#marijon

[mochegato]

Take a Chance

The large ‘Welcome University of the Arts London International Students’ banner draped ominously over the double doors to the ballroom, outside which Marinette and Adrien stood frozen, or rather, outside which Marinette stood frozen and Adrien stood patiently waiting for her to move.

Marinette smoothed down the full skirt of her dress, hands running and rerunning over her fabric as though there were wrinkles in it.  There weren’t.  She knew that.  However, that knowledge in no way impacted her need to smooth down her skirt or adjust the belt around her sleeveless fitted bodice, which she should have thrown a cardigan over.  Not only would it have warmed her up, but it would also have made the dress seem more casual.  “I’m overdressed,” she groaned.

“You’re not overdressed,” Adrien sighed, a bemused smile tugging on his lips.  He didn’t roll his eyes, but it was a close thing.  This was the fourth time they’d had this conversation in the short walk over.  And that was despite Adrien having intentionally directed the conversation away from that topic and toward finishing the furnishing for their apartment, their upcoming first day of classes, and plotting ways to get Felix to ‘network on an interpersonal level’ otherwise known as socialize.

“Everyone is going to be more casual than this,” she insisted as she stared at the doors in a familiar wide-eyed panic.  “Oh, this is a disaster!  Everyone is going to think I’m strange and not want to talk to me and then they’re going to avoid me for the rest of our time here and I’m going to spend my entire time alone and ostracized.”

Adrien turned to her with a flat look that he was positive would have had an effect if it hadn’t been softened by the warm look in his eye… and if she had been paying him any attention.  Unfortunately, she was too far down in her anxiety spiral to take notice of him or reality, really.

He’d learned long ago, when she was in this state, the only way to get her attention was to ground her through touch, which fortunately was how he liked to communicate as well, he would just need to make sure to ground her periodically throughout the night.  A hug or arm slung over the shoulders here, a forearm squeeze and hip check there and everything should be good.

He grabbed her shoulders gently and forced her to stop walking and turn to meet his eyes with a soft smile but firm voice.  “First of all, no.  Second of all, everyone is going to be so impressed with how good you look, they’re going to want to be your friend.  Third of all, nobody can avoid liking you.  Many have tried,” he smirked, the tension in his shoulders easing at the emerging ghost of a smile on her lips.  He would have mussed up her hair if he wasn’t absolutely positive she would have ripped his heart out with her bare hands for even attempting it.

“Fourth of all, if everything you said was to somehow actually happen, which it won’t,” he added in hastily before she could interrupt, “you’d still have all of us.  Felix and I live with you, Ash practically lives with us, Kagami is at our place constantly, and Felix seems pretty insistent on doing everything in the common area for someone who insists he doesn’t actually care about us.

“So, you couldn’t get away from us if you wanted to,” he assured her firmly.  He pulled her into a hug, wrapping his arms around her like a weighted blanket until he felt all the tension ease from her body, only then pulling away to kiss her temple.  “Now, we can go home, if you want to, or… we can be brave and face it… together.  And together, we can do anything.”

Marinette snorted at his dramatic delivery, but grinned back at him, giving him a determined nod.  “Together.  We can do this.  We’re going to have an amazing time and meet new, incredible friends.”

He grinned and clapped her arms.  “That’s the spirit.  Now let’s go make new friends, and maybe something more for you.”  He waggled his eyebrows at her with a smirk before unceremoniously shoving her toward the doors.

Marinette squawked as she fought to keep her balance, throwing a dirty look at him over her shoulder as she entered under the welcome sign.  She ignored his presence behind her in favor of scanning the room to assess the scene.  The tables were set up around the periphery of the room, but almost nobody was seated at them.  Instead, they all seemed to be congregating in small standing groups near the dancefloor, dancing on the dancefloor, or grabbing snacks at the small dessert table.

The music was almost drowned out with the sound of conversation and laughter.  Everywhere she looked, people were smiling, not a frown, scowl, glower, or sneer in sight.  The jovial atmosphere drained away the last of her anxiety.  The smile spreading across her lips was Adrien’s only warning before she yanked him toward a friendly looking group of students to their right.

They slowly made their way through several different groups, each more friendly than the last and everyone… well, some of the girls and one or two of the boys, were, in fact, impressed with her dress, and told her as much.  After an hour or so, she couldn’t be sure how long it had been, having long since lost track of time, she had completely forgotten why she had been anxious in the first place and now felt chagrinned by her initial fear, not that she was willing to admit that to Adrien.  She had absolutely no doubt he was already well aware and would rub her face in it enough at a later date.  Acknowledging it to him would only bring that ‘later date’ sooner.

Toward the end of the night, she finally gave into her curiosity and excused herself to check out the desserts, not that she wanted to compare them to her parents’ she just… did, and get glasses of punch for her and Adrien, who had been quite vocal about how desperately he needed a drink or he wasn’t sure he’d be able to survive the night and since Ash was already sick and could barely talk, he had to make sure he could.

She shook her head as she made her way over, reevaluating her friendship with the drama king the entire way.  Luckily, she now got to share the burden with Ash and Felix, well, mainly Felix, but really it was just a matter of time before Ash moved in with them, though she wasn’t sure if that would make it easier to deal with him because there’d be another person helping distract him, or worse because he’d be acting up for her.

She was so caught up in her thoughts she didn’t notice the man standing in front of the punch bowl already, only looking up when she was just a step away, too close to divert without bumping into him and… oh god!  She realized too late to stop it, who was also holding a glass of punch that she was definitely going to spill onto both of them.

She tried to move to the side to mitigate the damage and brace for the impact, but it never came.  In the blink of an eye, he’d managed to set the glass down and turn back to her, his arms cradling hers to keep her from falling.  She blinked up at him, her eyes owlishly wide and her mind racing to make sense of what had just happened, but it was having a hard time once she met his brilliant blue eyes.  The combination of his kind eyes, sweet smile, and strong arms holding her was messing with her head, making cohesive thought impossible.  The only thought that managed to make itself known was that he looked really nice, personality and physically.

It took longer than she would care to admit, to realize she hadn’t moved from his embrace, but had continued to stare captivated into his eyes.  She blinked a few times and hummed lightly before stepping back, a bright blush on her cheeks.  “I’m so sorry!  Thank you for saving me.  It’s a terrible introduction.  I’m so clumsy.  I’m so glad I didn’t spill your punch on you.  I was positive I was going to.”

He grinned at her, only then pulling his arms back from their position hovering around her to ensure she was stable.  “Nope.  Guess we got lucky.  No spills.  It would be a tragedy to ruin that dress of yours.”

“Thank you,” she murmured, her blush turning from a rosy dusting to a full-blown fuchsia.  She pushed a strand of hair behind her ear and looked down shyly as she busied herself with pouring a glass of punch, desperate for an excuse to look away while she willed her cheeks to cool down, a mission that would be helped significantly if his dark hair didn’t have those adorable curls falling across his forehead, almost long enough to fall into his eyes, and if his lanky appearance wasn’t belied by the concealed strength she could detect beneath his fitted shirt.

“Hi, I’m Jon.  American… uh, obviously,” he held his hand out to her, his eyes glinting brightly and his smile sweet and charming.

Marinette offered a small smile as she set down the drink to shake his hand.  “I little obvious, yeah.  But only after you started speaking…”  She turned away from him pretending filling her second glass was her greatest priority and not mentally chastising herself for her ridiculously awkward observation.  There was no reason to say that.  What did that even mean?  Of course it was after he spoke.  What else would it be?

It wasn’t until she noticed him moving to refill his glass that she remembered she hadn’t introduced herself.  She internally groaned and added to the list of things to chastise herself over while drifting off to sleep every night for the next few years.  “Bonjour.  Marinette.  French… also obviously.”

Jon chuckled, holding onto his glass with both hands, like he was nervous or unsure what to do with his hands, but he never lost his boyish smile.  “It’s nice to meet you, Marinette.”

“Enchanté,” she bobbed her head in introduction, her smile broadening at his bashful energy.

“Enchanté,” he repeated in a perfect French accent.

Her eyes lit up with a new-found interest.  “Vous parlez français?”

His bottom lip pulled down in a wince as his eyes dropped to his glass.  “A bit.  I’m learning.  I can’t… I’m not fluent.”

He sounded so apologetic, she couldn’t stop the chuckle that slipped out.  “Well, you sounded convincing,” she assured him, her voice kind but quiet.  His wince transformed into a brilliant smile at the compliment, causing her smile to widen as well.  After a moment, she blinked and took another sip while her mind raced for something to say, not willing to let the conversation drop so quickly.  She’d been talking almost nonstop all night long and yet now she couldn’t find anything to say?  “Are you enjoying the event?” she finally asked.

“I am, yeah.  I haven’t really met anyone other than my roommate so far in London, but I love meeting new people.  I’ve already met a lot of new people tonight.  You?”  She giggled at his wild gestures as he spoke, almost like he had forgotten he was holding the glass at all.  It was by sheer broken physics that the liquid stayed in the glass instead of ending up on both of them and the floor, table, all the other glasses, and some of the food.

“Yeah.  I’ve gotten to meet a lot of people tonight that I think I really like too, but to be honest, I was terrified at first,” she admitted, leaning closer to him and lowering her voice like she was divulging a deep, dark secret.

He cocked his head to the side and watched her with eyes only for her, waiting for her to enlighten him.  “Of what?”

She leaned back again and looked away shyly.  “I don’t know,” she lied.  Well, not an entire lie.  She knew some of her fears, but she didn’t know why she was afraid of it, she just was.  The idea of new people who she didn’t understand and couldn’t predict was terrifying.  It was almost never as bad as she anticipated, but it was like her brain never registered that little factoid when dolling out dopamine or serotonin.

“I can’t imagine anyone not liking you,” he offered so softly, she couldn’t stop herself from believing he meant it.

Marinette smiled and ducked her head to hide what she was positive must be a furious blush, taking another sip to hide the real reason.  “Adrien said the same thing as we were walking in tonight,” she admitted after a moment.

Jon’s face dropped momentarily but he recovered it quickly before she looked back up to meet his eyes.  “Well, he wasn’t wrong,” he smiled.

She snorted and waved him off.  “He usually isn’t, but don’t tell him that.  He doesn’t need the ego boost.”

She glanced back at the group of students she’d been in earlier, observing Adrien mid-story.  She could tell it was mid-story by the smirk he wore and the particular glint in his eyes.  That combination was unique to his telling a story that could be embarrassing, usually to her, if he divulged the entire story, and he knew she knew that’s what it meant.  She shook her head and smiled at him.  He couldn’t stop himself from acting like a cat even when she wasn’t watching.  “He was right.  I haven’t stopped smiling and talking since I got here.  I was just getting a drink for us.”

“Oh, right,” he nodded, his smile becoming a bit more forced as he eyed the second glass of punch.  “I’m sorry to take you from your date... well not sorry,” he admitted sheepishly as his hand found its way to the back of his neck, “but... I’m really glad I got to meet you.”

Her eyes snapped to his instantly at his admission.  “He's not my date...” she clarified quickly and a bit louder than she meant to.  She shifted awkwardly and took a breath before continuing at a more normal volume.  “I mean, he is, but not like date date.  It's platonic.”

Jon looked at the group of students she’d looked at earlier and back to her uncertainly, because they had been awfully touchy with one another throughout the night for a platonic relationship.  And that last look was awfully… familiar.  Not that he’d been watching her all night, at least not intentionally, but he’d found his eyes drifting back to her frequently.  Frequently enough that he was almost positive her friend had caught him several times.  “Does he know that?”

She smiled and added thoughtful to the list of his green flags.  “He does.  And so does his significant other.  They were supposed to be here, but they got sick.  I was supposed to be a third wheel.  Adrien and I are like siblings.  We went through a lot together in Paris.”

His smile returned in full force as the tension completely eased out of his shoulders.  He cocked his head to the side, his eyes sliding to the music stand and back to her, his smile softening with the movement.  “So, he wouldn't mind if we danced?”

Marinette smiled and brushed her bangs, not out of her eyes because they weren’t in her eyes, more she angled them toward her ear out of the need to do something with her hands.  His eyes followed her movement, but returned his eyes to hers so quickly she almost thought she’d imagined it.  “He would not,” she confirmed.

“Would you?” he asked slightly bolder this time.  He stepped around the table until he was standing just a few feet in front of her.

Marinette’s smile broadened as she grinned up at him, rocking slightly, shifting her weight from foot to foot, unable to control her sudden burst of energy any other way.  “I would not either.  In fact, I’d really like it.”

“Me too.”  Jon’s smile matched her own, shy but strong, as he held his hand out for her to guide her to the dance floor.  He wound through the couples until he found an open area, which led to a new issue… where to put his hands, which he fully realized was absolutely ridiculous.  This was hardly his first-time dancing with someone he liked.  He knew where to put his hands, but that didn’t stop his mind from screaming at him not to put his hands too low, that’s creepy, or too high, that’s strange, or too far toward her sides, they aren’t in middle school, or too far to the center, that would force her too close to him, which would be too forward for a first dance.  Or do French women expect men to be more forward?  Oh God, did that thought make him prejudiced?

His internal screeching battle royale was brought to an abrupt stop when she placed her hands gently on his shoulders and met his gaze with a sweet but nervous smile.  He felt the tension that had started building in his muscles immediately start easing and a content smile turned his lips up.  Instead of overthinking, he let his body act.  There was a bit more space between them than the other dancers, but it felt right for the moment.

They swayed together for a few moments, gazing into each other’s eyes with their shy smiles seemingly permanently fixed before Marinette spoke up.  “So, what are you studying?”

“Journalism,” he bubbled, his excitement for his chosen study bursting through.

“Oh,” she perked up, her eyes somehow becoming even brighter and moving a bit closer in her excitement, “my best friend is studying journalism.  How do you like it?”

“So far, I mean we haven’t started classes yet, but so far, it’s great,” he shrugged.  Marinette immediately cringed and barely stopped herself from turning around, running out the door, before dropping out of school entirely and starting over somewhere else so she would never have to face him again.  “I think that’s more the new environment and just, you know, college though.  Oh, no, wait, I’m supposed to say uni, aren’t I,” he chuckled and brought his hand from her waist to run it nervously through his hair.  He placed his hand back to her waist, unintentionally bringing it closer to the center of her back.  “What about you?  What are you studying?”

Her eyes slid to the side and braced herself.  “Communication design.  It’s studying how design can be used to communicate with the viewer,” she added quickly, used to the question by now.

Instead of the wrinkled nose and questioning look she was expecting, his smile widened.  “Oh! Maybe we’ll have classes together!”

“That would be great!” she grinned.  They swayed for a few more beats before she spoke up again.  “Where in America are you from?”

“Metropolis,” he answered quickly, hoping the reluctance he felt admitting that connection didn’t come through in his tone.  His eyes snapped to hers at the loud gasp she let out.  He’d already accidentally exposed his super speed to her just minutes before and now, combined with knowing he was from Metropolis, Superman and Superboy’s hometown… well, it wasn’t a large leap to his identity, was it?

“And you came here to study?” she demanded incredulously.  “They have a great paper there.  My friend wants to work there.  It’s why she went to America to study journalism instead of staying in Paris or coming here.  She wants to get an internship with Lois Lane.  If you ever meet her, my best friend that is, she'll ask you a thousand questions.”

“Oh?” he asked breathlessly, completely unsure how to react to that; relief she didn’t guess his identity or mortification of her knowing who his mom was.  His body decided on both in quick succession with a bit of self-doubt added in.  Should he tell her?  Did he want to expose that part of his life to someone he had just met?  Did he want to change the trajectory of their conversation?  He would almost believe she was fishing, a subtle hint that she knew who he was, but nothing about her physiology indicated she was anything but completely earnest.  One thing was definite, her friend had to knew who his dad was too then, at least his civilian identity.

“Yeah, she had a blog about Paris’ superheroes.  She was one of the go-to resources on them,” she answered, pride blaring from her tone, “she thinks Mme. Lane would be a perfect mentor with all her articles on the superhero in Metropolis but also other important things.”  She winced and looked back up apologetically.  “Sorry, I should probably know more than just ‘important things’.  Alya would be mortified by my ignorance.”

He blinked; her friend would lose her mind meeting his family, absolutely go apoplectic.  Luckily, Marinette didn’t seem as affected.  “Oh, well… she…” he stammered at a complete loss on how to continue the sentence.  He refused to lie about it, so instead, he diverted.  He looked up toward the speakers.  “It appears we’ve come to the end of the song,” he noted without loosening his grip on her.

Marinette hummed in agreement but didn’t step away while she considered whether she should return to Adrien.  She had promised to bring him a drink, and Jon may want to talk to other people, he had said he wanted to meet new people.  But he was still smiling down at her, his eyes glinting, and his grip hadn’t eased at all.  It all made her feel warm and bold as the next song started.  “We have.  But you asked me to dance last time.  It would be rude not to return the favor.”

Jon grinned brightly and tightened his grip on her fractionally, just enough to convey his contentment with her suggestion.  “Well, it would be rude not to return the favor and accept and I was raised to be a gentleman.  My Grandma would have my hide if I was rude to a beautiful woman.  Definitely safest to keep dancing.”

Marinette flushed and looked down, almost burying her face in his chest.  She looked back up after a moment but didn’t move away so her cheeky smile was clearly on display.  “But it would be okay to be rude to an unattractive man?” she teased.

He barked out a laugh and returned to look down at her adoringly.  “No, no it would not.  I suppose it was just a way for me to compliment you,” he admitted.

She beamed at him.  “Glad to hear I’m dancing with a rather handsome gentleman.”

He preened at the description and stepped closer letting his arms wind further around her back, not quite pulling her against him but leaving less space between them than had been there when they started, a space that decreased as they danced through the song, and the next… and the next, until Marinette had relaxed in his embrace so much, she had essentially melded against him.  Even when she pulled back to look up at him, craning her neck to speak to or giggle at him, she did so without moving out of his embrace.

She hadn’t realized how comfortable they had gotten with each other, his arms overlapping themselves around her waist, one of her arms resting comfortably around his neck and the other resting against his chest, their eyes focused on each other’s, their faces close enough for their breath to intermingle, only becoming aware of how close they were when she felt a tap on her shoulder.

She blinked out of the little bubble they’d created and looked around to find the interruption, admittedly taking a bit longer than it should have for her to remember where she was.  It took meeting Adrien’s amused smirk before it registered.  “I just wanted to let you know my throat is so dry, I might not be able to speak tomorrow, you’re a terrible date, and I’m leaving.”

Marinette pulled away from Jon just enough to bury her head in her hands with a groan, but stayed close enough she could have hidden her face in his toned chest if she’d wanted to.  “I’m sorry.  I’ve completely ignored you.  I did get a glass ready for you… before I got distracted.”

Adrien snorted and waved her off.  “I’m fully capable of getting my own drink.  I am somewhat self-sufficient, thank you very much, no matter what you and Alya… and Kagami and Felix seem to think.  And I’m happy to be ignored if you’re happy.”  His last word came out questioningly as his eyes met hers with a pointed look.

She looked between Jon and Adrien a few times.  “Oh!  Right.  Sorry,” she realized sheepishly, and shot Jon a reassuring smile.  “Jon, this is Adrien.  Adrien, this is Jon.  He’s a journalism student from America.”

Adrien nodded at her confirmation and turned to shake Jon’s hand.  “Nice to meet you, Jon.”

“And you, Adrien,” Jon grinned back, glad for the confirmation that neither seemed jealous or upset by his proximity to Marinette.

Adrien looked over him critically for a few seconds before seeming to come to a conclusion.  “I’d love to interrogate you, but I’d like to get out and check on my significant other, make sure they have eaten something and are drinking water, which they tend to forget to do when they get sick.  Plus, they’re winding up here anyway,” he added motioning around them.

It was only then that Marinette and Jon looked around them and noticed the crowd had substantially thinned and some workers were starting to stack chairs.  Marinette’s smile dropped and she looked over to Jon sadly.  “Oh, I’ll…”

“I can walk her home,” Jon piped up quickly.  He looked between the two of them but took particular notice of the way Adrien’s eyes tightened and his jaw clenched in response.  He reached into his back pocket.  “Here,” he handed a card to Adrien, “my student ID… and my real ID.”  He held it up next to his face and schooled his face into the wide-eyed image in the picture from when they took the picture before the count of three.

Adrien snorted and handed the student ID back.  “That’ll do for tonight, I guess.  I’ll just have to interrogate you next time you’re with Marinette.”

Marinette blushed heavily at the insinuation.  He looked over to Jon as he extended his hand to Adrien and smirked at seeing his matching blush.  “I look forward to it,” his eyes darted to Marinette, “if she agrees when I ask.”

Marinette smiled and Adrien nodded in approval.  “We’re having a get together at our apartment Thursday.  You’re welcome to come.”

Marinette’s head snapped toward Adrien, eyebrows almost at her hairline.  “We are?”

He snorted and shrugged.  “I invited the people we were talking to after you abandoned me.”

She groaned and dropped her head into her hands again.  Jon smiled at their interaction.  It reminded him a bit of Stephanie and Tim, comfortable and teasing, like siblings.  “I’d love to,” he chirped.  Marinette peeked through her fingers and offered him a small smile.

Adrien smiled as he watched them.  “Right then.  I’ll be back later tonight.  See you when I get home.”

She watched Adrien leave and turned back to Jon.  “So… we should probably…” she motioned toward the door.

He blinked as if startled by the reminder, trying to pretend he was distracted by something other than having been staring at the way the spotlights were illuminating her hair.  “Oh, right.  Yeah.”  He smiled and motioned for her to move first.  “Did you have a coat or a bag or…”

She shook her head and followed Adrien’s path out the doors.  “Nope, I’m good to go.”

He raised an eyebrow but nodded as he grabbed his hoodie from the rack.  “Okay.”

It took less than a minute in the now crisp evening air for her to respond the way Jon was expecting, a shiver wracking her body, though he could tell she was trying to hide it.  He draped his hoodie that he hadn’t even bothered to put on, expecting this outcome, over her shoulders and grinned at the look of her swimming in his clothes.  It didn’t completely swallow her, but it was clearly a few sizes too big.

She jumped at the contact and started to remove the zip-up with an insistence that he keep it, but he held his hand up before she could and motioned toward his shirt.  “I insist.  I’m not cold.  The long sleeves are enough for me.”  He grinned devilishly.  “And my grandma would leave me limping if I let a gorgeous woman shiver while I was hot anyway.”

Marinette blushed but looked up at him with a raised eyebrow.  “Should I be concerned?  Your grandma sounds rather violent.”

He barked a laugh.  “I’ve made it sound like that, haven’t I?”  He tucked his hands in his pockets but swung back and forth as he walked making him look goofy and childlike, and extremely sweet.  “She’s not.  She’s one of the most supportive, sweet, down to earth, but no-nonsense women you’ll ever meet.”

She nodded and looked forward with a shy smile, pulling the hoodie tighter around herself and letting his smell engulf her.  “How are you liking London?” she asked as she looked up at him and swayed close enough their fingers brushed ever so slightly.

“I haven’t really seen very much of it,” he admitted sheepishly.  He ran his hand through his hair again, but quickly dropped his hand back down so it brushed hers again, even more firmly this time.  “So far it seems not too different from home.  I’m still trying to understand London’s vibe.  I’m positive there’s a ton I’m missing.  How about you?”

“It’s been fun,” she nodded.  “I’ve been here a few times, though.  I don’t know it like a native, but Adrien’s cousin, Felix, does.  Maybe I can ask him for advice, and I can let you know.”  She looked down but glanced up at him through her lashes.  “Or we can explore together,” she offered.  “I mean, I’d like to get to know the area better myself.”

“That sounds great!” he gushed.  “Oh, no wait.  What is it they say here?  That sounds brilliant?  Brill?”

Marinette giggled and shook her head.  “I’ve never in my life heard Felix say that but I suspect that’s more a Felix thing than an indication of British slang.”

“He sounds like an interesting fellow,” Jon chuckled.

“He… takes some getting used to,” she acknowledged slowly.  “He’s a bit prickly.  A bit standoffish…” she paused as she thought about how to describe Felix.  “A bit hostile,” she finished with a cringe, but she quickly turned it to a smile.  “But once you do get used to him, you’ll never find a more loyal friend… sometimes too loyal.”  She almost voiced her mental completion of ‘dangerously so’ but thought better of it.  “He’d try to overthrow a government if he thought you needed him to.  Probably succeed to,” she finished with a mutter.

Jon snorted.  “Yeah, I’ve got one of those too.”  He grimaced thinking of Damian meeting Marinette.  Honestly, it was impossible to tell if he’d embrace her, not literally of course, or try to kill her… literally.  “Honestly a bit scary what he could do if he put his mind to it.”

Marinette beamed up at him, but her eyes slid past him to the sky above and gasped.  The stars were shining bright enough she could make out a few even in the middle of London.  “Look, you can see a few stars!”

He hummed and scrunched his face, as if he needed that to assist seeing them and couldn’t see them perfectly with his enhanced vision.  “A few.  That’s something I miss from home… well, not home, but kind of home, my grandparent’s home; seeing the stars,” he rambled.  He shoved one of his hands back in his pocket, leaving the other to graze hers.  “At night you can see the entire Milky Way sometimes.  Millions of twinkling lights, absolutely gorgeous,” he sighed.

Marinette watched his dreamy expression for a few moments.  “I miss seeing stars like that,” she agreed.

He quirked his head to the side and looked back at her.  “You can see the stars in Paris?”

“Well… no,” she acknowledged.  “We don’t get to see the stars almost ever in Paris.  But I’ve gotten to see them closer and they were gorgeous,” she sighed, breathless at the memory of how beautiful the stars were between the fighting.

His face scrunched in earnest this time.  “Closer?”

Marinette’s eyes widened.  “Uhhhh translation issue,” she exclaimed quickly.  She shot him a strained smile.  “I never asked you, what brought you here?  It’s a long way from America.”

He eyed her suspiciously, but let it go.  “It’s one of the top schools for journalism,” he started slowly, still watching her closely, “and one of my mom’s colleagues, one she really respects, went here and would tell me about it for ages and…”  He sighed and looked down the street as they walked as he considered his next words, which was particularly difficult when he could feel her hand brushing against his so much it was like they were magnetized.  “I don’t know how much you know about Metropolis, where I live, but there is a lot of rogue activity.  I just… really wanted to get away from it, to have a normal college experience, a normal life experience, without fear of my school blowing up.”

Marinette chuckled mirthlessly.  “I get that.”

“How about you?” he asked, lightly bumping his upper arm into her shoulder.

“A bit of the same actually,” she acknowledged hesitantly.  “It’s a great school for design and, while I love Paris, it will always be my home… after our villain, there’s a lot of memories and a lot of aftermath, especially for Adrien.  I have family in London and so does he.  His cousin is going to a school just down the road, the London School of Economics?  So, he’s here and one of our best friends goes there as well so she’s just a metro stop away.  It seemed like a natural choice.  And it’s really easy for me to jump on the Eurostar and go home whenever I miss my parents or friends.”

“Yeah.  I’m close with my parents and friends too and I felt a bit bad leaving them but if they need me, it’s a quick flight home.”  He froze, his eyes darting to her and away quickly.  “I meant hop onto a plane and fly home.”  He rubbed the back of his neck and chuckled anxiously.  “How else would I fly?”

Marinette laughed nervously and glanced at her dress pocket.  “How else indeed…”

“But I do miss my friends,” he added quickly.  “I call all the time, but it’s different when you’re not in the same room.”

Marinette hummed in agreement.  “Yeah, like I said before, my best friend is also getting a degree in journalism, but decided to go to America for it.”  She chuckled and lightly slapped his arm to pull his attention back to her.  “It’s almost like you guys switched places,” she teased.  Jon grinned.  “And her boyfriend, Adrien’s best friend, is getting his degree at a film school there too, so even when we go home to visit, we still won’t get to see them.”  She sighed wistfully, a far-off look in her eyes.  “We used to basically live in each other’s houses.”

Jon nodded solemnly.  “The price of independence and a new start.” They walked for a few more steps as the weight of his words set in.  He suddenly bounced in front of her and started walking backward with a bright grin.  “But!” he motioned toward the Millenium Bridge in the background, “how else would I get to see things like that.  And I wouldn’t have met you tonight.  And that would be a shame.”

Marinette giggled.  “Tragic.”  She bit her lip in a vain attempt to keep her smile from beaming too wide as she moved her hand so he could grip it completely.  Her heart was thundering in her chest as she waited for him to respond, only slowing slightly when he finally interlaced their fingers and shot her a radiant smile.  No, nope.  She was pretty sure it was racing even faster after he took her hand.

“Exactly,” he agreed.  He turned back around to match her pace by her side again, this time, gripping her hand tightly in his, as they walked in companiable silence for a few blocks, throwing shy glances at one another.  “Penny for your thoughts?” he offered.  “Oh shoot, no, I guess it’s shilling for your thought or something.”

She smiled but looked away shyly tilting slightly away from him as she figured out how to verbalize her jumbled thoughts.  Her mind was racing, but not in the usual, overwhelming, anxious way.  She might not be able to pin them all down, but she could feel they all pointed to one conclusion.  “I’m thinking… I’m glad I took a chance.  I’m glad I faced my fears and went tonight.  I’m glad I decided to get a drink by myself.  I’m glad I said yes when you asked me to dance.  I’m…”

“I’m glad you let me walk you home tonight,” he added.

She turned her bright smile to him as she stopped and faced him.  “Yeah, that too,” she agreed.  They gazed into each other’s faces smiles so wide they surely outshone the stars.  “This is me,” she finally announced.

He looked up at the building and back to her with a nod.  “Oh.  Well, that… You were right.  That really was close.”

She hummed and rocked on her heels, not ready to let go of him yet.  “How about you?”

“I’m really far, but I’m right on the metro, no wait, Underground, so it’s not bad.”  He looked up at the building and back to her, not easing his hold on her hand either.  “Can… would it be okay if I called you sometime maybe... maybe to explore London together?”

Marinette beamed and bounced in place.  “Yes!”  She cleared her throat lightly and tried again.  “Yeah.  That would be nice.”

He grinned brilliantly.  “Great.  That’s… that’s great.  Yeah.  Oh!”  He pulled out his phone and handed it to her.  She entered her number letting her fingers brush against his as she handed it back with a matching grin.  Even after having held her hand for the last half hour, the contact still sent a jolt of electricity through his body.  “Thanks.  I’ll call?”

She hummed in agreement.  “I’d like that.”

He started to walk away but Marinette called him back, running the last few steps to meet him.  She stood in front of him smiling for a moment before taking off his hoodie and handing it to him.

She looked up though her eyelashes, a look that he quickly discovered melted him to his core.  If she ever wanted anything, all she would have to do is look at him like that.  “Thanks for letting me use it.”

“Anytime.  Literally any time.  Just let me know.  I have a lot of very warm clothes and I can’t wear them all at the same time…” he stopped and grimaced slightly, cheeks glowing in embarrassment.  She grinned brightly and looked down shyly.

“I don’t want to wait until tomorrow to figure it out,” he burst out suddenly.  “Will you go on a date with me?  Tomorrow?  Noon?  We can do lunch at Fields and a walk in the park?  Maybe you can show me around a bit too, since you seem a bit more familiar with London than I am.”

Her smile got impossibly brighter.  “Yes.  Absolutely.  That sounds brilliant.”

“Great.  That’s...”  he darted forward to kiss her on the cheek.  “I’ll see you tomorrow?”

“Tomorrow,” she nodded.

He waited until she was in the building before making his way to the Underground entrance.  She watched him enter before leaning against the door and squealing as she touched her cheek.  She raced up the stairs, pulling out her phone as she moved and pulled up Alya’s number to squeal some more.

#maribat #marijon #fluff

[verymuchimmortalcat]

I'm captivated by you, baby, like a fireworks show

For Bio Dad! Bruce Wayne Month, Prompt: Dating ao3 @maribat-bdbwm

Marinette paces across her room, glaring at her phone. Tikki had given up on her a while ago and was probably raiding the kitchen now. She types out a message, ‘would you be free on saturday?’ before backtracking and deleting it again. Why is this so hard? It’s just Jon. Too busy trying to figure out how to ask him out, she doesn’t notice when Dick pokes his head through the door and asks, “Something wrong?”

She jumps a bit in shock and he laughs. Glaring at him, she says, “No, not at all. Get out.”

Unsurprisingly, her brother doesn’t listen to her and walks right in, sitting down on her bed.  She stuffs her phone into her pocket before he sees too much. But because her siblings are both extremely annoying and ridiculously skilled, he catches sight of something and puts it together almost immediately. Marinette groans internally as his eyes light up and he grins. “It’s about your crush on Jon then?”

Hoping her face isn’t as red as a tomato, she shoots back, “What crush? I don’t have a crush on Jon Kent.”

Dick (truly an appropriate name for him, she thinks) laughs again, “And Tim has a regular sleep schedule.”

She doesn’t give in, “Really? Good that he fixed that then.”

Undeterred, he continues, “Just ask him out. I’m fairly certain he’ll say yes.”

Marinette sighs and walks over to her brother, sitting down next to him. “It’s not like I’m not trying. I just don’t know what to say. It’s not like I can just ask him to a movie or to play video games or anything. We do all that all the time. How will he know it’s a date?”

“Tell him it’s a date.”

She scoffs, “Right. Because that’s not terrifying at all.”

He offers her a smile, “Even if he says no, what’s the worst that could happen.”

She replies immediately, “He doesn’t want to be friends anymore and everything becomes so awkward that I have to move to Antarctica.”

He gives her a look, “The most realistic worst case scenario.”

“I don’t know how to do those.”

He sighs, “Even if he says no, which by the way is extremely unlikely, you’re not going to stop being friends. You’ve been friends forever.”

“But-”

“Just think it over.” And he pushes himself off her bed and walks out her room. Marinette lets herself fall back. It’s fine, she tells herself, it’ll probably go away soon enough.

.oOo.

It does not go away but it doesn’t really affect her interactions with Jon either. Things are normal and normal is sitting in the living room and beating Jon at video games. She turns to look at him, ready to rub her victory in his face but she’s met with a look so full of affection that she falters. Somewhat vaguely, she considers the possibility of Dick being right in his belief that Jon would want to go out with her.

Jon frowns, eyebrows scrunching adorably in confusion and it strikes Marinette that she’s acting weird. But before she can say anything, the door opens and Damian walks in. “Kent, we have to leave now.”

Beside her Jon looks surprised, “Already?”

“Unexpected developments. Father wants us downstairs immediately.”

He frowns but gets up nonetheless, shooting her an apologetic smile. Marinette waves him off, “It’s fine, not like I don’t bail on you all the time.”

“You also apologise profusely every single time,” he points out.

She grins at him, “You can make your apologies next time.”

“I will,” he promises, getting up and leaving the room. Damian looks at her questioningly once Jon has left the room. “What?” she snaps.

“Get together and end this misery.”

She splutters, “Damian, if-”

“If he hears me, maybe he’ll finally believe me when I tell him you like him too.” And then he walks out of the room before Marinette can grab him and thoroughly interrogate him.

She’s in desperate need for better siblings. Except Cass, Cass is the best.

.oOo.

Marinette takes it back, Cass is the worst. Her older sister grins mischievously and repeats, “You want to know if Jon likes you?”

The part of Marinette that thought this was a good idea has shrivelled up and died. Yes, Cass will know for sure but also Cass is definitely going to tease her about this for the next while. Regardless she nods, “Please?”

“Do you think he likes you?”

She groans, “Maybe. I don’t know. Why do you want to know?”

The older girl’s grin widens, “It’s funny.”

Marinette glares, getting up to leave. She’s at the door when Cass calls out, “He does.”

She turns, “huh?”

“He does like you, it’s very obvious. Steph thinks he has heart eyes. I agree.”

Marinette’s heart is racing and she can’t stop smiling. “Thank you,” she breathes out before running out the room.

As soon as she’s back in her room, she pulls out her phone to text Jon. Tikki looks at her, confused. “I’ll explain in a minute.”

Marinette: are you free on saturday?

Jon: yup Jon: movie night?

Marinette: yes Marinette: it’s a date

Her phone starts ringing instantly. Taking a deep breath, she picks up. “Hi.”

He skips the greeting, “You meant it when you said it was a date? Like an actual romantic date?”

She bites her lip, her siblings like messing with her but they wouldn’t lie about this. “Yes.”

“I’d love to go on a date with you,” is the breathless reply that comes and Marinette can hear the smile she knows so well. An identical one spreading across her face. “See you Saturday then? The usual time?”

Tikki gasps.

“Ok.”

“Ok,” she repeats, still smiling. The conversation turns from there, switching to their usual topics. Admittedly there’s so much more giggling than normal. Tikki squeals when the call ends. “Oh Marinette, I’m so proud of you.”

Marinette blinks, letting everything settle in before squealing, “Holy shit! I actually did that!!”

Tikki giggles and hugs her holder’s cheek.

.oOo.

It’s at family dinner, two days later that Jason asks, “Could you not have waited one more week, Pixie?”

She tilts her head in confusion, “For what?”

“Dating the tiny Superboy.”

She stares at him for a second, processing his words before screeching, “You bet on this??????”

#maribat #my writing #bio dad bruce wayne #mbdbwm2023 #marijon

[ggomos-maribat]

It's Just Me, You, and the Cosmos

A small piece for SuperMari May, cross posted from AO3

Nothing else rang in his head except the harsh words uttered by Damian, and a replay of their latest mission which he apparently nearly steered to failure. Immature. Impulsive. Reckless. As much as he wanted to deny those descriptors, he only fell more disheartened. Sure he strayed away from the plan at times, but he understood the consequences of what he was doing. The rest of the team didn't see that.

The final blow was delivered when they mentioned his father.

Jon had flown out of their base as fast he could, withholding the tears pooling at his eyes. He knew he wasn't the glorified Superman, the symbol of hope and founder of the Justice League. He wasn't his father who had saved countless lives, who knew exactly what to do each time. He knew his own shortcomings more than anyone else and to have his insecurities thrown at him was like a kryptonite-infused slap in the face.

And that was how Superboy found himself hovering past the earth's atmosphere, in the vast space littered with stars. He had carefully avoided the Watchtower and its line of sight, propelling himself near the sun. He swallowed thickly. They can get by a few hours without me.

His friend lashing out wasn't a rare occurrence and he was certainly used to it, but it was one of the times he needed to take a step back. There was an anxious thought at the back of his head saying that he didn't actually deserve to be a hero, that he was dead weight if not a liability even with his powers.

Jon ran his hand through his head. That's not true. And yet the thought persisted as he thought back to their missions.

He suddenly felt a tap on his hand, startling him a little.

Floating alongside him was a girl, clad in a suit with a brown-red palette and black spots. A translucent visor covered her face, but he could see a mask surrounding her eyes. Matching the bluish tinge of her hair was a pair of sturdy wings on her back.

Jon tilted his head in confusion. Who . . .? For a second, he wondered if she belonged outside of earth but his gut told him otherwise.

The stranger seemed as surprised as he stared at her in scrutiny. She fished out a device from her side (a yoyo?) and plucked out a black circular object from it to offer to him. Co-mmu-ni-ca-tor, she mouthed.

Confusion unwavering, Jon accepted it.

"Who are you?" he immediately asked after fitting the comm in his ear. "What are you doing here?"

"Who are you?" she bounced the question back. Jon noted how her voice was light. Melodious.

"Uhh---err, Superboy?" He internally winced at his awkwardness.

Her mouth popped into an 'o' as a light blush covered her cheeks. "Ahh, sorry, I'm not familiar with all the heroes." She fidgeted before clearing her throat. "I am Ladybug---or Cosmobug?---heroine of Paris. Nice to meet you."

"Paris? I didn't know Paris had heroes."

Her figure shifted to more anxious movements. "Yes, um, Paris does but can you . . . maybe keep this a secret from other heroes?"

Jon only nodded, already making a plan to research it later. It wasn't like he didn't believe her, but as far he knew, Paris didn't have local heroes nor villains. If there was Ladybug-themed hero anywhere, he would've heard of them.

"So . . ." he trailed off, "If you're from Paris, what are you doing in space?"

Ladybug laughed nervously, her gaze averting. "I just needed to get away for a moment. It has something to do with our villain. I hope I didn't bother you?"

Jon blinked. It was now clear that she'd traveled to space to shake off some stress like him. And she's worried that she bothered me?

"I can go somewhere else but I'm afraid the Watchtower will see me and the Justice League will try to capture and interrogate me. Which is a bad, bad idea because they can't---shouldn't---know about Paris and it's dangerous if they find out anything," she continued rambling. "And it's ah, um, a potentially world-ending outcome---"

"Hey, hey, it's okay, you can stay here." Jon cut her off to keep her from spiraling. "I think it's better that I have a distraction anyway. And don't worry, I won't tell anyone about you."

She took a deep breath. "Really?"

"Promise." He smiled. "If it makes you feel better, I can keep you company."

Ladybug put a hand on her chest. "Thank you very much. What are you doing here by the way?" She looked around them. "Is there trouble in space?"

"No, I also came here to blow off steam actually," he admitted.

"What happened?"

Jon hesitated on telling her but he found himself unable to resist those wide curious eyes. A part of him was saying 'why not?' while he mulled over it.

But now the things upsetting him seemed pale---shallow---in comparison. This girl had to travel to outer space to get away from her city's villain. "It's not a big deal," he began, "We, the Titans, had a mission and I screwed the plan over when I attacked the enemy first because I realized they were going to kill the hostages before we made a move. My, um, friend got mad and it escalated from there."

"I get what I did wrong, I really do, and I was ready to apologize." His fists clenched subconsciously. "But I just . . . I felt so defenseless, like what he said was all true. Then there's this insane pressure being Superman's son and . . ."

If what she was going through was actually a thousand times worse than his situation, he was going to feel terrible.

He expected her to relay empty 'sympathy'. To give him a pat on the back, saying that 'it's going to be okay'. Instead, she nodded. "I get that. Sometimes, I just straight up sacrifice myself if nothing's going according to plan and my partner hates it when I do. But it's not like I'm mindlessly putting myself in harm's way. It's just the . . . best thing to do if we're out of options."

Her hand rubbed her arm, expression turning pensive. "And carrying a mantle? It's horrible. An important responsibility was passed on to me very suddenly and I keep worrying about having to fulfill that role because the city's fate rests on my shoulders."

Jon was awestruck. And at the same time concerned over the fact she seemed to be alone in her heroic burden.

He bit his lip. "Your life sounds . . . wow. Sorry, my rant was childish. Sometimes I think I don't see eye-to-eye with my teammates because I grew up 'normal'. I haven't seen the worst of everything."

As if she couldn't surprise him any more, she floated closer and put a warm hand on his shoulder. "Hey, it's not childish and it's good to air out things that upset you. Take it from someone who always doesn't have that luxury. You're still figuring things out for yourself, I think, and just because your teammates have different experiences, it doesn't mean they can say mean stuff."

He wanted to ask why she 'always didn't have the luxury' but kept his mouth shut.

"Actually, I'm . . . I was just an average Paris citizen before I became a hero," she chuckled. "The learning curve was seriously steep."

"Thank you." It seemed like all the tension had dissipated from him. "I probably can't ask many questions but I'm sorry about your villain?"

"To be honest space is already too far for him to get to me, but I wanted to be sure." Her cheeks were set aflame again. "Talking to you helped me too, so thanks for that. I wish I could tell you more, though."

"It's okay. That's your business and it looks like you're better off handling it without other heroes interfering, right?"

"Mon dieu, yes, thank goodness you understand." Ladybug's lips stretched into a grin. "If I met any other hero, they would've been nosy."

"But is there any way I can help?" he asked. "I know I can't be too involved, but . . . actually do you have something I can write on?"

She thought for a moment before taking out her yoyo and handing it to him. There was a digital screen on one half of it and a digital keypad on the other. Jon hastily typed on it. "This is my personal number. If you need some sort of backup for an emergency, you can reach out to me."

Giving her his number was a gateway to revealing his civilian identity, but he didn't mind. If there was a way to ease off this sweet stranger's troubles, he wanted to be that support just for her.

"Thank you so much," Ladybug breathed out. "You're trusting me too much."

Will we see each other again? Jon wanted to ask. He fiddled with his fingers before he said, "And if you want to talk again . . . about anything, give me a call, okay? I'll meet you anywhere."

"You're really nice," she said quietly.

A light on her yoyo flashed with a ping and the smile on her face was slowly replaced with a frown when she looked at it. "Sorry, I think I have to go," she apologized, taking out a pair of goggles from her yoyo. "I'll contact you, I promise."

Those mere words warmed Jon's chest. He watched her put on the goggles, summon a portal out of nowhere, and disappear into it. 

#marijon #dc x mlb #mlb x dc #maribat fanfic #maribat fic #marinette dupain cheng x jon kent #supermari may

[marauderundercover]

2022 Secret Santa Gift Exchange

For: @lifeexperience hope you enjoy!

Marinette was a simple child of parents who loved her, but not each other. Some of her friends at school had parents just like that, but they were divorced. But her parents never actually married, so they didn’t get a cool word. But really, all it meant was that she had to split her time between her Maman and her Dad. Unfortunately for her, her parents had decided to live a whole ocean apart. So she couldn’t just visit on weekends like her friend Max could. But it was finally summer again, and she was finally back in Gotham. Glancing around, Marinette grins widely the second she spots Alfred. 

“Alfie!” She cheers, running around the other people in the baggage claim area. Alfred’s lips twitch up into a small smile. 

“It’s nice to see you again, Miss Marinette.” He says. Marinette grins widely, pointing to the new gap in her teeth. 

“Look! I lost another tooth.” She says. Alfred raises an eyebrow. 

“Have you already received a visit from the tooth fairy?” He asks. She nods, holding Alfred’s hand as they walk through the parking lot. 

“Where’s dad?” She asks, swinging their arms. 

“Do you remember Mr. Kent?” Alfred asks. Marinette nods. He came to the manor a lot more than her dad liked, but she didn’t mind cause he usually brought his son Jon with him. “He and your father are in the middle of a meeting, and he couldn’t step away.” Alfred explains. Marinette resists the urge to ask if Jon was there too. Hopefully it was just a super quick meeting and then her dad could hang out with her. She knew that he was always super busy. He worked at a really big company, and he had a bunch of kids, and he was Batman. But he was still a good dad, and she knew he tried. 

“Is Cass home?” She asks, buckling herself into her booster seat (Alfred insisted, even though she tried to convince him that ten was plenty old enough to use a normal seat; apparently she was too short). 

“I’m afraid Miss Cass won’t be home for another week or so. Your brothers should all be there, though Master Duke and Master Tim won’t be staying for long. They’re going on a weekend trip with a few friends.” He explains. Marinette hums in surprise. It was really rare for Tim to leave Gotham for something not hero related. She’d have to make a bet with Damian to see what the odds were that Tim and Duke were actually going on a secret mission that they hadn’t told anybody about. It seemed much more likely. Marinette zones out on the rest of the car ride, just watching as her favorite city passes by. She liked Paris and spending time with her Maman, but Gotham had always felt more like her home. Gotham was where her dad and brothers and Alfred were. It was her home. As the manor appears out the window, Marinette grins at the sight of her dad waiting for her outside. The second the car stops, Marinette is out and running to her dad. She launches herself at him and sighs happily as he picks her up and wraps her in a big hug. 

“I missed you too.” He says softly, giving her one last squeeze before setting her down. “How was the last week of school?” Marinette sighs dramatically, grinning when she sees the moment her dad spots her new missing tooth. 

“I lost another tooth! And Alix didn’t even pull this one out for me.” She says happily. Her dad sighs, but she can tell he really wants to laugh. 

“You two are going to cause so much trouble one day, aren’t you?” He asks. Marinette shrugs. 

“Depends on if it’s fun or not. Where’re the boys?” She asks, leaning slightly to look past him. 

“Tim and Duke are packing, and Jason’s in the library. Last I checked, Dick was also in the library attempting to convince Jason to go do something else.” Her dad says with a small smile, the same smile he always got when he mentioned Jason. The memories weren’t super clear, but she did have some memories of when Jason died. She probably purposefully blocked out most of it, though. (Or that’s what Max thought, when she’d talked to him about it once; he was super smart). That was a rough summer. Tim hadn’t come around yet, and her dad and Dick were both really, really sad. And angry. As much as they’d both tried to hide it from her, she heard them yelling. And she saw the reports of what Batman was doing, even if the news only had stories and never any actual pictures of what Batman had become. No matter what she tried, she couldn’t get her dad back to who he was before Jason died. She spent most of that summer baking with Alfred and drawing in the library on the couch where Jason used to read her stories. By the time she came home for Thanksgiving (a holiday she knew her dad didn’t care about, but one he celebrated so that she could have an excuse to come to Gotham more) Tim was there. 

Snapping out of her thoughts, Marinette frowns when she realizes there was a brother missing. 

“What about Damian?” She asks. Her dad frowns as Mr. Kent smiles, and that’s when Marinette remembers Damian talking about his new friend, Kent. Her eyes widen. “Is Jon here?” She asks, resisting the urge to just run towards the manor. Her dad opens his mouth to respond, but Mr. Kent cuts him off. 

“They’re in the game room closest to the living room.” He says. Marinette squeals out a thanks before rushing off. Time to see Jon!

---

Bruce’s eyes narrow as he looks at one of his oldest friends. Clark just laughs, shaking his head. 

“You know she would’ve found them eventually, Bruce.” He says. Bruce huffs. 

“That doesn’t mean you had to just send her off to him.” He argues. Clark raises an eyebrow, the amusement clear on his face. 

“They’re kids, Bruce. It’s not like they’re going to get married tomorrow-” Clark starts to say, but Bruce cuts him off. 

“Or ever.”

“That’s not what Jon said.” 

“Clark-”

“Bruce, breathe. Last time they talked, Marinette apparently told Jon that she was going to marry him one day. It was very matter-of-fact and, need I remind you, they’re children. Plenty of kids have crushes that never amount to anything. And besides that, they’re friends, Bruce. Neither of them have many friends that know about everything. You really gonna take that away from either of them?” Clark asks, crossing his arms. Bruce sighs. 

“Fine. But we will revisit this conversation in a few years.” He says. Clark chuckles, but agrees. Bruce, who knows how determined his daughter can be, doesn’t laugh. 

---

“Jon!” Marinette squeals, running into the room. Jon turns around and grins, opening his arms. Before Marinette can throw herself into the hug, Damian steps between them, frowning. Marinette skids to a stop, raising an eyebrow at her older brother. 

“What is the meaning of this?” Damian asks, looking between them. Marinette huffs. 

“I was trying to hug my friend.” She says, arms crossed. Damian raises an eyebrow, crossing his arms too. 

“Kent is my friend, Marinette.” He says firmly. Marinette’s eyes narrow. 

“He was my friend first!” She counters. Damian turns to Jon. 

“Well, are you going to say anything?” He asks. Jon’s eyes widen. 

“Well, uh, I-” He stammers over his words. 

“Leave him out of this! Can’t you see you’re stressing him out!” Marinette yells at her older brother. He scoffs. 

“Oh, I’m stressing him out?” He asks. “What about you? Rushing in here and trying to hug him with no prior warning?”

“Jon happens to like my hugs.” Marinette says firmly. Damian snorts humorlessly. 

“Are you sure he isn’t just being nice?” He asks. Marinette feels her cheeks turn red. 

“Actually-” Jon starts. 

“Stay out of this, Kent.” Damian warns. Marinette rolls her eyes. 

“Why are you such a know it all, all the time?” She asks, trying hard not to scream. 

“Why are you such a little baby?” Damian taunts. 

“That’s it!” Marinette shrieks before letting out a battle cry. She rushes towards her brother, fists flying. Every time he dodges, she shrieks. She wasn’t trained like he was. It wasn’t fair! Suddenly, arms are around her, lifting her away from Damian just as Damian is restrained by Dick. 

“Whoa, whoa, whoa! What is going on in here?” He asks, looking between them. Marinette glances back, stopping kicking when she realizes Jason is the one holding her back. He was officially her favorite brother at the moment. 

“Marinette is acting like a child simply because Kent is now my friend.” Damian tuts, tilting his nose up. Marinette’s eyes widen and she immediately starts thrashing around again in an attempt to go kick the heck out of her brother. 

“You are the worst! That’s not what happened at all!” She argues. 

“Cool it, kiddo.” Jason says quietly. Marinette shakes her head. 

“No! He’s being mean, and I’m gonna beat him up for it!” She insists. Damian snorts, but immediately stops at the look Dick gives him. 

“Alright. You two clearly need some time apart right now. Jason.” Dick nods towards the door and Marinette’s eyes widen. 

“This isn’t fair! Why does Damian get to hang out with Jon? He’s probably hung out with him all day! He’s my friend too!” She complains, going limp in Jason’s hold. Jason sighs, taking her out of the game room and towards the library. 

“Just breathe, Mari. I’m sure you’ll get to hang out with Jon a ton this summer. He’s over here all the time now.” Jason says. Marinette’s face falls into a frown. Before Damian came, Jon never wanted to hang out at the manor all the time. Even when Marinette was in town. Did he….was he really her friend? Or was Damian right. “Okay kid, if I set you down, do you promise not to go beat the shit out of the Gremlin?” Jason asks. Marinette nods. 

“I uh, I think I’m really tired, Jay. I’m gonna go take a nap, okay?” She’s trying really hard not to cry. Jason frowns, but nods. 

“If you’re sure. Hey, you know you can talk to me, right?” He asks. Marinette nods, and gives Jason a half hearted smile before she heads upstairs. Was Jon really her friend?

---

An hour later, Marinette’s door creaks open slightly. She glances over and waves half-heartedly at Jason. He frowns. 

“Hey kid, are you okay? I thought you were gonna take a nap.” He says. Marinette shrugs. 

“Not tired anymore.” She says. Jason’s eyebrows scrunch together. 

“I was gonna head home,” He starts, and Marinette feels her shoulders slump even more. “But, if you want, you could tag along. I was gonna make spaghetti for dinner.” He adds. Marinette perks up immediately. Damian may want to hog Jon (who may or may not be her friend), but Jason was always there for her. 

“Can we watch Little Women? The one with Winona Ryder?” She asks, Jason grins and nods. 

“Sure thing, kid. Grab a bag and let Bruce know. I’ll wait outside.” He says. Marinette nods and quickly packs up a backpack, then hesitates. It was only her first night back home. If she asked her dad, she ran the risk of him saying no. And then she’d have to eat dinner with Damian. And Jon. Nope. No, siree, she wasn’t going to risk that. Grabbing a piece of paper from her desk, she scribbles out a little note. It’d be fine, and if he was mad at her…well, he probably wouldn’t be mad. She was leaving a note! Just in case, she hurries down the back stairs and out the side door. No need to risk running into her dad. She’d talk to him tomorrow. 

---

Bruce lets his shoulders relax as he walks in and sits down for dinner. Clark had left just after Marinette arrived, but he’d had League business that couldn’t wait. Which meant dinner was the first time he’d be able to actually sit and talk to his daughter since her visit at Easter. Looking around the table, he frowns. 

“Has anyone seen Marinette?” he asks. Tim glances around, then shakes his head. 

“Uh, no. Actually, I haven’t seen her all day. Wasn’t she coming home today?” He asks. Bruce nods, trying to push down the worry welling up. 

“Little D?” Dick says, and Bruce glances at Damian, narrowing his eyes. 

“Damian. Care to explain?” Bruce asks. Damian purses his lips and tilts his chin up. A move he got from his mother. 

“She was acting like a child. We argued and Todd removed her from the game room.” Damian says simply. Bruce sighs, pinching his nose. 

“What was it this time?” He asks, shaking his head. It never seemed to fail. Every time Marinette came to stay, she and Damian found something new to fight about. It never lasted for long, but he’d come to accept it as an undeniable truth. The sky was blue. Grass was green. Damian and Marinette argued. Simple. 

“I hardly see how that-”

“They were fighting over me.” Jon blurts out. Bruce raises an eyebrow. 

“Excuse me?” 

“Well, I’m friends with Damian now, too. And so he was mad when Mari was trying to hug me, and then she yelled back at him since we were friends first and I tried to stop them but they kept fighting so Jason and Dick made them split up and then I didn’t get to say anything else to Mari and so she probably hates me now.” Jon rambles, eyes wide as his lower lip trembles. Bruce resists the urge to groan. Of course they were fighting over Jon. 

“Shall I go get Miss Marinette from her room?” Alfred asks. 

“No, I’ll get her. Damian, tomorrow we’re going to have a talk about friends. And the fact that multiple people can be friends with the same person.” Bruce says firmly, heading towards his youngest daughter’s room. He knocks. 

“Mari? Sweetie, it’s time for dinner.” Bruce says. He frowns when she doesn’t answer. “Mari?” He calls, knocking again. Bruce purses his lips. Perhaps she fell asleep? He knocks one more time before gently pushing the door open. He doesn’t panic at the empty room. He’s completely calm and collected. The paper that catches his eye on her desk, the letter letting him know that she’d be back the next day and not to worry- that’s what makes him panic. Flashbacks of five years ago. An empty bedroom. A note. A crumpled form in the middle of an explosion. Steadying his breath, he rushes downstairs. He wouldn’t go through that again. He couldn’t. 

“Master Bruce-”

“Marinette’s gone.” He says, clutching the note like a lifeline. 

“What?” Jon squeaks out, his eyes wide. Bruce turns to Dick. 

“We have to find her. Dick, will you call Jason? The rest of us will head to the cave. Everyone needs to be on comms and suited up in twenty minutes.” Bruce instructs. And not even the familiar feeling of directing a mission can bring him calm. Not while his daughter is missing. 

---

Marinette sips her chocolate milk, shaking her head at the tv. 

“You know, sometimes I wonder how Jo and Amy are able to like each other again after all the times they kinda suck and are kinda awful towards each other.” She says. Jason raises an eyebrow. 

“Yeah?” He asks. She nods. 

“Yeah. But then I remember all the times that we all fight, and I kinda get it.” She sighs. Jason snorts, shaking his head. The landline rings and Jason reaches over and grabs it. 

“Hello.” He says simply. Marinette looks away from the movie, instead watching her brother’s face as shock quickly covers it. “What? No- I- Dick, shut the hell up and breathe. She’s fine. No, she is. She’s with me. Well- I- I thought B knew. Yeah. Mmhmm. Call the calvary back, she’s fine. She’ll be back tomorrow morning after breakfast. Because I promised I’d make pancakes. No, not for you Dickhead. Uh huh. Bye.” Marinette quickly turns her attention back to the movie, hoping he doesn’t try to talk to her about it. 

“I wonder if I could wear a dress like that to the next gala.” Marinette muses, hoping it’ll be enough to change the subject. Instead, the movie pauses and Marinette sighs. 

“So. Are we going to talk about this? Or am I just going to give you a little lecture?” Jason asks. Marinette pouts. 

“Why do we have to do either? Why can’t we just finish watching the movie?” She asks. Jason lets out a long breath. 

“Do you remember when I died?” He asks bluntly. Marinette flinches back, looking at her older brother with wide eyes. He winces. “Sorry, kid. But I promise it’s important.” Marinette frowns, eyebrows scrunching together. 

“Well. Yeah, I- I kind of remember it. It’s not super clear, but…I remember.” She says, pushing down the wave of sadness that wells up inside her. It was one of the hardest times of her entire life. 

“I don’t know how much you remember of that time, but I ran away first. I was determined to figure out who my birth mom was, so I left. And do you know what I did?” He asks. Marinette shakes her head. “I left a note. I didn’t tell anyone I was leaving, not even Alfred. I just left a note. And we both know how that ended up.” He says. Marinette’s eyes widen. 

“That’s what I did to dad. I just left a note- I thought- I didn’t want him to tell me I couldn’t go. I didn’t think it would-” She stops, trying hard to stop her tears. Jason opens his arms and she throws herself at him, crying. “I’m sorry.” She says. 

“It’s fine, kiddo. I know the whole Jon and Damian thing really upset you. But- and I’m gonna sound like a fu-freaking hypocrite here- but you’ve gotta communicate.” Jason says. Marinette sniffles, and leans back. 

“Do you think dad’s gonna be really mad at me?” She asks timidly. Jason shakes his head. 

“No, kid, I don’t think he will. I think he’ll be too relieved to be mad.” He says. Marinette starts to respond, but a tap on the window makes her jump instead. Jason immediately leaps off the couch and heads for the window. “Of freaking course.” He huffs before throwing the window open. Marinette frowns, until a familiar person steps in and her eyes widen. 

“Mari!” Jon calls, running over and giving her a big hug. Marinette blinks a few times, before she relaxes and returns the hug. 

“What’re you doing here?” She asks once he pulls away. 

“Yeah. I’d also like to know.” Jason says, walking over and crossing his arms. Jon laughs awkwardly before reaching back and scratching the back of his neck. 

“I uh, I was worried about you.” He says. Marinette feels a smile creep onto her face. 

“Really?” She asks. He nods. 

“Course I was. You’re one of my best friends.” He says. She raises her eyebrows. “Yeah, uh, I already told Damian that people can have more than one best friend. I think your dad’s gonna talk to him more about it tomorrow, but I didn’t wanna stop being your friend.” He says. 

“Still best friends forever?” She asks, holding out a pinky. Jon grins and links his pinky with hers. 

“Forever and ever.” He says simply. And he was right. 

When Marinette and Jon get married fifteen years later, it surprises no one.

Tag list: @maribat-secret-santa

Permanent tag list: @stainedglassm  @laydeekrayzee @doll246 @queenz-z @deathssilentapproach-blog @literaryhiraeth @unoriginalmess @crazylittlemunchkin @buttercupsbitch @toodaloo-kangaroo @kking13

#maribat #maribat secret santa 2022 #maribat marinette dupain cheng #maribat jon kent #maribat damian wayne #maribat bio dad au #maribat bio dad bruce wayne #maribat bruce wayne #maribat jason todd #maribat dick grayson #platonic jasonette #sibling fights #marijon

[boldlyanxious]

Super Secret

“It can’t always come back to this. You know why I kept that from you,” Marinette said, desperate.

“I am entitled to know about the things that will affect our life,” Jon responded.

She put aside the salad she was making for their dinner.

“It was not a good idea to tell you sooner about my past. There were too many variables.”

“I told you I was Superman. Very early on because I was serious about you.”

“This is more than just my time as Ladybug. I am the guardian. This responsibility will be with me my entire life and then after, I won’t remember my life.”

Jon finished setting the table before he responded. The silence dragged on and when he moved to put the food on the table next, Marinette stopped him with a hand on his.

“This is me trying,” she pleaded.

“If you are trying, then why are you still keeping secrets from me?”

She pulled her hand back, “I’m not. I swear.”

He turned away and headed to their bedroom and she followed right after him.

“I don’t know what to do. I know you are lying.” He put up a hand to stop her when she tried to argue about it. “Marinette, I know you are pregnant. One day you will forget me and our baby because of magic. Unless you already did and that is why you didn’t tell me.”

She stormed over to the night stand and pulled out a little package and threw it at him. He caught it in midair and watched her walk out of the bedroom. He opened the package and there were matching super dad and super baby shirts. He could hear her through the bathroom door.

He walked over and knocked quietly.

She opened the door but didn’t say anything. He could tell she had been crying. He took her hand and pulled her close, kissing the top of her head.

“I’m sorry I ruined the surprise,” he said.

He leaned down and cupped her cheek, he kissed her softly before pulling her against him again. Her voice was muffled when she spoke again.

“I hid it for nearly three days. It took me that long to find the shirts.”

“This is a wonderful surprise. I know it must have been hard to hide from me. We should make sure you have a super mom shirt too.”

@maribatgetin

#marijon #maribat #mgi civil war 3 #boldlyanxious #maribat get in

[littleinkling64]

no thoughts...only doodles....

#maribat #marijon #dc x mlb #dc x ml

[stillprocrastinatingsorry]

#maribat #my art #marijon #bartinette

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

Mission Sleeptime

Tag Team Tournament 2022

Day 5

Prompt: I'm staying right here

Masterlist

…………………..

"Come on Marinette, let's get you to bed."

"Noooo, I'm staying right here."

Jon gently stroked his girlfriend's hair as she curled in closer to him, in essence pinning to the sofa.

"We shouldn't sleep on the sofa. Your cousin's will kill me for not treating you right."

"Not my cousins."

"You tell them that then."

Jon huffed at the grumbling tired sounds escaping Marinette as she fought sleep and wake in equal measure.

"It's better for them to claim cousins as they'd prefer siblings especially if Bruce had his way with the world."

Shuffling closer to the woman, the sunshine in his world, so they could be face to face, Jon grinned at the adorable pout Marinette sent him.

"Do you want me to die because of Kryptonite poisoning?"

"Nooo! Can't we just stay here though. It's comfy and you're here."

Marinette curled in closer wrapping her arms round Jon tighter to not let him leave. Residing himself to the cuddle fate that he would *just* have to suffer, Jon pulled Marinette in close and moved them both to a seating position as Marinette let out disgruntled whine. Ignoring the abandoned cocoa mugs on the table Jon lifted the girl up into his arms and started to leave the Wayne family den.

He didn't know why he agreed to let Marinette convince him that it was the best location for a film night date. Especially as he could feel her reverse found family cousins, his best friend and his unique siblings, watching his every move. The farm, Metropolis, Paris would have been better, or well, safer for him. The other locations still had their drawback of different spies, just ones that maybe slightly less intimidating.

"Come on. I'll carry you Sunshine. Let's get to bed."

A hum was all Jon got in response.

As he walked down the family wing and headed towards the room opposite Damian's, he ducked as a birdrang flew at him.

"Hi Dames! I'm just…"

"Tt. I know what you're up to Kent!"

"... putting Sunshine to bed…"

"You're seducing her. Stealing her innocence!!!"

"Dames!!! Not this again. Please. Let me put MY girlfriend to bed. We can talk about it sensibly afterwards."

"I'm watching you, farm boy. You may be my… close associate, but Dupain-Cheng is… family."

Jon rolled his eyes and walked into Marinette's room. Yep, staying here was a bad move. Protective Wayne's are crazy.

"Shhh D… sleepy time. Stab mon amour tomorrow."

Ok, his girlfriend fitted in perfectly with them and was crazy too.

"Tt, you're safe for now Kent."

Damain moved with the shadows back into his own doorway watching Jon with his eerily observant eyes. Moving quickly into the only safe haven within the spooky grand building, Jon quickly closed the door to the staring eyes.

"My saviour."

"Hmmm, love you mon amour."

"Love you too Sunshine."

Jon carefully delivered his precious load to the ridiculously large and cloud-like bed before placing a chaste kiss on the tip of Marinette's nose, then forehead. He pulled the blankets up to cover the drowsy woman as she curled into a ball and reached out for him.

"Stay, non amour, please."

There was no debate. Dealing with the over protective Wayne's or curling up and snuggling with his girlfriend.

"Course Sunshine, I'm staying right here with you."

#maribat #dc x mlb #mlb x dc #maribat au #ml x dc #dc x ml #short and sweet #ttt2022 #tag team tournament #marijon #jon x marinette #marinette x jon #sunshine pairing

[mochegato]

No Matter the Consequences

“Well,” Adrien started slowly, his eyes focused on the Lucky Charm that had landed in Ladybug’s hand just a moment before, “that is a pretty clear sign. Even I could figure out what to do with that.”  His voice was laced with sympathy for her.  Ladybug’s next steps could not be clearer, but that didn’t mean they would be easy for her.  In fact, he was fairly certain it would be one of the more difficult things she’d had to do.

Ladybug shook her head, her lips pulling down in a deep pout.  “No, it’s not.”  Where Adrien’s voice was sympathetic, Ladybug’s was nearly desperate. “There’s something else.  There always is.”  She stared at it as though the intensity of her stare could make the purpose suddenly appear like hidden messages revealed with heat.

“Alright,” he agreed indulgently, playing along until she came to the conclusion on her own… as long as she came to it quickly, because they really did not have time to indulge in self-pity and wallowing.  “You think it’s meant for a diversion then?”

“I don’t know,” she whined.  She held it away from herself as if its very presence offended her, which it did.

He settled his hands on her shoulders.  “Focus, Marinette.  What do you see?”

Ladybug’s eyes shot up to him for a moment before darting around the hallway and into the rooms she could see from their position, desperately searching for anything, any elements she could bring into the plan to take it in another direction, away from the Watchtower’s Property Room, or, more specifically, the superhero working in it.  When nothing sparked, her entire body jounced in a physical manifestation of the whimper she was holding in.

“Marinette,” Adrien cut in urgently when he couldn’t hold himself back any longer. “Not to rush you, but you need to act. Now!  Connor is being held by some very bad people because they want our miraculouses and grabbed the wrong blond-haired, green-eyed guy from our place. Now, the only way to get him back is with said ring, which is in said room, being watched by said guy, preferably before they kill my boyfriend!”

Ladybug narrowed her eyes and pursed her lips at him.  “None of that was ‘said’.”

Adrien let out a deep sigh to ground himself before he snapped at her, then squeezed her shoulders to ground her before she started spiraling.  “It’s a straightforward Charm, maybe it was meant for me.”  He shot her a disarming, if hurried smile.  “I’m a simple guy, remember?  I can do this, so you don’t have to.  Your boyfriend never needs to know you were involved.  I can get in and out and we can get moving, which we need to do… now.”

She met his eyes for a moment, but it was long enough to drive the urgency home. They needed to be fast.  They had already been in the Watchtower longer than they wanted to be.  She looked around again, one last ditch effort to force the pieces of the puzzle together in a different way, to form a different picture, willing to steal pieces from other puzzles to make it happen.  But no matter how she tried, they only fit together in one disconcerting way.  “No,” she finally grumbled in defeat.  “It won’t work with you.  It has to be me.  And he’s not my boyfriend,” she added sharply, but the harshness was offset by the fact her eyes never left Superboy as he bustled around the Property Room.

Adrien scoffed but didn’t object further.  He followed her longing gaze.  “He’s going to come after us,” Adrien noted.  “He’s not just going to let us walk into that situation by ourselves.”

Ladybug hummed absently and looked between the charm and the door again. “There is something more,” she said slowly.  She looked around but couldn’t see it.  She couldn’t see how she was supposed to use it anyway other than the obvious and they were out of time to think of something else.  Her eyes fell to the Lucky Charm and the pieces fell into place.  “That’s it!”  She pulled it apart, taking out glowing green pieces and shoving them into Adrien’s hands.  “Place these along the doorway after I go in, outside the door.  They should act as a barrier to keep him in but let us out.”

“It won’t hold him for long,” Adrien warned her, eying them suspiciously.

“No,” she agreed.  “But it will slow him down long enough for Max to lock down the Watchtower and portal us to Connor.”

Adrien nodded in understanding, a relieved smile finally making its way to his lips.  They had a plan and with a plan, they could do anything.  “I’ll let Max know to be ready,” he responded.  Ladybug nodded and stowed the Charm in her yoyo as she mentally braced herself for her next steps.  “And Ladybug,” Adrien called, he waited until she’d turned to him before continuing and motioned toward her yoyo when she did, “make sure to angle it toward the camera so they can get a good look at it when the big guys review the footage later.”

Ladybug looked through the window at the security camera for a few moments before nodding in understanding.  “Thanks,” she murmured quietly.  She shot him a meek smile before making her way into the Property Room and pulling the door firmly closed behind her.  She leaned against the door for just a moment, just long enough to calm her heart down. Superboy would be instantly suspicious if her heart was racing.  It would be a sure indication that something was up.

Superboy’s head popped up immediately to greet her, his friendly smile turning sympathetic when he saw who it was.  “Hey, Ladybug. How are you doing?  How’s Chat?”

She smiled back instantly, a soft, placid smile, much more at ease than she felt. She bobbed her head to the side and slowly made her way toward him with measured, intentional, clearly unsuspicious steps. “He’s… worried,” she answered carefully. “Imagining all the things that are being done to the love of his life because of him.”

Superboy winced, well aware of what that felt like from the several times Marinette had been taken during a mission.  Not that she was… or rather, not that they were together, which did absolutely nothing lessen how he felt.  “They’re going to do everything they can for him, Mari,” he tried to assure her, genuine concern bleeding into his tone.  His arms flexed against the urge to hold her and ease away the frown lines marring her face. “Green Arrow is going crazy, too. He won’t rest until they’ve rescued Connor.  They’ll save him as quickly as possible.”

She hummed noncommittally.  They weren’t doing everything they could.  She knew they weren’t, because they weren’t letting her and Adrien help. They were intentionally keeping them out so they could control the situation, when she and Adrien were the only ones that could end it without Connor getting killed.  And the last element they needed was somewhere in the room. She just didn’t know where.

“I need to see the ring,” she finally blurted out.  As soon as the words came out, she had to fight the need to fidget.  The concern in his voice and the sorrowful look in his eyes were killing her.  They were almost enough to make her take it back and try yet again to piece the puzzle together another way.

“Sorry,” he shook his head sadly.  “I can’t. It’s being kept secure for everyone’s safety.”

She straightened up indignantly, his words knocking the regret out of her.  “I’m the guardian,” she nearly hissed at him. “It is literally my job to ensure the safety of all the miraculous, including that ring.  It is safest with me…” she narrowed her eyes and leaned back slightly, “well actually, it’s safest with Chat,” she snapped, “but after him, it’s safest with me.”

Superboy somehow managed to look more heartbroken for her, which was not the reaction Ladybug needed from him.  It was not a reaction that would help her resolve.  “I can’t, Ma… Ladybug.  Not only is it against orders, they have a plan.  They know what they’re doing.  If we change things up now, people are going to die.”

Ladybug took a slow breath to calm herself again.  Getting angry at Superboy not only wasn’t fair to him, but it also wouldn’t help her plan.  She needed to appear reasonable and rational.  “I just need to know it’s safe,” she tried, pouring all the level-headedness she didn’t feel into her words.

“It is perfectly safe,” he assured her indulgently, intentionally speaking slowly and patiently in the hopes that his calm might rub off on her.  He knew this would be hard for her and Adrien and he wished more than anything he could take away all of her stress or convince the other members to let them fight.  But since he couldn’t do that, all he was left with was reassure her about the ring’s safety.  “I saw it put in there myself,” he promised softly, “and I’ve been here since.  I made sure, Mari.  I made sure nobody touched it.  I made sure it was safe.”

Ladybug stuttered at the sincerity in his voice and eyes.  She tore her eyes from his before she did something dangerous. It felt like he had taken all the honesty she’d tossed out before walking in that room and added it to his already boundless amount.  She couldn’t keep seeing the sincerity in his eyes, the sincerity she was about to manipulate to her advantage.  The longer she met his eyes, the sharper the sting in her chest felt.  She needed to focus on the mission; rescue Connor and save the miraculous.

“Thank you, Jon.  But I need to see it.  I need to know.  You guys don’t have the experience.  You don’t know what can happen.  I’ve seen miraculous disappear seemingly into thin air; while someone was holding them, from the most secure place.  It doesn’t matter.  No place is really safe.”  She took a step closer and let her voice waver slightly, not entirely falsely.  “I need to know, Jon.  I need to see it.”

He let out a long breath and shook his head.  “M… Ladybug, you know I can’t let you near it.”

She almost jumped at the opening.  It was exactly what she needed; the crack in the defenses she could force open.  “I don’t need to be near it.  I just need to see it,” she promised.

Superboy pursed his lips and narrowed his eyes at her for a few moments before he groaned and dropped his head down, ultimately nodding.  “Okay.  You can see it, but you can’t touch it.”

She nodded vigorously.  “Right. Okay.  That’s fine.  I won’t touch it.  I’ll just stay right over here.”

He eyed her for a moment to gauge her sincerity before nodding and turning to the wall of secured lockers, making his way to one in particular.  He smiled as he noted Ladybug’s heart-rate jump, knowing it would drop as soon as she could be reassured the ring was still there and that by showing her, he was doing something, even as small as it was, to relieve her anxiety.  The smile stayed on his lips for just a moment before dropping at the sound of a gun cocking, instantly realizing the spike in heartrate wasn’t because of her anxiety over the ring.

He snapped his head to Ladybug, and he let out a defeated sigh as he took in the sight of her holding a red gun with black spots, an ominous green lighting up the hand holding it.  He knit his brows together sympathetically.  “Mari, you don’t want to do this.”

She shook her head, keeping the gun trained at his chest and trying to stand to her full height like that could project a cold confidence and threatening aura against someone a good foot taller than her.  “You’re right, I don’t.  But I don’t have a choice.”

“You do.  You always do.”  He started to lift his foot to take a step toward her but faltered when she took a shaky step back.

“You’re right I do.  But if the choice is between making the JL happy and saving someone…” her lip trembled for just a moment, but she shook her head to shake away the emotion, “it’s never going to be the JL.”

He tilted his head empathetically.  “That’s not…”

“It is.”  She nodded as she spoke, desperately trying to keep the waver out of her voice but unable to hide the glassiness in her eyes.  “That’s the choice.  And get your hands up!  I’m threatening you here!”

He raised an eyebrow at her but raised his hands as requested.  “Mari…”  He took a step closer

“Stay back!”  She raised the gun at him, but her vision was getting obscured by the tears she was holding back.  He looked so distressed for her, and it made everything harder.  “I need that ring and if you won’t give it to me… I’ll shoot you… in the…” her eyes darted over his body trying to determine the least damaging location.  His leg was obvious, but she didn’t want any possibility of hitting his femoral artery plus his thighs were thick enough it might get lodged in his leg and she didn’t want kryptonite anywhere near him, let alone lodged in him.  But his arms… “…in the… in your forearm.  I won’t miss.  I’ve shot lots of people.”

He quirked his head to the side to assess her before shaking his head slowly. “No, you haven’t,” he said quietly.

“No, I haven’t,” she agreed, her voice broken.  The tears she had been holding back started falling freely at the look in his eyes.  The gun faltered in her hand as she lost focus on the mission and it.  “But Connor is… They don’t know what they’re up against. This is a miraculous matter and no matter what they think, they aren’t prepared.  It has to be us.  It has to be,” she repeated desperately, her eyes finding his, needing him to understand.  “And we need that ring.  We need it to save Connor.  We’re the only ones who can.”

Superboy reached out to hug her but clenched his fists instead.  He looked up at the ceiling in frustration and groaned loudly. He raised his arms grudgingly. “Come on then,” he pouted.  Ladybug furrowed her brow in confusion.  “Point the…” he motioned toward the gun with a huff. “Point the gun at me.”

Ladybug blinked at him a few times until realization set in.  She smiled gratefully for just a moment before schooling her features into a scowl and raising the gun.  “Back away from the ring,” she commanded.  Superboy grumbled but did as asked, taking several dramatic steps back, keeping pointed, grumpy eye contact with her the entire way.

She quickly opened the door for Adrien.  “It’s over there,” she said lowly and motioned to the open locker.  She had promised Superboy she wouldn’t touch the ring and she might be a thief and a backstabber, but she wasn’t a liar.

Adrien popped his head around the corner and took in the situation quickly. He nodded curtly at Superboy, barely sparing him a glance as he entered.  The ring was in his hand and he was back at the door in a moment.  He didn’t bother to put it on before grabbing Ladybug and pulling her toward the door as he spoke into his com.

Ladybug barely had time to glance back at Superboy ruefully before the Property Room doors slammed shut, lights flashed, and alarms blared.  They were gone through a silvery blue portal before the speakers announced, “Protocol Super Lockdown initiated.”

Superboy slammed against the door.  “Mari!  No! Don’t… Ladybug!  Let me help you!  Mar… Damnit!” He slammed his fist into the door that was unfortunately specially designed to withstand a hit from him or any other kryptonian.

><><><><><><><>< 

The weathered barn sat serenely against the landscape, its faded red blending harmoniously with the oranges and deep pinks of the sky, so vibrant, they were reflected in the matured wheat field as it stretched into the horizon until the two blended almost seamlessly. It was the kind of scene people paid good money to sit in front of for hours in an art museum.  It was a scene that had never failed to make her feel peaceful… until now.  It now mocked her with its perfection.

Instead of easing her anxiety, the sight caused her shoulders to tense and her chest to feel like it was being squeezed in a vice, because for her, it was a scene that was intrinsically linked with Jon and Jon was the root of her anxiety.  Or rather, how Jon was feeling since she’d betrayed him, and even more terrifying, how he felt about her.

With each step closer to the barn, the smile Marinette had adopted while chatting with Ma Kent for the past hour slowly dropped and her skin heated up a little bit more as if the barn was radiating heat, adding to the already warm summer air. By the time she arrived at the barn doors, her smile had dropped entirely, and sweat had started to bead along her skin.

She stood frozen in front of the doorway, an invisible barrier at the threshold, imaginary but no less difficult to transverse.  She took a breath and mentally chastised herself.  She was an adult, damnit.  A hero.  She could face the consequences of her actions and she could take a damned step.

The summer itself seemed to agree with her assessment as the light summer breeze picked up, causing her skirt to flutter around her legs as it blew her toward the barn, at the same time cooling her skin that she was trying to convince herself was heated purely from the day’s heat that hadn’t dissipated yet rather than her anxiety.  Because there was nothing to be anxious about.  It would be fine.  It would all be fine.  Good even. It would all be good.

She nodded to herself as if that sealed the statement into the fabric of reality and finally crossed the threshold into the barn before her nerves could hold her back.  It was just a single step, but it was enough.  The barrier was broken.  There was no turning back.  She was in it.  Philosophically and literally.

She stood just within the doorway, as her eyes adjusted to the change in light.  After a moment she was able to make out the parts and tools that lined the walls, the tractors and equipment parked around the floor and butted up against the walls on one side of the barn while baled and loose hay was spread out on the other.

She searched the barn anxiously for signs of Jon.  Martha had been certain he was in the barn, and Marinette would never question Martha’s intuition on her family… or anything else really.  A sudden clanking echoed through the barn pulling Marinette’s attention to the tractor.  She still couldn’t see him but took a few more timid steps into the barn as she edged closer to the tractor, still closer to the door than the tractor. “Jon?”

Jon’s head popped up from behind the tractor instantly.  “Yeah?”  It took a second for him to register it was her, but the moment it did his friendly smile warmed and his eyes softened.  She was standing perfectly centered in the doorway, silhouetted by the fading light, giving her the look of an approaching angel, come to bring complete contentment. “Hey, Mari.”

“Hey,” she waved back with a smile, the one she always had when he smiled at her. His smile just seemed to have that effect.  It was as if it were a law of physics.  She couldn’t break it.  She dropped her hand awkwardly when she realized she was still holding it up longer than was normal, but then the issue became where to put her hand because suddenly, everywhere seemed abnormal and wrong.  In fact, her entire body felt wrong, and it was utterly unnerving.

Jon had always made her feel at ease.  Always made her feel right.  Now, there was an awkwardness that had never existed before, and it was because of her, because of the strain she had put on their relationship.  What had always been natural and effortless was now tense and she didn’t know how to fix it.

Her eyes darted around the barn as if the old wooden beams or hay might give her an idea of a good sequitur.  But just like at the Watchtower, she got nothing.  But unlike the Watchtower, she wasn’t going to wait until something came this time.  She took a step closer and examined the tractor with almost authentic curiosity. “What are you working on?”

He motioned toward the area he had been working on as though Marinette could see anything more than his face from her position on the other side of the tractor. “Hydraulics are getting sluggish. I’m cleaning everything out for Ma and Pa.”

Marinette nodded, a small smile making its way back to her lips.  “That’s really nice of you.  It’s nice to see how you take care of them.”

He shrugged easily and turned back to the equipment in a failed attempt to hide his blush.  “Someone had to do it.  Ma and Pa are pretty busy, and I have some free time for a while.”

Marinette’s smile dropped as her heart clenched.  She looked down and fiddled with her fingers anxiously.  “Did you get into a lot of trouble?” she asked, her voice timid and quiet, just loud enough to carry in the almost silent barn.

His face pinched in confusion for a moment, because working on the tractor wasn’t a punishment, he actually enjoyed the practice of it and the feeling of accomplishment when he was done, before he realized what she meant.  His eyes widened quickly.  “No, no.  That wasn’t what I…  No.  I didn’t.”  He hedged when she cocked her head to the side disbelievingly.  “Well, I mean… kind of, but not really.  I just got grounded for a few weeks and I’m on watch duty for a while after I get back,” he assured her.  “It isn’t bad.”

Instead of relieving her, as he’d hoped it would, she seemed to grow smaller, and her face pinched with grief.  She flung her arms out in defeat.  “I'm so sorry,” she moaned.

He waved her off with a reassuring smile.  “It's okay.  Really.  It was more of a show than anything.  I don’t think anyone was actually upset by the time they got to issuing punishments. Once they calmed down, I think they realized they may have jumped the gun.  They know Bruce has a tendency to take control, even when he isn’t the best informed, Oliver was hardly in a position to be rational, and Arthur and Diana don’t exactly think straight when the miraculous gets involved,” he scoffed and threw the brush into the water bucket.  “Really, it was more to deter anyone else from ignoring their directives in the future than to punish me.”

“Plus,” he looked up with a sincere look and just a hint of a smile, waiting until she met his eyes before continuing, “it was the right thing to do.  And I hope I never fail to do the right thing just because I'm afraid of the consequences.”

Marinette smiled affectionately at him despite her guilt.  “You're a good man, Jonathan Kent.”

“I hope so,” he said softly, ducking down behind the tractor before she could see his blush.

“You are,” she confirmed.  She continued to watch where he had been for a few moments, her smile dropping as she hoped he would pop back up.  When he didn’t, she searched the barn again for something to say to relieve the awkwardness.  In the end, it was Jon that broke the silence.  

“So, how are you doing?  How is Adrien?  Is Connor recovering?”

She looked back and instantly felt her anxiety melt as she met his concerned gaze, a smile forming on her lips.  “Okay. We’re okay.  Or will be anyway,” she corrected lightly.  “The Miraculous Cure didn’t cure Connor because he was hurt before the miraculous was in play, they apparently thought that through, not using it until they had to, but luckily, he wasn’t hurt too badly.  We got there before they could do too much to him.

“He should make a full recovery and should be up and about in a few weeks. Honestly, I think it will take Adrien longer to recover than Connor.  He holds onto guilt like Scrooge McDuck holds onto gold.  I don’t think Adrien would let him out of their apartment for a few weeks even if he wasn’t hurt.”

Jon nodded a wide, genuine smile forming on his lips.  “I’m glad to hear it.  About Connor, I mean, not Adrien.  I was worried about him, but I couldn’t get much information.  I’m glad he has Adrien there taking care of him. He deserves it.”  He looked away nervously and ran his hand through his hair. “And you?  I heard…”

Marinette gave him a reassuring smile.  “Yeah, after everything that happened, we decided to take a cue from Connor and step back from the Justice League, moments before they kicked us out, I’m sure,” she chuckled.  “I think we work better as associates rather than members.”

He nodded in understanding.  “It’s not the right fit for everyone and I know you didn’t like having the miraculous out more than necessary.  But I’ll miss you,” he stated earnestly.  He looked over at her through his eyelashes in that devastatingly sincere way that always made her heart race and stutter at the same time. “I liked working with you.  My favorite partner.”  He looked around surreptitiously and lowered his voice.  “Don’t tell Damian,” he begged, only partially joking.

Marinette snickered.  “I won’t.  He’d take it out on me more than on you anyway.”  Jon cringed and nodded absently.  She wasn’t wrong.

“And we can still work together,” she assured him with a smile as she leaned onto the tractor to see him better, moving a white rag that was laying on the top to give herself that extra few centimeters. She pouted when she was still too short to see much more than his face.  “I just won’t be assigned through the JL anymore.  I suspect I’ll still get called in frequently though… unofficially.  I don’t think Zatara was happy about us leaving.”

Jon nodded at the idea, considering his options.  He’d actually rather spend time with her outside of missions but considering how often he was away on a mission, having her come with him gave him more time with her, and he’d gladly take any and all the time with her he could get.  But, if Zatara could get her on his missions, and he was sure Constantine and Zatanna would too considering how often they worked together already, then the old guard could hardly object to him bringing her on as well.

Marinette watched as his face worked through a series of emotions, none of which seemed happy, and the sudden realization hit her.  He may have enjoyed working with her before, but that was before.  Before she betrayed him.  Before she used him.  Everything was different now.  “I mean, if you would still want to.  You probably don’t anymore…”

Jon’s eyes softened.  “Mari…”

“It’s okay if you don’t.  I promise I won’t be upset.  I mean I will, but not at you.  You deserve to be upset.  At me. You forgive so easily and you shouldn’t. You shouldn’t forgive what I did to you, the way I used you.  You’re such a good man and you mean so much to me and I'm sorry I used to it against you,” she continued, her feet seemingly suddenly of extreme interest, her shoulders sagged, and her head bowed so low he couldn’t see her over the tractor.  “I manipulated you.  I was terrible to you.”

Jon couldn’t stand to hear the guilt in her voice, so thick it was almost palpable.  “Marinette,” he started, exasperation edging into his tone.  She always did this to herself and he always wished he could make her see the truth, but he didn’t know if he was ever really successful at it.

He moved around the tractor to stand in front of her.  He tried to urge her chin up to meet his eyes, but she refused.  “You didn't use it against me.  You can't use doing the right thing against someone who wants to do the right thing.  You didn't force me to do something bad and convinced me it was right.  You presented me with the facts and let me make my own decision.  That's the opposite of using it against me.  That's the opposite of manipulating.”

“I held a gun to your chest,” she pointed out flatly with a sharp glare before quickly returning her gaze to her feet.  “That isn’t exactly letting you make your own decisions.”

“It was a gun,” he repeated in the same flat tone. “It wasn’t going to hurt me, and I knew it.”  He patted his chest, hoping to encourage her to lift her glance to him. “Invulnerable, remember?”  He shot her a charming smile just in case she finally acquiesced and looked at him, only slightly pouting when she didn’t.

Marinette scoffed and looked back up again but only barely raised her gaze, no higher than his knees, to him before dropping them back down to her shoes.  “It was a Lucky Charm, Jon.  It had kryptonite bullets.”

He chuckled at her and eased his hands into his pockets.  “No, it didn’t.  Did you think they were?”

Her widened eyes and snapped to his.  “They were glowing green.  That’s why I didn’t want you to get close.  I wanted you as far from the kryptonite as possible.  We even put some at the door to keep you from leaving the room!”

“Exactly!  It was glowing,” he pointed out, amusement glinting in his eyes.  “If it was exposed enough to glow, it would be exposed enough for me to feel the effects, which I didn’t.  I knew you couldn’t hurt me.  And I knew you wouldn’t even if you could.  It did help though, with the punishment.  They saw the green and thought it was kryptonite too.”

She searched his eyes, finding them full of sincerity, as they always were.  As he always was.  She was so focused on his eyes, she missed the way he ran his hand through his hair mussing it up in that always made her heart speed up, or the way he was lightly wetting his lips as he met her gaze, or the way his fingers ghosted over her jaw so close he could feel her heat, but not making contact.  “I couldn’t have hurt you?” she asked, her voice wavering in uncertainty.

“No, you couldn’t have.”  He smiled gently, his fingers finally making contact and caressing her jaw.  “Not even if they were kryptonite, because you couldn’t.”

“I still feel bad,” she said shaking her head and scrunching her eyes.

Jon chuckled.  “And do you know why?”  He paused as he waited for her to meet his eyes again, only continuing once she had. “Because you’re a good person too. You feel bad even when you don’t do anything wrong.  If Adrien hold onto guilt like Scrooge with his gold, you hold onto it like a writer, if it isn’t written already, you’ll create it for yourself.”

“But, you shouldn’t…”  She shook her head, breaking eye contact and dropping her gaze slightly only to be met with a bare chest.  The noise she let out as she jumped back couldn’t quite be described as a squeak, but no other word quite described it better.  “Where is your shirt?”

“What?”  He looked down and seemed to just notice his lack of shirt.  “Oh.  It’s hot out and hotter in the barn.”  He reached past her, his arm grazing her shoulder as he grabbed his white shirt off the tractor behind her and pulled it on.  “Better?”

Marinette intently watched his every move, unable to look away from the shirt as it strained over his shoulders and pectorals.  It hung loose otherwise but sweat quickly caused the shirt to cling to his abs as well.  “Barely,” Marinette scoffed, looking away quickly because she was wrong before.  The barn wasn’t the one emitting heat, it was clearly Jon and his flawless chest and abs, sharp jaw, and radiant yet tender eyes, and being in his vicinity was making her unbearably warm and her mind incapable of coherent thought.  “But, you… um… you shouldn’t… what was I saying?”

Jon’s eyes shone as he noted the heat rising in her cheeks and the increased heart rate, a playful grin spread on his lips.  “What's the matter, Starshine?  Something distracting you?”

Marinette narrowed her eyes and pouted at his teasing.  It was completely unfair!  He had no idea how sexy he was!  Which made him even sexier.  She crossed her arms over her chest and shifted away from him.  “Don't be so smug!  You would be distracted too if I was shirtless.”

Jon’s eyes jolted open wide as unbidden, but definitely welcome images flooded his mind.  He flushed a brighter red than his cape all the way from his hairline to his well chiseled chest.  Nonsensical, sputtering sounds the only thing he was capable of as he gaped at her.

Marinette turned back to him in confusion until her words finally registered and she flushed a matching red to his.  “Wait.  No.  That’s not…”

Jon recovered first, bringing his thoughts back to the present situation in which the woman he loved more than anything else in the universe just admitted that she cares deeply about him and was flustered by seeing him shirtless.  It was not a situation he was going to let pass without at least trying.

He stepped closer to her until he was towering over her, a gentle, loving look in his eye.  “You distract me in a parka, Starshine.  You know that pink fluffy marshmallow looking one?  You look absolutely adorable in it, and I can’t focus when you’re waddling around in it.”  He chuckled at her resulting pout.  “Just knowing you’re near me is enough to distract me.  Damian growls about it all the time.  He’s hit me more for getting distracted by you than the entire rest of our relationship, including the time when he hated me.”  He shrugged helplessly.  “I just… I can’t help it.”

His eyes traced over her face as though he hadn’t already memorized every curve and freckle before settling on her eyes, the dreamy look in them bolstered his courage, because he was confident she still didn’t understand how he felt about her, what he would do for her.  He took a half step closer, gently cupping her face with one hand and working his fingers into her hair with the other.  “I’m not as good a person as you think,” he murmured.

Marinette blinked a few times, trying to figure out where that comment came from and how it related to what he had been saying.  “Oh?” she finally prompted.

“I would have done it anyway,” he admitted quietly, his voice deeper than it had been before.  

Marinette quirked her head to the side, which had the added benefit of nestling her face further into his touch. “What?”

“I would have helped you anyway, even if it wasn't the right thing.  Because you asked.  And I'd do anything for you.”  His voice warm but firm, affection bleeding through.  “No matter the consequences.”

She blinked at the admission.  “No, you wouldn't have,” she stated with confidence.

“Marinette,” he groaned quietly, helpless exasperation lacing his words again as he closed the remaining distance until his chest was brushing hers, “I don’t think you understand what I’m saying.”

“I do understand,” she insisted as she grasped his forearms.  “But it isn’t true.  You wouldn’t have.  You couldn’t live with yourself if you intentionally did something to hurt someone else. You’re a good man to your core. It’s one of the things I love about you.”

Jon blinked at her, a hopeful smile tugging his lips up.  “Love?”

“I, um.”  She tried to take a step back, but Jon wasn’t about to let her go after that admission.

“Because I love you, Marinette.  I have for a while,” he professed.  His thumbs were caressing her jaw and cheek with such soft reverence she almost couldn’t register his words.  “I don’t know when it changed from platonic to romantic, but it did.  I still want to spend every moment with you, but now I want other things too.  I want to take you on a date.  I want to kiss you.  I want to hold you, when you’re sleepy, when you’re scared, when you’re sad. Celebrate with you when you’re happy. I want to curl up next to you at night and wake up next to you in the morning.  I just… I want you, however you’ll let me have you.”

She looked up at him in awe, her mouth slightly ajar.  “Does it have to be in that order?” she finally asked after a while, when her mind was able to form words again.  “Could it… be rearranged?” she continued when he looked confused.  “I’ve wanted to kiss you for so long.  Could we start with the kiss?”

Jon moved almost before Marinette could see his movement, pausing just centimeters from her lips to search her eyes with a heavy, half-lidded gaze.  As fast as his initial movement was, it seemed to take forever for him to cross the rest of the distance, until Marinette couldn’t stand it anymore and pushed up to finally make contact.  Their lips just barely touched with a gentle brush at first as though verifying that it was real, sweet and innocent.

The initial contact barely lasted a moment before they pulled away.  Marinette grinned and pulled her bottom lip between her teeth looking up at him bashfully.  Jon could barely take his eyes away from the abused plump lip.  He moved his thumb to gently pull it out, taking a moment before he raised his eyes again to meet hers, darker now and entrancing.

They both seemed to move at the same time.  Marinette wound her arms around his neck and pulled herself up to him while Jon wrapped his arms around her waist and bent down.  Their lips clashed together harsher than they meant, but Jon quickly massaged her lips with his own soft lips to ease the pain.  She hummed appreciatively as the feeling of his lips and arms holding her against his body trilled through her.  Her fingers worked up into his hair in a silent plea to keep the same pressure, not to end it just yet.

He almost groaned at the sensation, curling his fingers into her hips as he kept her close, his own petition to continue to let him explore the new, delightful sensations assaulting his senses.  He’d imagined how it would feel to kiss her, but even his most indulgent imaginings didn’t do the real thing justice.  The real thing was effervescent, familiar yet foreign, giving him a sense of home.

They pulled away again just far enough for Marinette to see Jon’s smile and Marinette knew without a doubt that was the source of all warmth and happiness. “I love you too, you know,” she breathed against his lips.  “I love you and I’ve wanted all those things you said and more for so long I just didn’t want to risk losing you.”

Her adoring smile was almost enough to make him melt. “You never could,” he whispered back. He tightened his grip around her waist as if to prove his point and leaned forward to resume their prior activities but before he could make contact, Ma Kent’s voice cut through the silence.

“Jon!  Dinnertime!”

Jon and Marinette chuckled at the same time and continued to gaze into each other’s eyes until Marinette couldn’t take it anymore and looked away shyly.  Jon continued to watch her for a few moments before coming to a decision.  He squared his shoulders and opened his mouth to ask an important question, but before he could Ma Kent’s voice cut in again.  “And make sure to bring that sweet little girlfriend of yours!”

He groaned and dropped his head back for a moment. When he looked back, Marinette was shaking with suppressed laughter.  “She always knows what I’m thinking,” he joked, but his expression quickly turned shy. “Will you be my girlfriend?”

Marinette grinned brilliantly and nodded excitedly. The sudden tension in her shoulders was the only warning Jon had before she launched herself at him in a tight hug. “Yes!”

Jon let out a whoop and twirled her around ending it with a chaste kiss.  “Come on. She’ll be merciless with her teasing if we don’t hurry.”

They walked back to the house slowly, extending the short trip as long as they could while still moving forward, Marinette tucked into his side like she belonged there, which to him, she did.  It felt more than right for her to be there, it felt destined, like the universe itself created them to fit together like that.  One thought kept recurring in his head as he reveled in the feel of her; she had been wrong.  He would do anything for her.  He may be a good man, but he would be willing to damn his soul for her. He just prayed nothing ever happened to make him prove it.

#maribat #marijon #Shamelessly inspired by a scene from Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries

[verymuchimmortalcat]

Short fic/drabble request: Any maribat pairing, set in a coffeeshop

This is so late I'm so sorry. I've started this like 3 different times with 3 different ships but point being have some marijon :D It probably isn't what you were expecting but i hope you like it! ao3

Marinette runs into the coffeeshop. She is going to be so late for her class. But she'll definitely sleep through class if she doesn't get her caffeine.

Fortunately, the line is never long this early in the morning. Probably since no sane person should have to be anywhere at this ungodly hour. She doesn't know what she'd do if most people started their day early in Metropolis.

Unfortunately, she opens the door and walks straight into someone's back and the two of them fall over.

She spews out apologies as she scrambles to get up. In her hurry she doesn't notice anything about the person in front of her. Familiar hands land on her shoulders.

She looks up to be met with Jon's brilliant blue eyes and a comforting smile. She relaxes and then frowns, "Why are you out so early?"

He chuckles awkwardly, "I was out with Damian. Just got back."

"Is everything fine?"

"We handled it. Just Lex again."

"You guys really should let Tim at him one of these days."

He hums, "And you really should be in class."

Shit. How did she forget that? Why is Jon such a calming presence?

"Hey, it's fine. I'll drop you," lowering his voice, he grins at her, "super speed, remember?"

"But, caffeine."

He chuckles, lowering his hands from her shoulders to drag her by the wrist to the counter, "We can leave after your coffee Mars, it's fine."

One day Marinette will figure out what it is about Jon that makes her feel like everything will be alright but for now she just watches as he recites both their orders by heart.

She drinks her coffee in relative calm. Jon chatters along cheerfully, talking about his classes and doesn't mention how she's been glancing at the clock every minute. He just holds her hand in his and squeezes it reassuringly every few minutes without pausing in his story.

Marinette does make it on time, though. It takes Jon less than a minute to drop her on the roof of the building.

Putting her down, he says, "You can always call me if you're late again."

She snorts, "That's very often."

"Doesn't matter. Unless the world is ending I'll be there."

She ignores that her face has definitely turned red, and smiles at him. "Thank you." And before she can doubt herself she presses a fleeting kiss to his cheek.

Turning away she runs into the building leaving Jon to calm his wildly beating heart.

#maribat #my writing #marijon #thanks for the ask <3 #celebratory thing

[ggomos-maribat]

A Real One for Christmas

Cross posted from AO3

You know, when I said I was ready to return the favor,

I didn't expect it to be like this

Pleaseeee? 🥺🥺🥺

It's just for one Christmas dinner

EVERYONE has their own boyfriend or girlfriend now

And Ma and Pa's been asking when I'm getting together with someone

you're overlooking something here

your best friend knows me

how do we explain that to them?

we just tell them the truth

we met online and hit it off

uh huh

he won't ask questions in front of the family

i think

i can think of a million reasons how this can go wrong

it won't🙂

wow that smiling face is really assuring

that's good ^ _^

seriously?

another question..

am I supposed to know about your powers?

that's the fun part

if they know you're a 'civilian'

they'll be fighting to hide their powers

and/or tech

thru the whole dinner

you're actually evil

haha

this is me getting back at them

so i'll fly you on the 20th?

i can't fly with you

you need to book me a flight, im in Paris

France

Europe

Or else they'll be suspicious

Right

I'll ask Dad to help get you one

What about HM?

I'll make a prediction here and say that he won't be attacking a few days before christmas

cause he'll do it on christmas

but just in case, I can bring Kaalki or you can fly me

or I can ask Chat to cover for me

okay

see you :3

hey, this makes YOU owe me a favor

but this is your return

this isnt equal to what u did

it is :3

Marinette sighed and flopped on her bed as she threw her phone to her side. Meeting Jon Kent had been both luck and misfortune for her. One day, he was just a cute stranger she met after a boredom-filled night and then the next, they had accidentally found each others' identities when Superboy happened to pass by Paris.

She dragged out a groan. What on earth was Jon even thinking with that charade? They were facing a family of Kryptonians and detectives for crying out loud. 

"What's the matter, Marinette?" Tikki flew in munching on her last cookie crumb. 

"That was a very regretful groan." 

She screamed when she saw her partner's head pop through her open skylight. A pillow was instinctively thrown at Chat, who dodged it effortlessly. 

"What the hell are you doing here?" she glanced warily at her trapdoor, hoping her parents wouldn't come rushing in. 

Chat dropped down on her bed and stretched. "Meowch. Can't I visit my dearest friend every now and then?" 

"I think Marinette has a predicament," Tikki tattled as she nestled on top of Chat's head. 

"Oooh, what predicament? Do share, M'lady." 

Seven pieces of cookies, two more woeful groans and a story later, Chat was laughing out loud. 

"You think this is funny?" Marinette scowled. 

"I'm sorry," Chat wheezed, not at all sounding remorseful. "But you and I have read enough fanfiction to know where this is going." 

"But this is not fanfiction. This is real life." 

"And in real life," the black-clad hero sang, "Jon Kent likes you."  

Marinette scoffed. It wasn't that easy of course. Jon was one charming smile after another, targeting her unsuspecting feelings while not knowing anything.  

"So?"  

"So. . .?" Chat cocked his head.  

"What about Hawkmoth?"  

"Him? I can take care of the city while you're out," he replied. "You go enjoy your little Christmas getaway while I—"  

"Should we exchange our Miraculouses?" Marinette asked her kwami.  

Tikki gave a half shrug, "I don't mind joining Adrien for a while."  

"Yes! Two days with no cheese smell!"  

---

The flight to America was uneventful, but the car ride to Kents' was. Jon had reminded her before and after her trip that he and Conner were picking her up. She'd lied to him over text, saying that she wasn't nervous at all, but her rapid-beating heart was betraying her.  

And Plagg wouldn't shut up about it. And asking her for a charcuterie board at dinner.  

She could only make a futile attempt to control her heartbeat in the old farm truck with two Superboys.  

"Marinette, was it?" Conner smiled at her through the rearview mirror.  

"Uh . . . Yeah." She squirmed. Jon squeezed her hand. She squirmed some more.  

"By the way, Dad wanted to pick you up instead of Conner but he has dinner duties," Jon explained, "He told me to tell you."  

"It's okay. I'm thankful he paid for the flight and everything."  

"Jon told me you met online," Conner pressed, earning a frown from Jon. "He wouldn't elaborate."  

"We just started off as chat buddies and the next thing I know we were getting closer and he asked me out."  

"Hm that's interesting." A slight smirk popped up on Conner's lips. "Jon's never mentioned you before." 

"This is exactly why," Jon pouted. "You'll scare her off."  

A fake gasp. "Moi? I'm just a guy from Smallville. No one too special."  

"Eyes on the road, Kon. And don't go too fast, this isn't your motorcycle."  

"So how did Lois react when she found out?" 

Marinette saw Jon shudder under his holiday sweater. "She was furious."  

She paled. "Your mom got mad?"  

"I should've seen that coming anyway, because I never told them." Jon raised his hands. "Not your fault, though! Mom's excited to meet you."  

"How exactly did you meet?"  

"Kon. Questions later. Focus on driving, jeez."  

Marinette swallowed. If they had to pull off the act in front of Jon's family, she had to step up. "It's okay, Jon." She touched his arm. "We met in an online chatroom and we've been talking ever since." 

"Tinder? Grindr?"  

"Kon!" Jon's cheeks turned into a deep shade of red. "Can we talk about something else? What about you and Tim? Talk about that."  

"Me and Tim?" Conner smiled widely, almost evilly. "You want to talk about us? Tonight we're going to make lo—"  

"Okay, okay! Not that!" Jon raised his voice. He turned to Marinette. "Sorry."  

She squeezed the side of her bag which was starting to shake from Plagg's giggles. "It's okay. I promise."  

"You shouldn't have come—" 

"Hey, no, we already agreed to this, didn't we?" Marinette smiled shyly. "We're doing this dinner."  

Withholding a smirk, she laughed. "And it's not like I can fly back to France in a minute." 

And to this, Conner's eyes widened as the car swerved sharply to another lane.  

----

Lois Lane was first to tackle her as soon as she stepped through the front door. She stumbled back a bit, but managed to return the tight hug.  

"Marinette! I'm happy you can make it." She turned her head briefly to the commotion behind her. "I have to apologize—we're not yet done with the preparations."  

Marinette could see half of the Wayne family staring at her curiously from the kitchen. She pretended not to notice as Jon took her coat. "It's alright, Ms. Lane. If there's anything I can help with—"  

"No, you're our guest! You can sit here first and the table will be set in a few minutes." The reporter hurried her to a comfy couch in the living area. "And please, call me Lois."  

"Thank you . . . Lois."  

Jon leaned down to whisper in her ear. "Dad needs me to help with a few things. Will you be okay on your own?"  

She took his hand gently. "Of course. Go."  

He gave her one charming smile before going. At the same time, others came filing in . . .  

. . . And an arrow sailed past her head and into the wall.  

"ROY!"  

"That is my new—ow!"  

A blue-eyed man snatched the small contraption from the archer, glaring at him pointedly. 

"We have a guest, idiot." Another man strolled into the room.  

Dick Grayson, Roy Harper, Jason Todd, Marinette made her guesses. Jon had already told her all about them, even going as far as to share their quirks and personalities. Nightwing, Arsenal, Red Hood.  

"I am so sorry!" Roy's eyes went wide. "It was for my . . . Er—archery competition!"  

Jason smacked him.  

"Didn't we already tell you about this?" Dick hissed while pulling out the arrow from the wall.  

Roy mumbled a response that Marinette couldn't make out.  

"Really really sorry for that." Dick turned to her. "Are you hurt anywhere?"  

"I'm good!" Marinette assured before their arguments worsened. "It didn't hit me."  

"Good." Dick glared at Roy again. "I'm Dick, and these are Roy and Jason."  

"It's nice to meet you," she smiled sheepishly.  

"Guys, you're crowding around the poor girl." A woman in a wheelchair entered, and the others gave her space.  

"Hi, I'm Barbara, you can call me Babs." The woman offered a welcoming smile which Marinette returned. At that moment, more people were ushered into the living room, by the Wayne's butler who was brandishing a spatula and muttering about banning them from the kitchen.  

Marinette felt a chill down her spine.  

There, at the corner of her eye, he was staring at her. Calculatingly.  

Crap, he definitely recognizes me.  

She pulled out her phone and sent a quick message to Jon.  

---

The Kents and Waynes (read: Alfred) didn't disappoint with the food. Marinette realized how hungry she was when she gazed at the dining table.  

"You have to try Ma's apple pie," Jon whispered next to her. "I bet your bakery can't compare."  

"I'll be the judge of that," Marinette rolled her eyes. She settled next to Jon, across from Clark and Lois. Damian was diagonal from her, making it more difficult to avert her gaze.  

After the setting of the table, passing of bowls, picking up of servings, Clark made small talk within the light chatter.  

"So Marinette, what do you like to do?" Clark asked.  

"Art. Designing," she replied, "Helping my parents bake."  

"Oh come on," said Jon, "Marinette is a prodigy. She's been recognized by Gabriel Agreste and Audrey Bourgeois gave her an offer once."  

"Big names in fashion," Bruce Wayne commented, sending Marinette into a blush, "That's impressive."  

Jon piped up again before she could kick him under the table. "Her designs are amazing. And Jagged Stone regularly commissions her for concert pieces."  

"Wagged Shtone?" 

"Master Timothy, please don't talk while eating."  

"You know Jagged Stone?!" Tim gaped at her after swallowing down his food.  

"Jon's exaggerating." Marinette tucked her hair behind her ear, "It was just a few pieces for his concert."  

"Don't downplay it, Mars, you're talented," Jon smiled gently.  

"Looks like you're very proud of Marinette," said Lois.  

"O—of course I am! She's my girlfriend after all."  

"Well, I'm happy Jon brought a wonderful girl home," Ma Kent beamed, handing Marinette another piece of baked lasagna.  

"Can you get me an autograph from Jagged?" Roy asked.  

"Me first!" Tim cut in.  

"I'd like one too," Kara joined in.  

Marinette laughed nervously, "I'm sure I can get one for everyone." She glanced to her side. "Umm . . . Conner are you okay?"  

He continued rubbing his shoulder. "Yeah, someone threw a tree at me too hard while we were collecting firewood."  

An invisible tension (which Marinette purposefully ignored) swept across the room. Beside her, Jon spoke up. "Hey, I said I was sorry!"  

Marinette furrowed her eyebrows, resisting a laugh when she saw the semi-panicked faces of the others. "Jon threw a tree at you?"  

Tim conspicuously kicked Conner's leg below the table.  

"A tree! Yeah!" Conner's eyes widened. "We collect tiny trees for firewood! Really tiny ones!"  

"Oh. . .?"  

"Please ignore him." Tim kicked his boyfriend again. "Mari, tell us about Paris!"  

---

"Chilly night, huh?" 

Marinette could've sworn she jumped to the ceiling as she yelped at the voice. She'd step out into the front porch to get some air as the families cleaned up after dinner inside. She didn't expect the girl who Damian had brought to come approach her. 

"Yeah, really cold," Marinette saw her breath fog up. She hugged herself, feeling Rachel stare directly at her. 

Rachel had been quiet during dinnertime, but she wasn't a forgettable presence. Marinette knew about her as well (even before she knew about the Kents) because of a mission (more accurately, a snooping errand) assigned to her in the past. 

"Aren't you cold too?" Marinette rubbed her palms together. 

"I do well with the cold," the girl replied. "Damian's been looking at you the whole night." 

Yeah, I noticed that too. 

"Really?" Marinette chuckled nervously, gazing elsewhere. 

"Yes. It seems like he knows you." 

"He must be mistaken . . ." 

"He isn't." Rachel shook her head. "I'm not sure why he's suspicious but I trust you." 

"Trust---huh?" 

"I can feel that you're good. Lucky even." A light smile was on her lips. "You're good for Jon." 

I thought the smell of cheese would've masked whatever luck Tikki gives me. "Thanks?" 

"I'm coming back inside. You?" 

"Uhh . . . I think I'll stay here for a bit." 

With a nod, Rachel walked back into the warm house. Marinette released a sigh of relief. Confirming that Damian did recognize and remember her brought back memories.  

She wasn't proud of her time in the League, but it wasn't something she can turn her back to either. Especially since she still had to be loyal to its heir. She let out another heavy sigh and— 

"AHH!" In a surge of alarm, Marinette threw whoever was behind her over her shoulder. She was suddenly met with familiar green eyes.  

"Oh . . . Amir . . . I'm so sorry!"  

"It's good to know you still have your reflexes." 

She winced as she helped Damian stand back up. 

"I will go straight to the point. What are you doing here?" 

"What do you mean?" 

"Did my mother send you? Is the League looking for me?" 

Marinette huffed. "Okay, first of all, that is an insult to Lady Talia. If she wanted to see you, she'd do it herself. Not send me to go undercover in a Christmas dinner." 

Damian raised an eyebrow. 

"Secondly, I'm not here for anything but Jon. Because I'm his girlfriend," she emphasized. "It's just a coincidence and I even hoped you wouldn't try to talk to me." 

"So you have no business involving me?"  

"I don't." She glanced warily through the window of the house, wondering if Jon (or any of the Supers) was listening. "Jon is . . . he's really important to me. I like him." 

"Does that mean you know about . . .?"  

"Yeah, all of it." She lowered her voice to a whisper. "But don't tell anyone. Jon and I are waiting to see how long we can mess with them."  

"I see." Damian pursed his lips, putting on an expression that she knew meant that he was thinking deeply. "If Kent hurts you in any way, I have a stock of kryptonite." 

"Uhm . . . Isn't it supposed to be the other way around?"  

"No." A tight smile. "I . . . Apologize for misunderstanding. I just haven't seen you since the League fell."  

"I'm just in Paris, Amir." Her shoulders sagged. "Trying to live normally. Sorry I haven't reached out."  

"We should go back inside. You're shivering."  

Marinette followed Damian into the house just as her phone rang. She sucked in a breath, read the message and met Jon's eyes from across the room.  

He immediately went towards her and pulled her to the stairs, yelling, "We'll be in my bedroom, don't listen to us, okay, bye!"  

---

Jon had offered to take her at first, but she declined to protect their cover. She had taken the Horse Miraculous and rushed back to the Kents' using the space power-up. On a day when she thought Hawkmoth wouldn't strike, he akumatized poor August again. 

Marinette had exchanged Miraculouses with Chat during the battle. She sat on Jon's windowsill in her Cosmobug suit as she caught her breath.  

"I'm really sorry," she breathed out. "Did they ask questions?"  

"They think we're still locked up here so it's okay. How was the battle? Did you get hurt?" Jon scanned her for injuries.  

She held his shoulders. "I'm okay. It was a quick fight but I was worried I wouldn't make it back in time."  

He pulled her into a tight hug, eliciting another blush. "Sorry I made you stressed out."  

"Hey, it's me returning the favor, remember?"  

The first time they had met in person, Superboy was in Paris, encountered an akuma battle and accidentally found her identity. She'd made him promise not to tell anyone about what was happening in the city, but he promised to collect the debt.  

"And I really enjoyed tonight. Everyone was nice." Marinette grinned. "If not a bit too obvious with their identities."  

"Let me guess. Conner and Roy were the most careless."  

She giggled. "No, I saw Bruce pocketing a Batarang and Clark reheating the chicken with his heat vision."  

Jon laughed along with her, still not letting go from the hug. Marinette buried her face on his chest. I wish it would always be like this.  

"I wish it could always be like this," said Jon.  

"Hm?"  

Her earrings started beeping but she paid them no mind.  

"Like . . . Bringing you over. Spending time together," he mumbled. "but we can't. You're not . . . We're not . . ."  

She swallowed. "Do you want it to be real?"  

He pulled away a little, to look at her properly. "Do you?"  

Marinette bit her lip. It wasn't the best time. It could strain their friendship. We'll never talk again!  

"Yes, I want it to be real," she confessed. "I've . . . I've liked you for a while now." 

His eyes turned bright and the corners of his lips lifted.  "Really? Are you sure? Because I was scared you won't feel the same and I made it weird . . ."  

Her arms looped around his neck as she mirrored the elated look. "Nope." Her lips lightly touched his cheek. "I like you a lot, Jon."  

He was practically buzzing with excitement, which made her want to laugh. "Really? Like really, really?" He held her more tightly. "You want to be my real girlfriend?"  

"Of course I do—"  

The door clicked open. "MARINETTE! WE GOT YOU PRESENTS—!"  

A wave of light flashed and Marinette felt her transformation wear off and a drowsy Tikki floating at her side. Conner, Tim, Dick and Kara were staring slack-jawed at them, crowded around the door.  

Jon helped her down the windowsill. "Umm, we can explain?"  

#maribat fic #maribat #mlb x dc #dc x mlb #maribat fanfic #jonette #marijon #jon kent x marinette dupain cheng

[olivia-anderson-fanfic]

marijon

They're very similar and I think they'd made a cute couple. But also. I think it would be way funnier if they absolutely hated each other's guts.

#marijon #maribat #reminded me about my beloved's fic teleporting #ill read it eventually. when i am able to make my brain chill enough to read #ollieanswers

[boldlyanxious]

Rambling

Mgi civil war 3: Shrek

Part of kissy kisses

Jon had to physically pull her away from her desk to make her stop.

“You have to take a break now,” he said, pulling the pencil from her hand.

“I’m not done.”

“I’ll be the judge of that.”

“No, there will be an actual judge judging everything with his judgieness. It has to be perfect.”

She struggled to get back to the desk and he just let her move that direction and then scooped her up to carry her out of the room.

“I have decisions to make. I have to decide which color will look best in the lighting. What color do you think they will put on the stage? I can’t have the pattern be too intricate or it will just be blurry.” she paused for a breath before continuing. “You don’t understand how important this is to my career. It isn’t just my graduation, this will determine the kind of job I can get. If I choose the wrong shade or fabric it could ruin me. What if I cut the fabric in the wrong direction and it makes everyone hate it.”

He moved to put her down on her feet and this time she didn’t try to go back to the desk.

“They are so judgy. What even gives them the right?”

She crossed her arms and stuck her lower lip out in the perfect pout. Jon could tell she was getting ready to keep rambling so he put a stop to it. He leaned down and kissed her. She started to pull away so she could tell him how much she still had to do but he pulled her against him and kept kissing until she relaxed into him.

He pushed them over to the couch and she was more than willing to keep kissing him. He could feel her relaxing. He pulled back for a moment and pushed her hair away from her face.

“I’m insisting on a stress free, fashion free night.”

“You can’t do that tonight. Try some other time,” she begged.

“You promised me I could pick three stress free fashion free nights. You have nothing due tomorrow and we are going to order Chinese food and watch Shrek.”

Marinette groaned into his shoulder.

“What is your obsession with that movie? I have never even seen the whole thing, why do you love it so much?”

“You’ll see,” he said with a smile. “Do you agree to my terms?”

“Fine. You order the food and I’ll get a shower before it gets here.”

He smiled. The same smile he had an hour later when she was asleep against him on the couch. It never failed him. When she was too stressed he would put on the movie and she would fall asleep against him before they even made it halfway through.

@maribatgetin

#maribat get in #mgi civil war 3 #boldlyanxious #marijon #now kiss

[littleinkling64]

Flight

Not really the ship I typically write/for, but gosh darn it if Marijon isn’t cute :D

Feel free to use this as a writing prompt if you like!

#maribat #miraculous ladybug #mlb x dc #marinette dupain cheng #marijon