Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

{Nettie was hiding. Again. But she would be fine. She was always fine. She was fine when the teachers overlooked her, she was fine when people mocked her, and she was fine when he noticed her bruises. The only person who cared about her- }

And you killed him! You are the reason he died. It is your fault as always. Lila didn’t need to plant your tendencies. Why couldn’t you be normal like the rest of them. Why couldn’t you keep your own brother alive. He would probably hate you wouldn’t he-

No. No. No. “Shut Up” were the first words out of Marinette’s mouth surprising the flight attendant. 

“Are you alright Ms.”

“I’m fine. Sorry to bother you.”

“It’s no problem dear.”

Of course it is you are always a problem

Pushing the voice to the back of her mind Marinette looked over her things. You could never be too careful, especially in Gotham. Not that Tom and Sabine had cared.

{“We're sending you back to Gotham. Maybe it will straighten out this behavior of yours since you seem to be acting … feral.” said Tom

“But I haven’t done anything wrong. You have to understand she is lying.”

“Why would she lie? She is such a sweet girl. And the boy- Adrien he tried to straighten you out to, but you just can’t be fixed here in Paris.”said Sabine

“You have to understand. He didn’t want to fix me. He wanted to use me and control me he-”

“Enough. You leave tomorrow. Pack your things” said Tom. In a voice that reminded her of her “Father”.}

After grabbing her stuff from the bag carousel, Marinette started to look for her host family. Preferably to see if she would have to run away again. No. Don’t bring out Nettie.

Because Nettie is a part of you. The part that only causes trouble. You think you can lock her away but she is you. You can’t even-

There they are. There was a Mother and her son from the looks of it. She had to say the body language showed a good family and the tell-tale signs that noramly showed bad situations were missing. But looks can be deceiving she would just have to be alert.

“Hi, my name is Marinette as you already know.”

“Hello, I’m Claude and this is my mom. We will be your host family.” said the boy. Now Marinette was actually looking she could see the boy was taller than her by almost a full head. He had dark brown hair and bright blue eyes. He was wearing a white shirt with dark blue stripes and jeans. The mother had her dark brown hair in a tight bun. She was wearing a grey pant suit with black kitten heels.  

“It is a pleasure to meet you Marinette. My name is Kathrin Durand but you can call me Ms. Kathrin.” 

“It is nice to meet both of you. Maybe we can talk in the car or when we get back.” 

“Of course. You must be tired from the trip.” said Ms. Kathrin.

So they left the airport. In the car Marinette learned that they would be attending Gotham Academy.  She also learned about his friends and she became excited to meet them. Before she remembered what happened with her last group of friends which squashed her good mood.

Claude showed her the room she would be staying in which was a nice size. It was helpful that they were in the business district; it meant no little obvious crime and a good sized house. 

[POV Switch]

Claude opened up the group chat. He was more than a little surprised because the people who applied their child into the program said she was some kind of delinquent. She was one of the kindest people he had met. She seemed like she would fit into the group well but he couldn’t let them look into her past. While he knew they would eventually become friends he didn’t want them to develop any bad impressions. 

Kid Mime: Guys the exchange student is sooooooo nice

Ice Prince: You said that about the person who robbed you the other day.

Melodie: He isn’t wrong : (

Kid Mime: THE BETRAYAL!!!!!

      MERCURY MY BEST BRO U AGREE WITH ME RIGHT

Mercury: Sorry, they aren’t wrong : (

Kid Mime: SPARROW DUDE YOU BELIEVE ME 

Sparrow: No.

Sunshine: You forgot about me.

Kid Mime: OELASOUHSOVHSLH

    Do u support my side

Sunshine: I am so sorry, but I won’t judge until I meet them.

    Is it a boy or girl?

Kid Mime: A girl

Melodie: Finally. I am surrounded by males 

Mercury: You know you love us.

Kid Mime: You know you love us

    Dang it U stole my line.

Mercury: ; p

Kid Mime: GTG it's time for dinner

Mercury: Bye

Melodie: Bye

Claude turned off his phone before heading down. Hopefully he could get to know this new girl and hopefully everyone else would agree.

Chapter Text

{They were fighting again. Jason promised to protect her, but what was worth protecting? They said she was worth less than dirt. Maybe they were right? Maybe it would be easier for Jason if she just dies…}

“Jay…” was the whisper that died on her tongue as she woke up from another restless slumber. Looking at the clock it showed 6:30 a.m.. ‘ Maybe I can make some breakfast.”

It would make you useful … for once.

‘Maybe I will make pancakes and eggs.’

{It was a sunday morning and the house smelled good for once Mom had made pancakes and Jay was busy eating a stack of them.

“Nettie! Come eat some of these, they are delicious!”

“You sound surprised!” replied Cathrine Mom in a teasing tone. The life in her eyes caused Nettie to giggle. She should have known it was all going to change}

Heading to the kitchen Marinette began to make the pancakes since they would take a little longer to prepare. Once they were cooking she began to make the eggs. Right when she had finished Claude walked into the kitchen.

“Hi Marinette, what did you make? Whatever it is it smells amazing!”

“Pancakes and eggs. I also made some coffee if you would like, and thank you.”

Claude took a bite of his pancakes, which were drenched in maple syrup, and said “Wow. These are amazing”

“ Thank you.” replied Marinette.

“Would you be ok going out to get school supplies with me?”asked Claude.

“Sure I need to pick up some fabrics anyway, and I need to get a few other school supplies.” replied Marinette.

  Once they were done eating, by that point Ms. Kathrin had gotten up and also liked Marinette’s pancakes, they got dressed to go out and grabbed their stuff. Marinette was wearing a red crop top with black accents under a black, faux leather jacket. She had on ripped, black jeans and combat boots with embroidered red roses on the side. She had a back, crossbody purse that had a small first aid kit, her wallet, a retractable bo staff, etc.. When she walked into the living room she saw Claude was already ready to go, and was wearing the exact same clothes as yesterday. She was not angry, just disappointed.

“Ready to go?” said Claude.

“Always” replied Marinette with no hesitation.

“Perfect. What store do you want to go to first?” asked Claude.

So they left to begin their shopping adventure what a creative name . 

~Time Skip (because I am lazy)~

“Damm, remind me to never ask the difference between fabrics again.” 

“It is my fault you can’t tell the difference between cotton and polymer fabrics!”

“This is why I do acting. It has much less scary people.” 

Sticking her tongue out at Claude marinette replied “Me … I’m an angel, thank you very much!”

“I’ll believe it when I see it.” replied Claude just as teasingly.

Before Marinette could reply her and Claude were pulled into an alley. 

You’re so stupid. This is Gotham for god's sake! You idiot. Your actions are going to cause the death of the one person who actually likes you. It is going to be just like Jason. It is all your fault- 

“Hey Girly! Hand me your purse and we shouldn’t have any trouble” said the apparent robber.

He was holding a knife and was double her size. She could take him. So she feigned grabbing her bag with one hand, and used the other to grab her bo staff. As soon as it was out of her bag she extended it and proceeded to stand in front of Claude.

“If you want it you're going to have to go through me.” said Marinette. 

“Doesn't matter to me.” said the robber. (Robber seems awkward. We are going to call him Robbert.)    

Marinette used her staff to knock the knife out of his hand. She flipped over his head and hit him from behind effectively knocking him out.

“What- How- you know what I’m not going to ask.” said Claude

“Did I forget to mention that I could fight?” asked Marinette causing her to get a deadpan stare from Claude which in turn, caused her to giggle. “I have some zip ties. Would you help me tie him up?”

“Anything for the fashion goddess Marinette.” replied Claude.

Once they got home Claude and Marinette did the reasonable thing after being attacked they ate. 

“Hey Marinette can I call you Mari?”

“Sure”

“Hey Mari?”

“What is it?” asked the raven haired girl.

“Why did you come? I mean it is obvious you didn’t do all the things that report said you did, and if you were that bad you wouldn’t have saved me.”

“That is a long story. I am sorry, but I don’t think I am ready to share it yet.”

“It’s ok, take your time.” replied Claude which caused Marinette to stare at him surprised. “What? Did I say something wrong?” 

“No. You are the first person to have said something like that to me in a long time.” replied Marinette looking away.

With those words Claude realized what about Marinette had made him get attached so quickly. He really does find all the ones who are hurt the most. Weirdly enough they all have blue eyes. 

Chapter Text

Claude was expecting a lot of things to happen when Marinette met his friends. While her not liking them was one thing he did not expect her to punch Damian twice. Sure Damian could be ... Blunt but he hasn't even said anything the first time. The second time was kind of his own fault, but there was still a chance that this was salvageable; he would just have to find it in the dumpster fire of a first meeting. A very large dumpster fire, and the day started out so well to ...

[Two hours earlier]

Marinette was not excited for her first day back at school. While she was prepared excited to meet Claude's friends, she didn't have the best experiences with school or Gotham so put them together and you have a recipe for disaster. What would happen next, she would meet Bruce Wayne or any of his children and punch him or her for stealing her brother. With her luck it may happen. She always seemed to have the weirdest sense of luck. For example, she once was able to save a man from getting hit by a car. In doing so, she lost the cookies for her class, but the man ended up being the one who helped her learn Miraculous magic and she got to meet the Kwami. The kwami wer a mix between spirit guides and familiars. They wouldn't have to stay near the holder of their jewels which are almost all embedded into specific pieces of jewellery. However, their companionship came at a cost mainly protecting this reality from other possible apocalyptic endings.

Anyway, she was wearing her pajamas and eating a bowl of fruit and an omelette and The Coffee TM when Claude came out.

"Mornin' Mari"

"Hey Claude. I made you an omelette with cheese and vegetables for you. It is in the microwave so it doesn't get too cold." Replied Marinette earning her a face of shock. "What do you not like about vegetables? I can make you something else if-" she started before Claude grapes her in a bear hug.

"You're the best Mari. I wasn't expecting you to make something so I was surprised."

"That makes sense. I guess?"

"You guess?"

"Nothing, let's just get ready. I'm going to get dressed."

"M'kay." Said Claude between mouthfuls of food.

Eventually they were ready after Marinette was once again disappointed in his outfit. After a quick goodbye to Mrs. Kathrin they walked to school. Luckily it was just around the corner. As Claude and Marinette rounded the corner into the school while talking about UMS II which was coming out soon Claude spots Damian. Before Claude could say anything Marinette shouted

"You. Your A Fucking Wayne!" And punched Damian in the gut. If Claude was being honest she only went slightly lighter than yesterday.

"Marinette what the Hell. Are you ok Damian?"

"Wait, you're one of Claude's friends he talked about. Oh my goodness I am so sorry I completely let my emotions get the best of me I-"

"Tch. Don't be an idiot I am obviously Wayne and me and Claude are acquaintances at most, '' in his condescending tone.

That earned him a punch to his face. Which brought them beck to the beginning. However things were only getting worse.

"What did Wayne do this time?" asked Felix's icy cold voice.

As soon as she saw him Marinette froze 

"Mari?" called Claude and she ran.

"What happened? Who made Damian bleed?" Asked Jon who looked angry and amused at the same time.

"She broke my nose. I told you she wasn't an angel like you claimed Claude." Said Damian.

"What did you all do? I have to find her before something happens to her'' replied Claude who started running after her.

"Wait. Claude!" Said a voice but it was useless because they were already left in the dust.

Marinette's POV:

Marinette didn't know what happened. She was walking with Claude and she saw him. A Wayne. Now it wasn't in Marinette's nature to be impulsive most of the time , but she was angry. And you don't mess with an angry Marinette. She held herself back and when she realized that she may be hurting a random kid. Especially after Claude said something, and this kid Wayne had the audacity to call her an idiot. He definitely deserved what he got, but then there were more people. Too many people. All she could do was run. Just like always.

Run. Run. RUN.

From Claude, her demons, her mind. She just had to escape it all and keep running. Ignore the looks, and the voices just run. She had no destination in mind. All she had was instinct, and that is what brought her here. Back to her and Jays spot before-

You killed him

He was stolen. She hid in the corner that even the best holders couldn't find. She decided to reat. And that was all it took for them to find her.

Chapter Text

"Come on Mari"

☽☾☽☾☽☾☽☾☽☾

"You- you killed him!"

☽☾☽☾☽☾☽☾☽☾

"Jason Todd-Wayne, the second adopted child of Bruce Wayne, was murdered by the Joker in…"

☽☾☽☾☽☾☽☾☽☾

"What's wrong Miss?"

☽☾☽☾☽☾☽☾☽☾

"Why did you have to leave"

☽☾☽☾☽☾☽☾☽☾

Nettie woke up to the sound of crashes and screams. Mom and Jay were fighting again. It probably has to do with her, but maybe she could block it out. Just a few more minutes…

☽☾☽☾☽☾☽☾☽☾

Marinette was sitting clutching the ripped pieces of her first fully homemade outfits, but she couldn't tell Jay. He would say something and Mom would be upset. If Mom got upset she would get "so high she is practically in space" as Jay put it once. When Mom is high then Jay has to do more work to take care of both of them, and he would probably get in trouble for it. 

☽☾☽☾☽☾☽☾☽☾

Mom was dead. Nettie has to be strong now. Everything was fine. All she had to do was keep her head down. Don’t let Jay find out about the bruises, or anything that she had to do. Jay has enough on his plate. Don’t make him worry over how her curse abilities were acting up again. Just keep going.

☽☾☽☾☽☾☽☾☽☾

“Nettie stay here ok I don’t want you to get caught in this”

☽☾☽☾☽☾☽☾☽☾

“We are your new family. Don’t forget it brat”

☽☾☽☾☽☾☽☾☽☾

“Mari! Mari are you ok?” a voice echoed through her thoughts.

“Claude. Get away, I don’t want to hurt you too!” replied the blue eyed girl.

“Mari I won’t leave you, my friend. If I left you I would be a terrible host brother, plus I have to repay you for saving my ass yesterday.” earning a small giggle from the girl who was still scratching at her skin. 

“Can- Can I please have a hug?” whispered Marinette.

“Of course,” replied the brunette, opening his arms which were quickly full of the raven haired girl.

“I- I- I’m so sorry. You probably hate me now because I punched that Wayne boy and then there were so many people I-” she rambled before she realized Claude was snickering. “What are you laughing at?” she said defensively.

“Marinette I can assure you that you are not the first to punch Damian, and you will most definitely not be the last. I kinda hate to say it, but he does have the title of ‘Ice Prince’ for a reason.” Claude stood up and offered her his hand. “Now as much as I dislike math I think I did promise Mr. Loyd that I wouldn’t completely miss his class showing you around, so we may have to cut it down a bit if you're still up for it.”

 “I- I think I am. Thanks Claude” Marinette replied, taking his hand. 

“It should be a ten minute walk if we rush a bit” said the brunette before he began to fill the silence with talk of funny cat videos he saw. And soon the two of them were laughing clearly into the dirty air of the bustling city. 

Once Claude had given her the basic tour, with a map included of course, and she was feeling more comfortable with being back at school, or at least as comfortable as she can be considering the circumstances. They ended up going to Mr. Loyd’s math class together, and Claude fulfilled his promise with the bell ringing 5 minutes after they entered, barely allowing time for her to get to a seat and take out her notebook. 

Math was followed by French, and Marinette was quick to discover that Damian Wayne was in her class due to the teacher, Ms. Sanderson, assigning her seat next to him. Although, one of Claude's friends, Allegra if she wasn’t mistaken, is also in this class. 

Once class began, they were assigned to talk with their seat partner in French to practice communication. Turning to Damian, Marinette began to speak in fluent French “It was wrong of me to punch you earlier. Even if you were acting like a complete prick …” earning her a “tch” in response to her statement. Continuing she said “I know you are … acquaintances, so as Claude’s friend I want to at least be civil. We can be frenemies.”

Considering her offer, Damian tilted his head to the side “I suppose that I can stand being in your presence for the sake of the others.” After taking in his answer she nodded her head and stook out her hand. “How about we reintroduce ourselves? I’m Marinette Dupain-Cheng, and you are?”

“Damian Wayne.” As soon as he said that a small squeal was heard from the person sitting behind Damian. Turning to face her Damian quickly said “Eavesdropping Holloway?” getting a snort and a quick, sarcastic “Me. No. Never.” from Holloway.

Taking a closer look at the apparent eavesdropper Marinette couldn’t help but appreciate her style. She was tall with long blonde hair tied back in an elegant braid. She had silver glasses which accentuated her deep grey eyes that stood out against her tanned skin, a simple, lavender cropped sweater over light wash, high-rise jeans. The girl offered out her hand “My name’s Allegra Holloway, and yours is?”

“Marinette, which I’m sure you totally didn’t hear earlier.” the raven haired girl sarcastically replied with a wink, gaining a giggle from Allegra. “You’re Claude’s friend, right? He told me you would be in class here.”

“That would be me. I can’t believe Damian actually agreed to being frenemies with you.”

“What can I say? I am just that amazing.” The girls stared at each other before quickly breaking out into laughter. Though it was soon silenced by Ms. Sanderson, the girls quickly became friends and got along great. 

Soon, Marinette’s fears were beginning to calm, especially since Claude promised to meet her for lunch. She was waiting at the base of a specific set of stairs talking with Allegra, comparing their schedules, when Claude came by talking with a blond haired boy with striking blue eyes. He was wearing a smokey grey vest with black buttons over an ivory button down shirt with a black tie countaining blue accents to match his eyes. He had on slacks to match the vest, and black dress shoes to finish off the outfit. His hair was styled, but simple enough that it looked natural, and he held himself with an air of confidence and grace.

Claude looked up and upon seeing them immediately came over. “Mari. You don’t know how refreshing it is to have you here. Felix was being so mean to me!” fake sobbing Claude put his arm on her shoulder.

Laughing, she heard the blond, who she assumed was the previously mentioned Felix, say with a deadpan expression “It's only because you messed up 5 + 7. We are in a Calculus class. I hope you can understand how ridiculous that is.” which only caused Marinette to laugh harder. 

“I- I’m Marinette Dupain-Cheng.” she said, addressing Felix before she took Claude’s hand off her shoulder. “Come on Claude. If you're going to mess up like that, at least text me next time for the answer.” she said sarcastically, getting a startled laugh in return.

Felix held his hand out “I’m Felix ✨Le Blanc✨, and it’s a pleasure to meet you.” Shaking his hand, Marinette gave him a smile and a quick “you too” in response.”

“Oh Le Blanc, I see you met Dupain-Cheng” said Damian’s voice from down the hall, in a way close enough to Chloe’s that she never wanted them to meet.

“Hello Wayne” said Marinette in tandem with Felix causing Allegra and Claude to laugh.

“We should go get lunch, unless you want to stand here looking like idiots the whole lunch period?”

So they headed out to get lunch. These were some amazing people. Maybe, just maybe she could let down her guard for once.

Chapter Text

After a lunch with a surprisingly small number of stares, but that was probably due to the glares of Dami- Wayne and Felix, Marinette and Allegra headed to gym together. Entering the large room, the girl’s steps echoed around along with their lighthearted conversation. However, they were soon greeted by the sound of many teens filling up the area heading to the locker rooms to change. 

Following Allegra, Marinette was taken to meet the gym teacher and was soon provided with a locker. Lucky for her, she had been told to bring clothes by Claude in advance, so she didn’t have to sit out, and she was given the chance to play dodgeball with everyone.

When it came time to play, Marinette was against Allegra’s team. The game started with balls flying everywhere, and people constantly getting out. Marinette picked up a ball and threw it, hitting a tall kid standing next to Allegra intentionally. Looking over at Marinette, the grey-eyed blond mouthed “This means war” causing a rush of adrenaline to flood her veins. 

Ducking under a fluffy, obnoxiously bright green ball sent by the blond Marinette could only return the favor and throw one right in her path, resulting in Allegra having to bend her body to its limits to avoid it. Smirking, Allegra decided to rile Marinette up a bit.

“You're going to have to try harder than that to get me out.” said the blond, quickly realizing that they were the only two players left. She threw a few balls at the other girl all of which were efficiently dodged.

“That was nothing though I do have to wonder how you are so flexible,” Marinette replied while slightly raising an eyebrow. She Dodged a few of the fluffy weapons and returned some of the balls to her.

“That would be from dance. What about yo-,” Allegra tried to speak, but due to her distraction, she got hit with one of the soft projectiles. Falling on the floor she began to hold her stomach dramatically “I can’t believe this happened. How could you do this to me, my child?”

“Mother, it was only because of your actions that this fate has befallen you.” said the raven-haired girl as she held on to the blond. 

“I will always love you my child, even in death.” 

“Mother don't leave me!” echoed around the gym along with the snickers of onlookers. 

“A lovely performance, girls, but now it’s time to go get changed back,” said Coach B. as people began to head in the direction of the locker room. However, two girls lagged behind giggling and exchanging phone numbers.

[POV Switch]

If anyone had asked his opinion Claude would say the day went well (if you didn’t include the events of this morning of course). So, he didn’t find himself that surprised to find out his friends had gotten along well with Marinette, but he did not expect to find this in the group chat when he got home.

Melodie: Marinette is now my child. I am her mother. I vote we try adding her into the group chat

Mercury: Um … What?

Melodie: I won’t repeat myself.

Ice Prince: No.

Sunshine: Come on Dames even you have a weird frenemy thing happening with her.

Ice Prince: …

Kid Mime: I second your vote.

Ice Prince: No.

Sparrow: Don’t be stupid Wayne we all like her at least a little bit.

Ice Prince: Fine … we can add her. However, I don’t like her.

Mercury: And I’m the queen of England.

Kid Mime added Marinette to the chat

Marinette: Hello everyone. Wayne.

Ice Prince: Dupain-Cheng.

Kid Mime: Mari. You don’t have a nickname yet!

Melodie: What should we change it to?

Mercury: idk, but maybe we should tell Marinette who everyone is?

Sunshine: Good idea! I’m Jon, Kid Mime is Claude, Ice Prince is Damian, Melodie is Allegra, Mercury is Allen, and Sparrow is Felix.

Sparrow: Nice to see you Marinette. Do you have any ideas for a name?

Marinette: Sort of, but it is more of an inside joke between me and an old friend.

Kid Mime: How about Mari-gold

Sparrow: I like it. It fits her.

Marinette changed Marinette to Mari-gold

Mari-gold: Are you happy now?

Melodie: Yes

Sunshine: I hate to change the mood, but I have to go do that math assignment from Mr. Loyd.

Mercury: Sadly, we all do.

Ice Prince: I already did it.

Sparrow: I think we all know that by now Wayne.

Mari-gold: Bye everyone!

Exiting the chat Claude was surprised to see a private message from Allegra.

Melodie: Hey Claude. Did something happen to Marinette before she came here?

Kid Mime: Why are you asking?

Melodie: I heard about this morning from the boys, and she would occasionally act … different.

Kid Mime: Idk what happened this morning, but I know that she had some sort of “delinquent” record. Something was weird about it though, and when I asked, she wasn’t comfortable talking about it. She seemed way too happy over the fact I told her I wouldn’t pry if she wasn’t comfortable.

 Melodie: Hm. This keeps getting weirder.

Kid Mime: True.

Melodie: Thanks for telling me. I have to go work on my math though. Bye.

Kid Mime: Bye.

Yes. This was definitely strange, but who in Gotham wasn’t. Hopefully, soon he will get his answers but for now, the only way to find out the truth is to wait for Mari to tell them.  

[POV Switch]

Looking up from her phone, Marinette could not believe it. They had just accepted her. It has been a long time since anyone new truly wanted to do that. Yes, Luka had been so accepting of her, but who was she to hold him up from traveling the world with Jagged Stone. They still talk plenty but staying in Paris was only going to bring him sadness. Speaking of Luka, she should probably talk with him soon, but maybe not yet she still has homework to do, and she has only known everyone for a day or three they could be lying. 

Only time would tell.

Chapter Text

After surviving her second morning at the school, it became obvious to Marinette that rumors about her had begun to emerge. Not that any of the student body was attempting to hide their obnoxiously loud whispers anyway, but at least her new friends and  frenemy were happy to distract her from listening in.

“I can’t believe you have the audacity to do this to me Damian.” cried out Jon with tears gathering in his eyes. “I have truly been betrayed by my best friend.”

“Oh, get over it Kent. You deserve this for what you pulled earlier.” Allegra chimed in.

“I don’t think you have room to talk either, you backstabber.” said Allen, slamming his hands onto the table.

Leaning over to speak to Felix, Marinette quietly whispered “Do you happen to have popcorn, this is too entertaining for it not to be a movie.” 

“I wish,” he quickly replied. “But if this is a movie, who is the protagonist?” 

“Me obviously because I just won,” Marinette said at full volume as she threw down her last card. Of course, this remained unnoticed until Felix let out a small laugh with Marinette joining in. Seeing her accomplishment, the others started to reshuffle the Uno cards while figuring out who was going to play in the next round.

Marinette quickly chimed in “Sorry guys, but I need to use the restroom. Could one of you tell me where it is?”

“Sure sweetie. It is outside the double doors we come in here through and to the right.” replied Allegra, pointing to the doors. Getting up, Marinette began walking where she pointed with a quick thanks. However, when getting back into the cafeteria the sound of screams echoed into the hallway. 

Breaking into a run, Marinette slammed the door open in time to see her friends getting kidnapped. Knowing she wouldn’t be helpful if caught, she snuck out a side window, and into the kidnappers' van hiding behind some very convenient boxes, but she was friends with the magical incarnation of lady luck herself. So, who was she to complain?

“Into the van kiddos.” growled out one of the kidnappers. Their voice was scratchy and rough but was obviously lowered in an attempt to be threatening. The doors to the van slammed closed removing almost all the light from the already dim lighting of the vehicle’s interior.  

Light lit up the van as Marinette turned her phone screen on. “You’d think my new school has better security, but I suppose this is Gotham, so I really shouldn’t have expected anything.” she whispered, resulting in yelps around the van.

“I agree that they really should be making improvements in security, but I think getting out of this kidnapping situation might be a little more important," Allen replied. 

"Fair enough. Let me unite you all and then we can-" before Marinette could finish the car stopped moving causing her to cut off her sentence. The doors opened allowing light to flood in showing Robert (the robber from chapter 2).

"Looks like we meet again," Marinette called out, startling Robert. 

All Robert could get out was a quick "Oh shit" before Marinette connected her knee with this face knocking him out. After which Claude was quick to chime in with a "Ohhhh that's what I forgot to mention. Guys Marinette is also a badass." Leading the teens to erupt in a fit of giggles. 

"Is this your induction ceremony or something? Because you all seem way too comfortable with being kidnapped."

"Honestly it just might be," chimed in Jon causing another round of laughter echoing out into the back of the alleyway the van is parked in.

"Are you kids seriously laughing about being kidnapped?" Called a voice from above them. Revealing himself, Nightwing jumped down, surprise evident on his disable features.”

“We have been kidnapped enough times with Wayne we might as well laugh about it. Plus Marinette and yourself were able to handle the kidnappers fairly quickly.” replied Felix. “Though I do believe that it was quite strange that you were there considering you weren’t kidnapped with us, Marinette.”

“Oh, about that … I may or may not have snuck in the van once I saw you getting kidnapped. It wasn’t like they were being subtle.” 

Claude chimed in with “I honestly cannot say I am surprised considering I saw you beat that robber up a few days ago.” Leading to shouts of surprise from the group as a whole. 

Once the situation was dealt with and the cops took their statements, much to Marinette’s dismay, the teens were allowed to take the rest of the day off. Arriving at home, Marinette and Claude split up to go to their rooms individually to work on their homework. But Marinette couldn’t concentrate on working, so she decided to rest instead. 

{She was walking through one of the alleyways that Jay said was supposed to be safe. The candy people don’t come around, and if you’re lucky some drunk guy will come along, and sticky fingers can quickly grab his belongings. 

“Hey girly your gonna come with me and we are gonna play a game”

She tried to run but she couldn’t move .

Her screams were only heard by the trash that surrounded her.

She lost her chance at escaping fate.}

☽☾☽☾☽☾☽☾☽☾

{She sat quaking in the back of the closet. If she stayed quiet, they wouldn’t find her. They can’t find her, right?}

☽☾☽☾☽☾☽☾☽☾

{00:00:00 - All she could do was watch it burn. She didn’t mean for it to happen. But the heat was so intense. Just make it stop-}

☽☾☽☾☽☾☽☾☽☾

She woke up with a start. She swiped tears long dried from her face with trembling hands. She decided maybe it was time to give Luka a call, and it might be fun to plan something with her new friends. After all, she was going to make sure that they would never burn like him.

Chapter Text

[POV Switch]

Jason has not seen his sister Nettie in years. It is not because of some huge fight, or really out of choice. It all started when he got adopted by Bruce "gotta adopt em all" Wayne, and then he died. 

Fun fact: dying can make it a little hard to talk to your lost siblings. This is especially true when you wake up from, your not so eternal rest to find your sister died as well. 

But life goes on, and so must he-

"What are you thinking about Jaybird?" asked Dick as he swung his arm across Jason's shoulders.

"I'm trying to figure out why the demon spawn is acting so weird. He seems joyful and competitive, and honestly it is freaking me out."

"I noticed that too. Do you think someone died?" chimed in the Replacement.

"Why don't we ask over dinner?" said Dick.

"Fine."

[POV Switch]

Damian opened his phone after the first few dings from the group chat. His friends idiots were probably at it again fighting over something ridiculous. 

Kid Mime: I am going 2 die

Mercury: What did you do this time

Melodie: good. 

Kid Mime: I can see who really loves me : (

Melodie: we both know that death awaits us both

Ice Prince: What did you idiots do this time?

Sunshine: It's Mr. Loyd's math test that is happening on Monday. I think no one is prepared for that.

Mari-gold: Why don't we have a study session?

Sparrow: That could be very useful.

Ice Prince: Congratulations Dupain-Cheng. You came up with a useful idea. 

                 I will ask my father if we can study at my house tomorrow.

Kid Mime: Are you sure that's a good idea? Last time …

Mari-gold: It will be fine. I can reign in my temper. 

Melodie: Sooooooo

              Tomorrow @ noon?

Seeing a series of positive replies Damian shut off his phone at the same time Alfred knocked on his door to tell him dinner was ready. 

Going downstairs, he entered the dining room to find that all of his brothers were already there. With Cass Cain, Babs Gordan, and Stephanie Brown enjoying a girl's trip around the world, the manor lacked three of its usual chaos causers. However, that didn’t mean the manor, and subsequently dinner, is any less chaotic than normal. 

The argument between his three older siblings dropped out as soon as he entered the room and sat down. Which was not suspicious at all [insert eye roll here]. 

“Father. My … acquaintances from school wish to have a study group tomorrow. Would there be a problem with us hosting it?”

“Of course, not Damian. I would be happy to have your … acquaintances over. What time?”

“Noon.”

That solved one problem, but whatever his brothers were planning seemed to be coming to a head as Dick Grayson was practically vibrating in his seat.

“What do you want, Grayson?”

“Are your new friends the reason you have been so happy? We thought you gained a competitor or something because of your bruised nose the other day.”

“Well … Dupain-Cheng is my direct competition as a frenemy. She was also the one who punched me in the face, but I believe it was because of a misunderstanding.”

“I cannot wait to meet this kid! Tomorrow is definitely going to be interesting.,” chuckled Jason Todd.

He was right about one thing: tomorrow would definitely be interesting. Hopefully they would actually have the chance to study unlike the last study session where Claude Durand and Allen Thomas got into a competition over who told better jokes. Truly the world's best and brightest could be found at Gotham Academy [Insert eye roll 2.0 here]. 

[POV Switch]

Marinette woke up from a dreamless sleep, for the first time in a while, thankful that screams did not follow. She got dressed in a comfortable dress that showcased the embroidery of ladybugs dancing among the flowers climbing the flowing fabric. 

Ever since last night, she had been staring at her cell phone trying to find the words she could say to tell Luka everything she failed to say before he left. Unfortunately, they never came to her so she texted a simple ‘We should catch up’ in hopes he would call her, or at least text. It seemed however, that her bad luck had finally caught up with her and the phone stayed silent the entire night.

Pocketing the phone, Marinette joined Claude in the kitchen to eat before deciding to watch a show together. Soon, it was time for them to drive to Wayne Manor in Ms. Kathrin’s car. She dropped them off in front of the impeccable lawn and told them to text/call her when they needed to be picked up, or if anything happened. The two of them had gotten quite the scolding for not contacting her when they were kidnaped. 

Wayne was quick to great them at the door alongside Mr. Alfred Pennyworth, the only sane one according to Wayne. Marinette's hands itched for her sketchbook as they walked through the tastefully decorated manor. They arrived at the library, and were greeted by Allegra, Allen, and Felix setting up their study supplies on one of the larger tables. 

“Kent is going to be a few minutes late due to a family emergency that came up,” started Wayne as if he read her mind. 

“Soooooo … Can someone please explain how to do these limits? I swear they are always changing!”

And with Claude’s help the study session began. Everyone began to pair up with what they needed help on, but they continued to chime in if others didn’t understand. Felix and Marinette began to do a complete overview together since Marinette had missed some of the year. However, they quickly discovered that they both had a fairly good understanding of the content, and they began to talk about anything and everything. While they were talking, Jon snuck into the library quietly, joining Damian and Claude’s group. 

The two of them got on to the topic of her designs which she showed pictures of to Felix, and she proceeded to become a blushing mess when he complimented her work. But the peace failed to last as Jagged Stone began to play from Marinette’s phone, a ringtone that belongs to one person alone.

Luka.

Chapter Text

{“Jagged offered to take me on tour.”

“You have to go, Luka. You will regret every minute of staying here when you could be pursuing your dreams.”

“But what about your dreams? Who is going to protect you?”

“I don’t need your protection Luka! I am a big girl and honestly if I have to deal with it any longer I- I-.” Marinette looked at Luka’s turned away face. It would be worth it in the end, but why did it have to hurt them both so much. He was all she had left. 

“Goodbye Luka.”

The silence he left her in hurt more than any words could ever hope to. She truly was a terrible friend.}

“I’m so sorry. I just wanted you to- to-”

“I forgive you Ma-Ma-Marinette.” and with those words she broke down into tears. It was the first time in a while someone had shown her forgiveness. Maybe the others understood she needed space and gave her the area, but once she had cried her eyes out the area, she was in was devoid of people aside from the soft words coming from Luka in an attempt to comfort her. 

“I’m in Gotham Luka. They made me come back.”

“Well, I guess one positive thing is that I will be in Gotham soon for a break on our tour. Jagged wants to catch up with an old friend. I am sure he will be very excited to see you after all this time.”

“Maybe, but when you get here, I am fixing that jacket that you wrecked in Miami. Seriously, what kind of crazy fans do you have?”

“Shouldn’t you know best of all Ms. #1 fan.” teased Luka.

“You are so mean to me.”

“Mhm. I will be in Gotham Monday. We should meet then.”

“Of course, Lu. I missed you.”

“Me too Ma-Ma-Marinette.”

Ending the call, Marinette went off to find her friends and frenemy to hopefully explain the situation a bit, but none of them were in the library. However, Alred was standing by the door waiting for her with a pack of tissues. She gratefully accepted the tissues and cleaned up before he happily guided her to the others. Before meeting up with the rest she quickly said “Thank you little butterfly” when entering the room, giggling slightly at his surprise.

She was greeted with her friends talking with what she assumed to be two of Damian’s siblings in the Wayne family. One of them seemed very … enthusiastic, while the other appeared to be dead on his feet. 

“Hey Mari, come over here and meet Dick and Tim!” called out Claude.

“Sure. Uh hi I’m Marinette.”

“So, you're the Dupain-Cheng that is Damian’s ‘frenemy’ he gets so competitive over. I’m Dick it’s so nice to meet you. And this is Tim one of my little brothers” 

“I can introduce myself; you know. Tim Drake-Wayne, it's a pleasure.”

Seeing her discomfort Felix stepped in between them with a quick “I actually needed to ask Marinette here something, so I’m going to steal her away for a second.” before taking her to the side of the room to check on her.

“That phone call seemed … interesting.”

“It was an old friend of mine. Last time we talked it didn’t end on good terms.”

“Ah that makes sense. Well Marinette-”

“Nett, call me Nett.”

“Well Nett if you need more time, or to get someone to back off just let me know and I would be happy to take care of it.”

“Thanks Felix.”

“No problem, Nett.”

Joining the others, Marinette slowly relaxed, but mainly talked with Felix and Allegra about what flavors are the best for various pastries. At the same time, Claude and Dick had gotten into a dad joke war that was an ‘atrocity to mankind’ according to Allen as he continued to watch it . 

“Hey Demon Spawn, where are your friends?”

“Todd, don't just barge in places.”

“Jay?”

“Nettie?”

Then everything went dark.

Chapter Text

{Life was good in the Todd household. They had their problems, but every family does. Maybe Mom loved drugs, but she always said she loved her Nettie and Jay more than any high. It didn’t matter how much she loved them though. When she died, they were left with nothing but bills and each other. Life is not a fairytale where love conquers all, and no amount of love could pay one who lives debt to death.  

So, Nettie and Jay learned how to live in the alleyways of Gotham city. Where those with power wouldn’t dare risk their freshly polished shoes, and the only people you could trust are yourself and your shadow. Where fears of bullies that left dark bruises on pale skin turned into candy men you could never trust. 

They learned how to find which pockets overflowed and wouldn’t notice a little missing. They were bruised and broken in the process, but they continued to learn. Nettie watched with eyes that never missed, and Jay stood and fought with both fists and wits. They remained the same and yet completely changed. 

Nettie’s love for art and fashion continued to grow even if her materials had to be … improvised. Jay’s sarcasm would burn with passion and power, but like all things that burned it would be lost to time.

Nettie lost Jay. Nettie without Jay was peanut butter without jelly and dare I say Batman without Robin. Nettie lost everything she had left that day. She wanted to hate the world that took her life, but all she could do was keep moving. Keep living. For Jay, for Mom, for herself. So, she did.}

[POV Switch]

The last time Jason had heard anything about Nettie was when Talia told him that she was dead. Talia was obviously wrong as Marinette “Nettie” Todd was in front of him in one of Damian’s “totally not a friend’s” arms. Nettie was breathing, living, and very much passed out in front of him. Nettie was in some random person’s arms and suddenly he was 15 again, seeing her the day he would die and knowing that he would do anything to save her. 

He grabbed her from the teen’s arms and did what the two of them always did in a sticky situation. He ran. 

{Time was ticking down on the bomb, and there was no way he was going to get out. Nettie had to make it out though. He was here to save her no matter what. She was taken from him once and he would not lose her again. Death would not take his sister tonight.}

They were in his room at the manor. Someone was calling his name, but they were so far away. It hurts to breathe. Why can’t he breathe?

{It hurts to breathe. Why can’t he breathe? It hurts all over, but Nettie needed to be saved and he would protect her. She looked so frail in his arms. What happened while he was gone?}

What happened while he was gone? He had listened to Dicks voice and had worked through his panic attack, but now all he could do was wonder what had happened to his little sister when he died. How did she survive?

{He broke the window with the little strength he had left and got her outside of the building. It was the best he could do, but then she woke up.}

[POV Switch]

{“Nettie, get out of here. It isn’t safe for you!” Jay rasped out of his damaged body.

“Jay! No, you can’t leave me. Not again!” she pulled at his costume in vain, trying to drag him with her. 

“Go!” So, she ran away leaving her brother to die. It was her fault that he came looking for her, and it was her fault that he would die. 

00:00:00  

She fell to the ground sobbing. She would give anything to be back on the streets again with him. No matter how dangerous because at least they would be together. Jay left her with the worst fate of all. To keep living without him, and yet she could never hate him for it. She could hate those that had taken him from her, and those that keep them apart, but never Jay.}

She woke with tears in her eyes, but a smile found its way to her face when she saw Jay. No words were needed between them, at least not now, she jumped into his arms happy to be with him once again.

“Sorry for interrupting the moment, but should we leave? I feel kind of awkward just standing here.,” interjected Claude. Shortly followed by a yelp as Allegra slapped his arm, and awkward smiles from most everyone else.

“If you dummies don’t make this a group hug, I will kill you all myself. Unfortunately for my want to not have gray hairs I have adopted you all as family, and there is no going back.” Giggling, the teens joined in much to Jason’s chagrin and Dick’s amusement. Content and happy there was nowhere else in the world Marinette Dupain-Cheng Todd would rather be. Until they separated and Claude came up to her whispering a quick “Soooooo Felix,” earning himself another slap to his arm.