#dick x adrien

[charlotteking23]

Masterlist

F1

Best Birthday Ever (Max Verstappen)

No Fool (Lando Norris)

My Makeup Tester (Max Verstappen)

I Am Not Pregnant (Max Verstappen)

Lost Paddock Pass (Max Verstappen)

The Times You Have Pranked Lando (Lando Norris)

Target Curbside (Max Verstappen)

Drunken Loyalty (Max Verstappen)

Baby Wife (Lando Norris social media AU)

Such a Tease (Max Verstappen)

Sassy Charles (Charles Leclerc)

Pet Names Bro (Lando Norris)

Money, money, money (Max Verstappen)

Batmom one-shots

Villain Debut

A Fairytale come true

Sooooo...I am a witch

Little Bruce

Forgotten Lunch

You're Still in my Heart

What Happened

Family Game Night

Nicknames

Eric Coulter Divergent

Cara Mia

My Pain

Not Ashamed

Eric's as a husband and father

Love you Like I do

Eric Headcanons

He's not that Bad

Obsessed with you

Monster High

Cleo de Nile x Duece Gorgon x plus-sized reader!

Descendants

Ben x Daughter of Scar! reader

Ben Headcanons

Carlos De Vil x villian! reader headcanons

Jealousy (Ben x reader)

Chat Noir

Chat Noir Headcanons

Chat Ate Catnip!?

[mochinek0]

Diner Girl

"So, we finally get to meet your girlfriend, in person?" Tim questioned.

"I'm already regretting this decision." Damian declared.

Jason chuckled, "Why? You think she'll like us more?"

"More like drive her away." Damian snarled.

"Relax, Little D." Dick smiled, "We won't do anything of the sort. Besides, it's been three years."

Damian sighed as they pulled up to the diner. Marinette had stated she was busy working until 5pm. The Wayne boys couldn't wait to meet her and asked if they could meet her at her work for a quick bite. They even said they could head out from there and take her home. He knew his brothers would try to convince her to change and go out instead.

Marinette heard the ding of the door opening and turned to see her boyfriend and his family. She smiled and looked at the clock.

'Thirty more minutes until I get off the clock. Maybe they'd like some appetizers.'

The Waynes sat down and saw Marinette subtly wave at them.

"My God, did you see her?"

"It suits her."

"I'm shocked she hasn't dropped anything yet."

Tim quickly took out his phone. He made sure to look interested at it, as he noticed the people in the booth behind them point at Marinette. He made sure his phone was still focused on them as his little brother's girlfriend approached the table.

"Sorry, for the wait." Mari spoke, "What can I get you to drink?"

"Hey, Pixie. Can I get a strawberry milkshake?" Jason questioned.

"Pixie?" she repeated.

"Because you're tiny and cute." he smiled.

His answered earned him a quick kick to the shin by Damian.

"Ow! You brat!" Jason yelled.

Damian flipped him off.

"Ignore them." Dick commented, "I'll take a limoncello float."

"Black coffee." declared Tim.

"Damian?" Marinette questioned, "Chai tea?"

"Yes." he answered.

Marinette smiled and walked away from their table.

"Oh, so she knows you favorites now?" Jason teased.

"Shut up." Damian growled.

"The butter knives aren't sharp enough and you know it." Tim sighed, noticing the girls in the next booth glaring at them.

Tim continued to appear interested in his phone.

'This isn't going to end well.'

Lila smirked as she tipped over her drink and it clattered to the floor.

"Oops." she spoke.

Alya snickered as the drink covered the floor.

"Clean it up, Lila." Adrien declared, "Now."

"Why would I do that, Adrien?" Lila questioned, "I don't work here."

"Well, if that is how you think, I can say you won't have a job anywhere." he replied.

Alya, Nino, and Lila looked at him shocked.

"You can't do that!" Alya shouted.

Adrien smiled and leaned back, "It's my father's company. Father expects perfection everywhere; especially in public."

"But my wrist hurts!" Lila whined, "It's why I spilled it. It was an accident."

He sighed, "We both know you're full of shit."

"Adrien!" Alya gasped.

"You are only special in your own head and it shows." he declared.

"Dude!" Nino cried out, surprised.

Marinette walked towards the table behind them and slipped on the scattered ice. Damian quickly grabbed her, preventing an accident, but the drinks still fell to the floor.

"Marinette!" the manager shouted.

"It-it wasn't my fault!" she stammered.

"You're fired!" he roared.

"But-" Marinette tried to refute.

"It's fine, Habibiti." Damian spoke.

"Yeah." Jason replied, "We'll leave."

The manager glared at her, "See! Now, you are making the patrons leave."

"The only reason we came here was to see Marinette." Dick annouced.

"Besides, " Tim spoke, "maybe you should hire Sausage Hair, there. Seems she'll be out of a job soon."

"Were you spying on us?" Alya shrieked.

"Recorded your conversations, too." Tim commented, "Planning to trip her? Classic."

"You're just jealous that Pixie Pop is better than you." Jason replied.

Lila stood up, in outrage, "I'm the daughter of an ambassador! I am a model for Gabriel Agreste! I travel the world and help with various charities! I know Prince Ali of Achu and Jagged Stone. I help Prince Ali in his environmental charities and I'm Jagged Stone's niece!"

The Waynes laughed. The manager noticed Marinette covering her mouth, but she was laughing, none the less.

'What is going on?'

"One: Prince Ali works in children's hospitals, not environmental projects." Dick stated, "He donates to our charities, all the time."

"Two: Marinette knows Jagged Stone. She is his 'niece', as well as his personal designer." Tim declared, "She doesn't even need this job, but she thought it would get her out of having kids thrown her way for unpaid babysitting gigs, at the last moment."

"Three: You are a waste of space from what Blondie was saying." Jason scoffed.

Damian smirked, "Go ahead. Tell her who we are Agreste. You've spoken to us before."

Adrien relaxed and smiled, "You're the Waynes. Your father is an international billionare."

Lila and the manager's faces drained of color.

Damian turned his glare to the manager, "Four: The only reason we were in your pathetic place was because of the angel in my arms."

"What's so special about her, anyways?" Alya snapped.

"She's my girlfriend." Damian announced.

The Waynes smiled behind him. Lila tensed up and looked between Marinette and the Wayne. Adrien just smiled and the manager sensed he had made a huge mistake.

"Come along, Angel." Damian spoke, "We'll take you home and we'll treat you to dinner."

"I have five restaurants ready to take our reservation in three hours." Tim declared.

Dick smiled, "We can settle it in the car."

"Sorry, I was such a bother, Damian." Marinette whispered.

Damian leaned down and placed a kiss on her lips, "You are never a bother to me. Though, you also have to thank Agreste there. He was trying to get the bitch to clean up the mess she made, before you came over."

Marinette smiled, "Thanks, Adrien."

"Oh, you're welcome, Mari." Adrien replied,, "Sorry, you ended up falling and getting fired."

Marinette just shrugged it off, "Like Tim said, I don't need this job. I just tired of Alya and Nino dumping their siblings at me for free babysitting gigs. I mostly took this out of spite. I'll be moving out of my parents' place this year; I didn't want to deal with packing and trying to take care of kids for some people who hate me."

"Come on, Pixie Pop!" Jason shouted, "Let's blow this popsicle stand!"

Dick smiled and placed a hand on her shoulder, "We can drop you off and we can go change in our suits that you made us."

Marinette smiled brighter, "They fit, right? Nothing needs to be adjusted?"

"Are you kidding me?" Jason asked, leading the way out the door, "Like a glove! Best monkey suit I've worn!" making her giggle.

"Do we need to stop anywhere to get you dressed up?" Tim asked.

Mari scoffed, "You think I wouldn't have dressy clothes? I have to travel with Jagged to his functions."

"Rock and Roll!" Jason smiled.

Damian kept his arm snug around Marinette's waist as they left the diner with a smile.

"Move, Lila." Adrien demanded.

"Huh?" she spoke, confused by the hostility coming out of his mouth.

"I need to leave." he declared

"But-" Nino spoke.

Adrien pointed to the door as Natalie walked in. She quickly spotted the blonde's coiffed hair and walked towards them.

"Adrien, those were-" she bean.

"The people Lila just humiliated herself in front of and they recorded the whole thing?" Adrien stated, throwing her fully under the bus.

Natalie glared at her as she quickly moved, allowing Adrine out of the booth. Adrien walked around the mess and spotted one of the dishtowels that Mari had dropped onto the floor. He picked it up and threw it right in Lila's face. She sputtered as she removed the soaked towel from her face. It was painfully obvious by the two toned skin color that most of her makeup was wiped off on the wet towel.

Adrien smiled, "You might want to get use to your new job."

"They know Marinette Dupain-Cheng?" Natalie questioned.

"Marinette is dating the youngest Wayne. Unless, Mari puts him in a good mood, Lila is likely to-" Adrien declared as his phone went off rapidly.

He pulled his phone out as Natalie looked towards her tablet.

"Oh, never mind. Timothy Drake-Wayne blasted Lila on twitter. The co-CEO of Wayne Enterprise just showed the world how two-faced Father's model really is." Adiren overdramatically sighed, "He posted the whole video of Lila pretending to be injured and purposefully making Marinette slip. He also posted Marinette getting horribly fired and all of the Waynes calling Lila a huge liar to her face. That's really not a good look for Gabriel."

Natalie tightened her grip on the tablet, "I'll call your father to see how he wants to deal with this new situation, seeing as we were suppose to meet the Waynes tomorrow."

Adrien smiled, "I'm pretty sure that the girl Lila got fired is the Waynes' personal designer."

Lila gulped and slowly sat back in the booth.

"If that is the case, I agree with Adrien, Miss Rossi; I would start looking for a new job." Natalie commanded.

Adrien walked out of the diner with Natalie in tow. Lila sat there frozen until Alya reached out and touched her hand.

"It's gonna be okay, Lila." Alya smiled, "It's-"

Lila tore her arm away from the journalist grasp and glared at her. She got up quickly and tried to rush out the door. In her hurry, she had forgotten about the spill and slipped. Lila fell forward but landed awkwardly, attempting to catch herself. She was rushed to the hospital with a broken arm.

As Nino drove Alya home, she sniffled as she looked through her phone. Her blog was being torn to shreds by people around the world. They were pointing out every lie and detail on how everything Lila said was fake. The comment that hurt the most was: I can't believe this blogger wants to be a reporter! Doesn't this girl know the basics for a reporter? It's called fact checking! Google isn't that hard to use!

TAGLIST:  TAG LIST:  @animeweebgirl @a-star-with-a-human-name @meme991001 @vixen-uchiha @abrx2002 @alysrose-starchild @fandom-trapped-03 @dood-space @moonlightstar64 @saltymiraculer @marveldcedits20 @09shell-sea09 @icerosecrystal @animegirlweeb @insane-fangirl-of-everything @blueblossombliss @nickristus-dreamer @megawhitleycalderonpaganus

[ghostdoodlen]

Stickers I made somewhere back in February? For a sticker competition in discord.

Just found out they became stickers like two hrs ago

You can imagine my excitement

Unfortunately they had to be 320x320 pixels :P

But I still like them.

[romancemedia]

They’ve come so far since the beginning

[somereaderinblue]

Talon!Adrien AU

Another common Maribat trope I see is Marinette having ties to the League of Assassins, have it be biologically or through marriage.

Thus, I raise you this Adribat prompt: AU where Emelie & Gabriel are members of the Court of Owls. Wanting to gain more influence, they offer Adrien away as a Talon.

When Nightwing ventures to Paris to ensure the last of the Court was disbanded, the last thing he expected to find was a blonde kid with black veins & glowing green eyes camping in the catacombs.

Dick, holding Adrien like a stray kitten: Can we keep im'? I promise he doesn't bite.

LB: YES HE DOES.

[confusedandghostly]

Entirely self indulgent dp x dc x mlb prompt

—

-Danny & Adrien know each other, maybe via Magic Stuff, maybe it’s the classic “event in a convenient spot”, doesn’t really matter. Point is they’re hero friends who both know each other’s secret identities and keep in touch.

-At some point, Danny is forced to relocate from Amity park because of a reveal gone horribly wrong. He bolts and keeps going until he can’t anymore. He’s picked up by a stranger.

-(Generally he doesn’t drop his transformations by accident anymore but thank the ancients he did this time because he would’ve had one hell of a time explaining to this stranger why his blood was bright neon green. As it stands, the biggest question is what the hell happened to him.)

-Nightwing is just vibing, doing his nightly patrols in Bludhaven, when he finds this kid half unconscious in an alleyway, bleeding out. They more or less beg not to be taken to a hospital when Dick suggests it, so instead he takes them to one of his safe houses and patches him up there (This kid is 16? Maybe? Why’s there an open autopsy incision-)

-Danny is not in any shape to be going anywhere and on top of that, his accelerated healing is working at a third of the speed it should be because of the materials that were used to hurt him being anti ghost, so Dick manages to convince him to stay in his misc safehouses - he doesn’t need to stay in just one, he’s allowed to move between them, just please don’t leave entirely.

-Danny explicitly requests that as few people as possible get involved in this, and yes that means the rest of the bats. If he can leave once he’s healed without anyone but Nightwing ever knowing he was there then that’s for the best.

-Except, as it often goes, Danny gets attached to Dick and Dick gets attached to Danny and the Reveal happens, etc.

-While he’s still healing and can’t do much of anything, a story runs on the news. Dick doesn’t think too much of it at first, but Danny gets really concerned when he sees it.

-“-Paris’ supervillain Hawkmoth has finally been taken down. Secretly the popular fashion designer Gabriel Agreste, many people who have heard the news are devastated. His home is currently being searched….”

-Danny goes “oh shit!!! I know that guy!!!” and immediately calls up Adrien and asks if he’s alright, what he’s doing, etc and the resounding answer is no, Adrien’s having an existential crisis, and he’s staying with friends while he figures out what to do with himself.

-Danny explains his own situation, specifically that he was displaced but found a safe (and at this point he really doesn’t want to leave anymore) home with another hero, and Dick, who’s only heard half of the conversation but understands that someone Danny knows and trusts with his own identity needs a place to stay, and offers Adrien a place here.

-Adrien decides to take him up on that offer. He’s being harassed, moreso than he ever was simply for being Adrien the model, because now he’s Adrien, the supervillain’s son, and since Hawkmoth was pretty localized he’s hoping that it won’t be near as bad in a different country.

-Now Dick has two kids in his care and he’s feeling more and more like Bruce by the day because he’s just gone from living alone save for whatever times he visits the manor to having two kids in his house, relying on him for safety and emotional support in the span of like. Two weeks.

-Reveal x2 with Adrien, all that Bonding Stuff™️

-Adrien and Danny get to talking and they’re both experiencing some cabin fever and so they decide “yk what?? We could help Nightwing with his hero work!! The area already has a metric fuckton of heroes, what’s two more?”

-It’s actually rather easy for Adrien to convince Nightwing because he gets why Adrien wants to be back out on the field. Danny, on the other hand, is finding it way harder, because Dick is already worried about Danny’s injuries.

-They both manage it though, under two conditions.

-1. They can’t be Phantom and Cat Noir. Not only is it going to be incredibly obvious if/when they make any public appearances as civilians, but also it’s going to raise questions and unwanted attention.

-2. Minimal magic and ghostly powers. This ties back to the previous stipulation, technically. Cataclysm is too recognizable as a miraculous thing, and it could be detrimental in a fight where Adrien can’t get away to recharge. If Danny used too many of his ghostly powers, he could give himself away as a ghost and become a target for hunters.

-Cue a montage of Dick hiding his two new protégés from the rest of the bats because he wants it to be a surprise and also he wants their debut to be on their terms for safety and damage control reasons while trying to set them up with the appropriate training and gear (moreso Danny who needs a whole new suit than Adrien who can just redesign his magic suit)

-The other bats are absolutely certain something is up with Nightwing and they’re proven right when two new players make their debut.

[kleenex-tissues]

Yours Truly (21)

Read on AO3 here

Ch. 21 - Stop the Clock

“Do you Parisian heroes make a habit of getting impaled, or is that just you?”

Marinette wanted to go back to sleep, but a burning pain in her leg and throat kept her mind from drifting off. She almost hadn’t heard the sly remark above her because of it. Almost. Most of her nervous system was currently failing her, but she managed to groan out, “No’ usually, bu’ firs’ for every’fing.”

She was met with a chuckle, and she tried smiling back. She wasn’t sure if she succeeded. Her eyes fluttered open to a blurry world, a black and blue blob staring down at her, and she wondered if this was a pain-induced hallucination. At least the voice speaking to her was nice. Maybe it was an angel?

“Ladybug, I’m so glad you’re okay!”

Adrien?  No, probably Chat Noir. Not that that distinction mattered anymore. It had only been a matter of time until she found out his identity. If not on the field, she would have had to know as Guardian eventually anyway. She just wished it could have been under better circumstances.

When Marinette tried to mumble his name back at him, he quieted her. “No, don’t talk! You’re really hurt right now, and you have to stay as still as possible.”

Staying still sounded nice. She could do that.

“Listen, I know Tikki is slowing the blood loss, but I need her. Someone has to cleanse the akuma and use the miraculous cure. I'll give you Plagg. We just have to do this quickly.” He was stumbling over his words in his panic. “I’m so sorry I let this happen, M’Lady.”

In any other circumstance, she’d hesitate, not wanting to reveal their identities to anyone else. She still wasn’t sure if the black and blue blob was a real person or not, really, but their situation was dire. This would be an issue for her to deal with when she was more coherent. Tikki would understand, she was sure of that at least.

“Spo’s off.”

As soon as the red flash of light disappeared, Marinette began screaming. The pain was too much too soon. It hurt, and she heard Adrien sobbing out apologies as he removed her earrings. He grabbed her hand and despite both of their shaking, managed to slip his ring onto her finger.

Someone held her head down, and she heard another voice whispering, “Mari, it’ll be okay. I won’t leave you, I promise.”

The voice sounded familiar, but she knew there was no way Damian was in Paris with her right now. She listened to it anyway, and thanked the universe for sending her such a comforting gift in her final moments.

“Your partner said you need to call for 'Plagg.' Can you do that?”

A gloved hand was rubbing her cheek, and she leaned into it. She tried nodding, but ultimately gave up in favor of mumbling, “Claws ou’.”

The green light that encased her seemed to ease some of the pain. It had become much more manageable, and she tried to pull her focus onto the hands holding her face to distract herself. She needed to focus on anything but the cold metal in her upper thigh and her scratchy throat.

The hands came loose from her face for a moment, and she tried to follow before they quickly returned, bare this time. They were warm. She leaned into them as best she could.

One hand rubbed soothing circles on Marinette’s cheek, and the other moved up to stroke her hair. She barely felt the tears dripping onto her forehead.

Finally, the world was righted again, and she felt the ladybugs swarming her body before she saw them. It wasn’t very often that she had the chance to feel the miraculous cure from this side, but it felt like nothing in the world had ever made sense before that moment. She felt like she was home.

Marinette began to properly stir, blinking away the blurriness that had clouded her vision. The night was bright with Parisian lights, just like it should have been. She began to that she might have imagined the last however many hours, but her fears were assuaged when she held up a black gloved hand before her eyes. This wasn’t the Ladybug suit, and that certainly wasn’t Chat Noir looking down at her.

Holding her were two men she had only ever seen in the news — Nightwing and Robin. Where had Damian gone? 

The hands still performing ministrations on her head belonged to Robin, and judging by the sopping wet hair Nightwing sported, they were who had pulled her from the Seine.

She blinked up at them before Robin pressed a desperate kiss to her forehead, tears still streaming down his cheeks.

Wait, why was Robin kissing her?

What had happened when she was passed out?

—

Damian had never felt such righteous fury before in his life, not even when his father had gone missing or all the times Ra’s had beat him senseless on the sparring mat. He had arrested many monsters and let them live, but he knew he could never grant such a mercy to the man who had done this to Marinette. This pure soul deserved everything life had to offer, and he would gladly give it to her, which meant destroying Hawkmoth.

He hadn’t had the chance to think better of it before he began pressing a hurried kiss to her forehead; he just needed to feel that she was still there, from his fingertips to his lips. It was rather embarrassing that Dick had been the one to witness it, as well. He wouldn’t say anything of it now, but Damian knew he was never going to live this down.

Yet right now, nothing else mattered. His Mari was safe, her beautiful heart beating in tandem with his. Everything about her was beautiful. Her delicate face, lithe hands, and soft hair felt almost too good to be true. He could live a thousand lifetimes repenting, and he still would never truly deserve her.

Part of him was glad that she had changed suits because the black leather highlighted the deep blush painting her skin. The red spandex would have distracted too much from it. 

Marinette let loose a nervous laugh. “Uh, what did I miss?”

Damian never let his eyes linger from her own, but he could feel the shit-eating grin dancing across his brother’s face. He chose, very pointedly, to ignore it.

“I took too long to get here,” he whispered to her. “I wish you had been able to inform me of this foul bastard tormenting your city. I would have had his head on a platter for you in a heartbeat.”

Dick chimed in, “Wow, kid. You sure know how to woo ‘em.”

Marinette’s face somehow became impossibly redder, and the skin was burning underneath his hands. She tried to sink into herself, but the tight leather suit left little room to hide. The faux cat ears were definitely not helping her.

Before she had the chance to question the vigilante’s familiarity with her, her partner came rushing towards them. He now donned a red and black polka dotted suit similar to the one she had worn earlier. The accessories they had swapped seemed to be the cause of it, but they could discuss this later. Maybe when they hadn’t just watched Marinette thrash around in agony.

The ladybug hero fell onto his knees and threw his body around her, crying into her shoulder, “Thank Kwamis, you’re alright! I don’t think I could have lived with myself if anything had happened to you.”

Marinette pulled a hand up to gently pet her partner’s hair, a soft smile gracing her now less-red face. He buried his face further into the crook of her neck, and she brought her other hand to rub along his back. Damian felt his heart drop at the exchange.

“It’s alright, Minou.” She let out a dry laugh. “Now you know how I feel every time you throw yourself head first into danger.”

Damian was overcome with a sudden possessiveness. He knew who this other boy was. He was Adrien, the boy who had broken Marinette's heart, and the one she still called her best friend. Damian believed that perhaps she was far too forgiving. He would never let anything bad happen to her again.

One of his hands moved to push Adrien off of her, the other still tenderly holding her face. The other boy was caught off guard by the sudden movement, and Marinette’s eyebrows jumped in shock.

“Bug off, Minou, ” Damian growled at him. His hand returned to rubbing her hair back. “She’s mine.”

He felt a sudden smack against the back of his head.

“For fuck’s sake, Damian. I taught you to act better than that,” Dick chided him. Damian swung his head around to meet his brother’s menacing gaze with his own.

“So much for secret identities, Grayson.”

Dick rolled his eyes. “Like she wasn’t gonna find out anyway. What, with your little kiss and confession.”

Heat rose in Damian’s face. Whether it was in anger or embarrassment, he couldn’t say, but suddenly he was tackling Dick back into the river. It wasn’t a ‘confession,’ okay? It was simply a truth she should be aware of. Damian Wayne didn’t do ‘confessions.’

They hit the water in a tangle of limbs and spandex, and Damian swore he could hear Marinette laughing as he submerged into the water. He was overcome with the thought that maybe, it wasn’t so bad to open up his heart to someone. After all, nothing in this world could possibly be sweeter than her voice. 

A kick to the jaw reminded Damian why he had tackled Dick into the Seine in the first place. He was so going to kill him.

[lily-drake]

Master List Part 2

Master List Part 1

Dickinette

Biosibling!Dickinette: Birds of a Feather Flock Together: Part 1 Part 2

BioDad!Dickinette:

Of Broken Hearts and Shattered Minds

Ric Rolled: Part 1 Part 2

Casinette: Sibling!Cassientte: Stop in the Name of Your Sister: Part 1 Part 2

Bruce:

BioDad!Bruce:

Where is She?!

You've Got to be Kitten Me: Part 1 Part 2

He Stole My Heart So I Stole His (Felinette) Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6 Part 7 Part 8 Part 9

BioDad!Month (2021): Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6 Part 7 Part 8 Part 9 Part 10 Part 11 Everything after Part 11 was posted exclusively on my Ao3.

Found Family:

Watch What You Say: Part 1 Part 2

Adopted Into a Better Life

Drabbles/Story Ideas

Batman Specific:

Why are you here Batman?

In a Different League: Part 1 Part 2 Part 3

6 Times Tim Suffered Alon + One Time He Doesn't

[justrandomfanfictionskh]

A Blue Bird and a Black Cat pt1

Selina decides that Marinette would be better as the Cat than Adrien. Five years, later Dick is very confused about this Lady Noire ao3

Five months ago Selina had expected to waltz into the Louvre, liberate a particular Ming dynasty Jade Cat, and waltz out. She had not expected to be stopped by two teenaged heroes, who clearly had no adult supervision. She had definitely not expected them to be quite so skilled at fighting, despite their obvious lack of training. And she had most certainly not expected them to leave their fight in favor of chasing a strange blue child on a flying carpet! She had not gotten the Jade Cat, or even entered the Louvre that night. However, the next night she had gotten her answers. 

The small girl in the ladybug suit explained everything as simply as she could to the rouge, and what Selina heard was both intriguing and horrifying. The idea that a mad man was vilifying children in order to serve his purposes, and enslaving people made her hiss and spit. What was intriguing was the young heroes. Especially the cat boy. Not to mention the girl's response to her reaction. She seemed amused and almost...gratified by such a blatant display of disgust. When Selina asked why the Justice League had not gotten involved the girl just sighed and Selina watched as a huge weight settled on her shoulders. 

"We tried calling them, but they didn't believe us. I don't know if it was because we weren't talking to the right people, or the magic interfering. But it's almost impossible to prove our claims, because the government is actively suppressing the information so that foreign relations aren't strained, and the magic involved means that there is no lasting damage, or casualties, and the identities of the users are protected through the magic. So proving anything we say in order to get the help we need is next to impossible. Besides do you really want to see Superman, or Batman, or worse, Wonder Woman akumatized? No thank you?"

Cat Woman hummed thinking softly. She snapped her fingers when an idea came. "I know lets make a deal!"    

"I'm sorry?" Ladybug asked.

"A deal! I make them with Batman all the time!" A half truth but the young hero didn't need to know that. "I get you Hawkbitch, and you let me take the Jade Cat!"

Ladybug eyed her suspiciously before saying, "You honestly want me to believe that you can find Hawkmoth? and then you really think I'm just going to let you walk away with the Jade Cat? A priceless artifact? Are you crazy?"

"I'm from Gotham," Cat Woman said dismissively, "But that's not the point. The point is, that I can deliver! I get you the name of your villain. You utterly destroy him. And then I walk way with the most precious kitty in France! What do say?"

"I have been looking for Hawkmoth for almost five years, five years, and you think you can just find him like that?" she snapped to illustrate her point. But Selina just smirked. 

"If you think it's impossible, then what do you have to loose? I'll even sweeten the deal, I'll leave Paris, no...I'll leave France, and I won't come back until I have a full file detailing exactly who this Hawkbitch is, including admissible proof of his identity. What do you say?" 

If this was Superman, he would say no. If this was Batman, he'd think about it and then also say no. Wonder Woman was to experienced to get this deep in the hole. And the rest of the hero community that well but she expected that they would all refuse such an offer. She expected the girl to do the same, but once again her expectations were over thrown when Ladybug said, "Ok. You have a deal. Get me Hawkmoth, and you can attempt to steal the cat. But you have to leave first thing in the morning, and you cannot, I repeat, cannot come back until you know who Hawkmoth is."

Now five months later, Selina smiled into her coffee. All she had to do was casually mention to Bruce that there were unsupervised heroes in Paris, and he was on the case like a cat on a mouse, or a bat on a bug. Whichever you prefer. Still she did not want to reveal herself to the heroes just yet. Because she...was curious.

While waiting for Bruce to crack the case, Selina had decided to do some light browsing on exactly who these heroes were. Their identities were apparently protected by magic, which Selina could easily believe. She had seen Ladybug's face that day as clear as the moon in the sky. But like the moon, her memories of the girl's features were obscured behind clouds. But after using a French IP address and watching something called The LabyBlog and The BugCast, Selina had become determined to discover the identities of the young heroes for two very important reasons. One was to rip that ring off of the mangy, feral, tomcat's finger for daring to disgrace the noble and divine species of felines with his carless and flippant ways. And two was to invite Ladybug to have a little Gotham fun. The girl was clearly too stressed for words, but it wasn't hard to see why. With a partner like that and the responsibility of resurrecting the dead, Selina would have cracked years ago. But this girl hung on, and for that the girl disserved a break, without having to worry about akumas, or villains, or anything but the joy that came from bashing in a deadbeat's jewels. 

But after a week of searching and stalking, she had gotten know where. All she could confirm, was that Ladybug, and probably Chat Noire lived somewhere in the vicinity of this lovely patisserie. Not a lot to go on, she knew, but it was better than nothing. And besides, the coffee was wonderful. The pastries were divine. And there the sun was shining. So she really couldn't complain. The sun never shone in Gotham. 

As she took another sip of coffee and looked over at the park where children were playing, she smiled thinking about the current Robin. He was probably too old and too scarred to enjoy the park as a kid. But perhaps one day, he could enjoy the park with a kid. Maybe a little brother, or a little sister. She smiled mischievously, but her thoughts were interrupted by a small cough.

"Oh I'm sorry, excuse me, I didn't mean to disturb you. You were probably really deep in thought, and hate being interrupted, and think I'm annoying, I'm so sorry! This is so rude of me, and you probably hate me, and don't want to talk to me. But I needed to ask you something, but you don't have to answer, in fact it's probably best if---"

"It's alright child," Selina said with a low chuckle and a soft smile. "I understand, now what is your question?"

"Oh, ok," the young girl said softly, "Um, if you're finished with your plate, then I can take it inside for you?" 

Selina arched a brow and examined the girl. She was small, and extremely nervous, which made Selina think that she was probably 12 or 13. However, any careful examination of her features revealed that the girl in actuality was probably older. Perhaps 16 or 17. But it was difficult to tell. First of all her black hair that shone blue in the light was tied up in pig tails (a decidedly younger preference). Secondly, her big blue bell eyes were shining with all of the nervous energy her voice conveyed (the poor girl probably had anxiety and had never been taught how to manage it). Thirdly, her clothes, which were objectionably fashionable and stylish, seemed to convey a softness and timidity that only hung around small children. Selina found her pretty, in an innocent, cute, fairy kind of way. Which combined with the over abundance in nervous energy, convinced Selina that this child should never enter Gotham, unless she quickly received a shot of pure confidence in the next hour or so.

So Selina smiled her warmest smile and said, "Of course you may my dear. Please. Now tell me are you just being kind, or do you work here?" 

"Oh?" the girl said a little confidence edging its way into her voice, "My parents own this patisserie! And I like to help out where I can. I hope you enjoyed everything!"

"Oh I did," Selina said. "I truly believe this is the best cup of coffee, that I have ever had. You must compliment your parents for me..."

"Oh, Marinette!"

"Selina."

Marinette's smile was now so bright and genuine, that it was contagious. And Selina found herself watching the girl out of the corner of her eye for the next half an hour she was there. 

Benevolent and sanguine feelings rolled through Selina, as she watched Marinette clumsily and skillfully clean the outside tables. The girl was entertaining, as she seemed to be a mass of contradictions. One minute she was graceful. The next she was flailing. One minute she was nervous and shy. The next she was talking animatedly with someone she knew. One minute she was day dreaming. The next she was stressing over the smallest details of the tables. Selina was amusedly endeared to the young lady. But she didn't have time to be distracted. She needed to find Ladybug, and give her the Hawkbitch file. However, just as she was finishing her drink something happened that made Selina bristle and hiss.

Marinette was just wiping down a table, when something caught her attention and made her tense. This caught Selina's attention, because it was a different kind of rigidity than her pervious bouts of nervousness. When the girl had addressed Salina she had been fidgety, but upright and clear. Now, Marinette was hunching over, curling in on herself. Her hands, which had flitted about with the need to move, now stilled, and...Selina blinked and almost turned to directly stare at the child. Marinette's hands were shaking and her eyes...oh her big, beautiful, clear, bluebell eyes, where fading as if something was slowly draining away the life in them Selina felt her own shoulders tense as she watched. She knew those actions. She had seen those signs. She recognized those defenses. She did not have to consult Harley in order to recognize a victim of abuse.

Selina settled back as casually as she could and began to watch the pedestrians. One of these people was this bright young woman's abuser, and Selina was determined to discover them. None of them stuck out, everyone kept walking past, or into the bakery. Then a group of teenage girls caught her eye. Unremarkable in and of themselves, just a group of five or six teenagers, probably coming from a shopping spree. They were laughing and talking without a care in the world, but there was something about them that made Selina's hair stand up on end. So she examined them closely. Her eye fell on the girl who was front and center of the group. Her hair looked as if she was trying to imitate sausage links, and her style was decidedly gaudy. The girl walked with an air of entitlement, and obnoxiousness that even a cat would find insulting. Especially since she was not carrying any of the shopping bags and was walking ahead of the group, thus giving the impression that the girls around her, were not her "friends" but her ladies-in-waiting. And though she never looked down at the people around her, she watched them through narrow calculating eyes that reminded Selina of Lady Shiva. Selina did not like that woman.

Selina kept one eye on Marinette, and one eye on the approaching group, sat back, and watched. And what she saw made her quietly hiss into her now empty mug. The lead girl (Selina heard her called Lila) took one look at Marinette and smiled predatorily. She then redirected everyone immediately from their previous goals, to the bakery and sat down at a table Marinette had yet to clean. She then proceeded to cry and sob, blaming Marinette for forcing her to sit at an unclean table, while the rest of the girls began to yell and berate the poor girl for the injustice. Marinette said nothing as she quietly cleaned the table, letting the screams and sobs wash over her without even making a noise. As Marinette attempt to walk away with the dishes, Lila very blatantly tripped her. This time Marinette did not use her graceful reflexes to contradict the clumsiness but silently fell to the ground shattering all the plates. The other girls at the table then began to scream at Marinette for attempting to hurt Lila by dropping plates on her head. 

Selina could not hear this Lila's voice, from where she was sitting, but the affects of her gross, and obvious manipulation and abuse made Selina want to scream and claw her eyes out as she watched. The sweet charming girl silently and cautiously pick up every shard of ceramic as the other girls screamed and surrounded her. The commotion drew out the two adults that Selina had seen behind the counter. Knowing these to be Marinette's parents, Selina decided not to kill a minor, trusting them to defend their daughter. The yelling stopped for about five seconds when they appeared. Long enough for Lila to say something through her hands, and for the bakery owners to turn on their daughter and begin to reprimand her and not the other girls. Selina had to bite her tongue against a scream as she watched the previously bright and kind girl that was Marinette silently stand up and slink back into the bakery without ever making a sound. When she passed, Selina felt stabbed, because her beautiful blue eyes were rendered dull and grey in the wake of her abuse. 

Once Marinette was gone, Selina watched as her parents filled the group's table with the best free pastries with growing hatred and disgust. Selina shook her self she could not get akumatized. She could not risk all of her plans falling apart, because of one incident. However, she smirked deviously. There were other ways to punish bullies and abusers. But as she walked past the table, something happened that completely other threw all of her expectations once again. This was becoming a pattern in Paris. 

Marinette blinked at the woman in her room. "What the hell?!" she exclaimed. Cat Woman smiled mischievously and removed her cowl throwing Marinette into even more open mouthed confusion. Mme. Selina is Cat Woman! her mind screamed. Marinette stared at the new patisserie regular in shock and horror, as the older woman chuckled at her reaction.

"Sorry to keep you waiting Ladybug, but I had to be sure of you identity before I could give you this." She held up a thick manila folder with the word Hawkmoth written on the side, and the word Hawkbitch scribbled on the front.

Marinette held up her hands in protest. She had to breath. Her mind was swirling, and she could barely process all of this new information. Mme. Selina was her new favorite customer. She came in almost everyday and always had a kind word for her. Cat Woman was a thief who stole priceless artifacts. She had known Selina for about three weeks now. And Cat Woman was a world renowned thief. A thief who knew her identity...Marinette took a deep breath before she could spiral and closed her eyes. This was not helping. 

Ladybug, she thought desperately, I need to be Ladybug. She took a deep breath and settled into the mindset of the hero of Paris. Ladybug could save the day. Ladybug would save the day. Ladybug can deal with Cat Woman with ease. Ladybug would make sure that nothing went wrong. She felt her energies settle into calm, heavy, order as confidence and surety took over her bones. When she opened her eyes, Cat Woman was watching her with undisguised curiosity and fondness. Ladybug could not understand it. She cleared her throat.

"So how did you discover my identity?" 

"Well it wasn't easy," Cat Woman said dismissively. "But lets just say, you were perhaps a little too tired after that last akuma. Neither you nor that filthy alley cat noticed that I was following you. But then again he never notices when I follow him." She spoke of Chat Noir with disgust, as if he were the epitome of everything wrong with the world. Ladybug let the information settle in the back of her mind before she continued.

"So you're here about our deal. Hawkmoth's identity in exchange for a free attempt at the Louvre." It was a statement, but Ladybug was curious to see how Cat Woman would respond to it. 

"Yes," Cat Woman said with a smile, "But also no."

"No?" Ladybug said with unaffected surprise. "Don't you want your Jade Cat?"

"Hmm," Cat Woman mused as she eyed Marinette's room. "I think I remember saying that I want the most precious kitten in all of France. And at this point I don't think it's the Jade Cat."

Ladybug sighed and crossed her arms. "Do I want to know?"

Cat Woman smiled sardonically. "Lady Noire."

Ladybug blinked. That was not the answer she was expecting and it almost rocked her out of her persona. She recovered by giving Selina a very pointed look and said slowly, "Lady Noire? The persona I take when I wear the cat miraculous?"

"Mmhm," Cat Woman hummed with a smile.

"I don't understand."

"Well it's quiet simple really. I don't like that tomcat running around with the black cat miraculous. As the original, feline identity I take anyone who attempts a feline persona very seriously. And I don't like the reputation he is giving us nighttime predators."

"You do know that the black cat hero is older than most civilizations."

"All the more reason to take his miraculous from him. He doesn't deserve it, not with the way he treats you. Come now kitten, you can't tell me that you haven't ever questioned his suitability for the role. He's skilled, yes. And he's passionate. But he's hardly capable. How often does he leave alone in a fight? How often does he get distracted or impede your abilities? How often has he assaulted you?"

"Woah, Chat Noire has not assaulted me," Ladybug declared. 

"Oh so you like it when he kisses you're hand, and calls you pet names in professional settings? Or how about when he decided he was in love with your civilian identity? Did you like him coming up to your balcony every other night? Based on how often the CCTV cameras caught him here, I assume he had an open invitation? You did invite him to sit on your balcony for hours on end, correct?"

Ladybug stiffened. She couldn't deny it. She couldn't deny any of it. She couldn't deny her wish that Chat took things more seriously, or was more reliable. It was becoming more of a question of if he would even show up! And when he did appear, she often found her self watching him as much as their enemy. When he decided that he was in love with Ladybug, she always had to make sure that there was at least five feet between them so that he wouldn't try to pull her against him, "Because that blast was going to hit you m'lady!" he would always say even as his hands began to wonder. And when he decided he was in love with Marinette, she could barely go out on her balcony to water her plants without him trying to corner her, or get into her space. She used to love lying back in her bed, and watching the sky out of her sky light. Or going out on her balcony at night to let the cool air wash all of her troubles away. But now there was paper over the glass, and she had to lock the window the moment the sun went down in case Chat Noir decided to shift his attentions again.

She looked away but Cat Woman moved so that she was in her line of sight. Ladybug looked at her and saw something she had not seen directed at her in a long time. Not since Luka and Juleka left with their father for his world tour, and Kagami had been sent to a fencing camp by her mother. It was sympathy, understanding, and a righteous fury on her behalf. Ladybug shifted, she could feel her mask slipping, and she was almost tempted to call on her suit in order to cement it in place, but Cat Woman wasn't done. 

"You know," she said softly, "I had plans to steal you away as the new cat holder, before I ever realized you were Ladybug." Marinette started and stared, but said nothing. She did not trust herself. Selina continued, "That first day we met. I saw what those girls did to you. What your parents did to you, and I'll admit I was almost akumatized. But I wasn't because the moment I went over to steal that Lie-la's wallet, rip her knock-off designer bag, and spill coffee in her lap, something happened. The moment I heard her voice I started to believe her. Despite everything I felt and witnessed, I started to believe that she was right, and you deserved what they did to you." Ladybug stiffened, but said nothing, she was too confused and too conflicted. So Selina continued almost conspiratorily. "And that's when I realized. That Lie-la is a meta!" 

Marinette gasped. Her mask had slipped. The Ladybug persona was on the floor. There was no recovering it. The realization and the understanding hit her like a truck as the reality fit everything into place. For years she had wondered how Lila had done it. How had she turned everyone who had always loved and supported her through thick and thin against her as if she was a rat in the pantry. But it made sense. Lila was a meta! She was controlling them. Marinette never stood a chance. She looked up and saw the gleaming satisfaction in Selina's eyes as hope and vindication filled Marinette's. And Selina continued,

"It's the only explanation. Because I know what I say. I know what they did to you. And over the past few weeks I have seen who you are as well. You are kind, and generous, and beautiful. So how could anything she said be true, even if I believed her when I heard her voice. I knew right then and there, that very first day what was happening. But Marinette...I also knew right then and there that the only way for you to be free of them, of her, would be to escape. The only way you're going to be able to get out of this toxic dumpster fire of a life is to run away from it as fast and as far as you can. Now you're 18. You'll be graduating soon. And with this," she tapped the almost forgotten file, "You'll be able to put the mask aside. You can choose how you want to escape. All I ask is that you let me help you do it...It is your decision Marinette. I'll make sure that it is only your decision. If you let me."

Marinette breathed deeply, her scattered and shattered mind desperately trying to put all of the pieces together. She tried to summon Ladybug. She tried to shut down. She tried everything, but that did not stop the buzzing in her head so she just stared, at the woman in front of her. The woman who was offering the only thing her heart could ever want. As she stood and stared the kwamis began to slink out of their hiding spots, but only Tikki came up to comfort her and pull her out of her deepening spiral. "You're unbalanced, Marinette," the kwami whispered. "And I'm sorry, I don't know how to help you. I can only offer you creation and order, and I'm afraid you might have a little too much of that right now. Please, please, please, let this woman help you! We, all of us, will support you no matter what." 

And with that, Marinette fell to her knees and began to cry. And she didn't stop not even when the small hands of her kwami were joined by the warm, tight embrace of a human. So she knelt and cried, as sixteen deities protected her, and a warm, kind woman embraced her. 

Next

(let me know if you want to be tagged for this fic.)

[maribat-media]

Interesting Inquiry

Whether you answered yes, no, or something in between, pop a little word in the replies or reblogs (whichever is most comfortable).

Someone with the hidden knowledge of what the name is, share your wisdom with us. Otherwise, let's fill the post with batty ideas of what potential names could be used then we can see which one is the most miraculous of them.

[maribat-menagerie]

Malachite Milestones Wave 2

Starting off, Thank you all for your amazing suggestions!

We had a total of 11 responses and 47 unique ships. These split into 8 Garnet, 25 Rhodonite, and 14 Alexandrite. Another amazing stat is that one ship was suggested so many times (15) that it was promoted to Garnet. While it the ship seems to have plenty of Maribatters wanting it, it is still going through the voting process to be fair. Those in the discord know what ship that is. The next step is voting on the ships that Maribatters want to see as the Active Roster. The link will be featured below.

Below the line is the list of ships that are featured in the form above. Only 17 will end up in the final event.

The Full Compiled List of Ships to Choose From:

Garnet Guardians:

Brucinette

Cassette

Konette

Marave (Marinette/Raven)

Marijon

Roynette

Stephinette

Wally / Marinette

Rhodonite Ravagers:

Alix / Barry Allen

Billy Batson / Marinette

Clark Kent / Marinette

Selina Kyle / Marinette

Victor (Cyborg) / Marinette

Juleka / Kor'i (Starfire)

Roy / Adrien

Kon / Adrien

Bart / Adrien

Jason / Adrien

Jason / Fei

Jason / Nino

Cass / Nino

Damian / Nino

Damian / Chloe

Wally / Chloe

Dick / Chloe

Dick / Miss. Bustier

Dick / Felix

Tim / Felix

Tim / Zoe

Tim / Luka

Barbara / Luka

Klarion / Lila

Alexandrite Avengers:

Oliver Queen / Barry Allen / Emilie Agreste

Cass / Kagami / Marinette

Tim / Kagami / Marinette

Tim / Marinette / Felix

Bart / Marinette / Felix

Raven / Beast Boy / Marinette

Steph / Cass / Marinette

Wally / Dick / Marinette

Wally / Dick / Adrien

Jason / Roy / Adrien

Damian / Jon / Adrien

Bart / Kon / Adrien

Bart / Kon / Tim / Adrien

Jason / Roy / Kor'i / Juleka / Adrien

[goggles-mcgee]

A Little Birdy Told Me 18

Beginning

Last Chapter           Next Chapter

Summary:  It's morning in Wayne Manor and Gordon and Bullock stop by for Marinette's statement.

“Good Morning Gordon, Bullock.” Bruce welcomed as he opened the door wider so the two men could enter his house.

“How many times have I told you you can just call me Jim, Bruce?” Jim asked with a shake of his head and a fond smile on his lips as he stepped inside the familiar manor.

“You forget Boy Scout, he was raised by the butler, I think he’s incapable of shaking off that proper speech.” Harvey joked as he followed Jim inside. The two followed the familiar path to the kitchen with Bruce making polite conversation, catching up from the last time they had seen one another. Bruce made sure his voice carried so the kids would know they were closing in on the kitchen. They all did better when they knew people were approaching rather than when they were snuck up on. Came with their night jobs unfortunately. He also did it for Marinette who was so tense, of course he knew why she was but it still made him frown when she flinched at his and the boys’ voices or simply seeing them out of the corner of her eye. He could tell that she was trying her best not to do so but he also knew it couldn’t be helped. 

“Marinette, I’d like you to meet Chief Bullock and Commissioner Gordon, they are old family friends and I figured they would be the best people to get your report of what happened at Wayne Tower.” Bruce explained as he introduced the two men to the teen, who frankly still looked a bit skittish. She looked like she was going to question why the Commissioner and Chief of the GCPD was there to collect her statement but Bruce watched some tension leave her when he clarified that both men were family friends. It made Bruce want to cry, this child, without even knowing them for long, without even knowing him for long, trusted his word. How long had she been going without being able to trust the adults around her? Without being able to lean on them because her fear of them being used by an emotional terrorist was so strong? He didn’t want to know the answer but he thought he might know anyway. 

“Nice to meet you, you can call me Jim. None of that Commissioner stuff.” Gordon said with a small smile, still forever awkward around children that weren’t his own or Bruce’s. 

“And I’m Harvey. Don’t let Bruce trick you into thinking we’re stuffy old men. I swear this boy must have come out of the womb speaking that politely. Took him years to stop calling Jim and I ‘Detective So-and-So.’ It was cute for a while, but quickly became annoying.” Bullock said with a teasing grin shot at Bruce as he took off his hat and set it on the island counter and took a seat on one of the stools set up there for when one of the kids was having a quick meal. 

It managed to get a giggle out of Marinette so Bruce counted it as a win. The teen just seemed so drained, even after the sleepover with Ivy and Harley. He figured they must have had some serious conversation if the looks Ivy and Harley had exchanged over their rushed breakfasts was anything to go by. They had even written two separate notes for Marinette before they had left, she had yet to open them but when Alfred had given them to her she had had the softest smile on her face. “It’s nice to meet you both. You probably already know but I’m Marinette. Uh, Dupain-Cheng. Marinette Dupain-Cheng. You need my full name for the report right?”

“Yeah we do kid, but we don’t need to start right away. Why don’t you finish breakfast and then we’ll go settle in Bruce’s office if you’re comfortable with that.” Jim suggested. Marinette gave a small nod before she tucked into her breakfast once more which helped Bruce breathe a little easier. He always worried about the kids eating enough, looks like Marinette officially made it to his worry list. 

“Have you boys had anything to eat yet?” Alfred asked.

“I had a little something from Wackdonals but I’d never say no to your cooking Alfred you know that.” Bollock said as he took a seat at the table and pointedly looked at the chair across from him until Gordon took it with an eye roll. 

“And I’ve told you fast food is not breakfast Harvey.” Alfred shot back as he made the two men a plate each. 

“They serve breakfast.” Harvey retorted with a shit-eating grin that had Marinette muffle another giggle and made Bruce smile as he took a seat at the end of the island counter, the seat closest to the kitchen table. 

“They serve convenience.” Alfred said with a shake of his head as he placed the plates in front of the men. Bruce bit back a laugh as he knew Alfred’s stance on fast food, he didn’t really like the family eating it but he wouldn’t say anything if it was only eaten once in a good while but he absolutely drew the line at breakfast. The older man was firm in his belief that breakfast was the most important meal of the day and he would go out of his way to make the family breakfast even if they woke up at different times if it meant they didn’t go to a fast food restaurant to get breakfast. 

“You like Sundollar Alfie, don’t lie.” Jason made his arrival as he did most mornings. With a witty comment. It made Bruce want to hug him and simultaneously sigh seeing as he was usually the target of said comments. 

When Alfred didn’t comment Jason just laughed and took a seat next to Marinette while Alfred made him a plate. “Morning Short-Stack.”

“Morning Jolly Green Giant.” She snarked back which made Jason snort and ruffle her bangs which made her pout as she slapped away his hand. Jason just laughed again and shook his head before he gave Alfred a soft ‘Thanks’ once he was handed his plate and dug in. It still hurt to see how he ate sometimes, like he thought someone would take his plate from him. It was a habit he never really broke, he only slowly ate if it was something he made. Which was why Alfred had Jason help him with meals a lot of the time or if Jason ever asked to use the kitchen to make a meal he could. He was basically the only one in the house allowed near the stove besides Barbara and Bruce himself even if the kids liked to tease him about not knowing how to cook. What they didn’t know is that he always helped make their birthday meals if he was able to, and he made damn sure he was able to. 

“Oh hey the Fuzz!” Jason cheered as he finally noticed Gordon and Bullock.

“Jason.” They said together which made him snicker. 

“And of course my favorite cryptid, The Jersey Devil! What are you doing in a mansion? Aren’t you supposed to be out haunting the Pine Barrens man?” Jason said cheekily as he looked at Bruce.

“That gets funnier every morning you say it Jason.” Bruce sighed out as he sipped at his coffee since he had already eaten his breakfast well before anyone was awake. He had had to explain his whole schedule to Marinette when she got worried that she was the only one eating. 

“Truly I am the king of comedy.” Jason agreed sagely. “Thanks for the pork roll Alfred.”

“Always welcome Master Jason.” Alfred nodded as he took the boy’s plate before he could take it to the sink himself like he liked to do. Bruce happily drank his coffee and just took it all in, he loved mornings like this, mornings with one of his kids being happy and joking around. Though Dick was more prone to hide behind his jokes and smiles, Bruce would like to believe he knew when they were forced or faked, overall though he was the most morning-person to ever exist beside Clark. Damian was not one to make jokes, he was a quiet person in the mornings and was more often to give smiles or grunts rather than vocal answers. Cass was much the same way, though she was just not a morning person after she learned she could sleep in and would not be punished. Duke was much like Jason, if he was having a good day he would be making jokes and smiles all around, though he did have some quiet mornings they were no-less happy. Steph was not a morning person. Neither was Babs. 

It was peaceful, the way Gordon and Bullock were talking in low voices at the table, voices rising only when Bullock attempted to steal food off Jim’s plate and the way Jason made idle chatter with Alfred about some new recipes he found on some app he had. Bruce of course noticed how the older boy would glance at Marinette every now and then to check on her or make sure she didn’t feel left out of the conversation even if all she gave was a nod at something he said. Bruce loved mornings like this. He could recall some mornings from his youth with his parents and Alfred that felt like these kinds of mornings. He wished he remembered them more vividly but time was a cruel thing to the mind, as much as he wanted to remember those great mornings with them he could never recall what they had talked about or if he ever told his parents he loved them as much as they told him those mornings they would send him off to school. It was an old hurt that still ached but he was working on it. His kids helped more than they probably realized, more than he could ever explain, and he was so grateful for these mornings. He felt so full of love and he liked to believe this is what his parents felt those mornings with him. 

Then they passed and it was a struggle to have breakfast, it took him longer to enter the kitchen. His mother’s records would no longer fill the mornings, he hadn’t had the strength to play them. His father would no longer be in his seat at the table having his cup of coffee with the newspaper. That cup sat there for about a year before he let Alfred clean it because it had stayed on that table the morning the day they were murdered. Alfred tried, bless his heart, but Bruce couldn’t stomach his pancakes because of the memories he had of them for about two years. But then breakfast became him and Alfred, then it was Bruce, Jim and Alfred, then Bullock joined sometimes and then so had Selina. Then life went on, he found his kids or in some cases they found him and the rest was history. Complicated, messy, hurtful, joyful, and wonderful history. But of course things couldn’t last forever and he saw the pointed look Gordon shot at him which made him sigh into his now empty mug. 

“Marinette, would you rather give your statement here or somewhere else in the house? Anywhere you want is fine.” Bruce felt bad for cutting into her conversation with Alfred and Jason, especially because she had actually started taking part in it but they did have to get her statement. As callous as it sounded, they had already given her a lot of time to process, that’s how the law saw it, he was grateful that the GCPD let Batman work with them. They took his judgments to heart and they actually listened to what he had to say. It hadn’t always been that way, that was another rocky history he had. 

Marinette looked up at him and Bruce nearly took a step back, her eyes were so wide and trusting, it was merely-blinding, like when Cass would ask him for something. They were the kind of eyes that held innocence no matter the tragedies they bore witness to, they were pure and Bruce felt as blessed and he did uncomfortable under their gaze. “Can we do the interview in your office? It um, it makes me feel safe.” 

“Whatever you want, Sweetpea.” Shit. No. This is not your kid Bruce! Do not parent it! He could see Jason snicker into his hand and mouth ‘Sweetpea’ at Bruce with the biggest shit-eating grin.

Though he would take all the embarrassment, and all the teasing he knew would be coming his way from his kids with the way Marinette smiled and seemed to relax. “Thank you.”

Bruce gave her a nod and looked up at Gordon and Bullock who both were looking at him with matching expressions. Ones he did not appreciate, thank you very much, somehow they looked both fond yet teasing. He glared at them as best he could in the small window of opportunity he was given as Marinette slid off the counter seat. Maybe he had to make the counters lower? Damian had the same problem but if he even suggested it the boy would have a fit, and maybe murder him in his sleep at the offense. Though he knew Damian would grow into his height, the boy had tall parents, and all his children were tall so lowering the island counter would ultimately be counterproductive. He just felt a little bad at the small jump Marinette had to do to get off the seat, though he was confident she would get some height, though he wasn’t so confident about it being much. He had done his homework on her parents and while, yes, her father was a very tall individual, her mother was on the smaller scale. Given how her mother’s genes won out already, he would be willing to bet she would only grow a little more given she was already taller than her mother. 

“Morning All!” Bruce was pulled from his thoughts by Dick’s sing-song greeting and couldn’t help but smile. He thanked the boy in his head for pulling him from said thoughts, he just couldn’t shut off what Tim and Alfred so fondly dubbed his ‘Detective Brain.’ Even if what he was ‘investigating’ or ‘breaking down’ was mundane, his brain was always grinding its gears away. Bruce smiled at his oldest and gave him a nod and was not surprised to see Damian trail in after him. If Dick was staying at the Manor then it was often you would see the two together, especially for their morning run. 

“Morning Nettie!” Dick greeted Marinette with a ruffle of her bangs which had her slapping at his hand much like she had done with Jason. 

“Morning Dick.” 

“Where are you off to so early in the morning?” He asked as he looked at Bruce, Gordon and Bullock, his smile still in place though Bruce could see his confusion and worry.

“Oh, uh, the Chief and Commissioner are here to get my statement about what happened at Wayne Tower.” Marinette responded, her nervousness shone through the biting of her lip and the way she fiddled with a loose thread on the dress she wore for the day. 

“Oh. Well whaddya know, they also have to get my statement. Why don’t we do it together?” The elder boy lied swiftly and Bruce’s heart filled with fondness, it was no secret that Dick felt particularly responsible about what happened at the Tower. No matter how much the staff, Bruce, the boy’s siblings, and Alfred all told him, he still couldn’t help but shoulder the blame. It also was no surprise to Bruce that Dick felt protective over Marinette over everything. Especially seeing them the night of the accidental phone-call, Marinette looked so comforted and relaxed next to Dick, and Dick looked like…well he looked like what Bruce imagined he looked like when any of his children leaned on him in their times of need. 

“We already-OOF!” Harvey had started but an elbow from Gordon stopped him.

Gordon smiled at Marinette when she looked at him in surprise and questioning. “WE already planned on questioning you Richard, lucky us you are staying at the Manor. Otherwise we would have had to take the drive out to Blüdhaven.”

“Yeah…Lucky us.” Bullock groaned. “Let’s head to the study so we can get this out of your way, kid.” 

“Okay…” Marinette replied with some trepidation but when Dick bumped her shoulder gently and gave her a smile she seemed to calm and gave him a smile back as they walked out of the kitchen but not before she waved at Damian who looked shocked at the action. Through his confusion though the boy gave her a wave back and Bruce again had to hold a chuckle back at his son’s expression. He simply smiled at Damian and patted him on the shoulder as he walked out, it seemed like they had to have a talk soon. Damian may not have realized it yet, but Bruce knew a crush when he saw one, especially on one of his children’s faces. Especially on Damian’s given the boy looked so much like him at that age and Alfred told him so many times how Damian and he showed the same amount of emotion. 

Once they got to the study and all took seats on the couches, as Bruce didn’t want to make Marinette feel uncomfortable or intimidated if he or anyone else sat at his desk, Gordon and Bullock immediately set into getting Marinette’s statement. It shouldn’t have shocked him how well they handled the whole thing given how long the two had been at this job, and how many kids and teens they spoke to, the numbers were too high in Bruce’s opinion but he did his best to lower them. They were patient when they needed to be yet pushed when they had to, he never really thought about it but Bruce could admit that maybe anytime he encountered a child as Batman, especially in the beginning years that he tried to emulate Gordon’s behavior. Being a father helped but it also hindered in a way, because sometimes Bruce just wanted to grab the parents by the shoulders and shake them or he just wished the children never had to go through what they did. Sometimes he saw his kids in the children he encountered and it scared him, it made him want to be reckless even when he knew he couldn’t afford to be. 

Marinette reminded him of Cass and Dick in ways he couldn’t really describe, maybe it was the way both kids often walked like they had the weight of the world on their shoulders. Or maybe it was the way they cared about people, how they loved people with their entire beings. It could also have been the way they found joy in the simple things, they tried to look at the silver linings, but sometimes they could spiral. They overthink, they worry, they feel so much. Bruce looked at Marinette and he saw what he saw in all his kids, a child who had to grow too fast. A child who felt like they were responsible for more than they could handle. Maybe even a child who felt they had to be perfect and anything less than was just not enough. All in all though, Bruce saw a child, a scared child who needed help and if he could be that help he would be. She may not know it yet but by the way Dick looked at her, the way Jason spoke with her, Damian interacted with her and the way Alfred already seemed to dote on her, Marinette had the Wayne family at her back. Bruce had no doubt in his mind that once she and Tim interacted more that they would get along great, Cass would adore her and so would Steph, Duke too. 

Bruce knew she wasn’t telling them the whole truth about Paris, her fear and anger were real, the emotions were very real, the heroes were real, there was just something about it all that felt off. He wasn’t sure what but he hoped they earned her trust, she was an honorary Wayne as far as he saw it and they were going to do whatever they could to help her while she was in Gotham. And if they didn’t manage to solve everything in Gotham then they would go to Paris and help, no kid deserved this much stress. No person deserved this actually. 

“Hey Bruce, I was just telling Marinette about the Botanical Gardens! Apparently it was on the trip’s original plan but was ‘outvoted’ at the last minute, anyway, I was telling her that we were due for a check-in over there this week and thought maybe I can take her this afternoon instead of going to the Tower.” Dick said as he looked between Marinette and Bruce excitedly.

Bruce took one look at Marinette’s hopeful smile and Dick’s excited one, he knew the boy wanted to cheer up Marinette, he also knew Dick probably wanted to be anywhere but the Tower so he sighed and smiled back, “Sounds good to me. Just remember to check in now and then and maybe see if Tim wants to go? He could do with the fresh air. I think I saw him making a new board on his ceiling and I would like him to leave his room sometime.”

“Deal!” Dick said with a laugh as he jumped up from the couch and grabbed Marinette’s hand to ‘go wake Tim up.’ Which coming from Dick could mean jumping on the bed or dumping ice on the poor boy and he did not want to be here for either option so he bid Gordon and Bullock a good rest of their days and made his way to the garage to see Alfred and Damian waiting for him. They were going to drop Damian off at school before Alfred dropped Bruce off at the Tower to help Lucius with whatever he could. 

“Dupain-Cheng is not accompanying us?” Damian asked once they were in the car and Bruce hid his smile in his hand.

“Ah, no, Dick is taking her to the Botanical Gardens, apparently it was something she wanted to do originally with her class but the idea got shut down. I think Dick wanted to cheer her up after everything that has happened. Tim might join them as well.”

“I could have taken her.” Damian looked offended that he hadn’t been considered for the last minute trip and Bruce was fighting with himself not to chuckle. 

“Damian. You have school.”

“Tim has work. So does Dick.”

“Tim has started building another board on his ceiling. That means no work for him. As for Dick, as much as I’m sure he’d love to be giving tours at any of the buildings, or being security for the day, he needs his time off too. Remember, he’s trying to look for something that feels right. I think the incident at the Tower might have dissuaded him from continuing on as tour guide.” Bruce explained.

“Richard has excellent people skills though.” Damian scowled. 

“I’m not saying he doesn’t,” the boy was very protective of his older brother, “it’s just that people can be difficult. For you and I it’s a different kind of difficult, but for Dick, I think it’s more so the kind of people he interacts with and the way he interacts with them.”

“He could be a cop again.”

“He liked it in Blüdhaven I admit, but he wasn’t happy after a while.”

“Do you think he’ll stay in Gotham?” The way Damian asked made Bruce’s heart clench. It was like he didn’t want to allow himself to hope. He was rather attached to Dick and every time the boy went back to Blüdhaven he was always down the days that followed. Dick had told him he wanted to find a new job, one he actually enjoyed, he was even considering moving back to Gotham but he made Bruce swear he wouldn’t mention it to the family. Not until he was sure at least.

“It’s a possibility.” Bruce couldn’t lie to Damian. Not because he felt bad or anything, the boy had the scary ability to read him like all his children did, but sometimes it was like Damian could sniff out a lie. Which, truth be told, was a little disturbing. 

Damian hummed before he looked out the window, “What about Dupain-Cheng? What’s going to happen there?”

“Well, once the new teacher is flown in and the chaperones who should have been here to begin with, the teacher, Marinette, Gotham Academy’s principal and I along with some lawyers will have a meeting to discuss that. We will have to plan out how to carry out the exchange but with splitting the French Class up, if we can even do that to begin with. I don’t believe it will be a problem though. We will also be discussing new rules regarding the French Class.” Bruce explained. He expected the meeting would derail when he got to the Rules section but Gotham was not a city to mess around in and they needed to understand that.

“But she will still be staying with us, correct?”  

Bruce chuckled this time, “Yes. Marinette will continue to stay with us either way since I am now her temporary guardian as her parents gave their permission.” 

“Why did you laugh?” Damian pouted.

“Oh look, we have arrived at your school.” Bruce pointed out which Damian did not look happy about but got out of the car all the same. “Have a good day at school today Damian. Alfred will pick you up as always, or perhaps Dick will. You will be notified before the school day is up.”

“Thank you Father. I hope you have a good day at work and once I am home from school you can tell me what you were laughing at.” Damian huffed before he turned around sharply and left for school. Bruce just shook his head and chuckled softly. 

                 ___________________________________

Tim Curry In Clue My Beloved

@huedoneit

Did anyone else notice our local Baby Wayne aka Ice Prince was a little…thawed today? He didn’t even make sarcastic remarks about @scalesandarpeggios 

It was scary 😱

🎵 Allegra 🎵

@scalesandarpeggios 

      RE: Tim Curry In Clue My Beloved

      @huedoneit

      [Did anyone else notice our local Baby Wayne aka…]

I take offense to that. But true, he didn’t even lecture you about singing show tunes in the hall, all he did was scoff. 

AAAAAlan

@dontmakemejazzsquare

     RE: 🎵 Allegra 🎵

    @scalesandarpeggios 

     [I take offense to that. But true, he…]

Maybe the dude is just sick 🤷🏾‍♂️

*Wackdonals- in the DC Universe version of McDonalds

*Sundollar- is the Dc Universe version of Starbucks

*Pork Roll-or Taylor Ham as it's known in North Jersey, a processed meat product processed, packaged, and sold in New Jersey and almost nowhere else

*Jersey Devil- Cryptid that is said to live in and haunt the Pine Barrens. It is said to have bat wings, hooves, a goat's head and a forked tail. Though in other accounts it is said to have a horse's head instead of a goat's and a kangaroo's tail instead of forked. This cryptid has had many sightings but most commonly the sightings came from Southern Jersey and Philadelphia.

Gotham is located in Jersey, specifically South Jersey which is why I added the line about the Jersey Devil and Pork Roll

Next Chapter

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[mochinek0]

Daminette Multi-chapter MASTERLIST

SECOND CHANCE

1 2 3 4  B1 B2 B3 B4

BIO!DAD MARINETTE KENT

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16

THERE’S ALWAYS TWO SIDES

1 2 3

BIG BROTHER TO THE RESCUE

1 2 3

AGRESTE-WAYNE?

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20

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[quadruple-a]

So my most popular posts all have to do with Batman, but the thing is I’ve never read Batman.

I stumbled into this via miraculous ladybug

I don’t know what I’m doing??

[romancemedia]

Adrienette and RobStar FINALLY Get Together!

[somereaderinblue]

In one world, Adrien Agreste tastes freedom when he’s 14. To him, freedom is rooftops under his feet and wind in his hair. Freedom is accompanied by rose red and black dots and the whiz of a yoyo.

In this world, Adrien Agreste tastes freedom when he’s 4. To him, freedom is running away to the circus with his mother in one hand and the other in a sling; it’s an aerial rope wrapped around his body.

In this world, freedom is accompanied by the Flying Graysons on a trapeze.

Based on this Adribat prompt. Fanart for this fic is always welcomed.