and not to mention the fact that he was her true Black Cat complicated or at least changed things, but she didn’t want Adrien far from her. He was the brother she never had, in any of her lives. Her best friend. She hoped that he would want to remain that way.

Renard scooted closer to her and pulled her into a side hug, not letting go as he kissed the top of her head. “I’m not sure when or where this crazy journey is going to end. I do know there may be detours that one or both of us must take during it. But I know without a shadow of a doubt that our destination will be the same and for most of the ride we’ll be carpooling together. Maybe we can even talk a Super and a Robin into coming along too.”

Ladybug smiled even though he couldn’t see it, she knew he felt it when he lifted his head from hers and stroked her arm. “I think it’s a safe bet that Mayura is either in Gotham or close by. With her state of mind, we can assume that she is still going to try and go after Adrien. Which means that there can’t be any detours apart until we’re sure that Adrien,” she lightly pushed against him with her shoulder, “is safe.”

Renard tensed and then released a sigh. It didn’t sound happy, which she understood, they both knew how hard it was to do a superheroes job when villains are after them as a civilian, but what was bothering him wasn’t as simple. “What’s wrong Kit?” She pulled away from his arm so that she could turn her body to face him straight on.

His eyes stayed fixated on the roof they were sitting on. His lips were moving in a way that betrayed the fact that there were words fighting to come out. “Renard, you know you can tell me anything.”

“I was really hoping that Metropolis University might be an option. Kelvin and Kaelyn are there now and well there’s Jon.”

Ladybug laughed. “Oh Renard.” She wrapped both arms around his shoulders and continued to chuckle against him. He was always so cute and shy when it came to his relationships both romantic and platonic. Afraid that if he said too much aloud it would suddenly disappear. “I expected you’d want to be close to them and I wouldn’t have it any other way. I will need to start training and working with Kelvin and Kaelyn, so I imagine that either they will need to come to me or me to them. The two cities aren’t far to begin with and I’ve got Kaalki to get me there as quick as possible if need be. You’ve got a boyfriend that can get you here just as fast… I just meant that I hoped that you still thought of yourself as a part of the team. No personal missions to outer space or such for the time being is all.”

Renard chuckled against her. “My boyfriend’s family might be from out of this world but that doesn’t mean that I want to join them out there anytime soon.”

Ladybug pulled away from their hug. “Good. Speaking of families- I’ve talked to Damian about Kaelyn and Kelvin; I was a little concerned about someone trying to adopt them since the court decided to officially take them away from their mother yesterday.”

Scoffing slightly at the memory of the kids’ useless mother and her scumbag boyfriend, Renard looked up to the stars. “It’s amazing what money and influence like the Waynes have can do. Not to mention the weight the Kent family’s words, allowing it to happen so fast. I’m so grateful that they won’t be return to their mother and that situation.”

Nodding her head, Ladybug continued. “I was wondering if that same money and influence could be used to secure their adoption to someone who may only be eighteen.”

Renard sharply turned his head to look at her, his eyes even in the lack of light shone with a hint of betrayal. Ladybug’s eyes bugged out from the intensity of his stare. “I was thinking you-“

She cut of as she caught sight of the rooftop access door closing and a figure dodging behind an exhaust pipe. What she was about to say was quickly forgotten as she focused on trying to see who or what had just joined them on the roof.

Renard immediately picked up on the change to Ladybug’s posture and turned to look in the direction her attention had been caught. He immediately forgot the discomfort he felt with the idea that Damian and Marinette might adopt his family.

His eyes searched among the shadows to try and identify the unknown presence, he was sure he identified the sound of a metal hatch closing but had yet to see the cause. Ladybug placed her hand on his shoulder and her free arm stretched out to point in the direction of a large air vent. Using his shoulders for balance, she stood up as quietly as possible. Unfortunately, her costume was a little too bright to hope that her movement would go unseen if the intruder was looking in their direction, but hopefully the pair could both stand quietly enough to go undetected.

Luck was once again on their side as they both came to a standing position and removed their weapons without being engaged.

“Whose there?” Ladybug called out against the Gotham wind.

Knowing that their position was blown, the figure in hiding came to stand beside the vent. Based on its height and build it was likely a male dressed head to toe in black. The figure might have seemed intimidating to most, but against seasoned veterans it was obvious from his thrown together ‘stealthy outfit,’ to the slight shake in his hands that this villain was just starting out in his criminal career.

What was intimidating however was the gun like contraption that was currently being pointed in their direction. From the construct one could tell that it did not shoot bullets or any other normal projectile. Their history with akuma’s proved that guns could shoot a variety of dangerous things.

Beside him Ladybug gasped and placed her hand on his bicep, her weight shifting radically as if her legs suddenly failed to hold her up. Renard took his eyes off the target and looked at his partner with concern. He quickly checked her body over to ensure that she had not been struck from some unknown source as his hands went to grip her waist tightly to prevent her from falling.

Aside from the buckling of her knees only moments before, she appeared to be fine. In fact, she seemed steady once again on her feet, but her gaze did not leave the new player. “Ladybug?” His voice cracked slightly from his concern. He had never seen Ladybug in quiet a state from someone so unassuming.

Her throat lurched as if trying to keep herself from being sick as she mumbled out a barely audible, “Duusu.”

Too quick, to the point that he knew he had pulled a neck muscle, Renard whipped his neck in the direction of the masked man. Ladybug was always a little more observant than him, but he wasn’t sure how he had missed it in his first evaluation of the villain. There was no mistaking the fact that inside the chamber of the gun was the Peacock Kwami and placed on the handle of the gun was none other than the Peacock Miraculous.

Renard looked at the man horrified. Using a Miraculous in the way both Gabriel and Natalie had was bad enough. Terrorizing Paris for five years in a way the miraculous was never intended to ne or wanted was awful. But seeing one of these little gods look so pitiful as it hovered within a dome attached to a gun seemed worse. He shivered at the implication that the god could be used in such a contraption.

Just as the thought crossed his mind, the man in black shot off his weapon in their direction. Both Ladybug and Renard shot to the ground as a teal beam shot out from the weapon. His aim was way off and the pair were at no risk of being hit, showing the lack of skill or experience from the gunman, but it was still unsettling to see such a bright beam exiting the gun.

The beam went past them into the building leaving in its wake a large crater. The outline of the hole was smoking, leading one to believe that the beam was an energy force that burned what it touched.

Ladybug and Renard turned to face each other; both had panic and fear laced across their features. No doubt her thoughts mirrored his own. While it was obvious that the Peacock Miraculous was likely powering this weapon, if someone died would Ladybug be able to bring them back? Would it count as a death caused by a miraculous?

The pair were forced to jump away, Renard using his baton and Ladybug a backflip to dodge a second beam, again the aim was off, significantly higher than the pair.

Both turned poised in defensive positions towards the man, weapons at the ready as they tried to assess the threat. Renard heard Ladybug call for help through his comm as he tried to study the man before them.

There was literally nothing about him that screamed bad guy. He looked as if he had gone through his wardrobe to try and find anything that was black, not like he had gone shopping for a tactical outfit. He wore a black t-shirt with a black zip up hoodie and black joggers with black tennis shoes to complete his costume. His mask, if it could even be called that, was a hat that obviously had two eye holes cut out, not even bothering for a mouth hole. Either this villain had no intention of continuing past today or he was too excited to try out his new toy that he didn’t wait to create a proper outfit. In the end it didn’t matter because the scariest part of either scenario was the fact that somehow he had gotten the Peacock from Natalie, given or stolen was a nonmatter, and turned it into a weapon that could be used without transforming.

The comm in his ear came to life, but he was too focused on what was around him as the man began to fire rapidly at the pair. To his left he was able to pick up Ladybug responding with their exact location. More frantic words were coming through until a random blast from the gun caused a metal satellite dish to fall beside him and caused his fox ears to ring uncomfortably from the loud sound. He did his best to cover his ears, but it did little as he winced and doubled over from the pain.

“We’ll be there in two minutes.” Superboy’s voice sounded far away even through the earpiece in her ear. All thanks to the loud exploding noises caused by the energy beams from the stupid villain.

“Angel, what are we walking into?” Robin’s voice was steady, but again she could barely make it out over the noise.

Opening her mouth to respond she was cut off by a loud ringing caused by a metal satellite falling from the top of the tower onto the roof of the skyscraper they were fighting on. The sound was deafening even to her ears causing her to wonder how Renard was managing with his enhanced hearing.

Covering her ears with her hands she moved away from the large dish to get a look at her partner only to see him stopped with his head down between his hands wincing in pain. She latched her yo-yo to the closest structure, swinging over to remove him from any potential stray beams. She reached out with her arm to grab him around the waist only for a teal beam of light to cut her off just as she was about to grab him.

Renard Noir went flying back into the wall behind him. He laid unmoving against the concrete below him as Ladybug was forced to watch as she finished her swing to the other side of the building. As quickly as she could she rethrew her yo-yo out to head back in his direction. Only the man with the gun was closer to Renard than she was and moved to intercept him first.

“Nooo!” Ladybug cried as his hand went to grasp at the Fox Miraculous, the movement slowed down to an unnatural rate. It was like the movies, where she could see every micromovement that the masked man made in Renard’s direction and while she would normally have wished for such sight, now it only served as a reminder that she was powerless to stop him.

Sailing through the air, she saw the bright orange light encase Renard Noir, she stuck her foot out in front slamming into the man in black as he pulled away the Fox Miraculous. She landed quickly in front of Adrien to shield his identity, both hissing and growling like a feral cat.

While the Miraculous was important, Adrien was more so. The man before her would mess up and she would get both Miraculous from him, but she would do so with Adrien by her side, his secret identity intact.

The man aimed his gun at her and she held her breath hoping that she would be able to survive the shot that was aimed at her heart. If she survived the heartbreak of watching Adrien be hit by the beam of light, she could survive this. She closed her eyes to prepare for the inevitable hit, but it didn’t come. Instead, Robin came in like a missile launched from the arms of Superboy knocking the assailant away from both Ladybug and Adrien.  

The man was not down for long and took aim at both Robin and Superboy before he turned tail into the building he had emerged from. Superboy immediately ran over to Adrien and pulled him into his arms. Meanwhile, Robin dashed over to the door the man had disappeared into to give chase only to find the door locked. He yelled into his comms for his brothers to try and intercept the man through any of the possible exits of the building as he took out his tools to break into the door.

Superboy gave Ladybug an uneasy smile which she took to mean that Adrien was at least alive. She quickly released the breath she was holding and threw her yo-yo up in the air.

“Miraculous Ladybug.”

Chapter Text

“Adrien it isn’t your fault. You can’t blame yourself for losing your miraculous, just as Master Fu couldn’t.” Marinette’s voice tried to hide her own guilt, but Adrien knew her better than that. He knew that she was just trying to hide the fact that she felt also partly to blame. “It’s no one’s fault other than the person who takes a miraculous and then uses it in a way it’s not intended to be.”

Adrien didn’t react to her words. He was too trapped in his own mind and his own feelings of inadequacy to even try to comfort her.

People that he loved and respected had funneled into his room since he woke up, feeding the same bull to him about it not being his fault. They spoke and perhaps they thought that he was listening, but he wasn’t. It was like a TV turned on in the background, he heard the words, yet he wasn’t paying attention. After all every word they spoke was just another lie to help him feel better, but he knew the truth. He messed up and now another supervillain had two miraculous.

“It can’t be all that bad, Big Alix hasn’t shown up and little Alix hasn’t said a word. It’ll be okay.” Marinette looked over at him as he laid out on the bed beside her in the fetal position. It was obvious that she was waiting for a response, a movement, or anything to signify that he was hearing what she was saying. When he gave none she just sighed and looked at the door. “I know it’s hard, Kitty. Just let me know which miraculous you want to borrow while we find this guy and get Trixx back to you.”

Placing her hand on his shoulder, she squeezed it lovingly, but the action left him numb.

Numb, aside from the nausea that lapped like a wave in his gut as she offered him another miraculous. Just another thing that he would eventually lose.

She exited the room quietly, no doubt to get the next person to try and make him feel better.

He wasn’t going to feel better, and he wasn’t sure that he ever would. He had lost the Black Cat Miraculous because it wasn’t his and now he had lost the Fox Miraculous because he wasn’t good enough. Ladybug was back to where she started, with two lost miraculous. Instead of a man who was determined to terrorize Paris for his own selfish gain they were dealing with a man who had no issue creating weapons with the miraculous. Weapons that were powerful and had no obvious purpose other than to destroy.

Adrien turned over so that his back was facing the door and closed his eyes hoping that his exhaustion would drag him into a deep sleep where he could escape from his feelings of inadequacy.

His father had always treated him like he was worthless and now he knew why. It was the truth, nothing he would ever do would be good enough…for anyone.

“I’m forever a little kitty on a roof,” he began to sing, “All alone without his lady. I’m forever alone….”

The last word was sung through a sob, as he finally allowed the tears to spill from his eyes.

“You’ll never be alone, Adrien.” The bed dipped as a body he failed to notice entering the room came to rest beside him. “You know you’ll always have your lady and me.”

Jon pulled Adrien to him, using his own body to gently encase his boyfriend. Pressing feather light kisses to his neck and cheeks, Adrien felt some of the numbness be replaced by comfort despite his mind telling him he should allow himself to feel that way.

As much as he would like to be able to return the affection, he couldn’t seem to move, to speak or respond. Jon didn’t push for more but continued to kiss him while offering some words of encouragement.

“I know you’re blaming yourself for what happened, but it’s not your fault.” Another small sob escaped from Adrien’s throat as he tried to ignore Jon’s words. “Have I ever told you about my experience with Red Kryptonite?”

Adrien didn’t respond and Jon took it as permission to continue. “It lowers our inhibitions. A year ago, Lex Luther somehow got a bracelet of it on me. Not really sure how, it was kind of a blur. But anyway, while I was under the influence my dad came and tried to remove it, I took a piece of green Kryptonite that Luther had just hanging around and stabbed my father in his shoulder. It would have killed him if Damian wasn’t around to pull it out of him.”

Adrien heard the slight choke in Jon’s voice, it was obviously a memory that brought pain to his boyfriend.  He felt for him, it is horrible to know that you’ve done something that can cause pain or even death to other people. He couldn’t imagine the additional guilt when it was your own family member.

“It’s one of my worst memories since I’ve become a hero and trust me when I say that I have quite a few bad ones. But the main thing is that even now as I look back I know that I’m not to blame because it was something that I couldn’t control. Just like you can’t control what happened. It wasn’t your fault, and it wasn’t something that you could have prevented.”

Adrien tried to take in what he was saying. He knew there was some truth to it. He wasn’t exactly at fault, but he was still responsible for the lost miraculous. He still lost Trixx.

“That man still walked away with another miraculous, that’s on me.” Adrien whispered.

“No, that’s on him babe. You aren’t responsible for the decisions that other’s make. Besides now we have a better lead than we did on Natalie. All of the Bat’s are working on the clues he left. It’s obvious that this guy isn’t a professional, we’ll catch him soon enough.”

Adrien nodded his head, trying to find the truth in the words, but feeling like they were still hollow.

Jon watched as the best person he knew curled in on himself. He knew that he had heard what he said, but Adrien wouldn’t be so quick to believe simple words. Jon had been there himself, beating himself up for things that were outside of his control. Knew the kind of words that were undoubtably playing in Adrien’s head. The feelings of unworthiness, failure, disappointment, and the need to never be put in a position where it could happen again.

It was a good sign when Adrien didn’t immediately turn back around so that he was facing away from him, instead he continued to look at Jon. Searching for something, but Jon was unsure exactly what, so he just returned the attention to Adrien the way he always did. Looking at his boyfriend like he was the best thing to ever happen to him, which was the case. In two weeks’ worth of knowing Adrien there was no doubt about that in his mind.

They locked eyes and Jon tried his hardest to send him a reassuring and warm smile. He was shocked when Adrien returned it. Even more so when he then leaned in and passionately captured Jon’s lips with his own.

In a matter of seconds, Adrien tilted his head and opened his mouth, allowing his tongue to try and push the kiss past chaste. Unconsciously, Jon opened his mouth allowing Adrien’s tongue to slip in and explore. Jon couldn’t help the moan that came from within him, which shook him enough that he came to his senses. He knew he should end the kiss and not allow Adrien to succumb to his current state of vulnerability. Before Jon was able to do so himself, Adrien pulled away on his own, but not before trapping Jon’s bottom lip between his teeth as he pulled away. When Jon’s lip finally slipped from Adrien’s hold, he noticed the strong panting sound that filled the room, only to discover that it was coming from himself.

Adrien grabbed his face and held it softly between his hands, the act was intimate and comforting. As if it were Jon who was currently in need of reassurance. “I know that you think I am too vulnerable right now, but I promise you I’m not.”

Jon closed his eyes and took a deep breath. “Adrien, you stopped kissing me because you know that now is not the right-”

“No,” Adrien squeezed Jon’s face tighter between his hands. “I stopped because I don’t want to stop, and I figured its best to address this before we get to the point that neither of us were thinking with our brains. I can’t have you regretting this moment later when you think you’ve taken advantage of me.”

Jon took in what Adrien was suggesting. If they were talking about it now, did that mean that he wasn’t taking advantage of the situation? Did this mean that it was going to get that far?  Had Adrien been thinking about it before now?

Did he want it to go that far?

Yes.

No.

Maybe!

The truth was, when it happened, whether that be now or in the future he wanted it to happen because it felt right. Not because it was planned. He was a romantic at heart and believed in the moment, not in the organized.

“I want this. Whatever this includes tonight.” Jon noticed Adrien’s heart rate increase; he could feel the excitement coming from him in waves.

“Good,” was all he said before he kissed Jon again.

This time Adrien was more desperate as his kisses betrayed the lust, want and urgency he felt. Jon reciprocated in kind. Both of their hands traveling over the length of each other’s body. Jon became frustrated however as Adrien’s black shirt continued to thwart his efforts, he pulled back from kissing his neck, taking the shirt’s hem in his hand guiding it up over Adrien’s head.

As the shirt fell to the ground, Jon took a moment to appreciate the man before him. His hand led his eyes onto the canvas before him, taut muscles created a landscape that was truly mesmerizing. When his eyes fell on one set of muscles they quickly moved on to the next as they caught his attention, leading his eyes in a very short period of time from Adrien’s face to the light trail of blond hair disappearing into his pants.

They had been here before, but where interrupted when Jamie barged into the room uninvited, ruining their moment at the Teen Titan headquarters. This time, he hoped that no one would threaten their moment.

Jon had his hands on Adrien’s pant button. He hesitated slightly, which was to be expected considering what had happened to Adrien just a few hours before, but before he could reassure Jon his pants were being thrown from the bed onto the floor.

He tried not to buck as Jon’s warm breath washed over his thighs, but he couldn’t help the moaning and panting that began when Jon kissed his inner thigh before he sucked harshly on it. When he released his skin, he felt Jon’s tongue skim the inflicted area before he kissed it and moved on. He moved up repeating the sinfully painful pleasure till he was breathing over his hip. Jon’s breath came out in a steady stream, drawing a circle around his hip, causing intense pleasure to swim in Adrien’s stomach.

Butterflies, there were thousands of butterflies, flying around in his stomach and chest as he waited for Jon to move further down or retreat. Jon’s breathed out onto the area just above his boxer briefs, causing Adrien to try and buck again, but he failed to lift off the bed as Jon held his hips down.

Adrien moaned out as the sensation overtook him. Momentarily forgetting where he was, what had happened the night before. “You’re it for me. I know you are. I can tell by the way Alix looks at us it’s true. Which means I want to be as close to you as possible, as often and as long as possible.”

Jon didn’t respond, he didn’t need to as the top of his briefs were pulled down and he felt relief from the pressure that had been building down there. Adrien closed his eyes afraid to see what Jon’s face would look like as he took him in.

Time seemed to stand still as he kept them closed, when he felt more curious than embarrassed he slowly pried open one eye to take Jon in. Only Jon’s face wasn’t where he was expecting it. So, he didn’t see Jon before his mouth was on him and Adrien’s whole body spasmed in pleasure.

Finally freeing him from the negative thoughts that plagued his mind.

Chapter Text

Marinette couldn’t even begin to process the many things that had happened to her, to them, over the weekend. Starting of course with her and Damian finally getting together without the masks and secrets. It should have been a relief and in a way it was. But, of course with her Ladybug luck, note the sarcasm, their proper reunion was overshadowed by the reveal that he was her Black Cat but was missing a very important part of his soul. Then learning that they would have to kill Jason in order to return it. What is her life?

If that wasn’t enough to cause her head to spin into her typical tornado of anxiety, there was also the fact that the Peacock Miraculous had changed hands and that holder had created a strong weapon with it. Made worse by the fact he now had two miraculous and there was no telling what he would be able to do with an undamaged miraculous. Which only seemed to bring more anxiety as she was forced to deal with the uncertainty of what happened to Natalie and how Adrien would recover from his misplaced guilt.

Looking across the lunch table she was at least a little reassured that Adrien would be okay as she saw him snuggling into Jon’s neck. Despite everything there was a look of contentment. Grateful was the only word that she could use to describe her feelings towards Jon. She could tell that Adrien was still in a little bit of a funk, but at least Jon had gotten him out of the downward spiral that would not have landed Adrien in a good place.

Observing Adrien touching Jon’s forehead with his own was interrupted by a hand grabbing her thigh. She didn’t need to look to know whose it was, his touch still electrified her to her core. Despite everything that was going on around them, most of it only coming to a head the previous evening, they had spent a good amount of the weekend just being them. Something that they hadn’t done since 1943. Not that he remembered, his memories wouldn’t be accessible to him till they returned Plagg’s soul piece. But she remembered. She remembered how despite the constant dangers they had been in from the Nazi’s as they worked to save the victims of Hitler’s regime, they always took the seconds that they could just being them.

When she followed the hand that rubbed just above her knee to its owner, she should have expected the sight that greeted her, after all, it was reminiscent of so many of her memories. His emerald eyes were looking at her as if she was his everything. There was no doubt in her mind that she was. She always had been. Yet it still took her breath away.

Even though her soul was never born without his and they were not destined to be together, it was a choice that they both made every time. In this life it appeared that the choice was taken away thanks to his mother’s arranged marriage, but staying together now was their choice. It made her so happy. In fact, there wasn’t a word that could describe how she felt.

“So how is everyone’s internship going?” Chloe’s interruption pulled her from her thoughts.

“Adequate. Your father has mastered the ability to create a highly effective conference. Mother has forced me to attend several over the years and I must admit that this one has been superior.” Kagami nodded her head towards Damian.

“I will pass on your complement.” He replied in kind his hand still playing along her thigh.

“I’ll admit I wasn’t sure that I could learn anything from PR, but I have learned quite a bit that will hopefully help me keep my articles from stirring unwanted controversy,” Chloe huffed, bringing the attention back to herself.

“Please Chloe, you live off of causing trouble,” Luka mumbled into her ear, before he kissed her on the cheek.

Chloe scoffed, “Ridiculous, utterly…” She swallowed as she caught the look Luka was shooting at her. “Meh. True.”

“I’m not going to lie, the first week was definitely great with Dr. Kellen. He seemed like he was so excited for me to help him, but I think I got a little too hopeful that he would let me help a lot more than he is.” Adrien sighs dejectedly. “Luckily, he is still letting me do some minor experiments, but I was sure that he was going to let me help him with his dissertation work. Ce la vie.

Marinette felt Damian slightly tense beside her, his grip on her thigh pulsing slightly. “Seeing as you will likely be here for the summer, I could see if Dr. Kellan might be willing to extend your internship Adrien.”

Damian whispered Adrien’s name, his usual confidence missing. Jon and Marinette stared at Damian as if he were an exhibit at the zoo. She may have only known this version of her Demon for a short period of time, but she knew what first names meant to him, and it was something she didn’t expect to hear him use in relation to Adrien. At least not so soon. Yet here he was opening up to her best friend. It made her heart melt and it appeared Jon’s as well, as they both knew that this was him accepting the family, the team, that she hoped they would become.

“I would love that, but Dr. Kellan doesn’t seem too ecstatic about letting me in. He was basically hiding what he was working on this morning even if his excitement was palatable. I think he might fear he’ll have to share his glory if he’s successful and I helped in any way.” Adrien looked a little upset at the realization and it broke Marinette’s heart just a little.

“I can still talk to Drake and see if he would be willing. It might just be his fear that you are set to disappear at the end of the week. My understanding is scientist are very protective of their intellectual property.”

“You’re probably right. I guess if you wouldn’t mind. His dissertation is interesting. If he’s successful I can’t imagine what it would mean for future energy creation as well as the environ-”

His words were cut short as he noticed the unwelcomed arrival of Rachel Roth to their table.

Even though half of those present at the table did not understand the significance of Roth’s presence, the entire table went silent as she came to stand across from Damian.

The expression on Damian’s face darkened as he took her in. He did not necessarily have any ill will towards her, he just was not exactly pleased with her after her performance Saturday morning, or the string of messages she had left that evening.

His family, which yes now included Marinette and by extension he supposed Adrien, had far too much on its plate to add dealing with the teenage dramatics that she seemed to be conjuring. To put it shortly, he was miffed with her behavior, she was usually the most rational of all his friends. That had been why he had respected her so much and perhaps why he had harbored a miniscule crush on her during his first year with the Titans. He saw many of the traits that he prized in himself in her, but those were also the things that made him realize that it was merely admiration he felt towards her and nothing more.

Now though it seemed like those traits were gone from Roth and replaced by an inability to control herself and her emotions. It was a position he had never known Roth to be in before and he was concerned despite his irritation.  

“I’m sorry for interrupting your lunch, I simply wished to apologize to Damian and Marinette for my behavior over the weekend.”

Those who were unaware of what had happened exactly looked back and forth between Roth and the couple. They appeared unsure if the apology would be easily accepted or if there was potential for more of what had happened over the weekend.

Damian was slightly on edge as he feared the latter.

“It’s alright, I don’t think that anyone can claim to have not acted in a similar way some time in their life. Consider it swept under the rug, nothing really to apologize for anyways. Feelings can’t be helped.” Marinette beamed at Roth, her smile as warm and inviting as ever.

Roth looked to him, there was something in her eyes, perhaps it was hope. Damian did not speak but merely nodded his head once. He would forgive, but he would not forget. Roth only got one day to let her frustrations out about their relationship. He knew that feelings were not easy to get rid of and Damian was not ask or expect her to not feel them. But he would not allow her to try and sabotage their relationship by trying to insert her own drama again.

“I look forward to one day becoming friends, even if that day is not today.” Roth took a deep breath and Damian saw the unreadable expression once again. “Well… that was the reason I came over. I just wanted to apologize and let you know that I can help tonight if you still need me. I must return home tomorrow. I hope that it won’t be too much of an inconvenience, but I am not sure when I will be able to return again.”

Marinette tensed beside Damian, he took his eyes off Roth to try and understand her reaction. What he saw stole his breath, a smile of pure joy across her face, her eyes locked with his, sparkling with unshed tears. He could not help himself as he smiled back at Marinette in return. The idea of him having his soul piece back by the end of the evening had filled them both with insurmountable joy.

It felt like an eternity before he was able to look away again as Jon cleared his throat, drawing his attention back to Roth whom he forgot he had not responded to. “We would be grateful and available.”

He was once again shocked as he saw a flash of anger cross Roth’s face. “I shall see you at your…“

Roth faded off as she noticed that his attention was no longer on her, as it had been captured by another unexpected presence.

Slade Wilson stood on the other side of the Wayne Enterprise lunchroom. Just how he had managed to make it past security was Jason’s problem, but Damian knew that his presence was not indicative of anything good and he needed to get him out as soon as possible.

All eyes at the table seemed to be looking at the person Damian was now staring at, except Marinette who seemed to be searching Damian’s expression to try and understand. He knew that she was smart, but how she figured out from just looking at his face just who Damian was looking at, he had no clue.

“Deathstroke,” she mouthed.

He nodded once before looking over to Jon and then Roth. Both of their eyes confirmed what he already knew. Someone at that table was a target and it was telling that the two people who had been attacked by him just a few days earlier were sitting there. Making one of them his obvious target.

Roth moved first, having the best excuse to leave the table. “Well anyways. It was good to meet everyone, I must be going.”

She turned without any further words and headed straight towards Wilson. He instantly moved from his perch and scurried down the hall, leading Roth to chase him.

“Shoot,” Damian exaggerated, “I forgot to set up where to meet her. Marinette why don’t you come with me so I can then walk you back to your office.”

A slight smirk graced her lips, his acting skills admittedly were not his finest performance, but they needed to get away quickly. “Sure, Damian.”

She rose from the table and took his offered hand before he pulled her across the room. Changing to a sprint the moment they entered the now empty hall Roth and Wilson had disappeared into.

“I need to go upstairs and get my suit.” He pulled out his cellphone and began to type a message to Jason, trying to get eyes on Raven and Wilson.

“We don’t have time and you know it. I can give you a miraculous temporarily so that we can get to him quickly.”

He paused and looked over at her, not knowing how to feel about being given a miraculous, especially one that was not his own. He might be missing a piece of his soul that connected him to that Miraculous, but that didn’t stop his soul from knowing just what it was missing.

“I know it’s not Plagg, but I don’t want to go in there unprotected, I remember what he was like last time we faced him, and you said that he wasn’t even trying then.”

Damian considered his choices, it felt like cheating in a very weird way to even consider taking a miraculous other than his own. But facing Wilson was dangerous even in his Robin suit. Deathstroke had killed his grandfather after all.  “Is the suit bullet proof?”

She looked as if she was pondering the question. “I don’t know. We never faced an akuma that shot bullets.”

“Have they not protected you from other, arguably worse, things.”

“Yes, but all of that was magical in nature. Magic is fickled it might stop a bullet that was created by magic, but not from one made by a man. Chat and I never wanted to risk testing the limitations of the suits.”

“Can’t you look into your past memories and find out?”

She stopped dead in her tracks, her mouth forming a perfect ‘o.’ “Why the hell had I never thought of that?”

Damian had to stop a chuckle. She was perfect because she was not infallible.

Marinette closed her eyes, but he could see that they were still moving under her lids. She suddenly opened them, “yes, the suit deflects, just don’t get hit in the head.”

“Perfect,” he growled. “This will be a lot easier now that we have an advantage.”

He held his hand out, expecting her to give him the temporary miraculous. She was studying him again and he was unsure as to why before she snapped her fingers in triumph.

“I know just the one.”

She held out her hand to him, ready to pass the jewel in her hand, but they were interrupted by Roth who turned the corner of the hall in front of them. “Roth where did he go?”

“I don’t know. I thought I was right behind him, but I lost him in the streets outside. I suggest that we head somewhere where we might be able to follow him from street surveillance.”

Damian nodded his head, looked like today’s internship was done for the day.

Chapter Text

The search for Slade Wilson was fruitless. He had gotten into the W.E. building by knocking out three of Jason’s top security guards. It left Jason feeling a little embarrassed as it was his men that failed. But it was Slade Wilson, his men had been unprepared to interact with the likes of him. Hell, even when one was prepared to deal with that man you were never really prepared.

It was just lucky that all Slade did was knock the men out, he could have very easily killed them.

The current whereabouts of Slade were unknown. The team had watched the surveillance of the streets of Gotham where Slade had disappeared once he left the building. Raven had been following Slade closely behind, but he had done his prep work and led her into an alley that had no form of surveillance. It was there that Raven lost him and both Babs and Tim were unable to come up with a trail on where he disappeared to after.

Deathstroke was a loose string, and Jason hated those. It left him feeling itchy, Slade had been targeting either Damian or Marinette, hell, probably both and that wasn’t going to fly.

All the more reason to get Damian the best protection that Jason could offer him, his soul piece back.

For better or more likely a shit storm, all his brothers along with Marinette, Adrien, Jon, and Raven were sitting around the large conference table waiting to perform the sacrificial ritual. One were the sacrifice was Jason, himself.

Typical weekday shit and all.

At the very least he was comforted by the fact that the reason it hadn’t happened yet was that no one had the balls to kill him. He half expected Bruce to step up, but he was no longer under the influence of the madness, so the rational side of his brain reminded him that Bruce had truly been devastated by his first death.

Actually, it was oddly touching that Bruce refused to participate in his death and chose instead to patrol with Batgirl and Black Bat for the evening. Maybe the old man wasn’t such an asshole.

“Don’t I have to be killed by a miraculous?” Jason interjected as those around the table continued to argue on how to humanely kill him.

“For me to bring you back yes. Which is what I have been trying to explain if people would just listen,” Marinette huffed, blowing her bangs out of her face. “Only problem is that most of the miraculous’ powers are non-lethal,” she shivered as she said it. “Cataclysm is probably the only one that can do it instantly, but Damian can’t use Plagg to transform until you’ve passed without risking his own life. So, aside from bludgeoning you to death with our weapons...”

Jason shuttered at the implication. Of course that wasn’t how he died the first time, not exactly anyway, it had just occurred before the building exploded. Fucking clowns.

“Seeing as it is unlikely that anyone would like to take such a liberty with Jason’s life, perhaps an akuma might end our dilemma.” Leave it to the part demon to suggest using another demon. “My understanding is that we could create an akuma that has powers that would be able to kill him without any pain or fuss.”

“I’m not sure that I could ask Nooroo to do something like that. Especially since we just rescued him from Hawkmoth not too long ago.” Marinette looked green at the prospect of having to ask.

“Are we ever going to know the identity of Hawk Bitch?” Jason mouthed off, knowing that they were unlikely to share if they hadn’t yet, but his curiosity had always gotten the better of him.

“That is Miraculous business,” Marinette said at the same time as Adrien’s, “it was my dad.”

Everyone at the table gasped aside from Jon. Apparently he had already been privy to that information. “Aww, shit man, that’s tough. My old man was a piece of work too. Welcome to the club.” Jason held out his fist for a bump hoping to lighten the mood that he created. Sometimes his mouth made him look like a real douche.

Adrien smiled at him and returned the gesture, it appeared he was over the knowledge of what kind of person his father was. At least enough that on the surface it no longer tore him up.

Raven rolled her eyes and interrupted, “perhaps we should return to the reason we are here. I would happily use this creature you call Nooroo to create an akuma so that Jason may die in a more peaceful way than his first death.”

Fuck; his deflection hadn’t worked. He knew that he needed to die but he wasn’t sure how he was supposed to accept it, even if he was supposed to come back immediately.

Marinette heaved a huge sigh, looking at Damian as if he held the correct answer as to what she should do. Jason was surprised to see that Damian appeared to be conflicted as well. “Let me ask Nooroo. I feel like he should be able to have a say whether he purposely causes another death.”

Raven waved her off, as if Marinette’s consideration for the small creature was stupid. Jason wasn’t sure what had crawled up Raven’s butt, but she apparently was still holding a grudge towards both Marinette and Damian.

Out of her purse Marinette pulled out a small broach. She held the object out in the palm of her hand as a bright purple light erupted from it. A small being much like the other kwamis appeared from it, this one however mimicked a butterfly.

“Guardian,” it said as it bowed to Marinette.

“Nooroo, we need to return Plagg’s soul piece to his Kaiduan, for that to happen our friend Jason needs to die by a miraculous so that I can revive him.”

“It would be my honor to do something for the good of this universe, Miss. Marinette,” Nooroo said as he bowed his head once again.

“Are you sure?” She looked at him with concern and it warmed Jason’s heart to see Marinette giving such consideration to the small being.

“Of course, Guardian. Who shall wield me?” The small purple kwami looked around the table as Marinette pointed towards Raven, who in turn bowed to the small god.

The small being swallowed thickly and replied with less confidence than before. “Just say Noroo, wings rise. Once transformed you need only to search for a person with the desire to help this Jason person.”

“Must their desire match my intentions,” Raven asked.

“A champion is easier to control when your desires are in line. There is always a little bit of autonomy when it comes to the creations of the Butterfly Miraculous. It is one of the reasons that Ladybug and Chat Noir were able to easily defeat akumas in the past. While Hawkmoth desired their miraculous, the akuma’s own desires would often override that directive causing opportunities for it to be defeated.”

“Okay, I think I understand. Fortunately, I can manipulate emotions so that we can ensure that they are more aligned. Let us do this Nooroo.”

Marinette handed the broach to Raven and Raven placed it at the clasp of her cape. It transformed into a broach that looked very similar to the jewel upon her head before she called out, “Nooroo, wings rise.”

A purple light engulfed Raven before disappearing, leaving her looking almost the same aside for more silver accents to her usual costume. Not that Jason was completely surprised considering her favorite color was already purple.

Jason tried to swallow the non-existent water in his mouth as the reality that he was about to die again settled. Taking what little bravery he had, he closed his eyes and opened them again.

“Let’s do this.”

The group moved to a secluded rooftop, one of the more isolated skyscrapers in Gotham. None present wanted to be responsible for Todd’s death, even if it was under the influence of a champion. Fortunately, there were several men in Gotham that would have loved the opportunity to kill Red Hood, so Raven only had to slightly manipulate one of Penguin’s men to want to do it as painlessly as possible.

With little fanfare Raven akumatized the man whose special power was a unique serum that painlessly took the last breaths of the person he struck with his needle. Despite knowing that this was apart of the plan and that Todd’s death was meant to return his missing soul piece, Robin couldn’t help the unease that he felt. Both him and Todd had gone through death before, as well as the return to life. There was no way that this would not mentally affect Todd in some way.

As the akuma slowly approached Red Hood, Robin’s grip tightened on his katana. He struggled against the urge to remove the akuma’s hand as it leered towards its target. He just managed to stave off his impulse as the needle that extended from the akuma’s finger pierced through the kevlar in Red Hood’s suit.

Without looking Robin could hear the collective gasp as everyone held their breath as they watched Red Hood smile behind his domino mask, as if nothing had happened. Hood looked around the group, as if searching for recognition that something was happening to him that he had yet to notice. Finally, his eyes settled on Raven’s, he quirked his head to the side as if asking her what was supposed to happen.

“Guess we need to try something different.” He smirked at Raven and Robin noticed that she bristled at the accusation that she had failed.

Red Hood chuckled to himself, as Raven turned her back to him, crossing her arms as she huffed in resignation. As quick as his laughter had started it suddenly stopped as his body went rigid and he collapsed to the ground. Nightwing just caught Hood before his body collided with the rooftop.

Robin’s family closed in, trying to understand what had just happened. Nightwing’s fingers immediately dropped to Hood’s pulse point, he shook his head and lowered it in apparent grief. The rest followed his example, even as they knew that this death was only temporary.

No one moved, unable to act as they looked at the lifeless body of their brother and friend. All except for Ladybug who immediately went into action. Without asking she grabbed Robin’s hand, he barely registered her touch before he felt her slide on the ring that he knew would quickly change his life, hopefully for the better.

Immediately Robin felt the ring pulse and before he had time to process the meaning Plagg materialized beside him. Despite everything Marinette had told him about Plagg and his less than stellar record at being empathetic, the god said nothing as he looked down at Damian’s brother’s body. Instead, he flew close to Robin’s face and nuzzled his cheek. “It will all work out, Kitten.”

Robin nodded once, hoping that Plagg’s words were true.

“Raven, will you please-” Ladybug cut herself off as she turned around herself, looking for the person she was talking to. She appeared confused as she was unable to spot Raven at all. “Where did she go?”

Robin followed suit and looked around for Raven, but like Ladybug he was unable to spot her.

“Perhaps she already went to help Red Hood in limbo?” Adrien who had chosen not to wear a miraculous but a spare Robin suit, questioned from beside Superboy.

“Maybe.” Ladybug was still looking around frantically, her head rotating left and right as she spun around, looking more panicked as time passed. “Where is the akuma, I need to purify it before I cast the cure?”

A round of words not worth repeating spread among the Bat’s as they all turned to search for the two missing persons. Robin ran over to the ledge of the building hoping that he might catch sight of at least one of the two missing figures, but his search turned up empty. Just as he was about to go to the other side of the building a spasm caused his body to freeze. The feeling of a thousand bults of electricity circuited through his body causing him to panic. He was not sure what had happened exactly, but suddenly a green light was radiating from his body.

As soon as it appeared was as soon as it had disappeared.

Memories, thousands upon thousands of memories flooded his mind. Lives that he knew where his own, but not of this time. Knowledge he had not possessed moments ago, was suddenly at his fingertips; languages, history, fighting techniques and how to love.

Robin closed his eyes as it all became rather overwhelming.

Eventually the rush subsided, and his head cleared. Robin stood there proud of the man that he was in all of his other lives, proud of the things that he had accomplished, especially with his Ladybug always by his side.  But Robin was proudest of the knowledge that he was finally given something that had been missing from his life so far, a purpose.

Sure, before now his mother and father had their own intensions for him, but he had never had one for himself. That instantly changed the moment his mother tried to fulfil one of her own desires, his purpose now was to protect his Ladybug, his love, his Angel, his Habibti… just as he always had.

Turning his head into the direction that he knew that she stood, he opened his eyes to take in the sight of the most beautiful person that he had ever known. Only the sight was not as beautiful as he hoped it would be. Ladybug still stood as breathtaking as ever, her eyes were locked on him and a breathtaking smile graced her face. Her smile was slipping however, likely caused by the fact that he was unable to return it. Instead, he looked at her in horror and panic as he watched the missing akuma’s needle take aim to stab her in the back.

The action he knew was quick, but to him it was playing out in such slow motion that he was sure that if he could just encourage his limbs to move he would be able to prevent it. But that was the problem, his body refused to move and so he was forced to watch as the same serum that had killed his brother was administered to his soul’s love.

He was forced to watch as her eye’s betrayed her confusion before she turned to look at the source of the pinch in her back.

He endured the panicked expression as she realized what was happening.

Robin was still glued to the spot as the rest of his family seemed to acknowledge the disaster that was happening around them. Superboy immediately threw the akuma away from Ladybug, causing it to slam into the ground and break his needle releasing the purple butterfly from its chamber. Adrien instantly took Ladybug’s yo-yo and captured it before it was able to fly away. It remained in her yo-yo as he turned back to his best friend.

Through it all Ladybug watched with an unspoken sadness in her eyes. Unshed tears began to form as the reality of her situation and by extension Todd’s was reflected in everyone’s eyes. Only the Kaiduan of Creation could bring people back from the dead and Raven’s akuma had signed her death certificate. The evidence of such stuck out of her back, reflected in the minimal moonlight above them.

It had felt like minutes had passed, but Robin knew it had only been seconds before he finally got his feet to move, and he raced to his Angel. Her eyes followed his movement, only showing the remorse of this being their final moments. Yet somehow he found his voice, as he called for his transformation. The green light from earlier engulfed him once more, with the similar sensation of an electrical current which he now recognized as the return of his missing soul piece.

His hand reached out to his love, praying to all the known Kwami’s that he would make it to her in time. He called upon his power knowing it was the only thing that could possibly save her.

“Cataclysm,” he yelled out in pain. Hoping that whoever had control over the outcome of such events would hear his plea before his destructive powered hand caressed Ladybug’s cheek and her eyes slid shut.

Chapter Text

The mansion was somber as Damian moved through it in a haze. The usual chaos that filled the halls was missing, even with more occupants than usual filling its rooms. His father had left with Jon’s to try and find Raven. It was hard to admit but Jason’s second death was hitting his father just as hard if not more so than the first. Damian was fearful of what might happen should the great Batman find her. Any encounter with Raven might just lead to him finally abandoning his moral high ground.

They were not supposed to be here. Jason’s death was only supposed to be temporary. Damian would become whole, and Ladybug would call forth her powers and everything would be as it was meant to. Yet Raven had made sure that had not happened.

Why?

Could it truly be because of something as petty as jealousy? Did someone as rational and stoic as Raven finally break and transform into someone he did not recognize. Someone that would resort to murder.

For the life of him he could not imagine that, yet that was what she had done. Before him was the proof of just that. Jason’s lifeless body laid in the center of his bed, tucked under the covers as if he were merely asleep. But the usual rise and fall of his chest was missing, the rosy tone to his cheeks was gone and Damian was doing something he never thought he was truly capable of, crying.

The return of his soul piece had been the only good news coming from the previous evening. It gave him the abilities and the knowledge on how to destroy the poison that had started to course through Ladybug’s body after being attacked by the akuma. While Damian was successful, the damage had already been done and he was unable to create new cells to heal the ones that had already been affected.

Tikki had come out of her earrings no better than Marinette. Being a god, even in a small package, her mortality was never a question and they waited with bated breath for her to recover. Fortunately, the color of the Ladybug Kwami was returning, slowly.

The same could not be said for Marinette, she still laid comatose on his bed with no change in her appearance or condition since returning to the manor. The only reason he was able to break away from her for any period of time was knowing that it was needed for the safety of the manor and Gotham. With his memories came the knowledge on how to destroy an entire city with a single swipe of his claw. As well as the knowledge of what had caused him to do such things in the past, some were for lesser offenses to him.

Seeing Marinette in such a state made him angry, made him want to destroy and he knew that Plagg’s essence, which he now recognized surrounding the city, only fed into those desires. Sitting next to Marinette and wallowing in his feelings were not good for anyone and so he left when he felt them coming on too strong. His short reprieves kept him sane, but he still needed to be close to her, monitoring her, even if she had been unchanged since their arrival.

Which is why as soon as he had taken a lap of the manor and then checked on the unchanged status of Jason, Damian took the three steps it took to get from Jason’s room into his own. He paused in the doorway to take in the scene before him. Tikki laid on Marinette’s chest, a grieving Plagg curled around her. Both Tikki and Marinette were unresponsive and unaware of the impact of their condition on those around them. Plagg had spoken little to anyone, even Damian, merely mentioning that the only hope that they had was that they would have enough energy to heal themselves before Marinette’s body lost the fight as it was barely functioning on its own. Pennyworth had her hooked up to every life support system he was able to get his hands on. The extent of damage to her body was unknown, but if they hoped for any energy to return to her they could not risk her using any of it to do basic functions like breathing or processing urine.  It was the only hope for Marinette to recover, as in the end Marinette was the only one that would be able to save herself.

Tim had tried to call in Constantine, but he acknowledged the magic was outside of his or really anyone’s wheelhouse. A hospital for obvious reasons also could not help and so they were stuck hoping and praying for both beings of creation to pull through.

The matter was made worse by the knowledge that if Marinette did to heal, she might not be able to use her powers to bring back Jason. Plagg was not confident that if the cure was cast outside of a certain window after Jason’s death that she would be able to pull his soul back. It was a hit to the family for sure and Damian would always feel guilty for feeling like the cause. Afterall, Jason died to make him whole, Marinette was hurt because Raven liked him, and despite the power at his fingertips, when it mattered the most he had been powerless.

Worse still was the fact that even if Marinette did come back soon there was no way of telling if she would have enough energy to cast a strong enough Miraculous Ladybug. Jason may still be lost to them. Which only begged the question, where was Alix. If she was able to see all currents of time, where was she and why did she allow all of this to go down?

Damian was not blind. He knew that there was something going on between Alix and Jason, at least the older version of Alix. He was no longer naive and recognized love as an emotion that someone could express with only their eyes. He had first seen it with his father and mom, now he recognized it in his own looks towards Marinette, and he was able to see it in that moment when older Alix glanced at Jason. It was easy to surmise that the older Alix was likely in some kind of relationship with older Jason.

But even if that was the case, how could she not stop this? How could she sit back and allow it to happen? Or not even check in?

Was there not some world or rather universe ending event on the horizon that both he and Ladybug where born to prevent? The fact that she had not shown up was almost a little bit of comfort to him. For surely it must mean that everything worked out in the end. But, she had also said that this current was playing out before her very eyes and changing the future from what she had seen before. Perhaps the dominoes were still falling, and he would forget this present when she inevitably was forced to prevent Marinette’s death?

That had to be it? But if that was so why did he have to live through this pain now. Would this course play out in its entirety, even if she goes back to the past and creates a parallel timeline?

Damian half expected that if she changed something that altered the current course of their lives they would just fade from existence. No, that just seemed to be wishful thinking, life was never that fair. How many versions of him where there where he had to live through something similar to this and what happened to his parallel conscience and soul when he finally died? Alix was right she really did have the toughest job, thinking about it made his head spin and did nothing to ease his current anxiety.

The trip across the room happened in five seconds flat. While he probably should take the seat beside the bed, he could not help but use Plagg as an example of what a Black Cat is supposed to do for his Ladybug by curling his body protectively beside her.

“Marinette, you cannot leave me. I have never been the first to lose you and I refuse to allow this life to be the first. There can never be a first for that Habibti.”

Self-sacrifice was a necessary evil for them, and he always happily gave his life, even if it only meant giving her a little more time. “I did not get to ask how long you survived after my last death. I have my suspicions considering, but I know that you are strong even without the Miraculous. I hope that my sacrifice allowed you to live a little longer. Or at least save a few more lives.”

Marinette’s body laid unmoving, but Plagg turned his head in his direction slightly to maintain an illusion of uncaring despite his interest being peaked. After all, it was the one life that Plagg and Tikki had not been with them. So, Damian decided to expand his story so that Plagg could get an idea of what the couple had been up to without them.

“It was what…our fifty-second time crossing the border? We’d created an underground railroad of sorts to get Jews out of the German occupied Europe. It was not a job for the faint of heart and admittedly we put ourselves in more danger by taking risk that put us into the direct sights of the Nazi’s consistently. But, we could not sit by and allow them to try and eradicate an entire people. We were almost on the home stretch, we had successfully moved a forty person caravan all the way from the Netherlands down to the Switz border, when we heard about a family nearby with three small children having been found and ready for transportation to the train station. Ready to be loaded onto a cart going to what I know now was a concentration camp.”

Damian took a deep breath as the memories of the events that transpired replayed in his mind.

“We left the group behind after we had successfully rendezvoused with the truck convoy that would allow them to cross the border. We waited just long enough to watch them cross from one of the higher peaks of the nearby hill before we went back to the town that held the family.”

He felt the lone tear ease from his eyes as he relived the emotions from the night.

“When we arrived at the house our informant said they were being held in, it was quiet except for a lone voice in one of the rooms on the second floor. We assumed that it was one of the Nazi’s threatening the family.”

Taking Marinette’s hand, he hoped that the warmth from her body would calm him, Damian was not sure why he was choosing to re-live this particular memory. At the end of the day having, one’s memories was a blessing and a curse. Blessing because he loved remembering all the great times with Marinette, yet curse because he remembered the bad parts too, namely his deaths and leaving her behind.

“We were able to get into the room no problem, which should have been a hint that something was wrong. But it was a family, we always knew we were taking a risk each rescue, and this just felt like another one. But it was a trap, before we were even halfway in the room, the door shut, and five SS soldiers had us surrounded. I didn’t even have time to process before they were shooting.”

Damian’s voice broke and he swallowed the bile that appeared along with the fear and anger that came with the memory.

“I threw my body over you before I felt the first bullet hit. I know that as the bullets entered my body that my powers worked to destroy them to ashes so they would not pass through into you, even if I didn’t have the knowledge of my powers then.”

He kissed her cheek, lovingly stroking it, before he closed his eyes and nuzzled his face into her shoulder. He breathed her in and despite all that had transpired she still smelled of delicate vanilla and the coconut from her shampoo.

“I’m fairly certain I died because of a bullet to my heart, but I hoped that it was enough to keep you from the same fate. Maybe offer you the opportunity to escape and live for even just one more day.”

“It would have worked if they hadn’t checked on me.” Marinette’s voice sounded weak and parched, but it was music to his ears. He felt an electric bolt reawaken his own body, as if her voice was a defibrillator to his heart. “You prevented the bullets from reaching me. But when they pulled you off and realized I was still alive, they put a gun to my head.”

Damian swallowed harshly as his mind painted the picture of her final moments. It hurt to hear, and while it was in the past and they were here now, every time he was filled in on how she eventually passed felt like he suffered a second death with each life.  

He looked at her, relief filling him knowing that she was conscious, which meant that she was healing. Marinette’s eyes were still closed, and her body had not moved from the position she had been in for the last fourteen hours.

Damian’s hand returned to her face and lightly traced the outline of her jaw. As he leaned in to kiss her forehead he saw her lips turn into a smile before her eyes fluttered open to look at him.

Marinette smiled tightly, no doubt seeing the pain and uncertainty that he still felt. She was awake, but that did not necessarily mean that everything was going to be happily ever after because of it. Jason was still dead in his own bedroom.

Fortunately, she did not need to be told this as she looked away from him and gathered the still unconscious form of her Kwami into her hands. A red glow illuminated them as she closed her eyes to focus. The sickly pink appearance of the Ladybug Kwami shifted slowly, returning to her cherry red appearance.

Unhooking herself from the more constraining life support systems, she did her best to sit up against her pillow with the help of Damian. Without further discussion she called on Tikki and became Ladybug once more. It was a testament to their previous teamwork that Ladybug knew that Adrien had captured the akuma in her stead as she opened her yo-yo to release the purified butterfly.

She watched as it fluttered away before taking a steadying breath and throwing her yo-yo into the air from her seated position on his bed. “Miraculous Ladybug,” she yelled, lacking some of the conviction her words usually mustered.

Damian watched as the small ladybugs escaped under his door most likely to the room across from his.

As his gaze swept back to look at his Angel he noticed a presence in the corner. One that had likely been there since he entered, apparently even more stealthy than him.

An older Alix stood in the corner adorn in her powder blue super suit. She smiled at him before motioning her head in the direction of the door. He turned his head to look but saw nothing of interest, so he turned his head back around to look at her with a small mask of confusion, looking for her to give him more of an explanation.

Only to find the corner empty once more.

Chapter Text

The rest of the week had flown by since the incident on the roof and before they were ready the end of it was upon them. Soon Marinette and Adrien would be returning to Paris for a little more than a month to complete their final exams and graduate before returning to Gotham. The occupants of the manor where unsure how to react to the upcoming departure, but in reality it was just another thing they were unwilling to face since Raven betrayed them.

Jason had returned to the land of the living, unaware of what had transpired since he had died. But when he woke up in his bed it wasn’t hard to figure out something had gone wrong. He was supposed to wake up on top of the building he had died on. It was a testament to Ladybug’s cure and the lack of madness in his head that he was able to process what had likely happened when he heard Damian screaming for Alfred in the bedroom across from his. Jason wasn’t sure how to feel that he was likely not the only one who returned to the land of the living.

Marinette had woken up after being affected by the same poison that Jason had, only to cast her cure, reviving him from his temporary death. Unfortunately, according to Tikki who was trying to be a voice of reason despite being in a still weaken state herself, Marinette had not had the energy required to cast the cure to bring him back. As a result, she had exhausted herself to the point of her body shutting back down and having to start the healing process again.

For the rest of the week Jason, Adrien and most notably Damian stood like sentinels for Marinette, protecting her from anyone that would wish her harm. Tikki who had not fully recovered tried to assist Marinette in healing quickly and fortunately it took Marinette only two days to wake up and remain awake. Still her energy was not completely replenished and undoing the damage from the poison was a long process as most of her body had been affected.

Tim had been able to cover for her disappearance by using her internship as an excuse. So, her teachers and even her roommate were none the wiser about her sudden disappearance. Unfortunately, today her absence would have caused too many questions as it was the closing ceremony before the students returned home. Which meant that a still healing Marinette was forced to make an appearance and then return to their hotel so that they could catch a redeye back to Paris.

With the whereabouts of Raven, the masked miraculous thief and even Deathstroke unknown, Jason had ensured that every member of his security forces were present to protect the students or rather Marinette and Adrien. That also being the reason that Jason currently had front row seats to the sickeningly sweet display of affection between his brother and Marinette.

Damian had been attached to Marinette since she’d woken up. Where her appendage was meant to stop it continued as Damian had permanently attached his own. Even now at a Wayne sponsored event, where Damian usually showed only the appropriate decorum, he sat beside her with her hand firmly set in his own.

Jason noticed the whispers that surrounded them. Mostly from Damian’s fellow students, but also from several of the Parisians. The media that usually covered the event where too busy noticing the couple and mostly ignored the boring speech that his father was giving.

Thankfully it was Marinette, aka Ladybug, that Demon Spawn had been attached to. Jason wasn’t sure that anyone else who wasn’t born into media attention would be able to survive the level of scrutiny that Marinette was now being held to. It should not have really surprised him however, Marinette seemed to be handling this in the same way she did any time that she was Ladybug, by focusing on what was important and letting the rest fade away. Right now, the thing that was important was her and Damian. Jason would never say, especially to the spawn of Satan himself that he was happy that Demon Spawn had someone like that in his life, he deserved nothing less.

Jason had never seen the kid ever display so much emotion towards anything, aside from maybe Titus and Alfred the Cat, ever. It was nice. Especially since that emotion was love and a whole lot of it too. It would have disgusted Jason had it been anyone else as it was far too sweet on the side of cringy. But, it was so different and much rawer than any of the other examples of love Jason was exposed to.

Dick and Kori where in love. Dick was whipped though; Kori could ask him to do anything and he would. Dick looked at Kori like a puppy looked at its owner, as if the other could do no wrong.

Bruce and Selina where in love. Bruce despite his inability to show emotion, showed his love through his gestures. His hand would often linger across Selina’s body longer than necessary. He never asked her to change despite her less than moral activities that he didn’t agree with. But while he never forced or asked her to change she did, well sort of, stealing from corrupt individuals was still stealing.

But Marinette and Damian…where to begin when describing their love for one another? When they looked at each other there wasn’t puppy dog eyes or even the staring into each other’s eyes as if they were seeing something in the other person that others couldn’t. That was probably what made them perfect for each other. When they looked at each other there was a look of respect, acceptance, and admiration of the other. They saw each other for who they were, flaws, shortcomings, quirks, and all. They looked at each other as if a calm washed over them when they were together, as if they were not complete until they were with the other. As if they could balance out the things that others might see as issues. Not change them but enhance. Perhaps that was why the kwami’s had chosen them the first time, because they did balance each other out perfectly, just as creation and destruction, good and bad luck, yin and yang.

Jason had been almost too preoccupied studying the couple that he almost missed the entrance of another man donning a pig mask, onto the stage with Bruce. It had been some time since they had interacted with Professor Pyg and Jason couldn’t understand for the life of him why they would be facing him today at a conference with a bunch of teenagers.

Jason tried his hardest to make his way to the insane man, but his efforts were thwarted by the sudden appearance of several men who looked to be the victims of some of Pyg’s mutilation. Collectively they looked like the first round of experiments of Dr. Frankenstein. From the way some of their reattached limbs hung it was obvious that Pyg had not been successful in creating his monster, even if he had them wearing animal heads of their own. Still, a useless arm was of little consequence when the other held an automatic rifle.

Unfortunately, without his kevlar suit Jason was not able to try and take out any of the armed guards without risking the lives of the students in his current care. Luckily, Bruce seemed to react instantly to the presence of the villain and had made it off stage before anyone noticed. Looked like Batman would be offering the distraction that would allow the other Bats to join in the fun.

The moment Professor Pyg took center stage Damian looked for a place that he would be able to transform without being noticed. With the number of associates the man had brought it looked like the opportunity would not be presenting itself any time soon.

Damian felt Marinette tense beside him, instantly he knew what was plaguing her. She was still too weakened by her brush with death to be able to transform and help. Worse yet, her lack of energy made her even more vulnerable as a civilian. Leaving her side to assist was a gut reaction, yet doing so would risk her safety. With Jon and Adrien sitting with the Gotham Academy students on the other side of the auditorium there was no solution to his predicament, such as leaving Marinette with Adrien. Not to mention, the two gunmen standing two rows back from them, prevented ability to escape.

Damian looked down at Marinette, knowing that she was usually the one that he could turn to for a plan when they found themselves in a tight situation. What he saw written across her face was not something that he was pleased to see. It echoed of a plan that he was not going to like.

“Marinette,” he hissed, hoping that it conveyed if she did something stupid she would have to deal with his wrath later even if it was successful.

Her eyes locked with his and he instantly knew that his warning was about to go unheeded. The look that she gave him was laced with too much sorrow and begging for his understanding and forgiveness. Damian instantly closed his eyes and scrunched his face as he released a deep breath. Through their lifetimes together he knew better than to hope to change her mind. Whatever action she was about to take would occur with or without his support, it was better to offer her what he could than argue.

Marinette was looking right at him as her chest began to heave. Knowing that this was a part of what ever plan she concocted he still couldn’t shake the level of concern for her wellbeing that he suddenly had. He looked at her as if her actions were the result of her current health and truthfully there was a large percentage of him that was not sure it was not.

Suddenly, Marinette bolted upright from her seat before leaning into row in front of her. Before he knew it, he was witnessing the live action version of the movie The Exorcist, as a fountain suddenly exploded from her mouth onto the person in front of her.

It gave him no satisfaction, none whatsoever, that the person happened to be Lila. Damian was certain Marinette did not choose Lila vindictively as her target, but the predictability of her reaction. He instantly stood beside her, rubbing her back as she tried and failed to prevent a second shower from hitting Lila.

The girl in question jumped from her seat, shrieking in disgust despite the tense situation surrounding them. Both Marinette and Lila’s performance drew the attention of Pyg and his men, causing several of them to make their way down to their seats. The distraction was enough Damian noticed to allow Drake, Todd, and Grayson to sneak out.

“Grab the girls,” Pyg ordered to his men.

With little finesse they grabbed Marinette and Lila, dragging them out of the row of seats. Damian instantly protested and attempted to remain latched to Marinette’s hand, until he found himself staring down the barrel of a gun.

Marinette and Lila were quickly escorted to the front of the auditorium, much to the enjoyment of the Professor, who looked too excited to have a girl who just vomited and the girl that was vomited on, in his vicinity.

Based on what little Damian knew of the man, it was a sign of his mental state, as well as a hint into what the man may have in store for the two girls if no one saved them.

Fortunately, Damian knew better than that, someone was going to rescue Marinette and then Pyg would pay for threatening his wife. Someone had to even if he had to transform in front of the whole room.

The sound of a door behind the curtains of the stage slamming open signaled the arrival of that help. A figure decked out in black, calmly stalked out from behind the curtain, yet it was not the menacing black figure that Damian had expected.

Instead, it was the man who had taken the Fox Miraculous from Adrien. His outfit was new, it looks far more put together than the first one he had donned in their first encounter. In fact, this new outfit was so different and clearly thought out that Damian would not have instantly recognized him if not for the one-of-a-kind gun he held in his hand. There was no mistaking its unique design.

Without hesitating the man fired on Pyg. The weapon that he had used just a few nights before was modified. The amount of energy that it dispelled from the barrel was smaller and merely threw Pyg across the room. The rise and fall of Pyg’s chest pointed to him only being knocked out from the impact verse the near death hit that Renard Noir had suffered.

Only the two men that had brought Lila and Marinette up to the front rushed to attack the man who had fired on their boss. The others were currently distracted as the cavalry Damian had been anticipating finally arrived from the side doors of the auditorium. The two men who had advanced stood no chance as they were easily taken down by two shots from the mystery man’s gun.

The immediate threat of Pyg was gone and his intentions were left to be figured out at a later. Now, the threat before Marinette and Lila was worse. While Pyg was insane and when left to complete things to his own devices the consequences made the Joker’s often look like child play, the capabilities of the gun in that man’s hands could be worse. Worse yet, one of the women that he was currently moving towards held one of the two most powerful miraculous. One could not imagine the damage that he would be able to bring should he replace the Peacock with the Ladybug.

Which of course begged the question, was he aware of just who was before him?

The answer was one that he was sure he would not find out soon, as Batman moved out of the shadows using the same entrance as the masked man only moments before. The man was clearly surrounded by varying Bats and even Superboy, who had somehow been able to change. But against that weapon they stood little chance, they knew it, Damian knew it, and looking at his Angel’s face she was also well aware of the fact.

“Just put the weapon down and no one else needs to get hurt.” His father’s voice was as firm and intimidating as always, but his posture was unsettled. It would be hard for anyone else to see, but Damian had been with him for eight years and had very rarely seen the mask his father used, chipped away. Naturally Marinette being placed in danger would cause it, she had a way of settling down into the hearts of those around her.

The masked man closed the distance between himself and the girls. He said nothing as he came to place his gun at Marinette’s head.

Once again, Batman’s mask crumbled a little more as his body flinched as he was compelled to move forward. The act this time was noticeable, and the masked man knew that he had the upper hand. Placing his free hand on Marinette’s shoulder he pushed her slightly to get her to move towards the exist Red Robin was currently blocking, leaving Lila alone.

“Move out of the way and let us pass,” he ordered to Red Robin through a voice modulator.

“I can’t let you do that.” Red Robin growled.

“Either that or I use my gun on her before I turn it on you and get out anyway. If you let me pass I’ll let her go as soon as I am in the clear,” the masked man retorted.

Red Hood appeared from behind the man, which caused him to swivel his head towards Damian’s older brother. “I wouldn’t if I were you.”

Hood froze in place, fortunately taking the threat for what it likely was, a promise.

“Why are you here, what is so special about her?” Hood asked instead.

“I wanted to help, but I need her to make sure that you don’t do anything stupid,” the voice modulator cracked, a reflection of how inexpensive it was. Meaning that despite his outfit change the man before them wasn’t the master villain that he hoped to appear.

“Just leave her then. There is no need to threaten anyone else,” Red Robin tried.

At this point each of the Bats and Superboy had started to enclose on the masked man. Even Damian who had not had the chance to transform had closed the distance between them.

“No can do. She is my assurance that none of you will follow me until I am in the clear and in so doing ensures that no one who doesn’t deserve it gets hurt.” The masked man tightened his grip on Marinette, pushing the gun further into her temple and causing her to flinch.

It took everything that Damian had not to instantly destroy something with the power that had started to crackle at his fingertips.

“Did Renard Noir deserve to be hurt? He was innocent too,” Superboy snarled.

“I did not know the capabilities of my weapon at that point, I had not had the opportunity to test it. But the promise of another jewel like this one here was too enticing to wait for a proper trial period.” The mask the man was wearing blocked his facial expressions, but from years of study Damian knew that the man was starting to tense and possibly panic. If Damian knew anything, it was that a panicked individual, was a dangerous and unpredictable individual.

“Just stay here and she will be returned unharmed. Follow and not only will I use it on her, but I will be sure to increase the power of the energy beam when I fire it on the one who follows.”

The masked man looked back at Red Robin, throwing his head to signal for him to move. Looking around at his family, Red Robin looked for a sign that any of the others had a plan. When none were given he moved away allowing the masked man and Marinette to slip out the door.

Chapter Text

When Marinette had thought vomiting could be a distraction, it was heavily influenced by the fact that she had not been feeling well. As soon as the ‘pig’ had entered the auditorium she had been fighting off nausea as her anxiety blossomed from her inability to assist. A part of her knew that vomiting as a distraction would be successful enough for some of the Bats to get out, but it had been more successful than she could have hoped. Lila, whom she did not intend to make the unfortunate victim of her misplaced vomiting, had caused such a ruckus that both had been escorted to the front beside the pig man. She could have kicked herself for her unfortunate victory as she had put herself in an awkward and compromising position. Made worse when a factor she had not been counting on entered the arena.

The masked man who currently held two of the miraculous, was the last person she wanted to see in her current state. And the one person she definitely did not want to be held hostage by.

At some point during the time that it took for her to be escorted from the auditorium to wherever she currently was, she had passed out, most likely from her still lingering fatigue. When she finally came around, she tried her hardest not to alert her captor that she was awake, so far he had left her to her own devices and unbothered.

Transforming was the best chance that she had to get out, but she didn’t know if she or Tikki were well enough to hold the transformation for any length of time. Or if he already knew her identity. One could argue that it would be the reason he was at the closing ceremony, not the bull he was trying to pass off about wanting to help. Yet, as far as she could tell her earrings were still in her ears and Tikki in her pocket.

By becoming Ladybug in his presence, she would give away her identity if he didn’t already know it. Seeing that his aim to some degree was to possess more miraculous, she couldn’t offer him that morsel of information.

All of that was only secondary of course to the question of why he wanted the miraculous in the first place. His weapon was impressive, but seeing it in action it was rather tame for the abilities that she knew the miraculous were capable of.

Perhaps the biggest question she should be asking is how he got the Peacock Miraculous away from Natalie? Should she expect for Natalie to make her presence known soon? Perhaps the reason she was currently being held had nothing to do with her miraculous, but rather Natalie made her a target due to her close association to Adrien.

Before she had time to stop and adjust accordingly, a wave of nausea hit causing some bile to enter her throat. Luck was on her side as she was able to starve off the worst of it, preventing her from decorating the floor but unfortunately enough went into her throat causing her to cough, albeit quietly.

It was enough to draw the attention of her capture. He obviously had no intention of allowing her to go free as he no longer had his mask on. Amateur mistake, but not one she was going to correct for him. Taking in his appearance, she was confident that she had seen him before, but she was having a hard time placing him. It only gave credence to her idea that he might know exactly who he had abducted.

Not good news for her.

Marinette racked her brain as she studied her surroundings and tried to remember just who the masked man was. She was in a lab, but having no real interest in science in any of her lives, she couldn’t tell more than that. He did not have her tied up, so he likely believed himself to be the superior fighter, or at least have an advantage that she was not aware of.  Well, rather his advantage was obvious as he was still holding his gun, so perhaps that was the advantage he intended on using.

“What do you want?” she croaked; her voice still sore from her mishap with Lila.

“Nothing, just wanted to make sure you are feeling better now that you are awake.” He looked at her without a single hint of deception, which was unsettling.

She didn’t answer as she refused to give him any indication of just how she was feeling. Still ill if she was going to be honest, not in a position to help herself in any form.

“Well, are you feeling better?” He tried to place the back of his hand to her forehead, but she flinched away from his contact.

“I’m fine,” she hissed through gritted teeth.

“I don’t believe you. Your lack of color suggest that you are still feeling ill. I should have chosen the other girl as my hostage, but I’ll be honest she smelled so bad I was sure I was going to be sick as well.”

Marinette breathed a sigh of relief, his words at least suggested that she was not the target and only an easy grab. But she remained vigilant as it was still likely to be nothing more than an act.  

“You passed out shortly after we left. I would have left you as I promised to, but Gotham is not a good place, and I could never leave a defenseless person alone. Dropping you off at the hospital was obviously not an option considering the Bats would then find my trail…So here we are.” He stood up from his crouched position but did not take his eyes off her. “Can I get you anything for your stomach? Crackers, soda, a cold compress? Do you know what’s wrong?”

Marinette tilted her head in confusion. This man was clearly insane. He possessed a weapon that could cause a lot of damage, yet here he was trying and successfully making her feel like he cared about her wellbeing.

“What are you going to do with me? Use that weapon?”

“Oh no. I would never use this on an innocent person.” She begged to differ. “I admit I have used it once on someone that didn’t deserve it, but at that point I didn’t know what it was truly capable of. I still don’t really.”

Against what should have been her better judgement, she temporarily forgot about her need to figure out how to get out of her predicament and instead focused on figuring him out. “Why would you create and use something that you don’t understand?”

“I did not create this to hurt people or anything like that. I intend on using it to transform energy from one source to create a pure energy into another form.”

Why did that sound so familiar, she went through her many interactions lately to figure out where she had heard that exact phrasing before.

“I just needed a conduit, which was when this fell into my hands. He pulled off the Peacock Miraculous from the hilt of the gun. “I just wasn’t aware of the amount of energy it could create. Then when I found out that there were more of these and in Gotham no less…”

He turned away from Marinette to grab something on top of the desk close to her. She instantly recognized the object as the Fox Miraculous. “It might be wrong of me. No, I know it is. But I knew I had to get ahold of it for the greater good of the world. With my technology powered by objects such as these, waste will cease to exist as I am able to transform it into energy that could power the world. That poor boy was simply a casualty to the betterment of the world.”

“You sound like Dr. Freeze. You may be acting in a way that you hope will have a result that you think is better for the world, but your still doing great harm in the meantime. Especially with objects that you have little knowledge about.”

“Oh,” he turned to look back at her, both miraculous in his hand and no longer in the gun, “and you know more than me about them?”

The desire to strike and remove the miraculous from his possession was overwhelming, but she knew that her weakened body stood little chance against him. “I’m from Paris, of course I do.”

“Hmm,” he placed the Fox Miraculous in the chamber of his gun, removing Marinette’s shot to retrieve them. “If that’s the case perhaps I should ask Adrien more about these.”

Adrien? Why would he mention Adrien? As if it had been on the tip of her tongue all along, she was able to recognize the man and his ramblings.

Dr. Kellan, Adrien’s advisor.

This was both good and bad news. As far as she could put together it was safe to say that the man was not a combat operative, which meant that if the Bats came to rescue her, if they could dodge the gun, it would be easy. Bad news though, because why would they ever suspect him and know where to find her?

As if to answer her own question, a shadow in the distance just over Dr. Kellan’s shoulder moved slightly, capturing her attention and luckily not Kellan’s. At first glance she would have had no idea who was stalking her, if not for her being guilty of having heavily observed the shadow for the past three weeks. Surprisingly he was still adorning his Robin persona and not his new Black Cat. Somehow, he managed to find her and was likely waiting for the perfect opportunity to strike.

Dr. Kellan finally stepped away from her to place down the Peacock Miraculous where he had previously had the Fox, as he had placed the Fox in the gun and an fearful Trixx now hovered in the gun’s glass chamber.

Robin moved out of the shadow, as if to reassure her with his presence. Dr. Kellan’s back was still turned from him and so his movement into the room went without notice. It was all the more obvious that Dr. Kellan was no criminal mastermind, he didn’t even think about the likely hood that someone could infiltrate his ‘hiding place,’ so he was not paying his surroundings any attention.

Robin crept slowly and quietly over towards Marinette and her captor. His attention focused on her, while maintaining his vigilance. Unfortunately, he did not account for Dr. Kellan having rigged his office with some kind of security measures as Robin tripped an alarm causing Dr. Kellan to turn his attention from Marinette.

Marinette would give it to the man he was quick on the uptake, as there was no hesitation in pointing the gun towards her. She was the closer target, the likelihood of missing her low, especially considering that it was pointed very closely to her face. The action caused Robin to freeze, showing his hand to Dr. Kellan.

He might not have been a criminal mastermind, but Dr. Kellan was a very smart man. The hesitation made by the hero gave away the fact that threatening to do harm to Marinette was enough to stop him.

“I warned the Bats that I would hurt anyone that would follow. Are you stupid?”

“No,” Robin snarled.

“Then explain why you are here.”

“Her.”

“Are you only capable of one-word answers?” Dr. Kellan goaded Robin.

Robin smirked, knowing that he was getting on Dr. Kellan’s nerves. His threat was mostly empty, shooting the gun in such a tight space threatened the death of everyone in this room not just Robin’s. Surely, Dr. Kellan was smart enough to know that.

“No.”

“Well then I guess I am going to have to take care of you now and then her.” Dr. Kellan turned the gun from Marinette and took aim at Robin.

There was no fear from Robin as the gun was now pointed at his chest. As if in slow motion, Marinette saw Dr. Kellan’s finger begin to pull the gun’s trigger. Robin moved swiftly to get out of the trajectory of the gun, and quickly in front of Marinette. Only the beam of energy that was supposed to come from the gun was not emitted.

Instead, the cylinder, which housed the trash that Dr. Kellan stole the energy from to create his weaponized beam, began to swirl and a table behind where Robin once stood turned to ash. Before anyone had time to process what was happening the glass shattered and the energy pulsated before releasing into the room, knocking out Dr. Kellan as he crashed into a nearby filing cabinet.

Robin dashed to cover Marinette with his body before she was touched by the energy.

Chapter Text

Robin slowly removed himself from Marinette having blocked the majority of the blast. His movements were slower than usual, no doubt from the fact that he did not have the miraculous suit to protect him from the magic. Had she been hit she couldn’t imagine what the consequences might have been to her already ailing body.

Despite knowing better, she pushed her healing magic out to Robin, she could lose some of her regained health so that Robin could be at full strength and protect her.

Once finished, she looked over towards the unmoving body of Dr. Kellan before returning her gaze to her husband. “How did you find me,” she asked quietly to not be heard by Dr. Kellan.

“Tracker.”

Marinette’s hands traveled along her outfit, trying to feel for the unknown tracker. Her mouth pinched in indignation, upset that she had been marked without her permission. No doubt seeing the anger that laced her expression, Robin laid his hands over her own, stopping her from looking further for the tracker.

“It was implanted in your arm when you were sick.” Marinette’s eyes flared with rage aimed in his direction. Not even feigning a little guilt, Damian stated, “standard operating procedure for family.”

Her gaze softened with his words, a warm feeling flowing through her body at the acknowledgement that she was a part of his family, the Wayne family. She wiggled her nose in frustration; it still didn’t change the fact she had a new implant without her permission. No one knew that she had a similar one that held the Miraculous Box, what would happen if someone discovered it when searching for the one the Bats had placed in her?

“I know your upset. But we are fortunate I placed it or else I might not have been able to easily follow you.” He smirked at her, yet his eyes begged for understanding.

She would give him that, but just this once.

Eying him in a way that sought for a reason to stay mad, she gave up quickly when she couldn’t find one. Robin was here and had protected her just as he was meant to, she couldn’t be angry at that. “When can I expect to see your new costume?”

“I did not wish to offer him another miraculous, but I promise the next time you need me I will become your Black Cat once again.”

Marinette could not help the lust that traveled through her body at the thought of seeing him in his costume once more. “What will your name be?”

He pondered his answer for a few short beats. “Gryphon.”

“The perfect mix of an eagle and a lion. Both bird and feline,” she smiled.

“You cannot expect me to completely abandon my heritage.” He looked slightly vulnerable, like he expected her to not like his choice.

“I think I remember reading that gryphons mate for life,” she purred seductively.

He closed his eyes as he tried to collect himself. “A trait I share, except I mate for lives.”

Her eyes locked once more with his, all of the emotions that she ever felt for him, which there were a lot, were once again rushing through her. Despite themselves they moved closer and closer to each other, drawn together by centuries of love stories shared between the pair. This life was just another chapter to add to their collection.

Only a pain laced groan drew them from their moment. Robin removed himself from the floor and moved quickly to retrieve the Peacock Miraculous and the gun which held the Fox before returning to check on Dr. Kellan. He shook his head to indicate that the man had not regained full consciousness, allowing Marinette to check her pocket for Tikki.

“Think you’re up for transforming?” Marinette asked.

The small goddess shook her head. “I wouldn’t suggest transforming with me until we are both healed a little more. I’d advise using Mullo, you might be able to use some of her energy to help you.”

Marinette focused to call on the Mouse Miraculous, having it appear around her neck instead of her hand. It would make sense to advise Damian sooner rather than later about the box. Especially if he ever went searching for his implanted tracker.

When Robin looked back over to where Marinette had once been he saw in her stead the hero he had come to know as Multimouse. Fortunately, he knew who was under the mask and so the glamour did nothing to hide her features from him. He was sure that he was imagining it, but she looked better, almost as if some energy had been transferred to her.

She quickly walked over towards the unconscious Kellan, grabbing his wrist to take his pulse. He looked down at the man who had kidnapped his Angel. He was disappointed that Kellan had been able to get past the background check without hinting at the fact that he was a deranged madman who would hurt people no doubt using Wayne Enterprise money.

A red light began to emulate from Marinette and filter into Kellan’s body.

“What are you doing?” Robin asked through gritted teeth.

Not looking at him she continued her work. “His spleen was ruptured. I am making sure he doesn’t die before we get some answers.”

Robin sighed, of course she would help the man. To remind her of what he had done, Robin held out the two Miraculous in her line of sight. Multimouse did not remove her eyes from her task until the red light faded, she then looked at the objects that he was holding out to her.

“Excellent idea, perhaps we can get more information from Duusu or Trixx.” Upon her grabbing the miraculous from his hand, both kwami’s materialized. Not his intention for showing her the miraculous but a smart move regardless.

“Guardian,” Trixx exclaimed causing Multimouse to place her finger to her lips in order to silence the pair, darting her eyes between them and the unconscious man to be sure he did not hear.

“Duusu…Trixx…I can’t tell you how happy I am to see you both. Duusu it is an honor to finally meet you. I am so happy to finally have you back where you belong. My name is Multimouse. I hope to have a longer more in-depth conversation when we are away from prying ears, but for now I just wonder if you can tell me what happened with this man.”

“Multimouse,” tears sprung from Duusu’s eyes as she addressed her. “I cannot tell you how happy I am to be free once more. I can’t really tell you what’s going on because I don’t know. For some time, my memories have betrayed me, I think that it has to do with my broken Miraculous.”

“Trixx do you know?”

“Sorry Multimouse, I don’t know too much, but he said that his creation was able to transfer energy from one thing and make it into another.”

“That sound similar to the research project that he was doing,” Robin interjected. “Perhaps his intention was not to create a weapon, but it was more of a side effect.”

A Mr. Freeze of sorts, though it did not earn the man forgiveness for what he had done to Adrien or Marinette.

“It might explain why when he used Trixx’s Miraculous it exploded in his face.”

“How do you figure,” Robin inquired. After many lifetimes with the Black Cat Miraculous and interacting with other holders he was positive that the intricacies of the miraculous were all fundamentally the same.

“The Peacock is currently broken therefore it is sucking energy rather than giving. If the gun is calibrated based on that replacing it with the Fox would have backfired.” She raised her eyebrows at Robin before looking over at Dr. Kellan. “I’m pretty confident that is exactly what we witnessed.”

Robin nodded his head in agreement to her assessment.

Looking at Duusu, Robin voiced the next obvious question, “What happened to Natalie?”

“I do not know, Kaiduan of the Black Cat, I was unconscious when her transformation fell for the last time.”

Although he was not transformed, Robin preened with his formal title. Once bonded with their Miraculous in their current life their aura changed to reflect their status.

“I guess we will have to wait for Dr. Kellan to wake up before we can get an answer to that question. Hopefully it will be soon so that we can capture her before she skips town,” he voiced in response to Duusu’s lack of knowledge.

“Hopefully, she won’t try to leave until she knows that he has been captured, or at least she is still sick enough that she will be unable to.” Multimouse released a long breath, her frustration was palatable. Natalie being free would weigh on her, no doubt she wished to offer justice upon someone that had misused a miraculous.

On the floor, Dr. Kellan began to stir. Before Robin was able to drag his attention away from the kwamis they suddenly disappeared. He looked over at his Angel in confusion, seeing her now empty hand. She immediately noticed where his attention had shifted and his inability to explain how the miraculous had simply disappeared into thin air.

“I’ll explain later,” she whispered so that only his enhanced hearing could capture her words.

Removing her jump rope from her waist she used it to bind Dr Kellan’s hands before he fully became conscious.

Kellan immediately shot up from his laid-out position, almost crashing to the floor if not for Robin grabbing him when his hands were unable to catch himself.

“Who are you?” Kellan asked of Multimouse, no doubt aware of who Robin was.

“Not important,” Robin growled in response.

“Where is Natalie?” Multimouse asked.

The confusion on Kellan’s face was hard to fake. “Who is Natalie?”

Both Robin and Multimouse shared a look, trying to read off each other just how much Kellan might be faking his sudden case of amnesia.

“The woman whom you received the Peacock Miraculous from?”

He furrowed his brows together before the light bulb went off in his head. “That was her name?” He bit his lip and studied the floor as he contemplated his answer. “I found her passed out in an alleyway close to my apartment.”

“Was she dead?” Multimouse looked ill once more as she waited for the answer.

“No, she was still breathing although barely. I knew that leaving her where she laid was dangerous, so I took her home.” His head hung as if he’d been caught with his hand in the cookie jar, too much remorse present. “I stripped her of her clothing, respectfully. She was caked in layers of mud and sweat, I gave her a sponge bath to try and help with the fever that she had. It was when I was washing her clothes that I came upon the broach.”

Both Robin and Multimouse remained quiet as they allowed him to continue his tale. “That was when the creature Duusu told me about the miraculous and all that they could do. I’ll be honest it sounded all too magical, but then the news reported on the presence of two miraculous wearers in the city and their history in France...”

“When did you choose to weaponize the miraculous?” Robin growled. Kellan’s intent may have started off innocent and helpful, but he had still misused Duusu’s miraculous.

“I never intended to. After spending a few days gathering the information I could from the creature Duusu, I realized that his Miraculous was a conduit that allowed a transfer of energy. My thesis was based off a similar idea. I thought that maybe I could use it to power my prototype. Turned out it worked.”

“As a weapon, not as the way to recycle and create safe energy.”

“I’ll admit I might have been a little zealous to get my hands on more miraculous. Only for the intent however to then use them for the greater good. Whoever has these miraculous in their possession has the ability to change the world for the better.”

“Or destroy it,” Multimouse snapped. “You know nothing of their true capabilities as the kwami’s are forbidden to share. You could have destroyed the Peacock more so than it currently is. You could have blown up the planet or worse with your experiments.”

Kellan swallowed like he had just bitten down on a lemon before his eyes turned downcast. “I didn’t know.”

“As a scientist you should know better than to experiment without getting as many facts as possible. Knowing that there were those that possessed the miraculous for years, you should have sought out people who knew. Too often people work for what they suspect is the greater good with things they know little of, in the end their work ends up being destructive instead. That is why it is important that no one knows the intricacies or possesses a miraculous without the guardian’s permission.”

The Kaiduan of Destruction had been through many lives beside the Kaiduan of Creation. Never had any of the Kaiduan’s been blessed with the title of Guardian, let alone Grand Guardian. Watching his beloved’s blue eyes glow he finally knew why. Grand Guardians were granted a magic created from the essence of each of the Kwami’s. It passed on after each of the Grand Guardian’s relinquished the title, the power allowed for them to protect the Miraculous from all threats. Adding this power to that of the Kaiduan of Creation’s made her scary AF.

Both Robin and Kellan were unable to see the power she was currently exuding, but they could feel it. Fortunately for all parties the power settled as fast as it had come.

“Where is Natalie now?”

“Sshe ddied the next day. I hhate to admit, but I dropped her body off at the morgue since I couldn’t explain to the police about the miraculous.” The smell of ammonia accompanied his words as well as a dark spot on his pants.

Robin was disgusted at Kellan’s inhumane treatment of Natalie’s corpse, but was not completely surprised. Multimouse seemed to be in the same state as she closed her eyes before opening them once again, the glow returning.

“Then I guess our time is done.”

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.”

Chapter Text

The next few weeks in Paris passed quietly. As Ladybug and Renard Noir were no longer supposed to be in the city, there was little for Adrien and Marinette to do to fill their time. Around them their friends continued to hang out, spending what little time remained together before they all went their separate ways in life.

Chloe was off to New York to work for her mother’s magazine while she studied at NYU. Luka was to begin touring with his father through Europe and while they hoped for an American tour to follow, it all depended on the success of Luka’s solo album. Finally, Kagami was off to Japan for university, while working towards the national title in fencing so that she could compete in the upcoming Olympic trials.

Ironically, it was Nino and Alya who would be following Adrien and Marinette to New Jersey, having finalized their plans to follow Alya’s dreams. They had hung out on a few occasions; the four of them returning to some of the places they had hung out at the start of their friendships. It was awkward at first, but they were slowly falling into a rhythm, though the friendship was unlikely to be as close as it once was as too much had changed.

Still, as Marinette sat in her final class of lycée she wondered just how much her life was to change further. Just two rows behind her sat a person that knew the answers but wouldn’t share. It was a weird dichotomy to want to loath someone and yet love them so strongly at the same time.  Alix and she were like life sisters, but there was a force distance between that prevented them from becoming close. Marinette knew if they were too close she would lean too far on Alix for comfort and advice, Alix knew that if she got too close she would risk sharing too much.

Alix had shared how much it hurt to know the things that those around her would have to face, the possible outcomes and how she was unable to stop them. How knowing someone was bound to die and there was nothing she could do to interfere, that she couldn’t unless the balance was at risk, prevented her from forming close relationships.

Fortunately, her time travel abilities were absent until she was gifted her Miraculous, allowing her the ability to at least spend some of her life without the burden of that knowledge. In this life Marinette was able to give her this temporary serenity till her seventeenth birthday.

It was hard to be near Alix sometimes, especially when Marinette felt overburdened or that she would fail those around her. She feared that if she looked over to Alix she would see sympathy in her expression and then she would crumble. It had yet to happen, but she feared for the day it would.

“What are your parents going to do without you at the bakery, Marinette?” Drawn away from her introflection Marinette turned to the voice. Aurora looked at her with a genuine curiosity reflected in her expression.

“The bakery has been busier since news of my relationship with Damian, so they’ve already hired two more workers. I suppose they will keep them on permanently now that I’m leaving and be just fine.”

What Marinette really thought was how her parents would continue as they had been for some time, not acknowledging her existence. She hadn’t been lying about the uptick in customers since her name was linked with Damian’s, but it had done nothing for her relationship with her parents. For the last three weeks they had essentially ignored her as they had before. The only difference had been a halfhearted attempt one evening to discover if there was any truth to the rumored relationship.

Seeing that their curiosity was not genuinely about their daughter but rather how it might impact their business, Marinette’s answers were brief, only confirming the couple’s involvement. Offering nothing more to their inquiries into Damian’s father and his wealth. She was confident that when they finally decided to the charade marriage ceremony for the public in the future, her parents had cemented their exclusion from it.

It was funny, her parent’s, specifically her father, use to be so vested in Marinette’s wellbeing and her love life that he had been turned into an akuma once because of it. But Lila’s yearlong campaign to soil her good name had only accomplished doing so in the eyes of her parents. Marinette’s distance from her friends was a decision she had made for herself. Because fighting for something that others didn’t was pointless and in the end it allowed her to protect her identity. But with her parents there were accusations that were made about her frequent departures, her inability to be where she said she’d be. In the end the choice was to either sacrifice her secret identity or her relationship. At the time she wondered if she had made the right choice, but as the distance continued to extend between her and her parents, it was obvious to her not only that they would not have kept her secret but if they were so willing to throw their relationship away they were not the parents she thought they were.

“I can’t believe you ended up with one of the world’s most eligible bachelors.” Aurora’s eyes sparkled much like Rose’s did when talking about love.

The effect was off putting for Marinette, who didn’t think of Damian in such terms. His father’s money and his relationship status were some of the last things in a long list that defined him. He was her Demon no matter his position in life and he was never truly eligible.

He was more defined by his and his family’s nocturnal pursuits than how much money they had in their bank account. Marinette honestly was prouder and loved to hear more about the speculation on Ladybug’s relationship with Robin lately than Marinette’s with Damian. Though it had led to some cringy post about how Ladybug was cheating on Chat Noir, those articles were drowned out by those that focused on who Ladybug and Robin were as heroes and people and why that made them the perfect couple.

“I didn’t know who he was when I first met him and fell in love,” Marinette protested.

“Awe. You’re in love?” Mirelle added beside Aurora.

A small smile spread as a heat engulfed her. “Yes,” she whispered loud enough for the parties to hear.

Shrilled squeaks surrounded Marinette from the girls around her. She curled in on herself to try and escape the torment.

“When will you be reunited?” Aurora asked.

Marinette looked at Adrien who gave her a calming smile. “Soon.”

Adrien learned long ago that his father didn’t love him, only himself and maybe his mother. It was a lot for a fifteen-year-old to come to terms with, but as soon as he accepted it, he was able to move on. Able to better protect himself from the disappointment that came with no affection from one of the people that was meant to give it freely.

His mother’s newly found failure to offer her affection was a harder pill to swallow. But the three weeks away in Gotham receiving endless amounts of the missing affections made him realize he didn’t need it from his parents after all.

Jon, Marinette, Kaelyn and Kelvin loved him without conditions or obligations. They did so because they chose to and because they felt he deserved it. It made the next steps he would take in life feel grounded. For the last few years, he had felt uncertain of every move that he made. Unsure how his father would react. Unsure what the consequences would be for stepping too far right or left. Unsure what obstacles he would have to face to get even a sliver of what he wanted.

Now it didn’t matter, because no matter his steps, his soul family, the family he chose would support him. So, for once and hopefully only the beginning, he took his steps forward without looking back and without hesitation. No matter what would come.

School had ended and he found himself driven once more to the front of his family’s mansion. Gorilla stood holding his door open waiting for Adrien to depart the car. He hesitated however simply because he wished to take in the details of the house that he had never called home. This would be one of the very last times that he would enter the property on his own volition.

His contract with Gabriel ended at midnight, with it, Adrien would receive his final payment, allowing him to no longer be at the financial mercy of his father. His trust fund from his grandparents and mother would be unavailable to him till he turned twenty-five, but he had garnered enough from his time modeling it didn’t matter. He would never be Wayne rich, but Adrien would be better off than most even without working. Which was something that he would never do, whether he dedicated his time fully to miraculous matters or pursued a career in science as he now intended.  

In two days’ time all of his affairs in Paris would be wrapped up, then both he and Marinette would board a plane and be on their way back to America to spend the summer with the ones they loved.

Finally stepping from the car, he paused again to take in the bulk of a man that he would be rather sad to see out of his life. Gorilla, despite his silence had given Adrien the only affection he received within the mansion. He was fairly certain that the man knew of his extracurricular activities and yet he had kept quiet. Adrien wondered if he would be able to talk him into coming to America with him. He could become a figure like Alfred to him and Jon. A thought to explore for another day.

As he turned his gaze back to the sterile entrance of the mansion, the warm smile he had for his bodyguard dropped. In front of the large double doors stood his father. His slim frame had become even more so since the punishment Ladybug had bestowed upon him. In the three long weeks that Adrien was away in Gotham the man that seemed to be unstoppable, had withered away. Black circles encased his eyes and the once perfectly styled hair, even if the style was anything but, now sat unkept on his head.

The pain that he had caused Paris was weighing on the man and it showed. It was nothing short of what he deserved.

“Adrien, if you would stop dilly dallying join me and your mother so that we may have a discussion.”

Taking a deep breath, Adrien steeled himself for said discussion that would likely be centered on renewing his contract with Gabriel.  A discussion that he had been anticipating for some time, but seemed to not be a priority for his father for the three weeks since his return. In fact, any form of discussion about his future had been miraculously avoided.

Without a word Adrien bound up the stairs past his father into his family home. Without guidance he walked straight into the large dining hall where he knew the conversation was likely to be held. His instincts were rewarded when he found his mother already in the seat beside the head of the table. Across from her was the new assistant to his father who had replaced Natalie. It was amazing how no one in the room other than himself knew why Natalie had just suddenly disappeared nor questioned it.

Adrien took his usual seat at the other head of the table, across from where his father would sit. There were six chairs on both sides that would separate them, too few if you asked him.

Not acknowledging anyone his father strolled in with his usual air of supremacy. He took his seat as if he had already won whatever discussion or rather argument that he was about to drop on Adrien.

The silence in the room was stifling and even from his jacket he could feel Trixx growing restless. Yet, as the silence became awkward his father seemed to be in no rush to end it. Instead he merely stared in Adrien’s direction, his chin resting on his hands that were folded on each other as his elbows rested on the table.

After what had felt like five minutes, but was probably closer to two, Adrien had finally had enough and decided to break the silence. “What is it that you wish to talk about Father?”

The man in question did not immediately respond, his eyes instead seemed to rake across Adrien as if trying to put together a puzzle. Tired of the manipulative forte of his father, Adrien chose to engage his mother, “would you care to enlighten me since Father does not seem willing?”

At that his father’s eyes widened in anger.  “Do not talk to your mother in that way Adrien.”

Adrien chuffed, “I did not talk to her in any way Father, I merely asked her a question.”

Gabriel rose from his seat, placing both of his hands firmly against the table as he leaned forward. “You will have some respect for your parents.”

“Respect is not given it is earned. Parents might be given obedience, but they still must earn their children’s respect.”

Gabriel looked as if he wished to jump across the room and slap his son, but his mother placated her husband by resting her hand on his arm. He retook his seat, pulling at his shirt to straighten the non-existent wrinkles he believed to have formed.

“We are here to discuss the terms of your new contract. Renee has looked into the classes that you will be attending at the Sorbonne, and she will be sure to schedule your work around them. You will also be expected to begin working on the business side so that once you finish your degree we can start working that angle at the company as your modeling stock will have decreased with your age.”

There were no breaths taken between sentences that allowed Adrien the opportunity to interject and keep from hearing his father’s entire bid.  But once he finished informing Adrien took the opportunity to return the favor. “I am sorry Father, but I shall not be attending the Sorbonne in the fall, I am going to be leaving for America on Sunday were I will be studying Physics.”

The vein in Adrien’s sperm donor’s neck popped out as his face became red. “What are you talking about Adrien, you will be doing no such thing.”

“I am now eighteen and in less than twelve hours I will no longer have a contract that will tie me to Gabriel. I am still undecided between two universities, but both are close to Marinette and my boyfriend. I have another week to decide, but I will be attending one of the two this fall.”

“Oh, Adrien, why is this the first we’ve heard of a boyfriend?” His mother finally looked at her son, her expression left him unsure how she truly felt on the subject, though her words sounded excited.

His father’s words however left no room for misunderstanding. “What do you mean you have a boyfriend? You know that all of your relationships must be approved.”

“As I’ve stated, I am an adult, and you get to have no say in my relationships,” Adrien growled.

“You are an employee of Gabriel. It is explicitly stated in your contract that you are not allowed to go public with your relationships without approval from the company.”

Trying to keep his composure, he took a deep breath and tried to collect himself before he spoke again. “I have not gone public with Jon, or not to the point that would go against my contract. But, like I said…” Adrien looked down at his watch to catch the time, “in eight hours and fourteen minutes, I will no longer be an employee and will be able to scream from the Eiffel Tower that I love Jonathon Kent.”

Once again his father took to standing at the table, his fist banging it, causing the few dishes on it to jump from the impact. “Your going to America is not a part of the plan. You will not be able to fulfill the terms of your new contract if you head there. And you will still refrain from announcing your relationship, in fact I insist on you ending it.”

“There are no terms father as there is no contract. I will not be signing with Gabriel again.”

“If you think that I will continue to support you when you choose to go against me, you are mistaken Adrien. If you do not sign this new contract you will no longer receive another dime from me. As you’ve stated you are an adult, you will have to find your own way. Need I remind you that the life you have become accustomed to is not cheap to maintain.” His father smiled as if he had the upper hand over Adrien.

“Shows just how little you know me. I don’t need the material possessions that you filled my room with instead of the love that I deserved. I have more than enough money to give me the things that I need and even the things that I want.”

His father opened his mouth to cut him off, but with a hand wave Adrien did not give him the chance. “You seem to think that I need you, but you’re wrong, you need me. I already signed a new contract that takes effect as soon as yours ends. I will model with Kaid so that I can continue supporting myself as needed.”

Gabriel looked as if he had swallowed a lemon. Adrien always knew that the moment he shared how he was working for his father’s greatest competition would feel. Needless to say, the reality was above expectations. 

“Get out of my house and don’t bother coming back,” his father roared, pointing at the door. Adrien’s mother looked shocked at his father’s actions, but said nothing. In her eyes Adrien could see at least some sorrow, but not enough to make him try to stay or even say goodbye.

Saying nothing, he turned from his biological family. Taking nothing from the mansion he left for the last time. Everything he needed from now on he would find in Gotham.

Chapter Text

The clock seemed to move slowly towards the midnight hour. The party surrounding them was at full blast, not a single person plagued by an unknown future, just enjoying the final moments of freedom without responsibilities. Of course, that had never been true for Marinette and Adrien, but for this single evening they could pretend. For one night they would allow themselves the opportunity to be the teenagers that they were. Adult or rather superhero responsibilities could be tomorrow’s problem.

Five friends stood circled around each other separating them from the rest of the party goers. Their hands met in the middle with a shot of rum in each. “May the distance that comes between us bring our souls closer together. Slainte Mhath,” Luka toasted before the first shots were slung back.

Adrien cringed as the amber liquid burned down his throat. Never having been afforded the opportunity to drink with abandon due to a certain menace, he was determined to enjoy it even if the way to accomplish it was less than amenable.

Five shot glasses found their way back into the center of the circle and Kagami poured a shot of sake in each. “Let our friends help to guide us, along the paths that allow us, to accomplish what we have potential to become. Kanpai.”

The act was repeated with Marinette’s liquor contribution of vodka. “May our roads bring us together when needed, our feet when wanted, and our minds just because. Ganbei.”

Chloe snapped her fingers as the glasses clashed once more and John Michel stepped from the shadows to pour an expensive tequila. “I refused to say something poetic, so I’ll simply say since money will not be a factor for us, merely time, you assholes better make sure that you’re at our yearly reunion. I will allow nothing less.”

Chloe refused to look at them, but Adrien knew from growing up with her, that the friendships she had forged with the four others were precious to her and she feared losing them. Though their paths would not allow them to be together all the time, he would make sure that he strived to be wherever Chloe decided they needed to meet every year. A quick glance at those around him showed a softness in each of their eyes despite her harsh sounding words, they would all strive to do the same.

“Cheers bitches,” Chloe added before taking her shot.

Finally, it was Adrien’s turn and so he poured from the expensive scotch he had stolen from his sperm donor’s collection. “May our friendships lead us to knowing what real love, respect and loyalty looks like, because without you guys I would have never known.”

Instead of taking the shot, each of his friends and himself in an unplanned act of solidarity, dumped the expensive liquor into the grass before them. Each then took to filling the empty glasses with a splash of their own liquid contribution, creating a concoction that would no doubt burn uncomfortably going down, but represented a bond that they would share even as they went their separate ways.

They smashed the glasses together causing a large amount of the drinks to spill to the floor before they flung them to their lips and drank once more to their continued friendship. The taste was not unpleasant but not something Adrien would willingly choose again; the burn strong enough to earn a grimace from each.

As they all lowered their shot glasses, Alix appeared beside them with a bottle of her own, shaking it in their faces to call for one final toast. Six glasses made their way to the center of the circle and were filled with Alix’s clear liquor.

“Let the future teach us lessons, the present teach us patience and the past teach us fortitude,” Alix cheered before throwing back her glass and then smashing it into the circle in front of them. The remaining five followed suit drinking to her toast and then smashing their glasses.

Adrien waited for the burn to follow whatever liquor Alix had given them, but it was missing. It took a second to register that Alix had given them water. She winked at Marinette and then Adrien, “Just make sure you guys mix it up a little bit this fine evening.”

Turning from the circle she walked back over to where she had left Max and Kim tossing, “love you all,” over her shoulder.

“On that note, let’s go ahead and enjoy our last evening together before Marinette and Adrikins leave us. Who knew that they would both find love and leave?” Chloe’s lips pouted, but there was no bite to her words.

“We were all destined to go in different directions,” Kagami added, “Mari and Adrien just brought the departure date a little closer.”

The group became silent and the sounds of people enjoying themselves surrounded the huddle. Chloe’s father had rented out one of the parks in the heart of Paris for the graduation party. Chloe had been devastated when she realized that there would be no grand ceremony once they completed lycée like the American’s had. As such, she insisted that she would be responsible for creating a party that would rival the American’s, to which her father acquiesced. Giving their graduating class the lycée party of the century, to which all surrounding lycée graduating classes seemed to believe they needed to be a part of.

The result was something that even Chloe didn’t seem happy with. A bunch of new adults were acting like the immature versions of themselves, trying to live one more moment without responsibilities. So, on their lefts and their rights, their fronts and their backs stood people that no one recognized.

“Look let’s not act like this will be our last night as friends. It’s not, we will make sure of that. So, let’s enjoy the evening with no concerns or responsibilities, just like everyone else at the party.” Taking her bottle of vodka, Marinette took a swig from it before handing it over to Adrien. He followed suit and cringed as it burned down his throat. “To friends that are family. Distance may be created but it will never destroy us.”

Luka and Chloe’s voices cheered loudly while Kagami merely bowed her head. Smiling Marinette grabbed Adrien’s hand and moved them over towards the makeshift dance floor. She moved their bodies so that she was aligned with his front, maintaining a distance between them that ensured no one could make a wrong accusation before she began to move her hips. Before long, Adrien’s hips began to move in time and he closed his eyes to become lost in the music Nino played. They moved around each other for several songs, years of fighting together made for practiced movements. The sight fascinating enough that a few boys and girls showed interest in the pair, but neither cared.

Every so often Adrien would feel a movement in his jacket pocket, he grinned to himself like a madman when he realized it was Trixx dancing to the music with him. Now that he was free of his father, he would be able to play whatever music he wanted at home and allow Trixx the opportunity to dance around his room free of the confines of his pocket.

Both he and Marinette didn’t bother to stop dancing while taking swigs from the vodka bottle. They both fought to keep the buzz that had come with the five shots earlier. Unfortunately, the miraculous they were wearing caused their bodies to metabolize things faster and that included alcohol. Which was likely the reason that Chloe and Luka came over slightly concerned when they noticed that the bottle was empty and yet Mari and Adrien continued to stand and in fact move gracefully.

Luka moved first to remove Marinette, wrapping his arm around her elbow. Chloe followed suit with Adrien. He tried to look at her in a way that said that the act was neither warranted nor appreciated, but they had been friends since they were children, she didn’t care if she upset him if she thought she was acting in his best interest.

Rolling his eyes and giving up he decided to follow her for the sake of appearances. The couple led Mari and Adrien to a table that Kagami was waiting at. Five glasses of what he supposed were water laid waiting for them. Adrien quickly took the one he was deposited in front of and began to drink, Marinette following suit. It took only a second for him to recognize that Marinette intended to finish hers as quickly as possible, as did he. Their eyes locked and they both knew what the other was thinking instantly. The pace in which they were drinking quickened, the contents of the glass disappearing at much the same rate. Simultaneously, the glasses hit the table. Both kept their eyes on each other and grimaced at the fact there was no clear victor to their little battle. Without words they both lunged at one of the three remaining glasses of water bringing the contents to their mouths. The process repeated and both glasses clinked when they were slammed harshly onto the tabletop.

Knowing that the only victor would be established based on the quickness of hands, both lunged forward for the last glass that sat in front of Kagami at the other side of the table. Adrien had always been a little slower than Marinette and that meant that she was victorious in grabbing the glass and downing its contents.

She slammed the third glass down triumphantly, her smile filled with pure joy as her arms pumped in the air. The joy quickly morphed into horror as she placed her hands to her stomach and puffed her cheeks out. Adrien couldn’t help himself as he laughed at her. He knew she wasn’t sick from the alcohol but rather the volume of water she had quickly consumed. Not sparing anytime she rushed to the trailer which housed the temporary bathrooms the mayor provided. No one moved to follow her knowing she would be fine once she expelled the water.

“Is everything always a competition between you two?” A voice that Adrien had not been counting on hearing that evening spoke. He whirled around to confirm the owner was not a hallucination.

Before Adrien stood a devilishly handsome man. Even in the low light of the evening his blue eyes sparkled behind his glasses; Jonathon Kent was a vision. Adrien reached out immediately to make contact, as his hand cupped his cheek he smiled softly with the confirmation Jon was real.

“What are you doing here?” Surprised that he sounded breathless even to himself, Adrien cleared his throat before trying again. “I mean, I’m so happy you’re here.”

Jon’s smile was so pure, so innocent, so him. “Kaelyn told me she wouldn’t forgive me if I didn’t show up at your graduation party. It didn’t take much for me to agree with her. So, Damian and I came.”

“Damian’s here?” Adrien looked around Jon to try and find his friend, but found no one that matched.

“Followed the misses. She didn’t look so good.” Adrien chuckled at the thought of the proud and stoic Damian Wayne trying to hold back Marinette’s hair as she vomited into a toilet. It was a good thing for both he wasn’t into blackmail material.

“I’m really glad you’re here,” Adrien said. “It’s been a day.”

Jon looked at him in concern. “Want to talk about it?”

Adrien wasn’t shocked at all when he found the desire to. Marinette of course knew the details of his day. She had always been his confidant. As soon as he had texted her with the briefest message about what had transpired at the manor, she immediately filled in the voids of what occurred. A large suite was rented out at Chloe’s father’s hotel, and she brought both his and her stuff over. They were not set to leave until Sunday, but she assured him that her departure from her parents a few days early would go unnoticed.

“Just had a confrontation with my father that I was surprised to not have happened before today,” he said truthfully.

“Your dad is an ass,” Jon stated, surprising Adrien with his crass language.

“No argument here. It doesn’t matter, I just had to remind him that as of midnight I was no longer going to be his problem and I would be free of him,” Adrien quipped. A smile formed as he realized that the memory of the afternoon’s conversation didn’t cause him any grief, but rather made him happy to officially and finally be out of his father’s clutches.

Jon looked down at his phone. Adrien noted the time flashing on the home screen as 12:01. “Congratulation’s babe, you’re a free man.”

Elation swelled through Adrien. “No, I’m taken and now I can make sure the whole world knows it.” Before Jon could process his statement, Adrien grabbed Jon’s face and smashed his lips against his.

He swallowed the surprised squeak that came from Jon, his mouth devouring his boyfriend’s, whom he had not kissed for several weeks. He knew people were staring, but at that moment it didn’t matter and was part of the whole point. Before morning, tabloids would likely be printing the fact that Adrien had been seen kissing someone. His father would be livid because it would be confirmation that he really didn’t have any more control over his son.

But that wasn’t why Adrien wanted them to be seen and the news to be printed. He did it because he wanted the whole world to know that Jonathon Kent was his and he was Jon’s.

He finally ended their kiss when he felt the need for air. His hands remained perched on Jon’s face. He looked into his eyes, “I love you Jonathon Kent.”

Jon’s smile was quick and blinding. “I love you too, Adrien Agreste.”

Chapter Text

As he watched Marinette rush off from her table of friends Damian wondered if her health had not returned like she had convinced him. Yet, the laughter from the table calmed his nerves as he was certain their reactions were likely caused by the fact her current condition was brought on by the evening rather than her overall health.

Following her, he kept his distance so he could observe. Getting to see her through a camera screen for the last few weeks did little justice to her beauty and failed to capture the nuances that were her. She wavered slightly confirming that her visit to the bathroom was caused by an inebriated state.

Two large trailers sat off to the side of the large park which contained mobile bathrooms. Marinette disappeared into the one marked for women quickly. Damian took to the shadows so that she would not see him immediately upon her departure and waited.

It took less than two minutes before she was back out of the toilets and reintegrated into the party. He watched as she made her way to the opposite side of the park than her friends and instead walked up to one of the four makeshift bars.

Hauling herself up onto the counter she reached behind the bar and pulled out a bottle of liquor. Damian expected the bartender that caught her theft to react poorly, but when she caught sight of his gaze she lifted the bottle in a cheering motion and the bartender winked. She then tilted the bottle in recognition with a cheery wink and a nod to the few teens sitting at the bar who were in awe of her brazen act before leaning back over the bar to grab a shot glass.

During the process of opening the bottle, one of the guys beside her moved closer and tried to engage her in a conversation. She was kind enough to respond, but Damian was fluent enough in Marinette to know that she was not receptive to the subject the conversation was steering towards.

While Damian knew that Marinette was not the kind to require rescuing, he figured there was no better time than the present to go ahead and make his presence known.

Moving swiftly, he tried to make his way calmly to the bar. Raging would have caused a scene and drawn unwanted attention to their reunion. Marinette had been complaining about the press coverage of their relationship in Paris and the attention she had been receiving because of it.

Briefly Damian was forced to stop to collect himself before he threatened to unintentionally disintegrate another object, like he had the family car when he thought of Lex Luther following her to Paris, as the guy’s hand discovered its way onto her back.

Marinette turned her head from the stranger and watched his hand as it made its descent lower down her body. The act did not deter the guy and when it finally landed where Damian figured was his original destination, Marinette turned her angered gaze back up. Her lips moved to say something, but Damian was too far, and the noise was too loud for his enhanced hearing to capture what she said. But whatever it was the man was bold in answering the question with the negative if her schooled ‘in shock,’ expression was to go by.

Damian was once again on the move, figuring that if he was to accidently disintegrate anything it should be the guy’s hand. But no destructive powers were needed as Marinette grabbed the guy’s wrist and twisted it. Immediately the guy came to stand beside her and twisted his body to help relieve some of the pressure from his wrist. Marinette slowly rose to her full height causing the guy to hunch slightly from the increased pressure her new position allowed. He used his free hand to claw at Marinette’s hand in an attempt to get her to loosen her grip. She didn’t budge, but leaned into the guy with her mouth coming to rest next to his ear. Damian would have been jealous of the closeness had he not noticed the color draining quickly from the guy’s face. This time what ever she had asked of him was answered in an affirmative, a panicked affirmative.

Before the guy’s wrist snapped, Marinette released her hold and lightly pushed him away. He instantly wrapped his wrist with his other hand and backed away without removing his eyes from Marinette. When he felt he had enough space, he turned quickly and got lost into the crowd of lycée students. Marinette turned back to the bar and continued what she had been doing before she had been unwantedly approached. With her shot glass now filled she raised it to her lips as she looked out into the crowd.  

Damian knew the moment that she saw him as her glass froze just before it hit her mouth. She blinked a few times and shook her head. When he didn’t disappear like a hallucination, a smile spread across her face and she placed her glass back down onto the bar. Before he knew it she had thrown herself into his arms, wrapping herself around his neck and waist like a koala bear. The oxygen that he required was stolen by her lips that took his own in a heated kiss.

She tasted of liquor but also the artificial strawberry of her lip gloss. As her tongue dove into his mouth, he fused his own tongue with hers as if trying to steal a drink from her.

From his lack of preparedness and her state they were forced to break from the kiss sooner than he would have liked. She smiled at him as if he was her everything and he slowly walked her back towards the bar refusing to put her down, although from the way that her ankles were wrapped behind his back he probably could not have shaken her if he tried.

“You came,” she breathed.

He chuckled as the first thought he had was closer to something Jason might say. Instead he tried, “of course, Habibti.”

“I’m so glad. Do a shot with me?” She held up her bottle of vodka that had not left her hand since precuring it from the bar.

Not one usually to partake in anything more than a single drink due to his need to be more than vigilant, he caved to the need to let free with her and his inability to tell her no when she asked.

“I love when you smile,” she purred into his ear. Damian felt an instant need to slam her onto the bar and take her, even if it would have been in front of an audience. It would not have been their first time in public, just the first time they would have been guaranteed an audience.

Marinette missed the memo however when she turned from him when he deposited her onto one of the stools by the bar. She once again leaned over the bar and pulled out two glasses. She re-poured herself a shot, having abandoned her first, and then one for him. There were no cheers before she slung back the shot and waited anxiously for him to do the same.

She refilled his glass and waited for him to drink again. When he looked over to hers waiting for her to fill her own, she shook her head, “you need to catch up.”

The look that he gave her was one that told her just what he thought of that idea, but he took the shot anyway. She filled the glass once more and then lifted it to his mouth before he could protest.

One more shot was poured in each of their glasses, then downed before she returned the bottle to behind the bar.

“It’s not that I’m not appreciative of you being here…but why are you? Adrien and I are flying home in a day and a half.” The slur of her words was reflective of just how much the drinks were affecting her.

“Kaelyn insisted that we come to your graduation. Even when I tried to convince her that France did not have graduation ceremonies like the U.S., she insisted that me and Jon come.” Damian swallowed thickly; he did not want to ruin the evening by expressing his fears about what Kaelyn’s true intentions might be.

She was the Kaiduan of Intuition after all. It was likely that she had a dream telling her that they needed to be in Paris. In the past she had to manipulate situations and people into doing what she thought was right without being able to explain why. She had likely used the same technique on Damian and Jon, even if it wasn’t necessary and she could have been straightforward. Knowing what she was capable of and a general knowledge of what her powers did, if she told Damian to jump, his only hesitation would be in asking her how high.

It was only because Kaelyn had insisted that they go alone to the graduation party that he felt comfortable enough to drink with Marinette. Both Kaelyn and Kelvin had come with Jon and Damian to Paris with Jason so that they could see where Adrien and Marinette had grown up. Kaelyn had seemed unaffected and was all smiles when Damian and Jon finally stepped out of the hotel room. Damian was certain if there was something that they should truly be concerned about, Kaelyn would not have been able to hide her concern or at least done something to prepare them for what she foresaw. It was possible that there was a special moment they would share in Paris and not an impending attack that made her force Damian’s compliance.

True to how her mind worked, Marinette was also suspicious when it came to Kaelyn’s insistence for a certain behavior. She had after all been privy multiple times in this lifetime to the effects. At this point she knew to listen and learn from the little girl so that they could effectively use the warnings laid out in front of them.

“How hard did she press for you to come?” Her voice had gone from fun and frilly to serious with the snap of a finger.

“Not enough that I immediately picked up on her warning…or for me to not share a drink with you. But…enough that we wanted to make sure that you two had proper escorts from Paris.”

Marinette looked out to the crowd, her teeth biting into her lower lip as she considered this. She smiled as her eyes looked off to the side. “Let’s get out of here. I’ve drunk enough, and I want to go and do more stupid things before were plagued with adult responsibilities tomorrow.”

“What would you suggest,” Damian asked.

“I don’t know…” Marinette looked at the time on her phone, “it’s my last night in Paris, let’s go say goodbye.”

Chapter Text

It was everything Marinette had ever dreamed of back when she thought she was only a ‘normal girl.’ A midnight stroll through the city of Paris with a man who loved her endlessly. Where the city became a background instead of the center of her attention. The moment in the film where the audience gets to be brought into the characters world and get to see that they are more than in love.

Of course, Marinette turned out to not be a ‘normal girl.’ Was forced to deal with responsibilities not meant for kids her age. Left to deal with friendships that were crumbling due to neglect that was no fault of her own. Reminded again and again that sometimes those who are meant to love you will abandon you based on half-truths and complete lies.  It had left her realizing that she would never know what it means to find unconditional love.

Yet, as she strolled through the city, whispering goodbyes to the various monuments, cafés, and memories that she would leave behind, she did so with the man of her dreams. Turned out that Marinette’s prophecy for her own love life was false and she couldn’t be happier to be wrong.  

Their stroll from the party started what felt like hours ago and while the clock would show that it was well past two in the morning, Marinette was not tired. Not even as her body should be tired from the long final school day nor when the effects of the alcohol she consumed waned.

Damian coming to Paris was unexpected, they had all agreed that the Bats should remain in Gotham in case Raven or Deathstroke appeared. She was thankful none the less. It was not lost on her that Kaelyn had in a sense manipulated encouraged them into coming, which was unsettling as it likely meant that Marinette would not be leaving peacefully. But she hoped that at least tonight she could say a final goodbye to the place that she grew up and for many years fought to protect.

For that Marinette was thankful for Damian’s presence. As they walked through the many places that Marinette had hung with her friends, fought akuma’s and walked with her parents, she gave her silent goodbye. The most recent memories of many of these places were not the most positive considering most contained a fight with Hawkmoth or one of his many minions, she still felt slightly pained at the thought she would not see them any more by simply walking out her front door or grappling from her roof. Every time she felt the thought might overwhelm her she would feel the strong presence of her Demon by her side. A single look in his direction would remind her that in her future she would say goodbye to things but never him.

In the end that was enough to leave the past behind her.

The cave was quiet as it had been since the day Marinette and Adrien left to return to Paris. Since their departure the team had split in hopes of finding a trail that would lead them to either Deathstroke or Raven. Nightwing and Starfire were given Raven’s usual haunts to search. Batman was at the Justice League headquarters attempting to organize the search for Raven from there. The girls left town in hopes of being able to use their various contacts to track any leads on Deathstroke. Leaving Tim in the cave researching his contributions towards the efforts.

Fortunately, Kaelyn was able to convince Jason into taking her and Kelvin with the moody teens to Paris, giving the manor’s single resident a break. How Jason ended up on babysitting duty was a mystery, but he surprisingly did well with the two kids and even Damian seemed a little more at ease when he was around.

The clicks of his keyboard reverberated through the cave, on the screen came up the few contacts that Raven was known to associate with. Like Damian, Rachel was more of a loner, keeping to herself and not branching out from the Teen Titans for the most part. Yet despite the hours he had sat combing through the list of known associates of the part-demon, it was pointing to nothing.