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ethelphantom · 5 years ago

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The Greatest Miracle

This fandom does not have enough BartAdrien content like, seriously. They're the cutest thing to ever exist. Two sunshine children. Please love them. Please love my greatest creation. Anyway, have some cuteness and fluff and (possible? I have no idea if it is funny) humour for a change! Maribat March day 22, rare pair

Ao3

This is Maribat -- Don’t like; Don’t read

____________________________

“Please don’t.”

“Oh, Adrien. I totally will.”

❋❋❋

“Hey, Bart, give my tablet back! I need it for my speech!”

“Nooopppe! I may not be able to open it but I know what kind of things there are! Kon, catch!”

“Thanks, Bart. Have fun. You forgot I’m also doing the speech. You literally asked me to.”

“Dang it.”

❋❋❋

Marinette snorted as Adrien took one look at her before burying his face in his hands as she stood up, Tim and Conner following suit. She grabbed the microphone from the stand nearby and blew a kiss at Adrien, winking.

“Good afternoon everyone! It’s a beautiful day, even more beautiful than Adrien’s hair, and we all know how beautiful his hair is, soooo… Anyway, before I actually get to any important part, I need to say that I asked Adrien if there was anything that I shouldn’t say in any case, and well. He didn’t say anything in particular, I swear. To everyone else, I’m sorry if this makes your idea of Adrien’s supposed put-togetherness just vanish in front of your eyes. I can promise you, it never existed in the first place.

“I can’t believe this day actually came, seeing Adrien get married to someone,” Marinette said, smiling when she heard the quiet “rude much?” coming from Adrien’s direction. “Oh yeah. In case some of you didn’t know, I’m Marinette, Adrien’s best friend, though I’m pretty sure the only ones who don’t know that are from Bart’s side as Adrien has somehow managed to introduce me to his entire family, all of his few friends — and Adrien, before you say anything, you met most of your friends through me, don’t try — and we went to the same school so there’s that as well. Honestly, I think he’s even dragged me to a few family reunions during the years.”

There was laughter in the crowd but it quieted down as soon as Marinette began talking again.

“Adrien and I have gone through thick and thin. There have been liars, bullies, gold-diggers, over-eager wannabe journalists… Well, we’ve probably seen anything you can imagine. We’re siblings in all but blood, rather literally. My parents even adopted him after Gabitch — I mean, Gabriel, all parents of little children, you did not hear that, and neither did you, Bart, Wally and Dick, but like seriously, if there's anyone that deserves to be called out for being a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad father in a wedding, it's that man —, was arrested. It was easier since that meant he wouldn’t need to transfer schools.”

Marinette tilted her head and bit the inside of her cheek. “Wait a second. Tim, dear, did you have the tablet connected to the projector already? I want the photos, like, five minutes ago.”

Tim laughed at her. “Cuppie, you started the speech less than three minutes ago. But yeah, it’s connected.”

“Shush, you. Thanks! I’ll say when I want the pictures. Anyway. I met Adrien when we were like, 13, and it really didn’t start great. I hated him at first. Like, honest to God hated him. You can imagine how the rest of the day went. Somehow, he cleared the idea I had of him within a few hours though, so we became friends. He’s the best friend I’ve ever had, always been there for me through everything.

“I don’t think I’ve got too much time to speak even though I’d absolutely love to do that for the rest of the day because Adrien’s gonna murder me if I try, so I’ll just tell you one of my favourite things with him. Who everyone knew him on some level when he was 17?”

Maybe a quarter of the room raised their hands.

“Great. How many of you noticed he had a crush then?”

Less than half of those people raised their hands, though rather hesitant.

“Fine, Adrien, you win, but that just means they didn’t spend enough time with you. Anyway. He had a crush on our dear Bart over here though he kept denying it for ages. Tim, the pictures, please? Because I’ve got a compilation of how he looked like when I felt like pointing the fact out to him and after I had actually informed him of his crush. I have no idea how he didn’t realise it right away.”

There were pictures of clearly lovesick Adrien, looking at something (a lot of the time it seemed to be his phone) the same way he had looked at Bart only some time earlier.

Someone in the crowd yelled “he was so whipped oh my god, did he really not realise?” when they got to the fifth photo.

Adrien had hidden his face in Bart’s hair.

He was lucky Bart’s hair was like it was.

Bart, though, he was laughing.

“Yeah, yeah he was, and me neither. He literally had a gay panic after he met Bart for the first time — trust me when I say that he was royally screwed already from day one. And yet. Yet. Considering Adrien had known me for only a day or two when he decided he was in love with me when we were like 13 and actually declared this in front of a whole bunch of people, it’s so funny how it took him actual months to admit he was actually in love with Bart. Fun fact, the three of us—” Marinette pointed at herself and then at Tim and Kon on her left, “still have a group chat full of plans to get those two together because they were so oblivious, especially Adrien, and also idiots. God, do I love them, but I swear they caused me more grey hair than the wild kid I babysat as a teenager ever did.”

Tim snatched the microphone from Marinette’s hands, pecking her cheek quickly. Marinette stuck her tongue out at him but didn’t complain about the interruption. It wasn’t like she had anything important left to say anyway. For now.

“Yes, listen to my beautiful and wonderful wife over here. They were so frustrating, always talking about the other like they had hung the moon and the stars on the night sky but neither realised they liked the other until it was pointed out to them. Well. According to Mari, it took until Kon and I got Bart to realise he liked Adrien, which eventually led to him confessing, that Adrien recognised his own feelings. It’s ridiculous, but oh so amusing to tell now.

“So, hello everyone, I’m Tim, one of Bart’s best friends — the other is over there being a loser. I met Bart through Dick and Wally maybe half a year after Bruce started watching over me because my parents were never there, so we must have been seven or eight. I had troubles with befriending other people back then—”

“You still do, Tim.”

“Mari, this is my speech, yours ended already.”

“Yeah, because you stole the mic.”

“Technicalities, technicalities. Anyhow, I had trouble with getting friends around that time, but it was somehow easy to befriend Bart. He was so open, friendly, positive, full of light and determined to befriend you that it was actually impossible to avoid it. After I befriended him, though, I noticed I started getting other friends as well because he made it easier. That’s actually also how I met Mari, the love of my life and my wife, which has me forever thankful to Bart, but that’s a story for another time. Right now, I’m here to tell you how great Bart is and also make fun of him, because isn’t that what best friends are for.

“So, like Mari already said, we had a group chat just because of those two. Favourite ship ever. Not gonna lie, we all shipped them together since the moment we realised how well they would fit together and the only reason today didn’t happen sooner is because this guy here—” Tim pointed at Adrien, “—refused to admit he liked Bart and scoffed every time we tried to suggest it. Yet, every time he made a terrible pun, and we all know he makes a lot of those, it was Bart he looked at first to see if it made him laugh. Always. Not his best friend, Mari. It was Bart.”

That was when Tim lost the microphone — Kon had walked up to them, now behind Tim, and just took it out of his hands. Tim tilted his head backwards and frowned at Kon.

“And Bart. Bart laughed every. Single. Time. Like, regardless of how horrible the pun was that time, and how it should have not made anyone laugh, Bart laughed because he knew it made Adrien smile, and happy Adrien equalled happy Bart equalled happy Adrien. This is why it was so strange they didn’t realise, and this is why them dancing around one another drove me up the wall. Tim and Mari too, I suppose. By the way. Here’s a list of pictures and videos where the aforementioned situation is shown multiple times so that you’ll understand what I mean.”

The (seemingly endless, if Adrien’s mortification was anything to go by) videos and pictures were projected onto a big screen and it seemed that no matter what Adrien thought, everyone else thought them adorable and heart-warming. Everyone. Especially Bart, who had not been aware of said pictures or videos’ existence and was now beaming and nearly jumping up and down in his seat. Marinette could almost swear he was vibrating.

Once they were done showing them, and the roomful of people had stopped cooing at Adrien like he was still that starry-eyed, adorable, baby-faced fool so very in love with Bart (he was), Kon brought the microphone to his lips again. “So yeah. We all had to suffer. And because of that, now you two had to suffer a little too,” he said, snorting.

Shaking his head fondly at the newlywed couple, he smiled. “You know, I have known Bart for nearly my entire life, and I never thought there would come a day I would meet anyone that was as much of a sunshine child as he was. Then we met Adrien.”

Tim nodded in the background, clearly agreeing. Marinette hummed. Kon handed her the microphone as she tapped her foot against the floor with her heel. “Yeah, same here, though the other way around — I thought there couldn’t be anyone I’d call sunshine incarnate other than Adrien, and then there I was, face to face with Bart who I swear glowed when I met him for the first time.”

Marinette sighed, smiled, and walked to Adrien and Bart. “So, Adrien, Bart, I am so immensely proud of you two. I can’t help but be happy whenever I think about you both overcoming so much and deciding to dedicate yourselves to one another and believe me when I say, I am so glad I got to witness you exchanging vows today. I wish all the best for you, as do those two dorks, and remember that we’re all going to be there for you both. You have two souls but a single thought, and two hearts that beat as one. This is the day that now belongs to one of the most beautiful things I have seen in my life and I could not be happier to have gotten to see it happen.” She raised her glass. “A toast to these two fools and to their union! May you always be satisfied!”

Marinette returned to her seat next to Tim and rested her head against his shoulder as he ran his fingers through her hair.

“I’m happy for them,” Marinette whispered, watching as Adrien danced with Bart, leading him, before Bart grabbed Adrien and picked him up before running around the room, presenting him like the greatest miracle ever granted for the humankind to everyone. Marinette squeezed Tim’s hand, smiling at their best friends.

“Same, Cuppie. Same here.”

_____________________________________

@kris-pines04 @thethirdwheelfriend @maribat-is-lifeblood @abrx2002 @persephonebutkore @rebecarojas07 @corabeth11 @kadmeread @silverwhiteraven @freshbark @maribat-march2020 @catsandfanfic @fertileleaf @eat0crow @cutechip

#Timari #Bartadrien #Timinette #Bart x Adrien #tim x marinette #Maribat #maribatmarch2020 #ml x dc #dc #miraculous ladybug #ml #dc x mlb #tim drake #marinette dupain cheng #bart allen #adrien agreste #fanfic #fanfiction #Ethel's writing

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itawonka-creates · 5 years ago

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Seabourne Burnouts: Chapter 15 - Aground

Thank you @kimihonna for beta reading and @dickisabanana for beta reading and helping with the title name.

Start [Here] [Part 14] [Part 16] -OR- [AO3]

Damian tried to dodge Dick’s most recent attempt at communication, but considering he was blocking the only exit from his room Damian was stuck. Damian’s neutral expression was becoming more and more unnerving and Dick wished he’d say more than just a few sentences a day. “Damian, come on. You should come with us. We’ll be leaving soon.” Damian just stared him down before grabbing his arm and flipping him onto the bed across the room. A small “oof” was heard in the quiet room and Dick groaned, “Come on! Work with me here!”

Damian just shook his head and started walking out the door. Dick scrambled to catch up to him, “You’re already dressed and ready. Let’s get off the ship! Walk around, see the sights, let’s just live a little!” Damian continued to actively ignore his brother as he walked down the halls. It was a fight to get him cleaned up in the first place. The boy stuck himself in his room and did his best to avoid talking to anyone. He was reminded of Marinette after the initial attack on the ship, except Dick knew what would happen once that façade broke. Once Damian’s did, he wasn’t sure what would happen. Dick sighed, “You’re being difficult.”

Damian paused and Dick briefly wondered if he finally got through to him. That was immediately proven right when Damian glared and drew his arm back to punch the man. Dick quickly blocked the attack and prepared for another, but Damian continued walking. Dick felt a bit of relief, the punching is more familiar. It meant he was starting to get frustrated and if he loses his cool then he’ll finally open up. Dick knew how to handle Damian when he was angry, that was easy. However, the silence was killing him.

“You know we still have to see them off though.” Damian didn’t respond, instead choosing to change course and walking towards the deck. Dick wondered if they’d see Marinette and her friends, but then he had to wonder about Damian’s reaction to her. He hoped his brother’s reaction would give him some kind of insight on what happened. Tim said he would go and get some information so he wouldn’t have to, but that was yesterday and none of them have seen him since.

Damian blinked as he adjusted his eyes to different lighting. It was a clear day; the sun strong and there was hardly a cloud in the sky. Perfect for a good outing, but annoying to him. Laying eyes on Jason, he walked over and leaned against the railing. Damian scanned the class, all were excited to explore but all seemed tired. If he was honest, everyone seemed tired; the students, the staff, the other passengers, and his father included. He watched as Bruce walked around, greeted the team that boarded, and tried to push through the day. Damian always wondered how he hasn’t spotted any gray hairs yet.

Some loud giggling caught his attention and it was no surprise to see who it was. He figured the girls would do their best to gather and cheer Marinette up, that’s just what friends do. What he wasn’t expecting was the change in clothes. It was almost funny, she seemed embarrassed but her outfit wasn’t anything inappropriate. It was just a bit different. Her hair was up in a ponytail, her dark jeans complemented the white off the shoulder blouse she wore, and her tennis shoes gave a casual feel to the whole thing. He recognized the glasses that Jason gave her sitting on top of her head and thought if she was ever to wear them, she’d look like the most unintimidating police officer ever. Seeing her laugh as her friends pushed her forward despite her hesitance made him feel oddly relaxed.

Dick and Jason had their eyes glued on the boy as soon as they noticed Marinette coming into view. Damian’s stone-faced façade soon morphed into one of subtle surprise, then regret, then amusement, and finally rested on a soft smile. Dick and Jason just looked at Damian with pity. The way he looked at her, the fondness of his expression, meant that Damian was too far gone and they had their work cut out for them. It would’ve been cute if they weren’t avoiding each other. Right now, they were just happy to see any emotion at all.

Jason sighed as he turned his attention back to the group of girls. Chloe looked up and made eye contact for a brief second before bringing Marinette’s attention further away from their vantage point. He knew what she was doing and he wasn’t even mad. She didn’t want to ruin Marinette’s day. Still, he did miss their company. Marinette and her friends really made the trip bearable. Besides, he was actually attached to the girl and he missed their banter.

Jason turned back to his brothers, ready to suggest they start heading out with the groups, when a shrill shriek caught everyone off guard. He turned back around to see Marinette running off the ship and jumping into the arms of an older woman waiting for her harbor by a motorcycle.

It took Dick a moment to snap out of his confusion to finally ask, “Who’s that? Do we know who that is?”

Damian shook his head, “No.”

“Oh my god, you actually spoke.” Damian didn’t respond, but Dick was too proud of himself to care. “Yes! Jason, now we can – Jason?” The two were waiting for a similar reaction from their brother, but Jason has not moved since locking onto the sight of Marinette and the woman. “Jason? Hello? What? You like the bike or something?”

Suddenly, his eyes went wide and Dick could’ve sworn he saw a lightbulb go off in his head before Jason suddenly took off. Damian and Dick shared a confused look before following. Jason was running full speed towards this woman and Dick can’t remember him ever reacting like this to anyone. Either this was going to be really good or really bad, but both were mentally preparing themselves for either option. Dick caught Bruce’s eye and Bruce looked just as confused but too busy with his clients to chase after them.

As they got to the bridge connecting the ship to the harbor, Damian stopped and instead chose to stay and watch by the railings. If Marinette was avoiding him, it was probably a bad idea to just run-up to her. Besides, he had faith Dick could hold him back long enough for Damian to catch up if things went south.

He watched as Jason skidded to a stop a few feet away from the two. Both Jason and Dick were panting slightly and Dick was ready to spring into action at any second. Marinette seemed to be just as tense and surprised to see him run up to them. Yet, instead of trying to fight this woman, they just stared at each other before Jason finally broke the silence.

“Gina?”

The woman blinked before grinning, “Jason?”

Jason ran his fingers through his hair and started laughing, “Oh my god!”

Marinette looked between the two and pointed at Jason, “You know him?”

Gina laughed, “Know him? He wouldn’t leave me alone for a good two months!” She outstretched her arm and motioned for Jason to come over. Jason immediately engulfed Gina in a hug and Marinette just looked to Dick for answers. Dick simply shook his head and shrugged. Gina pulled away and looked him over, “You’ve gotten bigger! You look tired though.”

Jason chuckled, “It’s been a long time, Gina.”

“Excuse me! Wait!” The three turned to Marinette as she struggled to comprehend the situation, “Grandma, Jason, how on earth do you know each other?!”

Gina simply laughed moved in to pinch both of Jason’s cheeks, despite Jason’s best efforts to dodge her. Gina squeezed and cooed, “I met this young man on one of my trips! He beat up some muggers and then practically inhaled all the food I gave him as a thank you.”

Through clenched teeth, Jason protested, “I did not inhale!”

Jason managed to pull away to rub his cheeks and playfully glare at the older woman, but both couldn’t help but smile at each other. Gina examined him, walking around and taking in all the changes she could notice from the last decade and sighed. “What on earth have they been doing to you?”

Jason licked his lips and diverted his attention to Marinette for a moment, “A lot can happen in 10 years.”

Dick coughed loudly, bringing back the attention of the two old friends, and motioned to Gina. “And when did this happen?”

Jason looked between the two ladies before turning back to Dick, “Do you remember when I ran away?” It took him a second to understand what Jason meant, but Dick gulped and nodded. “Well, during that time I hit a bit of a rough spot. That’s when I met Gina and she took care of me for like two months.”

“He’s the grandson I always wanted. Likes motorcycles, brave, handsome, not the brightest but his heart is in the right place, no?”

Dick snorted and Jason rolled his eyes, “Thank you, Gina.”

Marinette pointed between the two, “Wait, he’s the-“ She cut herself off and ran her fingers through her hair, “Oh my god, Jason actually is my brother.”

Jason blinked and looked at Gina, “Wait, you’re actually her grandma?”

“I’ve told you about Marinette!”

“Yeah, but you never showed me any photos or anything!” He walked over and slung his arm over Marinette’s shoulders, “So, how does it feel?”

“How does what feel?”

“To be my little sister.”

“She is not your sister!”

Gina lightly smacked Dick’s chest, “Nonsense, I always considered Jason as family.”

“You heard the lady. Siblings, bitch.”

Marinette gasped, “Language!”

Jason was ready to retort when he caught Gina’s eye. She had a look that screamed “I dare you” and Jason dropped it. “Sorry.”

Dick pinched the bridge of his nose, “I can’t believe his stupid joke was right.” He looked at Marinette and apologized, “I’m so sorry.”

“Screw you, Dick.”

“Jason!”

“No, Grandma, that’s his name. Dick Grayson. That’s Jason’s brother.”

Gina looked Dick over then shrugged and made a so-so motion with her hand, “He seems fine.” Before Dick could say anything, Gina laughed and hugged the man, “I’m joking. Nice to meet you.”

It took a moment to reciprocate, but Dick gave the older woman a small squeeze. “Nice to meet you too. We love your granddaughter.”

“That’s not a surprise, but always good to hear.” Gina walked over and kissed the top of Marinette’s head, “Honestly, I’d be surprised if someone didn’t like her.” She laughed, but when the other three laughed half-heartedly she stopped. “Wait, where’s someone who doesn’t like you?”

Marinette flinched, “Well, I wouldn’t go that far-”

“Oh Gina, there’s this evil little girl in her class. The worst. Absolutely mental. I’ve been trying to convince her to let me throw her overboard since we met.”

“Jason! Grandma, I can handle it.”

Gina hummed and looked on deck. She recognized most of her classmates from her birthday party and from pictures, but there were a few that stood out. Two kids around Marinette’s age, a boy staring at them by the railings and a girl talking a group of some of Marinette’s friends, she realized she’s never seen before. “Is it that one?”

They looked over and Marinette groaned, “One, that’s a she-“

“I vote we use ‘it’ from now on.”

“- and two, yes.”

“Okay, so that’s her. Who’s the boy staring at us by the rails?” The brothers both tensed as they watched Marinette looked around, trying to figure out who her grandmother was referring to. There was a visible change in her body language as she became rigid and immediately looked away. Dick looked over to see Damian with his back turned to them, most likely because he was caught. Gina pointed at Damian and said, “I’m going to make a wild guess and say that’s the boy your mother’s been telling me about.”

Marinette’s face flushed, “Grandma!”

“Did you two fight?”

Marinette bit her lip as she looked between the two men standing beside her before hesitantly nodding. Gina hummed before taking her helmet off her bike and reeling her arm back. “Grandma, what are you-” Gina grunted as she threw the helmet full force towards the boy. All three watched in disbelief as the helmet flew through the air and right before impact, Damian put his hand up and caught it. Marinette let out a huge breath she didn’t realize she was holding in, “GRANDMA!”

“Good reflexes.”

“You cannot go throwing helmets at people like that!”

“Sure I can. I have your helmet here too. I can probably hit that girl Jason mentioned.”

“Grandma, no!”

“Grandma, yes!” Jason quickly shoved the other helmet into Gina’s arms and pulled Marinette back.

“Jason-”

Jason harshly shushed her, “This is karma. Let grandma do her thing.”

Marinette struggled in his grip, “She is not your grandma! Grandma, don’t you dare throw that helmet!”

Gina reeled her arm back and Dick quickly jumped in, “WOAH! Woah! Let’s calm down! None of us like Lila, but assaulting a child is not the answer.”

“But it is an answer. One I am happy to go with.”

“Jason, I swear if you don’t-”

“No, no, he’s right. We should probably leave her be. Besides, it’ll dent the helmet.”

Gina and Jason smiled at each other. While Dick didn’t know Gina, he knew Jason and that particular smile meant something was brewing inside his head. He could feel a migraine coming on as he watched the two laugh as if they made some kind of inside joke.

Marinette wiggled her way out of Jason’s grip and stomped her foot, “No fair! How come he got to go on one of your trips? You promised me one!”

“Yes, but your mother wanted me to wait until you were at least 16 to take you anywhere.” Marinette frowned and sighed, defeated. Jason snickered before Gina poked his chest, “Don’t laugh at her. It’s not like I brought you along with me. You just didn’t leave.”

“You loved me.”

Gina put a hand on her hip and nodded reluctantly, “Yes, yes, but you worried me. You still worry me.”

“You know, as your actual granddaughter, I’m feeling a little left out.”

Gina rolled her eyes and hugged Marinette, “I love you too.” Marinette smiled and let herself melt into her grandmother’s hold. “Now, what do you want to do today?”

“I’m sure it’ll be fun if I’m with you.”

A notification went off on Dick’s phone, but as soon as he checked it he turned and caught Gina’s incoming helmet. The two ladies jumped in surprise while Jason just looked confused. Dick looked up at the railings and Damian sent him a curt nod, “You could’ve just brought it down!” He noticed Damian look at someone behind him and give a small wave. Dick didn’t have to turn around to know who it was for.

“OKAY!” Marinette started pushing her grandmother towards the bike, “You got your helmet back, the day is young, I’ll drive! Jason you coming?”

“You want me to come?”

“Well, yeah. You guys need to catch up, no?”

“Marinette, he doesn’t even have a bike with him.”

Jason smirked, “Gina, I always have my bike with me.”

Dick groaned, “Please, no-” Jason pulled out a set of keys and pushed a button. They watched as the crowd started yelling and quickly jumped out of the way as a motorcycle made its way down to the harbor and next to Jason. Dick pinched the bridge of his nose as Jason pulled his helmet off the bike’s handle, “And when exactly were you planning on telling us you brought your bike?”

“Can’t tell you when if I was never going to.” Jason turned back to the girls, “Anyways, where are we going ladies?” He watched Gina walked around the bike, admiring it, before holding her hand out while her back was still turned to him. Jason frowned and handed over his keys and she tossed her own keys to Marinette. Jason rolled his eyes and put on his helmet. He realized he forgot how might lighter normal helmets were compared to the Red Hood mask.

He walked over and got onto Gina’s bike with Marinette getting on as well. He could tell she was still incredibly uncomfortable based on the stiffness of her body and how tightly she squeezed his waist. He sent a quick text to his brother and, when he realized Bruce was watching him from the deck, saluted as he drove off to follow Gina into the city streets. He could feel Marinette relax the further they got from the docks and it saddened him to know she was this uncomfortable around his family.

He heard her call to him, “Where do you think grandma is taking us?”

“Don’t know. Knowing Gina, probably somewhere that’ll make us feel nostalgic.”

She hummed, “So how did you actually meet my grandma, Jason?”

“I told you, I ran away and-“

“I can tell when you guys are hiding something. I bet grandma saw it too.” He pressed his lips into a straight line as he struggled to find the right words. Luckily he didn’t have to, “You don’t have to give me all the details and if you don’t want to talk about it it’s fine.”

He relaxed a bit and smiled, “Thanks, Marinette.”

She giggled and looked around the streets. It was a beautiful day and she had a feeling things were going to be peaceful today. “Mom and Dad are going to freak out when they find out you’re the long lost son of the Dupain-Cheng family. You’ll have a whole cake and party waiting for you if you ever come by the bakery.”

Jason laughed, “Well then, I’m just going to have to book the next ticket.”

She nodded and smiled when she realized where they stopped. It wasn’t like Andre’s back home, but a nice ice cream parlor and good shading made for a close second. Jason offered to pay for everything, but Gina refused and left the two to go get ice cream for the group. Marinette closed her eyes and reveled in the soft breeze that swept through. Jason cracked his neck and hummed, “I feel like this will be a calm day, for once.”

“Don’t jinx this for me, Jason.”

He knocked on the wooden bench beneath them. He stretched and looked around, “When was the last time you did something like this?”

“Like what?”

“Like this. Something normal.”

Marinette tried to think back and realized it’s been a few months since she’s gotten to sit down and be present with people she cared about. Sure, she had the sleepovers and dinners, but those usually were to cheer her up or required by their circumstances. This was meant to cheer her up too, but instead of being a party or a loud dinner it was just peaceful. She could actually think clearly and she felt like a weight was lifted. She smiled, “It’s been a while.”

“Same here.”

Gina came back with their sweet treats and the three began sharing different stories of adventures they’ve had together. Marinette never realized how different Jason’s life was until they started talking about their time together.

“You used to sneak out and I had to wait up for you.”

“You didn’t have to.”

“You came back with new bruises every night!”

“I couldn’t sleep!” Her expression deadpanned and he shrugged, “I already told you what I was doing.”

“Fighting crime is not a viable excuse for a 14-year-old.”

“Hey, I always came home didn’t I?”

Gina opened her mouth to retort but shook her head and shoveled some ice cream into his mouth, “Just eat.”

Jason chuckled and licked his lips, “Marinette, I drove your grandma crazy.”

She laughed, “Sounds like it. What happened though? Why did you only stay for two months?”

The two adults looked at each other and Gina offered, “Do you want me to tell her?”

“No. No. I can do it.” Jason thought for a moment before saying, “Your grandma offered to take me with her. She wanted me to live with her.”

“Why didn’t you?”

He looked at his empty bowl of ice cream and frowned, “Some things came up. Things from the past. I realized I still had a lot of unfinished business to take care of and I couldn’t let go of any of it. I couldn’t pull your grandma into that, so I just left.”

Gina pulled Jason’s hands away and held them, gently squeezing and rubbing her thumb over his knuckles. “You know, I always wondered what happened to you. I saw a lot of you in Marinette too. She’s just as hard-headed-”

“Hey!”

“- and just as passionate about the things and people she cares about.” Gina softly patted his cheek, “I’m so glad I got to see you again and I’m proud to see how you turned out.”

Marinette noted how he visibly tensed before he shook his head, “Nothing to really be proud of, Gina. I’m just glad I lived long enough to see you again. I never really forgot about you either. I mean, how often do you meet an old French grandma who rides motorcycles and travels the world?”

Both Gina and Marinette laughed at that comment. Marinette couldn’t help but be curious about what could’ve possibly taken Jason away from her grandma. She’s sure it has to do with Batman and Gotham, but she knew Red Hood didn’t exist 10 years ago either. She briefly wondered what could’ve been if he just stayed. Maybe he could’ve helped her with being Ladybug.

“Hey, Marinette?” She brought her attention back to the conversation and watched Jason as he tried to tread carefully into a new conversation. She didn’t have a good feeling about this, “Can I ask about Damian?”

Marinette didn’t know if it was the ice cream, the company, or the fact that she’s off the ship, but this was the first time she didn’t feel like avoiding this conversation. She remembered what Tess said about talking to someone else and she trusted her grandmother. After thinking about it, she trusted Jason too. “You’re going to tell Dick and Tim, aren’t you?”

“No!” Marinette quirked her brow and he just shrugged, “We’re brothers, what do you expect?”

She sighed but nodded. It was odd. She still felt uncomfortable, but the emotions were underwhelming compared to last night with Nino. She gulped, “Damian told me about a bad thing he did. I wasn’t expecting to hear that from him, so I was a bit shocked. The Akuma attack made me realize something though. He didn’t ask or choose to be a part of those bad things. He was raised and convinced to do it. It reminded me of Hawkmoth in a way since he makes good people do bad things too. I figured since he took himself out of that situation and he was being a good person maybe I could stay.”

She looked down at the table and frowned, “After this week, I realized I didn’t want to lose him either. We connect really well, we can read each other pretty well, and I trust him. He saw right through me whenever I lied to him. He knows something about me that only two other people knew and he just accepted it. I wanted to do that same for him. I wanted to stay with him.”

Gina tilted her head and analyzed Marinette’s expression, “You really like him. You never talked about Adrien like that.”

Marinette nodded, “Yeah. I do.” She scoffed and felt her eyes water, “With Adrien, I could barely hold a conversation and I was always on edge. With Damian, I don’t even have to try. It was so easy to just…” Her sentence trailed off and she bit her lip.

Jason motioned for her to continue and she sighed, “Grandma, I love him. I never felt like this around another person. I don’t know what else it could be.” Jason’s eyebrows shot up meanwhile Gina just smiled. Marinette wiped her eyes and laughed, “It’s scary how easy it was. I mean, I fell for Adrien pretty quick, but that hardly went anywhere. With Damian, I was just comfortable. I didn’t even think about until after we came back from our first visit to Santander.”

Gina hummed, “You know, you remind me so much of your father.”

Marinette quirked her brow, “Thank you?”

“No, no, I’m serious. Do you think your mother was the first girl your father cared about? No. He cared about a few girls, and he thought he loved them too, but it wasn’t until he met your mother that I ever really saw him connect with someone.” She pointed at Marinette, “He had that same look in his eyes too.”

Jason grinned, “You should’ve seen them that first week. They got into an argument then too, but they acted like an old married couple.” Marinette winced, “Sorry.”

Marinette waved her hand, “You’re fine. You’re right anyway.” She thought about that night in the den. She remembered how awkward he looked when he took the chance to say, “I thought we were already married.” She wished she could go back to that moment. Sure they were confused and they didn’t know everything about each other, but at least they had each other. That led her to the dance, which led her to the fight, which led her to Adrien. She brought one of her legs up and rested her chin on her knee, “I messed up.”

“How so?”

“You remember that secret I talked about? It involved Adrien, but Damian didn’t know that. He forced it out of me and I didn’t tell Adrien Damian knew so then Adrien got mad. Adrien started yelling, I started yelling, we all got into one big fight.” She groaned, “Now Adrien hates me and I can’t even look at Damian without wanting to freak out and now I’m a mess and now everything’s a disaster!” She knocked her forehead on her knee, “I’m so stupid.”

“Hey! Hey! Out of the three of us here, the stupid one is Jason.”

Jason opened his mouth to argue, but he just nodded, “Fair.” Marinette snorted and Jason simply looked at her with pity, “She’s right, though.”

“Right about you being stupid?”

“Right about you two making a real connection. I didn’t know you before, but I know Damian.” Before continuing, Jason leaned back and asked, “Wait, are you okay with this?” Marinette blinked and realized what he meant as the question “Do you want to talk about him?” is left unsaid. Marinette pauses for a moment and thought about it. Did she want to know more?

When her mind wandered to him, there was a mix of emotions that came with it. Though dulled, she was still mad and frustrated at him for not leaving the room. Yet, she wished she could go back a few days. She missed their banter and their talks with Captain Staller. She missed their dance battles as she got ever closer to beating his high score on ‘Crazee Boi’. She missed the small touches they shared as they walked together through the ship and through the different cities. Most of all, she missed how at ease she felt when she was with him. She didn’t need to act perfect or okay around him, he’s witnessed the worst parts about her and he didn’t even give them a second thought. He was the first one to really see her for who she was; a girl three steps away from burning out due to her crazy life. He didn’t scold her for her choices or try to talk her out of it, he related to her and did his best to give her a break. Damian was the best part of this whole vacation.

She nodded and Jason continued, “I’ve never seen him warm up to anyone the way he did with you. Damian doesn’t just talk to anyone the same way he does with you. He doesn’t let anyone just win an argument or fix his clothes and hair. He doesn’t just tell anyone about his past or his secrets. And Damian would never just fall asleep next to someone he didn’t know and trust for a while.” She listened intently as Jason leaned onto the table and rested his chin in his hand, “You were the first normal person his own age that he could just be himself around. He didn’t have to be on guard. He didn’t have to be ready to fight you. He didn’t have to put up a front around you.”

He sighed and looked Marinette right in her eye, “Marinette, you brought out the best in Damian. He was getting really tired and burnt-out from everything we do back home. I know you know this already, but he’s never been a kid. He’s never had friends his own age that were normal like this.” Jason smiled at Marinette and he leaned in close, “I’m going to get really cheesy right now, but I need you to get it. This never leaves this table okay? If it does, I’ll know it was you and I’ll make you pay for it.” Marinette rolled her eyes, but she still nodded. Jason, satisfied with their pact, grabbed her hand, “He’s never had the chance to fall in love with anyone, but he almost instantly fell for you.”

Marinette’s mind fizzed out at the sentence, yet before she could respond Jason’s phone started ringing. Jason pulled away and excused himself from the table to answer. Gina moved to sit by Marinette’s side and rubbed her back, “How are you feeling?”

“I- I really don’t know.” Marinette pressed her lips together in a firm line, “Grandma, what am I gonna do?”

“What do you mean?”

“Dick, calm down. Seriously, I can’t understand you when you get like this.” The two looked up at Jason and he licked his lips, “Okay, who cares if he’s on the ship?”

Marinette got up and walked over, “What’s going on? Who’s on the ship?”

Jason huffed and nodded, “Yeah that was Marinette.” There was a pause and Jason shoved the phone into Marinette’s face, “Dick wants to talk to you.”

Marinette looked confused as she held the phone to her ear, “Hello?”

“Marinette?”

“Yeah?”

“Okay, look, I need you to get back here soon. No one else is around. Nino, Alya, and Chloe are all in their groups in the city and you guys are the closest to the ship.”

“What? Why? What’s going on?”

“Tim and Damian are arguing with Adrien’s dad.”

Marinette blinked and shook her head, “What?”

“Adrien’s dad. He’s on the ship. I don’t know what happened, but Damian found them arguing and then jumped in and everyone’s yelling. I’ve tried to step in but when they get like this they won’t back down.”

She could hear some muffled voices in the background and asked, “Why is he on the ship?”

“I don’t know.”

She gulped and took a deep breath, “Can I talk to Adrien?”

“Give me a second.”

There were a few moments of shuffling before she heard a very tired, “Hello?”

“Adrien?”

She could practically see Adrien tense up in her mind, “Marinette?”

“What’s happening? What does your dad want? Why is he on the ship?”

Adrien sighed, “He wants to take me home.”

“What?”

Adrien winced at her shrill voice, “He wants to take me home early.”

“Why?”

Adrien looked over at his father and Nathalie having a heated conversation with the two youngest Wayne sons, “Marinette, can you please calm them down?”

“Calm who down?”

“Tim and Damian. They really aren’t helping and Dick can’t seem to get them to calm down either. If I’m being honest, he looks like he’s two minutes away from jumping in himself.”

He could hear keys jingling and some shuffling on the other end of the line, “I’ll be there in 10 minutes. Don’t go anywhere, don’t pack anything, have Plagg fly away with the card to the room if you have to.”

Adrien frowned as he watched his father get more and more agitated, “Just hurry.” He pressed the end call button and handed it to Dick before jumping back in. “Father, maybe we should-”

“Adrien, you are to do as your father says.”

“The hell he is, he’s not a puppet. He’s a person who has choices.” Tim’s eye twitched and he pinched his nose, “Look, I understand you’re the parent, but your son has been having a good time on this ship and to take him away early before the whole is over seems like a waste.”

“A good time? From what I’ve gathered, that’s far from the truth.” Gabriel narrowed his eyes at Adrien, “Don’t lie to me. You’re better than that.”

Damian crossed his arms, “And where, pray tell, are you getting this information?”

Nathalie stepped in front of Gabriel, “That is none of your concern.”

“Everything on this ship is our concern. From the passengers to the integrity of the ship itself will concern us.”

Gabriel straightened his back and held his ground, “I didn’t come here to be talked down to by a bunch of children.”

“Then expect to be talked down to by fellow businessmen.”

“And what is that supposed to mean?”

Adrien took a deep breath before motioning to Damian and Tim, “Father, this is Tim Drake, Dick Grayson, and Damian Wayne. They are three of the four sons of Bruce Wayne.”

If Gabriel was at all phased by this information, his body language gave nothing away. He simply raised his brow and said, “Interesting.”

That seemed to just irritate the youngest more, “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“It’s interesting that Bruce Wayne lets his sons run around so carelessly.”

Adrien flinched and looked to the three brothers. This comment seemed to be the one to finally flip a switch inside Dick because he tensed up before glaring at Gabriel. “I find it interesting that you treat your perfectly mannered son like a juvenile delinquent. All that’s missing is bars over his windows and an ankle bracelet to ensure house arrest.”

“How I raise my son is none of your concern.”

“And like I said before, everything on this ship concerns us.” He could tell the frustration in the room was threatening to overflow. Adrien felt like he was watching a bottle of soda being shaken until it explodes; he didn’t when it was going to happen but at this rate an explosion is inevitable. “Look, this is getting us nowhere.”

Nathalie nodded, “Agreed, so if you would be so kind as to stand-down this process will go so much easier.” The subtle emphasis on ‘stand-down’ made Tim growl.

Tim coughed and reeled himself in before looking at his brothers. They all seemed to take a deep breath and suddenly it was like Adrien was facing three different versions of Bruce, both in and out of the suit. Dick looked the most at ease, but that was only in comparison to the other two. Dick looked like he was preparing to negotiate. Tim took a step back and seemed ready to analyze the situation, considering how he was as a person this made sense while he was trying to think of a game plan. Damian was the most frightening out of the three. Adrien was reminded of a few clips of Batman Alya showed him earlier this week, but more aggressive. Damian was playing offense and if that was the case Adrien just knew he was going to have to do a lot of damage control.

Damian spoke first and in a matter-of-fact tone said, “Let’s start this again. Gabriel Agreste, head of the Gabriel brand, husband of the late Emilie and father to Adrien. You were also ‘The Collector’ when you were akumatized some time back and you are known to make very rare in-person appearances. You are very adept at designing, business management, piano playing, speaking Japanese, and you have a history of fencing.”

Both Gabriel and Nathalie blinked and their stern exterior seemed to crack for a moment. However, Damian simply continued, “As your son stated before, we are three of Bruce Wayne’s sons. That is Richard Grayson, also known as Dick. He’s the eldest, a skilled acrobat and aerialist, great leadership skills and communication skills, and the one to talk to for an easy route.” Adrien expected some kind of scoff or come back to that comment, but Dick didn’t even blink.

“Timothy Drake, most refer to him as Tim. Incredibly intelligent, very skilled with most technology, also exceptional leadership and communication skills. He annoyingly, but accurately refers to himself as ‘boy genius’. He is the second easiest.” Tim quirked his brow and briefly looked at Damian before turning his attention back to Gabriel and Nathalie.

“The second eldest is not here, but his name is Jason Todd. Good at technology and has an affinity for weapons, specifically any and all guns. Incredible marksman. Not always the best at communication, but will fiercely protect those he cares about. He would be hard, but he isn’t an option right now.”

Damian placed a hand over his chest and his tone held a very distinct hint of a patronizing tone, “I am Damian Wayne. Youngest and only blood son of the four. I am a skilled swordsman, skilled fighter, expert with technology and weapons alike, and also the hardest of the four.” Damian stepped towards Gabriel and, despite the height difference, seemed to look down on him. “No matter who you talk to or try to negotiate with, I swear to you that you will lose. Adrien will stay on this trip until its final stop. Most importantly, he will receive the freedom and respect he deserves that he clearly isn’t getting from you.”

“How dare-”

“I would watch that temper, Agreste. Not only are Akuma running amok throughout the coastline, but there are cameras throughout the ship. Lose your temper here, yell at some children, whatever you do will be stored, shared, and exposed to the media at large.” Gabriel growled but stepped back. While Damian’s expression didn’t change, his eyes held a glint of sadistic amusement. It was like watching an owl wound their prey, but not catch it right away. Simply watching it squirm and make a feeble attempt to escape knowing very well that the shadow overhead will continue following them. This was their playing field, their rules, and Gabriel had to follow them. It was the first time Adrien saw someone talk to and bring down his father like this. He didn’t know whether to be shocked, amused, pity, or all three.

Gabriel glared at Adrien before turning away, “Adrien, I expect you to be packed and ready to go by the time this ship is ready to leave port. We’re leaving tonight.”

“We’ll see.”

Nathalie opened her mouth to respond, but Gabriel held his hand up and shook his head. The two simply left the room and it wasn’t until their footsteps faded away that anyone moved. Adrien could feel himself begin to breathe again, taking in deep breaths but they had no effect. Tim immediately walked over and snapped his fingers in his face, making Adrien look up at him. “Adrien, focus on me. Take deep breaths in and out. Four counts in, four counts hold, four counts out.” Adrien watched as Tim demonstrated and did his best to follow along. After a few minutes, the overwhelming feeling of dread stated to pass and he was just left feeling tired. “Good work.”

Adrien simply nodded and let out a weak laugh as he continued the deep breathing. Tim sent back a weak smile before looking over his shoulder. He saw his two brothers discussing something, no doubt their next step. Tim was genuinely shocked and enraged with how badly Gabriel treated Adrien. Did he curse or yell at him? No, but he treated Adrien like property and acted as if he was always doing something wrong. If he acted like Jason maybe he could see some of that behavior as being warranted, but Adrien was, by all definitions, an incredible son. Athletic, intelligent, well mannered, good heart, what more could Gabriel be possibly asking for?

Watching the anxiety practically seep through Adrien pores, he realized Gabriel was asking for a perfect model. Obedient, quiet, well built and well-mannered for good publicity, but only shown through a tightly locked frame. Never to be physically touched without proper certification, never to be altered except by those he deemed worthy to do so, and always held at arm’s length to avoid damaging goods. More orders than praises unless he does exactly as expected, but that is too far and too few in between. Most importantly, making Adrien feel necessary when, in reality, he’s being used for something superficial.

It was disgusting. Tim really hoped there were some good points to Gabriel’s character. Adrien would undoubtedly defend this man, so something had to be worth all of this. At least, that’s what Tim told himself to avoid throwing punches.

Dick walked over and rubbed Adrien’s back, “You doing okay?”

“Maybe, not sure yet.” Adrien ran his fingers through his hair and laughed, “I’ve never seen that before.”

“Seen what?”

“Seen that! Him being talked to like that! He actually stood down! I mean, Chloe’s mom kind of does that, but what you did was a whole new level!” He laughed, bleeding into the hysterical, and leans against Dick for support. He tried to hold it in, but that made him laugh more, “Oh my god, what’s happening to me?”

Dick chuckled, “Well, you just went through something super stressful and you’re still here on the ship. I’d say you’re on a high right now, but when you crash you’ll probably want a nap.”

Adrien took a few more deep breaths, “Okay. Okay, I think I’m okay. Dick, you should probably call Marinette before she tries to kill my dad.”

Dick paled, “Oh my god, she’s with Jason. If she doesn’t he sure as hell will.” He cursed to himself as he quickly turning away and dialing.

Adrien looked over at the last of the three Wayne boys, he noticed him standing further away and trying to avoid looking in Adrien’s general direction. Tim saw this and quietly said, “Hey, it’s fine if you’re still upset with him. Just because he helped doesn’t mean you guys are okay. You guys need to work this out together, but considering he just fought to keep you on the ship I’d say you have a good shot at making up.” Adrien’s shoulders fell and Tim shrugged, “Only if you want to.”

Adrien glared at the ground and sighed before calling out, “Damian?” Damian tensed and looked up at the blond. Adrien shuffled his feet before saying, “Thank you. For this.”

Damian relaxed a bit, “Don’t thank me yet, we have to make sure you stay on this ship.”

Adrien nodded and Tim simply smiled at him, “That’s a start.”

Dick walked back over and groaned, “Okay, that crisis is most likely averted.”

“Most likely?”

“Those two can be loose cannons when it comes to people they care about, can you really say with 100% certainty that neither will try something?” All three thought for a moment before shaking their heads and responding ‘no’. “Exactly. Look, Adrien, do you want to stay on this ship?”

“Yes! Yes, I do.”

“Then forget whatever your dad says. At least one of use will be with you if he tries anything. You are going to have the last of this vacation. After meeting your dad, you need it.”

Adrien smiled, “Thanks. Seriously, I’d already be on a plane to Paris right now if I was alone.”

Tim stretched and yawned, “Before we go for a round two, I say we get coffee and tell Bruce. I really want to see him rip that man a new one.”

Adrien flinched, “Maybe, not that harshly. I know he’s strict-”

“Strict?” Damian scoffed, “He reminded me of some of the trainers back before I met Bruce. They were just as cutthroat, but Gabriel is smart enough to hide and use it to his advantage. Lucky for you, you’ve got the best people on this ship to counteract that and not be intimidated by it either.”

Adrien frowned, “He’s my father-”

“The ‘father’ title doesn’t mean anything if he can’t act like a dad.” Both Damian and Dick snapped their heads to Tim and he finally seemed to realize how harsh that probably sounded. “Oh – Adrien, I didn’t mean to-”

“You did. That’s fine, I’ve heard worse come from Chloe.” Adrien rubbed the back of his neck and chuckled, “Let’s keep all of this from Marinette, Jason, and the others. They already don’t like him. I think hearing about this conversation would just add fuel to the fire.”

“You know if they find out we’re holding back, they’ll be even more pissed.”

Adrien’s eyes met Damian’s for a brief moment before both turned away from each other, “I know.”

Dick looked at Tim, but Tim simply shook his head. He mouthed, ‘Not now.’ Dick was even more confused, but hopefully Tim had some answers to his questions. Speaking of questions, Dick turned to Damian and asked, “Hey, did you mean all of that by the way?”

Damian’s eye twitched, “Mean what?”

Dick smiled, “Oh you know, ‘these are my two incredible brothers. Like, the best brothers I could ever have. Especially the oldest, Di-”

Damian growled and lunged at Dick, “You’re so full of it!”

Dick manipulated the move and managed to get Damian into an awkward side hug, “So, you finally admit we’re great to have around?”

“I’ll admit that you guys give me more grey hairs than all the villains in Arkham.”

Dick snickered, “You hear that Tim, Damian loves us!”

“You are actually going to get your tongue ripped out if you don’t shut up!”

Tim sighed in relief and chuckled, “I’m actually really glad.”

Adrien asked, “Why’s that?”

“Because what we’re watching right now is the real, true Damian Wayne. He’s always annoyed, gives backhanded compliments, ruthless, but just as socially awkward that it borders cute.”

“I swear to god Grayson, I will shove one of your batons so far down your throat that it’ll come out your-”

“Very, very, loosely borders.” Tim went over and pushed the two away from each other before roughly patting Damian’s back, “Good to have you back.”

Damian glared, but there wasn’t much hostility behind it. He knew they were worried but, if he was honest, he just didn’t know how to react. He was already going into entirely new territory when getting into a relationship, the messy break up made things ten times worse. It helped to let out some steam at Adrien’s sorry excuse for a father, but he could feel those bad feelings threatening to come back up. He hopes they were smart enough not to ask.

He pushed Tim away, “Shut up. Let’s just go talk to Father and keep Adrien on this ship. If we’re lucky, we could probably convince him to take Adrien in. God knows he has a habit of keeping athletic kids with sad backstories.”

“Hey!” Adrien was going to continue to defend himself when all three brothers turned and gave him a bored look. He scrunched up his nose and sighed, “Yeah, okay, let’s go find your dad.” Tim sent him a look of amused pity and walked over, “Can I just get some iced tea?”

“You can get whatever you want. If this goes over well, you’ll be able to help run this ship.” Adrien’s pout made him laugh as he started to walk themselves out.

Damian was ready to follow them when Dick grabbed the back of his collar and pulled back, “Hey!”

“We’ll catch up with you in a second.” Tim nodded and closed the door behind him.

“What the hell was that about?”

“So now that you’re talking, do you want to talk abou-”

“Dick.”

“Yeah?”

Damian crossed his arms, “Thanks for worrying about me, but if you ask me about it I will just go back to not talking. Just drop it and let’s focus on keeping Adrien on board.”

“Damian, I’ve seen you mad, sad, happy, murderous, and literally every emotion. I’ve never seen you this tired and now you are actually scaring me with the silent treatment. I have half a mind to get Jon involved.”

“Do that and I will make sure you and Kory never have kids.”

Dick rolled his eyes, “But you see why we’re so desperate to know, right?”

“Yeah.”

“So? Can you give me anything? Literally, if you talk to any of us about this we can help. We’ve all had girl problems-”

“That’s an understatement.”

“My point is that we can talk about it. Maybe give some advice? You can let us in.”

Damian shook his head, “It’s not that I don’t necessarily trust you-”

“Then what is it?”

“I can’t tell you, okay!” Damian’s raised voice didn’t catch him off guard as much as the message did.

“Can’t tell me? What are you talking about?” Damian took in a sharp breath before closing his eyes and taking a deep breath. When he exhaled, he opened his eyes and Dick noticed he retreated into whatever void he was barricading himself in. Dick grabbed him by the shoulders, “Oh come on! Damian, you cannot do this! We were just getting somewhere! Damian!” Dick growled when Damian gave him no response other than stepping away and walking towards the door. “Damian, no! You can talk to me! Me! Dick! Your older brother, the one you can depend on, the one who – The one who really cares about how you’re doing.”

Damian paused and Dick continued, “Damian, we’ve been through a lot together. You can tell me pretty much anything and I’m going to help you through it. You know that! Just work with me here. Let me help!”

Damian sighed and turned back to face Dick, “You’re annoying.”

“I’m your brother. That’s kind of my job.”

Damian’s shoulders fell and shook his head, “Dick, know that this isn’t personal.” It wasn’t, it just felt wrong. He was already set on keeping her secret identity under wraps before she even suspected his, but afterward? The only reason any of Marinette’s friends knew was because they figured it out on their own. She would’ve taken it to the grave and he respected that. It honestly surprised him. “I just can’t tell you right now. If you want to know, just ask Marinette about it. That’s her secret to tell or not.”

Dick’s eyebrows shot up, “You do realize I’m just getting more concerned now, right? You literally compiled information on her that we all have access to. If it’s not in there, then what the hell is she hiding?”

“Something personal and something I probably shouldn’t have found out. If you guys look into it, I swear I will hurt all of you. I shouldn’t know and, quite frankly, I wouldn’t be in this situation if I didn’t.” Damian knew Dick would be looking into it if they haven’t already started, but if they were going to uncover that information he was not going to be any part of it. “Dick, promise me something.”

“Depends on the something.”

“Look into Lila. She’s has been acting suspiciously recently. I noticed something recently over the cameras and I think she’s up to something. I want you to talk to the other kids about it.”

Dick wasn’t expecting that, “How has she been acting?”

“She’s been talking to guests and wandering around every night. She avoids staff who know us like Tess and then will stay in her room for long periods of time on days things aren’t planned or scheduled unless one of the classmates goes and gets her first. For someone fighting to be queen bee of the school, isolating yourself and speaking to people outside the group you’re trying to win over seems like a waste of time.” Not entirely the truth, but Damian wanted to look more into it before assuming anything.

Dick hummed, “Yeah, okay, that’s weird. Is there a pattern to the people she talks to?”

“Not really.”

“Okay, so there isn’t a pattern and we know that she’s smart enough not to do stupid things like this.”

Damian snapped, “Unless gaining control of the class isn’t her goal anymore. She said that earlier too when we first met her in the gym after she took those photos. She said Adrien wasn’t even third place, I thought that meant she wasn’t looking to take Adrien anymore. What if she just switched up everything?”

“If that’s the case, then what’s her new goal? What does she want? She’s just a teenager.”

“You should probably ask Marinette about it. In the meantime, I’m going to go talk to Max.”

“Max?”

“Yeah, Max. He seems to have taken a liking to the computer room, Father finds him there often with his robot. I’ve been having them look over the footage just to see if they notice anything.”

“Wait, so he knows about Lila being a complete psycho?”

“He will now.”

Dick pinched the bridge of his nose, “You do realize that the last time we just sprang that information on someone there was a huge argument?”

“You also realize that Tim did it out of spite towards Alya and scolded our whole friend group for not realizing it sooner, right? I’m just telling Max to watch over the tapes. If he figures something out then that’s all on him.”

“Touché.” Damian was about to turn away before Dick shouted, “Wait! Damian, you know you can trust me, right?”

“Yes, Dick.”

“Okay, just making sure.” Damian nodded before finally leaving. Dick stood there alone for a bit while he gathered his thoughts. He started talking to himself, “Okay, recap. Your brother is going through a bad break up, one of your friends is threatened to be kidnapped by his own crappy father, and now the mean girl might not just be a mean girl. Great. Totally have this in order.” Dick nodded, “Yeah, okay. It’s all coming together.”

“What’s coming together?” Dick jumped and turned to see Damian walk back in, “What? I forgot my phone.”

“You’re too good at that!”

“At what?”

“Sneaking up on people!”

Damian blinked before asking, “You were doing that weird thinking out loud thing again, weren’t you?”

“I’m trying to prioritize.”

“Then let me help you.” He looked around before grabbing his phone off a table and typing in something. Soon a notification went off on Dick’s phone and he pulled it out. It read, ‘1) Lila. 2) Akumas. 3) Leaving me the hell alone.’

“You think you’re so funny, don’t you?”

“I’m hilarious.”

“You’re stressful.”

Damian shrugged, “I’m your brother. That’s kind of my job.” Dick narrowed his eyes at Damian only to be sent a smirk.

“You know something?”

“What?”

“When we first got on this ship, this is what we were aiming for.” He motioned to Damian’s entire body, “This. Getting you back to acting like yourself.”

“And?”

“I’m surprised to see that even when she’s not around she still helped.”

“How do you know it’s her? Maybe I’m just feeling better.”

“Maybe, but if she wasn’t on this boat could you honestly say you would’ve actually socialized with the class that won?” His lack of an answer was telling, “Even if you don’t get back together, try to just leave on a better note. Leaving things unsaid always ends up in a bad time.”

“I know. I think we’ve all figured that out in one way or another.”

“Good. Tell me when you’re ready to talk. We’ll all help out or give advice.”

“To be fair, most of you guys don’t have the best track record.”

“At least talk to me then? Out of all of us, I probably have the best track record.”

“True.”

“Well?”

Damian paused before saying, “I’ll think about it. Just focus on Lila and Adrien for now, though.”

Dick smiled and nodded, “Yeah, yeah. Got it.” Damian held the door open and tilted his head, telling Dick to head out. Both went their separate ways down the hallways as they tried to follow they’re various missions. Dick went to catch up with Tim while Damian continued to move below deck to talk to Max.

It was weird to talk to Adrien again, but it was almost disappointing. He was so caught up in keeping Adrien on the ship that he forgot that Adrien probably didn’t want to see him either. He couldn’t help it though, something about Gabriel irritated him. The more Gabriel talked the more Damian wanted to punch him square in the face. When Gabriel began talking down to him, it brought Damian back to the first few months of living with Bruce in the manor and how he would often get scolded for his behavior. However, Damian had enough of a backbone to both take the lessons but fight against the aggression. Adrien clearly didn’t have that, at least not as himself. He’d need to look at more footage of Cat Noir to understand his behavior more.

He knew Adrien would probably be punished once back to Paris, but he figured something like that would happen with or without their intervention. For now, he was going to allow Adrien the opportunity to spend the final week free form his prison back home.

Damian supposed that was a good parallel between the two; both hated being locked up in cages. Cat or bird, both needed the freedom to strut around and live a little. Both of their worlds barred them from really allowing them to be themselves. Damian was given the opportunity to do so, despite it not going exactly as planned he still would look back on this trip fondly. He wanted to give the same to Adrien, if not as an apology then just as someone who understands what it’s like growing up with the expectation of perfection. Damian just hoped Adrien would have the courage to take advantage of it.

If not for himself, then for the people of Paris. A heartbroken and depressed Cat Noir would be of no use to Paris or Ladybug. Damian was avoiding a possible liability, but he was still avoiding her. Opening the door to the main computer hub, he was surprised when Markov immediately started pulling on his collar, “We have a feeling you might want to take a look at this.”

*******************************************************************************************

Question: Should I start posting my Maribat Hunger Games AU on Tumblr as well?

Let me know alongside thoughts on the chapter!

Thank you for being patient and enjoying the lastest chapter of Seabourne Burnouts!

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