I decided to compile all my works, again. I’m not including the older version of Audacity, since I’m in the process of rewriting it and a few other stories. The list will be updated when a new chapter is posted and older versions will be taken down and replaced when I edit them. DM me if a link isn’t working or if I missed one. Cheers!
Taking Stock of What Matters Most Ao3
Strangeness and Charm Ao3
Fear Toxin Ao3
The Bat’s and Bug’s Prank War Ao3
The Beginning of the End (of prank wars)
The Plot of Revenge
Marinette’s Revenge
Audacity Ao3
Chapter One
Home Ao3
Chapter One Bonding Moments
Chapter Two Departure
Chapter Three Confessions
Chapter Four Reunion
Where Did You Sleep Last Night? Ao3
Chapter One Blooming Dread
Chapter Two Obsessed Chats and Realizations
Hisses and Scratches Ao3
Chapter One
Maribat March 2k21 Ao3
Chapter One Day Two First Time
Chapter Two Day Thirty Goodbye
Greyscale Ao3
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Vying for Bluebell Eyes and Cat Scratches Ao3
Chapter One
What’s A Sham? Our Childhood. Ao3
Chapter One Reunions, They Suck.
Chapter Two Explanations and Arguments
The Letdown Ao3
Chapter One Mari
Chapter Two Mari
Chapter Three Mari
Chapter Four Mari
Chapter Five Mari
Chapter Six Julia
Chapter Seven Mari
Chapter Eight Ian
Chapter Nine Ian
Never Let Me Go Ao3
How to: Friend, Love, Freefall Ao3
Chapter One: Holy War
things ppl often get wrong in academia AUs (specifically ones in modern university settings with focus on graduate students & professors):
no one is spending enough time complaining about writing
hierarchy is wrong. your grad student TA is not a professor or faculty and might not even be considered an employee. that 32 year old man is not a full professor no matter how talented he is or how old you think 30+ is, and he should be talking more about "the tenure clock"
grad students only ever taking or TAing classes & never doing research or working on their thesis/dissertation. there are masters programs with no thesis component so i'm sure there are ones that have no research requirement, but you can't get a PhD only taking classes
everyone has too much money. but also if it's set in the US there's an obsession with accumulating student debt for positions that generally you would not have to take out loans for
relationship with academic advisor never sufficiently unhinged
not enough discussion of stats where it's obvious everyone only barely understands what's happening
[Image ID: Screenshot of the headline and associated information of an article from NATURE BRIEFING on 14 December 2018. Headline: “Daily briefing: Chemist sent mercenaries to save her PhD student from ISIS” Subhead: “Thesis advisor sends in the cavalry, ‘buried’ genetic networks linked to mental illness and the best science photos of 2018.”
Byline: “By Flora Graham” /end ID]
Came to reblog for the grad school info, stayed for the unhinged student-advisor relationship headline 😂
here is a super helpful website for this kinda thing!
the first result isn’t always the one you’re looking for but when you press enter it’ll give you a ton of words related to your query that’ll probably have what you’re wanting, or something better
me, haunted by yet another idea for a 250k fic i have neither the energy nor the free time for, but that shall rattle its chains at me for the foreseeable future nonetheless: i wish it had never come to me gandalf
Day 4 of Tag Team Tournament! Y'all get 2 ships today cos I'm weak to Daminette
Edit: now with art by @krono2011
@maribatserver
Link to AO3
A Canon Event
Marinette was in so much trouble. She'd never seen her parents as disappointed as they were in this moment and she'd cut up the curtains in their living room to make a dress for her doll just last week. But sitting in the hotel manager's office, her parents looking just shy of heartbroken, Marinette was ashamed.
She couldn't even really argue that it wasn't her fault. It wasn't, but she wasn't going to tell on Kim, that wouldn't be fair. Plus, she wasn't a snitch, whatever Chloé liked to say on the matter. So she stayed quiet as they recapped her list of crimes, staring at the floor between her swinging feet instead of at Bruce Wayne and Richard Grayson, the latter of which was covered in honey and almond flour.
“It was an absolute disaster,” André Bourgeois said, frowning at the Dupain-Chengs as he finished his rant. “Poor Monsieur Wayne surely just wanted to enjoy the gala his company were throwing in honour of the opening of the branch and you- you-”
“Yes, André, I think we are all up to speed,” M. Wayne said, off to Marinette's right. Her shoulders hunched, as she saw him move in her peripherals and he stopped whatever he was about to do. “I think it would perhaps be best if Mademoiselle Dupain-Cheng didn't attend any more Wayne events. There's no need for any charges to be pressed against a child for being, well, a child.”
“That's not a child, it's a hellion,” Marinette heard Monsieur Grayson mutter, and her shoulders touched her bright red ears. She really hadn't meant to cause such a mess , not when it could have such an effect on her parents and their business. She may only have been five but her Maman had warned her, over and over again, that her behaviour reflected on them.
“We should go and get you cleaned up, Dick,” M. Wayne said, a hint of disapproval creeping into his voice. Marinette stayed as still as she could, miserable and still waiting for her punishment, as Messieurs Wayne and Grayson left the room.
“Well, I suppose Monsieur Wayne has spoken,” M Bourgeois said, sounding a little less stern. “Marinette is hereby banned from any Wayne event in the future. Now I have some officials to speak with so if you can see yourself out…”
Her Maman and Papa didn't say anything to her as they took her home. They put her to bed with very little fanfare, promising that they would talk to her in the morning when she was fully rested. It had been such an exhausting day that she fell asleep immediately, unable to even stay awake and stew over the possible consequences for her actions.
Avoiding Long-lived Consequences
“And while we're in Gotham we'll be hosted by Wayne Enterprises!” Madame Bustier said, clapping her hands together. Most of the class started whispering excitedly - with one glaring exception.
Marinette froze in her seat, mind whirring as she tried to work out how to get out of this trip. It was an instant reaction, the thought of being in the presence of Bruce Wayne after how she had destroyed his party making her palms sweat and her breath short. Kim glanced over at her, eyebrows lifting when she didn't send him her usual reassuring smile.
“Yo, what's up Nette?” He shouted across the classroom. Everyone turned to look at her and she flushed at the attention.
“It's nothing! I just…I have to ask my parents if I can go on the trip and I'm not sure I can be away for that long,” she said, wincing when everyone gave her confused looks.
“But Marinette, you did so much work on the proposal to spend a week abroad, why wouldn't they want you to go?” Rose said eventually, clearly dismayed.
“No, I know, it’s just that-”
“If you have any problems, we’ll talk to them for you,” Adrien piped up, shooting her a winsome smile. And wasn’t that just perfect, her classmates would try to convince her parents that she should go because she’d been chatting excitedly to them for weeks.
“...thanks, Adrien,” she said, turning her wince into a very unconvincing smile and looking away.
The class dissolved into excited chatter again, until Lila said very dramatically, “Oh, I’m so glad that we’re being hosted by the Waynes! I’m friends with them, so it will be so nice to get the chance to see them again.”
The room went silent before exploding in excitement again, everyone leaning in closer to Lila to get the details of their hosts. No amount of Madame Bustier trying to calm the class and rein them in with cautionary words about the Waynes likely being too busy to host them directly stopped them.
When the day finally ended, Marinette trudged home to have the long conversation with her parents about her rotten luck. From inside her bag, Tikki pressed against her hip comfortingly. At least she would have her kwami with her through it all, and if push came to shove she might be able to get away for brief stretches of time with Kaalki. After all, she’d already been planning on taking the horse Miraculous so she could attend any Akuma attacks that happened.
“Hey sweetie!” Tom called as she entered the bakery, his happy face beaming at her from the kitchen. “Your teacher called us to talk about your class trip, she wanted to make sure we knew about it all and we’ve already confirmed that we have no problem with you going for the full week.”
“Thanks Papa,” she said weakly, going through to press a kiss to his cheek before disappearing upstairs with a halfhearted explanation of ‘homework’.
A couple of hours later, they were seated at the dining table for dinner and both Sabine and Tom were talking excitedly about how lucky it was that Marinette was getting to attend the school trip. The fact that it was being paid for by an American company just added to the excitement for them and Marinette hated that she had to burst their bubble.
“Maman, Papa, did Madame Bustier tell you which company was sponsoring our trip?” she asked, biting her lip when her parents looked at each other before shaking their heads. With a sigh, she continued, “It’s Wayne Enterprises.”
“Alright?” Sabine said after a moment, brow furrowed in confusion. Marinette waited for the penny to drop but it appeared she was the only one that lived with the horrors constantly on her mind.
“You know, Wayne Enterprises? Like, Bruce Wayne and his son Richard Grayson?” she prompted, hand waving as she waited for them to understand. It didn’t happen and she gave a whine. “Like the company that banned me from all of their events when I was five for the incident at the Bourgeois hotel?”
“Ooohhh,” Tom said, wincing as well now. But then he seemed to shrug it off, his face taking on a thoughtful look. “Well, I mean, it’s hardly as though you’ve been troublesome since then. I highly doubt they even remember who you are, much less what you did. Perhaps this will be a good chance to build a new relationship with the Waynes!”
“Papa, Monsieur Grayson literally thought I was a devil child,” Marinette said, deadpan. “I highly doubt me showing up is going to make them anything other than irritated. I don’t want to be incarcerated in an entirely different country!”
“Cherie, they’re hardly going to lock you up for something you did a decade ago,” Sabine said drily. “Unless you’re planning to do it again?”
“Maman, obviously not,” she said exasperatedly. “But what if-”
“What ifs have never served you all that well. Better to just go in and hope for the best - and try not to cause any more problems for the Waynes.”
General Mayhem
Marinette stepped off the plane and grimaced when they were met by a man holding a sign that read ‘Students of Francois Dupont’. She was mostly relieved that they didn’t pay her any particular attention, but she did wish they were traveling with an anonymous company instead of the Wayne Enterprises one.
“Mari, is everything okay?” Adrien asked quietly as she skulked in the back of the group. She smiled but didn’t say anything, which made him frown. “Is there anything causing you any problems? Are you worried about something?”
“It’s nothing, Adrien,” she said, trying to brighten her smile. “I’m just a little jetlagged. I’m sure I’ll feel better once I get some sleep.”
“Yes, it’s a shame none of the Waynes were available to meet us,” Lila said forlornly. Marinette had to contain her eye roll, privately thanking every kwami in existence that they weren’t available. If, by some outrageous chance, Lila wasn’t lying through her teeth, her knowing the Waynes might be just the thing Marinette needed to hide in the group. After all, if they were too busy fawning over their ‘very good friend’ Lila, they wouldn’t have time to accuse her of anything that she didn’t want the others knowing.
“Aw, do you think Damian will come to meet you?” Rose cooed, looking like a real life fairytale might play out in front of her. “You said you’re best friends, right?”
“Yes, we’ve been friends for so long, but he isn’t a very affectionate friend,” Lila said easily. “As I’m sure you’ve all seen in the news about the Waynes, he really doesn’t like anyone to touch him and he doesn’t like the press. If he does choose to come say hello, I’m sure it will be a more private affair.”
“Ooh, do you think he might have deeper feelings for you?” Rose gasped, eyes taking on a faraway look. Lila gave a laugh and waved her hand.
“Heavens no! We’re just very good friends, like I am with all of you. Or like I am with Jagged or Clara,” she said, smiling softly. “I’m not interested in him like that, we’re practically family at this point.”
The conversation continued all the way to the hotel they were staying at, Marinette avoiding everyone’s eyes and trying to be as discreet as possible. She thought she was doing very well and congratulated herself silently when she made it to the hotel without incident. She was even feeling pretty confident when they all got back on the coach to greet Wayne Enterprises.
She was just relaxing - while still trying to remain out of sight - as the tour guide for the building excitedly told them all what they would be doing that day when she spotted the very last person she wanted to see on this trip: Richard Grayson himself.
_ _ _
Jason was bored, sitting and watching the surveillance cameras to ensure a safe visit for the French students Bruce had sponsored to come to Gotham. It was supposed to help foster good international relationships and, since Paris already held a Wayne Enterprises division, it was simple enough to set up the visit through that branch.
But watching just more than a dozen teenagers wander into the building was his definition of boring. He sighed and looked over each of the students, grabbing their identities through facial recognition software and jotting down any notes that sprang to mind as he went. He was mostly doing it in protest, planning to annoy Bruce with a thick file to read full of teenage behaviour. Really, anyone else could have done the work and the fact that he was making Jason do it just meant that he was punishing him for something.
He was mostly just killing time when he noticed that one of the students kept ducking behind their friend, meaning he couldn’t get a clear shot of their face. It could have been a coincidence but the kid’s shoulders were growing less tense the longer they managed to stay out of sight.
While Jason had a list of the kid’s names, he preferred to get the facial recognition because if the person was impersonating one of the students it would catch them out. But none of that was any use when they were avoiding the blasted cameras.
“Hey Jaybird! How’s things going?”
Dick had suddenly appeared in Jason’s office and he paused when his brother was staring intently at the screen. He tried to peer over his shoulder but he couldn’t see whatever the problem was by himself.
“Dickhead, can you see anything much about that one there?” Jason asked at last, pointing at someone who was hiding behind a blond boy that Jason had identified as Adrien Agreste. “Whoever it is keeps dodging the cameras and I can’t tell who the hell they are. What if they’re nefarious?”
“I mean, she looks like a teenager, how nefarious could she be?” Dick asked, unconvinced.
“Demon Spawn is a teenager,” Jason said, deadpan. “Look, forget all of that, can you just come with me so we can check her out?”
“Fine, but only because you’re being ridiculous. She’s probably just shy.”
They trooped down to the main entrance of the building, Dick leading the way while Jason seemed to check his gun unnecessarily. Dick shot him a look, shaking his head as he pushed through the door and tried to get a good look at the girl. He was fortunate enough that she looked over at them as soon as they entered and he was able to catch her eye. Even better, he knew exactly who she was.
“YOU!” he screeched, eyes going wide and mouth hanging open. She went pale, mouth dropping open and horror etched across her face. “What are you doing here?”
“Dickie? You know her?” Jason said, sounding flummoxed. He was no longer touching his firearm but he looked a little alarmed.
“Know her? Yes, I know her,” Dick seethed, memories surfacing that made him wince even ten years later. “How did you make it past security?”
“I- I-” she stammered, looking panicked. Her eyes were darting around like she was searching for an exit but Dick was too affronted that she was in the building to remember that he was a twenty-seven year old man and she was a teenager.
“Oh my God, that’s Dick Grayson,” one of the students, a girl with glasses and an excited look on her face, breathed. She was batting excitedly at the brunette next to her who looked like the world was not going the way she wanted it to. “Lila, you said-”
“Dick, will you please explain what’s going on?” Jason hissed, smacking Dick on the shoulder to get his attention back. “Is she a threat or what?”
“A threat? She’s a menace! Not to mention she’s banned from all Wayne Enterprises events, so she shouldn’t even be here.”
“Wait, you can get banned from the events?” Jason exclaimed, turning fully to the girl- no, the innocent looking nightmare. “How? Please, tell me your secrets!”
“Um, excuse me sirs,” the teacher, a timid looking woman who was looking rather alarmed. “I’m afraid I don’t understand what the problem is. Why would Marinette be banned from Wayne Enterprises events? She’s our class representative and-”
“You let her be in charge?” Dick cried, drawing even more attention to the group.
“It was an accident,” Marinette wailed, burying her face in her friend’s accomplice’s shoulder. “Please, Monsieur Grayson, I really didn’t-”
“Do you have any idea how long it took to get rid of that honey?” he screeched, ignoring Jason’s snort.
“I was five!” she shrieked back, voice rising suddenly. She clearly wasn’t paying attention to anyone around her because a tall, athletic looking boy shot her a startled look but she didn’t react. She was staring at the floor and Dick was only distantly aware that other people were starting to come into the room.
“YOU DOWSED ME IN HONEY AND-”
“What is going on down here!”
Dick faltered as he turned to see Bruce and Damian standing by the elevators. The former looked exasperated whilst the latter looked like he wished he was anyone else. It was a normal look for him to have so Dick focused on the fact that Bruce looked annoyed.
“Monsieur Wayne,” the tour guide said, sounding terrified. “I- I’m so sorry, I was just getting ready to-”
“Old man, you banned someone from your events when she was five?” Jason said loudly. Dick had almost forgotten he’d been with him the entire time. “You said it was impossible!”
“Jason, please, I never banned anyone from Wayne Enterprises events,” Bruce said, sounding tired.
“Um, yes you did, sir,” Marinette said timidly, looking like she was about to cry. Clearly a tactic to garner sympathy and Dick felt his lips pucker into a scowl. “I’m so sorry for coming, I didn’t mean to-”
“When you were five?” Damian said, sounding bemused as he watched the girl. “What on earth could you have done to warrant a lifelong ban to events?”
“Mayor Bourgeois was very clear-”
“Ah, wait, I think I remember this incident,” Bruce said suddenly, shooting Dick a disappointed look that he felt was highly unwarranted. “Miss Dupain-Cheng, correct? It must have been a misunderstanding. I only meant that you shouldn’t attend the events we were hosting during the opening of the Paris office. Perhaps we could take a moment of your time to discuss this in private whilst your class begins their tour?”
Dick watched in outrage as the hellion followed Bruce into the elevator, the class staring on in confusion as the tour guide tried to regain their attention. Then he decided he should absolutely be present for whatever conversation was about to happen.
Getting Unbanned
Marinette sat in the office, feeling the weight of four people’s eyes on her. M. Grayson was glaring at her; the man he had called Jason was watching her with something akin to fascination; M. Wayne looked deep in thought; and the boy who had seemed amused by everything was playing with what looked like a knife.
“I’m so, so sorry for breaking your ban,” Marinette said at last, hunching in on herself when everyone focused on her again. “I really didn’t mean to but all of the travel was in place before they told us who was sponsoring the event. And I was committed at that point so-”
“No, forget that, I want to know what you did to get banned,” Jason said from the other side of the room. When she looked at him, he grinned conspiratorially. “Please, tell me your secrets so that I can start skipping these awful events.”
“Todd, don’t be ridiculous,” the boy said, tucking the knife back into his sleeve and looking at Marinette with barely concealed interest. “Father already said that she wasn’t banned for life.”
“Right, but maybe I can just do something worse than what she did,” Jason said agreeably. M. Grayson made an affronted noise and Marinette huddled down in her seat, feeling five years old all over again.
“I really don’t wish to talk about it,” she said, flushing bright red. “It was an accident, I only meant to complete a dare from a friend. It…got out of hand.”
“What sort of dare-”
“Dick, chum, perhaps now isn’t the time to rehash this old thing,” M. Wayne said tiredly. “I really only invited you up here, Miss Dupain-Cheng, so that you didn’t have to deal with the fallout from Dick’s theatrics alone.”
“Oh,” she said, playing with her fingers as she waited for the ‘but’.
“Father, if you do not intend to punish her, may I escort her back to her class?”
Marinette stared at the boy, unsure of why he would ask for such a thing. He had called M. Wayne ‘Father’ and if Lila was to be believed that meant that he was a prickly, unsociable teenager. Not that she was in the habit of believing Lila but…
“What the hell, since when do you want to spend time with a person?” Jason demanded, making her think that Lila had done her research on the family before coming up with lies.
“Tt, that is none of your concern, Todd,” the boy, Damian she was fairly certain, sniffed.
“Fine, show her to her class, Damian,” M. Wayne said, though he also looked concerned. It made Marinette very nervous to go anywhere with him but she couldn’t think of a way to refuse without offending anyone or causing a scene.
“Merci, Monsieur Wayne. Again, I’m very sorry, Monsieur Grayson, for any trauma you endured because of my actions,” she said, wincing when M. Grayson glared at her.
“Just make sure you don’t try to pickpocket my brother, you hellion,” he snarked, folding his arms like a petulant child. Marinette flushed but followed Damian out of the office as quickly as she could. If she could just avoid the Waynes for the rest of her visit she was sure it would be an easier week.
“I have rarely seen Richard so out of sorts,” Damian said conversationally, a smirk on his lips. “Nor have I seen Todd quite so upset that he has been unable to achieve what you have. It's a fond wish of his to be banned from all events so that he is no longer required to attend.”
“Honestly, I just want to forget this whole thing,” Marinette said miserably. “Do you have any idea how stressful it's been, waiting to see if I was going to be denied entry to the building when I arrived?”
“I cannot say that I do,” he conceded, holding a door for her as they made their way along the halls. She had to pass by him very closely and she was so nervous that she tripped. She expected to sprawl across the floor and give the second worst first impression she'd ever given, but he caught her easily and righted her by placing his hands on her hips. “You should be careful,” he murmured.
“Th-thanks,” she squeaked, blushing all over again at his closeness. They stood there for a long moment before she cleared her throat and looked away. “So, um…which way now?”
“To where?” He asked, seemingly completely at ease.
“To- to my class?” She asked, looking back up at him before looking away quickly again.
“I haven't a clue where they might be in their tour,” he said with a shrug, making her frown in confusion.
“But you said-”
“I thought you would appreciate escaping my family's attention,” he said, shrugging one shoulder. “But it should not be too difficult to find them if you wish to return to them. Stay close.”
Marinette walked along beside him, her heart beating a million miles a minute. Did she try to start a conversation? From how his brother had reacted to his offer to escort her back to her class she assumed that Lila had been telling the truth about Damian Wayne's reputation. But she couldn't ask questions because then he might rescind his apparent kindness and she would end up actually being banned from events. Which at the beginning of a week-long visit wasn't ideal to say the least.
“What did Richard mean, about pickpocketing?” Damian asked as they went through another door. Marinette flushed again, trying to think of a way to spin this that didn't make her seem like a common thief. When she hesitated, he quirked an eyebrow at her. “Surely it cannot be that bad given your age at the time. Rather, I wish to know how badly to antagonise my brother for a child twelve years his junior getting the better of him.”
“I-” she began, but faltered when she heard the unmistakable voice of her arch nemesis (no, that was Hawkmoth, she couldn't call a teenage girl the arch nemesis to Ladybug ) constant irritant of a classmate.
“No, I'm sure Marinette is just having more restrictions put on her. Perhaps they don't want her to attend the gala at the end of the week,” Lila said, sounding disappointed to the casual observer but Marinette knew she was relishing the possibility. “It's such a shame this happened before I knew the Waynes, I could have tried to talk them down from such a harsh punishment.”
“I can't believe they didn't recognise you, girl!” Alya said, shaking her head. “I bet it was one of Marinette's clumsy moments that spiraled out of control.”
Chancing a look at Damian, she saw that his eyes were narrowed thoughtfully at Lila but not in a way that made her think that he was suddenly recognising an old friend. No, it rather reminded her of the way a cat looked at a mouse it knew it was going to kill but was looking for a fun way to do it. The thought should have made her concerned but she felt a shiver of anticipation travel up her spine instead. The thought of Damian Wayne debunking one of Lila's tall tales gave her stomach a flutter and she averted her gaze before he noticed her attention.
“That girl is telling your class she knows us?” He asked quietly, still watching Lila with narrowed eyes that now bordered on a glare.
“Yeah, to be honest I was hoping she was telling the truth this time,” Marinette sighed. Damian's eyes flickered to her questioningly and she elaborated. “If she was as good a friend to you as she says I was hoping to hide behind her reunion with you all. It didn't work,” she added with a grimace.
Damian snorted elegantly, a small smirk playing on his mouth as he no doubt recalled the level of outrage M. Grayson had displayed. They stood there for another minute or two as Lila continued to weave a rope for her web of lies. Marinette just hoped this one would be used to hang her instead, she was far too confident that she wouldn't be called out in spite of being in the same building as them for a change.
Then Adrien spotted them and let out an excited ‘Marinette!’, focusing everyone's attention on her. She gave a squeak and had the urge to hide behind Damian. She even took a half step towards him before realising how ridiculous that would be and stopping before she was pressed against his side. Fortunately no-one moved towards them, though they did all start urging her to come join them to talk about what happened.
“Um, thank you for getting me back to my class safely,” she said softly, touching Damian's arm briefly before hugging her arms around her waist. She was not looking forward to the interrogation that was bound to happen as soon as the class got her alone.
“Of course, it was my pleasure,” he said, loud enough that her entire class could hear him. She blinked up at him, surprised as he touched her arm in return. “I hope you will consider my offer to attend the gala as my personal guest. It would make the evening far more entertaining, and guarantees that Father will not change his mind based on Richard's theatrics. Here, my number so you can let me know your decision.”
She took the slip of paper he held out to her, eyes wider than ever. She could only nod dumbly and stutter out another thanks as he caught her hand and curled her fingers carefully around his number and smiled handsomely.
“Or if you would rather miss the gala, we could find something else to do with our time. I look forward to hearing from you,” he said in a much lower voice, just for her. This time the shiver couldn't be contained and she blushed at her reaction even as his smile widened ever so slightly. “Until then, Marinette.”
She watched him go, face as red as her superheroine suit. It deepened even further when he turned back and caught her staring but she was too dumbstruck to look away. By the time she turned back to her class, she thought it must be on fire with how hot she felt. Alya's face was alight with curiosity and she just knew she wasn't getting out of this interrogation.
“Tell. Us. Everything.”
Damian's Interest
When Damian returned to his father's office it was to the sound of raised voices. He could recognise Dick’s complaining tone and he rolled his eyes as he pushed into the room. Honestly, Jason was often considered the drama queen of their household but at least he usually had a reason for his theatrics. Dick was just unbearably overdramatic at times.
“You just don't understand, Jay! Anyway, you were the one who thought she was a threat-”
“Dick, please, she's a child-”
“I have returned Marinette to her classmates,” Damian announced loudly, making the room fall silent. The reactions through the room varied but he was pleased to see that Dick looked mildly wrong footed.
“Alright, putting a pin in Dickie’s insane crisis for a sec,” Jason said, ignoring Dick’s outrage. “Do you know her from somewhere, Demon Spawn? ’Cause if so, I'm gonna need to revisit his assassination theory.”
“Tt, don't be ridiculous, Todd. I had never met her before Richard singled her out for his own ineptitude,” Damian said, startling a cackle out of Jason and a wounded gasp from Dick. “She was practically a toddler when you met her, whatever transpired can only have been your fault.”
“I take it she was relieved to be back with her classmates,” Bruce cut in, watching Damian thoughtfully.
“I assume so, yes. Though she seemed contrite over the incident from ten years ago,” he added pointedly, gaining a scoff from Dick.
“Probably because she knows I plan on enforcing her ban to keep her out of the gala at the end of the week,” Dick muttered savagely, ignoring Bruce's displeased hum.
“That will be rather difficult as I have issued her with a personal invitation,” Damian said casually, pulling his knife out to twirl around his fingers again. It was a familiar motion and helped to keep the devious look off his face when everyone stared at him again. “But if you insist she cannot attend I will be happy to entertain her elsewhere. Perhaps at the manor?”
“You- you-” Dick spluttered, gaping in horror. It was a gratifying sight and exactly the kind of chaos Damian had hoped to achieve. Jason's look of surprise was almost as comical, his eyebrows practically in his hairline.
“You asked her out?” Jason said, sounding equal parts amused and impressed. Damian shrugged but didn’t deny it, leaning back against a wall nonchalantly. Jason let out a low whistle, looking delighted and concerned. “Damn kid, what possessed you? And can we keep it instead?”
“No, see? She must have done something to him!” Dick insisted. The others just looked at him, Bruce pinching the bridge of his nose as though to ward off a headache. “Why is nobody taking this seriously?”
“Just because I showed an interest in her? You sound more insane than Todd, Richard,” Damian said derisively.
“Don’t pretend like it’s not out of the ordinary! Bruce, you have to investigate her, please,” Dick said, turning desperate eyes on their father. “We have no idea why she tried to have me killed ten years ago and now she has Damian acting out of character-”
“It wasn’t an assassination attempt, Dick,” Bruce cut in tiredly. “I will run a more thorough background check on the whole class but I expect we won’t find anything unusual. Until then, we treat them like a class that we invited to our city because that’s all they are. Now all of you, get out of my office so I can get some work done. Damian, Alfred will collect you if you give him a call.”
Once they were all out of the room, Dick immediately ran off. Damian presumed it was to follow the class as stealthily as he could and shook his head after him. He, of course, had no intention of missing out on any further interactions with the class if it resulted in the same level of chaos so he didn’t bother to call Alfred.
“Hey, brat, now that Dick’s gone,” Jason said, startling him out of his thoughts. He turned to look at the large man with a raised eyebrow, waiting. “You’re acting kind of weird. Don’t get me wrong, I’m thrilled you worked out what girls are for, but he has a point. This is out of left field and we don’t want you getting taken in by something malevolent if we can prevent it.”
“Understood. If it eases your mind at all, I mostly took an interest in her because of Richard’s frankly insane reaction. My invitation to the gala was because one of her classmates claims to know us and I rather like the idea of exposing her by ignoring her. If anything comes up in her background check, I would be interested to know.”
“In that Marinette girl’s?”
“No, you simpleton. In the girl’s with the double front ponytails and orange blazer. She was rather brazen in her lies and I would like to know if she is going to be a problem for Marinette.”
“Huh. So if your interest was mostly because Dick was being mental what was the other part?”
Damian didn’t respond, instead smirking and walking away. He was hardly going to admit that he found her attractive if Jason hadn’t already worked it out.
A Night to Remember
The rest of Marinette’s week was fairly uneventful, the class calming down after the initial demands to know what had happened both that day and a decade before. She spotted M. Grayson sporadically throughout their activities but he didn’t confront her again.
The one thing of note that she hadn’t mentioned to any of her friends was that she had struck up a text conversation with Damian. The first message had been to ask whether he had been serious about her attending the gala with him to which he had responded in the affirmative. That had almost caused a complete mental breakdown because what?
After that, she accepted his offer and they started talking about nothing and everything. Often, she stayed up late at night and text him until the early hours of the morning. It was tiring but so very worth it when she learned bits and pieces about him and what he liked.
She was getting ready for the gala when Alya started talking about how excited Lila was for the event. Marinette tried not to grimace at her enthusiasm but it was difficult considering she now personally knew Damian. Hearing her wax poetic about his endeavours - all of which had been covered in the news so it wasn't like she couldn't have found out through that - made her vision go red and her palms sweat with rage.
“And girl, you should hear about the work she’s done with him for the animal charities he supports!” She added, smiling like Marinette should be begging Lila for insight. But she’d already asked Damian about his charity work and he was going to help her choose an animal shelter in Paris to support. “I mean, you’re going to the gala with him, right? I bet you and Lila will start getting on better now that you have another friend in common!”
Marinette was spared answering by a knock on their hotel door. She almost tripped over her own feet to answer it and found Adrien on the other side of it. He blinked down at her, a soft smile emerging as he looked at her dress.
“Wow, you look lovely Mari! Red is such an amazing colour on you, I don’t think I’ve ever seen you wear it before,” he said. Marinette looked down at herself, checking the black sash to make sure it was sitting straight before beaming up at him.
“You think? I normally prefer pink but I wanted to try something different for Gotham. It’s not particularly known for its pastels, you know?”
“Oh, sure, it’s very doom and gloom here,” Adrien agreed. He seemed to lose his train of thought for a moment before she prompted him to explain why he was there. “Right! Your date’s here to pick you up. Madame Bustier sent me up to let you know so she could keep a look out for our coach.”
“Oooh, I’ll come down with you, Nette! I’d love to meet my two best friends’ Gotham boy,” Alya said with an excited glint in her eye. She was already pulling her phone out, probably planning to call Lila down as well.
Grabbing her purse and a black faux leather jacket she’d made to match one she’d made for Jagged, Marinette let Adrien lead the way down to the hotel atrium. They chatted politely as they went and she was relieved to find that she was significantly less tongue tied around him now. She didn’t have a lot of time one-on-one with him so it was nice to see that she really was over her crush.
The hotel was very grand and, as such, had a sweeping staircase leading to the entryway. It was beautiful and had lots of intricate carvings that had Marinette’s fingers twitching for a pencil and paper. But as soon as she turned the corner to stand at the top of the staircase her attention was completely stuck on the handsome boy she had been chatting with for the past week.
He’d asked what colour her dress was and he had managed to colour match with a pocket square and tie. When he caught sight of her, his eyes traveled from the top of her head right down to the heavyset boots on her feet. It was Gotham after all, having sensible footwear seemed to be more important than trying to fit a high class aesthetic. Her eyes became transfixed on his as she made her way to him and she stopped hearing whatever Adrien and Alya were nattering on about.
“You look enchanting, Marinette,” he said when she came to a stop in front of him. His hand came out to her and she took it automatically, fighting back a hysterical giggle when he pressed a kiss to the back of it. “When you described the dress, I must admit I did not think it would look quite so…”
“She looks awesome, right?” Adrien said, breaking the little bubble around the pair. Damian’s lips pursed but he didn’t disagree. Marinette bit her lip when she realised her hand was still held tightly in Damian’s and a warm feeling spread from the point of contact. “So, you two are going ahead of us?”
“Yes, my father expects me to be there from the beginning of the event to ensure I greet people. But I did not want Marinette to have to search for me, so we should leave now so that we are on time,” he said, tugging her towards the doors.
“Oh, can you wait for five minutes?” Alya piped up, glancing at her phone. Damian gave her a frown and she rushed to explain herself. “Your friend, Lila Rossi is here too! She hasn’t had a chance to catch up with you and I know she didn’t want to disturb you at the gala, so if you could wait-”
“I don’t know any Lila Rossi,” he said firmly, raising an eyebrow when Alya started to protest, trying to show a photo of her. “I’m aware that there is a student in your class who claims to know my family but the only one I am acquainted with is Marinette. And only after she arrived in Gotham. I believe Richard is acquainted though that is…fraught.
“Regardless, I must be on my way to ensure that we aren’t late. I presume I shall see you all at the gala,” he concluded, dismissing the others as he led Marinette to the car where his butler, Alfred, was waiting for them. She followed him, stumbling a little as she tried to process what had just happened.
It wasn’t until they were in the backseat of the car that she finally found her voice.
“You told them you don’t know her,” she said in an awed voice. She was speechless again for another minute as she tried to work out her feelings. “I…thank you. I know you did it for you, but hopefully they'll all stop blindly listening to her.”
He gave her a measured look that made her heart pound even harder before he looked away. It was dark, but she thought he might have been blushing.
_ _ _
Dick gave a frustrated groan as he tried for the umpteenth time to tie his tie correctly. It didn't work and he cursed under his breath as he went in search of Alfred to help him. They only had a half hour before the gala and Bruce would put on his disappointed dad face if he didn't have it done up in time.
“Hey, Little Wing, have you seen Alfie?” he asked after searching for ten minutes to no avail.
“Yeah, he went out with the brat to pick up his date,” Jason said with a shrug, somehow expertly tying his tie. Dick nodded for a second before processing what he’d said and doing a double take.
“Date? Alfred has a date?”
“No, Dickhead, Damian has a date,” Jason said, sounding amused. “And Alfred drove him to pick her up.”
“Who doesn’t have their own driver to the event that Damian knows?” Dick asked, thoroughly confused.
“That little French chick, Mary-wotsit. Where have you been, it’s all he’s been focused on this week?” Jason said with a grin. “Baby bat’s in love.”
“What? No. He wouldn’t have. I was very clear that she is exactly who we need to avoid, just in case she’s dangerous,” Dick said, feeling panicked. “We need to get him checked over for brainwashing, or drugs, or something! Why would Alfred just take him when he’s acting out of character?”
“What are you two blathering about?” Tim asked, looking perfectly put together like the rich kid he was. When Jason gave him a watered down version of events, he sighed and shook his head at Dick. “Big bird, he’s fine. I ran my own checks on him, at his own insistence, and he’s one hundred percent clear of influence. Hell, I even managed to get Zatanna to give him a look over on the WatchTower and she didn’t find anything either.”
“Then it’s undetectable! You can’t tell me it’s a coincidence that she showed back up ten years after a failed assassination attempt and Damian’s acting strange. She has to be messing with his head somehow.”
“Oh, I know how,” Jason said offhandedly. “Hormones. Kid’s a sixteen year old with a saviour complex that’s never had a girlfriend. She’s small and cute, big blue eyes and a smile that lights up a room - he was doomed as soon as he met her. Do you not remember what you and Babs were like? Or even you and Kor’i? It was only a matter of time before he fell hard.”
“Oh, and he definitely fell hard,” Tim agreed, pulling something up on his phone. “I glanced at his data and text usage, and it shot up at the beginning of the week. And I took an even sneakier look at the messages he’s been sending and he’s been talking to her about his hobbies and stuff. Kid’s completely head over heels.”
“And that’s strange! I’m telling you, something isn’t right here,” Dick said stubbornly, glaring when the other two laughed. “What if she’s a plant from the League? She could be here to trick him back to his old life and then what will we do?”
“Well I have great news for you then, because I made sure Cass is aware and she’s going to talk to her tonight,” Tim assured him. “But if she gives her the all clear you’re going to have to apologise to her and admit that you got bested by a five year old.”
“And when I’m right, you’re all going to have to apologise to me ,” Dick said, huffing. He probably would have said more but the door opened and Bruce reminded them all to get into the ballroom ready for the gala.
Moments before the gala was due to start, Alfred opened the doors and admitted the errant Wayne and his date. Dick eyed them suspiciously, expecting Damian’s behaviour to be completely different to his norm. But, though he was definitely standing very close to Marinette, he was scowling at everyone else as he normally did. And he didn’t seem to be completely absorbed in her either, which made Dick doubt himself.
But he didn’t get the chance to quiz the pair because they had to start greeting their guests. He kept half an eye on the pair but couldn’t see anything wrong with them other than the fact that Marinette was a hellion. Which…okay, with Damian’s past and his propensity for violence and mayhem maybe a hellion wasn’t that strange of a choice for a person he could date…
When the rest of the class arrived, Dick was interested to notice that the bubbly brunette with the glasses seemed to be more introspective than she had been. And the green eyed girl was glaring almost openly at Marinette and Damian, whereas before she had been quite animated when talking to her classmates.
Finally, Marinette and Damian moved over to Cass and Dick slipped away from the guests he was speaking to so he could approach them as well. When he reached them, Marinette was talking animatedly at Cass about something, and the other woman was giving a small smile as she watched the pair.
“Hi,” he said, trying not to grimace when Marinette turned her smile on him. “So, having a good evening? I think it’s pretty magical, myself.”
“It has been acceptable,” Damian said, touching the small of Marinette’s back briefly before moving away. “Marinette was just telling us about her design process for creating her dress. Were you aware that Marinette is a fashion designer?”
“No, I wasn’t,” he replied with as much enthusiasm as he could muster. By the sharp look Damian gave him, it wasn’t much at all. “You customised your dress?”
“Made,” Cass said, nodding towards the younger girl. When Dick frowned, she tried again. “Not customised. Made.”
“She made it herself, from scratch, Richard,” Damian said with an eyeroll. “Marinette is a fashion designer, she has worked with many notable people before.”
“Dami, stop,” Marinette said, blushing as she hid her face in his shoulder. “I designed sunglasses and an album cover, it’s hardly a huge connection.”
“Then you shall have to design something for me,” he declared, touching her wrist. Dick watched her carefully before cutting his eyes over to Cass questioningly. It took only a moment for her to understand what he was asking, and she signed only one word: ‘sincere’. It made him frown again but he couldn’t say anything until Marinette was gone.
“How come you're not hanging out with your class, Marinette?” Dick asked innocently - though not quite innocently enough for the two trained assassins.
“Damian asked me to come early so we could spend some time together,” she said brightly, beaming. He would think it was adorable if she wasn't so suspicious. “And he isn't very fond of one of my classmates.”
Cass signed something to Damian, her sharp eyes picking something up from Marinette's body language that Dick hadn't caught. The smirk Damian gave was concerning but all he did was shrug at Cass. But when Marinette tugged on his elbow to get his attention back, he answered her questioning look without further prompting.
“Cassandra was just asking if you also disliked Rossi,” he said, amusement obvious in his tone. Marinette's nose scrunched automatically and Dick wondered what this classmate had done to get on Marinette's bad side. He then immediately wondered if he had an ally to help stop Marinette's reign of terror and made a mental note to speak with the class next. “The classmate in question-”
“Dick, chum, can you come over and join me to greet the class,” Bruce said, appearing behind him. Marinette, surprisingly, didn't visibly startle when he appeared and Dick assumed she'd seen him approach. When he agreed to come with Bruce without complaint the older man squinted at him. Fortunately they were short on time so Bruce merely led him away from Marinette and towards the rest of her class.
“Good evening, monsieur Wayne,” the teacher, Madame Bustier said with a bright smile as she corralled the class to greet him. She introduced them, one by one, and Dick’s eyes narrowed at the ones acting differently to when he met them previously. “We must thank you, once again, for your hospitality while we have been here.”
“It’s nothing, we love having connections to other countries and building relationships with young minds to help make a better future. And my youngest seems to have made a friend in your midst as well,” he said, gesturing over to where Marinette and Damian were approaching the group slowly. They had their heads bent together, Damian seemingly whispering into her ear as they walked and Marinette had a faint blush on her cheeks.
The conversation was mild for several moments until one of the students piped up with a question.
“Mr Wayne, have you ever met anyone in our class before?” The ombre haired girl asked loudly, her eyes slicing towards the one with three ponytails. “Other than Marinette, I mean.”
“I can't say that I have,” Bruce said slowly, his tone one of genuine confusion for a change.
“But we're happy to meet you all now!” Dick said eagerly, looking at the girl as well and remembering how she had been glaring at Marinette. Maybe she was the one Damian had been referring to?
“Sorry to ask for clarification,” the other girl said as if he'd never spoken. “But we were all under the impression that your youngest son was close friends with one of us. That you were, in fact, not in Gotham which is why she hadn't introduced us personally. And it's making me wonder if any of our classmate's so-called celebrity friendships were, as Marinette has always been telling us, fabricated.”
“Alya, I really don't think you need to bother Monsieur Way-”
“Well I disagree, Lie-la!” Alya shot back, glaring even more harshly. “Because you've been trying to tear Marinette down for as long except - apparently - I couldn't see it for what it was! How dare you make us think she was jealous of you for your connections, for your ‘good fortune’ to be an Agreste model? To be close to Adrien who apparently she isn't even in love with anymore!”
“What?” A blond boy said quietly, his eyes going wide as he turned to where Marinette was hiding behind Damian. But none of the other students were paying attention to him, their eyes glued to Lila and Alya.
“Maybe we should all just-” Bruce began, clearly hoping to cut the conversation short before things turned physical. But Lila started speaking quickly, eyes darting everywhere except at her class.
“Look, I'll admit that I didn't know the Waynes, and I’m sorry that I lied about that,” she said, eyes shining with tears. “You all expect me to be so- so well connected all the time, and I thought that this was a harmless white lie. And I know that Marinette hates me and always says I’m lying when I’m not, but I really do know everyone else I told you about-”
“Yeah right,” Dick heard Marinette scoff softly, and he turned his head to scrutinise her. It hadn’t been said loudly enough to be heard by the class but Damian was smirking again as he reached his arm around her shoulders.
“-and I really did think she was jealous, which is why I thought she hated me! But if that isn’t the case and she doesn’t hate me then maybe we can become friends now that any misunderstandings have been cleared up. Unless you don’t want to be friends, Marinette?” Lila finished, turning hopeful eyes on the other girl.
“Given you’re still lying through your teeth?” Marinette said when everyone had swung around to look at her. Damian’s hand on her opposite shoulder tightened and if Dick didn’t know how much Damian lived for these petty arguments at galas he might have believed he was trying to caution her. But it was much more likely that it was encouragement and Dick could just feel that things were about to go crazy. “I mean, it’s easy enough for us to prove some of your lies are just that. Isn’t that Jagged Stone right over there?”
“Why do you always have to be such a goody-two-shoes?” Lila growled, face changing to a scowl without a tear in sight. When she stepped towards Marinette, Damian growled audibly enough that the entire class were staring at him. Lila ignored him and kept glaring at Marinette, who stepped sideways to confront her.
“Why do you always have to be such a lying asshat?” Marinette quipped back, eyes gone hard and flinty. Lila gave a half scream that drew the attention of everyone else, but it looked like she was too focused on Marinette to realise that she was the centre of attention. Dick’s jaw practically dropped open when Lila threw herself at the hellion but it was on the floor when Marinette moved.
If he didn’t know better, he’d have been impressed by the backflip she executed as she dodged the other girl. Damian was clearly on the other side of impressed, his eyes slightly wider. Lila landed on a table, things crashing to the floor and smearing all over her dress. Marinette landed gracefully behind her but slipped when she tried to step closer to Damian because a drink or ten had spread over the floor, soaking into Lila’s skirt.
Hardly missing a beat, Lila leapt to her feet and threw herself at Marinette, fists flying and shrieking in outrage as she swiped an hors d'oeuvre from her cheek. Once again Marinette dodged albeit with slightly less grace this time, But then Lila swung again and clipped Marinette in the middle, taking her down into another table.
“I hate you!” she screamed, and Dick hesitated to step in because she was moving too erratically. Well, and because it was Marinette who probably orchestrated this whole thing to attack him and leave him either injured or dead. “Why are you so-”
Marinette managed a maneuver that ended up with Lila on her front with Marinette perched on her back, pinning her arms to stop her from causing any more damage.
“Quick, Dami, grab a zip tie or something,” Marinette said with a commanding look on her face.
“Yes ma’am,” Damian murmured, grabbing a napkin and handing it to her to tie up the prone girl.
Dick scowled while Jason cackled in the background, wondering how Marinette had caused this mess while looking like the victim.
Still Not Banned
“You are glorious, Marinette,” Damian said in a low voice as he sat beside her in M Wayne’s office. “Your talent is intriguing and I would love to see what else you are capable of.”
“Damian, I really don’t think this is the time,” she whispered back to him, cheeks flushed and gaze averted.
“No, it really isn’t,” M Wayne said with a heavy sigh. He was pinching the bridge of his nose and had the surveillance from the gala open on his computer. Marinette was forcibly reminded of the last time she’d attended one of the Wayne galas and groaned as she realised that it had ended much the same way.
“Monsieur Wayne, I am so sorry-” she began, wishing she wasn’t in this situation again.
“It’s fine, Marinette. I don’t think anyone here can blame you for the events that unfolded today, but it is unfortunate that it surrounded you once more.”
“I don’t know, I’m pretty sure I can blame her,” M Grayson muttered, rolling his eyes when Damian hissed at him. “What? You think it’s a coincidence that the gala imploded again ? When the only other time things have gone this badly wrong is when we have a Rogue attack or she is involved?”
“That is irrelevant, Marinette cannot help that the night turned chaotic,” Damian insisted, slipping his arm around her waist and pulling her out of her seat and into his lap. She tried to protest slightly but didn’t try to move away when he squeezed her hip. “You have been treating her unfairly this entire time because you are incapable of admitting you were bested by an ordinary child.”
“She is not ordinary-”
“No no, he’s right, I’m just a normal girl, with a normal life,” Marinette said hastily, flapping her hands slightly. Damian frowned at her and started to deny it until she laid her hand on his arm. “Really, I am, and I’m fine with that. I don’t know how to assuage your fears, Monsieur Grayson, but I didn’t intend for things to go so wrong today, or indeed last time.”
“Marinette, please accept my apologies for Dick’s behaviour,” M Wayne said before M Grayson could argue. “He seems to have forgotten again that you’re a teenager, and that he is more than a decade your senior. Dick, chum, please stop causing problems or I’m going to have to ask you to go home.”
“What-”
“Yo, B, I got the French kids back to their hotel alright,” Jason said as he burst into the room. Marinette blinked at him when he looked at her and raised an eyebrow. “Demon Spawn, put her down. For god’s sake, you’ve known her a week, have some self restraint.”
“Tt, I hardly see how it is any of your business,” Damian sniffed, but he did let her get down from his lap to sit back in her own seat. She shouldn’t have been disappointed and yet…
“Jay, son, can you please not antagonise your brother in front of company?” M Wayne said exasperatedly. “I truly do not need the extra headache. I apologise again, Marinette, I wish the night had gone more smoothly for us all.”
“I don’t blame you, sir. Lila…has a way of creating situations that she twists to put me in a bad light. It’s unfortunate that she did it at your gala but I would be lying if I said that it was unusual,” Marinette admitted ruefully. “And I really, really am sorry I showed up to this event even against my better judgment.”
“Next time I shall endeavour to make plans that do not include the gala,” Damian nodded solemnly. Marinette almost missed the casual referral to his wanting to spend time with her again - almost. As she didn’t miss it, she flushed again, her cheeks positively radiating heat as she dropped her face into her hands.
“Damian, please, you can’t just say stuff like that, you’re going to kill me,” she said, her voice muffled by her hands.
“Why shouldn’t I say that I intend to continue seeing you if that is my intent?” Damian asked, sounding confused and a little affronted.
“Because you’re flirting with her in front of the rest of us, so knock it off, kid,” Jason said, sounding both disgusted and amused. “I get it, you got yourself a cute girlfriend, but please just keep the gross PDA to a minimum.”
Both Damian and Marinette blushed and began to deny it, unable to look at each other as they did so. She knew how she felt about the boy currently pressing their pinkies together, but she didn’t know for sure how he felt about her. She hoped he cared about her too but she didn’t expect it at this point, not with her history with relationships.
“Alright, that’s enough,” M Wayne said, though he was smiling when he did. He was watching the pair of them with something like pride on his face, and that made Marinette blush even harder. “Damian, why don’t you take Marinette back to the hotel as well, she has an early flight tomorrow and needs to get some sleep before she goes.”
“Tt, very well. Come along, Marinette, I shall find Alfred so that we can see you safely home.”
Half an hour later, Damian walked her into the empty lobby, his gait slower than usual but no less confident. Marinette felt her face heating up as she tried to gather her courage to say goodbye to him. He looked down at her when they reached the elevators, his face practically unreadable, and she felt her heart skip a beat as he stroked a finger across her cheek.
“As chaotic as the evening was, I had a wonderful time,” he said in a low voice, the timbre sending a shiver up her spine. “And whilst you live in Paris currently, I would like to continue getting to know you if it is something you are amenable to?”
“Yes!” she squeaked quickly, clapping her hand to her mouth at her own eagerness. She cleared her throat and tried again at a lower pitch. “Yes, I would love to get to know you better, Dami.”
“Good,” he murmured, leaning down slowly towards her. She had every opportunity to stop him, to move away but she didn’t want to in the slightest so she reached up on her tiptoes to meet him halfway.
The kiss made her veins sing and the blood rushed in her ears as she slipped her arms around his neck to keep him close.
Epilogue
They broke apart a short time later to find that they were no longer alone. The elevator had arrived carrying multiple of Marinette's classmates, all of whom were watching them with delight and glee. Damian was not ashamed to say that he beat a hasty retreat, promising to call Marinette the following morning.
When he arrived back at the manor, everyone was still arguing discussing all that had happened at the gala. Dick was even more wound up than when Damian had left, his body language erratic and on edge. Cass was sitting to the side, looking amused, and Jason was arguing that Marinette was literally more than a decade younger than Dick, though Damian wasn’t sure why he was arguing it. Maybe just to remind Dick of his age.
“Dames! Thank god you came back safely, I was worried-” Dick began, only to be cut off by Bruce again.
“Dick, son, we’ve been over this several times. Marinette has done nothing wrong, and she wasn’t even the reason things went sideways at the gala, not entirely. The other girl in her class, Lila Rossi, has apparently been lying about knowing Damian and the rest of us for some time. Marinette knew that because she’s been lying about knowing other affluent people.”
“Right, but she’s got Damian doing things like asking her out and escorting her to galas, which is weirder than someone telling lies to further themselves,” Dick argued.
“Genuine. Likes Damian. Not sneak,” Cass said in her stilted speech. Damian flushed at the reminder, thinking of the kiss they had shared and tried not to draw any further attention to himself. But it wasn’t as easy as that, and Cass gave him a sharp look at the change in his demeanour that morphed into a devious smile. “Kissed. Brother happy.”
“Cassandra,” he sighed, ignoring the way Jason threw back his head again and laughed loudly or the way Dick’s look of concern worsened. “I am still my own person, Richard. I just…enjoy Marinette’s company. She is far more interesting than any of the other insipid girls you all insist I speak to at these events, and she has the added benefit of irritating you.”
“Damian, she’s more than just irritating, she’s dangerous,” Dick argued hotly, but Jason finally managed to get enough air to speak and pointed a finger at the original Robin.
“Yo, Dick, it’s time to admit you were wrong about the little Pixie,” he said sternly. “Cass, you’re giving her the all clear, right?” Cass nodded emphatically, shooting Damian a thumbs up and a smile. “Right, so now, Dickhead, you owe everyone an apology, as discussed. Demon brat came up clean on bloodwork, a magic check, and now good old fashioned body language is giving them the all clear. Timbit said earlier that you’d need to apologise and the piper is due.”
“I am not-”
“Dick,” Bruce said firmly, his expression one of steel. “She’s been vetted more highly than anyone else we know that’s a civilian, let alone one as young as she is. Just admit you were wrong and find a way to get past it for your sake, please.”
“Wait, shouldn’t we get a Super to check her out too?” Dick said, sounding desperate. “Damian’s only other friend has super hearing, he could check to see if she’s lying, or-”
Damian sighed and rolled his eyes. It was going to be a long night, and he didn’t have the benefit of sleeping in the following day. So he resigned himself to listen to Dick’s absurdity in passing and leaned back on his seat to try and rest.
And if his thoughts wandered to the Parisian student that had captured his attention, that was nobody’s business but his own.
5 Tiny Writing Tips That Aren’t Talked About Enough (but work for me)
These are some lowkey underrated tips I’ve seen floating around writing communities — the kind that don’t get flashy attention but seriously changed how I write.
1. Put “he/she/they” at the start of the sentence less often.
Try switching up your sentence rhythm. Instead of
“She walked to the window,”
try
“The window creaked open under her touch.”
Keeps it fresh and stops the paragraph from sounding like a checklist.
2. Don’t describe everything — describe what matters.
Instead of listing every detail in a room, pick 2–3 objects that say something.
“A half-drunk mug of tea and a knife on the table”
sets a way stronger tone than
“There was a wooden table, two chairs, and a shelf.”
3. Use beats instead of dialogue tags sometimes.
Instead of:
"I'm fine," she said.
Try:
"I'm fine." She wiped her hands on her skirt.
It helps shows emotion, and movement.
4. Write your first draft like no one will ever read it.
No pressure. No perfection. Just vibes. The point of draft one is to exist. Let it be messy and weird — future you will thank you for at least something to edit.
5. When stuck, ask: “What’s the most fun thing that could happen next?”
Not logical. Not realistic. FUN. It doesn’t have to stay — but chasing excitement can blast through writer’s block and give you ideas you actually want to write.
What’s a tip that unexpectedly helped with your writing? Let me know!! 🍒
THIS IS NOT REAL. If you get this comment, they’re just trying to get you to delete your fic.
1) I would have gotten some kind of email from Ao3 if this was true
2) this comment is formatted to be perfect to tack onto any fic they choose
3) ALSO why on earth would Ao3 get rid of entire fandoms off the site? Even if they WERE inactive? Who knows if others will be ‘late’ to the fandom and want some fic to read. Who knows if someone wants to come back to their 6 year old account only to find most of their fics deleted.
I’m lucky to be a reasonable adult who has seen tricks like these who also had a very kind person comment their own doubts.
reblog to give your Blorbo a forehead kiss and a cup of chocolate after they’ve been subjected to a round of torture that will leave scars and traumatize them for eternity
