okay sO @peppersonironi tagged me in a wip title tag game but I literally just remembered being tagged means I actually have to do this lmao
rules: post the file names of all the files in your wip folder, regardless of how non-descriptive or ridiculous the name. send me an ask with the title that intrigues you the most and I’ll post a little snippet or tell you something about it! tag as many people as you have wips.
these are only the wips I’ve worked on recently because otherwise the list would literally never end haha
summary: “on a scale of one to ten, how bad do you want to kill me right now?”
a/n: can’t believe i got this out so quick. even though it’s relatively short (compared to my usual 2k), i like this one a lot. as usual, the bolded text is a prompt from pinterest.
Jason cringed as he watched Marinette’s face go through a multitude of expression changes and finally land on one; a mix of anger and surprise (probably wondering how he managed to escape through the tiny vents of the building).
He had a feeling that this wasn’t going to end well for him, especially when Marinette strode up to him, inches away from his face.
Feeling his heartbeat speed up and palms growing sweaty, Jason cursed himself for developing his stupid crush on Marinette.
Even though he didn’t know anythingabout her at the time, in a few weeks, Jason had managed to develop a crush on Marinette, her somewhat sweet manner and overall badassness just drawing him in and doing thingsto him.
His crush was only further encouraged when he did a ‘little’ research on Marinette using the Justice League’s extensive databases.
After a little more in-depth research of history, it wasn’t hard to figure out why Marinette was at the League of Assassins.
Sorely regretting his decision to try and poke the answer out of Marinette before he left, Jason resigned himself to the fact that he would never meet Marinette again.
Or so he thought, the situation in front of him proving him wrong.
“So,” Jason said casually, leaning back a little. Marinette’s close proximity was being verydistracting. “On a scale of one to ten, how bad do you want to kill me right now?”
Marinette shot him a smile; all teeth and nothinglike the girl she was in the pictures he found of her past (Jason wasn’t stalking her! He just happenedto find them and happenedto memorise them).
“Right now,” Marinette trailed a slim finger over his arm, all the way to his chest. “I’m hovering somewhere in the high thirties.”
Jason gulped for two reasons. One, well thatwasn’t good, and two, holy shit he never knew a finger could be so utterly distracting.
“Well,” he stuttered, cheeks darkening to a shade of red. “I didn’t-”
“But,” Marinette interrupted him, hands looping around his neck now. “I didjust get you back, and to be honest, I don’t particularly want to lose you again. Do you know just how many nights of sleep I lost because of you?”
Jason opened his mouth to answer a verycautious answer, but, apparently, it was a rhetorical question because a few seconds later, Marinette tugged his face towards hers.
His lips found their place on hers, fitting together like they were two puzzle pieces.
For the first few seconds, Jason was frozen. Pinned against the wall, his hands were by his sides, not doing anything until his snapped back to his senses.
Turning the tables, Jason turned Marinette around so shewas pinned against the wall, and moving his lips against hers, Jason wrapped his hands around her waist tightly and possessively.
After a few minutes, air was becoming more and more a necessity that they both needed, but Jason was unwilling to let go, even for a gulp of air.
In fact, they would have gone right on kissing until they passed out, had Tim not barged in.
“Are you guys done?” he asked impatiently, eyes glued to his phone. “I have thingsto do and- oh my god, myeyes!”
He ran out of the room screaming and yelling about being “mentally scarred” and “never recovering” and Jason had a feeling that a lotof people were going to be asking him questions later.
But right now, that wasn’t his priority.
His priority was the girl in front of him, with sparkling blue eyes and a smugsmirk on her lips.
“So,” she said, teasingly. “That’s that.”
Jason groaned, already knowing that she somehow knewTim was coming and did nothing about it.
“I hate you,” he mumbled into her shoulder. “So much.”
Marinette smirked into his shoulder, again. “That’s not what I felt a few seconds ago.”
Sighing as he straightened himself, Jason wondered what the hellpossessed him to like a girl like Marinette.
Her amazing personality (and looks) were certainlynot worth this.
At least, that’s what he told himself in that moment.
In fact, she couldn’t believe she even endedup like this and was stillalive. Clearly, having Tikki’s luck was extremely helpful.
She straightened her back to an almost painful angle as she heard her ‘leader’s’ icy voice echo through the room.
“Marinette,” Talia Al Ghul greeted her, and silently, Marinette took her appointed place next to the woman.
Ra’s Al Ghul seated himself next to Talia, leaning back in his chair.
Slowly, all the other members of the League of the Assassins filtered into the room as Talia and Ra’s watched on impassively.
Without giving a single thought away, Marinette wondered what today’s meeting was about.
Generally, Talia told her everything (as her right-hand woman, so to say) and needless to say, Marinette took advantage of it to prepare herself.
However, for this particular meeting, Talia hadn’t breathed a single word to Marinette. In fact, Marinette wasn’t even aware it was to happen today until a low-ranking member informed her of it.
Blank mask faltering for a milli-second, Marinette panicked and wondered if she had blown her cover somehow and this meeting was to discuss her fate.
“Welcome, honoured members of the League of the Assassins,” Talia said smoothly, oblivious to Marinette’s panic. “Apologies for calling this unexpected and unplanned meeting; something urgent has to be communicated.”
Marinette breathed a sigh of relief; she hadn’t blown her cover - this was a completely unplanned meeting.
Thank the kwamis.
“Recently,” Ra’s leaned forward now, adding his own contribution. “A few assassins found the body of a certain individual you may recognize the name of…Jason Todd.”
There was no physical reaction of any of the trained assassins, but Marinette, with her slightlyenhanced hearing, could hear several heartbeats picking up; in excitement or fear, she couldn’t tell.
“Ra’s and I plan to resurrect him with the use of the Lazarus Pits, a magical creation I am sure you have heard of.” Talia continued.
Thistime there was a reaction. Several of the assassins straightened even further with a jerk, while others looked at Talia, aghast.
“You cannot be serious!” One assassin cried out.
He was quickly shut up with a frosty glare from Marinette. She needed to know more about this.
From all she had learnt about the vigilantes of Gotham, she knew that Jason Todd had been one of the Robins, killed by the infamous, insane Joker. Batman had, apparently, taken his death hard, being crueller and crueller with the criminals until the thirdRobin came along; Timothy Drake.
Not that the league knew she had that knowledge.
The saying that knowledge was power rang especially true in the situations that Marinette often found herself in, particularly with Talia.
She was snapped out of her thoughts when Talia shot the assassin who interrupted a particularly evil glare. “As I was saying, we plan to resurrect him in the Lazarus Pits, as per the wish of my father, and keep him under our care.”
Ah, Marinette thought, so that was the point of all this.
Keeping someone under the league’s care essentially meant converting them into one of their own.
In any other situation, Marinette would have said the same had happened to her, except for the fact that it hadn’t.
She was in the League of Assassins of her own free volition and her own agenda.
All of a sudden, all the assassins were agreeing, nodding in time.
Marinette resisted the urge to roll her eyes.
All was forgotten when the league got a new assassin…not like the Lazarus Pits could cause permanent mental damage to those who took even a single dip in it.
◇─◇──◇─◇
Marinette coughed as she shielded her eyes from the bright, toxic green colours of the Lazarus Pits.
As Talia’s right-hand woman, it was a given that she would accompany Talia and Ra’s as they resurrected Jason.
The Lazarus Pits glowed starkly against the pitch darkness of the underground cave they were in.
Talia, somehow, seemed unperturbed by it. “Move to the banks of the Pits!” she ordered, loudly, and the assassins carrying Jason’s corpse immediately hurried there.
Marinette took some more time, sensitive to the dust and heavilywishing she could wear her miraculous right now. At least it provided some extra protection against all this toxicity.
As she arrived at the banks of the Pits, Marinette saw that they had already begun to take out Jason’s body from the bag they had brought him in.
When she saw the state he was in, Marinette felt the urge to puke. What kind of sickowould do this to anyone?
Talia hadn’t even spared the body a glance, instead, analysing the waters of the Pits.
If she leaned any further, she was going to fall right in, Marinette thought with a healthy amount of malice.
Once they had the body out, one of the assassins turned to Talia.
Already excited at the prospect of getting another assassin, Talia gleefully said, “Dip it in.”
Talia didn’t even see Jason Todd as a real person.
◇─◇──◇─◇
Fast-forwarding to a few months later, you would find Marinette and Jason sparring in a room in the League of Assassins.
Marinette gave Jason a triumphant grin as she bested him once again. “Nice try, Todd. Fix your stance. Remember, you can’t give your opponent-”
“-A single advantage,” interrupted Jason with an exasperated grin. “I know, it’s not the first time you’ve told me.”
The day Jason was brought back to life went off without a hitch, as Talia often liked to brag to Marinette.
Almost immediately after he was well in terms of physical health, Jason was handed over to Marinette, she being one of the best assassins at the League of the Assassins.
At first, it was awkward with Jason not willing to trust Marinette (why would he?) and Marinette just generally being very awkward around him.
Eventually though, Marinette came to the realization that she needed to tell Jasons something about herself if she was going to get him to trust her.
So she told him she wasn’t like everyone around here.
Something in her tone must have convinced him, though, because the next day, he was seemed to be more willing to trust her.
That was how they ended up at the present moment.
“Come on, Todd.” Marinette shot him an indulgent grin. “Let’s take a water break.”
Jason sat up, giving her a handsome grin that did notmake Marinette’s heart beat faster at all. “Whatever you say.”
As they sat side-by-side on the chilly floor, Marinette felt her skin heat up as Jason’s muscled arms brushed against her own.
They sat in silence for a few minutes, catching their breaths.
“Why do you stay here if you’re not like them?”
Marinette froze. She knew Jason had been wanting to ask this for some time, but she didn’t know whether she should tell him the real reason.
Opting to deflect, she gave him a smirk. “Thinking, are we?”
Rolling her eyes at her poor attempt, Jason didn’t seem to want to budge. “Come on Marinette. Answer the question.”
Marinette waited for a few seconds, hoping that he would take it back and just leave it alone.
When he didn’t she sighed, slouching against the wall. “I have my reasons.”
Jason persisted, though. “What areyour reasons? If they even exist, you know.”
Marinette’s head shot up, hurt and anger dominant in her eyes. “What is thatsupposed to mean?”
Jason didn’t even seem to care that he pissed her off. “Do you know the number of people you’ve killed for Talia? Why would you do that?”
If Marinette knew what would happen next, maybe she would have answered, but at that point, she was just too angry to form a proper, justifiable answer.
Standing up, Marinette leaned down until she was nose-to-nose with Jason.
“Like I said before,” she breathed. “I have my reasons.”
Turning her back on him, she didn’t notice the crestfallen expression on his face as he looked at his watch and then the vent above.
The next day he was gone.
The league never found his body.
◇─◇──◇─◇
Exactly five months and six days later, Marinette was planning her escape from the League of the Assassins.
She had spent yearsplanning her escape and knew her whole plan by heart.
It was simple really; there were only three steps.
The first was to steal the powerful miraculous the league had in their clutches. Marinette could check that off the list, having used several precautions to make sure the league never found out that the 'miraculous’ they now had wasn’t real.
After that, she had to figure out a way to make it seemlike she was dead so that none of the assassins were on the lookout for her. After 'dying’ she was going to escape in the chaos.
The final step was probably the hardest. It was moving to Gotham because Marinette had heard that there were a lotof lost miraculous there.
Like she said before, it was simple.
Gathering all of her importantbelongings, Marinette dumped them all in a corner of the room. Placing the charred body she had stolen from the morgue (don’t even ask), Marinette pulled out a matchbox.
Her eyes glowed as she lit the match on fire, and dropped it casually on the bed.
It lit up immediately, flames sparking and spreading all over the room. Dumping the body on the side of the room, Marinette gathered her belongings and climbed up to the vent in her room.
She wrinkled her nose at the smell.
◇─◇──◇─◇
Five months and twenty-six days later, Marinette had a steady job at Wayne Enterprises, which was being the entire family’s professional designer.
It suited her well, and Marinette could say she definitely enjoyed it.
That was, until she ran into an old acquaintance of hers. Specifically, someone she thought was dead.
To be exact, Jason Todd.
◇─◇──◇─◇
It was a regular day for Marinette.
Until, Mr. Wayne told her she was going to meet the entire Wayne family, suddenly deciding to get a new wardrobe from her.
Completely flabbergasted, Marinette couldn’t find it in herself to refuse, especially with the price Mr. Wayne offered.
She had just finished with Mr. Grayson’s measurements and told him to call the next person in.
That was when he walked in.
He looked a bit older (obviously) but he was just as handsome as ever, and some of the light that was absent in his eyes before, was shining now.
Marinette, who was drinking a sip of water as he walked in, choked on her drink, coughing madly.
Immediately, he launched himself towards her, rubbing her back.
“Are you okay?” he asked her, and all Marinette could register was that he even soundedthe same.
“Holy shit,” Marinette swore. “Jason? Is that you?”
His head snapped back and suddenly Marinette was staring into his familiar blue eyes.
“Marinette?” he gasped, taking a few steps back.
◇─◇──◇─◇
“How are you alive?” Marinette sputtered, unable to believe that this was theJason Todd. How did she not know this?
Completely ignoring her question, Jason asked her one of his own. “What are you doing here?”
“Answer me, first.” Marinette shot him a dangerous glare; something she had perfected in her years at the League of Assassins.
“It’s a long story,” Jason said sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck.
Marinette scoffed. “You conned me into thinking you were dead for eleven months. I have time.”
summary: he needed a way to tell marinette he was sorry. that he was sorry for not telling her about him. that he was sorry for missing their dates. that he was sorry he was the reason they broke up. that he was the reason she was dead.
5.game on | fluff, humour, damian being a simp for marinette
summary: lady noire met red hood – another not-so-welcomed vigilante like her in gotham. you would expect the two of them to hit it off, maybe work together, but it was the complete opposite. it was hate at first sight.
summary: “i dare you to go to that man there,” alya pointed at an, admittedly, handsome man, “and ask him out on a date using puns.” alya finished her dare with a smug smirk.
summary: “oh,” tim quietened down and jason relished the silence. until, well, dick apparently snatched the phone from tim and screeched, “marinette’s a ghost!”
summary: “oh,” tim quietened down and jason relished the silence. until, well, dick apparently snatched the phone from tim and screeched, “marinette’s a ghost!”
Jason walked out of the graveyard feeling a palpable sense of loss and yet…yet, he felt lighter than before.
And for the first time, since he came to Paris, he actuallylooked around. His loss hit him harder, but in some ways, it made him feel a little better too – it reminded him of Marinette.
He smiled wistfully as he remembered the times Marinette would gush about Paris and how beautiful it was. Jason could see the appeal now.
He only wished Marinette was there.
◇─◇──◇─◇
An hour later, as he walked into his hotel room, Jason saw that he had 283 missed calls from literally every single member of his family.
He had left his phone here so that he didn’t have to deal with the constant phone calls he would have definitelygotten.
Jason picked up his phone and sighed as he waited for it to start calling.
As soon as it started ringing, the phone was picked up by a hystericalTim screaming, “FINALLY! Why didn’t you pick up the goddamnphone?”
Jason huffed, his voice raspy. “Becauseidiot, I left it in the room. Now is there a reason why you’re screeching like a banshee in my ear?”
“Oh,” Tim quietened down and Jason relished the silence. Until, well, Dick apparently snatched the phone from Tim and screeched, “Marinette’s a ghost!”
Jason sat up straight. “What the hell, Dick? That’s not even funny.”
He heard Barbara’s voice in the background. “Dick, you idiot, we toldyou not to tell him like that.”
“Can someone tell me what is going o-” Jason was interrupted by Tim, who said, “Check your email – I’ve mailed you a video.”
Setting his phone aside, Jason opened his laptop and clicked on the mail. It was a video…from a camera near the graveyard.
What the hell?
“Whywere you spyingon me?” Jason asked into the phone, outraged.
He heard Damian snort. “Why, Todd? Because we were-”
“-worried about you!” Dick finished.
“I wasn’t going to say that!” Damian yelled.
“I know,” said Dick, apparently exasperated. “That’s why I interrupted you. Anyway, have you watched the video yet, Jay?”
Jason involuntarily flinched. That was what Mari used to call him.
“No, not yet,” he said, voice raspy.
He heard Tim sigh on the other side of the line. “Then watch it already!”
When Jason clicked on the video, he had to make sure he wasn’t seeing things.
It showed him walking into the graveyard with about a hundred other ghostly people watching him!
“This is not some elaborate prank it is?” Jason suddenly asked.
Dick huffed into the phone. “Do you really think we’d actually dosomething like that?”
“Point.” Jason conceded and unpaused the video.
It showed him putting the flowers and…Jason rubbed his eyes to make sure it wasn’t a figment of his imagination.
Marinetteas a ghost was watching him.
“What the actual fu-”
“Language, Jason,” said Bruce.
“Is this for real?” Jason asked, still watching the video intently.
“Yes. I’ve been looking through the JL files for something that would tell us why wecan see it and not others but I haven’t found anything yet.”
Jason sighed as he tipped his chair onto its hind legs. “All right, call me up when you do.”
For once, Jason appreciated Bruce’s ability to read situations as he said, “You’ll be the first one to know if we find anything,” he confirmed.
There was an awkward pause, and in a much gentler tone, Bruce said, “Get some sleep, Jason. Give yourself sometime to process this.” And he hung up.
And for the first time since Marinette died, Jason felt the semblance of a realsmile break out on his face.
It was nice to know Bruce cared.
◇─◇──◇─◇
The next morning, Jason felt sufficiently refreshed and watched the video Tim sent him with a clearer eye.
He noticed that if he looked closelyhe could see faint outlines of the other ghosts flickering in and out.
So. This only applies to the people who I know.
That was interesting.
As he walked down to breakfast, Jason made an effort to not let his hopes get up. The chances were slim that Marinette would be coming back to life.
For the rest of the day, he toured around Paris – mainly the places Marinette loved. A kind of tribute to her, in a way.
First, he saw the Eiffel Tower, then a small coffee shop by the Seine and finally the Louvre.
He visited her parents, too. It was awkward to say the least.
But after Jason explained his reason for being there (I want to know more about Marinette; about her childhood, everything before we met) the ice was soon broken and before he knew it, they were going through memories of Marinette’s childhood.
And as they went through every memory, Jason sawwhy Marinette loved her parents as much as she did.
Tom & Sabine Dupain-Cheng were one of the kindest people you would ever meet. Yes, Marinette’s death had caused a wound that would never truly heal but they didn’t let that affect their life to the point where they felt there was no need to live anymore.
They managed to see the light in everything and that was what Jason appreciated the most.
When he reached his hotel room that night, his laptop rung almost immediately with a call from Tim.
As soon as he clicked on acceptTim’s voice – unusually hesitant – came over. “Jason,” he said – and Jason felt an odd sense of foreboding when he heard that. As if there was news, just not good news. “We have some news about Marinette.”
Despite his utmost efforts, Jason couldn’t help it when his heart beat faster. “Yeah?” he said, hoping his voice didn’t reveal what he was feeling.
Apparently, he had succeeded because Tim’s voice was much stronger when he spoke this time. “Bruce called Zatanna for her help because she knows a lot about magic. And…”
He trailed off.
Jason waited, listening for an answer. “And?” he prompted.
“Well, uh-” Tim mumbled.
He knew it.
“She said, Dupain-Cheng is not coming back,” said Damian with his usual bluntness, only in a tone that Jason would consider gentle.
“Damian!” Jason heard Dick yelp. “You didn’t have to say it like that!”
Before Damian could respond, Jason inhaled sharply. “It’s alright, Dick. I think I was kind of expecting this.”
“You were?” Dick asked cautiously, obviously afraid Jason might go suicidal.
Not that he could blame him, Jason thought wryly. He hadn’t been the most mentally stable people over the last few months, had he?
“Yeah.”
At their silence, Jason felt the need to explain himself. “I guess, it all started when I came here to visit,” he explained, trying to say what he felt in words. “I visited Marinette’s grave and all the places she liked. Then her parents. I guess…I guess, it gave me a kind of closure. The closure that I needed.”
Jason spread his hands helplessly when no one said anything. “I can’t really explain it better than that.”
“That’s very…insightful, Jason,” He didn’t even know Bruce was there. “I think I understand what you’re saying to some extent.”
Exhaling, Jason suddenly felt drained. Maybe that took more thought than he had realized.
“I want to stay in Paris for some more time,” he said, wanting to get thatover with as soon as possible.
“Absolutely,” Dick said firmly, as if daring anyone to disagree with him. “Stay as long as you need, little brother.”
Jason didn’t even realize he was crying until he felt the tears on his face.
◇─◇──◇─◇
As he went to bed that night, Marinette’s death hit Jason harder than ever, but instead of the overwhelming loss he had expected…Jason felt hopeful.
Maybe, just maybe, he would move on. Not get over Marinette, absolutely not.
But he could follow Tom and Sabine and try to move on.
“So,you’rethe one Bugginette’s been dating?” asked Chloe Bourgeois, Marinette’s best friend.
Jason nodded hesitantly, resisting the urge to cower behind his girlfriend.
“Hmm…” Chloe – should he say Ms. Bourgeois? Jason wasn’t sure if he needed permission to call her Chloe – scrutinized him. “Mari, I’m going to need you to leave.”
Turning around, Marinette took one look at him, and that was all Jason needed to know. She was finding this situation funny. There was nothingfunny here!
Here he was, meeting her best friend for the first time (what if she didn’t like him?) and Marinette found it funny?
“Sure, Chlo,” Marinette said, giggling. “Just don’t scare Jason away, will you?”
Chloe simply huffed.
Jason didn’t dignify that with an answer – he was nervousnot scared. There was a difference.
Nevertheless, he still felt jittery when Marinette kissed him on the cheek and turned on her heel to mignle with someone else at the party.
“Right,” said Chloe, snapping him out of his panic. “I’m going to need to know what you plan to do with Mari.”
Jason blinked at her. Wasn’t the answer obvious? “I want to date her, and if she says yes, I’ll marry her too.”
He nearly yelped when Chloe shoved her face close to his and looked at him with icy eyes.
After what felt like hours(and probably washours), she finally backed away a satisfied smirk at her lips. “Okay. You passed that test. I could tell you were being honest.”
Jason finally let himself breath the air he was depriving himself of.
“But that’s not the end, you know.” Chloe said amusedly.
Ah, shit.
Jason stiffened up all over again, wondering when this ‘test’ would be over.
He felt like an experiment, and Chloe was the one experimenting on him.
Manning up, Jason cleared his throat. “So, what’s the next question?”
“He speaks for himself!” Chloe mused to herself, apparently not caring if he heard or not. “There isno ‘next question’”
Jason eyed her curiously. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
She took a step forward and jabbed a pointed finger (seriously,those nails were sharp!) into his chest. “It means if you everhurt Marinette, I’ll make you pay. And I don’t mean in the ‘beat you up’ kind of way.”
High-maintenance.Good to know.
“I’ll hire someone to murder you and make your body disappear,” What followed that were a series of ways he mightget murdered, and Jason did not care to repeat them, “And then wipe alltraces of you so that the only place you exist will be in memory,” she finished her threat with a satisfied smirk at his horrified expression.
“Are we clear?” Chloe asked as if nothing was amiss.
Jason managed a nod because what the hell? How does sheevenknowthat kind of stuff?
“Good,” she said with satisfaction. “But you areone of the better guys Marinette has had the sense to date. As much as I hate to admit it.”
At least she approved of him on some level.
Realizing she was waiting for him to speak, Jason said, “That’s…err, nice to know?” It sounded more of a question than a statement.
“Finally!” Jason jumped when he heard Marinette’s voice next his ear. “Someonewho Chloe approves of.”
Though, when she saw his expression, Marinette frowned. “Chloe? What did you do to Jason?”
Smiling sweetly, the Bourgeois heir said, “Nothing. I just told him what would happen if he hurt you.”
Marinette scoffed when she saw Chloe’s innocent expression. “That’s notnothing at all.”
“Don’t worry,” she said, turning to him. “Chloe was just exaggerating, wasn’t she?”
Grumbling, Chloe acquiesced. “Fine. But I willhurt you if you hurt her.”
“That’s perfectly fair,” Jason felt a lot lighter now that he didn’t have a death threat above him.
“Now,” Marinette beamed at them like a proud mother. “Introduce yourselves please.”
Chloe held out a hand, rolling her eyes. “Chloe Bourgeois, it was…okayto meet you.”
“Jason Todd,” replied Jason, shaking her hand.
◇─◇──◇─◇
As they walked to their apartment that night, Marinette kissed him.
“What was that for?” Jason asked, surprised.
Marinette smiled at him. “For not running away when Chloe…threatened you.”
Jason shrugged. “I understood where she was coming from.”
“Yeah, well, the others who I dated didn’t.” Marinette wrapped her arms around his waist. “It’s nice to know you won’t go running.”
“I won’t. Ever,” breathed Jason, afraid to shatter the atmosphere they had created.
“I love you,” Marinette sighed as she rested her head against his chest.
Jason dropped his head until it was in line with her ear. “I love you too.”
summary: “i dare you to go to that man there,” alya pointed at an, admittedly, handsome man, “and ask him out on a date using puns.” alya finished her dare with a smug smirk.
Marinette eyed her best friend with a healthy amount of cautiousness. Alya could be extremely…daringwhen it came to giving dares.
The two of them were playing a game of Truth or Dare in a coffee shop – she knows, notthe ideal place but they were bored.
“I dare you to go to that man there,” Alya pointed at an, admittedly, handsome man, “And ask him out on a date-”
Marinette waited for the other shoe to drop – there was literally no way Alya was going to let her get off so easy. Because, like, even if she wasn’t dared, Marinette would definitely ask him out.
“-using puns.” Alya finished her dare with a smug smirk.
Marinette groaned loudly and pointed an accusing finger at her. “I can’t believe you’re-”
She paused when she saw her dark-haired (with a shock of white) turn around – curious to see who made that noise.
“-actually going to make me do that.” Marinette continued in a significantlysofter voice.
Alya grinned at her – wickedly, she might add. “That’s the point, Mari.” She sing-songed.
Her best friend made her hands into a shooing motion. “Now go. You gotta ask someone out, girl!”
Marinette huffed and dragged herself behind the man as he waited for the person in front of him.
Pausing, she made a mental list of all the coffee-themed puns she could use and took a deep breath.
◇─◇──◇─◇
Jason turned around when he felt a light finger tap him on the shoulder.
He wasn’t exactly surprised to see the girl who groaned before behind him, grinning.
She said, “I seem to like you a latte.”
Jason’s eyebrows shot up. He was expecting somekind of flirting, but definitely not thiskind. Nevertheless, he played along, “Really? And who would you be?”
The female giggled. “Marinette,”
“Well, now, Marinette,” Jason bowed gallantly, “My name is Jason. And may I add you are brew-tiful?” He even added a wink on for a good measure.
Marinette’s eyes brightened as he set the unspoken challenge. “It seems like we’re the blend then, aren’t we?”
His response was interrupted when the bored barista at the counter said, “If you two are done flirting, could you please order? There areothers behind you, you know.”
Jason turned around, giving a half-hearted apology and placed his order. He turned to ask Marinette what she wanted. “Do you want to order anything?”
Marinette nodded and gave him her order.
Once they got their steaming cups of coffee, she grinned. “Thanks a latte, Jason.”
Jason resisted the urge to one-up her and instead asked, “Would you like to go on a date with me? A real one, this time, not as a dare.”
Marinette grinned at him sheepishly. “When did you figure that out?”
“Wasn’t that difficult, seeing as your friend isn’t quitethat quiet.” Jason stifled a laugh when her cheeks pinked a little.
“Actually, I would like that very much.” Marinette dug around for something in her purse. She scribbled something on the paper she pulled out and handed it to him. “Here’s my number. Call me up, yeah?”
Jason nodded and she grinned brightly at him. “Guess I’ll be seeing you around, hot stuff.”
He couldn’t stop the grin that spread across his face when he heard that.
Marinette was bouncing in her seat, her mother and father chuckled at her childlike reaction to the plane landing. When it was finally their turn, the Dupain-Chengs grabbed their carry-ons and exited the plane.
“Come on, Maman, Papa! Damian said they were waiting by baggage claim!” The bluenette helped her parents with their things while they made sure they had everything before eagerly leading them through the now familiar airport.
Damian and Marinette had been together for a little over three years, the young designer was now eighteen, her boyfriend a year older. The couple visited each other throughout the year for birthdays, holidays, and whenever they could- of course, Jason was more than happy to chaperone Damian’s visits to Paris, always eager to see his little sister.
The Waynes were quick when it came to accepting Marinette as one of their own, once she’d been fighting one of Hawkmoth’s akumas and apparently someone saw. The entire family ended up spending an hour watching her defeat the villain just to make sure they didn’t need to go help.
Of course, during some of her many visits Marinette got herself in the middle of more than a few prank wars. At first, she participated to get Damian and Jason to work together- wanting two of the most important boys in her life to get along but it quickly became a free for all. It was safe to say Marinette won, getting the entire family with the exception of: Alfred, Mar'i, Kor'i and Selina, stuck doing a live interview about the family dynamic with questions written by Marinette.
Marinette dragged her parents past her favorite TSA officer with an excited hello before thinking back to when she saw the Waynes family interview. Bruce thought it was the funniest way to oust her to the public, and allowed her to go through with it. Everyone saw Marinette smiling cheekily from the sidelines as they answered question after question, clearly written by her.
// Flashback, 2 years ago //
“Alright, next question: who is the best superhero?” Everyone laughed softly, darting to each other picking sides for the debate to come.
“Oh boy, not this again.” Bruce sighed, Selina patting him reassuringly, she decided to attend the interview, wanting to watch the chaos unfold in person.
“Bat girl!” The three girls exclaimed in unison, hopefully Babs was watching as Stephanie elaborated. “The original, of course. She was awesome, always doing these cool gymnastic tricks- way better than Nightwings!” The boys were quick to counter.
“No way! Robin had way better tricks, did you see the video of him doing that cool triple flip thing?!” Tim offered.
“Nope! Because Nightwing has superior acrobatic skills, I heard he was able to beat the Batman in a fight because of them- when he and the Justice league got brainwashed or something!” Bruce sighed tiredly as everyone else continued to argue, eventually it became a shouting match. Bruce whistled loudly, everyone quieting. The reporter continued.
“This next question is for all of you, except Mr. and Mrs. Wayne, who is your favorite sibling?” They all shared a smug look and answered from left to right, Dick went first. Stephanie and Tim were quick to follow, Cass responding immediately after them.
“Marinette.”
“Marinette.”
“Marinette.”
“Marinette.”
“HEY! She was my sister first! Anyways, Marinette.” Jason exclaimed proudly.
“tt, all my siblings are annoying- with the exception of Cass, the most tolerable.”
“What, brat, you don’t like Marinette?” Jason interrupted before the reporter could ask.
“tt, she is not my sister. And she isn’t any of yours, I’m the only reason she visits Gotham.” Damian huffed defensively.
“YEAH RIGHT! I’m her favorite, she visits for me not you!” Damian scoffed.
“Marinette, obviously prefers me.” Damian challenged, standing- dragging Marinette into view as she blushed furiously. She glared at her boyfriend as she was pulled from her hiding spot.
“Damian! No-”
“Yes. You should know better than to include me in their pathetic prank war.” Damian kissed Marinette firmly, she responded out of habit before he pulled away with a smirk, sitting. He sat Marinette on his lap, she blushed but didn’t move wrapping an arm behind Damian.
“I assume you’re Marinette?” The Parisian nodded timidly at the reporter’s question.
“And you’re?” The woman asked, curious as to how exactly she was related to the Waynes.
“My girlfriend.” Damian answered for her, Marinette flicked his ear.
“I used to live in Gotham, me and Jason looked out for each other but I got adopted by a nice couple in France! My parents are amazing, anyways, I was on a class trip and saw Jason, and met Damian and we started dating.”
“Despite my best efforts.” Jason huffed, a sixteen-year-old Marinette rolled her eyes.
“He’s exaggerating.” Damian scoffed at that. The reporter seemed to adapt to Marinette’s presence quickly, her teleprompter now changing questions from those Marinette sent to new ones.
“Okay, so Marinette and Damian- who said I love you first?” Marinette smirked, whispered in Damian’s ear, and answered:
“I did.” Damian blushed softly as he starred at Marinette, she said it well over a year ago to which Damian immediately reciprocated. Just to embarrass him, Marinette said ‘Me, beach, bikini.’ which always embarrassed Damian because it always worked- he’d immediately think back to the first time they went to the beach her in a bikini borrowed from Selina.
Jason snorted, and everyone else seemed amused to see Damian flustered.
“Who is more romantic?” Marinette hadn’t been expecting questions other than the ones she wrote but took the opportunity when she saw it.
“He is.” Damian glared at Marinette as his family howled in laughter.
“How?”
“OH! I KNOW I KNOW!” Stephanie raised one hand while putting a finger on her nose. “Damian always sends her flowers, and covers her in a blanket if she falls asleep, and always tries to cook for her even though she or Alfie have to save the day! But she is too! When he got sick, she always called to make sure he was resting instead of working, and sang him to sleep like a little kid! She’s an awesome singer!” Marinette seemed to get even more embarrassed as the rest of the Waynes added their own compliments. The interview was about to end but Marinette got an idea, an awfully hilarious idea, it was her emergency back up.
“Well since you all seem to agree on everything, who caught my sketch book on fire?” The family went silent, everyone looked guilty.
“It was an accident.” Bruce, shockingly, started.
“We never should have tried to cook.” Cass continued.
“But you were sick, and Alfred was out of town.” Dick tried to amend.
“The book was right next to the burner- Damian was looking at it.” Stephanie added, shifting the blame to Marinette’s boyfriend.
“Trying to see what you would make him for Christmas.” Jason seconded.
“ So he could one-up it.” Tim added, unnecessarily.
“Because of how great your gift from last year was.” Stephanie mentioned before everyone spoke together in unison.
“You really think I’d leave ideas for all of your gifts in there? PLEASE! You are all too nosy, I keep the one with all of your gifts somewhere safe.” Marinette said, smirking down at Damian who was glaring at his tattletail siblings.
// Flashback ends //
Marinette always smiled at the memory, she loved the Waynes- they had such a beautifully chaotic family dynamic.
“Slow down, Marinette! It’s not like they’ll leave without us!” Tom said, chuckling as his daughter dragged the adults towards baggage claim, only a little bit further and then Marinette would see Damian again. Last they’d seen each other was when Damian visited Paris three months ago, it had felt like an eternity to her. Marinette was pulled to a stop by Sabine, who was cold, the mother put one of her sweaters on while an impatient Marinette watched. Finally, Sabine was ready, closing her bag with a quick 'zip’.
Marinette immediately dragged her parents toward the sign she quickly spotted, Mar'i was sitting on her father’s shoulders with a large poster above her head. The sign was neon pink, with white cut out letters spelling out 'Dupain-Cheng’ in two rows. There were little doodles and hearts decorating the borders.
Damian stood next to Jason, impatiently checking his watch grumbling about how long customs takes. Tim and Stephanie were near them with Bruce, Alfred, Selina, and Kor'i. Only Bruce, Damian, and Jason had met Tom and Sabine before hand. Mar'i was excited to meet her twin’s parents, hearing about their magic desserts.
“Auntie Nettie!” the half-Tamiranian exclaimed, climbing down her father awkwardly before charging towards Marinette. The Parisian was quick to hug the girl back.
“Hello, Mini Me!” The five-year-old was quick to climb onto Marinette’s shoulders, offering her hand to Tom who was now at almost eye level. Marinette’s father took the offered hand and gave the small girl a firm handshake. The girl giggled.
“Uncle Dami! I did it, just like you taught me!”
“Good job, Mar'i!” The girl’s father praised, grabbing his daughter off the short girls shoulders and placing her on the floor. Damian was about to hug Marinette when Jason steps in front of him and greets his sister.
“Hey, Marinette! it’s good to see you again!” Marinette hugged her brother close before pulling away and turning to greet a now grumpy Damian.
“DAMI!” Marinette said cheerily, latching onto him with a tight hug. Damian hugged back feeling her in his arms again was almost as relaxing as the smell of her hair. The sharp, sweet smell of jasmine invaded his senses with a pleasant undertone of rose water.
“Hello.” She laughed as she pulled away to greet Stephanie and Cass. Damian greeted Tom and Sabine familiarly, as did Jason. Mar'i was quick to properly introduce herself to both.
“Hi! I’m Mar'i, and you’re Marinette’s parents! Tom and Sabine! Auntie Nettie talks about you guys a lot, is it true you two are soulmates like in the fairy tales?” Marinette’s parents laughed softly before starting up a conversation with the girl. Eventually, Marinette’s parents were acquainted with everyone and they made their way to the manor. Tom called their new employee, George, to make sure everything at the bakery was going well with the holiday rush.
It was December 23rd and the weather in Gotham was harsh, everyone was quick to rush into the warm manor. Tom and Sabine quietly marveled at the extravagance of it all. Marinette quickly led them to their room, promising to help them around until they got the hang of the manors maze-like layout.
“Thank you, dear, where is your room?”
“It’s just down the hall, what do you guys want to do? Diner is always at six so you have time to unpack or take a nap.”
“That sounds like a good idea, thank you, Marinette.”
“Of course, Maman! I’ll come get you at five fifty, okay?” Her parents nodded before shutting the door, Marinette made her way to Damian’s room- which so happened to also be hers.
The Parisian plopped on the bed, tired from the flight. Damian noticed her 'tired to the bone’ sigh from his seat at his desk and went to lay down next to her, hugging her from behind his lips pressed to her neck.
“I missed you.” Marinette mumbled, feeling warm and safe in Damian’s arms she struggled to stay awake. Damian stayed silent, slowly rubbing her shoulders as her worked the knots out. Marinette was now laying on her stomach, sighing as he worked. The Parisian always melted under his touch. Finals had been stressful, thankfully she didn’t have to deal with Hawkmoth anymore. Ladybug was still active, with Selina now wearing the miraculous of the cat, but she only dealt with normal crimes or the odd super villain when she was in Gotham as Ladybird.
“Father thinks we should stay in tonight, with Drake, to avoid suspicion.” Damian mumbled softly, still rubbing Marinette’s back through her warm shirt. Marinette hummed in agreement, her body only felt more tired as time went on, her eyelids drooping.
“Of course, we’ll have to entertain your parents until they go to bed but after that we have all the time in the world.” Marinette could hardly register the words but she caught his tone. He wanted to snuggle, never willing to say the word out-loud.
“Wanna snuggle?” Damian snorted.
“I believe the proper term is cuddle.” Marinette rolled her hardly open eyes, they always argued about this.
“Why can’t it be both?” Marinette softly slurred, her eyes feeling heavy as lead. Damian gave Marinette a kiss on the cheek as he cuddled close to her, keeping her warm.
“Because that would mean I’m partially wrong and that’s impossible.” The world faded to black as Damian’s warm arms pulled Marinette comfortably against him.
Damian looked down at a sleeping Marinette, her shallow even breathing soothing him, her adorable rosy cheeks now matched her pink nose. Marinette hated the cold but she always looked adorable decked out in winter gear, over dressing to the point where Damian had to coax her out of some of her layers.
Damian looked down at the beautiful, strong-willed, stubborn, terrifyingly tiny girl in his arms he only thought of one thing: he was going to marry that girl.
Selina was guiding the Dupain-Chengs and the rest of her family from the dining room to the living room. Damian and Marinette who were tasked with helping Alfred take everything to the kitchen. Suddenly, the feline woman got an adorably funny idea and led everyone on a short detour to the hallway filled with family photos and portraits.
Marinette was pushed up against a wall, Damian had one hand holding her neck and tilting the girls head up while the other snuck under the girls shirt and gripped her waist, pulling her flush against him. Damian was unyielding, ravaging Marinette’s lips as he kissed her senseless. Marinette’s hands were in his hair, softly scratching against his scalp or simply running her hands through his soft locks, her hands having a mind of the own as Damian’s lips stole all of Marinette’s attention.
Damian’s malleable lips worked against Marinette’s, somewhere far in the back of his mind Damian was thanking Alfred for insisting on his doing the dishes, this gave the couple time to escape from their observant family.
Damian let Marinette breathe as he moved from her lips to her cheek, not stopping as he eventually moved south towards her neck. Marinette was trying to focus on her uneven breathing but Damian was not one to be ignored, his hand on her hip keeping her close as he continued to greedily kiss her neck marking it as his. Marinette’s features relaxed slightly her eyes hardly opening, her thoughts foggy but seemed to have a common factor: Damian, it was either Damian’s lips as they worked the sensitive skin of her neck, or Damian’s smell of peppermint and earl gray tea, or Damian’s family staring in shock- WITH HER PARENTS AND JASON!
Marinette tensed as her eyes flew completely open, she squeaked. Damian seemed to notice the change of atmosphere and paled as he saw the murderous look in Jason and Tom Dupain’s eyes. Bruce looked so done, as if he’d seen it a million times before. Selina and Sabine shared an amused smirk, Tim and Stephanie just looked away, Dick had noticed and covered Mar'i’s eyes before leaving the room, Kor'i with them, blushing intensely- embarrassed for the Parisian, she had been in Marinette’s shoes before and did not miss it.
Damian swallowed dryly. Tom and Jason shared a look, Jason was about to grab Damian and Tom, Marinette but Sabine stopped them short.
“Tom! Leave them alone, how else am I supposed to get grandkids?” Marinette was quick to blush, trying to hide in Damian’s arms, only securing his guilt in Tom’s eyes. Jason was snapped out of Big Brother Mode™ by Tim. Sabine and Selina jokingly ushered the boys and girls out, telling them to give the young couple their privacy.
Marinette wanted to die of embarrassment but once everyone was gone Damian just picked up where he left off, taking his love’s mind off the intrusion.
The couple walked into the living room more than a few minutes later. The lights were off and a movie playing so no one payed them any mind when they silently sat in the empty loveseat. No one noticed the hickies that decorated Marinette from her jawline to her right collarbone, a feature Damian practically worshiped, or the love bites on Damian’s neck.
Marinette blushed when she saw what Damian had done as they got ready for bed, Damian shrugged before laying on their bed and opening his arms- begging for cuddles.
Jason asked to be Damian’s spar buddy for training the next morning and kicked the assassins ass- literally, but the actual spar was a tie. Tom was heard grumbling about hormonal boys for days, luckily Sabine kept him in check.
That Christmas was an interesting one, to be sure. Luckily some things stayed the same, no matter how hard Damian tried Marinette still out did him. She, as always, received jewelry Damian had been stockpiling to give her on one of the few days she couldn’t refuse and a very special pendant he’d handmade for her, after taking a jewelry making class.
Mari’ insisted the bluenette try everything on, not giving the girl time to take anything off. By the time Marinette was wearing everything she was literally dripping in jewels.
Marinette gave Damian four sweaters, each in a different size. They were for a picture of Damian with Alfred the Cat, Titus, and a very small one that Marinette said went with her other gift. It was a guinea pig Damian was quick to name Adrien, seeing as how both were small rodents, saying Adrien the hamster was far better. Marinette chastised him and Damian relented eventually naming the small animal after Circe, explaining that just like the sorceress bewitched sailors that visited her island, turning them into pigs, Marinette had enchanted him.
~~~ 6 years later ~~~
Marinette was bouncing in her seat, her mother and father chuckled at her childlike reaction to the plane landing. When it was finally their turn, the Dupain-Chengs grabbed their carry-ons and exited the plane.
Marinette quickly ushered her parents through the crowded airport, past customs and Christmas decorations as she hurried to meet up with Damian, Marinette had spent the last month in Paris helping out with the bakery when her mother had an accident and couldn’t work for a few weeks. Thankfully, Sabine recovered quickly and the Dupain-Chengs decided to visit Gotham for the holidays. Marinette hadn’t seen Damian in weeks and missed him terribly, he always complained about how empty and cold their apartment (penthouse) was without her there.
Damian checked his watch, he still had an hour before Marinette’s plane landed. The man walked to where Jason and his father were standing, looking over the nights patrol routes. He’d already received permission from his father, Kyle, and the Dupain-Chengs, all he needed now was Jason’s approval.
“Father, Todd.” Damian greeted, fidgeting with the box in his pocket. Jason eyed Damian suspiciously.
“What’d you do this time, brat?” Jason asked, a look of annoyance flashed onto Damian’s face before he controlled himself, taking a breath Damian showed him the box. Jason’s eyes widened in understanding.
“Well, brat, looks like you’re gonna beat her when it comes to presents this year. What could be better than your last name?” Damian relaxed at Jason’s reaction to the black velvet box, Damian’s father spoke up.
“You know what you’re going to say?” Damian nodded.
“Where and when you want to ask?” Damian nodded again.
“Well, then all that’s left is that you actually do it.” Damian knew his family would approve but it still felt nice to hear it.
Marinette immediately hugged Damian when she saw him, her parents patiently waiting behind them. Both Marinette and Damian heard the quiet exchange between the married couple.
“When do you think we’ll get the grandchildren?”
“I think they should talk about getting married first, Sabine.” Marinette blushed softly, they’d discussed both at length and seemed to want the same things the only discrepancy being names. Damian was dead set on naming a girl Amora, Marinette liked Emma. Marinette loved the names Hugo and Louis, Damian thought they were meaningless and simple. He favored boys names like Aaron or Alfred. Marinette joked that he was obsessed with the letter A.
It was Christmas morning, the whole family spent the night at the manor. Word of Damian’s gift spread among the ranks like wildfire, a nine-year-old Mar'i could hardly keep it to herself. After the usual Christmas breakfast everyone crowded around the tree, giving each other gifts. Marinette and Damian had yet to give each other their presents, Marinette went first.
“TADA!” Every year, Marinette hand knits sweaters for Damian and all of his pets, so they could take a cute picture. As time went on, Marinette went from cute to ugly Christmas sweaters. Damian smiled as he rolled his eyes, this year’s had intricate reindeer patterns. She always surprised him, and he knew she had a secret place to make his gifts because Damian knew every nook and cranny of their apartment and searched it regularly for hints as to what his gift was.
Marinette’s other gift for him was, as always, amazing and would have easily topped almost anything Damian got her- but this time he’d win.
“Marinette, you are light of my life, the reason I wake up in the morning. You are such a beautiful and determined woman, and the care you put into everything you do is part of what makes you the most terrifyingly amazing person I have ever met. Your heart is filled with such genuine kindness, compassion, and empathy that the world does not deserve you and neither do I, but I’d like to spend the rest of my life working to be worthy of your love. 'If love is a labor, I shall slave away to the end.’ Would you allow me the honor of becoming your husband?” Marinette stared at Damian, his right knee on the ground with his left foot firmly on the ground as he opened the velvety black box.
There were two rings in the box, one was a simple silver band, something that wouldn’t get in the way as she worked, running successful brand like hers was a lot of work. The other was a gorgeous sterling silver ring with a beautifully cut diamond in the center, it was clearly vintage. Marinette felt tears of joy sting her eyes as she tried to get her body to move, finally Marinette was able to speak her voice thick with emotion as she hugged Damian.
“Yes!” Damian couldn’t believe the words that left his girlfriend- no, fiancee’s lips. He was engaged to Marinette, the love of his life. Damian was spurred into action, hugging Marinette back before pushing her away so he could put the rings on her finger, the first was a simple band, the other his grandmothers. At first, Damian had purchased a new ring for Marinette but Selina and Damian’s father gave him is grandmother’s engagement ring and it was perfect. Just like Marinette.
Marinette kissed Damian, the feeling of her left hand on his neck, the cool rings against his neck seemed to ground him. Damian never had to worry again, Marinette would always be with him.
Jason smiled as he saw the pure joy in his little sister’s eyes, he had been wrong. Damian wouldn’t be the reason Marinette’s eyes would look broken, he’d be the reason they swelled with love, with contentment. There was no trace of the broken Marinette from all those years ago, she finally became the person Jason was determined to see her grow-up to be.
Marinette was in the kitchen, preparing herself some hot chocolate. After the drama at Wayne tower, Jason insisted she stay with his family. Her older brother seemed to loathe the class with a passion, refusing to let her near them. Marinette’s parents were hesitant at first, not trusting some random Gotham boy to take care of their daughter but eventually they were persuaded. Where she would be staying was definitely a factor, where could be safer?
“I don’t see how you could stand to drink such sugary poison.” Damian stated making her jump, he was right behind her. He reached past Marinette and to the cupboard she was in front of. He grabbed a teacup before pulling his arm back, his eyes never straying from her own.
“Well then… what do you suggest I drink?” Marinette’s hot chocolate sat on the counter behind her, forgotten, as she turned and faced Damian. The Parisian crossed her arms defiantly, Damian looked down at her like she was a cute puppy.
“Tea has been known to calm frayed nerves, perhaps I could prepare you some?”
“W-why would I need to calm down? I feel perfectly fine!” Marinette declared, refusing to give in. Her stubbornness seemed to amuse Damian, he reached out and just barely brushed her cheek with the back of his hand.
“Well, you’ve been blushing since you noticed I was here, for one. Now, would you like some tea? How do you take it?”
“I don’t usually have tea. I tried making myself some a few times but always thought it tasted like bitter water.”
“You haven’t had my tea yet.” Damian challenged, “You wouldn’t be scared to try something I made, would you?” Marinette was coherent enough to see what he was doing, even if his imposing and, frankly, distracting physique was only a hair’s breadth away.
“Only if you have my hot chocolate. Or are you scared of the ‘sugary poison’?” Marinette offered, Damian leaned his head down just a fraction of an inch closer to Marinette before catching himself pulling away. He retreated back a few feet before turning to the sink.
“Alright then, it’s a deal. I’ll try the wretched holiday drink if you have my tea.” Damian spoke with his back to her as he filled a kettle with water.
“Deal.” Marinette agreed before heading to refrigerator, she’s get him to admit her hot chocolate was good. No one called her favorite drink 'wretched’ and got away with it.
“Deal.” Damian reaffirmed.
By the time the drinks were done Marinette was thirsty, she would have had her own hot chocolate but Damian demanded she leave it, claiming it would cloud her pallet. She rolled her eyes at that but by the time she finally got past Damian’s joking defense the drink was cold.
Marinette sipped from her cup first, Damian watched, both amused and attentive as she took a sip of the tea.
He laughed at her wrinkled nose, just for a moment- one could hardly call it a chuckle, before adding the cream.
“Try it now.” Marinette looked at Damian hesitantly before taking another sip, this time he noticed her relax as a small smile graced her lips. Damian smirked at his little victory.
“Alright, your turn Monsieur.” Damian rolled his eyes as Marinette watched him lift the mug. He felt she looked over excited for something so silly but found it strangely endearing.
The warm, smooth liquid made it’s way past his lips and while it was a little too sweet for his liking, it was still good and he told her so.
“Fine, it was adequate.” Marinette rolled her eyes before taking a taunting step toward him.
“Yeah right! That was some of my best work, you don’t get to get away with calling it 'adequate’” Damian scoffed, taking a more intimidating step towards the short girl, one upping her in their little game of chicken.
“Then what do you suggest I call something I found too sweet but bearable?”
“Good! You call it good, it’s important to be polite, Damian!” Marinette took another step forward forgetting how close they already were, refusing to back down. Damian had to look further down than usual to meet Marinette’s passionately determined eyes.
He took his opportunity, using his right hand to tilt her chin upwards, smiling slightly, only slightly. They were so close, he could feel the warmth of her body from where he stood. Damian was about to speak when they saw someone walk into the kitchen, it was Jason.
The teenagers separated themselves quickly but it was too late, the damage was already done. The taller boy immediately scooped Marinette up and slung her over his shoulder. Jason was glaring daggers at a smug Damian before waking out of the room with Marinette. Damian waved goodbye to a blushing Parisian, she followed her old brothers lead and glared at the annoyingly smug boy.
The rest of Marinette’s stay was an amusing balance between getting to know the Wayne’s, spending time with Jason, and sneaking off with an unrepentant Damian.
Whenever Jason was around they kept their distance but were caught more than enough times.
“And you eat this?” Damian asked, bewildered at how anyone could consume something so unhealthy.
“Yes. It isn’t that bad if you have it every once in a while. Sometimes the calories are worth it! Worth the satisfaction of indulgence.” Damian scoffed from his seat on the counter opposite to Marinette, who was baking chocolate chip cookies.
“Why don’t you help me? That way they’re done sooner.” Marinette offered, not realizing how disastrous the question was.
“I think it would be best if I didn’t. Things tend to go wrong when me or my siblings attempt to do anything in the kitchen.” Marinette giggled, she thought Damian was great. He was a good listener, funny, smart, and on top of that he was drop-dead-gorgeous. Marinette knew he wasn’t just being friendly, no, he’d made his intentions perfectly clear when they first met but she didn’t want to become a problem. Jason seemed to hate the idea, so she did her best to keep it friendly- unfortunately, Damian was persistent.
“It’s just rolling the dough into balls, it’s not even real cooking!” Marinette countered and Damian relented, getting up and watching her roll the dough before following suit.
At first, everything went suspiciously well. Damian did a good job rolling the dough and there was a period of comfortable silence, the problem with that was that it was too comfortable. Marinette began to hum, softly at first before it got a little louder. Damian didn’t comment but eventually Marinette realized what she had done and blushed, her hands going to her head- accidentally getting flour on Damian’s (NOT distracting) tight black turtleneck.
Marinette apologized repeatedly but noticed Damian was trying to smother his laughter.
“What? What is it?” The Parisian demanded, her accent thickening as she got more and more worried about what he was laughing at. As it turned out, the in her state of embarrassment she had not only dirtied Damian but also herself. She had cookie dough smeared across both cheeks. She blushed a deep red, making the cookie dough even more visible.
Eventually, Marinette moved past her embarrassment and spoke to a working Damian as he loaded the cookies in the oven.
“Oh Damian~” The boy turned, his eyes still amused.
“Ye-” Damian was cut off by a cloud of flour, she’d thrown the powdery substance at him as he turned. While blinded by the thick cloud of white Marinette was able to get close enough to get some cookie dough on his forehead.
“Oh it is on, little one, and I don’t loose.” They spent the next ten minutes throwing flour, extra dough, and water at each other, in a world of their own.
Reality didn’t come crashing down on the teens until they saw the flash of a camera.
It was Tim and Stephanie.
Marinette blushed as she tried to dust the flour off herself, embarrassed that she’d made such a mess in someone else’s home. Damian seemed to be torn between being amused at Marinette’s embarrassment and trying to salvage what was left of his reputation.
“Jason’s gonna lose it.”
“Todd doesn’t need to know.”
“What’s in it for us?” Stephanie countered, using her hand to lower Tim’s hand as he tried to call Jason.
“Cookies?” Just as Marinette spoke the timer went off and she went to take the treats out of the oven. The warm chocolate-y smell filled the room as both Steph and Tim began to drool.
“Todd doesn’t need to know?”
“Jason doesn’t need to know.” Tim seconded as Marinette fanned the cookies. When they were cool she handed them all the cookies on a plate. All but one that she negotiated for Damian to try.
Dick, Tim, Steph, Selina, even Bruce found it hilarious, they understood why Jason hated it, but they also saw that she brought out the best in Damian. It pissed Jason off, Marinette was off limits. Damian was frustrated because had Jason not been so annoying he’d have asked her out already, but watching the second robin get so riled up also made the chase that much more fun (not that Damian would even consider perusing her without her explicit encouragement).
Damian was taking Titus out for a walk on the grounds when he heard a familiar hum, he followed the high, sweet tune to the rose gardens where a small Parisian sat, sketching.
Marinette sat on a small bench for two, her hair in loose waves. She wore a black skirt that ended just above her knees and a deep red halter top with matching red flats. She looked stunning, surrounded by the vibrant rose bushes. He studied her for a moment more before making his presence known.
“What are you drawing?” Damian asked as he approached the girl. Marinette wasn’t as jumpy as when they first met, getting used to his sudden appearances.
“A new design, a dress.” Everyone knew she wanted to be a designer but no one knew she was MDC yet. Marinette convinced herself that was because it hadn’t come up yet but in reality she was embarrassed. She’d heard Tim say they were his favorite designer and that if he ever met them he’d either fall in love (Stephanie slapped him across the head at that) or pass out.
Marinette didn’t look up until Damian’s shadow blocked the light. Marinette decided to tease him and ignore the boy in favor of his dog.
“Hello again, Titus! What a good boy, so cute!” She poured all her attention onto the animal who took it in stride. Damian didn’t like being ignored but humored her, petting Titus.
“You like to design.” It wasn’t a question, Damian remembered what Grayson told him about conversation. He tried to find a relevant topic that would allow him to compliment her.
“May I see your sketch?” Damian asked, still paying attention to Titus. Marinette blushed as she quickly shut her sketchbook.
“Uh… hehe- maybe another day.” Her logo was on the corner of each page and Marinette didn’t want to risk it. Damian thought she looked adorable, blushing deeply, but he also thought it was uncalled for- he hadn’t begun his teasing yet. This caught his attention and curiosity, he had to see the book.
“What? Why are you blushing?” Damian teased but he saw she was getting uncomfortable, he had done it in good fun but he saw he’d overstepped.
“Apologies- I’m sorry if I crossed a line I was just teasing, you don’t have to show me- I didn’t mean it.” Damian was at a loss, he didn’t think before he spoke and ended up stringing together apology after apology. Marinette giggled.
“It’s okay, you don’t have to blush!” Damian hadn’t even noticed how hot his face was, this only embarrassed him further.
“Oh~ Do you need some tea? To calm the nerves?” Marinette teased, earning a half-assed glare from Damian, who was still trying to fight his blush. Finally, he got it under control. Despite the sidetrack Damian persisted, trying to start up another conversation just like Grayson told him to. He sat next to Marinette on the bench.
“The gardens are beautiful this time of year, are they not?” Damian offered. Marinette hummed in agreement, studying her surroundings before her eyes met Damian’s.
“Breathtaking.” Damian complimented, making Marinette blush heavily. Damian glanced at her full, pale rose lips, unconsciously licking his own. The Parisian seemed to notice and she tilted her head upward slightly, only slightly, with her eyes half-closed.
Damian summoned his courage and leaned in closer, they both closed their eyes. Just as they were about to close the gap, his hand was about to hold her check. Damian swore he felt her soft lips barely brush his when they heard Jason yell.
“AH! Get off her! NOPE NOPE NOPE!” Jason was a few meters away but both teens obeyed, embarrassed. Jason grabbed Marinette’s hand and quickly, but carefully, pulled his little sister away from Damian. “From now on, you two aren’t allowed in the same room anymore. Except diner. Keep away from Nettie, Demon Brat.”
Damian saw Jason’s face, this wasn’t just because he thought it was weird to see Damian try to date someone he saw as family- no, it was something else entirely. It was because he saw Marinette as too good, too pure for Damian.
Jason didn’t want Marinette to be dragged into the mess that was Damian’s life.
Jason didn’t want Marinette to suffer because Damian didn’t know how to deal with his emotions.
Jason didn’t want Marinette to be hurt by Damian, he didn’t want to see someone he loved hurt. It wasn’t just because it was Damian, it was because he didn’t want to see Marinette’s heart get broken.
Damian, shockingly, backed off- hardly even acknowledging the girl on the few occasions they crossed paths. He wasn’t outwardly rude like he was with his siblings but Marinette seemed to catch on. At first she was a little dejected but was adamant about keeping positive.
Jason spent as much time as possible with his little sister, making sure to watch movies, tour the city, and just hang out all the time. He also made sure that she got to know the rest of the family, except Damian. And the fourth robin let it happen, he kept to himself and let her spend time with everyone else.
And then family night reared it’s ugly head.
Marinette was sitting with Alfred the Cat and Cass on the sofa, Jason on a chair near Marinette, waiting for everyone else to arrive for the movie.
The Parisian beamed when she met Kor'i and Mar'i, quickly bonding with both. Marinette was quickly dubbed Auntie Nettie by an Auntie Steph and Uncle Timmy. Dick was about to play the first movie when Kor'i spoke up.
“Where is the little D?”
“Yeah! Where’s Uncle Dami?” A four year old Mar'i asked from her father’s lap. Jason scoffed, he was about to speak when someone walked in.
“Has anyone seen Alfred the Cat?” Damian asked, before he saw Jason and Marinette. Damian was about to say never mind- noticing Alfred purring in Marinette’s arms, but Mar'i beat him to it.
“Uncle Dami!” The half Tamaranian announced, jumping from the couch and flying into her uncle’s arms. Marinette was quick to catch onto the families nightly activities and let them catch her talking to Tikki. Jason clearly wasn’t happy, neither was Damian, but on the bright side they didn’t have any secrets. Kor'i and Mar'i were briefly discussed but Marinette didn’t pry.
“It’s been forever, like a whole week! You have to come watch the movie with us, it’s family night! You can sit next to Marinette! Isn’t she pretty? And nice?” Mar'i chattered and waited for Damian to respond.
“Yes, she is very nice.” Damian spoke as carried his niece to her father who gave him an encouraging smile before Damian sat between Marinette and Cass. Mar'i spoke up just before Dick could play the movie.
“And pretty! Right Uncle Dami? Isn’t she really pretty? Like momma!” Kor'i gave her daughter a quick kiss on the cheek, distracting the girl from Damian and Marinette’s panic- and Jason’s low growl.
Dick played the movie and gently shushed his daughter, stopping her from asking Damian again. Telling her she did a good job and would get extra popcorn.
The movie was some children’s story that Damian couldn’t seem to pay attention to, all he could seem to think about was the Parisian next to him- cuddling Alfred the Cat with her knees practically tucked to her chest, her back to him.
Damian took notice of Marinette’s drooping shoulders and yawns as the movie progressed, but he hadn’t expected for her to suddenly turn and cuddle onto his side, grabbing his arm as she and Alfred slept. Jason clearly didn’t like it but Marinette was immovable, sleeping peacefully against a tense Damian. The boy did everything in his power to not sink into the warm sofa and nap alongside her, exhausted. He fought his tired eyes as best he could but it was a losing battle.
Eventually the movie faded away, his head rested upon something soft.
Jason wanted to be mad, he wanted to move Marinette so she rested against him- she always used to as a little girl but he saw she was clinging to Damian, whether it was intentional or not. Jason knew Damian hadn’t done anything to give Marinette reason to cuddle him, finally understanding that Jason just didn’t want to see Marinette hurt. Unfortunately, neither could do anything about it.
Jason also knew he couldn’t blame Damian for passing out, knowing as well as anyone that finals and patrol were a bad mix but that didn’t mean he didn’t want to slap him for passing out and unconsciously cuddling with Marinette.
Alfred the cat eventually woke from his nap and moved from his warm spot between the two teenagers and left the room to do only God knows what. The sudden lack of warmth seemed to stir both Marinette and Damian. The Parisian whined softly as she nuzzled closer to Damian, her legs ended up across his lap as they snuggled closer. Jason clenched his fists and jaw before bringing his attention back to the movie, trying to think of what to do.
By the time the movie ended, Jason was at a loss- at some point Cass left the room so Damian and Marinette were literally lying on each other, limbs entangled as they slept, blissfully unaware of their compromising position. Everyone softly laughed and took pictures of Damian sleeping and Marinette lying carefully on top of him, his arms wrapped around her with her head tucked under his chin. Their their legs tangled.
“Jay, I’m sorry but they’re so cute together. And they really seem to like each other, I know it’s weird for you but let them be.” Dick tried, he’d been rooting for them since Damian started to ask about how to start a conversation, lines you don’t cross, how to tell if a subject is off limits. The first robin prayed to whatever god was out there that his brother would finally see that their dating wouldn’t be the end of the world.
“I know.” Jason noticed Damian back off when he realized why Jason didn’t want them to date, it wasn’t just because Damian was an ass, if something ever happened to Damian- Marinette would be a mess and he couldn’t stand to see the broken look in her eyes ever again. Jason knew it was a shitty reason, she’d probably be a mess no matter what, but he couldn’t help it. He just wanted to protect Marinette. Jason finally knew what to do, but until then he’d let them sleep.
Jason walked out of the room, annoyed- the brat won. Damn their stubbornness. Hopefully it would make Damian more bearable…
Damian woke up with the sun, but for once wanted to stay in bed. He was warm, and a calming, steady breathing tried to lull him back to sleep- wait. Why would he feel someone else’s breathing?
Damian’s eyes snapped open and scanned the room, he was lying in the living room with a blanket on him and- 'No. No. No. Of all the times to pass out, of all the people-’
Damian’s mind went into overdrive trying to remember how he’d gone from sitting with Marinette leaning on him to falling asleep with her. He knew he was dead, but suddenly his mind focused on the even sound of her breathing, she was still sleeping- dead to the world. There was no reason to wake her, so Damian closed his eyes, pulled Marinette closer, and allowed himself to go back to sleep. Enjoying his last moments in the land of the living.
Something made a noise, Damian opened his eyes again. This time Marinette awoke with him, propping herself up on his chest and rubbing her eyes with a tired yawn.
“Good morning.” Marinette froze at the sound of Damian’s deep, rough, sleep-filled voice as she took in a messy haired, tired Damian. She blushed, hard, morning Damian was officially her favorite Damian.
“D-Damian- w-what happe- did I- I’m so sorry!” Marinette sat up, not thinking about what she was doing. She continued to apologize while Damian panicked, if Jason walked in right now- he’d die for the second time. Breaking the family record, sure, but that certainly wouldn’t be worth it. Well… No, not worth it- unless someone brought him back again… No, no, Todd would likely make it painful. Definitely not worth it.
“Marinette-”
“No, this is totally my fault! I’m so sorry. I really didn’t mean to fall asleep on you, you were probably really uncomfortable with me leaning on you like that!”
“Marinette really it’s alri-”
“No, Damian! It’s not alright, I- Jay probably got really mad at you, I’ll- I’ll talk to him make sure he knows it wasn’t your fault.”
“Marinette?” The Parisian seemed to be done with her ranting and was staring at Damian again, she for some reason, hadn’t noticed earlier but Damian wasn’t wearing a shirt. In Marinette’s sleepy state she just stared unabashedly. Damian’s voice seemed to get her attention.
“Perhaps you shouldn’t sit like that…” Damian refused to call it what it was. Had he wanted to be more accurate, and he didn’t, he would have asked her to stop straddling him.
Marinette froze, blushed, and then started whining in embarrassment. Her head in her hands. Damian was having a difficult time holding back his own blush but was managing alright.
“Marinette?” Damian asked, she peaked out from between her hands and realized she had yet to get off him, finally he sat up on his own and gently pushed her off him. They sat next to each other, Damian refused to look at Marinette in her beautifully flustered state.
Jason walked in with his arms crossed, he leaned against the door-frame.
“Awake are we?” He asked, not expecting an answer, he didn’t get one.
“Well, Demon Spawn, let’s just say your reputation is effectively ruined. Steph and Selina got more than enough pictures to get even you to blush.” The two teenagers refused to look at Jason, he pinched the bridge of his nose, letting his annoyance surface.
“I can’t even-” Damian waited for the inevitable outburst, for once. “ I can’t believe I’m fucking doing this- You two were cute or whatever but word of the wise, brat- hurt her and I’ll kill you. Got it?” Both teenagers heads snapped up, Marinette blushed. Damian nodded a mischievous sparkle in his eyes.
'FINALLY’ Was the only thing Damian thought in that moment before he began to plan how to ask her out. He needs to speak to Grayson again, unfortunately.
And with that, their banter and teases began again. This time there was no bribery to keep Damian’s siblings quiet and no Jason to stop their kisses. The young couple went on dates, watched movies, laughed at the put off look Damian’s family would have when he said something awkwardly funny. Of course, Jason was still insistent on sibling bonding, stealing Marinette as often as possible- that became their new game: who could get Marinette for the day.
Of course, there were some close calls. Jason had walked in on Damian and Marinette kissing… for an extended period of time… he stood frozen and watched in horror as they made out on a chair in Damian’s room, Marinette’s hands in Damian’s hair with his hands at her hips, keeping her pressed against him as her legs bracketed his hips.
Damian noticed Jason first, immediately pushing away and inwardly cursing. Marinette blushed furiously and had to stop Jason from killing Damian but her messy hair and slightly swollen lips didn’t help.
Of course, everyone else thought it was hilarious.
As they say, all good things must come to an end. After three weeks of freedom from her class, their trip finally came to an end and so did Marinette’s reunion. By the end of her stay Marinette knew why she’d be okay, from now on she had a family four times as big as before. The Parisian couldn’t be happier: she reunited with her brother and has an adoring boyfriend. All she had to do now was survive the last few weeks of the school year before transferring to Mme Mandeleiev’s class.
I’m gonna be okay, Marinette thought that to herself as they made their way to the airport. Damian didn’t want her to leave, no one did, he held Marinette’s hand while she spoke to Jason who promised to visit often.
Everyone hugged her goodbye or said so from a respectful distance before she passed through security and rejoined her class.Both Damian and Jason glared at the class in warning, they still seemed to be reeling from the discovery that the Italian was a liar. People called out to the girl, shouting apologies. Marinette just walked past as if she couldn’t hear a thing.
And then she was gone. Damian and Jason pouted, they already missed her, luckily summer was right around the corner. They’d get her to visit soon, or if they had to they’d go to Paris.
After all, family is supposed to stick together. And despite their attempts at denying it, they were clingy.
Jason was annoyed, he didn’t understand why he had to babysit a bunch of annoying teenagers. Bruce tried to make the excuse of keeping them safe while Joker was on the loose, but that didn’t mean the head of security of an international company should be following some stupid tourists.
On top of that, his little sister’s birthday was coming up. It was hardly a week away but Jason was already feeling the guilt, she would have turned fifteen this year. Jason remembered how a six-year-old Marinette would go on and on about when she became a teenager.
// Flashback, 12 years ago //
“Jay-Jay!” A small half-Asian girl with midnight hair exclaimed, her bright blue eyes shining with excitement as her hands shot up, asking to be held.
“Alright, alright, jeez I just got back, pixie! And you’re getting to old for this!” A fourteen-year-old Jason picked up the far too light girl, balancing her on his hip as he fished the granola bar out of his back pocket. “Are you hungry?” Marinette shook her head ‘no’, pushing the food towards him.
“I ate yesterday, it’s your turn.” Marinette pouted but took the food anyways.
“Wanna share?” She offered, Jason shook his head. He insisted she eat, and eventually she did.
“Now, I have to go back.” Marinette frowned, “I just came to bring your food. I’ll be back soon, see you tomorrow.” Jason gave his little honorary sister a hug before tucking her into bed, using both her blanket and his.
“When I’m big, like you, I’m gonna make you stay!” Jason chuckled softly before tucking her in again, on the inside he was proud. She was so smart, she’d grow-up to become an amazing person, Jason just had to make sure she lived long enough to do it.
// Flashback ends //
Jason never saw Marinette again, that was the night Batman found him and took him in. His life had changed so much since that night, if only he hadn’t been so stupid and told Bruce about Marinette, Jason was convinced he would have taken her in too. But now it was too late, apparently she’d been adopted by some couple in Europe but the case was sealed and without telling Tim or Bruce he’d never get his hands on them.
The second robin was pulled out of his thoughts when Dick approached him, strangely not at work.
“What?” Dick seemed to get more and more excited as he walked with Jason.
“Where are you going, Jay?” Jason glared at his brother, shoving him off.
“I have to go babysit some french class that Bruce invited.”
“Hey, you never know- it could be fun!” Jason just rolled his eyes at his older brother’s golden retriever-like mentality. They turned a corner and boarded the elevator.
“What are you even doing here, aren’t you supposed to be working?”
“I got the afternoon off.”
“Great, wanna take my place?” Dick looked at his watch before responding.
“No, trust me, you’re the better person for the job.” Jason was confused by that, but the elevator doors opened and a quick glance at his own watch told Jason he was late.
“Whatever.” Jason huffed as he walked to the lobby, but Dick just followed him as he messed with his phone. Odd.
Marinette was excited, her class had been selected by Wayne Enterprises for a class trip! She was so happy that she’d get to see Gotham again. No one knew that Marinette had grown up in the states and been adopted by the Dupain’s, not that anyone cared. The class was quick to fall into Lila Rossi’s trap, it hurt Marinette to see her friends leave her but she’d be okay. She had Tiki and her parents.
She might not have Jason, but she’d be okay. She had to be, Ladybug couldn’t be emotional compromised.
Lila suddenly pulled Marinette from her revere when she gasped,
“Oh my goodness, you won’t tell anyone right? Bruce always hates when people find out, our family is really serious about privacy… but you won’t say anything right?” The class was quick to give their assurances before Lila continued to spin her web of lies. She was prattling about some rich boyfriend of hers and how she’s practically family.
Instead of listening to the mindless Italian, Marinette decided to take in the modern lobby. The walls were a sharp white that went well with the dark marble floors. There was a sleek receptionists desk with four busy-looking employee’s. Everyone was dressed in business-wear so the french class stood out like a sore thumb. The room had tall ceilings with an understated, modern chandelier and rounded sofas. The seating was scattered throughout the large lobby.
Their tour guide was a nice blond man named Mark, he that said they were going to begin as soon as a security guard assigned to escort them arrived. Marinette was waiting near Mark and Mme. Bustier, keeping her distance from Lila’s coffee and her class’ harsh glares.
“Later,Dick.” An almost familiar voice called, it was gruffer and deeper than it used to be but Marinette instantly recognized it.
“Jay-Jay?” Marinette called out, softly, disbelievingly, it wasn’t the first time she’d thought she heard the voice but the bluenette couldn’t help but hope. He caught it and their eyes met. Marinette could feel her eyes fill with unshed tears as she took Jason in, he was much taller with dark hair and an odd white tuft on the front. His face had matured since she’d last seen him, he now had sharp features and a strong jawline, his eyes were unmistakable. He was dressed in a suit but on top of his shirt was a bullet proof vest, sure she couldn’t remember much but his voice had always calmed her and the thought of the skinny fourteen year old smirking would always make her smile, it was almost instinctual.
“Pixie pop?” He sounded like he couldn’t believe his eyes, behind the shock was relief- and grief. Marinette slowly walked towards Jason, stopping right in front of him.
Jason couldn’t believe it. After all these years they finally found each other again. Regret and disappointment washed over him in waves. Her eyes looked broken. He never should have left her, he should have found her sooner, he should have told Bruce, he should have done something- anything.
“Marine-?” Jason tried to speak but was cut off, Marinette had slapped him. Hard. The harsh noise of her hand hitting his skin got everyone to stop in their tracks, even the eternally busy receptionists. His cheek stung, she was stronger than she looked. He didn’t stop her.
“Idiot.” Before Jason even knew what was happening Marinette was hugging him, jumping to reach her arms around his neck.
He did his best to shove back his self loathing for another time, right now he had to focus on Marinette.
“I’m so sorry, I’m so so sorry.” Jason just kept apologizing as he hugged her back, a stray tear seared his cheek. Marinette cut him off with a flick to his ear- he used to do that when she was bratty.
“Where did you go? Why did you leave me? I was alone. And you promised!” Marinette spoke, pushing through the tears, through the emotion- all Jason could do was dip his head in shame. He always promised they’d stay together, no matter what.
“A lot of stuff happened, Pixie. Let’s get out of here- yeah?” Marinette nodded before hugging Jason again, this time around the waist.
“I missed you, you big idiot. You’re the worst brother ever, you owe me a lot of candy.” Jason relaxed at the word brother, even if he had years to make up for it was better than losing his little sister for good.
“See! I told you he was looking into it for a reason, pay up!” Dick exclaimed, that got Jason’s attention. Dick and the rest of his siblings saw his glare and quieted. Damian wasn’t even paying attention, he was on his phone. Tim saw the glare but still payed Dick, grumbling as he did so.
“Go be idiots somewhere else.”
“No way! She said brother! That makes us her brothers too!” Marinette jumped at the conclusion, Jason growled. He glared again, but the tiny person clinging to Jason took the edge off.
“Dick Grayson.” The original Robin introduced himself politely, “Nice to meet you.” She greeted the boy politely, wiping her tears away with her left while she shook his hand with her right.
“Tim Drake.” The most exhausted of the group introduced, he was about to do something to the youngest- whose head was still buried in his phone- but was interrupted.
“Of course the slut has an american sugar daddy!” Lila loudly announced laughing, the rest of the class joined in- some more hesitantly than others. Jason noticed Marinette try to make herself smaller, hugging him tighter- this wasn’t anything new to her.
Jason glared, the boys eyed him- worried about the genuinely deadly look in his eye.
“What did you call her?” Jason asked in perfect french, the children flinched. Mme Bustier stood between the students and Jason, looking nervous but determined.
“Please don’t intimidate my students.” The woman tried to sound firm but failed miserably.
“Then maybe you should stop your students from bullying their classmate, or did you not hear the brunette insult another student?!” Caline didn’t know whether or not to answer but decided to stay quiet.
“Any of you brats insult my little sister again and you won’t wanna know what happens.” Jason quietly threatened, meaning every word.
“Little sister?” Alya exclaimed, “Please! Marinette is an only child, if you’re going to lie at least be convincing! You don’t know her at all, the lying bully is just trying to steal the spotlight again!” Jason was pissed and took a threatening step towards the girl, but deep down he knew she was right, he didn’t know Marinette. But the one thing he did know was that he was her brother, and no one messed with his family.
For once, Jason’s brothers were quiet. Dick and Tim were waiting to see how Jason would handle everything, waiting to see if they needed to intervene. Damian was on his laptop, not giving anyone a second glance. It seemed to Jason he had been paying attention because Damian assumed he’d be in the lobby long enough the take out his computer.
The entire exchange from the moment the insult was given to now had taken no longer than a minute but Marinette was still clinging to Jason until he tried to walk towards Alya again, she had whispered something to Lila that made her laugh and when Jason tried to move forward Marinette released him and grabbed his suit coat, trying to pull him back. Sure the pulls were weak but she meant it.
“You’ll just make it worse, Jay.” He huffed, there was no way in hell he was going to let Marinette anywhere near the moronic class ever again.
“Fine, let’s call security and get them out of here.”
“Hey you can’t do that, we were invited by Bruce Wayne himself.” Jason continued as if the bespectacled brunette hadn’t spoken.
“Oh wait! I am security! Get out.”
“Jason-”
“B! Great, you can tell them to leave! I’m outta-here!”
“You’re not going anywhere, Jason, and the class is scheduled for a tour. Tim, call Lucius. Ask him to cover for us and get someone whoisn’t the head of security to escort the tour. Never touch my email again.” Tim sheepishly agreed, dialing Lucius’ number.
Bruce then turned to the French class as they stared in awe, Caline blushed softly.
“You must be Mme Bustier?” She nodded, “I’m Bruce Wayne, my apologies for the delay, the tour will be starting shortly. If it’s alright with you, may Mademoiselle Dupain-Cheng be excused from the tour?” Bruce spoke in pristine French, the teacher could only nod in response to the older man’s rehearsed smile.
“Mr. Wayne! Can I get a quote for an article?” Alya asked without thinking.
“What’s your article about?” Bruce asked, curious.
“Uh-” Alya blushed before trying to disappear into the crowd, he politely ignored her outburst.
“It was a pleasure meeting all of you, but if you’d excuse me I have other things to attend to-”
“Wait! Aren’t you going to greet Lila?” The billionaire looked confused for a moment before he noticed one girl looking particularly distressed.
“I’m sorry to say I don’t know anyone by that name, now if you’ll excuse me-”
“What do you mean? Lila Rossi, your honorary niece! She practically lived with you when her mother worked at the embassy here in Gotham! Your youngest son, Damian’s childhood friend! Her boyfriend!” The boy on his laptop snorted at Rose’s statement.
“I am not in a relationship with anyone, and I have no childhood friends.” Damian shut his laptop as he ran a hand through his hair making a good portion of the class blush, Marinette couldn’t help but think 'He’s too good looking for his own good’. His dark hair and tan skin highlighted his jade eyes, a business suit adding to her professional demeanor. His shorter, swoopy hair was mesmerizing… and his arms were thick and seemed strong, the veins on his hand clearly visible as it moved through his silky locks. Jason seemed to catch onto her train of thought and hastily covered her eyes.
“No.” Marinette giggled, coming back to reality when the boy was shielded from view. He was as protective as ever. She remembered how he’d get when the other kids used to get close to Marinette, being a little girl meant pity cash from adults and was a solid partner on the streets of Gotham. Marinette moved his hand to watch the long awaited fall of Liar Rossi.
“What do you mean?” Nino exclaimed.
“If that wasn’t true, what else did you lie about?” Kim exclaimed, Alix seconded.
“Nothing, I swear.” The brunette pleaded, desperately trying to convince the class.
“Does this mean you don’t know those music producers you promised I’d get to meet?” Nino demanded, the class began to circle around Lila, all asking about promises she’d made
“And the acting internship?” Milene asked.
“Do you even know Ladybug?”
“Or Jagged Stone?”
“Was anything you said true?” The class continued to ask her questions, Lila looked shaken as her not-so-carefully crafted web of lies fell apart.
“Was what you said about Marinette true?”
“Did she even bully you?”
“I knew she wouldn’t say such horrible things!”
“Yeah, Marinette never would have hurt anyone! I can’t believe we fell for your lies!” Everyone began to yell at Lila, blaming her for all the awful things they did to her. Jason could hardly stand it, pulling Marinette into another hug- she had been dealing with morons.
“Class! Now is not the time, we have a tour. Unless you want the trip to end early I suggest you quiet down!” Mme Bustier was ignored. Mike whistled, loudly.
“Alright! It’s time for the tour, so quiet down!” The tour guide quickly took a head count and led the class away, an artificial smile in place. Everyone was either glaring at the Lila girl or looking at Marinette as they walked away.
“Sorry about them, they can get pretty loud.” Marinette tried to play the whole thing off, they let her.
“Bruce Wayne.”
“Marinette Dupain-Cheng, it’s an honor to meet you sir. Thank you for the trip!” Bruce gave his three younger sons a look, Damian was back on his laptop but was quick to defend himself.
“I, for one, had no part in this, father. They bet on why Jason looked into some girl’s adoption file.”
“And you knew?” Damian stopped typing and looked up.
“Maybe… but you can’t prove anything.” Tim smirked before he remembered what he was going to do before any of the drama came up.
“Damian! Introduce yourself!” The boy who looked to be a little older than Marinette rolled his eyes with a sigh but approached the girl nonetheless, glaring at Tim before looking at Marinette for the first time. His scowl morphed into something else as he studied her.
Marinette noticed his examining her and blushed, but looked back at him just as interested.
“… Damian Wayne.”
“Marinette.” They shook hands, neither taking their eyes off each other. Jason looked between the two teenagers, first at Damian then to his little sister before going back to Damian and then back to Marinette before it stopped on Damian’s- Jason.exe stopped working before it went into overdrive.
As if on instinct, Jason put a hand on each of their shoulders pushing them apart. Their longer-then-normal hand shake ended as they eyes snapped to Jason.
“Don’t even think about it. No way in hell, brat, keep your slimy paws off my sister.” Marinette blushed heavily, averting her eyes in embarrassment.
Dick and Tim howled in laughter when they heard Damian’s response, Bruce smirked.
Jason: (laying on his front at the sofa, growling to the pillows)
Mari (just walked in): What’s up with him?
Tim (eyes never leaving his laptop): I don’t know. He’s been like that since he came back last night.
Mari: (approaches Jason and starts poking him)
Mari: So how are we feeling on the murder scale? Rank from 1 to 10 with 10 the highest.
Jason: 11
Mari (hums then starts dragging him up): Let’s go then.
Jason: (comes with no protest)
Tim (looks up, alarmed): Wait, hold on a second. Where are you guys going?
Mari: Exercise.
Jason: Murder spree.
Tim (brings out phone, ready to call B): Mari…
Mari (eye-rolls): Oh, please. It’s nothing to worry about. His usual is 14. Eleven is actually pretty tame.
Tim: That does not make me feel better at all. Where are you taking him?
Mari (claps excitedly): Why Paris, of course!
Mari (hands on hips): Look, I represent creation, not destruction. That’s Adrien’s expertise. So if J’s feeling explosive, then I say we let him own it. Take it from someone who fought a stupid moth. Suppressing feelings isn’t healthy.
Mari (links arms with Jason and leads the way out): Come now. After that, we’re going to see the pyramids! I’m feeling like cataclysming a pyramid today. What do you say?
Belated birthday for Leo (this kinda grew unexpectedly)
Jason X Marinette
Warnings: Pit Madness, Ninja deaths, revenge plots, hints (probably more than hints) of torture (on bad guys), more deaths (with revivals), gruesomeness (compared to what I normally write), blood, minor swearing, violence.
Jason was never sure what to make of the Priestess that was training with him. Part of him hate her. With her green rimmed eyes which morphed into green based teal that held the same anger and hate as what he saw reflecting in the mirror at the League’s compound but her mastery of its surges seemed to come easier, flaring his more. But then maybe he didn’t, when he had sanity breaks, as she had obviously gone through trauma too.
She was the opposite side of the coin to him. The more she mellowed the more he burned. The more he mastered the more she simmered until an eruption occurred.
Talia seemed content with their oscillation and gave hints her father was thrilled with the development of her ‘little experiment’. Whatever the experiment was she seemed to have avoided punishment from her father for going behind his back.
The priestess today was being particularly vicious. Utilising her rope dart with her Bo, she danced around the ninjas being sent to their slaughter.
Her hauntingly glowing green eyes gave her a look like a cat playing with its prey at twilight. It allowed him a moment to admire her ruthlessness before joining the frey of eliminating the current surge of ninja victims. The rush of his game falling like a house of cards had his world surging in green.
Jason sat in his room, assessing his latest set of injuries from today’s training sessions with the fleeting sanity that he currently held on to, when he heard a subtle unexpected knocking at his door. Narrowing his eyes, Jason concentrated at not seeing green at having *his* time interrupted. Ensuring his daggars were close at hand and he was armed with a katana he cautiously opened the door. Jason blinked in complete surprise, his sanity wavering as his hands twitched when he encountered the priestess there. Glaring down the corridor for spies and those loyal to Talia, he found none. The feral feline grin on her face with the red splattered dotted on her arms told him all. Those who had followed her, no longer were, as most likely were now dead.
Jason roughly grabbed the priestess in hissing at her in agitation.
“What.are.you.doing.here?”
She cocked her head at him as she read him. Her eyes currently still held blue with the sickly green rim matching his more blue teal ones. Both their grievances with the world were held at bay, more or less currently.
“Had an idea. I wondered if you are interested.”
He folded his arms and frowned at her. Jason could feel the green quickly flaring. He raised his eyebrow at her. Her response was the green band growing in her own eyes.
“Revenge. It made me feel better and at managing these… stronger feelings.”
“Re–venge? And how’d ya propose I do that. Bats and Joker are in Gotham?”
Her smile, if dangerous before, gained sharper and even more sinister edges as she toyed with a daggar at her waist.
“That won’t be a problem. Are you interested?”
Jason would be lying if he said he wasn’t. That was what this training was for. Talia had whispered about Bruce moving on and it hurt. Whispers that *his murderer* STILL roaming around scot free. He wanted revenge but what the Priestess was offering was not what he was expecting.
“What’s the catch?”
“It’s not permanent… at the moment.”
The Priestess sighed when Jason gave her an unimpressed look. Folding her arms to match his. She may not be as muscular as he but she held hidden strength in her tall lithe frame littered with scars like his own.
“It can be when we’ve escaped Mistresses grasp but for now… she isn’t aware that I can do this. I… something is telling me not to trust her… but I want the man who killed me to hurt. Painfully. And I found a way to do this without her knowing as it doesn’t last.”
She licked her lips as she tried to contain the wild energy she was emanating.
“It makes the green more manageable knowing I can hurt Gabriel nightly. If… if you want to test out your ideas with the Joker… before deciding on one - I’d be happy to help.”
Jasonette who meet on Tumblr and Jason uses Tumblr Blaze to sponsor the Bee Movie script post and Marinette the one who sees it on her dash and just copies the whole thing into Jason’s askbox
Marinette woke with a pounding headache and a hazy memory of the night before. She was almost positive the attack on her was just because she was walking alone and not because she held the miraculous. There was no way to be absolutely positive, but she was fairly certain it was her paranoia speaking and not reality. But then again, she still didn’t remember most of the fight. Everything had gone black mid-fight.
She blinked and looked around her bedroom. She wracked her brain trying to remember how she got home and into her bed. Her hands flew to her clothes, and she breathed out a sigh of relief to find all her clothes still in place. She stared at the ceiling for a few minutes letting her headache subside before braving the cold floor to get something to drink from the kitchen.
She padded out to the kitchen with soft steps. Jostling her head as little as possible seemed like the wisest move currently. She would just stay in her bed, but she really needed some pain killers and a gallon of water. She had just started the coffee maker when a loud sound stopped her in her tracks. Her eyes widened as her heart started pounding. The good thing about an open concept living area was she could scan the entire kitchen, dining room, and living room without moving. The bad thing about an open concept living area was there was no place to hide.
She searched the room for the source of the noise. It didn’t sound like the regular kwami noise, and for that matter, she hadn’t seen them flying around since she woke up. Normally, they wouldn’t hesitate, which definitely indicated something was going on. The kwami were many things, but discrete and quiet were not among them.
The noise sounded again, drawing her attention to the couch, which since it was faced away from her, produced one of the few blind spots in the area. It sounded suspiciously like a snore, but for the life of her she couldn’t imagine who it would be.
She edged closer to it cautiously. She wanted to be prone to run away if needed but her body was not responding appropriately, so the best she could do was angle her body toward the exit. She peeked over the back of the couch and screeched at the sight of a very large man sleeping there, one arm thrown over his eyes and one leg hanging off the side of the couch.
She slapped her hands over her mouth and backed away in fear. It seemed she wasn’t the only one though, the man bolted up, his head whipped around the room looking for the source of the fear before his eyes settled on her. He groaned and collapsed back onto the couch. “Jesus, Pixie Pop. You just about gave me a heart attack.”
There are Bio Dad! Stephen Strange, Bio Dad! Bruce Wayne, Bio! Dad John Constantine, Adopted by the Kents, Bio Dad & Mom! Joker and Harley, and many more.
Okay…. So I’m looking for a story. I don’t know if it’s brucinette or not but marinette got reincarnated into talia’s body? And she’ll be living her normal life but Bruce would be suspicious and and would keep tabs on her and she’ll get angry and would just go off on him for being racist among other things. Does anyone know about this and its name/author?
It once flowed through the land like the wind, grew like the grass underfoot and traversed multiple mountain ranges.
Before it became barren, this land was lush and full of life. And here lived a multitude of magical creatures that lived in harmony with humans.
This ancient land was called Mirac.
Then the Empire attacked
Fire and bombs destroyed the earth, trees were cut down to build Noble castles, and the magical creatures were enslaved.
Thus birthed the Empire’s most powerful weapon; the Genie.
Born of a Dinji and Fairy, Genies were able to be commanded and their powers harnessed against their will.
Wishes.
They granted wishes, three of them.
And so Genies became the most powerful beings in existence, dressed in golden shackles, they were mocked by their kin for being traitors and by humans for being pets.
Soon enough, magic disappeared; taking the magical creatures with it. All that was left were the Genies, trapped in their lamps and necklace chains.
But after a civil war that separated the country into states, the Genies were lost as well.
Whether the magic reclaimed them or they were buried alive in their gilded prisons, we’ll probably never know…
Black hooves thundered against the golden earth, sand flying in clouds behind them. They say that the desert sand is poor man’s gold. They say that the ancient magic seeped into the infertile soil and could be seen in the violent thrashing waves of desert storms. Who were they? Probably some lunatic on wild cave mushrooms who looks to the sky for answers. He’d never know the answer and stopped looking for it years ago.
But somehow he’d ended up looking for another question that most likely won’t have an answer.
They stopped in front of an oasis; its water was bluer than the blazing sky. He jumped down from the leather saddle and patted the brown horse’s behind. Taking off his red headscarf he crouched down by the water’s edge, scooping water onto the back of his neck and face. He sighed, his head tilted up to the sky, droplets of sweat and water littered his forehead; a palm leaf’s shadow covered his eyes from the blistering sun. Staying in his crouched position he grabbed a pot out of his saddle bag and filled the pot with the lake water whilst Ace, his horse drank.
Jason knew better than to drink water from a stationary source, it had been drilled into him from a young age. The water bubbled away as he sat scowering his map and compass. The treasure he sought should be nearby, if it was real in the first place.
After their short rest, they continued their journey; the midday sun raged over their heads. It was nearing sunset when they reached their destination.
The massive expanse of sand retreated, leaving only patches in the stone and hardened clay ground. Splintering leafless trees were a monotone grey, a welcome break from the burnt oranges and sandy beiges. Their branches broken, along with their spines from a previous quake or storm. Ace’s hooves clacked on the stone, loose rocks skidded, some even falling down the drought cracks.
The tree’s corpses were uprooted by the land’s divide. The canyon was small in length but still split the entire valley in two. One could theorise that the lack of sand on this platoon could be due to the canyon being a drain of sorts. Maybe if one were to jump, they’d land softly below. Jason could see one man who thought this, his rotting body was speared by three stone stalagmites; but bugs and birds would have feasted on him long before he died.
Tying Ace to the sturdiest stump in the tree graveyard, he tied his excess rope around his middle with a bowline and began his descent; he wanted to be out before darkness descended upon them. Ace neighed his disapproval but his owner continued into the crack’s depths.
Jagged roots that had split stone in search for water scratched at him, pulling at his clothes like beggars pleading for sustenance. His palms were wrapped in rags but his fingers remained free and articulate enough to have a sturdy grasp on the sheer cliff-face. He managed to lower himself enough to reach a small shelf in the sediment layers.
He shuffled along, the shadow of the unexposed canyon fell upon him. Surely this was a fools quest. Jason knew that, but some crazy old bat had beat it into him to “Always complete the mission, unless you’re dead or dying.”
There was a crevasse where the two sides joined, could it even be considered a cave? Jason scoffed, ‘someone needs to check their prescription.’
He pressed his back against the other rock wall and hooked his right leg in the hole. Swinging his head through the crevasse; if he thought it was dark before, it was even darker now.
He felt around his pant pocket for his sun stones. They wrangled in sizes from a fingernail to the palm of a hand. The stone glowed warmly, it showed that this crevasse was a cave, bigger than what the naked eye could see from outside.
He saw no markings, no cave drawings, no pedestals, no treasure; nothing that made it seem that an ancient secret was stored here. He sighed and jumped down from his ledge, ‘just complete the mission’ he repeated in his head. He walked to the end of the cavern, clearing every nook and cranny.
Nothing, nada, zilch.
He spun around on the heel of his boot, whistling. He was so gonna rub this in Damian’s face.
But a red glint caught his eye. Curses reverberated around the room. Damn Damian was going to be so smug.
The glint came from a fallen boulder that was directly under the ledge he sat upon before. He looked between the gap, yup, it looked lamp shape. He pulled the small boulder towards him and it rolled a fraction before he resorted to wiggling it until he could fit his arm through and grasp the metal.
When he pulled it out he was shocked. It was completely unscathed; well except for a few scratches. His gaze turned to the rock, he felt along the side that should’ve crushed the lamp. The lamp had left an imprint in the stone.
His fingers trailed down the smooth body of the lamp. It was made of a red metal, maybe some sort of copper alloy? It had some black smudges or were there scratches? His thumb rubbed along that to see if he could rid this artifact of this imperfection.
Light erupted from the lamp and floated out of his hand. The cavern was filled with a rose gold glow. He covered his eyes with one arm and went for his sword with the other. A tendril of pink light knocked the blade from his hand and pushed him back. The breath was knocked out of him and he had no energy to move. He could only sit, slouched against the wall, watching the light grow bigger.
A black silhouette appeared in the middle of the light. Arms stretched up high, he heard joints popping. When the light dissipated it revealed a lady, or maybe she was an adolescent? Her face was youthful and eyes were a vibrant blue. She wore a red halter top with white translucent off the shoulder butterfly sleeves.
His vision swam and he felt something touch his shoulder. “Hey, are you ok?” Her voice is muffled in his ears. He could barely make out her face through his blurry vision before he blacked out.
He couldn’t tell what time it was. His sun stone was on the floor next to him, dimmer than before but still lit up the room. His head felt light and his body warm, not things he usually felt when camping out in the desert. He looked down to find himself wrapped in a cotton blanket and there was a silk pillow behind his head. Both were embroidered with flowers and bugs.
“Are you awake?”
He went for his sword, not there. He went for his knife, not there. He glared at the person in front of him, who had dropped a linen bag full of his weapons on the floor.
“I’m not going to hurt you.” She crouched down in front of him, showing him her bare palms. “But holy kwami, how many knives does one deed?”
His eyes narrowed, glaring at her. “Who are you,” he gruffly questioned.
“I am your genie, Master.” She smiled at him but he saw it was forced.
“Why are you calling me Master?” That word felt rotten and vile, it made him want to vomit.
She tilted her head in confusion, her smile melting off her face. Her lips parted as she tried to form a coherent explanation. “You rubbed the lamp right?” Jason nodded, “I am the genie of that lamp, and you are my Master.” Her last word was strained, her voice cracking.
“Cut the Master crap.” She looked taken aback, her blue eyes stared widely at him. He flicked his chin up at her, “What’s your name.”
“Marinette.”
They sat in silence, both observing each other.
“You’re different from what I expected.”
“It’s a mix o’ disbelief and annoyance.” He ran a hand down his face. Damian was gonna be so goddamn smug.
“May I ask your name and why you’re here?”
“Jason. I’m the Commander of Nanda Parbat’s Army. My mission was to follow up on the rumours of an ancient genie and investigate if it was real.”
“Well!” Marinette hollowly chuckled, “You found me. Did the rumours tell you of the rules?” He raised his eyebrow but said nothing. “The first thing you need to know is my magic is able to create and I can’t directly destroy things. One, I will not revive the dead, it’s a horrible thing to witness. Two, love spells are a no, I cannot control humans. And three, never wish to become a genie.”
He whistled in response to which she gave him a quizzical look, her hair falling on her face. He stood up and reached a hand out to her to help her up, she flinched before accepting. He peaked out of the cave entrance and it was daybreak, “Let’s get out of here.”
“Oh wait!” She hurriedly picked up her lamp and hooked it on the waistband of her loose black and red pants. She grasped his hand and he pulled her up to the ledge.
Curiosity got the better of him. “What’s that made o’ anyways?” Nodding at the lamp. Each side had three black smudged dots.
She looked down at the lamp and tilted it up. In the sun he could see not only it wasn’t anywhere near the orangey bronze colour of copper, it was a glittering garnet red that looked to swirl in the light.
“It’s made of Miraculium,” she coughed, clearing her throat. “It has magical properties.”
He pulled her close to him, his dark eyes looking down at her. “Yea’ I noticed that afta the lamp dented the boulder.” He says with a hint of disbelief.
He loosened the rope around his waist and guided her to hold onto his back, he fastened a harness around both of them. “Jump up on my back.” Marinette hooked her arms around his neck, which was a feat in itself since he was over a head taller than her. She swung her legs around his middle, anchoring her legs so he could move without holding her.
She leaned over his shoulder and looked at him, “You know…” Her words trailed off, “I could teleport us out of here.”
He began shuffling them along the canyon’s shelf, “Can you do that without me usin’ a wish?”
“Um no?”
“Then forget it.”
Soon enough they were back riding across the desert with the blazing sun hovering above them. He further explained his role within the Viceroy’s Palace and the importance that her true identity is kept hidden.
“It seems like you humans haven’t changed much.”
Although he said no words, Jason wholeheartedly agreed.
Whispers erupted as they rode through the street.
“Who is that with Commander Todd?”
“Ooo maybe he arrested someone.”
“I’d like him to arrest me!”
“Nima! Shush! He’ll hear you! He hears everything! That’s how he became such a great Commander.”
Mari leaned closer to the man in front of her, “Are you hearing this?” She whispered, rolling her eyes. She was glad that he had acquired a hooded coat for her, she could only imagine the bachelor Commander returning with a mysterious woman on his horse.
Well as fate would have it when they reached the palace, Jason jumped off the horse first and held her waist to help her down. Annnnnnd that’s when her hood fell down.
Onlookers watched as the Commander’s passenger was revealed. Dark blue hair spilled out of the coat, she smiled nervously at the man below her before he helped her feet to settle on the ground. Her pale face smiled up at him and everyone in the surrounding area held their breath.
Jason Todd, known as the youngest ever Commander of Nanda Parbat. He was also known as a ticking time-bomb. With his explosive temper no one knew what would set him off next. Last time it was a street woman smiling up at him whilst grabbing at his arm.
Seeing everyones’ eyes on them, Marinette hooked her arms through Jason’s and pressed her body against him. He looked at her quizzically. Standing on her tiptoes he whispered in his ear, “You wanted me to hide my identity right? So play along~”
They walked down the paved pathway, palm trees and people lined up in rows to watch them. They winded through the many hallways, no tapestries and paintings decorated the walls. They reached a room that looked fancier than the others. Jason pushed open the door and escorted her in.
“My room.” He rumbled, his voice sounding tired after a long day of travelling and adventuring.
His room was minimalistic but not as bare as the halls. Shelves with trinkets, walls hung with red and grey tapestries decorated the room. It had a pair of giant windows with a balcony that overlooked the garden and a dark wood desk, piled with paper in the corner. His large bed had a mahogany bookshelf embedded into the wall next to it.
She released his arm and walked towards the books and ran her hand along some of the spines. She smiled, “You like to read?” She asked rhetorically, not bothering to turn around. His collection was from multiple countries, empires and languages; Greek, Roman, English and more.
“They’re good for burnin’.” Marinette scoffed at his reply, turning to face him with her arms crossed and pouting. She had never acted like this around one of her masters. Maybe it had been so long she had forgotten her discipline? Screw it she’d enjoy this until she got punished, he hasn’t reprimanded her once, she was living the dream.
“I’ve gotta go report back to Their Majesties about my mission, I’ll be back soon.” He looked back at her before the door closed, “Stay put. I’ll send a maid to run you a bath and give you something else to wear.”
An auburn haired maid came minutes after and introduced herself as Lian. She guided Marinette into Jason’s private bathroom where a steaming tub sat in wait. Lian then excused herself while Mari undressed before reappearing to wash the Genie’s hair.
“I’ve never had someone wash my hair before.” Marinette mumbled to the quiet room, the only noise was water droplets falling from her soaked hair.
“Not even your mother?” Lian questioned and that brought a smile to Marinette’s face. Imagining her Dinji mother, who was the form of a red beetle the size of a baby hippo, trying to wash her hair.
“No,” She chuckled. “My mother was never able to.”
“Apologies!” The young maid bowed her head, cheeks flushing from embarrassment.
“No need, Ms Lian.”
The girl’s black eyes widened as she stuttered, “No need to address me formally Madam Marinette! I am just a maid.”
The bluenette spun around, leaning her forearms on the tub’s side. She looked up at Lian with dazzling blue eyes, “Even maids deserve respect and simple pleasures.”
“Patrol of the Western border was clean. No recent riots in towns and the epidemic seems to be under control.”
“Good work Todd.” Prince Damian smirked down at him. He sat on his gilded throne, the Viceroy’s throne that was next to his, sat empty. The fifteen year old prince had been given reign over revising the courtesan’s reports. “Did you find it, Todd?”
“No,” he paused. Why had he lied, there was no one else with them. He cleared his throat before turning to leave, he looked back at the prince who was now frowning. Jason grinned, Demonspawn couldn’t be smug if he didn’t know. “I found something better.”
He returned to his room to find Marinette already fast asleep… But she was on the floor, curled into a fetal position to keep warm against the cold desert night. He had lived here for years and still got whiplash from the weather’s moodiness, he couldn’t imagine what it’s like for someone who had been here for less than a day.
His muscles screamed for reprieve, he was on the verge of collapse. He ignored his body and reached down to pick up the small genie.
She was too light. Made of paper bones and porcelain skin; fragile but he knew she could be deadly if held wrong, or if she was held in the wrong hands.
He tucked her into bed. What was he going to do with her? He’s harbouring a Magical Creature. He could use her for her wishes then hand her over to the Demon Prince, but then Damian would know that he lied. He could easily beat up that kid but what would happen to the civilians of Nanda Parbat? They wouldn’t survive uninjured from Damian’s fury.
He grabbed another pillow from his bed along with the doona and made himself comfortable on the floor. He looked up at the bed, yes, she can stay for the night.
A few months later…
“Bringin’ yer woman to battle, Jay? ‘re ya that needy for a lay?” The ginger haired guard cackled with a few other guys. They rode on their horses off to the right and have been quiet up until now.
“She is needed on the frontier, Roy.” Marinette felt Jason’s voice reverberate from his chest as she held onto him from behind.
“Yeah! By you!”
They reached the army camp by dusk and set up their battalion’s tents. Jason finally returned to the camp he had lived in for the previous two years before he was called back to the capital to sooth civilian riots. Now he was back in the South with reinforcements, this war will turn in Nanda Parbat’s favour.
They looked over the map that had figurines of the enemy and allied soldier’s positions. There was a significant presence of enemy forces in a small mountain range, most likely looking to have a geographical advantage.
They discussed between each other points Jason could bring up to the battalion leaders during tomorrow’s meeting. Their yawns kept interrupting them and they both silently agreed this could wait until tomorrow, or was it already today? They were too tired to care.
After more than a month of arguing who should take the bed, both stated the other should. Marinette would try to sleep on the floor but always awoke back in bed. Her argument that he should get the bed became even stronger when she discovered he was a potential heir to Nanda Parbat’s throne. Finally she convinced him that they could share the bed. They didn’t even consider having separate rooms as that would look suspicious for the couple who were ‘joined at the hip’.
When morning came they both were horrified by the state of the camp that they didn’t see due to the darkness of their arrival. Many soldiers were injured and didn’t go to treat them as the medic was already overrun by other soldiers with critical conditions.
Burns, bruises, cuts, stabs, fractures, infections, concussions, amputations. Soldiers writhing in agony in an alley of tents away from their Captains so that they didn’t have to be in the deadly silence of the medic tent. The single frazzled medic ran from bed to bed, only providing bandages and alcohol for pain and disinfectant.
Grass green eyes looked up and through their frizzy red hair. They shot up, stepping over bodies with a wide smile to greet her visitors. She stuck out her hand, “Dr. Pamela Lillian Isley.”
Jason shook her hand, looking around the room. “What’s happening here? It wasn’t like this when I left.”
“Oh,” Pamela looked around the room, her wide teeth bared smile was a constant. “The former doctor was neglecting his duties so I had to step up. I have applied multiple times for an assistant or a better care kit but so far I’ve gotten no response.” She said through gritted teeth. “I’m sorry, were you injured anywhere? As you can see I’m swamped.”
It became clear that the doctor thought this was some inspection or audit of her skills and the effort she put into her job. Marinette waved her hands in front of herself, “No, no. We’re ok, we were just checking in on all the support departments.” She grabs Jason’s arm, “We’ll make sure your requests are heard.”
She dragged Jason outside. “Marinette—” she spun around, he nodded towards his arm, she sputtered and let go. “I think I know my first wish.”
She looked up at him with big eyes, it had been months of her pestering him every few days about a wish. “Yes?” She leaned forward in wait for his words.
“I think it would be good to heal all the soldiers in the camp.”
Marinette’s eye twitched, ‘Be calm, be calm Mari. this is what genies have to put up with.’
“Maaaaybeeee instead of that,” she pressed her palms together. “You could wish for better medicinal practices in Nanda Parbat? And then you could—”
She slammed a hand over her mouth. She had gotten too comfortable, last time she made a suggestion to a Master, they didn’t take it well.
‘You’re just a beast’s daughter! What ideas could you give me?’ She shivered at the memory. She avoided his gaze and flinched at his touch. He moved her hand that was covering her mouth, he bent down and his greyish-blue eyes met hers.
“Continue.”
She breathed deeply and sighed. “If you wish for better medical practices it will help more people in the long run. Yes, if you heal all the soldiers, what are you going to do when they get hurt again? After medicinal practices have been improved we can hire new doctors to help Dr Isley. This is war, Commander, I think you know it’s better to take the longer but more safe route.”
He clicked his tongue. It reminded her of Prince Damian, they were more like brothers than they cared to admit to anyone.
“Good.” She shook herself out of her thoughts of brotherhood and raised her eyebrow.
“Wait—” She shook her head. “—Was that a test?”
For the first time since she met him, he gave her a wide smile showing his teeth. He laughed, “What do you think?”
She was dumbfounded.
“Marinette,” he whispered. “I wish for Nanda Parbat’s medicinal practices to improve.”
‘Genie! I wish for more crates filled with gold!’
She smiled, “As you wish.” Her eyes flashed a neon blue and a gust of wind exploded from her. It didn’t knock Jason over but he was startled by it, but as he looked around no one else seemed to be affected by it. His gaze turned back to the genie, the neon dimming from her eyes.
That was the first time he truly felt magic. It wasn’t like a desert storm that pounded the earth, it was a refreshing gust of wind.
Before he could poster the subject more, the girl in front of him collapsed. “Marinette!” The girl didn’t show any form of response to his cry. “Mari!”
When she awoke it was dark. The moonlight made the white tarp walls glow. It was a beautiful sight in the silence that was this night. Too warm. She pulled the tunic she wore over her head, panting. She must’ve become rusty from not using her magic for over a century.
“Marinette go!” Her father cried pulling at his chains, her mother clicked her agreement.
“No! I won’t leave you here! She pulled at their chains, her maman had less due to her being in beetle form but they still would budge. Chains made out of miraculium. Magic vs magic. They were betrayed by something created for them to harness for peace.
Her father grabbed her lamp in his hands. “Three dot’s Mari! Your mother says they mean life, you’ve got to live but not like this!” He shouted over the approaching soldiers’ footsteps. He rubbed the lamp, her blue eyes that she inherited from him glowed as he became the new owner of her lamp. “I wish for you and the lamp to be hidden—“ the door to the pen was broken and she couldn’t hear the rest of his wish. “—I command you!”
She could not disobey a direct command. Her eyes glowed blue as her hands raised, she screams internally for the wish to stop. Tears rushed down her face as pink light surrounded her and the lamp. She chokingly sobbed out her goodbyes to her parents but was gone before she could hear their cries of their love for her.
She pulled the blankets up to her chest, she felt the cold on her bare back. Her parents had saved her from the cycle of masters they witnessed other genies go through. She can’t even go back for them now; she’s still bound to Jason and they’ve surely been reclaimed by the magic by now.
The tent flap moved and Jason appeared carrying a tray of food and water. He rushed to her side asking if she was ok. She shooed him away, stating that she was just a bit out of practice and would be fine next time. He helped her drink as her limbs still tingled with numbness.
He told her what she had missed in the days that she remained unconscious. The wish had taken immediate effect and they hired two more doctors to help Dr Isley; Dr. Harleen Quinzel and a nurse by the name of Dinah Lance.
She swallowed wrong at hearing this; she swiftly turned away from him and began coughing her lungs out. He patted her back and she soon settled down. He traced a finger down her spine and she shivered at his touch. He looked down at her bare skin; black, grey and silver lines shimmered on her back. He had heard of and seen many tribal tattoos but these looked similar to insect wings.
“My wings.” She broke the silence.
“Tell me about them.” She turned back around and shifted so he could join her on the mattress.
“Well…” She looked off to the side. “I am the result of a joke amongst our human captors. If there is a god they’ll have to beg for my forgiveness after what they’ve done. My father was the largest fairy and my mother, who was a dinji. She was a red beetle dinji, about the size of a giant tortoise.” She gestured the size with her weak arms. She turned back to look at her companion. “Please don’t ask the specifics of how I came to be from that union. Although they are my parents, I do not even want to think about it.”
He chuckled, the light fell on his face and she stared at him. When had he changed from the gruff guy from the cave with seventeen knives (yes she counted).
“All genies have some sort of imprint from their parents. Mine is the image of their wings.” She took a breath. “It gives me hope that one day I’ll be free.”
The next morning they were riding out again. Their reinforcement battalion were swapping with a battalion that’s been stationed on the frontier. Jason and their leader shook hands and discussed details. An arrow soared through the air and landed, embedded deep into the dirt road.
“Take cover!” Jason commanded and the soldiers fled into the trees. The south was still arid and sandy but had more tropical storms and oasis that eventually became a forest. Now the southern state of the empire wanted this land to become more prosperous.
A barrage of around landed right where they stood moments ago. Some arrows were flaming and caught the surrounding plants on fire. Both allied and enemy battalions charged. It was a slaughter with no clear winner. The enemy soldiers, who wore yellow were numerous while Nanda Parbet, who wore black, were more highly skilled.
“Fire!” Men on both sides shouted whether they meant shooting weapons or the growing blaze was unclear in this chaos. Marinette stayed out of the way and under a tree. Jason had given her a poisoned dagger to defend herself. And although she couldn’t use her magic on herself she wasn’t completely defenceless.
As the battle just got more out of hand it became clear that they were losing. “Jason,” Marinette cried as she joined in on the battle defending his flank. “What do you want to do?”
“Is it too soon to make another wish?” He blocked an oncoming sword and flicked the weapon out of the yellow guard’s hand. Jason raised his left arm and fired off his crossbow, impaling the guy’s heart.
“Go for it!”
“I wish for anythin’ that will help us.”
“Are you sure you want to make a blank wish?” She spat, slashing her knife down someone’s face and grabbing three arrows out of the air. “Are you sure you can live with the consequences?”
“I trust your judgement!” He yelled, fighting in a three vs one.
“As you wish!” Her eyes glowed and she dropped her dagger, making her way over to where most of the enemy troops were gathered. “Jason!” He squinted at her, blood from a cut on his forehead running into his eye. “Call a retreat now!”
He blew his horn and the allied troops began to back away from the fight and return the horses and caravans. Pink light gathered around her and the forest exploded into an inferno. Screams and the stench of melting flesh filled the air. Bodies began to drop to the forest’s floor, both allied and enemy, mainly enemy.
They reconvened back at camp and the three medics rushed out to assess the damage. Barely over half the troop they had at that position survived the attack and were still standing, more were knocked down and being treated.
“Commander!” Two men rushed up carrying a man on a stretcher, “Roy’s hurt!”
Panic pierced his heart as he saw one of his oldest friends and comrades lying there defenceless.
Dr Quinzel examined the ginger. Burns covered his left arm, parts had even become black and burnt from the heat. The blonde looked up at them grimly, “We’ll have to amputate if we want any hope of his survival.”
He solemnly nodded and turned his eyes away. “Do what you must.”
He stayed by Roy’s bedside for days; Marinette had to force him to sleep. Meetings with the leaders continued with an empty chair to Jason’s right. Some good that came from this was many other enemy battalions were retreating as their larges squadron was decimated by the blast.
One day, what everyone was waiting for with held breaths ever since Marinette was seen by his side happened. He blew up.
“Why didn’t you tell me this could happen?” He bellowed, they were in a clearing outside of camp but some soldier bathing in a nearby creek could overhear them.
“I warned you that there would be consequences!”
Their yelling continued until Dinah, the camp’s nurse, came and broke them up. She scolded them saying it was no one’s fault and it could’ve happened to anyone.
Those words didn’t apply here, the feuding couple thought. One had made the wish and the other had granted it. Marinette gasped and her eyes glowed, Jason and Dinah paused.
And Marinette was gone in a flash of pink light.
“At first I wondered.” Talia’s voice cut through the large expanse of the room. “Why would a girl from the desert have access to an ancient weapon and not use it? But when my sources told me you were the genie I was intrigued.”
“My first wish is to revive my father!”
“I already told you I cannot revive people from the dead.” Marinette yelled back, stem rising from her ears as she tugged on her chains.
“I wish for you to revive my father, I command you!”
“Not now Damian!” Jason rushed past his brother, who had greeted him at the palace steps. He had rode Ace here in under four hour, which was probably a world record for that distance but there was no time for games.
“I’m not dumb Todd! You did find the genie.”
Jason stumbled looking down at the Prince. “…How do you know that?”
“How do you think?” Jason’s eyes widened and his rushed pace became a full sprint, he changed directions from his room to the grand hall. Damian still kept up but seemed to have no intention to stop him. “You found her, loved her and now lost her… I bet you wish you didn’t.”
He further explained how Lian the maid had found the lamp in Marinette’s belongings and took it, as it seemed important. His mother had gotten a secret telegram from the frontlines; it detailed Marinette and a fiery explosion that happened out of nowhere after a retreat was called. The guards first searched Jason’s and Marinette’s room, tearing up the walls and floor before interrogating all the staff. Finally the lamp was found hidden in a hold under Lian’s mattress.
“And that’s when mother got her hands on it.” They reached the imposing doors to the grand hall.
They broke past the guards and into the hall to find the deceased Viceroy Ra Al Ghul standing before Marinette with her lamp in his grey hands. “It’s good to be back.” His voice sounded like he had gargled gravel and glass.
“So you’re the genie I was looking for for seventy years.” He snarled, leaning down on Mari who collapsed on the floor. “Don’t bother with your speech, I already know what I want.
“First I want to be immortal and second I would like the power to rival genies like you.” His tooth grin was filled with blackened and decaying teeth.
Marinette looked over at Jason and Damian, who both yelled out for Ra to stop and for Marinette not to listen to him. Her eyes flashed a vibrant blue, they had mere seconds to act. They both rushed at Ra, aiming for the lamp to stop the wish.
“I command you!” He bellowed and light erupted for Marinette.
But instead of crying she smirked, “As you wish.”
Marinette sat under the newly installed garden fountain, watching as bugs moved throughout the plants. The statue on top of the marble stone was of Ra Al Ghul, and warned people what happens when they mess with magic. He held the lamp in an outstretched arm and hid his face in the other. His metal body shined, it looked like it was made of swirling glitter. He became exactly what he wished for, an immortal statute of Miraculium.
“Why do you like bugs so much? I thought girls like you were meant to be terrified of them.” Damian interrupted her silence and sat down next to him. She shot a glare his way, as she turned back to watch the flowers sway in the wind.
“I see my papa in the dragonflies and my maman in the beetles.” She finally said.
"Oh,” Damian paused, not expecting that answer. He tilted his head at her, “Would you like me to get an enclosure so you can see them every day?”
Her laugh was hollow and bitter, she forced a smile that probably looked more like a grimace. “And what?” She almost snarled at him, but his innocent question didn’t deserve her rage. “Trap them like my kin were for centuries? No, not even insects deserve that.”
Damian muttered his apologies from fleeing the garden, rushing by Jason on his way out.
Jason raised an eyebrow and she sighed, her anger replaced by guilt. “What was that about?”
“Damian tried doing something nice but I got emotional about my parents and the enslaved Magical Creatures, so I lashed out at him!” She dragged her hands down her face, the pinks of her bottom eyelids showing.
Jason shushed her and took both her hands in his, helping her up. They stood among the many exotic flowers that managed to thrive in this barren country.
He mumbled something to her that she couldn’t quite catch so she asked him to repeat.
“I wanted it to be you.”
She scrunched her brows and gazed up at him, face flooded with confusion. “Wanted what to be me?”
“My last wish, I wanted it to be you. Your freedom.” His hand brushed away a stray hair from her pink cheek.
She spluttered as her brain finally processed his words, all she could reply with was, “HUH?”
He leaned down and pressed his forehead to hers cradling her jaw in his hands. “I’m sorry. Am I going too fast? Or do you not want this?”
“No no!” She reassured him, trying to regain her composure. Finally she took a deep breath of his scent, and closed her eyes. “Do you still have the lamp?”
“Yes.”
She opened her eyes and nuzzled into his palm. “Then make your wish Master~” She teased, a wide grin painted on her face.
Jason stared as Roy fiddle around with the plant pot that stood in his apartment’s hallway. Roy had shoved the small gravel stones to the side and started to dig to pull out another larger grey stone, which he twisted open to reveal two small apartment keys. Having fished one out he reassembled the hidey hole key situation and reassembled the plant and pot, so it looked like nothing happened.
“You do realise that it would be just as easy to pick your locks, right?”
“But then I’ll look like a burglar, this way if anyone catches me, I can say I’m doing plant care.”
“You live here. Surely your neighbours recognise you and would get it.”
“Yes! They do, this was my neighbour’s idea.”
“Then why?!”
“…”
“Roy.”
“… she’s cute. You can’t resist those big blue soulful eyes she gives you.”
“Let me get this straight. You’re make things hard for ya self, due to a girl.”
“You would too.”
Jason rolled his eyes at his friend’s ridiculousness as they entered the now unlocked the ‘traditional’ way apartment with traps/alarms/security all disengaged. Roy watched as Jason dumped the groceries on the kitchen counter and started to move the kitchen space with a familiar ease putting things away and pulling other stuff out to start cooking dinner. He slammed the fridge door closed slightly harder than it needed muttering to himself about Roy’s ‘ridiculousness’, just to see the strange picture that really wasn’t in Roy’s apartment last time he visited slip off the wall.
“Roy?”
The man in question looked up from the table where he was fiddling with his latest contraption that was associated with his bow and just hummed at Jason.
“Why the hell do you have a picture of a hidden safe on the wall??”
“Because I’m renting and not allowed a real one.”
“……”
“Mars helped chose the picture and said it would be cool to have a hidden wall safe, but it sucked that renting we couldn’t so like we both came up with the idea of having a fake one.”
“And Mars is your neighbour? And you just went along with it??”
“She is very convincing when she’s all sweet and nervous. You can’t say no. It’s like kicking a wet kitten, you just can’t.”
“You just compared your neighbour to a wet kitten.”
“She’s little and cute.”
“Whatever loser, hang the picture up properly this time.”
Rated M: DC canon-typical violence, suggestive themes,
Author’s Note: Sorry for the delays, so much has happened and we have been very busy. We wanted to make this a great final chapter, and hopefully we succeeded. Thank you to those of you who followed along, we hope that you enjoyed the many highs and lows in this story. -Maribat Girl and DC Boy
Ships:Jason Todd/Marinette Dupain-Cheng, Dick Grayson/Barbara Gordon (side ship).
Jason first meet his future wife was when he had broke out of his own grave 6 months after his death by Joker’s hands. Marinette was in Gotham for a commission for Jagged Stone.
She had gone out to get more thread and happened upon the revived body of Jason. She had tried to reassure and comfort him by saying everything was going to be fine and she was gonna get him to the hospital as soon as possible.
But Jason with his head all murkey says no hospitals and was actively trying to resist going. So being the good person she is, she takes him back to the appartment she was using as a her home/work place.
Marinette lied him down on her sofa and started to get to work. She sowed up any heavy cuts and bandaged him up. Lastly with a bit of help from Tikki she healed his insides such as any broken/cracked bones and any internal bleeding he may of had.
It was from that point he stayed by her side as she helped nurse him back to health, help him remember andto get back to his family.
I feel like it’s only been a few days since the last time I talked here but I’ve actually been MIA for months.
Like always I hyperfocused on something else and now I’m hyperfocused on Maribat again.
Hopefully, it means I’ll start writing again, because it’s been months since I wrote anything too.
Still got that Jasonette three shot to write, but I have another Daminette idea that won’t leave my mind but… apart from an overall, I don’t have a plot…
Hi guys! I am working on the other stories and some other ones, but here’s something I did to tide you over. Sorry if it’s not as good as my other ones, I’ve kinda hit a writes block and this is an attempt to try to break it. Anyway, hope ya’ll enjoy! Peace!
“You’re ok. Breath. J-just breathe. Open your eyes. Come on. It’s ok. It’s over now. You’re ok. Wake up. Please wake up. Don’t do this to me. Please don’t do this to me. I love you so fucking much. Come back. Please don’t do this to me.” Jason begged, tears streaming down his face as he gently cradled Marinette.
He could hear his brothers shouting questions at him, but they faded into the backround. He could hear the worry, the panic in their voices but he couldn’t focus on them. Not now. Not with Mar like this.
The coppery smell of blood permeated the air as Jason gently ran a hand down her hair, whipping the matted pieced away from her face. There was so much blood. There shouldn’t be this much blood. Cupping her swallow cheek, Jason couldn’t feel the warmth of her skin. Her skin was never cold. It couldn’t be her. It had to be his gloves, it had to be. She couldn’t be cold. Tearing his gloves off, Jason’s free hand went back to her face, but it was still cold. It was still so cold.
His fingers shakily traced her face, trying to wake her up. She always woke up when he traced her face. They stopped over her nose. Her small, cute, button nose that he always loved to kiss, that would wrinkle in concentration, was crooked. Her whole face was swollen, coated in blood and streaked with tears.
“Come on, sweetheart, wake up. He’s gone. He’s not gonna hurt you again, sweetheart, I promise. Just wake up for me, please.” He sobbed, gently resting his forehead against hers as he continued to beg his girlfriend to wake up. Foot steps echoed throughout the warehouse, signaling the arrival of his family. “You need to wake up. There’s so much left we have to do. I-I still have to propose to you. I have it all planned out, Cupcake. I, it’d be at that park you love. You know, the one by the café where we first met. It would be near Christmas, when there’s snow cause I know you love the snow. It would be early evening, when the Christmas lights are on. I’d get on my knee and pull out the ring I got you two months ago. You’d say yes and we’d spend the rest of the night at my apartment watching your favorite Christmas movies. And our wedding would be in the late spring when everything is in full bloom. Knowing you, you’d have Bruce walk you down the aisle and you’d be wearing your own dress. We’d make our own vows and have everyone there crying. Dick and Tim would make ridiculous speeches but Alfred would make up for it.” Jason sobbed, uncaring of the others who had entered. He didn’t care if they saw him crying. He didn’t care what they thought of the bullet though Jokers head. All he cared about was the small, broken woman in his arms. “Don’t leave me.”
Gasping awake, for a moment Jason couldn’t remember where he was. Slowly, everything came back to him. He was in his apartment. Frantically searching the bed, Jason instantly relaxed when he felt the warmth of his wife. Pulling her small frame close, Jason took a moment to look at her. To make sure she was real, that he was awake. No bruising, no broken nose, no blood. The only thing that told him the dream had been real was the scar that led from the top of her right brow to her hairline. She was safe. She was real.
Careful not to wake her, Jason curled around her, burying his face in her hair. Relishing the scent that was so uniquely Marinette. Adjusting his hold on her, he shifted his hands until they rested over her barely swollen stomach.
He almost lost her once, and he planned on never doing so again.
I’ll leave it under the keep reading bar so that I don’t take up your whole screens, but I hope this helps if you ever try to scroll through the mess that is my page. Every couple of new additons I’ll be sure to reblog this so it doesn’t get lost :)
Thanks for all the support! You guys make me so happy, more than I could put into words and I cannot thank you enough.
I’ll leave it under the keep reading bar so that I don’t take up your whole screens, but I hope this helps if you ever try to scroll through the mess that is my page. Every couple of new additons I’ll be sure to reblog this so it doesn’t get lost :)
Thanks for all the support! You guys make me so happy, more than I could put into words and I cannot thank you enough.
A gift for the wonderful @moonlitceleste on Tumblr who unknowingly started a cult, Bee Movie AU cult.
≻───── ⋆✩⋆ ─────≺
Marinette has known of soulmates her entire life, even though the mark on her arm confuses her. Her mark was a bee. A bee. Bee’s aren’t her favorite animal, nor is yellow and black her favorite color. She decided that it was probably her soulmate’s and dropped the topic. As everyone around her met their soulmate, she has yet to find hers. She got mocked for it often, but does she care? Absolutely not.
On the other side of the ocean, Jason discovered soulmates at the age of 5 while he was reading. He, of course, has seen the mark on his arm. His discovery had only explained what it was. He didn’t think much about it, even as he got adopted, trusting that he will meet his soulmate at the designated time.
Fast forward, Marinette moved to Gotham for college. Her battle scars during her years as Ladybug were covered by the long sleeves she always wore. Her style grew more mature. She abandoned the pigtails and opted to tie it up in a ponytail or just let it down freely. When outside, she wore a dusty pink or a red long sleeved dress or a casual T-shirt with denim jackets. She was also less clumsy as she was in her high school years, now walking with grace and elegance her younger self wished she had.
Over the years she and Alya had grown apart, Alya choosing Lila and Marinette refusing to follow. During that period, Marinette befriended Chloé. It was Chloé, who decided to move with her to Gotham. Over the years, their bond had the most definitely grown stronger. Chloé being the only person to know of Marinette’s secret, the only person that understood Marinette’s burden. She was and is the girl’s support over the years, not even Adrien the person Marinette considers a brother surpassed Chloé. She really loves her brother and all but he could be really oblivious.
During their stay in Gotham, Marinette quickly rose to be a popular girl of the school, the school’s sweetheart. She soon found out about the popular boy of the school, Jason Todd, the school’s badass nerd. Jason has also heard of Marinette, greeting her with a subtle nod in the hallway every time they passed each other.
Unknowingly, these two were soulmates. No one was aware of this, well except Chloé. She had accidentally seen Jason’s soulmark one day, when she was reading a book in the library. She immediately recognized it as her best friend’s soulmark as well. The girl grinned mischievously as she started to spread rumors about just how cute the two would look together as a couple. She had almost hired a person to photoshop both of them together to prove just how adorable they would be. Both Marinette and Jason heard these rumors, but they both decided to ignore them.
Cue a rogue holding the school hostage, wanting to know just what these young adults are afraid of. Scarecrow. Having years as a superhero under her belt, she expertly fought Scarecrow as her best friend fought off his goons. Midway, Jason helps them out, not that they needed it. Needless to say, the three grew close after the fight going on study dates every so often. Most of the time, Chloé would abandon the two alone as she snapped pics from afar.
Bruce came across one of Chloé’s posts on instagram since it mentioned Jason. Chloé had captioned it with ‘Of on a little date those two, adorable’. Bruce took it way too seriously…
≻───── ⋆✩⋆ ─────≺
“So, Jason,” Bruce said, at the end of dinner, “I saw your friend’s post on Instagram the other day.”
Jason raised a brow, “Which friend?”
“I believe their name was Chloé Bourgeois,” he answered.
Jason didn’t know what he was talking about so he took out his phone and checked. Soon enough he discovered the post Chloé had mentioned him in. He felt his face go red as he read the caption.
Bruce glanced at him once more, “Bring your girlfriend to the gala.”
Before Jason could respond, Bruce left the table leaving him to contemplate what just happened. He entered his room and texted Chloé, or who he thought was Chloé.
≻───── ⋆✩⋆ ─────≺
“The Dumbasses”
The Zombie Dumbass Wtf Chloe Bruce thinks I’m dating Mari now
The Empress Dumbass Not my problem white streak I think I deserve a thanks When are you asking her out?
The Zombie Dumbass I’m not asking Mari out thank you
The Creative Dumbass Why are you two doing this rn? And in the group hat too *group chat Shut up autocorrect
The Zombie Dumbass Mari, do me a favor and fake date me for the gala? Bruce told me to bring you
The Empress Dumbass Since when do you care about what he says
The Zombie Dumbass Shut the f*** up Mari? Pls?
The Creative Dumbass As long as I get to make my own dress sure
The Zombie Dumbass And that, is why I like you better than Chloe
The Empress Dumbass F*** you
≻───── ⋆✩⋆ ─────≺
Marinette sipped on her drink as she chatted idly with Jason. She wore a sleeveless red dress with white gloves that reached her upper arm. She had minimal scars on her shoulders, so it wasn’t a pain to cover with makeup. Her dress hugged her frame and flared just above her knees. She wore a natural colored glitter eyeshadow with red lipstick. Her hair was in a low bun formed by braids with the french kind on both sides of her head leading towards it. Jason wore a red tux and white tie to match her.
While deep in her conversation, a woman who looked like she was in her thirties accidentally bumped into her and spilled her wine. Luckily, it had only spilled on Marinette’s gloves. The woman apologized non-stop and Marinette assured her that she knew it was a mistake. Once the woman left, Marinette took off her glove and told Jason she’ll be back after she cleaned the stickiness off her hand.
Jason nodded, his mind was racing. The bee on Marinette’s hand was identical to his. He wondered if it was a tattoo, but then he remembered she said she didn’t have any tattoos. Jason could hear his heart pounding in his ears. His soulmate had always been under his nose, she was one of his best friends for that matter. How was he supposed to tell her? Would it make things awkward? Would she even want him as her soulmate? Jason would be lying if he said he didn’t want a romance with Marinette, he always had a little crush on her.
Absorbed in his thoughts, Jason didn’t notice that Marinette returned and had been calling him for the past five minutes. “-son, you okay?” He snapped back into reality, sort of, he was still in shock. He looked at Marinette’s worried face and he realized that he needed to say something.
