Archive of Our Own ^beta

When Damian first told Dick that he had a girlfriend, Dick thought he was joking. It wasn’t that he didn’t believe in Damian, it was that…well, they all sort of thought Damian would die alone. By his own choice, of course, but alone nonetheless. Damian didn’t necessarily like people in any way whatsoever. There were days where he barely tolerated his best friend and each of his brothers received at least one death threat per week. They’d come to treat them the way one would usually treat a statement of affection (“Aw, that’s so sweet!”, “Demon spawn, you shouldn’t have!”, etc.).

So when the words “my girlfriend will be joining us for dinner next week, tell Alfred for me, please” left Damian’s mouth, Dick almost laughed. But Damian didn’t really joke. He played pranks and made smartass remarks but making direct jokes like that? Not Damian’s style. Instead, Dick just nodded mutely and watched as Damian nodded in satisfaction before walking away.

The first thing he did - after telling Aflred who did not seem the slightest bit surprised, by the way - was text the group chat with him, Jason, and Tim.

big bird: guysguysguysguys

zombie: what

insomniac: ???

big bird: BABY BIRD HAS A GF

insomniac: what? no. you’re lying

zombie: lmao good one

big bird: IM BEING SERIOUS

big bird: HE SAID THAT SHES COMING TO DINNER NEXT WEEK

zombie: fr? like in person in the flesh alive

insomniac: no, he’s going to bring a puppet

zombie: i’d believe that before i believe that demon spawn bagged someone

big bird: eyes on the prize, losers

big bird: we gotta figure out who this girl is

insomniac: tf, why

zombie: to make sure she’s not some gold digging loser duh

zombie: also the whole secret identity thing

zombie: gotta make sure she’s not a narc

big bird: what he said

insomniac: oh

insomniac: yea ok

zombie: ok so do your thing narcoleptic

insomniac: i can’t hack his phone if that’s what ur asking

big bird: what why not

insomniac: one, privacy

zombie: irrelevant

insomniac: disagree

insomniac: two, he had barb help him encrypt his phone and also his laptop

big bird: good call on the privacy but also damn

zombie: time to get creative ig

big bird: he usually disappears for an hour after dinner

big bird: i always figured that he was recharging his social battery and all that but maybe he’s talking to his gf

insomniac: probably

insomniac: i’ll try and bug the outside of his room to listen in

zombie: yea he’d notice if you bugged his room

zombie: side bar, what kind of chick is this if she’s dating demon spawn??

big bird: hey be nice

big bird: i’m sure she’s lovely

insomniac: i’m sure she would bury a person alive if needed

zombie: personally, i think she shoots lasers out of her eyes that turn people into ash and not in a superman way, in a crazy murder lady way

zombie: and also she definitely has snakes for hair

insomniac: you’re literally describing medusa rn

big bird: damian is not dating medusa

zombie: YOU DONT KNOW THAT

big bird: SHES NOT REAL???

zombie: you can’t prove that

insomniac: i mean technically you can’t but also talia would approve of medusa and the odds of damian dating someone his mom would approve are crazy low

zombie: point

big bird: you guys are assholes

big bird: damian is a big boy, he can take care of himself and i’m sure his girlfriend is perfectly lovely

insomniac: but i’m still bugging the hallway right

big bird: correct

Dick pockets his phone and wanders off to try and find Damian. If he was lucky, he could get some information out of his youngest brother the old fashioned way. He eventually found the youngest Bat sitting in the gardens with his dog, Titus, curled into his side. His sketchbook was open to a blank page on his lap with one of his pencils sitting in the crease between pages while the others sat in their tin next to him. He didn’t appear to be drawing currently, he had his head tilted back and his eyes closed with one hand buried in Titus’ fur and the other resting on his sketchbook.

“Hey, Baby Bird,” Dick murmurs, careful not to break the peace Damian had created too harshly lest he get punched.

Damian’s eyebrows pull in for a moment before he opens his eyes, squinting at Dick suspiciously. “What?”

“You never mentioned your girlfriend.”

“And?”

“How long have you guys been together?”

Damian heaves a sigh, like this was a great test he was being put through. “Why are you bothering me with this trivial nonsense?”

“Because I want to have some background information before we meet her,” Dick replies simply, long used to his youngest brother’s prickly demeanor. “C’mon, don’t send us in blind here.”

The youngest Wayne was completely impervious to Dick’s puppy eyes but he apparently saw the merit in sharing because he sighed before saying, “We met about three years ago through a pen pal program my French teacher forced me to participate in and started dating two years ago. I kept it private because I wanted to do this myself without being badgered about it, so keep any and all whining to yourself. She’s French and has an accent but she’s completely fluent in English and will kick your ass if you try to make fun of her for it. As will I, so tell Todd to keep his big mouth shut. Her name is Marinette, I will not be supplying Drake with a last name to prevent any attempt at finding her and if I find out he attempted to do so anyway, I will let an unholy amount of spiders loose in his room and throw his laptop into the nearest body of water.”

That appeared to be all of the information Dick was going to get, delivered in that sharp, to-the-point tone that Damian nearly always spoke in. When he finished speaking, Damian picked up the pencil that was marking his page in his sketchbook and began sketching. To Dick, it only looked like a bunch of lines on a paper but he knew that when his brother was finished, it would look like something out of an art museum. 

He left the gardens, knowing that Damian preferred to draw in peace, which meant alone. He updated the group chat as he left, threats included.

zombie: so he thinks this chick can kick my ass??

big bird: he seemed to believe it, yea

insomniac: im tempted to look her up

insomniac: but also

insomniac: spiders??? and my laptop cant swim

zombie: i mean i have a running theory that demon spawn cant swim either so

big bird: we are not drowning damian and we are not going to cyberstalk his girlfriend

zombie: party pooper table of one!!

big bird: kiss my ass <3

zombie: no ❌

~*~

All eyes were on Damian the day of the well anticipated dinner. The mics they’d set up outside of his door had shown up, crushed to bits, outside of Tim’s room the morning after they’d been put up with a note threatening various precious body parts should they be found again. Needless to say, they didn’t. Instead, they spent the week trying to needle scraps of information out of the teenager but unfortunately, their younger brother was a sneaky little shit when he wanted to be. Perks of being raised by the literal League of Assassins.

The only thing they’d been able to learn outside of what they’d been told the first time Dick had asked was that Marinette’s parents ran a very successful bakery in Paris and that Marinette (Damian’s lips always tugged up just slightly at the corners when he said her name) was polylingual, which was how they had originally bonded.

Even Bruce was becoming curious, giving his youngest son long, searching looks when he thought he wasn’t looking. Damian always noticed, of course, and promptly left the room. Now that his mystery girlfriend was in town, he was out of the house a lot more often to meet up with her. That was the current theory, at least. The other theories included digging their graves for later and hiding out with Jon to avoid them. Both were perfectly plausible but they hoped he was out having cutesy dates with his girlfriend. Damian Wayne didn’t do cutesy, but he deserved it.

The day of, Damian appeared perfectly normal. He walked around in his sweatpants and a baggy long sleeved t-shirt, a softer look that only those within this house were ever privy to. Unless his girlfriend had seen him like this in which case, Jason had a whole hoard of jokes prepared. It had taken years for them to make Damian feel safe enough to be this vulnerable around them and it made Dick a little giddy whenever he saw the youngest Bat so willingly open to them. It was only forty-five minutes before dinner was supposed to start that Damian retreated to his room to change into black slacks and a black t-shirt with a cream sweater over it. His hair, previously finger combed but otherwise left to do as it would, was properly brushed and styled with just enough gel to keep it out of his eyes rather than the extreme spikes he’d taken a shine to when he was a kid.

When the doorbell rang at exactly 6:30, Damian chuckled a bit to himself and drifted out of the family room where they’d all gathered and into the foyer. It was only Bruce’s warning look that kept his brothers from following.

Moments later, a girl’s voice could be heard drifting in from the front of the house. Her words were unintelligible due to the distance between her and the family room but the Wayne’s could tell that her voice was fairly calm and soothing to the ears. Makes sense, Dick supposed. Damian would never tolerate someone with an obnoxious voice, let alone date them.

When the couple finally rounded the corner, her hand tucked into his elbow, Marinette was revealed to be a petite euro-asian young woman with jet-black hair pulled half-up into a ponytail and bright blue eyes. She wore a black and blue plaid skirt with an oversized looking black sweater tucked into the hem paired with black booties and a small black purse with a gold chain that crossed her body and matched the hoops in her second piercings.

Marinette appeared to be in conversation with Alfred, free hand waving through the air, as Damian watched fondly. Dick thought he was hallucinating for a moment because he’d never seen his little brother make that face before. He was so utterly gone for the girl on his arm and it was blatantly obvious to everyone in the room. 

As Marinette and Damian enter the room properly, her and Alfred wrap up their conversation and she turns her bright smile on the rest of the family. “Hi! I’m Marinette, it’s nice to finally meet you guys!”

The “finally” appeared to be a dig at Damian, given the way she lightly elbows him and the way he only sniffs in response means that this was an argument he’d lost. Meeting Marinette had not been his idea.

Bruce stood, charming “Brucie” smile firmly in place as he extended his hand. “It’s a pleasure to meet you. You’ll have to forgive us for not insisting to meet you earlier, Damian’s quite private.”

“Oh, I know,” Marinette laughs, shaking the man’s hand with a surprisingly firm grip. “It took me ages to get him to tell me his favorite color when we first started talking. I think my wall responded to me more than he did.”

Damian rolls his eyes as his brothers laugh, leading his girlfriend over to the loveseat to sit down. As they sit, their fingers entangle as natural as breathing. “And when you told me that, I believe I told you to see a professional.”

Dick gasps in mock outrage. “Damian! That is no way to talk to a lady!”

His brother’s answering sigh is offset by the bell-like laughter of the girl nestled into his side. “The obnoxious one is Grayson, the other obnoxious one who surprisingly hasn’t said anything yet is Todd, and the nosey one trying to google you on his phone is Drake.”

“What?” Tim yelps, nearly dropping his phone in his haste to put it away. “I wasn’t- that’s not- I mean-”

Marinette takes mercy on him. “It’s alright, Tim. I’m sure Damian’s told you the bare minimum.”

“My private relationships are my private relationships,” Domain says primly, sounding a bit like he was reminding himself.

Marientte squeezes his hand and he relaxes a bit. She doesn’t verbally comment on his words, instead flashing a sunny smile at the older Waynes. “I’m an open book, ask me whatever you like.”

“How many languages do you know?” Dick asks, figuring this was a safe topic to start on seeing as it’s how she and Damian connected in the first place.

“Six,” Marinette replies easily. “French, English, Mandarin, Japanese, Arabic, and French Sign Language.”

“And she’s learning American Sign Language,” Damian adds, seemingly unable to help it.

Bruce raises his eyebrows. “That’s quite impressive, Miss.”

“Dupain-Cheng,” Marinette supplies at the unspoken question. “But, please, call me Marinette. My last name can be a mouthful.”

“It’s no more difficult than Al-Ghul,” Damian tells her, nose wrinkling a bit.

Jason and Dick exchange glances, wondering just how much their youngest brother had shared with this girl. Marinette smiles slightly. “Yes, well, we don’t all have secret fathers to move in with and share last names with so I suppose I’m stuck with the one I have.”

“Hm, I suppose we can’t all be quite so lucky,” Damian jokes back, tone light as he smiled just a bit. “And for now.”

Marinette frowns, eyebrows pulling together slightly. “What?”

“You said you were stuck with the last name you have, I said for now,” Damian says breezily, like he hadn’t just implied that he was going to marry the girl. Everyone sees the exact moment his words register to Marinette because her eyes go wide and stare at him, jaw dropped. “I believe dinner is ready.”

She laughs, a hysterical note to it, as she watches her boyfriend stand up. “You did not just say that and then say dinner is ready. Damian, don’t you walk away from me! I swear to every god that may or may not exist, I’m going to kick your ass!”

Todd grabs Jason’s arm as Marinette chases her boyfriend out of the family room. “Did he just?”

“Uh, yeah, I think so,” Jason says numbly, equally as surprised.

Dick suppresses the urge to squeal and shout, punching the air to release his happiness. “Damian wants to marry her!” he whisper-shouts in Tim’s ear, grabbing his brother by the shoulders and shaking.

“I’m still not sure I’m not hallucinating,” Tim replies, batting Dick hands away.

Bruce stands, still staring at where the young couple had exited the room. “We should join them for dinner,” he says faintly, clearly in shock over his youngest son suggesting marriage to the girl he’d been secretly dating for seemingly the first time right in front of him.

When the rest of them finally rebooted their brains and made their way into the dining room, Damian and Marinette were already seated. Their hands were once again clasped, settled in Marinette’s lap, and her cheeks were flushed as she grinned at him. “-ope you know that doesn’t count as a proposal,” she teases, leaning toward him a bit as she speaks.

Damian only smiles softly, lifting their hands to press his lips to her knuckles. “Don’t worry, Angel, I’ll propose properly.”

Her face burns brighter as her grin turns giddy around the edges, her free hand coming up to shield her lips as they stretch wider at his words. Her head ducks when she hears the others enter the room, bashful under the attention. “It seems my son is quite serious about you, Marinette,” Bruce says as he takes his seat. Marinette settles her other hand over Damian’s forearm. “You understand if I worry.”

Damian scowls but before he could open his mouth to argue with his father, Marinette was settling a comforting hand on his knee. “I understand,” Marinette tells Bruce, face settling into something serious despite the faint red that still dusts her cheeks. “If it settles your fears, I have no need or desire for Damian’s money or his fame or anything of that nature. Truth be told, I didn’t know his real name until about eight months after we began exchanging emails and it changed nothing when he told me.”

“I’m glad to hear it,” Bruce says, smiling at the girl.

Domain scoffs. “If Marinette wanted to be a gold digger, she’d hardly have to be in a long distance relationship to do so.”

“Hm, no,” Marinette agrees. “But I like the challenge.”

Jason snorts. “You famous over in France, then?” he asks.

“No, nothing like that,” Marinette replies. “I do have a few well known friends, though.”

Tim, who would’ve known this if Damian hadn’t banned him from researching the girl, sits forward. “Can you say who?”

Marinette smiles up at Alfred as he delivers the food to the table, saying her thanks as the man sits down with them. “I suppose it couldn’t hurt. My closest friends are Chloe, the mayor’s daughter, Adrien, a model, Alya, a popular blogger, Nino, an up and coming DJ, Kagami, a fencer, and Luka, who’s in a really awesome band.”

Tim gapes at her for a moment. “I’m sorry, you don’t mean Luka, guitarist for Kitty Section, son of Jagged Stone, Luka?”

“Yeah, that’s him.”

“And Kagami as in Kagami Tsurugi, world renowned fencing champion? And Adrien Agreste?”

“Yes.”

Jason lets out a low whistle. “Damn, you definitely don’t need Demon Spawn’s popularity, that’s for sure.”

Marinette frowns, eyes narrowing. “I’d appreciate it if you didn’t call him that, thank you.” Her tone left no room for argument and Jason’s eyebrows shot up.

“She’s also Jagged Stone’s honorary niece and designer,” Damian adds in an attempt to prevent an argument.

His girlfriend gasps, smacking him on the arm for the betrayal as Tim drops his fork. “Hold on!” he exclaims. “Are you trying to tell me that Marinette is MDC? You’re dating MDC?”

“Damian!” she hisses, an embarrassed flush rising to her cheeks.

Damian raises an eyebrow at her. “Your reluctance to share your accomplishments is unfounded and ridiculous.”

Marinette only wrinkles her nose at him in response, unbothered by his blunt words. “Keep it up and I’ll tell Chloe that you secretly enjoy spa days.”

“Wait,” he protests, eyes widening. “Don’t do that.”

The girl hums noncommittally in response, taking a bite of her salad.

Dick points his fork at her. “So, when you said you weren’t famous in France?”

“Not a lie,” Marinette shrugs. “MDC may be recognized world-wide but nobody knows who she is. I have little to no pull as Marinette.”

Damian seemed smug at his girlfriend's half-lie, which didn’t surprise Dick in the slightest. He was a cunning, conniving little shit when he wanted to be. It was fitting that his girlfriend shared those characteristics.

“I’m not quite sure that’s true, either,” Damian murmurs.

Marinette points her fork at him threateningly, steak still speared to the end. “You keep your mouth shut, monsieur. You’re still in trouble. Do secret identities mean nothing to you?” Damian snorts at that, leaning forward to steal the steak from her fork. Marinette gasps, affronted. “Thief!”

Damian smiles properly, chucking softly in the face of his girlfriend’s indignation. “Tastes good.”

“I’m stealing your dog,” she hisses viciously.

Jason snickers into his water at the threat. Bruce smiles as well, happy to see his youngest so happy. “Be nice to your girlfriend, Damian.”

“Yeah, Damian,” Tim tsks. “That’s no way to treat a lady.”

“How would you know?” Damian snips, expression playful.

Tim makes an outraged noise but Bruce raises an eyebrow at him. “Not at the table, boys. Save it for the boxing ring.”

Marinette giggled but there was a boxing ring. It was regularly used to settle disputes amongst the brothers. She reaches over to snag a forkful of mashed potatoes from Damian who rolls his eyes at her but doesn’t protest the action.

“So, Marinette,” Jason starts, ignoring the suspicious look he was getting from his youngest brother. “Who’s your favorite superhero?”

Marinette smirked a bit, like it was an amusing question. Which, it was, but she had no way of knowing that she was in a room full of vigilantes. Damian quirks an eyebrow in interest, looking at his girlfriend expectantly.

She grins and Damian seems to sense danger. “You don’t have to answer that.”

“Don’t be silly,” she admonishes gleefully. “My favorite hero is one of the Parisian ones, I don’t know if you’re familiar. Her name is Bunnyx and we’d be lost without her. As for American heroes, I’d have to say Robin. I know he’s technically a vigilante but he’s still my favorite.”

Dick grins. “Oh? Why him?”

“Well, as a whole I can appreciate a mantle being passed to the new blood. The title of Robin seems to be a great stepping stone in figuring out your identity as a hero or vigilante. I also think it’s funny that the first three Robins were nearly identical because they really screwed with the heads of the rogues. The current Robin is my favorite, though. I like his swords and he’s kinda cute, don’t you think?”

The Waynes paused, unsure of how to proceed. They knew that Robin and Damian were the same person but she didn’t. She was blatantly expressing attraction to someone else in front of her boyfriend’s family.

Damian rolled his eyes, cheeks pink. “That’s enough.”

“You don’t agree?” Marinette asks, turning toward him. “His spiky hair was so cute when he was younger. It’s a shame, though. That cape really restricts my view of his-”

“Alright!” Damian exclaims, cutting her off. “You’ve made your views on the cape very clear! I’ll get rid of it!”

Marinette smiles smugly. “Capes end lives, birdie. I’m doing the world a favor.”

“By saving my life or by giving everyone a view of my ass?” Damian asks, blunt as ever.

“Both,” his girlfriend chirps. “My next move was going to be cutting the stupid things off. I don’t care how much kevlar you put in the damned things, they have to go.”

Damian sighs, another battle lost. “They’re gone. No more capes. Can we talk about the fragile string you use?”

“Magic string, sweetheart, it’s indestructible.” 

Dick felt like he’d been slapped. “Pause,” he says, holding up a hand and pointing between Marinette and Damian. “You know?”

“Know what?” Marinette asks. “About your nighttime acrobatics?”

“Please don’t call it that,” Damian groans. “You know how it sounds.”

The girl laughs. “Alright, fine. Spoilsport. Yes, I know about your identities.”

“How?” Jason demands. “Did he tell you?”

Marinette gives him a look, like he was a little stupid. “You walk around with masks that cover hardly any of your face. You guys are aware that they aren’t really hiding anything, right? The only ones who even seem to try are Batman and the Red Hood but Jason removes his helmet all the time. The white streak in your hair isn’t exactly subtle. Besides, it’s not hard to piece together that every time Bruce Wayne gets a new kid, Gotham gets a new vigilante. The newest is Duke, right? Signal?”

“That’s right,” Damian confirms. “We’re going to Batburger with him, Stephanie, and Cass tomorrow.”

Marinette nods in acknowledgment. “Right, yes, I remember.” She turns to the rest of the family. “To be honest, I thought everyone knew. I figured it was an unspoken thing but Damian was very concerned that I was with the League when I mentioned it.”

“Are you?” Tim asks, eyes narrowed.

Damian scowls at him. “Yes, Drake, because I would date a member of the League and then let her into the manor.”

Tim shrugs. “Look, we don’t know the girl. No offense.”

“None taken,” Marinette replies. “If it makes you feel any better, I do my own crime fighting. The League is very much not my friend.”

Bruce arches an eyebrow at her. “You’re a vigilante?”

“A superhero,” she corrects. “Me and my team have government backing and follow laws and all that.”

“I see,” he murmurs. “And you’re able to do your jobs properly within those confines?”

Marinette nods. “Our main concern for a couple years was one specific man. Some laws were rewritten to allow us to operate the way we needed to but the magic helps a lot.”

“You’re a magician?” Jason asks, sounding a bit pained. “Like Constantine?”

“I’m not entirely sure who that is but no, not really. See, the powers of me and my team stem from magical artifacts called Miraculous. Each one contains a god and each god grants specific powers. The Fox Miraculous creates illusions, the Turtle Miraculous creates shields, and so on. One of the major reasons we’re able to operate within the law is the Ladybug Miraculous, which can fix all the damage caused by a battle. Wounds heal instantly and all property damage is undone.”

“Well, fuck me in the ass,” Jason grunts. “That’s handy.”

Tim makes an outraged sound. “Hey, wait, you don’t get to get on us about our masks! Your team wears the same ones!”

He turns his phone around as proof, a picture of the parisian hero Ladybug displayed. She wore a black spot with red boots and a red armored bodice. Black spots ran across the red and her hair was pulled into two pigtails with small antenna-looking things coming out of the hair tie. Her mask was a red mask with black spots that did nothing to hide 90% of her face or her glowing blue eyes.

Marinette just tilted her head. “Who is that?” she asks.

“Ladybug,” Tim answers, confused.

“Yes, I know. I meant, who is she? Her identity?”

Tim frowns at the picture. “I don’t know. Nobody does.”

Damian smirks as he sips his drink. “She doesn’t…remind you of anyone?” Marinette asks, sweeping half of her hair to rest over her other shoulder. 

“No? Should she?”

“She is Ladybug, Drake,” Damian sighs.

Tim looks between the picture and Marinette and the picture with growing confusion. “I don’t see it. Why can’t I see it?”

“Magic,” Marinette replies. “As Ladybug, I could walk around without my mask and it wouldn’t matter. The magic of the Miraculous protects my identity. Of course, it’s possible to work it out but not by just looking at me.”

Bruce nods. “That’s quite the advantage. I have some concerns about this rogue of yours, though.”

“Oh, he’s been taken care of. It only took us so long because he had somehow come into possession of a Miraculous everyone thought was lost forever. He used it to sense negative emotions and enslave the person, turning them into supervillains powered by their pain. He never left his lair and he only spoke to the public once to give his demands when he first arrived on the scene and his victims never remembered anything about the ordeal once they were cured, so it took a while to track him down.”

“That’s…horrible,” Dick frowns. “Negative emotions are a part of life.”

“Yeah,” Marinette agrees, lips twisting down. “He targeted anyone he could. Adults, the elderly, children, even a sentient robot once. Teenagers and children were targeted a lot since they tend to have a harder time regulating their emotions. Therapy is a booming business in Paris at the moment. Everyone is trying to relearn how to let themselves express emotions healthily but we’re healing.”

“There are Miraculouses that enslave others?” Bruce asks. “Weapons like that shouldn’t be out in the world.”

Marinette gives him a sharp look. “The Miraculous are not weapons, they are tools. Holders are meant to bond with their kwami and work with them. The Butterfly Miraculous was intended to create heroes in large battles and never against their will. Hawkmoth misused his Miraculous and mistreated his kwami and it reflected in his powers. When used properly, those under the Butterfly’s command do not lose their memories and they are powered by their drive to do well. It’s a Miraculous that is generally only used in times of war.”

“Where are they when they’re not in use?” Tim asks.

“It depends,” Marinette tells him. “A lot of them stay in the Miracle Box and are watched over by the Guardian but some of them are given to trusted users and passed down. The previous Guardian gave me and my partner our Miraculouses and I have given out every other. Only those within the permanent team keep their jewels outside of battle. Temporary heroes give theirs back at the end of the battle.”

“Are you the Guardian, then?” Jason asks.

Marinette nods. “I am. Which is why the League is on my case. They’ve been at odds with the Guardians of the Miraculous for as long as they’ve known about one another. The League wants the jewels, I won’t give them up, they try to kill me, I teleport them to the middle of the Amazon rainforest, and we start over again.”

“The Ladybug Miraculous can teleport people?”

“No, the Horse Miraculous can. Pegasus thinks it’s funny to see where he can send them. He and Abielle have been debating the ethics of sending them to the top of Mt. Everest without proper equipment.”

Damian sniffs. “I agree with her. Send them and let them sort themselves out.”

Marinette pats his knee. “No killing,” she says.

“Sending them to the middle of the Amazon rainforest isn’t exactly safe, either,” Damian argues.

“Maybe,” she shrugs. “But they’re unlikely to die because of the weather. If a snake eats them, that’s simply nature taking its course. I didn’t put them in the snake’s mouth.”

Damian snickers. “In that case, have Bunnyx take them to the Jurassic period and leave them to the dinosaurs.”

Marinette makes a thoughtful sort of noise, tilting her head. “That might work. I’ll have to discuss it with her in terms of timeline but you might be onto something.”

Dick was pretty sure these two were the most terrifying couple he’d ever seen. Two popular public figures who fought crime on a daily basis and fed into one another’s violent tendencies. They’d take over the world if they felt like it, he was sure. Dick wanted a lot more information on the Miraculous situation and the team of heroes that operated in Paris but for now, he’d let the matter drop. His little brother was hand in hand with a girl, smiling at her and more openly happy than he’d ever seen him. These two seemed to be made for each other.