#jasonette july

[mochegato]

On a Wing and a Prayer

Marinette knew she shouldn’t have chosen that seat.  Okay, no, she hadn’t known it then, but she did now.  At the time, if she wanted food from the only place still serving food in the airport, it was the choice between a man who clearly did not want people near him, hunched over his food, arms bracketing his plate like he was expecting someone to steal it at any moment, eying people passing by suspiciously; and a man with an open posture and smile, making polite conversation with the person next to him.  The choice was obvious really… obviously wrong.  She was sure the Scary Guy would have been fine as long as she left him alone, which is what she wished this man would do for her.

Instead, he had been hitting on her shamelessly and tactlessly for the past ten minutes and if her food didn’t arrive in the next ten seconds, she was going to scream.  “Hey, do you know anything about phones?”

Marinette blinked at him.  That almost sounded innocent except for the devious glint in his eyes when he said it.  “A bit…” she said apprehensively.  She’d fixed her parents’ phones a few times when they’d had problems and damn her, she still hated lying, or she would have just said no and left without her food.

“Oh great!” he exclaimed and she knew at that moment she should have lied.  “Because I think there’s something wrong with mine.”  He slid his phone over to her, open to the contacts page.  “It doesn’t have your phone number in it.”

The grin he was giving her clearly indicated he thought his comment was brilliant.  Her eyebrows, however, could barely get any higher or her jaw any lower.  It took a few seconds longer than she wanted to admit to close her mouth and start to formulate a response.  “Oh…” she started but luckily, she was interrupted at just the perfect moment by the waiter bringing her food.  “Oh, thank you so much,” she rushed out.  “I’m afraid of missing my flight, can I get the check, please?”

“Of course,” the waiter smiled and laid the receipt in front of her.  Marinette reached for it, but the man picked it up first.  “Let me get that for you,” he insisted with a hopeful smile.

“Oh, no.  That’s okay.  I appreciate it, but I can…” she started and reached for the receipt, but he quickly held it out of her reach and cut her off.

“I insist.  It’s the least I can do.  It’s not a problem at all.  I can cover it,” he leaned in with a debonair grin, like he was sharing a secret with her.

Marinette let out a breath as she leaned away from him and pasted on a smile that she only kind of hoped didn’t look as strained as it felt.  “Thank you.  That’s really very… thoughtful of you,” she finished.  “I’m sorry, I just have to… do… something before my flight,” she rushed out as she threw her bag over her shoulder and grabbed her food and drink.  “It was really… nice meeting you,” she threw out and instantly cringed.  Did it count as a lie if it was just what you said in polite society?

He stood up to help her, but she already had everything so instead, he stood by her awkwardly.  “Yeah.  It was really nice meeting you too.  Maybe we can continue this conversation later?”

Marinette gave him a tight smile.  “Yeah, maybe.  Now, sorry, I really have to go.”

“Right.  Bye,” he waved at her back and sat back down watching her as she ducked into the women’s bathroom.

The moment she rounded the corner, Marinette slunk down the wall, her bag dropped to the ground next to her with a slap that resonated throughout the bathroom.  She let her head fall back against the wall with a long, heavy sigh.  She could only pray that guy was not on her flight, because she did not want to have to spend another minute with him, either on the plane or in Star City.

The airport she could handle, she could just hide out in the bathroom until it was time to board.  Not the bravest move she’d ever made, but effective.  It was just ten minutes to boarding and then if she waited until the last minute to get on board, her exposure was almost zero.  It was a foolproof plan.

She crossed her legs on the floor and got her food out.  Not the worst place she’d eaten and definitely preferrable to eating with the guy who’s name she couldn’t remember to save her life.

><><><><><><><>< 

She had not thought this through.  Or rather, she had, and her plan was successful.  The task had been successfully failed.  She had stayed in the bathroom until the final boarding for her flight and had not seen the man again.  No, the problem was it was a no-win situation.  There was no safe plan, so it didn’t matter how much she thought it through.  She was left exposed no matter what she would have done, because, despite her most ardent prayers and offering of her dessert to Tikki, the man was on her flight.  Her completely full flight, with no assigned or empty seats, if the announcement she just heard was to be believed.

She was now the last person to get onto the plane and completely subject to the other passengers’ decisions, a realization that struck straight to her core as she watched the seats slowly fill up in front of her until there were only two seats left.  In an eerie replay of her earlier scenario, the two seats left were next to Scary Guy and Smiley Guy from earlier.

Selfishly, she silently urged the person in front of her to make the same mistake she had made earlier and just as silently rejoiced when they did.  She flitted by as quickly as possible saying another little prayer he wouldn’t notice her now or at any point during the flight, and jumped into the seat next to Scary Guy with a loud sigh of relief before they could change their mind.  The intimidating exterior that had worked against her earlier, played in her favor now, leaving the spot next to the man open.  Maybe her luck was turning around, and she’d be able to have a peaceful, quiet, flirt free flight.  She said a silent prayer that was exactly what she got.

The thought quickly disappeared as she stood and looked for a place to put her bag, but all the overhead compartments were stuffed.  She eyed the space under the seat in front of her assessing the size and comparing it to her bag.  Her bag was smaller than a normal carryon, everything having gotten shoved into her bag on her way out the door in a rush to get to the airport at the last minute.  It might be able to fit… She quirked her head to the side with a dissatisfied hum.

“There’s more space under the seat in front of me, if you’d like to use it,” Scary Guy offered with a loud huff.

She blinked at him, the words not quite registering.  “What?”

“Your bag’s never going to fit in that section.  The aisle seats always have smaller areas under them.  I just have my bag up there,” he motioned above them and shrugged.  “I’m not using this space.  It’s no big deal for me.”

“Oh that… are you sure?  It takes away your legroom.  This flight isn’t short, and neither are you,” she rushed out uncertainly, rushed out before her mind was able to process what she wanted to say.  Her cheeks heated up as soon as she realized what she said.  “Sorry, that…”

“Was funny,” he finished for her with a chuckle and a disarming smile that softened his whole face.  “It isn’t and I’m not, but I don’t mind,” he shrugged.

Marinette looked back and forth between him and the space and even the person next to him a few times before looking back at him with a shrewd look.  “How about we switch seats instead?  I can sit in the middle seat, and you can have the aisle, which should give you more leg room anyway.”  He raised an eyebrow at her.  “I didn’t think you were with the person next to you, and I thought they might… um… appreciate some more space too,” she added nervously, offering an explanation he didn’t ask for.

He huffed out a laugh and shook his head.  “I can do that.  If you’re sure you don’t mind sitting in the middle.  I know most people don’t like it.”  He waited until she nodded before standing.  Marinette barely contained her gasp at how, even hunched over to avoid the bulkhead and roof of the plane, he still towered over her.  He moved past her with an ease she would never have associated with someone his size, with only the barest of brushes against her arm as he moved.  Her cheeks flushed at the contact and his apologetic smile.  “Sorry, not much room,” he mumbled.

“No, that’s… you’re okay,” she murmured back shyly.  She quickly eased into the middle seat and turned away to keep from staring at him or from him seeing her cheeks.  She pulled her tablet and phone out before shoving her bag under the seat, breathing a sigh of relief as her bag slid easily into place.  “Thank you so much again.”

“I should be thanking you.  This is much better.”  He stretched his legs out into the aisle as the plane taxied into position and let out a louder than necessary sigh.  She giggled and turned on her tablet and Jagged’s latest unreleased album, letting his guttural tones lull her into a creative daze.

She didn’t know how long she stayed in the daze, but she had already sketched out two options for the cover, the current one her favorite by far, by the time she became aware of the area around her again, just in time to notice Scary Guy chuckling, vibrating the entire row of seats, which, she realized must have been what brought her out of her stupor.  It was then she noticed to her mortification that she’d been shimmying in her seat to the song and the more she thought about it, she realized she had also been mouthing the words to the song.

She clenched her eyes closed while her cheeks flushed yet again, much deeper that time, and let out a tiny whimper.  Her eyes flew open when his voice sounded deep and resonating, close to her ear.  “That’s really cool looking,” he noted, leaning into her space slightly to get a better look.  “What’s the inspiration?”  He looked up questioningly but immediately backed up, the tension in his muscles increasing proportionally to the amount of space he put between them.  “Oh, sorry.  I didn’t mean to intrude.”

She covered the drawing slightly.  “No, it’s okay.  Um, thanks.  It’s… I’m… uh…” she paused as she tried to figure out how to phrase it so she wasn’t lying or being standoffish or divulging too much, which would nullify her contract with Jagged.  Not that he would care, but Bob Ross would.  In fact, she wouldn’t put it past him to have sent a corporate spy to try to trick her, then steal her idea and use it himself.  Not that she thought Scary Guy was a corporate spy, but it was still best to be safe.  “I’m listening to this album and getting inspired by it.”

His tension had eased away at her assurance.  “Whatever the album is, it must be really inspiring.”  He examined the image.  “What is it… if you don’t mind me asking.”

She studied his face intently for a few seconds trying to decide if she’d been wrong and he really was a spy, but she saw nothing but earnest interest.  “It’s Jagged Stone,” she said carefully.

“I love Jagged Stone!” he grinned, his whole face brightening, all vestiges of intimidation dropping with the appearance of dimples.  ‘Scary Guy’ didn’t seem like an appropriate moniker when his face was lit up like that.  “Rock Giant was my favorite album.”

She grinned back.  “I loved that one!  But I’m a bit partial.”

He cocked his head to the side, his smile never leaving his face.  “Why is that?”

Marinette’s eyes widened minusculely and her smile strained.  “He made that one in Paris, which is where I’m from.  He also has a song about Ladybug, one of our heroes,” she answered quickly.  It was all true, factually.  Not the answer to his question, but true.

He nodded.  “That was a good one.  One of my favorite songs and one of my favorite superheroes.  She was a complete badass.  Right up there with Wonder Woman.”

Marinette looked down to cover the vivid flush to her cheeks and bashful smile.  She ran her hands over her arms to expel some of the energy that flushed her system at the compliment, without looking suspicious.  And to be compared to Wonder Woman!  It was possibly the best compliment she’d ever received.

“I get chills talking about Ladybug and Wonder Woman too,” he teased.

Marinette snorted and shook her head.  “This trip was very last minute, like I didn’t know about it an hour before, last minute.  So, I packed at the last second and somehow forgot to pack a hoodie,” she explained.  Again, it was factually correct, just not really related to the chills as he’d assumed.  “Which is absolutely ridiculous, because I always have something.  I’m always cold.  My friends will be in shorts and sleeveless tops and I’ll be in slacks and a jacket.  And usually, it wouldn’t even be an issue, because I’d just steal one of my friends’, but J… the person I’m meeting never wears hoodies so I’m going to have to buy one or something.”

Jason sighed dramatically.  “That’s one of the drawbacks of being… not short,” he grinned as he threw her words back at her.  “I don’t get to steal anyone else’s hoodies, but my brothers all steal mine.  I’m always missing mine.  I go to put one on and can’t find any, then my brother will just waltz by in my hoodie.  I have to tackle him to get it back.”

She barked out a laugh and immediately shrunk back when people around them shot her a look. She cleared her throat and continued much quieter.  “And are you successful?”

“Of course,” he scoffed and puffed out his chest, throwing her a look as he did.  “What do you take me for?  The hoodie might get destroyed in the process, but I get it back.  I wish it meant he learned not to steal my stuff, but it never does.  Not even for a few days.”

“Ahh, the joy of siblings.  I always wanted some.  I just have to settle for tormenting and stealing from my friends,” she laughed.

“Yeah, you have the sibling experience then,” he chuckled, his eyes sparkling.  “They take everything!  I have to hide my keys, keep my coffee in my hand the entire time, loom over my plate to keep them from stealing my food… I have to raid their rooms periodically to get my stuff back.”

“They steal your coffee?” Marinette gasped louder than she meant to, again drawing attention from the people around them, this time unnoticed, and drew her hand to her chest theatrically.  “It should be illegal to mess with someone’s caffeine.”

“Oh God,” he whined as he threw his head back, eyes clenched dramatically.  “You sound like my brother.  Next thing I know, you’re going to be stealing my hoodies.”

She pouted deeply enough to be clear she was teasing, but her eyes were a bit tense.  “Well, that doesn’t sound like a good thing.  I might get tackled.”

“I promise you’re safe,” he offered, his own voice a bit tense.  He only relaxed back into his seat when she smiled shyly.

“So, what I’m hearing is you have a hoodie I can steal and you won’t do anything about it,” she teased.  Her shy smile widened when he snickered and shot her a roguish smile.  He opened his mouth to respond but she cut in before he could.  “Oh no,” she muttered under her breath.  She tried to meld into the background, a rather pointless endeavor on the very packed, small, confined plane, but she still attempted it.  She was considerably smaller than Scary Guy, maybe she could hide behind him?  She groaned realizing it was useless.  Smiley Guy had already seen her.  There was no hiding in the bathroom this time.

“You okay?” Scary Guy asked just as quietly.  Her futile attempt to hide having brought her close enough for him to speak in a whisper without having to move closer, but he did anyway.  His eyes darted around and quickly settled on the man making his way toward them.  “He a problem?”

“Just fine,” she grumbled, bracing herself, “didn’t you know, we’re moments away from falling in love.  At least according to him.”

He snickered at her tone.  “And according to you?”

“I’ve rarely been less in love with someone,” she drawled.  “And I’ve met actual supervillains.”  He snickered again but adjusted his position so he was blocking more of the access to her without looking obvious.  She narrowed her eyes playfully at his enjoyment of her situation but took note of his move.

“There you are, kitten,” Smiley Guy crooned, missing the way she bristled at the name.  He leaned casually against the aisle seat of the row in front of her, taking up the entire aisle as he popped his legs out to cross them at the ankle.  “This must be fate bringing us together again.”

“There is absolutely no way I’ve pissed fate off enough for that,” she muttered under her breath, low enough that only Scary Guy could hear her, smirking at her comment, but hiding his face from Smiley Guy.  Though it appeared that she must have pissed someone off because each and every prayer so far had been ignored.  She forced a curt smile for Smiley Guy.  “Hello again.”

His grin widened into something almost predatory.  He flicked his eyes over to Jason for just a second before focusing back on Marinette.  “Hey, sport, we were having a conversation earlier that we’d like to continue.  Do you mind switching seats with me?”

“Actually,” Marinette answered for him, “He and I,” she motioned between herself and Scary Guy, “were having a very interesting conversation about music and families that I was hoping to continue.”

“Surely not as interesting as ours was.  We had something,” he pouted slightly at her.

“Yeah, a hostage situation,” Jason scoffed.

The man’s façade dropped instantly, replaced with a harsh glare at Jason.  “I don’t believe this involves you, skippy,” he sniped.

“It involves me,” Marinette growled.  Making her uncomfortable is one thing but Not so Scary Guy had done nothing to deserve his ire.  She leaned forward to try to keep the entire plan from overhearing their conversation.  “And I said I am satisfied with the seating arrangement as it is.”

He snapped his eyes to her, something flashed in his eyes and his grin faltered for just a second before he recovered it.  “Come on, baby,” he cooed as he reached out to graze his finger along her hair.

She jerked back at the same time Not so Scary Guy stood, both moving before Smiley Guy could make contact.  Not so Scary Guy rose with such speed Smiley Guy jumped back in surprise, falling into the passengers in the row behind him, causing a loud squawk of objection that attracted the flight attendant’s attention.  Not so Scary Guy nodded to them quickly and returned his attention to Smiley Guy.  “I believe she said she was satisfied where she was,” Scary Guy gritted out, fully reverting back to earning his moniker.  He towered over the man, having to hunch over to keep from hitting the roof of the plane even after angling himself toward the highest point.

Smiley Guy’s face paled so rapidly; Marinette was worried he might pass out.  He looked between the two of them a few times before scowling harshly.  “She’s not even worth it anyway,” he scoffed before beating a hasty retreat.

Scary Guy growled at his retreating form.  He watched him until Smiley Guy sat back down in his seat, only then relaxing his frame and turning to open the overhead compartment.  “Thank you,” Marinette said loud enough for him to hear.

He grabbed something out of the compartment and sat back down with a shrug.  “No problem.  I hate guys like that.”

She studied him carefully.  “Were you really going to fight him?  On the plane?”

He snickered, instantly returning to the Not so Scary Guy she’d started to appreciate.  “No.  I was just getting up to get this for you,” he said innocently as he handed her the object he’d grabbed.  Marinette raised a skeptical eyebrow at him, accompanying a flat, unimpressed look.  He shrugged as casually as he could manage, but his devilish smile eradicated any semblance of innocence.  “I thought you could use it,” he explained craftily.

She hummed unconvinced but grudgingly dragged her eyes from him to the object.  Her eyes widened immediately and shot to him questioningly.  He eyed her cautiously for a few seconds.  “You said you were cold,” he explained, his tone and expression much softer.  “And I thought you wouldn’t have to steal it if I handed it over.  It might be a bit big,” he added with a quiet smirk when she had unfolded his hoodie and held it up against her body.

“A bit?” she asked with a laugh.  Her chuckle quickly turned into a pout at the snicker he unsuccessfully hid when she put on the hoodie and the sleeves hung long past her hands.  She rolled her eyes and pushed up the sleeves. 

“And, I wouldn’t start a fight on a plane… well, not this kind anyway,” he added with a shrug.  “It wouldn’t end well for anyone here, especially you.  And I’ve found,” he leaned in closer like he was telling her a secret, “guys like that are all bark and no bite.  You bark back and they back off.”

She hummed and tried not to breathe in too deeply or she’d get distracted by his scent.  “I’ve found that too.  But I’m a bit smaller than you,” she pursed her lips at seeing the way his body shook containing his laughter.  She moved her hand to wave him off, but the excess fabric slung out and slapped him on the chest, which changed his silent laughter to full blown laughter.  She huffed and crossed her arms over her chest, attempting to look upset, but her lips didn’t receive the message, turning up at the corners.

The more she pouted, the more he laughed, which made her pout more, or at least attempt to, she still couldn’t get her lips to cooperate, until they were both trying to contain their laughter to keep from disturbing the people around them.  “No, I’m sorry.  I’m sorry.  Please continue,” he finally gasped out.

She narrowed her eyes at him playfully but obliged.  “As I was saying,” she eyed him pointedly and ignored his smirk, “I’m smaller than you so I have to bark a bit louder.”

“I can imagine that’s quite the frightening sight,” he nodded solemnly, the trace of a smirk still on his lips.

“It is, thank you very much,” she agreed, jutting her chin into the air proudly.

He eased back into his seat with a chuckle, his fond gaze never leaving her, but suddenly sat forward.  “Just don’t try it in Star City, yeah?  The rogues are all bite… except Pinball Wizard,” he added with a smirk.  “Him you can bark at.”

Marinette giggled.  “Pinball Wizard?  Really?”

He grinned at her incredulous look.  “Yeah.  Shoots pinballs, you know those little balls from pinball machines?  He shoots those at people.  Not as sad as Rainbow Archer though,” he said it casually, but watched her from the corner of his eye to watch her reaction.

Marinette blinked at him.  “Rainbow… Archer…” she said slowly.  “Come on, someone named Rainbow can’t be sad or mean,” she claimed hopefully.  “Does he shoot rainbows?  At them or produce them somehow?  Or is he just very supportive of LGBT?”

“I don’t think he supports anything but concussions,” he snorted, subconsciously rubbing his bicep.  “Not really sure where the name came from, honestly.”

“I want to make fun of your villains, but we had Bubbler, and he was one of the better ones, so…” she shrugged.  She grimaced at the memory of Nino.

“Not mine,” he corrected.  “I’m just visiting a friend.  I visit a lot, it’s like a second home, but I make no claims to their rogues.”  He gave her a knowing look.  “Our rogues in Gotham are much more serious.”

Marinette giggled and looked down shyly.  She looked up to ask something else but before she could say anything, an announcement came over the speakers that they were making their descent.  She smiled softly and him and sat back in her seat as they landed, all her courage suddenly leaving her.

She waited until they had landed and taxied to their gate before her courage found her again.  “Any recommendations on things I should do in Star City?” she asked as the seats ahead of them started to empty.  She anxiously pushed some hair behind her ear more to give her hands something to do than because it was bothering her.  “Other than barking at minor rogues?  Or are you only familiar with the criminals?” she teased.

He grinned brightly.  “Yeah, a few.  I could take you around, if you’d like?”

“I would love that,” Marinette grinned.  Her eyes suddenly widened.  “Oh,” she scrambled to get her phone back out.  “Here,” she said as she handed it over.  She watched as he put his name and number in, examining it even closer when he handed it back.  “Jason,” she said deliberately, letting the name roll in her mouth, enjoying the way it felt to say.  “It’s nice to meet you, Jason.  I’m Marinette.”

“Marinette,” Jason repeated in the same tone, finding it just slightly difficult to fully articulate with a broad smile.  “Beautiful name.  It suits you,” he said quietly.

Marinette’s cheeks flushed deeply, and she pulled her lower lip between her teeth, getting lost in his eyes until the person in the seat next to her cleared their throat, reminding them where they were.  She chuckled self-consciously.  “Sorry about that,” she said to the person but returned her attention to Jason.

They continued to shoot each other sly, shy looks as they made their way up the jetway until they got into the airport and past security.  They paused just before the doors, squeezing closer than they normally would to avoid the people bustling around them.  “So, tomorrow?” Jason asked.  Marinette got slightly distracted by the way his fingers kept gripping and loosening around the strap of his bag, until someone bumped into her, pushing them even closer together, a fact Marinette didn’t have as much of an issue with as she normally would.

She grinned at him and nodded, but her grin faltered slightly.  “Actually, maybe not tomorrow.  I expect tomorrow is going to be really busy with… the person I’m meeting.”  He cocked his head slightly at the stutter.  “The day after?” she asked hopefully.  She moved a step closer when she could feel someone standing a bit too close behind her.

He watched her for a second before nodding, for the first time appearing apprehensive about her.  “Yeah, if you’re su…” he trailed off, his eyes catching on the person immediately behind Marinette, clearly listening in on their conversation.  He narrowed his eyes at him.  “Is that… is Jagged Stone eavesdropping on our conversation?” he whisper hissed.

Marinette gasped and swung around, slapping the man in the chest, this time with her hand instead of the sleeve.  “Jagged!  What are you doing?”  She slapped him again and looked around for Penny.  “What have I told you about this?  Where is Penny?  Why are you here?”

“Penny is talking to Bob in the car and I couldn’t just not meet my little rocker!” he pouted dramatically.

“Oh my God,” Jason mumbled.  “That’s why the album was special to you!” he exclaimed pointing at her.

Marinette grimaced and smiled sheepishly.  “I may have a slightly closer relationship with Rock Giant than I indicated,” she admitted, not quite able to meet his eyes.

When she finally did, her muscles relaxed instantly at seeing the awe in his eyes.  “You did the cover art!  That was brilliant!  You’re brilliant.”

Her smile widened, matching his.  Their gazes met, getting lost in each other until they were interrupted by a loud, “Oi!  I’m still here you know!”

Marinette tore her eyes away guiltily.  “Sorry, Jagged.  Jagged, this is Jason.  Jason, this is Jagged.”

Jagged held his hand out to shake Jason’s but refused to let him go when they finished.  Instead, he pulled him closer and looked him up and down uncharacteristically harshly before nodding and turning to Marinette.  “So tomorrow, I’m thinking we should meet in the morning then,” his eyes flicked to Jason so quickly Marinette almost missed it, “you should take a bit of time to explore the city, get some inspiration, get some food, get some kisses…”

“Jagged!” Marinette exclaimed, scandalized.  “Oh my God,” she muttered and hid her face in her sleeves.  She shot Jason a timid smile as she shoved Jagged toward the exit.  “Tomorrow?”

He chuckled and nodded.  “Tomorrow,” he agreed.  “Text me when you’re done.”  She shot him a smile and nodded.  He shook his head as she passed through the doors, arguing with Jagged who was gesturing wildly, the entire way.  He followed them out the door as well, shivering when the cool night air hit his skin.  He started to reach for his hoodie before realization hit.  He looked after the limo that was pulling away and shook his head incredulously with a laugh.  That was one hoodie he didn’t mind never getting back.

#maribat #jasonette #Jasonette July #Jasonette July 2023 #prompt - spy

[marauderundercover]

Refugee (Jasonette July)

There are those who say the world will end with a bang. Something big, perhaps an explosion. Something loud and undeniably bad. Something that happens and you know, right from the second it happens, that it's the end. That there is no coming back from it. Then, there are the others. Those who claim it will end in a whimper. The silent killer. An end that sneaks and creeps by until everyone and everything is gone. Marinette wasn't sure how to categorize the actual end of the world. In fact, it was impossible to know if it was actually the end of the world or just the United States of America since all communication had ceased shortly after the lights went out. It had never been her intention to die so far from everyone she loved. Her trip to Gotham, despite the fact that it was Gotham, was supposed to be relatively easy. Just a short trip to check out the University before going sight seeing in the neighboring cities. She'd gotten as far as the University when the first attack happened. 

---

Adjusting the strap of her bag, Marinette takes a moment to just appreciate the architecture of Gotham University. For a school stuck right in the middle of so much chaos and destruction, it truly was beautiful. She was sure that there was a metaphor or something just sitting there, waiting to be used. Just as she starts to head towards the admissions building, a siren blares throughout the city. Frowning, Marinette starts to pull out her guidebook to try and find the reason for the unfamiliar alarm. Instead of the guidebook, her hand brushes her phone, and she pulls it out instead. 

“Mon dieu.” She mutters under her breath. Every possible alarm on her phone was going off. Every news outlet that she had followed in preparation for her trip, as well as the news outlets back home were sending out breaking news alerts. And not a single one was good. Attacks were happening all over the United States. People that looked- well, dead. According to the reports, there were already several fatalities because of these people. Travel was being restricted, to try and pinpoint a cause. Before she can fall down the rabbit hole scrolling through all of the awful news, her mom’s face pops up on the caller ID. Taking in a calming breath, Marinette answers it. 

“Hey, maman.” She says. 

“Are you okay? Marinette, are you safe? They’re saying all sorts of things on the news-” Her mom rambles, but Marinette cuts her off. 

“I’m fine, I promise. Nothing is even happening in Gotham, I’m sure I’ll be back home soon.” She promises, not knowing that in just two short days, the power would be off. And any way home would be impossible.

---

Pushing her sweaty bangs out of her face, Marinette grimaces. It was hotter than she'd expected, though she supposed she shouldn't be surprised. The city was covered in black asphalt, and with the sun that had plagued the city since the attacks from the undead began, unbearable temperatures were just a given. The smells radiating through the city reminded her that July heat was as unkind to the dead as it was to the living. When things had started to get really bad a few months ago, there was a massive amount of people who fled the city. She wasn’t sure where they went, or where they were trying to go. The city, as dangerous as it could be with the walking dead roaming around, was still your best bet for food and bottled water. Even if it was technically stealing. Marinette had decided very early on that she would take refuge on the rooftops. It was easy to block the access if there was a door that led to her roof, and so far she hadn’t seen any undead with the ability to climb well. Or at all, really. The only thing she really couldn’t escape, not even on the rooftops, were the creeps. She’d already done her fair share of running from people trying to use this situation to abandon all morals. A thud yanks her from her thoughts, and she immediately grabs her metal pipe before whirling around. 

“Hey, whoa, whoa, whoa, I’m not a zombie!” The guy says, holding his hands up in surrender. Marinette’s eyes narrow at him. 

“Obviously. But that does not mean that I can trust you.” She retorts. He raises an eyebrow. 

“Are you French?” He asks. 

“Oui.” 

“Why are you-”

“I came for college stuff, and obviously that didn’t work out. Who are you? Why did you come to this roof?” She asks, not loosening her grip on the weapon. He shrugs. 

“I don’t know. Old habits? I just kinda try and check out this area to see if there’s anyone that needs- I grew up here in Crime Alley. It’s always been my home and seeing it like this is just…weird.” He says. Marinette nods, but quirks an eyebrow, hoping he’d get the hint. He grins crookedly. “Right. I’m Jason.” 

“Nice to meet you, Jason. I’m Marinette.” She says simply, giving him a small smile in return. Could it turn out to be a trap? Sure. But she hadn’t had a decent conversation with a person in over a month, and she didn’t get a bad vibe from Jason. In fact, for the first time since this whole mess began, she felt a bit of hope. 

******

Event tag list: @jasonette-july-event @maribat-calendar-events

#jasonette #jasonette july #jasonette july 23 #jasonette july 2023 #maribat marinette dupain cheng #maribat #maribat jason todd #zombie apocolypse au #meet cute #? #maribat oneshot

[chaosrivalsperfection]

TARGET

Marinette glared at the screen in front of her. Everything about it went against everything she stood for. The collar! The color! The vee! Everything! There was absolutely nothing redeeming about this outfit. Who would dare design such a thing? Her stylus blurred as she tried to fix the atrocity placed before her. The door to her apartment swung wide, admitting a tall, broad shouldered man. "Pix-" a hand slammed against his mouth before he could get any further. "Shh!" A voice hissed at him. "Don't let her know you're here." Jason pushed the hand off his mouth and glared at the blond. "Adrien? What-" "Shh! You're being too loud. She'll hear you." Adrien glanced at the small, muttering blunette before pulling Jason to the kitchen. From here, they could see her and talk without risking anything. "Adrien, what are you doing?" "Someone sent Nette a compilation of bad Bat designs. She's tearing into Nightwing's discowing costume, right now. If you bother her, you'll be her next target......Want to risk it?" Jason stared at Marinette, stylus blurring and dark mutters creeping through the apartment. "She'll emerge around dinner. What do you think, Adrien? Mexican tonight?" "Sounds good to me!"

#jasonette #jasonette july #maribat #dc x mlb #Day 2

[ev-cupcake]

Prompt: classics

I don't know what I'm doing. Sorry for not writing for every day for this event. This might be a little ooc. Oh well. Here's for Jasonette july day 8.

Had you told him just two years ago that this is where his life would lead him Jason would never have believed it. But now? Now he couldn't be happier. He was walking through the book store hand in hand with his pregnant wife. 

Marinette had wanted to come get some books for their unborn baby. Jason had gladly come along. He wanted to make sure that his daughter was raised on the classics. He was thrilled when he found a set of hardback copies of the Lord of the Rings. He showed them to his wife.

Marinette raised her brow at her husband. "You want to get her those?"

"They're a classic."

"I think those might be a little too long for bedtime stories."

Jason seemed offended "I can read one chapter a night" 

She rolled her eyes "I think you just want an excuse to have hardback copies."

"I would never!! I am thinking purely about our daughter's education."

Marinette sighed "fine but we're getting children's books as well."

"Yes!!" Jason whisper yelled to keep from drawing attention.

Marinette giggled. She loved seeing her husband act so excited about something so simple. His little nerdiness was one of her favorite parts about him. As she smiled at her husband they made their way over to the side of the store that was dedicated to the younger audience. 

Jason was browsing a shelf full of children's poems when he heard his wife snort. He looked up to see what had caused that reaction, and he had to hold back from having the same reaction. 

He leaned over and took a picture of the book to send to the family group chat.

***

Group chat: trama club

Zombie: What kind of lies are we feeding Gotham's children?

AcroBat: pftt what is that?

Demon: At least they didn't use a picture of Drake.

Replacement: Hey!! I sleep.

Alfie: When, pray tell, is that last time you slept without being drugged?

Cass: He hasn't

Pixie: I'm mostly offended at the outfit they put him in. He didn't ever actually wear that did he?

Purpleglitter: he did.

***

Jason looked up from his phone over too his wife who had moved over to the other side of the kids section. 

"You knew he wore that, why would you ask?" 

"I'm trying to convince Dick to stop calling all the old suits 'Classics'"

Jason laughed. He loved his wife.

#Jasonette #Jason Todd #marinette dupain cheng #Marinette Todd #maribat #mlb x dc #dc x mlb #jasonette july 2022 #jasonette july #prompt classics #Jasonette july day 8

[lazy-alex]

@maribat-calendar-events

"The glass that keeps us apart"

| Jasonette July 2022 | pride | Day 5 | warning! It's Major character death folks! And also not edited

[masterpost]

(help i don't know how to add the keep reading on Tumblr mobile)

Jason is proud of his daughter.

Well, she's not his. But he took her in for a while.

She's grown since the last time he's seen her, he noticed. Her hair is shorter than usual. He touched the glass that separated them.

Jason doesn't see her much. Ever since the social services took her away. His princess grew up so much after that.

Jason found her hiding behind a dumpster one night. Three years old, alone and shivering. He cursed Bruce for what he did next.

He couldn't help himself and gave her a warm meal and shelter.

The moment her tiny hands grabbed him and her eyes stared with such hope. He knew. He couldn't let go.

This child was his.

And you know what happened next. He kept her, and she stayed.

For 7 years.

Those were the best years of his life.

That's why he was terrified, the moment she was taken. The social services deemed him "unfit" to be a parent.

Jason took care of her for 7 years for god's sake. And NOW they deemed him 'unfit'?!

In the end, Jason refused to give her to them. He had papers. Well, fake papers since she technically doesn't exist. He fought for her custody. He didn't want to let her go. But then, her real relatives came. And they were stubborn like him.

At that time, Jason felt conflicted.

This was a chance. A chance to give her a normal life. The life he was trying so hard to give her. The life he's sure he couldn't give. Gotham wasn't a place for children as pure as her.

He didn't want her to get hurt. Gotham isn't getting any better.

So Jason decided, with a heavy heart. He sent her away.

His little princess was kicking and screaming while her grandmother pulled her away. Jason stared at the window, with his tears kept inside. He couldn't help but look, as his princess got free of her grandmother's grip and ran towards him. She hugged his knees and sobbed.

"Papa, I want you.." she softly said. Traces of snot and tears covered her face. Others would've called it disgusting, but it made Jason's heartbreak.

His princess shouldn't cry like this.

He crouched down and held her one last time. This time, he didn't stop the tears from flowing.

"I know baby, but this is for you. So be brave for papa and stay strong alright?" He brushed the tears away from her face. It didn't do much, since another round of tears kept flowing.

A wet chuckle escaped from his lips. He wiped his tears and gave her a soft smile. "I'll visit don't worry, probably sooner than you expect," he whispered, inaudible to others but them.

"You promise?"

"Promise," Jason crossed his heart.

She stared at him with hopeful eyes, like the day he met her. Her wide blue eyes stared at him with so much hope, that his heart breaks again.

"Marinette, darling," her grandmother called.

He lets her go.

And now he regrets it.

She shouldn't have let her go. He shouldn't have sent her to Paris. He shouldn't have given her back.

He should've kept her.

His fists clenched as he prevented himself from punching the glass. Drops of water started falling into the glass, making him realize that he was crying.

Jason couldn't help but feel pride when he saw a new hero soar through the skies of Paris. But he also couldn't help but fear for her.

He knew he couldn't stop her. Just like he did at her age. And he knows she can be reckless. Like him.

The only thing he can provide was training. But it still couldn't ease the worry. He had trained too, and yet, he died.

He couldn't visit Paris now. His daughter had implemented a 'foreign hero ban' on Paris to prevent greater Akuma threats. And he knew, with his uncontrollable temper, he was the worst person to come.

His daughter, at 14 years old, already bore the weight of the world on her shoulders. And Jason's heart breaks yet again. He wishes to help with the weight, to carry the other half on his.

This isn't the life he wanted her to have. Paris was supposed to be safe for her.

Jason broke down to Cass the night he realized he couldn't come. He drank too much and got drunk his worries came flooding out of his mouth.

Cass understood. She always did. So she asked Bruce to let her stay in Paris to train his princess.

Jason is so grateful he almost broke down again. Cass just smiled at him, "Anything for family little brother," she said with a little tease on the last part.

He laughed and hugged her tightly, "Thank you," he softly said.

His princess received a badass aunt the other day and Jason can't help but feel grateful for the existence of the internet.

Jason sobbed. He feels angry, at that damn butterfly, himself, and the glass that keeps them apart.

He wants to hug her damnit. He wants to hold her one last time. But he couldn't. Because of this stupid glass.

He knows he can break it, he can shatter it into pieces and take her away.

But he couldn't do that. He shouldn't.

He shouldn't let grief take over him.

This must've been what Bruce felt when Jason died.

Overwhelming pain and hatred for yourself. Grief. Greif. Greif.

Loss.

She's only 16 goddamit! He was supposed to visit her! She was supposed to be visiting Gotham!

Jason rested his head on the glass of her coffin. The tears won't stop escaping from his eyes. The peaceful look on her face betrayed what happened.

Parents were supposed to die before their children. He never knew it hurts this much to lose a child.

Jason is so proud of his princess.

She managed to stop a threat to the world. And yet, it costs them a life. Her life.

And Jason is so damn angry at the glass that keeps him from embracing her one last time.

-

Didn't expect this to be so long LOL-

I made Jason a crybaby-

WITH REASON THO

#maribat #o.o #batfam #jasonette #Jasonette July #platonic jasonette #this is an attempt to uncover a side of Jasonette that i noticed is rarely used..? #not sure but i need papa hood jason fics #jasonette july 2022 #major character death #jason todd #tiny appearance of: #cassandra cain #this is longer than usual lol

[themaribatpit]

A Return To Gotham: Chapter 1

Prompt: Target (Jasonette July) @maribat-calendar-events

Rating: T

Ships: Jason Todd/Marinette Dupain-Cheng

Contains: OC children, tooth-rotting fluff, 

A/N: Sorry these are coming out at a snail’s pace, been very busy with other life stuff. We hope you enjoy it as these ideas have been in the works for a while now. - Maribat Girl

Chapter 2

Chapter 1

Marinette sat bored at the cash register at her family bakery, it had been a slow day. She watched people walk past, with a customer or two stepping in. She hoped business would pick up, she checked her watch, school should be closing soon and then they'll get a wave of customers.

Jason emerged from upstairs carrying their infant son asleep in his arms, wearing a frilly pink apron, wiping his sweat with a towel. "Have the kids come home yet?" 

Marinette chuckled as she saw her husband in a pink apron, in all their 14 years of marriage, she still never expected him to turn out like this. "Not yet, school won't be over for another five minutes." She gave her husband a kiss on the lips. 

Their child stirred and cooed in his father’s arms "Wakey-wakey, happy to see me, kiddo?"

"I'm pretty sure Louis likes you more," Marinette joked as the baby laughed in Jason's hands. 

Laughter quickly turned to cries, Jason gave a quick sniff before passing the baby to Marinette "Do you mind doing it? Customers probably don't want any surprises in their pain au chocolat." 

Marinette laughed at Jason's crude joke and brought the child upstairs for a diaper change, while Jason took over the register.

On cue, students from Collège Françoise Dupont across the road flooded in for treats and snacks. Students selected their favourite bread and cakes and queued to pay, one student however just grabbed one from the display and began eating.

"Hey! That girl didn't pay!" One student yelled and pointed.

"I live here dumbass," the girl said as she took another bite from her palmier.

Jason couldn't help but chuckle from his daughter's response "Welcome home Emma," he said with a grin. 

Emma smiled back "Palmiers are great as always," she said as she made her way behind the counter.

Emma Todd, handsome, clever and rich, with a comfortable home and happy disposition, seemed to unite some of the best blessings of existence, and had lived nearly thirteen years in the world with very little to distress or vex her.  

As the sudden rush of customers died down, a young boy entered all on his lonesome. There was a large backpack over his shoulder and a sketchbook tucked under his arm. “I’m home.” 

Jason greeted his son with a smile, “Welcome back Hugo, how was school?” 

“Good, can I have some macaroons?” Hugo asked politely. Jason nodded in response and gave the boy macaroons in a paper bag. “Thank you,” Hugo said as he made his way upstairs. 

Hugo Todd, clumsy and scatterbrained, eight years of age with a love of art that rivalled his mother’s love of fashion. He carried his sketchbook almost everywhere and would usually get sidetracked and draw whatever caught his attention. 

Hugo took after his mother, and little did he know, Jason kept his many drawings over the years in a little drawer in his study.  Hugo would also watch in awe as their hamster, Marron, made his way through his cage.  Emma took after Jason, and in more recent years he pretended not to notice his copy of Dracula being moved ever so slightly every time he saw it on his shelf.  Jason made sure to keep his copies of Madame Bovary, Les Liaisons Dangereuses, and Thérèse Raquin far out of her reach. Hugo was a gentle soul who wouldn’t hurt a fly, while Emma was brash and stubborn.  She was a lot like him that way, but Jason always hoped her sharp mind would be used as a tool and never a weapon.  

If you had told Jason over two decades ago that his trip to Paris would end with him meeting their local heroine, falling in love with her, and raising a family with said heroine, he would have laughed in your face.  Yet, here he was, as Marinette and her family welcomed him with open arms into their lives.  They didn’t know or care about his past, they treated him as part of their family.  Marinette was the only one who knew the truth about his past, considering that they first crossed paths as Ladybug and Red Hood.  He told her all about what happened, from fighting crime at Batman’s side since he was 13, to dying at 15 and being brought back to life, to becoming one of the most formidable crime lords in Gotham.  It should have had her running for the hills, but she also got her powers at a young age and took on the heavy burden of becoming the Guardian of a box full of magic jewelry.  One morning, Sabine caught him in Marinette’s room hastily putting on a shirt to cover the bandages, she gave Marinette a knowing smile before inviting them down for breakfast.  Not long after they got married, Marinette got pregnant with Emma. Considering his own sordid family history, Jason couldn’t even imagine raising one kid who wouldn’t turn out as messed up as he was, nevermind three.  Yet, so far his children weren’t afraid of him, they weren’t fending for themselves on the streets, and they weren’t going toe to toe with criminals every night.  So, he told himself he was at least doing something right.  He still kept tabs on what went on in Gotham, but he hadn’t spoken to anyone in the Bat clan for some time.  Jason had been given the chance to begin anew in Paris, and so far it worked out well for him.  

Jason was brought out of his thoughts with the jingle of the door opening “Welcome to the Jason & Marinette Boulangerie Patisserie.” 

A young woman with blue hair entered the shop and chuckled as Jason said his line, “Must you say that tacky line all the time Uncle Jason?” 

“Just for you Lian,” Jason said as he hugged the young woman. “How’s your old man? What’s that crazy asshole done now?” 

Lian sighed, “He asked Auntie Emiko to team up as Red Arse,” 

“Oh shit, here we go again,” Jason jokingly groaned.

“He misses you, keeps asking me to check up on you and make sure you’re staying out of trouble,” Lian said as she looked through the various loaves of bread and pastries. 

“Bold words for someone who once tested out their flamethrower on the shower,” Jason retorted. “Is he staying out of trouble?” Roy fought his inner demons with tooth and nail, in hopes of becoming the father that Lian deserved.

Lian tapped her chin thoughtfully, “It’s been 30 days since one of his experiments blew up in his face,” she remarked jokingly, “So, yeah I’d say he’s doing okay.” Lian pointed to the loaf she wanted, “I’ll have the Boule,”. 

“Good choice, it’s on the house,” Jason said as she packed the loaf into a paper bag. “The door’s always open for him to visit himself if he’s ever free,” Jason said as he gave the bag to Lian. “Also tell him he’s not getting any freebies,” Jason quickly added as she walked out of the shop with her free loaf of bread.

Roy was one of the only people who knew what really happened to Jason, not that he told him, he just found him.  Emma was a toddler at the time, when one afternoon, a familiar face with a hideous auburn goatee walked into the bakery.  Jason tried to keep his back turned, hoping Roy wouldn’t recognise him.  He’d managed to make a new life for himself here, and the last thing he needed was his past showing up on his doorstep once more.  He busied himself kneading the bread in the back room, while Sabine was working the counter.  

“Jason!” Sabine called out to the back room, “Give this young man a fresh loaf of pain de campagne,”

Jason swore internally, “Uh, the next batch of brioche needs a bit more kneading,” 

“Oh that's fine, Tom can help you there, can’t you darling?” Sabine asked her husband. He gave a quick nod and walked into the kitchen. 

Jason walked out with the requested loaf of bread, already packaged into the shop’s signature paper bag. Roy squinted his eyes slightly as Jason handed him the bag, “You look familiar…”

“Is that so?” Jason kept his gaze low, as he pulled his hair net down. 

“You American as well?” Roy asked, knowing the answer as he clearly heard their exchange earlier.  

“Yeah, I’ve been living here for a few years,” he said and hoped that would be the end of it. Roy would walk out of the shop and leave him to his new life.  The trouble was that he knew Roy, he’d seen him persistently tinker away at his inventions and it was unlikely that this trait of his ever faded.

“Seriously, you remind me of an old friend of mine,” he said, the goatee twitched as he smirked, “his name was also Jason, and he just kinda fell off the face of the earth one day.” “Is that so? Wondered what happened to him?” Jason asked, he looked out the window at the pedestrians strolling past. 

“Dunno, some people thought he died.” Roy shrugged, Jason wondered if he was better off having Bruce thinking he got himself killed a second time. Roy looked around to see if anyone was listening before he whispered, “Personally, I never believed it, I thought he was too stubborn to die a second time.”

Jason sighed, resigned to his fate, “Been a while, Roy.”

“So it really is you, what are you doing here?” Roy ran up and enveloped his friend in a hug. 

Jason hugged back a little reluctantly, he wasn’t too happy about an aspect of his past reemerging. But, in the case of Roy, he was willing to make an exception. 

Sabine gasped when she came back and saw them, “Two old friends meeting again, how lovely. How did you two meet by the way?” she asked. 

“Dude, what’s your cover story?” Roy whispered.  

“Um, our families were close,” Jason quickly answered Sabine. 

“Jason, go take your break, it's fine. Catch up with your friend.” Sabine shooed the two out of the bakery. 

Jason and Roy walked into a quiet alley near the bakery to talk, “So, you became a baker?” Roy said as he tried to hold back his laughter.

“Mhmm, I’ve left all of ‘that’ behind. I got married and settled down, I have a daughter too,” Jason admitted.

“Ah, so who’s the lucky lady?” Roy winked, unaware of the fact that he literally summed up his wife in two words.  

“My wife’s family owns the place, that tiny old lady you saw a moment ago is my mother-in-law,” Jason told him.

“Do they know?” Roy asked, “About literally anything that happened in your past?”

“Only my wife knows, and no one else. Red Hood has no place here, and I intend to keep it that way. I’m not raising my daughter to fight supervillains,” he doesn’t know what he would do if something bad were to happen to Emma and his veins burned with rage at the thought.  Marinette could hold her own, but neither of them planned on passing the torch to Emma.  

“Fair enough,” Roy said. 

Jason exhaled, “I’m trying to lay low, I guess you could say I took this chance to start over. I don’t want word getting out, especially to Bruce,” he explained “I sure as hell don’t want them to become a target either.”

“Hey, what do you take me for? Some loud blabbermouth?” Roy put his hand to his chest in a show of being hurt.

“Yes,” Jason responded bluntly, and there were too many people close to Roy with the power to go rooting around in people’s minds. 

“Ouch, fine point taken. I won’t tell anyone, you have my word.” Roy raised his fist towards Jason, he responded by bumping his fist. 

Jason smiled as he reminisced of his chance encounter with Roy all those years ago. Ever since then him and Lian would occasionally stop by the bakery whenever they were in Paris.  Over the years, Roy had become more and more busy, either fighting crime in Star City or helping rear a new generation of heroes in Jump City. 

“The kids and I are going for a quick walk in the park,” Marinette announced as she walked down the stairs, stroller in hand and their following behind her. 

“Alright take care,” Jason said.

That afternoon in Paris, Terry McGinnis stepped out of the taxi into the heart of the city. He gaped at the beautiful sights, the Haussmann Architecture of the surrounding buildings. “Wow, so this is Paris, it's just like the post cards.” 

“Stay focused, Kid,” Bruce said over the headset, “You’re looking for the ‘Guardian’, and our only lead is Ladybug.”  

#jasonette july #jasonette july 2022 #jasonette #maribat #ml x dc #dc x ml

[spacetime1969]

Are we still Heroes Jasonette July 31: Alive

Masterlist | AO3 Marinette  is alone and hurting, her partner is gone, and now the Kwami have taken  her all the way across the ocean to Gotham City, where she crashes into  the back of the infamous Red Hood, the 19-year-old once vigilante now  crime lord. First | Prev 

Hood stayed with her all night. At first, he’d just been keeping watch, not able to bring himself to sleep. Then Lady Chance had woken up screaming.

He had rushed over to her, only for her to push him away and start crying. He’d sworn and berated himself. Of course she didn’t want him close to her! Who would? He was The Red Hood, not really someone you want to comfort you after a nightmare.

He didn’t really know how to react when she said it wasn’t him she was afraid of, but her whispered explanation made it make all too much sense.

He knew what it was like to be afraid of himself over anyone else. The Red Hood wasn’t afraid of anyone. He had died and crawled out of his own grave. He’d gotten dumped into the Lazarus Pit, and survived the worst training the League of Assassins had to offer. After that, there wasn’t anything that the world could offer that could make The Red Hood afraid.

Jason Todd, on the other hand, might be afraid of the Joker, of dying again, or, even worse, being resurrected again. He might even maybe, just maybe, be afraid of losing his only friend, Marinette. But he would never admit any of those, even to himself. But he might just admit that he was afraid of himself, though still not out loud. The Jason Todd that came out of the Pit was a dangerous killer. Uncontrolled and lashing out, he was just as likely to hurt his allies as he was his enemies. And that scared him. The idea of not being in control of himself scared him.

So when Marinette whispered that she didn’t want to hurt him he understood, he understood all too well. If he’d still had anyone to care about when he came out of the pit he might have been the same.

He reaches out slowly, cautiously placing his hand on her knee, making sure to look for any sign that he wasn’t welcome. “Do you want to talk about it?” he asked. He wasn’t good at people. He used to be, back before the Pits and Red Hood, but not anymore. But he wanted to help her, wanted to help this girl who had become his only friend, who accepted who he was without hating him. So he was trying, asking if she wanted to talk, and, when she cut herself off from asking him for something, he asked her to tell him how he could help.

“Can I hug you?” She had said it quickly, and almost immediately backtracked trying to pretend it didn’t matter. He’d heard it through, and he didn’t hesitate to pull her into his arms.

She clung to him, her body relaxing while her arms held him tight. He held her for what felt like an hour as slowly she became more and more relaxed before, eventually, her breathing evened out and she fell asleep again. Unwilling to wake her by getting up, he settled onto the mattress, his back leaning against the wall with Marinette on his lap. He pulled a blanket over them and let his eyes close, finally resting.

——————————————

He woke up to the sound of his phone quietly buzzing across the room. He looked over to see Marinette sleeping on his shoulder. He cautiously extracted himself, doing his best not to disturb her. He breathed a sigh of relief when she simply rolled over and continued to snore quietly. Walking quietly over to his phone he dismisses the call to get it to stop ringing. He quickly goes through his messages. There’s several, all about how Black Mask’s men have been seen walking through Crime Alley.

He looks back at where Marinette is sleeping behind him. For just a minute he wishes he didn’t have to leave, could just be Jason and sleep, but he’s the Red Hood, and the Alley needs him. So he grabs his helmet, shrugs on his jacket, and writes a note that he leaves on the fridge before swinging out into the night.

——————————————

He’s heading to the safe house to check on Marinette when he finds Lady Chance on a roof instead. He lands on the roof behind her. The issue with Black Mask had taken longer than he had expected, so while the sun had just been rising when he had left it was now beginning to set over the Gotham skyline. The smog of the city cleared just enough to see the beautiful reds and oranges spreading across the sky.

He sat beside her on the roof. Their legs dangled over the edge, hanging above the street below. They sat in silence for a while, before he pulled his helmet off his head and spoke.

“I’m sorry.”

She looked over at him, surprised. “Why?”

“You didn’t want to kill him, and if I hadn’t messed up you wouldn’t have had to. The only reason you were there was because you saved me. So I'm sorry.”

She just looks at him for a moment, her face unreadable.

“Did you know I used to have a partner?” He’s surprised by her sudden change of topic but shakes his head. “His name was Chat Noir, and, as a civilian, his name was Adrien Agreste. I knew him on both sides of the mask, though neither of us knew that we were the other’s superhero partner. That changed the day that Chat came to me crying because he’d found out that the man we were fighting was his father.

“He was my best friend, and I couldn’t save him. He died when we went to confront his father. And I couldn't save him.” She does nothing to stop the tears as they fall from her eyes, letting them fall to the ground far below.

She turns to face him again. “You’re right, I didn’t want to kill the Joker. I didn’t want to kill anyone. But I’m not sorry I saved you. I could never be sorry for saving my friend.” She leans over and presses a slow kiss to his cheek. “You’re alive, and that’s the most important thing.” With that she lets herself fall off the edge, her yoyo catching her as she swings away, leaving a stunned Red Hood on the roof behind her.

First | Prev

And that’s a wrap on this story! Thank you to everyone who read this and especially everyone who left comments. I loved all of them! Sorry that this last chapter took a little longer for me to finish. I’ve flown out to see the rest of my family and between packing and jetlag this slipped down the priority list.

Will I be writing the sequel where Alya tracks Marinette down and Jason becomes her emotional support while she reconnects with her old friend and she becomes his as he starts to reconnect with his family while they both dance around the fact that she kissed him and try to ignore their growing crushes in order to maintain their friendship?

Probably not. Not anytime soon at least. I've got some IRL stuff coming up that will probably mean I’ll be going on hiatus for a while. But if someone else wants to take it into their own hands then feel free!

Hope you enjoyed reading this fic!

#maribat #jason x marinette #jasonette #jasonette july #jasonette july 2022 #maribat jason todd #maribat marinette

[itsnothappening]

strike | jasonette

word count: +1.8k

summary: that stone had ruined his entire life; he was stuck living the same day over and over again, stuck watching the love of his life dying repeatedly no matter what he did.

a/n: i was tempted to make the ending so depressing, but in the end, i decided to be nice :)

@maribat-calendar-events

ao3 | wattpad | series masterlist | masterlist | prompts

Blue eyes snapped open and stared at the ceiling above. Jason felt his chest heaving, as it did every single time this happened. 

Quickly sitting up, he looked at the calendar positioned right in front of him, hoping that the date was the first of January, even though his pessimist side scoffed at him for even trying. 

When Jason's eyes flashed up to the piece of paper that held the fate of his entire life, his hopes shattered like delicate glass, the shards striking his already bleeding heart. 

Resisting the urge to scream, to self-destruct, Jason swung his legs out of the bed and put his head between his knees, trying to even out his panicked breathing. 

For what joy had he decided to touch that cursed stone that just appeared out of thin air? Why? That stone had ruined his entire life; he was stuck living the same day over and over again, stuck watching the love of his life dying repeatedly no matter what he did. 

"Jason?" A new voice said and said man jumped. 

Shit. When did she even come in?

Jason schooled his expression into something calmer as he sat up straight, brushing his sweaty hair away from his forehead. 

Marinette's concerned eyes scrutinised him, looking for something to explain the position she found him in. "Are you alright?"

Jason wanted to scream. It was always the same. 

Marinette would walk in. Marinette would see him sweaty and pale. Marinette would ask him if he was alright. By the end of the day, Marinette would be dead no matter what he did to save her. 

"Yeah," he forced out, the lump in his throat choking him. "I'm fine. Nightmare."

Used to his short, brusque answers, Marinette still walked in, putting her soft, small hands on his forehead. Jason practically melted at her familiar touch, all his muscles turning into goo. 

"Are you sure—" she began. 

"Yes, Pixie, I'm sure, and no, I don't have a cold or the flu." Jason had relived this day enough times to know exactly how the beginning would go. 

The beginning was perfect. In fact, it was so perfect, that Jason would even go as far as to say that it was the one thing that made this day his very own personal hell. 

Marinette stood up, still unconvinced, but she held her hand out to him anyway. "If you say so."

Jason stood up, stretching out his muscles before giving Marinette a knee-weakening smirk. "Shall we make the pancakes together?"

Dear God, her laugh was beautiful. Marinette shot him a smile as she nodded towards the kitchen, "How did you know? It's like you already knew what was going to happen."

Jason's smile became much more fixed at the last sentence, his somewhat good mood evaporating within milliseconds. Laughing bitterly, Jason muttered, "Oh, you have no idea."

The day progressed as it had in the last twenty-nine times before. Jason followed Marinette through their apartment like a lost puppy, yearning for her attention and affection, as she rambled on about the New Year's Gala that Bruce was going to be hosting. 

The discussion only caused the cuts on Jason's heart to become even deeper until inside, he was a bleeding mess. Before, on his third time, when he had more hope, he had warned her about what was going to happen. 

Clearly, his personal hell didn't like that because that night, Marinette's death was infinitely worse than it had ever been or would ever be. Jason puked when he saw her body. He hadn't been able to sleep properly since then. 

"Jason," Marinette snapped her fingers loudly, bringing Jason back to Earth. She peered at him with a healthy amount of concern in her eyes, "Are you sure you're alright? You zoned out and your eyes look a little glassy."

Jason internally scolded himself for letting that happen. Marinette couldn't know about her impending death or the consequences would completely break him and his sanity. Maybe that was the entire purpose of this thing. 

At any rate, to soothe Marinette's worries, Jason shot her his signature smirk. "If I need anything, it's only your kisses Pixie."

Marinette also smirked back, and despite already knowing what was going to happen, Jason's heart beat faster all the same. "You asked for it."

Her soft lips landed on Jason's, and his response was immediate. Kissing Marinette was a feeling that he would never get used to, and something he would never get enough of. What started as an innocent kiss quickly turned heated, and ended up with Jason pinning Marinette against the wall, her hands tangled in his hair. 

Breathlessly, Jason quickly looked at the time. "We should probably get round to making those pancakes."

Marinette's lips were deliciously red, just tempting Jason to come just a little closer. "Or," she whispered, her hands tangling in his hair and tugging at the strands lightly, "We could just continue."

Even without knowing what to come, Jason just knew he wouldn't have the strength to refuse her. It was an impossible feat, one that Jason had no desire to change. 

A few hours later, the dread that had been absent in the morning began to build in Jason's stomach. As he straightened his tie in their shared bedroom, Jason tried not to let his breathing get out of control, but he couldn't help it as images of Marinette's mangled body filtered through his mental walls. 

Jason's breathing was completely out of control now, and he could feel his lungs constricting, trying to grasp that air, but just unable to. It reminded him of his current situation; stuck in a day that lasted until the final millisecond and then began all over again like it was a movie. 

The repeated pain of seeing Marinette die in over twenty ways was maddening, it was crushing Jason's sanity, and he wasn't sure how long he could keep on doing this. How long would it be before he broke completely?

Jason wasn't sure he had much time now. Each time he repeated a day, Jason could feel his sanity cracking under the strain, the urge to just let it happen. It wasn't like he was getting out here soon, anyway, was it?

Staring at himself in the mirror, suddenly all of Jason's imperfections were ridiculously clear, standing out in the clear glass. The large dark bags, the barely-there wrinkles, the haunted look in his eyes, the constant downturn of his lips; the signs were all there. It would only take one tiny push for him to break. 

"Jason," Marinette called out from outside. "Ready yet? Our ride's here."

Jason scrubbed a hand over his face, wiping all traces of his upcoming appointment with insanity as he pasted a half-genuine smile across his face. 

Walking out of the door, Jason felt his breath catch in his throat. Despite seeing Marinette in this same dress over twenty times before, Jason loved and hated it at the same time. 

He loved it because it represented Marinette for who she was and what she loved. She had designed the absolutely stunning dress by herself, made it on her own and was now presenting it to the elites of the rich and powerful. 

He hated it, despised it even because it was the dress she died in every single time. It made her look like a ghost, something Jason could see, but just out of reach because she wasn't there. Only the goddamn dress.

"Shall we?" he asked, holding his arm out. 

Marinette giggled as she slipped her arm into his. "We shall."

The dread only multiplied, knowing exactly what was to come. 

The ballroom was decorated the same each time.

Each time, there were bright lights and Christmas-themed decorations dotted around the room, creating a formal, but happy atmosphere. Jason only wished it had the same effect on him as it did on Marinette. 

She was practically glowing. 

Jason smiled tightly as he made conversation with the various elites, hyperaware of the fact that the clock was inching towards midnight. 

When it was 11:55, people started beginning to look for their significant others or loved ones, and Jason did the same. Searching the crowds for Marinette, he saw her talking to someone he had never seen before, nor heard of. 

Marinette's smile was tight and clearly fake, so Jason advanced to her quickly, wanting to get her out of the situation immediately. 

"Pixie," he said with joviality he did not feel. "Let's move out, shall we?"

He even added a flirty wink for a good measure. 

Marinette gave him the sweetest, most saccharine smile he had ever seen from her, but the relief in her eyes was clear. Turning to her companion, Marinette excused herself politely. 

The stranger did not seem willing to let her go, attempting to exchange a few more words. 

Jason's instincts began to suspect something. Something about that stranger was familiar—had they met before?

Examining the person with new interest, Jason suddenly spied the tiny barrel peeking out from the person's hand. 

Jason swore. 

The stranger's eyes connected with his, and immediately, Jason knew what was going to happen. 

Purely on instinct, even though he knew how it was going to end, Jason flung himself on Marinette, covering her small figure with his larger one. 

Jason clutched onto Marinette like a lifeline as he hoped to protect her even though he knew it was most likely going to be fruitless. She would die anyway, as she had for the last twenty-nine days. It always happened when it struck midnight because the universe was a cruel, cruel being. 

5

Heart beating out of his chest, Jason heard the exact moment the assassin realised what he had done. 

4

Swearing loudly, the assassin tried to run to the side where Marinette was exposed from. 

3

Not going to happen. Jason quickly turned around; it was time he used his training from his time as Red Hood. 

2

Jason was keeping the assassin occupied now; occupied enough that he wouldn't have time to shoot Marinette. Scoring a particularly harsh punch at Jason, the assassin made for the minuscule gun that was now pointing at Marinette. 

1

Heart in his throat, Jason knew there was only one thing he could do now. Launching himself in front of Marinette, just as the assassin pulled the trigger, Jason felt the bullet enter his skin. 

0

Jason expected a bright light to flash. He expected to be staring upon the scene he was in, with Marinette lying dead on the floor, a pool of blood spreading around her. Instead, the last thing Jason remembered was falling into the welcoming arms of unconsciousness. 

Blue eyes snapped open and stared at the ceiling above. Jason felt his chest heaving, as it did every single time this happened. 

Sitting up immediately, Jason looked at the calendar position right in front of the familiar bed in front of him. He expected the date to be what it had always been: 31st December. 

Instead, it said:

1st January

#jasonette #jason x marinette #marinette x jason #jason todd #marinette dupain cheng #fluff #angst #mostly angst #tw: mentions of insanity #tw: insanity #jasonette july 2022 #jasonette july #maribat #mlb x dc #dc x mlb

[mochegato]

Scarlet Polka Dot Bikini

Marinette poked her head around the changing room wall, cursing Alya for forcing her to wear these scraps of fabric that barely counted as a swimsuit.  Starfire might call it conservative, but it was more risqué than anything Marinette had ever worn in public before.  And, yes, Marinette knew it was her own fault for making the bet in the first place, but this was unnecessarily cruel, because now here she was in a triangle string red polka dot bikini, and not just any triangle string red polka dot bikini, an itsy bitsy teenie weenie scarlet polka dot bikini in front of all of her friends.

Well, some of her friends.  The friends with the most killer bodies.  Her superhero friends who all had washboard abs and defined pectorals or perky breasts.  And she was supposed to prance around the beach with essentially nothing on.  Not a single one of them would say anything negative, she knew that.  Hell, she could almost guarantee they would all say something encouraging.  But that fact only slightly reduced her mortification.

“Marinette!  I saw you!” Alya called.  She stormed toward the changing room.  “Get your pert, little butt out here.  You can’t hide all day.”

Marinette glared at her.  “I bet I could,” she huffed.

“Marinette,” Alya sighed as she pinched the bridge of her nose, “just come out here, girl.  It’ll be fine.”

“It would be better if I had a little more…” she motioned toward her body as she tried to figure out the right word, “more, on.”

“You just need to get over your self-consciousness.  You look hot, girl!  And the rest of these idiots need to respect.  Hell, I might consider switching sides for you!” she cheered.  “Now come on, you’re missing all the fun.”

Marinette grumbled but obliged, taking her first timid steps past the wall only to immediately be met with Alya’s exasperated sigh.  “Really?”  Alya’s voice was as flat as a board but still dripped with incredulity at the large towel Marinette had draped over her body.  “Marinette.  Girl.  My Bestest Bestie.  My most annoying sister…”

“Hey!” Marinette objected.  “There’s no way I’m more annoying than Ella and Etta after they went to that concert and had caffeine for the first time.”

Alya raised an unimpressed eyebrow.  “Yes, congratulations, they were annoying once…”

“Once,” Marinette scoffed.

“… you’re annoying all the time,” Alya finished.  She motioned pointedly to Marinette’s body.  “You need to have more confidence, Mari!  It doesn’t even matter what your body looks like.  You need to have confidence in yourself.  You’re sexy.  Even in that towel, you’re sexy.  You’re sexy because you’re you.  Now, drop that stupidly fluffy, massive towel, and come have fun!  We were just about to play chicken.  How about it?  Me and Nino, you and…” she scanned the beach, “Wally!”

Marinette’s eyes widened.  “No!  I am not playing chicken in this.  It’s one strong wave away from washing away.”  Alya smirked and waggled her eyebrows.  “No!  No.”  Marinette let her arm escape her towel cocoon to point warningly at Alya.

“Well, that would be one way to get Jason’s attention,” Alya laughed.

“Alya!” Marinette gasped.  She jumped at Alya to cover her mouth, scanning the area for anyone who might have heard.  The towel almost dropped in the process and would have if she hadn’t backed off of Alya at the last second, valuing her modesty more than silencing Alya… for the moment.  “Someone could have heard you,” she hissed with a slap to Alya’s shoulder.  “And that is not how I want to get his attention.”

The sheer idiocy of the statement caused Alya to roll her eyes harder than she had ever rolled them before.  As though Marinette didn’t have his attention already.  As though Jason didn’t gravitate to her in every interaction.  As though Jason didn’t get even more hostile whenever Marinette volunteered for a particularly dangerous mission.  As though he didn’t start growling at anyone who indicated they might hit on her.

“Marinette, sweetheart, I didn’t want to have to do this but, by the… Look out!” Alya yelled as she dove out of the way.

Marinette whipped around to see a volleyball hurtling toward her.  There was no dodging it.  She had a split second to choose whether to just let it hit her or drop the towel.  She almost chose to let it hit her but gave in at the last second and released her strangle hold on the towel to hit the ball at just the right angle to have it bounce up and fall back to her much more gently.

Jason and Roy jogged up to her, Roy sporting a brilliant grin.  Jason followed a few paces behind him at a much more subdued pace, staring intently at Marinette.  Marinette almost lost the ability to breathe.  The sun kissed his body and hair, making him look like he was a dark-haired Apollo… until he tripped over a slight lift in the sand and had to cartwheel his hands to keep from falling face first.  He took a second to steady himself before shooting up straight, dusting himself off, and continuing his path as though nothing had happened.

Marinette reached for him but pulled her hand back at the last second and instead used it to secure the ball in front of her now exposed stomach.  She smiled awkwardly at Roy and Jason as they approached, but with each step closer, she hunched her shoulders and bent one of her knees, trying subconsciously to make herself into a ball that could be entirely hidden by the volleyball. 

“Looking good,” Roy complimented with a wink.  He held his hand out for the ball, but Marinette clutched it closer to her, her knuckles almost turning white with the force, which he pretended not to notice.  He turned toward the rest of the group instead and motioned toward them.  “You’re welcome to take the next game once we finish crushing Dick and Adrien, or you can get in on Wally’s frisbee game he’s playing with himself, or Tim, Steph, and Kon are playing in the water.”  He suddenly turned to her with a very serious look and leaned closer.  “Do not play any games in the water with Garth.  He cheats and doesn’t even realize it.”

Jason clocked Roy on the back of the head, feeling a bit better after getting it out.  “Stop scaring her, dumbass.  You’re being a creep.”  He smiled at Marinette, struggling to make it seem as easygoing as possible.  It seemed to have worked because while she didn’t let go of the ball, she did ease her death grip on it.  “Glad you could make it, Pixie.  Come cheer me and Roy on when you’re ready.  Dick and Adrien have Nino and Alya, which gives them a bit of an unfair advantage.”

Roy shot a knowing look at Alya, both fighting a snort at their oblivious idiots.  “Yeah, that’s why,” Roy muttered.

“Okay, honey,” Alya cut in with more than a hint of patronization, “let’s return their ball.”  She grunted as she wrested it from Marinette’s hands and tossed it to them with only a weak whimper from Marinette, who jumped behind Alya as soon as her shield was removed.  “We’ll be over in a few minutes,” she assured them.

Alya and Marinette watched them walk away, Marinette staring undisguisedly at Jason’s behind as it flexed under his trunks with each step.  She waited until they were at the court before smacking Alya’s shoulder.  “This is terrible!  He’s walking around looking like,” she motioned toward Jason with a groan and threw her head back in frustration.

“Yeah,” Alya answered.  “And you’re looking like,” she motioned toward Marinette.  “Perfect match.  Now come on.  Cheer for your man.”

“He’s not my man,” Marinette grumbled, but let Alya drag her.

“Yet,” Alya corrected, her eyebrows waggling yet again.  Marinette was starting to hate that waggle.

Marinette took a seat in the sand near the court, or what she thought were the bounds of the court.  She brought her knees up to her chest and wrapped her arms around them.  It was far too hot to be balled up like she was and completely negated sunning herself, but even sweating like she was, she was more comfortable than she would be if she were showing off her swimsuit.

She and Alya cheered the players on for several rounds, laughing and joking with the players, just about everyone joining them at some point to choose sides and cheer.  Marinette relaxed a bit but kept her legs firmly set in front of her chest, until she couldn’t take it any longer.  She was too hot.  The sweat had worked into every crevasse, most of which also got sand into them, making even sitting still extremely uncomfortable, and she was sure she looked like a hot mess at this point.

She waited until people seemed distracted by some story Stephanie was telling and anxiously stood up.  She checked that nobody was looking and jogged to the surf, her arms crossed in front of her chest until she’d passed almost everyone, then moving to hang loosely behind her to shield her behind until she hit the water.  Her focus remained on the water as she moved, her sanctuary, her armor, missing the ball striking the sand mere inches from Jason, who’s focus was also on the water, or more precisely, the woman wading into the water, her bikini getting soaked as she moved.

Roy picked up the ball with an exasperated huff and lightly bounced it off of Jason’s head.  “Hey!  Head in the game.”

“Right,” Jason agreed instantly.  He shook his head and nodded to Roy as he got back into position.  His eyes darted back over to Marinette but snapped to Dick when he heard the slap of his serve.  He managed to keep his focus on the game with only the occasional glance toward Marinette until a massive wave came in and drew the water away from Marinette as the water surged to fill back up.

The movement left him with a clear view of Marinette, sopping wet in her itsy, bitsy, teenie, weenie scarlet polka dot bikini clinging to every curve, and he thought he might not be able to breathe any longer.  He continued to stare, mouth agape, completely unaware of anything else around him, until his focus was jarred by a ball smacking him in the side of his head.  He blinked in the direction the ball came from but instantly returned his focus to Marinette.

“Come on,” Roy groaned, “what the Hell, man?”

Jason didn’t bother to look away from the water to acknowledge him.  “Think it’s time for a dip,” he said blankly.  “You guys continue without me.”

“Continue without… It’s two on two!” Roy yelled after him.  He turned back to Dick and Adrien with an exasperated huff.  “I know I asked for him to get off his ass and actually go for her, but this is not what I meant.”

“Yes, it was,” Adrien snarked.

“Yeah, it was,” he agreed reluctantly.  “Wally, stop playing with yourself and get over here.  You’re on my team now!”

“You’re going to turn blue if you stay here much longer,” Jason teased, easily wading closer, the water that covered Marinette up to her shoulders only coming to mid chest on him.  Even through the water, he could see her covering her chest with her arms crossed across her chest.  He furrowed his brow at her reticence.

He had been more than happy about her walking around in her swimsuit, well, no, he hadn’t been thrilled with everyone checking her out throughout the day, but he was okay with it because she was fine with it, and if she felt good who cared what anyone else thought.  It was clear now that she wasn’t.  Even after a few hours, she wasn’t comfortable in the swimsuit.

“Why don’t we get out of here?” he asked casually, looking off into the distance, squinting at the sun shining in his eyes.  “We can go get food or something, which would of course require getting dressed…” he let the sentence trail off, the picture of innocence.

Marinette blinked at him, timid hope appearing in her eyes.  Her eyes darted to the beach, the people wandering around between them and the car, and back.  “I don’t know.  I might… wait,” she said uncertainly.  “You know, until everyone is distracted.”

Jason narrowed his eyes at the people on the beach.  “Nah.  I’m hungry now.  Give me just a second.  Wait right here.”  Marinette snorted.  As if she was going to go anywhere.  Jason dashed out of the water and across the sand to his bike.  She could see him rummaging around and grabbing something out of a compartment.  He then made his way over to Roy, whispering something in his ear and making a sharp movement with his arm, before moving back to Marinette.

He shot her a confident grin and motioned toward the beach.  “Okay, Pixie, let’s go.”

Marinette’s eyes widened.  “No!  I’m not… They aren’t…”  Her sentence got cut off by a small explosion on the beach just beyond where everyone was playing.

“I saw two people over there!” Roy yelled at the top of his lungs.  He pointed toward the other side of the beach from Jason and Marinette and charged, the others following him significantly more cautiously.

“That’s my boy,” Jason grinned.  He urged Marinette out of the water and across the sand to the changing rooms.

“Jason,” she exclaimed.  “We have to…” she froze and stared at him incredulously as realization hit him.  “I know I asked you for a distraction, but that was not what I had in mind.”

“I know, genius, right?” he grinned, pulling her behind him until they reached his bike.

“That was not what…”

“Did you want to change before we leave or after?  I can let you borrow my shirt if you want to wait.”  He held out his shirt to Marinette, but his grin morphed into a smirk after a second.  “Honestly might be safer if you go without the shirt though.”

Marinette’s hand, which was just centimeters from his shirt froze, it dropped to her side as her head cocked to the side.  “Oh?  Why’s that?” she asked innocently.

He took a breath to fortify himself and stepped closer to Marinette.  “Because, if I have you in my shirt hanging on to me while I’m driving, I’m going to have a lot of trouble watching the road,” he admitted quietly.

Marinette’s lips split into a brilliant grin.  This was the first time Jason had given a definitive sign of interest.  There had been signs before but they always could be written off as innocent.  This was the first time, there was no way it could be innocent.  “Me in a shirt would be more distracting than me in this itsy bitsy teenie weenie scarlet polka dot bikini?”  Her voice had changed from the innocent tones a few moments ago to something more sultry and it was setting Jason’s body on fire.

“You’re distracting either way,” Jason corrected.  “But knowing you’re in my shirt?  Holding tight to me?  With just that underneath?”  He let out a long breath and shook his head.  “I’ll be honest we’ll be lucky if we don’t crash.”

Marinette giggled and looked him over slowly.  She closed the distance until her chest was almost brushing his, close enough that if he inhaled deeply, they would touch, and looked up at him from under her lashes.  “Just keep your eyes on the road and remember if you crash, you won’t get to kiss me tonight.”

A growl sounded deep in Jason’s chest as he wrapped his shirt around her shoulders.  “That is a very compelling argument.  No crashing, but food and kissing later.”

Marinette nodded, her eyes finally glinting with the happiness he was used to seeing in her eyes.  “Glad you agree.  But maybe…”  She cut off when they heard their friends start yelling.  They met each other’s eyes in mutual understanding, both jumping onto the bike at the same moment.  Marinette shoved her arms through the sleeves and wrapped them around his toned waist, barely able to contain the groan at the feeling of her arms on his bare skin.  Her ocean-chilled skin heated up instantly where they touched like a fire flooding her system.

She had to admit, she might never wear this bikini in public again.  But maybe, just maybe, if she would get the same results, she’d be willing to give Jason a private showing.

@maribatserver

#maribat #jasonette #Jasonette July #Jasonette July 2023 #prompt - Sunshine

[lily-drake]

Stars

Only day of Jasonette July I’m doing

It was a clear night, well as clear as a night could be in Gotham.  Only a few stars were able to peek out from the grime and gloom of the city, and what a shame that this night was being wasted.  Marinette took another swig from her bottle of wine as she waited on the curb for her ride to show up.  It had been a crappy past couple of days, and while she knew what she was doing, even in her intoxicated state, was stupid, she just could not bring herself to care.  The roar of a motor and soon after the kill of the engine sounded to her left.  She didn’t even glance at the person who had dismounted said bike as she already knew who it was.  

“Pix, what the h*?!  It’s like 4 O’clock in the morning!”

Marientte simply took another swing of the bottle disappointed when there was only a little bit left and now completely gone.  She could feel Jason’s gaze boring into her and slowly she tilted her head to face him.  She hadn’t noticed before how nicely the lights would reflect in his turquoise eyes.  It reminded her of the stars in the sky, the ones that she was never allowed to see due to the city lights even while she was in Paris.  Jason’s eyes were so different from his.  Marinette attempted to take another swig from the bottle at the mere memory of the past few days' events but frowned when nothing came out. Jason let out a small sigh as he crouched down and carefully took the bottle out of her grip.

“What’s wrong Marinette?”

Jason asked, concern lacing his tone.  He had seen her on bad days, but he had never seen her get this bad.  Marinette shook her head, lowering it into her palms.  Goodness she was a mess.

“Look, you woke me up before the sun came up, and this ride ain’t free.  Your fair is why your currently intoxicated on the curb near East End of all places.”

Marinette shook her head again, trying to get the image out of her head.  He had found her.  She had tried so hard to get away from it all, it had been three years now since she left and there wasn’t a hint anyone had gotten a whiff of her.  Now they know, he knows.  He found her and everything she did and built up is OVER!

“Marinette you need to breathe!  Come on Pix, I’ve got you.  Shhhh, hey, it’ll be alright.”

Marientte could hear the steady Ba-dump ba-dump of a heart against her ear and began to subconsciously match her breathing to the sound as the feeling of a warm jacket around her shoulders began to pull her back to reality.

“Hey, it’s okay Pix.  You’re doing so good.  Just keep breathing, I’ve got you.”

Marinette let herself fully slump against the older man, soul deep exhaustion pulling heavily against her body.  There was the sound of a bottle being kicked and Marinette quickly sat up, high alert.  Only reason she didn’t hit Jason’s face being that he had an extremely fast reaction time.  Marinette searched for dark green slitted eyes in all of the shadows that surrounded the two.  He had already seen her, recognized her, he had left flowers on her-no, she wasn’t going to think about that now.  She couldn’t, but what if he was watching her even now?!  Jason looked around in the dark, his guard high, but there was nothing.  When she looked up to check the roofs and saw nothing she looked back at the sky, the smog was covering the sky again, there was nothing to look at anymore.  

“Hey, why don’t we take you home?”

Marinette flinched at that.  She couldn’t go back to her apartment, he could be waiting for her.  Memories of what had happened in Paris flashed through her eyes and she began to shake.  Not again, not again, not again!

“It’s okay, we don’t have to.  You can come stay at mine.  There should still be some of your clothes there from your last visit, and I don’t mind lending you some if you need it.”

That sounded good.  Jason had always protected her before.  He had never done or forced her to do anything she wasn’t comfortable with.  He was here after all.  She was drunk off her a* and he hadn’t made a single move on her.  He would have.

“I don’t want to go back.”

Was all she muttered as she burrowed further against Jason’s chest.  Going back meant she would be–that something bad would happen.

“Alright, I’ll take you back to my apartment.  Everything will be okay.”

And with that Jason carefully stood up letting Marinette wrap her legs around his waist as he walked the short distance back to his bike.

“Can you hold onto the handle bars?”

Marinette gave a small nod and let him help her onto the bike before he sat right behind her.  Marinette gripped the handle bars, relishing in how safe she felt as Jason’s arms nearly encircled her as he too grabbed the handle bars.  She leaned back against his chest slightly and stared at his face as they drove at high speeds through Gotham back to Jason’s personal apartment.  As she gazed at him she watched at the city lights continuously reflected in his eyes creating new universes with every corner taken.  She was so mesmerized by his star-like eyes she hadn’t even realized that they had come to a stop.

“You doin’ okay Pix?  Your cheeks seem a little pinker than usual.”

Marinette shook her head slightly to rid her mind of all of her stupid thoughts, but it was a bad idea as it simply made her world more dizzy which made her blush even more out of embarrassment.  She let Jason escort her up the flights of stairs and let herself finally relax once they entered the modest flat.  She was safe for now, at least that’s what she wanted to believe.  For now, she would relish this starry night and the gentleness Jason showed only her as he made sure that she was comfortable while she recovered from her …outing.  Slowly she shut her eyes as the feeling of a warm blanket surrounded her and leaned into the gentle kiss placed upon her temple.

“I’ll wait till ready Mare.  Just remember that I’ll always be there for you.”

Marinette smiled at the words and let herself fall into a gentle slumber where she dreamed of a turquoise galaxy with orbs of bright light surrounding it.

Taglist:

@aespades @adrestar @astrynyx @doll246@queenz-z @toodaloo-kangaroo@crazylittlemunchkin @seraphichana @miraculous-ninja @dorkus-minimus @mysticsoulgirl @ritacrow-blog @snow-leopard-777 @fidget-eep@sometandomstuff333 @lady-phoenix-of-tardis @shreeing @achaoticmess1 @liquid-luck-00@buginetye @stainedglassm @prettylittlebutterflie@laurcad123 @iloontjeboontje @heartsong18@raeuberprinzessin @when-no-wings-do-broomsticks @jennifer-rose123 @moon5608 @corporeal-terrestrial @skitarii-alpha-c6-555@saltysugarysembei @phantom120 @kking13@depressed-bitchy-demon

#maribat #dc x mlb #mlb x batman #mlb x dc #angst #fluff #marinette dupain cheng #jason todd #jasonette july 2022 #jasonette july #jasonette #day 11 #marinette is drunk #Dark past #ambiguous dark past #ambiguous threat #protective jason todd #marinette needs a hug #marinette gets a hug #what are self preservation instincts #Never heard of them

[chaosrivalsperfection]

AIM

A small woman crouched at the edge of the roof, the cool night winds gently pushing against her. She twisted, snapped her hand up and stopped the small projectile centimeters from her shoulder. A small grin slipped onto her face, "I knew you missed me." A tall man stepped from the shadows. Another batarang was held loosely in his hand. The awful blank face of his red helmet didn't allow her to know if he was enjoying the teasing tonight. She pushed up from her crouch, her heels hanging off the edge. "Your aim is getting better, though." His shoulders stiffened as he let out a sigh. "You can't do this in Gotham. This isn't Pa-" "Non, non! You aren't allowed to fuss at me about running around at night!" She stalked forward, so she could jab his chest. "Especially with that monstrosity on your head." He pulled his helmet off with a sigh. "You can't run around Gotham at night, Pix. The bats are paranoid." "Don't say that like you aren't one of the bats, Monsieur Hood. I've seen you running around with them." "It's not-" he bit his words with a growl. "Just stop it. Go home!" "Oh, Monsieur Hood. You should know by now that I can't." Her eyes dimmed as she stepped back. "But, for you, I'll stop running around Gotham." The eyes of his mask narrowed. She grinned. "For tonight...I'll see you around, Monsieur Hood." Before he could say anything, she leaped off the building. He rushed to the edge and looked for her, but she was gone. "So, Little Wing, who was that?"

#jasonette #jasonette july #maribat #dc x mlb #Day 1

[ev-cupcake]

Prompt: Blush

Hello it's me again, thank you all for the positive reactions to my last two fics. Here's another one. It's short but it's fluffy. And I guess it could be a part 2 to 'Classic'. Enjoy

-🧁

Jason Todd sat quietly in a corner reading a book as fire light flickered in the room. It was snowing outside but the chill didn't reach him, or the woman snuggled into his side. It was a scene of simple comfort. Untethered by worries or care. That is until there was a small set of squeaks coming from the nursery.

Marinette lifted her head and looked in the direction of the noise. When there was no follow up sound she sighed and lay her head back down on her husband's shoulder, but almost as soon as she was comfortable again crying filling her ears. She groaned and went to go get their newborn daughter, Marianne. Jason set his book down as his wife sat next to him, smiling daughter in hand.

"What was wrong?" He asked gently as he tickled her toes.

"She just wanted attention, she stopped crying as soon as I picked her up."

Jason smiled "Well Pixie, I don't blame her, if you picked me up, my worries would disappear as well." 

A blush spread across Marinette's face, before she nudged his shoulder. "Is that so?" 

"Would I lie to you?"

"Yes. Or are you forgetting the first year of our relationship?"

Jason laughed "In my defense I told you my identity before you told me yours." 

"Fair." 

Their banter died down and they settled into pleasant silence. The little family was comfortable and happy, and the fire cast a blush-like glow across the lot of them.

.

.

.

.

Notes:

The name Marianne is from Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen. So I thought it was something Jason and Marinette might actually pick. Since Jason is a nerd.

Please give me feedback. I don't know what I'm doing. I am winging everything

Tags:

@maribat-calendar-events

@jasonette-july-event 

@aespades

#ladybug #Marinette #Jasonette #Jason todd #Marinette todd #oc child #fluff #maribat #maribat fic #jasonette july #jasonette july 2022 #jasontodd #marinette dupain cheng #maribat event #mlb x dc #dc x mlb #dcu x mlb #mlb x dcu

[lazy-alex]

@maribat-calendar-events

"The blood will not dry"

| Jasonette July 2022 | Aim | Day 1 |

[masterlist] [next]

A look of shock covered her features as the red and black polka-dotted gun fell on her hands. The weight was not unfamiliar to her.

She did not expect this.

The miraculous never gave lethal weapons. Even with the hidden desire deep inside her, the miraculous never succumbed.

But it was not impossible. There were tales of old users using swords and other blades.

And now...

Ladybug gripped the handle.

They gave her a weapon she knew best.

Not even once it crossed her mind that she would be given a choice to take a life. A real choice. Not like the ones she made as a kid.

Now she understood.

The miraculous is about balance. Hawkmoth is disrupting the balance. It's their job to do whatever it takes to preserve that balance.

And eliminating the ones who cause disturbance is the job of being a miraculous user.

Ladybug refocused herself. She loaded her gun swiftly with a clink. She took a deep breath and changed her stance to the one her brother taught her.

The gun was aimed between Gabriel's eyes.

Gabriel smirked and Ladybug had to control her breathing. She took a glance at her knocked-out partner; it was better if he didn't witness her killing his father.

"Are you that desperate ladybug?"

Yes.

I want to be free.

Gabriel chuckled. "Can you really go that far?"

Marinette took a breath.

Flashbacks entered her mind. Blood. There was blood everywhere.

Bruises in her wrists.

Pain. Fear.

A scream.

She wanted her brother. Where was her brother?

A gun in her hands.

Why. Why. Why.

A smirk.

She didn't like that smirk.

Blood.

The blood will not dry.

Ladybug blinked.

She gripped the handle harder. Gabriel didn't know. He didn't know what she had gone trough.

He needs to pay. He already did enough.

"I already did." She whispered.

Marinette pulled the trigger.

The blood will not dry.

-

:3 I'm back!

There is a continuation :3

#jasonette july #Jasonette July 2022 #maribat #o.o #gothamite marinette #platonic jasonette

[themaribatpit]

Love and War: Chapter 1

Prompt: Aim (Jasonette July) @maribat-calendar-events

Rating: M for violence

Ships: Jason Todd/Marinette Dupain-Cheng

A/N: Sorry, we’re a little late to the party because we’ve been busy. We promise, we’ve got some fun stuff coming soon for Jasonette July.  

Chapter 2

Chapter 1

Ladybug had been caught somewhere she shouldn't be, and this was confirmed by the click of a gun that she heard behind her. She slowly turned around, inch by careful inch she came face to face with the Red Hood. She could see the gun in his hand was pointing right at her, taking aim between her eyes. She slowly got to her feet, yes, this looked bad.  The explanation behind it, being that she was looking for the source of a magical presence that had the gods of creation and destruction on high alert...didn't help either. To him, this probably looked like a hero in a brightly coloured costume snooping around an infamous crime lord's warehouse. Ladybug could only nervously chuckle as she stared down the barrel of the gun.  She couldn't see the man’s face, just the harsh white lights on his red helmet that one would assume were meant to look like eyes.  "Looking for something?" It was hard to tell with the robotic sounding voice, but Ladybug could have sworn she heard a wry edge to the comment.  

"I was," she said as she slowly got to her feet.  Her hands leaning on the edge of the crate behind her.  She tried to keep up her nervous smile, maybe he'll see that she didn't mean any harm. "But since you're here," she said slowly as her eyes darted towards the ceiling, and her pressed her hands down on the crate.  "I guess I'll be on my way." Ladybug pushed herself against the edge of the crate and kicked one of her legs up towards his gun arm, it fired and struck one of the sprinklers above them.  She ducked down and bolted ahead, readying her yo-yo as she made her escape.  

As Ladybug made it out of the warehouse and into Gotham’s cold city streets, they both knew the pursuit would not end there.  The Red Hood continued to give chase as she swung away on her yo-yo. Whenever she managed to latch onto something, a grappling hook was never far behind.  She could do this all night, but she didn’t want to and sooner or later he would catch up to her.  She needed to hide and turn back into Marinette, and fast.  As she reached the twinkling lights and the bustle of Gotham’s Chinatown, she saw her chance to shake him off. 

Ladybug slipped into the alleyway and had mere seconds to throw him off.  “Spots off,” she muttered. With a swirl of green light, she stopped looking like the former Parisian superhero and more like a small young woman.  Marinette dove into the crowd of people who were either making their way home or getting some warm late night comfort food.  Marinette glanced behind her to see the tall figure land surprisingly gracefully on the rooftop she leapt from moments earlier.  While he searched for a woman in a bodysuit, Marinette looked away and dusted off her pink chiffon dress.  

She quickly walked back to her apartment, only stopping to get dinner. As far as everyone else knew, Marinette had come to Gotham to open a small fashion studio.  They didn’t know that Ladybug was here to continue to do good as a hero and as the Guardian of the Miraculous.  Well, at least in the sense that she was continuing to help people by night, while she ran a small boutique and designed clothes by day.  The tiny apartment was no bigger than a shoebox, but Marinette did everything in her power to make it comfortable.  She always made warm bread and sweet cakes in the tiny kitchen.  She had a thick soft futon on the few occasions she managed to get some sleep.  Her sewing machine, mannequin and drawing tablet were neatly sectioned off into one corner.  The tiny bathroom also had a bath she could submerge herself in, and there was a small shelf full of products that made her smell like a flower garden.  As Marinette stepped inside, there was one other thing she neglected to tell her family and friends about.  While Marinette toiled away at her commissions and designs, there was one person who was a constant presence in the apartment.  When she stepped inside and shrugged off her coat, he looked up from his spot atop the futon.  He had been reading a book that was roughly the size of Marinette’s head and leisurely turning the pages. “Busy day at the shop?” he asked. Marinette shook her head, “I was feeling hungry, so I went and got something to eat.” She set a takeaway bag down on the small dining table, taking out the small bento inside and offering it to him. One thing she neglected to tell the people back home in Paris about was the fact that she wasn’t alone in the tiny apartment.  She met someone shortly after arriving in Gotham, and that someone would often stop by the apartment, so often that he practically lived there. He was a guy who, on the surface, towered over her and looked strong enough to crush her into a coke can if he thought about it hard enough.  She was drawn to his kind eyes and gentle smile, and he had a fondness for literature that made him seem like he was more than just the tall brute people made him out to be.  That being said, he could still be intimidating towards other people when he wanted to be.  

As her boyfriend ate the bento, Marinette slumped down on the futon.  She lay there quietly for a moment, her mind racing with thoughts about her encounter with the Red Hood.  She had heard whispers and rumours about him in the area.  People didn’t know what to make of him, but they were all certain that no one should cross him.  Ladybug had probably made herself a target by searching for something in one of his warehouses.  She couldn’t trust anyone else in Gotham to understand or make sense of it, nor did she want anyone else to get hurt because of it.  All she knew was that Tikki had been feeling an unsettling magical presence ever since they had landed in Gotham.  It was like a curse hung over this neighbourhood, possibly the whole city.  They even felt its presence in this very apartment.  They had always felt it from time to time, making a note to tug on the inside of Marinette’s sleeve when they felt it was particularly strong.

The spot on the futon next to Marinette dipped a little when her boyfriend finished his food. He was probably going to read a few more chapters of the book he was reading before she came home. “Jason,” she asked, her voice partially muffled by the bed sheets as she buried her face in them, “could you read me a story?”  Marinette felt his fingers brush against the top of her head, gently sweeping aside the lock of hair in her face.  As he softly read out the words on the page, she felt herself sink deeper and deeper into the futon, letting sleep take her.

Having read aloud the next few paragraphs of his book, Jason glanced down at Marinette, snoring softly beside him.  She looked completely and utterly at peace, she wasn’t plagued by nightmares of killer clowns or the agony of being dragged back into the land of the living.  As far as she knew, he worked at the Iceberg Lounge, she didn’t need to know that he owned the place.  She didn’t know that her colourful little apartment was probably the last place anyone would go looking for the infamous Red Hood.  She had heard of the Red Hood, heard stories of how he became Gotham’s most formidable crime lord.  She once said that she couldn’t imagine what would drive someone to do that.  Marinette once told him that Paris was under a long reign of terror. One where someone’s negative emotions made them a target for magic users who wanted to turn them into monsters.  She felt as though they were, usually, still people underneath.  In this case, they were people who were often being controlled and made to do someone else’s bidding.  She didn’t understand how someone could be driven to kill those same people.  So, Jason kept his other identity to himself. He kept telling himself that it was because he didn’t want to put a target on her back. Ever since he returned from the grave, he fought with everyone he thought had once cared about him. Marinette had been the one thing that hadn’t been tarnished by his ordeal.  

Jason almost never slept when he stayed over in Marinette’s apartment, last time he drifted off to sleep, he had a nightmare about being submerged in the Lazarus Pit.  He woke up to Marinette looking down at him with a very concerned look on her face.  Once or twice, he saw that same concerned look in her eyes when she noticed the scars that marked his body.  So while she slept, that gave him plenty of time to be alone with his own thoughts.

He remembered meeting Marinette for the first time in a small bookshop that he often frequented.  It was run by a charming old couple and Jason liked the place enough that he took extra care to make sure nothing bad happened to it.  As he looked through the shelves lined with books new and old, he spotted a peculiar sight a few sections over.  He saw a young woman that was about a foot shorter than he was, trying to reach a book that was just out of her reach on the shelf above her.  She looked around, unable to find a stool or step ladder to help her reach it.  She resorted to trying to climb the shelves, and only then did he think to go over and help the poor girl.  

Her face was scrunched up in concentration as she got closer to the book that she wanted. Unfortunately, one of her feet also slipped, and she would have tumbled to the ground had Jason not been there to catch her.  The girl gave a startled squeak, before she looked up at him. He stopped and stared for a moment, she had inky black hair, a round heart-shaped face, and expressive eyes that drew him in. She glanced down at her feet, blushing with embarrassment over what had just happened.  Jason quietly chuckled, it was just too adorable.  He reached up and grabbed the book that she had been trying to reach, before handing it to her. “Th-thank you,” she stammered as she took the book from him “Don’t worry about it, just try and remember the shelves aren’t really for climbing,” he joked.

“Sorry, we can’t all be giants,” she retorted, “some of us just have to try and adapt.”

Jason glanced down at the book, trying to start a conversation that didn’t devolve into him mocking her short height.  “So what��s a young lady like you doing trying to reach for a book on knitting?” Jason asked.

“If you must know, I just opened up a boutique in the area,” she said, smiling warmly yet proudly, as if she hadn’t set up shop in one of the most dangerous cities on the planet.  Jason was surprised anyone would set up something as unassuming as a boutique in the area, unless it was a front for something a lot less glamorous. 

“In Gotham, of all places?” Jason asked, her French accent didn’t go unnoticed. She clearly hadn’t been here long as her eyes still had a hopeful shine to them.  She’d probably feel more at home in Metropolis, though no self-respecting Gothamite would say that out loud. She tapped her chin thoughtfully as she looked through the other shelves, seemingly undeterred by the slight surprise in Jason’s voice.

“Yes,” she said, “plan to try and scare me away?”

“Around these parts, there’s probably no one scarier than me,” Jason was only half joking this time. 

“I’m shuddering with fear,” she retorted sarcastically, Jason knew she wouldn’t be laughing if she knew the things he’d done just last week.

“Well, if you do decide to stick around, Gotham might actually get some sunshine this year,” he was about to turn and walk away, to squirrel this fun little back and forth in the back of his mind somewhere. Maybe it would be a funny memory, the kind that would make him smile, at least on the inside.

As he was about to walk out of the little book store,  rapid footsteps trailed behind him and a card was stuffed into his hand.  Jason stopped and looked down at the card, before glancing at the young woman who gave it to him.  “Come by the shop sometime, it would be nice to see a familiar face,” she suggested, with a hopeful glow in her eyes that Jason couldn’t bear to say no to.

Jason glanced at the name on the card, “Marinette Dupain-Cheng, a pretty name for a pretty girl” he thought.  

“Also, I never got your name,” Marinette scratched the back of her head, somewhat embarrassed at the realisation. 

“Jason Todd,” he said, “I guess I’ll see around, Pixie.” With that, he turned and stepped out into the frosty streets.  

Since that day, and the months that followed, Jason had managed to play the parts of the loving boyfriend and the brutal crime lord.  On occasion, the two sides came dangerously close to merging together.  Needless to say, there was a reason other crime lords didn’t come knocking on her shop door demanding protection money.

He came by once as the Red Hood, and this time he was met with Marinette having a much more guarded and serious expression on her face.  Her eyes didn’t miss his holstered guns as he walked into the shop. Him being here was more of a show of the business being a part of his territory.  "Can I help you?" She asked tentatively, her eyes watched him closely. He wondered if she was perhaps trying to gauge his personal style from the leather and Kevlar.  

"This is just a social call, most people around here like to know who's in charge of the area," he explained.  

"Is that so?" she said, "Is there anything I can do for you Mr…?"

"Call me the Red Hood," he bit back the urge to say much more than that, one wrong slip of the tongue could give away who he was under the mask. "And you are…?"

"Marinette Dupain-Cheng, or 'MDC' for short." Marinette handed him the same card she gave him at the bookstore.  This time she carefully placed it in his gloved fingers with both hands, as if she was worried he might bite her if she got too close.  There was a cold professionalism to it, he had to remind himself who he was as he stood before her.  The warm little boutique just got colder at that moment.  

“So, nice place you got here,” he said, trying to make something resembling friendly conversation. Marinette tilted her head to the side, her eyes narrowing in suspicion. He could see her tense up at the remark, as though he was about to imply he would burn the place to the ground if she didn’t pay up.  

Marinette stared silently at Red Hood’s attempt at small talk, her eyes darted between his mask, his hands and his guns.  He understood he had overstayed his welcome. “Glad we got this out of the way, see you around, MDC.” He gave a brief wave as he walked out. 

#jasonette #jasonette july #jasonette july 2022 #maribat #ml x dc #dc x ml