#and then in typical Bruce fashion he trashed The Moment

[cr1mson5returns]

Fic idea I'm tossing around...

So lemme know if you want it? Keep in mind I haven't read a comic book since 2011, so. This is pre-New 52 and anything that came after it. If that even matters anymore.

Tim hasn't been around for several days. Not on patrol, not at the manor, not at Wayne Tower, nowhere. In typical Bruce and Dick fashion, they barely notice - figure he's probably doing his own thing (he does do that a lot, these days) and he'll be back soon. He's terrible at returning messages when he's hyperfocused, and sometimes just ignores people when he doesn't have anything to say, so he'll get back to them when he's less busy than he is now.

Jason, seeing an opportunity, thinks to himself that somebody has to eat all the food in Tim's fridge. He lets himself in and the apartment is a fucking wreck. It's clear there's been a struggle here; the bathroom mirror is shattered, the kitchen table toppled over, broken glass all over the floor, the TV pierced by a few Batarangs, etc. Jason is instantly so angry at this entire family unit (but especially at himself for not even thinking to question Tim's absence) and he takes some pictures of the trashed apartment. Sends them along in a text to Dick, and then to Bruce. Says, "Maybe we oughta start looking for the kid??"

The trail is immediately cold. Tim's place isn't on the Bat-network of security systems (anymore) so Babs hits a firewall she's not comfortable trying to crack. She's not sure what happens if she breaches it; maybe nothing, maybe something weird, it's Tim, who knows? So they start trying to figure out what could've happened there and it's not entirely obvious. Dick starts up a list of enemies known to them who could want something with Tim. It's a long list, lots of work to be done. They have to split it up between them.

Tim, for his part, is not even in Gotham City anymore. He doesn't know exactly where he is, but that hardly matters to him. He's tired from a few days of too little sleep, hungry from running almost entirely on breakfast bars and the most ungodly concoction of caffeine ever created, and sore from recent injuries he didn't have the time to address properly. And besides all that, he's strapped to a chair in a dingy basement somewhere, no windows or light sources other than a single bulb over his head, and they're trying to break him. He hasn't broken out yet because the attack on his mind is exhausting and relentless. He's never met this particular psychic before - he's pretty sure, anyway - but they're pressing buttons, sensitive ones, and often. He thinks maybe it's been two days already. They comment on his strength, tell him it's impressive. "You'll break, though. Everyone does."

Tim holds out as long as he can, he really does. He shies away from the probing influence of another mind, poking at his defenses, trying to get him to crack. He doesn't know what information they want but they won't get it.

There's a laugh from somewhere behind him. Gentler than he expected, almost pitying. "Silly boy, I know everything I want to know." They bend down to whisper in his ear, hands on his shoulders, rubbing, almost soothing. "I just want you to relax a little. Have some fun."

Tim knows it's over the moment his guard slips a bit. Suddenly he's flooded, and it's warm and he's losing the tension in his muscles, leaning into the person's touch. And they know they have him now, and even as he feels his inhibitions falling away and their hold on him growing stronger, he's drawn even deeper by that invasive but enticing whisper (at his ear? in his mind? he doesn't know and doesn't care) that says, "Wouldn't it be nice, though? Just for them to see you as a threat for once."

It's been eight days since the last time anyone saw Tim and they get good news. Babs caught security footage from the penthouse at Wayne Tower. It's late at night, everyone is just going on patrol, and Tim's there, suited up. Looking for something, it seems. Relieved and a little cheerful, Nightwing volunteers to go fetch him. He lets Batman know he's in the penthouse, and Batman honestly isn't expecting the call for backup he gets less than five minutes later, Dick practically shouting on the other line for help.

The fight carries them very quickly out of the nearest window and Dick is good, these are the streets he's known for years, but he forgets sometimes Tim followed them without equipment and he doesn't think he can outrun his little brother. Tim's keeping up with every swing, every turn, every move to throw him off balance.

Jason gets there first. Fires some shots up into the air from a moving vehicle below, figures he can at least get Tim's attention or get him to stop. Dick comes over the line: "I don't see him anymore."

Tim crashes down on the hood of the car and before Jason can react there's a pipe swinging into the windshield, shattering it, and Tim's hand reaches through and jerks on the wheel and the car's crashing against the curb, up and over, into a storefront. Jason kicks at the door to open it and Tim is stalking toward him, fast, with this sinister little grin on his face like he's about to fuck Jason up. He's not sure what else to do so Jason flings a Batarang - watches as Tim smoothly catches it, reaction time still too slow to respond to the arc of Tim's arm as he throws it back and it sails back and into Jason's thigh.

Dick jumps down between them and has clearly given up on reason. Tim's not listening, anyway. Dick swings and connects with Tim's jaw, knocking him flat for a moment. Dick instantly feels a surge of guilt; he hit harder than he meant to, and he bends down to offer Tim a hand when he realizes that sinister grin is back. Tim bit his own tongue on the impact with the sidewalk, but he doesn't seem to care. Spits blood on the concrete and lunges again.

It takes almost everyone to bring him down and at least incapacitate him. When Tim is finally freed of the mind-control influence, everyone tries to bring his spirits up about it. "It's not a big deal, we know you didn't mean it."

Tim holds in what he wants to say. Slips out when it's midmorning and everyone's still asleep. Gets on the next plane out of Gotham and hides out in a safehouse the second he gets to Berlin. He tends to his own injuries there and doesn't have a phone or any way to be contacted, doesn't turn on a single computer or device that might let them know where he is. He doesn't want to tell them he meant it. That it wasn't that hard to be convinced to do all those things. He'd been hiding the more.....violent tendencies for a while, but under that influence, with the pain ebbing away and the tiredness subsiding, there was unbridled, unadulterated rage. They didn't respect him, they didn't care what happened to him, and maybe some of that feeling was the mind control but a lot of it was pent-up resentment and hurt. He kept it under wraps. Took it out on people who had nothing to do with their family, their problems. But he couldn't deny that sometimes, he really wished he wasn't so inclined to keep it quiet. And they cracked all his carefully constructed defenses, brought him into a part of himself he didn't want to think about, a part that liked it when people hit him like they meant it because it meant he could hit back with every ounce of his weight behind him. And Tim can throw his body weight around well, even when he hasn't been eating as much and sleeping as often. He thinks about how it felt to hurt his brothers, to really haul off and unload on everyone. He doesn't like that even with full control of himself restored, he still sort of feels....powerful for having done it. Like maybe now they'll see him differently, won't brush him aside as often.

Tim hides out for a while before he comes back to Gotham City.

[krikriscomiccorner]

Pre-Crisis comics were wild. Full stop. Naturally, Bruce could not let himself have this and trashed the moment almost immediately. 

[pl-panda]

The vines that bind us - Chapter 6

Chapter 1 || Previous || NEXT

Elevator took her all the way to the highest floor. When she exited, the floor was back to perfect condition and several more plants were awaiting her. She promised them silently to check on them soon and went to the main office. She knocked several times on the doors, but nobody answered. Hesitantly, she pushed the doors open, but no one was in the office. After double-checking with security, it turned out that Tim Drake did not show to work. She sighed. Looks like more work for her… Just like Nathalie said.

“Didn’t you cause enough drama…” Lila never got a chance to end that sentence, because Mari delivered a straight one strong enough to send her flying several feet back before she came crashing down. Blood pouring from her nose.

The girl was about to launch herself at the liar and pound her into the ground when two strong arms grabbed her. She noticed the characteristic spikes on the sides of black gloves and stated to trash around. “Let me go you overgrown furry!” She screamed. “I will mix her face with the concrete until it’s nice and even!”

She tried to wiggle herself out of his grip. Most of the class surrounded Lila and were trying to help her. It only served to irate Mari more. She kicked her leg back, hitting Batman’s shin. It was finally enough to let her go. The girl fell down... right into the embrace of Chloe and Adrien who managed to get to her on time. The two blondes hugged her tightly. 

“There. It’s alright Goldie. You got her good. Rest.” The girl cooed and pressed her best friend to her chest, muffling the sobbing. Adrien was just silently there and hugged them both. When Batman tried to approach again, the boy sent him an angry glare. The warning was clear and the vigilante didn’t really need anything from the girl right now. 

After a bit, Mari fell asleep in their embrace. The stress finally caught up to her and she couldn’t hold exhaustion at bay any longer. Chloe easily picked her up and started to walk toward a taxi that was conveniently parked nearby, waiting for them. 

“What!?” Angry Alya looked from Lila who was now being cared for by a pair of paramedics. She turned to Commissioner Gordon who was discussing something with Batman. “You!” 

The policeman looked at her curiously. Alya continued her shouting. “You’re letting her go just like that? She just assaulted Lila! She might’ve ruined her modeling career! Arrest her!”

“Miss.” Gordon shook his head. “These are some of the braves men and women in Gotham, but I doubt any of them would dare to try and arrest her right now. They don’t get paid enough.”

“What?!” Several kids started to protest, but Gordon just ignored them and directed Harvey to start taking statements. He wasn’t paid enough to deal with these brats. 

--------

Bruce sighed as he exited the Batmobile. Almost immediately, he was swarmed by the rest of his family. Jason and Dick practically carried him, still in the suit, to the movie room. 

“Now, Ladies and Gents, we have some of the greatest shows for you. We call it… The Demon Trashing!”

What followed was a clip taken from monitoring in the anteroom of the CEO office in Wayne Tower. He watched as Damian, dressed in civilian clothing, and carrying a simple ninjato on his back entered the room. He walked around for a moment before knocking on the main office doors, but whatever answer he got seemed to have irritated him given the scowl that formed on his face. He walked over to the PA’s desk that stood there, but no one was here. After a short moment, one could see the elevator doors open again and a small girl in a smart outfit walked in. Damian dashed to the shadows before she had a chance to notice him. 

Bruce resisted the urge to facepalm. He could already see where this was going. 

When the girl started to walk to the desk, his son suddenly reappeared with the sword drawn. He pressed the blade to her neck. From the angle, it was impossible to see either of them expressions. The man did not expect his son to kill a civilian for trespassing, but the amount of glee on Jason’s and Dick’s faces was suggesting that his headache hadn’t really started.

The girl suddenly grabbed the blade and pushed it away. Damian, probably acting on instinct, tried to cut her, but she just walked out of the way and disarmed his son before knocking him out. There was a short skip to when Jason and Dick entered the room. The small girl was clearly very much irritated with them from the start and when she reached her limits, she used a pencil as a projectile to open the elevator doors. 

A small smirk made its way to Bruce’s face when he saw her storm past his three sons, carrying the ninjato through a tissue. The video ended with Damian waking up.

“And that’s how Drake’s new PA trashed a certain Demon Spawn. I swear, she could probably give Luthor’s bodyguard a run for her money when it comes to being a badass” Jason commented on the silent video in his typical fashion. 

“Tt. She stole my sword.” Damian huffed.

“You mean the sword she later used to stab Riddler’s man before disarming him?”

“I still consider the best part of today when she called B. an overgrown furry,” Dick said trying to hold back on laugher.

“Wait. I have a new personal assistant?” Tim asked half-awake. 

“Yeah. She was supposed to be an intern, but apparently, Sarah hired her on the spot and quit.”

“Oh… Cool.” Tim said and took a swing from his gargantuan cup. 

“Did you manage to pull the video of her taking down Riddler?” Bruce asked.

“The cameras malfunctioned before she even entered.”

“It was me,” Tim confessed. “I was still in my office when the alarm sounded. I keep a separate copy of my suit in a hidden compartment. To save time I dressed there, but I had to disable the CCTV…”

“Yeah yeah. Whatever.” Jason shut him up. “I also got the part when Damian’s eyes roll back as my new screensaver.”

“Tt. You’re lucky I don’t have my sword.”

“Don’t think you’re getting it back any time soon,” Bruce said in a stern tone and sighed. “What exactly do we know about her?”

“She is from Gotham, but she lives in Paris for some years. She said she was practicing martial arts since she was five.” Dick started

“She is also one bada…”

Jason was interrupted by Alfred, who entered the room with a plate full of cookies and tea. “A young woman just called. She asked me to forward a message to young master Damian.”

“Tt. What is it?”

“I quote. ‘Good luck getting your sword back now. Police took it as evidence. Suck it, Wayne.’ I believe the woman was young miss Chloe Bourgeoise.”

Dick, Jason, and Tim were literally rolling on the floor laughing. Bruce just facepalmed.

“No, you can’t break into the evidence room. You might jeopardize the whole investigation if you taint the evidence.” Bruce said in an exasperated tone. 

----------

It was late after midnight (or even early morning, depends on your definition) when the vigilantes returned from the patrol, only to meet Tim and Barbara working on something on Batcomputer in tandem. Whatever it was, they were completely devoted to it since neither realized they had company until Bruce made a coughing sound.

“Not now.” 

“What exactly are you doing?” The father inside Bruce resisted the urge to force-feed Tim some sleeping meds. 

“We’re doing the background check,” Barbara said while typing frantically.

“On my new personal assistant.” The boy supplied.

“oh?” Bruce raised an eyebrow.

“Like… from what we found she is either the worst bitch on the block or strongest badass around.”

“Langauge master Tim.” Alfred scolded him. 

“Sorry. But like seriously! There are so many contradictions.”

“Check this out.” She pulled out a scan of a letter. It was largely creased, but still perfectly readable. “Her adopted parents one day disappeared, leaving her everything they owed sans some of their clothes. It was like they packed and left.”

“You suspect a foul play?”

“I’m not sure. The investigation was a joke and so was the follow-up proceeding. The interesting part is the custody battle that followed.” 

“Jagged freaking Stone and Parisian Mayor.” Tim interrupted Babs. “It ended with a compromise that Jagged was lawfully named her uncle and Mayor became her guardian. She was the one who suggested it.”

“How can one be lawfully named someone’s uncle?”

“Apparently one can in France. Or they just made some concessions to a celebrity. Seen weirder things.” He shrugged. “She was also his designer for years now. You remember that mysterious MDC?”

“The one you used to fawn over?” Bruce asked.

“She is brilliant so sue me.” The boy huffed. “Also, it stands for Marigold Désign et Création. She runs an internet boutique where she takes commissions from both commoners and celebrities.”

“What does it have to do with anything?” 

“I’m getting to that. Gee.” 

“Maybe I will get there?” Babs tried to take over. “She’s been working part-time as a babysitter to get funds to buy materials for new clothes and received nothing but praise. She also became a class representative. A successful one at that. She also holds the national championship in U-17 Mechastrike.”

“How is that important exactly?” 

“You wanted to know everything about her B., so we are giving you everything.” Tim sassed

“Just… get to the important parts.” He shook his head. What did he do to deserve this?

“Fine. Her school records are a mess. Skipping that they wouldn’t hold to any official inspection, they straight-up contradict each other.” Tim waved his hand in some undefined gesture. “On one hand, she receives nothing but praise from the teachers, but at the same time, there are multiple bullying reports and even several assaults in here. Most of them were met with harsh punishments.” Tim opened a separate file. “Too harsh according to the school charter.”

“It didn’t help that the letter from her parents also mentioned these kinds of things.” Babs chimed in, trying to regain control of the tale. Bruce just gave an exasperated sigh. He just gave up and allowed them to solve it, mentally already cataloging the information. 

“Except! There were statements from several people that contradicted this. Especially Chloe Bourgeois. She said, ‘Puh-lease! Mari is the kindest doormat in the world. I was mean to her for years and she still welcomed me back with open arms.’ Given her track record, I’m inclined to believe it.” 

“There was also this Drama, capital ‘D’, with MDC stealing designs. Several tabloids caught the wind of it and it even led to the police investigation. Only after Jagged Stone intervened, the thing quickly shut up.”

“Now onto the juicy parts!” Babs smiled. 

“And that was what? An introduction?”

“Yup. She has a certified black belt in two different martial arts, is a master gymnast, has an IQ of over 130 and owns two separate businesses in Paris.” She quickly read. “As we mentioned, she is the honorary lawful niece of Jagged Stone, but also designed for Clara Nightingale, Nadia Chamack, worked with Gabriel Agreste, was offered an internship from Audrey Bourgeois before she became her ward. She was seen hanging out with Kagami Tsurugi, world-renowned fencer, and Luka Couffaine, the rising star under Jagged Stone’s tutelage.”

“That was fast.” Tim summarised. 

“Yeah. Also, she was adopted some nine years ago. She originally comes from Gotham.”

“Do we know her biological parents?” Bruce asked, getting serious.

“That’s where it gets juicy. When I tried to pull out her adoption files, the computer shut down to avoid detection. There is some serious encryption on it. Probably due to who her father is. We got some of it. She described her mother as ‘wearing an outfit that showed more skin than her beachwear’, so we suspect she was a prostitute.”

“Hm… It’s not unheard of. You say she was with her mother until she was eight?”

“Between seven and nine the file said.”

“Hm… Do you think she is a threat?”

“No. But I have a different question. Why didn’t the league investigate Paris’ supervillain?”

“We were made aware of him only recently, after what our satellites mistook for Poison Ivy attack,” Batman said in an irritated tone. The fact that there was a supervillain running around for close to four years completely undetected grated on his nerves. “Diana Prince has been investigating for some time now. She has it under control.”

“The only problem I see is that she is only sixteen,” Barbara pointed.

“I mean I’m barely seventeen and I ran this company for two years now. And don’t act high and mighty. You started playing Batgirl at fifteen.”

“Played?!” She screamed. 

“You wore a hoodie and carnival mask at first.”

This quickly developed into an insults contest until Bruce finally had enough. He just shook his head and left. Alfred silently followed him, carrying a plate of sandwiches. 

-----

The next morning, Mari woke up in her bed, with Chloe and her curled together in a mess of limbs and clothes. Of course, she panicked and jumped up, waking the blonde.

“Honestly, Goldie, five more minutes. I need my beauty sleep!” She murmured.

“Um… Why are we in one bed?”

“Because you fell asleep hugging me yesterday and refused to let go at any point. I swear I wanted to get a crowbar. Ridiculous!”

“Sorry…” Mari gave her a sheepish smile.

“None of that! You ruined Lila’s face in one punch. Adrien texted me that in the end she lost seven teeth and will require plastic surgery for her nose not to look like a mashed potato.”

“No…!” Her eyes widened. 

“Yup.” Chloe grinned, popping the ‘p’. 

“That’s awful! I can already imagine how much the class will hate me now! And the employees that saw this! There were cameras there!”

“Some people actually applauded you. It could be also because you called Batman an overgrown Furry though…” Chloe’s voice wandered off. Mari collapsed onto the bed, head buried in the pillows.

“Kill me…”

“Can I kill you with hugs?”

“Fine…”

When the panicking bluenette finally calmed down, Chloe got her to sit down and showed her the headlines.

Brave WE employee saves dozens of lives!

A hero without a suit!

Civilian stopped Riddler!

Personal Assistant takes down a dangerous criminal!

They were all overly positive and showed much support. Only one tried to vilify her based on Lila’s comment and her being punched, but it quoted Ladyblog as a reliable source, so it was dismissed. The majority of the comments were also positive. The ‘overgrown Furry’ was already trending too. 

Only one of the articles contained the list of names of people killed in the attack.

Ted Black - a security guard, put himself between the bullet and another employee Sigfried Osborne - a security guard, died when he tried to stop them from entering Molly Bishop - a PR specialist, called the police when she thought the guards were busy Heidi Dickson - a security guard, killed in crossfire Craig Lloyd - an HR employee, wrestled the gun from one of the henchmen before he was shot in the back. Ethel Arson - A lawyer, killed in crossfire Christian Thorn - a security guard, shot two of the riddler’s henchmen in defense of a group of hostages.

Their room had several live plants on the rail. Mari walked to them and allowed her powers to flow. Slowly, the flowers bloomed. She picked seven beautiful flowers and put them on the table.

“Mari… I’m sure they will understand if you don’t come to work today…” Chloe placed a hand on her best friend’s shoulder.

“No… No. I won’t be scared into hiding by Riddler of all people.” She said with determination and some coldness in her voice. She stood up and walked to her suitcase. From there, she gathered a different outfit. Now she would wear a red shirt, a black blazer with the Ladybug logo on her right breast, a black pencil skirt, and black leather ballet shoes (she still hated heels). But the greatest change was her hair and eyes. She let go of her twin pigtails and allowed her wavy hair to run free. It was no longer black, instead turning dark blue with purple highlights. Her eyes also changed. Her bluebell eyes also changed. The iridescent green she used to suppress was now mixed with the normal eye color, giving an entrancing effect that was hard to stop looking at.

“It’s time to rock this place.” She smiled at her best friend.

------- (Play ‘Confident’ by Demi Lovato) --------

Marigold and Chloe entered the Wayne Enterprises in full stride. Flashing her pass, she got them through control without the queue or checking, much to the shock of the class (who still had no idea Mari was now technically their boss). Adrien showed the girls thumbs up. Lila was seething, but neither Chloe nor Marigold paid her any mind and guards didn’t let her follow them and straight-up kicked her to the back of the queue. 

Mari gave a nod to the receptionist, but they didn’t slow down. Elevator was about to close, but one of the employees held it for her. Once they entered, she quickly checked her tablet and the to-do list she had for that day. First stop: PR. Chloe was going to HR to receive a new mentor after… the previous day.

When she entered the Public Relations department, Mari didn’t stop to chat with the employee that looked at her in awe. Her goal was the department’s head office and that’s where she would go. Gently knocking on the doors before entering, she pushed the doors. While she was smiling kindly, her whole posture screamed professional. 

“Hello. Mr. Drake will need the Friday press conference plan adjusted in response to what happened yesterday. There needs to be a mention of the event, as we won’t want to sound too detached. The press would tear us apart. Some gesture to show the public that we care…”

“Maybe a memory board in the lobby? And perhaps schedule Mr. Drake to visit each of the families somewhere next week?”

“I think it will be okay…” For a short moment, Mari allowed her confidence to drop, but she quickly gathered herself and made a note in her calendar. 

“If that’s all…”

“I will also need a press statement no later than by lunch.” She said quickly. “Make it a priority and forward it to me to read before you post it.”

“Yes, Ma’am.” The man smiled. Mari was about to leave when he spoke again. “And thank you for yesterday. Many people owe you their lives.”

She stopped in her tracks, unable to say a word. Finally, she regained her composure. “Thank you. I… I’m coping.” 

As she left the office toward the elevator, Lila and Alya, who were interning in that department, tried to speak with her, but she didn’t even spare them a glance. Alya tried to grab her, but she was stopped by one of the older employees. As the elevator doors closed, Mari could see the girls receive a serious scolding. A grin made its way onto her face. Lila and Alya would have a really hard life for the next two months. Especially if she had anything to say about it. 

Her next stop was the security office. She entered it with a neutral expression, but it lasted only maybe five steps from the elevator. She didn’t tear up. She was a Gothamite inside. Right as one walked out of the elevator, there was a small bar, behind which a board was filled with pictures. Some looked really old, black and white or even sepia, while some others were high-quality and new. Roughly half of them were the clean pictures one would attach to a resume. The other half were profile pictures from social media. Or a photo that was taken in the forest. One was even a detailed drawing of a person. There were maybe fifty of them in total.

“It’s a reminder. Guards who lost their lives since the founding of WE” An older man said. “Silas Wayne started the tradition after he served in the Great War. You’re here for something miss?”

“Oh… Yes. The security on Friday press conference. We must increase it by about fifty percent. And make sure that only those with invites can enter.”

“Yes, ma’am.” He saluted her.

“Um…” Mari suddenly felt a bit uncomfortable. 

“Don’t worry. It wasn’t your fault.” He said in a comforting voice.

“Thank you, sir.” She allowed a weak smile to enter her face before she left. Only two more stops. 

The elevator next took her to the Legal Department. She had many things that needed to be done here. Chloe met her as soon as she exited the elevator. Mari managed to regain her professional posture and once more emanated the aura of confidence. She wasn’t sure how long she could keep it up, but she was determined to show that she was okay. 

“I already forwarded your requests. At first, Madame McKinsley was reluctant, but apparently, our entrance is already the top corporate gossip. Good job Mari-bear.”

“Good. Thanks, Chlo. Now get back to work before someone sees me get friendly with an intern. I have a plan.” Before they separated, Marigold let a smile ghost her face. “One more thing. You’re free to unleash the foxes of war.”

Chloe lit up at that. Her whole demeanor changed to almost beaming light. She immediately started planning. Mari left her to the devious scheming and instead went to McKinsley office. The head of the Legal Department was a middle-aged woman with short, slightly graying brown hair and no-nonsense composure.

“Miss Bourgeoise informed me of your visit. I already had several documents prepared, but I will need clarification on several things.” She offered the young PA a chair, but Mari refused with a shake of her head. She opened her tablet and started to go through the list.

“First of all, the video that caused the attack was leaked by an intern. What actions exactly can be undertaken in response?”

“There are several options. We could terminate their contract entirely, but as it’s their first offense, it could’ve been seen as too harsh. It would also require to terminate all internships.” The woman was clearly unamused by the situation. Mari just raised her eyebrow and gave her a quizzing look.

“I’m not sure who in their right mind wrote their contracts, but when I track them down they are gonna get their ass demoted to toilet cleaner. It’s one big mess.”

“Don’t I know it…” Mari deadpanned. “So, other options?”

“We can move them between departments, so having them demoted to Toilet cleaners could also work, but it’s not exactly a legal punishment. The fact that it was Riddler really threw a wrench in any legal proceeding as he is clinically insane and the video was not directly calling him out and only speaking about him. I could give you the legal mumbo-jumbo, but the gist is that they are somewhat protected.”

“What about revoking their privileges?”

“Take that to HR.” 

“Will do. Now, about the next matter.”

“It was much easier. She can’t do anything to you, not even forward the bill. You were in shock and there are several recordings showing her taunting you. If she pushes it, she will lose. You’re a public hero right now. Good job by the way.”

“I was only doing what had to be done.” Mari brushed it, doing her best to keep a professional face. 

“Sure…” It was clear that McKinsley did not believe her.

“Now about the last thing?”

“Ah. The slander. I already directed it to our French and Italian departments, but it’s slow-going. That witch made it an international case. It will definitely bite her, but we have to be patient.”

“Brilliant. Thank you for your time.” Mari left the room with a grin on her face. Now onto the HR.

As she strode through the floor, people turned their heads to look at her. In the killing outfit, she looked older than she was and the aura of confidence and professionalism made her seem like a powerful woman. They had no idea just how powerful she was, but the way she carried herself was enough to make them shake in their shoes. 

----

When the doors of the elevator opened, Juleka and Rose were waiting for her. Both looked furious. Before either got a chance to say anything though, Marigold silenced them with a murderous glare that took away their voice. She strode past them looking fabulous. Any other employee removed themselves from her path to avoid her ire. The rumors were already circulating and the fact that she took down Riddler before Batman even arrived did wonder to her image. 

“Hello. I had an appointment.” She said when she entered the head of the department office. 

“Yes. Miss Dupain-Cheng. I was told you forwarded a list of topics, but an intern lost it.”

“Was this intern from my class?” She asked in a cold voice.

“Um… Yes actually.” The woman said after checking a small post-it.

“Then it was probably sabotage.” Mari spat the words. “I asked to have a list of possible punishments in regards to the newest intern group prepared. Two of them were responsible for the leak. Sadly, as one of them is the class representative, she is quite popular.”

“Ah. Well…”

“First of all, both Alya Cesaire and Lila Rossi are to have all possible privileges revoked for breaking the rules. They leaked or were involved in the leak of video. Neither of them is to be handed anything more important than refilling a stapler or bringing someone coffee, to ensure they are no further threat to this company. They will also receive an official warning and an entry to their acts. They are also restricted to the lower floors. If possible, I want their access to electronic devices restricted. Maybe assign them a pager each so it doesn’t negatively impact their work.”

“Hm… I will see what can be done, Ma’am.” The woman replied, already going through her notes.

“Good. Onto the next business, while it pains me to do it so fast, we need to hire more security as soon as possible. But make sure to triple check their backgrounds.” 

“Understandable.” 

“And the last thing. Why was Damian Wayne allowed to bring a ninjato into the building?”

“There is actually no restriction on bringing swords ma’am. We’re trying to fix it, but we’ve been blocked at every turn even when Mr. Wayne was the CEO.”

“And whose permission is needed?” Mari allowed a small grin.

“Yours would do. Sarah was always too stuck up to even leave her desk unless forced so she didn’t care that much.”

“Consider my permission granted. Forward the paperwork to me.”

“And if Mr. Drake disagrees?”

“He can try.” She said coldly, remembering how close she came to being cut in half.

“Oh…”

“Last thing. When is the top floor scheduled for repairs?”

“It should be done already. It was made to withstand an assault from a much larger force, so we only had to replace the furniture. Following the instructions that were left, we repotted the plants into bigger and more decorative pots. As per your request, we added some more plants.”

“Thank you. Plants always calm me down.”

“I prefer cat pictures.” She pointed at the wall where a cheesy calendar with a cat giving her thumbs-up was hanged. It took all of Marigold’s willpower not to burst into laugher at the image of Chat Noir posing for such a calendar.

“Good. Thank you.” With that, she left. This time, Rose and Juleka did not try anything. They were too terrified of her. 

Elevator took her all the way to the highest floor. When she exited, the floor was back to perfect condition and several more plants were awaiting her. She promised them silently to check on them soon and went to the main office. She knocked several times on the doors, but nobody answered. Hesitantly, she pushed the doors open, but no one was in the office. After double-checking with security, it turned out that Tim Drake did not show to work. She sighed. Looks like more work for her… Just like Nathalie said.

----

NEXT

[monkeebratz]

Bio!Dad Bruce Wayne AU - Super Meet

Initial idea | How it Happened | Addition by iggy-of-fans | Reply to iggy’s Addition | Summer Begins | Summer Part 2 | Supers Meet (you are here) | Scarecrow Interlude |

SO we have two ways that the Parisian Super Squad meets the Batfam. 

The first, which I’m only writing down because I cannot forget about it, and its hilarious is: the Super Squad gets to Gotham, gets Mari’s texts, gets to their hotel room, throws their stuff in, transforms, and starts running around looking for her. They find her walking around the fashion district with the Wayne’s. Adrien, as Chat Noir, spies Marinette first. And, in typical fashion, acts first and thinks later. 

So basically the Wayne’s watch a young, blonde, male version of catwoman throw an incredibly expandable baton between them and Mari, jump down, pick her up. Say “Bonjour. Au revoir.” And then make his expandable baton extend again and carry the now screeching Marinette to the top of the building where the rest of the Super Squad is waiting. Luka is going to strangle him. Holy shit. Chat Noir? More like Chat NO-ir!

The Batfam, of course, suits up and starts chasing after them. In full daylight. (These are the perfect opportunity for “Only in Gotham tweets” tbh) They catch up to Marinette berating all of them in incredibly loud and frantic French. As Multimouse. Going on about how irresponsible it was to leave Paris unprotected! Yes she knows Hawkmoth was defeated but it is the principle of the matter!! And they left BEFORE she told them about what happened with her bio!family and Batman! ALSO THEY KIDNAPPED HER IN BROAD ASS FUCKING DAYLIGHT IT DOESN’T MATTER IF THIS IS GOTHAM YOU SHUT YOUR TRAP CHAT! 

The whole squad looks so defeated but then Mari starts crying and throws herself into Chat’s arms going on about how good it is to see them and she’s so happy they’re here and they’re so so stupid! And then its a hug pile. Big hug pile. The Batfam looks on in utter confusion bc, again, only like. Two of them know French. Then Batman coughs and they all look up and just. Don’t move. Maybe if they don’t move he won’t see them. 

“... I need to be taking Miss Dupain-Cheng back to her family, now.” 

“But-!” WHACK (why yes that’s the sound of Marinette kicking at them all)

“You kidnapped a girl in front of her family with no warning, in a very dangerous city. I’m sure her family would like the reassurance that she’s safe.” 

So Batman and the Robins take Marinette back to Wayne Manor and Alfred clings to her (like he totally didn’t put everything together already they’re all so obvious). And then the Batfam, minus costume, comes barreling down the stairs and they all tackle Marinette and its another hug pile. Bc holy shit Mari why did you get kidnapped by your so called friends? Oh, they’re stupid? Can relate. 

And then. Of course. Guess who shows up at the door. Just peeks their heads in, detransformed of course. “Uh, hi? We’re friends of Marinette? We’re here to visit her?” 

Bruce is shrieking like WHY. WHY IS THIS SHIT GENETIC?! Internally. Can’t spill the beans QUITE yet. 

Anyway, INTRODUCTIONS GALOR, YADA YADA, Dick and Adrien get along so well. Too well. Kagami and Damien also get along well too (they’re both ready to stab a bitch, don’t test them). Luka is too chill NOT to get along with anyone, unless they insult his friends and partners. Chloe is ready to throw down but also holy shit that’s Bruce fucking Wayne? Damn, Mari. DAMN. Already on social media about this. 

(Also listen, I am shipping trash so I’m going to be vague as hell with things but in my brain this will be a poly!partners au so the Super Squad is just dating each other. But for the sake of everyone they could also just be really good/close friends, as they’ll be sharing rooms and be very touchy feeling and such. Its up to you. But just know, I’m just. Like this.) 

So it basically just devolves into story sharing and puppy piles and the Wayne’s all looking at the Super Squad with side eyes bc HM. HOW FAMILY. ALSO STOP TOUCHING THE BABY! NO CORRUPTING THE BABY!! THAT’S OURS!!!

WE SAW HER FIRST SO FUCK YOU!

I’M LITERALLY? HER FATHER? FUCK? YOU? YOU CATWOMAN KNOCK OFF???

This is all happening with their eyes btw

And of course. The whole squad follows Marinette out as Multimouse to go meet batman, who Bruce told her had something to talk with her about. And she kinda cries bc SHE’S GOING TO GET KICKED OUT OF THE CITY BC OF HER IDIOTS!

Its not, its the Batfam taking the Super Squad to the Justice League tower. They weren’t expecting so many people but its fine. They’ll make it work. 

Because Bruce had called the Justice League for an emergency meeting that night with the tone of voice that clearly said anybody who didn’t show up would have a bat hunting them down and shoving his foot up their ass so far they’ll taste patented leather for the rest of their life. They’ve almost never seen him so angry? And he’s bringing guests? What? The fuck?? 

Multimouse Marinette gets briefed that, as the current Guardian of the Miraculous, and a hero of Paris, she’ll be there to get a formal apology and an explanation about why a bunch of teenagers had to fight an emotionally manipulative super villain by themselves. Chat Noir is maybe hiding behind the rest of the Miraculous Crew and they’re only kinda notice but don’t think much of it tbh. Adrien does NOT want to be the one to explain that his FATHER was said super villain. save him. 

Btw the whole group is having mixed reactions to the idea of meeting the Justice League. Adrien wants to run away but he also doesn’t care? Like. They’re all superhero’s, he gets that they can’t always help, but also. Fuck. He loves being a superhero but having someone with actual experience might have saved them all a lot of heartache. Chloe, meanwhile, doesn’t give a sINGLE SHIT about the JL. Fuck them. Fuck them so hard, so assholes ignored them and they’re going to be high and mighty. She may be a better person now but she will not put up with their nonsense. Not now. Not ever. Fight her. Luka is that sort of calm angry? He’s pissed that they brushed them off but since everything’s over there’s no point in holding onto his anger. There may or may not be a lot of meditating in the Bat Plane on the way there so he doesn’t use his lyre like a fucking BOOMERANG AGAIN and smack them all upside the head with it. Kagami doesn’t care? She’ll threaten them to the ends of the earth should they ever blow off such messages again, but she also just. Has very little emotional investment in them otherwise. 

Marinette, of course, is freaking out and pacing and trying to channel her inner ladybug and screaming internally bc why. WHY. She’s angry but she also understands, but she’s still so stressed. just. please. Tiny squeaks. 

And okay, they get there, and Batman comes in with ALL the Robins AND all these new kids? 

Flash: I’m sorry, you called an emergency meeting because of your extended family? 

Diana: HUSH

Because Diana, of course, recognizes them what and who they are. And is screaming bc holy shit? The Miraculous Holders are active again? Do they need their help? Where is Ladybug? Who is the Guardian? She just has. so. many. questions. 

And Captain Marvel/Shazam (seriously wtf IS HIS NAME) is fangirling HARD. Because that’s the Miraculous Holders! The ORIGINAL magic users! SEVERAL of his people (Hercules/etc) were Miraculous holders on top of Shazam and HOOOLLLY SHIT THEY’RE HERE! IN FRONT OF HIM! HOLY SHIT!!!

Superman, Green Arrow, and several others are sweating bc uh. UH. OH SHIT THOSE MESSAGES WERE REAL?

Yes. They were real. And now they have Batman in full dad mode demanding an explanation. Several people (Superman, other mutation/alien esc powers) claim they went to Paris to check on the damage but they couldn’t find any, OR the supposed supers of villain. 

Multimouse steps forward and starts explains how the Ladybug powers work and if they had bothered to contact them beyond telling them this wasn’t a line of communication to be used for PRANKS, they would know better. Diana chimes in with how she was helped created BY the Ladybug miraculous, etc, why did nobody ask her about this? Hell, why did nobody ask their resident magic user, Captain Marvel/Shazam??? 

Green Lantern: No offense, but doesn’t this all seem a little far fetched? 

Chloe: ... Bitch, you have an alien ring that gives you powers. Shut the fuck up. 

So there’s some arguing, back and forth, and Bruce looses his temper a little bit. Smacks his hand HARD on the table. “Enough. It is your job to investigate. It is not your job to leave the saving of an entire city to my fucking daughter, who was barely thirteen at the time this all started. As far as I’m concerned, this can never, ever, happen again. Wonder Woman, Captain, I assume you’d be willing to go through our notifications for any discrepancies?” 

And there’s a huge moment of silence. Everyone’s staring at him. Multimouse squeaks. Red Hood just. “Good going, Bats. Real smooth.” 

Chat: OH MY GOD YOUR DAD IS BATMAN? WHY DIDN’T YOU SAY ANYTHING, WHY- HOOOOO OH MY GOD YOUR DAD! BATMAN! IS DAD! YOUR DAD WHO IS ALSO-!

Viperion is making wheezing noises and covers Chat’s mouth and then there’s even more yelling and arguing and finger pointing, and Bruce wants a drink. And a nap. In whatever order he can get them. 

Basically he gets Wonder Woman and Captain Marvel/Shazam to agree to looking through messages but also gets the hell out of dodge. 

Next in, the reactions to all this tomfoolery. Also apparently superhero-ism is now genetic. 

Tag List! (Please remember to send me an ask if you want to be added!)

@mystery-5-5 @mariae2900 @vgirl-10123 @iglowinggemma28 @deredereart @synnesstra @dahjokester @destinationdesignation @lordsmeldingtonthethird @emjrabbitwolf @unabashedbookworm @saphiraazure2708 @rhub4rb @romanoff-queen @octoberscorn@littleblue5mcdork @foxyrelina @severelyenchantedwonderland @dast218 @ace-aro-agender​ @rogueptoridactyl​ @kitkatcatfangirl @worlds-tiniest-spook-pastry @poshplumcot  @iggy-of-fans @schrodingers25​ @two-faced-biatch​ @moonlitarchangels @vixen-uchiha @rikku052 @elspethshadow

People who should be tagged but may not? So sorry, I’m still going to add you until tumblr stops being a dick about this.

@tbehartoo  @wuvpancakes

[junker-town]

The Giants were bad and STILL won, plus 7 other things we loved about Week 11 in the NFL

There was dancing, a 4x100m relay, Brock Osweiler wasn’t happy, and possibly even some pee!

Another week, another NFL game in which the New York Giants continue to look bad and leading to the eventual demise of Ben McAdoo’s title as head coach. Except this week, they actually won a game while being their typical bad selves — and I mean that in the worst way possible.

After calling for a fake punt on fourth-and-1 that was actually successful early in the game, McAdoo figured, “Why not go for a running back pass inside the red zone?” Because he believes lightning can strike the same place twice.

It ended as well as you might imagine a Shane Vereen pass could go — straight into the hands of the defense.

It was at that point the Chiefs should have made the Giants pay dearly, and yet we still had this terrible back and forth of a game that didn’t feature another touchdown after one early in the second quarter. In fact, the Chiefs never even led at any point.

Those first five weeks of the season when they looked like the best team in football seems like it happened during the Obama presidency — but I digress.

Despite their own efforts to give the game away with things like an unsportsmanlike penalty for headbutting another player, the Giants received their own gifts from the Chiefs, like a Travis Kelce interception, and Alex Smith’s second pick of the season.

But once they got the game into overtime at 9-9, Roger Lewis — a guy you’ve probably never heard of until about two seconds ago — came down with one of the best catches from Sunday to put the Giants in position for their game-winning field goal.

Ben McAdoo is like a bad high school student who keeps bringing home Ds and Fs, only to bring home the rare B- to keep his parents content just enough. Though his parents — owner John Mara and GM Steve Tisch — already gave him that dreaded vote of confidence. They’re gonna kick his ass out of the house sooner or later.

Here’s what else we loved in Week 11.

The Texans prep for a tryout for the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo

Lamar Miller and the Texans celebrated his touchdown against the Buccaneers by pretending to be a 4x100m relay race team.

I gotta say — Miller seemed to kinda jog that one out, it’s good he went first and not as the anchor. DeAndre Hopkins, Braxton Miller, and Bruce Ellington made up for it.

But if the Texans are serious about this group celebration business, they have to throw the ultimate twist into this thing like the Steelers would. In Cool Runnings fashion, they should pretend to be a bobsled team next week when they get into the end zone.

I know the Packers did that already. But the continuation of this storyline would be creative. Then, they can just continue re-enacting Disney movies in the end zone.

Plus, the Texans’ fans don’t have much to look forward to, if we’re being honest with ourselves. That ended as soon as Deshaun Watson’s knee went bad.

The Ravens, much like the Jets, danced their butts off

“Jets Dance To Anything” was a criminally underrated meme from earlier this month. On Sunday, the Ravens did their own dancing to BlocBoy JB’s “Shoot” in a similar fashion:

Upon first seeing this, I thought of two things:

They could have been reminiscing about Petey Pablo’s “Raise Up.”

My favorite Thanksgiving song of all time that was born last year — the #unameitchallenge.

The Ravens were actually OK in my book last year, before asking for prayers on whether or not they should sign Colin Kaepernick a few months ago, and made this video with the song:

When Thanksgiving is a week away .#UNameItChallenge http://pic.twitter.com/airU7f4Hov

— Baltimore Ravens (@Ravens) November 18, 2016

The #unameitchallenge is up there with some of the best holiday songs of all time (though please don’t get it twisted, nothing touches Luther Vandross).

If you aren’t giving the #unameitchallenge multiple spins leading up to Thanksgiving, reconsider how you operate. Please believe I’ll be blasting that on the way to Mr. and Mrs. Lyles’ house on Thursday in anticipation of a wholesome meal.

Sean McDermott benched No. 5, so his replacement threw 5 picks

There has not been a more Kermit Sipping Tea moment in NFL history as there was when Nathan Peterman went out on a football field and threw five interceptions after being named the starter over Tyrod Taylor.

It’s hilarious because that’s one thing Taylor has actually been great about:

Tyrod Taylor has the lowest interception rate in NFL history (at least 1000 attempts).

— Mina Kimes (@minakimes) November 19, 2017

I honestly hope Taylor just kept a bottle of Gatorade up to his mouth like Kermit for the entire first half as this disaster was happening. Not only did the Bills get rocked by the Chargers, but they also took a blow to their postseason hopes.

Give Sean McDermott credit though, Peterman was more efficient than Taylor. At least, when it came to the rate at which he was throwing interceptions:

Nathan Peterman now has three interceptions on eight pass attempts today. Tyrod Taylor has three interceptions on 254 pass attempts this season.

— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) November 19, 2017

We could have stopped there, but Peterman had to get a couple more in there, obviously.

To sum Peterman’s afternoon up in one tweet and image:

Every Charger in this photo has intercepted or will intercept Nathan Peterman today. http://pic.twitter.com/jnvTXVwgxQ

— SB Nation GIF (@SBNationGIF) November 19, 2017

The last time Peterman had that many picks, he was probably drafting in franchise mode in Madden. This will probably be a game he will try to keep from the grandkids, until they punch the old man’s name up into Google and see everybody talking spicy about him and these dank memes.

Cardale Jones got a laugh out of the Bills

The Bills traded quarterback Cardale Jones this summer to the Chargers. You might have heard or read recently (like, one minute ago) that Bills quarterback Nathan Peterman had a five-interception game.

The Chargers won that game 54-24. While Jones didn’t play, he still felt good:

⚡️

— Cardale Jones (@Cardale7_) November 20, 2017

He should. Because not even Cardale Jones would have thrown five interceptions in 14 passes. That man came off the bench and won a national championship.

Brock Osweiler said what most of us think when we see he’s starting a game

You know, the Broncos were so wholesome when Papa John’s seller and part-time quarterback Peyton Manning was still under center yelling “Omaha!”

Now, we’ve got Brock Osweiler yelling “No! God damn it, no!”

"NO! God dammit, no!" will forever be my favorite Brock Osweiler pre-snap call http://pic.twitter.com/kEN9bOGOzd

— Andrew Joseph (@AndyJ0seph) November 19, 2017

The video is evergreen as long as The Tall Guy is playing quarterback.

Blake Bortles shot a skyhook

Blake Bortles isn’t great at throwing a football, despite his starting status as a quarterback in the National Football League.

Sunday, he actually did something good by trying out Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s famous skyhook to get the ball to Leonard Fournette and avoid a sack. It worked in terms of avoiding the sack, though it didn’t travel too far.

While we can appreciate Bortles’ effort, he’ll never be a Laker. He’s barely a Jaguar.

IS THAT PEE?

This is Green Bay Packers defensive tackle Mike Daniels, and that looks like pee.

Before we determine whether or not this is actually pee, I highly recommend all NFL players squad up with the staff on the sideline, and find a way to relieve yourself like Dexter McDougle.

Teamwork makes the pee work, or something.

After the game, Daniels denied it was pee. “I sweat a lot down there. Everybody was like, ‘Did you pee your pants?’ No, I did not pee my pants,” Daniels said via ESPN’s Jason Wilde.

OK, man.

OTHER THINGS FROM WEEK 11

BIG GUY INTERCEPTION!

All kickers need to be emergency kickers.

Mike Zimmer thought he was being cool, then regretted it.

Case Keenum pulled off a throw with some Madden pocket presence.

Packers players kept turning invisible. Yes, it’s possible.

Mike Wallace had one of the best catches of the day, and followed it with a Lambeau Leap.

What does the Fox say.... when it’s dead?

Dede Westbrook is a smooth criminal.

Challenges were weird on Sunday.

The Browns were their most disciplined in 55 years and it didn’t matter.

Mitchell Trubisky had his comeback effort trashed by a kicker.

The Packers got shut out at home EXACTLY 11 years after the last time they were shut out at home.

The Saints came back to beat Washington. I wonder if Kirk Cousins likes it?

Dre Kirkpatrick got stripped by a ghost.

Marshawn Lynch sat for the U.S. anthem, and stood for the Mexico anthem.

Stephen Gostkowski almost kicked this one back to the States.

Tony Rmo took his predictions international.

“WHAT DID THE FIIIIIVE FINGERS SAY TO THE FACE?!”

Sunday scores

Ravens 23, Packers 0

Patriots 33, Raiders 8

Lions 27, Bears 24

Jaguars 19, Browns 7

Buccaneers 30, Dolphins 20

Vikings 24, Rams 7

Saints 34, Washington 31 (OT)

Giants 12, Chiefs 9 (OT)

Texans 31, Cardinals 21

Chargers 54, Bills 24

Bengals 20, Broncos 17

Eagles 37, Cowboys 9