Marinette couldn’t understand anything the boys were yelling, except Damian calling the others some rather inventive names. She shot Luka a glare but he just shrugged at her. Yeah no, that innocent act wasn’t going to work. Selina must have told him about the boys being fans of her work. Once the general noise calmed down enough she shot him a withering look.
“You did that on purpose when you knew I wanted to get to know them first.”
“You would have spent the next week freaking out over whether or not they liked you. This way you know now.” She hated it when he pulled his ‘Luka knows best’ routine. Ever since she’d made him a permanent holder he put far more faith in his ‘intuition’ over her wishes. It was good and bad that it was only her he did it with. He felt that he knew her so well and she stressed herself out too much that it was his job to alleviate that stress by forcing her hand. Kagami had agreed with him until he pulled it on her. Luka had gotten her to admit that she was bi where her mother could hear her. No, Mme. Tsurugi hadn’t freaked out and sent her to a boarding school the way Kagami feared but it didn’t change the fact that she absolutely wasn’t ready to have that conversation with her mother. Marinette had actually had to transform to keep her from going after Luka with her sabre. Since then, Kagami had been firmly entrenched on her side of the issue. He also tended to miss the subtleties of what she actually was worried about, which made it more annoying.
“I want them to like me as a person. Not be afraid to get on my bad side because they want me to design something for them.”
“You wouldn’t do that.” She loved him, she really did, she just wanted to strangle him when he decided to be so dense.
“Yes, but they don’t know that because they don’t know me.” She could hear the frustration in her voice and Kagami came up behind her to wrap her arms around her waist. When she rested her chin on her shoulder Marinette glanced over to find her glaring at Luka.
“We’ve talked about this, and you agreed not to interfere unless her anxiety was bad enough to affect her health.” Well that was new. She knew Kagami had been trying to get him to stop but she didn’t realize Luka had agreed to tone it down. Thinking about the last few months, it did make sense.
“Given all that is going on it’s stress that she doesn’t need.” Marinette rolled her eyes and saw Cass do the same. Kagami let out an annoyed huff and Marinette thought Bruce looked like he agreed with Luka. Great, just what she needed. One more person trying to fix things for her.
“You and I will be having a talk later about what decisions are and are not yours to make.” It took Marinette a moment to realize that her Maman’s words were aimed at Luka. Given the woman admitted to tricking Marinette into taking better care of herself she wasn’t certain if that was a good or bad thing. Then again she was fairly proprietary about the roll and she might have a better time getting him to back off. Luka was terrified of Sabine.
The Waynes didn’t seem to know what to make of everything. Damian was eyeing her mother as if trying to put a puzzle together. Tim was just staring at her and Kagami but she wasn’t certain if it was just where his eyes landed or if he was trying to figure out their relationship. Jason was scowling at Luka and Dick just looked concerned. This probably wasn’t the best interaction for them to watch as a first impression.
“How about we eat and switch topics.” Chloe’s no nonsense tone seemed to break everyone out of their stupor. There was also a bit of a bite to it that everyone seemed to catch. It got them all to sit down and stop fussing over them but it also seemed to make everyone afraid of breaking the silence. Not a good way to get to know people. Damian and Selina were the only ones that seemed relaxed and neither one seemed to want to help anyone else ease back into conversation. She figured Damian just didn’t care and Selina was enjoying the show too much.
Cass could obviously tell how upset she was at the way things were going and leaned into her. They continued to eat in silence but all the boys were shooting looks at the two of them, making things even more awkward.
“Honestly if you have something to say just say it. None of you are being subtle with your staring. You’re making me uncomfortable and It’s not even directed at me.” Chloe’s annoyed comment seemed to break the tension. The boys were stuttering out denials but Chloe just glared at them until Dick decided to speak.
“It’s just… Cass doesn’t let anyone touch her, not really. And definitely not for extended durations.” Marinette felt her eye twitch as she fought back her annoyance. Chloe just laughed.
“Mari isn’t just anyone, she is her sister. Not to mention, Mari can get almost anyone to open up given enough time.” The boys all looked miffed at that, Dick especially.
“Or any of you could have just talked to her and helped her get more comfortable with physical affection rather than ignoring the problem and expecting it to go away.” She’d tried to keep it in but their obvious disgruntlement at the fact Cass was opening up to a ‘stranger’ pushed her over the edge. “Not one of you actively tried to help her get over her touch aversion, you just left her to suffer on her own.”
“You can’t possibly know that.” The words came from Damian and Mari gave him a bland look.
“Even if I didn’t before you just confirmed it with your wording. Just because you aren’t that observant doesn’t mean everyone else suffers the same deficiency.” The boy’s face screwed up into an ugly scowl as he glared at her. She honestly expected him to throw a knife at her just for the hell of it at this point.
“That’s enough. The last thing we need is for someone to get Akumatized. Mari, you need to calm down.” Her papa’s voice was not the one she expected to point that out, but it did more to calm her than if it had been anyone else. He rarely got in the middle of things, preferring to let them play out, so he must have thought this would just keep escalating.
“Sorry Papa.” Cass burrowed further into her side and purred silently. When her father reached around Chloe and Cass to give her shoulder a comforting squeeze the boys looked nervous. She had to stop herself from smiling at that. He may be huge but he was the most gentle person she’d ever known. Well, until someone threatened his family.
“Akuma-what now?” She blinked at Jason’s question before mentally slapping herself. She forgot they didn’t know. Cass actually gigged next to her and that just seemed to break all of the Waynes for some reason.
Marinette walked into the private dining room next to Cass and was on the receiving end of four very different reactions. One of the boys was practically vibrating with excitement. The next was quite obviously sizing her up. After him was a boy who didn’t even seem to be able to focus on her properly. She assumed that was Tim. The smallest was glaring at her as if he wanted to kill her. So Damian. She had to wonder how he’d react if she told him how cute it was that he was trying to intimidate her. Probably best to keep that to herself for now.
“These are Bruce’s sons. Dick, Jason, Tim, and Damian. Boys this is Marinette and her parents Tom and Sabine.” Selina still sounded far too amused by this whole thing. She ignored it and smiled at them.
“It’s nice to meet you all.” That was all it took for Dick to explode.
“Oh my god! You’re so cute and polite even. Are you sure you’re actually related to B? What do you like to do? We should have a family movie night! What movies do you like? We should go out and you can show us your favorite places and then when you come to Gotham - You are coming right? - we’ll show you ours. We’ll just have to make sure all the major rogues are locked up first. But don’t worry we’ll keep you safe.” She just stared at him, not having any idea where to start with that. Jason rolled his eyes.
“Damn Dick, breathe and leave her alone. This manic big brother bullshit is going to scare her away.” Dick looked like a kicked puppy.
“Language Master Jason.” Alfred walked in with the food, which she shouldn’t have been surprised about given that he was their butler but she’d expected the hotel staff to do it.
“You are staying for dinner with us Grandpa Alfie?” The reactions to the name were not at all what she expected. Selina just burst into laughter, Bruce was eyeing her like she had a screw loose, Dick was cooing over how cute she was, Jason looked like he’d just swallowed his tongue, and Damian just looked insulted though she had no idea why. Tim just swayed there so she wasn’t certain he’d even comprehended what she said.
“If you’d like me to Miss. Should we get your friends as well?” There was a mischievous glint in his eyes and she wasn’t certain what to do with that. Did he think they wouldn’t get along well?
“I think that’s a good idea.” Her Maman’s tone was a bit hard and she was sizing up the boys. Once Alfred left she walked up to them. Oh, this was about to get bad. “Let me ask you boys a question. If someone were bothering and hurting Cass on a daily basis what would you do?”
“Shoot ‘em.”
“Stab them.”
“Lock them in a room with those two.” Jason, Damian and Dick’s answers came in quick succession and Sabine focused on Tim who seemed to be trying to figure out where she came from.
“Well?” The sharp no nonsense tone finally got a response.
“I don’t understand the question. I mean, Cass would have beat them to a pulp long before we heard about it.” That got a content hum and Mari felt a relieved breath leave her body.
“They can stay. And Tim is coming home with us so I can make sure he sleeps properly.” Bruce’s eye twitched but before he could say anything Tim’s confused voice spoke up.
“I’m not sleeping?” Everyone started laughing except Bruce, her Maman, and Damian. “Why can’t I stay here?”
“Because I can’t keep an eye on you here and make sure you sleep.” Poor Tim still looked so confused.
“You’re not taking him anywhere. He may be worthless but we’re not about to let some strange woman abduct him.” Marinette felt herself wince at Damian’s statement. In two sentences he’d found one of her Maman’s trigger words. Cass gave her hand a comforting squeeze.
“No one is worthless young man, except possibly those who treat others as though they are. I suggest you learn to appreciate people more.” Dick and Jason were snickering and she rounded on them. “And what are you two laughing about? Neither one of you corrected him or defended your brother. How is he supposed to learn if you don’t teach him?” They both stuttered out denials.
“That’s just how the Demon Spawn is!” Jason’s indignant reply just got a raised eyebrow.
“He’s not going to listen to us anyway. He doesn’t even listen to Bruce most of the time.” Yeah this was a disaster. The look her Maman shot Dick made him freeze.
“So rather than say something so the person he’s tormenting knows they aren’t alone you lot just stand by and let him bully everyone around him?” Oh shit. Mari didn’t think they’d get there so quickly. Between the way things happened with the school and Chloe and Lila, her Maman was insanely touchy about the subject of people not sticking up for others. She desperately tried to motion for the boys to just back down.
“The replacement knows how we feel about him.” Oh dear Kwami, her Maman was going to kill Jason. “Besides, it’s not bullying since we all know how the Demon Spawn is.” To her surprise Sabine rounded on Bruce.
“And you’re just fine with them giving each other derogatory nicknames and insulting each other?” If this didn’t stop she wasn’t going to be allowed anywhere near her father or brothers. Never mind that she was almost eighteen. There had to be a way to calm the situation; she just had no idea what it was. Cass could obviously sense her distress and walked up to her Maman who immediately softened. “Yes sweetheart?”
“Complicated, but Family.” Mari knew that Cass meant that even though they acted the way they did they would all fight and die for one another but she wasn’t certain anyone else got that. Her Maman studied Cass for a moment before nodding.
“Fine for now. But you boys will not act like this if you come to my home. Do you understand?” Dick and Jason nodded frantically but Tim still seemed to have no idea what was going on. Damian just glared at everyone. Luckily Alfred chose that moment to walk in with the others.
“Holy shit you’re Luka Couffaine!” Jason and Dick immediately went up to him to talk about music and what it was like to work with Jagged stone.
“Bourgeois?” Tim was blinking at Chloe like she’d just materialized out of nowhere.
“Drake. Still trying to survive on will power and caffeine I see.” The boy just continued to blink at her and Chloe rolled her eyes. Damian marched himself up to Kagami with a determined look.
“Your fencing skill is adequate. We should spar.” Yeah, he was definitely Talia’s son. Kagami just cocked her head at him.
“Perhaps, if it is acceptable to your father and Marinette.” He turned his glare on her but Marinette just grinned back at him.
“He’s my dad actually.” Those were the only words she heard out of Luka but Dick and Jason both started yelling in excitement until they caught Alfred giving them a pointed look. “But honestly, he’s far more fond of Mari than anyone else. After all, she is his exclusive designer.” There was dead silence for about ten seconds before the room exploded.
They continued talking and Marinette thought Bruce was finally starting to relax a little bit. So of course someone had to interrupt.
“One of these days you will actually answer your phone.” She looked up to find her parents in the doorway. Oh that couldn’t be good. “When we saw the others running rooftops, in normal clothes, with Selina we got worried.” Marinette groaned at Sabine’s words. Of course they were. Apparently she should have just given them Kaalki, but she didn’t think they were going to move anything right at this moment.
“Sorry, we pissed off the Mayor and they thought it would be best to get anything Chloe is worried about losing out of the hotel. I didn’t realize how they were planning on getting it out.”
“When did Selina get here anyway?” Oh Kwami, now she had to explain that. She glanced over to Bruce and found him in a stare down with her Papa. Wonderful.
“She’s Bruce’s fiancé. You’ve always said she has good taste.” The glare her mother shot her softened slightly when Cass buried further into her side. That was a good distraction. She stood and brought Cass with her to stand in front of her parents. “These are my parents, Sabine and Tom. Maman, Papa, this is Cass.” She figured it was best to keep their attention off Bruce for the moment. Given the way she was still trying to hide behind her, Cass was less than thrilled with her strategy.
“We are so happy to meet you.” Her parents had obviously picked up on Cass’s unease. Her father was standing behind her mother, probably so he didn’t try to hug her. Her mother’s hands were clasped together. They were both extremely tactile and she could tell this was torture for them. Marinette put a hand on each to help ground them.
“Me too.” The words were soft but audible. Her parents softened even further since they knew how difficult speaking was for her. This was going well… and then Bruce decided to talk. She would have thought being in the public eye he’d be able to read a room better.
“You’ll have to forgive Cass, she’s not trying to be rude she’s just-”
“Mostly non-verbal. Alfred informed us and we didn’t think she was being rude.” The last was aimed at Cass with an encouraging smile before both of her parents turned to glare at Bruce again. Well this was a disaster. She nudged Cass over to Bruce before moving between them and her parents.
“Why don’t you two go make sure the others don’t get arrested, and we’ll see you for dinner the way we planned.” Her Maman just rolled her eyes at her but she noticed her Papa studying Bruce and Cass behind her.
“You really haven’t looked at your phone at all have you? It is time for dinner.” She blinked for a moment. She must have lost track of time. That meant it was time for her to meet Bruce’s other kids. Oh, Kwami, they were going to hate her. Then Bruce would take them and Cass away. When that happened she’d be left without her Black Cat and they’d never find Hawkmoth and Paris would have to repress their emotions forever and…
“Mari stop thinking. You got Chloe to love you. I’m sure these boys don’t stand a chance.” She could only smile weakly at her parents. It was a miracle they trusted her as Ladybug when they had to deal with her neurosis constantly.
“Damian will likely default to hostility, Jason to sarcasm, I don’t think Tim has slept in the past couple days so he may just pass out, and Dick is just overly excited about another sibling.”
“And do you commonly allow your children to run themselves into the ground?” Marinette couldn’t help the snort that left her.
“Really Maman? That’s the fight you want to pick?” Oh yeah, she really should have kept her mouth shut. Even her Papa was looking at her like she’d lost her mind.
“If it was my decision, you would be getting no less than six hours sleep a night. You’re lucky Tikki convinced me that you need to be ready to be alert at all times or I’d make sure you did. As it is, your commissions went down because I told Jagged exactly what would happen to him if he didn’t start funneling people to you at a moderate pace.” Well that explained a lot. Any time she’d suggested to Jagged that she could take on more clients in the past few months he’d gotten extremely nervous. Hang on…
“That’s why you started letting the others sleep over so much. You’re making them keep an eye on me.” That just got another eyeroll.
“They volunteered. I’m not the only one worried about you.” She couldn’t decide whether she should be touched or insulted. Maybe she’d been a little busier than normal but she was handling it… but Tikki had consulted with her mother and didn’t tell her about it so even the Kwami seemed to think it was a problem. “You need to realize that you don’t have to do everything yourself.”
“I don’t do everything myself.” The look her parents gave her was bad enough, but she heard Cass let out a disbelieving snort behind her. Traitor. “I delegate. The others have been patrolling without me so I can do other things.”
“Yeah, and that only started after you passed out on patrol because you’d been up for three days. You were running yourself into the ground before all this superhero insanity. I swear I will kill Hawkmoth myself if this doesn’t end soon.” Marinette almost felt sorry for the man. Being on her Maman’s shit list was bad enough, but he was constantly putting her family in danger. Mari was certain it wouldn’t be a quick death. On the plus side, she’d get the missing Miraculous back.
“Killing should never be your first option.” Oh right, she forgot about that. The man preferred to continually contain rather than remove threats. She really didn’t understand why he didn’t at least have a better way to contain them given his resources. Her parents also thought he was nothing but a playboy billionaire. This was bad.
“Just because you choose to live in the most crime filled city in the world and subject your children to danger constantly doesn’t mean the rest of us are willing to put up with it. If I can end my child’s suffering I will. No matter the cost to me, or you for that matter.” Marinette couldn’t tell if that was a threat or a hint that she’d be willing to accept financial assistance if it meant putting an end to Hawkmoth.
“Regardless, it’s a premature line of thought. Now that Cass is here I’ll be more balanced and the Kwami are confident it will help us end this. Your philosophical differences when dealing with punishment for crimes will hopefully be a moot point.” That was the wrong thing to say. She didn’t know why exactly, but all three of her parents were giving her annoyed looks. On the plus side they weren’t glaring at each other.
“Killing is wrong regardless of the circumstance.”
“If he isn’t willing to protect you by any means necessary we aren’t about to trust him.”
Her Maman and Bruce spoke over one another and returned to trying to stare each other down. They were each trying to accomplish different things but her parents had no idea what Bruce was trying to accomplish. She was annoyed, more than she was willing to admit, that he was trying to enforce his moral code or just his way of being a hero on her when he hadn’t even known her for a day yet, all her parents saw was a man unwilling to protect their child. It was obvious neither of them were going to back down. Cass hugged her from behind.
“Not helping.” While her comment was aimed at Bruce it actually calmed the other two. Mari wasn’t sure if it was because they thought Cass was talking to all of them, the fact that she spoke up for Mari in the first place, or they were glad she was willing to stand up to Bruce for Mari, but it cleared a lot of tension from the room.
“You’re right, we’re sorry.” Her Papa’s soft rumble turned slightly more harsh as he turned to Bruce. “We’ll talk later.” That wasn’t ominous at all.
Bruce was in a state of mild panic. Mild only because he was fairly certain his brain had shut down in protest with all the unexpected information being thrown his way. He tried to focus on one thing at a time but even then the sheer strangeness of it all was overwhelming. Just watching the girls together made his head spin. Cass didn’t relax, ever, but here she was snuggled into Marinette’s side, playing with one of the buttons on her shirt while the two of them communicated in a way he was certain he’d never understand. When he’d told her about Marinette the day before all she said was ‘Oh, that makes sense’, and walked away. How was he supposed to respond to that?
Then there was Marinette herself. Forgetting for a moment that she was apparently using magical artifacts to defend Paris and had gone up against the League already, she was nothing like what he’d expected. Granted his mind had automatically gone to the worst case scenario, but even the less doomsday prophecy version of her in his head was insanely off the mark. First, unlike the rest of his children, she was an adult. Maybe not in age but her maturity was obvious. Even Selina backed down when she insisted. And wasn’t that just a great surprise? His only consultation was that Alfred hadn’t known either. He was going to have to ask Marinette how she’d managed to get Selina to put something back. In his experience once she had her hands on something it was hers. Period.
“Guilt.” He blinked in Marinette in confusion. “Usually when she steals something it’s not a big deal because institutions have insurance to cover things, but since Paris is dealing with a terrorist that feeds on negative emotions, stealing something here is creating targets for him. Harley actually was the one that finally convinced her by talking about the huge mental toll all of this must be taking on the people of Paris.” He was almost certain he hadn’t voiced that question out loud but his shock over that was derailed quickly.
“You know Harley too?” She just offered him a sympathetic smile and that was one more thing to add to the list of things he didn’t expect. She was obviously nurturing, protective, and empathetic. If any of the boys were in her place they’d be laughing at him and storing it for blackmail material later. Every time she sprang something else on him he could tell she was trying to soften the blow even though she felt pressed for time.
“Well, yes.” Her look turned sheepish. “I was a bit overwhelmed at the time so instead of arguing with Selina I may have made a portal to her home and shoved her through it so I didn’t have to worry about Akumas coming after me while I talked to her.” He blinked at her.
“You can make portals from Paris to Gotham?” He had been trying to avoid the whole magic topic until the idea settled a bit more but if this was something anyone who had one of these artifacts could do that was a problem.
“Well no, not me specifically. One of the Miraculous in my charge has the ability. I had been keeping it on me in case I needed to leave Paris to let out negative emotions.” She sounded ashamed and Cass was giving him a look that said he needed to say something. Yeah, because him talking to his children always went so well.
“Everyone needs a break. You’re not shirking your duties by taking care of yourself. I imagine there are grave consequences to more than just yourself if this villain manages to get inside your head so it makes sense for you to do anything in your power to keep that from happening.” She peeked at him, looking for something but he had no idea what, before offering a tense smile.
“Still, I’m sorry for entering Gotham like that. I know how you feel about outsiders. In my defense I had no idea where I was until they told me and I left as soon as Selina agreed to not steal in Paris until I’ve dealt with Hawkmoth.”
“How do you make a portal to somewhere and not know where you are?” The words came out harsh because of his confusion and Cass glared at him. Tikki was the one who ended up answering.
“Kaalki doesn’t need a geographical location to get somewhere. Mari wanted to take Catwoman home so that’s where they made the portal. We Kwami aren’t confined by your limited knowledge. In our aspects we have very few limitations.” Well that didn’t sound at all ominous.
“The Kwami themselves aren’t limited but the Miraculous and their holders can create their own barriers. For instance, if you don’t think you can get somewhere without knowing exactly where it is then Kaalki won’t be able to get you there. Your perception of what is and isn’t possible plays a large part in how a Miraculous can be used. I think that’s why Master Fu chose such young holders. He thought we would be more open minded about the possibilities.” There was sadness in her tone but there was also a bite to it. He wanted to ask about it, but given his track record with shoving his foot in his mouth he wasn’t sure it was a good idea. Luckily Plagg decided to chime in.
“That may be why he picked Chat Noir but Tikki chose you. We weren’t about to let him pick someone less in harmony with the Miraculous for arbitrary reasons.” Tikki was glaring at Plagg and given the way Marinette shrank in on herself, she didn’t know that.
“So he didn’t want me to be Ladybug?” Tikki sent Plagg one more scathing look before hovering in front of Marinette.
“It wasn’t a matter of want. He felt that you being so in tune with me when we couldn’t find a black cat to match would be a problem we couldn’t overcome. You proved him wrong regardless but we told him he needed to find your real partner and as far as we know he never bothered.” The underlying rage in the Kwami’s tone was impressive if he was being honest. Given he had no idea what the beings were capable of he was glad it wasn’t directed at him.
“He didn’t. I asked him about it when Chat Noir started sitting out fights and he said that they were doing fine with the way things were.” Plagg’s words came out in a growl and Marinette tightened her arms around Cass.
“One more person trying to keep us apart. I have to wonder how much of it is chance rather than fate. Maybe there’s a reason this is happening now.” Marinette sounded less than thrilled with that observation. Cass just gave a hum of agreement. “Either way, focusing on what has happened serves no purpose. I’m the Guardian now and no one will ever separate us again.” There was an edge to her voice that actually had Bruce feeling sorry for any poor soul that tried.
“And what price are they going to have to pay for your magic?” Marinette couldn’t help but smile at the protective tone in Bruce’s voice as he glared at Plagg. She was beyond relieved that he seemed to be a good person and even her Guardian instincts were calm around him.
“The Miraculous are all about balance. In our case, as true Chosen, they affect us whether we use them or not. That’s why Cass’ life has been so difficult and mine has been relatively calm. Actually being in possession of Plagg’s ring will make things better for her. As for other holders, it varies. The longer you hold a Miraculous the more it pulls out certain traits in you. Good or bad depends on both the person and how in tune with the Miraculous they are.” Chloe’s over protective nature and Adrien’s possessiveness were both likely side effects of being holders but there was no way for her to know for certain.
“So they begin to turn you into a different person?” Marinette was shaking her head before he was even finished. She really wasn’t good at explaining things to other people.
“No. Any traits that the Miraculous bring out were already there. If anything they bring out a person’s true nature so they can’t hide who they really are. My former partner for instance was always showing his best face to the world around him but Plagg’s influence allowed those looking for it the ability to see some of his less desirable qualities. Especially when transformed.” While it made perfect sense that the ring had brought out the things Adrien felt he had to hide from the world, she still felt guilty. She also had to wonder how different his life would have been if she’d found her real Black Cat sooner. Cass burrowed into her side.
“Not your fault.” Marinette just hugged her twin closer. Even if Fu had picked Adrien, as the current Guardian he had still been her responsibility. She’d let her knowledge of his personal life define how she treated him when she should have simply judged his actions as a hero. It had been reckless and irresponsible. She’d put everyone at risk. She felt a vibration at her side and actually laughed when she realized Cass was purring to calm her down.
“Well if I needed any more proof that you are Plagg’s chosen, the fact that you’re picking up cat traits without even having the ring on you would have done it.” Cass stopped abruptly and buried her head into Marinette’s shoulder with an embarrassed whine. Mari just grinned and kissed her temple to try and soothe her. “At least yours is cute. The first trait I picked up was reflex bleeding.” It was a small consolation that Lila had a rash for over a month after grabbing her.
“Do I want to know what that is?” Marinette offered Bruce a commiserating smile. It was a lot to process.
“My skin secretes a toxic substance when I feel threatened. Sadly enough it’s actually helped in battles before. Poor baby August tried to eat me a few times while Akumatized.” Bruce just blinked at her and Marinette could practically hear him thinking ‘what the fuck?’ She grinned at him. “Once you’ve actually been through an Akuma attack, remind me to show you footage of past battles. It will prove educational and quite possibly entertaining.”
“You expect me to be entertained by one of my children almost being eaten?” He sounded insulted at the suggestion but Marinette rolled her eyes.
“No, but the fact that Hawkmoth tends to Akumatize the worst suited people into villains should. The only reason he’s still around is because he’s a coward. If I could find him all of this would be over in a heartbeat. Hopefully with Cass here my luck will keep shifting for the better.”
“I thought you were the one with good luck.” Mari let out a frustrated breath.
“Technically yes. However having the Miraculous active, especially with the ring being held by someone so much less in tune than I am, has been affecting me. It’s gotten better since I added other permanent holders but certain things haven’t improved at all. Also, the Kwami are of the opinion that Cass and I rubbed off some of our luck on each other in the womb. It’s likely the reason she ended up with you around the same time I first became Ladybug. Being together will allow us to buffer each other.” Bruce was still frowning at her but it seemed more contemplative than anything else.
“Cass.” She watched her sister peek at Bruce from her position. “What do you want to do?” Marinette let out an approving hum at the question. She got a strange sense of satisfaction that he treated Cass with such care even though she wasn’t his. He wasn’t as warm as her parents, but it was obvious he did care.
“Stay. Help.” Bruce let out a sigh but nodded. Cass relaxed further and Marinette could feel contentment radiating off her.
“So Selina said you’re a fashion designer?” Marinette rose an eyebrow at the subject change. “Since there’s nothing more to be done at present about what’s going on in Paris and it doesn’t appear to be an urgent issue, I would like to get to know you and I’m sure Cass does too.” She felt Cass nod.
“Yes, I’m a fashion designer. It was always what I wanted to do, but my actual start was one of the first twists of fate after I got my Miraculous. I ended up designing something for Jagged Stone and everything just sort of took off from there.” Cass stiffened slightly and Marinette saw Bruce’s eye twitch.
“You’re the designer he’s always bragging about?” Marinette felt her face flush. It hadn’t really occurred to her that he would be familiar with Jagged. Bruce pinched the bridge of his nose. “The boys are not going to leave you alone. Dick, Jason, and Tim have a running bet over who can get a commission from you first. I apologize in advance for whatever happens at dinner.” She laughed at his dry tone and caught Cass’ smile out of the corner of her eye.
“I assure you it can’t be worse than Uncle Jagged himself. He introduces me to all my new clients and I swear it gets more embarrassing every time. I’m fairly certain he practices just to annoy me.” Bruce’s mouth twitched into something between a smile and a grimace.
“Do not underestimate the boys’ ability to be annoying or embarrassing. That’s not even counting the fact that Damian is likely to challenge you to a duel in order to prove that he’s meant to be my true heir and I have no idea what weapons he managed to smuggle on the plane.” Marinette rolled her eyes. Why wasn’t she surprised?
“I take it Talia’s teachings are still strong?” He frowned at her. Oh right, he didn’t know she knew. “When she and Ra’s were in Paris she enjoyed bragging about him and his bloodlines. That’s how I figured out you were Batman. But don’t worry, I can handle him.” The skeptical look he shot her just made her grin. “Trust me. Besides, I just have to prove I’m not a threat to him. Given that I have no wish to take over your business and I have my own hero problems to worry about there’s no reason for him to take issue with me.” Bruce still seemed uncertain but Cass signed something at him and he nodded.
“I suppose we’ll just have to wait and see.” While Bruce obviously doubted her, she felt nothing but confidence from her twin. As nervous as she was to meet the others, Damian trying to kill her wasn’t that big a problem. At least with him, she knew what to expect.
“I’m sorry, what?” Marinette tried not to laugh at Bruce but it was actually funny to see some of her own idiosyncrasies mirrored in him.
“It’s a rather long story. Why don’t we sit?” She led Cass over to the couch to sit, not letting go of her. Now that they were together she was going to make sure her twin got the affection she deserved. Bruce sat on a chair across from them still looking like he was waiting for an attack.
“What was that comment about a magic wielding narcissist about?” Marinette sighed. She really hated explaining this.
“I won’t go into details because until you’ve been through an attack it won’t seem real anyway. Short version is Paris is being held hostage by a man with a magical artifact and a god complex. I’m one of the people trying to stop him.” Bruce just blinked at her for a moment and she could almost see him trying to gather his thoughts.
“And the comment about Cass being your Black Cat? What did that mean?” He sounded so tired. She could commiserate.
“I really am sorry to just drag you into this and I wouldn’t have if I didn’t believe it was absolutely necessary.” Cass actually hugged her without prompting that time and even Bruce’s expression softened. “The artifacts we use are called the Miraculous. They’re all about balance. I wield the Ladybug Miraculous of Creation, it’s opposite is the Black Cat Miraculous of Destruction. While I had a partner that used that Miraculous he was nowhere near as in tune with it as I am with mine and it creates a power imbalance that isn’t sustainable. As soon as I found out about Cass, I was certain she was my other half. The person actually meant to be my partner. If you’re willing of course.”
“Not leaving you alone.” Marinette smiled fondly at her little sister.
“You may very well want to rethink that position once you meet Plagg.” They both looked at her in confusion and jumped when a new voice broke in.
“I’ll have you know I’m a delight to be around. You just don’t appreciate my personality.” She rolled her eyes at the Kwami floating in front of her.
“Yes, obviously I’m the problem.” They were about to snark back at her when Bruce spoke up.
“What is that?” Plagg opened their mouth to answer but Marinette beat him to it. The last thing she needed was him going off on a tangent about how wonderful he was.
“This is Plagg, Kwami of Destruction and Bad Luck. They are what gives the Black Cat Miraculous it’s powers.” Bruce was eyeing the creature warily but Plagg was busy studying Cass. After a minute their expression softened.
“Yeah, she’s definitely one of mine.” Then they just burrowed into Cass’s hair and started purring.
“Her life is not your fault Plagg. And you said you could protect her from the worst of her innate bad luck now right?” They just nodded. Marinette wasn’t sure what to make of this attitude if she was being honest.
“Plagg’s a big softy when it comes to their Chosen. Especially when they’ve been so badly mistreated.” Tikki made their entrance and Cass was watching them with interest. Bruce looked like he was fighting off a migraine.
“And this is Tikki, Kwami of Creation and Good Luck. They are what power the Ladybug Miraculous.”
“It’s very nice to meet you both, even if it’s a bit of an adjustment. I can help you get rid of that headache if you want.” Bruce actually flinched at the offer and Marinette struggled not to laugh. Tikki actually rolled their eyes.
“Like father, like daughter.”
“Hey! That’s not fair. I didn’t have anything against magic itself. I just thought I was a terrible choice for a hero is all.”
“You called me a talking bug-mouse.” Tikki’s drool tone matched their glare.
“I opened a box and you popped out. How was I supposed to react?” Tikki held the glare for a few more seconds before they both dissolved into laughter. It was a running joke between them especially since her parents found out. Her Papa had broken a chair trying to jump away and her Maman had tried to hit Tikki with a rolling pin. Luckily the Kwami had seen it coming in time to phase through it rather than being smacked into a wall.
“And the Lazarus Pits?” He really didn’t sound like he wanted to know.
“Plagg caused the extinction of the dinosaurs. The Pits wouldn’t even be a challenge. Tikki also thinks I’m capable of returning them to their natural state without them, but that’s only theoretical at this point.” Tikki and Wayzz had both tried to explain the process but it was incredibly complicated.
“Natural state?” The question came from Cass and Plagg decided to speak again.
“The Pits were made from hot springs that were believed to have healing powers. The people who made them were trying to enhance that but did not understand the powers they were using. All magic comes with a price.”
It came to me while reading a fic, the Wayne’s think Mari doesn’t know about their nightly activities, but she does know and she isn’t telling them to mess with them, imagine,
Batboys sitting on a couch like in those tv shows:
Duke: we’ve been trying every we can to make sure she doesn’t find out.
Dick: if she ever found out she’d be in so much danger so we’ve even been taking different shifts to keep an eye on her.
Tim: but she’s starting to get suspicious, just the other day she found a batarang in the living room, we all just told her some lie about how we found it and decided to keep it, no one knew who it belonged to though.
Damian: all in all, it was an idiotic lie.
‘Scene switch’
Mari walks into the dining room with a confused face and a batarang “hey guys anyone knows where this came from? It was in the living room” everyone turns their head at Mari and look like they’ve seen a ghost, “isn’t that the batarang we got from Batman’s last fight with the joker?!” Could be heard from the table followed by a bunch of ‘oh ya’s and ‘that’s where it was’s, “thank Mari we really owe you one” said Dick in a nervous laughing voice, Mari looked at them suspiciously while they all internally panicked for about 10 seconds then responded in a cheerful tone with “ok” then skipped off out of the dining room while the Wayne’s finally stopped holding their breath.
‘Scene switch’ ‘Mari sitting on the couch like a boss’
“Oh, I know, I’ve just been messing with them, but could you blame me? they actually think they can hide it, not when they act like that, so until they tell me, this is my entertainment.”
My current favorite bio dad Bruce Wayne fic, this is a series, I seriously recommend reading this, this is like the first one aka a one shot, there are 2 more Chapters and more to come <3
Synopsis:On the night of her parents’ anniversary, Marinette was shocked to learn that all this time, she had been the long forgotten daughter of an American businessman named Bruce. When she is given the chance to visit him that summer, she learns that she’ll also be spending the summer with his many other children.
Rated T: Language
Content Warning: This chapter contains references to works of literature that could be considered spicy (only the titles of these works are named).
Ships: Gen.
Author’s Note: Hi everyone, sorry we haven’t posted in a while. We’ve both been very busy. DC Boy has had this Bio Dad Bruce fanfic idea for a while now.
One of us has a headcanon that Jason has read classic literature that was a bit more spicy, most likely when no one else in the Batfamily was looking.
Marinette: *in the group chat* This morning I helped Alfred take out the trash. Jason:Okay?Damian: ‘akhtaa why is this important Dick: where are you going with this Tim: *slurps coffee* Bruce:….Marinette: When I come back inside I decide that I want a Pop-Tart Marinette: *sends image of an opened unfrosted Pop-Tart* What kind of bullshit is this!!! I deserve a frosted Pop-Tart! Not this abomination!!! Jason: I have no words pix Damian: That was mine Dick:languageTim: of course that’s your’s brat Bruce: *So done with his kids antics*
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Be warned that clicking links may replace your current browser window depending on the device or app you are using (make sure to click to open a new tab so you don’t lose your progress).
Only one entry will be permitted per person.
Only your first entry will count.
Nominations can be found here to view them in advance!
