itsnothappening

[itsnothappening]

this is the last time i promise

surprise!! i'm back from the dead.

also, i'm changing accounts. again. find me at @bluecha0s <3

#changing accounts #again #for the last time #i swear

[itsnothappening]

purpose | jasonette

word count: 1.3k

summary: marinette smiled sadly at him, the pads of her thumb wiping each tear away. "it wasn't by choice, darling. i never wanted to leave you. i had no choice."

a/n: i did it. i didn't think i would but i did!! i had loads of fun writing this month. thank you so much for reading my (sub-par) work, and for supporting me. love you lots!

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part 1

If Jason had been a little more sound of mind, he would have stopped for a second to consider the fact that maybe things weren't as they seemed, but the pure, unadulterated joy and happiness he felt at the thought of seeing Marinette again outweighed any remaining sense of his cautiousness. 

His slow descent into an unstable state of mind had been rapid after Marinette died—recklessly fighting with the criminals, not caring if he got killed; spending infinite days and nights looking for ways to bring Marinette back, often looking for solace at the bottom of a bottle of beer—Jason's lifestyle hadn't been healthy for a long time. 

Obviously, his family had tried—and failed—to provide him with comfort, comfort that he refused to accept because of course there was a way to bring Marinette back, don't be stupid. 

And now here it was. The precious, invaluable lace glove in front of him fluttered delicately in the dry breeze of the barren village Jason was in. Beads of sweat were just visible on his forehead and Jason's exhaustion was palpable, having not eaten for days, but none of it mattered as he followed the magic-induced glove into what he hoped—and knew—was his salvation. 

Leading him into a dense, far cooler forest, Jason was jogging now, trying to keep up with the tiny glove that was flying faster and faster now. It didn't take a genius to figure out that they were probably getting closer to Jason's goal.

His heart pounding loudly in his ears, Jason nearly dropped off the face of the planet when the lace glove came to an abrupt stop at the very edge of a jagged cliff. Bits of rock crumbled beneath Jason's boots, falling into the unnatural inky blackness below his feet. 

Jason backed away from the edge slightly, still sane enough to value his existence to some extent. "What the hell?" he murmured, sounding a lot less surprised than he actually was. Why had the glove brought him here? Where was Marinette?

Suddenly, the sky seemed a lot darker than it was a few minutes ago, clouds gathering across the setting sun and blocking its rays. It was like Jason was in some alternate world, where things were a lot more depressing than in his world. 

He stepped backwards when he saw fog begin to rise from the depths of the never-ending fall beneath his feet. What the hell was happening? Was he hallucinating or something?

If he strained his ears hard enough, Jason could hear millions—billions—of whispers, hissing all around him, words that he wasn't able to identify. Vaguely, Jason wondered whether he had finally cracked—was this his limit?

In his surprise and slight panic at the sudden change in his surroundings, it took Jason more than a few seconds to realise that the glove that had guided him here was beginning to glow, brighter and brighter, until it was a shining ball of light in the darkness that was choking Jason. 

Walking to it like a moth to a flame, in a trance, Jason felt his breathing come a little quicker as he forced himself not to panic. He was here for one reason and one reason only—Marinette, his wife, the light of his life. 

"Jason."

He jumped as he heard his voice being hissed out from somewhere, heart pounding out of his chest as the familiar dulcet tones of the love of his life ran over him. 

"Marinette?" he asked shakily, his voice cracking. "Are you here? Where are you?"

There was no answer, only the rustling of the leaves in the suddenly chilly breeze sweeping through. 

"Jason," Marinette's voice said again, haunting him. "Ma cherie."

Jason whirled around, tears filling his eyes as he looked for his wife, frantically searching for her through the dense vegetation. "Marinette, please, I don't—"

A sudden bright light engulfed the side of Jason's vision, blinding him for a few seconds before he was able to regain his sight. 

Sight blurry with tears, it took Jason a few dumbfounded moments to realise that there was a figure standing in front of him—one that he had been longing for months. 

"Jason," Marinette said, giving him that same soft smile Jason always craved. "You found me."

"I found you," he breathed, a single, lone tear trailing down his cheek as he walked to Marinette, putting a hand on her cheek gently. "You're here."

Marinette frowned at that slightly, eyes darkening. "I'm not. I'm dead Jason, and it is imperative you understand that."

Jason stumbled back as if she had slapped him. "What? How are you here then? Am I imagining you—"

"Non, my love, you are not insane," Marinette said immediately, rushing up to him, that familiar concern in her eyes. "I am just not corporeal."

"You're a ghost," Jason looked at his dead-not-dead wife with wonder in his eyes, eyes that were still unclear because of the tears. "How long—how long can you stay?"

"Not long," Marinette said, stepping closer. "I'll be see-through in the next few seconds, and in a few minutes, I'll be gone. We don't have much time."

"Why?" Jason whispered tears that were long overdue finally breaking over his cheeks. "Why did you leave me?"

Marinette smiled sadly at him, the pads of her thumb wiping each tear away. "It wasn't by choice, darling. I never wanted to leave you. I had no choice."

Jason only sobbed, tears falling hard and fast now.

"But you need to listen to me now," Marinette said, looking behind her as if someone was urging her. "You need to live Jason. You can't spend the rest of your life mourning me."

Jason looked at her with his bloodshot eyes. "But I don't want to live without you," he said, sounding much like the lost boy Marinette had met years ago. "I want you."

"But I am not the only person in your life," Marinette said gently, moving to cup his cheeks until her hands went right through him. "Merde. Jason, there are others in your life. Your brothers, your sister, your father—you have a family. One that loves you more than anything."

Jason sniffed as unbidden, memories of Dick, Tim and Damian came flying back at him. His heart clenched as he tried to remember the last time he had spoken to them—months ago. "I didn't mean to—" he said feebly, looking at Marinette for all the answers to his problems. "I just wanted you."

"And now you have me," Marinette said gently. "But now you need to let go, ma cherie. You have your entire life to live. I can't be the end of that, and you know it."

Deep down, Jason did know it. He knew his life wasn't tied to Marinette's, he knew he had so much to live for, he just... didn't want to let go. 

Marinette was becoming more and more transparent as the moments went by, and she was forcing the words out of herself faster and faster now. "Jason, you need to find a new purpose in life. Go back to your family, find someone else, just live your life."

"I—" Jason wasn't able to even get a word out before Marinette was talking again. 

"I can't stay anymore," she said, barely visible now, but her voice as clear as ever. "I love you, always and forever, ma cherie."

And then she was gone. 

Abruptly, the scene changed, clouds disappearing and the rays of the setting sun hitting Jason once more. Jason open and closed his mouth as he finally settled on whispering, "I love you too."

Behind him, the lace glove that led him here, that led him to his salvation, fluttered to the leafy ground below, lying down, white material a little worse for the wear, but still there. 

#jasonette july 2022 #jasonette #jason x marinette #marinette x jason #jason todd #marinette dupain cheng #maribat #mlb x dc #dc x mlb #angst #the tiniest bit of comfort

[itsnothappening]

free / forget | jasonette

word count: +1.6k

summary: "i didn't do it on purpose," he insisted, waving his hands wildly as he did when he was aggravated. "it just happened."

a/n: i had way too much fun writing this.

@maribat-calendar-events

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part 1

i. 

"So," Marinette said, suddenly sounding very agreeable. "What exactly are your plans?"

Jason, who was still rubbing his aching jaw—because damn could that woman throw a punch—looked at her with confusion. "What?"

Rolling her eyes now, Marinette turned to him fully, dagger from before nowhere in sight. That did nothing to comfort Jason, by the way. "What exactly are you going to do now?" Marinette asked again. "You're stuck in the 'mortal' world."

Oh. Right. In all the drama of finding the actual Guardian of the Miraculous and realising that—to some extent—he still had his godly powers, Jason had completely forgotten where and why he was where he was. 

"Well," he said, ignoring his aching jaw for the moment because there were more pressing matters. "I do have a little apartment that I purchased about, hmm, say about four hundred years ago? I forget the dates, you know? I don't know if it's still standing, but I suppose I could go and check."

Now it was Marinette's turn to look at him, gobsmacked. "You have an apartment that's just been collecting dust for the last four centuries?" 

Jason shrugged casually, internally smirking as he enjoyed the surprise on Marinette's face. "I mean, I assume it was four centuries. For all I know, it could be six."

There was silence for a few moments before Marinette found her voice again, slightly weak as she casually waved her hands aimlessly. "Lead the way."

ii. 

It took Jason at least ten minutes to figure out where they were going, but once he figured out how the streets of Paris had changed in the last few centuries, it didn't take him long to find his apartment. 

As he reached the abandoned and more-than-dusty building, Jason silently thanked his past self over and over again, inflating his ego even more. 

"See?" he said proudly, showing off the 'apartment' to Marinette. "I told you it would still be here."

Marinette, who was looking at the building with wonder she was desperately trying to hide, snapped back at him immediately. "First of all," she said, crossing her arms. "That's not an 'apartment,' it's a literal mansion. And second, how is it still standing? There aren't any buildings like this in Paris and I've never seen one like it before."

Jason grinned widely—and Marinette was struck by an eerie resemblance to the Cheshire Cat. "My past self," he said dramatically, shoving the rusty gates to his 'apartment' open. "Had foresight. He probably knew that Bru—Zeus was going to kick me out of Olympus one day, so he prepared. This was what we called an apartment in those days."

Marinette was beginning to despise the smug tone of his voice because she was very much aware it was at her expense. "You do realise that referring to yourself in third person is a sign of insanity, right?" 

Smirking at her, Jason turned to Marinette suddenly, leaving barely a few inches between their bodies. His breath caressed Marinette's cheeks lightly, as the cold Parisian air solidified it. "You try living for a few million years and staying sane, darling."

The next second, he was gone, and Marinette snapped out of whatever trance he put her in. Striding forward to assert her control over the situation again, Marinette kicked the door to the mansion open.

"You first," she said with a tolerant smirk, eyes brightening as she caught a glimpse of Jason's unhappy look. "After all, it is your 'apartment.'"

iii. 

The room before Jason was pitch black, no light from the moonlight filtering into the room. On any other regular day, Jason wouldn't have given a damn—in fact, he would have welcomed it—but today wasn't a regular day. 

He was a mortal which meant even the lightest of blows on his head could be the end of his immortal existence. Plus, his looks were worth too much to be destroyed cruelly.

Stepping carefully into the foyer before him, Jason had time to breathe in a small breath before layers and layers of dust just dumped onto his head. 

"Shit," he swore loudly, and it echoed through the room along with Marinette's laughs at his misery. 

"Oh my god," she gasped, practically doubling over. "That was hilarious."

"Gee thanks," Jason said sourly, brushing himself off as best as he could. He stumbled through the never-ending darkness, hands searching for curtains. Eventually, they landed on some and Jason pulled it harshly.

It was by pure luck the rod didn't fall on his head, but frankly, Jason wouldn't have cared less if it had, because the terrified scream Marinette let out made it worth it. 

"Scared are we?" Jason asked, chuckling, perhaps, a little maliciously. 

"What the hell was that?" Marinette asked, her eyes suddenly looking far too pretty in the onslaught of moonlight in the room. 

Jason cleared his throat when he realised he had been silent for too long. "Well, I had been meaning to get around to fixing that the last time I visited here, but," he trailed off with a smirk. "I got busy with the lovely ladies of the century. And since then, I've just been occupied with my duties, you know?"

Marinette shot him a disgusted look. "You've had the last three centuries. How busy could you possibly be?"

"Remember the World Wars?" Jason asked, shuddering as he remembered the stress he was under. "I still have nightmares about those souls."

It was then he realised all the furniture in his house was missing. 

iv. 

Jason was fuming and Marinette was overjoyed. There was no other way to put it.

Last night, when he found out that not a single piece of furniture had been left behind in his so-called grand apartment, he threw a temper tantrum, not unlike the one three-year-old threw. Frankly, Marinette was wishing she had the foresight to record it, but alas, she had forgotten. 

But at least now she was filming Jason haggling with the Louvre's curator of 17th (or was it 16th?) century artefacts.

"But those belong to m—my family," Jason was saying loudly, waving his hands dramatically. "I have every right to take them back, especially when they were taken without my permission!"

"Sir," the curator was saying patiently, distinctly looking as if she wanted to slap Jason. Marinette could relate to her. "I'm afraid you're going to have to provide some legal documents if you wish to possess these artefacts again."

"Why?" Jason asked, his lips turning down into a pout. "They're mine. I should be getting them for free."

Marinette nearly dropped her phone when she realised the museum curator was actually considering it. Sure, Jason's pout was cute—adorable even, not that she'd ever admit it—but it wasn't enough to convince the curator, was it?

"I should be giving those artefacts for free," the curator murmured, eyes looking glassy and unfocused. Moving towards the glass case where they were held, the curator pulled out a heavy-looking key and began to slide it into the lock. 

Abruptly, Marinette realised what was happening. 

Jogging towards Jason, who was looking bewildered at the sudden change in the curator's attitude, Marinette gave the poor woman a sweet smile as she tugged on Jason's hand. 

"Don't worry about my boyfriend," she said, the lie slipping easily from her lips—almost too easily. "He's just eager to get those back. We'll be back later with the legal documents, thank you for your help!"

By the time Marinette finished, she was already dragging Jason out of the museum. As soon as they were out of earshot, she turned to him with a dangerous look in her eyes. "What the hell was that?"

v.

Jason had no idea what he had just done. Honest!

How was he supposed to know what powers he possessed from when he was a god? It's not like Bruce had given him a handbook or something. He said as much to Marinette, but her slightly suspicious look was enough to tell Jason that she didn't believe him completely. 

Now, Jason was pissed. Yes, he knew he didn't really have a reason to be mad, and yes, he knew Marinette wasn't obligated to trust him, but a little faith would have been nice.

"I didn't do it on purpose," he insisted, waving his hands wildly as he did when he was aggravated. "It just happened."

He was so annoyed that he didn't even realise the unusual swarm of people suddenly walking around them, hunger deep in their eyes. 

Marinette did though, and when she did, she tapped him on the shoulder lightly. "Why are those people looking at us like that?"

Jason turned around, ready to dismiss her accusation immediately. But then, he saw what she was pointing at and the colour drained out of his face. 

Swearing loudly, Jason took a hold of Marinette's hand as he dragged her out of the square and something more private. "Shit. We need to get out of here."

"What?" Marinette asked, digging her heels into the pavement below their feet. "Why?"

Jason rounded on her at once. "Because those people are monsters. Monsters that will kill us without hesitation. We need to get the hell out of here."

"Oooh, I don't think so," a new voice hissed, entering their conversation. "Ladies, I found lunch!"

Jason groaned loudly as he turned around, nudging Marinette lightly. He hoped she got the silent message to run. 

"Empousa," he said, hoping to buy more time. "What do you want?"

"What do I want?" the ugly Empousa repeated, looking delighted that he had asked. "I want you both—god and Guardian—for lunch."

Once again, Jason really wished he had learned to fight beyond his abilities as a god. 

#jasonette july 2022 #jasonette #jason x marinette #marinette x jason #jason todd #marinette dupain cheng #fluff #humour #god!au #maribat #mlb x dc #dc x mlb

[itsnothappening]

apple pie / cheer | jasonette

word count: 1.4k

summary: "i want to make an apple pie," jason said, answering alfred's previously asked question. "for marinette," he added, and the butler gave him a knowing look.

a/n: hurt & comfort, my favourite!!

@maribat-calendar-events

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Jason had no idea what he was thinking. Actually, scratch that, he did, but it was a very vague idea. See, it was simple. All he wanted to do was to give surprise Marinette with her favourite dessert—apple pie. 

Obviously, when he first came up with the idea, Jason had to go to Alfred for help because let's be honest, he hadn't the foggiest clue as to what he was doing when he was in the kitchen. None of the members of the Wayne family did—especially Bruce. 

Jason's father had the capability of a two-year-old in the kitchen, and on the rare occasion that Bruce decided to wander into the danger zone, Alfred was there in less than a second, ushering him out immediately. Jason always took great enjoyment in watching that happen, especially since Bruce looked like a puppy when he tried to convince Alfred to let him stay for a while. 

Although, Jason could understand Alfred's reasons. Bruce had once burnt down the entire kitchen because he was warming some pizza in the microwave. To this day, no one in the family knew what the hell caused that, but since then, Alfred refused to let Bruce within five feet of the kitchen. "No telling what he would end up doing," Alfred used to tell Jason.

That was also probably the reason the Wayne's famed butler was looking at Jason with a slight, but discernible, glint of panic in his eyes. "Well, Master Jason," he said carefully, "What business do you have in the kitchen? Perhaps I can help."

Jason quickly glanced around him, looking for any of Tim's many phones—the idiot could have them bugged for all Jason knew—Dick's fluffy rabbit slippers (he was ridiculously attached to them) and Damian's weapons. No need for his siblings to have any idea of this until it was already done. 

As it turned out, Jason wasn't the only one who loved Marinette. His entire family practically worshipped the ground she worked on, a clear sign they liked (read: loved) her—how could Jason blame them for that? It was perfect. 

But, it did get frustrating when Damian walked on him and Marinette making out twice, Tim fulfilling the universe's role—interrupting the two of them in ahem moments—and Dick just being his usual self who most likely encouraged Damian and Tim. Basically, whenever Marinette was at the Manor, Jason hardly ever got to spend a moment alone with her, solely because she was already occupied with his attention-vying family. 

"I want to make an apple pie," Jason said, answering Alfred's previously asked question. "For Marinette," he added, and the butler gave him a knowing look. 

"I suppose you do not want the other young Masters to interrupt?" Alfred was too perceptive for his own good—not that Jason would change anything about it. (Except maybe his tendency to subtly-but-unsubtly fuss when one of them—generally Jason—got seriously injured.)

Jason shrugged embarrassedly, feeling a little awkward now that the real, underlying reason was out in the open. He cringed as he heard Tim and Dick's loud voices overlapping each other, no doubt arguing over something pointless. Jason knew it was only a matter of time before they came running to Alfred to solve it. 

Alfred shot Jason a sly smirk, patting him on the shoulder. "Worry not, young Master," he said, striding towards a cupboard full of books. Jason had to blink hard as Alfred pulled out a book, and he resisted the urge to shield his eyes. It was neon green. Opening the book to a specific page, Alfred turned back to Jason, offering the book. "Here is the recipe to the apple pie I assume Miss Marinette likes."

Jason took the book from him and scanned the page quickly. He frowned as he read over the words, barely understanding them. "It looks kinda complicated," he said nervously, twiddling his fingers with the pages.

"Do not worry, Master Jason," Alfred said soothingly. "All you need to do is follow the instructions. As long as you do that, there is no risk of anything happening."

Famous last words. 

Alfred left soon after, and somehow, Jason managed to mess up on the first step itself. All he had to do was cut the apples into pieces. Not that hard, right?

Wrong. Despite concentrating unfailingly, Jason managed to lose his grip on the knife—maybe it was because his palms were sweating so much?—and it slipped out of his hand, cutting the skin on his thumb smoothly as it went. 

Immediately, blood dripped out of the wound, and Jason winced at the pain. Looks like he'd have to take care of that first. 

Nevertheless, Jason was still determined to make that apple pie, so he continued. The next part was the dough. Roll it lightly, the instructions said, and Jason did. Or so he thought. 

By the time he realised his mistake, it was already too late. Jason had made the pie crust too thin.

Gritting his teeth as he realised his mistake, Jason continued doggedly, putting his 'masterpiece' in the oven and setting a timer. More than a little drained, Jason let out a nervous little exhale as he thought about giving the pie to Marinette.

Would she like it? Jason knew Marinette would never judge him, but there was still a part of him that felt like soon, soon she would realise that he just wasn't good enough for her, that she was miles out of his league. 

Sighing loudly, Jason walked out of the kitchen to wash his hands. And then he ran into Tim and Dick, still arguing loudly from before.

"Alfred agrees with me," Tim was yelling, waving his hands in a slightly manic fashion. "He literally said I'm right!"

"But," Dick countered. "He said I'm right too."

Jason felt an amused smirk begin to tug on his lips, as he watched the two of them volley back and forth like two-year-olds. 

"You're all so immature," a familiar voice said, and there went Jason's heart.

Covering up his pounding heartbeat with his usual smirk, Jason turned to Marinette as he tugged her in for a light kiss. "But you love us anyway," Jason murmured, pressing a light kiss to her nose.

"I wonder why," she said, giving him a teasing smile.

Jason was going to smirk at her until the smell of something burning floated to his nose.

"Is something burning?" Marinette asked, looking in the direction of the kitchen, puzzled. 

Jason ran a hand through his hair as he swore, launching himself into the direction of the kitchen. He heard Marinette running after him, asking him what was burning, but all that Jason cared about right now was the apple pie. 

Please let it not be burned, please let it not be burned.

Jason skid to a halt in the kitchen, quickly switching off the oven as he carefully—with mittens!—pulled out the apple pie. Or what was left of it anyway.

What was meant to be Jason's crudely made apple pie was now nothing but ashes. 

"Is that apple pie?" Marinette asked, and Jason jumped. 

Running a hand through his hair, Jason felt red creeping upon his cheeks as he looked away. He didn't need to see the pity—or judgement—in Marinette's eyes. 

"Did you make that for me?" Marinette asked, her voice softer now. 

Embarrassed now, Jason nodded slowly, still not making eye contact. 

"Jason," Marinette whispered, and a few seconds later, he felt delicate fingers on his cheeks. "Look at me."

It took him a few moments to do so, but instead of what he was expecting, all Jason saw was the love in Marinette's eyes. Quickly, he found himself wrapped in a warm hug, and slowly, Jason curled his arms in return. 

"That's so sweet," Marinette said, as she pulled away, but still kept close. "I love you."

Then her eyes widened as if she hadn't meant to say that and that was when Jason realised that that was the first time they were saying it. 

"I love you too," Jason offered back, hesitantly. "I'm sorry about the apple pie."

"Don't be," Marinette said comfortingly, squeezing his hand. "It's the thought that counts."

Jason gave her a small smile.

"And," Marinette added, looking at Jason shyly. "If it cheers you up, I can teach you to make one now?"

Jason's smile widened at her words, eyes bright with happiness and love. 

#jasonette july 2022 #jasonette #jason x marinette #marinette x jason #jason todd #marinette dupain cheng #fluff #angst #fluff and angst #hurt/comfort #hurt #comfort #maribat #mlb x dc #dc x mlb

[itsnothappening]

lace / brush | jasonette

word count: +1.1k

summary: "i'm no one," he said smoothly, ignoring the woman's suspicious look. "i've just come here to ask for a favour, of some sort."

a/n: pinterest, my love.

tw: mentions of insanity, death

@maribat-calendar-events

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part 2

Jason glanced at the paper in his hand—the address—before knocking loudly, and frantically on the door before him. It wasn't anything imposing, rather, it was just a simple door. The colour of wood, the door had a handle latched to it, its only feature. 

That wasn't the reason why Jason's heart was pounding out of his chest. It was what lay behind the door that had him hoping with the dying embers of his sanity, that the rumours were true. 

Through whispers of terrified souls, Jason had heard of a painter—or rather a lonely old woman—who possessed a magical brush, one that brought whatever he painted to life. 

When no one opened the door after a few seconds of silence, Jason banged on it again, louder this time and with a certain instability. It was the announcement of a dangerous, unstable man. 

Pupils blown wide, Jason refused to stop 'knocking,' continuing to do so for several minutes. He could feel the curious—and then scared—gazes of the neighbours as he did so, no doubt calling him insane. 

Jason laughed at the thought, but on some deep, subconscious level, he knew it was true. Perhaps he wouldn't be here if had just taken Dick's advice, but Jason loved Marinette too much to just let her go into the arms of death.

"She's not home," a small timid voice muttered.

Immediately, Jason stopped thumping the door, looking around wildly for the voice. His uncut hair settling in a decidedly mad-scientist style as his gaze caught onto a particularly short child, Jason kneeled down. "Where is she?" he asked, clenching his teeth. 

The child backed away from him, eyes wide with terror as he took in Jason's manic expression. "The m-market," he stuttered, already turning and running away.

Jason didn't feel the slightest bit of regret—or any emotion, for that matter—as he watched the child disappear out of sight. All he felt was indifference and determination. 

Refusing to give up his last resort to bring Marinette back to him, Jason slid down onto the steps of the tiny cottage, his frame looking oversized sitting in it.

And he waited.

For hours, Jason simply sat there, frozen like a statue, eyes completely blank. Unfortunately, that left too much time for Jason to think. He didn't bother to bring something to entertain himself—nothing had been satisfactory since Marinette's death. 

Pulling out the lace glove he carried with him everywhere, Jason felt tears blur his vision as he remembered the last time he saw his wife, waving at him as he left their apartment. 

Marinette grinned up at him as Jason plucked his helmet, wrapping her hands around his waist. "Promise you'll come home to me?" she said, pouting in that way she knew Jason could never resist. 

Jason pulled her into a deep kiss, tangling his hands in her hair. "You know it, Pixie."

It didn't occur to him to extract the same promise from Marinette. 

"I love you," he murmured, tugging her impossibly close and burying his head into her neck.

Marinette responded in kind, curling into him. "I love you too," she said, her breath fanning out on Jason's neck. 

Then, Jason didn't know he'd come back home, five hours later, only to find everything destroyed—burned beyond repair. He didn't know that he'd find his wife's charred body, burnt beyond recognition. He didn't know.

The only reminder that he once was in love, like a stupid teenager, was a single lace glove, fluttering in the breeze when he found it. Jason prized it like it was pure diamond, never letting it stray far from him. 

Jason was snapped out of his spiralling thoughts when an old woman hobbled up the steps, back hunched and teeth blackening and crooked. "Who are you?" she asked rudely, heaving the basket in her arms with great effort. 

This was it. This was the reason why he came here. Jason offered her a calculated, handsome smile—one that he had used billions of times for information collection—as he stood up to help her, collecting the basket from her wrinkled hands. 

"I'm no one," he said smoothly, ignoring the woman's suspicious look. "I've just come here to ask for a favour, of some sort."

The woman cackled loudly, sending a few crows screeching as they flew away. "Me?" she asked in disbelief. "What could I possibly have that you want?"

Jason stepped inside just as she moved to close the door, deflecting. "Where shall I keep this?" he asked, holding the basket up. 

Wordlessly, the woman pointed at the beaten-up counter beside them.

Gently setting it down, Jason inhaled deeply. This was the moment of truth. "I'm here for a paintbrush," he began, eyes noting every reaction the woman had. Fear. "One that brings anything and everything to life."

The woman shuffled away from him slowly. "I ain't telling ya nothing," she spat out, eyes darting around the room. 

"Oh?" Jason asked, beginning to enjoy their little 'talk.'

Leaning forward conspiratorially, he whispered, "I disagree."

The woman looked at him, hands shaking as she brought them forward to defend herself. "I said," she repeated, nearly yelling now. "I ain't gonna tell ya anything. Don't make me call my son and kick ya out."

Jason chuckled lightly, but his eyes were sharp and dangerous. "Oh, but, you have no son. No family at all. Isn't that right?"

One look at the woman confirmed all that Jason knew. 

"You don't know a thing about that brush, you don't!" the woman screeched out, eyes suddenly as manic as Jason's. "You don't know what that brush takes from you."

Scoffing loudly, Jason grit out, "I have nothing to lose, old lady, so get out the brush and paint or I'll find someone else to do it for me."

As if a light switch had been turned off, the old woman looked at Jason with something akin to pity as she stood up as straight as she could. "You don't want to," she protested weakly, even though she probably knew it would fail.

"I want to." Jason enunciated each word clearly, body thrumming with excitement. "Do it."

The old woman shuffled across the creaky floorboards. With strength Jason wouldn't have expected from a woman like her, she opened up a wedged cupboard. As the dust billowed out, she pulled out a dirty-looking canvas and a large brush.

Jason's eyes landed on it hungrily—no doubt this was the brush that brought him here. It was a rather simple brush, ordinary in a way all magical objects were. Its only defining feature was the ornate designs crisscrossing it. 

The old woman looked at Jason again, as if she was expecting him to change his mind. Well, too bad for her, it was never going to happen. Jason was this close to getting the love of his life back, and he wasn't going to stop now. 

"Paint," he ordered, carefully watching the woman in front of him. With a loud regretful sigh, she began her job. If he didn't already know that the brush was magic, Jason knew it now, because the woman drew Marinette without him even showing him a picture of her. 

Hours—or was it days?—later, Jason was abruptly woken by a loud crash. He swore as he saw the body of the old woman on the floor, eyes wide and unblinking. 

It was only when he looked at the canvas did he realise what happened. 

The painting—it was done. 

And his glove, Marinette's lace glove, was floating in the sudden breeze of the tiny room, fluttering delicately as it fashioned itself into a pointing finger. 

Without hesitation, Jason turned and followed the direction it was pointing in. 

#jasonette july 2022 #jasonette #jason x marinette #marinette x jason #jason todd #marinette dupain cheng #maribat #mlb x dc #dc x mlb #magic #death #tw: insanity

[itsnothappening]

leather | jasonette

word count: +1.1k

summary: spitting out some blood on the ground next to marinette's boots, jason's glare burned a hole through marinette. "run," he whispered harshly, eyes blank and cold.

a/n: this was a spur of the moment

@maribat-calendar-events

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part 1, part 2

If there was one thing that the boys of Neverland were aware of, it was this: No one messed with Marinette's leather jacket.

Marinette made that very clear the first week she was there, and anyone who even touched it found themselves with a bruised jaw and a couple of knocked-out teeth in the span of ten seconds. 

But apparently, Jason Todd—aka Peter Pan—didn't get the message. Ever since the Shadow brought her to Neverland—against her will, she might add—it was like it was Jason's personal goal to rile Marinette up as much as he could. He never missed an opportunity, poking at her subpar fighting skills—for now—jabs at her height, smirking like a bloody idiot all the while. 

Really, if it wasn't for Tim warning her over and over again of Jason's ridiculous tendency to throw murderous tantrums, Marinette would have chopped off his crown jewels and then thrown him off the cliff with a smile on her face. 

Tim, unlike most of the boys on this godforsaken island, was actually one of the bearable people Marinette enjoyed being around. Clearly, unlike most, he had a proper upbringing and knew what it meant to respect a lady. 

Marinette's left hand had been permanently bruised for weeks because she was constantly punching those stupid lemmings that kept on heckling her. Eventually, they got the message, but that was only because she had taken drastic measures and thrown one of them into the mermaid lagoon. 

At any rate, Marinette could safely say, that despite being Jason's right-hand man, Tim was her best friend on Neverland. Which also meant he was well aware of Marinette's love and fierce possessiveness of her leather jacket—her last memento of home, despite the fact that—from what he had gleaned—things weren't very smooth.

When Jason pushed Tim to go and check on Marinette while she was bathing, he was suspicious. At first, he thought it was because Jason thought Tim and Marinette were in love—which was ridiculous, by the way. Marinette was a lovely friend, but that was all she would ever be. 

But then, as he made his way to the pond, Tim realised why Jason had that gleeful expression pasted across his face as he ushered Tim off. 

Swearing loudly, Tim whirled around in the clearing, looking for Marinette's jacket. As expected, the jacket was nowhere to be found, no doubt burnt to ashes by Jason. 

Tim assumed he had about twenty seconds to get away from the scene as he heard Marinette humming, and so he ran. He ran like never before—not even when he was running from pirates. While he was very secure in his position as Marinette's best friend and that she probably wouldn't be as mad to find him at the scene, Tim didn't particularly feel like testing that theory—he valued his testicles, thank you very much.

As he appeared in camp at the speed of light, Tim frantically searched for Jason, hoping to make things right before Marinette noticed, otherwise, heads were going to roll. Also, Tim didn't want to see his best friend die because of Jason's murderous tendencies, so there was that too. 

"Todd," he panted, bending to grab his knees. "What did you do?"

Jason, who was currently helping some of the newer recruits with their bows and arrows, merely turned around, his usual—infuriating, Marinette would often say—smirk pasted across his face. "What's wrong, Timmy?" Jason asked, his delight at Tim's panic very much evident. "Something missing?"

Tim opened his mouth to answer in a way he only could—perks of being Jason's most loyal follower. "What the hell do you think you're doing?"

Immediately, his leader's eyes became darker, a certain aura of danger starting to cloud around him. "What did you say?"

"I asked you," Tim said, gritting his teeth in annoyance. "What are you playing at? She hasn't even done anything to you. Leave her alone."

"Why should I?" Jason challenged. "She's done more than enough to warrant being killed."

"And the fact that you haven't killed her yet proves that she's a game to you." Tim was very much familiar with Jason's love for games and his ability to get lost in them, being a bystander, watching them for centuries. 

"So what if she is?" Jason asked his tone a bored drawl. "I'm the kind. I can do whatever I want."

And as much as Tim wanted to refute that, fight against it, he knew it would be no use. Jason cared very little about Tim's opinion—or anyone else's for that matter. 

He was saved from having to answer when the chattering Lost Boys around them went silent, the majority of the camp hushing. Tim had a sinking feeling he knew what—or who—had caused that.

Marinette came stomping up to the pair of them, fury burning in her eyes. Where the hell was her jacket? It was one of the few things she actually wanted to keep—which idiot thought it would be a good idea to steal it?

She was vaguely aware of Tim backing away slowly—no doubt in a smart decision.

"What," Marinette hissed, jabbing Jason in the chest. "Did you do with my jacket?"

Jason merely smirked widely, something that seemed to infuriate her even more. "I'm sorry, pet," he said, emphasising the nickname. "I have no idea, whatsoever, what you're talking about. Isn't that right, Timmy?"

Marinette's best friend looked like a dear caught in headlights as they both turned to look at him. Clearing his throat loudly in the sudden silence of the camp, Tim didn't look at either of them as he stuttered out, "Leave me out of this."

Well. Points for self-preservation then. 

Shooting him a displeased look, Jason turned away from his second in command and turned to Marinette. "At any rate, pet, I have no idea what happened to your leather jacket. Why do you even care so much about it? It's quite ugly if I do say so myself."

Rage. Black-out.

The next thing Marinette knew, Jason was clutching his cheek, blood pouring out of his nose and a dark, dark bruise blooming where she had struck him.

It felt like the entire camp was holding their breath as their leader slowly recovered. 

Marinette felt the first tendrils of fear fluttering and winding themselves around her as Jason's eyes burned. 

They burned with a fury that Marinette had never seen before, nor had she ever seen on anyone else. 

Spitting out some blood on the ground next to Marinette's boots, Jason's glare burned a hole through Marinette. "Run," he whispered harshly, eyes blank and cold.

Marinette turned on her heel and ran. 

#jasonette july 2022 #jasonette #jason x marinette #marinette x jason #jason todd #marinette dupain cheng #tim drake #enemies to lovers #mlb x dc #dc x mlb #maribat

[itsnothappening]

caliber | jasonette

word count: +1.1k

summary: avoiding all eye contact with her, jason once again began fidgeting with his fingers. "because mari, she's your best friend. what if she doesn't like me?"

a/n: i'm kinda in love with this

@maribat-calendar-events

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Marinette glanced at Jason, but he had his head down, hands fidgeting with his shirt and constantly running them through his hair. 

"Are you okay?" she asked, trying to hide her laugh. Jason's head snapped up, eyes slightly widened and cheeks red as he realised that he had been caught. 

"Yes," he said vehemently—too forcefully, pulling Marinette in for a hug. He buried his face into Marinette's neck, no doubt wanting to hide his red face. 

This time Marinette laughed. "Jason," she said, cupping his face in her hands. "You're nervous."

Jason looked like he was going to deny it, right up until he decided he wouldn't. Letting out a long sigh, he gave Marinette the side-eye as he asked, "Is it that obvious?"

Marinette shook her head at him affectionately. "Why?" she asked, more than a little confused as to why.

Avoiding all eye contact with her, Jason once again began fidgeting with his fingers. "Because Mari, she's your best friend. What if she doesn't like me?"

"Jason," Marinette said, laughing. When he gave her a sour look, Marinette forced herself to get it under control. "She'll love you. It's impossible not to."

Jason gave her a disbelieving look. "You literally told me she called me a 'tall, dark and totally undeserving of you' kind of man."

Marinette realised he was genuinely worried, so she did her best to alleviate the stress. "She says that to every guy I've ever dated."

Not even fazed by the mention of her past relationships, Jason bit his lip, looking uncertain. Marinette tugged him in for another hug as she murmured into his ear, "Seriously mon cherie. You don't need to worry. We're just going to have lunch together."

It was a few seconds of stilted silence before Jason finally relented. "Okay," he murmured.

Chloe is already waiting for them at the classy restaurant they picked, tapping on her phone with a vaguely annoyed expression on her face. Realising that it probably wasn't helping Jason's nerves, Marinette squeezed his hand reassuringly.

"Wow," she said, announcing their presence. "We should mark this day on our calendars. Chloe wasn't late day. We'll celebrate the anniversary every year."

Marinette's best friend rolled her eyes. "Please," she scoffed, looking every inch of the queen she was. "I had nothing better to do."

Her gaze slid past Marinette and onto her utterly silent boyfriend behind her. 

As soon as she made eye contact with him, Jason stepped up to the role of a perfectly welcoming boyfriend as he held out his hand politely. "Jason Todd," he said, an elegant curve to his words. "I assume you're Chloe? Marinette's told me a lot about you."

Although it wasn't clear to anyone who hadn't known Chloe for nearly a decade, Marinette had to hide her expression of glee as she saw her best friend practically preen at the compliment-not-compliment. Jason was already on the right path.

As Marinette and Jason settled side-by-side, Marinette pulled out a menu, hiding her amused smile as Jason and Chloe exchanged light conversation. 

"So," Chloe asked, going deeper into I'm-going-to-veto-this-guy mode. "Do you like your job?"

Jason's hand, which was trembling before, stilled completely, and there were a few seconds of silence before he answered. "Actually," he said carefully. "I don't have a job."

Chloe raised an eyebrow at him, and internally, Marinette rolled her eyes at her. She already knew that.

"Oh," her best friend said, tracing the rim of her glass. "Then what do you do?"

Jason's hand spasmed in Marinette's as he answered. "Generally, I help out at WE. With my brothers," he answered honestly, and Marinette squeezed his hand in encouragement. "I've also invested a little, so I have a steady source of money."

Chloe hummed lightly and Marinette cheered internally as she saw the barest hint of a smile on her friend's face. 

A few seconds later, the waiter served their food in front of them, and immediately, Marinette was reaching out for the ketchup and the maple syrup on the table. Despite it being the middle of the day, Marinette was craving waffles, so she ordered just that.

She also ignored Jason's disgusted stare as she poured maple sauce and ketchup onto her waffles, mixing them into what she thought was a lovely mix. 

"Gross," Jason said, neatly cutting out his own food as he watched Marinette cut out her waffles.

"What?" she asked, defensive of her food choices. They tasted perfectly amazing, thank you very much. "It's amazing. You need to try it again with an open mind."

"I have," Jason pointed out, and Marinette raised an eyebrow at him.

"Since when?" she asked.

"Since forever," Chloe's amused drawl answered. 

"All the time," Jason added, a slow smirk crawling across his face.

Marinette could practically see him connecting the dots and realising the full potential of his ability to discriminate against her for her food choices. 

"Mari," Chloe said, leaning forward with an equally mischievous smirk on her face. "It's not normal to eat food like this."

"You're one to talk," Marinette said, attempting to sound the slightest bit annoyed. She failed miserably. "You've eaten some even weirder shit before."

"But, at least I don't act like it's normal," Chloe said, raising a very good point. 

"This isn't fair," Marinette faux whined, loving the way Jason and Chloe were teaming up against each other. "I regret introducing you both already."

Jason grinned, slow and calculated—and utterly beautiful. "You, my dear Pixie, have made a terrible mistake."

He pecked her on the lips lightly, shuffling out of his seat until he was standing. "I'll be right back, I need to go to the bathroom."

Marinette waited until he was out of sight before she turned back to Chloe, expectant and eager. "So?" she asked the single word speaking volumes.

"Marinette," Chloe sighed, looking very serious all of a sudden. "As your best friend, it's my duty to stop you from dating someone who isn't good enough for you."

Her heart sinking a little, Marinette took a sip of her drink to mask her hurt.

"Which means," Chloe continued, uncaringly. "That it's also my duty to inform you now that he is just a little out of your league."

Marinette choked on her drink, and Chloe cackled as she frantically tried to wipe her mess up. In her haste, she accidentally tipped her glass—which only fueled Chloe more.

Cheeks a fiery red, Marinette sputtered out, "What happened to the totally undeserving part?"

Chloe raised an eyebrow at her. "Do you really want me to change my mind?"

Marinette sighed loudly as she realised this was probably going to be an argument she was never going to win. 

"Do I even want to know what happened here?"

#jasonette july 2022 #jasonette #jason x marinette #marinette x jason #jason todd #marinette dupain cheng #chloe bourgeois #fluff #humour #maribat #mlb x dc #dc x mlb

[itsnothappening]

run / hide | jasonette

word count: +1.5k

summary: jason shook his head. "that's not what i meant. i meant that i don't want your payment. i'll do the job for free."

a/n: tw for toxic parents at the beginning

@maribat-calendar-events

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The yelling was starting again. 

8-year-old Marinette abandoned her fluffy bread as soon as the sharp words began to fly from her parents' mouths. It wouldn't be long before they moved to the kitchen—the room with the most things to throw at each other. Marinette had been caught in the crossfire before. She had the scars to prove it. 

Not even bothering to put her plate for washing since she was sure it was going to get smashed to pieces anyway, Marinette shoved as many snacks as possible into her skirt pocket, hoping that it would be enough to last the night and the entirety of tomorrow. 

Silently stepping across the wooden floorboards beneath her feet, Marinette nimbly avoided the ones she knew creaked, not wanting to draw attention to herself yet. She peeked out of the kitchen door, eyes scanning the living room for anyone's presence before she took a cautious step out. 

She let out a near-silent sigh of relief as Marinette heard her parents' loud voices overlapping as they screamed at each other. Not for the first time, Marinette was thankful for their loud volume as they blew up at each other—it gave her the perfect cover to slip back into her room, where safety, she hoped, was guaranteed. 

Her heartbeat pounding, Marinette clambered on the ladder to her room, sliding in smoothly and accidentally slammed the door shut with a loud bang. She heard the voices downstairs stop for a few seconds—Marinette felt her breathing freeze, hoping they didn't come to investigate. She needed the time to wedge her door shut, so not even her father's huge stature could open it. 

The first time he did, he dragged her down the ladder, yelling at Marinette's mother about how he would take Marinette with him when he left her. Marinette huddled on the side as they yelled at each other, tears pouring down her cheeks.

Marinette huffed with the exertion of forcing a plank of wood through the bar, pushing it in and effectively making sure no one could enter her room. Hiding out in her room was always the best option when her parents got like this.  

Wiping her eyes surreptitiously, Marinette slipped on her headphones, hoping to find a good movie to watch before she went to bed. 

Minions seemed like a good choice to her, but before Marinette clicked on it, she paused. 

Eventually, after a few seconds, she pulled out a mail she had saved a few weeks ago and began typing.

Jason was sipping at his cheap beer when he got the notification. He supposed it was another individual offering him a large sum of money to kill someone else. That was usually the only reason people contacted Jason.

Opening up his laptop, Jason read through the short, but concise mail he had just received. 

Dear Red Hood, it read, I have a request for you.

It was a simple in-and-out job. Kill the two people—a Cheng husband and wife—and collect the payment afterwards. Payment which had to be discussed, Jason thought as he typed his answer back to the address. 

As soon as he clicked on send, Jason got to work. Collecting the names of the people he was being asked to kill, Jason located them on his admittedly large internet database. 

Lighting up a cigarette, Jason quirked an eyebrow when he realised that they were two ordinary people—bakers as it seemed, with an 8-year-old daughter. He wondered why he was being asked to kill such, well, ordinary people.

His laptop pinged with another notification, and Jason was surprised to see an answer coming already from the same email address. 

After a few seconds of contemplation, Jason sighed loudly as he booked tickets to Paris for the next day. He had no idea what he was doing but his instincts were screaming at him. The only reason Jason was alive today was because of his instincts—they hadn't failed him ever, and Jason was fairly sure they wouldn't begin now.

Exactly twenty-six hours later, Jason leaned against a lampost near the River Seine, waiting for his client to show up. The river was abandoned at this time of night. No sounds were to be heard, except for the slight splashing of the river's water. 

That was until Jason heard light footsteps on the paved ground beneath his feet. 

Immediately, he was standing straight, eyes sharp and icy as he looked for the cause. Jason squinted his eyes into the swallowing darkness and slowly, they widened as a short, short figure, bundled up in warm clothes walked toward him confidently. 

Jason stared at the bundle stupidly—he was pretty sure his jaw was dropping slightly. Was this his client?

"You are the Red Hood?" 

Holy shit, it was a girl. Specifically, the couple's daughter—what was her name—Marinette. How did she even find him?

Spluttering, Jason kneeled so he was looking at the brave—and probably reckless—girl before him eye-to-eye. 

"Yes," he said, and then hesitated. 

"We are here to discuss payment," she said in a business-like voice Jason wondered how she even knew how to use it. Out of her pocket, she produced an assortment of notes and coins in her tiny palms. "This is 2000 euros," she said calmly, and vaguely, Jason wondered where she even got it from. "Half-payment. The rest will be paid after the deed is done."

Jason still didn't say anything, despite his shock fading. His curiosity was beginning to develop now, aching to know what exactly this child—brilliant child, by the way—had in mind. 

"Do you agree?" Marinette looked up at him with those innocent-but-not-innocent blue eyes of hers, and Jason felt his heart melt. Clearly, everything was not as perfect as it seemed on paper, otherwise, why would she be coming to him?

"Where did you get the money from?" Jason asked, making sure his voice was not as emotionless as it usually would be. Perhaps he would get more answers that way. 

Marinette shrugged, looking away bashfully. "It's my pocket money."

Jason raised his eyebrows a little, surprised that a child like her had so much money.

"Really?" he asked suspiciously, something akin to humour in his voice. "All of that is your pocket money?"

Marinette maintained eye contact with him for a few seconds before she broke. "Well, maybe not all of it. But most of it."

Jason was no psychologist, but even he knew that Marinette hadn't had someone to talk to in a while if she was opening up to a murderous stranger like him. 

After a few seconds of silence, Marinette looked at him again, bouncing on her heels. "So," she asked impatiently, "Will you take it or not?" 

Jason contemplated making a joke about taking the money and then leaving, but the imploring and vulnerable expression that Marinette was desperately trying to hide, rooted itself in his conscience. 

"I will," he said gently, giving her his best version of a kind smile. "But—"

Marinette's eyes widened at that, panic alighting on her features. 

"But," Jason continued more forcefully. "I don't want your money."

"What?" Marinette asked, shock clear in her voice. "Then how else am I supposed to pay?"

Jason shook his head. "That's not what I meant. I meant that I don't want your payment. I'll do the job for free."

Marinette was gaping at him now, looking at him as if he wasn't quite real. "Why?" she asked, looking like she was grasping for something to hold onto. 

"Because clearly, things aren't great at home," Jason responded, his voice a little more emotional than he'd have wanted it to be. "I know one or two things about that."

Marinette was looking at him like he had hung the stars and the moon for her. "So, you'll do it for free?"

Jason nodded sagely, his eyes alight with amusement at her shock. He really wasn't expecting a hug though. Marinette launched herself at him with a force he didn't know someone of her stature could possess as she wrapped her arms around him. 

It took Jason a few seconds to realise she was crying into his leather jacket. He wasn't proud of it, but Jason panicked as he awkwardly flailed around, wondering what to do around a crying girl. Eventually, he settled on wrapping his arms around her and patting her back occasionally. That was probably the safest route. 

It was a good five minutes before Marinette pulled away, her cheeks slightly red. "Sorry, about that," she muttered, looking anywhere but him.

Jason waved it off with a faux no worries grin and asked her the question that had been bothering him all night. Looking at the girl before him with a curious glint in his eyes, Jason asked her, "Where are you going to go after your parents die?"

Marinette shrugged. "Probably to my uncle. I couldn't care less really. Anything is better than living with them."

"Do you want to come with me?" The words came out of Jason's mouth before he even registered them. 

"Really?" Marinette said, brightening up immediately. "You'd adopt me?"

Jason couldn't bring himself to regret the words as he shrugged casually—or so he hoped. "If you want me to. You could run away."

There was that look again—the one that made Jason feel like the older sibling he'd never been. Marinette bounced on her toes, eyes brighter than the sun. "I'd love that," she said, a smile practically splitting her face.

#jasonette july #jason todd #marinette dupain cheng #platonic #fluff #humour #tw: toxic parents #mlb x dc #dc x mlb #maribat

[itsnothappening]

rain | jasonette

word count: +1k

summary: narrowing her eyes at him, the woman stopped her pattering around her admittedly spacious kitchen and held a non-threatening knife at him. "i'm tempted to throw you out naked in the rain."

a/n: welcome to my poor attempts at humour

@maribat-calendar-events

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Jason knew he should have listened to himself. His book could have waited a day more but nope, Jason's past self was just too impatient, and despite the warnings of those often-wrong meteorologists on the TV, he left the Manor. 

Now, he was stuck in this godforsaken rain, soaked to the bone as he frantically searched for a sanctuary from the rain. Lightning flashed across the sky, and thunder followed it a few seconds later. 

Jason's soggy hair made it nearly impossible to see, his long waves obstructing his sight and leaving him near-blind as he figured out where to go. 

On one hand, he could go to the bookstore he had just left, but, he doubted that the owner would appreciate Jason bringing his soaked self to a place where water was practically taboo. 

On the other, Jason could take refuge in a dodgy building for an hour or so, maybe freeze to death while he was at it. 

Nevertheless, Jason did the most logical—and frankly, most self-serving thing because dear god, you did not want to see the bookstore owner in a temper—and sensible thing.

Using one of those tiny, black pins he often saw Dick using, Jason plucked one out of his soaked leather jacket's pocket and slipped it into his hair, pushing it back. 

Shaking the water out of his eyes, Jason's gaze caught onto a dirty old building, and despite its suspicious appearance, he moved to it quickly, through the pelting rain. Jason was sure he would have bruises the size of baseballs on his arms tomorrow. 

As he pushed the door to the apartment building open, Jason let out a sigh of relief, thankful to be out of that torturous rain. It turned into a full-blown shiver a few seconds later as the surprisingly air-conditioned lobby rammed full force into Jason.

Practically shaking as he shuffled in, Jason ignored the way his clothes dripped water onto the cheaply carpeted floor below him—he was more concerned with making sure he didn't get frostbite. 

"You should dry off," a feminine voice with an accent said. 

Jason rolled his eyes at the statement. "Thanks for stating the obvious," he muttered, perhaps a little rudely. But could you really blame him?

The voice chuckled, and a figure came into view as the petite woman surveyed his bedraggled appearance. "You look like a drowned rat," she said bluntly, mirth shining in her eyes.

"Gee thanks," Jason said dryly, rubbing his hands over his arms, still shaking. "You really know how to make a man feel good about himself."

The woman shrugged lightly. "Just stating the obvious," she said, obviously mocking his words from before.

Jason smirked a little, albeit it was a little shaky because of his current state.

Seeming to notice this, the woman looked at him with vague concern. "Do you want to come to my apartment to dry off?" she asked.

Not wanting to seem desperate, Jason blasted his charm on full force. "You know," he said, smirking slyly, "I usually like to go on a date first."

Rolling her eyes, his companion turned away, calling out, "Well, I suppose if you don't need it—"

Jason's eyes widened with brief panic as he realised she was on the verge of leaving him there, freezing to death. "No," he said loudly, making a few passersby jump and stare at him curiously.

Turning to face him again, the petite woman smirked at him—it looked positively murderous on her face. "No, what, darling?"

Jason grit his teeth when he realised she wasn't going to let him out of this with his pride intact. He inhaled deeply as his large frame shook from the cold. "I would like to take you up on your offer," he said through clenched teeth, his ego practically non-existent by now.

"Lovely," she said, and suddenly, Jason was swept into a lift with crappy elevator music, finding himself going six floors up. 

Thankfully, the lift ride was short, and Jason shifted on his feet uncomfortably as he waited for this generous woman to unlock her door. 

When he entered her apartment, Jason's shivers lessened, the warmth practically wrapping around him. 

"Do you have a heater in here or something?" he asked, still shaking slightly.

Pulling off his jacket, Jason stretched, hearing a few muscles crack as he did so. It took him a few seconds to realise that the woman—whose name he did not know—was subtly staring at him. 

His ego inflated to a size larger than a hot air balloon as he prolonged his stretch under the guise of letting the warmth hit his cold body. Jason smirked as he saw her eyes trail up from his torso to his face, which was when she realised that he knew she was staring. 

Jason opened his mouth to tease her—for some reason, the notion coming rationally—until a huge, fluffy towel came flying to his face. 

It hit him square on the nose and Jason swore as he dried himself off. 

"You didn't have to throw it so hard at me," he complained, rubbing his nose. 

"Please," she scoffed, throwing some clothes at him. "You know you deserved it."

"Why?" he asked, wiggling his eyebrows. "Because I caught you staring at me?"

Narrowing her eyes at him, the woman stopped her pattering around her admittedly spacious kitchen and held a non-threatening knife at him. "I'm tempted to throw you out naked in the rain."

Then she smiled sweetly at him and Jason's heart skipped a beat—not that he would ever admit that to her. "But because I'm nice, I won't."

Jason held up the shirt and sweatpants in front of him, as he walked to where she was warming up some sort of drink filled with lots of sugar.

"Is there a bathroom around here?" he asked dryly, leaning against the counter. 

She jumped, as if she hadn't expected him to be so close, and pointed silently to the left. "First door," she said, a little breathlessly.

Jason smirked a little as he wondered if it was his effect on her.

As he turned to go, she called out, "And close the door please, I have no interest in seeing you naked."

Laughing as he shut the door, Jason said, "That's what you think right now. I'll convince you otherwise later."

#jasonette july 2022 #jasonette #jason x marinette #marinette x jason #jason todd #marinette dupain cheng #maribat #mlb x dc #dc x mlb #fluff #humour #first time meetings

[itsnothappening]

stalking / safe / protect | jasonette

word count: +1.7k

summary: they were at some kind of cliff, whose beauty marinette would have admired any other time if jason didn’t shove her right off it.

a/n: the ending is literally crack.

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part 1, part 3

Marinette refused to believe it. There was no way she was in Neverland, the very much fictional, so-called 'dreamland' her mother used to tell her stories about. 

"Neverland," Marinette stated flatly and—she was proud to say—emotionlessly despite the sharp dagger pressing against her throat.

The boy pinning her to the ground raised an eyebrow at her. "Isn't that what I just said?"

"Never heard of it," Marinette said dryly, lying through her teeth. 

The boy chuckled. "I don't blame you. A very select few get to stay here, and you're lucky you're one of them. I suggest you take advantage of this privilege."

Finally, finally, he took his dagger—the one which Marinette very adeptly stole—off her throat and turned his back to her. "Tim," he yelled out loudly, and one of the boys came scampering out. "Show the new girl around. The rest of you, get going."

Marinette was amazed to see all the boys doing exactly what he said, giving her wide-eyed stares as they ran off. 

"Why are they looking at me like that?" Marinette muttered, annoyed at them looking at her as if she was on display. Dusting off her clothes, she said, "Have they never seen a girl before?"

The boy—very evidently their leader—smirked at her as he twirled his dagger. "Well, most of them haven't seen a girl in decades. You're the first girl on this island."

Marinette resisted the urge to scream. Well this was just peachy. Being the only girl on an island filled with most likely angry, disgusting hormonal teenage boys. What could go wrong?

"Come on newbie," 'Tim' said, keeping a respectable distance away from her. Well, at least some of them had manners. "I'll show you around."

Marinette fell in step beside him but she was out of breath and behind him in a very short time. Dear god, did he have to walk that fast? She could barely keep up.

As they put more and more distance between the leader and themselves, Marinette asked her guide the question that had been bothering her since she got here. "When can I leave this place—Neverland?" Marinette forced that last word out with difficulty, still not believing its existence. 

A loud laugh made Marinette jump as she went crashing into a chest that wasn't there before. The same boy from before stood there, tall and smirking at her. 

"Are you stalking us or something?" Marinette snapped, annoyed at his smug and all-knowing expression and ignoring Tim's warning look. The last few hours had pushed her to her breaking point and if she didn't get some answers now, Marinette was going to guarantee someone was going to die. 

"Stalking?" The boy asked, offence laced in his voice. "Me? Please. I have better things to do, pet."

Apparently, Marinette's breaking point was closer than she realised, because the next second, she was picking up a sharp stick and throwing it at the infuriating boy in front of her. First pinning her with a dagger and then with the nicknames. 

He dodged it easily, and looked at her impressed when the stick dug right into the trunk of the tree behind him. "Not bad, pet," Suddenly, he was inches away from her face as he whispered, "But I bet you could do better."

Marinette's heart began to pound in her chest at his close proximity, his attractive looks doing nothing to help. "Stop calling me that," Marinette shoved him backwards and glared at him. "And answer the question!"

Unfazed by her sudden show of anger, he simply leaned closer again. "Don't you know?"

Resisting the urge to hit him on the head, Marinette grit her teeth and shook her head. "No, I don't know or else, I wouldn't be asking."

"Well, pet," he said, emphasising on the word now that he knew how much it riled her up. "No one can leave this island without my permission."

Marinette's jaw dropped as she registered the severity of the situation. Dear god, she was so screwed.

"By the way," he said, smirking as if he knew exactly what was going through her head. "What's your name?"

Turning the full heat of her glare on him, Marinette spat out, "Why don't you ask your shadow?"

His expression tightened as he took in her response, eyes flaring up with anger. "Well, if you're going to be like that, I don't see any reason for my presence. Tim," he said, turning to the silent boy beside her. "Bring her to me after showing her around."

The audacity. He was talking about her as if Marinette wasn't even there. 

With one last infuriating smirk thrown in her direction, he was gone.

Marinette began walking again, not bothering to make sure if Tim was following her. 

"You know," Tim said, falling into step beside her easily. "You're lucky he didn't kill you."

"I couldn't care less," was Marinette's bitter retort. She bit her tongue to stop herself from ranting about the unfairness of it all. She doubted Tim would appreciate her bad-mouthing his leader. "What's that jerk's name anyway?"

Tim raised an eyebrow at her, but responded nevertheless. "Todd. Jason Todd."

Marinette felt compelled to insult his name, so she did. "What a stupid name."

Opening his mouth to answer her, Tim was interrupted by a loud catcall by some—frankly ugly—boy. 

"Oi!" he yelled obnoxiously, and several boys around him stopped working to see how this would play out. "Aren't you supposed to be a girl?"

Marinette stopped walking and raised a cool eyebrow at him. "I am. Are you so obtuse as to have just realised that?"

It was clear that he didn't understand half the words she had used. 

"Girls are supposed to be pretty," he crowed loudly, and Marinette tensed as she heard murmurs of agreement from the boys around him. 

No, she was not going to let herself be walked over like this. Not again.

Striding up to the boy with purpose in her step, Marinette stopped until she was a step away from him. "Aren't boys supposed to be tall?" she said, smirking widely when she realised the boy was even shorter than her. 

Clearly intimidated, the boy stepped back and Marinette finally allowed herself the triumphant smirk she had been craving to let out. “That’s what I thought.”

With a sharp glare to all the spectators, Marinette walked back confidently to where Tim still stood, this time with a smirk on his face. 

“I like how you dealt with that,” he said, while he was pointing out the different areas of the camp. Even Marinette had to admit that it was quite large.

“Thanks,” Marinette said, blushing slightly. “I have experience.”

Tim gave her a curious look, but didn’t press as they reached the main part of the camp, where Marinette was most displeased to see Jason standing. 

“Why are we here?” she hissed, displeasure clear in her voice. 

Shrugging, Tim pushed her lightly to where his leader was standing. “I have my orders.”

Marinette groaned loudly, drawing Jason’s attention to her. 

“Welcome back, Marinette,” he said, eyes sharp with malice. It took Marinette less than a second to realise why.

“How do you know my name?” she asked suspiciously. “I never told you.”

“I know you didn’t,” Jason agreed, slinging an unwanted arm over her shoulder—Marinette shrugged it off almost immediately. “That’s why I had to use my own sources.”

Rolling her eyes at him, Marinette bowed down sarcastically. “Well your highness,” she said, faux reverence in her voice. “Why have you summoned me?”

Smirking at her fully now, Jason tucked an arm around her waist as he whispered into her ear, “Hold on.”

A nauseating feeling took over Marinette’s stomach as she was sucked up into a whirlpool, the seconds she was in feeling like long, long minutes. As soon as she was spat out, Marinette puked, her stomach’s contents too much to keep in.

As soon as she stopped, Marinette felt a blinding wave of anger as she smacked Jason on the arm. “What the hell?” she asked angrily.

“Don’t worry,” Jason said easily. “It only happens the first few times.”

Marinette scoffed loudly, crossing her arms. Looking around for the first time since they got here, she was more than a little surprised to see little purplish-blue plants surrounding the two of them completely. 

“What the hell?” she repeated. “What are these plants?”

Jason smirked as he sauntered over to her. “This, my dear Marigold,” Marinette threw a stone at him for that one, “Is a Dreamshade patch.”

He stopped as if he expected Marinette to clap.

Obviously, she did no such thing, choosing to stand there and tap her foot impatiently. “And?” she asked.

Clearing his throat, Jason continued. “Consider this a little safety lesson, pet. Dreamshade is one of the most poisonous plants on the island. If it enters your bloodstream, the only way to cure it is to drink some water from the island—which, for your reference—if you do so, will bind you to the island for the rest of time.”

Marinette read between the lines with ease.

“As if I could feel safe anywhere with you,” Marinette muttered, looking at the Dreamshade plants, committing them to memory. Until she got a way out of here, Marinette’s best bet was to make sure she didn’t die. 

“Pardon me?” Jason asked, even though he had heard Marinette perfectly.

“I said,” Marinette repeated loudly, sending a few birds scattering. “I could never feel safe with you.”

Immediately, Marinette realised that probably wasn’t the best thing to say as Jason grabbed onto her waist again. 

This time when Marinette stumbled after teleporting, she didn’t puke but she was still dizzy. They were at some kind of cliff, whose beauty Marinette would have admired any other time if Jason didn’t shove her right off it.

Marinette let out a piercing scream as she went sailing down, hair blowing in her face as she tried to slow down her fall. Whatever she did seemed to only speeding it up, and as she steeled herself for the impact of the water, warm hands wrapped themselves around Marinette.

It took her a few seconds to realise they were flying, but once she did, Marinette screamed as loudly as she could into Jason’s ear.

“What the bloody hell were you thinking?” she screeched, clutching onto him tightly.

Jason’s chuckle reverberated through Marinette as she vaguely heard him say, “Just proving that I can protect you, pet.” “You literally shoved me off the cliff! This is your fault!”

#jasonette july 2022 #jasonette #jason x marinette #marinette x jason #jason todd #tim drake #marinette dupain cheng #maribat #mlb x dc #dc x mlb #fluff #humour #shoving people off cliffs

[itsnothappening]

stockings | jasonette

word count: +1.5k

summary: jason todd hated christmas.

a/n: it's july-

@maribat-calendar-events

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Jason Todd hated Christmas. He despised the holiday with a burning passion that was only rivalled by his love for his girlfriend, Marinette. Every Christmas morning, no matter how much anyone tried, Jason refused to function, lying in bed all day and hating the 25th of December.

In the beginning, when he first joined the family, Bruce, Dick and Alfred would spend hours trying to coax him out of bed—Dick even promised Jason the world if he just opened his eyes. Jason refused to do so. He loathed Christmas and nothing was ever going to change that. 

It's why as the month of December crept upon him, Jason's mood steadily became darker and darker, despite forcing himself to perk up for the sake of Marinette, who, despite her own fair share of bad experiences with the holiday, seemed to be practically in love with it. 

Jason could tell Marinette had noticed his foul mood over the last few days, but thankfully, she hadn't questioned him about it, giving him some time to think of an excuse. He hated Christmas, sure, but he loved his girlfriend more and he wasn't going to ruin her favourite holiday with his own pathetic, selfish hatred. 

That was how Jason found himself in the department store of Gotham—now decorated with Christmassy decorations—looking for materials to make personalised stockings for everyone in the family. Including Damian, despite Jason's not-so-vehement protests against it. 

"So," Marinette said, a brilliant smile on her lips. "What do you think? Green or Red?"

"Do you want my honest opinion?" Jason drawled, leaning against a shelf of Christmas CDs. When Marinette nodded eagerly, he leaned forward and said, "I know for a fact that no matter how much he denies it, Demon-spawn's favourite colour is green."

Marinette quirked an eyebrow at his exaggerated secrecy, but nevertheless, played along. "Green it is, then," she declared, tucking the material into her shopping bag. "We're done here, then!"

As soon as her back was turned, Jason let out a sigh of relief through his nose. The entire Christmas theme was everywhere in the store and it was making Jason feel prickly and irritable. He hated the pictures of the old man—Santa Claus—pasted everywhere, and the wreaths. But most of all, he couldn't even look at the presents decked up everywhere. It was all a huge scam to make people spend more money.

It wasn't the first time Jason had tried to justify his hatred for Christmas for that reason, but as always, it made the tension in his chest ease a little. 

Once they had paid for the materials, Jason and Marinette left the store, arms laden with bags, and yet, they could hold hands and swing them together. 

As they settled into Jason's car, Marinette turned up the radio to play Christmas carols. His grip around the steering wheel becoming a little tighter, Jason forced a fixed smile on his face as he watched her sing, the smile slowly becoming more and more genuine as he realised how much Marinette was just enjoying this. 

It had been a long time since Jason had seen her like this, especially considering the fact that she had been weighed down with request after request pulling several all-nighters to get them all finished. It was refreshing to see her so carefree and happy. 

When they pulled up to Wayne Manor, Jason wasn't surprised to see the entire family present. It was tradition in the family to get together for drinks exactly a week before Christmas. Having begun when he and Dick were teenagers, Jason remembered nights when Tim threw a tantrum that he was 'old enough to drink and not get drunk, thank you very much' and Damian judging him and Dick when they got drunk and danced on the dining table. 

Then, the next week, Jason couldn't care less about what was going on downstairs—Christmas Day was just too much for him to cope with. 

"Jason," Dick said with a bright grin on his face, his enthusiasm matching Marinette's, "I can't believe you actually came!"

The said man chuckled uncomfortably when he saw Marinette's eyebrows raise at the comment. He hugged Dick a little too tightly, giving him a warning look that his brother obviously ignored. 

In a few minutes, Jason and Marinette were seated on the loveseat in the living room, both of them full-on grinning as they watched their family's shenanigans. 

"Come on, Jason!" Tim yelled loudly from where he was singing karaoke to All I Want For Christmas by Mariah Carey. 

Jason merely shook his head, not willing to let anyone get their hands on any more blackmail material. God knows everyone already had enough. 

"Yeah Jason," Marinette said, her eyes shining with mirth. "Go on. Show us your singing skills! Or are you too scared?"

Oh, that did it. 

Leaning forward with a smirk, Jason drank his wine glass in one go and stood up, brushing the non-existent dirt from his clothes. "For Marinette!" he cheered, and very soon, everyone else was too. 

It wasn't long before Jason was completely drunk, singing with his brothers every cringy Christmas song they could think of. If he wasn't, maybe he would have noticed Bruce leading Marinette to the corner of the room, a too-serious expression on his face. Maybe he would have noticed the dimmed smile Marinette came back with two. Or that she was being overly affectionate than usual as she drove them back home.

But, as it was, he didn't.

The next morning, when Jason woke up, he groaned loudly. His head felt like someone was playing football in it, tapping the ball to every nook and cranny of his head. 

"Morning sunshine," Marinette said brightly, a steaming cup of coffee in her hands. 

Jason merely groaned again in response, reaching out for the coffee. 

Marinette just moved it out of his reach, her smile infectious and teasing. "You, mon amour, aren't getting that until you brush your teeth and take a shower. You stink of wine."

Jason pouted at her, but it seemed to have no effect today, so he locked himself in the bathroom, grumbling. 

An hour later, Jason could say he was feeling marginally better, enough to sit down with Marinette and turn red when he watched the videos she took of him yesterday. It was...embarrassing, to say the least, and he was sure he was never going to live it down. 

Jason grumbled around his French Toast—courtesy of Marinette—pleading with the beloved light of his life to please, for my sanity, delete those videos. Obviously, she refused, but Jason was sure he'd manage to win her over at some point. It was only when he finished his cup of coffee and plate of French Toast that Marinette's bright expression dropped into something forebodingly serious. 

She looked at Jason very sternly, who, up till now had been a very happy boy indeed. "Tell me why you hate Christmas," she said, eyes sharp, but soft. 

Jason groaned loudly, flopping back onto his seat. He knew she wasn't going to let him go until he admitted why. "Bruce told you, didn't he?"

Marinette shrugged casually, but it didn't matter because Jason knew he was right anyway. 

Jason thought about pleading with her to let him get out of this, but all those thoughts went flying out of the window when he saw the glimmer of hurt in her eyes. It took him a few seconds to understand why, but Jason realised Marinette was hurt that Bruce had to tell her instead of him. 

He took a deep, deep gulp of coffee as he leaned back in his seat, steeling his mental walls. "Did you know that the kids who lived in the old orphanage's street got presents too? Apparently, it was something to spread joy or whatever. Every kid who I ever met there used to ask me every single year what I did wrong to not get a present. One year, I decided that enough was enough and I made a Christmas tree with the sticks and broken bulbs from the orphanage's trash. I even wrote Santa a letter, asking for food and home instead of toys because what would a street kid like me do with them? The next morning I woke up to nothing, as always, and then I wondered what I did to piss the old man off. I hate this day and I despise how weak and pathetic it makes me feel. Is that enough for you?"

Jason was aware he was being more than a little sharp with Marinette, especially considering the fact that she hadn't pushed him, but he couldn't help it. 

When he looked back at her, he expected pity in her eyes, or maybe even anger for how he was speaking to her. But instead, what he got was a warm hug. Jason's arms automatically wrapped around Marinette, and he buried his head into her neck, suddenly feeling very drained. 

"Shh, ma cherie," Marinette said, running her hands through his hair soothingly. "I'm sorry I pushed you. Bruce just pulled me away last night, and I, well, I wanted to know whether it was true because I felt guilty for dragging you around everywhere."

Jason wrapped his arms around her tighter, his eyes feeling suspiciously stingy. "I'm sorry too. I meant to tell you earlier, but you looked so...happy."

Marinette pressed a soft kiss to his forehead. "I can't be happy on Christmas if the one person I want to spend it with most isn't happy either, now can I?"

#jasonette july 2022 #jasonette #jason x marinette #marinette x jason #jason todd #marinette dupain cheng #dick grayson #tim drake #bruce wayne #maribat #mlb x dc #dc x mlb #fluff #humour #angst #christmas #CHRISTMAS #basically the feels

[itsnothappening]

reborn | jasonette

word count: +1k

summary: "you're not human," she said bluntly, scaring the shit out of jason at the sudden authoritativeness in her voice. "i don't know what exactly you are, and i don't like it."

a/n: the god!au no one asked for.

@maribat-calendar-events

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part 2

Jason gasped as he sat up, coughs wracking his aching lungs as he swore with a fervour that was no doubt one of the reasons he was in the position he was now. 

Sitting up, it took more than a few seconds to get used to the disorienting feeling of being human, everything more distinctively diminished. Jason could no longer see for miles, hear for miles and control people with a snap of his fingers. Now, Jason was reduced to a pathetic, snivelling mortal thanks to father dearest. 

Shuddering as the cold from wherever Bruce dropped him on set in, Jason let out an icy breath, despising this form even more. Maybe he wouldn't have had to lie to Bruce if he had just simply told Jason what the hell was going on between him and the other gods. But no, once again, Bruce freaking Wayne felt the inherent need to keep his sons out of it despite the fact that they were old enough to understand. They had been for the last, you know, few centuries. 

Jason snarled angrily as he realised Bruce left him with the barest minimum to survive—the clothes on his back, an ID with his alias and a couple of hundred euros.

Wait. Euros?

His head snapped up as Jason took stock of his surroundings again, and then kicked himself for not recognising it earlier. Tim was probably laughing his head off up there, no doubt taking joy in Jason's exile. Jason couldn't really fault him for it though—he was sure he would have done the same.

Another gust of wind slammed Jason square in the chest and he scowled. Swearing loudly, he yelled up at the sky, "Dude, chill. I literally just got down here."

"What?" A snarky voice responded, and for a second there, Jason actually thought Bruce was answering him. "Did you fall down from the sky or something?"

Jason whirled around, eyes sharp and hands curling into fists.

"Merde," the voice swore, confirming Jason's suspicions about where he was. "Dude, chill," the feminine voice said, mocking his words from before. "It was a joke."

Jason's tensed muscles relaxed a little when he realised it was a petite woman, but he still watched her warily as she shot him a grin he supposed was meant to be comforting.

"Who are you?" he asked suspiciously, cringing at his mortal senses. 

The woman raised her hands up in surrender, and Jason scanned her for any weapons. "I, well," the woman said, clearly fumbling for an answer. "I'm a friend?" she said, laughing nervously.

Leaning backwards, Jason assessed the situation. Would Bruce have sent someone to help him? No, probably not. But maybe it was one of his brothers' doings? 

Hold on. Jason looked at the woman again, and his defensive demeanour strengthened. There was no way that woman was sent by anyone he knew—she was far too nervous for that. Nonetheless, Jason played along, his curiosity winning over his sense of cautiousness.

"Who sent you?" Jason asked, still in his defensive position, but seemingly more relaxed. That seemed to put his companion at more ease too as she no doubt wondered how to answer without arousing his suspicions.

What he didn't expect though, was an immediate—and probably honest—answer from her. "You're not human," she said bluntly, scaring the shit out of Jason at the sudden authoritativeness in her voice. "I don't know what exactly you are, and I don't like it."

Jason blinked hard and then blinked again. He probably heard that wrong, didn't he? "What?" he asked stupidly.

"I asked you what you are," she said with a lot more patience than he probably deserved. 

Now it was Jason's turn to fumble for an answer as he vaguely wondered how in the name of the gods did this woman know about his world. 

Eventually, Jason decided the best defence was offence and rudely retorted, "What are you?"

"Me?" the woman asked, smiling calmly. "I'm the Guardian of the Miraculous. And," she continued, "Since my patience is running out, you have five seconds to tell me what you are before I decide to skewer you."

Jason paled more than a few shades when he heard that because well, that wasn't good. "The Guardian of the Miraculous?" he asked, shock plain in his voice, silently hoping that his ploy for more time to figure out what to do would work. "As in like the Guardian?"

Suddenly, the smiling woman from before was gone and Jason gulped loudly as a dagger was pressed against his throat. It didn't work then.

"Three," she hissed, and Jason frantically wished he had bothered to learn how to fight beyond his abilities as a god. "Two, on—"

"I'm a god," Jason finally blurted out, not at all proud at his caving in. "I'm a god who's been sent down to Earth in exile and oh my god, please don't kill me, I swear to have no idea how I ended up here—"

As Jason rambled, he noticed the woman who had him previously pinned looking around him in wonder and slight panic. 

Since he was running out of breath, he cut himself off with, "Why are you looking around like that?"

She didn't say anything, still looking at their surroundings.

Following her lead, Jason did the same, and his breath left him in a little oh as he realised why. Plants and trees alike were dying around them, leaves withering and blackening. Some had already crumbled into ash, scattering in the cold wind.

"You're—" the woman stumbled backwards, and Jason couldn't help but let a small smirk flit across his lips. "You're Hades? God of the Dead?"

"Yes," Jason said, allowing his smirk to be visible now. It was nice to be respected, you know? "But Jason is my real name, you know. Jason Todd."

He didn't expect a punch to the face though. 

His head snapped back, and Jason could already feel the blood dripping out of his nose. Swearing loudly, he said, "What the hell was that for?"

"That," the woman said, adjusting her hand. "Was for killing the plants that I spent weeks working on."

She gave him a sweet—and dangerous—smile as she picked up her bag from where she dropped it on the ground. "Marinette Dupain-Cheng by the way."

#jasonette july 2022 #jasonette #jason x marinette #marinette x jason #jason todd #marinette dupain cheng #mlb x dc #dc x mlb #maribat #god au

[itsnothappening]

hi, I'm a Wattpad writer and I wanted to ask if I could put your story "ADOPTED | MARIDAMIJON" in my Tumblr one shot stories, you will get all credit and i will put a link for the Tumblr on it so they can get to the blog easier.

hii, yeah sure! just send me your wattpad profile and the book's name :)

[itsnothappening]

temptation | jasonette

word count: +1k

summary: jason smirked at her, sharp and beautiful. "is that, like, a thing with you or something?" he asked, laughter clear in his voice.

a/n: this is just chaos LMAO

@maribat-calendar-events

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If Marinette was being honest, she didn't really take much notice of it the first time it happened. If she was being even more honest, it probably had been a thing for a long, long time but she'd chosen to never acknowledge it. Marinette was well-aware of how much effort it took a person to be good at something—especially because of her own experiences as an upcoming fashion designer. So, it only made sense that she would be impressed when someone achieved something at a high level.

The turned-on part threw her into a loop though. 

Jason and Marinette hadn't been seeing each other long—just about a few weeks. As was to be expected in Gotham, their relationship began with a simple one-night stand and progressed from there. Up till, well, last week, their relationship had been purely physical, but now it was in the transition stage to something more of the just-enjoying-each-other's company stage. 

It was a nice thing Marinette would admit, to sit in her boyfriend's apartment, his head in her lap and just talk about anything and everything. She was more comfortable with him than she had ever been with anybody else in her life—something she hadn't forced herself to think about for longer than a few seconds. 

She and Jason were sitting in comfortable silence, each left to their own devices. Jason, with his head in her lap, was reading a book while Marinette stroked her hand through his hair, scrolling through Instagram aimlessly. Her interest was sparked when Chloe tagged her in a new post.

The video was labelled as Marinette felt confident up till the first question LMAO. 

Marinette tapped on it curiously, wondering what the hell Chloe was talking about now. The video had captions so she played it silently. It was some sort of quiz show, and the first question was simple: a question about the Justice League. Jason had told Marinette enough about it for her to answer with ease. The second one, on the other hand, threw Marinette into a loop and she let out a soft snort when she understood what Chloe's comment meant.

"What's up?" Jason asked curiously, looking at her over his book.

"Nothing," Marinette said, shaking her head. "Just some quiz show Chloe tagged me in. Like, who could possibly know those answers?" Marinette laughed softly as the video continued to play. 

"What are they?" Jason asked, flipping a page of his book. 

Marinette raised an eyebrow at him, but nonetheless complied, rewinding back to the second question. "What countries made up the original Axis powers in World War II?"

Jason didn't even look up from his book. "Germany, Italy and Japan."

The video confirmed his answer and Marinette looked up at him, stunned. It wasn't much of a shock that she didn't know the answer—history and science had never been her forte anyway, but what was a shock was the familiar flip her stomach did at his answer. 

"When Walt Disney was a child, which character did he play in his school function?"

"Peter Pan."

Marinette blinked hard. Jason did mention that he loved classics, so maybe that was it. Marinette nearly managed to convince herself that, right up until the timer ran out and the host confirmed his answer.

"Now for our next category," the host announced, "Geography."

Jason snorted, like it was easy, and Marinette felt her skin prickle at the thought.

"Which country borders 14 nations and crosses 8 time zones?" 

"Russia," Jason said dismissively, and Marinette stared at him with her jaw open. Her stomach whirled as his answer was correct, once again, her heartbeat began to pound.

"The ancient Phoenician city of Constantine is located in what modern-day Arab country?" Marinette didn't even understand what that question meant.

"Algeria," was the one-word answer, and Marinette was staring openly at Jason now. He still hadn't looked up from his book.

"Apple Inc. was founded by three people: Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak and who was the last person?"

"Ronald Wayne," and whoops that does it. Marinette threw her phone and with moves, she didn't even know she had, she somehow managed to manoeuvre herself and Jason until she was in his lap.

"What?" Jason asked with concern, his book lying in a heap on the ground.

"That," Marinette said, pressing a hard kiss to his lips. "Was really hot."

Jason opened his mouth—no doubt to ask another question—but Marinette used the opportunity to slip her tongue into his mouth, digging her hands into his hair. A few seconds later, Jason pulled away, laughing.

"What?" Marinette demanded frustratedly. 

"I'm so confused," he said with an amused smile on his face. "What exactly is happening?" Marinette shifted uncomfortably, a dark stain appearing on her cheeks and Jason tightened her grip on his waist, clarifying, "Not that I'm complaining, obviously, but, you know."

Marinette buried his head into her neck, sucking at his sweet spot repeatedly to distract him from her embarrassment. 

"You're smart," she muttered finally, in answer to his question. It wasn't news to her per se—Marinette had seen Jason enough times with a textbook and adorable glasses on his face. But. Knowing that and seeing it were two very different things. 

"I'm, well," Jason hesitated, "I'm okay. Not as good as Tim."

Apparently, the universe wasn't done with Marinette today, because right on cue, her phone came back with another question. "Mount Erebus which is the second-highest volcano in Antarctica was the first ascent by whom?"

Marinette stared at Jason with her breath in her throat.

He had the ability to turn a little red as he murmured, "Edgeworth David in 1908."

"Oh my god," Marinette said, looking at him with wonder and reverence in her eyes. "That's like—oh my god, I can't get over it—"

"Are you sure you're okay over there?" Jason asked with a stupid amused grin on his face.

Marinette crushed their mouths back together, pushing him back onto the couch, tangling their limbs together.

Pulling away to gasp for air, Marinette repeated, "Smart."

Jason smirked at her, sharp and beautiful. "Is that, like, a thing with you or something?" he asked, laughter clear in his voice.

"No," Marinette lied, emphatically and immediately. "Shut up." 

She pressed her lips to his again, before Jason could retort back.

#jasonette july 2022 #jasonette #jason x marinette #marinette x jason #jason todd #marinette dupain cheng #fluff #humour #basically marinette has a kink so to say #and jason is just confused LMAO #maribat #mlb x dc #dc x mlb

[itsnothappening]

snow | jasonette

word count: +1.4k

summary: "marinette dupain-cheng if you do not go home right now i swear to god i will murder you when you inevitably infect us all."

a/n: yet another fluff fic-

@maribat-calendar-events

ao3 | wattpad | series masterlist | masterlist | prompts

When Marinette sank down onto Chloe's table, her best friend's eyes were immediately upon her, looking her up and down with concern.

"Hi," Marinette said, settling her lunch tray onto the table. Normally, she would be talking a mile a minute about how annoying Lila is or the latest fashion news, but today, any extended period of standing made her bones turn to jelly, so Marinette all but collapsed into her seat, breathing out of her nose heavily. 

"Mon dieu Mari," Chloe said, frowning. "Are you okay?"

Marinette looked at her like she was mentally compromised before saying, "Of course I am." Instead of her usual cheerful enthusiasm though, today, her voice came out rough, and Nino peered at her over his glasses. 

"Really, dudette?" he asked. "Because it doesn't seem like it. You're like, pale and no offence, you look sickly."

Marinette sniffed and then looked at him dryly. "Thanks, Nino, you really know how to make a girl feel good about herself."

"Just stating facts dudette," Nino shrugged off her snarky comment, returning to his food.

Marinette grumbled unhappily as she picked up a cucumber from her plate, her stomach roiling at the very thought of eating it. 

Chloe pressed her hand firmly against Marinette's forehead and her frown became even deeper. "Marinette, you have a fever. Why are you even at school?"

Marinette didn't even think about responding. Chloe's hands were so nice and cool that even after they retracted, Marinette followed them, leaning so forward on her arms that they nearly slipped out from underneath her. 

Kim steadied her by gripping onto her shoulder, sharing alarmed looks with Chloe and Nino when Marinette's eyes slipped shut.

"Mari," Kim said, shaking her gently. "You need to go home.

Marinette shook her head, leaning forward again. She was pretty sure her arms would be a comfortable pillow so maybe if she got a few seconds to sleep—

Chloe snapped her fingers in front of Marinette's face, eyes sharp and every inch of the queen bee she was. Marinette barely managed to muster up the energy to look at her with a bitter expression. 

"Home," Chloe said in a tone that accepted no arguments, but Marinette decided to plea anyway.

"I don't—" Marinette started, but Chloe ended that right away.

"Marinette Dupain-Cheng if you do not go home right now I swear to god I will murder you when you inevitably infect us all."

"Fine," Marinette said, sighing loudly. Her shoulders shook with a suppressed cough, and she pretended to not notice Chloe slowly inching away from her. "I'll go."

"You shouldn't be walking alone," Nino said, looking at her with concern in his eyes. "You might get hit by a car because you're so out of it."

"I could take her home," a new voice entered the conversation, and Marinette immediately straightened, although she nearly collapsed a few seconds later. 

"No," she coughed out emphatically, refusing to be considered such an invalid that Adrien freaking Agreste had to take her home. "I'll be fine."

Chloe looked at Marinette uncertainly, eyes flitting between her and Adrien. "Well, you really shouldn't be walking alone—"

Marinette knew she had the upper hand here. All three of her friends couldn't leave because they had an exam next period and there was no way she was going to let Adrien let-Lila-lie Agreste take her home. So if Marinette really really tried, she could force her friends to let her stay till the end of the day. 

But, the more she thought of it, a nice, large warm bed sounded like heaven to Marinette. A dark room—with a heater—some water. Sleep. 

Marinette could feel her eyelids getting heavier at the very thought. But there was no one to take her home. Sure, it was only a few minutes away from school, but she had to cross loads of roads to get there, and it was not safe for Marinette to go there in the state she was. Even she knew that. 

Except.

Marinette paused, considering the last option hard. It would be a risk, no doubt, but the reward would also be great. Plus, she wouldn't even have to go to the bakery and answer her parents'—no offence—unwanted questions. Tikki had already explained that this was bound to happen, but Marinette hadn't expected it to hit her quite this hard. 

Marinette pulled out her phone, squinting at the light even though the brightness was on the lowest setting, and sent off the text. Sure enough, an answer came in a few minutes later with the confirmation.

Turning back to her friends, Marinette only felt slightly guilty about lying. "Papa is coming," she said and Chloe let out a pleased noise.

Marinette slumped in her arms again, letting their conversation wash over her ears, until her phone beeped again.

Shoving her food away from her, Marinette sniffed loudly as she waved goodbye to her friends, heading to the exit doors of her school. Thankfully, no one was there to bother her.

Marinette spotted Jason's car from a mile away, coughing lightly as she trudged to it. Feeling the cold seeping into her bones, Marinette tugged her thickest coat around her small frame, even more, her eyes growing heavier with each step.

Snowfall started to fall lightly, the flakes getting caught in Marinette's hair and the temperature dropping even lower than it was before.

Tired, Marinette's brain sang as her steps became slower and slower until she had come to a complete stop in the middle of the pavement, swaying slightly.

Everything blurred out for a few seconds—or was it minutes?—but the next time Marinette came back to reality, she was sitting in Jason's car with her boyfriend, fretting over her, panic on his features and his eyes wide.

"Oh my god," Jason whispered, hand slowly pulling a strand of hair away from her eyes. "Marinette, god, I thought you were dead—"

Marinette caught a glimpse of herself in the rearview mirror and winced at her complexion. Her skin was pallid and clammy, and her eyes had a glassy sheen to them making them seem unnatural. 

Jason's car was warm, warmer than anything had been for the last few days and it was like a huge blanket wrapped around her. Marinette felt her eyes get heavier, even as she tried to blink the feeling away. "Tired," she admitted quietly, letting out a large yawn.

Quickly appearing in the driver's seat, Jason gave her a look like he was afraid that she would faint. Although, Marinette couldn't say it wasn't justified, because according to Tikki, ladybugs hibernated in winter. As a holder of the Ladybug Miraculous, it meant that Marinette felt extra tired in the winter. Having underestimated those effects, Marinette was paying the price for it now. 

Marinette let her head loll back as Jason drove as fast as he could—no doubt breaking a few laws on the way—and in the span of fewer than three minutes, they were at his apartment.

Stumbling as she stepped out of the car, Marinette felt as though the ground was lurching beneath her feet, nearly collapsing on the ground. Jason was with her in seconds, holding her bridal style, shhing any protests Marinette might have had.

"You're clearly not fit to be walking, Pixie," he said gently, cuddling Marinette to him. "And you need to be in warmth as soon as possible."

Marinette snuggled into him further, groaning slightly as Jason let go of her slightly to open the apartment door. As soon as they walked in, Marinette felt herself relax, the warmth seeping into her muscles, making her feel marginally better. 

"C'mon Pix," Jason mumbled, dropping her in bed gently, "Let's get you warm."

Marinette curled up into a little ball as Jason threw pillows and blankets around her until the entire double bed was covered in them. He even turned up the heater in the room and if Marinette had had the energy, she would have kissed him for it. 

When she was in the state of being half-asleep and half-awake, Jason dropped a little kiss onto her forehead, and murmured, "I'll be outside if you need me."

Marinette frowned a little at that—Jason was like a heater and she was sure he could do a much better job than a regular one. She made grabby hands at him as he made to leave, whining under her breath.

Jason turned immediately, looking at her with a hint of amusement in his gaze. In her heart, Marinette was well aware of the fact that Jason would probably never let her live this down, but frankly, at that moment, Marinette wouldn't care if the world burnt down to ashes.

"Stay with me," she mumbled, opening her arms.

Jason chuckled slightly, pulling off his shirt in one smooth motion. "Anything for my Pixie."

#jasonette july 2022 #jasonette #jason x marinette #marinette x jason #jason todd #marinette dupain cheng #chloe bourgeois #nino lahiffe #le chien kim #sickfic #fluff #tooth rotting fluff #hibernation #miraculous side effects #maribat #mlb x dc #dc x mlb

[itsnothappening]

twinkling lights | jasonette

word count: +1.5k

summary: "will you relax?" dick asked, nudging jason lightly with his shoulder. "we already know she's going to say yes."

a/n: i'm on a roll of fluff, i'm not even kidding.

@maribat-calendar-events

ao3 | wattpad | series masterlist | masterlist | prompts

Jason had been freaking out all day. Currently, Marinette was at the fashion store, buying some fabric while he and the rest of the Waynes set up blankets in the most private corner of the Manor's garden. 

"Will you relax?" Dick asked, nudging Jason lightly with his shoulder. "We already know she's going to say yes."

"Obviously," Damian scoffed loudly, "Otherwise, I wouldn't be wasting my time here."

That, much to Jason's surprise and eternal chagrin, did more to calm him than anything else anyone had said today. The knot of tension in Jason's chest loosened. You could always count on Damian's brutal honesty, so if he thought that Marinette would say yes, then he was most likely—as much as Jason hated to admit it—right. 

They had just finished hanging the twinkling fairy lights before they heard the tell-tale sound of the Manor gates opening. 

Immediately, the rest of his family took off, running through the bushes and into the Manor, no doubt waiting for him and Marinette to return, the latter of which hopefully with a ring on her finger.

Marinette appeared a few moments later—they timed it perfectly—giving Jason what he called her 'sunshine grin.' 

"Hey, handsome," she said, catching sight of him just ahead of the place he planned to propose. Pulling him in for a kiss, Marinette gave Jason a suspicious look, probably sensing the nervous energy he was practically radiating. "What's wrong?"

Jason huffed out a shaky laugh. She knew him too well. "Nothing," he said, sounding as normal as possible—or so he hoped. "Can I show you something?"

Marinette gave him a worried look but nodded nonetheless. "Sure, ma cherie."

Jason took her smaller palm in his larger one, guiding her slowly to where he had everything set up.

"What are we doing?" Marinette asked, a slightly impatient look on her face.

Jason laughed, feeling some of the nerves melting out of him. "Impatient as ever, aren't we, Mari?"

She shot him her usual faux glare—that looked adorable on her, he might add—just as they reached Jason's little setup of pillows and blankets and twinkling lights. 

Marinette gasped and turned to Jason, a mixture of confusion and pleasure on her face. "What's this?" she asked in her perfectly accented English.

Jason shrugged sheepishly, feeling colour leaking onto his cheeks. "Just something I wanted to do for you," he mumbled. Smiling slightly as his gaze caught onto the various tangles of fairy lights, Jason pointed at them. "Look, I even put up those tiny little lights you love."

Marinette laughed delightedly, her eyes lighting up at his comment. "They're called fairy lights, mon amour." 

Jason's hand slid into his pocket when Marinette turned to the little scene he had created, a dreamy smile on her face. "Wow," she said, her voice a little breathy. "It's so pretty."

Heart pounding, Jason knew that this was the moment as soon as his hand came in contact with the tiny velvet box in his pocket. Calmness washed onto him as he dropped onto one knee behind his hopefully soon-to-be fiancee.

"Hey, Pixie," he said softly as his knees touched the grass. 

Marinette turned to look at him, eyes bright—that immediately widened when she saw him—and a disbelieving smile curled on her lips. "What are you doing?" she asked, looking like she wanted to drop onto her knees beside him. Her eyes looked suspiciously glassy.

Jason took a deep breath and jumped off the metaphorical cliff.

"Marinette, since the day I met you, you made changed my life. I knew you were going to have an impact on my life but I underestimated just how much," Jason's voice cracked on the last few words and he had to clear his throat before he continued. "You stuck by me despite the shitty parts of me—even when I threatened to kill you. I never thought that I could love you the way I do and always will, and I never knew someone would love me the way you do. All of the sacrifices you've made for me, for us even when you had to deal with 'shitty American pastries' and bitchy cab drivers, I still can't believe you made them for me."

Marinette choked out a sob-laugh at the last sentence, eyes glassier than ever. 

Jason swallowed thickly before he continued, "I know you miss home, but I love you for staying here and making one with me."

Finally, finally, Jason got to the awaited question. "Will you marry me?"

Marinette didn't even wait for him to finish his sentence before she was gasping out yes, dropping down beside him to pull him into a frantic kiss. 

Jason tugged Marinette closer, nearly dropping the ring box in his hasty actions. They kissed for a few moments before Marinette pulled away, resting her forehead against his. Small droplets of water were dripping from her cheeks as she beamed at him, practically a ray of sunshine.

"Are you okay?" Jason murmured, slowly wiping them away.

"Are you kidding?" Marinette asked vehemently, her voice watery. "I'm more than okay. I'm—"

Her voice faltered and panic festered in Jason before she continued hastily. "I'm ecstatic."

She shot Jason a watery grin as she clutched his forearms. "Sorry, I forgot the word for it."

Jason let out a wet laugh of his own, nearly dropping the ring box still in his hands. "Oh," he said, suddenly aware that he had forgotten to do something, "I probably should—"

This time it was Marinette's turn to laugh, holding her hand out. "Right. That's probably the most important step."

Sliding the ring on Marinette's finger felt like sealing the deal, and Jason could honestly say he had never ever felt so happy in his entire life. Marinette let out a shaky sigh once the shiny but simple ring was settled on her finger, immediately burying her head into the crook of his neck.

"Did you like my speech?" Jason asked quietly, tracing patterns on her waist. 

Letting out an embarrassed laugh, Marinette said, "About that. I kinda might have not listened to the entire speech because I was waiting for when I got to say yes?"

Jason snickered. "You're ridiculous."

"But you love me," Marinette said, a teasing grin making its way across her face. "And you're stuck with me for the rest of your life."

Jason groaned exaggeratedly, a fond grin making its way across his face. "I love you too."

Pulling her into a kiss, Jason dipped Marinette as they did in those cheesy romance movies, so far that they fell directly onto the mattresses and cushions below them. 

While the two of them giggled like teenagers, Jason pulled out a vintage wine and offered it to Marinette, pressing his lips to her palm. 

Taking a sip from the bottle, Marinette asked, "How did you even have time to set this up? I was with you for the whole day."

Jason shrugged modestly. "I had help. Demon-spawn and Dick strung up the fairy lights, Cass and Alfred brought in the food and Bruce and Tim helped set up the pillows and blankets."

"Does this mean—" Marinette paused questioningly.

Nodding sheepishly, Jason said, "They all knew."

Grinning slowly, Marinette slipped Jason's phone out of his pocket. "They must be so nervous," she said with her evil little smile.

Jason let out a laugh���more like a cackle—already knowing where Marinette's thoughts were going. "If you want to do that, you're going to have to take the ring off."

Marinette snatched her hands away from him as if he was going to slip the ring off her fingers. "Never mind," she said, covering her arms protectively. "Not worth it."

Jason laughed loudly, a ball of warmth growing in his chest. He pulled Marinette to his chest, snuggling into her. 

They lay down in comfortable silence before Marinette broke it. "Shouldn't we be going back in now? Before they come looking for us?"

Jason groaned a little, rolling off his fiancee.

As they rounded the corner to the Manor, Marinette snickered when the first thing she saw was Dick's face pressed against the window. 

Letting out a very unmanly squeal, Dick launched himself out of the door before anyone else knew what was happening and pulled Jason into a bear hug.

"I knew it," he said excitedly, bouncing on the balls of his feet. Holding Marinette's hand up, Dick beamed at it as if he hadn't seen it hours before.

Tim was next, also pulling Jason into a hug and giving him a grin filled with relief, pride and love. The two of them grin at each other like morons until Cass comes bowling in, with Damian and Bruce jogging behind. 

The next few hours are a blur of congratulations, handshakes and bottles of champagnes and fine wine, but as Jason lies in bed that night, he lets the dopiest grin in the history of dopey take over his face. 

"I love you," Marinette mumbled, tired out by the ahem previous activities. 

Jason pressed a feather-light kiss to her forehead as he wrapped himself around her. "I love you too."

And nothing was going to change that. 

#jasonette july 2022 #jason x marinette #marinette x jason #marinette dupain cheng #jason todd #bruce wayne #damian wayne #tim drake #dick grayson #cassandra cain #maribat #mlb x dc #dc x mlb #fluff #tooth rotting fluff #marriage proposals

[itsnothappening]

holiday | jasonette

word count: +1k

summary: penguin just happens to be one of the few english words marinette absolutely cannot pronounce for the life of her, and she seemed to know it too as she turned a bright red.

a/n: this is just tooth-rotting fluff.

@maribat-calendar-events

ao3 | wattpad | series masterlist | masterlist | prompts

Jason wasn't exactly sure whose idea it was in the first place. For the first time in a long while, their entire family had a holiday on the same day. Originally, the plan was to just relax in the Manor, a reprieve from the crushing load of work they all dealt with, but at some point that changed to going to the carnival that had decided to pop up in Gotham. Probably not the best idea, but Jason wasn't going to complain. 

Somehow, Jason and Marinette had managed to gain control of the afternoon, dragging everyone with them—a job that was easier said than done. 

The carnival grounds were loud and expansive, a ridiculous amount of people—seriously, Jason didn't even know so many people lived in Gotham—crowding everywhere, making it damn near impossible to find whatever he and Marinette were looking for. 

It didn't help that Dick wanted to stop every two minutes to play a game he comes across, or that Damian wanted to criticise every tent selling art. Jason had to keep on stopping to drag Cass out of tents that sell candy and Tim and Bruce, well they just looked dead on their feet since they'd arrived. 

All in all, it was a regular chaotic group outing—something Jason wouldn't change for the world. 

Searching through the crowds of people, they were looking for some food before splitting up to let everyone do their thing and play their own carnival games. Jason couldn't see any food trucks, but his gaze caught on something else, making him stop in his tracks. 

Marinette, who was holding onto his hand, nearly went flying but managed to ground herself.

Jason smirked at her when she turned to look at him, pointing at the cuddly penguin smiling cheerily at them. "What's that, Mari?"

Penguin just happens to be one of the few English words Marinette absolutely cannot pronounce for the life of her, and she seemed to know it too as she turned a bright red.

"A bird," she said dismissively, getting ready to move ahead. 

Smirking even wider, Jason said, "What is it, specifically?"

Marinette scowled at him, her expression looking adorable on her petite figure. "I despise you."

"You can do it," Jason faux-cheered, pumping his hands in the air, ignoring her previous statement.

Tim, suddenly interested in the conversation, looked between the two of them before he began to smirk too. Jason could practically see him putting the pieces together as he said, "Can the great Marinette Dupain-Cheng, fashion designer extraordinaire, not pronounce the word penguin?"

Pursing her lips in annoyance, Marinette said, "It's a stupid animal that no one cares about."

Quite defensively, Jason might add. 

"I bet none of you could say l'écureuil," she continued, clearly intent on sending her point across. 

Jason just stared at her, knowing and taking advantage of the fact that his stare would break her down. It worked just how he thought it would, with Marinette glaring at him for longer than he anticipated and then finally sighing loudly.

"Fine," she said, annoyance clear in her voice. "Say it for me once."

Jason immediately obliged, practically bouncing on his feet to hear her say it. "Penguin."

"You have an accent," Marinette complained, no doubt trying to deflect the conversation. When everyone's stares made it clear that, no, they were not going to let this go, she sighed defeatedly.

"Pen—" She stopped when she made an n sound instead of ng and tried again. This time she made the g sound. Marinette exhaled sharply through her nose and it was all Jason could do to stop himself from rolling on the floor with laughter. 

Eventually, Marinette gave up, rolling her eyes at everyone as they burst out into laughter, unable to hold it in any longer. "Whatever."

Her cheeks were bright red and she smacked Jason on the arm. "You don't get to bully me. The only language you know is English so you can't judge."

"I know multiple languages," Damian offered, a smirk adorning his face. "Does that mean I can?"

Jason doubled over at the defeated look on Marinette's face, his stomach cramping at the force of his laughs. 

"Sure," she said resignedly, already knowing she wasn't going to live this down.

Her eyes brightened immediately when she noticed the food tents a few hundred meters away, people crowding around. 

Marinette jogged backwards, facing them as she pointed behind her with her thumb. "While you lot keep laughing like a bunch of idiots, I'm going to get some food."

It took them a few more minutes to gather themselves back again, and even then they were still giggling like five-year-olds over a fart joke. 

Jason, finally standing up straight, jogged over to the game stall where the penguin was displayed, giving the attendant two dollars to let him play.

"Go, Jason!" Dick yelled out embarrassingly when he noticed that it was a game of guns. 

The attendant smirked at him as if he already knew Jason was going to fail, so it really was no surprise when Jason gave him his best dickish smirk as he won the game. Not to brag or anything, but that game was a no-brainer. 

Picking out the giant penguin, Jason snickered as he held out the penguin to Dick, the only one waiting for him since the others had gone to eat.

"What do you think Marinette will say?"

Apparently, the only thing Marinette had to say when Jason showed it to her, was to shove him off the bench he was sitting on, with just enough force to make sure he ended up on the floor. 

That made Tim happier since he came to the carnival and it also sent Cass into a giggling fit that resulted in her choking on her candy. Marinette just barely managed to avoid the same fate, laughing at Jason's indignant it isn't that funny.

No doubt, Jason thought as Marinette dragged him to the corn maze, it was a relief to the families around them when they finally left. 

#jasonette july 2022 #jasonette #jason x marinette #marinette x jason #maribat #mlb x dc #dc x mlb #tim drake #dick grayson #damian wayne #cassandra cain #bruce wayne #carnivals #fluff #humour #tooth rotting fluff