The sleepover night was M'gann’s idea. However, it was Robin who, in an act of stirring up minor chaos within the team, suggested a game of spin the bottle. Not one to go halfway, instead of a kiss for the couple that the bottle chose, Dick insisted upon seven minutes in heaven.
Marinette blushed the entire time her bottle spun around, unable to watch as it determined her fate. After M’Gann and Conner (though Marinette wasn’t convinced that M'Gann hadn’t used her telekinesis on the bottle) returned from the closet with hickeys on M'Gann’s neck, Marinette had realized that the game might end up being more than friendly.
It didn’t hit Marinette until it was her turn to spin the bottle that she would be spending the next seven minutes in the closet with one of her teammates. There was only one who she wanted, but seven minutes in a closet with Wally wouldn’t change the fact that he only saw her as a friend. Marinette tended towards infatuation at first sight, so when she joined the Young Justice team and befriended her teammates without any strong feelings towards any particular member, she felt as if she had dodged a bullet. Then, one day, when Wally was helping Marinette bake cookies, he got a smudge of flour on his nose. Marinette leaned in to wipe it off with the pad of her thumb. For just the briefest of moments, Marinette thought about how soft his lips would feel against hers, and then the feeling was lost before she could even fully understand it. Her fledgling crush only grew from there.
The bottle finished its spinning and Marinette was forced to confront exactly who it had landed on. She looked up at Wally, who watched her with wide eyes, giving his bottom lip a nervous lick. “I guess it’s you and me, Bugs.”
Marinette nodded, suddenly feeling lost. She worried that it would it be seven torturous minutes of strictly platonic behavior, followed by a haze of awkwardness that would follow them for weeks until they both forgot the incident entirely. “Maybe we could…?”
“Nope!” said Dick cheerfully, steamrolling any potential objections. “The rules are simple. You go into the closet for seven with whoever the bottle lands on. No ifs ands or buts.”
Wally stood up, offering a hand to Marinette. “It’s just seven minutes. It’ll be a cinch, Bugs.”
“Sure.” Marinette let herself be pulled up to her feet and followed Wally to the bedroom closet. M'gann’s room was the cleanest of the Mountain bedrooms, so the team co-opted it for their slumber party. They settled down on opposite sides of the closet. Marinette glanced over at Wally, trying her best to appear unfazed by the situation. “This must be a strictly American game because I’ve never played seven minutes in heaven before. What are we supposed to do?”
Wally shrugged, his cheeks pink. “I guess if we were dating we would probably make out.”
Marinette stared down at her hands, trying to formulate a response. She didn’t want to be too forward and ruin her friendship with Wally, but she didn’t want to sound too disinterested and come off as standoffish. “But what do wedo?”
It was dark in the closet, the only light coming through the sliver of space under the door. Still, Marinette could see the way Wally’s face flushed. “We could kiss if you wanted to. Just so the game isn’t a waste.” The confidence in his voice sounded entirely fake, but Marinette wasn’t going to point it out when she had the perfect opportunity to kiss him right in front of her.
Marinette’s blush matched Wally’s. “Sure.”
In the dark of the closet, they leaned towards each other. For the first time since that day in the kitchen, Marinette could do more than just imagine the feel of Wally’s lips. His lips were chapped, rough against her own. Marinette had expected his lips to be smooth, yet she wasn’t disappointed by this new revelation. It was just an awkward peck, but it was enough of a taste that Marinette knew she wanted to do it again.
Marinette pulled away first, after just a moment of lingering. She gave Wally an expectant look, ready to hear his thoughts on the kiss.
“That was…” The confidence in his voice had disappeared. Wally now sounded unsure of himself.
With all the bravado she could muster, Marinette leaned forward to kiss Wally again. This kiss was nothing like its predecessor, a full press of lips rather than a nervous peck. Once again Marinette was the first to pull back. “That was good,” Marinette finished Wally’s sentence.
Wally grinned at her. “I haven’t made up my mind and we still have a few minutes left. One more time?”
“Marinette. Wally. You two will be going undercover at the school. You’ll be posing as a couple, which should give you an excuse for how much time you will be spending together. Be prepared to keep up your cover for a while - I can see this mission taking several months.”
Marinette glanced over at Wally, who was already staring at her. She quickly looked away, flushing. Of all the people I could be fake dating for a mission, why did it have to be the one person I have a crush on?
The mission itself wasn’t exactly standard. Young Justice usually dealt with the typical supervillain. However, this mission was a favor to Batman, who was investigating a remote boarding school in the Allegheny Mountains to be a cover for a money-laundering scheme concocted by the parents of many of the students enrolled. Marinette, Artemis, Wally, and Dick would all be playing the part of students in order to snoop around and gather evidence. Wally and Dick were in a suite with two other boys, while Marinette and Artemis shared a suite with two other girls.
After a month undercover, the teens had finally discovered their best chance for apprehending all involved in the money-laundering scheme. There would be a Donor Appreciation Night the same night of the Homecoming Dance, held in the Headmaster’s Office for select parents who had donated above a certain threshold. It was the make-or-break night of their mission. No matter what, their time at the boarding school was up.
As much as Marinette wanted to focus on her mission, her mind always seemed to be somewhere else. It was torture to pretend to date Wally when that was all Marinette really wanted. Getting ready for the dance, Marinette reminded herself, It’s just for a mission. Nothing more, nothing less.
Beside Marinette, her dormmates were getting ready as well. Artemis was painting her nails a shade of green so dark it looked like black, Caroline was putting on eyeliner with the focus and precision of a neurosurgeon, and Betty was cursing as she tried to squeeze her feet into too-tight heels.
“I swear my feet grow half a size every time I go off to school. As soon as I can’t buy a new pair of Jimmy Choo’s, none of the ones I already own fit anymore,” complained Betty.
“I think that we have a similar size. You could borrow a pair of mine, if you’d like,” offered Marinette. In truth, she would be glad to get rid of some of her shoes. To blend it at the school, her wardrobe had been given a very expensive makeover. Marinette loved fashion, but even she felt uncomfortable with how
Betty brightened up right away. “I love your closet, Marinette. If my Dad wasn’t so strict about my spending money, I would have a closet like yours. Could I borrow that pair of Miu Miu heels your parents sent you last week?”
“Sure.” It was good luck that Betty asked for that pair of shoes. Batman had fitted a select number of shoes with listening devices, hoping that if Marinette lingered outside of doors, the shoes might catch snippets of conversation slipping out from under the door. The Miu Miu heels were one of those select pairs. If Betty’s parents were involved (which, after a little snooping through Betty’s laptop, Marinette was almost certain that they were) and Betty knew about it, there was a chance that the heels could be used to gather evidence.
“When is Wally coming to pick you up?” asked Caroline.
Caroline and Betty had both been very supportive of Marinette’s very fake relationship. “He’s coming at seven with my corsage.”
“I wish I were getting a corsage,” sighed Caroline. “I’m so jealous of you. I hate being single.”
“Than you shouldn’t have dumped Michael two weeks before the Homecoming Dance,” criticized Betty.
“I didn’t want him in any of my group photos,” Caroline defended herself.
“Fair point, fair point.” Betty shrugged.
Marinette giggled at the antics of her friends. “Can someone help me get the button on the back of my dress?” There was one tiny silver button right at the nape of her neck that Marinette could never reach.
“Sure.” Artemis leaned across the bathroom counter to get the button.
The dress was custom made - but not by Marinette. Marinette secretly hated the dress, though she cooed over it along with the rest of her dormmates. It was navy blue with silver accents, and it had a microphone sewn into it, so well hidden that not even Marinette, with her knowledge of its existence, could find it.
A knock at the door startled Marinette from her thoughts. She rushed to get her shoes on, slipping her feet into the two-inch heels. “Does my hair look okay?”
Caroline nodded. “It looks absolutely perfect. Wally will be drooling over you all night long.”
Marinette forced herself to giggle at the comment, even though she knew it was false. Wally would spend the night playing the part of the doting boyfriend for the mission. He would tell her that she looked beautiful and he would be lying. Marinette wanted to cry over how unfair it was to watch the boy she liked pretending to like her back.
Marinette opened the door. Wally stood behind it, holding the corsage in his hand. It was at that moment that Marinette realized she had never seen Wally in a suit before. He tugged at his collar uncomfortably, but still smiled when his eyes landed on Marinette. “You look beautiful, Marinette.”
Exactly as Marinette had predicted. She forced a smile on her face, hoping that it looked genuine enough to fool her dormmates. “Thank you. You look very dashing in a suit.”
“Hey Rudolph, I didn’t think you knew how to tie a tie,” Artemis raised an eyebrow. Artemis and Wally had been playing the part of cousins at the boarding school, their cover being that their education was being funded by their wealthy Grandfather.
“Dick tied it,” Wally grumbled. He then whispered to Marinette, “I might be ditching the tie. I think Dick might be trying to strangle me with this.”
Marinette giggled, whispering back, “I have a clip-on in my closet. It won’t match my dress, but I can live with that if it means you’re alive and breathing.”
“You’re a lifesaver, Mari.”
Marinette’s heart gave a flutter as he called her by her nickname. He had started using it in public right when they began the school year, to convince everyone that they were dating. However, when it was just the Young Justice team, Wally always called her by her full name. It was just another reminder that their relationship was all an act.
Marinette went into her room and started digging through her closet. As she searched for the clip-on tie, Artemis entered the room, lingering at the closet doors. “What were you and Wally whispering about?”
Marinette replied, “We decided to replace his tie with a clip-on.”
Artemis raised an eyebrow, her tone dripping with sarcasm, “Sure.”
“Artemis, I’ve told you a million times. Wally and I are fakedating.”
“There is nothing fake about the way he looks at you,” Artemis continued stubbornly.
“I already told you the truth. Just because you don’t believe me doesn’t mean it’s not true.”
“I know for a fact that there is something between the two of you.”
Marinette sighed. Damn Artemis for being so persistent. “Fine. You’re right that there are some feelings involved, but they aren’t Wally’s. I’m the one who has a crush on him, not the other way around.”
Artemis looked shocked. “Really? I could have sworn…” Artemis stopped herself, a devious look growing on her face. Marinette could tell that she was scheming up some sort of plan.
“We just need to get through this one dance, and then we’re done fake dating for good. Please, don’t interfere,” Marinette begged.
“Alright, but only if you promise that you’ll tell Wally you like him. It doesn’t have to be tonight, but you do have to tell him.”
“Fine,” agreed Marinette. With no time limit on the promise, who was to say when Marinette would tell Wally. After all, plenty of people confessed life-altering secrets on their deathbed.
By the time the group made it down to the banquet hall, the Homecoming Dance was in full swing. Pop music was blasting through every speaker in the room, and Marinette winced at the volume of noise.
Using the loud music as cover, Wally whispered in Marinette’s ear. “Dick’s already in position. He found a way up into the vents, so he has a good position to listen in on whatever is said in the Headmaster’s Office.”
“Good. I’ll go find the best window to view the Headmaster’s Office from, to make sure we can keep track of everyone going in and out.”
Wally nodded. “I’ll catch Artemis up to speed, and then I’ll join you.”
Marinette scouted out the tables at the edge of the dance floor, eventually finding one that had both a view out the window of the entrance to the Headmaster’s Office and a view of both entrances to the banquet hall that the dance was held in. A minute later, Artemis approached, dragging Wally along beside her.
“I’ll watch the entrances. You two need to go dance. It’ll look weird if you don’t,” said Artemis.
Artemis was correct, but that didn’t stop Marinette from feeling a little indignant about being bossed around.
Wally just shrugged, seemingly unaffected by Artemis’s bossy tone. “You ready to dance, Mari?”
Marinette froze, searching for the words. “Uh, sure.”
Marinette was prepared to dance along to a pop song. Marinette was prepared to pretend that it didn’t pain her to pretend. What Marinette wasn’t prepared for was the slow song that came on - a song that could only be danced to with a slow dance.
“I guess we’ll have to slow dance,” said Wally with a shrug. His tone was light, but there was an edge behind it. Marinette assumed that he felt uncomfortable dancing with a girl he considered just a friend.
“I guess so.”
Marinette tried not to be stiff in his arms. She was acutely aware that this moment would have been perfect if it were real.
“You can relax, you know,” Wally said as if his words were a joke, but his voice was flat.
“Sorry.” Marinette forced the stiffness out of her joints, swaying in his arms.
Wally sighed. “I know this isn’t ideal, but at least it’s over after tonight.”
“Yeah.” Marinette couldn’t keep the frown off of her face. Though it would be nice to stop pretending, Marinette was disappointed to know that she would never dance with Wally again.
Wally grimaced. “It’s one more night. You don’t have to look so miserable. I’m not that bad to spend time around, am I?”
Marinette’s eyes widened. Wally had interpreted her disappointment over their relationship being over as something else entirely. “No. I-”
“Whatever,” sighed Wally, pushing her away as the song winded down. He walked off the dance floor and toward the table, leaving Marinette behind.
“It’s not what you think,” protested Marinette, rushing after him to explain. “I’m upset that we only have one more night.”
Wally looked shocked. “What do you mean?”
“I like spending time with you. I like you, Wally. It’s so hard to pretend to date you when that’s all I really want.”
“Why did you never tell me?” asked Wally.
“Because I know you don’t feel the same way about me. If I can’t have you as my boyfriend, I at least wanted to have you as my friend.”
“You think I don’t feel the same way about you? Dick and Roy make fun of me for my crush on you all the time, how have you nevernoticed?”
Now it was Marinette’s turn to be shocked. “Wait, you’re telling me that you have a crush on me too?”
“Yes!” exclaimed Wally. “I thought you already knew about my crush and were ignoring it. I never brought it up because I didn’t want to make things uncomfortable between us.”
Marinette shook her head in exasperation. “This whole time we were both keeping our feelings a secret and it was making us miserable, and it was all for nothing.”
Wally groaned. “We’re so stupid, aren’t we?”
“Yep,” chimed in Artemis, who had snuck up behind them. “But we don’t have time to unpack that. Cars have started parking out front. I think the meeting will be starting soon. I’m going out to document their license plates and plant trackers on the cars. I need you two in position to assist Dick if he needs it.”
“Got it.” Marinette grabbed Wally by the hand and started leading him to the door. It took them no time at all to get to the Headmaster’s Office, but once they were there they needed a plan. “How are we going to remain inconspicuous?”
“Like this.” Wally pulled Marinette into an alcove, giving her direct line of sight of the door to the Headmaster’s Office. “If anyone catches us, the worst we’ll get is detention - which we won’t even have to serve, given that we’re leaving after tonight.”
“Good idea.” Marinette stared up into Wally’s eyes. “Now that we’re alone again…”
The buzz of a text message distracted Marinette from Wally. It was Dick, on the team’s encrypted line.
Dick: The meeting is wrapping up. Marinette and Wally, you two need to get away from the Headmaster’s Office as soon as possible. I recorded enough evidence to convict, so we don’t need to stay any longer. Everyone head back to the dorms and get changed. We leave in 20 minutes.
Marinette: See you in 20.
“I guess it’s time to go.” Wally looked disappointed, even though their mission had been a complete success.
“Don’t worry, Wally. I have a sneaking suspicion that this won’t be the last night of us dating.” Marinette pressed a quick kiss to his cheek, then twisted out from behind him. “See you in twenty!”
Marinette turning around just before she turned the corner to get one last look at Wally. His face was lit up with a goofy smile, and Marinette couldn’t help but laugh. More than one mission was a success that night.
Welcome to Maribat Calendar Events Maribat March event. Our polls told us that you want more rare-pairs content, as we plan to deliver!
March is dedicated to the Justice League – specifically those that don’t have their own months this year. This can be any member of the Justice League of America, JL International, Justice Society, Titans/Teen Titans, or Young Justice (outside of those that have their own months).
That means no magic users, JL Dark members, Arrows, Bats or Supers, as they have their own calendars.
Do one prompt! Do them all! Any participation is great! They just serve as ways to encourage that creativity. No Pressure.
Make sure you tag us so others can more easily see your work:
