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#maribat fic
ggomos-maribat · 24 hours
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Soul-Stitching: The Heir and the Guardian
Masterlist
Chapter 1: the assassin and his servant | AO3
CW: Suicide, blood, injury, referenced childhood trauma, mild violence
It is no surprise that the League of Assassins has its own fair share of enemies at its tail. Yet recently, there has been an onslaught of attacks, prompting its members to switch between the network of bases—its young heir is no exception. The third base to house Damian sits between two frosted peaks towering over a Tibetan village, first founded by the demon's daughter herself. Though the instigator of the attacks is unknown, it seems that the abilities of the opposing group is nearly on par with the trained assassins. Damian has scoffed at this piece of information; no one stands at the same level as the League.  
Unfortunately, Damian has been kept away from the frontlines under Talia's strict instructions despite his insistence to fight. Knowing his status, Damian begrudgingly complied to escape and hide. Even if the food is cold and the night wind sometimes sneaks in to bite his bones, he sits still to wait for news announcing that it's safe to return to the main base.   
He sits up on his creaky bed. The ends of the sheets are fraying, and the floors are ice cold, with the gray and brown meshing into a drabby color. The only semblance of a decoration is his twin katanas leaning off the side of his bed frame. It's a far cry from the home he knows, though his routine is mostly unchanged: training from dawn to dusk. But he can tell this day is different. From the commotion happening outside the room and the lingering tension in the air, Damian deduces that another attack is on the way.  
Finally, his thoughts are confirmed when he hears the door open. "Master Damian?"  
He has his back turned to her, his servant, but he can already picture out her presence. An unsteady stance dwarfed in a thick coat, calloused hands wrapped in fingerless gloves, cheeks that have lost a tad bit of their rosiness nowadays, and hair pushed back into twin braids. A child just like him, but raised an assassin nonetheless. "Lady Talia wishes for you to be relocated again. We will use the back tunnel and rendezvous with our guides halfway down the mountains. They will escort us to out—"  
"Where are we relocating to?"  
". . . I don't know, Master."  
She swiftly moves to the side to pack his things. Damian picks up his weapons, biting back the habitual click of his tongue. He's sick of the cycle, feeling like a coward running away endlessly. "And why can't we hold them off?"  
"We do not have enough people. Between guarding the Demon Head and the Pits, and covering all bases . . . The enemies have become too much to handle." Marie ties together the strings of the backpack, before strapping a rolled-up sleeping bag on top.  
"If our assassins are competent enough, we would not be struggling ," Damian hisses.  
The servant doesn't reply, but he catches the twitch of her upper lip. Like him, Marie has been forbidden from fighting the enemies, but she has been helping with the supplies and cleaning, apart from assisting him in training. She should know how weak the League has become.  
"We will leave in five minutes," she says, offering his coat to him.  
"What if I don't want to leave?" 
"I am sorry, Master, but Lady Talia said—"  
"Nevermind what Mother said. I can do it. I can fight."  
Marie's expression changes just a little, and her hand reaches up to clutch her sleeve. He knows that even though she serves under him, she mostly answers to his mother. And defying Talia had greater consequences. It is not the first time Damian has wanted to go against higher orders; Marie has often eased him into not breaking the rules. 
"I think it is better for you to reserve your energy for training, Master. Let the rest of us worry about the enemies." 
"Tt. Grandfather should do something about this."  
When Marie finally persuades him, they venture out to the winding halls. She navigates expertly, avoiding the rings of the gunshots and clashing of swords. Damian knows that they are near the exit when he feels the chilling gust of wind. The rocky snow-topped terrain welcomes them outside—there is only white and gray for miles that everything looks like a lifeless desert. Damian blinks against the sunlight, puffs of fogged breath floating along his vision. In the snowy landscape, Marie looks even paler, as if her skin has become translucent.  
The swords on Damian's back feel heavier too. He has found that fighting in the cold is more troublesome—his joints are hardened, and the blood rushes out of his limbs. The stiffness of his muscles limit his movement and the thin air makes it difficult to breathe. Their escape party is too vulnerable, and if they were to encounter a hostile group, he will have to make the kill quick.  
He glances at Marie every now and then. Her skills are average, and she looks smaller when bundled up. He doesn't miss the way she favors one foot when she trudges in the snow. Though she has been mentored by Talia, she is not like his mother, nor like the other women he is familiar with, like Nyssa or Lady Shiva. She's practically dead weight for Damian. An easy target.  
He doesn't remember when she first started serving under him. He only recalls huffing in annoyance seeing the tiny girl hanging around on the sidelines as he trained, occasionally joining him for a spar. He only knows her as the one who brings his food, supplies him with his secondary weapons, escapes into other bases with him, and acts as his mother's slave. She looks more attuned to the civilians in the towns Damian sees during his missions, not someone who has blood in her hands. Rarely does she show emotion, not even some annoyance or defeat when he easily beats her during practice, not even flinching when the other servants delivered sharp slaps on her arms, not even a hint of awe like when Damian first gazed upon the second League base in Nepal. Her expressions are usually blank or incomplete, as if she suppresses her reactions.  
She marches close to him, head darting around to check for danger. Damian stops and asks, "How long until we meet the guides?"  
"We have one day of travel, Master."  
"One day? Could they have not sent a plane?"  
"It's too risky…"  
Damian clenches his jaw. A day of hiking through frozen hell. He pulls his hood over his head and quickens his pace.  
"Wait, Master, we should slow down." Marie calls after.  
He doesn't care. The faster they walk, the faster they can meet up with their allies and get out of there.  
"Master, wait—" A thump sounds out. Damian looks behind him to see Marie scrambling to get up. 
"Tt. You could have stayed behind if you can't even walk."  
Marie mumbles her apologies while catching up to him. "We should keep ourselves from tiring out quickly. There is still a long way to go."  
"What if the enemies catch up to us?" 
"They will not." She purses her lips. "They should not know you're escaping. They should not know you're here in the first place."  
"They always know." Damian continues along the nonexistent path. "I'm certain there are moles here."  
As they keep walking, Marie sometimes wobbles with the humongous bag but she doesn't trip again.  Damian doesn't keep count how many steps they have taken or how long they walk, but soon he starts to stagger and shiver, and the sun fades away slowly. Marie directs them to a small cave carved out on the side of a cliff. It is small and still cold, but it will do for the night. Damian gives in to his aching legs, putting his swords in front of him, while Marie sets up the camp. She kindles a humble fire and takes out the supplies to make a meal.  
"A seating mat, Master?" Marie lays out a folded cloth off to the side. Damian crawls to it wordlessly, leaning against the bumpy wall and draping an arm over his eyes. 
She hugs her knees and watches the boiling water. "There might be a storm tonight. I can cover up the entrance, but I do not know how well it will hold up."  
He doesn't reply.  
"Any food you prefer, Master?" 
"What difference does it make? It's all tasteless meal kits."  
"But—" 
"I don't care. Whatever you can make."  
"If we wake up early, we can reach our destination in time," Marie continues, "It is colder in the morning but I have heat packs in the bag."  
“...” 
Damian peeks as she cooks a simple stew. The aroma spreads around the cave, mingling with the shadows created by the fire. The warmth chases away the chill just a little. His servant seems to note his unwillingness to make small talk, so they eat their meals in complete silence, basking in the crackling flames instead. Marie unrolls the sleeping bag and positions herself near the opening of the cave with a knife in hand.  
"Please get some sleep, Master Damian. I will keep watch," says Marie.  
Damian rolls to face the ceiling. Camp-outs are often bleak, and he practically has to sleep with one eye open. But owing to the soreness of his body, he drifts into deep slumber. He has no clue how long he sleeps but when he wakes up, the fire has gone small and the numbed pain in his back has become more persistent. Damian sits up to see Marie staring off blankly into the foggy snowstorm. She's trembling badly and her chapped lips have turned into a light shade of blue. They make brief eye contact before she jumps up to push out the little snow starting to pile up at the opening.  
Damian averts his gaze, buries deeper into the sleeping bag, and thinks to himself how foolish it is for her to stay awake and away from the fire.  
He lies awake instead of going back to sleep as the  cold has won over his drowsiness. An eternity of gazing up at the darkness, his eyelids begin to feel heavy— 
Damian's hand darts up to grab the wrist hovering over him. “What are you doing?” 
Marie recoils back in surprise. "Hea—heat pack, Master. You looked cold."  
"Tt. Forget it. I will get one myself if I'm cold."  
Marie nods weakly, lowly muttering her apologies again, and returns to her post.  
***
The next time Damian wakes, it's from noises nearby. The morning light has spilled into the cave, and the fire has reduced into ash and some smoke. The second thing he notices is the lack of Marie's presence—Damian scrambles up and runs towards the cave opening to see his servant locked in a fight with a stranger just on the edge of the cliff. An enemy assassin perhaps. He has her pinned to the ground, but her fingers are tightly wound around his neck. Marie lets out a choked scream when the man jams the hilt of his weapon on her injured foot.  
Damian immediately pulls out his katana and swipes at the enemy's neck. He tugs Marie by the collar and kicks the man's large body off the drop. After looking around for other assassins he looks down on his servant, who's already making a makeshift splint from her knife holder despite her ragged breathing and the cut running across her hairline. 
"Where's the bag?" Damian asks, wiping off the hint of blood from his blade.  
Marie's eyes widen up at him, and they slowly follow down the height of the cliff.  
"Really? You can barely hold off an enemy and you've lost our supplies?" Damian's hand clenches around his sword.  
"I am sorry, Master, I was packing up and—and I was about to wake you." Her voice wavers. "I—I still have some food in my belt—" 
" Save it," he cuts her off. "We have to get down from here as fast as we can."  
Even if that assassin is a lone wanderer, they can't risk another similar encounter. If that happens, Damian isn't certain if he can keep himself alive, much less the both of them, especially if they're overwhelmed by numbers. He curses at his stiff hands; he could've been much faster if it were any other circumstance.  
"I—I am sorry, Master," Marie gasps out.  
"I said save it." Damian begins to hike again, and she follows while limping after crawling into the cave and packing up his sleeping bag.  
He's surprised that she survived and held off the assassin, but she did so sloppily that her injury was aggravated. Because of that, they will be slowed down indefinitely, unless he chooses to venture on ahead. That is the truth in the League of Assassins: that kind of weakness isn't tolerated, even if she has some ability to defend herself. Those incapable are quickly rooted out, and those who are prodigies train to become more vicious.  
Damian momentarily halts when he observes that the path has narrowed down. They can still cross and climb down, but after one wrong move, they will be falling into a merciless death. He tests the rock, moving one step at a time and clinging onto the shallow crevices of the wall.  
He turns to Marie. “Climbing gear?”  
She bows her head in guilt. “Inside the bag . . . Master.”  
“That is your own fault,” he spits out. “If you cannot cross this, I'm not helping you.”  
He feels her trying to follow closely, but her balance is dangerously off. Damian watches as she struggles to walk through. Her breaths are unsteady as she keeps her gaze on her feet. On top of that, she's shivering more than the previous day.  
When Marie makes a misstep and gasps sharply when she slips, Damian jumps in to grab her sleeve to keep her from falling. She swallows and thanks him, to which he sternly directs to hold onto him as they cross. It takes them a longer while than he hoped for, but they finally come towards a more spacious and safer landing. Still, the bottom of the mountain is still too far to see.  
“I thought Mother sent you to escort and protect me,” he tuts, looking down at her as she collapses on her knees to catch her breath. “Yet you are slowing us down and putting both our lives in danger.”  
“You . . . you are right, Master. Forgive me.” She coughs a little, rubbing the area near her wound. “But I was trying to protect you—”  
“You were as good as dead if I had not stepped in. Who were you trying to protect?”  
“I apologize for my inadequacy.” She has lowered herself into a deep bow, head touching the snow. “Please punish me or kill me as you wish. We are nearing the meeting point anyway; I will be of no use soon.”  
“Tt. You don't even deserve to perish by my hand.” Damian looks down at her in distaste. The heir of the League should not be accompanied by such a servant in the first place. It's already a miracle that she has survived for this long, and he doesn't want to get rid of the little help she can offer. Perhaps as a convenient shield if they encounter enemies again.  
“Stand up,” he orders. “You are delaying us again.”  
She carefully does so, but when she shows her face again, Damian is nearly taken aback, seeing her again up close. Her forehead is smeared with dried blood and the side of her face is slightly swollen. But what surprises him is her usual dead eyes are now glistening with tears.  
“You are right, Master. I should not delay us any longer.” Marie sniffles, moving over to the edge.  
“Wh—what—”  
“I am sorry for not meeting your expectations. There is no excuse for my actions.” She takes out her knife.  
“Wait—” 
“Our allies are nearby; it will not take long.”  
Red. All that fills his vision is red: bold, flowing red against the canvas that is the frost. The intricately-carved hilt sticks out of her abdomen, spreading the ghastly color into her clothes. The blood isn't anything new for Damian to see, but he has never seen it like this.  
The white sky and red.  
Her white fingers and red.  
The white shine of the blade and red.  
Heavy drops spill onto the snow, then crushed underneath her boot as she sways backwards.  
“Please take care . . . Master Damian.”  
Before he can tell his body to move, she has disappeared by the hand of gravity, falling until the fog covers up. Damian wonders where the scream he hears comes from until he realizes his throat is hoarse.  
***
Damian jolts awake, cold sweat slithering down the nape of his neck. It takes him a second to realize that he is in his bedroom in the Wayne manor, and the sun is yet to rise. He shivers even though he feels warm, as if the memory of the cold has followed him back to reality. Frustrated, he tugs hard at his hair as he tries to even out his breaths.  
He just dreamed of that again.  
Next Chapter →
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ew-selfish-art · 11 months
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Okay so ignore me, a Maribat shipper using the Dcxdp fandom for my own gain but like y’all keep doing de-aged Danny plots without considering something. Yes it’s great for those paternal and found family vibes but you know what it can also be used for: shipping.
This is heavy on the maribat vibes so skip if that’s not your thing:
> Danny, early 20s, pretty solidly being an everyday hero, left amity and kicks it on his friends couches when not in the GZ because going home is no longer an option. The town is basically rigged to find phantoms ecto signature
> Danny becomes a part of the JL and is fast friends with Kon and Jon but warms up to Damian over the years. He just thinks “huh what a weirdly spicy guy” and enjoys the chaos of befriending him. They have regular conversations about animal conservation and video games. Damian has always played the newest one, and he’s always down to best Danny
> Ladybug has also joined the JL and is very skittish about making friends since she’s trying really hard to keep her identity under wraps. She eventually warms up to Danny, talking about you guessed it, old video games, and she brings him like, so many snacks, that it helps him rewrite the normalcy of having food attack him. He starts to notice that she is her own flavor of chaos gremlin and they get along thick as thieves
>Here’s the thing, Robin has an great Admiration for (aka huge crush) Ladybug and only Danny has noticed. Ladybug is oblivious, Damian thinks he’s undetected and Danny might combust from the amount of times he’s now tried to set them up. The rest of the JL just, meh, doesn’t really see it.
> Danny gets a note from CW that the GIW are honing in on his ecto signature and something needs to change quick, or he’s going to pull him from the dimension for his safety. Well, the note mostly says: find this artifact and it’ll change your frequency. Take a bird with you.
> Danny initially recruits Tim to go as Red Robin but then he can’t bring himself to wake the bird up when found asleep at his desk. Robin steps in and says he’s free so long as the mission doesn’t take more than a day.
> Danny is de-aged, the artifact is lost, Damian is now barely functioning as a young 8yr old Danny opens up a portal to get them back to the watchtower before he detransforms and gets a bit younger. He looks like he’s seven and if his powers are linked to the aging cycle- then no powers for danny.
> ladybug enters the watchtower trying to escape a team member who needs to get a clue about the fact that she needs to detransform every now and then, goes into her normally empty meeting room, and as the magic washes off her - boom portal and Danny and Damian appear. Marinette is so fucked. Everyone is floundering and then Danny gets an idea about how this can still turn around to be an ideal outcome for all three of them.
> Danny decided now is probably the best time to pull a Cupid gambit: joint parenting. He demands that ladybug be the one to help portal them back to Gotham. Congrats, you guys are going to help me wait out this spell. Ladybug feels like she should just run from this whole thing, her identity is already compromised, but then Danny begs her for her help since it’s magical
> Just, Damian and Marinette trying to jointly manage Danny while trying to sort out aging him up- CW leaving vague notes here and there about why he’s not going to help them reverse the spell- Danny having so much fun going between Gotham and Paris with his “parents” and trying to nudge them together
>hell yeah they fall in love.
> oh and then Dani shows up and quickly gets Danny to sort himself out. The Dummy forgot that shapeshifting was a thing he could do.
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fleursroses · 1 year
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Of boys and boxes
Holy shit I reached 250 followers yesterday!! Genuinely I want to thank you so much. So, in honour of that here's finally the fic I said I'd write back in like October (whoops). It's inspired by this post by @ggomos-maribat​, so if you're wondering why you got tagged in this, it's because you asked to in case anyone wrote something for it. I hope it lives up to your expectations!!! I will also post this on AO3 and reblog with the link. But for now, enjoy <333
However Marinette thought it would be to be the Guardian of the Miracle Box, she couldn't exactly say it would even come close to reality. Sure, the whole thing surrounding Hawkmoth that got her in the situation in the first place generally sucked a lot, but in a way she knew what she could expect. Then Shadowmoth happened, and Monarch, who eventually all turned out to be Gabriel Agreste, the fucking dad of her longtime crush and partner Chat Noir. Yeah, talk about killing the mood. 
Okay, if she was being honest, at that point the feelings for either had been fading for a while, mainly due to all the stress being Guardian put on her life. Sometimes she couldn't help but resent Fu for all that he, although not necessarily on purpose, had forced her to go through, from losing her childhood so early without any guidance, to making her feel like she wasn't allowed to have feelings without putting the world that was laid upon her thin shoulders at risk. It never felt fair though, because she knew Fu had had to go through the same thing. At least she still had some sort of support network. 
Still, the whole thing left her too traumatised to really want to pursue Adrien any further, or anyone else for that matter. This was fine by her, and although he was a bit disappointed, Adrien understood and respected her feelings on this matter. She was glad she could still have him by her side, despite it not being the future they had both dreamed of. 
However, being left with a bit too much time on her hands, Marinette had decided to focus more on her duties as guardian, wanting to fully uncover its secrets without the threat of having all the kwamis being stolen from her again hanging over her head. And as much as she wished Fu had trained her more, she didn't think he had known about... certain connections the miracle box had to various organisations either. Wasn't that just her luck?
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It had been 3 years since Hawkmoth had been defeated, and Marinette had spent most of that time travelling all over the world. Every so often she would return to Paris again though, to meet up with her old friends. They would go out for drinks and Marinette would tell all about the classes she followed online to get a business degree, as well as tell about where she had been and what she had done as Guardian. She had to admit, it was nice to finally be able to talk about being Ladybug, even if the group who knew was still only really small. Or rather, it was nice to have the possibility. In reality, she was so used to being secretive, out of sheer habit she sometimes forgot to mention things other people would undoubtedly have told their friends. 
It would go like this: One of the times she was back after a particularly long 5 months away, Marinette invited Adrien, Alya, Nino, Kagami and Chloé to hang out at the bakery with her. Just as she was telling a story about the crazy commission she had gotten from one of Jagged's friends, something she occasionally did to help keep her afloat while she was abroad, she got a call from an, to her friends, unfamiliar name. Apologizing to the group, who assured her it was fine, she answered. Her and the guy on the other end held a short civil conversation, ending with Marinette promising she would drop something of his by his place at her earliest convenience and then ended it just as quickly. When asked about the other guy, she just said "Oh that's just Damian, I met him in Tunisia," and then immediately went back to her story again, as if nothing had really happened.
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Yet, this Damian continued to show up in conversations after that. Over time her friends gathered that although they had met in Tunisia, he was apparently American, had a big family and a preference for the same martial arts Marinette did. She didn't talk about him all that much, mostly just mentioned him every so often, like when Alya accompanied her to her favourite fabric store while she was still in the neighbourhood. 
"And so this creep comes up to me all macho like I didn't just pepperspray one of his friends right in front of him- Wait Mari check this green satin out, don't you think it would look nice on Adrien?"
Marinette came over and inspected the fabric, and while picking up the roll noted "I think it's a bit too dark for him, but I think it would look really good on Damian instead. He has this weird thing about green as a family colour or whatever, maybe I can make him something?"
Alya looked curiously as Marinette whipped out her sketchpad and sketched out a whole suit while lost in thought. She didn't take it personally, she knew this was just how the other girl could sometimes get when particularly inspired. Interested, she noted that it had been the thought of Damian that did it this time. But then again, Marinette's mind sometimes worked in the strangest ways, and Alya knew better than to pry or interrupt her. So, she just picked up the story where she had left it, knowing it would eventually find its way into Marinette's brain.
"Anyway, at the end the dude was totally crying and I hadn't even done much yet, you'd totally be proud of me girl-"
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In the end, Alya couldn't shake her curiosity. Trying to google the guy didn't help much when she didn't have a surname, and look, she just wanted to know the guy was alright. Not that she didn't trust Marinette's judgement, on the contrary, but it would be nice to have a bit more to go off on. Asking Marinette straight up didn't help much either, only getting her vague answers. But as she offhandedly mentioned it to her friends when Marinette was away again, she found they were also eager to bring up their curiosity. 
"We don't even know what he looks like! But she likes him enough that she makes him fancy clothes of her own volition!" Chloé lamented dramatically. Although she would never admit it, she was a bit miffed she couldn't find out anything about Damian either. Even her sources couldn't tell her anything, and they usually never failed her. 
"I think we should just be happy she is designing again, no matter the reason."
 They all fell silent at Kagami's words, remembering how bad the period after Hawkmoth's defeat had been. It was only then Marinete's cracks had visibly begun to show to all of them, partly through several months void of the usual creative outlets and other emotions in general. It had been... rough, to say at the least.
"Still though. I don't think she has designed this much for one person since, disregarding Jagged's commissions. And she doesn't even talk about him! I mean, when I'm alone with her she always talks about all of you like you hung up the moon. I don't think she has talked about one person she likes as little as... as Luka."
Nino looked at his girlfriend incredulously. "Are you seriously suggesting Marinette has a crush on Damian? She barely ever even sees him."  
Alya simply shrugs. "I mean, probably not, but it can't hurt to think of all bases, right? But okay, what do you think about this: he is a secret assassin and Marinette made him normal by the power of friendship and now she has to constantly like, check up on him to make sure he doesn't go back to the darkside. No, listen, hear me out-"
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Somehow, although they didn't know it, reality had been even stranger. Or well, if they had met years ago Alya could maybe even have been right, but as it was Damian hadn't been part of the "dark side" for a very long time, nor was he in danger of going back. Maybe that would have been sort of preferable to Marinette, but she still supposed her situation wasn't that bad, even though, yes, she was technically speaking kind of stuck. Trying to explain this to her friends was... a feat. 
This is all to say they had found out. It happened when she had invited all her friends over to New York to attend a fashion show she had been allowed to design a small piece for when accidentally gaining attention from yet another designer. When afterwards they were just taking a stroll through the city, all talking excitedly, a beautiful woman had come up to Marinette and taken her aside to talk without paying any heed to her friends. For some reason, they started talking in Mandarin. It wasn't a very long conversation, which ended by the woman patting Marinette on the head and walking away again. 
When she turned around, she found all her friends staring at her, dumbfounded. 
"What?"
"How the hell do you know Talia Head?" Chloé demanded. 
Somehow, Marinette only looked at them blankly, like she had never heard that name in her life. Like she hadn't literally just been talking to the actual CEO of LexCorps. When Chloé told her this, recognition slowly dawned on the other girl.
"Right, Talia. I forgot she's doing that now. Hm. I wonder who she has designing for her, I should ask her..." 
This time, she pulled out a notebook the others hadn't ever seen before, filling it with the strangest characters. There seemed to be some structure to it, possibly making it a language, but it wasn't one any of them had ever seen before.
Later, Marinette would chalk it up to her unfortunately being distracted, but when Alya asked her how she knew Talia then, if it apparently wasn't for her currently being one of the most well known business persons in the world, she just replied "She's my mother-in-law?" like this was a known fact. 
As several voices shrieked "YOU'RE MARRIED??" Marinette suddenly remembered she had not, in fact, told her friends about her marriage yet. 
"I mean, yes, more or less? It happened when I went to China again, and I met this League of uh. League of Assassins. But their leader knew a lot about the Miracle Box and he told me he would share everything with me if I married his grandson. Also that I would probably die if I didn't, but honestly I had hit a dead end so I really needed his knowledge, you know? It's fine though, I don't even know if it's like, legally binding. Also we didn't have to do anything besides be married, so. Pretty good deal actually!"
"HE WHAT-" "ASSASSINS?" "MARINETTE"
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It took a lot of time for her friends to settle down, and to accept that she was fine and not under constant threat of being assassinated. It was a whole ordeal. Eventually though, it was Adrien who settled it by quietly asking her whether her husband at least treated her well. 
"I mean, sure, I guess? He's chill. Also, I am provided with so much more knowledge now, I feel like you're not properly considering that pa-." 
She was interrupted by a strange noise coming from her phone. She glanced down, fully prepared to ignore it for the more pressing matters at hand, but upon seeing who had texted her she decided to reply anyway. 
"Hang on, he's texting me, I need to answer this."
Random American dude???
My family just found out that I got married. They're being really annoying about it.
Snorting, she texted back, knowing her friends were still watching her every move.
Vous
Funny how that works, my friends did too just now
I blame your mother tho
She then showed her phone to her friends. "See? Damian and I are fine." 
It was Alya who made the connection first.
"Wait, if you've actually been married to Damian all along, and your mother in law is Talia Head…"
"MARINETTE DUPAIN-CHENG DID YOU MARRY DAMIAN FUCKING WAYNE?"
Taglist:
@nerd-nowandforever @prettykittytanjiro @toughluna @meira-3919 @taewinterbear95 @maanae @hammalammadamdam @swaggermcjagger @countessdragon @starscreamlover @snorlaxly-tired @illusionwolfwriter24r8 @kaitense1 @wildcardjoey @dramatic-squirrel @leftguard66 @mimblizzy @mikami1992 @tinybrie @theg0ddesspersephone @psychicdelusionwerewolf​ @folk-ever-lore​  
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sugarfluff59 · 1 month
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Marin Dupain-Cheng strolled confidently through the bustling halls of Francoise Dupont High School. His charisma and effortless coolness drew the attention of every girl in sight. The once shy and reserved boy had transformed into a magnetic force that left the female population of the school enamored.
Dahlia Wayne, daughter of Gotham's billionaire Bruce Wayne, had transferred to Francoise Dupont for a change of scenery. She had heard about Marin's legendary coolness and couldn't help but be intrigued. However, when Dahlia laid eyes on Marin, her composed demeanor faltered, and she found herself captivated by his charm.
As Marin navigated the sea of admirers, Dahlia struggled to find the courage to approach him. Her friends, noticing her newfound bashfulness, decided to take matters into their own hands. Lila, an ambitious girl with a reputation for bending the truth, devised a plan to win Marin's heart.
Lila, armed with a concoction of flattery and deceit, approached Marin one day after school. She complimented his style, praised his talents, and spun tales of her own adventures. Marin, though appreciative, remained unfazed by the attention. Unbeknownst to Lila, his heart already belonged to another.
Meanwhile, Dahlia watched from afar, her heart sinking with each word Lila spoke. Jealousy brewed within her, and an unfamiliar sense of competition ignited. Determined to make her own mark on Marin's heart, Dahlia sought the guidance of Alya, Marin's best friend.
Alya, a trustworthy confidante, listened to Dahlia's feelings and agreed to help. Together, they orchestrated a plan to showcase Dahlia's genuine qualities. They arranged for Dahlia and Marin to spend more time together, hoping the shy heiress could break through her shell and reveal her true self to Marin.
The plan unfolded with various encounters – casual conversations, shared interests, and even a few accidental meetings. Slowly, Marin began to notice Dahlia's genuine kindness and unique personality. His heart, once immune to the charms of others, felt a subtle shift.
As Marin and Dahlia's connection deepened, Lila's attempts to win his affection grew more desperate. She spread rumors, fabricated stories, and even organized a grand gesture to catch Marin's attention. However, Marin remained steadfast in his growing fondness for Dahlia.
The climax of the story unfolded during the school's annual masquerade ball. Lila, determined to make a grand impression, planned an extravagant dance routine to capture Marin's heart. The entire school gathered in anticipation, including Marin and Dahlia.
Lila's performance was indeed impressive, but as the applause echoed through the hall, Marin's eyes sought out Dahlia. The heiress, dressed in an elegant mask, stood in the shadows, her eyes filled with a mix of vulnerability and hope. Marin, captivated by Dahlia's authenticity, approached her with a warm smile.
The two danced the night away, oblivious to the whispers and stares around them. As the final notes of the music echoed, Marin and Dahlia shared a heartfelt moment, sealing the beginning of a genuine connection.
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marsrize · 8 months
Text
The unexpected stepfather
I have this idea in mind:
We've already seen Bruce have so much love interest. What if Talia got married, too? Why does she have to stay faithful to Bruce? There are other men on Earth than this guy…
So I thought: what if Adrien Agreste became Damian's stepfather?
*****
I can just see the kid's face when he gets an invitation to the mansion: he's invited to his mother's wedding to a guy he didn't even know existed.
He decides to confront his mother.
Talia simply explains that he's the one who cut her off first. She had tried to talk to him about it, but he was never around to listen.
Damian then meets his mother's future husband. He comes face to face with a Golden Retriever. The guy is kind, extremely polite and smiles. WHAT'S WRONG WITH THIS GUY? Even Jon isn't that cheesy! Most important : How on earth did his mother fall in love with such a guy? He was the antithesis of his father.
Damian decided this guy was a murderer in disguise who had brainwashed his mother. He was determined to prove it. So he stayed with his mother for a while. He informed his father beforehand, but told him he'd take care of the problem himself. Bruce wasn't sure, but decided to trust his son.
Three months later, the wedding took place. Damian was present. He informed his father that he needed more time.
It's almost the end of the year. Damian still hasn't returned. Bruce decides to go and see what's going on.
He discovers that Damian is still with his mother. Even more intriguing, he's getting on well with Talia's new husband.
Bruce needs to investigate this new guy. His son is in danger.
So…. What happened?
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soulmate-game · 8 months
Text
Chapter 6
(Yes, Marinette and Damian disconnected Audio only before they went to her hotel, so no Tikki reveal sorry!)
Prev First Next
—*—*—*—*—*
Back at the Batcave, Robin was the first to change, sit through debrief, and go to sleep. Nobody questioned him, knowing full well his motives. The other vigilantes however, despite being back in their civvies, were not so quick to end the night.
“You all heard that, right?” Jason asked. Oracle, also known as Barbara Gordon, rolled her eyes. She backed up in her wheelchair and turned to face everyone else.
“What, the part where Marinette made you coo when she essentially defended you and said she still thought of you as a good person?”
Jason rolled his eyes. “I mean yeah, that part was pretty nice. But I’m talking about everything she said about Paris,” the man clarified, leaning back in a chair so that the front two legs lifted off the ground. “She was geared and ready to continue listing examples of Akumas. I doubt she even listed half of the ones that were centered around or targeting her. And having to go through all of her classmates becoming villains, even temporarily?” He shook his head. “That kinda shit doesn’t leave anybody unaffected.”
“Especially what she said about the mermaid monster Akuma,” Tim agreed, pulling up a story on the computer. “I’ve pulled up the reports from both the Ladyblog and the AkumaWatch app. They seem to agree on everything, so I think this was back when the Ladyblog was still reliable,” he pulled up a video taken by the girl who ran the Ladyblog, Alya Cesaire. Marinette’s former best friend and current classmate. The commentary was all in French, but Tim had went ahead and added quick English subtitles for everyone. The wonders of having a supercomputer. The video was taken from a high roof, and showed the water flowing so high that it completely covered most buildings. It would have definitely caused enough pressure to break open windows and fill those buildings on the inside too.
“Woah! It looks like they can transform!” The voice of the reporter said in French, pointing to the distance where two blues of red and black hopped onto a building. The girl zoomed in, her phone’s camera just barely able to show an out-of-focus Ladybug and Chat Noir with different patterns to their uniforms and fins. The cat-themed hero managed to pull an entire car, and as they soon sound out, temporary supervillain Syren, out of the water all on his own. “Aqua suits! That’s so cool!”
It was obvious, however, that the girl’s voice shook a bit. She kept the camera purposely pointed as high up as she could while still catching the heroes and the destruction of the possessed item on screen. There were blurred images all across the surface of the water, which the heroes knew to be censored bodies.
“Only a couple thousand out of two million Parisians survived, that’s what Marinette said,” Barbara breathed, eyes wide. “Seeing it like this really makes it all real,” she clenched her jaw. They all continued watching as what was simply dubbed as Ladybug’s Miracle swept through the city in a shockwave o ladybugs, and the water disappeared. They watched as Alya aimed the camera down and caught very alive people popping up in the streets or on top of cars, wherever they had been right before getting carried away by the vicious waves.
Every hero in the Cave saw people of all ages down there, shimmering back to life. From month-old babies to old men and women.
It was both wonderful and horrifying.
After the video ended, the entire cave was silent for a long moment. Jason was the one that spoke up, to no one's surprise.
“What the fuck?” He growled, no longer leaning back in his chair. Both of his fists were clenched. “This has been on the internet for almost three years! How did we not see this before? How did we never know?” He asked, to which nobody had an answer. But the Bat himself had a hand on his chin as he studied the freeze-frame that the video ended on. Chat Noir and Ladybug fist-bumping.
“Maybe,” Bruce said slowly, as if tasting the words. “It’s time one of us visits the Paris branch of Wayne Enterprises. Ladybug and Chat Noir have been protecting the city for almost four years, it’s likely they know something about why the news hasn’t spread,” he mused. “Meanwhile, I will look into the League records. I never heard about a supposed prank call from France, meaning another piece of the puzzle is there.”
“There’s a problem with that though,” Tim pointed out. “Paris is essentially being held emotionally hostage. Anyone we send will have to be extremely capable of pushing down their negative emotions or transforming them into something positive. The last thing Paris’s heroes need is a supervillain with years of combat experience. Besides that, HawkMoth can telepathically communicate with his Akumatized villains. It wouldn’t be a stretch to assume that he can read their minds.”
“So not only would Paris’s heroes have to fight someone much more experienced than them, but our identities would be exposed,” Dick completed the thought, arms crossed. “That rules out Jason or Damian for sure. Which of us would be the most capable of avoiding strong negative emotions?”
When the First Robin looked up, it was to a raised eyebrow from his adoptive father and three fingers pointing straight at him from his brothers and Barbara.
“We can set up a flight for you for the day after tomorrow,” Bruce said with a grin that seemed way too smug for Dick, who was still gaping at everyone in betrayal. “Ask for the time off, okay? I can smooth things over if you need me to.”
“Oh, come on!” Dick threw his hands up. “I can be broody and mean!”
He was thoroughly ignored as everyone left to sleep for the night.
“Guys! You know what, fine, Paris is a gorgeous city. It’ll be like a vacation! Oh my god I just proved them right.”
—*—*—*—*—*
That night in the Mindspace was… well, Marinette’s insomnia reared its head and she entered it around three AM to find a very unamused Robin waiting for her.
“Honestly?” He asked, gesturing to the Tv screen. “You couldn’t have put some of the work off for tomorrow?”
Suddenly Marinette was very glad she didn’t talk to Tikki while working on her dress. The little Kwami had passed right out after the stressful day they both had.
“I have trouble sleeping sometimes,” she admitted shyly, shifting from foot to foot. “Sewing helps me relax. I want to be a fashion designer,” she explained, letting a soft smile overtake her lips. “I’m actually making my own dress for the Wayne charity gala at the end of the month.”
Robin’s eyebrows shot up over his domino mask. Once again, he was in his normal pajamas besides the mask that he donned after entering the mindspace. “Really? That’s pretty ambitious,” he told her, eyes going back to the screen. Then again, the snippets that he saw on the screen looked incredibly well done. Marinette’s face twisted up a bit in apprehension.
“Maybe a little,” she conceded. “But I’ve designed for Jagged Stone and Clara Nightingale. Even Gabriel Agreste and Audrey Bourgeois have asked for me to collaborate with them for a few pieces. Jagged and Clara commission me pretty often nowadays, and Jagged is a lot like an uncle to me now. I also design for local newscasters and other minor celebrities around town, and my best friend’s band Kitty Section,” She rambled, getting more passionate as she went. Robin actually found himself pretty impressed. The elder Agreste and Bourgeois both were notoriously hard to please names in the fashion industry, so to gain not just one but both of their attention and respect was a huge accomplishment.
“Perhaps I was incorrect then,” Robin amended. “With a portfolio like that, designing for the Gala is just the next small step up. I will look forward to seeing what you create,” he said honestly. His soulmate blinked, obviously caught off guard, before blushing furiously.
“Oh, uh, um, th-thank you!” She blinked again, the blush fading as she focused on the second meaning behind his words rather than just the flattery. “Wait, you’ll be at the gala?”
Robin had to hold back a smile. “It is a month away. I suspect by then you will have earned my identity. Soulmates tend to move faster than unbonded couples.”
Marinette gaped again. “Well. Uh. Thank you? I think. Wanna spar?”
It was Robin’s turn to be caught off guard. “Excuse me?”
“Do you want to spar?” She repeated, speaking at a normal pace instead of a tongue-twisting one. “Part of the reason it took so long to fall asleep is the adrenaline. It didn’t, uh, completely fade yet. And I’m still a little angry, but not enough to be dangerous in a spar.”
“I know,” Robin soothed, his calm tone a direct contrast to Marinette’s flustered rambling. “I felt the vibration when you were angry, both at GothCorp and on the roof when you punched the wall. You calmed down considerably fast, but the initial anger you felt at the woman lasted quite a while. It was very odd,” he tilted his head. “It left me very on edge. I cannot say I enjoyed it very much, but it was quite effective in getting the message across.”
Marinette laughed, nodding. Her own buzz of warning from Robin earlier had been very brief and low, barely a blip on her radar but enough to be felt. He had most likely just been upset for a moment. Marinette, on the other hand, had been burning up with her own fury.
“So, spar?” She asked again, smiling widely. “Maman says a good spar is one of the best ways to get to know a person,” she coaxed, leaning forward a bit. “Please?”
Robin snorted, standing up and stretching his arms. “You did not need to plead, I was about to accept either way. I could perhaps benefit from a new sparring partner.”
Marinette whooped, going to her half of the room. To her slight surprise, a new pink punching bag hung off to the side along with a few high bars for gymnastics. Taking a second, she turned to see that Robin’s own half of the mental world also had a few new additions. Weights, probably just for the familiarity of it, a few training dummies, and a punching bag of his own.
Neat! The girl thought excitedly, the last vestiges of anger draining away to be replaced by wonder. Soulbonds are so cool!
Shaking her head, she walked around to her sewing station and thought for a second. Her pajamas weren’t exactly a good outfit for a spar.
“Uh, how do we change clothes in here?” She asked, turning her head to look back at her soulmate. He, unsurprisingly, had already figured it out. The teen was now in exercise shorts and a perfectly fitting black tank top.
Marinette’s brain momentarily fizzled out.
Those arms! No, the legs! No, oh Kwami, I can see his abs. Shirts that tight should be illegal! Ohhh He has broad shoulders. Am I dead? I think I’m dead.
“Marinette? Are you listening?” The girl jumped, her object of torment suddenly standing with his arms crossed a few feet away.
“Huh? Oh yeah, totally. Just, uh, zoned out for a second.”
“Yeah,” he said with a raised eyebrow that just screamed disbelief. “I was saying that you simply imagine yourself in the outfit you wish to wear. This world is molded by our minds, after all.”
“Right. Easy. Got it,” Marinette nodded a little too fast, closing her eyes and imagining her usual exercise clothes. Black basketball shorts trimmed in red and a red tank top shone into existence, replacing her pink-and-white polka-dotted pajamas. Her hair, which was down from her taking out her pigtails before bed, was up in a messy bun on the back of her neck er head. Once down, she opened her eyes and gasped in joy. She turned to look at herself in the full length mirror next to her sewing station.
Behind her, she had unknowingly left her soulmate in a situation he was wholly unaccustomed to.
Perhaps I should have expected this, he thought sluggishly, feeling really caught off guard. His mind flashed to the memory of her punch splintering odd a few shards of solid brick. But her arms didn’t look that toned in her blouse earlier. Then again, she was wearing long sleeves, he had to stubbornly keep his eyes respectfully above the hips. He knew if he didn’t, his gaze would linger far too long on her muscular thighs. Turn away. You are being indecent he scolded himself, deciding to retreat to the sparring mat first.
After a second to recover from having caught Robin staring at her in the mirror— well, we ARE soulmates. It would be awkward if the attraction wasn’t mutual— Marinette joined him. Seeing as their bodies were not actually physical at the moment, they could skip stretching. Any hits they took would hurt momentarily to simulate the real world, but no actual damage would be taken.
“Ready?” She asked first, receiving a predatory grin in response.
“Are you?”
They both stood at the ready, their legs braced shoulder width apart and their arms tended but at the ready. To his shock, Marinette moved first.
The petite girl lunged, a very familiar high kick brushing uncomfortably close to Robin’s nose as he side-stepped the strike and attempted to grab her ankle. Marinette pulled her leg back too quickly, though, easily going right back into a defensive stance. Robin took the moment to get in close, aiming rapid punches at Marinette’s chest and torso. The girl proved to be just as flexible as she was strong, however, twisting around the wider strikes and batting away the ones she couldn’t avoid with her open palm. Each blocked punch sent a sharp sting through her hand, letting her know in no uncertain terms that she could not let even a single of his hits land.
The second Marinette saw an opening, she grabbed Robin’s bicep and heaved him over her hip. Instead of hitting the mat hard though, the seasoned vigilante tucked into a roll and popped right back up, leaping straight back at his soulmate. One of her punches glanced off his shoulder, forcing him to quickly recover his footing before he stumbled.
There’s that strength she showed earlier he noted. If that had been a direct hit, she might have dislocated my shoulder.
Robin leapt over Marinette’s head, slamming one knee up towards her back. The smaller teen was able to avoid a direct kit, but Robin’s knee still managed to clip right under her left rib cage. Instantly, she felt herself gasp for air. Mon dieu, that’s ridiculous! She thought, quickly hand-springing back to gain some distance as she caught her breath. My body gets a little sturdier outside the suit the longer I use the Ladybug Miraculous, but if he had hit me straight on I would have been down!
Both teen heroes were already slightly out of breath, staring at each other from opposite sides of the mat. They didn’t notice right away, but they each had the same breathless smile overtaking their face. They jumped back in towards each other at the same time.
Their spar was a flurry of punches and high-kicks, flips and ankle-swipes. They landed hits and got hit. Marinette got hit less often than Robin, purely due to her acrobatics and flexibility, but Robin’s tolerance for punishment was leagues (ha, bad joke) higher than Marinette’s. Even though he took more hits, he was in better shape than she was. Therefore, even though each of their strikes carried roughly the same force, it was clear Marinette was the one slowly losing ground. Marinette didn’t have her indestructible suit or enhanced abilities to help her out, at least not beyond what prolonged use of the Ladybug enhanced, but she was holding her own very well despite it.
It was almost twenty minutes —the mindspace making normal stamina levels irrelevant— before Marinette finally managed to grapple Robin and send them both tumbling onto the mat. They wrestled for a long moment, finding their physical strengths almost matched, before Robin finally managed to wrap his arm around Marinette’s throat and pin her legs with his own.
They were both gasping for breath by that point and, even though she lost, Marinette found herself laughing in glee. Robin’s grip loosened briefly before he completely let go, unwinding himself from her and standing up. He didn’t laugh like she did, but he was grinning widely and let out a few soft chuckles. He extended his hand down to his still-giggling soulmate, who grabbed on and allowed him to help her up.
“That was great!” She gushed. “I mean, sure, it stinks that I lost. But I’ll get you next time!”
“I fear you might not be wrong,” Robin admitted with another soft chuckle. “Not all of that was martial arts,” he said, clearly questioning her fighting style casually. Marinette rubbed the back of her head sheepishly.
“Ah, yeah. I took gymnastics as a kid. And my friend Kagami has been trying to teach me how to fence, but I just end up using those movements in melee instead. I’m okay with a foil, but I’m nowhere near the best. Kagami says I’m a natural, but I think she’s just sparing my feelings. And, uh, the whole parkour thing I mentioned.”
“Right. Parkour,” Robin agreed with a nod that Marinette knew meant he didn’t believe her but wouldn’t push. For now.
Marinette’s lips slowly widened into a devilish grin. “Hey, do you play Ultimate Mecha Strike Five?” She asked slyly, and Robin narrowed his eyes through his mask.
“Why do I feel like agreeing would be a mistake?”
“That’s a yes!” Marinette cackled and dragged Robin over to his couch. “Come on, let’s play!”
Seeing as both of the were asleep and their other senses inaccessible through the Tv, it allowed them to load the game. Surprisingly enough, Robin actually put up a decent fight.
Unsurprisingly, Marinette still won. Five times in a row.
“Alright,” Robin put his controller down, glancing over at an all too smug Marinette, crossing his arms. “Let's recap; I’ve discovered the situation in Paris is bleaker than I thought, you are surprisingly strong for your frame, you are much better of a fighter than you let on, and you have a vengeful streak.”
“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” Marinette cooed, her hand over her chest as she fluttered her eyelashes with false innocence. Robin just deadpanned at her. “I am completely innocent! An angel! I would never stoop to petty revenge over losing a spar!”
“Uh huh,” Robin said blandly. “Let’s revisit this argument when you decide to be more truthful, ‘Angel’.”
“Anytime, birdboy.”
—*—*—*—*—*
Thankfully, the next few days weren’t as hectic as the first twenty-four hours. Robin did have school and vigilante business to see to, so he and Marinette only met in their Mindspace for the rest of the week. Which wasn’t bad, even on nights when one or the other stayed up so late that they only had three or four hours in the mental world. Somehow, despite their brains remaining constantly active, the magic is the soulbond always left them more refreshed when they awoke than they would normally feel after that amount of sleep. And Marinette had her own things to do with her class, which included a brief (and very therapeutic) two-day visit to Metropolis since it wasn’t far away, to broaden the sights they could see. When they got back, they had one full rest day where they and a buddy could visit anywhere they wanted, provided they stayed within three blocks of the hotel and called to check in with Bustier every two hours.
The class, used to recovering from terrifying circumstances, had almost completely recovered (as much as could be expected, anyway) from their GothCorp nightmare by the time they returned from Metropolis. Lila had quietly thanked Marinette the day after the attempted robbery, but followed the thanks with a threat to never make her look weak again.
So, suffice to say, the liar was back to her usual tricks after the brief reprieve of the Metropolis visit as well. Milder than usual, sure, but still back to normal.
Meanwhile, Richard Grayson had seemingly spontaneously asked for vacation time in order to help his adoptive father out with company business in Paris. He landed in the City of Lights the same day that the Parisians got back into Gotham. He quickly realized that this trip would take more than just a few days. In fact it wasn’t until Friday, exactly one week after Damian had met his Soulmate, that Dick found the ability to track down the Parisian heroes.
Akuma alert sirens rang all around the city, confirming for the experienced hero that the natives had gotten accustomed to the constant havoc. Those who had been around since the beginning of the Akuma terror ran towards shelters with practiced speed.
It was the perfect distraction for Dick to change into Nightwing and take to the rooftops. Upon reaching the Eiffel Tower, the blue clad hero saw a bizarre scene. A male dressed in an aqua colored, snake-themed uniform and a petite female in a red, black, and gold uniform with a spiral down one leg were facing off against…
A… Giant… Cat lady...
Not even a giant half-cat person. She was a legitimate fifteen-foot tall old lady in classic Cat Lady attire. Knitted cat-embroidered shawl, cat-eared knitted beanie, a crochet needle that she was using to hypnotize cats and change their size and species. Her skin was bright orange with shiny silver tiger stripes, and her face had giant black glasses in the shape of a domino mask.
It was really, really weird. She had two twenty-foot panthers and a lion that was half the size of the Eiffel Tower growling at the two heroes who, surprisingly, didn’t look very affected at all by the fever dream they were facing. Smaller house cats were all slinking out of the nearby streets to ominously surround the two heroes, their eyes all glowing bright gold.
“You know, Chat would be making so many puns right now,” The red hero, Ryujo if Dick remembered correctly, mused as the two analyzed their options.
“He would also be making a lot of ‘family shouldn’t fight’ jokes,” the surprisingly zen male replied, flipping up and out of the way onto a nearby roof. “This should be easy, but I will provide backup if you need it.”
“Don’t worry Viperion, I got this,” Ryuko brushed off. “Water dragon!”
The hero turned into water before Nightwing’s eyes, swirling around the square. The water scared off the smaller cats, and the lion recoiled slightly, but it and the panthers lunged anyway, trying to catch the stream of water. The floating river easily avoided every strike, winding around the old lady’s crochet needle when they weren’t looking and snapping it in half.
A purple butterfly, exactly like those Dick had seen in the videos he and the others watched as research and exactly how Marinette had described them, fluttered out of the broken object. A quick flash of yellow darted onto the scene, a bee-themed woman carrying an ornate pot with Chinese engravings on it flew over and trapped the butterfly in the pot.
“There!” She said triumphantly, smiling wide. The crazy cat woman faded away, shrinking down into a cute little, completely normal, old lady with her gray hair in a high bun.
“Oh dear,” she brought a hand to her cheek. “Where am I? What happened?”
Nightwing watched as the heroes comforted the victim, watching as Queen Bee and Viperion left in one direction and Ryuko, whose choker had started beeping, left in another.
He followed the two paired up heroes.
—*—*—*—*—*
60 notes · View notes
marauderundercover · 1 year
Text
us against the world (pt 2)
Prev
“Miss Dupain-Cheng?” Mr. Weston calls. Marinette sits up straight, wincing slightly. She totally hadn’t been falling asleep in the middle of history class. American history was so…interesting. Why ever would she fall asleep? 
“Um, yes sir?” She says uncertainly. 
“I have a note for you from the office.” He says, holding a sticky note up. Marinette feels a wave of cold wash over her. Why would the office have a note for her? Was she in trouble? Did something happen to Penny or Jagged? Swallowing thickly, Marinette walks to the front and takes the note from him, hands shaking as she sits back at her seat. Opening the note slowly, her shoulders relax as she reads it. The last two weeks at Gotham Academy had been pretty average. And if she was being honest, she was kind of constantly waiting for the other shoe to drop. Luckily, the note wasn’t that. 
Ms. Rolling called. She’s stuck in traffic and Mr. Stone’s plane has been delayed. Miss Dupain-Cheng is to catch a bus home.
“Are you okay?” Bruce asks quietly, his voice barely audible. Marinette gives him a small smile before sliding the sticky note towards him with a short shrug. His face twitches into a frown briefly, before he flips the note over and scribbles something on the back. 
You live in Bristol, right? 
Marinette nods, and Bruce scribbles again. 
Would you like a ride home?
“Mr. Wayne and Miss Dupain-Cheng, need I remind you that the weekend does not start for another three minutes. Until that bell rings, I expect you all to be paying attention. This is something that you will need in the future.” Mr. Weston insists. Marinette feels her eyebrow twitch, but she stays quiet. She wasn’t exactly sure how the dates of the American revolution would help her in the future as the Guardian or a fashion designer. Or anything, really. But that wasn’t a conversation she wanted to have right before the bell rings on a Friday. 
“Sorry, sir.” Marinette says, silently hoping that Bruce will stay quiet. His lips press into a thin line and she can practically feel the outburst boiling just under the surface. Before he can say anything though, the bell rings and Marinette lets out a sigh of relief. Bruce rolls his eyes, shoving his books into his bag and raising an eyebrow at her. 
“Well? Would you like a ride home?” He asks again. Marinette frowns. 
“I wouldn’t want to be a bother-” She tries to say, but Bruce shakes his head. 
“It’s fine. Besides, Alfred would have my head if he knew I was going to make my friend take the bus all the way to Bristol.” He says. Marinette’s mouth twitches up into a grin. 
“Friends?” She asks, a hopeful spark in her chest. Bruce’s eyes widen slightly before he nods slowly. 
“I- er- yes. Yes we are.” He says. Marinette’s grin turns into a full smile. 
“Awesome. Well, friend, let’s get going.” She says, slinging her bag onto her shoulder. Bruce huffs, but it’s the closest thing she’s heard to a laugh from him in the two weeks she’s known him, so she accepts it without complaint. Following him outside, he opens the backseat of a very nice car and sticks his head in. 
“Afternoon Alfred. Would it be alright if we drove Marinette home today? She lives in Bristol as well.” He says. The man in the front seat turns and gives her a small smile. 
“Of course, Master Bruce.” He says simply. Bruce climbs into the backseat, sliding all the way over so that Marinette can also slide in. Shutting the door, Marinette smiles at Alfred. 
“Thank you for the ride home, sir.” She says. 
“Well of course, Miss Marinette. Where is it we’re taking you?” He asks. Marinette rattles off the address and Bruce raises an eyebrow. “Well, it appears you live in the manor on the immediate right of Wayne Manor.” Alfred says. Marinette’s eyes widen as she turns to Bruce. 
“I can’t believe we’re neighbors.” She says. Bruce nods. 
“Lucky for you, I guess. If you ever need a ride to or from school, you could join us instead of taking the bus.” He offers. Marinette tries not to laugh at the mention of luck. Despite everything she had feared, it seemed that Gotham was better luck than Paris ever was. 
---
“-until the day you learn how to start a normal conversation, I will have to be right there to fix the messes you make.” Bruce sighs, shaking his head at Harvey. Marinette raises an eyebrow, arms crossed as she leans against her locker as she catches the last part of their conversation. 
“Let me guess, Carissa Livingston again?” She asks, grinning. Bruce nods solemnly as Harvey just groans. 
“I don’t know how we always end up going down a weird rabbit hole every time I try to talk to her.” He says. 
“It’s likely attributed to the fact that you continuously find increasingly random ways to start conversations with her.” Bruce says. Marinette snorts, and Bruce tilts his head. “Now that I think about it, you do that with every girl besides Marinette.” Marinette turns to Harvey, raising an eyebrow as he flushes pink. 
“I’m hurt, Harv, really, I am.” She teases. “Why don’t I get the fun, bizarre topics?”
“Oh- uh- well, Bruce-”
“Thank you, Harvey. Come on, Marinette. Alfred should be waiting for us.” Bruce interrupts, quickening his pace as he herds her towards the door. Marinette laughs, shaking her head as she turns back to wave at Harvey. 
“Sorry Harv! See you Monday!” She calls over her shoulder. She loved being friends with Harvey and Bruce. It was easy. It didn’t hurt. 
“Mr. Stone and Ms. Rolling will be gone until later tonight, right?” Bruce asks as they walk out the door. Marinette nods. 
“I tried to convince them that it would be fine if they just stayed at a hotel and come home tomorrow instead, but Penny insists that I shouldn’t stay home alone overnight.” She explains. Bruce’s eyebrows scrunch together and he frowns, obviously thinking hard. 
“Do you want to come have dinner with me and Alfred? We can drive you home after. That way you don’t have to eat alone.” He suggests. Marinette grins. 
“Are you sure that would be okay with Alfred?” She asks. Bruce nods, opening the car door and scooting over so she can climb in too. 
“Alfred, could Marinette have dinner with us tonight?” He asks. 
“Of course, Master Bruce. Miss Marinette, you are always welcome, my dear.” Alfred says, and Marinette can’t help the warm feeling in her chest. She’d only been in Gotham for a few months, but it was already home. 
Tag list:  @stainedglassm  @laydeekrayzee @doll246 @queenz-z @deathssilentapproach-blog @literaryhiraeth @unoriginalmess @crazylittlemunchkin @buttercupsbitch @toodaloo-kangaroo @kking13   @babylovebug18 @bookwalmartav @maybeanalien0-0
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mae-dwrites · 4 months
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A Bundle of Heliotropes - Chapter 1 - Marking
| Masterlist | Start: Here <3 | Next |
| Ao3 | Wattpad |
After two people have turned 16 they get a soulmark, a near-exact, or complementary, mark or as some referred to it as a tattoo. This can be anywhere on the person, sometimes they're simple, small, or inconspicuous on occasion. Other times they take up a great deal of space, elaborate pieces of work, their meaning so clear much clearer more often than not.
When Marinette Dupain-Cheng was younger she couldn't wait for her mark. She hadn't cared what it would look like because no matter what it would be beautiful, because this was her way to her one in the Universe.
When she fell in love with Adrien she was sure it was him but slowly felt as though she was wrong as she failed to confess or even have a normal conversation with the blond. Why would the Universe give her someone she couldn't even talk to?
This led to her officially letting him go and giving Luka a wholehearted try, that was until he got his soulmark. Akumas, being Ladybug, and Guardian duties had already been putting a strain on their relationship so Luka getting his mark was just the icing on the cake, and Marinette thought it would be better for them to break up and remain friends.
Marinette spent months of hopeful vs. hopeless, and as her birthday drew near a feeling of dread came upon her. The day came when she woke up with her collar area burning with her mark.
It was beautiful, just below the center of her collarbone a circle resting with elm branches coming from it going across to end at her shoulders. In the circle was a giant ladybug, along with robins sitting on the branches of her tree.
Looking in the mirror left her almost breathless, she brought her hand up to the mark almost scared to touch it. For fear if she touched it would fade the canvas of her skin forgetting what had been.
The only problem was it was far too telling. A ladybug? As if that wouldn't reveal her. She couldn't show this, not without someone realizing what the ladybug truly represented.
She could show Alya, she had told her identity at the beginning of the school year. She trusted her not to blab about it, especially when a few months ago Alya was going through the Ladyblog rewatching her videos and trying to see if any of them could be of help. Then she stumbled upon her interview with Lila to realize that she couldn't possibly be best friends with Ladybug when that was in fact her. She apologized to Marinette when she realized her mistake and how it took her this long even after Marinette had already told her and proved she was Ladybug.
“Marinette!” Tikki’s voice broke through her trance. The Kwami had been admiring her mark, while it wasn't the biggest or the flashiest. It was certainly something to admire. Big and flashy had never been Marinette’s forte, perhaps her soulmate and her had that in common?
“Sorry Tikki. I just,” Marinette glanced into the mirror again looking at the branches and its’ birds. “I can't believe it.” The teen said the last bit breathlessly.
“Guardian, as beautiful as your mark is,” Wayzz floated up. “You’re going to need to hide it. Someone could put it together, even with the quantum masking.”
“Wayzz is right,” Marinette turned to face Tikki as she spoke. “We can't count on the Miraculous magic to hide your identity when a mark so clearly refers to your heroine persona. While our magic is ancient that doesn’t mean it’s entirely dependable either.”
“You're right,” Marinette sighed. “I can show Alya at least. I'm sure she's gonna freak.”
Marinette wore a shirt that covered above her collarbone, unable to wear her usual white tees. She wore a light pink top so that if the shirt got wet the mark wouldn't be seen through the fabric. Marinette had already been making it a habit not to wear her usual whites anyway, with how many times Lila had caused “accidents” that ruined them. It wasn’t like she was dumb enough to keep wearing something that would be affected the worse.
Marinette already knew that Lila would try to say she must not have a soul mate if she wasn't willing to show her friends. Honestly, Marinette could care less about that, as Lila probably wouldn't share hers either when she got hers later this year. Not to mention there were others in the class and friends that had been getting their marks recently and not all of them wanted to share. Also, Marinette might be the younger between her and them, if her getting the mark on her birthday was anything to go by. Which it was.
Marinette made her way downstairs while tying her hair back, over the last few months while she still was late for things she had gotten better at waking up early. It made her friends excited, that's for sure. Marinette was proud, she may not get all the hours of sleep needed for a person her age but at least she started her day earlier.
She grabbed an apple and made her way down the stairs. She didn't want to risk Lila trying to claim she had done something when she was least likely to have. So she made her way as quickly as she possibly could, despite her having more time to get to school; it helped to get there as soon as she could around a certain time. As the more people around to see her the less likely Lila could make her claims.
Marinette passed through the bakery giving her maman and papa hugs and kisses before snatching up croissants into a bag to share with some of her friends. Mainly Alya, Nino, and Adrien of course every morning hung out with her. Many of her other friends would sometimes join them, sometimes they were in a rush or just forgot to grab something to eat.
Everyone mostly “played nice” as Adrien tried to keep it. While Adrien seemed to play peacekeeper along with Alya they both had very different reasons. Adrien being so Lila wouldn't say anything to his Father and risk his freedom, and while they understood that it still hurt when Adrien sometimes took more of Lila’s side in the conversation, even if it was for the sake of “keeping the peace.” Over the months Chloé, Kagami, and Marinette had been able to convince Gabriel to be more free with his son, even Natalie had surprisingly shown support. But Adrien still turned the arguments in Lila’s favor a good chunk of the time.
Alya on the other hand had been slowly sliding more to Marinette, so as to not cause Lila into a fuss. Alya hated it, that much was clear, but it seemed as though Lila didn't notice as long as the Créole teen was spitting articles of her amazing life. Alya had made a separate blog to “support her friend” but what Lila hadn't noticed was that the writer’s name wasn't Alya but a pen name. But it had come to light for Lila that Alya still cared about Marinette and wasn't entirely leaving her. Alya gave excuses, true and false, but we're good enough for the Italian. But Lila taking notice had only been a recent thing.
“Marinette!” Alya shouted as Marinette made her way into the courtyard. Some people turned to see the dark-haired teen make her way to her friend, some of those students happened to be Max and Rose. Score, Marinette couldn’t help but think as it meant if Lila tried to say something they would most likely doubt her, especially if she was with Alya.
“Hey Alya,” Marinette smiled before hugging her best friend. As she pulled away she wasn’t even halfway out before Alya was practically buzzing.
“So?” Alya stretched the word out while bouncing in place. “Did you get your mark? Or is it not there? And if there isn’t one then that’s okay girl! Remember your soulmate could be younger than you and hasn’t turned sixteen yet. And even if you don’t get a mark I won’t think any less of you, it just means that you're free to choose your own destiny and-” and before Alya could continue rambling, something that she had picked up from the Asian girl, that Marinette cut her off.
“Alya! I got my mark,” Marinette laughed before finally letting go of the other girl’s hands. Alya’s face slowly went from blank to pure glee. She grabbed Marinette’s shoulders and shook her, “You. Me. Bathroom. Now!”
Alya dragged her to the bathroom, while others would be upset at the other’s demanding antics Marinette just laughed. Alya pushed the bathroom door open and surveyed the room, “Which stall is empty?”
Some girls gave her weird looks, but those who were friends or knew the girls personally giggled or simply smiled. One of them pointed to the one at the end. Alya declared “perfect” and brought Marinette in with her. Some of the girls said happy birthdays to Marinette while giggling as Alya dragged her into the stall. As Alya shut the stall door it could be heard some girls going “Oh” as they realized why the two went into the stall.
“Show me now girl!” Alya cried, the stall at the end wasn’t as small as the others but it certainly wasn’t one as big as the one closer to the door. Alya had mentioned that her mark might hint at her heroing, as a theory. It wasn’t uncommon for soul marks to represent someone’s work or passions, so it was safe to assume that Marinette’s could reference Ladybug.
Marinette pulled her arms out of her shirt before taking it off, her tank top left a perfect view of the mark. Aside from the straps, it’s not like it really mattered. Alya let out what had to be the loudest squeal Marinette had heard come out of her, and she had let Alya try many Miraculi on just for the fun of it. That sleepover had been the loudest squeals and laughter that came out of Alya to date. Till today that is.
“Are those tree branches? And robins?”
“Yes, and yes,” Marinette said before bringing her shirt back on. “Elms if I’m not wrong. But I studied plants for that one nature-forest-themed fashion competition.”
Alya finally opened the stall back up when Marinette had her shirt situated, and with Wayzz and Tikki away. Alya just seemed to be radiating from excitement. If Alya was the type to jump up and down when excited that would be exactly what she would be doing now. Though Marinette had a feeling it had to do with how nervous Alya was for Nino’s birthday.
Nino’s Birthday was just four days away, Alya’s was last month. She didn't get a mark so she held out hope that Nino would be her soulmate, while being soulmates didn't necessarily mean it was romantic you couldn't blame the girl. As for all they knew, Nino or Alya may have a romantic bond with someone else. With how close they were and how much they loved each other it made sense to be scared of such possibilities.
Marinette was honestly scared hers wouldn't be romantic, not that there was anything wrong with a platonic bond. But for Marinette, it just meant finding someone to have her big house with three kids and a hamster would be much harder.
Marinette subconsciously touched where her mark lay, What if they don't like that I'm the one they're soul bound to?
“Marinette!”
The said girl looked up to see Adrien, Nino, and Kim waiting for her. A smile came on her face as she saw them. Kim waved at her overdramatically before raising a sign that read “Happy Birthday To The Bread Child.”
Alya and Marinette laughed at the sign, it had been a joke between mainly Kim and Marinette that she was “The Bread Child”. When they were in early collège their class had done a project about names and their heritages. From then on Kim liked to joke about her father’s last name.
Her other friends had slowly made their ways into the joke calling her bread-related nicknames. Adrien and Nino were the worst, as they were puns. It honestly made Marinette think their favorite hero was Chat Noir rather than Ladybug.
“Happy Birthday!” Nino and Kim shouted at their long-time friend.
“Happy Birthday Marinette,” Adrien smiled at her. The girl's insides swirled around a little at his smile, it was charming, one of his real ones even. Despite letting go of her crush on him he still made her flustered from time to time.
“Thanks you guys,” she felt a bit embarrassed but she couldn't care. Her friends always made her feel like that on important occasions, but she enjoyed it nonetheless.
“I'm assuming by Alya’s face and that she was practically skipping her way over here that you got your mark?” Kim raised his eyebrows at his short friend. Though most people at Françoise Dupont were shorter than Kim.
“Yes,” her cheeks flushed as she admitted it.
“That's amazing dudette,” Nino said in his usual fashion.
“Can you show us?” Kim looked between the two girls.
Marinette swallowed before opening her mouth to speak, “I don't want to lie to you but I want to keep it myself. I would love to show it but for now, I would like to keep it to myself.”
Marinette looked everywhere but her friends while she said this. They were gonna think she was selfish, or that she hates them when she doesn't! But because they think she hates them they’ll start hating her, and they’ll all leave her. She’ll have no friends because they’ll tell everyone and then she won't ever make friends for the rest of lycèe. Since no one likes her she’ll never get to be a famous and successful designer, and when she finally finds her soulmate they’ll think she’s horrible and hate her because she has no friends and that she's a failure. And then she’ll be alone for the rest of her life. She’ll never get her big house for her hamster and three kids, and-
“Marinette!” Her friend's voices snapped her out of her panicked state.
“S-sorry!” Marinette cried.
“Marinette, it's okay,” Nino said.
“We understand and we won't push you to show us,” Kim pulled Marinette in for a side hug. “We would never hate you for being private.”
“Exactly!” Adrien said with a reassuring smile. “It's your decision. Also soulmarks are very personal things, it only makes sense if someone decided not to share theirs.”
“It’s in your full right to decide who you want to share your mark with,” Alix said from behind Marinette. Marinette would have jumped if Kim hadn't been hugging her right then. “Honestly I don't think I will share mine with anyone when I turn sixteen next year.” Alix admitted before continuing in a joking tone, “Unless it’s something sick like a dragon or snakes. Then I would show that sucker off for all it’s worth!”
Everyone laughed at Alix’s statement before heading to their classroom.
|
When Damian Wayne first didn't get his mark he thought maybe he didn't have one, and he was fine with that. Even pleased one could say. As it would be one less person to care about, to protect, or to be used as a weakness.
His family reassured him that his soulmate probably just hadn't turned sixteen yet. Truly that didn't, as the League had certain beliefs around the topic. All Damian saw was that it was the Universe giving him that one person that anyone could use against him.
Lo and behold they would be right; just a few months later would he wake to his shoulder blades burning as a mark finally made itself upon his body.
Damian looked at his back with the mirror in his bathroom. It was…magnificent. It was the only word that could come to mind that held everything he felt about it, the young Wayne couldn't help but look at it.
A circle between his shoulder blades with tree branches that went across his shoulder blades and stopped just as it went to wrap around, clearly cherry blossoms were the branches that came out, ladybugs in flight or resting in the branches. While it made no sense it was still a beautiful sight. In the circle was a robin, its back to the viewer and its head turned up so you could see its face, as best you could with how the view of the mark portrayed it.
Damian swallowed, his body showcasing the form of nervousness without his consent. He couldn't help it though, looking at made his chest tight and his fingers flinching, desperately wanting to touch the mark. His arm made its way up and his hand came down-
He clenched his jaw as he turned his hand into a fist and brought it away. He huffed leaving the bathroom, and his face became a scowl. As he got dressed two parts of him berated him. He took a moment to calm himself, it’s just a mark. But it wasn't like a regular tattoo, it couldn't come off.
It was one of the reasons you, internationally, couldn't get a tattoo until you were eighteen, because you were one: a minor. And second, you didn't get your mark until you were around the age of sixteen to nineteen. At least that was the average range of the current day, there were some larger age differences here and there, but it wasn't as common now. Guess the Universe seemed to catch on to how humans had been viewing age differences in recent times.
Damian didn’t understand why the Universe had decided that soulmates would be part of the staple of its rules. An absolute that had become the conclusion long ago that no matter what you were bound to meet your soulmate, in one life or another. At least that was according to magic users and what the League had from hunting down certain magic users.
So under no circumstances could his family find out about this mark. He may have come a long way from who he was when he was ten years old but even still he did not wish to entrust them with everything. While they were family, his most trusted, and partners, he couldn't stand them over insignificant things. This mark did follow under the file: “Keep Out Of Knowledge For Long As Possible.” or as he formally called it “My Business.”
It was his business, and as it was his business it meant his brothers would poke and pry their way into said business. Damian stifled a groan as he made his way down the hall. Damian could only hope his brothers would stick to their recent “level 1: giving space” tactic, but that would only last for so long. He might as well enjoy the peace that came with it.
“Damian we're going skating after school!” Grayson exclaimed upon the young Wayne entering the dining room.
As much peace that would come with the level 1 space.
-
Being Tagged is always an option.
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It's that time again!
Time for the Maribat awards!
This year we have a bunch of new categories and new rules - like that you can nominate up to three fics for each category!
(and yes, you can submit nominations more than once in case you forgot something - but submitting someone twice for the same thing won't do anything!)
Check out the link below and start collecting those nominations now!
Rules and Categories under the cut.
Maribat Awards Nominations 2022
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RULES:
1. When you are nominating someone, you MUST include LINKS to their accounts or stories, or they will not be counted.*
2. All works submitted must have been created in 2022, unless it is for a new category (marked with *new). This does not mean updated in 2022. The original work creation date must have been on or after January 1, 2022, or it will not qualify. 
3. Any creators must have completed at least one fic/artwork in the 2022 year.
4. You may nominate up to three works or creators for each category. 
5. A work or creator may only be nominated for one category (e.g., you cannot nominate the same fic for both Favourite Fic 2022 and Best Hurt/Comfort). 
6. You may submit nominations more than once in case you forgot something - but submitting someone twice for the same thing won't do anything!
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Categories include:
Favourite Author
Favourite Artist
Favourite Fic
Favourite FanArt
Most Underrated Author
Most Underrated Fic
Best New Author
Best Maribat Author of All Time (Any year)
Best Maribat Fic of All Time (Any year)
Ships:
Best Daminette
Best Jasonette
Best Timari
Best Dickinette
Best Rare Pair
Best Platonic (non-bio-family) (*new)
AU/Trope:
Best Biological family AU (no longer just biodad!Bruce)
Best Soulmate AU (*new)
Best Fantasy/Historical AU (*new)
Best Class Trip Trope (*new)
Best Enemies to Lovers Trope (*new)
Best Marriage Trope (Arranged or Not) (*new)
Best Fake Relationship Trope (Dating or Marriage) (*new)
Overall:
Best One-Shot 
Best Multi-Chapter
Best Fluff
Best Angst 
Best Hurt/Comfort 
Best Comedy 
Best Rated G (*new)
Best Rated T (*new)
Best Rated M (*new)
Best Rated E (*new)
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daminette-56 · 2 years
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Imagine a Daminette where Marinette and Damian have been dating for 3 years (15-18) and they are in a happy relationship, they only have petty fights that resolve quickly. But hear me out the conflict of this Daminette fic is that Kagami likes Marinette.
For example:
Kagami is nervous for a fencing tournament, and Marinette goes to comfort her. And they both get close Marinette doesn't see a problem but Kagami is having gay panic. Marinette ends the PEP talk.
While walking away she sees Damian and she runs up to him. He told her that he was looking for her, for his good luck kiss before the tournament started.
Marinette kisses him and they have a sweet moment where they tell each other "I love you" and kiss the other person's promise ring.
Kagami was watching the scene with a sad face
Time Skip
Damian and Kagami battled other people until they were the only ones left. In the final match Damian won.
After the tournament while Damian went to freshen up, Marinette went to congratulate Kagami.
Marinette congratulated Kagami and hugged her. She told her that coming second place is also good and that Damian could teach her some tricks. Kagami said ok.
Marinette goes and finds Damian. She jumps on him and he twirled her around. She told him that he was awesome out there, he told her that she's the awesome one.
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fauxnormal · 1 year
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Todd had a seemingly heavy duffle bag over one shoulder and a banker's box in hand. Weapons? Severed heads? Art supplies ?
Speculation was futile.
"You have about 10 minutes?" he asks.
"Not r-" Damian responds as Jason moves into the room anyway.
"Good! I'll make this as quick as I can. Damian, I'm a simple man. I like to eat, read, fight, and fuck. Not necessarily in that order."
Todd paced as he spoke.
The duffle hits the floor with a low whump. Probably not severed heads, the sound wasn't right. Jason puts the box down on Damian's desk.
"Very little of that is new information. How is this relevant and what do you want? I have something I need to get back to-"
Damian stopped talking, maybe if he just let Todd say what he had to say Damian could get back to what he was doing.
Todd took a breath and started to lecture.
The assassin prayed for death.
Nope. No such luck, still alive.
This was, the much dreaded "TALK".
Damian took another breath in. Still alive. Clearly, Damian was praying to the wrong gods.
Todd was convicted of his righteousness so there would be no easy escape such as Damian sloughing off his mortal coil.
Shit.
Could be worse. It could be his father.
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ggomos-maribat · 7 months
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Tim Drake didn't particularly like the occult.
But Constantine said the two were their best bet against the demon uprising. The magic-user, howeover, refused to contact them himself, claiming that it was a bad idea to involve them, that they were better off dealing with the problem on their own than . . . outsourcing. Unfortunately, Tim (and the rest of the Batfamily really) was stubborn. If they had potential allies to help them, wouldn't it be worth to take the risk?
This mission to contact those people then dragged him to a downtown bar to talk to famous designer Marinette Dupain-Cheng, who he was ninety-five percent sure was one of the two Constantine was talking about.
Tim told himself that perhaps a little bit of sweet-talking would do. His hand inched closer to hers on the tabletop, but she immediately pulled away. "This night has been fun, Monsieur Drake." She smiled sweetly. "But I don't think my husband will appreciate me staying out late."
She showed him a glowing band on her finger, which Tim completely missed when they met. He, too, pulled away, cheeks turning pink. "Uhh, yeah, sorry 'bout that. Don't let me keep you."
Although Marinette had slipped out, he still had a mission to do.
He decided to follow her.
He knew of her potential danger, signified by the fact that she was walking on a dark, deserted, Gotham street by herself. He held his breath when she stopped right below a flickering lamppost.
She turned around, plump red lips stretching into a sinister smile. "That's quite sneaky of you, Monsieur Drake. Why don't you be direct with what you want, hm?"
And he took a step out of the shadows, dropping his act. "We need your help."
"Who told you about me?"
". . . John Constantine."
Her nose wrinkled. "That soul-whore? Figures."
Tim definitely didn't show it, but the way she stood, her mere presence was unnerving like a beast waiting to pounce. But at the same time, she was so unfairly beautiful even in the darkness.
Marinette smoothed down her hair. "What makes you think we're willing to help?"
Tim's eyebrows raised. "'We'?"
A sudden chill arrived with the wind, summoning goosebumps all over his skin. The lamp switched off in a blink, and when it turned on again, a shadow had appeared beside Marinette, which morphed into a human. Or at least he thought it was a human.
"Yes, 'we'," a new voice said. "She and her husband."
Fuck. The man was dressed in elegant clothes, a perfect match with his wife. His hair was slicked back but with strands softly falling on top of his ethereal eyes. Tim swore those were fangs under his pale lips, sharp like the gaze he was shooting at him. Both his deep blue eyes and Marinette's seemed to shine under the moonlight.
Tim was officially scared. He never did like the occult, but goddamn, the occult was causing his bi-panic.
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calico-kiwi · 5 months
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The 3rd Chapter is Finally Here!
i can't believe i literally haven't added to this in 9 months, whoopsie
Fandom: Maribat (Miraculous Ladybug x DC)
Tags: Tim Drake/Marinette Dupain-Cheng, Original Character, fluff & Shenanigans, no plot & no update schedule
Work Summary: Both Tim Drake and Marinette Dupain-Cheng are incredibly successful and busy people. Two people who both view coffee as their lifeblood. When they find themselves needing each other to obtain ultimate coffee rights at their favorite cafe, two total strangers become allies. And friends. And perhaps eventually… something more.
Chapter Summary: Tim and Marinette reconvene at the cafe, where they both agree to participate in the second Coffee Trial. It's there where the trials officially begin. But Skye, always full of surprises, has yet another (unintentional) twist.
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fleursroses · 4 months
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Heyy so do you guys remember that fic I posted here back in April and said I would post it on AO3 as well? Yeah ok so it has been almost 8 months but I finally did it! So, if you want to read a fun little story about the miraculous squad slowly finding out about Damian and Marinette being married, why not have a look? 🥰
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sugarfluff59 · 6 months
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Guys I have an idea for a new daminette fic.
Ok, so what if Marinette decides to go to Gotham University rather than ESMOD or any university in Paris after defeating hawkmoth, because she needs some time away from the toxic environment. And you know the usual her losing all her friends due to Lila except for Adrien (he finally realised his mistake and came around), Chloe, Luka and Kagami.
They will all be about 18-19 years old, and all are very successful already. Marinette will be a singer, designer, model in secret so nobody really recognizes her or knows that she is filthy rich.
She is very pretty and smart, and when she starts studying at Gotham University many boys (good and bad) are in love with her and try to win her heart and make her theirs.
Damian in this fic is only sweet and caring toward her and cold towards everyone else as he fell in love with her on first sight, and thus also tries to make her his girl, and is kinda obsessed with her.
This fic, will not really involve much about the bats and miraculous as Marinette renounced her guardianship and gave the miracle box back to the Order which she had restored. So basically, she does not remember being ladybug in this fic and her memory is altered by other memories which never really happened because of the miraculous magic to cover up the gaps.
She will be a very girly girl in this fic who kinda needs to be protected and Damian was assigned as her protector by Bruce secretly as she is staying with the Waynes, because she was adopted by Jagged Stone and Penny Rolling (who asked Bruce to be her host during her stay in Gotham), after her parents fell for Lila's lies.
Anyways that's all, and since I don't possess a single writing bone in my body, I hope someone likes my idea (which is honestly inspired by multiple different fics) and decides to write it.
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marsrize · 2 years
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Marinette, Lex Luthor's mother
It's a crazy idea, but let's imagine that Marinette and Felix are Lex Luthor's biological parents.
Marinette was a loving mother. Lex loved his mom more than anything. He had a deep respect for his dad. However, his family life was chaotic, mostly because Felix was an asshole (to others, not to his family). As a result, they had many enemies.  
 One day Lex's parents disappeared in a plane crash, leaving him an orphan. As he was a very intelligent boy, he was adopted by the Luthor family who wanted a child. He was then 16 years old.
 Angry, abandoned and alone, Lex became increasingly unstable. The loss of his parents left him with a big hole in his heart. To avoid suffering this kind of pain, he will close himself and think only about himself. All that matters is him. The rest? They are only pawns to serve him.
He eventually succeeded in taking control of the Luthor empire. He drove out his adoptive parents. He had no feelings towards these people.
 ��Several years passed.
 During another alien invasion of Earth, Lex's parents were resurrected by mistake.
  They will discover what their "baby" has become. Felix is laughing out loud. Marinette is FURIOUS.
Lex is going to be yelled at like a little boy for hours, in front of the heroes. And Lex won't have a say in the matter. He is too shocked to see his parents alive and especially.... He's not crazy to stand up to his mother. Even his father Felix, had NEVER dared to oppose his mother. "Father....mother?" "(Chuckles) I can't believe you've become a villain cliché. *holds his stomach*... Oh kid, daddy is so proud.(Laughs)" "....." "Felix... Stop laughing." "*cough*" "I said .... Stop laughing." "(suddenly shuts up)" Lex swallowed. Marinette slowly turned to Lex, then approached him. Suddenly she pulled his ear toward her.
"You little brat!!! You' re in deep trouble! I DIDN'T RAISE YOU LIKE THAT!"
The Justice League stood there in absolute silence, completely fascinated by the scene before them.
Marinette forced Lex to apologize. (And Felix during all this time, observes his wife while doing his best not to laugh. He doesn't want to have the wrath of his terrifying little wife against him.) No one will take him seriously after this.
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