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lala-ladybug · 1 year

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Healing Hands: Ch 14

Jasonette Sword Art Online AU

Read here on AO3

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Chapter 14: Oh Maribug, what are we going to do with you?

Sleeping by Jason’s side was the best sleep Marinette had gotten all game. No nightmares, no waking up scared for herself or her friends. Well, she did wake up a blushing, nervous mess once she realized where she was, that is until Jason rolled over. She’d had to stifle her giggles at his incredibly adorable bedhead so as to not wake him. Then the morning light streaming in through the skylight made her actually feel... relaxed for once. There was something about that little cabin that helped her forget her persistent urge to beat the game. It pushed down the feeling of guilt for taking time for herself. It was hard to leave in the morning, and not just because the cozy pile of blankets appealed to her bug-like sensibilities.

The next week had her lying awake at night in her own bed, missing his warmth and the stories they shared. And the lack of nightmares. Luka had stopped joining her for late-night tea, but her subconscious hadn’t yet moved on. It didn’t take long for her to message Jason about tackling the next level. She’d need to buy some new gear for it though, there was no way she was going to be caught unprepared like last time.

But first she had to navigate the den of wolves that was her friends.

“Where are you going, Marinette,” Kagami asked sharply. The girl in question paused before the door, her hand raised to open it. She reminded herself that they were very caring wolves. But wolves nonetheless.

“They just beat level 67, I need new gear if I’m going to help clear out the next one in a few days,” she spoke without turning to look her friends in the eye.

Chloe and Adrien exchanged a worried glance. “Then give us a few minutes to get our stuff together, we’ll go with you,” Adrien caught Marinette’s arm gently and gave her a pleading look.

She didn’t quite look at his face as she forced a smile and replied, “No, you should all rest. It’s not a big deal, I’ll be back before you know it!”

Luka furrowed his brow and frowned when he heard the discordant notes in her song. It most certainly was a big deal, and Chloe said as much when Marinette went to open the door again.

Marinette sighed and finally turned to face them. “Seriously Chlo, it’s okay. I haven’t actually been getting that much sleep here, so I might as well do something useful if I’m going to be awake anyway.”

They hadn’t known about that, judging by their even more worried expressions at that statement. Good thing she hadn’t divulged the reasons why. They didn’t know about the nightmares that had been plaguing her even since before the beginning of the game. Adrien opened his mouth to protest again before Marinette cut him off.

“Look, I told Jason I’d meet him at the end of 67, so I won’t be going alone. I know you guys don’t like me spending time with him,” she held up her hands to placate their skeptical and outraged faces, “but we can trust him to have my back. I’m sure of it.”

Luka spoke up, “Mari, he’s killed other players. How can you say you trust him after that?”

Marinette fiddled with the straps of her backpack and looked down at her feet. “I told you that was a misunderstanding. Plus I don’t know how to describe it, but we just... get each other, you know?” She stopped fidgeting and squarely stood her ground, looking each member of her order in the eye. “Now I’m going whether you like it or not. I’ll be back tonight to prep and then I’ll head out in a few days.” She added, decisively, “Alone.”

She left and the door closed with a loud click that had a sense of finality to it. The Order stood in stunned and concerned silence until the door opened again, not a minute later. They all assumed defensive stances until they saw Marinette’s signature awkward grin as she poked her head around the door.

“Forgot my arrows,” she said sheepishly, then grabbed the quiver laying on a table and left once more.

Adrien heaved a heavy sigh. “Oh Maribug, what are we going to do with you?”

* * *

Marinette jauntily swung a basket from the crook of her elbow. It didn’t matter that whatever she purchased from the bustling market would automatically go into her inventory, it was the aesthetic that counted. She was currently parsing through different fabrics, having finally picked up the courage to try getting into the clothing design aspect of Mindscape. There was only so much she could do with Alchemy, which relied on objects that already exist. For a while, it was as close to creation as she dared go, but recently she’d been feeling more like herself and was finally ready to dust off her old hobbies.

Especially if they could help her protect the people she cared about.

She was comparing two fabric swatches and could tell the shopkeeper was getting impatient. Deciding to get both of them seemed to placate him, and she backed out of the shop with a smile.

Until she ran into someone, that is.

“Oh my gosh, I am so sorry--”

“Are you alright? I wasn’t paying attention to--”

The two dark-haired girls apologized simultaneously, then paused to giggle.

“I’m fine, thank you,” the taller girl placed her hand gently on Marinette’s shoulder.

“Me too, I’m so sorry, again,” she paused for a moment. “Wait, don’t I know you...?”

The taller girl blinked in surprise, then lit up with recognition. “Of course, you’re Jason’s girlfriend! I don’t know if you remember me, but I’m Zatanna, we met in that cooking class you do every few weeks.”

Now that they were talking, Marinette did remember her but she’d called her Jason’s.... She thought she might explode from being called that of all things. She immediately started flailing her arms and stammering desperately.

“Oh, we’re not like that you see, he doesn’t-- I mean we don’t, well, it’s not!” she hid her fiercely blushing face in her hands and finished lamely, “I think you have the wrong idea....”

Zatanna laughed. “Sorry, sorry. My mistake, I didn’t mean anything by it.”

Marinette risked a glance in between her fingers and decided the apology was genuine.

“So, what’s our local Cooking Mama doing in the clothing boutique district? Cute basket, by the way.”

The reference was lost on her, but Marinette replied, “Thank you! I’m actually going to try my hand at creating armor. Clothing design was something I enjoyed in the real world, but it’s been, ah, difficult to want to get back into it here.” She gave a bashful smile.

“Oh wow, no kidding? That sounds amazing!” Zatanna enthused as they made their way to a nearby bench. “Any special occasion?”

“Just trying to keep everyone safe,” Marinette shrugged nonchalantly as if it wasn’t her whole life’s purpose.

“Hear hear,” she replied emphatically. “I’m so glad those enchanted potions I gave Jason helped you guys out in that last level.”

Marinette paused, surprised. She’d completely forgotten to ask Jason where those water-breathing potions had come from. “Wait, you made those?” she asked.

“None other!” Zatanna gave a mock bow. “I’ve been outfitting our guild with enchanted goodies pretty much since day one,” she laughed a little to herself.

“Now that is an amazing talent! I can’t believe that you can make such cool potions like that,” she grinned.

Zatanna looked around, then leaned in and whispered conspiratorially, “That’s not all I can do.”

Marinette, who had leaned forward as well, arched a playful eyebrow.

“Have you ever wanted to learn how to enchant armor?”

* * *

It was several hours later that Marinette and Zatanna were found laughing away in the latter’s custom forge. Marinette had never been to the Rocky Road guild house before, so Zatanna gave her a tour. It was a sprawling complex with a courtyard and had rooms, areas, and even entire buildings devoted to everything any of their members could possibly need.

She was introduced to a few of the people who were there. Some she recognized from the cooking class-- she found out their names were Wally and Artemis-- but most she didn’t know. While the tour was lovely, especially with her host, she was most intrigued by the two dark-haired boys that Zatanna gave her meaningful looks over.

Jason’s oh-so-despised brothers, it seems.

Tim was in the study, a veritable library with two-story-tall shelves packed to the brim. He was reading voraciously out of several books at a time and scribbling notes in the worst chicken scratch she’d ever seen. He barely reacted to them being there until Marinette introduced herself by name, then he was all ears. And eyes. Man, that guy had an intense stare. She could practically hear him analyzing her in his head, though she had no idea what conclusion he’d reached until Zatanna led them out into the courtyard and said he’d liked her.

There they met Jason’s older brother Dick, training with a hulk of a boy named Connor and a lean girl named Cassie. They were all really nice, and Marinette felt an instant connection. She even thought she might remember Connor from her cooking classes.

Dick was immensely pleased to know Jason had actually referred to himself and Tim as his brothers. She actually thought he was on the verge of tears, that is until Cassie tried to sneak in an attack on him with a kick to the legs and he had to flip to avoid it.

Marinette’s eyebrows rose to her hairline watching them spar. Dick almost seemed to float through the air, spinning and jumping around his opponent. He was clearly very practiced, and she was impressed.

Zatanna didn’t let her watch for long before steering them to the forge where she finally began teaching Marinette all she knew about enchanting. While it was possible to enchant pre-made armor, she said, it was much easier and more potent to imbue the metal while it was still molten.

With surprising strength, Zatanna showed her how to hammer and shape the pieces. It was much more difficult than she was expecting even with the abbreviated actions common to the game, but her new friend insisted she was a natural.

They were soon joined by a red-haired boy with a seemingly permanent scowl. Zatanna introduced him as Roy, which he acknowledged with a grunt. He was working on a warhammer, melting new steel into the cracks it had sustained from use. He came over to watch once Marinette returned from changing into a sleeveless shirt to hammer away at her own metal.

Zatanna guided Marinette through creating a set of armor entirely from scratch. They’d used some existing molds from a set she’d made before, one for Zatanna’s friend Jaime that they thought might fit Adrien. Roy gave tips here and there on the metalworking side of things, and Zatanna provided her expertise with the enchantments.

Several sweaty hours later, they were proudly brandishing a brand new set of full armor. It had several defensive enchantments detectable only in a faint, pulsating glow emanating from within the inlays of the armor’s decorative designs.

“I wonder if the same technique could be used on fabric while I sew....” Marinette wondered aloud.

“Oh we’re going to be best friends,” Zatanna grinned at her ingenuity.

They were still laughing and chatting later when Jason finally made it back from level grinding. Apparently he stopped by nearly every day before leaving again “once he got sick of them.” Marinette had stopped her work to take a dinner break at some point, having missed lunch while out shopping. And so Jason found the two girls, Dick, and Roy sitting at the breakfast bar without a care in the world, chatting over several plates of Marinette’s home-baked salmon.

“Oh hey Jaybird, you’ve got to try this! Mari’s an amazing cook,” Dick reached over to ruffle her hair, much to her annoyance.

“I know,” Jason grumbled in response, grabbing a plate and dishing himself a portion. “I was hoping to keep her away from you vultures.”

“Aw, is somebody jealous?” Roy pouted teasingly at him.

Jason stood over where Marinette was perched on a stool and placed his plate next to hers, proceeding to eat over her head. “I’ve never been jealous a day in my life.”

Dick snorted at that. “Tell that to Timmy,” he scoffed.

“‘B, he took my spot, make him stop!’” Roy mocked in falsetto, “‘That replacement could never be me.’”

Marinette peered up at her friend, catching him wince slightly at the dig.

“Whatever, we’re past that.”

Noticing Jason’s reaction, Dick shot Roy a sharp look and agreed in a low voice, “Leave it.”

“So what are you doing here Pixie?” Jason asked before helping himself to another forkful over her head. As fond as she was of their closeness, she really hoped he wouldn’t spill any of the dill sauce on her hair.

“Zatanna showed me how to enchant stuff! I made a set of armor for Adrien, but I’m really excited to try working it into clothing too.” She felt herself start to bounce in her seat but couldn’t bring herself to care. “She even said I’m welcome to come over and work in the forge any time I want!”

Jason groaned and she whipped around to glare at him. “And who let you be friends?” He asked.

“Technically, you did,” Zatanna mused. “You are the one who convinced her to set up those cooking classes, right?”

“My own worst enemy yet again,” he muttered in response.

Marinette giggled. The poor baby.

She stayed and chatted for a while longer, but as the sky began to darken, she excused herself to go back to her own guild so her friends wouldn’t send out search parties en masse.

Jason waved goodbye to her as she used the teleport crystal, and she held in a laugh at the playful punch and thumbs up he got from Roy as she returned the gesture.

When she returned to her own guild house, she was met with her Order standing watch. She gifted Adrien his new armor, which seemed to pacify him momentarily as he animatedly admired it, but she knew she wasn’t out of the woods with the rest of them.

“Will you please talk to us?” Chloe asked earnestly. Marinette winced at that. If Chloe was the one using the magic word, she had to be seriously worrying her friends. Maybe it was finally time to do this. Gods know they wouldn’t leave her alone until they talked. Plus the whole “doing everything on her own” thing wasn’t exactly sustainable. The first time she’d met Jason, when he rescued her in the snow, proved that.

“Okay,” she acquiesced reluctantly. “Can we sit?”

Luka nodded and they all gathered on the couches by the fireplace.

Marinette sighed. This talk was a long time coming, but she wasn’t ready for things to change. She knew it was stupid to just do it all herself, but.... She wasn’t ready to watch her friends get hurt all over again. She kept her gaze stubbornly on a very interesting spot on the floor.

“Look, I can’t shake my instincts from home,” she began, knowing they’d catch her meaning. “I need to get everyone out as fast as possible so things can go back to normal.”

“Marinette,” Kagami began in a tone that indicated she wouldn’t like whatever came next. “We all feel the same way. But the rest of us are not blowing each other off and running headlong into danger.”

“With a stranger, no less,” Luka added.

Adrien chimed in, “You need us as much as we need you. What happened to working together? The Order you made?”

“Okay! I get it,” Marinette raised her hands in surrender. “This doesn’t need to be an intervention. Can we please just have a conversation?”

“Fine. Why haven’t we seen you since level thirteen?” Adrien crossed her arms.

“You see me every day,” Marinette rolled her eyes.

“At breakfast and dinner, if that,” Luka said evenly.

“I’m busy helping at the front lines!”

“With Jason, but not us?” Kagami asked.

“He’s been... he’s different.”

Chloe, who had been quiet for some time, burst out tearfully, “Why can’t you look at me?”

Marinette bit her lip. “I... I can’t see you get hurt like that again.” Her voice cracked. She thought her heart might join it.

Chloe reached for her hands and Marinette tried to control the shaking.

“Dupain-Cheng, do you think you’re the only one who cares? The only one here who wants to save everyone and go home?”

Marinette finally raised her eyes to meet her friend’s and felt her heart clench at the tears he saw in them. “Of course not,” she whispered, not trusting her voice to be any louder than that.

Adrien knelt on the floor in front of her and placed his hands over theirs. “Then let us help you. Please.”

That was all it took for her to break.

She told them of her nightmares and fears. How she had started adventuring with Jason because she didn’t know him and she’d convinced herself that it would make it easier to handle if he got hurt. How she’d realized too late that she’d grown to care for him, but he insisted he was going to keep fighting at the front lines anyway, so she had to stick with him. That earned a facepalm from Adrien, who grumbled that they should have done the same.

Marinette gave a watery chuckle. She really was being silly, wasn’t she? Strength in numbers was everything back in Paris, why wouldn’t it be the same here? Half of the wonderful people surrounding her joined the Order because she couldn’t do it alone. And she’d never been alone, she’d always had Adrien by her side. She squeezed his hand with a small, grateful smile.

She wiped at her damp eyes. “Oh, there was something... else I almost forgot,” she began nervously. Her friends nodded and gestured for her to go on.

“There was one time where Jason almost died. I mean, he had one HP left. I was so terrified I dropped all the healing potions and they broke. But then I reached out my hands and... I accidentally might have healed him?” She finished nervously.

“With Alchemy?” Adrien prompted.

“No,” Marinette bit her lip. “It was more like... like creation magic.”

Her friends stared at her, quiet in thought.

“...Have any of you had that?” she asked them, but she knew the answer from the bemused look in their eyes.

“I looked into in-game healing mechanics, but I couldn’t find anything even close to what happened. What I did,” she heaved a sigh.

“Hey, whatever it was, we’ll figure it out together,” Adrien squeezed her hand back.

Luka tapped his chin thoughtfully. “Maybe it was out of desperation at the situation,” he mused, “like those rare circumstances where mothers get an adrenaline rush and can lift a car to save their child.”

“You do seem to care an awful lot about Jason,” Chloe smirked playfully. Marinette blushed profusely, too tired to deny anything by this point.

“We can set out researching it in the morning,” Kagami reasoned, carefully layering blankets over the others on the couch. “It’s late and we need our rest.”

Marinette was indeed yawning. It would be difficult to swallow back her reservations in the morning, but for now, it was enough to be surrounded by people who loved her. And surround her they did, in a tangle of limbs and floppy hair buried beneath a mound of pillows and blankets on the couches of their living room.

Her eyelids were heavy from crying. She barely stayed conscious enough to lift her head for Luka to place a pillow beneath it. Her friends-- her court, her Order-- only let her drift off into sleep with the assurance that this conversation was not over until they had fixed things for the future.

She supposed she had bigger problems than her friends caring about her.

* * *

A few days after Marinette visited his guild, Jason was surprised to find a package delivered to the doorstep of his cottage. He narrowed his eyes suspiciously, knowing that nobody knew where he lived--

Well, almost nobody.

He gingerly unfolded the card tucked into the top of the wrapping to reveal a flowing script that read, Something to keep you safe. -M. The back stated, P.S. It’s time for you to meet my friends. They insist.

He smiled as he opened the rest of the package, no longer apprehensive but instead excited, and found a striking set of armor with neatly folded clothes to wear underneath it. The armor was a deep maroon with black accents that seemed to pulse with life. The sturdy black undershirt and pants were light and breathable but thick, with shimmering gold detailing the seams and delicate runes stitched into the fabric.

In other words, it was fucking sick.

And he knew exactly who he had to thank for it.

#healing hands #jasonette #sword art online au #virtual reality #maribat #maribat fics #batfam #batfam fics #jasonette fics

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lala-ladybug · 2 years

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Healing Hands: Ch 13

Jasonette Sword Art Online AU

Read here on AO3

“Hey, wait for me!” Marinette shouted, jogging up to where Jason stood in front of a doorway. It contained an opaque, swirling portal of blue that cast him in an unfairly gorgeous light.

He turned to her with a crooked smile, which seemed to be his signature look. She tried very hard to ignore the fluttering feeling it had started eliciting.

“Hey,” she said breathlessly upon catching up to him. “Sorry I’m late, but I did bring breakfast!” She offered him a large eclair wrapped in a napkin.

He took it from her hands, seemingly unaffected by the sparks she felt as their fingers brushed. “No worries Pix, I only just got here myself.” He bit into the pastry and closed his eyes.

“God, you really do not fucking disappoint,” he practically moaned.

She beamed at his praise, pleased her friend (just a friend, thank you very much) was enjoying it, and started eating the one she’d brought for herself. “So,” she began with a mouth full of custard, “just scouting, right?”

Jason held up a three-fingered salute. “Scout’s honor,” he replied. “Did you read up on the area or get a good night’s sleep like I told you to?”

Marinette rolled her eyes. “I went to bed when you told me to,” she grumbled. “So lead on, tough guy. You know more about this level than I do.” She gestured to the portal before them as they finished the last bites of their pastries.

“Ladies first,” he gave her a half-bow, grinning all the while.

She sighed and stepped in front of him, drawing her bow. “As you wish,” she smirked, and disappeared through the doorway.

* * *

Marinette’s first thought was this level was so bright, as she blinked to let her eyes adjust. The next thought was abruptly cut off as she took in the scenery. She dimly registered the sound of Jason stepping through the portal behind her.

They stood on an island littered with stones, surrounded by a sparkling ocean. Wooden bridges criss-crossed over to other small pieces of land, but this level had to be more than three-quarters water. The sunlight reflected cheerfully off the gentle waves, but Marinette suddenly felt very cold.

Her hands, beginning to tremble, feeling very far away. The clatter of her bow falling from her grip sounded muffled as the ringing in her ears took over. She quickly blinked away flashes of Paris, drowned, quiet, empty, but not fast enough as her breathing came more and more rapidly.

She felt no pain as she fell to her knees, and only noticed it happened because her worldview had changed, bringing her closer to the water, the water, the blood-soaked water.

The memories, real and dreamt, came flooding in, flooding as Paris had, as her friends had been swept away, the whole world drowned in a single day. Her chest felt so small, so tight, like a fist was clenching her heart and lungs as she found it harder and harder to just breathe.

How could she? How could she take breaths when her friends no longer could? The waves were growing larger by the minute, threatening to swallow her whole. But she couldn’t tear her gaze away from them, not for an instant. She would not look away again, she deserved to face it, to watch the consequences of her failures, the deaths of everyone she cared about and innocents she didn’t even know. She had no right to look away, not when it was all her fault, and the largest wave yet was about to overtake her and by Kwami she was going to let it--

Her vision was interrupted by the bluest eyes she’d ever seen. She still stared, unblinking and numb, straight ahead, so the eyes lowered themselves to meet her own. She saw a nose next, large and slightly crooked, then worried eyebrows that sat above those blue, blue, blue eyes. Faint dimples, moving as silent lips formed words she could not hear. The ringing in her ears was too loud, she thought distantly. Those were such lovely lips, it was a shame to not hear what they had to say.

With enormous effort, she blinked, and the spell started to break. To her surprise, her eyelashes were wet, and as she blinked once more, she began to feel tear stains down her face. When had she started crying?

The ringing began to dissipate, slowly allowing in sounds from the world around her. Gulls wheeling high above, waves gently lapping at the rocks, and a voice. A deep, lovely voice, calling to her.

* * *

Jason absolutely let Marinette go through the portal first because he was a gentleman, not because he enjoyed the view. Or so he would say, if anyone asked him, which no one ever would.

But as he followed her through the portal, he watched as she dropped her weapon and collapsed as if struck. He looked around for any danger, something that could be the source of her reaction, but saw nothing. So why was she....

He rushed to her side, grabbing her shoulder as gently as he could while trying to stifle his panic.

“Marinette?” He called to her. She didn’t seem to notice. Her eyes were fixed forward, blankly staring at the waters. As he watched with increasing concern, her breaths started to come in quick little gasps, and tears began to spill from her eyes.

“Marinette, can you hear me?” He knelt by her side and gripped her shoulder harder than he’d ever like to, but there was still no reaction. Fuck, he had to do something to snap her out of it.

He awkwardly shuffled until he was in front of her, then sat down to level his eyes with hers. He looked at her pleadingly. “Come on, Marinette.”

Her faraway stare started to move ever so slightly, taking in little details of his face. Her shallow breathing was barely audible over the gentle lapping of the waves behind him.

“That’s it, Mari. Come back to me,” he pleaded with her. “You can do this, just focus on me.” She didn’t seem to hear a damn thing coming out of his mouth, but he kept talking. “I care about you a lot, Pix, more than I ever expected to care about anyone. I am not about to lose you. You are so good and kind, you’re selfless and beautiful, not to mention completely badass, I mean how was I not expected to fall for you?”

“I don’t... I don’t deserve you,” his voice broke a little. “No one does. But I am trying to be better, and you inspire me to try even harder. You fix things, Marinette, that’s what you do, it’s who you are. I’m pretty messed up, so maybe you can....” Jason trailed off. This wasn’t about him.

“Look at me, Pixie.” She was blinking now, that was good. “Just breathe, okay? Come on Marinette, you can do this. Breathe with me,” and he took an exaggeratedly deep breath in. She blinked a few more times. She hadn’t moved, but her eyes were still slowly roaming his face. Right now, they were lingering on his lips.

“Aw fuck, Pix, you’re gonna kill me,” he said weakly, trying to lighten the gravity of his revelations. They’d laugh about this later, he knew it, but first he had to get her through this. “C’mon, breathe.”

She eventually followed his example and began breathing with him. Her hands twitched, and then they were moving, grasping at his chest.

He pulled her into a hug, guiding her head so she’d be buried in him instead of looking at the water, since that’s what had started... whatever she’d gone through. She kept breathing evenly and nestled herself even further into his hold.

He looked down and had to stop himself from kissing the top of her head and just hold her instead. They would talk when she was ready. She was so small in his arms, but she smelled so lovely. He wondered if this is what she’d smell like outside of the game, too.

Eventually, she began to pull away from him, wiping at her eyes. She started to speak in a very small voice, “I’m--”

“If the next word out of your mouth was going to be ‘sorry,’ you have nothing to be sorry about,” Jason interrupted her.

Marinette gave a dry laugh. “How about thank you, then?” She offered him a weak smile, hands still resting on his chest. He barely felt their weight.

“You’re very welcome,” he smiled softly at her. “Do you want to talk about it? I won’t force you to, but I’m happy to listen.”

She sighed, “Not today.” She looked so tired. “But soon. Is that okay?”

“Of course it is.” Jason knew a thing or two about needing time to process stuff. His overbearing brothers wouldn’t give him the space to do it, and he’d damn well fight anyone who dared do the same to her. “Think you’re ready to stand up?”

She nodded, moving her hands to meet his as he helped them both to their feet. He regretfully let her warm hands go once they stood up. Was the beach always this cold?

“Do you still want to do recon? We can always go home, grab some tea or go shopping for new cloaks,” he offered, retrieving her bow and handing it to her. He didn’t miss the quick glance she’d given at his familiarity with the idea of reconnaissance, and mentally cursed at the slip-up.

“No,” she said steadily, taking the bow and nocking a precautionary arrow. “I think I need to let off some steam now.” Glancing at their surroundings, she winced, “No pun intended.”

He huffed a laugh. Beautiful and funny, lest she let him forget. “Alright Pixie, lead the way.”

The bridges connecting each island were sturdy, hardly even creaking as they moved across. Most islands were pretty quiet. There were some seagulls circling above and they saw the backs of some dolphins in the distance a few times, but it wasn’t until a few miles in that they found any NPCs.

A colorful, floating trading market bustled with activity. As they got closer, it was clearer to see that the stalls were partially submerged, barnacles showing when they rose above the water, to accommodate the finned NPCs. Mermaids and manatees, sharks and starfish, there were dozens of aquatic creatures dipping between the stalls. Some sunned themselves on the island or the central dock the stalls were tied to, some haggled for the price of shells, fish, and other treasures.

It was so fucking weird.

Marinette seemed delighted about it though and bounced up to one of the vendors selling sushi. She bought several rolls from the aged merman, and came back to Jason with a huge grin on her face. “Lunch!” she proclaimed proudly. You’d never know she had staved off a panic attack just a few hours beforehand.

“Looks great, thanks Mari,” he dug in. He was never a huge fan of seafood, but he was starving after all the walking they’d done. He was either really hungry or this was the best sushi he’d ever had, because it was gone within minutes.

They continued walking past the market, passing by several more similarly structured “villages” on their way. They had yet to see any monsters though, which was concerning.

“Don’t you think it’s weird we haven’t run into anything unpleasant?” Marinette asked him a few minutes after he’d come to the same conclusion. He nodded. “Maybe we should ask the next NPCs we see about it,” she mused, mostly to herself.

That wasn’t a bad idea, Jason conceded. He was starting to warm up to the concept of NPCs, especially after they’d built his new house. God, he was so excited to sleep under the stars.

It wasn’t long before they ran into a family of mer... sharks? They were mermaids with shark fins. Whatever, they seemed nice enough.

“Excuse me!” Marinette ran up to them with a friendly wave. Jason sheathed his sword and followed suit. “Do you folks know if there are any dungeons or hostile mobs around here?”

They looked at each other and shook their heads. “There’s only one place with bad guys around here, miss,” the younger boy piped up. “And it’s really bad. Papa says that’s over to the south, which is why we aren’t allowed to swim there.” The boy’s mother smiled down at him proudly.

“He’s right, we’re not aware of anything else troubling our waters, dear,” she spoke kindly to Marinette, who nodded her thanks.

“Well?” She asked Jason as they walked out of earshot of the little family. “Wanna go see what that’s all about?”

He cocked an eyebrow at her. “Oh, I’m definitely game. Are you sure you’re up for it?” He asked as gently as he could. “I don’t want to see you get hurt.”

She flushed at his last remark and stuttered back, “I-I’m fine. Really. If it’s the boss, we should at least see what we’re up against here and report back.” Well, she sounded determined enough.

“Lead on,” Jason said, knowing they’d walk side by side the whole time.

* * *

Marinette was fine. Really. If anyone asked her, which they would, she was fine. She was not pissed as hell, nor was she itching for a fight. No, those would be the irrational reactions of someone who had been unfortunate enough to live in Paris for the latter half of their formative years. She was, in fact, perfectly calm and not at all two seconds away from cutting anything that moved into ribbons.

Luckily Jason didn’t ask her about any of those things, because she was a terrible liar. Small fibs were plausible, yes, and avoidance was practically her middle name, but when it came to emotions.... Well, Hawkmoth had already proven the complexity of human emotion, hadn’t he? Repeatedly?

Great, and now she was anxious and angry and even more inclined to rush to the end of this stupid hell of a video game because Kwami knows what the hell was happening to her city while she was stuck in here wasting time.

Jason held out an arm, peering closely at something behind her. She froze, grinding her internal spiral to a halt. They were crossing a bridge between islands at the moment, lazily heaving waves surrounding them.

“Don’t move,” he said quietly, slowly moving his hand to reach behind his cloak. She swallowed against the blinding hot sunset, its rays baking the back of her head. What had he seen?

She nearly fell off into the water as Jason whipped out his index reader and snapped a picture of her. She glared at him in shock for a few moments before throwing her hands in the air and exclaiming, “What the hell?”

He grinned and showed her the screen. It showed her in the foreground, slightly windswept dark hair and blue eyes lit up by the oranges and yellows of the sunset behind her. The waves were slightly out of focus but added their own charm with sun-touched peaks painted all the way to the horizon. The quality was so good, she could count her freckles if she wanted. She looked... she looked beautiful.

“Sorry to spook you, I thought the view was worth it,” he explained with a glint in his eye.

“Oh, I... well, th-thank you,” Marinette stammered out. “The sky, it looks so stunning. How did you even notice it?” She tried to change the subject.

He gave her a bemused look. “How could you not?” He swept his arm around. “It’s all around us. You just have to open your eyes.”

Her eyes were open, she wanted to protest. Her mind was just... on other things. And besides, she didn’t exactly have time to smell the roses. As they continued on though, she let herself look around. For potential dangers, of course. One can never be too careful.

All thoughts of danger soon melted away. Jason was right, the sky and the ocean met in a beautiful, flowing landscape hewn of pure gold. The blues and deep indigos of the water had the most perfect contrast against the gilded reflection of the dying sun. Sparse clouds in the sky caught the last few rays of light, floating orange and serene over the waves. And as they walked southward, she snuck in some glances of her companion.

The contours of Jason’s face were bathed in golden light. It caught the facets of his eyes in a way that looked startlingly like the ocean beside them. His black hair looked honey-brown with the light shining through it, and the streak of white at the front gleamed. She hoped the blush on her face could be attributed to the heat of the sun beating down on them.

Then movement caught the corner of her eye. She stopped, tugging Jason’s sleeve to tell him to do the same. She gave him a serious look and jerked her chin, urging him to look behind him. But whatever had caught her eye was gone.

He turned back around with a cocky smile on his face. “Pixie, if you wanted a picture of me, you just had to ask,” and he struck a ridiculous pose, pursing his lips in a way that almost made her laugh.

But she was so sure he’d seen... something.

They kept walking, mostly keeping quiet now just in case whatever that was came back. The sky darkened slowly, bringing with it a sleepy twilight. There were lanterns atop lamp posts interspersed throughout the bridges and islands that came alive of their own accord. Memories of a brightly lit Seine warmed her even as a cool breeze brushed them by. It made her heart ache.

Jason’s sharp inhale brought her back to the present, his eyes focused on the open water in front of them. She followed his line of sight and squinted, seeing the same faint movement as before. As soon as it became clear enough for her to almost discern what the shape was, it began fading away again. Why wouldn’t her eyes focus? Stupid twilight.

“That’s weird,” Jason muttered. Marinette looked at him with concern. From their friendly shoot-offs, she knew his vision was much better than hers, even in the Mindscape.

“What is it? I can’t seem to focus on it,” Marinette huffed frustratedly.

He folded his arms. “It’s too far for me to make it too, but it looks like it’s close to the next island.”

She frowned. Maybe the lighting wasn’t helping them see it clearly. Looking up at the sky, there were wispy clouds drifting over the half-moon. Heavier ones lurked on the horizon, bringing the promise of rain later in the night. Well, that certainly wouldn’t help.

“Let’s get a closer look,” she said, taking off in a jog before he could protest.

The bridge they were on led up to the dead-end island. It was the first they’d seen, all the other ones were connected to at least two bridges, usually more. That did not bode well.

As they approached the edge of the island, Marinette started being able to make out the shape more. It had spikes protruding from a large mass semi-submerged in the water. As she watched, the spikes collapsed and expanded into billowing... sheets?

A boat, she realized in the sudden clarity of the moonlight. It was a huge ship moored barely a mile off the shore. It had just unfurled its sails and started to turn away from them, which was either very relieving or extremely worrying.

It turned out to be the latter as she and Jason hit the ground, cannonballs spraying the sand around them. The sound echoed across the water, and he winced as he met Marinette’s eyes.

As the cannons stopped firing, she used two fingers to point towards the water, indicating they start swimming quietly to the ship. Before she could turn to take off, Jason pressed a potion bottle into her hand. She raised an eyebrow at him, but he only winked and gestured for her to follow as he ran to the water.

After watching him pull the cork off the bottle with his teeth and chug the whole thing, she rolled her eyes and did the same. Marinette took a deep breath before diving in after him, the dark waves swallowing their bright colors.

In the darkness, Jason grabbed her hand and guided it gently to her throat. He tapped twice, but what did that mean? She treaded water next to him, staying beneath the surface. She saw his mouth open in the dimness and intake a huge amount of water.

Panic began to grip her, she needed to get him up to the surface now.

He resisted though, taking in another mouthful of water. Then he motioned at her to do the same. She would have to take a breath at some point....

She shook her head, she wouldn’t do that. She couldn’t.

He pulled out the empty potion bottle and shook it at her, taking her hand again. She really needed to breathe soon. Another squeeze from his hand.

Alright.

She closed her eyes and breathed.

And she didn’t drown.

One more breath.

Another.

A small smile spread across her face and she squeezed Jason’s hand back. Okay, unfriendly ship. Game on.

* * *

Jason was incredibly relieved he’d packed the water-breathing potions. Zatanna had insisted, and he supposed he should thank her when they got out of this. If they got out of this. Breathing while being entirely submerged made the whole “reliving his reliving” thing more bearable.

Marinette was a strong swimmer, once she got over the whole “breathing underwater” thing. She could keep up with him, which was certainly something. They were nearly at the ship already, its rotting hull looming over them in the murky waters.

They circled around it, looking for a way up. Marinette pulled them towards the chain of the anchor resting far below them. He reluctantly put a hand on it and grimaced at the slimy texture. That’s going to leave a stain. Delicious.

They began to swim upwards, using the chain as a guide. They breached the surface as quietly as possible, remaining submerged beneath their chins. Jason blinked the water out of his eyes, choosing to look away from the way Marinette’s sopping hair framed her eyes or how it billowed out under the waves.

No, he was absolutely not staring at those things.

They began to climb, Marinette first. They equipped the cloaks she’d made for them when they’d fought the player killing guild, so once they neared the top they just had to pull the hoods over their heads.

Jason gave Marinette a head start after she’d pulled her hood up, so he wouldn’t run into her by mistake. That would be just his fucking luck.

He crested the top of the ship, perching catlike on the wooden railing as he took in the scene. Lit by the light of the moon were a little over two dozen pirates. They looked slightly worse for wear, he thought before seeing straight through the bullet holes riddling one larger dude. Okay, maybe really worse for fucking wear. They took turns stabbing each other-- for practice? he wondered-- and conversations of murders past drifted down from the crows nest towering above the sails. Even the deckhands rushing about looked mean.

He nearly jumped out of his skin when a hand rested on his, but it must have just been Marinette. Or some other invisible asshole. Nah, it was too small and gentle to be anyone but her.

He swallowed the butterflies threatening to erupt in his stomach as the hand led him to a spot behind some barrels. None of the crew were nearby, so they could strategize what to do.

“Did you notice the captain?” she asked under her breath.

He did not.

Taking another look around the ship, he spotted a massive figure at the wheel arguing with one of the crew. The latter had to be at least Jason’s height, but he looked puny next to the hulking captain-- judging by his very fancy, very feathered, very cliche pirate’s hat. The captain turned to face the rest of the ship and Jason caught a glimpse of his face. It looked like portions of his skin had been burned or eaten away, revealing the grinning skull beneath. Fucking nasty.

“So what do we want to do about Ugly and his friends?” Jason said in a low voice.

Silence for a moment.

Then, “Let’s kick their asses.”

* * *

“Interesting.”

A cloaked man shrouded in darkness sprawled in a chair, looking for all the world like a king surveying his domain. His eyes narrowed as they focused on the large screen in front of him. It depicted a scene where two figures, one cloaked in black and the other in red, darted around a ship. They performed admirable acrobatic feats to outmaneuver their numerous enemies.

“They seem to work quite well together, don’t you think?” The man mused.

As he watched, the smaller figure scaled the main mast and got the drop on an enormous figure sporting a tricorn, getting in several deep slashes and even severing an arm before retreating.

A glowing purple mask appeared over the man’s face. “Now now Monsieur, you’ll get your restitution in due time.”

The mask flared in intensity for a moment before the man stood up and roared, “Quiet down! I will have my revenge first.”

The mask flickered and dimmed in submission.

The man sat once more. On the screen, the two fighters were hugging, surrounded by floating gems containing the spoils from their kills. One of the ship’s sails glowed brightly in the night, a portal to the next level. “I would very much like to see if these two are capable of besting my strongest champion.... I suppose we shall have to wait for the end,” he chuckled gleefully.

* * *

“That was amazing!” Marinette laughed, shoving Jason’s arm playfully. She felt tired from the exertion of the battle, but it was what she needed. The rain that had started near the end cooled them both.

“No, you were amazing,” he replied with a fond smile. “Especially after earlier, I wasn’t sure if you’d even be okay going underwater....” he trailed off after seeing her face fall.

“Hey Pixie, uh, I forgot to mention it but I actually got my own place recently,” he rubbed the back of his neck. She’d almost think he felt shy if she didn’t know him better. Despite her soured mood, the thought warmed her heart.

“It’s very quiet but on a safe level. There’s a ton of windows and a couch to sleep on, plus some towels to dry off obviously, and if you need a place to go to cool down after today, I mean, if you even want to spend more time with me, not that you have to, but I--”

“Jason,” she cut him off with a gentle hand on his arm. “I would love to see it.”

He huffed a laugh and pulled out a teleportation crystal. With a raised eyebrow, he offered his elbow. She took it, thanking Tikki that it was dark enough to cover her blush, and he spoke the destination into the crystal.

A flash of light enveloped them, then all was dark again.

Jason stepped forward, guiding her as she tried to blink away the dark spots in her vision. They were on a hill surrounded by tall trees, deciduous and evergreens. A single-story cabin rose before them, a lantern lighting its doorstep.

He unlocked the door and held it open for Marinette, bringing the lantern inside with them. He locked the door behind them, but she barely heard it as she tried to contain her awe at the inside. A small gasp tumbled from her lips all the same.

It was the definition of cozy, with wooden panels lining the walls and framed trophies from their adventures. She spied the map from when they took down Cyclops together over the couch. Jason made his way to light the fireplace as she took in the small kitchen with herb bundles hanging from the ceiling. And the ceiling itself... oh, it was wonderful. There were skylights everywhere she looked, allowing in the distant light from the stars. She bet he didn’t need a lantern at all to navigate the place in the dark, but was thoughtful enough to bring one to light the way for her.

Jason stood nervously fidgeting in front of the fireplace. She quickly strode over to take his hands in hers, giving him the gentlest smile she could afford while being so, so very happy to see a place that was so him.

“It’s wonderful Jason, thank you for showing me your home,” she said, then paused as she realized how true it was. This was his home, and he had poured every ounce of detail and care into it that he possibly could.

He smiled his gratitude, then took their cloaks to steam by the fire. He showed her to what must be his bedroom. It had floor to ceiling windows displaying the woods and thick curtains to shut it out. Then he ran off back to the kitchen.

She shut the door softly behind her, still taking it all in. His bed was neatly made with a thick blue comforter, lit by another skylight above it. The only other things in the room were a chair tucked into a simple desk and a large bookshelf beside them. She ran a finger gently down the titles. It looked like a lot of classic literature, with a penchant for Shakespeare. The only item on the desk was the copy of King Lear she had mended for him, almost in a place of honor. Shaking her head to remove those hopeful and traitorous thoughts, she quickly changed into dry, comfortable clothes then joined him back in the living room.

He was heating up some stew, spiced, by its smell. It reminded her of when they first met.

“Hey,” she greeted him quietly. It took little effort to be heard in the deep silence blanketing the cottage.

“Hey!” he grinned. “Wanna hang your wet clothes up by the fire?” he offered. Marinette smiled and did so, placing them next to his own.

“I wasn’t sure if you’d be hungry, but I’m fucking starving,” he explained as he doled out a bowl and offered it to her.

She took it gladly. “Oh, now that you mention it, I think I am too. Thank you, Jason!” He made a bowl for himself then sat down at the small table with her. There were only two chairs, how perfect was that? She quashed those thoughts and hurriedly put a spoonful of stew into her mouth.

It was perfect too.

He carefully watched her for a reaction while eating his own portion, dipping in some bread before ripping off a chunk and offering it to her.

“It’s amazing,” she said with her mouth full, quick to reassure him (and prove her bad manners, she mentally facepalmed). She took the bread and dipped it into her own stew. That made it even better.

She swallowed. “Guess all those cooking classes paid off,” she joked.

“The student is only as good as his teacher,” he winked back.

She quickly trained her gaze on her bowl instead of the way his blue eyes shone in the silver starlight. Oh kwami, she was hopeless.

Jason insisted on washing their dishes by himself after they had finished eating, practically forcing her to sit on the couch and warm up by the fire. Stupid gorgeous man being a stupid thoughtful host. She was only about 60% sure she could take him in a fight, and it would likely result in a huge mess, so she let it happen.

After he finished, he joined her on the couch for a bit. They chatted a while about his books and who he had gotten to commission the house. It was peaceful, something she hadn’t felt since the game had trapped them there. But they were still trapped. And everyone was relying on her to get them out.

“This has been lovely, but I think I’m tired,” Marinette yawned and stretched her arms behind her. “Is there a blanket I can use out here?” She started looking around the couch.

“I’ll go grab it, but I’m taking the couch,” he stood up to go into his bedroom.

“Wait what?” she blurted out, standing as well. “No way, this is your house, you should sleep in your own bed.”

He laughed from the bedroom. “As if! I’m not letting a lady sleep on the couch, dumbass.”

“So which am I, a lady or a dumbass?” she challenged as he came back with a plush, plaid blanket and an extra pillow.

He contemplated the question, then leaned down to kiss the top of her head. “You can be both, Pixie.”

Her face heated up, definitely about his stubbornness and not at all about the kiss, and she retorted, “Well, I’m not taking the bed.” Very smart comeback, great job Mari!

Jason folded the couch down to form a wide, flat bed. “Then I guess we’re both sleeping on the couch,” he wiggled his eyebrows suggestively at her.

“Fine,” she crossed her arms and stalked to the bedroom. She heard a sigh of relief that was cut short when she came back with a second pillow under her arm.

She stopped just centimeters short of him and stared right into his eyes. “I guess we are,” she challenged.

He didn’t back away like she expected him to. It almost felt like he leaned in closer, but that must have her imagination. She knew he was taller than her, but standing like this made her realize he was a full head, nearly two, taller. Even though his eyes bored into hers from a foot and some change away, she never once felt like he looked down on her.

No, there was something else in his eyes. Something... more.

She chickened out first, backing away with a smirk. “Shall we?” she gestured grandly to the couch.

He blinked and the unreadable look on his face was gone, wiped away. “Ladies first,” he grumbled.

She did a mock curtsy, then fluffed the pillow and laid down on the couch, scooting to the side closest to the wall. The cushioning hardly moved as he settled in next to her. She burrowed into the blanket, thankful that it was large enough to cover both of them, and laid on her back to look up at the stars.

And avoid looking at her bed-partner’s face.

His ridiculously handsome face.

“You know, if we’re both going to stay in the same spot anyway, we should’ve just taken the damn bed.” She could hear the smile in his voice.

She groaned, “Too late now, it’s sleepy time.”

He chuckled. “Sure, sure.”

They were both too damn stubborn for their own good. She couldn’t help but think maybe that was perfect too.

There was silence for a while. Despite her claims, Marinette felt wide awake. She could feel Jason’s heat beside her, and she was having trouble relaxing being so near to him.

“Wanna hear the constellations I made up for the stars here?” he asked quietly.

A soft smile spread across her face. Why was she nervous? This was Jason, one of her best friends.

“Yeah, I do.”

#healing hands #jasonette #sword art online au #virtual reality #maribat #maribat fics #batfam #batfam fic #jasonette fic

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