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goggles-mcgee · 4 months

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A Little Birdy Told Me 20

AO3

Beginning Last Chapter

Summary: Damian continues to try and get more information about the akuma class and Marinette while Dick is having an off day and just wants it to get better.

Only one brother gets what they want.

CH 20:

Damian may have jumped the gun on that one.

He admitted that, willingly, in the privacy of his own mind.

“To Dupain-Cheng? I mean sure but why would you like to know.” Chloe asked with narrowed sharp eyes.

Bourgeois was sharp, as were all his acquaintances so there was no point in lying, though he was confident he could do so flawlessly, his acquaintances had proved to be somewhat trustful. They all kept secrets if asked unless it was something trivial which confused him to no end. Allegra could ask they don’t tell anyone what she shared with them when it came to her having trouble mentally or her parents fighting but the group would tell almost everyone in the group how Claude had a crush on so-and-so from class-whatever. Richard said that is just how teenagers and friends are but it didn’t make sense to Damian and he tried many times to make it make sense. The only thing that made him feel better is the fact his father also didn’t understand. When he was in med school he told him how his study group kept his fear of bats to themselves but when he admitted to not being a fan of some musician that that information was shared and laughed at, but he stated clearly that the laughing wasn’t at him, just at the information as a study group member had explained. Again. It was strange, but Damian felt like this wasn’t one of those moments that they would share his information with others.

“It goes without saying that what I tell you does not leave this table,” he began, “I know I said that if I knew something I wouldn’t tell, but given Bourgeois’s forthcoming, I too can be a little forthcoming. Dupain-Cheng is now a ward of my Father for the rest of the exchange.”

Vogel nodded and glared at everyone at the table as if to ward them off even thinking of telling anyone what Damian was saying. It was…nice and appreciated. Vogul reminded him of Cassandra sometimes and it always left him feeling warm yet wrongfooted. The blonde wasn’t his sister but sometimes she felt like it and that also confused him. Nonetheless he gave Vogel a small nod of appreciation. “After the events at Wayne Tower and what followed, it was decided that my father take care of Dupain-Cheng for the remainder of the trip and actual chaperones are being flown in. The original plan of having the class merge with ours has been effectively thrown out the window and negotiations are being made where to place everyone as they will be separated. Dupain-Cheng and her friends will join our class but it hasn’t been decided where Rossi and her sycophants will go.”

Allaway pursed his lips together and looked deep in thought, it was like he was trying to organize everything that was said and unsaid. He was someone who liked puzzles and mysteries. “You guys are building a case?” It was posed as a question but Damian knew the other boy better. It was a statement. Damian simply leaned back in his chair to give Allaway his attention, it took the boy some time to voice his thoughts so Damian waited before responding. “The question is, who is the case against?”

“I would think that obvious by now Allaway.” Damian scoffed.

Allaway stared at Damian intensely until he let out a deep sigh, “Yeah, I know, I was saying it to be dramatic.”

“You’re always dramatic.” Damian countered.

“No. That’s Claude.” Allaway shot right back.

“Guilty!” Hardy sing-songed. Damian conceded. Hardy was always dramatic. Every announcement he made to the group or even the school was so rich in dramatics that Damian wondered if the boy practiced what he said every day to make sure it was the perfect amount of dramatic or if it was something instinctual. Damian felt like it was the latter. Sometimes Hardy’s dramatics confused him but Vogel was good at explaining what the dramatic boy was saying, she was basically the Hardy Translator.

“We are getting off topic.” Bourgeois sighed. “You really want to know everything that witch did to Dupain-Cheng, Wayne? Then you better buckle in and take notes.

Damian nodded and pressed the hidden button on his watch that Lucius Fox and his son Lucas upgraded at Bruce’s request, that would record the rest of the conversation. Though he did take out a notebook and pen, he never wrote in pencil, writing in pencil showed you were not confident in your writing or knowledge. He was trying to break out of the habit though as it was one Ra’s made sure ‘stuck’ with his heir. His grandfather would never settle for anything less than perfect and the one time Damian took a test in front of his grandfather and used a pencil, he was punished. Damian hid a wince at the memories of that particular lesson and instead stared at his watch, it was a replica of his Grandfather's watch , the one he wore when he was murdered. It was a bit morbid but it was the thought behind it that made it one of Damian’s most prized possessions.

It had been a little after he had been…introduced to his father and a little before his father’s seeming demise at Darkseid’s hand that Bruce had taken Damian aside into his study to talk to him. Damian thought it would be another reprimand of his methods but had been surprised when Bruce handed him a small box with a bow on it. He had been so hesitant, so wary, so suspicious that his father had gently taken the box from him and opened it to show a watch. A rather nice watch though Damian had noted its somewhat dated design. Like someone had purposefully made it look vintage. “ It’s made to look like my father’s watch, your grandfather, though I have no doubt you were…informed of my parents before you came here -”

“ I know everything about you, Father, and my grandparents .” Damian had interrupted, eager to prove his knowledge, his worth.

“ I don’t doubt that, Damian, but you were told about them by people who did not know them. That makes all the difference. There is time for stories so you get to know them like I knew them but this is the first one I will tell you. ” Bruce had looked sincere yet a bit uncomfortable, Damian had chalked it up to his father’s weakness of not getting over his parent’s death. Such a weakness was not allowed in the League, but Damian had said nothing of the fact even if he could. Richard had been teaching him just because you could doesn’t mean you should. It was confusing but his father seemed to agree with the sentiment so Damian was doing his best to learn it.

His father continued. “ When my father was ten, his father bought him his first watch. I never met my grandfather, but when I was young, my father told me grandfather wanted to start a new Wayne tradition. When the heir of the family turned ten, they would be gifted a watch. I’m afraid that the reason is lost in time and forgotten memories but my father wanted to continue this tradition. I got my watch on my birthday and 9 days later my parents died. My father had been wearing his birthday watch that night .”

Damian hadn’t wanted to interrupt but he did want to touch the watch and his father seemed to understand that so he passed back the gift and watched as Damian had caressed the face of the watch with his thumb.

“ I admit that I have bought your brother's watches as well but I know you are struggling to accept them. I won’t lie and say I understand but I want to feel connected to them, to me, to this family. I wasn’t able to give you a watch on your birthday but I am giving it to you now. I had this made for you in the image of your grandfather’s watch because I want to show you how important you are to this family and me. I could have easily given you a new watch as I had your brother’s but you deserve a connection to your roots. I hope you like it. ”

Damian had only nodded but the small smile his father gave in return had filled him with such warmth he hadn’t known what to do other than let his father put the watch on him. Later, Alfred would explain that Bruce had the watch built with many hidden features to keep Damian safe and to make sure his son wouldn’t be without a way out of a situation. The watch was made to resemble the Rolex Submariner that Damian had seen in a case along with a broken pearl necklace and some loose grimy pearls. He knows they were keepsakes of his grandparents that Bruce kept in a protected case in the Cave. He didn’t really believe it would make him feel any more connected to the Wayne name than him already being Bruce Wayne’s biological son but wearing the watch and seeing the original in its case when he was down in the Cave actually did make him feel connected in a way he couldn’t explain. Thus it became one of his most prized possessions much like his first straight double edged sword his mother gave him for the earliest birthdays he could remember.

Damian inhaled slowly then exhaled to bring himself out of his memory before he looked up at Bourgeois and gave her a short nod. “Proceed.”

___________________

Dick was doing all he could to relax and show Marinette the company’s botanical gardens as it was something she had wanted to do. It was good to see her smile and flit from plant to plant like a little honey bee or something, but Dick couldn’t get rid of his tension completely. He was always like that after dealing with Two-Face even if it wasn’t the usual confrontation between the two, i.e mask to two faces but it still left him feeling the same. Angry, restless and most annoyingly, scared. He wasn’t the same little scared Robin but dealing with Two-Face always made him feel like he was. He thought he worked past all that! But seeing Marinette in his arms with a gun pressed to her head brought uncomfortable flashbacks of a different tiny black-haired blue-eyed child. A child who got cocky in his skills as Robin and helper of Batman. He could still feel the long-since healed injuries throb in phantom pain. Dick couldn’t help the flash of another black-haired blue-eyed child, older than the first when he learned that being Robin wasn’t magical or whimsical. Thinking of that never did him any good, if anything it brought about an enormous amount of guilt and anger that Dick didn’t know what to do with.

“Mari-gold?” A very familiar voice pulled Dick out of his thoughts and he cursed himself for being so distracted.

“Ivy!” Marinette shouted out in glee as she ran to hug the woman she had seen fairly recently. It made Dick smile though, this kid loved with her whole heart and it was something he admired.

“Now what are you doing here, Sapling?”

“I came here with Mister Dick and Mister Tim. Though we lost Tim pretty early on.” Oh yeah, they did. Though Dick was willing to bet Tim just went to the coffee shop nearby, he seemed to have a built in radar for knowing where they were no matter what part of town they were in. It was kind of funny though since Tim wasn’t even a big fan of coffee, he more so just needed the caffeine. The guy preferred tea but he was really particular about which places made the best tea, specifically a good ol’ Dirty Chai.

“And what brings you to the Gardens today, Ive?” Dick asked, deciding to partake in the conversation.

“Oh just making sure they are doing okay and to give the workers a restock of my special fertilizer.” That made sense, Ivy was, on-the-down low helping the Wayne Botanical Studies team. While Harley helped them more with their night time business, Ivy was content to help in the more official business. With the occasional helping hand stopping a threat if they “got in over their heads.” Her words.

“You make your own fertilizer?” Marinette asked. Look, Dick was also curious about that but after finding Ivy and Jason talking one night with these big-ass smiles on their faces, all teeth, he was like 80% sure that fertilizer was some of Jason’s…problems. But there was no way in hell that Dick was going to try and confirm that, and he sure as hell would not be telling Bruce that little theory.

“Yes! It takes time but it-”

“My Passion Lily! I got your Matcha Lemonade and look! I found a wild Wayne.” They were interrupted by Harley, which was not a surprise, and she was dragging a resigned looking Tim with her.

Ivy merely huffed out a laugh at her wife before taking the offered drink with a kiss to Harley’s cheek. “Thank you, Peanut, I also found a wild Wayne and a little Sapling.”

“Mari-Doll!” Harley squeaked out before almost knocking the poor girl off her feet in her hurry to smother the girl in a hug. Surprisingly they didn’t fall over.

“Hi Harley!”

“You guys saw each other the other night?” Tim said, confused.

“And?” Marinette and Harley asked in unison. It made Dick giggle and helped relieve him of more of his pent up tension.

“Well since we're all here, why don’t we walk around together?” Dick offered. “Bruce wanted Tim to get some fresh air so try not to let him sneak off again.”

Tim gave an offended squawk which had Marinette laughing once more. “I’m fine!”

“Yeah, okay Timmy-Boy.” Harley said with a scoff as she laced her arms together with Ivy and Marinette. “And I’m the Queen of England.”

“You do need some time outside the Manor Tim. It’s not healthy to stay cooped up.” Ivy said as she happily walked with Harley and Marinette. Though she did grab Tim by the scruff of his shirt and manhandled him toward Dick. He looked very much like a cranky kitten.

“What is this? Pick on Tim day?”

“I believe Damian has that scheduled for next month.” Dick wished he was joking.

Marinette obviously noticed he wasn’t if her raised brow was anything to go off. “Oh?”

“He stepped on Titus’s tail three months ago, on accident.” Dick explained. “But Damian is very good at keeping grudges and he’s very good on cashing in on favors.”

Tim merely whined in response and Dick couldn’t help but pity his brother for a second before he remembered how Tim used him as a human meat shield when Condiment King randomly joined in on a fight against some robbers. Apparently he was also planning on robbing the jewelry store after keeping a low profile from his then-recent prison break. Needless to say it took Dick forever trying to get the mustard smell out of his costume once again and had to beg Alfred for help once again. Even though Alfred refused to help with cleaning anything CK contaminated, it spiked his blood pressure or something like that. Dick thinks it’s because of all the first times he helped clean them up when the rogue had been new on the scene. That had been a long month and Dick had seen how Alfred got more and more annoyed each time they came home covered in mustard, ketchup, you name it. It was awful. Truly. So Dick didn’t feel all that bad. Stephanie was already coming up with a list of things to tease Tim about. She specifically waits for the days Damian declares will be Pick-On Drake Days so she has lists on lists compiled for that very reason. She hoards them and never shares until the scheduled day. Duke surprisingly joined in too and started making his own list.

“He’s very dedicated.” Marinette giggled out.

“That’s one word for it.” Tim grumbled.

From there they had a good time touring the different gardens with Ivy acting as a somewhat tour guide and Dick could see it was really helping Marinette unwind as well. The interview with Jim and Harvey had really gotten her tense which was totally understandable, it would be intimidating for anyone. Tim tried to escape a couple times but after Dick teasingly asked if he should get Tim a child-leash and Ivy offered to make one out of vines he stopped. He even seemed to be relaxing a small bit. It was nice, really and it seemed to be something that Dick needed too without realizing it. Eventually they went out for lunch and after they went their separate ways. The drive back to the Manor had been nice too, normal traffic and a nice playlist helped. Tim and Marinette had even made some good conversation, though Dick got worried at the mention of PowerPoints. He hoped it was nothing serious, but the fact that Tim found someone as obsessed with planning and making PowerPoints was a little frightening. Maybe more than a little, Dick could only take so many Tim PowerPoints. He loved his brother, dearly, with his whole heart, but his PowerPoints were long and…thorough. He even tested people on the more important ones with a freaking Kahoot match. Cass and surprisingly Damian always won those.

As they made their way into the manor Dick was pretty much planning on taking a good, lengthy nap to catch up on the sleep he hadn't gotten last night. His brain felt fried and scrambled, like it couldn’t decide whether to sink into the depressing thoughts from before or just remember the good time at the gardens they all had, even Tim surprisingly had a good time. As he sunk into the couch in the family living room his mind seemed to settle on both. His eyes closed and he saw Marinette laughing and smiling at their afternoon activities, then it would flash to her being held against Two-Face. He could hear the rogue’s laugh deep in his bones, then it changed to the Joker’s unique cackle. Marinette changed from her to him to Jason at blinding speeds. He could hear Marinette’s voice firm and confident in contrast to the fear in her eyes when she told him there was no time and that she would lead Scarecrow away. He could hear her yelling and telling Alfred she and they weren’t safe. He heard his own cries and shouts mixed with Two-Face’s voice. He could hear what he imagined Jason sounded like when the Joker beat him to death. He could hear the accusations of others about his jealousy of Jason being adopted.

That unfortunately brought up memories of the talk he had had with Bruce once upon a time about Jason and adoption. It felt like he had had to fight not only tabloids but even Bruce about nonexistent hatred. Dick never hated Jason, but he had been so caught up in his anger with Bruce that he let it affect his and Jason’s relationship. He had just been so angry and it wasn’t an excuse but sometimes it seemed like he was even trying to justify his actions to himself. Though there was some jealousy and hurt there that he didn’t know what to do with, okay he did know what to do but the fact it would have to involve talking to Bruce and Jason was not something that sounded fun nor easy. He liked a good challenge but that idea sounded impossible. Like yes, he was Bruce’s son now but for so long he was just a ward, like Marinette was now, he called Bruce dad, they lived together, they fought crime together, they took care of each other, and yet it took years for Bruce to adopt him. But Jason? Dick knew Jason was Bruce’s son, his first son, his favorite son. Jason got the Bruce Dick had always wanted and it had hurt. Jason’s death had impacted Bruce more than his parents. That was a fact.

And…And Dick had no idea where this was all coming from. He knew he didn’t know Marinette well as her class’s tour guide but seeing her held against Two-Face, mere centimeters from danger had thrown him. She reminded him too much of himself and too much like Jason before his death. She wasn’t a Robin, she would never be a Robin, but she had been a hero like one. She saved her people as fiercely as a Robin protected Gotham and its people. She took the weight of her world on her shoulders, much like a Robin. She was a child turned soldier due to circumstance just like a Robin. Marinette was a Robin in soul with no Batman to guide her and maybe that was for the best but looking at how lost she looked when she spoke about the ‘akumatizations’ in Paris, Dick wished she had had her version of Batman. A mentor who could aid in the fight, who shared the knowledge and responsibility. Yes, there were other heroes, they were like her version of Teen Titans, but that’s just it she was just barely a teen, a child, when she took up the mantle of hero. And from the pictures Tim showed the family of the other heroes, it wasn’t hard to guess that the other ‘Holders’ were teens themselves. Seeing as Adrien was also a teen and a former hero.

Dick, in a weird, roundabout way, felt responsible for Marinette. As soon as she looked at him with hope, determination and fear in her eyes he was hit by a wave of protectiveness for her. She looked at him like Damian did when he first complimented and criticized his work as Robin, he and Marinette had also pulled off a plan as smooth and seamless as Dick and Damian had been when they were the Dynamic Duo. Or as Dick liked to call them, The More Dynamic Duo. He knew his family was kind of freaked out by how well Marinette and Damian seemed to get along, but not him, sure he teased a bit but he just had a feeling they would be friends. Damian had been trying to get himself out there and make friends and he did have some! He just called them acquaintances right now but Dick knew it wouldn’t be long till they were bumped up to friend status. Though Jon would always be Damian’s best friend even if they weren’t in the same school anymore. They still video or phone called every day and they played games with each other online. Which games? Dick could never remember but the point was, Damian had grown and was very capable of making friends, it just took him some time.

Speaking of time , Dick thought as his gaze lazily glanced at the clock on the wall. If he slept now, he knew he would not go to bed after patrol tonight. So with much reluctance he pushed himself up and off the couch. He figured he could see if Marinette wanted some company and maybe the two of them could get some tea and snacks from Alfred and tour more of the manor when they were done. It would help in the long term of Marinette’s stay so it was productive! When he got to her room he saw that the door was slightly open but it was still he knocked, if he could dodge a Pennyworth Lecture he would even knock his own bedroom door. As he did so though, the door opened more and with it came an overwhelming energy that left him feeling suppressed yet energized. He wasn’t around magic a lot anymore, but it always left him with the same feeling so he ditched being a gentleman and waiting for an answer and just barreled into the room to see what looked like a closing portal.

“Shit!” That would be a dollar in the Swear Jar, but that wasn’t important. What was important however was the fact Marinette was missing, a portal had seemingly opened in her room and closed, and…and there was a note on the bed?

‘Dear Any Wayne That Finds This,

Actually, are you all Waynes? I never asked, I should have asked. Anyways, please don’t freak out if you come to my room and I’m not here. Ladybug needed my help back in Paris and opened a portal to get me there. I shouldn’t be too long and hey! Maybe I’ll be back before anyone reads this but if I’m not then just don’t worry. Ladybug will return me once the akuma is dealt with.

-Marinette who is very sorry if someone does end up reading this and is pleading they don’t worry or get angry.’

“Double shit.” Dick said as he read over the letter.

That was another dollar for the Swear Jar.

_________________

Dick “Flying” Grayson @toflyistofall

Oops.

____

Bruce Wayne @therealbrucewayne

RE: Dick “Flying” Grayson @toflyistofall

Oops.

Richard John Grayson-Wayne. What did you do?

_____

JBIrd @sidesteppeddeath

RE: Bruce Wayne @therealbrucewayne

Richard John Grayson-Wayne. What did you do?

Ha! You got full government named Dickie! @toflyistofall

_____

Dick “Flying” Grayson @toflyistofall

RE: JBIrd @sidesteppeddeath

Ha! You got full government named Dickie! @toflyistofall

Oh come on! I didn’t even add tags! How did he respond so fast?

#hahaimindanger

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where-the-wind-is · 4 years

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A Little Birdy Told Me

by This_is_my_toenail_collection on ao3

Posting this fic here as well so maybe more people will see it

Fandoms:The Arcana (Visual Novel) Mature Choose Not To Use Archive Warnings M/M Complete Work 20 Aug 2020

Tags:

Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Lucio (The Arcana)/Reader, Apprentice/Lucio (The Arcana), Lucio (The Arcana), Apprentice (The Arcana), Valdemar (The Arcana), Julian Devorak, Mercedes (The Arcana), Melchior (The Arcana), Sickfic, Male Apprentice (The Arcana), Unnamed Apprentice (The Arcana), Pre-Canon, Slow Burn, Swearing, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Fluff, Loneliness, Harassment, Red Plague (The Arcana), Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Eventual Happy Ending, Pining, Canonical Character Death, POV Second Person, POV Third Person, Illiteracy, Emotional Constipation, pov switching, Blood and Gore, Harm to Children, Protective Lucio, Sharing a Bed, Character Study, Physical Therapy, Everyone Needs A Hug, Except Valdemar, They can have a light head pat, Because they scare me,

Summary: In the absence of Doctor Julian Devorak, another doctor must be assigned to the Count of Vesuvia. Surely an apprentice is qualified.

Set before the game, two people are abandoned by their loved ones to face the plague alone. Finding each other may give them both the hope they need to survive.

Or the strength to die with dignity.

Language: English | Words: 28,599 | Chapters: 24/24

#The Arcana #The Arcana Game #The Arcana Fic #The Arcana Lucio #Count Lucio #ALBTM #master list

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kittyanonymity · 4 years

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Are you going to write more a little bitty told me because honestly I love it so much and it’s just such amazing writing and arghhhhh it’s the best because she’s free but there’s also the aspect of her mom and then her aunties and arghhhh I love it!!!!!!!!!!!

I will indeed! Chapter 2 is currently in progress, but I’ve been taking some time for myself this last month since my grandfather died; trying to reconnect with old friends, and work towards my future. :) I realized I really don’t want to have any regrets about things like that, so I’m trying to re-establish myself before I dive head first back into my fics.

I’m glad you like it though!!! Honestly, it’s an absolute treat to write; it’s so fun, and I can do whatever I want lol

#hmmmm #albtm is my baby and i can’t wait to finish chap 2

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tobydontknowsh-t · 2 years

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A Little Birdie Told Me takes place in 1957 New York City. One Stoplight Town is implied to take place in the 1990s or 2000s, but the exact location of OST is never stated. Lost To Time takes place in the 2020s (the pandemic doesn't happen in this timeline) and is set in some ambiguous area of the US.

A character in ALBTM is named Bonnie Favero. Her father, Daniel Favero, was one of the two most feared mafia bosses in the city. Somewhere down the line she would have gotten married and her last name would change (unsure to what), and the thing in her bloodline is "We Don't Talk About The Faveros." One of her kids would have moved to the town OST is set in and started a barber shop. Eventually the shop went out of business and Flash, the owner's son, turned it into a restaurant. TL;DR: Flash's great-grandfather was a mafia boss.

Penelope Mark, another character in ALBTM, wrote it from memory and published it under the same title in the 1980s with the help of the few characters still alive to remember the story. It's been republished several times since then but has never had a rewrite. It's Oliver's favorite book. Now, Penelope is 77 years old and still lives in New York City. TL;DR: ALBTM is a book based on a true story in the LTT universe.

I wonder how many more we can fit in this universe.

#kenny muffles #one stoplight town #a little birdie told me #lost to time

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goggles-mcgee · 1 year

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A Little Birdy Told Me 19

Beginning

Last Chapter Next Chapter

Summary: Just another day at Gotham Academy, well, Damian wished it was. His acquaintances seem to like to make it anything but.

Damian was not having a good day despite his father’s wishes. For the record, he did try to have a good day, it’s not like he purposefully went into the school with the intent to not, but it seemed like any good luck he had had in the last couple of days (which wasn’t much mind you) ran out. The whispers were what had tipped him off to begin with, usually he could brush them off as nonsensical youth gossip and carry on but the stares coupled with the whispers put him a bit on edge. He hadn’t done anything to his knowledge to warrant the behavior he had observed when he walked in but he didn’t let it show that anything was amiss. He merely strode to his locker and dropped off his afternoon class books before shutting it and locking it swiftly. Damian had tried to be nonchalant about his locker in the beginning, but when it had been broken into in his first week he had been livid, and upgraded the security courtesy of Drake. Apparently some schoolmates just wanted a peek into the newest Wayne’s locker and see if there was anything damning they could use against his Father to sell to some tacky tabloid. Needless to say, he and his father had been less than amused and in Damian’s case, hopeful that he would not have to stay in the ridiculous establishment.

As he had said, luck was not on his side back then, so why would it be now?

“Oh our favorite and sometimes benevolent Ice Prince of Gotham Academy.” an annoyingly familiar voice sang out as the body it belonged to slumped against the locker next to Damian’s. “Have you heard the latest gossip, my liege?”

“Hardy. How many times have I told you I do not listen to drivel?” Damian replied in the most monotone voice he could pull-off. The one that made Drake throw pillows at him because he disliked how robotic it made him sound.

“Oh, of course, of course Milord. But…this “drivel” as you call it has to do with you.” Claude Hardy, active member of their drama club, well-liked, class clown and as always an avid gossiper told Damian. Damian didn’t talk to him a lot, or well, it was better to say he tried not to. With Hardy came Allegra Vogel: accomplished flutist, ballerina, the queen of gossip and his class’ president, Alan Lopez: writer, soccer player and like his friends Hardy and Vogel, a gossip and Sebastian Allaway: one of the school’s best track members and whose parents own and run The Cottage, the restaurant that replaced Bamonte’s Restaurant after Don Maroni died and The Maroni Family dissolved (assumedly). An odd group of…almost friends, more so associates maybe to him, he wasn’t sure yet if they were friends but Damian would admit they were entertaining at the least.

“Can you never just get to the point, Claude?” The newest addition to the friend group, and Damian’s associate circle asked dramatically. Damian’s gaze shifted to look over at Gotham Academy’s latest transfer Chloé Bourgeois. Nicknamed Queen Bee by the friend group, but Damian noticed she always smiled sadly when she was called that. Perhaps her friends noticed too because Queen Bee quickly shortened to just Queenie. Both nicknames were ridiculous if you asked Damian, he somewhat disliked nicknames. It was fine when Dick did it, because he did it out of affection, Jason did it to be a dick and Tim did it to be annoying. Well that was his theory in any case.

“You missed it too Queenie!” Hardy helpfully pointed out.

“Traffic was worse than usual but I’m not that late Drama King. English hasn’t even begun.” Bourgeois snarked back.

“Bourgeois has a point. The school day has barely begun, how have we missed anything vital?” Damian asked with a furrowed brow as he closed his locker and led the group in the direction of their English class.

“It’s sad how you both don’t get here early enough to socialize like proper socialites,” Hardy sighed dramatically before he perked up and looked at them with a glint in his eye. One Damian was not a fan of as it often painted trouble for him. “That class exchange thing, the one Damian’s father is funding, the class arrived the other day and oh boy was Headmaster Hammer not amused!”

Damian stiffened but kept walking, the news startled him but he was not going to let it show. He could not let anyone know he knew about the class already and especially not about Marinette. “Oh? I thought they were supposed to start next week? That’s what Father said. I would also like to point out that one cannot be late to gossip as I was not here to begin with.”

“Exactly. At least Wayne has brain cells that work.” Bourgeois teased.

“Are we teasing Claude?” And now another person was walking with them and Damian had to resist the urge to sigh loudly. It was too early to be this social.

“Don’t we always Allegra?” Bourgeois asked as though the answer was obvious which to be fair it was. The group did tease Claude an absurd amount, but he just made it so easy.

“Oh yes of course. How silly of me to forget.” The other blonde responded with a teasing laugh.

“Why are you guys so cruel? I’m just here, existing. I’m just a little guy.” Claude pouted.

“You are taller than us.” Damian pointed out a bit bitterly. He was of average height for his age but it seemed like a lot of his male classmates surpassed average in grade school.

“ANYWAY. Sir Ice Prince and Queenie, you both weren’t here on Friday-”

“I had an appointment, I told the group this on Thursday.” Bourgeois interjected.

“I didn’t want to leave Richard alone after what happened at Wayne Tower on Thursday so my father excused me from class.” Damian threw in, in some way it was the truth. Dick had been rather…wound up after the situation at the Tower and the run in with Brat Chat hadn’t helped anything. He may be playing it off but Damian knew his older brother well and he knew that Dick was holding everything in still. So it was no surprise that Dick was sticking around Marinette more than the rest of them. He was worried about the girl, that much was clear and it didn’t take a genius to guess it was because he felt responsible for her being Fear Toxined when he was there and able to do something, but the fact of the matter was there really wasn’t much he could have done. Dick was stubborn though and would continue to blame himself until Dupain-Cheng was safe or until Damian could beat sense into him. He had no problem exercising the second option. Dick was too hard on himself.

“That’s understandable. How is he doing?” Vogel asked softly.

“Better.” He replied honestly.

“I’m glad Dick is doing better, but you and Chloé really did miss one hell of an…interesting day.” Hardy continued. Damian merely hummed in response, he knew it was futile to try and argue that he was not interested because Hardy didn’t care. Or just didn’t believe him; either option was equally annoying. “Like I said, that French class the school is doing the exchange with arrived on Friday. Like the whole class. I can tell you guys now, they did not make a good impression on our dear schoolmates.”

“Oh…yeah…the class exchange. You said they’re French?” Bourgeois asked nonchalantly, though Damian could see her body stiffen as stutter as they walked before she collected herself.

“Yeah. I thought they’d be nice to speak with. Especially this small group that had been discussing music but…” Vogel scrunched her nose up, it made her distaste well-known. Though, Vogel was not one to hide how she felt to begin with so the expression wasn’t a surprise. Especially to Damian who had knowledge of the class already and he knew he wouldn’t like most, if not all of them. “Instead of telling me about their songs and band and such they only spoke about this girl in their class. I swear, you would think she was newly Sainted or the like with how they looked at her and talked about her. It was like experiencing a cult without actually being in the cult.”

“Oh yeah. It was some real Jim Jones’ shit.” Hardy readily agreed.

“Language.” Damian couldn’t help but quip. He was too used to telling Jason, Tim and Steph that so they would have to add to Alfred’s ‘Swear Jar.’

“And the teacher acted like their behavior was normal!” Hardy continued as though he hadn’t heard Damian. Brat. “She acted like they were perfect little angels.”

“It was disturbing.” Vogul shook her head.

“The teacher…” Bourgeois was inspecting her nails, feigning disinterest but Damian could see the subtle shake in her hand. “What was her name?”

“Why? Think it might be your old one Queenie?” Hardy asked with a smile but the twitch of his brows told Damian he was worried about the answer Bourgeois might give. “What are the chances of that?��

“Just- What was her name, Claude?”

“Uh, something with a ‘B.’”

“You’re beyond help Claude. How do you not remember?” Vogel asked.

“Look. In my defense, I don’t like her and I don’t pay attention to things I don’t like nor care for.”

“You’re horrible. Her name was Caline Bustier. Her class was supposed to be placed in ours but apparently now, that’s not even certain. I think I heard someone say Headmaster Hammer was not at all pleased with how they came in and demanded their schedules. I guess their class president was supposed to be present but she was not there. Word on the street and from the horse’s mouth is that she went missing after the whole Two-Face, Scarecrow situation at The Tower.” Vogel was as connected as ever. Damian was impressed she had all that info already given it had only been a few days since everything went down. Not to mention a weekend passed, which meant some of her sources were not available to talk with, or so Damian assumed. She probably had them all on speed dial for all he knew.

Another thing he observed? All of them looked at him like he had answers. He did, but he wasn’t going to say anything, it was for Marinette’s safety after all. So he sighed like he did best, “Even if I knew something, I wouldn’t tell you.”

They nodded. “Fair.” Hardy said with a shrug, he was used to those kinds of answers. He would have to be since he had been bugging Damian since he started at Gotham Academy.

Bourgeois had stopped walking and though he wanted to just head into the classroom, it was quite literally fifteen steps away from them and if he went ahead it would be incredibly rude to ignore whatever was bothering the girl. Alfred impressed upon him how a gentleman behaved and leaving Bourgeois in this situation was most definitely against Alfred’s teachings. As though the man himself was watching him, Damian stopped walking and barely held in his complaints. His grandpa was terrifying when he wanted to be, especially when it came to manners. Damian shuddered at the memories of Alfred’s etiquette training but managed to hide it as he turned to face Bourgeois who honestly looked close to passing out right there in the middle of the hallway. “Bustier?” She gasped.

“Chloe?” Vogel asked as she placed a hand on the other blonde’s shoulder.

“Oh my god, they are your old class.” It was a statement rather than a question from Hardy. The Style Queen Heiress’s reaction was all the answer they needed but she did give a stiff nod. The answer was…interesting to say the least but it also put Damian on edge. If that was her old class then she must have known about Lila Rossi, granted she had been at their school for about a year now but due to the family’s research, Damian knew the Lila situation had been going on for about four years. So Bourgeois had been in that class when it was happening, Damian knew the school sounded familiar, he just couldn’t remember why. He, of course, had done his own research into Chloé Bourgeois when she had been announced as the new transfer student but admittedly he hadn’t dug too far as Dick and Alfred told him that was not the way to make friends. He couldn’t help being cautious, it was a skill he had to learn very early in the League, so anyone new that came into his life he couldn't help but be suspicious of.

Honestly, he did the bare basics of a background research on Bourgeois that the fact he was being surprised by a fact he could have found out if it weren’t for ‘manners’ and ‘courtesy’, he would have found out about Bustier’s class before the exchange program was finalized. He could have prevented so many annoyances by arguing with his father about them. Though that would have meant never meeting Dupain-Cheng… he didn’t know how to feel about that. “We can speak about this after class. The bell is about to ring and I for one would rather not be counted late while I have the ability to be on time in mere steps.” Damian announces as he walked on, he would gather whatever information he could from Bourgeois at lunch, he had time.

_______________________

[LUNCH]

Chloé took a deep breath in to calm herself for what felt like the millionth time that day. Ever since she found out her former class was the one that won the spot for the Gotham Education Exchange she had felt like her heart was about to beat out of her chest all day. She didn’t want to face them, she wasn’t ready to face them, ever since her move to Gotham Chloé had changed and she knew it was for the better. There was no Hawkmoth in Gotham, so no reason to not feel, and well, Jean-Claude made her go to therapy and though she found it ridiculous to begin with, she had to admit it did actually help if you put the work in. It was the end of collège for her when she realized just how absolutely miserable she was. Her parents’ fighting had gotten worse, her classmates were all sheep, she knew that before but she thought they had grown some kind of backbone when Marinette started standing up for herself but then that liar joined the class and things changed. It was terrifying to see just how fast everyone turned on the person they called their ‘Everyday Ladybug’. If they turned on her that fast, what would happen to Chloé?

What happened was nothing she hadn’t expected. Much like Dupain-Cheng she had been sent to the back, at first she had been there with Sabrina but by 4’eme* the redhead had left her. She had the mercy of not being targeted by some of the classmates “pranks” like Dupain-Cheng had been but no one spoke to her, no one acknowledged her unless they absolutely had to. Chloé had tried to get her dad to do something about it but that was when he and her mother’s fights started getting bad and they paid less attention to her. The only one who seemed to care what was happening to her was Jean-Claude, he tried to help as best he could but there was only so much he could do. She thought Mme Bustier would do something as she had always been on her side but when Chloé tried to complain she was hit with that good old infamous ‘good example’ bullshit. It was like a slap to the face. Usually hearing that would have brought a smug smile to her face because it wasn’t her getting that talk, she was the one who got her way and the others were supposed to be the ‘good examples’.

It threw her for a fucking loop is what it did and it sent her in a deep depression. She was so used to getting her way by throwing tantrums, throwing money or just in general throwing something someone’s way, then all of a sudden she couldn’t get her way by doing what she used to do and she was lost, utterly lost. Her mother and dad kept fighting, sometimes she expected it to get physical with how close both got to one another while shouting and maybe that was the one saving grace that never happened but she never wanted to see her mother throw her heels at her dad ever again. That was as physical as it had gotten and it scared her because one of those times one of the heels almost hit her when she tried to enter the room and beg them to stop fighting. That was the last time she tried. By her last year, 3’eme, they had at least taken to fighting with each other through their assistants and poor Jean-Claude in a ridiculous imitation of Mlle Sancoeur (she never did like when Chloé called her by her first name despite the fact she has known her since Chloé was in diapers.) But when they got lawyers involved they didn’t fight over one thing, one important thing, her.

No. She was thrown around like the shared house furniture trying to be divided, except where they argued about who kept what piece of furniture, they argued why the other should keep her. They did it with her in the room. It was then that she realized that neither of her parents’ really loved her, oh she always knew with her mother there was never any love, but when her dad didn’t fight for her? It hurt more than she cared to admit and that was the day of her final akumatization, Folk-Tail. From pictures she had seen her hair had grown down to her feet in its ponytail but it took on the likeness of a scorpion’s tail, her skin had turned gray but it looked like she had cried after just putting on mascara that was definitely not waterproof since she had black streaks starting from her eyes going down her face, she wore what she always imagined Princess Potentilla wore when she was made to live in the small house by her jealous mother and on top of her ponytail sat a crown of forget-me-nots. The tale of Princess Potentilla and Prince Narcissus had always been her favorite fairytale. It was no surprise that her akuma had been fairytale based since at that moment in time all she had wanted was for her life to be like the fairytales Jean-Claude had often read to her. She just wanted a happy ending.

Apparently her power was to assign roles to people, roles of famous fairy tale characters or creatures that she felt they reflected. Since she herself had been a sad reflection of Potentilla, her father was of course King Cloverleaf and her mother Queen Frivola. Those she did not personally know were given basic roles like a villager or the like. She had gotten to most of her class given they were hanging out at the park that day in celebration of their last year of collège. It was no surprise that she found out Lila had been turned into the Big Bad Wolf, what did surprise her was that she had hit Dupain-Cheng and the girl had become Melinette, the helpful, powerful fairy from her favorite story. It shouldn’t have been so surprising and yet it was. It was after she had been defeated that she reflected on it all, her akuma had been surprisingly truthful with what she herself felt but was too scared to acknowledge. Her father was only interested in what had his attention like the glory of being Mayor and his true love running his hotel much like King Cloverleaf loved being King but only because it gave him the means to hunt to his full pleasure. Her mother was a vain woman who cared too much about her reputation much like Queen Frivola who thought herself the most beautiful woman and threw the most lavish balls but when she saw the beauty of her daughter, she hid her from the kingdom out of jealousy. She had no Prince Narcissus. Yet she had Marinette, determined, helpful, kind Marinette who was very much like Melinette, the fairy who raised the Prince.

If she had hit Hawkmoth with her ‘tail’ he for sure would have been Grumedan the Evil Enchanter. It was that akumatization and everything else going on around her that made her snap. She didn’t want to be like her mother or her father. Hell, she had spent so many years trying to be like her mother in an attempt to get the woman to just get her name right! Chloé didn’t even know who she really was but she wanted to find out and she knew that wouldn’t happen in Paris. She broke down to Jean-Claude about it all, she cried for the first time in a long time, she didn’t care if she got akumatized again, she wanted to cry, she needed to cry. That was when Jean-Claude took charge, he yelled at her parents, demanded a meeting with them and the lawyers outside of Paris because he knew emotions would be high and he demanded parental rights over Chloé. In some ways it shocked her and at the same time it didn’t because he was always the one taking care of her. He wanted her. He cared for her. Chloé had zoned out after his demand because she was just so overwhelmed, someone actually wanted her; she missed the fight and following negotiations. Since her parents didn’t want to take care of her Jean-Claude would be her parent, they wouldn’t change her name since Jean-Claude fully expected her parents to still provide for her.

Oh she knew they fought that with everything they had but Jean-Claude told her after the fact that he essentially blackmailed them. If they provided for her by sending money to her and Jean-Claude after their move and if they kept her as their heir for their respective businesses until she was old enough to decide if she wanted to take over either business, then he wouldn’t go to the media with some illegal stuff he knew had gone on and absolute neglect the put their child through. They folded quickly since there was nothing more important to Audrey and André Bourgeois than their reputations. Before she knew it, after all the necessary paperwork was completed, she and Jean-Claude moved in with his sister Margot in Gotham, New Jersey. It was quite the move and it was hard to adjust but Jean-Claude was patient with her but firm, they arrived in the summer which was the perfect time for her to start therapy apparently. She thought it would be hard adjusting to Gotham and its unique brand of crime but it really wasn’t. Costumed weirdos running around causing havoc? Old news. No Miraculous Cure? Now that, that was scary and took time getting used to.

All in all she thought she was getting better and growing. She had friends, actual friends! She liked hanging out with them, listening to them, just in general being with them, she didn’t have to fake anything around them. Sure she had a hard time with Damian but that was just because he was so standoffish and kind of reminded her of Felix which wasn’t great but she was starting to separate the two in her mind. Though both boys were fond of their families, Damian wasn’t as conniving as Felix nor as fake, he was simply blunt and in some way it was refreshing. She liked their little odd group of friends and one acquaintance who was becoming a friend and she didn’t want anything ruining it. Especially not her old class but she was still fragile and they had the power to set her back and she didn’t want that at all. But Chloé Bourgeois was not someone who bowed to anyone and she wouldn’t start now but…she would talk to Jean-Claude about it all and maybe see if her therapist would be available for more sessions or even on speed dial.

“Chloé?” Allegra’s voice tore through the murky fog that her thoughts had become and she finally realized she had somehow made it to their table.

“Hey. You okay Chlo?” Sebastian asked.

“This is about your former class, is it not?” Damian asked but the way he said it made it sound like it wasn’t a question. It made her wince.

“Damian. A little more tact next time please.” Allegra said as she pinched the bridge of her nose.

“But he’s not wrong is he?” Claude asked next.

Chloé looked at her friends and tried to swallow the lump that had formed in her throat, her hands clenched and unclenched around her lunch tray that she hadn’t noticed she didn’t set down and she took in another deep breath. “I am…I’m scared. I was not the best person to them as I’ve told you all before, I was a bully. But towards the end of my years with that class things changed. They changed. They didn’t speak to me. At all. Me and Mari-another classmate, we were isolated, basically banished to the back to be all but forgotten. Well…I was. Dupai-the other classmate, she wasn’t as…fortunate?”

“Fortunate?” Allan echoed.

Chloé nodded. “I would take my fate over hers any day. I was forgotten in a way, but they did bad talk me and insult me when they knew I could hear but they never acknowledged my existence. It was like I wasn’t there in the room while they were talking. But Ma-my classmate, they bullied her, worse than I ever did and I admit I bullied her for years. While I did it out of jealousy and to just get her mad or in trouble, they did it to break her. I did nothing to help. I was going through things, yes, but that’s no excuse and I don’t know how I’m going to face any of them.”

It was quiet. Awkwardly quiet. Chloé was close to just pushing away from the table and just storming out because everything she was feeling was too much but a small yet loud ‘Hm’ stopped her and called her attention. It came from Damian who was staring at her with his calculating eyes that gave her the creeps from time to time. It was like he was trying to pull your secrets out of you with his eyes. She stared back at him as he stared at her and leaned his elbows on the table, interlocking his fingers and resting his face on his hands. “So you know Lila Rossi. Tell me about her and everything she’s done to Marinette Dupain-Cheng.”

Well that was not what Chloé expected him to say.

________________________

Chloe Bourgeois

@Bee-utifulMe

School is barely halfway over and I’m already ready to call my therapist.

#imdonewithtoday #gothamacademy #itsbarelynoon

💞MAPS💞

@ImTheMapImTheMap

RE: Chloe Bourgeois

@Bee-utifulMe

[School is barely halfway over and I’m already ready…]

Mood.

#Iwasnotpreparedforthatenglishtest #TTuTT

Notes:

*4'eme (3'eme) are the last two level of schooling in college (French schooling). College typically goes from ages 11-15, 4'eme is for those 13-14, 3'eme is 14-15.

Prince Narcissus and The Princess Potentilla is a fairy tale that you can read here if you would like context -> HERE

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A Little Birdy Told Me 18

Beginning

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Summary: It's morning in Wayne Manor and Gordon and Bullock stop by for Marinette's statement.

“Good Morning Gordon, Bullock.” Bruce welcomed as he opened the door wider so the two men could enter his house.

“How many times have I told you you can just call me Jim, Bruce?” Jim asked with a shake of his head and a fond smile on his lips as he stepped inside the familiar manor.

“You forget Boy Scout, he was raised by the butler, I think he’s incapable of shaking off that proper speech.” Harvey joked as he followed Jim inside. The two followed the familiar path to the kitchen with Bruce making polite conversation, catching up from the last time they had seen one another. Bruce made sure his voice carried so the kids would know they were closing in on the kitchen. They all did better when they knew people were approaching rather than when they were snuck up on. Came with their night jobs unfortunately. He also did it for Marinette who was so tense, of course he knew why she was but it still made him frown when she flinched at his and the boys’ voices or simply seeing them out of the corner of her eye. He could tell that she was trying her best not to do so but he also knew it couldn’t be helped.

“Marinette, I’d like you to meet Chief Bullock and Commissioner Gordon, they are old family friends and I figured they would be the best people to get your report of what happened at Wayne Tower.” Bruce explained as he introduced the two men to the teen, who frankly still looked a bit skittish. She looked like she was going to question why the Commissioner and Chief of the GCPD was there to collect her statement but Bruce watched some tension leave her when he clarified that both men were family friends. It made Bruce want to cry, this child, without even knowing them for long, without even knowing him for long, trusted his word. How long had she been going without being able to trust the adults around her? Without being able to lean on them because her fear of them being used by an emotional terrorist was so strong? He didn’t want to know the answer but he thought he might know anyway.

“Nice to meet you, you can call me Jim. None of that Commissioner stuff.” Gordon said with a small smile, still forever awkward around children that weren’t his own or Bruce’s.

“And I’m Harvey. Don’t let Bruce trick you into thinking we’re stuffy old men. I swear this boy must have come out of the womb speaking that politely. Took him years to stop calling Jim and I ‘Detective So-and-So.’ It was cute for a while, but quickly became annoying.” Bullock said with a teasing grin shot at Bruce as he took off his hat and set it on the island counter and took a seat on one of the stools set up there for when one of the kids was having a quick meal.

It managed to get a giggle out of Marinette so Bruce counted it as a win. The teen just seemed so drained, even after the sleepover with Ivy and Harley. He figured they must have had some serious conversation if the looks Ivy and Harley had exchanged over their rushed breakfasts was anything to go by. They had even written two separate notes for Marinette before they had left, she had yet to open them but when Alfred had given them to her she had had the softest smile on her face. “It’s nice to meet you both. You probably already know but I’m Marinette. Uh, Dupain-Cheng. Marinette Dupain-Cheng. You need my full name for the report right?”

“Yeah we do kid, but we don’t need to start right away. Why don’t you finish breakfast and then we’ll go settle in Bruce’s office if you’re comfortable with that.” Jim suggested. Marinette gave a small nod before she tucked into her breakfast once more which helped Bruce breathe a little easier. He always worried about the kids eating enough, looks like Marinette officially made it to his worry list.

“Have you boys had anything to eat yet?” Alfred asked.

“I had a little something from Wackdonals but I’d never say no to your cooking Alfred you know that.” Bollock said as he took a seat at the table and pointedly looked at the chair across from him until Gordon took it with an eye roll.

“And I’ve told you fast food is not breakfast Harvey.” Alfred shot back as he made the two men a plate each.

“They serve breakfast.” Harvey retorted with a shit-eating grin that had Marinette muffle another giggle and made Bruce smile as he took a seat at the end of the island counter, the seat closest to the kitchen table.

“They serve convenience.” Alfred said with a shake of his head as he placed the plates in front of the men. Bruce bit back a laugh as he knew Alfred’s stance on fast food, he didn’t really like the family eating it but he wouldn’t say anything if it was only eaten once in a good while but he absolutely drew the line at breakfast. The older man was firm in his belief that breakfast was the most important meal of the day and he would go out of his way to make the family breakfast even if they woke up at different times if it meant they didn’t go to a fast food restaurant to get breakfast.

“You like Sundollar Alfie, don’t lie.” Jason made his arrival as he did most mornings. With a witty comment. It made Bruce want to hug him and simultaneously sigh seeing as he was usually the target of said comments.

When Alfred didn’t comment Jason just laughed and took a seat next to Marinette while Alfred made him a plate. “Morning Short-Stack.”

“Morning Jolly Green Giant.” She snarked back which made Jason snort and ruffle her bangs which made her pout as she slapped away his hand. Jason just laughed again and shook his head before he gave Alfred a soft ‘Thanks’ once he was handed his plate and dug in. It still hurt to see how he ate sometimes, like he thought someone would take his plate from him. It was a habit he never really broke, he only slowly ate if it was something he made. Which was why Alfred had Jason help him with meals a lot of the time or if Jason ever asked to use the kitchen to make a meal he could. He was basically the only one in the house allowed near the stove besides Barbara and Bruce himself even if the kids liked to tease him about not knowing how to cook. What they didn’t know is that he always helped make their birthday meals if he was able to, and he made damn sure he was able to.

“Oh hey the Fuzz!” Jason cheered as he finally noticed Gordon and Bullock.

“Jason.” They said together which made him snicker.

“And of course my favorite cryptid, The Jersey Devil! What are you doing in a mansion? Aren’t you supposed to be out haunting the Pine Barrens man?” Jason said cheekily as he looked at Bruce.

“That gets funnier every morning you say it Jason.” Bruce sighed out as he sipped at his coffee since he had already eaten his breakfast well before anyone was awake. He had had to explain his whole schedule to Marinette when she got worried that she was the only one eating.

“Truly I am the king of comedy.” Jason agreed sagely. “Thanks for the pork roll Alfred.”

“Always welcome Master Jason.” Alfred nodded as he took the boy’s plate before he could take it to the sink himself like he liked to do. Bruce happily drank his coffee and just took it all in, he loved mornings like this, mornings with one of his kids being happy and joking around. Though Dick was more prone to hide behind his jokes and smiles, Bruce would like to believe he knew when they were forced or faked, overall though he was the most morning-person to ever exist beside Clark. Damian was not one to make jokes, he was a quiet person in the mornings and was more often to give smiles or grunts rather than vocal answers. Cass was much the same way, though she was just not a morning person after she learned she could sleep in and would not be punished. Duke was much like Jason, if he was having a good day he would be making jokes and smiles all around, though he did have some quiet mornings they were no-less happy. Steph was not a morning person. Neither was Babs.

It was peaceful, the way Gordon and Bullock were talking in low voices at the table, voices rising only when Bullock attempted to steal food off Jim’s plate and the way Jason made idle chatter with Alfred about some new recipes he found on some app he had. Bruce of course noticed how the older boy would glance at Marinette every now and then to check on her or make sure she didn’t feel left out of the conversation even if all she gave was a nod at something he said. Bruce loved mornings like this. He could recall some mornings from his youth with his parents and Alfred that felt like these kinds of mornings. He wished he remembered them more vividly but time was a cruel thing to the mind, as much as he wanted to remember those great mornings with them he could never recall what they had talked about or if he ever told his parents he loved them as much as they told him those mornings they would send him off to school. It was an old hurt that still ached but he was working on it. His kids helped more than they probably realized, more than he could ever explain, and he was so grateful for these mornings. He felt so full of love and he liked to believe this is what his parents felt those mornings with him.

Then they passed and it was a struggle to have breakfast, it took him longer to enter the kitchen. His mother’s records would no longer fill the mornings, he hadn’t had the strength to play them. His father would no longer be in his seat at the table having his cup of coffee with the newspaper. That cup sat there for about a year before he let Alfred clean it because it had stayed on that table the morning the day they were murdered. Alfred tried, bless his heart, but Bruce couldn’t stomach his pancakes because of the memories he had of them for about two years. But then breakfast became him and Alfred, then it was Bruce, Jim and Alfred, then Bullock joined sometimes and then so had Selina. Then life went on, he found his kids or in some cases they found him and the rest was history. Complicated, messy, hurtful, joyful, and wonderful history. But of course things couldn’t last forever and he saw the pointed look Gordon shot at him which made him sigh into his now empty mug.

“Marinette, would you rather give your statement here or somewhere else in the house? Anywhere you want is fine.” Bruce felt bad for cutting into her conversation with Alfred and Jason, especially because she had actually started taking part in it but they did have to get her statement. As callous as it sounded, they had already given her a lot of time to process, that’s how the law saw it, he was grateful that the GCPD let Batman work with them. They took his judgments to heart and they actually listened to what he had to say. It hadn’t always been that way, that was another rocky history he had.

Marinette looked up at him and Bruce nearly took a step back, her eyes were so wide and trusting, it was merely-blinding, like when Cass would ask him for something. They were the kind of eyes that held innocence no matter the tragedies they bore witness to, they were pure and Bruce felt as blessed and he did uncomfortable under their gaze. “Can we do the interview in your office? It um, it makes me feel safe.”

“Whatever you want, Sweetpea.” Shit. No. This is not your kid Bruce! Do not parent it! He could see Jason snicker into his hand and mouth ‘Sweetpea’ at Bruce with the biggest shit-eating grin.

Though he would take all the embarrassment, and all the teasing he knew would be coming his way from his kids with the way Marinette smiled and seemed to relax. “Thank you.”

Bruce gave her a nod and looked up at Gordon and Bullock who both were looking at him with matching expressions. Ones he did not appreciate, thank you very much, somehow they looked both fond yet teasing. He glared at them as best he could in the small window of opportunity he was given as Marinette slid off the counter seat. Maybe he had to make the counters lower? Damian had the same problem but if he even suggested it the boy would have a fit, and maybe murder him in his sleep at the offense. Though he knew Damian would grow into his height, the boy had tall parents, and all his children were tall so lowering the island counter would ultimately be counterproductive. He just felt a little bad at the small jump Marinette had to do to get off the seat, though he was confident she would get some height, though he wasn’t so confident about it being much. He had done his homework on her parents and while, yes, her father was a very tall individual, her mother was on the smaller scale. Given how her mother’s genes won out already, he would be willing to bet she would only grow a little more given she was already taller than her mother.

“Morning All!” Bruce was pulled from his thoughts by Dick’s sing-song greeting and couldn’t help but smile. He thanked the boy in his head for pulling him from said thoughts, he just couldn’t shut off what Tim and Alfred so fondly dubbed his ‘Detective Brain.’ Even if what he was ‘investigating’ or ‘breaking down’ was mundane, his brain was always grinding its gears away. Bruce smiled at his oldest and gave him a nod and was not surprised to see Damian trail in after him. If Dick was staying at the Manor then it was often you would see the two together, especially for their morning run.

“Morning Nettie!” Dick greeted Marinette with a ruffle of her bangs which had her slapping at his hand much like she had done with Jason.

“Morning Dick.”

“Where are you off to so early in the morning?” He asked as he looked at Bruce, Gordon and Bullock, his smile still in place though Bruce could see his confusion and worry.

“Oh, uh, the Chief and Commissioner are here to get my statement about what happened at Wayne Tower.” Marinette responded, her nervousness shone through the biting of her lip and the way she fiddled with a loose thread on the dress she wore for the day.

“Oh. Well whaddya know, they also have to get my statement. Why don’t we do it together?” The elder boy lied swiftly and Bruce’s heart filled with fondness, it was no secret that Dick felt particularly responsible about what happened at the Tower. No matter how much the staff, Bruce, the boy’s siblings, and Alfred all told him, he still couldn’t help but shoulder the blame. It also was no surprise to Bruce that Dick felt protective over Marinette over everything. Especially seeing them the night of the accidental phone-call, Marinette looked so comforted and relaxed next to Dick, and Dick looked like…well he looked like what Bruce imagined he looked like when any of his children leaned on him in their times of need.

“We already-OOF!” Harvey had started but an elbow from Gordon stopped him.

Gordon smiled at Marinette when she looked at him in surprise and questioning. “WE already planned on questioning you Richard, lucky us you are staying at the Manor. Otherwise we would have had to take the drive out to Blüdhaven.”

“Yeah…Lucky us.” Bullock groaned. “Let’s head to the study so we can get this out of your way, kid.”

“Okay…” Marinette replied with some trepidation but when Dick bumped her shoulder gently and gave her a smile she seemed to calm and gave him a smile back as they walked out of the kitchen but not before she waved at Damian who looked shocked at the action. Through his confusion though the boy gave her a wave back and Bruce again had to hold a chuckle back at his son’s expression. He simply smiled at Damian and patted him on the shoulder as he walked out, it seemed like they had to have a talk soon. Damian may not have realized it yet, but Bruce knew a crush when he saw one, especially on one of his children’s faces. Especially on Damian’s given the boy looked so much like him at that age and Alfred told him so many times how Damian and he showed the same amount of emotion.

Once they got to the study and all took seats on the couches, as Bruce didn’t want to make Marinette feel uncomfortable or intimidated if he or anyone else sat at his desk, Gordon and Bullock immediately set into getting Marinette’s statement. It shouldn’t have shocked him how well they handled the whole thing given how long the two had been at this job, and how many kids and teens they spoke to, the numbers were too high in Bruce’s opinion but he did his best to lower them. They were patient when they needed to be yet pushed when they had to, he never really thought about it but Bruce could admit that maybe anytime he encountered a child as Batman, especially in the beginning years that he tried to emulate Gordon’s behavior. Being a father helped but it also hindered in a way, because sometimes Bruce just wanted to grab the parents by the shoulders and shake them or he just wished the children never had to go through what they did. Sometimes he saw his kids in the children he encountered and it scared him, it made him want to be reckless even when he knew he couldn’t afford to be.

Marinette reminded him of Cass and Dick in ways he couldn’t really describe, maybe it was the way both kids often walked like they had the weight of the world on their shoulders. Or maybe it was the way they cared about people, how they loved people with their entire beings. It could also have been the way they found joy in the simple things, they tried to look at the silver linings, but sometimes they could spiral. They overthink, they worry, they feel so much. Bruce looked at Marinette and he saw what he saw in all his kids, a child who had to grow too fast. A child who felt like they were responsible for more than they could handle. Maybe even a child who felt they had to be perfect and anything less than was just not enough. All in all though, Bruce saw a child, a scared child who needed help and if he could be that help he would be. She may not know it yet but by the way Dick looked at her, the way Jason spoke with her, Damian interacted with her and the way Alfred already seemed to dote on her, Marinette had the Wayne family at her back. Bruce had no doubt in his mind that once she and Tim interacted more that they would get along great, Cass would adore her and so would Steph, Duke too.

Bruce knew she wasn’t telling them the whole truth about Paris, her fear and anger were real, the emotions were very real, the heroes were real, there was just something about it all that felt off. He wasn’t sure what but he hoped they earned her trust, she was an honorary Wayne as far as he saw it and they were going to do whatever they could to help her while she was in Gotham. And if they didn’t manage to solve everything in Gotham then they would go to Paris and help, no kid deserved this much stress. No person deserved this actually.

“Hey Bruce, I was just telling Marinette about the Botanical Gardens! Apparently it was on the trip’s original plan but was ‘outvoted’ at the last minute, anyway, I was telling her that we were due for a check-in over there this week and thought maybe I can take her this afternoon instead of going to the Tower.” Dick said as he looked between Marinette and Bruce excitedly.

Bruce took one look at Marinette’s hopeful smile and Dick’s excited one, he knew the boy wanted to cheer up Marinette, he also knew Dick probably wanted to be anywhere but the Tower so he sighed and smiled back, “Sounds good to me. Just remember to check in now and then and maybe see if Tim wants to go? He could do with the fresh air. I think I saw him making a new board on his ceiling and I would like him to leave his room sometime.”

“Deal!” Dick said with a laugh as he jumped up from the couch and grabbed Marinette’s hand to ‘go wake Tim up.’ Which coming from Dick could mean jumping on the bed or dumping ice on the poor boy and he did not want to be here for either option so he bid Gordon and Bullock a good rest of their days and made his way to the garage to see Alfred and Damian waiting for him. They were going to drop Damian off at school before Alfred dropped Bruce off at the Tower to help Lucius with whatever he could.

“Dupain-Cheng is not accompanying us?” Damian asked once they were in the car and Bruce hid his smile in his hand.

“Ah, no, Dick is taking her to the Botanical Gardens, apparently it was something she wanted to do originally with her class but the idea got shut down. I think Dick wanted to cheer her up after everything that has happened. Tim might join them as well.”

“I could have taken her.” Damian looked offended that he hadn’t been considered for the last minute trip and Bruce was fighting with himself not to chuckle.

“Damian. You have school.”

“Tim has work. So does Dick.”

“Tim has started building another board on his ceiling. That means no work for him. As for Dick, as much as I’m sure he’d love to be giving tours at any of the buildings, or being security for the day, he needs his time off too. Remember, he’s trying to look for something that feels right. I think the incident at the Tower might have dissuaded him from continuing on as tour guide.” Bruce explained.

“Richard has excellent people skills though.” Damian scowled.

“I’m not saying he doesn’t,” the boy was very protective of his older brother, “it’s just that people can be difficult. For you and I it’s a different kind of difficult, but for Dick, I think it’s more so the kind of people he interacts with and the way he interacts with them.”

“He could be a cop again.”

“He liked it in Blüdhaven I admit, but he wasn’t happy after a while.”

“Do you think he’ll stay in Gotham?” The way Damian asked made Bruce’s heart clench. It was like he didn’t want to allow himself to hope. He was rather attached to Dick and every time the boy went back to Blüdhaven he was always down the days that followed. Dick had told him he wanted to find a new job, one he actually enjoyed, he was even considering moving back to Gotham but he made Bruce swear he wouldn’t mention it to the family. Not until he was sure at least.

“It’s a possibility.” Bruce couldn’t lie to Damian. Not because he felt bad or anything, the boy had the scary ability to read him like all his children did, but sometimes it was like Damian could sniff out a lie. Which, truth be told, was a little disturbing.

Damian hummed before he looked out the window, “What about Dupain-Cheng? What’s going to happen there?”

“Well, once the new teacher is flown in and the chaperones who should have been here to begin with, the teacher, Marinette, Gotham Academy’s principal and I along with some lawyers will have a meeting to discuss that. We will have to plan out how to carry out the exchange but with splitting the French Class up, if we can even do that to begin with. I don’t believe it will be a problem though. We will also be discussing new rules regarding the French Class.” Bruce explained. He expected the meeting would derail when he got to the Rules section but Gotham was not a city to mess around in and they needed to understand that.

“But she will still be staying with us, correct?”

Bruce chuckled this time, “Yes. Marinette will continue to stay with us either way since I am now her temporary guardian as her parents gave their permission.”

“Why did you laugh?” Damian pouted.

“Oh look, we have arrived at your school.” Bruce pointed out which Damian did not look happy about but got out of the car all the same. “Have a good day at school today Damian. Alfred will pick you up as always, or perhaps Dick will. You will be notified before the school day is up.”

“Thank you Father. I hope you have a good day at work and once I am home from school you can tell me what you were laughing at.” Damian huffed before he turned around sharply and left for school. Bruce just shook his head and chuckled softly.

___________________________________

Tim Curry In Clue My Beloved

@huedoneit

Did anyone else notice our local Baby Wayne aka Ice Prince was a little…thawed today? He didn’t even make sarcastic remarks about @scalesandarpeggios

It was scary 😱

🎵 Allegra 🎵

@scalesandarpeggios

RE: Tim Curry In Clue My Beloved

@huedoneit

[Did anyone else notice our local Baby Wayne aka…]

I take offense to that. But true, he didn’t even lecture you about singing show tunes in the hall, all he did was scoff.

AAAAAlan

@dontmakemejazzsquare

RE: 🎵 Allegra 🎵

@scalesandarpeggios

[I take offense to that. But true, he…]

Maybe the dude is just sick 🤷🏾‍♂️

*Wackdonals- in the DC Universe version of McDonalds

*Sundollar- is the Dc Universe version of Starbucks

*Pork Roll-or Taylor Ham as it's known in North Jersey, a processed meat product processed, packaged, and sold in New Jersey and almost nowhere else

*Jersey Devil- Cryptid that is said to live in and haunt the Pine Barrens. It is said to have bat wings, hooves, a goat's head and a forked tail. Though in other accounts it is said to have a horse's head instead of a goat's and a kangaroo's tail instead of forked. This cryptid has had many sightings but most commonly the sightings came from Southern Jersey and Philadelphia.

Gotham is located in Jersey, specifically South Jersey which is why I added the line about the Jersey Devil and Pork Roll

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goggles-mcgee · 2 years

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A Little Birdy Told Me 17

Beginning

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Ivan was never the smartest guy, he knew that, but what he lacked in brain he thought he more than made up in heart. That’s what his Mama always said and surprisingly that is what his former friend Marinette would also say to him when he was having a bad day. Contrary to popular belief, he and Mylène were not the perfect couple, they had their fights, they annoyed one another on occasion, they even took jokes too far. More often than he would care to admit it was because he put his foot in his mouth and said something stupid, or didn’t think things through and they would end up in a misunderstanding, but his mothers’ and Marinette were always there to help him cool down and think things through whenever he needed them. Before this whole Lila thing he used to be able to just call up Marinette whenever he needed help or just whenever he wanted to talk with her.

She was his person and he liked to think he was hers, she would vent about her frustrations with Alya and the Girl Group, she would lament her failures and by failures Ivan meant little mistakes that Marinette was overthinking but that was okay, he knew she couldn’t help it. That was something he didn’t like that the girls and some of the guys in class teased her about, her tendency to spiral, they acted like it was just one of her quirks or it wasn’t a big deal. It was no secret that Marinette had anxiety, but he didn’t know if the others knew she had to take medication for it, but then even if they didn’t they still shouldn’t tease her for something she can’t control. Ivan had even said as much to said girl, he would never forget the smile she gave him as she told him he was a loyal friend.

Loyal. The memory made his stomach tie into a knot. No, he was not loyal, not at all, he was a coward, he was weak and he had tricked himself into believing he was strong. He didn’t know when it happened, but at some point Ivan got it in his head that if he just kept Mylène happy no matter what, everything would be okay. It didn’t matter if she didn’t want to go to a concert with him because she would rather they go and protest some issue she was passionate about (never you mind the fact that passion seemed to change every month or so), it didn’t matter that he couldn’t play some of his favorite songs around her because she thought they were too scary (she only listened to one verse), and it didn’t matter that she never wanted to hang out at his parent’s house (the décor was too intense she said). He couldn’t really remember when it started exactly but he knew it was after Lila returned from her trip or whatever.

Apparently Mylène had gone to the girl and expressed her concern to the Italian about how often they fight, which he thought was a small amount but apparently his girlfriend didn’t agree and it had begun to make her question their relationship. Ivan had been heartbroken and desperate and when Lila gave him the advice to just make sure Mylène was always happy he took to it like a duck to water. He liked Mylène a lot, she was the first girl he ever actually considered confessing too. He had crushes, but with Mylène it was just different. The crush didn’t fade away like the others, no, in fact it grew day by day to the point he just had to tell her how he felt. She was important to him and oh so special, and well, he’s a teenage boy and this is his first relationship, of course he didn’t want it to end. So he took Lila’s advice and it was like he could think of nothing else but Mylène.

Then time passed, his bottled emotions grew and he was finally able to take a step back when his older sister was home from university and pulled him aside for a talk. She noticed how different he had been and that’s when it hit him. He had always been proud to be him, sure he had insecurities, what teenager didn’t? But he loved rock and metal music, he loved horror films, his favorite color was black, and yeah he wore eyeliner. All that stuff made him happy and he believed it was what made him, well him. The point was, he had been raised to be proud of who you are, no matter if what you are going through is a phase or not (he fondly remembered his sister’s pastel phase, and so did his parents) because ultimately even that is you. It is just you trying to find what you are most comfortable in and in some cases broadening your tastes. It was that talk with his sister that made him realize he had not been himself in a long time, and that really upset him.

He decided he needed to take a step back from everything and really take a moment for himself so he could reflect and just think. He maybe, sort of, forgot that the trip to Gotham had been coming up but it honestly was a blessing in disguise because it gave him time away from Mylène. Which was sad that he thought of that as a plus, but he needed time away from her because it was his time with her that had been what had changed him and not for the better. So yes, he was more than content to use this education trip as his own personal getaway from everything, even if it was only when they were back at the hotel since Mylène decided that this trip had to be some romantic thing for them. Ivan had already tried to tell her that this trip was an educational one and they should treat it as such and not mess around, more so because they were specifically in one of the most crime ridden cities in the world.

Apparently what he said had been ‘totally mean’ and ‘inconsiderate’ so Mylène was giving him the silent treatment until he apologized. Another bonus, only if she remembered she was ignoring him, because sometimes she would be talking to the girls and come over and hang on his arm the way Lila did to Adrien and it took a lot out of him not to pry her fingers off him. He remained polite though, his mothers’ did not raise a rude son, they always made sure he was polite because they knew people would always judge their family for their looks and choices. His Mum said politeness was a weapon and he truly believed her. So he made sure to always be polite when he reminded Mylène about the silent treatment and why he didn’t believe he had to apologize and maybe they both needed to think about it. The boys were surprisingly on his side, especially Nino. What was a big shock to Ivan was that even Juleka, not one for talking Juleka, had even stood up for him and taken his side.

Distantly he hoped he hadn’t caused any problems for her and Rose. He really liked his bandmates but he was closer to Juleka he would admit. They both were people of few words and were more comfortable being in the background even if they were proud of who they were. He and Juleka could sit there in silence for hours without it going awkward because they both knew they were hanging out even if they didn’t say anything, they just appreciated each other’s presence. Nowadays though, the two hadn’t been able to just hang out with each other like they used to and Ivan hated to point the finger without proof but he blamed Lila. Everything changed after her lengthy return after her first day in the class. Ivan hadn’t noticed at first, he was admittedly not the most observant, but by the time he noticed it felt like there was nothing he could do.

No. The feeling was true but he knew he could have done something, he could have stood up for Marinette when he finally saw just how horrible the class was being, he could have broken up with Mylène when he first noticed her change or even sat done with her and her dad and talked over with both of them how the girl had been changing and not for the good, he could have spoken up for Nino and Juleka when he noticed they had become the Italian’s latest “projects.” Everyone in the class that had sided with Lila had been changing, and it had not been for the better, not at all. That had become all the more clear when he had heard Alya say they had to teach Marinette a lesson. It was the way she said it, there was so much anger behind it and she said it out in the lobby of Wayne Tower with a bravado that told him she didn’t expect them to get in trouble. The sad truth was they wouldn’t, not with the blatant favoritism Mme Bustier gave Lila.

That was all Ivan could think of throughout the rest of the tour, then the hostage situation had happened and everything happened all at once and much too fast and it had been utterly, devastatingly overwhelming. His heart had still been racing by the time they had made it back to the hotel and even then he didn’t remember getting back on the bus, he didn’t even remember getting out of the lobby. It had taken a much needed bath and a long time of blasting music from his headphones as he laid on his bed before he finally felt himself come back into focus enough to realize they had left Marinette behind. They had left a classmate behind in a fucking hostage situation, and it made his stomach drop so harshly he thought for a brief moment that gravity had ripped it out of him. It made him rush to the bathroom to puke up whatever he had eaten for lunch because for the life of him he could not remember.

They really had left Marinette back there to an uncertain fate and Ivan had never been more grateful that he was the odd boy out with his own room considering Nathaniel had fallen ill before the trip. So no one was around when he broke down, he cried, he sobbed, he muffled his screams into his mountain of pillows and even then it hadn’t felt like enough. The grief he felt, the anger, the guilt, it was all too much and the string that had been precariously holding him together before the start of the trip snapped. He needed…well he wasn’t entirely sure what he needed, he knew what he wanted and that was to make sure Marinette was okay. He wanted the old Mylène back. He wanted Kitty Section together again and rehearsing and just planning out new performances. He wanted to be able to write songs with Rose once more without fear of her taking them to Lila for her “expert opinion.” Ivan wanted to hang out with a friend group that didn’t just stand around and listen to one person’s stories or opinions without getting to share their own.

Yes, Ivan wanted a lot of things.

But first he had to get his nausea under control.

So with great reluctance he pushed himself out of bed and walked out of his room determined to go downstairs to the lobby in hopes the restaurant was still open, if it wasn’t then he would try and find a vending machine, and if that all failed he would ask an employee to go into the bar section of the hotel for him. He needed sparkling water or something with ginger in it, or even peppermint tea. Though he loathed the stuff, his Mama always told him those were the best for nausea. It was after their curfew but…well they didn’t exactly have a teacher or chaperone around to enforce said curfew and it's not like Mme Bustier actually did anything if she caught you outside your room, or so Alya and Lila had said after they told everyone they had to go to the lobby after curfew the first night because Lila absolutely needed something, something dumb he was sure. The girls said the most they got was a gentle admonishment and made to promise they wouldn’t do it again.

Yeah Ivan could see why Caline Bustier was being investigated and honestly he wished it had happened sooner. If it had, maybe Marinette wouldn’t have had to plan and prepare the trip for them all and do her best to make sure they were safe. You know, like the teacher should have done. Oh Ivan knew it was Marinette who had won them the trip and not Lila who had claimed it so. He had been so grateful to the pig-tailed girl, he had never left Europe before and he had been so excited to have the opportunity to do so. But that had been a childish dream, or that’s how it felt anyhow, because as soon as they got the trip started Caline Bustier continued to fail as a teacher. Once upon a time, Ivan would have claimed the woman was his favorite teacher but after all the shit she let slide and he had been witness to that shattered. Caline Bustier fell from her self made high-horse throne and Ivan didn’t care.

He was glad that Mlle Mendeleiv would be her replacement for the trip, no matter what others said about the teacher, Ivan respected her no nonsense attitude when it came to rules and safety in her classroom and lab. He knew they would be in good hands, along with whatever chaperones would be coming. It was those thoughts that renewed a bit of hope in him that things would look up, a little voice in his head reassured him that things would get better. It suspiciously sounded like Marinette. Ivan huffed at that and willed the ache in his chest to go away as he reached the lobby and was about to head to the restaurant to see if it was open when he saw a familiar person sitting on one of the chairs in the lobby’s lounge.

“Alya?”

Said girl jumped in her seat before turning her head and wiping her face, Ivan pretended not to notice. “Ivan. Hey.”

Ivan looked at someone he had once considered a friend, not a particularly close one, but a friend nonetheless and decided they needed to talk and just be there for one another. Even if both weren’t exactly that close. So he sat on the seat next to her, his quest for a carbonated drink or ginger one put on hold. “I’m not going to ask how you’re doing because that would be pretty dumb, but it is the polite thing to do. So how are you feeling, Alya?”

“I…” At first it looked like she was going to lie or laugh him off but after a minute the girl’s face scrunched up tight before it seemed like all the fight had left her as she sagged into the seat. “Not the best I admit.”

“Me too.”

“I just…I didn’t think. When we left, my mind was on Lila and I didn’t think…”

“Didn’t think of Marinette.” He didn’t pose it as a question because he knew.

Alya looked like she was about to snap at him for even speaking the ‘forbidden name’, but she merely bit her lip and nodded. “We left but I didn’t…I knew we left Marinette there. And before you yell or lecture me or whatever, I know, I know that’s bad. The police had a grand ol’ time letting me know that. It’s just…I really didn’t think Ivan. I didn’t think she would…”

Ivan had to take a deep breath, but he did get what she was trying to say. “You didn’t think she would get hurt. Or taken off the trip. But Alya, before you yell at me, what did you think would happen? Honestly? Because from where I have been sitting and seeing, you haven’t cared what happened to Marinette the moment this trip started.”

He held his hand up when it looked like she was about to argue. “Alya. You asked me not to yell, I asked you the same, please. Look. You and Lila and Rose and…and Mylène have all been making this trip hell for her. Like it or not but Lila tried to leave her back in Paris. You may not believe that but that’s how it came across. You guys talked Bustier into leaving the hotel early our first official day to tour and you guys didn’t care that we left her here. You didn’t care when her friends argued or worried. You guys didn’t care. I should have spoken up. I know I should have when I noticed what you guys were doing. That’s my fault. But…but I don’t think I believe you when you say you didn’t think she would get hurt or be hurt.”

It was quiet. The silence grew and grew and it was wrapped around them both like hands pressed to their throats. Tears were gathered in both sets of eyes but they had yet to fall. “We left her behind in a hostage situation. She had a gun to her head Alya…we had no way of knowing if she was okay and we left and I hate myself for letting us leave.”

Both were crying. “Ivan…I…”

“You’re a good person Alya. But…you…you’re not acting like yourself anymore. You may jump into things without thinking, be a bit short tempered, but you always strived for information. For proof. For justice. This? This isn’t justice. When you…When you suggested teaching Marinette a lesson in the lobby…it sounded like you were suggesting…” Ivan never spoke this much but he wanted Alya to listen. He wanted her to see exactly what was wrong, or at the very least plant a seed of doubt of some kind.

Alya gasped and covered her mouth with her hand, she was unbelievably pale. “Ivan…please, please tell me you didn’t think I was suggesting…Mon Dieu…beating Marinette up!”

Ivan shrugged half-heartedly. “That’s what it sounded like but I know you’re not like that.”

“Ivan, I swear that’s not what I meant!” Alya denied. “I just…I was so mad at her because of what she did to Lila, but I didn’t mean hurting her. I swear it. I meant like…getting even. Playing pranks or something. Calling her parents! But never, never would I mean hurting her! I…look, we may not be friends any more but that doesn’t mean I want her to be hurt or to hurt her.”

“I want to believe that, and I think you want to believe that too. I think you need to take a step back from everything and just think about what’s happened. Not just here, back in Paris too.” He advised.

Alya licked her lips before looking him in the eyes sharply. “Like you did? Like with Mylène?”

“That’s!...Yeah…Yeah like me. Like that. It’s been an experience…Mylène has changed and so have I and I’m not convinced either change was for the better. So I took a step back. I had hoped she would understand and I’ve been trying to give her space…” He admitted.

A voice, a familiar heart-breaking voice, cut off whatever Alya was going to say next and it had Ivan stiffen in his seat. “Ivan? Why are you down here with Alya? Alone?”

Mylène.

“Hey Mylène.”

Ivan tiredly watched as his girlfriend looked between him and Alya with a frown on her face, her hands on her hips and one foot tapping the floor impatiently. It would have brought him some amusement-she looked like a cartoon character-but he knew if he laughed it wouldn’t be appreciated. “You didn’t answer my question. Lila says-”

“Mylène.” Alya cut in as she stared at her friend in confusion and something else that Ivan could not identify but he was grateful that Mylène’s attention was not on him. “He…He wasn’t feeling well. I just wanted to see if he was alright.”

It wasn’t a complete lie, but it wasn’t the full truth but Ivan appreciated it all the same. “Yeah. I’m actually going to head to bed. Night girls.”

Without hearing their replies the boy got up and made his way to the elevators. He wasn’t one for many words, he didn’t really enjoy talking but this was one conversation he knew he would have to have many times over. For Marinette he would do it. For his friends he would do it. For himself…he would do it. So once he was on his level, Ivan squared his shoulders and passed his own room only to stop at another and knock. Once the door opened he stared down at a former friend, one he missed. He knew from experience that people found him intimidating given his size and his apparent ‘resting bitch face’ but Max just glared up at him with all his anger and determination. It made Ivan smile despite the situation.

“Can we talk please?”

_______________________

Swanky Hank @iamsadlynotkingofahill

Guess who got fired! UnU

#imeanfair #butitsucks #butfair #imeanididgiveoutprivateinfo

Ello @nahimjustaworm Retweeted

That’s rough buddy

Swanky Hank @iamsadlynotkingofahill

Guess who got fired! UnU

#imeanfair #butitsucks #butfair #imeanididgiveoutprivateinfo

Next Chapter

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goggles-mcgee · 4 months

Text

Me writing the newest chapter of ALBTM: what if I add some Dick angst as a lil treat?

#albtm au #albtm #a little birdy told me #maribat #mldccrossover

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goggles-mcgee · 2 years

Note

Was rereading the "A little birdy told me" asks and i hadn't noticed the Killer Croc ask and now all i can think is "he probably think she's some kind of fae lol" because most of the stuff that happens to him around her sound a lot like those storys about people that get spirited away by the Fair Folk, can you imagine Croc trying to explain this to Batman

Killer Croc becoming wary of this small child and trying to warn all the other rogues that she's a Fae. Even going as far as trying to warn Batman is freaking hilarious.

Man trying to collect evidence but all he has is how he feels around her and everybody just thinks he likes the small child and is too "Masculine" and "Evil" to admit it.

Killer Croc crying in a corner because no one believes him and now he has to pretend he doesn't know this small child is one of the Fae and he's probably going to be kidnapped and taken to some forest in Paris.

KC being genuinely afraid of Marinette when he's not around her and doesn't feel the affects of her and the Miraculous.

#albtm ask #maribat au ask #goggles answer #goggles ask #mldccrossover killer croc

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goggles-mcgee · 2 years

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Since we had Nino's POV followed by Juleka's POV in A Little Bird Told Me and both have the suspicion that the other isn't buying Lila's storys anymore, what are the chances of having Ivan's POV since he's also in both chapters

Pretty damn good Anon. Pretty damn good

#goggles ask #goggles answer #albtm ask

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goggles-mcgee · 1 year

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The Pennyworth Family in My Batman Universe

I don't know why I decided to post this but i think it has to do with my rewatching of Totally Spies and working on ALBTM. Anyways this idea wouldn't leave me alone so you all have to deal with it 🥰

Alfred Pennyworth is the middle son to Arthur and Mary Pennyworth.

He has an older brother: Wilfred Pennyworth, but unlike his Earth 1 self and past selves, this Wilfred, Wilfred Quincy Pennyworth, while fond of acting actually somewhat followed in the family footsteps of helping out eccentric young people who are brilliant. Wilfred, after their father's death and the circumstances it had been in, fled London back to the family's old home in Winchester, England. Under the impression that he and his family were in danger because of something his father ran into, Wilfred changes his name to Quilish Wammy.

If that sounds familiar just wait. It is an odd name but well, Wilfred had always wanted to be an inventor if acting never took off for him and he figured an inventor needed a unique name to be noticed. After a while he wanted to do something different but more. He opened a special kind of orphange. Wammy's House, an orphanage for talented children. Wilfred had always loved kids, especially the bright ones and he thought this was the only way he could be a parental figure as he was just too busy to seek out a relationship.

That's where he ended up meeting his adoptive son Landon Lawliet, who greatly despised his first name and demanded to be called just L Lawliet. A brilliant but shy boy who grew to be a rather impressive detective. As he grew and took on cases, Wilfred retired from the orphange and left it in the care of a trusted friend so he could be with his son. He of course told his son his true name. They traveled everywhere for cases and Wilfred even got to visit his brothers once and a while. They did visit before when L was younger but not often.

L liked his brothers and even got along with Alfred's boy Bruce when they visited when the boys were younger.

Then L got interested in a case in Japan and Wilfred became Watari for a while.

Yes that's right, Death Note Crossover. But wait. There's more!

Wilfred and Alfred had a younger brother named Jarvis (in past comics, Alfred's father was names Jarvis but I decided it is now his younger brother's name).

Jarvis was much like his brothers, intelligent, kind and a flare for the dramatics. He followed in his older brother's footsteps but far away from home. He became a spy for WHOOP after his time in the British Military had caught the attention of the organization. When his father died and had sent out messages to the family alerting them that if he died it would not be an accident but to not blame the family he was currently working for, Jarvis already had plans to leave much like Wilfred had. Nothing was tying any of them to home as soon after their father passed, their mother passed away from heartbreak.

Jarvis was intrigued by WHOOP and needed an escape so he joined WHOOP and changed his name to Jerry Lewis. It was simple and easy to remember with the first name starting with the same letter as his actual name and his last name being similar to his middle name. His middle name being Louis. He was happy with his job, actually he loved it and every now and then he would be able to sneak away and visit his brothers.

Imagine his shock when he found out Wilfred had a son and Alfred was working for the same family that their father had been working for, a family that was only survived by their young son who was left in Alfred's care. Wilfred and he hadn't liked it but Alfred was happy and the kid really needed someone there for him.

Years past and Jerry had had many agents but then he met Samantha Simpson, Clover Ewing and Alexandra Casoy and he would be the first to admit he had a soft spot for the three. He tried not to show it and when he did try not to, he often made mistakes. But he would admit that he saw the three as his friends and somewhat his daughters. He was responsible for their well being, it was hard not to grow attached.

Then there's Alfred who, following their father's death went to work for Thomas and Martha Wayne. Even though his father's message had been a big red flag and the fact he, along with his brothers and a small group of people knew that yes Arthur Pennyworth was a butler and a damn good one at that, he was also a damn good spy. He wasn't spying on the Wayne's, oh no, he was spying on Gotham itself and talk of a deadly secret society.

It's why the boys all split when he died. Alfred had been contacted by his father way before hand that if anything should happen to him, he wanted Alfred to take his place as butler to the Wayne's and successor in his investigation. Though the organization his father worked for had no idea that Alfred and his brothers knew about their father's mission, and Arthur never got to send out his last message warning his middle son to not come to Gotham, Alfred swore to uphold his father's supposed final wish.

Thus Alfred Pennyworth became butler to Thomas, Martha and soon Bruce Wayne. He never forgot his father's mission of looking into a possible deadly secret society hidden and based in Gotham but then the Wayne's were murdered leaving Bruce to him and suddenly he was a father and there were more important things than revenge. Well...until his son craved revenge that is and well, Alfred really like Thomas and Martha, they were lovely people and lovely friends and yeah....he wasn't the most stable at the time and gladly helped his boy become a vigilante. Was it good parenting? Perhaps not.

But he was a Pennyworth and Pennyworth's did not do things by halves.

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Haha so yeah I thought it would be hella fun if the Death Note, Totally Spies and Batman Univereses were connected so...Ta Da!

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