#Introducing: Mousinette!

[starwarsmum]

A new fic? Me? Must be Wednesday 😅 this is based off a prompt for @apileofashandember about Marinette meeting the batfam through Penny ❤️

The rating on this is Mature because it gets a little spicy further down the line! You have been warned 😘

Chapter 1: A Liar Ruins a Website

Marinette sat alone in her room, hands scrunched in her hair as she muffled her screams into her bed. Her laptop sat innocently on her pillow, new comments popping up every few minutes on her now ruined website. 

“Make a website, Jagged said, it'll get your name out there, he said,” she complained to Tikki. The tiny god wisely said nothing, but settled itself into her hair. “How did that liar even find out about it? No, don't answer that,” she added when Tikki took a breath. “If I don't take my website down now, my name will be ruined, and I will never design professionally again.”

One short internet search later, and her heart broke as she changed the code to an out of service message. She would have to email the half a dozen clients that she had secured in the past month or so, and contact Jagged and Penny to let them know. It wasn't fair, she had worked so hard on making her website cute and fun. And now all of that hard work was ruined.

She sighed and opened up her group chat with Jagged and Penny, looking back at the good luck messages she had received from them about the website. It made her miss the early days of her commissions, when Jagged had asked her to make a pair of sunglasses and an album cover.

Nette: hey, just to let you know, I had to take the site down. someone said I stole their work and I got a bunch of hate

Auntie P: what?! who dares? I'm sorry Nette, that's awful

Uncle J: that's not rock n roll! is it that girl you told us about? Leela? Layla? 

Nette: probably, not that I can prove it

Marinette sighed, rubbing her eyes. She fired off the emails to her clients, hoping to get ahead for the night. She had finished her homework, but she still had an hour or two before she crashed for the night so she was hoping to get at least one of the designs finalised.

She got lost in the designing process, fresh pages becoming covered in sketches and annotations. She surfaced from her work after Tikki reminded her that she had school the next morning, so she readied herself for bed. When she checked her messages again before she went to sleep, she saw a new one flashing on the group chat.

Aunt P: if you need a hand rebranding, creating a new website, just let us know. we're proud of you for being so mature with this and we'll help you succeed

Nette: thanks both, I may take you up on that. I just need a couple of days to get over this setback and we'll sort it

It was after a fitful night's sleep that Marinette awoke, late as usual, and ran through her morning rituals. She shoved her hair into a bun, dragged on a semi-respectable outfit and grabbed a croissant on her way through the bakery. Now that she was in lycée, she had to travel further in the mornings. Fortunately, with the motorcycle she had finally passed the test to drive, she didn't need to rely on public transport to get there.

“Girl, are you okay?” Alya raced up to her as she pulled into the lycée car park, throwing her arms around Marinette. “Lila told us your website went down last night, right when she was about to submit a request! What happened?”

“Someone started a rumour that I stole my designs and it meant a bunch of people started trashing the site,” Marinette said, trying to keep her voice even. She couldn't help stressing the first word, as she knew who was likely behind it, but she regretted it when Alya sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose.

“Not again, Marinette! I know it's been hard for you since you and Adrien didn't work out, and now it looks like he and Lila are going to start dating, but you need to stop with the jealousy! I love you, girl, but you get so into your head about him.”

“Alya, I didn't even say anything!” Marinette protested, weariness settling back onto her like an old, heavy blanket. “Look, whatever, it's not important right now. We're going to be late to class if we don't hustle.”

“I know you, Mari, you always think it was Lila!” Alya sounded exasperated, and it wasn't like Marinette could refute it. They walked along the hallway to their lockers, nodding at their friends as they passed. “And I get it, really, you can't help how you feel, but like I've told you before, you have to look at things objectively to get to the truth!”

Marinette bit her tongue, not wanting to point out that Alya’s blind insistence that Lila would never do such a thing was just as subjective as her believing that she had. She deliberately changed the topic to something else, ignoring the disapproving look her best friend shot her.

When they entered their classroom, Marinette greeted her other friends, sliding easily into her seat. She had chosen to sit at the back of the class so that nobody could say she had to give up her seat to someone else, reducing the upset it caused when Lila started spinning tales. She was fortunate that Lila had been placed in a different class in the previous years, but in her last year of lycée, her luck had finally run out.

“Oh my gosh, Marinette, I heard about your website!” Came the liar's high pitched faux-concerned voice. It grated on her that she would have to play nice with Lila once again, as Lila got her jabs in at Marinette. “It's so scary that someone would start a rumour about your work ethic, with so little evidence! Adrien and I were talking about it last night, he's always saying how you're still such a good friend to him.”

“Yeah, well, actually there's no evidence of me stealing designs because it's one hundred percent untrue,” Marinette said blandly, staring Lila down. She ignored the distressed noises the other girl started to make and waved a hand. “It doesn't matter, I have a few commissions to get through, but then I should take a break from designing to focus on the BAC anyway…”

Everyone around her told her it was such a shame that she wouldn't be able to take on new commissions for a while and she nodded glumly. She had no intention of stopping designing, of course, but this would hopefully give her some breathing room whilst she got herself set up again - anonymously this time. 

Which sadly meant that Max was no longer an option for making a new website. As much as she loved her friends, they really didn't look too hard at Lila's fantastic stories, which meant they would blithely tell the witch when Marinette set up again. This way, she would make a name for herself separately, and claim the brand in a few years once it was fully legitimised.

The lessons that day felt like they dragged on forever, Marinette just wanting to go home and make some progress on her commissions. She had learned to keep her sketchbooks at home - she didn't want to lose her work to people like 14-year-old Chloe - so she focused on trying to get a headstart on her homework whenever she had a free minute.

“Marinette! We were just talking about our Christmas plans, girl, weren't you making a bunch of designs for the local nativity play?” Alya beckoned her over and Marinette hid the grimace that threatened to cross her face. “Wow, that's so cool! Did you volunteer or something?”

“Not really, they saw some of my work and offered me a reasonable price for their main costumes for the play,” Marinette answered, wary of where the conversation would go next. She had stopped doing freebies for her friends, which had upset them until she had explained that she wanted to go to university in America and needed to spend all of her time on paid commissions. 

“Oh, it's so nice for you that you're comfortable taking pay from such an underfunded space, Marinette!” Lila put in, sounding sweet as per usual, but with all of the underhandedness that Marinette was accustomed to. “I was just telling Rose that I'm planning on volunteering my time at a soup kitchen throughout the Christmas period. My friends, Damian and Tim, their family funds a few different charities both here and abroad. Do you think Adrien will be able to help out too?”

“You should probably check with his aunt,” she replied flatly, refusing to be baited into an argument about whether she should be doing the costumes for free. “I need to go and eat, excuse me.” She pushed away from the table, feeling drained again and resolutely ignoring the conversation that picked up about Lila's ‘friends’. Marinette was sure that whoever Lila was claiming to know this time had no clue who she was and she wasn't going to get stuck in that mess.

She toyed with her phone before deciding that she absolutely needed a new website and that Penny's friend was likely her best bet. So she crafted her message, begging Penny to put her in touch with her computer whiz before slogging through her homework and lunch.

_ _ _

Marinette sat nervously at her desk later that evening, waiting for the video call Penny had promised her. They had decided a three-way call was the best way to introduce them both, but as the other two were in America, it was later than Marinette would have liked for a video call.

Tikki was sitting quietly on her shoulder as she sketched anxiously. She knew that whoever Penny was introducing her to would be nice enough, but she was always unsure of meeting new people. She added a few details to her work, and jumped when the laptop began ringing. She hastily accepted the call, twisting in her chair and tapping her fingers.

“Hi, Nette,” came Penny's bright voice. “And hey Babs, thanks for coming on the call to help. Marinette, this is Barbara, an old student of sorts. I worked with her back when I was an aide at Gotham U, she was studying library science with a minor in computer sciences. Babs, this is Marinette, Jagged's personal designer. She's done a ton of his more recent album artwork and designed all of his stage outfits for the last 2 years. She's also our honorary niece.”

“It's a pleasure to meet you, Marinette!” The woman was leaning towards her screen, scrutinising the teenager. Marinette eyed her as well, seeing a whole mane of red hair and glasses above a broad smile. “Penny mentioned you needed some help with a website, though she didn't mention you were so accomplished already.”

“Ah, yes, I had some recent trouble with my own website and I don't have enough technical know-how to create something secure. I'm planning to go anonymous, to prevent the same thing happening again, but I have no idea where to start,” Marinette explained, twirling a lock of hair around her finger. 

“And how do you plan to get clients if you have no base to start from?” Babs was beginning to type furiously, a gleam in her eyes. “Don't get me wrong, I'm sure your work is wonderful, but if you don't have any endorsements, isn't it really hard to break onto the fashion scene?”

“Oh, well I thought I'd have Jagged do the introduction, if that's okay, Pen? Because I'm under 18, I didn't tell anyone except my maman that I was working with Jagged and she promised to keep it to herself. I figured that way I can sort commissions and won't have a problem with getting new clients.”

“Wicked idea, M!” Came Jagged's voice from off screen, making her giggle. “Babs, let us know when you have her site up and running and I'll rep it on my socials. Rock n roll, girls!”

So they worked out the logistics moving forward, Marinette trading contact info with Barbara and promising one evening a week to go over the website details. It was everything Marinette had hoped for when Penny had offered to connect her with a friend. When the call finally ended, it was closer to midnight in Paris and she was relieved that it was a weekend the following day.

“That went well, Marinette,” Tikki squeaked at her, floating around head height as the girl got herself ready for bed. Marinette agreed before collapsing into bed with a groan. It didn't take long for her to pass out, a slight smile on her face.

[xhanisai]

I'm satisfied, How would Kwami Buster go down?

In Kiss AU? Hmmm...

The beginning starts off the same with Plagg sneaking out of Adrien’s bag for the cheese trap whilst Tikki darts after him. Adrien and Marinette are too busy flirting chatting to notice. 

The whole chase scene happens with Md. Mendelieve trying to catch the kwamis and so on. 

Adrien’s at Marinette’s house (for a sleepover) when they both scold Tikki and Plagg, the former much more apologetic than the latter. 

“Adrien...I’m really worried. I feel like those two are hiding something,” Marinette furrowed her eyebrows sadly, cuddling her partner closer whilst eyeing the slumbering kwamis in the pillows besides them.

“I would have easily gotten it out of Plagg with some camembert but Tikki seems to have a leash on him. She must be really scary to have him so tight lipped.” The blonde unconsciously let his fingers comb through the girl’s hair, resting his cheek against her head and inhaled her sweet scent.

“Or maybe he’s just really whipped? Tikki is far too sweet and kind to hurt a fly, let alone cute little Plagg.” Adrien playfully flicked her nose with his other hand, making her squeal.

“It’s the cute ones you have to watch out for,” 

Marinette sat up quickly, raising a sly brow at him whilst Adrien smirked back. Both of their fingers itched for a pillow, never breaking eye contact.

“You’re right, but I’ve always known how dangerous you could be despite those cute kitty eyes,” Taking advantage of Adrien’s sudden blush, Marinette launched forward with her pillow, earning a delighted yelp and another pillow chucked at her head.

Oh it was war!

The next day, goes per canon where Md. Mendelieve goes on that TV show and tries to prove that the kwamis are really, only for it to backfire on her. Adrien and Marinette sneak out together, shocked but slightly mad at the little kwamis. They tell them off, Plagg especially till they hear screaming upstairs. Things carry on canon, both get their kwamis sucked out by Kwami Buster and immediately had to hide. Marinette told Adrien to stay in decent hiding spot whilst she comes back with help. Introducing Banana Noir!

Since the other miraculouses only require the phrase, Marinette was able to transform as Multimouse with ease. She does get a bit dizzy and tired from all the miraculouses she was wearing. 

Everything goes per canon save for Chat immediately recognising his partner.

“Damn girl! You have great buns!” Banana Noir received a glare from all the individual Mousinettes, silencing him. “Hehe...guess I just booked my funeral in early...”

Saving the day was a cinch for these two. The only difference is that after Chat dropped the teacher back to her class, he immediately vaulted back to Marinette who was still in her Ladybug attire. She was on the floor, clutching her head with a frown.

“Bug? You okay? That must have been so painful...” Chat rubbed circles on her shoulders, lips mirroring her frown.

“I’m okay, just knackered,”

“Marinette...”

“Fine! I feel like I got hit by a truck. Happy?” She received an appreciative kiss on the forehead, already making her pain lessen. 

“I had many jokes to tell, ready to tease you as soon as I saw you as a mouse-”

“And I’d have throttled you with my rope.”

“Ooo kinky~”

“Adrien...”

“So cute~ I’d have eaten you.” The boy rubbed his nose against hers, helping Ladybug stand up. 

“There are some cats out there that are afraid of mice- you’re one of them.” Ladybug suddenly leaned into his face, making Chat take an instinctive step back, as if he’s the prey. “Got ya~” 

“H-Hey! I wasn’t ready!”

The end!

[starwarsmum]

Chapter 7 of Introducing: Mousinette 🥰 Moving to Gotham

In spite of having tried to plan a celebration with everyone for their BAC results, Marinette was the only one in their group who had not yet turned eighteen. And so, Lila had convinced the group that the club she had dragged them to would allow Marinette in if she gave her name at the door, regardless of their over-eighteens only policy.

Trying not to get overly worked up, she apologised to the bouncer at the club, messaging Alya to say that she was going to find somewhere to hang out for the next hour or so before heading home. She didn't expect a message back - the club had sounded unreasonably loud and Lila had a way of making Alya think that Marinette was tardier than she ever was these days.

She also pulled up her messages to Chloe and Adrien, venting her frustrations about their friendship group. Chloe messaged back immediately, saying that she was welcome to come to the hotel and spend time with her and Kagami, but Marinette declined. She knew the girls had not been able to go on a proper date in a while and didn't want to crash it.

After ninety minutes with no messages, Marinette paid for another coffee to go, and left the diner she had made camp in. It was a gorgeous evening, the streetlights twinkling along the Seine and various groups of people having fun. She stayed on well lit streets, enjoying the buoyant mood around her as she walked home.

Once home, she crept quietly upstairs, trying not to wake her parents. Sighing in relief when she made it to her room, she switched on her laptop and dropped a message to Barbara. Having cancelled their regular catch up, Marinette didn't expect to get a response, so was pleasantly surprised when a video call lit up her screen.

“Hey Babs,” she said quietly, leaning back in her bed and picking up an embroidery hoop. “I thought you would be busy since I cancelled on you. I was really only messaging to let you know I was home safe after the night flopped.”

“Hey Mari! Well, it's not just me tonight I'm afraid, I have visitors. Dick and Steph both came over to keep me company,” Barbara replied enthusiastically, and the other two popped their faces in to say hi. “But how come you're home so early?”

So Marinette gave a brief recount of her evening, laughing a little at Dick's affronted expression. When she had finished, she felt a little better for having vented, and so was stabbing her embroidery needle slightly less viciously. “But nothing new, I should have seen this coming when Alya suggested somewhere new. And I bet Lila manages to twist this against me somehow.”

“Wow, she sounds like a bitch,” Steph said offhandedly, although she looked annoyed. “Babe, if you need us to bring the smackdown, please just tell us. I will steal Bruce's jet and be there as soon as humanly possible to set people straight. Hell, I'll even bring the Demon with me to hammer it home if I have to.” 

Giggling at the thought, Marinette beamed at the blonde woman. She looked back down and finished a particularly tricky part of the embroidery before looking back at them all. “Oh my God, did I tell you that she lies about being besties with Tim and Damian? I swear she's a compulsive liar, I'm not sure I've ever heard her tell the truth, except for the times she's threatened me,” she added, almost thoughtfully.

“Hold up, she did what?” Dick said, looking even more concerned, if it was possible. He was typing furiously into his phone, typing, Marinette assumed, a message to Tim. “What's this girl's name? I know she can't possibly know Damian, because Damian has exactly one friend, but Tim really needs to shut this down if she's using his name for clout.”

“It's Lila Rossi, but she's not using it for clout per se, she's just using it to make our terrifyingly gullible classmates worship the ground she walks on. I'm not really sure what she gets out of it, other than irritating me and making ‘friends’,” she said, making sure they knew she didn't think they were really friends if she was lying to get them. “But it really doesn't matter, it's the end of June and I move to Gotham mid July. At which point, I don't have to deal with her anymore, plus I get to live some of the lies she tells.”

“It's still not cool, so I'm just giving Tim her name in case it crops up at some point. But she just lies? And nobody calls her out? Hell, I should get Tim to do a French press release just for this, she's clearly a menace to society. Just let us know if we need to do anything for you, we will shut it down,” Dick promised, which made Marinette smile.

“You'd have to get in line behind Jagged,” she admitted ruefully, chuckling at their confused expressions. “That was the first lie, she said she saved Jagged's kitten, as if he's ever had something as tame as a kitten, and she still says she's close with him. It's how she's got them believing half of what she says now. But I really don't want to talk about it any more. If I let her take up space in my brain, she wins.”

The other three begrudgingly accepted this, moving the conversation on to Marinette's impending relocation to the States. The conversation continued, touching briefly on Marinette's birthday plans. Marinette admitted that she didn't plan on doing much, as she would be too busy packing, but her parents were taking her and a few friends to a fancy restaurant to celebrate.

Actually moving from Paris to Gotham was an experience, one Marinette felt she could maybe have lived without. She had found a nice apartment, it had a main bedroom, living area with kitchenette, and a spare room, where she planned on putting her commission work. Moving all of her sewing equipment had been a hassle, and she needed to get extra furniture before she could set it up.

Fortunately, she had gotten herself ahead of her commissions and the space at Wayne Enterprises was all set for her work there. It meant that she could take a day or so to visit thrift stores and find a serviceable workbench or desk, as well as hit the local fabric stores for materials.

But for that night, she wanted to settle into the place, find somewhere secure to store the Miracle Box and sleep. She forced herself to order some takeout and eat it, but then she went through her nightly routine. Her room was at the top of the building, slightly cheaper because you could sometimes hear the vigilantes of Gotham pounding across the roof, but she wasn't really one for waking up to that kind of noise. Tikki would wake her if it was dangerous, but she often slept through most everything.

She found it relatively easy to fall asleep, and Tikki was nestled away on top of the Box. She didn't really remember dreaming at first, but she did jolt awake at 2am, having had a nightmare about Chat Blanc. Even though they were well past the issue, when she was disrupted she found her anxiety liked to bring that particular memory out for a spin.

Sighing and moving quietly, so as not to wake Tikki, and not to annoy her downstairs neighbours, she crept over to her kitchenette. After taking a long drink of cold water from the filter in her refrigerator, she felt the urge to step outside. She listened intently for a moment but couldn't hear footsteps, so she slid the window open and stepped onto the fire escape.

Moving lightly, she slid onto the roof, breathing in the cooler air. It was a warm night and the apartment trapped heat like crazy. She didn't have a trap door to let the heat out, so having access to the roof was nice. Knowing that she was in Gotham, she kept her guard up, which means she wasn't overly surprised when someone stepped out of the shadows on the other side of the roof.

“Bonjour,” she said, smiling up at Robin as he moved towards her. She refused to be intimidated by his silence, and turned back to the skyline view from the edge. 

Damian paused, unsure of how to deal with the sudden reappearance of the woman who had changed his behaviour so much, without even being present. He had been prepared to run into her in the office, even to meet her at the university, but during his time as a vigilante? And out on the rooftops, instead of during a mugging, or worse.

“Are you not sketching tonight?” He cringed internally at his abruptness, but outwardly he was cool and curious. She shrugged lightly, peering at him sideways. He could tell she remembered their previous encounter, and he had often wondered how she saw him. It wasn't often he interacted with civilians in both of his identities, and he found himself wondering how they compared.

They stood together in silence for a few minutes before she stepped over to the fire escape again, without saying a word. He quashed the disappointment that welled within him, watching as her head vanished from sight. He stood, immobile for several moments, and was about to retreat back to his perch when she reappeared.

“I'm afraid I don't have anything homemade today, but I did pick up a pack of cookies on my way here,” she said, apparently in explanation. He cocked his head at her, confused. She blushed a little, turning her back on the city to sit upon the ledge. “In Paris, when we had an active supervillain, the heroes would stop by my balcony on occasion, and I would provide a place to rest. Unfortunately, I do not have a balcony here, and I only moved in this afternoon, so I could not bake anything. But if you plan to be here regularly, I can leave some food out. It has always seemed hungry work, being a hero.”

“Vigilante,” he said automatically, leaning forward onto his forearms against the ledge she perched upon. “And whilst I appreciate the sentiment, I am not fond of sweets, particularly mass produced and packaged.”

“Alright,” she shrugged again, taking one for herself and closing the packet. She didn't say anything more, staying close to him without ever crowding him. As it ticked over to 3am, he excused himself, unmuting his comm and letting the team know that he was returning to base. He could feel her eyes on him as he leapt from building to building.

The next time he returned to the rooftop, he was curious as to whether she would be there. It was sooner than he thought it would be, not even a full week later. The roof was empty and he allowed himself to deliberately scuff his boots to make noise. It was just past midnight, early in his usual patrol but the previous night had seen them bust a particularly heinous trafficking ring. The nights following ones like that were notoriously quiet, so he saw no harm in situating himself on an innocuous rooftop and waiting to respond to any threats.

He saw her head peek over the top of the ledge, and her face brightened into a smile as she spotted him. His comm was already muted, most of the team recovering from minor scrapes and the remainder being in no mood to socialise during their individual patrols. Grayson was patrolling the other side of town, but the comm was silent from his usual prattle.

He eyed the plate in Marinette's hand as she approached him and went to remind her that he did not eat sweets often when she gave him a quiet greeting. He felt wrong footed, as though she were following a script and he hadn't been given any notes. Rather than perch where she had last time, she came over to his own perch and settled onto the roof rather than the ledge.

“I know you don't normally eat sweets, so I made some mini quiches and cheese twists,” she said when she was fully settled. He hesitated again, unsure if he should eat anything. He would never normally accept food from a civilian during patrol, but ordinarily he would not have spoken with her either. 

When he did accept one, she seemed to brighten considerably, and began chattering about her day, how she had gone into her new job’s building and made a great deal of progress on her work. He already knew she was working at Wayne Enterprises, so he didn't make any outward reaction when she mentioned Drake as her boss.

“So you have always helped your city's heroes by providing nourishment?” He wanted to learn more about the Parisian heroes and her relationship with them seemed the easiest way to breach that topic. “Did they not find you suspicious?”

“Do you find me suspicious?” He would have thought her pretending to be coy if he couldn't hear a genuine sort of surprise to the question. When he didn't say anything, she continued. “Huh, well, no, I guess they didn't. It was mostly Chat Noir who visited me, and we met because I was being targeted by one of the akuma…”

As she launched into a description of her experience with someone called the Evillustrator, he watched her, fascinated by how emotive she was to this version of him. He asked questions as she spoke, and she answered eagerly. He wondered if she had spoken to anyone else about her experiences with heroes.

It startled him when Grayson called for help in his sector, and he hastily said goodbye to Marinette before launching into the night, confirming that he was on his way. He wondered, after the threat was dealt with, whether he would see her on the roof again.

_ _ _

She hadn't intended to befriend the vigilante that frequented her rooftop, but that's what had happened. Sometimes she would be up there already, working on designs, sometimes she would wake when he was stationed above and come to join him. Other times, she would be awake when his feet scuffed the rooftop and she would make her way up. She shared a lot about her time in Paris, finding it easier to talk about her old friends, the villains, and Lila, without worrying that he would dismiss her. It also helped having an outside perspective, something she couldn't get from anyone else.

It was a slightly dreary evening at the end of summer when she began to talk about her plans for the coming academic year. She was huddled closer to him than usual, using him to shield herself from the light rain. She felt a rush of affection for him, not dissimilar to how she would feel as Ladybug, interacting with Chat Noir. 

“I just can't believe I have to start classes soon,” she mused, flicking open an app on her phone with her schedule. “I might not be up on the roof as often, but I can leave snacks out in plastic boxes. And I'll try to come out, once a month at least. You're probably the only friend other than Babs that I've made since getting here.”

“What about your employer? I had thought you were on good terms with him,” he said quietly, apparently trying to hide a smile. “And you are sure to make friends in your classes. It is more likely that you will stop coming up here because you have a more filled social calendar, is it not?”

“Hmmm, I don't think so. My understanding is that the first year of university is to be social, but I have already locked myself into a job that will take up so much of my free time, and I have a scholarship to maintain. No, I think it more likely that you will get bored of quiet nights on the roof once the weather changes,” she said ruefully. “And that is a shame, because you are surprisingly good company. When I talk to Babs about the vigilantes,” she missed the panic that flashed across his face, “she says that Nightwing is known to be chatty, Red Robin is some kind of super genius, Red Hood is violent and you are supposedly very prickly.”

“You talk to your friend about these visits?” He sounded confused, maybe a little concerned and she waved her hands emphatically.

“Oh, no, absolutely not. She already worries about me living alone on the top apartment of a complex, I don't want her to know I regularly go onto the roof, alone save for dubiously grouchy vigilantes,” she teased, smiling again. When he nodded, she thought she spotted some relief, which made her wonder if he usually was prickly, but she had somehow earned his friendship.

“Well, perhaps you will befriend more dubiously grouchy people,” he said, sounding amused. She hummed thoughtfully, thinking of another dark haired boy, one who was genuinely grouchy. “Or perhaps you will attract rays of sunshine. Or more people like your unfortunate nemesis, Lila.”

“God, I hope not,” she groaned, looking out at the cityscape again. “If I come across another one of her, I'm calling bull. Did I ever tell you she lies about knowing the upper echelons of Gotham? Claims to be besties with the Waynes, which I know for a fact is a lie, because I asked Tim outright. And if she's friends with Damian, they deserve each other,” she finished sourly.

“You have a problem with the youngest Wayne?” He asked, voice rumbling quietly. She hesitated, wishing she'd minded her tongue - she made an effort not to badmouth any of her acquaintances to him, not knowing who he was or who he knew.

“I wouldn't say I have a problem, per se. He's kind of stuck up, which should be expected, being from money. Like my friend Chloe, she was awful to grow up with and her dad was mayor of Paris. But he's an adult and was just so dismissive of me, right when we first met. Which, fine, I don't need to be friends with everyone, but he's both my boss's little brother and a sort of brother to my friend Babs, so I wanted to get on with him. If I had more time and energy, I might've tried to wear him down, but I'm in a new city, I have work and I have classes.”

“Well, if he was foolish enough to treat you poorly without reason, he will probably give you space. But if you are worried about it for your friends’ sake, perhaps you could extend an olive branch. Perhaps he was having a bad day when you met.”

“The next time I spent one on one time with him, he called me short and childish,” she said flatly, once again missing the contrite look that crossed his face. “He also said that cooking was easy, even though he's never tried it, and that moving out of his manor was beneath him. But forget that, I'm running my mouth when I shouldn't. It happens when I'm nervous, and the idea of starting university in a completely different country is scary.”

They lapsed into a comfortable silence, and Marinette was relieved she hadn't ruined things by ranting about her not-problems. When she eventually went inside, she went straight to bed, and slept through until morning.

[starwarsmum]

Chapter 6 of Introducing: Mousinette! Results Day 😁

After Marinette left Gotham behind (hopefully temporarily) she braced herself for the final school term. She woke on the first morning back at school and felt melancholic - this was the last time she would start a fresh term with her current friends. Sure, it wasn't like she'd never see them again but still.

“Tikki, why is change so hard? I had a wonderful time in Gotham, but how is it possible that lycée is over so soon?” she sighed, ruffling her fingers through her hair as she took a final look in the mirror. Tikki gave her some encouraging words and she smiled, grabbing her backpack as she walked out of the room.

Approaching the lycée, Marinette slowed down and checked her phone for messages. Now that she was back in Europe, her new American friends were unlikely to message her during her morning routines and school - they should either be sleeping or working. But Adrien had found time to message her, asking about her trip and whether she was ready for school again.

She smiled and sent him a short text saying that she was happy but also sad and nervous about the next step after this. The rest of this term was about preparing students for their next step in life, rather than learning about topics. She kept her smile all the way to her desk, thankfully able to block out Lila's high pitched (and likely false) recounting of her break.

Sadly, she could only ignore it for so long, Alya dragging her into the conversation by asking how her break was.

“Isn't it crazy that you were both in Gotham? Lila was just saying that she spent most of her break with the Waynes, which is so cool! Didn't you say you went to view the Gotham U campus with your aunt and uncle?”

“Yeah, and we met up with my online friend's family. She has a younger brother planning to go to GU, same as me! He's a bit of a jerk, but you know, I don't have to spend time with him if I get accepted. I've already started researching fashion internships, in case. How was your break?”

“My break was boring, mostly spent it babysitting and being relieved that there's no more tests! Ooh, your online friend that sent you flowers on Valentine's Day? Did sparks fly when you finally met face to face?”

“Um, no, I think I traumatised her, actually. And she definitely only sees me as a little sister, so I spent some of my time getting over the tiny crush I had,” Marinette shrugged. She had grown massively from when she would sob about how unfair it was that someone didn't love her back. She had a better sense of her own self-worth and wasn't going to waste her energy on trying to force things to change. “Besides, she's almost twice my age, I'm not sure I would have liked her as much if she did have feelings for me.”

“Oh, that's such a shame, Marinette!” Lila cooed, drawing Alya’s attention back to her. “I'm sure you'll find someone eventually , some people are just unlucky like that. Like my friend, Damian, he told me he has feelings for someone, but she doesn't feel the same. I've told him I'll help him confess but he won't even tell me who it is.”

“Ooh, girl, you don't think he could be crushing on you , do you?” Alya had taken the bait, and Marinette had to work not to audibly groan. She knew it was all lies, because after spending two evenings with Barbara's not-quite-family, she had worked out that they were the same Waynes that Lila had been bragging about for the past few months. When she had asked about her, they had claimed confusion and she let it go.

“Oh, I hope not,” Lila replied, managing to sound both flattered and crestfallen. Honestly, if Marinette didn't detest her so much she would be impressed. “I would hate to hurt a friend, just because I don't feel the same. I mean, we all know how certain people,” she added significantly, eyes darting to Marinette, “can't handle when people don't return feelings. Our friendship might not be the same again!”

Gritting her teeth, Marinette turned away as Alya continued the conversation and tried to get a handle on the flash of anger that had flickered through her. It's my last term with the lying witch, she consoled herself. And then I'll be away from here, actually friends with some of the Waynes and she'll drop into obscurity.

_ _ _

Barbara was in the batcave when her phone started belting out Katrina and the Waves’ Walking on Sunshine. The others around her, getting ready to call it a night after patrol, glanced over to her, quizzical looks on most faces. Damian was scowling, but given that was his usual look, she paid it no mind.

“Hey Mari, what's up?” Barbara said as she answered the phone. Jason snorted at the ringtone and Damian seemed to freeze before shrugging it off. She eyed him speculatively for a moment, before focussing back on the call.

“I got in!” Came the shriek from the other end of the line. “I got my BAC score today, and I got a freaking 19 and I only needed a 16 to get in so I'm going to Gotham University!”

“That's incredible, way to go Mari! Does that mean it's time to apply for those internships? Oh my god, you have to promise me we'll do girls nights when you're here,” she was babbling, but she wasn't used to having civilian friends any more. It would be nice to let loose with Marinette, even if it was only once in a while.

“Obviously we will, but I have to go for now, I need to go down and tell my parents! Talk to you on Saturday.” And the dial tone rang in Barbara's ear suddenly. She grinned, shaking her head. Chances were, Marinette would realise she had called Barbara at 3 in the morning, Gotham time, but she was pleased that she had wanted to tell her so much that the time difference hadn't even crossed her mind.

“I take it that your…friend will be attending the same university as me this fall?” Damian said suddenly, standing to the side. He huffed slightly at her brisk nod and walked away without another word. She glanced around and caught Dick's eye, but he only shrugged as he walked over to her.

“I don't know what that was about, he hasn't mentioned her to me since the day we went to tour the college,” he said. “You know what he's like with new people though, he's probably just worried we're going to make them hang out.”

Barbara hummed in agreement, picking up her phone again when a message chimed. She smiled when she saw that Marinette had indeed realised the time in Gotham and was both apologetic and a little concerned that Barbara had still been awake.

Across the world in Paris, Marinette had messaged Chloe, Kagami, Adrien and Alya to let them know the good news. She was grinning from ear to ear, bouncing around her room and squealing every now and then. She had already started packing almost everything, regardless of if she would need it between now and when she moved to Gotham.

“Tikki, it's really happening! Oh my God, it's going to be so incredible, we can move into the dorms, make friends and learn so much! And I need to find an internship, God that's going to be so stressful!” She threw herself into her desk chair and let it wheel her to her computer, throwing herself onto her arms.

“Marinette, I'm so proud of you! You worked so hard on your BAC, and you have so many options with internships thanks to the work you've put into commissions!” Tikki was fluttering around her head, smiling and squealing. “We’ll need to consider our options because we can't let any dorm mates know about me.”

“Ugh, right, magical secrets,” Marinette moaned, thinking hard. “The dorms we looked at were pretty small, not a lot of privacy and no soundproofing. That doesn't sound like I'd be able to keep you out of the box…okay, new plan! We're going to secure an internship and get an apartment, that way it's our space. It'll probably be easier doing commissions anyway.”

Now that she had made the first decision, it was easy to see what next steps to take. She started looking at the listings near the university for 1 or 2 bedroom apartments, writing off several that looked beautiful but had ridiculously low prices. She settled on two or three that seemed reasonable and sent emails to them.

She then started to scout out internships, checking the employees testimonies and looking at potential salaries. She sent emails to all of them, but took extra care on the ones she wanted. Wayne Enterprises was at the top of her list, both because she knew them personally and because it was high on the list for employee treatment. 

She sighed and stretched again, checking her phone and grinning at her new messages. She opened the one from Kagami first, the slightly formal manner making her glow with pride at how well she had done. Chloe's was more relaxed but just as proud. Alya hadn't messaged back yet, but Adrien’s was sweet.

Hey Bug, that's so awesome! I knew you could do it, you've always been the perfect one of the two of us. Let me know if I can help at all with the changes etc. <3

Although it had been a hard decision at the time, breaking up was the right thing to do. When they had revealed their identities after catching Hawkmoth, it had been awkward and tense. They had decided together that there was too much between them now, and that being friends was better than trying to force it to work.

They had both made token arguments, trying to keep the relationship, if only because it turned out they were Ladybug and Chat Noir, Marinette and Adrien; their friends shipped them so hard, they had practically cried when the pair finally started dating (Alya totally cried when they stopped dating, too). 

Their new friendship was built on the solid foundation of having spent time fighting a supervillain, shared stresses of hidden identities and dealing with mini gods. But moving in with his aunt in England meant that Adrien had had to break up with another person - Plagg. Plagg was getting some much needed rest in the Miracle Box, coming out occasionally to chat with the Guardian and Tikki.

Now that she was out of texts and tasks, Marinette decided it was time to do some designing again. She had a free day from lycée and planned to utilise it properly. All of the joyous energy that had flooded her was ready to be honed, and she wanted to see what she came up with. 

So it was several hours later that she heard the chime of her emails, and realised that she hadn't moved in that time. Cursing softly, she made her way to the bathroom, went down to the kitchen to grab a drink and a snack, before settling down in front of the computer again. She opened the new email, squealing when she saw it was from Wayne Enterprises.

Dear Miss Dupain-Cheng, 

It was a pleasure to receive your application for the internship offered here at Wayne Enterprises and we are considering your application currently. We do wish to clarify some things regarding your experience up to this point.

You have successfully worked with Mme Audrey Bourgeois, and won a competition with the brand previously known as Gabriel. Based on those, we would just like to discuss what you have worked on since your brand ceased trading in the past year.

We look forward to hearing from you,

The Office of Timothy Drake-Wayne

Co-CEO

Marinette chewed her lip, wondering if she was ready to out the face behind MDC. On one hand, this was why she had rebranded, she needed to get her work out there and make it easier to break onto the fashion scene later. On the other…the anonymity meant that she didn't have to deal with paparazzi, or people trying to be friendly with her just because she was kind of famous. Her hands hovered over the keyboard before deciding, and starting the email back. She checked the time and saw that it was still early in the day in Gotham.

Good morning,

Thank you for your speedy reply, I appreciate that you are a very busy company so it means a lot that you have taken the time this morning.

In regards to my brand, I rebranded in December last year. Prior to the rebrand, I had kept my connection to Jagged Stone secret as I am still 17, and did not wish to present myself to the media yet. As this is still the case, I trust that you will treat this information with discretion.

All of my current work can be found under my new website, mdcdesigns.fr  

If you have any further questions, please do not hesitate to contact me, either by email or phone,

Marinette Dupain-Cheng (MDC)

She tried to relax but was checking her emails every few minutes. She figured they would need to check her claims out, but she so badly wanted this internship. It was the best paid - ie, not volunteer work - and the company had raving reviews from long standing employees.

After what felt like hours, but was only minutes, her phone buzzed with an incoming call. She picked it up hastily, not bothering to look at the screen as she did so. She felt herself physically deflate when Alya responded to her greeting.

“Girl, a 19? That's crazy amazing! We have to celebrate, like immediately! I can have the girls ready to go in half an hour, tops, and we can do whatever you want. I'll bet the others will want to celebrate their scores too, and anyone who doesn't can commiserate!” Alya was so enthusiastic that Marinette couldn't help laughing.

“Als, it's, like, Wednesday. We should wait until Friday, that way we can plan something spectacular,” Marinette mused, already jotting down a couple of ideas. “Now, I'm not 18 yet, so that vetoes a couple of options, but we could go for a meal, get glammed up and head to this new dance club, it allows 16 and up, you just can't drink without ID. Oh, or we could go listen to a band somewhere, although Kitty Section is obviously a no, since they'll want to relax too. Hmmm, why don't we- oh, sorry, that's another call, can I catch you back in a little bit? Thanks, Alya, speak soon!”

She switched calls while Alya was still laughing and went to say hello when someone else interrupted immediately.

“How could you not tell us you were MDC?” came Tim's voice. He sounded highly affronted, and Marinette choked back a nervous giggle. “You knew we wanted to know, Babs must have told you we were fans, so why didn't you say anything?”

“Uh, hi Tim, nice to hear from you,” she replied awkwardly. “Well, first off, I said in my email why I didn't say anything. Also I know Babs pretty well but I only met you that week? Anyway, Babs was the one that wanted it kept a surprise.”

“I didn't think you were so malicious, Miss Dupain-Cheng,” Tim said gravely, although he undercut the gravity with a snort a moment later. “God, no wonder we couldn't find out though, I bet she designed your website, didn't she? I knew the code was familiar when I struggled to crack it, but she didn't say anything so I didn't put it together.”

“She did, and off the record, the reason I needed a new site is because someone started spreading rumours that I was stealing someone else's work, so I had to shut my old one down. That's why I needed Babs' help to set up a new one, I couldn't trust my friend to do it without blabbing.”

“Oh, well, that sucks. Whatever, I already talked to Babs and she confirmed that you are who you say you are so I wanted to call personally and offer you a job.”

“Don't I need to interview for the internship? Aren't there, I don't know, a bazillion other candidates that need to be sorted through?” Marinette was alarmed at how quickly it was all moving.

“An internship? Oh, hell no, I want to hire you as the fashion consultant for Wayne Enterprises. We don't have one currently, just sort of pick up the odd suit and have Alfred tailor it, but if you're willing, we could give you a job to be in charge of our public event wardrobes.”

“...you know I'm going to be a student in the fall, right? And that I can't be a full time employee because I'm not even 18 yet?”

“Oh, well, sure, but there's no point giving you an internship when we could take you on part time. My understanding is that you're getting a full ride to GU and therefore don't need the money for school fees, but I promise as a part time employee, your pay would be significantly better than an intern’s. Plus, that leaves the internship open to someone who needs it.”

“How do you even know about the scholarship?” Marinette was stunned. He wanted to hire her? No awful internship, she could do what she loved for people she knew and liked? It sounded too good to be true. “Wait, no, that's not the point. I mean, yes, obviously I want the job, when do you want me to start? I can't move to Gotham right now, because I have to finish the year, and my birthday isn't until July, but then I could make my way over in August?”

“Okay, awesome, what if we hired MDC as a independent consultant, through your website, for the next 2 months, you can start making some designs for everyone, and then you can sign an actual contract just after your birthday, then whenever you move to Gotham, we can set you up with an office and creative space?”

It was more than Marinette could have dreamed of, and she was quick to agree. They hashed out the logistics, but he sounded just as gleeful as she felt when the call disconnected. She squealed and did a happy dance, picking up her phone to call Alya back. 

_ _ _

Once Damian knew that he would be seeing Marinette again, he decided that he needed to change his behaviour. It was not a sudden revelation, he had been thinking about their interactions more often than he would admit ever since she had gone back to Europe. So over the next week or so, Damian made an effort to improve his conversational skills. He spoke to random students at his high school, worked on being more patient with Kent, and asked his father to find him some work at his company to spend time with a range of different personality types. 

He of course did not relay this particular reason to his father, giving a more general explanation of wanting to get a feel for the business before he began working towards his economics degree. His father readily agreed and Damian found that he was more than capable of marshaling his temper around buffoons.

He did not want his brothers to make more of his change of behaviour than there was, and so he seldom interacted with others at the same time as them. Even so, Grayson had commented more than once that his patience had improved drastically, most likely referring to the fact that he had not threatened anyone who had been overly familiar with him.

He was determined to make a better impression on Marinette the next time they met.

[starwarsmum]

Chapter 5 of Introducing: Mousinette!

The next time Damian saw Marinette, Grayson and Gordon had dragged him to a tour of his new campus. It had been a fairly uneventful morning, Grayson had felt it necessary to show him around the university, as though he hadn't visited already.

“You did not mention that you were planning to attend Gotham University,” he said, attempting small talk. He felt the discomfort cloak him like a second skin, his arms stiff, jaw locked. When she gave only a noncommittal noise, he tried again. “What course are you planning on studying?”

“I'm sorry, did I land in an alternate universe?” Marinette said, shooting an incredulous look his way. “Because I seem to remember you being kind of an asshole at dinner the other night.”

“Tt, I said you were behaving like a child, which you were,” Damian responded. If he was a cat, his hackles would be raised and he would be yowling, low in his throat. He watched Marinette bristle, pleased, for some reason, that he was able to rile her so quickly. “If you do not wish to be perceived as a child, perhaps you should act your age more than your height.”

“And perhaps you should act more your age than a pompous, stuck up-” she was cut off by Gordon approaching, chatting with Grayson as he pushed her along. He watched her visibly take a deep breath and push down whatever she had been about to say, before looking at him flatly. “I'm planning on studying business,” she said in a monotone. 

That surprised him, but he was spared from responding by Gordon and Grayson beginning a more animated conversation about the dorms. He watched her giggle effortlessly, charming them both as they approached the business school section of the university. 

“Dames, have you seen the dorms? They're so cool, are you sure you don't want to stay here instead of the manor?” Damian gave Grayson a look of incredulity, before turning away with a derisive snort. “What? It's not like you'd be alone, Marinette's planning on staying in the dorms!”

“Dick, please don't try to convince him to stay in the dorms,” Marinette pleaded, shooting Damian a sceptical look. “Besides, I'm pretty sure Mr Rich Boy couldn't handle one week in the dorms. He strikes me as the hapless sort - has he ever even made a meal?”

“Tt, as if it is difficult. Regardless, the idea of residing in these dormitories sounds a specific sort of torture and I shall not be subjecting myself to it.” He refused to be baited by the little witch - he had no need to learn to cook, and she would not taunt him into proving her wrong. 

Marinette gave him a fierce glare but allowed him to have the last word, which made him unreasonably annoyed. He was even more annoyed when she started to ignore him, just as she had that night at the manor. It changed when Jagged Stone arrived with Penny Rolling and they managed to abscond with Grayson and Gordon.

Things continued in a strained way, Marinette shutting down any attempt at conversation, often walking away from him to view the different departments on display for the day. Eventually, he allowed himself to trail along behind her, keeping a slight distance but close enough that the others could find them both easily.

She had vanished around a corner when he let the gap grow slightly, and he sighed, annoyed. He became slightly concerned when he didn't immediately spy her, but huffed in annoyance once more when he saw her flirting with another attendee. He had blond hair, an athletic build and was only a couple of inches taller than her. He decided to approach, if only so he could taunt her with it later.

“...just hope you aren't in any of my classes in the fall, I'd never get any work done,” the boy was saying. Damian rolled his eyes, slowing slightly so as not to draw attention to himself. “But maybe we'll end up in the same dorm and we could-”

“Thank you for the compliment, but I'm afraid I am not interested, Monsieur,” came Marinette's reply, which made Damian pause. He glanced at her face and she still had a smile in place, but perhaps he had mistaken annoyance for attraction. “Please can you move so I may get back to my friends.”

“Ooh, French, that's hot,” came the smarmy reply, plainly not listening to her. “I bet you could teach me a thing or two about kissing.”

“Look, I have tried to say no politely, but you don't seem to be getting it,” Marinette said flatly, putting a hand on his shoulder to push him out of the way. Damian watched, fascinated by the shift in her demeanor. “And the only kissing I would be willing to teach you, is to kiss the asphalt.” and she pushed his shoulder, hard enough that he took a step back. Which is when he reached out and grabbed her arm, forcing her to stop.

“What the hell, bitch? Think you're too good for an American, huh? Or maybe you don't know how to be polite when someone is being nice to you,” he said, pulling her back sharply and making her yelp. Damian didn't hesitate, taking hold of the other boys forearm. “And who the hell do you think you are?”

“I think I am one of her companions today, and that you need to learn what ‘no’ means. Both the word and contextual cues, as she gave you both and you ignored them. Let go of her, before I force you to,” Damian said haughtily, releasing his grip when Marinette was free. He watched the other boy beat a hasty retreat before turning back to her.

“I had that handled,” she said immediately, narrowing her eyes at him. “I did not need you swooping in, like a bat and sticking your nose in. And I don't appreciate you laughing at me,” she scowled when he lifted an amused eyebrow at her accidental joke.

He watched her stalk away, impressed in spite of himself. She probably could have taken care of it herself, and he wouldn't normally have stepped in, except that she had been grabbed, and made an involuntary noise, so he had moved. Spotting Grayson and Gordon, he started after her, vowing not to get involved unless she asked for help in future.

The rest of the day passed relatively uneventfully, although Damian found his gaze drawn more and more to the fiery Parisian. She had seemed empty-headed and childish when he met her, but he was being forced to reconsider his evaluation of her the more he knew her.

He found himself hoping that she would be attending the university later that year, if only so he could add more to the growing list of idiosyncrasies he had made note of about her.

[starwarsmum]

Chapter 11 of Introducing: Mousinette! 😁 Getting Angry

 Damian stormed into the batcave, in a foul temper. He glared at Drake, who reddened slightly and made himself busy at the computer again. He took his time changing into his suit in an attempt to calm his rage, but it felt like a losing battle. He stalked over to the team, glaring at anyone who met his eye.

“You're late, Robin,” his father said, a note of concern in his voice, which Damian chose to ignore. “Is everything okay?”

“Tt, I am fine, father. Everyone is late sometimes,” he refused to elaborate, even though he had never been late before, and planned never to be late again. “What is the plan for patrol?”

“Red Hood is with Batgirl, Red Robin with Spoiler, and Robin, you're with Nightwing,” Batman ordered, ignoring the growl that came out of his son. “I'll take Crime Alley tonight, Robin, Nightwing knows your assignment. Stay in touch through Oracle.”

Grayson managed not to say anything until an hour later, which surprised Damian. He had expected to be bombarded with questions as soon as they were alone, but something about his demeanor must have warned him away. But it could only last so long, and Damian’s mood dropped further.

“So…Marinette, huh?”

“Nightwing, no civilian names,” he barked, glaring into the darkness. Grayson came up to him and sat down on the building ledge, swinging his feet slightly.

“C’mon baby bird, I'm just curious. I didn't think cute and bubbly was your type, or hell, that you had a type. You should've seen Red Hood when he heard the news, he was almost catatonic!”

“Tt, none of you should be involved in this aspect of my personal life,” he grumbled. “I do not have a type, Nightwing. She is…unique, and I find I am drawn to her. It appears she feels similarly, and we are exploring this connection. Is that enough for you that we may proceed with patrol?”

“Sorry, Robin, it's just…so new,” Grayson looked contrite, his legs still for a change. “I'm happy for you, you know? If she makes you happy, that's all we want for you, and I'll support you.”

The rest of their patrol passed relatively uneventfully, and they returned to the batcave. Damian changed less quickly this time, allowing the others to get ahead of him. He nodded curtly as they bid him goodnight, but they did not approach him further - except for Gordon. She rolled right up to him and waited patiently as he turned to her.

“I suppose you also have questions,” he said, teeth gritting as he flushed with embarrassment. “Is it too much to hope that you will give me space if I ask nicely?”

“I do, and it is,” she answered curtly. “Marinette is my friend, Damian, I won't see her hurt if I can prevent it. Do you really think it's a good idea to get involved with her, a civilian?”

“And how do you suggest I go about dating? Only date from those with a mask? I have been led to believe that is not how feelings work,” he said drily, trying to cover his discomfort with sarcasm. His feelings for Marinette were new enough that he did not know how to discuss them. 

“Maybe not, but it doesn't have to be Marinette,” Gordon said firmly, keeping her wheelchair directly in his path. “It's great that you're exploring being a real boy, D, but Marinette deserves to experience a real love, a romance, and I think we both know you wouldn't be able to give that to her.”

“It is none of your business,” Damian hissed, fury rising within him. He had known his family would be insufferable about his dating, especially someone as bright and caring as Marinette. What he hadn't expected was to be told he wouldn't be enough for her. The thought settled into a corner of his mind and he deliberately turned away from it. “I will not stand here and allow you to dictate my personal life. If you have a valid concern, email me and I shall respond accordingly.”

He stalked off, hands curled into fists and tension obvious in his shoulders. He managed to avoid everyone else as he reached his room, which he was relieved to find empty, save for his four legged friends. Alfred the Cat looked up at him but didn't move, and Titus remained unmoving in his dog bed.

He collapsed onto his bed and checked the time on his phone. Curiously, he had a new text notification. In spite of his concerns that one of his siblings was messaging to berate him, he opened it. He felt a warm flush spread over him as he read it.

Hey Damian, thanks for a wonderful evening! Let me know what days you're free and we'll arrange that date ❤️ 

He refrained from messaging back immediately, believing that she was a light sleeper, and not wanting to wake her prematurely. But that didn't stop him from falling asleep with a smile on his face, clutching his phone to his chest.

_ _ _

Marinette awoke the following morning to half a dozen or so texts. She gnawed her lip before deciding that coffee was going to be needed before she could face some of them and made her way to her kitchen. As she waited for the coffee, she flicked open her texts to see who had messaged her. Smiling, she opened the one from Damian.

Good morning, I trust you slept well. I enjoyed your company greatly and am free most Saturday and Sunday afternoons. Otherwise, I am available next Wednesday evening. Yours, Damian.

She grinned, a happy flush of warmth filling her. She hadn't been too worried about texting him last night given that they had become sort of friends, but it was nice to have a text to wake up to. She considered her options as she prepared her coffee and took a fortifying sip before responding.

Good morning handsome ;) next Wednesday would work perfectly, did you want to just get dinner or something else? Saturdays are unofficially girls night with Babs, so to avoid problems there, we should probably keep those free. But if you wanted to spar again, Sunday afternoon sounds ideal? <3

Once that was done, she grabbed a bowl for some cereal before facing her other messages. She had two from Chloe, one from Adrien, one from Steph, another from Dick and a final one from Barbara. She groaned, not wanting to confirm that they all knew about her and Damian’s budding relationship.

After firing quick texts to Chloe confirming that she was already working on the commission she had sent through for Kagami's Christmas present and that she would be home for the holiday, and to Adrien to let him know that she was doing fine, she braved the one from Dick. She knew that he would mostly be pleased for them. 

Hey Mari, heard you and lil D were up to mischief yday! Is it wrong to say I'm proud? Seriously tho, if you need any advice, I'm here x

She smiled, feeling the warm glow return. Sure, Barbara may be worried, but Dick just seemed thrilled that his little brother was dating. She sent him a string of heart and tongue-poking-out emojis. She decided to save Barbara's for last and opened Steph's, wondering what she would have to say about the matter.

Hey, heard you got your freak on with the Demon :| thought you had better taste but obviously not #shrug# if this is a hostage sitch, hmu, I'll make him regret it! 

Marinette snorted, deciding that she needn't dignify that with an answer. Steph had joined her for girls night at Barbara's occasionally, and she liked the woman well enough. So whilst she was getting to know her, it wasn't the closest relationship yet. No, the person she was closest to, she was hesitant to talk to about this, because she didn't want to hurt their friendship. Biting the bullet, she opened her last message.

Hey Mari, just checking we're still on for Saturday? I would like to talk about yesterday, but I don't want to push you if you're not ready. Love, Babs

She sighed, making Tikki look up from her breakfast cookie. She knew that Barbara meant well, and that she wanted Marinette to be happy, but she didn't know enough about the whole Barbara/Damian dynamic to say whether she wanted what was best for him. She thought for a few minutes longer, before deciding not to address the topic via text. 

Hey! Of course we're still on for Sat, did you want me to bring dinner, or do you want to order in? I think we should try that new Mexican place near yours, but I'm happy to cook if you want. Love you too <3

She didn't get any replies until she made it to campus. She had a heart emoji back from Dick and a thumbs up from Adrien, both of which made her smile. Her class was due to start in ten minutes so she made a stop at the local coffee joint, wanting to be fully awake for the rest of the day. Because the classes were all in English, she had to work a little harder to concentrate most days, but she was determined not to let it stop her from succeeding.

_ _ _

Damian was also on campus, stressing slightly over Marinette's message. What did she mean by spar? Did she actually want to spar, or was it a coded message, meaning that she wanted some alone time with him? He couldn't fully tell her tone by text and he was starting to stress himself out unduly trying to work it out.

“Morning Dames, ready for our next lecture?” Kent bounced over to him, unfairly chipper for first thing in the day. He gave a slight frown when Damian only grunted back to him. “Okay, even for you that was grumpy. What's up, Mari tell you she wasn't interested?”

“Tt, she said no such thing,” he growled back, glaring a little as the memory of Barbara's complaints came back to him. Kent’s eyebrow rose behind his glasses and Damian huffed and looked away. It only seemed to intrigue the budding reporter more. He pointedly ignored his friend, staring at the message again.

“Okay, if she hasn't shot you down, what's happened? You only ever get this broody about her, don't even try to deny it. I'm only going to keep asking, so you may as well tell me,” Kent added severely, poking Damian's shoulder.

“Tt, fine, but I will then require your help deciphering this message,” he said, before launching into a brief description of the events in the gym the previous day. “And then Marinette and I went on a date, and now she says she would like to ‘spar’ with me on Sunday, before a date on Wednesday. Does she mean she would actually like to spar? Or is she suggesting we take some time alone for- other activities?”

Kent appeared to be speechless, his eyes wide behind his lenses. It took several prompts for him to respond, and he failed to assist with the immediate problem. “Holy crap, no, wait, what? Are you seriously telling me you tried to hook up with Mari last night? What the hell, man?”

“Kent, do not be ridiculous. We became a little carried away by our mutual feelings, after which we went to dinner,” he had chosen to leave out the time spent in her apartment, as it did not seem relevant to the topic at hand. Had it been possible, he would have omitted what had occurred in the gym, but it was the main reason he was conflicted in how to respond. “Time is rather pressing, Kent, she messaged me this morning and will expect a response soon.”

“Right, yeah, okay,” Kent said, still sounding a little stunned. “I mean, why not just ask? Mari doesn't mind you being blunt, does she? Or, maybe you just treat it like a spar? If it's more, you'll find out and won't seem like a creep for expecting more.”

Damian pondered this before pulling the messages up again. He thought carefully about what he wanted the message to say and managed to craft something he was happy with. Then he gave a rare smile to Kent. “Thank you, I think I shall be able to communicate effectively moving forward.”

“Sure, but you know I'm going to have to talk to her, right? No, listen, you're my best friend and I have to make sure she's good enough for you!”

“You have already met Marinette,” Damian said, slightly bemused. “She is the same person she was when you were spending time with her two weeks ago.”

“Except she's not! Two weeks ago she was a cute girl you had a crush on, now you're dating. She needs a shovel talk, and I'm going to give it to her.”

“Why would you talk to her about shovels? No, never mind. Kent, I am telling you not to bother her. My family is already inserting themselves needlessly into these events, I shall not forgive you if you discourage her from continuing.” Damian speared him with a glare, but before they could talk on it more, the lecturer appeared and began.

_ _ _

Lunch was the first chance Marinette had to check her messages again. She knew she was mostly hoping for something from Damian, but was also dreading anything more from his family. She brightened when she saw that he had in fact messaged her back.

I believe dinner will be an enjoyable experience with you, if last night’s meal is a good indication. I agree, Gordon is already somewhat vexed with me so ensuring you do not cancel your plans with her is imperative. In regards to Sunday, I would be happy to spar with you, perhaps we could invite Grayson or Todd as they have adequate capabilities? Unless you are using spar as a euphemism for our other activities, in which case I would much prefer to stay far away from any of my siblings. 

Marinette grinned as she tucked her chin into her oversized hoodie. She had absolutely meant to actually spar, but she liked that he was thinking about kissing her again. She tapped her phone against her chin excitedly, wondering whether she could say that she would be happy with either. Unfortunately, that was when someone flopped into the seat next to her, making her squeak and drop her phone.

“Sup, Pixie, you're looking a little red there,” Jason said, sounding amused. Marinette shot him a grumpy look, picking up her phone and locking it. No need for him to see the exchange of messages between her and Damian. He made a disgusted noise, prodding her opposite shoulder. “Please tell me you're not getting worked up by Demon Spawn of all people.”

“Hi Jason, wow, it's good to see you too!” She said sarcastically, feeling nettled. “Also, it's none of your business if Damian is getting me worked up - unless you'd like to have an in depth discussion about what I find hot about your brother?”

“Ew, gross, that was uncalled for,” Jason said, wrinkling his nose. “Besides, you can't honestly say you find his attitude attractive, that would mean you need a psych eval. I would hate for it to turn out you were criminally insane and get you sent to Arkham.”

“If you're not going to be nice about my feelings, you don't get to talk about them,” she sniffed, now feeling stung. Jason leveled a look at her and she felt her cheeks brighten. “No, if you're going to be mean and rude, you can find someone else to have lunch with, Jason. Babs and Steph are already going all ‘concerned big sisters’ on me, I don't need you being an overprotective jackass too. Honestly, Dick's being the only reasonable one of you lot.”

“Aw, don't be like that Pix, you know I'm just worried about you. You don't know D like the rest of us, we're just trying to make sure you're not rushing into anything. And before you say you're not, please remember that Timmy found you rolling around the gym floor with him,” he said with distaste as she opened her mouth to defend herself.

“Oh my god, it is the only time I have rolled around a gym floor with him, and it is still totally nobody else's business! And of course I don't know him like you do yet, that's why we're going to dinner soon. I would wager I know him pretty well, just in different ways to you.” Marinette started to stand up angrily, grabbing her bags and looking for a table to stalk over to so she could have lunch. She was prevented by Jason gripping her upper arm and she glared at him again.

“Look, Marinette, I get that you think this is a good idea. Really, I can see that you are all aboard the crazy train and riding it to date station. But maybe you should consider that I have more experience than you and can say, without a doubt, that Demon Spawn is not a good match for you. You're too different, I'd sooner expect you to date Jon than him.”

“His name is Damian, and if you cannot be civil about this, we have nothing to talk about,” Marinette hissed at him, shoving his arm, hard. She felt like screaming, righteous fury making her blood simmer. “I get that this is a surprise to you, but if you think I haven't thought about this at length, you're wrong. So until you can apologise to both of us, find someone else to have lunch with.”

She stomped away, hands shaking so much that she could hardly keep a grip on her phone. She walked blindly, no longer hungry and wanting some solitude. So she was both embarrassed and frustrated when she crashed into someone else. She muttered apologies, trying to grab her phone from the floor.

“Marinette, are you okay?” Fantastic, she thought, now Jon's here and, knowing my luck, he's also here to warn doom and gloom. She let out a choked laugh, tugging a hunk of her hair. “Hey, I thought you were supposed to cry after I give you the shovel talk,” he joked, clearly concerned.

“Maybe if most of Damian's family wasn't being a bunch of assholes,” she said bitterly, swiping at her eyes. “Sorry, I don't mean that. It's just all a little overwhelming, and Jason has decided I'm making a mistake and he has to fix it, even though I'm not. And it makes me angry, because Damian's such an amazing guy but he keeps calling him Demon Spawn and I hate it, but nobody seems to be listening-”

“Whoa, okay, slow down, Mari. Clearly the shovel talk isn't necessary, you get it. Do you want me to walk you somewhere? So other people leave you alone, I mean. I can probably get Dames here, if you'd prefer?”

“No, I don't want to see him and tell him that his family are being jerks until I calm down,” she muttered, shoving her phone into her bag. “I'm sorry, I tend to ramble when I'm frustrated or worried. How's your day going?”

He let the conversation slide into small talk, although he still looked concerned. She managed to determinedly fill the air with chatter about their classes and plans for the weekend. She seemed to become more animated, talking about her job and the work she was completing there. 

Eventually she glanced at her phone, and apologised that she would have to leave to get to her next lecture in time. He nodded but walked her to the lecture hall, saying that they needed to plan some time to hang out and get to know each other better. She smiled and agreed, saying that he was more than welcome to join them for her and Damian’s next sparring session.

As he walked away, she took a moment to message Damian.

Yes, I really meant spar! I'm pretty sure we should do a preplanned date before we have any more fun with our ‘other activities’ ;P Dick can come but Jason's on my shit list. I invited Jon, I hope that's okay? Also, I missed you at lunch today, maybe we can get lunch together on Friday when we're both at WE? xox

_ _ _

Barbara was working in the Wayne Manor dining room when Jason stormed in, Dick hot on his heels. She had heard them coming because they had been having a heated conversation but it seemed to be reaching a boiling point.

“I'm not saying sorry for trying to keep her safe,” Jason grumped, dropping into a seat near her. “Hey, Babs, you're on my side with this, right?”

“I refuse to agree with that statement until I know what's going on,” she shot back, not even looking up from her laptop. He began protesting and she waved a hand at him. “No, seriously, I don't know if I'm on your side, because I don't even know what you two are arguing about. If you want me involved in this, catch me up.”

“Jay got into a fight with Mari,” Dick said immediately, behaving just like an older brother who had caught his younger sibling doing something naughty. “Apparently she's mad at him now and said he has to apologise to both her and Damian. What did you even say, Mari’s such a ray of sunshine, she never gets mad without a reason.”

“I told her the freaking truth - she doesn't know Demon Spawn well enough to be hooking up with him! But she's gone off the deep end, won't hear a word against him and about bit my head off for suggesting she might not know everything. I swear, if it's not some form of mind control, she officially needs to see a psychiatrist.”

“Hey, that's not fair,” Dick said, looking slightly outraged. Barbara sighed, removing her glasses to rub her eyes. “I know Damian isn't the easiest person to get along with but everyone who's spoken with her has said that she's happy and seems mentally with it.”

“Except for the fact that she's trying to date Demon Spawn! It's not hard to tell what he's getting out of this, she's funny, smart and gorgeous, but Damian? There's a reason we call him Demon, Dick, and it's not ironic. Is there any way we can get B to drop in on her and run a tox-screen or something?”

“Jason, you know Bruce would never agree,” Barbara interjected, trying to bring some levity to the conversation. She hated it, but she had to admit that she was leaning more to Jason's side of things. He may be hot headed but those he cared about were important to him, and there wasn't much he wouldn't do to keep them safe. “Look, I'm having her over on Saturday and I'll get to the bottom of this. Dick, I know you want Damian to be happy, and to grow, but it can't be at the expense of Marinette.”

“I didn't say it should be!” He shouted, throwing his arms in the air. “No, listen to me, I text her this morning and she seemed perfectly fine. She is an adult, the same age as Damian, and she is interested in him. If Tim hadn't found them in the gym, we wouldn't even know anything about this right now, and they'd be exploring their relationship privately. We should 100% butt out of this.”

“Grayson is correct, you should not be intruding on my relationship with Marinette.” Barbara span around so quickly she nearly overturned her wheelchair. Damian stood in the doorway, anger radiating from him. “Why is it every time I see one of you today, you are attempting to meddle in my love life? It is no-one else's concern whom I spend my time with, and I will be stabbing the next person who speaks about it within my hearing range.”

Silence settled in the room, Dick looking abashed and Jason angry. Barbara was ever more concerned - Damian hadn't legitimately threatened to stab somebody in years, but she didn't doubt that he meant it. Jon stepped past the doorway a moment later, frowning and shaking his head, before following Damian.

“Well, shit, he definitely seems like he's not unhinged,” Jason said into the quiet, his sarcasm grating on Barbara's nerves. “Good luck on Saturday Babs, let us know if you need help staging an intervention. Maybe invite Steph along for support, she doesn't have patrol this week.”

Jason stalked out of the room and then it was just Dick and Barbara, both lost in their own thoughts. Barbara was sure that Dick was angry with her, but she was also annoyed with him for encouraging the teens to rush into things without thinking. She sighed; Dick was a romantic at heart and wanted a fairytale romance for his little brother. He clearly thought Marinette was just that, and would likely try to find ways to push the two together, regularly.

“I know you think I'm being naive, Babs,” Dick said suddenly, interrupting her thoughts. “And you're right that I don't know Marinette very well, but you don't know lil D all that well either. I'm not asking you to, I don't know, endorse the relationship or whatever, I'm just asking you to give them some breathing room, to work it out themselves.”

He walked out before she could respond, leaving her with a lot to think about.

[starwarsmum]

Chapter 2 of Introducing: Mousinette 🥰

Chapter 2: Marinette Moves On

The release of her new website, combined with Jagged raving on social media, meant that Marinette was extremely busy after Christmas. Her parents were very supportive of her stepping back from the bakery so that she could keep on top of her schoolwork and her commissions. 

Marinette's friends, on the other hand, were growing increasingly vocal about how they felt neglected. Alya in particular had messaged her several times, asking to hang out with the ‘whole gang’, which Marinette politely declined. Every time she did that, Lila would lay it on thick, asking if it was because she would be going, and apologising for making Marinette uncomfortable, which made Alya slightly harsher with Marinette.

Marinette neither confirmed nor denied that Lila was the reason she didn't want to hang out, but Alya was hotheaded and tended to assume Marinette was still jealous of the other girl. Marinette had lost count of the number of times she had been lectured for not being ‘more open-minded’, which made her temper flare. 

And so Marinette found herself spending even more time with Kagami or Luka. She carved out time in her schedule to spar with them, especially Kagami who would use a bokken while Marinette went barehanded. It was fun and challenging, and helped her to keep her skills fresh. 

In addition, even though the website was finished, Marinette kept up with her weekly calls with Barbara. She had found that the woman was friendly, smart and could be witty. Plus, they had a shared disdain of puns from ex-boyfriends turned friends. When the older woman had told her about her first boyfriend, Dick, Marinette had been horrified to find out there were other nerds who made puns constantly.

It was nearly Valentine's day when Barbara called Marinette outside of their agreed times, which made Marinette worry. She picked up hastily, sending an apologetic look to Chloe who only huffed in annoyance.

“Hey Babs, is everything okay?” She put down the needle she had been threading and peered into her screen. “It's not like you to call out of the blue like this.”

“Well, it's also not like me to receive a mystery package, Mari,” came Barbara's dry reply. “After checking it for…problems…imagine my surprise when I find a gorgeous, hand-knitted blanket, with little glasses and computers designed into it. Care to explain?”

“Oh, um,” Marinette fumbled, glancing at Chloe before shrugging sheepishly. “You're my friend, Babs. You helped me out more than I can say, and I wanted to make something for you.”

“Mari, sweetheart, this must have taken hours,��� Babs said, sounding mildly horrified. “I did the site because Penny asked, not because I needed you to pay me back.”

“Don't you like it?” Marinette pouted, cocking a hand to her hip. She fought back a grin when Barbara sighed and pinched her nose. When no denial seemed forthcoming, Marinette shrugged and smirked at her. “Well then, I don't see the problem. Besides, you mentioned that your ex was complaining about, you know, and now you can rub it in his face.”

“Oh my god, you're so right! Actually, can I commission you to make something else for me as well, then? Because whilst this is practical and I adore it, I want to be able to really rub it in.”

Marinette laughed goodnaturedly, agreeing easily, before admitting that she was in the middle of a different order. They agreed to chat about things when they had their usual catch up that weekend. Chloe raised a brow at Marinette when she picked the needle and thread back up, and continued as though there had been no interruption.

“So who was that, Dupain-Cheng?” Chloe said when it became clear that Marinette wouldn't speak without prompting. When she only received a noncommittal shrug in return, she harrumphed. “How is it you always make mysterious connections and refuse to explain anything?”

“Just lucky, I guess,” Marinette replied, smirking at her little inside joke. “Besides, do you want to talk about my social life, or let me finish Kagami’s Valentine's present? That's what I thought,” she added smugly when Chloe grumbled and waved a regal hand.

An hour later, Chloe inspected the completed product - a delicate kimono with tiny dragon and bee embroidery along the folds. It was red and black, with gold detailing and Chloe cooed over it, before assuring Marinette that her fee would be in the account within the next day.

Tikki buzzed around Marinette's head, showering her with praise for how well she had done completing the kimono. She suppressed a smile as she thought about the black and yellow dress that Kagami had commissioned for Chloe's Valentine's gift. She was pleased that her friends were happy together, even if she had been wary of Chloe when they had started dating.

But Chloe had apologised for her behaviour, going so far as to buy some rare threads as an apology gift, even though that hadn't been necessary. Chloe had been spirited away by her mother at the beginning of lycée and, upon returning at the beginning of this academic year, had kept to herself mostly. She no longer tried to antagonise Marinette and had gone out of her way to assist others when she could. 

So, whilst they weren't the best of friends, Marinette and Chloe had agreed for Kagami's sake to get along. And it had worked out in the past few months, Chloe's biting sarcasm softening to friendlier teasing. Alya still wouldn't spend time with her, but she no longer cautioned doom every time Marinette said that she was going to, so Marinette counted that as a win.

When Valentine's day finally arrived, Marinette dreaded going to school. Even though she knew there would be no akumas, thanks to her single-handedly bringing down Hawkmoth 2 years ago, she still had to deal with average teenage drama - usually in the form of Lila preening over a large bouquet of flowers that a ‘mysterious admirer’ had sent for her. Which would lead the girls in even Marinette's classroom to speculate whether they were from Adrien and, if so, when he would finally ask her out.

So when she walked into the classroom to see a giant bouquet sitting on her desk, she immediately assumed that someone had mixed up the seats. They weren't the usual mix of roses and tulips that she was accustomed to seeing Lila receive, but it was definitely an expensive bouquet. 

So she was very surprised to see her name on the tag. She gulped, mind whirring into overdrive as she tried to work out who could have sent her such an ostentatious gift. She blushed as the other girls made noises of appreciation, Alya nudging her in the ribs excitedly, before flipping the card over in search of more. She was not disappointed as she read:

To an amazing girl, who does so much for those around her. We haven't known each other long but I wouldn't trade what we have for the world. Lots of love, the girl behind the screen.

The blush deepened as she realised that Babs had sent such an impressive bunch of flowers, all because Marinette had mentioned that her friends made a big deal about her being single on Valentine's day. She was touched, but also mortified by the attention she was gaining. How on earth was she going to explain this away?! 

She remained tight-lipped until another flower delivery, this time the anticipated one for Lila, interrupted the class. Lila came in a few minutes later and cooed over the arrangement. She couldn't hide the surprise in her face when she saw the class gathered around Marinette and immediately tried to work it to her favour.

“Oh, Marinette, I didn't realise you were dating again already! Unless…but no, I'm sure you're very happy,” she assured, letting the doubt in her voice do the work for her. The people who knew Marinette less well began to look at her speculatively, making her hackles raise. Fortunately, she was saved answering by a loud laugh from the front of the classroom.

“Oh, now I see why you were so secretive about your phone call, Dupain-Cheng,” Chloe smirked, flouncing over to her. “It looks as though she knows how to treat you right, at least. You'd better introduce Gami and me when you go public though, it is ridiculous to think you hadn't mentioned her before.”

Which sent the class into uproar - Marinette remained quiet, lowering her head to her arms to hide her relief. Chloe had successfully diverted the class and Lila hadn't managed to twist it any further. Not long after, the class was called to order by their teacher and Marinette was even more relieved that she sat at the back so that she didn't feel like someone was behind her, staring.

She would have to have a word with Barbara about the over-the-top display when they chatted that weekend, though she was touched by the thought that had gone into it. The bouquet held her favourite hues and flowers, and she knew she would be pressing several of them. 

_ _ _

“Babs, I swear to god, what the heck?” Marinette deadpanned as soon as the woman had joined the chat. She was greeted by laughter and a bright smile. She tried her best to keep her scowl, but the laughter was infectious and she giggled back. “Okay, fine, I deserved it after the whole blanket thing. But you have no clue how stressful the class was about this.”

“Please, you probably handled it like a pro, Mari,” Barbara said shrewdly. “And I assume it all worked out, or you would have called me.”

“Okay, number one, rude. Two, I hate how insufferably smart you are,” Marinette shook her head, clearing the light blush that was forming across her cheeks. She was trying her best to stamp out the burgeoning crush on her new friend but it was hard when she did things like that. “Anyway, I had another idea for your commission…”

They passed the next couple of hours chatting about the commission and general things that had happened in their week. When it was time to say goodnight, Marinette felt more grounded again, and she signed off cheerfully. 

The following two weeks were a little easier, Barbara chattering about her family in the background while Marinette worked during their weekly catch ups. During getting to know each other, Marinette had mentioned wanting to attend university in America, and Barbara had been working hard to convince her that Gotham University was the best for the business course she wanted to take.

In trying to convince Marinette what a good idea it was to choose GU, she had started talking about the people she spent her time with. When she talked about Dick, Marinette could see the affection and weathered annoyance she had for the man. She was cautionary when talking about Jason, who she knew fairly well, but warned had a temper.

“Oh, Tim is the one who is obsessed with your work, by the way,” she said casually, on the third catch up since Valentine's day. “He is a huge Jagged Stone fan, but he also follows fashion pretty religiously, so he keeps trying to find out who you are. Luckily, he can't crack my encryption because he doesn't have as much experience as me.”

“I take it he's really annoyed with you for having those commissions then,” Marinette mused, pinning a section of the skirt she was working on back before shooting a grin at the woman. “What about the one that's my age, David was it? You haven't told me much about him.”

“That's because I don't know much about Damian,” Barbara admitted. “He's not exactly easy to get along with, and he doesn't want to get to know anyone as far as I'm aware. The main thing I know about him is that he likes animals more than people. Now Steph, she's a riot! Used to date Tim, but they're friends now, which is starting to feel like a club, with three of us.”

“Ha, well I'd love to meet all these people you keep talking about,” Marinette said cheerfully, focusing on the hem of the skirt for a second. “And, honestly, Gotham U is my first choice, it just depends on if I can get the grades. But I'm not too worried, I'll get in somewhere, and then I'll plot my takeover of the fashion world.”

“Well we'd love to have you in Gotham. Plus, it's Penny's alma mater too, so you'd be part of this club too!” They were interrupted by Marinette's phone ringing abruptly, and she apologised, putting down the needle she was using to answer.

“Hey Als, what's up?” She wedged the phone between her ear and shoulder, squinting critically at the finished waistband of her design before deciding it was perfect. She frowned and gave the phone her full attention after a moment. “I'm sorry, what?”

“Girl, you know how there's that new designer that, no offense, is revolutionising the fashion world? The one that makes all of Jagged Stone's outfits, MDC,” Alya was saying excitedly, her words coming out in a rush. Marinette's eye twitched, worried that she'd been found out, so she put the phone on speaker and confirmed that, yes, obviously she knew about all major fashion designers, including breakthrough ones like MDC. She saw Barbara's mouth twitch and silenced her laptop, leaving the microphone alone. “Right, so you know how Lila saved Jagged Stone's kitten years ago? And so she's, like, super tight with him?”

“Alya, you know I don't-” Marinette began, trying to cut the other girl off, but she was overridden.

“No, don't start with the disbelief thing, I've told you that green is not your colour,” Alya said, and Marinette could almost see the scowl the aspiring reporter must be sporting. Barbara's mouth dropped open, before she started to say something Marinette couldn't hear. “Listen, because she's so close to Jagged, she's met MDC! And she said she could get me a telephone interview with him,because he's not ready to let his anonymity go, so I can't do a vlog on it.”

“Oh, so when is that happening?” Marinette tried to relax her jaw and sound upbeat but she was fuming. She could hear the scepticism in her voice though, and knew that Alya had picked up on it too.

“Marinette, I know what you're going to say, but can't you just be happy for me? It'll be huge when I get to do this interview. And Lila already told me that he's not quite ready for any interviews, but as soon as he is I'm first on the list!”

“Alya, please, I know you're excited,” Marinette said, exasperated. “But can you just see it from a different angle? She hasn't given you a shred of proof that she actually knows MDC, and you don't even have a date for the interview! It is so far from a guaranteed thing, and I just don't want you to hurt your chances moving forward-”

“I should have known you would be like this,” Alya said, sounding every bit as exasperated as Marinette. “I only wanted to tell you so that I could offer to hook you up when I did get the interview - can you imagine collaborating with someone like that? - and I'm still totally going to do it, but now you're going to have to apologise to Lila as soon as it goes through. Also, you have no proof she's lying, whereas I know that Lila knows Jagged Stone, which is what makes it plausible!”

“She's never proven that she knows Jagged either!” Marinette hated arguing with Alya, but she hated liars more. Especially when she knew they were lying. Barbara was looking concerned but Marinette focused purely on Alya for a moment. “And the only reason you think I'm wrong is because you decided I was jealous of her, which I'm not-”

“Yeah, right,” Alya laughed, though she sounded fed up. “Forget it, I know you're busy right now, I'll see you at school on Monday, okay? And maybe try to be more open minded.”

Marinette stared speechlessly at her phone for two full minutes. She was so frustrated with Alya, who refused to believe that she didn't still have feelings for Adrien and therefore had to be jealous of Lila. Eventually she shook it off and turned the sound back on for her laptop.

“Okay, no, seriously, what the hell was that?” Barbara said incredulously. “Did she just say she was going to get an interview with MDC? Has she been sniffing paint fumes? And who on earth is Lila?”

“Ugh, Lila is the reason I needed a new website. I can't prove it, but she spread a rumour that I stole all of my designs. She has a knack for telling almost believable stories and the internet is a hellhole, so I had to take it down and go anonymous, which you knew. But Lila's been lying since I met her when we were fourteen, and my friends seem to just believe her.”

“Well, that sucks! How has she not been caught?”

“It beats me, I've tried reasoning with everyone, I've tried to prove she's lying and I've tried to ignore her and take the ‘high road’ but nothing works,” Marinette said, shrugging as she turned back to the skirt. “At this point, I'm just trying to outlast this and make it to university.”

“But why don't they believe you? I've known you for a couple of months but I can tell you're not the type to get jealous of some girl for whatever reason. Plus, you actually know at least one famous person? And you're literally the person this girl is pretending to know this time.”

“Oh, they think I'm jealous because of my ex. When she first showed up, I maybe let her tactics get to me and tried super hard to prove she was a liar with no evidence. But then I dated the guy they think I'm jealous over, and things ended mutually, so I don't really know what they're thinking. But anyway,” she said, waving her scissors around dismissively. “Let's get back to talking about all the reasons I should attend GU.”

[starwarsmum]

Chapter 10 of Introducing: Mousinette 🥰 The BatFamily Loses their Minds

Marinette squealed when they were interrupted, the hands that had previously been fisting in Damian’s hair going still. She could feel a blush working its way over her face and Damian seemed to have gone completely still, as if whoever it was had movement based vision.

A silence spread back through the room, albeit a very different and more awkward one. Damian swore in another language and Marinette had to force down the giggles that threatened to bubble over. She tilted her head towards the door and the giggles became a mortified groan. 

“Uh, I, that is- I'm sorry,” Tim said, sounding like he wasn't sure if he should laugh or cringe. “But seriously, you're in a gym, there are better places to get…intimate.”

“Drake,” came Damian's voice, his tone low and angry. Marinette couldn't suppress a shiver of delight going through her as it rumbled against her chest. “If you do not want me to stab you, I suggest you step outside for a moment, and do not even think about texting anyone.”

As she heard Tim step swiftly out of the room, his muttering cutting off as the door clicked shut, her giggles returned in full force, and she could no longer suppress them. She tried to rein them in as Damian sighed and rolled off of her, but it was difficult. His eyes sliced sideways at her but the darkness in them made her body hum.

“Well, that was…” she trailed off, struggling to put her feelings into words. Her skin tingled where he had touched her, and she mourned the loss of contact. He had surprised her by kissing her, but it hadn't been unwanted. She could admit to herself, now, that her attraction to him had been growing and after that…

“Unfortunate? Mortifying?” Damian sat up and ran his fingers through his hair - she had made it stand up on end a little. “I assure you, Drake will tell someone how he found us, it is only a matter of time.”

“Well, I was thinking something more along the lines of incredible, or amazing,” she said, bringing herself into a seated position. She could tell she had surprised him by the light flush that tinged his neck, which made her grin. “And it's kind of our fault. He's right, there are better places for us to…let loose like that. Hot as it was, I'd rather not be interrupted next time.”

There came a knock on the door and she sighed, jumping to her feet and offering a hand to Damian. She felt the calluses on his hand again as she pulled him to his feet, and blushed. She had basically just told him that she wanted to make out with him again, and she wasn't sure whether he wanted that. And she wasn't likely to find out when his brother had walked in on them this time.

“I really am sorry,” Tim said as he stepped back into the room, hovering awkwardly for a moment before making his way to the treadmills. Damian clicked his tongue again before making his way to the other side of the room, where the hanging bags were. Marinette decided it was best if she didn't join Damian for now but needed to burn off the excess energy, so joined Tim on the treadmills.

“I mean, it's not really your fault,” she shrugged, trying hopelessly to control her blush. She set the incline and speed and began her jog. “We were in a public space, we really only have ourselves to blame. I'd like to say it won't happen again but it's not as though we planned on it happening this time. I should probably pick a different sparring partner, at least publicly.”

Across the room, Damian was listening intently to every word exchanged between his brother and Marinette. He was going through the motions, hitting the bag with less ferocity than usual to make sure he didn't miss their conversation. He paused briefly, as though adjusting the bag, as what she said settled in him. Did she want it to happen again? Was it possible that the attraction he felt so strongly was returned, even in part? 

It took an agonisingly long time for her to finish her workout, but when she did, he made his way to the door first and held it open for her. She thanked him quietly, her voice dropping to be only for him, which made his skin tingle with anticipation. He felt nervous as they stepped into the empty hallway, both walking slowly towards the changing rooms.

“Thank you, for sparring with me,” she said, breaking the silence but increasing the tension. “You're much better than I thought you'd be, you must have trained a lot to get to that point.”

There was a teasing edge to her voice, as though she wasn't only thinking about the short spar. He decided to take a risk and answer both possibilities. “I was trained from birth to be as lethal as possible by my mother. The…latter activity is relatively new to me, although I would not be averse to ‘training’ with you again.”

“I think that could be arranged,” she said, her voice slightly husky, before she pulled him to a stop in a dark alcove. She tugged on his t-shirt, and he obliged, angling his mouth over hers. His hand quickly cupped her chin, and the sigh she let out cut clean through his other thoughts. 

When they broke apart this time, there was no-one standing watching them and he was grateful. He felt raw and open, her blue eyes captivating him. There was a heat in them that made him want to abandon caution and kiss her again but he held off.

“I'm not sure the corridor outside the gym is any more private,” she joked, although she sounded breathless. The hand on her hip circled lazily, without any conscious thoughts from its owner. He felt her press closer to him and felt a surge of satisfaction - she responded to his touch, enjoyed it by every indication. “As much as I like this, I should really go shower. Want to get dinner with me?”

Damian had never showered so fast in his life.

_ _ _

Barbara wheeled into the batcave to a deafening amount of noise. She raised her eyebrows as she saw Jason staring blankly into space, Tim gesticulating wildly and Dick looking like Christmas had come early. Steph, Cass and a tired looking Duke were to the side, looking sceptical. She made her way to them first.

“What's going on?” She asked immediately, wondering if it was more serious than Tim's message had indicated. Had Arkham had a breakout? Was it the Joker, was that why Jason looked so…blank? 

“Tim, Babs needs a rundown of events,” Duke called out, looking apologetically at her. “I'd try to explain but I'm not sure I believe him.”

“I'm telling you, it happened,” Tim said flatly, leveling a look at the other man. “But I get it, if I hadn't seen it myself I wouldn't think Demon Spawn capable of it. But I'm telling you, if I'd walked in any later, I'm sure I'd want to bleach my eyeballs. As it is, I think I need to schedule a therapy session.”

“Wait, Damian? What did he do?” Barbara was even more confused, if that was possible. Dick gave a squeal and bounced in place.

“Baby bird's on a date,” is all he said, which made Barbara's eyebrows shoot towards her hairline. He gave an enthusiastic nod, throwing his hands up. “I know! I didn't even think she liked him as a person, let alone enough to kiss him!”

“Wait, I think I'm missing something here - who is Damian on a date with? And how do you all know about it?”

“Okay, okay, hang on,” Tim said, leaning forward to be heard better. “So, you know that the Wayne Enterprise building has a gym that nobody except us uses? Right,” he said at her affirmation. “So I was finishing up for the day and decided I didn't want to travel all the way home to get a workout in and headed down. I didn't expect Damian to be there because he's supposed to be on patrol tonight, so he usually works out here.

“So I get changed, grab a bottle of water and head to the room only to find it, uh, occupied.” Barbara felt as though she had lost her eyebrows to her hair now. “Yeah, I know, so I make it clear, to whoever it is, ‘this is a public space’ or whatever but then I clock who it is .” He paused dramatically, glancing at Dick, who started bouncing again. “And sure enough, Damian’s getting his freak on with our latest hire, M-freaking-DC.”

“What?!” Barbara gaped for a few moments, before grabbing her phone. She blasted a text to Marinette, not quite believing Tim, but not disbelieving him either. She made an impatient noise when she didn't get a message back immediately, but couldn't do anything. “Okay, let's say that happened, which I'm not sure it did because my girl is normally levelheaded, how does that mean they're on a date?”

“Well, that's an assumption based on the fact that they left both the gym and the building together. And somehow, Demon Spawn hasn't made it home yet, even though he normally comes straight back to walk that dog of his.” Tim shrugged and turned to the batcomputer, pulling up his mobile phone tracking system. “Now, we could always confirm that they're still together, if we wanted to.”

“Okay, this I have to see,” Steph said, bubbling up and making a perch on the table behind Tim. He made short work of pinpointing Damian's position and pulled up the camera feed of the restaurant his phone gave as his location. And there he was, sat in a corner seat with the young designer. Their heads were close together, Damian's eyes locked onto hers. “Holy shit, no way, am I the only one seeing this?”

“No, and it's straight up unnatural,” Jason replied, apparently having come out of his stupor. “Do you think he's harassing her? Maybe blackmail? Because Pix is smart, way too smart to be fooling around with him.”

“That's the thing, he seemed genuinely embarrassed, and she seemed happy enough to walk off with him. Even said something about not being sure I'd never walk in on them again which, let me tell you, I did not need to hear or think about. I wasn't kidding about the therapy session.”

“Okay, I'm calling her,” Barbara proclaimed, watching the screen as her phone dialed. They all watched as the young woman on the screen looked away from their brother to check her phone. She frowned before looking back at Damian and clearly murmuring an apology before she answered it. They could see him tense slightly before he leaned back with a coffee to give her some space.

“Hello? Babs, are you alright?” Came Marinette's voice through the phone and Barbara was confronted with the reality that Marinette absolutely had gone to dinner with Damian.

��Hey, yeah, all good,” she responded, stalling as she tried to think of a reason for having called her. “Just, uh, just wanted to see how your week was going. We hadn't sorted out the details for Saturday night and I wanted to make sure we were still on.”

“Oh my god, Tim told you,” came the mortified squeak from her friend. She watched on screen as Marinette covered the receiver to hiss something at Damian, which made him frown and then his gaze flickered to the nearest security camera. She uncovered the microphone to say, “Jesus, it's not even been 4 hours, why would he do that? Tell him none of his shirts will fit correctly for the next month and he's not allowed to complain. Please tell me you're the only one who knows, that I'm not going to face a firing squad for making out with your baby brother. Because, in my defense, he started it.”

“Um, well, I don't think you'll be facing a firing squad,” Barbara said, trying to make light of the fact that they had basically called a family meeting for this. “But, are you sure about this? If there's something else going on that you need to talk to someone about, we would listen, you know that right? If he's pressuring you or-”

“What? No, oh my God, no no no, there's no pressure,” Marinette's voice had hit a level of high pitched that Barbara had never heard before. Barbara's attention went back to the screen as Damian put his coffee cup down and leaned towards her. His hand slid to hers to catch her attention but then remained holding it, even as she shook her head frantically. “Babs, look, I appreciate the concern but I should probably go, I'm getting dinner right now. I promise, I am happy and fine and do not need an intervention.”

“Well if you're sure-”

“Yep, totally sure, bye now!” And then the line cut, making Barbara blink at her phone for a moment before turning back to the batcomputer. The Marinette on screen had buried her face in her hands while Damian rubbed her back consolingly. He still looked concerned but didn't seem to be pushing her to tell him anything.

“Do you think we could casually stop by that restaurant?” Steph piped up, eagerly, which set off a round of arguments for and against.

_ _ _

Damian sighed internally as Marinette crumpled in humiliation. He knew his family would be incapable of letting them work it out for themselves, but he was still irritated that they hadn't even waited a day before pushing their noses into his business. She was mumbling incoherently under her breath and he moved closer to her. 

“Marinette, it is fine,” he said in a low voice, attempting to soothe her. She sighed and leaned towards him, letting her head thump onto his shoulder. He let his arm slip around her waist, before resting his cheek on her head. “My family are intrusive and protective but they also know and like you, so they will not be hard on you.”

“Not me,” she mumbled, and he pulled back slightly, confused. “Babs was double checking that you weren't pressuring me into hanging out with you. And if I understood her correctly, she isn't the only one Tim told. God, why can I never just have a date? Why is it always nosy friends, or disapproving parents or paparazzi? I can't even kiss you without getting busted by your brother!”

“I am sure we can find some privacy next time I kiss you,” Damian mused absentmindedly. He felt her stiffen slightly before he saw the redness creep along the back of her neck. He felt himself blush slightly at the assumption he had voiced.

“Pretty confident, aren't you?” she mused, looking up at him from under her bangs. She sighed more contentedly when she looked back down, interlocking fingers with the hand he had taken. “I just wish Tim could've kept it to himself for a little bit, he's the least likely to chase us for information. And I wanted to try a couple of dates before the grilling really started.”

They were interrupted by their waiter, bringing their plates and offering refills of their drinks. They waved him away and the conversation moved back to their own interests and hobbies. Damian felt a flutter in his stomach when they paid the bill and she let him take her home. He hesitated only for a moment when she invited him in, checking the time before deciding he could stop in for a short time before he would be missed.

Meanwhile, Marinette was buzzing with nervous energy (and caffeine). She had really enjoyed their date, impromptu as it was. Her heart jumped as he entered the apartment behind her, gently closing the door. He followed her into the kitchenette as she filled the air with senseless rambles, until he gently tugged her hand. 

“Marinette, you do not need to be worried,” he said firmly. “I do not expect anything from you right now, and I will need to leave shortly for a family matter. I merely wanted to spend some extra time with you before that.”

“Oh, yeah, of course,” she replied, cheeks burning. She busied herself with the kettle, pulling out teas and offering him to choose one. “So, I know you do finance and whatnot, but how do you find it working with your family? Especially as you're still at school.”

“Tt, they let me handle things by myself, mostly, which is how I prefer it. I must admit, I do not look forward to the questions I am sure to receive when I go home this evening. Drake should have minded his own business,” he growled, helping her to steep his tea. She giggled lightly and he smirked down at her, making her realise just how closely he stood. She looked down to concentrate on her tea, trying to control the erratic beat of her heart.

“I'm sorry I can't help with that, I have the feeling I'll be getting another call from Babs soon,” she said mournfully. She sighed and set the teas aside to steep properly, a small electronic timer ticking away. Jumping up onto the counter, she kicked her feet lightly. “If you have second thoughts at all, there won't be any hard feelings, you know?”

She held her breath for a moment when he didn't answer. She locked her gaze onto his as he moved slowly in front of her, placing a hand either side of her hips. “I do not regret how we have spent our time today,” he said carefully, his voice low and unhurried. She relaxed slightly and tilted her chin in invitation, which he immediately accepted.

The kiss was less fervent than the ones from earlier, sweeter almost. She felt her heart beating against his chest, her hands finding their way back to his hair and tugging lightly. He groaned before pushing between her knees, encouraging her to wrap her legs around his waist, kissing her more fiercely when she did. The shorts she was wearing rode up slightly as his hand slid up from her knee. 

She made a sound of pleasure as he explored her mouth with his tongue, and his hand slid beneath her shirt. Her own hands traveled downward, pulling at the buttons on his own shirt, and she marveled at how solid he felt. She felt his heart rate increase as she unbuttoned the shirt, pushing it off of his shoulders, but he merely growled low in his throat. His hands were lazily stroking her skin, setting trails of fire under it. 

Her ears were ringing, blood pounding in them as he moved his mouth from hers and paid more attention to her neck. He experimented again with the spot behind her ear, and this time she outright moaned as she pressed herself against him. He tugged gently on her shirt and she quickly obliged, lifting her arms so that he could remove it. She locked her feet behind him as he cupped her breast, and kissed her jaw and neck. 

She could hardly think through the lust that fogged her mind, his thumb making circles dangerously high on her inner thigh. Not wanting to be outdone, she pulled at his jeans, delighted when his breathing quickened. He nipped her neck slightly harder and she almost melted into a puddle, a gasp quickly muffled when he claimed her mouth again.

His hand had just breached the lower hem of her shorts when a sharp ringtone cut through the air, making him jerk back. He swore in what she thought was Arabic, before yanking his phone from his pocket. “Please excuse me for a moment, I must commit a fratricide,” he said darkly, turning to accept the call.

Marinette busied herself with the tea, turning off her timer as she did so. Clearly the cups of tea had been steeping too long but the ritual of the motions helped to steady her heart and occupy her thoughts so that she didn't accidentally eavesdrop. She turned back with the mugs in hand just as he ended the call with a curt goodbye, and he turned back to her with regret plain in his features.

“I take it you're running a little late?” She said, attempting to use humour to mask her disappointment. He sighed, running a hand through his hair. He was no longer looking at her and she was confused - was he angry with her? Had she taken things too far? But then he was holding her shirt out to her and she, belatedly, realised that he was trying to be a gentleman. She quickly slid the shirt back on, and then picked her own tea back up. 

“Regrettably, I must take my leave. Forgive me, Marinette, I wish I could stay here longer, but my family is awaiting my arrival to begin the meeting.” He seemed frustrated, with a tinge of anxiety, and she wondered if they would really give him that hard of a time. She gave voice to the thought, and he gave her a tight smile. “It is less that I am concerned that they will pry into our business, and more that if I leave now, you will decide that you no longer wish to continue our…”

She grinned as he searched for a word that didn't have too many connotations attached for what they were. She set down her cup and slid her arms around his waist. “I know we're kind of jumping past a few steps today - God, if this were a normal first date, I would never have invited you upstairs - but…I like you, Damian. You're funny, smart, a little blunt but my God are you sexy, and I enjoy spending time with you. I'm not going to change my opinion of you just because you finally kissed me, idiot.”

He made an offended noise, but she yanked the collar of his freshly put-on shirt to kiss him again. This time, she was careful not to get carried away, her hands staying firmly on his collar until she pulled back. His gaze was dark and she felt a thrill move through her, but she pushed it aside as she shooed him towards the door.

“Let me know when you have an actual free evening, and we'll do the whole thing - dinner, maybe a movie, you can come back up here for coffee or something,” she managed to say, barely a blush in sight. She squealed when he darted back in for a final kiss and then he was gone, leaving his too-bitter tea to be washed away.

[starwarsmum]

Almost forgot it was Wednesday! So, chapter 4 of Introducing: Mousinette

Marinette stared at the architecture in the entry hall, fingers twitching with the urge to sketch a new dress idea. She barely registered Penny chattering to Dick and Babs, as she ran a hand along one of the banisters. 

She did notice, however, when Jagged launched himself at her, knocking her off her feet. He caught her up, twirling her around as he cackled. They were only interrupted when the butler, Alfred, announced that the others were waiting in the dining room, and that dinner was ready to be served.

As she entered the dining room, she tried to place faces to the names Babs had given her in the months they had been chatting. The tall man with the white streak in his hair was easily identified as Jason, which meant the one cradling a mug was probably Tim. There was a woman with black hair sitting quietly and watching her back, and a blonde who was chatting animatedly with Tim. Cass and Steph, as Babs had said that Cass was more comfortable with sign language than spoken words.

Which left a tall Arab boy, who had slicked back black hair. He was glaring at everyone else in the room, a haughty expression crossing his face as she met his eyes. They were a startling green, but he turned away abruptly, a slight sneer on his mouth.

Marinette bristled immediately. She had had enough of snooty rich people to last her a lifetime. She had learned how to hold her own against them - after all, the only thing evil requires is that good people do nothing. She had been goddamn Ladybug, she had wielded nearly all of the Miraculous at once as Multimouse and she would be damned if she let this stuck-up pretty boy snub her.

She sat down in the empty seat next to the boy and chirped a ‘hello’. She then proceeded to ignore him in favour of the quiet woman with the dark hair. She made sure to be warm and friendly to everyone else, making jokes and sharing her own anecdotes, but became inconveniently deaf when he made his own statements.

They moved to a parlour after the meal, Jagged insisting that they play games. It led to an argument as to whether they should play video games (Marinette said yes) or the classic of charades (Dick was overly enthusiastic for that one). Unfortunately, Dick won that argument which meant they started picking teams. 

Being the last one to be picked, Marinette was forced onto Damian's team - Dick was weirdly insistent that ‘lil D’ join in and be a team captain. Before they got started, their father, Bruce, said he needed to speak with Alfred about something and it couldn't wait, which left the group to chat and crack jokes.

“Those desserts were incredible, by the way, Mari,” Barbara said, smiling over at the girl. “I almost wish I'd told you to leave them at mine so I didn't have to share.”

“Aww, Babs, you don't mean that! After all, you'd never want to cause me pain,” Dick chortled, using the French pronunciation. He had been delighted to hear that Marinette grew up in a bakery, and clearly he was ready to start in on the infamous puns. Marinette rolled her eyes and groaned. 

“Dick, if you tell another bread pun, I will find a toothpick so that I can poke your eyes out and serve them on a brioche,” she said, voice completely level, her expression serious. “And that is not an invitation to tell other puns. Repeat after me: we can do better than awful wordplay to make our friends and family laugh.”

“Ouch, what a visual! Well, I certainly don't want to croissant you!” He grinned as she leapt from her seat, shoving her finger into his face. Barbara cheered her on as she proceeded to make him cross eyed in an attempt to keep her finger in sight.

The joke, of course, was that he should have been watching her other hand, which took hold of his foot and shoved him roughly off the back of the seat he was perching on. He squawked, catching himself with his hands and righting himself with a back spring. The room erupted in laughter, except for the brooding boy who merely made a loud click with his tongue and called them both children.

Marinette responded by sticking her tongue out and turning away from him. She complained loudly to Barbara and Penny that she wished she'd known there would be awful baking puns, because she never would have come if she had. This made Dick gasp loudly, placing a hand to his chest and pouting.

When she finally left, many hours later, Marinette had charmed all but one of the inhabitants at the manor. She gave them all warm goodbyes, promising to come back and see them during her two week holiday. On the way back to the apartment, she leaned back in her seat, feeling tiredness wash over her again.

She woke briefly to stumble into the apartment and into her room before passing out on the bed. But two nights of good sleep was too much for her, and she woke just past 2am, wide awake. If she had been in Paris, she would have transformed and done a route past the Eiffel Tower but, in Gotham? She couldn't risk the connection, especially as she had shared quite a lot about the situation with Barbara.

So, instead, she slipped quietly out of the apartment via a fire escape, and made her way to the roof. She scouted the rooftop before settling on a ledge, a sketchbook in her lap. She had been itching to design since she had arrived, and in the quiet she finally felt settled enough to allow her need to create.

She would have stayed there until morning, but after half an hour late she was interrupted by the thud of boots hitting the roof. She glanced around to see two of Gotham's vigilantes gazing curiously down at her.

“Um, hi,” she said, waving feebly up at them. “Nice night for some hero work."

“...sure,” the one with the red helmet said. She had done research on the vigilantes before, of course she had, she was planning to go to university here. But it had been a while since she had reviewed her notes and she couldn't remember the blasted names. “Is everything alright, miss? It's unusual to see other people on roofs at this time of night.”

“Oh, right, I'm fine,” she said cheerfully, waving her sketchbook to explain. The other vigilante leaned forward and she caught a glimpse of a garish yellow, like green and circus red. This one she remembered. Hard to forget the vigilante who voluntarily dressed as a traffic light. He scrutinised her book, before turning his face back to hers. The whited out lenses of their masks made her feel uneasy - the Miraculous magic made it rare for her not to be able to see her teammates' eyes. “I fell asleep earlier than I meant to this evening and when I woke…”

“I see,” Robin said, though Marinette had the sinking suspicion that they both thought she was crazy. She could hear how carefully he chose his next words. “It would be helpful if you could take yourself back inside.”

“Thank you for your advice, but I am happy where I am,” Marinette said pleasantly, which made the one with the helmet snort. When Robin scowled, she merely smirked up at him, refusing to back down. “You are not the first little hero to try and intimidate me, and you don't even have magic powers.” A lie, it had always been villains and akuma victims who had tried to scare her, but that seemed like an unnecessary amount of information.

“You make a habit of getting on the wrong side of heroes and vigilantes?” Robin said, and Marinette was sure that if she could, she would see a raised eyebrow. He seemed like the kind of guy who would do that. She remained sitting out of stubbornness but waved a hand. She could almost feel him bristling at the dismissal. “I do not know what you think you know of Gotham but you should not be out on rooftops at night.”

“But you are allowed?” She gave him a raised eyebrow of her own. She took a moment to re-centre herself, realising that she had become overly snarky. “Never mind, I'm sorry. I had…an overwhelming evening, I hurt a friend by accident and spent  the remainder of the night with strangers. I was using the quiet up here to clear my mind, but if you think it unsafe, I shall return to my room.”

Apparently startled by her sudden shift, Robin shared a glance with his teammate. Said teammate shrugged but didn't say anything and the silence stretched on a beat too long to be comfortable. She stood and reached her arms skyward, careful not to drop her sketchbook over the edge of the building.

She could hear the other vigilante - what was his name? It was going to irritate her until she found out - murmur something and Robin made a tutting noise. She chose to ignore them both in favour of paying attention to the fire escape. She was well past her clumsiest days but when she was nervous, she tended to fumble a lot more. And two vigilantes, watching her climb down after she sassed them? Nerve-wracking.

Tikki buzzed up to her as she slid back into her room quietly. She held her fingers to her lips and ushered the Kwami out of sight. 

Back up on the roof, Red Hood glanced at Robin who shrugged and moved silently away from the fire escape. They had stopped because it was unusual to see anyone out at night, but it had been Robin's choice to move closer when he had recognised the girl from earlier that evening.

“Well that was weird,” Red Hood said, his delivery deadpan, but Robin could hear the vague amusement. “She's an odd one, do you think O knows about her tendency to wander the rooftops?”

“Tt, how would I know that?” Robin retorted, running an eye over the skyline. “She did not seem quite as compliant earlier in the evening - I anticipated her refusing to vacate the roof, at least for as long as we were here. Nightwing did mention the unpleasant interaction Oracle experienced with her earlier, that could be contributing.”

“She's a cute little thing, huh,” Red Hood continued, his voice taking on a teasing quality that Robin did not understand. Deciding that he did not want to understand he ignored the remark, which made the other man sigh for some unfathomable reason. “Come on, dude, you have to have noticed she's pretty. Isn't that the reason you were so wound up tonight?”

“I do not know what you are referring to. If I was uncomfortable during dinner, it was because we had unknown individuals in attendance, one of which behaved far too much like Nightwing. As for her appearance, I do not think my opinion is relevant and therefore shall not be sharing it. It is late, I shall be returning to the batcave and then to sleep. Try not to get yourself killed between here and your home, Hood.”

Robin left Red Hood behind, ignoring the exasperated sigh and complaints that issued from his comms. What did it matter if he did not behave around this girl as other boys his age? He was far superior to others his own age, and so that was to be expected. 

And so he endured the teasing from various members of his family as he always did when they introduced him to females his own age. But it was a relief when he reached the batcave and was able to turn off his comms, silencing their comments. Pennyworth was the only one bar his father who did not reference the young woman, for which he was grateful to the man.

Even his dreams seemed plagued by the girl with the dark hair and an almost intriguing fire burning in her eyes. When he woke the next day, he wondered if she had somehow placed a spell on him that made it impossible not to think of her, although it very well may have been more to do with the fact that his family would not stop talking about her.

Over the next few days, he learned random facts about her - she was a native Parisian, she was not Jagged Stone's blood related niece, she was planning to attend Gotham University…he would not admit it, but he was intrigued by the tidbits that slipped from his brothers. Grayson in particular seemed to be spending more time with her as she was friends with Gordon.

He hoped that when she returned to Paris, he would be able to put her fully out of his mind.

[starwarsmum]

And it's Wednesday, so heres chapter 16 of Introducing: Mousinette 🫶 Jason and Damian Talk

Marinette sat on the edge of her building’s rooftop, swinging her feet. Her feelings were all over the place, part of her thrilled to see one of her closest friends, another devastated that he had come because her relationship with Damian was imploding.

She stilled when she heard the soft sound of feet behind her, turning as they got closer. She was hopeful until she saw the flash of golden hair and Adrien's slightly crooked smile. She gave him a tired smile in return, accepting the cup he offered her.

“So, do you sit up here often? I've gotta say, the view is not as nice as I'm used to,” Adrien said, and she could hear the smirk in his voice. She whacked him, and he feigned injury before continuing. “I guess not everywhere can be the city of love, but I'm sure this used to be way more romantic.”

“I’m pretty sure it's who you're with that makes it more romantic,” she sassed, eyes rolling. She sighed, relaxing against his side as his arm settled over her shoulders again. “Why can't I ever get this right? Luka and I broke up because I wasn't honest enough, you and I had too much going on and apparently I was too honest this time. Not to mention all those half-assed attempts to date with guys who weren't my type.”

“Maybe the timing was just never right, Bug.” His voice was gentle and Marinette felt safe next to him. She always had, it was why it had been so easy to fall in love with him so young. She sighed again, tucking her feet up beside her. “You'll get your happy ending, Mari, even if I have to marry you myself to make it happen.”

“Oh please, as if I could deprive poor Lila of her Adri-boo,” she teased, making him groan. He huffed in annoyance, tweaking her side. “I can't believe Alya and Nino still think you're secretly into her.”

“Don't remind me, she's been a literal nightmare. Every time I think I've managed to shake her clear, Alya invites her for a double date that I was told was a casual hang. I've told her, straight up, that I have no interest in Lila, but she insists on doing it.”

“Yeah well, I tried. I've told Alya over and over that Lila's a liar but all I get back is that I must still be jealous,” she said with disdain. “As if it wasn't a mutual break up! She thinks that's why I can't make a relationship last beyond two dates, some kind of self sabotage.”

“Hey, maybe she's on to something,” Adrien joked, ducking out of the way of her next swat. “Now now, that's dangerous, M'lady. You wouldn't want your backup husband to plummet prematurely to his death.”

“Oh my God, you're impossible! We made that promise before we even dated, I'm pretty sure that makes it null and void. Besides,” she said, squinting at him. “Some girl is going to sweep you off your feet, I just know it. You're a very eligible bachelor, even with the family history.”

“You sound like Chloe,” he said sourly. “Maybe I don't want somebody new to sweep me off my feet. Besides, we're not here to talk about my love life, we're here to help you get over yours. Chloe said you were really excited about this guy, so I was really surprised when you messaged me out of nowhere about ruining everything.”

“Well, full disclosure, that text was meant to go to Chloe, but I was treating myself to a little mental breakdown, so I must have clicked your name instead. And, like I said when we spoke on the phone, I accidentally stumbled onto a big secret, that I know he wouldn't want me to know yet, if ever, so it's my fault. I guess I just didn't expect him to ghost me.”

The silence that followed was broken by the heavy thud of feet behind them. Adrien immediately jumped up, on the defensive and placing himself between Marinette and the apparent danger. He was crouched, nearly hissing at the tall man behind them, who sported a shiny helmet and a leather jacket.

“Whoa, hold on both of you! Adrien, stand down, this is one of Gotham's vigilantes! J- Red Hood, what brings you by?” She cursed herself for almost slipping, but ignored it. Adrien slowly straightened out of his crouch, glaring at the taller man. 

“Uh, you know you two are out on the rooftops in the dead of night, in Gotham? I'm stopping by to make sure everything's okay over here,” Red Hood said. His voice was distorted slightly by the mask, and what Marinette thought must be a voice modulator, but she could hear Jason in it. “There are safer places to get cuddly.”

“There are also less safe places,” Marinette retorted, unamused. She was offended at what he was insinuating, especially now that she knew who he was. He knew that she was - something - with his brother, did he really think so little of her? “Adrien is here comforting me because of boy troubles, and we like high places. Perhaps you should mind your own business and go find actual crime to fight.”

“Forget it, Nette, let's head on in for the night. I think there's a tub of ice cream in your freezer, and I can get a movie on.” Adrien led her past Red Hood and back down the fire escape, into her room. She gave Red Hood a wounded look as she passed, sure that he would know what she knew, as he had shown up specifically to interrupt them. “Still have no sense of self-preservation, huh m’lady?”

“That's not- he's- I'm going through something, Kitty, can't you give me a break?” She whined, slumping onto the sofa as he chuckled. “Besides, he was being rude, insinuating more than what he saw. You know I hate that.”

“He only said cuddly, Mari, and we were cuddling. I get it, you're sensitive because your boyfriend is being a jerk, but please don't get yourself shot by a vigilante because you're annoyed.”

Marinette couldn't say anything to that, so only pouted and changed the subject. Now that her anger was fading, her heart ached and she wondered what Jason would say to Damian. She hated feeling defensive about what was happening - they hadn't declared themselves boyfriend or girlfriend, hell, Damian had straight up ignored her texts since Thursday - but she didn't want him to think that her feelings were swaying. She was angry, but only because she missed him, and wanted to set things straight.

So she quieted down, allowing Adrien to fuss around her before they settled down to watch a film together.

_ _ _

Damian was lying on Todd's sofa for the third time in just over a week, staring blankly at the ceiling. He hadn't planned to be there, but after he had spotted Marinette and her…friend…sitting closely in their spot, he had run. He hadn't gotten close enough to hear their conversation, but they had looked comfortable together.

He was beginning to feel cowardly, running away from her all the time, but he didn't know what to say to her. He had assumed she would be alone tonight, but Agreste had invaded her home. And she had let him, which hurt Damian more than he cared to admit. Was she now secluded in her apartment with him, engaging in ‘other activities’? Or were they cuddled on the sofa, which somehow seemed worse to him.

He was still lying there when Todd re-entered his home. He heard him sigh, before approaching. “Buddy, you've gotta talk to her. She's hurting, and people who are hurting tend to make dumb choices, and she would be well within her rights to make them. You said you hadn't defined the relationship, right? Which means she's a free agent, and you're gonna miss your shot.”

“You cannot tell me she is not already making a choice,” Damian said, slightly unevenly. “I saw her with him, they are together now, I would wager. It appears as though I have already missed it.”

“Aw, don't be like that, D, she's not that kind of girl. She's plenty mad at you, and maybe knows my identity and is mad at me too, but she wouldn't hook up with her ex just because he turned up. Give her a chance.”

“Todd, I…do not know how to do this. I am worried that she will view me differently, and I am not prepared for it. As you said before, they have a shared history and he is clearly in love with her. It is probable that she returns those feelings, therefore I should step away.”

“Except you need to make sure she isn't running around telling everyone our business,” Todd snapped, losing his patience. He grabbed the front of Damian's suit, yanking him upright. “I didn't think you were a coward, Demon Spawn. You have a shot at being actually happy, and that scares you. So what you need to do is get a grip and talk to her. What exactly is holding you back?”

“She will not accept my past, Todd!” Damian was shouting, anger blazing through him. “She is a wonderful, thoughtful, incredible woman, there is nothing I can offer her that mitigates my previous life. Even if she was a hero, even if she was happy with my secret life, she would not accept the blood on my hands. I researched the Parisian team, they were virtuous and ensured that the city was saved. I am nothing compared to that.”

“Jesus, is that what this is about?” Todd lowered him back onto the sofa with a thump. Todd groaned and dropped down next to him, rubbing a hand across his face. “Damian, you don't know that she won't accept you. Shit, Adrien's the son of a supervillain, if she dated him, you have every chance of her caring about you, regardless. Just, please, talk to her. Figure this out.”

Damian sat, dumbfounded, as Todd left to get some sleep. It was 2am, Damian was not going to get enough sleep regardless…perhaps he could swing by Marinette's again on his way back to the batcave. Before he could change his mind, he pulled his mask and hood back on, launching out of the window.

He dropped onto her rooftop, allowing his feet to scuff the tarmac. He waited and then heard the telltale sound of a window easing open. Gentle feet on the fire escape. And then she was clambering onto the rooftop, stopping when she spotted him. His eyes were riveted to her face, searching for a sign that she was angry, that he was too late to salvage their relationship.

Marinette had been awake, sketching in her room when she had heard feet touch down on her roof. She hadn't hesitated, practically scrambling through the window and launching herself onto the roof. She immediately saw him, and she stopped, unsure whether she was allowed to get closer to him.

They stood there, staring uncertainly at each other. A sudden wind made her shiver slightly, wrapping her arms around her waist. Instantly, Damian had closed the gap between them, his hands cupping her elbows, shielding her from the wind.

“Why are you here?” She whispered, longing to remove his mask so that she could look into his eyes. Her hands rested lightly on his biceps, not daring to move any further. “I thought…weren't you angry with me? I swear, I didn't mean to work it out, I just- we've spent so much time together up here and- you look the same, I'm sorry, I want-”

“Shhhh, breathe, Marinette,” Damian said, and she could hear his low voice, the one that made her wind tight, and relax all at once. She stopped talking immediately, eyes wide, but unwavering. His grip on her tightened briefly, before he pulled her against him. She buried herself in his arms and tears spilled over, her sobs shaking her small frame. “I am sorry, I did not mean to hurt you. I did not know what to do, and I was…scared. Please, forgive me.”

Marinette merely sobbed harder, pressing tight against him. He kissed the top of her head, rubbing her arms. They stayed like that for several minutes, until her tears subsided. “I’m sorry, I shouldn't have freaked out like that. I haven't been sleeping very well.”

“You should go inside, Marinette. I wanted to make sure you were alright and apologise, but it is cold and you are tired. I promise, we can talk more tomorrow, and we- is that my shirt?”

“Um, yes?” She blushed, pulling at the hem of it. She had been wearing it every night, and when she had left Adrien snoring on the sofa, she had immediately crawled back into it. “I'll get it cleaned and back to you, it's just, you left it here and I-”

“Tt, it is fine. It looks…good on you,” he said, his voice dropping low as he leaned down towards her. She shivered again, although not from the cold this time. She felt a familiar heat burn deep within her belly, and she turned her lips towards his. He groaned and closed the remaining distance, making her knees buckle. 

It ended too soon, Marinette breathing hard and Damian sounding slightly unsteady. He was murmuring into her hair now, hands firmly on her waist. She swallowed, eyes closing in relief. “Will you come inside? Just- just for a few minutes?”

He nodded, following her to the fire escape and down to her window. She tugged the blind closed behind them, pulling his mask off as soon as he sat down on her bed. She stayed close to him, staring into his eyes. He stripped the kevlar reinforced suit top off, leaving only a thin T-shirt underneath.

Crawling into his lap, she laid her head on his chest, comforting herself with the sound of his heartbeat. He murmured to her in that language she didn't recognise, but thought might be Arabic, and she felt calmer. His arms tightened and she looked up at him, their noses brushing before she kissed him. 

They sat like that for an indeterminable amount of time, taking comfort in each other. When she thought she would explode from the sheer amount of feeling coursing through her, he maneuvered her onto the bed, kissing her harder. Her hands slid under his thin shirt, tracing his muscles and scars.

“Marinette,” he said, practically sighing her name as she explored. They broke apart eventually and she looked up at him, lips swollen and bruised. He looked down at her and she saw him swallow, before rolling carefully sideways to lie next to her. “I am sorry for running away from you. I feel so much for you, I do not want to lose you, and when you told me that- that you knew, I was terrified that I would. And so I distanced myself, pretending that I was being cautious. I hurt you, and that is unforgivable but I hope you will anyway.”

“Damian, I know you don't believe me but I do understand. I should have approached it differently, but I was so worried about you thinking I was keeping secrets that I rushed. I feel so much for you too, I want this to work and that means I'm going to make mistakes. Just- please don't shut me out. Tell me you need space, tell me you want to think about things but, please, don't just leave me to wonder.”

“I promise.” He said it like a vow, his hand resting on her hip. “Go to sleep, Marinette, I will stay until you do. And perhaps we can have lunch together tomorrow?” He began to hum tunelessly, stroking down her side as her eyes fluttered closed. 

When he was sure she was asleep, he slipped back into his suit. He kissed her gently on the forehead and stepped lightly out of her window. She stirred briefly, but he closed the window quietly, watching her for a few minutes before leaving.

[starwarsmum]

Chapter 14 of Introducing Mousinette 🥰😘 angst warning for y'all, it doesn't get resolved for a couple chapters

Marinette woke the next morning to a firm hand gently shaking her shoulder, and stretched. Her eyes fluttered open and Damian smiled down at her. Her insides immediately turned to mush and she stammered a good morning.

“Good morning, Marinette. I would not have woken you, but we have classes soon. Did you want to use the bathroom first, or do you want coffee?”

“Bathroom, please,” she whispered, before dragging herself up and across the room. She splashed cool water on her face before running her toothbrush around her mouth, and rinsing with mouthwash. When she stepped out several minutes later, Damian was leaning on her kitchen counter, sipping his own mug of coffee. “All yours,” she said helpfully, stepping forward to accept her own cup.

“I have already used the bathroom, but thank you. I also asked Kent to bring me extra tools for our classes today, so I shall not be under prepared. I fear he will want to know why I am not coming from my own home though.”

Marinette snorted, giggling into her mug. Jon had apparently been unbearably inquisitive the entire day prior to their date, and she could only imagine how much worse it would be if Damian showed up in the t-shirt and jeans he had worn the night before.

“Hey, I know you probably don't have a change of clothes, so if you want I have a spare guys shirt. I was working on it for one of my friends, but it doesn't feel right for him. Here, take your shirt off and I'll grab it,” she sprang into action, making a beeline for her room.

Damian stood awkwardly for a moment before deciding he should comply with her request. His current shirt was rumpled from having been slept in, and it would not do to be caught by the paparazzi in a rumpled shirt leaving someone else's apartment. He made his way to stand outside her door, waiting.

“I think it should fit, I was kind of thinking about you when I designed it. Hopefully the colours…also…” she trailed off as she looked up, eyes wide as she took in his naked torso. He froze again, not daring to move as she stepped towards him, almost trance like. “That is one nasty scar,” she whispered, fingers coming up to brush over the sword scar in the centre of his chest.

He completely stilled at the contact, barely breathing, unsure of what to say. Her look of genuine concern made his heart squeeze, made him want to reassure her that he was fine, but her touching that particular scar…was anyone truly ‘fine’ after they had been killed by their own clone?

“It is old,” he murmured, raising his hand to cover hers. She looked sad, a frown line appearing between her eyebrows. “Marinette, it is fine. I will explain it to you, one day, but the story is long and I do not think I am ready to share this particular one.”

Marinette's mind was whirring as half remembered thoughts from the night before came screaming back. His profile in the dark. The way he spoke. How comfortable she felt in his presence. And some half forgotten research and conspiracy theories she had found, back before she had made Gotham her current home.

Marinette was smart, and when she was given pieces to a puzzle, she invariably solved it. She hadn't intended to, would never have dreamed of invading his privacy like this, but her brain had done all the work without her really trying. 

Swallowing hard, she tried to smile, but could feel it falter. She looked away, pressing the hanger into his hands before muttering something about needing to change and making a hasty exit. Leaning against her bedroom door, she tried to accept the fact that Robin, the vigilante she had been befriending for the past months, was the same person as Damian Wayne, the boy she had been falling in love with for the past few weeks.

Marinette, however, was very good at compartmentalising. She decided it was in her best interests to shelve all of this for now, and get them both to campus in time for their classes. She dressed in record time, grabbing her travel mug and dumping more coffee into it, she climbed onto the back of his motorcycle and gripped him firmly with one arm.

As they roared onto campus, people did a double take as Damian removed his helmet, accepting hers easily. They were joined very quickly by Jon, who was grinning widely, in spite of the glare Damian leveled at him.

“Morning Dames, Mari,” he said cheerfully. “I take it your date went well?”

“It was wonderful,” Marinette beamed, wrapping her hand in Damian’s. His glare softened when he looked at her and she grinned even more widely. “But I'd better get going. I'm meeting Jason for lunch, so text me later, ’kay?” And before he could say anything, she darted upwards, giving him a brief kiss before darting away.

Damian watched her go, a soft smile on his face. He tensed when an arm situated itself around his neck, Kent's gleeful face inches away from his own. “If you wish to keep that arm, I suggest you remove yourself from my person.”

“Awwww, is Mari the only one who gets to touch you? Even though we've been friends for so long? How rude,” Kent said, pouting. It didn't last long before he grinned again, his fist pumping into the air. “I cannot believe you had a date with Marinette and didn't even go home after. What would Dick say?”

“Kent, I do not care. I thank you for bringing pens and paper for me to use, but please do not think this entitles you to know about my relationship with Marinette. And yes, she is the only one who may touch me without an explicit invitation.”

“Wow, last night was that good, huh?” He held his hands up in surrender, moving on to more neutral topics. 

_ _ _

Marinette went to lunch, worried about what Jason might have found out the previous evening. She had been so swept up in her date with Damian that she hadn't really considered the questions Jason might have. At least, she hadn't until she was in her last lecture before lunch and realised she would be seeing him within the hour.

She spotted him sitting on their usual bench, and waved, giving him a nervous smile. He shot her a lazy grin, waiting for her to get settled before beginning with the inquisition.

“You probably want to know that our family chat has been blowing up since last night,” he said, almost casually. He smirked when she groaned, clearly enjoying her discomfort. “Hey, you don't want us to have questions, maybe don't keep baby Wayne out all night. And before you tell me anything, just know that I really don't need any details.”

“I wasn't going to tell you anything,” she sniffed, focusing on her lunch. She felt his sceptical gaze on her and rolled her eyes. “No, seriously, I don't want to talk about my evening with your brother, no matter how nosy you lot are. I will merely say that I had a wonderful time, and as long as he wants to, we're going to be going out again. How was your evening?”

“Alright, jeez, you could've just said you didn't get any,” he snarked, laughing at her sound of outrage. “But I'm glad you had fun. I would've been having words with the demon if you'd been upset. But if your date is off limits, we're gonna be talking about the little bombshell you dropped on me yesterday. Why the hell didn't you tell me you were a hero in Paris? I looked up some of the messed up shit that happened, you were in the middle of that?”

“Okay, first up, I distinctly remember telling you that Multi only showed up to a max of two fights,” she said, as calmly as she could. She was going to have to weave a very delicate web to make sure she didn't give anything else away. “Second, it's not even an issue anymore, Hawkmoth is gone, I don't use the Miraculous any more and I'm not even in Paris. Third, and I mean this with love, why would I have told you?”

“Because I thought we were friends? We've been hanging out for two whole months, and you haven't said a word about being a hero.” Marinette shot him a shrewd look. Following her revelation that morning, she had quickly made the connection between Jason and the vigilante who wore the helmet - Red Hood. After a beat, she spoke carefully.

“So, if you were in my position, with a secret identity, you would share that?” She let the silence between them grow for a minute before shaking her head. “You know what, that's not important, what's important is that our team was very strict on sharing identities. It's possible to be friends with someone without sharing every secret you hold. But since you do now know, what did you want to know about it? Bearing in mind I was only Multimouse once or twice.”

“Um, I want to know everything,” Jason said, sounding more subdued than a moment ago. “First off, what the hell is a Miraculous?”

“Magic jewellery that turns you into a superhero. I had the mouse, power of multiplication which means I turned small but there was more than one of me,” she said concisely and without much inflection. “Next.”

“Shit, okay, you said you were in a couple of fights, what happened in your first mission? I couldn't find mention of a Multimouse, just Polymouse, and she was against something called Malediktator.”

“Oh, right, yeah, my missions tended to be stealth based. Plus, I goofed it off the bat, which is why I didn't get to keep being Multi,” she said smoothly. She was used to lying about her Miraculous experience. “I was called in against an akumatised teacher who went by Kwami Buster. She caught the little beings that power the Miraculous and Ladybug asked me to use Mullo so I could get them back for her. But then I didn't fully realise that I was supposed to keep the mouse Miraculous on until we were somewhere private and Chat Noir saw my detransformation. After that, I only got called on once more to be Multi. Anything else?”

Jason looked like his brain was imploding, his jaw hanging open slightly and his eyes wide. He blinked a couple of times before answering her. “Okay, I am going to want a full rundown of that fight, it sounds insane. But that's gonna have to wait, because what the fuck is a Mullo? And what was the second time you were Multi?”

“The second time…” Marinette hesitated. She hadn't really talked about the second time she had donned the Mouse Miraculous, because it was what ultimately led to Hawkmoth's defeat. “...is complicated. I don't know if I can talk much about that one without talking to Ladybug first, and she's retired. Suffice to say, it was an experience and I will be happy if I never have to do it again.”

“You don't miss it?” Jason said curiously, and once again she hesitated. “Look, I don't know about magical jewellery or any of that, but I can't imagine it's easy to walk away from doing hero work. Having power like that, it's gotta be kind of addictive.”

“Honestly, I was fifteen when I worked with Mullo and it was a crushing weight to bear,” she said, as honestly as she could. She had been fourteen when she had become Ladybug, and she could remember the pressure to be a hero, to be a good hero. “Being a hero sounds like fun, but it's a lot of responsibility. I don't envy people who do it for years.”

Jason went quiet at that, and didn't seem to have any more questions about her time as a superhero. They ate in silence after that, and Marinette said goodbye before going to her next class, feeling slightly heavier than she had before the conversation.

_ _ _

When Marinette finally returned home, she had over a dozen texts from various people. Jason had messaged to thank her for sharing so much with him, so she sent him a cheeky message back, saying that he had to share a secret next time. All the other messages, she decided could wait until after dinner, except for the ones from Chloe.

She hesitated, looking at the time. She had made it home just before 4pm, which meant 10pm Paris time. Knowing Chloé, she would be annoyed if Marinette called and she was asleep but…Chloe had also wanted to know how the date went. She had sent her a short message last night to say that it went well, and a lot of the messages back let Marinette know that she was annoyed with the lack of detail

“God, finally, Dupain-Cheng, I've been waiting forever for you to call,” was the answer she got when Chloé picked up in the second ring. “I help you with a crisis and all I get back is ‘it went well’? I told you I wanted to chat after you ended the date!”

“I know, Chlo, I'm sorry! But he didn't leave until this morning and-”

“Oh my god, Marinette Dupain-Cheng, are you telling me you had sex with him on the first date? I cannot describe how proud I am of you right now.”

“Chloé! I did not have sex with him yet! He just stayed over, to chat and sleep. Can you keep your mind out of the gutter for five minutes? Also, that shouldn't make you proud, it should make you worry about my sanity.”

“Yet, huh,” was the only reply she got, and Marinette flushed red. “I’m only going to say this once, Dupain-Cheng: I'm happy for you. I think it's great you found someone who makes you nervous, and smiley, and think about sex. It's a good thing. But you had better introduce me to him soon, so I can make sure he's good enough.”

“I will, Chlo, promise. And he's more than good enough, he's amazing. I haven't felt like this in a really long time, maybe ever,” she said softly. She thought about her other relationships; Luka, who had been sweet but ultimately not what she wanted; Adrien, who had been what she wanted but they had rushed it and it had broken; others, short-lived things that ended after only a date or two. She sighed. “I just don't want to wreck this, by going too fast.”

“You should do what you enjoy,” Chloé said, uncharacteristically contemplative. “You've always put yourself second, and it's never worked for you. Maybe this time you should do what makes you happy, and you'll get a different ending.”

The conversation carried on for a very little time after that, and Marinette thanked her for talking to her. After promising that she would be back before Christmas, they hung up. She went about making dinner, enjoying the quiet after a hectic few days. 

As afternoon drifted to evening, which turned to night all too soon. She had managed some designing, so coursework and had gotten ready for bed at a reasonable hour. She drifted to sleep easily, and slept dreamlessly until the sounds of someone on the roof awoke her.

Damian landed on Marinette's rooftop, wondering at the wisdom of visiting her as his alter-ego. He had been thinking about her all day, wondering what she had been doing, whether she was thinking about him too. As he paced the rooftop, he relaxed enough for his feet to make some noise, his usual signal that he was there.

A few minutes later and he heard the sound of her window unlatching, and her feet delicate on the fire escape. As she appeared, he felt something tight in his chest uncoil. She looked unreal, her hair loose and her small frame dwarfed by a large jumper. She seemed to hesitate before coming towards him.

“Good evening,” he said quietly, nodding his head in her direction. They stood in silence for a moment, which was not unusual, but felt strangely charged. He watched her chew her lip as she watched him, and he felt suddenly nervous. 

“I need to talk to you,” she blurted suddenly, and he tensed fully, immediately worried for her. “It- I'm not sure how to tell you…I mean, it's just- are your comms on?”

“...they are currently, although I have muted them. I need to be able to hear if my team needs assistance. Is…do you have a problem? Is something the matter?”

She was quiet again, perhaps building the courage to say whatever was bothering her, but it made him want to pull her close to ensure she was not injured. She took a deep breath and stepped towards him, until she looked up from right in front of him. His own breath stalled, and he had to work extremely hard not to brush a hand over her cheek.

“I know who you are,” she said, almost too softly for him to hear. She laid her hands gently on his arms, stepping almost imperceptibly closer. “I'm sorry, I didn't mean to work it out. But I didn't want to lie to you, or keep something like this from you. And I have- things- that I need to tell you as well, that I can't do when you're in the suit. The things I need to tell you, I can only tell to you, not the others.”

Damian jolted backwards, putting space between them as he inhaled sharply. His heart was racing painfully and he thought it might stop dead in his chest. How? How had she worked it out? Or was this a bluff? But why would she be bluffing with Robin, it made no sense. She took another hesitant step forward and he gave in to the instinct to flee, shooting off with his grappling hook.

He could feel her eyes on him, all the way to his next perch, even though he was far out of range. He finished patrol several hours later and made his way immediately to Red Hood's last known location. He asked, quietly, if he could have a short talk with him and ended up following him back to his current home.

“What's up, Demon Spawn?” he said, dumping his equipment haphazardly around the apartment. When Damian didn't say anything, he paused and looked back at him, quizzically. “Dude, you good? I would've thought you'd still be flying high from date night. Marinette said it was a good night, plus my understanding is that you never even went home, you dog.”

“She says she knows my identity,” he said, with no preamble. “I do not know what to do, Todd. I do not see how she could have worked it out so quickly, I have always been careful to keep my distance as Robin,” he continued, removing his mask and rubbing his face. “I am also unsure as to whether she actually knows, or if she is bluffing. She did not use my given name tonight, but I cannot understand why she would say it if it were not true.”

“Well, shit,” Todd replied, sitting, shocked at the kitchen counter. His hands fiddled nervously with one of his firearms, which made Damian a little twitchy. “I mean, we knew she was smart, D. Maybe if you didn't want her working out who you are, you shouldn't have been spending time with her on both sides of the mask.”

“That is unhelpful, Todd. Regardless of how it has happened and who is to blame, I need a solution. How can I tell whether she truly knows my identity?” 

“I don't know, D, but you'd better figure it out. B won't be thrilled if we've got a rogue girlfriend with that sort of intel,” Todd warned him, deciding to clean his guns. “And if she does, you'll have to come clean with everyone about your nighttime visits.” There was a pause before Todd continued, although Damian could hear the worry in his voice. “You should probably take a look into the whole Paris/Hawkmoth situation though, Pixie was involved - as a hero.”

“Excuse me, she was what?” Was Damian's astonished reply. Todd nodded glumly, giving Damian a brief rundown of what Marinette had covered with him earlier in the day. She had said she needed to talk to him alone - was it about this? But if she had told Todd of all people, why would she say it had to be just him? Unless she thought he was someone else. He flexed his hands, trying to think. “Perhaps, as Damian, I should act as though I know nothing.”

“Yeah, good call. If she doesn't know it's you, talking to her about a conversation you had as Robin will be a huge giveaway.” The silence that followed was easier, and Damian left not long after to go home. He slipped into his room after changing in the batcave and checked his phone. There were no new messages, and he felt conflicted - her having not messaged made him think she did not know, but she had sounded so sure…

He did not sleep easily that night.

[starwarsmum]

Onto the next chapter of Introducing: Mousinette! Finally we see Marinette arrive in Gotham ❤️ there is a panic attack depicted in this chapter. It isn't intense, but it's there

As the Easter break approached, Marinette was snowed under by her tests and commissions. She apologised to Barbara but wasn't able to keep up with their weekly chats. She had a conditional offer for her university of choice and she had to get the appropriate grades. She promised that she would catch up with the other woman as soon as she was free but, for now, she was under more than enough pressure.

Marinette slept for 36 hours straight when the final test was complete, and the final commission boxed and sent to the buyer. When she eventually awoke, she was hungry, bleary and wanted to crawl back into bed to sleep for another 36. Unfortunately, Penny and Jagged had made plans to stop by that day and Marinette had promised to be available and not half-dead for the visit so she had to shower and make herself presentable.

“Lil M! It feels like forever since we saw you last, how's my favourite little rocker?” Jagged's voice boomed as he caught sight of her. She grinned and snuggled into a hug from Penny, making him cry out in mock outrage. “We were just talking to your parents about our plans for your break, Rockette.”

“Oh?” She was only mildly interested in the plans, as she knew her parents had asked her to keep her schedule free to help more in the bakery now that she didn't have the BAC breathing down her neck. “I hope they involve plenty of rest, seeing as I still feel like I haven't slept in a week.”

“Well, there will be plenty of time to sleep on the plane!” Penny said brightly, making Marinette pull away from her sharply. “Ah-ah,” she admonished, shushing Marinette before she could start bombarding them with questions. “Your parents agree that you've more than earned a holiday, which is why you haven't been allowed to take on any new clients, and your parents asked you to keep your schedule clear.”

“We knew you wouldn't do it unless you had another obligation, Marinette,” Tom said mournfully, regretful that they had had to trick their daughter. “We are more than capable of keeping the bakery running without you, and Penny and Jagged offered to take you to see your new university during the trip.”

“I don't even know if I passed yet!” Marinette exclaimed, throwing her hands up. It was only token resistance, she knew that if they had taken the time to work with her parents then there was no way she wasn't going. “How long do I have to pack?”

“Well, the jet leaves in 4 hours-” Marinette cut Jagged off with a screech, launching herself back upstairs without another word. The adults stood around chortling as they waited patiently for her to re-emerge with her suitcase. When she came back down half an hour later, pink suitcase and carry-on in tow, he continued as though there had been no interruption. “-and as we don't have to fly commercial, there'll be plenty of time for you to tell your little friends that you won't be available,” he finished smugly. 

“Maman, Papa, thank you so much,” Marinette squeezed them both tightly, promising to keep them updated while she traveled. They parted tearfully, but Marinette was also excited to see where she might be living in half a year's time. “I can't believe you didn't tell me, I have no idea if I packed everything I'll need.”

“Anything you don't have, we can pick up for you,” Penny reassured her. “Besides, it's only for 2 weeks, and we have a pretty packed schedule ready for you.”

“Wait, does Barbara know?” Marinette asked excitedly. When Penny confirmed that it would be a surprise for her too, Marinette squealed and immediately began planning what she would wear to meet the young woman. Penny eyed her carefully, noting the light flush to her skin and the over-bright sheen to her eyes. She knew Marinette had a good head on her shoulders, but also that she had a tendency to let her heart lead her, which didn't always end well.

Choosing to shelve that problem for later, Penny allowed Marinette to babble excitedly about everything from the architecture she had seen in pictures of Gotham, to the latest red carpet fashions. The nervous excitement kept Marinette bouncing in her seat during the flight, and whenever Penny and Jagged closed their own eyes to get some rest, she pulled out her sketchbook to jot down new ideas. 

When they eventually touched down, it was late evening in Gotham, meaning that Marinette's parents would be getting up soon to start their morning bakery routine. She fired off several messages to confirm that she was safe and sound in Gotham, unsurprised when only her parents messaged back.

They trudged to the Rolling-Stone’s apartment, Marinette yawning and bleary-eyed. The adults promptly sent her to bed, saying they would wake her at a reasonable hour to discuss their next plans. She sleepily demanded that seeing Barbara be a priority, as she was supposed to be having a video call with the woman the following evening anyway. Only once they had agreed, did she allow them to prod her into the room that would be hers for the next 2 weeks.

She was asleep almost before she had fully laid down, Tikki settling into the crook of her neck.

_ _ _

Barbara Gordon was used to long nights, being the main coordinator of the bat-family’s nightly activities. At 32 years old, she had seen her share of horrors and continued wanting to make a difference to their city. She was used to spending her days catching up on some sleep, before assisting the GCPD with cold cases so that she could afford everything she wanted.

When Penny Rolling had contacted her to help out with a budding designer's website, she had been intrigued. She had then proceeded to look for as much information as possible about the girl, not wanting to go into the agreement blind. She hadn't expected to find out about Parisian superheroes as part of her research, but she took it in stride as much as she was able.

Then she had met Marinette and immediately felt a protectiveness that defied logic. The girl was clearly competent, clever and driven, something Barbara appreciated, but there had been an underlying sense of vulnerability, which had ignited motherly instincts she hadn't known she possessed. She often wondered if this was how Bruce felt when he adopted yet another stray vigilante. It certainly explained why the manor was always overrun.

She had been relieved to find out that the ‘Hawkmoth situation’, as Marinette called it, was long resolved, and that she didn't need to worry about her brand new sister being caught up in attacks anymore. She had enough sibling-figures that threw themselves into danger with reckless abandon, thank-you-very-much. 

On this particular evening, the Bat-boys were needling her for information about her sudden acquisition of not 1, not 2 but 3 MDC original pieces. They were green with envy, none of them having been successful at locating Jagged Stone’s now famous designer (because she would not allow them to crack her firewalls, she was the Oracle for a reason) and so they had taken to trying to trick information out of her. 

“C’mon O, you know I've been a Jagged fan since the beginning. Our first date was at one of his concerts! We know she's French, we know he thinks of her as family, but how did you get ahead of us on the waitlist for a commission?”

Barbara snorted, keeping it to herself that she had deliberately asked Marinette to hold off on accepting the commissions the boys had sent her. The girl was strangely accepting of the request, stating something about knowing what it was like to tease a sibling-figure. She refused to elaborate, but Barbara wasn't too concerned - Marinette had a lot of friends, lots of them probably felt like family at this point.

“Can we keep the line clear, Nightwing?” Came Bruce's exasperated voice. “Oracle, how is the situation at the dock progressing?”

“Looks like you should be good to engage, they just swapped a couple of briefcases. I have some decent photos of the exchange, lovely and clear. I doubt this politician expected to have this much scrutiny, he's not even covering that very distinctive mole of his.” Being a corrupt official was bad enough - a sloppy corrupt official? It was like he wanted to be caught. 

A couple of hours later, Barbara signed off of comms, intending to get a better night's sleep before she had her catch up with Marinette the following day. It felt like it had been months, rather than weeks, since she had spoken with the girl, and she missed her. 

When she awoke the next morning, she had a message from Penny, who had apparently landed the day before and wanted to crash the video chat that night. Barbara's two favourite civilians, available on the same evening? Not just a ‘yes’, but a ‘hell yes’. She smiled as she tidied up her living space, knowing that Penny would want to stop for dinner after the call.

She got a response saying that Jagged had other plans that evening, so she found the details for her favourite local takeaway. She was just putting away her work when her phone lit up with messages from Dick. She was about to open them when her doorbell sounded.

After doing a visual and auditory check that it was, in fact, Penny Rolling at her door, she buzzed her up to the apartment. Once bitten, twice shy and all that. So she was instantly on high alert when she heard hushed voices making their way to her door. She grabbed her safety bat from the stand beside the door, and prepared to depress her emergency beacon.

As the door swung open, she leveled her bat at the two women who appeared, which made the smaller one almost drop the boxes she was carrying. Penny cried out in alarm, pushing herself between the two and shouting for calm. After a minute or two’s confusion, everyone had calmed down enough for Barbara to recognize Marinette.

“Well, I guess that means you're surprised?” Penny said into the strained silence. Marinette frowned at her, before dropping in front of Barbara and catching her eye. “I'm sorry Babs, I didn't think bringing Mari would be a problem, I just wanted to do a nice surprise for you-”

“Penny, could you take the boxes to the table and let Jagged know we made it safe?” Marinette interjected, smiling up reassuringly at the older woman. Once Penny gave a jerky nod and went through to the other room, Marinette dropped her voice. “It's okay, Babs, you're okay. Whatever you're seeing right now, it isn't real. Can you feel my hand? It's on your arm right now. Maybe you can remind me what perfume I chose today, I'm so scatterbrained.”

“Y- you smell like strawberries,” Barbara said in a strangled voice. “Strawberries and flour.”

“That's great,” Marinette continued, flashing a beam at the woman. “Can you tell me what you're thinking right now?”

“That I'm a grown woman and I'm having a panic attack,” she bit back a hysterical laugh. “I'm so sorry, I don't- I don't get surprise visitors. The last time someone came by unannounced I ended up in this chair.”

“Oh, my God, Babs, I'm so sorry,” Marinette's voice strained with tears, her comforting hand starting to shake slightly. “I had no idea, or I would have emailed you last night when I landed. Tell me what I can do to help you, please.”

Barbara took several deep breaths and fought to bring her heart rate down. She could hear Penny speaking tearfully to someone on the phone, probably Jagged. She startled again when Penny reappeared in front of her, holding her phone out.

“Babs, are you okay?” Dick's voice came through the line and Barbara started to feel grounded again. She let out a semi-hysterical hiccup and he carried on. “Do you need me to come to you? Or do you want to come here? You'll never guess who showed up here, Babs! Jagged Stone! Did you know Bruce knows him?”

“Dick, you knew that he knows him,” Barbara laughed. She wiped the remaining tears out of her eyes and glanced at Penny. “And let me guess, you're using his phone right now?”

“I totally am,” Dick said gleefully, and Barbara could almost imagine him sitting on the edge of a sofa, his knees bouncing up and down. “ And he said that he can get me an in with his designer! So now you won't be the only one with an MDC original!”

They had a very short conversation before they handed the respective phones back. Penny and Jagged had another quick conversation and they decided it would be better if everyone was together, so Dick was coming to pick the three up.

Marinette immediately began to fret that she hadn't baked enough, eyeing Barbara’s kitchen thoughtfully before deciding she simply didn't have time. “I'll have to make more next time,” she shrugged, making Barbara laugh, which made her beam back at the woman. 

When Dick showed up, he immediately introduced himself to Penny, squealing that he recognised her from Jagged's tour photos. Then he spotted Marinette and did a double take. Barbara could see him eyeballing the black hair/blue eye combo and wondering if it was too late to rescind the offer to take them to dinner.

“Dick, this is Marinette, she's like my French little sister,” Barbara said, beaming up at Marinette. She gave a subdued ‘hello’, no doubt still feeling guilty for sending Barbara into a panic attack. “Penny introduced us when Mari needed help with something, but we decided to stay in touch.”

“It's a pleasure to meet you, Dick, Babs has told me a lot about you. I'm sorry you had to come to get us after we frightened her,” Marinette said, looking down as her feet fidgeted. Barbara and Dick exchanged a look, communicating wordlessly. Barbara felt her heart twang as she rolled towards her.

“Listen, Mari, it's okay. You're a teenager who had no idea what I've been through, because I never told you. And Penny, I assume you forgot because you don't visit often, so I get it. I'm sure it won't happen again,” she ended gently, piling boxes of baked goods onto her lap to help move them to the car. “Now come on, we might as well get back to what I'm sure is a very eventful evening with Jagged Stone.”

They filled the car with mindless chatter, Marinette and Penny talking about things they'd seen in Paris, reminiscing the time Penny had been akumatised in Marinette's bakery, or when Fang had turned into a dragon. Dick kept shooting Barbara incredulous looks, but she only shrugged and asked light questions. She would have to explain it in more detail later, but maybe they'd bring it up at dinner.

As they pulled up to the manor, Marinette's eyes widened visibly. She turned and looked at Dick, looking bewildered at his very casual, almost disheveled looking attire. Penny laughed aloud, nudging Marinette until she closed her mouth with a snap.

[starwarsmum]

Introducing: Mousinette Chapter 12 😘

Damian Needs a Hug

Marinette hovered outside of Wayne Manor, debating whether to knock on the door and risk someone other than Damian answering, or just texting him. She was about to message when someone prodded her from behind. She yelped, nearly dropping her phone in surprise.

“Sorry, I didn't know how to announce my presence,” Jon said, sounding chagrined. She flapped her hands and tried to get her heartbeat under control. “I take it you're here to see Damian?”

“Yeah, we agreed to do that sparring session I mentioned. I take it you're here to join us?” She asked, smiling up at him. They continued to chat as Jon led the way in - apparently he had a standing invitation, and didn't require someone to let him in - and took her straight to the designated training room. She looked around eagerly, taking in the area laid with mats, the freeweights and, weirdly, some trapeze equipment. Jon laughed when she asked about it but didn't answer.

They went through a light warm up, Jon hardly seeming to get out of breath, while Marinette worked herself hard, wanting to rid herself of the nervous energy that had clung to her all week. She let her mind wander as she did a light jog around the room.

The night before at Barbara's, she had been anticipating an inquisition, befitting the daughter of a cop but…she had asked her, once, if she thought it was a good idea. And when Marinette had sighed and told her that she was fine, that she liked Damian and wanted to see where it went, Barbara had given a strained smile but left the topic alone. Marinette wasn't quite sure what to think of it.

She was broken from her reverie when Damian entered. Jon had stepped out only moments before so she took advantage of their privacy and pulled him into a kiss. He responded eagerly but she broke it off almost as quickly, without stepping out of his arms.

“Let's not get caught making out in a different gym, okay?” She tried to make a joke out of it, but could tell he was still annoyed with his siblings. She rubbed his arms reassuringly, before reaching up slightly to lose her fingers in his hair. It was quickly becoming her favourite thing to do, and she would take every opportunity he gave her. “Besides, Jon should be back in a second and we can actually spar!”

“If it were not for the fact that I asked him to be here especially, I would suggest canceling plans and finding somewhere more private,” he murmured, making her blush. He leaned down and bit her neck lightly, making her squeal and push him away, but he was smirking. “I have already warmed up, shall we make a start on some simple blocking?”

When Jon finally re-entered the room, the pair were sparring lightly, working on a complicated looking hold. He did give Damian a strange, almost wounded look, like he knew exactly what Damian had almost suggested - but that was absurd, and Marinette put it out of her mind. They fell into an easy rhythm, taking turns to be the one critiquing.

Damian was aware of the door opening several times but nobody dared to interrupt. He was relieved that they were giving him the space he had requested- well, demanded. He watched as Marinette sparred with Kent, her face alight with a smile and sweat starting to glisten across her skin. 

As the door opened again, he glanced towards it and immediately scowled. Todd had come in, glanced at the pair sparring before grabbing Damian by the arm. Marinette looked around briefly, pausing the spar but Damian shook his head lightly and went with Todd.

“What do you want?” He asked as soon as they were out of the room. He had been on edge most of the week, and Todd was not his favourite person on a good day. He had often found himself dwelling on Barbara's words and running through scenarios in which the relationship continued for long enough that he would share his past with her.

“I want you to tell me straight if you're forcing Pixie to go out with you,” Todd answered bluntly. “And don't screw with me, you two are completely different people. She's mentioned previous partners and none of them come even close to matching your description.”

“I do not know what you want me to say to that, Todd, nor what you are insinuating. Marinette and I have spent time together in the past months and found common interests. I will take it as a compliment that I differ from her previous partners as clearly those relationships failed.”

“Jesus, you still sound like a freaking robot, and you expect me to believe you have genuine feelings for her? Demon Spawn, come on, is this some sort of experiment you're doing? Do you think that you've gotta date to seem like a real boy or something? Because-”

Todd was cut off as the door swung wide open and a furious Marinette glared up at him from the other side. “This sounds suspiciously not like an apology, Jason,” she said angrily, pinning him with a furious look. “I will not allow you to treat him like an enemy when he has done nothing wrong! No, don't argue with me, I don't want to hear your excuses for behaving badly. I expect you to respect my decisions on who to date, even if you don't agree with them, or we are not friends.”

And without waiting for an answer, she grabbed Damian's hand and pulled him back into the training room, snapping the door closed behind them. Kent was staring at her, wide-eyed but she was peering up at Damian with something like concern in her features. “Are you okay?” Was all she said though.

“I- I am sorry for Todd's behaviour,” he replied, unsure of how he was feeling. His heart was racing and his arms longed to hold her. He glanced quickly at Kent who, bless his country roots, made the appropriate excuses to leave them alone. It would not necessarily stop him from listening, but Damian could at least pretend. “I think I would like to end our sparring session there and spend some time alone, to talk.”

“Of course,” she said immediately, wrapping her arms around his middle briefly before flitting off to change clothes. He did likewise, taking some comfort in the basic act of dressing, but felt almost anxious when he saw her again, dressed in a jumper-dress and leggings combo.”Where should we go? Is there a room nearby?”

“As much as my bedroom would afford us privacy, I fear it would cause more problems if we were to secret ourselves away in such a manner. There is a drawing room nearby, we should be secluded enough to talk.”

Marinette grabbed her satchel, allowing him to lead her to the room, where she immediately sat down and motioned for him to join her. Once he was sat, she motioned again to ask him to lie down. He reluctantly lay his head in her lap, feeling overwhelmed and unloved by his family.

“I do not understand. I am aware that I was…difficult, when I first arrived in Gotham. And I had not been socialised correctly by my mother. But I am nearly 19 and I feel I have grown. Why are they so sure I will get this wrong? Do they know something I do not?”

“No, Damian, don't think that,” Marinette murmured, running her fingers through his hair. “They're the ones who don't understand, they don't get it. And the only opinions that matter in whether this relationship is working are ours. Do we know everything about each other? Of course not. Believe me, my secrets are probably bigger than yours. But this is new, and I want it to work, so we will be taking it at our own goddamn pace.”

He turned his head until he could look into her gorgeous blue eyes. She was gazing steadily at him and he felt a rush of affection for her. He reached for her cheek, adoring the way she leaned into his hand. They stayed like that for several minutes, Marinette threading her hands into his hair and he closed his eyes, completely relaxed. She began to hum, a sad smile playing on her lips.

“You are beautiful, Marinette,” he whispered eventually, opening his eyes to enjoy the blush he caused. “You truly are, and you are one of the kindest people I have had the fortune to become acquainted with. I do not know what I have done to deserve this happiness, but I will do my best to earn it for as long as you will have me.”

“Damian,” she groaned back to him, making him smirk a little. “You're not allowed to say something so sweet when I physically can't reach to kiss you.” 

“Apologies, I will try to comment on your shortcomings instead. Did you know that you telegraph your intentions when you punch with your left? And you have a tendency to rush into judgment whenever you think you have been wronged. And-”

“Alright, that's enough of that, thank you,” she cut him off, tugging on his hair sharply. He laughed, a rumbling chuckle that made him feel lighter again. He closed his eyes again, relaxing fully into her touch. She began humming again, something unfamiliar to him and he allowed his mind to wander.

Marinette's hands stilled a short while later, sensing that he had fallen asleep. She smiled and pulled her sketchbook towards her, opening it to a new page and allowing her creative energy to flow freely. She couldn't work on any existing projects, but with Christmas approaching she needed to get a jump on presents for her friends.

She allowed her free hand to keep stroking through his hair, humming occasionally but aiming to let him sleep. She was proud that he felt comfortable enough with her to fall asleep. From what she knew of him, both from the time she had spent with him and what she had managed to gain from his family, he had trouble lowering his defenses around people.

Two hours later, she heard someone muttering by the door, but didn't dare to move around to find out who it was. She had filled three pages of designs and was satisfied that they would be well received by her friends and family. She already had most of the materials, and a quick visit to her local craft store would gain her the remaining items.

“Apologies for the intrusion, Miss Marinette, Master Damian, but dinner is now ready,” came Alfred's voice from behind her. Damian flinched awake, rolling automatically off the sofa and into a crouch. He glanced around before realizing where he was and flushing slightly. Straightening up, he nodded at Alfred.

“Of course, thank you, Pennyworth. We shall be through momentarily,” he said, sounding slightly stiff, only relaxing once the butler left the room. Marinette watched his shoulders slump slightly, before he ran a sheepish hand through his hair. “I am sorry, Marinette, I did not mean to fall asleep. I know we had planned to go out for dinner, but as it is late, would you like to stay here?”

“Sure,” she said, stretching before standing. “You're very cute when you're asleep by the way, I could get used to watching you nap.” 

“Tt, you are absurd,” he said back, although she could see a blush spreading across his neck. She giggled and took hold of his arm, pulling him gently towards the door. She continued to tease him, even after they were in the dining room and seated.

“So,” Dick said, breaking into their little bubble, “did you get up to much today? You looked pretty cosy when Tim and I saw you in the drawing room.”

“You should mind your own business, Grayson,” Damian sniped, although Marinette thought he was just embarrassed at having been caught resting. She squeezed his hand, part comfort and part reprimand. “Tt, we sparred with Kent for part of the afternoon and then Marinette did some designing. It was pleasant.”

She beamed at him and the conversation moved on, Marinette being more social than Damian. But he didn't snipe at anyone else, and even spoke cordially to Tim when asked a question, which Marinette thought was pretty good. She was upset with Jason still, and relieved he had left the manor after their argument.

After dinner, Damian insisted on taking her home himself, pulling her after him towards the garage. “Would you like to return home via car or motorcycle?” He asked absently, hovering by the keys hung on the wall.

“As much as I would love to go by bike, I don't have an appropriate jacket,” she said mournfully, looking at her knit jumper. “And anything of yours would be way too big. Maybe next time?” She added eagerly, already brainstorming a few designs for a new motorcycle jacket. He chuckled as he led her over to his car, promising her that he would bring his motorcycle next time.

_ _ _

As Damian drove home, he thought about Todd's apparent anger and concern for Marinette. It had been something that had cropped up in his thoughts more than once since finding out that Marinette had fought with him earlier in the week. When he was in an uncharitable mood, he was almost inclined to call him jealous that it was Damian Marinette had chosen, but he knew that was not the case.

Of all the people who were angry with him for pursuing a courtship with Marinette, Todd's troubled him, if only because the pit madness could be unpredictable. It was something that needed to be resolved, sooner rather than later, and he had the feeling that it wouldn't be, not until they had a serious conversation.

He sat in the car for an extra minute or two, before deciding that time would not improve the situation. Grabbing his motorcycle, he immediately left once more, aiming for Todd's most recent favourite safe house. During his tenure as Robin, Damian had found that the older man was more accepting of uncomfortable conversations in his own space, and intended to resolve things tonight.

Upon entering the safe house, he found it empty, but this did not alarm him. Todd had a knack for finding trouble when he was angry, and would likely return some time later, with bruises. He debated messaging Kent for backup, in case things went sideways, but decided that he should put some faith in Todd. 

When Todd did appear, several hours later, he did not seem surprised to find Damian in his apartment. He did seem surprised by the lack of weaponry, if the way he lowered his own pistol was any indication. Damian waited until Todd approached him, not wanting to rile him further.

“So, if you're not here to stab me, which I recall being how you said you would deal with any interference in your ‘relationship’,” he air quoted sarcastically and Damian tightened the leash on his own rage, “why are you here?”

“Tt, you should not tempt me, I am not above fighting you to make a point,” he said, although without his customary sneer. This appeared to startle Todd further, and he completely disarmed himself, before reaching into the refrigerator for a beer. Unsurprisingly, he did not offer one to Damian but took a long drink before continuing.

“Alright, I'll bite. If you're not here to kill, or at least seriously maim, me, what do you want? I'm pretty sure both you and your little ‘girlfriend’ are mad at me. And I know you know I'm mad at you, which makes this visit suspicious.” Damian sighed and pulled up one of the bar stools opposite him.

“Firstly, Marinette and I have not, as they say, defined the relationship. This is a recent development in our ongoing relationship and I am not sure I have that sort of claim on her. Secondly, you are correct that we are angry with you, although I suspect that Marinette is more hurt that you do not trust her judgment. But to address your question, I am here to find an agreement with you.”

“An agreement? What, so if I ask nicely you'll consider breaking it off with her?”

“That is not up for discussion, Todd,” Damian said sharply, before attempting to cool the anger again. Exhaling, he tried again. “I do not appreciate you making light of my feelings for Marinette. And whilst this is excruciatingly uncomfortable for me, I am willing to sit down and discuss said feelings if it helps you to know that I am earnest in them.”

“...shit, you're serious. Okay, wait, since when do you like Marinette? Hell, why do you like Marinette? I know why normal guys fall over themselves for her, but normal you ain't.”

“I have admired her for some time. At the risk of angering you, I will say that I have been visiting her in my other persona since she arrived back in Gotham. We struck up a friendship during that time, which I decided to pursue in my civilian life. She is unaware that we are the same person,” Damian added hastily. “As for what I find attractive in her, she is smart, driven and possesses a mental and physical strength that I admire. I also find I have the urge to hold her, regularly, which is what Drake unfortunately witnessed.”

“Oh. I guess you're more normal than I thought, Demon Spawn. I gotta ask though, what makes her want to date you? I was not kidding about you not being her type, the last guy she dated was freaking Adrien Agreste, some French model. I looked him up, everyone says he's a goddamn sweetheart, not a mean bone in his body. And you expect me to believe she's into you?”

“I still do not know how you expect me to answer you, Todd. She said that she thinks I am humorous, intelligent and attractive, if a little blunt. She has stated that she would like to continue exploring this facet of our relationship, and I do not wish to discourage that. I am aware of how you all view me, that I do not have feelings such as this, but in spite of my mother's family and teachings, I am human. Marinette makes me feel human.”

“Shit. You don't just have a crush on her, you're full blown in your feelings about her,” Todd seemed stunned, which was a vast improvement from the anger he had been displaying since Tuesday. “I guess I owe you an apology or something, I really didn't think you cared about her. So, I'm sorry or whatever, I'll uh, I'll keep out of it.”

“Truly?” It was Damian’s turn to be surprised. He hadn't expected Todd to back down so quickly. “Thank you, Todd, contrary to what you may believe, I do not wish to be your enemy. Marinette does not usually speak poorly of you, and I know she cares for your friendship.”

“Yeah, man, really. Do you want me to talk to anyone else about it? I can probably get them to back off, I know Babs is worried about Pixie.”

Damian was bemused - his most vocal enemy in his pursuit of Marinette was offering to back him? He considered it, briefly, but decided against it. Marinette was friends with Gordon, and had already said that she had backed off.

“Again, thank you, but I think it best that I handle anyone else who has an issue. I am sorry that I cannot stay, but I do need to sleep before my classes. I will mention to Marinette that we have reached a truce, I am sure it will improve her mood. Goodnight, Todd.”

And he left, taking his motorcycle directly home and planning to get as much sleep as possible before the next day began.

[starwarsmum]

Merry Christmas everyone! And for those who celebrate, Happy Hanukkah 🎉

Introducing: Mousinette chapter 17, Fall-Out

The next morning Marinette awoke to Adrien blaring music in her kitchenette. She groaned, dragging herself to the bathroom before flopping onto a stool. He grinned at her, singing along to one of Jagged's classics as he poured her a cup of coffee and handed her a plate with some toast.

“Why did I forget how much of a morning person you are?” She grumbled balefully. She took a fortifying sip of coffee and a bite of toast, before pulling her phone out and checking for new messages. She squealed and almost dropped her phone when she saw a new message from Damian, making Adrien raise his eyebrows at her. “Um, I, uh, give me a minute,” she said in a rush, before heading back to her room.

Now that she saw the new message, she had a hazy recollection of the early morning conversation with Damian, before she had fallen asleep next to him. She flushed as she remembered the way he had hummed to her, how gently he had touched her, as though she was delicate. 

Good morning, Starling. I hope you rested well, and that you are awake enough to get to your lectures promptly. If you need me to transport you to the university, please call me and I shall be there shortly.

She got caught up on the new nickname, her heart bursting. She reread the message several times before deciding that she should probably make her own way to campus. She sent back a short message explaining that she would be fine, and that she would love to get lunch, if he still wanted to.

Adrien eyed her warily when they made their way to Gotham University. She had yet to tell him that she had worked things out with Damian, because she wasn't sure how to explain it. But she could tell that he was concerned about her sudden mood shift, and would want to talk about it soon.

They managed to arrive fifteen minutes early for her first lecture, so they made time to go to the local coffee shop. They chattered about nothing in particular, Adrien comically bemoaning her leaving him alone on the sofa. He was still teasing her when they stepped outside and were immediately set upon by a tall dark haired ball of energy.

“Mari! Jason said you weren't feeling too great, did you catch a stomach bug or something?” Jon picked her up and swung her around. “Dames didn't give you a cold or anything, right? Because he's been acting like-”

“Tt, that is enough, Kent,” Damian said, appearing behind him. He shot her a warm look, eyes blazing bright, which she returned with a bubbly smile. “Good morning, Marinette. Agreste,” he added, voice becoming clipped as he nodded curtly.

“I'm fine,” Marinette said, grinning at Jon before sliding over to Damian and grabbing his hand. She felt a warm tingle when he interlocked their fingers, squeezing gently. “There was a…misunderstanding, but it's all cleared up now. Adrien, this is my- Damian, and this is Damian’s friend Jon.”

Damian looked amused at her stumble, but Adrien looked bewildered, eyeing Damian with distrust. “We met yesterday,” he said shortly. “It's funny, he didn't mention knowing you then.”

“Adrien, I just said that there was a misunderstanding, can you bring it down, just a-”

“Mari, a misunderstanding shouldn't leave you a teary mess for five days straight,” he said bluntly, clearly getting riled up. Jon's eyebrows shot up as he glanced at Damian for confirmation, but Damian’s eyes were narrowing at the blond man. “If it was just a misunderstanding, you wouldn't have skipped all of your classes on Monday. And frankly, the fact that he thinks he can sweep it under the rug without groveling for your forgiveness is insulting.”

There was silence between them, Adrien and Damian squaring up. Jon looked like he was ready to get involved but Marinette decided enough was enough. She inserted herself between them, glaring up at Adrien. “Don't.” Was all she said, but he muttered and looked away angrily. “Look, I need to get to my lecture, can you all just, not? Damian, we'll see you at lunch, okay?” And without waiting for a response, she grabbed Adrien's arm and steered him towards her first class of the day. 

Kent was staring at him, but Damian chose to ignore him. He was too busy thinking over Agreste’s words, and a guilty feeling was settling in his chest. Like it or not, he had been forgiven tremendously easily. She had greeted him with warmth when he had approached and last night she had been unbelievably apologetic.

“Sooooo, want to tell me what the hell is going on? Because they're still arguing, and she sounds pretty defensive. Also, who the heck is this guy, why is he hanging around your girlfriend?”

Damian sighed, launching into a very condensed version of events, starting from Marinette finding out about his other part time job, and ending with him sneaking into her room the previous night. He managed to fit all of that into the short walk from where they were to the lecture hall for Kent's first of the day. 

“Okay, I do not have time to unpack all of this now, but we're going to be talking about this at lunch. Starting with how she managed to work out your part time job in less than a week. Also, I'm coming back to the manor with you to talk more this evening, because this is legit insane.”

Damian went to his first lecture wondering if there was still time for it all to come crashing down on his head.

_ _ _

At lunch, Marinette was ready to throttle Adrien. She stomped out of her workshop, him following behind her, aiming vaguely for the bistro that Damian often frequented with Jon. She paused when she saw Jason sitting with the pair, all three in a serious discussion.

“Oh god, tell me we're not joining them for lunch, Bugaboo,” Adrien hissed under his breath. She glared up at him, but was distracted by Jon tilting his head towards them, almost like…but the bistro was loud, and Adrien had spoken so quietly…

“Adrien, you have made it very clear that you’re mad at me for forgiving Damian,” she said severely, voice low. “But I meant it when I said he was within his rights to be upset about me finding out his secret. Besides which, he is not responsible for my feelings when we haven't even been dating for two weeks.”

“Mari, if it was me, and a woman had made me feel the way you've been feeling this past week, would you be telling me to let it go? Or would you be telling me to kick her to the curb, no matter how I might think I feel about her?” He gripped her arm loosely, eyes pleading with her to listen.

“Look, I-” They were interrupted by Jason, who stood at the table and began sauntering towards them. She lowered her voice quickly, to get through the words before he joined them. “Adrien, you either trust my judgment or you don't, but I am telling you, it isn't up for discussion. Damian and I are on the same page again, and I plan on continuing with our relationship.”

“Hey Pixie, Adrien, you joining us for lunch? Please say yes, Damian's been shit company this past week. Plus, I have more questions about Multimouse,” he said breezily. Adrien's head whipped back to Marinette, eyes wide. She blushed before ushering them over to the table.

“Mari, how's your day going?” Jon said as she approached the table. She made a seesaw motion with her hand and he laughed, gesturing for her to sit. She very deliberately walked to the seat Jason had been sitting in so that she could sit next to Damian, leaving Adrien to take the one opposite her. “Man, my lecturers are killing me, I feel like I'm going to go to sleep every time. Are you auditing Mari’s classes, Adrien?”

“Yeah, I have been. I fly out on Friday, so I'm spending as much time with Mari as I can,” he said pointedly. “So it kind of sucks that we couldn't get lunch on our own today. But hey, since I'm crashing at hers, I guess I'll have her all night.”

Marinette thumped her hand onto the table, glaring at her best friend. She couldn't believe him. Sure, she had been happy to see him the day before, when the world had been ending, but now that her crisis had been averted, he was doing his best to spin it off course again!

“So, what about that Multimouse,” Jason said after an awkward silence. “Pixie said she used to be a super powered mouse hero,” he added confidently to Jon and Damian, and Marinette felt like vanishing into the floor. 

“Jason, I swear to god, I will murder you, and frame Adrien so I can get rid of you both at once,” she groaned, dropping her head onto her arms. “Look, there really isn't more I can tell you about it, you already know about Kwami Buster, and that I only helped out twice. What more could you possibly want to know?”

“Wait, how much does he know about Kwami Buster?” Adrien interjected, sounding altogether too gleeful. She cut him an unamused look, which he dutifully ignored. “Because from what I know of that fight, you were literally the most OP hero ever.”

“You know, I think I remember asking for a rundown, now's as good a time as any, right?” Marinette was saved from answering when the waiter came and asked for their orders. But the others seemed enraptured with the idea of hearing about Marinette's escapades, so there was no escaping.

“Okay, so this is how I heard it happened,” he said, dropping to a hushed tone, which made the others lean in. “That particular akuma, Kwami Buster, was trying to prove the Miraculous existed, or I guess, the creatures in the Miraculous. I think they're called Kwami. Anyway, both Ladybug and Chat Noir - the cutest hero couple ever - had their Kwami taken, so Ladybug goes for help. She apparently recruits Mari to storm in with the remaining Kwami, getting sucked into the vortex that was storing Ladybug and Chat Noir's Kwami.

“The way I've heard it, Marinette spoke to Chat Noir and charmed his ring off of him, before taking everything into the vortex so she could unify the Miraculous and Cataclysm her way out, ending the fight in one. Move. I don't think even Ladybug could have ended it that quickly.”

“I feel like this would be more impressive if I knew more about the Miraculous,” Jon admitted, although he did give Marinette an appraising look. “What do you think, Jay, will we be seeing another Gotham hero appearing, this one dressed like a mouse?”

“Pffft, sure, except Pixie definitely said that she doesn't use Miraculous any more. Besides, I looked into it, Ladybug is supposed to be the one who looks after all the jewels, right? Right,” he said, when Adrien nodded cautiously. “So, since she's retired, or whatever, there wouldn't be any chance of Mari getting ahold of it again.”

“Wow, just how far down the internet rabbit hole did you go?” Adrien sounded incredulous, which made Marinette snort. If she didn't know that Jason had access to Batman's tech, she would also be curious at how in-depth his research had been. “But yeah, Ladybug and Chat Noir retired, leaving the world a little gloomier.”

The conversation stopped for a little while when their food arrived, and then Marinette had to leave because of another workshop. She gave Damian a peck on the cheek before she and Agreste walked out, chatting. Todd gave a whistle once they were far enough away.

“So, I know I said he was in love with her yesterday, but he is, like, seriously in love with her,” he remarked, making Damian scowl. “D, you did actually set things straight with her, right?”

“Tt, yes we…spoke last night,” he answered, looking away. Todd made an exasperated sound, throwing his arms up.

“Making out is not a replacement for having an actual conversation, Demon. So you'd better have a plan for making this last, because I guaran-fucking-tee that Adrien's gonna be absolutely ruthless about badmouthing you.”

“We spoke, Todd,” Damian muttered defensively. “It is not all we did, but it was very late so we could not have a full conversation. However, she has made it clear that it was a misunderstanding which has since been resolved. Correct, Kent? Kent?”

“What? Oh, sorry, I was listening in to see if they were going to argue again, like this morning. They didn't,” he said, sounding a little put out. “What were you talking about?”

“Just saying that if Loverboy here isn't careful, her ex is gonna snatch her away the first chance he gets. But anyway, I'd better get back to work, nepotism notwithstanding, I need the security team to trust me. And long lunches don't really help with that. Seeya!”

“So, going to tell me how Marinette worked out your part time gig? Also, does your dad know yet?”

_ _ _

Marinette and Adrien were making dinner together when her phone buzzed. They had gone out to eat the previous night, but as it was his last night in town, Marinette had promised to make his favourite. They had both managed to avoid talking about Damian for the past 24 hours, but it looked like that grace period was over.

“So, you're seriously just going to forgive him, after everything he put you through?” Adrien's voice was clipped and made Marinette want to snap at him. She took a deep breath and finished preparing the vegetables. Once she had set them aside, she turned and leveled a look at him, crossing her arms.

“Adrien, I swear to god, if you question my judgment on this one more time, I'm going to scream. If I hadn't messed up and text you instead of Chloe, you wouldn't even know this was happening! I know you're worried, and I love you for it, but this is becoming unbearable.” She turned away from him to start cooking, attempting to close the subject.

“Well, I'm pretty sure that if I hadn't been here, you would still be waiting for him to come around,” he sniped back, leaning back on his stool and pouting. “Do you really want to be with someone who only fixed things because he was scared you were going to be taken away?”

“You have no idea if that was why!” Marinette was getting angry - or angrier - and her eyes were bright. She focused on the comforting actions of cooking as much as she could. She didn't want to say something she would regret, but she needed him to understand that she didn't need his overprotective behaviour. “I get it, you don't like him. You've literally only spent an hour with him - where you behaved like a brat, by the way - and I've been spending time with him over the past couple of months, but please, tell me how you know him better.”

“Mari, it's not all about him, I'm worried that you're rushing into this! You've only known him a couple of months, but he's already spent the night at your place, he's got secrets that you can't share with your friends - how do you not see that this isn't healthy? That you can do a million times better than him?”

“You don't know that!” She shouted, whirling around. “What do I have to do to get it through your thick skull? I haven't felt like this in a very long time, not about any of the attempted dates that fizzled out, I've not even been interested in dating in the past year, until I met Damian. I wish you would give him a chance, because you mean a lot to me, and so does he.”

“Bug, it sounds like what's really going on is that you're scared to be alone,” he said, voice dropping to just above a whisper. “I'm not saying don't date people, I'm just saying that Damian Wayne seems like a self-centred, arrogant piece of work, who is only going to treat you right on his terms. And you deserve better than that, you deserve a person who will give you the world just because.”

Marinette sighed, anger draining out of her. She knew he meant well, that even though they had stopped dating two years ago, he cared about her. But he had never stopped being her friend, always critical of her dates and saying that nobody was good enough for her. She was nervous about how he would react when she told him that she planned to tell him about Ladybug.

They cooked in silence, Marinette trying to calm her temper. She was struggling because she needed to tell him that she planned to reveal her superhero identity to Damian, which she imagined wouldn't go down well. They managed to chit-chat over dinner, talking about Chloe and Kagami, and Alya and Nino. Neither of them spent a lot of time with anyone else from their old class.

“Oh, by the way, you're going home for Christmas, right?” Adrien asked. She nodded thoughtfully, aware that Christmas was looming ever closer. “Excellent, I'm planning on staying at Chloe's hotel for it, so if you want space from your parents you'll be able to hang with me. Maybe we can even stretch our claws for a proper rooftop run!”

“We probably shouldn't go out as superheroes again, Kitty,” Marinette mused. “No, seriously, if we came back and all of a sudden Chat Noir and Ladybug were spotted, people would make a connection. But…I do need to tell you something, and I don't think you're going to like it. I'm going to tell Damian who I was.”

“Not funny, M'lady.” Marinette winced at the cold fury in his voice, but could also hear an undercurrent of hurt. When she looked away from him, he made a strangled noise before continuing. “Bug, I mean this in the nicest way possible: what the actual fuck is going on here? No, please, three weeks ago you were telling me you thought you were going to get a pet because your love life was dead, then I get a text last week saying your life is over and now…what? You want to tell the guy who was just jerking you around your most important secret?”

“Adrien…” she didn't know what to say. From his point of view, she could see why he was angry, that it didn't make sense, but he didn't know everything. “I know you don't understand why I would do this, but I promise I know what I'm doing. I don't want to go into this with a secret this big hanging over us-”

“No, I don't understand!” Adrien shouted, standing up. “Mari, you used to tell me over and over again how your secret identity was the most important thing! In fact, you went so far as to create a brand new secret identity to trick me into thinking you weren't Ladybug!”

“And look how everything worked out for us!” Marinette hadn't meant to lose her temper, but she hated arguing with Adrien. “Adrien, our secret identities made everything harder, and when the truth came out after it all ended, we didn't last! I cannot explain why I need to tell him, but I do, and I don't need your permission,” she said, chin sticking out in defiance.

“So what I think doesn't matter.” It wasn't really a question but Marinette answered it anyway.

“If what you think didn't matter, I wouldn't be telling you,” she said softly, reaching for his hand. She tried to swallow the hurt when he pulled away, but it was hard. “Adrien, please, you're one of my best friends, and I know you're worried about me but-”

Adrien let out a short bark of laughter, running a hand through his hair in frustration. When he looked at her, she could see a depth of emotion she couldn't read and it hurt her. “Mari, you are so dense, possibly the densest person I know. I'm not just worried about you, even though I am because you're behaving like a crazy, besotted fifteen year old. I'm terrified of losing you to this guy, who clearly doesn't feel as much for you as you do him. Because if he loved you, he would never have ignored you for a week.”

“It's not as simple as that,” she argued, eyes welling with tears. “I'm sorry I can't explain everything to you, but this is between him and me. And I just wanted you to know before I did it, because I love you but-” She was cut off by him grabbing her shoulders and pulling her into a hug. 

“Marinette, please, don't,” he whispered, sounding heartbroken. “Don't say that, not when you don't mean it the same way as I do. Bugaboo, I've loved you so much, ever since we were fourteen, and it is killing me to see you with him. If you need someone, if you don't want to be alone, why can't it be me?”

“I-” Marinette was in shock. She felt a little numb, confusion raging through her mind and leaving it blank. She pulled away from him a little, searching for the telltale signs of teasing, but finding only love and hope. Anguish cut clean through her thoughts, making her already teary eyes overflow. “Adrien, we decided we didn't work, that it wouldn't work, didn't we?”

“No, you decided and I agreed,” he replied, a hint of bitterness in his voice. “I've never loved anyone the way I love you, and I never will. I've been waiting for us to get back on the same page, for us both to realise that we're meant to be together - we're Ladybug and Chat Noir! But you're going to tell some guy you barely know everything about you and I just can't- I won't let you do that without knowing how I feel, how I've always felt.”

“Adrien, I'm so sorry,” she blurted, stepping fully away from him. She was horrified at her own behaviour, how she had accidentally been hurting him for so long. “How- why wouldn't you say anything? Adrien, it's been two years. You can't wait until I've moved on, until I've found someone who makes me happy and then just-”

“Happy?” He retorted, incredulity plain in his voice. His hands had clenched into fists at his sides and he was starting to breathe hard. “Marinette, you were in tears on Tuesday night, telling me that you thought it was over, that you'd never find love, and you think that means happy? If you want me to understand what's going on, then tell me.”

“I can't!” The words tore out of her in a near scream. There was a horrible tearing feeling in her chest, as though something were ripping apart her heart. She had thought that they were on the same page, that they had grown past each other and were comfortable. “I'm sorry that this is hurting you, I'm sorry that I didn't know, but I can't change how I feel. And I don't want to,” she admitted quietly, trying to ignore the guilt that threatened to drown her.

“Right.” Adrien moved away from her, hands shaking and breath coming fast. “I shouldn't have come here. I'm going to the airport, I'll get a room there for tonight and get out of your hair fully when I'm on the plane tomorrow. Do whatever you want, and when,” he said, finally looking at her with red rimmed eyes, full of meaning and determination, “it all goes wrong, and it turns out that he's not everything you think he is, call me.”

And then he was gone, the door closing softly behind him. And Marinette was alone, confused and hurt but unable to go after him.

[starwarsmum]

Chapter 15 of Introducing Mousinette! Adrien Visits

Marinette woke the next morning, having hardly slept. She felt like a zombie as she pottered around her kitchenette, gulping down a far too hot coffee before making a second to take with her. She toyed with her phone as she got ready, before deciding, ultimately, that she needed to message him before they saw each other at work.

Hey, are we okay? I know I kind of dropped that on you last night, but I really do need to talk to you. Maybe we can talk at lunch? Miss you xox

She took a deep breath and hit send. It was nerve-wracking, sending something to Damian after she had spoken to Robin. What if she was wrong? She really didn't think she was, not with the way he had run away from her, because the only reason he would do that is if there was a chance of her working it out. 

By the time she left for Wayne Enterprises, she still hadn't received a response. She went through the general motions of setting up for her day, keeping a sharp eye out for Damian, but he didn't come by to see her. As the day wore on and she still didn't get a text from him, she started to panic. 

When lunch finally came, she took herself as calmly as she could to Damian's floor. She greeted his colleagues as usual, trading pleasantries before making her way to his office. She knocked and waited for him to answer but nothing came. Frowning, she knocked louder, calling out softly.

“Marinette?” She spun to see Tim walking towards her, a friendly but confused look on his face. “What're you doing over here? Didn't Damian tell you he wasn't coming in today?”

“Ah, oh, no, it…must have slipped his mind,” she said softly, trying not to panic further. “Is he okay?”

“Yeah, he's fine, just said he had a personal issue to deal with. I think he might be trying to spend some time with another friend, Jon Kent? He was kind of abrupt about it, I thought he was driving in with me but then he canceled. Are you okay?” He asked, frowning as her breath hitched slightly. 

“Yup, perfect, I'm great,” she said, eyes bright and a brittle smile plastered across her face. “If you see him before I hear from him, can you ask him to call me? Or just to drop by my place, it doesn't matter when, I just really need to talk to him about something.”

“Of course. Look, are you sure you're okay? You look kind of-”

“I'm sorry, Tim, I have to go eat lunch before my hour runs out. I'll see you later?” She didn't wait for a response before scarpering, her head down. She was trying very hard not to panic, but the fact that he had canceled coming into work, and he wasn't answering her messages…she was very close to hyperventilating.

“Whoa, Pix, slow down there.” She crashed headlong into a solid body, but didn't stop, muttering an apology as she all but sprinted away. She heard whoever it was calling her name but didn't acknowledge it as it clearly wasn't Damian. She made it to a quiet bathroom, locked herself in a stall and pulled her phone out.

I think I fucked up big time. Are you free for a call?

Two minutes after she sent the text, her phone began to ring. She answered it immediately, and began babbling at speed. The person on the other end waited patiently for her to stop word-vomiting before they interrupted. 

“Bugaboo, take a breath,” came Adrien's soothing voice. Marinette cursed silently - she thought it was Chloe she had messaged but apparently her stupid fingers had messed up. “Good, now start again, what's going on?”

And so Marinette started again, going at a much more sedate pace. She explained that she had met someone, that they had been on a date and that she had accidentally learned a secret about him that he wasn't ready to share. Adrien made appropriate noises throughout her tale and waited for her to finish.

“...and, I mean, you know me, I couldn't not tell him that I'd worked out this secret, but I probably did it wrong. I just thought telling him as soon as possible was the right thing to do! Adrien, what if he hates me now,” she ended pitifully, sniffing back tears.

“M’lady, if he's scared off because you learned a secret about him, maybe he's not right for you,” Adrien consoled her, and she rolled her eyes before accusing him of thinking nobody was right for her. He had the audacity to laugh, a bright cheery thing. “Well obviously nobody else is good enough for you, Buginette, your soulmate is right here!”

“Ha ha, very funny,” she said, though she noticed that her breath didn't catch this time. “But seriously, what should I do? I really like this guy, and it felt…real, you know?”

“...yeah, I know what you mean,” Adrien's reply was so quiet she almost missed it. He took a deep breath before continuing, and Marinette wondered if he had found someone new himself. “Look, you did the right thing, telling him you knew his secret. If he's more upset about this secret coming out than he is about hurting you - don't pretend, I can tell you're hurting Bugaboo - then he really isn't worth your time. Listen, I've got to go, I was actually just finishing up some coursework so I can hand it in and spend some time on me. Message me, I'll do what I can to help!”

When he hung up, Marinette took a deep breath and worked to clear her mind. It had been a while since she had had to suppress her feelings like this, but she was at work and couldn't afford to fall apart. Tonight, when she was home and alone, she could treat herself to ice cream and weepy movies.

The rest of the day passed in a daze and she debated whether it was worth going to the gym before heading home. She decided against it, not wanting to spend any longer in the building, especially not where she was normally so happy. 

Once home, she changed into her most comfortable pyjama trousers. She was looking for a hoodie when she came across Damian's shirt from the other day, still slightly rumpled. Her fingers shook a little as she picked it up, but she impulsively decided to wear it, reveling in the smell that engulfed her as it went over her head.

_ _ _

Marinette's phone didn't receive any texts from Damian, and Robin didn't stop by again. Or, if he did, he didn't announce his presence as he usually did. On Monday, she decided her heart couldn't take it if he didn't turn up to their shared lecture, so she took a sick day, emailing all of her lecturers and apologising.

But she couldn't call out sick from Wayne Enterprises on Tuesday, so she dragged herself out of bed, made herself semi-presentable and made her way in. She gave small smiles to all the usual suspects, chatting about nothing before going straight to her office. 

The first hour was tedious, but she stayed squirreled away, making sure all of the seams were straight on the latest creation for Tim. She was just hanging it up for steaming when there was a knock on the door. She didn't have any meetings so she hesitated but called out a tentative ‘come in’.

“Hey Marinette, we're just showing someone around, he asked to see every department,” Tim said cheerfully, motioning behind him for the other person to follow him. “So, this is our fashion department, Marinette here is the leader of it. We're really very luc-”

“Adrien?” Marinette squeaked, bolting around her desk and throwing her arms around his middle. She felt his chuckle vibrate through her, and forced down the tears that threatened. “Was this your aunt's idea? I can't believe you're here.”

“I take it you already know each other?” Tim said dryly, but Marinette could hear the quiet humour. She beamed over at him, releasing her grip on Adrien, although he kept an arm slung around her shoulders.

“Tim, Adrien is one of my best friends, we've known each other for years! And he didn't tell me he was coming to Gotham, so he's in trouble,” she said teasingly, poking him in the ribs. “Is this the last stop on the tour?”

“Just the finance sector left,” Tim replied, looking away from the pair to view the new suit, which meant he missed her small flinch. But Adrien's concerned frown down at her meant he had felt it. “You're welcome to join us, you didn't make it there today yet, did you?”

“Oh, um, I'm kind of behind on some work, so I'll just…” she trailed off, shoulders scrunching slightly. “But I think I'm free for lunch, Adrien, if you want to get something to eat?”

“Sure thing, Bugaboo! Let me know what time,” he said with a slightly forced cheer. He gave her one last concerned look before he left with Tim, and then she was alone again.

Meanwhile, Damian was suffering through a tedious conversation with Todd about what he was going to do about Marinette. He knew that Todd meant well, but his temper was frayed from sleepless nights and - he may as well admit it - withdrawing from Marinette. 

“I'm just saying, D, if you don't talk to her soon, she's going to think you hate her. And, just so we're clear, you don't, right? Because she came clean to you, about knowing things she shouldn't, even though she could have kept it to herself.”

“Tt, I thought I made it plain that the point of coming to you for help was because you were not to intrude on my relationship?” Damian snapped, eyes hard. “I do not think-”

“...finance department is currently being interned by my youngest brother,” came Drake's voice, bringing an abrupt end to the conversation. When Drake knocked on the door, Todd was perusing several security documents and Damian was scowling at data sheets on his desktop screen. “Hey guys, the representative of the Graham de Vanily’s is here. Adrien, these are my brothers, Damian,” he pointed behind the desk, “and Jason. Guys, this is-”

“Adrien Agreste?” Todd said suddenly, eyes wide. He glanced at Damian meaningfully, which made him sit up straighter and study the tall blond man that was standing next to Drake. “Uh, hi, nice to meet you. I've heard good things about you from a friend.”

“Oh, you're Mari’s friend Jason! Yeah, she's mentioned you too, said you have a wicked sense of humour, but also that it wouldn't mesh with mine. I pun,” he clarified, grinning mischievously as he finger-gunned. Todd snorted, but didn't fully relax.

“Yeah, I've already got a brother who puns like it's breathing, I don't need you to add to it. Pix didn't mention you were stopping by, have you already been to see her?” 

“Stopped by on our way up here,” Drake confirmed, and Damian could feel himself tensing all over. The blond man, Agreste, was eyeing him speculatively, as if he knew something. And given the information Marinette possessed, that made him cautious. “She seemed pretty surprised, but not unhappy.”

“Yeah, well, we go way back,” Agreste said, shrugging nonchalantly. “She said she was having a hard time with her current boyfriend so I thought I'd surprise her with a visit. She tends to spiral easily, and I'm pretty good at pulling her out of funks.”

Damian was sure his brothers could feel the anger radiating from him. He disliked the insinuation that Agreste knew her best, regardless of their history. He recalled that Todd had said she dated the ex-model, which made him irrationally angry. But he wasn't going to fall for whatever bait was being laid out for him, dismissing everyone so that he could work.

“Alright, I'll see you around, Damian. Hey, do you know if Mari has enough time to go out of the building for lunch?” He said, addressing Drake again, but loudly enough that Damian was sure he was meant to overhear. “She seemed pretty tense earlier, I think getting out of the building would be good for her.”

The conversation faded out of earshot, and Damian slumped once the door was closed. He opened his phone, fingers twitching as he opened his messages, to the last one Marinette had sent him. He had been avoiding her, he could admit that, but for her ex-boyfriend to swoop in like this? Did she truly not know he was coming, or had she arranged it to make him jealous?

He had no way of knowing without seeing her, but he was petrified. She had made a space for herself in his heart and then taken up permanent residence, only to drop the information that she knew his alter-ego on him with no warning. She had made it clear that she did know when she messaged him on Friday morning and that had scared him enough that he had called out of work, using the excuse of needing to investigate something with Kent.

When lunch eventually came, he moved on autopilot, making his way to her floor as he always did. He stayed back when he saw her door open, listening. She was chatting to Agreste, her voice light and unworried. He stepped into an alcove when she emerged, watching to see if she would look for him, but she didn't. 

“So I checked with your boss and he said you have plenty of time to go to lunch,” Agreste said excitedly, almost like a puppy. “So we don't have to stay here for it, we can go somewhere and talk in private.”

“Okay, that sounds good. I…don't think I want to be in the building all that much,” she admitted, locking her office door and linking her arms with his. Damian felt her words, and the motion, like a knife to his ribcage and he stopped breathing for a moment.

“So he does work here. Bugaboo, do you need me to talk to him? I don't need to know all the details,” he said, waving her protests off. They were starting to get further away and Damian followed after a moment's hesitation. “Mari, I can make an educated guess as to who it is, I could just go and talk to him.”

“I'm not sure there's any point.” The words were so soft, Damian could almost pretend he had imagined them. Almost. But they stopped him dead in his tracks, rejection and loss slicing clean through him. “Kitty, if he wanted to talk to me, he would have. As much as it hur- as much as I would like to force it, this is my fault…”

Damian watched as they stepped into the elevator, so deep in their conversation that they did not see him. He stood there for several minutes, trying to let the emotions wash out of him. When he thought he had more mastery of himself, he made his way to his office, forgoing a visit to the cafeteria. 

Todd found him there some hours later, working furiously and ignoring everything around him. Damian didn't acknowledge the other man, and Todd didn't say anything for a long while. But, inevitably, Todd was the first to break the silence.

“So is that it?” He said quietly, eyes boring into Damian. “You go through all of the effort and stress of getting her to date you, you have an amazing time with her - don't deny it, you were on fucking cloud nine when you went on patrol that night - and then you get scared and, what? You end things? Except that's not what you're doing. Ending things would give her closure, and let her move on.”

“Tt, I have not decided on anything yet, Todd. I am weighing all of my options and examining the facts. We do not know if she is a danger to us,” he said through gritted teeth, thinking about Agreste, who had swept in to comfort her, if that was what he was doing. “She admitted she has her own secrets, and I cannot risk getting close to her if she means us harm.”

“Demon, that's not how this works. Okay, fine, you want some time to process and sort your feelings or whatever. Then tell her that. Right now, all she knows is you're avoiding her, maybe even hate her. And you can be damned sure her ex is still in love with her, you saw how he talked about her. If you don't set this straight, there is a good chance she lets him sweep her off her feet again, and he won't be dumb enough to let her get away twice.”

And he left, Damian still brooding but thinking as well. He had panicked, not wanting to get it wrong. He had fallen hard and fast for Marinette, and that alone had given him some pause, but to know that she had worked out his identity? His flight response had activated and hadn't let up.

Looking at the time, he realised it was too late to visit Marinette's office. Neither did he want to simply send her a text, fearing it would do more harm than good. He decided his best course of action would be to visit her as Robin again, and so he set off home and waited for nightfall.

[starwarsmum]

Introducing: Mousinette Masterpost

Chapters: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31

Currently being released, 1 chapter a week! Updates on Wednesdays

Original post inspiration: from @apileofashandember post