#the way they get even closer after the identity thing is no longer between Tim and the team

[alvindraperzzz]

#they're such an underrated dynamic from this series#like throughout yj98 there's a definite distance between tim and everybody else since he can't reveal his identity to them#and cassie is definitely way closer to cissie and kon and bart than she is to him bc of that distance#and you can feel that awkwardness here in the way she apologizes to him immediately -- they're not at the level#where she can just shout and be mean to him and know it'll be fine -- not like she is with cissie or kon#but for tim -- i think he is at that level? like he wouldn't shout at her either but that's cause he's generally sweet to the yj girls#he doesn't butt heads with cassie like he does with the guys - but i also think she's someone he trusts to have his back in a very real way#and i think it's really telling that when everybody was confronting him about batman's contingencies it was CASSIE'S opinion#he asked for -- like she was the last person he thought would think that of him#obligatory 'the two people who died in his granny goodness nightmare were cassie and kon'#idk there's such an undercurrent of care even if they don't get as many 'this is my best friend' moments like some of the others#aghhhh#and the way cassie so clearly respects his opinion and is so worried he'll be mad at her when she replaces him as leader#the way she's the first one to hug him when he comes back to the team after he quits#oof. OOF. they're friends they're friends they LOVE EACH OTHER#sorry everyone i'm getting all up in my feelings again that they're the only ones left after infinite crisis (tags via op)

Rereading the Our Worlds at War tie-in again and God I miss their friendship every day

[mamawasatesttube]

Janet lives au my beloved, I love the difference in the Janet lives vs the Jack lives au :)

Happy holidays! :D

thanks, happy holidays to you too!!!

also aughgh right??? there is so much to ponder wrt janet our collective beloved janet... i think often about this. like. his issues with jack would both shrink and grow because on the one hand jack is no longer actively around to do shit to feed into tim's many complexes. on the other hand, he now has jack up on the Perfect Dad pedestal in his mind because he's dead. can't criticize your dead dad that's fucked up and horrible. right?

and on the other hand. man. so lets posit he has a better relationship with janet than he would with jack (because janet is a better parent than jack, and let's be real, that isn't really a high bar. but given jack's... everything, i just kinda really get the vibe that he left most of the actual parenting to janet). now at first you'd think this is solely a good thing! ...but can you imagine how much more agonized tim is about having to lie to his beloved mommy???? all the time??? he's even more torn between The Mission and his filial piety this time around!!! augh!!!

like all those times jack didnt notice tim hiding bruises with makeup ? if janet's around it is sooo possible that tim steals HER makeup for this specifically at least once and She. Notices. deeply possible that she puts together "tim showing up with mysterious injuries he keeps trying to hide and also lying to me about it" with "tim getting closer with dick grayson and bruce wayne while i was away" and deduces that she doesn't know WHAT they've gotten her little baby boy into, but she IS going to kill those guys. tim keeps insisting that they're very nice to him but that really isn't helping anything. but just the entire concept of janet actually paying attention to tim's injuries - noticing if he steals her makeup!!! - or paying attention to things like. *checks notes* one of his classmates being SHOT DEAD at their SCHOOL ???? hey jack how did you not even check on him once after this. whats wrong with you. i just wanna talk jack

so i think she'd find out tim's robin way faster than jack. he probably would agonize about wanting her to know but The Mission and the need for secrecy, etc. but notably, when she finds out, i don't think she'd force him to quit - she'd really really want him to, because this is so dangerous and he's her baby and she doesn't want him to get hurt!!! but if he pushed back and tried to explain his side of it, she'd actually be willing to at least hear him out (unlike jack).

but also. not to be predictable but. i think it would be really funny if at some point during this drama kon-el shows up on the front doorstep looking for robin, and eavesdrops just enough to understand that janet knows now. because. hear me out. this is how we once again arrive at tim walking into his own house and home and just balking because kon is at the kitchen table hanging out with his mother. mom why the heck are you giving superboy my oreos!!!!

(also, calling back a little to the concept of baby kon somehow befriending janet, but. very specific vision in my mind of "janet lives past identity crisis too au" where at some point baby kon mentions to tim in her earshot that hes never had a mom and wonders whats it like?? and she doesnt say anything but this strikes her to the heart. several years down the line when timkon are established at some point she's like conner sweetie i know a long time back you said you don't have a mother, and i understand that completely and don't mean to try and take any place in your life you don't want me in, but if you ever would like to have a mother-in-law… and tim is just like. MOM. ARE YOU TRYING TO PROPOSE TO KON FOR ME??? THIS IS SO CRINGE. UGH MOM STOP)

[ectonurites]

what do you think is the reason for the closet scene in graduation day? since most timkon moments are after that and they’re not even really best friends yet.

I kinda misread what you were asking at first so I'm gonna take a sec to more talk about the in-universe reasoning that I usually have for the scene: that realistically they just ducked into a closet to have a moment to talk alone, and Kon was getting re-dressed because he’d likely been looked over once they got to the hospital.

Like… I can imagine a lead-up to that scene of Tim right outside the door to an examination room holding a clean uniform for Kon waiting for him to get an okay from the doctor, and just shoving it in his hands as soon as he’s good to go, bringing him to the closet so he can change and get ranted at at the same time. Tim was, ya know, facing the other way as Kon was changing so that was giving him privacy while also letting Tim still yell at him, LMAO. But considering this book had a lot of moving pieces and characters and ground to cover, giving that sort of context doesn't seem all that necessary, the things they actually say to each other mattered more.

But anyways, in terms of what I think you actually asked, which is more why narratively Winick chose to include a scene like this at all… at this point it is definitely early in their best friend-ship* so I think it was likely in big part there to foreshadow how they’d be getting a lot closer in the near future. Graduation Day was written knowing at least a little bit of what would be coming next, ya know? Like, I think we nowadays look at Young Justice ending, Graduation Day happening, and Teen Titans Vol. 3 starting as way more spread out than they actually were… YJ #55 was in March, Graduation Day #1-3 in May-June, and Teen Titans #1 in July, all in 2003.

*I've talked about it before, but Kon had actually on page considered Tim a best friend earlier than many people think- he used the phrasing ‘ex-best friend’ to describe Tim right after their fight on Apokolips during Superboy #92. Meaning he already thought of Tim as a best friend before that! It seems to take longer for Tim to refer to Kon as his best friend on page, but the end of YJ era is definitely when they’re starting to shift into best friend mode, it's just the early bits of it.

While Winick went on to write Outsiders not Teen Titans (though the two books would come back together later for the Insiders crossover), he like… planted the seeds for the Teen Titans book in there at the end, he definitely had at least a vague idea of the direction things would be going in:

(Titans/Young Justice: Graduation Day #3)

And like, Tim & Kon finding out the Luthor secret together is at the end of the first issue of TT Vol. 3:

(Teen Titans Vol. 3 #1)

To me it feels like that was at least a vague thing Winick knew would be happening, so he gave Tim & Kon a moment together to kinda… lay down some of their dynamic and feelings before we got to that point that was about to shake things up for both of them.

(Titans/Young Justice: Graduation Day #2)

Because before this the two hadn’t really had that much back and forth just between them since before their big fight on Apokolips. They definitely reconciled after that once Tim’s identity was out in the open and he came back to YJ, but it wasn’t really something they talked about so much as just… the tension was gone and they moved on.

So the closet moment serves to show how their dynamic has kinda re-formed itself in the aftermath of that (pretty similar to how they were before except the petty bickering dies down into/is based a lot more in genuine concern now), as well as how they’re dealing with their current situation.

I think this conversation actually connects a lot to the stuff from Apokolips in some subtle ways that I highly doubt were intentional but just feel right there to me.

I can see it as a big part of why Tim’s hammering into Kon’s head just how much doing something stupid like jumping the android bothered him- because Tim had been tortured by Granny with seeing Cassie and Kon get murdered in front of him while he was helpless to do anything. In-universe that really wouldn't have been that long ago, considering it was only two out-of-universe years earlier. Cassie hadn't been one to jump into things, and others on their team are out of commission, so Tim taking the time to particularly drill it into Kon's head how stupid a move that was makes sense to me... that's a fresh wound! He had to watch Kon get killed- so seeing Kon throw himself into danger like that has absolutely got him scared of that really happening (and at this point we're still 3 out-of-universe years out from it happening for real) but... he's Tim, and this is Kon, so he's gonna express it is by calling him dumb rather than just saying what he's feeling. Bickering is what they do, that's their normal.

And for Kon it's that switch in how he's responding to Tim that stands out to me. Where he picks up on the distinction between the initial "Tim's angry because he thinks I fucked up" and the more genuine "Tim's angry because he's feeling scared and insecure" and drops the defensiveness to try to be more comforting. Kon has crossed lines with Tim before, so now he can see them better. Back on Apokolips their fight had started with Kon just disobeying orders and pissing Tim off, but there's a very clear tone shift once he starts throwing out the accusations about Tim having files on them like Bruce & the JLA. When Kon talked to Linda about it after, he leaves the stuff about the accusations for last, because he knows that's what hurt Tim the most. And it's also pretty clear from that whole conversation between Kon and Linda that while he did believe in what he said, he never actually wanted to hurt Tim, that he messed up by doing that.

So after, when things are resolved from that situation, I think Kon reasonably could have noticed that Tim being compared (or comparing himself) to other Bats* is definitely like... a sensitive subject no matter the angle, or at least a subject he shouldn't keep fighting Tim on because it's not gonna go well, even if Kon still thinks his own POV is more correct. Once Tim starts talking about the teams it becomes pretty clear Tim's mad at himself too not just at Kon, and that he needs comfort more than an argument... So Kon makes that choice to drop it and try to reassure Tim instead, he doesn't want to repeat the mistakes he's made by pushing Tim too far before and ending up hurting him.

*Even though the way it's playing out here is comparing the teams, it is at heart Tim feeling like his team is embarrassing themselves in front of Dick's team, it's Tim comparing himself to Dick. Donna on the following page makes the comparison between them very blatantly, making it especially clear that's the intent.

(Titans/Young Justice: Graduation Day #2)

But.... yeah. So much of Tim & Kon's relationship up to this point had been giving each other shit, sometimes more playfully (Like Superboy #85) and sometimes having a lot more anger to it (plenty of early YJ bits, and obviously YJ #36) but now that the problems they had with each other are more out in the open, the real anger with one another that was there behind it has started to fizzle out. Leaving them trying to navigate this new thing where they don't need to be as angry at each other all the time, where Tim can maybe be a little more vulnerable around Kon, and Kon can notice more about what's going on with Tim and pick his battles in approaching him. Including this scene with them during this transitional story between Young Justice and Teen Titans helps to re-establish things before Kon's world gets turned upside down and Tim's the one other person to know what's going on, when they're about to enter an era of depending on one another a lot.

Why it specifically had to be in a closet? Who knows. Winick made the coming out of the closet joke/lighthearted comment, ya know. I do think realistically it's just because it's one of the few places they could have had a private conversation in a busy hospital, Donna and Dick were hiding out to talk in one too, plus something vaguely like the in-universe explanation I started with.

[mochegato]

Nannyette

Chapter 9 – A View From the Top

Chapter 1     Chapter 8 

Tim studied the pictures on her wall again while he waited for Marinette to change out of her stained shirt.  Specifically, he studied the picture of Marinette that looked like it was taken from the top of the Eifel Tower.  He studied the background of the photo.  Either it was a hell of a photo shop job or it was actually taken from the Eifel Tower, and taking into account the perspective and size of the objects in the background, it was taken at the top of the Tower. But there was no way she could have gotten up there, right?  So it must be photo shop.  Unless… He thought back to the photos she identified in his townhouse.

“Sorry I made us stop here.  I’m such a klutz,” Marinette groaned apologetically.  

“You aren’t even trying to hide it, are you?” Tim asked with an amused, teasing lilt to his voice.

Marinette furrowed her brow and gave him a confused shake of her head.  She followed his eye line to look at the pictures, specifically the picture Adrien had taken of her from the top of the Eifel Tower.  Marinette paled slightly and snapped her eyes back to Tim.  “Hide what exactly?” she asked carefully.

“This picture was taken from the top of the Eifel Tower, a place they do not allow civilians.  There was no way for you to get up there legally or even illegally.” He moved closer to her with each sentence, a love-struck grin on his face. Marinette subconsciously backed away as he moved forward.  “That’s why you were so quick to identify my pictures as outing me.  You had pictures that could out you.  You were one of the heroes, weren’t you?”  

He quirked his head to the side and studied her, trying to figure out which hero she was, still advancing on her, missing the sudden color change and tension in her frame.  “That’s how you knew so much about them and how their suits worked, why you’re such a good fighter, why you are so good at patching up wounds, how you knew how worried we would be about our identities.”  He looked up and saw a picture of her and Adrien together. “That’s what you and Adrien were talking about earlier with the ‘dealing with giant babies’.  I thought you were talking about annoying people but you meant a literal giant baby, an akuma you guys had to deal with because he’s a hero too.” Tim grinned proudly for having figured it out.

Marinette only stopped backing up when her back hit a wall.  She looked away to think about her options, a plausible excuse.  She may have found out about their identities, but she wasn’t ready for him to find out hers.  She carefully controlled her breathing.  If she started hyperventilating now, it would be a dead giveaway that he was right.  Tim had advanced to the point of almost touching her.  He put his arm up on the wall to lean against it, unintentionally boxing her in and making her feel claustrophobic.  

She looked back up timidly.  “Or… I was friends with a few of them, particularly Chat Noir.  I was the target for quite a few akumas and got to know them pretty well.  My balcony was along their patrol route and I gave them pastries whenever I could. Chat had a pretty bad home life and he liked to stop at my balcony to think and talk.  Plus we gave them pastries and treats when they stopped, so it was a popular spot.”

He looked at her skeptically searching for signs of duplicity, but everything she said seemed truthful.  At the very least, she believed what she was saying.  “And the picture?” he nodded to the picture of her from the Eifel Tower.

She looked over to the picture and got a nostalgic smile on her face.  “Chat took that.  He wanted to give me a view I’d never forget.”

Tim raised his eyebrows.  “Should I be jealous?  Do you have a different favorite hero?”

She chuckled lightly, thankful for the change in focus. “I grew up with Ladybug and Chat Noir and the rest.  They mean a lot to me.  My life has been saved so many times because of that team.”  She raised up her hand to run it along his neck and rest it on his shoulder.  “But lately another hero has caught my attention.”

He smiled at her seductively and rested his hands on her hips.  “Oh yeah?”

She nodded coyly, looking up at him through her eyelashes and running her finger down his chest.  “Perhaps you’ve heard of them?”

“Maybe.  Do I get to find out their name?”

She hummed at him and pulled him down until his ear was a few centimeters away from her lips.  “Black Bat.”  

She grinned as he groaned and dropped his head onto her shoulder.  “I want to be mad but I can’t blame you for that.  She’s everyone’s favorite.”

Marinette hummed again and lifted his head to look at her.  “Maybe, but not mine.”  Her previously teasing eyes were now filled with tender affection.  “I kind of have a thing for Red Robin, but I heard he has a girlfriend.”

Tim nodded as he moved to cup her face.  “He does.  I heard he absolutely adores her.  He thinks he might be falling in love with her.”

Marinette’s eyes sparkled and she grinned brilliantly. “Yeah?” Tim nodded again, unable to look away from her eyes.  Marinette’s smile grew impossibly wider and she wrapped her arms around his waist to pull him closer.  “Good. Because I heard she’s falling in love with him too.”

Tim’s smiled excitedly.  “Really?”  This time Marinette nodded, biting her lip shyly.  Tim surged forward to kiss her passionately, but before their lips met, her head snapped to the suddenly opened door and his lips landed on her cheek.

Adrien slammed the door behind him and made his way back toward his room, so focused on what he was thinking about he didn’t see them against the far wall.  “Okay Plagg, what do you think? ‘Bug, I’ve decided I’m going to ask Luz to marry me. So… I want to let the cat out of the bag.’  No, no, that isn’t good.  She won’t appreciate the, frankly perfect, pun.”  

A high pitched voice rose up from Adrien’s jacket. “That was terrible and a lazy effort.”

“What do you know?  You don’t like any puns unless they are about cheese.  Okay, how about “Marinette, Bugaboo, Bug, LB, best friend ever, sister, I’ve decided I want to spend the rest of my life with Luz and I don’t want to keep any secrets of mine from her.  So, I want to tell her about Paris and about me, who I was.  I won’t tell her about you.  I know how important it is that nobody knows who you are.’  Good right? ‘Oh, and you need to be my Best Man. Best Maid?  Best Person?’”

Tim gaped at him and whipped his head back to Marinette whose eyes were clamped shut and her face scrunched up in frustration.  “I’m supposed to be lucky,” she groaned out quietly and lightly banged her head against the wall behind her.  She took a deep breath and gave Tim an apologetic grimace before turning to address Adrien.  “Plagg is right, that was a lazy effort, but I understand you were distracted. Wait until she says yes before you tell her and maybe not in the same night.  Give her time to celebrate the engagement before you drop a big bomb on her. She’ll love it,” she rushed to assure him, “but it’s still a lot, so not at the same time.”

Adrien jerked back, whipping his head around to see her and Tim, almost falling but catching himself at the last minute.  His face immediately paled as he mentally went through everything he had just admitted to.  “Hey Bu… uh… Marinette.”  He stuttered awkwardly shifting from foot to foot.  “I thought… so you didn’t go to his place then?”

“Nope,” she said popping the p.

“I thought you were going to his place.”

“I had to change my clothes.”

“How much…” he couldn’t even finish the question.

Marinette sighed and moved away from Tim wrapping her arms around herself as she did.  “Enough.”

Adrien let out a guilty sigh, “Sorry Bug.  I didn’t… I should have checked my surroundings.  I really… I’m sorry.”

Marinette gave him a halfhearted smile.  “It’s okay.  He had actually just asked a few minutes before you came in anyway, so I wasn’t going to be able to hide it for much longer.”

Adrien looked between the two of them surprised Tim picked up on it so quickly when none of their friends or family had been able to after years.  “Right. Okay.  Well I’ll just… um… go then.  Good to see you again, Tim.” He waved to Tim before he remembered the awkward situation he had just created and stiffly retracted his hand before quickly retreating out of the apartment.

Marinette moved to lean against the back of the couch. She didn’t think she would be able to stand on her own for this conversation.  “I’m sorry,” she spoke quietly to the floor.  “I… I didn’t lie.  None of what I said was a lie.  Chat did stop by a lot before either of us knew each other’s identity and that picture was… I had a particularly rough day.  Chat didn’t know why but it was a lot of things piling up on me both as a civilian and a hero and a… um…” she furrowed her brow as she spoke.  She wanted to finish that sentence but she couldn’t.  As much as she cared about Tim, she couldn’t risk telling him more than he already knew. “Anyway, Chat didn’t know why exactly it was such a rough day for me but he took me up to the top of the Tower to get me to smile.”

She could hear Tim approaching her slowly, but she wasn’t ready to look in his eyes yet.  She wasn’t ready for the betrayal in his eyes she was sure would be there. “We didn’t even know each other’s identity until after we had defeated Hawkmoth, the first one.”  She looked to the side, tears starting to fall down her cheeks.  “And what I said about the powers, how much danger there is, how much power is involved, that was all true.  I can’t tell someone I just met, no matter how I feel about him.  I’m sorry, I just can’t.  There is too much at stake.”  The tears were falling faster now.  She knew she was going to lose him over this.  He had shared his identity with her and she had basically lied about hers even when he directly asked.  He was going to think she didn’t trust him or she was just using him.

She startled when she felt arms wrap around her and pull her into a welcoming chest.  “Shhh. It’s okay.  I understand.  It’s okay. I’m not mad or disappointed,” he reassured her, rubbing comforting circles on her back and kissing her temple.

She pulled back to look him in the eyes to verify his words.  His eyes held nothing but honesty and concern for her.  She lamented the loss of his hands around her waist until she felt his hands on her face, wiping away her tears.  “Do you know how paranoid Batman is about identities?  He passed that onto me.  I had friends in the superhero community for years before I told them who I was.  We saved each other’s lives more times than I could count.  I trusted them absolutely, but didn’t tell them my identity.  If you hadn’t found out our identities on your own, I probably wouldn’t have told you for a long time and there was a lot less at stake for me than there is for you.”

He cupped her face again and laid a chaste kiss on her lips.  “I understand.  We just started dating.  I don’t expect you to spill all your secrets right away.  It’s okay.”  He pulled her into his chest again to wrap her in his reassuring embrace and rest his forehead on hers.  “And I meant what I said, I’m falling in love with you.  Nothing about what just happened changes that, other than to maybe make me even more impressed.  And make no mistake, tonight I’m going to scour the internet to find videos of my kickass girlfriend in action so I can feel even more unworthy.”

Marinette gave him a grateful smile.  “Thank you,” she whispered barely loudly enough to hear even in the silent apartment.

“The worst part about this is that I don’t get to gush about my superhero girlfriend and lord it over the others.  I’m just going to have to know internally you are definitely too good for me,” he sighed out in mock exasperation.  

Marinette giggled and wrapped her arms around his neck. “I know what you mean.  I can’t gush to Adrien about the amazing job my boyfriend did taking down the cartel the other day or the jaw dropping moves he did in the fight.”  She sighed pitifully.  “I’m just going to have to stick to gushing about the qualities he shows in his civilian identity; being brilliant, kind, funny, sexy, sweet, compassionate, dedicated, loyal…”  

She would have continued listing off more of his outstanding characteristics but Tim stopped her mouth with a passionate, hungry kiss.  He pulled away breathlessly to look her in the eyes.  “I think I was wrong, I’m not falling in love with you.  I’m already there.  I love you.”

Marinette beamed at him and cupped his face, gazing at him adoringly.  “I love you too.”

“But,” he looked down in mock disappointment, “maybe some form of punishment might be in order.”  Her face fell and she looked at him confused.  He looked back up with a devilish grin.  “I’m just not certain if it is more of a snuggles level infraction or cuddles level.”

Her expression morphed to a sultry look.  She pulled his face closer to hers again. “This might be severe enough to level up.  I was thinking it might be a watching Knives Out level transgression.”  

“Ooohhh, that seems harsh, but if you think that’s justified…”  He closed the gap to pull her into a searing, passionate kiss, which was quickly followed by many, many more.

 The End

Tags:

@timari-month-event  @ichigorose @stainedglassm @better-toast @theymakeupfairies @trippingovermyfeet @demonicbusiness @maskedpainter @ladybug-182 @a4-machete

[anjuschiffer]

Amira Wayne - Chapter 17

Another chapter! Woo! And yes, I’m still going on with @biodad-bruce-month event despite being two months since it ended :D

Chapter 17: Villain (2)

WARNING: BLOOD MENTION AND DEATH IN THIS CHAPTER

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P.Tag: @theatreandcomicfreak @damianette-is-life @toodaloo-kangaroo @elijahcrevan @vixen-uchiha @nathleigh

Tag: @we-want-mini-mini @ramos123 @bluesimani @redscarlet95 @greatcatblaze @promiswords @fantasiame @corabeth11 @anonymously-odd @alexandriamw @officiallydarkgeek @galla02006 @maleive07 

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MASTERLIST | FIRST | PREV | AO3

Something wasn’t right and no, it didn’t take Wally having to see fog outside Amira’s bedroom to know that. 

He had been on the phone with Dick, telling him of Amira’s stress baking when the chilly afternoon became a dark, foggy evening. 

Rolls of mist covered the Parisian roads, people yelling out to each other as they stumbled to find each other. 

“Dick. I have to call you back.” Wally said as he scrambled around the room in search of his suitcase. 

To think he would need Barry’s gift so soon. 

“Back? Wally what is-“ Wally hung up when he found the comms, his eyes darting around the room until he found a box tucked under the desk labeled ‘utilities.’

Rummaging around it, he grabbed some flashlights, batteries and some goggles before heading into the Parisian street. 

He thought the fog was bad from behind the window, but now standing in...it was a nightmare. 

Amira, please...be safe...

Fishing for his phone, Wally quickly scrolled through his contacts until he found Amira’s and began to call it. 

The longer the call rang, the more Wally began to worry. 

When his call didn’t get through, he tried again, turning on the goggles, taken aback at how high tech they were. 

The perks of being rich he guessed. 

When he noticed that the night vision wouldn’t work in this situation, Wally switched over to thermal, running into the school across the street and up the stairs.

“Marinette!” Wally yelled, holding back the urge to yell out her real name. But he knew better than that. 

He knew better than to yell out Amira’s real identity.

“Marinette! Where are you?” Wally yelled out again, looking to see if anyone reacted to the name. That’s when he noticed a heat carefully walked towards the doorway of a classroom on the second floor.

“Hello?” A Parisian asked him, Wally biting his tongue. Damn it!

“Listen, do you speak English?” 

“A little.” The person said back.

“That’s fine. Do you know where Marinette is? Do you know what happened to-”

“She was akumatized!” The person bellowed back, Wally feeling his heart stop.

Amira...Amira is the akuma? She...she got akumatized...by Hawkmoth?

How? This wasn’t part of the plan she told him last night!

Snapping from his spiraling thoughts, Wally cupped his hands around his mouth.

“What caused it?” Wally asked, wondering what the hell happened to Amira that caused her to lose control of her emotions.

What caused her to snap?

“She had a little argument over a boy with her classmate. About a boy named...Jason.”

Holy shit.

“No, no, no, no.” Wally muttered to himself, digging his hands into his hair, hating the answer to his questions.

“Are you-” The person asked, Wally seeing them almost hit with the balcony in front of them.

“Stop! Don’t leave the classroom! Stay in there and wait for La-Chat Noir and the team to arrive.” Wally managed to say, his brain running through every possible situation to help him cope with the idea that Amira was somewhere out there, distorted by her emotions…

Alone..dealing with emotions she never liked lingering in for too long...walking with her baggage of pain...and guilt…

Wait...the person said she was arguing with someone who knew Jason...but how was that possible?

“-can do for you?” Wally managed to register, running up the stairs and walked into the classroom, shutting the door behind him.

“I need you to tell me what exactly happened before Marinette got akumatized and don’t you dare try to cover up any details. If you do…” Wally closed his eyes and took a deep breath, hoping he wouldn’t jinx the situation. “This akuma may become your livelihood for a very long time and not only that...this maybe be the Miraculous Team’s last fight and be Hawkmoth’s victory.”

---

Adrien held Chloe close as she continued to grip at his shirt, her body shaking violently as she muttered incoherent words. Tears ruined her makeup, her eyes bloodshot red as Chloe remained curled against Adrien’s shirt.

“Adrikins...you’re still there...right?”

“I’m still here.” Adrien assured, hugging Chloe closer to him.

“Maman and Daddy… I saw them die before my eyes. And I saw Sabrina and Mari...they..they also-”

“You don’t have to tell me.” Adrien hushed, turning to where Plagg was despite not being able to see anything but his glowing green eyes.

After Mari-Banshee caused Chloe to collapse and then disappeared from his sight, Adrien ordered Nino and Sabrina to head back to the class while he took care of Chloe.

Carefully dragging her to the locker room, Adrien began to softly talk to her, holding her hands as he tried to think of a way to lessen the effect of Banshee’s power on Chloe so that he could-

“-help her.” Cloe muttered out, Adrien feeling her hesitantly push herself away from him. “Go help her, Adrien.”

“Chloe, you aren’t-”

“But she needs more help than me Adrien.” Chloe echoed. “I know this will go away once the akuma is found, but right now...we need to do something about the akuma. Who knows how long Ladybird will get here and get rid of the akuma, but we’re here. You’re here.”

Adrien felt as Chloe untangled her hand from his. “I can’t do anything, but you can. You can help de escalate the situation and you even know who she is after. So please...help her Adrien...she’s our friend...who knows how long she can endure it…”

Adrien bit his lip, feeling Plagg settle back into Adrien’s pocket inside his jacket.

“I’ll try Chloe. I’ll try.”

Giving Chloe’s hand a squeeze, Adrien slowly makes his way back to where he last saw Marinette, holding back a scream that nestled in his throat.

“Kid. We need to hurry.” Plagg reminded him. “Because Chloe was right. We don’t know how long it will take Ladybird to find Marinette so we need all hands on-”

“I know Plagg.” Adrien cut off, digging his nails into his palms. “Plagg, claws out!”

---

Dick paced around his apartment, putting his phone to his ear as he attempted to call both Wally and Amira, only to get sent to voicemail. 

Huffing, Dick was about to call again when Tim called first. 

“Tim, can this-“

“This is urgent.”

“Tim, I’m trying to-“

“Something wrong is happening in Paris right now. Just open the link I sent you right now.”

With Tim hanging up, Dick got a message and opened it, watching a Parisian news station play on his screen. 

“Nadja Chamack. Don’t bemused, it’s just the news. As you can see, it’s currently XX:XX and yet-“ Then the camera pans to show the conditions outside. “Our once sunny December day became a foggy night, our reporters are trying to- what? An akuma?” 

The station then transitioned into a live feed of what seemed to be a figure walking within the fog. 

“This just in! Turns out that this is the result of Hawkmoths most recent akuma! So everyone who is watching, under no circumstance, do not leave the premises you are-“

Nadja went on to talk about akuma protocol when Dick notices something oddly familiar about the figure that walked within the live video. 

That bracelet on her hand…

Dick felt his heart sink to his stomach. 

Grabbing some keys and his bike, Dick began making phone calls again, hating that no one was picking up... 

Or so he thought. 

“Selina? Yes... I need a favor.”

—-

Wally slammed his fist against the teacher’s desk, hearing a few gasps escape from the students in the class. 

Damn that Lila. Can’t even face the consequences of her own actions. 

“Did you idiots seriously not think something was wrong when someone you knew was acting unusual? Even if they weren’t your friend, when someone isn’t acting like themselves, that means you should be concerned.” Silence filled the room. Wally recomposed himself. 

This was no time to lecture these idiots. Right now I have to track down both Marinette and Lila Rossi. “Does anyone know where Lila would have run off to?”

When he got nothing but silence for an answer, Wally held his composure. “Okay so no one actually knows this girl. Fine. I’ll look for her my-“

“Shouldn’t you leave this to Ladybird and her team?” The teacher spoke, Wally really wondering how dependent Parisians have become on their ‘heroes’ taking action first. 

“My best friend has been akumatized and we haven’t heard a single update about the situation from the Parisian vigilantes. My thoughts? The Miraculous Team is having trouble finding either person and if I can at least help to locate Marinette, then so be it. 

I’m not going to stand here and just depend on the vigilantes when I know I can actually do something to help.”

Walking towards the door, he stopped. “I suggest you guys find a way to deal with the mist inside this classroom. Perhaps turn the ventilation system on or something. You rather be able to see each other can keep each other company rather than not knowing what’s going on in the very room you think you’re safe in.”

With that, Wally dashed out the room, not noticing two other people walk behind him. 

—-

Lila stumbled as she ran away from the thing that was supposed to be Marinette.

That creature dressed in an ombre dress that transitioned from white to black and whose eyes haunted her was no Marinette!

That was a creature straight from tales she used to hear from the nanny that took care of long ago.

A banshee.

Lila held in a whimper as tears filled her eyes as she heard the akumatized Marinette’s hums, hums that fluctuated between her name being shrieked and soft wails. 

“Lila.” She would whisper in a hoarse voice, causing Lila to run even more. “Where are you?”

Lila turned a corner and scrambled to hide behind a dumpster, collapsing her hands over her mouth as she heard Marinette slowly make her way towards her.

Lila shut her eyes tight as she heard the hum grow louder, Lila hating that the hum kept getting louder by the second.

The hum was now right at the corner Lila had finished turning when it came to a halt.

With the foggy streets and the humming coming to a stop, Lila could hear her footsteps nice and clear, listening as her heels clicked and clacked as Marinette walked on the cobblestone street. 

Lila didn’t dare to move, she didn’t dare breath as she kept hearing those dreading footsteps. She did, however, wish she had another set of hands as a piercing shriek, in the form of her name, rang throughout the Parisian streets.

Lila didn’t know what happened next as the shriek caused her ears and head ring, her vision becoming muddled as Lila attempted to open her eyes.

She wishes she had not.

As she fluttered her eyes open, bloodshot red eyes looked back at her, a thin smile directed at her.

“Here you are.” Marinette sang in her raspy voice.

Lila felt herself begin to violently shake as Marinette helped her get up by grabbing her wrists. “You know, you didn’t have to make up all those lies to get the class to like you. They just love to throw themselves to anyone if it meant gaining a new friend. They’re just so open hearted like that.

Of course, those types of people are the type whom I’m not fond of, so I steered away from them.

Sadly, you thought lying to them was the best course of action instead of checking to see if you had to lie or not to get their adoration. I could only assume you thought this was the best course of action as it's been your main way of getting attention.

Sadly, you have to pay for your actions this time ‘round. 

Didn’t your mother teach you that every action has a consequence?”

Lila watched as Marinette let go of her hands.

“While they might forgive you for lying to them, I will not. You disparage my brother’s name and for that, you shall pay, Lila Rossi.”

She grabbed hold of Lila’s hand, Lila letting out a deathly scream as her hand went ablaze, watching as Marinette’s veil turned pitch black in color.

“Pay for your lies, for your manipulations and schemes.”

Lila felt her other hand go ablaze and soon her heart began to burn, screaming her lungs out as she watched her get swallowed by the ground.

She screamed and cried as she clawed to bring herself back up to the surface, only to feel cold hands pull her down.

“This is your punishment, Lila Rossi. Suffer like I have at the loss of my dear brother.”

The last thing Lila saw before being pulled underground was Marinette’s veil and dress turn pitch black, a vivid black she had never seen before.

Black just like the void that swallowed her, a black that was the only thing Lila could see for miles around her.

She didn’t know for how long she kept screaming, how long she was crying but she knew for quite some time as her throat grew dry. It became itchy, her eyes stinging and she started to grow cold. 

She began to walk through the darkness, not daring to stretch out her arms in fear that she may attack her once again. 

That’s when she saw him. 

Standing there, in the darkness, was a man with olive green eyes and chestnut hair staring back at her.

A man she knew...

“Papà?” She said hoarsely. 

She watched as the man looked at her with a smile, opening up his arms, welcoming her. 

With a warbling smile, Lila ran to her father, only for him to disintegrate upon her touch. 

“Papà!” Lila screeches, running after the dust. Why? Why?!

“Lila.” She heard her mother say monotonously, causing Lila to promptly shut up and stop pathetically trying to get her father back. 

She slowly turned to her side, having to look up to see her mother’s pale face. 

Was she always this tall? 

Looking at herself, Lila realized she was holding her mother's hand and standing before her father’s grave. 

She was 9 again. 

9...“You can’t keep crying mia stella. We have to keep moving, no matter what. It’s what he would have wanted us to do.”

“Yes, Mamma.” Lila complied, watching as the two walked from the grave, watching how the grave quickly got invaded by thorn covered vines with each step she took. “Bye, Papà.”

.

“Bastarda! Bastarda!” The boys chanted as they circled her, Lila covering her ears, shutting her eyes as she crouched towards the floor. 

“Smettila! [Quit it!]” Lila yelled, holding in tears as she heard the girls in her class whisper and snicker about her. 

It wasn’t her fault that her mother couldn’t afford the latest clothing, the latest car or anything new for that matter. 

If only her mother were more than just a secretary. If only her mother were someone important. 

How she hated that they were able to see through her lies. 

She could hear the laughter ringing around her, the chants of her being a bastard and bugiarda [poor] echoing in her mind. 

She watched as smeared faces of her past circled around her, laughing at her and began to sing. 

“Delilah! Delilah! Delilah the liar!”

“Shut up!” Lila screamed, but it went ignored. 

The faces continued to sing and ridicule her, Lila screaming until she couldn’t anymore. 

---

Chat looked out to the city below him, clicking his tongue when he wasn’t able to see anything below despite being at the very top of the Eiffel Tower.

Taking out his staff, Chat called Queen Bee, only to be sent directly to voicemail. He tried again, this time using their other mode of communication.

When he heard a click, Chat was about to talk when Bee beat him to it.

“I’m down Chat.’

“What?”

“I was in the area when the akuma struck. I tried to apprehend the Victim, but she got to me first. I don’t think I can...I don’t think I can fight in my condition Chat.”

Chat huffed, picking up a shriek in the distance. Narrowing his eyes, Chat started to sprint to the direction of which the shriek came from. 

“Have you heard anything from Ladybird?” Chat asked, almost crashing into someone when he got to the ground. “I tried calling her, but-”

“I didn't get anything from her…” Chat heard a shuddering of breath from the other side. “Do you think...do you think the Victim got to her?”

“Let’s hope she didn’t.” Chat said, realizing where he was. Extending his staff, he went straight to their usual training grounds, glad to be up high again. “After all, she’s the only one who can reverse all of this.

Without her, we’re screwed.”

“I know Chat...I know. But what are you going to do without me? Without her? You need allies now more than ever Chat! Without them, who knows how long it will take to defeat this Victim!”

“I’ll find a way Bee, don’t you worry. For now, rest up. We’ll win this fight, you’ll see. We won’t let Hawkmoth win, not on our watch.”

With that, Chat hung up and mumbled a ‘claws in.’

“Did we-hey! Isn’t the reason why I give you my power to-”

“Plagg, you mentioned a Master Fu before.” Adrien cut off, handing some camembert towards Plagg. “You need to take me to him. I need to-”

“I know.” Plagg said, swallowing the cheese whole. “Something tells me you might need his help for this fight.”

“Thank you, Plagg.” Adrien said, eyeing a bag of utilities nearby. He rummaged through it before finding what he needed. 

Plagg eyed the grappling hook in Adrien’s hands, wondering if he should tell him or not.

Should he? Should he tell him that Ladybird wasn’t going to come? That she was the Victim this time ‘round?

“Alright then, follow me!” Plagg said with a smile.

No, he shouldn’t tell him. Who knows what might happen if the kid would be at risk of also getting akumatized and that he couldn’t risk.

Not his kitten...not on his watch.

---

Black.

That is what Amira first saw when she barely came to her senses.

Amira felt herself walking, watching as something else took over her body.

Is this what every Victim felt like when they got akumatized by Hawkmoth?

Amira tried to move her arms, or attempted to stop herself from walking, but to no avail.

She kept walking to who knows where, hearing herself hum as she did, humming as she was looking for someone…but who?

The humming continued, Amira wondering why it resonated so much with her. 

Amira listened to the hum, closing her eyes and soaking in the melodies as the hum continued, 

---

Wally stood still as he barely made out the figures of the neatly aligned parked cars on either side of the road. Not a single person was in the street, not a single piece of paper dared to flutter within the dense fog.

Only the dim lights of the streetlights and of a few store lights allowed Wally to know where he was.

“Marinette!” He screamed, holding his breath as he strained his ears for any type of noise. When he heard nothing, he walked a few meters before standing still again and calling out for Marinette.

He kept doing his for what seemed an hour until Wally found himself right by the Seine. 

The moment he stepped onto the Pont des Arts, he heard the faintest of hums, Wally feeling the edge of his lips begin to turn upward.

“Marinette!” He yelled out, but got nothing in return.

Sprinting to the other side of the bridge, Wally was glad to hear the humming grow louder, but hated that he had yet to see Amira.

“His chirps brightened my days

Talks that would last for hours

My jay, my jay.”

“Amira!” Wally yelled, his head swinging from side to side in hopes of seeing her, but nothing. 

The quiet Parisian street taunted him, the rolling fog egging him to follow the only clue he had of tracking Amira. 

“One day after you left

For you I did wait

Another gentle night like no other.”

Wally quickly began to follow the song, hating that no type of heat was registering through the goggles.  

“I awaited for your arrival

But a visit I did not get

As I approached the window

I saw you there...

There you were.”

Wally felt like he was running towards nowhere, seeing as he had been running in the same direction for a while. 

“On the ground

Your blue feathers now dyed red

Your flight towards me

Was a flight towards another place.”

Just where the hell was he?!

“Goodbye my Jay...goodbye.” 

As those last words were said, the fog started to lift up a bit, Wally turning to see Amira staring back at him through her black veil. 

Her eyes were a dull emerald, her hair long and straight just like it was when they were younger. She wore a black lace dress that seemed to sparkle under the dim Parisian streetlights. 

“Wally. You’re alright.” Amira said, walking up to him, stroking his cheek with the back of her hand. He felt his breath hitch. “Are you hurt anywhere?”

I’m more worried about you.

“I’m fine.” Wally tried to hold her hand when she pulled it away.

“That’s good.” Her hand returning to her side, averting her gaze from him and biting her lip. “What about Chloe? Is she doing alright? I didn’t mean to hurt her like that.”

Wally gulped. She had used her power on Chloe? 

Were those tear trails running down her face?

“She’s doing alright. She’s still under your power, but she isn’t as in much pain as she was before.” Wally lied, holding her wrists in his hands, ignoring the pain her got from placing pressure over her bracelet.  

So it’s her hands he has to be wary of…more specifically, her palms.

“What about the rest of my team? Do they know where I am?” Amira asked him, Wally biting the side of his cheek.

“I think one of them might know where you are. As for the rest, I do not know.”

“I see.” Amira said, looking back at Wally, turning away from him.

“Where are you going?” Wally asked her, watching as her veil flared out a bit. He watched as a grin emerged from her once stoic face.

“I’m going to go check on Lila. You should’ve seen the look on her face as she succumbed to my punishment.”

“Amira, what have you done?” Wally almost growled out, noticing the small rips on her dress, how it seemed to merge with the shadows.

“She got the punishment she deserved. Right about now, she should be screeching her heart out.”

“How...how could you do something like that Amira?” Wally yelled, tightening his grasp on her wrists. “Vengeance isn’t the way to-”

“This was the only way to make her pay for trying to use Jason’s name for her own personal gain! Every action has a consequence, whether it be a good one or a bad one.”

“Amira, can’t you see-”

“If you are here to stop me, then don’t. I already made up my mind.” Amira tried to jerk her hands from Wally’s grasp, but couldn’t. He wouldn’t let her escape, not when she was right in front of him.

“Amira, please! Think-”

“I have. And this,” she lifted her arm ever so slightly, the corners of her mouth curving upwards as her palms hovered over Wally’s wrists. “This is my answer.”

WARNING: BLOOD AND DEATH AHEAD

Placing her palms on Wally, Wally screamed in agony as he collapsed to the floor, his hands grasping on his shirt, his knuckles turning white as his head and chest began to ring in pain.

Wally watched as his vision flickered between seeing Amira walking away from him in her black dress and her yelling out his name as she was being pulled away from him.

Wally watches as she tries to crawl back at him, as she claws at the ground as she’s being pulled away by purple miasma. 

Her nails are scratched, her skin peeling off her fingers as she tries to hold onto loose cobblestones on the ground.

She screams for him, her tears merging with the blood that trailed from her head, mixing with the dirt on her face.

Cuts, both new and old were scattered, dried blood seeping from her mouth.

She manages to get up before she’s thrown back to the floor, a scream escaping from her.

“Amira!” Wally yells, trying to reach for her as he feels tears slip from his eyes. He watches as Amira stares at him one last time before her head limps forward, her hair draping over her face.

Wally feels himself stop breathing, raising his head as he sees Joker above her. 

Why? Why were they back at Gotham?

His eyes register the crowbar in his hand, covered in blood...Amira’s blood...

Blood that dripped from the same hands that killed his friend, the same feral clown that looked down at him with his feral smile and crooked yellow teeth.

Wally let out a scream as he watched Joker walk away, leaving Amira’s corpse on the floor.

Managing to find the strength to get up, Wally ran next to Amira’s limp body, only for it to turn into mist upon lifting it.

Wally watched as the illusion merged with the mist around him, the mist slipping through his fingers as he watched his surroundings return him to the present...to Paris..

“Illusions…” Wally said, finding himself laughing as he ran one hand through his hair while the other pulled at it, feeling himself still shaking...

This is exactly why he wasn’t very fond of magic...

END

---

Nino jumped when he felt a hand on him, feeling his racing heart relax upon seeing Master Fu.

After having left the classroom when the mystery guy had run out, Nino tried to look for Ladybird, hoping to once again help his friend. But he had been running for hours, not seeing a single person at all as he searched for the Miraculous Team or Banshee.

“Master Fu, what are you-”

“You know clearly why I am here.” Fu said, slipping off the Turtle from his hand, Nino stretching out his hand towards him. “Ladybird and Queen Bee are down for this match, leaving Chat on his own.”

Nino couldn’t believe that. Chat...was on his own? Ladybird and Queen Bee...were out of commission? How?

Placing the bracelet into Nino’s hand, Master Fu closed it and looked at Nino. “Now go.”

“But Master Fu! How are-”

“The two of you are not alone.” Master Fu clarified. “Gris is to join you alongside a new ally. With you four, you must do what it takes to defeat this akuma. If not,” Master Fu lowered his gaze. “Hawkmoth might just get his hands on several miraculous tonight.”

Nino gulped, feeling unspeakable pressure pushing down on him. 

Looking down at the bracelet, Nino furrowed his brows, slipping it on. Wayzz appeared before him, smiling at him.

“Don’t worry Master Fu. I will do what it takes to protect my team, the miraculous and the people of Paris! I will not let Hawkmoth win! Wayzz, shell on!”

---

Chat’s ears twitched when he heard a thud from behind him, turning to see Carapace walking towards him.

“About time you came.” Chat said, greeting Carapace. Gris waved at the turtle hero who returned the gesture.

“Master Fu mentioned having a new member. So, where are they?”

“A new user?” Gris asked, wondering why she didn’t get the memo.

“I would like to introduce you two to our newest member.” 

The three turned to where Chat gestured, watching as a person with golden horns emerged from the doorway that led to their training grounds on the Montparnasse Tower. 

“Hello everyone. My name is Ryuuko, wielder of the Dragon miraculous. I hope to be of some help.”

“Woah, she has a whole katana by her side! Is that allowed?” Carapace asked, stretching to see the black sheath that held the katana.

“Carapace. Focus.” Chat stern said. “It’s our job to deal with this akuma as soon as possible. As you know, Queen Bee is down and Ladybird might be due to her absence. 

For this to be a success, Ryuuko, you are in charge of finding a way to lift up this fog to help with the search. Gris, multiply and scatter yourself around the city for any hints of where the akuma might be.” 

“Got it.” “Roger that!” Ryuuko and Gris said, jumping off to complete their tasks.

“What about us?” Carapace asked.

“I want you to look for Lila Rossi. She’s who the akuma is after.”

“Right. But what about you?”

“I’ll keep searching around this area. Something tells me to stay put.” Chat said. 

He watched as Carapace nodded, leaving him by himself.

Chat looked out towards the city, wondering if he was up to the job, if he was able to shine a candle to Ladybird, now that she was nowhere to be found. Would he be able to save Chloe? Marinette?

Sighing, Chat looked up to the sky, shutting his eyes firmly.

“What should I do, what should I do...Mom?”

NEXT

[incoherentbabblings]

Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: Young Justice - All Media Types, Batman - All Media Types, DCU (Comics) Rating: General Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Stephanie Brown/Tim Drake Characters: Stephanie Brown, Tim Drake, Cassie Sandsmark, Kon-El | Conner Kent Additional Tags: Missing Scene, Kissing, Romance, Established Relationship, Tim Drake is Drake (DCU), Stephanie Brown is Spoiler, Minor Canonical Character(s), Fluff and Humor, Light Angst Summary:

Expanded scene for Young Justice (2019) #15. Tim and Steph finally get to reunite after the team’s reality hopping adventure, and whilst Tim is keen for Stephanie to be (re)introduced to his friends, Stephanie isn’t sure she belongs.

Tim watched as people piled up the big green monsters into one giant pile of unconsciousness. He was standing on top of his pickup truck; the one Stephanie had apparently driven halfway across America without even a scratch to come meet up with him.

Tim watched as she very awkwardly extracted herself from a conversation with Jackson and Derek, not sure what to say or do, and made a beeline towards Tim. He tried to control his expression as she did so. He wasn’t disappointed in her, but he had hoped she would be able to feel comfortable enough around a bunch of strangers to strike up a friendly conversation or two. At the same time, he understood. Afterall, they hadn’t really gotten their reunion yet. At least, not the one that Steph had teased about wanting.

Tim could see her slight nervousness in the way she held her shoulders as she looked up at him, face hidden under her black mask and purple hood.

“We done? No more bad guys to punch?”

Two days they’d said. Two days and they would find each other.

They’d known it was a promise neither could keep, and things had very understandably gotten out of hand, but still, Tim felt like he had disappointed her.

“We’re done.”

He reached down, tugging her up onto the roof of the truck. She didn’t need the help, but he wanted to see how readily she took his arm.

She did so immediately, without hesitation, a light laugh bubbling out as she was heaved upwards. Stephanie was deceptively light, or maybe Tim was deceptively strong. Regardless, he tugged up until she was able to twist onto the roof on her butt. She then pulled herself up to standing to be level with Tim.

She was smiling under her face cover.

“Can I take off my mask, do you think? Do you trust them all?”

“Yes,” he replied immediately. “They’re our friends Steph.”

His heart broke a little that she didn’t quite understand it yet. It was a bit of a white lie, but Tim saw no reason why it could not be the truth. They had left Gotham for many reasons, altered timelines being one of many, but another was simply the desire to go new places, meet new people, and have a life outside of the damn Bat for two weeks.

Finding his friends again, finding that safe space... He wanted Steph to find her own place within it. He had mentioned it to Cassie, Kon and Bart on the rare quiet moment during their interdimensional travels. He didn’t want there to be a hard line between his life in Gotham and life with them. He didn’t see the need. Not anymore.

Needless to say that the three of them took his thoughts very well. Yes, the four of them were finally reunited. Enough with the melodrama; be grateful that they could spend time together once more and stretch it out and milk that time for all it was worth. Remember how easily it was taken away?

Besides, it couldn’t do Steph any harm to have friends too, right? Admittedly she was a bit rough around the edges, as socially awkward as she was genuinely kind, but then again it wasn’t like the team were exactly behaving at peak social norms either. Bart alone was surely testament to that, right?

Steph was ignorant to Tim’s musings and continued their conversation.

“Good. Because,” she sang, pulling down her hood and her full-face mask off. “I need to give you that proper greeting, remember? Can’t wait any longer.”

Tim exhaled at the sight of her smile and long blonde hair, but it collapsed when she leaned in, eyes half shut.

“Wait,” he said, jerking back a little.

“What?” Stephanie asked, voice quiet and sad. Worried at the rejection, she put her hands up to rest on his chest. He flinched as she did so, and she felt like crying. “Oh no… Something happened didn’t it? Is it those memories you got back? Was I horrible in them? Because I’m really sorry if I was. I’m a different person now. Literally or metaphorically I dunno but…Or is it something that happened whilst you were away?”

She spoke with such sincerity despite the farcical nature of the statements, that Tim felt the need to put her out of her misery. He grasped her wrists and then intertwined their fingers when she raised her palm from his chest. He squeezed tight, and he saw her tremble.

“It’s not you. I didn’t keep my promise.”

“What?” Her voice shifted from upset at herself to the situation.

“You needed me. We said two days. And I tried but-but…”

Stephanie pouted at being denied affection for such a trivial reason as – as far as she saw it – losing track of time. Tim was punishing himself in that silly head of his, and by extension, it also felt so to Stephanie. She took a deep breath and mellowed out her tone.

“Stuff happens,” she responded firmly. She was not interested in a debate or Tim’s proclivity for self-flagellation. “I know you didn’t deliberately leave me hanging, so why would I resent it? Impulse mentioned reality hopping…”

Her look became worried as she drew the wrong conclusion. The confidence fled her as quickly as it had come. “Was it bad? Trauma? Where did you go? Is that where you got this outfit from because ooft honey –”

“You gave it to me.”

Stephanie paused, then tugged Tim’s hands round to hold her waist.

“I did what?” she scrunched up her eyes and face cutely, shaking her head like she was trying really hard to remember giving Tim a brown superhero suit without a cape and a yellow bat on the belt buckle. “Is it another missing memory? Because it’s so unfair that you have yours and mine are still wibbly wobbly. I’m actually a little peeved about it to be honest.”

“This costume. It was… we were…”

Like she was speaking to a toddler, she squeezed tight and said, “Start at the start. What happened after you got to Metropolis?”

Tim told her.

It was an oddly long story, and yet simultaneously brief. It was chaotic and frantic, and yet the affection with which Tim relayed the adventure with his friends made her chest warm. When he reached the misdirection of Earth Three, Stephanie’s patient and attentive expression turned a little distraught. She didn’t mind having the title of Batwoman, she didn’t mind being a good guy in a world of not good guys, but there was just the fact that…

“But you said everyone on Earth Three was evil? A flip of this earth’s morality.”

“I thought so. But you weren’t. You were good there too.”

This only served to further confuse Stephanie.

“But… but…but!” she gulped in a large pocket of air. “But that would mean this me is evil! Right? Am I evil? All this time we’ve been worrying about crazy bat you –”

“Ouch.”

“—But what if it’s me? You could have stayed and helped her right? But you didn’t. And she gave you that costume as what? A present? Something to remember her by? Oh, that’s romantic and sad. But what if this means that I’m the ticking time bomb? You could have stayed and made a huge difference, right? You could have… turned that whole place upside down and made it better for everyone. From the sounds of it, I’m sure not evil me would have been down to clown... Which, great. Now I’m gonna spend my days thinking that me getting the wrong Starbucks order is going to be my start of darkness or something equally stupid. Your friends will think I’m a lunatic...”

Her eyes darted backwards, looking at the team, chatting and oblivious. Superboy was sitting off to the side, quietly watching as everyone wrapped up their work, Wondergirl and Arrowette were catching up, whilst Impulse spoke to Jinny and Naomi. Stephanie felt abruptly ashamed and as a result shifted, almost trying to hide herself behind Tim.

With a firmness and certainty that reflected Stephanie when she had rebuked his earlier guilt, Tim pressed her cheeks together to make her face scrunch up in a pout

“You… are not evil. You never will be if I have any say in the matter. Think you’re about the least capable of it in Gotham, if not in the world. You pulled me back last month from the brink of being a monster. I’d say I’d do the same for you, but I’ll never have to. You’re not stained by the dark.”

She blinked owlishly. Tim was not often that grand and romantic (though he could be histrionic), so it made her blush to be spoken of so highly. Still, her nagging concern, an uncomfortable tightness in the pit of her belly, remained.

“You could have stayed there,” she insisted. She was holding onto the fact that Tim had returned wearing a costume and a name which had been gifted to him on another earth. A name from his alternate self and a costume from an alternate her. There was something to be dissected there right? What would a psychologist make of that tangle of identity and interpersonal relationships?

He had returned from an earth where motives were selfish, and heroes were rare. He had returned wearing a name that was simultaneously his and yet not, wearing a costume that was not hers to grant. Tim wanted more than anything to make a difference. That world was ripe for his ambition.

Tim did not even seem concerned at such a concept. For once, it seemed he had not even given the matter much thought.

“Sure. Maybe I could have stayed. She would have been happy if I had. That Stephanie didn’t have anyone to help her. She…I think she was very lonely.”

Steph sighed shakily, and Tim held her closer. He knocked his forehead against hers, and her grip went up to cradle his face. They kissed, and Tim heard and felt Stephanie’s right foot pop up.

Finally granted the kiss she had been craving for hours, Tim swallowed the sound of her whimper. Not even remotely ashamed of who could be watching, Stephanie deepened the kiss and moved closer, curving her body against Tim as she tugged at his neck, encouraging him to make it harder.

It had been too long, and Stephanie was sure she was developing a complex regarding Tim, like if she took her eyes off him for three seconds he would – for the third time in a year – be zipped off to another dimension. It was almost funny how much the two of them could apparently not stay joint at the hip as they desired, and Stephanie suspected she may have started developing some bizarre attachment disorder as a result.

Although, it was worth it for moments when they kissed like this. When Tim allowed himself to feel like a seventeen-year-old. Kissing felt good. Kissing Stephanie felt great. She always tasted of cinnamon gum and liked to hold his cheek and tug his hair and she made cute squeaks when he –

No, he couldn’t get too carried away.

Tim ended the kiss with a most content sigh, like his worries had been laid to rest forever (which was false and a lie, but he indulged in it for now), and kept his eyes shut.

“I came back,” he whispered, keeping his forehead on hers and missing how Stephanie looked a little cross eyed from the kiss. “Because I had to get home to you. I promised, even if I couldn’t keep to two days. I had to come home.”

“To me,” Stephanie breathed. Looking at him reverently, she cradled his chin and kissed him again.

“To you,” Tim confirmed. “I missed you, Steph.”

She tugged him closer, making him rest his forehead against her shoulder as she buried a hand in his hair.

“Missed you too, boy wonder.”

They embraced for a moment too long, then Tim pulled back a little to speak into her ear.

“Come on. I’ll introduce you to everyone. Properly. I’m sure Bart did a rush job of it. They already know you, which isn’t fair. You should get to know them again.”

He very distinctly felt her tremble. Fighting monsters, fine. Facing her dad down, fine. Meeting her boyfriend’s friends? Terrifying.

Tim hopped down off the truck, but held out his arms, fully intent on catching her. Stephanie looked around once more. It seemed Wondergirl and Naomi were wandering over to the truck, so she swallowed her fear. She leapt off the car, straight into Tim’s arms. He caught her easily and spun her around twice, making her laugh sharply, until using the momentum he flung her up and off. She landed on her feet with a delighted shriek, and it was with that smile on her face that Cassie reached them.

To Stephanie’s surprise and delight, she was enveloped in a warm hug.

“It’s so nice to see you again. Both of you,” Cassie said. Chin resting on Stephanie’s caped shoulder, Cassie saw Tim’s look of relief and gratitude. “You guys will stick around a bit?” she insisted, raising her eyebrows in a gentle chide.

Stephanie choked on her reply, not sure how to react. Behind her, Tim grimaced. Why was she so reluctant around his friends? Was it because she didn’t want to know them, or because she didn’t feel she had the right too?

“I… I want to,” she said, Tim watching her struggle. “But-but my dad…”

Stephanie looked over her shoulder at Tim for guidance, and Cassie broke out the hug. Seeing Stephanie’s hand reach back, Tim took it tightly. He could see in her face no disdain or dislike, just insecurity and the realisation that she didn’t know how best to say her father was a pressing issue without seeming like a haughty holier than thou girlfriend.

Paradoxically, Tim relaxed. That angle was much easier to deal with. It simply was that Stephanie was nervous, and unsure of what her place was in the team. They had their memories of each other back. She held no such memories. She felt locked out, and undeserving.

How to make her understand…

“We have one loose end to tie up at our end,” Tim explained. Playing with Steph’s fingers, he had a sudden thought as a solution. “After though, how about the fact that we’re gonna need to see if the place in Rhode Island is still standing? The team should be able to use it again.”

“Huh?”

Cassie chuckled at Steph's confusion, and smiled broadly at the thought of returning to Mount Justice.

“You’ll love it Spoiler. Better than living out the back of a truck, believe me.”

Stephanie seemed bemused, like she had just suspected Cassie of mocking her but also not hearing any genuine insult in the dig at her current living circumstances.

Cassie wasn’t mocking her. She didn’t have a passive aggressive bone in her body and was not capable of being underhand. She was only trying to gently tease, as a friend would do.

Not that Stephanie knew that, but still, Tim’s heart stuttered for her.

Tim kissed Stephanie’s cheek and explained, “It was Young Justice’s home away from home. There’s a whole headquarters up there. An old Justice League site.”

“We appropriated it,” Cassie said. Her eyes were patient and encouraging. Stephanie, meanwhile, still did not understand.

“That’s cool,” she said politely. Tim sighed good naturedly, exasperated at her obtuseness.

“Stephie,” Tim moaned as she burned red from the pet name in front of his friends. He jerked his head at Conner, begging his direct nature to intercede.

“Whu—”

Endlessly patient, Tim stated, “It’s gonna be your home away from home too. If you want it to be. It can be all of ours again.”

She could not reply, as she was then embraced in a bear hug courtesy of Superboy. Cassie smirked, then called for the others to come gather. Tim held onto Stephanie’s fingers, and watched carefully what Conner did and spoke. Tim had seen that melancholy look from earlier as Conner had watched the team.

Tim knew Conner was feeling a little out of place, but he was grateful that he had put it aside to help Tim and welcome Stephanie. Hidden to Stephanie, he mouthed a thank you in Conner’s direction, who responded by wiggling his head in smug satisfaction.

Stephanie remained oblivious, her only thought as she endured the hug was at the blatant display of strength and control that the clone displayed. She grunted when he squeezed the bear hug tighter but found herself smiling all the same. There was only genuine joy and laughter in Conner’s voice as he teased.

“Hey, we finally got the lovebirds in the same room again, huh? It’s been a while, Spoiler, even if Tim says you don’t remember.”

When he set her down, she returned to Tim, holding his hand still. She didn’t understand why Superboy saying such a thing made the pit of nerves in her gut settle, but the warmth that bloomed in her chest made her smile until her cheeks hurt.

“I’m sorry I don’t. Remember, that is.”

Conner shrugged, “Hey, we’re still young. Gotta lifetime to fix that. Or make new memories. Or both.”

Tim’s hand snuck round her waist, and he pressed his cheek to her temple.

“We’ll deal with your dad. Then we’ll go home?”

“Home?” Stephanie asked.

“Second home,” he quantified.

Looking at the friendly faces surrounding the pair of them, Stephanie smiled awkwardly and nodded.

A home away from home sounded…nice.

[kittyanonymity]

A Ladybug in Gotham #1

 Marinette knows no peace 

Ok fuck it, we’re doing it!!! Hang on to your pants guys! <3 Also, just wanna say, I have loved every single Daminette fic I’ve read in this tag. You guys are a bunch of talented folks; I hope you guys like this! Also feel free to send me asks, and ask questions! There are some things that happen in the six months before the trip that I just,,,,,, REALLY did not feel like writing lmao >.> There is an allusion to some heavy stuff, but we won’t be getting into that yet.

Ages are 17-18, and Lila has been back for 4 years by the time they get to Gotham. 

Damian: 18, 19 in a few months ( like august)

Marinette (& crew): 17, (Mari’s b day is actually the month they’re in Gotham, so like april/may-ish??) Also Chloe is already 18

Tim: 22

Jason: 29 

Dick: 35

Bruce: 48

Ao3

Part 1 :HERE: Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5

Enjoy my dears!! <3 <3

Marinette couldn’t stop the smile on her face as she leaned back in her chair, holding the acceptance paper over her head.

“We did it, Tikki! We got the trip!”

Tikki whizzed around, fluttering in front of her.

“Oh, Marinette, I know you could do it! Madame Bustier will be so happy!” Marinette smiled as her kwami nuzzled her cheek, and the girl laughed, cupping the little god close to her face.

“It’ll be just what I need for inspiration, Tikki! Gotham is beautiful in the spring I hear.” With a jolt, she sat up, her chair creaking under the sudden movement, “I have to go tell maman and papa!”

She left Tikki giggling as she raced downstairs to tell her parents.

It was one of the most exciting days of the last four years, truly.

With the fundraising done ahead of time, all she’d needed to do was write an essay on why her school deserved the trip. Despite how she personally had been treated by her class these last few years, the school still had them actively involved in the community; and while she may not like most of her classmates anymore thanks to Lila, they still took their responsibilities seriously. They had rightfully earned this chance, she thought. As the year rep, she had worked tirelessly with the other classes and their reps to arrange preparations in the event they got it, and Mme. Bustier had publicly assigned her the role of the essay; Lila had not been thrilled about that.

But she’d done it!

They were going to Gotham!

Telling Master Fu abou the possibility went well; her master trusted her judgement, and he understood her desire to go on this trip. To be safe though, he decided to send Kaalki along with her, in the event of an akuma; that way a speedy return was always possible no matter what.

She was excited; but it didn’t change the fact that the trip was still a good six months away, a good end of the year trip before graduation.

‘Just a little longer,’ Marinette thought, a rueful smile on her lips, ‘A little longer, and I’ll finally have a break.’

The four years since Lila’s return had not been kind, or even all that fun. She did her best not to dwell on her emotions, what with a madman running around praying on any and all negative feelings; but she couldn’t deny the apathy she felt at times in regards to her classmates.

Lila had made good on her promise, truly. None of her old friends cared about her anymore, bar Alix and - surprisingly - Chloe. Alya had even hit her before summer break, claiming that Lila had told her Marinette shoved her down the stairs again.

And Marinette had stared right at Adrien, her boyfriend, and he had done nothing.

And she felt nothing when she broke up with him later that same week.

Finding out he was Chat Noir over the summer had been like a slap to the face, and she was just glad he didn’t realize she’d put the pieces together; especially considering how often he visited her balcony as his hero self. He’d always flirt with her as Chat, whether she was Ladybug or Marinette; and at first, she’d almost found it flattering. Then it started to make her uncomfortable.

She’d reject him as Ladybug, only to have him come whine to Marinette while he also made passes at her, showering her in praise, and pushing her to get back with Adrien. She started avoiding her balcony.

It left her stressed and on edge; Adrien only talked to her as Chat now. He wouldn’t risk talking to her at school, and after they broke up, her parents had barred him from the bakery.

But still.

Six months.

Six more months of hell, and she’d be heading to Gotham to destress.

She couldn’t wait.

~~~~~~~~

The flight had been rather dull, despite Chloe being her seatmate for the whole trip; they’d giggled over some awful american movie for the last half, and Madame Bustier had been kind enough to room her with Chloe at their hotel. The Grand Gotham Embassy building was massive, and Marinette couldn’t help but gape in awe.

Chloe snorted as she walked up next to Mari, her own carry on in hand as they stepped off the bus.

“Careful, DC, you’ll catch flies.” Mari snapped her mouth shut, and gave Chloe a flat look; the blonde only laughed, and linked their arms.

“Come on Mari-bear, let’s get our room key so our luggage can be taken up.” Marinette smiled, and nodded.

“Yeah, I wanna get settled in too.” She leaned closer to Chloe as they walked arm in arm into the hotel lobby, heading for Mme. Bustier, “Tikki is starving.” Chloe nodded.

“Pollen is too.” She said just as softly. Marinette saw Alix wave from where she stood talking to Kim and Max, and Mari waved back softly. She averted her eyes the second Max looked at her, and Chloe hurried them away once they had their keys.

Their rooms were breathtaking, honestly. Each of the suites her class was staying in had two rooms, each with their own single bed; there was a shared seating area between the two, and one bathroom, but it still had privacy. They each had a door out onto the connected balcony, and once Marinette sat her carry on bag on her bed, she threw open the balcony door, staring out over the cityscape in wonder. Paris was beautiful, the city of Love; but Gotham was gorgeous this high up.

With a thought of mischief, Marinette scoped out some good swinging spots for later before turning to see the bellhops unloading her bags. She offered them a smile and a sincere thank you as they left. She heard Chloe settling into her room through the door, and smiled as she heard her talking to Pollen. Master Fu had decided to send Pollen along with Chloe in the event that Ladybug had to come to Paris; she could bring another ally with her if needed, without having to search one out. And since Chloé had figured out her identity two years ago, she had been the best bet. Her new hero identity, Hornet, helped.

Tikki flew out of the purse at her side, and smiled.

“We made it, Marinette! We’re finally here! Do you think the Gotham university will be what you want?”

Marinette sighed as she flopped back onto her bed, staring at the ceiling, “I don’t know, Tikki; I hope so. The website was super promising, and the woman I spoke to seemed to think I’d have no problem getting in.”

Tikki hummed as she flew down and dug a cookie from Marinette’s purse, “Well, we’ll be here for a month, so it’s plenty of time to go and see the campus. I think you’ll like it Marinette! And once we defeat Hawkmoth, maybe we can start a new chapter here!” Marinette smiled at Tikki, sitting up.

“I think I like the sound of that. I’m worried about how… Adrien will handle it though.” Her smile fell as soon as it had come, and Tikki frowned as well. She floated over to her chosen and rested her paw on Marinette’s cheek.

“Marinette, his feelings are not your responsibility. You and Adrien broke up, and the fact that he was disrespecting your wishes as his superhero self was a major red flag. I don’t know why you were so upset when the Guardian took his miraculous.”

Marinette groaned, covering her face with her hands, and Tikki wove herself into her long hair, hugging the girl.

“I know he was your partner, Marinette, and you don’t want to replace him; but you have to know, Adrien isn’t the true Black Cat.”

Marinette went still.

“Tikki, what are you talking about?”

Tikki hesitated, before floating in front of Marinette’s face, “Well, for some of the miraculous, there are multiple people who can be Chosen, and some of them are better candidates than others. Adrien was the best option out of the people in Paris, so the Guardian Chose him; but he is not meant to be your Black Cat, he is just A Black Cat.” Marinette stared at her Kwami with wide eyes, slowly processing.

“So… you’re saying he’s not my other half?”Tikki shook her head, “No; and he was never meant to be. His actions have done nothing but prove that. I’m sure once we return to Paris, we’ll be sent to find the real Black Cat.”

And in a moment of clarity, Marinette realized she was out of Paris, far away from Hawkmoth; so when tears rose to her eyes, she let them come. She covered her mouth as she sobbed, and she bent over, resting her elbows on her knees as she breathed.

“Oh, Marinette, don’t cry! Please don’t be sad!” Tikki fluttered around her anxiously as she cried, and after a moment, Marinette laughed; it was a bit raspy, but it was happy. She spared a glance at her, where, in a secret pocket, she had stored Plagg's slumbering miraculous; she looked back at her own kwami.

“Tikki, I’m-I’m not sad, I’m… I’m so relieved.” Her smile was weak, but sincere, “I was terrified that he was an inevitability I’d have to just accept…” Tikki’s frown grew, and she hugged her chosen again, little tears leaking down her face.

“I’m so sorry Marinette, I wish you didn’t have to feel so much negativity all the time.”

A knock at her and Chloe’s shared door cut her off before she could reply, and Marinette looked over in time to see Chloe peek in. The blonde’s eyes grew wide when she saw Mari crying, and she rushed over, sitting on the bed next to her.

“What’s wrong, Mari-bear?”

And Marinette laughed, wrapping her arms around Chloe.

“For once, nothing!” 

Chloe shared a look with Tikki while the kwami spoke with Pollen in hushed tones, but she just hugged her friend closer. They sat in silence for awhile, waiting while Marinette composed herself. With a final sniffle, Marinette leaned back and gave Chloe a grin.

“Since it’s a rest day, do you think they’d let us check out the surrounding boutiques? I wanna see what kind of fashion Gotham has.”

Chloe snorted, but it was in good humor, “Nothing they have here could compare to what you make, Mari-bear, or even what Paris has in general.” With a smile, Chloe reached over and tapped her nose, “But I’m sure Mme. Bustier will allow it as long as you’re with someone as amazing as me.”

Chloe had learned long ago not to pry into Marinette’s business, and since she’d split up with Adrien, Chloe had learned just how true that statement was; learning that the blonde boy was Chat Noir and that he’d been harassing Marinette on her balcony? That had been an accident, though Marinette had been the one to tell her.

Chloe could only watch Marinette flinch away from the Cat hero so much before she’d gotten concerned, and asked for an explanation. And Marinette hadn’t held back; she’d told Chloe everything, from the midnight visits, to how he constantly complained about Ladybug - herself -, and finally to how he flirted with her as Marinette, and kept insinuating that she get back with Adrien.

As the only one who knew, Chloe had doubled down on partnering with Marinette for everything after that; and now that his miraculous had been reclaimed, Chloe wanted to sigh in relief.

If you’d told either girl four years ago that they would be inseparable even at the end of lycée, they would’ve scoffed and told you you were crazy; and yet here they were, Chloe helping Marinette clean up her face before they went to see madame Bustier. It was only around 3 pm in Gotham, and dinner wouldn’t be until 8; and as much as Marinette wanted to enjoy the indoor pool, she would much rather see the city.

Once they were ready, Chloe led them down to the lobby, kwamis secure in their purses, and found Miss Bustier talking with one of the receptionists. Chloe - being, well, Chloe - walked over, and interrupted.

“Mme. Bustier, Mari-bear and I are going to look at the boutiques across the street. Call me if you need us.” And leaving their teacher spluttering and indignant, Chloe led them away, and out the doors. Marinette laughed a bit as they were out of hearing range.

“She’s going to kill you Chloe, you know that?” Chloe smiled while they stood at the crosswalk waiting to cross, and she flipped her blonde bob over her shoulder.

“Please. That woman wishes she could do anything to stop me.” Marinette watched as Chloe’s smile fell, and they walked as the walk sign lit up. “Besides, of course I’m not going to listen to a teacher who has let Lila just do as she pleases. She’s just as complicit in your abuse as the rest of the class is, Mari-bear, and I will not tolerate it. It's utterly ridiculous.”

Marinette felt her heart warm, and her smile softened before she hugged Chloe’s arm closer to her. “Thanks, Chlo. Though you know~” Chloe groaned, knowing where Marinette was going with this, “you also used to torment me pretty relentlessly.”

Chloe levelled her with a flat look as they walked into a store, “Yes, we’ve established that, DC, thank you for reminding me.” Chloe pinched Marinette’s cheek with a grin, “Such a goody goody, you know that?” Marinette laughed, and batted her hand away.

“Come on, let’s see what they’ve got, dork.” She ignored Chloe’s indignant squawk, and laughed as she started looking through the clothes.

Marinette and Chloe talked idly while they browsed, but found nothing of note in the first store other than a cute pair of bulky sneakers that Marinette couldn’t help but buy. Chloe had rolled her eyes and commented on how thin they made her legs look; which of course, made Marinette reveal the inspiration behind the choice. BLACKPINK was a pretty popular K-pop girl group, and Marinette had fallen in love with their style since day one. The baggy pants with big shoes they often used was something Marinette found herself enjoying more than she ever thought she would, but she just hadn’t found the right pair of shoes until now.

The next store was much better, in Chloe’s opinion; Marinette shied away from the Agreste line on display, and followed Chloe over to where her mother’s work was displayed. Audrey was a difficult woman, but neither of them could deny her talent in the industry.

Both girls ended up leaving with something to fit in their wardrobes. Chloe had chosen a deep purple blouse with ruffled sleeves; Marinette had giggled, telling her she reminded her of a witch, but the color was excellent on her. Marinette had gone more simple and fun, opting for a zip up hoodie inspired by one of Gotham’s own heroes, Robin. It may have been spring in Gotham, but being Ladybug, Marinette was very susceptible to the cold; she’d get sluggish and sleepy, and spring in the states was cooler than in France.

By the time they were bored of the shops, it was only five o’ clock. Chloe stifled a yawn, and Marinette looked at her.

“Why don’t you go ahead and head back Chloe? I’m gonna go sit in the park there, and try to design for a bit.” Chloe stared at her for a moment before she looked at the park. It was visible from the front of the hotel, and their hotel was in the better part of the city. Well, all that, and the fact that Marinette was Ladybug...  

Chloe nodded, taking Marinette’s shopping bag for her since the girl had already put on her new hoodie, “That should be ok. But I swear, DC, if something happens, I am not letting you go anywhere alone for the rest of this trip.” Marinette laughed, and waved off her concerns.

“Don’t worry, Chlo, if anything happens, I can handle it.” Feeling playful, Marinette raised her arm, and flexed, “After all, these guns aren’t just for show.”

Listening to Chloe laugh hysterically was always a treat, and it warmed Marinette from her toes to her head every time. In some small way, she was grateful to Lila; if it hadn’t been for her, she and Chloe would’ve probably never become such good friends.

“Ugh, no one likes a show off, Marinette.”

The smile fell from her face instantly, and Chloe’s laughter cut off like someone flipped a switch. Mari turned to see Lila standing behind her with a smug smile, though it had been Alya who spoke, Alya who was glaring at her with disdain. Nino was behind them looking kind of uncomfortable, Adrien next to him, backed up by Rose and Juleka, and even Sabrina. Marinette flinched under the harsh stares, and felt herself shrink as she stepped back, but before she could say anything, Chloe was there, a snarl marring her lips.

“Funny how you say that Cesaire, given who you’re friends with.” She blocked their line of sight to Marinette, though it was only Lila’s and Alya’s, and Marinette could feel Adrien staring at her, “You think what Mari was doing was showing off? Then what do you call Lila bragging about all the fake shit she’s done, huh?” Chloe didn’t even give her time to respond before she scoffed, and rolled her eyes, shutting down Alya's retort, “Oh, wait, nevermind, I forgot. You’re such a terrible reporter you don’t even fact check anymore, my bad.” Chloe smiled at the end, before making a shooing motion with her hand, “Now begone. I don’t appreciate sheep breathing my air.”

Lila turned on the waterworks as Chloe turned away, and gently guided Marinette down the sidewalk to the park they’d been talking about; Alya was shouting after them, but they continued on. Once they were out of sight, Chloe wrapped her friend in a hug, and Marinette cried. It was how it happened every time, for the last three years, since Chloe had decided to stick to the girl’s side. She’d only known about her being Ladybug for two years, but even before then, she’d made efforts to befriend the girl she’d bullied; because Lila was somehow so much worse than even Chloe was, and it was plain for the blonde to see. It had become routine at this point.

Lila and Alya would gang up on Marinette, Chloe would make them back off, and then comfort Marinette. Mari had told her time and time again, she didn’t need to do that, but Chloe knew she did. Chloe had messed up too many times to count, and she knew Marinette still cared about some of their classmates, especially Alix since she was the only other one who would hang out with them.

But Chloe?

Chloe had never cared about sparing people’s feelings until she’d become Marinette’s support. She would tear them down each time they came for her best friend. Alix had told her she was ‘fierce’, and Chloe thought it was an accurate description nowadays. They were nearly adults for crying out loud; you’d think her idiot classmates would’ve caught on to Lila’s lies by now.

“Are you ok?” Chloe asked softly. She rubbed soothing circles into Marinette’s back as the girl calmed down, her cries giving way to sniffles. Marinette nodded, pulling back and wiping her eyes.

“I-I think so. Thanks Chloe. It feels… It actually feels so much better to just let it out, and not have to worry about getting akumatized.” Chloe nodded, brushing some hair out of Marinette’s face.

“Good. Cesaire is lucky I didn’t deck her. Like, seriously, what a hypocrite.” Chloe was fuming, but she softened when Marinette laughed, “Do you still wanna sit in here and try to design?”

Marinette cleared her throat, and nodded, “Yeah, I do. It’ll be nice, I think.” She rubbed at her face some more, wiping the moisture away, but her red eyes remained. “I just want to decompress for a bit, you know?”

Chloe nodded, “Ok, then I’m gonna go ahead and go back to our room.” She gave her friend a severe look, “And I’m serious, Marinette. If anything happens, you call or text me, ok?”

Marinette rolled her eyes, but smiled, “Chloe you’re not my bodyguard, you know that right?”

Chloe scoffed, “Bullshit, I am so. And I am totally the best at it, by the way.”

Marinette hugged Chloe tight, startling the other girl, “Thanks, Chlo. I don’t know what I’d do without you.”

Chloe’s mind flashed back to a dark night on the Seine from three years ago; of tears, and horrible wishes, and she wraps her arms around Marinette in a tighter embrace.

“Probably get lost, and then kidnapped, honestly. Your sense of direction is awful, Mari-bear.”

It worked, sparking another laugh out of her best friend, and Chloe wanted to sigh in relief.

“Now go and find yourself a nice spot to sit. I’m going to make sure Lie-la and her little goonies are gone.” Marinette nodded as they separated, and Chloe booped her on the nose, “I’ll see you back at the room, DC.”

With that, Chloe waved and walked back towards the entrance of the park. She needed to talk to Alix. Lila always planned something big when Chloe defended Mari, and she was sure this time would be no different. She needed to be ready.

And without the risk of being akumatized?

Well.

Chloe couldn’t help but laugh.

Lila wouldn’t know what hit her.

~~~~~~~~~~~

Marinette found a soft patch of grass in the sun behind a wall of bushes, and sighed as she sat her purse on the ground, and flopped down. She could hear the rush of cars on the street over, and sirens in the far distance; there were birds singing in the trees around her, and children laughing over at the playground she’d passed. It was peaceful.

“Marinette? Are you ok?”

She smiled as Tikki nestled into her long hair, offering her comfort.

“Yeah. Yeah, I’m ok Tikki. I just wish they’d stop. It’s lessened since Chloe became my friend, but it doesn’t change the fact that it hurts. Hearing Alya say such awful things to me, even now…” Marinette sighed, feeling her eyes tear up; nope, she was done for today, she could cry again tomorrow, “It still feels like a knife in my lungs.”

And she knew what that felt like; Sharpener had been an akuma from two years ago. She was a chef who’d gotten akumatized because her coworker had broken her best knife out of jealousy. Chat Noir had been distracted during the fight, and Ladybug had missed the akuma’s approach, taking the knife right between her ribs. Her Miraculous Cure had healed her, but Marinette still remembered the pain quite vividly.

She’d almost been akumatized after the fight was over, having been sent into a panic attack.

Shaking herself out of it, Marinette reached over into her purse and pulled out her sketchbook. She’d upgraded from her little clasp bag that she’d made to something with a bit more utility. It was a lavender shoulder bag with a cross strap, and it was large enough to hold her sketchpad, and a few other essentials while leaving plenty of room for Tikki and Kaalki, along with the pocket for Plagg's miraculous box.

“Marinette, I know their treatment of you still hurts. I’d be more worried if it didn’t. But remember,” And Marinette looked at Tikki, surprised to see the bright smile on the kwami’s face, “you’re Ladybug, with or without the mask, and if they can’t see how sincere and kind you are, then they never deserved you in the first place.” Tikki flew forward, and hugged Marinette’s cheek, “You’re  the best Ladybug I’ve ever had, and you mean so much to me. I hate seeing people hurt you, and I’m sorry I can’t do more for you, Marinette.”

“Tikki’s right, Marinette.” Mari glanced down to see Kaalki poking her head out of the purse, a smile on her face, “You’re an excellent Ladybug, and you’ll be an excellent Guardian one day, we all know it.”

Mari smiled, reaching down and rubbing Kaalki’s head gently, “Thanks Kaalki, thank you Tikki. I love you guys. You hungry?” Both kwamis said yes, and so Marinette handed Tikki a couple cookies, while Kaalki dove into the small pile of sugar cubes Marinette gave her. Tikki and Kaalki conversed quietly in her purse, and Marinette finally turned her attention to her sketchbook.

Humming to herself, Marinette drifted off as her pencil danced across the paper. It was easy to get lost in the sounds of the park around her, and she was thrilled with what she was coming up with. Already, dresses and casual clothes filled the next few pages of her book as she worked. She was just about to ask Tikki something when an explosion rocked the earth.

Marinette yelped as the ground beneath her rumbled, and Tikki burrowed into her hair in a panic.

“What was that, Marinette?!” Marinette shook her head, getting to her feet, and putting her bag over her shoulder, reaching in, and patting Kaalki in reassurance. She crawled to the edge of the bush where all the commotion had originated from, and peeked out carefully. Most of the people were gone, but she could still hear crying somewhere.

Then the laughter started.

Marinette felt a chill go down her spine. While her and the other reps of the school had been planning this trip, she had researched about every danger Gotham had to offer, looking at pictures, reading articles, and watching as many videos as she could find; she knew that laugh now.

She was just about to hide again, when she saw the source of the crying. A little girl with dark hair sat in the dirt behind a trash can, holding her hands to her eyes while she sobbed. Mind made up, Marinette dashed from the bushes, keeping low until she reached the child. She wrapped her arms around her, and when the girl tensed, she smiled gently.

“Shhh, it’s ok, honey, I’ve got you. Where’s your parents?” The little girl shook her head, tiny hands clutching Marinette’s jacket.

“N-not- h-here! B-babysitter left m-me…!” Another sob wracked the little girl’s frame, and Marinette hugged her tighter at the sound of gunfire. She needed to get out of here, get this girl to safety, but she couldn’t transform. Idly, Marinette toyed with the metal yo-yo in her purse, a gift from Master Fu that could help her fight as a civilian. She could do this.

Focusing back on the girl, Marinette pulled her back until they could look at each other; the girl’s eyes were a vibrant green, almost neon even.

“My name’s Marinette, what’s yours sweetheart?” The girl caught her breath long enough to answer, wiping at her face.

“M-Mar’i Grayson, miss.” Marinette nodded, looking at the girl in reassurance.

“I’m going to get you out of here. Let me check the area, ok? Stay behind me.” Mar’i nodded, clutching the sleeve of Marinette’s hoodie, while she leaned out around the trash can to observe their surroundings; and she promptly cursed her rotten luck.

Joker was strolling through the park with about three henchmen around him; 4 on 1 odds were not in her favor, especially with Mar’i. Marinette glanced at the little girl who was crying silently next to her, trying to not think about how much worse Joker looked in real life. Marinette found she was terrified.

No. 

She had to do something. She was Ladybug, with or without her damn mask, and she was going to protect this little girl with her life.

Marinette took a deep breath, and braced herself, “Mar’i.” The little girl looked at her with wide eyes, and Marinette smiled.

“Stay behind me, ok?” She waited until Mar’i nodded, and then they waited; and Marinette listened.

“Can’t seem to find her boss. She must’ve gotten out.”

“Oh hogwash! I saw that babysitter of hers scamper out of here without the brat, so Grayson’s daughter is here somewhere!”

Oh my god.

They were after Mar’i? Why?

‘Doesn’t matter, not gonna get her.’ Marinette thought aggressively. So she calmed herself, and she listened, and she waited until they were in range. And once they were, Marinette moved.

Leaping up out of her crouch, Marinette moved Mar’i behind her right as the group turned to look at them; but Marinette was already grabbing the trash can with both hands, and hurling it at the goons and their boss. It had the desired effect, and the group scattered, but it managed to take down two of Joker’s men, knocking one out from the sheer force while the other lost the grip on his gun, losing it in the bushes. Moving quickly, Marinette swiped Mar’i up with her free hand while she retrieved the carbon fiber yo-yo from her purse with her other.

Whipping it forward, Marinette snagged the gun of the third minion, yanking it away and to her; and then she ran.

“She’s got the brat! Get after her, you idiots!”

Marinette sprinted for the entrance of the park after throwing the gun away, running as fast as her legs could carry her; which admittedly, was quite fast. Years of being bonded with Tikki, plus the extra training she’d picked up in her free time made her formidable even out of her suit; and she was not about to let that clown get his filthy hands on this precious girl.

Marinette yelped as a bullet impacted the dirt next to her feet, and then she was bobbing and weaving, dodging bullets before she ducked behind the bathrooms.

“Get the kid, damnit! God, why are you all so useless!”

Marinette looked down at Mar’i, expecting the girl to still be terrified, but she was staring up at Marinette in awe.

“Wow, Miss Marinette, you’re like a superhero!” She said softly, and Marinette flushed, but gave the girl a small smile.

“You’re very brave Mar’i, but we’re not safe yet.” She could hear footsteps coming closer, light, matching the gait she’d heard from the Joker just moments earlier. With a small huff, she wrapped Mar’i around her again, and readied her yo-yo as she ran the opposite way. She stopped short for a moment as she came face to face with the other henchman, but thinking quickly, Marinette ducked his wide swing, and brought her head upwards into his chin, knocking him back and off balance; following up with a quick swipe at his legs, he hit the ground, and Marinette was running again.

‘Almost there, so close…’ “Merde.” She hadn’t meant to say it out loud, but seeing Joker grinning at her from the entrance did not instill much hope in her. He tapped the barrel of his six shooter against the palm of his hand, watching her. Marinette sat Mar’i down, and pushed her behind her further, grip on her yo-yo tight.

“Now, now, little lady, we don’t have to fight. If you’d just hand that little girl there over, I’ll let you leave. With a smile even!” The grin on his face told her he was lying, even though his laughter was a clue in and of itself.

Marinette’s eyes narrowed, and she lowered her chin, “That’s not happening, clown. Step aside.” Joker’s eyebrows flew up, and he began laughing; Marinette hated that sound.

“She’s got some fight in her then! How interesting! And a foreigner too? So fearless!” Marinette let the yo-yo swing from her hand, swinging next to her leg, as he pointed the gun at her. She felt Mar’i grip her pants tighter with a small gasp. Joker’s grin grew, “But are you so willing to die for her?”

Marinette snarled, “Of course I am!”

The lack of hesitation made the Joker pause long enough for Marinette to make her move.

With a precision that startled even her, Marinette flung her yo-yo out again, managing to grab the Joker’s gun this time, and yanking it from him. It careened away into the brush, and Marinette snapped her yo-yo back with a trained hand; just in time to see a man dressed in black land on him from above.

Holy shit.

That’s Batman.

Shaking herself off, Marinette turned and picked Mar’i up, running the other direction; no child should see a fight like that. She had to get her to safety, to her parents, or the police, someone safe. The bathrooms? No, she’d left that goon over there, and she wasn’t sure if he was down and out or not.

“Think, Marinette, think, come on!” There had to be another exit in this park, away from the chaos of the main path; big parks always had multiple entrances and exits.

“Go that way Miss Marinette!” Marinette looked to where Mar’i pointed, and followed the girls directions. Flashing red and blue lights lit up the street, and Marinette could’ve cried with relief at the sight of the police officers.

An auburn haired woman was standing at the front of the police line, looking around in a panic, and the second her eyes landed on Marinette carrying Mar’i, she rushed forward.

“Mar’i, oh my god, baby girl, you’re ok!” The woman was crying, and Mar’i smiled, reaching for the woman.

“Auntie Barb!” Knowing Mar’i knew this woman, Marinette allowed the girl to be taken from her arms delicately, but she lingered by them. An older mustached man walked up, and held out his hand to Marinette, startling her.

“Thank you for getting her out of there. What’s your name?” Marinette flushed, reaching out and shaking his hand.

“Marinette Dupain-Cheng, sir. Please don’t thank me. I couldn’t have left her in there. Not with him.”

“I’m Commissioner Gordon. You don’t sound like you’re from around here, Miss Dupain-Cheng.” Marinette shook her head as she stepped back from him.

“No, sir; I’m from Paris. My school is here on a field trip.” The commissioner nodded.

“You’re the school Bruce Wayne sponsored.” Marinette offered him a tired smile.

“Yes, sir.”

“Miss Marinette!”

Marinette turned in time to feel tiny arms wrap around her legs, and she looked down to see Mar’i smiling at her, despite the tears on her face. Marinette crouched down to her level, and blinked when Mar’i wrapped her arms around her neck; she was quick to return the hug, even as she saw ‘Auntie Barb’ walk over.

“Thank you for saving me, Miss Marinette! You were really cool!” Marinette’s smile was small as she squeezed the little girl tight.

“Oh little one, you don’t have to thank me. I would do it again and again if need be.” She hummed contemplatively, “Though I think I’ll talk to your mama or papa about that babysitter; who leaves a little girl alone in this city?”

‘Auntie Barb’ scoffed, “When Dick hears about that, he’s gonna lose it.”

“Mar’i!”

Marinette looked over in time to see the police part like the red sea, and she was treated to seeing nearly the entire Bat pack escort a dishevelled looking dark haired man through the crowd. Mar’i broke away from her to run to the new arrival.

“Daddy!”

And Marinette smiled as she stood up, watching the two hug. Her father was patting her down, holding her close by the head, obvious relief in his eyes. It was a beautifully heart wrenching thing.

“Miss.”

Marinette jumped, looking to the side to see Batman staring down at her. She yelped, flushing.

“Y-yes, sir?”

My god, this man was intimidating! Was he going to lecture her? Bar her from the country??! Oh no, what if-?!

....Why was he holding his hand out?

Marinette blinked stupidly before she took his hand and shook it.

“What you did tonight was very admirable. You put yourself at great personal risk to protect the life of a child you’d never met, and managed to thwart a kidnapping by one of the most dangerous men in the city. You have my respect.”

Marinette’s cheeks grew more red, “Please, I-I’d do it all again, you don’t have to say any of that. It was the right thing to do; anyone would’ve done it.” Batman simply shook his head.

“No, Miss Dupain-Cheng, they wouldn’t. I’d like to get a statement from you, if you’d allow it.”

“Before that...”

Marinette and Batman both looked over, and she was surprised to see Mar’i’s father next to her. He gave her a smile.

“I would like to thank you for rescuing my darling, Miss… Marinette, was it?” Marinette nodded, fiddling with her hands; her anxiety was starting to peak with this many people. “If anything had happened to Mar’i, I… I don’t know what I would’ve done. Thank you. From the absolute depths of my heart, thank you for protecting my little girl.”

Marinette’s face grew impossibly redder, “Y-you’re welcome! It was no problem! She’s a wonderful girl.” She smiled at Mar’i as she sat in her dad’s arms. Shifting the girl to one arm, he held out his free hand.

“My name is Dick Grayson. I hope to see you again, but for now, I need to get Mar’i home before her mother gets any more anxious.” Marinette nodded as they shook hands.

“If I may, mister Grayson?” The man smiled, and despite the situation, it was shockingly cheery.

“Please, call me Dick.”

‘Auntie Barb’ snorted in amusement somewhere next to Marinette, but she tuned it out.

“Please speak to whoever was babysitting Mar’i today; they left her behind.”

Dick stared at her for a moment, maybe processing, before he nodded, a steely look in his eyes.

“Thank you for telling me, Marinette. We’ll take care of it.” Marinette smiled, before she dug around in her purse, and pulled out one of the many cookies she had for Tikki; she handed it over to Mar’i who took it with a smile of her own.

“You be safe, ok?” Mar’i nodded, giving her a bigger smile.

“I will! You’re the best, Miss ‘Nette!” Smiling at the nickname, Marinette waved to the little girl as the police escorted the family away; she realized Batman was still next to her, and snapped her attention back to him.

“S-sorry, sir. I’ll give you that statement now.”

The man seemed less intimidating for some reason, like he was quietly amused.

“You’re surprisingly humble in the face of all this, Marinette.”

‘Calm down, calm down, you’re fine.’ She thought, gripping her bag.

“I didn’t do this for attention, sir. I’m… not exactly comfortable being in the spotlight like this.”

The masked man nodded in understanding, and once he was ready, Marinette began her retelling of what had happened.

Distinctly unaware of the several pairs of ears listening in.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Holy shit, you’re telling me pixie stick here threw a metal trash can at Joker?! Like a full on throw?!” Red Hood wasn’t buying it. The girl was so tiny, despite the toned muscles of her legs; she looked like she weighed ninety pounds soaking wet!

“That’s what the cameras in the park are showing, Hood.” He heard Red Robin typing away at something, before- “Holy shit.” Hood stood back by the police, flanked by Robin, and he turned his attention back to his comm line.

“What is it, Red?”

“That girl took them down with a fucking yo-yo, Hood. What the hell?”

The comm fell silent again before Jason heard all the air whoosh out of Tim over the line.

“Red? What now?”

“The… The audio. Hood, she was fully prepared to lay down her life for Mar’i. You can hear it in her voice; it’s like she’s a completely different person to who Bats is talking to.”

Damian’s eyes narrowed behind his mask as he frowned; he didn’t like the sound of that. Red Hood noticed the change in his brother’s demeanor, frowning to himself.

“What do you mean, Red?” He asked, and he heard Tim sigh.

“Look, just… wait till you get back, and I’ll show you. That girl’s good though; she’s got guts.”

A shrill call of the girls name had Jason turning, just in time to see a blonde girl tackle Marinette. She was speaking rapidly in French, checking her friend over thoroughly before she turned sharp eyes on Batman. Jason couldn’t help but grin as he watched Bruce’s eyes widen behind the mask, his eyebrows raising a little as the blonde started on a tirade.

Red Hood snickered, “Now this is funny.” He watched his father get berated by the blonde before she started guiding Marinette away; the poor dark haired girl was red all the way to her ears in embarrassment.

“Find something funny, Hood?” Jason looked at Batman as he walked over, and wished his old man could see the shit eating grin on his face.

“Course I did. It’s not everyday I get to watch a teenager yell at you.”  Next to him, Robin snorted. Hood and Robin waited until Bats had given Gordon the girl’s statement before the three of them left as one.

They met on a nearby rooftop, far enough away from the scene to be able to talk freely. Batman turned his comm back on, and pinched the bridge of his nose.

“Red, what do you have on her?” There was a sigh over the line.

“Marinette Dupain-Cheng, 17, nearly 18; she’s in her last year of lycée at Francoise Dupont in Paris. She’s the one who put together the essay that won her school the trip to Gotham. Her parents own a bakery, but her mother has a vast history in martial arts it looks like. Her grades are excellent, and I’ve found records of literally so many charities I’m not gonna bother listing them.” Bruce could almost hear Tim shrug, “She’s clean, Bats.”

Damian rolled his eyes, “You said she took them down with a yo-yo, Red. That’s not a standard weapon.”

“There’s records of her enrolling in gymnastics several years back; it’s probably a skill she picked up back then; maybe from the ribbon dancing? I’ll see if I can find anything else.”

“Red, just remember,” Everyone paused at the tone of Bruce’s voice, “This is not a malicious search; she saved Mar’i’s life; I don’t want to make problems for the girl.”

“Got it, Bats.”

Batman turned to Robin, and Damian sighed.

“Let me guess, stake out her hotel, make sure she stays safe?”

Batman nodded, “She managed to stall Joker and his goons long enough for us to get there, and she put her life on the line for Mar’i. The story’s already broke the news, along with her face and name. Harley and Ivy won’t give us any problems with this, but Joker has been working on something with Scarecrow for the last couple of months, and I don’t think he’s going to appreciate the hiccup in their plan.” Damian sighed, while Jason cackled, elbowing him in the ribs.

“Oh wah, Demon spawn, you get to go protect a cute girl for awhile; who knows, maybe you’ll get a date.”

Tim snorted over the comm line before he started laughing, and Damian flushed, his cheeks pinkening a bit.

“Go die, Hood.”

“Already did that, thanks, but no.”

With one last glare sent Jason’s way, Robin walked over to the edge of the building, preparing to make his way back to the hotel they’d seen the girl enter; then Jason just had to speak again.

“Oh yeah, did you see she was wearing your merch?”

Father probably wouldn’t let him kill Jason, right?

….

It didn’t stop him from trying.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Oh my god, Mari, you made it onto the news!” Chloe laughed as she lowered the volume on the broadcast. The cameraman had gotten a good shot of when Marinette had sprinted out of the park, and as she was speaking to the various people who had come up to her; though they mostly replayed her shaking Batman’s hand as he spoke to her.

“Tonight, the attempted kidnapping of Bruce Wayne’s granddaughter was thwarted by a passing teenager from Paris by the name of Marinette Dupain-Cheng, who managed to stall the Joker until Batman could arrive, while protecting miss Mar’i Grayson. This is not the first time the Joker has gone after a member of the Wayne family…”

Marinette groaned and flopped on the couch, covering her eyes with her hands.

“God, turn it off please, Chlo. It was mortifying explaining this to Mme. Bustier without having to hear more of it.” Chloe rolled her eyes, but turned it off anyway. They were lounging in the shared space of their suite, curtains thrown wide to provide a good view of the skyline as the sun set. Tikki, Pollen, and Kaalki were all sitting on the coffee table munching on their respective treats. Tikki flew up, hovering over Marinette where she lay on the couch.

“You were amazing Marinette! I was blown away!” Kaalki nodded as she swallowed a sugar cube, and then her face widened into a grin.

“That’s right, Mari! Your civilian side is super strong just like Ladybug is!” Marinette moved her hands, offering both kwami a smile.

“Thanks you two.” Chloe rolled her eyes, and plopped harshly on the couch next to Marinette.

“I’m glad you’re ok, Mari-bear. I wish I could’ve seen you in action.”

Marinette thought back to how she felt when she heard the Joker laugh, when he was pointing that gun at her. Knowing that without her, Mar’i could be killed, or worse yet.

“Chloe, I’m sorry, but I’m… I’m so glad you weren’t there.” She wasn’t going to cry again, damnit, she was nearly eighteen, but she still felt her throat close up at the force of her emotions, “The Joker is nothing like Hawkmoth, Chlo; he’s not even like the akuma we deal with. He’s in a category far removed from us. I got in a lucky shot because he hesitated.”

Chloe raised an eyebrow, and turned herself on the couch so she was facing Marinette, “What do you mean, Mari?”

Mari swallowed as she sat up, turning herself to the side so she was mostly facing Chloe as well.

“He… He asked me if I was so willing to die for her. And I didn’t even hesitate. I think it threw him off, because he just stared at me; it gave me the opening I needed to use my yo-yo.” She was starting to tremble, Chloe noticed, “I… I was so scared, Chloe. He was after that little girl. I couldn’t let him get his hands on her, I’ve heard about the things he’s done, and I couldn’t let that happen to a child.”

Chloe reached over, and gripped Marinette’s hand in hers, a look of concern on her face.

“That’s not all of it though... is it?”

Marinette shook her head, “I… I was so ready, Chloe; to accept that I was going to die. I forgot that I wanted to live until I saw that opening.” Marinette soon found herself buried in the cloth of Chloe’s sleep top, and she felt the hugs of the three kwamis too.

“Take a deep breath, Mari. You’re here. You lived, and so did the little girl. You did amazing, but not even you can be strong all the time. You can be upset while you’re here, Hawkmoth can’t get us.” Chloe tightened her hold on the girl as she finally cried her heart out; she’d been fighting it so much, for so many years. There was just... so much she’d repressed.

And Chloe held her through all of it.

~~~~~~~~~

Robin was many things. To his brothers, a nuisance, demon spawn Jason called him; to Gotham, he was the stoic boy wonder, both in costume and out. Damian Wayne was generally a cold young man, uncaring for most of the people outside of his own family for a long time. Yes, he cared about the innocents of Gotham as Robin, but as Damian? That was more difficult.

Yet as he sat concealed on the roof across from this girl’s - Marinette’s - hotel room, he felt an odd kind of weight settle in his gut. He couldn’t really read lips or hear anything from this distance, but he could tell she was crying. For some reason, it discomfited him. It was like a longing he'd never felt before, and it was very unusual for him.

And that wasn’t even mentioning the three strange creatures that were flying about the room.

This girl was… odd. Tim had said she was nearly eighteen, so she wasn’t much younger than him, but she was so… expressive. When she’d been talking to Batman, she’d clearly been anxious, but Damian had noticed her constantly sneaking glances towards Mar’i; like she was taking precautions. The girl obviously knew how to fight, as she’d been able to take down Joker’s thugs without taking a single hit.

That was honestly the weirdest part, he thought.

She’d come out without a scratch on her or Mar’i, both of them completely unscathed.

And then Tim had sent him the video he’d grabbed from the cameras, and Damian still couldn’t get it out of his head.

“She’s got some fight in her then! How interesting! And a foreigner too? So fearless!” Marinette let the yo-yo swing from her hand, swinging next to her leg, as he pointed the gun at her. She felt Mar’i grip her pants tighter with a small gasp. Joker’s grin grew, “But are you so willing to die for her?”

Marinette snarled, “Of course I am!”

When Tim had said it was like she was two different people, he hadn’t been kidding; and though at first, Damian had felt suspicious, now that he was observing her more naturally, it was rather obvious that the young woman had some self esteem issues. He’d seen the confidence in her during the video, but around so many people, it had gone out as easily as a candle. Which honestly, was a true shame.

Damian watched as another girl was let into the room by the blonde; this one had short, cropped pink hair. She looked like she’d get along with Beast Boy pretty well, a thought that made him grimace. The pink one crouched in front of Marinette, and even as far away as he was, he could see the concern on her face as her friends talked her through what he guessed may be a panic attack; but he had noticed that once the new girl had come, the three floating… things had scampered away, and out of sight. So she was keeping secrets then.

He sat there for a couple hours, watching the three girls as they spoke, and finally Marinette calmed down. He was just about to settle in for more observations when he noticed a shadow drop onto Marinette’s side of the balcony; before he could move though, he heard another body land behind him, and Damian came up swinging.

“Whoa there, demon spawn, it’s just us.” Jason dodged his hit gracefully, and Damian snarled.

“Damnit, Hood, don’t sneak up on me. And who’s on her balcony?” Jason sat on the edge of the building Damian had once occupied, and nodded towards the hotel.

“Don’t worry, it’s just Red. He’s setting up a listening device since we knew you wouldn’t be able to hear anything; Grayson is wanting us to take no chances with her safety.” Damian couldn’t fault his older brother’s logic; the girl had saved his daughter. Soon, Red Robin landed beside them, and took up a seat, pulling a speaker from his belt. Damian raised an eyebrow.

“Why the listening device now?” Tim shrugged, accepting the bag of chips Jason handed him.

“Bruce wanted to know if she’d tell anyone how she took the Joker down. We found a couple leads, but we don’t wanna push her too far.” Damian thought back to the three creatures he’d witnessed, but decided that was not his business to share. Besides, if his brothers lingered long enough, they’d see them themselves. So with a sigh, Damian sat back down next to Red Robin, and grabbed a handful of chips.

And they listened.

~~~~~~~~~~

“I CANNOT BELIEVE that asshole!” Alix shouted as she paced the floor. She whirled back to face Chloe, who had one of her arms around Marinette as the girl leaned into her, “You’re telling me Agreste and you dated for two FUCKING YEARS and he wouldn’t even let anyone know!!? What the FUCK!” Marinette nodded, while Chloe frowned.

“Keep your voice down, Alix, we’re not telling you so you can tell the whole hotel.” Chloe said while she rubbed Mari’s arm in comfort. Marinette sighed, looking up at Alix.

“He… He didn’t want anyone to know because his father had told him to make sure he kept Lila happy in class. Chloe knew, she was the only one I told. He-It-I mean, it was fine for awhile-.” Alix crouched in front of Marinette’s knees, and took hold of her hands, giving her a compassionate, but serious look.

“Marinette, no,” She said, “It’s not fine. For two years, he let Lila hang off of him, kiss him, and generally torture you during school, only to, what? Come and comfort you afterwards?” Hesitantly, Marinette nodded, and Alix swore steam was going to come out of her ears. “Marinette, when someone loves you, they love you all the time, not just when it’s convenient for them.” Alix managed a rueful smile, “It’s too bad you’re straight, or I’d totally take you out and show you how you deserve to be treated.” It worked, and Alix smiled as Marinette laughed, rubbing at her eyes. Chloe scoffed.

“Get in line, Alix; if any woman is taking my Mari-bear out, it’ll be me, thank you.” Alix gave her a grin, winking at the blonde and Chloe laughed.

“You can come too, Chlo. We’ll take our girl out and treat her special.” Alix looked back at Mari who was still laughing, and Alix softened a bit, “I know there are things you still can’t tell me, DC, and that’s ok. I’ve nearly got Kim and Max seeing reason finally. It’s gotten easier now that I just google whatever Lila says, and show it to them.” Her grin was bitter as she shook her smartphone for emphasis, “I’m sorry for how everyone’s been treating you these last few years. It’s like they’re just letting themselves be blinded by that little skank.” Alix wouldn’t lie, she was furious with the rest of their class for just letting these things happen; it was a testament to how exhausted Mari was that she didn’t even reprimand Alix on her words.

Marinette squeezed Alix’s hands, and she looked up at her. Marinette gave her a smile.

“Thank you Alix, but you don’t have to, you know. We’re almost done with school, and then we’ll be off to university. It doesn’t matter that much anymore.” Alix frowned.

“Marinette, you deserve to have the truth known. I don’t really care if they wanted to go their whole lives believing that witch, but it’s hurting you. You were always there for us, hell, you still keep spare clothes for all of them in case they need them! You deserve to have your good name cleared.”

Marinette smiled, but it was sad, and Alix wanted to rage against the world at the sight of it; her friend deserved nothing but the best, and she had been treated so poorly for so long. Alix had learned it didn’t matter if you spoke out, told Lila and Alya what they were doing was wrong; telling Madame Bustier didn’t do anything. Everyone just ignored it, unless they were actively participating.

“Alix, I have you and Chloe, and yeah, it would be nice to be friends with Kim and Max again; but I’m used to this by now. It’s… It’s been 4 years, and while the first one was… rocky, to say the least…” Marinette shared a grimace with Chloe, whose frown deepened at the memory, before she looked back at Alix, “I’ve gotten stronger for it. And if it hadn’t been for Lila, Chloe and I may never have become such good friends, and for that alone, I’m grateful to her.”

Alix grit her teeth as tears welled in her eyes, “But Mari! Alya has hit you! Adrien did nothing! They’ve ruined your sketchbooks, trashed your site, and tried to sabotage your university applications! How could you possibly be ok with any of that?!” Alix was surprised when Marinette’s eyes narrowed.

“I’m not, Alix. It hurt every single time. But what’s done is done, there’s no changing that, and there’s no going back. I can only keep moving forward.” Marinette sighed, giving her a pleased smile, “And I’m not alone, I never am. I have two of the most amazing, trustworthy friends I could ever have at my side, and an invitation to see one of Gotham’s most outstanding universities. Things haven’t been good, or fun, but they won’t stay that way.”

Alix stared at her in shock, and the tears rolled down her face while she hung her head, “We don’t deserve you, Marinette… I’m sorry.” Marinette pulled her up to the couch, and pulled her closer to herself and Chloe.

“Don’t be sorry, Alix. You and Chloe have stuck with me through it all; you’ve spoken out against Lila to defend me countless times. You don’t have anything to apologize for.”

Next to her, Chloe snorted, “Except for that t shirt, oh my god, where did you even find that horrendous thing?” Alix laughed, and gave Chloe the finger, which caused the blonde to huff.

“Rude.” But Chloe was smiling, and Marinette finally felt peace settle in her heart. Soon, she’d be gone from Lila for good, and everything would be nothing more than just a distant memory. She was fine; she was in a much better place than she used to be, even with her small slip up tonight in the park.

They were going to be ok.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

“I don’t know french, what are they saying?”

Damian had a scowl on his face as they listened, but Jason had noticed how Tim had frozen; his two brothers were the ones who spoke french, damnit, why weren’t they translating? Finally Tim moved, and he buried his face in his hands.

“We shouldn’t have heard this…” Tim said softly, and now Hood was looking between the hotel, and Red Robin in concern. With a sigh, Tim raised his head, staring at the girls in the hotel room who were laughing now. “From what I can infer based on their conversation, Marinette is being bullied, and ignored by most of her class. Based on what these girls are saying, two girls, Lila and Alya, have been terrorizing her in class for - four years, I think they said? Not even her boyfriend would let anyone know they were dating, and he just stood by when this Alya girl hit her.”

Damian’s scowl deepened, and his hands clenched at his side, but Tim wasn’t done.

“And he’d go and comfort her after school, but the only one who knew is the blonde one there, Chloe. Apparently he’d let this Lila girl hang on him during school, and kiss him and junk. These girls have shredded her sketchbooks, trashed her site - whatever that means-, and tried to sabotage her university applications.”

Jason whistled low, “Damn, that’s harsh.” Hood frowned as he looked at the girls having a good time despite the heavy conversation they’d just had. She didn’t seem like the type of girl who deserved all that animosity. “How are we gonna help then, Red?”

The three of them paused as their comms crackled to life, and Bruce’s voice came over the line.

“I’ll take care of it. Come on home; Nightwing will take watch the rest of the night.” Damian watched as Chloe whacked Alix with one of the couch cushions, and an all out war broke out between the girls.

Next to him, Tim sighed, “Got it, Bats. Coming home.”

Jason turned first, and Tim lingered for a moment longer, but Damian was still staring at the girl. She was laughing as she beat her friend over the head with a pillow, the pink one - Alix - retaliating instantly. She looked… happy.

“Robin? You coming?” Damian nodded, and finally he turned away.

“Yeah, let’s go.”

~~~~~~~~~~~

@uGH_WHYME

OH MY GOD GUYS did you see the girl on the news???                                Looks like there could be a new Wayne! #onlyinGotham

#darkhair #blueeyes #mustbeaWayne #gothamites

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Holy shit, and that is chapter one y’all! Just a quick rundown on a couple things. Chloe and Alix are gonna be hella gay, and I can’t wait for you guys to find out who their GFs are gonna be >:3 It’s gonna be GREAT. There will be some minor Adrien bashing, but he will ultimately learn from his fuck ups; mostly cause I love my dumb ass boy, but BOI is he dumb sometimes. Alya bashing will hopefully be minimal cause I DO love her to death.

Also, Chloe is totally getting/got the redemption she deserved GDI. Zagg can shove that S3 finale right where the sun don’t shine. Oh, did I mention there will be salt??? Like TONS OF SALT probably. Also, I probably won’t post super often on tumblr; I’m primarily use Ao3, so things may end up going up faster over there. 

Hope you guys liked it! <3

Part 1 :HERE: Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5

[black-streak]

Saturday night's alright for fighting (but Sundays are meant for rest) - It's Cute

Part 9

The awaited family reactions to the cuddle fest. Dear lord, this took so long to write! Probably should have tried writing these characters once before attempting to write all of them now, but oh well. They're all a bunch of cheeky shits. Bruce may be a world class detective, but he's clueless with his family. You cannot change my mind.

Aaaaaand Tags: @poshplumcot @emjrabbitwolf @mystery-5-5 @worlds-tiniest-spook-pastry @fandomkitty8 @dast218 @silvergold-swirl @shizukiryuu . @my-name-is-michell @kurogaya913 @elspethshadow @thecatnipmademedoit @shamefullove @ladylucina28 @crazylittlemunchkin

Let me know if you'd like to be added!

~---~

The first one to happen upon their new normal had been Dick, not that they were aware.

Around 9 in the morning, he'd found himself passing by the living room off the side kitchen the boys were allowed to use (the main kitchens off limits to all but Alfred himself, with occasional exceptions for Marinette or Jason) only to stop and backtrack, lips twitching into a wide grin.

There on the far couch, Tim lay passed out with his laptop closed on the coffee table. This in itself would be enough to endear Richard, seeing as he rarely saw Tim crash without it being face first into his work, but what really sold it was the tiny body curled up on the couch with him.

Marinette became a new normal around the manor, having been attached at the hip to their youngest around 3 months ago. Richard could still recall her first visit, half hidden behind Damian where he stood in front of her as though shielding his new friend from their sight. She'd had curious eyes trained onto them as he led her past and up towards his room. They'd all let Damian think he'd gotten her past them for the moment, bursting into speculation the second the two's footsteps fell out of hearing range.

The curiosity only grew as her presence became a near constant, Damian always a step behind or in front of her. Dick vividly remembered the suspicious look Tim had shot his coffee upon hearing the youngest call her Angel. At that point, they stopped feigning polite and sought her out. 

She took to their proding with grace, if a little overwhelmed and flustered from the fast switch in temperament. They'd all granted the two space for over a week only to all start approaching her on the near constant. And constant it was.

Richard knew he'd overwhelmed her a little in those first few weeks, but it couldn't be helped. He had never seen his babybat so protective and borderline sweet before.

Marinette turned out to be one of the most humble, affectionate, and downright considerate people Dick had the pleasure of meeting. She'd charmed them all.

From the recipes she shared with Alfred over an afternoon tea, to the little trips she took with Jason to bookstores. From random breakfast dates with Stephanie to quiet sleepovers with Cass whenever she made a reappearance. Babs and Duke had yet to meet her, but he was sure they'd find a liking to her just as easily.

Richard himself had been endeared to her the moment he saw how Damian softened around his 'Angel'. It only grew when she started coming to him, a bundle of energy, asking him if he really was versed in trapeze like Damian said. The attachment solidified upon her admitting a solid knowledge in aerial silks, afternoons between the two lost in the gym, talking through stretches and showing off to each other on their preferred apparatus.

And here it seemed Tim had finally found his endearment to her. 

It's not that the two hadn't interacted before. They were often found dying over their own caffeinated beverage of choice, lamenting to one another the struggles of running their respective business. While Tim may run WE as its CEO, he obviously respected and commended her ability to run her own technically small business, holding extremely high clientele, both local and world wide while keeping her workload contained to manageable levels. Meanwhile, she saw and admired Tim's insane ability to manage a massive sprawling company without falling over dead. 

Otherwise, you could occasionally catch them sharing playlists or texting random nonsense to one another.

That, however, seemed to be the extent of their interactions. Tim seemingly holding her at a distance for reasons undetermined.

The distance seemed pretty shattered now, Mari curled up to him, both dead to the world. Dick simply watched, smiling softly from the doorway. Finally, someone who seemed to be capable of persuading Tim into sleep. He really shouldn't be surprised that Marinette was the one to make it happen.

Lifting his phone, he snapped a picture and sent it to the family group chat with the caption, "Laying bodily on top of Tim seems an effective way to force him to sleep. Think it'd work for me?" Tucking his phone back into his pocket, satisfied with the near constant vibration from the chaos he reigned, he finally entered the kitchen, poured a bowl of cereal for himself and left before either of the occupants a room over could wake to find him.

..

Alfred had taken the sight of them cuddling in stride. It'd taken place around two weeks after seeing the evidence of such in the family chat, courtesy of Richard.

Carrying books back into the library, the elderly butler couldn't claim surprise at finding Timothy curled around Marinette in a protective huddle as the two napped. 

Ever since discovering the young woman's identity, he'd seen how Timothy watched her, intrigued and almost instinctively possessive. Of course Miss Marinette had befriended Damian first and the two were as thick as thieves, but in costume, she was Tim's shadow. She normally followed him everywhere and when she happened to stray, the young man would get restless and paranoid, no longer sensing her silent company. Eventually, he'd either group up with one of the others until he sensed her again or happen upon her handiwork and suddenly calm down. Alfred couldn't say whether Red Robin was even aware of his own actions or simply following his gut, but either way, the two were magnetized. It was only a matter of time before the same happened in civilian form.

Watching as Miss Marinette nuzzled his neck and settled closer in a deeper sleep, Alfred expected the two would be together by the end of the week.

…

Damian knew his Angel had found a body pillow in the form of his older brother. Of course he knew, she told him within hours of the development. He felt no need to confirm any further. 

This didn't mean he never saw them cuddle. No, it just meant it never took him off guard. Maybe a touch put off at times, but not surprised. One minute he'd be hunting the manor for his tiny friend and the next he'd find himself huffing to himself and begrudgingly leaving the two alone after inevitably finding her with Tim. Sure, he spent most evenings monopolizing her time to himself, but he already found himself having to share her with the rest of the flock enough during daylight hours when everyone wasn't otherwise occupied with work. The last thing he needed was for the one brother who left her mostly alone to start taking up all of her spare time. 

While Damian knew that Tim had redeeming qualities such as his diligence and intellect (his younger self was rolling in its grave at this admittance) he still couldn't grasp what it was his Angel saw there. His older brother was a certifiable disaster. A sleep deprived, caffeine addicted, sarcastic mess of a man. 

Then again, so was she. And somehow, that didn't end in a clash of personalities, but instead, led to breaking each other's more impractical habits. As much as he loathe to admit it, they worked well together and he knew it to be true everytime he stumbled upon their sleeping forms.

Leaving to find Richard after another failed attempt to collect Mari to hang out, he felt a small smile tug at the edges of his lips. Despite the confusion over the match, he took his small joys in knowing Tim kept her warm and happy.

….

Stephanie and Jason thought the picture from Dick was a once in a lifetime opportunity to view the workaholics at rest. That somehow all that coffee addled energy cancelled each other out and the two just passed out in the delirium next to each other only for Mari to become a koala in her sleep.

Imagine their utmost shock and delight when upon entering the library, bickering over something neither can remember, they find the same happy scene before them. 

A wicked grin crosses Steph's face and she sneaks closer to the couch, leaning into the space by Tim's face.

Jason, seeing her intentions, immediately rushes forward to prevent the inevitable. 

"Do you have a death wish?!" He whispered, unknowingly too late in his warning.

Marinette's eyes peek open right as Steph reaches to poke Tim awake, a low growl sounding in their ears in clear anger and annoyance, glaring Stephanie down until the blonde withdrew her finger from where it hovered an inch above his cheek. 

Eyes flying wide, Steph cautiously backed away from the pissed noirette, hands raised in surrender.

"Sorry, Mar, backing off now," Steph promised in reassurance and slight fear.

Suddenly Tim shifted, pulling Mari closer to himself as though sensing her discontent. 

Snuggling into him, she kept her eyes on the pair until she deemed them a safe distance before burrowing into his chest, falling back to sleep.

Stephanie could only stare before whipping around to whisper yell at Jason, "What the flying fuck was that?!"

"Pixie pop does not take kindly to being woken up. Learned that the hard way a while back. Imagine it's the same for waking up her personal heater there," he shrugged, carefully dragging her back out of the library. 

Glancing back at the pair, he couldn't help but shake his head. The little pixie sure had them all wrapped around her finger, didn't she?

…..

Cass…. Well she honestly didn't see how it mattered as long as the two finally got some sleep. If that meant forcing each other to nap, whether it be in the guest room of the manor or in the deserted Batcave, him slouched in the office chair and her draped across his lap, so be it.

If she played ignorant and never acknowledged to herself that Marinette definitely should not know about the cave, nevertheless be sleeping in it, no one was the wiser.

……

Bruce rarely regretted muting the family group chat. Only two hours into its creation, the notifications had reached into the hundreds. He muted it without a second thought and never looked back.

At times like these, he almost wished he checked it every once in a while. It might have prepared him better for what had transpired in front of him.

Sitting in his favorite high backed armchair by the fireplace, he'd briefly taken note of his youngest sitting in the corner of the couch, one hand holding a book in arabic up to read, the other arm wrapped around Marinette where she slept pressed against him.

He knew Damian hated being touched in his sleep, but perhaps his sweet little friend was an exception after all? It wouldn't surprise him seeing as she seemed to be the exception to all of Damian's rules. 

Bruce couldn't help the softening in his expression at seeing his son finally open up and accept the affection of another human. Sure, the kid had always been loving towards his many pets, but it was wonderfully new to see that extend to the young woman under his arm.

The first time he heard Damian call her his angel, Bruce had settled himself with the knowledge that this woman was to eventually become his daughter in law.

So absorbed in his reflecting, he almost missed Tim's entrance. 

Shaking out of it, he nodded to his second youngest and turned back to his book.

He almost became reabsorbed in his own reading when he noticed Tim approaching the opposite end of the couch.

What happened next, Bruce could only watch in dumbfounded disbelief.

Tim settled into the couch, shifting so he reclined comfortably and pulled the blanket off the back and across his body. Once he seemingly deemed the position suitably comfortable, he moved the blanket to the side of him and sat up, leaning towards the two on the opposite end. 

Damian lifted his head and made eye contact with his older brother, a silent conversation passing between the two, before moving his arm off Marinette and carefully moving her away from him and towards the other. The pass off went smoothly, her weight shifting easily from Damian's side and into Tim's waiting arms. 

From there, Tim gently moved her over to his side of the couch, laying back into his original position only now with her pressed between his side and the couch back. Lastly, Tim pulled the blanket back over the two and finally settled down. 

Marinette herself stirred awake once the blanket fell around her. She seemed to take stock of the situation, looking over to Damian and then turning to blink blearily up at Tim. A small, contented smile graced her face before it disappeared into his collar, where she buried her face, promptly falling back to sleep. 

The same sleepy smile crossed Tim's face as he ducked down to nuzzle the top of her head where he followed her lead. 

Completely thrown off guard, Bruce looked back to Damian only to see his youngest completely unfazed as he returned to his reading.

Clearing his throat softly, Bruce successfully gained the other's attention without waking the other two occupants.

"When did this become a thing?" He gestured towards the cuddling pair.

Damian simply raised an eyebrow and rolled his eyes in exasperation.

"You really ought to read our messages. They've been like this for a month now." And with that, Damian went back to his reading, a smirk hidden behind the pages as his father gaped at him in disbelief. It was going to take a small miracle for his father to figure out the other two were dating at this rate.

Snapping his mouth closed and clearing his throat once more, Bruce turned back to his own book, filing the information away for later, thinking to himself, 'Perhaps Damian isn't as possessive as I thought?'

[our-happygirl500-fan]

Okay okay okay okay, I know I’m asking a lot of stuff and probs annoying you. I’m currently reading about the character but what about her and Tim?? Like can I get a run down of everything about them. The good and bad?? Everytime I see things on here it’s either making Tim to be so bad (Anti-Tim ig) or Steph to be so bad and I’m sure they’re both at fault, yea?

No I’m happy to help.

Both Tim and Steph have made mistakes but not in an awful way and more in a ‘these are literal children dealing with serious situations while also trying to be in a relationship with one another’. 

The Steph being bad stuff entirely comes from the fact that she’s a female love interest to a boy who’s one half of a popular mlm ship, she’s made mistakes here and there but they’re human instances where she’s trying to do her best, fandoms often tend to erase or demonise female characters in any any fandom if they are involved in a ship. It’s a sexist habit that comes from reducing a female to only her romantic relationship and ignoring all her other connections and reeks of misogyny. There’s also some slut shaming as Steph was a teen pregnancy & a victim of sexual assault multiple times.

The anti Tim stuff is a bit more complicated, partly it’s a response to sexism where so many fans are sick of the misogyny directed at Steph that they go full throttle the other way or it comes from fans genuinely uncomfortable with Tim’s actions as this is comics and comics are usually written by sexist men which means Tim sometimes takes actions or says something that is not so great.

The important thing to remember about Tim and Steph is that they are each others best friends and they have been through so much together to the point where even if they were not dating they would still be one of the most important relationships the other had.

There is some worry that Tim and Steph feeds into each others complexes 

Tim and Steph both experienced neglect growing up in different ways which makes their attitude to love very different.

Tim's parents were never around most of the time which makes him sort of desperate for love, for validation and most of the time he seems to be of the sort that love is something he can earn if he just does the right thing or achieves the right goal which reflects on how he probably thought if he got good grades or made his parents proud they'd notice him more they'd spend time with him more.

Steph's childhood of neglect I guess you could say came from the sickness of her parents Arthur Brown was abusive to both his wife and daughter and Crystal's drug addiction making her barely able to raise Steph half the time. More often than not it was Steph taking care of the house hold and her mother than any adult looking out for Steph.

With the neglect Steph went through she knew that there was nothing /she/ herself could do to change it, she couldn't magically make her mother quit taking drugs or stop her father from committing crimes by winning an award or behaving well, heck most of her childhood was just trying to keep her and her mum alive so in contrast with Tim who is desperate to receive love Steph is desperate to give love. Because if she's giving love to this person that means they care about her too right? 

This comes across in how easy Steph is willing to poor love into people who are even remotely nice to her like the second Barbara or Bruce stop treating her like shit she's immediately like 'I would die for you'. The second her mother is sober enough to notice her Steph is there being like 'mom I love you I would protect you with my life'. Cass is slightly nice to her? She is now Steph's best friend.

Tim is desperate to receive unconditional affection while Steph is desperate to give unconditional affection which would explain why they are drawn to one another but enough about the meta and onto their actual history.

Steph became a vigilante originally to stop her fathers crimes, the entire point of Spoiler was an abuse victim taking agency back from her abuser and due to Tim being Robin and also investigating the same crimes the two would run into each other multiple times, there was an attraction between the two however neither truly pursued anything due to the fact that Tim was dating another girl and Steph was ‘seeing’ a guy (though the relationship was implied to be unhealthy as he was significantly older, Steph only being around 14 at the time, and showed little in Steph’s actual well being).

However despite the two already being in relationships the two developed keen banter together and quickly began to enjoy the others presence what arguably set then on the path towards a relationship however is when Tim very nearly died and Steph managed to save him at the last second, Tim was so relieved that he kissed Steph sparking a romantic interest from Steph and Tim beginning to realise he had feelings for her.

Steph would then continue fighting crime outside of her fathers crimes as Steph realised that as Spoiler she could help other abuse victims such as herself. Steph’s entire life can be described as falling through the cracks in the system no one caring about the abuse and unsafe situations that she grew up with and Steph’s early journey as Spoiler is her realising that even though no one had cared when she was abused and hurt she could be the person who would care for other people so no one would suffer the way she did. Steph aiming to fight crime meant that she and Tim ran into each other even more working multiple cases together until it eventually culminated into Tim admitting that he had feelings for Steph but due to his loyalty to Batman he could never tell her his secret identity however Steph told him that that was enough for her, the two ended their previous relationships and started dating.

This is actually where a lot of criticism over the relationship is from due to the obvious power imbalance Tim knows every detail of Steph’s life while controlling all information Steph has on him and only lets her interact with Robin. Tim has also been shown to be rather possessive of Steph controlling her interactions with other members of the superhero community and expressing alarm in her spending time with other heroes who are not him.

There is also the fact that for a large part every man Stephanie has ever interacted with have been abusive in some way, her home life was incredibly dangerous due to her mother and fathers friends all being criminals or victims and Steph had to deal with at least two instances of child predators growing up so to many readers it becomes increasingly obvious that Tim might very well be the first man Steph ever interacted with who treated her with human decency and that is why she fell in love with him.

After the relationship started Steph found out that she had become pregnant from her previous relationship and the reader discovers that Steph’s previous boyfriend on top of being awful to her was also using her for sex. Steph tells Tim about the pregnancy fully expecting him to break up with her however Tim states that he is going to be there to support Steph. The two grow even closer as Tim becomes someone for Steph to lean on wearing disguises to take Steph to birthing classes and helps Steph through the process of putting the baby up for adoption. Tim is even there when the child is born.

The incident made Tim and Steph even closer and afterwards the two continue dating and remain close, Steph quickly becomes what could be considered Tim’s safe place as he is able to leave any problems as Tim Drake or Robin away and simply enjoy being with her and during times where Tim is unable to visit Steph he is shown to be tense and disgruntled without the positive emotional outlet however after nearly over a year and a half of dating Steph begins to realise that the dynamic of the relationship is uneven as Tim has complete control and knowledge over her own life while she knows nothing about Tim’s life out of the mask. Steph begins to worry about merely being used and starts openly wishing that Tim would let her be more involved with his life outside of Robin.

Tim meanwhile is beginning his rebellious phase against Batman and Bruce takes actions to try and nip it in the bud as Dick’s rebellious phase ended with Dick leaving Batman for the Titans and Jason’s rebellious phase ended with Jason dead. Bruce attempts to control Tim by using Steph revealing Tim’s secret identity to Tim. After that point Bruce would continually manipulate Steph in a gambit to manipulate Tim and Tim expresses frustration at Bruce using Steph to get to him.

Bruce and Steph’s relationship is incredibly complicated in its own right as Steph has a childhood admiration of Batman as he was the only one who seemed to be able to stop her fathers abuse by putting him in prison. This childhood admiration causes Steph to follow and respect Bruce no matter how many times his actions hurt her. Bruce on the other hand has a lot of issues regarding Steph as Steph reminds him a lot of Jason and Bruce puts a lot of his unresolved issues regarding his dead son on her which as you might assume does not end well for Steph at all.

Outside of Bruce’s meddling however Steph and Tim grow increasingly close no longer having to worry about secret identities the two go on regular dates and are there for each other in every aspect of their lives. However Tim’s father finds out about Robin and forces him to quit and Steph who had been dating Tim ‘batman needs a Robin’ Drake for years was firmly of the belief that ‘Gotham needs a Robin’ at which point Steph herself becomes the fourth Robin though it is heavily implied that once again Bruce is manipulating Steph in order to manipulate Tim into coming back.

Then DC enters its dark ages where they kill off characters left and right and Steph is tortured, raped and killed in a Gotham wide gang war primarily for Bruce angst so that Bruce can go ‘oh god it’s Jason all over again I knew she was girl Jason I knew it’ mean while Tim has what can probably be best described as a mental break down over Steph’s death and the subsequent death of his father and multiple friends. This causes Tim to become cold, cynical and increasingly dark and pessimistic (he has depression).

However Steph comes back to Gotham two years later alive again and it is revealed that Leslie Thompkin’s essentially kidnapped Steph to Africa for two years and faked Steph’s death in order to try and save Steph from being a soldier in Batman’s crusade. Steph was Leslie’s ward for two years but realised that she could literally not stop fighting crime as in Africa Steph literally started dressing up as an African legend and started fighting crime there, eventually convincing Leslie that they needed to go back to Gotham the two returned and Tim was over the moon to see Steph alive kissing her on sight, however Tim realises that he essentially had a break down over Steph death for nothing and expresses resentment over Steph letting him believe that she was dead for two years. Steph who had spent the past to years recovering physically and mentally from the trauma of being tortured for days prior to Leslie faking Steph’s death and Steph essentially not having had a choice in Leslie’s plan to fake her death is just like ‘I don’t know what to tell you buddy’ 

Steph is still Tim’s emotional home, immediately relying on her for emotional support once again and the two are shown to still love each other however the two had changed a great deal over the time they were apart. Steph having had an adult finally care about her well being for the first time in her life grew much more positive into someone who believed in the inherent good in people and in hope while Tim had grown harsh and dark and cynical. The two even joke about how Steph has become an optimist while Tim had become a pessimist. Steph is like a beam of light for Tim who had become increasingly dark and Tim finds himself being both wary of it and drawn to it.

Then Bruce gets back to his old tricks of using Steph to manipulate Tim and gives Steph instructions to challenge Tim in order to improve Tim’s skills as a crime fighter. Steph on Bruce’s orders employs and assassin to fight Tim however the assassin goes to far and Steph is injured trying to protect Tim. Tim realising that Bruce is once again manipulating Steph to get to him as well as having an inherent fear of Steph dying again demands that Steph should not be a vigilante any longer never mind that Steph literally can not stop fighting crime which causes a rift between the two.

The superhero community then believe that Batman is dead and Tim leaves Gotham to prove that Bruce is alive while Tim is gone from Gotham Cass makes Steph the new Batgirl and Steph becomes incredibly close to Barbara and Damian and as Batgirl makes several friends within the masked community no longer having her interactions be controlled by Tim or Bruce. Steph starts coming into her own and building up her self confidence, when Tim returns he is once again upset that Steph is still fighting crime his fear of Steph dying still going strong and acts condescending towards Steph’s attempts to help him however Steph proves herself in sheer level of skill and prowess and Tim accepts her as a vigilante and the new Batgirl accepting that Steph will not die again. Tim then attempts to rekindle their romantic relationship however Steph realises that she had been too dependent on Tim’s love and wishes to improve herself as a person before she even thinks of entering a relationship again. The two remain close friends however Tim expresses attraction towards Steph multiple times (Tim is the horniest little fuck during this time in their lives and Steph is literally out their trying to live her life and better herself as a person and get a university degree it’s hilarious)

If Convergence is to believe the two would always eventually get back together in one way or another the two issues being about their romantic interest in each other and getting back together.

After the reboot happens when they meet again Tim immediately expresses romantic interest in Steph while Steph herself is wary of Tim as in this universe both her mother and her father are criminals who have tried to kill her and Steph has effectively been homeless living in public libraries or where ever she can. It is unknown when but Tim offers Steph a place to live at his apartment and a some point the two eventually enter a romantic relationship.

A lot of fans have criticised this as Steph is entirely financially dependent on Tim for food and shelter and once again Tim holds more power than Steph in the relationship. Also in the rebooted universe Tim is Steph’s only support system as her parents tried to kill her, her father murdered any civilians she was close to in order to hurt her and any connections Steph had before the reboot have had vast amounts of their history erased.

Steph has also been shown to be responsible for a lot of Tim’s mental health as she has to stop him from crossing lines or going off the deep end multiple times it is described as Tim having a tendency of walking a dark path when he is alone. 

Steph and Tim are both presented as each others support systems in current comics and when Tim wanted to leave Gotham in order to research the multiverse Steph went with him as the two rely on each other.

I don’t believe there is a good guy or bad guy in their relationship both Tim and Steph want what’s best for each other but sometimes these views don’t line up which causes conflict but at the end of the day they are two people that care about each other a great deal and whether they are in a relationship or not they will always be one of the most important people in each others lives.

The relationship is criticised by the fandom as fans either fetishise mlm relationships and are angry at Steph ‘getting in the way’ an unfortunate trend in all fandoms and on the other side many are tired of female characters being reduced to their romantic relationships.

TimSteph is a cute ship with a deep connection and a lot of history proving that they care about each other a great deal but sexism and misogyny are things that exist especially in fandom spaces and that creates a nightmare.

[miracle-sham]

Our Faces are Hidden Behind Masks of Glass.

| {Maribat 2k20 – Day 1: Late Night Discussions} |

| [Ao3 Link] | | [Masterlist Link] |

| Sometimes, when secret identities are revealed, you just need a cuppa tea and some reaffirmation—and maybe some cuddles too. |

| Word count: 1534. |

==–==

| A/N: So I really thought SCAB would be my first piece of writing posted on here/for Maribat but then I got mugged in a dark dank alleyway by the Maribat2k20 MariTim prompt calendar and stabbed by the knife of inspiration. So uh yeah enjoy. |

| If you want to be tagged in future oneshots/fics, or a specific Au, then send me a DM or an ask! |

| Also side note, Don't Like? Don't Read. Also please do not criticise any of my writing. This was written for fun and receiving criticism, even in a compliment/criticism sandwich, is the exact opposite of fun. |

==–==

 Heck-heck-heckity-heckles, Marinette chants in her head, desperately needing to find an empty alleyway that she can detransform in. She flicks her yo-yo towards a random skyscraper, and swings her way across the Gotham night skyline, scanning the streets below for somewhere that met her criteria.

 Just as her earrings bleep thrice to signal that she was down to two dots, she spots it, an empty alleyway not in plain view of any roads, or windows. There! She cheers internally, dropping down into the alleyway and whispering a “Tikki, spots off!”

 However, her relief at finding a place to detransform is short-lived, for as soon as the bright pink glow fades away, she's faced with the sight of Red Robin half changed into civvies, domino in one hand. Marinette stares at him in shock, and he stares back. Blinking blankly, she tries to wrap her mind around the fact that one of her "civilian" friends is actually a hero. A hero she's allies with, friends even.

 The two stand there for a solid minute as their brains reboot. Tim cocks his head to one side, gaze flickering between looking her up and down, and staring at her earrings. Marinette also cocking her head to one side but her gaze switches between his bare face and the domino in his hand.

 Once their brains finish rebooting, immediately the two blurt out the first thoughts to come to mind.

 “Tim... You're Red Robin?”–

 –“Wait, Marinette, you've been Ladybug this entire time?”

  Marinette swallowed, blinking back tears, suddenly very aware of how vulnerable she was in the open with her secret exposed and—oh god, Tim's the first person to know my identity bar Master Fu… This is the first time I've ever had my identity revealed and I didn't even get a choice—She manages to choke down a sob before spitting out, “I think we should take this somewhere more private.” The words burning her tongue with the acrid taste of fear.

 He nods sharply—almost more of a jerk than an actual nod. “I agree.”

 Neither makes an attempt to move, both still staring.

 “My place or yours?” She asks, hesitantly, half frowning.

 He nods again, more softly this time, “Mine, but lemme just um…” Gesturing towards the amalgamation that was half his Red Robin suit and half civvies as he speaks.

 Marinette's eyes widen in realisation, practically squeaking, she stutters. “Oh. Uh yeah, sorry!” She stiffly turns her back to him in an act of respect of privacy and cradles her face in her hands as her cheeks flush bright red from embarrassment. God, I'm never going to live this down, am I?

 After about a minute of stewing in her embarrassment, she hears Tim clears his throat from the other side of the Alleyway. “Okay, done.”

 She turns around to face him again, the blush has faded somewhat in the time passed but it's still very clearly noticeable. She can't help but glance at his civilian outfit. “Oh, er, nice?”

 He sort of just blinks at her, rather bemused. “Uh, thanks… I guess?”

 An awkward silence hangs over them as they shuffle and dance around each other on their way out of the alleyway. The walk to his theatre house is just as silent and awkward despite the hundreds of questions on each of their lips. A good thing then—Marinette supposes—that we didn't go to my place, I'm not sure I'd be able to handle an even longer awkward silence.

==–==

 They take the civilian route inside—also known as using the door like a sane person—because apparently, vigilantes will only use windows as entrances provided there are windows to enter and that the vigilantes in question are suited up. Tim spends a good thirty seconds opening his front door, deactivating a bunch of different security protocols most likely. The hallway and lounge lights were already on probably to try and deter potential robbers—the house is in Crime Alley after all—but once they enter said hallway, all the ceiling lights on the first floor switch on.

 Tim guides her to the sofa, which she perches on the edge of, facing the massive fish tank before disappearing into the kitchen. The sound of shuffling feet, cupboards and drawers opening, and the click of a kettle—or perhaps a coffee machine? She can't quite tell from this distance—are the only things to give away what he's doing in there. Marinette has no doubts that he's making the noise on purpose, he's a bat. But she's not quite sure if the noise is because he's comfortable here, or if it's because he's trying to make her feel more welcome?

 A minute later, Tim re-emerges with two teacups in hand. He gently lays both on a coffee table between the sofa and aquarium, one of the cups pushed towards her general direction. He plops himself down on the sofa as well, albeit leaving enough space between the two of them that a third person could sit there.

 She picks up the drink and peers at it, perplexed, for a second, question falling from her mouth before she can stop herself, “Earl Grey? With lemon?” I thought he was a coffee person?

 “Alfred.” Is his clipped response.

 She nods and 'oh's under her breath. That explains it. Marinette takes a sip and her eyes light up. “Oh wow! This is delicious!”

 Tim raises his eyebrows in amusement and snorts but doesn't comment. The conversation lulls again. They sip their tea in silence.

 When Marinette finishes her tea, she carefully puts the mug back down, with an audible clink, on the coffee table. She hesitates and the words Kagami once told her come unbidden to her mind. She grimaces, glances to Tim.

 He's watching her with that calculating gaze of his, however, it seems far more tumultuous in nature this evening. He's hiding his mouth behind his mug like another mask.

 Marinette leans back against the sofa and stares at his ceiling before idiomatically biting the bullet and physical biting her lips. “How long are we going to do this?”

 He freezes. “Do what?”

 She gestures vaguely in the air between the two of them. “This, tiptoe around the elephant in the room or I suppose in our case, the vigilantes in the room.”

 Her phrasing manages to bring a small smile to his face but not a second later it fades and he purses his lips.

 Solemnly, he gives her a once over. “So you're Ladybug then?”

 Marinette huffs. “And you're Red Robin.”

 “Does anyone else know that you're her then?”

 She turns her head away from him, “No, you're…” Her throat closes up and she's forced to blink back tears again. Barely holding back the sniffles, she chokes out the last few words. “You're the only other person to know.”—Not technically a lie, it's not like Master Fu remembers anything about the miraculous, let alone my identity.

 Tim deflates slightly, curling his shoulders inwards. “I wish you had told us before, we could have supported you. You shouldn't have had to deal with all that without help”

 “What? Like Batman didn't start off alone?” Marinette snaps back automatically, no real heat behind her words.

  “Batman's not exactly a pillar of good life decisions or emotional stability.” He retorts with a raised eyebrow.

 Sighing, she shakes her head and whines, “Tim…”

 “Marinette.” His lips twitch upwards like he's in on some joke she doesn't get, “On the bright side, now we know each other's identities, we can help each other on cases and patrols, or cover for the other in or out the masks.” He offers, sounding so calm and nonchalant.

 Marinette shuffles closer to him on the sofa. “That would be useful. I just. I.” She stutters, brain moving faster than her mouth.

 Tim grins ruefully. “You're worried I'm gonna tell the rest of the bats who you are, right?”

 She curls up instinctively. “Yeah…”

 “Don't worry, they're also detectives. If they can't work out your identity then why should I give them the answer?” He tries to joke but it falls flat.

 “The magic of the Miraculous stops people from making the connection between my two identities.” Marinette responds.

 “Ok, but what I'm trying to say is that I'm not going to give you away even if they ask.” He also shuffles closer to her and wraps an arm around her shoulders, pulling her towards him.

 “Thank you, Tim.”

 “No problem, Mari.”

 Marinette pauses. “So this won't affect our relationship in or out the mask, right? We're still friends?”

 “Of course! This doesn't change a thing.” Tim, emulating Dick, pulls her in for a hug, and if Marinette melts into his arms—well he's not going to say no to that, not when he's so touch starved.

==–==

 When Dick breaks into the house the next morning to check on Tim, seeing as he never checked out for the night nor did he return to the cave, he finds the two cuddled up together—fast asleep on the sofa. He nabs a spare blanket and pulls it over the two of them, snaps a pic to serve as evidence to Tim being okay, and then skedaddles before either can wake.

==–==

| Thank you for reading! I hope you enjoyed this little oneshot! Comments, likes, and reblogs are much appreciated! |

@maribat-2k20

[theoriginalladya]

#15 kiss for Michael/Kaidan 🥰

from this prompt list

On AO3 here

Okay, so this one got away from me a bit.  Like 2100 words away! lol  Anyway, it helped me sort out a few things for these two which I needed before I start Nano in a week.  Thank you, m’dear, for all of your love of my pairs!  I hope this meets with your approval!

prompt:   a gentle “i love you” whispered after a soft kiss, followed immediately by a stronger kiss

~~~~

Two weeks seems an eternity to wait, but if it means a chance to figure things out between them, Shepard is willing.  His mission after the Collectors is nearly over, and as determined as he is that they will make it back out of the Omega-4 relay, having an extra added incentive never hurts.  Well, that plus it sticks it to the Illusive Man and his heavy handed interference.  That definitely counts for something.

From the moment he opened his eyes on Lazarus Station, nearly everyone has reminded him, Don’t trust him.  Garrus, Anderson, Tali … even Liara.  Hasn’t he made it clear yet that he never has and never will?  So, maybe they have something … in common.  The Collectors need to be dealt with, end of story.  But it doesn’t take a genius to see too many corners are being cut in the process, and maybe he’s paranoid, but to him that reads like Cerberus has an ulterior motive.  One that they won’t share with him.   Add in the fact that TIM’s decision to drop hints and rumors at whatever whim he decides to follow, putting innocents at risk needlessly, well, the way Shepard sees it, taking a day for personal business should fly under the radar.  Only, he isn’t willing to risk that, either.  He’s about done with the whole damned thing.

He slips onto the Citadel easily enough; working with Bailey assures him that much.  Finding the meeting point takes a little longer seeing as it’s buried deep in Zakera Ward.  Still, he times it just right, even better than he could have hoped, and as he enters the building, he spies Kaidan at the front desk.  Good.  That’s one risk out the window, not having to expose his true identity, and instead he waits in the shadows near the bank of elevators. 

He’s always been good at hiding in plain sight, and slips onto the lift easily.  The elevator is crowded – of course it is, but who is he to judge if it means they have some peace and quiet they need to talk – and by the time they arrive on the twenty-ninth floor, he’s pretty sure Kaidan knows he’s there.  He follows after him, hopping through the doors just before they close, and hurries down the hall to his left.  He doesn’t know the room number, but he nears a door that’s left open in invitation.  It could be a trap, part of him still believes it is, but he slips inside the room without hesitation anyway, sealing the door behind him. 

Still facing the door, he ask softly, with a certain urgency, “Did David get to Grissom without any problems?”  Only then does he turn to face a room thick with shadows and very little light.  It takes a moment to find Kaidan, but he does, and he isn’t as far away as Shepard thought he might be.

“David is fine,” Kaidan replies.  “Anderson put me in touch with the woman in charge of the place.  Cerberus won’t have any contact with him there.”

“Good.”  Shepard takes a few more steps into the room looks around.  His lips twitch slightly at what he finds.  “Kinda small in, here, don’t you think?”

Kaidan’s cheeks darken a little, and for a moment, Shepard has hope.  He remembers all too clearly the last time he said that, and while he would give anything for a similar outcome tonight, he knows his chances are slim to none.  Especially when Kaidan folds his arms across his chest and gives Shepard a pointed look in return.  “You said you wanted to talk,” he argues.  “I didn’t figure size mattered.”

“Size always matters.”

The heat flares a little more though Kaidan fights it; Shepard sighs softly and backs down, and for the first time since waking up on Lazarus Station, his entire presence softens.  The Butcher of Torfan is not longer present, instead replaced by a man with too many regrets spanning two lives.  He takes a seat on the corner of the bed, leaning forward until his arms rest across his thighs, head drops low, and he can stare at the floor.  “Kaidan, I –.”

Kaidan stops him with a disgruntled huff and starts to pace.  It catches Shepard off guard for a moment; he’s the one with the history of impatience and frustration.  Kaidan has always been the one to hold himself together, cool under pressure.  As their eyes meet and hold, he notices the regret that shines in Kaidan’s eyes, bright as a signal flare. 

Kaidan comes to a stop directly in front of him.  “Look, before we really get into it, let me just say something first, okay?” 

Shepard nods and remains silent. 

Kaidan takes a deep breath and releases it slowly before beginning, “About Horizon, I just want to say … I’m sorry I took it out on you like I did.”

Shepard reaches deep for the patience to wait this out, for the willpower to keep his mouth shut and let Kaidan continue.

“To see you like that … well, it was a shock, to say the least.”

Shepard’s lips press into a tight, thin line.  “I understand,” he says.  “I’m sure I would have reacted similarly had our positions been reversed.”  They both know that’s not true; Kaidan would never be with Cerberus, but it’s the idea that counts. 

“All I could think was, why didn’t you get in touch with me?  Contact me somehow?  We once meant something to each other.  At least, I thought we did.”

Shepard winces.  Once.  The past tense hurts, but he expects it.  “For what it’s worth, Kaidan, I did try.  I even asked Anderson.”  When he looks up, his smile is halfhearted.  “He wouldn’t tell me where you were, nor would he deliver a message from me.”

Kaidan picks up the pacing again and runs a hand through his hair in agitation.   

“Do you really want to keep rehashing this?” Shepard asks.  When Kaidan glances over at him, he shrugs.  “I can think of other things we can discuss that won’t lead us down a potential path of self-destruction.”  Kaidan frowns.  Shepard’s brow lifts.  “What?  You think I didn’t notice when you started to flare on Horizon?”

“Point.”  Kaidan stops pacing and sits in a chair by the window.  “Alright, what do you want to talk about?”

Shepard clasps his hands before him, stares at them as if they are the most interesting thing in the galaxy in that moment.  “I … wanted to tell you, to let you know …”  He pauses, considers the best way to explain.  “Look, fact of the matter is, I’m about to lead my team through the Omega-4 relay.”  Kaidan’s breath hitches, a soft echo throughout the room.  “I wanted a chance to … well, to just see you again.  To talk with you.  Maybe to clear some of this mess up?”  Shepard shakes his head but doesn’t look Kaidan in the eye just yet.  “I know your opinions on my current situation; you made that abundantly clear on Horizon, and that’s fine.  But I wanted you to know …”  He lifts his head finally and is suddenly pinned by the whiskey brown pair across from him.  Throat suddenly dry, he swallows twice before he can continue.  “At this point, I know it probably doesn’t mean anything to you anymore, but I wanted to let you know I still care.  Believe it or not, you were the first person I thought of when they woke me up.  I had no idea where I was, what happened, where you were; but you were the first.  And I … I just wanted you to know that.”

Kaidan’s jaw tightens as he grinds his teeth.  “Shepard …”

God, he hates that this has to be so hard, for the both of them, because he really doesn’t want it to be.  No matter what happens, he still cares.  Is that really so hard to understand?  To accept?  Taking another breath, he asks, “How’s Kandra?”

Kaidan blinks.  “What?”

Shepard chuckles.  “Your sister.  How is she?”  Probably hates him, too, just like her twin.

“I - Kandra?  She’s … fine, I guess?”  Kaidan’s head tilt’s slightly.  “Why are you asking about her?”

A wry smile twists his lips.  “You know, there have been a few times where I’ve wished she was the cook on the Normandy this go ‘round.”  Gardner tries, but even with better ingredients, he still doesn’t make anything Shepard really likes.  Kandra, on the other hand, performs magic in the kitchen.  He’s been witness to it first-hand.

Kaidan manages a short laugh.  “I’ll be sure to pass that along.”

Silence fills the room as they both sit across from one another.  Michael fidgets with his fingers; Kaidan stops grinding his teeth. 

“Look, Kaidan –.”

“Shepard, I –.”

The laughter returns, easier this time for both of them.  Shepard rises to his feet and moves to stand next to Kaidan’s chair, but he stares out the window at the Citadel beyond.  “I am sorrier than you will ever know,” he whispers after several minutes, “for what you’ve had to go through.  I never wanted to hurt you like that.”

Kaidan’s sigh is weighted.  He pushes himself to his feet slowly, like an aged man for whom mobility is no longer easy.  But once he’s on his feet, he turns to face Shepard.  “I was lost for a long time.  I can’t even put into words the hell I went through.”

“I know.”  Shepard turns, facing him, then hesitates.  The whole purpose of this meeting was to let Kaidan know he was about to head through the Omega relay, which he’s done, but now?  “I just …”

No one is more surprised when Kaidan reaches out a hand to cradle Shepard’s cheek than Shepard is himself.  He holds his breath, waiting, watching with wide eyes, as Kaidan closes the distance between them and leans in to press a soft, gentle kiss to his lips.  The touch is brief, and leaves Shepard’s lips tingling.  “Michael,” Kaidan breathes, his voice practically a groan, “I love you.  I loved you before, I still love you now.  Despite everything that’s happened.” 

Without conscious thought, Shepard’s hands slide around Kaidan, securing around his broad shoulders and tugging him closer.  Time stands still as he covers Kaidan’s mouth with his, taking the initiative this time as he savors, devours, and more importantly, remembers.  He breaks free only when he cannot breathe, dropping his forehead to rest against Kaidan’s.  “I … I’m sorry, I ….”

Kaidan huffs softly.  “Yeah.”  His voice is as rough and raspy as Shepard’s.  “Um, s’okay, but … what I was going to say was … I, um, can’t …”

A small smirk twitches at Shepard’s lips as he looks into his eyes.  “Left you speechless, have I?”

Kaidan nearly chokes on a laugh.  “That’s one way to put it.”

“Good to know.”  Shepard’s hands slide up to frame Kaidan’s face.  “Answer me two things, okay?”  Kaidan nods.  “Have you found someone else?”

Kaidan blinks, tries to pull back, but Shepard doesn’t let him.  “What?  No!  Why would I?  I … I was still mourning you up until Horizon, dammit!”

Shepard smiles.  “That’s fine, that’s good,” he replies quickly.  His heart feels like it will jump out of his chest.  “Second question, do you …  Would you want to try again?”

This time, Kaidan does pull free.  He backs up across the room until his legs hit the edge of the bed and he sits.  “You’ve just told me you are about to go through the Omega relay!”

Shepard nods.  “Yes, but we have a way to get through safely.”

“Can you be sure of that?”

It’s on the tip of his tongue to assure him it is, but he doesn’t.  “One hundred percent?  No,” he finally replies.  “More like ninety-four percent it will get us there and back again.”

Kaidan bites his lip hard.  “And what then?  You do realize the Alliance wants to talk to you about what happened in Bahak, right?”

“I am aware, yes.  I promised Hackett I will turn myself in when I get back.”  Shepard shrugs then walks forward, dropping to crouch in front of him.  “Look, Kaidan, I know things won’t be easy, and it might be a while before we see one another again, but … I just … I kind of need to know … you know?”  Kaidan sighs, heavily, and for a moment Shepard thinks he’s blown it.  He's pushed too hard, too fast.  It’s too much, been too long, it's too … 

“Yes.”

[oddslee]

Tim becomes an Avatar of the Spiral (Helen and Michael are also there)

Blowing up wasn’t fun. Neither was dying. Neither was falling through a door and feeling parts of yourself unravel and intertwine with something you could never comprehend, because that was the point.

He could feel himself laughing and crying and screaming as colours he’d never seen or experienced before danced and contorted his vision. Everything hurt and felt wonderful. Old and new were merged and the same. Time was static, fluid, non-existent. Beautiful contradiction after beautiful contradiction overlapped and twisted together into a patterned mesh that became the spiral. Flashes of pain warped and bent his body and bones, endlessly, ceaselessly... until it all came to a sudden halt and the pain never existed.

Tim stood, impossibly alive in a place that impossibly exists. The corridor stretched infinitely in every direction in a nonsensical way, that started to make sense to Tim.

Mirrors lined the walls as perceived regular intervals, neatly spread apart in even, unmeasurable measurements. Tim recalled the knowledge of the distortion changing someone. He stepped forward.

It was similar to standing in front of those bent carnival mirrors you would sometimes find on piers. Tim naturally had avoided them in his later years, they far too often reminded him of his brother but, in a strange way it felt natural to be standing before the mirror. Perhaps it was the effect of the Spiral or perhaps it was a slight relief that came with enacting some sort of justice for his brother's death. 

Tim shook his head and forced himself to properly stare at his own appearance in the mirror. He looked the same...and off...and identical to every possible iteration of himself. He closed his eyes for a second before attempting to focus in on details, some sort of visual anchorpoint that didn’t overwhelm him as his entire appearance did. 

His hands; long and short and pointed and heavy and light and thin...Tim shook his head again, glancing at his shirt. He recalled putting one of his hawaiian shirts on that morning but the patterns and styles shifted and jumped about as he tried to fixate, flicking between his entire, extensive collection. His hair? Still short but he couldn’t quite see the edges, they seemed to blur and blend into everything else. Tim couldn’t look into his eyes, it made him feel dizzy and he had to step back as if to gain his balance, blinking his eyes out of mere habit more than anything else.

“Don’t worry!” came a chipper call, “You’ll get used to it soon enough!” Tim looked over to a woman dressed in a neon ensemble of a suit, patterned with the design of the carpets you find at dingy old bowling alleys that glow under UV. Her hair was curled and coiled into her surroundings, longer than his own though significantly shorter than that of Michael. He faintly remembered Jon mentioning the new avatar of the spiral being Helen Richardson, a woman who’d come in to make a statement about her encounter with these very corridors. 

“Helen?” Tim tried to ask, his words almost seemed to dance about him, looping past one ear and then the next as Helen beamed.

“The very same!” she gestured for Tim to come closer and began to usher him down the corridor with a sense of purpose, “Now this is all going to be very… different at first but as I said you’ll get used to it soon enough. Life is after all full of changes and transitions and this just happens to be one of them!”

“How am I even here?” Tim managed out, the echoing words still jarring to him, “I thought the spiral only had one avatar at a time but, I’m not particularly frightened so I assume I’m not food but…” He gestured vaguely at Helen,”you’re not dead.”

Helen laughed, it was grating and melodic, overlapping with infinite voices that were his and hers and others and more, “Is that what your silly old Archivist thinks?” She chuckled again, the sound dancing around Tim as if inspecting him and judging him for not laughing too, 

“No, no” Helen continued, “The Spiral can take just as many avatars as any other entity, but when we exist outside of the normal parameters of time there isn’t much point beside interest.” Helen tugged Tim’s arm and they were suddenly dragged sideways into a small, almost living room like area. She gestured for him to sit which Tim reluctantly did.

“What about Michael?” Tim asked.

“What about him?”

“Well, you killed him didn’t you? You... replaced him.”

Helen paused briefly, taking a sip of tea clearly for some sort of effect before dropping it out of existence. “Michael was already dead so there wasn’t really anything to kill but I suppose I did replace him, but...less in an exchange and more...” she mused for a moment, “more in a promotion, demotion kind of way.”

Tim sputtered, “You...demoted him?”

Helen nodded, “Demoted, grounded, suspended without pay. I think they’re all pretty solid metaphors for what Michael is going through now.” She gestured vaguely to a door that wasn’t and was there before, “He’d forgotten some of the rules about being an avatar, got too distracted with personal issues while not even letting himself play about with individuality. In the end he became a boring liability so he’s sitting in time out.” She cackled again, the swirls around them turning with every sound, “The individuality makes this so interesting! We are as much a part of the spiral as the spiral is of us but what is the point of an avatar that can’t comprehend what it becomes” She laughed again but Tim felt himself eyeing the door.

“What about me? Becoming an avatar is a choice, what choices did I make?”

Helen sat, staring with a smile that spread far past her cheeks, “These things are wonderfully confusing aren’t they?” The colours of the room twisted, blending and separating as the walls seemed to twirl into Helen’s form before she disappeared completely.

Tim remained sitting. Staring off at the absent space where Helen had once been...where Helen still was in some sense... Tim could feel it, all of it, wrapped through his spiralled veins and heavy bones. He could feel Helen’s presence and absence as strongly as he felt Michael's or his own. He knew, if he wanted, he could find either of them but a stronger feeling writhed in his gut, like hunger but off, more a craving than anything else. 

Guilt bubbled in part of his mind as he found himself suddenly standing in a new corridor, his corridor and its corridor. The door lined walls now seemed recognisable. He knew exactly where each led with warm familiarity, like each of the doors was a friend or an acquaintance. Maybe they were more like books or DVD cases, he could order them, sort through them and their infinite number with a flick of his warped hand if he so chose. Everything felt so...easy.

For a brief moment he eyed a door that he knew would, if he willed it to, lead him to the archives. He pictured Sasha, sat at her desk beside him. Martin, moping about as he made some tea. Basira and Daisy pouring over books together. He could also picture Jon, squirrelled away behind his door...and Elias cooped up in his own room. He didn’t even know if any of them were still there. Perhaps Elias had taken out the distractions while the others laid buried under rubble. Maybe they were all alive and Elias was the one six feet under. 

Tim slammed the door that was already closed, willing it out of his sight. He didn’t care. Or he did but it didn’t matter. He didn’t want to care or think about that. His job was done and he understood exactly how he’d treated the others, and as he stared at his new sharpened hands Tim knew he was dangerous too. Not dangerous enough yet, not strong enough yet, but maybe he’d pop in for a visit further along the line. For now however, Tim was hungry.

-----------------------

Hope you enjoyed! I wanted to write a longer piece but head empty only Spiral Tim thots

[chenfordlove]

fight

I don’t know how I’m supposed to function properly with Lucy suffocating in an oil drum for the next 10 weeks, so that’s why this stuff has to be written. I hope this helps y’all get through! (Also I haven’t felt the urge to write a fic in years and then BAM! CHENFORD TRASH TRAIN ALL ABOARD)

Also on AO3 | FFnet

fight

Closing in. Everything felt like it was closing in. The air felt thinner with every breath. In and out. In and out. In. Out. The pressure was getting worse, as well. It was getting harder and harder to get a full breath when it felt like one brick after another was being added to his chest. He’d been called in early and pulled aside before roll call. He wasn’t really sure how long ago that was. Two minutes. An hour. Four days. Tim really didn’t know anymore. Lucy was missing, and he couldn’t breathe. All he could see playing over and over was the surveillance of that man putting an obviously drugged Lucy in his trunk. The last time he’d felt this way, Isabel had been dumped in a dumpster and left for dead.

He could vaguely hear Grey trying to speak to him but his ears were ringing, so it couldn’t have been that long since he’d been told. The weight on his chest worsened. Brick after brick after brick. Chen is missing, he slightly made out. Last seen at.. Brick after brick. ...Caleb Wright. He was here.. Brick. Brick. Brick. All stamped with the word guilt. Grey’s words faded again, sounding so far away, Tim’s ears beginning to ring again. She had wanted to go home and sleep. He’d told her no. Brick. Guilt. If they didn’t find her in time, he would...

“Officer Bradford!”

Tim finally snapped to attention. Papers were on the floor and a chair was turned over. When had that happened? He looked at the clock on the wall in Grey’s office. 8:01 AM. Five minutes had passed. Five minutes he’d allowed himself to lose his cool and freak out. That’s all the time he could give it until they found her. He would deal with the rest after.

“I’m sorry. What did you say?”

Grey sighed; he could see plainly on Tim’s face that this was eating at him already. “We’ll find her, Tim. Detective Armstrong is already running down every possible lead.”

Tim nodded, a feeling of numbness beginning to wash over him. “She wanted to go home and sleep,” he laughed bitterly. “She wanted to sleep, and I told her to go have a drink with him. I sent her straight to him.”

Grey came around his desk and placed a comforting hand on Tim’s shoulder. “This is not your fault. This is on Rosalind and Caleb. We will find her, Tim. I promise you that.”

“Thought we weren’t allowed to promise things like that, sir,” Tim replied bitterly. He wanted to be out there running down leads, get his boots on the ground and find Lucy. The walls felt like they were closing in again, exponentially faster than before. He has to get out of this room. “Where is Armstrong now? I need to get out there and help.”

“You can after roll call. Everyone will be on this. Night shift was on it as soon as her car was found.” Tim kicked the other chair in the office, but thankfully Grey didn’t hold it against him. “You’ve trained her well, Tim. We’ll find her.”

-----

Lucy woke to a throbbing pain in her head and her side. It was dark, which she was thankful for, because she was sure she was suffering from the worst hangover of her life. She was in the fetal position, after all. Memories of laughing at the bar came forward, which were the most clear. They began to get hazy after that. Her eyes shot open when the hazy memories of Caleb putting her into his trunk flooded her mind. Lucy didn’t have to be able to see fully to know she was in an oil drum.

She tried. She tried so hard not to lose it. She pounded on the lid, but it didn’t budge. Rocking back and forth, Lucy tried to throw her weight into the side to knock it over. When her rib collided with the side of the drum, she drew in a sharp breath. Her breathing became more rapid after that. She didn’t want to freak out, knowing it was counterproductive and didn’t want to give those monsters the satisfaction. But no matter what she told herself, she couldn’t stop the tears and the scream that spilled from her throat.

Get it together, Boot! Save your oxygen, she heard Tim’s voice in her head. She’d found that recently his had been the voice of reason in her head. We’re coming for you.

Lucy took several deep breaths, steadying herself until she got herself down to six breaths a minute. She could do this; she had to. Help would be on the way, and she had to last until then.

-----

Tim stood by, watching as the techs combed over the car and alleyway behind the bar that Lucy and Caleb had been in last night and into the morning. Cameras showed them leaving at just after 2:30 AM. That was just over six hours prior. He tapped his foot impatiently, staring a hole into Nick Armstrong’s head while he spoke to someone about a small piece of evidence they’d found. There wasn’t much he could do at the crime scene.

“How do we know this Caleb guy isn’t just some random psycho?” Tim called as he walked toward Armstrong, tired of being told to stand aside while everyone else worked. It was his boot that was in danger. “How do we know he’s working with Rosalind?”

Armstrong could tell that he was going to have a hard time keeping Tim in check. He’d told Grey it would be a bad idea to let him out in the field on this one. Too much emotion. “Come have a look,” he said, walking toward his car. “As soon as we confirmed his identity, we searched his place. We found dozens of notes from her. Rolled back the tapes at the prison. They were passed through someone inside through library books. That woman won’t see the outside for a while.”

Tim looked over all the notes in individual evidence bags. He held a handful, and there was still a whole tote full of them. “Any sign of where he might go?”

“That’s what we’re looking for right now.”

Tim huffed angrily, dropping the notes back into the tote with the others. Slamming his fists into the floor of the trunk, he leaned heavily against it. “This is a waste of time, Armstrong. There’s nothing here! They’ve been at this for hours.”

“And they’ll keep looking. These aren’t the only people working this, Bradford. There are people back at the station combing through all the evidence we have there. When I get back, they’ll look over this. There is someone following his car’s movements on the surveillance cameras, trying to find your girl.” Armstrong sighed, moving forward and closing the tote filled with notes. He stacked it on top of another and held it out to Tim. “Take these back to the station. I’ll be there in less than 30 minutes. We will find her, Bradford. I promise.”

Tim was beginning to wonder if everyone would be able to keep their promises. He hoped for Lucy’s sake, they could.

-----

It had to have been hours since she’d woken up, and there was no way to tell how long she’d been there. Lucy could feel her mind starting to go, oxygen deprivation causing the slight delirium to set in. “Stars shining bright above you,” she sang softly. She couldn’t even bring herself to panic at that point, the fear mostly gone, replaced by peace. They weren’t going to find her in time, if at all. “Night breezes seem to whisper, ‘I love you.’” She prayed it wasn’t Tim that found her. Knowing him, he’d blame himself for her situation, and she couldn’t handle the thought of him finding her dead. She just prayed it came quickly and peacefully. Her breathing began to pick up at that thought. “Birds singing in the sycamore tree. Dream a little…dream of me.” Her eyes were feeling tired, she’d let them close. Just for a minute. Don’t give up, Lucy. She could try and fight it for a little while longer. For Tim.

-----

“Going over this again and again is getting us nowhere while Lucy sits suffocating in an oil drum!” Tim yelled, knocking over a chair as he began to pace. “Put me in a room with them for 5 minutes.”

They found Caleb twenty miles outside of Griffith Park, seemingly unaware of the manhunt after him. He seemed completely surprised to be surrounded by police officers, Detective Armstrong figuring he hadn’t realized the shop sharing the alley with the bar had a working security camera at their backdoor. Grey had sent officers to immediately check the area of the old Griffith Park Zoo, expecting to find nothing, and they had found just that.

“An emotional response is exactly what they’ll want. We have to come at this from a better angle,” Grey said, moving to block the door. “I know you want to beat them to a pulp. We all do. They took one of our own, but that will get us nowhere.”

“He’s right,” Delmonte said, looking at the board with the burial sites marked on it as well as the old zoo. “We have to assume if she’s not at the zoo, she’s already been moved to the third burial site.” He stopped talking for a moment when Tim kicked another chair. The thought of Lucy already being dead and buried made him see red. “Rosalind knows if she doesn’t tell us where it is, she’s going to die. That’s our best angle.”

Armstrong shook his head. “She took us to those grave sites knowing we’d find more than one victim. She won’t tell us until she knows Lucy is dead.”

“Then tell her the deal is fucking off if she doesn’t give up the location right now!” Tim yelled, reeling around, anger vibrating under his skin. “Because every second we sit here arguing is another second Lucy is closer to fucking dying! So pick a plan, and let’s go.” He didn’t even wait for them to move before he was out the door.

“Bradford!”

“I’m going to Griffith Park!” Tim called back, willing himself to move toward the garage instead of where they held Caleb and Rosalind. He would do better out there than in the building with them.

Grey sighed as he looked between the other two men in the room. “I don’t care about your photo op,” he said, looking to the ADA. “Her deal is off if she doesn’t give up the third location right now. Officer Chen may be dead already, but we’re not stopping until we find her. It would take us weeks to cover all of Griffith Park. So do whatever you have to do to get her to talk. Both of you.” Grey followed quickly behind Tim.

-----

Tim wasn’t entirely surprised when the supposed exactly location of the third burial site came over the radio. Rosalind was a meticulous serial killer. She didn’t need to be in Griffith Park to find the burial sites. She’d known exactly where they were. That had been evident after the first new body had been found. She was lucky Tim hadn’t gotten ahold of her, but in the back of his mind, he knew his methods would have never gotten Lucy’s location out of her.

He was very close to the location when the call came over the radio, within a mile in fact. He sped through the trail in his cruiser until he could no longer drive it up the terrain. “I need airship over here. I can barely see a damn thing,” he radioed quickly. His flashlight only lit up so much, and he needed to see the area. Finding disturbed dirt or a black oil drum against a black backdrop would prove more difficult than he was comfortable with.

Other officers showed up, scouring the area with him. The helicopters made flybys ever minute, lighting up the ground and their surroundings, but still, after ten minutes, there’d been no luck in finding her. Tim was beginning to believe that he’d been lied to, until his flashlight glinted off the surface of a shiny metal drum. Tim yelled for backup, sprinting toward the barrel. In his haste, he didn’t think to check for traps or triggers or anything. All that separated Lucy from fresh air was an inch of metal, but Tim couldn’t get the top to budge. That was when he heard it. The slight scratching from under the lid. “She’s alive! I need a crowbar over here now!”

Tim didn’t see who had handed it to him, but he had the lid pried off in seconds. The sound of a loud gasp filled the air, and as a helicopter flew over, lighting up the area for them, there was his rookie, coughing and gasping for air. She was slightly bloody and dirty, but she was alive. He barely took in her appearance before he was reaching in and pulling her up.

“Get me out of here,” Lucy gasped as he pulled her to a standing position, panic settling in her voice. “Get me out. Get me out. Get me out!”

Tim obliged, scooping her up. As he began to set her on the ground, she hung to him like a lifeline, her legs almost giving out from under her from being in such a cramped space for so long. Tim had to hand it to her, though. She wasn’t crying, just trying to breathe as the put distance between themselves and the barrel. “I’ve got you, Boot. I’ve got you.” As Lucy’s feet began to drag, he stopped their walking and looked down at her. “It’s rough terrain down here, Chen. I’m gonna carry you to the ambulance. I don’t need you injuring yourself any more than you are.” When she didn’t say anything, objection or otherwise, he picked her up with ease, carrying her carefully down the trail to where the ambulance would be waiting by his squad car. One thing was for sure: Lucy was safe, and he cared about nothing else.

-----

Tim hadn’t moved from outside Lucy’s hospital room since she’d been moved from the triage area of the hospital. The doctors and nurses were still getting her settled and oxygenated and rehydrated. He didn’t want to get in the way of them taking care of her, as long as he knew she was safe, he’d wait patiently outside. Tim could hear the doctor explaining things to her, muffled through the wood of the door. He hoped it didn’t mean there was any kind of complications

“Bradford,” Grey’s voice came from down the hall. When Tim looked up, Grey was signaling for him to come toward him.

Reluctantly, Tim stood from his chair, glancing in through the small window in the door. Lucy was laying back, tired listening to what the doctor had to say. She would be fine until he got back. “Yes, sir,” Tim said, as he approached his sergeant.

“How’s she doing?”

“Physically? No broken bones. Some cuts and bruises. Nothing too major,” Tim said, glancing back down the hall to see if the doctors had left yet. “Mentally? I don’t know yet. She hasn’t really talked since I pulled her out.”

Grey nodded. “She’s tough, but the department will provide therapy, which I urge you to get her to go as long as she needs. She’ll have mandated therapy sessions, but once those are done, she may need more.” He looked over the officer in front of him. “This isn’t your fault, Tim. You may have suggested that she go out, but she’s a grown woman who can make her own choices. Not to say it’s her fault, either.”

“But I’m her TO, and as much as I didn’t want it to happen, my friend. She takes my suggestions to heart. I knew there was something about him the moment he showed up at the station, but I didn’t go with my instincts,” Tim sighed, seeing the doctors and nurses leave her room out of the corner of his eye. He immediately wanted to head down to see her.

Grey put a hand on his shoulder, giving it a squeeze. “What’s done is done, and in the end, we found her alive. It was the best outcome given the circumstances. You staying here tonight?”

Tim nodded, silently thanking his commanding officer for the underlying permission in his words. “I don’t think she should be alone tonight.”

“Probably not. Give her the station’s best. I’m sure Nolan and West will be by in the morning. I was able to hold them off for the night.” He shook Tim’s hand then. “Make sure to get some sleep. You look like hell.”

Tim chuckled under his breath as he turned back in the direction of her room. When he got to the door, he could see her examining her side through the small window. She had oxygen running to her nose through a cannula and butterfly stitches adorned her hairline. He knocked as he opened the door. “Hey, Boot. How ya feeling?”

“Tired,” Lucy replied, slowly lowering the side of her gown. He’d caught a glimpse of a bandage, assuming she’d been hurt in the struggle of trying to get out. In the ambulance ride to the hospital, they’d found her palms were bruised and nails scraped slightly from her first attempts at freedom. “Sore. But mostly relieved. I was starting to think you all wouldn’t find me in time.”

He wanted to tell her that he would have personally searched Griffith Park himself for days on end, but even he wondered how appropriate that would be. Tim was just coming to terms that he considered her a friend. She was the closest he’d gotten to a rookie in his career, and it wasn’t hard to pinpoint why she was easy to be around. He couldn’t let his thoughts linger there for too long. Dangerous territory.

“But we did… Lucy,” he sighed, moving to sit in the chair next to her bed. “I’m sorry I pushed you to go out that night. If we hadn’t gotten to you…”

Lucy stopped him, holding up her hand, “But like you said. You did. I’m a little worse for wear. Nothing too permanent…”

Tim noticed her trail off, and when she hissed slightly when she shifted in the bed, he stood up, checking on her. “You okay?”

“Yeah, just…my side.”

The thought hit him like a freight train. She hadn’t hurt her ribs in a struggle. They weren’t broken or bruised. Her side had a bandage on it because that bastard had tattooed her with the date she was supposed to die on. He saw red again and wanted to go back to the station to beat Caleb to a pulp with his bare hands, but he held it together for her. “Lucy, God, I’m so sorry. So fucking sorry. I’m sure the department with pay to have that removed. You shouldn’t have to live with that.”

“I’m sure they will, then it’ll be just like any other scar.” Tim could see that the day was starting to catch up with her, unshed tears sitting in the corners of her eyes. He could understand what she was feeling. The thought that you were but hours from death, knowing there’s nothing you can do. It does something to you. “Tim… I really thought I was going to die tonight.”

“I know, Boot. I know,” he said, placing his hand gently on hers. “But you’re okay now.”

As soon as the words left his mouth, the tears started to flow down her face and before he knew it, she was openly sobbing. He was sitting on the bed in an instant, hold her to him, letting her use him as an anchor. He understood the feeling, and he wouldn’t judge her for it. “Let it out. I gotcha. You’re safe.” Tim felt her nod against his chest, running his hand up and down her arm as she continued to cry. Her sobs had attracted the nursing staff, but he shooed them away. This wasn’t something they could fix.

Tim wasn’t sure how long they sat there; he couldn’t see his watch from where Lucy was perched against him. Her crying slowly but surely went from sobbing to crying to sniffles before it ultimately stopped. He looked down at her to see that she was finally asleep, and he hoped it was a peaceful one. After his encounter with the virus and watching Pete die in front of him, his nights were plagued with nightmares for a couple of weeks. But Tim would be there for her, just as she had been there for him. Because as much as he continued to hate to admit it, their relationship had moved beyond the TO/Rookie relationship. Friends is how he would label it—the only way he really could. He wouldn’t allow it past that right now. She was his rookie after all, and he had Rachel to think about, one of her best friends.

Letting those thoughts fade away, he pulled away from Lucy, tucking her into the bed carefully, not wanting to disturb her. He moved to the door to turn off the light before finally collapsing on the couch in the room. With the long day weighing his eyelids down, it wasn’t long before the sound of Lucy’s breathing lulled him into a peaceful sleep.

[amoristt]

Escape Fate | Tim (Masky) x Reader

anonymous asked: Mini Fanfic about masky saving his (Tim's?) s/o from Alex

hell yeah! writing marble hornets is so fun aaaa i love these requests

reblogs + tags and replies will make my entire day as i put a lot of effort into this :)!

story continues beneath the read more. let me know if you can’t access it!

The floorboards creaked beneath your feet as you carefully shuffled along the rotting wood. Should you fall, it would be a deadly drop to the barn’s first floor. Maybe you’d get lucky and land in a hay bale but lately luck hadn’t really been on your side, so you played it safe by selecting each and every step as if it might be your last. Alex was behind you, seemingly much less cautious about his path. 

“You said it’s over here?” You asked, not looking over your shoulder as you made your way towards the wall. Lined up in a messy manner were piles of hay and some metal machinery, as well as tipped over rusted buckets and some chains. You kept your eyes peeled for the item Alex had brought you here for: tapes, of course.

Alex had been absent for quite some time, and having been one of his highschool buddies, when he resurfaced you were more than happy to tag along with him on some random adventure. You would have invited your boyfriend, Tim, but something in your heart told you not everything was peachy between them. Tim was out for the afternoon, some sort of job interview he said, so you when Alex asked you to assist him in locating some old tapes he hid a while back there were no alarm bells. You and him used to be close- what better way to catchup?

“Yeah. Straight on-” From the corner of your eye you saw his finger point towards the left of some hay. “Right over there.”

You noticed a strange twinge to his voice but chalked it up to him just trying to remember where he stored the damn things. 

“What was the point of throwing these things way out here?” You sighed, kneeling down among straws of hay. “I mean- These are just your old highschool reels, right? It seems a bit wild to up and toss them out in the middle of nowhere. If you didn’t want them wouldn’t it have been easier to just throw them away?”

During your mindless rambling, you didn’t realize that Alex was no longer following you. Regardless, you continued on obviously as you started parting through the straws. 

“There’s so much in here- are you sure this where you put them?” This time you were looking for an answer, and when you didn’t hear it, you frowned. “Alex?”

When you turned around to look at him, you were stunned in your place.

There he stood, merely feet away, pointing a pistol straight at you. In his eyes there was a darkness you’d missed before, something volatile. Your heart stopped in your chest and you had to force your hands up to your chest in a pathetic display of protecting yourself.

“What the hell are you doing?” You barely made out, voice just above a whisper. 

“I didn’t want this for you,” He started. His voice was harsh and unstable. “But Jay just had to keep on digging.” 

You gawked at him. “Jay? What does he have to do with this?!”

“If he’d of just stayed away like I told him to, none of this would be happening!”

You didn’t understand a single word he was saying. The last time you spoke to Jay was weeks ago when he’d randomly questioned you about Alex’s whereabouts. You gave him what details you knew and directed him to talk to Tim given he’d been around Alex for much longer than you had before his disappearance. What the hell did Jay do that would cause Alex to want you dead?

“Alex please-” One of your hands reached out, as if to try and coddle him. “Please, come on, what are you doing?”

He shook his head and continued glaring at you. “I’m sorry.”

Just as the last syllable left his lips, you squeezed your eyes shut. He was going to shoot you. This would be the end- your body left cold and abandoned at some barn in the middle of nowhere. He led you out here and you followed him like a dog.

Your body would never be found. 

A gunshot rang out, and your muscles locked into tension. 

However, you didn’t feel a sting of pain, nor did you feel yourself being launched back from the force of the bullet. 

The sound of a fight reached you when your ears stopping ringing, and when you opened your eyes you were met with Alex being shoved roughly into the wall. His gun clattered to the floor and you gaped at the scene folding out in front of you. His attacker was someone you thought you recognized for a moment, for there was a white mask saving his identity. 

Alex shouted as they fought one another, and you took that as a moment to make your escape. You sprinted past them, no longer caring about your footing as you went. The ladder felt as though it was double the length it was before as you tried to climb down it, and once you were close enough to the floor you just jumped down the rest of the way before making a break for the door. From above you, you could hear their battle, and you could see the dust falling between the floorboards cracks under their combined weights. 

Though you wanted to know who your savior was, you weren’t keen on sticking around to see the winner of the fight. As you ran with your tail between your legs, head spinning with what had just transpired, you suddenly found yourself hitting the ground in reflex to yet another gunshot echoing. Your hands came over your head, eyes shut tight as you laid in the tall grass surrounding the barn. 

Haunting silence was all that could be heard. There was nothing, no more shouts or struggling. After a few moments of quiet you dared to lift your head, peeking back at the barn while hidden amongst the weeds. 

You turned just in time to see Alex stumble out of the barn’s entrance, and while your blood turned to ice, he seemed less than focused on searching for you. He limped in the opposite direction of you before disappearing behind the barn towards where you two parked. 

Every muscle in your body ached with the intensity you ran with, so you stayed put for good measure, even as you heard the sound of his engine start up and his car peel out. You were terrified that he’d come looking for you, to finish the job. Your heart sank at the thought of your savior being murdered in place of you.

Swallowing thickly, you slowly brought yourself to a stand. The need to be home and safe was so locked in your brain, but you couldn’t leave the man to die there should he still be alive. So, though it was last thing you wanted to do, you approached the barn once more with a caution you never knew you could feel. It was like every sense was heightened, eyes taking in every movement and your ears picking up on every sound. 

Something stopped you as you came closer. Movement- up in the windows. You craned your neck to look up, and there you locked eyes with the person who stopped Alex from carrying out his plan. He was still wearing his white mask, eyes and lips colored black. You stumbled a few steps back and stared at him, unsure how to react. 

For a moment, the two of you stared at each other. Though you couldn’t see his eyes, you knew they were locked with your own. 

Wind gusted past you, and finally, he turned and moved out of view. 

As if waking from a trance, you blinked and let out a shaky breath. He was still alive.

With your closure and escape of certain death, you thought of Tim. He wouldn’t be home by the time you got back, or maybe he would be. You weren’t entirely sure how much time you spent with Alex, and then hiding. 

You worked your way around the barn as made sure to keep cautious, eyes scanning everywhere you could see. Alex would surely be looking for you once he recovered from whatever injuries he sustained, and even though the man in the mask had saved you, he was a stranger. You just wanted to be home already, you wanted to warn Tim incase Alex was coming for him next. 

Your car came into view and your adrenaline kicked in once more. The moment your body left the tall grass, you broke into yet another sprint. It felt like a long haul, your heart thudding in your throat and a pain in your side as you nearly threw yourself at the drivers door and shoved the key into the lock. You ripped the door open and hopped inside, reversing before following the path of run over weeds you’d made on your way in. 

Before you were out of the view of the barn, you resettled your rear view mirror and took one last glance back. The man stood where your car had once been, motionless, his hands at his side. 

You turned out of view, and called Tim. 

[thatawesomenerdygirl]

not everything can be saved || Batfamily

I was actually ranting about supernatural but I won’t put it here because it’s too long.

yes, this is a crossover!

Requested on wattpad!

Prompt 1;  Hunter reader(supernatural) x Jason Todd Prompt 2;  Yay!!!!!!!! So I was thinking like a batfamily supernatural cross over Sam and dean come to goth because of some strange deaths that have happened that has even the batfam on edge more than usual I'll let you pick the monster and of course cas has to be there but the boys and batfam run into problems with they have to work together because of how Sam and dean what to handle a monster by killing it in the bat family except for Jason and Damien don't want to do that because they think there might be a better way only to seee there isn't and Sam and dean kill the creature

The reader is from Gotham, an old friend of Jason and Bruce.

"Gotham city?" Dean's voice ringed throughout the library, you were sitting down across from him and flipped the page of the thick book you were reading, barely lifting your head to look at the older Winchester.

"Apparently, random civilians started going nuts in there." Sam butted in, walking over to the table and leaned his lower back against it.

"So? It doesn't mean that it's our gig!" Dean leaned back against his seat, closing the laptop shut with a loud thud earning himself a glare from Sam, Dean held his hands up in a mock surrender and continued, "is nobody gonna question that friggin' Gotham exists!?"

After deciding it was enough to hear Dean's rambling, you sighed, closing your book. "Dean calm down."

"Gotham City!? I mean---really!?"

You shrugged as Sam showed Dean a recent newspaper.

"That means Batman is real!" Dean stood up abruptly from his chair, slamming his palms on the wooden surface of the table after he was done reading the news.

"And Superman too," Sam paused, "...maybe."

"Well, what makes it our gig?" You asked, trying to get them back on track.

Their attention soon went back to you, Sam cleared his throat and show you another newspaper. It was probably a week old since the paper a little crumpled, probably Sam kept on flipping it when he was researching about a suspicious thing before finally come up with the one in Gotham.

Sam pointed at a certain paragraph, "here."

"Missing people?" You read the article with your head slightly tilted, lists of names of the people that were missing was there. You soon take the newest newspaper and compared the lists with the new ones, where people were sent to the Asylum, Jail and those who killed themselves. You spotted a few similar names, "well, it is weird, but they could be tortured when they were kidnapped and traumatized so they sent them there."

"Exactly, traumatized, not aggressive." Sam pointed out as he waved a hand in front of Dean's face to get him out of his trance, "you remember the people who lost their soul back then? Including me. Get into their nerves, you're dead meat."

Dean who was staring into nothing slumped back into his seat, running his fingers through his hair as he licked his suddenly dry lips, "I can't believe this, I thought I've seen everything."

Your phone soon ringed, it was from your past friend, Dean wouldn't stop shaking and rambling if he knew where you came from. "Hello?"

"Hey, I need your help."

**

You drove the Impala to Gotham, yes, Dean allowed you since he didn't know the way. For once you were sitting in the front seat with Sam while Dean sitting in the backseat, he leaned forward so he could see the way and lectured you to be careful with Baby.

You arrived at night, you should've looked for a motel but you had a very much better idea. You pulled up the car in front of an apartment before leading them into an alleyway near there.

"Dean, call your boyfriend. We might need his help." You pondered loudly as you stopped walking and rested your back against the wall.

"B--boyfriend?" He stuttered, looking at you with his bitch face.

"She means Cas, Dean." Sam snickered.

Dean grumbled something under his breath as he prayed for Castiel to get his feathery ass down and help all of you, soon enough a rustle of feathers was heard and Castiel appeared behind him, making the older Winchester jump in surprise.

"Damn it, Cas!"

"Sorry, Dean."

You waited for a few more minutes, the boys slowly getting impatient since they were starting to pace around, well it was Dean who paced around while Sam and Cas stayed calm.

"What are we waiting for?"

"Me."

You felt a hand resting on your shoulder, you looked up to  see a man in a red helmet with a red bat symbol on his chest, "took you long enough."

Dean's head whipped around, a questioning look appeared on his handsome features but he wasn't the one who asked a question, it was Cas, "I thought the man of bat wears all black?"

"He does," The tall man beside you spoke, his voice sound just slightly muffled by the helmet he wore so you still could recognize who he was just by his voice, "Because I'm no Batman, I ain't going to be one."

A grin spread across your face, "you upgraded?" the words were meant to tease but he didn't seem bothered by it.

"It's a long story, I don't think if I tell you, you will believe me."

A scoff came from you as a response, you crossed your arms as you stared up at him in a challenging manner. "Try me, Red."

"Let's go to my safehouse first for some privacy, I don't think the old man is ready for some--Ghostbusters going into his cave before we explain everything to him."

"These Ghostbusters are here to save your bacon." Dean rolled his green eyes just before Redhood disappears up to the roof after giving you a coordinate to his safehouse.

"Who was that?" Castiel asked again, being a curious baby in a trenchcoat that he was, with his adorable head tilt that had never failed to make you breathed out an aww without getting embarrassed to which you just did.

"That was my old friend."

"Old friend?" Sam asked curiously while you answered with a curt nod.

"Let's go and I'll tell you everything when all of us are gathered."

**

The two families gathered around in Jason's safehouse, it was so crowded but you were still a little grateful that you could breathe without struggling. You were practically squeezed between Sam and Dean, Cas sat on the arm couch by Dean. Oh, how much you wanted to shove Cas into Dean's lap.

"So, you were dead?" You asked Jason a little too casually, who could blame you really.

"Yeah, pretty much."

"Oh."

Then silence.

"Oh?" Robin a.k.a Damian Wayne slash little Bruce Wayne a.k.a not-so-literally Demon Spawn spoke up (they thought it was no use to wear their masks since Dean, Sam and Cas already know Bruce's identity), amused with your and the boys' reply.

"Well..." You shook your head, "nevermind that, let's just get back on track. Tim, can you show Sam the correct lists of the people who  went missing?"

"Yes, come on." Tim gestured to another room, Sam following. Tim looked

"Cas, bring Damian and Dick (yes he was there) to the GCPD and see the vics." Your voice was stern and full of authority, you could see Damian frowned, you knew he was about to protest but said nothing. "Bruce, you go with Dean to the asylum."

"Awesome, the Batmobile." The older Winchester visibly grinned with glee as he followed Bruce out of the safehouse.

On the other hand, Dick walked over to Cas and gave him a mask, "here, we can't risk them to see your face."

Cas tilted  his head curiously, "why?"

"Secret identity thingy," Dick explained simply and helped him put on his mask before Castiel put his hands on Dick's and Damian's shoulders then disappeared with a flap of his wings.

Jason looked at the spot where his brothers and Castiel once stood with his mouth open ajar, "he--- what? How?"

You let out a sigh and began to explain everything to him, from how you met the Winchesters and Castiel,  how you became a hunter after watching your friend got killed by a werewolf. You didn't tell him everything though,  it was a story for another time. You fill him up with everything and vice versa.

"No wonder you didn't bat an eyelash when I told you I came back from the dead." Jason crossed his arms across his chest as he sat down beside you while you did some researching yourself to get the case over with as fast as possible.

"Yeah, in my world there are so many deaths I'm so fed up with it, I'm glad you came back though," you flipped a page of the book you brought from the bunker, "that explains why you didn't contact me for a long time."

Jason peeked at the book over your shoulder after he scooted closer to you, he didn't understand anything that was written in the book. Mostly about monsters. The only monsters he knew where the Joker and his nightmares.

"This is your job?" Jason asked as he read the part about demons.

"Yeah, I do road trips with those boys, sometimes I stay in the Bunker to do the research."

"You have a Bunker?"

"The Winchesters are Legacy, as they put it, and I won't call it a Bunker though, it's more like home than Bunker to me."

A hum rumbled in Jason's throat while you changed the book and began to read before you finally stopped to blink your slowly drying eyes.

"Geez, they took longer than I thought they would."

As if on cue, Sam came out from the room he was in earlier with Tim as they chatted.

"God, don't tell me your friend is a nerd too." Jason groused as he looked up at his younger brother, arms still crossed over his toned chest.

"Sammy is a nerd, a hot nerd." You corrected confidently, giving the tall Winchester a wink. Sam rolled his eyes in reply to your teasing while you chuckled as you unconsciously leaned slightly against Jason, "what you got?"

"So, get this...the victims had a cut on a part of their bodies, it was random though, whoever it was seemed not to care about where they cut his victims," Sam showed you a picture of the recent victim, "this one is in the neck."

"What kind of psychopath is that?" Tim piped in.

"It couldn't be the Joker," Jason shuddered when his torturer's name rolled off his tongue, still traumatized with the memory, you placed a hand on his arm to comfort the ravenette emitting a sigh from him, "then who?"

Castiel soon came back with Dick and Damian who were holding their heads in their hands, Dick let out a groan, clutching his dark hair in his hands tighter.

"Ugh, this is worse than getting punched in the gut." Dick protested, "I think I'm gonna throw up."

You watched the poor male ran towards the toilet to puke out his dinner, Damian though, he clutched his stomach as he slumped down to his knees. Groaning to hold back his own sickness.

"Buckle up, Robin." Jason jostled.

"The victims have no soul," Castiel informed you, you weren't surprised but Jason did.

"Wait, literally soulless?" Asked Jason.

"Yes," Castiel responded.

"Is there a way to get the victims soul back?"

"It depends." You answered Tim's question for Sam and Castiel, sighing in frustration soon after. The only hope you got was Bruce and Dean's information and all you had to do was to wait for a little longer. Taking the remaining time to rest.

**

After Dean and Bruce came back from the asylum, they told you about a victim that managed to escape from her captor. They explained everything about her captor, they also mentioned that the victim said that she was a hot man making you breathing out a laugh but then again explains how he got his preys.

"She also mentioned that he used an Angel Blade." Dean finished, the sun had risen and the rest had changed out of their suits.

"What kind of monster that has an Angel Blade?" Castiel wondered out loud.

You were laying down on the couch, legs draped over Jason's lap while Jason himself had his green eyes closed, still tired from last night yet somehow managing to listen to everything.

"If it is a monster," you tiredly speak up, all of them raised an eyebrow at you at the same time but you were too tired to laugh. The only word that came out from your mouth was, "Grigori."

Castiel growled, his fists clenching, "Abomination."

Bruce and his sons, except for Jason who went to sleep again, stared at each other, clearly didn't understand anything you or Castiel were talking about.

Sam fixed his hair by tucking the stranded locks behind his ears and began explaining. "Grigori once was a squad of elite angels, they were watchers of the earth until some of them began feeding human souls."

"How do we catch it?" Bruce inquired after being silent for a long time, he looked frustrated with the situation. It wasn't logical but then nothing is, he could accept aliens being real...some monsters are made, but angels? No, it was maybe a little too much for the main Wayne.

Dean shook his head, he knew about Bruce 'no killing' rule which was an exact opposite from his usual ways to get his cases over with.

The Grigori had hurt a lot of people and his victims couldn't be saved anymore.

"Sorry to break it to you man, the only thing that could stop them is to kill them." Dean sat down on a chair near the couch you were laying on, "your no-kill rule doesn't work in my kind of job."

"Is there really no other way?" Bruce tried to argue, exasperated with the thought of killing a human being.

"I'm sorry," you shook your head sadly, sitting up before fixing your bed hair with your fingers, looking at the slowly waking up Jason. He gave you a sleepy smirk as he fixed his own messy hair. "There's no other way, he killed a lot of people and he's no human."

Tim and Dick looked at each other sadly, they also didn't like the idea. They say nothing to protest though. Meanwhile Damian, who was used to the word death and kill, just stared at the rest tiredly. He also got no sleep. Poor kid.

"I'm really sorry Bruce." You apologized sympathetically, looking up into his saddened sky blue eyes. "Not everything can be saved."

Bruce slowly nodded and declared to finish the problem at night, he couldn't believe himself for agreeing to kill. He knew whoever or whatever they were, were not human, not anymore at least. The thought made it easier to do the job.

**

The day passed, you spent the entire day by sleeping and eating, occasionally talking with Jason and helped him with his gun. Dean, Sam, and Cas went out to explore Gotham before getting some sleep themselves and the rest went back to the manor to get their own business done.

When the night comes, all of you were ready with the plan. You were the bait since the Grigori seemed only interested in women because they were an easy prey.

Jason, being a good friend that he was, protested with the idea. He didn't like it, of course you had explained that you were used to it, you knew the risks and consequences but Jason was stubborn, he ended up joining you---well, watching you from afar, his gun that was filled with bullets that were made from Angel Blade was ready in his grasp, blocking it from other people's view with his leather jacket as the other hid somewhere out of everybody's eyes, their weapons were ready in their hands.

It wasn't long for the Grigori to show up, he was a good-looking man really. You had to act as if you were enchanted with his words and agreed to go out from the bar after an hour-long sitting in there.

He led you to a car, probably his or maybe stolen, you could care less about it, he opened the passenger seat for you, motioning you to get in which you did. Faking a smile to make it less suspicious.

The street was almost empty, only one or two car passed. No people walking by either.

The man joined to sit on the driver seat before he looked at you with a smug smirk, "does anybody ever told you how pretty you are?" He started, leaning closer to you.

You slowly backing up but reaching your hand up to cup his stubbly cheek, giving him a coy smile as you answered, "I think you just did."

You heard him chuckle, his lips were so close to yours. His hand went to rest against the car window behind you as the other rummaged his pocket, "did I?"

You had to let out a fake shriek as you dodged when a bullet went through the man's head, then another and another. The man groans loudly, he gave you a glare before he finally screamed painfully as a blinding light went out of his mouth and eyes, as an instinct you covered your eyes with your hands.

You didn't realize the car door was opened until Jason's voice run reached your ear.

"Hey!"

You moved your hands from your eyes, looking at Jason who had half of his torso inside the car to move the corpse to the backseat before he went into the driver's seat.

"You okay?" He asked.

"Yeah, yeah. Where are the others?"

"They left first to free some of his victims." He motioned to the corpse behind you as he turns the key before driving down the street, "what we should do next?"

"Burn the body."

"That sounds so psychopathic," Jason tried to joke as he kept his eyes on the street while you laughed at his bad attempt, there was a silence between you two but he broke it. "When are you going to come back?"

"Tonight."

"Oh."

"But I can stay."

"Really?" He inquired, glancing at you from time to time.

"Yeah, let me give the boys a call." You started to fiddle with your phone before bringing it up against your ear.

"Good because I want to bring you somewhere."

You chuckled, Castiel was the one who picked up the call since he still had his phone. He told you that he and the Winchesters would stay for another few days. You smiled at the thought spending the last next few days with them and Jason.

[aion-rsa]

Halo Infinite: A Timeline of the Game’s Troubled Development

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Microsoft recently confirmed that Halo Infinite is now scheduled to be released sometime during the fall of 2021. The revelation that the game will be released a year after its recently delayed debut has prompted some fans to ask the question, “How did we get to this point?”

The answer to that question involves requires us to go all the way back to 2015 when Halo Infinite was little more than an idea. What began as the seemingly inevitable development of Halo 6 morphed into one of the deepest dives into development hell that we’ve seen in recent memory.

The timeline of Halo Infinite‘s troubled development isn’t always pretty, but it’s a necessary tool for anyone who wants to understand how Halo Infinite went from a game on the back of the Xbox Series X packaging to a title that may or may not even be released next year.

September 2015 – “Serious, Real Planning” Begins on Halo 6

Weeks before the release of Halo 5, Microsoft surprised many by confirming that initial work had already begun on the next Halo game. 

While Microsoft’s Frank O’Connor stopped short of naming that game in an interview with GamesRadar, he did mention that most people felt that the “Reclaimer Trilogy” which was supposed to play out across Halo 4, 5, and 6 had grown into more of a saga. 

Looking back, it’s pretty clear that this was the first official sign that “Halo 6” was going to be something different. As Halo 5 hadn’t even been released at the time of this interview, though, there was little speculation at that time regarding the full meaning of this interview.

October 27, 2015 – Halo 5 is Released to a Mixed Reception 

The story of Halo Infinite’s troubled development has to include the somewhat mixed reception of Halo 5. 

While Halo 5 received a fair bit of praise for its multiplayer features and certain gameplay innovations, more and more people wondered whether Halo had lost its identity as part of 343 Industries’ apparent attempt to incorporate more modern trends. There were real concerns regarding what a Halo game was anymore and whether 343 had done enough to truly leave their own mark on the series. 

Those concerns would seemingly form the basis of much of what came next. 

2015 – 343 Expands Development of a New “Slipspace” Engine

Around the time of Halo 5’s launch (the exact date is unofficial) 343 Industries ramped up the development of a new graphic engine called Slipspace.

While it seems that Slipspace retains a few key elements of Halo’s old Blam! engine, 343 Industries made it clear that they intend for this engine to fuel the future of the Halo franchise.

Given the reactions to Halo 5, many fans felt that the development of this engine was not just a way to help ensure the Halo franchise remained technologically impressive in the future but to help 343 leave behind another remnant of the past and make Halo something closer to their own. 

February 2017 – 343 Industries Talks About Halo 6’s Splitscreen and Co-Op Options

After spending most of 2016 focusing on Halo 5, 343 finally broke their silence on the next Halo game by confirming that the project would incorporate split-screen play and emphasize co-op. 

The announcement, which came during a D.I.C.E presentation, ultimately didn’t amount to much, but the fact that one of the first official pieces of information we heard about the next Halo game was a commitment to split-screen play inspired some fans to believe that the next Halo game would emphasize the franchise’s classic “staple’ concepts.

April 2017 – Microsoft Promises to Focus More on Master Chief

In what would prove to be an interesting interview with GamesTM magazine, Frank O’Connor acknowledged that fans were disappointed by Halo 5’s lack of Master Chief storylines and the ways that the game focused on other characters. 

In the short term, this interview served as a soft promise that the next Halo game would feature Master Chief in a starring role. More importantly, it furthered the idea that the next Halo game would both return to the series’ roots and help 343 Industries reshape the series a bit in order to better make it their own. 

Combined, those ideas kicked off a series of rumors which strongly suggested that the next Halo game would be a kind of reboot. 

June 2017 – 343 Industries Warns Fans of a Long Halo 6 Development Cycle

The first indication that the wait for the next Halo game could be longer than usual came in a 2017 blog post from developer 343 Industries. 

Ultimately, the post just noted that the company had no immediate plans to showcase the next Halo game and that it would likely be quite some time before they were ready to show off the project. While not an odd announcement in and of itself, some fans noted that there was previously only a three-year gap between the release of Halo 4 and Halo 5 and that this announcement came two years after the release of the last Halo game.

For the most part, though, expectations remained high.

June 10, 2018 – 343 and Microsoft Reveal Halo Infinite

One of Halo Infinite’s biggest moments came during Microsoft’s 2018 E3 conference when the game’s debut trailer was revealed to an enthusiastic audience. 

The trailer was a true teaser that largely consisted of sweeping environmental shots, musical stings, and a brief look of what appeared to be Master Chief. Aside from publicly revealing the name of the next Halo project, the biggest thing to come from this trailer was increased speculation that the next Halo game would effectively serve as a throwback to previous Halo titles. 

What’s maybe more important to note is that 343 and Microsoft remained quiet about many of the specifics of the project at this time despite growing speculation and even a few emerging concerns.

June 10, 2018 – 343 Industries Promises to Listen to Fan Feedback When Developing Halo Infinite

In a blog post published shortly after the reveal of Halo Infinite, 343 Industries promised to listen to fan feedback throughout the development of the game. 

There are two notable things about this blog post. The first was that it emphasized the idea that fans would be able to participate in playable tests of Halo Infinite similar to the Insider program used to test Halo: The Master Chief Collection. To our knowledge, those tests not only never happened but the development of Halo Infinite has often been defined by a distinct lack of updates from its creators. 

The other notable thing about that blog post? It was written by Chris Lee. You’re going to want to remember that name for later. 

July 19, 2018 – 343 Denies Battle Royale Rumors

Shortly after Halo Infinite’s debut, fans started to speculate that Halo Infinite either was a battle royale game or featured a battle royale mode.

This rumor was driven by the game’s mysterious name, the growth of battle royale titles at that time, and the fact that 343 remained silent about the finer points of the project’s gameplay ambitions. 

343 shot down these rumors by saying that “the only BR we’re really interested in is Battle Rifle.” Still, the battle royale rumors became symbolic of both fan fears for the future of the franchise and 343’s lack of communication. 

December 19, 2018 – 343 Says Fans Happy With Halo Reach’s Customization Will Likely Enjoy Halo Infinite‘s Systems

During a stream on Mixer (R.I.P.) the 343 team revealed a few new tidbits about Halo Infinite, including the revelation that the game’s armor customization system was inspired by Halo Reach. They suggested that those who love expanded customization options would enjoy what they were working on. 

The general reaction to that news seemed to be largely positive. This is another point you’ll want to keep in mind for a little later.

June 9, 2019 – A New Halo Infinite Trailer Debuts at E3

Our next proper look at Halo Infinite came during E3 2019 when 343 and Microsoft revealed arguably the game’s most famous trailer and confirmed that Halo Infinite would be a launch game for the company’s next-gen console.

The beauty of this trailer was its simplicity. It stylishly emphasized the idea of Halo harkening back to its roots while establishing the foundation of the project’s new storyline. 

It was a wonderful moment that generated quite a bit of unfiltered excitement for the game, but that hype would soon be spoiled by some emerging practicalities. 

June 9, 2019 – 343 Confirms Halo Infinite is a Spiritual Reboot

A year after Halo Infinite’s debut, 343 Industries finally confirmed that the game was viewed internally as a spiritual reboot. 

Not only was it odd that it took so long for 343 to address a rumor as old as the game itself, but they did it in a way that left an unusual amount of room for speculation regarding the game’s timeline, purpose, and gameplay inspirations. Over a year after this revelation, we still find ourselves asking many of these questions. 

August 16, 2019 – Halo Infinite Creative Director Tim Longo Leaves 343 Industries 

While Halo Infinite had long been burdened by unanswered questions regarding the game’s development process, the first major public roadblock happened when Halo Infinite creative director Tim Longo decided to leave 343 Industries.

The news came as quite the shock given Longo’s work on the project up until this point and his history with the company, but the impact of the announcement was mitigated somewhat by Microsoft’s assurances that Halo Infinite’s development was otherwise proceeding as planned. In fact, Microsoft said that producer Mary Olson had already taken over as the game’s head of the game’s campaign team. 

October 14, 2019 – Mary Olson Leaves 343 Industries

Less than two months after being named as one of the key pieces of Halo Infinite’s development team, it was revealed that Mary Olson had left 343 Industries. 

Microsoft and the 343 team once again tried to employ some damage in the form of optimistic PR statements, but their strategy was significantly less effective this time around given the timeline of this departure in relation to Longo’s already stunning decision to leave the studio. Suddenly, many more fans were much more worried about what was happening behind the scenes.

July 23, 2020 – Halo Infinite Gameplay Trailer Falls Flat

Two years after its reveal, 343 Industries finally showcased Halo Infinite’s gameplay. What followed was a resounding “meh.”

Actually, that might be a generous summary of the reaction to Halo Infinite’s gameplay. Not only did the game look rough from a technological standpoint, but most people walked away from the gameplay reveal without a strong idea of what kind of game Halo Infinite actually is. 

Ultimately, Halo Infinite’s gameplay reveal was a failure that left many fans wondering how this game was supposed to be released in just four months. 

July 30, 2020 – 343 Tries to Address Fan Concerns in a Blog Post

Not long after Halo Infinite’s gameplay debut, 343 shared a blog post that tried to explain the shape of the early gameplay footage and get ahead of concerns regarding the title’s shortcomings. 

This was really one of the first times we heard 343 Industries prominently address concerns regarding the game’s development. Most of the previous messages we heard from Microsoft and 343 before prior to this point tried to maintain a more noticeable “everything is fine” tone that barely acknowledged reasonable concerns.  

August 11, 2020 – Halo Infinite is Delayed 

Arguably the biggest moment in Halo Infinite’s troubled development occurred when Microsoft and 343 shocked the world by revealing that Halo Infinite would not be released in 2020. 

The shock of that announcement lingers to this day. What was supposed to be the Xbox Series X’ premiere launch game instead became yet another 2020 game delayed due to development problems. 

Yet, there are many who felt that the complications caused by developing a game during the COVID-19 pandemic may have had less to do with this delay than the rough shape of the project itself. Those rumors were about to become significantly more popular. 

August 13, 2020 – Reports Suggest Halo Infinite Was Almost Split into Multiple Parts

Shortly after Halo Infinite’s delay, Phil Spencer confirmed that there were discussions at one point regarding whether or not it was better to release Halo Infinite in multiple parts rather than delay it entirely. 

This was an interesting moment as it not only highlighted the extent of the game’s development problems but the idea that prominent members of the Xbox team were in some way dissatisfied with the game’s progress and wanted to step in to remedy the situation. 

August 19, 2020 – A New Report Highlights Halo Infinite’s Internal Development Struggles

After years of speculation regarding Halo Infinite’s development struggles, a report from Thurrott seemed to shed some light on just how rough the road to this point had been. 

The report suggested that a combination of outsourcing, creative turnover, and the struggles of developing a new engine had significantly hindered Halo Infinite’s development and cast serious doubt on the future of the project. 

This report didn’t contain many revelations that fans hadn’t already assumed were true but it did capture the scope of the game’s development problems and how they may have impacted the project right from the start. 

October 22, 2020 – 343 Update on Halo Infinite’s Armor System Worries Fans

A rare official update regarding Halo Infinite’s development progress doubled as a worrying signal that the game will utilize a Destiny-style shader system that could lean heavily on microtransactions. 

While worrying in and of itself, this update feels especially relevant when coupled with the previous suggestion that fans would love Halo Infinite’s armor and customization system. The optimism that accompanied that suggestion felt like something from a lifetime ago. 

October 28, 2020 – 343 Industries Director Chris Lee Leaves the Project

Just when we all thought that Halo Infinite’s no good, very bad year couldn’t get worse, it was revealed that Chris Lee had decided to move away from Halo Infinite and take on other responsibilities within Microsoft. 

Lee was one of the few remaining high-profile creative presences on the Halo Infinite team as well as the guy who penned that early blog post that suggested Halo Infinite’s development would be driven by the input of its fans. That’s one of the many reasons we felt his departure raised Halo Infinite’s biggest red flag yet. 

November 30, 2020 – 343 Shoots Down New Battle Royale Rumors in Apology to Fans

While 343 Industries Community Director Brian Jarrard taking to Twitter to downplay the latest rumors regarding the project’s supposed battle royale mode wasn’t necessarily a big story in and of itself, it is interesting that he took that moment to apologize to fans for what a rough year it’s been. 

The biggest overall complaint regarding Halo Infinite’s development cycle has been the lack of updates from 343 that have forced those to jump to their own conclusions. Jarrard called for patience and understanding at a time when it felt like trust in 343 was at an all-time low. He acknowledged that a lack of updates had fuelled potentially harmful speculation but seemed to suggest that the team still wasn’t ready to share any significant new information about the game.

December 9, 2020 – Halo Infinite Officially Delayed to Fall 2021

With the announcement that Halo Infinite has been delayed until sometime late in 2021, Microsoft has seemingly ended the year in significant Halo Infinite updates on an appropriately despondent note. 

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Halo Infinite is not necessarily doomed to fail, but the idea that the game has been delayed a year or more after it was supposed to be the flagship title for Microsoft’s new console highlights the impact of the events that led us to this point and leaves us with serious questions regarding what the best-case scenario for Halo Infinite even is at this point.

The post Halo Infinite: A Timeline of the Game’s Troubled Development appeared first on Den of Geek.

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