#he thinks he's killed adrien and fucks off to dinner

[princess-of-the-corner]

Im pretty sure anyone would take Enji over Gabriel. Enji’s actually written well, with a good character arc.

YEAH NO I

I went off on this a while ago but I'm bringing it back:

The arc with Enji is what they /wanted/ Gabriel to be. A man who is a Hero and cares about people and definitely cares about his family, but did awful and unforgivable things he can't fix due to his own sympathetic goals.

And it works because we genuinely /see this on screen/. While we see the bad stuff, we also see the good.

All of Enji's screentime that doesn't directly involve his homelife is him doing his literal job as a Hero. He held the title of #2 Hero for 25+ years, which is a fantastic thing to do! He's out there helping people and saving lives and risking himself for the sake of others and he's damn good at what he does!

And even when we focus on the stuff at home, we get that too. Yes there's the entire history on how this family started and of course the abuse, but we see him caring about them as well. When Rei's mental health drops, he gets her the actual professional help she needs. While he pushes Shoto too far, he's also proud of his accomplishments and tries to connect with him(it usually ends in failure). Fuyumi asks for family dinners together, and he makes sure to show up instead of giving the 'I'm too busy' excuse even though every dinner ends in a fight. Speaking of fights, he lets Natsuo yell at him during these fights and in turn is terrified at the idea of losing him. He tried to stop Toya from doing something that causes him major harm and could even kill him, and is devastated by his 'death' and immediately hit with guilt when he sees Dabi.

We see the root of all of this. The trauma over losing his father and feeling powerless, wanting to save people so no one has to feel that kind of hurt. Seeing the perfection that is All Might and holding himself to impossible standards, only to try and find alternate methods when he realizes his own inherent weaknesses were stopping him from meeting that goal.

And when Enji is hit with the realization of all that he's fucked up, he takes responsibility for it. This is his fault. No amount of 'good' can counteract the bad, the fact that he cares for his family doesn't erase the harm he caused to them. He can't change the past, but he's going to stay around and do what he can to fix it. Even in the middle of a battle thinking he might die his lament is that he wanted to live to fix things but if he has to give his life to save them then so be it.

Meanwhile.

Gabriel.

Gabriel is being an asshole 95% of his total screentime. We occasionally see him caring for Adrien and Nathalie in earlier seasons and he /says/ he's doing this for Emilie. But that gets contradicted in later seasons as just a fluke when he uses all sorts of magic mind control on Adrien and casts Nathalie aside once she's stopped being useful and ruins his chances of saving Emilie in favor of kicking the shit out of children. Emilie's death is supposed to be his motivation which would make sense if this only started a year ago but no it started at least 15-20 years ago where he's been doing villain shit this whole time. We don't know what spurred his want for at minimum a remote control obedient doll child and possibly world domination(they swing on that so much). And when faced with what he's done, decides to just off himself instead of dealing with the conseqences and trying to fix anything(and low-key taking everyone with him).

And it double hurts because like.

I am currently writing a fic that's a deep-dive on Enji's history and 'how he got here' and all that. And it's. I won't say it's 'easy' to write because writing is hard but if you can write it's not that hard to balance this shit out.

[ramen8008]

I'd rather kill my-

1 or 4 seem like the safest option but I wanna dive deeper into each one. This will wary compared to the season.

1. I always liked Felix, he might find me annoying but we can just ignore each other. If it's season 5 Felix then Kagami and me are probs ending up switching not even half way thru (I'm not listening in to them all flight I kinda would love to)

2. I would rather jump off the plane BUT with the realization that Gabriel can't really do anything I could use this opportunity to annoy the fuck out of him. But eight hours? He's not THAT interesting. (I might bully him a lil)

3. Yeah no

4. Safe enough, I'm pretty sure they are only acquaintances up till the latest season, it might be a little awkward but I don't think there's any bad blood among them.

5. I feel like someone has to be there but that ain't me. BUT it might because I would 100% make Lila pull out her hair wig. If she's going to lie then I can too. "I know them" "really? That's my cousin's best friend, he's always at dinner parties, I'll mention you next time". Also gonna make sure Adrien either sides with me or SHUSH (depending on the season)

6. I have no love life so I'm safe but I'm not listening to this grown as man berate Marinette about her's.

7. Nino is gonna make her pull out her hair if he si much as speaks a word and i would love that but I am NOT moving past her to go to the bathroom I'm also not listening to her being a karen

8. No

All in all I think either 1 or 4. Not worries about Felix. I don't suspect Alya and Kagami having any major issues.

If I had to choose one it's be 1. Felix is chill, we can ignore each other or talk shit about Gabriel, either works. If he wants he can talk with his Gf and we can switch.

I saw these going around on Twitter and thought of Miraculous New York. That’s roughly an 8h flight too!

I have designed this seating arrangement with maximum discomfort in mind.

Where would you sit!!?? Please share your reasoning ✈️🗽

@callmequoteman @trainsinanime @writer-rider-flirty-thirties @plotbunnypettingzoo @samsimisauser

[gretchenzellerbarnes]

when's someone gonna write me a miraculous batman returns au? i need chat noir written with the same unhinged energy michelle pfieffer had in that film 

[mochegato]

Even the Losers

Chapter 15

Chapter 1     Chapter 14

Possible trigger warning.  I mention that sexual assault and worse has happened during some akuma attacks.  I don’t describe anything or say who it happened to (it didn’t happen to anyone we know) but wanted to warn readers that it is brought up.

This room really was a ridiculous room, Marinette decided.  The dining table was large enough to seat twenty.  Who needed a casual dining table that large?  Honestly.  Not to mention, a dining table that large meant there was more than enough room for Alfred to join them, but he never did.

And bringing the food out on silver trays. Did they do that just because she was here?  She kind of hoped it was because the idea of doing it everyday…  She looked over to Adrien to roll her eyes at the opulence, but he just went with it like it was completely expected.  Marinette shook her head.  Damn rich people.  She looked up just in time to catch Duke’s eyes.  He looked at the silver trays with a pointed look and rolled his eyes. Marinette giggled and nodded back.

“I forgot to ask the other day,” Dick started with a disarming smile.  “How did you two meet and when?”

And there it was again.  A perfectly normal question.  A very common question.  A question they would expect to be asked.  But there was something off in the way he asked it.  Something that just triggered her senses.  She could feel a difference in it, like its very existence disrupted the peace of the dinner.

Adrien looked over at her with a broad smile and nodded to her, letting her know she was supposed to answer it.  She plastered on a friendly smile.  “We met in school, actually.”

“Oh? Maternelle or older?”  Dick smiled again, his face perfectly emulating interest in his sister’s friend.  Markov would never be able to tell the difference.  But Marinette could.  He was fishing.  She just didn’t know what he was fishing for.

“Older,” she answered curtly.

Dick seemed to get the message that she was not happy and backed off, metaphorically and literally, leaning away from them in his chair.  His smooth smile morphed into a mock frown.  “Oh that’s a shame.  I was hoping for stories or pictures of baby Marinette.”

“Oh, baby Mari was adorable,” Adrien gushed, with a teasing grin to Marinette.

Tim quirked his head to the side.  “I thought you said you two didn’t meet until you were older.”

Adrien’s grin widened.  “We didn’t.  Not until we were in collège and she yelled at me for something I didn’t do.”

“I didn’t yell at you,” Marinette objected in mock offense, slapping his arm. “I informed you that you were a contemptible dirtbag in a harsh tone.”

Jason barked a laugh.  “Right, big difference.”

Marinette whirled on him, her serious expression contradicted by her lips trying to quirk up at the corners at his teasing.  “There is!  It was a quietly harsh tone.  There was no yelling.”  She turned back to Adrien.  “And I apologized for that.”

“Yeah, like years later and not because you wanted to,” he rolled his eyes.

“Only because I couldn’t really talk to you for, like, ever after that,” she groused playfully.  She pushed her food around on her plate with a pout.

“Apologies are hard,” Cass nodded in agreement.

Marinette beamed at her.  “Yes.  Thank you, Cass.  See,” she motioned to Cass so Adrien would look, “Cass has my back.  She agrees.”

“With what?” Duke laughed.

“Your input is not needed!” Marinette chastised him, trying hard not to laugh.  But when Duke cracked up and started laughing hard enough to have him gasping for breath, so did Marinette.

“Okay but…” Tim started after they’d had enough time to recover.

“Oh, right!” Adrien shook his head.  “There was an akuma that de-aged people.  A mom sad her son was going off to university, so her power was to turn everyone into toddlers again.  Marinette got hit pushing me out of the way of the beam. She turned into the cutest, pudgiest, little toddler you’ve ever seen.”  

Marinette batted his hands away when he leaned over to pinch her cheeks.  He chuckled at Marinette’s pout.  “I hated that one.  I felt so helpless,” she moaned.

“I loved it,” Adrien smiled.  “I got to see all of you guys as babies.  Most of you guys knew each other since childhood so you knew what each other looked like.  Alya and I were the odd ones out.  Plus, no pain.”  He looked back to the rest of the family.  “That was rare; an akuma that didn’t cause massive amounts of pain or trauma.”

“Were they that bad?” Duke asked hesitantly, afraid of the answer he was going to get back.  He had purposefully not looked too hard into akumas precisely because he was afraid of the answer.

Marinette stared intently at her plate in thought, trying to condense the experience into light, dinner topic worthy descriptions because she desperately did not want to discuss akumas tonight… or ever again. The very thought caused shivers down her spine.  “They were… most weren’t… didn’t affect…”  Her words got cut off as her body froze with realization.  Her face scrunched up in pain and she gasped after not having breathed for the last few seconds.  She suddenly pushed away from the table and stood up.  “I think… I need to leave.”

Bruce stood up at the same time and reached out for her. “Marinette are you okay?”  His concern amped up when Cass stood up as well and frowned with concern.

Adrien got to her quicker, gently laying his hands on her arms.  “Hey, we don’t have to talk about it.  We can talk about something else.  You talked with M. Fox this morning, right?  We can talk about that.”

Marinette shook her head.  “I can’t…” she couldn’t finish her sentence, her breath was becoming more ragged the longer she stood there.

“Way to go, Timmy,” Jason groused.

“I didn’t do this!” Tim objected motioning toward Marinette and standing up too.  He wasn’t exactly sure what standing up was supposed to accomplish. She didn’t know him and definitely wouldn’t be comfortable with him trying to comfort her.  It was more of a show of support.  Whatever was going on, he didn’t want to stay sitting like it was nothing.

She looked toward Bruce, her eyes slightly glazed over.  “You… you knew.  You knew about what happened when I was fourteen… and fifteen… and sixteen.  You said you checked in on me frequently, so there’s no way you didn’t know.  You knew and you just… rather than admit I was…”  She looked down at the floor, her face scrunching further as she tried to reconcile the new information.  She backed away more and shook her head, no longer really hearing anything in the room, including Adrien’s loud gasp of realization.  “I… I can’t… be here.  I have to… I need time to…”  

She turned and rushed through the door before anyone could stop her.  She could feel herself shutting down and she needed to stop it.  She knew she needed to stop letting herself turn numb.  She gritted her teeth as her frustration with herself increased.  Why couldn’t she just react normally?  Nobody else on her team did this.  None of their friends reacted this way anymore.  What was wrong with her that she did?

And she had to do it there, in front of everyone. She had to do it in front of him.  Why couldn’t she hold it together for one freaking dinner?  She’s gone through worse.  Why couldn’t she just have DEALT with it, like an adult?  Now she probably ruined the start of their relationship. He was probably going to hate her. He didn’t want to know about that stuff. He didn’t want to deal with those kinds of problems.  Those were her issues, not his.  

He wanted a daughter for the press, not a hot mess of insecurities and anxiety.  He wanted a happy, light, cheery child.  That’s why he sent her away, so that’s who she would become.  That’s probably why Dick was trying to ask all those questions, so they could know just what kind of a broken, messed up, embarrassment of a disaster they were taking on with her.  They needed to know what to prepare for when the press started getting involved.

Back in the dining room, Jason had gone from laughing, to confused, to concerned, to fucking pissed in a matter of seconds.  “What did she go through?” Jason asked through gritted teeth.

Adrien glared at Bruce waiting for him to answer the question.  Bruce looked down dejectedly and Adrien scoffed.  He didn’t bother ripping his glare away from Bruce when he answered for him. “She means Hawkmoth.  She means M. Wayne knew what Hawkmoth was doing and let her stay there when he could have pulled her out at any time.  She means he let her stay and get tormented rather than admit she was his daughter.”

“That is not why I didn’t pull her out of Paris,” Bruce insisted weakly.

“I thought the damage done by Hawkmoth was all reversed,” Duke offered.

“Oh, the physical damage was reversed, but the psychological wasn’t.  The memories weren’t.  Hawkmoth used people’s negative emotions to turn them into monsters, AS YOU KNOW,” he snarled at Bruce.  “For years, if you had a bad day, if you got sad, if you grieved, you could end up killing or torturing or raping someone, maybe someone you cared about, maybe someone you loved, maybe more than one.  

“Didn’t even have to be something big it could just be… my best friend got akumatized because my father said he couldn’t throw me a party for my birthday.  A kid Marinette babysat got akumatized because her mother took away a toy that wasn’t hers, it was Marinette’s actually, so she felt responsible for getting Manon akumatized.  Marinette’s best friends, five of them at once, got akumatized because she didn’t want to tell them something private.  Like that didn’t wrack her with guilt for years.  It didn’t take much to turn you into a nightmare.  In fact, one little kid got akumatized several times because he had a nightmare.  All it took was one moment of feeling down.  If you were lucky, really lucky, you just… stopped feeling… anything.”

Everyone was silent for a few minutes.  Adrien’s glare never wavered the entire time. Finally Dick spoke up softly. “And was Marinette… lucky.”

Adrien sneered at Bruce, “Oh, Marinette was very lucky.  She only got tortured a few times… per month.  She only lost a few limbs.  She only got targeted most of the time.  She only died four or five times, that she remembers, the actual number is significantly higher.  All despite my father targeting her specifically.  You know, nothing worth too much concern. She only watched the people she loved get tortured, screaming for her in agony before they died painful deaths a handful of times.  She only sometimes still goes completely numb rather than feel things.  Not even just bad things, good things too.  If it’s too much, she shuts down so she doesn’t expose herself, so Hawkmoth can’t get her, because we needed her.  It’s automatic.  It’s subconscious.  It’s been five years and she still has to fight the instant reaction.”  

Bruce finally spoke up apprehensively.  God, he really, really didn’t want to know the answer to his next question, but at the same time, he needed to know.  “You mentioned akumas could kill, torture, rape… You said Marinette had been tortured and killed.  Was she ever…”

Adrien’s face scrunched up in anger and frustration. “You don’t get to ask that,” he screamed.  “You didn’t care then, you don’t get to pretend like you care now.  You want an answer to your question, you’ll have to ask her yourself, if you have the balls for it.  Personally, I don’t think you do.  So use your imagination.  I guarantee anything you can imagine, can’t even come close to the things she had to live through.”

He looked down for a moment to try to collect himself.  When he looked back up it was an icy, coldness that made Tim collapse back into his chair.  “So now you need to stop lying to her that you always loved her, you cared at all.”

Damian growled and lunged forward in his chair. “You can’t tell him what he feels. You don’t get to say how he treats one of his children.  You aren’t a part of this family.”

Adrien turned his icy glare to Damian.  “And she is?  Holding her at arm’s length?  Keeping her at a distance?  Not letting her get too close?  Randomly freezing up around her.  Keeping family secrets from her.  Clamming up as soon as she’s nearby.  Sending each other secret looks over her head when you think she won’t see.  She’s not stupid.  She sees what you’re doing, what you’re all doing, she’s just too nice to point it out, too hopeful you’ll actually accept her one day.”  He turned to look at Damian with disgust.  “I might not be a part of this thing you call a family, but I am a part of hers.”  Damian only put up a semblance of a fight when Cass pulled him back down into his chair with a disappointed look.

“You kept in contact to make yourself feel better not because you cared.  Because if you did?  If you did, there’s no way you let her stay in Paris when it would have been so easy for you to do something.  There’s no way you let her get hurt and killed over and over again just so you didn’t have to admit you were related to her.  Nobody who gives even the slightest fuck about anybody, a stranger let alone family, your child, would willingly let them go through that.  Lets them live knowing that crying about a stubbed toe could make them into a killer.

“You could have done something, anything and yet you did nothing.  You didn’t even try.  She wouldn’t have accepted.  She… she was the only reason some of us survived and she knew that.  She was our hope.  She saved us and protected us.  Repeatedly. At her own expense.  Without her…” he looked away.  When he spoke again, his voice was considerably quieter and colder.

“And she knew it.  And she took it all on herself.  She didn’t even tell most people, anyone but me and one other friend really, what she went through and not even all of it.  There’s still things I know she saw but she won’t tell me about. Her own parents didn’t know because she didn’t want them to become akumas, which they’d done before over minor things.  So she dealt with it on her own.  My father barely ever let me out so I couldn’t be there for her almost ever. So she had nobody.  She made sure she didn’t.  Because she didn’t want to be the cause of more suffering.

“So she wouldn’t have taken you up on any offers anyway because she’d never abandon the people she cares about.”  He looked back up to level Bruce with an icy glare that made him lose his breath.  “Guess she gets that from her mother.”

He started to walk away but turned back to the family as he got to the door.  “You know, Marinette and I are a lot alike.  You can do anything you want to us and we’ll probably apologize to you for inconveniencing you.  But you hurt someone we care about?  Not even Hell is far enough away for you to hide in.

“So she’ll forgive you.  That’s who she is.  She will.  Hell, she’ll probably come crawling back in a day or two to apologize to you for the scene she created.  For making you feel uncomfortable.  But I won’t ever forget what you did, what you didn’t do, what you subjected her to. No matter what else you ever do for her, you will not be forgiven.” He stepped closer to Bruce, the ice in his eyes turning darker.  “And if you ever treat her like that again, they’ll never find your body.”

Damian scowled and jumped up.  “Are you threatening my father?”

Adrien didn’t look at him when he responded, continuing to glare at Bruce with a dark, warped look that even made Damian raise an eyebrow.  “I am.” He didn’t even bother slamming the door as he stormed out.  As soon as he passed the threshold, he took off sprinting after Marinette.  She didn’t have the car keys so she was walking… in Gotham… while she was a target.  He cursed and picked up his speed to get to the car.

“B?” Dick asked cautiously.

“No.  No, no, no.” He shook his head violently and looked down, trying to steady his ragged breathing.  “I asked her parents.  I checked. They said she was fine.  They said it was okay.”  He looked up at Dick with haunted eyes.  “I checked.  I made sure.”

“Well you didn’t fucking check well enough did you?” Jason growled.  “You never asked her.”  He threw his napkin on the table and stalked out after Adrien to help comfort Marinette.  Duke looked between them for a moment before sprinting after Jason.

The rest of the family looked down at their plates, except Bruce who wasn’t looking at anything.  He pushed away from the table and stumbled back to his room, a sudden wave of nausea slamming into his body.  Dick opened his mouth a few times only to snap it shut again mutely.  Cass frowned but continued eating slowly. This was new information, but it didn’t change who Marinette was to her.  It was the same Marinette from earlier in the day.  But now she knew more.  Maybe they could bond over childhood trauma like she and Stephanie had.

Damian furrowed his brow and scowled at his food, unable to determine how to interpret the new information and blame Marinette for it. She had done it to herself, clearly. She had allowed herself to stay in that situation.  Obviously it was her own fault she suffered through that… like he had.  Not knowing who to be mad at, he shoved away from the table and went down to the cave to train.

Tim blankly watched him go.  This… this was unsalvageable.  This was… they’d let her down in so many ways.  Him with the gala.  Dick with the questioning Adrien.  Damian with the accusing her and insulting Adrien.  The entire family with the keeping secrets.  And Bruce with the… everything.  How were they supposed to bring this back?  They were worse than his family, his previous family.  The Drakes just ignored him.  They were actively destroying her.  

He took a deep breath and pushed away from the table too.  He would go down to the cave but Damian was already there.  He wanted to patrol, to actually protect someone, like he hadn’t protected her.  He stood up and made his way to the grandfather clock.  Fuck Demon Spawn.  Let him try to fight him right now.  Tim wasn’t in the mood and wouldn’t hold back.  Heaven help any rogues out tonight.

Chapter 16

Tags:

@maribat-bdbwm @jayjayspixiepop @redscarlet95 @alice-hazelwood @deathssilentapproach-blog @unoriginalmess @alyssadeliv @emotionalsupportginger @frieddonutsweets @when-no-wings-do-broomsticks @toodaloo-kangaroo @colorfulmongerpsychicranch @iloontjeboontje @wolf-for-life @maribatserver @aespades @prettylittlebutterflie @imarivers8  @ certainmuffinbagelcalzone @ritacrow-blog @unoriginalmess @demonicbusiness @kking13 @lady-bee-fechin @blur-of-colours @kittenmywaythrulife @kashlyn @loysydark

[dessarious]

What Makes a Family? Pt18

AO3   Beginning   Previous   Next

“And what price are they going to have to pay for your magic?” Marinette couldn’t help but smile at the protective tone in Bruce’s voice as he glared at Plagg. She was beyond relieved that he seemed to be a good person and even her Guardian instincts were calm around him.

“The Miraculous are all about balance. In our case, as true Chosen, they affect us whether we use them or not. That’s why Cass’ life has been so difficult and mine has been relatively calm. Actually being in possession of Plagg’s ring will make things better for her. As for other holders, it varies. The longer you hold a Miraculous the more it pulls out certain traits in you. Good or bad depends on both the person and how in tune with the Miraculous they are.” Chloe’s over protective nature and Adrien’s possessiveness were both likely side effects of being holders but there was no way for her to know for certain.

“So they begin to turn you into a different person?” Marinette was shaking her head before he was even finished. She really wasn’t good at explaining things to other people.

“No. Any traits that the Miraculous bring out were already there. If anything they bring out a person’s true nature so they can’t hide who they really are. My former partner for instance was always showing his best face to the world around him but Plagg’s influence allowed those looking for it the ability to see some of his less desirable qualities. Especially when transformed.” While it made perfect sense that the ring had brought out the things Adrien felt he had to hide from the world, she still felt guilty. She also had to wonder how different his life would have been if she’d found her real Black Cat sooner. Cass burrowed into her side.

“Not your fault.” Marinette just hugged her twin closer. Even if Fu had picked Adrien, as the current Guardian he had still been her responsibility. She’d let her knowledge of his personal life define how she treated him when she should have simply judged his actions as a hero. It had been reckless and irresponsible. She’d put everyone at risk. She felt a vibration at her side and actually laughed when she realized Cass was purring to calm her down.

“Well if I needed any more proof that you are Plagg’s chosen, the fact that you’re picking up cat traits without even having the ring on you would have done it.” Cass stopped abruptly and buried her head into Marinette’s shoulder with an embarrassed whine. Mari just grinned and kissed her temple to try and soothe her. “At least yours is cute. The first trait I picked up was reflex bleeding.” It was a small consolation that Lila had a rash for over a month after grabbing her.

“Do I want to know what that is?” Marinette offered Bruce a commiserating smile. It was a lot to process.

“My skin secretes a toxic substance when I feel threatened. Sadly enough it’s actually helped in battles before. Poor baby August tried to eat me a few times while Akumatized.” Bruce just blinked at her and Marinette could practically hear him thinking ‘what the fuck?’ She grinned at him. “Once you’ve actually been through an Akuma attack, remind me to show you footage of past battles. It will prove educational and quite possibly entertaining.”

“You expect me to be entertained by one of my children almost being eaten?” He sounded insulted at the suggestion but Marinette rolled her eyes.

“No, but the fact that Hawkmoth tends to Akumatize the worst suited people into villains should. The only reason he’s still around is because he’s a coward. If I could find him all of this would be over in a heartbeat. Hopefully with Cass here my luck will keep shifting for the better.”

“I thought you were the one with good luck.” Mari let out a frustrated breath.

“Technically yes. However having the Miraculous active, especially with the ring being held by someone so much less in tune than I am, has been affecting me. It’s gotten better since I added other permanent holders but certain things haven’t improved at all. Also, the Kwami are of the opinion that Cass and I rubbed off some of our luck on each other in the womb. It’s likely the reason she ended up with you around the same time I first became Ladybug. Being together will allow us to buffer each other.” Bruce was still frowning at her but it seemed more contemplative than anything else.

“Cass.” She watched her sister peek at Bruce from her position. “What do you want to do?” Marinette let out an approving hum at the question. She got a strange sense of satisfaction that he treated Cass with such care even though she wasn’t his. He wasn’t as warm as her parents, but it was obvious he did care.

“Stay. Help.” Bruce let out a sigh but nodded. Cass relaxed further and Marinette could feel contentment radiating off her.

“So Selina said you’re a fashion designer?” Marinette rose an eyebrow at the subject change. “Since there’s nothing more to be done at present about what’s going on in Paris and it doesn’t appear to be an urgent issue, I would like to get to know you and I’m sure Cass does too.” She felt Cass nod.

“Yes, I’m a fashion designer. It was always what I wanted to do, but my actual start was one of the first twists of fate after I got my Miraculous. I ended up designing something for Jagged Stone and everything just sort of took off from there.” Cass stiffened slightly and Marinette saw Bruce’s eye twitch.

“You’re the designer he’s always bragging about?” Marinette felt her face flush. It hadn’t really occurred to her that he would be familiar with Jagged. Bruce pinched the bridge of his nose. “The boys are not going to leave you alone. Dick, Jason, and Tim have a running bet over who can get a commission from you first. I apologize in advance for whatever happens at dinner.” She laughed at his dry tone and caught Cass’ smile out of the corner of her eye.

“I assure you it can’t be worse than Uncle Jagged himself. He introduces me to all my new clients and I swear it gets more embarrassing every time. I’m fairly certain he practices just to annoy me.” Bruce’s mouth twitched into something between a smile and a grimace.

“Do not underestimate the boys’ ability to be annoying or embarrassing. That’s not even counting the fact that Damian is likely to challenge you to a duel in order to prove that he’s meant to be my true heir and I have no idea what weapons he managed to smuggle on the plane.” Marinette rolled her eyes. Why wasn’t she surprised?

“I take it Talia’s teachings are still strong?” He frowned at her. Oh right, he didn’t know she knew. “When she and Ra’s were in Paris she enjoyed bragging about him and his bloodlines. That’s how I figured out you were Batman. But don’t worry, I can handle him.” The skeptical look he shot her just made her grin. “Trust me. Besides, I just have to prove I’m not a threat to him. Given that I have no wish to take over your business and I have my own hero problems to worry about there’s no reason for him to take issue with me.” Bruce still seemed uncertain but Cass signed something at him and he nodded.

“I suppose we’ll just have to wait and see.” While Bruce obviously doubted her, she felt nothing but confidence from her twin. As nervous as she was to meet the others, Damian trying to kill her wasn’t that big a problem. At least with him, she knew what to expect.

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[somestorythoughts]

Was reading over a post the other day about how Gabriel Agreste was probably supposed to be a sympathetic villain and then they just. Completely missed the mark. By like a whole mile. But now I’m wondering about how you would make him a sympathetic villain and I have some thoughts.

First you have to completely start from scratch cause in canon he passed sympathetic a long time ago. Keep the motivation, dead/dying wife (how that led to people thinking she is gone I don’t know) and only that. We’ve got a man who deeply loves his wife and is desperate not to loose her. Okay.

First step completely change his relationship with his son. Gabriel could be strict or distant without being such a micromanaging control freak that he has to know where Adrien is every minute of the day but also can’t schedule the time to have an actual conversation. Lets start by clearing Adrien’s schedule a bit and having Gabriel show some interest in his son’s interests and happiness, not just his modeling or appearance. No never letting him hang out with his friends for modeling gigs, especially last minute ones. No forbidding things that would make his son happy just so he can get an akuma out of his friends.

He’s still not enthused with the idea of public school (”why would you want to go to school when I can just bring you all the tutors”) but eventually it happens of course. He’s not very good about hanging out with Adrien, first he reminded him too much of Emile who was always better with the talking then there was becoming a villain and running the company and suddenly months have gone by because sometimes the longer you don’t do something the harder it is to start and he doesn’t know how-

Nathalie is a good help because she has good advice, one of which is that Adrien and Gabriel always have dinner and breakfast together. It was lunch too but Adrien starts hanging out with his friends more so the lunches are off and on. But they have 2 meals together almost every day. They’re kinda awkward for a long time, but they gradually grow closer.

Then we have the villainy. First off, the guy is using magic to manipulate people at their low points and while the show doesn’t go too dark with it the potential is there and used by the fandom, which terrifies a whole city, so just to be clear Gabriel is still an asshole. But what if he had some rules? No akumatizing people who are mourning, no akumatizing kids (kinda makes the show difficult with teen heroes maybe but I’m just spitballing here), no akumatizing violent criminals or abusers, something like that? And no goddamn evil monologuing! That level of monologuing is the sign of someone enjoying their job you want a sympathetic villain show me desperation not joy! Have him be genuinely concerned by the fact that there are kids facing him, or not know somehow. I mean it isn’t stopping him, but have him not completely dismiss it would be good. Him having the intelligence to actually plan for this to end rather than making BS minions would be good too.

Like I said, even with this he’s still a pretty major asshole. But if he was at least trying to be a decent father and not the sort to punt his son across the city like a fucking golf ball he’d be a little more sympathetic and potentially tragic if he starts spiraling and becomes so obsessed with saving his wife that he does start fully neglecting the family he still has. If he’s going to be sympathetic, then learning that Chat Noir who he’s been fighting and hurting and sometimes killing is his son has to break him. It can’t make him see an opportunity.

[apricotgojo]

babe u better write a part three or something because we’re waiting-

ALSO IT’S BEEN SO GOOD WTF?? SO PROUD

sooo sorry for the long wait but here is PART THREE!  Thank you guys so much for the support, It makes me so happy that you like this mini series :’))) 

of course, here is Part one and Part Two ! <333

There he was, in the arms of another. There he was, his lips which should be on yours, on someone elses.

There you were, standing heartbroken at the scene before you.

You meet up with him the same night. A frown evident on your face the whole car ride until he stops the car in a parking lot and looks at you.

“You’ve been silent all night. Are you going to tell me what happened before we go to this party or are you going to be a moody little bitch?” His tone was stern and his words were like knives going through your heart.

“Where were you today?” You ask, still not looking at him.

He lets out a chuckle, “babe, I told you I had lacrosse practice.”

“I saw you at the mall with Delilah, Trevor.” You say, now looking at him, anger filling your body. “I saw you kiss her.”

He stares at you for a moment, you can see his face turn a slight red even in the dim light of his car. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

Tears start to run down your face without you even realising. “I’m not fucking stupid Trevor! I-It was you, you kissed her a-and-“

“Hey baby please stop crying, who told you this? Your stupid friends? You’re kind of acting crazy right now.” He says cupping our face, a small, false, smile on his face while you try not to hyperventilate too much. “It doesn’t matter what you saw or what you didn’t. what matters is that I’m here and I love you okay? I’m with you right now because you’re the only one I want. Understand?”

You gulp and nod. Maybe it’s just one kiss, maybe your eyes were deceiving you. Maybe you were too infatuated by him to even function properly and get the fuck out of there. His heart is in the right place. That’s what you thought to yourself.

That’s what you thought to yourself even when you saw him make out with another girl at the party.

His heart is in the right place.

That’s what you told yourself while you sobbed in the bathroom.

His heart is in the right place.

That’s what you told your friends when they were concerned about what happened.

No. He cheated on you. He cheated on you and guess what you did? Held hands with him and pretended like everything was okay. You didn’t want to lose him. You didn’t want to leave.

You put a fake smile on every time you went out with him and when you got home you spent the rest of your night sobbing in bed.

You’re father asked you whats wrong. Why you weren’t eating. why you never smiled anymore at home. You’re the most precious thing in his life. His princess. He just had to know what was wrong and there you were, crying at the dinner table.

“But it’s okay daddy,” You sniffled. “I forgave him, he’ll change, he loves me.” You’re so naïve.

Your father was angry but didn’t say a word.

Two weeks later you were crying again but this time, at Trevors funeral.

You were so clueless. “It was just a car accident.”

“Drunk driving.”

“no I heard he took some real hardcore drugs before getting in his car.”

“Poor soul, so young.”

You heard people whisper at the ceremony.

No one could know that your father was the one who killed him.

Your father killed him. Your father killed him. Your father killed him.

“Wake up ma belle.” You heard a whisper.

You open your eyes and the night sky is above you, a few stars freckled here and there.

Your head aches but you manage to turn your head to the side, greeted by the sight of Chat Noir.

“What happened?” You ask, groggily.

You sit up and rub your head. Where did this cat take you? It seemed to be a rooftop of some kind but you had no idea where.

“You fainted.” He states and gives you a small smile. “But luckily I was there to help you.” He winks.

“wow my hero.” You say sarcastically and rolls your eyes but you end it with a small laugh. You stop laughing instantly when you realise what happened.

“My dad. Where is he?” You ask wide eyed.

Chat purses his lips together and looks away.

“Chat,” You say cautiously and gulp. “Tell me what happened to my father.”

“I’m sorry,” He says quietly and sighs. “He’s been arrested.”

You clasp your hand over your mouth and you can feel your heart sink in your chest. Tears well up in your eyes and they slowly fall while you quietly sobbed in your hand.

“Hey, it’s going to be okay.” You heard him say as he pulls you to him, his hand rubbing your shoulder to comfort you.

“what am I going to do, Chat?” You breathe out and look up at him. “I don’t know.” He whispers, concern filling his green eyes.

You could never allow yourself to be this vulnerable in front of anyone, let alone a complete stranger, but you trusted Chat for some odd reason. It could be the mask hiding who he really is or it could just be instinct but you knew he was a man with good intentions. He’s a hero after all and you felt comfort in that.

“I can take you home whenever you tell me okay?” He says and rests his head on top of yours.

You nod silently and nuzzle into his chest even further.

“Adrien…” You whisper. “Is-is he okay? Please I would never forgive myself if something happened to him?” You sniffle.

You could feel Chats’ smile growing. “He’s just fine m’lady, there’s nothing to worry about.”

You nod and start to give yourself time to think.

Both your parents were in jail. You were completely alone now.

You knew that the only guardian you had was your aunt back in New York. You knew that this could mean that the short lived happiness you found in Paris could end.

You were fucked. You couldn’t let that happen.

Your thoughts were interrupted by a sudden beeping noise.

“I’m sorry but I have to take you home before I transform back into my civilian form.”

You nod weakly and hold onto him. You feel him wrap his arms around you and suddenly you were leaping from building to building. If only you could feel the rush and excitement, but your mind was too occupied to even feel anything.

Before you knew it you were set on the balcony of your room. You slide the door open and see your curtains move with the wind. “Thank you Chat.” You say and look at him, trying your best to force a smile on your face.

“Please, it was my pleasure.” He says and kissed your hand, grinning at you.

You watch him almost about to leap off but you grab his tail. He looks at you, raising an eyebrow.

“Really, Thank you.” You say but this time you say it more firmly, looking straight into his eyes.

 He doesn’t break eye contact with you.

The feeling he made you feel was familiar, it made your insides flutter and warmth grow inside of you. It was comforting. A feeling you got when Adrien looked at you.

“I’m always here. Always will be.” He says and with that he jumps away.

You kept watching his silhouette leap off of the buildings until he disappeared into the darkness.

Be-friending a super hero could be another reason why you wanted to stay in Paris.

Your mind wondered off to Adrien. He was probably worried sick about you. You should text him to let him know that you’re okay. You knew you weren’t ready to leave your room for the next week probably. You couldn’t bring yourself to put on a fake smile and pretend that nothing is happening. You simply couldn't. 

You wondered if the masked superhero would come again.

Paris was your chance at a fresh start. Maybe that fresh start was short lived. or maybe this was just the beginning.

[justcourttee]

The Never Ending Cycle of Proposals

This is a continuation of this post and the idea was presented by @mystery-5-5 . I was so excited to finish it and hope you like it! :)

This was not how it was supposed to go.

Damian had made sure of it. He found and destroyed every contingency plan that Jason and the others had formed. He flew Marinette back to Paris, to her parent’s bakery so that they could be a part of the moment. There should be no possible way things could go sideways.

Clearly he had underestimated the members of Date Duty.

“-and then Marinette fell down the stairs! Can you believe it? It was her big debut at the Wayne Gala as Damian’s girlfriend and this girl got so nervous that she tripped over her own two feet.”

“That’s our Marinette. As graceful as ever.”

A boisterous laughter filled Damian’s ears as the bakery door snapped shut behind him. Checking his watch, he tried to recall how long he had been gone. It couldn’t have been more than ten minutes. How did Jason get to Paris?

“Oh! Damian sweetie, look who just flew in to check in on us and low and behold, he didn’t even know that you and Marinette had the exact same thought! How crazy is that?”

Damian plastered on his best fake smile as his eyes attempted to burn Jason’s smirk off his face.

“Very crazy indeed Sabine. Do you mind if my brother and I excuse ourselves for a moment?”

“Oh! Not at all, we should really be getting ready to open anyways. Please, feel free to head up to the apartment. Marinette should be back from Alya’s soon, but make yourselves at home boys.”

They both nodded as Damian stalked behind Jason, forcing him to take the steps two at a time. As Jason threw open the door, he finally released the laughter that he had been holding back.

“I really didn’t think you were going to make it. If you actually had any powers, I would’ve been scared for my life down there.”

“I don’t need powers to kill you Todd.”

Jason reached out to ruffle Damian’s hair, his smirk only fueling the smaller boy’s rage.

“What are you doing here Todd? This was supposed to be a relaxing vacation for Marinette to see her parents. You are neither relaxing or her parents.”

“Oh don’t be coy with me Dami, I know what you’re really here for, we all do in fact. Did you really think you could get away with proposing to Marinette without getting through us first? You only tore up some fake plans, plans meant to lure you into revealing when you were going to propose. Considering how quick you were to get Marinette on a plane without saying goodbye tells me you plan on doing it this week.”

Damian counted backward from ten as he tried to consider all of his options left. He had taken into consideration that the plans could be fake, but there should’ve been no way that they could’ve tracked him to Paris. He paid in cash at the airport for the tickets and flew economy, economy for crying out loud!

“I thought your whole little club was to protect Marinette from heartbreak, there was no mention of protecting her from proposals.”

“Oh, but that’s where you’re wrong Damian.” The look on Jason’s face was unnerving to say the least, but Damian refused to back down. This was his girlfriend, his soon to be finance, and the only woman he wanted to love for the rest of his life. There was no way he would let some street rat like Jason stop him.

“I refuse to allow you to ruin this Todd.”

“Allow implies that you think you have control over this and I can assure you that you don’t. Marinette will not be leaving Paris with a ring on her finger, marriage is out of the question. You are lucky that we have allowed you two to be together for so long. You are too dangerous for her demon spawn and marriage places an even larger target on her back than the one she already has.”

“Are you prepared to be defeated protecting your ideals Todd?”

“Are you Damian?”

Damian felt the low growl in the back of his throat itching it’s way forward. He was so close to Jason’s face, he could end this right here and now, throw him in the guest room and never look back.

“Damian? Jason? What are you two doing here? And alone at that?”

Both turned their attention to the door where Marinette stood, a sheepish expression on her face as if she could feel the tension radiating off the two men.

“Hey princess! I was just stopping by to check in on your parents and I definitely had no idea that you and Damian were here! You two lovebirds should’ve told someone before running off to Paris like that.”

Jason pulled Marinette into a tight hug, sticking his tongue out behind her head at Damian.

“Well, I did. I told Adrien just in case anything happened.”

One look at Jason’s smug expression and Damian knew. One little blonde went racing to his brother before he and Marinette had even boarded the plane.

“Oh that’s good then, I’m glad someone knew. I’ll leave you two alone now, after all, I have places to be and people to see and I’m sure you have a wonderful vacation planned for Damian here.”

Marinette nodded with little enthusiasm as she waved bye to Jason, locking the door behind him.

“Damian, what was that about?”

He shook his head as he pulled her forward placing a small kiss on her forehead.

“I wish I knew habibti.”

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Damian was on full alert for the next couple of days, unable to relax and enjoy his time with Marinette’s family for fear that one of his nemesis would pop out at any moment and steal the ring hidden safely inside his coat pocket. Every once in a while, he would find his hand absentmindedly searching for the box, just as a reassurance that it was still there.

He wasn’t scared of the members of Date Duty, but he was scared that the moment that he had planned out for so long would be ruined by a handful of imbeciles.

“Oh look! It’s Chloe and Luka! I didn’t know they were in town.”

Damian's attention became hyper focused as he narrowed in on the suspicious couple waving them over. There was no way that two members of Jason’s little club decided to fly back on the same week that he and Marinette did.

He smiled and shook hands with Luka as they chatted idly for a few minutes. Marinette promised to catch up with them later before leaning in to hug Chloe. The blonde turned her attention to him as she leaned in and hugged him bye as well. Nothing out of the ordinary, nothing suspicious, nothing-

“Fuck.”

Damian’s hand went straight to his now empty pocket. He searched frantically to be sure that it hadn’t fallen in any holes that he wasn’t aware of, but alas, it was gone. Marinette held onto his hand tightly, concern filling her eyes, but he waved her off.

If that’s how Todd wanted to play, then fine. Damian was ready. It was time for Jason to bring it on. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Damian wasn’t sure how he thought the rest of the week would play out, but this was not it.

Monday he had gone to buy another ring when he ran into Tony Stark. He claimed he was there to get his wife a unique gift from Paris. Turns out a unique gift meant buying her every jewelry store in Paris, or at least majority shares, effectively destroying Damian’s chances of finding a new ring.

Tuesday he decided to just propose without the ring, after all, it just meant she could pick out a new one whenever they hit stateside again. They had made it all the way to the top of the Eiffel Tower, watching the sunset with her curled into his side as they leaned on the railing. He wanted to wait until the tower had cleared a bit, right when the sun dipped below the horizon, but much to his fear a large squeal erupted from the platform.

None other than Jagged Stone had decided to do an impromptu concert on top of the Eiffel Tower. Soon, between the noise and the crowd, Damian couldn’t even think straight, much less make space to go down on one knee. They called it a night with the question still on the tip of his tongue.

By Wednesday, Sabine had caught on to the real reason they were there. She pulled him to the side along with Tom where the both offered her engagement ring. Damian finally felt like he had caught a break. How foolish that was.

They walked into Marinette’s favorite restaurant that night only to find out that it had been bought out for the night by the Agreste family. He apparently decided that this would be an excellent date night spot for him and Kagami.

Thursday came and went with no attempts made. He had barely made it out of bed when he heard two voices in the kitchen. Praying to whatever God would hear him, Damian opened the door only to feel his heart drop. Tim and Dick sat in the kitchen while Marinette heated up some coffee, telling her all about the business deal they were taking care of in Paris.

Lucky for them, they had a day off and wanted to spend it with their favorite couple.

As Friday’s sun rolled in, Damian felt defeated.

“Mon amour, are you even listening?”

Damian nodded absentmindedly as he fiddled with the ring in his pocket.

“So do you want to go to this little reunion dinner tonight?”

“With who?”

“With my old classmates? I think Dick and Tim might stop by if they get out early today. Should be fun!”

He attempted a smile for her sake as he sent her a small nod. So on their last night in Paris, they all decided to gather in one spot making it impossible for Damian to sneak out with Marinette. It felt pretty foolproof.

“Damian, why have you been so out of it lately? This whole week you have been constantly checking over your shoulder. Are you worried about something?”

Marinette gathered his hand as she sunk on to the bed beside him.

“I just wanted this trip to be special, but a couple of special idiots have proved to make that nearly impossible. I don’t know how you dealt with them over the years.”

“Well, it felt nearly hopeless. I was convinced I was going to be single forever, but one man swooped in and saved me making me feel like there was nothing those special idiots could do. I’d like to think that he feels the same way when it comes to me. After all, a proposal doesn’t need to be in some big memorable place, it just needs to be between two people who love each other.”

Damian’s mouth gaped like a fish out of water as he tried to stutter out a denial, but it was hopeless. His cheeks felt like they were a hundred degrees as her laughter floated through the air.

“How did you know?”

“Date Duty had been disabled for a year and a half now. For them to all conveniently show up in Paris on the same week that we did? Well I’m not a big believer in coincidences when it comes to that group.”

Damian reached inside his pocket, pulling out the delicate ring that Sabine had given him a few days prior. A few tears formed in the corner of Marinette’s eyes as she covered her splitting smile with her hand.

“Marinette Dupain-Cheng, you have amazed me at every turn since the first time I saw you many years ago. You are a strong, creative, loving and beautifully confident woman. You are my first thought in the morning and my last as I drift to sleep at night. I can’t imagine living with anyone else by my side. Please, will you marry me?”

Marinette nodded as she offered her left hand, allowing him to slip on her mother’s ring. It was no where close to the proposal that he had planned, but as her lips crashed into his, it couldn’t have made him happier.

Maybe when he saw Jason’s little club tonight, he would thank them.

After all, they lead him to the woman he loved and without their persistence, his relationship wouldn’t be as strong as it is today.

He had finally broken the never ending cycle, and man, did it feel good.

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[icerosecrystal]

Daminette - All The Kings’ Horses

Warning: This one-shot includes abuse, harassment, rape, child neglect meant, suicidal thoughts, and cursing. Read at your own risk!

Lila had done it. She had taken away all her friends. She no longer had any support from her parents either. Only her Grandma Gina, Grandpa Roland, Uncle Cheng, Jagged, Penny, and Clara loved or cared for her. But they had their own life to fulfill. They didn’t have the time to take care of a little nobody. But, what hurt Marinette the most was her parents’ betrayal. They knew and raised her for 16 years. Then, someone they had never met told them some petty lies and instead of believing their daughter, they believed a stranger.

I knock the ice from my bones Try not to feel the cold

She felt so numb. Now at the age of 17 almost 18, Lila had taken away her classmates 4 years ago, took away even her closest childhood friends 3 years ago, and had finally taken away her parents 2 years ago. She had no one left. She had no will to live. Yet, she endured it. Why? She doesn’t know herself. She prevailed through the words that were slamming around in her head, spoken by her classmates, “Bully, dumb, slut, attention-seeker, bitch, a fucking nobody.” She bore her parents’ words, “I can’t believe we gave birth to you, we should have given you away when you were a kid, what did we deserve you, you are such a bitchy, fucking daughter.” She ignored the beatings, the abuse she survived every day. At first, it started with her classmates taking away her things and destroying them. Then, it was kicking, punching, slapping, tripping. It finally escalated to stabbings and shootings. 9 months ago her parents started abusing her as well as purposefully neglecting her. The final thread snapped when they got Adrien to come and rape her as a way to set her straight.

All the king’s horses and all the king’s men

Couldn’t put me back together again

That’s when she decided to leave, run away. Her being raped was the final straw. She was suffering for no reason. Hawkmoth and Mayura had been defeated, there was nothing left for her in Paris anyways. She was close to breaking. She needed to get away from Paris before she decided to end her misery once and for all. There was no one coming to save her, she might as well save herself. So, she made a plan with the kwamis. She found a city where she could easily disappear in, she chose Gotham. She got in contact with Jagged and asked him to enroll her in Gotham Academy without telling her parents. Using her commission money from MDC and Netti, she got an apartment in Gotham. Glancing at the date, she realized that her parents wouldn’t be letting her out of her room for another week. So, she took that week to transport all of her belongings to her new apartment using the horse miraculous. On the day of, she looked around the room, reminiscing in the good memories that she had of the room and said a final goodbye, shutting the portal from her room and her old life.

Run with my hands on my eyes

Blind, but I’m still alive

She had made it. She had let go of the past and was walking into the future… well mostly. After her experiences in her old class, Marinette became a lot more hostile and guarded. She never talked in class, never brought attention to herself, and never displayed any emotions. People categorized her with another boy. Damian if she remembered correctly. He seemed to be as guarded as she was. But, instead, it developed a mutual respect for each other. Sure, Damian was still cautious of her, but during class and lunch, they would sit together in the back or in a little corner and would relish in the silence. Neither made an effort to get to know the other and they both appreciated it.

Free to go back on my own

Is it still a home

When you’re all alone?

Everything was okay for Marinette until the partner project her teacher assigned her. Thankfully, it was Damian, but she had to go to his house. She was awed by the sight of the manor and told him so, he just smiled lightly, in fact, it couldn’t be called a smile and walked in with her. None of the other family members were present at the moment except for Alfred Pennyworth the butler. She quietly introduced herself and Damian then dragged her upstairs to his room. Once the completed the project, it was dinner time and all the other family members had arrived. They insisted that she join them for dinner, not wanting to seem rude she agreed. They tried to get to know Marinette as much as possible. She answered all of their questions, but anyone could see how reserved she was. Then Jason asked a question that set her off, “Before you moved to Gotham where was your home?” She looked to be having a panic attack before saying, “Paris” and then muttering, “It is still home if you’re all alone?” This made all of the Waynes suspicious and concerned. They left the topic alone and continued on with their dinner, since that day Marinette and the Waynes started getting closer. They were all like her brother and Bruce like her father, except for Damian. She liked Damian, but didn’t want to in fear of having a repeat of Adrien, she vowed to never tell Damian. She lived by that vow until she got some news.

All the king’s horses and all the king’s men

Couldn’t put me back together again

All the king’s horses and all the king’s men

Couldn’t put me back together again

Ooh, ooh, ooh

Ooh, ooh, ooh

Marinette was scrolling through her Instagram when her eye caught the name Alya Cesaire, she looked at the post and started hyperventilating. They were coming to Gotham in a month, they were going to see her, her parents were the chaperones. She didn’t know what she was doing, but she climbed onto her motorcycle and rode to Wayne Manor. She reached the Manor and threw off her helmet ringing the doorbell. When Alfred answered she started screaming, sobbing for Damian, “ALFRED, I NEED DAMIAN, I NEED HIM, PLEASE ALFRED BRING ME TO HIM!” hysteria clear in her voice. She needed him, she needed him to console her. Alfred quickly carried her inside once she collapsed from begging. He brought her to the family room where everyone was present. Marinette could discern all the eyes on her, but none of them counted except for the emerald eyes that softened once they examined at her. She clambered into his lap and continued sobbing and blabbering incoherent gibberish.

After about an hour once she quieted down she noticed the questioning, calculating, and compassionate eyes around her. She acknowledged that she wasn’t going to get out of an explanation and so sighed and told her story. What happened once Lila arrived, how everyone she knew reacted, and what prompted her to come to Gotham. By the end of her explanation, everyone was shaking with apparent fury. Jason then shouted, “I’M GOING TO KILL THAT FUCKING BITCH, YOUR PARENTS, AND THAT GUY WHO RAPED YOU! HOW DARE THEY TOUCH MY LITTLE SISTER!?” Everyone agreed, getting everything ready to plan a murderer and get away with it. Damian saw the anguish in Marinette’s eyes and told everyone to calm down, taking Marinette to his room. On the way, they heard a shout, “REMEMBER TO LEAVE THE DOOR OPEN!” They both flushed, Marinette ducking her head down.

Once they reached his room they sat down on the bed, Marinette avoiding his gaze. “Hey look at me”, he softly said. She looked up at him. “Why did you ask for me, why not Todd or Grayson?”

She blushed and looked at him. “I-I kinda have a crush on you a-and y-y-you don’t have to like me, I think I’m unlikable, w-wait no that’s not what I meant mmph”, her rambling was cut short by Damian pressing his lips to her incredibly soft ones. She melted into the kiss and deepened it, both of them moving their lips in sync. The kiss wasn’t hot or heavy, it was slow, loving, but also semi-passionate. It didn’t feel like fireworks, rather like a warm, homey fire along with a comforting spark. She moved her hands to his hair and tugged and he grabbed her waist pulling her even closer. They pulled away and stared into each other’s eyes, enjoying the moment.

He cleared his throat and stammered out, “Would you be willing to join me on a date?” She smiled and pecked his lips, “Yeah.” Three dates later and they were officially dating.

All the king’s horses and all the king’s men

Couldn’t put me back together again

All the king’s horses and all the king’s men

Couldn’t put me back together again

It was the day of the arrival of Marinette’s old class and she would be lying if she said that she wasn’t nervous. She wouldn’t be giving them any tours, thank god, but they would be going to Gotham Academy which meant that she would be seeing them. Just as expected later that week, they caught sight of her in Gotham Academy. The first thing they all did… they bullied her. Worse than ever before, asking why she left, she was their favorite little plaything after all. She tried her best to ignore it, but it was becoming all too much.

She rushed out of the classroom with Damian chasing behind her. She was having a panic attack, the weight of seeing everyone along with the memories was too much for her. She rushed to a bridge that she could jump off of to end her misery, but Damian caught her by the waist. He hugged her and mumbled reassurances into her hair. After a little bit, she calmed and saw Damian watching her, “Marinette, I love you and you have to stay on this Earth, please. Don’t listen to them. You are having a concert as Netti later tonight, sing your newest song, and reveal yourself. Tell your side of the story. I will be by your side every step of the way.” He gave her a tender smile and pulled her into a kiss that had Marinette forget all of her worries for now. Later that night as Netti, she got on the stage and started singing her newest song, All the Kings’ Horses.

(Play this song if you want to follow along with the lyrics)

I knock the ice from my bones

Try not to feel the cold

All the king’s horses and all the king’s men

Couldn’t put me back together again

Run with my hands on my eyes

Blind, but I’m still alive

Free to go back on my own

Is it still a home

When you’re all alone?

All the king’s horses and all the king’s men

Couldn’t put me back together again

All the king’s horses and all the king’s men

Couldn’t put me back together again

Ooh, ooh, ooh

Ooh, ooh, ooh

All the king’s horses and all the king’s men

Couldn’t put me back together again

All the king’s horses and all the king’s men

Couldn’t put me back together again

Oh, oh

Couldn’t put me back together again

Oh, oh

Couldn’t put me back together again

She poured all of her emotions into the lyrics. It described her life perfectly and she sang it with all the despair and hurt she felt every single day when she was in Paris. This wasn’t just a song, no, this was the cry of a broken girl, who was slowly healing, a girl who couldn’t be put back together again, but she could try. By the last note, she pulled off her mask and heard the gasps of her classmates and parents, she saw tears in everyone’s eyes, disappointment in Adrien’s eyes, jealousy in Lila’s eyes, but most importantly the pride in Damian’s eyes.

She brought her mike back up and told her story, “This song was inspired by my own experiences. I had a great life, but then a girl came and took away everything that was mine and made me lonely in my own home. No one believed me, so I came to Gotham. I met my boyfriend Damian Wayne, he’s helping me heal little by little every day. I may not be able to be put back together again completely, but I’m going to try and Damian will be there to help me every step of the way. Thank you and good night, Gotham!”

Oh, oh

Couldn’t put me back together again

Oh, oh

Couldn’t put me back together again

After the reveal, everyone tried to be her friend again, her parents tried to apologize to her. She didn’t forgive anyone of them. They had to own up to their mistakes and see the consequences of believing a stranger over her. Two years after the reveal Damian proposed and they were married a year later, her Grandpa Roland and Bruce walked her down the aisle. Jon Kent was Damian’s best man and Dick, Tim, and Jason were groomsmen/ bridesmaids. Marinette and Damian said their vows. And as they kissed as husband and wife the one thing that crossed Marinette’s mind was that even though all the kings’ horses and all the kings’ men couldn’t put her back together again, her King Damian Wayne most certainly could.

[unmaskedagain]

Marinette Vs Santa: The Final Round

Okay, so it’s 11:38 on Christmas. I promised I would post this today. So I am. Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to everyone. Enjoy your present.

           The jolly fat man would get his, Marinette swore. She wore a lovely gold, snowflake-embroidered cocktail dress. Her hair was done in a French side braid with voluminous Curls; more than she ever had in her entire life. Honestly, she looked like a princess.

           And it would’ve been a win for her if it wasn’t for the circumstances that made it yet another Tie against Santa.

           Roy has his hand on the small of her back since they step out of the limo. The forced sweet smile on her face was for the paparazzi that had waited outside the restaurant. When they got inside, and as they were shone to their table, Roy's hand slipped south.

Marinette stiffened and leaned close to Roy and whispered in his ear, “If you don’t get your hand off my butt, I’m going to take off one of my five-inch heels and slit your throat with it.”

Roy’s hand was gone in a flash, “Aww babe,” He said, a little loudly, nodding to the table where his parents’ Oliver and Dinah waited; their eyes watching the young couple’s every move. “You know I can’t keep my hands off you.”

           Marinette giggled, as she fought the urge to slam his against a nearby table, “Not in front of your parents. It’s called manners.”

Your lucky homicide is still technically illegal, Marinette thought viciously, and a sure-fire way to get on fat bastard’s naughty list.

           He wouldn’t win. No, Marinette had gone too far; been through too much to lose now.

“Thank you, Marinette,” Dinah stood once the two approached. She pulled Marinette into a hug. “I’ve tried to instill etiquette into Roy for years. His last girlfriends and he nearly in trouble for public indecency. Maybe you’ll do a better job than I did.”

           Marinette laughed, “I will even if I have to cut off his hand.”

           Oliver chuckled, “You’re definitely Bruce’s girl.” The resemblance was uncanny.

           After that the fell into an easy conversation.

“That dress is beautiful,” Dinah said. “Who’s the designer?”

           Marinette beamed, “I am. I love fashion. It’s my dream,” She explained. “I plan on launching my own company. While there’s always room to learn and enhance my designing skills, I feel as if I have that side at least somewhat covered. However, the business angle is something I need to learn. Which is why I plan on getting my MBA at an Ivy League. I was considering Yale or Princeton.”

“Princeton,” Oliver grinned. “Did you hear that Roy?” Roy rolled his eyes, and once again, regretted being born. “Marinette’s considering Princeton. That’s the top school on his list. Queens have gone there for generations.” He pulled his wife into a hug. “It’s where I knew Dinah was the one.”

           Dinah gave Marinette a blank stare, “I couldn’t get rid of him. It was like having bedbugs.” (“Hey!” Oliver cried in protest.) “No matter what I did, he just coming back. The only solution was to burn the entire place down and vanish without a trace. But apparently, that’s illegal or whatever. Stupid.”

“I know, right,” Marinette nodded earnestly. “What’s up with that?”

           They had a wonderful dinner. They watched a paparazzi pretending to be a waiter be escorted out of the restaurant. It was great, amazing even. Oliver and Dinah had been perfectly lovely. Roy had acted like a perfect gentleman. Marinette could’ve almost pretended she was actually meeting her boyfriend’s family. She was about to count the entire night as a win until…

“So how many grandkids should I expect in the future,” Oliver asked, a sincere look on his face, though he was snickering inside.

           Marinette chocked on her chocolate mousse and ended up in a coughing fit that Dinah helped her with. Roy had met his father’s gaze and gave him his most charming smile, “Seven,” He answered.

“Seven!” Marinette barked out and she looked around frantically as if Ashton Kutcher had revived his hit show and was about to pop out.

Oh, gods; please let me be getting punked, Marinette prayed.

            Oliver’s eyebrows went up, “Seven, huh, big family.”

           Roy hummed, “the Wayne-Queens certainly will be.”

“You mean the Queen-Waynes,” Oliver corrected, his hackles rising.

“Well, I figured since we’d be living in Gotham,” Roy didn’t even bother to hide his smirk. “We’d go by the Wayne-Queen family. I actually found this great place not too far from Wayne Manor. Plenty of room for the kids, maybe a dog or two; a rose garden. You know how Waynes are about their roses. You can visit whenever.”

           Marinette might have momentarily blacked out during this. It was how Marinette knew she had officially lost that round to Santa.

           Oliver and Dinah just looked at Roy; their entire bodies stiff.

           Dinah took a long drink from her wine glass, “Gotham has such a high crime rate. Have you considered Star City, Marinette?”

“I’ve never been,” Marinette said sweetly. “But I could live anywhere really. I’m pretty open.”

           Roy wrapped an arm around her shoulders, “Yes, but I figured you’d want to spend as much time with your family as possible. Jason’s my best friend. I love Gotham. It just works. Besides Bruce Wayne would make an amazing grandpa.”

           The grip Oliver had on his dessert fork made Marinette fear for Roy’s life. It was time to step in. “I suppose Robb or Thea would love a big backyard to play in.”

           That got the other three’s attention.

“Robb? Thea?” Oliver whispered. His throat was dry. His brain tried to process what was said.

“I wasn’t supposed to say anything. But Roy and I started talking one day and well,” Marinette trailed off. A soft pink blush appeared on Marinette’s face, enhancing her overall innocent aura. She had done background on the Queen family. “Our firstborn; if it’s a boy Robb as in Robert Thomas; for your father and my grandfather. If it’s a girl, Thea Sabine; for your sister and my mother. It was Roy’s idea. He knows how much you loved them.”

           It was then that Marinette got to check off one more wish off her list. It had been made as a joke in passing to Chloe and Kagami months ago. They had been having a girls’ night. When Chloe, ever prepared, asked what they wanted for Christmas. They had been watching a Justice League fight on the news. Marinette had laughed and said she wanted to show them up one day; make a superhero cry.

           However, watching The Green Arrow tear up while the Black Canary comforted himself, made her think that Santa took her to wish out of context.

           Roy was pulled into a big hug by his parents, and he sent her a vicious glare, and mouthed, “What did you do?”

           Oliver pulled back, wiped his eyes, and said, “You know; there’s nothing like a spring wedding in Star City.”

           Marinette threw down her napkin.

Fuck Santa.

-

           The news had a field day. The picture of Marinette in her dress and Roy in his designer suit was what everyone was talking about. The women of the view talked about her outfit. Wendy Williams talked about her outfit. It was as if Marinette was living in another universe.

           Nothing could bring her down.

“What the hell?” Jason asked as he picked her up for school. “Why the fuck is Roy spamming me with hate texts. Why the fuck is Oliver arguing with B over visitation rights to his grandchildren? Who the Fuck are Robb and Thea? And why the fuck is Dad asking Aquaman if Atlantis really sunk on its own, or if it had a little help?”

           Marinette tiled her head, “Is Papa planning on sinking Star City? And that’s forty dollars for the swear jar.” Her parents had implements after one too many curse words were thrown around.

“Worth it!” Jason said. “And yes, I’ve positive that’s what’s going to happen. It’s gonna be amazing. Also, he’s gonna kill Roy!”

“He deserves it,” Marinette crossed her arms.

“Hey!”

“He put his hand on my butt!”

           Jason paused and narrowed his eyes. “Correction. I’m gonna kill Roy.”

           Marinette rolled her eyes, but then she realized something. “Aren’t they’re usually two of you? Where’s the other one?” It was the routine. She was always escorted into school by two members of the Wayne family.

           Jason smirked, “You’ll see.”

           The paparazzi mostly screamed the usual things at her. At that point, she was used to it. It was the few changes at school that she was used to.

           Damocles had been fired for bribes and severe negligence. He was replaced by Mendeleev. Bustier had been fired for her role in Marinette’s expulsion without proper procedure and basically catering to bullies while blaming the victim. She replaced by a sterner teacher name Miss Reed. She was by the book and not afraid to call in the higher-ups if something smelled fishy.

           The first was any and all forms of bullying in class was no longer tolerated. The school had issued a zero-tolerance policy that the kids in Bustier’s class had felt immediately.

           The second was Lila’s supposed medical history. No doctor’s note, no special treatment. It was also required that Lila present a note from her mother regarding any future absences.

           The third was Adrien’s being pulled randomly out of class. CPS got involved real fast regarding child labor laws.

           The days of her classmates getting away with bloody murder were over. Reed saw everything. Everything.

           Alya, who had returned to class always avoided Marinette at all times. Her parents had given her the biggest talking to about respecting others’ right to privacy. Marinette had agreed to drop any legal charges against her former friend provided she adhere to the cease and desist order. The girl knew too much about Marinette. And Marinette needed to make it clear that she would bury the girl in lawsuits before she’d allowed even one-fourth of it to be made public.

           Jason had walked her to class. But he didn’t leave. Instead, he went directly to the back of the class and took a seat next to Chloe. He pulled out his phone and proceeded to ignore the curious looks from the students.

The blond eyed the ripped jeans, the overly sized red flannel shirt, and the beat-up leather jacket, “Grunge died in the 90s. Like it deserved.”

           Jason, not bothering to look up from his phone, “Paris Hilton said it’s cool that you plagiarized her look.”

           Chloe gasped.

           Marinette just looked up at the ceiling, knowing exactly how this was going to go. Chloe would not forgive this. Jason was an asshole. It would be war.

           Miss Reed walked in and didn’t look twice at Jason.

           Marinette narrowed her eyes; something was up.

           The class went on without a hitch though until just about the end of the first period…

           When Tim and a pretty, brown-haired, tanned skin, an older woman walked in the door. They looked to be having a pleasant conversation.

“Mama,” Lila gasped, her eyes wide. “What are you doing here?” She looked around frantically.

“Ooohhhh,” Marinette nodded. “Yeah, that makes sense.” That was what was happening. Operation: Get That Bitch.

“Oh!” Tim feigned surprised. “I didn’t know your daughter was in my sister’s class, Naomi.”

           Naomi had been pleasantly surprised when Tim Drake, the CEO of Wayne Industries reached out to speak to her about potential business ventures in Italy. He was in Paris visiting his sister and wanted an insider perspective on Italy’s economy and tourist information. Her bosses were thrilled. Wayne opening up a site in Italy would do wonders for the overall economic and industrial growth. Then they got to talking about a potential student exchange program that Wayne Industries were willing to fund.

           What Tim hadn’t told the Ambassador was that Wayne Industries had been scouting locations in Italy for their new plant for the last ten months. All the research was done. Everything was primed to go. Still, Tim was kind enough to ensure that Naomi Rossi received the credit for getting Wayne Industries on board.

Mrs. Rossi blinked in surprise, “I had no idea either. Lila, we’re here to discuss a potential international exchange program for kids all over the world. Tim wanted to say hello to his sister. Why didn’t you tell me you were friends with Marinette Wayne?”

           Marinette leaned forward in her seat. A slow smile spread across her face.

“I, well, I,” Lila struggled to say.

“We’re not the closest, Mrs. Rossi,” Marinette offered. “She’s always so busy, we haven’t had the time.”

“Ahh,” Tim snapped his fingers. “That Lila Rossi. Marinette told me all about her.” He crossed his arms. “Naomi, how was Achu? I haven’t gone yet. But from what Marinette’s told of Lila’s stories, you two go all the time. You become close to the royal family, yes?”

           Coldness went down to Naomi Rossi’s spine. She stiffened. Her eyes went to her daughter who had a look of dread on her face. Not this again, she nearly groaned. “There’s been some… confusion,” Mrs. Rossi said, gearing up every ounce of diplomacy she learned in her twenty-year career. Lila was so grounded after this. “A miscommunication, I suppose. My ambassadorship has taken my family to England, Spain, and Japan for a little while, and here in France, of course. However, nowhere else. We have never been to Achu. That is a bit above my paygrade, I’m afraid,” She laughed nervously.

           The class was as silent as a library. If Bustier was still there, a few students would’ve started yelling their complaints and cries for explanations. One or two would’ve started screaming at Lila for lying. But Bustier was gone. And the look Reed was giving her class, dared them to try.

           Tim chuckled, “Kids. When I was seven I swore I spent the summer in Greece with my parents. I didn’t find out until I was eleven that I was actually in Rome. What can you do?” He gave her his most charming smile. “England, was that where Lila met Jagged Stone? I think he’s from there.”

“Jagged who now?” Naomi asked. “The Rock Star? No, Lila’s never met him. She’s a huge fan though.”

“But he wrote a song about her!” Alya cried out. “She saved his cat from getting hit by a plane!”

           Miss Reed, “Alya, please raise your hand and keep to a reasonable level while inside. It will be detention if I have to tell you again.”

Miss Reed and Mendeleiev had agreed to The Wayne's suggestion of revealing Lila’s lies to the class. It was the only way they would believe it and that she could lie her way out of. It was unnatural the way the students trailed after the girl, simpering over grand stories and promises of famous connections. They needed to learn to rely on hard work and their own talent, not on how many famous people they might get to the chance to meet.

“A plane?” Mrs. Rossi asked, an affronted look on her face. “You think I would ever allow my child to be in such danger?” She looked at her daughter. “Your grandmother always said you would be a grand writer with all the stories you tell. You could’ve at least come with a sensible lie.”

“I can explain,” Lila said but whether she was talking to her mother or class was anyone’s guess.

           Rose raised her hand, “Lie? Lila can’t be lying. What about all the trips she takes with you? The charity organizations she runs? The famous people she knows like Clara Nightingale who always ask her for help. She’s close friends with Prince Ali. That’s why she’s always away from school. One time she was gone for weeks.”

           Naomi Rossi looked at her daughter, who did everything she could to avoid eye contact with her mother. “You told me that the school was closed due to the Akumas. It was a lie.” She looked at the teacher. “If the school wasn’t closed, Lila should have only missed three days of school this semester due to her being ill with the flu. She should have only missed seven to ten days in total last year. I do apologize, my daughter…” She gave Lila a dark look. “Seems to have a talent for tall tales.”

           Miss Reed stood up, “It’s a matter for the Principle. Her last teacher overlooked many things and wrote off what she couldn’t. Her schoolwork was done the year before; her grades were good enough to pass. She has not missed too many days so far; a few more than the average student but it happens. Any homework missed can still be made up. She is welcome in my class. However, when you get the chance, I would like make an appointment to discuss with you any medical accommodations she has that need to be addressed.”

           Mrs. Rossi crossed her arms, “She never wears her glasses. She has sensitive eyes that prevent her from wearing contacts. Without them, she can’t see more than a few feet ahead of her.” She looked straight at her daughter. “And she knows this.”

           Marinette wanted to bang her head against the desk. Why couldn’t Lila just say that? She’d have understood.

           Mrs. Rossi looked at the class, “I am so sorry for any trouble my daughter may have caused.” She looked at Tim. “I hope this doesn’t cast a negative light on any prospective business relations.”

           Tim shook his head, “Kids will be kids. Let’s continue to speak over lunch.”

“I’ll see you at home, Lila,” Mrs. Rossi said.

           Tim grinned, “Marinette, I’ll see you after school. Jason.”

           Jason got to leave only to stumble nearly down the stairs. He cast a quick glare at Chloe.

           The blond gave him a vicious smirk, “Walk much?”

“Oh it’s on,” Jason hissed.

           Marinette rolled her eyes. Last year, she had wished with all her might that her friends would see Lila for who she really was. Now the truth was out. Lila had been exposed.

           Regrettably, Marinette had already lost all her friends. And those who were still her friends, already knew the truth. So it wouldn’t change much. She’d had already forgiven her ex-friends a long time ago. Marinette just had to intention of being friends with them again. Still, it was a victory.

           Fuck Santa; this round went Marinette.

-

-

           The Justice League had been stunned when they learned that the masked hero Ladybug who was protecting Paris in an adorable bright red suit, who seemed to be made of sunshine, rainbows, and happiness was Batman’s daughter. Like so stunned that as soon as they saw her secret Identity of Marinette Dupain-Cheng, and her takedown of monsters twelve times her size; one or two (or twelve) asked Superman to take a DNA test too. Because Bruce Wayne wasn’t the only black-haired Superhero around, and you know things happen.

           …Batman hadn’t been happy when Oracle alerted him that someone in the Watch Tower was running his daughter’s DNA against Superman’s.

“How sure are we?” Hal Jordan asked. “The DNA results never came back. How do we know she’s not Big S’s?”

��          The main members of the Justice League were waiting for Batman and his family to arrive. Then they were would officially be introduced to the hero Ladybug.

           Superman glared, “Stop it. Batman already brought out the kryptonite the last time you mentioned it.”

           Wonder man nodded, “Her civilian self is the spitting image of Bruce.”

“All of his kids have dark hair and light eyes,” The Flash reminded them. “One of like seven or twelve, or however many he has now, we know for sure is his.”

“They are all his,” Black Canary stated with a growl. She and Oliver had adopted Roy when he was young but that didn’t make the boy any less hers.

           Just then the light of the zeta beam sounded and Batman and Ladybug appeared in the room. The clear contrast between the two was startling.

           The Dark, brooding, Knight of Gotham dressed in all black with a look on his face that could’ve made Superman wince in fear. Ladybug, dressed in bright red, with a big, cheerful, smile on her face and large blue eyes that looked positively mesmerized by the heroes.

“I brought cookies,” The small girl chirped as she motioned to the goodies in her hands. “And apple pie! It’s a family recipe. I made them myself. I really hope you like them.”

           Batman glared worsen to the point where a few Justice League members feared for their lives. The message was clear; they’d like them. Or else.

“I’m sure they’re wonderful,” Diana smiled. “Come on, let me show you where we’ll be meeting.

           Marinette tried not to stare in awe at her favorite superhero. “I also brought Vegan. And gluten-free cookies. I wanted to make sure everyone could get some.” She said as she was led away.

           The world-renowned heroes visibly cooed at the young hero. She was the most adorable thing they’d ever laid eyes on.

           The Flash laughed, “What did you bring, Bats?”

“Death,” Batman growled as stalked after his daughter.

           Cyborg swallowed hard. “I’m not saying you’re right,” He told Hal and Barry. “I’m saying for this type of situation; Maury is classier than Jerry Springer.”

           Superman groaned. They were going to get him killed.

“Apple pie!” The flash said. “She brought Apple, Clark; it’s a sign from the gods.”

           Ladybug briefing them on her hero journey had been riveting. The Justice League had always been aware of Ladybug's existence. Once aware of her, Diana had told them all the history of the Miraculous and how her own mother used to be one of the users. Ladybug, with Chat Noir for a time, handled herself and protected the city well. They saw no reason to interfere. The Justice League had strict rules of interfering with another’s heroes’ turf. They figured if Ladybug needs help, the hero would call on them. They never knew she was a child.

           Her age bothered them.

“She can’t protect the city,” Aquaman said. “We’ll need to step in.”

“Excuse me,” Marinette said.

           The Flash nodded, “We’ll need to run Intel. I’ll have Vibe take a look at things.”

“Wait! I don’t think you-” Marinette started but was cut off.

“The magic is ancient and powerful,” Hawkman interrupted. “We should call Constantine. Or Doctor Fate perhaps.”

           Ladybug shook her head, “That wouldn’t be a good idea!”

           Green Lantern waved her off, “It’s fine, kid. We’ll handle it. While we’re at it; consider joining Young Justice or Teen Titans. Get you some training before you call yourself a real hero. Until then stick with the little league team.”

           Marinette froze. What did he just say? White-hot anger coursed through her veins.

           And to think she always dreamed of meeting the Justice League; of standing face to face with the heroes after having proven herself; proven that she was just as much of a superhero as they. However, Marinette knew she was already a hero. And no one would tell her otherwise.

           The round went to Santa. But Marinette would have her due.

           Fuck Santa!

Superman said, “We’ll start having unplaced league members scouting the area. They’ll notify us at the first sign of Hawkmoth.”

“ENOUGH!” Marinette yelled. She growled at the heroes. “Who the hell do you think you are?” The silence that followed that question was deafening. “You know nothing of Hawkmoth; saw nothing of what I’ve been through. There is a reason I never called in the league. Superpowered individuals still have emotions; still anger. He can turn any of you into akumas. Get inside your heads; learn who you really are. You’ll be a toy for him. Batman brought me here to meet you; not for you to pretend you know how to do my job.”

           She glared at the room and then zeroed in on the Green Lantern. Within seconds, Ladybug had yanked him out of his seat, pulled the ring off his finger, and held by his collar as the man detransformed. “Real Hero? You think I’m not a real hero? I’ve fought monsters nightmares couldn’t even begin to fathom. You want to see what I’m capable of, Glow Stick? How about I take you to the nearest training room and see if you bleed green?”

           Batman stood up, “My team will be running point on the Paris situation; following Ladybug lead. You’ll refrain from entering the city of Paris until further notice. That is all.” He looked at his daughter and had to fight to keep the smile off his face. “Ladybug let Green Lantern go, and give him back his ring.”

           Ladybug huffed, “I’ll give him back his ring. And then I want ten minutes alone with him.”

           Hal gulped.

“No,” Batman said. “We must leave. You have to get ready for Winter break. Next time.”

           Ladybug glared and then dropped the hero on the ground. “Next time,” She promised.

           Then swiftly the father and daughter duo departed.

           Once the two were gone, Wonder Woman chuckled, “Anyone else want to question Ladybug’s Paternity. Anyone?”

           Barry had to fight the shivers that went through him. Ladybug had Batman’s glare and knew how to use it. “Nope. Never again.”

-

-

           Marinette’s first night in Gotham was memorable. The entire bat family had been waiting for Marinette when she arrived; Bruce, Alfred, Kate, Dick, Barbara, Jason, Cassandra, Tim, Stephanie, Luke, and Damian. Alfred, the man her brothers had deemed their grandfather, had welcomed her with open arms and a dinner that was more like a feast than a simple meal.

           On the outside, Wayne manor looked like any home in the neighborhood; quiet, idealistic, and seemingly perfect.

           On the inside, as soon as Bruce and Alfred stepped away for a moment, her siblings took her to the Batcave. It was as grand as she always imagined. Then someone (Tim) brought out lightsabers.

           Marinette thought it was a fancy version of the toy she used to love so much as a kid; her only complaint was that the plastic swords only came in green, red and the occasional blue. She really wanted a pink one and had put it on her Christmas list for two years straight.

           She pressed the button, only for the sword handle to heat up, and a pink laser rises out of it. “Tim?”

“Yeah?”

“…This is a real lightsaber,” The heat from the sword threated to burn or hand a little. Or worse. She’d seen all the movies. She knew how this usually ended up.

“Yep.”

           Marinette nodded slowly. Because what the heck.

“Just go with it,” Luke shrugged. “Just-just go with it.” He sounded like a defeated man. A tired one at that.

“Don’t be like that!” Dick smiled, “Family bond time is the best time.”

“Jedi versus Sith?” Marinette just asked.

           Tim pointed a bright gold lightsaber at her, “Jedi versus Sith.”

           Marinette looked around at the different colored and very, very dangerous lightsabers. There was no way this could possibly go well. And with the way her Kate, aka Batwoman, was smirking there was no way Alfred would consider her proper adult supervision. Someone was going to lose a hand. Or die. Most likely both.

           But she wouldn’t back down. This was more or less her eight-year-old self’s dream. It was also likely to get her killed.

           …Marinette would take those odds.

“What team am I on?” She asked.

           Cassandra shook her head, “Up to you. Good versus is a chose; just a game though,” She cast Stern looks at Jason, Tim, and Damian, who now sported black robes, clearly, by the Darth Maul make up that had somehow appeared on Damian’s face, were clearly Sith Lords.

           Santa thought this would scare her. That she would be cowed into submission. Finally admit defeat. Well, Marinette only had one thing to say to that. Two things actually.

“Give in to the dark side, sister,” Damian ordered her. His lightsaber was red and had two sides to it much like the character he matched.

           Marinette got into a fighting stance, “Not today.”

           And Fuck Santa.

           …

           Alfred and Bruce were not happy when they finally located the children.

           Or the fact that someone had to get their hand reattached.

--

--

           It was two to two. Christmas day had arrived. Marinette had expected the worst; had geared up for the worst.

           Nothing happened.

           Marinette spent the day with her family.

           Her parents had even arrived from Paris on the day before Christmas eve.

           They shared presents. They sang songs. The entire family was together. It snowed outside. She and all of her siblings had a snowball fight while her parents and Alfred watched from the porch.

           It was a perfect Christmas day.

           Except for one thing…

           Marinette knew the truth.

           The perfect day was the result of one thing…

           Santa was preparing too. He didn’t back down. The fight wasn’t over yet. He was too busy to mess with her on Christmas Eve or Christmas. Nevertheless, that didn’t mean anything.

           Everyone knew the Holiday season didn’t officially end until January 1st.

           After New Year’s eve.

           That was the final round.

           The match to end all matches.

           On New Years’ Eve, it would be war.

-

-

           Roy wore a tailored tux as he walked her down the carpet, passed the flashing lights of the paparazzi.

Marinette never thought she’d fight the most battle of her life in a ballgown. It was a jaw-dropping, off the shoulder, floor length silver dress with lacy unique floral accents. Her hair was in a side-braid with small forget-me-nots on top of her hair like a crown.

            It was her battle armor, and she was ready for anything.

           It was a promise, she made to herself.

           …

           Okay so it turns out, Marinette lied to herself.

           She wasn’t ready for anything. She did not stand a chance against Santa. He was a jerk. And she was six-second from throwing in the towel and running off crying.

           Marinette had known exactly who was attending the ball. She had memorized every guest on the list. Trying to figure out exactly what the fat guy who throws out her. As soon as she saw exactly which celebrities were coming. She knew.

           The first punch had been the man ten-year-old Marinette swore she was going marry. Harry freaking Styles.

           But Marinette had prepared herself.  It would be a quick conversation and then she wouldn’t speak to him for the rest of the night.

           When she met the superstar, Marinette had smiled and laughed; had a good conversation, wasn’t even awkward at all. She wasn’t the overly One Direction obsessed 10-year-old anymore.

           It was a hard hit, and the best conversation of her life, but Marinette didn’t go down.

           Santa’s next move was a cheap shot, and she stumbled.

           Marinette had been trying to find a quiet place to think for herself so could get strengthen up a bit but, to avoid one of her brothers (Dick), she collided straight into Nick Jonas and fell on her butt.

           She hadn’t even realized it at first as he helped her up.

“Thank you,” Marinette said kindly, as she brushed off her dress. When she looked up and saw exactly who had collided with, her face turned a bright red. “You’re Nick Jonas,” She squeaked; literally squeaked. She wanted to die.

           Nick Jonas. She loved Nick Jonas. She listen to all his songs; even his old Jonas Brothers ones. She had always wanted to meet the singer; she had dreamed about it.

“Yeah,” Nick smiled. “You alright.”

           No. Marinette was not alright.

           Still, she chirped a quick, “I’m fine.” And introduced herself.

           Then he said, “Love your dress.”

“I made it! I can make you one!” Slipped out before she could stop it. ��      

           He just laughed though, “How about a suit instead?”

           Yeah, so that happened.

           And the night just got worse from there.

           …

           Santa gave her a combo hit; worthy of a champion.

           Not many knew but Marinette was a huge Harry Potter fangirl. Hermione Granger was her all-time favorite. She was a hardcore Harmony shipper; Harry/Hermione forever.

           Tim knew it though. He was a big-time fan as well. And he thought it would be a great idea to introduce Marinette to the actress who played her favorite character; Emma Watson.

           It was not a good idea. At all.

The first words out of Marinette’s mouth upon seeing Emma Watson were literally, “It's leviOsa, not levioSA!”

And it was at the point that Marinette just wanted to call it a night.

Emma had laughed it off, promising she got it all the time.

…

Marinette met Chris Hemsworth and just wouldn’t stop giggling.

Stephanie had to pull her away.

It was then that she knew Santa had her on the ropes.

…

She met Big Time Rush.

The boy band had become internally famous over the last few years. Not as big as One Direction but they still had their dedicated fans. Marinette was one of them

Kendall Knight, James Diamond, Carlos Garcia, and Logan Mitchell. They were all eighteen

It should’ve have been easy. She liked their band but not nearly as much as she liked Harry Styles, or Emma Watson, Or Chris Hemsworth.

Still, she hadn’t seen James asking her to dance coming.

However, Marinette had remained calm and cool.

It’s a pity, she was still such a klutz.

Suffice to say, Marinette wouldn’t be listening to Big Time Rush for a while. And James Diamond wouldn’t be asking strange girls to dance any time soon.

Santa gave her a punch right in the face.

…

She ran into Tom Holland the exact moment she got the hiccups. He did his best to help her get rid of them

…

Marinette had just stuffed an entire cupcake in her mouth when she realized Jennifer Lawrence was standing next to her. It wasn’t too bad. As the blond did the same thing a second later.

…

She pointed at Johnny Depp and said, “Jack Sparrow. You’re Jack Sparrow. Oh my god!!!”

           To which he replied, “Captain Jack Sparrow.”

           …

           Suffice to say, Santa didn’t have Marinette on the robes anymore.

           No, Marinette was on the floor; waiting for the referee to call it.

           …

           It was an hour until the official New Year. Fifteen minutes until Marinette was supposed to perform. She was backstage. Everyone was waiting for her. She promised Tim.

And she found that she just couldn’t do it.

           The entire night was too much.

           It was all too much.

           It was over.

           She had lost.

“Rough night?” Roy, her date and pretend boyfriend asked.

           Marinette was sitting on a chair, her face in her hands, “You have no idea.”

           Roy sat next to her, “Pretty exciting though right?” He didn’t get an answer. “Tim said you met Emma Watson, that had to be awesome.”

“It was embarrassing.”

           Roy frowned, “Sabine told me you used to dress up as Hermione Granger all time. You’re saying meeting the Queen herself wasn’t even a little cool?”

           Yeah, it had been amazing to meet her in person. “A little cool.”

           Roy chuckled, “You met Harry Styles,” He reminded. “And from your blond bestie told me; my only real competition.”

           Marinette giggled. “That had been… awesome.” And everything.

“You met Chris Hemsworth,” He added. “Tom Holland, Big Time Rush, and a bunch of other celebs that I’ve been told you were huge fans of. Yeah, you were a little embarrassed.” He shook his head. “But I don’t get it; I’d be so psyched right now if I were you. So why aren’t you.”

           Marinette paused.

           Why wasn’t she?

           Marinette had met people she never even dared to really hope she’d ever meet one day. She wore the most beautiful dress in her entire life; danced with Roy Queen and James Diamond. Joked with Harry Styles. Talked Emma Watson the actress who played the character she loved most out of all the books, tv shows, and movies she’d ever loved.

           It was all a matter of perspective really. Marinette was so focused on the bad, she never even realized just how great it was. Santa had thrown the worst at her but was still there. She hadn’t run back to Wayne Manor no matter how much she had wanted to. She stayed strong.

           At one point, she knew for certain that she wouldn’t just surrender; after the Chris Hemsworth incident. If Santa wanted to win, he was going to have to knock her out.

“Thanks, Roy,” She said. “I couldn’t wish for a better date.”

           It was the most amazing night of her life.

           And no one was going to make her feel otherwise.

           Marinette stood up, determination on her face.

           She had a song to sing.

           …

           Marinette stood on stage. The crowd looked up at her. Her hands were shaking. Her mouth felt dry. The lights were near blinding.  She had changed the song at the last minute. The music was coming from her phone anyway.

           Marinette knew the lyrics to the song by heart; had sung it a thousand times in her room to herself.

           She could do this.

I will do this, Marinette swore.

           The music started. It was her favorite song. And Marinette was going to sing it so loudly, so proudly; they could hear her in the North Pole.

“What if I told you

It was all meant to be

Would you believe me

Would you agree

It's almost that feelin'

That we've met before

So tell me that you don't think I'm crazy

When I tell you love has come and now.”

           She was doing it. Marinette was really doing it. She always had a good voice. She had taken singing lessons for a long time. And her teachers always praised her talent. But after one terrible incident, she never thought she’d ever get on stage and sing in front of anyone again.

           But there she was.

“A moment like this

Some people wait a lifetime

For a moment like this

Some people search forever…

           Honestly, Marinette could fall right on her face and it would stop the euphoric feeling coursing through. This was her victory song.

           Jolly Saint Nick had thrown at her more than she ever thought she could take. But she was still standing.

           And as long as she was, the big red guy would never win.

For that one special kiss

Oh, I can't believe it's happening to me

Some people wait a lifetime

For a moment like this…”

The music faded. The applause from the audience roared.

…

Marinette and Roy slow danced to something my Celine Dion neither could recognize. The New Year was less than two minutes away.

“You’re looking a lot better,” Roy smirked. He knew he was good at Pep talks to matter what Artemis said.

“I feel better,” Marinette admitted. “It’s been an awesome few weeks.”

“Yeah?” Roy asked as he twirled her around.

           Marinette nodded, “Nearly Every. One. Of. My. Christmas wishes came true.” She tried not to growl. Positive outlook after.

“Santa must be out to get you.”

           Marinette looked up at Roy with appreciation, “You have no idea.”

“Anything he didn’t get to?” The redhead asked. “Something you can do for yourself first?”

“Countdown to New Years in 10!”

           Marinette thought about it for a second but she realized there was. There was one more thing on her list, that she added at the very beginning of Christmas.

“Yeah, there is.” She said. “Do you want to kiss me.”

           Roy nodded earnestly.

           The crowd counted down. “7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1” And then Marinette kissed Roy.

           Balloons came from above. Everyone cheered. But Marinette kept kissing Roy.

           She always wanted a New Year’s kiss.

           Take that and stick it up your chimney, Santa.

           Marinette was officially the winner.

           Nevertheless, there was always next year.

           But for now, fuck Santa!

[arllenn]

Maribat au - big sis tomb raider mari

(Salt not Adrien friendly)

- the prelude -

• same as cannon only the temple is never brought back in feast, the building itself is brought back but the monks are gone Mari may be a powerful ladybug because she’s a true holder but they’ve been dead for a century and she has a cap on her powers because of her age (Chloé also only leaves for about a month or two)

•before fu goes bonk he actually teaches mari some shit abt the miraculous and the order. (The language, history and as much magic as he can)

•after she becomes the guardian she no longer has the time for class drama and resigns as class pres

•she can also train with past guardians and holders of any miraculous that she’s used (only ones that have died already so in this au not hippolyta or Alfred)

•she throws herself into finding out who hawkmoth is because now she has a secret order to rebuild and she’s done with not being able to cry

•she tells chat noir at their next battle to shape up after he almost gets her killed because stealing a kiss is more important than the battle at hand

•chat throws a fit and doesn’t show up for a while(how long is up to the writer)

• during all of this we still have lila and her classmates being dickheads so she has to deal with being all alone cause Adrien doesn’t have her back and she knows this because it’s been months and he hasn’t helped her once

•mari gets close to a previous ladybug who teaches her how to remain herself while putting up a front to intimidate the enemy (she uses this to appear disinterested in lila and her classmates effectively telling them fuck off idc what you think)

•after Lila says that marinette pushed her down the stairs again mari gets harmed in some way and decides to take tomoe up on her offer to learn fencing (as a result she and Kagami get closer)

•mari brings up wanting to be able to carry a self defense weapon on her person at all times but also doesn’t want to carry something like a taser or a knife so Kagami suggests war fans

•mari is like hell yea because a. She’s now closer to her culture and b. They look sick and she’s been wanting a style change for some time now

•Chloé is back at this point and sees what’s happening in the class and is like wtf

•while away she decided to improve herself so when she sees this she begrudgingly is like fuck it alliance

•mari and Chloé after an apology and a few tenative weeks become friends

•they have their style change together we now have techwear and occasional soft girl mari who constantly has a fan on her that matches with her outfit

•thanks to her training with the Tsurugis she now has an excuse for being so well versed in self defense

•she makes Chloé and Kagami permant holders and while Luka always has sass on him she only tells him to transform when she’s positive she needs him (watching your friends die time and time again and having the future of everything weigh on you being able to turn back time is stressful and she doesn’t want to fuck Luka up like fu fucked her up)

•at this point mari has also gotten closer to aurore who starts to run a blog once the ladyblog goes to shit and gets the turtle

•unlike the others she’s a hero whose focused on the citizens, she gets them to saftey and defends them if they get caught up in a battle rather than fighting Akumas directly

•chat noir hasn’t been present in any battles so they’re easier for mari and it reduces her stress over it

•they discover gabriel is hawkmoth (how it is is up to the writer)

•they have a showdown in which chat defends Gabriel because ‘he could never be hawkmoth what are you doing’

•because of this mari now has both the ladybug and the black cat miraculous on her during the fight with hawkmoth

•she ends up having to use both at the same time bacause training or not that power cap is a bitch when she’s fighting two people who don’t have it

•divine being mari because the two miraculous if not used to make a wish will just transfer the power it would take to make the wish into whoever combined them

•she beats hawkmoth and says fuck it hands him and Mayura over to the cops and peace’s out

•she doesn’t take back the miraculous from her team only Adrien gabe and nath

•she then chills out for the remainder of the school year and decides to visit the temple during the summer

•(wether she told her parents about everything or got disowned is up to you)

•by this point mari has made plenty of money as mdc and can afford to just fuck off to Tibet and rent an apartment for the summer

•(if she goes alone or with someone else is up to you)

•she spends the summer recovering all that she can from the temple (scrolls, additional miraculous, a grimoire that all guardians use)

•so by the time she returns to France for her senior year she’s got a good grip on magic and what she needs to do starting with recovering a box of miraculous that was apparently lost before the temple even fell

•she works with the others to pinpoint where they could be (museums, ruins, family heirlooms, buried under centuries of dirt, at a thrift or jewelry shop)

•eventually she ends up in Gotham for her senior trip

•where she gets caught up in a two face/scarecrow attack at Wayne enterprises (dick was leading the tour so he can’t get away to nightwing and Damien stuck around because it was either help with the tour or school and he fucking hates it there)

•she slips away and transforms (pleas e I’m begging for a costume change the onzie is hella ugly)

•comes back and kicks ass fixes the damage so no one needs the actual cure to fear toxin and peace’s out again

•she ends up doing it a few more times while she’s there somehow always around Damien/Robin (hes like 12-13)

•she nails him out of a bad joker situation (use your imagination) and he’s like yes my sister my hella suspicious sister I’ve adopted you now 😌

• so that’s how she ends up eating dinner in her ladybug get up with the Wayne’s

•she decides to go to college at gotham academy cause Gotham needs healing and there’s more than one miraculous in this town

•so now here she is tellin robin/Damien that she’ll be back in like a week or two because she needs to get everything in Paris sorted out before she chills here

•(wether they know ladybug = marinette is up to you)

•she goes back to Paris to finish out the school year going back to Gotham on the weekends to heal it the best she can and hang out with her cool murder baby brother

•she gets along with Jason the best after Damien cause it’s fun to fuck shit up with someone who is just as chaotic as you but slightly adjacent

•no romantic parings with any of the batfam cause she sees them all as her family (if she has a romantic thing going on with someone it’s probably with Chloé cause I’m a hoe for Chloénette)

•eventually Damien has a really bad day and he calls her at what he’s to be 1 am because he almost killed someone again and he just wants to be distracted from it

•so mari takes him to some old ruins she was planing on going to

•que Damien coming into the dinning room the next day with a magic sword and looking surprisingly content

•now mari is just the cool tomb raider sister who will takes Damien ruins when he’s feeling down hands him some cookies and let him sleep over

•eventually she gets caught stealing from a museum and now Bruce is talking about what a bad influence she is on Damien and how she’s not allowed to see him anymore and she’s like 😦

•ends up explaining everything (if they didn’t know her identity before they know it now)

•and Bruce is like wow shit do you need a parental figure

•mari now has been officially adopted as a Wayne

And there it is tomb raider mari. Idk if people are interested i could write an actual fic or go into more detail on certain parts

[ladyanput]

Seeing Green Ch.11

I gave zero fucks this chapter. I promise I'll make up for it in the next one.

---

    Marinette stared down at her cell phone with a blank look, before she took in a deep breath, raising her gaze to Bruce, who was sitting across the table from her. She and the Waynes were seating in the dining hall, with the kwami from the Miraculous box flying around, exploring everything they could get their tiny hands on.

    “Mr. Wayn- um, Bruce? I was thinking, since you said you were going to get the Justice League in on the entire Paris situation, I want my team in on it too.” Marinette said firmly as Alfred set down a delicate china cup in front of her, filled with fragrant, flowery tea. 

    “You have a team? I thought you just had the pervy cat.” Jason rose a brow, his hand clenched tight around a mug of coffee. He had been tense ever since they had returned to the manor without Eva, but was holding himself together rather well. 

    “Oh, I have three other members in my team. Queen Bee, Viperion, and Ryuko.” Marinette sipped the tea, then hummed in approval. She motioned to Wayzz, who made his way down and indulged himself in some of the tea as well. “They are keeping Paris safe while I’m away. I find it odd, from what they’ve told me there has been no akuma attacks in the city since I left.”

    “Maybe the crazy butterfly man is taking a holiday?” Tim snorted as he downed his coffee as well, ignoring a glare from Damian. “Or maybe he left the country?”

    “Angel, are you sure Paris would be safe if you brought your team here and left the city unattended?” Damian reached over and gently took her hand, lacing their fingers gently. He smiled at her and gave her hand a gentle squeeze. “I just mean that, I wouldn’t want anyone hurt.”

    “I’m sure. A lot of things need to be done now, thanks to all that’s happened.” Marinette got to her feet, a determined look on her face, her blue eyes sparking with a fierceness. “I need to find Hawkmoth, I need a stable team and I just want this all over. I mean, first I need to find a new Black Cat holder, then I need to introduce Lady Vixen to the team, and hopefully Alya won’t be akumatized, and-”

    “Miss Marinette.” Alfred quieted her by setting a hand on her shoulder when he noticed the girl had begun to tremble. The older gentleman gave her a kind smile and a gentle pat on the shoulder. “There is no need to fret for now. Just take a deep breath, your parents are on a flight over here, remember? They are due to arrive in a few hours, perhaps you should just take some time to collect yourself? You were just faced through many traumatic incidents in only a short week, so I suggest just laying low for at least a day?”

    “Alfred’s right. If you get too worked up right now, you’re going to overexert yourself, maybe even make rash decisions.” Bruce gave the girl a kind smile, then after a moment of silence, he nodded. “But once your parents are here and settled, you can bring your team here without issue, then we can contact the League. Hawkmoth has tormented Paris long enough and he needs to be dealt with before it gets too far out of control.”

    Marinette visibly relaxed, but then tensed when she heard the sound of someone running. Evangeline appeared in the doorway, clutching the Fox miraculous tightly in her hand and seeming visibly shaking.

    “Eva, what happened, are you okay?” Marinette took a step towards her, but Eva held a hand up, stopping her in her tracks. “Eva?”

    Evangeline was quiet as she went over and embraced Jason tightly, buried her face in his chest and trembled. Jason held her close, concern flickering across his features before he led her out of the room before anyone could say a word.

    Marinette stared after them before she hugged herself tightly. What on earth had happened?

    …

    When Marinette’s parents arrived and rushed to embrace her, the young girl let loose the tears she had been holding in. She wept and sobbed in her mother’s embrace, while her father talked quietly with Bruce, thanking the man for paying for their tickets to get to Gotham.

    “Well I know she would have wanted her family with her after facing such an experience. And the two of you must have been worried sick when you heard that Marinette had gone missing.” Bruce shook Tom’s hand, exchanging a look with Damian as a confused look crossed the parents’ faces.

    “We were never informed. We only heard about it when you called us, Mr. Wayne.” Sabine admitted, fury brimming at the edge of her tone as she spoke. She held her daughter tighter as realization settled in. “We had never been told about the incident with the other villain either.”

    “I-I’m so sorry, Mama, I should have called, I’m so so sorry..” Marinette hiccuped as she tried to wipe away her tears, her nose and eyes red from crying.

    “You mean to tell me Caline never called you? She never once informed anyone of what happened in Gotham?” Evangeline, in a much better state now, looked ready to take something heavy and go beat up one Miss Caline Bustier. “She should have called you the moment she realized Marinette was missing! The moment she knew that your daughter was being held captive with a gun to her head! Tom, Sabine, I’m sorry that I didn’t call.”

    “That’s enough, both of you” Sabine’s firm tone made any more apologies die off both ladies’ lips. “What matters is that Marinette is safe and that horrible boy is in jail. Honestly, I hope his foolish father doesn’t try to turn this around on her.”

    “Knowing Gabriel Agreste, he’ll get his secretary to handle everything while he stays back in his mansion and cries about his missing wife.” Eva commented dryly, crossing her arms and grinning when she heard a giggle leave Marinette’s lips. “Okay, enough of this sappy stuff. I am starving and I think we’ve all cried enough for one day. No one is dead, so let’s get some dinner and talk about our course of action from here, such as getting Marinette home.”

    “But the Wayne Gala!” Marinette blurted out the words before she could stop herself. She suddenly looked sheepish at all of the stares being sent her way, and shifted uncomfortably. “I-it’s in a few days and I was really looking forward to attending. Please? I made Eva and I dresses and everything.”

    “I don’t know…” Tom’s brow furrowed as he didn’t quite grasp why his daughter didn’t want to leave the city where she had faced such horrible things. But when he caught sight of how one of the Wayne boys and his daughter were looking at each other, it clicked, it was the same look he always gave Sabine. The two of them were in love, even if they didn’t realize it yet. “Well… One or two days couldn’t hurt, but afterwards we’re going straight home and contacting the school board about this entire incident. It wouldn’t have happened in the first place if your teacher had been more careful.”

    There were many hums of agreement and Marinette hugged her father tightly, squealing in excitement. She’d get the dream night, one last perfect night with Damian before she had to go home to Paris and deal with the headache that is her class and the torment that is one Lila Rossi.

…

Gabriel frowned as he entered the filthy, disgusting Gotham police station with Natalie. This is why he hated going out in public, people were so disgusting, so sloppy and uncouth. He had to get his son out of here before they all corrupted him.

"Pardon me." Natalie stepped forward towards the reception desk, her face a perfect blank slate as she gazed the woman at the desk now. "We are here to take Adrien Agreste home."

"Are you his legal guardian?" The woman behind the glass rose a brow, before Gabriel stepped forward and showed his ID. The receptionist nodded and pushed a button on the com. "Commissioner, Adrien Agreste's legal guardians are here."

Gabriel felt an irk of irritation as a gruff looking cop stepped through the doors, eyeing the duo before holding out his hand.

"Commissioner Gordon. I take it you're Gabriel Agreste? Sorry that we had to meet under these circumstances." Gordon kept his hand held out, but when he got none in return, he dropped his hand and guided the man back towards the cells, where Adrien was being kept. 

Adrien was found curled up in a corner, looking dazed, his left cheek covered in scratches from Lady Vixen's sharp claws.

"Son, what have you done this time?" Gabriel stepped forward, barely hidden fury being heard in his tone. Adrien raised his gaze and met his father's, allowing Gabriel to see the madness in his eyes.

"Father, I had my Miraculous taken away."

…

Marinette sighed as she stepped into the library and saw Eva sitting in one of the comfy chairs, staring down at her Miraculous with Trixx on her shoulder.

"Evangeline, what happened today?" Marinette stepped forward and nearly froze when Trixx's and Eva's eyes snapped up, both pairs of eyes the same shade of unearthly purple.

"I don't deserve this Miraculous." Eva blurted out, moving to unclasp the necklace, but Marinette quickly moved to stop her, her gut clenching at the sight of the shakiness in Eva's eyes. "Marinette, I'm a loose cannon, I attacked Adrien so easily, I-"

"Why did you, though? I've seen you angry, but never so ready to cause physical harm like that. I mean, it was so out of left field for you." She hugged her friend, giving her back a few gentle pats.

"... My ex boyfriend said the same thing to me. I was trapped because he had me in this horrible abusive relationship and I didn't ever leave because… Because he kept threatening to kill himself." Eva stared down at her trembling hands, before letting out a shaky whimper. "One day I did. And as I was shoving my bags into my car, he came out of the house with a gun. He called me name, put the barrel in his mouth, and-"

Marinette didn't need to know the rest.

"But I saw a therapist and I worked through that shit. He did that to hurt me, to spite me. It wasn't my fault, he would have done anything to control me or to hurt me. So that's why I'm so adamant on you seeing a therapist, sugar cookie." Eva took her hand gently, giving it a squeeze. "It wasn't your fault. It was never your fault, Adrien was bound to do this because no one ever told him no, no one ever taught him right. Yes, like Plagg explained, the Miraculous may have corrupted him, but that shouldn't excuse him from what he did."

Marinette was quiet for a long time, trying to digest those words as she left the library, allowing Trixx to talk to her newfound kit in peace.

Marinette wandered the halls of Wayne Manor, her mind just… Gone. Off trying to process all that had happened to her in only a few days. When she finally came out of her senses, she found herself standing in front of Damian's bedroom door. With a small smile, she knocked.

Damian answered the door, his eyes lit with concern as soon as he realized who it was. But before he could get a word out, Marinette reached up and pulled him down for a soft kiss.

"Thank you. Thank you so much for respecting me." 

"Angel, where did this come from?" Damian let out a surprised laugh as he gathered Marinette close, giving her forehead a soft kiss.

"Today just made me realize that if you find shut that treats you right, you should never let him go." Mari shrugged and smiled, pulling him in for another kiss.

Tim, who decided to exit his bedroom just at that very moment, made a gagging noise and went off to discuss with his brothers that he needed to stop coming across random make out sessions. It was getting utterly ridiculous.

…

Marinette set the Miraculous box down on the coffee table, as the Wayne family watched. She pulled out what looked like a pair of glasses, and smiled as Kaalki gave her a muzzle, then opened up a portal.

Out of the portal stepped Chloé Bourgeois, Luka Couffaine, and Kagami Tsurugi. The trio brightened at the sight of Marinette and rushed forward, old friends hugging onto each other for dear life.

"Are you sure the League will listen this time?" Kagami took a step back, wearily eyeing Bruce Wayne. "They've been ignoring our calls for years."

"They'll listen, we'll make them listen if it's the last thing we do." Marinette said firmly.

Soon the entire team was down in the Bat cave, facing the monitor. Ladybug stood with Ryuko, Queen Bee, Viperion, and Lady Vixen as the Justice League came onto the screen.

She forced a smile as she introduced herself, and fought back tears as she thought of the partner that would never be introduced.

If only she had been stronger, she could have saved him.

Taglist: @realrandomposts @interobanginyourmom @ladybug-182 @ladylb @zalladane @mochinek0 @persephonebutkore @urbanpineapplefarmer @vixen-uchiha @angelofmusickaterinapetrova @thewheezingbubbledragon @northernbluetongue @violatiger8 @thequestionablyhuman @ginamarie1512 @maude-zarella @2sunchild2 @saphiraazure2708 @ayuchan07 @virgil-is-a-cutie @thepeacetea

[gotmilk5101520]

Trollhunters: Tales of Arcadia Watch Episode 10 Young Atlas

Keep it crispy.

“I think i just broke my butt” Hey, i brake my butt everyday.

“You would have been just deprived”

“of your right leg”

“three fingers”

“and your gronk-nuks” Jim could do without his right leg and three fingers. But his gronk-nuks? Hey he need that for- Err... Never mind.

“I’m a little preoccupied about kissing Claire”

“I don’t understand” Nobody understands kissing.

Lift the boy.

“What is this kissing?”

“When two people like each other”

“They put their mouths together”

“And depending on how much you like them, the longer the kiss”

“Sometimes for hours” Yeah for hours when you’r- Never mind again.

“Disgusting”

“Killing sounds easier” Killing someone is easier than kissing someone.

“Draal, i really like her”

“If i blow our first kiss”

”I might not get a second”

“Or a third” Or a fourth. Or a fifth. Or a sixth. Or a seventh. or an eighth. or a ninth. or a tenth. Or an eleventh. Or a twelfth. Or a- Okay you guys get my point.

“I once had similar stirrings”

“For an Impure” “Impure? You mean a changeling, right?” “What happened between me and Nomura is none of your business” “I never said Nomura” “Shit” “So, what was your-” “Leave it or i won’t help you” “Okay”

“If these “girls“ require you not to be afraid”

“Then you need a Grit-Shaka”

“Is that a protein shake?” Protein shake the Grit-Shaka.

“Mr. Six-Eyes and Big Scary name...”

“Blinky and Aaarrrgghh”

“You should’ve seen how he stood up for him against the old goat man”

“Vendel?” Wait how does Strickler know which one is Blinky, Aaarrrgghh, and Vendel?

“Wish they could stay that age forever, right?” *Laughs in Irony*

“Mr. Strickler’s out today, so i’m subbing. He asked me to fill in to teach you some history”

“So without further ado, i present Gun Robot 3!” That’s how you teach history.

“What if i do it weird?”

“What if i can’t breathe?”

“Look at her. Look at her!”

“How can she be so calm?” Yeah she’s “calm” alright.

“It’s just acting Mare. Nothing more” Yeah not like there’s going to be a second kiss. Or a third. Or a fourth. Or a fifth. Or a sixth. Or a seventh. or an eighth. or a ninth. or a tenth. Or an eleventh. Or a twelfth. Or a- Okay you guys get my point.

They’re hopeless. And i thought Marinette and Adrien were hopeless.

“What you two need is a little chemistry lesson”

“Chemistry? Wait, Mary, don’t”

“Coach Lawrence? Jim took seat”

“Lake, give her back her seat” Not paying attention.

“Talk to her!” “Talk? Uh...” “...” “... Hey”

“So...”

“This is awkward, right? Stage kiss”

“And they say comedy is hard” No, comedy is hard. Cause you make one joke, one joke, then everyone might be offended and hate you for the rest of your life all cause of one joke that you had no idea on how much it offends someone cause you were young and stupid and had no idea about anything, and now you’re afraid that you may offended someone with your terrible jokes and they will hate you. But yeah comedy is hard.

“Wait, wait, wait. I’m sorry. Time out, time out”

“Draal, our Draal, is helping you with chicks?” Draal the Love Expert.

“I’m not just cool, Tobes”

“I’m crispy”

“Crispy?” Crispy.

“Bring on the surprise!”

What the fuck is that?

“This is the Teacher’s Lounge, Senor Lake. Students are forbidden”

“Which is exactly why i’m here. Testing limits, breaking rules”

“Plus...”

“Ah... best java in school”

“Thing is, i don’t even like coffee” I agree. I don’t like coffee.

“Hey, everybody. Jimmy Lake here”

“Just a quick reminder for everybody to keep it crispy” Crispy.

“Well Toby, if you need me, i’m going to make a list” “A list of what?” “101 Reasons Why i Should Not Marry Jim Lake Jr” “Shouldn’t it be 101 Reasons Why You Should Not Date Jim Lake Jr?” “No, just marry”

Wait, Strickler said they were going to speak to Gunmar tonight, but it’s still the same day. This whole episode happens in a day, but this implies that it’s already night. Or did Strickler and NotEnrique’s conversation happen the same day as when Jim was asking Draal for advise? Cause it would make more sense for this whole to have happened last night.

“Father”

“Father, your release from exile will soon be at hand-” “Who the *Honk* are you?” “It’s me. Your son Bular”

“Son? I don’t have a son. I have a daughter and her name is Pearl! Where is she?! Squidward!” “Which one is Squidward?” “That would me. Spongebob” “Baa-haa-haa-haa-haa!” “Here is your dress, and wig. Pearl”

“Squidward, you have done a job well done. But from now on, me daughter will be giving the orders. Now i would like to speak with me daughter alone” “I thought after all these years of being trapped he would finally get his act together”

“It’s Draal. I mean, it’s Jim. But it’s Draal’s fault”

“Did Draal kill him?” That’s the first thing that Blinky thinks of.

“Crazy?”

“Yeah! It’s like he’s drunk or something” This show got away with saying drunk.

“Not as sweet as thee. milady” Suddenly Chat Noir.

“You rewrote Shakespeare?”

“Oh. A car chase” “What? Wait this is just 1996 movie adaptation starring Leonardo DiCaprio”

“And what’s with all the deaths?

“Gosh! What is this, a tragedy?” There are a lot of mangas that i could think of right now.

“What’s going on?”

“You used to be the nicest guy”

“Now you’re throwing parties”

“Trashing my house”

“And now this?”

“This isn’t you, Jim” Claire getting more and more and more sus.

Yeet the boy.

“No kiss then?”

“No skin off my back!”

“Didn’t want it anyway!”

There three types of people. You’re either Miss. Janeth and you’re thinking “What just happened?” Or you’re Mary and you’re thinking “No my otp” Or you’re Eli and you’re thinking “Aw! What about the car chase?”

“Give me a tattoo of a broken heart”

“With a crack in the middle”

“And make it weep”

That would kill him, right?

Have some Blinky is done with his son’s bushigal.

”For the glory of Merlin”

“Daylight is”

“Mine to command!”

“Holla!”

Drugs are bad kids.

“There you are, you ugly Troll! And what an ugly dress you’re wearing!” “Why you”

“I bet that hurt-”

And he’s down.

And there goes the Grit-Shaka.

“Master Jim!”

“GAH!” Goblins ruins everything.

“Pathetic that you meet your end in a sewer”

“Young Atlas”

“Atlas too carried the weight of the world on his shoulders”

“Watch yourself, Young Atlas”

“Take care of your back, Young Atlas”

Exposed.

“Oh, oh! Toby!”

And no one saw that.

“Also, you’ve been a real turd today” What an odd way to say dick.

“Thanks for saving my neck. I owe you one”

“Yeah great”

“Just don’t ever say “Crispy” again” Fucking crispy.

Oh, hey. Cars. Where were these a few minutes ago?

“Oh, a t- A test?”

“Yes. To test you Mr. Squidward. Now tell me, who’s this ugly guy right here?” “I’ll go get the dress”

“You will kill the boy and free me with his Amulet” If it weren’t for Netflix subtitles, i wouldn’t understand what Gunmar was saying. Next time can Gunmar talk into a mic that doesn’t sound like he’s trying to eat it?

No more crispy, okay?

I wonder what’s for dinner?

[mochegato]

Even the Losers

Chapter 26

Chapter 1     Chapter 25

“Who’s on Pixie duty now?” Jason asked gruffly, not bothering to look up from the computer in the cave.  His face was scrunched in concentration as he reviewed the reports from the last few days.  He punched buttons at the computer like they personally offended him.  His frown deepened with each hit.

“Timmy,” Dick chirped lightly.  He continued stretching to prepare for their evening patrol. He caught sight of the uneven bars with a grin when stretched backward.  Marinette would probably be amazing on those.  He really had to invite her to join him in the gym again.  It had only been about a week, but that was a week too long.  Not to mention, he hadn’t had a chance to really talk to really talk to her about that dinner.  He’d hung out with her the day after, but it was also the day after she had gotten captured by the Riddler, so that was what he focused on, checking for signs of trauma.

And on top of that, he hadn’t had a chance to have a conversation about Adrien since Duke’s poetry reading and she’d shut that conversation down so quick and hard, he hadn’t gotten any information and had backed off for a while.  Which meant they hadn’t gotten any more information on Adrien than they had a week ago.  At this point, he was considering doubling up the effort and interrogate… talk! talk to Adrien directly while someone distracted Marinette.

“Duke,” Tim corrected with a yawn.  “Our meeting got over a while ago.  Duke took over until,” he nodded toward Bruce on the other side of the cave, going through his utility belt, “takes over.  Pretty sure she and Max made it home a little over an hour ago.  Why?”

“There’s a lot of chatter going on.  Black Mask looks like he’s preparing for something. Someone said he mentioned a ‘Princess’,” Jason answered distractedly.

Dick stopped stretching to come up next to him at the computer, looking at the reports as well.  “And you think this ‘Princess’ is Marinette?”

Jason nodded, his eyes never straying from the files on the screen.  “Makes the most sense.  They’re all taking their turns it seems.  It’s sheer damn luck that Riddler’s the only one to have gotten her so far.  I think Blackie is gearing up for his turn.”

Dick nodded as he looked over the same reports Jason had been looking at.  “We can double up security.  Two people on her at all times.  Anyone know her schedule for tomorrow?”

“She is assisting her friend to move his things into his new apartment,” Damian answered without looking up.  He adjusted his belt as he walked out of the changing area. “After that, she is coming to the manor to work on self-defense.”

The cave became suddenly silent.  Everyone but Bruce, who wasn’t paying attention to their side of the cave at all, turned to stare at him.  Dick’s lips split into a proud grin, but Tim and Jason just stared. “What the fuck is happening right now?” Stephanie whispered to nobody.

Damian turned to her with a scowl.  “If she’s going to insist on walking around without guards, as far as she knows, it is prudent for her to know how to protect herself. It will save us time and reduce danger,” he answered.  His voice was low and condescending as if talking to a child.  “And what are you doing here anyway?  Tonight is not your patrol night.”

Stephanie raised an eyebrow and held up her bowl of food. “I’m out of food in my apartment.”

“And you couldn’t just get some?” he asked flatly.

“That’s why I’m here,” she answered mirroring his condescending tone and held her bowl up higher this time.  “Duh.”

Damian glared at her and turned back to Dick. “As far as I know she was not planning on being here very long.  After that, I do not know her plans.”

Dick shook his head.  “That’s great Damian.  I’m proud of you for getting to know her and sharing something important to you with her.”

“As long as he isn’t intending to kill her during the spars,” Tim murmured, “and save the rogues the trouble.”

“Yeah, Demon Spawn,” Jason piped up, “you know the point of this is training, not hurting, right?”

“And she’s a civilian,” Tim stressed.

“That means pull your punches,” Stephanie added, struggling to get the words out around her food without spilling any of it.

Dick glared at them and waved them off.  “Of course he knows that,” he chastised them.

Damian gave Dick a curt nod in gratitude.  Dick smiled and patted him on the shoulder. He watched Damian for a few seconds, his smile becoming slightly more strained.  “Have you taught a civilian to fight before?” he asked cautiously.  “I mean… did you want help?  I can come over.  I wanted to spend time with her anyway.”

Damian shoved Dick’s hand off of his shoulder. “I do not require your assistance. I assured her it would just be the two of us.  I will not go back on that.”

Jason’s smirk at Dick’s words immediately dropped. His face instantly contorting into controlled anger.  “Why would that be important to her?”

Tim blinked at him, but whipped his head to Damian, immediately picking up on what Jason meant.  Dick quirked his head to the side.  “Self-defense?”

“No, Dickweed,” he growled.  He turned to Damian.  “Why would she need to know it was just the two of you?  She wasn’t worried about that with anyone else.”

Tim sucked in a breath and lowered his head. “Fuck!”  He squeezed his eyes shut.  “I didn’t even ask her about it.  I just figured she didn’t want to talk about it.”

“What?” Stephanie prompted, looking between Tim and Damian.

“Everybody mask up!” Bruce called out sternly.  “Same formation as Friday.”  He paused putting on his cowl when there was no response or movement.  He turned back to them with a raised eyebrow.

“You didn’t talk to her,” Tim growled.

Bruce stared at him blankly for a few seconds, his expression morphing into a frown when he realized what Tim was referring to.  “Now is not the time…”

“You stood in my office and apologized.  Told her how sorry you were and how you wanted to make it up to her.  Then you stood her up and didn’t talked to her again!” Tim seethed over him.

Jason stared at Tim for a second before turning to Bruce, an accusatory, contemptuous expression on his face.  “He fucking did what?” Jason growled.

“You didn’t go see her?” Dick asked incredulously. “After you missed dinner.  I thought you were going to see her.  You didn’t even call her?”

“She was out of town all weekend,” Bruce defended flippantly, not really buying the excuse himself.  “I was waiting until she was back in town.  I was hoping to see her in the office today, but I either missed her or she was avoiding me.”

“Oh, you didn’t miss her.  She was there all day long,” Tim snapped.  “She wasn’t avoiding you either.  Not that I’d blame her.  She was in meetings all day.  It was all on the schedule.  She was extremely easy to find if anyone wanted to.  It was actually one of the things I was most concerned about.  It’s why I sat in on all the meetings today, to make sure she was safe.”

“I’d avoid you,” Stephanie scoffed.  She quirked her head to the side.  “No, actually, I’d seek you out so I could yell and scream and make the biggest scene in front of the most people possible about it.”

Jason shook his head and tossed his helmet toward the changing area.  “Fuck this. I’m taking tonight off.”

“Red Hood!” Bruce called after him.  “You can’t just not patrol even if you’re upset.”

Jason stalked back toward Bruce until he was chest to chest with him.  “I’m not skipping out to stick it to you, you conceited ass.  I’m going to check on her.”

“She isn’t here,” Bruce huffed.  “Duke said she and her friend went directly from work to Metropolis.  I’m not sure when she’ll be back.  Clark is going to keep an eye on her there.”

Jason turned and stalked away, still far too upset to patrol with Bruce.  He was almost to the stairs when he turned back toward Bruce.  “I don’t know how you fix this, Old Man, but I can tell you this; you sure as fuck don’t deserve to.”

“Tell truth,” Cass answered confidently.

The cave turned silent again as everyone turned to look at her.  She smiled back at them and nodded firmly, confident in her assessment and course of action.  Jason shrugged but nodded in agreement.  Tim stared at her for a moment, his eyes narrowed in contemplation before sighing and nodding.

Bruce sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. “We can’t do that.  This is our identities.  Our mission.  This is about more than just us.  We can’t just go around telling people unless we’re absolutely certain.”

“And you’re not?” Jason yelled, throwing his arms out wide in angry questioning.

“You still don’t trust her?”  It was framed as a question from Tim, but not meant to question whether he trusted Marinette but rather that not trusting her was the excuse he was going with.  Because that wasn’t the issue.  The issue wasn’t whether he could trust her.  At this point, the question was whether he was willing to lose her.

“It’s been a week.  We’ve only known her a week,” Dick sighed and ran his hand over his face in exasperation.  He disagreed with so much Bruce was doing, but he wasn’t wrong about trusting her.  “We’ve only hung out with her a few times during that time.  We know next to nothing about her.”

“And who’s fault is that?” Jason hissed.

“It doesn’t matter whose fault it is,” Dick argued quietly, but firmly.  “That’s the way it is.  There’s nothing more we can do about that than we’re doing already.  We don’t know her well enough to judge yet.”

“What more do you need?” Stephanie groaned scrunching up her face in irritation.  “You’ve done more research on her than most people do on their PhD subjects.  We know more about her than we do about…” she waved her hand around searching for a way to finish her sentence.  She watched as a bit of food was slung off of the spoon. She grinned overly wide at Bruce. “Oops.”

Bruce sighed and shook his head.  He turned back to the rest of the group, ignoring the disaster around her.  “We know a lot of facts.  But we don’t know her.”

“So fucking what!” Jason boomed.

Tim shook his head and leaned against the conference table.  “It doesn’t matter.  The only way you pull this back, the only way you salvage your relationship, is to tell her, so she can understand your reasons, the pressures you’re contemplating.  Otherwise you’re going to lose her.  She’s going to leave and you’re never going to see her again, beyond what’s required for business.”

“Ooohhh, mission or family.  Hard choice,” Stephanie cringed dramatically, her sarcasm echoing throughout the cave.  She cocked her head to the side thoughtfully.  “Actually for you,” she motioned vaguely toward Bruce and Dick, somewhat including Damian in the motion, “I bet it is.”

“You’re going to end up with the relationship my father always wanted with his offspring,” Tim sneered harshly. “Congratulations.  My dad would’ve been so proud of you.”

“That’s not what I want!” Bruce snapped.  “It’s not that easy.  And it's not even all about her.  Her best friend, her partner, her we-don’t-even-understand-fully, Adrien is a factor here as well.  He’s the son of a villain and we don't know anything about that.   Or at least not enough.  We can't be certain that he didn't help him.  Even if we were certain of her, even if we could entirely trust her, we still can’t trust him.”

Tim shook his head.  “It’s an excuse.  And you know it,” he accused.  He shoved his finger toward Bruce unforgivingly.  “You kept her out of our lives for over twenty years.  You kept her out of your life for over twenty years.  You're still keeping her out of your life while pretending like you're not.  You're trying to fool her into thinking she’s like family to you, but you're not treating her like she is.  It’s all an act, a pantomime.  And she’s the only one that doesn’t know.”

He shook his head and let out a long, exasperated sigh. He ran his hand back and forth through his hair a few times.  When he looked back at Bruce his expression was detached.  “You’re going to lose her and you’re going to deserve it.”  He turned away and marched to his motorcycle, no longer able to stand being in the cave.  The discussion hit too close to home.  It hurt too much, and the thought of Marinette realizing was weighing down on him.  He remembered her expression that first night at the gala when she thought Bruce didn’t want her.  When she found out she was right the whole time?

“Didn't Marinette's mom take him in?  What did she say about him?” Stephanie asked, popping another bite into her mouth with forced calmness, her eyes watching Tim as he pulled out.

Bruce shook his head and let out a deep sigh, knowing how his next words would go over.  “She said he was a great kid.  Smart, hard worker, huge heart, devoted to Marinette.”

Stephanie nodded and tried unsuccessfully to swallow her bite before talking.  “I thought you trusted her judgement.  You trusted her to raise your kid.”

“I trust her judgement to raise a child, but this is different.  She has a parent’s view of them, not an objective one,” Bruce pointed out sharply.

Jason groaned in frustration.  He opened his mouth but Damian cut in before he could say anything.  “He’s right. Her mother is not a reliable source of information.”

“Of fucking course you’d say that,” Jason grumbled. He shoved a nearby chair away violently.

“And of course you’d argue against Father,” Damian hissed back.  They scowled at each other for a few seconds before Dick stepped between them, breaking their stare down.  Damian huffed and turned away.  “She can fight.  Dupain Cheng, she can fight,” he finally spoke up loudly, gaining the attention of the entire cave.  “Not at our level, but she can.  They both can, both her and Agreste.  Better than civilians normally can.  They work like a unit, like partners.  They work together better than Todd does with us.”  He paused and looked over at Todd analytically for a few seconds.  “Actually, a slightly higher bar is in order.  Better than West with Richard… far better,” he amended.

Jason scowled at him, but Damian continued on unabated.  “There's more going on than we know about.  That combined with everything he said about her at dinner… Her mom missed a lot with her own daughter.  How much did she miss with him?”

Dick stared at him silently for a few moments, letting the new information settle in before finally speaking again.  “And if there’s one thing we know for certain, if we tell her, she will tell him,” Dick nodded in agreement.

Jason scoffed in the background.  “You think Adrien helped his old man?”  He shook his head in disbelief.  “If you think Sunshine Kid could help his father, you're insane.  That devotion thing?  That devotion to Adrien.  That thing that’s Marinette’s downfall?  The supposed reason we can’t trust her?  That runs both ways, you know.  He’s as devoted to her as she is to him.  You really think he would intentionally, knowingly put Marinette in danger, constantly hurting her?”

Bruce shook his head.  “It could be guilt after the fact.  We don’t know how long they’ve been friends, or rather how long they’ve been this close.  We just don’t know.”

“You don’t want to,” Jason accused, his voice like acid.  “You don’t trust him because you don’t want to.  Everyone who knows about the situation said he was clean.”

“And we don’t know them either,” Bruce insisted angrily.  Jason was being obtuse on purpose.  He would never be this blasé about exposing them in any other situation.  “We know nothing about Ladybug.  Maybe she was an obsessed fan of his, so she vouched for him. We don’t know.  And we can’t find her to talk to her now.”

“Tell truth,” Cass repeated.  “She’ll understand.  Trust sister.”

Jason cocked his head to the side and turned to glare at Bruce.  “That's not really what it's about, is it though?”  His voice was pointed and harsh.  He stalked closer, his frown etching itself deeper with each step. “Because what’s the worst that could happen?”

Bruce scowled at Jason, refusing to give into whatever game Jason wanted to play.  “She could tell someone our identities,” Dick answered for him

“And?” Jason scoffed.

“Oh no, some really bad people might find out who we are,” Stephanie added.  Her eyes were wide and her voice fluctuating with exaggerated fear.  “People like the League of Assassins.”  She shuddered dramatically.  “Deathstroke might know who to attack as civilians.”

“Oh right, Bruce already did that, didn’t he?” Jason snarled.  “Worse, a rogue he isn’t fucking might find out. Can’t let that happen.”

“Jason!” Dick barked at him.  “You know how dangerous it is!  Stop pretending you don’t understand.  Let’s not forget her best friend is a reporter as well and she could tell the world.”

“Oh no,” Jason seethed, “I understand perfectly. It was never about safely.  It's about keeping her at arm's length.” Bruce finally reacted to Jason’s accusations, his jaw going tense and his eyes narrowing even further.  His entire body was so tense not even the thickly protective Batsuit could hide it.

“Jason,” Dick warned.  His eyes were shooting between Jason and Bruce, uncertain where it was going or how much he should allow, how much needed to come out before there was an even more violent blow up.

“No,” Jason shook his head, never taking his calculating, judging eyes from Bruce’s. “That's what it's all about; keeping her innocent,” he spat the word out in disgust, “keeping her naïve about our nightly activities.  So she can be pure.  So she isn’t tainted like the rest of us have been.  But you have to keep her at a distance to make that happen, don’t you?  And by keeping her at a distance, you don’t have to admit how badly you fucked up, how much you’re still fucking up.  Because once you tell her, once you admit everything to her, there’s no more barriers, there’s no more hiding.  And you’d have to admit to yourself, to all of us, how bad you hurt her and still are.  You’d have to admit that you were wrong back then, and every day since.  That you were the one that hurt her.  And you’ve never been great about taking accountability for your actions, have you, Bruce?”

Bruce curled his hands into fists so tightly his hands were shaking.  “I am more than well aware of the ways I’ve failed her,” he gritted out.  “I’m aware of how I am failing her.  I am doing my best.  You think I haven’t considered it?  You think I like keeping secrets from her?” He either ignored the “you don’t seem to mind it too much” that Stephanie scoffed out, or he didn’t hear it and continued on.

“Telling her does nothing but put us in danger, puts the mission in danger.  I want her in my life.  I want to be in hers.  But I’m not going to sacrifice everything we do, everything we’ve worked for in order to have it.  The mission must be our top priority.  And bringing her in complicates all of it, her life included.  It puts her and us in danger.  I’m trying to keep her alive!”  His voice escalated with each word until he was almost howling in Jason’s face.  “Why are you fighting me on this?”

Jason opened his mouth to argue further taking a step closer to Bruce, but Dick stepped between them.  “We’re late for patrol.  Let’s go before we get so angry we make mistakes out there.  We, and especially you,” he glared at Bruce, “can talk with her tomorrow.  And then Bruce can work on his groveling.”

Bruce glared at him and shoved his cowl on with more force than usual, hard enough that he would have marks the next day where it scraped roughly against his skin.  He barreled to the Batmobile, his stomping footsteps echoing throughout the cave. He slammed the door of the Batmobile and pulled out without bothering giving instructions to the rest of the team.

Damian stared after the Batmobile as it peeled out of the cave faster and rougher than he’d ever witnessed before, uncertain if his anger was because the accusation was so wrong or because it was so precisely accurate.  “I don’t understand,” he commented absently.

“What don’t you understand, Little D?” Dick asked gently.  He ducked his head to try to gain Damian’s attention, but Damian’s eyes never left the spot he’d last seen the Batmobile.

“She’s been the perfect child for him, she is the perfect child; patient, calm, polite, kind, thoughtful, smart, ambitious but caring.  She protects others but is controlled.  But he still treats her like that.  He still doesn’t try.  He still… doesn’t care.”  Damian quirked his head to the side, glaring at the same spot.  “It was never about me, was it?  I never had any chance, did I?  It didn’t matter how good of a son I was.  Didn’t matter how I proved myself.  I was never… he was never going to love me, was he?”

“Oh, Damian,” Dick whispered sympathetically. He pulled Damian into a tight hug. “He loves you.  He loves you very much.”

“It’s not enough,” Damian whispered, his voice quiet as though afraid admitting it would break something, maybe destroy the already tenuous link to his family.

His voice was so quiet Dick almost didn’t hear it. Dick nodded his head and pulled Damian in tighter.  It took him a lot longer than Damian, but he’d come to the same conclusion a while ago. Bruce wanted to help everyone, but couldn’t get out of his own head, step away from his preset priorities and reorganize according to changes in his life, like adding a child to it.  “Then you do better.  You know what he’s doing wrong, so you don’t make the same mistake.”

Damian blinked a few times, letting the words sink in, letting them roll around in his head.  He furrowed his brow in concentration.  The words made sense, but he didn’t know how to enact them.  A riddle he couldn’t work out yet.  A riddle he was biologically predisposed not to be able to solve.

Chapter 27

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[salthaven]

 From White to Purple

   She leans into him, eyes closing as she purses her lips. She hears his gasp, feels his breath mingling with hers as he leans in, just as drawn to her as she is to him. She feels his tension melt away as his lips brush hers, and she-

   Grabs the bell off of his suit, quickly crushing it in her grasp. Out flies an Akuma, beating its tiny little wings as it tries to get away. She’s faster, though, and in seconds it’s caught and purified.

   “Miraculous Ladybug!” She screams, and the ladybugs fly all over Paris. Ladybug grins, ready to see everything fix itself, to go home and see her own chaton, and-

   Her smile drops. Beside her, Chat Noir looks at the ruins of his timeline.

   “Princess,” he whispers, and it’s so heartbreaking.

   “How do you remember?” She whispers back, fear tangible. “I was supposed to fix all of this. You shouldn’t remember my name, you can’t, you can’t…”

   “Marinette,” Chat says, taking her hands in his. “It’s not your fault. It’s not your mistake to fix. This was me. This was my destruction, this was...this was my Akuma. Because he Akumatized me, and I...I destroyed him. I destroyed everything, my lady. But now you’re here, and he’s gone. And it’s alright now, my lady, my princess, my Marinette.” He embraces her, and he’s shaking. “You’re alright. And he can’t hurt you here. He can’t hurt you.”

   Ladybug hugs him back, lets this scarred Chat Noir wrap himself around her and cling to her like a lifeline, because maybe that’s exactly what she is. “Chat, I can’t stay here. I have to stop Hawkmoth in my own world.” The words hurt to say. Even if Chat Noir isn’t her love, she cares for him dearly and hates to see him in pain.

   Chat Noir clings to her, but he doesn’t hurt her. Even as he sobs, he protects her. “Let me go with you. Please. I can’t let you get hurt, not by my dad. Not again.”

   “Your dad?” Her heart breaks for him, lips falling into a sad frown. “Oh, chaton, I’m so sorry.”

   “Ladybug,” Bunnix calls out, peeking through the portal. “We need to go.”

   “Mari,” Chat whispers, and any rejection slips out of mind. Because Chat Noir, her future Chat Noir, is alone. He’s alone and scared, and he was forced to kill his dad (his dad, who was also the terrorist of Paris) and a future version of herself in an Akumatized form that he never wanted. She can’t leave him, she can’t leave her chaton like this.

   “Okay. Let’s go home, chaton,” Ladybug concedes at last.

   “Hey, wait, you can’t take him home,” Bunnix starts, but Chat Noir just looks to her, eyes filled with fear and sadness.

   “Bunnix, I can’t leave him.” Ladybug steps forward. “He’s alone. He’ll die here, you can’t expect me to let my partner die.”

   “I, I-” Bunnix sighs. “God damn it. The future is going to be so messed up.”

   “We’ll just have two Chat Noirs. I don’t see a problem,” Ladybug responds, and Bunnix sighs.

   “Just get in the damn portal.”

   The trip takes seconds. Soon enough, she’s back. She’s home, and life...life is usual. She’s supposed to be back with the girls, she knows this. But now?

   Now she has a second Chat Noir, and this one stands beside her. Well, he cuddles up to her arm, practically purring. Ladybug can hear her earrings beeping, and she begins to panic, but Chat just smiles down at her. “No one can see you, princess,” he reassures her, and that’s all she needs to drop the transformation.

   Tikki flies out, eyes full of confusion. “Marinette!” She starts to admonish, but then she freezes. Turning to Chat Noir, she says, “You’re not the right one.”

   Chat freezes. “What?”

   “That’s not my Plagg’s energy. You’re not-”

   “I took him home with me.”

   “What.” Tikki eyes Marinette with exasperation. “You what.”

   “I took Chat Noir back. He was all alone, Tikki, I couldn’t do that to him.”

   “What happened?” Tikki is more concerned now, looking to Chat with worry.

   “My father was Hawkmoth. He found out my identity and Akumatized me. I...I cataclysmed the whole world.” Chat folds in on himself. “Everyone...everyone is gone, but I have my princess back! I can protect her now!”

   “Your father…” Tikki whispers. “Where are you going to stay? What are you going to do, now that there’s two Chats running around?”

   “I can’t stay at home,” Chat says immediately. “I can’t go back to him, please Mari.”

   “You can stay with me,” Marinette says quickly. “I’ll just, uh, fuck. I’ll come up with something.”

   “If he’s living with you, that means you’ll have to know his identity, too,” Tikki points out. “Are you ready for that?”

   Marinette, for once, doesn’t hesitate. “Yes. If it means Chat is safe, then yes.”

   Tikki sighs. “Alright. Chat, it’s time to drop your mask.”

   “Plagg, claws in,” Chat says, and bright green lights up the alley they landed in.

   Adrien looks at Marinette with a soft smile when the light is gone.

   “Surprise, Princess?” He asks, and it all clicks. It makes sense.

   “Of course it was you,” Marinette laughs. “We’re such idiots.”

   “We are, but that’s why we’re meant to be, my lady,” Adrien says, and Marinette laughs. Or maybe she cries. It’s hard to tell, with tears on her face and love in her heart. Because this is her Adrien, her chaton, who she loves and who she holds dear in her heart. And he’s been so hurt. He’s been forced to destroy everything he loves, he’s been thrown in a battle against his own father, against Gabriel Agreste. He’s lost everything...and now he’s here, with her, but he knows it’s not the same Marinette he used to have.

   And yet he loves her all the same.

   And he’s crying, too. He’s sobbing, and soon they’re trapped in an embrace, pulling each other closer in an attempt to comfort themselves, or maybe it’s each other they’re trying to protect from the world.

   An hour later, Ladybug and Adrien head over to Marinette’s home, the store long closed. Her mother opens up the door when Ladybug knocks, surprise evident. They’re let into the house.

   “Adrien? Ladybug?” Her father says when they enter, just as confused. “Did something happen?”

   “Not in this time, no,” Ladybug says immediately, and the two calm. “I have a...rather odd request for you two. You are the Dupain-Cheng's, yes? Parents of Marinette?”

   “Yes, why?” Her mother asks, eyes wary.

   “Well, Madame, this isn’t the Adrien of your time. This is a future Adrien, and due to some...complications, his world is no longer an option. I’d like to ask your family to keep him here. Normally, I’d ask his own family, but-”

   “My Gabriel Agreste was abusive,” Adrien says, voice blank but expression broken. “I can’t...I can’t see him, I’m sorry but I just-”

   “Don’t you worry,” Her mom cuts him off, laying a gentle hand on his shoulder. “You can stay here. You’ll sleep on the chaise in Marinette’s room, if that’s okay?”

   “That’s more than enough, thank you so much Madame Cheng,” Adrien thanks her, gratification filling him.

   “Just call me Sabine,” she says with a smile, and Adrien nods, speechless.

   “Thank you, Madame,” Ladybug says, “but I have to go now.” And she does, swinging away and into a nearby alleyway, and then detransforms. Ten minutes later, she’s back to her house, and she opens the door with a smile.

   “Maman, I’m home!” She calls out, and pretends to be shocked when she sees Adrien sitting with her parents. “Adrien?”

   Adrien smiles awkwardly, and her mother clears her throat.

   “Marinette, you may want to take a seat. This is going to be a bit...shocking.” Her mother tries to be soothing, and Marinette just struggles to keep her own expression unsure as she takes a seat.

   “Ladybug came to us, and asked us to help her,” her papa starts, and Marinette nods. “She told us that there were some issues in the future, and as such this Adrien had to come from the future.”

   “You’re from the future?” Marinette gasps, and Adrien nods, shrugging. “Wow.”

   “Adrien had some...problems in his timeline, so he’s not going to live with Gabriel,” her maman spits out, and Marinette lets out a confused noise. “He’s going to sleep on your chaise. Is that alright, dear?”

   “Alright? I, uh, sure? Sure!” She nods.

   “You’re sure, dearie?” Her maman asks, and she seems confused by Marinette’s rather...lackluster reaction. Which makes sense. If Marinette wasn’t Ladybug, she would probably be freaking out.

   “This isn’t the most unusual thing that’s happened, maman. I’m sure.”

   Her parents chuckle.

   “If you’re sure, then show him up to your room. And don’t do anything we wouldn’t do,” her papa says, then winks. “Dinner will be done in half an hour.”

   “Come on, Adrien,” Marinette says, and Adrien stands up, taking her outstretched hand. She leads him to her room.

   The moment the trapdoor is shut, they both giggle.

   “Ever the actress, my lady,” Adrien says, and Marinette snorts.

   “Thank you, chaton,” she responds.

   “Ugh. Can I at least have some cheese before I have to deal with this all night?” The voice cuts off Adrien’s next response, and Marinette freezes.

   She looks up.

   Plagg huffs. “Seriously. Did you forget about poor ol’ me?”

   Adrien’s smile breaks into a watery one. “Of course not, Plagg.”

   “Hey, don’t do that. None of that teary eyed bullshit- and you’re crying. Come here, kit,” Plagg sighs and floats down to Adrien, who cups him gently. “There, there. It’s all fine.” He pats Adrien’s thumb. “We’re fine now. Your princess is here, I’m here, we’re all here.”

   And that’s how Marinette finds herself being tackled by Adrien, who sobs into her shirt and clings to her once more.

   Her parents don’t call them down for dinner. Maybe they can hear his sobs.

   Or maybe they just know.

   When Marinette wakes up the next day, she assumes everything was a dream. She hopes it was a dream, because she never wants Adrien to feel so much pain.

   But when she rolls over, he’s laying in bed beside her. He’d cried in his sleep on the chaise, and Marinette had let him come up.

   “Good morning, my lady,” Adrien whispers, eyes opening slowly. He smiles at her, and it’s full of love. Marinette’s heart skips a beat, and she smiles back.

   “Good morning, chaton. Let’s see if there’s any spare clothes for you, I think I designed some menswear a while ago.” That’s a lie, she knows she did. She made clothes for Adrien, but not the one beside her.

   It fits him perfectly. Well, almost. He’s a bit taller now.

   “How much older are you, chaton?”

   “A month,” he responds immediately. “It’s our one-month anniversary, or… it would be.” He smiles again, but it’s haunted.

   “I’m sorry,” she apologizes, and he cuts her off.

   “Please don’t apologize, my lady. You’re back, so everything is okay! You’re all I needed back, and I have you. I’m fine.”

   They’re almost late for school, because it takes Adrien a while to let go of her long enough for them to separate and change. But they get to class five minutes before the bell, with Adrien wearing a perfectly fitted pair of jeans and a plain black top with an embroidered green paw on a small chest pocket.

   Everything is fine, if a bit more energetic than usual. After all, Marinette walked in with Adrien, and they’re talking happily. This is good, this is progress!

   Alya leans over to ask Marinette what happened between them.

   And then the Adrien of their timeline walks in, and immediately freezes.

   “Hi?” He asks, and the room promptly explodes into a cacophony of chaos.

   “There’s two of you?” Alya screams. “Which one is the Akuma?”

   Adrien, the one from the other world, flinches at the mention. Nino turns to face him, shocked.

   “You’re an Akuma?!”

   “No, no, I swear I’m not!” The blond says, voice frantic.

   “Where’s Ladybug? And Chat Noir?” Rose cries out, cowering behind a chair.

   From the corner of her eye, Marinette sees how the ‘actual’ Adrien starts to back away, ready to transform into Chat Noir. And that’s what spurs Marinette into action.

   No way in hell is she letting her chaton get hurt by, well, her chaton.

   “He is not an Akuma!” Marinette shouts, slamming her hands on her desk. “He’s from a different timeline, Ladybug brought him to my house!”

   “What?” Alya lets out.

   “She brought him to my home last night,” Marinette explains. “His universe was...complicated, and he couldn’t live there. So Ladybug brought him to our world, and asked my family to house him.”

   “So there’s two Adrien Agrestes right now?” Kim asks.

   “Yeah, kinda,” ‘fake’ Adrien says with a shrug.

   The ‘real’ Adrien shrugs. “You know what? Not the strangest thing in my life. Nice to meet you, me?”

   “Same to you.” ‘Fake’ Adrien stands. “I’ll, uh, get out of my, uh, your seat.”

   “You can sit with me, Adrien,” Lila offers, smiling sweetly.

   Marinette holds back her grin when her chaton shakes his head. “No thanks, I’ll just sit beside my Marinette.” He slips into the spot beside her, leaning into her immediately. Marinette knows she’s blushing, especially when everyone turns to stare.

   “Your Marinette?” Alya asks, eyes widening as a smile sneaks its way onto her face.

   The only response she gets is a smile back, because the bell rings.

   When Miss Bustier walks in, she turns to greet her students. “Hello, cla-” she stares at Adrien, the one who cuddles up to Marinette, then the one sitting in front of the bluenette. “I need more coffee. Max, explain.”

   “Time travel. Ladybug brought back an Adrien.”

   “I’m here to stay, sorry,” Adrien says, then nuzzles further into Marinette’s side.

   “Right. Should I just call both of you ‘Adrien’?” Miss Bustier asks.

   “Just call me B. I’m the imposter in this world, anyways,” ‘B’ decides, and it’s settled just like that.

~~~~~

   Alya has to be honest, this is the weirdest thing she’s ever seen.

   Okay, so maybe that’s an exaggeration. But, seriously? How is Alya supposed to feel when, all of a sudden, there’s a second Adrien? And to make it weirder? Marinette isn’t even flustered! I mean, come on! This is still Adrien Agreste, the boy Marinette has been crushing on for a year!

   And it’s odd. Because Marinette still blushes when Adrien talks, or when B makes a comment or gets too close...but it’s so toned down it’s not even funny. Really. It used to be amusing, watching the girl fumble with her words. Now, now Marinette just blushes and moves on! Sure, Alya is glad that B’s arrival is helping Marinette calm down, but why?

   And why is B so much more interested in Marinette? Why is he constantly by her?

   It’s not even in class. Alya can’t help but keep an eye on their new classmate, and she’s confused by what she sees. It’s so obvious, too.

   He’s cuddly. Alya caught B trying to sleep on Marinette, practically on top of her. He was all too happy to curl up into Alya’s best friend, and acted like it was natural.

   He’s in sync with Marinette’s actions. When she got up to go to Ms Mendeleiev’s class, she ended up tripping on the final step. Alya had winced, and was ready to help Marinette pick up her stuff… but Marinette never hit the floor. Somehow, despite falling forwards, and B being behind her, he’d ended up catching her in a dip, the two gazing into each other’s eyes. Somehow, B was ready to save her. And he did it again, when she tried to get up from the lunch table and tripped over her own feet. In the nick of time, B was holding Marinette up, helping her.

   He’s protective, but Alya can’t figure out why. Whenever Lila gets too close, B is in front of Marinette. He acts like a guard, as if letting the Italian near will harm Marinette. It doesn’t make sense why B is constantly glaring at Lila, as if Lila is some sort of threat. And she’s just the most obvious case. B glares at most people. When Kim challenges Marinette to an arm wrestling contest, B is watching the athlete intensely, as if one wrong move will be his last. When Alya swings an arm around Marinette’s neck, pulling her into a hug, she feels eyes digging into her back. Every time someone makes physical contact with Marinette, he’s on them, watching them silently. It’s creepy. He barely even lets Adrien near her, and they’re technically the same person! (It was funny, to be honest, seeing how upset Adrien got when B interfered with their conversation.)

   Alya finds herself distracted all day, watching B as he follows Marinette around. He has eyes only for her, that much is clear. He’s in love with the bluenette, and it shows in his actions. He’s constantly trying to be close to her, he’s protective, he knows when she’ll get hurt and does his best to prevent it. And when Alya overhears him whispering flirty pick up lines, she knows she’s right.

   It feels like it should be a dream come true. Finally, finally, Marinette’s feelings are returned! Adrien loves Marinette, and Marinette loves Adrien.

   But this is some weird parody of the future Alya always dreamed of. Because Adrien is from the future, exactly one month in the future according to what he told her at lunch. And Marinette? Well, she isn’t. The Adrien that loves Marinette isn’t the Adrien of this time, so it feels like Alya shouldn’t celebrate the victory she so clearly should have.

Is it even a victory? B follows Marinette like someone who follows an unreachable goal. He smiles and flirts, but he holds onto her like a fleeting dream that could leave him at any moment. Alya sees the way he flinches when someone mentions an Akuma, the way he clings to Marinette when someone startles him. She sees how B puts himself in harm’s way (even though the harm is nonexistent) as if it’s natural, as if he’s used to protecting her. She sees how B throws himself into guard mode, as if Marinette’s safety and wellbeing is the only thing in the world that matters. And it’s only been a day.

Alya wonders what could have possibly happened in a month, to make B act this way. She wonders if it’s bound to happen in this world, too, and if the Adrien she knows will become so… devoted to Marinette.

She...she doesn’t really want to know. She’s afraid of what she’ll find out.

She can only hope that the world he comes from is different from the world that she will live in.

~~~~~

   Marinette feels like the first day went well. B got along with the class wonderfully! Well, okay, he was a bit protective. And he always threw himself in front of Marinette whenever Lila walked by, that was interesting. And he somehow managed to catch her every time she nearly fell, as if in sync with her clumsiness. But it makes sense. This is her chaton, her Chat Noir who did the exact same thing for Ladybug. He took the hits, he worked in perfect tandem with her. It only makes sense that, once he knew her secret identity, he’d do the same with her as Marinette.

   She has to say, it is nice that Adrien finally stands up against Lila. Although she still wishes he never had to become so protective, so worried.

   She falls asleep with a heavy heart, her chaton wrapped in her arms. She can only hope that she can make his future better than the one he had. She falls asleep, ideas of taking down Hawkmoth, his father, floating through her head, a perfect revenge for her perfect partner.

    He does it by himself.

   Marinette wakes up to Tikki’s gentle nudging. The Kwami coaxes her awake, reminding Marinette that they have to get to school, then flies through the ceiling, most likely heading up to Plagg B. Marinette gets up-

   And immediately feels B’s eyes on her. She looks down from her bed, and spots him sitting on the chaise.

   “Chaton?” She whispers, seeing his grin. It’s unsettling, a little too wide, a shattered version of the model smile Marinette’s seen on dozens of billboards. He watches her, smiling every bit like the cat who caught the canary.

   “Chaton, are you okay?” She asks, speaking up again, and Adrien beams.

   “He won’t hurt us ever again, my lady,” he responds, standing up. He starts to walk to her, going up the stairs with a catlike grace.

   Marinette freezes. “What do you mean?”

   He’s at the base of her bed, and he sits down. He reaches into his pocket empty handed.

   He takes his hand out, and a brooch rests on his palm. A very familiar brooch.

   And then he pulls out another.

   The Butterfly and Peacock brooch lay upon her bed, glistening in the morning light. It feels surreal, it feels like a dream.

   And the manic grin flashes in her head, and Marinette feels her breathing pick up just a bit. Because what if-

   “I didn’t lay a claw on them,” B promises the moment he sees her startled expression. “Although they deserved to feel another cataclysm-”

   “Chaton!” Marinette yells.

   B just huffs, turning away like a petulant child. “They hurt you. They made me hurt you. I wasn’t risking a repeat, my lady. I couldn’t do that again, couldn’t risk endangering you again.”

   “How did you even do it?” Marinette asks, a finger brushing over the Butterfly Miraculous. It’s beautiful, a pale purple that radiates a calm energy. To think that such a peaceful object could create so much terror…

   “I snuck into my house. He never put a camera in my room. He never expected me.” B laughs. “He trusted his son too much.”

   “You weren’t transformed?! Chaton, you could’ve been hurt!”

   “They never suspected me. Gabriel,” he spits out the name, “only saw me as his perfect son. He didn’t know, didn’t even think. All I had to do was walk into his room and take it from his bedside table.”

   “He didn’t wake up?”

   “Oh, he did. ‘What are you doing, Adrien?’ He asked. ‘It’s two in the morning!’ He said. ‘I’m sorry, father, I had a nightmare. I just had to make sure you were alright.’ I said, and that was that. I was met with silence, and that’s all I needed. I took the brooch, and I left the room.”

   B shrugs, as if taking the Miraculous of his father, of their enemy, isn’t a big deal. Marinette wonders how hurt he truly is, how much he’s breaking. She pulls him to her chest, hugging him, and he practically melts into her side.

   “Who...who had the Peacock?” Marinette asks, staring at the second brooch. It’s broken, damaged. Perhaps she and Master Fu can fix that…

   “Nathalie was Mayura, but the brooch was locked in Gabriel’s vault. I took it, and his damn Miraculous book. I know you and the Guardian can use it well, it’s in your closet right now.”

   “We already have it copied,” Marinette says lightly. “Do you remember when you brought the book to school, and it went missing?”

   “You took it?” B asks, wide eyed.

   “Lila did, and I found it in the trash. I took it to the Guardian, we made copies, and then I returned it to your da- Gabriel.”

   “Why? Why would you return it, when you knew it was about the Miraculi?” B asks, gaping.

   “I couldn’t see you pulled out of school. I didn’t want you to suffer for my actions, chaton,” Marinette admits, and tears her eyes away from the brooches.

   B is looking at her like she hung the stars in the sky. And then he’s crying again, but he’s smiling and laughing. He’s breaking down and building himself up all at the same time, and Marinette can only hold him steady and hope that she can help him.

   They end up getting to school seconds before the bell, but Miss Bustier doesn’t say a word. It’s hard to, when Marinette is still consoling B, who’s clinging to her as they walk. Marinette knows that her classmates are watching the pair, but she pays them no mind, whispering into B’s ear, promising him that everything will be alright now.

   B just nods as she speaks, smiling at her like she’s the sun.

   Maybe she is, to him.

   Lunch arrives, and B is quick to pull Marinette away from the class. The two head to the roof, and spend the time in silence. B is calm, smiling at her like a smitten kitten.

   And maybe he is, with her.

   When school ends, Marinette and B head to the Guardian. Tikki heads to Adrien, and moments later Chat Noir is leaping across the skylines of Paris, heading in the same direction.

   Marinette leads B to Master Fu’s house, and she knocks on the door. Fu opens up, surprised to see B.

   “But Chat just arrived,” Fu mutters to himself, but lets them enter nonetheless.

   Chat Noir blinks as Marinette and B enter the room.

   “Princess?” He asks, and Marinette smiles sadly.

   “Hey, chaton,” she responds, and her heart aches as she looks at her two kittens, one oblivious, one all too knowledgeable.

   “Marinette,” Fu starts. “Perhaps you could explain what’s going on here?”

   “B retrieved the Butterfly and Peacock Miraculi last night,” Marinette states simply. “He also brought back the copy of the Miraculous book.”

   Fu blinks, shocked. Chat Noir seems just as surprised.

   “But he was at my place- I mean!” Chat shakes his head, trying to come up with an excuse.

   “She already knows, Adrien,” B says, and Chat deflates.

   “Oh, thank Kwami,” Chat Noir sighs. “Claws out.”

   A flash of green greets Marinette’s eyes, and then she’s looking at the Adrien of her time. Plagg floats into the air, huffing.

   “Why is there a second me going around?” He mutters, and Plagg B darts out of Adrien’s coat pocket.

   “Timeline issues. Don’t blame me,” Plagg B huffs back. “Never would’ve happened if his dad wasn’t an asshole.”

   Adrien blinks. “What does my dad have to do with this?”

   Marinette feels B’s grip on her hand tighten as he speaks. “Adrien, Gabriel is...he’s Hawkmoth.”

   Marinette has never wanted to harm anyone, that’s for sure. She’s always shied away from violence.

But seeing Adrien and B look so hurt? Seeing the look of betrayal on Adrien’s face, the look of suffering on B’s?

Marinette is tempted to cataclysm Gabriel by herself.

Adrien looks to Marinette then, and his eyes widen. “Wait, does that mean you actually are Ladybug?” Marinette can only nod to this, but it’s enough for Adrien to gain the hint of a smile. “I always knew you were special,” he says softly, and Marinette can’t help but blush in spite of everything.  

   “She is,” B speaks up, and Marinette looks at him. He’s gazing at her, eyes filled with sincerity. “She’s the only thing that matters, Adrien. Trust me. You don’t know this, but we- we’d do anything to keep her safe. We’d do anything for her wellbeing. She’s worth this whole damn planet combined.”

   Marinette feels tears rise in her eyes. “Chaton, don’t say that-”

   “I’m right!” B insists. “Marinette, you’re my lady, my princess. You’re an angel, Marinette. You’re amazing and perfect and...and I love you.” He smiles. “I love you as much as I loved you when I asked you out the first time, and I’ll love you for the rest of my life. Will you go out with me?”

   “Chaton,” Marinette whispers, and then she’s pulling him into a kiss. When they part, both are smiling, ignoring the tragedy around them. “Of course. I’ve loved you for the past year.”

   Marinette doesn’t see Adrien’s wistful gaze, but B does.

   Fu clears his throat, and Marinette blushes, looking away from B. “As glad as I am to see true love,” Fu starts, “I have to bring up something more...upsetting. Plagg of the other world, we can’t have two Kwamis of Destruction in one world. It’s not natural, it will upset the balance if you’re here for so long.”

   Plagg B grins, and it’s bittersweet. “I know, Master Fu. You’re right, just like always.” He looks to B, and Marinette is shocked to see tears. “I can’t be away from my Sugarcube for so long, B. The Tikki of this timeline? She’s not the one I know. The one I love, she’s...she’s gone in my world. I can’t be with her if I’m stuck here. I’m sorry, kid, really..”

   “Go find her, Plagg,” B says, reaching out a hand. Plagg nuzzles into the boy’s hand, and a single tear falls. It leaves a scar on B’s finger. “I know what it feels like to lose your other half. And I found mine again. I found her.” B looks at Marinette, teary eyed but smiling. He looks back to Plagg B, and slips off his ring. “So go find your half.”

   “I’m coming, Sugarcube,” Plagg B whispers, and then touches the ring.

   It dissolves immediately, and so does the Kwami.

~~~~~

   Fu lets B keep the Butterfly Miraculous.

   “He deserves a better holder to remember in the future,” Fu claims, but B knows it’s to protect Marinette from harm. It’s to protect her, because she’s his treasure, his lady. She’s his reason to live, his light in the darkness. She’s the one who saved him from his father, from himself, from the world he ruined.

   As they leave the building, Fu promises to fix the Peacock brooch. With those final words, B heads back home, with Marinette between him and Adrien.

   B can see the way Adrien looks at his lady. And he knows exactly what the blond is feeling, because they’re the same person. He sees the wonder, the complete love that pours out of their souls.

   And so he speaks up. “You know, I don’t mind sharing her with you. She’s our lady.”

   “Chaton,” Marinette murmurs, but she’s blushing.

   Adrien blushes, but his eyes are glimmering too. He looks to Marinette. “Princess? How does a date with two alley cats sound?”

   Marinette giggles, and smiles sweetly at B and his original. “It sounds meow-velous, my chatons.”

   Seeing that smile, everything feels alright. Walking by her side, B knows that everything will be fine. Even if his family is in ruins, and will likely be thrown in jail the moment Ladybug, Chat Noir, and the new Butterfly expose him. Even if he had to leave a world behind to be with his lady. Even if it means hurting someone, if it means actually getting his hands dirty in order to prevent another mistake...it’ll be fine.

   And seeing the way Adrien gazes at Marinette, like she’s the freedom that they both hold so dear?

   He knows he’s not alone, and they’ll protect her forever.

   And they’ll all live happily ever after...because B won’t allow any other option. 

@autumnlover13moni8 you said you wanted to be tagged? I’m sorry, I think I veered off course on what you wanted, haha!

[headfull0fmaggots]

Payback Part 1

Pairing: Adrien/Keone (Keke belongs to @schmeesky)

Warning: Mentions of Violence, Mentions snuff films, Mentions of the deep web, public sex, indecent sex and misogyny (kinda I guess? Just in case)

    A haze filled the narrow alleyway as Adrien leaned against the building behind him, the buildings rough exterior dug into his back as he took another drag of his cigarette. Adrien's eyes wandered to the others, most looked like employees of the surrounding restaurants lingered around for a smoke break. Their features almost unrecognizable by the dimly lit light that flickered so often as moths surrounded it like it was their own little haven. He watched them more until one looked up from his phone and met Adrien's gaze which quickly made him look away to gaze out to the open street in front of them. 

               Laughter and indistinctive chatter of people filled the warm night air as they roamed the sidewalks. The scent of spice, grilled meat and nicotine wafted throughout the streets while lights twinkled from the distant buildings as cars bustled across the streets to their current destinations. Tonight was a special night, something that sent an excited chill down Adrien's spine.

             He was back in Jamaica again, it was his second time coming here though Adrien didn't think he'd return so quickly after a couple of months. He mainly came back to see Keone, how he missed that bratty douchebag and his fat cock. Though, there was another reason why he came back so fast as well. Adrien was getting a constant flood of demands for snuff films from his most high paying customers, they were getting insatiable with their hunger for slashing of flesh. He came over to get as many requests done as he could though Adrien had been procrastinating for a while since he was still sore from the previous trip he had. Being in a forgien country it would be harder for detectives to trace the murders back to him through the videos he made for his clients if shit went south. Adrien mainly just had to be on the lookout for the local police if things got sloppy when he rids of his victim's bodies though a missing tourist surely isn't something they haven't encountered nor would they care too much about.

    Adrien was keeping an eye out for any potential play toys in between the little fuck sessions he had with Keone. He spent many nights after getting railed wandering (more like limping) around the villa to find any promising tourists that might peak his clients interests, many of them were picky and each of these perverts had their own flavors of people they craved to watch get skewered for their own sick enjoyment. Sadly, many of the visitors here were just old rich prunes with too much money and time on their hands including way too many slabs of wrinkles slipping out from under their bathing suits. He was getting tired being bombarded with the smell of those old hags musty perfume wafting all around him wherever he went, about to give up after sitting by the pool side with a beer in his hand until he saw the perfect toy swaying her hips and shaking her ass as she entered the pool area.

                 She was a skinny little thing with giant fake tits and an even faker huge ass on her while this bitch wore some skimpy red stringed bikini that barely covered anything with long bleach blonde hair that reached her mid back. She had a generic face, no interesting features that made her any special from any other dumb bitch on the street with a shitty orange tan and cheaply slapped on acrylic nails. She was perfect. One of his clients, skullfucker69 they liked to call themselves, had a thing for blonde little bimbos and this girl would be an easy kill.

                  The girl had been eyeing him from the moment she stepped into the pool area.  Throwing glances his way when she wasn't speaking to her equally bland looking friends, fluttering her eyelashes at him and giving him a wink. He couldn't help but chuckle at her flirting, it was almost cute how desperate she was for some dick that wasn't aged like wine. Adrien took a swig of his beer and leisurely made his way over to her. It didn't take Adrien long to charm the girl, her name was Ashley and she came all the way from New York. He doesn't remember too much of the details she threw at him, after a while her incessant rambling was boring him so he cut to the chase and asked her out for dinner in the downtown area of Montego Bay.

              Adrien took another drag of his cigarette, chuckling to himself at how easy this will be. Throwing his cigarette on the ground, extinguishing the small nicotine bud with his flip flop the man made his way around the corner and entered the restaurant. The light were dimmed, letting the fluorescent, colored lights of the bar shone brightly against the glossy wood as rows of bottles sat on the shelf behind it were illuminated like little disco balls. Across the bar were red and white little tables, only big enough to hold two people, seated in several neatly organized rows with little fake candles that barely gave off any real life flickered softly. It was a small little place, hardly anyone was here except for the odd elderly couple and Ashley who sat memorized looking at her phone in the very back of the place away from everyone. Their table was right by the big, black curtain that swayed gently on the other half of the room, separating the restaurant half from the little dance floor they rented out to parties. 

              Adrien walks through the mazes of chairs, trying to stealthily make it through without bumping into anyone or anything as he makes his way to his newest victim, like a predator stalking closer to its prey before he's standing in front of her. Ashley is so fixated by her phone, probably texting her friends thinking she'll get dicked down as her nails click against the glass of her phone. Adrien clears his throat, growing annoyed by the lack of attention from this little cunt. Ashley jumped in her seat, her brown eyes widened as she snapped her head up to see Adrien towering over her. 

                  "O-Oh! Hey, there Adrien." The blonde stuttered out, quickly throwing her phone in her purse. Ashley pushed her arms up against the side of her tits to make them poke out more up more from the tiny pink tube top she wore. Her brown eyes looked at him through her fake, long eyelashes. How cute. She's trying to seduce him but Adrien isn't easily swayed by blow up dolls. Adrien smirked at her before he pulled out his chair and sat down.

                   "Hey, there cutie. Sorry to keep you waiting so long, I just had to smoke real quick. Hope you'll forgive." Adrien said as he flashed her with a pearly white smile and a wink. A blush bloomed on her tanned cheeks and she sat their almost awe struck at him before she replied.

                   "Oh no, it's totally okay. I mean I wasn't even waiting that long. I was just texting my friends because I was thinking maybe going clubbing and maybe you wanna come with me because I know a great place and I get a little loose..." Ashley continued to ramble on and on. Adrien stared at her, giving some responses here and there but letting this whore talk for the most part as she continued to talk about herself. Adrien was getting bored letting her do all the talking and wanted to hurry this up to the part where he sliced open this dumb sluts stomach.

                    "Actually," Adrien interrupted her in mid sentence causing her to raise her eyebrows at him. "I was thinking we could do something a little...crazy. There's this place outside of town that is-" Adrien paused as he felt calloused fingers gently glide up the skin of his thigh and ghost over his soft, placid cock before gripping it. Adrien jumped at the contact to his cock and let out a small hiss as the hand continued to palm Adrien as he grew harder. He looked up to see Ashley looking at him with a wider variation of emotions. Adrien had to quickly come up with something before she's scared away. Adrien quickly threw his dinner knife on the floor. 

                     "Oh shit sorry my knife fell on my foot. Don't worry I'm fine let me get it." Adrien quickly said before he hunched over to be met with a pair of golden eyes staring back at him. Keke sat between his legs, his tiny body being able to fit underneath the table without being noticed by Ashley as Keke continued to touch the blonde man. Adrien had no idea how in the hell Keke even got here until he glanced over to see the drapery next to them was pulled back. That little fucker had snuck in here and for what reason he didn't know why. Adrien bit his lip when he felt Keke tug at his now hardening cock roughly. 

                       "Keke, right now is not the time for this. This is for a very important so I can't fuck this up." Adrien hissed at him. As much as Adrien didn't wanna lose this bitch for his client, he couldn't help but like this new risky side of Keke that made a delicious electrifying chill run up his spine to be touched right in front of someone. Adrien has to mentality slap himself, he had to get his job done or he will lose this high paying customer. He tried pushing Keke away from him only to feel the smaller man's nails dig deep into the meat of Adrien's thigh.

                       "Keone. You need to fuck off right now or I'm gonna make your cunt so loose from when I destroy it so leav-" 

                       "Ummm, Adrien is everything okay down there? " Ashley questioned from the table above. 

                      "Yeah everything's fine just got butter fingers and keep dropping be right up in a second, princess." Adrien yelled from below before glaring down at Keke who had a toothy smirk plastered on his lips as he started to pump Adrien's cock. 

                   "F-Fuck! Ugh fine you fucking brat you can stay and continue but if you make me mess up kiss that cunt of your destroyed, bitch." Adrien growled at Keke who replied by harshly squeezing the blondes balls. Adrien sat with the knife in his hand only to be met with the confused face of his date.

                 "Sorry about that, sweetie. It's been one of those nights, huh?" Adrien said before laying his hands on the table to keep himself from touching Keke.

                "Yeah I guess…" Ashley replied and sipped her wine and looked anywhere but Adrien. Shit she must be disinterested from the knife incident, Adrien tried to figure out something to break the ice.

                "So tell me more about New York. What places did you like to shop at since you clearly love...fashion." Adrien said through gritted teeth when he felt Keke unzip his shorts, letting Adrien's cock spring forward before running his warm tongue along the hardened cock. Adrien let out a shaky breathe and clenched his hands as he waited for Ashley to answer. Not noticing or not caring, she perked up and started rambling again but Adrien couldn't focus on anything she was saying.

                   He was lost into the sensation of Keone slowly running his tongue over the head of Adrien's cock and light stroking him. Keke would take a little bit of Adrien in his mouth, sucking softly and slowly licking him, so close to bringing Adrien to the edge before pulling away. He then would start dragging those sharp canines over Adrien's cock, those teeth feeling like needles dragging across the sensitive skin which the pain caused Adrien to hiss in pleasure and pain. Adrien looked up to see Ashley with an expression of disgust and confusion. Before Adrien could say anything, he felt Keke take his entire cock into his throat. Feeling Keone's tight, warm wet throat tightly squeezing around Adrien made him lose it, the blonde let out a deep throaty moan as Keke bobbed his head on Adrien's cock, taking him all the way down to the base until Keone's nose was pressed into the the trail of hair the covered the taller man.

        Adrien's heart stopped when he realized what he just did. He looked over to see Ashley's mouth agape in horror as she stared with utter shock and disgust. Adrien saw the other customers in the restaurant stare at him with equal horror. Before Adrien could explain himself, Ashley stood up quickly with her purse in hand.

               "Ihavetogotothebathroom." Ashley quickly said before she made a dash to the bathrooms to hide until someone came get her or until he left. Adrien felt anger bubble up in him and he went to snatch Keke up by his air only to grab air. Somehow Adrien didn't notice Keke had slipped away after the blonde made a commotion. The tall man needed to get out of here before any cops came for the indecent thing going on here but more importantly to beat that little twinks ass red. Adrien tucked himself in his pants before throwing a random amount of money and scurrying out into the open, abandoned streets. He turned the corner into the alleyway and decided to take the backstreets towards the villa. As he made his way through the darkened path, he was met with a pair of golden eyes glaring at him in the shadows before at lighting speed slammed right into him causing Adrien fall to the ground as pain bloomed throughout his back.