#dickinette february 2025

[starwarsmum]

Day 7 of Dickinette Feb sees Daddy I Love Him

@maribat-calendar-events

https://archiveofourown.org/works/62690860/chapters/160917491

Marinette shrugged out of her shoulder holster and put it away. With several days off ahead of her, she didn't want to be tripping on it every morning and night. She put away her work shoes and turned off her earliest alarms, relishing the fact that she could be lazy for so many days.

She lingered at her desk for a little longer that night, positive that with Alya visiting she wouldn't get a chance to write anything for Dick. If she was honest with herself, she had been writing less anyway as the days had stretched to weeks, the weeks into months. It wasn't that she felt anything less for him, just that she couldn't keep writing to him as if he was days away from returning.

She threw herself into bed earlier than she normally would, hoping to get a solid night's sleep followed by a lie in. But she lay awake for a while, wondering how long it would be before she saw him again.

When she woke the next morning, she looked at the time and groaned. Apparently she had finally formed the habit of waking early, just when she didn't want it. Resigning herself to a long day, she went about her morning routine before settling for going on a walk. 

The streets of Gotham were quiet, Saturdays being generally less busy than weekdays, and she enjoyed the slightly warmer air that told her summer was almost here. She'd always loved the sunshine and hoped that, even in Gotham, she'd get some. 

Her gaze was aimed skywards which is how she spotted the lithe form of a vigilante jumping between buildings. She squinted against the rising sun and saw a flash of blue in amongst the black and decided that it must be Nightwing. She had yet to actually come face to face with a vigilante, but she was sure that with her luck it would happen at some point.

Once he was out of sight, she continued her slow walk, taking pictures of architecture that interested her and planning to make some Gotham inspired clothes at some point. Maybe if she did something creative at home it would unstick her block with the child-abduction cases.

_ _ _

“Marinette!” Alya squealed as she caught sight of her from across the room at the coffee shop. Marinette looked up and grinned, standing to catch the taller girl in a hug. She waved to Nino who was trailing behind at a more sedate pace and he smiled back.

“Dudette, it's good to see you,” he said ruffling her hair while her arms were occupied with Alya. Marinette scowled at him but it only made him laugh. “Did you get smaller? Is that possible?”

“Maybe you're just a freak and still growing,” she huffed, although it was undercut by her grin. She gave him a hug as well before kissing both cheeks in greeting. “It's been so long since I saw anyone from Paris in person! How was the tour of the Daily Planet?”

Alya was more than happy to gush about her time visiting the newspaper office, raving about her favourite reporters. Nino chimed in occasionally, talking about how cool the city seemed and all of the positive media about their resident superhero. Marinette let them carry the conversation, 

After they had their coffee, they wandered around the streets of Gotham, Marinette pointing out local sights and places she'd found and liked. They passed the restaurant from her first date with Dick and both Alya and Nino gave her a look that meant she hadn't been totally normal about it. Thankfully, they left the subject alone right then, but that changed once they got back to Marinette's apartment.

“Wow, you manage to keep this place a lot tidier than your old room,” Alya said with a laugh as she showed them around. They stopped in the kitchen to grab drinks before heading over to the living area and settling onto the sofa. 

“So…what do you do when you're not at work? Got many friends that we can meet?” Alya asked at last, eyeing the space carefully. Marinette wished she didn't feel like she was a story that Alya was trying to crack open, it made her defensive.

“I mean, I don't really hang out with people much. I went to that gala a couple of months back? But mostly I'm trying to crack a case and it's bogging me down. And when I'm not doing that I'm trying to relax. Meeting new people can be stressful, Als.”

“But you didn't mind hanging out with that ex of yours,” Alya remarked, raising an eyebrow. “I'm not trying to get your back up, I'm just trying to understand you. You've been moping about ever since he broke up with you just to move one city over. If he was as serious about you as you were about him, I feel like that distance wouldn't have mattered.”

“I really, really don't want to talk about it, Alya,” Marinette said, letting her frustration creep into her voice. “Besides, I'm too busy right now to try and start a relationship. And I'm still recovering from my last one. Besides which things might change once he's settled back in.”

“Come on, girl,” Alya said in a quiet but urging voice. “You dated the guy for, what, four months? And then he dipped. You deserve more than that, and you should give yourself the chance to meet someone new.”

“Yeah, dudette,” Nino added eagerly, piping up for the first time. “Like, Adrien is single again, he's been asking how you're doing-”

“Unless you can give me a real, actual reason for sitting around waiting for this guy,” Alya interjected, raising an eyebrow in challenge. 

“I don't know, Als, maybe because I don't think anyone wants to date a soon-to-be single mother?” Marinette said tiredly. She was so fed up with them not listening to her when she said she didn't want to move on yet.

“Wait, seriously?” Nino asked, sounding stunned. His eyes were wide behind his lenses and Alya's mouth had dropped open as she reassessed Marinette's condition.

“No, not seriously! But now that I have your undivided attention: stop trying to force me to date. I'm not looking for someone new! Or old,” she added when Alya sucked in a breath. “Please, I just want to keep doing what I'm doing, okay?”

The rest of their day was slightly stilted and she was rather relieved when they caught the train back to Metropolis. It sucked that she couldn't explain everything, but she also didn't think she should have to defend her decision so much.

_ _ _

Marinette was nearing the end of her days off when she got a call from a private number. She frowned and checked the time, wondering if Chloé was calling from a blocked number for some reason. It happened occasionally, but it was still too early for their evening call so she set aside what she was working on to grasp a fresh sheet of paper and a pen.

“Hello?” She said, tapping the pen against her desk nervously. She wasn't sure what she expected - maybe a small, hopelessly romantic part of her hoped that Dick had snuck away to call her from somewhere - but it wasn't what she got.

“Is this Detective Dupain-Cheng?” A gruff voice asked, sending the hairs on the back of her neck straight up. 

“Speaking,” she said, grabbing her portable recorder and setting the phone onto speaker. If this was a call for help, having a recording made it easier to look back and find ways to do so. If it wasn't…

“Stop sticking your nose where it doesn't belong, bitch,” the voice said, slightly distorted now that it was coming out of the speaker. “This is your one warning.”

The line went dead before she could say anything else and she turned off the recording. She swallowed and glanced around her apartment. It no longer felt cosy; it felt dark and threatening, the shadows reaching out towards her. She wasn't ordinarily paranoid, but she defied anyone to have such a phone call and come away feeling settled.

She tried to shake away the feeling and double checked her windows were locked shut and that the door was bolted properly. First thing in the morning she would talk to Commissioner Gordon and hope that this would give him the push he needed to assign help for the child abduction cases.

_ _ _

“Ricky! Come on man, we've gotta bounce,” David shouted from the doorway to the warehouse they were emptying. Dick glanced up and swore when he saw the flashing blue lights of a cop car. He couldn't afford to be spotted by any of the officers because there was always the chance that they would recognise him. And the chance of one of them being crooked was far too high.

Flipping his hood over his head he launched himself through doors at the back of the warehouse. He wasn't the last one out and he wasn't sure how many were ahead of him, but he pushed himself hard to get away. 

He was breathing hard when he could no longer hear the sirens and collapsed against a wall. Since they had to abandon the shipment, their whole group was probably going to be penalised and that would set him back. 

He was so frustrated that, just for a moment, he considered giving up and going back to Gordon. Telling him that he couldn't get higher up in the organisation, he wasn't the right guy for the mission. He could be back with Marinette before morning, making up for the time he'd missed with her.

But then the guilt at the thought of leaving a job half finished cut through him. He was trying to get a dangerous drug off the street and he wasn't going to give up just because it was proving to be difficult. No matter how tempting the thought of Marinette was.

[totally-no-one-like-me]

The mystery of you

 

Dick was already running late for his first day of work after his lengthy break. Jake’s gonna have my head. Dick rushed into the police station, slamming the door to his boss, Jake's office. “I’m so sorry I’m late” Dick panted out an apology, already prepared for a lecture on being punctual. Or not. Dick found his boss talking to a petite female woman of about 5 foot 1. She’s quite short. Jake was busy grovelling, trying to make the female laugh. I don’t even think he’s noticed my arrival. Dick cleared his throat in an attempt to get the attention of the room. 

               “Umm sorry for being late?” Dick tried awkwardly, once he had the room’s attention. The female laughed a bright, bubbly laugh that put a smile on both Jake and Dick’s faces. Jake cleared his throat awkwardly and Introduced the lady. “Mr Grayson, meet Marinette Dupain-Cheng. She’s going to be working as your partner. Please lead her to her office and be sure to make her feel welcome” Marinette waved at him as she was introduced. “Nice to meet you Miss Dupain-Cheng, my name is Dick Grayson and I’ll be your partner starting now. Feel free to ask me any questions.” he said. She nodded and then  escorted her to our office.

               As they arrived at their office, Dick quickly showed her to her desk and asked if she wanted to go on a tour round the station. “I’m just fine Monsieur Grayson. Now, I’d like to get started as soon as possible. I heard work here is quite tough so I hope to be as much help as possible” she grinned widely at him, dimples showing. Dick returned the smile gratefully and they both settled into their workspace. By the end of lunch, Dick was surprised to see that everyone at the Station was friends with Marinette. He caught up to her when he saw her getting a cup of coffee on the street across from the station. “Heyy Marinette, can I call you Mari oh wait can I walk with you? How are you?” Dick rambled. His cheeks caught fire when Marinette let out a laugh.

           “I’m fine Dick thanks for asking and yes you can walk with me and also call me Mari” Marinette giggled. Dick rubbed a hand through his hair, trying his best to hide his embarrassment. Marinette unfortunately noticed and continued to tease him more.

              It had been a month since Marinette started to work with Dick and Dick was very hesitant to admit he had started developing a crush on Marinette. She was bright, bubbly, funny, nice and a tease. She's also so good at acrobatics. Dick shook his head and held in a groan. This was the fifth time he found himself daydreaming about Marinette. At least Jake has finally gotten the hint and moved on. Dick couldn't believe that piratically everyone liked Marinette but didn't know how to tell her. She's so special like that. "Mr Gayson we're heading out now!!" Marinette's angelic voice called out to him. His slapped himself on both cheeks so that he can focus on tdays mission.

              Dick honestly doesn't know how he found himself and Marinette in the middle of a scarecrow attack. He couldn't focus because he was too busy staring at Marinette's ass.  Marinette was fighting and deflecting at the same time and it was truly a magical sight to see. Dicks felt a bullet peirce through his skin and he stumbled backwards. Darn my crush on Marinette. How can I keep her safe like this? He raised his head to find Marinette holding the scarecrow by the neck and punching the guts out of him. "If you ever lay a hand on my partner again, you'll be begging to be a dead man!! Motherfucking asshole" She screamed and threw the final punch that knocked the Scarecrow out.

             I think I'm in lovee! Dick watched as Marinette walked over to him, concern etched on her face. "Are you okay Dick?" She asked as she helped him up. All Dick could think about was how lovely Marinette was. "Marry me" He blurted out suddenly. I think I have a concussion. Marinette blinked in suprise but soon started laughing. "How about a date first but lets' get you to the hospital" Marinette said, cheeks red. Nope I'm definitely alright.

@maribat-calendar-events

@maribatserver

@maribat-awards

@starwarsmum

@ao3feed-maribat

[maribat-staturdays]

Ao3 Ship Tracking: January 18th, 2025

For Previous Stats, check below the lists!

Maribat Ships

Daminette = 2171

Jasonette = 882

Timari = 668

Dickinette = 353

Cassette = 104

Brucinette = 91

Konette = 48

SpeedBuggie* = 25

Marave = 14

Marivy = 1

Adribat Ships

AdriDami = 30

Alley Cat* = 28

Timdrien = 24

Pun Lovers* = 8

Mirabat Ships (Other Miraculous x DC)

Red Bee (Chloe/Tim) = 21

Red Wasp (Zoe/Tim) = 8

Blood Bee (Chloe/Damian) = 7

Night Bee (Chloe/Dick) = 4

Changes:

Red Bee and Blood Bee were added to the list

Ships w/ fun names moving forward will have a key at the bottom to avoid parathesis use and have it easier to read

Daminette increased 6 since Jan 5th

Timari increased 2 since Jan 5th

Jasonette, Konette, & Red Wasp increased 1 since Jan 5th

Key:

SpeedBuggie = Wally/Marinette Alley Cat = Adrien/Jason Pun Lovers = Adrien/Dick "Bee" = Chloe Ships "Wasp" = Zoe Ships

Admin Notes: Feel free to require any other ships or tags to be included in the tracking. This can include a tag for Bio-Parent things or platonic relationships if they are wanted. Additions will be accepted until February

Here is the google sheet set up to allow fandom goers to see the progress as it updates every 1st and 3rd Saturday of each month.

~ Maribat Staturdays: Ao3 Ship Tracking ~

January 5th's Ao3 Stats

[ao3feed-brucewayne]

Marinette's and Dick's Guide to Minding Your Own Business

by alltheshadesofgray In which everyone has an opinion of the fact Marinette is dating an older man. Marinette and Dick take matters into their own hand. Dickinette February Day 7: But Daddy I Love Him Words: 2128, Chapters: 1/1, Language: English Fandoms: Miraculous Ladybug, Batman - All Media Types Rating: Not Rated Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings Categories: F/M Characters: Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug, Dick Grayson, Bruce Wayne, Tim Drake (DCU), Damian Wayne, Alya Césaire, Kagami Tsurugi, Chloé Bourgeois, Other characters make an appearance - Character Relationships: Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug/Dick Grayson Additional Tags: Dickinette February 2025, Wayne Family Bashing, Bat Paranoia™, everyone has an opinion, Song: But Daddy I Love Him (Taylor Swift), Older Man/Younger Woman, no beta we die like jason via https://ift.tt/QsXgPuo

[starwarsmum]

Day 3 of Dickinette Feb is Take a Chance on Me

@maribat-calendar-events

https://archiveofourown.org/works/62690860/chapters/160670659

Marinette waited for the call to Luka to connect, twirling her hair nervously and biting her lip. He had let her know that he had some free time that night and she desperately needed advice on the whole Dick situation.

“Hey Ma-Ma-Marinette,” he said when she picked up on the first ring. “Everything okay?”

“I think I'm going to ask Dick out on a date,” she blurred immediately, knowing that Luka didn't need her to beat around the bush. “But I don't know if he still feels the same and maybe I'm going to make an idiot of myself.”

“Why wouldn't he be interested?”

“Oh, hey Chlo! I didn't think you would want to be on this call,” Marinette said, laughing slightly before sighing. “Because I turned him down very bluntly? He hasn't treated me with anything except professional courtesy since, which has been so hot.”

“Mmm, we do love a man that respects your boundaries,” Chloé agreed. “Especially a man with money-”

“Chloé, he's not from money,” Marinette said, exasperated. Chloé scoffed and Marinette frowned into the phone. “No, seriously, he's a cop. What self-respecting wealthy person gets into upholding the law?”

“Um, lawyers?”

“Lawyers are usually trying to stop people from being prosecuted, not arresting them though. Anyway, he's not from money, he brings lunch from home most days and it's in the oldest tupperware I have ever seen. And he doesn't wear designer clothes or anything. The nicest thing he has is a watch and he said he got it as a birthday present so…”

“Okay, fine, congrats on finally dating a commoner I guess,” Chloé huffed.

“We're not dating, that's the problem!” Marinette wailed, letting her head thump onto the desk in front of her. “I didn't want the first thing I did as the new detective to be dating my partner. You know how hard it is as a professional woman not to be accused of improper workplace behaviour.”

“Yes yes, Zoé lectured me quite ruthlessly. But you changed your mind?”

“He's just so sweet! He gets me coffee every day! And he is so cute, and attractive and- I mentioned the respecting boundaries thing, right?”

“Melody, what are you worried about?” Luka asked, pulling her back on track.

“I guess…that he'll be mad? Or go to HR and get me slapped with a violation?”

“And that seems like something he would do?”

“Well, no…”

“Then there should be no problem. Or is this more about your chronic belief that the guys around you don't think you're attractive if they know you for long enough?”

That made Marinette pause, searching her feelings. She didn't think that's what it was about, Dick hadn't given her any reason to believe that she was strange or unusual. She shook her head before her thoughts could spiral at all and said truthfully that she didn't think that was it.

“Then there's nothing to worry about,” Luka said gently, and Marinette breathed out fully. Luka was right, the only possible things that could come out if this were a date, or a no.

_ _ _

Dick made his morning trip to the café, now so familiar to the baristas that they started his order as soon as they saw him coming in. It had gotten to the point that he was having coffee daily so that he didn't have to switch things up on them too often. It was worth it because Marinette always brightened when she saw that little takeaway cup.

He was still intrigued by her, curious about what she was like outside of work given the brief flash he'd seen when they first met, but he wasn't willing to push the very clear boundaries she had set in place. He liked spending time with her, even just as colleagues, and he certainly wasn't going to be the one that messed that up.

The day continued as normal, up until they took a break after lunch. Marinette seemed to grow fidgety and slightly hyper, hands worrying the hem of her blouse. He tried not to focus on her, thinking hard about his choices of food.

“We've been working together for a while now, huh,” Marinette remarked suddenly. Dick hummed in agreement, still trying to choose a snack. “And I only found out you had a brother because he came into the precinct.”

“Well, you've always been pretty clear about keeping boundaries between work and personal life,” he replied, finally deciding to get a cereal bar. He slotted in his change and pressed all the right buttons as though it was the most fascinating thing in the world. “Was there something on your mind?”

“Maybe? I don't know, it feels kind of…strange not knowing much about your personal life. It's how I've always worked but maybe it's not working for me anymore.”

“Well, I'm happy to talk all about myself,” he said with a lopsided grin. “But be careful, once I start talking I might find it difficult to stop.”

“Maybe- maybe we could go get dinner sometime,” she said, just a shade too casually for how hard she was clenching her hands. He looked down at her, trying to sort through his own feelings as a blush spread up her neck and across her face. “But, um, only if you want to.”

“I'd like that,” he said softly, and she nodded stiffly, a blush spreading up her neck. He tried not to read too much into it; maybe she hadn't made any friends in Gotham yet, or it really was just a case of wanting to know a work partner better.

But there was an undeniable tension to the rest of the day, one that made his skin buzz pleasantly.

_ _ _

Marinette waited outside the restaurant he had suggested, fiddling with the ends of her hair. She had spent the last few days fretting over whether her invitation to Dick was inappropriate, or would cause problems, but she hadn't cancelled. She really did want to know him better, and now that they had known each other for a couple of months without issue she was ready to give it a try.

“Wow, you look…”

She jumped, turning sheepishly towards where Dick had just appeared. She looked down at herself, pleased that she'd made an effort and smiled up at him. Her heart skipped a beat at the way his gaze flitted down her, twice.

“Hey,” she said at last, releasing her hair and stepping towards him.

“Hi,” he said back, eyes snapping up to her face and a sheepish smile on his face. He opened the door for her and she stepped past him, trying not to take a deep breath as she did so. He always smelled of some fabric softener and soap when they were working, but something slightly spicier tickled her nose that evening.

“This looks like a nice place,” she said once they had been seated, glancing over the menu and seeing a range of dishes that interested her. They also had a separate wine list and she perused it briefly before selecting a glass of house red. “Have you eaten here before?”

“Once or twice, though just with my brother,” Dick said absently, thanking their waiter when he took their drinks order before giving them some more time to select a meal. 

“Oh, this isn't the kind of place I'd think a twelve year old would like,” Marinette said curiously, setting aside the menu to look at him.

“Ah, I was actually talking about one of my other brothers, Tim,” he said, grinning fondly at his own menu. He glanced up and she hummed thoughtfully.

“So you have two brothers? Or more? You said one of your other brothers.”

“Mmm, definitely more, but I don't know if I can give you an accurate number? I don't know how many I've got technically.”

“What do you mean you don't know how many brothers and sisters you have?” Marinette asked, confused.

“Well, it's kind of complicated. I'm adopted and so are most of my siblings, and then there are a few that aren't really siblings but kind of? Honestly, Bruce just takes in whichever strays he finds.”

“Can't say I relate,” Marinette replied with a rueful grin. “I'm an only child and my parents absolutely dote on me. You can't imagine how anxious they were when I moved here, and as a cop no less.”

Dick snorted softly but didn't say anything as their meals were brought out. The rest of the meal was filled with idle chatter about the food, or work, or their hobbies. When Marinette mentioned her fondness for making clothes, Dick looked surprised. Even more so when she told him that she had been on the tracks to becoming a fashion designer in her teens.

“Okay, hang on, you were a fashion designer?” Dick asked, astonishment easy to see on his face. “How did you go from making clothes to…this?”

“Oh, it was a few things,” she replied in an offhand tone. “Just because something's a good hobby doesn't mean it would be a good career. Besides, one of my idols turned out to be a huge problem with her kid - barely acknowledged the poor girl and didn't even bother getting her name right - and the other…”

She sighed and stirred the drink wishing she had a reason to get out of this explanation. But instead, Dick turned his blue eyes on her, head tilted and eyes curious. She took a sip before deciding that she might as well. If this was going to grow past easy going acquaintances, she was going to have to open up.

“The other idol was my boyfriend's dad and he turned out to be a terrorist. He messed up a lot of people and it just gave me this crushing dread whenever I thought about going pro. Being a cop gives me a different outlet for creative thinking and I don't have to think too hard about whether the fashion industry would ruin me too.”

“Wow, that's…I'm sorry you went through that,” he said, voice quiet and full of compassion. She nodded, flushing in embarrassment even though she had nothing to be embarrassed about. That was one of the things she liked about Dick - he never made her feel judged, only seen. 

They decided against dessert, and Marinette paid the bill before Dick had a chance. He protested as he helped her into her jacket, holding the door open for her and arguing that he should have paid for his own meal.

“I mean, you don't want me getting the wrong idea now, do you?” He asked in a low voice as they stopped before king their separate ways.

“Oh? And what would the ‘wrong’ idea be?” She shot back, pulse fluttering in her throat as he stilled and gave her a much more deliberate once-over.

“The one where I insist that I pay for our next date?” He queried, his head tipped towards her daringly.

Choosing not to overthink, she grabbed the collar of his shirt and stood on her toes to press her lips to his. She gave a sigh of relief when he slipped an arm around her waist and kissed her back enthusiastically. All of the tension that had been building between them, since they'd met at that coffee shop, melted away.

“Can I walk you home?” He said when they broke apart, both breathing heavily. 

“Ask me next time, pretty boy,” she quipped back, trying to catch her breath. Then the crooked smile he gave her had her pulling him back down to kiss him again.

_ _ _

Dick was still grinning when he went on patrol the following night. So much so that Jason finally cracked and made a snarky comment about it, which only made Dick smile more. 

“Jealous, Hood?” He asked, flipping expertly between buildings as he continued his route. He easily dodged the rock that whistled towards his head a minute later and laughed, knowing that Jason didn't mean him any real harm, or he would be dodging bullets.

“Dickhead, why would I be jealous? I'm younger than you, taller than you, and I'm not a fucking cop,” Jason sneered, flipping him off when he turned to smirk at him.

“Ah, but Nightwing thinks he's in love,” came Babs' voice through the comms, barely restrained laughter evident in it.

“Hey, I never said anything about love,” Dick protested, launching to the next building to both Jason and Tim's giggles. “Seriously, I didn't! I just had a good date, that's all. And maybe I meant you were jealous of my confidence and awesome sense of style, Hood.”

“Your willingness to wear the abomination known as the Discowing suit does not inspire jealousy, Wing,” Jason said in an amused voice. “But congrats on tricking another poor soul onto a date. Where'd you find this one, eBay?”

“Clear the lines,” Bruce said in a gruff voice as Dick took a breath to argue with Jason.

“Robin, there's a mugging happening two alleyways south of you,” Babs said, receiving an ‘affirmative’ back. Dick couldn't help smiling anew; since their conversation months past, Bruce had been giving Damian more trust. It had boosted the kid's mood immensely and he was thriving without the chokehold Bruce had had him under.

Dick wondered if he could get Marinette's opinion on Damian. It wasn't often people outside of the vigilante business met the prickly little so-and-so and Marinette hadn't said a single bad thing about the encounter. It was unusual enough that he wanted to put the pair in a sealed room and see how they reacted.

“Just a heads up for you: Croc and the penguin are teaming up for something. Nightwing, Red, can you go and take a look and keep it from escalating any further. Nice work on the muggers Robin. Police should be with you in a few minutes and they'll take them in.”

The rest of patrol went similarly, Babs taking sly shots at Dick - teasingly - and Jason throwing things at him for being ‘too happy’. Damian remained mostly quiet, most likely focusing on not making a mistake now that Bruce was trusting him. So it came as a surprise when Damian pulled Dick over at the end of the night to chat.

“Everything okay, Robin?”

“Yes, I just wished to check if the remarks Oracle was making about your latest attempt to find a girlfriend meant what I believe they did,” Damian said, looking out across the city from their vantage point on Wayne Enterprises. Dick waited patiently, knowing that rushing the kid never ended well. He didn't usually talk about interpersonal relationships, unless it was to scoff at them. “From what I could glean, it appears you have chosen to pursue a relationship with your new work colleague?”

“Yeah, we went on a date yesterday,” Dick said cautiously, unsure of where this was going. Then a worrying thought occurred to him. “Why, did she do something to make you uncomfortable when you met her?”

“Tt, as if I would allow someone to affect me in such a way,” Damian retorted before sighing and sitting down. “No, she was very pleasant. I only wanted to make sure that my information was accurate. I have no issue with your choice in a romantic partner this time.”

“I think that's the nicest thing I've heard you say about a civilian before,” Dick said teasingly, ruffling Damian's hair a little.

“Stop that! And most civilians are idiotic sheep that think they are better than others simply because they have been around longer. Your partner is marginally better than that.”

“I'll let her know you approve,” Dick laughed before saying goodnight and flipping his way back home.

[starwarsmum]

Day 6: Good Old Fashioned Lover Boy

@maribat-calendar-events

https://archiveofourown.org/works/62690860/chapters/160891459

Dick groaned as he rolled out of the rickety cot that had become his bed since he went undercover and he threw his sweats on. He approached the bathroom and splashed water across his face. His reflection stared back several times from the mirror above the sink. It had been long enough that the blond hair didn't surprise him anymore. 

He wondered, not for the first time, what Marinette would think of the look. She'd always been open about how attractive she thought he was, but he didn't like the way he looked anymore. It was silly, but he'd always been proud of his hair. It was a connection to his family, both adoptive and first, and he'd had to change it to hide. 

“Yo, Ricky, get your butt in gear,” Charlie shouted, banging on the door. “We gotta roll out in five.”

Sighing again, he made sure that his fake scar was still firmly attached and fully blended before heading out. Maybe today would be the day he got a lead on what this new gang had to do with the suspected new drugs that had broken onto the market in Gotham.

_ _ _

Marinette put away another letter, outlining her hectic day. She'd been trying to keep busy so she didn't think about him all the time, but it was hard. So much of what she'd done since she arrived was entwined with the time she'd spent with Dick. So, much like when she was younger she filled in page after page of diaries, pouring her heart into each entry. But in addition, she occasionally wrote Dick letters she could never send.

Her phone buzzed with her alarm and she groaned before going about her evening routine. She'd resolved to call a friend each night, to keep her from getting too lonely, and the alarm was to remind her when. She washed her dishes. She put aside her clothes for the next day. She hid the letter to Dick under a loose floorboard. She prepared lunch for the next day.

She made it back to her phone just in time for it to ring. In the two and a half months since Dick had left, she had called dozens of her friends and gotten back in touch with half a dozen more. Tonight she was going to talk to Alya (and by extension probably Nino) for the first time in a couple of weeks.

“Girl, hey!” Came Alya's voice as soon as the line connected. At Marinette's more subdued greeting, Alya sounded exasperated. “Please tell me you're not still pining over that guy! It's been forever.”

“Als, all I said was ‘hi’,” Marinette said back, equally exasperated. “And if I sound tired it's because I've been working a lot recently. Anyway, the whole point of this call is so I don't think about him, so you really aren't meant to be bringing him up.”

“Fine, fine, you're right,” Alya said with a sigh at her reproachful tone. “What're you working on? Anything juicy I can write a report on?”

“No comment at this time,” she shot back automatically, giggling. Although they weren't as close as they used to be, Alya was still one of her friends. They'd never seen eye-to-eye on the whole Lila thing, and she had been upset that no apology had ever come forth after she had exposed the liar. “But I can tell you that it's been exhausting. I can't wait for some time off.”

“Speaking of, you said it was in a couple of weeks, right?” Alya said, excitement obvious in her voice as Marinette confirmed. “Guess who got a pass to come see the Daily Planet office! I'm coming stateside when you have time off, so we should totally hang out. Get you enjoying yourself properly.”

“Wow, that's amazing,” Marinette agreed, already mentally plotting safe places to take her friend for sightseeing. 

“Right? I'm staying in Metropolis but I can hardly get this close and not visit the home of Batman! Ugh, I would kill to get a video of him, or even a photo, but I'm pretty sure that's impossible.”

Marinette laughed and the conversation turned into planning the trip. By the time the call ended, her mind was far away from thoughts of Dick or her headache case.

_ _ _

The next day at work was filled with cases that had nothing to do with the missing children and she had trouble focusing on it. She slogged through it, taking few breaks and only when it was necessary. Was she filling the hole she felt inside by working like crazy? Maybe, but it was better than any alternative she could think of.

She was eating a late lunch at her desk when silence fell over the room and a shadow across her desk. She glanced up and had to focus not to jump up.

“Damian? What're you doing here?”

“Tt, I had a short day at school,” he said stiffly, one hand clutching a strap of his backpack. “I didn't want to go to Drake's office.

“Oh, um, okay,” she said, flushing slightly as she noticed pretty much everyone else watching them. “It's just…did you get a chance to talk to Dick before he went- back to Bludhaven?”

“Richard informed us that his…change of address was the end of your relationship, yes,” Damian said cautiously. “But given the offer was made prior to it, I thought that I would still be welcome. Was that presumptuous?”

“Oh! No no no, of course you're still welcome,” she said, smiling. “I just wasn't expecting you. Here, did you want to grab his- that seat? The desk is empty now.”

He didn't comment on her slip up other than to shoot her a look that could almost be interpreted as sympathetic. And they settled into an easy silence, Marinette working on a case and Damian pulling schoolwork out of his bag. It was odd, but not unwelcome, and she found herself relaxing slightly as she grew accustomed to his presence.

When five o'clock hit, she stretched out and turned to him. He looked deep in thought, tapping a pen against the edge of his notebook as he read a sheet of paper. She started gathering her work together, ready to take them back to the records room before disturbing him.

“Hey, Damian?” He glanced up, the only sign that he hadn't expected it being an extra blink as he looked up. The kid was stressfully good at hiding his reactions and she hoped he had a good home life. “My day's over now, I've got to take my files back to the secure room but then I can take you home if you want?”

“That isn't necessary,” he said, standing and stretching. “Alfred is available to collect me, I need only give him a call. But…thank you for the offer.”

The gratitude came out stilted, but it was clearly genuine and Marinette smiled. Damian was a sweet kid, even if he was a little socially awkward. The fact that after all this time he had remembered that she had offered this as a safe space for him, and taken her up on it, made her swell with pride. She had made an impression on him, on a kid who probably dealt with dozens of people every day that were more impressive and important than her.

When she returned from the records room she found the seat returned to its desk, Damian nowhere in sight. But on her desk was a painting that he had clearly brought with him. It was from the night of the gala and showed her in the dress she had designed especially for it. It was beautiful, the brush strokes sure and confident in a way she had never managed. 

Smiling at it, she packed it into her bag carefully before heading down to the garage to go home.

_ _ _

After another day with no progress made on his case, Dick was desperate to do something normal. Or at least, normal for him. So he suited up and slipped out of his room, making his way to Wayne Enterprises. He had a wig on as an extra precaution and he felt a rush of exhilaration as he stretched out and fell into the rhythm of leaping across rooftops.

“Nightwing, good to see you,” Bruce said when he landed. Damian glanced up and gave him a rare, proud smile that told Dick he had been up to something. “We were just about to check out more on that new drug, do you have any intel for us?”

“I wish,” he muttered, scratching at the base of the wig and grimacing. “They're keeping pretty tight-lipped around us grunts so I'm having to work my way up slowly. I'm ready to be done with the whole mess, honestly, but I'm not exactly able to stand out.”

“I wonder why you want to get home,” Jason pondered aloud, sarcastically. “It wouldn't have anything to do with a five foot nothing cutie, would it?”

Dick rolled his eyes, ignoring the pang that went through him. He was sure Orphan could tell he was bothered by the casual mention of Marinette, but he refused to discuss it. 

“Anyway, I thought stretching my legs and doing some work this way might help. Anyone able to pair up with me?”

“I would like to,” Damian said before anyone else could. Everyone stared at the latest Robin, who so often said he wanted to work alone, but he didn't elaborate. Bruce gave the okay and Dick and Damian leapt off together, Robin's grappling hook whirring alongside Dick's silent acrobatics.

They did the work, finding thugs and drug dealers to question forcibly and tying them up for police to collect. It was exhausting work but it was better than not doing anything with his evening so he didn't complain. 

“I had a partial day at school today,” Damian said offhandedly when they settled on a roof near to a gargoyle. He rested a hand on it and stared determinedly into the distance rather than look at Dick. “I decided to do the same thing I did last time I had one, though without movies.”

“Oh?” Dick tried not to sound too eager but his voice cracked slightly. He was desperate to ask a thousand questions but he restrained himself for just as many reasons. “Was it…a good day?”

“Passable. My companion was acceptable and did not mind my presence. She is important to someone close to me so I thought it appropriate to check in on her.”

“And she's doing okay?” To hell with it, he needed to know. 

“She was quiet, but otherwise seemed fine.” 

Dick was touched to know that Damian was looking out for her. He knew the boy had grown since arriving in Gotham, but it was rare for him to show concern to this extent for anyone outside of their immediate family. And at least part of that was because of what Marinette meant to Dick.

“Thanks for letting me know,” he said quietly, letting the conversation end as they sat peacefully together.

[totally-no-one-like-me]

Where Trust Lies

@maribat-calendar-events

@maribatserver

@ao3feed-maribat

“Richard Dick Grayson! You cannot tell me that your work requires you to be out of Gotham for a whole month.” Marinette snapped at Dick, hands on her hips. Dick’s head remained bowed as he faced his wife’s fury. He truly couldn’t come up with a better excuse for why he had to leave Gotham. Truth was, he was going on an off world mission with the Supers as Nightwing but the problem was, After three years of marriage, he still hadn’t told Marinette he was Nightwing. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to tell Marinette, he just couldn’t find the right time to bring it up.

     Dick raised his head to meet Marinette’s gaze. He felt even more guilty when he saw how hurt she was. “I’m sorry Marinette, I really am but can you just trust me? Please? I’ll be back in one month, I promise.” Dick said, trying to placate his wife. Marinette let out a teary chuckle. “Don’t worry Dick, I trust you. I just want you to be safe” .“God, I love you so much” DIck whispered, feeling utterly relieved. He pulled Marinette into a kiss which she happily returned.

     A few weeks later, Dick was ready to leave. He gave Marinette a tight hug and pulled her into a passionate kiss. “I’m going to miss you so much, Dick” She murmured against his lips. “Stop, mummy!! I want to hug daddy too” Their two years old daughter, Maya said pouting. Marinette laughed, letting go of Dick and putting up her hands in defeat. “Bye bye daddy, I’m going to miss you sooooo much! But don’t be sad, mummy’s going to keep me company!” Maya giggled. Dick knew this was going to be one of the longest one months of his life. But Dick had promised to call Marinette 3 times a day, and text every hour so Marinette can be sure he’s okay.

     After Dick had left, Marinette slumped into the living room, defeated. This was the first time she was going to be away from Dick for this long. Maya jumped into her mum’s laps playing with Marinette’s hair. “Mummy, mummy, let’s go to the zoo! I also want ice cream!” Marinette laughed and picked Maya up, carrying her. “Alright my little princess, let’s go” Marinette said, grabbing her purse- with Tikki inside, shh- and leaving the house, making sure to lock it behind them.

   Dick tried his best to keep to his promise but at times it was really hard. He called his family as often as he could and texted very frequently. But right now the mission was going to take a turn for the worse and he wasn’t sure if he could contact Marinette as often anymore. He was actually required to fight now and he didn’t want Marinette to know he was injured.

   I don’t want Marinette to think I'm having an affair because I can’t talk to her as often. Dick is pulled out of his thoughts when he hears a voice on the coms. “Nightwing! Is your area clear?” Conner, aka Superboy asks. “All clear Superboy!” Nightwing confirmed. After patrol they had to go and interrogate the already caught criminals. Ohh there was also the problem with the alternate universe and timescape problems so yeahh Dick was in for a lot.

Marinette tried not to let worry cloud her judgement. It has been a week since she last heard from Dick. At first, she assumed he was just busy but now anxiety was practically living within her. After exactly one month and 3 days, Marinette was fed up. If she couldn’t reach her husband she was going to reach him herself. Dick didn’t act like this, he was funny, caring and sweet. Not the type to ditch a wife and her husband. Marinette shook her head to get rid of unwanted thoughts. She trusted Dick. With her entire life. If Dick hadn’t contacted her, then that meant he was in trouble. She only hoped she wasn’t too late.

Marinette was taking Maya to visit her uncles (Dick’s brothers) and also to interrogate them. Maya quickly ran off to play with the pets in the Manor. Marinette seats all the members of the household in the living room. Yes, Bruce included unfortunately, only Alfred was exempted from this meeting. Marinette cut to the chase. “Where is my husband? I want the answer immediately.” Marinette said coldly. Jason starts first. “Don’t worry pixie, good ol’ Dickie is alright. Would soon be home” Marinette glared at him. “I didn’t come all the way here to ask for half baked lies. That’s my specialty so I'm going to ask once more. Where. Is .My. Husband!” Marinette said with a deadly look in her eyes. The batfamily were so shocked they mentally noted not to mess with Marinette.

Marinette was currently teleporting to the timescape where her beloved husband probably was. She really really hoped she wasn’t late. She couldn’t bear the thought of anything happening to Dick. She was still trying to process the fact that he was Nightwing. One thing led to another and now the whole bat family knew who she was. She’s a bit disappointed about that because she wanted to tell Dick first. She arrived at the scene when everything’s practically over. It’s a bloody mess. Her heart beat faster as she tried to find her husband amidst the bloody chaos.

When she finds Dick, she nearly cries. He looked half dead, blood leaking through his eyes, nose and mouth. Marinette could quickly see that it was him that took the final blow. She scanned the area with her eyes and saw Superboy, Miss Martian and Zatanna. Without any hesitation. Marinette called for her lucky charm and then released it, saying the miraculous cure. She watched as her ladybugs quickly undid the mess. Her heart leapt for joy when she saw Dick slowly regain consciousness. 

Marinette quickly pulled Dick into her laps as she cradled his face. She kissed him fiercely when she saw him fully regain his consciousness. Dick immediately pulled away from the kiss. “Umm Ladybug, thanks for the save but I have a wife.” Dick stated quite clearly for someone who just regained consciousness. Marinette couldn’t help but giggle. “It’s me, you big idiot. Do you know how worried I was!” She watched Dick’s eyes widen in realisation. “I’m so sorry my love. I really am. When I losing consciousness, all I thought about was what you’d think of me” Dick said softly. Tears welled up in his eyes. 

Marinette felt her heart ache for him. “Dick I’ve told you times without number that I trust you. And I love you. Nothing you do or say can change that. Now let's go home to our lovely daughter and comfort her. She missed you quite dearly, you know?” Marinette whispered quietly. Dick felt himself fall for Marinettte all over again. She helped Dick -Nightwing- to his feet and got to the rest of the team and transported them to Justice League headquarters, Clinging closely to Dick all the way there.

[starwarsmum]

Day 2 of Dickinette Feb brings 'Hello'!

@maribat-calendar-events

“Marinette, it's been ages!” Luka said through the phone, making Marinette smile fondly.

“I know! God, you have no idea how dull it is in Gotham, I swear I have yet to see some actual sunshine,” she grumbled, grinning wider when Luka gave one of his trademark soft laughs. “But anyway, I wanted to ask how the tour was going! Have you had anybody try to drag you off the stage yet?”

“Not yet, but Chloé thinks it's going to happen soon. She's a fantastic bodyguard, by the way,” he said. “Any time someone wants to get close to me she glares at them until they stop.”

“That sounds like Chloé,” Marinette giggled, stretching out from where she had been hunched over her sewing machine. Although she had lost a lot of love for the world of fashion after exposing Hawkmoth as her former fashion idol, she still liked to make things for herself and her few friends.

“Anyway, how's your new job going? You've been there a couple of months now, right?” 

As usual, Luka could tell exactly what was on her mind. It didn't matter that all traces of wielding a Miraculous had been wiped from his memory, that Marinette's own tenure as Ladybug had been erased, he still understood her on a different level. Maybe it was his ability to hear his friends’ heart songs, but he was always aware when Marinette was feeling down and could often guess the reason.

“I thought it would feel…different. I'm in the crime capital of the United States, I didn't expect to feel so…” she couldn't find the words to explain. Her work as a police officer and detective in Paris had left her aching for something more, and she had thought that moving countries would give her that. She had hoped that it was just the past that only she remembered was what was pushing her head underwater, but it looked like that wasn't it. “I love helping people, and I love that I'm getting the chance to do that where it's so sorely needed but…I don't know if it's enough.”

“It's okay to not have it figured out yet,” Luka reassured her, his tone soothing. “We all went through so much as teenagers and your plans were different then. And you have so much more time to figure things out. Maybe all you need is a day somewhere sunnier, to lift your mood and reinspire you.”

“Maybe,” she murmured, yawning as she stretched out and put aside her work. It was late and she had to be up for work the next day so she said goodbye to Luka, promising to come and see him as soon as she had more time off. He laughed and promised the same, telling her to take it easy.

Too tired to make anything other than a sandwich, she ate quickly before collapsing into bed, her mind puzzling over how she could get her life where she wanted it to be.

_ _ _

As Marinette sped through the streets of Gotham on her bike, she was ever more glad that she had invested in it. Without it, she would undoubtedly be late to work every single day, just from the sheer amounts of traffic between her place and the precinct.

Dick perked up at the usual table they used for morning briefs, grinning at her in his usual charming way. She resolutely ignored the little flutter in her chest as she smiled back at him before taking her seat. The flutter made itself known again when he handed her the coffee he always picked up for her.

“Hey, commish is running a little late so we've got a little bit of time. I've been working on that jewelry store case and I have a few ideas to chase down,” he said. “So we can head out of here for the morning and hopefully just spend the afternoon writing up together.”

“Sounds a plan,” she said cheerfully, taking a gulp of coffee and sighing. After two months of working together, they'd settled into a nice routine; she would bring snacks for them to have as they hit the streets and he would bring morning coffee. At this point he had her order down perfectly and she enjoyed trying new recipes to test out on him.

The morning turned out to be very productive and they had a suspect in custody by lunchtime. All that was left was the paperwork, which neither enjoyed doing. Fortunately with both of them working on it they were likely to get it done by the time they left.

“Man, I'm gonna need a snack before we start this,” Dick declared after they'd settled down at their desks. Marinette gave him a fond eye roll as he leapt back to his feet before telling him to bring her back something sweet. He merely winked before heading out of the room.

Rolling her shoulders, she sighed and tried to get her scattered thoughts in order. As Ladybug she had never had to write a report for what had happened - plenty of people knew what had happened and it was practically the same every time. It had been maybe ten minutes when someone appeared at Dick's desk and she looked over to find a young boy, maybe just shy of his teen years, glaring over at her.

“Can I help you?” She asked, glancing around to see if there was an adult accompanying him. He didn't look like he was lost - he looked in control and arrogant, his very fancy school uniform letting her know that he attended the most prestigious school in Gotham.

“Tt, I am here for Richard Grayson,” he said in clipped tones, his accent not quite the same as those she recognised as being from New Jersey. “Are you a new ward he is attempting to procure for Father?”

And didn't that just bring a whole new host of questions. She gave him another once over, trying to get anything other than the calm exuding from his every action but coming up blank. With nothing else to go on, she decided to treat him exactly as she would do if he was one of Chloé's friends: like she was impressed with everything about him.

“No, I'm just his new partner,” Marinette said with a smile, sitting up a little straighter to get on the kid's level. One of the benefits of being chronically short was that kids could relate to her. “He just went to get something to eat. You look pretty serious there, kid, anything wrong?”

“Tt, don't be absurd, why should anything be wrong? I merely came to speak with my older brother and I shall wait here until he returns.”

“Do you want me to tell him you're here? It might make him hurry up, I've noticed that he gets distracted easily.”

The kid gave her an appraising look and Marinette raised an eyebrow in question. Before he could make a decision, Dick came back and all but squealed when he saw his brother.

“Dames! What're you doing here? Is everything okay? Aww, I forgot how cute you look in your school uniform,” he cooed, making the younger boy sigh in exasperation.

“Richard, I came because you said you had the afternoon off? And that you wanted to watch movies with me, to ‘broaden my horizons’,” he said with unveiled contempt. “If your plans have changed, it would have been nice if you had told me.”

“Oh! No, my plans haven't changed,” Dick replied hastily, shooting Marinette an apologetic look. She hid her grin because his brother looked at her as well, eyes narrowed. “I have like, one thing to do and then I'm all yours. Mari, will you keep him company while I put the files away?”

Marinette agreed and Dick rushed off, leaving the boy to sit down with a heavy sigh. Not wanting to overwhelm him, she turned back to her work. It didn't take long for him to sidle over to her side of the desk and she was glad she was working on something non-gruesome.

“That's the incorrect word,” he said in a superior voice, smirking at her when she looked back at him. “Third line down, you used the word ‘impatient’ when you meant impermeable. Impatient means you cannot wait but impermeable is often used to mean waterproof.”

“Huh,” she said, scanning the document again before going back to change the word. “Well thanks kid, that would've been embarrassing. English being a second language is hard.”

“Hmph, if I have managed it, surely you can,” he sneered, though he looked slightly pleased with himself.

“No way, English cannot be your second language,” Marinette said, letting her eyes widen. A smug grin came onto his face and she shoved her own smirk down, planning to have a little victory smile once he was gone. “Well, colour me impressed. Not many fourteen year olds can say they learned English as a second language to your degree of fluency.”

“I'm almost thirteen, actually,” he said, lifting his chin higher. “And I know more than two languages. I am surprised Richard hasn't spoken of me, he is usually unbearably overenthusiastic about my accomplishments.”

“Well, that's probably because we're at work,” she said with a shrug. “But it's nice to meet you anyway. What accomplishments should I be asking him about, in your opinion?”

“Alright, ready to go?” Dick said, reappearing with a slight flush to his cheeks. He waited for his little brother to join him before nodding at Marinette. “Thanks for keeping him busy, you wouldn't believe the trouble he can get into when he's bored.”

“He was a perfect angel,” Marinette said solemnly, grinning at the kid when his back straightened even more. “Feel free to drop by anytime. Richard here doesn't even have to be in, you can just help make sure my English is correct, yeah?”

Dick started, glancing between the pair, surprised to see that Damian was giving the offer some consideration.

“That's not the worst offer I have ever received, and it's certainly better than being stuck with Drake at his office. At least your work is interesting and meaningful,” Damian said, lip not even curling. “Enjoy the rest of your day…”

“Marinette, but my friends call me Mari,” she said with a wink at the younger boy. If Dick wasn't already sure she was perfect, the way she handled Damian might have tipped the balance. “But if you need to find me here, it's Detective Dupain-Cheng.”

“Understood. Thank you, Marinette. Come along Richard, let's go and begin this insufferable movie marathon.”

“Might I suggest the Princess Bride? If you haven't seen it before,” Marinette piped up again, leaning back in her chair and eyeing the pair. “It's got a bit of everything, action, mystery, even some romance.”

“I do not know your film tastes well enough to accept a recommendation at this time,” Damian said, a slight huff to his tone now. “Richard, are we not leaving?”

“Damian, don't be rude,” Dick chided, ruffling his hair. “But we will get out of your way now, Mari. Message me if you need help with anything, okay?”

Once Marinette waved them away, Dick was quick to lead Damian over to his motorcycle. He tried not to burst from the questions plaguing him, knowing that if Damian wanted to talk about something he would, but it was difficult. He normally treated other adults like the enemy, or stupid, but Marinette had called him a ‘perfect angel’ and he had granted her the use of her first name.

“Buckle up, lil D, we'll be back at the manor soon,” Dick said cheerfully as they climbed onto the back of his bike. “And if you want, you can pick which movie we start with!”

Whatever Damian said was lost to the roar of the engine as they sped off into the crowded streets.

[starwarsmum]

And Dickinette Feb begins! Cafés and Clichés

@maribat-calendar-events

Marinette cursed as she rushed up the pavement, dodging people as she ran to the coffee place she had been frequenting for the past couple of weeks. It was going to be her first day in her new job and she desperately wanted her usual coffee to keep her spirits up.

Unfortunately, when she arrived, the café was bustling with people, it clearly being a popular spot for morning commuters. She grinned at her usual barista and joined the queue of people ordering. She wasn't late for a change, and fully intended to be at the precinct early so that she could familiarise herself with its layout.

As soon as she had ordered, she went to stand near the takeout counter, thumbing through her phone to make sure she had the right details for the day. The commissioner, James Gordon, had promised that she would be paired with one of their best detectives and she was relieved that there was already a plan in place for her arrival.

“Hi there,” a man standing to her right said, looking down at her. He was taller than her - but who wasn't? - and had a smirk on his face that made her skin crawl. She shifted not so subtly away from him and he leaned towards her again, smirk widening. “It's alright, doll, promise I don't bite - unless you ask me to.”

“Tu es vraiment dégoûtant,” Marinette said, smiling in a confused manner and hoping he would leave her alone.

“Ooh, French, huh? Well darling, voulez-vous coucher avec moi?” he leered, and reached to sling his arm around her shoulder when a man with more muscle stepped in and wrapped an arm around the guy.

“Well hello, big boy,” the new man said and despite him being more lithe, it was clearly all muscle because he had no problem keeping the other man trapped in his embrace. “That's quite the offer, I hope it's open to everyone.”

“What the fuck do you think you're doing, get offa me!” The guy sounded embarrassed and angry and it made Marinette feel instantly better.

“Oh, my mistake, I thought that, since you were okay with making this young woman uncomfortable, you were desperate for companionship. But perhaps you're just stupid, in which case let me be blunt with you: she's not interested.”

The man spluttered indignantly until, fortunately, his name was called and he stalked away to get his drink and get away from them both. Marinette stifled a giggle, glancing up at her saviour with a small smile. He gave a theatrical sigh but grinned down at her too.

“Why is love so hard to find?” He said dramatically, shaking his head mournfully. He was called up next and Marinette raised her eyebrows at his name. He wiggled his own back at her and she snorted again as he returned with his drink. When she was called forward she grabbed the drink and also returned, glad she had an extra few minutes to spare. “I hope you weren't too shaken up by that creep.”

“No, I've seen worse, sadly,” she said, taking a sip of her coffee. “I might have to stagger my visits here if he's a regular though. It's my favourite place and I just had to have a decent coffee before starting my new job.”

“Must be a twist of fate that I was here, I only come in every now and again,” Dick replied, throwing back his drink too fast not to have burned his mouth slightly. “But I've had a helluva week and I need more caffeine than I can get at home. Should I feel encouraged that you're not speaking to me in French right now?”

“I suppose that depends on if you want to be encouraged,” she said back coyly. He pulled a pen from his back pocket before finishing his drink and scrawling a number on it. She blinked in surprise but accepted the cup with a shy smile. She immediately pulled her phone out and put his number in before texting her own to him. “Maybe you should give me a call sometime.”

She smiled brightly at him before checking the time and excusing herself. She could still be on time if she hurried and she was determined to make a good first impression.

_ _ _

Dick was bubbling with energy as he got to work, greeting the receptionists with a wide smile. He hadn't expected to meet a cute French woman that morning, but he was going to take the win. His work week really had been shockingly bad, and he hoped this was a turning point in his luck.

He entered the briefing room and settled himself at the last open table. Nobody came to sit with him, many of the older officers and detectives disliking him for any number of reasons. And whilst Dick didn't need to make friends here, he did miss a lot of the easy camaraderie he'd had in Bludhaven.

He'd had a number of partners during his tenure as a detective, none of the partnerships ending particularly well, and he was seen as something of a jinx these days. He listened with half an ear as Jim covered the basics and handed out assignments. He perked up when he started talking about a new detective joining the precinct.

“Alright squad, listen up, we have a new recruit here today and I want you all to help out,” Jim said, standing at the front for the daily brief. “She comes from Paris and is enthusiastic about making a difference here, so let's try to share that energy. Great. Grayson, she's going to be your partner so make sure to show her around.”

“Commish, I don't know if her being my partner is a great idea-”

“Sorry, I got lost on the way from the front desk,” the woman from the café said, strolling into the room with a bright smile that felt as wildly out of place here as it did in the café. 

“No problem, Dupain-Cheng,” Jim said before turning back to the rest of the room. “You'll be pairing up with Detective Grayson over there.”

“Hi,” he said sheepishly, noticing that she stiffened slightly before forcing the smile to remain on her face. She made her way to where he sat and pulled the empty chair next to him to join. The rest of the briefing went as normal but he could almost feel her getting more tense. It wasn't until the rest of the room cleared out that he was finally able to speak. “So this is the job you're starting today then?”

“And this must be the job that drives you to need coffee sometimes,” she replied, not looking directly at him. “Listen, about us trading numbers earlier…I can't date my partner. You're cute, and funny, but I'm new to the department and I cannot do that to myself.”

Dick nodded, ignoring the disappointment that bubbled up in him. She nodded as well and he kept a professional distance between them as he showed her around. So much for his newfound luck.

_ _ _

Dick got home later that night and sighed, throwing his jacket onto his sofa - and promptly swore when Damian stepped out of the shadows of his kitchen. 

“Jesus, Lil D, you know you don't have to break in to come and see me. A text does just fine,” he said, stepping into the kitchen as well and pulling dinner out of the fridge. He also put a mug of water in the microwave and pulled out the hot chocolate powder for his little brother. “Everything okay?”

“Father doesn't trust me,” Damian said once he had the mug of hot chocolate in his hands. He was tiny, even at twelve years old and Dick frowned. “Whenever we go on patrol, he watches my every move and often forces me back instead of allowing me to help fully. How do I convince him that I am not the boy who tried to kill Drake?”

“That's a hard one,” Dick said, reheating his leftover dinner before sitting at his counter, next to Damian. “I don't know if B has ever been convinced by another person, only by what he sees. But you've sat down with him and talked about this?”

“Not…precisely,” the boy admitted, staring mulishly at his drink. Dick sighed and tried to think about when he would have time to talk to Bruce next. He groaned when he realised he might as well go on patrol as well that night. 

“Okay, I'll try and talk to him. But these things can take time, so just keep being you and he'll see it eventually, okay?” 

“Tt, fine,” Damian said, taking a sip of his hot chocolate. “Father also reminded me that I'm supposed to invite you to my birthday meal, providing there are no scheduling conflicts.”

Dick grinned at that, eighty percent certain that Bruce had said no such thing given that it was August and Damian's birthday was in December. The thought of Damian turning thirteen was almost astounding, and he was so relieved that he would even be having another birthday, after everything with the Heretic.

Damian left as soon as he'd finished his drink, Dick promising to see him on patrol that night. He then managed to sneak in a quick nap, waking up when his alarm blared through the apartment. He'd learned over the years that having the alarm in a different room and leaving the doors open was a much more effective way of getting him out of bed.

He suited up, back in his familiar black and blue. He had still been considering moving back to Bludhaven but it would take a while anyway, so if he could continue being there for Damian he would. He slipped out of his window silently and breathed in the night air from his roof before grappling off into the night.

“Nightwing, this is a surprise,” Bruce said when he landed on the top of Wayne Enterprises. He didn't sound particularly unhappy to see him, nor did he sound pleased. Reading Bruce's emotions was always difficult, and might have been why they butted heads so often.

“Yeah, well, I know how difficult it is to take on a new partner,” he said easily, nodding to Damian. Bruce made a noncommittal noise and Dick decided to press the issue. “I know you haven't been here to see him grow, but I promise you that he has. You can afford to give him a little trust, B.”

“He's not the first Robin I've ever trained, Nightwing,” Bruce said, frowning.

“But he's the first one I did,” he countered, watching the latest Boy Wonder checking for updates from Babs. “Just…just think about it, okay? And maybe give him a little room to breathe, he was used to a little less oversight when I was Batman.”

Not leaving any room for Bruce to argue, he shouted goodbye to Damian and headed straight for his own route on patrol.

[maribat-staturdays]

Ao3 Ship Tracking: February 1st, 2025

For Previous Stats, check below the lists!

Maribat Ships

Daminette = 2175

Jasonette = 882

Timari = 675

Dickinette = 354

Cassette = 105

Brucinette = 91

Konette = 48

SpeedBuggie* = 25

Marave = 14

Marivy = 1

Adribat Ships

Adrijon = 103

AdriDami = 30

Alley Cat* = 29

Timdrien = 24

NightChat = 8

Mirabat Ships (Other Miraculous x DC)

Red Bee = 21

Red Wasp = 8

Blood Bee = 7

Night Bee = 4

Changes:

Timari increased 7 since Jan 18th

Daminette increased 4 since Jan 18th

Dickinette, Cassette, and Alley Cat increased 1 since Jan 18th

Key:

SpeedBuggie = Wally/Marinette Alley Cat = Adrien/Jason "Bee" = Chloe Ships Red Bee = Chloe/Tim Blood Bee = Chloe/Damian Night Bee = Chloe/Dick "Wasp" = Zoe Ships Red Wasp = Tim/Zoe

Admin Notes:

Keep an eye out for 'The Birds and The Bees' week dropping soon by the parent blog Maribat Menagerie. It is focused on Chloe & Zoe and will be run from March 9th-15th!

Here is the google sheet set up to allow fandom goers to see the progress as it updates every 1st and 3rd Saturday of each month.

~ Maribat Staturdays: Ao3 Ship Tracking ~

~ Previous Week: January 18th ~

January 5th's Ao3 Stats

[ao3feed-brucewayne]

Marinette's and Dick's Guide to Minding Your Own Business

read it on AO3 at https://ift.tt/QsXgPuo by alltheshadesofgray In which everyone has an opinion of the fact Marinette is dating an older man. Marinette and Dick take matters into their own hand. Dickinette February Day 7: But Daddy I Love Him Words: 2128, Chapters: 1/1, Language: English Fandoms: Miraculous Ladybug, Batman - All Media Types Rating: Not Rated Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings Categories: F/M Characters: Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug, Dick Grayson, Bruce Wayne, Tim Drake (DCU), Damian Wayne, Alya Césaire, Kagami Tsurugi, Chloé Bourgeois, Other characters make an appearance - Character Relationships: Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug/Dick Grayson Additional Tags: Dickinette February 2025, Wayne Family Bashing, Bat Paranoia™, everyone has an opinion, Song: But Daddy I Love Him (Taylor Swift), Older Man/Younger Woman, no beta we die like jason read it on AO3 at https://ift.tt/QsXgPuo