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lily-drake · 1 year

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It’s a Learned Trait

This is my Secret Santa gift to Night_ngale on Ao3! This story is inspired by this photo by @mumblesplash on Tumblr (yes I got permission, and thank you for it!):

For Night_ngale on Ao3:

Marinette had been having a wonderful day with her parents in Gotham, New Jersey. Her parents had just finished a catering job there and today they had decided to go sightseeing to all of the tourist attractions. They had taken her to the zoo, to the aquarium, to the museum, and now they were heading to a bo-ton-tanicel-al…. botanical garden! Both of her parents were holding her hands and smiling brightly at her as they walked the busy streets. It was such a nice day, absolutely nothing could ruin it for her!

Then an explosion happened, and there was running, and a ringing noise in her ears that just wouldn’t stop, and everything was moving too fast.

Screams filled the air along with scary high pitched giggling that sent shivers running through her spine. She clutched tightly to the pair of hands that held onto both of her’s just as tightly, if not tighter, as they fled the crowded streets. Then they could feel the cool shadow of something big that was coming from up high. She looked up and felt herself freeze up as a massive piece of concrete broke off of the building they were under and fell faster and faster and faster exactly where she and her parents stood. She tried to move, she tried to get herself to run away from the danger that she knew even at her age meant that she would no longer be able to wander the Earth; but she couldn’t. The people kept shoving past her and her parents, keeping them in place as everyone pushed and shoved to get far, far away from the ensuing chaos. The crowd was too thick, the screams were too loud, the rubble was too fast. The next thing she knew was two pairs of different sized hands shoved her forward away from the massive pieces of falling debris that was right above them. She turned to look behind her to see her parents' horrified expressions as they too stared up at the ginormous piece of concrete that was hurtling towards them and so many more people. People kept almost stepping on her and crowding her vision of her parents and they moved before she could blink.

Before she could even process what happened next, someone had picked her up and moved her away before quickly covering her eyes. A few seconds later a loud crash was heard and the ground shook so hard she would have fallen over if the person hadn’t been keeping her upright. Once the shaking was over the person that had rescued her picked her up, holding tightly onto her as they moved their hand up and the sound of something being shot through the air sounded just above her.

“It’s ok, I’ve gotcha.”

Said a deep gruff voice, though she could barely hear it as the cold wind whipped past her ears biting at her skin. Her knee length pink dress hugged her legs as her brain refused to function and process the events that had just occurred. She felt her feet touch solid ground, but her legs didn’t seem to want to hold her as her brain continued to stay offline. She couldn’t think, couldn’t comprehend, and would the ringing in her ears just stop! Where were her mama and papa?! What happened to them?!

It sounded like someone was trying to talk to her, but she was underwater and she couldn’t hear a thing, she couldn’t even see what was in front of her clearly. Her entire body felt like it was weighted down, the pressure slowly crushing her. She couldn’t even think, her brain was just too quiet and the ringing was too loud! There was too much, too much noise, too much quiet, too much information yet not enough at all! She kept going down deeper with nothing to ground her fleeting thoughts until she felt something heavy being placed around her shoulders. Her eyes slowly began to register her surroundings and, after who knew how long, she was met with deep light teal eyes that were filled with worry. Their face was obscured by a red mask, but she could still make out most of his features. He had dark black hair with a white streak in it. She didn’t know why this was important, all she knew was that she had to keep looking at him. It was like if she looked away from him then everything would get all fuzzy again and she wouldn’t be able to think, and the ringing would take over her again even though it was still there! Why can’t it stop, just make it stop, she wanted her mama and papa! Where were they?!

“Hey, things will be ok.”

The masked man gently stated. He kept eye contact with her, watching her to make sure she didn’t start to hyperventilate and that she wouldn’t go into shock. He carefully pulled the jacket around her full body, carefully pulling her limp and dysfunctional arms into the jacket’s large sleeves. He gave her a small reassuring smile while smoothing out the sleeves on the jacket, pressing the warmth of it onto her. “Can you hold onto this for me? I’ll be right back, ok?”

She simply nodded her head and held onto the jacket tightly like it was a lifeline. He slowly grabbed a helmet that was on the ground near his legs and put it on. “Don’t move ok, you’re safe now.”

He looked back at her then ran and jumped off…., oh, she was on a roof. When did she get on a roof? She hadn’t noticed. She stood completely still, her mind causing the cacophony of noises to fade in and out. She could hear screams and bangs, then nothing. She could hear fighting and laughter, then the ringing came back. The sounds often came close to the roof she was on; the fear of it made her legs so weak she eventually collapsed onto her knees as she clutched the jacket tighter than before. Eventually her brain finally seemed to grasp the reality around her causing tears to start falling down her cheeks and sobs escaped her lips. Her parents were dead, she was rescued, but th-they’re d-de-dead!

Sobs wracked her small frame as the noises continued on for she doesn’t even know how long. Every time there was a noise louder than the rest she pulled the jacket even tighter around her small body expecting the worst. She wanted to escape, she wanted to hug her parents, she just wanted to go back home to Paris. She wanted to go back to the bakery and eat the desserts her parents made, see Nino and Kim and play games with them, she wanted to go to the pretty gardens at the park and lay with the flowers.

They were supposed to be happy, they were happy when they saw the pretty fishies, they were happy when they saw the amazing artifacts in the museum, papa had held her on his shoulders so she could see the giraffes better when they had taken her to the zoo. Everything had been so perfect, why did everything change so fast? Why did her mama and papa have to leave her like this? Why was there no rain when such a terrible tragedy had just occurred like in the movies?

There was a soft thump that made her wrap the jacket even tighter, if that was even possible. She didn’t want to get hurt, she just wanted her parents back. “Hey, thanks for holding onto that for me.”

The man from before said. She looked up, her eyes watery, making his figure blurry. She saw him take off the helmet and set it down. He looked sad and remorseful as he slowly sat next to her, but never reached out to touch her, instead remaining a comfortable presence. “You from here?”

She slowly shook her head no. “P-Paris.”

Her voice was cracked and broken. Her parents had her study English with her French studies because of all of the tourists that came by. Not to mention Mama said that if she wanted to be famous then she had to know English. How would she get back to Paris? Who would take her? How was she supposed to survive without her mama and papa?! She couldn’t, she needed them, now they’re gone and she’ll die here because she has nothing without them.

“Paris is a nice place. Have any friends there?”

She nodded again, the movement causing the drops on her cheek to drip onto the ground. He stayed silent, waiting to see if she would do or say anything further. She was glad he let her take her time, she was tired and her brain was still too loud and fuzzy to really understand his questions immediately. Dejectedly she replied, “N-Nino and K-Kim are my friends. Th-they stand up t-to Chloe f-for me. Everyo-one else is too scared of her an-and her daddy.”

He reached out to touch her, but quickly pulled back. He wanted to comfort the small child, but he wasn’t sure how she would respond if he touched her. She looked so small curled up in his jacket, it would have been cute if it weren’t for the circumstances that led to the scene in front of him. “Sounds like you’ve got some good people lookin’ out for ya.”

He said, trying to sound reassuring. She gave a small smile and nodded, “Y-yea.”

“Why don’t we go somewhere safe. I know someone who will take care of ya for a bit, okay?” Red Hood asked carefully. She nodded again and was about to take her arms out of the sleeves of the warm jacket, but before she could fully take it off the man stopped her. “Keep it, I’ve got a lot of others back home, and this is gonna keep you safe, ok?”

She nodded slowly, letting him adjust and zip it up so the warmth that still lingered in it was all around her. He slowly stood up, projecting his movements so as to not scare her before he extended his hand for her to take. She looked at it hesitantly, slowly reaching out and taking hold of his hand as she wiped her cheeks with the sleeve of her free arm. Her hand was so small that when he closed his her entire hand was encompassed by his own. He gently pulled her back onto her feet making sure she was stable before letting go. “Hop on my back and hold on tight, ‘kay?”

He said softly–just like her mom used to when she was hurt–crouching down with his back facing her so she could climb on. With a brief moment of hesitation, because what if this was a trap like Mama and Papa had warned her about, she carefully climbed onto his back and wrapped her arms around his neck and gripped onto his shirt. It was a bit hard as there seemed to be something hard sewn into parts of it, but it was okay. He slowly got up and made sure her legs were wrapped tightly around his torso so she wouldn't slip or fall off. When he was sure she was secure, he grabbed something from one of his pockets, angled it. There was a loud bang, like the one she had heard when he had first grabbed her, though that memory felt like it was from so many years ago, that startled her accompanied by a whiz as it shot into the air. He pulled on the device he was using to make sure it was taught and secure, then he ran and jumped off the building.

Marinette screamed in fear and buried her face into his shoulder, holding him even tighter than before. She kept her eyes shut, feeling out the rhythm of run, jump, fall, swing. Eventually she started to feel a little more comfortable swinging through the air, that was until they started to fall again. She screamed again louder than the time before and heard the noise of the man’s device again before she felt the taut jolt that signified they were soaring through the air once more. Slowly, she tilted her head up and saw how amazing the city looked with all of its shining lights so high up in the sky with the setting sun sinking behind the tall buildings. Wasn’t it just past 13:00 though? She had just eaten lunch with her mama and papa; hadn’t she…?

Suddenly the lights weren’t as amazing as they were before, they were dull and full of sorrow and loss. She didn’t want to look down just in case she saw them, they wouldn’t look the same. She didn’t want to look down because then she might fall, and she didn’t want to fall. Heights have always been scary. She held onto the man tighter, scared that if she loosened her grip even the smallest amount, she’d fall.

They continued on in that fashion for a few minutes when the man with the red helmet set her down on a balcony. It was plain with a swirled black metal guard. The roof was bland and lifeless with nothing decorating it other than the fence, she didn’t like it. “I’ve got a friend here. He’ll watch over you for a while, okay?” She nodded slowly, unsure of whether she should be relieved someone would take her in or scared that this was all some sort of trap. She watched and listened as the man climbed down a fire escape and began to tap on a window.

Tap

…

Tap tap

…..

Tap tap tap

Then he stepped back and waited. Another man with red hair opened the window with a small smile, “What’s up Hood?” He asked in a casual voice.

“I need you to watch someone for me.”

The red-haired man raised a brow.

“Her parents didn’t make it in the last battle with Joker. Lots of debris, and I don’t feel like having serial-adopter-bats see her.”

“Makes sense. Where are they?” The other man asked with a small nod, looking around the escape. The man in the helmet held up one finger and climbed back up to her.

“Can you come with me please?”

Marinette gulped, unsure of what she should do. But the man has been really nice to her so far, and he’s even letting her keep his jacket. Slowly she reached out and took his offered hand, letting him help her down the fire escape to the window.

“Hey,”

The other man said in a soft tone,

“What's your name?”

She looked down, anxiously twirling her foot from side to side. “M-Marinette.” She replied quietly, voice strained.

“That’s a nice name, how old are you?” His voice was soft and gentle and it made her feel a little more at ease.

“Nine.”

“Wow, you’re pretty old, huh? I’m Roy, do you want to come in and eat something? I just finished making some sandwiches.” She looked back at the man that had brought her here and saw him give her a small nod. She nodded back and shyly followed the red haired man into the apartment building. “Do you want some water?”

She nodded again, standing near the island counter. She looked back at the window where the man in the helmet had been only seconds before, only to see that he was no longer there. The man nodded and quickly got a cup from a cupboard and filled it with some tap water before placing it on the counter near her with a small plate that held what looked like BLT. “I have a roommate, he should come by soon. Just as a heads up, ok?”

She nodded, carefully climbing up to the barstool and sat down. Marinette looked at the sandwich and started picking at it. She really wasn’t that hungry, but it would be rude to not accept her host's hospitality. Her mama had taught her the importance of respecting people that were trying to help her, especially when she was at her friend’s home. Tears she thought she had run out of started to resurface as she thought of her mama. She sniffled and wiped her eyes before more could escape.

Roy looked at her worriedly. From what he had read from the text Jason had sent him, her parents were caught by falling debris from one of Joker’s bombs that the bats hadn’t been able to dismantle in time. He had been able to pull her away, but her parents along with a bunch of other civilians weren’t able to make it out of the way in time. Jason said that he had managed to cover her eyes and take her away before she could see anything, but he knew that wouldn’t be enough to stop any type of trauma from forming.

The girl was so small, he could only imagine what must be going through her mind. Not to mention she was only visiting from Paris, she wasn’t even from Gotham. Apparently her parents were catering for one of Bruce’s events, and that was the only reason they had even traveled here in the first place.

“Hey, do you want to watch a movie? I’m sure we could find something you’d like.” She didn’t respond right away as she processed what he had asked. It didn’t matter though, he’d give her all the time she needed.

“R-Ratatouille?” Was her small reply. A smile graced his lips, as he asked,

“Is that your favorite Disney movie?” She shrunk in on herself and nodded with a small,

“Mhm.”

“That’s a great movie, let me ask Jason to pick it up when he comes back. He should be here soon anyways.”

“Okay.”

Her voice was so quiet, but he could hear the joy in her voice. He quickly texted Jason to pick up the movie when he was done debriefing with The Bats and started to make another sandwich since she was eating his, not that he minded of course.

• • •

Jason walks in with a bag full of gummy candy, popcorn, a box of different flavored macaroons, and one Disney movie in its unopened case and plastic wrapping. He was thankful to see that the small girl was sitting at the counter drawing. He wouldn’t know what to do if she were still crying. “Hey, heard we’re takin’ care of another kid? I bet Lian will be happy to have a new friend when she comes back from her sleepover.”

He called out into the apartment as if he had no idea what had happened only a few hours before. The little girl startled from her seat, quickly turning to look at him with her large bluebell eyes. He really needed to keep her away from Bruce, she was perfect Wayne material and he refused for her to be tainted by him and the rest of his adopted child army.

“Yea, Red Hood dropped her off due to….” He glanced at the girl sympathetically, “The incident that happened earlier.”

Marinette shifted uncomfortably and went back to drawing with a furrowed brow. There was a heavy silence that filled the room until Jason said, “Well, I bought a bunch of snacks and was told to buy a movie, so….”

Marinette looked up again and hopped off the chair nearly tripping. She quickly stood up embarrassed as both boys stared at her in worry.

“You okay Marinette?” Roy asked carefully, walking towards her. Her cheeks turned a slight red as she nodded.

“Y-yes, sorry. I’m really clumsy.” Her voice held a French accent that only made the little girl even more adorable. Jason gave her a wide smile and gently handed her the plastic grocery bag.

“Here you go.”

She carefully took the bag with a small, “Thank you”, and started to look through it. Her eyes shined with childlike glee at the macaroons and they shined even brighter when she pulled out the blue-ray disk. She quickly ran over to Roy and showed him the movie asking if he could put it into whatever he uses.

It was interesting to see Roy smile and ruffle her hair. He looked calm and happy, used to the role of caretaker. Gently he took the disk, removed the plastic before opening it up, and walked over to the TV in the main room next to the kitchen and popped the disk in.

“Hey, I’ll go grab some blankets. Do you want to take your shoes off Marinette?” He asked gently as he moved toward the linen closet. She nodded and slipped them off with a slightly flushed face. She watched as Roy sunk down on the couch where he patted at one of the seats. Cautiously she walked toward the coach sitting in a rocking chair a few feet away from Roy. You could never be too cautious, at least that’s what her mama used to say. “Used to”, that felt wrong.

When Jason walked back into the room he watched as the small girl hugged her legs close to her chest, face hidden behind her arms. It was a heartbreaking sight, a sight that felt familiar as it pulled against his heartstrings as he remembered doing the same thing around the same age.

“Thanks Jaybird.” Roy whispered as he took the blankets from his hands. He hadn’t even noticed that he was approaching. He was out of it today, and not in a good way. The opening narration of Remmy the Rat began to play through the speakers as Roy slowly and carefully wrapped a weighted blanket around the young girl's shoulders. He watched as Roy talked to her quietly for a few moments, never initiating touch, waiting to see what she would say or do. It was always interesting to watch Roy act like a father as he treated his kid far differently than either of his dads had treated him. After a few minutes Roy stepped away, back to his spot on the couch not saying another word as the young girl collected herself before looking up to watch the movie with tear soaked cheeks that stabbed at Jason’s heart.

• • •

It was around the middle of the movie that little Mari fell asleep. She had slowly begun to relax as the movie progressed until she had blinked a few times very slowly, then her eyes fell and stayed shut. She was emotionally exhausted from the day and had simply passed out, poor kid.

Jason watched the kid, but not in a weird way. He was worried, and he didn’t know what to do. The kid was stuck here, despite the fact that she’s not a citizen, and from what little information he could find with little time at his disposal, he couldn’t find any family that could take her now that she was an orphan. Jason wondered if this was how Bruce felt when he had met all of them before he decided to make them his little band of misfit toys. He often felt this way when he saw Lian, but it was never as strong of an emotion as he felt now for this child he had only met a few hours ago.

“You look constipated; which means you’re trying a failing to show some form of deep emotion. So spit it out, what’s going on in that thick skull of yours?”

Roy asked quietly, turning his head slightly to give him a side eye before turning back to the movie. Jason rolled his eyes and let out a long frustrated sigh. “I don’t know Roy. There’s just a lot going on, especially after the last attack.”

Roy quickly paused the movie and turned to look Jason in his eyes. There wasn’t any pity in his gaze, but there was empathy and an openness that showed he wouldn’t judge.

“It was Joker’s fault. So many people died because of the Joker, her parents,” he firmly gestured to the sleeping girl with tear stained cheeks sleeping on the small chair, whisper yelling so as to not wake her; “are no longer alive because of his actions today and Bruce still won’t get rid of him.” Jason took in a deep shuddering breath, he needed to control himself, he couldn’t let the green creep in. That wouldn’t do anything, it wouldn’t do any good for anyone, especially right now.

“I’ve tried to kill him,” Jason admitted shakily, “I’ve tried, but he always finds a way to stop me. I don’t understand how he cares for that-that creature more than his own- than me.” A heavy silence fell between them only broken up by the gentle snores to their right.

“I don’t want her to feel this way, I don’t want her to go through the same pain I went through at her age.” Jason continued. When I was trying to find out any information on her, a potential family member that could take her home I found that her grandmother on her dad’s side died in a motorcycle accident, her grandfather died of a heart attack, on her mom’s side it looks like her mother was disowned for unknown reasons, which means that they probably would not take in her daughter. That leaves her with Social Services, and despite Bruce’s efforts I still don’t trust it; or as a street kid.”

Roy contemplated everything that Jason had just told him. They had been through a lot together, in fact Jason and Star were the reasons that he was still alive, the reason he believed that he was doing a good job at being a father, they helped him keep going when everyone else had given up on him. Roy glanced at the sleeping girl, then back to Jason. Jason looked at the girl the same way Roy looked at his own daughter, with a sort of protective love. Roy could tell that Jason cared about the kid; he probably saw himself Marinette. It only made sense that he would feel extra protective around the girl as no one would want the same trauma that you’ve faced placed onto another.

“Well, what do you think is the best thing to do Jason? I know for a fact that you’re not going to be letting Bruce or any of the other bats, besides maybe Oracle, anywhere near her. If what you say is true, and she really has no family that will willingly take her in, then what’s your plan?”

Another sigh escaped Jason as he leaned his head back so that it was hanging off the couch. “I don’t know Roy, maybe we can drop her off in Metropolis and let her be taken care of there. They have a better system and I’m sure she would be adopted by someone that would love her.”

Roy nodded, he could see the good in the plan, but there was something else. Jason was still frustrated and didn’t like the idea. “But?” He prodded.

“‘But’,” Jason said emphasizing the ‘t’, “the thought of doing that makes my skin crawl in all of the wrong ways.”

Roy hummed. This isn't some easy or light hearted task. The kid had just lost both of her parents in the most sudden way possible, then she was taken away from the area and to the house of complete strangers, and to top it off she may never be able to return to her home country; but if she does she would be put into the foster system with no stability ot time to heal. Of course she also had the possibility of being taken in by her grandparents in China, but there was a chance that they would treat her poorly since they had disowned her mother, and they may only take her in because of obligation. Nothing about this was easy, none of it was simple. If Jason wanted to somehow become her legal guardian then he would need to earn her trust, he would have to either legally become alive again or find a believable identity that would allow for him to adopt her.

There were just so many variables, and it was too late for this conversation, yet not late enough.

“Lian’s coming home tomorrow, we can figure this out while they play.”

Jason nodded, mostly to himself. “You’re right. We need to give her more time to process everything, I still need to process today.”

“Did you have a panic attack?” Roy asked worriedly. Now that he was thinking about it there must have been lots of explosions, even if most of them were disabled. Then there was the clown and how he just paraded around on the rooftops. Jason had had a few before when he returned back to the apartment after a Joker breakout, it was horrifying. Jason just gave him a sad, strained smile.

“No, thankfully.”

“Right,” Roy said as he slowly stood up, stretching his arms up dramatically. “Well let's move her to Kori’s room tonight. She’s still visiting Tamaran.”

Jason nodded, following suit. Slowly he approached the sleeping girl, televising his movements despite the fact that she was still asleep before gently picking the girl up. Roy watched with a gentle smile as he slowly walked to Kori’s room, trying not to wake her as he brought her to bed. He had watched Jason do the same thing with Lian, playing the role of older brother perfectly. Now, it looked like he might be stepping into a new role. The same role that Roy carried right now. But who knew what would happen. As Roy settled in for the night in his own room a sudden thought came to his mind. Jason was always complaining how Bruce had a “type” or MO for the people he really cared about; and that was that they needed to have black hair and/or blue eyes. The girl that Jason saved and now is attached to has black hair and…blue eyes. He quickly turned into his pillow and started laughing his butt of, hoping that no one would be able to hear him. A couple tears slipped down his cheeks as he thought to himself, ‘so it’s a learned trait after all.’

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mochegato · 10 months

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On a Wing and a Prayer

Marinette knew she shouldn’t have chosen that seat. Okay, no, she hadn’t known it then, but she did now. At the time, if she wanted food from the only place still serving food in the airport, it was the choice between a man who clearly did not want people near him, hunched over his food, arms bracketing his plate like he was expecting someone to steal it at any moment, eying people passing by suspiciously; and a man with an open posture and smile, making polite conversation with the person next to him. The choice was obvious really… obviously wrong. She was sure the Scary Guy would have been fine as long as she left him alone, which is what she wished this man would do for her.

Instead, he had been hitting on her shamelessly and tactlessly for the past ten minutes and if her food didn’t arrive in the next ten seconds, she was going to scream. “Hey, do you know anything about phones?”

Marinette blinked at him. That almost sounded innocent except for the devious glint in his eyes when he said it. “A bit…” she said apprehensively. She’d fixed her parents’ phones a few times when they’d had problems and damn her, she still hated lying, or she would have just said no and left without her food.

“Oh great!” he exclaimed and she knew at that moment she should have lied. “Because I think there’s something wrong with mine.” He slid his phone over to her, open to the contacts page. “It doesn’t have your phone number in it.”

The grin he was giving her clearly indicated he thought his comment was brilliant. Her eyebrows, however, could barely get any higher or her jaw any lower. It took a few seconds longer than she wanted to admit to close her mouth and start to formulate a response. “Oh…” she started but luckily, she was interrupted at just the perfect moment by the waiter bringing her food. “Oh, thank you so much,” she rushed out. “I’m afraid of missing my flight, can I get the check, please?”

“Of course,” the waiter smiled and laid the receipt in front of her. Marinette reached for it, but the man picked it up first. “Let me get that for you,” he insisted with a hopeful smile.

“Oh, no. That’s okay. I appreciate it, but I can…” she started and reached for the receipt, but he quickly held it out of her reach and cut her off.

“I insist. It’s the least I can do. It’s not a problem at all. I can cover it,” he leaned in with a debonair grin, like he was sharing a secret with her.

Marinette let out a breath as she leaned away from him and pasted on a smile that she only kind of hoped didn’t look as strained as it felt. “Thank you. That’s really very… thoughtful of you,” she finished. “I’m sorry, I just have to… do… something before my flight,” she rushed out as she threw her bag over her shoulder and grabbed her food and drink. “It was really… nice meeting you,” she threw out and instantly cringed. Did it count as a lie if it was just what you said in polite society?

He stood up to help her, but she already had everything so instead, he stood by her awkwardly. “Yeah. It was really nice meeting you too. Maybe we can continue this conversation later?”

Marinette gave him a tight smile. “Yeah, maybe. Now, sorry, I really have to go.”

“Right. Bye,” he waved at her back and sat back down watching her as she ducked into the women’s bathroom.

The moment she rounded the corner, Marinette slunk down the wall, her bag dropped to the ground next to her with a slap that resonated throughout the bathroom. She let her head fall back against the wall with a long, heavy sigh. She could only pray that guy was not on her flight, because she did not want to have to spend another minute with him, either on the plane or in Star City.

The airport she could handle, she could just hide out in the bathroom until it was time to board. Not the bravest move she’d ever made, but effective. It was just ten minutes to boarding and then if she waited until the last minute to get on board, her exposure was almost zero. It was a foolproof plan.

She crossed her legs on the floor and got her food out. Not the worst place she’d eaten and definitely preferrable to eating with the guy who’s name she couldn’t remember to save her life.

><><><><><><><><

She had not thought this through. Or rather, she had, and her plan was successful. The task had been successfully failed. She had stayed in the bathroom until the final boarding for her flight and had not seen the man again. No, the problem was it was a no-win situation. There was no safe plan, so it didn’t matter how much she thought it through. She was left exposed no matter what she would have done, because, despite her most ardent prayers and offering of her dessert to Tikki, the man was on her flight. Her completely full flight, with no assigned or empty seats, if the announcement she just heard was to be believed.

She was now the last person to get onto the plane and completely subject to the other passengers’ decisions, a realization that struck straight to her core as she watched the seats slowly fill up in front of her until there were only two seats left. In an eerie replay of her earlier scenario, the two seats left were next to Scary Guy and Smiley Guy from earlier.

Selfishly, she silently urged the person in front of her to make the same mistake she had made earlier and just as silently rejoiced when they did. She flitted by as quickly as possible saying another little prayer he wouldn’t notice her now or at any point during the flight, and jumped into the seat next to Scary Guy with a loud sigh of relief before they could change their mind. The intimidating exterior that had worked against her earlier, played in her favor now, leaving the spot next to the man open. Maybe her luck was turning around, and she’d be able to have a peaceful, quiet, flirt free flight. She said a silent prayer that was exactly what she got.

The thought quickly disappeared as she stood and looked for a place to put her bag, but all the overhead compartments were stuffed. She eyed the space under the seat in front of her assessing the size and comparing it to her bag. Her bag was smaller than a normal carryon, everything having gotten shoved into her bag on her way out the door in a rush to get to the airport at the last minute. It might be able to fit… She quirked her head to the side with a dissatisfied hum.

“There’s more space under the seat in front of me, if you’d like to use it,” Scary Guy offered with a loud huff.

She blinked at him, the words not quite registering. “What?”

“Your bag’s never going to fit in that section. The aisle seats always have smaller areas under them. I just have my bag up there,” he motioned above them and shrugged. “I’m not using this space. It’s no big deal for me.”

“Oh that… are you sure? It takes away your legroom. This flight isn’t short, and neither are you,” she rushed out uncertainly, rushed out before her mind was able to process what she wanted to say. Her cheeks heated up as soon as she realized what she said. “Sorry, that…”

“Was funny,” he finished for her with a chuckle and a disarming smile that softened his whole face. “It isn’t and I’m not, but I don’t mind,” he shrugged.

Marinette looked back and forth between him and the space and even the person next to him a few times before looking back at him with a shrewd look. “How about we switch seats instead? I can sit in the middle seat, and you can have the aisle, which should give you more leg room anyway.” He raised an eyebrow at her. “I didn’t think you were with the person next to you, and I thought they might… um… appreciate some more space too,” she added nervously, offering an explanation he didn’t ask for.

He huffed out a laugh and shook his head. “I can do that. If you’re sure you don’t mind sitting in the middle. I know most people don’t like it.” He waited until she nodded before standing. Marinette barely contained her gasp at how, even hunched over to avoid the bulkhead and roof of the plane, he still towered over her. He moved past her with an ease she would never have associated with someone his size, with only the barest of brushes against her arm as he moved. Her cheeks flushed at the contact and his apologetic smile. “Sorry, not much room,” he mumbled.

“No, that’s… you’re okay,” she murmured back shyly. She quickly eased into the middle seat and turned away to keep from staring at him or from him seeing her cheeks. She pulled her tablet and phone out before shoving her bag under the seat, breathing a sigh of relief as her bag slid easily into place. “Thank you so much again.”

“I should be thanking you. This is much better.” He stretched his legs out into the aisle as the plane taxied into position and let out a louder than necessary sigh. She giggled and turned on her tablet and Jagged’s latest unreleased album, letting his guttural tones lull her into a creative daze.

She didn’t know how long she stayed in the daze, but she had already sketched out two options for the cover, the current one her favorite by far, by the time she became aware of the area around her again, just in time to notice Scary Guy chuckling, vibrating the entire row of seats, which, she realized must have been what brought her out of her stupor. It was then she noticed to her mortification that she’d been shimmying in her seat to the song and the more she thought about it, she realized she had also been mouthing the words to the song.

She clenched her eyes closed while her cheeks flushed yet again, much deeper that time, and let out a tiny whimper. Her eyes flew open when his voice sounded deep and resonating, close to her ear. “That’s really cool looking,” he noted, leaning into her space slightly to get a better look. “What’s the inspiration?” He looked up questioningly but immediately backed up, the tension in his muscles increasing proportionally to the amount of space he put between them. “Oh, sorry. I didn’t mean to intrude.”

She covered the drawing slightly. “No, it’s okay. Um, thanks. It’s… I’m… uh…” she paused as she tried to figure out how to phrase it so she wasn’t lying or being standoffish or divulging too much, which would nullify her contract with Jagged. Not that he would care, but Bob Ross would. In fact, she wouldn’t put it past him to have sent a corporate spy to try to trick her, then steal her idea and use it himself. Not that she thought Scary Guy was a corporate spy, but it was still best to be safe. “I’m listening to this album and getting inspired by it.”

His tension had eased away at her assurance. “Whatever the album is, it must be really inspiring.” He examined the image. “What is it… if you don’t mind me asking.”

She studied his face intently for a few seconds trying to decide if she’d been wrong and he really was a spy, but she saw nothing but earnest interest. “It’s Jagged Stone,” she said carefully.

“I love Jagged Stone!” he grinned, his whole face brightening, all vestiges of intimidation dropping with the appearance of dimples. ‘Scary Guy’ didn’t seem like an appropriate moniker when his face was lit up like that. “Rock Giant was my favorite album.”

She grinned back. “I loved that one! But I’m a bit partial.”

He cocked his head to the side, his smile never leaving his face. “Why is that?”

Marinette’s eyes widened minusculely and her smile strained. “He made that one in Paris, which is where I’m from. He also has a song about Ladybug, one of our heroes,” she answered quickly. It was all true, factually. Not the answer to his question, but true.

He nodded. “That was a good one. One of my favorite songs and one of my favorite superheroes. She was a complete badass. Right up there with Wonder Woman.”

Marinette looked down to cover the vivid flush to her cheeks and bashful smile. She ran her hands over her arms to expel some of the energy that flushed her system at the compliment, without looking suspicious. And to be compared to Wonder Woman! It was possibly the best compliment she’d ever received.

“I get chills talking about Ladybug and Wonder Woman too,” he teased.

Marinette snorted and shook her head. “This trip was very last minute, like I didn’t know about it an hour before, last minute. So, I packed at the last second and somehow forgot to pack a hoodie,” she explained. Again, it was factually correct, just not really related to the chills as he’d assumed. “Which is absolutely ridiculous, because I always have something. I’m always cold. My friends will be in shorts and sleeveless tops and I’ll be in slacks and a jacket. And usually, it wouldn’t even be an issue, because I’d just steal one of my friends’, but J… the person I’m meeting never wears hoodies so I’m going to have to buy one or something.”

Jason sighed dramatically. “That’s one of the drawbacks of being… not short,” he grinned as he threw her words back at her. “I don’t get to steal anyone else’s hoodies, but my brothers all steal mine. I’m always missing mine. I go to put one on and can’t find any, then my brother will just waltz by in my hoodie. I have to tackle him to get it back.”

She barked out a laugh and immediately shrunk back when people around them shot her a look. She cleared her throat and continued much quieter. “And are you successful?”

“Of course,” he scoffed and puffed out his chest, throwing her a look as he did. “What do you take me for? The hoodie might get destroyed in the process, but I get it back. I wish it meant he learned not to steal my stuff, but it never does. Not even for a few days.”

“Ahh, the joy of siblings. I always wanted some. I just have to settle for tormenting and stealing from my friends,” she laughed.

“Yeah, you have the sibling experience then,” he chuckled, his eyes sparkling. “They take everything! I have to hide my keys, keep my coffee in my hand the entire time, loom over my plate to keep them from stealing my food… I have to raid their rooms periodically to get my stuff back.”

“They steal your coffee?” Marinette gasped louder than she meant to, again drawing attention from the people around them, this time unnoticed, and drew her hand to her chest theatrically. “It should be illegal to mess with someone’s caffeine.”

“Oh God,” he whined as he threw his head back, eyes clenched dramatically. “You sound like my brother. Next thing I know, you’re going to be stealing my hoodies.”

She pouted deeply enough to be clear she was teasing, but her eyes were a bit tense. “Well, that doesn’t sound like a good thing. I might get tackled.”

“I promise you’re safe,” he offered, his own voice a bit tense. He only relaxed back into his seat when she smiled shyly.

“So, what I’m hearing is you have a hoodie I can steal and you won’t do anything about it,” she teased. Her shy smile widened when he snickered and shot her a roguish smile. He opened his mouth to respond but she cut in before he could. “Oh no,” she muttered under her breath. She tried to meld into the background, a rather pointless endeavor on the very packed, small, confined plane, but she still attempted it. She was considerably smaller than Scary Guy, maybe she could hide behind him? She groaned realizing it was useless. Smiley Guy had already seen her. There was no hiding in the bathroom this time.

“You okay?” Scary Guy asked just as quietly. Her futile attempt to hide having brought her close enough for him to speak in a whisper without having to move closer, but he did anyway. His eyes darted around and quickly settled on the man making his way toward them. “He a problem?”

“Just fine,” she grumbled, bracing herself, “didn’t you know, we’re moments away from falling in love. At least according to him.”

He snickered at her tone. “And according to you?”

“I’ve rarely been less in love with someone,” she drawled. “And I’ve met actual supervillains.” He snickered again but adjusted his position so he was blocking more of the access to her without looking obvious. She narrowed her eyes playfully at his enjoyment of her situation but took note of his move.

“There you are, kitten,” Smiley Guy crooned, missing the way she bristled at the name. He leaned casually against the aisle seat of the row in front of her, taking up the entire aisle as he popped his legs out to cross them at the ankle. “This must be fate bringing us together again.”

“There is absolutely no way I’ve pissed fate off enough for that,” she muttered under her breath, low enough that only Scary Guy could hear her, smirking at her comment, but hiding his face from Smiley Guy. Though it appeared that she must have pissed someone off because each and every prayer so far had been ignored. She forced a curt smile for Smiley Guy. “Hello again.”

His grin widened into something almost predatory. He flicked his eyes over to Jason for just a second before focusing back on Marinette. “Hey, sport, we were having a conversation earlier that we’d like to continue. Do you mind switching seats with me?”

“Actually,” Marinette answered for him, “He and I,” she motioned between herself and Scary Guy, “were having a very interesting conversation about music and families that I was hoping to continue.”

“Surely not as interesting as ours was. We had something,” he pouted slightly at her.

“Yeah, a hostage situation,” Jason scoffed.

The man’s façade dropped instantly, replaced with a harsh glare at Jason. “I don’t believe this involves you, skippy,” he sniped.

“It involves me,” Marinette growled. Making her uncomfortable is one thing but Not so Scary Guy had done nothing to deserve his ire. She leaned forward to try to keep the entire plan from overhearing their conversation. “And I said I am satisfied with the seating arrangement as it is.”

He snapped his eyes to her, something flashed in his eyes and his grin faltered for just a second before he recovered it. “Come on, baby,” he cooed as he reached out to graze his finger along her hair.

She jerked back at the same time Not so Scary Guy stood, both moving before Smiley Guy could make contact. Not so Scary Guy rose with such speed Smiley Guy jumped back in surprise, falling into the passengers in the row behind him, causing a loud squawk of objection that attracted the flight attendant’s attention. Not so Scary Guy nodded to them quickly and returned his attention to Smiley Guy. “I believe she said she was satisfied where she was,” Scary Guy gritted out, fully reverting back to earning his moniker. He towered over the man, having to hunch over to keep from hitting the roof of the plane even after angling himself toward the highest point.

Smiley Guy’s face paled so rapidly; Marinette was worried he might pass out. He looked between the two of them a few times before scowling harshly. “She’s not even worth it anyway,” he scoffed before beating a hasty retreat.

Scary Guy growled at his retreating form. He watched him until Smiley Guy sat back down in his seat, only then relaxing his frame and turning to open the overhead compartment. “Thank you,” Marinette said loud enough for him to hear.

He grabbed something out of the compartment and sat back down with a shrug. “No problem. I hate guys like that.”

She studied him carefully. “Were you really going to fight him? On the plane?”

He snickered, instantly returning to the Not so Scary Guy she’d started to appreciate. “No. I was just getting up to get this for you,” he said innocently as he handed her the object he’d grabbed. Marinette raised a skeptical eyebrow at him, accompanying a flat, unimpressed look. He shrugged as casually as he could manage, but his devilish smile eradicated any semblance of innocence. “I thought you could use it,” he explained craftily.

She hummed unconvinced but grudgingly dragged her eyes from him to the object. Her eyes widened immediately and shot to him questioningly. He eyed her cautiously for a few seconds. “You said you were cold,” he explained, his tone and expression much softer. “And I thought you wouldn’t have to steal it if I handed it over. It might be a bit big,” he added with a quiet smirk when she had unfolded his hoodie and held it up against her body.

“A bit?” she asked with a laugh. Her chuckle quickly turned into a pout at the snicker he unsuccessfully hid when she put on the hoodie and the sleeves hung long past her hands. She rolled her eyes and pushed up the sleeves.

“And, I wouldn’t start a fight on a plane… well, not this kind anyway,” he added with a shrug. “It wouldn’t end well for anyone here, especially you. And I’ve found,” he leaned in closer like he was telling her a secret, “guys like that are all bark and no bite. You bark back and they back off.”

She hummed and tried not to breathe in too deeply or she’d get distracted by his scent. “I’ve found that too. But I’m a bit smaller than you,” she pursed her lips at seeing the way his body shook containing his laughter. She moved her hand to wave him off, but the excess fabric slung out and slapped him on the chest, which changed his silent laughter to full blown laughter. She huffed and crossed her arms over her chest, attempting to look upset, but her lips didn’t receive the message, turning up at the corners.

The more she pouted, the more he laughed, which made her pout more, or at least attempt to, she still couldn’t get her lips to cooperate, until they were both trying to contain their laughter to keep from disturbing the people around them. “No, I’m sorry. I’m sorry. Please continue,” he finally gasped out.

She narrowed her eyes at him playfully but obliged. “As I was saying,” she eyed him pointedly and ignored his smirk, “I’m smaller than you so I have to bark a bit louder.”

“I can imagine that’s quite the frightening sight,” he nodded solemnly, the trace of a smirk still on his lips.

“It is, thank you very much,” she agreed, jutting her chin into the air proudly.

He eased back into his seat with a chuckle, his fond gaze never leaving her, but suddenly sat forward. “Just don’t try it in Star City, yeah? The rogues are all bite… except Pinball Wizard,” he added with a smirk. “Him you can bark at.”

Marinette giggled. “Pinball Wizard? Really?”

He grinned at her incredulous look. “Yeah. Shoots pinballs, you know those little balls from pinball machines? He shoots those at people. Not as sad as Rainbow Archer though,” he said it casually, but watched her from the corner of his eye to watch her reaction.

Marinette blinked at him. “Rainbow… Archer…” she said slowly. “Come on, someone named Rainbow can’t be sad or mean,” she claimed hopefully. “Does he shoot rainbows? At them or produce them somehow? Or is he just very supportive of LGBT?”

“I don’t think he supports anything but concussions,” he snorted, subconsciously rubbing his bicep. “Not really sure where the name came from, honestly.”

“I want to make fun of your villains, but we had Bubbler, and he was one of the better ones, so…” she shrugged. She grimaced at the memory of Nino.

“Not mine,” he corrected. “I’m just visiting a friend. I visit a lot, it’s like a second home, but I make no claims to their rogues.” He gave her a knowing look. “Our rogues in Gotham are much more serious.”

Marinette giggled and looked down shyly. She looked up to ask something else but before she could say anything, an announcement came over the speakers that they were making their descent. She smiled softly and him and sat back in her seat as they landed, all her courage suddenly leaving her.

She waited until they had landed and taxied to their gate before her courage found her again. “Any recommendations on things I should do in Star City?” she asked as the seats ahead of them started to empty. She anxiously pushed some hair behind her ear more to give her hands something to do than because it was bothering her. “Other than barking at minor rogues? Or are you only familiar with the criminals?” she teased.

He grinned brightly. “Yeah, a few. I could take you around, if you’d like?”

“I would love that,” Marinette grinned. Her eyes suddenly widened. “Oh,” she scrambled to get her phone back out. “Here,” she said as she handed it over. She watched as he put his name and number in, examining it even closer when he handed it back. “Jason,” she said deliberately, letting the name roll in her mouth, enjoying the way it felt to say. “It’s nice to meet you, Jason. I’m Marinette.”

“Marinette,” Jason repeated in the same tone, finding it just slightly difficult to fully articulate with a broad smile. “Beautiful name. It suits you,” he said quietly.

Marinette’s cheeks flushed deeply, and she pulled her lower lip between her teeth, getting lost in his eyes until the person in the seat next to her cleared their throat, reminding them where they were. She chuckled self-consciously. “Sorry about that,” she said to the person but returned her attention to Jason.

They continued to shoot each other sly, shy looks as they made their way up the jetway until they got into the airport and past security. They paused just before the doors, squeezing closer than they normally would to avoid the people bustling around them. “So, tomorrow?” Jason asked. Marinette got slightly distracted by the way his fingers kept gripping and loosening around the strap of his bag, until someone bumped into her, pushing them even closer together, a fact Marinette didn’t have as much of an issue with as she normally would.

She grinned at him and nodded, but her grin faltered slightly. “Actually, maybe not tomorrow. I expect tomorrow is going to be really busy with… the person I’m meeting.” He cocked his head slightly at the stutter. “The day after?” she asked hopefully. She moved a step closer when she could feel someone standing a bit too close behind her.

He watched her for a second before nodding, for the first time appearing apprehensive about her. “Yeah, if you’re su…” he trailed off, his eyes catching on the person immediately behind Marinette, clearly listening in on their conversation. He narrowed his eyes at him. “Is that… is Jagged Stone eavesdropping on our conversation?” he whisper hissed.

Marinette gasped and swung around, slapping the man in the chest, this time with her hand instead of the sleeve. “Jagged! What are you doing?” She slapped him again and looked around for Penny. “What have I told you about this? Where is Penny? Why are you here?”

“Penny is talking to Bob in the car and I couldn’t just not meet my little rocker!” he pouted dramatically.

“Oh my God,” Jason mumbled. “That’s why the album was special to you!” he exclaimed pointing at her.

Marinette grimaced and smiled sheepishly. “I may have a slightly closer relationship with Rock Giant than I indicated,” she admitted, not quite able to meet his eyes.

When she finally did, her muscles relaxed instantly at seeing the awe in his eyes. “You did the cover art! That was brilliant! You’re brilliant.”

Her smile widened, matching his. Their gazes met, getting lost in each other until they were interrupted by a loud, “Oi! I’m still here you know!”

Marinette tore her eyes away guiltily. “Sorry, Jagged. Jagged, this is Jason. Jason, this is Jagged.”

Jagged held his hand out to shake Jason’s but refused to let him go when they finished. Instead, he pulled him closer and looked him up and down uncharacteristically harshly before nodding and turning to Marinette. “So tomorrow, I’m thinking we should meet in the morning then,” his eyes flicked to Jason so quickly Marinette almost missed it, “you should take a bit of time to explore the city, get some inspiration, get some food, get some kisses…”

“Jagged!” Marinette exclaimed, scandalized. “Oh my God,” she muttered and hid her face in her sleeves. She shot Jason a timid smile as she shoved Jagged toward the exit. “Tomorrow?”

He chuckled and nodded. “Tomorrow,” he agreed. “Text me when you’re done.” She shot him a smile and nodded. He shook his head as she passed through the doors, arguing with Jagged who was gesturing wildly, the entire way. He followed them out the door as well, shivering when the cool night air hit his skin. He started to reach for his hoodie before realization hit. He looked after the limo that was pulling away and shook his head incredulously with a laugh. That was one hoodie he didn’t mind never getting back.

#maribat #jasonette #Jasonette July #Jasonette July 2023 #prompt - spy

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