#Maybe he should transfer to that Gotham place?

[bet-on-me-13]

Dash Baxter as the Overly Competent Metropolis Cop

We all know the "Dash becomes a Police Officer" trope, but I can never remember what Coty he is placed in.

Now, Imagine if Dash is placed in Metropolis? He starts out on the force and keeps telling everybody that this City is "Nowhere near as exciting as I thoight it would be" and "There aren't even any Supervillains that I can arrest"

And everybody else is just thinking that he is just overconfident in his own skills than that he is just a glory seeker.

And then one day, Lex Luthor breaks out of Prison and gets one of his Giant Mechs. Superman arrived on scene to try and stop him only to discover Dash handcuffing a peefectly fine Lex on the hood of his Car while Lex's Mech Suit is laying 10 meters away totally unscathed.

This random cop somehow managed to defeat Lex Luthor's Mech Suit (Which was designed to battle SUPERMAN) without needing to hurt Lex OR damage the suit in any way.

Well, at the very least that must have been a difficult feat to pull of-

"That was easily the worst Power Armor I have ever had to fight dude, are you sure you're a Super Genius?"

What?!

[greenglowinspooks]

To be honest. DCxDP where the reason Danny meets the bats is Ace the Bat-hound

Like, just think about it for a second. Danny is in Gotham for college, or maybe he just moved out to find a city where having mad scientist parents isn’t actually that unusual.

He can see ghosts.

The ghosts know this.

Now he’s getting harassed left and right by spirits trying to get closure. Fine, whatever, most of them are a one-and-done type deal, and the amount of ghosts trying to get his help steadily decreases.

Except for this one very stubborn dog.

It just keeps showing up and leading him to crime scenes! He doesn’t know how many “anonymous tips” he can call in to the cops before they trace his phone! And this dog, this incredibly good boy, will not stop trying to help the city. He’s never met anyone with such a strong sense of justice, let alone a dog. Can dogs even have a moral compass?

And so Danny just accepts the fact that Ace isn’t going anywhere and becomes his reluctant sidekick/dedicated medium. He leans into the whole thing, dressing up in a mix of traditional magic-user attire and accessories that pay homage to the ghost dog.

He becomes somewhat well known. The psychopomp detective following around the shadowy figure of a German Shepard? That’s unusual! That’s weird! I mean, it’s not the weirdest thing in Gotham, sure, but he’s a new vigilante and he’s got a ghost dog that people can only see when it’s around him. Someone’s gonna notice.

Damian, as Robin, is the first to reach out to him.

Ace doesn’t know Damian but he does know a Robin, and while this isn’t his Robin, he’s still friendlier than usual. Danny’s panicking because oh god the bats are here and also is this kid gonna steal my ghost dog, Damian is absolutely delighted by Ace, and Ace is just happy to see a Robin again.

Damian decides that the psychopomp isn’t a danger to anyone, and there’s no reason to put this encounter into his reports, really, and perhaps Danny can help with some of his cases in the future.

Danny is sweating bullets because Damian basically tells him that he’ll keep him secret as long as he gets to play with Ace. Ace is happy that he’s finally getting some bat affiliated crime-fighting assistance.

And so, Danny is now both Ace AND Damian’s reluctant assistant. At least whenever he’s in trouble, he can always call a middle schooler to help him.

(Is Robin even in school? He’s out patrolling damn near every night, and he stays out late as hell. Does he have a bedtime? He should.)

Eventually it gets to the point where Damian is going over to Danny’s house. When he first sees it, he has a damn bitch you live like this moment, to which Danny responds that not everyone has the money to afford a nice place. Damian counters that he could at least take the time to clean up, and Danny replies that he’s working, going to school, and being a vigilante assistant to a ghost dog, something’s got to give.

Danny nearly has a heart attack when he checks his bank account the next day and sees that someone transferred him 10,000 dollars.

And so they get into a routine. Danny and Damian fight crime with Ace at night, and occasionally Damian stops by during the day to play with Ace and have Danny help with his homework.

(Damian is smart enough to do it on his own, but some of the instructions are written incredibly confusingly, and he would never admit to needing help to his family. Danny is just glad that the kid is in school and cares about his education, blissfully unaware that he’s basically emotionally adopted him.)

Damian is used to being in Danny’s company.

Eventually, when going over a case with the family, Damian absentmindedly remarks that he’ll have to ask Danny about some of the clues that they might be missing. Nightwing asks who he means and Damian makes a face like he just swallowed a lemon.

Cue shitstorm.

Who is “Danny?” Why is Damian willing to ask for help from anyone, much less someone outside of the family? Does he know who Damian is? Has Damian been compromised? What the hell is going on?

Damian now has to explain that Danny is the psychopomp with the ghost dog who he might have met hunted down while on patrol and conveniently not mentioned, but he’s not a bad person, really, and he lets him play with Ace, and he’s been quite helpful on certain cases due to his ability to talk to ghosts.

Bruce insists that the family meet Danny. Damian, hoping that he won’t just skip town the second he hears the news, relents.

Danny is surprisingly eager to meet the bats, considering his earlier fears.

Damian, blissfully unaware of what’s coming, sets a time and place to meet.

Once everyone is there, he gives Bruce the earful of a lifetime.

Robin is in middle school! Danny knows that there’s no way to stop the boy from going on patrol, but you could at least shift his schedule so he gets enough sleep on school nights! Does the Bat even know where he is half the time?! (No) And why isn’t he comfortable asking his family for help with both cases and homework? Did they ever even notice how much time he was spending at Danny’s house? If Danny was a bad person, he could have seriously hurt the poor boy! Shame on you!

Nightwing is mortified that Damian didn’t trust him enough to tell him about any of this. Red Hood is laughing his ass off, because yeah Danny is making good points but he’s also chewing out the literal Batman. Tim is recording the whole thing. Steph is delighted by the absolute gall of this Danger Twink™️, and already planning to add him to several groupchats. Damian is more embarrassed than he’s ever been in his entire life.

You, he points to Nightwing, did your academic life feel supported when you were a Robin? Nightwing is too stunned to speak. Red Hood, eternal shit-stirrer, says that oh, we all prioritized patrol over our education, that’s just how it is. Red Robin actually dropped out of high school to avoid distractions, did you know that?

Danny honest-to-god shrieks at this.

He finishes his angry rant and leaves, everyone too stunned to stop him.

And as it turns out, Tim wasn’t the only person recording the whole thing.

The entire internet is blowing up with Psychopomp The Danger Twink™️’s rant. People are taking sides. Things are getting messy. Red Hood literally admitting on-camera to previously being a Robin is somehow not the main focus here.

Eventually someone connects some dots from the video, as well as stories circling the internet about the psychopomp. A ghost dog named Ace, who is the literal only reason that the psychopomp is fighting crime at all, which seems incredibly fond of Nightwing and Robin.

A crime-fighting dog who wants constant attention from both the current and original Robin.

Oh my god, Ace the Bat-hound died and became a crime-fighting ghost.

And, somehow, that’s still not the strangest thing going on in Gotham.

[scintillyyy]

Tim drake for the headcanon ask game please

tim tim my beloved tim <3

Headcanon A:  realistic

the first time tim lost a tooth, the tooth fairy did accidentally forget to come. the second time tim lost a tooth, the tooth fairy gave him $500 and a playstation along with a very long letter of apology.

Headcanon B: while it may not be realistic it is hilarious

the first time tim visits the farm, kon is so prepared to roast him over his inability to do basic farm chores and laugh at him when he gets attacked by a chicken. he's absolutely outraged when tim not only apparently already knows how to milk a cow, he also seems to be some sort of chicken whisperer--the little monsters always chase kon around, but they immediately take a shine to tim, who manages to picks one up without a care in the world. tim is extremely smug about this, and when kon asks him where he learned how to do this, tim just says with a smirk "oh, one of my boarding schools was big into doing everything organic and teaching kids personal responsibility, so we had an on-campus farm we took care of together. did i forget to mention that?"

(kon gets his due, though, when tim passes out from the heat while they're detasseling corn. he flew too close to the sun on the whole "oh, of course i can handle this" from his past experience with crop raising, not taking into account the 85 degree kansas weather in july)

Headcanon C: heart-crushing and awful, but fun to inflict on friends

the last time he spent together with both his parents was when they came home for about a month and a half for his 13th birthday. it was a great time at first--for tim's birthday they went to the museum, had dinner at their local favorite pizza place, and went out to get ice cream for dessert. jack and janet were even talking about wanting to reduce their traveling and think about where they'd pick to stay if they were to live more permanently in gotham--jack said that the mooney towers penthouse was the biggest, janet strongly preferred the idea of the downtown condo so they were within walkable distance of everything. tim didn't want to get his hopes up, but they were even looking at the local schools for a possible transfer, which they had never done before. they were happy for a few weeks, not fighting. but at the very end of july, jack got talked into buying a really ostentatious art piece as an investment (but was actually a massive waste of money) & janet was livid at what she felt was his reckless and irresponsible spending which set off another round of fighting, first over finances which then led into disagreements about the company. any plans to stay in gotham were off the table & they dropped tim off at boarding school come mid-august before they left yet again. his parents apologized for their fighting and said they'd be home for christmas. tim just said "sure, whatever" and slammed the door behind him.

tim felt bad, that night. no matter how mad he was, he should have told his parents he loved them before they left. he promised he would the next time they called. but the next time they called ended up being right as he was about to go leave to train with bruce for the weekend--and he ended up choosing to go train instead of take the call, figuring that training for robin was more important this time & there was always next time. his mom left a message saying she was sorry & that she loved him & maybe they could revisit the whole settling down in gotham more once they got home from this trip. next time never happened, the trip got extended and diverted to haiti. tim never forgave himself for missing his last chance to tell his mother he loved her. he shouldn't have counted on next time.

years later, when his dad calls, he knows he needs to say he loves his dad. he knows if he doesn't, he'll regret it forever, like he missed his chance with his mom. he still can't get the words out. he'll be able to tell his dad next time--because there has to be a next time.

Headcanon D: unrealistic, but I will disregard canon about it because I reject canon reality and substitute my own.

tim's always had a soft spot for vicki vale--he saved her along with bruce the night of his mother's funeral. he finds her attempts at unmasking him humorous more than anything. after she figures out bruce's secret & becomes batman inc's official reporter, tim keeps showing up in her window as red robin to pass along messages of what stories to report & to pass along any complaints bruce has about the articles she's already done. he grows to like her even more when she rolls her eyes and motherfucks bruce under her breath now that she's getting the whole bruce experience. he takes the opportunity to be a little shit by requesting her as a reporter for neon knights related things & she has to grit her teeth as he plays up the wide-eyed enthusiastic trust fund baby who is clearly teasing her. he always steals her ice cream, like a little shit.

[recreationalfanfics]

Yandere Two-Face x Gn! Reader drabble

Doll is used as a term of endearment but gn bc tbh, that's peak endearment ngl.

Harvey knows its wrong.

Harvey knows it won't end the way he wants it to, he wasn't even sure if he wanted you or if it was the pain of losing Gilda, but he knew it would only end up with you hurt. Maybe even worse. He tries to use the coin to figure out ways to get over you. Heads, he lifts weights at the court yard to try and get his mind off of you. Tails, he tries to strike up a conversation with some of the other loonies. Yeah, it hurt his head to hear them ramble and babble about who knows what, but it hurt even more having to think about you.

You, his favorite psychiatrist. One who would start off each session with a simple coin toss. Heads, you talk to Harvey first. Tails, you talk to Two-Face. He hates all the times you landed on tails, all the times that monster got to speak to you instead of him, all the times that no-good-gangster got to lavish in your attention and he didn't. However, it's what fate chose and he knew all to well that fate had it out for him, because if it wasn't then maybe you two could have met under different circumstances. He liked when you looked at him, he wasn't sure how to explain it, but he knew when you did. The way your eyes would soften along with his tone and mannerisms when he finally got to switch off with that bastard. It made him smile, almost shy perhaps. He missed it, he missed you, but he closed his eyes and groaned as his thoughts once more came back to you. Rubbing his face with his hands, he rolled over onto his back as his brain was at war with itself.

He needed to stop thinking about you. About you in his arms as you stare at him lovingly with those haunting (e/c) eyes, at images of him flipping a coin to decide if he should surprise you with breakfast in bed or by doing all the laundry, or at the idea of you no longer having to work and staying at home for him, your eyes lighting up as he walked through the door and running up to him excitedly with open arms. It won't come true, he knows it, but he wanted it to so badly.

Two-Face doesn't care.

Ever since your transfer to Iron Gate in Central City, he had become more unruly, more prone to violence and roughousing with other inmates and becoming an overall pain in the ass to all the staff. Harvey'll try and rationalize it for him, that you were a psychologist and that he was just another patient to you, but you can't rationalize with someone who isn't concerned reason and logic. Instead, Two-Face was more concerned that something of HIS was walking around the world, unchecked and unsupervised, and ANYONE could try and get their grubby little mitts all over you. The very idea got his fingers curling into a fist and his knuckles aching to be uppercutting some poor unsuspecting victim. He was mad at the other quacks who thought they could reach the same places you reached, he was mad at the prison warden for approving your transfer to Iron Heights, but he was mostly mad at you for going.

While Harvey skulked, Two-Face schemed. All he could think about were plans to escape Arkham, hunt you down, and drag you back to Gotham. Right where you belonged, beside him. At first, he was just becoming more prone to "disruptive outbursts" but all Arkham inmates get rowdy here and then, then he started becoming difficult during therapy sessions. Not that he wasn't in the first place but with you gone, he didn't want to talk to someone who had the audacity to sat where you sat, who tried to flip a coin and pretend to understand him like you did. Not that you were pretending, deep down, you did understand. You understood that deep down, Harvey Dent was still in there...but you also understood that at the end of the day, Two-Face was staying and never talked about him like he was some imaginary figure Harvey made up in his head that will be cured after a few sessions and a little surgery. It's what he liked most about you, you gave him due respect.

At least he thought you did until you left. It doesn't matter, though, because you're coming back home. Walking out of Arkham Asylum during another prison break, his boys were quick to pick up their boss and give him the run down on you, handing him candid photos of your new day-to-day life. You're just the sweetest when you're oblivious to danger, you know that?

"Should we really do this? I could be putting her in more danger, but maybe this also isn't a bad thing...No, it doesn't change the fact it's still wrong!"

"Quit your whining, Harvey. If you're so concerned about what we should do or not, flip for it."

He takes out his infamous coin. Heads; they change their mind and just drive back to base, another day, another crime in Gotham City. Tails; they prepare a pretty little cell for you and get ready for your little return to Gotham. He throws it up in the air, his eyes staring up at it. His eye on the right is pleading and anxious, waiting for the coin to tell him what to do so he could stop feeling so guilty about wanting to have you to himself. The left side was tense but also maliciously giddy as the coin then fell into the palm of his hand. His fingers curled around it like a fist and he's about to open it to reveal the result of their toss...but he never does.

Instead with a deep sigh, he pockets the coin and he gives his boy's orders on how to observe you, on how to get ready for your return.

"I'm sorry, (Y/n), but this is for your own good." Harvey apologizes, standing before your fearful form in your new apartment.

"No it ain't, you just belong to me. Simple as that, doll~" Two-Face boasts, grabbing you by the wrist and pulling you to his chest.

Harvey knows its wrong, Two-Face doesn't care. Yet, no matter how you flip it, you were doomed either way because that's just what cruel fate had in store for you.

[wolfjackle-creates]

If I remember correctly, it was your Empathy!Verse fic that brought me to your tumblr in the first place! Could we have a snippet for that one, please? 😃

Here you are!

-----

Jazz grinned and settled back at Jason’s side, sliding an arm around his waist. “Gotham, can you believe it? I was so homesick and needing some good death-talk. I was maybe two weeks away from transferring somewhere that had at least two other Amity Parkers when I literally ran into him outside the public library. Instead I got to stay and got a boyfriend out of it.”

“How could you!” screamed the dark-haired one. But she was projecting . “You haven’t talked to us for months! We’ve been worried about you all by yourself. And here you are, just waltzing back with a boyfriend you never bothered to mention.”As she finished, a thread of did work itself into her emotions.

Jazz frowned and sent back . “Honestly, I wanted to. But Jason here didn’t know anything about liminality. So I didn’t want to talk about him until he got used to that. And my courses have been hell. I’ve so many projects constantly.”

“Just don’t forget us again, okay? Hello, Jason. I’m Angela and this is Trisha. We’re both studying at Ohio State. We’re high school friends with Jazz.”

Jason shook both their hands. “I’m Jason. Not in school at the moment, but I work odd jobs around Gotham.”

“You should think about enrolling,” commented Jazz. “You’ve mentioned how you wanted to study literature when you were younger.”

Jason grimaced and knew he was failing to hold back his . “I’d need to finish a GED first. And my jobs are keeping me real busy. Not sure I’d be able to spare the time to go to class.”

Trisha cut through the awkwardness with a laugh and . “Well, classes are killer. I’m almost regretting going to college right now.”

Jason laughed as well . “Honestly, seeing this one”—he nudged Jazz—“and her workload is making me reconsider my former college aspirations.”

“Mr. Baxter isn’t going to be here for another hour,” said Angela. “Get yourselves a drink and something to eat and join us.”

“Has anyone else arrived?” asked Jazz.

“Oh yeah. With your arrival, there’s a good dozen of us in Elmerton right now. No one else from our grade, though.”

Jason kissed Jazz’s temple. “Take a seat; catch up with your friends. I’ll go order us drinks. Any requests?”

[your-favourite-space-girl]

♡Heart Shaped Sun Glasses♡ ♡pt 1♡

♡Book fair♡

Key words: Y/N-you're name L/N-Last name H/C-Hair color H/L-Hair length B/N-Book name

Paring: Damian Wayne x !fem!reader

Summary: Ever since Damian transferred too Gotham Academy there was this girl who always had the same classes as Damian named Y/N L/N

Song Inspired by:

♡Heart Shaped Sun Glasses♡

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Ever since Damian transferred too Gotham Academy there was this girl who always had the same classes as Damian named Y/N L/N, Y/N would always wear these Heart sun glasses on her head, Y/N was always sweet, caring and kind, mostly everyone in their class is friends with her, Damian had confusing feelings for Y/N, he would always get annoyed when she sat next to him but in the same time, he didn't mind it

♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡

It was Saturday, 7:05 A.M, Heavy rain was pouring as Damian, Bruce and Tim ate their breakfast, Damian didn't really like Saturday's because Jason and Dick visits on Saturday, and there isn't any school on Saturday, so Damian wasn't able to see Y/N, Damian ate his cereal while watching the heavy rain pour

"Damian, are you even listening too me?" Bruce asked as Damian snapped back to reality

"I am sorry Father, please repeat" Damian said softly while staring at his cereal as Bruce sighed

"You're school said there will be a book fair next Saturday, they were asking if you would like to join" Bruce said while drinking his coffee as Tim fell asleep on the table

"Hmm, depends on who will join the book fair" Says Damian while taking a bite of his cereal

Bruce sighed "Brooklyn Bay, Maya May, David Yearwood, Lucy Willow,Marcus Baker, Dorcas Meadows-"

Damian huffed while listening to all the names

"-Y/N L/N" Bruce said as Damian stared at Bruce as his cheeks start to heat up as his eyes slightly widen

"That's all the people, so, would you like to join Damian?" Bruce asked while reading his news paper

"Y-yes, Father, I'd like to join, thank you" Damian said softly while staring at his cereal. After Damian finished his cereal he went up to his room as he closed the door and face-timed Jon Kent

"Oh, Hey Damian!" Jon greeted through the phone

"Hello, Jon do you have any experience with girls?" Damian asked

"well, no sorry..... But maybe Jason or Dick could help you with that" Jon stated as Damian softly nodded

"Okay, thank you, see you soon Jon" Damian said softly while hanging up and went downstairs to find Jason and Dick

♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡

Time Skip: Damian found both Jason and Dick in the living room of the Wayne Manor

♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡

As Damian walked into the living room Dick and Jason stared at him

"oh, hey Dames!" Dick said happily "Do you need something?" Jason asked "I need some advice, Jon said i should ask you guys" Damian said coldly while taking a seat on the couch

"Advice for what?" Dick asked as Damian's face start to heat up from embarrassment not wanting to admit

".... G-Girl Advice" Damian mumbled as Dick's eyes widen and Jason smirked "Uhm, sure, what about?" Dick asked "there's this girl, i like but i don't know how to tell her.... And every time she sits next to me i push her away, but she stills hangs out with me.... And I'm planning to ask her out next Saturday, at the book fair" Damian said softly

"Book fair?, that's a pretty boring place to ask a girl out" Jason said as Damian glared at him

"Y/N likes books, that's why I'm going to the book fair next Saturday, Father said she'll be there" Damian said coldly "speaking of Bruce, does Bruce know you have a crush?" Dick asked "W-well, no... Not yet" Damian mumbled "wait, how old are you again?" Jason asked as Damian sighed "I'm fifteen, Y/N is also fifteen, but I'm five months older then her" Damian said while Dick softly nodded "Okay" "That's a bit specific" said Jason

♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡

Time Skip (because i have no real advice on how to ask someone out) : at the book fair

♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡

As Damian searched for Y/N in the book fair, but failed until... He saw a girl with H/L, H/C wearing heart sun glasses as Damian's face start to lit up and Damian starts to walk up to Y/N

♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡

"H-hey, Y/N" Damian said softly while walking up to Y/N as Y/N softly smiled at him "oh, Hey Damian" Y/N said while getting a book and reading it "w-what are you reading?" Damian asked while staring at the book "I'm reading B/N, it's really good" Y/N said softly "oh, cool..... Can i ask you a question?" Damian asked "uhm, sure, what is it about?" Y/N asked curiously as Damian's face start to heat up "uhm....are you free next Friday?" Damian asked softly while trying to hide the blush on his face "yeah, i think so, why?" Y/N asked confused "well, there's this new cafe that just opened..... I was wondering if you'd like to go to the cafe, with me" Damian mumbled as Y/N slightly blushed "L-like a date?" Y/N asked while blushing "Y-yeah, like a date" Damian mumbled while blushing as Y/N smiled "sure, I'd love to go with you" Y/N said softly while putting the book on a shelf "R-Really?" Damian said softly slightly shocked "sure!.... I'll see you Next Friday?" Y/N softly said "uhm, yeah sure see you next Friday" Damian mumbled as Y/N left......

♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡

Hiiiii, there will be a part two, where Y/N and Damian goes to the cafe but I'm currently working on other of my drafts so it might take long

[calisources]

BATMAN V SUPERMAN: DAWN OF JUSTICE (2016). all quotes have been taken from zack snyder's batman v superman: dawn of justice (2016) both the threatrical and ultimate cuts. change pronouns and names as you see fit.

We're criminals, Alfred. We've always been criminals. Nothing's changed.

Everything's changed. Men fall from the sky, the gods hurl thunderbolts, innocents die.

That's how it starts, sir. The fever, the rage, the feeling of powerlessness that turns good men... cruel.

I bet your parents taught you that you mean something, that you're here for a reason. 

 My parents taught me a different lesson, dying in the gutter for no reason at all... They taught me the world only makes sense if you force it to.

Civil liberties are being trampled on in your city; good people living in fear.

 Don't believe everything you hear, son.

I've seen it, Mr. Wayne. He thinks he's above the law.

Most of the world doesn't share your opinion, Mr. Wayne.

Maybe it's that Gotham City and me... we just have a bad history with freaks dressed like clowns.

An alien who, if he wanted to, could burn the whole place down. There wouldn't be a damn thing we can do to stop it.

Devils don't come from hell beneath us. No, they come from the sky.

Still working? You're getting slow in your old age, Alfred.

It comes to us all, Master Wayne. Even you've got too old to die young, though not for lack of trying.

Twenty years in Gotham, Alfred; we've seen what promises are worth. How many good guys are left? How many stayed that way?

The world has been so caught up with what Superman can do that no one has asked what he should do.

You're not brave... men are brave. You say that you want to help people, but you can't feel their pain... their mortality... It's time you learn what it means to be a man.

Oh, I don't think you've ever known a woman like me.

You don't know me, but I've known a few women like you.

Stay down! If I wanted it, you'd be dead already!

Next time they shine your light in the sky, don't go to it. The Bat is dead. Bury it. Consider this mercy.

Tell me. Do you bleed?

 In the dream, it took me to the light. A beautiful lie.

Be their hero, Clark. Be their angel, be their monument, be anything they need you to be... or be none of it. You don't owe this world a thing. You never did.

I'm older now than my father ever was. This may be the only thing I do that matters.

Twenty years of fighting criminals amounts to nothing?

Is it stealing if you steal from another thief?

A hundred years ago I walked away from mankind, from a century of horrors. Man made a world where standing together is impossible.

Men are still good. We fight. We kill. We betray one another. But we can rebuild. We can do better. We will. We have to.

This bat vigilante has been consistently targeting the port and the adjacent projects and tenements. 

Do you know the oldest lie in America, Senator? It's that power can be innocent.

It did on my world. My world doesn't exist anymore.

God versus man; day versus night; Son of Krypton versus Bat of Gotham!

 You flew too close to the sun. Now look at you.

Wow. Pretty girl, bad habit. Don't quote me, alright?

You don't need to use a silver bullet. But if you forge one, you don't need to depend on the kindness of monsters.

I hope the next generation of Waynes won't inherit an empty wine cellar.

 Go upstairs and socialize. Some young lady from Metropolis will make you honest.

 I've killed things from other worlds before.

This thing is from another world. My world.

You were never a god. You were never even a man.

No one stays good in this world.

I'll take you in without breaking you, which is more than you deserve.

 Thermal imaging is showing me two dozen hostiles on the third floor. Why don't I drop you off on the second?

've arranged for you to get a transfer to Arkham Asylum in Gotham. I still have some friends there. They're expecting you.

 Ignorance is not the same as innocence.

 I don't hate the sinner. I hate the sin. And yours, my friend, is existing.

Men with power obey neither policy nor principle, Miss Lane. No one is different; no one is neutral.

You must be new to "Let Them Eat Cake" beat. That is Bruce Wayne.

[unordinary-but-extraordinary]

He didn’t know a bet would lead him to the love of his life. part 2

minor swearing! (it’s a little long sorry!)

Part 1

Marinette Wanted nothing more than to scream! She had been stuck hours with no end reading the grimoire. Apparently, Gotham was a city that needed to remain gloomy and awful to keep balanced. If she were to fix Gotham then somewhere else would be greatly affected. She couldn’t find a loophole to this no matter how many times she read the grimoire. 

“Hey, it’s going to be okay Marinette! We’ll figure something out!” Tikki tried to reassure her.

“Sugar cubes right, pigtails you being here is already helping Gotham” 

“That’s the problem! Look at the magical globe! nearby cities have had crime rates increase more when things were calm!”

“you're exaggerating I’m sure that's just a coincidence!” Plagg tried to argue.

“It isn’t! I checked the crime rates they haven’t had this happen for almost 30 years!” Marinette could feel a headache coming along.

-

“Could we talk about our Queens admire? I’ve been so eager to know more about the man who is courting her!” Pollen spoke up, she had hoped a distraction would help.

“Oooh! So romanticccccc” Dussu chirped in.

“He is no admirer and his most certainty not courting me! He's such a rude guy! He acted as though I was privileged to get asked out by him and even assumed I was a gold digger after I rejected him the first time! He offered me money! He felt offended and annoyed I said no, can’t a guy take a no for an answer. ugh, I don’t want to go to school tomorrow.”

“Marinette... I think you should I have a feeling that something good is going to happen.” Tikki gave her a reassuring smile.

Marinette sigh and went to bed hopefully Tikki was right.

Back at the Manor

Damian scowled at Selina.

“I’m not dating her, unlike father I know how to choose my life partner instead of playing a cat and mouse game.”

“I would’ve loved to make fun of Bruce about his poor choices but right now we have an innocent girl in potential danger cause we didn’t think this through when we agreed in letting Tim and Jason go and get Damian a girlfriend.” Stephanie finally spoke for the first time since they all met up. She was feeling guilty she knew better than anyone what could happen with that kind of information especially if they thought the girl was important. 

“I found where she lives, she seems to be living with an "uncle", in a well-off part of the city. She should be safe for now.” Barbara sighed, she said it out loud more for her than the family but it didn’t ease her nerves in the slightest.

" What did the quotation marks on uncle mean?" Jason eyed Barbara something didn't sit right with that apparent uncle.

"Maybe she did what I did when I was around her age. Just for a different reason." Tim knew that wasn’t it but the possibility couldn’t be rolled out he did fool Bruce with that trick until well he figure it out.

"No, this uncle is as real as he can be and she isn't an orphan either." Barba still didn't look up from the screen. 

"Then? Why isn't she with her parents? When I ran a background check on her it looked like she possesses a good relationship with them moreover there are no signs of an abusive relationship occurring. " Tim chirped in a little more interested in the girl he had picked.

" That's what I'm trying to figure out... He isn't her uncle, but from everything I have found he calls her his niece and she doesn't deny or agree with that statement."

"Is she in any kind of danger?" Bruce spoke up.

"No, she seems close with him- Oh! I found it!" Barbara exclaimed.

"Whatya find?" Jason lean closer.

"She moved from Paris about half a year ago. Her parents and her apparent uncle are pretty well off and decided to transfer her to Gotham Academy before you ask she chose it herself the report says she is very interested in fashion and Gotham is the place she feels she can make a name for herself and her clothing line. However, even though there is a report of a company she already created the name or the amount she makes is not listed weirdly enough she had no help whatsoever from either her parents or "uncle." " Barbara was astonished by this girl just who in the hell had they put in danger?

"So you're saying this girl is the version of timbers over there? I still don't understand what that has to do with her "uncle" Barbs" Jason was getting impatient.

"WELL, I was getting there. He is apparently the person who gave her the push into the industry. He was her first well-known client. He from then on has made a close friendship with the girls' parents. So close that when she decided to transfer to Gotham for a more serious step concerning her company he offered his home and they agreed. The company is hers but at the moment a Penny Rolling has taken the role of overlooking it until the girl is old enough to manage it. Oh and apparently she already has a degree no degrees?? in business anyways, she got it recently apparently she had been doing online classes for it. She must have known she would be moving abroad..." 

"What makes you say that?" Damian looked at Barbara suspiciously her lips were pressed into a thin line. Not a good sign. 

"She must have taken many classes to get the number of degrees she has. They're all in language and business she seems to be waiting to end this last year of school to get her Bachelor's of Fine Arts in Fashion Design. I don't know how she manages to get the degrees before ending high school but she seems to have a lot of recommendations to be able to pull it off. But this girl seems a little prepared for a 17-year old I'm not sure why but something doesn't feel right? why would a girl her age have a whole unknown company and be prepared this well?" Barbara couldn't understand why this girl had spent half of her not even long-life creating this whole career there had to be more than just the love for fashion right?

“Will deal with this later, we need to go on patrol now.” Bruce walked off and soon the others follow. The question weighing in their minds why was this girl so prepared?

“Master Damian-”

“tt. I know.” Damian walked to his room and shut the door. He hated being benched, he tried to hack into the cameras near Marinette’s house but Barbara blocked him access. Sending a message 

Alfred said no. Try again and he will add to your punishment. (T_T)

Tt.

Morning, with Marinette

“and then I got on my motorcycle and left! He's the worst I cannot believe him ughhh” Marinette whined to her phone.

Luka looked at Marinette he was amused but also concerned. “If you feel up for it, go to school If what you said about the older gentlemen that was with him is true then I’m sure they had a talk and he realized that what he did was wrong.”

“I’ll go to school I just I don’t know something tells me I’ll need more than luck to survive today”

“Call me at any time, I’ll pick up.”

“Thanks, Luka say hi to everyone for me” 

“I will”

“well, Tikki...I’m going to school..”

When Marinette arrived at school she did not, I repeat she did not think she would see one no-no two of Gotham's sirens looking for her.

“Oh! PAM look Their she is! In the cool motorcycle!” Harley squealed.

“Oh, well hello sunshine, so you’re the one making my plants happy,” Ivy said.

So much for a good day Tikki...

“H-hi, um could I- uh could I know why you’re looking for me?” Marinette knew they weren’t specifically bad but them appearing wasn’t always a good sign.

“OH! well we heard that the small Wayne got himself a girlfriend! You’re even cuter in person though! just look at ya, oooh Pam we should take her with us!” exclaimed Harley.

wait... I’m who’s girlfriend??

“um, Ms. Harley Quinn I don’t know any Wayne, and I’m most certainly not dating one at that.” She didn’t understand why did they think she was dating a Wayne?

“Oh don’t be shy hun, here let me show ya who I’m talking about.” Harley pulled out her phone and showed her a picture of the rude guy from yesterday.

“HIM?! What!??? I’m not dating him! HE asked me to dinner and I declined his invitation he seemed like he was forced to ask me. I didn’t even know he was a Wayne.” 

Oh, kwami I just want the day to be over already...

Ivy and Harley looked at each other and knew to not push the girl anymore. 

“We understand, here this is our number something tells me that we won’t be the only ones coming to pay you a visit. Call us if anything happens-” Ivy said.

“Or if you just want to hang out and talk! We’d loveee for you to have a girl night with us right Pam?” Harley gave a look at Ivy and she smiled.

“of course, take care sunshine.”

Marinette didn’t know what to make out of the interaction she put the paper into her purse and headed inside the school. She could feel the stares, she wanted to go home but she couldn’t anymore. She could feel Tikki's small hug from her purse. Making a small smile appear on her face.

Tim and Jason

“you didn’t forget to bring her an apology gift right Jason?” Tim asked while they walked through the school looking for Marinette. 

“yeah yeah shut it already. Look she’s over there.”

Tim approached Marinette slowly.

“Hey, Ms. could we take some of your time?”

Marinette spun around. There stood the boys that were behind the Wayne yesterday.

“Um, look I said no to monsieur Wayne, and I suggest you leave now. If you can please call the authorities.” Marinette was desperate to get out of sight. If what Harley and Ivy had said was true then any minute the school would get attacked. 

“Wait, Ms. We aren’t here to make you apologize or anything! We’re-” Tim couldn’t finish his sentence he saw a red dot..shit.

“Get down!” 

Marinette was pulled down by both men. A bullet had been shot and Hush out of all the villains that could appear had appeared.

“Get the girl and the two Wayne’s.” Hush had brought people with him. They were heavily armed so much for "I have a good feeling Marinette!" 

Marinette looked for potential exits and what weapons the goons had she was really hoping the Bats would show up. She glanced at the guys next to her the one with a leather jacket had sent a quick text. Most likely asking for help the goons grabbed the three of them Marinette played along until everyone was out of view except for the three of them. With a quick move of her feet, she took both goons out and grabbed the closest weaponry she could gain. 

A taser, gun, and tranquilizers...

Better than nothing, Jason and Tim followed her lead. If they didn't question her she wouldn't question them. 

Tim moved behind Marinette and Jason to try and talk in his comm while Jason distracted her enough with "can you use that gun? If not I'll show you in a minute or less"

"We need to suit up but she’s here” Tim waited for a reply.

“Find a way to slip out we’re almost there.” Batman sounded irritated.

"Hush is here and it won't be long before he realizes we aren't behind his little group." 

-

"I know how to shoot a tranquilizer gun, you can have the actual gun I don't want to hurt anyone," Marinette said for the second time but Jason insisted she took the gun. 

"Okay fine, I guess you'll have to use your present then." Jason pulled a red and black present out of his jacket. Inside was a set of throwing knives, a minigun (with 3 packs of refills) and behind it was a laser pen, a disguised taser/light lipstick, and pepper spray. 

Marinette could only gape at the gift, just who the heck gifts something like that and how did everything fit?

NOPE, not the time! She snapped out of it and smirked she got an idea.

"You just gave me an idea, with this um gift we could make it out and give Batman and his team enough time to arrive." Marinette looked at Jason a determined yet happy atmosphere surrounded her while her face looked excited. 

Damm he'd be crazy not to hear her plan.

Harley and Ivy

“you think she’s okay Pam? She looked exhausted and scared” 

“she’ll call us if she needs us, speaking of sunshine looks who’s calling” Ivy said with a sigh.

“Let me pick up, will ya!” Harley was worried she did tell her to call whenever but this soon?

“Hey Ms. Harley look I don’t have much time but Hush has paid a visit and I’m stuck with two of the eldest Wayne's I don’t know if you can but could you-agh um please come!.” Harley didn’t need to be told twice.

“We’re on our way hun” Ivy and Harley rushed to the school. While a little birdie did the same.

disobeying Alfred comes with a price

“You’re crazy! Hush is not like the Riddler or Penguin! He hates Bruce and him thinking you’re part of the family won’t help!” Jason exasperated. they had less then a minute before Hush came back. The only advantage they had was that Hush hadn’t brought to many people and they had already taken care of two thirds of them. 

“Your brother disappeared to who knows where and I’m being targeted because of Youngest Wayne Brat! So I’m sorry if you don’t like the plan but it’s our best bet I know what I’m doing I have had to fight before I wouldn’t have moved to Gotham if I had no experience in fighting stronger opponent's. 

Jason didn’t get to reply Hush was already pointing a gun at Marinette and the people with him had grabbed pin him down.

“newest addition to the Wayne family. I’ll make sure Bruce sees you in agony with your brother over there. I may have lost one but two will do just fine. ”  He grabbed her by the neck.

“I’m not a WAYNE!” Marinette exclaimed his grip tighten. 

“Yell all you want you, even if you aren’t you are special enough to hurt him.” Hush was enjoying seeing Marinette’s terrified expression.

“I have a gift for you Wayne.” Hush showed her the vile. Marinette froze...no no no..

“agh!” Marinette felt like she was on fire she could see her partner getting killed, she could see the kwamis loosing their freedom, she could see herself failing the people she swore to protect. One by one dying on her watch.

Marinette breath in and out, the fears you have won’t win. come on focus God Dammit! This is all in your head.

Hush had thrown her on the floor expecting her to squirm like a worm who got stepped on but she was just unmoving, did she die of fear?

Hush kicked her no responds.

“Are you done?” Marinette spat as she started standing up. Tears were spilling out she was terrified but Tikki was working her magic the fear toxins were only affecting her a third of what it would’ve been if Tikki hadn’t stopped it.

“Someone seems to be immune to the fear toxins.” Hush pointed the gun at her again and try to shoot but Jason didn’t give him the chances. He launched at him and Marinette used the distraction to brake a small black bead she had added to the necklaced she wore. Suddenly a black cloud cover them. Hush couldn’t breath and started coughing, trying to get out of the cloud. Marinette used this to her advantage she Grabbed his gun and took out the bullets. She put a “tranquilizer bullet” inside when Jason handed it over. (she had made it while she told Jason the plan anyone would pass out cold for almost a month depending how well they could handle the amount of drugs that bullet had).

Hush had her on defense and she was starting to feel the chaos magic affect her. She had inhale to much of it. She needed to shoot him fast. He was much stronger then her and Jason had already passed out.

Red Robin and Signal had evacuated the people from the building while Batman and Nightwing rushed to Jason and Marinette. The rest of the team had spread out either taking care of other crimes happening or getting the passed out goons outside the building for authorities to handle.

Damian was benched and he was aware but this was his responsibility. He should’ve been in school sooner. Robin rushed inside he was faster then his father or brother so when he got their first he saw the cloud of black mist and the figures inside he knew the sound of a gun getting ready to be shot which meant Hush was in there he rushed inside the cloud right in time to see Marinette shoot Hush. Hush went limp, she turned at the sound of his voice calling her name out, she smiled and her body went down she was about to hit the ground Robin tried to rush to her side but a vine caught her just in time. 

“I got her, take Hush to batman” Ivy said.

“I’ll inform Batman, take the girl to the ambulance” Robin rushed back.

The black cloud dispersing like it was never there.

Jason had fallen unconscious but much sooner than Marinette the last thing he remembered was Marinette getting closed to him when he had taken the last goon out she had stood behind him and told him to not turn around she asked for the bullet they had created and he didn’t argue he handed it to her she put a small piece of red candy in his hand it was as small as a piece Nerds he would’ve missed it if it wasn’t for her telling him to swallow it. 

He turn to see her pointing a gun at Hush. 

“I know you can’t trust me but believe me you need to swallow what I gave you. Unless you want to die from this toxic black cloud.”  Marinette didn’t look at him but he could tell she wasn’t lying. 

He swallowed it and before he knew it he passed out. 

part 3

I’m sorry I took so long for part 2! Any feedback is appreciated and if you want to be tagged just ask! Marinette didn’t fight much but the day is not over yet it just only started unfortunately and she has a lot waiting for her the moment she wakes up...Or does she? 

~tag list~

@henie04 , @birdiesthings , @blueblossombliss , @thisisamazing , @jayjayspixiepop , @frieddonutsweets , @bonusbuggy , @demonicbusiness , @solangelo252, @pawsitivelymiraculous @buginetye @thesunniestdays, @mochegato , @swiftie-miraculer13 , @aespades @qualitypeacepainter @kashlyn

@miraculous-ninja I'm not sure if you wanted to be tagged.

[mochegato]

I Can’t Fight This Feeling

Chapter 3

Chapter 1     Chapter 2

He just came here for a fucking break.  Somewhere none of the people he normally works with would be caught dead.  Which is the only reason he was in an art museum right now.  Because Black Mask aside, none of Gotham’s rogues or henchmen had the slightest interest in art and Black Mask would never deign to be in the presence of Gotham’s unwashed masses.

So here, this place, it was a safe haven.  A relaxing place.  A place where he could let his mind wander and his guard down, as much as you could anywhere in Gotham.  It had absolutely nothing to do with the painting of a dark haired, blue eyed woman glancing hopefully into the distance that he had been staring at for the last hour, the same painting he ended up in front of every time he visited.

But his peaceful reprieve was being intruded upon.  He couldn’t see the person, but he could feel their eyes boring into him.  They’ve been on him for at least the last ten minutes.  That meant it was more than just someone who wanted to hit on him. They would have made their move already. He would give them five more minutes to move on before he acted, but he could feel his rage rising with each passing second.  

After another five minutes, he rounded on them, ready to threaten them until they regretted even breathing in the same building as him.  “What are you fucking…” he hissed out, but his anger dissipated when he was met with the same blue eyes that had consumed his mind for the last hour. Or rather, if he were being honest, for the last three years.  “…looking… at.”

“Oh, sorry,” her eyes widened in surprise before she looked away awkwardly. “That must have seemed so creepy. It’s just… you look so familiar?  I could swear I know you from somewhere.” Her eyes returned to his, searching them for familiarity.

He stared at her wide eyed.  She couldn’t be here.  Why would she be here… in Gotham.  She didn’t belong in Gotham.  She was supposed to stay in Paris where it was safe, now that Hawkmoth was gone and the League couldn’t track her, where she could stay innocent.  “Marinette,” he breathed out.  

She gave him a brilliant smile and let out a relieved breath.  “Oh good.  You do know me.”  She laughed nervously.  “I’ve never remembered anyone from that time before.  And it has to be from that time, right?  Otherwise I’d remember how I know you.”

“What are you doing here?”  He continued to stare at her still in a haze.  She had somehow gotten even more beautiful in the last few years, her eyes brighter.  God, they had always been mesmerizing, but now they were positively hypnotic.  Maybe that had more to do with getting away from the Hawkmoth situation, being free again, not bogged down by the responsibility of protecting millions of people as a child, being in a whole new time in her life.  He was so lost in thought, it took a second for her words to register.  “What do you mean ‘that time’?”

“I was looking for a little design inspiration.”  Her voice was unsteady, slightly shaking.  She tapped her fingers together nervously.  “I have, um… a commission I need to figure out and homework and I have no idea what to do for the homework.  The direction was so vague or maybe it wasn’t and it’s just me.  It’s just not something that registers with me, you know.”  Her voice became stronger as she babbled.  “Like, I can design a thousand dresses based on a flower, or the rain, or a building, but design based on a heart?  I can’t do it.  Ask for something based on a star?  I got it. A circle?  Hundreds of designs.  A square?  Got that too. Even a triangle would be fun.  But a heart?  So cliché.”

“I meant,” he interrupted harsher than he intended to.  He let his voice soften.  “What are you doing in Gotham?”

“Oh!” Her eyes widened in surprise and embarrassment.  “I go to school here.  My best friend and I moved here last year for school.  I go for design.  He wants to be a teacher.”

“In Gotham?” he asked incredulously.  “Of all the places you could have gone, why Gotham?”

She tilted her head to the side in consideration, weighing her words carefully. It was the first time since they started talking that her body seemed to relax.  He studied her body language a bit more.  No, not relax, slump.  Her shoulders slumped as she thought of the reason that brought her here.  “Because Gotham doesn’t judge,” she answered quietly. “Because you can just disappear in Gotham.  No matter your past, as long as you aren’t actively trying to hurt them, nobody cares. There’s no hostile looks, no glares, no thinly veiled insults or completely unveiled insults.  You can just be.”

Jason’s heart clenched and his anger started to build.  He took a step closer to her.  “Why was that important to you?  Who was looking at you like that?”  He kept his voice even and calm, but he was sure his eyes were starting to show hues of green edging in.

She shook her head and looked down.  “Not me.  My best friend.  He tried moving to London and New York, but it just… seemed to follow him everywhere he went.  I mean he still had all his friends but… they started getting into trouble too because they were getting into fights defending him and… yeah.  So we applied to transfer here and both got accepted to our different schools.”

He nodded in understanding.  That seemed like something she would do; uproot her entire life for a friend.  “Gotham is good like that.  They let you rebuild yourself.  We’ve seen too much pain to judge too much.”  He looked away for a few seconds before he realized something.  “You never answered the second question.  What did you mean ‘that time’?”

“Oh… um…” she looked away awkwardly again and shuffled her feet a few times. “I have amnesia?  I lost a few years of my life a few years ago.”

“Amnesia?”

“Yeah, it was super weird.  I wasn’t even in an accident.  No physical injuries.  Just memory loss.”  She was rubbing the back of her neck and looking up at him sideways as she spoke.

He stared at her for a few more seconds.  That made no sense.  Why would she lose her memories like that?  The League could have done something, he supposed.  But if the League had been involved, she’d be dead. So it must be something else, something related to the miraculous was most likely.  A few years ago would put it right around when Hawkmoth was caught and Ladybug and the other miraculous heroes disappeared.

His eyes flicked to her ears.  She wasn’t wearing earrings.  She wasn’t wearing her miraculous.  He reached up toward her ears where they should be, but realized a few centimeters from her what he was doing and pulled back his hand like he’d been stung.  She lost being a hero.  Could the miraculous really do that?  Remove any parts of a memory that related to the miraculous?

“Um, speaking of losing things.  I don’t remember your name,” she prodded shyly.

“Jason.  Jason Todd,” he answered, still somewhat in a daze, still focused on her ears.  

She smiled at the answer, but her lips quickly turned down into a slight frown. The shift caused his hear to stutter. Why was she frowning?  Did his name bring back who he was?  No, that couldn’t be it.  She never knew his name.  So why the frown?  Did she… had she heard of him?  Was she disappointed in him?  Was she scared of him?  Was she aghast at the approach he took to cleaning up Gotham?

The thought pressed against his chest like a vice.  Every decision he’d made since he left her in that park had been touched by her.  Would she approve?  Would she understand?  It didn’t change how he acted… usually.  He still did what he needed to do, what needed to be done.  But the thought was still there.  Would she think he was the evil villain he tried so hard to be?  He knew she would be disappointed, but seeing it reflected on her face was something else.  He steeled himself and rolled his shoulders in false nonchalance. He gave her a forcefully charming smile. “What’s the matter, don’t like the name?”

She quirked her head to the side as she watched him.  Jason braced himself for whatever her next words were going to be. They had to be how disappointed she was in him, right?  Disappointed in what he became.  “I’m sorry. I guess I’m just disappointed.”  

Jason drew in a breath.  There it was. The reaction he was expecting. Even though he knew it was coming it still hurt more than he thought it would.  Why was he letting this person he didn’t even know affect him, damn it! She didn’t even know him.  She had no right!  He tried to meet her eyes so he could deliver a devastating glare, but she was staring ahead blankly.  His eyes softened involuntarily.  That’s why it hurt.  Because she was the best person he’d met, the most forgiving, and if even she thought he was disappointing, he must really be.

“I don’t remember your name,” she continued, oblivious to his reaction.  She looked back up at him with an adorable pout on her soft, pink lips.  “I was so excited that seeing you sparked something.  I guess I was hoping your name might help recover more memories. But my head, you know?”  She tapped her head with her knuckles gently.

Jason gaped at her.  She was disappointed in herself?  Not him? “No!” he cried louder than he meant to, he just couldn’t let her think this was her fault when it had to be some kind of magic.  “You never… you didn’t know my name.  And, I’ve known lots of people with amnesia.  Living in Gotham, people get their heads rattled or hit frequently. Memories are hard.  They don’t come back the way you would think they do. Sometimes they don’t ever come back at all.”

She scrunched her face in confusion.  Her lips turned down sadly.  “But… you knew my name.  And I remember you.”

Jason opened his mouth to try some kind of explanation.  He snapped his mouth shut.  What could he say?  How was he supposed to explain how he knew her?  This is where his years of training in bullshit and condescension would come in handy.  Except he didn’t want to be condescending with her, so just bullshit then.  He sighed heavily.  But he didn’t want to lie to her either, not to her.  She was the one good thing he’d done since the Pits. Helping her was his one saving grace.  “We… we weren’t friends.  We weren’t close.  I honestly have no idea why you would remember me.  I wasn’t a good person.  You knew that.”

She stared at him in surprise.  Her brows furrowed in thought, but she stayed quiet as if waiting for him to elaborate. He opened his mouth again, but snapped it shut again quickly when the sound of gunfire echoed through the museum. Jason’s head immediately snapped to the sound and he moved before he realized it to put himself between Marinette and the doorway.

Marinette sighed at the shots.  Jason whipped around to look at her.  A sigh is definitely not the response he was expecting.  It was not the normal response.  That was much closer to an emotionally damaged response, a tired of life response, a response he had tried to save her from having.  Granted his reaction wasn’t normal either, but he knew why he reacted the way he did.

She shrugged.  “The Walker Emerald,” she explained.  “It’s in the Ancient Art exhibit.”  When he still looked confused, she continued.  “It’s an Incan artifact.  They used emeralds in some of their works.  The Walker Emerald is the largest emerald they’ve found in excavations.  It’s held in place by a solid gold setting.  It’s huge.  They named it for the archaeologist that discovered it.  What bullshit is that?” she grumbled, seeming more upset by that than the gunfire.  “I stayed away from here for weeks after they opened the exhibit because I figured this would happen.  But I thought it would have happened earlier. Guess they were waiting for people to put their guard down and it worked.  I did.”

Jason moved to the doorway and peeked around the corner.  “But why now?  Why during the day when there would be people here?”

“Because security at night is a lot worse for it,” Marinette said as she peeked out next to him.  He grabbed her and pulled her back into the room behind him.  “Just my luck they would do it when I finally visited again.”  She tried to move to the doorway again but Jason pulled her back again with a scowl, moving them further from the door.  She really had no self-preservation instincts.  She rolled her eyes, but didn’t fight him, instead slumping into his side to wait for everything to blow over.  “If you remember me, then you probably already know how bad my luck is.”

He barked out a laugh at the irony.  He stopped immediately when they heard more gunfire and someone behind them call out. Marinette peeked past him again.  She cursed quietly and took off running.  Jason cursed loudly and ran to the doorway just in time to see Marinette slide into the feet of one of the goons, knocking him off his feet and into the goon next to him, knocking him down as well. Before the second guy landed, she’d jumped back up and swept a little boy who had been in their path off his feet. Fuck!  She was still acting like a hero, but without the suit or magic to help her.  

He groaned to himself.  Bad luck his ass.  That was either extreme skill or luck… or both.  But considering she hadn’t thought to follow it up by making sure they couldn’t follow her, if it was skill, it was subconscious remnants of her time as a hero, not something she could pull on at will.  And she probably hadn’t intentionally trained to be able to defend herself, because she didn’t remember being a hero, so why would she.  Which meant she had no self-preservation skills.  She was acting purely on her emotions.  She was going to get herself killed with her good heart. Where was her friend who came here with her?  Why weren’t they protecting her?  Somebody had to, since she clearly wasn’t going to do it herself.

He moved before he thought too hard about it.  The goons were already standing up, guns out and cocked, and had their eyes trained on the statue’s pedestal she was hiding behind.  He punched one in the temple, knocking him out immediately, and grabbed the gun from his hand as he fell.  He pointed the gun at the goon and was about to pull the trigger when he heard the gasp behind him.  He heard Marinette quickly fussing over the kid and telling him not to look. He groaned silently and tightened his grip on the gun.  He couldn’t kill him in front of the kid… or Marinette.  

He motioned to the gun in the goon’s hand and held his hand out.  “You know who I am, yeah?”  The goon nodded slowly.  “Give me your gun and get the fuck out of here and I won’t come after you.”  The goon dropped his gun and backed away, never turning his back on Jason until he was out of the room and rapid footfalls could be heard.

Jason took a breath and slowly let it out to calm himself before moving to Marinette’s truly terrible hiding spot.  He silently reached out for her hand to help her stand and escorted her and the kid back into the room they had been in.  The kid immediately perked up and reached out for a woman in the corner with two other kids.  She thanked Marinette and him with tears running down her face, clutching to the boy like a lifeline before bringing him back to the other two kids and holding them all the same way.

Jason yanked Marinette into his chest and wrapped his arms around her.  He watched the door for any indication they were going to send more goons after them.  After a few seconds he pulled away just enough to look at her.  “Stop doing that!” he whisper yelled.  He pulled them into the corner where they were at least partially hidden by marble statues.  “Are you trying to get yourself killed?”

“You ran after me,” she pointed out with a roll of her eyes.  “Were you trying to get yourself killed?”

“I… you…” he scowled at her.  He opened his mouth to lecture her more articulately, but snapped it shut again. “Let’s get you somewhere safer,” he gritted out.

She shook her head.  “I’m not leaving them and I already feel safe.  I feel safe with you.  I trust you.”  Jason scoffed at her.  How was she still alive?  Why was her friend not watching her at all times if she was this trusting and bad at judging people?  “I remember you.  You’re the only thing I’ve remembered.  That must mean you were important to me.  You wouldn’t have been important unless you did something I thought was significant. So that means I thought I could trust you.  And I trust myself that I can trust you.”  She smiled confidently at him.

Jason groaned and motioned to himself.  “Do I look like someone you can trust?” he exclaimed as loudly as he felt he could safely.  He may not be in his Red Hood suit right then, but he was definitely dressed in mob boss chic, designed to emanate a powerful asshole vibe and cultivate fear and respect.  

She kept her eyes focused entirely on his, not bothering to take in his carefully crafted vibe. Just staring at his eyes, staring into his soul, and seeking out that part of him that he thought had died years ago. That part the League had trained out of him.  The part the Joker had beaten out of him.  “Yes,” she said immediately and confidently.

He stared at her blankly.  Why would she trust him?  He was untrustworthy.  He was a killer.  He was brutal.  He had cultivated that reputation.  It was well deserved.  Hell, he’d attacked her.  And yet here she was, looking up at him with those big, bright, trusting, blue eyes.  “Okay.” He swallowed hard.  Those blue eyes were more deadly than half the rogues in Gotham.  Those blue eyes could get him to do things nobody else had ever been able to.  

It only took half an hour for the police to clear the museum and let them back out on the street, likely because some of them had been in on the heist in the first place.  It felt strange and unsettling to wait for the police instead of acting.  His skin itched to act in a way other than decking the officer that had been staring at him with distain since he came to tell them they could leave.

He escorted Marinette and the small family to the sidewalk outside and stuck next to them to make sure the police didn’t harass them.  He was determinedly not looking at Marinette, but he could feel her staring at him again.  When he finally looked over at her, he lost his breath for a second.  She was staring at him with such adoration and respect, his lungs couldn’t function correctly.  Jason frowned.  “You've got to stop looking at me like that.”

“Like what?”

“Like I'm a hero,” he groused.  “I don’t deserve it.  I haven’t earned it.  I’m not a hero.”

Marinette blinked at him a few times and cocked her head to the side curiously.  She smiled sweetly at him.  It seemed vastly out of place considering the situation they were in and yet perfectly in place on her lips.  “You’re that kid’s hero.  And that mom’s… and mine.”

Jason stared back at her breathlessly.  “Look… you don’t remember me.  If you did…  I’m… It’s dangerous to be around me.  I’m dangerous to be around.  You shouldn't be seen with me. It's dangerous for you to even talk to me.”  She smiled softly at him.  “And why are you smiling?  I just told you to go away.”

Her smile got brighter his indignation.  “Because if you were as evil as you seem so intent on convincing me you are, you wouldn't care.  But you do, so you're not.  So I was right.”

“Pixie, you have no idea how hard I worked on my reputation, what I’ve done to deserve it.”

Marinette nodded in faux seriousness.  “Right.  Terrible person that almost died protecting a kid he never met and would do it again in a heartbeat and stayed with us to make sure we were safe.”

“Who intimidated the henchmen out of harming us, because they knew what I could do, because they knew I’m not a good guy.”

Marinette laughed.  She had the audacity to laugh at him.  He was one of the leading crime bosses in the city.  “Oh yeah, okay, Wreck it Ralph.  Whatever you say.  I bet you jaywalk and everything.”

“I do!” he exclaimed throwing his arms out in exasperation.  “I’m going to do it again when I leave here.”  She laughed harder at him.  He stopped and thought about what he just said.  “No.  I mean…”

“Truly terrifying,” she agreed, cutting off his objections, still mocking his seriousness.

Jason hung his head in defeat.  His head snapped up when he heard the batmobile arrive. “And you are safe now.  But, I have to go.”  His eyes stayed on the batmobile, analyzing the threat to him.

“Now?”

He looked back at her with a wry smile.  “Batman and I don’t get along so well.  That should tell you something.”

“It tells me even heroes make mistakes,” she said defiantly.

Jason let out a long suffering sigh, but nodded. “Stay safe, Marinette.”

“Will I see you again?”  Her eyes were brimming with hope, but her voice was fragile.  She tucked a piece of her hair that had come undone while they were escaping behind her ear. Jason’s eyes traced her hand as it moved.  

He hated to kill that in her, but he couldn’t allow her to be in his life.  He couldn’t bring her down like that.  He couldn’t see her again and he couldn’t lie to her.  He opened his mouth to answer her, but got a reprieve. “Marinette!”  She hadn’t bothered to look at the source of the call, keeping her eyes on Jason.  But, the eye contact was broken when she was tackled by a blonde man.  “I came as soon as I saw!  Are you okay?”

Jason disappeared into the crowd before she recovered from the onslaught.  No matter what she believed, he wasn’t good and he wouldn’t be good for her.  He vowed to himself that he wouldn’t look for her. He wouldn’t follow her.  He wouldn’t give any rogues or henchmen in Gotham any indication that she was special to him.  He would protect her in any way that didn’t make her a target.  He gave one last look over his shoulder just catching a last glimpse of her searching the crowd.  He turned away and continued forward.

Chapter 4

Tags:

@jasonette-july-event @jayjayspixiepop @aespades @how-to-function-properly @pawsitivelymiraculous @maribatserver

[san-fics]

What I don’t like in Maribat Daminette fanfics:

1. Place of events.

First of all — the action is often moved to Gotham-City, showing Parisian students on a school trip or Marinette transferring there to study somehow. Both of the cases or not likely to happen on my opinion, for a simple reason on Gotham being known as a city with high criminal level. Why would you go there on a trip or otherwise? (The exceptions are those fics where Ladybug comes there specifically for crime fighting, but they aren’t many).

So, I choose Paris, of course, and bring bot-boy there.

2. Adrien.

Most of the fics I saw make a fool out of poor Adrien: usually he becomes violent as Chat Noir and forces his feelings on Ladybug and loses his ring due to this in the process.

Another popular version is that he is gay, which I don’t really mind, but I don’t feel like using this one in my version.

Just few fics are showing Adrien moving on to another girl, and staying friends with Mari, which is much realistic I suppose.

3. Every one knows about Damian’s family and wealth from scratch, and Lila is often lies about dating him. Like, come on, the Waynes might be famous in Gotham and US, but in Paris it wouldn’t be so obvious.

So some delay on Wayne-name being known should be involved, I think. But this part might be debatable.

4 Damian Wayne falls for Mari immediately, sometimes trusts her from the beginning, even with his secret identity, and all melts and stuff...

Come on! He is an assassin, trained to kill for the first 10 years of his life, who grew up seeing his mother's insidious schemes and his grandfather’s plans to conquer the world.

Even after staying in his Father’s family and team for 5-6 years he wouldn’t just trust a girl! He wouldn’t even trust his own natural attraction to her, which is one of the lines I personally follow in my story.

5 I agree with removing or partly removing Adrien from the picture, even it isn’t necessary. But most of the authors tend to give the Black Cat miraculous to Damian. I’m not sure it’s the only way, or even fits well, as Robin has his own ways of fighting, weapons and all. And in this case Chat’s powers could even limit Damian’s actions.

But I’m not sure about this one. I probably have a o make him use it once to understand it better. But what I’ve read from the fics — I didn’t like, cause the authors don’t go into details there, just make him a new Plagg-holder.

So, in my story I basically avoid those mistakes as I see them, and you can judge if it turns out well by yourself starting today. (I’ll post the first chapter in couple of hours).

I usually post only those fics that I’ve already finished or almost finished, cause I happened to read some fics that the authors left without end it’s always feels sad (even I fully understand oue life can be unpredictable).

I decided to start posting Behind enemy lines even it only has 10 first chapters. I would like to hear your opinions on it, and maybe even some ideas. So we’ll see together the way it’ll end)

That’s all, come to read it tonight, and come for completed MLB fanfics here.

Love you 😍

[butwhyduh]

Hi! Can I request 'First Apartment' with Tim Drake? Like maybe be and reader are trying to get it on while moving but bat family appears because the want to help and/or see theirs new place? Whatever floats your boat rly. Just plz can I have some Tim content :)?

I love our boy Timbo 💕

Warning:smut, bra ripped

The keys entering the door and turning the lock sounded heavenly. It felt like freedom and ownership. As Tim gently turned the handle, he stopped in front of you. You looked at him a little confused.

“What?” You asked and he gave you a shy smile as he shoved the keys in his pocket.

“Hold on,” he grabbed behind your knees and back to pick you up bridal style. You grabbed at his arm.

“Tim!” You yelped and he laughed before walking you into the room sitting you down on your feet inside.

“I’d lay you on furniture but they’re kinda hard to get to,” he admitted. Boxes made a maze to the couch and chair. The apartment was way nicer than anything you’d ever considered but it wasn’t surprising that Tim Drake-Wayne could afford a fancy place. A nice penthouse apartment in a relatively safe area of town had a drop level living room, open airy stainless steal kitchen and a giant master bedroom with a walk in shower and jacuzzi.

“We’ll get to work on that tomorrow. Look at the view,” you said looking at the dying light of a sunset. The city of Gotham almost looked hopeful in the amber light. Tim wrapped his arms around your waist from behind and rested his chin on your shoulder. You could feel his body warmth and smell his soft cologne. You felt secure.

“I’m glad you like it. The view really sold me on the place,” he said in your ear. He swayed you both side to side. Of course he had many strategic reasons for the place including security and privacy. There had been a whole spreadsheet to his decision. He hadn’t stressed you about the 25 places he inspected but showed 3 equally perfect choices.

“And I thought it was the easy commute to your work and my university,” you quipped.

“That’s a bonus. But the fact that I can stand in my living room without my brothers interrupting us right now is pretty nice too,” he said with a kiss to your neck.

“Definitely a bonus. It’s like they knew when we were kissing. Every time,” you said leaning your head back to expose your neck more. Tim hummed in agreement against your skin. His lips pressed soft kisses along your skin. His fingers slid up your shirt to make circles on your stomach. You gasped and grabbed his hair as he nipped a sensitive spot on your collar.

The door bell rang. Tim groaned before walking to the door. He opened it to see Barbara and Dick standing at the door, Dick’s hand was casually thrown over her shoulder. They looked like a pair of models and must be very conspicuous when seen together. Dick offered Tim a bottle of wine. “Hey Timbo, we thought we’d come congratulate you guys. Hey Y/n,” He waved. You nodded back.

“Do you both want to come in?” Tim offered, always a gentleman. Dick walked in and looked around. Barbara gave you a light hug before coming in.

“Look at the view! This is a little nicer than my first place in Bludhaven,” Dick laughed. Tim sat the wine on the counter.

“Your first place in Bludhaven was terrifying. I could smell the crime walking in. You didn’t have to travel far for patrol,” Barbara laughed.

“It was a nice place on a rookie cop pay,” he defended himself. Barbara rolled her eyes.

“This place will be cute when it’s fixed up,” Barbara said. While Dick was looking at the place, Barbara took a look at you and Tim. Tim’s hair was messy and cheeks and lips pink. You looked similarly flushed.

“Dickie, let’s give them space. They’ll probably want to start unpacking,” Barbara said. She gave him a wink. Dick looked confused for a second before it clicked.

“Yeah, we can visit again later,” Dick said with a little smile as he walked to the door. “Congrats on the place. And don’t forget protection,” he said quickly before he and Barbara left. Tim flushed a deep red.

“Well at least they left,” you said grinning. Tim rolled his eyes. “And wine!”

“Yeah. I mean, we’re 19 and a cop gave us wine but it’s nice,” Tim said walking over to you again. “But I’d rather tap something else instead of that bottle,” he muttered under his breath.

You gasped and giggled. “Tell me what you really want, Timmy.” You wrapped your arms around his neck. His blue eyes were always so intense that sometimes you could see him thinking. Tim’s big brain always took your breath away when he’d finally tell you what he was thinking.

“You’re happy right? Psychologically, moving is the 3rd most stressful life event most people have, statistically,” he said quietly. He looked at you like you were the sun. He held your waist gently and your faces were only a few inches from each other.

“I’m very happy. You make me so happy,” you said softly. He relaxed visibly and kissed you gently. Tim reached a hand up to caress your cheek. He pulled back a fraction.

“That’s all I’ve ever wanted,” Tim said. His face searched yours for a reaction. You shyly smiled and leaned up to catch his lips. He held the back of your neck and waist tightly as he deepened the slow kiss. It was not rushed or in lust. It felt like he wanted you to feel appreciated and treasured.

“TT. Father, we should have waited another day to visit. Though luck because leaving the door unlocked was an ill advised choice, Drake,” droned the younger Wayne brother. You pulled away from Tim and looked to see Bruce Wayne and Damian Wayne standing in the doorway. Bruce had the slightest upturn of his lips. Tim glared at Damian.

“Knocking works. And the door bell,” Tim said.

“I was testing your security system. Everything appears functional except human error of an unlocked door. You should take mind of that particularly as your partner is insufficient at self defense,” Damian stated looking around. You gave Damian a mirthless smile.

“Damian,” Bruce said and the boy quieted. “This is a good apartment. I designed it myself some time ago. The sunset through the full window was a design feature. I hope you both enjoy it.”

“Thanks, Bruce,” Tim said rubbing his neck, knowing that was basically a hug and love you from a non-emotionally constipated parent.

“It’s really nice, Mr Wayne. I didn’t know you did architecture,” you said watching Damian who was now inspecting the wall and window seals.

“Occasionally I have spent time personally designing certain buildings. Especially when I plan to give them to one of my boys. This is yours, Tim. The name transfers to yours on Monday,” Bruce said walking around the room and purposefully not looking at Tim. You looked at him in shock.

“The whole building,” you asked faintly.

“Yes. Tim is an adult. I built this as an investment piece. We can talk revenue stream and care on Monday but I assure you that it is quite profitable. I’ve done this for each of my boys as they’ve moved out as adults. Dick has a building downtown and Jason insisted on an entire block in the Narrows that is now a non-profit clinic and homeless shelter. I have others for my other children as well,” Bruce said.

“Thank you, Bruce,” Tim said and he gave Bruce a half hug.

“Of course, as the blood son I get the manor,” Damian said with a smirk.

“You’re the blood son? Never heard that one,” Tim said rolling his eyes.

“In many years. I’m still using the manor, Damian,” Bruce said and you swore you saw him rolling his eyes at Tim.

“You can still use it as long as you want. It will just be in my name at the earliest convenience,” Damian started. Bruce laughed.

“Absolutely not,” he said. “Let’s get going. They probably want to be alone in their new apartment.”

Damian gave a look. “Lock the door, Drake. No point in top point Wayne security if you leave the door open.”

“Yeah I know,” Tim said with a fake smile.

“Thanks for stopping by!” You called after them. Damian locked the door on the way out.

“Finally!” Tim said. You laughed. “Where were we earlier?” He pulled you into a deep kiss and any questions you had about owning a freaking building was lost. He grabbed at your hips and pulled you tight. You moaned as he nipped at your neck. Tim pushed you against the island in the kitchen. He slid his hands underneath your sweater before turning you away from him. You were bent at the waist over the counter.

“Timmy,” you breathed as he kissed your neck and palmed your breasts under your sweater. He hummed against your skin while grinding on your ass.

“Woah, Timbers,” came a voice from the bedroom. You yelped. Jason and one of his outlaw friends stood in the doorway. Tim quickly pulled his hands from in your shirt and pulled the fabric down. He didn’t let you go as he had a massive erection by this point but he basically covered your body with his arms, the best he could. You turned and buried your head in his neck. It was one thing to be seen kissing and another groping over a kitchen counter.

“What the fuck, Todd,” Tim asked mentally planning to change all locks and updating security. He glared at his brother.

“Just thought I’d bring over a housewarming gift,” Jason said with a 6 pack of beer in his hand. His friend showed off another pack and a bag of chips. “We’ll leave and come back another time,” he said with a big grin. Tim noticed that they didn’t leave the food or drink but instead went back to the secondary elevator in the bathroom. “I’ll lock this for you. Don’t forget protection,” Jason said with a wink.

“Bye,” Tim said forcefully. Jason and his friend laughed and left via the elevator. “I’m checking every lock in here.”

He walked around the apartment, checking every lock just as he promised. He came back to you with a look of hunger in his eyes. Tim roughly kisses you before all but pushing you to the bedroom where he pressed you on the bed.

“Oof,” you made the soft sound as you bounced on the mattress. Before you could get your barings, Tim kissed at your neck. Normal you’d complain about him marking you so roughly but the sensation was amazing. He quickly threw off your shirt and continued marking down your chest. His fingers fiddled with the strap of your bra before just ripping the thin fabric.

“Timothy!” You gasped. He grinned up at you before taking your nipple in his mouth. You moaned and grabbed at his hair. You pulled at his tie and dress shirt. Tim pulled away and quickly shoved them off. He might have even popped a button or two. You ran your hands along his bare chest feelings the muscles underneath. He unbuttoned and with a hook, yanked both your pants and underwear off in a smooth movement. You gasped at his eagerness. He never acted this way.

Tim hand slid up your thighs to play with your folds as he kissed you. You all but panted against his lips. You pulled at his belt and he leaned away for a second to roughly shove his pants and boxers down his legs.

“Where are the condoms?” He said, palming himself.

“No need. Birth control,” you answered and he groaned with a look similar to pain. Tim climbed over you again. He sunk in slowly.

“Holy shit you’re wet,” he said. You really were but the fact that he couldn’t remember the last time he had sex without a condom had more to do with it. Tim grabbed your hips to ground himself.

“Please... move,” you whined. He started slowly. It was agonizing on your end. Tim reached between your legs to rub your clit. He wasn’t going to last long but he’d was damned if he didn’t want you to finish first. After getting his baring, he started moving faster.

The sounds you made were magical and it sped him faster and harder. You moaned into his mouth as he roughly kissed you deeply. His tongue possessive lay swept in your mouth. Tim could feel you tightening around him and your sounds growing louder. You weren’t going to last long. You clenched around him tightly in release. He grunted and thrust roughly before cumming. He moved through both of your highs before stopping.

Tim’s forehead rested on yours and his weight laid on your body. You could feel his heart pounding roughly. “Tim, you’re heavy,” you protested. He rolled off to beside you.

Tim pulled you on his chest and kissed your lips gently. “I’m so glad you moved in with me. Our place.”

You smiled and stared at his perfectly blue eyes. “Our place,” you said kissing his cheek.

[justcourttee]

It’s More Than Just a Game Pt 1

@qualitypeacepainter sent me this wonderful idea for a Daminette Volleyball AU. It will definitely have several parts and I am so excited to write it so I hope you enjoy and I hope it’s something like what you had in mind :)

“So this is what a tournament looks like?” Marinette inhaled deeply “Do you smell that Nino? Air Salonpas. It’s so satisfying.”

She didn’t bother waiting for his response, she knew he was only here for her sake. Nobody could match her excitement for this day. It took her weeks, but she finally scrambled together a makeshift team so that she could enter at least one volleyball tournament before her middle school days were over. They had exactly three days of practice, but it didn’t matter.

Marinette was here to win.

“There are a lot of good teams here, please don’t get your hopes up Mari.” Adrien reached out, placing a hand on her shoulder as if he were attempting to pull her back down to reality. “Nino and I only know the basics, this isn’t anything like baseball.”

“Yeah Marinette, I know you gave us all a crash course, but this is way different from basketball.”

“And soccer!”

Her teammates all shared the same discouraged look on their faces. They knew how hard Marinette trained. Every day after school, she’d set to herself, pass to herself, spike at the school wall while the basketball team practiced. She was always helping them out, so the least they could do was help her form a team, but volleyball was something none of them knew much of.

“You guys worry too much! You’re all super athletic and the best friends a girl could ask for. There is absolutely nothing that could get in our way-”

Her sentence was cut short as a yell of excitement echoed through the gym. Instantly her eyes locked on the source of the commotion. Gotham Middle had entered and the crowd’s excitement was all focused on them. The teams around them begin to whisper, passing drills stopping as everyone took the chance to size up the competition.

“-it’s the King of the Court-”

“-I thought they weren’t entering this tournament-”

“-we’re so screwed-”

It was as if the world was crashing down around her. Marinette knew all about Gotham Middle. They were always featured in Sports Weekly as the top school in the volleyball world. In fact, there was even one student who was being scouted for the US National team. The King of the Court, Damian Al Ghul Wayne.

“I-I think I need to use the bathroom.” Marinette clutched her stomach, her face paling the longer she stared.

“Are you okay?”  Nino tried to offer her a hand to steady herself but she simply waved him off, stumbling past him to the hallway, her eyes dazed.

It’s just one team. It’s not like they would have to play them first. Of course, they would have a warm-up game, something to get her team in the groove. Yeah, there was no doubt in her mind. She came here to win, not worry about some top-ranked school.

Slowly she stood up, taking a few deep breaths, the bathroom door a mere ten steps away.

“I’ve never even heard of Dupont Transfer Middle.”

“Apparently it’s some French school that sends students wanting to study in America. It’s like a prep for American high school. They spend their eighth-grade year there to perfect their English and take any courses that wouldn’t transfer over.”

Marinette glanced over her shoulder. Sure enough, standing in front of the water fountain were a couple of members of Gotham Middle. The only reason they would be concerned with her school would be..no..fate wouldn’t be that cruel right?

“They barely have a six-man team, they don’t even have a libero. Did they actually think they had a chance?”

“Hey!” Three sets of eyes turned in her direction, instantly wavering her nerve. “Don’t underestimate us.”

As if on cue, her stomach lurched once more, taking any confidence she had with it. The Gotham players shared a glance before busting into laughter.

“Is she serious? I think she is.”

“Is that the captain label on her uniform? Maybe we should show her some respect.”

Instantly, they all straightened, mock saluting her before dissolving back into a fit of laughter. Marinette wanted to give them a piece of her mind, but her stomach refused to let up.

“Hey, benchwarmers. It’s time for the warm-up. Quit wasting time.”

The three silenced, their face a mixture of fear and awe. Who could command such respect? The coach? The manager? Marinette’s eyes strayed to where the voice came from, her stomach immediately dropping.

“The King,” she slapped her hand over her mouth, hoping she hadn’t said it loud enough to offend the guy in front of her. He didn’t even glance in her direction, his fierce glare completely focused on his teammates.

“Right away sir. Kasey, fill up two more.”

Damian Wayne. He couldn’t have been more 5’7”, but compared to Marinette’s 5’1”, she was in awe. It was impressive how he could command so much respect with just one look. She watched as he turned, taking a few steps toward the gym before pausing once more.

“Relax James, you act like we’ll need a lot. Just look at our opponent.”

It was as if they completely ignored his warning. Their giggles only enraged Marinette.

“What did you sa-”

“Did I stutter? Quit wasting time. You’re barely benchwarmers, quit acting as though you’re good enough to look down on your opponent.”

Marinette watched as they all paled, gathering their bottles before rushing back into the gym. None of them dared to make eye contact with him. Marinette released a chuckle of her own. He might be terrifying, but he really wasn’t a bad guy. Marinette relaxed as she stood, a friendly smile tugging at her lips.

“You know, I was just about to say something to them myself.”

His glare shifted from his retreating teammates to where she stood. Instantly she felt a shiver down her spine.

“You’re not even physically ready to sit the bench, don’t talk as if we’re on the same level. What are you even doing here anyway? Making memories? This is a tournament for people who are serious.”

“I am serious, my team is serious. We’re here to win and that means we start by defeating you.”

Damian took a step forward. Suddenly those six inches felt a lot taller than they were. Marinette fought with herself to not move away.

“You say that like it’s so easy.” The waves flowing off of him made her want to shrivel up, but her anger anchored her feet.

“I may not look like much, but I can jump. Really high. I will jump over any wall your team puts in front of me.”

He simply scoffed, only fueling her rage. Everyone always underestimates her, she hated it. She just wanted to be taken seriously in the sport she loved.

“You will simply be a stepping stone on the way to our championship.”

Before she could even respond, Damian turned his back, returning to the court, leaving her fuming in her spot. She wanted to declare war, rush him and take him out before he could even step onto the floor, but her stomach had other plans. Gripping her gut, Marinette turned to the bathroom, her face paler than before she left the gym.

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

“Dudette! You were gone for like twenty minutes. It’s our turn to use the court. How do we warm-up?”

Marinette scanned the other side of the court to where Gotham Middle stood huddled, occasionally glancing back at her teammates. All except one. Damian stood alone, his arms crossed, his eyes closed. If she didn’t know any better, she would think he was meditating.

“Let’s work on passing. It’s something we all struggle with and I think we’ll really need it with this team.”

Five minutes passed and as they lined up for the beginning of the first set, Marinette’s eyes locked onto his from across the court. She already had a fire burning when she stepped into the gym, but it was as if he threw coal at her until she was ablaze ready to annihilate anything in her path.

“We will win.”

Her teammates shared a look of skepticism, but none voiced their concerns. They didn’t have to. It had only been ten minutes, but the score was already 12 - 0. The only one drenched in sweat was Marinette. The energy for the rest had been drained after the first service ace.

“Nino! Set me up!”

They were barely keeping the ball in the air with iffy passes that they were sure the ref was only letting slide out of pity. Nino was the only one who could decently set. It was nothing compared to the flawless and quick sets the King was serving on the other side, but Marinette could care less. All she wanted, was a chance to hit the ball.

His set was shaky, the ball wobbling as it flew, threatening to fall out of the sky at any moment. But to her, it was perfect. On instinct, Marinette jumped, her palm connecting to the ball. A satisfying thud came from the other side of the court as the gym silenced, trying to process what had happened.

“Did they just score?”

“Forget that, did you see how high she just jumped? She must’ve been a foot over the net!”

The whispers got louder until a single clap echoed from the crowd leading to another and another. As her feet touched the ground once more, Marinette immediately shot Damian a smug look. His mouth hung agape, his eyes a mixture of anger, and did she catch a hint of admiration? It was even more satisfying than the sound of the ball hitting the court.

“Why didn’t you get that?”

Marinette flinched as he turned on his teammates, his face fuming.

“Dude, you were in shock too! We didn’t think they had-”

“This is why you don’t underestimate anyone, ever. You give every team 100% of your effort.”

Damian turned back to the net, his eyes narrowing in on her. It took everything in her not to crumble as she picked up the ball, tossing it to Adrien. She had a kill. Her first one in a tournament and not even the terrifying demon behind her could stomp on her moment.

“Okay, guys! Here’s our chance. Let’s turn this around.”

Her excitement spread through the court, each of her teammate’s risking a smile. Their fire may not have been as bright as hers, but it was finally starting to shine through.

“You’re right Marinette. We can’t promise anything flashy like the King over there, but we will get you the ball. No matter what it takes.”

This was the chance she was waiting for, the chance to motivate her team. Now that she had their attention, she didn’t want to waste one second of it.

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

“It was a close game Marinette. Please don’t be upset.”

Marinette waved off her friends, her smile tight.

“They won in two sets and we barely hit double digits both times, but it’s okay guys, really. Thank you so much for helping me out. I’m going to stay for a while, so go on without me. I wanna watch some more matches.”

Her friends shared a look of skepticism, but one by one they slowly stood, all leaving until she was the only one left. Marinette sighed as she stood herself, working up the courage to step back into the gym.

“I told you it was useless.”

Marinette glanced over her shoulder only to meet an annoyingly familiar face blocking the entrance.

“Don’t you have something better to do than gloat oh glorious king?”

“Tt, I only wanted to point out that your jump was impressive, but volleyball is not a sport that you can get by with athleticism alone. You set yourself up for failure.”

It was Marinette’s turn to scoff as she brushed past him, intent on not speaking another word.

“A piece of advice for you. Drop volleyball while it’s all fun and games for you. High school has no place for a foreigner with no talent.”

“I’ll beat you.” Her voice was soft but cold. Damian didn’t speak a response, but he didn’t move either as if he were taunting her to continue. Marinette turned her head until she had a full view of his scowling face. “Whether it be when fall comes and my team smoothers yours or even if it takes ten, twenty, no fifty years, I will destroy you King of the Court. All I have to do is be the last one standing, right?”

He didn’t respond, only offered her a small grunt before exiting the doors. Her eyes followed him until the bus doors closed and Gotham Middle pulled out of the parking lot.

“I will get better, just you wait Damian Wayne.” Marinette took a step forward, her eyes zeroing in on the match in front of her. High School was only three months away. Three short months to make her declaration a reality.

She smiled, the fire in her eyes stirring with a deadly glint. 

“Next time we meet, I will destroy the King of the Court.”

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[sturchling]

Salt-Fic September Day 26: Abandoned

Marinette was numb as she realized what had happened. This was horrible. The class had abandoned her in Gotham, alone. To think everything had been going well. The class had been nicer to her, and Lila wasn’t actively trying to ruin her time on the trip. In retrospect, that should have been Marinette’s first clue that something was wrong. She couldn’t believe this, and it had all happened in the course of two days.

The class was trying to come up with a place to go for the end of the year trip. Lila had become the class representative a few months back, when the class had started to believe the worst in Marinette. Lila had turned this into a class discussion in the guise of including the whole class in the decision. In reality, she didn’t have any good ideas and just wanted to steal someone’s idea to avoid the class’ irritation. But no one in the class had any good ideas either. Marinette sat in the back of the room just listening to the chaos of the class’ discussion.

 While she may not be the class rep anymore, she still doesn’t want her friends to be disappointed by the class trip. She had found an amazing opportunity for the class. The Wayne family was sponsoring a trip to Gotham for the class who submitted the best video essay about their collective accomplishments. Marinette spent several weeks on it, but she was able to submit a video to the contest.

 A few weeks passed and Marinette received an email from the contest. Her submission had won the contest! She was thrilled. She was excited to tell everyone, but then she realized that she shouldn’t. With the way the class thought of her now, they would likely immediately reject the idea purely because she suggested it. Instead she sent the information to Mrs. Bustier and asked her not to say who won the contest. Surprisingly, she agreed to her request and didn’t say anything.

 Lila had no idea who won the contest, but she didn’t care. This was perfect. Lila immediately claimed the credit for winning the contest. “It was hard to write the essay through the pain from my sprained wrist, but I did it for you guys.” The class fawned over Lila, thanking her for her dedication. Meanwhile, Marinette just rolled her eyes. The information Mrs. Bustier sent the class specifically said that it was a video essay contest, not a writing contest. How could the class not realize this was a lie? They had the proof right in front of them. But that wasn’t important, at least the class would have a nice trip.

 That was how the class had ended up in Gotham. The trip had been going surprisingly well. Marinette had expected that Lila would hog all the attention and the class would treat her as coldly as they had back in Paris. But instead, Lila was quieter than normal and the class was chatting with her again. Marinette had hoped that meant that they had realized that Lila was a liar and were willing to be her friends again.

 Marinette was having a great time on the trip, when she met him. He had tan skin and dark hair. He was sitting in one of the halls of the Wayne Enterprises building the class was touring. He was sitting on a bench and reading a book. Marinette had been looking for a quiet place to sketch while the class ate lunch and decided to sit next to him. When she sat down, he gave her an incredulous look, as though he couldn’t believe she sat there. Then he just turned back to his book, and ignored her.

 Time went by, and the two just kept reading and sketching in quiet. Eventually though, the boy’s eyes found Marinette’s sketchbook again. He stared at the sketch which appeared to be an outfit based off Robin’s costume. “Your work is exquisite. Very detailed.” Marinette was startled by the sudden noise. “Thank you. That is kind of you to say.” “Is it based on Robin’s costume? Why did you choose that costume?” Marinette went on to discuss her process for this design. The conversations continued until the end of the lunch for the class. When the class gathered outside of the cafeteria, Marinette had to leave. But before she did, the boy, who she now knew was called Damian, asked her, “I apologize if this is too forward, but would you care to have dinner with me tomorrow night?” Marinette agreed eagerly and was looking forward to seeing Damian again.

 Marinette had no idea who exactly Damian was until later that night while speaking with Alya. “Girl, you scored a date with Damian Wayne. So, its tomorrow night? What time?” The girls spent several hours discussing the date. Alya wanted all the details. It felt like old times, before Lila ever appeared. Marinette enjoyed this time with her best friend. Alya even helped her get ready for the date, choosing an outfit and how she should do her hair and makeup. Marinette had no idea what Alya and the rest of the class was really planning.

 The next night was one of the best nights in Marinette’s life. Damian had arrived early and endured some teasing from Alya and the class as Marinette finished getting ready. They left and had a wonderful dinner. Damian even took Marinette for a walk in a nearby park, while his brothers watched from the roof tops to make sure no rouges got any funny ideas. Marinette had a wonderful time. Damian dropped her off back at the hotel, and even walked her to the door to her room. Marinette was in such a happy mood. That was until she opened the door to her room after Damian left. The room was empty. All of Alya’s things were gone. They had been sharing a room. Marinette’s things were still there, but Alya’s things were gone.

 Marinette searched the whole hotel, but didn’t find anyone from class. She went to the front desk and asked about her class. The person working the desk looked at her in shock. “You are still here? Your class already left, said there was some emergency in Paris.” Marinette panicked, expecting a bad akuma and checked for news on her phone. But there wasn’t anything. Instead, there was an unread text.

You shouldn’t have messed with Lila. Maybe this will teach you a lesson. Have a good time getting home.-Alya

Marinette couldn’t believe it. The class had abandoned her in Gotham.

 She didn’t know what to do. She didn’t know how to get home. She didn’t have money to get a plane ticket, and the class must have done something to her original ticket. She called her parents and they got her a ticket for the first available flight, which wouldn’t be until tomorrow evening. Marinette spoke with the hotel staff member at the desk, to see about staying in her room one more night. But they told her that someone else had already checked into the room for the night. Her stuff was brought to her from the room and she didn’t know what to do now. She had no where to stay for the night.

 Marinette realized she had only one option. She gathered her stuff and went to the Wayne Manor. When she arrived, she was greeted by an older man who stared at her inquisitively. “Good evening. I was having dinner with Damian earlier tonight. Something has happened and I didn’t know where else to go, may I please speak with him?” The butler looked at her warily, but did let her in the manor. He led her to a parlor and went to fetch Damian.

 A few minutes passed and he returned with Damian following with a confused look on his face. “Marinette? What happened? Why are you here?” Marinette explained everything that had happened since Damian dropped her off. “So, they just abandoned me here. I already have a flight booked for tomorrow night thanks to my parents. But I don’t have anywhere to stay tonight. I’m sorry to impose, but I didn’t have anywhere else to turn.” Damian was furious. How dare the class do this to her?

 Alfred had gone to get Bruce and fill him in on the situation. Bruce came into the parlor as well, to see Damian comforting an upset Marinette. Bruce approached the young couple, “Of course you may stay here tonight Marinette. After all, my family sponsored your class’ trip. That makes you my responsibility until you return to Paris. Make yourself at home. Now, I think I will go call your parents and tell them you are staying here with me.”  Marinette felt at ease, knowing that things were being handled.

 Marinette was returned to Paris in the morning, but she never returned to Francois Dupont. Her parents pulled her out of that school immediately after they learned their daughter had been left behind. She was now enrolled in an arts school that Chloe and Adrien had transferred to before everything in Gotham had happened. She also spent a lot of time in Gotham when she was on a break from school. She had to visit her boyfriend obviously. While Damian wished she had transferred to Gotham, he was happy that Marinette was in a better school. Marinette was happier than she had been in a long time.

  Lila ended up being exposed a few months after the Gotham incident. Marinette never got the details of how it happened, she only found out because the class showed up to try and apologize to her. Marinette stopped them, “I accept your apology, but I can’t fully forgive you. You abandoned me in one of the most dangerous cities in the world. You didn’t care at all what happened to me. I had no where to stay that night and no way home. I could have been really hurt. I’m sorry but we can’t be friends anymore, I can’t be friends with people that would do that to me.” The class didn’t like it, but they accepted it. They knew what they did was unforgiveable.

 While Marinette had been beyond hurt by what the class had done, she wouldn’t have changed anything about the trip. She learned who her true friends were and who wasn’t. She had also met Damian, who she had grown much closer to over the months after the trip. She was the happiest she had ever been and was glad that everything had happened the way it did. She was living an amazing life, with friends and family that cared for her and a boyfriend who truly loved her.

Hope you guys liked it! @maribat-central-official

[artxyra]

What if Marinette goes to GA and becomes friends with damian and are known as the chaos kids. The school gets used to them. The waynes need Damian one day and when they ask for him the reply is "At (area) doing (weird thing. Example: making pokemon statues out of waffles) with Mari" they get to said area they're gone and the fam has to keep asking people where he is and keep getting crazy replies. When they find him he's arguing with her about whether winnie the pooh's fav color is red or yellow

@coolrascalhoagienerd, well I had a good laugh when I saw this and where is the making of what I thought would have worked. I hope you enjoy. 

When Damian entered the halls of Gotham Academy, the first thing he notice was the change in the usual dark atmosphere. It felt oddly kinder and more lighthearted. Everywhere he turns there are whispers featuring around the new girl that recently join the school.

It’s funny how the two met that very same day. She was running down the halls in a hurry as he was walking to his next class, one that he was particular care for. They bump into each other causing a standstill in the halls. Everyone wondered how the dark prince would react to the princess of sunshine. They expected a yelling match, instead they got the best and worst of alliance ever made. 

Months passed since the blooming of Damian and Marinette’s friendship and not a single student could say that there weren’t surprised. The moment Marinette had Damian under her spell, she was able to make the stoic teen become his age. It started off small with a joke here and there, then it exploded into card games followed by video games. To this day, Damian swears that he’ll beat her at a shooting game at one point to which Marinette would respond with a laugh and an over the shoulder wink. The younger Wayne would swear that he has never blush a day in his life but the photographic proof on Marinette’s phone says otherwise.

The school soon became accustomed to being Daminette’s playground. At first the teachers were opposed to the idea but after seeing how slightly more open Damian has become with the of Sunshine, they slowly agreed to the idea of allowing the dark prince and his sunshine have less strict rules.

Which brings us to this moment, Marinette swings on a swing set while Damian practice his form with a katana. Don’t ask how he manage to get it past security.

“You know, maybe we should do something wild?” Marinette says looking up to the sky with a mischief smirk on her lips.

Damian doesn’t turn to her; he only sets the blade down to his side. “What do you have in mind?”

Marinette giggles uncontrollably.

Let’s just say that whatever Marinette had in mind would rule the yearbooks for years to come.

~~

Damian hiding his characteristic change at home was simple enough. A few death threats here and there, maybe sneaking out moments every so often. No one at the Wayne cared to pay any attention to it. It only came as shock when Damian left for school along the lines of being late. Alfred offered to take me to which Damian declined and got onto his “normal” motorcycle and speeds off.

“Does it seem that Damian is acting strange to you?” Richard “Dick” Grayson asks, pipping his down from the ceiling. He’s on the chandelier again. Poor Alfred, maybe he’ll dust the chandelier for him.

Tim walks in to with large mug in hand, no doubt filled to the brim with coffee. “Which one?” He asks taking a sip, bags are underneath his eyes.

“I do concur with Master Richard; the young master has been acting somewhat strange for quite a moment now” Alfred appears out of nowhere.

It wasn’t long before Jason manage to drag the head of the household from his lair into the mess that was slowly brewing in the main room. Alfred reprimands Jason for the uses of force as he hands Bruce Wayne a cup of coffee.

“Look, I can’t explain much, but we’re going to need Demon Spawn for something huge.” Jason says looking like a madman pulling Bruce by the arm.

“Uh, why would we need Little Bird?” Dick asks dropping onto the floor and twisting his body. “Not that I don’t mind getting Damian involved.”

“Look there’s no time to explain,” Jason facepalms and begins to push everyone towards the door despite the lack of proper wear they have on.

After one clothes change, a large of amount protest, the Wayne household now stands in front of the gates of Gotham Academy.

“Is it me or does this place look less you know Gotham-y and full of life?” Tim asks narrowing his eyes as he takes a long sip of a new cup of coffee that has been transfer into a to-go cup with Red Robin’s emblem.

“No, no, Timmy, I see it too.” Dick whispers as Jason struts past the gates and onto the school’s property.

Bruce sighs and pinches the bridge of his nose, “Come on, let’s go get your brother so Jason can stop being Jason.”

Tim shrugs before passing the gates himself with Dick following him.

Upon entering the school, they could immediately see that it was either passing period or free time for the students.

Bruce makes his way to the attendance, where Assistant Joyce resides sitting at the desk.

“Hello Joyce, I’m here pick up Damian. He has a, ah, dentist appointment this evening.” Bruce speaks hoping that she wouldn’t catch the lie he spoke of.

“Well Mr. Wayne, Damian is, uh…” Joyce turns to someone besides her. “Do you know where Damian Wayne would be at today?”

“Try the art room.” A feminine voice answers.

Joyce turns back to the Wayne family and smiles, “He should be at the art room, it’s down the hall to your right, you should not miss it. It’s in the only hallway that has a series of artwork posted in it. Before you go, please sign here so that we know to tell the teachers not to mark Damian absent today.”

Joyce hands Bruce a sign out sheet, to which the man signs and ushers his wards to go find his youngest.

“They’re so screwed.” The same feminine voice speaks causing Joyce to break out laughing.

Well, it took a total of four different locations for the men to find the youngest Wayne.

First, they went to the art room like Joyce’s co-worker told them to. They meet with a student that says that basically told them that Damian was playing Pokémon Go near the gym, apparently, he was trying to catch a legendary Pokémon that spawned there.

So, of course, after an awkward eye contact with one another, they walk to the gym. Once again Damian was there, but a different was. He told them that Damian was making ice sculptures out of ice cream at the cafeteria. The student then goes on to explain that Damian had some amazing skills with a knife.

Jason, with wide eyes, practically shouted at the student that he was crazy, and that Damian would never, and he means NEVER do something that stupid. The student just shrugs it off like it was an everyday occurrence. It was Dick that had to hold Jason back from thrashing the teen.

By the time they got to the cafeteria, it was damn near empty aside from a few students still eating. There were no signs of ice cream or the tools that would go into making a sculpture. Tim had to ask a few students to see if Damian was in here at some point in time. It’s the workers that answers the young CEO by telling him that Damian was here earlier making sculptures out of ice cream before handing it out to students. When asked with the question that has been slowly driving the four insane, the worker replies with “Upstairs racing on these old colorful scooter board down the halls.”

It was at that moment when Tim wanted nothing to but to have a mental break down, and he would have if it wasn’t for Bruce holding him up.

So, they quickly found themselves on the second level of the school. There was no sight of Damian Wayne, though there were wheel tracks smudged into the flooring.

“Are you kidding me?” Jason shouts out into the ceiling. Thankfully, there were no students in the halls to hear it. Well that might have been the case if it wasn’t for a teacher to open their door and shush the male.

“Angel, you are desperately in the wrong here. The bear only wears one color, so it has to the color red.” It was then that they finally hear the voice of the person they have been looking for. Looking over the staircase, they find a hidden cove/nook like area and siting in it is none other than Damian Wayne himself, but he’s not alone.

“I’m telling you, Dami, Pooh’s favorite color is yellow.” The female answers before taping her fingers as makes her point. “He loves honey, which is by default a yellow color.”

“I disagree, Winnie the Pooh has been drawn on numerous of occasions with red items not yellow.” He counters.

This was not happening. Tim’s along with Jason’s exe stopped working and now they were frozen in place. The most deadliest of Wayne’s is arguing about Winnie the motherfucking Pooh’s favorite color. Bruce has no words as Dick pulls out his phone to record the whole ordeal.

Legend has it that Damian never went home that day despite being excused from classes. When he had return home, his family never spoke to him, still in shock at what they just encountered. It wasn’t until a couple of months later that Damian had introduce the family to Marinette and all hell breaks loose. 

[novemberandmay]

After All

Chapter Four

Previous Chapters: Chapter 1 Chapter2 Chapter 3

Warning: Contains cursing, self-harm(mentally), voices in head. It may not be suitable for younger viewers. Viewer discretion is advised.(is that how you word it?)

Let’s do this

She placed her foot in front of her, carefully stepping into the wretched building. She took another deep breath before making her right foot continue the cycle. She kept at this, making her feet step in front of her, forcing her forward. She did this until she reached the doors, where she reached for the door handle. Twisting it lightly, she took a step back, she yanked the door open. The slightly muffled noise became shrill voices, if a bit generic. Marinette calmed down a bit from hearing them, as it sounded completely different from her old school. The tone was more cautious, but it was light. Much lighter than Collège Françoise Dupont. Thinking that she shuddered. That awful school- no. It wasn’t a school.

It was fucking hell.

No! Don’t think about it Marinette! No bad thoughts-

Marinette headed to the school’s office, with it being right next to her.

“Umm, hello?-“Her voice felt forced, unused to the English it was being forced to speak. “-I’m the new-“ What was the word? Tran-something. Umm...hm. Ah! To move something from what file to another, you need to transfer it. Yeah!

“-transfer student, from France.”

A different voice rang out from in front of her, it felt more rough, unkind.

“Ah, yes. Mars-net Do-pain sh-ang, was it? Well, you’re in fucking luck today, as I’m in a good mood. Here’s your shitty schedule or whatever. Now get out of my sight, kid.” The woman’s voice was crude, sounding like chalk against a chalk board, and her lips smacking each other as she chewed some gum was disgusting. Marinette just took the schedule and scampered out, scared of getting in trouble.

well, that wasn’t the greatest start, but I’m sure it gets better! Definitely!

Stop lying to yourself Marinette, it never gets better. It will-

She should probably ask someone to help her out with her classes locations, as she most certainly doesn’t want to go back to the reception lady about them.

-Always be the same, no one loves you. You’ll just get used and thrown away when the next FUCKING shiny thing gets thrown their way. DON’T YOU UNDERSTAND?! WHY HAVEN’T YOU LEARNED YET?

Oh look! There was someone over there! They look nice. She should go talk to them. Maybe they can be friends?

Stop it. Just stop it. STOP LYING. STOP HURTING YOURSELF. YOU’RE JUST A STUPID LOSER. THE UGLY DUCKLING AMONG SWANS. YOU’RE ONLY FORCING YOURSELF TO GET HURT MORE. STOP.

Well, it’s worth a try! Let’s do this Marinette! We got this!

“Uh, hi there! My name’s Marinette, and I’m new here. I was wondering if you would please show me around? I’m kind of lost, haha.”

“Oh, um, sure! My name’s Jon! If you already got your schedule, I can show you your classes and stuff!”

“Here you go, thanks!” She passed him the paper, quickly yanking her hand back once it touched his fingers.

How odd.

“No problem! Anyways, where did you transfer from, if you don’t mind me asking?”

“I’m from Paris, of course!”

“WaiT, REALLY?! How is it there? I heard it’s beautiful!! I always wanted to go there, but never had the time!”

“It’s a wonderful city, with the lights giving it the loveliest tone! You should see it at night, it’s miraculous!”

“That sounds awesome! But why’d you leave if it was such a wonderful place? And to a city in Gotham? They’re, like, completely different! Absolutely different!”

“...I’d rather not talk about it, if you don’t mind.”

“Oh. Um. Well, okay! Any who, here’s-“

The tour continued, with Jon showing Marinette her classes. But the atmosphere never really recovered, it still having a more awkward sense to it.

“Well this is your stop! It was nice meeting you Marinette!”

“It was nice meeting you too, Jon! I hope to see you around!”

“You as well, good luck!” He ran off, quickly finishing off the conversation.

“Thank you...I guess..”

Taking in a shallow breath, she turned to the door she had been left at.

708...

Taglist:

@toodaloo-kangaroo @solangelo252  @moonlightstar64 @nyx-in-line @liquid-luck-00 @mochegato @sunflowers-and-mooncakes @user00000003 @imchaotic-dontmindme @neakco @dood-space  @jjmjjktth @animegirlweeb @nickristus-dreamer   @talushi2002 @miraculouslydumb @stellar-star 

Notes: AHHH! SORRY! I was busy with school, and then was sucked into another fandom (Dream SMP, of course.) and didn’t have time to update! Sorry for the rushed chapter, I might change it later if you all think I should. Anyways, how was everyone’s day? I hope it’s gone well!

-November

[highonchocolate]

Take Two: The Guardian in Gotham Chapter 4

First   Previous   Next   Ao3

Note:  When italics are in quotations (“”) then Marinette is speaking French. If the italics don't have quotations, that’s people’s thoughts.

---

After patrol, Dick made his way to bed, mulling over the announcement Bruce had made at dinner. When he had seen that picture, he had wanted to join Jason on his Paris killing spree. That girl-Marinette, was it?- seemed to be in need of a better place to stay, and he was happy they could provide it to her. At the same time, he had no idea how to treat a young teenage girl! What does she like? Sports? Dresses? Both? None? He had no idea! As he lay there having a breakdown in a slight panic, he couldn’t force the image of her broken, bloody body out of his head. He wondered what kind of person that sort of assault would turn her into. He had seen greater people snap after such emotional and physical wounds. 

Meanwhile, Jason, Tim and Damian were facing similar dilemmas over the girl in question. 

Jason had no idea how to handle teenagers, especially ones that had been assaulted. Suffering through fucked-up shit like that would definitely leave you with some trauma. He thought to himself. Maybe we should ask her about her boundaries. His coping method involved wearing a red helmet and gallivanting around the rooftops of Gotham, looking for excuses to shoot people. He didn’t exactly think that was the best way to help her out. Sure, he grumbled, I’ll just walk over to her, hand her some Kevlar and a grapple before pushing her off the top of fucking Wayne Enterprises in hopes that she’ll get it right. ‘Cause that’s totally fucking healthy!

Tim on the other hand, was completely and utterly paranoid. Sure, he was definitely worried about that girl, considering that it looked like she had lost a lot of blood; but at the same time, he was worried about exposing their identities to her. Just one slip up, and she would know exactly what the Wayne family did at night. Not to mention that if they ended up getting injured, they’d have to figure out how to hide it from her. As he hacked into her school records, he noticed that she had filed several bullying complaints that had never been acknowledged, as well as a request to transfer classrooms that had been dismissed. Just how corrupt is this school?! He thought to himself as he saw how the principal-Monsieur Damocles- had bent to one girl’s every whim, just because her father was the Mayor! Abuse of power, and ignoring bullying reports? He thought to himself. This is not going to end well for them. With that, he completely launched himself into digging up every bit of dirt he could find on that school and it’s staff; completely forgetting about his original panic over being discovered.

And as for Damian, he was completely furious that there would be another person living in the Manor with them! Not to mention she had to go to Gotham Academy as well! He hadn’t even met this Marinette, and she was already proving to be a pain. 

---

As the day of their Marinette’s arrival dawned bright and clear, four members of the family waited for the arrival of their last member and guest. Bruce was slightly nervous. He had never had a girl so young stay in the Manor before, and he didn’t know how to greet her. Did he shake her hand? Smile and wave? Shake her hand then smile? Wave then shake? 

Dick, however, was full of excitement that their new guest was arriving in a couple of hours. He wondered if she knew any gymnastics, and if she would be willing to do some flexibility-related stretches and workouts with him.

All his other children were scattered throughout the city, doing various different things. Jason was up in the Manor library, reading his latest novel. Tim was in his office at WE, finishing up some paperwork he had wanted to fill out before Marinette arrived. Damian, thankfully, was at school, and wouldn’t be returning until later in the evening.

His thoughts were cut short by Tim’s arrival. As he walked into the kitchen and came back with a large mug of coffee, Jason trudged downstairs, and they all sat around in the living room continuing to work and read as they waited for Marinette and Alfred.

Half an hour later, Bruce was alerted to the gates in front of the Manor opening. They all lined up outside the house and watched as the sleek, black limo pulled up in front of the house. 

They waited patiently as Alfred got out of the car and headed to the trunk before opening it and taking out a suitcase, and what looked like a foldable wheelchair. The four of them were confused. Why would she need a wheelchair? Surely her classmates hadn’t injured her that badly? Their thoughts were cut off by Alfred opening the back door on the opposite side of the car. He bent down and proceeded to open the wheelchair, before wheeling it around to face the family. When they caught their first glimpse of their guest, they were absolutely floored.

They had all seen many worse injuries during their nightly patrols, and several injured children years younger than her, but when they saw Marinette, they were shocked into silence at her battered appearance.

She was a decent height at around 5’ 4”, but compared to Bruce and Jason she was absolutely tiny. She had several dark purple-blue bruises that contrasted sharply with her pale skin as well as an angry gash covered in stitches on her forehead. She also sported a clunky cast and a thick brace on her leg and wrist. With her dark hair pulled into space buns, and blue eyes, as well as how small and bruised she looked, they all felt a rush of protectiveness flood through them when they saw her. 

Their silent shock was interrupted by Jason leaning over to Bruce and whispering angrily “You said her classmates did this to her?!” At his exclamation, the other three tensed in anger at the reminder that her old friends had been the ones to injure her so severely. They were snapped out of their thoughts by Marinette speaking.

“Bonjour, Monsieur Wayne! Thank you for letting me stay in your house with you! I promise I’ll do my best to not be a bother to you and your family.” Her voice was slightly rough from when she had been crying, but she spoke sweetly, and politely. At her statement, Jason jumped in “No problem Pixie Stick! The only nuisance here is the Demon Spawn, and he’s not home yet.” She blinked up at him, before her mouth twitched up into a half-smile. “Thank you, Monsieur. I’m sorry but I didn’t get your name…” she trailed off. 

“Sorry about that Sunshine, he’s Jason, I’m Dick, and the sleep deprived one is Tim.” Dick interjected. “And you don’t have to call us Monsieur, either. Just our names are fine.” 

“Oh okay. Thank you Mister Bruce, and thank you Dick! I’m Marinette, but I’m sure you knew that already. You can call me Mari if you’d like. I’m not very picky about nicknames!” She laughed. 

“Now if the young Masters are done with their introductions, I will gladly show Miss Marinette to her room.” Alfred cut in. “Thank you Monsieur Alfred, that would be wonderful.” The girl in question smiled up at him from her seat in the wheelchair before he wheeled her inside.

---

Marinette thanked Alfred as he wheeled her into her room. He mentioned that someone named “Damian” was at school, and that she would be attending school after she gets adjusted to the time difference. After he left, she opened her bag to let the Kwami out, and waited for their excited chattering to calm down. Once they had quieted, she spoke. “Hey Tikki? Do you think it was wrong to tell Alfred about the Miraculi being active in Paris?” she questioned as she fiddled with the straps on her bag. ”I was just so excited to meet another wielder that everything slipped out!” 

The Kwami was quick to reassure her. “Oh no Marinette, it's okay. SInce you are the Guardian now, you need all the help you can get. And besides, you already recognized each other’s auras, so there was no point in trying to hide it!” She flew up to her face and patted her unbruised cheek gently. 

“Oh no! I completely forgot to tell Alfred that I’m the Guardian!” She shrieked. “What if he gets mad at me for being too inexperienced?! He’ll kick me out and I’ll have to live on the streets! Then I’ll end up becoming part of the Crime Alley hierarchy, living alone in an abandoned building with a stray cat named Tommy! Tikki this is a disaster! A disaster!!” She would have continued to ramble in french, if it wasn't for the fact that Wayzz had flown up to her and reminded her that she needed to shower because she had been on an airplane and in the airport.

Several curses, near falls, and plastic cast coverings later, Marinette limped out of the shower, exhausted but clean. She quickly tied her hair onto a messy bun before changing into warm leggings (although she couldn’t fully pull one side down due to her cast) and a sweater. Gotham was cold! She let the Kwami roam around her giant room as she put her clothes into her closet. 

After settling in, she plugged in her phone and texted her friends. 

FashionableBug: Just got everything organized and took a shower. Turns out M. Wayne has four kids! I met Dick, Jason and Tim, and apparently Damian is at school. 

QueenofMean: Maribug! How dare u not text us as soon as you arrived! Ur plane landed over three hours ago! 

Snakey Boi: Chlo’s right, Mari. We were all worried bout u.

FahsionableBug: Sorry u guys. Everything was going so fast I completely 4got!

FashionableBug: Also I met a Peacock wielder!!!!!!!

You’reUnderAgreste: Really?! Buginette thats amazingggg

DragonGurl: Wonderful news indeed, Mari. They must have lots of advice for you.

QueenofMean: !!!!!! 

QueenofMean: Nettie thats awesome!!!!!!

SnakeyBoi: Thats totally great!

SnakeyBoi: Also who is it???

FashionableBug: lol Luka its Alfred their butler. Tho hes more like a grandfather

FashionableBug: Anyways, I’m going to go find the kitchen. I wanna make the Kwami some macarons!

FashionableBug: Bye!!!

DragonGurl: Bye Marinette.

You’reUnderAgreste: Bye Bugaboo!

QueenofMean: Bye Bug!

SnakeyBoi: Bye Mari!

Marinette smiled as she put her phone down. Glancing over at the Kwami flying around the room, she stretched before calling out “I’m going to see if I can bake in the kitchen. Do any of you want to join me?” Before she had even finished her sentence Tikki and Kaalki were flying over to her and nestling in her bun. Laughing at their antics, she maneuvered herself into the chair before wheeling herself down the hall. She hadn’t gone very far when she bumped into Alfred walking out of another door. "Salut, Monsieur Alfred! Would you mind showing me where the kitchen is? I was thinking of making some sweet treats for my...friends.” At her statement, Tikki and Kaalki poked their heads out of her bun to wave, before hiding again. Smiling, Alfred turned to her and spoke. “Of course Guardian. Right this way.”  Her eyes darted to meet his hesitantly. “You aren’t mad that I’m the Guardian?” Alfred paused and looked her directly in the eyes. “Miss Marinette, I am in no way questioning your capabilities as a Guardian. You are very powerful, and I have no doubt you will do an amazing job. I am simply upset over how you seem to have no Mentor or any form of Guidance to help you.” Sighing in relief, she smiled. “Well, my old Master lost his memories because he had to give up his memories after being compromised. I do have the Grimoire though, and I was also hoping you would help me as well?” She questioned, looking up at him hesitantly. As they walked into the kitchen, he bowed to her and stated “It would be my greatest honor to assist you, Great Guardian.” She laughed and thanked him before beginning to bake. 

She hummed a simple melody designed to bring about calm and peace, and soon she was happily working in her own tranquil little bubble. 

An hour later, as she was frosting the little pastries, Jason walked in, drawn by the smell of sugar and freshly baked goods. “Hey Alfred! What cooki-” he cut himself off. “Sorry Pixie Stick, I thought you were Alfred. Only he can make something worth eating in this house!” 

“Oh it’s no problem Jason, I was just making macarons. My parents own a bakery, so I’m kinda used to just baking whenever.” She laughed softly

“Damn Pixie, macarons?! You haven’t been here a day, and you’re already much nicer than all my asshole brothers!” 

“Yeah, well these are for after dinner, so no touching ‘till then!” She warned.

He sat at the counter and scrolled through his phone as she decorated the pastries. Soon enough, she had them all completed and proceeded to carefully take the tray and wheel over to the fridge. Before she could move an inch, Jason had leapt up and placed the tray in its designated spot. “Sorry Pix, but I’ll get that for ya. We don’t need you accidentally crashing or dropping these heavenly treats!” He laughed.

She crossed her arms and pouted up at him, before her mouth stretched into a wide grin. As she wheeled herself into the dining room, she swiftly turned her head and stuck her tongue out before disappearing through the door into the room beyond.

---

Dinner with the Wayne family was a rambunctious affair. Dick and Jason bantered good-naturedly over their meals as Bruce sighed tiredly in the background. Tim moved lethargically, downing giant gulps of coffee as he ate his meal. Damian apparently was studying with his friend Jon, and therefore wouldn't be eating with them. They all smiled and laughed as they talked through dinner. Marinette told them about her friends, before adding that they’d probably video call her tomorrow so they could meet the family. Bruce assured her that it was not a problem and added that he would be glad to speak with her parents. After eating, she headed up to her room to work on the outfit she had been sketching on the plane. 

She immersed herself in designing, and ended up finally going to sleep shortly after midnight. The Kwami flew over to their little nest of pillows and blankets, and she turned off the lights before drifting off to sleep. Her dreams were plagued by nightmares of looming shadows and ethereal dark butterflies destroying the world in fire. She watched in helpless terror, stuck in her Ladybug persona, unable help as the world burned. The horrific dreamscape was shattered by the sound of her phone blaring out an Akuma alarm. 

She leaped out of bed and shut off the shrill noise as she called for Tikki and Kaalki before leaping through the portal and into Paris.

She ended up in a ravaged, unrecognizable landscape covered in flames. Looks like her dream had been semi-accurate after all. The Eiffel Tower was partially melted, and fires were cropping up all over the city. The four simultaneous thuds behind her signified the arrival of her team. As one they looked upon their ravaged city and charged the Akuma.