Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Marinette Walker. That’s my name. Or- was.

I used to live a normal life. Amazing mum, never met my dad, but that was okay. To me, mum was enough. I was insanely happy, until that fateful day.

Mum died in a car crash. The car blasted. The minute I heard the news, I ran. Adoption? I would never. I knew how kids who got adopted had to move far away from their cities. Although I was only five, I knew that I would never leave Gotham out of my own free will.

I used to live on the streets of Gotham with my friend Jason. I had met him while trying to pickpocket someone, and he stuck close, teaching me new tricks. He was all I knew at that point, and I couldn’t ask for more.

He had these ocean-blue eyes and pitch-black hair with a white streak in the front. He was kind and laid-back. Oh- not to mention all the tricks he knew. He was, admittedly, 8 years older than me, but we got along perfectly fine.

Jason was 13 when I met him. No family, just him. He must have been living alone all these years. I suspected that he’d been abandoned, but that wasn’t the case. His life was almost like mine, he had simply runaway earlier. We bonded on shared wounds.

“My parents are dead. They went chasing after Killer Croc.” he said.

“I’m sorry….” I replied.

“Don’t be, they got what they deserved.”

One day, he just vanished. I woke up to an empty room, and it had been empty ever since. I couldn’t find him cause I didn’t know his last name. Jason. Wonder how many of them are in the world.

The same day, when I was searching for him, the police found me and threw me in Child Services. Soon, a kind couple in Paris adopted me. Tom Dupain and Sabine Cheng. And so began my new life, after I was shipped half-way across the world without my permission.

I changed my name and started living my new life. After all, Paris was kind to those who seek refuge. Time passed, but I didn’t forget about Jason. Who could?

Many years passed quietly. When I was 12, I got a miraculous to fight against Hawkmoth, the villain who rose. That old man had no sense in fashion. I became Ladybug and fought crime with my partner Chat Noir. My kwami, Tikki didn’t know about my past, and I hope she never finds out.

3 years passed, but we defeated the butterfly guy. Followed a purified akuma back to his layer. Honestly, I didn’t know it would be so easy. The old man turned out to be my friend/crush Adrien’s dad, Gabriel Agreste.

Using my newfound guardian magic, I bought Emilie, Adrien’s mother, back from her comatose state, obviously with the help of the Guardian Temple. She was currently recovering secretly in the temple.

Following these events, Adrien asked me to erase his memory of being Chat Noir. He told me that he felt guilty for not noticing his father’s actions and had to pay the price somehow. He renounced his miraculous, not being able to bear his memories. I gave him the tiger miraculous instead.

When I was 15, in the same year, came Lila Rossi. A master manipulator. She made my life hell. She spread rumors about me bullying her. I had supposedly been scared of her, pushed her down the stairs, stole her things, beat her up, and threatened her. Suddenly, all my lifelong friends were gone. All accept 6.

Adrien Agreste, my former crush.

Luka Couffaine, my classmate’s brother.

Nino Lahiffe, my childhood friend.

Kagami Tsurugi, a rival-turned-friend.

Alya Cesaire, my one and only best friend.

Chloe Bourgeois, a girl who once used to hate me.

Those 6 stood with me in the toughest of times. I told them my secret and then decided to make them a part of it. After all, there was no rule stating that only the duo of Cat and Bug must be used. The Ladybug and Chat Noir duo became a 7 member crime-fighting group.

Chat Noir was declared dead. The city mourned, but not for long.

4 years passed in a blink of an eye and now I’m 19. Surprisingly, I was the only single one in my group. Adrien was dating Kagami. Alya was dating Nino. Chloe was dating Luka. I still had my miraculous and was Lady Luck now.

My life was okay, at least better than it used to be. Lila continued to torment me with her lies that become more ridiculous over the passing of time. I was content. I lived a normal life, simply catching small-time thieves when I had nothing else to do.

But all of this started going wrong the day I won a trip to Gotham.

Chapter Text

“I… won?”

Wayne Foundation Tour Programme.

A competition I entered just for the fun of it. An essay submission competition on Gotham, its founders, and your opinion on the city. Safe to say, it was too easy. I entered the competition to improve my English skills.

Who knew I would win?

“Mari, you won!” squealed Tikki, excitedly flying around. I sat staring at the email on my computer screen. I couldn’t believe it. “Mari?” asks Tikki, celebration pausing. “Holy shit… I WON?” I screeched, falling off my chair. “You’re going to Gotham!” Tikki shouted. “Yes!” I shouted back. “What did you write to impress Bruce Wayne, Marinette?” asked Tikki, sitting on my head as I got back on the chair. Hmm… What did I write?

Gotham was my inspiration. When I first became Ladybug, I would stay up for nights watching Batman and his crew. I started learning their tricks, and soon I had made my own style of fighting.

So, I wrote. I wrote about the vigilantes, the buildings, the people, the villains and, most importantly, the thrill of being in Gotham, the city of crime. Honestly, I don’t remember much of what I wrote. And I can’t exactly find out, as I didn’t even make a draft, fluking the paper all the way. “Don’t know, just bullshitted it.” I say, shrugging. Tikki deadpans at me, chucking the phone at my face in return. “Hey!” I shouted, as she giggled and flew away. The phone pinged with a notification. I opened my messenger, sending a reply.

Unknown: Hello, is this Marinette Dupain-Cheng?

Me: Who dis?

Unknown: Bruce. Bruce Wayne from Gotham.

I’m screwed. As I sigh at my own impertinence, Tikki cackles in amusement. “Oh, shut up.” I groan, trying to come up with a decently polite reply.

Me: Ahh, Mr. Wayne. May I ask what this is about?

Bruce Wayne: This is about the competition.

Me: Oh. Is there any problem?

Bruce Wayne: Not at all Ms. Dupain-Cheng. I simply wanted to congratulate you. Your essay was quite remarkable.

Me: Thank you, Mr. Wayne. I will make sure to use this opportunity properly.

Bruce Wayne: I wanted to inform you that you will be leaving tomorrow. Plane tickets need to be booked, so please forward the information about your class strength and the seats you would prefer at the earliest.

Me: Class…?

Bruce Wayne: Ms. Dupain-Cheng, this is a class trip, as mentioned in the competition details. Have you not read the instructions properly?

Now, I feel stupid. How did I not notice that this was a class trip? If it was a class trip, was Lila going to come along? How would I go without Luka and Kagami?

Me: Of course not, Mr. Wayne. I had simply forgotten the detail in the joy of winning. As we are on this subject, is it possible for me to bring a few friends along?

Bruce Wayne: As long as the number does not exceed 5, please do so.

Me: Ok, thank you. I will email you the details by the hour.

Bruce Wayne: I will be waiting for your reply.

This was a bigger mess than I expected. But the good thing is I can finally get out of this cursed city. Maybe I can move to Gotham while I’m at it. After all, I can’t stand Lila and her petty lies anymore. Gathering the data about the class, which I had already compiled previously, I put it in a document and emailed it to Mr. Wayne. Well, being the class president was finally useful. I shut off my laptop, lying on my bed. Tikki screamed at me to set my alarm clock so I wouldn’t be late. Laughing, I chucked a pillow at her, and she chucked it back at me.

I set the alarm clock an hour early and went to sleep.

The alarm rung.

Quite loudly at that.

“Marinette, you’re going to be late for school!” Tikki said, shoving me so I could wake up. “I’m up, I’m up” I say sleepily, before getting off my bed. I quickly take a shower and get dressed after grabbing the first thing visible in my closet.

A simple white top with black jeans and a navy-blue jacket. A classic look.

I walk into the school, early. Eyes move over to me once I enter, and I was greeted by smiles from the students in other classes. Obviously, they were not as dumb as to believe those stupid lies. As I smiled back, my gaze shifts to Lila and her goons, who glared at me like there was no tomorrow.

No one was surprised at how I was early.

After all, that was the only way to avoid getting beaten up by my so-called ‘class’. I had patience, enough to let them insult me, but my mercy stops at that. If I had been beaten up one more time, I would have retaliated, and that would cause me serious problems with my miraculous. As much as the miraculous had its benefits, like any other, it also had its disadvantages. The miraculous I owned, was the one of Ladybug, the god of creation. To own up to its name, I was not allowed to harm anyone which the scale of justice didn’t consider ‘evil’.

The class, excluding Lila, were not considered evil. After all, they were simply blind puppets at Lila’s beck and command. Attacking them was like attacking a country’s citizens for the king’s mistake. “Marikins!” called a familiar voice, one that I recognized as Chloe. I turned around to see all my friends making their way to me. The blonde leading the gang ran up to me with a gleeful smile.

“Hey guys.” I spoke. “Hey gurl.” replies Alya. “So, how’s life?” she asks again, smiling. “Shitty.” I deadpan. “Gosh, it’s so tiring being an exterminator.” I say again, cackling. She joins in the laughter, making Nino and Adrien stare at us in confusion. “Exterminator…?” came a voice behind me.

“I will never understand girls.” says Adrien, staring at us like we were aliens. “Yeah, me too bro.” says Nino, nudging the blonde. Kagami steps in, smacking Adrien on the head. “She means that Lila and her puppets are bugs.” she fills in, giving me a high-five.

“Aah.”

The duo let out a sigh in understanding.

“MARINETTE!”

A scream interrupted our peaceful bubble, bringing my attention to a pink-haired girl leading a familiar group of people towards us. “Oh god.” I sigh. “What did I do this time?” I ask, groaning, as Luka stifles a laugh behind me. “Mari, how could you threaten to expose Lila’s private life? Don’t you know that she is very famous? If you reveal her address, her house would be flooded with reporters and she would not be able to rest properly.” says Alix, a girl I used to hold dear.

“Yeah. And Lila has Tinnitus.” pitches in Juleka.

Hearing this Luka falls silent, although Adrien and Chloe let out a small laugh. It must be hard for him too. Luka must deal with this biasing even at home, and fight with his sibling. This must have caused a huge rift in the family.

I let out a laugh, then becoming serious.

“Okay. First, don’t call me ‘Mari’. Only my friends can call me that.” I say, making Lila scoff silently. “Second, I don’t know her address. Why do you think I would know that?” I say, exasperatedly. Mylene gasps loudly, speaking. “Marinette, how could you lie like that? You’re the deputy class president. You probably have everyone’s address.” she says. I scoff at that. “Right. The student information presidents get is limited to the name and phone number.” I say, making her frown.

“You would know that, if the president actually did her work, instead of pushing it onto me.” I speak up, glaring at the sausage-hair.

A few months after Lila arrived, she criticized my position and humiliated me in front of the whole class. I said I would give up my position. Lucky for me, her plan backfired, and she was voted as the class president. Although, I simply got demoted to deputy. Lila started her usual waterworks, sobbing uncontrollably. Mylene and Rose ran to comfort her as the rest of the gang hurled insults at me. I simply laughed, waving my hand at them like I was dismissing them.

I walked away with my gang, as the rest glared at me. I continued laughing while walking, making steam come out their ears. I was not the shy and sweet girl anymore. I was bolder and more confident and even if I don’t want to admit it, I’m reckless too. Chloe put her arm on my shoulder, leading me inside the building, as the other students of our class watched the exchange, filming it in amusement.

“Don’t walk away from me!” screamed Alix, but we kept walking.

Chapter Text

“I’m off guys. Good luck today.” said Kagami, who suddenly stopped walking.

“Why…?” asked Luka, confused. Kagami lets out a laugh, confusing everyone. “You must have forgotten that I do not go to this school. Unlike Luka, I do not have the ability to shift schools as I please.” she says, walking away. “Right.” mutters Adrien, dejected. Luka parted from our group as we entered, walking to his own class on the next floor from ours. He was a year above us anyway.

Me and my group walked into the class, as Chloe let go of my shoulder to take her seat with Adrien in front of mine and Alya’s. Nino, unfortunately, had to sit with Max. It was fine nevertheless, as he was the one who lost the bet.

“Class, settle down. I have very great news.” said Ms. Bustier, walking into the class and slamming a stack of papers on the table. The class became quiet. Except for Lila, who was excitedly whispering something to Alix. “Congratulations everyone, you are going to Gotham! Somebody in this class won us a trip to Gotham in a competition. I’m sure you all know who it is.” says Ms. Bustier, giving me a knowing look.

“Please give this form to your parents and get it signed. If your parents permit, you will be leaving today night.” said Ms.Bustier, passing on the papers she brought along. “You will get the rest of the day off, so please use it to pack and assemble at the airport at 8 pm. The other details will be shared by mail shortly.”

The class was exited, as they grabbed a sheet from Ms. Bustier’s hands and settled down, packing up their stuff to leave.

“…this was your doing, wasn’t it?” asked Adrien, turning around. Alya and Chloe, hearing this, turned around to look at me. I didn’t reply, grinning widely instead. “But… Luka and Kagami, they can’t come.” stated Chloe, sadly. “Don’t worry, Mr. Wayne was kind enough to give us a few extra seats.” I state, making Adrien and Chloe fist-bump each other, as Nino walks over to join our fun. Unfortunately, this was interrupted again.

Lila, who sat in front of the class, began to weave her own story.

“Guys, you know, my boyfriend, Damian Wayne, begged Bruce to let me come there. This trip is just an excuse.” she said. “You’re dating Damian Wayne? Wow!” said Rose. “Oh yes.” said Lila. “We were best friends from when we were born. He used to have a crush on me. So we dated. But I had to move to Italy. So he said he would wait for me until I came back to him. He’s so kind and sweet and-” I didn’t bother to listen to what she was saying.

Chloe walked out, tired of Lila’s shit. I walked behind her, rolling my eyes.

…….

Paris’ airport had always fascinated me.

Every time I looked at the interiors, ideas for outfits collectively flooded my brain. My hand itched to take out my sketchbook and draw, but I couldn’t. Why? Because, Lila. Although, she wasn’t the only reason. I ran an online boutique, an anonymous one. The company was named after my initials. Not MDC, my real name Marinette Walker. MW Enterprises. Luka came up with the logo after messing with my laptop for some reason.

Safe to say, this boutique of mine was quite successful.

I met the others, along with Luka and Kagami at the entrance. Ms. Bustier handed out the tickets, giving us first-class ones, just like I had requested Mr. Wayne. It was easy to notice, as these tickets had a different color compared to the business-class ones.

And like usual, Lila threw a tantrum.

“Ms. Bustier, Marinette stole my ticket.” she wailed like a dying seal. “Tickets have names on them Lila. If you’re lying, make it believable. Now start walking, before we miss the flight.” snapped Ms.Bustier.

Everyone was shocked.

I, on the other hand was smirking, because I knew that Ms.Bustier never believed Lila. Her job was on the line, even with Chloe’s dad being the mayor. So she kept quiet. Guess she didn’t want to anymore. After this, Lila shut her mouth the whole flight.

Not a single lie came out of her mouth.

As soon as we got off the plane the waterfall which had stopped started again. “Ms. Bustier, my arthritis is acting up again. Could you please ask Marinette to carry my bags for me?” came Lie-la’s voice, extremely sickly and sweet. “Marinette, please carry Lila’s bags for her.” Ms. Bustier asked, exhausted and not wanting to cause a scene. Lila then picked up her bags and tried to give it to me. I just stood there, in shock.

She picked up her bags and gave it to me!

“What are you waiting for Marinette? Take it already!” shouted Sabrina. Did no one else notice what Lila did? Out of the corner of my eye, I see my friends stifling their laughter. Or trying to, at least. “Uh… Lila? If you can’t carry your bags, then how are you holding it?” I ask sweetly. It was then that she noticed her mistake. “O-oh. I guess it was a muscle spasm. But thank you for caring about me guys.” Lila says, embarrassed. “No problem. That is what friends do right?” asks Rose, innocent as ever.

The bus we took from the Gotham airport, stopped in of a hotel.

The Wayne Enterprises Hotel, how original.

I walked up to the receptionist to get the room keys. “Hello, I am from the French class visiting Gotham. Could you please give me the keys?” I ask. “Sure darling. You seem very sweet.” she says, while giving me the keys after checking all the details. “Here you go miss.” I say handing Ms. Bustier the keys. After checking them, she gave them out according to what was planned. I shoved my keys into Alya’s hand, just as the others did.

Alya was our designated key-carrier, as she was the most responsible of us all. Me and MPS (as they call themselves, Marinette Protection Squad. Though I don’t need protection.) go to our rooms soon after.

…….

The next morning, when I got ready and went down, no one was there. I guess they are still getting ready. I grab some breakfast and eat. Bored, I get up and go to the reception room. “Hello Miss. Have you seen my class? I don’t seem to find them anywhere” I say. “The French class? They left an hour ago.” said the receptionist, confused. “What? I-i mean, thank you Miss.” I say and rush out of the hotel, pulling up the directions to Wayne Enterprises on FindMe.

When I finally reached there, Sabrina and Alix were screaming at the receptionist while Lila was shedding crocodile tears. My friends and Ms. Bustier stood there with a bored expression on their face. “Finally!” shouted Chloe. “Save us from this mess Mari” she says over-dramatically putting her arm around me. I sigh to myself, shrugging off Chloe’s arm and walking over to the receptionist.

“Hello miss. I am very sorry about my classmate’s behavior. They are simply exited. We are the French class who are supposed to be touring today. Could you tell us when to tour starts?” I ask, politely. “The tour starts only after 10 minutes and the guide is not here yet. Your class arrived an hour earlier.” She says, happy to reason with someone. “Oh, I am very sorry. My class seemed to have read the time wrong.” I say. “Its alright.” she says, going back to her work.

“The tour starts only after 10 minutes. Why the hell did you come here an hour earlier?” I ask my friends. “Lila managed to convince the whole class that the tour was an hour earlier. Ms. B couldn’t do anything. We tried to call you, but you wouldn’t pick up.” Adrien explains.

“That makes sense.” I say.

We waited for a few minutes for the guide to arrive. I was laughing at something Luka said, when I heard a voice. Lila and her sheep heard it too and stopped their conversation.

“…whatever Dick. Just do me a favor and get here. ….hmm, sure.” A black haired man walked out from the building, talking to someone over the phone. While Lila fawned over him, I couldn’t get over the feeling that I knew him. The man cut his call, lifting his head, and ultimately meeting my eyes. He froze in his step, looking like he had seen a ghost. Maybe he had.

“Pixie-pop?” he said, shocked. I looked at him, only to see a face which haunted me in my dreams. A face that would never forget. The face of my childhood friend, Jason. “Jay-Jay?” I ask. The boy slowly comes and touches my arm, as if- as if to check if I was real. When he felt me, he broke out in the hugest grin ever. I crushed him in the most bone-crushing hug ever, while he did the same.

“Holy shit, I thought you were dead!” I said, tears brimming my eyes. “Me too Pixie. Me too.” he said. “Where the hell have you been all these years?” I ask him. “I got adopted by Bruce Wayne.” he said, excitedly.

“Oh look, Marinette has an American boyfriend!” said Lila, cackling evilly after getting over her fawning. “Look lady, whoever you are, I don’t care. You don’t get to speak to Marinette that way. So either shut up, or get lost.” Says Jason. Lila looked baffled. “How dare you talk to me like that you-you madman!” she said. That got me fuming.

“Look Lie-la, I don’t care about what you want. If this class has only half- no, a quarter brain cell which is shared by everyone, I can’t do anything. You want to be a witch? Okay. You want to ruin my life? Okay. But I draw the line when it comes to my friends.” I shout.

“You wanted a battle, but just wait. I’ll give you a war.”

I lower my voice, giving her a death glare. It was probably too late for that. By now, I’m pretty sure the whole building heard me. “Come on Mari.” whispered Jason, leading me out. When I turned to look back, Lila and the sheep looked pale while my friends had their jaw touching the floor. Smirking, I gave a two-finger salute and walked out.

Jason led me to a very expensive blue Lamborghini.

“Can I drive?” I ask him. He just looks at me with pure amusement on his face.

…….

[Q.] Describe Lila in one word.

Chapter Text

“Can I drive?”

“No.” said Jason. “Come on! I’ll be careful.” I reply. “No!” he says. “Why not? I’m not 5 anymore Jason.” I say, jokingly. “You are to me.” he said, completely ignoring the fact that it’s been years and he doesn’t know me. He needs to learn a lesson.

“I’m driving.” I say, showing him the pretty-looking car keys. I would sell my soul to the devil just to see his shocked face again. His pretty face turned pale, with his eyes almost falling out of his sockets.

It must have been a while since someone outwitted him.

“What- how?” he says, surprise clearly shown on his face. I scoff, repeating what I had said before. “I’m not 5 anymore, Jason.” I open the car and sit down, only to find Jason sitting in the passenger seat.

We sit in silence for a minute. “You gonna tell me the address?” I ask him, putting in the key. No reply. “Jason, come on.” I whine. “It’s in the GPS.” he replied. I start the car and drive out of the parking lot very fast. The car starts drifting. “How fast can you go?” asks Jason, staring out the window. “You’ll see.” I said, smirking.

Through the reflection on the glass, I could see the small smile Jason had on his face.

…….

Jason and I barely made any conversation in the car.

The radio played ‘Fake Love’ by BTS, as Jason bopped his head to the beat. “Do you even understand what they’re saying?” he asks, still not facing me. “No, but it sounds cool.” I reply, turning to look at him. Jason’s eyes in the reflecting lock with mine, as he then turns toward me. “How are you?” he asks, eyes slowly filling with concern. “Fine. At least, as much as I can be.” I reply, refusing to meet his eyes.

The car filled with uncomfortable silence again.

‘I’m so sick of this fake love…’ sang the chorus of the song, increasing the tension in the car. “Jase…” I whisper, bringing his attention back to me. “What happened that day? Will you tell me?” I plead.

“No.”

Jason’s voice was firm as he replied. “I just got you back. I won’t lose you again Pixie. Just not today.” he replied. “You’ll have to tell me one day.” I reply, as he nods his head in affirmation. “When the time is right.” he replied.

“So, is this how fast you can go?” he asked, his mouth curving into a smile. Ah, I missed this. The pointless bickering. “Of course not, I’m just holding back.” I reply, glaring at him. “Why? Just step on it.” he replies, as I grin at him in joy. The radio changes to ‘Fire’, a perfectly suiting song for this moment.

“Just remember Jase, you asked for this.”

…….

BRUCE POV

“Master Bruce, there is a car speeding towards the Manor.” says Alfred. “It would be Jason again. Open the gates Alfred.” I tell him, not surprised at Jason at all. It wasn’t the first time he had done this. Why was Alfred even asking him this?

“Master Bruce, when I said speeding, I mean it is going well over 300 km/h. But very well.” he says and walks away. I rushed to the front of the Manor. 300 km/h? Even the Batmobile couldn’t go more than 250 km/h on that road.

Selena and the kids decided to follow me because… I don’t know why. They just came. Soon, the whole family was gathered in front of the Manor. Except Damian, who walked in last like it was none of his business. Which it wasn’t.

The gates swung open and I was able to see a blue car speeding very fast. It was Jason’s. How? That guy is the laziest human in the whole universe. He would never try something like this and besides, he prefers a bike after what happened with the Batmobile. It’s why Tim always drives.

The car zoomed in the gates and swiftly stopped in front of us. Dust filled the air as car came to a stop. Amidst all this chaos, the driver’s side door swung open and a girl got out. Wait- A girl? The girl had black hair which shone midnight blue and piercing light blue eyes. She seemed strong and mature, but only if you look into her eyes you’ll know the truth. Her pain and suffering hidden behind a practiced smile.

Just like everyone else in this family.

Broken.

What did she go through that made her like this?

The other door opened and Jason came stumbling out. “That was awesome Pixie! Whenever we go out, you’re driving.” he said excitedly. His eyes held a twinkle inside, which I had not seen in a very long time. Who was this girl and how did she make Jason so happy?

Jason went and stood with her. Suddenly, like she just noticed us, she started smiling and tugging on Jason’s sleeve, which resulted in him turning around. The boy rolled his eyes in annoyance, the excitement vanishing.

The girl came up to me to introduce herself. “Hello Mr. Wayne, I am Marinette Dupain-Cheng. I am Jason’s childhood friend.” she says, smiling. Dupain-Cheng? Is she the one who won the essay competition? Why was she here and not partaking in the tour?

“Hello Marinette, nice to meet you. Correct me if I’m wrong- you are the one who said Gotham was inspiring, yes?” I ask. “Yes, that was me.” she says, somewhat confused. I really liked her essay. I’ve lived in Gotham all my life and yet… I wouldn’t call it inspiring.

“Enough chit-chat. Let’s go in.” says Jason, annoyed. “Be nice Jason. They’re family.” she says, glaring at him. That shut him up. Did she not have a good family? Jason muttered a quiet sorry, and turned away. Was that really Jason? Or an imposter? Maybe I should get him checked. This wouldn’t be the first time it happened.

“If you can shut him up so easily, you are welcome to visit anytime, dear.” said Selena. “Thank you Ms. Kyle.” she replies, beaming. She was really happy. No but, how did she know Selena’s name? Oh well, I guess she found some article on the internet.

Selena and I’s relationship wasn’t much of a secret.

“Speaking of visiting. Bruce, I was wondering if Marinette could stay at the Manor for a few days.” asks Jason, his eyes pleading. Jason never asks, he takes. This little girl must mean a lot to him. The girl looked at him with shocked eyes. He nudges her, as if to get her to say something. “It would only be until I find a place to stay, Mr. Wayne. I am shifting to Gotham with my friends after all.” she said. It didn’t seem like she actually wanted to stay here, it was like she was doing this for Jason.

What happened to the hotel rooms I booked?

……

[Q.] Name your favorite song right now.

Chapter Text

“It would only be until I find a place to stay, Mr. Wayne. I am shifting to Gotham with my friends after all.” I said, clutching my side, which Jason shoved hardly. That idiot must have not understood his own strength yet. “That’s perfectly fine, Ms. Dupain-Cheng. Please make yourself at home.” Mr. Wayne says, smiling at me. I visibly glowed. “Thank you, Bruce.” Jason says.

“Why are we letting a harlot live in this house?”

A guy standing behind Bruce arrogantly steps forward, glaring at me. The rude-ass guy had brown hair and emerald eyes. Tan skin. I guess he wasn’t from around here. He just continued glaring at me, his eyes darkening into a dark shade of green. I felt myself becoming more nervous. What is with me and green-eyed boys??

What did I even do? Have we met before? I was going to say something, but Selena beat me to it. “This harlot is staying because I said so. And you just earned yourself a job.” she says, glaring at the brunette. “…what job?” he asked, hesitatingly. “You are going to give Marinette here, a tour around the house!” she exclaimed, smiling.

Did I hear that right?

He’s giving me a tour?

I don’t even need a tour. I look at the mansion towering over me. Okay- maybe I do need a tour. But why him?!? The brunette opened his mouth to argue, but seeing the look Mr. Wayne was giving him, decided to shut up. We walked into the mansion, my mouth agape. I always wanted a house like this. Not this big, but this beautiful. The black rock walls looked old, and with the wooden furniture, the house gave off this aesthetic antique vibe.

Jason stuck to a tall ravenette while walking in, whispering something which everyone heard clearly. “Didn’t you go to the company?” he whispered aggressively. “No. Barbara said she’ll go since she was there anyway.” the ravenette whispered back.

The introductions started on the way inside.

“Okay, so first, there is Richard Grayson, the oldest of them all, but call him Dick, he insists. I’m next, cause- …just because. Anyway, then there is Tim Drake, the nerd, and lastly Damian Wayne, who is as rude as ever.” says Jason, pointing to each of them, sighing at the end.

Damian Wayne. That’s his name, huh?

“Then there are the girls, Barbara Gordon, my girlfriend and Stephanie Brown, Tim’s girlfriend. There is also Kori Anders, Dick’s wife and their child Mari Grayson who are- where are they again? Oh yeah. They’re at Bludhaven right now. And then there’s Alfred, the granddad.”

“Huge family.” I state, looking at Jason. “Yeah.” he replies. “Jase..” I say, turning serious. “What?” he asks, just as we reach the living room. “You said they were the dumbest people in the world, but they seem fine. Except Dami over there.” I say, giving the brunette a side eye.

I looked at Dick and Tim, who smiled through the embarrassment.

“Ha, Dami? I think you’ll fit right in here. Dick calls him Little’ D and I call him Demon Spawn. Nice right?” he asks me. I start laughing. I tried really hard not to. Trust me. But Little D? Oh My God! I would pity the poor guy, but I’m pretty sure he deserves it or something.

“Shut up Dupain-Cheng.” said the now angry Damian, imaginary steam coming out his ears. Yeah, I would have the same reaction if someone I don’t know suddenly started insulting me. “Okay geez! You don’t have to be mean about it.” I say, holding my hands up like I surrender. Damian suddenly turns and walks away. Still pissed I see. He walks up the stairs. Well- sprints up the stairs. Realization suddenly hits me as I followed him up the stairs trying to catch up.

“Mari! Where are you going?” shouts Jason, from the foot of the staircase. “He’s giving me the tour, remember? I am not getting lost in this house if I can help it!” I shouted, running up the stairs and into a long corridor.

“Let’s catch up later!” I hear Jason shout. I smiled, slowing down. Yeah, we really need to talk.

…….

“So… Jason.” asked Dick, when Jason walked away from the staircase and towards the sofa. “Yeah?” replied back Jason, with a small smile on his face. “You told Marinette that we were the dumbest people ever?” “Did you really?” asked Tim, joining in on what Dick was doing. Dick slowly walked towards the unsuspecting Jason, rubbing his fists and getting warmed up. Tim cornered the boy from the other side.

“Yeah, I did. And what are you pissed for? It’s not like I’m lying or something.” says Jason, casually turning around. His eyes widen as he realizes what was going on.

“JASON, YOU SHITHEAD-”

“WHY WOULD YOU DO THAT?!?”

Dick and Tim shouted at the same time, lunging at the guy who stood near the sofa, tackling him onto it. And then began another fight between the residents of Wayne Manor, as the owner and his girlfriend watched from afar, shaking their heads in disappointment.

Same shit, different day.

…….

I catch Damian just in time, right before he turned a corner.

I followed him as he practically sprinted through the halls with his long legs. Seriously, what’s the rush? I don’t think he noticed me coming. Or he did, and just ignored me. How rude of him. I run behind him, barely having time to see the beautiful paintings hung up on the walls. I couldn’t even remember which way I was coming from. I tried to remember the way, but it was of no use.

Left. Right. Right. Right. Up the stairs. Left. Left- and then he took a sharp turn to the right.

I pause, and lean against the wall, panting like hell. I’m not used to running so much without the suit. Sheesh, I need to start working out. I continued on my way, taking a sharp right, just like he did. No one. There was no one in the corridor. I was confused as hell.

Didn’t Damian come this way? Or did he pass through already? Why is he so fast?!?

I walked forward slowly down the corridor, deciding to simply admire the beautiful paintings clocks and lights adorning the walls on both sides. Suddenly, a hand grabbed me, and pulled me into a room, the door slamming shut behind us.

I was this close to screaming. I really was. All I could see was a dark silhouette of a person, because sunlight was coming from the window behind him. The silhouette then put a hand on my mouth. “Don’t shout.” said a voice. I really familiar voice.

It was then I opened my eyes and recognized the forest green eyes staring at me.

Damian.

“WHAT THE HELL DAMIAN!” I shouted, ignoring his warning from before. My heart was beating so fast. I pushed him away from me, as he willingly took a few steps back. “I told you to not shout.” he says. I scoff. Right, because that was so important right now. “And why should I listen?” I say, challenging him.

This time, he scoffs. “Stop acting like you know me. Seriously, it’s annoying.” he says, glaring at me. I roll my eyes, turning around to open the door. “Whatever…” I mumbled quietly, placing my hand on the doorknob. “Why were you following me?” he asks again, after noticing that I’ve ignored his question. “…you’re giving me the tour remember? Or did your pea sized brain forget that already?” I ask him, opening the door.

The silence remained for some time as I waited for his answer. I didn’t get one, as he slipped past me and into the hallway.

“I did not think you would care.” he said, walking away.

…….

[Q.] Describe Jason in one word.

Chapter Text

“I did not think you would care.”

I was baffled. Speechless. I really didn’t know how to respond to that. So I didn’t. He was right. Why did I care anyway? I could have gone back and asked Jason or someone to show me around.

Maybe I really have something for green-eyed guys.

I ran up to him, and continued walking with him quietly. The silence continued, as if the happenings of the last few minutes had not taken place. Like we were strangers who had never met. Well, that was the truth after all. I bit my lips, trying not to think about what just happened. Was it my fault? I don’t know, maybe I shouldn’t have teased someone I barely know. It was my habit back in Paris, where most of the people knew each other.

It wouldn’t be the same in Gotham.

Gotham is way bigger than Paris anyway.

“Stop that.” said the brunette, startling me. “Stop what?” I ask confused, feeling the blood rush back to my lips. I look at him in confusion, as he glares at me, turning away after. Is there something wrong with him?

“You- Never mind.” he turned back, ignoring me.

“Where are we going?” I asked him, as he continued walking. “None of your business.” he replied, not even bothering to look my way. I scoff. I mean, give me some of your attention you idiot, I spent so much of my energy trying to follow you. “Well, it is my business since I’m coming with you.” I replied, trying to get a reaction out of him. “Did I ask you to come with me?” he asked rudely, not even waiting for my answer, as he stopped in front of a door.

I roll my eyes, crashing into his back by mistake. Damian didn’t bother to look back, as if he was used to this. He pushed the door open slowly, as I peeped over his shoulder, revealing a room completely covered in hues of black and green. I couldn’t help but wonder which kind of green matched his eyes.

The room was simple, yet weirdly ornate. The wall contained designs of snakes and knives, with a few actual katanas, making the room seem serpentine. Black covered areas which were not green, and even the sky seemed to fit into his theme, covered with black clouds.

A desk was present at one end of the room, with three monitors on it. In the middle of the room stood a king-sized bed, complete with drapes. To the end of the room, there was a balcony, which showed the completely storm-covered sky of Gotham.

A huge flat screen TV was also present, along with a few controllers which I assume were for video games. There was a dark green colored sofa right in front of the TV. Although I thought Nino looked the best in green, I must admit, green was Damian’s color.

Seems like this rude idiot really likes the color green.

He practically ignored my existence, walking to his over luxurious desk, and opening a few books. Calculus books. He grabbed a pencil and started scribbling some shit on it. Only the sound of soft scratching of pencil on paper was heard for a few seconds, while I stood in the door way.

I shut the door behind me, confused as hell. “You’re not giving me the tour?” I ask, eyebrows furrowed. The brunette suddenly dropped his pencil, sharply turning towards me. He looked at me as if I was stupid. “In case you are blind Dupain-Cheng, if it is not clear already, I have better things to do than showing you around. So why don’t you be a good girl and mind your own damn business?” he stated, more like a command than a request.

“What the hell am I supposed to do then?” I ask. “I do not know, play some games or take pictures. Whatever it is that you do. Just do not disturb me.” he said, grabbing his fallen pencil and turning his swiveling chair around. “Fine! I’ll do whatever. It’s not like I want to talk to you.” I say, jumping on the bed.

“Okay.” he replied, going back to ignoring my existence. I huff, pulling out my phone and clicking on ShowTube to pass my time. Minutes later, I look up from my phone. “…Were you serious?” I ask, looking at him in shock. “Yes.” he replied, not turning back. “Seriously? Who does homework so early in the morning?” I ask, groaning.

“Me.” he replied. I scoff in response. “I’m your guest.” I state, still staring at the back of his head. “And?” he asks back, as if he didn’t understand what I was trying to tell him. “You’re supposed to entertain me?” I state- no rather, I ask.

“Why should I? I am not an entertainer.”

“Ugh.” I groan at his reply, laying back onto his soft, comfy bed. Damian gets irritated at this, turning back. “What do you want? Company? Conversation?” he asks, getting my attention.

“Conversation.”

I curl into a ball, staring Damian right in his eyes. He stares back, contemplating. “What am I even supposed to talk to you about?” he mutters silently, although it was quite clearly heard in the silent room. “Uh, how did you meet Jason?” he asks, hesitatingly. I stiffen. Oh god, he gets straight to the point. “Let’s just say it’s a long story.” I say, laughing nervously. The brunette just stares at me.

“What do you want to talk about?” he asks. “Um… What’s your favorite dessert?” I ask, smiling awkwardly. Damian gives me a look which spelt ‘Seriously?’ before answering the question. “Chocolate cheesecake.” he answers. The room turns silent. “Yours?” he asks back, raising his eyebrows. “Butterscotch Ice-cream?” I question myself, knowing I’ve never thought about this. The silence which faded away comes back to envelope the room.

This was too awkward.

“You should do your homework.” I say, giving up. “Right.” comes Damian’s reply, faster than I would like, as he turns back, picking up his pencil. I lay back on the bed, pulling and snuggling into his warm duvet as his scent lingers around. I close my eyes, losing consciousness.

The soft scratching of the pencil on paper slowly lulled me to sleep.

…….

Hours passed, and I soon woke up.

The bright sunlight had been replaced with the calming glow of the moon, illuminating the figure sitting at the end of the room. I get up, smoothing my hair, as my drowsiness slowly fades away. I groan, sadly pushing off the duvet, which was awfully soft.

Damian had switched over to the sofa from his desk, maniacally coding away in some software. I would have guessed he was studying computer, if I hadn’t recognized the familiar codes I use while hacking.

He must have been collecting information.

“Dami, are you done yet?” I asked the guy, who yet again faced his back to me. “No.” he says, not looking up. The sound of his fingers slamming onto the keyboard filled the room once again, before I decided I was done. “Come on Dami! I’m bored as hell.” I state. “Shut up! I am trying to do something useful here.” he groans back. “Ugh, that’s not my problem, it’s yours!” I say, slightly raising my voice.

“Actually, it is YOURS! AND IF YOU ARE DONE TRYING TO BOTHER ME, GO-” Damian started shouting, but never got to the end of it. The sound of the door opening interrupted him, resulting in him ceasing his words. “Master Damian, Miss Marinette, dinner is ready.” says Alfred. “Just a second Pennyworth.” says Damian, hurriedly trying to close all the tabs he had opened.

“Finally! I was dying of boredom here!” I say, jumping off the bed.

“Alfred, can you show me the way to the dining room? Damian is no fun.” I say teasingly, looking at him from the corner of my eye as I walk towards the door. “Dupain-Cheng…” Damian started with a warning tone, the glare returning to his eye. “Sure, Miss Marinette.” Alfred replies, cutting Damian off before he could even speak, leaving the boy dumbfounded. I walked out of the room behind Alfred, shutting the door behind me, just in case he starts cursing me out again.

All I knew till now, was that Damian’s bed was a hell lot comfy, and I would give anything to lay on it again.

…….

[Q.] Describe Damian in one word.

Chapter Text

Alfred and I finally reached a huge pair of wooden doors after walking down long hallways. He pushed and held them open for me to enter. With a smile, I walked in, just glad to be doing something rather than sleeping my ass off.

At least I caught up on all the sleep I lost on the plane.

The Waynes sat around the table, chattering away as if they hadn’t met in a really, really long time. I quietly walked in, trying not to disturb anyone, as I sit next to a girl with pretty blonde hair. “Hi, I’m Stephanie Brown. Nice to meet you.” said the girl, after noticing me. “Nice to meet you, too. I’m Mari-” “Marinette Dupain-Cheng. I know. The boys filled me in on everything. I’m sorry I wasn’t able to meet you then.” said Stephanie, with a sympathetic face.

“It’s okay. I’m glad to have met you now.” I say, smiling.

I look around the table, trying to spot Barbara, Jason’s girlfriend. I heard she had red hair, it can’t be that hard to spot. But no matter how much I looked, I couldn’t find her. “Who are you looking for?” asks Stephanie, pausing her conversation with Tim to look at me. “Um, Jason’s girlfriend.” I whisper, trying not to catch the said boy’s attention. “Barbs? She’s not here. She’s staying at her dad’s house today.” replies the blonde.

“Oh damn. I was curious to see what kind of woman would date such a huge goof.” I state, making Stephanie and Dick, who sat next to me, laugh. This statement of mine unfortunately caught Jason’s attention, who glared at me in return.

The wooden doors slammed open, and then walked in the rude-ass green-eyed guy whose head I’ve been staring at the whole day. Damian walked in and simply sat in the chair right opposite to me. Everyone looked at the poor guy like he was some kind of alien. The awkward silence was then broken by Bruce, who was sitting at the head of the table. “So, shall we eat?” he said, motioning for Alfred to bring the food.

Conversations flowed again, as people started laughing and talking.

Selena had joined us sometime in the middle, apologizing for being late.

“Oh, Marinette.” called Jason, mouth stuffed with food. Dick leaned over the table and simply smacked him in the head and mumbled something about ‘table manners’, which sent the whole table into a fit of snickers. Jason just rolled his eyes and swallowed his food, continuing.

“Anyway. You said you’re moving to Gotham.” he said, putting on a poker face. “Yeah?” I replied, wiping my lips with a tissue. “Only you? But why?” he asked, confused. “No, not only me. I’m moving with my friends.” I said, smiling. “Why?” he asked, brows furrowing more.

“She would have her own reasons, Jason. Stop being nosy.” said Damian, who had been eating his food quietly until now. “Your one to speak. Did you even give her the tour? You didn’t come by my room.” said Jason, scoffing and elbowing the brunette sitting next to him. “I didn’t.” he said, rolling his eyes and elbowing Jason back. “Seriously? Then what did you guys do all day?” asked Jason, raising his eyebrows. Suddenly, Damian’s ears turned red, and he turned away.

“Nothing. We did nothing.”

“Yeah, he’s right, Jase. We did nothing. He was studying.” I said, sitting up straight and trying not to fall asleep. “Okay. Then what were you doing?” asked Jason, turning to me. Okay, what was up with him? It’s like he thinks I slept with his brother. Not like that would ever happen. I roll my eyes, answering. “I was time passing and slept for some time.” I say. “You slept the whole day…?” he said, in a voice that irritated me like hell.

“What if I did, Jason? What’s it to you?!” I hissed out, losing my cool once and for all. The Waynes stared at me, shocked, while Stephanie held my wrist as if she was holding me back. “Sorry, I just-” I mumbled, having no excuse.

I sharply turn to Jason. “You don’t get to appear randomly in my life, years after ditching me and decide what I do and who I see. You don’t get to do that.” I said, silencing him when he tried to speak. He opens his mouth to rebut me, but shuts himself up after Damian elbows him in the gut sharply. He glared at the brunette before turning to me. “Sorry.” he muttered, hanging his head low.

“I find it hard to accept that you can manage without me. Damn, years have passed.” he says, giving me an apologetic smile. The Waynes stare at Jason in confusion, as they had never seen him bend to someone’s words so easily.

“It’s okay.” I say, slightly smiling. “Just remember that I still have your car keys.” I say jokingly, attempting to liven the atmosphere. This seemingly worked, as he broke out in a huge smile.

Words and sentences flew across the table as everyone went back to being happy and cheerful. The tension had now dissipated into calmness. This calmness was enough to slowly lull me into sleep, as I closed my eyes and laid my head onto Dick’s shoulder.

I could hear the chaos slowly buzz into whispers, and that itself was enough for me to wake up.

“What happened?” I asked, rubbing my eyes, even after closing them for barely ten minutes. “You fell asleep.” said Tim, softly. Right… I must be tired after everything that happened today. I get up, sitting straight, getting ready to take my leave. It was then that I realized that I was staying here. Shit! That completely slipped out of my mind. I stare at Bruce awkwardly, urging him to say something.

Understanding my gaze, he smiles. “Alfred, do you mind showing Marinette to her room?” asks Bruce, turning to the butler. “I wouldn’t mind at all sir, but there is a slight problem.” he says, walking a bit forward. “What is it?” asks Bruce again, brows furrowed. “All the sheets are in the wash, so I cannot prepare a guest room for Ms. Marinette to stay in.” he replies.

“But why didn’t you wash half today and half tomorrow?” asks Dick. “Someone told me that it would be a waste of detergent.” he said, giving a pointed look to Damian. I groan. Of course, it was him again.

“It’s okay Bruce, I’ll catch a cab back to the hotel or something. I don’t want to be a bother.” I say, standing up. “Nonsense. You are not a bother. You can share with Damian, if that is alright with you?” he says. With him?

“NO WAY!” shouted the said guy, standing up and slamming the table. Everyone ignored him as they looked at me for my decision. It was really late, and it would be such a hassle to find a cab at this hour, that too near Wayne Manor. Should I really just give up on this…?

Pfft- No way in hell.

“Thank you, Bruce.” I say, smiling. “Uh, hello? Don’t I get a say in this?!” asks Damian, waving his hand around. “No” replied everyone, as Tim and Dick tried to hold in their laughter. “Okay, now that it’s settled, take Marinette to your room, Damian.” says Selena. “God, that sounded so wrong…” murmured Jason. “Get your mind out of the gutter.” says Barbara, snacking him on the back of his head, as he nervously smiled back at her. Damian rolled his eyes and walked off.

Snickering at his state, I get up and follow Damian up the stairs.

“I regret rejecting his offer…” mutters Damian. “Who’s offer?” I ask, confused. “My friend’s. He called me to hang out today, but I declined.” said the brunette. “Poor you. If you had, you wouldn’t be in this situation right now.” I reply, cackling in pleasure.

The said boy just groans in pain.

Once we reached, Damian shut the door and locked it. “Why are you locking the door?” I ask. “Because my family does not have a sense of privacy.” he says. “O-oh.” I reply, not moving an inch as he walks in. “Why? Scared I would do something to you? Don’t worry, you’re not my type.” he says, rolling his eyes and snickering. My ears turn red in embarrassment.

“O-of course not. I don’t like you either.” I reply.

That was a huge lie, seeing as I seem to have a thing for green-eyed guys.

“Anyway, I’m sorry if I’m disturbing you a lot Dami.” I say, softly. I really do regret it. I mean- I would be pissed if I had to share a room with a person I just met, and even more if I didn’t like them. “It’s fine,” he replied, not even turning to look at me. I scoff. Does he even care? He slowly stalks towards the bed, taking his shirt off in the process. What the hell? I gape at him, open-mouthed, before I finally came to my senses.

“What the hell are you doing?” I screech, flinching back and slamming my foot in the door. I groan in pain, clutching my foot for dear life. I glare at the brunette, pissed.

All while he looked back at me as if he had done nothing wrong.

…….

[Q.] Why do you think Jason and Marinette got separated?

Chapter Text

“What the hell are you doing?”

My voice echoed through the silent room. Damian, who is now shirtless, mind you, turned around, face blank. I set my foot down, silently hissing in pain. The brunette simply raises his eyebrow. “Taking my shirt off?” he replied, confused. “I can see that.” I scoff. “Why are you taking your shirt off?” I ask again. Did he hit his head in the door frame while coming? That isn’t impossible, seeing how tall he is.

“Because that is how I sleep.” he says, simply throwing his shirt away and walking towards the bed. Does this man have no conscience? Or does he just not see me as a woman? I scoff, leaning on the door. “Is there a problem?” he asks, walking towards me. “No.” I reply, turning away from him. “So, are you coming?” he asks again. I turned to look at him, but after seeing him sit on the bed, looking so… hot, I decided otherwise.

“U-uh. On second thought, maybe I should go sleep in another room.”

“Don’t be stupid. Alfred just told you that there are no rooms available.” said Damian, staring at me intensely. “It doesn’t really matter if the sheets are not there, I could sleep on the sofa or something.” I say, trying not to stutter.

“You could sleep on the sofa here.” said Damian, like he was stating the obvious. Only after seeing him pointing at the sofa did I remember that he did have a sofa. God! Why is my luck so bad and so good at the same time? “I-it’s okay. I’m already intruding enough, and- " I say, trying to come up with some valid reason to get out of here. Damian just glared at me, pissed. “Dupain-Cheng.” he called out, cutting off my rambling.

“Y-yeah?”

“Go to sleep.”

“Yeah…”

I groan at my failed mission. Should I just sleep on the sofa? But Damian’s bed is just so soft. Screw it, I’ll just go with the flow.

“I’m sleeping on the bed.”

“Okay.”

He doesn’t seem to mind even a little bit that someone is sleeping on his bed. With him.

Just as Damian starts to lay down on the bed, I realize something very, very important. “Uh, Damian?” I speak up, embarrassed about what I’m about to ask. “What?” he asks, opening one eye to look at me, who was still standing next to the door.

“I-i , uh… I don’t have anything to wear.” I say. Both his eyes snap open. Oh, now he’s paying attention. “Just wear what you’re wearing now.” he says skeptically, as if he knows what he is suggesting is wrong. “No way.” I said, violently shaking my head. “Then my clothes would get all wrinkled, and I need to wear the same thing tomorrow because I don’t have any other clothes.” I say, sighing. I was especially particular about my fashion.

Seeing as I owned a clothing brand.

“Where are your clothes?” he asks. “At the hotel.” I say. The room stays silent for a while, when me and Damian try to figure out a solution. The brunette wipes a hand over his face, as if he was trying to wipe the sleep from himself.

“Do you think Stephanie would mind if I wake her up?” I ask.

He suddenly panics. “No.” he said, a bit too quickly. His eyes dart across the room, trying to come up with some excuse. I look at him, confused. Why can’t I just go and wake them up- Oh right. They’re vigilantes, they must have patrol. I mentally face-palm myself.

Although, it was funny how easily the stone-cold ‘Robin’ lost his composure. I silently swooned over how vulnerable and adorable he was right now, even though he kept glaring at me. I guess sleep does really change people. The reason Bruce asked me to share a room with Damian and not anyone else must be because the others had patrol, and Damian was the only one off duty today. And suddenly, all the puzzle pieces came together.

By the time I piece everything together, Damian comes up with an excuse. “The others must be asleep. You can borrow something of mine, I guess.” he replied. Well, that was literally the only other solution. I pretended to believe what he said.

“Okay.”

He gets up and stalks off to his closet, soon coming back with a white button-up shirt. “Change into this by the time I find a pant which fits you.” he says. I silently take it from him and go to the bathroom. I slowly tonight l remove my clothes and slip on Damian’s top. I was huge on me. “Damian? I don’t think I’ll be needing a pant.” I say, coming out with the clothes in my hand and putting it onto a chair.

“Why not-” I hear him say before he comes out of the closet and sees me. “Oh. Well, okay.” he said, switching off the lights and going to sit on the bed. He lays down, shoving a pillow in between.

“Aren’t you going to wash up?” I ask him, pulling my hair into a ponytail. “Too tired.” he replied, pulling up the comforter to his face. I hummed back in reply, walking to the bathroom and shutting the door. I open a fancy cabinet on the side, finding a new set of toothbrushes. Smiling, and hoping Damian wouldn’t mind, I grab one and rinse it. Once I was done brushing, I looked at my face in the mirror.

It really seemed like we were a married couple living together.

Through the mirror, I could see my face heat up. Embarrassed, I splash water onto my face, drowning those thoughts away. I had met this guy barely a day ago, and I didn’t know shit about him, and yet here I was, catching feelings.

But I knew him.

I had read about him when I had hacked into somewhere I wasn’t supposed to. His past his present, his strengths, his weaknesses. I knew all the feats he had accomplished. I knew more about him than he did. So was it really wrong to like him a little?

Maybe I had liked him even before I met him.

I got out of the bathroom, switching off the lights slowly. On the bed laid Damian, looking sound asleep. I smile softly. This was too intimate for our first time meeting. I slowly slip onto the bed, pulling the shared comforter over my body.

This disturbed Damian, who turned over to face the other way. “You better stay on your side.” he said, voice muffled by the comforter. “Yeah, yeah.” I said, rolling my eyes, even though he couldn’t see it.

Smiling, I closed my eyes, letting sleep consume me.

…….

When I opened my eyes again, it was dark.

The curtains were shut close, not letting even a glimmer of light into the room, shrouding it in darkness. I slowly sat up in bed, wondering what the hell had caused me to wake up.

The pillow Damian had shoved in between us had disappeared, fallen down on the floor, while the comforter which we had once shared was completely wrapped around me like a burrito while Damian slept in the cold. The brunette had unconsciously moved closer to me, longing for warmth.

Ah, this was the reason I woke up. It was too hot.

Cursing myself for my bad sleeping habits, I got out of bed, somehow unwrapping the huge comforter from me after a long struggle. I slowly covered him with the comforter, leaving little for me. I sat down on the side of the bed, since it was too hot for me to go back to sleep. I turned around, looking at the sleeping boy. How nice it was that he could sleep peacefully. I sarcastically smiled, turning back.

It was too hot.

I was too thirsty.

I got up again, trying to find my phone, so that I could switch on the torch for some light. Finding it stuffed in the back pocket of my jeans, I switch it on, shining it onto the bed to see if Damian was still asleep.

He was.

I sighed in relief. Right before I turned back, I noticed something on the bedside table. I walked closer to see what it was. When I saw it, I grinned brightly. On the table sat a tray with a clear glass water bottle, with a cup by its side. The cup was half filled with water, covered by a piece of paper to make sure no dust fell into it. I took the paper and held it in my hand to read whatever was written on it.

‘In case you’re thirsty.’ It read. ‘Don’t get me wrong. This isn’t a request for friendship, I still hate you.’ I almost laughed out loud reading the last part, muffling my mouth with my hand.

Sounds like something Damian would say. I grabbed the cup, gulping down all the water in it, pouring some more and drinking that too, somehow finishing half the bottle. Walking to his study desk, I grab a pen, writing down a small thanks on the paper and placing it down near the bottle.

And that night, I slept better than ever.

…….

[Q.] What do you reckon Damian thinks about Marinette right now?

Chapter Text

When I opened my eyes again, it was morning.

The darkness of the night I had just experienced had turned bright, with rays of sunlight penetrating their way into the closed screens. My alarm didn’t ring, presumably because it had run out of charge, but I got up anyway. In my sleepy state, I could barely recognize the place I was in, eyes blurry. I panicked for a minute, before realizing that I knew the somehow-unfamiliar green which tainted the walls.

Damian’s room.

I pushed away the comforter, seeing how I still had Damian’s shirt on. The white shirt smelt like lavender and a musky, fresh scent. It smelt like rain. I was guessing the lavender was the smell of the detergent used to wash the clothes, as the bed sheets also smelt the same.

Then Damian must smell like rain.

Smiling at the thought, I tried to get up. I moved my legs to the edge of the bed and pushed myself up, but there was a heavy weight holding me back. I look down to see someone’s arm on my waist, pulling me back.

Did I sleep with someone already?!

I saw Damian, sleeping peacefully, his arms around my waist, and his legs which were probably tangled with mine before I moved them. Oh god, Damian is going to kill me when he wakes up. The worst thing was, we promised ourselves that we would stay on our own sides. I should have put back the pillow when I woke up in the night. He might get the wrong idea.

Suddenly, he pulls me towards him by my waist. With the force he applied, I was pulled against him, snuggling against his chest. He rests his head in the space between my neck and shoulder. I start blushing because of our close proximity. “Uh, Damian? Dami, wake up.” I say, softly. No response. I slowly try to wiggle out of his grasp, but he pulls me even closer. Oh come on.

I groaned as he tightened his grip. Did he think I was a pillow? Or was he dreaming about choking someone to death? If it was the latter, I might be slightly in danger. If I was the person he was dreaming about choking, then my death was certain.

“Dami~” I blew into his ear, making his move his head away. Although, that didn’t mean he was awake. I gave up on waking him up and simply laid in his arms, closing my eyes and enjoying the little comfort and warmth he gave me.

It had been a while since I was held like this.

The last time I was cuddled like this must have been while I was dating Luka, and it had been almost 11 months since then. Admittedly, three months after that, I had gotten crazily depressed and went sleeping around a lot. I craved love. One I couldn’t get while loving Adrien or dating Luka. Back when I was actually popular and my reputation was intact, all I got was admiration or praise, usually half-hearted.

In school, people usually treated me like a Goddess. They kindly ignored me until they needed a favor or help in something only I could do. It drove me insane. So much that it was enough to drive me into random clubs every two days.

And then, I would wake up in some stranger’s bed.

When Lila came around spreading lies, she had also mentioned that I used to sleep around. Maybe that was the only thing she had told that wasn’t a lie, hitting the nail right where it hurt. She brought out proof, which were obviously photo shopped pictures of me with random men, but I was scared she might have stumbled upon some real ones. Those were the times where nightmares plagued me everyday and I couldn’t sleep a wink.

While I lay reminiscing about my past, Damian stirred in his sleep. And suddenly, I had a great idea. “Damian, Jason stole your favorite katana.” I whispered in his ear, giggling. I open my eyes to see his reaction. Suddenly, his eyes shot open and the next thing I knew, I was lying below him, him hovering above me, pinning my hands over my head. His legs were on both sides of my waist, making sure that I can’t move at all.

“Hi?” I forced out, slowly. It’s like he was in a daze and my voice snapped him out of it. He stares at me, confused, and then notices our position. He immediately pushes himself off me and stumbles clumsily away from the bed.

“What the hell…” he curses, dusting himself off, as if I was covered in dirt. I scoffed at him, sitting up and leaning on the headrest. “You were the one holding me.” I muttered, glaring at him. The brunette just keeps staring at me with an expressionless face. “What?” I hissed out, pissed. His gaze didn’t move an inch before I realized he was staring at what I was wearing. His shirt.

I got up and went to the bathroom, grabbing my clothes on the way. I changed back into what I wore yesterday, although the clothes were slightly crumpled because I didn’t fold them. I come out, holding my heels in my hand. “Here.” I say, handing him the folded shirt back. I leaned on the wall nearby, shoving my feet into the heels. The brunette keeps looking at me, while I look back at him, confused.

Suddenly, his face turned sour.

“Are you a witch?” he asked me. “What? No. What the hell, Damian?” I asked him, awkwardly chuckling. Imagine his reaction when he finds out that I do indeed use magic. Damian just glares at me. “Did you put a spell on me? Did you put a spell on Todd too?” he asked rudely. “Damian, stop. You’re crossing the line. Of course not. I don’t know magic.” I say again. “Don’t act dumb. I know you’re hiding something.” he says, coldly.

“Damian, what are you taking about?”

What had gotten into him? He was all nice and kind yesterday, and now he’s blaming me for something I didn’t even do.

“Drop the act. I gave you my shirt, and I wouldn’t even do that for my family. I Frickin’ brought you water. Why would I do that for someone I just met?” he says. Okay, what the hell is this? Is he seriously trying to put this on me?

Now I’m pissed.

“So you have a change of heart and you blame it on me? Is it my fault you’re unable to show kindness to your family? What is wrong with you? Jason is my friend. Best friend, even. You’re so delusional, Damian. The world doesn’t revolve around you.” I shout. “It’s gonna take more than that to offend me.” he says, smirking. “See? You’re doing it again. I’m not trying to insult you, Damian.” I say, pissed. “THE WORLD DOESN’T REVOLVE AROUND YOU!” I screamed.

I marched to the door and slammed it open, walking away. “Dupain-Cheng!” came his voice again. Oh, now he’s going to apologize? “What?” I shouted back. “The exit is the other way!” I groaned, turning around and walking past his room towards the other way. “What is wrong with him? Damn demon spawn, ruining my mood.” I muttered, cursing him violently in my head.

I pushed myself to walk ever faster down the staircase, pausing at the bottom. “Ugh, seriously!” I shouted again, pulling my arm back and getting ready to punch the wall to get rid of even a little of my anger.

“Whoa, hold on there!”

Another voice beside mine echoed through the empty walls. Startled, I turned around, only to see Tim standing there with a cup of coffee in his hand, looking half-dead. I jumped back in fright, slamming my back into the very wall I was going to punch.

“Oh my god! You look like a zombie.” I screeched, clutching my heart. “I didn’t think I was that bad looking.” he muttered, touching his face. “N-no I-I’m, uh.” I stammered, trying to correct my speech. “You’re okay. I’m sorry, that must have been really rude of me.” I say again, coming to my senses. “It’s alright. I know you were just angry.” he says. “Speaking of, why are you angry anyway?” he asks again.

“That damn demon spawn…” I hissed, remembering why I was going to punch the wall. “Fought with Damian? Don’t worry, you’re not alone there.” he says. “Everyone here knows how annoying he is. Hence the name.” says Tim, smiling.

“Well, he sure lived up to it.” I said, huffing. “How about you go to the gym? We have sandbags. It would surely hurt lesser than punching a wall.” he said, pointing toward the direction where he came from.

Ah, finally. Someone who understands me.

…….

[Q.] How many cups of coffee does Tim drink in a day?

Chapter Text

“The gym? What a great idea.”

I spoke out, grinning widely, to which Tim jokingly shuddered in response. The ravenette laughs out loud at my antics. “Go down that hall and take a left.” He said, smiling. “How would I know which room the gym is?” I questioned, confused. After all, the doors of every room in this house looked the same, with the exception of a few. Tim sipped his coffee violently before responding.

“You’ll know.”

The cryptic response was all I got from him, before he walked past me and into another corridor beside the stairs. I rolled my eyes, walking towards where Tim came from. I walked through the lone corridors, lit up with lights even in the morning.

Soon, I reached the gym.

The doors were humongous, with clear windows on both sides, through which you could see the gym equipment inside. The whole room was covered with lights, not leaving a single spot in the shadows. One side of the wall was completely made of mirrors. I opened the door and pushed it open, cold air from the automatic air-conditioner hitting my face. I gaped at the room in shock. Well damn, at least I understood why Tim said I would ‘know’ when I reach.

The equipment itself looked like it had never been used since it was bought, but I knew that wasn’t true. If not, how would everyone in this family be so ripped? Even Stephanie had amazing muscles.

Shutting the door behind me, I removed my heels and jacket, dropping it next to the door. Rolling a bandage around my fists, I got up. I found the sandbag Tim mentioned, easily hooking it up and punching the shit out of it. I started slowly at first, getting used to the sensation. Slowly, I increased my speed and strength. Imagining that the sandbag in front of me was Damian, I punched stronger and harder. Sometime later, the bag probably got annoyed at me, and flew off its hook, slamming into the wall behind it.

You wouldn’t know how thankful I was that there was a wall behind the bag, and not a mirror. I can’t imagine how much it would cost to repair a mirror in Wayne Manor. I let out a sigh, plopping onto a sofa. It hadn’t even been 20 minutes since I had come here, but I was already tired. Not physically, but mentally. All the anger I had toward Damian had dissipated, leaving me with only confusion and understanding.

I understood why he felt what he did, considering his background. But I was confused. Why was he kind towards me? Why was he so understanding towards me that he had to blame it on being a spell?

If we just sort this out, maybe we could be friends.

I put my hands on my face, leaning back to lie on the sofa. I just want to go back to sleep again. Preferably in Damian’s bed; it was just too comfortable. But after today’s fight, it would take months before he would even let me in his room again.

“Hey Blueberry.” says Dick, opening the door and coming inside. “What’s got you so depressed early in the morning?” he asks, sitting down next to me. “Damian.” I say out loud, although by mistake. My hands fly from my face to cover my mouth, realizing what I had just revealed. “Him? What did he do?” Dick asks again, confused. “Nothing. He did nothing.” I say, awkwardly smiling at him.

The ravenette simply stared at my face, giving me a look which said he didn’t believe me. “Marinette, don’t take what Damian says to heart. He isn’t used to talking and opening up to strangers and can’t express his feelings openly. He was just… raised that way.” I sit up straight to listen to what Dick had said. “I know.” I say, absentmindedly. “You do?” asked Dick, shocked. “I mean-” Ugh, why did I keep slipping up today? I panicked, trying to think of an excuse.

“I knew Damian was hesitant to express his feelings. I could see that when I met him. But can’t he understand that he might just hurt other people’s feelings?” I wondered out loud. “So that’s what happened.” Dick said, somehow understanding what I was trying to say. “Don’t worry about it. I’ll talk to him and make him apologize.” he said again. “No, it’s okay, really.” I reply.

“I think it might have been my fault after all, Dick.”

I looked at Dick, smiling. “Oh no. Don’t think that way.” he says, panicking. “Huh?” I ask, confused. “If you get into a fight with Damian, just remember. It’s always his fault.” says Dick, seriously, before breaking out into a grin.

I laughed out loud at his comment. “You’re siblings after all.” I say. Dick slowly stands up, his hand stretched out to me. “Now come on, breakfast is ready.” he says, smiling down at me.

…….

“Dick! You’re finally back. What took you so long?”

Jason’s voice rang out when me and Dick entered the dining hall. “Well, I got lost on the way and Dick had to come find me.” I lied smoothly, without batting an eyelash. “Yeah.” he said, glancing at me as if to show that he was impressed.

“Bacon.” came a voice from behind me, making me jump in shock. I looked back to see Tim standing there, looking even more dead than he was earlier. “Tim! I told you to stop creeping up on me like that!” screeched Dick, just like I had before.

I’m guessing it was a daily occurrence.

“The second time today…” I muttered, taking a seat next to Jason, who laughed at my comment. “Where’s your girlfriend, anyway? I want to meet her.” I told Jason, watching how his face turned slightly red at my comment. “She’s coming later in the evening. A certain someone pissed her off.” said Stephanie, eyeing Jason, who sat in front of her. “Oh, come on! How was I supposed to know that the guy was her cousin?” Jason said, trying to defend himself.

“They have the same hair color, Jason.” deadpanned Stephanie. “For all you know, he could have dyed it to match hers.” Jason said, raising his eyebrows. “That doesn’t mean you had to punch him in the face.” replied the blonde.

Oh. My. God.

I finally understood what was going on.

“You did what?!” I shouted, laughing my ass off while Jason pouted. “Broke the poor bloke’s nose.” Stephanie added, making everyone at the table laugh out loud. “Bruce offered to pay for the hospital bills, but damn, Barbara was pissed.” said Tim.

“This shows why I am the blood son.”

A voice rang out from near the door, making everyone look towards the noise. There stood Damian, the boy I had fought with barely 30 minutes ago, leaning against the door without a care in the world. The three other boys in the room scoffed in sync at his comment. The brunette smirks, walking towards the table and taking a seat. Right in front of me. He glares at me, and this time, I glared back in return.

“Where is father?” he asked, searching for, presumably, the only other person in this house he considered worthy of his time. “He went to work early.” replied Dick, scarfing down some bacon and eggs. “I’m here.” said Bruce, walking into the room and scaring everyone half to death. “Bruce, I thought you left for work.” said Dick, confused. “Ah, no. Not yet. I simply went to drop Selena at her place.” he replied.

“Whipped.” muttered Jason, earning a shove from Damian. Jason glared at the brunette, shoving him back in return. This slowly started a small scuffle, one which was quickly resolved when Alfred came in to serve Bruce food, and gave them a look in return.

“Marinette, you’re wearing the same dress you wore yesterday. Do you not have any other clothes?” asks Stephanie, looking at me. “All my luggage is at the hotel, so yeah, I don’t have any other clothes.” I reply. “You can borrow mine if you like.” she said. “I think we’re the same height.” Stephanie said again. “I would like that very much. Thank you.” I say, smiling at her. Damian watched our exchange keenly and shared his very unwanted opinion.

“So, you are a gold digger now?”

…….

[Q.] Does Marinette deserve Damian’s suspicion?

Chapter Text

“So, you are a gold digger now?”

Damian’s cold voice cut through the room.

Few of those sitting at the table gasped in surprise, and yet I did not budge an inch, staring daggers at Damian’s face. The brunette’s face contorted into a sly grin, as if he found joy in humiliating me.

But I was sick of getting humiliated.

“Damian Wayne. That was extremely rude of you. Apologize immediately.” stutters out Selena, baffled by Damian’s hostility. “Why must I? It is a fact after all.” he scoffed, leaning back on his chair. “Damian.” Bruce glared at his blood son, making him turn his head away, rolling his eyes.

“I’m not a gold digger.”

My voice did not shake, nor did it waver.

The Waynes stared at me in shock, trying to explain or comfort me about what had just happened. But I didn’t need it. “Your so called ‘multi-billion dollar company’ could become mine with a simple text. And I’m the gold-digger?”

And the tension dropped.

Damian chuckled in laughter. I stared at him in shock, just as the others did; I heard he never smiles. “Blasphemy.” he stated, crossing his arms and leaning forward to look me in the eye. “You’re telling me that you can buy Wayne Enterprises?” he laughed once again. “No.” I stated, making him raise an eyebrow. “I can’t buy Wayne Enterprises. But what I can do, is become your major shareholder, and so, all your decisions would be made to cater to my needs.”

“Oh, really?” he asks. “Yes, really.” I reply, with the same tone. “Try it then.” he dares, shaking his head mockingly. He thought I was kidding. Apparently, Bruce didn’t, as he tried to stop the commotion. “Damian, do not provoke-” I did not bother listening to what Bruce said afterwards, eyes fixed on Damian. I pulled my phone out. Typing a text to my secretary, Kaitlyn, who usually takes care of my work at headquarters, I smile.

Me: Buy Wayne Enterprises.

MW Kaitlyn: Buy? Ms. Walker, you cannot buy a million-dollar company.

Me: What do you mean? Of course I can. Just buy enough shares to become major shareholder, and do it immediately.

MW Kaitlyn: Should I ask why?

Me: Well, just to prove a point.

MW Kaitlyn: I cannot say I support your decision, but you’re the boss. So yes, ma’am.

I wait patiently, tapping my foot on the floor, creating a beat. The silence was deafening. “So, what are we waiting for?” Jason asks, nervous. “A call.” I reply, confusing them. “A call from whoever is managing your company right now.” I clarify.

And even after 10 minutes, nothing happened. “So, you were bluffing. Admit it, nothing is going to happen.” Damian said, rolling his eyes at me. Ugh, with how much he rolls his eyes, I wonder how his eyeballs haven’t rolled off his sockets yet. “Oh, shut up. Buying stocks takes time.” I fire back. “It does.” confirmed Tim, the computer-whiz, earning a glare from Damian. And although it took time, the call definitely came.

“Bruce speaking.”

Bruce answers the call, leaving it on speaker for everyone to hear. “Hey Brucie, it’s me.” came a voice, funny and playful. “Luke.” Bruce greeted. “Have some respect. I’m your dad’s age.” “Mhmm. Thanks for reminding me that you’re old.” Luke replies, making me chuckle. “Anyway, old man-” Luke corrects himself. “-On more important matters, some chick bought our company.”

Bruce shot up from his seat. “What do you mean, ‘bought’?” he asks, clutching the phone tightly. “Well, bought, as in, there was a change in the major shareholder. Ya know- like my dad ain’t gonna be saving your ass anymore.”

“Lies.” Damian scoffs.

“Yeah, I know, Luke.” Bruce said, sitting back down at staring at me intently. “Who bought the company?” he asked again. “You mean, who’s ass you need to kiss?” asks Luke, making me stifle my laughter.  “Oh my god, this guy’s amazing.” I say, wiping my tears of laughter away. “Yeah, that.” replies Bruce, simply desperate for the answer. “Like I said, some chick-” He cut himself off. “-What did you say, dad? M…W? So, not a chick? But-” he talks with someone on the other side of the phone before getting back to the conversation.

“I think, MW Enterprises? That’s what dad said. Something about an anonymous CEO.” Luke replies. Bruce looks over at me. “I’ll call back, Luke.” he says dropping the call, not before Luke let out a “Yo Brucie, I just told you that you lost your only source of-” and the rest got cut away.

“Marinette Dupain-Cheng. You own MW Enterprises.” stated Bruce, making me grin widely. Damian looked shook at the reveal. “Stop her. Her smile is scaring me.” muttered Dick, grabbing onto the table and looking at me weirdly. “MW? The fashion brand? The one we love?” Tim questioned. “The one we’re wearing right now? The one I was going to lend you?” continues Stephanie. The both of them gasped in unison.

“Yeah.” I said.

Jason screamed. Dick screamed. Tim followed, confused as hell.

Damian looked like he wanted to scream.

Bruce looked at me, hesitantly. “Now that it is established that Marinette has a lot of money, Damian, don’t you think you owe her an apology?” he asked, smiling at his son, giving him a ‘listen-to-me-or-I-will-kill-you’ look.

“Sorry.” he mumbles, turning away. “What did you say? I can’t hear you.” I teased. “I said I’m sorry, okay?!” he almost shouted, ears red in embarrassment. “I accept your apology.” I said, ignoring the urge to tease him more. “So.” Bruce started. “Can I have my company back, or…?” he questioned. I laughed out loud. “Of course. Managing one is hard enough already.” I reply. I spammed Kaitlyn again, making her return almost all the shares.

Having equity in W.E. will only bring me profit anyway.

Damian simply felt the need to input his opinion. “I’m sorry for calling you a gold digger, but you’re still an idiot.” he says. “Don’t worry, you’re a dick too.” I reply. Someone clears their throat. I turn to see… Dick.

“No offense.” I suddenly add, making everyone burst out in laughter.

…….

After Breakfast, Stephanie lead me to her room.

“Honestly, I would let you choose, but I want to pick out something for you today.” she said, smiling. I was confused. “And then, I can boast to my friends that I got to dress up the legendary ‘MW’.” she says, smiling.

I laughed out loud.

“That’s fine, as long as I get to keep the jacket and the heels. These were expensive.” I said, almost scoffing as I remembered the prices. Stephanie laughed. “You can keep them.” she replied. “Now, why don’t you go take a shower? I’ll lay down the clothes I chose on the bed and leave.” she said, walking into her closet and disappearing into Narnia. I’m just kidding. Or am I?

The bath was relaxing.

When I got out of the bathroom, the pretty clothes Stephanie picked out for me were laying on the bed. I slowly slinked towards the door, gingerly locking the door shut. And then, I pulled out my dirty clothes, pulling out some chocolates and cake I had stolen from the table

“Tikki.”

I shut my eyes, just as I called out for Tikki to shield my eyes from the light. More than 5 years had passed since I got the miraculous and I still haven’t gotten used to it. I waited for a few seconds, until I was sure the light was gone, and opened my eyes. A small, adorable red blob floated out in front of me, its tiny little hands crossed in what I assumed was anger. Tikki raised an eyebrow, somehow looking pissed at me. “What?” I asked, confused.

Well- At least, until I remembered that Tikki didn’t know.

She didn’t know about Gotham.

“Oh.” I muttered. “Yeah. ‘Oh.’ Is that all you can say?” she asks me, her usually sweet voice now sharp. “What do you expect me to say, Tikki? It was all in the past. I never knew I would meet Jason again.” I scoffed. “You could’ve told me. I could’ve helped you find him.” she said, eyes softening. “For all I knew, he could have been dead.” I whisper-shouted. “Some things are better left in the past.” I continued.

“Mari, you and I both know, this ‘Jason’ is not one of them.”

“Yeah, well, what was I supposed to say? ‘Hey Tikki, My mom died in a car crash and I ran away. My only friend abandoned me and I’m so obviously adopted? Oh, plus, I used to pickpocket people.’”

Tikki looked shocked at my outburst. “Mari…” she let out, seemingly dissapointed.

I kept quiet. “I’m not mad, Marinette. Obviously, I’m sad you didn’t feel the need to tell be about your past, but all in good time, right?” Tikki says, smiling happily. “All in good time.” I repeated, smiling.

“So, where are the treats? I’m sick of eating those weird cakes Plagg always brings back.” Tikki lets out a squeal looking at all the baked goods I layed out on my bed. She munches on them diligently, while I took the time to change. “Time for you to go back in, Tikki.” I said, sadly. Tikki didn’t look sad, not one bit. “Oh, stop it. You’re acting like you can’t just call me out whenever you want.” she said, making me giggle.

I shut my eyes, and when I opened them again, Tikki wasn’t here.

…….

[Q.] What is your MBTI?

Chapter Text

It took me barely a minute to change.

After all the stalking I did of Adrien, years of being ladybug and a few… close calls, gave me enough experience to change fast. Admittedly, it was quite embarrassing, but what can I say, it was all in the past.

I threw my dirty clothes in a paper bag Stephanie helpfully left for me, before slamming the room’s door open. A hand comes and smacks my face, not to hard, yet not too soft. “Ow.” I hissed, clutching my forehead and dropping the bag I held in my hand. “Oh shit- I apologize.” came a voice. The same voice that mocked and challenged me a few hours ago, only this time, it was softer. Damian stood in front of me, clutching my shoulders to steady me.

I looked up at him, annoyed.

His newly showered hair, which he presumably blow dried, flopped onto his face as he let go of me, leaving me with an insatiable urge to run my hand through them. All until I got reminded of today morning. He wore clothes which were different than I remembered, somehow undeniably matching with the clothes Stephanie had put out for me. Something in the back of my head told me she had planned this.

But, did she really have enough time to?

The same voice in my head said, ‘No.’

“So-” he tried to start a conversation. I stared at him blankly. “The sky looks pretty today.” he blurts out randomly, making me take a second to process what he said. The sky?

“Damian, we’re standing under a ceiling.”

“Oh, right.”

He stayed silent, making the nonexistent conversation even more awkward than it previously was. “You don’t converse often, do you?” I ask, raising my eyebrow in suspicion. “No, not really. Not on my own accord anyway.” he croaks out, not meeting my eyes. “I can tell. You’re shit at this.” I reply. “Thank you for your opinion.” he replies sarcastically. “Why are you here anyway?” I ask, confused. Damian finally looks me in the eye.

And then he sighs.

“Look-” he started. The brunette then looked at me, and sighed again. “Stop sighing.” I say, narrowing my eyes. What was wrong with this guy? Where’s the idiot who accused me of being a witch and a gold-digger.

“I just- I do not know. I just wanted to say I am sorry.” he says, scratching the back of his head. “Sorry for what?” I asked again, hoping he actually knows. He sighs again. “I am sorry for being rude at breakfast, and also insulting you this morning.”

Correct answer.

I smiled at him in suspicion. “Dick didn’t force you to do this right?” I asked him again. “NO! No- Of course not. I mean it.” he says, looking at my face, and then continuing. “I am not trying to make excuses, but I do not really open up to new people I meet. And maybe, because of that, I might be mean.”

“Only to new people? From what I’ve seen, you aren’t too close with your brothers either.” I say. “Well- they are an exception. In everything.” he says, making me giggle. He stared at me, smiling. “Your interrogation is almost over.” I state, making Damian chuckle. “So, why are you explaining this to me? I thought you said you didn’t open up to people.” I ask. He pauses, as if to think about his answer.

“You are an exception.”

I looked at him in wonder. ‘Why me?’ I wanted to ask, but kept quiet as he continued. “I mean, I am hoping you could be an exception. If you want, that is.” he says, fidgeting with his hands.

I stayed quiet for a minute.

“I get it.” I said, looking at him. “Get what?” Damian asks, confused. “The ‘not opening up to people’ part.” I said. “There was a time where I used to trust everyone so freely, only for that to come back and bite me in my ass.” I say, chuckling bitterly. “What do you mean?” Damian asks. I picked up the paper bag and gestured for Damian to walk so we I could explain on the way. The smart guy somehow understood that, moving aside to let me walk beside him.

“I mean, I’d known my friends for all my life, only for them to betray me when some girl spread rumors about me.” I say. “They didn’t even bother asking me, or even confronting me. They all just assumed I had done what the liar lied about.”

“Tough luck.”

I stared at Damian in shock. Did he just say what he said? “Tough luck?” I repeated in shock. “What? I assume you did not tell me your story for pity.” he says, defending himself. Oh. I blinked. He caught onto that. “I thought we were having a heart-to-heart conversation here.” I joked. “What heart? Mine is perfectly fine and black.” Damian joked back, making me laugh. “Look at the bright side.” he says.

“You were so amazing that some bitch had to spread rumors to take you down.”

Oh. I never thought of it like that.

“Thank you, Damian. I never thought bullying could have a bright side.” I say, sarcastically. “Everything has a bright side.” he replies, even more sarcastically and waving his hands around to imitate a sparkle. Damian and I burst out in laughter together, just as we entered the living room. For a second, we couldn’t hear anything, making us stop laughing. I looked around the room, confused.

Jason sat on the sofa, pale as if he had seen a ghost. Dick sat next to him in the same condition, maybe even worse. Bruce had a confused look on his face as Stephanie paused the ongoing TV.

And of all things, Tim had his mouth open as the coffee he just drank poured out of his open mouth and back into his cup.

“What?” barked out Damian, pulling the room out of silence. “Did- did you just laugh?” asks Dick, pointing a shaky finger at Damian. “Yes? I have emotions too?” the brunette replied, making Jason choke on thin air. “You do?” Jason managed to cough out while Dick patted his back. Damian stared at his brothers in amusement. “Want to get out of here?” he whispers to me, making me nod in agreement.

He leads me out of the house, The Wayne’s eyes following us like those scenes you see in horror movies. Once we were out of the house, I shuddered. “That was creepy.” Damian said, looking at my reaction.

“Yes, it was.” I said, looking at him and smiling. The wind blew soft against my face, reminding me that we were standing outside. “Can you call a cab for me? My phone’s dead.” I say, making Damian look absolutely confused.

“You are going to take a cab?”

“Yes, Damian.”

“You do know that we have plenty of cars lying around?”

“You do know that I’ve troubled you enough?”

“Nonsense.”

Damian suddenly grabbed my hand, placing something in it. I opened my fist to look at an unfamiliar car key. “What?” I murmured softly, to which Damian pointed towards a car parked in the roadway. “You can just take my car.” he said, nudging me towards it. I stared at him in shock. “Damian, I can just take a cab-” I started, only to be cut off. “Cab fare would cost you more than using my car. Especially in this deserted place.” he said.

Oh right. I just remembered that Wayne Manor was at least 30 minutes away from the city center, where Wayne Enterprises Hotel was located. “That… makes sense.” I said, nodding in approval. We just smiled at each other.

“So, I should get going-”

“Damian!”

A unfamiliar voice called out the name of the boy next to me, dragging both of our gazes to the woman walking up towards the house. Damian reached his hand out and waved to the red-head, making me confused. “Gordon.” he greeted over the breeze, making the woman smile. “Still not over that habit of yours?” she asked, pausing in front of us. “Still dating my idiot of a brother?” replies Damian, with not a hint of hesitation.

The red-head burst in laughter.

“Um- Hi?” I said, making Damian and the woman pause their conversation to look at me. “And who is this?” she whispers to Damian, quite loudly. “This.” The brunette says, gesturing to me. “Is Marinette Dupain-Cheng. Jason’s old friend from back then.” he says.

The red-head nods along, understanding what Damian means by ‘back then’. I’m guessing this is how they refer to the times before they were adopted. My thoughts were cut off when Damian pointed at the woman.

“And this, is Gordon.” he says.

And that was it.

I waited for some kind of information, but he stood silent, shrugging and giving me a ‘you’re-on-your-own’ look. The red-head rolled her eyes at this. “As always.” she muttered under her breath before reaching her hand out to me.

“Hey. I’m Barbara Gordon. The girlfriend.”

“Hello. I’m Marinette Dupain-Cheng. The old friend.”

I replied to Barbara’s greeting with a smile, making her burst out in laughter once again. “Oh, I like you already.” she conveys, before noticing the key in my hand. “Are you going somewhere?” she asks. “Yeah. I’m here on tour, so I should get back to my friends. I’ll be here sometime in the afternoon.” I say, smiling. “Alright, I’m looking forward to getting to know you.” she said, smiling.

“Drive slow.” she says, patting Damian’s shoulder. I was confused. “Why?” Damian asked, baffled. “You’re not driving her? She’s holding your keys.” Barbara asked, more confused. “No? I lent it to her.” Damian says. “That’s a first.” Barbara looked surprised. “Well, come in then. I haven’t had breakfast, and I’m dying.” she said, waving at me one more time before beckoning Damian and walking in.

We were alone again.

“You should going.” he said, stuffing his hands in his pocket. “I should.” I replied, smiling. “See you again?” he asked, to which I said, “Of course, Damian.” I turned away, walking towards the car.

“Dupain-Cheng!” Damian called out.

“What?” I shouted back.

“I feel bad for your friends.” he said.

“And why is that?” I ask again.

“Because, they left an angel to be with a liar.”

“Oh, now you’re just flattering me.”

And then, the door slammed shut behind him.

…….

[Q.] Name your favorite movie.

Chapter Text

It was past 9 when I got to the hotel.

The grayish sky of Gotham contrasted to the bright sun I had seen near Wayne Manor. It was then I understood why Bruce preferred to stay so far away from the city; It looked way less depressing.

I pulled the key out of the ignition, debating on how to lock the unfamiliar car, before finally shutting the door and walking into the building. Just as I walk in, I saw almost the whole class standing in the reception, looking like they were waiting for someone.

And judging by the happy look on my friend’s faces, Lila wasn’t here yet.

“Alya! Chloe!” I shouted out, catching the attention of my friends, and unfortunately, the rest of the class. “Marinette!” Alya shouted back, sounding worried. “I’ve been worried sick. How could you just leave and send a text message three hours later?” she said again, hugging me tight. “Melody, we couldn’t reach you either.” says Luka, making me feel guilty. “I’m sorry guys, my phone died. I was dead asleep last night.” I said, making Adrien laugh out loud. “Of course you were. You needed that sleep after yesterday.” he said, pointedly.

“I guess I did.”

“What happened while I was gone?” I asked, looking at Kagami, who stood to a side, clutching her head while staring at the class. “Ugh, don’t even ask.” let out Chloe, facepalming. “Lila somehow made up a rumor that you hadn’t come back last night because you were too busy seducing a guy for money; the one who you left with yesterday.” says Kagami, annoyed.

“Oh, wow. Why am I not surprised?” I state, face blank. I can’t believe Lila managed to convince everyone so fast, but at the same time I could. “That’s not the worst part.” Adrien states, sighing. “She almost convinced Ms. Bustier to file a missing persons complaint on you, saying she was worried.” he says, as I groaned out loud. “Ms. Bustier managed to stall her saying we should wait until the morning, so thank goodness you’re here.”

“What is wrong with her?” I hissed, as Adrien laughed, coming near and side-hugging my waist. “What isn’t wrong with her?” he asked in reply, making me laugh out loud. Soon, our laughter paused as we heard the rest of the class whisper behind us.

“I can’t believe Marinette is trying to seduce Adrien right in front of his girlfriend.” scoffed Alix, rolling her eyes. “And I can’t believe Adrien is hugging that wh*re in front of his girlfriend. Isn’t that just cheating?” let out Kim. “Who knows? Maybe they’re sleeping together.” Alix whispers to Kim, quite loudly. “Behind Kagami’s back?” Kim whispers. Adrien awkwardly lets go of me as Kagami shifts uncomfortably.

“Hey, didn’t Lila say Marinette was hooking up with the older guy yesterday?” asks Ivan, making Rose nod along. “Oh, right. God, what a sl*t.” Kim laughs out loud, making the rest of the class glare at me in disgust. I turn around, ignoring the stares of my classmates as Adrien and I meet eyes. He gives me an apologetic look, knowing he poured gasoline on the fire. I wave him off, used to this. Although, no matter how much I was used to it, it still hurt just as much.

But rumors leave no scars.

And cue, enter the main character.

Lila and Ms. Bustier walk in, Lila looking worried. “…and I’m just concerned about her, you know? She’s been caught with drugs a few times and- Oh!” Lila pauses her conversation as she catches sight of me.

My gut told me that she was talking about me.

“M-marinette! Y-you’re back.” she stutters out, skin slowly paling. “You’re okay, right? You didn’t overdose this time?” she asks again, making the class gasp out loud. “Mari, you’re an addict?” asks Rose, innocently.

“I didn’t expect you to be a junkie on top of all things.” This time, Kim was the one to pour gasoline on fire, as this set off a rapid conversation among the rest of the class. Chloe held my hand in support as I stared bitterly at the scene in front of me.

“Just shut the hell up, Lie-la.”

Kagami’s voice seethed with venom. “I’m sick of your lies. If you would just shut up for a second, this headache I have would go away.” she said. Lila gasped in shock. The class followed. “Or even better, why don’t you get lost?” I hissed out, fed up. Lila suddenly ducked her head, then slowly raising it, her eyes dripping with tears. Her hand shook, as if she was scared out of her mind.

“Oh, cry me a river, and drown in it.” Chloe spit out.

Honestly, I was impressed.

Lila could have pursued a career in acting and make it to the Top 10.

“I-i was just worried about you, Marinette. Why are you bullying me?” she asked, voice shaky as Alix and Juleka rushed to her aid. “Why do you have to be so mean, Marinette?” shouted Alix, clutching the sobbing Lila.

“Yeah, she was just worried about you.” Juleka murmured softly.

But I was at my wit’s end.

“Well, why don’t you just speak louder, Juleka?!” I screamed. “And you-” I pointed to Alix. “Why don’t you just win a sports competition on your own instead of hiding behind the accomplishments of your bastard of a boyfriend?”

Juleka looked hurt. So did Alix.

But I didn’t care. Not anymore.

Silence filled the halls of the hotel, as passersby stopped and stared at the commotion. The receptionist had a phone in her hand, seemingly ready to call security. I panted as Lila’s sobs reduced to hiccups, fear in her eyes.

I scoffed at the silence.

I reached into my bag, grabbing a letter and walking towards Ms. Bustier, just to shove it softly into her hands. I especially had made Bruce write it and sign it for me after I explained my situation to him. It was a letter granting us permission to stay at Wayne Manor until the trip was over. There was also a clause Bruce had added, something about him taking responsibility in case something were to happen to us.

I walked back to where my friends were standing, surprised. “Guys, go get your luggage from your rooms and meet me outside. I’ll explain later.” I said, trying to calm my anger. “But Mari-” “Trust me.” I said, cutting off Chloe, as she looked me in the eye and nodded.

The others walked into the hotel and up the elevator, Alya promising to bring back my luggage too. I stood in the corner, tapping my foot impatiently as I waited for them to get back. “Marinette.” Ms. Bustier called out, catching my attention. I saw that she had the letter open wide, like she had just finished reading it. “Be safe, especially at night. Gotham is dangerous.” she warned, smiling. “Thank you, miss.” I replied.

The silence was deafening.

I decided to wait outside.

“I’ll wait outside then, Ms. Bustier.” I said, as she nodded her head in approval. In the corner of my eye, I saw Lila snatch the letter and read it with Alix and Juleka by her side, gasping. Ignoring her, I walk towards the door.

“You’re going to regret this, Marinette.” warned Lila, glaring at me. “You shouldn’t do this, Mari. We’re your friends.” let out Rose, pissing me off to no extent. “You’re making a huge mistake.” Lila warned again.

I scoffed.

“The only mistake I made was thinking I could trust you all.”

And then I left them in the dust.

…….

It took them barely 15 minutes to pack up.

By the time Luka and Kagami, the first to come, reached, I knew that all they had done was shove their things messily in the suitcase and run outside. Adrien followed behind them, somehow tugging his luggage along with mine.

Alya and Chloe weren’t much far behind.

“Mari, what’s going on?” asks Alya, breaking the ice. I sighed. “Guys, I know you don’t get anything that’s happening, but please trust me. I’ll explain on the way.” I say. The others stare at me in confusion.

“On the way to where?” asks Luka.

Ahh, I knew he was the only sensible one here.

“Wayne Manor.” I say, cut off with shrill screams from Alya and Chloe. “Wayne Manor? As in the Batman’s legendary hideout? HOLY SHIT!” whisper-shouted Chloe, then looking around hurriedly to see if anyone heard her.

No one did.

“Let’s go?” I asked, confused. “Let’s go.” Luka replied back, making all my nervousness go away . I could always count on Luka to make me relaxed. And maybe that was the reason I fell for him, but that’s all in the past. I pulled out Damian’s car keys, pressing the button to switch on the car. “Come on, guys.” The sleek black car opened up, doors going up, as Nino and Adrien stared at the car in a mixture of amusement and horror.

“I-is that a-”

“Yes, Nino. Of course it is.”

“But it costs like-”

“Obviously, it’s expensive.”

Adrien and Nino’s conversation went something like this. Nino gaped at the car as he tried to understand why the hell I had something like this, while Adrien kept cutting him off, deadpanning with every answer. “I borrowed it.” I said, feeling like I had to justify myself. “Now get in, so I can explain everything to you. Unless you’d rather gape at the car than ride it.” That sentence of mine was enough to send Nino barreling into the car’s backseat.

And somehow, the seven of us fit into the car.

Luka sat beside me, and I know he knew something was up. “Buckle up. And let’s go on a ride.” I said, starting the car, and speeding up the road, ultimately leaving dust behind. For real this time. “Marinette.” Chloe called out before I could start explaining anything. “That guy yesterday, he’s the friend right? Jason.” she stated in a questioning tone. “Yeah.” I sighed out.

“What friend? Mari, what’s going on?” Alya asked, as Kagami looked worried. Oh, right. They didn’t know. Chloe was the only one here who knew, about my panic attacks, about my past and about… Jason. The only reason she knew was because she’d found me one day, struggling to breathe, and helped me out. And I told her. I cried my heart out on her shoulder, telling her all about my life, stripping myself until I was vulnerable.

That was precisely the reason why Chloe became my friend.

Whether out of pity or not, she was there for me.

“Jason Todd. My childhood friend.” I let out bitterly. “You got his name.” Chloe said, smiling at me. “Of course.” I replied. The first thing I did after getting in that damn car, was ask him his name. Alya looked at me confused. Once I looked back into her eyes, I just knew I had to tell them the truth. So I did. I told them about my mom, about meeting Jason, how he disappeared, how I was shipped to Paris.

All until meeting him again yesterday.

By the time I had finished, the car was silent. I couldn’t even look at their faces; I had to keep my eyes on the road. On my side, Luka held my hand, giving me an ‘it’s okay’ look as I smiled back.

“I’m dissapointed.” Alya stated, making me stiffen up. “I’m dissapointed you didn’t tell me, Marinette, but I know you had your reasons. Don’t ever think we would abandon you for such a flimsy reason.” she said again.

I was stupefied.

I knew that none of them would leave because of this, or at least, I hoped. But hearing it come out from her mouth, it made me feel content. “Thank you, Alya. Thank you all, really.” I say, smiling at them through the mirror.

And for once, I was looking forward to the future.

…….

[Q.] Why can Lila manipulate people so easily?

Chapter Text

It took me less than an hour to arrive at Wayne Manor.

Apart from all the traffic we faced in the city, especially in rush hour, the almost deserted roads which lead to Wayne Manor was, obviously, completely car-less. The gates of the building I had left behind in the morning loomed over me once again.

Say, once the car reached the gates, I had no idea what to do.

When I had arrived with Jason, the gates had flung open on its own, and when I left, Damian said he’d open them from the inside. I debated on calling Damian for a favor, but instantly shut it down.

I’d rather not owe him.

It was then I noticed the button on the side door, hidden along with the other window-lock keys. A rather small one, blending in with the gray interiors of the car. It was almost plain, with a ‘W’ printed smack on top of it. I’m guessing that was for opening the gates, and even if its not, what’s the harm? Knowing Bruce, the worse that could happen was the car ejecting us into the sky while it catches fire. Daily happenings.

I made a bold choice and pressed the button.

And Voilà!

The gates swung open as I sped past the huge courtyard and parked a few inches away from the entrance, just like Damian had done before. Groans were heard from the ones in the backseat, while Luka was fast asleep.

It was an hour’s journey after all. It took me a few minutes to get them all awake and usher them out of the car, locking it on my way to the entrance. Let me tell you, waking up Adrien is the hardest; the boy sleeps like a log.

I rang the doorbell for the first time here, seeing I had a welcome troop stand outside for me last time. Those few seconds waiting for the door to open were the longest of my life. The door then slammed open, harshly. Alya winced at the sound, while Adrien finally snapped into his senses. I look up to the person making such chaos, only to see the man who had insulted me, and then comforted me, all in a span of a few hours.

Damian stood in the doorway, leaning against the frame lethargically. His almost-couple clothes-with-me had been switched to the classic Gotham University uniform; one which I had seen far too many times searching for Jason.

“What’s up, Dami~”

No, I did not mean to say that. But I did. Once I saw that smug smirk on his face, I just needed to wipe it off his face. And that’s exactly what my comment did, making him scowl and glare at me.

I’m not scared of him.

But his glares really make me shiver.

“Do not call me that.” he growls out. “Aww, where’s the kind Damian who comforted me this morning?” I teased, treating him like a grumpy cat. And maybe he picked up on that, which was probably a bad thing.

“Here.” he muttered.

Before I could process what was going on, Damian had picked me up and swung me over his shoulders, carrying me inside like a damn rag doll. “What the hell! Let me down.” I screeched in surprise. I looked back at my friends, giving them a pleading look, all while they stood and laughed at the scene before them. “I thought your legs might ache.” said Damian, bringing my attention to his amused face.

“Oh, shut up.”

“You said you wanted me to-”

“Just shut up.”

I gave up, defeated. Damian’s laughter rang through the halls of the Manor, until he reached the living room, where the entire Wayne family was lazing around. Damian’s footsteps made Dick and Bruce look up.

Oh, the shock on their faces.

The surprised look didn’t fade out of anyone’s face. Damian walked to the closest sofa, tossing me down -once again- like a rag doll. And after, I ended up lying on Stephanie, my legs raised in the air and onto Jason’s shoulders.

I groaned in pain, sitting up on the sofa. “HEY!” I screamed at the brunette, who stood to the side, that annoying smirk on his face again. For a second there, I regretted provoking him. Damian opened his mouth, and I was hoping it was an apology that came out.

It wasn’t.

“Pennyworth, it is time to get going, is it not?”

I gape at him, open-mouthed. And that guy had the audacity to wave at me mockingly, before slinging his schoolbag over his shoulder and walking out. Alfred, who had appeared out of nowhere, let out a “Yes, Master Damian.” before following him.

His keys.

I still have his keys.

“Wait, Damian! Your keys-” Without turning around, the brunette put up his hand. As I looked closer, I noticed he was swinging the car keys around. The car keys which were supposed to be in my pocket.

I checked my pockets, which were miraculously empty.

Smart.

But my pockets weren’t supposed to be empty. I had shoved a granola bar in there, hoping I wouldn’t get hungry on the way home. When I raised my head again, Damian put out his other hand, waving the granola bar around.

“Thank you for the snack.”

And he was gone.

Damian reminded me of Flynn Ryder from Tangled. “Ugh, that thief.” I murmured, softly, Jason and Stephanie laughing at me for that. “Looks like someone beat you at this, Pixie.” Jason let out, making me laugh at him sarcastically. “Unlike you, am I right?” I say, grinning as his face flushed red. “What do you mean? After Damian, Jason’s the best pickpocket here.” Barbara says, boasting about her boyfriend and still staying truthful.

“Not anymore.”

Jason groaned out loud. Since I had gotten into his car yesterday, I stole a lot of items from him to see if he ever noticed, but damn, was he rusty. Jason didn’t notice anything until I went up to him before dinner and shoved everything in his hand.

“Aren’t you missing a ring, Jase?” I ask, snickering. Tim and Dick looked shocked, as Jason reluctantly scanned his hand, before coming to an inevitable conclusion that two of his rings were missing. He sighed.

“Holy shit-” muttered Stephanie. “I mean, I thought you stole something out of his pocket to prove it, and that would be easy, since you’re sitting next to us. But his hand? Man, that was sick.” she said again. “High praises.” I shrug, pulling out his big-ass rings from my pocket and handing it to him. “For an amazing feat.” Tim praised, as I shrugged it off. Bruce cleared his throat loudly, gaining everyone’s attention.

“Marinette, would you like to introduce your… companions here?”

Oh shit, the guys.

I turned around to see Alya and Nino and the others standing awkwardly next to the door. I give them a apologizing look, before shooting out of my seat to stand next to them. “Everyone.” I announced, clearing my throat.

“Meet my friends. Alya, the brunette. Nino, her boyfriend-” I started. Nino whined in protest as I introduced him as Alya’s boyfriend, right before Alya nudged him in the shoulder harshly. I chuckled. “-Luka, the one with the guitar. Chloe, the blonde. And lastly, Kagami.” I said, pointing toward each of them. Dick, Stephanie, and Jason cheered as the introductions ended. Adrien chuckled awkwardly.

“Um, Mari? You forgot to introduce me.” he let out, forcing a grin. “You don’t need an introduction.” I deadpanned. “They might not know who I am.” he whispered, only for me to hear. “Trust me, they do.” I say.

“You’re Adrien Agreste.”

Tim’s voice rang out clearly. “The one who founded and runs the Gabriel’s ‘Serendipity’ line of cosmetics.” he says, again. Jason nodded in agreement, and Stephanie was in awe. “I’ve always wanted to meet you!” Stephanie squeals, as Tim scoffs at his girlfriend.

“O-oh!”

Adrien looked surprised.

“This is the first time someone’s known my name for what I did, and not for who I was born as.” he whispered to me, looking at me gratefully. “From the short time I’ve known them, I know the Wayne’s are kind. You can trust them, Adrien.” I say.

“Maybe I will.”

…….

Everyone clicked.

Laughter echoed throughout the room, each to their own joy. Jason was busy losing against Nino, Kagami, and Chloe in Mario kart for the third time in a row as he tried to cheat his way out and failed. Stephanie was talking animatedly to Adrien about his clothing and cosmetics line, as Tim sat next to his girlfriend, glaring at the duo in jealousy. Adrien noticed it, chuckling awkwardly and continuing his conversation.

Bruce had long gone to Wayne Enterprises, putting Dick in charge in case something goes wrong. Alya sat next to Barbara, giving each other hair tips and complaining about their boyfriends. Say, this was the main reason Jason kept losing. Luka, Dick and I sat in a far corner as Luka played his electric guitar for us, creating a safe bubble for us in the chaos. Meeting the Wayne’s was like finding the final piece to our puzzle. We were complete.

The clock struck 11.30 pm, making everyone look up.

“Who’s alarm is that?” Jason shouted out, annoyed. “Mine.” Tim replied, in a somehow relieved tone. “Alfred said we should let Marinette’s friends rest until lunch.” he said again, making me smile at the butler’s thoughtfulness.

“Would Ms. Marinette and her companions like to rest in their rooms?”

Screams and squeals of surprise were heard as Alfred’s voice startled even the bravest of them in the room. “Holy shit, Alfred!” Dick shouted out in surprise, jumping back and smacking into Luka. “Make a noise next time.” Jason shouted, just as startled as the others.

“Yes. Thank you, Alfred.” I let out, making the old man smile. “Come on, guys. Get your luggage; Let’s unpack before lunch.” I say, making Kagami nod in approval. “Good choice.” she muttered. Kagami was a do-everything-right-now kind of person.

The absolute opposite of me.

“Alfred Pennyworth, at your service.”

The white-haired butler bowed in front of everyone, making Alya and Chloe ‘ooh’ in amusement. Alfred then gestured to the staircase in front of us, which I remembered led to Damian’s room. He walked in front, leading us through the confusing corners and corridors of Wayne Manor. He then stopped inside an octagon shaped opening, just where Damian’s room was. Alfred opened four doors, smiling at us.

“Please choose as you like.”

He left us to our choice, walking away.

Adrien ran into the room facing the side of the manor, amused by the lines and lines of trees on the side, as Kagami followed. Alya and Nino chose a random room facing the same side, as Luka and Chloe chose the room near them.

And all of this happened so suddenly.

Soon, I was the only one there, with only one room to choose. The room right beside Damian’s. I pondered on going and asking one of the others to switch with me, but honestly, I had no reason to.

We’d developed a not-friend-not-enemy dynamic, which I quite liked.

Besides, Damian’s room had a view of the majestic lake behind Wayne Manor, which looked absolutely mesmerizing at dawn. And my room faced the same side. I threw the door open, hurriedly shoving my luggage on the side and running to the balcony.

The sun shone quite brightly on this side of the Manor, contrasting to the dull and bleak weather of the city. The breeze blew soft upon my face. Kagami, Chloe and Luka entered my room, gaping at the view.

“No! I should’ve chosen this.” Chloe let out in regret. “It is an amazing view.” Kagami agreed. I laughed out loud. “It’s honestly funny how you chose last and yet got the best room out of all.” Chloe let out, making Luka chuckle. “And.” he stressed. “You get the room all to yourself. That must be amazing.” Luka finished, making me laugh. Chloe had a different reaction. “Is that your way of saying you don’t want to room with me?”

Luka looked shocked.

“No, I-"

“Maybe you should room with dear Marinette here.”

“Chloe-”

“I’m sure she wouldn’t mind.”

I grabbed Kagami’s hand, dragging her out as we laughed together, the conversation of the arguing couple echoing behind us. “Don’t drag me into this. Come out when you’re done!” I shouted, slamming the door of my room close.

I looked at Kagami, who looked tired.

“Do you want help unpacking?”

“Yes, please.”

…….

[Q.] Who has the most wholesome relationship in the Miraculous group?

Chapter Text

“Gosh, I’m so bored!” Chloe exclaimed, banging her head on the wall of my room, as Alya laughed at her antics. “We seriously have nothing to do. I expected this to be more interesting.” the blonde whined again. Lunch had gone by in a flash, and everyone had finished unpacking by 2 pm. Out of sheer boredom, the other six had resorted to plopping on my bed and disturbing my peace. And even now, Chloe couldn’t bear having nothing to do.

“I’ve always wanted to visit Wayne Manor.”

Adrien’s content voice cut through Chloe’s complaints. Luka scoffed. “The only reason you wanted to was because you wanted to see the Batcave.” Adrien paused his actions, as if to think. He then shrugged. “Maybe.”

“Besides, I still can’t believe Bruce Wayne is Batman.” Adrien let out, rolling to face me from where he was lying on my bed. “No, I believe that.” Kagami let out, sitting up when she was finally out of Adrien’s embrace. “What I can’t believe, is the fact that Marinette found out their identities.” she pointed out, looking at me. “Yeah, man. What gave Bruce away?” Nino asked, turning toward me.

I narrowed my eyes at him, to which Nino raised his hands in surrender. “Don’t get me wrong; The old man hid his identity for more than a decade, so how exactly did you find out?” he asked again.

All the attention was on me.

I sighed. “I may or may not have hacked into somewhere I wasn’t supposed to.” I muttered. “Where?” Alya asked, suspicious. “Um… the Justice League Mainframe.” I mumbled, my voice reaching none of the six in the room.

“What?”

“The Justice League Mainframe.” I mumbled again, this time louder. The room fell silent. “I-i didn’t mean to! I was just trying to solve an auto-theft case in Paris when I came upon a high-security database, so like any other sane person, I cracked it open.” I justify.

Laughter.

Laughter was all that filled my ears as I finished my sentence. “You? You hacked into the JL Mainframe?” Alya wheezed in laughter. “Funny joke, dudette.” Nino said, when he finally stopped laughing.

I stayed silent.

The laughter stopped almost immediately when they realized that I wasn’t joking. “Y-you’re kidding, right?” Chloe asked in disbelief. “And why would I do that?” I asked, confused. What kind of sick person would joke about that?

All I knew was the Justice League needed to update their security.

I did that for them.

“Woman, as far as I know, that database has the highest security codes in all of this continent and maybe even more. And you’re telling me you cracked it for fun?” Nino asked, baffled. “Yes?” I questioned, although I don’t know who. “Well, that honestly makes sense.” Adrien said, sighing. “It sounds like something Mari would do.” he said again, Alya and Nino nodding in agreement. “So, I’m guessing Batman is not the only person who’s identity you know.” Luka asked.

Luka. As analytical as always.

“I know the identities of the main members or, you could say, the most famous heroes. I didn’t have enough time to go through everything. I wasted it reading through the profiles of the ‘Bat family.’” I say, shrugging.

“I’m not convinced. I want to see you do it.” Chloe let out, eyeing me with suspicion. “Sure. Not the JL Database, but something else just as hard.” I say, smiling. “Shut up, Chloe. You believe her, you just want to see her in action.” Kagami spilled.

“Stop exposing me.” Chloe whisper-hissed to Kagami, earning bouts of laughter from everyone in the room, including me. “Come to my room at midnight. Not before that.” I say, a warning look in my eyes. “Why not before?” Alya asks, confused. “The Wayne’s leave for patrol at 12. Let’s do it after that.” I say. Alya still looked confused. “Why are we waiting for them to leave? Its not like you’re hacking into the Batcave.” she asked.

I stay silent.

“Oh my god, you are hacking into the Batcave.”

“Wait, really?”

“I’m so looking forward to this.”

“Man, this is going to be awesome.”

Everyone had something to say, whispering in excitement as to not alert anyone outside the room. I giggled at their excitement, as Luka stared at me, smiling. He was the only other person here who knew how to hack. I could trust him to have my back.

My phone beeped quite loudly.

I pick up the phone, swiping up to open it. It was a message. Worse, it was a message from Ms. Bustier. Don’t get me wrong, I loved the teacher, but Ms. Bustier never messages for leisure.

Ms. Bustier: Hello Marinette. The class is going to Gotham Academy for our visit. I know you said you wanted nothing to do with Lila again, but I’m sorry to inform you that you and your friends must be present throughout our tour in Gotham.

Man, this was bad news.

“Guys, Ms. Bustier says we still need to attend the tour.” I let out, disappointed. “No way. I’m not going back there ever again.” Chloe whines, clutching onto Luka’s arm. The couple had long made up.

Me: Miss, is there any way we could not attend?

Ms. Bustier: I’m sorry, Marinette. This counts as your attendance and your P.E grade in finals. If you lose attendance, you might get held back for a year.

Me: Oh. It’s okay, Ms. Bustier.

When are you leaving for GA?

Ms. Bustier: In about 20 minutes. The rest of you can meet us at the entrance by 3 pm.

“Mari, what’d she say? Can we get out of this?” Alya asks. I sigh, shaking my head sadly. “This counts as our P.E grade. If we lose attendance, we might get held behind.” I let out bitterly.

“What are we waiting for?” Adrien enthusiastically jumps up as the rest stare at him weirdly. “Let’s get going, then.” he says again, smiling. We stay silent as Adrien sees all the judging stares directed at him. “What? I didn’t do all that running and jumping in physical examinations just to fail in the end.” he says, defending himself. Alya and Kagami burst out laughing, as Nino snickered in joy.

“Adrien, you missed all the physical examinations.” Nino said. Adrien looked confused, just until he remembered how many photo shoots he had in a week. “Oh, well.” he shrugs, making everyone wheeze in laughter.

“Where are we even going?”

“Gotham Academy.”

“You mean, where Damian Wayne goes?”

“Mari can see her boy-toy again.”

“Oh shut up, Chloe.”

“Oh my god, I barely know him!”

…….

It was exactly 2.45 pm when we reached.

The dull white walls of Gotham Academy towered over us, just as Wayne Manor had done, except these were white, much smaller yet taller and had more glass panels. Thankfully, the security guard hadn’t shooed us away, seeing as he was fast asleep.

As we stood in the frontyard of GA, filled with a few students spending their breaks, a huge tourist bus pulled up. Exited whispers and chatters were heard as students got of the bus, startling the security guard awake.

“Poor guard. Those useless specimens woke him up.” Adrien innocently stated, making everyone burst out in laughter. Lila finally gets off the bus, looking in our direction. Her face contorts in something between disgust and fear as she looks at us.

“Alix, Marinette and her friends are laughing at us.” she whispers softly to Alix, but any sane person would know that I was meant for us to hear. Alix groans in response. She walks in fast pace, dragging Lila behind her. “Oh, Marinette! It hasn’t even been a minute since we came, and you’re already bullying Lila?” she practically screams across the courtyard, startling the students and directing their attention to us.

Whispers spread around us.

I stood frozen in the middle of the chaos. Was she trying to make me the bad guy here? In front of all the students? I was begging, pleading in my head that none of the Gotham Academy students could be so easily manipulated.

“Bully? I haven’t even looked in her direction.” I say, stiffening. “What do you mean, Marinette? You sent me a message yesterday telling me to go kill myself.” Lila sobs, hiding her wicked smile behind her hand. “Woman, how do you know that’s Marinette’s number? Was her name on it?” Nino asks pointedly. “Yeah.” Lila said. “Where’s the proof?” he asks again, making her tense up. “I-i mean, no. It was a unknown number.” she says, making everyone stare at her.

“I’m sorry! Even if it was an unknown number, only Marinette would text me that.” Lila says, tears slowly leaking from her face. “Aww, Lila. Come here.” Rose says, pulling Lila into a hug, as I scoffed at the scene, fed up.

Apparently, I wasn’t the only one fed up.

“Hey, sausage-hair!” a Gotham Academy student called out, walking towards us with his friend. Lila, the only sausage-hair here, snapped her head up to look at the boy. She had a scowl gracing her face, before she realized she was supposed to be sad. The black-haired boy and his friend stopped at my side, facing Lila. “I was the one who sent the message.” he says, his blue eyes glaring at Lila through his glasses, waving his hands up in mock surrender, as his friend tried to stifle his laughter.

Lila’s mouth fell agape.

“I-i don’t even know you!” she screeched. “Marinette is the one that sent the message.” she says again, falling back into her sad-girl act. Whispers spread around, some positive and some not. “How would you know? You said the message was from an unknown number.” the black-haired boy said again, shrugging. “U-um. N-no, I-” Lila stuttered in response, before taking in a huge breath.

“Do you have proof that you sent me the message?” she asks threateningly. The ravenette just looked amused. “The question here should be; Do you have proof that Marinette, here, sent you the message?” he replied.

The boy put his hand on my shoulder, and for some reason, I wasn’t uncomfortable enough to shrug it off. I smiled at the blue-eyed boy thankfully, as he smiled back. Lila saw this little exchange between us. “N-no.” she stuttered, as the whispers around us turned into silent laughter directed at her. “Now.” The ravenette started. “This pretty girl over here can sue you for defamation.” he finished, making me giggle.

“Sue?!” she let out, surprised. The black-haired boy looked at her weirdly, as his friend finally let out the laughter he had been holding back. Lila looked at the other boy in shock, and maybe, a little offended.

“Look, woman. I don’t know how it is wherever you’re from, but in Gotham, you can sue someone for making fake accusations.” the friend said, making me chuckle in laughter. “Its the same in Paris.” I let out. The other brown-haired boy looked shocked. “Really? How come no one has sued this b*tch yet?” he asked. “She’s good at what she does.” I reply shrugging. The brunette had an understanding look on his face.

The ravenette smacked his friend in the head. “Don’t swear.” he said, as the brunette ignored him. He turned back to Lila. “How about you quit playing victim and f*ck off?” he says again, making Lila and the ravenette widen their eyes.

The ravenette smacks his friend even harder now, as the brunette whined in pain. Lila looked like she was about to cry, but only this time, she looked genuine. “Shoo now.” Chloe says, landing the final blow.

Lila burst out in tears.

“Kids!” Ms. Bustier walked towards us, name tags in her hands. “I finally got permission. I’m sorry it took so long.” she says, smiling and handing out tags until she came across Lila sobbing. “What happened?” she asked, concerned.

But I knew Ms. Bustier knew what happened.

Getting name tags doesn’t take so much time.

I turned to the two boys by my side. “Thank you, uh…” It was only then I realized I didn’t know either of their names. The ravenette speaks first, removing his hand from my shoulder.

“Call me Jon.” he says, smiling.

The brunette scoffed at his friends actions. “Try-hard. Can’t even flirt properly.” he muttered under his breath, to which the ravenette, or Jon, smacked him again. “Nice to meet ya, Marinette. I’m Bart. Bart Allen.” the brunette says.

“Thanks for your help, Bart. And you too, Jon.” I say, smiling at both of them. “Yeah, no biggie. We’re used to that.” Bart says, making me raise my eyebrows. “Oh. I mean, one of our friend had a crazy stalker following him around, so we needed to shoo her away.”

Bart stifled his laughter as Jon finished his sentence.

“Why are you laughing?” Jon asks, hand ready to smack his friend. “Nothing.” Bart says, ducking Jon’s hand away. “We need to get going. I’ll see you around, Marinette.” Jon says, waving at me and pulling Bart with him forcefully.

“Aren’t you gonna get her number?” Bart whispered to Jon.

“No, Bart.” Jon replied.

“I thought you were flirting with her?”

“I wasn’t flirting!”

“So what was that?”

“I just wanted to help. You know, not everyone’s like you.”

“What do you mean by that? Jon, come back here!”

Alya, Luka and I chuckled at the duo’s conversation, as Ms. Bustier came over to give our name tags. We smiled at her gratefully. It was then that I noticed the whispers of the students around us. They hated Lila. “Hey, lady! You’re shit at lying.” one student even shouted out. “If you’re bullying someone, at least do it right!” another girl shouted at Lila, making the sausage-hair hiccup, tears flowing down her face. How was she still crying?

I looked at Jon and Bart walking away.

They had done something I could never.

They turned public opinion against Lila.

…….

[Q.] Why did Lila always manage to manipulate everyone with her lies?

Chapter Text

Apparently, the events at arrival were enough to shut Lila up.

I was happy. Genuinely happy. For the first time in years, it was quiet as we walked through the hallways with the class. And for the first time, the hallways weren’t a war-zone. Not a single insult flew across the room. The tour was nothing special. Just a guide droning on and on about how amazing this place was and how perfect it was even many years after its founding. I mean- I get it, lady. This place was older than you and I combined.

By 4.30, we were settled in the cafeteria, although the place was swarming with students. When she was asked why by Ms. Bustier, the guide told us that it was their snack-break. Gotham Academy runs till 6 pm on Fridays.

Why? Because Saturday was a holiday.

How amazing.

Admittedly, I hadn’t seen Jon or Bart again. Me and the others sat at a separate table from the three tables Lila and the class had joint together to sit. The food was amazing, even though it was just evening snacks.

I didn’t understand why Damian looked so hesitant to go to school.

Wasn’t he late today?

Chatters filled the cafeteria as students laughed along with their friends, our laughter somehow merging into the background as Lila and the class stared at us in disgust. Glares were directed at our heads, which we easily ignored.

The cafeteria doors burst open.

A group of girls and boys alike swarmed in. I assumed it was a class whose break just started, but I was wrong. They instantly split, some in each direction, as they kept looking at the doors, excitedly whispering to each other. The funny thing was, the other students who occupied the cafeteria were doing the same thing, or, they looked used to it. Hundreds of eyes stared at the doors, just waiting for it to open again.

“Is he coming?”

“I’m so excited! He ditched school yesterday, so I missed him.”

“Where is he?”

“Chill, it takes time to walk here.”

And now, I had only one question; Who is ‘he’? But I’m guessing my questions would be answered soon, as everyone quietened down, including Lila. A few sets of footsteps echoed on the other side of the door, approaching fast.

The doors slammed open again.

And in came Damian Wayne.

My mouth fell open, just as hundreds of others did, staring at the insanely handsome brunette before me. The same brunette who took me on an emotional roller coaster just this morning. Apart from stealing my food. Whispers spread through the room, as people hurried back to what they were doing, trying to pretend that the whole room didn’t silence for a single person. Yeah, I am just as surprised as you are.

Damian Wayne strode in confidently, followed by Jon, who was hugging Damian’s arm, as if to hold him back, and Bart, who was laughing at the scene. “Ain’t that your boy-toy?” Chloe whispered to me aggressively. “Oh, shut up.” I whispered back. Although, Chloe wasn’t the only one having something to remark about the brunette. Alix shot her head up, eyes widening at Damian. “Hey Lila, isn’t that Damian Wayne? Your boyfriend?”

Only, she hadn’t whispered it like Chloe did.

“Her boyfriend?”

“Ugh, who does she think she is?”

“Is that pinkie serious right now?”

“Jon was right about them.”

“Damian wouldn’t even look at her.”

Alix was loud enough to drag everyone’s attention onto them. Including Damian himself. Lila gasped in horror as Damian narrowed his eyes, giving her a death glare. He raised his eyebrows at Lila, as if he was waiting for an explanation.

And obviously, he didn’t get any.

Lila stuttered out an apology, immediately telling Alix to shut up. She pretended to be offended, telling the class to not drag attention. “I’ll explain later.” she said, swiping her hand on her face to wipe her fake-tears.

Damian rolls his eyes, then scouring the room, and finally making eye-contact with me. I hesitantly waved to him. Damian raised his hand to wave back at me, squinting his eyes, probably confused as to why we were here. The students gasped, turning toward me to see who their ‘Ice Prince’ had just waved to. Yeah, I heard the rumors. “Marinette!” Jon exclaimed, when he followed Damian’s gaze to me.

I smiled at the ravenette.

Jon excitedly pulled Damian’s hand, dragging him towards our table, as Bart followed behind them. They arrived at our table soon enough, taking their seats opposite me, next to Nino and Alya.

“You know her?” Damian asked Jon, voice scratchy, as if he hadn’t spoken in a long time. “Not really.” Jon said. “I met her this morning. Her classmates were accusing her of things she hadn’t done.” he said again, flashing a smile at me, to which I giggled. “Yeah, he practically saved my life.” I say in reply. Damian turned towards me. “Was she the… you know- the one you told me about?” he asks slowly, to which I nodded. “That was the liar, yes.” I say.

“She’s annoying.”

Everyone at my table burst out in laughter at Damian’s statement. Alya was wheezing. Damian looked confused. Lila was shocked. The class was annoyed. I was happy. In the middle of this, Bart and Jon introduced themselves to the others. “I wonder how she hasn’t gotten caught.” Bart said. “She’s smart enough to cover her lies.” Chloe pointed out. “She’s dumb enough to lie about dating Damian Wayne.” Bart rebutted.

Chloe was dumbfounded. “That’s… true.” she said. “She wasn’t this dumb in Paris.” the blonde said again. “She’s getting sloppy because the class wouldn’t question her lies.” Adrien analyzed. “So, I can assume she wouldn’t stalk Damian or something, right?” Jon asked, nervously. “Of course. Her style is more like… blackmailing.” I let out. “Good.” the ravenette said. “We don’t want a repeat of last year.” he muttered under his breath.

Nino heard him. “What happened last year?” he asks. Bart laughs out loud, making Damian groan in distaste and Jon’s ears turn pink. “Anyone gonna tell?” Bart asks in amusement as the other two sat still.

“I’ll narrate then.” he said, cackling evilly.

“Last year, there was this girl who was obsessed with Damian. And when I say obsessed, I mean crazy obsessed. She used to stalk him badly, until this short-tempered kid got pissed off.” Bart said. I looked at Jon, pointing to Damian. ‘He was the friend.’ Jon mouthed silently, not wanting to interrupt the story. When I looked at Damian, he looked completely and utterly embarrassed. Bart continued.

“One day after school, Damian tried to reject her, but the girl wouldn’t listen. So he told her he liked someone, and the girl asked him why he didn’t like her instead. And coincidentally, Jon happened to be visiting.”

“So this guy right here-” Bart said, throwing his hand over Damian’s shoulders. “-grabbed Jon and told the girl that he was in love with Jon. And then, these two pretended to be dating for a year or so.”

I was speechless.

“Everything was going fine. The stalker left him alone after a while, and they didn’t have to do much to convince people since Jon doesn’t come here often. But the press caught wind of it, and these two ended up on the news.” Nino and Adrien were wheezing in laughter at this point, and they weren’t even trying to hide it. “And then they dramatically broke up in front of people.” Bart finished. Or he didn’t.

“You would think that was the end of it, but people actually protested against them breaking up, telling them they were the perfect couple and-”

“Okay, shut up.” Jon whined, cheeks red. Damian’s ears turned pink, as he turned to the side, trying to avoid the stares of the people at the table. He ended up making eye-contact with a girl, who gasped at the blushing Damian, making him turn back. “Thanks, Jon. You made my day.” I said, holding my stomach, which hurt after laughing so much. “I- you- you’re welcome.” the ravenette stuttered out, turning even more red, if that was possible.

“Let’s stop teasing Jon before he bursts.” Damian lets out, looking at Jon. “Isn’t that right, love?” he says again, making Jon smack him hardly on his arm, whining about how ‘Damian was the worst of them all.’

It was fun.

It wasn’t going to last.

The bell rang loudly, signaling the end of the break. “I need to get going.” Damian standing up immediately. “Us too.” Bart said, following him. The students rushed out of the cafeteria as me and the others stood up too.

“See you later.” Damian said, and somehow, it wasn’t to us. “Don’t forget, yeah? It’s tonight.” Jon warns, waving at the brunette, who immediately nodded, walking away in a rush.

“Wait- you don’t go here?” I ask Jon in surprise. “Hmm? Nah, we don’t. Bart lives in the next city over and I live in Metropolis.” he replies. “Why are you here, then?” Chloe asks. “We came to meet Damian. And to invite him to- somewhere.” he says again, pausing.

“I don’t think you understood me.” Chloe shakes her head. “How are you here at GA, wearing their uniform?” she asks. Jon throws his head back, laughing. “Rich friend.” he stated nonchalantly, as if it explained everything.

It did.

Jon and Bart walked with us till the front, waiting when we tore the name tags, shoving them inside the garbage can. Ms. Bustier and the class were long gone when we arrived at the entrance, stopping near the jeep Jason lent me. We exchanged numbers with each other, Bart fist-pumping Jon like a proud brother. “You got her number!” he whispered excitedly to his black-haired friend, who just smacked his head in return.

“So.” Jon started, when we were ready to go our own ways.

“See you around?”

“See you around.” I confirmed.

That was the probably last of him I’d see in the next few weeks.

…….

[Q.] Do you believe in ‘God’?

Chapter Text

“I finished first!”

“No, I finished first!”

“Both of you finished after I did!”

Jason, Dick and Tim had decided to have an eating competition halfway through dinner, now fighting over who won. And maybe this went on for a bit too long, before Selena decided it was high time they stopped. “Stop it, kids. Tim came first, Dick second and Jason came last. Now would you please finish the rest of you dinner peacefully?” she almost screamed, as Bruce stared at the scene in front of him blankly.

“Oh, cool.”

“Why didn’t you just say so?”

“Yeah. We know Tim won.”

The responses of the three chaos-causers left Adrien, Chloe and Luka in stitches, as they choked on their food in laughter. Alfred was this close to calling the ambulance in worry for the three. Laughter echoed through the walls of the dining room as the Wayne Brothers went back to having their meal, making conversation with the others in the room. Everyone was happy.

All except one.

The only black spot on a clean slate.

Damian Wayne.

The brunette had come back from school at 7, only to grab some Cheetos from the kitchen, get his keys from Alfred and walk out the door once again, not to be seen until 5 minuted before dinner. Damian now sat in front of me, phone on one hand and fork on another; a judgmental look on his face and a glare in his eye, as he skillfully ignored the stupidity of his half-brothers.

He stared at his phone, sometimes letting go of his fork to violently type something into it. While he minded his own business, I couldn’t take my eyes off him. I stared at the brunette as he munched on his dinner, cheeks puffing out adorably. He suddenly looks up, eyes latching straight onto mine. Heat rose in my cheeks as the brunette caught me staring, but I dared not break eye contact. Damian swallowed what he was chewing, before shooting me a smirk.

That was my breaking point.

I choked on the lasagna I had shoved in my mouth a few seconds ago. Alya patted my back with a sympathetic look on her face, giving me some water to drink. I smiled at her thankfully. Damian’s smirk had grown in size after seeing my reaction. But I wasn’t going to give up. “Hey, Dami.” I called out, clearing my throat. The brunette looked up in curiosity. “Where’s your boyfie?” I teased.

He choked.

I won. I looked at his red face as he struggled to swallow what he was eating, before gulping down a lot of water. Dick fussed over his little brother, asking him to throw his phone away during dinner. The amount of satisfaction it gave me was insane.

Damian argued with Dick for a minute to explain that it wasn’t the phone that made him choke, but the brunette didn’t have it in him to explain the real reason. I knew he didn’t. I smirked at him in victory as he glared back at me.

And after that, he did nothing to mess with me.

His glare was scary.

But I would do it again.

…….

Dinner was over far too soon for my liking.

I sat in my room, lights off, laptop switched on, lying on my bed as I waited for the others to get here. YouTube was a woman’s favorite after all. I searched up recent crime rates in Paris, hoping it hadn’t increased when we were away.

It hadn’t.

Paris’ crime rates were always low, but now, it was at its lowest. I was glad our hard work was paying off. The countdown I had set popped up on my screen, showing that there were barely 5 seconds to midnight.

23.58 pm

23.59 pm

00.00 am

When the digits all turned to zero, I peeked at the door, waiting for the others to reach. I waited for a few minutes more, and they still weren’t here. Ugh, I thought it would be cool if they knocked right at midnight, like they do in books.

Honestly, what did I expect?

I opened up YouTube again, watching some videos to pass time. Suddenly, a knock on the door startled me. I rolled my eyes; they were late. “Mari, it’s us. Please don’t chuck anything at us this time.” I heard Nino whisper from the other side of the door. “Last time was Adrien’s fault.” Alya whispered, making Adrien defend himself. “How was I supposed to know she would throw a dagger at us?” he aggressively whispered.

My hands glowed as I created a hand-like projection, which twisted the door knob, letting the others in. The glowing-red hand beckoned them in, as Alya slipped her hand into it, whispering a ‘Gladly’ as if she was being escorted. “Come on in.” I whispered, Luka coming in last and locking the door after him. The six ran over towards me and jumping on the bed, Adrien somehow tripping and falling face-first on the floor.

His delay earned him the worst possible spot to watch the laptop; at the complete end. Chloe smacked the blonde as he whined about coming first and ending up last. He also blamed me for having the lights off.

“Are you hacking into the Batcave?”

“Please tell me you’re hacking into the Batcave.”

“That would be fun.”

“I want to see Mari’s boy-toy’s reaction.”

“Shhh.” I violently turn back, hushing all of them. “I need you all to shut up while I do this.” I say, making everyone nod happily. Swiping and clicking on the laptop, I finally end up with a plain black screen, green letters on them.

“Let’s start.”

I crack my knuckles, my fingers the flying over the keys on my keyboard, typing stuff, that to a non-coder, wouldn’t make much sense. I got into the server easier than I expected. I don’t know if I should be glad or sad that Bruce’s security was this shitty.

7 seconds.

That’s all it took.

Once I found the back-door into the server, which I think was supposed to be the hard part, I got in too easy. There weren’t even system alerts set up in case someone broke in. Bruce got too cocky and let his guard down.

I hope this gives him a wake-up call.

I set up an automatic process to extract and copy all data, while I connect my laptop to the main screen in the Batcave, or otherwise, the Batcomputer. I’m guessing everything Bruce owns is named after ‘Bat.’ Connecting to the Batcomputer’s camera, I open a window, just to see the reactions of Bruce and the Bat-family. Alya giggles behind me, knowing that this was going to be fun. Now whatever I type in would be displayed on the Batcomputer screen.

I even made sure the letters would glitch.

For dramatics.

I slam my thumb on the enter key, making the computer screen switch from the Scarecrow report Bruce was typing up, to the same blank black screen as the one on my laptop.

‘Bruce Wayne is Batman.’

Bruce, or Batman now, sat in front of the laptop, cowl down. He squinted his eyes at what was being displayed, panic shown evidently in his eyes. “What the hell?” he curses, trying to type something, but nothing worked.

‘Don’t try, Brucie. It won’t work.’

Bruce paused his actions.

‘Bruce Wayne is Batman. How do you think that would look on the headlines of tomorrow’s paper?’

“What do you want?” he muttered, cautiously.

‘Nothing, really. Just having some fun.’

“You can hear me?” Batman let out, making me shut my eyes. I didn’t want him to find that out. I was going to make him type his answers in. Too late for that. “Can you see me?” he asks, suspiciously.

‘Maybe. Maybe not.’

“So you can. No use of hiding then.” he says, shrugging. “Tim!” he calls out, trying to sound nonchalant, but an infant could see the worry in his eyes. Timothy walks into the frame, eyes widening after he sees the screen. Tim instantly picks up a laptop, trying to hack and gain back access of the server. No, that wouldn’t work. Not anymore.

‘Timothy, love, you and I both know that won’t work.’

And Tim found that out quite soon. As soon as he tried to open up the coder on his laptop, it re-directed to another website. YouTube opened up on his screen, playing a video everyone hates. ‘Never gonna give you up, never gonna let you down…’ The lyrics of the rick-roll song echoed through the Batcave, as Tim cackled in joy. “Killer Skills!” he complimented, shutting his laptop off.

‘Thank you. I assume there aren’t many smart people in your vicinity.’

“Absolutely.” Tim looked amused. “It gets annoying sometimes-” the ravenette gets but off by his father. “Tim, don’t make conversation with the enemy.” he says, in a gruff voice.

‘Brucie, you’re no fun.’

“You know nothing about me.” Batman scoffs out, eyes hardening in defense.

‘I know enough to say that you’re Bruce Wayne, and you sure as hell wouldn’t like it if I spilled your identity to the world.’

Bruce narrowed his eyes. “Are you threatening me?”

‘Why? Do you feel threatened?’

Tim stifled his laughter, as Bruce glared at him in annoyance. “Will you do it? Or can I assume my secret is safe with you?” Bruce asks, almost giving up. He knew there was no way to turn the tables.

‘I won’t. I know just how important secret identities are.’

“You do?” Tim asked, curiously.

‘I do. Besides, I know something you don’t’

Now, that would be the most stupid thing you could say to the world’s greatest detective. But Bruce simply raised his eyebrows. “And what would that be?” he muses.

‘My identity.’

The glitching letters, along with the black screen fade away, leaving Bruce with the Scarecrow report. On my way out the server, I decided to update Bruce’s security system. Once I finally finished installing my code into the server, I backed out, erasing my internet footprints. “How was that?” I whispered breathily, body and mind still on adrenaline. “Crazy amazing!” Alya complimented. Happy compliments were showered on me, somehow overwhelming.

Luka noticed my dazed eyes, ushering everyone out of the room. “Sleep for now, Melody. Let’s talk tomorrow.” Luka says. I whisper a thanks, eyes shutting immediately. The last thing I heard were Kagami’s giggles.

And before I knew it, I was fast asleep.

…….

[Q.] What is your zodiac sign?

Chapter Text

The next morning was tense.

You could feel it in the air; the smell of nervousness, itching to burst out of all the Waynes in the Manor. Barbara had come in early this morning, whispering a hurried ‘Hi’ before marching into Bruce’s study. Bruce himself had stayed home today, apparently stating that his head hurt after falling off the bed this morning. The executives at the company assumed he had a bad hangover, something his playboy self would usually do.

But I knew better.

What I didn’t know, was whether Bruce stayed back because he hurt himself after patrol, or stayed back to investigate after yesterday. Tim had gone to Wayne Enterprises in his stead, accompanied by Damian, who ditched school.

Breakfast was over in a second.

Dick and Jason stated that they were going out to eat, presumably for morning patrol, while Damian and Tim and eaten early. Bruce decided to eat in his study while Barbara didn’t even bother coming out. Selena was the only one at the table, offering us a apologetic smile and a nonsense excuse. The walk to my room after breakfast was silent. Somehow, my room had become headquarters of operations.

As the door shut behind us, you could hear exhales of relief from most of the gang. “Can you feel it? The bad atmosphere?” Adrien asks, innocently. The group stayed silent, going through the events of last night silently.

“See, you’ve got to admit. Last night was fun.” Luka let out, gaining a silent hum from Kagami. “But I can’t help but feel a little guilty for it.” he voiced out the thoughts of everyone in the room. “I get him.” Kagami speaks up. “I enjoyed every bit of seeing the panic on their faces yesterday, but Mari, just imagine how scared they must be.” she says softly. “I know, I know. I’m sorry guys, this is all my fault.” I say.

I sit down on my bed, hands on my face. Nino gingerly pulls them off my face. “Come on Mari, we all know it isn’t your fault. We edged you on.” he says. “B-but I’m the leader here. I’m supposed to-”

“You’re not supposed to do anything, Mari. If anything, it’s all of our fault.” Adrien says. I smile at all of them gratefully, but it wasn’t enough. “We all know how hard it is to keep our identities secret. We should’ve thought twice.” I say, sadly.

“Its alright. What’s done is done.”

“Now, lets talk about how amused Tim looked yesterday.”

“Oh god, the poor boy looked-”

Hear that?

That was the sound of our sympathy fading away.

…….

Hours passed as we had fun.

Adrien and Nino stole game controllers from Tim and Dick’s room, connecting it to the console in my room and ultimately playing Mario Kart, in which first-time player Adrien was handing Nino’s ass on a platter.

“How could you be so good, Adrien?”

“I don’t know. I guess I’m just good at it.”

“Tell me the truth. You played this in secret didn’t you?”

“I didn’t have the time to?”

“You did! At night!”

“You know Nino, usually, people sleep at night.”

Chloe, Kagami, Alya and I were busy gossiping, while Luka was silently strumming his guitar like the loner he was. My phone beeped with a message. I look at it, my mood instantly brightening.

“Guys, I have good news.

Adrien and Nino paused their game to look at me. I giggled at how innocent Adrien looked, staring at me with wide eyes in his fluffy shirt and loose jeans, before turning serious.

“I found us the perfect house!”

My exited voice found only silence. “What?” I ask, confused. “A house? For us?” Alya voiced out. “Yeah. We’re shifting here after finals, right?” I ask, hesitantly. Adrien looked exited, while Nino looked apologetic. “About that, Mari-” he started. “You don’t have to say anything.” I cut him off in a hurry. “I get that you guys have families there, and you might want to stay back, and I’m not forcing you or anything.” I chuckled nervously.

“I just- I just have nothing left in Paris anymore.”

Nino looked even more saddened after my statement. “I’m sorry, Mari. Just give me more time to think, yeah?” he says softly. “That’s okay. I mean- I bought the lease to the house already, so I can’t really give it back.” I laughed out. “Oh my god! Can I design my own room?” Adrien asked excitedly, eyes sparkling with childish joy. “Of course you can. All of you can. And even if you aren’t gonna stay-” I look at Nino and Alya. “-you can have the room for when you’ll come visit.”

They smiled at me gratefully.

Kagami looked happy, a smile on her face. “Do we get our own secret lair now?” Chloe squealed, not being able to hide her excitement. Alya and Nino looked surprised at her outburst. “You’re moving?” they ask her. “Of course. I have nothing left there either. Plus, Mari needs me here so we can move the headquarters of MW.” she lets out. “You’re staying too, right baby?” she turns to Luka, who smiles at her. “Always.” he let out.

I look at him weirdly. “What?” he asks me. “I’m practically an outcast at home, and Jagged- no, dad can always come visit.” Luka says, making me grin widely. “Mother would let me go if it is with Adrien.” Kagami says, smiling.

No, it was getting too emotional for my taste.

I decided to change the subject.

“We get our own secret lair.” I say, smiling. Adrien let out a ‘Yes!’ pumping his fist in the air and doing a small victory dance, which honestly looked weird with him sitting down. Everyone laughed at him, while the blonde sat there with no embarrassment.

“The secret lair’s the good part. I hacked into the house system, and apparently, there’s a built in basement under the building, which isn’t mentioned in the new blueprints.” “The contractors couldn’t fine the original ones, so they made new ones after surveying the house. I’m guessing they somehow missed the entrance to the basement.” I say.

Luka hummed in understanding. “But you found them somehow, didn’t you? And you destroyed them?” he asks, looking at me pointedly. “Of course, I did. No one will ever find out about the basement.” I said, cockily.

Suddenly, someone knocked on the door.

My heart almost stopped.

“Ms. Marinette. It is time for lunch.”

Gasps of breath were heard as everyone let out the breath they were holding. Chuckling softly, I get up to open the door. Alfred stood there, in all his old-man glory. “Hey Alfred, last stop?” I ask him. “First.” he replies. “Master Bruce and Miss Barbara are always quite hard to convince.” he says, chuckling along with me. “How about you lead the others to the dining hall, while I get convince Bruce?” I suggest.

“That would be appreciated. Thank you, Ms. Marinette.” he says, bowing again. “Oh no, it’s alright. I’m guessing you don’t get much help around here.” I say, smiling. “I do.” Alfred replies, making me raise an eyebrow in surprise.

“You do?”

“Of course. Master Damian always helps if he has the time.”

“Damian does?”

“Yes.”

Alfred’s reply left me shocked. Damian Wayne helps out? The same rich, spoilt brat I met? I would have expected Dick, or maybe even Stephanie or Tim, but Damian? The thought made me happy. It made me smile. “Master Damian is not as bad as you think.” Alfred says, startling me. “He was simply raised that way. After all, clay becomes what you mold, am I right?” he asks me. “Y-yeah, of course.” I reply.

Alfred just stares at me with a knowing look.

Leaving the old man behind and waving a ‘Bye’ to my friends, I head to Bruce’s study. It was quite far from Damian’s and my room, although I didn’t know if that was intentional. I knew the reason we were placed next to Damian was so the guy could make some friends. I don’t see that happening anytime soon, but expect the unexpected, right? I finally come to a stop in front of Bruce’s study, where I could hear whispers of their conversation.

“- and maybe we were too lazy with our security.” I heard Dick over the phone, presumably telling him about his empty lead. “This was bound to happen sometime.” he says again.

Maybe I was the cause of this.

I placed a fake signal in Bludhaven, you know, for the fun of it.

Barbara spoke next. “You noticed it too, didn’t you Bruce?” she asked carefully. I could hear Bruce sighing. “The security update was the same one installed in the Justice League server 3 years ago.” Bruce confirms.

I shut my eyes in pain.

I completely forgot about that. They weren’t supposed to find out. “Wait- really?” Dick screeched through the phone, some mumbling in the background, probably from Tim. “What is this supposed to mean?” Dick asks, voice dreary. Dick suddenly groans, static on the phone. Tim’s voice then rings out, loud and clear.“It means that this person, this hacker here, has broken into our servers not one, but twice.” he says.

The room becomes silent for a while.

“That must have taken mad skills! I mean- how could they find the backdoor of the JL server? Isn’t it hidden by magic?” Tim bursts enthusiastically, making me stifle a laugh behind the door. Apart from that, I found out something important.

The Justice League server was hidden with magic.

And I broke it open.

No wonder it was so easy.

“We can assume the hacker is someone with magic. No human could find the server that easy.” Barbara theorized. “We can also assume that this hacker found out our identities through the JL server.” Bruce added.

These people were smart.

Luka and I couldn’t ever compare.

But I couldn’t listen anymore. It felt like I was eavesdropping on a private conversation; which I was. I slammed the door open, the door opening with more force than I intended. Bruce stood unfazed while Barbara flinched, immediately closing her laptop.

I realized I didn’t knock.

“I’m sorry for intruding.” I let out, smiling nervously and hoping they weren’t mad. But all of that was thrown out the moment Barbara smiled at me. “That’s alright, Marinette. You were just lost in thought, weren’t you?” she asks.

“Yeah, kind of.”

“Why are you here, Ms. Marinette?” Bruce asks, faking a headache and clutching his head. “O-oh. Alfred said it was high time both of you came out for lunch. A-and I think you should rest for sometime, Bruce.” I let out, faking my stutter.

See, it was give and take.

“O-of course.” Barbara stuttered out. “I need to get going. My dad needs me home. And you need to rest too, Bruce.” she tells Bruce pointedly, intentions hidden behind concern. “And Marinette, would you kindly let Alfred know that Bruce must not be disturbed for the rest of the day? He really needs the rest.” she says, stressing the ‘really’. Oh, I knew what she was doing.

She was making sure everyone knew Bruce was resting and not parading around in a Bat-like costume. But I don’t mind playing along. “Yeah, of course. I’ll tell him during lunch.” I say, making her smile grow. Telling Alfred during lunch means in front of everyone, which means more eyewitnesses in case something goes wrong. Unlucky for them, everyone in this house right now knew their identities. I was going to hold back that information for a while.

“Thank you, Marinette.”

I grinned, somehow evilly.

“No problem.”

…….

[Q.] Has Bruce put his family in danger by bringing them into his line of work?

Chapter Text

It had been 4 days since that night.

The family dynamic was back to normal.

Bruce had given the same ‘headache’ excuse for the next two days, then probably giving up on the operation and going back to W.E. Dick, Tim and all the Wayne’s had presumably given up from the lack of leads, going back to usual.

They must have realized the ‘hacker’ was telling the truth after realizing that it had been days, and there still wasn’t any news of their identities being leaked. I had a suspicion they weren’t completely sure, but this was okay. Breakfast was eaten in silence this morning, without the lame jokes of Dick, who’d stayed in Bludhaven with his family; he was coming back this afternoon. Damian had left for school early.

The brunette gave his father a nonsense excuse, which Bruce believed, thinking Damian was going to patrol, but some feeling in my gut told me that wasn’t true. Well- whatever. It wasn’t any of my business.

“Bruce.” I spoke.

The said Wayne looked up from his breakfast, making eye contact with me. “Me and the others are going to visit our house site today.” I say, smiling. It was fun to stay with the Wayne’s but I knew we need to get out of there sooner or later.

I chose ‘sooner’.

“Oh, has it been finalized already?” Bruce asked in curiosity. I had told him I had bought a house here in Gotham, and that only the finishing touches were to be done. The workers here were very diligent.

Or they were scared of the Batman who showed up.

Yeah, that’s right. Once I told Bruce about this, he visited the house site as Batman, scaring the shit out of the workers there. We barely managed to convince them they saw wrong because of the rain that day. “Of course, there wasn’t much to change.” I let out. Jason let out a whine, clinging to my arm. “Pixie, do you need to go? You can stay here forever.” he said, making Selena clear her throat loudly.

“No. I can’t stay, Jase.” I let out, smiling at him apologetically. “You and I both know that isn’t going to go well.” I say. “It might-” Jason started, before I gave him a look and he cut himself off. “It’s okay.” he says, understanding.

“Anyway, kids.” Bruce called out, catching all attention. “Please be back before 6 pm. Gotham isn’t as safe as Paris.” he warned. Alya and Adrien let out an ‘Okay’ while Chloe argued that we can take care of ourselves. Jason silently pulled out his keys, to which I shook my head. “Our cars are being shipped today. We’ll take a cab.” I say, to which Jason argued that he could drive us there, to which Chloe complained that he was being an annoying older brother.

Jason took huge offense to that.

And then he put on his sunglasses to look ‘cool’.

…….

The taxi zoomed away, leaving us in the dust.

“Here we are!” I said, waving dramatically at the mansion in front of us, as Luka chuckled. Alya stared open-mouthed as Chloe boasted about how she’d lived in bigger houses when she traveled with her ‘Daddy.’

Her old habit hadn’t really gone away.

Luka and I were the only ones who’d visited the site before, but Adrien looked amazed. He looked like a kid. I walk to the gate, which scanned my eye and letting me in. The gates swung open, as the others hadn’t moved an inch.

“You’re telling me this is our house?” Nino gasps at the lights all over the place. I looked over at Luka for an explanation about the switched on lights, to which he shrugged. We must have forgotten to switch it off. Or it was automatic. “I already put in your bio-metrics, so welcome in!” I say excitedly, as we all walked in. Adrien side-eyed me. “Don’t you need us for that?” he asked. “Well- you usually do.” I reply, shrugging, as if that explained everything.

“Crazy designing.” Kagami said.

“How do you like it? Most of it was Luka’s choice.” I say. “Like? No- I love it! This place is literally my dream house.” Chloe said, once she got over her boasting and realized this wasn’t one of those fancy hotels; it was her house.

“Who bought this?”

Alya’s voice rang out, small and insecure. I looked at her, her guilt shining through her honest eyes. I knew she was blaming herself. She was blaming herself for not contributing for buying this house. “I did.” I answered, ignoring the feeling in my gut to comfort her here. Alya was someone who would be embarrassed if someone found out about her insecurities, no matter who it was.

“Adrien, Chloe and Kagami pitched it. Luka did too, kind of.” I add. Adrien, Chloe and Kagami inherited a fortune under their names, while I was quite well off myself. Chloe worked under MW, gaining some profits herself. Luka didn’t have as much as we did, but he had enough for luxuries. He’d gotten a handsome amount from Jagged, his dad, who wanted to make up for not being there. Luka, uploading music covers on YouTube, had garnered quite the amount himself.

Nino and Alya, not so much.

As much as I told them that no one cares, they wouldn’t have it. Because I know how it looks from away; they would look like leeches. But to us, they were perfect the way they are. “Let’s go in.” Adrien jumps in joy, snapping out of my thoughts. The super-exited blonde practically skipped to the entrance, scanning his eye and opening the door. He held the door open, bowing funnily every time someone crossed him to enter the house.

The main gate swung shut behind us.

The door shut too, leaving us in comfortable silence for a minute, before it was broken by Adrien and Chloe running around everywhere around the house. I clapped, to which the lights turned on automatically.

“I’m liking this house more and more every minute.” Luka says, chuckling. “Right?” Nino said, exited. I laugh at their antics as they stumble upon the cinema room, the dining hall, their personal rooms and much more.

The cool part?

Every room came with it’s own study.

Everyone finally regrouped in the living room.

“We are planning on being heroes- no, vigilantes in Gotham right?” Alya asked, once we had toured the house. “Yes.” I replied, to which Alya raised her eyebrows. “I practically searched the house, and I can’t find the entrance to the basement.” she says. “That-” I start, sharing a glance with Luka and grinning at her. “-is the fun part.” I finish. “Let me show you.” I say, walking away with everyone following me. I stop in front of the wall near the TV, blankly staring at it.

“Open.” I whisper.

And suddenly, a blue laser came out of practically nothing, scanning me. It took barely a second before the light dissapeared. Neon green letters were displayed on the wall, stating only two words.

‘Access granted.’

The white wall slid aside, practically folding on itself as it revealed a high tech express elevator. “Oh my god.” Chloe breathed, amazed. “Come on.” I said, walking in. The small elevator somehow fit the seven of us in, going down.

When the doors finally opened before our eyes, gasps were heard. Everyone had their eyes wide in astonishment. Including me; I hadn’t seen this part, Luka was in charge of it.

“How is it?” he whispered to me, as I gave him a thumbs up.

Our secret base stood there, in all is glory. Completely filled with high tech computers and a wall wholly dedicated to weapons like swords, arrows, grapple guns, knives, sticks, shields and whatever else you can name.

One one side, there were 8 translucent glass cupboards, each with a name on them.

Kagami went and stood in front of hers, the same blue laser scanned her, opening immediately. A suit stood before her light-red and black covering it, a dragon print on the right leg, completely made of leather. “Non-magic.” I stated, when she looked at me in confusion. “Fitted with nano-tech so you can practically wear it as a watch. This way, if you de-transform out of your magic suit, you’re identity won’t be revealed.” I say.

“It cost quite a bit.” Adrien pitched in. He was the only one who knew, and the only one I asked when I had to fund this. The bank would have been suspicious and I needed a few million more dollars. “These are spares. We have two spares. The ones you’ll be wearing are in here.” Adrien said, picking up a familiar looking box from a table and opening it to reveal a few watches, each customized to fit its owner.

Everyone got theirs out of the box, and as I went up to Adrien to grab mine, I shot him an grateful smile, to which he smile back innocently. I was the last, and yet there was one more watch in there. “Who’s is that?” Nino asked, curious. “That… is for the future Chat Noir.” I whisper, as Adrien looked at it longingly. The others looked repulsed at the thought. “I don’t like it more than you do.” I say, sadly.

“According to the Guardian Temple, where there is creation, there must be destruction. So both the cat and the bug miraculous must be in use at the same time.” I explain, to which they nodded in understanding.

“Whatever.”

And the topic was closed.

Once everyone was done messing with every little thing down there, we all went back to the living room. Laughter spread through the room as we sat down to play Uno together; a game Adrien had snuck out of Wayne Manor.

We were content.

But I wondered if that would last.

…….

[Q.] Recommend me some mystery/thriller books.

Chapter Text

It was 11 am by the time we got over our excitement.

Adrien, being the curious blonde he was, decided to mess with the coffee machine, making us all coffee. That was probably a bad decision, seeing as it sent all of us on a caffeine rush. “This place is amazing.” Chloe said, eyes scouring every inch of the living room. “It is. Now, all we need to do is move in.” Luka told her, pulling Chloe closer and pecking her cheek.

“That’s it!” she said, jumping up in excitement, as Luka’s arm fell off her. The blue-haired boy pouted as his girlfriend ignored his affection. Nevertheless, he decided to entertain her.

“What’s it?”

“All we need to do is move in!” she squealed, repeating what Luka had said, while the said boy looked as confused as we were. Adrien’s eyes sparkled. “I get her. Guys, we can move in now!” he said. “Huh?” I blurted out, confused. “No, seriously. All we need to do is go to Wayne Manor, stuff our clothes back in our suitcases, buy some groceries, and we’re set to go!” Adrien said again, smiling.

“That’s a good idea, really.”

“But someone needs to pick up groceries.”

The room went silent.

“Well- I’m not going.”

“Me either.”

“Good. We’ll move in tomorrow then.”

That was the end of it. Adrien and Chloe looked super bummed out, to which Alya retorted that if they get the groceries, we could follow through, to which both of them recoiled in disgust.

……

It was 7 pm soon.

Time passed quite quickly, and I’m sure I wasn’t the only one feeling like that. I decided to take a nap, feeling tired out of my mind. The past days were quite hectic, and my brain desperately needed a break. When I woke up at 7 pm, everyone except Luka was sprawled on the couch of the cinema room, watching a movie, eating chips and what-not. So they would go to the store to get snacks, but not for groceries.

I live with crackheads.

I yawned, walking to the kitchen and pouring myself a cup of coffee, which I’m sure Adrien had refilled for the fourth time that day. If anyone could rival Tim in coffee consumption, it was me and Adrien. A bad habit we’d developed from being the only superheroes. I walk back into the cinema room, only to see that no one had moved an inch. “Have you guys been here the whole time?” I ask, to which Nino shook his head without taking his eyes off the TV.

“We went to the movie theater with Luka.” he replied.

“And you’re watching a movie again?”

“Yes.”

I- what?

“Where’s Luka?” I tried again, confused. Nino looked annoyed with my questions. “He said he’s tired. Now shh, Mari. I’m trying to watch a movie.” he replied. I shrug, walking out into the hallway and away from the noise.

My phone rang, making me confused.

I switch it on, my phone shining brightly among the lights which Adrien had probably switched off, stating that they were distractions while watching a movie. I saw about 2 missed calls from Jason and a few messages from Bruce.

Bruce Wayne: Hello Marinette. How is the house site?

[Sent 11.35 am]

Bruce Wayne: I assume it must be good, seeing as you haven’t come back yet.

[Sent 02.00 pm]

Bruce Wayne: Marinette, I told you to be back by 7. Where are you? Do you need one of the boys to pick you up?

[Sent 6.25 pm]

I had missed a lot of messages. Jason and Tim had sent me millions of texts, telling me how Dick was back and he bought sweets. And then another one saying the sweets were over, and then worried texts about if we were coming back.

I cursed, opening up Bruce’s message.

Me: Hey Bruce, we’re fine. I was just asleep till now. We’ll be there for dinner in an hour.

Bruce Wayne: Alright, be safe. And drive fast, Gotham isn’t somewhere you can easily drive through.

Me: Okay. Thanks, Bruce.

I ran to the cinema room, alerting everyone about this. “Hey guys, get ready to go back. We’re going to be late for dinner.” I say, making everyone groan and sigh. “Come on! We don’t have time to waste.” Kagami said, standing up.

“Yeah.” I supported her. “We need to find a cab and-” “We don’t.” Adrien said, head shooting up from where he was sleeping. “Huh?” I asked. Kagami smiled, clarifying. “Our cars arrived. They’re parked out in the garage.” she says. “O-oh. That’s nice.” I say. “Come on, guys. Go get ready while I wake up Luka.” I say, smiling and then walking out. Chloe raised her hand in protest, but I hadn’t seen that, already out of the room.

I walk up the stairs and go to Luka and Chloe’s room, realizing that I could have just told Chloe to go. Smacking my face, I open the door slowly. The door opened, not creaking, because this was a new door. Luka was sprawled on the bed, face buried in his pillow and comforter half on the ground. I giggled at his state, before walking towards him. “Luka. Hey, Luka. Wake up!” I whispered, nudging him a little.

He groaned and turned the other way.

I almost laughed out loud. I walk to the other side of the bed, nudging him again. “Hey, Luk-” I was cut off by a hand wrapping around my wrist, pulling me into the bed. Luka wrapped his hands around me in a back hug, a small smile on his face.

“Hey, girlfriend.” He whispered, burying his face in the crook of my neck. “Not your girlfriend.” I say, startling the boy awake. Luka’s eyes snapped open, staring into mine. I stared into his sea-blue eyes in silence.

“Shit. Sorry, Melody.” he said, letting go of me and moving away, only to shut his eyes again. “It’s okay.” I said, laughing silently. “Luka! Don’t go to sleep again. We’re going to be late for dinner at Wayne Manor.” I say.

“No.”

That was all Luka said, before he turned away, somehow bringing the comforter back onto himself and wrapping it around him like a cocoon. He snuggled into the comforter. My mind was blank.

“You- you look like a burrito!” I state.

I start laughing, quite loudly. I climb onto the sleeping boy, trying to pull the comforter away. “Get up- Luka, come on- You have to get- Stop pushing me away!” I exclaimed, panting in exhaustion.

Luka had always been stronger than me.

“Ugh.” I groaned falling onto him. “Just get up already.” I say, sounding defeated. “No.” he says. “Luka, seriously-” “Okay, okay! I’m up.” he says, almost laughing. Luka sits up, looking like a burrito folding into half.

“Pfft-”

“Stop laughing.” he groans.

“You did this to yourself.”

“J-just help me out of this.”

I laugh at Luka’s embarrassment. Suddenly, I hear someone clear their throat. Both of our heads snap towards the door, where Chloe stood, eyebrows raised. It was then that I realized our position.

I also realized that the door was open this whole time.

Luka was wrapped up in a comforter, sitting up and leaning on the bed frame, while I sat on his lap. Also, this blue-haired guy was blushing. Although in embarrassment, but Chloe wouldn’t know that.

“O-oh.” I stutter.

Luka was unfazed, which I suppose was a good thing. “Hey, girlfriend.” he stated, grinning and repeating the same thing he had said to me when he thought I was Chloe. “Hey… baby.” Chloe replied hesitantly. I stumble off the blonde’s boyfriend, looking back at him before facing Chloe. “He- he wouldn’t wake up. Um- help him out of that.” I say again, forcing a smile at the blonde before rushing out of the room.

“What’s going on-?” I heard Chloe ask as I left in a hurry, rushing through the hallway and into my room, shutting the door behind me. I sigh in relief. That was embarrassing. That was also something that could cause misunderstandings.

Never again.

…….

[Q.] Do you think Chloe would misunderstand Marinette?

Chapter Text

Two cars raced toward Wayne Manor.

One black and the other one blood-red. The red car was far ahead of the black one, but the black was catching up quite fast. Dust flew behind the wheels as the two cars competed, performing different tricks and stunts. I laughed as the Wayne Manor gates came into view, peeping out the window to flick off Adrien, who was driving the black car. The blonde sped up in return, but it was too late. The finish line was approaching, and I was first.

Like always.

I drifted to a stop right before the entrance, and believe me, when I say I was this close to hitting the gate, too absorbed in adrenaline. Adrien slowed down from quite far away, coming to a safe stop. I grinned at him slyly.

I turned around to see the faces of my friends, all terrified. Luka, Chloe, and Kagami were the only people who dared to step into my car after the first time here, and even now, they looked terrified for their life. “What?” I questioned, when Luka stared at me blankly from the back seat. “Don’t look at me like that, it was Adrien’s fault.” I say, throwing the blonde under the bus. Kagami grinned with joy in the front seat.

“Do it again.” she said.

“Never again.” Chloe said.

I raised an eyebrow at Chloe’s statement. “You hated it that much?” I ask, softly. Chloe smiled at me nervously. “Mari, dear. As much as I love your driving, never race with me in the car.” she said.

“Okay.” I whispered.

I would have thought Chloe would misunderstand what had happened in the room previously, but she hadn’t. She sought me out before we started, telling me that she wasn’t mad because she trusted me too much. She might have also told me to try not to be so close with Luka, because it made her jealous. I wholeheartedly agreed. And then she swooned about Luka being whipped for her, when she heard his side of what happened.

“Can you believe it, Mari? I was the first thing he thought about!”

“Yeah. Sure, Chloe.”

And then I regretted ever worrying.

…….

“Blueberry!”

Dick’s voice greeted me excitedly as he ran to give me a hug.

“-And friends!” Jason fake-shouted, making sarcastic dazzle hands and waving Luka and Kagami to come hug him. The duo laughed, running into his arms as Dick pouted sadly.

Damian then walked into the room, headphones on, probably listening to music. He bopped his head to the beat, eyes spotting mine. “Hey, Damian!” I shouted, making Dick clutch his ears. Damian furrowed his eyebrows, an indication that he didn’t hear what I was saying. Gosh, how loud was his music? I simply waved, to which he waved back. “Dupain-Cheng.” he acknowledged, plopping himself onto the couch.

“You’re late, you know.” Jason let out, when we all took a seat- whether on the couch or on the floor. “I slept in. Sorry, Jase.” I say, yawning to prove my point. “You did? Good, t-that’s good.” he said.

As if on cue, Alfred walked in with two plates of food, one on each hand, and walked towards the dining table. Some servants, which I’m guessing they hired, followed the old man into the dining hall, all carrying food. “That’s… a lot of food.” Nino says, confusion in his eyes. “Yeah, it is. Do we have guests?” I ask Dick. The ravenette smiles at me nervously. “Yes, we do. And I’m guessing you know them.” Tim’s voice rang out, making me flinch.

“Oh my god!”

“Stop scaring us like that!”

“What the hell, Tim!”

“God, we need to put a bell on him.” Jason muttered in spite, making everybody laugh out loud. Only Damian sat unfazed, raising his eyebrows in confusion. Tim looked just as confused as Damian, his eye-bags so dark, I thought he was wearing an eye mask.

“What?” Tim asked in an offended tone, making us laugh even harder, as Adrien, who was sitting on the sofa, fell to the floor while clutching his stomach. Just as we had tears in our eyes, we heard voices coming toward us.

Very familiar voices.

The doors burst open to reveal the people we hated the most. Bruce stood at the front of the class, leading them inside. Lila stood right next to Bruce, practically clinging onto the man’s arm as if he was her lifeline. Alix grinned slyly, her boyfriend Kim holding her close, as they both followed right behind Lila. The rest of the class came in behind them. Bruce stopped once he spotted us. “Ms. Marinette. I see you’ve arrived. Please accompany us to the dining hall.” he said.

This sight looked wrong.

It looked so wrong.

It was then I realized how fake Bruce’s smile looked, how stiff he stood and how he talked to us in an over-polite manner. Bruce knew I had bad blood with these guys, and yet he invited me when they were coming over? He was planning something.

Dick looked at me sadly, while Tim and Jason looked pissed. I met Damian’s eyes, as he glanced at me apologetically, and I instantly knew his brothers had forced him to tell them about this. So, every Wayne in this house knew about the bullying. Best part, they were on my side. Worst part, they were ready to kill these students right then and there. I smirked at Lila, who was smiling slyly at me.

The war has begun.

The class had looked genuinely surprised to see me here. The drug-addict, the wh*re they despised, was standing in front of them, in Wayne Manor, arm-in-arm with the Wayne brothers. “Hey, Bruce.” I let out with a smile, pretending to be unfazed. And as much as the rest were confused, they hid it behind their cocky smiles and arrogant faces. I stiffened, my guard up.

By this point, everyone was standing. Damian slowly walked forward, standing next to me, as if to tell me that I had him. And everyone else here. I hid a smile, and even though I didn’t want anyone to notice, I was glad Damian did.

“I assume you do not need introductions.” Bruce says, nodding towards me in acknowledgment. “No, we don’t.” I pulled my lips into a tight-lipped smile. “Marinette! It’s so nice to see you again.” Lila says, enthusiastically. The sweetness in her voice was making me sick, and I knew I wasn’t the only one feeling like that, as Bruce cringed. “Thank you, Lila. I had fun these few days without seeing your ugly face.” I say in the same tone as hers.

The sausage-hair’s face flashed dangerously with anger, before it turned sad in an instant. “I-i was just trying to be nice, Marinette.” Tears filled Lila’s eyes. “MARINETTE!” Alix screeched. “Can you stop bullying Lila for once!” she hissed.

“Lila, isn’t that your boyfriend, Damian Wayne?” Juleka whispered. Alix heard her. “How could you bully her in front of her boyfriend?” she shouted. Bruce looked confused. “Boyfriend?” he asked. “Yeah. Your son, Damian!” she shouted again.

“Oh, go rot in a ditch, pinkie. You’re not welcome here.” Chloe snapped, coming to stand beside me. “I’ve had enough of this sausage-hair’s bullshit.” she muttered to me and Damian, as we were the closest to her. The word sausage-hair did something to Damian, as his eyes sparkled in realization. “Is this the same b*tch that claimed to be my girlfriend in GA?” he whispered to me. I nodded, amused. “The same b*tch.” I repeated, trying not to laugh.

Lila saw me whispering to Damian, and changed her pity target from Bruce to Damian. Confidence fueled from Alix’s nonsense whispers, she slowly walks over to Damian. “Damian, they’re bullying me.” she said, clinging to Damian’s arm and pointing at me.

“Who are you, again?” Damian asks, trying to pull his arm away, but Lila dug her nails into the boy’s arm, making him flinch. “Dami-boo, you don’t have to act in front of your family. You can just tell them we’re dating.” she says. Tim, Dick, and everyone behind me broke into quite snickers. Whether it was for the ‘Dami-boo’ or the ‘Dating’ part, they were all stifling their laughter. I myself had to put a hand on my mouth to stop the laughter.

Damian and I made eye contact.

I gave him a look, as if to say ‘You going to believe that bullshit?’ and apparently he understood, as he recoiled in disgust. “Get off me, woman!” Damian hissed, pulling his arm back, as he practically shoved Lila away.

I flinched.

Ooh, even for a lying b*tch, that must’ve hurt.

“B-but, Dami-boo!” Lila whined, approaching him as Damian took a step back, hiding behind me.

This time, hands weren’t enough to stop the laughter as the Waynes and the gang included burst out in laughter. “Ugh. Do not call me that.” Damian said, pulling me in front of him like a human shield. Lila frowned, and then she looked pissed. “Marinette! How could to try to seduce my boyfriend. I trusted you!” she screeched, lunging at me. I took a step back reflexively, only to trip and fall back on Damian, who held me by my waist.

I would’ve blushed.

But this was no time to blush.

This little action of his only seemed to confirm Lila’s accusations to the class. “She seduced Damian Wayne?” Alix muttered, shocked. “She probably got on her knees for him. Who can refuse that?” Kim let out. And then, I felt filthy. Was I so bad that these people I knew for many years could accuse me of such? How did things get this bad, anyway? From the way Damian tightened his hold on me, I knew he knew about my self-doubt.

“Shut up, pinkie.” Damian said, copying what Chloe had called her since he didn’t know her name. “I know for a fact that Marinette would not bully someone, even to save her life. So if you say she bullied you, you probably deserved it.” he said.

I was shocked at how the brunette defended me, but not really. I knew Damian couldn’t stand injustice, seeing as he was a vigilante after all. But more than that, one thing we had in common- we both hated liars.

Lila was a liar.

“Marinette! I know you hate me, but why would you lie to him?” said Lila, probably pissed that Damian wasn’t taking the bait. She let the tears flow out of her eyes to induce pity. But poor her. Damian wasn’t the Ice-Prince for no reason. “Dami-boo, everything Marinette told you is a lie. Marinette is a bully. She used to bully me everyday at school just because she was jealous of me.” she says, sobbing even more and trying to approach Damian, who was still using me as a shield.

The class, now out of their temporary trance, now rushed to comfort Lila.

“Marinette! I know you like Adrien, but you can’t bully Lila because you’re jealous of her.” shouts Alix. “Seriously?” I scoff. This was getting out of hand. It had been years, and I was sick of hearing this over and over again.

I walked front, making Damian drop his hands.

“Wake up from your dream. Adrien and I are over. He is in a relationship with Kagami for God’s sake. Do you think that I’m that much of a b*tch to sabotage a friend’s relationship?” I shouted, eyes raging.

Yes, I had liked Adrien before for a period of time. And when I found out he was Chat Noir, I liked him even more. Obviously, he liked me back, and we dated. But guess what, it didn’t work out, and Adrien got with Kagami. I wasn’t mad, really, seeing as I did the same thing. Luka confessed, and we dated for a while. But being Ladybug and Marinette already drained a lot of energy and I simply had no time for Luka.

And he felt the same. We broke up, and Luka got with Chloe. I stayed single and depressed, sleeping around until Alya and Chloe dragged me out of that pit. But what would they know?

“Knowing you, you’d probably do it anyway.”

My head snapped up to identify who had said that. It was Rose. Rose, the kind-hearted girl who would see the good in everyone. The one who would always be positive and support everyone in whatever they do.

Well- ouch.

That hurt.

No matter how cold-hearted I acted, they were still my friends. Their opinion mattered the most to me a few years ago. My eyes glazed over with tears, but I steeled myself. I promised myself that I would never let them hurt me ever again.

And I mean to keep that promise.

“F*ck you all.” I seethed.

…….

[Q.] Will Marinette accept her friends back if they apologized?

Chapter Text

“F*ck you all.” I seethed.

The room went silent, although I didn’t know if people really shut up, or I went deaf in rage. The class had their mouths open in shock, some with their hands covering their mouths.

“M-marinette, how could you-”

“Oh shut up, will you Lila?”

“Enough!”

The final shout was Bruce’s, who looked completely pissed. I had never heard him shout before, and trust me, I flinched in fear. Lila whimpered as she backed off from Damian, back into the safety of her loyal companions. “This as a house, not a place you can blatantly shout your hearts out like it’s some kind of playground.” he said, raising his voice at the end. Dick was the one that flinched this time. The ravenette walked up to Bruce and put a hand on his shoulder.

This seemed to calm Bruce down.

The oldest Wayne took a deep breath before turning just enough so that he was facing everyone in the room. “Now please, let us peacefully eat dinner and retire to your rooms for the night. No complaints.” he said, as the class nodded.

“Off to the dining hall.”

Bruce waved everyone towards the right, motioning to the large doors. Alfred, who had come back sometime in the middle of our fight, whispered something to Bruce, before leading the class out. “But, Bruce-” Lila started boldly, trying to cling onto the man’s arm. “It’s Mr. Wayne to you.” Bruce snapped, making her back off. “Marinette called you ‘Bruce.’” she said, gaping.

“Well- you’re not Marinette.”

Lila walked away, whimpering like a dog that had been kicked. No matter how cute it looked when Adrien does it, Lila looked like a fool. A coward, even. I grinned in joy, watching her back disappear into the other room. Me and the others, including the Wayne brothers, stood still, until Jason fell back into the couch. “Man, that was intense.” he chortled, making Damian simply raise an eyebrow. “Ugh, tell me about it.” Dick said, walking back and sitting next to Jason.

As we began to settle down in the living room, coming to a unanimous decision to eat dinner after the class had left, we saw Bruce eyeing us from the other end of the room. We had a silent stare off with Bruce before Tim finally understood what was happening.

“Wait- did that apply to us as well?” Tim asked, flabbergasted. Bruce simply nodded, gesturing for us to get in the dining hall. “Bruce, how could you ask us to eat with them after all… that?” Dick asked, astonished.

“You’re going to starve just because of a small fight?” Bruce asked, raising his eyebrows. At times like this, it reminded me of how similar Damian was to Bruce. “No. We’ll just eat later.” Dick voiced our thoughts. Bruce chuckled silently, turning back and walking out of the room. “And who’s going to serve you food, then?” Bruce said, his voice echoing behind him, leaving us to ponder on his question.

A series of groans were heard as people began to understand the meaning behind Bruce’s words. “Let’s get going, then.” Jason said, standing up and stretching. Tim followed, muttering something about getting some coffee cause he’ll need it.

The group of us walked toward the dining hall, which, believe it or not, takes you about 5 minutes. I lagged behind, approaching Damian silently. I grabbed his arm, stopping him. The others walked out, and if they saw us stop, they didn’t show it. “Hey, Dami.” I started, and while the brunette glared at me, he didn’t reply. “What? No greeting? I thought we were getting somewhere.” I say, pouting. Damian shakes his head. “You thought wrong. But… hello, I guess.” he said, whispering the last part.

Aww, he was adorable.

“What do you want from me?” Damian asked again, snapping out of his daze. “Well, I just wanted to thank you.” I say, smiling. “Thank me for what?” he asks. “For standing up for me. It’s been a while since someone has done that for me.” I say.

“You’re welcome. No one deserves to be treated like they do not belong. Especially because of someone’s lies.” Damian says. “Even though they might be a little hardheaded.” he continues, making my mouth fall open.

“Hey!”

My offended shout echoed through the corridor, followed by Damian’s chuckle, as we slowly approached the dining table. “I guess you are not that bad.” The brunette says again, probably trying to fix things up. “I- thank you?” I let out, confused as to what to say. Damian’s lips slowly curved upward, as his eyes sparkled in joy. His eyes were slightly wrinkled on the sides, his nose slightly scrunched.

Damian Wayne was smiling.

And I was in awe of his smile.

“What?” he asked as I stared at his face intently. “You’re smiling.” I reply. The smile immediately dropped from his face, as heat climbed up his neck. He cleared his throat awkwardly.

“Of course, I am. I have emotions too, you know.” he replied. I became flustered. That- that’s not what I meant. “N-no, I mean- your smile is really beautiful.” I ended up admitting my true feelings after stuttering for an answer. “I- what?” he stuttered, to which I rushed to say something. “You should smile more often.” I say, words rushing out of my mouth before I could stop them. Damian stares at me in silence.

I began to wonder if I had offended him somehow. Was telling someone to smile offending? Maybe you meant it in a good way, but it was also implying that they don’t smile often. Was that offending to him?

“Maybe.”

Damian’s voice was nothing but a whisper as he let out the word. I slowly grinned. “You know, Dami-” I say, stopping to look at his reaction to the nickname and give him a teasing smile. “-when I met you, I expected you to be cold and indifferent.” I say. Damian stiffened at my words, his face going back to being blank. “But I’m glad I was wrong.” I continue. Damian looks at me in confusion.

“No matter what people say, I got to know that you are also a human with emotions. So don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.” I say again. The brunette stays silent for a minute, digesting my words. “Thank you.” he says, turning towards me and smiling. “Aww, is Dami grateful?” I ask jokingly, going back to our teasing dynamic. The mood before, whatever it was, made my heart beat a tiny bit faster.

“Don’t get used to it.” Damian let out, copying my tone. “I won’t.” I say, raising my hands in surrender. Silence engulfs us as we stop at the entrance of the dining hall. And I remembered, I had something else to ask him.

“Hey, Damian?” I called out, making the brunette hum back. “We’re friends, right?” I asked hesitantly. Call me delusional, but I felt comfortable around him, although I met him only day’s ago. “Of course.” Damian said, making me break out in a smile. “But don’t expect me to be nice to you.” he says again, making me giggle. “I would never.” I reply, smiling back at him.

And then, I did something I never would.

I leaned into Damian and pecked him on the cheek.

Damian stilled, his eyes widening. Not moving back, I whispered into his ear. “Thank you for giving me a second chance. And for standing up for me.” I whisper. Before he knew it, I slammed the door open, walking in and taking my seat next to Alya.

I looked back at Damian, who still stood at the entrance, eyes wide like a statue. A rosy blush covered his neck as his ears were completely red. The worst part, his eyes were still fixated on me.

“Damian? Are you coming in?”

Bruce looked at his usually indifferent son, who stood in front of him like a marble statue, not moving an inch. Damian snapped out of his daze, as the Wayne’s looked at him in confusion.

“Yes, father.”

…….

[Q.] Is Damian really as emotionless as they say?

Chapter Text

The room was quiet.

Too quiet, really.

The only sound you could hear was the sound of utensils clinking against each other loudly. Obviously, Bruce and the Waynes (except Damian) tried to start up a conversation to keep up their playboy image, but it failed badly. The contributing factors were- Jason wouldn’t bother to even look at Lila when she spoke. Stephanie and Barbara took chances roasting the class in their faces, hidden behind their sweet smiles.

Tim was busy being half-dead, while Damian was death-glaring at his food, ignoring all human interaction. Unfortunately, no one had wanted to sit next to Lila, and Damian was the last one to come in.

There was only one seat left; next to Lila.

I’ll admit. I had to stifle my laughter when I noticed. The brunette had tried so hard to get Dick to switch with him but gave up when Dick muttered something about ‘My revenge for what you did this morning.’

Knowing Damian, it was well deserved.

Everything was going moderately good. Except, now Damian had to sit next to Lila and listen to her bullshit the whole time.

The class was busy on their side of the table, immersed in individual conversations. Chatter ultimately surrounded the table, but no one stops to hear a dog barking. So yes, the room was silent.

The calm before the storm.

“Oh, Marinette. I heard you’re shifting to Gotham!” Lila started, excitement mixed with sadness and even fear. “Really? Is it true?” Alix speaks up, after finally giving up on talking to Tim, who sat across her. Tim, the guy she had a celebrity crush on for years.

I shared an uncomfortable glance with Alya and somehow, Bruce, before replying. “Yes. It’s… true.” I say, hesitantly. Lila smirked at me victoriously. She hid it behind her hair as she gulped, starting to shake. “Marinette. A-are you leaving because of me? I-i played along with your schemes.” she spewed. I looked at her confused, but before I could say something, Jason did. “Schemes?” he asked.

Lila’s eyes filled with tears.

“Marinette told me that she would hurt my family if I tried to tell the truth. S-she also told me that she would leave only if she had completed her goal. To make sure I would stay away from Adrien.” Lila rushed out, as Alix scrambled to comfort her.

Ugh, Adrien again?

“Did you really say that, Marinette?” Rose asked. I scoffed. “I-i think Lila is telling the truth.” Juleka spoke up. “Marinette is shifting with her friends, right? That means Adrien is shifting too. So ultimately, Lila will be far away from Adrien.” she theorized.

The class oohed and aahed in understanding.

“How cruel of you, Marinette!”

“Why would you do that?”

“Adrien, why are you friends with her?”

“She’s using you, Adrien!”

I held my head in annoyance. Bruce and the others looked pretty pissed, but were holding their own due to their images. Damian was staring at Lila in amusement, probably wondering how the class was manipulated so easily. “What the hell, Lila?! Can you just shut up, for god’s sake!” Chloe was the first to burst. She stood up, slamming her hands on the table as her chair fell back with a bang. Alfred rushed in after hearing the noise.

“W-what do you mean?” Lila asked, hiccuping and bursting into tears. “I’m sick of hearing the same bullshit and seeing the same tricks. Can you at least be creative with your lies?” Chloe screamed out. “Chlo, calm down.” I let out, grabbing her arm to help her chill. Chloe violently shrugs my hand off. “Why? So I can just pretend to be fine like you do? You think you’ve had it worse, Mari? You’re wrong. Completely wrong.” Chloe hissed.

Ever since the Miracle Queen incident, people… changed.

Chloe Bourgeois was known as a rich, spoilt brat, but people still respected her. But after the incident, Chloe was known as the traitor. The one who sided with Hawkmoth. Lila made it worse by making everyone bring her down and look down on her.

But that didn’t justify her behavior.

“I’m sick of you telling me to calm down, Marinette. You think everyone can put on a poker face and fake a smile like you? Some of us here actually have emotions, unlike you-”

“Chloe, stop!” Adrien stood up, trying to warn Chloe before she went too far. “No, hear me out.” Chloe continued. “You think running away and living alone was a big problem? Try living with a dad who doesn’t give a shit and a mom who’s embarrassed of you.”

“And your dad, your f*cking dad. Get over it, Marinette. We have bigger problems to deal with. No one here can stand you and your depression. We hate having to walk around on eggshells near you.” she said. The room went silent. No one spoke. Lila looked satisfied. Adrien looked at Chloe sadly, to which she scoffed. “What? I only voiced what each and every one of you were thinking.” Chloe said.

“Get out.”

Chloe turned to face me in confusion, looking into my eyes as I glared at her. I slowly stood up. “Get the f*cking hell out of here.” I said, voice deep and unwavering. Chloe backed away from me, and I could see Jason and Tim flinch at my tone.

“What?” Chloe asked, flabbergasted. “I said, GET OUT OF HERE!” I screamed at her face. Chloe looked shocked. I scoffed. I grabbed her arm, dragging her out of the room. The door slammed shut behind me.

The hall was silent when we went out.

I’m guessing Chloe was back in her mind, as she looked absolutely guilty. But that wasn’t about to stop me from blowing up. “M-mari, I-” “WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT?” I screeched.

Chloe flinched.

“I-I’m sorry.” she muttered. “Sorry won’t cut it.” I say. “I told you to watch your emotions. I told you to keep quiet just until we collect enough evidence against her. What part of that didn’t you understand?” I say.

Chloe opened her mouth, but I cut her off.

She had her chance.

Now, it was mine.

“Insulting me, I can stand. But I can never forgive you for trying to show my dirty laundry to the world. My past is my own, Chloe. Mine alone.” I seethed, grabbing Chloe’s collar and pulling her close. I let her go harshly, making her stumble back. “What you did just now, that was something Lila would do.” I say. Chloe’s eyes snap up to meet mine, widening. From her wide eyes, tears began to flow.

“I-I’m so sorry, Marinette. I won’t do it again. I’m so sorry.” Chloe said, bursting out in tears. “I-I didn’t mean to-” she said, stopping to sob. I sigh. I could never be mad at her anyway. I pull her into a hug, as she cries her heart out, before I remind her we need to go back in. She wipes her tears before asking why. I look at her, smiling. “What? You’re going to skip lunch just because of a small fight?” I repeat what Bruce said.

“No way.” Chloe replied.

And we walked into the hall hand in hand.

Apparently, that was shocking. Lila was smirking evidently when we came in, but it was wiped clean of her face when we came back in. She gasped in surprise. Adrien and the gang looked relieved when they saw we had made up.

After dinner, Bruce asked everyone to go up to their rooms, informing them that evening plans were canceled; a punishment for fighting and causing a scene. No one argued, seeing as to how this was deserved. I walk back with Chloe, us whispering and getting our worries out of the way. She told me things which frustrated her, and I did the same. And maybe we became closer today than we had before.

Today was liberating.

…….

I sigh, opening the door to my room.

I shut it behind me, removing my shoes and placing them next to the door. I then removed my coat, chucking it across the room in the darkness. Who knows where it landed.

“Ouch.”

I glanced up, alarmed.

Someone groaned in pain. And that someone wasn’t me. I immediately reached behind me, switching the lights on. Someone sat on the chair in front of me, their face covered by the coat I had just thrown.

I didn’t bother apologizing.

“Who are you and what the hell do you want?” I hissed, my hand going to my jean pocket, in which I had shoved a small Swiss pocket knife. The man- or woman, laughed, pulling off my coat and chucking it on the bed.

“What, no greeting?”

It was Damian. Completely and unmistakably Damian, with the way he sat cockily on the chair as if he owned the world. “Dami? What are you doing here? You scared me.” I say, sighing in relief. “You? Scared? If I was an intruder, you were ready to throw hands.” Damian says, standing up and brushing dust from his pants. “Would you do me a favor?” he asked. I raised an eyebrow, to which he shrugged.

“Watch Titanic with me.”

“Huh?” I stared at the brunette in confusion. “Titanic- with you?” My heart was beating faster now than it did when I thought Damian was an intruder. “Please.” he pleaded. Or I think it was supposed to be pleading- his voice was simply monotone.

“Why would you want to watch Titanic?” I asked. Damian and Titanic? I can’t say its a combo I saw coming. “Well, you know- Dick and Tim wouldn’t stop teasing me about it.” he said.

“Teasing you how?”

“Making inside jokes. Something about ‘How Jack could have fitted on the door too.’”

“And you can’t stand not knowing.”

“Of course I can’t. I know everything.”

I raised my eyebrows at Damian’s cocky comment. He shrugged. I smiled. I was ready to watch it with him. After Lila and everything that happened today, I needed a distraction. And for now, Damian was a god-sent distraction.

I was crazily distracted.

“So? Are you in?” he asks me, to which I nodded readily. “Always.” I said. “Only because Dick and Tim keep teasing me.” he states, determined. “Not because we’re friends now?” I asked with a teasing smile. Damian returned my smile.

“Never.”

And so, we somehow made the sofa into a bed-like thing, which I didn’t know we could. Then we switched on the TV, spending a few minutes trying to find the movie itself, which proved to be quite hard.

We ran to the kitchen, silently giggling while we made some popcorn and dragging back at least two whole cups of it, before settling down on the sofa and starting the movie. We even cleaned the utensils after we were done.

The missing popcorn packets?

Alfred would never know.

…….

[Q.] Do you think Damian is softening up to Marinette?

Chapter Text

The movie was going well.

It had become a bit too cold through the night, as Damian had gotten up to get us both the comforter. Unfortunately, there was only one, and he was ready to let me use it, but I suggested we share. And three hours later, I was practically cuddled up to him, leaning on his chest. Damian, for someone so cold-faced, was undeniably an amazing source of heat. Whether he realized it or not, I was practically on his lap.

We were almost done with the movie, given it had probably been about three hours. Titanic had long sunk, coming to the one scene everyone had an opinion about; the one where Jack gives up his life for Rose.

Jack slowly sunk into the sea.

I could hear Damian scoff behind me. “Dick was right.” I could hear Damian speak, his chest vibrating with the sound. “Right how?” I asked, not bothering to look away from the movie, the boat now approaching to rescue Rose.

“Jack could have fitted on that door.”

I smiled; of course he hated this.

“He could have.” I agreed. “But apparently, people do crazy things for the ones they love.” I say again. “Apparently? Have you never been in love?” he asked. I shrugged, although I could barely move, cuddled under Damian.

“I don’t think so. I’ve liked people, but that never lasted. How about you?” I ask. Damian just shrugs, making him slip closer to me. We watched as the end credits rolled onto the screen, making us yawn.

Nevertheless, no one moved.

“You’re warm, Damian.” I say, shutting my eyes. Damian hums in response, leaning against me. He picks another movie to watch, turning towards me. “Do you want to watch this- oh.” he pauses after looking at my state. “No, no. Put it on.” I say, opening my eyes, but not moving away. I look at the movie he chose. “Mission Impossible? That does seem more you.” I say. “How do you know I like action movies?” he asks.

“You look like you do.”

Damian just raises his eyebrows, although I couldn’t see it. He simply starts the movie, putting the remote down next to him. Just as the movie started, I shut my eyes for a minute.

And that minute, wasn’t a minute anymore.

…….

Dick Grayson was waiting patiently.

Down in the Batcave, the ravenette sat on the chair, spinning it around in boredom. It was past midnight, and Dick had nothing to do except wait for his brother, who was usually the first one here. Just as Dick stood up to check on him, the elevator pinged, a figure walking in. Dick’s head snapped up to see if it was Damian, only sighing when he saw his father. Bruce had walked in, carrying a packet of chips.

“What?” Bruce asked, trying to hide the chips packet behind him. “I’m telling Alfred.” Dick threatened, to which Bruce just sighed, setting it down on the table next to him. “Where is Damian?” Bruce asks, looking around.

Dick shrugs, to which Bruce sighs. “Go check on him.” Bruce says. The ravenette nods, going up the elevator and pacing down the corridor to Damian’s room. Dick knocked on the door slowly.

“Damian? It’s time for patrol.”

Dick’s voice came out in a whisper, echoing down the empty hallway. “Damian?” he called again, slightly louder. Dick’s knocking grew impatient until the ravenette slammed the door open. Dick switched on the lights to the room, only to find no one in there. He noticed the bed was left untouched, as if no one had slept on that today. Dick furrowed his eyebrows. “Did he run away again?” he whispered, before shaking his head.

The border alarm would’ve rung.

Dick sighed, walking out and shutting the door. He was ready to go inform Bruce about it, right until he noticed the light spilling out in the room next to Damian’s. Dick knew it was Marinette’s room, seeing as he was the one who suggested they be placed here.

“Marinette?” he whispered, only to get no answer. Dick twists the doorknob, knowing the girl had probably locked it. But to his surprise, it was left unlocked. The ravenette looked around, seeing the TV playing a movie.

One which he had seen a million times.

Mission Impossible: Fallout.

It was Damian’s favorite movie, apart from Terminator: Genesis, but of course, the brunette had always denied that. Dick looked at the sofa, where he expected Marinette to be awake, watching the movie. And to his surprise, again, the girl was fast asleep, snuggled into Damian. Wait… Damian? Dick did a double-take, flailing and almost slamming into the wall behind him. He leaned against the wall, rubbing his eyes.

When he stopped, Damian was still there, cuddled up to the one thing the brunette said he hated the most; girls. Dick had to stifle his laugh at the irony. He then brought out his phone, clicking photos.

“Jason’s going to flip when he sees this.”

…….

“Aww…This is so cute.”

“Shut it, you’re gonna wake them up.”

“I can’t help it. They are too cute.”

Groaning.

“Shh.”

Silence.

“What the fuck are you doing here?”

Silence again.

Loud chattering around me was the first thing I could comprehend once I became conscious again. I snapped my eyes open, looking up at the ceiling. “What’s going on?” I ask sleepily, trying to get up. But I couldn’t, because there was a hand on my waist.

Déjà vu.

When I looked to the side, the only thing I could see were deep green eyes, although those eyes weren’t focused on mine, but on something on the side. I instinctively turned my head, to see many people standing there.

It took me a minute to recognize their faces, but I recognized them alright. Everyone was there. Dick, Tim and Stephanie stood at the front of the crowd along with Jason, who seemed to be fuming while Barbara held him back. Behind them stood Alya and the gang, and behind them, stood the class. Surprisingly, but not so surprisingly, Alfred stood at the door, holding it open for the people who hadn’t gotten inside, like Bruce.

Dick was snickering, and I could only assume it was at Damian. Tim, on the other hand, brought up his phone, clicking a picture. The flash blinded both me and Damian, who were the subjects of the said picture.

Damian hissed, shutting his eyes and pulling me closer to him, as if to block the light. Once I got used to the light, I turned around, making eye-contact with Chloe and Alya, who seemed to notice what was going on. “What the hell, Drake?” Damian seethed, pushing the comforter away and sitting up, letting go of me in the process. I copied Damian’s actions, staring at Dick and Tim, confused.

“Damian.”

Jason’s voice boomed through the room. “What are you doing with Pixie, in her room, so close to her?” he asked again, breaking out from Barbara’s grip. Damian frowned, then going back to his emotionless face.

“We watched a movie and fell asleep.”

A series of gasps filled the room, ending with a small chuckle from Tim. “From when do you watch movies with people?” he asked, to which Damian just shrugged. “Since yesterday.” he said.

“What did you watch? Mission Impossible again? Aren’t you sick of that movie yet?” Dick let out, clearly amused. “No, I didn’t.” Damian denied. Although we did watch Mission Impossible, we did watch Titanic before that, so technically, he wasn’t lying.

“Then what did you watch?”

“Titanic.”

“Tita- what? You watched what?”

Damian’s answer to Dick’s question shocked everyone, Jason being the only one to choke on his spit. As the Wayne brothers stood stupefied, Alya and Chloe were busy wiggling their eyebrows at me, trying to indicate something.

Damian scoffed.

“This is stupid. I’m leaving.” says Damian, slipping off the sofa and storming out of the room. Bruce followed his son, muttering something about being late to work. Alfred left the door open, following Bruce out.

“What?” I ask.

Dick and Tim shrug in unison, snickering at nothing in particular, before walking out. Stephanie just sighs, pulling Barbara out with her. Jason stares at me for a minute. “That brat better stay away from you.” he says, pointing at me. I raise my hands in surrender, as Jason walks out, promising me that he would give Damian a ‘good talking to’. Just as the Wayne’s left, I noticed the rude and accusing stares the class were giving me.

Lila looked broken.

“Get a hint. The door is that way.” I say, pointing at the door. “I- what?” Lila whispers, as if no one had rejected her before. “Whatever.” says Alix, dragging her best friend out, the class following. “Don’t worry, Lila. Marinette’s a wh*re.” Alix consoled, to which I just scoffed in amusement. When they left, Alya and the gang were still standing there, amusement in each of their faces.

“Someone’s getting laid soon.”

“Mari is finally going to get a boyfie~”

“Of all people, him, Mari? Good choice-”

“Okay, okay. Shut up.” I say, blocking out all the teases and snickers let out by my friends. “Get out. I need to change.” I say, to which no one moved. Adrien opened his mouth to say something, but I cut him off.

“Get them out before I tell Kagami what you did, Blondie.” I threatened Adrien, to which he gulped, shooing everyone out. Kagami questioned Adrien about what I had said, to which the blonde tried to stutter out a response.

Alya was the only one who stayed.

I raised an eyebrow. “I’m going.” she said, walking out, stopping right at the door. Alya turned back, raising her eyebrow to match my own.

“About Damian, do you-”

“Alya!” I screeched.

The brunette’s laughter echoed through the halls.

…….

[Q.] Any K-pop fans here?

Chapter Text

The events of the morning stopped no one.

The sun still rose, the wind still blew, and Lila still continued spewing shit. Right as I walked down the stairs, I was hit with the opportunity of listening to one more episode of Lila’s amazing adventures.

Although this one was about Damian Wayne.

Her latest obsession.

Well crafted and almost believable, her stories were actually interesting, I must admit. She would have become a great writer. Pity her talent is wasted this way. If only she were a better person. Usually immaculate, today her lies had a flaw. A huge one. There she was, going on and on about her amazing date with Damian Wayne, while the guy was literally in the next room.

And no, not one bothered to go and ask him, because, as a matter of fact, the Wayne Family did not know and Damian wanted to keep it a secret. How she managed to explain the fact that her ‘boyfriend’ was in bed with me, would remain a mystery.

I mean, if I were to be Lila’s boyfriend, I understand why I’d want to keep her a secret. I walked towards my friends, silently glancing at the CCTV recording us. Why? Because this is Gotham, and every camera here recorded audio.

Lila’s lies were caught in 4K.

And I’m sure Bruce would be willing to lend us the footage.

The only reason we couldn’t sue Lila was due to the lack of proof. Lila was smart, even if I hated to admit. All she did was spit out convincing lies, making the other students do all the bullying work for her.But lying about Damian Wayne and the Wayne Family was crossing the line. Bruce had enough time and power to fight her in court for eternity and not have a single dent in his bank account.

“Chloe!” I shouted, walking towards her, as Lila gave me the stink eye for interrupting her story. The blonde welcomed me with a hug and an inquiry of what happened this morning, as Lila got back to her tale.

“Hey, where are the others?” I ask, once again. Luka and Chloe were the only ones here. “They’re still getting ready. That or they got lost on the way.” she scoffed, amused. “Definitely the second option.” said Luka. “We’re here.” Adrien screeched as he appeared, interrupting Lila again. Alix groaned, asking the blond to shut up, to which Adrien blew a raspberry. How mature.

“Man, have you seen this place? It’s a whole damn maze.” Nino says, panting. “I wonder how you’re a hero.” Alya snickered at her boyfriend. Nino gasped in offense, to which Alya smiled apologetically, diverting the topic. “Hey, we going out today? Tim asked us to wear something warm.” asked Alya, slowly slipping her hand into Nino’s. Nino’s cheeks turned red, and I honestly couldn’t believe they had been together for years already.

Bruce opened the door, entering the hall.

“Good morning, everyone. I hope you had a good sleep.” said Bruce, smiling politely. “Father, you really do not need to give a speech.” said a voice from behind him, from Damian.

The Wayne brothers walked into the room, settling by our side as Jason sulked and muttered something to me about how Stephanie had dragged Barbara shopping without telling him.

“Anyways.”

Bruce cleared his throat and continued. “Last night’s activities were canceled due to some well-deserved reasons. And I hope you understand that I will not tolerate this kind of behavior in the future.” he said pointedly.

Everyone nodded.

“Seeing as you all have not seen the city, we are going to explore the town. Let’s have dinner at the most famous restaurant in this city and then the boys will show you all the hot spots in town.” Bruce summarized. “And of course, transport. There is a bus waiting out for the class, and Marinette, I assume you have your own?” Bruce asked me, to which I nodded happily. “Yeah, we got that covered.” I say, exchanging glances with the others.

I can’t wait to see the look on Lila’s face.

We all walk out to the front of the Manor, where the bus was waiting for its passengers. Our cars were parked out front too, seeing as we had no idea where to leave it. Lila looked just as confused as always. Once we reached, Ms. Bustier arrived, counting heads for the trip into town. Kim whistled. “Damn, nice cars. I wonder whose it is.” I heard Kim whisper. Alya and Adrien snicker after hearing this.

The blonde pulled out his car key, pressing the button to unlock the car. The car beeped, turning on. The class turned around, assuming it was one of the Wayne’s, but boy, were they shocked to see Adrien sauntering towards the matte black car.

“What the hell…” Lila whispered in shock. Maybe the sausage-hair regretted letting go of the blonde. “Whose is the other one?” Rose whispered, but everyone could hear it. I grinned widely, pulling out a key and waving it in their faces.

“Mine.”

My voice left the others shell-shocked, as I unlocked the car just to prove it. Tears filled Lila’s eyes, and I was sure it wasn’t fake this time. I just smirk, walking to my ruby-tinted car while the others automatically split. “Mari, you driving?” Adrien asks, to which I nod. “Always.” I say, smiling. “Race?” he asks, to which I agree “Race.” I repeat. But Chloe and Luka had enough. “No. No race!” Chloe screeched.

“And if I see any of you driving past the speed limit, I will personally butcher you and feed it to your dog.” Chloe threatened, to which I laughed.

“Highways don’t have speed limits.” Luka whispered.

“I don’t have a dog.” Adrien whispered, looking like a kicked puppy.

I didn’t know which statement made me laugh more, but soon, I was practically wheezing my heart out, leaning onto Nino for support. Lila scoffed, interrupting my happiness. I scowled at her. “Did you see that? Marinette just frowned at me.” she whispered to Alix, who nodded diligently. Before Lila could start the drama, I shut myself in the car, Luka, Chloe and Kagami following.

And we flew out the gates.

…….

The restaurant was a simple one.

For a second, I wondered how it was the most famous one in town, but then again, never judge a book by its cover. Although, I hear the book cover designers crying already.

Primà Rosà.

The First Rose.

The name was a classic, one we had heard many times because of the famous book with the same name. It made me smile; the owner must be a fan. We entered the cafe, seeing as the others had not arrived yet.

Our cars were much faster, after all.

“Hello, I’m your waitress for today. What may I get you?” asks a pretty girl, who looked my age. I smiled back at her. “Oh, nothing right now. We’re kind of waiting for someone.” I reply. “Okay then. I’ll just come back later.” she says, brushing back her blonde hair and grinning at us. “Oh, why don’t you join us?” asks Alya. “Really?” she says, baffled.

Of course she would be. Who wouldn’t be, if some random person walks into your cafe and asks you to join them for breakfast. The girl looked pretty shocked. “Why not? The cafe seems to be empty anyway..” says Kagami, who was quiet all this time. We exchange glances, and Kagami looks at me suspiciously, which meant that there was something odd about this girl.

I lock eyes with Luka, Adrien and Chloe, signaling them to be careful. “So, what’s your name?” asks Luka, trying to get rid of the awkward silence. The girl contemplates for a minute, shaking her head and sitting down at out table.

“My name’s Bella. Isabella Aragon.” she says, smiling. “And yours?” she asks. “I’m Marinette. This is Chloe, Alya, Nino, Luka, Kagami, and Adrien.” I say, introducing each one of them.

She gapes at Adrien.

“Adrien Agreste?” she asks, awestruck. Adrien started blushing, getting embarrassed. Alya answered for him. “The one and only.” she joked. “You follow fashion?” Adrien asks, making conversation.

“Cosmetics, actually.”

Bella looked happy. “I work nearby as a makeup artist, and I usually use your Serendipity line of products. They’re really user-friendly.” she compliments. Adrien grins. “Always good to meet a fan.” he says. “Nice to meet you too.” Bella replies. “So, you own this cafe?” asks Alya. “It was my grandmother’s, actually. She gave it to me when she couldn’t manage it anymore.” Bella said, her eyes saddening.

“I’m sorry.” says Nino, softly. Bella looked confused. “Why are you sorry- Oh, she isn’t dead.” she said, eyes wide in surprise. “Huh?” Nino blinked in confusion. “God, no! She moved back to Italy.” replied Isabella.

“You’re Italian?” asks Chloe, eyes wide. “Yeah.” Bella answered. Chloe turned towards us in haste. “Lila’s from Italy.” she hisses to us. I looked at her in shock. How could she just assume they were connected? “Doesn’t mean anything.” I hissed back. “Who’s Lila?” Bella asks. Alya ignores her question and shoots her own. “Where in Italy are you from?”

“Milan, but why does it matter?”

Oh no.

This was bad.

…….

[Q.] How much of her background do you think Lila has lied about?

Chapter Text

Milan.

Of all the places in Italy, she was from Milan.

The same place Lila boasted about being born in, insulting Parisians behind her sickly sweet smile. The reason she had been so arrogant and self-centered; all because she was from Italy. And now, this girl was from the same place. History was going to repeat itself. I knew I couldn’t judge her just because she was from the same city as that b*tch, but how could I trust anyone? Maybe this girl was a spy Lila had sent over.

“Marinette.”

Chloe spoke up, breaking me out of my thoughts. I looked her in the eye, and I knew what she was trying to do. She was trying to get permission from me to tell Bella our story, my story. “Chloe, don’t.” I say, voice steeling. “Who is Lila?” Bella tries again, confused as to why we were acting this way. “No one. Just no one.” I say, glaring at all of them. There is a reason I’m the leader.

“Please Mari, can we at least tell her?” asks Chloe, desperate. After me, Chloe was the one who had been hurt the most. “We’ve known her for five minutes.” I hissed. Chloe looked like she would cry. “Mari… she might be able to help.” Adrien begged. My eyes darted from one corner to another, trying to look at anything but all their pleading eyes. I soon sigh, giving in to the gang.

“Fine.” I whisper in defeat.

Chloe sighs, asking Bella the most important question. “Bella, do you know anyone by the name Lila Rossi?” she asks. Bella stiffens, very slightly. If I weren’t observing her, I would have never noticed.

I looked into the girl’s eyes. Her eyes were honest, but they were shielded. Her guard was up. She knew. Isabella Aragon knew Lila Rossi, and she was about to deny it with everything she had got.

“No.”

Bella’s whisper contrasted to the silence of the cafe. “We have a problem-” Alya started, looking at me. “-and we think you could help.” Alya started reciting the story. I abruptly stood up. “I’m out. Call me when you’re done.” I say standing up.

“Melody-” Luka called in concern.

“Its fine. I’m just going to get some fresh air.” I say harshly, although I didn’t mean to. I start walking out of the shop. Luka sighs, letting me go. I hear them starting to tell Isabella the not-so-short story. I lean against the wall outside the cafe as the wind breezes past me. The chill air stings at my eyes, reminding me how much they were burning with unshed tears. I blinked back my tears, letting out a shaky breath.

No matter how hard I try to move on, I just can’t. Every time I hear her name, there is always some fear inside me. She ruined my life, and no matter how confident I act, I’m scared she’ll do it again.

Minutes pass immediately.

Soon, I hear footsteps approaching, and the cafe bell jingling to indicate that it had been opened. I looked to the side to see Isabella approaching. “Hey.” she breathes. “Hi.” I reply softly.

“I’m guessing you know my story.” I say, making her chuckle. “Yeah. Yes, I do.” she says. I smile at her, although I’m sure she knew it was forced. She sighs, but stares at me. “I know you didn’t want to tell me, but I’m glad you did.” she says. “Look, I know you’re scared. I can see it in your eyes. And I’m not going to say I understand, because I know I never will. I don’t pity you either, because from what I heard, it made you stronger-” Bella paused to take a breath.

“-But I know it also broke you, in a way I think can never be fixed. You’re not alone, and you don’t have to face your problems alone. You have your friends, and even if I met you literally a few minutes ago, you have me too.” she says.

I grinned. “Thank you.” I reply. She looks at me for a second, turning away the next. “But I know that’s not the only thing you want to say to me.” I say again. Bella looked shocked. She contemplates for a second, before sighing.

“I lied.”

“Hmm?” I look at her, confused. “I lied.” she repeated. “I know who Lila Rossi is. And I know her very well.” Bella says again. “I figured.” I say, turning away to look at the cars passing by. "How-” she started, before shaking her head. “Never mind. You’re Marinette, after all.” she mutters under her breath, but I hear her anyway. I chuckle. “Are you going to tell me how you know Lila?” I ask.

Bella’s breath hitches. “That- that’s going to take some time.” she says, hesitantly. I sigh. “So is me trusting you, Isabella.” I say. “Then, let’s take all the time we need. And, call me Bella.” she replies. I grin at her. Her eyes shone with genuineness. I knew the blonde was hiding something from me. But I knew she wasn’t working with Lila; she hated the girl, and that was enough for me.

I walk back in with her.

“Man, you got Mari to calm down.” Nino looked shocked at the sight in front of him. “Shut up, I’m not that bad.” I muttered, to which Chloe shook her head. “No, you are.” she says, making everyone laugh.

“Welcome to the gang.” Adrien says, and Isabella blushes. “Thank you, it’s an honor.” she replies, giggling. I saw Kagami glaring at Bella and squeezing Adrien’s hand so hard, he flinched.

The door bell chimed.

Cue, Satan.

Lila and her posse entered the cafe, writhing in disgust. “Ugh, I expected better from the Waynes.” Alix muttered, looking bored. They probably expected a fancy restaurant with all those spoons and forks and knifes they had no use for. Lila settles down on the table near us. We continued talking, as Lila squinted her eyes at the extra head at the table. Lila read the name on the staff-like uniform, before realizing Bella worked here.

“Oh Marinette, why is the waitress sitting with you?” she asks, giving a judging look to Bella and scrunching her nose, possibly in disgust. “She’s a friend. And this is her cafe. So mind your words, or she can very well kick you out.” snaps Chloe.

“A friend? Does she know that she’s friends with a bully?” she says, slowly walking forward. Lila starts her act, tears building up in her eyes as she pretends to be hurt.

Bella was the first to scoff.

“Oh, shut it. I don’t know you, but honestly, is that even a dress you’re wearing?” says Bella, stepping in front of me. Lila immediately ceases her efforts, tears drying up and face going blank. Lila was wearing an orange sundress, if you could even call it that. It barely came up to below her hips and the dress was low cut, showing her cleavage much more than it was supposed to.

“How- how dare you!” she fumed. “Oh, I dare alright. Unlike those people behind you, I know Marinette didn’t do anything to you.” replied Bella, sharply. The sausage-hair grinned. Lila found her break. “Whatever Marinette has told you about me is all lies. Marinette has always been jealous of me-” Lila pauses to squint at Bella’s name tag. “-Izzabellah.” she finishes, pronouncing Bella’s name wrong.

“It’s Isabella.” the blonde corrected. “And I don’t really care, Liliah. I know who my friends are, and who my enemies are.” Bella snaps back, pronouncing Lila’s name wrong on purpose.

Lila backed off once she knew her lies won’t work.

“Oh great. Marinette has another b*tch following her.” Lila says, rolling her eyes. “B*tch isn’t something you should use to describe yourself, Liliah. It’s an insult to all dogs.” Bella says.

Lila gasps.

“One more word, and you will officially be my enemy.” says Lila, glaring at Bella, running out of comebacks. “What makes you think I care?” Bella scoffs. “I’m out of here.” says Lila, stomping her feet like a little kid. “Come on Lila, we can eat somewhere else.” says Alix, pulling her out, the rest of the class following. They walked out, probably to search for some other cafe nearby.

They go to another restaurant, just opposite Prima Rosa.

I grin at Bella. “Thank you for standing up for us.” I say. “I meant what I said, Mari. I’ll be there for you.” she says, grinning back. Right when we all took a seat, the bell chimed again. The Wayne’s walk in the cafe, just missing the last of the class who had walked into the restaurant. Bella excuses herself to get a pad to write down our orders. “Where are the others?” asks Dick, confused as to why most of the tables are empty.

“They left.” I answer nonchalantly. “Okay, where?” he asks again. “Do we really need to know? Just be glad they’re not here.” interrupts Jason. He walks away and drags back a table to join with ours, the Waynes taking their places.

Bella was taking our orders when the cafe door slammed open and Lila came marching in. The class followed her. I looked outside to see a restaurant staff yelling curses at the sausage-hair, as Ms. Bustier apologized in a hurry. She and the class joined tables at the other end of the cafe, and they sat down, either scowling or looking extremely pissed. I’m guessing they got kicked out.

New problem.

Unfortunately, Damian sat right next to me.

Courtesy of Chloe and Alya. When Jason moved tables, they shoved an extra chair right in the middle of me and Kagami, who were sitting next to each other. Damian, being Damian, went to drop some money in the donation for the charity jar.

When he came back, total cliche, the only seat left, was next to me.

Damian grinned at me.

I ignored him.

…….

[Q.] What is your opinion on Isabella Aragon?

Chapter Text

Let me just tell you something.

Damian was being weird.

The brunette probably hit his head somewhere while showering and got a brain tumor or something, because he obviously wasn’t acting normal right now. “Hey.” whispers Damian, nudging me with his elbow. “What?” I whisper back.

“You seem friendly.” 

I furrow my eyebrows. Stabbing at my omelet with my fork, I reply to him. “With who?” I ask. “Aragon. I saw you talking with her earlier.” he says, staring at my face. “Bella? Yeah, we’re friends now. You got a problem?” I ask. “No. She is tolerable.” he says, turning back. “Okay?” I say, turning back too. What is his problem? He’s being seriously annoying right now. I needed time to process everything that had happened with Lila and he was being a distraction.

“Hey.” he whispers again. “What?” I whisper harshly. “Nothing. I was just trying to make conversation.” “Well, then stop trying.” I say, annoyed. “Are you annoyed? Oh shit, you are annoyed.” he whispers, victoriously. 

“No, I’m not.” 

“Oh yes, you are.”

And there you go people, that’s how I spent my breakfast. Uselessly arguing with Damian on really stupid things. And somehow, we ended up playing footsie under the table. “Why do you have to kick me?!” I whisper-yell at Damian. “I wanted to.” “What if I wanted to kick you back?” I ask, irritated. “Then kick me back.” he answers, smirking.

I scoff.

I kick him back under the table, hard. He hisses, his face contorting into a frown. “Are you okay, Damian?” asks Dick, looking worriedly at the young vigilante. “Yeah, I am fine.” Damian says blankly. The ravenette just stared at him, and then went back to talking animatedly with Adrien about manga. “I did not mean you could actually kick me.” he whispers harshly. “You literally told me to kick you.” I whispered back, smirking.

“I did not- Oh, forget it.” he gives up quickly. “What? Giving up so quickly?” I ask. “No, I just do not want to waste my breath on you.” he says back. “Oh really?” I say, grinning. 

“Yes really, and-” 

Damian’s phone vibrates with a call. The brunette simply glares at me. “Are you gonna pick that up?” I ask, knowing I won this game. He just stands up, excusing himself and walking out. A few minutes passed, and I was getting bored without having someone to irritate. I had finished by breakfast a long time ago, waiting for Bella to bring me dessert. Just as I was gonna talk to Alya, Damian returns, but this time with a hot guy following him.

A hot, familiar guy.

The guy and Damian came to a stop in front of the table. “Hello! My name is Jon, Damian’s friend. Nice to meet you.” he says. Damn, his eyes are blue. Both Jon and my eyes widened in recognition. “Jon? It’s you?” I ask, surprised. “Marinette, Alya. Hello.” he says again. “Meet Kent, my friend.” Damian muttered sarcastically.

Kent? Where have I heard that before? 

I giggled at Damian’s sarcastic introduction, especially because of the fact that we’d met each other before. “You have friends?” I ask Damian, who was already back to glaring at me. “Of course I do Dupain-Cheng. I’m not a loner.” he said. “Really? I could’ve sworn you were.” I say. Jon starts laughing. “I have never met another person who can put Damian in his place.” he said, making me laugh.

I hum in agreement. “I think we’re gonna be great friends.” he says again, putting his hand out. “Yeah, me too.” I said back, shaking his hand and smiling at him. We just stood there, not letting go. You’d think it was awkward, but it was nice, actually. 

“Hey lovebirds, stop the flirting. We’re trying to eat here.” she says. I felt the heat rushing up to my face. Of course, Jon was just flustered as I was.

“I didn’t-”

“No, I wasn’t-”

“Of course not-”

“I just met him-”

We both stuttered, waving our hands around and trying to justify our behavior. Silence engulfs us after we speak over each other. Damian simply scoffs. “Take a seat, Kent.” says Damian, before sitting down. 

Kent? 

I pull out my phone, searching up the name ‘Kent’. The first thing that popped up was the profile of Clark Kent, the famous reporter at the Daily Planet in Metropolis. The same Clark Kent I knew was Superman.

Oh shit.

How could I not recognize him? Holy shit- this guy is Superboy. Why didn’t I recognize him before? The same black hair and blue eyes, just like his dad, and that happy personality. The exact opposite of Damian. “Huh? Oh yeah.” says Jon, dragging a chair stumbling onto it after shoving it next to me. Damian also takes his seat on the other side of me. And now I’m stuck between two hot guys.

The rest of the breakfast, however, went perfectly fine, as I learned different things about Jon, chattering with him the whole time. Damian on the other hand, was completely gloomy, and I have no idea why. Lila and the others seemed to be glancing at our table a lot, seemingly also interested in knowing who the new guy was.

Jon turned out to be a great guy, a huge softie, in fact. Apart from when I first met him, I learned a lot. What did I expect from Superboy? We found out that he, just like me, likes the beach and loves animals. We also decided that we would pop by an animal shelter sometime. Although, he insisted we bring along Damian because apparently, the brunette loved animals more than Jon and I combined. 

There goes my date.

In the 45 minutes I talked to him, I might have developed a teeny-tiny crush. Damian who? By the time we finished breakfast, it was 11 am. Isabella had closed the cafe, and we all headed out. Yes, even Lila and the class. Ms. Bustier made sure that we didn’t leave them behind. Apparently, it was a rule in this trip. I looked at Dick, who just shrugged, saying that it wasn’t him who planned this.

But after seeing how bad I hated spending the day with the class, Dick came up with an idea about how we all should pair up to go explore the city. The crew had split themselves in couples and so did the class. Dick and Jason paired up.

I was alone.

But so were Damian, Bella, and Jon.

I desperately wanted to go with Jon. I asked him if he wanted to go with me, and he agreed, but Chloe decided to butt in. “Hey Mari, why don’t you go with Damian?” she said, pushing Bella towards Jon. Well now everyone was staring at me, even Jon. He simply gave me an apologetic look. I sighed, accepting my situation. Damian wasn’t that bad either. “Fine, whatever.” I say, walking over to Damian.

Me and Damian walked in silence, after finally separating from the group. “Where do you wanna go?” he asks, softly. “Really? You’ll let me choose?” I ask, confused. Wasn’t he the one who was supposed to take me somewhere? “Yes. I’m not a monster, you know.” he says. I stop walking abruptly. Is that what he thinks? That he is some kind of monster, just because he used to kill people against his choice?

Damian stares at me in confusion, wondering why I stopped. “Of course, Damian.” I say, furrowing my eyebrows. “You’re just as human as I am. And I’m not gonna judge you for being you.” I continue. “Thank you.” Damian says, almost smiling. I grin at him happily. “This is like- the third time you’ve thanked me. Is the Damian Wayne becoming soft?” I teased, giggling. The brunette’s lips slightly curved up.

“Never.” he says.

I promise, I’ll make you smile and laugh forever.

I hum in thought, thinking of places we could visit. And then I picked the most cliche of them all. “Let’s go to the amusement park.” I say, jumping. “What? No!” he says, eyes darting away in panic. “Why not? It’s really fun. And it’s not like you’ve never gone before.” I say, looking up at him. Damian stays silent. “Wait- you’ve never gone to an amusement park before?” I screeched. “No.” he says, looking away.

Has he lived under a rock this whole time?

I gape at him, open-mouthed. The brunette looked extremely embarrassed. “Well then, that’s even more reason to go. Come on!” I say, holding his hand and dragging him forward. I pull him along happily.

“Uh, Dupain-Cheng? The park is the other way.” 

I freeze in my track and turn around. 

“Whatever.” I mumble, walking the other way.

…….

[Q.] Which city or state do u guys live in?

Chapter Text

“Holy shit, This is huge!”

Damian and I had arrived at the amusement park after a little over 15 minutes. The amusement park was really huge. It was so colorful, and I could see different rides everywhere, ranging from free falls to roller coasters. I was mesmerized. “Are you just going to stand there?” asks Damian, interrupting my dream time. I just huffed, crossing my arms. The brunette led me to the ticket counter as we bought tickets and went in without a fight.

Actually, that was a lie.

“Damian, let me pay.” I say to him, pulling my wallet out. “No way. I am paying.” he said, his wallet already out. He moved to the counter, and I pulled him back. “No way in hell am I going to let you pay for me.” I say, still holding his arm. “Well, fat choice. I am going to pay, and you cannot stop me.” he says. “Watch me.” I say, trying to steal his wallet from him. He notices and immediately puts it out of my reach.

“No, Marinette.”

Wait- Did he just call me Marinette? He never calls anyone by their first name. In my minute of stupor, Damian did something unspeakable. He stole my wallet. Right out of my hand. “What the hell- Damian!” I shout, but he had already paid for the tickets with his black card. He smirks and waves the two silver tickets in front of my face. I scoff, grabbing mine and walking inside.

After this hassle, we finally got onto the first ride, the free fall, also my favorite one. Right after the small rides, of course. Just for warm up. I was brimming with excitement. I was jumping up and down in the queue, waiting for our chance.

When we were strapped in and it went all the way to the top, I saw Damian look down and gulp. “What? You scared?” I ask, teasing him. “What? No! That is absurd.” he says, looking down again.

“Hey, it’s okay to be scared.” I say softly. He just turns to me, scoffs, and says “I am not scared.” “Pfft- Whatever.” I say, and that’s the exact moment the ride decides to start.

I screamed.

Not in fear, but excitement.

Damian was the opposite. He didn’t scream. He didn’t shout. He didn’t cry. But what he did manage to do, was smile. Even if it was a small twitch of his lips, even if it faded away after the ride, I was happy he smiled.

And for some reason, my heart started beating faster.

Then we went on a few rides, which I had no idea what they were, but they were fun. The roller coaster was one of the rides we had left for the end, leaving the best for the last. Damian ended up enjoying most of the rides. By the time the line was over, a long time had passed, and I and Damian actually ended up talking. For the longest time, I thought the Wayne heir was a pompous, rude, and arrogant snob. But maybe I was wrong.

Soon, it was time for the best. The roller coaster had me screaming, while Damian just stared at me in amusement. When I got down from the ride, my head was spinning. I leaned on Damian, who held my hand in response.

We sat down on a bench.

“How the hell were you not scared?” I had asked him after we got down. “Like I said, it was not scary.” he replied. I scoffed at his faux-bravery. But then, I should give him credit after all, he was a vigilante. I just sighed, looking around the place and lightening up when I saw cotton candy. There was a kind-looking man selling pink and blue cotton candy to kids. “Dami~ Buy me cotton candy.” I whined, tugging on his arm.

Damian looked utterly annoyed.

“For the last time, do not call me that.” he says, glaring at me, but it wasn’t as intense as normal. He looked done with me. “Please?” I beg, making puppy eyes. “Fine.” he says, dragging me to the stall.

The cotton candy seller creepily reminded me of Andre in Paris.

The ice-cream man who could predict lovers.

Damian did end up buying me some cotton candy and paying for it himself. “I honestly own you a lot, Dami. I’ll pay you back later.” I say, feeling guilty. “It is fine. Treat me next time.” he replies.

“Next time? There’s going to be a next time?”

“If you want there to be.”

“Then, yes. Let’s go to the animal shelter next time.”

I smile at Damian. We were walking to the last ride, the Ferris wheel. “Do you want some?” I ask. Damian hums in confusion. “Candy, do you want some?” I ask again. The brunette turns away. “No.” he says. “Come on, I know you’ve never eaten it before.” I say, trying to convince him. “I heard it is too sweet.” he says, moving away. “And I heard you like sweets.” I reply, putting the cotton candy in front of my face, and taking a bite.

Suddenly, he leans in, and takes a bite from the other side, all while staring into my eyes and not breaking contact. And only after he resumed his original position, did my brain process everything. Heat rushes up to my face, and I put the cotton candy in front of my face to hide my blush. He chewed, and then stopped. “It is actually nice.” he says, staring at me, and then looking back front.

I extended the rest of the candy to him.

Damian shoved the rest down his throat.

We reached the Ferris wheel and got in. The wheel was big, but the compartments were small. Apparently, it was purposely made small so couples could share a kiss at the top romantically.

Now, what about the ones who weren’t couples?

Do they bump heads platonically?

Damian and I got in, and there was complete silence. “Why is this so small?” he asks, raising his arm to tap the top of the compartment. “Something about bringing couples together.” I say. The wheel starts rotating, taking us above the world. I gasp at the view of Gotham at night, lights shining all over the place. Maybe Gotham wasn’t so bad after all. Damian chuckled at my reaction.

We reached the top soon.

Our knees were practically touching, seeing how close together the seats were. Both of us were focused on the view outside. Suddenly, the ride jerks, and Damian ends up practically on top of me.

His face was literally two inches from mine, and now I could see his eyes more clearly. The green in his eyes had little gold streaks in them, making his eyes look almost royal. His eyes roam around my face, before resting on my lips.

Damian’s breath hitches.

Slowly, he leans in, and I do too. I let out a breath, feeling Damian’s lips only a few inches away from mine. A few seconds passed, he was almost there, and I could feel his breath on my lips. I close my eyes and wait. I felt him getting closer, and- Ring.

Damian’s phone rings with a text, and we both jump back. The compartment shook as both me and Damian slammed into the opposite sides of it. I particularly flattened myself to the back. He grabs his phone and reads the text. “It was Dick. He says we are late and we should come to the meeting spot.” he mumbles, chucking his phone back into his pocket. “Right. Yeah- Of course.” I stutter out, awkwardly.

The ride down was extremely quiet.

After we got out of the Ferris wheel, we walked back in silence. The amusement park was practically deserted when we got down. Also, the meeting spot was really close to the amusement park. “Did- did you have fun?” Damian asks, slowly.

“Yeah, that was the most fun I’ve had in a long time. Thank you.” I say, smiling at him. “You are welcome.” Damian says, finally smiling back. “Next time, I’m paying.” I reminded Damian, who laughed.

“Sure.”

I really had fun today. We ran around the whole park in excitement, but now, I was tired. My eyes started slowly drooping, but suddenly I tripped on a stone and fell. Well, not quite, Damian caught me. “Are you tired?” he asks. I hum. I realize he didn’t hear me, and then speak. “Yes, but it’s fine. I’ll sleep at the Manor.” I say, trying to walk, but stumbling again. “You won’t make it. I’ll carry you.” he says, coming near.

I take a step backward. “No, it’s fine-” I’m suddenly lifted off the ground. I squealed unflatteringly, flailing my arms around, before clutching Damian’s shoulders. The brunette had just picked me up and held me bridal style.

“Go to sleep.” he says, walking again, carrying me effortlessly. “Mhmm.” I hum, snuggling into his chest as his warmth lulled me into sleep.

I closed my eyes and fell asleep.

But what I didn’t see, was the smile on Damian’s face after I fell asleep.

…….

[Q.] Describe Dick in one word.

Chapter Text

The stars shone bright that night.

The next time I opened my eyes, I was back in my room. It was quite dark outside, and the moonlight shone down on me. My back was cramped, as if I had slept in a very wrong way for a very long time.

Did Damian carry me all the way back?

I sat up immediately at the thought. I felt utterly guilty for sleeping on him and making him carry me right after our… date. If you could call it one. If I was that exhausted, surely he must be too. I threw the cover off myself and noticed that I was in the same clothes as before. My clothes were absolutely messy and wrinkled, exactly what I hated. But I couldn’t blame no one.

11:37 pm.

I groaned as my stomach grumbled in hunger. Missing dinner was not on my agenda. Well, that was disappointing. Seeing as the last thing I had eaten was cotton candy, and it was practically liquid sugar.

Speaking of cotton candy…

The time Damian and I spent in the amusement park came rushing back. My cheeks turned pink as I remembered the moment Damian leaned down to take a bite of the cotton candy.

The moment my heart skipped a beat.

This man was doing something to me. He made me feel things I hadn’t felt in a long time, and I desperately didn’t want to. He made me happy, and I wondered, was it really okay for me to be happy? I went to my closet and saw that I had nothing decent and comfortable. Something I could wear to sleep, but also outside. I was hoping I could escape out of here, seeing as I had slept the evening away.

I went down to the kitchen, not getting lost once. I grabbed few bread slices and toasted them. When they were done, I buttered them up and ate. Obviously, they weren’t the perfect dinner, but they would do for now.

On the way back to my room, I stopped by this pretty little balcony, which gave me a beautiful view of the moon. How hadn’t I noticed this before? It was a floor above my room’s, but you could see the moonlight streaming in from far away.

It looked warm, cozy, and inviting even.

So, not resisting the urge, I went and stood there, leaning against the ivory railings. The moon looked happy in the company of the stars. Although there was this particular star, which shone brighter than the others, yet it was in a corner, all alone.

It reminded me of myself, to be honest. Some sense of nostalgia filled me when I thought about my previous life, before Lila and before the chaos. Was I happy back then? I was deep in my thoughts when I saw a shadow move behind me.

The hair on the back of my neck stood up as I turned alert. I immediately turned around, throwing a punch to whoever was behind me, when a hand held my arm. It hadn’t even struck me that it could be someone I know.

“It is rude to just punch people, you know.”

“Damian?” I asked, baffled. Damian stood in front of me in all his glory. “Yes. Now close your mouth, you look like a fish.” he said, coming to stand beside me. “It’s rude to insult people too, you know.” I snap back. He didn’t reply, nor did he bother to look at me. He just stood and stared at the sky. Silence filled the surroundings, and this time, it was comfortable. “Why are you here?” he asked.

“I couldn’t sleep. You?”

“Me either.”

“Marinette.” Damian called out my name, making me snap my head towards him. He looked as if he was contemplating something before shaking his head and sighing. He then looked into my eyes.

“Do you trust me?” he asked, suddenly. My head went blank. ‘Why was he asking me this?’ wasn’t the first thought that popped up, but rather ‘Can I say yes?’ I thought about it for a second.

Maybe it was the fact that he was a superhero, or maybe because he looked so ethereal under the moonlight tonight, I said yes.

He smiled and put his hand out to me. “Come. I want to take you somewhere.” he said. I smiled back, grabbing his hand, and we walked out the mansion, hand in hand, content with each other’s company.

It surprised me how I never hesitated once.

Soon after, we reached the garage, where Damian pulled out his keys and we got on his bike. We zoomed past the city and the buildings, and I was sure that they looked better in the sunlight.

We passed the deserted streets, some places barely lit up due to the broken street lamps. It was then that I realized— Gotham was a dead city. No matter how much Batman and the others try to save it, it would be useless.

Batman, to this city, was a symbol of hope, a sign that everything was going to be just fine, as long as he was there. But what if this same faith is what blinds them? What if this blinds them from the truth that Batman is not always going to be there to save them?

That they themselves should be their own protectors?

In a way, vigilantes weren’t helping anyone, only making people depend on them more instead of doing things themselves. As more and more people came to trust these ‘vigilantes’, they begin to forget what they should be doing.

Protecting themselves.

There was this time in Paris during an akuma attack, where the super-villain had thrown a car across the street towards a civilian. The woman had enough time to get out of the way herself, but she just stood there, waiting for help.

If Chat Noir hadn’t saved her then, what would’ve happened?

I buried my face in Damian’s back, mind filled with thoughts. I felt the breeze blowing past, becoming stronger by the minute. It was so silent, so peaceful. I wish I could stay like this forever, away from my problems, away from the mess I call life.

But reality always has a beckoning, and now, it was the slowing down and stopping of Damian’s bike. The brunette parked his bike near an entrance, waiting for me to get off. “We are here. Come on.” he said, killing the engine.

We had stopped in front of an old abandoned building. Moss and creepers completely covered the front, only leaving enough space for the door to open. “Why are we here?” I asked. “You will see.” he said, his lips curving up in a smile.

He opened the door, walking in, and I followed, grabbing onto the back of his black jacket. The inside was just as I expected.

Dark, old, and rusty.

We climbed up a few floors, the steps creaking beneath us. Soon we reached another door, just as old as the other things in this house. I was utterly confused. Damian just looked back, and smiled, once again opening the door and going through.

I walked past the door, and stood amazed.

In front of my eyes, stood a beautiful rooftop garden, filled with the prettiest of plants and flowers. It shone under the moonlight, looking like something out of a fairy tale. There was even a bench under an arch, the arch covered with leaves and flowers.

“This used to be Poison Ivy’s old place.” said Damian, leading me to a bench. I sat down as Damian continued. “But when she got her own garden in the middle of the city, she needed someone to take care of it.” “Oh.” I said, speechless. “I volunteered. And she was suspicious of me, but she still let me take care of this place. Soon, this became my favorite place to be.” he said, taking a seat next to me.

“Marinette.” he called out again as I turned to look at him. “No one else knows.” he continued, looking at me intensely. “I won’t tell anyone.” I confirmed, getting the hint. The bench gave a better view of the moon, and once again we sat in silence.

Damian decided to play ice-breaker.

“When I was younger, my mom used to never let me grow plants. She used to say that it was only for weak people. My mom never let me do things normal kids do, and I was just stuck in my… ‘room.’” he said.

His confession shocked me, and even if I already knew all this, I kept my mouth shut and nodded. I did wonder why he was telling me this, but I was hoping it was because… maybe he thought I was different. He was finally opening up to someone. To me.

“When I came to live with Father, everything was completely different. I was told to be who I am. But I never knew who I was, because I was always told to be someone, or be like someone. Honestly, I still do not have any idea.”

Damian paused, frowning.

“But I knew one thing-” he continued. “No matter hold much I try, I was happy when I was in nature. So I started planting plants in the garden, and then came Titus. You should meet him sometime, he is the only one around who does not judge me.” He finished, and looked down, with a frown on his face. I smiled at the brunette. “And Alfred the cat?” I ask again, reminded of a conversation I had with Alfred the butler a few days ago.

“Even Alfred the cat.” Damian confirmed, eyes gleaming in the moonlight. “Thank you.” I said, turning to him. “For what?” he asked. “For opening up to me. You’re not as bad as I thought.” I said, teasing him.

“Pfft- You are the still same.” He said, laughing. I joined him, laughing like crazy. We both knew there was nothing funny about what I said, but that didn’t stop the shining eyes and giddy smiles on our faces. For the third time today, we sat in silence, but this time, with a smile and a content heart. And that was the day I realized that the attitude he put on every day was just a mask. A facade.

And without that mask, was just a vulnerable person, trying to escape his dark past.

…….

[Q.] Who is your favorite singer?

Chapter Text

Have you ever wondered how it would be to fly?

I have.

But the thing is, when you can't actually do it, I can. I have flown over the city a million times, and the feeling never changes. The feeling of pure ecstasy, like being on top of the world, feeling invincible. The breeze that would turn into wind when I run across the rooftops. In short, it's amazing.

I love the sky.

I have always loved it.

The stars and the moon were something I always paused to look at. But in this moment, I have never loved the earth more. Lying here, under the stars with Damian, content with each other's company. We both had gotten sick of the bench soon enough. No matter how enchanting it was to sit under that beautiful arch, our bottoms hurt quite a lot. And so we resorted to lying on the floor, me using Damian's arm as a pillow.

I realized that this moment made me happier than I ever have been, and that scares me. What if history repeats? I wondered if I deserved this. I didn't want to get attached. Last time I cared-

"Penny for your thoughts?"

Damian turned towards me. "Huh?" I asked, having no idea what he meant. The brunette chuckles at my absent-mindedness. "What are you thinking about?" he asked again, with a slight smile. "Nothing." I replied, to which Damian stared at me weirdly. "I was wondering how it would be to fly." I admitted, ignoring the other thoughts in my head. "I think it would feel nice. Like you can do anything." he said, looking at the stars.

"Like you're on top of the world." I continued. "Yeah, like that." he said, laying back down. "But why are you thinking about this at-" he stops, checking his watch for the time. "3 AM? Shit, we should get back now." he says, frantically. Damian moves to sit up, but I stop him. "Dami, can't we just... stay here?" I asked, not wanting to go back to my life. This was pretty much a break from reality.

I understood why Damian kept coming here.

Damian frowns, contemplating my suggestion for a little bit. I give him the best puppy eyes I could muster, to which the brunette sighed in defeat. "Fine, let us stay. It is too late to go back, and I am quite sleepy." He agrees, as I snuggle into him.

He put his arm around me and closed his eyes.

"Sleep." he said, and I smiled into his chest.

I might be lying, but that was the best sleep I'd had.

.......

The day got over too soon.

When I opened my eyes the next time, I was still lying in Damian's arms. The sun shone brightly into my eyes, making me wonder if I was actually going to go blind. I looked at Damian's watch, panicking when I saw the time. "Wake up, Damian!" I said, shaking him. Damian groans before turning away. I shake him harder. He suddenly shoots up straight, ready to attack someone. After realizing where we were, he calmed down.

"Ugh, what time is it?" he asked, squinting because of the extra light. "It's 9:30 in the morning. And we both know breakfast is at 10. Come on, we're late!" I said, pulling him up by his arms and dragging him out, while he wobbled behind me. "9:30? Father is going to kill me." Damian groaned out, eyes widening as he realized how dire the situation was. Soon, it was him pulling me out the door. We reached his bike, and he fumbled to find his keys, before getting on.

"Come on." he said. I got on the bike, arms naturally tightening on Damian's waist. "Hold on tight." Damian muttered. He sped off, leaving dust flying around the front of the building, and no other trace that we were there. Damian zoomed past the buildings, ignoring red signals and somehow even driving on the pedestrian pathway. If I didn't know better, with all the stunts he was doing, I would have thought he was a motorbike racer.

The Waynes really need to start being careful.

The deserted streets and dark buildings I saw yesterday had now turned into a rip-off Metropolis. I smiled, seeing people get ice cream and laugh with each other. The clouds were nowhere to be seen, as if the world was mirroring my mood.

Maybe not all hope was lost for Gotham.

Damian didn't bother going in through the main entrance- a dead giveaway that he had snuck out. He rounded the Manor, easily finding the small gap in the trees, the only place there was no security measures. I had to get off while he squeezed his bike through the gap. I wonder how he dared to do that; imagine the cost of repairs. He continued driving through the forest and around the edge of the lake behind the Manor, safely reaching the garage.

The same way we had gotten out last night.

Once we got off, Damian pushed a shelf with tools aside, revealing a secret passage. He pressed some certain bricks, opening the passageway. He beckoned for me to get in. "This way. They might not know we were gone, so we should get back before Alfred calls us to make pancakes.'' he said. "Pancakes?" I asked, confused. "Yeah, It is like a tradition. I will explain later, come on." he said, pushing me in as the wall self-locked behind us. The passage lit up automatically as he guided me through a series of twists and turns.

And stairs. There were one too many staircases.

When the wall opened the second time, we were in Damian's room. Damian looked at the locked door of his and sighed in relief, jumping on his bed. "Alfred has not come yet. You can go to your room now." he said. "Yeah, thanks." I said, smiling. "That was close." he groaned out. I hummed in agreement, walking towards the door. "We should do this more often." I suggest jokingly, opening the door. Damian's head shoots up from where it was buried in a pillow, his emerald eyes boring into mine. "Would you like to go back with me tonight?" he asks, although hesitantly. I grinned widely.

"Of course" I reply. He smiles back, and that was the last thing I saw before I shut the door. I entered my room, which was right in front of his. Just after the door shut, I collapsed on the floor, grinning like a fool.

Last night was a dream.

A knock sounded on the door, and I hurriedly messed up my hair to look like I just woke up. I stand up, tiptoeing away and walking towards the door with heavy steps. "What?" I slam the door open sleepily, or pretending to be, at least. Stephanie stood outside the door, fist up like she was gonna knock again. And she did. Right onto my forehead. And believe me when I say a hollow sound came out. It's probably right, seeing as there was nothing in my head.

"Oh hi! I didn't see you there." she said, smiling. I just raised my eyebrow. "Yeah, okay. That was a lie." she said, her smile never faltering. "Anyway, breakfast is ready. You should come down before Jon eats all the pancakes." "Jon? Jon's here?" I asked, confused. When did he even get here? "Yeah. He got here maybe 30 minutes ago. You didn't hear? I mean- he screeched out Damian's name like a maniac until Tim told him Damian was asleep." she asked.

Stephanie eyed me suspiciously.

"Not really. I guess I was deep asleep." I say, laughing nervously. The blonde eyed me for a minute before switching to her customer-service smile. I guess she couldn't really suspect a person for being asleep. "Okay, then. Anyway, like I was saying, freshen up and come down for breakfast." she said, switching topics. Something tells me she didn't exactly believe my lie.

But whatever.

That was a problem for future me.

.......

"Aaaaaaargh!"

Screams. Loud and blood-curdling screams. That was all I heard when I went down the stairs. And booming laughter, mostly Dick's. I furrowed my eyebrows in confusion. Was there something going on? I frowned at the deserted hallways. Where were Lila and the class? The door to the dining hall was shut tight. And by tight, I mean real tight. I kept on pushing the door but it wouldn't open.

Frustrated, I kick the door hardly, causing it to echo down the hallways. Well, nothing happened. The inside quietened down, enough that I could hear footsteps approaching the door. The door soon opened, and a mop of black hair peeked out. Startling blue-eyes looked at me in curiosity before recognition sparked. "Oh- Hi Mari." the ravenette spoke, with his silky voice. "Hi." I breathed out, looking at Jon.

"Come on in." Jon muttered, smiling. He moved to the side, showing the chaos that had been hiding behind those closed doors. And I wished I had politely declined and walked up the stairs, because nothing could have prepared me for what I saw.

"JASON YOU CAN'T EAT THAT!"

"WHY NOT?!"

"TIM STOP LAZING AROUND AND COME HELP!"

"JON WHERE THE HELL DID YOU DISAPPEAR TO?!"

"I'M COMING. GEEZ, WON'T A GUY EVER GET TIME TO REST?"

"REST?! I HAVE BEEN WORKING MY BUTT OFF FOR-"

Jon groaned and then waddled right into the chaos, pushing past Dick who was covered in pancake batter and Tim who was (if I'm not mistaken-) watching cat videos on YouTube. "What the hell is going on?" I whispered to myself, wandering around the room and the kitchen, which were now, undoubtedly, covered with pancake batter. I walked into the kitchen, where everyone was, screaming and shouting at each other. Stephanie was wearing an apron and still covered in flour, screaming at Jason for eating her batter.

Bruce stood in one corner, looking done with his life, while Selena and Alfred were completely missing. Pancake batter was being thrown everywhere. Dick stood at the stove, where oil fell on his head, drop by drop. I instinctively look up, spotting at least three pancakes stuck on the ceiling. How even-

Jon stood towards the side, where some pancakes were being cooked and placed on a plate neatly. I gaped at the usually classy and fancy Waynes, who now stood in a batter-ed up kitchen, covered in flour. A hand settled on my waist, starling me. I look back to see Damian, smiling at me apologetically. "Well, welcome to Wayne Manor." said Damian, watching the scene unfold. He smiled at me, and I smiled back at him.

That one moment was very peaceful.

Because the next-

"DAMIAN, THESE PANCAKES AREN'T GONNA MAKE THEMSELVES!"

.......

[Q.] Have you ever had a flour battle with your family? 

Chapter Text

It was Pancake Day.

Damian explained that every year, on July 7th, the Waynes would gather in the kitchen of the Manor and make pancakes. It was also a competition, since this house never seemed to run without it.

Jason and Stephanie, Tim and Barbara, Damian and Jon, Dick and Bruce.

Alfred and Selena were supposed to judge, so they ditched the house and went to give company to Jon’s grandparents. Apparently, Jon’s grandparents lived in Kansas, so I wonder how they would get here soon.

For the past 4 years, Damian and Jon were winning the competition, since they were the only ones who even bothered to step in the kitchen on normal days. It wasn’t really surprising.

Lila and the others left early in the morning to continue with the tour as planned. The squad stayed back, and joined the competition. The couples split and were busy making pancakes, and unlike the Waynes, it was going pretty smoothly.

After all, they learned from the best.

This was not all of it, apparently. Dick’s family was coming from Bludhaven this weekend. And so was Cassandra Cane, another member of the Bat family. So let’s say Dick was working extra hard to impress his wife.

But extra, apparently, means flipping the pancake so high, it got stuck to the ceiling.

“MARI, GET IN HERE!” screamed Stephanie, still struggling with the pancake flour. And suddenly, I was part of the mess. About 10 hands reached out to grab me. Jon had grabbed me first, pulling me over to a stove which was set up on the dining table.

There were a series of groans and ‘We’ve lost already’ from Alya and Adrien. But first, I was now part of Jon and Damian’s team. Of course, there were a few oppositions, but Damian’s scream of ‘First come, first serve.’ shut them up.

It was a war zone in there.

Flour flew around, getting in everyone’s hair, Dick’s sticky pancakes fell on Jason, and Barbara even set her hair on fire. But our work was going fine. Jon made the batter, I made the pancakes, and Damian poured syrup and plated them.

An hour and a half later, a scream broke through the tense atmosphere.

“THERE ARE ONLY 20 MINUTES LEFT!” screamed Stephanie, her blonde hair now gold with maple syrup. “SO WHAT?!” screamed back Dick, throwing some actually cooked pancakes on a few plates.

“ALFRED WILL BE BACK ANY MINUTE-”

The house went silent. The Waynes stared at each other in worry with their mouths open. The only sound you could hear was the sizzling of the pancakes on the stove which Dick had left on, the food now completely burnt on one side.

Only, this silence was the calm before the storm.

Everyone’s brains then went into overdrive as Jason and Tim scrambled to get the cleaning tools. Almost immediately, the game had been called into a truce as everyone switched off the stoves and ran to clean up the Manor.

Some rubbed the tiles, some rubbed the stoves, some took care of the trash and some washed the dishes. Even the ceiling fell victim to the cleaning schemes.

In barely minutes, the house was clean. So clean, it looked like no one had lived there for years. The next few minutes were spent on plating and decorating everyone’s dishes, carrying them to the dining room one by one.

Plates were neatly arranged on the long dining table, and whoever finished, ran up to their respective rooms to take a quick shower.

Damian’s team was one of the first to finish.

Me and Jon ran up to our rooms, leaving a fuming Damian to clean up what was left a mess. Seems like Jon was here so often, he got a room all to himself. And guess what? His room was only down the hall from mine.

I rushed to take a shower, shoving myself into a simple skirt and a crop top. I ran down the stairs to find that I was the only person there, apart from Stephanie, who sat in the middle of the room, boasting about coming first.

The Waynes joined us soon, Alya being the first to reach in the gang, and Chloe being last. I was busy chatting with Chloe when the bell rang. That must be Alfred. Right after this, Damian and Jon came running down the stairs with messy hair and clothes.

Now, what exactly were they doing?

The duo came to stand behind me, Jon panting in silence. Damian’s hair was still wet and black, as he tried to style it with his hands and failing badly. I stifled a laughter, which the brunette noticed, glaring at me.

Alfred and Selena soon walked inside the dining hall, smiles on their faces. Jason and Stephanie walked by their sides, wishing them praise. I rolled by eyes, almost in sync with Damian and Jon.

Alfred and Selena paused dramatically in front of the table, acting professional as they hid their true emotions. I was sure they were imitating Master Chef Gotham. Our dishes were allotted numbers for no biasing.

We were practically kicked out of the dining room during judgment, to which everyone resorted to lazing about the living room. Dick had just laid down on the couch when he had received a call, making him excuse himself and leave. The ravenette walked back into the room a few minutes later, visibly sulking. “What happened?” Tim had the pity to ask, as the man let out a whine. “Kori isn’t coming. They have something to do.” he said, side-eyeing the other Waynes.

The Waynes nodded in unison.

I had the decency to understand that his wife must have had some ‘vigilante’ emergency, and it was because of that they couldn’t come, but it was funny to see how he explained it.

Alfred and Selena walked in just then.

In the next 2 minutes, I realized that Alfred was scary. Even if Selena kept smirking now and then, he kept a poker face all throughout the time I saw him. Not a single ounce of emotion to give his thoughts away.

Even Batman needs a lesson from Alfred.

The two stood in the middle of the room as the rest straightened their back in tension. Alfred cleared his throat, grabbing all attention. “After a long and hard evaluation, we have decided the winners.” said Alfred, professionally.

“And the losers.” added Selena, visibly holding in her laugh. The short-haired woman looked absolutely amused with the current situation.

“The third place goes to… TEAM 5!” said Alfred, smiling. Chloe and Luka jumped up in joy and hugged each other. Groans were heard from the people who’d at least expected 3rd place.

Stephanie, Tim and Jason had lost all hope by now. You could see the tears in Tim’s eyes. Dick had explained to me earlier in the day how Tim was the last for the past 2 years, due to his undeniably bad cooking skills.

“Second place goes to… TEAM 1.” screamed Selena happily. I was guessing, from her reaction, that this was probably her favorite of the bunch.

“HOLY SHIT!-!” “YEAH!” shouted Jason and Stephanie, brimming with joy. They ran around the room, boasting greatly to those who had accepted they had no chance for 1st place, namely Alya and Nino.

“First place goes to… TEAM 3!” said Alfred, with a knowing smile. “… who’s Team 3?” asked Tim, confused. The room stood in silence as the inhabitants looked around in confusion.

A cackle sounded from a corner.

“THAT’S MY TEAM YOU MONGRELS!” shouted Damian, cackling loudly. The brunette stood up in happiness. Me and Jon jumped up, pumping our fists in the air. Jon and I hugged each other, dragging a reluctant Damian into it. “IN YOUR FACE!” Damian shouted at Jason, who had forgotten about his victory and was shell- shocked at Damian’s win. As much as Jason had won over the rest of them, Damian had still beaten Jason.

“OH THAT’S NOT FAIR-”

“THAT’S THE FOURTH TIME IN A ROW-”

“ALFRED WHY?!”

The whole family whined at the decision. I laughed out loud; this was one competitive family. Jason stood in shock as the duo continued with their announcements. Selena laughed evilly and turned to Alfred with a smirk.

“And now for the losers-” Alfred started.

“OH COME ON, ALFRED.” shouted Tim, already accepting his failure. The half-dead-zombie-looking-guy had sat down with a huff, crossing his arms and pouting at his soon to be failure.

“The last place goes to… TEAM 4.”

Gasps filled the air. Shock settled down in the room as Tim came to the slow realization that his team wasn’t Team 4. But everyone knew who Team 4 was. The team who’s member had caused the most chaos today.

It was Dick Grayson and Bruce Wayne’s team.

“OH MY GOD!”

“FOR REAL?”

“HOLY SHIT!”

“BWAHAHA BRUCE CAME LAST!”

“YES! I’M NOT LAST!”

The last one was Tim’s, as he smiled happily, jumping around. It was the most I had seen the ravenette move. I heard a thud, turning around only to see that Dick had tripped over thin air to fall face first onto the ground.

Bruce just sat on the couch, jaw wide open.

It was chaos. Utter chaos and disbelief. Screams filled the room, some joyous and some filled with regret. “Shut up!” Selena screamed, making the room go silent. The Waynes then began to whisper among each other.

“I can’t believe it was yours, baby.” Selena said, walking towards Bruce. Damian fake-gagged at the nickname, at which I giggled. Bruce smiled at his girlfriend apologetically. “Master Bruce, there was something I noticed.” Alfred said, taking a seat. “Oh! Me too.” said Selena, sitting down by Bruce’s side. The oldest Wayne turned to her in confusion. “What is it?” he asked.

“Why was there soy sauce in your pancakes?”

Selena’s question had left everyone confused. “What do you mean?” Bruce asked, shocked. “There was soy sauce.” Selena nodded. “No one could mistake the taste of soy sauce.” Alfred added. “Soy sauce? I didn’t even take it out. Why would there be soy sauce?” asked Dick, confused. “I mean, unless someone else did-” started Jason, but was very rudely interrupted.

“DAMIAN, YOU ASSHOLE!”

Damian cackled again.

…….

[Q.] How come Alfred knows everything?

Chapter Text

Pancake day was officially over.

Well- not the day, but the pancake part. After Dick chased down Damian down the long ass mansion and never managed to catch him, we all settled down to watch a movie.

Of course, Damian showed up in the end, boasting about how no one caught him, only to get flour thrown at him, making the brunette huff and walk up the stairs to shower again. Damian also made everyone promise they wouldn’t start without him.

Of course we started without him.

Jason told me that the only reason Dick stopped chasing Damian was probably because Damian threatened to steal all his Disney themed plushies. Yes, the grown man liked Disney. And that was probably the reason we were watching Beauty and the Beast on the large flat screen that they call a TV. Honestly, that thing belonged in a theater. They even had a huge separate room for this.

I mean- I had one too.

Just like you probably guessed, there was a huge ruckus while deciding the movie. They first decided to pull chits only to find that each and everyone was cheating. Next resort, they played rock-paper-scissors and Damian won every match.

And then Dick won the final match between him and Damian, the brunette handing the choosing rights to the ravenette on a gold platter. And even after the game, suggestions were screeched out, hoping Dick would choose one of them.

“TITANIC!”

“DRAKE, I WATCHED IT ONLY A FEW DAYS AGO.”

“How about Home Alone?”

“Kingsman!”

In the end, Dick decided on Beauty and the Beast. The man had almost agreed to watch Kingsman, and everyone was satisfied, right until he switched the TV on and saw the Beauty and the Beast poster, instantly changing his mind.

For a vigilante, Dick was too fickle.

Dick clapped in delight as the starting credits rolled in, and I swear I saw Jon whisper a small ‘Yes’ in his seat. And then, the movie started, pulling us all into the world of fantasy and magic, where everything could come true.

The movie was amazing.

I had almost forgotten how great Disney was. Those dreams we used to have as kids, to get our happily ever after… what happened to us? As kids, we used to love the heroes, but as adults, we understand the villains.

Prince Adam was just another spoiled brat who got everything handed to him on a silver platter. He didn’t know kindness, as he wasn’t taught about it. So it wasn’t exactly his fault when he got cursed for being indifferent.

Belle was someone who had to work for everything she got, learning kindness from birth. When she met the Beast, she managed to change him into someone gentle and caring. There was a happy ending to their story, but not all stories have a happy ending.

A good amount of time through the movie, right during the scene when the Beast was stabbed and Belle was trying to save him, Damian, who was sitting on the floor, got up and walked out. I looked at him, confused. I slowly followed him up the stairs. He walked all the way to the 3rd floor and to that one balcony he startled me on last night. He leaned against the railing, slightly hugging himself.

The sun shone brightly, even if only half of it was visible through the storm clouds. I walk toward him, making my steps purposefully louder to alert him. The brunette doesn’t even bother turning back. “Are you okay?” I breathed out, walking towards the railing, leaning on it just like last time. “I am fine.” he says, not even sparing me a glance. “You don’t seem fine.” I say, moving a little bit closer to him.

“I thought that after last night, you’d share things with me.”

Damian scoffed.

I turned toward him, confused. The brunette noticed my gaze, slightly shaking his head. “You know nothing about me.” he snapped. “Then tell me everything about you.” I stressed, bumping against his shoulder.

Damian frowns.

“I-i just-” Damian stops in the middle, sighing at turning towards me. “I feel like a monster.” he says, frowning. “What do you mean?” I ask him, even though I probably know the answer.

“Marinette, I am not who you think I am. I am a bad person, who has done a lot of bad things.” he says, turning away, like he was embarrassed for admitting this. I sigh. He was depreciating himself for who he was. I knew how that felt.

“Whoever you are, or were, I don’t care Damian. I know you regret it.” I say, reaching out and holding his hand. I hold his chin in my palm, slowly turning his face towards mine. I look into his eyes to stress my point.

“Marinette, you do not get it. I-i have hurt people.” he says, squeezing my hand. “Like I said, I don’t care. Your past doesn’t define who you are now.” I say, smiling at him.

“You are not a monster.” I said again.

“Prince Adam was a monster, yes? He held people captive and threatened them. But Belle still helped him. And his story still had a happy ending. Maybe yours will too.” I say, squeezing his hand, to which Damian looked down, at our hands, intertwined.

And just like that, he smiled.

Not like all the other times I’ve seen him, hiding his feelings. He truly smiled at me. Damian’s eyes glistened in happiness as he looked up, his hair swaying slowly with the afternoon breeze. We stayed, staring at each other.

Slowly, his smile faded, and so did mine.

“I have been wanting to try something.” he says, shifting closer, facing me. “Oh yeah What?” I ask, slowly. “Remember the day we met?” he whispered, inching even closer. “Remember when I was telling you to not do something?”

I thought about it for a minute. “Yeah. What about it?” I asked, confused. “I was going to tell you not to bite your lips.” he revealed, moving closer by the minute. “Why?” I finally breathed out, eyes on his lips.

“Because, I would rather do it for you.”

And then, our lips connected. Just as quickly as my hands laced with his, he kissed me. I was kissing him. I was really kissing him. The brunette sighed, somehow in relief, in between the kiss.

The world stopped spinning, and it was just me and him in our bubble, and nothing could stop us. The kiss went on for seconds, and I would have collapsed on the floor with my legs, which had turned into jelly, if not for Damian holding me up.

I was stoked.

Damian tasted like cranberry and pine, his scent being that of old books. Maybe it was his lip balm, or maybe it was my lipstick. It didn’t matter right now. I smacked myself mentally for trying to zone out.

Somewhere in between, he managed to push me up against the railing, pulling me as close to him as possible. The brunette slipped his hands around my waist, although not in the manner you would expect.

He pulled me close, into a hug, as I looped my arms around his neck. The railing kept us steady, and maybe we if we leaned a bit too much to the back, the air would carry us down into the hard ground.

I kept my eyes shut, no matter the urge I got to open them. To open them and see just how much the man was affected by me. Damian pulled me even closer, slamming my body onto his and for a second I wondered how that was even possible.

And stupidly enough, I needed air.

We broke apart, breathing heavily. As I cursed the gods for giving humans this need to breathe, I rest my forehead on his. Opening my eyes, I find Damian already staring at me, hair messy and lips swollen.

His brilliant green eyes shone brightly in the sun, and his tanned skin looked even tanner. The brunette never let go of the hug he held me in, leaving me to resort to staring at his face. He had small scars on his face, probably from all the years he spent fighting. It made him look even more beautiful. He suddenly smiled, and that made me smile too. Soon, we were both giggling.

I put my hand out, trying to fix his hair to the way it sat on his head before. Damian chuckled too, trying to help me with it. Obviously, we both failed at it, only to find that Damian’s hair was still wet and our efforts were in vain.

Mine was easy to fix.

“Ready to go back?” he asked me, pulling away. “Of course.” I said, smiling and taking his outstretched hand in mine. We both walked back, secretly hiding smiles behind our poker faces. We walked back into the living room, where the final scene was playing in front of our eyes; the scene were the curse was broken and Adam and Belle stood happily in front of their kingdom.

Settling down in our respective places, we secretly glanced at each other, smiling. No one had noticed, the Waynes to absorbed in the movie and even without it, it was too dark in the room indeed.

I snuggled back in between Luka and Alya, the latter chucking a blanket over me and whispering about how I missed the most important part. I whisper a sorry along with an excuse, watching the end credits roll in.

Now 7th July had a special meaning for both of us.

The day we first kissed.

…….

[Q.] How did you like the confession?

Chapter Text

The day passed.

So did another, and another, and another.

Dick’s family and Cassandra never ended up coming last Sunday because of some emergency they had to attend to. Bruce clarified over and over that it was because of a friend’s wedding they had to attend.

But both you and I know he was lying about it. I was pretty sure there was some kind of ‘vigilante’ emergency, and it was really tempting to go help. But unfortunately, I had no idea where they were.

Speaking of, Damian and I never talked about what happened last Sunday. Lila and the others had moved out the day after, not a single tantrum thrown. Seeing the sausage-hair leave with such a defeated look on her face brought me joy.

Me and the gang left soon after, honestly. It just wasn’t home. Jason begged for me to stay, and even promised to get me in the family register, but I immediately denied. You can’t really date your adopted sibling, can you?

Back to Damian, I honestly don’t even see him around anymore. College had started up again, and he wasn’t seen all day, and when he came back, he would just take his car and zoom out to meet Jon.

Or that’s what he said.

I hadn’t seen Jon since Pancake Day either.

And since me and the gang have been busy roaming the city and visiting different places… (Doing what we actually came here for.) I can’t blame Damian either, since it wasn’t like I was making time for him either.

Isabella had practically joined us on our adventures since, firstly, she knew more about Gotham anyway, and secondly, she had to shut down her cafe for a few days for a health examination.

The others made it a point to tell Bella about each and everything Lila had lied about and had done to us, which made her seethe with anger. “I’m glad I stood up to her.” she said, when the list was over.

But unfortunately, there was no end to that list.

Maybe we finally had another group member, and I didn’t have to third wheel, no, seventh wheel alone. I could finally hang out with someone when the others were on a date. Or I could find a boyfriend, that would be a good idea too.

Boyfriend.

What a word. Honestly, Damian is the first one that comes to my mind when I think of this, but then I wonder. Will he ever like me? What if he regrets what happened that day? What if it was a one-time thing?

I shook my head in a frenzy.

I was going to drive myself crazy; I had no need for Scarecrow’s toxin. I looked at the date on my phone. It was Friday already, three days since we saw any of the Waynes, except for Bruce, who appeared on the Billboards here and there.

I sighed.

Today was important.

Today is the day the Miraculous team will have their first night of vigilantism in Gotham. After a long and hard discussion in the mansion, we all agreed to do so. Why? Joker had broken out once again, and I thought this could be a good practice session.

The miraculous team was back in business.

……

“Marinette, you okay?”

A familiar voice, that of Alya’s, broke me out of my thoughts. I blinked, turning to the woman standing in front of me. Alya stood in front of me, her hair tied back, and black eye shadow around her eyes.

“Hmm?” I turn around to face Alya. “I see you’re getting ready.” I say, smiling. Alya chuckles lightly. “Of course. We should be more careful here after all, far away from Bruce’s face recognition.” she jokingly, says, while I frown.

“The magic will keep us safe.” I say, seriously. “I know Mari, but it can never hurt to be careful.” she says, laying a hand on my shoulder. “Speaking of, when are you getting ready? It’s almost time, Mari.” Alya speaks.

“Huh?”

I look at the time in confusion. It was about 15 minutes before we had to leave, and I was still in my pajamas with messy hair, sitting and staring at my computer screen. “I… didn’t see the time.” I said, absentmindedly.

I look at my screen, where many tabs were open, organized quite messily. Most of them were about the Joker, some from the data I had stolen from Bruce. One was the chat messages I had sent to the Miraculous Temple, asking about identity protection magic.

Alya frowns.

“Marinette, are you okay?” the brunette asks me. I look at her in confusion. “Of course I am, Al.” I reply with a smile. Alya’s frown deepens as she detects my lie.

“Liar. You’ve been on your computer the whole day, to the point that you didn’t notice the time passing. What’s going on, Marinette?” she asks. Whether it was because I was overwhelmed with the fact that she noticed, or how concerned she looked, I told her.

“I’m scared, Alya.”

“What?” Alya looked shocked, but then she smiled. “Of course you are, Mari. Everyone is.” she says. “No, you don’t get it.” I say, shaking my head and looking away. “You’d think, after all the time in Paris, this fear would run out.”

“But this is new, this is Gotham. This is so much more dangerous than Paris, and the fact that it is, scares me, Alya. I’m supposed to be brave, so you can be scared.” I say, sighing at the end.

This was Gotham, the city of crime, where thieves and villains had no moral code. It wasn’t like Paris, where you de-akumatize someone and the problem would be solved. There was no reset button for damages caused.

People here are out for blood, and there is practically nothing stopping them. I- no, we need to be careful out there. Because, once you’re out there, you’re on your own. By all means, a fight for your life.

You could get killed out there.

“The world is scary, Marinette.” Alya started. “Of course you’re going to be scared in a new place, chasing a new villain, fighting in a new way, but if that were to stop you, you wouldn’t have chosen to be a hero, Marinette.” she says.

I smiled at her. “Anyway, if we were to die, you can bring us back anyway.” Alya says again, shrugging. I gasp in surprise. “Just because I can bring you back doesn’t mean you can die in the first place!” I let out.

Alya laughs out loud in happiness.

“Of course not, Marinette. I’m just comforting you.” Alya said. I grinned. “Thanks, Al.” I say, making the brunette smile. “For you, always.” she replies, smiling. As we grin at each other, we hear some hushed whispers.

“Can we go in yet?”

“I don’t think so.”

“They’re having a deep conversation.”

“But then, why are we hiding here again?”

I roll my eyes at the sound. Pressing a button on my desk, the doors of the changing room slide open, making the others fall onto the ground, as if they were leaning onto the door to eavesdrop.

“What were you doing?” I ask, annoyed. “Uh, you see Mari-” Nino starts, only to be rudely cut off by Chloe. “We were checking the quality of the door!” she piped up nervously.

“All together?” Alya asked. “Yep.” Adrien chirped. “That makes sense.” the brunette says, agreeing after sharing a glance with me. “Go on, then. Get ready.” I say shooing them away. Chloe and Adrien sighed in relief, walking away. “Hey, Chloe.” I called out, making the two blondes pause their motion. “How is it?” I ask, as they looked at me, confused. “How was what?” Adrien asked back innocently.

“The quality of the door. I thought you were checking it.” I say, frowning at them. Chloe laughs nervously. “Good. Amazing. Very strong.” she said, smiling at me. Suddenly, Alya bursts into laughter from the other side of the room.

I grinned.

“Next time you eavesdrop, do it right.” I say, walking past them. I ruffle Adrien’s hair on the way out, making him gape at me in shock. I walk into the makeup room, starting to get ready for our rendezvous.

It was time I started getting ready.

…….

Here are the suits of our miraculous heroes:

MARINETTE (LADY LUCK):

ADRIEN (TIGOR):

ALYA (RENA ROUGE):

NINO (CARAPACE):

CHLOE (HONEY BEE):

LUKA (SERPENTIS):

KAGAMI (DRAGONESS):

…….

[Q.] Is Gotham really as dangerous as they say? Can Gotham ever become safe?

Chapter Text

“Guys, can you hear me?”

“Clear.”

“Yes.”

“Yeah, Melody.”

Voices rang out of my comms, all in the affirmative, as I stood tall on a building, looking down onto the deserted yet bustling city. Gotham. So this is how it was- to be on top of the world.

“Well then, Let’s get started.”

I jump off the building, swinging into the city, scouring the roads for any crime. I land on another nearby building, and run towards the ledge, jumping off again. I keep doing this, trying to search for anything to do.

Basically, anything related to scarecrow.

The cold wind is blew softly against my face as I keep running and jumping. The wind hits my half-covered face, and that feeling- it isn’t something you can describe. It’s simply heavenly.

I smile. It had been way too long since I had done this. I had forgotten how great this felt, how powerful it made me feel. I wonder what Lila would think if she saw me like this, if she saw me as Lady Luck.

As I jump off another building, I slip, suddenly swinging into the traffic, and a car was speeding towards me. I screamed, scared for my life, as I harshly tug on the string of the yo-yo. It pulls me up just in time, as I softly land on top of the car.

Ugh. Now it’s going to be a pain in the ass to get off.

I stand up straight, throwing my yo-yo at a billboard as the car continues speeding. The yo-yo catches on, but the car was going too fast, and I was yanked off the car and slammed back-first into the wall of a building, then falling down.

“Ow.” I groan, standing up and holding my back.

“Luck, you okay?” came the voice of Adrien, who must have heard my groans. “Yeah, I’m just peachy.” I reply, stifling my groan with my fist. I grab my yo-yo and swinging above another building.

“Did you find anything?” I ask again, sitting down and leaning on a nearby wall, waiting for my healing abilities to kick in. I pant. I can’t believe Damian and Bruce and the rest were doing all of this without healing.

“Nope. No sign of Joker at all.”

“Yeah, same. I can’t see any of his goons either.”

This was weird. Both Adrien and Luka couldn’t find anything. Luka was assigned to Crime Alley and Adrien was at the Bowery, the worst places in Gotham. The Joker breaking out and doing nothing was rather uncanny.

Joker was the worst of them. As much as he was smart, he was also impatient. The silence in the city was not supposed to be there. Something was wrong. I frown. Then it struck me.

“Lu- Serpentis, did you just say Crime Alley was quiet?”

“Yes? There are barely any people around. And if there are, they aren’t causing trouble.” Luka replied. “Why do you ask- Oh shit.” Luka curses as realization kicks in. “What’s happening?” Adrien asks, making Kagami stifle a laugh.

“It’s literally in the name, bro.” Nino says, jokingly. “What does it mean when there is no crime in Crime Alley?” he continues. “Oh, yeah.” Adrien says in realization. I laugh.

“Serpentis, stay where you are. I’m on my way. Carapace, Rena, I need backup.” I say, getting up and standing straight, ready to jump off the ledge. I felt a tingle pass through my body, and the pain disappeared. Good, my healing ability kicked in.

“We’re on our way.”

I jump off the building, once again swinging into the night.

…….

I soon reached Crime Alley. You couldn’t miss it, really. It stunk with the smell of blood and the houses in the area were completely deserted, except for the usual drunkards and small-time thugs lurking in alleyways.

Except tonight, there were barely any people.

I made sure to stay on the rooftops, just in case. “Serpent, I’m here. Where are you?” I asked, looking around. Even with the night vision lenses in the mask, I couldn’t see him anywhere.

“Lady Luck!” came his voice through the comms, but also from somewhere near me. I look around once again, finally looking up, just to see him waving from the slightly taller building he was on.

“Hey.” I say, swinging on top of that building. “This place stinks.” I say, peeping down into the road below. “I know, right? Next time, get Tigor to patrol this place.” he says, chuckling.

“Hey! Why me?” whines Adrien, making everyone laugh. “One second, there’s someone- AAAAAAARGH!” came Adrien’s voice again, but this time followed by a scream.

“TIGOR! Are you okay? What happened?!” I shout into the comms, hoping nothing bad happened.

“Nothing happened. Dragoness just crept up on me.” he replies, panting. “Oh, thank god.” says Luka, sighing in relief. “Oh my god, my heart’s still racing.” Adrien says again, making Kagami laugh.

“Shush you. It wasn’t even that scary.” she says, making me giggle. I see Alya and Nino running towards us together. Guess they met on the way.

“Hey gurl. Sorry it took so long.” says Alya, jumping onto the tall building. “It’s fine.” I say, smiling. “So, now what?” asks Luka, who was silent until now.

“We need to check some alleyways. There must be someone gossiping about this.” I say, looking down the building once again. There were some thugs smoking and talking in the alley below, but I couldn’t hear what they were saying.

“Serpentis, come with me. Rena, Carapace, You know what to do.” I say, jumping off the building onto the fire exit stairs, Luka following after me. Alya and Nino jump into an alley nearby.

We both slowly inch near them, trying not to make any noise. There were 5 guys, sitting and drinking too. They suddenly burst out laughing, startling us. I, for one, almost fell off the stairs.

“Did you see the look on Julian’s face? Boy looked pissed.” said a guy sitting on a dumpster. “Man. It was funny. He actually thought we were helping him.” replied a scrawny guy who was leaning on the wall and smoking.

“I wonder what’s happening to him right now.” said another bald guy, who had a tattoo on his arm. “Aye, he’s probably getting beat up. After all, Joker’s not known for going easy on the ones who betrayed him.” said the scrawny guy, chucking his cigarette on the floor and crushing it with his shoes.

I turn my head towards Luka, nodding. They knew something, and we were going to find out what. I click on my earring, as Luka clicks on his bracelet, our suits completely transforming into black. No designs, no colors. Just plain black suits.

And the logo, of course; Designer’s touch.

We jump off the building onto the road carefully and enter the alley. There was barely any light, so you couldn’t see that our faces were masked. I switched off my voice scrambler.

“What did you just say?” I ask, changing my voice a little and making it more high-pitched. “Who’s there?” asked another guy, who looked more like a bodybuilder.

Me and Luka move forward, showing ourselves. “You were talking about Joker. Do you know where he is?” I ask again. “Joker? Why? What do you need?” asks the scrawny guy, moving toward us.

“We have a question for him. One that only he can answer.” says Luka, changing his voice too.

“Oh, we can tell you. It’s simple really.” says the guy, moving even more towards us. Good, at least these guys were cooperative. If they were going to boast about betraying someone, surely they would be gullible. I smile.

Suddenly, there was a light flashing on my face, blinding me. I put my hands on my face, trying to cover my eyes.

“It’s one of those masked bastards!” screamed the muscled guy. “Holy shit!” screamed back the bald guy, panicking and suddenly pulling out a gun.

By the time my eyes could adjust to the light, it was too late.

“LADY LUCK!” screamed Luka, and yet I wasn’t able to move out of the way. The bald guy had already pulled the trigger. The bullet shot my stomach, and I screamed out in pain, falling to the ground.

I slammed into the ground harshly. I clutched the place where the bullet had ripped through my guts, but it really didn’t do much to stop the bleeding. Blood seeped between my fingers and onto the floor.

The guys ran away.

“Mari!” whispers Luka, kneeling next to me, and pressing on my wound, trying to lessen the bleeding. He looked so worried. “I-i’m fine.” I said, trying to get up. “Stop moving around.” he said, panicking. “I’ll get something-”

“Luka, it’s fine.” I said, groaning. “I’ll be fine.” I say, trying to assure him. “B-but…” he stuttered, tears in his eyes. “Luka, you know what to do.” I say, serious. God, it was tiring to be serious at this point in time. He looks me in the eye and nods. “Don’t tell the others.” I say weakly, closing my eyes. “Okay.” was the last thing I heard, before I slipped into eternal slumber.

Or so I thought.

…….

[Q.] What do you think Marinette wanted Luka to do?

Chapter Text

The first thing I saw was the street.

Old, dusty, and absolutely stinky.

Crime Alley.

I groaned, getting up and leaning on the wall. Luka, who stood at the edge of the dark alley keeping a lookout, turned around, and his eyes suddenly lit up with glee.

“Marinette! Oh my god, you’re okay!” he whispered, hugging me tightly. “Luka.” I hissed. “I told you to not tell the others.” “Don’t worry, I didn’t. I shut off our comms. They can’t hear us.” he replied.

Oh, smart move.

I smiled. “How long have I been out for?” I ask, standing up. “Not sure. I couldn’t keep track of time.” he replied. How Ironic. “Did those guys get away?” I ask, peeping into the deserted street.

Suddenly, a burst of pain shot through me, making me double over in pain. I gasped, looking down at where the bullet shot through me. “Luck? Shit- did it not work?” Luka asked, panicking at my state.

There was no wound.

There was no blood.

But there was pain.

“It did. But my body remembers the pain.” I let out. I stand there, leaning against the wall for some more time, until the pain slowly subsided. Luka was still staring at me in worry.

“It’s gone. I’m fine now, Serpent.” I say, making the now green-haired boy smile. Once the pain was gone, I tried jumping up and down and I was fine. Good. Now, the next step. “So, did those guys get away?” I ask.

“No. I saw them run into that bar over there.” said Luka, pointing over to an undersized and dainty little bar at the corner of the street. “Luka, you are my savior.” I say, smiling and walking over to the shop.

I walk in, Luka following. Just like the outside, the bar was very small, but it felt warm. Like someone had wrapped a blanket around this place and isolated it from the cruel reality of Gotham. In contrast, there were actually many people there, smiling, dancing, drinking, and simply being happy.

We slowly slip into the storage room, which was part of the area purely restricted to workers.

“I think we lost them.” said a voice, from behind a door. I lean against the half-open door, trying not to make any noise. “I agree. We shot the wrench. She can’t follow us anyway.” said the bald guy, sitting on a chair to catch his breath.

“Not we, you.” said the muscle-pig, raising his eyebrow. “What?” the said man asked, scoffing in disbelief. “What he means, is that you shot the girl. Not us.” replied the scrawny guy, walking up to the baldy. “So you’re going to sell me off?” asked the bald guy, eyes wide in fear. “Maybe. You were a fool to trust us. Just like Julian.” replied the scrawny guy, pulling out another cigarette.

“Julian Liaise was a fool. I am not going to- "

The door creaks, interrupting their conversation. ‘Oh shit.’ I thought, grabbing Luka and hiding behind a nearby wall, just before someone came to check up on the door. “Must be the wind.” whispered someone, going back in.

Just before the door completely shut, I kicked it open. The men in the room looked completely surprised to see me there. “H-how?” stuttered out one, jaw dropping to the floor.

“Surprise!” I say smiling, before throwing my yo yo and tying them all up together. Me and Luka drag them up to the rooftop, grabbing a rope and typing them to the wall. “That was relatively easy.” I say, smiling at Luka.

The people we tied up gaped at us in surprise.

“How are you alive, woman?” the scrawny guy asks, confused. “Good. You’re alive.” The bald man let out in relief, as the muscle-pig scoffed. “You should be dead!” he said.

“And you should be in jail, but here we are.” I say, voice distorted. “What do you want?” The scrawny guy asks, giving up after struggling against the ropes. “Information.” I say, making him raise an eyebrow.

“On Joker.” I add. The scrawny guy chuckled in response. “You’re looking at the wrong place.” he says. I furrow my eyebrows, looking back at Luka, who shrugs in response. “What do you mean?” Luka, asks.

“He means, everyone’s looking for Joker, when you should be looking at someone else.” The bald guy let out, making me and Luka more confused. “Who should we be looking at?” I ask, only to have the man scoff.

“That’s all I can tell you. In return for killing you… or not. Whatever.” The bald man says, turning away. “Fine.” I say, shrugging. I give a look at Luka, telling him it was time to leave. “Oh, one more thing.” I say, remembering. “Who is Julian Liaise?” The question had all four men stiffening. “Someone who shouldn’t be alive.” The muscle-pig replies, eyes hardening.

I nod, walking away. “Wait, what about us?” The man asks, still struggling against his bonds. “That’s not my problem.” I give the men a cheeky smile before jumping off the building, swinging back to our mansion.

I switch on the comms. “Hey guys. Anything new?” I ask, still swinging back.

“Luck! Where were you?” came the voice of Alya, worried. “I’m fine. Me and Serpentis are on our way home. We got something.” I say. “Okay gurl. Me and Carapace found something too, but I don’t know… It just doesn’t make sense.”

“Hmm. Let’s talk when we get back. For now, patrol is over. Assemble at the Mansion.” I say. I think about the conversation I had. We were looking at the wrong person? Then who should we be looking at?

I keep swinging across the city, thinking about the event which lead to this moment. In the past, I would never remember what happened, but being a guardian sure has its pros. So when I got shot–

…….

“LADY LUCK!” screamed Luka, and yet the bluenette wasn’t able to move out of the way. The bald guy had already pulled the trigger. The bullet shot her stomach, and she screamed out in pain, falling to the ground.

“Luka, it’s fine.” said Marinette, groaning. “I’ll be fine.” she says again, trying to assure him. “B-but…” he stuttered, tears in his eyes. “Luka, you know what to do.” says Marinette, serious.

The aqua-suited hero looks her in the eye and nods. “Don’t tell the others.” she says weakly, closing my eyes. “Okay.” was the last thing she heard, before Marinette slipped into eternal slumber.

The woman bleeds out in the arms of Serpentis. Shaking the tears out of his eyes, the hero sits up straight, trembling. He gently lays down the body of his friend onto the cold ground. He grabs onto his snake-shaped bracelet, turning it once.

“Second chance.” he whispered.

Bright light flooded his vision as he felt the familiar feeling coming back to him. He looked at Marinette once more, before closing his eyes. Bright light passed through him before it all turned dark.

Luka opens his eyes, just to see Marinette laying on the ground in front of him. They were back to the fire staircase of the building in the alley. Marinette wasn’t completely okay yet, seeing as the Miraculous wasn’t built for the effect of guns.

He tried to move her, slowly leaning down and carrying her. He turns, and just as he does, the rusty staircase creaks. The sound alerts the thugs. The scrawny guy looks up, confused. “Who’s there?” he asks, as the bald guy pulls out a gun.

“Show yourself!” he shouts again, looking around. And somehow, Luka made eye contact with the bald man. “Shit.” he whispered to himself. The bald man pulled the trigger, the bullet clanging against the stairs.

The whole staircase stumbles, as he almost dropped Marinette. “Luck!” he shouted, trying to wake her up. The staircase was going to fall, and it was going to be a pain to jump while carrying her.

But there was no time.

The staircase fell, and Luka jumped off right before it fell. The men had run away just as they had seen the staircase fell, sure that the eavesdropper would be crushed. Luka scoffed at their cowardice.

The aqua-haired superhero ignored this, walking away and laying her on the floor, waiting for her to wake up. He walked over to the edge of the alley, assigning himself to be the lookout.

It was only a matter of time, anyway.

…….

MARINETTE POV

I could remember each and every detail of the moment I almost died. The pain was now superficial, the wound completely gone.

What baffles me, was how the bullet could pierce my suit. Is it not powerful enough? After all, these suits were not made to sustain gunshots. I didn’t even add bulletproof vests to the non-magical suit I was wearing underneath.

Guess these suits need an upgrade.

Or I just had to replace them as a whole. How annoying. I roll my eyes at the extra work, swinging successfully onto the mansion. I climb inside, only to see Luka, Adrien, and Kagami already there.

I smile at them, de-transforming and changing out of my suit.

I yawn, walking out of the secret room. “I’m going to sleep now, guys. We can discuss this in the morning.” I say. “We should. It’s 2 am already.” says Adrien. They engage in conversation as I walk away. I walk to my room, lock the door, and flop onto my bed. The soft pillows and cushion-y covers easily lulled me to sleep. The power of memory-foam mattress was really amazing.

It was a long day- no, long night anyway.

…….

[Q.] What is your favorite book?

Chapter Text

“J-jason?”

“Pixie! W-what are you doing awake?”

“Jason! You’re hurt!”

The 6-year-old Marinette stared at the bleeding guy in worry. She stared at the red blood on the floor and Jason crouched down on the floor after being stabbed in his abdomen. Her eyes filled with tears after seeing her only family hurt so bad.

“I’m fine, Mari. See?” asked Jason, struggling to stand up. He supported himself with the wall and stood up, smiling reassuringly at the small girl.

“Jay…” said the bluenette, starting to cry. She was six, yes. But she had also been living on the streets for a year. Tears streamed down her face as Jason struggled to stand upright. “Pixie! W-why are you crying? I’m fine.”

The girl ran towards him, grabbed his hand and made him sit on the poor excuse of a bed they had stolen. Blood started to stain the old rag which covered the mattress. Marinette grabbed a white box and waddled back to Jason.

She pulled the cap open and grabbed a needle, some thread, and an antiseptic. “Marinette? What are you doing?” asked Jason, worried. Marinette wiped her face, sniffling one more time before blanking out her face.

The bluenette threaded the needle and cleaned the wound with some water and antiseptic. “Mari?” Jason let out once more. “I’m saving you, Jason. My mum was a doctor.” she said, trying not to make eye-contact with him.

“Now, stop moving.”

She started stitching his wound, although with trembling hands. Jason clenched his fist in pain. His face contorted in confusion, but then he let out a shaky breath, his mouth in a strained smile.

“A-ah. That’s right. You’re a Walker.” he said, smiling. Soon, the wound was stitched barely good enough to shut the wound tight. Of course, it wasn’t perfect, but that was the best a 6-year-old would do.

A 6-year-old without any medical training.

“Stay still, Jase. I’m scared the stitches might rip.” Marinette warned. “Thank you.” said Jason, after the girl made him lie down. She jumped into the bed with him, keeping to the side next to the wall. “Welcome.” she said, voice muffled through the old pillow.

“Pixie… You know I love you, right?”

“Yeah Jay, I know. You tell me every day.”

When the sun rose the next day, Jason wasn’t next to her.

…….

“Jase-”

I got up, gasping for breath.

I turned around, somehow hoping Jason was next to me. My breath slowed down as I realized he wasn’t there and I was alone. I also realized that it was all a dream. No, a nightmare.

I was alone again.

The surrounding sheets were sweaty and wrinkled. Tears rushed to my face as I remembered the moment, but I wiped my face, frowning. I groaned, getting off the bed and walking to the washroom.

The same nightmare.

It had been five years, and yet I couldn’t get over that. I thought I would be rid of this nightmare since I saw Jason, but damn. I thought we were all caught up, but I still don’t know why he left.

Jason was dead.

Or he got kidnapped.

These were the only thoughts in my head the day he disappeared. The fact that he could have just abandoned me never struck as I searched long and hard for him. But once the man stood in front of me years later, unscathed, it was painfully obvious.

Jason had abandoned me.

If he had gotten adopted by Bruce, sure he wouldn’t have been able to see me then. But why didn’t he come back after everything was alright? Why didn’t he search for me? I was the one who didn’t know his name, but he knew mine.

I walk down the mansion stairs, glum. It had been a few days since this nightmare hit me. Now that I think about it, nothing makes sense. Jason’s story was just too fake.

The revelation that Bruce Wayne is Batman filled a few holes in the story, but it didn’t fill all of them. How did they meet? Why did Jason agree to get adopted after resisting for so long?

More importantly, why didn’t he look for me?

Maybe this is the universe’s sign of telling me to talk to Jason.

“Mari!” shouted a voice, shattering my glum mood. Nino stood next to Alya, holding a plate of pancakes high above her head. “Ugh, NINO! GIVE IT BACK!” she shouted, jumping up and down.

“Sorry babe, Adrien’s my best friend.” said Nino, gesturing to the blonde behind the stove. I walk down in a hurry, rushing toward them. I was hungry; I realized dying and being revived really did take a lot out of you.

“And Adrien’s my ex.” I say, jumping on a chair and grabbing the plate Nino held. I sit down on the table, pouring some maple syrup. Nino, Alya and even Chloe, who just entered the room, gaped at me.

“…what?” I ask, looking at everyone’s shocked faces, and then at Adrien’s pale one. Did I say something wrong? “Ahaha… Marinette is just joking, guys. Right Mari?” Adrien asked, gritting his teeth.

Holy shit-

I forgot. We never told the others about this. Adrien and I did date in secret a few years back, but we ended up acting so much like friends that we’d even forgotten about our relationship.

It was something I would never forget– The stolen kisses, the secret dates, the impulsive nights. Yet this came with all the lies and secrets, and it broke us. Then there was the whole thing with Adrien’s dad, and… yeah.

For the sake of Adrien’s reputation back then and to save ourselves from the embarrassment and awkwardness, we decided to keep it a secret. A secret I thought I would take to the grave, and yet here I stood, ruining it.

“Yeah, yeah. I’m kidding. You didn’t think it was true, right?” I ask, awkwardly laughing. They didn’t believe me; I knew that much from their stares. “You know how much I stalked Adrien back then, right? It’s a joke between us.” I say again.

The others stared at me, confusion not fading from their eyes.

“Guys, I was kidding. I just wanted the pancakes.”

The mention of pancakes broke them from their daze. They all lunged at my yet untouched plate of pancakes, just as I shoved the first bite into my mouth. I choked on the big bite I took, but I successfully saved my food.

Right before they could groan or scream in annoyance at my act, Adrien called out to them, stating that the next set of pancakes were ready. There was a silence before Alya gasped.

The group, of course, once again, lunged at the blonde, tackling him onto the floor, sending the pancakes flying to the ceiling. The pancake stuck to the ceiling as the oil dripped on Nino, who was on top of the pile.

Woah, I’m getting a serious sense of Déjà vu.

…….

Breakfast ended peacefully.

Or- As peaceful as it could be.

After this whole fiasco and a whole lot of overthinking, I decided to go talk things out with Jason. So here I stood, in front of Wayne Manor, which seemed even bigger and even more intimidating than the first time I saw it.

I sighed, ringing the bell.

“ALFRED, GET THE DOOR!” shouted a familiar voice. I silently stood, waiting for Alfred to open the door. “ALFRED!” shouted the voice, louder. There was no response, and soon footsteps approached the door quickly.

The door swung open, and Damian’s flushed face stared back at me. The guy leaned against the frame, panting and huffing. Ahh, he must have been working out. But… why does this position seem familiar?

“Marinette?” he questioned breathlessly, while he tried to regain his composure. “Why are you here?” he continued, brows furrowing. My breath hitched as I continued staring at the hot brunette.

“D-damian! Hey…” I started, but didn’t really have anything to say.

“Are you here for me-” he started, but I cut him off, unknowingly. “Hey, do you know where Jason is?” I spit out nervously. I looked at the floor, nervous.

“Jason? Uh- yeah. He’ll be in his room.” he said, his face going back to being expressionless. I just nervously smiled at him, hoping he’ll notice that I have no idea where his room is. Luck was on my side, and he did.

“Come on in, I’ll show you where it is.”

The walk up to the third floor was awkwardly quiet. It was a routine; I stared at when he looked somewhere else, and he did the same. I took the time to try to appreciate the old paintings strung up on the walls, but I really couldn’t focus on anything else.

“Damian… About that day, I-”

This time, I was cut off. “We’re here.” he stated, stopping in front of a door. He stood and stared at me for a second, before shaking his head and walking away. I need to talk to him. How could I when all we do is ignore the matter at hand?

I sighed in disappointment, hanging my head low. Maybe he really did want to forget about it. I reach for the doorknob and twist it open, just as Damian calls out to me.

“Marinette? When you’re done, come to me.”

And for the last time, he turns, walking past a corner and disappearing from my sight. I smile, happy that at least one of us is taking the initiative to talk. The smile soon disappeared from my face, replaced with a blush.

Did he just say come to me? Not come to ‘my room’? Come to me as in ‘I’ll be waiting, so come to me?’ That is… so cheesy. I never thought he would be capable of that. I grinned widely, somehow waiting for that moment.

God, I’ve just been watching too many movies.

…….

[Q.] What are your favorite ice-cream flavors?

Chapter Text

You know how your heart races when you feel like you’re going to make a huge mistake?

Yeah, that’s how I feel right now.

Minutes had passed since Damian had left and minutes had passed since the butterflies in my stomach turned into something unnerving. Like snakes slithering inside me and biting me. Every time they bit, I shivered.

I stood right outside Jason’s door, clutching the knob like my life depended on it. Gone was the feeling of fake courage. My breath was uneven. I was scared of abandonment. If Jason left me there intentionally… if he really did that, I wouldn’t ever recover from that.

Being the embodiment of luck wasn’t good enough for the world, since the door knob which I was holding suddenly jerked forward. The door flew open, and I almost stumbled into the person who pulled it open.

“Marinette?”

“Hey, J-jason.”

“Why are you here?”

“A-ah, I just thought we needed to talk.”

Jason stared at me in confusion, wondering what the hell we’d talk about, before he understood why. He pushed the door completely open, gesturing for me to come in. I smiled at him before walking in.

The nervousness never left my body, even when I took a seat on his bed. I kept fidgeting with my fingers, trying to figure out how exactly to word my sentence. How could I ask him why he abandoned me?

“You want to know what happened 13 years ago.”

Jason stated, with no question or doubt. I nodded, not trusting my voice for anything. He looked at me in worry, as if I was about to faint any moment. He then sighs, facing the inevitable.

His eyes turned sad.

“Firstly, I’m sorry.” he started, as I furrowed my eyebrows in confusion. I was about to ask him why, but he cut me off before I even started. He smiled at me sadly, as if to comfort me.

“Don’t ask any questions. Save them till the end.” he said, clutching his shirt in his hands, just like how he used to when he was nervous. I would have teased him for that in any other situation.

“Remember the night I came home stabbed?” he asked, while I nodded.

“That night, after you fell asleep, I went out. I went to break into some medical shop and steal some painkillers and bandages. I couldn’t stand the pain, Mari.”

The room fell silent.

“On my way back, I saw a pretty cool car. The car was so cool, and it would have gotten me a good amount, so obviously, I stole the hubcaps. Or tried to, at least.” he said, tensing more by the second.

“I was kind of rusty back then, seeing as I hadn’t stolen this kinda shit in a few years since… since you came along. And I dropped something, because the stitches hurt. Before I could finish, the owner came back.” he continued.

“Jason, what does this have to do with anything?” I ask, confused.

“Marinette, don’t you get it? That was Bruce Wayne’s car.”

I gaped in shock. I don’t know if it was because Jason tried to steal Bruce’s hubcaps 13 years ago or because I couldn’t piece this together myself. Is that how he got caught? Was it all a simple misunderstanding?

“After that, he asked me if I would like to come live with him, or get sent to an orphanage. When I tried to run away, he told me that it was of no use, since he would find me again. I went with him, since it was better that way.” Jason said, relaxing after the story was over.

But my questions were far from over.

“So you had a chance to run away, and you didn’t? You had a chance to take me with you, but you didn’t?” I asked, spitting out the last part with venom. Surprised at my tone, Jason sat there, regret in his eyes. Although, the man was quite shocked.

“Why didn’t you come back?”

“That’s the thing Mari, I did.”

“Huh?”

The blue-eyed boy just smiled at my confusion.

“When I came back to collect my things and find you the next morning, you weren’t there.” he said, looking down in sadness. “Jason, I went out to look for you.” I said, trying to explain my own side of the story.

“Marinette, I was there the whole day. You just left. You were gone.” said Jason, trying to understand.

“Jason, I never left. I got caught by the police. Then I was shipped off to Paris without my consent!” I said, my voice slowly raising. The ravenette stayed quiet. I scoffed in anger. How could he not understand?

“Mari, you’re not the only one who feels that way! I tried to look for you, you know… But all I knew was Marinette Walker, not whatever name it got changed into.” He shouted. “You could have looked for me! You had the resources!” I screamed back.

“Not enough! Not after Joker screwed with the Gotham Police Department.” he said, the room in silence. I frowned. “What?” I asked. Jason sighed, plopping down on the bed once again.

“Few weeks after I got adopted, I convinced Bruce to take me to GCPD. He did take me to find you, but the whole database was wiped after Joker bombed orphanages around the city to grab Batman’s attention. I thought you were dead, Mari. They said there was an unidentified body, and I looked at it. She- the dead girl, she had blue hair, Marinette. What was the use of searching for you when you were already dead?”

“It wasn’t my fault, nor was it yours.”

He was right. There was no use in this blame-game when none of us were to blame.

Bruce was, and Joker was.

I stayed silent, thinking. “Thank you, Jase.” I say after a few minutes of silence. “For what?” he asked, confused. “For telling me that you didn’t leave me behind on purpose.” I said, smiling. He simply smiled back.

“So…” I started.

“So?”

“We have work to do, don’t we, Jason?”

“What work?”

“Let’s change my name back to Marinette Walker.”

He gaped in surprise, but broke out of it, smiling. “Right now?” he asked, while I nodded eagerly. Jason just stood up, gesturing to the door. “Lead the way.” he said, as I stood up. Just as he opened the door, Dick fell in.

“Dick? Were you eavesdropping?” asks Jason, gritting his teeth and smiling.

Dick smiled nervously, scratching his neck. Jason glared at the man, and honestly, I was too. That was something I didn’t want anyone to hear; not even Dick or Alya or Damian.

“Jason! Good timing. We have guests.” said Dick, smiling innocently, ignoring what Jason asked him. “Guests? Who? Jon said he isn’t coming today…” said Jason, muttering the last part.

“Oliver Queen is here.”

…….

[Q.] Who do you think is to blame for what happened to Jason and Marinette?

Chapter Text

“Oliver Queen is here.”

“Oliver? Why is he here?” asked Jason, visibly taken aback by what Dick had just said. “Apparently, Bruce invited him over.” replied Dick, shrugging.

“What I do know is that they’re waiting downstairs, and we need to get going.”

Jason gave me an apologetic look, and I waved my hand at him, saying it was okay. “Some other time then…” I whispered to him. He smiled at me gratefully.

I walked out of the room first, as Jason and Dick followed behind me. “I’ll get going then.” I said, turning around to face the two boys. “Huh? Why?” asked Dick, as Jason simply nudged him with his elbow.

“Was I supposed to join you and go meet Oliver Queen or something?” I asked with a chuckle, shaking my head. These guys are a bit too dumb for vigilantes.

“Why not? Your friends are here anyway.”

I stared at Dick, expressionless. Looks like now I’m hearing things. “Funny joke.” I said, breaking out of my trance. I chuckled un-humorously as I waited for Dick to take back his stupid joke.

“I’m not kidding. They said you just ran out after breakfast and this was the only place you would go to.” Dick said, slightly frowning. Jason smirks at me, while I turn away, embarrassed. I know exactly what he would say if Dick wasn’t here.

“Am I missing something here? Is there something wrong?” asked Dick, confused as hell. “No. There’s nothing wrong.” says Jason, looking done with this conversation.

“He’s right. Now come on, let’s go meet Oliver Queen.” I say with a smile on my face. Dick looks satisfied with my answer and heads down first. “For Damian?” Jason said, a bit too loud, making me blush.

Jason stays back, walking at the same pace as me. “How eager of you.” he said, the smirk back on his face. I shove his shoulder, making him almost stumble down the stairs. He just laughs at me, holding his arm. “Shut up.” I murmur, embarrassed.

…….

The living room seemed pretty crowded when we entered.

Adrien, Chloe and the rest were already seated on the couches, scattered around the room. They seemed to be having a good time talking to the Waynes and… Oliver Queen? Apart from him, there were three more people I had never met in my life.

“Marinette!”

Alya smiled at me, waving me over. She was sitting next to Nino, as always, and unexpectedly, Damian was there too. Though he seemed pretty booked ignoring another guy. Who was also hot. What is with this family…?

Heads turned when I entered, and I smiled at everyone, trying to look as kind as possible. Even if it seems shallow for me to think of, having connections with Queen Industries can be very useful in the future.

When I was close enough to Alya, I saw another person who I couldn’t see from far away. The woman had blonde hair and really pretty blue eyes which could rival Bruce’s. I must have seen her before, since she looked really familiar.

Wait… Is that- Felicity Smoak?

Oh my God! She’s my literal role model. I’ve been waiting to meet her since forever. I would have probably shifted to Star City if I hadn’t won this trip. My jaw dropped open, and the blue-eyed woman stared at me in confusion, a polite smile still on her face.

“Forgive her manners, Ms. Smoak, she’s a huge fan of yours.” said Alya, kindly. Bruh, where did your manners come from? I looked at Alya in shock. Alya grinned at me slyly, wiggling her eyebrows in a tease.

“Oh please, call me Felicity. Nice to meet you Marinette, your friends told me a lot about you.” Felicity stands up, greeting me. I shake her hand, although in shock. “O-oh. Nice to meet you, Ms. Smoak.” I say, getting over my initial surprise.

“Whatever they told you about me, it was all a lie. Don’t believe them, Ms. Smoak.” I say to her, making everyone laugh and Alya scoff. “I lied about nothing!” Alya said offended.

“Felicity.” she corrects, smiling.

“You didn’t let me call you that for more than 2 years…” muttered the other guy, frowning.

Jason, who was behind me, stilled in shock. He slowly tried to slip away, without being noticed, although all eyes in the room were on him. “Jase…?” I questioned, confused.

“Jason?”

The guy, whose-name-is-not-known, lifted his head up instantly. Jason silently cursed at his failed escape. “Jakob! How nice to see you here.” he said, standing up and skipping towards Jason.

Jakob? Was that Jason’s middle name or something?

“Ryan! Nice to see you too.” said Jason, in an overly fake happy tone. So the red haired guy’s name was Ryan? Huh, it doesn’t suit him. On the side, Damian muttered something along the lines of ‘Stupid mongrels…’

The guy- no, Ryan stopped smiling instantly. “I’ve told you a million times, don’t call me Ryan!” he demanded. So wait, I’m confused. His name is not Ryan?

As I stood confused in the middle of this interaction, Oliver Queen came up and smacked both of their heads. “Stop this shit at once and introduce yourself properly!” he said, glaring at the two men. The guy, whose-name-may-or-may-not-be-Ryan, turned towards me.

“Hey. Nice to meet you. The name’s Roy.”

Oh. So his name wasn’t Ryan.

“And my name is Jason, not Jakob.” said Jason, still glaring at the red-head. Roy snickered, his red hair falling on his face. The two engaged in their own conversation, Jason cursing the red-head out.

“Hello. I’m Oliver Queen, as you already know. And this is Thea, my sister.” said the blonde man, pointing to the only other person in the room I didn’t know.

The brunette, who stood next to Oliver, simply offered me a polite smile. After some simple chatter, finishing up the last of the introductions, Bruce spoke up.

“Now, how about some Lunch?”

…….

We used the exact same room as we did when Lila and the class were here. Although the thought did make the others uncomfortable, they tried to distract themselves by making conversation with the Queen family.

Although shockingly, we found out that Roy and Thea were dating. Of course, not without some strong opposition from Oliver, who at the time was super pissed. They honestly told us the whole story, making everyone laugh and smile.

“So Marinette, you own MW Enterprises?”

Oliver was the first to question the small detail that had been let slip sometime during the conversation. “Oh, yes.” I replied politely, smiling. Thea spit out the water she was drinking.

“YOU OWN MW?!?”

The scream shattered the silence in the room. I was pretty intimidated. What was with that reaction? Looks like my emotions showed on my face.

“Marinette.” Felicity started. “She didn’t mean it like that. We all are just huge fans of your clothes. I don’t know if you have noticed or not, but we are all wearing clothes from MW.”

Oh. So that’s why their clothes look so familiar.

“Thank you so much.” I say, smiling. Then, I came up with a pretty good idea. “How about this? Any order made from Queen Industries in the future would be given utmost importance, along with a discount.” The people in the room looked shocked.

“Oh no, we cannot accept that.” Oliver quickly denied the offer. “Why not, Mr. Queen?” I ask. Just before he was about to reply with some ridiculous response about not accepting free help, I cut him off.

“It won’t be for free, Mr. Queen. I am a businesswoman after all, I wouldn’t do anything that wouldn’t bring me benefits. This is simply a proposal.” I said, smiling once again.

Oliver Queen looked pretty impressed with my proposal. Must have shocked him a ton. “Alright. How about we discuss the details formally some other time?” he asked, testing out the waters. “Of course.” I replied.

“So Marinette, I had a question.” said Roy, wiping his mouth with a handkerchief. “Ask away.” I say, curious. “Why Gotham?” he asked. “Pardon?” I say, not understanding his question.

“Why would you move to Gotham? And how do you know Jason?”

The question left me speechless. How was I supposed to respond to that?

“It’s quite a long story, actually.” I say, laughing nervously. Me and Jason make eye contact for a second. “We have time?” said Roy- no, more like asked. Having no choice, I decided to tell them my story. Well– most of it.

“Well, I used to live with my mom, right until she died in a car accident when I was five. I ran away from home and met Jason on the streets, before he was adopted. We lived together and he taught me all he knew. Soon after, he got adopted, and I got shipped off to Paris. My life was pretty fine there, and I guess I just wanted to come back to where I belong.”

My story wasn’t very traumatic, since I couldn’t remember much of it, but it sure brought tears to the eyes of the softhearted in this room. “I’m sorry for your loss.” said one, but I was too deep in my thoughts to notice.

“It’s alright. It was a long time ago anyway.” I said, almost as a reflex.

“So… Jason befriended you? Him? He’s so heartless.” said Roy, trying to lighten up the mood. Alya and a few others laughed at this, while Jason scoffed.

“I’m not that bad. Besides, she was Marinette Walker. Her medical skills came in handy sometimes.” said Jason, teasing me.

“Oh so that’s why you kept me around.” I said smiling. The mood took a complete 180 degree turn when Oliver spat out his water. What was with all the water-spitting in this house?

“Marinette, did you just say Walker?”

The room had gone quiet. “Yes. Why?” I asked, confused. Bruce, along with Tim, Oliver, Felicity, Roy and Thea had gone pale. The atmosphere was frosty. “Is there something wrong?” I ask in confusion.

“You’re the daughter of Jacqueline Walker?” asked Oliver, his voice almost completely trembling. “You knew my mother?” I ask, delighted. It had been quite some time since I heard that name. “Oh my god…” whispered Thea, in shock.

“Marinette. What was your father’s name?” asked Bruce, in a terrifyingly calm tone. “I-i never met him. It was just my mom and me. W-why are you asking me this?” I was shaking, I was confused. What was going on? Why is everyone acting like this?

Felicity went completely pale and dropped her fork. Jason, Dick, Adrien, Luka and the others were confused, tilting their eyes from me to Oliver and then back to me. As if this wasn’t enough, something worse happened.

A tear dropped from Oliver Queen’s eye.

…….

[Q.] Why do you think Oliver was shocked?

Chapter Text

“Mr. Queen? A-are you crying?”

I frowned. Okay, what the hell is going on? Oliver Queen knew my mother, amazing. So why does it feel so sad? And why is everyone looking at me in pity? Oliver hurriedly wiped away his tears.

“Marinette, were you born in Gotham?” asked Oliver, calming down. “Yes. My mom told me she moved here right before she was pregnant.” I say. Okay, maybe there is nothing wrong. Maybe they just want to know more about me since they can’t find anything in my database.

The room seemed to get even colder.

“Marinette, if you could meet your father, would you forgive him?” asked Felicity, her voice barely above a whisper. She and Oliver shared a glance.

“Well, I wish I could hate him for everything.” I start, making Oliver look at me sadly. “But, I can’t blame him. After all, he just might be the reason I learned to take care of myself.” I say, smiling softly.

“But why are you asking me all this?” I ask, confused.

“Before I answer, let me ask you one last question.” says Oliver. “Do you know where your mom used to live before she came to Gotham?” he asked.

“She used to live in Star City, why-”

No way.

My mom used to live in Star City. Oliver Queen lives in Star City. My mom shifted here 20 years ago, at the same time a huge scandal broke out about Oliver Queen and a woman who had brought down a huge collaboration.

The scandal was so huge, that even I heard about it back in Paris, even though it had happened years before I was born. I pull out my phone in a hurry, searching up the same article.

‘…the woman, a doctor who had worked with Mr. Queen on a case previously, is said to have seduced him and gotten access to the information on the Queen-Wayne collaboration, which she had intentionally leaked.

Protests rose from the citizen’s side as they relived the happenings of the last Queen-Wayne collaboration- joint attacks from Joker and Deathstroke, joined by the Dark Archer.

“A collaboration between two industry giants will only lead to criminal catastrophes.” Jones Armworld says, reviewing the case….’

‘…while the woman seems to have fled from the media and the police. Sources [Namely: Oliver Queen] say that the woman had reportedly disappeared a few hours before the news hit the media, only confirming the case that it was all planned by…’

This is impossible.

This can’t be happening.

“M-mr. Queen. Are you my father?”

The room goes completely silent. Oliver just smiles painfully, while Thea and Felicity look shocked at the verbal confirmation. It took me a while to process this. Alya and the others were completely shaken.

“Where were you all these years?” I whispered, my voice barely steady.

“I’m sorry Marinette.” he replies, making me angry. “So, where were you?” I hissed, trying to keep calm. “Mari-” he starts as I stare him down. Oliver sighs, continuing.

“That collaboration never ended up happening.” Oliver said, exchanging glances with Bruce. “It wasn’t your mom that leaked the information; I knew that much. She hadn’t ever come to my office, saying that it would gain attention.”

“But after the article broke out, with photo shopped photos and fake evidence, she couldn’t deny anything. So Jacqueline and I decided to part ways. After that, I never saw her again. The only thing I knew was that she had moved to Gotham.”

“I tried to look for her after everything had calmed down, but I couldn’t find her. I asked Bruce for help only then, but he couldn’t do much either. GCPD had her under a protection program.”

“Just a few years later, Bruce called one night to tell me that Jacqueline had passed away in a car accident. There wasn’t any mention of you at all. I-i’m really sorry. I-i had no idea you existed.”

Ouch.

That kinda stung.

“I-i’m sorry Mr. Queen, but are you sure about this? There’s nothing which proves you’re my father. I can’t hold onto false hope anymore.” I ask again, hoping this wasn’t all some kind of sick joke.

“We can do a DNA test if you want.” he says, smiling, although it didn’t reach his eyes. “I- Uh.” started Tim, raising his hand, as if he wanted permission to speak. When Bruce nodded, he stood up.

“I… I can confirm that Marinette is Oliver’s daughter.” he says hesitantly. “How?” asked Alya, who had been quiet since this whole mess started. “I have DNA results. And Marinette’s matches Oliver’s almost perfectly.”

“How did you get my DNA?” I ask, narrowing my eyes at him. “T-that’s a long story. I’ll tell you later.” he says, shying away from my eyes. Whatever, I’ll question him later. This was enough of a shock for today.

“It was the reason I called Oliver over today.” Bruce spoke up. I looked at him in confusion. “There was a rumor that Scarecrow had dumped chemicals in the water, and everyone is to be tested.” He said.

“How come I haven’t heard of this?” I ask Bruce, confused. Was this another lie? “Early news benefits; GCPD gives us priority. We were the first ones to get tested, and I just made Alfred get your bed sheets for the DNA.” Bruce says.

“And in the test, you found out Oliver was my father? In a blood test? They don’t test for that.” I say, skeptically. “That was my request. For identity confirmation and in case of an emergency.” Bruce lies.

I knew it was a lie. The only thing that popped into my head was- Bruce needed information. Information on me, which didn’t exist in the database, and he was hoping to find something with my DNA.

Minutes later, Tim brought in the test papers, and it was true. Oliver Queen was my father. It took a minute for me to let that sink in. I wasn’t alone. I had a family- a blood relative. I was overjoyed, but I didn’t know if Oliver was.

Lunch had stopped that instant, and dishes were carried out hastily. Discussions on what to do were going on, starting with the biggest problem of them all.

“Felicity, are you okay with this?”

The first topic to be brought up was Felicity’s opinion on the matter. After all, Felicity was Oliver’s fiancee. Honestly, I was worried. Would she accept a kid who was in no way related to her?

Although I had grown up with a family, and made one of my own with my friends, it would hit me hard if my own blood family rejected me.

The blonde woman simply smiled. “Of course I am. I would love to have such an amazing daughter… Only if you would allow it, Marinette.”

The attention was then on me. Are they actually asking me if I want to be part of their family? Oliver and Thea smiled at me encouragingly. I was shocked. They were asking for my permission? I broke out in a wide smile.

“Hell yeah.”

The room broke out in cheers. Thea and Roy ran to me in joy and hugged me tight. Felicity calmly walked over, Oliver behind her. “Welcome to the family.” she said, patting me on the shoulder. I smiled at her.

Soon, my gaze moved to Oliver- no, my dad. He just opened his arms, gesturing for me to come near. I grinned as I ran into his arms, hugging him tightly. He did the same. Although we just met, it seemed like I had known him forever.

So this is the true power of blood.

“Everyone!” shouted Jason, clinking a fork against his wineglass. The chaos subsided, leading to silence. “So, funny thing is, me and Marinette were going to meet the Notary today.” he started, slipping me a smile on the side.

“We were going to change her name back to Marinette Walker, but now… I think we have one more word to add in there.” he says.

Oliver looks over at me in surprise. I nod at him, confirming that it was true. “So… Nice to meet you, Marinette Walker Queen.” said Jason, raising his half filled glass.

“No.” said Oliver, his face blank. “Huh?” The room was silent once again. I was stupefied. Did dad not want me to have the family name? Were we moving too fast? Maybe it was that. I had met him today, after all.

“Ollie? Why?” asked Thea, just as confused as me. Ignoring all their questions, Oliver turned to me and held my hand, opening his mouth.

“Call her, Marinette Queen Walker.”

Oh. OH. He wanted me to have my mother’s last name. “That’s the least I can do.” he said, referring to not being there to raise me. I smiled, even brighter than before. “You’re here now.” I say.

Cue the cheers.

…….

[Q.] What is your dream career?

Chapter Text

The day had passed. Well- Almost.

Oliver applied for a change of name and put me in the family registry. Obviously, it was not completely official yet, but I was still happy. The fact that this was reality hadn’t struck me yet. It felt like I was living my dream.

Oliver, Felicity, and the others were staying over tonight.

“Thank you, Mr. Wayne.” I say, smiling and shaking his hand. “For what?” he asked, confused. “For reuniting me with my family. I won’t even get angry at you for using my DNA without consent!” I say, happily.

Bruce looked shocked at the end of my sentence, but then he laughed. “No problem Marinette. After all, you’re my niece now. Come over whenever you like.” he said, waving it off. I walked towards my friends, who were waiting near the cars.

Speaking of, I hadn’t gone to meet Damian yet.

Damian. I really wanted to meet him today. And after everything that had happened, I think I want to meet him even more. He made me forget all my worries. He’s… addicting.

So what’s stopping me?

“Alya!” I shout. “Catch.” I throw my car keys at her, as she catches it right before it hits the ground. “What- THE HELL, MARI?” she shouts back, thanking god that the keys didn’t break.

“Drive it home!” I shouted. “I’ll be back!” I said, running towards the Manor’s door, which Bruce just shut. Shouts of protest followed me, but I didn’t pay it any mind. I tried to pull it open, but it was locked. Damn it! I don’t have the time, nor the patience, to wait.

I run towards the side of the Manor, trying to locate Damian’s room. Picking up a rock, I sharply throw it on what I think is Damian’s window. There was no response. I chucked another one, which landed on the glass with a loud clunk.

“DAMIAN!” I shout, trying to get his attention. I picked up one more rock and threw it as hard as I could. Just before the rock hit the glass, the window swung open. The rock flew in, missing the person behind it in inches.

“What the hell?!” shouted Damian, who was shocked at the sudden attack.

He then looked down, his eyes landing on me. “…what are you doing here?” he asked after spotting me. “Hey! Uh-” I started, although I didn’t know what to say. Spitting whatever comes to mind, I ask a random question.

“Do you wanna go back to Ivy’s place?”

…….

The moon shone quite brightly tonight.

The steady breeze blew past us and into the navy-blue tinted sky.

Me and Damian stood silent under the stars, neither of us shivering in the cold. I guess being a superhero does that to you. Maybe one day, we can break free from our lives and enjoy the breeze for what it is.

“Damian… are you really not going to say anything?”

I spoke without thinking, shattering the silent bliss around us. I really didn’t want to, but none of us had spoken a single word on the way here or now either. The brunette turns to me, eyes filled with confusion, and at the same time, content.

The ride was painfully silent, and he hadn’t even bothered to say anything, even when he handed me a helmet and we drove into the city.

I sigh, leading the conversation.

“Are we really not going to talk about what happened last Monday?” I ask, trying to get him to bring up the topic. But Damian was just as dense as the other guys. “What happened on Monday?” he asked, voice hoarse from not speaking for long.

Oh, come on- How could someone be so oblivious?

“You know- the day we, uh- kissed?” I say, stammering in embarrassment because I had to actually say it for him to remember. Was it not the same for him? I remembered the day, date, and even the time we kissed. Did I mean so little to him?

“Oh. Right.”

What was with that reply? Seriously?

“You’re not going to be cliche and say something like ‘It was a mistake’ or ‘Let’s pretend it never happened, right?” I ask. Truthfully, watching tons of movies had taken a toll on me. Silence.

When I didn’t get a reply, I tugged on his shirt collar, bringing him closer to me.

“Seriously? You’re going to leave me hanging like this?” I ask, glaring at him. Damian simply smiles, his emerald eyes gleaming in the moonlight. “Maybe, maybe not.” he says, his smile turning into a smirk. I scoff, letting go of his collar.

He was just like everyone else.

Just as my hand left his collar, he grabbed it, placing my palm over his heart instead. His heart was racing, just as mine was. I tried to move my hand, but he pulled it back, holding it even more tightly.

“Hear that? Do you think that this would happen by mistake?” he asks, making me flush red. “I- what?” I settled on a stupid question, my brain not functioning. I was too flustered to answer, while the brunette continued.

“My heart would not beat so fast even when I stand in front of a gun. No one but you can make this happen.” he said, smiling. He stared right into my eyes, no, right into my soul as he poured his heart out.

I was flustered.

Really flustered.

I pulled back my hand, making eye contact. I wasn’t going to back out this time. I grin at him, taking him by surprise. Damian cocked an eyebrow at me as I smirked.

“Do you wanna be my boyfriend?” I ask, smiling.

Damian’s smile fades. “What? Is it too fast?” I ask, confused at his sudden emotionless face. I knew it. I was simply a fling, wasn’t I? Or did he just not want me? Or does he think I could become a weakness?

“Marinette.” he speaks, voice void of any emotions. “I wanted to ask you first.” he says, the once expressionless face now with a grin. “So… is that a yes?” I ask, even though I knew it was.

I got no answer.

Damian suddenly leaned in, placing his lips over mine. It was somehow magical. No, the time didn’t stop, nor did the breeze. But as his hands clenched over mine, I knew I couldn’t ever let go.

We stayed like that for a few minutes, making out under the moon. And just as if someone was watching us, a sudden breeze blew, breaking us apart, and making us actually shiver from the loss of contact.

Looking into his eyes made me realize something. Even though we might never get to break free from this life, it was through moments like these that we could leave our responsibilities behind and understand what it meant to be normal.

Sitting down on the floor, just like we did the first time we came here, our souls were filled with peace. This had become our hideout. It was our place, our home, and our heart.

“You never came.”

“Hmm?” I looked at Damian in confusion. “You never came to me.” he said again, looking at me. “God, that was so cheesy.” I say, making him chuckle. “But I had to talk to Jason, sort things out. And there was everything with Dad.” I say again.

“Right.” he replies, looking at the moon again. “You should have come. I had everything set out for you. There were flowers at the door and candles in the room, and I opened the curtains so you could see the moon, and-”

I burst out laughing. “What?” he asked, looking offended. “You were going to confess?” I confirm. “Yes, I was. Was that so surprising?” he asked. “No way. The only thing that was surprising is that we had the same idea.” I say.

“You did?” Damian asks in surprise. “Yeah. I was gonna come over and confess. And if you didn’t agree, I was going to threaten you saying I would date Jon instead, and-” This time, Damian burst out laughing.

“What? Surprised?” I ask, only to see Damian grinning at me. “Only that we had the same idea.” he said, repeating what I had before. The brunette leaned in, pecking my lips one more time.

Silence settled in once again.

Although, I have a question.

“Hey Dami, can I ask you something?” I say, catching the attention of the boy who sat next to me. “What?” he asked, eyes still on the sky.

“Before, you said that your heart would never race even if you stood before a gun. Have you done that before? How do you know?” I ask, wanting to know what excuse he would come up with.

“Oh that. It’s because I’m Robin.” he says nonchalantly.

“WHAT?!” I screeched, unable to believe how easily he revealed his secret. My jaw dropped to the floor in shock. How could he…? What the hell? Did he know that I knew?

Amidst my internal conflict, Damian simply smiled.

…….

[Q.] When do you think Marinette will reveal her identity?