alltheshadesofgray

[alltheshadesofgray]

Book 2 au with Zuko and Katara Lee and Huamei

Katara is separated from her friends, and so she's left to travel the earth kingdom on her own. She stumbles across Zuko, who is similarly travelling on his own. They decide that pairing up and travelling together would be best

[alltheshadesofgray]

[alltheshadesofgray]

Also I love that when the stream got banned the whole chat was spamming

CAPTAIN???

Captain!!!!

Captain??!!!!

CAPTAIN!!!

[alltheshadesofgray]

ive witnessed the ao3 attack of 2023 and the privacy violation takedown of the wisdom saga release party stream of 2024.

very traumatic.

[alltheshadesofgray]

Numb Little Bug Prologue

Masterlist

DAMIAN AL GHUL HAD been taught from day one positive emotions would be his doom. Well, that, and the several ways to kill or cause severe bodily harm to someone. He knew torture methods and the best way to blackmail someone. He knew he was the heir to the greatest guild of assassins. 

His world turned upside down when he was ten. That was when Deathstroke and his band of traitors attacked the League, forcing his mother to flee with him in tow. Shove him under the care of a father who had no idea he existed. The only thing Damian knew was how to attack, how to make sure he was safe. He didn't know how to care. He didn't know how to love, like his elder adopted brother, Dick, loved unconditionally. 

You cannot let your emotions control you, Damian. His mother had told him one time, while he was sparring with another child of the League. This person's only use is to die for you. You cannot feel anything. 

Damian had learned everything from a to z. Except the art of caring. The League of Shadows had no room for emotions. The League certainly didn't need sentimental and emotional messes. Damian supposed that was why his mother had drugged his father in order to conceive him. 

Talia al Ghul was his mother in biological terms only. Damian al Ghul didn't grow up expecting love, nor did he give it so easily. And neither did Talia. It didn't really matter, because Damian wasn't an expert in love. He didn't need his mother's love to survive. And if Talia in any way wanted Damian to love her like typical mother and sons do, she had no-one to blame but herself. 

Bruce Wayne was his father, but with vastly different backgrounds, Damian and Bruce didn't connect easily. The same could be said for any of his adopted siblings. Though they'd all been through traumatic stuff, nearly none of them understood growing up and being raised by assasins. Except for Cass, who could understand his past better than the rest of his family. 

Damian al Ghul was not Damian Wayne. Though yes, Damian Wayne had the same chararistics, physical features, and overall knowledge, Damian Wayne had one thing Damian al Ghul never had. A family. Though dysfunctional and chaotic, the Waynes were a family nontheless. Damian al Ghul was cold, heartless and ruthless. But Damian Wayne had a chance to live.

 MANON CHAMACK HAD GROWN up knowing that negative emotions would get her killed. From the age six, Manon had grown up with the reality of Hawk Moth and Akumas being completely normal. That was absolute hell. But if she allowed herself to feel angry or annoyed, then she would have no control over what would happen next. She wasn't powerful enough to resist Hawk Moth. Nobody was. Eventually they all succumbed to the power and the promising words, the lies, of Hawk Moth. 

Manon was suffocating. Drowning. She tried to scream but nobody could hear her. Her terror was flooding through her veins. Get me out of here, she thought. Syren laughed maniacally, and Manon was dragged into darkness. 

Most of Paris were able to trauma block Akuma attacks. But Manon? Manon couldn't ever unsee what she did. She could recall any of her deaths perfectly. She could recall the deaths of her friends, when August had jumped in front of a strike aimed at her, when Ella and Etta were too a moment too slow, when Chris had been torn apart, blood spraying on her. 

Manon lived by a code. 1) Do not feel, 2) Should rule one fail, then everyone is fucked.

It was as simple as that. 

But it wasn't. Because humanity did not function without emotion. With Hawk Moth taking away Paris' fundamental link to humanity, it was impossible to survive or thrive. Paris's humanity relied on two teenagers to save them, teenagers who'd been thrust into the position without any forewarning or preperation. Not to say that Ladybug and Chat Noir didn't do a kickass job, but they just weren't meant to fight an emotional terrorist. 

Manon lost any ability to feel during the reign of Hawk Moth, and even after Hawk Moth, some days she just wanted to stay in bed and never get out. Manon Chamack never had any chance to live, but she was a survivor. She fought, and she stood strong at the end. 

But truly living was a foreign idea to her. What did it even mean? How could she live when she was vitally broken? 

~~~~

bruce thomas wayne

son of the late martha and thomas

and

marinette dupain-cheng

daughter of tom dupain and sabine cheng

request the honor of your presence at their wedding

the wedding and reception will be located at wayne manor

this is a black tie event

[alltheshadesofgray]

It's that time again!

Time for the Maribat awards!

This year we have a bunch of new categories and new rules - like that you can nominate up to three fics for each category!

(and yes, you can submit nominations more than once in case you forgot something - but submitting someone twice for the same thing won't do anything!)

Check out the link below and start collecting those nominations now!

Rules and Categories under the cut.

Maribat Awards Nominations 2022

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

RULES:

1. When you are nominating someone, you MUST include LINKS to their accounts or stories, or they will not be counted.*

2. All works submitted must have been created in 2022, unless it is for a new category (marked with *new). This does not mean updated in 2022. The original work creation date must have been on or after January 1, 2022, or it will not qualify. 

3. Any creators must have completed at least one fic/artwork in the 2022 year.

4. You may nominate up to three works or creators for each category. 

5. A work or creator may only be nominated for one category (e.g., you cannot nominate the same fic for both Favourite Fic 2022 and Best Hurt/Comfort). 

6. You may submit nominations more than once in case you forgot something - but submitting someone twice for the same thing won't do anything!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Categories include:

Favourite Author

Favourite Artist

Favourite Fic

Favourite FanArt

Most Underrated Author

Most Underrated Fic

Best New Author

Best Maribat Author of All Time (Any year)

Best Maribat Fic of All Time (Any year)

Ships:

Best Daminette

Best Jasonette

Best Timari

Best Dickinette

Best Rare Pair

Best Platonic (non-bio-family) (*new)

AU/Trope:

Best Biological family AU (no longer just biodad!Bruce)

Best Soulmate AU (*new)

Best Fantasy/Historical AU (*new)

Best Class Trip Trope (*new)

Best Enemies to Lovers Trope (*new)

Best Marriage Trope (Arranged or Not) (*new)

Best Fake Relationship Trope (Dating or Marriage) (*new)

Overall:

Best One-Shot 

Best Multi-Chapter

Best Fluff

Best Angst 

Best Hurt/Comfort 

Best Comedy 

Best Rated G (*new)

Best Rated T (*new)

Best Rated M (*new)

Best Rated E (*new)

[alltheshadesofgray]

Talk Epilogue

Masterlist

FOUR MONTHS LATER...

Lady Noire is One of Three to be Inducted into the Justice League

by Alya Césaire of the Daily Planet

Lady Noire, formerly Ladybug of the Order of the Miraculous, has joined the Justice League. After the Miraculous Team vs Justice League debacle four months ago, it is a surprise that Lady Noire has been added to the Justice League roster of three new Justice Leaguers. The Justice League has long since issued statements about the arrest of Parisian celebrities Félix Graham de Vanily and Marinette Dupain-Cheng, and have cleared them from any criminal activity related to Parisian super-villain Hawk Moth.

Perhaps the most surprising thing about Lady Noire's induction into the League is the fact that Batman, one of the founding members and the very man who spearheaded the charge against Graham de Vanily and Dupain-Cheng, is the one who invited the Parisian heroine. The Miraculous Team, now solely lead by Mister Bug (formerly Chat Noir), has declared the Miraculous Team defunct, and will remain defunct. If there should be a world threat, or a Miraculous related threat, only then will Paris's beloved heroes return.

"My team holds no grudge against Batman nor the Justice League, and I should think joining the Justice League is proof of that," Lady Noire said to the press yesterday.

Alongside Lady Noire, Uncanny Valley of the United Heroez, and Ladydragon, a solo hero in Shanghai, have accepted invitations to the Justice League. Uncanny Valley will be the liason between the two hero teams. Aditionally, Catherine Cobert has announced that Wonder Woman and Aquaman have rejoined the League.

~~~~

"YOU CANNOT BE SERIOUS, Mari," Chloé said, crossing her arms. "You've officially moved into Wayne Manor? How did you forgive that douchebag?"

Félix nodded his agreement from his end of Zoom. "I wish I had Cataclysmed him when I had the chance," Félix said, arms crossed.

"Yeah, you should've dumped Bruce Wayne's ass," Allegra Baudelaire shouted from the background of Félix's monitor.

"He does not deserve your forgiveness," Félix said.

"Well it certainly hasn't been easy, but we've talked, and that is the key to a good relationship," Marinette said. "Anyways, we're talking for new ideas for Miraculous Designs, not my life choices."

"Oh yeah! What brought up the new Miraculous Line announcement?" Chloé asked. "You said you probably wouldn't!"

"Well, Damian and Manon make a very convincing team," Marinette said, laughing. "I already had design ideas years ago, I just wanted to tease you guys."

"You, Mari, are a monster," Chloé said, harrumphing. "And by the way, if Bruce hurts you again, I reserve the right to actually murder him and bury him in the deepest ditch in Gotham."

"You're happy in Gotham, right Marinette?" Adrien asked, speaking up from his previously silent state. As Marinette's platonic soulmate, there was always a part of him that would be worrying for Marinette's wellbeing every minute of the day. The space between Paris and Gotham did not help.

Marinette's eyes were slightly watery as she responded, "Yes, I am happy. Finally and truly content."

"THAT'S WHAT YOU MISSED," Alix said, leaning back in the grass. She sat across from a headstone. "At least for now. Klarion's bothering me. There's only so much time he can be patient for."

"Alix!" Klarion's voice called out, head stuck out a violent red portal. "Come on! I've been waiting for like a year!"

"You played a dangerous game. But it paid off in the end," Alix said. "Markov is doing well in Tim Drake's hand. Marinette is doing well with Bruce. Kagami finally got fed up with waiting for Adrien to ask her, so she asked him. They're getting married soon."

Alix was met with silence. She didn't expect anything else, but the silence hurt the immortal Time guardian more than she tried to let on. "I miss you. Every day. I miss you so god-damned much," she said. "I watched your holograph again. I don't know why, I know the words by heart. I'm scared, so scared of forgetting you. And tired of watching death, watching the future and the past."

Tears filled Alix's already swollen eyes. "I'll see you next year," she said quietly, turning away from the grave.

Klarion appeared beside her, arm wrapping around her, offering her strength to continue. "Let's go, Alix," he said softly, a hint of concern in the Chaos Lord's voice. Alix summoned a portal, and the two entered.

Behind them stood a gravestone, with the enscription Here Lies Max Kanté, Hero of Paris, Friend, Brother and Inventor.

[alltheshadesofgray]

Talk Twenty-One

Masterlist

User Thirty-One @UserThirtyOne

i can't see Batman or Lady Noire or any of the heroes that joined the rooftop across from mine. it's like they disapeared

Manon Chamack @MChamack ✓ replying to @UserThirtyOne

Yes, that is called magic

Chris Lahiffe @CLahiffe replying to @MChamack

ooh, epic showdown i bet

User Thirty-Two @UserThirtyTwo replying to @CLahiffe

anyone questioning why none of the akuma class is online?

August Beaufort @AugustBeau replying to @UserThirtyTwo

no

Manon Chamack @MChamack ✓ replying to @AugustBeau

and you reprimand me!

August Beaufort @AugustBeau replying to @MChamack

only because you deserve it :)

the quantic kids ella, etta, chris, august, manon (owner)

chris:

is anybody else concerned?

august:

yes, it's not just you

ella:

alya hasn't posted anything, or talked to us yet

etta:

i still don't understand how we named ourselves the quantic kids

august:

Félix and his school friends gave it to us years ago and manon loves it, so she reign hell on us if we change it

chris:

speaking of, is manon still on twitter?

she is a menace. why is she allowed twitter?

manon:

i am not a menace, chris!

and to answer ur question, don't be concerned

mari has a plan

august:

let's hope she does

IT WAS DEAD SILENT, because beneath the magical armor of Lady Noire stood Marinette Dupain-Cheng. She stood across Batman, in a emerald shield Carapace had created, with watery eyes and fear in her stance.

"This isn't one of my hallucinations, is it?" Tim, as Red Robin, whispered to Robin from the vigilantes' place on the rooftop.

"Tt, that is real," Damian, Robin, said, crossing his arms.

"I think I speak for all of us when I say 'what the fuck'," Dick, Nightwing, said, his mouth gaping in surprise.

"What is even more surprising is that Red Hood was right," Damian said dryly, giving a suspicious glance at the anti-hero. He shrugged nonchalantly.

"What?" Bruce, as Batman, said down below, backing away in uncertainty. "How? When? Is this real?"

The green dome no longer surrounded them.

"Very much so, Batman," Marinette said. "I understand this is a lot. My name is Marinette Dupain-Cheng, (i kinda imagine marinette saying it like bruce did in jl war ) and for twenty-one years, I was known as Ladybug. After that, I moved to Gotham, and fell in love with a guy. You know the story."

Bruce Wayne never considered himself an expert in love. Hell, practically all of his relationships were with villains or anti-heroes. But, oh how he had gotten it so wrong. Everything he thought he knew about the Paris problem was completely wrong. The answer had been right in front of him the whole time.

"I'm s-sorry, I don't think I can do this," he stammered, backing away even more.

Marinette gave him a sad smile and nodded. "When you're ready, we should talk." He couldn't face her, he could barely breath. Sure, he'd had his suspicions, but his mind was running to fastly to make sense of any of it. He used a smokebomb, though unnecesary, once the smoke cleared, there was no sign of the Bats in the vacinity.

Mister Bug, followed by the Team, leapt down, rushing over to her. "It didn't work, Viperion," Marinette said, refering to the nod he'd given to her earlier. He stayed silent. Was this the plan Bunnyx had in mind? To leave her heartbroken? Hadn't she endured enough?

"Come on, Mari, let's go home."

~~~~

"Why did you bring us here, Constantine?" Superman, Clark Kent, asked angrily. "Bruce needs us!"

"Sorry mate, but there are more powerful forces at play. Time itself. We wouldn't want the timeline to go astray," Constantine said, smirking. "You couldn't be there. It is a fundamental law of time."

"Zero-Three, Wonder Woman, Zero-Six, Aquaman," the computer announced. With all the craziness at the UN and the escape, they hadn't had time to remove them from the designation system.

"You called us?" Wonder Woman asked, her tone cutting the tension like a knife. Though they were a welcome presense in the time of anxiety, they weren't fully forgiven by all members. "What happened?"

"We don't need you anymore," Superman said, shaking his head. "Bruce is handling the Miraculous Team in Gotham. Constantine says we shouldn't interfere or it will do something with the timeline."

A blue portal opened, and out stepped Klarion. He laughed wickedly, as the Justice League were immediately on guard. "No need to be all testy," Klarion said, frowning. He turned to Constantine. "I come bearing gifts from the lovely lady Bunnyx." He snapped, and a paper appeared in Constantine's hand. "Toodaloo!"

Klarion snapped his fingers and dissapeared in a flash of red.

Constantine opened the paper, and read what it said. In two days time, you and Zatanna should talk to Batman. "Well, a freelancer's job is never done," Constantine said, holding out his palm to create a star portal. "I need to go. Whatever you do, do not go to Gotham. It will make sense in due time."

BRUCE WAYNE DIDN'T KNOW what to make of the situation. His own girlfriend was a hero. Why would she betray them without a reason. There was no way Ladybug would betray her team for the very villain they fought. And if Ladybug cleared Félix and Adrien, than he was really at square zero for his investigation.

Maybe he was okay with being nowhere in the investigation.

But Marinette being Ladybug/Lady Noire? He didn't know what to think. He was confused. Bruce Wayne was not a man who was good at figuring out his feelings. And this situation was certainly not helping.

Now that he reflected, Marinette had every right to keep her identity a secret. But the illogical part of him, the part where he needed to know everything, screamed 'why hadn't Marinette told him?'

Did Bruce really want answers? For the first time in Bruce Wayne's life, he didn't know what he wanted.

~~~~

"What are your opinions about what happened the other day?" Dick asked the gathered Bats who'd been at the reveal. Among them were Jason, Tim, Damian, Stephanie, Babs, Cass, and Duke.

"Jason already knew about her, somehow," Damian grumbled, arms crossed.

"That was a pretty badass way to do an identity reveal," Steph commented.

Cass nodded in agreement. I believe Bruce needs to get his head out of his ass, Cass signed to the group gathered in the Batcave. Marinette may have a questionable bloodline, but so do half of us, and she's a hero. Ladybug.

"I don't even know why you guys were trying to prove Marinette was a villain," Jason said. "As I told you, no villain would have a panic attack over a butterfly. Nathalie Sancoer is in prison. Gabriel Agreste is dead. Marinette was Ladybug. Chat Noir was ____" Jason attempted to say his name, but green bubbles floated out of his mouth.

"Chat Noir didn't reveal his identity," Tim said drowsily, looking up from his computer. "How do you know his identity?"

Damian scowled. "Todd's been keeping secrets from us. Why is this one any different," Damian said, glaring at Jason.

"Magic must protect Chat Noir's identity, just like it did Marinette," Babs reasoned. "But if magic protects their identity, it doesn't tell us how you were able to figure it out."

"Remember how Marinette was able to sense the Lazarus Pits? And Kanté mentioned that the Pits were made by the Miraculous. He also mentioned that the League were the Miraculous Team's enemy, but that's not relevant," Jason said. "So my theory, is because the Pits were made by the Miraculous, and Marinette was able to sense the Lazarus 'energy'. It works both ways, I was submerged in the Lazarus Pits, thus the magic that protects the Miraculous Users don't effect me and I could figure out all their identities if I wanted to."

"That's actually quite thought out, Todd," Damian admitted begrudgingly.

"If that theory is correct, then what about any other person who's used the Lazarus Pits? That means plenty of villains have the potential to figure out the identities of some of the most powerful heroes," Babs pointed out. "Namely, Ra's."

"Ra's did kidnap Marinette," Duke added.

If Ra's knew Marinette was Ladybug or the Guardian, Marinette would be in a lot more danger, and she would have already gotten kidnapped again. Thus, Ra's knows nothing of Marinette's identity. Only that she's the daughter of the Morrigan, Cass signed.

"We should be careful nonetheless," Dick said.

"What do you think Bruce will do?" Duke asked.

"That's a good question," Babs said. "One that we couldn't tell you. God knows what Bruce will do. If you couldn't tell, Bruce does not have the best track record with dating anyone in the same lifestyle we are in."

"You can say that again," Jason snorted.

JOHN CONSTANTINE MADE A habit of purposely not going into Gotham, much less Wayne Manor, if he could avoid it. Of course, he'd been in Gotham before, but the place gave nothing but dark energy, and Wayne Manor was drowning in ghosts. Actually, Thomas and Martha Wayne were quite nice and honest, but Bruce Wayne's ancestor's were questionable. Rich and elite were always questionable.

As per Bunnyx's instructions, though Zatanna was thourougly against listening to the Lord of Chaos, though Klarion seemed quite taken with helping Bunnyx. Constantine definately understood Zatanna's hesitation.

"Heya, Bats," Constantine said, grinning devishly. Sometimes, he loved breaking Bruce Wayne's no magic rule. It pissed the guy off to no end, but right now, Bruce didn't seem to care. The guy did not know how to face his emotions. Constantine felt for him.

"Batsy," Constantine said, sing-songingly.

"Go away," Bruce muttered. It was probably the most unrefined speech that he'd heard Bruce Wayne use. Which was concerning for the normally put together vigilante.

"Brucie, I can't let you drown in your sorrows. Honestly, you need to get your head out of your ass," Constantine said.

"How was I so blind as to not realize my own girlfriend was a superhero?" Bruce asked.

"Magic, dumbass. There's this lovely thing called magic," Constantine deadpanned, feeling like Bruce had been asking himself that plenty of times. "If just anybody was able to figure out her identity then there would be a lot more at stake than you having a mid-life crisis about your girlfriend being a hero."

Bruce glared at that. "Why are you here Constantine?" Bruce inquired.

"To exorcise the demons at Wayne Manor," Constantine said dryly.

Bruce's eyes narrowed.

"You do have a ghost infestation, Brucie, but that's not why I'm here," Constantine said, shrugging. "Look, Bruce, I respect you, and your hero career. But you really do need to get your shit together and talk to Marinette. If you let her go, you risk loosing her forever."

~~~~

Bruce took a deep breath. Constantine had done a locator spell, and forcefully teleported him to the area where Marinette was, though Bruce knew he was probably going to be thanking the mage one day. Thankfully, Constantine had some heart, and didn't shove him face to face with Marinette.

This was the Le Grand Paris Hotel, a famous Hotel known for housing celebrities, he realized. He quickly had deduced that Marinette would be at Chloé Bourgeois' room, if Constantine had correcly used his locator spell. So he made the long trudge up, heart thumping loudly.

He knocked on the door, and the door widened a fraction, Bruce facing Kagami Tsurgi, otherwise known as Ryuko. Next to the fencer was Chloé Bourgeois, the hotel heiress herself. "You know if Mari wasn't so smitten with you, you'd be long gone. And by gone I mean-"

"Chloé, we've talked about your murderous tendencies," a voice called out, belonging to a male.

"Shut up, Xavier," Chloé said, still glaring at him.

"Murder is not the answer," the male, who Bruce assumed to be 'Xavier', said. "Nor is it the question."

Chloé rolled her eyes, and widened the door. "You're lucky Xavier doesn't support murder."

"I do support it, when it comes to an idiot dating Mari, but not when Mari loves the idiot," Xavier called out. Love? Marinette loved him? The words were ringing through his head.

Kagami's eyes were narrowed into slits, so narrow that Bruce wasn't even sure that she could see out her eyes. "Men are stupid," Kagami said, following Chloé.

"Says the woman who's dating the most oblivious idiot ever," Chloé fired back, laughing. "Come on lover boy," she said to Bruce. Bruce entered the suite, looking around. A whole crowd of people were scattered, and Bruce had never felt so unwelcome in his life.

"Adrien Agreste!" the familiar voice of Marinette shouted through another door. "WHY THE HELL WOULD YOU LET THE KWAMIS IN THE KITCHEN?!" The short, but very fierce, woman stormed through, green sparks flying. Bruce assumed that it was some sort of magical energy from the Miraculous.

A black thing flew behind her, laughing it's head off. Luka Couffaine chuckled from the corner, strumming a guitar.

"Mari, your boytoy has finally decided to grace us with his presense," Chloé said flatly, flopping on the couch, and throwing her legs over a blonde man.

"This is not over, Adrien," Marinette said, glaring at the ex-model. She turned to face Bruce, an unreadable expression crossing her face.

"Hi, Marinette," Bruce said, trying not to sound sheepish. He was definately not in his element.

~~~~

Marinette stared at Bruce for a solid minute, the only noise in the room was Luka's guitar. Adrien seemed ready to transform, and figure out a way to destroy Bruce with the Creation Miraculous. Chloé was glaring at the billionaire, giving Marinette a look that implied that she should dump him.

"Hello, Bruce," Marinette said, softer than she intended. "I assume you're here for answers?"

"I would be lying if I said I didn't have questions," Bruce admitted. "But I know I fucked up. I don't deserve answers. Only what you want to tell me, if you even want to talk to me."

Marinette had been considering what she would say, if Bruce came to her. But preparing herself for her whole speech did not prepare her for this moment. "My name is Marinette Dupain-Cheng. I was Ladybug. I now wear the Miraculous of the Black Cat. And I'm in love with Bruce Wayne."

She'd tell him her story eventually. It was enough for her, it was up to him to decide if it was good enough for him.

fuck up and we kill you (aka our favorite shovel talk group chat)

félix, kagami, chloé, adrien, alya, and bruce

chloé:

i had deleted this chat thinking i wouldn't need it anymore

because mari should have dumped ur sorry ass

félix:

why did nobody try to talk sense into her

i would have if i was there

but NOBODY though to talk her out of it?

kagami:

we do realize this is the chat with the aforemented person

alya:

do we care?

no

no we dont

chloé:

why does mari have such a big heart?

cause now we have to deal with the ass who broke her heart

adrien:

you do realize if mari didn't have a big heart, none of you guys would currently be friends with her

bruce is typing...

chloé:

don't say your defending him?!

adrien:

in no way

i will personally contact chat noir

the only reason bruce wayne is not dust is because of mari

he should be thanking his lucky stars

bruce in irl:

[alltheshadesofgray]

Talk Twenty

Masterlist

"I CANNOT JUST SIT here, Bunnyx! This plan is taking too long," Marinette said, pacing around nervously. "Chat's deteriorating by the second. It's not safe. The world cannot afford his death. Why are you just watching different timelines!"

Klarion smiled wickedly, and before anyone could act, Marinette stormed through the time portal.

"This was not the plan," Zatanna said, giving Klarion a glare. "What is she doing?"

"I've learned not to bet against Ladybug," Bunnyx said, observing the events happening.

"I do love chaos," Klarion said, grinning devishily.

"This was meant to happen," Constantine said in realization. "Your plans meant nil."

"You've caught on to the way time works," Bunnyx said, nodding in approval.

~~~~

Marinette exited the time portal, immediately using magic to short circuit any cameras around her. She quickly found Alya as Rena Furtive, who illusioned her away from the Justice Leaguer Green Lantern. Alya had given her the Ladybug Miraculous, and Tikki flew out.

"Take this to Chat, I want the Ring," Marinette said, watching Alya lead Green Lantern away from her current location. Tikki nodded, taking the earrings and flying away. Moments later, Plagg flew back, grinning at the sight of the Guardian.

"Hey, Pigtails," Plagg said, handing his Ring to her. Marinette slid it on, sensing that Adrien had put on the earrings. "You know Adrien nearly died?"

"I'm aware, Plagg. And I will never forgive myself for that. But it was the way time was supposed to go," Marinette said. "Plagg, Claws Out!"

A moment later, Marinette as Lady Noire could feel the presense of her partner, using the Ladybug Miraculous.

Rena and Green Lantern were far out of sight when Marinette had transformed, so Marinette located Mister Bug on the Staff-phone, and headed towards his location. Nearly all of the Miraculouses were activated, the only one not activated was Pegasus', but spread out in Gotham, where she was now, and Paris. She imagined they were looking for her and Félix. They would never find Bunnyx's portal, not unless Bunnyx herself revealed her presense.

However, before she could meet up with Adrien, she came face to face with Batman. Or as she knew him, Bruce Wayne.

"Ladybug," Batman greeted, shifting on his feet. "Or Lady Noire, in this form. I was told you weren't around."

"I wasn't. I wasn't aware the entirety of the Miraculous Team was mobilized, but I could feel the imbalance when my partner put on the Ring," Lady Noire replied, feeling uneasy.

"Speaking of which, you have now," Batman said, glancing at the Ring suspiciously. "How?"

"Magic," Lady Noire said, eyes sparking brightly.

"Your whole team has been misleading us," Batman said. "You are aiding the very villains you fought in Paris."

"Batman, with all due respect, you know nothing of what happened in Paris. You are arresting two people whom you have no proof of them working with Hawk Moth," Lady Noire said, braid flicking back and forth like a tail.

"I had Cyborg hack Max Kanté's, or Pegasus', AI Markov. It tells it all," Batman said. "I'm surprised you didn't know it. Marinette Dupain-Cheng and Félix Graham de Vanily betrayed you."

Lady Noire snarled, and launched herself at Batman. At that very moment, she didn't care if the vigilante was her boyfriend, all she saw was red.

User Thirty-One @UserThirtyOne

I look outside my window and I see absolute chaos. Batman is fighting a cat lady, but it doesn't look like Catwoman. She has a long braid and cat ears #Batman

Manon Chamack @MChamack ✓ replying to @UserThirtyOne

Taking on the tone of my dear friend, Damian, 'uneducated plebian'

August Beaufort @AugustBeau replying to @MChamack

What Manon meant was that you don't really seem to be in the loop. That's Lady Noire @LuckyCharm with @ChatNoir 's Miraculous.

Ella & Etta Césaire @EllaandEtta replying to @AugustBeau

damn, that's gotta be rough for Batman

LADY NOIRE LAUNCHED HERSELF at him, black and green energy flitting around her. Batman dodged, and Lady Noire landed on her feet. The cobblestone beneath her cracked, slowly crumbling.

"Bats, what's happening?" Oracle asked through comms. To occupided by defending himself, Bruce was unable to give her an answer. "I've got your location, I'm sending backup."

"You are impossible!" Lady Noire shouted. "If you don't have an answer, you have to drive yourself to any means to have it! My team is off limits! You know nothing."

"I know enough," Batman growled back, throwing two batarangs at her with deadly accuracy. They crumbled into nothing but ash.

"We had an agreement with the Justice League," Lady Noire said. "You've broken all of them."

"I don't work with villain enablers," Batman said.

"You don't know the whole story, you only see the narrative of what you want to see. Magic does that," Lady Noire said.

"Enlighten me, then," Batman said, throwing batarangs at her, one after another.

"M'lady, purr-haps destroying all of Gotham is not a great idea," Mister Bug said from the rooftops. A moment later, Red Hood and Robin landed next to him. "You know how bad I am at reversing."

Lady Noire looked up to meet her partners eyes, and that was the moment of distraction he needed. He hurled himself into her, bodyslamming her to the ground. She fell with a grunt, and ash flew up into the air as the wind blew the destroyed cobblestone up and away.

"If Carapace is here, I need you to trap us in!" Lady Noire shouted to the group that had assembled on the rooftops. Mainly the Bats and Miraculous Team were there, some were fighting, others were observing. A moment later, a green dome surrounded them.

~~~~

"Is this truly the best course of action?" Zatanna asked, gesturing to the circle showcasing the current events of their timeline.

"Yes," Bunnyx said. "She told me there was no other way."

"Who?" Constantine asked.

"Oh, another version of myself. A future version, I think. Maybe a past version. I can't remember," Bunnyx said.

"How I do love Chaos," Klarion said, grinning gleefully. "You wouldn't perhaps rethink your decision for me to meet Plagg?"

"Only when I want the Eiffel Tower destroyed will I ever allow you two to be in the same vacinity," Bunnyx told him, smiling lightly.

"You're no fun, Bunnyx," Klarion whined.

"Why are we still here?" Zatanna asks.

"Because I need you to do one last thing," Bunnyx said. "Everyone can see through Carapace's dome. I need you to make sure only the Bats and the Miraculous Team can. It's imperative that only they learn her true identity."

"We already know it, why can't the Justice League know it?" Zatanna asked.

"Because you have magic. They might not, but they're going to be Marinette's family. Once they get over the trust issues, paranoia, and magic issues, of course," Bunnyx said. "You should go now. It will happen soon."

~~~~

Batman and Lady Noire circled each other carefully, and every hero was watching so intently, that they didn't notice Zatanna and Constantine get deposited onto the rooftop of heroes. Well, Viperion did, but he knew not to say anything, lest he ruin Bunnyx's plan.

"Are you going to make a move?" Batman asked. Claws seemed to flick out from her hand, and they glinted dangerously,

"Why are you so hellbent on convincing me that my teammates are traitors?" Lady Noire cried out. "Can you not trust my judgement?"

At that moment, Zatanna and Constantine cast a spell to hide them from outside eyes or ears, and teleported the Justice League to the Watchtower. Constantine teleported himself to make sure they stayed there.

"All your secrets show me I can't trust you! You've said nothing to prove that they aren't traitors, except that I'm supposed to trust your judgment, when you haven't even earned my trust!" Batman said.

"Magic protects my identity. They protect everyone who have ever worn a Miraculous," Lady Noire said, standing still. "You are so adamant on your secret identity, can you not respect that we have secrets too? Let me tell you this. I know your identity. You are literally dating a person you put behind bars. So tell me, do you trust her? Do you trust Marinette Dupain-Cheng one bit? That so called traitor to my team? Or are you listening to your brain which is telling you that you have to be right?"

"Oh, damn," Red Hood muttered, causing the Bats to turn to their brother. "She's gonna do it. She's going to fricking do it."

"Tell me? Do you trust Marinette Dupain-Cheng's judgement?" Lady Noire shouted when Batman stood silent. "Do you, in even the tiniest sense, trust her?"

Batman stayed silent, and Lady Noire's eyes flickered up to the rooftop where the Bats and Miraculous Team stood. She met Viperion's eyes, and he nodded ever so slightly. This timeline wasn't messed up. Her plan was going to work.

"Yes," Batman muttered hoarsely. "I do."

Lady Noire took a deep breath.

"Plagg, Claws In."

[alltheshadesofgray]

Talk Nineteen

Masterlist

"UNKNOWN ENTRY," THE COMPUTER sounded in the meeting hall of the Watchtower, causing the commotion between the Justice Leaguers to quiet, and stand on alert. "Defense protocols active."

"What are you doing here?" Black Canary asked. "And better yet how did you get here?"

"We used the H-Horse Miraculous," King Monkey said. "Didn't really feel right, seeing as Pegasus is dead, but we had to get here."

"We want to help find Marinette and Félix," Chat Noir said, having switched into his normal Miraculous.

"Considering it is very likely that you guys helped them escape and are hiding them, excuse us if we don't really trust your word," Green Lantern said, arms crossed in distrust.

"Chat's not writhing in pain, so Marinette is okay. Assuming they're together, so is Félix," Rena Furtive said. "Unfortunately, we can't really track their magical residue, only Ladybug was able to do that as Guardian. So we do it old fashioned."

"Why would Chat Noir be in pain?" Batman asked, looking up from the files he'd been observing.

"Magical shit that we can't explain right now," Vesperia said. "Well, since we don't have Markov, Cyborg will have to do. Cyborg, if you would, see if there's any tampering with the cameras at Belle Reve, and if so, find the original recordings."

"On it," Cyborg said.

"Fuck!" Chat Noir said, dropping to the ground. He muttered something along the lines "Why... didn't... wear... Miraculous?"

"Chat, this isn't good for you," Ryuko scolded. "You know being unbalanced will take a toll on you. Give me her Miraculous." Chat handed her two earrings, which Ryuko wore.

"I'm trying to find her, Ryuko," Chat Noir said, gasping again.

"Merge the Horse, and make it the primary Miraculous," Viperion said, handing the Horse Miraculous to Chat Noir. "You've got to do this. You'll be no good dead."

"What is happening?" Black Canary asked.

"Ladybug and Chat Noir are two halves of one whole. If circumstances prevent Ladybug or Chat Noir from wearing their Miraculouses when their partner is still wearing it, then the balance is disturbed, and it punishes the partner," Rena Furtive said. "Chat, you have to switch now!"

"Kaalki, Plagg, unify!" Chat Noir said. "Plagg, Claws In! Damnit! I wasn't able to sense her, Rena!"

"I can't find anything pertaining to the time they were said to escape. It has another hacker's signature that is weirdly familiar, but I can't find any information," Cyborg said frustratedly.

"That is very unhelpful," Vesperia said, crossing her arms.

"Red Hood, G-4," the computer announced.

"Belle Reve was attacked, it's in red flames that cannot be doused," Red Hood infomed. "I just happened to be in the area with the Outlaws, but can somebody tell me what's going on?"

"Marinette and Félix escaped," Chat Noir said.

"We're still not fully convinced they didn't help them," Green Lantern added.

"Trust me, we wouldn't be here if we knew where they are," Ryuko snapped.

"Why can't things just be normal for once in my life," Chat Noir sighed. "I swear since Mari started dating that guy, things have gone off the rails."

"You know Marinette in your personal life?" Batman asked, glancing up sharply to meet Chat Noir's eyes.

"Who doesn't?" Chat Noir says.

"We all knew her, her balcony was our safe place," Pigella said quietly.

"Why did Max give Markov to that Wayne kid? Markov could have helped us hack into the camera systems," King Monkey said.

"You guys probably know where she would be the most," Batman said. "Let's split up, we'll cover more ground. Call in whatever favors you have to see if you can find her."

User Twenty-Eight @UserTwentyEight

@MDupainCheng slays. escaping prison? love her #MariIsAQueen #AsAGothamiteYouLearnToAppreciateTheseThings

Manon Chamack @MChamack ✓ replying to @UserTwentyEight

while i'd much rather it be on legal circumstances #MariIsAQueen is a correct statement

August Beaufort @AugustBeau replying to @MChamack

don't lie, manon. you love the chaos #MariIsAQueen

Selina Kyle @IHeartCatwoman replying to @UserTwentyEight

Bruce has a kink for dangerous women, and @MDupainCheng is no exception. #MariIsAQueen #AsAGothamiteIAppreciateTheseThings

Pamela Isley @PamLikesPlants replying to @UserTwentyEight

Her fashion lines slay #MariIsAQueen #AsAGothamiteIAppreciateTheseThings

Harleen Quinzel @HQuinz replying to @PamLikesPlants

you can say that again! #MariIsAQueen #AsAGothamiteIAppreciateTheseThings

Damian Wayne @TheOfficialDamianWayne ✓ replying to @MChamack

It is very illegal to escape prison, and very dangerous to escape Belle Reve.

Manon Chamack @MChamack ✓ replying to @TheOfficialDamianWayne

I still stand by #MariIsAQueen statement

Damian Wayne @TheOfficialDamianWayne ✓ replying to @MChamack

Please, that harlot is no better than the other women my father has dated.

Selina Kyle @IHeartCatwoman replying to @TheOfficialDamianWayne

me-ouch

Manon Chamack @MChamack ✓ replying to @TheOfficialDamianWayne

She's much better. Anyways, it's a low bar, compared to golddiggers and villains.

User Twenty-Nine @UserTwentyNine replying to @MChamack

is anyone sensing the tension between @MChamack and @TheOfficialDamianWayne ? or is that just me?

User Thirty @UserThirty replying to @UserTwentyNine

not just you, sweetheart. Enemies to lovers vibes all the way.

ZATANNA OBSERVED THE OCCUPANTS of the Burrow with doubt. She didn't like to aid fugitives, nor did it sit well with her to work with her enemy. John Constantine seemed to have no such qualms about helping Bunnyx. He also was easily conversing with the Miraculous Holders, as he'd apparently bothered the Guardian of the Miraculous before. Honestly, for the first time in her life, Zatanna Zatara was not sure what to do.

"Bunnyx, please let me bother the Justice Brats," Klarion begged the immortal protector of time.

"That's going to be a big time no, Klarion," Bunnyx replied, rolling her eyes.

"Why is he even here?" Zatanna voiced. "He's the Lord of Chaos. He is never containable. The very essence of time is not safe."

Klarion turned around, red flames licking his body as he glared at the sorceress. "Magic, especially magic as old as Klarion's, is grey. It is needed in order to keep the universe balanced," Bunnyx said. "I have seen how every possible timeline could play out, and this is the least destructive. And, despite his moments of ruthlessness, he understands the importance of balance."

"I need to go," Marinette said. "Chat cannot remain with the Horse for long, or he will be destroyed."

"I'm aware," Bunnyx replied, using her power to re-watch a timeline. "But not yet. There is one more thing that is going to happen."

"I need more information here," Zatanna said. "I know that you guys are used to working together in sync, but I need info if I'm going to continue helping you. Otherwise, I'm going to help the Justice League get here. It's against every fiber of my being to be here now."

"Fine, let's give you a backstory, shall we?" Marinette snapped, turning her view from the timeline Bunnyx was watching. "Bunnyx, if Chat dies..."

"I know, Mari, I know."

"My name is Marinette Dupain-Cheng. And when I was fourteen, I was given the Miraculous of Creation, otherwise known as the Ladybug Miraculous," Marinette started. "At this time, a villain by the name of Hawk Moth arose in Paris. My partner, Chat Noir, and I were tasked to protect the city from a magical force called an Akuma. Not more than a year later, I was made Guardian of the most powerful creatures who walk this earth."

"Overtime, the roster expanded and shrank, depending on the year and the situation. For twenty-one years, Parisians dealt with Hawk Moth, and his lieu of changing names, with the Miraculous Team being in the heat of it all, myself and Chat especially. We were in battle every minute, and on top everything, we had school. If not for my incompetent teacher and my excellent grades, I would have failed school, and not gotten into college."

"I will spare you the horrific details of Akumas, but it was terryfying. Somehow, we won twenty-one years later after the first Akuma, and Paris was in shambles. Adrien Agreste, Félix's cousin, and Félix himself were among the people most effected, seeing as they are related to Hawk Moth by blood. Everyone was eager to get out of Paris, myself most desperate. But Adrien wanted to rebuild his father's brand into a good image. I know he wanted to get out of Paris as well, but Adrien has a very big heart."

"The Gabriel brand was a little more than half of Paris' economy, and without Gabriel, Paris's economy would collapse. He invited me, Félix and Chloé onto the executive team, and we were able to rebuild Paris in more than one way. Then Wayne Industries, as in Bruce Wayne, as in Batman, contacted us. At the time, we just thought of this as a business prospect, one Miraculous Designs desperately needed. Now we understand that Bruce had an ulterior motive. Adrien knows me well, and so he allowed me to fly over to Gotham. I think deep down he knew I probably would never return to Paris unless I absolutely had to."

"Sparks fly, we start dating. I go out as Lady Noire. I meet Batman. i figure out his identity. He's suspicious of Adrien working with Hawk Moth, which he would never. I bond with some of his kids. And then Jason figures out my identity, and I suspect others have inklings. All in all, I'm trying to get Bruce off my back until I am ready to reveal my presense, and rehash my memories. I think I love Bruce, but first I need to find myself and heal."

Zatanna stayed silent several moments after Marinette finished. In response, Klarion paced around impatiently, making groaning sounds and sighing several times. Constantine seemed to observe Marinette in a new light, and Alix had her head bowed in solemn silence. Knowing nearly word for word what Marinette was going to say, or the endless posibilites of what she could've said was not a new concept, but Marinette possibly had suffered more than anybody else ever would. Well, perhaps Luka tied her for that spot. Alix's abilities granted her the power to see time. But she didn't have to experience things first hand. Not unless the situation required it.

Zatanna looked up, and met Marinette's eyes. "Alright, what's the plan?"

DAMIAN WAYNE DID NOT like having doubts. Doubts, as his mother would say, make you weak. As the Heir, you cannot afford to be weak. No hesitation! But unfortunately for him, he knew Manon Chamack.

Damian would always first and foremost be loyal to his father. Both Marinette and Félix are willing to be convicted of crimes they didn't commit because their loyalty to Ladybug and Chat Noir is so strong, Manon had said. Damian Wayne might have not respected Marinette, nor Graham de Vanily, he did respect loyalty. After all, he gave it to his family (after he'd gotten over the majority of his trust issues with them), and they gave it back. Loyalty was a foundation that should be unbreakable.

Damian! Do not hesitate!

Hesitation would get him killed.

"Demon Spawn, why are you moping around?" Jason asked him, grabbing a drink from the fridge.

"Todd, what are your opinions about Father aresting Dupain-Cheng and Graham de Vanily?" Damian blurted out. Jason stared at him for several seconds. Damian tted, "Nevermind, it was foolish to ask someone who is dumbstruck." He got up from his place at the Kitchen island, and was planning to head to the gym to use his katana and slash things.

"Wait, Damian," Jason said, sighing. "I was processing your question."

Damian turned around, crossing his arms and giving Jason a glare.

"Bruce doesn't like being out of the loop, either as Batman nor Bruce Wayne," Jason said. "The Miraculous Team are one of the things he has no clue about, and we both know Bruce hates it. No one can deny that Marinette and Félix know something. But Bruce arresting them breaks whatever agreement the Miraculous Team had with the Justice League. They're in their full rights to attack us, but since they've escaped, we're trying to find them together. What Bruce did was not right, the Miraculous Team have the rights to their secrets."

"Manon told me that their loyalty overpowers their sense of preservation," Damian said.

"Their loyalty is put into the right people. They have a great sense of self-preservation, but their loyalty is rightly given," Jason said. "Yours, however, is not. I cannot argue that Bruce doesn't want the best for Gotham, but your blind loyalty to him doesn't give you any chance to think of your opinions. Marinette and Félix are loyal to the Miraculous Team because they've earned their trust. You're loyal to B because of either a need to prove yourself or because of your blood relations. I know the League raised you differently, but you've been here for a long time. You're allowed to think differently, be your own person."

Damian was quiet after that, and Jason left him to contemplate.

Doubts make you weak. His mother had said. Your loyalty is to the League, and the League only. She'd said. Hesitation will get you killed.

Children got turned into soldiers, Marinette had told him the day he'd found her screaming after a nightmare. Damian had grown up a soldier from his very birth. Ladybug's Cure doesn't revert the memories or emotional trauma.

Damian considered this. What if Marinette was one of those child soldiers?

do not get on babs' bad side

babs, jason

babs:

i want answers, jason

i just hacked into belle reve's security system for you

jason:

i know, i know

and you'll get them

babs:

i just helped the two most known prisoners at this time escape! jason, i need something!

i will hack into your helmet

jason:

low blow, babs

you trusted me enough to hack into Belle Reve

i'll tell you this

i don't think bruce was right for arresting marinette and félix

i have a valid reason

but i can't tell you

babs:

you better know what your doing, jason

i'll keep it quiet for now

jason:

thank you

you'll see soon

[alltheshadesofgray]

Talk Eighteen

Masterlist

Trouble Within the Justice League? Alternatively, Where Heroes Stand on the Arrest of Miraculous Team members

By Lois Lane and Alya Césaire of the Daily Planet

The arrest of Marinette Dupain-Cheng and Félix Graham de Vanily have shook the world. The spokeswoman of the Justice League, Catherine Cobert, has announced the leave of Wonder Woman and Aquaman from the Justice League, claiming that their actions are no longer protected by the Justice League/United Nations treaty. Out of the current roster of heroes, Wonder Woman and Aquaman are the only royalty, from the nations Themyscira and Atlantis respectively. It can be assumed with the leave of two founding members, their nations will be supporting the Order of the Miraculous, rather than opposing.

However, Wonder Woman and Aquaman are not the only heroes who've publicly opposed Batman's arrest and the Justice League of America. Crimson Fox, the chair of the Justice League of Europe, has denounced their relations with their American counterparts until "the JLA get's their shit together." Crimson Fox went on to say that the Miraculous Team "is tight as a pack of wolves. A traitor wouldn't be among their ranks."

And yet another hero team, the United Heroez, have unsurprisingly sided with their long time allies. Eagle, a Miraculous Holder from the Native American Miracle Box (the Parisians had Miraculouses from the Chinese Miracle Box), and her fighting partner Uncanny Valley have given their support to the Miraculous Team. Eagle and Uncanny Valley have known Ladybug and Chat Noir since almost the very beginning of the days of Hawk Moth, and they find it unlikely that they would let traitors walk free.

After the departure of two members, the future of the Justice League seems dark and uncertain. Another founding member, the Flash, told Central City New's Iris West-Allen that the decisions Batman made didn't seem worth the wrath the Justice League is facing. Another member, Black Canary, seems annoyed that Batman acted without the Justice League. She stated, "I respect Batman, I do. But if he isn't willing to work with us, especially on a matter as big as this, can it really be called justice, or is it just a vendetta in the name of justice?" She added, "The Justice League doesn't want to make an enemy out of a powerful, old and respected group of heroes. Batman acted out of line and I fear the Justice League shall pay for it."

Chat Noir, on behalf of himself and his partner Ladybug, was enraged when asked about his thoughts on Dupain-Cheng's and Graham de Vanily's arrest. "I am angry, I will not deny it. Firstly, Marinette and Félix are citizens of Paris, a city which falls under the Miraculous Team's hero jurisdiction, as granted to us by the JLE. Which means they have, or should have, immunity from other heroes arresting them. Second, the entire Miraculous Team is offended that Batman thinks that we were unable to uncover traitors in our midsts. They were members who left the team honorably, which means they have our protection. Do not think that we will stand idly by. Thirdly, Batman could have expressed his concerns to us, and we would've done something about his allegations. We may be a defunct team, and not easy to contact, but more than half of the team's identities have been revealed to the world, and the Justice League can easily contact the United Heroez if they want to talk to us."

The United Nations is expected to meet today, where the UN is giving temporary seats to Eagle and Uncanny Valley of the United Heroez, Chat Noir (or Tigre, as he's wearing a different Miraculous), Scarabella (or Rena Furtive) and Panthère (or Carapace) from the Order of the Miraculous, Princess Diana of Themyscira (joining the Themysciran delegation), King Arthur and Queen Mera of Atlantis (joining the Atlantean delegation) and Batman and Black Canary from the Justice League, Stay tuned for more information regarding the impending trial of Dupain-Cheng and Graham de Vanily.

MANON CHAMACK WAS GLARING at him, Damian noted. Clearly, the arrest of Marinette and Graham de Vanily put some animosity between the Parisian and the Gothamite. Damian had made the plans to go to the Reporter's Conference of Metropolis, a highly prestigious gathering of everyone who was anyone in the media, alongside Jon, to keep the half-Kryptonian company as his parents mingled. Manon followed in her mother's footsteps, becoming a part-time freelance reporter with the Ladyblog during the days of Hawk Moth, as well as a part-time actress.

Unfortunately for the two, Jon had dragged Damian over to meet Manon. Jon and Manon had grown up in the same environment, which had lead to them becoming steadfast friends.

"Hi, Manon!" Jon said, hugging the woman tightly. "It feels like forever since I last saw you!"

"It was a while," Manon admitted. "The only reason my mother and I got out of Paris is because she was able to pull strings. Who is this?" Manon asked, though she clearly knew him. Jon didn't seem to notice as he excitedly introduced them.

"Damian, this is Manon Chamack, daughter of Nadja Chamack. Manon, this is Damian Wayne, the son of Bruce Wayne," Jon said.

"A pleasure," Manon said, her smile more like a grimace.

"Likewise," Damian replied flatly.

Jon seemed to notice the tension between the two. "You guys aren't still mad at each other for the Twitter war, are you?" Jon asked, trying to lighten the mood.

"No, just mad that Gotham's vigilantes think it's okay to arrest Parisian heroes," Manon bit out.

Jon glanced at Damian nervously, as if to gauge his reaction, but Damian was stone-faced as he met Manon's glare. "Batman has every right to take action if accomplices to your supervillain are running free," Damian said, defending his father's alter-ego with passion.

"And this is why what happens in Paris stays in Paris!" Manon said. "I understand that an outsider might see one thing, but a Parisian knows better. Marinette and Félix are anything but traitors. There's no way the Miraculous Team wouldn't have sensed it it Marinette, because her balcony was a safe haven for heroes."

"You speak as if you know everyone's identity on Team Miraculous," Damian said flatly, crossing his arms in a challenging manner.

"Well, more than half of them are public knowledge," Manon said in a matter-of-fact tone. "My best friends are the younger sisters of Alya Césaire, and Alya, like many others, know the identities of everyone."

"When my father interviewed Césaire on behalf of the JLA, she claimed to know nothing," Damian ground out.

"If you knew some of the most instrumental secrets of, let's say the Justice League, would you give insider information to an outsider?" Manon asked, grinning when Damian looked to the ground, avoiding her eyes. "Even the ordinary citizen knows a lot about the Miraculous Team, more than one like yourself knows. It was the years of protection from the Miraculous Team that earned them the loyalty of the Parisian body. Both Marinette and Félix are willing to be convicted of crimes they didn't commit because their loyalty to Ladybug and Chat Noir is so strong. I implore you to consider this, Damian."

Manon gave Jon a cheek-kiss, nodded to Damian, and then dissapeared into the crowd.

"I respect your father, Dames, I really do, but what if Manon is telling the truth? I've known her since my childhood, I can tell when she's lying," Jon said, turning to the Wayne heir.

"Or what if her loyalty is spewing these lies for them?" Damian spat, glaring at where Manon had merged with the crowd. However, Jon could see the sliver of doubt in Damian's eyes."

"Why are you so insistant that your father is right for arresting Marinette Dupain-Cheng and Félix Graham de Vanily?" Jon asked, a bout of anger overcoming him. While Damian was loyal to his father, sometimes Jon felt that Damian's loyalty was blindly given as some way to prove himself to his family. "I think Manon brought up fair points. The Miraculous Team, like the JLA, is a well oiled machine, acting as one together. It seems very unlikely that they would accept not one, but two traitors into their ranks. Your father knows a lot, but sometimes even he can make a mistake. He is, after all, only human. The very concept of humanity is brought upon the idea that no human is perfect, that we are capable of making mistakes."

"THIS IS IRIS WEST of Central City News, reporting live from the General Assembly Hall in New York. Today citizens from around the world are gathered around the outside of the Assembly Hall, to watch the sure to be long deliberations of the UN regarding the matter of the arrest of two Parisian citizens and temporary heroes of the Miraculous Team, Marinette Dupain-Cheng and Félix Graham de Vanily," Iris West-Allen spoke to the camera. "Depending on what happens in the Assembly, it could be the fate maker or fate breaker for the two alleged accomplices to emotional terrorist Hawk Moth, also known as Shadow Moth and a whole bunch of other names that would be too long to list."

"Today, it really comes down to a battle of belief, whether the UN believes the Order of the Miraculous, thus giving Dupain-Cheng and Graham de Vanily fair trial, or if they believe the Justice League, which would leave the two to live the rest of their days in Belle Reve Penitentiary. They also have to consider the amount of backlash they would receive from the Miraculous Team and from the citizens of France, both formidable opponents in their own rights. The Justice League is not equipped to fight against one of the most, if not the most, powerful superhero teams, especially with the resignations of two of their primary heavy-hitters, Wonder Woman and Aquaman."

"Both teams have credibility, prestige, allies and respect, so it will most likely be a close call. Ambassadors Troia and Garth have stated that their delegations will be voting in favor of the Order of the Miraculous bringing two votes from previously JLA favored States. The Order seems also have the vote of their own delegation, the United Heroez, and France in their pockets already, all of them influential states to gather more votes from other countries. The JLA will most likely have Vlativa, Markovia, Rhelasia (all three of those not very realistic but stick with me), the US, and their vote."

"Many other countries in the UN have stayed tight lipped on their stance, but it is suspected that European countries will side with their fellow members of the EU, while the Americas might feel more inclined to side with the JLA. We'll be right back, as the last of the delegations arrive and file in, in time for Secretary General Artemis' introduction speech."

User Twenty-Six @UserTwentySix

anyone watching central city news? cause can we acknowledge the fact that they acknowledge that wonder woman (and aquaman) is a heavy-hitter for the jl. everyone's always like batman v superman and i'm always like ww would beat their asses

User Twenty-Seven @UserTwentySeven replying to @UserTwentySix

yesss, iris allen is a literal queen who slayyyyys her facts

Nathaniel Kurtzberg @KurtzbergArt ✓ replying to @UserTwentySix

we stan a reporter who can get their facts right

Marc Anciel @marcwritesstuff ✓ replying to @KurtzbergArt

wonder woman is literally one of the best superheroes of my lifetime

Stephanie Brown @StephBrown replying to @marcwritesstuff

preach 🙌🙌🙌🙌

Alya Césaire @Ladyblogger ✓ replying to @KurtzbergArt

flashbacks to the reign of lila *shudders*

Chris Lahiffe @CLahiffe replying to @Ladyblogger

no, don't remind me of her. she told me she created freestyle clash, ugh. bad memories are brought up

August Beaufort @AugustBeau replying to @CLahiffe

you believed that shit, chris?

Ella and Etta Césaire @EllaandEtta replying to @AugustBeau

he was like 6 or smth, cut him some slack

The Ladyblog @TheLadyblog ✓

Manon Chamack is reporting live from within the UN as the UN is called to start by Secretary General Artemis. Stay tuned with the Ladyblog for live updates on the gathering.

A MIRACULOUS HOLDER WHO looked angry and deadly was not a good combination to see, and what was even worse was that there were three of them in the room. The delegates of the UN were looking at Tigre (normally Chat Noir), Scarabella (Rena Furtive), and Panthère (Carapace), who were taking their designated places, looking dangerous.

"The UN is called here today to discuss the arrest of two arrests made by Batman of the Justice League, on civilians under the Miraculous Team's jurisdiction, on the claim that they were allegedly working with Hawk Moth. If the UN should decide to vote in favor of the Justice League, Dupain-Cheng and Graham de Vanily will receive no trial, if the UN should vote in favor of the Miraculous, then they will be released, and called to trial on a later date," General Secretary Artemis said. "The chair recognizes the Justice League delegation to speak."

"Thank you, General Secretary Artemis," Batman said diplomatically. "There is video evidence that the Justice League was able to get a hold of, from Hawk Moth's lair, which reveals them working with Hawk Moth."

Energy crackled in Tigre's hand, destroying the pen he was previously holding. "Ever heard of spies?" Scarabella said in a tone that Chloé Bourgeois would be proud of.

"Let Batman talk, Scarabella," Artemis said, giving Scarabella a warning glance. Scarabella swept her hands out, saying by all means, go ahead and leaned back into her seat.

"From what I've heard, the Miraculous Team wouldn't let traitors walk free," Batman said. "So I question the ability of the Miraculous Team to arrest people who were working with a terrorist."

"Again, this didn't have to be some legal process," Tigre said, standing up with fury in his eyes. "Nathalie Sancoer is in jail, Lila Rossi is in a mental hospital, and Gabriel Agreste is dead. Any live accomplices of Hawk Moth are already taken care of. The Justice League could have talked to us privately, but now this is being watched world wide. We wouldn't ask any other supers to reveal there secrets. The Order of the Miraculous asks you to not have us reveal ours, to trust that we know who is our enemy is."

"Why weren't they added in the report Ladybug and Chat Noir drew up?" Batman challenged. "If they truly are good, why was there nothing said on either of them."

"What Ladybug and Chat Noir put in the report was on the ideal of a 'need to know' basis. You didn't need to know more," Panthère said.

"Also, I have been able to confirm on multiple sources that Marinette was indeed Multimouse, but from what I learned, it was actually Adrien Agreste who took the mantle of Aspik, Félix Graham de Vanily was Paon," Batman said.

"They are very similar in looks, it's possible your sources were confused," Scarabella said.

"I met Lady Noire in Gotham. If Félix Graham de Vanily was also Aspik, then who was Adrien Agreste? Lady Noire said he was a Holder," Batman asked. Batman was entirely on the offensive, allowing nothing but answers from the Miraculous Team, though they were not giving him much to work with.

"I have met the Miraculous Team," Uncanny Valley spoke. "I have found them all trustworthy enough to erase their identities from my knowledge. The Miraculous Team would not let someone that worked with their enemy of twenty-one years walk free without a fight."

"It was the Miraculous Team that allowed me to keep my Miraculous," Eagle said.

"Atlantis and Themyscira were sunken and hidden by the Kwami, between their magic and their Holder's magic, they would be able to sense the magical energy of a traitor," Queen Mera said, the Atlantean one of the most powerful sorcerers in the sea.

"The Miraculous Team is honorable," Ambassador Troia from the Amazonian delegation said.

"They put my daughter in an insane asylum, because she aided Hawk Moth. There's no way they wouldn't put people behind bars who deserved it," Ambassador Rossi of the Italian delegation spoke.

"I believe we have enough information to vote, General Secretary," Garth of the Atlantean delegation spoke.

Artemis nodded, and called for the vote.

meanwhile at belle reve...

THE FLICKERING LIGHTS AT Belle Reve were a normal occurrence, Félix Graham de Vanily noted as he paced. Marinette was lying one of the cots, causing a squeaking noise every so often. "This is quite annoying," Félix said. They had been jailed in a part away from the rest of the cellmates.

"Live with it, Félix," Marinette said, turning over in her cot. "Besides, it will be over soon, don't worry."

"Ugh, I should have Cataclysmed him when I had the chance," Félix said. "None of this would be happening otherwise."

"Félix," Marinette said warningly.

"Yes, I know Mari darling," Félix said exasperatedly. "Let Fate go it's course, yada yada yada."

The lights flickered again, and then plunged into darkness.

"I will make a new Miraculous themed line if that is not one of the Bats," Marinette said boredly.

"If it's Red Hood or Robin, your still making it," Félix bargained, grinning.

"No deal, it's definitely one of them, if Manon sowed doubt in Damian. Or it's my favorite Wayne who knows my identity," Marinette said.

"Mari darling, Alya would have been so happy with me if I had gotten you to do the Miraculous Team line," Félix whined as the lights turned on again, revealing Red Hood leaning against another empty cell.

"Who said I haven't designed a line yet?" Marinette asked, smirking, leaving Félix's mouth gaping in surprise. "Hello Red Hood. Fancy seeing you here."

"Marinette," Red Hood said, inclining his head towards her.

"Mari, you mean you've had a line and you've had the whole Team begging you for one? How cruel are you, woman?" Félix asked.

"Very. Félix, this is Bruce's second eldest, Jason, or Red Hood, and Red Hood, this is my psuedo-brother Félix," Marinette introduced. "Lovely, now why are you here, Red Hood?"

"You clearly do not have a fashion designer in your brood," Félix said, scoffing, earning an elbow in the rib from Marinette. "Mari darling, ouch!"

"I was spending the last few days figuring how to break in to Belle Reve," Red Hood said. "I finally got Oracle on board, it was a lot easier."

"Any news? I heard the United Nations is meeting today, or was it tomorrow?" Félix stated.

"The vote has yet to be revealed to the public," Red Hood said, shrugging. "Why don't you guys reveal your true identities?"

"Because that requires a lot more than what your father saw on that video," Marinette sighed. "More secrets. Really, the Miraculous Team protects too many secrets, but it is a necessary evil."

"Like what?" Red Hood asked.

"What happened to the original Vesperia, for example. Zoé Lee is Chloé Bourgeois's half sister. If Bruce examined the video more closely than I suspect he did, since once you hit the jackpot you don't care to examine the edges, then he would see the video feed more staticky than normal. Half thanks to editing, and other half thanks to Viperion," Marinette said.

"But the Snake Miraculous was already in use," Red Hood said slowly.

"Exactly. Our version. Bunnyx was able to bring in a Viperion from a different universe, and he agreed to help us. Zoé Lee had originally been our third to do recon in Hawk Moth's lair, but Viperion alternating the timestream in a universe that wasn't his messed up a lot of things. Zoé was supposed to suspend Hawk Moth, illusioned away by Rena Furtive, but the timestream locked Zoé into another universe, duplicating her Kwami, and allowing her no way back to our universe. It caused a little more than a ruckus, but we managed to change our story and plan, and decided to pretend to start helping Hawk Moth, until we could strike," Marinette explained. "The video, you can see Rena's illusion falter for a few frames, but she managed to throw up the invisibility quickly. We cannot reveal the full scale of what happened, or else the Justice League will try to find Zoé, and discover and reveal the reality of the multiverse and timestream. It's not something we can allow, for the sake of all Earths."

"So how are you getting out of this?" Red Hood asked. "Because if you don't speak up, you'll probably stay here for the rest of your lives, with no Miraculouses to help you."

The lights flickered, with a red illumination. "I swear that wasn't me," Red Hood said. "Or Oracle."

"This'll be fun," a voice cackled, revealing Klarion crackling with dark red magical energy. To Red Hood's surprise, Zatanna and Constantine appeared moments later.

"Sorry, Hood, going to have to teleport you elsewhere," Zatanna said, snapping her fingers.

Constantine was hovering near the cameras, an intricate design appearing as the cameras feed's were being altered to reveal nothing.

"Finally, took Bunnyx long enough," Félix said, grinning.

"Sorry for making you wait, your royal grumpiness," Bunnyx said, head peaking out of a blue portal. Marinette, Zatanna, Félix and Constantine stepped through. Klarion grinned, sending bolts of magic around, fires starting and overall destruction in the wing of Belle Reve where Félix and Marinette were held.

"Come on, Klarion, we don't have long. I timed this perfectly, I cannot afford you ruining this," Bunnyx said.

"Coming, Bunnyx," Klarion grinned, leaving Belle Reve in flames and no trace that Marinette Dupain-Cheng and Félix Graham de Vanily were ever there.

[alltheshadesofgray]

Talk Seventeen

Masterlist

BRUCE SAT IN FRONT of his computer, the email from Victor open, tempting him as it had been for the past several days. He feared opening the video, for it would probably confirm what he'd already guessed.

Bruce really liked Marinette, to the stage where one could truly call it love. But Bruce's feelings warred with the need to be right.

Bruce sighed, closing the computer, resting his head on his hands. His phone rung, and Bruce answered it tiredly.

"Hey, Bruce," Marinette's said, and Bruce could hear the smile in her words.

"Hey, Marinette," Bruce replied.

"I have a question," Marinette said.

"Shoot," Bruce said, sitting up straighter in his office chair.

"My friends have mentioned you asking them about the Parisian heroes. You know I could answer any question about them, so why didn't you ask me?" Marinette asked, with no malice in her words.

"From all the public information there is, you haven't been a confirmed Miracous Holder, I have interest in heroes and wanted a first hand experience recounting," Bruce explained, immediately feeling guilty for lying to his girlfriend.

"Okay," Marinette said, a smile again in her voice. "If you need anything on Chat Noir, I'm a little bit of an expert on him. He visited me a lot during the Akuma days."

"Actually, I do have a question," Bruce said. "Why did Ladybug and Chat Noir fully pardon Adrien Agreste and Félix Graham de Vanily? From what I've managed to tell, the Miraculous Team never investigated them, even though they were related to Hawk Moth."

"I'm not completely privy to their thoughts, but I do know that both of them were Miraculous Holders. There was no way Ladybug would let them wear the Miraculous if they planned on helping Hawk Moth. She's the Guardian, the Miraculous would have warned her of their ill intent," Marinette explained. "Anything else?"

"Just one," Bruce said, inhaling and exhaling shakily. "Why were you never a Miraculous Holder? Nearly all of the Akuma Class were Holders, bar Lila Rossi, who was a pathological liar, Nathaniel Kurtzberg, Alix Kubdel, Adrien Agreste, Sabrina Raincomprix and yourself. All of them seem perfectly suitable for a Miraculous. Hell, even Chloé Bourgeois was given a Miraculous."

"Well, I can't speak for the rest of them, but I was the one time hero Multimouse, against the Akuma Kwamibuster, or Demeter Mandeleiv. However, my identity was found out by both Mandeleiv and Chat Noir, due to a foolish mistake. Also, how do you know that any of them didn't get Miraculouses. It might not be documented, but it's highly likely that all of those names you mentioned were heroes, but they opted not to share their identity," Marinette answered.

"Good point," Bruce said. "Listen, I've got to go, but thanks for induldging me. Love you."

"Love you, Bruce. Bye," Marinette responded with warmth in her tone.

Bruce hung up and sighed, reopening his closed laptop. He clicked on the attatchment.

The scene was clearly Hawk Moth's lair. The camera clearly showed a detransformed Hawk Moth, along with two people, one clearly being the Snake Holder, but it wasn't Viperion.

"Ladybug and Chat Noir sent newbies into the fight?" Gabriel Agreste sneered. "Who even are you?"

"I'm Multimouse, from the Kwamibuster Akuma, and this is Aspik, from the Desperada Akuma," Multimouse said.

"So, you know my identity now, going to run off to Ladybug?" Gabriel asked, inching towards something the camera couldn't catch.

"We're here to join you," Aspik said.

"Really? Not as spies to do the Miraculous Team's bidding?" Gabriel said.

"During the last major Akuma attack, Ladybug rallied the troops. We we're able to nab the Miraculouses while she was distracted. We were brushed aside like nothing, we want revenge," Multimouse said, venom in her words.

The two detransformed, revealing a blonde and a bluenette.

"Félix I could expect, but you?" Gabriel said in astonishment. "Adrien talks about you, very clumsy and such."

"I've gotten over it," Marinette shrugged. "So, are you willing to accept our help?"

"I believe this will be the start of a very great alliance, Ms Dupain-Cheng," Gabriel said, smirking. The camera cut to black.

Bruce's mind was reeling from this revelation. Adrien was innocent, it was Félix and Marinette whom had betrayed the Miraculous Team. Why were they walking free? Better yet, why were Chat Noir and Ladybug granting the Graham de Vanily heir a pardon if he was guilty? Clearly the Miraculous team was willing to let two Hawk Moth sympathizers go free, so matters would have to be taken into his own hands.

the batkids

babs (owner), dick, jason, cass, steph, tim, damian, luke

jason:

is it just me

or does bruce seem out of it?

babs:

he seems on edge

but that's bruce's normal personality

dick:

perhaps there's a stressful case he's working on?

jason:

why wouldn't he have us working with him then?

damian:

father does seem off

i think it must have something to do with dupain-cheng

jason:

pls dont tell me bruce got involved with ur investigation

dick:

jason, bruce is more paranoid than us, he had suspected adrien agreste, and later marinette, of working with hawk moth

jason:

if, for whatever reason you are right about them, you have to consider why the hell Ladybug and Chat Noir didn't send them to jail already

also, there would be no way that a Guardian would allow a corrupt wearer to bear the power of the Miraculous

MARINETTE AND FÉLIX AWAITED the inevitable. "You sure Bunnyx approved of this, Mars?" Félix asked.

"Time is a fragile thing. She may have not been the Bunnyx we're used to, but she wouldn't have put this timeline at risk after our Bunnyx has done so much to preserve it," Marinette said.

"I knew I never liked this guy," Félix grumbled.

"Félix, I love you and all, but you have no say over mine, or anyone's lovelife," Marinette said softly.

"Who's the temporary Holder going to be," Félix asked, nodding to the ring she was wearing.

"Alya and Nino will wear the Yin and Yang, since after Adrien and I, their souls are most made for each other. Afterall, the universe demands balance between Holders," Marinette said.

"Can't we just Cataclysm him and be done with it?" Félix whined.

"You knew what you were getting into when you allowed Adrien to use your identity. You also knew of the possibility of repercussions," Marinette said.

"I know," Félix sighed.

A few seconds later, the lights flickered off and then on again, revealing Batman.

"Marinette Dupain-Cheng and Félix Graham de Vanily, you are under arrest for aiding the known criminal terrorist Hawk Moth."

Parisian Celebrities Arrested!

by Vicki Vale of the Gotham Gazette

Earlier today, Parisian citizens Marinette Dupain-Cheng and Félix Graham de Vanily, were arrested by none other than Gotham's Dark Knight. The reason? Batman was able to uncover that they had been working with the emotional terrorist Hawk Moth, who was revealed to be Gabriel Agreste nearly a year ago.

Both Dupain-Cheng and Graham de Vanily work at Miraculous Designs, owned by Adrien Agreste, son of the former Hawk Moth. Does villany run in the roots of Parisians? Perhaps Dupain-Cheng and Graham de Vanily work for Agreste, who's the mastermind behind it all?

Dupain-Cheng and Graham de Vanily have been one time heroes, known as Multimouse (Mouse Miraculous, during Kwamibuster) and Aspik (Snake Miraculous, during Desperada) respectively. Their succesors, Mylène Harprèle (Polymouse) and Luka Couffaine (Viperion) have stated with the Ladyblog, run by Alya Césaire, that they are both innocent of whatever crimes Batman is convinced they commited. Additionally, while Dupain-Cheng and Graham de Vanily await trial in Belle Reve, many of their friends, celebrites (some former heroes on the Miraculous Team) have sided with their friends. Neither Chat Noir or Ladybug have been available for comment.

So I leave it to you, dear reader, to decide if Marinette Dupain-Cheng and Félix Graham de Vanily are truly innocent, or if they're wolves in sheep's clothing.

"BRUCE, WHAT HAVE YOU done?" Wonder Woman asked storming into the Hall of Justice angrily. Aquaman stood behind her, a rare display of unity between the Amazonian and Atlantean.

"What do you mean, Diana?" Bruce asked.

"You've arrested two members of Team Miraculous!" Wonder Woman exclaimed. "You are a fool. They are protected by the oldest magic on earth. And let's not forget that Marinette is your girlfriend!"

"They are not protected by the Miraculous if they've betrayed the team," Batman defended.

"Bruce, you've made a grave mistake, one that the whole Justice League will have to pay for. There's an emergency UN meeting on this, with Chat Noir representing the Order of the Miraculous. Garth, and I can assume Troia," Wonder Woman nodded, "has been instructed to keep diplomatic relations with them. The Atlanteans nor Amazonians want no quarrel with the Miraculous Team. Therefore, I tender my resignation with the Justice League, effective immediately, until this has been resolved," Aquaman said.

"As do I," Wonder Woman said. "As do any Amazonian or Atlantean on the Teen Titans or the Team."

"Both of you are founding members," Black Canary protested. (déjà vu, YJ fans? I know aquaman/kaldur says this in yj but still)

"We prefer not to be at odds with the Kwamis who hid Themyscira and sunk Atlantis," Wonder Woman said. "We must take our leave. Batman, you called a war, you must be ready to carry it out."

"WHAT GAME ARE YOU playing Max?" Bunnyx murmmered, Klarion, Zatanna and Constantine crowded around the Guardian of Time, watching the current timeline play out.

"This is boring," Klarion complained, glancing at the other timelines. He got wacked on the head with Bunnyx's umbrella. "Oww!"

"I'd rather you not be looking at alternate realities and timelines, you could destroy anything and we certainly know you're the type to take advantage," Bunnyx said, watching the current timeline. Klarion growled, but the three others ignored him.

"We'll have to interfere soon," Bunnyx said. "You know your roles?"

~~~~

"John, I'm not sure about this," Zatanna whispered to Constantine. "Why is Klarion involved in this?"

"Bunnyx wouldn't steer us wrong," Constantine replied.

"Bunnyx says we're almost ready," Klarion said, swaggering over.

"It's a necessary evil," Constantine said, ready to act. "Klarion isn't the type to do something without recieving. He wants something, and Bunnyx has it."

"You know, I do things just to be nice on occasion," Klarion said. "Also, I'd rather have an earth to stir up trouble on than no earth at all. I've grown rather attatched, and the universe demands balance."

"Keeping up the balance is absolute hell," Bunnyx said absentmindedly.

Klarion grinned. "You could always tilt the scales, Bunnyx."

"Tempting, but no. Ladybug gave me a job, and I intend to carry it out until I vet my successor," Bunnyx replied. "And I certainly wouldn't help you out. Anyways, we're almost at the right time."

Manon Chamack @MChamack ✓

this is fucking war, gotham #nowyouvedoneitgotham #thisiswar #fuckoffbatman

[alltheshadesofgray]

Talk Sixteen

Masterlist

DAMIAN WAYNE DESPISED FAMILY game night. It was a weak attempt to bring together a group of vigilantes who had a lot of childhood trauma. It rarely ended well. The usual crew of Dick, Duke, Cass, Steph and Barbara were already situated. Jason was talking animatedly to Marinette as the cards were being delt, which Damian scoffed at. The traitor. Tim looked brain dead as he sipped coffee at the rate no normal human should be able to. Bruce seemed to be complentating something, a glass of wine in his hands.

Damian wanted to be anywhere but there. He'd rather be patrolling as Robin, but in a rare turn of events, Bruce had gotten Constantine and Zatanna to watch over the city. He claimed it was because the Birds of Prey were unable to, but Damian suspected that Bruce had different reasons for allowing magic users patrol his city.

He reluctantly joined the table, and Cass dealt him in. They were playing Uno that night, which wasn't the greatest idea, since last time Jason had destroyed an ancient heirloom, dating back to the founding of Gotham, and Steph had gone on a sugar craze. Additionally, it was Marinette's first Wayne family game night, and not even Klarion would be able to handle the chaos that was the Wayne game night.

To a normal family, Uno would be simple. But for a family of vigilantes, trained by the best detective in the world, it was much deeper than a game.

"Come on, Marinette, B, Jason!" Dick exclaimed. The mentioned people made their way to the table, Marinette and Bruce sitting next to each other, whispering, and Jason taking a seat next to Cass.

~~~~

Like most of their games, Uno was still going strong two hours after the start. From her days in the League of Shadows, Cassandra Cain was excellent at reading one's body language.

Dick had a bad hand, the way the normally exuberant man usually held himself was not by slouching in his seat.

Jason had given up, and it didn't take her body language reading skills to know it, the revived vigilante had fallen asleep thirty minutes ago.

Tim was focused, as much as one on more expresso shots and zero sleep could be. Cass guessed he had a fairly decent hand, which was why he didn't excuse himself for work.

Duke and Babs had left to join their familes for dinner.

Steph was groaning in annoyance as she drew another card.

Damian held himself confidently, as the heir of an assassin's guild would be taught to do so. He was good at hiding his expressions, but Cass hadn't spoken until she'd met Bruce. She was able to tell the newest Robin had a pretty bad hand.

Bruce had quit first, opting to lean on Marinette's shoulder and whisper to his girlfriend as she focused on playing. Marinette didn't give much away, she had an excellent poker face, and since this was the first time Cass had met her, Cass wasn't able to deduce a lot. She did notice that Marinette never had to draw a card, but Damian was ruthless in his draw twos and wild draw fours, and Marinette's pile was big. Cass was rooting for the Parisian to win.

True to her predictions, Marinette went for the kill. She put card after card, calling out uno, and then putting that down, revealing a wild card.

Damian scowled, throwing down his cards and stomping away, Ace and Titus following him. Tim had to blink a few times to process the loss through his sleep hazed brain. Marinette had gained respect from Dick, who was staring at Marinette in awe, contemplating on how Marinette had managed to do that. Steph was laughing deliriously, her head slumped on the table. Jason was still sleeping.

Cass loved these moments with her family. Their reactions, while predictable, were very funny, and it was moments that made the dysfunctional Waynes a family.

The people at the table dispersed slowly, but chatter was promenient as people gathered the cards. Cass could watch her family like this forever and never not be happy. Even Bruce was happy, subtlety kissing Marinette on her collarbone. Marinette laughed, turning to Bruce, her hand finding its way to his neck.

Wait, Cass had seen that ring before, hadn't she? Very curious. There seemed to be more than Marinette than met the eye.

MADAME NIMUE XANADU DID not like the eery feeling she felt in the tarot cards. Her magic crackled nervously, as if expecting an attack.

A blue portal and a golden portal in her shop appeared close in time, revealing Zatanna and Constantine.

"Nimue, have you seen or read anything? My magic is acting up," Zatanna asked, turning, realizing that Constantine was also there. "What are you doing here, John?"

"Same as you," Constantine replied. "Klarion, out of a magic users, contacted me. He felt the scales of balance were tipped, but neither in Order's or Chaos's favor."

Madam Xanadu was about to respond, sharing the same sentiments, when a vibrant blue portal opened, Klarion and a woman dressed like a bunny stepping out.

"My name is Bunnyx, and I need all of your help. The fate of this timeline depends on it."

to: batman@justiceleague.com

from: cyborg@justiceleague.com

this message is encrypted

hey bruce, i managed to hack into that file from the ai markov. it contains some pretty concerning info pertaining the miraculous team, like you expected. but there may be a bigger story, and even if there isn@t, you've heard from magic users on how powerful they are. are you sure you want to make an enemy out of team miraculous?

regards,

victor

[video attatchment]

[alltheshadesofgray]

Talk Fifteen

Masterlist

RETIRED HERO MAX KANTÉ,  alias Pegasus, found dead

By Alya Césaire, Senior Administrator of the Ladyblog & Manon Chamack, Moderator of the Ladyblog

 Earlier today, several members of the infamously dubbed 'Akuma Class' received a message from Max Kanté's well known robot AI, Markov, that Kanté was no longer breathing. Severely concerned, Adrien Agreste, currently the owner and CEO of the Miraculous Designs, went over as quick as he could. Markov had confirmed that Kanté hadn't been breathing for a while. Although seemingly dead, Agreste brought Kanté to the hospital, where the hospital put down Max's official time of death at 1:31 pm. 

When looking deeper into Kanté's medical history, it was discovered that Kanté had been fighting terminal brain cancer for years. He'd been diagnosed about ten years into the reign of Hawk Moth. From the little known knowledge that is known about the Miraculous, it is inferred that Kanté's use of the Horse Miraculous greatly slowed down the spread of the cancer. 

Kanté is expected to have a military send off. The Miraculous Team, nor the Akuma Class has yet to comment on their former teammate/classmate's passing. The Ladyblog's sincerest wishes to his family and friends. More information to be shared when recieved. 

to: timdrake@wayneenterprises.com

from: markov.kanté@gmail.com

To Tim Drake, 

Your presence has been requested for the hearing of the Last Will and Testament of Max Kanté. 

Sincerely,

Markov

MARINETTE WOKE UP, STARTLED, an arm around her waist as she realized her surroundings. She was at Wayne Manor, after she and Bruce had returned and crashed on the large couch that could be considered a bed. She couldn't shake off the eerie feeling she felt, however. Like a part of her very soul had been torn apart.

"Dupain-Cheng," a voice said, causing Marinette to turn, meeting the eyes of one Damian Wayne. He was sitting in the corner on the armchair, and Marinette was afraid to ask how long Damian had been sitting there. 

"Hello Damian," Marinette said, carefully removing herself from Bruce's grip, knowing that Bruce rarely got a good night of sleep. 

"You might want to read this," Damian said, handing his phone to Marinette, open to a news site. 

Marinette let out a ear-splitting scream as the phone clattered to the ground, Marinette falling to her knees. 

~~~~

The scream could be heard all over the manor. It sounded like the person was screaming was screaming bloody murder. 

Even Tim in his usual sleep depraved state could probably tell this was no nightmare. Jason was one of the unfortunate souls to be woken up, from the scream that shook the manor. 

It probably physically did, the source coming from the Holder of the Ring of Destruction. 

Jason rushed down, gun held in his hand, before he saw a sobbing Marinette, Bruce and a reluctant Damian embracing her. 

"What happened?" Dick asked, having appeared in the doorframe, rubbing sleep out of his eyes. 

Damian tossed his phone to Jason, Dick leaning over his shoulder. 

Jason suddenly understood why. It was never easy loosing your teammate.

Bruce seemed more domestic with Marinette than Jason had ever seen in his life. He was whispering to Marinette, no doubt trying to assure his girlfriend it was going to be okay. 

"I h-have to-to- I h-have to g-go," Marinette said through hiccups and sobs. "F-first fli-fli-flight out." Marinette said, her emotions seeming to turn off like a switch. It was a quick transition, one that scared Jason. Marinette left, leaving the four Waynes silent. 

 IT HAD TAKEN FAR too long for Tim to track down the occultist detective, but he'd finally managed to corner John Constantine out of a bar in Star City. 

"What do you want, Drake?" Constantine groaned in annoyance. "I have another bar to hit. The world is about to go to shit if Pix's emotional state goes bonkers like it is now." 

"I want to know how you know Marinette Dupain-Cheng," Tim asked. 

"P- Marinette Dupain-Cheng?" Constantine asked. "Isn't that your father's girlfriend or something? It's too early for this shit." 

"Yeah, her? Don't bother lying, because the cameras showed you in Paris," Tim said. "So I'll repeat, how do you know her?" 

"I think I've met her a few times," Constantine said. "I know I met her on Heroes Day." 

"There are no records of that, Constantine," Tim said, crossing his arms. "In fact, you met her way before Heroes Day, you met her in Gotham. And then you appeared in Paris talking to her. I want the truth, Constantine." 

"I assume you know she was a Miraculous Holder," Constantine replied, sighing in defeat. Tim Drake could be very persistent when he wanted to be, and one could thank Bruce Wayne for that. Constantine was cursing the man as they spoke. "Zee and I could sense her magic signature, I checked it out." 

"You could sense that from the Mouse Miraculous?" Tim asked. 

"It was strong enough to have the magical community mobilizing," Constantine said. "I assume it's from the Akuma Kwamibuster. She wore plenty of Miraculouses that day. Magic as old as that doesn't just fade from one's magical signature." 

Tim nodded. "She must know something about the Miraculous Team," Tim said. "Why would the rest of the known Miraculous Holders be so friendly towards her if she didn't know something vital?" 

"Maybe because Marinette Dupain-Cheng is one of the most likable people around?" Constantine asked dryly. "Her loyalty and her friends loyalty to her is not to be trifled with." 

"She may have powerful connections, but I'm the son of Bruce Wayne, of the Batman, I'm Red Robin. I think I'll be able to manage," Tim said. 

"For the smartest Bat, this is definitely not your smartest move," Constantine said. "But let's see how this plays out." he said, dissapearing through a golden portal, leaving Tim in the dark streets of Gotham. 

~~~~

"Max Kanté left you a robot?" Bruce asked Tim, crossing his arms in disbelief. 

"Kanté was on first line roster for Akuma level one threats, I think there's a major chance that Markov knows something," Tim said. "There's a possibility that we could find something we don't know." 

"He was known to be a top-notch coder, it's going to be quite hard to get through his firewalls," Bruce told him. 

"Between Drake and Gordon, they'll be able to get through the coding," Damian added, tting. 

"Bruce, what's going to happen if you find something incriminating?" Dick asked, leaning against an armchair. 

"We'll intervene with our alteregos," Bruce said grimly. "I'm really hoping that it doesn't come down to that, but as you guys have pointed out, I don't have the best romantic relationships." 

 "HEY, MARINETTE," JASON SAID softly, tea steaming in his hands. "How are you holding up?" 

"Great," Marinette said, rocking back and forth. "Dandy really." 

"I'm really sorry for your loss, Marinette," Jason said, handing over the tea to Marinette. "I have some bad news for you." 

"Worse than Max's death?" Marinette asked, a challenging glint in her eyes, tears gathering. She accepted the tea, barely flinching as her skin met the scalding hot mug. 

"Max left his robot, Markov, to my brother," Jason said. 

"Let them find whatever it is they want to find," Marinette said, meeting Jason's eyes with her own tear-filled ones. "Max always had wanted to pass down his legacy to someone deserving. He knew what he was doing."

"What happens if Bruce does find something?" Jason asked. 

"He will," Marinette said. "It's for the best. If he didn't, his paranoia would never stop. It would consume him. I love Bruce, but he has severe trust issues, which I can respect. So I'm going to give him what he needs to hear." 

"You planned for this?" Jason asked. 

"Max's death, no. But we have backup plans from 1 to infinity. It's what you had to do during the era of Hawk Moth," Marinette said. "The Bats should think twice before messing with the oldest magic in the universe. I can control myself, but there's no guarantee of my team. There is serious danger. Take this, they'll know to overlook you." Marinette said, handing Jason a talisman. 

"How much damage?" Jason said. "Will they die?" 

"Harm is inevitable, but we don't kill," Marinette said. 

"I'm sorry it goes down this way," Jason said. 

"Me too, Jason. Me too." 

abra kadabra

john constantine (administrator), zatanna (owner), diana prince, arthur, jason blood, madame xanadu

 madame xanadu:

shit's about to hit the fan, folks

i'd suggest mobilizing, but i think we'd rather not get in the way of wrath

A Final Farewell

by Vicki Vale

 Parisians, and people around the globe, mourn Parisian hero Max Kanté's unexpected death. The hastag "youweremiraculous" is trending over all social media platforms. Well wishes sent out to the Kanté family and friends. Here are some of the mourners goodbyes. 

 Marinette Dupain-Cheng @MDupainCheng ✓

max, i don't know what i'll do now that you are gone. you were one of my oldest friends, from école. my gaming partner, ums wont feel the same now that your gone. you've gone to a better place now. i love you so much #youweremiraculous

 Nino Lahiffe @DJNino ✓ 

hey dude, miss you already. we have made so many memories, and we will never forget you #youweremiraculous

 Manon Chamack @MChamack ✓

you were always my favorite babysitter when i was younger. thank you for protecting paris #youweremiraculous

 Kim Le Chiẽn @KomedianKim ✓

currently, i dont have any words now. i think the shock is setting in. you were my best friend, that one person i could always trust. i hope you arent suffering anymore #youweremiraculous

 Chloé Bourgeois @TheChloéBourgeois ✓

thank you for everything, max #youweremiraculous

 The Miraculous Team @SimplyMiraculous ✓

thank you for your tenure as Pegasus. #youweremiraculous

 The Justice League @JusticeLeague ✓

our condolences to Max's family and friends #youweremiraculous

 User Twenty-Five @UserTwentyFive ✓

you have saved me personally, and paris many times. thank you #youweremiraculous

 Ladybug @LuckyCharm ✓

we will miss you #youweremiraculous

From the diary of Alix Kubdel

 I saw your holograph today, Max. Of course, it hadn't been the first time, but it still shakes me everytime. I want to be mad, I really do. You promised to tell someone, but time is an unforgiving, unrelenting thing. 

The worst thing about the Miraculous of Time is that Time is immortal, which makes the wearer immortal. I know how everyone dies from Marinette to Superman. I know more than I ever wanted to know.

You were my closest friend over the years, Max. It hurts the most that I knew what would happen every step of the way, to your dying breath, and I could do nothing to interfere. The curses of being the immortal watcher of time. I really want to hate your choices. 

The future is unstable, but don't worry. I'll keep an eye on Markov and the Bats. It's what you wanted. Your legacy to be continued, but even in death, you are playing a dangerous game. 

Have a nice afterlife, Max

Signing off, Alix Kubdel

[alltheshadesofgray]

Talk Fourteen

Masterlist

previously...

unknown:

ugh

mortal technologies are impossible

it took me way too long to figure this out

we need to talk

marinette:

who is this?

continued...

unknown:

rude

it's alix

remember me?

marinette:

alix?

i have your phone number...

unknown:

ha

try 58th century tech

it's impossible

anyways, we need to talk

marinette dupain-cheng has changed unknown to alix

marinette:

about?

alix:

i miscalculated

the chaos lord's interference may have destroyed whatever future this timestream has

unknown has joined the chat

unknown has changed their name to klarion

klarion:

in my defense you literally told me to save her, because the justice brats wouldn't get there on time

also, marinette, you still haven't explained the ancient magic energy radiating off you

alix:

how'd you get on here?

klarion:

because i'm magic

duh

marinette:

alix... are you in the 58th century because klarion rescuing me somehow royally fucked things up thousands of years later, when we'll all be dead?

how bad is it?

klarion:

you're a time traveler?

gods i hate time travelers.

alix:

i could honestly care less about your opinion

and marinette, it's chat blanc bad

marinette:

how probable of destruction in the future

alix:

i'd say 90% chance of earth's destruction if the course isn't righted

marinette:

what do i have to do?

alix:

i can't tell you that

just let fate take it's course

i'll reset the timeline if it gets worse

just got to monitor more vigorously

klarion:

why are you so worried about the state of the earth?

it's going to be razed to the ground by the villany and discord

teekl agrees

alix:

i'm the holder of the miraculous of the rabbit

the miraculous of time and evolution

i make sure everything is on the right track

essentially, this makes me immortal

so i'd rather earth stay safe under my watch

marinette:

so you'll tell me if everything is indefinitely screwed up?

alix:

ofc

let's hope for the best

JASON, NO MATTER HOW vehemently he denied it, loved his adopted father, Bruce Wayne. Sure, there was a lot of shit between the two that would take decades to fix, but Bruce had given him another chance at life. So while his brothers were foolishly following leads that would take them nowhere, Jason decided he would try to talk to Bruce's girlfriend.

While Marinette Dupain-Cheng was certainly an enigma, she was very friendly, the perfect kind of friendly to match his father's coldness. Marinette was hanging around the manor a lot more as days went by, and his family wasn't very inviting to the Parisian woman.

When he approached the short bluenette, she was drawing in a worn down sketchbook. She had uncanny timing as she looked up, eyes lighting up when she met his eyes.

"Bonjour," she said, smiling lightly. "You're Jason?"

"Yes," he said, nodding, sitting down next to her. "May I ask what you're working on?"

"Oh, just some designs. An old hobby of mine from the days of Hawk Moth. Stress relief, you could say," Marinette answered. "Is there something you needed?"

"I wanted to ask you about a few things," Jason said.

"Of course, ask away," Marinette said.

"I've been doing some research about Parisian heroes. I've come to the conclusion that you were known as Ladybug," Jason asked, observing for Marinette's reaction.

Marinette's face gave away nothing as she turned to face him. For a minute, Jason thought he got it all wrong, before Marinette spoke. "If I answer this, I have a question of my own, that I want an answer for," Marinette negotiated. Jason nodded in agreement, it couldn't hurt. "Yes, I was. I don't use the Ladybug Miraculous anymore. The Black Cat Miraculous is more suited for the negative energy in Gotham. Now, could you please explain why you used a Lazarus Pit?"

Jason blinked. He knew that Marinette knew what the Lazarus pits were, when she'd attacked him, thinking he was an assassin, but it hadn't occurred to him that she could sense it.

"You most definitely used it, correct?" Marinette asked after moments of silence. Jason nodded mutely. "Why did you have to use it?"

"I died, killed by the Joker, a villain in Gotham that I hope you never have to meet. Ra's al Ghul felt sorry for me, and revived me using the Lazarus pits," Jason said flatly, trying to not let his mind stray to his memories.

"Oh, Jason," Marinette said, softly with a concerned look. It wasn't pity, which was good, because Jason Todd did not like pity. "You were the second Robin, then?"

"Yeah..." Jason confirmed. "Wait, how did you know that?" he asked, eyes snapping up to meet Marinette's gaze.

"I figured it out when your father decided to suit up in Paris. You were the only Gothamites that I knew were there, and it just added up," Marinette said. "If he ever figures out my identities, I don't know how we'll get through it. I'm already having trouble coming to terms that he raised child soldiers, and on top of that, he had the audacity to tell me that he thought Adrien was working with his father."

"My father is very paranoid," Jason told her. "And he has control issues. The fact that he wasn't allowed to swoop into Paris and have some semblance of input with the fight against Hawk Moth bothered him very much, although he respects your team very much. Possibly more than the Justice League. So now he's following half-thought ideas and dead ends."

"It's not really working. He'll never find what he's looking for. Magic protects our identities. I suspect the only reason you were able to figure it out was because of your connection to the Lazarus," Marinette said.

"Did you figure out his identity because he doesn't have magic protecting him?" Jason said. "Kevlar doesn't quite protect our identities like magic does." Marinette laughed and nodded.

"I trust you can keep this a secret. I certainly don't quite feel like dealing with Bruce angry. I need to tell him on my own time, when he isn't insistant on trying to prove my partner was working with Gabriel Agreste," Marinette said.

"I'll carry your secret to my grave."

Alya Césaire @Ladyblogger ✓

it's an honor to announce @MDC 's next line, inspired by the superhero sidekicks, "Supers in the Shadows". MDC will be making different designs for the Gotham sidekicks in the "Capes and Cowls of the Knight" for heroes such as Robin. MDC has confirmed that she will be doing Sparrow, Uncanny Valley, Superboy, Wonder Girl, Beast Boy, and Raven as some of the design inspirations. It's also the two year anniversary of the Justice League line "Carpe Diem" and the six month anniversary of the Akuma line "Through a Different Lense". Be sure to check out the discounts at MDC.com

User Twenty-Three @UserTwentyThree replying to @Ladyblogger

AHHHH @MDC TYSM.

User Nineteen @UserNineteen replying to @Ladyblogger

FINALLY! I will be updating mdc's website vigorously

Jon Kent @JKent replying to @Ladyblogger

ooh 👀 @TheOfficialDamianWayne i'll get the robin design, you get the superboy on

Damian Wayne @TheOfficialDamianWayne ✓ replying to @JKent

no way, kent. i will represent gotham, not metropolis

Manon Chamack @MChamack ✓ replying to @Ladyblogger

still waiting for a Miraculous team line

Miraculous Team @SimplyMiraculous ✓ replying to @MChamack

so are we

Nino Lahiffe @DJNino ✓ replying to @SimplyMiraculous

alya darling, we all know you run the Miraculous Team twitter as well as the @TheLadyblog twitter. @MDC knows you want a Rena Rouge outfit by now

User Twenty-Four @UserTwentyFour replying to @DJNino

#LadybloggerExposedByHerOwnBoyfriend 🤣

The Cunning, Ultra-Charming Chat Noir @ChatNoir ✓ replying to @MChamack

@MDC you should take this wise lady's advice

MDC @MDC ✓ replying to @ChatNoir

sorry chaton, if i did that you would be bragging about yourself too much for me to handle

Ladybug @LuckyCharm ✓ replying to @MDC

she's got a point, chat. kwami knows the world already can't handle your ego

The Cunning, Ultra-Charming Chat Noir @ChatNoir ✓ replying to @LuckyCharm

the betrayal, buggaboo

THE MISSION ALWAYS COMES first, Bruce told himself again as he knocked on Adrien Agreste's office. He'd taken his private jet out, instead of boarding a plane, as it was much faster.

"Bruce Wayne," Adrien greeted, with surprise shown on his face. "I wasn't expecting you. How's Mari doing after her ordeal?"

"Still not talking about it," Bruce said. "She seems fine."

"That's Mari for you, strongest person I know," Adrien said, smiling brightly. "Was there something you needed. I'd imagine flying out all the way to France isn't just a social call?"

"I had some questions for you," Bruce said. "Pertaining to Hawk Moth. As a large donor to the Justice League, they've asked me to ask around about the Paris Problem. They believe there are still a few of Hawk Moth's allies at large."

"What do you mean?" Adrien asked, panicked. "Kwa-Gods help us if any of Hawk Moth's allies are able to help him. Did Nathalie escape? The only allies he ever had were Nathalie Sancoer and Lila Rossi, and temporarily Chloé."

"Chloé Bourgeois is definitely a point of interest, as is Félix Graham de Vanily, two of your executives, Bourgeois, you already know why, but Félix did assist Hawk Moth in temporarily getting the Miraculous, when Ladybug entrusted him with the Dog Miraculous," Bruce said.

"That was an alternate timeline, how do you know about that?" Adrien asked.

"Ladybug's report when the Paris problem was finally closed," Bruce said. "The Justice League has told me the need to know."

"They're worried about an alternate timeline version of Félix? Excuse me if I find that absurd," Adrien scoffed.

"How did you know about the alternate timeline?" Bruce challenged.

"Native Parisian," Adrien said. "Akuma Class. Temp Hero. Friend of Ladybug's. I know a lot."

"They have reason to believe you were working with Gabriel Agreste," Bruce said, examining Adrien's body expression.

🚨🛑 TRIGGER WARNING: MENTIONS OF ABUSE/NEGLECT IN THE NEXT PART!🚨🛑

Adrien laughed heartily. "Why would I work with my abuser?" Adrien said, after he calmed down. He stared right into Bruce's eyes. "Trust me, Bruce, I am disgusted to ever be related to Gabriel Agreste. And what reason do they have to accuse me of such atrocious things?"

"You seemed perfectly compliant to his will," Bruce said.

"Oh yes, the perfect doll for the Gabriel brand," Adrien said, starting to laugh again. "I regret every choice I made pertaining to my father. I hate that I was the perfect obedient son. I absolutely despise the fact that he wasn't just an asshole, but he was the emotional terrorist that terrorized Paris for twenty one years. I hate the fact that I lived under his roof, not knowing how twisted he was. He locked me away, starved me, so I would listen to him and wouldn't question if it was normal that fathers did that to their sons. And your Justice League thinks that I was working with someone who made my life a living hell? It makes me question what justice means to them."

"Don't shoot the messenger. They want to know why you were reported missing every single time, when the City of Paris started implementing roll call," Bruce asked.

"I died a lot," Adrien said coldly. "By the time they started doing that, I didn't particularly care to tell them I was alive, when I may as well be dead the next second."

"What about your tenure as a hero? Aspik, Luka Couffaine told me," Bruce said.

A look of pure terror crossed his face, and Adrien's face hardened. "We're done with this conversation, Bruce. You should be thankful for the fact your Mari's boyfriend. Mari was my saving grace. She's the one who brought be out of Gabriel's abuse, the one who helped me through the dark. You make her happy, and that's the only thing that's holding me back right now. Tread carefully," Adrien said, his voice slightly scaring even Bruce.

🚨🛑 END OF TRIGGER WARNING🚨🛑

TIM DRAKE PRIDED HIMSELF on figuring out Bruce's identity, all those years ago. Ra's al Ghul, a formidable enemy of the Bats had proclaimed him 'The Detective', and respected him on a level higher than he did Bruce. He was a good hero and investigator.

But the Miraculous Team stumped him. It didn't make sense. Nothing added up, and Tim Drake hated not being in the know, just like his mentor.

He was missing something. A big part of the equation. Maybe he should go through Marinette's files again, although Tim knew there was nothing incriminating, except getting expelled which was later revoked. He started a scan of Marinette's profile across cameras, though Tim had looked through several of them, and Dick and Damian had also looked through a lot of them.

He wouldn't find anything.

ʜᴇʟʟᴏ ᴛɪᴍ ᴅʀᴀᴋᴇ

ᴏʀ ᴅᴏ ʏᴏᴜ ᴘʀᴇꜰᴇʀ ʀᴇᴅ ʀᴏʙɪɴ?

ɪ ᴋɴᴏᴡ ᴡʜᴀᴛ ʏᴏᴜ'ʀᴇ ʟᴏᴏᴋɪɴɢ ꜰᴏʀ

ɪ ꜱᴜɢɢᴇꜱᴛ ʏᴏᴜ ʟᴏᴏᴋ ᴄʟᴏꜱᴇʀ

ᴀꜰᴛᴇʀ ᴀʟʟ, ʙʟᴏɴᴅᴇ ɪꜱ ᴀ ᴘᴏᴘᴜʟᴀʀ ᴄᴏʟᴏʀ

ɪ ᴛʀᴜꜱᴛ ɪꜰ ʏᴏᴜ ᴅᴏ ꜰɪɴᴅ ᴀɴʏᴛʜɪɴɢ, ʏᴏᴜ'ʟʟ ᴋɴᴏᴡ ᴛᴏ ᴋᴇᴇᴘ ɪᴛ ꜱᴇᴄʀᴇᴛ

- ᴍᴀx ᴋᴀɴᴛÉ

Blonde is a popular color? Seriously? How would that help him.

Although he was good a decoding them, he hated cryptic messages. And Max Kanté seemed to be an expert on cryptic. Which was very unhelpful.

He ran though another video. Marinette was standing in an alley in Paris. And someone, Adrien Agreste, was leaning against the wall. Blonde hair very distinct, it was almost certainly Adrien. They seemed to be in a heated discussion.

Blonde is a popular color. Wait a minute. Blonde hair. Adrien had blonde hair. But was that truly Adrien Agreste?

He replayed the tape and examined the blonde. He had facial software recognition tell him what he'd come to the conclusion of.

Marinette Dupain-Cheng knew John Constantine.

Damian Wayne @TheOfficialDamianWayne ✓ damian, manon

Manon Chamack @MChamack ✓

OMG

I just realized something

Damian Wayne @TheOfficialDamianWayne ✓

what?

Manon Chamack @MChamack ✓

you're jon's 'damian'

you're jons best friend

Damian Wayne @TheOfficialDamianWayne ✓

was that not clear before?

it's smattered all over the press

Manon Chamack @MChamack ✓

i follow Parisian news, not American

but i know jon from reporter galas and such

his parents are famous reporters

as is mine

we're about the same age, so we talked a lot

he always talked about you in high respect

i just realized you were the damian he was referring to

Damian Wayne @TheOfficialDamianWayne ✓

good job for using your memory

Manon Chamack @MChamack ✓

maybe you're not so bad

my mother and i are going to metropolis soon

and jon will be there

perhaps i'll see you?

get to know you in person rather than our twitter wars?

Damian Wayne @TheOfficialDamianWayne ✓

perhaps

[alltheshadesofgray]

Talk Thirteen

Masterlist

DUKE THOMAS WAS ON his daytime patrol of Gotham, as he would be anyday during the hours of light. A few Gothamites said their helloes to the daylight hero, and the day had been going smoothly when a blue portal opened and in came several Parisian heroes. His family had returned from Paris a few days ago, and Duke finally got to meet the mysterious woman who had snared Bruce Wayne's heart. So it was curious as to what the Parisian heroes, who were both inactive and outside of their jurisdiction, were doing in Gotham.

They all looked ready for battle, and honestly, dealing with angry magical heroes was not something Duke wanted to do today. "Signal to the BatCave," Duke said, hoping for an answer. It was, however, unlikely, as the Wayne family had to keep up appearances. "Can I inquire as to what you're doing here?" he asked politely.

"A woman named Marinette Dupain-Cheng went missing earlier today," Chat Noir said, his vibrant green eyes flashing dangerously, giving Duke the idea that Chat Noir wanted to be searching for Marinette rather than talking to him.

Marinette was the name of Bruce's girlfriend. Shit.

Duke observed the heroes behind Chat Noir, and they all seemed anxious to move, clearly worried about the well being of Marinette. "Signal to the BatCave. Code 6477. All Bats on deck."

"Oracle at the Computer, sending an SOS to everyone. Who's missing?"

~~~~

thirty minutes earlier...

Plagg knew he couldn't reveal himself when Marinette had been knocked out, so he and Kaalki were attempting to wake Marinette up. However, the Guardian of the Miraculous had been knocked out with some sort of drug, dosed with a hint of magic, which was suspiciously strong enough to surpass Marinette's heightened physiology.

Plagg also couldn't Cataclysm the ropes that bound Marinette, because without a holder to be a conduit for his energy, he might as well also Cataclysm Marinette.

"What are we going to do?" Kaalki asked.

"We need a portal to Adrien. So reach out for Tikki's energy," Plagg said. Kwamis were able to reach out and find each other's energy, since they were all created by Tikki, so they had a magical bond. Plagg would never forgive himself for not being able to sense Nooroo and Duusu when they were all living under the same roof, even though the Kwamis of Transmission and Emotion had long since forgiven him because Gabriel had given them something that dampened their connection to the rest of the Kwamis.

Plagg was sure Tikki was still angry at him, but he also knew Tikki cared deeply for Marinette, so she'd put that annoyance aside in favor of finding her former Holder.

"Voyage!" Kaalki said, a blue portal spiraling open, as the two flew through.

present...

THE AIR WAS TENSE as the Bats met the Miraculous Team, a team that had been in circulation long before the Justice League existed. Chat Noir was leading the Team, though was clearly used to being the support to Ladybug leading.

"How did you know she was missing?" Robin asked, holding up his sword to the light as he sharpened it.

"Marinette was one of the civilian allies the Miraculous Team had. Which means she falls under our protection, and since we're magic, we have means of knowing when she's in trouble," Viperion responded calmly.

"Where is Ladybug?" Nightwing asked, not noticing Red Hood tensing up at the mention of the heroine.

"Ladybug doesn't like wearing her Miraculous unless absolutely necessary," Chat Noir explains. "We all have our different triggers, and for her, even wearing the suit causes her to shut down. That feeling is something she associates with Hawk Moth and Akumas."

That didn't seem right, Ladybug seemed perfectly fine on Heroes Day, wasn't she? Bruce wasn't sure the math added up.

"She's very good at hiding her emotions," Viperion added, seeming to read Bruce's mind.

"Do we know where she is?" Red Hood asked.

"Her tracker's been disconnected," Pegasus said. "It's unlikely for you guys to be able to track her down. Chat is working on finding a connection."

"That's not possible if Pegasus wasn't able to track her tracker," Batman said, crossing his arms.

"Technology is rubbish compared to magic," Ryuko said, sword drawn. "Since Chat and Mari dated, albeit briefly, the sort of trust they shared allows Chat to use his magic to hone in on Marinette's energy." Ryuko explained, not bothering to tell them the real reason Chat Noir could track down Marinette (because they were partners in the highest sense) and allowed the Bats to take in the false knowledge.

Chat Noir also dated Marinette? Oracle asked through the Darkwear technology the Bats wore.

Any luck? Orphan, Cassandra Cain, signed. The Miraculous Team shook their heads.

"Not yet," Pigella said, eyes shining with worry.

~~~~

It was odd to feel such powerful energy to be pulsating with desperateness. A new concept for the deity. He was intrigued by every passing second the energy called out for help. He snapped his fingers, and vanished without any trace he was ever there.

~~~~

Marinette had regained consciousness, bound with some sort of magic that Marinette couldn't quite place. Noticeably, the Ring was missing, and neither Kaalki nor Plagg had attempted to appear, which led her to hoping they had escaped, or led to her anxiety, that they had been captured.

"Our lovely guest is finally awake," a melodic voice said, though Marinette was wary at the sheer silkiness in the person's tone. Marinette turned to face the voice, and was met with a man with graying hair and majestic green robes.

"Where am I?" Marinette croaked out, throat dry like sandpaper.

"I, unfortunately, cannot answer that," the man said. "I can tell you that you will be safe if you give me the knowledge I need to know."

Even without the Ring of Destruction enhancing her sense of magic, Marinette was still a powerful mage in her own right, and she could sense the dark, Lazarus energy radiating off the man. She immediately didn't trust him.

"What do you want me for?" she asked.

"You, my dear, are the bait for the precious Miraculous Team to come hear and they will have no other choice than to hand over their Guardian, Ladybug," the man said, smirking.

Marinette laughed. "Me? Sir, I'm the daughter of two bakers. I can assure you whatever part you want me play in your plot will not work," Marinette said, laughing subsided as she observed the man.

It was the man's turn to laugh. "Daughter of two bakers? No, darling, you're the daughter of Sabine Woosan, the Morrigan, and a weak hearted man she decided to betray the League of Shadows for. And on the Miraculous part, I know about your past romance with Chat Noir. Even if you do not love each other anymore, he, like any hero, have a hero complex that will come here to save you," he said, observing Marinette's reaction. "Ah, so you didn't know about my dear goddaughter."

"You kidnapped your granddaughter? Feeling the family love," Marinette said dryly. "And I am choosing to ignore your gibberish because it simply doesn't add up."

"I do hate involving my own blood in feuds," the man said agreeably, "However, Ladybug has something I want."

"What makes you think she'll give it to you?" Marinette questioned, mind working a mile per minute.

"Your death should coax her," he said nonchalantly.

"Ladybug wouldn't give you what you seek because of my death," Marinette said. "But since I'll be dead anyways, I'm curious to know your name."

The man smiled devilishly, and replied with a name that Marinette had already come to the conclusion of. "Ra's al Ghul."

KLARION LOVED CAUSING CHAOS, but he wasn't cruel. The acts of Chaos he did throughout the universe were simply acts stemmed from his universal nature. They might've been described as cruel, but Klarion's acts of Chaos were demanded to keep the universe intact.

He felt a desperate plea in the air, one born from Chaos itself. Klarion had emotions, just like any species did, and he was worried. A Chaos deity worried about someone else wasn't an everyday thing. It meant that something- or someone- was truly in trouble. Klarion had teleported to the source of energy, finding himself in the ever familiar Tibetan mountains, the home of the League of Shadows.

He jumped back as a blue portal opened, startled as a pixie-like figure stepped out of the portal.

"Who are you?" he asked, with his usual annoyed tone.

"I'm Bunnyx, the Holder of the Miraculous of the Last Chance and guardian of the timestream," the woman said.

"Why are you here?" he asked suspiciously.

"You need to save her, Klarion. They won't get here in time," Bunnyx said, dissapearing once again into the blue portal.

"Wait, I never told you my name," Klarion said surprised. But his words went unanswered.

~~~~

Chat Noir seemed to be meditating. Which pissed Bruce Wayne, donned in his Batman splendor, to no extent. Marinette was missing and Chat Noir decided meditating is his best option.

It was foolish.

In a blink of an eye, Chat Noir scrambled up, a haunted look in his eyes. "I know where she is, but we're not going to like it."

"Where is it, you mangy alley cat?" Damian snapped.

"She's in the Tibetan Mountains," Chat Noir said.

"Shit, where the League of Assassins are?" Ryuko cursed.

"Remind me how you guys know about the League?" Red Hood asked. Pegasus narrowed his eyes, but answered.

"The League of Shadows' leader, Ra's al Ghul, abused the power of the Miraculous. Thus, the infamous Lazarus Pits that keep him alive. Ladybug has been trying to curse his bloodlines of ever receiving the healing factor the Pits to any with al Ghul blood, but it's hard to curse when she doesn't have access to the blood," Pegasus said. "Noir, can you get coordinates?"

"What kind of hero would I be if I couldn't locate my own part- a civilian under my jurisdiction?" Chat Noir said grinning.

"Lovely, Chat," Ryuko said, rolling her eyes. "We really must go."

"We'll have to authorize you for Zeta-tube use, that's going to be a hassle," Nightwing said.

"Who said anything about zeta-tubes?" Pegasus asked.

"Ladybug told me the Zeta-tubes are a complete nightmare," Viperion said.

"Voyage!" Pegasus said.

"Rena and Paon, you two scout ahead," Chat Noir ordered. "Keep yourself hidden until we know what exactly is going on. The kid holding a katana and Ryuko will go with you as guard."

Rena Furtive and Paon stepped through the portal, followed by Ryuko. "You can't order my team around," Batman said.

"If I'm not wrong, the katana kid is from the League. He will know about that place more than any of my teammates will," Chat Noir said.

"My name is Robin," Robin said, tting and stepping through the portal before anyone could protest.

"That was a pretty idiotic move, Chat," Vesperia said, crossing her arms. "You know she hates child heroes."

"She doesn't have the heart to hate me, Queeny," Chat Noir said. "By the way, Carapace and Vesperia, you're going to have to restrain me when I get there. Plagg's out for blood."

"Who's Plagg?" Red Robin asked, no doubt looking for new information to file away.

"A mischievous god who likes cheese," Vesperia said, scoffing. "But noted. I think Pollen would be happy to piss off Plagg for once."

"We know where she is," Paon said, body emerging from the portal, Ryuko, Rena Furtive and Robin following. "You might want to come right now. She's talking to a creepy guy named Ra's with an apostrophe in his name. Honestly feel bad for the guy because his name sucks."

"Ra's kidnapped Marinette? What did he want with her?" Red Hood asked in astonishment.

"No doubt a way to get the Miraculous," Ryuko said, eyes darkening.

"How does Marinette fit into the equation?" Red Robin asked. "She's merely a civilian, if not temporary hero Multimouse. Surely her status as a one time hero doesn't merit her being kidnapped. Aren't there more prolific targets with exposed identities?"

"Probably, but Marinette is blood of the League, her mother was formerly known as the assassin Morrigan, and her mother is cousin to Lady Shiva, the deadliest woman in the world," Pegasus informed. "She is also close to many of our civilian identities."

"So, what's the plan?"

KLARION WAS DONE WITH waiting, Bunnyx's words be damned. He was Chaos, and he wanted to know why someone with ancient magic was in trouble. He teleported to the source, landing face to face with a short bluenette, tied up.

"Who are you?" the woman asked suspiciously, eyes narrowing. Even though the woman was tied up, there was no denying the magical prowess she had.

"Klarion, Lord of Chaos," he responded. "You look weak for someone who uses ancient magic."

"Thanks for telling me," the woman said dryly. "Are you with dear old Ra's al Ghul?"

Klarion scoffed. "No way," Klarion said. "I'm a freelancer. I'd rather not get weighed down by an old man."

"So what are you doing here?" the woman asked. "I'm pretty sure you're not a hero, but you're not a villain, or not right now, so why are you here?"

"Curious, mostly," Klarion admitted.

"About?" she inquired.

"What business do you have with ancient magic?" Klarion replied.

"That, I cannot answer," she said softly, seeming tired like most mortals did. "If you're not my captor, mind setting me free?"

Klarion hesitated, but recalling Bunnyx's words, he snapped his fingers, his Chaos Magic releasing the woman from her bonds.

"Marinette Dupain-Cheng, pleasure," the woman said, hand stretched out to shake. Klarion took it, and shook, trying to get an energy reading on her, but to no avail."I assume you have magic to get us out? Ra's will probably be coming back."

And in a snap, they were gone. A few seconds later, Ra's al Ghul returned to an empty room, and the Tibetan Mountains shook with Ra's anger.

"WHAT IS KLARION DOING here?" Nightwing asked, batons ready to fight. He'd faced the Chaos god plenty of times with the Team, but without Zatanna, it was very unlikely for them to win a fight against Chaos incarnate.

"Marinette?!" Chat Noir said, astonished as he ran to hug the short bluenette that had been teleported with Klarion.

"Bonjour, Chaton," Marinette said, returning the hug with a smile.

"I'll ask again, what is Klarion doing?" Nightwing asked.

"Oh, can it, Justice baby," Klarion said scoffing, rolling his eyes. "I just saved her from the evil that is Ra's al Ghul."

"I'm going to murder that asshole," Ryuko said fuming, sword crackling with electricity.

"Thank you, Klarion," Marinette said, as Pegasus conjured a portal. Marinette turned to the Bats, about to say something, but refrained and dissapeared into the portal, the Miraculous Team following.

Manon Chamack @MChamack ✓

was nobody going to tell me @MDupainCheng got kidnapped?

August Beaufort @AugustBeau replying to @MChamack

wait what?!?

Ella & Etta Césaire @EllaandEtta replying to @MChamack

our sister told us about the reunion. it's on the ladyblog @Ladyblogger @TheLadyblog

The Ladyblog @TheLadyblog ✓ replying to @MChamack

yes, there was an impromptu reunion after citizen @MDupainCheng got kidnapped. further details cannot be shared at this moment

Bruce Wayne @BruceWayneOfficial replying to @MChamack

Shit, Marinette was kidnapped? Is you okay? @MDupainCheng

The Miraculous Team @SimplyMiraculous ✓ replying to @MChamack

Marinette Dupain-Cheng is safe and sound, residing in Paris for a few days before she returns to Gotham.

Vicki Vale @GothamGazetteReporter ✓

Marinette Dupain-Cheng was kidnapped today in Gotham. Girlfriend of the famous billionaire philanthropist, Bruce Wayne, is it possible that a rival corporation such as Queen Industries was behind the attack on poor Ms Dupain-Cheng? For more on the scoop, read www.gothamgazette.com/article/billionaire-playboy-girlfriend-kidnapped

marinette ❤ bruce, marinette

bruce:

mari

are you okay?

i heard you got kidnapped

i am so sorry that happened to you

[read]

mari?

i understand if you need space after that ordeal

just know i'm here for you

[read]

okay, i'll keep my phone on

please contact me

i'll be here

[read]

unknown

unknown, marinette

unknown:

ugh

mortal technologies are impossible

it took me way too long to figure this out

we need to talk

marinette:

who is this?

[alltheshadesofgray]

Talk Twelve

Masterlist

"AWW, PIXIE, YOUR MAGICAL energy is spiking all over the place," Constantine said, walking through a golden portal he had conjured.

"What are you doing here?" Marinette said, scrambling upright from her table. "You know you just trespassed through several wards, right?"

"Trust me, those were hell to get through, Pixie," Constantine said, nodding agreeably. "But not impossible. Now tell me what's up, because your magical energy has magic users from all over mobilizing for an extraterrestrial threat. Even Klarion, who's a bloody Chaos Lord, asked me what the hell was up."

A black figure zoomed out of hiding, whom Constantine assumed to be the Kwami of Chaos, crossing their arms. "Pigtails has received life changing news," Plagg said with a matter-of-fact tone. 

"Oh yeah, what was that?" Constantine asked, looking at the bluenette with slight concern in his eyes. It was never good when a magic user's emotions were unbalanced, especially if that person used magic as old as the very beginning. 

"Did you know?" Marinette asked, looking at him, her eyes filled with hurt. "Of course you did. My boyfriend is Batman," she said, laughing with an emptiness that scared even himself. 

"Oh, how'd you find that out?" Constantine asked. 

"Common sense. Unlike the Miraculous, Kevlar doesn't magically protect identities," Marinette said, her eyes dull as she stared at him. "That also means his children are the rest of the Bats, doesn't it." 

Constantine nodded grimly, "I'm sorry, Pixie. It must've sucked to find that out when you were already emotionally spent," Constantine said softly. 

"Fucking child soldiers!" Marinette said vehemently. "My boyfriend was raising kids to fight battles that they shouldn't have to." 

"That's not a lot different from your scenario in Paris, Pix," Constantine pointed out. "You were what, fourteen when you took up the burden of the Miraculous?"

"Yeah," she muttered. "Not Master Fu's brightest moment. But those children have gone through some horrible shit as well. And Bruce isn't the most emotional." 

"No kidding," Constantine snorted. "Always about the mission. Damn, Flash told me about an alternate universe where his contingency plan was me, and in doing so it cost the love of my life." 

"Constantine? You have feelings for someone?" Marinette asked. 

"Nuh uh uh," Constantine chided. "Not about my lovelife, Pix, it's about yours." 

"I'm screwed," Marinette said, hands thrown up in resignation. "I think I was on the way to loving him, but I swore off the hero life after Hawk-ass was defeated. Knowing my boyfriend is fighting everyday in the shitty streets of Gotham while I just stay back in safety isn't something I can really handle. But neither is playing hero in the cards for me." 

"So become the villain," Constantine commented. "What?" he said defensively. "You know one of his previous girlfriends, Selina Kyle, was Catwoman. It was a nice enemies to lovers trope." 

"Asshole. I've spent my whole life fighting a guy who couldn't get over his wife's death, when she wasn't fucking dead, and now you want me to become a villain?" Marinette said exasperatedly. 

"You know what they say," Constantine said shrugging. "You either die the hero or live long enough to see yourself become the villain." At Marinette's glare, Constantine raised his hands up in surrender. "I was just kidding, Pixie, no need to get your knickers in a twist. Anyways, I like you, and having to fight you would not be smart for either of us." 

"What's the likelihood of Bruce ever willingly telling me about his identity?" Marinette asked. 

"Probably one percent, maybe five since you're his girlfriend," Constantine said nonchalantly. "It took him several years after the Justice League's formation to tell the rest of the League his identity. 

"So you're basically saying even if we were married, he wouldn't tell me? I really like him, but that man has some serious trust issues," Marinette sighed. 

"No shit, Sherlock," Constantine drawled. "Now what are you going to do about it, Pixie?" Constantine questioned. 

"I don't know, Constantine. Honestly I'm tempted to have Bunnyx move me to a different timestream. Maybe I could see Zoé," Marinette said. 

"That is literally the worst idea I've ever heard. First off, avoiding your problems doesn't actually solve them. If you did that with Hawk Moth, Paris would be in a severely different state. Secondly, Bruce Wayne isn't the kind of guy to not ask questions. If he wanted to find you, he would," Constantine reasoned with the woman.

"Says the guy who's avoiding his feelings for a certain someone," Marinette fired back. 

"Again, Pix, this is not about me, this is about you," Constantine rolled his eyes. "I say you trust him to tell you on his own time. He might never, but the bloke would bring that secret to the ends of the earth. You could also confront him, but you have to tell me before you decide to do so. I need my front row seats."

"Well, I'm going to have to sleep on it. I still think moving to a different timestream would be easier," Marinette mumbled as Constantine portaled away. 

luka couffaine

luka, marinette

 marinette:

help

i'm having a midlife crisis

 luka: 

panic attack? 

you know adrien's better at helping you than i am

 marinette:

no

you're the wisest guy i know, lu

i need some advice

 luka:

okay

give me the background info

 marinette:

you know bruce, right?

well he's batman

 luka:

and you swore off the hero life

 marinette:

worst part, he didn't even tell me

i figured it out

i haven't told him

 max kanté has joined the chat

 max:

sorry

markov's programmed to look into anyone when batman is mentioned

oh...

you figured it out

 marinette:

you knew?!

 max:

yeah

figured out a while ago when his kids were poking around business they shouldn't have been looking into

really, their encryption skills are mediocre at best

anyways, sorry for interupting

continue

 max kanté has left the chat

 luka:

well, that was a lovely turn of events

anyways, you haven't told him?

 marinette:

yeah

i'm not very sure what to do

 luka: 

if you truly care about him

i say do what your heart says

if you don't think it will last, do the opposite

also, if you do confront him, remember you have a lot of secrets of your own. 

bruce wayne

bruce, luka

 luka: 

i'm not going to give you a shovel talk on if you hurt marinette i'll kill you like kagami and my other friends did

but i will warn you if you keep your secrets for too long

marinette will wonder

lies are never good in a meaningful relationship

if you care about her, then you have to figure out what you'll do

and if marnette finds out, you have to brace yourself for the inevitable fallout when she confronts you

that's why we broke up, because we both had secrets we couldn't divulge

don't make the same mistake

[read]

 bruce is typing

...

...

...

...

bruce has gone offline

 JASON TODD HAD ONLY been in such a thoughtful state once before. That had been after he had returned from the dead, and learned that Bruce actually wanted to reconcile and explain his actions. Sure, he thought a lot, but not in a daze such as the one that his discovery put him in. Jason didn't like being in such a state, it put him off balance. However, he had no idea what to do with the information he had. 

Information was power, both the life on the streets and Bruce had always taught him to exploit that power. But this power could only have bad effects, and Marinette didn't deserve her secret be given up by him. If anything, she had the right to tell Bruce, and she hadn't. Marinette was the greatest relationship Bruce ever had, and he knew Bruce would view her secrets as a betrayal. 

Bruce Wayne was a secret hoarder. He kept every bit of information from everyone, even mind readers. He supposed that was why Bruce was insistent on his motto of knowledge was power. He also knew that Bruce was every bit suspicious about Adrien Agreste. His siblings were so focused on proving Marinette the villain that they couldn't realize that their mentor was trying to prove Adrien the villain, nor the real identities of the two. Blinded by their missions, they couldn't open their eyes to see the truth. 

Jason loved his family, but gods they could be dense for the Greatest Detectives in the world. He supposed that he would keep Marinette's secret. Bruce would get over it, eventually. But Marinette deserved a lot for enduring Paris, and she certainly didn't deserve her greatest secret being told by him. 

 THE ALLIANCE BETWEEN FATHER and sons had been purely accidental. Bruce had realized he had seemed withdrawn from the family, and had tried to be interested in what his sons were doing. Dick, Tim and Damian were huddled in a corner around Tim's computer, and Bruce had asked them what they were up to. 

The three had ignored him, even Dick who was always talkative, so curiosity got the better of Bruce. He had joined them in the corner, managing to glimpse words before Tim shut the computer. 

Evidence against Marinette DC

"Why are you researching my girlfriend?" Bruce asked suspiciously, giving the three a distrustful look. Tim said nothing, while Damian glared at the ground. 

Dick decided to take one for the team, saying "We think Marinette might have been working with Hawk Moth." 

It was silent, as Bruce stared at each of his sons. Finally, Bruce sighed, rubbing his temples. "I fear you might be right," he responded, finally coming to terms with the reality that Marinette might not be as good as he had originally thought. "She and Adrien Agreste are both suspicious. I suppose I have been avoiding researching Marinette, but a lot of evidence screams that Adrien worked with his father." 

"There's a lot of evidence suggesting the same with Dupain-Cheng," Damian deadpanned. 

"We're sorry, Bruce, but it seems very likely," Tim said. 

"There's no hard evidence that either of them worked with him, so we need to dig deeper," Bruce replied. 

"You really can't stop attracting trouble," Dick said wryly. "We'll send you anything we've collected on Marinette, and you should share the stuff you've collected on Agreste. Four minds is better than three." 

"Where's Jason?" Bruce asked. 

"He's backed out of looking into Marinette," Damian said, eyes narrowed. "He doesn't think she's bad."

Bruce pondered on it for a moment. "Well, maybe when we find solid evidence, he'll be convinced," Bruce said. "We have a lot of work to do."