#dc x ml

[littleinkling64]

nothing quite like the post-saving-your-dad-from-being-lost-in-time nap crash, amirite?

follow-up piece to my earlier scrappy wizard!Mari idea. immediately after getting Bruce back (and following the less-than stellar reception of Tim's return to Gotham due to past rivalries with Damian), Mari and Tim crash hard before determining their next move...

#maribat #dc x mlb #mlb x dc #dc x ml #ml x dc #timinette

[themaribatpit]

The Lost Wayne: Chapter 4

Synopsis: On the night of her parents’ anniversary, Marinette was shocked to learn that all this time, she had been the long forgotten daughter of an American businessman named Bruce.  When she is given the chance to visit him that summer, she learns that she’ll also be spending the summer with his many other children.

Rated T: Language

Ships: Gen

Author’s Note: Hi everyone! It has been a while, and not helped by the fact that I’ve been busy with life stuff. DC Boy and I take time to brainstorm, edit, proofread, and we do it together. We’ve got continuations of ongoing stories coming, plus some other ideas that have been sitting in notes apps and Google Docs for a while now. This community of people who enjoy this crossover have been nothing but kind and supportive, and we appreciate your patience as we return to trying to post fanfic chapters more regularly. - Maribat Girl

Taglist: @laurcad123, @k8s-things, @miyatalksshit, @raeuberprinzessin, @jeminiikrystal, @jjmjjktth, @tinybrie, @angelwreckedd, @talia-scar123, @maybeanalien0-0, @depressed-bitchy-demon, @timetravelassasin, @its-maemain,  @lex-am, @iloontjeboontje, 

Chapter 3 - Chapter 5

Chapter 4

Next morning, Marinette walked down to an empty dining room. She awkwardly took a random seat and sat quietly for a few moments; she hoped that the family would join her for breakfast. After about 10 minutes she gave up waiting for them, “Um, Alfred?” she asked in what she assumed to be an empty room. Alfred, almost by magic, appeared before her with breakfast. 

“Good morning, Miss Marinette,” he greeted, “Today’s breakfast is an assortment of pastries and a cup of chocolat chaud.” 

“Thank you, Alfred, where is everyone?” Marinette asked as she gestured to the empty table.

“Ahem, Master Bruce is a late riser as he is usually up late. Master Dick returned late last night, so he won’t be up until later. Master Jason stayed up into the night reading, so he won’t be down for breakfast either. Master Tim has been awake for over 48 hours and I've made him rest. Miss Cassandra has left early for ballet practice, and Master Damian has fencing practice and would rather not be disturbed,” Alfred recited, his explanations prepared long beforehand. 

“Oh,” Marinette muttered, “All right then.”

“You know, every month, we all gather and chip in to help the people of Gotham. Master Dick will be going to local orphanages tomorrow. Why, Master Damian goes to the animal shelters every week. Would you like to follow me to help give food to the homeless?” Alfred offered.  Marinette blinked for a moment as she tried to picture Damian, with his usual sour scowl, being surrounded by cute animals.

“That sounds great Alfred, would…would anyone mind?” Marinette asked.

“Not at all,” Alfred said before leaving. 

Later, Marinette sat in the back of the limousine with a few baskets beside her, all filled to the brim with sandwiches made by Alfred. Her heart sank the deeper she went into Gotham City. She could never truly get used to the state of the city. “Where are we?” Marinette asked.

“Gotham City’s East End,” Alfred answered, “where most of the unfortunate souls reside.”

The car slowly came to a stop in front of a small alleyway. The entire street grew silent as everyone focused on the car. It wasn’t everyday a luxury car came to this part of Gotham, it attracted all sorts of attention. Alfred got out first and locked the car, and as he walked towards the side to open the door for Marinette, he was accosted by a man.

“Nice ride old man, wouldn’t want anything bad to happen to it.” The man spoke with a malicious glint in his eye. 

“Let’s keep this amicable, Gentlemen. Please go away.” Alfred answered monotonously.

One man drew his arm back for a punch, only for Alfred to deliver a swift kick to the groin. The man instantly collapsed and writhed on the floor. Alfred opened the door and Marinette nervously stepped out and watched the man on the floor in worry and pity. She whispered a quick apology to the man. People on the street began to gossip, was this girl the heiress to a crime family? Gossip began to die down as Alfred gave them a stern glare, and people began going about their business.

Alfred quickly collected the baskets, “Miss Marinette, please stay close.” Marinette followed Alfred through the streets until they reached a shanty town filled with children. 

Marinette gasped at the ragged children living on the streets and took an unconscious step back. Tears pricked her eyes for a moment as she saw the conditions they lived in, but this was replaced with a determination as she walked up to them and offered a sandwich. The children eyed her suspiciously, the closest one slapped her hand aside. “How stupid do you think we are?!”

Marinette froze at the hostility coming from the children, “But…I…” she stammered.

Another child shouted, “That's how they kidnapped Bob and Bill last week, two people came in dressed as the Mayor's Homeless Outreach Project. They threw Mackey through a window and even killed old man Steve.” 

Marinette began to panic as the children of Alleytown began to yell at her. "All right, that's enough," a voice behind her boomed and all the children were silent. Marinette looked back to see Jason standing behind her.

“Jason?” Marinette said in shock, “What are you doing here?”

“I just happen to be around," he said unconvincingly. He turned to the children, “She’s with me,"

“Well well, if it isn’t Jason Todd, what brings you and your friend to Alleytown?” a voice came from nearby. Marinette turned around to see a blonde woman perched on the sill of an open window with one leg crossed over the other. 

"Holly," Jason greeted plainly, "Marinette's a friend visiting from Paris. She just wants help out while she's in town." Marinette felt a twinge of shame, did Jason not refer to her as family out of contempt? She looked down at the floor, unable to meet Jason's eyes. "She's one of the good few, trust me."

Marinette looked up tentatively at Jason. She wasn't sure how to react, but here he was vouching for her to strangers. "I brought some food…" she said as she held out a sandwich.

Holly leaped off the window sill and landed in a roll, she strolled towards Marinette and picked up the sandwich offered to her. Marinette seemed a little startled by the ease with which Holly managed to do that. "Well, don't mind if I do," she said as she took a bite. Marinette nervously looked at Holly chewing, all the Alleytown kids stared too, suspicion still in their glares. "Hey, this is good. Come on and have some," she told the kids. In a split second their suspicious glares disappeared and the kids crowded around Marinette for free food. 

The children swarmed and overwhelmed Marinette, she frantically gave everyone sandwiches.

They then quickly dispersed back into hiding after taking their portion, Marinette, Jason and Alfred were then left alone. Marinette breathed a sigh of relief and wiped the sweat from her brow.

“Would you like a lift home, Master Jason?” Alfred asked as he gestured to the limousine.

“Sure, why not?” Jason shrugged. Alfred got into the driver’s seat and Jason joined Marinette in the back. Marinette sat quietly beside Jason, refusing to make eye contact with him. Instead she preferred to stare at her feet the entire ride home.  As the car made its way back to Wayne Manor, there was a deafening silence in the back seat.  Marinette felt like her siblings simultaneously wanted nothing to do with her, and yet one of them was nice enough to vouch for her back there.

"What's wrong?" Jason asked bluntly. 

“Nothing, I’m fine,” Marinette snapped back.

Jason sighed and crossed his arms, “For the last two days, you looked as if someone kicked your puppy. Didn't think Gotham would make you miserable that quickly.”

“What's it to you?” Marinette asked, almost grumpily. 

“Because there's only room in that manor for one miserable person and that's usually Bruce. And it seems like you inherited Bruce’s ability to brood for days too. Now are you going to tell me what's wrong?"

"Did I do something wrong?" Marinette whispered, her voice slightly cracked.

Jason looked at her in confusion. "Do you even think of me as family at all?"

"Is it because I called you a friend back in Alleytown?" Jason asked, Marinette nodded.

"It's something the public isn't ready for yet, it's to protect you. The moment someone finds out, you can kiss goodbye any privacy you have." Marinette nodded slowly as she processed Jason's words. "If it makes you feel any better, you're probably the only normal kid Bruce has," Jason said offhandedly, only to suddenly grimace. He swore internally at the careless remark. Marinette perked up at Jason's comment and looked towards him curiously. "Dick, Tim and I are all orphans. Unlike those two, I grew up on the streets similar to the kids you helped back there. Eventually we were all adopted by Bruce, one way or another. Cass ran away from an abusive home, and Damian’s mom travels around a lot.” he recounted, carefully wording it with half-truths. “And even though Steph has her mom and isn’t adopted, her dad was always in and out of jail."

Tears began to form around Marinette's eyes as she listened closely to her siblings' life stories. By comparison, her mother and father cared for her all her life, she couldn't even begin to comprehend what they have all been through. 

Jason sighed and pondered what he could do to calm Marinette down. After a few moments of tolerating Marinette’s crying, he tentatively placed a hand on her head. “Still, you did good. Not many people would reach out to help the children of Alleytown. I’m sure it meant a lot to them.” 

“Thanks…”Marinette sniffed. “I just did what I felt was right.”

Jason’s face changed to one of annoyance, though he turned to look outside the window. He groaned internally, at the very least Marinette wasn’t a Robin or a superhero of any kind. He was sure the very first thing she would do would be to jump in front of a bullet out of pure selflessness. 

Early the next morning, not long before sunrise, the family sat around Batman. "I have bad news…"

"Well, that's ominous," Nightwing quipped.

"Just get on with it," said Red Robin.

"Marinette has caught the attention of Vicki Vale," Batman admitted, the entire room erupted in groans. "Quiet." Batman ordered. "Alfred and I have discussed it and we decided we should take the initiative. We have agreed to reveal Marinette but on our own terms."

Alfred spoke up, "We hope to cultivate a positive reputation for Miss Marinette and her family in Paris. Who knows what nonsense these tabloids can spew."

"So that's why you suggested to her to give food out yesterday," Red Hood summarised.

Alfred nodded, "Yes, I took photos too.”

“Any suggestions?” Batman asked.

Spoiler rubbed her chin for a few moments, being the only person in the group who actually reads tabloids of her own free will. “Why not a photo shoot? Have her look her best.” 

Alfred took out his notebook and began writing. “Not a bad idea. I was considering a debutante ball or a formal introduction at the next gala. Though, she will require etiquette lessons.”

Red Robin raised his hand stiffly, “Will there be an interview?” he asked.

Batman nodded in response, “Yes, Ms. Vale is asking for one.” 

“Then I suggest it be pre-recorded then broadcasted, or at the very least a strict script for both Marinette and Vicki to follow,” Alfred suggested.

Nightwing sighed and facepalmed, “I hate the paparazzi,” he groaned. “This is our fault for not being careful. We need to make sure her and her family’s reputation stays intact.” 

Red Hood laughed, he grabbed Nightwing by the shoulder and with his free arm waved across the space in front of them “I can see the headlines ‘Gotham's Homewrecker!’” Nightwing elbowed Red Hood in the ribs. “Come on, this is exactly the kind of shit to expect.” 

“He’s got a point,” Oracle chimed from the screen, “The Gotham Gazette can be ruthless.” 

"Then it's settled, I'll break the news to her later," said Batman.

After another quiet breakfast alone, Marinette quickly went back to her room. She curled up and sat on her bed, her knees against her chest.

"Are you okay?" Tikki asked.

"I want to trust my family, to trust my father and siblings. I want to believe in Dick, Steph and the others. It's just…been hard, especially with what we saw out there."

"Hmm, I understand how you feel. Maybe it is just your father, after all, he did mention most of the others were adopted,” Tikki remarked, “Besides, Dick, Cass and Steph seem nice."

"You might be right Tikki. Who knows, maybe the adoptions were publicity stunts,"  Marinette said.

There was a knock on her door, Tikki quickly flew into Marinette's sleeve. "May I come in?" asked Bruce from outside. Marinette slapped her hand over her mouth, worried that he heard what she just said. She shakily opened the door slightly to peer out.

Bruce gave her a polite smile, "Good morning, how are you?" 

"I'm g-good" she stammered as she opened her door to let him in. Bruce stood inside for a few quiet moments, he ran his hand through his hair nervously. This in turn made Marinette more nervous. 

Bruce broke the uncomfortable silence, "It seems, the paparazzi found out about you," Marinette's eyes widened and was about to speak before Bruce interrupted her. 

"I've decided that, if we don't have a choice, we need to make sure your introduction is flawless."  Marinette quietly nodded as she listened to her father. "Alfred will provide you the details, and he will give you lessons on etiquette. We have a photo shoot planned and you'll be formally introduced during the next gala." 

Marinette continued to nod, an awkward silence enveloped the room again. "Just be careful, gossip magazines can be ruthless. This may also affect your family," Burce said ominously.

Marinette didn't respond, she just looked down at the floor. Bruce checked his watch, "I'm sorry, I have an appointment soon. See you later,” Bruce then quickly left the room. He had hoped he conveyed the message to Marinette that all this was for her sake. 

Once he was out of earshot, Marinette slumped onto her bed and screamed into her pillow. Tikki flew out and tried to console her. "I can't believe it, that jerk! Now that his secret love child has been revealed he expects me to be the perfect child? All for what? To protect his reputation?!" 

She sighed deeply, before turning on her TV, she flipped through the channels, and froze as the news came on screen. “Mr. Wayne! Mr. Wayne!” the reporter yelled as she pushed through the crowd. The cameraman followed the best he could, the camera shook as he pushed past the large group of people gathering. The view slowly came into focus and she saw her father in a fancy suit, scantily clad models on either side, his arms over their shoulders. She didn’t have the energy to be any more shocked, she could only stare at the screen blankly. Watching billionaire playboy Bruce Wayne appear before a large crowd at some party. He was chatty, sociable, flirty, he winked towards the camera with a bright smile. It was as if he was a completely different person in public. Frankly, it made Marinette feel uneasy and reaffirmed her earlier beliefs, Bruce Wayne was someone who valued his reputation above all else. And it made her sick.  The interview that followed was vapid and uninteresting, though she was amazed to see her father acting like an absolute airhead.  She stared in shock as she watched her father act like a loveable fool for the cameras, she was almost impressed by his acting. 

"Why don't you go for a walk, try to clear your mind?" Tikki suggested. Marinette signed and nodded, she got up and left her room. 

She wandered the empty halls of Wayne Manor aimlessly. She spent much of her time staring at the floor instead of its architecture. Fear began to slowly creep up as she thought what would happen when word got out, what would happen to her? Her friends? Her parents? Would an angry mob try to burn down the bakery? Just as her anxiety began to spiral she noticed a familiar pair of shiny shoes in front of her. She looked up to see Alfred in a frilly apron dusting a few portraits.

"Ah, what brings you here Miss Marinette?" asked Alfred as he worked. 

Marinette took a closer look at the portrait, some man who, from what she gathered, passed centuries ago. The entire length of the hall was decorated with portraits of serious looking men. Their stares felt judgmental, as if all her ancestors deemed her unworthy. "Uh, I just wanted to know who the people in all of these portraits are," she said.

"These are portraits of all the heads of the House of Wayne, starting all the way back to 1640 with Nathaniel Wayne," Alfred explained as he walked to the corresponding portrait. 

"The Waynes have been here for that long?"

"Indeed, the Waynes have been around since the founding of the old Gotham Town. By the way, has your father told you about your predicament?" Marinette nodded. "Good, first we should focus on your photoshoot and interview. I've arranged an appointment at the tailor's later and asked Miss Cassandra and Miss Stephanie to join us."

"Actually," Marinette interrupted, "I was wondering if maybe I could design my own dress for the event? In fact I did design something for Gabriel Agreste." Marinette thought this might save her from being poked and prodded by a seamstress while everyone argued over what would look best on her.

"Why, that's wonderful" Alfred said with a smile, "we can just get the fabric as well as any tools you may need. Why don't you wait for Miss Cassandra and Miss Stephanie in the living room?"

Alfred opened the door and ushered Marinette into the living room, she froze slightly as she saw Tim sitting on a sofa. He seemed busy as he worked on his laptop. Marinette awkwardly walked in and sat across Tim, on a different sofa. The two sat in silence until Cass and Steph walked in.

"Hiya Marinette," said Steph as she entered while Cass gave her a wave. "Ready to go shopping with us?" 

Marinette glanced over at Alfred, who gave her an encouraging nod, before walking towards them.  The two girls ushered her out of the room, waving back at Alfred behind them.

Before they walked out, Marinette said, "I was hoping to make my own clothes, I want to be a fashion designer. I even designed something for Agreste Fashion."

"What? no way, what did you design for Gabriel Agreste?" Steph asked excitedly as she sat beside Marinette.

"Sorry, wait, you designed something for Agreste Fashion?" Tim said as he looked up from his laptop.

Marinette nodded, "Yeah, it was for a competition at school. My design was featured on the front page of a magazine," She took out her phone and showed them the photos of her hat in various stages of production along with the front page with Adrien as the model. Everyone crowded around Marinette's phone to take a look at the hat she designed. "I also embroidery my signature into it, as proof of authenticity." She turned her phone upside down and lo and behold the golden etching spelled her name.

Everyone's jaws dropped, as Marinette's name was spelled clearly in the hat.  The three of them crowded around her phone screen to get a better look.  Marinette was starting to get overwhelmed from their excitement, she took a step back to try to compose herself. Lucky for her, Alfred had stepped in just in time. "Ahem, shall we make our way to the tailor's?"

Tim had decided to join their shopping trip at the last minute, Marinette sat quietly unsure as she hadn't really interacted with him other than mealtimes. Steph and Cass conversed with each other, it was more like Steph doing the talking for both of them.

"So other than fabrics, what else do you need?" Tim asked.

"Um, let's see…" Marinette thought of what she may need, she considered her budget based on the pocket money she brought with her. "Some pencils, a ruler, thread, needle…" she listed.

Tim listened intently, before turning to Alfred. "Alfred, do we have any empty rooms near Marinette's for her to work her dress?"

"Yes, Master Timothy, there is an old unused study near her bedroom," Alfred responded quickly without even taking his eyes off the road.

Shopping at the tailor's became a blur for Marinette, she was introduced to many materials, each with their own pattern. She struggled to decide which to pick as she didn't have inspiration just yet, she was a very long way away from the place in Paris where she used to sit and sketch out  her best ideas. Normally her work would be based on the materials available to her, yet this new found freedom of choice made it hard to pick a specific fabric. At Tim's suggestion, they purchased almost all the fabric available at the shop. Tim even offered to pay for it all, much to Marinette's surprise, she tried to stammer a protest that this was too much but she was cut off by the others.

Next came the tools, she asked for a simple set much like hers back home. A needle and some thread, with some basics like pencils and rulers. Just like earlier, Tim had again purchased all the tools needed, an entire sewing machine, a mannequin, tables, chairs, racks and shelves for all the fabric. 

After a long and hectic day of selecting everything she needed to make her dress, that and so much more, she sat in her new workshop in awe.  Her workshop looked like a professional tailor, in fact even better equipped than the tailor she went to earlier that day. She slowly walked around, examining each and everything in the room, Tikki quietly followed behind her. Marinette reached out to touch a piece of the fabric, vicuña wool, the world’s most expensive fabric. Beside it, a large roll of guanaco, she ran her hands through the roll of the finest wool she had ever seen. But at what cost? Perhaps this was their way of showing their support and helping her, at the same time, it felt like she was cheating her way to the top. It felt like a dream come true, she now had a studio beyond her wildest dreams. But at what cost? She now had to make a dress like her life depended on it.

#bio dad bruce wayne #ml x dc #dc x ml #maribat

[ive-tumbled-down-a-rabbit-hole]

Ugly Mugs and Icy Dips

Part of the midnight snack series, set after Stress Baking but before/during All because of a cookie!!

Masterlist

......................................

The Ugly Mug Cafe is… not the prettiest of establishments. The chairs didn't match, the tables were wonky, but it held a warmth and homely feel which very rarely existed in Gotham, especially in the East End and this close to the Bowery.

It was run by a gruff ex-con Gothamite who took care of his city's people but was willing to let those smuggled or hiding in the Gotham gloom without the relevant papers work with minimal fuss, as long as they could use his dragon beast of a coffee machine he would happily have a blind eye. The staff ended up being mainly either fellow ex-cons or students, willing to work the unsociable hours that were required for opening early and closing late.

With it being owned by a hardy Gothmite that exuded malice towards anyone who stepped out of line and didn't abide by his rules and ran by bitter overworked students or limited break ex-criminals who held no humour for robbery attempts, the cafe ended up a fairly neutral ground. Fights, thefts and robberies were minimal and it helped that the coffee was good. Really good. The pastries and cakes were improving in quality. And had a quirky secret menu for those in desperate need of a caffeine fix and those loyal regulars who The Ugly Mug employees deemed worthy.

Despite all the rough and sharp edges the cafe held, students adored the place during finals week where the special coffee kept them going on all nighters. Commuters favoured the place as it helped soothe their frozen bitter souls as they moved from the rough outer city edges and went further in for work.

And Tim.

Tim- Red Robin had found the place after a particularly grueling patrol.

Patrol had ended up with all bats hands required at the docks to deal with Scarecrow and a shipment of chemicals. During the last part of the fight Red Robin had taken a plunge in the docks murky water and well, by the time he had managed to get back to land the fight had ended with him being cold wet, cold and extremely grumpy at all of it. All he really had wanted to do was to get out of his costume and soak in an over-heated bath with a giant, steaming cup of coffee, or tea, in that moment he wasn't fussy. As long as it was hot and caffeinated he'd make do.

Somehow, Tim had got slightly disoriented on the way past Jason's domain (he would completely blame the icy dip he'd taken and not the exhaustion) but had stumbled upon this golden cafe. He had stumbled in to meet a coffee angel sent by the gods. The dark haired heavenly woman took one look at his pathetic looking vigilante self and started moving around the counter working the coffee machine with precision.

The aromas that filled the small run down space enticed Tim further into the building. The coffee sprite placed a concoction that was more than just coffee in front of him in the most hideous cup he'd seen in a while as he dripped onto the tiled floor. It was in that first sip that Tim's world narrowed down to this establishment. It was his new home. The brew was his new fuel. His life source. The celestial being behind the bashed up counter was the cardinal of the coffee gods. He'd worship with her for more of the sweet bitter nectar that he held in his hands. The coffee was the most magical and revitalising drink off menu that Tim had ever been blessed with. This was HIS coffee haven. His safe space. His daily stop to make it through the day in both faces of his life.

From that moment on, Tim knew that he was going to be visiting this place regularly. He was going to get to know the coffee padre.

What Tim hadn't been aware of completely was that as he cherished the coffee before him the barista had disappeared, returned and mopped around the vigilante and could hear his whispers of love to the steaming drink. Her angelic laughter and mischievous smile drew him from the trance that he had entered.

"I would not say the coffee holds secrets to the universe Monsieur Red."

It wasn't good really to lose complete awareness without backup and all because of a hot drink in a grotesque ceramic vessel. A blush grew under the mask that Tim wore, hopefully hidden, but if not he'd blame the warmth of the establishment pushing the cold that ached in his bones away.

"I might disagree. This is amazing, I can feel its power tingling in my toes."

"That might be more to the fact you look like a drowned rat and are warming up rather than the coffee, non?"

"Nope. Definitely the coffee. Nothing to do with the dip I took in the harbour."

"The harbour?"

The woman raised her eyebrow, opening the sapphire eyes further, from behind the counter as she started to move about puzzling Tim.

"I… yeah… wouldn't recommend midnight swims in the harbour this time of year."

Snorting with a huffed amusement, a plate with a reheated pastry appeared before Tim as the woman returned to cleaning behind the counter.

"Being Gotham, I'd say midnight swims any time of year aren't recommended."

"True. This is Gotham. You've picked that up quickly, it's not often non-Gothamites get the city's quirks. What made you choose this hell hole to work in?"

"Small gods, a slice of chance and fate."

It said everything and nothing all at once. Tim couldn't help but smile wryly at the barista before him. They fell into an easy teasing conversation that cemented the idea that this was his place. That this unusual, witty barista was going to be his friend and coffee dealer.

Given that The Ugly Mug coffee stop was not really on route to Wayne Enterprises from either the Manor, the Wayne City Apartment and it was tangential on route from Tim's nest, so getting there regularly in either persona's meant planning. Which was exactly what Tim excelled at. Subtly hints and some slight manipulation with planting the seed of thought meant that now his patrol routes passed close enough to the cafe at least 4 times a week. Getting up a fraction earlier and sacrificing more of his sleep was a forfeit he was willing to take to get this blessed nectar (he just needed to be cautious about hiding this information from his family). He'd also been able to task an intern to use his work driver and collect a midday pick me up from the establishment.

All in all, even though he had taken a dip into the freezing waters of Gotham docks (and ended up with a stubborn cold that took forever to shake), that evening had been a blessing in disguise.

Convincing Alfred that Tim would drive himself to the office this morning was hard. Tim claimed it was due to him wanting to pick up some paperwork and to talk to some heads of areas. Alfred's disapproval resonated off him since Tim was 'meant to rest' and recover from bruised ribs and twisted ankle. Tim ended up deploying Tam's disappointment and threat of maiming Tim that eventually convinced the elder man, with also the promise he would come straight home afterwards.

Free from Alfred's hawklike eye, Tim drove to his favourite location swiftly. He would go to the office, but first he needed to catch up with the devil in disguise, his favourite dealer to get the precious nectar he required.

Parking nearby, Tim turned to walk towards the cafe where he spotted the man lurking outside watching through the window.

Tim had been observing the man make this daily trip for about 3 months. The male always waited outside until he had spotted the caffeine cleric blessed to earth by the coffee gods before storming inside. He was meticulous in ensuring that she would be the one to serve him and then order the same bland unimaginative order everytime.

Tim followed behind the insipid man who suddenly darted in like it wasn't obvious he was waiting outside. Tim joined the small queue observing the situation, his mouth salivating with a pavlov response to the smells of coffee and sweet pastries. He grimaced watching the scene unfold in front of him.

It was painful just watching the unimpressive man flirt hopelessly with the coffee artist, who pointedly ignored the attempts and stuck studiously in just focusing on getting through the orders of the morning rush. It baffled Tim as to why anyone with any brains would come in at peak(ish) time to flirt with working servers and hold up the queue of tired, grumpy commuters.

Tim could easily admit that his dealer was cute, in a sister kinda way. Tim knew, from conversation with the blessed coffee provider, that the sharp wit and passionate fashionista was destined for greater things. She was worth more than serving coffee, baking delectable treats and being tied down with a partner of mediocrity who thought an espresso and a cappuccino to go was the height of coffee.

Tim's attention was drawn back to the situation occurring in front of him by the blonde customer in front snorting in amusement. Tim watched the car crash with a suppressed horror as the man leant on the counter and oggled the caffeine magician.

"Next!"

The vapid man stepped towards the counter.

"What can I get you?"

"I don't have caffeine in my system yet but you've just jumped started my heart. My usual please, sugar."

"And what's your usual?"

The cocky attitude the man held stuttered as an eyebrow raised waiting for his response. A pink dusting grew on his cheeks as the queue sniggered at the awkward exchange.

"An espresso and a cappuccino to go please."

"Name?"

"Marc, with a C. The C is for cuteness just like you."

"Oo-kay. One espresso and one cappuccino, coming up. Please wait by the end counter, please."

Dismissing the embarrassed man, the Caffeine Queen handed the order to her colleague then turned to the customer in front of Tim who wasn't even trying to cover their sniggers. The cropped haired blonde gave her order to Marinette who smiled in fake serenity as she put the order through the till before going to retrieve a pastry for the woman.

The fake smile morphed into an honest devil's grin as she eventually got to Tim. Her true chaotic nature resonated around the room causing Tim to send her a smirk.

"Tim!!! Your usual? Wide-awake poison? Or did you want to try something new like Finals Week Brew? Or I can make you my specialty, Hawkmoth Demise?"

"Morning Marinette. As tempting as the Hawkmoth Demise is… I'll stick with Wide-awake poison please. How are you this fair day my caffeine cleric, priestess of the grounds, goddess of the beans?"

"Oh you know, bitter souled as the roasted waters I brew. Is this to take away or will I be honoured with your presence for a while?"

The pair snorted at the jokes that jovially passed between each other adding further dramatics where they could as they ignored Marc's ever growing glare.

"Take away my fairest Barista. As much as I would desire to rest my weary soul in your presence, a quest of paperwork awaits me. To achieve this quest I require your blessing. I would be nothing without your magic caffeine potion."

Laughing and seeing as Tim was the last in the queue, Marinette moved to make his personalised drink as her colleague continued to make both Marc's and the blonde's before him.

"Cark? A espresso and cappuccino to go for Cark?"

No one moved. Tim watched as Marc bristled and had to hide his face and hope he could keep the giggles in.

"Oh Dan, that's Mark's with a C's drink. Not Cark. It is an unusual pronunciation of the spelling."

Marinette's cheerful voice drifted over the counter as the man turned beetroot and an ugly expression grew on his face. Marc snatched the drinks with a growl and stormed out of the cafe snarling at people in his way. Tim really hoped this wouldn't bite them on the proverbial later as the almost stalker left the premises.

"Maybe he should choose a more sensible coffee name with that kinda spelling Mare."

"Hmm probably."

Letting Marinette continue drink making, Dan called out for an Ash to collect their drink before noting the blonde staring at Marinette's pastry like it held the answers to the universe. Shaking his head Dan moved to the counter to serve the new crowd that had started to form.

Tim watched the blonde gaze at the treat, ignoring the world around her while Marinette flitted about making his life source essence. Finally, with a flourish, Marinette produced the largest possible takeaway cup of coffee with dragons and knights doodled across it.

"Sir gallant Tim. The potion for your epic journey."

Coughing politely, Tim tried to hurry Ash along as she continued to be entranced by the pastry in her hand. Tim could see Marinette smirking at him, like this wasn't an uncommon sight. Given how he reacted the first time he had found the place, maybe it wasn't that uncommon. The pastries were as good as the coffee since she'd started working at the Ugly Mug. The woman suddenly moved, drawn out of her daze and grabbed Ash's drink and moved to sit further within the cafe. Smiling in amusement, Tim shook his head and finally moved to get his precious nectar.

"My thanks dearest Caffeine Cleric. You're a blessing to the universe."

"Don't you forget it."

"I would never."

"Seriously, Marinette. Your coffee is the best. It's the highlight of my day."

"You say that all the time."

"It's the truth."

Smiling back with fondness, Marinette shook her head and handed Tim his drink.

"See you about Tim. Go tackle those papers and office mumbo jumbo. You know where to find me."

"Always. See ya Marinette."

With that Tim grinned while sipping his coffee and moved to leave his mini safe haven. Sighing in relief from the coffee flooding through his system before sighing again, bracing himself for the outside world.

Pushing the door open, Tim left the safe space of the best coffee establishment in Gotham. His family must never know about this place. He would set the world on fire to protect the hideaway cafe that was unobtrusive but homely to those who knew it's existence.

The Ugly Mug and its staff may not know it but as well as being neutral grounds due to the gruff owner and sassy worn out staff, it was under the protection of Red Robin - and Tim.

#maribat #maribat au #platonic timari #platonic maribat #dc x ml #dc x mlb #dcxml #dcxmlb #ml x dc #mlb x dc #mlbxdc #mlxdc

[yannowhatigiveup]

I couldn’t help myself

Scenes from Batman Vs Robin and Miraculous Ladybug (Dark Owl)

#maribat #dc x mlb #mlb x dc #dc x ml #ml x dc #daminette #damianette #maridami #marinette x damian #anime #jasonette #timinette #timari #damian x marinette #dickinette #i cant think of anymore #I WAS BORED #take this instead of my fanfiction

[tinybriewrites]

The Scent of Ambrosia

Tim was banned from caffeine, and everyone knew. Alfred put his foot down. No coffee beans could be found in the manor, but Tim expected that when he hit all-nighter number fifteen. But the next day, he found that all his regular drinks in Wayne Enterprises were replaced with juice. Even the vending machines stopped supplying coffee. He made it through to the end of work with an energy drink he managed to snag off an employee's not-so-secret stash. The coffee substitute would hold him over till he could sneak over to a cafe. Right after work, however, he learned that all of the cafes in Gotham refused to sell him any caffeinated drinks. Not even tea was spared from the ban. Convenience stores were the same story. So were grocery stores. And restaurants. Even street-side stalls. Any and all establishments in Gotham wouldn't sell him his fix, and he had tried every single one in a zombie-like haze.

The same was the case for the neighboring cities. Everyone refused Tim Drake-Wayne his beloved coffee. He had no idea how Alfred pulled it off, but he would have been impressed if he wasn't so numbed out by the caffeine withdrawals.

That was how Tim found himself on a bus headed to a small town far enough from Gotham for no one to recognize him on sight. It helped that when he was deciding whether to give in to his family's demands of sleep or go out of the state, a faded-out poster of a minor, unknown coffee festival was blown by the wind towards him by chance. He was about to dodge the incoming paper, but the smell emanating from the poster made him snatch it instinctively. Coffee. The paper smelled of the heavenly drink, but somehow it was different. He didn't know how to describe it, but it just was. It was more than coffee. It was Coffee. It energized him like never before as if it was charging up his very soul. He was pumped up as if he had slept for a week straight. Tim absolutely had to get his hands on this beverage, ban be damned. If the scent alone did this, the drink had to be pure magic in his veins. If he can bring some of it home, maybe he can stay awake for a month on one cup.

On the bus, Tim blazed through his work for the next week in under an hour. It was when he was working on the next quarter's research budget for Wayne Technologies that he smelled it again - the heavenly coffee. It was only now that he realized that the hint he smelled on the poster was a mere fraction of the wonder that is its scent. Underneath the bold smell of coffee, there were hints of caramel and nuts and sugar and spice and cinnamon and apples. It was divine. There were even undertones that Tim couldn't describe as anything but liquid warmth and joy wrapped in a bow. It was the perfect scent, his perfect scent - his ambrosia. He had no other way to express it. It pulled him in like nothing ever before. One whiff and he was enslaved.

As the vehicle drew nearer to its final destination, the scent of his ambrosia only grew stronger. Once he stepped down at the bus stop, almost subconsciously, Tim made a beeline for the source of the smell, a stall with an insanely long line.

Tim kept fidgeting as he waited for the line to move, absorbed in the scent and longing to come nearer, but despite that, he couldn't ignore the obvious glances the locals threw his way. It wasn't surprising. He was a stranger in a small town. An alpha stranger and one without a pheromone isolator in a crowd at that. Nearly all alphas always had one on them, as their heightened senses can make a packed environment overwhelming to them. People's pheromones, especially, would shove themselves in their face, making them dizzy from the sensory overload. It was easier for alphas to go about their day with an isolator, but it was not unheard of for some to opt not to. Those types were usually either insane or genius. Neither was good news. Tim was part of a separate category, however. He was selectively anosmic, specifically towards secondary characteristic pheromones. It was rare but not unheard of in betas, especially. Alphas were a different story. He'd gotten pitying glances throughout his life - the poor alpha who couldn't smell pheromones, the one in a billion. Out of spite, he read all about the world of scents, saw the advertisements targetting alpha-omega pairs, and asked everyone he knew how they felt about the sense, but he could not come to a conclusion other than it was overrated and romanticized. How could you fall so hard for only a scent? How could it be so overwhelmingly divine? If anything, Tim was grateful he couldn't smell pheromones. He never had to suffer the discomfort of smelling an omega's heat scent or a fellow alpha's aggressive pheromone attack. He rarely fell prey to his more primitive instincts. His life was complete even without pheromones. He could never imagine what pheromones would smell like, but from how hyped up everyone made it out to be, maybe it would be a close second to the heavenly coffee ambrosia. That was the only way to explain everyone's fascination with it.

The line moved fairly quickly, and soon, Tim was at the front. There, the scent was the strongest it ever was. He could see a tall and slender blonde manning the register while a petite woman was at the back working the espresso machine.

"Hi, there! What size and caffeine level can I get you?" he gave a blinding beam.

"I'd like the largest cup of the strongest coffee you serve."

That made the cashier pause. "...You want the dare-spresso? An epic one at that? Are you sure?"

Tim looked him straight in the eye, "Absolutely."

"Alphas. Guess we need another ambulance," he muttered under his breath before turning to the bluenette behind him. "One epic dare-spresso, Mari!"

She groaned before looking at which idiot ordered it again. Tim was floored. Her eyes were like a wave that threatened to pull him under. There was this unexplainable magnetism pulling him to the girl, and all Tim wanted to do was surrender to the urge.

"Looks like we have another one, huh," Tim heard from behind him.

"Here's some advice, kid," an older gentleman spoke from beside the stall. "There are easier ways to impress a girl than dying of a coffee overdose."

"I'm really just here for the coffee," Tim tried to explain but the blush spreading on his cheeks and the way he had just stared at the barista made his statement doubtful.

"Sure, and I still have both arms," another man with a visible prosthetic said.

"There's nothing to be embarrassed about, everyone loves Mari. Though, hopefully, you won't pass out like the last challenger," said a woman with a stylish afro.

"Challenger?"

"You didn't know? It was on the festival poster. If you can gulp the drink down straight in under five minutes and keep your heart rate in check, you get a date with the barista."

"Oh?" Tim was definitely interested now. "Can I get another cup to-go then?"

"Oh, god, there's two of them," the cashier groaned. "Mari, make it two for loverboy here."

The bluenette in the back sputtered, "A-Adrien!"

"What?" the man looked back innocently. "If he's that confident, maybe he really can sweep you off your feet."

The girl glared at him while handing over an oversized cup, but it was hardly effective with how flustered she was.

"Bottoms up," the cashier passed over the cup.

Tim smelled the coffee, but it wasn't the scent he was looking for. It was great, better than any cup he had before, but the ambrosia he longed for wasn't coming from the drink. There was a hint of it, but Tim could tell it was from an indirect scenting.

He could think about that later. First, he had a date to win over.

He started gulping the hot coffee, but his tongue was well used to the burn. It tasted just as wonderful as Tim had imagined on the way there. It was like liquid fire in his veins and tasted like a godsend. It was perfect for him. It had all the right flavors, and although the aroma couldn't hold a candle to the scent of ambrosia, it was worlds apart from anything else he had smelled before.

In under three minutes, Tim had finished the gigantic coffee, and he had never felt more alive since he was six. From the outside, however, he looked the same - composed and unaffected.

"Looks like this one has a shot, huh," another passerby commented.

The cashier clipped a pulse oximeter to his finger, and the crowd that Tim hadn’t noticed gathered around him waited with bated breath.

"Seventy!" the blonde announced.

"What a legend," someone whispered.

"Guess Mari isn't the only one who can stomach the stuff," a second voice said.

The cashier pushed the bluenette toward Tim, causing her to stumble straight into his arms, "Adrien!"

Tim knew he should be helping her up, but he relished in the warmth of the girl against his chest.

"Sorry about that," she said, looking away from him. "I'm Marinette."

"Tim," he replied. He only now noticed that the heavenly coffee scent was stronger than ever, and it was coming straight from the girl still within his arms.

"You have a coffee-scented cologne?" The scent smelled too natural for a perfume, but Tim couldn't think of any other reason for the scent if it wasn't from the coffee beans.

"N-No, those are my pheromones," she squeaked, burying her face in Tim's chest and causing his heart to skip a beat.

"Pheromones? But I can't smell those," he said, bewildered.

"Maybe it's fate, huh, bug?" the cashier grinned wildly at the two. "How lucky."

Marinette burrowed further into Tim's chest at the comment, ears turning a brighter red.

If this was fate, then maybe Tim had used up all his life's luck for this chance, and he had zero regrets.

#tinybriewrites #maribat #timari #timinette #fluff #abo dynamics #omegaverse #slight #mlb x dc #mlb x batman #ml x dc #miraculous x dc #dc x mlb #dc x ml #alpha!tim #beta!adrien #omega!mari #coffee #meet cute #anosmia

[krispyphan]

Okay but Shadybug and Claw Noir being in the Dc verse. THE SHENANIGANS !!!!! I don’t even have a lil story to go with this prompt 😭

#miraculous ladybug #dc x mlb #mlb x dc #ml x dc #dc x ml #shadybug #claw noir #ladybug and chat noir #miraculous crossover #LIKE Imagine after they get their redemption they come back to their world as like vigilantes #like neither can really tone down their strength for normal people (due to only fighting akumas and shit) #but they’ll definitely go toe to toe with a alien trynna pull up on France #the JL coming down to see what’s going on in Paris/France and learn that two teenagers have been reeking havoc on Paris for years #LIKE AND THATS WHY THE JL NEVER ANSWERED THEIR CALLS ITS BECAUSE IT WAS TWO TEENAGERS #Shadybug probably did the reverse thingy just so the JL didn’t come looking for them #then they learn these kids are now two vigilantes (like their idol Batman) and kinda help Paris from other threats

[meduarts]

Finally! (One shot)

Pairing(s): Timothy Drake-Wayne/Marinette Dupain-Cheng

Characters: Timothy Drake-Wayne, Marinette Dupain-Cheng, and Original Female Character.

Summary: She was adamant to help her friend someone perfect for her. She saw her opportunity and gave them a little nudge. Thus, it begins. Will it finally work?

A/n: Inspired by my short prompt.

It was a regular busy morning for Graciela Kirovan the best barista in town, it was her unofficial reigning title for 5 years apparently. She didn't know how she landed herself with a coffee shop that she owned and somehow her shop brought so many couples together. Last time she checked, she didn't have any magic nor was she a meta.

She counted exactly 10 couples who were happily married that came to thank her for founding this coffee shop that led to their fateful encounter. She remembered those couples and their first meetings. She had even befriended them and they even invited her to their weddings.

It was the best feeling, she felt like cupid and her confidence rose. However, there's one thing that irked her and made her think that she had lost her mojo.

Ah! The subject of her thoughts came right on time to her shop. A beautifully petite woman came with a frazzled look. She gave the beautiful woman in front of her one of her warm smiles.

"Good Morning, Mari! The usuals?" She asked with a wink.

The woman, Marinette Dupain-Cheng, gave her a weak smile and nodded. It appears to be that she had a late night with her design project. Graciela had befriended the woman when she had first arrived in Gotham, looking for a place to have good coffee and perhaps a place to find inspiration for her designs.

Marinette had given her high praises for her brews and honestly, it made the cafe owner blush a few times. Marinette had confided that she was new in town and had no friends, well Graciela wasn't going to let that happen and offered her own hand in friendship.

Graciela then learned that Marinette is a famously known designer, however, preferred to hide behind her designer name to avoid attention. She learned that the girl came from Paris, France after the downfall of a villain that had held Paris under an emotional lockdown. That was news for the Gothamite, she didn't know that Paris has villains and superheroes.

Marinette then showed the fights that had occurred in France and introduced Graciela to the Parisian Superheroes. Ladybug was awesome. She became a fan. She would let Ladybug step on her and she would say thank you. Yes.

Anyways, Graciela then learned many things about Marinette's reason to move to Gotham. Learning about how her former friends treated her had Graciela's blood boiling. Since then, she had become fast friends with the designer to the point where she even let her stay after closing hours to let her immerse herself in her sketchbook.

"Thank you so much, Graciela. You have no idea how stressful this week had been for me." Marinette groaned as she roled her neck, the barista could even hear a few pops that made her wince.

"Ooof sounds like I need to up the caffeine. Go take a seat. I'll be sure to bring your orders when it is finished."

"Thanks Graciela you're an angel."

"I get that a lot." She winked and watched the sleep-deprived designer wobble her way to her usual seat. As she shout out the order another regular customer came to the counter in the same exact sleep-deprived state as Marinette was.

Wow, Deja vu much?

"Hey, Tim. Late night?" Graciela asked with a concerned smile.

"You have no idea." He whined and if it weren't for proper decorum, Graciela would bet her savings that Tim would collapse in front of her cashier right there and then. Graciela's eyes moved to where Marinette was sitting and a brilliant thought occurred in her head. Remember the thing that irked her so much that she thought he had lost her mojo of bringing people together?

Yeah, when Graciela got to know of Marinette, the girl had confided to the barista how sucky her love life had been. It has been Graciela's personal project to find someone for her lovely friend and so far she hadn't found one. However, Tim here would do nicely! How had she not considered him all this time is a big question mark to her! She looked back at the sleep-deprived man and winced to herself.

Okay, she knew why hadn't thought of him. If they were ever to actually date one another, it would become a disaster. Two caffeine-ridden zombies do not sound like a good couple match, but she digresses. Perhaps, it could work.

The shop was indeed filled with people and Marinette's table has one empty seat. Coincidence? SHE. THINKS. NOT!

Is she going to pull her famous cupid hands to nudge her favorite sleep-deprived people to meet? Yes. Yes, she will. Will she regret ever introducing them to each other? Probably. Will one of Tim's brothers blame her for actually finding Tim a perfect soulmate? Most Definitely.

Does she care? NOPE.

"There's an open seat right over there, but you gotta ask the lady if she's willing to share. I got a feeling you'll meet a fellow brethren there." Graciela offered while pointing at Marinette's table.

Tim narrowed his eyes, but didn't complain and nodded, "Thanks, Grace. Can you-"

"I'll send your orders to your table. Don't sweat it. Go on, before you pass out standing again."

Tim muttered something before wobbling his way to the seat that she had mentioned. Graciela watched with knowing eyes as Tim said something to Mari and she replied with a gesture, her eyes never leaving her sketchbook. Tim finally took a seat and takes out his laptop.

Graciela giggled, she gave them about a month or two before the two decided to date. She's looking forward to seeing them falling in love with one another. After all, her coffee shop is famous for getting fated lovers together! HER MOJO IS BACK, BABY!

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Here we are, two extra strong Golden Ambrosia, a Pain Au Chocolat for Marinette and Madeline for Tim! Enjoy, you two!" Graciela happily announced as she served them their orders. The two shared a look at their preferred beverage and shared a smile. Graciela watched them with a well-hidden squeal, 'It's happening!!!!' She thought excitedly. "I'll let you two be. Got to run a shop after all!"

Marinette finally noticed her seatmate across her and shyly reached over for her drink. The guy looked as frazzled and zombie-like as she was and she could definitely empathize with him. "Rough, night?" She asked with a quirked brow.

The guy snorted as he took a sip of his drink as well, relishing the energizing nectar going through his body. "You have no idea." He muttered tiredly. "I've been on a strict caffeine diet with no sleep for 3 days straight and my work is nowhere done."

"Mood." She nodded in agreement. "I've been on my caffeine diet with no sleep for 5 days straight and my commission is nowhere done as well. I feel like my blood has been slowly transitioning into coffee and the only thing that could refuel me is this sweet nectar."

The guy looked at Marinette tearfully and was dabbing his eyes with a tissue. "I've found my brethren." He sniffled dramatically and reached forward with a fist bump.

"Brethren." She sniffled back and gives him a fist bump. They look at each other in silence before bursting out in giggles and snorts. "My name is Marinette Dupain-Cheng."

"Timothy Drake." He nodded. With that, they stare at each other before going back to their respective activity. Every once in a while, one of them would look up and start a conversation, they'd share stories about their respective job and work, then they would continue their work in silence again.

It was easy and peaceful, at one point they finished what they were working on for today and struck up another conversation. Marinette shared about her life in Gotham and the differences between Paris and Gotham. Tim would then share about his siblings and the things that he would do in his daily life. They then began to argue about theories and unsolved cases, a side hobby that the two happened to like.

Through all this Graciela had watched both of them with a secretive smile. Happy to see Marinette acting so carefree with a stranger and glad that Tim could talk without feeling uncomfortable with a new face. Everything is going very smoothly and the barista pats herself on the back for giving them a little nudge to sit together.

'Good job, me. I can hear the wedding bells already.' She smiled stupidly at herself.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

It was nearing closing hours and when Graciela look at her new favorite pet project they were huddled together in front of Tim's laptop. They were sharing Tim's earphones and every once in a while the two would discuss with one another, sometimes they agree sometimes they'd disagree, and then they would go back to watching at Tim's laptop. Graciela decided that she would finish cleaning up her shop before she has to sadly interrupts them.

After making sure that everything is spotless, Graciella moved to her seat and clears her throat softly. "I'm sorry, my two favorite zombies. But I'm closing for today." She said with a sympathetic smile.

Marinette gasped in surprise, "Merde! I didn't realize that I'd been here that long! I am so sorry Graciela! Time flows so fast here!"

Tim was equally surprised but for another reason. He had spent his day talking to this woman that she had met and he had never felt this much fun talking with another person! It is just like they say, time flies when you're having fun. "I'm sorry too, Graciela. I swear that I thought I was only here for a couple hours, not the whole day!" He stated while looking at his phone to check the time, sure enough, it was past dinner time already and he had missed a few calls from Alfred and his siblings. "I'm sorry but I have to go! I've overstayed my welcome already."

"Oh nonsense, Tim! You know you can come here and stay here as long as you want! It's just, today I do have some plans for myself." Graciela waved off his concern.

"Oh, thank you, Graciela. Again, you are an Angel!" Marinette complimented her as she packs up her stuff. Tim was ready to go before he looked back at Marinette with a calculative look. Graciela watches with a knowing look as he took a napkin and scribbled down what Graciela hopes is his number.

"Hey, uh... Marinette? I had a lot of fun talking to you, would you mind if we meet again sometime for coffee like this? If you don't here's my number." He offered the napkin to her. " I-I mean if you don't want to that's fine as well!"He retracted as he scratch his cheek nervously.

The designer stared at the napkin dumbly for a while and started blushing as she shyly reached for the napkin. "I'd love to. U-um...I'll text you sometime tonight?" She asked meekly.

Tim gave her a huge smile, glad that she reached over for the napkin. "I'll be waiting." He answered, he left some money on the table not bothering to wait for any change, and left the shop with a huge grin on his face.

Graciela huffed at him but looked at Marinette with a knowing grin. "Make sure you text him, Mari." She wiggled her eyebrows with a smug smile. Marinette made a squeaky sound as her face became so red that Graciella almost thought that she could combust soon.

The designer grumbled incoherently under her breath, left some money on the table, kissed Graciela's cheek, and left the shop after shouting out her thanks. The shop owner then noticed that both of them had left ridiculous amounts of money on her table before huffing to herself.

"Rich people."

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Time flows as Graciela watches the two spend more time together. Her coffee shop began their constant place to meet for their 'not-a-date' date, Graciela would watch them sometimes have coffee and work together or actually hang out together without working.

She would listen to Marinette gushing out about Tim's intelligence and how solving cold cases has been so much fun and one of their activities in their 'not-a-date' date, she listens as her friend would swoon about the times Tim would give his amazing smiles and his cute snorts when they have their banter together, she smiles as her friend would go soft as she talks about the time they spent together in her shop.

Just like the shop owner had predicted, they eventually dated after two months of pining for one another. Luckily, she had been there to witness the hilarious moment.

It was after the shop closing hours and Graciela had joined the duo, silently watching them in their famous theory discussion. Marinette was animatedly explaining her thoughts while Tim was watching her fondly. At one point, Graciela had skillfully and secretly taken out her phone to record the moment.

"And that's why I think that the father is a very obvious suspect in the murder! Don't you think so, Tim?" She looked up to find Tim with a ridiculous fond smile. Now, they were both staring at each other, lost in a romantic silence. Graciela wanted to squeal but she knew she had to keep quiet because she felt like something good is about to happen.

She was right.

"I'm in love with you." Tim breathed out dreamily. Marinette's eyes widened and she flushed furiously.

"W-whaaa-"

When Tim finally noticed what he had said he blushed furiously too. "Crap- Uh...That's not how I want you to hear my confession. I-i swear I had everything planned out! I was going to take you for a dinner and I have this gift ready for you and- shit...I messed up." He rambled nervously. Marinette watched him fumble through his words and her smile became equally as soft as Tim's had been.

"I'm in love with you too." She answered and gently placed her hand on his to calm Tim down from his tirade. The man in question looks at her in shock before grinning widely.

"You do?" Marinette nodded and smiled shyly at him. Tim relaxed his tense shoulder and smiled warmly in return.

"FINALLY!" Their moment was interrupted by an elated giggle. They finally remembered that Graciela had been there the whole time and had been recording the confession as well. "I'm going to play this during your wedding ceremony! Make sure to invite me, okay??? Oh, I'm so happy for you two!!! My favorite Caffeine Zombies ship is sailing!!!!" She giggled excitedly and laughed at their blushing faces.

It was a very happy moment.

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After that momentous day, they began to date. A year later, Marinette came to her with a piece of very exciting news! The night before had been their 1 year anniversary and Tim had proposed! Graciela squealed excitedly and hugged her best friend.

"I'm so so soooo happy for you Marinette!" She cried as she hugged her friend tightly.

"Thank you, Grace. If it hadn't been for your coffee shop. We wouldn't have met each other." Marinette whispered thankfully as she returned the hug equally tight. "Here's your invite, by the way. I'm also asking you to be my maid of honor, would you like that?" She asked unsurely.

"BITCH, I'd love to! I'm going to have to make a speech right? Cuz, honey do I have a speech for you! This is going to be so much fun! I'm so excited!" Graciela jumps around her best friend in excitement. "My best friend is going to get married! AHHH" She squealed loudly.

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"Ladies and gentlemen, it's time for the Maid of Honor's speech!" Dick Grayson happily introduces the exciting barista. She walked to her stage and winked at the happily married couple.

"What a great and joyous day today. My name is Graciela Kirovan and I am the owner of the famously known Cupid Cafe in Gotham City. And I have to say these two have been my magnum opus in my work as the cupid barista. Now, I assure you I have no magic and I am no meta, but somehow my cafe has been a hotspot for fated couples to meet and Marinette and Tim is one of the cutest, dorkiest, sweetest couple ever." Marinette laughed as she cuddled up to his new husband. Graciela smiled warmly at them before continuing her speech.

"I became Marinette's friend when she first arrived in Gotham, and I was adamant to find her the perfect someone once I heard about her disastrous love adventure. Tim was one of my regulars, a very eccentric one because at one point he had managed to pass out standing in front of my cashier and I was this close to calling the ambulance." The audience laughed at her exasperated tone. Marinette had laughed as well and Tim tried to hide on his wife's shoulder.

"I remembered the day when I gave them a nudge to sit together, I had my doubts at first. I mean, two sleep-deprived zombies that have the same concerningly caffeine addiction as a couple? I don't know if the world is ready yet for the chaos that I'm sure they would bring. But then I watched them together that day, I saw them happily talking to each other, and I know my cupid arrow has struck once again." Marinette looked at Tim and lovingly kissed his cheek. Tim then returned the kiss with the same amount of love. It was so cute.

"I watch them pine one another and it was miserable," Graciela whined dramatically and winked at the couple.

" But I was happy. I listened to how Marinette would gush about their theory discussion, she would sigh dreamily as she told me how cute Tim's giggle was, and I know that it was a matter of time before the two would date." Marinette's had turned so red and Graciela could see the teasing grin that Tim was sent to her. Graciela smirked at what was about to transpire.

"And you know, ladies and gentlemen, I was there when Tim had confessed! If you look at the screen right there, Dick would play the recording that I took during that monumental moment!" With that, she finger-gunned Dick, and the video capturing the confession began to play.

The audience laughed at how Tim had confessed, Jason was wolf-whistling at the video and Dick was laughing his ass off. Bruce Wayne and Selina Kyle were both watching the video with warm expressions, and so was Alfred. Damian had a little smirk and he knew that he has new blackmail material for his brother. Cass and Duke were watching with soft smiles, while Stephanie and Barbara were sending teasing grins to Tim.

Graciela chuckled before clearing her throat and the audience focused back on her, "It was amazing, watching their love grow. I'm so happy for both of them. I know that Marinette deserves this more than anyone else, because finally, finally, someone takes notice of how amazing she is. Finally, she founds happiness. Finally, she has someone to lean on. Finally, they are together. To Marinette and Tim, I hope your love is everlasting, and I hope that every day of your new life is filled with adventure and love. I hope that you are blessed with a long marriage and I hope that you still come to my cafe and order the Golden Ambrosia, because I know that no one else would order them but you two." Graciela finished as she raises her wine for the toast.

Marinette looked at her with a warm smile and mouthed 'thank you' to her. Graciela went over to her table and they both hugged. Graciela whispered her congratulations before taking her seat. She watches both of them share a sweet and loving kiss, professing their love to one another. She smiled to herself, her heart warm at the picture-perfect couple.

'Finally.'

#maritim #timmari #maribat #tim x marinette #timari #maribat fanfic #maribat fandom #maribat fanfiction #mlb x dc #ml x dc #dc x mlb #dc x ml #mlb x batfam #ml x batfam #marinette dupain cheng #tim drake #fluff

[sturchling]

Loved the last one!! I ended up going through all of your other ML stories and noticed there wasn't much Adrien love. So what if? Adrien ends up meeting Catwoman who is hunting for jewels and ends up meeting Adrien who is feeling left out & more like a side kick w/ each fight. Catwoman meets him and takes him back w/ her to US. Points if Bruce finds out while as the Bat and ends up helping her legally adopt him. LB gets lectured harshly thx to Cat and Bat family when she tries to bring him back.

Hi again! thanks for waiting, hope you like it!

Adrien wasn't sure what to do anymore. When all this started, he was so secure in his role as Chat Noir. Him and his lady fighting side by side. Them against the world. It was great for a while. But lately things were different. At first, it was only every once and a while that Ladybug brought in the other heroes. Rena and Carapace were great and a big help. But then there were more and more heroes. But Adrien was still ok. Sure, he preferred it to be just him and Ladybug, just like old times. But these other heroes were awesome, and he was still the first one Ladybug called. But lately, she had been going to these other heroes first more and more. Now he didn't feel like Ladybug's partner and equal anymore. He felt like he was just another temp hero that she would call IF he was needed. And Adrien wasn't sure what to do about it.

There had been another battle today. Not that Adrien had known until after. Ladybug had gathered the temp heroes and ended the fight before Adrien even knew there was an attack. He only found out when he saw it on the news later that night. Even though he knew what he would find, he transformed and checked his messages to see if Ladybug had even called him. She hadn't. She hadn't felt the need to call him at all. This had been going on for a while, but it didn't make it hurt any less to see his empty inbox.

Deciding he needed to get out some pent up energy, he decided to do his own patrol tonight. He had long since stopped being scheduled for patrols, the temp heroes and Ladybug taking care of it. It had seemed fine at the time when Ladybug explained. 'You have told me before you have a hard time moving freely as a civilian. This way, you don't need to worry about getting away. We can handle it!'

Logically, he knew that his lady had been trying to be considerate, even if it wasn't the right way to handle it. She hadn't meant to be malicious. But it still felt like he was being left behind. All he had ever wanted was friends, and with his father practically ignoring him now, he felt alone more than ever. His father hadn't even noticed that he had moved out of the mansion and gotten his own apartment.

But his father had never been terribly attentive, so that was nothing new. And he always could talk to Ladybug about it, if he needed too. But now he was growing distant from one of his closest friends, who had started ignoring him too. So, now transformed as Chat Noir, he left his bedroom and started moving around the rooftops of Paris. He sat down on a roof overlooking the entrance to the louvre, and just thought about everything, sitting in a miserable silence. He knew at this point of the night, whoever was doing patrol should be on the other side of the city. So he was surprised to hear footsteps behind him.

He whips around, baton in hand, expecting an akuma. Instead there is a woman standing behind him in a black leather body suit and cat ears on her head. Chat didn't know what to make of this woman, but she looked too normal to be an akuma. Aside from the costume, she was completely normal.

To her credit, Selina recovered from the shock of seeing someone dressed almost exactly like her on a near inaccessible roof pretty quickly. She had come to try and get her hands on the valuable jewels that were kept in the louvre. But now this boy had her interest. "Hello there little kitten. What are you doing up here by yourself. Imitation may be good flattery, but I'm not a big fan of copy cats." That is when she recognized this boy from the news. He wasn't some sneak thief trying to copy her. He was a local super hero, and was very famous in the city. Guess her plan would have to wait for another night, or at least until later.

"Now why would one of Paris' heroes be up here all by himself? On patrol? Though I thought you lot worked in pairs?" Adrien wasn't sure why, but he felt comfortable with this woman. He couldn't explain it, seeing as he could surmise that she was up to no good, but she had an almost maternal air to her. Adrien simply scoffed, "I'm not sure I am one of the city's heroes anymore. Ladybug surely hasn't been treating me like her partner lately."

Selina had always been one for gossip. Couple that with the fact that this boy looked miserable and she had this strange protective instinct towards him and she wanted to know everything. "Do you want to talk about it kitten?" And that was all it took. Someone finally asking about him. Finally checking on him, for the damn to break. Adrien actually started crying as he told the mysterious woman everything. With each passing word, Selina grew more and more angry. But she tapered it down for now. The last thing she needed was that idiot Hawkmoth further ruining the night.

After Adrien was done, it was clear to Selina that he needed a break. From his horrible father, his partner who was ignoring him good intentions or not, and from Paris as a whole. So she offered a suggestion. She told him that she was only in town until morning, then she would return to Gotham. She invited him to come with her. Revealing herself to be Catwoman, Selina Kyle, and having connections to the Bat family, he could come back with her to Gotham.

There he could forget about Paris for a bit, or even forget it completely, and she and the bats could help train him up a bit and make him a better fighter. He was reluctant, so she simply told him to meet her at the airport at Bruce's private plane by 8:00 if he wanted to come. With that, Selina left. The jewels could wait until her next visit. In the morning, she waited by the private jet, until it was almost time to leave. Just as she thought he wasn't going to come, Adrien arrived, running to meet her. Without another word, they boarded the plane and Adrien's adventure began.

When they arrived in Gotham, Bruce and Alfred were waiting for them. She had explained the situation to them last night, and to expect another guest when she got back. To say the bats were livid about this boy's treatment would be an understatement. They welcomed the boy with open arms and got him settled in at the manor. Seeing how Selina cared for the boy, Bruce put her in contact with his attorney that processed his adoptions in the past. While Adrien's father may be alive, seeing as Mr. Agreste hadn't noticed his son had been living on his own in Paris and still hadn't noticed when his son left Paris all together, the attorney was able to make the case that Mr. Agreste was an unfit father and got the adoption pushed through. Adrien was growing accustomed to life in Gotham, even having started helping the Bat Family with their super hero work. He wasn't sure he ever wanted to go back to Paris.

It made big news in Paris when Adrien Agreste left his father and got adopted in Gotham. Meanwhile, Marinette had been looking all over for Chat. He hadn't answered his messages in a while. Sure they had been a bit distant lately, but this is nuts. So when Marinette saw pictures of a new cat themed hero in Gotham, she put two and two together. Sure, this new cat hero looked a bit different, Adrien having changed his appearance to try and avoid suspicion, but Marinette wasn't dumb. She could tell it was Chat. Wondering why he was in Gotham and not here in Paris where he belonged, Marinette used the horse miraculous and went to Gotham. There, she waited on a roof until she spotted the Bat Family, Catwoman, and who she was sure was Chat on a roof, talking. She made her way over and called out to her partner.

"Chat! There you are! I've been looking all over for you. What are you doing here? I've needed you back in Paris, but you haven't answered my messages!" Everyone turned to look at her, and just based off her costume, they knew exactly who she was. She was the person that had been ignoring Adrien and now she wanted to act like this? They just glared at her as the one Marinette knew as Catwoman responded, moving in front of Adrien. "You sure haven't needed him in a while. So he went somewhere he would be appreciated. Now why don't you just leave him alone. He has a new family now."

Marinette was stunned. She had expected Chat to smile at her like he always did, crack some lame joke about his absence, and come back to Paris with her. But that didn't happen. Instead he stared at her with an apathetic look before saying, "You and the others had a handle on things. You haven't needed me for a while. As a matter of fact, you ignored me for a long time. We were supposed to be partners, but you haven't treated me like a partner in a while. Just a sidekick, and not even a sidekick you needed. So I left, and I have found where I belong. You should go." Marinette tried to defend herself, to argue against his statement, but nothing worked. The rest of the heroes in front of her joined Chat in lecturing her and telling her to leave.

She tried one last time, hoping to get him to come back. "Chat please, I need you! I will always need you." Chat just scoffed, "You haven't needed me in a very long time. And now, I don't need you. I have new friends who don't ignore me until it is convenient. Goodbye milady. Please don't come back." With that, the crowd of heroes left, leaving Marinette standing there, wondering what she had done.

#ml #ml fic #ml fanfic #ml salt #ml salt fic #ml salt fanfic #miraculous salt #miraculous ladybug #miraculous fanfic #miraculous salt fanfic #mlb salt fic #mlb salt #miraculous fic #miraculous tales of ladybug and chat noir #miraculous salt fic #adrien agreste #adrien sugar #marinette salt #ml x dc #dc x ml #dc x mlb #mlb x dc #dc x miraculous #miraculous x dc

[a-marlene-s]

Hi, i just found your She's An Addams!au and i have a mighty need to know what would happen If this au's Mari meet Damian Wayne, or the Waynes in a general way.

Hmmm.... Mari meeting Damian Wayne in the She's an Addam's au...

When I first wrote this AU, I had no intention of having them interact with people possible shipping them together.... and get questions about it....

Well! ANYWAY!!!!

If they were to meet, the Batboys are very interested to know Harley's little niece who has helped Harley... turn over a new leaf... Well. As much as one would expect coming from an Addam's. Swords, daggers, knives, collections are showed and compared. Talking about animal related fundraisers, organizations and so on.

OH! And baking!!!!!!!!!!! Loads of baking. With supervision.

#She's an Addams #ML #DC x ML #addams family #miraculous ladybug #crossover #ask

[maribat-metro]

Christmas Event Interest Check

Our server is planning a Christmas-themed collaborative event. To indicate your interest in participating, kindly fill out this form. Responses will close by September 17.

You can join our discord using the link: https://discord.gg/7esuUTr6

(if the code is expired, send us a dm for an updated link.)

#maribat #ml x dc #mlb x dc #miraculous x dc #dc x ml #dc x mlb

[peterxwade24]

Safety Found in Red Sleeves Shorts

Grave Talks

I hope you enjoy this little short about some of the graves in the SFiRS 'verse, and I hope you enjoy this little snapshot into Oswald's past.

Without further ado, on with the short.

It didn’t take long after it happened before Oswald Cobblepot was watching his friend be lowered into the ground. He had known Liuxian for a long time, longer than he would admit to anyone else, and couldn’t believe that she was gone.

Oswald and Liuxian, more commonly called Ozzy and Lucy, had been friends in high school, when they had both moved to town. Ozzy might have grown up down the road, in the next town over, but Liuxian had grown up in Shang Hai.

Ozzy had loved Lucy from the minute they met, two awkward twelve-year-olds who didn’t fit in with their peers. Lucy had been the one to push Ozzy into ornithology, noticing his love of birds and pushing him to take it further. Some would say that Lucy was the reason he became The Penguin but Ozzy liked to think that Lucy was the reason he was around for his chick.

Pere and Gale had silently been standing next to Oswald, letting him lose himself in his thoughts. They knew how hard it was for the man, as he had so few friends. They knew that he needed the time to reminisce as he watched his oldest friend go into the ground. Pere and Gale had never actually known Lucy, Ozzy and Lucy having had fallen out of touch when Lucy started working the streets and Ozzy started actively fighting against Batman.

Ozzy swore that Lucy would have loved the two of them, that she would have introduced the two to Thana as her aunts, just as Ozzy was her uncle.

Oswald turned away from his oldest friend, towards the two women who stood at his side through everything and with a smile offered them his hands. “Shall we go?”

The trio of birds walked out of the cemetery, their arms linked and Oswald’s head down as he left more than just his oldest and dearest friend behind, he left a good chunk of his very being in the cemetery too.

-*-*-*

Jason looked at his grave, a grimace on his face. “Did anyone even visit me here?”

Dick frowned and shrugged. “I don’t even know. I know I did a couple of times before I was shipped off to Jump City.”

Tim leaned against his brothers and nodded. “I visited once a week for a couple of months then it turned into once a month. I arranged for flowers to be delivered every week after the headstone was put in. I made sure the flowers were native flowers and that they rotate them according to when the flower blooms.”

“That’s really nice but also really weird Timbers.” Jason ruffled his brother’s hair and smiled. “We should probably get back before Kutlat Saghira drives the girls and Duke crazy.”

“Your kid? Drive anyone crazy?” Dick laughed as he dodged a hit aimed his way. “Jace, Baby Wing is a sweetheart. We love him, and all of us would do anything to help the two of you. He’s the next generation of this family.”

“Shut up Dickhead.” Jason pushed Dick’s shoulder before the three set off back towards the apartment. “It’s not just him. Mar’i and Jai and Irey, they’re the next generation too. The four of them? They’re this family’s future.”

“So what you’re saying is any children the rest of us have are the next generation of this family, even if they’re technically apart of the same generation as someone apart of this generation of the family.”

“Yes Timmy. Why? Are you thinking of having kids soon?” Dick smiled and laughed as Tim blushed bright red. “If you do decide to have kids, you’ll let someone know, right?”

Tim shrugged and looked at his older brothers. “Thanks, for being so understanding of my situation.”

“You’ll always be our little brother Replacement, no matter what anyone else has to say about the matter.” Jason slipped his arm around Tim’s shoulders and pulled him close. “You can tell us anything.”

“Thanks Jay.”

#sfirs #maribat #mlb x dc #ml x dc #ml crossover #mlb crossover #dc x mlb #dc x ml #oswald cobblepot gets lost in thought

[littleinkling64]

my my how times have changed......and how they've stayed the same

#maribat #mlb x dc #dc x mlb #ml x dc #dc x ml #jasonette #art improvement #hopefully lol

[themaribatpit]

The Lost Wayne: Chapter 2

Synopsis: On the night of her parents’ anniversary, Marinette was shocked to learn that all this time, she had been the long forgotten daughter of an American businessman named Bruce.  When she is given the chance to visit him that summer, she learns that she’ll also be spending the summer with his many other children.

Rated T: Language

Ships: Gen

Taglist: @laurcad123, @k8s-things, @miyatalksshit, @raeuberprinzessin, @jeminiikrystal, @jjmjjktth, @tinybrie, @angelwreckedd, 

Chapter 1 - Chapter 3

Chapter 2

Marinette stared at her new found family, she froze to see them all waiting for her at the bottom of the grand staircase. She felt a lump in her throat as she struggled to greet them, unsure of how they would react to her. She glanced at each of their faces, their expressions ranging from joyful to neutral to scowling. She unconsciously took a step back only to bump into Bruce. 

“Welcome!” Two of them cheered, the two who cheered were a girl with blonde curly hair and a dark haired man who looked to be in his late 20s. The rest gave simple welcomes, while the one who looked to be the youngest simply grunted in acknowledgement. 

“Um…hi…” Marinette tried to answer back with a small awkward wave.

Bruce cleared his throat behind her, “Why don't you all introduce yourselves?”

The dark haired man who greeted her earlier stepped forward, taking the lead and giving Marinette’s hand a good shake. “Hi, I’m Dick, I’m the eldest and the first adopted one.” He stepped back and gestured to another person beside him “That’s Jason,” he said.  

Jason didn’t bother to step forward, he simply nodded towards Marinette. She couldn’t help but notice that Dick was very lean and willowy, almost like a dancer.  Jason, on the other hand, was a lot more broad and looked like he could crush someone into powder if he thought about it hard enough.  She smiled back and nodded at him, hoping he would be a gentle giant like Ivan.

A third boy stepped forward and also extended his hand for her to shake, “Hi, I’m Tim.”  

Another girl stepped forward, she smiled and waved towards Marinette, she waved back awkwardly, “Hi,” she said simply.

 “And that’s Cass, by the way,” Dick explained.  Marinette thought she seemed nice enough.  Out of all of them, she seemed to be watching Marinette closely, as if she was picking her apart with her eyes.

“I’m Stephanie,” the blonde girl from earlier said, “I’m friends with all these guys and I also work part time for Bruce,” She gave Marinette a two finger salute before stepping back.  

“Yeah, as an errand girl,” Jason joked sarcastically. 

“Shut up, Jason,” she retorted. 

All eyes were now on Damian, his brows were furrowed and his arms were crossed as he stared at Marinette. He stared intensely at her, and she started to feel uncomfortable and avoided eye contact. She began to fidget nervously, the room became silent. The person across her just had to be the only biological child Bruce mentioned on the flight back, Marinette expected a verbal lashing. 

Bruce intervened, “That’s Damian, say hello Damian.” His voice was stern.

Damian sneered, “Greetings.” he said flatly.

Marinette tried to smile warmly in response, “Nice to meet you all, I’m Marinette,” she said in a small but cheerful voice.

“Right, I’ve already prepared lunch. Please follow me to the dining room Miss Marinette.” Alfred gestured to everyone to follow him to the dining room.

Marinette watched as everyone took their seats at the dining table, waiting for the last available chair. Dick waved his arm with a smile and patted the chair beside him. Marinette cautiously walked over and took a seat next to her brother. Alfred came in with a trolley, on it was several dishes. Marinette could smell them and stared at the meal eagerly. 

“I’ve prepared a pasta salad appetiser, along with beef and vegetarian lasagnas as the main course,” Alfred said as he placed the meals onto the dining table. Alfred turned to Marinette, “Miss Marinette, please let me know if you have any allergies or dietary requirements.” Marinette nodded in acknowledgement.

The family ate their lunch eagerly, Marinette’s nervous demeanour left as she tasted Alfred's cooking. 

Dick tried to start with some small talk, "So, tell me more about yourself."

Steph chimed in, "Yeah, always wanted to visit Paris, what's it like?"

Marinette looked down at her food, "I…It's nothing special. I was raised at a bakery though."

"Ooh, do you bake? I wonder if Alfred will have competition," Dick joked.

Marinette laughed off the suggestion, before she looked around the table and asked "So uh, what do you guys do?"

"I’m a venture capitalist," Dick declared confidently.

Annoyed, Jason interjected "You do jack shit. You own a circus."

Marinette's jaw dropped in absolute disbelief, bits of lasagna fell out of her mouth and fortunately, back onto her plate. She turned to face Dick, she couldn't believe her older brother owned a circus and wanted him to either confirm or deny Jason's accusation. 

Steph snorted and laughed at Marinette's reaction, "I don’t think she believes you one bit, Dick," She said while laughing and Cass nodded in agreement. 

At that moment Dick stood up, he cracked his knuckles and performed a few stretches, “Alright time to show you why we were called,” he paused for dramatic effect,  “The Flying Graysons.”

A voice came from the kitchen, across the dining room. “Master Dick, please refrain from swinging on the chandeliers.” Dick sheepishly sat back down. 

Dick recomposed himself, “It is my family’s circus, before my parents died and Bruce adopted me.” Marinette dropped her fork as Dick spoke of his parent’s deaths, she panicked and tried to apologise for bringing up a sensitive topic. Dick put a hand on her head and messed her hair, calming her. “So Jason, why don’t you tell little Marinette here what you do?” His eyebrow raised as he finished his sentence.

Jason scratched the back of his head, “I-I run a nightclub, so not exactly the place for 15 year old girls.”

Marinette took a bite and chewed very slowly, she didn’t want to comment on that.

Steph leaned over, “You get used to it, they bicker like that all the time. But in short, Cass is a ballerina, Tim works at WE, and Damian attends Gotham Academy.” 

After lunch, the family dispersed. Marinette is given a brief tour of Wayne Manor and is introduced to her room beside Cass’. After she finished unpacking, she decided to wander around. She had underestimated the size of Wayne Manor and had already forgotten the tour she received from Alfred. She stumbled around the manor, hoping to run into a familiar face. She reached the living room where she saw two grand family portraits. The first portrait she saw was the whole family, along with a few faces she hadn’t yet been introduced to, the other was what appeared to be a couple with their son. Her eyes lingered on the second portrait, curious as to who they were and why it was displayed alongside the current family portrait. 

“The late Thomas and Martha Wayne,” a voice spoke from behind Marinette.

She twirled in shock only to see the voice came from Alfred.

“My apologies for startling you, Miss Marinette,” Alfred placed a hand on her shoulder and also began to admire the painting. “Your late grandparents.”

Marinette looked at what she felt was an imposing portrait, her late grandparents judging her very existence. How would they feel about her if they were here today? Probably discard her as an unwanted grandchild born out of wedlock.

“Dr. and Mrs. Wayne were some of the kindest and most generous people I’ve met in my entire life,” Alfred solemnly reminisced. 

Marinette’s eyes wandered to the second, more current family portrait, Alfred noticed her staring at the second portrait. He looked back at it and thought to himself, it needed an update. After all, one more person had to be added in. He smiled to himself at the idea. 

Stephanie peeked her head around the corner, “Hey Marinette, why don’t we give you a tour of Gotham?” She walked in with Cass in tow. “While we’re out, let's go shopping. Girls day out!” 

Meanwhile, in the lounge, Dick had everyone else gathered together.

"So, you called an emergency family meeting, without Steph and Cass?" Tim asked, glancing around the room at his brothers.  At that moment the door opened, and Barbara wheeled herself in.

"I came as soon as I heard, is it true?" she asked, she looked around the room, as though expecting to see Marinette with them.

"Steph and Cass took her shopping," Dick told them, "and I called this family meeting because if any of you were listening at lunch, we might have a problem on our hands." 

"What do you mean? She didn't suspect a thing," Tim pointed out, "aside from her having a circus clown and a club owner for older brothers, and a gremlin for a younger one." He didn't miss the sour look on Damian's face at that moment.

"And she's not going to suspect a thing," Dick said, "I'm gonna need all hands on deck here."

"What are you saying?" Jason asked.

"You heard what she said in there, grew up in Paris in a nice little bakery. Sounded like a pretty nice life, all things considered," Dick reminded them.

“So, you want everyone here to keep our ‘part-time jobs’ under wraps?” Jason asked, Dick nodded.

“Then why would she go looking for Father at all?” Damian asked, “Why would she leave her quaint little life in Paris behind?”

“It’s just for the summer, Damian,” Dick explained. “Besides, there are worse things that could happen when you go looking for your real parents,” Jason remarked. It was at that moment Tim remembered something, “Doesn’t Paris usually flip flop between peace and complete chaos, basically at random?” he recalled.

“Yup, with the local heroes doing what they can to keep the Justice League out,” Barbara explained.

“Neither the Justice League nor the Titans have been allowed anywhere near the city for the past couple of years,” Dick recalled, “Constantine and Zatanna had been keeping a close eye on things ever since.” “I think last time Stormy Weather wreaked havoc, the Markovs and Weather Wizard fought over who would get to adopt her,” Jason recalled.

“Think our new guest would know anything about that?” Tim asked.

“We don’t know, and the less we ask about it, the better,” Dick said finally.

Later that night, Marinette returned to her room in Wayne Manor, shopping bag in hand as she slumped face-first onto the bed.  Tikki emerged from her bag, hovering over her as she lifted her head to look across the room at her bedside table.

“So, you seemed like you had a good time,” Tikki observed, cheerfully.

“Yeah, they’re not so bad. It was great to hang out with Steph and Cass, Dick was nice too. It's just…” Marinette hesitated for a moment. “I know not everyone wants me here.” She tried to start a conversation with the others, but was met with either indifference, or in the case of Damian, borderline hostile treatment. 

“I know, don’t forget it was as much of a shock for them as it was for you,” Tikki tried to reassure Marinette. 

“Thank you Tikki, by the way I saved you one of Alfred’s cookies,” Marinette dug into her pocket and retrieved the cookie. Tikki happily took it and began eating, “So as a full time cookie aficionado, how would you rate the cookie? Better than my family’s?”

Tikki took another big bite and gulped it down, “It’s almost as good as your family’s.” 

Marinette chuckled, “I don’t how he does it, I thought there would be more, uh servants? No, that's a bit harsh, helpers. It seems as though Alfred does everything around here.” Tikki shrugged. Once Tikki was finished eating, Marinette changed and went to bed. 

Marinette awoke to the sound of footsteps and grunting outside her window, with a groan she picked up her phone to check the time, 5:00 am. She turned around in her bed to try to go back to sleep, until a loud crash came from outside her window. Grumpily, she got up to see what the ruckus was all about. She looked out the window to see a figure jumping around, she rubbed her eyes and tried to focus on the figure. It was Damian, training with what appears to be...a sword? Marinette’s eyes bulged as Damian danced and swung his sword around the garden early in the morning. 

Damian trained, slicing goza mats erected around him artfully, each slice cutting through his target cleanly so that it did not disturb the rest of the targets. He surrounded himself with several of them, and glided around the garden. 

Marinette changed and made her way to the garden, she couldn't take her eyes off her half-brother’s swordsmanship. She watched him cut target after target for a few minutes, as she watched Damian become more and more annoyed. 

Damian’s eye twitched slightly, “Does this idiot have nothing better to do than to stare?” he thought to himself, he started early to train in peace and quiet. As per his father’s request, he tried his best to contain his annoyance. He sheathed his sword and looked back towards Marinette.

As Damian stared back, she began to panic, in case she did something to offend him. She stammered as she tried to make some small talk, “G-good morning, that was pretty cool." 

“Indeed,” Damian deadpanned.

“So…why do you train in sword fighting? Is it for some competition?” She asked.

Damian’s eye twitch returned, he so much wanted to yell at her, this was his life. Tim stepped in, with an alibi already prepared, “Yes, he does fencing.” Damian’s eye twitched again as he was still trying to prevent himself from exploding. 

Marinette’s eyes lit up at the mention of fencing, she thought back to Kagami and Adrien sharing the same hobby. Although, they didn't train with real swords, and their technique looked very different from Damian’s. “I have a few friends who fence, maybe they could give you a few tips.”

Damian snapped, “Tips? TIPS?! IT SHOULD BE I WHO TEACH THEM! I WAS RAISED BY THE LEAGUE OF-”

Tim slapped his hand over Damian’s mouth, “Fencers, yes, League of Fencers, right here in Gotham,” he completed, attempting to be as convincing as possible. Marinette eyed Tim and Damian suspiciously, Tim put up an unconvincing smile while Damian glared at the two. 

“Excuse me, breakfast is served,” Alfred’s voice came from behind all three of them. Tim felt a flood of relief as this has taken Marinette’s attention away from Damian. He needed to talk to the little demon to temporarily stop his conspicuous sword training. 

Tim, Damian and Marinette followed Alfred to the dining room and she sat with her back facing the entrance.  Marinette was presented with a generous portion of eggs, bacon and pancakes. She tried to engage in small talk, but Tim and Damian weren’t that talkative. So they ate in an awkward silence.

Red Hood entered the room, mug in hand and walked towards the kitchen. His outfit fully donned, his stun guns holstered, his armour slightly scratched from the night prior.

Marinette continued eating, oblivious to the vigilante behind her as she sat with her back facing the entrance. Tim coughed loudly and glared furiously at Jason. 

Jason only now realised that he forgot to change, his eyes widened inside the helmet and he slowly backed away. Marinette looked at Tim with concern, she wondered if she did something to offend him, given his facial expression. 

"Pancake went down the wrong hatch," Tim coughed. Marinette nodded nervously, she poked the food on her plate. She felt unsure of what caused Tim’s outburst, she was worried it had something to do with her. She occasionally glanced at Tim and Damian, who were both more focused on their meal than her. Marinette then heard footsteps come into the dining room, Jason walked back in, now changed and strode straight towards Tim. 

He gave Tim a loud slap on his back and a very strained smile. Tim lurched forward, almost spitting his food out from the force. Marinette winced when she heard the thunderous slap, it was loud enough to be heard across Wayne Manor. She watched in surprise at the inconspicuous hostility between the two. Jason silently walked into the kitchen to fetch himself a cup of coffee.  Marinette excused herself, her meal half eaten. 

She decided to wander around the mansion. She noticed Dick with a bag by the entrance. She walked up to him, "Good Morning," she greeted.

"Morning Marinette," Dick replied with a grin, he checked his bag again and slung it over his shoulder.

"Are you going somewhere?"

"Yeah, something came up and I need to head over there and take care of it," he told her.

"Will you be gone long?"

"Nah, just need to drive across Gotham, but I'll be pretty busy. Catch you later, okay?" he messed up Marinette's hair again and left.

Marinette frowned, sad that one of the few accommodating family members had to go. She wasn't sure who else she could befriend here. She wandered restlessly and thought maybe sketching would help her. So, she brought her sketchbook to the entrance hall and drew the grand staircase. 

After a few minutes of drawing Cass came down the staircase, a gym bag under her arm. Marinette greeted her and Cass nodded in return. "What are you up to today?" Marinette asked. Cass unzipped her bag and brought out a pointe shoe. “Ballet practice?” she asked. Cass nodded. “Alright, have fun.” Marinette went back to her sketching.  Not a sound, not a whisper, occurred as she sketched. After some time sketching, Marinette again felt uneasy from the silence.  

Marinette decided to check the library, curious as to what kind of books Wayne Manor would hold. She pushed open the large doors that creaked loudly, she peeked her head in to see if anyone was there. She spotted Jason leaning back on a lounge chair by the window, his eyes fixed on the book in his hands. Marinette left him alone, she didn’t want to disturb him. Frankly, he scared her a bit, especially after his hostile interaction with Tim at the breakfast table. 

She walked around the grand library, fascinated by the many books it held and the many subdivided sections within. Fiction, non-fiction, history, philosophy, science, medicine, it had almost everything under the sun. Surprisingly there was a section on fashion, she picked up a book titled ‘20th Century Dress Designs’. She had a quick skim through its pages and felt she had seen enough. Unfortunately she forgot which shelf she got the book from, she decided she could probably just slot it in anywhere, nobody would mind.  

An annoyed voice rang out just as she was about to place the book back on the shelf “Please don’t put the books back willy nilly and mess up the library.” Marinette froze, and turned around, only to be greeted by thin air. Was Jason talking? To her? She cautiously walked back to see where Jason was sitting, he still sat there on the lounge chair. His eyes never left his book as he spoke. “If you take any book out, return it to that trolley over there. Barbara will sort it out later. Understand?” he jabbed his thumb towards a trolley behind him, which had a couple books on it. She had heard Barbara’s name mentioned, but had never met her.  All she knew was that she was a close family friend.

“Yes, of course, I mean, I understand,” Marinette stammered. She slowly walked up to Jason and took a seat at an empty chair beside him. “So, what are you reading?” “A story about love, heartbreak, revenge and a hatred that burns from beyond the grave,” Jason drawled.  He hoped that description would deter her curiosity, he would very much prefer some quiet time to read instead of someone pestering him with questions. 

Unfortunately it backfired as Marinette’s eyes widened with curiosity, “What’s the book called?” she tried to peer at the cover and make out the letters on it. The problem was his hand was covering most of it.

Jason glanced at the book in Marinette's hands before he snapped his book shut, “You probably wouldn't like it that much,” he replied bluntly before standing up and leaving.

Marinette looked down, disappointed, she had hoped to start a conversation with her adoptive brother. She felt he had just brushed her aside, it stung, she felt like her family rejected her. Though she couldn’t blame them, she was the intruder into their lives. She got up and walked back to her bedroom. 

Marinette sat in her room, bored and listless. She has no idea what to do this summer, she struggled to connect with some members of her family. Dick and Cassandra were away, Stephanie was probably working her part time job for Marinette’s biological father. She didn't know who else she could hang out with. She turned on the TV and flicked through the channels, hoping to find something good to watch. She flitted through channel after channel after channel, until she stopped at the news. 

“This is Vicki Vale coming to you live from outside Arkham Asylum, Jervis Tetch AKA Mad Hatter has just broken loose. Please contact the GCPD hotline if you see him, but be warned he is considered armed and extremely dangerous.” A wanted poster was then displayed on screen. 

Marinette shuddered at the sight of this criminal, now loose in Gotham. Marinette shut the TV off and opened her window. She needed to do something, she might as well make her trip to Gotham worthwhile, at least to anybody she could save. “Tikki,” she looked at her partner expectantly. Tikki nodded back. “Spots On!” and she transformed. She launched herself out the window and made her way to Downtown Gotham.   

Ladybug patrolled the city, the more she travelled the more disgusted she felt. She began to see Gotham City, the true Gotham City. A city of crime, corruption, poverty and an unimaginable gap in wealth. She had seen the magnificence of Wayne Manor, the cleanliness and prosperity of the financial and fashion district. Contrasted with the poverty within Crime Alley, she watched people beg in the streets, and live in abject poverty. She couldn’t take it anymore, she felt guilty and disgusted at herself for even being related to her wealthy father. Was he even doing anything to help these people? She asked herself, over and over again. After an hour of exploring Gotham, Ladybug rested on a rooftop, looking up at Wayne Tower. She stared at its dominating presence across the entire city, a sign of wealth and decadence. For several minutes, she sat miserably at the edge of a roof. 

A cry for help broke her out of her stupor, she ran to the source of the commotion to see a pair of giant men, one of whom was carrying a woman. The woman thrashed and wailed as she struggled to break free. A man of a much smaller stature who was wearing a top hat, walked up to the woman, and almost instantly she was unconscious. It was odd, this was a kidnapping in broad daylight, yet all bystanders looked as if they were in some sort of trance. Ladybug jumped off the roof and landed in front of the three, stopping them in their tracks. 

“Well now, what have we here?” Mad Hatter adjusted his hat and bowtie.

“Let her go,” Ladybug commanded.  

“No, no, no, no, no, no. I’m late, very late for a very, very important date with Alice. Then again…you seem a much better fit. Yes, oh yes.” 

Ladybug nervously took a step back as Mad Hatter walked towards her, a wild grin on his face. He clicked his tongue in the rhythm of a clock. He took out his pocket watch, “tick…tock…tick…tock,” a blinding flash of white light shone in her eyes. When Ladybug opened her eyes, she saw that she was somewhere else.

#bio dad bruce wayne #ml x dc #dc x ml #maribat

[ive-tumbled-down-a-rabbit-hole]

Look at my lips and listen closely

Master list

Ok, I've listened to a lot of Dead Pony recently and ended up mis-hearing a line or two in bullet farm which sent off a cascade of tangential thoughts (which is pretty standard really) and voila this is the nonsense that was created. Well sort of, characters then decided to evolve and take over as well in ways I wasn't expecting so it's more of a 'voilà' and 'oh, I was not expecting to write that' and 'ok, that's a new direction to the original loose plan… concept'

Ta for reading 😘

……………

Bruce stared at the trio across the ballroom. They were positioned in such a way he couldn't see their lips. Their conversation was hidden causing him to feel a rising panic as the sound slowly faded while his heart beat sped up. He tried to figure out why they were here. Why now?

Bruce's heart felt like it would burst out his chest if it wasn't for all his years training. It wouldn't surprise him if he received a call from Clark in a moment or two to check to see how he was doing with how loud it felt to him. The years of training seemed to vanish and he felt like he was a newly christened twenty year old vigilante finding his feet in the world, learning how to mask and misdirect.

Taking an actual drink from his glass for once, Bruce took a second to compose himself. The slightly aromatic taste danced on his tongue, grounding him back to the present. To look at him, he'd still look like Brucie, playboy turned father, but from the curious glances his children sent him, he knew that he wasn't hiding his concern particularly well.

Across the room it appeared like his past was finally catching up with him in the most unexpected ways. He really had not foreseen that these three people would ever meet. There were links of course. The potential that they could meet, he just had never considered that they would.

They all lived at some point in the same country, and the blondes ran in potentially similar social circles but their lifestyles and personalities were so different it was hard to see them meeting… and connecting. Particularly… no… he wouldn't… would he?

Frowning Bruce mused about Ra's and how he liked playing mind games and well, after so many years of not seeing any of them, it wasn't a hard stretch of the imagination that this was the lastest mind game the megalomaniac near immortal would play. Pulling his Brucie facade close, Bruce greeted Dick who appeared at his side and leant into his arm while Jason joined them. The younger man's arms folded and wearing a frown that mirrored Bruce's own internal one.

"So, B, what's got you upset."

Laughing jovially causing his sons to wince at the fakeness, Bruce wrapped an arm around his boys and guided them somewhere slightly more secluded.

"Oh nothing Dickie. Are you and Jaylad ok? Your siblings?"

Picking up Bruce's unsaid meaning, Jason quickly sent a text to the others to meet them as Dick scanned the crowds. A surge of protective pride flooded Bruce at his boy's growth, they'd come a long way from the boys he adopted all those years ago.

By the more quiet balcony the rest of the Wayne's and adjacents congregated waiting for Bruce to spill the deets. They'd all clocked the trio that seemed to be the source of Bruce's unusual anxiety and waited in semi baited breath.

"Spill old man. What's the deal?"

"Gnnn"

"So eloquent B. Spit it out."

"I slept with that trio."

"Shocker! Who haven't you dated or slept with? Diana and Clark aren't the first you've had a ménage à trois with, big deal. What's the issue?"

"Not together. One's a model, another an heiress and the other I met training at the LoA."

"Gross Bossman. T.M.I!"

"So we have a Ra's situation?"

"What would grandfather want to do with a model and heiress?"

"I don'ge'it. Ken's an assassin? No offence Blondie."

"Full offence Jay! Why can't blonds be assassins?"

"Nothing against blond's, just, him?! I stuck out when I was there, him! He'd be a walking target. He looks as threatening as a wet kitten."

"Not all that trained with grandfather were brutes Todd. It could be part of his style to disarm his prey, mother's preference was harmless seduction anyway."

"Talia… harmless… *cackles* you're joking right?!"

Bruce pinched his nose as his children bickered around him trying to draw the attention back to himself.

"*Cough* HE isn't the assassin *cough* He is… was the model. She, Marinette, the dark haired one. She was who I met when," Bruce paused as a group of socialite's walked past. "I met her when I was travelling. I was with Adrien shortly after when I got back. I knew Chloe from childhood."

"You mean Tinkerbell is the one we're concerned about?!" Jason raised his eyebrows in surprise then started to reassess the trio.

"It's what Ra's is up to that concerns me. Why she… they would target Adrien and or Chloe?"

"You're about to find out B."

Acknowledging Tim's input, Bruce watched as Chloe had split off from the others, her gold dress sparkling under the chandelier's, her icy ruling aura making guests part like the sea much like she did in childhood. Marinette continued to talk to the group they were with as Adrien started weaving his way through the crowds. Slipping on his Brucie persona yet again, Bruce grabbed two drinks from a passing waiter as he grinned (honestly not even having to fake his fondness) as Adrien sauntered towards him.

The moment Adrien got close enough to the Wayne's, in full Brucie style, Bruce dragged Adrien into a warm, fully embracing, hug as he scouted out the ballroom. His woody cologne filled Bruce's nose as he breathed the man's scent in. He would be ready to protect his ex paramour from an attack.

"Adi baby!! Long time no see sweetheart. How are you, gorgeous? What brings you to this spectacular event… have you tried the wine? Isn't it devine."

Leaning away to greet Bruce with a customary la bise, Adrien returned to melt into Bruce's arms. Succumbing to the legacy of spending so much time touch starved in childhood. Bruce carefully manoeuvred him so he could hold him close while passing him the glass of sparkling wine.

"Brucie! It's good to see you too, mon amour. Meow are you? I'm purrr-fect at the moment. I've taken over the family business. I came here with my chief designer and COO. Mari and Chlo, have you met Marinette or Chloe actually? Hang on, I'll get them over here to meet you, where is she? Anyway they say I need to network more."

Adrien scanned the crowd looking for the blood-red dressed assassin and golden heiress he had come with before turning secretly to Bruce and his family.

"Which I sup-pawse they're correct." Adrien brings his hand up in a staged overly loud whisper, "don't tell them I said that though!"

His captivating emerald eyes sparkle into Bruce's steely blue ones in amusement. Looping his arm through Bruce's Adrien leans against the giant man like a feline seeking warmth, to Bruce's children's amusement.

"I finally escaped modelling. Father took ill, much like maman and Natalie did, it was a slight cat-asrophe with lots of drama. But I'm in charge. Business is far more fun than posing, you know, the proper cats pawjamas. I guess you do given…"

Adrien waved his arm about before smiling up at Bruce in a fond manner, his lips catching the light as a clear gloss coated them along with embroidered playful cats decorating his suit, diverting Bruce's attention momentarily. Bruce had forgotten how affectionate and almost cat-like he was with his tactility. The firm muscles hidden under his fitted figurative cat suit tantalised Bruce with memories of late night rendezvous. It was what had drawn him originally to Selina, the familiarity and reminder to the man beside him.

"Ooo, let's grab Mari and Chlo a glass of this devine purr-seco as you say. They'll be done talking business by now, I hope. I'm sure they'll join us in a meow-ment. The papers say you're a family man now mon amour. By the looks of it, it's true? Finally dark and mysterious men adopt litters of children in Gotham?"

Bruce winced internally, this wasn't going to be easy as Adrien seemed to be fond of the potential threat. That also being said Bruce felt the need to find Chloe too. Despite the chemistry that still simmered between him and Adrien, she was still at risk. The woman he shared his first kiss with. The snarky woman he'd watch with Ollie verbally decimate Lex 'just for funsies'. He glanced around the party goers again while appearing to look at his throng of children that surrounded him.

"Ah, yes, I can't comment on bat but mine fill the house with noise and chaos and my life with colour. I'm so proud of them even though they are the cause of me going grey."

"Not pawsible! You hardly have a wrinkle chéri, are you sure you are not modelling and not doing it for moi?! Or well my company?"

Bruce let out a loud laugh before placing a kiss on Adrien's forehead as he watched Marinette weave closer towards the pair and his children slowly close ranks protectively. He bit back the smile as he watched her slightly stumble but gracefully rescue it to look purposeful. Bruce focused on the problem at hand and to suppressed and parked how he felt for her while at Nanda Parbat.

"Bruce darling. What a surprise to see you, I didn't know you knew Adrien as well."

"Mari, you know Bruce too?"

Marinette slipped gracefully between the Wayne's and came up close to Adrien who slipped out of Bruce's hold to hug her. The quick kiss of her cherry red lips on Adrien cheek which he happily returned sent an unexpected jealousy through Bruce. He wasn't sure if it was because Adrien had left his space, because he was close to Marinette or that they shared a bond that Bruce no longer did.

"Of course Kitty, I met him while I was soul searching, tying up loose ends and looking for inspiration from around the globe. We trained together for a while."

"Ah, that point in time. It's a shame I couldn't come along. You know I'd have come with you, Purr-incess."

"Silly Kitty, you were exactly where you were needed. Been fed pastries and smothered in parental love along with Queenie."

Confused, Bruce could feel his Brucie mask slipping as he watched the pair banter and talk within jokes, pet names and understanding. It was like watching his children interact, like how they all interacted with their respective teams. Adrien knew of her time away, they both knew Chloe, did they know what she did while travelling… what it meant?

"Err…hn?"

Adrien laughed with his sunny smile as Marinette smirked and took a small sip from the glass Adrien had passed her. A ladybug themed ring glittered in the light daintily on her hand.

"Brucie, don't look confused. I've known Mari since we were tweens. We've been fur-ends… best fur-ends since my first day of collége. I've known Chlo even longer. She was my first fur-end. We all went to school together. Lived through Hawkmoth together. Were friends like you are with Ollie and that reporter from Metropolis and the curator at the Louve."

"Oh."

Blinking trying to process it all. Maybe there isn't a huge underhanded threat from Ra's. Bruce found himself getting more and more confused as his initial hypothesis has started to unravel but unwilling to let it go completely. Out of the corner of his eye he can see Cass, Steph and Tim whispering as Jason hovers while broodingnin a way that he'll deny. Dick charming and distracting other guests with Duke. All on hand if required but close enough to eavesdrop as well.

"And back to what you were saying. I'm not sure about the modelling Kitty though. He's missing the je ne sais quoi. The build… shoulders too…" Marinette's hand flipped at the broadness and just Bruce himself, "his looks too much like dracula. Our next look needs to be spectacular and Brucie… he has had too many injuries and spent recovering inside avoiding the sun. Hmm, not enough Côte d'Azur trips."

Marinette leant in close, her calloused hand skimming his cheek startling Bruce by her suddenly closeness and stealing his breath away and he peered into her bluebell eyes. Her lips tantalisingly close, sparks of something skittered around them despite the heat that Adrien was burning him with. Her hand slowly slipped down to brush imaginary lint off his velvet tux jacket and turned to Bruce with knowing eyes.

"Skiing accident in the Alps was the last injury Oui? Cannes, Nice or Toulon are good places to visit too, not quite as dangerous but still enough to do for thrill seekers."

Bruce gulped.

He'd forgotten their games of words. Of hidden meaning and close to the truth while saying everything and nothing. In a way, it's what drew him to Talia, the deadliness in a lithe form. What separated them was that Talia used her body like Selina to get to him. Adrien on the other hand used his playfulness and some to coyness where Marinette used her softness to hide the steel and sharpness of her mind.

The feeling of being the prey and not the predator in control grew as the French duo danced about him with more history than he expected. Their playful flirting and silent conversations left him feeling trapped and surprisingly flustered.

"Oh hush Buginette. Stop teasing Brucie. He's litter-ally a walking sex god and you know it. Your designs would need to be tailored oui, but imagine his body selling your outfits, his face selling the perfumes."

Staring at him like he was a slab of meat, Marinette's critical eye gazed over him. Finally Bruce felt he could breathe even with their sole attention on him. He felt safe knowing that it was clinical rather than heated.

"Potentially. I'll let you tell Jules then."

Adrien paled and shook his head.

"Nope. No thank you. I'd rather live, she has claws."

"*cough* hngh, do you still visit Nanda Parbat?"

Bruce stared at the duo trying carefully to unravel the situation without unsettling the careful balance that was required to keep the conversation from going south. The navigation of it all felt like he was lost at sea, and he didn't like it.

"Only visited there once. When I met you to be precise. The city had something that didn't belong to there and I was seeking it out to return to its original owners."

Cupping Bruce's face and pulling all his attention back to the blonde with emerald eyes. "Brucie, mon chéri, look at my lips and listen closely, Buginette is my chief designer at Agreste. We only travel to these events and fashion weeks. She isn't what you are thinking. No nefarious ties to green goop and wrinkly prunes. Definitely aligned to bats, cats, ladybugs and bees. Especially the birds and the bees."

Bruce let out a sigh, some of the tension he had held seeped out and he fell into a more natural Brucie stance and grin, kissing Adrien on the cheek and laughing as a blush flushed the Parisians cheeks as Marinette's familiar giggle surrounded them.

A fleeting look at his children, Bruce spotted them also relaxing their stants and slowly starting to drift off. Cass's thumbs up and smile said everything. She didn't perceive the pair as a threat, Marinette as a threat specifically and that there were no lies to worry about. Damian's disgusted face at having to witness the flirting was normal but he made no move to reach for his hidden weapons and was willing to be led away by Dick. Tim seemed to be long gone talking to investors and Jason seemed to be with Duke making a break for it no doubt.

"Umm, Bugaboo, I can see your wife approaching and she looks mad! I'm gonna go make out *cough* I mean catch up with Brucie. Play his dark knight and saviour. Cool. Love mee-yow. I'll let you deal with her umm sting!"

Looking up from the man who suddenly curled into him, Bruce's eyes widened in surprise as Chloe in a swarm of gold stormed towards them, her pink lipstick sneering at anyone getting in her way. The recognisable fire burned in her eyes like a vengeful queen only softening as she spotted Marinette whose red lips twisted into a dangerous smile.

"Ridiculous, utterly utterly ridiculous. Minette! You would not…. hmmmmmf!"

Stopping Chloe from approaching the flirty men, Marinette captured Chloe into her arms and distracted her with a searing kiss.

"Quick! Come mon chéri, Mari est saving us!"

Bemused, and thoroughly out of his depth at the power play and relationships of the Parisians, Bruce let Adrien drag him towards the balcony. The searing look in those emerald eyes said everything. The peach lips alluring and pouting at Bruce, as tempting as they were years ago. Bruce shrugged and decided for now he'll go along with it.

Given the hints they had littered, the conversation with Bruce suspected that they knew who they really were, but returned the favour with tips on who they may have been in a past life. They wore their masks in plain sight but hidden from the world unless you knew. Unless the world remembered the past.

Was it a worry? Yes. Would he investigate further? Definitely. But for now he would relax and catch up with Adrien.

#maribat #maribat au #ml x dc #dc x ml #ex relationship #flirting #marinette and adrien #Marinette and bruce #adrien x bruce #adrien and chloe #bruce and chloe #Marinette x chloe #mlb x dc #dc x mlb

[yannowhatigiveup]

The Reflection of Sunlight

So remember that one-shot ‘Moonlght in the Mirror’ that I promised a part 2 of? Well it’s here after maybe 7-8 months oops. Sorry about the wait lol. Anyway I went back and edited the first part which included grammar fixes as well as a new part of the fic at the beginning so check that out if you want. Here’s part 2, I hope it’s a good 2nd part to it.

Moonlight in the Mirror here btw

“Life is a being of endless torment and shadow”

For years that was all I was led to believe

“Life only tolerates the warriors who show no mercy”

“The warriors who bathe in the blood of their victims”

“The warriors who stop at nothing to achive their goals”

I was a follower of life’s foolish facade

It was all I had ever known

But recent years have changed that

Everything I had known was all a lie

And I faced the consequences 

I had endeavoured to change, to become better in order to be tolerated

I showed mercy, I swam for their praise, I did everything I could 

It was never enough, and I was willing to give up

But then I realised that Life had remorse

It led me to you

Your blue eyes were oceans of understanding and I couldn’t bare to lose you 

I couldn’t bare to see you live a tortured life, not with a gentle heart like yours

From the moment we first met, I vowed to pour every last drop of my energy into helping you so that maybe

Just maybe

You’d share your heart with me too 

— ❊ —

Whatever tears were left in his eyes had now run dry. Damian was resting on his side, his eyes down to the ground. It had seemed like forever since he woke up. How long ago did Grayson come to check up on him? He said he would get the others, but all he could hear was silence. Maybe he lied. None of them cared about him anyway, he’s just a small drop of water in this ocean called home.

Damian sighed as he pushed himself up into a sitting position. There weren’t many things that he could do that wouldn’t result in great pain, so he settled on staring at the ceiling. Then he heard the door shift a little. Damian turned to face the person, but there was no person to be seen. Instead, a furry friend jumped onto the bed. Damian’s eyes softened at the sight of his pet.

“Hello, Alfred.” Damian greeted the cat. He ran his fingers through Alfred’s fur, scratching under the cat’s chin. Alfred purred as he rubbed his face against Damian’s. The boy felt a slight warmth in his stomach before turning to look back outside. The sun’s light wasn’t as blinding now, Damian presumed it was past midday, not really like he cared anyway.

Alfred the cat had jumped off, leaving as quickly as he came. Damian sighed and looked over at his bedside table, taking the paper and pencil that rested on top of it. The pencil aimlessly drew lines, Damian had no particular goal. Yet, the image on his paper was that of the magical limbo, the lake that he so longed to return to, to see her again.

The sound of someone opening his bedroom door could be heard, Damian hid the sheet of paper under his blanket. He didn’t turn around this time, he kept his full attention on the window. “Damian.” He still didn’t look, but the person sat on the bed, which caught his attention. 

“Cass?” Damian asked once he had turned around. His older sister sat on the foot of the bed, looking over at the machine he was tied to. Cassandra said nothing, only looking at him, reading him. Then she found what she was looking for.

“We… care for you.” She spoke, at last, putting her hand on his shoulder. His older sister brushed some of his hair out of his face. “You are stronger than they think.” She rested her forehead on his, Damian closed his eyes to feel the sliver of comfort his sister provided. When she pulled away, Cass looked as if she wanted to see his reaction but someone called for her. Damian could tell that she was hesitant to leave after only arriving so quickly, but she stood up anyway. 

Taking one last look at her younger brother, Cass left the room. Damian didn’t pay attention to who called her, he didn’t care. Turning around back onto his side, Damian stared out the window, clutching his knees closer to his chest. He took his drawing from under his blanket and brought it closer to himself, as if being closer could bring him back to there, back to her.

He loved his sister, he really did. But was it too much to ask for the rest of his family to love him too?

~~~

Beep. Beep. The sound of the heart monitor was beginning to annoy him. He sat up and glared at the machine he was hooked to. Without thinking, he grabbed the cord and pulled it off him. A continuous sound followed. The boy sighed and got up, kicking the blanket off his legs. Damian looked back at the heart monitor, the sound being played was identical to that as if his heart had stopped beating, as if he had died again. He waited for a second, a few more seconds. The sound was far too loud to not be heard, someone would have to notice it eventually. A minute, a few more minutes. 

No one came.

He wasn’t surprised, he expected it. But he couldn’t shake the feeling of disappointment and heartache. Damian felt as though he was… unlovable, not worthy of their time and care. He didn’t look like any of them, he didn’t act like any of them, he wasn’t chosen like any of them. He didn’t belong, the other people at school told him so, and he believed them. Drake didn’t bother to hide his distaste for the boy, his other siblings aren’t fond of him. Grayson and Cass were the only exceptions, but that could be a lie. His father never seemed to believe that he was capable of change, despite Damian trying so, so hard to please the man. 

The boy sighed and turn to look at himself in the mirror, except he didn’t see his reflection. He saw that place, the magical limbo. He blinked once, twice, and the scene still stood there waiting for him. The moon was shining beautifully on the calm, still, lake. A gentle breeze made the leaves on the trees dance, some occasionally falling off to waltz with the wind. It was ethereal, it was the glimmer of happiness Damian needed. He stepped closer to the mirror frame, gently reaching his hand to where the glass once was, hoping that his hand would fall through. Which it did. The boy perked up and jumped through the frame, his feet landing on the soft ground. The air was fresher, the tension drained from his bones, and he felt like he belonged. Damian took one more step towards the lake, and the mirror behind him shattered. The door back to reality had broken, yet it never affected him. He just gazed over the broken glass, a dullness in his eyes. 

“Damian.” 

The voice caught Damian’s attention. He turned to face the owner, and it was her. 

“Marinette.” He found himself saying, a smile on his face as he stepped closer to her. She was beautiful in the moonlight, like a spirit almost. She smiled in response, turning to the scenery. “It’s beautiful, isn’t it?”

Damian froze. “What is?”

“Why, the forest, of course.” The girl responded as if it were the most obvious thing in the world, a smile playing on her lips. The teen frowned.

“But, didn’t you say-“

“Why don’t you and I explore the forest together?” She asked, offering her hand for him to take. And he almost did.

‘Promise me that if you ever find yourself here again, never go into the woods surrounding this lake.’ Marinette’s voice echoed in his mind. He promised her, did she forget? 

“Why can’t we just stay near the lake? Like we did last time?” Damian pressed further, the hesitation almost showing in his voice.

“Is there a reason why you’re hesitant?” The girl looked pointedly at him as if daring him to answer the question.

“No, no, it’s just-“ ‘The further you go into the forest-‘ Marinette’s voice seemed louder than ever, Damian could barely get his words out. “I thought you said-“

“Come with me, it’s nice in the forest.” She took his hand that was resting by his side and slowly dragged him closer to the entrance of the woods. Damian felt no control over his body, he couldn’t move away and his mouth refused to speak. He promised Marinette, he promised her. He promised-

The closer you’ll be to death.

Damian woke up from his nightmare, his heart threatening to jump out of his chest with how fast it was beating. He placed his hand on his chest, focusing on his breathing until he calmed down. He lifted himself so he was in a sitting position, his hand now resting on his lap. In a way, Damian had asked for this. He desperately kept wishing to go back to that place, the different dimension, and he did get what he asked for but it was at a cost. 

No, it never was the real thing. It was just a dream. His worst enemy and best friend was his own mind, allowing him to see her but only for it to be a trick. Damian looked over at the heart monitor he was attached to, the rapid beating matching the rise and fall of his chest.

‘Perhaps I should leave it alone this time.’

~~~

Bruce Wayne paced around one of the many living rooms, his hand covering his mouth, his thoughts were ablaze as they argued with one another. He was aware of the fact that Tim had stopped typing on his computer, he was very aware of Alfred’s heavily concerned expression and was doing everything he could to ignore the older man. He didn’t fail to notice the look Tim and Dick had exchanged, despite never once looking at them. Bruce knew he had, as Jason would say, fucked up. 

“Why aren’t you talking with him?” Dick asked his adoptive father, his tone very unimpressed. Bruce stopped in his tracks.

“I-“

“Bruce, he’s your son. He could’ve been killed out there.” Dick pressed further, his fists clenched. He was right, Bruce knew he was right and yet, he couldn’t bring himself to face Damian, his son. Dick waited for a response, his eyes telling Bruce to speak up. When the man didn’t, he sighed. “I know Damian can be hard to handle but he needs you, you’re his father and he needs both your love and your guidance, Bruce.”

Tim looked directly into Bruce’s eyes, even him demanding an answer. Bruce was fully aware of Damian and Tim’s strained relationship, never would he think the teen would care for his younger brother in this way. Bruce sighed and dragged a hand down his face, glancing over at Alfred, who himself had a disappointed look on his face. Someone else entered, her face cold and harsh.

“You must talk to him,” Cass demanded and Dick made a small sound of agreement. Tim had remained silent throughout the whole ordeal. But it was his silence that told Bruce he agreed too. Drawing a breath through his nose, Bruce turned to his daughter.

“Is he awake?”

Cass didn’t respond at first and instead began to read his body, searching for even the slightest sign of dishonesty. After finding nothing, she nodded and Bruce proceeded to leave the living room. He however exchanged a look with Alfred, one that meant that he was trying his hardest. Heading for the stairs, Bruce paused as his hand touched the bannister.

‘This is your son, a boy who needs your support.’

‘He brought this injury upon himself, he refused to listen.’

Bruce shook his head. ‘He’s a teenager, he’s bound to make mistakes. Damian had and will learn from this so we’ll discuss it after he has fully healed.’ He nodded to himself, that was the better mindset to be in, and he resumed his journey up the stairs. It didn’t take long for him to reach the upper floor and the faint sound of a heart machine echoed through the drafty halls. He counted the beats on his head, it was too fast. Perhaps he had woken up from a nightmare. Bruce felt his steps quicken and a breath of relief escape from his lips as the sound of the heart monitor returned to normal.

As Bruce walked toward his son’s bedroom, questions began pouring through his brain. ‘What if Damian sustained more damage than what Alfred had reported?’ ‘Would he even want to speak with me right now? He could still be tired from the injuries and the pain medication.’ ‘When was the last time I had even gone to his room?’

‘Was his room always this far away?’

Bruce soon reached his son’s room, the door was open just enough so that he could see the end of the bed. The door pushed open with a low creek and Bruce heard the monitor's beeps gain the slightest bit of speed. ‘Of course.’ Bruce thought. ‘He doesn’t know who’s here.’ The man stepped into view and again the heart rate went higher, Bruce felt his own heart drop at the quick realisation. The sight of him made his son nervous. With a sigh, Bruce moved closer and sat on the bed, the worried gaze from his son burned through his skull. It seemed to have burnt a hole in his chest too as a lump grew in his throat. As he looked his son in the eyes, Bruce realised that even though Damian had made a mistake on patrol, it was his fault. He had allowed his son to fear him when he should have cared for him, loved him as he so rightfully deserved.

His own son.

Bruce stretched his arm over to brush some of Damian’s loose strands of hair away from his face. Holding his breath, Bruce tried to speak. “Damian-”

“I apologise, father.” His son interrupted. “I disobeyed your orders and I know that my injuries were warranted.”

‘He’s right.’

‘No, he’s not.’

“Damian-” Bruce tried to talk again but his attempt proved to be worthless.

“I understand that I will be benched for the amount of time that you see fit. I deliberately went against your orders and I apologise.” Bruce could see the silent longing in his eyes, the unspoken plea in his voice.

“You will only be benched because you are too injured,” he finally got his voice in. “By the time you are fully healed, I will allow you to continue.” The confusion and shock in Damian’s eyes hurt him more than any slice of a blade or wound from a gun that had hurt him before. His own son had expected a punishment worse, and Bruce knew it was his fault.

“You’re not stripping the Robin mantle from me?” Damian almost whispered, stunned. Bruce reached over to gently put his hand on the boy’s face.

“Of course not, this was just a mistake on your behalf.” Bruce tried to reassure him but inwardly sighed at his choice of words. “You may be a teenager, Damian, but you still have so much to do in your life, you still have so much room to grow. Don’t allow something like this to destroy you.” With a sigh, Bruce stood up. “Get some rest, Damian”. 

It wasn’t the greatest of words, but it was a start and that’s the best thing he could have done, right?

His thoughts spoke up again.

‘He’s an assassin, he’ll never change.’

‘He can. I know he can. I’ll help him.’

He stood up from the bed and turned his back, beginning to walk away when he abruptly stopped at the door. Bruce took a quick glance at his son and he vowed to himself just before she left the room. He vowed to be a better father, one that Damian needed and deserved. 

However, a different thought ran into Damian’s mind, a goal he was set upon. A goal that even the world’s greatest detective wouldn’t be able to figure out.

As Bruce walked down the manor’s hallways, Damian Wayne vowed to himself that he would find what he had lost.

Damian was going to find Marinette.

~~~

His eyes were closed and all his senses focused on the sounds surrounding him. Only once he was certain his father had returned downstairs, he opened his eyes and sat up. He gazed over at the bedroom window, the honey-coloured sky said it was late afternoon, evening possibly. Damian tried to pull himself out of bed but a weird feeling caused him to stop. His hand brushed over the stitching that rested on his abdomen. Despite his injuries and vague memories of the patrol, he couldn’t remember exactly what had happened. When was the last time he had been injured this badly?

Shaking his head, Damian got up to his feet and rested his hands on the bed frame, accustoming himself to walking again. His weight shifted from one leg to the other, testing to see if walking would be a painful problem. Luckily it wasn’t. Not as painful as earlier, thankfully. Damian was partly grateful for his ability to rapidly recover, despite what he had to endure before, and after, he gained it.

This ability was only shared with him because of his training when he was an assassin. He’s grown past that, from what he tells himself. It’s not true, the people living within the manor’s walls only see him like that. A cold, heartless assassin. There’s only so much emotion one can go through before they overflow. 

And that will only prove them right.

Clenching his fists, Damian made it to his desk. The computer seemed to be untouched. His hands glided over the cover and he began hastily typing on the keyboard, searching for any trace of Marinette’s whereabouts. However, he wasn’t going to spend hours searching, he needed to find her. He began filtering through every file, his eyes scanning over every detail and profile image. Nothing came up. ‘Either I’m not looking correctly, or she purposely doesn’t want to be found.’ His finger tapped on his desk as he racked his brain on any defining features of Marinette, and his brain clicked.

Her accent. 

It sounded French. It had to be French.

His fingers began tapping faster than the thoughts running through his mind and his eyes met a familiar blue.

A gorgeous, bewitching, blue. So blue, he was drowning. His hands trembled as her face stared back at him. It wasn’t a dream, it wasn’t a nightmare, it was real. She was real.

Marinette was in Paris, how fitting. Damian glanced over towards his bedroom door, it was still open so he stood up to close it when his eyes landed on one of his black backpacks. He looked towards his bedroom window and moved to rest his palm on it. A plan began to hatch in his mind. Moving back to his computer, he checked the security camera of both the manor and somewhere else - blind spots would be easy to exploit. 

He paused. Was he ready for this? Leaving everything behind? His siblings, his pets, everything he has worked for. His father.

‘No, he wouldn’t care. He never did. He lied about caring- about loving me.’

Damian rested his palms on the desk.

‘Father is a dangerous liar.’ He thought to himself. ‘And I am a foolish believer.’

And like adrenaline, persistence burned through his veins. Like it had once before. ‘Tonight’ Damian told himself. 

‘I’m leaving tonight.’

~~~

The wind blew through her hair as red hot tears streamed down her face. She tried to get her to stop. She tried so hard. But she doesn’t stop, and her wounds are a constant reminder of the fact. Lila took everything from her, and everything still wasn’t enough.

Everything is never enough.

The blood trickled down her chin. The salty metallic taste in her mouth was sickening. Disappointing.

‘You’re Ladybug, the beloved hero of Paris. And yet, you are hated by the people who adore you.’ Marinette’s thoughts whispered into her ear. ‘How pathetic.’

She knew that her thoughts weren’t lying, she was weak. Marinette let Lila win, she allowed Lila to take everything away. She only had herself to blame, it was too late to change anything now. But Marinette knew she was strong, her loneliness taught her strength. 

She just wished loneliness wasn’t her mentor.

“Tikki,” Marinette mumbled, her hands wiping both her tears and her blood. Her kwami flew up to be in her eyesight. “Would it be selfish, if Marinette disappeared?”

“What do you mean?”Tikki questioned, landing to sit on her holder’s knee.

“If I just left one day, away from Lila, away from my parents, school, Adrien, everyone. Would it be selfish?” She felt as though she was begging. She wanted an answer. Tikki shook her head. “What if I just slept forever, if I just stayed at the lake, it’s that selfish?”

“Marinette-“

“I don’t want advice, I want the truth,” Marinette murmured, her eyes locked with Tikki’s.

The kwami was understanding. “You’ll be alone.”

“I’m always alone, Tikki,” She argued back. “At least I’ll have Damian there.”

‘Damian.’

‘He would be there.’

‘He really would.’

Tikki saw that Marinette’s eyes changed. The emotion before was gone. Marinette chuckled to herself. “Is it possible to miss someone this much? To be homesick from a person you just met?” Her smile faded and a sombre expression appeared. “I want him here, Tikki.”

Her guardian was strong, but it wasn’t by choice. She remembered the day before Master Fu gave her the ladybug miraculous.

How the full moon shone that night, just like it did as Marinette cried. Life is unfair, the currents pull you in and refuse to let go. You end up drowning. Life pulled her into its misery, Marinette was drowning.

Marinette stood up, her legs shaking in the cold wind. Her hands were laced in scarlet liquid, her blood dripped onto the concrete ground. The cut under her eye wasn’t as swollen as it was before, she could see fine. The rusted blade that cut her was just a few feet away. She wasn’t sure who it belonged to, she only knew that it was someone in her class. They had dragged her to this alley and left her to bleed.

Her hair fell like waterfalls, covering her wound as she walked home. Her presence was ignored by her parents as she opened the door. They didn’t even spare her a glance. Lila had gotten to them too, she didn’t care. She didn’t live here anyway, what was the point of interacting with strangers? Marinette only came here to patch up her wound, and retrieve one last thing from when she moved out - the umbrella that Adrien gave her before everything went wrong. He’s hurt her more than he knows, but it wasn’t all his fault. He had no clue about what Lila was capable of. She couldn’t rely on him though, she couldn’t rely on anyone. 

The teachers did nothing.

Her classmates turned against her.

Alya became Lila’s best friend.

Chloe was gone, Lila drove her to the very edge.

Adrien did nothing, chosing to keep the peace rather then exposing Lila’s lies.

Tom and Sabine had disowned her, Lila was more believable than their own daughter.

Kagami became her friend, but she chose to be on Lila’s side to stay with Adrien over their friendship.

Luka wanted to be there but his sister came first, and that unfortunately meant that he had to leave Marinette too. 

Chat Noir had even grown quiet, colder. 

Everyone had left her in some way. Marinette had accepted it a long time ago. But that didn’t mean it didn’t hurt. It felt like thorns tearing into her heart. How ironic, the holder of the ladybug miraculous of creation and good luck, has had her life destroyed and is the most unluckiest of all. 

A cold drop landed on the tip of her nose and a shiver ran down her spine. She looked up, it was raining. Pulling out her umbrella, she walked into the Parisian night. The Eiffel Tower shone in its light, the moon was full and Marinette sat on a nearby bench, looking up towards the stella body.

“If I survive the day, I will be rewarded with the moon’s full attention at night.”

Marinette smiled as Damian’s voice echoed in her mind. “I survived the day, Damian,” she whispered out loud. “I fully understand what you mean now, you were right.” Marinette closed her eyes, a smile on her face. “I can only hope, that you’re alright.” The night breeze danced through her hair, as if it were Damian saying: ‘I can hear you, don’t worry, I can hear you.’

The sound of footsteps caught her offguard and she looked up at the person approaching her. Her eyes met emerald green and a gasp escaped her lips. ‘It couldn’t be. He isn’t here. Your mind is playing tricks on you Marinette, he’s not-’

“I am now,” the person spoke, a smile on his face.

Marinette dropped the umbrella as she got up onto her feet. Her hand hesitantly reached out and they took it into their own. Her mouth parted but no words were said. Her other hand shot up to cover her mouth as the realisation dawned on her. 

“I’m here, Marinette,” Damian murmured, his hand reaching over to brush away the tear that began rolling down her cheek. He let his own umbrella fall. “I found you.” 

A true smile take over her features and she jumped into his arms. “Indeed you did.” She mumbled into his chest as his arms wrapped around her for a hug. “Never in my life did I miss someone as much as I have missed you.”

“I felt the same.” He replied, his voice sounded like a dream but she knew this was reality. They were here together, in the waking world. 

“Damian, je voudrais que tu m’emmènes loin, très loin d’ici (I would like you to take me away, far away from here),” Marinette whispered, unaware of the fact that Damian could understand. “Loin de ma vie injuste (Away from my unfair life).”

After a moment of silence, Damian whispered back. “Je vais le faire, je te le promets. (I will, I promise you)” Marinette stilled and looked up to be met with his expression of pure loyalty. “We will help each other and we’ll rise from Life’s tides.”

Cupping her face with his hands, he continued. “We will reignite and we will become the infernos that no one believed we could be.”

Marinette’s features softened and she nodded. “Let the world drown in our tsunamis, we’ll show them what we can be.”

Damian rested his forehead on Marinette’s and they both closed their eyes, finding comfort in one another as the rain poured. The weather had no meaning as the couple swayed in the moonlight, reunited under the skies that brought them together. Marinette knew that Damian had her heart and with him, she was home. 

Truly home. 

~~~

Tim kept his eyes on the tray in front of him as he walked up the stairs. The morning had arrived and he offered to bring Damian his breakfast. He didn’t miss the surprised expressions everyone gave him the moment the words left his mouth and he began to regret his decision before he had even left the kitchen. 

So there he was at Damian’s door, knocking with one hand and holding a tray of food in the other. There wasn’t an answer and Tim rolled his eyes, he was probably asleep. ‘A cup of coffee would really help the brat- my brother out.’ Tim muttered in his head as he moved to open the bedroom door, but his hand paused at the door handle. It was quiet. It was far too quiet.

He pushed the door open, and there was tidy room. It was clean, much cleaner than his own, but it was also empty. Damian wasn’t in his bed that was now neatly made. The heart monitor had been unplugged and turned off. Tim set the tray down on the nearest table and scanned the room. One of Damian’s backpack was gone, including some more of his belongings. The window was clean and closed, meaning that he had left on his own accord. He couldn’t have, could he? Tim checked every crevice of his brother’s room for any sign of intrusion. Even opening the windows to see any sign of a struggled outside the manor. There was none.

Almost sprinting down the stairs, Tim reached the dining room where everyone was still eating. His presence must’ve shocked them, or perhaps his frazzled appearance did, as Dick spoke up first.

“Tim, you alright?” His older brother asked and that gained the attention of everyone in the room. Tim began shaking his head.

“No it- it’s Damian he-“

“He didn’t do something did he?” Stephanie questioned, putting another spoonful of breakfast in her mouth. 

“No, he’s gone.” Tim got out and he immediately noticed the change in the atmosphere.

“What do you mean he’s gone?” Bruce spoke up, standing up from his seat.

“He isn’t there,” he clarified. “He left the manor.”

There wasn’t a word said, the silence was suffocating. Tim knew that Damian didn’t leave just for the sake of it, they had all contributed to his decision. And Tim couldn’t feel any more guilt. He had helped driven his baby brother away. They all did.

They were all to blame.

———

Taglist: @mrfluffles300, @jjmjjktth

#daminette #damian x marinette #maribat #marinette x damian #maridami #damianette #mlb x dc #ml x dc #dc x ml #dc x mlb #part 2 is here lol #after maybe ten billion years #sorry about that ha #i made it longer than the first part #idk how much longer but yea

[tinybriewrites]

Like A Drama - 8

One moment Red Hood was giving his rundown of patrol to the rest of the team, and the next, sparkling purple-blue liquid suddenly flooded into the Batcave. Jason could see most of his family sinking under the weight of their armors that they were quick to shed in response. Nightwing seemed to fare the best with his light suit. The liquid felt no different from water, but no one wanted to risk it containing any toxins. Visually, though, it felt like what would happen if a magical unicorn herd simultaneously bled out in a lake.

The liquid was rushing in quickly, already almost to the ceiling in under three minutes. Jason could see the rest of his family holding their breaths while trying to look for an escape. Dick was diving towards the exit to the manor, and the others were attempting to move elsewhere too, but the undercurrent was too strong and constantly pushing them upwards, much to the illogicality of the fluid.

The water level was only getting higher, but right as the liquid was about to push them against the ceiling, they felt themselves hit a soft surface instead. It was like moving through cotton.

Pop.

They phased through the ceiling and somehow ended up in the middle of a lake. On the banks, Jason could spot a large unmoving white mass. Swimming closer, he noticed that it was a herd of dead unicorns, as crazy as that was.

What the actual fuck?

"Where are we?" one of his siblings asked. Jason knew he shouldn't know the answer to this, but there was a niggling feeling that he did.

He looked around to see looming dark pine trees surrounding the lake, but Jason's instincts told them the trees were edible. And that they were sweet. The place was fucking with his goddamn mind.

Suddenly, a bell-like giggle rang through the air.

Jason looked up to see a blue-haired pixie in a lavender petal dress flying toward them. She had one glittering blue-green wing while the other was a translucent pale lilac.

"Hi, Jason, remember me?" she said airily.

"Who the fuck are you? Where did you bring us?" he fired off at the thumb-sized girl floating above them. His family was on guard, silently reaching for whatever weapons they had left as they emerged from the lake.

"Here's a present~" she tinkled, not paying Jason any mind despite her initial acknowledgment of the boy. At her words, three blue-purple petals, the same color as the mysterious liquid in the lake, floated towards the group.

Everyone was wary of what magic the fairy had brought, but in Jason's mind, a word suddenly appeared. Pixie-pop. He didn't know what that meant or how he knew that was what those petals were, but he just knew. With the same mysterious sixth sense this whole place was giving him. Like some sort of déjà vu, except he's never been here before. He was fucking sure he'd remember if he was. It was hard to forget the dead unicorns, cotton candy tree bark, and magic pixie that his mind just seemed to know.

One suddenly sped up and reached Dick before it disappeared into purple sparkles with a pop. Everyone waited with bated breath but nothing happened.

Another flew straight for Damian. He tried to dodge but it followed him as if on a tracker. He threw a birdarang at the petal, but the throwing weapon poofed into pastel blue feathers before it could make contact. The petal caught him while he was mid-air, and his entire body was enveloped in blue smoke. When the wind blew the remains away, Damian was gone.

Tweet-tweet.

Jason looked down to see a small, chubby robin. Damian, his mind supplied. It occurred to him absentmindedly that the blue smoke was the color of a robin's eggshell.

Tweet! Twee-tweet! TWEET!

The small bird tried to fly from the ground but kept falling from the unfamiliarity with his new appendages. With a huff, he circled around in search of the target of his ire, the goddamn pixie.

But she was gone.

Magically, as if they were all suggested to forget, the last petal slipped past them unseen to tap softly on Batman's lips, leaving white particles the taste of sugar in its wake.

All of a sudden, Bruce turned paler, his eyes more slitted and glowing against the dark surroundings. His canines lengthened, and his lips turned a deep, blood red.

Vampire, Jason knew.

Right after he thought that, out of nowhere, a pale purple-blue circle appeared below where they were standing, and they all promptly fell through it.

Landing in a crouch on sky blue grass, Jason observed his new surroundings. The sky was dark forest green. They were still in a forest, but compared to the light-hearted fairytale vibe of the previous woodland, this place had a doom and gloom rivaling Gotham's. It might have been the lack of proper sunlight, but all the shadows had a sinister look to them. Jason felt he should be more cautious.

TWEET!

The literal robin jumped angrily on the ground, hidden by the tall grass. Dick lifted him up on his palm, and Jason could see Damian's feathers all puffed out and ruffled. It was hilariously adorable for the stabby Robin of the crime capital. A sibling, Stephanie probably, stifled a laugh at the sight.

The dark forest kept giving Jason a sense of déjà vu, but he couldn't recall from where.

Whoosh. Thud. Whoosh. Thud.

Jason felt called to the sound and approached slowly. In the distance, he could see a lumberjack chopping wood with a... lightsaber?

"Fuck!" he said under his breath. "I know where we are."

Everyone turned to him, waiting for an answer.

"We're in a fever dream. My fever dream. Back when I was ten."

"What the hell, Jason?"

"Twee-twee-tweet! Tweet!"

"Dead unicorns? Really, Jay?"

"Enough," Bruce silenced the bickering children. "What's important is finding an escape path."

"Red Hood, any ideas on how to leave?"

"Portals. I think. Yeah. Probably. Shit, it's been more than a decade, I don't know."

"Tell us what you do remember, Hood," Tim said.

"Magic, sci-fi, this place is just one huge mess. The petals from earlier are pixie-pops, a harmless but permanent prank. I don't know what's up with Nightwing, but Robin and B likely won't turn back until we get out."

"Shit."

"Yeah, shit."

"Is there really no way to reverse the... pixie-pop?" Barbara asked.

Jason groaned, he could barely remember this place.

"A test!" it suddenly came back to him. "There's a test to turn time back, but I don't know how to find it. It randomly moves places every hour."

Out of nowhere, a pink sun was shining brightly against the grass green sky. There was no need for sunrise or sunset in this place; time was relative and random. Everything was meant to occur as a surprise.

A hiss escaped Bruce's lips as the pink rays reached him. His pale skin turned a bruise-like purple. His red lips turned black. Jason couldn't see it, but he knew underneath the cowl, Bruce's hair was dyed a bright bubble gum pink.

"Well, this is fucked up."

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@maribat-bdbwm​

#tinybriewrites #maribat #timari #timinette #fluff #crack #bio!dad bruce wayne #bdbwm #mlb x dc #mlb x batman #ml x dc #miraculous x dc #dc x mlb #dc x ml #vampire!bruce wayne