#mldc crossover

[goggles-mcgee]

Fighting the urge to bring a baby Danny into Wish Me as another little sibling to the Batfam. Maybe like a little after Marinette comes, a little de-aged Danny gets brought in and only stays with the rich family because Marinette reminds him of Ellie.

Might make a spin-off

#ml x dc x dp #mldc crossover #ml x dc #dp x dc #dp x dc crossover

[attempting-writer]

Mockingbird 4

This is the fourth chapter of the series, based off @stareyedmoonchild‘s post.

Of coursed based off @ozmav‘s Maribat AU

This one’s running a bit long, I’m very inconsistent when it comes to timing and length.

[Part 1][Part 2][Part 3]

The class, among the growing crowd of bystanders, news crews and first responders, watches with bated breath as they watch the Batwing hovering over the museum as the gas dissipates and the fire suppression system, inside comes to a stop. Adrien gasps and grows excited as crowds of people begin to funnel out, through the front doors. Still wet from their impromptu shower, they all quickly rush into the waiting arms of EMTs and Firefighters, armed with shock blankets, quickly distributing them and checking for any residual symptoms of the fear toxin.

No one among the class could see a pair of pigtails among them. Even Lila was searching the crowd with a deep and thoughtful frown, gently pressing down on the bandage on her shoulder, from where she got injected with the anti-toxin.

As the civilians rushed out, several police officers rushed in, guns and handcuffs at the ready. The class could only watch helplessly as, a nearby officer’s radio buzzed with indecipherable chatter. Though it was clear what was needed when said officer called five EMTs and sent them, with a gurney and medical bag, into the building. The silence that the class didn’t know they were keeping was broken by Nino, who asked, “Those sounds… you don’t think those were actual gunshots… do you? I mean, Nightwing was already on his way in when they went off, right? W-we didn’t see him go into the building, b-but he was already inside right? They must have been shooting at him, right? He has an armored suit, r-right?” Could they have shot Marinette?

An overwhelming sense of dread came over the class as that question, or at least variations of it filled their minds despite going unsaid. They returned to their silence, curling in on themselves. Many of the couples among them: Alya and Nino, Ivan and Mylene, Rose and Juleka, sought comfort in one another as everyone, started to huddle closer to one another, apart from Lila, who stared blankly at the museum entrance, desperately searching for some news, some miracle to show that she hadn’t just made the greatest mistake of her life. Their answer came in the form of four of the five EMT’s coming out with a man on the gurney. They carried him down the stairs and brought him past the class, close enough that they saw that he was in a neck brace, had a bloody wicker mask covering his face and was cuffed to the gurney.

They were followed by a line of unmasked thugs, tied together by the wrists with zip-ties and being escorted by the police officers. Many of them were limping along, even more were sporting severe bruises to the face and head, one even had the top of his jumpsuit tied very awkwardly around his waist as if to hide something on the front of the lower half, but all of them were moaning and whining about how much pain they were in. The class’s growing hopes are quickly quelled when the batwing stops filtering the air in the museum and takes off as batman steps out of the museum’s front doors and walks down the steps, towards a police lieutenant to have a word and hand off control of the situation to him.

After a moment of talking, he offers the lieutenant a thumb drive and then turns towards the class, walking over with his practically-trademarked neutral expression. He scans them for a second, as if doing a headcount, before turning his head to Mme. Bustier. She instinctively steps towards him as he speaks up, to her and the class, “Everything is now under control, I recommend you return to your bus and take it back to your hotel, so that you can decompress and process everything.”

The students begin to pipe up, speaking all at once, mostly to ask about Marinette, “Any questions you have can be answered by checking the news, and the sooner you return to your bus, the sooner you can reunite with your classmate.” With a gesture to Mme. Bustier, she quickly herds the teens together and guides them through the crowds, with help from a cop in the perimeter, to their bus. As the filed on, Rose, who had entered first, freezes as she notices who was standing in the isle, leaning against one of the seats.

It was Marinette, sans jacket, with her black, long-sleeved shirt, with Nightwing’s symbol stitched onto the front in deep-blue thread, still clearly visible despite what looks like plastic wrap, tightly wound over her chest shoulder and waist; jeans that start off a solid black at the top, but softly fade to the same deep blue, from the knee to where they’re tucked into her boots; and bandages, wrapped tightly around her hands and knuckles, as well as another on the side of her neck. Despite it all, she smiled as her classmates on board quickly notice her presence. Rose can’t help but tear up, before running through the bus, directly at her, shouting a long, “Maarrineeeeeeeeeeette!” as she closed the distance between them and hugged her tightly, feeling her very cold and bumpy back and taking a second to realize that Marinette was groaning in pain and gently trying to push her off.

Hearing Rose’s cry, everyone else quickly began forcing themselves into the bus as well, pushing and shoving everyone ahead of them until everyone was tucked, tightly into the seats at the front half of the bus, staring at Marinette, wide eyed. Adrien and Alya had somehow forced their way to the forefront of the group, as well. The two quickly checked her for injuries and noticed the bandages, on her hands and neck, and the ice packs, tightly fastened to her back and her left side by plastic wrap, as well as the bruise on her face, from when she was punched.

Alya is the first to break the awed silence, taking Marinette’s face into her hands and bringing her close to her face, “What. The HELL! Did I miss? What happened to you? You look like if Ladybug couldn’t heal the city after her fights!” She takes a step back to generally gesture at the girl, drawing an embarrassed chuckle out of her as she awkwardly rubs her elbow.

Marinette thinks for a moment trying to remember what exactly happened, bringing her hands into her own view as she lightly flexes her fingers, wincing a bit at the pain in her knuckles. She takes a breath and starts, “Well, to be completely honest, I don’t really rem-”

“Oh. My. FUCKING GOD!” Chloe’s outcry interrupts Marinette, and everyone turns to glare at her. She doesn’t notice as her eyes are glued to her phone; a barely audible commentary can be heard from her ear buds. Sabrina, ever glued to her side, leans over to watch what she’s watching, gladly accepting an earbud from Chloe as the video is restarted. When Sabrina double-takes between the phone and Marinette, everyone takes this as a cue to pull their own phones out to look up what’s happened. A mix of gasps, wincing, and terrified awe among the class with very dramatic ‘Ohhh!’s and wincing and gagging from Kim, finally piques Marinette’s curiosity as she leans over Alya’s shoulder, prompting her to show her what they were looking at and restarting the video.

___________________________

Apparently news travels fast as Gotham’s local news sites already have full articles based on the “New Bird”, with a video that was leaked from the Museum’s security cameras. The video, which everyone was watching, showed what happened immediately after the first gas bombs went off. In a thick cloud, it shows the two thugs at the edge of the smoke and Marinette falling to the floor, just out of it, gasping for breath. The poor quality of the video cannot make out any faces, though through her body language, it’s clear, that she quickly calms down while facing the still conscious thug, before dispatching him. The footage then cuts to when the Scarecrow sprays her in the face.

Batman visibly winces as he watches the footage that Oracle sends him, of the fight. Watching someone as small as her go so feral on so many men, especially with her improvised and fluid movements. It’s clear that while she is practiced, it certainly wasn’t formal training, though, after having received a face-full of the Scarecrow’s new fear toxin, she was likely in a hysterical frenzy, especially when she was landing blows, similar to Dick’s acrobatic style, with enough force for people, or perhaps otherwise, that are much bigger or stronger than these miscellaneous thugs. She must have been hallucinating something big to be going all out like that.

He glances back, from his place, standing next to the gurney, with Scarecrow’s unconscious body, at where Robin was resetting Dick’s shoulder, as Dick was biting down on Marinette’s Jacket, and one of the EMTs was checking out the bruises Marinette’s back and side before he returns his attention to the feed, skipping ahead until it was just the Scarecrow, slowly sitting up on the floor, visibly pained as Marinette kicks the lights out of his last goon, and draws a small gun from his belt. There wasn’t any noise, but he counted three flashes from the gun and three times Marinette recoils as she was hit in the back. Then, the Scarecrow seems to be trying and failing to fire again as Marinette slowly turns towards him. After half-a-second of him trying to desperately scoot away, she rushes at him, grabbing the gun from his hands and beginning to hit him in the head with it, until it slips out of her hands. She then climbs onto him, sits on his chest and begins to, blow after blow, punch him in the face. Shortly after that, Nightwing arrived.

He stops watching the video there and turns away from the four EMTs with the gurney and walks over to where the others were. He picked up Marinette’s jacket, examining it closely. At first glance, and ignoring the damage, it would appear to be a simple denim jacket, deeply blue to match the rest of Marinette’s ensemble, but with black-dyed leather sewn into the back, shoulders, and sleeves. When held out it generally matched Nightwing’s symbol, bringing the smallest of smiles onto Batman’s lips. “Normally I would say that it was dangerous to dress similarly to any of us, but considering what’s been happening since you arrived in Gotham…” He looks into the puncture marks on the back at the mostly unharmed inner lining of the jacket, and then at the slash in the side, where it appears the third bullet seems to only have grazed her. He notices Wayne Enterprises C.A.L. Patent Pending printed under the torn cloth. “… And what you’re equipped with, I’d almost say it were safer this way. However, this does beg the question: How did you get your hands on this material? Not even I have managed to get some to practice with, myself.”

Marinette simply smiled awkwardly up at him as the EMT was wrapping her up with plastic wrap to keep the ice on her back tight to her body. She thinks for a moment about what she would be allowed to say, before speaking up, “One of my classmates has a very protective father, who just happens to be the Mayor... of Paris. When he heard about our month-long trip to Gotham, simultaneously the most well-educated city as well as the most dangerous city in America, he wanted to commission some casual outfits that provide a bit of… protection…. So I got into contact with the host of the contest, Monsieur Drake-Wayne, and I convinced him to offer some supplies in exchange for protective, formal suits for his family. I’m meant to bring them over for final fittings in two days… I hope they like them.”

Robin, who was wrapping Nightwing’s arm in a temporary splint, grew tense as he idly listened to the conversation going on nearby, drawing a pained whine from Nightwing, “Aaagh… Robin, Robinrobinrobinrobinmyarmyouresqueezingmyarm,” To which, Robin simply let go of the arm in his hands, causing it to go lax and fall and hit Nightwing’s leg, drawing a pained yelp from him. Robin cursed under his breath and turned to Batman, “It’ll be easier to simply take him back to the cave, and fix him up there. I’ll take Nightwing in the Batwing.” He offers a nod to Marinette, “Uh, good work with… all that. I will see you later.” He starts to turn, but catches himself and turns back at her, “In general, I mean. I will see you in general… You did say you’d be here for a while, so your track record, thus far… you get it. We’re going to go.”

Batman and Marinette watch in confused silence as Robin practically drags Nightwing, who is trying to wave ‘goodbye’ despite it, to a stairwell. She can’t help but giggle at his fluster before looking around. The EMT that was taking care of her had already left, leaving her without the ability to thank them. She idly clicks her tongue before turning to Batman, “So, you like the jacket?” quickly shaking Batman out of his shock as he turns to glance at the jacket in his hands, closely examining the holes before turning his attention to the joints.

“I’ve heard about Wayne tech’s experimental cloth armor, but I’ve also heard that it’s… especially undependable at the seams. Do you mind if I take this in to run a few tests?” Batman idly flexes the material in his hands and flips it over, feeling the inside for signs of seams or unusually brittle points, as he continues, “You still have that other Robin-themed jacket, correct? Is that also lined with the same material?”

Marinette simply nods and smiles at him, “Of course, and I’ve brought a few more themed jackets as well, all of them are… eh… tactically lined.” She laughs awkwardly at that, “Monsieur Drake-Wayne gave me so much material to work with, and I was so excited for the trip, once I was done with all my classmates’ clothes, it just had to continue!” She catches herself before going into an excited rant about which outfits she may or may not have designed after who, “I’m sure you’ll get a chance to see a few more. After all, what happened twice will certainly happen a third time.” She pauses for a moment. It’s certainly a moment too long before she realizes the implications of what she just said, her hands dropping to her sides as she stares off at nothing in particular, “It’s going to be a long month isn’t it?”

Batman simply rests his hand on her arm, making sure not to jostle her too much and upset her injuries. He wants to reassure her that she would be safe from then on, that she wouldn’t be caught in the middle of an attack or kidnapping again, but in all honesty, he has a bad feeling that she and Robin will become very well acquainted before the month is through. He can only hope that she either doesn’t discover their identities or his children don’t scare her away before she becomes part of the family, one way or another. “Would you like me to take you to your bus? There’s a side entrance that isn’t covered with reporters, that we could use to get you there discreetly.” This grants him a small smile before he begins to lead her out.

Tag list, don’t know if it all works, some of the tags didn’t want to show up for some reason:

@colorfulmongerpsychicranch; @umiko9692; @throneoffirebreathingbitchqueen; @vixen-uchiha; @draco-kasai; @tbehartoo; @sassakitty; @goblinwhoships; @mochegato; @renscorpio; @tired-butterfly; @semaalcocer-blog; @legendarneckjudgestudent; @lozzybowe; @karategirl119; @elmokingkong; @multifandom-freak0221;  @novicevoice; @mikantsume; @amayakans; @itsmeevie01 

#Maribat #daminette #mockingbird #prompt based fic #previous chapters linked #mldc #ml x dc #miraculous DC crossover #i know i said she was dressed as nightwing #but i can't believe that i didn't go into detail for this one #or maybe i did #i can't remember #but anyways i describe her outfit again #nightwing based outfit ftw

[rjalker]

trashystar420 replied to your post “Guys if you're going to write a crossover, YOU NEED TO LIST IT AS A...”

For tumblr @rjalker idk if it’s different cause I use a phone so... yea just wasn’t able to find a tag for crossover

Oh, well I meant this post for fanfiction posting sites like ff.net or Ao3. Tumblr isn’t really set up for fanfiction, so there isn’t an actual way to do that on here.

If you post fanfiction on Archive of our own or fanfiction.net, though, you’re given the option to categorize your fic as a crossover, which some people aren’t doing, which is the problem.

But if you’re just posting fics to tumblr, there’s really nothing you can do but tag them so that people know they’re a crossover. Just pick a tag like “MLDC crossover” or something like that that you put in all your posts, so that people can tell it’s a crossover, and if they don’t want to read that they can block that tag.

But yeah, Tumblr really isn’t set up to properly host fanfiction. But people who post to Ao3? ff.net? And they’re writing fics where Marinette is dating one of Batman’s Robins or whateve’s going on in these fics? they should be categorizing them as crossovers, but they aren’t, and that is not okay.

on tumblr as long as you tag things properly so people know your fic is a crossover, you should be fine. 

#trashystar420

[fanfictionlive]

Shazam fics!

I just wondering if anyone knew any Shazam fics, I’m mostly asking this cause I just got done watching the Shazam Movie then rewatching Justice League Captain Marvel and I need more Shazam in my life.

After searching the Net I found 3 worth reading one surprisingly from the MLP fandom, didn’t really expect anything coming in but it has really managed to hook me in enough to keep looking around, and there are some really good fics there but I digress.

MLDC: SHAZAM, Equestria's Mightest Mare! This is the MLP one featuring scoots as Shazam. It has two Arcs one I personally think is worth reading and another that while still good I personally think doesn’t hold a candle to the first one.

Glow-worm This ones your basic Alt-Power except written really well, kinda like a golden/silver age comic, I found this really fun to read.

Be Humble This ones a BNHA crossover with Eri it’s really short compared to the others but I found it fun to read regardless. I’m not looking for a story without Billy, it’s just I haven’t found one story with a good Billy that has an actual plot and overarching themes. If anyone finds anything I’d really be grateful, I don’t care who is shazam as long as the story is good.

submitted by /u/Readingfanfic [link] [comments] from FanFiction: Where Magical Ponies battle Imperial Titans https://ift.tt/2sWPuBF

#fan fiction #writing #fanfiction #tv show #series #movie #fan #write

[ao3feed-brucewayne]

Home

read it on the AO3 at https://ift.tt/2OZhUDl

by Un_Romancible_NPC

From the time Marinette was 13, her favorite moments with the link were the at the top of high buildings. Because looking out over the rooftops she could, if only for a moment, taste the wind and fog and rain on her tongue; feel the wet, sharp, sticky air of whatever city He called home; somehow understand what it meant to fly.

Words: 3221, Chapters: 1/1, Language: English

Fandoms: Maribat - Fandom, miraculous x DC - Fandom, MLDC - Fandom, ML/DC - Fandom

Rating: Teen And Up Audiences

Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence

Categories: Other

Characters: Jason Todd, Red Hood, Marinette Dupain-Cheng, Ladybug, Bruce Wayne, Batman, Selina Kyle, (technically) Catwoman

Relationships: Jasonette - Relationship, Marinette Dupain-Cheng / Jason Todd, Bruce Wayne / Selina Kyle, Red Hood / Ladybug

Additional Tags: Fluff, Angstangstangst, Angst, dun worry tho, turns into fluff, mldc crossover fic, I HAVE NEVER WRITTEN FLUFF LIKE THIS IN MY LIFE BEFORE, BUT I GUESS HERE YOU GO, ACCIDENTALLY POSTED THIS ON VALENTINE'S DAY ON TUMBLR, A C C I D E N T A L L Y, I cannot stress this enough, Anyways yeah, straight fluff at the end, Fluff so sweet it'll rot your teeth, Soulmate AU, AHAHAH I ONLY USED THE WORD 'SOUL' ONCE IN THIS FIC, FIGHT ME OVERUSE OF THE WORD 'SOULMATE' IN THESE KINDS OF FICS CAN GET STALE REALLY QUICK, I'M SORRY I LOVE SO MANY SOULMATE FICS BUT Y'ALL..., please, PLEASE THERE ARE OTHER WAYS TO SAY THAT, BE VAGUE SHOW DON'T TELL HOWEVER YOU WANNA DO IT, LET ME GO 2 CHAPTERS WITHOUT SEEING THE WORD 'SOUL' I AM B E G G I N G Y O U, ayyyy censored swearing for Jasoonnnnn, Clean Romance, blood tw, gun tw, it's not super prevalent but it's there, posted this on tumblr first, will provide link i guess, pompeii by bastille intensifies

read it on the AO3 at https://ift.tt/2OZhUDl

#IFTTT #ao3feed #bruce wayne #batman #the dark knight #gotham

[ao3feed-timdrake]

Chance

read it on the AO3 at https://ift.tt/2SgVHTo

by Un_Romancible_NPC

Hawkmoth's been defeated for a full year, and the Miracu-Squad are well on their way to unlocking the full potential of their miraculi as they patrol the crime-ridden streets of Paris. However, Bustier's Class has transferred to Gotham Academy for their last year of highschool, and on the first night there a sleep-deprived Marinette had a little run-in with several of Gotham's Caped Crusaders. Quickly garnering their respect, Marinette finds herself unknowingly adopted by the most powerful family in Gotham, as one by one she captures all their hearts and they capture hers. Though she may or may not have gotten a little more than attached to Damian, the quiet, determined boy. Marinette's love life becomes increasingly complicated as something stirs in the depths of Gotham's heart, and little by little Marinette realizes her work may be finished in Paris for the time being, but it's quite clear this next chapter of her life is in Gotham and it's going to be a wild ride. Meanwhile, the BatFam starts doing a little digging on Marinette and her friends, and one by one are confronted with the fact that the trio is no longer quite... Human.

Words: 8371, Chapters: 2/?, Language: English

Fandoms: Miraculous Ladybug, DCU, Batman - All Media Types

Rating: Not Rated

Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply

Categories: Gen, Multi, Other

Characters: Chloé Bourgeois, Demi-Romantic-Ace!Chloe Bourgeois, fight me - Character, Demi-Ace!Adrien Agreste, Adrien Agreste, Aro-Ace!Alix Kubdel, Lê Chiến Kim, He's just a dumb and i love him, Kagami Tsurugi (eventually i promise), Ace!Kagami Tsurugi, F I G H T M E - Character, Lila Rossi, Marinette Dupain-Cheng, Damian Wayne, Bruce Wayne, Alya Césaire, heck these are all outta order, Tim Drake, Jason Todd, Dick Grayson, Richard Grayson, Nino Lahiffe, Max Kanté, Ace!Marinette Dupain-Cheng, Ace!Mari, Ace!Damian Wayne, Ace!Damian, Robin, Red Robin - Character, Red Hood, Nightwing, Batman, i CAN'T TAG SOME BC SPOILERS BUT... Y'ALL'LL SEE, oh gosh i hope i can edit these tags..., Selina Kyle, Catwoman

Relationships: Damian Wayne / Marinette Dupain-Cheng, Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug/Damian Wayne, Robin / Ladybug, Daminette - Relationship, MariDami - Relationship, Miraculous DC Crossover

Additional Tags: If there can be fics where everyone's gay, there can be fics where everyone's on the ace spectrum, fight me, Miraculous DC crossover - Freeform, Alternate Universe - I literally Re-Wrote Everything, Miraculous why do you do this, too bad i made it better, mild violence, because this is a superhero fic, Angst, Fluff, Alternate Universe - DC / ML Crossover, ML/DC, MLDC, Clean Romance, Redemption, because HECK YOU LILA AND HECK THE WRITERS FOR RUINING THINGS, Imma redraw literally everyone's outifts, Because i'm sorry Brucie-Boy, But A Spandex Onesie Does Not Cut It, This fic is also on my Tumblr :D, I'll link that in the notes i guess, idk how to tag this m8, this is my first time posting on ao3, Aged up characters, Class and Damian are all 17-18, MariBat, ChloBat, AdriBat, salt fic, Sort Of, Humor, LMBO WHAT IF I CAN'T EDIT THESE, LMBOOOOO, RIP FUTURE ME GIRL YOU IN TROUBLE IF YOU CAN'T, I will make you Weep, :)), Catharsis Guarunteed :))), i'm saying highschool instead of college or lycee, because i'm too petty to give lila a misunderstanding of a leg-up on her intelligence score rn

read it on the AO3 at https://ift.tt/2SgVHTo

#IFTTT #ao3feed #fanfic #DC #DC comics #Tim Drake #Batman #teen titans #young justice

[goggles-mcgee]

Haunted Blessings

This is a ml x dc x dp idea!

Marinette had been fighting an akuma when it happened. It was this little girl named Charlotte who got akumatized because her parents had been ignoring her requests. A friend and party-goer who was at her birthday party explained that 'Lottie' was sad because her parents were too busy to hang out with her and when her special day came, they ignored her wishes. She had wanted a princess themed party with a hired Fairy Godmother that she had seen posters of. Charlotte had apparently taken several of the flyers to put around her house so her parents wouldn't forget what she wanted. They had said they would hire the Fairy Godmother, but the day of the party came, and instead of a Fairy Godmother, Charlotte got a clown...and not a good one either. The clown who was currently stuck in a cage looked like someone bought a cheap clown costume and thought that was that. He didn't even have makeup on.

Charlotte got so upset, and when she had asked her parents why the Fairy Godmother wasn't there, her parents had sheepishly apologized and said the Fairy Godmother was too busy to come to the party. Arnie, Lottie's best friend, said that was a lie because he heard her mom talking to his about how they forgot to hire the Fairy Godmother, and the clown was all they could get last minute. Thus, Charlotte became her own Fairy Godmother. That was her akuma name and theme.

She granted 'wishes', but it was really what she thought people needed. If she hit you with her pixie dust, she could see your wants and needs, apparently. Her parents wanted, no needed, to be by her side and dote on her. That's why they became a king and queen who followed her everywhere. Marinette had been doing her best not to get hit, but Chat hadn't listened to her small plan to distract the akuma while she went back to her house to get some Miraculi that could help and instead he had nearly got them both hit.

Marinette was tired. She had just wanted to hang out with Luka for the day and just have a nice lazy day where she did nothing but lay on the closest surface and lazily existed while Luka played his guitar. But nooooooooo. So there she was trying to escape so she could go grab Vipe-ard (Luka with a new look and name), Honeycomb (Bee! Aurore), and Mossflower ( Mouse! Mireille). They needed help, bad, and her intuition had been screaming that they needed the help of the Snake, Bee, and Mouse. She thought Chat had been covering her, but he got wacked. Who knows how far and all Marinette could do was stare in disbelief and horror as she got hit but the pixie dust.

The akuma cheered but then got quiet and just looked at her for a very long time. Hawkmoth seemed to be trying to talk to Fairy Godmother, but she ignored him. The akuma flew down to her, her eyes filled with tears and said, "You've done so much for us. You're hurting yourself to protect us, and I...I made it worse. I know what you need so I'll help! I'm a good helper!"

Marinette tried to argue or anything, but she was stuck frozen by the power of the pixie dust. She could hear Chat yelling her name before she felt magic gathering at her feet. Before she fell through the now open portal she heard Fairy Godmother one more time.

"You need a break. And help! I'm sending you on a vacation!"

The next thing she knew, she was landing on a roof hard.

♡___♡___♡___♡

Danny would like to state for the record that as much as people liked to think, he knew what he was doing. The fact of the matter was he didn't. I mean, sure, sometimes he did actually know, but when it came to his ghostly powers, everyone and he included were in the dark. There were so many that developed and grew and evolved. Jazz ended up making him a detailed coded list. Now, for the most part, he knew how to use his powers and control them, but some were just so new ans he was just so busy that his newer powers took him by surprise when they acted up.

Case in point being right now. As he was fighting with Walker in the zone because of some shenanigans, he had zoned out when Walker had monologued. Danny had just been trying to free the wrongly imprisoned Infinite Beings from Walker's prison, and apparently, that was a crime, so here he was fighting when he should have been studying again. At some point, Ellie had arrived, and as much as he loved her, because he loved her so much, his Fraid instincts tended to take over if she was near a fight. He needed to protect his little sister-daughter-cousin.

It was a common thing, according to Frostbite. Danny, being the older of the Fraidmates, meant his protective instincts went a little wild when anyone he considered Fraid was in danger or something he perceived to be danger. But since he was a baby ghost still (lame), his instincts weren't easy to work around and talk sense into so he would become one-track minded.

So, really, it wasn't his fault! It was his dumb baby instincts that caused his portal powers to kick in and open a random portal to who knows where and fly like a bat out of hell to get Ellie and himself away from the danger. His portal spit them out thankfully somewhere loaded with ambient ecto, but they hit a roof hard. Not enough to break through, but enough to hurt a little. Both Halfa's groaned in unison, but it was a third groan that made them freeze.

Whilst he still had a hold on Ellie, as she was not fond of his Baby Instincts kicking in, really disliked how clingy he got. She was fine with his usual hugs. She even ought them out sometimes. But his instincts triggered her own set of Baby Instincts, and she hated it. But there was a little window of time where she would just accept it because of her Instincts and wouldn't just kick herself away, so with that in mind, Danny pulled them into a sitting position to look at presumably the only other person on the roof with them.

It was a girl! Probably around his age! She kind of gave off Liminal vibes, but like really really Baby vibes. Like newborn Liminal vibes.

Aaaaaaand his core and instincts have decided she was his responsibility because the next thing he knew, she joined in the cuddle pile courtesy of his levitation.

Great. Just great!

....Why was she dressed like a giant Ladybug?

♡___♡___♡___♡

Maybe the world was laughing at him, but Bruce had been having a relatively quiet night patrol wise. It was just him and Dick tonight, and that always left him in a somewhat nostalgic daze. He was still aware, he was always aware, but it was like his mind had been giving him a break. Most of his kids weren't going to be in the Manor for a while, missions, school trips, or just little forced vacations had them away for a time. So, while the night had been nostalgic, it had also been a touch lonely. Dick had a way of filling up any space he was in but his eldest son could only fill so much.

Bruce loved the chaos that had become his home and life because of his children. Not having them there left him feeling wrong-footed. He missed them.

Maybe it was how he wished to himself that they were home, if only to help make it still feel like home.

Maybe it was the way the carefully patrolled Crime Alley since Jason was on a forced vacation/road trip with Roy, Arsenal and Bizarro.

Maybe it was the way doing so had him reliving his meeting with his brilliant yet jaded second son.

Whatever it was, Bruce and Dick had seen two separate portals open on top of an abandoned apartment complex that was going to be condemned and rebuilt per Red Hood's plans and orders.

There was no hesitation between him and Dick as they both grappled onto the roof. Whatever danger they had been expecting, it wasn't three teens huddled together near the locked door of the roof. All three looked at the two local vigilantes in surprise and open fear. They looked to be in rough shape, and two were 98% metas. The 2% went out to whatever other possibility they could be.

The boy hissed at them and somehow wrapped his arms tighter around the two girls.

Bruce could hear Dick trying not to giggle which made him sigh.

Really...only in Gotham huh?

#ml x dc #ml x dp #dc x dp #mldc crossover #dc x dp crossover #ml x dc x dp #ml x dc idea #ml x dp idea #dp x dc crossover #dp x dc idea #ml x dc x dp idea #haunted blessings au

[goggles-mcgee]

Wish Me Away: What Goes Around Comes Around

Notes: I'm so sorry for the wait but things piled up and it overwhelmed me. My mental health declined and physical health fluctuated, lot's of personal things happened and then I just got caught up in my commissions. I try my best to multi-task but it always gets hard for me. Sometimes I'll hit a streak and then I'll hit a block.

Overall, I'm just sorry and I thank all of those who are still sticking with this story and me as an author.

Warnings for this chapter are descriptions of injuries.

Beginning Last Chapter

Summary: The Agreste's face their Karma

Chapter:

Karma was a beautiful, beautiful thing if you asked Tikki. One of the only beautiful things born from her and Plagg’s combined powers. They were young when they created it, back when they hid from all, be it humanity or the wide variety of Gods and Goddesses. Kwami weren’t known to man, and to the Gods…well, some didn’t understand them, or they saw them as competition, but there were some Gods who sought them out to talk and bounce ideas off of. It was nice and it fueled her need to create. One conversation with some lovely Hindu Gods had her mind spinning to the point she demanded Plagg help her with her idea. He was reluctant, of course he was, combining their powers had proved to be a great yet terrifying thing. One that wasn’t exactly forbidden by Them before they had actually become Them , but it wasn’t highly encouraged either. 

Luck and Creation were Tikki’s domains, Bad Luck and Destruction were Plagg’s, so it was safe to assume they didn’t collaborate often. When they did though, they created such intriguing yet beautiful things that had the power to do as much good as they did harm. An example being the Lazarus Pit. It was just one pit that ended up somehow multiplying and they were spread around the globe. They were misleadingly called the Fountain of Youth, not many knew there was more than one so whichever one they discovered or heard of that was nearby or far away was deemed the fabled fountain. Human tales were such interesting things, Tikki loved hearing and reading them, even in her smaller form. They were shining examples of Creation and what could be done with the gift of Creativity. It was wonderful! Tikki loved seeing Creation in motion but it was something else to see Plagg and Destruction in work.

It was art.  

Maybe it was horrible of her to say but without him there would be no her. Creation needed Destruction and vice versa. They were an endless cycle and there was something just absolutely breathtaking about that. It was no wonder that Tikki wanted to try and merge their powers and see what could be born from it. They saw what happened when they combined their Creation and Destruction powers, but Tikki had been curious about their Luck based powers and Plagg had been a lot easier to convince once she explained that. It had been laughably easy, the power glowed above them for a couple of seconds and it was beautiful, it was more so when it separated into what Tikki could only describe as magic dust and flew in every direction. The dust coated everything and then it was gone. Naked to the eye but Tikki could feel it all around. 

At first, they had no idea what this new thing did but it became apparent the more they observed humanity.  A human would be kind or helpful in some way and Tikki would get this feeling of tickling warmth around her, this person would get a bit of good luck, nobody else could see it but Tikki, Plagg and the other Kwami (and Tikki would wager also the Gods) would see this human surrounded by some sort of glow. It was beautiful, it never stayed one color, it fluctuated and changed but always remained this soft, gentle glow. Eventually it would fade, but Tikki noticed some humans seemed to be constantly surrounded by the glow and it wasn’t a surprise to note they were some of the kindest, most generous and passionate humans she had observed. They were wonderful and Tikki felt they deserved the boost of luck, the Kwami as a whole were in awe. Then they saw the other side of things. 

Tikki knew humans weren’t perfect, that was part of their allure and all, but sometimes some of their actions truly disgusted her. They lied, which isn’t all bad, but some just lied and lied as easily as breathing and did so with no remorse even if a lie caused a problem. Sometimes they even looked proud if it caused some form of problem to happen. There were those who stole just to steal and just because they could, and there were those who killed with no guilt. Tikki and Plagg started to notice that these people started to be surrounded by a dark cloud of energy. The cloud was sometimes small, sometimes big but it always ended in some odd rain of black energy that coated the person till they resembled some sort of shadow being. How covered and how dark they became seemed to be tied to their actions and some time after that person would experience bad luck. 

Sometimes it was something as simple as something breaking right as they were used, be it old or new, and sometimes…sometimes it was a broken bone, getting an illness or even death. But the deaths were never swift, never painless, they were drawn out and full of such misery it was nearly tangible. Tikki couldn’t help but feel proud of what they created, it had some…drawbacks but overall, it was a beautiful, curious thing. Plagg had been so interested in her side of things, he chose to ignore what his had done but that was okay because Tikki found it just as, if not more fascinating than the good luck boost. It was like the world itself demanded justice and it got it when no one or nothing else did. Plagg at first had loved his powers but when he saw the hurt and hate, he stopped loving it, to an extent Tikki understood but at the same time she wanted to knock him upside the head. Without him, there would be no need for her. 

It took him a couple decades but he got there, and their strange new power grew the more time passed. It got mixed reviews from their peers and the wide array of gods but some Hindu Gods loved it. They even helped them name it as they had a similar idea but Tikki and Plagg seemed to have brought power to it. It was a great collaboration and thus Karma was born. Tikki and Plagg found it utterly fascinating and found themselves watching the humans for long periods of time. That was until They came back in their weakened state and all the Kwami came together to try and help them, it ended up being all for naught but They were not short of their wisdom and critics even in their final days. They saw Karma and though they found it just as fascinating they also scolded Tikki and Plagg for mixing their powers together without notifying them. It was a messy argument but one that ended with Tikki and Plagg getting to let Karma keep on. 

Once they were sealed in the Miraculi though, the effects of Karma weakened. It never disappeared but it did fade into a lesser version of itself. There were rare times where Tikki and Plagg were able to see Karma back in its true form and it was almost always after a Wish or after a catastrophic event in their universe. Karma followed and it healed the balance of the world. Many believed it was the Wish that did this, that took and gave in equal parts but that wasn’t true. The Wish brought about whatever change the Hopeful who had managed to obtain both the Ladybug and Black Cat Miraculi together had requested, and yes They took something of equal value to the Hopeful in exchange, but it wasn’t balanced. Karma helped balance out all the negatives that came after such events, but when it was caused by a Wish it tended to be more … unpredictable. It was more powerful, more spread out, more vicious and bountiful. 

It would reach everywhere a Kwami, and later, a Miraculous had touched. For those who had any saved up Good Karma, Good Fortune would follow them for a while. How long was never determined as sometimes it went on longer than expected or someone had used up all their collected Good Karma on one big thing. Again, it was unpredictable. The same was true for those who had built up Bad Karma, they could have a lot of low level Bad Fortune or even a lot of high level Bad Fortune. And like Good Fortune, someone could use up all their built up Bad Fortune on something big. When that happened, it was a terrifying sight. The punishments that Karma dictated for those with Bad Fortune could be deadly and some were. Tikki remembered them well. So she knew that no matter what, after Gabriel had made his Wish that Karma would be back in its full power and it was something that would have excited her if she had not been actively losing her latest Bug. She had been so close to losing Marinette and her heart raced whenever she thought about it at Wayne Manor. She wanted her revenge. 

That’s why she had asked Them if she could enact Karma, not natural Karma, that would happen regardless. No, Tikki had asked permission for Kwami Karma, a very special type of Karma that allowed Tikki and Plagg and whichever Kwami’s felt wronged or blessed by a former Holder, some of their former power from before they were Sealed and let them bestow Gifts/Blessings. Though some of the Gifts could very well be called curses, that was part of the Kwami Karma and how a Kwami felt towards the person receiving the Karma. It had been something that Tikki and Plagg last collaborated on as a branch of Karma, many people who had worshiped them had called it Divine Honor or Divine Punishment, whichever applied. It was Hippolyta that bestowed the updated name upon them, really she had been joking, “ Ah, so it is to be a Karma of the Kwami? ” The name stuck though as it had made Tikki laugh. 

Though the name brought a smile to her face once more, it wasn’t a fond smile nor one born of laughter, no this smile was one that promised vengeance. The wind rushed around her and the others as they flew across the Paris sky.  Bruce hadn’t been happy about what they were going to do and yet he had still offered to take them to Paris, Tim had even thought about letting them use something called a Zeta-Tube, they were both very nice offers but this was something that had to be done only by the Kwami. Thankfully they had been given some of their former power that morning, it had been hard to hide it from the new family but Tikki thought they had managed well. Kaalki had opened a portal for them after they had all said goodbye to little Marietta, some goodbyes took longer than normal despite everyone knowing they would be home before the day was up but Tikki couldn’t be mad about it. Marietta deserved every bit of love she got. 

“So, are we doing the announcement first or the Gifts first, Lovebug?” Plagg asked, his voice fluctuating between the high-pitched one Tikki had gotten used to hearing and his old one, his original voice, the one she missed more than she could say. 

“The announcement will be first, but before that, we need to give out some Gifts .” Her voice fluctuated too now that they were close to accomplishing their Karma. 

“Are we starting with…with them, then?” Nooroo asked, his voice soft no matter if it was fluctuating. He had yet to raise his voice above anything other than a soft tone and it hurt Tikki’s heart to see her fellow Kwami like that. It made her furious. 

“Yes, Nooroo. We are starting with the worst of them. Gabriel Agreste and-” Tikki started.

“And Adrien Agreste.” Plagg finished in a hard voice. She gave a short nod as she didn’t know what to say to help Plagg. He was betrayed once more and so was one of her Bugs and it never got easier to deal with. 

It wasn’t long before they got to the Agreste Mansion and Tikki felt all her anger and fury rise once more. She looked at the others, then toward Nooroo who flew to her side to join her and Plagg. The others gave them nods before they found spots to hide on the property until Tikki called them. Tikki looked at Nooroo who was staring blankly at the large window in the back of the mansion where the lair had been, he was shaking slightly. “Come. They will get what they deserve My Friend, and you will get closure.” 

“I would like to come as well, if you don’t mind. I know my Holder is no more, but…” Tikki turned back to see Duusuu floating a little behind them all. Her voice was hopeful yet weak. She was still recovering from the damage that had befallen her Miraculous and now that They had fixed it, her recovery was a sure thing, but it was a slow process. Tikki hadn’t even wanted Duusuu to fly out with them all, but she was a stubborn Kwami. Tikki couldn’t deny her, her own closure in that mansion. 

“Of course Duusedda,” It had been many many years since the Kwami as a whole have used their full names, but this was an important moment and Tikki felt like the Kwami before her deserved to hear her own name in full before they all confronted the Agrestes. The smile she got in response made her resolve all the more stronger. So the four Kwami phased into the mansion and followed the voices. Plagg took the lead on the flight as he was the more familiar with the house, Nooroo was confined to two rooms so wasn’t all that familiar with the home if you could even call it that. 

Tikki could hear the voices more clearly and did not hesitate to go towards the doors and use a power boost to blow them open. She had not been expecting the sight of Emilie Agreste to strike her like it did but she did not let it hinder her mission. Though, a big part of her wished that the woman was included in her Karma. She may not have been revived with her consent but she almost took her Baby Bug from her and that was not something Tikki tolerated. For the sake of balance and for Them , she would not do anything to the woman, plus nothing Miraculous would affect the woman since she was a product of a Wish, it was something Tikki brooded about a lot before this day. She may not be able to touch the woman, but she could touch Gabriel and Adrien who were present and immediately tried to fight off whatever kept them stuck to their chairs. Tikki, Duusuu, Plagg and Nooroo all made their way to the center of the table, which was a longer flight than Tikki expected. What was the point of such a long table? No reasons seemed to be good enough reasons to Tikki and by the look on Plagg’s face, she knew she wasn’t alone in the thought. 

“Hello Gabriel.” Nooroo said, his voice surprisingly and not so surprisingly was cold as steel. Gabriel looked like he was yelling silently at them all but Tikki felt no need to subject them all to his pathetic voice and demands. Unlike Nino’s family who were frozen and aware, the Agreste’s could move their upper body and somewhat legs, they were just stuck to the chairs they sat in and the chairs were firmly stuck to the floor. Tikki did steal their ability to talk or more so muted them as she did not need them to try and justify their actions, she did not want to hear their anger, hers was louder and they would be her first audience. 

“Kid.” Plagg said with a smile that was all teeth. His pupils slit so thin they almost looked like they disappeared in the sea of green that was his sclera. 

“Emilie, it is nice to see you awake.” Duusuu said softly, Tikki didn’t agree with her statement but well, the Peacock Kwami always was one of the nicer beings. They were nice but they did hold grudges for a long amount of time if someone wronged them. They got attached fast though, though to say that would make Tikki a hypocrite. 

“I won’t drag this out. The less time I have to be in the presence of you three would be a blessing.” Tikki growled out. She swiftly looked at Nooroo and Plagg and the three of them shared a grim nod. “Gabriel Agreste, former holder of the Butterfly Miraculous, you have been deemed an enemy of the Miraculi. As such you are forbidden from wielding any Miraculous as long as you shall live.”

The shock in Gabriel’s eyes was delicious as was the panic in Adrien’s. Emilie looked horrified but not shocked and that also gave Tikki some pleasure but not as much as she thought it would. “You, Gabriel Agreste are the catalyst to this Karma, in a way, I suppose I could thank you but that would be giving you too much credit. Besides, you do not deserve my thanks or anyone else’s. You invoked my wrath. You killed my Chosen! You destroyed her! Erased her. I take great pleasure in bestowing unto you, your Karma. I, Tikki, Kwami of Creation curse you with memory.”

Gabriel, who had been doing his best to escape the chair, paused at her words. Was the man really that surprised? Did he truly not think there would be consequences to his actions? The thought made Tikki sneer. 

“You will remember the prices others paid for your selfishness. You will remember Nathalie,” Emilie looked genuinely shocked at the name of her friend and equally heartbroken. “Your devoted right hand who did and would do everything for you. You will dream of the woman you erased from the world. You will see every time she sacrificed her happiness for you and your whims. You will feel the love she had for you and the pain she felt every time her love was rejected, you will feel the pain she was in once she started using the Peacock Miraculous. This pain will last for all the years Nathalie Adeline Sancoeur was alive.” 

Emilie was sobbing but her tears were silent due to the magic that was placed on all three Agrestes. She was yelling, presumably at Gabriel who was not paying her any attention. His face was pale, his mouth agape. “You will also remember Marinette Meiying Dupain-Cheng, also known as Li-Mei by her family in China. You will be plagued by visions of possible futures had you not taken her from this world. You will see how Paris would have mourned her as the hero Ladybug, as the classmate many admired and also her as the kind baker’s daughter. You will never know rest. My final ‘ gift ’ upon you Gabriel Agreste, is the gift of a long, healthy life. And for my parting curse, as I am Creation and Creation is me, I curse you with the loss of skill. You will retain your creative spirit but you will never be able to bring to life one of your ideas ever again.”

Next up was Nooroo, he looked nervous but determined. “I, Nooroo, Kwami of Transmission bestow upon you the curse of never wielding my Miraculous as long as you live. You corrupted a Miraculous, you imprisoned me and you did it all with no hesitation, no remorse and I will repay that to you. With no hesitation in my heart and no remorse to be felt I bestow the marks of a traitor to me and an enemy of the Miraculi unto you Gabriel Agreste.”

As soon as the last word fell from Nooroo’s lips, Gabriel spasmed and clutched at his chest and back. His silent screams meant nothing to the Kwami but it seemed like they affected both Emilie and Adrien who tried to reach out to Gabriel. Their mouths were asking questions no one could or would answer. Nooroo felt no relief or vindication at what he had done and would do but he also felt no guilt. “I also give you the…’gift’ of memory and pain. You will remember each ‘akuma’ you created and all the pain they caused to the people of Paris. You will feel each death as if it were your own, you will feel the break of each bone and you will feel the sting of each scratch. That is my parting gift to you, I have nothing else to say.”

Plagg put a hand on Nooroo’s shoulder and gave him a rueful grin before he took his place in front of Gabriel. “I, Plagg, Kwami of Destruction curse you Gabriel Agreste, with a curse of destruction. As I am Destruction and Destruction is me, I bestow upon you this curse of destruction, you will destroy every relationship you have, had and are going to have. No one will ever trust you, no one will ever like you and no one will ever love you again. You tore relationships and strained them during your tantrum as Hawkmoth, you will experience that first hand now.” 

With Plagg’s final words Tikki knew their curses and gifts were placed and finalized. She watched impassively as Gabriel tore his shirt off and finally saw what his marks were. Emilie had a hand over her mouth as she stared in horror at the red, irritated and raised skin on his chest that took the shape of the Butterfly Brooch, he would carry the reminder of his failures by the burn on his chest. It would never fade, it could never be removed or covered by tattoos. It was his brand as an enemy, it would be the first of many marks given today but his and Adrien’s would be the only ones whose marks caused them pain. Everyone else would possibly feel a slightly uncomfortable itch at first or nothing when given their marks. But these two? These two deserved the pain Tikki felt, they had caused her and many others pain by almost taking away her Baby Bug, so they would feel pain in return. Let the world know that they, the Kwami, were not as benevolent as rumored or to be believed, they were higher beings of morally gray standings and it was time they showed it. 

Gabriel turned around to show Nooroo’s parting mark, the mark that he betrayed the Kwami. Two large yet not so deep gashes ran across his back, deep enough to scar, which was Nooroo’s goal. The gashes were parallel and symmetrical, if Gabriel had had wings, Tikki was sure that’s where they would have been placed on his back. Gabriel had lost his wings and now it was time to show the whole of Paris that. “We have punished you, Gabriel Agreste, as we see fit, but the people of Paris haven’t punished you yet. So, as a peace offering you will be locked in one of their jails, La Santé. Should anyone…desire to help you, they will be sorely disappointed to find you can never leave. I am not cruel, you will be provided meals even if those at the prison decide not to give you some. You will be provided a TV so you can watch everything happen around you. So mote it be.” 

Just like that, Gabriel was gone from his seat, Emilie was crying while Adrien also looked close to tears but was yelling at them. His hair was a mess, his face red and spittle flying from his mouth. He looked as unhinged as Tikki imagined, she knew the boy was hiding a darker side like all did, she just never thought it reached this far. All Black Cat’s had darker sides but they all knew how to control it or embrace it, Adrien was not one of those that could do so. It was a mark, one of many of a False Cat. Thankfully, they would leave this place soon. “Adrien Agreste, former holder of the Cat Miraculous, you have been deemed an enemy of the Miraculi. As such you are forbidden from wielding any Miraculous as long as you shall live.”

Adrien stopped his silent screaming and looked at her like she had grown another head, honestly, she wasn’t even one of the Kwami that did possess two heads in the original form, so she felt like it was rude. “You can glare at me all you want, little boy, but it will do nothing to help you. You are the one who betrayed the Miraculi, not the other way around. As such, I, Tikki, Kwami of Creation bestow upon you the curse of memory. You will remember Marinette, you will remember every instance she put her happiness aside for your own. You will see all the times your ‘flirting’ made her uncomfortable as Ladybug and Marinette. You will see every time you let her down. You will remember Nathalie and every time she made excuses for you and all the times she got in trouble because of you. They also give you a curse, you can never tell anyone about the Miraculi, about us Kwami, but if asked you will only admit to being the traitor Chat Noir. Finally, I bestow upon you a gift. You never wanted Marinette so I shall make everything she ever gave you, turn to ash. It’s only fair after all. My gift will make it so you won’t be so cruelly reminded of Marinette, well, visually at least.”

After saying her peace, Tikki flew to the flowers in the middle of the table and sat upon a leaf, though she would hear everything, she wanted to give Plagg his space to say his own peace. She knew it was going to be hard on him but he always did prefer to show his emotions in private so he wouldn’t break in front of his peers. He rarely let Tikki in so she felt bad that they were present for this moment, but it was needed. She watched as Plagg flew towards Adrien and landed in front of the boy far enough to not be grabbed. His antennae were flat against his head and back, it hurt Tikki’s heart to see. “Kid… Adrien, I’ve thought long and hard about this. You may not have been my True Chosen, but you had potential and I…I cared for you, I thought you would have grown into a great Cat. You had spirit, but somewhere along the way you lost sight of what was important. My Cats tend to be on the reckless side but they have heart and are more than willing to lend a paw when they are needed. You are not Cat of mine.”

“With all that said, I, Plagg, Kwami of Destruction bestow upon you the curse of Bad Luck. You will forever be plagued with bad luck, some days can be better than others but that will all depend on you. If you genuinely do something to help someone or comfort someone with no ill intent or selfish gain, your bad luck will be minimal. Do something out of selfishness or deceitfulness and your bad luck will become worse. I will also give you a gift, you care so much about what others think of you I give you the gift of Thoughts. You will hear every single negative thought anyone has had about you. You as Adrien and you as Chat Noir. You, like your father, will bear the marks of enemy and traitor.” Plagg said in a monotone voice. At the end of his speech Adrien spasmed much like Gabriel had but this time he clutched at his right hand before his head was forcefully turned to the side by an invisible force.

Emilie tried to go to her baby boy and Tikki, feeling merciful, allowed it. Emilie shot out of her chair and to Adrien at incredible speed she cradled him to her as best she could while she sobbed. She ran a hand through his hair and pressed a hand to the supposed scratch marks on Adrien’s face and even though he couldn’t hear her, she was trying to calm him as best she could. Her words may not have been heard but her actions were. Well, to Tikki at least. As much as she despised the woman in front of her, she knew it truly wasn’t her fault and let herself feel bad for her. She awoke to pain and even if Tikki believed she had a part in Marinette being erased she also acknowledged it was Gabriel who started everything in a way. Tikki sighed before looking at Duusuu. “Duusuu.”

The Peacock Kwami looked at her and with just a look they knew what she was going to say, so the Kwami gave her a soft smile. “Emilie, I know you never wanted this. But you did ignore my warnings so long ago and though I can’t give a gift of any great weight and can still give you a small one. So I, Duusuu, Kwami of Emotion, bestow the gift of Innocence. No matter what comes to light you will never hold any blame or suspicion. Given what has happened and what will happen, you need not be punished more than you already have.”

“I will not fight Duusuu’s decision.” Tikki said after a while of silence. “We leave you here as I have a broadcast to make but one final word, Adrien, there is… hope for you. You can be rid of your curses if you realize and admit your guilt in all that has happened. That and accept it wholeheartedly, only then will you be free, but you will never rid yourself of your marks. This will be the last time you see us in person.”

No other words were said before the four Kwami left the house. There was no time for delays, Tikki and the others had Karma to deliver and there would be plenty to go around.

Next Chapter

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#wish me away #wma au #maribat #mldc #ml x dc #mldc crossover #mldccrossover Tikki #mldccrossover Kwami (plural) #mldccrossover Plagg #mldccrossover Gabriel Agreste | Hawkmoth #mldccrossover Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir #mldccrossover Emilie Agreste #mldccrossover mentions of Marinette and Nathalie #Adrien Agreste salt #Gabriel Agreste salt #ml salt fic #hurt with a sprinkle of comfort #Tikki is after vengeance #tw description of injuries #tw burns

[goggles-mcgee]

Wish Me Away: Hold Me Close & Hold Me Near

Beginning              Last Chapter

Summary:

*waves* Hi

Bruce muses on his new life despite it only being a couple days since the family welcomed Marietta into it.

Nothing could have prepared Bruce for life with a baby, two days had passed and it felt like his life had been completely flipped on its head. She required a lot of attention and physical affection. The attention he had no problem with, it was the physical affection he was terrified of. Marietta was such a tiny little thing, she was so fragile that Bruce was so scared that the slightest wrong move from him could hurt her. Yet, sometimes the physical affection came so easily to him, so easily he felt like he was robbed of this time he could have had with Damian and found himself wishing Talia had told him about his son sooner. When she smiled up at him when he tried to feed her, it was almost instinctual to give her a kiss on the head, or when she babbled and held out a hand to him, he was compelled to coo and let her grab at his fingers. Hugging her is what scared him most, she was so small, so warm, and he had never understood what all those people said about the smell of a baby but he got it, and hugging her brought him such a feeling of joy and love that he couldn’t even put it into words. Bruce just felt scared of hugging her too tight because of all the new feelings of love that filled him. 

Once she had fallen asleep her first night in the Manor, at her new home, he had been entirely too frightened to sleep in his large bed with her, but he and the boys made a pretty sturdy wall of pillows all around her as he stayed up to study. He bought parenting books, so many parenting books, from baby meal cookbooks, to psychology. He wanted to know anything and everything he had to about taking care of a one year old. And from the many boxes that arrived at the house he deduced he wasn’t the only one. The manor now looked like a bomb went off in it, one that filled the place with bassinets, diapers, baby food and snacks and so many freaking toys. Most of which came surprisingly from Alfred, Bruce had wanted to laugh but Alfred had basically said he had no room to talk. He was right. Bruce had kind of gone overboard when buying her clothes, it’s not fair that tiny versions of clothes were so cute and apparently brought him more joy than his own. 

Cassandra had helped him choose a lot of the clothing as well, it warmed his heart the way she immediately took to being an older sister. The way she held Marietta and the way she hugged her was something that Bruce loved to see, because he could tell just how precious the baby was to Cass. He had many pictures on his phone of the two twirling in the dance room he had built for Cass. It was wonderful and Cass looked at Marietta with so much love, the excitement in her eyes was plain to see as well, though so was the fear, Bruce expected it was much like his own but something stronger. Cass feared hurting her new sister much the same way that Damian was, but whereas Cass spent as much time with Marietta as she could, it seemed like Damian was avoiding the baby. It didn’t take the ‘world’s greatest detective’ to figure out that Damian was frustrated at no longer being the youngest. Bruce wasn’t worried though, when Damian did interact with Marietta, he saw how gentle the boy was with her, even if he scolded her for drooling on him or not paying attention to what he was saying. He tended to hold her and tell her about their siblings and why they annoyed him that day, or classmates, or even just random people that he had a rough interaction with. It was an odd thing to bond over but Bruce was just happy Damian was trying. 

Tim adored her as well, he read all the books Bruce bought and all the ones he himself bought. Within a night, the Manor had been baby-proofed and monitors had been added everywhere. It was like he was waiting to be a doting older brother, Bruce of course knew he and Damian got off the wrong foot and were better but he also knew they would never be as close as Tim and Dick, Tim and Jason or Dick and Damian. It was like a worse Jason and Dick situation when they were younger, both bitter for different reasons and both took it out on one another. There was no doubt in Bruce’s mind that both Tim and Damian loved each other, it was just a strained kind of love. Tim took her everywhere with him if he could, as did Jason, both bought baby carriers to strap to themselves and it was hard not to laugh when Bruce realized they had bought a Red Robin carrier and a Red Hood carrier respectively. Tim liked to take her down to the cave and work on whatever case he was trying to solve or tinker with whatever tech he and Lucius Fox were working on. He said he liked asking her questions and hearing her babble like she was giving feedback. Of course Alfred and Bruce made sure the boy baby-proofed the cave as well and made sure she had her own activities to do besides giving her older brother feedback on his projects. To the surprise of no one, Tim even set her up a little play-pen in the Cave, which maybe wasn’t the best thing but it still tugged at Bruce’s heartstrings to see. 

Jason loved Marietta. It was honestly amazing to see just how fast the man adjusted to being a doting big brother. Of course Bruce already knew Jason was great with kids and with his younger siblings but it was another thing to witness it, especially with someone as young as Marietta. Jason loved to feed her which was always an interesting thing to witness, but boy was he good at it, she never complained when he fed her. He also read to her everyday even if he couldn’t be there physically, he would video-call, though his reading choices varied from the Well Loved Tales books he scored at a garage sale to classics he had in his room or brought from his apartment. It was entertaining to watch him read things like Cinderella to her and then go from that to reading her Pride and Prejudice. He made sure to get books with pictures for her and if they didn’t have pictures he would show her pictures he found on the internet to show her who he thought a character looked like, or an object in one of his classic books that he couldn’t describe. It was awfully endearing and Bruce and Alfred made sure to take as many pictures of the two as they could. Nap times they would often find the two together with Jason sprawled out on a couch, the floor, a chaise or bed with Marietta snuggled on his chest. It was those times that Bruce envied Jason. 

Dick was also one that adjusted to having another younger sibling surprisingly fast, even if said younger sibling was younger than any of them have dealt with before. He never complained about changing her diaper, he just laughed and said they would have to get on top of potty training but only when she felt like it. He was incredibly gentle with her and patient and tried his best to help Damian get more comfortable with her. He was also the one who could get her to stop crying the fastest out of all of them, well second to Alfred. It was impressive, and yet it was another thing that Bruce found himself jealous of. He was the parent and he felt like he should be able to soothe her cries easily, but the truth was, he had no idea what he was doing. Sure, he had a lot of children, but he had not had any of them when they were babies, this was a whole different playing field and it hurt him that he wasn’t excelling at it. Of course, Bruce wanted to be the best father he could be, and he would admit that he, like his children, wanted to be Marietta’s favorite person. Both Dick and Jason would put her in the middle of them and coo at her and see who she would waddle or crawl too, they said it was a competition to see who her favorite was but most of the time she just laughed at them and would end up falling back on her bottom if she was standing. Damian found this highly amusing every time it happened and Bruce suspected so did Alfred. 

Duke was a little like Babs in the sense that he adored Marietta, but she made him nervous. He never held her long unless he was sitting down because he feared dropping her, if she was asleep that fear tripled because he said she was just dead-weight and would fall no problem. Though, he liked working on his homework with her and telling her about school. Sometimes he brought out her crayons and coloring books but that was rare since Marietta hadn’t yet grasped the concept that the canyons were only for her coloring books. Alfred lectured all of them about watching her during ‘coloring time’ after she found out that crayons work just as good on walls as they did on paper. Though Duke was nervous around her, Marietta always managed to get him to relax around her after enough time passed and the boy would play games with her, though the games mainly consisted of peek-a-boo and making silly faces at her. She loved it though and it seemed like no one could make her laugh more than Duke and his silly faces. Every time he made her laugh or giggle, Duke looked like he had just won an award or something and would give her the brightest smile in response. Of course he and Alfred had many videos and pictures of the two already. 

Babs hadn’t met little Marietta face to face yet but she had seen the little one over the Batcave’s computer and she had looked smitten. She also promised to visit them soon, probably within the week which was great. Alfred had been wanting the young woman to visit the Manor more often, so her visit was more than welcome. Especially since it seemed like Marietta took a shine to her, even if it was just over video. Babs took to face-calling whoever she knew was in the Manor so she could see Marietta and hear her babble at her nonsensically with some actual words thrown in here and there. Though she hadn’t met the little one properly, Babs did send gifts that she ordered online and she sent everyone books on childcare. Bruce didn’t have the heart to tell her he had already bought the book she had got for him, he had just thanked her and used the new copy to take notes in. She seemed excited to hold Marietta and Bruce could honestly say he understood that feeling now, before he hadn’t, not really, but now it was like all he wanted to do was hold his daughter and show her to everyone. Thank goodness he had such good self-restraint. They, as a family, decided they wouldn’t go public with Marietta until Selina came back from Central City; she was setting up another animal shelter/rescue center after the success of the one in Gotham, then the one in Metropolis. This was her baby, her project, she was very hands on with everything that came with the business. Bruce felt so proud of her and he was also extremely happy his influence was good for something like this. When it got out that Bruce Wayne was investing in the Kyle Animal Rescue & Shelter Centers, many of Gotham’s elite followed. Though she wouldn’t admit it, he knew that Selina was grateful.

Stephanie had the habit of carrying Marietta everywhere she went when she was at the Manor, which considering the baby had only been there for about two days, meant Steph had been there everyday now. When she walked into a room and saw Marietta she would scoop her up and give the little one a shower of kisses which resulted in the most delightful giggles. Though Steph also had the habit of just…sniffing Marietta, when they asked her about it she just shrugged and said she loved the smell of babies. Which, fair, but she did it so obviously and made such a spectacle of sniffing the newest Wayne that you couldn’t help but laugh. It always made Marietta laugh as well so it was a welcome habit. Steph was also someone who liked feeding Marietta which Bruce could not understand as it was a time that he saw his baby daughter be truly stubborn, worthy of the Wayne name, which was something his mother would tease him with whenever he was stubborn. But like Jason, Steph could get the baby to eat whatever Alfred served for their meals. She said she liked to see the faces Marietta made when eating and she just liked to see just how messy the baby could get. Which was, astoundingly, a lot. She had many baths that she thankfully enjoyed. 

Damian was complicated. There were moments he seemed to crave Marietta’s attention and other’s where he would avoid her altogether if he could. From what Tim, Alfred and the books told him, Damian felt ‘threatened’ as he was no longer the ‘baby’ of the family. The wording was ridiculous but maybe fitting for the situation. Damian was a child who adored having Bruce’s attention and Dick’s attention the most, though he would sooner play nice with all the kids at Brentwood Academy than admit it. When he held her, he no longer held her like a bomb about to go off, but he cradled her like one wrong touch and he’d break her. There were times that Bruce had walked past a room to see Damian hugging the little one to him with his eyes closed and hands shaking, it always felt wrong to intrude so Bruce would just continue to walk past. The boy also introduced his younger sister to all his animals, even Goliath who lived in the Wayne Farm. Damian built his own underground Cave beneath the farm to hide Goliath if the need arose, he called it the Underground BatFarm after Dick called it that once. So they all just referred to it as the BatFarm. Damian had simultaneously been overjoyed and annoyed that all his animal friends seemed to take a shine to the newest addition to the family. 

Alfred was in love. Plain and simple. He doted on the baby so much that Bruce often wondered if the Butler/Grandpa/Adopted Dad ever did that to him when his parents introduced the two when he was born. He always served her food first at meals, he gave her treats when he thought no one was looking and if the boys weren’t around he took to carrying Marietta in his own carrier. It was always quite the sight when Alfred would walk into a room with a baby strapped to his chest. Though in a weird way, Bruce was getting used to it. What he couldn’t get used to just yet were the tiny creatures that called themselves Kwami. They stuck around Marietta like glue. They never left her alone, not even when she slept. It was very disconcerting to wake up and see two creatures sleeping on the pillow next to you  first thing in the morning. Even if a family member was just going to change her diaper real quick, they followed. Their import on cheese increased an unhealthy amount and really Bruce had no way how they would explain those finances away if anyone bothered to look. At least Alfred usually baked biscuits. So there was no shortage of Tikki. Plagg was insatiable. 

Even now, Bruce watched as the little black cat Kwami absolutely inhaled a wheel of brie. “You keep eating like that and we’ll run out of cheese before you know it.”

“Eh, you’re rich.”

Jason’s cackle was welcome but also Bruce felt like this was a serious matter so he did not appreciate being laughed at. “It’s true, Bruce. You are a very~ rich man.”

“That doesn’t mean that Plagg should demolish our entire cheese supply and have us order more in less than a week. It could be considered suspicious and we are trying to lay low.” He reasoned.

“I mean, it could be suspicious, or people think you’re on some weird new cheese diet and you accidentally start a trend again.” Tim piped up from his position on the floor where he kept pressing buttons on one of Mari’s toys which made her coo from her spot on her mat. 

“Oh man, please not another ‘Bruce Wayne Original Trend.’ The amount of people I saw wearing their shirts backwards in Blüdhaven after his last ‘trend,’ is more than enough for me.” Dick complained from where he was laying on the floor tossing one of Marietta’s toy balls up and down.

“Father was very tired that day.” Damian defended, he was sketching something from his favorite spot in the windowsill. They were all relaxing in his office despite the fact he told them he had paperwork to do. “Though he should have had more decorum and noticed his mistake.”

So much for defending him.

“You humans are so weird with your clothes.” Plagg sighed loudly.

“You act like we never wore clothing once upon a time, Plagg.” Tikki teased.

That had Tim’s attention. He loved learning more about the beings that came as an added…bonus with their newest Wayne. “You guys wore clothes?”

“Well, duh! We weren’t always this adorable you know?” Plagg replied.

“Wait. You guys really weren’t always this itty-bitty?” Jason asked. 

“We did mention we were basically revered as Gods in the past. Can you see these forms being worshipped?” Tikki fired back. When she got no reply, she looked unbelievably smug. “Before we were bound to the Miraculi, we tended to use a more human-like form. Hence the clothing. Though even that form was not our true form.”

“It’s been ages since we got to be in our true forms.” Plagg said wistfully. 

“What are your true forms?” Tim asked with a twinkle in his eye.

Tikki chuckled softly. “They are…well, they are hard to explain. But it is because the ‘First Guardian-”

“The ‘Betrayer’!” Plagg interrupted with a shout.

“He saw our true forms, and I guess that’s what pushed him to create the ritual that bound us. He called us monsters. Creatures living amongst man. Honestly he just raved at us how he couldn’t believe that we tried to take advantage of the folk who worshipped us and that he was doing them a favor by binding us.” Tikki explained.

“Crazy loon.” Plagg scoffed. 

Bruce shared eye contact with all his sons who looked just as disturbed at the information as him. Their true forms scared a man so deeply that he went to such lengths. He felt bad for the Kwami but he also could understand the man’s need for protection even if it was unwarranted. Bruce was always prepared, no matter the circumstances, but now it felt like he would never truly be prepared with the Kwami living with his family. They were truly neutral beings, and it was interesting to have them in the Manor,  but when he and Jason got into another argument about the no-killing rule, Plagg and Tikki had looked at him like he was the wrong one. Or more accurately, like they couldn’t understand why he was arguing about it with his son. It was an issue, but not more so than the two beings announcing their plans about Paris.

“So today’s the day.” Jason brought up as casually as he could, which wasn’t as casual as the young man would have liked. 

Plagg nodded. “It is.” 

Bruce sighed.

“Oh Bruce, I know how you feel about it, but really it isn’t your place to tell us we can’t spread Karma across Paris. It has already been enacted and They have given their permission to all of us Kwami of the Miracle Box of Fortune & Fate.” Tikki explained once more, she wasn’t being condescending and yet Bruce still felt like she was. 

“And I told you, I don’t understand that.”

“You don’t have to understand it. Just let it be.” She replied.

“Or better yet ignore it.” Plagg gave his two-cents. 

“I can’t just ignore it. You told us you will be going to Paris to punish them!” He argued as softly as he could, not wanting to disturb Marietta who was still distracted by her noisy shiny toy. 

“Not all, only those who deserve it and though Paris will no longer be protected by us, it doesn’t mean forever but they need to know. Which is why the announcement is also needed.” She argued back, though she didn’t even look affected by his words and that made his hackles rise more. 

“Look. I know your whole ‘job’ is ‘justice,’ and that’s great.” Plagg interjected. “But justice is up to the interpreter and this, Karma, that’s our justice. That’s how we deal with offenses and crimes against us. You don’t have to understand it, but for your sake and Marietta’s sake, don’t try to stop us or talk us out of it anymore.”

“Are you threatening me?” Bruce growled which made Marietta whine.

“Bruce.” Alfred warned. “Calm yourself. You’re scaring the baby.”

Bruce cleared his throat and looked over at his daughter who was looking at him with her big doe-eyes filled with tears. “I’m sorry Baby, nothing’s wrong. We’re just talking Sweetheart.” 

“Master Bruce, I understand your feelings on the matter but at the end of the day this is their business and if you ever feel the need, I’m sure Paris would appreciate vigilante help if they ever need it.” Alfred said as he set down some tea for Bruce on his desk. And like every time Alfred was the voice of reason, Bruce felt the fight leave him. 

“I apologize.” He said after a while.

“Sooooo, how are you going to make the announcement if you guys can’t be caught on camera?” Dick asked to break the tension. 

“They have kindly lent me some of their power and my old power so I can retain my old human form.” Tikki explained. “If the announcement goes on longer than I can hold the form then Trixx can cast an illusion of my human form. Before the announcement though we will be going and giving out Karma to a select few.”

“I thought you were…uh, doing the Karma thing after the whole announcement.” Jason said.

“Oh, we are, but there are a couple of people who will get their Karma before the announcement.” Plagg said with a smile that shouldn’t look so frightening on such a tiny face and yet it was. 

Quiet covered the family yet again until Damian spoke up from his spot, “Well, happy hunting.”

The two smiles shared between the Kwami somehow dwarfed the one Plagg had made just before and Bruce felt a shiver run down his spine. He sent a silent prayer out for Paris. 

               _____________________________________

Gabriel sat at his place at the head of the table and watched as his wife talked with Adrien and for the first time in a long time he felt completely at ease. His heart still raced when he acknowledged the fact he had no idea where Nathalie was and he didn’t know what to say when Emilie asked him where she was. Right now she believed that Nathalie was visiting her sister but the truth was he had no idea and it scared him. After The Wish, she and Dupain-Cheng disappeared without a trace. He didn’t understand where they were and his son’s complaints and worry over the girl were getting on his nerves. Neither had their Miraculous so Adrien complained about not being to check on her the ‘Chat Noir’ way, they figured that was their price for The Wish. Though it saddened him, Gabriel was willing to leave the Miraculous behind in exchange for his wife who was a bit different now that she was back but he just chalked it up to her being confused at being awake once more. 

He impulsively reached out and took her hand in his. Emilie gave him a small smile back in return and he tried his best not to frown. She should be happier, she was finally reunited with her husband, he would think she would be overjoyed. “Adrien. I…called your school and told them you won’t be there today. We will be spending the day as a family.”

“Okay Father.” Adrien responded promptly. 

Emilie looked as though she was going to respond but before she did the doors to the dining room blew open, they nearly came off the hinges. All three family members turned to look in shock and just to see what or who came through in such a fashion. Gabriel opened his mouth to shout at the insolence of it all but his voice caught in his throat when he saw four very familiar Kwami fly in. He tried to get out of his seat but found he couldn’t and from the looks of it, neither could Adrien or Emilie. It made Gabriel struggle against whatever bound him to his seat more. He tried to yell, to shout, but found he had no voice at the moment. Emilie looked so scared and there was nothing he could do about it. The Kwami flew until they were all floating above the middle of the table so all three Agrestes could see them. The red one, Tikki glared at Gabriel so fiercely that if looks could kill, he was sure he would be six-feet deep at the moment. 

“Hello Gabriel. Let’s talk.”

Next Chapter

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#wish me away au #wma au #maribat #mldc #mldc crossover #ml x dc #mldccrossover Marinette Dupain-Chen | Ladybug #mldccrossover Bruce Wayne | Batman #mldccrossover Dick Grayson | Nightwing #mldccrossover Jason Todd | Red Hood #mldccrossover Tim Drake | Red Robin #mldccrossover Damian Wayne | Robin #mldccrossover Alfred Pennyworth #mldccrossover Batfam #mldccrossover Tikki #mldccrossover Plagg #mldccrossover Stephanie Brown | Batgirl #mldccrossover Cassandra Cain | Black Bat #mldccrossover Duke Thomas | The Signal #mldccrossover Barbara Gordon | Oracle #mldccrossover Gabriel Agreste #mldccrossover Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir #mldccrossover Emilie Agreste #ml salt fic #adrien agreste salt #lila rossi salt #ml class salt #Marietta Wayne au #return of Salty Tikki #with her companion Salty Plagg

[goggles-mcgee]

Ashes of Rage: Act 1 - It Would Take A Miracle

Chapter 4 of the story for @miner249er

AO3 Last Chapter

Summary: Luka's heart had never felt so broken, his world so dark and his music so static. He hasn't had any motivation to do anything besides stay in bed. It would take a miracle to make him do so...or a sympathetic and determined kwami.

It Would Take A Miracle:

Static. 

All he could hear was static. 

There were no melodies, there were no solos, there were no symphonies. All it was was disheartening static and Luka didn’t know what to do. His life three days ago had been so loud and comforting but now it was silent, muddled and so dark. He felt listless and refused to get out of bed. It was a good thing that he and Juleka got their own rooms finally, it had taken a lot of convincing for his mom to let them clean out one of the storage rooms and turn it into his new bedroom. It had actually been Marinette who had convinced his stubborn mom and it had made Marinette all the more wonderful. She was always incredible, but seeing her out stubborn the most stubborn person in Luka’s life had only made him love and value her more. A fresh wave of tears washed over the forlorn teen at the thought of his crush and friend. His heart twinged with a twisted pain he was slowly getting used to. Pain. He was in so much pain. He wanted it gone. He wanted her back. But like every time before, his pleas and wishes were ignored and just led to more heartbreak. 

His appetite was all but gone and he barely ate what his mom made or bought him, he still drank though and maybe that was why she wasn’t pushing. He hadn’t showered in three days but with the way he was feeling he knew it would be longer. It was hard to get out of bed even if it was to use the restroom, taking a shower just felt like too much work. He would see the shower and a barrage of thoughts would crash into him, reminding him all he would have to do to feel clean again and it was like he was tranquilized or something because he would just feel this bone-deep tiredness that wouldn’t go away no matter what he did so it would just lead to him laying in his bed and starting the twisted routine all over again. It was like he was in one of those groundhog day movies or like his own power Second Chance, was glitching and not letting him out of the situation.

Luka’s emotions felt too big for his body, his skin itched with his frustration and the days passed without a shower, his teeth ached in his longing, his muscles screamed in his sadness, his heart clenched in its breaking and his lungs drowned in his guilt. As much as he craved to do something, anything he also couldn’t help the thoughts of ‘why?’ Why do anything at all when his world had crashed and burned around him? Why plead for things to be different when his prayers fell on deaf ears? Why get up when nothing he did would bring back Marinette? It was a lot and there was never a break form the never-ending torture. Not even his dreams were safe. Dreaming of Marinette led to more heartache even if the dream was normal to past ones he had had that had previously brought him endless joy. The nightmares were the worst but he would take them over the bittersweet ones that just made his longing deeper and his hope stronger. But reality would hit him once his eyes opened and he would cry for many minutes, maybe even hours. Time didn’t register to him really. 

The only reason he knew how long it had been since he had showered was because of his mom and Juleka. He knew they were trying to help but he had been angrier than he honestly expected after Paris learned of Team Miraculous’ Finale Fight, he hated it but that was what everyone had now dubbed it. It hadn’t been a fight, at least not from his and the rest of the team’s point of view. No one knew what exactly happened in the underground chamber since the only ones who could tell them were two comatose Kwamis and three villains who would probably twist the events. It was hard to come to the realization that Chat Noir was Adrien Agreste, even for Luka who had the unique skill of ‘reading someone’s heart.’ That’s what others referred to it as but according to his long talks with Sass, Luka seemed to be someone who could read a person’s aura which mixed with his Synesthesia. He had Chromesthesia, specifically, but his was more along the lines of seeing color and the color had a sound. He saw colors in a lot of things but it was constantly people, their auras and tones of voice would bring color and the color would bring the music. 

It did get overwhelming sometimes and it had been a big factor in him doing his schooling online for a while which turned into permanently. He just enjoyed it more than when he did go to school and his former teachers told him they saw remarkable improvement in his grades. He still met up with his friends, they still hung out and had study sessions, so he was still a social teen but he didn’t have to worry about migraines or coming across weird to other people who weren’t his friends. His former bandmates in Kitty Section had also been really understanding and never treated him differently and helped him when some days were just too much. But they changed, their music’s changed and it had been jarring, when he eventually left the band he knew it had been inevitable. There was no doubt in Luka’s mind that if he hadn’t quit he would have been ‘politely’ fired and he had strong feelings about that. The one constant had been Marinette, when the others changed she didn’t. She remained strong and melodious. 

Even if she was going through something her melody was still recognizable. He was still coming to terms with the fact he would never hear her song any time soon or ever. She had been there when he left the band, she had been there when he begun fighting with Juleka more than normal and she had been there when he decided to get to know his dad more. She had been such a strong light guiding him through some of the roughest seas he had ever experienced. Kagami had also been a constant presence before everything happened. She was a calming presence and often kept him and Marinette from getting lost in their projects. Both he and Marinette tended to get distracted easily and they both fed off each other’s energy and Kagami would be the one to keep them grounded and focused. Kagami’s music was a new sound he had gotten used to hearing and it was easily in his list of top ten songs from people he heard. When Marinette, Kagami and he would get together he would hear such wonderful melodies. 

Marinette had often joked that they were the Three Musketeers with how often they would hang out together when they could. Without Marinette it felt like a knife to the heart to use the group chat between the three that was titled as such so he and Kagami never touched it when they spoke. Phone calls were still too much for Luka at the moment so the two just texted each other but it still brought him comfort all the same. That was probably another reason why his mother wasn’t pushing too much, it probably would have been a different story if he had cut off all his friends but especially Kagami since his mom knew how close they along with Marinette were. But he still overheard his mom talking on the phone over how worried she was and how she didn’t know what to do. Luka always felt like telling her she was doing all she could and just comfort her but he didn’t have the energy. He suspected she was talking to his dad or Penny, most likely both. He knew from the sounds of it his dad wasn’t doing so well either with the news. 

“Snakelet…” 

The voice of his Kwami cut through the current haze Luka found himself in but he couldn’t bring himself to look at his friend but he did manage to hum as a response. 

“I have thought about what I could say that would make you feel better for ages. I came to the conclusion that no words I could offer would make you happy. Nor satisfied. But I don’t want to leave you with no words from me. I…I am lost. I have been through this situation more times than I’d like to admit and yet all those instances have left me with no answers.” Sass admitted in his soft voice as he flew to sit in front of Luka’s face on his pillow. Luka couldn’t look away, he wouldn’t look away, he knew it would hurt his small friend if he did so. 

“Though there are few words I can give you that express my condolences and support, I simply will say, I am here for you.” Sass said and did his best to give Luka a hug, though it was more like he laid himself on Luka’s nose. “I am here for you and I will continue to be here if ever you need me.”

Luka felt himself begin to cry again, which astounded him as he felt like he was all out of tears. “Sass…” He choked out, he tried his best not to sound like he was going to sob but he knew he failed when he felt Sass try to hug him harder. 

“What do I do?” He asked in a small voice once his small cry ended. Sass was no longer on his nose but instead sat in his hands as he finally sat up after what felt like ages. 

“ We do our best to move forward.”

“We?”

“I did say I will be with you. I mean it, every step of the way, I will be here.” Sass didn’t say he promised but Luka could hear it in his tone of voice. It was a promise but it felt like more. It felt like a lifeline. 

Luka couldn’t really think of an appropriate response without risk of crying again and he already had a cry-headache settling in. “What…What do we do?”

“We need to go to…Ladybug’s house, her room specifically.” Luka was about to protest that suggestion, because he was absolutely not ready to do that. He didn’t think he would ever be ready. “I know that is probably the last thing you want to do Snakelet, but I can’t communicate with the other Kwami to see if one of their holders can do it. The Miracle Box is sitting in…Ladybug’s room unknown and unprotected. If someone with ill intentions were to find it there would be great difficulties and more tragedy.”

“More?” Luka felt his anger rise at an alarming speed. “Hasn’t there been enough?”

“Luka…I understand you are in pain and worried. I…I am also going through the same. My friends  are unconscious and unresponsive…I…I can barely feel them even if they are in the same room.” At Sass’s words Luka’s anger all but left him in an instant. “Besides obtaining the Miracle Box and keeping it safe, I feel something telling me that Tikki and Plagg need the Miracle Box. I can’t explain and I know you are hurting, but-”

“Okay.”

“-it is…Wait. Okay? You…You will do it?” Sass asked and the wide-eyed hopeful look on his face broke Luka’s heart a little bit more. Sometimes it was hard to remember that he wasn’t the only one hurting even if it felt like it at times. 

“You and me, Sass, you…you said you were here for me and I’ll be here for you. We’re friends.” Luka said softly as he brought the Kwami to his chest in the best hug he could give, it was somewhat like the hug Sass gave Luka earlier. He wanted to make Sass feel as safe and loved as the Kwami had made him feel despite their size difference. After their hug Luka forced himself to get out of bed and ignored how weak his legs felt and softly said his transformation phrase. It felt weird being Viperion even though it really hadn’t been that long since he had last transformed but there was this odd feeling like being in his hero form was wrong without…Ladybug there to lead. Ladybug, it was easier to think of her as Ladybug, it didn’t lessen the pain but it made it just a bit more bearable. But now he was going to her house, to her room and he knew what it looked like, smelled like and there would be no way to think of her as Ladybug when he was in there.

He had to do this though. For Sass and for Ladybug, he would rather die than let the rest of the Miraculi fall into the wrong hands. He'd be damned if he didn’t protect the city that Ladybug loved with her whole heart and soul. So he made his way to her home, to her tower. He and Kagami often joked about Marinette being the princess in the tower and Mari-Ladybug only laughed. She loved her tower. Kagami once joked when it was the two of them that Kagami was M-Ladybug’s knight while he was her minstrel. He had laughed and agreed but later he would think about it and decided he would be a knight if she needed him to be. Though she had needed him and he hadn’t been there. Nope! No! He would not fall down that line of thinking as he was jumping across rooftops and using his lyre to help him along the way. It was a weird day when they found out his lyre could turn into a crossbow, the end of his “arrows” could also change into a grappling gun. 

Apparently he and Sass had been bonding pretty well and slowly harmonizing which is why his lyre upgraded to one of its forms. The arrows of the crossbow themselves were weird as he didn’t carry a quiver or anything but an arrow would be equipped if he needed it. Some had no arrowheads, some had normal arrowheads, others had barbed arrowheads, and sometimes the arrows had string attached to them. Whatever kind of arrow he needed, it would show up on the crossbow already loaded. Sass had told him that that showed just how in tune the two were becoming and that soon they would probably be able to communicate with one another while Luka was transformed. It was something he had been looking forward to. He was sure it would come in handy and besides, he already talked out loud when transformed, it may have looked weird but he had been talking to his kwami even if he didn’t think he could hear him at the time. He hadn’t but now he would, hopefully soon. 

Finally, Luka touched down on the roof of Ma-Ladybug’s tower and looked around in sadness as he noticed the plants up there had wilted. Before he could talk himself out of it he opened the hatch of the roof and jumped through and onto the floor of the bedroom. Some dust had begun to settle and it broke Luka’s heart more but he willed himself to take deep breaths before he dropped his transformation. He and Sass needed to be able to talk and they weren’t quite at that stage of being able to communicate with one another. As the transformation dropped he looked down at the dirty pink bag that he had taken to looking after and opened it to look at the kwamis who slept inside. Tikki and Plagg, as he had learned from Sass, were normally darker in their colors but looking at them they seemed shades or tones paler, well according to Sass.

“So what are we looking for?” Luka asked as he refused to look anywhere else but his kwami. 

Sass had opened his mouth, probably to respond but both of them froze when they heard thumps coming from the roof and the unmistakable murmur of voices. Luka scooped his kwami out of the air and quickly hid behind M- Ladybug’s .( Ladybug. Goddammit .) chaise. The light in the room was off and he himself had been wearing some of his darker clothes…er well, pajamas. Both kwami and teen held their breath as the hatch to the roof was opened and down came two? No, three, actually make it four, people. It took a minute for Luka to recognize them as his teammates. He didn’t know whether or not to greet them but that choice disappeared when a purple kwami and blue kwami flew out from somewhere and floated in the middle of the room. 

“Please don’t be scared!” The purple one pleaded. “I am Nooroo and this is Duusuu. I am the kwami of the Butterfly Miraculous while Duusuu is the kwami for the Peacock. I know that alarms you but please listen. I called my friends here and they probably don’t know why or just had a feeling they had to come here so you followed.”

Barely after speaking, the kwami - Nooroo, was sped into by Sass who flew so fast the two kwami shot off into the air. Luka figured there was no point in hiding anymore and stepped out from his hiding place and awkwardly waved at his teammates. They seemed to be in shock before Noc-Turtle mumbled something and their transformation dropped revealing Marc Anciel. Fox-Tail’s jaw dropped before he hastily said his detransformation phrase and there stood Nathaniel Kurtzberg who hurried over Marc and hugged him. Donryu had been looking at Luka the whole time and quietly made her way over to him, once she was in front of him she too dropped her transformation and there was Kagami. It shouldn’t have shocked him as much as it did but the two just stood there staring at each other before they heard an odd wheeze come from Bee-Witch who was staring at everyone with wide eyes. She too dropped her transformation and only to the shock of Marc and Nathaniel, she turned out to be Chloe Bourgeois. 

“I don’t know how to handle all these revelations at the moment but I can work through them later with my cat.” Marc said, clearly still in some shock. “Er-Nooroo right? Can you explain more?”

Nooroo who was in the middle of a kwami group hug along with Duusuu nodded and reluctantly left the hug. “Like I said, I was able to call you all here to meet, I had to borrow power from the other kwami in the Miracle Box though. I’m not at full power and even then my messages would have been more feeling than anything. Sorry, I’m rambling. It’s been a while since I’ve been able to talk so freely.”

“You are fine, Our Friend.” Pollen reassured while glaring at everyone else like she was daring them to argue. 

“Take your time.” Sass murmured from his spot next to his friend. Luka wanted to comfort the little kwami but he didn’t think it would help given how Luka could imagine he was treated by his former user. If Luka were him, he would be wary of humans no matter how well intentioned. 

Nooroo took a deep breath and nodded. “I…I don’t really know where to start. What I have to say is…shocking to say the least. I know all of us here have been through a lot…have lost a lot…but I felt like if I stayed quiet I would be betraying Ladybug just…just like Chat Noir did.”

It was quiet. So quiet. Until Nathaniel choked out a small, “What?”

Duusuu merely nodded in response along with Nooroo. “It was awful. Chat Noir and his father planned the entire thing. Chat Noir planned to be suspicious of Gabriel Agreste once more and had you guys purposefully find out he was guilty of being Hawkmoth. Ladybug was the big target and you guys would have been just…collateral. So when Ladybug proposed the ambush…”

“Uncle Gabe already knew.” Chloe stated in a voice full of disgust even if her eyes were filled with tears. 

“He did.” Nooroo confirmed. “Chat Noir played his role well and the ambush was happening so fast. Ladybug could barely try and fight back before she was secured to the chair. She was so angry…so heartbroken…she did all she could to fight against Gabriel and his son…”

There were some gasps among the humans at the information but Luka merely took a much needed breath in. He had guessed as much since the only ones in the house after the explosion had been Adrien, Gabriel, Nathalie and the body of Emilie Agreste. It just clicked. Sure Chat Noir could have disappeared like Marin-Ladybug did but that didn’t feel right. Chat had already been acting off before the ambush and confirming he was in fact Adrien was like the final nail in the coffin. Luka had had suspicions of who the Chat was and just whose side he was on but after everything, the confirmation was bitter. According to Sass, Luka had known who he and Ladybug were but the memories of their identities faded as a safety measure to keep the team’s identities safe. Luka would only have kept the memories if both heroes had accepted he knew and trusted him. It was weird but Luka just chalked it up to Miraculous Magic. 

He wished he had been able to remember, if he had then maybe all of this wouldn’t have happened. He wouldn’t be standing in M-Lady…no. He had to stop. It didn't matter how much he told himself, Ladybug was Marinette. Marinette was Ladybug. They were one and the same and denying it to himself was more likely to hurt him than bring him healing. He couldn’t delude himself anymore. It hurt, it hurt so much, but he had to acknowledge the truth because that was the only way he’d be able to move forward and help protect the city that Marinette adored. He missed her. He missed her so much, but he had to do the healthy thing and not try and separate her from herself. It would be like he wasn’t giving her, her due credit and Marinette deserved so much credit. “If Adrien and his dad got the earrings…then why did the mansion explode like it did?” Luka asked so they could continue. They could all mourn and scream and cry after, but right now they needed information.

“I’m not sure.” Nooroo admitted. “Everything was happening so fast. Gabriel was so close to making his wish and magic was everywhere in preparation. But I felt it, it was this enormous feeling of betrayal and anger that washed over all of us. Tikki looked so scared and worried and Plagg looked shocked. I had turned to where I felt the emotions and it was no surprise they were coming from Ladybug…but just as I looked at her, there was this awful cracking and whistling. Like something was breaking through the roof and flooring at high speed. I panicked as did the other kwami but Tikki looked…she looked like she recognized what was happening.”

“She looked like her heart broke.” Duusuu mumbled, their voice was soft and scratchy. They seemed to be in pain. 

“The room filled with this bright, bright red light and then next thing I know…the mansion exploded. Ladybug was nowhere to be seen.” Nooroo flew over to Luka and pointed at the open pink bag in his hands. “Tikki and Plagg know what happened, but because of all the ambient magic, plus the overwhelming emotions swirling in the air, and their own merging being interrupted, they were hurt.”

“Something like this hasn’t happened in a long time.” Wayzz admitted. 

“So there is a way to help them?” Kagami asked. 

Wayzz nodded. “Yes. But it will take time…a lot of time. I’ve never seen them so bad. The best we can do is return them to the Miracle Box. It will heal them, but the damage is great and as I said, it will take time. Nooroo, I imagine you called us here, not only to tell us the truth but also because of the Miracle Box.”

“That’s right. The Miracle Box will be vulnerable if there is no one to watch over it as it heals our friends. I sensed the box here and that’s only because Duusuu and I are both still being affected by the interrupted magic. We’re more sensitive right now.”

“One of our holders will definitely protect the box.” Pollen declared. “They are all brave heroes.”

All the humans looked at one another in disbelief. Marinette had been guarding this box all while being Ladybug? They knew she was amazing but this was something else entirely. Luka sadly guessed that this is why she was always so stressed. If they had to watch this box and protect it then so be it. He’d do it for Marinette, no matter the cost. Now all that they needed to decide was who to send the box with.

Next Chapter

#mldc #mldc crossover #ml x dc #mldccrossover #ml red lantern au #red lantern marinette #mldccrossover Luka Couffaine | Viperion #mldccrossover Kagami Tsurugi | Donryu #ml salt fic #chat noir salt #adrien agreste salt #mldccrossover Marc Anciel | Noc-Turtle #mldccrossover Nathaniel Kurtzberg | Fox-Tail #mldccrossover Chloe Bourgeois | Bee-Witch #mldccrossover kwamis

[goggles-mcgee]

Ashes of Rage: Act 1 - Picking Through The Rubble

Chapter 2 of the story for @miner249er

AO3 Last Chapter

Summary:

Luka is having a very terrible, horrible, no good, time.

He had a bad feeling in his gut and to his utter dismay, it was right. Luka had encountered many disappointments in his life and many hurt, but this was his first time encountering heartbreak.

Picking Through The Rubble:

Luka couldn’t explain the way his heart had been beating in his chest ever since Ladybug left the team in order for their plan to start. It was like listening to a drummer in a rock band having a solo at a concert next to the speakers. Loud. Overwhelming. All-consuming. All those things, but on a day where all your senses felt overwhelmed and too big for your body. Again, it was hard to explain and maybe that’s why he didn’t mention it to Donryu, or anyone else on the team. He knew they would never look down on him if his words made no sense or if he had a hard time using his words, but this was such an important moment for them all so he bit his tongue. Maybe if he hadn’t he wouldn’t have been too late. As it were, they had been in their own locations surrounding the Agreste Mansion, Luka, i.e Viperion was stationed closest in case he was called on by Ladybug and in need of Second Chance. The second closest to the target was Bee-Witch who they all knew was having a hard time keeping her emotions calm. They all understood of course, to think a man you saw as an Uncle had been using you and your emotions more than most in Paris, was not something easily accepted. 

Honestly it had been a shock and yet at the same time perfectly reasonable when Ladybug, Donryu and Noc-Turtle had announced to the group their belief that Hawkmoth and Mayura were none other than Gabriel Agreste and Nathalie Sancoeur. A shock because you never want to believe that a parent of one of your friends could possibly be the madman terrorizing Paris, and yet a reasonably sound idea when you thought about it. And the more you thought about it, the more sound it was. He was a notorious hermit, that meant he had the time to pull off causing akumas. He had a motive, a missing wife that went missing months before the attacks started happening. He was rich, which meant he had the funds. He had a plausible partner in one Mlle Sancoer, someone who did everything for him and would arguably do anything for him. It didn’t take a genius nor a psychic to notice just how in love Mlle Sancoeur was with M Agreste and with what the team had seen from Mayura, how devoted she was, it was the most believable theory. 

So they planned. Ladybug and Chat Noir would take the plunge and hope to catch Agreste off guard by breaking into his secret lair to confront the man. Luka would be positioned on a building facing the back of the Agreste Mansion, where the lair was highly suspected to be while Bee-Witch was on a neighboring roof near the front in case someone tried to run, her Venom already poised and ready to strike. Donryu was further down the road on a roof with Noc-Turtle in case an akuma or senti-monster was let out, or even both. The two were going to hold them off or distract them for as long as the main battle went on. Fox-Tail was positioned near the back of the mansion, ready to lend a Mirage if it was needed. He already had plans on what illusions would work best on M Agreste and Mlle Sancoeur.  They were ready. They were prepared. Everything should have flowed as smooth as a symphony, but one missed note had made Luka feel off-center and on edge. Chat’s expression when the team had briefed him on the plan and overall who they thought was Hawkmoth had worried Luka.

 It was a blink and you miss it, but Luka hadn’t missed it, he hadn’t missed the anger nor the fear. The shock the hero used to mask it was believable enough but something about it all left a bad taste in Luka’s mouth. 

The more time that passed, the louder Luka’s heart seemed to beat and the drier his mouth became, he longed to do something, anything, but the fear of ruining the plan made him freeze in his place. He wished he wasn’t transformed, that way he could fidget with his rings like he tended to do when he was anxious, but he had to be at the ready. They all did. That didn’t make waiting any easier and Luka was usually a patient guy. “It’s quiet.” He murmured.

“Indeed.” Donryu’s voice made him jump, he forgot they had their comms on, everyone beside Ladybug and Chat Noir that is. They would turn their’s on, only if they were in danger or needed backup. 

“Do you think something’s…wrong?” Noc-Turtle asked softly. His voice was laced with worry. 

“Our plan is solid. Ladybug always plans for the unexpected.” Bee-Witch pitched in confidently, but Luka could hear the slight hesitation in her voice. He didn't know if it was due to finding out who was likely Hawkmoth and basically admitting her identity with her reaction to news or if it was just nerves because of how big this fight was and all that depended on it going well. Either was a valid excuse. Luka could admit, he too, was nervous. More so for Ladybug and Chat Noir than himself and the others but the way the nerves pulled at his stomach were anything but pleasant and were more than a little distracting. He tried not to linger on the 'what could go wrongs' and did his best to think how they would be coming forward from this, but even he had to admit defeat eventually as it had not been working. 

Luka licked his lips as his thoughts flooded with various way things could go wrong. They brought a cacophony of sour notes with him that made him wince to himself. "Maybe…"

"You have a thought Viperion?" Donryu asked, though her questions almost always came across as statements, so did this one. 

"It's been a long time," Luka began, "we haven't reached the time limit yet but…Maybe we should enter the mansion and check on Ladybug and Chat Noir. If something is wrong I'll use Second Chance, if not then we return to our positions unless it looks like they need our help."

"A solid plan." Donryu commented. "Though perhaps we should not all go. It would do no good to completely abandon Ladybug's plan."

"So what? We split up even more?" Bee-Witch huffed. 

"Yes." Donryu confirmed. 

"It makes sense." Luka agreed. "Okay, Donryu, you and I will go check on them while Bee-Witch, Noc-Turtle and Fox-Tail stay in position."

Before Bee-Witch could even protest, Donryu was fast with placating the girl. "It's the most logical split. If an akuma or sentimonster is formed to fight Foxtail can distract them with their illusions and if Hawkmoth or Mayura try to run, Bee-Witch, you will be ready to sting them." 

It was logical. Maybe that was why they got nothing more than an irritated sigh in response from Bee-Witch. Luka had honestly just suggested Donryu because he trusted her to keep her cool no matter what they came across. Well, no matter. He jumped from his spot and landed in the backyard of the Agreste Mansion, it had never seemed more foreboding. There was just this eerie air that squeezed at his lungs and made his heart pound like before. It was not a new feeling whatsoever but it was one that Luka rarely felt as he was not one to panic easily. With one more swallow of his built up saliva - why was his mouth somehow dry yet watering at the same time ? - Luka made his way to the front of the mansion so he could meet Donryu. He made sure to stay on the opposite side of the road as to not be caught on the front cameras of the mansion. The security should have also been a clue, though , Luka thought, it did just help the rich recluse vibe that Gabriel Agreste had been selling. 

Footsteps to his left signaled Donryu's arrival. Now that she was here, Luka's heart felt like a jackhammer or that of a hummingbird. "Ready?" He asked even though he was decidedly not. 

Donryu gave him a firm single nod and it was all the answer he needed before they both turned towards the mansion and what happened next seemed to happen in slow-motion. Luka hadn't even set his foot down in a step before the ground shook and a brilliant red light blinded him and Donryu. Right when it reached it's brightest moment all Hell broke loose. The mansion exploded and the force of it sent Luka and Donryu flying into the nearest building. The pain was instantaneous. The taste of copper danced on his tongue and the smell of smoke nearly drowned him if the pain wasn't doing a good job of that already. His ears rung and when he tried to open his eyes his vision was slightly blurry. Luka hated to think what his fate would have been if it weren't for his magical suit. 

The ringing and accompanied dizziness started to drift away slowly but when it did he could hear the frantic voices of Foxtail and Bee-Witch. He wanted to tell them he was fine, that he and Donryu were fine but as soon as the thought came to him he immediately looked for his teammate who had been blasted back by the explosion. His eyes were unfocused, blurry, and his ears were still ringing but he had to find Donryu. They were too close to the explosion, who knows what happened, sure they had magical suits that could protect them but they could still feel pain no matter how diluted.

"Don….ryu…." He called out as best he could, he had no idea if it was loud or not. 

He stumbled. There was rubble everywhere, smoke stained the sky and everything was overwhelming. But he pushed on, he had to find his teammate, Ladybug asked him to make sure everyone was okay. He had to make sure everyone was okay, that they were safe. So he ignored everything around him, he ignored the pain, the ringing in his ears and he steadfastly ignored the blurriness of his vision, it was clearing up anyways, no need to sit and wait for it to do so. Luka called out as much as he was able to, his panic rising each time his call went unanswered, but finally he heard a weak response. 

"Vip…Viperion…..over here…" It was Donryu and she was walking towards him. It looked like they both had the same idea. Once they reached each other they just stood there with Luka's hands on her shoulders and her hands on his elbows. They took the time to look each other over and just breathe.

"Are you okay?" It felt like a stupid question to ask seeing as he felt like his entire body was bruised so surely she felt the same but still, he had to know. 

"About as okay as you I imagine." Came her wry reply. 

“You feeling up to a search?” 

Donryu nodded firmly, “Yes. We need to find Ladybug and find out what went wrong. Have you heard from the others? Are they injured?”

Luka licked his lips as he looked over all the debris around them and over to the surrounding buildings that were affected by the explosion. “Looking at the damage…I think they were far away enough not to get blasted like us but probably did get slightly hit by something. We should make sure before we do anything else. We need someone to look for…for survivors and any one injured.” 

Donryu’s lips became a thin line at the word ‘survivors’ but they both knew it was true. The violence of the explosion wouldn’t have been merciful enough not to hurt any passersby and unlike the heroes, those people didn’t have magically enhanced suits. He prayed that no one had been hurt, he had never been one to be an optimist but meeting and being around Marinette had made him want to see the good in people, the good in bad situations like she did, but this was a situation where his prayers seemed silly and redundant. He was also someone who rarely, if ever, prayed, so he hoped it counted for something. He prayed to every higher being he could think of as his head swiveled this way and that as he took in all the damage. 

Luka took in a deep breath before he took out his communicator, “Bee, Fox, you guys okay?”

“Are we okay!? You idiot! We weren’t the ones so ridiculously close to that stupid house!” Bee-Witch’s voice cut in right away, loud and shrill as always but so full of worry that Luka felt bad for the wince he made at the sound of her voice. Donryu looked like she felt the same if the scrunching of her nose and the guilty look that followed were anything to go by. 

“I’m okay, a little shaken and maybe mild bruising from a fall but Bee is right, are you guys okay?” Noc-Turtle asked. 

“That’s not what I meant!” Bee grumbled but they all knew that’s exactly what she meant.

“I got blasted back a bit but I managed not to be hit by debris or anything.” Fox-Tail groaned. 

“So overall we could be better but we’re not bad.” Donryu concluded. “Plan is somewhat the same. Viperion and I shall go and look in the…what is left of The Agreste Mansion, Bee, Fox, Noc, you three check for anyone injured and ....”

“Survivors. That was a bad explosion. I know it’s not something we want to hear nor consider but it’s best we all brace ourselves now.” Luka said. He hoped his voice came out stronger and more sure than he felt. 

Nods were given in response and they all went their assigned ways. Luka’s heart was performing it’s very own drum solo, it was roaring in his ears and it muffled all other sounds, including their footsteps. He kept biting at his lips, a habit of his when things were getting to be too much, it was better than him picking at his cuticles which was also a habit of his. Thankfully he had a magical suit that came with gloves so that was something he couldn’t do, thus he resorted to biting the skin of his lips. It felt like he was simultaneously moving through molasses and yet somehow walking faster that he normally could in the suit. It was like how five minutes in class seemed to go so slow yet five minutes out with friends went by so fast, but both happening at the same time. No words were said between Donryu and him, it was a blessing as he felt like he had run out of his daily quota of words already. At the same time though, he could have used a distraction. Eventually though the two reached what seemed to be the inside of Gabriel’s study but shockingly the floor was caved in. 

The more Luka looked around, the more he noticed that it wasn’t just the study. Parts of the flooring were completely caved in, like there was room for it to fall, a lot of room by the looks of it. They weren’t aware of a basement, Ladybug had somehow gotten the house’s floor plans and they had all studied it thoroughly, so the sight of just how deep the floors had caved in was staggering. “Do you think…?” Donryu didn’t finish her question but Luka guessed it all the same. 

“It’s possible. They were supposed to be in the top room though, the one with the glass dome looking design. It used to be a garden.” Luka mechanically replied. 

“Getting hit by the explosion from there would have…” 

“It…” Luka didn’t want to think about it. “It depends where, the uh…the explosion originated. They could be down there or….” 

“Further away.” Donryu concluded for him. He just gave a weak nod.

It felt like years went by as they climbed up and down the debris to look for their teammates, Hawkmoth and Mayura. It felt like years left him when he and Donryu realized they hadn’t checked the caved in flooring yet and that’s where they made their way to. Down they went and the more it seemed to go on and on and on. It was shocking to think the mansion hid this large amount of underground rooming. It felt like something out of a movie, whether it be horror or superhero, both fit in Luka’s opinion. It felt wrong to talk or even breathe too loudly so the silence was expected yet suffocating. It felt like the moment in a horror film where the music was swelling with the tell-tale sign of a jump-scare or when the superhero finds or sees something they didn’t want to but it happened anyway. Something settled in his heart then, whatever they were going to see was something horrid and something he never wanted to. It was a sad conclusion to come to, but when all the signs are pointing that way there really was no other way to conclude what was going to happen even if he wasn’t sure of the specifics. 

They had to grapple down because that is how far the ground actually was in this underground room that surprisingly had foliage in it, but it was when they had their feet firmly planted that Luka saw the thing he never wanted to. His vision seemed to skip over the coffin with a blonde woman in it, it skipped right over the three bodies on the floor that looked…well to put it lightly, it looked like they had been hit by a car or two and then some. No those sights didn’t catch his attention, though maybe they should have, no, it was the lone pair of pink flats with black bows on them. A very familiar pair of pink flats that he had seen many times, especially when their owner visited his family’s houseboat. No.

No. 

No, please.

Please not her. 

Not. Her .

Luka didn’t blink, he didn’t think, he screamed and his hand immediately went to his wrist. He pushed the snake head on his bracelet back harshly as he continued screaming and all he wished, all he could think of was going back and saving her. Going back and preventing whatever happened. He knew that too much time had passed but he didn’t care, he would push his Miraculous to its limits if he had to. He would push himself to his limits if it meant she was safe. It worked but it left him disoriented, it took a couple seconds for his eyes to adjust but even then he staggered as he got up on his feet, he could taste the metallic tang of blood. All of it was ignored as his head was full of thoughts all centered around her and the explosion. He ran as fast as he could, he didn’t even warn his team, he just ran. As he ran he heard a high pitched whistle and something in him told him it was the cause of the explosion. His lungs hurt as though he hadn’t taken a breath in ages but it didn’t matter. Nothing else mattered but her so he looked around for the source of the whistle and saw something red plummeting towards the mansion. 

He cried when he realized he wouldn’t reach the mansion before the object, whatever it was, would hit. He never hated being right so much, though he was closer to the explosion this time so he had to act fast and reset time before he ended up a stain on the street or something. Luka failed again, though he did try and warn his team the second go around. They had all been too confused by his yelling to really do anything. They all watched the mansion explode. The third go around went the same way but this time Luka got a closer look at the red thing hurling towards the mansion, it was small, deceptively so. Fourth round he managed to record the object, when he zoomed in on it he saw that it was a ring. How could a ring bring such destruction ? Many resets passed and all of them failed. Luka was exhausted but he had to keep trying, he needed to, but he had lost count of how many times he reset and moving felt like his blood had been replaced by molasses. He could feel it in his bones that this would be the last reset, his body couldn’t handle anymore and yet he cursed himself for not being stronger, for being too weak to continue. 

This reset started eerily the same as the original timeline had, though this time he put more urgency in his demands that the team stick to the plan, he hoped they started early enough but the familiar whistle was getting closer and Luka just knew it wasn’t enough. They wouldn’t be successful and that tore Luka apart, even if he knew they didn’t have a chance to save her , he still tried to push his body to be faster. It was all for naught, the ring made violent contact with the mansion once more and triggered the explosion. He was closer to the explosion this time, along with Donryu and they were thrown farther than they had been the first time and the pain was so much worse but it didn’t matter. He had to get to her , or what remained but he hated himself for thinking that. Instead of thinking, Luka just ran. 

_________________________

Kagami was running on adrenaline after being blasted back by the force of what seemed to be an explosion. She had turned to ask Viperion what that was, as she had a feeling he knew by the urgency he had had while getting the team to act. Whatever happened that had him acting like that could never be good so the team just followed his commands no questions asked. The questions seemed more than justified now and all she wanted was answers, but as she searched for her teammate she saw him running towards the remains of the mansion. Her heart stopped beating for a moment when it dawned on her that Ladybug had been in that house, so had Chat Noir, so she followed after Viperion as best she could. Despite them both being blasted into buildings Viperion was moving like it hadn't happened which worried Kagami even more than she already was. He moved like he had one thing on his mind and Kagami was reluctant to find out what it was, because whatever it was, wasn’t good and she knew it. 

She tried not to think of how she had followed him down in the mansion of her former crush, how it just kept going down , she may not be thinking about it but it did alarm her for the few seconds she let herself realize where they were going. She tried to ignore the feeling of doom that twisted in her gut, but the more they went down and seemed to still keep going, the more the feeling of doom overcame her. After what felt like a lifetime, they slowed down and Kagami felt a small bit of relief before it was completely squashed by the scream Viperion let out and the way he fell to his knees. It was awful, like something described in books and the one her own mother let out when her father had died. It was a scream born and full of grief. She wasn’t the best “people” person but her teammate was in pain and she wanted to help however she could but when she got closer she saw him cradling something familiar. Scarily familiar. She didn’t even register herself falling to her knees at the sight. Her eyes were too busy staring at the pink purse lying innocently in Viperion's hands. 

It was Marinette’s. 

Why was it there? 

Where was Marinette?

Questions zoomed around her head so fast it left her feeling dizzy. Then she spotted a pair of familiar shoes next to what had to be blood, charred blood. After that, there was no holding back a scream just as pain-filled as Viperion’s. She didn’t even notice her other teammates approaching the two of them. All she could do was scream as tears fell from her eyes, her eyes that were locked on the pink flats speckled with blood.

Next Chapter

#ml salt fic #ml x dc #mldc crossover #mldccrossover #ml red lantern au #red lantern Marinette #mldccrossover Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug #mldccrossover Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir #mldccrossover Luka Couffaine | Viperion #mldccrossover Kagami Tsurugi | Donryu #mldccrossover Nathaniel Kurtzberg | Fox-Tail #mldccrossover Marc Anciel | Noc-Turtle #mldccrossover Chloe Bourgeois | Bee-Witch #mldccrossover Gabriel Agreste | Hawkmoth #mldccrossover Nathalie Sancoeur | Mayura #adrien agreste salt #mldccrossover Tikki and Plagg #angst #hurt no comfort #like not even a crumb of comfort #tw blood mention #tw description of explosion

[goggles-mcgee]

Ashes of Rage: Act 1 - A Win...And A Lose

Chapter 3 of the story for @miner249er

AO3 Last Chapter

Summary: Nadja was prepared for a story, but not this one.

A Win...And A Lose:

Nadja barely had time to buckle her seat belt before the station van took off, if they had been in a cartoon, Nadja was sure they would have left a cloud of smoke in the shape of the van. Usually she would be annoyed at the driver, Adam, for his horrid driving and lack of consideration for her and her cameraman, Laurent, but at the moment it was a passing thought. They had the potential to get a big story before everyone else. One of their informants had notified the station of a big explosion, the location being the Agreste Mansion. The informant also told them that the local heroes were also there so there was a good chance this was the work of an akuma or sentimonster. Something in Nadja’s gut though felt like that was wrong, or not wrong but not the complete truth. Nadja was never a superstitious person but if her gut was telling her something, she was going to listen. It never steered her wrong, the only times things went wrong were when she ignored her gut, like that disastrous interview with Ladybug and Chat Noir. 

Her gut had told her it was not a good idea to listen to her producers and director but in her fear to please them she ignored her gut. She had always been a people pleaser growing up so it should have been no surprise that she folded to their demands but Nadja still felt like the worst person in the world when she saw how Ladybug reacted to all her questions. Then, of course, Nadja broke under all the pressure and got akumatized, she had never been more ashamed. Especially when she got home and Manon told her Prime Time had been scary, she swore to never let it happen again. Manon was still dealing with her time as an akuma, more so since Hawkmoth used her once more. Nadja had to take her daughter out of the city just to get some therapy, though she didn’t have time to get her own therapist, Nadja would take that time to just have a good cry and curse the man who gave her daughter horrid nightmares. 

Akumas were the number one cause of damage nowadays and boy could they cause some damage, but this…this was worse. This was something more and somehow Nadja just knew this was going to change Paris as a whole. She just hoped it would be for the better, they needed better, they deserved better after the long tirade of Hawkmoth. She fully believed in the heroes that protected Paris but it was hard to live in the shadow that was Hawkmoth and she could tell it had been wearing on the heroes after each battle with an akuma or sentimonster. Ladybug had stopped doing interviews after her battles and just gave a promise to the people of Paris that she would do everything in her power to protect them. Perhaps it had been the tone of her voice, or the look in her eyes or the way she held herself but after that day many news stations stopped badgering for interviews. Some of course still bothered the heroine but for the most part it was like they all saw how serious Ladybug had grown. Oh, she had always been serious but there was just something different that time. 

Nadja had put her foot down after that, she refused to stalk the hero and it had almost been at the cost of her job but something miraculous had happened, her producers and director listened to her. She, of course, still covered the akum and sentimonster battles but instead of trying to question the heroes she instead interviewed the victims and those who were affected by the chaos. It turned out to be a great idea of hers and their station got more popular since others seemed to only try and interview the heroes about what happened. Sometimes they’d interview the victim but never as gently nor as in depth as Nadja did. It painted Bemused News in a new positive light and they got more traffic on their site. Nadja had even been given a raise for all her work. It was wonderful, it was great, but most of all, it was all because of Ladybug and Marinette. 

Thinking of her goddaughter always brought a soft smile to Nadja’s face. Marinette had always been a kind kid and as she grew, so did her kindness. It was a wonderful thing to witness, Marinette was very special and Nadja thanked God that she was able to have the girl in her life, especially when Manon came along. Nadja still made mistakes as a single mom but Marinette helped her so much, she offered to watch Manon whenever she could and even when Nadja brought her at the last minute. It wasn’t fair to Marinette but the teen always took it in stride and Nadja made sure to pay her extra.  Manon adored her god-sister and always ranted for hours after she spent the day with Marinette about everything they did and just how cool Marinette was. Manon loved the teen so much, it was clear to see, that’s why Nadja hadn’t found another sitter. Well, actually, that was a lie. She had tried to find another sitter to take some of the responsibility off of Marinette but none of them meshed well with Manon. Or Manon didn’t like them.

One quit before their shift was up and cited that her daughter was too difficult, okay that was not their original wording but if Nadja thought of what they had originally said she would feel compelled to find them and fight them. One was nice enough to quit after the first day with Manon, they just said they had thought they could handle being a babysitter since their mom thought they’d be good at it, but after watching Manon they didn’t think it was the job for them. One had been a lady who was a ‘professional’ nanny and it had seemed to go well until Manon had come home with a bruise on her backside. Apparently the nanny had been forced to punish Manon with a ‘good’ spanking after her daughter had acted out. Needless to say, Nadja stopped employing the woman and may or may not have found out the other customers the woman had and told them what she had done. It was one thing to put the child in timeout or take away treats, but she thought it was absolutely not necessary for a nanny to put their hands on the children in their care. 

It was a lot, it still was a lot if Marinette wasn’t available but she would never fault the teen for…well, being a teen. The girl always had so much going on, what with being Class President, an upcoming designer, a helper at her parent’s shop and much and much more. The girl was like a professional multi-tasker if she focused, but she tended to have trouble with keeping time and being on time. It was part of her charm though. Though they were still working on the girl not falling for Manon’s puppy eyes, they were good but Nadja had built up a resistance to it. Marinette….not so much, it was funny but the teen swore she would get better and Nadja had nothing but faith in her. Thinking of the teen reminded her she wanted to commission her to make a birthday gift for Manon. The little one had been in a Barbie hyperfixation lately, but especially Island Princess and she had been wanting the fancy dress. She had begged her mom for one and Nadja said she might get it for her birthday, she tried to look for one but none were what she knew her daughter wanted so she had the idea to ask Marinette. Anything the teen made was fantastic and good quality. 

Her thoughts were interrupted when the van screeched to a halt and Nadja felt the seatbelt dig into her body uncomfortably. She heard Laurent’s breath forced out of them and Nadja had been ready to yell at Adam until the doors to the van opened by none other than Adam, how he got out and to the door so fast Nadja would never know, the sight that greeted them was like nothing she had ever seen. A thin layer of dust was swirling and coating the air, rubble was everywhere and there was this… suppressive air that clung to everything it seemed. It was quiet. No one said a word nor breathed too loudly, this was more destruction than they were used to, than they ever hoped to see. The Agreste Mansion was no more, it looked like an abandoned sand castle on a beach that was left behind when the builder went home and the waves and other things destroyed the sand structure. It was surreal. Laurent was already filming but no words were said as they all took in the damage, Nadja sincerely hoped that no one had been in the mansion when the explosion happened but the dread she felt in her heart was not very convincing. 

Everyone in Paris and maybe the whole world knew how much of a hermit Gabriel Agreste was, the times he actually left his home were rare and Adrien, everyone knew how packed his schedule was but they also knew he actually wasn’t away from his home a lot even with how busy he was. Nathalie, Nadja had only met her briefly, but where M Agreste was, there she was. Plus it was night, which didn’t exactly paint a hopeful picture, but Nadja still hoped, she still prayed that no one had been home. The silence started to feel oppressive and Nadja knew she had to start reporting so she took in a deep breath and turned towards Laurent who nodded at her signal. She opened her mouth to give her usual opening but closed it just as fast. It felt wrong to use the word ‘bemused’ in this context and this wasn’t a plan segment. 

“This is Nadja Chamack. I am standing before the Agreste Mansion that, as you can see, has suffered great damage.” Nadja began a little stiltedly. She felt wrong-footed but knew she had to push on. “A source called the station to inform us of the…’explosion.’  No words can explain just how… haunting the scene is, how terrifying. There is no known sign pointing to the origin of said explosion but according to the eye witness, it wasn’t an akuma. They claim that the explosion came from the house itself.” 

It felt wrong to speak so clinically but that was the job and if she even, for one moment, thought about the possibility that they would find a body or more as they filmed she would break down and possibly throw up. The dark, morbid thoughts made her stomach twist. “What happened to the famous Agreste Mansion if it was not the work of an akuma? Was it an accident? Perhaps a gas leak that wasn’t noticed until it was too late. Or was this a direct attack of the remaining Agreste’s?”

Nadja really hoped not. She knew Marinette and the boy, Adrien, were friends and she just knew if it was a direct attack or not, the girl would be very upset. She was fiercely protective of her friends and family. “Could it have been an upset competitor? Or maybe even an obsessed fan? We have yet to know but hopefully we’ll get more answers as we look around-”

The reporter was cut off when they heard a young voice squeal. They all looked up and saw as Noc-Turtle carried a child away from the scene. That’s when Nadja finally noticed that the scene had been a bit too quiet. People were nosy, especially Parisians who hoped to catch glimpses of the town’s heroes. But the scene they came upon had no observers which should have clearly been a sign that the heroes had gotten there first and did what they did best, protect. There were always some heroes who helped evacuate the masses when an akuma or sentimonster were on a rampage. That was one of the reasons that the media took a step back from hounding the heroes with personal questions and such. It was easy to see how seriously they took each attack and it made you feel shameful if you jeopardized the safety of yourself and others just to get a scoop or a half-answer. “It would appear that we are not the first to arrive at the scene but that is to be expected of Team Miraculous.” 

“If the heroes got here so fast, it begs the question, where are the police?” All the media lately had been questioning the police, not so much the BSPP as they still did their jobs and did it well, but it seemed like the police were doing the bare minimum. Usually they pulled up to a scene later than most even if the problem wasn’t an akuma. Officer Raincomprix was the only one who seemed genuinely mad about not being to a scene faster, the man looked more and more stressed the longer it went on, but never resigned. It smelt of corruption, whether it be rookies or higher-ups and not for the first time, nor the last, did Nadja believe they were being bribed by Hawkmoth. As per the usual, the BSPP arrived to help manage the small fires that surrounded the destroyed mansion and the debris.  She assumed they had already been called by eye-witnesses and therefore knew as much as she did. She just hoped they questioned her and her crew after they were done filming. 

Another look around made Nadja aware of not just Noc-Turtle but also Bee-Witch and Fox-Tail clearing out civilians, they did so so swiftly it was like second nature for them. The thought hurt, that these heroes were so used to trying to keep everyone safe no matter the situation. It didn’t matter if the akuma was M Pidgeon levels of harm or worse…like Syren. Not many spoke of that akuma and that’s because not many had worked through the trauma it brought. No news reported on it because most news reporters were stuck somewhere high up, the water took out their power lines, thus their internet and the fact many people had died that day, news employees as well. No one wanted to talk about dying and being revived by the magical power of the ladybugs that washed over Paris, it became known as the Miraculous Cure. One of Nadja’s coworkers had been one of those many who had fallen victim to the water, the poor man was still afraid to go near any water. When they had a segment near the Seine who refused to go anywhere near it. No one could argue with him, not that they wanted to but still. It was hard to argue in the face of the outright terror the man had. 

Looking at all the destruction though, Nadja just hoped that the Miraculous Cure came swiftly. There was no way that the people in the surrounding buildings or just in the area had not been hurt at the least. No the least would be leaving the area with no wounds or bruises, the most would be death and that was never an easy thing to swallow when in the face of such destruction. Nadja looked over everything once again and noted that Laurant was as well, though with the camera. It was definitely something to see, especially for those who knew how protected the mansion seemed to be. They had all seen pieces of the system when Jackady had taken over the TVi Station when they were filming The Challenge . It was as impressive as it was insane, the shutters on the windows, the amount of cameras, it was another thing many did not speak about publicly, but behind closed doors it was major gossip. The recluse Gabriel Agreste fashioned his house with military levels of security? It was odd. More than even. Of course there were some who argued for the man, he was famous, plus his wife was missing and it felt awful to call him crazy if he simply did it to protect his son and himself. But that was the thing, what if all that security was for something more?

Sabine and Nadja were no better than most when it came to gossip and it was one of the things they often spoke of. Nadja was always the one to bring up the outlandish theories, drug ring, trafficking, maybe even the corpse of Emilie Agreste hidden somewhere but Sabine was the one who argued for the man, well not really him but for Adrien. Sabine thought all the security was for Adrien’s safety even if it was over-the-top and worrisome. Sabine wanted to see the good while Nadja saw the odd, she saw the potential story. Looking at how far down the house went, Nadja would bet her entire salary that Gabriel Agreste had skeletons in his closet. She wasn’t the only one to notice how odd it was that the house went further down, way past a basement level. The BSPP members were all looking down too and were shouting if anyone was down there but Nadja could see the apprehension and confusion at the large hole in the mansion. Thankfully she wasn’t the only one weirded out by it. 

“ Nadja .” Laurant whispered harshly which pulled Nadja’s attention back to the camera. 

She quickly schooled her face into her ‘reporter’ face as Manon called it. “As you can see, myself and the BSPP have been caught off guard by a massive…er, hole in the Agreste Mansion. It suggests that the mansion itself had more levels than the public knew. Could this be why it is in such a state now? Was this an attack on Gabriel Agreste for whatever was going on in the house? Hopefully we’ll have answers soon.”

The sound of things moving within the hole had everyone near it step back in alarm but the BSPP acted fast after that and threw down some rope into the hole and yelled for whoever was in there that they would get them out and if they couldn’t move to tie the rope to themselves and tug. It was silent for a couple of seconds and everyone was straining their ears to hear anything. Then a tug of the rope and a pull later and out came Viperion and Donryu, but they weren’t alone, no, they had carried up three bodies with them. Three extremely broken bodies, it took all of Nadja’s willpower not to puke or cry at the sight. Donryu softly told them all that the three, Gabriel Agreste, Adrien Agreste and Nathalie Sancoeur were alive but very injured. The BSPP grabbed the three from the heroes in order to help and find out exactly just how injured all parties were. Nadja was going to continue talking about the new development but something stopped her. Well, more someone, it was Viperion.

The hero was normally one of the softer spoken members so it wasn’t out of the norm not to hear him speak but something about how quiet he was now rubbed Nadja the wrong way. It made her maternal instincts rear up. She was even going to go up to the boy and ask what was wrong but stopped short when she saw what he was cradling in his arms. She didn’t even realize her breath was coming out shorter and faster nor the fact she had pulled her phone from her pocket and dialed the number she needed. It was like she was on autopilot. She hadn't even noticed that she had started crying, but it was obvious she was when the person finally answered the phone and Nadja tearfully said,” Sabine?”

“Nadja?” Sabine’s voice was clearly drowsy, like she had just woken up, which considering the time she most likely did just wake up. “Nadja, what’s wrong? Are you okay? Is it Manon?”

Nadja’s heart broke further. “Sabine…Sabine I need you to tell me where Marinette is.”

“Marinette? Nadja, what?” It sounded like Sabine was still half-asleep.

“Sabine, please , is Marinette at home?”

“Of course she is! Nadja what is this about?” She was more awake now it seemed.

“Can you…Can you check?”

There was some shuffling and grumbling from the other side of the phone but it was muffled as Nadja could only hear the pounding of her heart. “I swear if this child snuck out again..” 

Nadja tried not to sob when she heard Sabine mutter that sentence. She hoped, she hoped that what she saw was an illusion or just a coincidence or something other than the supposed truth. The shuffling on the other end turned to creaking and Nadja could see it in her mind how Sabine opened the trapdoor up to Marinette’s room. She could hear her friend calling out for her daughter and with each call of the name the panic in Sabine’s voice rose. “Nadja! Nadja, she left…Marinette left a note. Why would she leave a note?”

Her friend was in a deep panic but as much as Nadja wanted to reassure her it just confirmed the worst for her, because there, in Viperion’s arms was Marinette’s signature flats, the first shoes she ever made and had ranted about to Nadja before she started her college days. They had even had a celebration picnic after the girl’s successful craftsmanship. She had been so proud of herself and Manon had begged the girl to make her some shoes too and Marinette had laughed fondly and promised Manon she would. And she did, Manon had a matching pair of flats in her closet that she wore with her princess dresses or her ‘fancy’ dresses if they had to go to an event or something important. Those flats and her small little shoulder bag were in Viperion's arms and even from her distance she could spot the dried blood on the items. It covered some of her signature polka-dots and that finally made Nadja release the sob she had tried to hold in. Sabine was yelling on the other line and all Nadja could choke out as she fell to her knees was, “Something happened. Something bad.”

Notes:

*BSPP - The Paris Fire Brigade ( Brigade des sapeurs-pompiers de Paris): a French Army unit which serves as the primary fire and rescue service for Paris, the city's inner suburbs and certain sites of national strategic importance. * Jackady - Simon Says akuma

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#mldc crossover #ml x dc #mldccrossover #ml red lantern au #red lantern Marinette #mldccrossover Nadja Chamack #mldccrossover Luka Couffaine | Viperion #mldccrossover Kagami Tsurugi | Donryu #mentioned mldccrossover Team Miraculous #mldccrossover Sabine Cheng #angst #hurt no comfort #tw blood mention #tw aftermath of explosion #ml salt fic

[goggles-mcgee]

A Little Birdy Told Me 17

Beginning

Last Chapter                        Next Chapter

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Yes, Ivan wanted a lot of things.

But first he had to get his nausea under control.

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

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

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

“Alya?”

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

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

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

“Me too.”

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

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

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

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

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

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

Both were crying. “Ivan…I…”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Mylène.

“Hey Mylène.”

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

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

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

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

“Can we talk please?” 

_______________________

Swanky Hank @iamsadlynotkingofahill

Guess who got fired! UnU

#imeanfair #butitsucks #butfair #imeanididgiveoutprivateinfo 

Ello @nahimjustaworm Retweeted

That’s rough buddy

           Swanky Hank @iamsadlynotkingofahill

           Guess who got fired! UnU

           #imeanfair #butitsucks #butfair #imeanididgiveoutprivateinfo

Next Chapter

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#a little birdy told me #a little birdy told me au #albtm #maribat #mldc #ml x dc #mldc crossover #mldccrossover Ivan Bruel #mldccrossover Alya Cesaire #mldccrossover Lila Rossi #mldccrossover Max Kante #mldccrossover mylene haprele #mldccrossover Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug #ml class salt #ml salt fic #ml crossover salt fic #ml salt crossovers #adrien agreste salt #lila rossi salt #caline bustier salt #slight ivan bruel salt #slight mylene haprele salt #angst #hurt and comfort #lila rossis lies exposed #goggles writing #canon lives not here

[goggles-mcgee]

A Little Birdy Told Me 19

Beginning

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“Better.” He replied honestly. 

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

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

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

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

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

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

“It was disturbing.” Vogul shook her head.

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

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

“Just- What was her name, Claude?” 

“Uh, something with a ‘B.’”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

_______________________

[LUNCH]

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“Hey. You okay Chlo?” Sebastian asked. 

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

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

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

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

“Fortunate?” Allan echoed.

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

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

Well that was not what Chloé expected him to say.

________________________

Chloe Bourgeois

@Bee-utifulMe

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

#imdonewithtoday #gothamacademy #itsbarelynoon 

💞MAPS💞

@ImTheMapImTheMap

RE: Chloe Bourgeois

       @Bee-utifulMe

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

Mood.

#Iwasnotpreparedforthatenglishtest #TTuTT 

Notes: 

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

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

Next Chapter

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#a little birdy told me #a little birdy told me au #albtm #maribat #MLDC #ml x dc #ml x dc crossover #mldccrossover #ml salt fic #mldccrossover Damian Wayne | Robin #mldccrossover Chloe Bourgeois #mldccrossover quantic kids #mldccrossover mentioned Marinette #marinette dupain-cheng deserves better #adrien agreste salt #ml class salt #lila rossi salt #oh is that a protective damian I see? #is that a chloe redemption i see? #yes to both

[goggles-mcgee]

i’m really loving the Wish me Away au idea! Would you be up to writing about what the batfam does after seeing mari’s reaction to emilie and adrien?

Like an actually little drabble? Yeah sure! It'll be based off the headcanons from this post -> 👶

▪︎▪︎▪︎▪︎♤♡◇♧▪︎▪︎▪︎▪︎

Bruce couldn't remember having so much fun, he always loved to brag about his kids and show them off at work, but it was a little hard when it was 'Bring Your Kid To Work Day' and most of your kids worked with you. That's why he was so happy bringing little Marietta with him to Wayne Enterprises, he also brought Damian but Damian had wandered off to see what Dick did since, and he quotes, "I know everything about you father. If I am to be your successor it is only natural I familiarize myself with your work. I believe it would be beneficial for me to oversee Grayson's work ethic."

Honestly, Damian could have just said he wanted to see what Dick did but that was just part of Damian's charm. Before he had left, Damian had let Marietta grab his finger and give it a little shake which delighted her, if Bruce was not mistaken, Damian had even smiled before he said bye to the both of them. The boy had really grown to love Mari and Bruce could not be more proud of his son. Though, he had to admit, all of his children were absolutely enamored with the baby, not to say he wasn't, but Lord have mercy on anyone who dared mess with his baby girl. She would have an army behind her of overprotective brothers and sisters, and father and mother, and grandfather, and cow...and turkey...and dogs...and cats...and dragon bat....and semi-god things that called themselves kwamis...and two very very powerful almost godlike godparents (Diana and Clark.) Now Bruce didn't like to think about it but he did also have to add Mari's....friends to that list... i.e. some of his rogues, which yes was fucking bizarre beyond all reason, but some had even cut back on crime because of their friendship with his little mini-hero so that was a plus. Right?

Well that was a thought for another day, now he got to take his little girl around and take her into meetings, which was certainly going to be interesting, but Marietta always seemed interested in watching him work so he wasn't too worried. He packed her plenty of snacks along with her lunch that Alfred made, he made sure to pack her favorite toys and a variety of coloring books and markers and crayons. And of course he remembered to pack cookies for Tikki who was riding in the hood of Marietta's dress. Plus he made sure to pack a little first aid kid just in case, also another sweater for Marietta in case she got cold.

He liked to be prepared. Sue him.

First meeting of the day was with a Ms. Graham de Vanily. If his memory served right this was Emilie and not Amelie who he had spoken with in the past. Not for the first time he had to wonder what possessed their parents to name the identical twin sisters Emilie and Amelie, but apparently she had brought along her son as well so that made this meeting a little less awkward. He adjusted his hold on Marietta before he continued on his walk to his office where he would be meeting Ms. Emilie, he had hoped to show his daughter around more when they had arrived but he had actually forgotten about this particular meeting and so hadn't rescheduled it to a time when he would hand over Marietta to one of her brother's since they deemed it "unfair" that only he got to show her his work.

Honestly his boys. They were wonderful but boy did they get jealous of one another if Marietta gave one more attention than the other. He fondly remembered one family game night where all the boys were asking who Mari's favorite brother is and she had just been laughing at all the attention not really understanding and it was the first time Bruce had witnessed Damian giving someone a smile and opening his arms for a hug. Of course he had done it behind all his siblings backs and only Alfred and Bruce himself had seen it. It was a sight to see everyone's face when Mari giggled out a, "Dami!", and ran over to him. When everyone turned around he was back to his stoic face but he was hugging Marietta and she was snuggling herself against him but as he looked at everyone he gave them a small smirk. There was an uproar, a demand for a retest, but Damian wouldn’t have it and it had been one of the most chaotic nights in the Manor. Selina had been very entertained especially when Marietta somehow made her way out of the gaggle of children and waddled over to her and had climbed in her lap very clumsily before plopping herself down and making herself comfortable, almost like a cat Bruce had thought, before smiling up at Selina. Selina had just turned to Bruce and said in a complete monotone voice, “I would die for this child.” 

Him and Selina hadn't tied the knot yet so to say, nor had he proposed. They were trying their hand at dating again but he couldn't help the way his heart skipped and his mind conjured up images of tuxedos, lace, friends and family, cakes and kisses, and rings and vows exchanged, when his baby girl, his little Marietta looked up at Selina and called her Maman. Bruce wondered if she ever shared his thoughts, he almost convinced himself she did whenever he saw her melt and practically purr when Mari, or as Selina liked to call her, Kitten, would call her Maman. He could see the love in the older woman's eyes and he had no doubt in his heart that this time, they would work out, this time they would get their 'happily ever after' or whatever came close to it.

He was ripped from his thought when he heard his baby girl giggle at something Lucius said.

"Morning Lucius."

"And good morning to you Mr. Wayne. I see you brought the little one."

"Yes. I promised I would bring her but I must admit, the meeting with Ms. Graham de Vanily slipped my mind." Bruce sighed out.

"I guessed as much. Well if you want, I can watch the Little Wayne while you have your meeting." Lucius offered, of course Bruce trusted him to watch Marietta seeing as the older man also practically adopted Mari at first sight. He was basically another grandfather to her.

"Gampa Fox!" Marietta began before dissolving into her baby babble. She was getting very good at speaking. Honestly she was very smart for a two year old.

"That's okay Lucius, I want to bring her in. Besides if her brothers spot her with you they wouldn't hesitate to snatch her up before their scheduled times. If Ms. Graham de Vanily has a problem with it I will insist on a reschedule. It's not everyday I get some one on one time with Marietta." Bruce admitted.

"You know one day someone is going to say no to you despite your good looks, money and reputation. Fine. Head on in, our guest is already here, which by the way, I don't think she will mind Mari seeing as she brought her own son to this meeting." Lucius sighed but he gave Mari a little wave and pointed Bruce to one of the smaller meeting rooms they had in Wayne Enterprises.

"Aww Lucius you think I'm good looking?"

"Go."

"Yes sir." Bruce chuckled out with a brief wave before he made his way over to the meeting room Lucius had pointed to and gently rapped his knuckled on the outside door despite the room being visible from outside because of the large windows. He heard a feminine voice call out from inside so he entered,

“Remember your manners Marietta and if you need anything don’t be shy.” Bruce told his daughter softly as they walked in, he chuckled when she nodded enthusiastically. As soon as he caught sight of the blonde woman he put on his best business smile. “Ah, Ms. Graham de Vanily, so sorry to keep you waiting. I must admit that this meeting slipped my mind.”

“No worries Mr. Wayne, I don’t believe this will be long. I see you brought your daughter. I brought my son! Adrien say hi.” Ms. Graham de Vanily light-heartedly scolded her son and tapped his shoulder. When Bruce took his seat and placed Marietta on his lap he finally got a good look at them both. Both mother and son were blond, her son, Adrien was a teenager, from the looks of it he was 16 maybe even 17. When his mother tapped him on the shoulder he sat up straighter than when he was slouching so obviously he didn’t want to come. So why bring him then? 

“Hello Mr. Wayne, it’s an honor to meet you.” Adrien greeted him with a model smile, he had seen enough to spot them from the real deal.

“Likewise. Marietta, can you say ‘hello’ to our guests?” Bruce asked gently down to his daughter who was being uncharacteristically quiet. Usually she would already saying ‘hi’ and waving, maybe even trying to get a high five or hand shake. Though now she was hiding her face in his chest and hugging her backpack to her, she made a small noise like a whimper and Bruce was absolutely dumbfounded. His daughter had never acted like this before, not even with Joker for crying out loud yet here she was trembling and trying to hide herself in his arms. He didn’t know what was going on but his daughter was scared so he scooped her up and held her closer to him but she still tried to pull herself closer. Finally Bruce caught sight of Tikki inside Marietta’s open backpack and saw her antennae-like things pulled back and her eyes narrowed as the kwami glared at Ms. Graham de Vanily and her son, if he wasn’t mistaken she was even glowing a faint red especially as she stared at Adrien. Bruce didn’t understand what was causing these reactions but he did know one thing, he wasn’t going to make Marietta sit there.

“I apologize. She’s not normally like this, I think it would be best if I take her to one of her brothers if you don’t mind.” 

“Oh...no worries at all. I’m sorry if we scared her somehow.” The woman actually sounded genuine but Bruce wasn’t going to risk anything, especially with how her son actually looked at his daughter for the first time that they walked in there.

“I’m sure that’s not the case, but it will probably be best to take her to one of her brothers that way we can get through this meeting. I will be fast.” With that he was out the room and speedwalking down the hall over to Lucius’s office. “I don’t have time to explain but Marietta was acting strange around Ms. Graham de Vanily and her son and Tikki as well. Can you take her to one of her brothers please? Just inform me who and I will go pick her up after the meeting.”

Lucius on his part did his best not to ask questions knowing Bruce didn’t have the time but he did raise a brow that told Bruce he would be answering those unasked questions later. “Of course. I’ll go see what Dick and Damian are up to.”

“Thank you Lucius.” Bruce said sincerely before he made his way back to his meeting. He had questions too and they were all for Tikki, but there would be time for that later, now it was time for business.

__________________________________________

The meeting passed and all Bruce could think about was getting to Marietta. He checked his texts from Lucius that informed him that he did indeed leave Mari with Dick and Damian so he made his way over to the central security room knowing that’s where Dick would most likely be. When he got there he was relieved to see his baby girl laughing and playing with Dick while Damian sat on a chair watching, as he walked in the two boys stood up swiftly with Dick scooping up Marietta and angling her away from the door but when they saw it was him they relaxed. “Father, Lucius told us nothing, what happened?” Damian demanded.

“I’m not sure myself. Marietta started acting scared when we got in the meeting room with Ms. Graham de Vanily and her son Adrien.” Bruce answered.

“NO!” They all stared at Marietta in shock when she screamed and tried to hide herself in Dick’s chest, then they all stared at each other with wide eyes. 

“Hey, hey, hey. Etta what’s wrong?” Dick asked softly.

“No Adrien! No!” Marietta cried out. 

The air grew cold. Bruce could hear his son’s gasp and he wouldn’t be surprised if he did as well. “ طفل الخفافيش (tifl alkhafafish), you’re safe. This Adrien won’t harm you I promise.” Damian cooed to Marietta.

“الأخ الأكبر (al'akhu al'akbar).” Mari cried out wetly as she reached her hands out for him and he of course took her out of Dick’s arms and held her. 

“Tikki. Explain...please.” Bruce pleaded.

Tikki flew out of Mari’s backpack and sadly looked over at the girl before flying over to her and kissing the top of her head before flying and landing on Dick’s desk. “It’s...They are from her old life. Ad- He was her former partner...the one who wished her away. That woman shouldn’t be alive.” 

“He was the one to betray her?” Damian asked, his voice full of ice and steel. “Father I will be needing my swords. All of them.”

“Damian. No.”

“What do you mean no?” His son asked indignantly.

“Yeah what do you mean no?” Tikki asked with a tilt of her head, Bruce glared at her, she knew what she was doing.

“Tikki what do you mean that woman shouldn’t be alive?” Dick asked.

“Simply that. She was a corpse. No soul. Haw-Gab- The villain Mari had to face before, she was his wife. He wished for her life.” Tikki explained as though it made total sense to all of them.

“Yeaaaaah, you’re going to need to expand on that.” Dick said which made Tikki frown in confusion.

“While I do agree with that, maybe we should wait until we are at home to continue this conversation. You boys know how Tim and Jason will be if they aren’t informed about what happened. You boys tell them and I’ll take Marietta. We will continue on with our day, but if you see either of them lingering here alert me. I don’t want Marietta to have to interact with them at all if we can help it.” Bruce said as he gently took Marietta from Damian who looked like he wanted to do anything but give his little sister to his father.

“If I see them I have a right to defend Marietta.” Damian stated. “You can’t stop me.”

“Damian.”

“Don’t worry Bruce, at least he doesn’t have a sword on him.” Dick chuckled.

“Who said I didn’t? Was it Todd?” 

Bruce needed a break. Bruce questioned why he had so many kids not for the first time in his life. Bruce decided to ignore the fact his child admitted to having a sword somewhere on him and just did as he said he was going to do, continue his day with his daughter and if he held her a little closer to him than usual? Well it couldn’t be helped. 

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I know it’s not like the reactions yet but I am in the process of writing Wish Me Away so take this! XD

طفل الخفافيش (tifl alkhafafish): Baby Bat

“الأخ الأكبر (al'akhu al'akbar): Big Brother

#wish me away #wish me away au #wish me away drabble #maribat #mldccrossover #mldccrossover Damian Wayne | Robin #mldccrossover Bruce Wayne | Batman #mldccrossover Dick Grayson | Nightwing #mldccrossover Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir #mldccrossover emilie agreste #mldccrossover marinette dupain cheng | ladybug #MLDC #mldc crossover #goggles ask #goggles answer #goggles answers #mldccrossover Lucius Fox