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starwarsmum · 1 month ago

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Day 23! A Million Dreams

@maribat-calendar-events

“Ow!” Marinette shouted, pulling out of the kitchen cupboard and rubbing her head. Dick looked over as she grumbled to herself. “Your kitchen is awful, why do you like this place?”

“Because Bruce pays my rent?” Dick said absently, turning back to his cereal. “What are you looking for, anyway?”

“Trays and a mixing bowl,” she said, pouting as she flopped down next to him. “I shouldn't have to go back to my apartment just so I can bake. Maybe we should just start looking at places so we can move in together.”

“Yeah, right,” Dick snorted, and Marinette looked up at him, confused. He glanced over when she didn't laugh along with him and she saw the panic that crossed his features. “Wait, are you serious? You want to move in together?”

“Not if you don't,” she said, trying to push away the surprised hurt that settled on her like a second skin. She had thought they were on the same page about their relationship - wasn't moving in together the next logical step? She plastered a smile on her face and stood, stretching. “Did you want the first shower? Or am I good to take one now?”

“Hold on, we should talk about this, right? You were serious about moving in together, that feels like something we should discuss.”

“It's nothing, Dick, I was just goofing around. How long do we have until we head to the manor for lunch?”

“About two hours but-”

“Great, I'll jump in now and let you know when I'm done,” she said breezily, swooping down to kiss him lightly before speeding away.

Dick stared after her, feeling completely thrown off. It wasn't that he didn't want to move in together - God, the thought of waking up next to her every day was intoxicating - but he still hadn't even attempted to broach the topic of being a vigilante. And there was no way he could hide that if they were living together.

She was in the shower for longer than normal, but when she emerged she didn't seem to be any different than she usually was. She teased him and distracted him enough that the two hour window for getting ready to leave didn't feel anything like enough.

But when they arrived at the manor, she was definitely more subdued, some of the bounce in her step missing. He had royally fucked up and he knew it. But how could he possibly explain why he hadn't taken it seriously?

_ _ _

“So, did you want to stay at mine tonight or…?”

“Oh, God, didn't I say? I have plans tonight,” Dick said, looking guilty. Marinette was trying not to take this whole day personally, but it felt like he was stepping back. Was he blanching because she tried to move too fast? She nodded even though nothing felt right, and said she would see him at work the next day. “Marinette, wait, I really do have plans tonight and I thought-”

“It's fine,” she said softly, plucking at the cuff of her shirt. She might have said more if Jason hadn't walked out at that exact moment.

“Hey lovebirds, hope I'm not interrupting a goodnight kiss,” he said mockingly, apparently oblivious to the atmosphere between the two. “Dickhead, Bruce wanted to talk to you before family night, you might wanna head back in there.”

“Family night? But you all just had lunch together,” Marinette said, scrunching her nose. Jason paused like he didn't know what to say to that and Dick looked like he had swallowed a bag of marbles. “Oh, right, something just for family. I'll, uh, get out of your hair then.”

“Do you need a ride?” Jason asked, looking a little worried that he'd caused a problem.

“It's fine, Jay, I can-”

“Would you mind?” Marinette said, cutting Dick off. It wasn't that she didn't want to spend time with him, it was just…weird. It all felt a little awkward, and if Dick needed to talk to Bruce before he left, she was just going to be waiting around.

“Uh, sure, I'll just go grab my spare helmet,” Jason replied, shooting Dick a wince.

“I can take you home, Mari, really,” Dick said softly, running a hand down her arm.

“You're busy, I get that,” she said back, not looking at him. “Besides, we spend a lot of time together, I'm sure you could do with some time just for your family. Jason's leaving anyway, he can take me home just as easily.”

“Marinette, I like spending time with y-”

“Here ya go,” Jason said, tossing the helmet in her direction. She caught it easily, though it made Dick's hand fall away. “See ya later, Dick, tell B I'm planning on catching up with you all later.”

Marinette didn't wait to see what else Dick had to say, following Jason to his bike and riding away.

When Jason dropped her off at home, she thanked him and went straight upstairs to decompress. She went to her kitchen and started baking, letting the familiar motions calm her mind. The problem was, when she was done she still had too much energy and nowhere to put it.

If it hadn't been so late in the evening, she would have called Luka, or Chloé, to get their take on it. Unfortunately, Chloé would have skinned her for calling at 4am, Paris local time. So she settled for pulling out her journal and writing it down.

When she finally made her way to bed, she glanced out of the window as she usually did, checking to see if there were any rogue vigilantes in her area, but nobody appeared.

_ _ _

“But did she say anything about it?” Dick asked Jason, sitting on the edge of the roof and kicking his feet.

“Listen, Nightwing, we didn't talk about anything. I gave her a lift back to her apartment and that's it. What's the big deal, anyway? You've been back a month now, surely you don't need to spend every evening together.”

“We don't,” Dick said defensively, fingers thrumming on the ledge. “But she maybe mentioned wanting to move in together and I…didn't handle it well. That, coupled with the fact that I apparently forgot to mention that we weren't spending tonight together before that…I'm betting she feels a little like I'm not serious about her.”

“Well how serious are you? You haven't told her about this side of you, you've only really been dating again for a month-”

“Deadly serious, Hood. But this isn't something I can just bring up, you know? I can't imagine this will be any easier to accept than me disappearing for eight months. And she might decide she wants nothing to do with this life.”

“It's a risk you have to take at some point, if you want this to last,” Jason said with a shrug. “But it really has only been a month since you got back, it's okay to take things slowly.”

Dick hummed, not wanting to agree but not having anything to say against it.

_ _ _

Marinette was ready for the day to be over and it had only really just begun. First, she had woken up late for the first time in weeks. Then, Dick messaged to say he had woken up late and he was sorry, but he wasn't going to make it to the coffee shop before work. Which wasn't a huge deal, really, but it made the already insecure part of her whisper some nasty things.

“Morning Marinette,” Amy said cheerfully, coming and claiming the open seat next to her. Marinette gave her a smile, glad that they'd cleared the air after that disastrous night out. True to her word, Marinette had treated Amy exactly the same as she had before and Amy had relaxed so much more. “Listen, I need to talk to you about those cases-”

“Morning ladies!”

Marinette glanced up to see Eric looking down at them, smiling. She couldn't say what felt off about it, but something did. She was again struck by the same feeling that she had overstepped by looking at his case. She returned his greeting but Amy stayed oddly quiet.

But then she was distracted by Dick bursting into the room, not unlike the way she did when she was running late. His eyes flicked around the room and she tried to give him a smile when he landed on her. A gap felt like it was opening between them and she wasn't sure how to go about closing it.

Fortunately, Commissioner Gordon came in to start the briefing and she didn't have to try dealing with it all just then. The briefing was quick and then she stopped by her desk briefly before heading out with Amy to chase down leads. She gave Dick a tentative smile but didn't stop, partly afraid that if she did she might have a panic attack.

After lunch, Amy and Marinette found themselves secluded in an office to discuss the case. Once they were all caught up, Marinette sighed and rested her head on her arms. Amy was still sitting fairly rigidly and Marinette questioned why she was so tense.

“It's just…I've been feeling paranoid at home,” came the hesitant answer. “I just feel like I'm being watched all the time and one of the other officers has been asking me a lot of questions about this case.”

“If you don't feel safe at your place, you're always welcome to go to mine,” Marinette said instantly. No matter what had happened between them before, she wanted Amy to feel like she could turn to her. “Listen, I'm not always there but I have a spare key I can give you…”

“Thanks, Mari, Officer Stevens is just…he's been making me feel uncomfortable,” Amy said, fidgeting a little. Marinette frowned and went to say something - only to be interrupted by Dick knocking on the office door.

“Hey, I'm really sorry to interrupt,” he said softly, sounding genuine. “Commish just wanted to talk to Amy real quick, if you have time?”

“Right, yes, I'll go there now,” Amy said, standing up. Marinette stood with her, grabbing her arm to stop her for a moment.

“Seriously, anytime you need me, give me a call,” she said in a low voice. “And feel free to use my apartment, just give me a heads up, okay?”

Dick was burning with curiosity but stayed silent as Amy thanked Marinette before heading off to talk to Jim. His heart was thudding in his chest and, ordinarily, he would have crossed the room and hugged her. But she looked distant and he didn't know how to close the gap.

“Is everything okay?” He asked eventually, his voice feeling too loud in the small space. Marinette jumped, like she had forgotten he was there. Anxiety pooled in his gut when she couldn't look at him for more than a few seconds. “Mari, can we talk? I know we're at work, it's just-”

“Yeah,” she said quietly, sitting down heavily in her chair again. He hesitated only a second before joining her, scooting his chair closer. “Dick, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to- to pressure you, or move too fast. I guess I just thought that we were further than we were. And if you need some space to cool off, or-”

“Wait, Marinette, you didn't pressure me,” he said, reaching out and gripping her hand tightly. “I one hundred percent want to get a place with you- I'm just not sure if I'm ready for it yet. It was bad timing for me to have forgotten to tell you about the family thing I had that night, but you wanting to move in together wasn't the reason for it. I don't need any more space than we already give each other, and I don't want it either.”

“Okay.” She nodded and her shoulders untensed a little. “So we're good? And you don't want to take a break? I know it's been kind of intense since you got back…”

“We're perfect,” he said firmly, sliding his hand along her arm as he leaned towards her. He tried to remain mindful of the fact that they were at work, but he had trouble pulling away when her lips met his. As usual, she was the one to pull back and he chased her for a second before she managed to fully.

“Are you free tonight to finish making up?” She murmured and he laughed, nodding vigorously. “Okay, I should really get back to work then. Amy has some solid leads and I'm hoping to get stuck into this case again.”

Dick sighed and collapsed onto the desk after she was gone, relief making him feel worn out. He waited for a few more minutes before heading back to his desk. He wasn't overly surprised to see Marinette's desk empty and decided he could probably use a coffee.

He was practically whistling as he walked, feeling ten times lighter than he had that morning when he stumbled across Amy and Officer Stevens having a quiet discussion. She looked like she wanted to be anywhere else and Dick decided he should step in. After all, Amy was Marinette's friend and he thought that she had warmed up to him since the previous weekend.

“Hey you two, everything alright?” Officer Stevens flashed a look at him and Dick frowned because it felt distinctly unfriendly. It lasted only a second but that impression wasn't easy to shake and he felt the need to put himself between the two. “Did your meeting with Gordon go okay, Amy?”

“Yes, but I should go find Marinette to discuss our case. Excuse me.”

It didn't take long for Stevens to excuse himself as well and Dick was left to frown and try to put his finger on what was making him feel so out of sorts about the interaction.

_ _ _

They decided to stay at Dick's that night, partially because it felt good to go back to the apartment where the problem had started and cleanse the air a little, but more because Marinette giving Amy a key for emergencies meant that she could interrupt at an unfortunate time.

Things felt back to normal and Dick was very affectionate all evening. Enough so that they had an early night, tangling together. So it was with a grumble that she rolled over in the middle of the night to check the text that came through on her phone.

“Amy just sent me an SOS,” Marinette murmured as she pulled herself out of bed. Dick grumbled and tried to pull her back into the bed but she swatted his hands away. “I have to go and make sure she's okay.”

“Fine, lemme grab my stuff,” he groaned, making a half hearted attempt to sit up. Marinette pushed him back down and kissed him.

“You stay here and rest up,” she said in a low, husky voice. “I have a feeling I'm going to want warming up when I get back.”

It didn't take long for her to make her way back to her apartment, speeding along on her bike. She pressed the engine, wanting to get there as quickly as possible. Marinette practically flew up the stairs to her apartment, breathing harder as she unlocked the door and stepped in.

“Amy?” She called out, flicking the light switch at the door only to find it wasn't working. She frowned and moved cautiously, not wanting to break anything or spook the other officer in case it was something serious. “Amy, are you alright? Are you here?”

She could hear panting and whimpers coming from her bedroom and frowned again. Amy wouldn't just go into her room, she was sure of it, but she couldn't think who else would be here. And sure enough, Amy was on the bed, curled in a ball and shaking. The behaviour was familiar, though Marinette couldn't place it right away. But she could see that Amy needed help, probably medical attention, so she pulled her phone out, intending to call an ambulance.

She realised a moment too late that she should have done a sweep of the apartment before searching for Amy. The last thing she heard before something smacked against the back of her head was a sinister cackle.

_ _ _

“Hey, commish, you heard from Marinette this morning?” Dick asked, popping his head around Jim's door. At the older man's head shake Dick blew out a worried breath, running a hand through his hair. “What about that officer that follows her around, Amy Jackson? Mari got a call out from her sometime last night and I haven't heard anything since.”

“Why was she calling DC for that?” Jim wondered, checking his desk for any notes. “Looks like Jackson was on duty with Stevens for a double shift last night. Hmmm…front desk says Jackson wasn't there for sign out, Stevens said she had a stomach bug.”

“If she had a stomach bug why did she send Marinette an SOS?” Dick asked, starting to feel panicked. “Jim, do you mind if I head over to Marinette’s? Just to see if she's there. Something feels wrong.”

“Go for it, let me know how it goes,” Jim nodded, jotting down some notes. “Do you remember what time it was when DC got the call?”

“I don't think it was a call. I think she said Amy sent an SOS, so that sounds like it was a text.”

“So it may very well not have been Jackson,” Jim said grimly. “I don't know if she got the chance to tell you yet but she was getting some phone calls from some low life that didn't agree with her poking into those missing persons cases.”

“She didn't mention it, no,” Dick murmured, head already at Marinette's apartment. “You said Stevens called Jackson out? I might stop in with him before I head out, find out what happened with her.”

“Yeah, I think I'll come with you, because that's not protocol and it's not the first time things have slipped with him. He was the signing officer when Marinette had some kidnappers processed. He didn't book em correctly and we all figured it was because of how new he was, but he's not new anymore.”

“You think he's crooked?” Dick asked sharply, not bothering to wait for Jim to answer. He came around to view the computer, navigating to the date that the warehouse Dick had been raided at to see if Stevens’ name was attached anywhere. “Son of a bitch, he was one of the officers on that night. Has anyone checked to make sure the evidence is still in?”

“Hang on, Dick, we can't rush into-”

Dick didn't hear whatever else was being said to him: he was across the room and out of the door before he registered that he was moving. The detour to the evidence locker felt unnecessary but he needed to have as much evidence as possible before he confronted Stevens.

But when he saw the empty locker, he saw red. His mind flashed back to the wrongness he felt when Stevens had cornered Amy the day before and he was moving again before he actively thought about it. The halls were busy but he had tunnel vision and the moment he caught sight of his target he was on him.

“You're a rat, Stevens, a fucking rat,” Dick shouted, holding the dirty cop up by his lapels. “Who are you working for? What do they want Marinette for? Answer me.”

“Dick, put him down before he can't tell us anything,” Gordon said, squeezing his shoulder. “We'll find her, okay? She's not gone, we'll find her.”

There was dead silence around him and he tried to rein in his temper, but he was coming apart. He hadn't involved himself in the case Marinette had been investigating as Dick but Nightwing knew plenty and none of it was good. The progress had been slow going, especially when the phone calls to Marinette's phone had stopped and better known kids stopped disappearing as much, but Jason had mentioned that street kids were still vanishing.

Jim managed to disengage Dick's hands from Stevens’ uniform but took hold of the officer's arm to drag him away.

Everything that followed was a blur. Officers were dispatched to Marinette's apartment and they found Officer Amy Jackson dead at the scene. The door had been left ajar but otherwise there were no signs of a struggle. Marinette's phone was in pieces on her dining table but the apartment was clean.

Jim sent Dick home.

_ _ _

Dick paced the length of the cave, having called for help as soon as he was out of the precinct. Bruce had tried to get him to calm down but Dick was terrified and couldn't stop moving. Damian had come home early from school, but had yet to add anything to the discussion.

Tim was working at the computer, muttering to himself as his fingers flew over the keyboard. Amy's autopsy had been put as a priority but Dick was pretty sure this was related to the drug case he'd been on assignment for given Stevens' involvement as a dirty cop. Finally, Tim turned around to address the room.

“Okay, we can see from the bugs in her living room she was calling out for Amy at her place at-”

“What do you mean you bugged her place?” Dick asked quietly, outrage slicing through his worry. Tim went silent, and Damian froze where he was. “Why? Why would you do that?”

“We were trying to keep her safe,” Bruce said just as quietly. Dick glared at him mutinously. “Wing, she lives alone and was getting threatening phone calls. We were hoping to catch whoever was doing it. You know how we work, this shouldn't be a surprise.”

“Then why are there still bugs? If it was about her safety, why weren't they taken out once I was back?”

“We hadn't found time to do it yet. And now, because we didn't, we have an accurate idea of when she was taken, and by who. This is a good thing, Nightwing,” Bruce said, tone leaving no room for argument. Dick bristled further but Bruce turned back to Tim. “What time?”

Tim gave him the information but kept looking at Dick nervously. Damian waited until Bruce and Tim were stuck into discussing the details before he approached Dick.

“Nightwing, I must apologise to you,” he said stiffly. His upper face was covered by his mask but the frown on his mouth was tinged with worry. “I was also part of the plan to monitor DC’s apartment and did not disclose that information to you. I'm sure it is of little comfort but we did not bug her bedroom or bathroom, only the living spaces. And we did not monitor it continuously, only when there was unexpected activity. In addition, once you returned we only checked in infrequently.”

“Robin, I appreciate you sharing this with me but I can't deal with this right now,” Dick admitted, filtering his hand through his hair. “The fact is, we have information we wouldn't have had if you hadn't done it and that has to be good enough. But if this is linked to that new drug then Joker's involved and that terrifies me.”

Damian grew quiet at that and Dick resumed pacing.

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