#dukenette

[cyperhera]

MLB x DC | soulmates au, heavy angst

In a world where soulmates can sense each other’s feelings, marinette has to block out her bond with her soulmate as much as possible so she won’t be a target or get distracted while fighting off hawkmoth.

Unfortunately, that leads to her soulmate thinking she doesn’t want them and living a chunk of their life wondering why.

****

“Why did you block me out?” Their grip on her biceps tightens. She can hear the desperation in their voice, see the tears welling up in their eyes as they stare her down.

Marinette’s heart aches for them. She wants wipe their tears, take them into her arms and never let them go.

But she can’t, not when she’s the reason for everything they are going through.

[bee-a-garbage-shipper]

*MariBat meaning Non Polyamory Marinette x BatFam Member Ships

[olivia-anderson-fanfic]

Just Fine and Dandelions

Summary: Like other magical creatures, witches are very territorial.

(Part 1/3)

Many things in this world are beyond human comprehension.

Vampires were tall, gangly things with too much pallor to their skin and wicked sharp teeth. The undead were visibly crumbling into ash, and gave off a horrible smell that warned you of their existence well before they were in striking distance. Sprites were tiny, glowing beings that, like an angler fish, would lead the unwary to an untimely death.

But these aren’t what people fear the most. Because, though the chances of surviving an encounter with such a creature were slim, at least you would know what was going to happen the moment you saw it.

No, the things people fear most are the things that look like them. The faerie are perfect facsimiles of humans, unless you peer too closely at their teeth or count how many fingers they have. Nixie will lure you into the water with them with beautiful songs and even more beautiful bodies, and you won’t realize that they’re not normal until they grab you with their ungodly strength and pull you under.

There was no warning. No chance to run. For why would you run from what you think was just another person?

And then there were witches.

Perhaps witches disturbed humans the most.

Because faerie and nixie usually stick to themselves. They’re willing to leave humans be, as long as they themselves are left alone. If you don't stumble into a faerie's circle, or come close to a nixie's lake, you could go your entire life without seeing one.

Witches, however, will join human society, and humans will never be any the wiser – or rather, not until the witch got bored.

In which case, their problem really isn't the fact that there is a witch in their village, and more the fact that there is a magical being set on razing everything they've ever known and loved to the ground.

Until then, though, witches are perfectly willing to be just yet another human. They're model citizens, really.

After all, gathering all those ingredients for their potions and spells was difficult. Who wants to spend all of their time gardening and hunting when you can simply go into town with a couple of coins and buy most of what you need? Witches need to perform magic to survive, and if they’re spending all of their time doing other things they start to…

Well.

They rot, for lack of a better word.

So, witches hide among humans. Tolerate humans. They’re willing to have symbiotic – or, at the very least, parasitic – relationships with them.

But, like other magical creatures, they are also very territorial.

Which is why, when Marinette looked up from her sewing and her gaze landed upon a ‘man’ with dark skin, her smile strained.

She could feel the magic radiating off of him. The humans wouldn’t notice, she knew. Her entire shop was practically overflowing with magic after all of her years living there, to the point where the floorboards glimmered with glittering gold that she could never quite get out, but the humans’ eyes glazed over it like it wasn’t there at all. So, no, they wouldn’t notice the way that the air around the man seemed to brighten just slightly. As if he was so happy that the world itself had lightened to give that perfect, sunny feeling right back to him.

Not that he actually looked all that happy. His hands curled into fists where they hung out of his traveler’s cloak.

To be fair, she wasn’t all that happy herself.

She fought the urge to reach up and check that her earrings were still in place. That they hadn't popped out of their own accord and rolled right over to him. It was a stupid thought, perhaps, but one that poked at her regardless. If she lost her earrings, she would be ruined. Which was exactly why she couldn't risk drawing any attention to them whatsoever.

She discreetly tied off her most recent sewing project underneath the table before slowly pushing herself to her feet.

She cast a glance around her store. She was the town seamstress. She was good at sewing, could make lace so intricate you would think a spider had woven it. People liked her work, and she liked having something to busy her hands with in the long hours before nightfall. It was mutually beneficial.

And, unfortunately, business was booming.

Which meant that there were several people around to watch as the man glared her down for seemingly no reason.

She set her jaw, forcing her expression to remain as cheerful as she could make it. “Oh, you must be new in town!” She glanced him up and down, and couldn’t quite hide the way her lips tried to curl in disgust. “Come into the back with me, I’ll get your sizes and everything so I can start on something for you.”

He raised an eyebrow at her. “When did I say I wanted to commission new clothes from you?”

“Oh, I just assumed. Because…” She made a vague motion to him and his current clothes, and then tipped her head to the side with a smile that was more passive-aggressive than true. “Well, you’re here, aren’t you? Is there any other reason you’d come to a fabrics shop?”

His annoyance faded just slightly, replaced by the barest traces of amusement.

She jutted her chin out, silently daring him to say something that would get them both thrown out of town. After all, the only way someone can sense magic is if they themselves are magic as well, and humans don’t care about honoring the wishes of even the most well-intentioned whistleblowers.

He held her gaze for just a few moments longer before sighing and giving a small shrug of his shoulders. He brought a hand up to steady the backpack slung there, beneath his cloak, making him look like he had a posture that even Quasimodo from Notre Dame would pity.

Quietly, she led him into a backroom. Her tape measures lay there, yes, but that wasn’t at all what she was aiming for.

The moment the door clicked closed, the sigil carved into the door and the wall were joined. A human might see the swirling designs and colorful shapes on her walls as a design choice. But, when she reached into her pocket for a couple of stray flowers and then pressed a hand to the design, channeling enough magic to make the soundproofing rune glimmer her signature deep red color, it became unmistakable. This was the house of a witch.

Not that the man was surprised.

His hand jerked towards the flower vase not that far away, but she knew the intricacies of her house's layout, and he stumbled over a rune. It was harmless, something that stuck his foot to the floor, but it was enough to trip him up regardless. He hissed a curse as his chin slammed against the ground.

She only paid him enough mind to purposefully step on one of his legs on the way to the vase. Her fingers looped around the stems delicately. Water dripped over the floor, but she didn't seem to care.

She almost looked pleasant like that, holding a small bouquet to her chest, smiling with so much ease it almost bled into him. It would look domestic, pretty, sweet…

If he didn't know that living things were extremely powerful channeling tools, and that she could use them to drain the life right out of him with a few simple words.

"Scared of a couple of flowers?" she teased.

She made no moves to stop him while he dispelled the rune binding him to the ground, nor when he pushed himself to his feet. She had the upper hand and she knew it.

Not that he cared to back down. He sneered at her. “Not really. But I can't say that I’m all too fond of the idea of fighting both of you at once.”

She laughed, but there was no real humor there. “Then don’t force me to fight you.”

He tipped his head to the side, seemingly considering it, before humming and stepping around her. Brown eyes scanned the place as he walked around her tiny little abode but, really, he was watching her. Trying to gauge her reactions.

“So,” he said in a light tone. “Where is your Item? Is it a book? Or a sewing needle? That sounds like something you’d do, you seem to like sewing quite a lot, if you chose that to be your job.”

He grabbed a nearby set of knitting needles suddenly, but she didn’t do much more than raise an eyebrow at him.

And then she snorted and started forward.

“You want to play that game, huh? I mean, if you want to find my Item, then surely I’m allowed to have a little looksie for yours as well, right?” Her grin turned sharp. Her heels clicked loudly on the floor with every step she took in his direction, getting louder and louder, faster and faster as she advanced on him. “It’s got to be on you, right? I mean, you wouldn’t leave it out for the werewolves to find, and you aren’t set up in any of the houses in town yet, so it’s got to be in your bag somewhere… I’m sure that, if I just up and grabbed it I’d have it, and I don’t think you’d want me to own you, now, would you?”

She stepped into his personal space, leaning in and smiling in a way that could only ever be described as creepy.

“Don’t start fights you can’t win,” she warned. And, for just a second, she didn't look like an innocent little seamstress. Blue eyes swirled with something Wild, as if nature itself was contained within her tiny frame. Held at bay, but only just.

He grinned and brought a hand up to tap her on the nose.

She opened her mouth to curse (either at him, or to simply curse him), but her voice quickly died in her throat.

A tiny flower poked itself out of his palm, the roots curling around his finger.

She jerked back.

“I don’t.”

(Next part)

[verymuchimmortalcat]

Because I’m genuinely curious and also procrastinating

[ellienettie]

Actress au where Marinette is actually an actress with (love interest of your choice) and they're a love team.

They've been acting since they were kids and started dating when they grew older, then got married. Since then they only accept movies where they fall in love and get married in the end so that "they can keep falling in love, in different ways" and "they can pretend that the movie is just another universe, where they're destined to be together too"

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

Can you Parkour Robin?

Meet Cute Monday 31

prequel to Needles and Riddles

@mochegato declared that Duke required more love so here's some more Dukenette.

For @deathbymeow as you're feeling poorly and helped proof read.

Masterlist

MCM Masterlist

………………….

Duke was determined to solve the riddle before him. He knew he could do it, he'd practiced this sort of thing before, he just needed to figure it out and soon. He'd not been part of the 'we are robins' movement that long, but solving the Riddler's problems was his speciality, but at the moment this one was causing him trouble and he was running out of time.

There was a loud crash followed by some shouts which broke his concentration as he realised that his time had run out and soon the place would soon be overrun with henchmen. He'd like to think he could take them, but with an unknown number, with unknown weapons, he'd currently rather escape with his life… this time… he might be a daredevil but he didn't have a death wish.

He was just climbing the window into the back alley when a henchman burst into the room he'd been in and shouted. A shot ricocheted past the window frame causing him to jump and fall onto the dirty wet ground. In slight panic he rushed up and started to weave through the obstacles and backways of Gothams alleys and streets knowing that he could hear henchmen chasing him thinking he was Robin. Which he was… in his own way.

Duke had been covering good ground despite the gloomy drizzle until he turned a corner and collided into a small body sending the pair careening into the damp cold ground with a loud 'eeeeeps' escaping the smaller body. His mind ran with worry since getting on the wrong side of street kids on top of henchmen was never a good idea.

Instead of looking over his shoulder for his pursuers, Duke chose to focus his attention on the person he was trapping with his body. Below him was not who he was expecting. Brilliant blue eyes, almost glowing in the evening light, peered up at him as he inelegantly scrambled off the person he'd pushed onto the wet floor. Duke blinked a few times to stop himself staring as he silently offered his hand to the petite teen he knocked over.

He'd recognise her anywhere given that he has a bad habit of having to catch himself from staring at her at school, but was a total surprise to see her in this part of town.

Her being Marinette, that is, the recent foreign exchange student who came across as painfully shy as she spoke her slow softly accented English. Some of his friends had worked on a few school projects with her as said despite her quiet demeanor she was wickedly smart and knew how to control a room, given the right environment, he on the other hand, had just awkwardly watched her trying to work out how to approach.

Cautiously she took his hand as he helped her out of the puddle he'd knocked her in before glancing over his shoulder as they heard pounding feet approach. Shifting his hand to hold hers more firmly, Duke took off pulling Marinette with him trying to find an escape. They had darted around a few corners before he was pulled abruptly in a new direction Marinette pulled him into yet another dimly lit alley.

"Can you parkour?" Marinette asked Duke urgently.

"What?!"

Of all the things to have as a conversation starter that from what he had thought was a meek french teen that was not what he expected.

"Can you parkour Robin??"

"Yeah, a little… why?"

"Do you think you can reach that fire escape?"

"Maybe? Not sure… why?"

"Fine, wait here!"

She slipped her hand out of his, which he instantly missed the warmth of, as she ran further down the alley, leapt onto a dumpster and then bounced across to the opposite wall to fly up onto the fire escape bringing the ladder down. Duke instantly followed over to her and scrambled up before helping her pull the ladder up.

Together they scrambled up the fire escape heading to the roof as henchmen entered the alley way. As silently as he could, Duke reached and pulled Marinette further into the shadows with him. Her hands lay sprayed across his chest as his heart pounded, he liked to say it was more due to the manic exertion he'd just used escaping not from the girl he currently held close to his body.

Henchmen flooded the alley hunting, quickly moving boxes and the dumpster to see if he was hiding before rushing off further into Gotham.

They stayed close, waiting quietly as the damp air turned into a drizzling rain in case the henchmen returned, luring them into a trap. While waiting Duke muttered the riddle to himself trying to figure out what the riddler was up to.

"Whoever makes it, tells it not. Whoever takes it, knows it not. Whoever knows it, wants it not. What is it?"

"Counterfeit Money?"

"What?"

"Counterfeit Money, right? The answer to your riddle right, Robin?"

Duke stared down at Marinette who blinked up at him with cosmic blue eyes. That, that made sense, meaning that the Riddler was planning an attack on Gotham's bank. He glanced back down into the alley way and freaked out at what he saw, Marinette's gasp drawing him from his vision as he grabbed her hand rushing her up further on to the roof.

He had managed to get the pair behind the old air conditioning unit when the explosion happened, shaking the building. Marinette grabbed hold of him tightly as they sheltered from the shrapnel that flew up from the alleyway.

"You… you knew that was going to happen!! You were looking down there and your eyemask seemed to glow and… and then… you saved me!!"

She took a shuddered breath as if refocusing, shaking her nerves away. The rain was picking up more as it started to trickle down their faces. Their hoodies were too wet to really protect them from the weather at this point.

"I couldn't let you get hurt. That's not what Robins do."

"I… thank you! Being on the fire escape would have been a death trap."

Marinette took a step closer and reached up. Standing on tiptoes she pressed a soft warm kiss to his cold damp cheek pausing there for a second before she withdrew and looked away bashfully.

"You're my hero Robin. Thank you!"

Coughing and hoping the dim light hid his heated ears as they flushed with a blush of awkward embarrassment.

"I… errr… yes! You're welcome Ma… Miss. Umm, we should probably get you home. It's not safe around here. Are you comfortable jumping a few roofs before we find another fire escape to get down. The one we used up is probably out of order now."

The smirk she gave him sent thrills down Duke's spine. There was none of her timid shyness he'd come to expect from her. There was a fire burning in her eyes making them seem to glow like his. Her aura had shifted to one of conviction and self assurance.

"You're asking if I can roof jump?"

"Well… umm… yes?"

Marinette let out a breathy laugh.

"I grew up in Paris. See if you can keep up boy wonder."

Before Duke had time to react, Marinette had launched her into a run and flew across the roof gap and landed on the roof the otherside. She turned round to him with the biggest grin he'd ever seen on the exchange student.

"Parkour for sport was founded in France. I've spent years doing this Birdie, come on now! We don't want to be caught."

Duke grinned back at her. He finally saw what his friends were talking about. He wanted to see it more, her happiness, despite the evening so far, was contagious. Her laughter was addictive. He took a running leap 'whooping' in joy as he landed next to her. The pair then in time ran towards the next and flew.

He'd solve the clue next time and deal with Riddler then, now his focus was to get Marinette home.

And to work out how to approach her at school. Seeing this side of her was more than enticing… Duke just needed to get over his awkward nerves.

[bunathebunny]

Kay so Batboys from most to least likely would drop their coffee to catch Marinette if she runs up at them:

Tim - baby boy would drop his coffee merely because while he is focused on his surrounding, Marinette is on the safe list and thus goes under his radar and when she jumps at him, poor Timmy is startled and thus drops his coffee which of course leads to a pouty boy as they cuddle

Jason - he's a sweet boy who has his own assholish moments but there is no way in hell he would let Marinette faceplant on the ground but Marinette still owes him coffee and hm maybe they can figure out how she can pay him back for it wink wink

Dick - hehe boi is he flexible and quick on his feet and sure he could catch her and save his coffee but in the times he is being a meanie, which happens more often than what the public believes, he would sidestep and when Marinette nearly faceplants, he comes in like a knight in shining armor and saves her from smashing her pretty face into the ground for a price of a kiss or two or three or... you know the gist ;))

Damian - bold of you to think Damian would drop his coffee because no he would never drop his coffee just because someone comes flying at him noo sire he would absolutely save his coffee while Marinette pouts on the ground but he would kiss her boo-boos and share the coffee that he saved *coughcough*indirect kisses*coughcough*

Duke - he doesn't usually drink coffee but even if he does he would not drop it to catch Marinette but instead he would perform some arcane feats that leave bystanders' jaws on the ground and catch Marinette while his coffee remains safe and sound :D truly the knight in (literal) shining armor

[purple-goo-writes]

Marinette: We should get married..

Duke: *chokes on coffee* We just meet?!

Marinette: Elope?

Duke: All I did was give you coffee!

[folk-ever-lore]

47 - Dukenette

“No one needs to know.”

First one for @zyrieen

***

“I- I-” she started, struggling with her words. How she hated disappointing others, and god this was going to devastated Duke. “I don’t think I can do this anymore.”

“This?” He asked carefully, trying to figure out what exactly she was on about before he jumped to conclusions. “What is ‘this’?”

“This,” his girlfriend laughed bitterly. “Us.”

“What?”

“I can’t do it anymore. I love you so much, I honestly do. But I can’t take all the secrecy anymore. You keep running off randomly throughout the day and, goddammit, it hurts.” 

She didn’t want to hurt him, but he’d hurt her so much. She couldn’t take the abandonment anymore. It’s not like he had the reasoning of being a superhero behind it like she did during her dreaded, past relationship with Luka. 

“I’m sorry,” Duke claimed, his feelings of regret clearly displayed all over his face. “I didn’t mean to make you feel like you were being abandoned. I’ll make it up to you. I promise.”

“What proof do I have for that?” Marinette inquired. She didn’t believe that he’d change his behaviour, didn’t believe that at all.

“I…” he started before trailing off cautiously.

“What is it? You know you can tell me anything.”

“I’m Signal. That’s why I’ve been running off all the time,” he confessed, anxious over his revelation. “Please don’t hate me.”

She laughed bitterly, “God. This is karma isn’t it. I used to be a superhero who had to run off all the time, abandoning my date; now I’ve got a superhero boyfriend he has to run off all the time.”

“You were a superhero?”

“Yep. Paris’s own Ladybug.”

“Damn. Really?”

“Really,” she confirmed for him. 

“That’s so awesome!”

“Nobody needs to know,” Marinette informed her boyfriend.

“About either of us?” He asked in return.

“Absolutely. What sort of a girlfriend would I be if I told the world my boyfriend’s secrets?”

“Not a very good one,” he chuckled. “Wait a minute. Do you really mean that? Yous still want to be my girlfriend?”

“Of course.”

[olivia-anderson-fanfic]

My my

Summary: I think we have a spy.

Her head spun on a swivel, jerking this way and that, searching for any hint of movement. She wasn’t going to be seen, she knew that, and if she was then it wouldn’t be that big of a deal because everyone that should know about this was a meta like her, and yet she couldn’t seem to relax.

Which was fair. After all, people like her had been turning up missing or dead for the past few months.

Hell, that was why she had shown up to this shady warehouse in the first place.

She eyed the building nervously. It wasn’t abandoned, that much was obvious. The roar of machines was almost deafening. It had probably been chosen because no one would be able to overhear their conversations.

Or they were being lured here to be murdered where no one would hear their screams.

She touched the mask on her face, checking that it wasn’t going to come off easily, and then – after a quick glance at her holopad to make sure she had gotten the address right – she slipped inside.

Machines whirred and steamed, heating up the air around her so much she started to wish she hadn’t opted for the varsity jacket. She ran her fingers over a pipe as she passed. Her fingers burned where she touched it. She didn’t mind.

She came upon The Door. She didn’t know it yet, but her life would be set upon a new path the moment she stepped through. This was the turning point. The moment where it all went wrong.

She didn’t know it yet, and yet… she bit her lip as she looked at it, quiet, hesitating. She could feel the weight of it all coming to rest on her shoulders, which she hiked up to her ears to try and bear it easier.

She… wasn’t sure she wanted to do this.

Hands in her jacket pockets, she pushed the door open with her side and stepped inside.

The room felt strange. Even if a normal person were there, they could have immediately pegged the fact that at least a few of the people in there were metas. Everyone was standing still, making idle chatter or scrolling through their holopads or eyeing up the other people in the room. It seemed calm. And, if there were only one of them, it would be. The way the air around them would shift around people like them was largely unnoticeable to any non-metas, but when there were this many of them? She could feel all of their auras slamming against each other, pushing, trying to earn their own space or hold the others at bay. Her own presence probably didn’t help.

Eight sets of eyes landed on her as the door slammed shut behind her. Or, at least, she was pretty sure of that, because some of the masks they were wearing hid their eyes. She could feel plenty of attention pressing down on her, though.

One stood in the middle of the room. He smiled at her. “That should be our last member,” he said, straightening to his full height. The man had already been taller than average, but now he almost towered over them all.

This effect was ruined by the fact that his outfit was atrocious, though. Santa Claus looking ass. Especially with the bit, white, fake beard he had opted for to hide his identity. Did he just have that on hand or did he go out actively looking for it? Which was worse?

He motioned for everyone to circle up in the middle of the room and, with varying degrees of reluctance, they all did so. The circle was a little wide, a little egg-shaped because she had opted to hang back some, but no one pointed this out. They, too, were eyeing the people next to them with obvious caution, clearly wondering whether they could get away with backing up as well.

“Now, I’m assuming we all know why we’re here,” the man in the center said, smiling brightly. He looked far too cheery for someone who was dealing with the fact that someone was targeting people like them. “Which means we should all get down to business, yeah?”

She raised her hand. “I want proof that everyone here is a meta.”

There was a murmur of assent.

The man raised an eyebrow at her. “Is the agreement to cloak our identities not enough?”

A tall boy wearing what appeared to be a mascot's head shook his head. By grabbing the cat-themed head and shaking it back and forth with his hands, as it was too big to do the motion normally. “No. What if they’re here?”

There was more assent. Louder this time. They were all risking at least some level of their anonymity by coming here, risking people seeing them and knowing. They deserved to know that everyone was safe, that everyone was like them, that no one would betray them.

The man sighed but nodded. He pressed a hand to his chest. “I’m – uh, I don’t know… Hawkmoth.”

There was a collective snicker, and all of the people in the room cast amused glances at each other, all of them wordlessly making fun of the man for his dumb choice of names.

Hawkmoth’s face reddened behind his Santa Claus-style beard and he was quick to try and distract them: “I can sense and manipulate emotions.”

His attempts proved successful. The smiles slid off their faces. The glances exchanged were now far warier.

“Uh, Mr. Hawkmoth, sir, aren’t you supposed to –,” a woman wearing what seemed to be a Party City dragon mask began to say.

And then she almost fell to her knees with the force of the fear that washed over her. She felt like she had been pushed under the waves. She couldn’t breathe, couldn’t do anything, could only hope to wait it out so she could swim up to the surface. But wave after wave crashed into her, buffeting her around, and she couldn’t breathe –.

The man walked closer, his smile gone.

Blue eyes peered down at her. Cold and scrutinizing.

“Your emotions are wrong,” he informed her. He knelt down to be close to eye level. She strangled the scream that rose in her throat. She needed to keep hold of that air. There was so little of it as it was. “Why is that?”

“Please,” she begged, tears forming in the corners of her eyes. She didn’t want to die. Not here. Hell, she was here because she didn’t want to die. Pleasepleaseplease –.

And then he let her go.

She threw her hands out in front of her to stop herself from instantly collapsing, but it was really only delaying the inevitable. Her arms trembled so much that she knew she would fall flat on her face soon enough. She was given a moment of silence to catch her breath. No one said a word, just watched on as she struggled to remember exactly how to inhale without coughing all of the air up halfway through.

“So?” the man prompted, and she could feel the beginning of it crawling back.

“Nowaitwait!” It slowed to a trickle, just barely prickling at her skin and making goosebumps rise on her arms. She swallowed thickly. “I just… it’s…” She took a shaky breath. “I can heal. I can heal myself. So I’m not as scared as I probably ‘should’ be. It’s hard to kill me, y’know?”

There was a beat as this was considered.

And then the fear washed away, leaving her sweating and panting on the floor. She hadn’t even realized she’d fallen the rest of the way.

“Your turn!” The man said brightly, his smile back in place. She wasn’t stupid enough to trust it, especially not after that stunt, but she nodded and decided to go along with it regardless. It wasn’t like she had any choice in the matter.

“I’m Ladybug…” she began, deciding to follow his example with the animal theme.

Hands still shaking, she pulled a plasma gun from her pocket. A small one, she could never fit one of the larger ones in her pockets, she wasn’t nearly rich enough to get a Capsule to shrink it… but a plasma gun, even a small one like this, was perfectly lethal regardless of the size. Every person in the room tensed, but she ignored them. She pressed a hand to the floor and then pointed her gun at it.

She took a deep, steadying breath. It did little to help the nerves eating away at her.

She pulled the trigger.

A tiny disk made of light sliced off her finger.

She didn’t even feel it. She stared at the blood spilling out of her, at the scorch mark on the floor and the blackened edges of her skin, at the finger that had been separated from her hand in a neat line that would have been impossible to see if she hadn’t flinched at the sound of the plasma gun fizzling out. Instead, her finger laid a half-inch from the rest of her hand.

She blinked once. Twice. It didn’t hurt. It would catch up to her, soon, though. The shock would wear off and she would start screaming.

Best if she didn’t let that happen.

She gritted her teeth and picked it up. Pressed it back to the wound. It wasn’t easy, the blood was trying to displace it. The skin at the edges was burned, blackened, and dead. They didn’t particularly want to mold to her will like they were supposed to, didn’t want to come back alive just for the sake of mitosis.

She forced her skin to heal around it. Her mouth went dry. There remained a tiny black band beneath her skin.

But it worked.

She looked up at him and used her newly attached finger to flip Hawkmoth the bird.

That earned a startled laugh from a guy wearing a bright yellow hoverbike helmet. At least he thought it was funny.

They continued going around the room without incident. People would list off their powers, and then give a short demonstration. There was someone who had an enhanced physique, someone with elemental control, teleportation, duplication, the ability to induce hallucinations…

It became abundantly clear as time went on that the only people present were the ones that were powerful enough to survive a direct attack.

No one wanted to wonder whether those were just the people that were confident enough to come to the meeting, or if this was all that was left.

And then… the second to last person, the one with the yellow motorbike helmet, stepped forward just slightly to greet them all:

“Hi! I’ll go by…” He gave a tiny shrug. “Uh. Cassandra.”

“... that’s a girl’s name,” someone pointed out. The one that duplicated themself. Poly, or something like that.

The boy gave another shrug. “It’s not like I’m going to be using the name for long.”

A chill crept into the room, and she wondered, idly, if Ryuuko was using her elemental powers to frost up the windows or something.

“I can see the future. It’s kinda hard to prove, but…” He cleared his throat nervously, his helmet tilting back as if he were looking skyward. “At least one of us will not be leaving here tonight.”

It went very still.

“We’re gonna die?!”

“Oh, you’d better be saying that one of us is sleeping here!”

“Shitshitshitshitshit –!”

“How far can you see into the future?” she asked.

A couple of people paused to send her Looks, their expressions a mix of pure disapproval and horror.

She gave an awkward little smile. At least most of the screaming had subsided, she had shocked it out of them.

Enough so that the last person, the boy with the cat head mask, could step up. Not literally, he stayed firmly in place, just barely leaning away from the circle, his hands in his hoodie pockets (probably clutching a weapon), with a kind of wariness that had only been proven correct by the apparent prophet’s prediction.

“Hi, I’m Chat Noir,” he said carefully. “I can do…”

He disappeared from view.

And that was when all hell broke loose.

Because there was a high whining sound and Hawkmoth’s eyes widened just before a hole tore itself through his torso.

Light flickered in the man’s eyes in the most literal sense before he crumpled in a heap.

It was silent for just a moment.

And then everyone leapt into action.

She stood among the chaos, her eyes wide as she stared at Hawkmoth’s prone form. Minute shivers ran up and down her spine. She knew she needed to move, but she didn’t. It wasn’t like a healer did too much good during a fight anyways.

As for everyone else… well, they weren’t faring too well, either. Fighting someone you couldn’t see was nigh impossible – and she suspected that was at least part of why Chat had gone for Hawkmoth, he couldn’t know if his ability to sense emotions would allow him to pinpoint him while he was invisible – and no one was particularly eager to try. They all just wanted to go. Rena Rouge disappeared in a puff of orange smoke. Pegasus dropped through a portal he created on the floor. Tigress was out the doors in seconds. Ryuuko used a blast of wind to jump onto a nearby machine in hopes of escaping that way. Polymouse split off into a bunch of avatars, allowing the real one to rush towards a nearby vent.

She took a hesitant step forward.

A hand reached out and locked around her wrist.

She looked up to find ‘Cassandra’. “Wha –?”

“You’re a healer, right?”

“How –?” She began, but he didn’t bother waiting for her to finish.

“Good. Come on,” he hissed, his expression impossible to see behind the visor of his helmet, and deciphering it was little more than a pipe dream, but she knew better than to disagree with someone this determined.

They used the fact that Chat Noir was, presumably, getting caught up dealing with Polymouse’s clones to escape, rushing out a nearby door. ‘Cassandra’ paused for just a second to pull a pipe free – the area it came from steamed and whistled in protest, a noxious-looking white gas spilling out – and then shoved it in front of the door to stop Chat from following them.

Marinette could only follow behind as he dragged her away. Out the door and into an alley.

It was here that she realized that, apparently, the helmet wasn’t for show.

She whistled lowly as he dragged her over to a hoverbike and started fumbling in his pockets for his keys. It was a nice model. Not new by any means, she could see quite a few scratches in the metal, but definitely tricked out.

He tugged at her arm insistently, and she grimaced before clambering on behind him.

Within seconds, they were gone.

They zipped about the city for a while. Aimless, it would seem. But, in reality, they were just trying to shake off an invisible tail.

Honestly, it was a little awkward. Neither of them could talk without screaming, everything else would be lost in the wind, so they simply went in silence. The only time the quiet was broken was so that she could relay her address to him, and that had taken all of two seconds.

He seemed kind of lost in thought, anyways, so she wasn’t sure whether he would have been the best conversation partner at the moment.

And, it really wasn’t that long of a trip to her house, so she didn’t mind too much.

He looked up at the location, and for a moment he was silent. And then he turned to look at her.

“You have an apartment?”

She gave a slight nod, not bothering to ask why he was so surprised. It wasn’t uncommon for people like them to be homeless, not when they were young. Whether because they got thrown out for being ‘freaks’ or because their parents tried to use them, they never seemed to last too long in their birth homes.

She wasn’t an exception.

“My dad was nice enough to adopt me.” Something soft crossed her face momentarily. “And my brother, but who cares about him?”

He gave a quiet laugh, but it sounded slightly forced.

She took that as her cue to slide off the bike.

She moved to walk into her apartment, to pretend that a large portion of this night hadn’t happened, but a hand clamped around her wrist again and she was forced to turn to look at him.

“I’ll contact you,” he told her.

She swallowed thickly. “Uh… okay, I’ll just give you my –.”

“I don’t need your number,” he said, waving her off absently. “Already have it.”

“How…?” She said, only to trail off when he tapped his finger to his head. “Right. Prophet.”

He nodded once. “I’ll call you later. It’s easier to deal with another meta if we all work together, right?”

“Of course, friendship is magic,” she deadpanned, rolling her eyes.

He gave a good-natured laugh. But it trailed off strangely, and she found herself shifting uncomfortably under his scrutiny.

His head tilted to the side just slightly. “You wanted to know how far into the future I can see.”

She nodded slightly, a blush rising to her cheeks as she looked at her feet. “I mean… yeah. I heard that the best way to get people to stop panicking was to shock them, so I decided to do something blatantly stupid. I don’t… like people being in distress. Makes me uncomfy.”

He hummed lightly, nodding his head in a way that seemed understanding.

“Do you still want to know?”

She gave a tiny, noncommittal shrug.

“As far as I want to. But, y’know, no matter what, my Vision always seems to stop sometime this year.”

She blinked at him. Did that mean…?

“You wouldn’t happen to know anything about that, would you?”

Marinette fought the urge to back up a step. She did, however, slide a hand into her pocket and grab her gun, her finger coming to rest over the trigger.

She didn’t care if trying to fight a prophet could only ever end terribly for her. From the tone of voice he was using, she suspected it wasn’t going to be something she could opt out of.

He chuckled a little, but it wasn’t nearly as warm as the other one had been. He lifted his hands in a mocking kind of surrender. “What? I’m not accusing you, I was just wondering if you could help. Y’know, with you being a healer and all.”

She glanced back, towards her apartment. And then turned back to him, their eyes meeting for just a second.

“Afraid I don’t know anything about healing metas’ powers. Not even sure if fixing malfunctions counts as healing.”

“Mm. Worth a shot, I guess.” He straightened again on his bike. “See you later.”

She nodded wordlessly.

She watched the pale blue glow of the bike disappear from sight, the colors still streaking in her vision a little, and then quietly head up into her apartment.

Her family wasn’t home, that much was obvious, so she didn’t bother calling out for them as she kicked her shoes off and headed into the living room. A couple of takeout boxes lay on the table, and she smiled as she picked up a box of fried rice. Her brother would be pissed once he realized she ate it all, therefore she would make sure to do so.

Her plan for the night set, she turned on the news and collapsed on the couch with her food.

Just over an hour later, the window slid open.

She didn’t even seem to notice as a person slipped inside, blood dripping down the front of his shirt, the fake fur of his mascot head matted.

And then the girl blinked once and looked over.

“Oh, Adrien, you’re back? Could you show yourself?”

There was a moment before he materialized out of thin air, his cheeks tinted pink as he tossed the cat head aside. “Sorry. Forgot.”

“It’s fine. How’d it go? The damn prophet made me leave, so I couldn’t help.”

He groaned a little, dropping onto the couch. “It’s fine. As long as he doesn’t know…” Marinette glanced away, but thankfully he was too tired to notice. He groaned again, louder this time, and stretched across her lap. “Whatever. Let me tell you, that Polymouse person is a bitch to fight. I’m not even sure if I actually killed her, or just her avatars...”

He continued to complain well into the night. She listened, her fingers just barely carding through his hair, her power just barely thrumming beneath her skin as she healed his bruises before they could fully form.

And the two of them were safe.

◎◎◎◎

A girl sat on a beam connecting two windows. The backpack she wore made her look even younger than she was, but even at the age of 16 no one would ever doubt that her family had enough money for her to work toward higher education. She was severely out of place in the dingy environment – her clothes were immaculately clean and her holopad was without cracks and her smile was just a little too bright for her to be anything other than a kept child. Her jacket was pooled around her, allowing her to bask in one of the few sunny days they will get this year. Her legs swung innocently as she typed away on the interface. The flowerpots on a balcony near her seemed to almost lean in her direction, as if she could provide them even more life than the sun would ever be able to.

She was the kind of person people just can’t seem to hate. The one who always seemed to know exactly what you need, when you need it. The person who can talk to anyone, who can immediately slip into a lighthearted banter with strangers that leaves them feeling warm and fuzzy inside hours later. The girl who loved life so much that it spilled over into everyone else, no matter how sad they are.

She was a liar.

◎◎◎◎

A boy trekked through the city, joining in on the foot traffic. He moved at a brisk pace. Not because he is in a hurry, but because that is what everyone else is doing. He had blond hair, green eyes, and a pleasant little smile gracing his features. His black sweater seemed to swamp him, leaving him looking thinner and smaller than he really was. His shadow stretched behind him, just a little too long, but no one ever looked at him long enough to see.

He was the kind of person that no one ever seemed to remember. The one who you swear you went to elementary school with, but his name never seemed to leave the tip of your tongue. The person who only ever seemed to be a face in the crowd. The boy who had his name misspelled in all of the yearbooks he was actually included in.

He, too, was a liar.

◎◎◎◎

An old man hobbled about a kitchen. His cane knocked on the wood with every step. The smell of garlic hung in the air. A tea kettle whistled for attention and he smiled as he slowly picked it up and set it on the table. Two screens hover near his head and, from time to time, he looked at them, watching the two people he lived with go about their days. And then he would go back to making dinner, back to tending to the steak he was frying up and the cookie dough that just didn’t seem to want to come together no matter how hard he tried.

He was the kind of person that seemed to radiate safety and love. The one who you run to for help when you notice someone following you. The person who always smiles at everyone, no matter how terrible they were to him. The old man who calls everyone sweetheart and honey and sweetie with that kind little smile that makes you relax instantly.

He, of course, was the biggest liar of them all.

◎◎◎◎

They were a family.

They were anything but.

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

Needles and Riddles

A re Meet Cute Monday 17

It's just about still Monday here. Not posted a MCM for a bit as finding time recently has been a bit illusive. It's not hiding behind the back of the sofa, I checked.

Masterlist

MCM Masterlist

………………………………………...

"Hey Duke, I always meant to ask, who made your 'we are robin' jacket?"

Dick was lounging on Duke's bed as he waited for Duke to find the hoodie he wanted to 'borrow'. There was a pile of rejected ones piling next to him, as Duke hunted further into his wardrobe.

"Needles."

Dick looked at Duke with a deadpan look.

"Ha ha smart guy. Yeah I could guess it was needles that helped put the material together. If you didn't know you could have just said. It's just that it's an amazing quality for a rogue teen cult, I was curious."

"Needles is her name, Doofus. Well code name. I have my suspicions of what her real name is but never got confirmation. At one point, I was convinced she was Fae with how closely she guarded her secrets and names. She seemed to believe in the power of a true name and actively avoided using them at all costs."

"Oh.. so.. was she Fae?"

Duke stopped hunting to look at his eldest brother who currently was absorbed in taking in the details of the jacket. Magic did exist, Meta's existed. The probability of Fae existing wasn't too far of a stretch of the imagination. Given all the Dick had seen it didn't surprise Duke that his brother would believe in them.

"No clue Dick. Like I said I had suspicions but no evidence."

"Hmmm," Dick ran his fingers across the inner stitching admiring the craftsmanship, "Do you still keep in contact with Needles? The intricacies are amazingly sewn."

"... Not directly but I can ask those who were in the Nest… it's unlikely that they'll know given how long it's been since we were at West Robinson High…"

Dick sharply looked at Duke, his eyes narrowed as he calculated the (hidden) information Duke gave him.

"She went to school with you?"

Almost unconsciously, Duke rubbed the woven thread bracelet that was tied to his wrist. Seeking comfort from the charm and luck it was meant to provide.

"That's where the Nest founders were from. It's where I went. We all were around the same age. Chances that she went there are high."

"And what's that on your wrist?"

"What's with the twenty questions?"

Duke stopped hunting for the hoodie to turn and face Dick. He looked at his brother suspiciously trying to work out what he really was after.

"Curiosity," Dick charmed back at him with his easy smile. He was still stroking Duke's jacket looking at it with a critical eye. "So, really what's with the bracelet?"

Duke rolled his eyes a Dick, "It's a good luck charm from an old friend. Thinking about high school brought memories of her up again."

"Her? Ooooo was she a past girlfriend?"

"What???? Diiiiick!!! No!! She wasn't my girlfriend. She was an exchange student who was a close friend. We lost contact due to," Duke waved his hand around his room, "and her exchange finished."

"You wanted her to be, didn't you?"

Duke elected to ignore Dick and focus on finding the 'specific' hoodie his brother was after. Dick prattled on in the background trying to pry further information out of Duke, who decided that Dick didn't need to know.

"Here! Is this the one?"

"Yes!! Awesome Duke. That's the exact one."

Dick jumped up and grabbed the hoodie and put it on smiling until he saw Duke putting the rejected pile away. Dick snatched the 'we are robin' jacket before Duke had a chance to collect it.

"Can I show the designer Bruce got us this? I want them to mimic the details on my suit."

Dick tried to put on his kitten face of 'innocence' pleading with Duke. Who in return sighed dragging a hand down his face.

"You're meant to be the adult you know. But fine. Sure. Whatever. Just saw you got it off eBay or something. Nothing that ties it to me. I don't fancy having Needles finding out someone ripped off her work and it was my fault."

Duke sighed gazing softly at the jacket as Dick fist pumped in excitement.

"Just… just make sure it comes back in one piece…. please"

__________

Duke slightly regrets not paying attention to Dick and the comment about the suits. He was apparently included in having a suit tailor made by the designer. So now here he was surrounded by his new family, who were completely crazy, waiting for the designer.

Dick was bouncing around, clutching his claimed jacket bursting with ideas. His eyes frequently glance up to the chandelier which was never a good sign.

Jason was focused on cleaning his gun. With what looked like a shirt he'd stolen from Bruce. That looked suspiciously like Bruce's current favourite one and given Jason's smug grin was a good chance it was.

Tim was nursing a coffee but had a gleam in his eye. The subtle tapping of his fingers showed his excitement towards the situation.

Cass and Steph were animatedly talking about something that Duke did care to work out. Steph's boisterous laugh echoing around the room with Cass's quiet chuckles set him on edge.

Damian, well, Damian was glaring at them all but with a proud expression as *he* was the one who found and identified the designer as the one they'd all heard amazing rumours about.

One look at Bruce, who was eyeing the decanter, summed up Duke's feelings. The decanter looked awfully tempting to deal with the impending disaster which was coming.

In the distance they could hear Alfred approaching the room with the designer, female based on the lilt of her voice. The room stilled like a pressure cooker about to explode as Alfred near silent steps followed clicks of heels approached the door.

"Master Bruce, young masters and mistresses, please let me introduce you to Ms Dupain-Cheng of Lucky Charm Designs. Ma'am, I'll leave you to work your magic as I go and collect some refreshments."

Alfred's eyes twinkled at the comment as he left the room.

Duke froze.

He stared at the designer in front of him as she took in the occupants of the room. Duke could see her talking to Bruce but the white noise ringing in his head blocked the words out. His brother's had started to move to greet her and obviously engage in conversation given the tilt of her head and small smile she wore.

Duke automatically touched his woven thread bracelet again to ground himself from the flood of memories that surged into his mind. Historic feelings reappearing from the depths of time.

"And the final suit will be for my final son, Duke."

The soft familiar gasp was like a blaring siren which brought Duke out his mind.

"Riddles?"

"Uhh, Hey Nets. It's been a while…. Suppose I never really got round to showing you to see my new digs did I?"

"Not really Riddles… it's nice to see you again... Being back in Gotham reminds me of the chaos we got up to… oh! You kept that?"

Tilting her head she stared at the bracelet he was still playing with in surprise. An unreadable expression crossed her face as she walked closer to him.

"Yeah… It's my lucky charm. Like you said. Nothing seriously bad has happened when I have this on."

Duke could feel his family staring at him as Marinette glided over to him. When she was an arm's length away he grabbed and pulled her into a bear-like hug, ignoring the rest of the room. She responded instantly and melted into him, whispering words into his chest that not even he could make out. Duke rested his cheek on the top of her head.

She'd definitely had a growth spurt now, far taller than she was all those years ago, but now, even in heels she was shorter than him.

He mumbled into her hair, taking in the smell of her shampoo and perfume, "missed you." He felt more than heard her reply agreeing with his statement. She held him tighter as if he'd disappear… again.

It was Bruce's awkward cough that cut their reunion short. Duke shot a glare over his friend's head. Reluctantly Duke let go of Marinette, who took a moment to straighten her clothes as she collected herself out. Subtly wiping her eyes she turned to face the room, just as Alfred reappeared with refreshments.

"I, uhm, I apologise for my unprofessional behaviour. Seeing Riddles here threw me. Shall we sit and get back to our consultation."

Marinette smiled at everyone as she grabbed Duke's hand, squeezing, seeking silent reassurance, and led him to sit next to her on the sofa. Duke draped his arm over the top so that though not hugging was as physically close as he could be without actually holding her close to him.

Duke beamed as Marinette controlled the room. Letting the new warm energy flow over them. Seeing her command the conversation, being in her element as she talked designs always made him smile. He recalled the first time he witnessed the painfully shy awkward exchange student transform into a commanding figure. He loved trying to figure out how to get her to do it again, unlayering the mysteries she held. She was awe inspiring when she took charge. Seeing it again he was filled with the same long lost feelings of admiration, growing desire, and feeling of home.

"Is that a 'we are robin' jacket? I… I thought all of those were lost or destroyed…"

Duke saw Dick tense as Marinette gently took the jacket from his hands. Stroking the fabric as if in reverence. Dick glanced at Duke as if waiting to take his lead.

"I… err… I bought it off eBay. How do you know it's a 'We are Robin' jacket?"

Marinette eyes darted over to Duke as if an impossible conversation was happening. It didn't go unnoticed by his family, before she looked down at the jacket again.

"I… I recognise it as they were big when I was on Gotham last time. This.. this particular Robin saved me.. a number of times. I could never forget him. I'd recognise this jacket anywhere."

Marinette held a soft smile on her face as she traced the needle work and embroidery. Seemingly lost in her own memories to everyone but Duke. She peeked up at Dick again who was studying her reactions to Duke's jacket. It was another unexpected turn of events.

"I can incorporate details like these made on the jacket into your suit Mr Grayson. It won't be the same but I can take elements and style and incorporate them into something suitable for the gala. If that's what you want?"

Dick stopped analysing the designer and grinned in excitement.

"Yes!! You can!! Yes please!!"

"Ok then. I'll just make some notes on that. If that's all, I think I have everything I need for my first drafts. Like I said earlier, I can get you outlines sorted within the next fortnight and we can then move on from there."

Gracefully she started to pack her items away. Duke, mourning the impending departure of his friend, shot a look at Bruce.

"If that's all, I'll leave you for the rest of your day. If you have any further queries, you have my contact details and I'll get back to you as soon as I'm able to."

Marinette went to stand before Bruce interrupted.

"Are you busy this afternoon Ms Dupain-Cheng?"

"What?!"

She gave a startled look at Bruce trying to figure out what he was after. Duke and his siblings all face palmed and Bruce's ineloquent expression.

"Apologies, what I meant was if you were free, would you like to join us for lunch and then spend some time catching up with Duke? Seeing you interact suggests that you both are very close and it's been a while since you've seen each other."

The pair side eyed each other as their embarrassment grew.

"Ummm, I'm free Mr Wayne, but I don't want to intrude, plus," she glanced at Duke, "do you not think that you should ask Riddles first as well. As far are you're aware he has no plans does not mean he doesn't have plans already? It's a bit rude to be so presumptuous."

The laughter that exploded out of Jason and Steph distracted everyone. Their chortles echoed around the room with mirth as Bruce looked slightly mortified by the assessment of his suggestion before turning his pointed gaze towards his chaotic children causing a scene.

Using the distraction, Duke leant closer to Marinette and whispered in her ear.

"I'm free. Fancy skipping lunch here and head to our old haunt Needles. I've some new riddles to test out on you."

The mischievous smirk and subtle nod was all he needed for confirmation. Grabbing her hand, he sneakily guided her to the door as Bruce berated Steph and Jason and the others got involved in the argument. Alfred gave them a knowing smile as they crept out into the hall.

"I shall inform them of your regards and departure when they settle down again. Master Duke, enjoy your lunch out as well as be a gentleman and ensure that Ms Dupain-Cheng makes it back to her hotel later please."

A shouted, "will do Alfred!" was heard as the two ran out the Manor wearing manic smiles, hands still clasped together.

Shaking his head at their childlike energy and antics, Alfred turned to deal with the impending carnage that was now to come.

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

Falling like the leaves

Rare pair October Meet Cute (not on a) Monday 21

Inspired by this post and made it fit. Though which pairing took a while to decide as love them all.

Masterlist

MCM Masterlist

@maribat-october-rarepairs

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

"Stop showing off Dick! We get it you can jump. Big deal you can somersault, we all can do that."

Jason tossed Dick off as he lounged on the picnic blanket at the park with his siblings. Damian was throwing a ball for Titus, Tim skateboarding as he had the freedom. Cass rested her head on Jason's shoulder observing Duke face gain more and more worry as Steph kept talking about something.

"*Gasp* Oh like you can do any better!"

Dick placed a hand against his chest in fake horror and hurt, causing Jason to roll his eyes at the man.

"We all could!"

Steph's eyes gained a devil like grin as she semi listened to Dick and Jason.

"Competition time!!"

She rubbed her hands together in glee and Cass smirked at her. Duke stared her in horror as realisation hit him of what she was going to get them to do.

"Can I judge? Like, we're in public you realise??"

"No can do light boy! Family competition, if anyone's to judge it's me. TIM!! DAMIAN!!! GET YOUR BUTTS HERE!!"

After a quick scuffle, the rules were laid and bets exchanged. Collective voting was to be incorporated, loser of each round would be eliminated and sit out the rest of the competition. Strategic voters would be disqualified. With the drama all set, the choatic collective started their warm ups.

They twisted and somersaulted showing off 'most' of their finest moves, saving their best for the what they hoped was the final.

As the rounds dwindled like autumn leaves falling to the fall until it was surprisingly Duke, Cass and Dick left. Insults and encouragement were shouted as the trio launched themselves into their tricks.

Caught up in their competition and twists Duke didn't realise he'd headed towards the path. Out the corner of his eye he caught sight of someone walking past unaware of their surroundings. Or well, the somersaulting carnage that was in progress. Duke corrected his flips to bypass the woman and finished his stunt only to find himself completely dizzy and off balance as he righted himself.

Duke stepped to move back towards 'their stage' only to find himself careening into the woman, who had yet to look up from her phone, and crashed the pair of them onto the floor.

"aaaaand DUKE IS OUT!!!"

Steph's voice carried over to the collapsed pair. After all the twists and jumps like leaves dancing in the wind, Duke had ended up like a crumpled fallen leaf on the ground. All the grace had left him.

"Shit! S-sorry about knocking you over. You ok?!"

Blue eyes blink up into his brown ones, before a frown graces the heart shaped face. Duke tried to carefully untangle himself as the dizziness fades. He ended decided rolling over and sitting was the best option.

"Slightly winded and surprised, but are you ok? You came from nowhere and collapsed."

The woman sat up but remained sitting next to him, her hand hovering near as if worried he would collapse again.

"I'm good. Just lost a somersault competition but I'm fine. Honest. I fell due to dizziness that's all."

She sent him a wry smile at the comment.

"You could blame that the ground has it in for you and caused the mishap. Happens to me all the time. Gravity has it out for me. Soaring in the sky is much safer."

Duke stared at the dark haired woman before him. Her comment though innocent felt like it held more meaning than surface level implied. She smiled sheepishly at him before her phoned buzzed drawing her attention else where. A sigh escaped her lips as she quickly typed a response.

"Excuse me, I do need to go," she looked almost sheepishly up at him again, "ummm, do you know which direction Gotham Library is from here? I was following my map but I got lost in this park."

Duke glanced at his siblings who were celebrating Cass's win. Dick ungracefully and dramatically bemoaning his lose. Steph cackling with Jason who was spinning Cass round. Damian completely focused on Titus, deliberately ignoring their antics.

"Errr, I can show if you like. It's not far."

Her eyes peered as if reading his soul before her whole body lit up in delight, unnoticed anxiety seeping away as her demeanor lightened at his comment.

"Could you?"

Again peering over to the chaos he was about to leave to, seeing Steph giving him kissy faces and Dick looked overly excited. Duke nodded and carefully stood up. His head wasn't spinning anymore and offered his companion his hand.

"Definitely! Anything to escape my family at the moment. I'm Duke."

Taking his hand, "Marinette, and thank you. You're a god send." She joined him in standing.

With a quick check back at the Wayne clan and a shake of his head, Duke turned his attention to Marinette. Quickly placing her hand in the crook of his elbow, he guided her away from the park, his family and towards the library.

"So, with the accent I'm guessing you're not from around here. What brings you to Gotham?"

"Architecture."

"Architecture?"

A quick peek up and a gentle smile Marinette looked up at Duke before launching into rambles about Gotham as they walked towards her destination.

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

Umbrella Hero

Meet Cute Monday 20

Masterlist

MCM Masterlist

I fell into a trap... Again @boldlyanxious (minimal editing so sorry for typos etc!)

Rare pair again @maribat-october-rarepairs

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

Duke huddled under his umbrella as he waited outside the coffee shop waiting for Tim to collect their drinks. He seriously regretted not joining him inside out of the damp, dreary weather. He thought he'd be used to it being from Gotham but the London weather felt different. Why the Bats couldn't just call Constantine or get him to visit he didn't know. He'd much prefer the trip if the weather didn't suck.

As the rain continued and the puddles on the road and pavement grew, Duke huddled in his coat watching the pedestrians rush about. He mentally cursed Tim for taking so long so they could get going and be out of the weather properly. Glaring out at the rain as if it would stop the downpour Duke caught sight of a bundle of pink scurrying his way.

Surprising him, his powers tripped off at the sight of her, future echos danced across his vision and he took action. As she entered within reach, Duke caught her arm to glide her further away from the edge of the pavement and dropped his umbrella down. Seconds later a bus drove past showering the pavement in dirty road puddle water.

The woman in pink blinked up at Duke as he re-raised his umbrella to shelter the pair from the sky. Her startled expression softened as she gazed up at him.

"... Merci… oh… umm… thank you…"

Scratching the back of his neck, Duke awkwardly smiled.

"You're welcome. In this weather you don't need anything else to add to being drenched."

A warm smile graced her face at that comment as she finally processed what had happened.

"Oui! Yes, I'd rather not catch a cold. Thank you, you definitely saved me there."

Duke opened his mouth to respond when loud banging from the coffee house glass window caught the pair's attention. Groaning Duke looked to see Tim grinning in delight and over exaggerated actions pointing to the coffee collection he'd set up at the table.

Muffled giggles escaped the pinkettes mouth as Duke glared at his brother.

"I guess you know that man?"

"Sadly, I do. I didn't expect him to get 'drink in's' otherwise I'd have waited inside rather than out here."

"Well, I'm glad you didn't know as you'd never have saved me and I'd have ended up drowning in puddle water."

"What?! Oh! No! Sorry, I didn't mean it like that."

Duke looked panicky at the woman, worried he'd offended her. He really was glad he was able to help. He just would rather be somewhere dry and we'll warm as well. Gently touching his arm she smiled drawing Duke out of a panic.

"S'Ok Monsieur. I understand. Shall we go inside. Your friend is waiting and I need something warm and to work out the driest route before I brave the elements some more."

She offered him her arm with a mischievous grin.

"I'm Marinette by the way... Did you fancy joining me for a drink, if you don't want to be with your friend?"

"Duke," he looked at Tim who was downing the large coffee cups like shots much to his horror, before looking back down at Marinette as they entered the warm dry building, "and yeah, would love to."

"Perfect. I'd love to get to know my umbrella hero."

[bunathebunny]

Thinking about Duke being a human glow stick and snacking in the kitchen with the lights off and Marinette entering the kitchen at midnight.

[bunathebunny]

I know I posted something about Marinette calling Duke "sunshine" but like what about Marinette calling Duke "glow-stick" after that one time she discovered that Duke glows in the dark?

[bunathebunny]

Marinette probably calls Duke "Sunshine".

That's it. That's the post.

Thanks for coming to my TED-Talk.