Meeting her father was the best thing that ever happened to her. With it, she gained a family, a dysfunctional and messy one, but a family nevertheless. She had no idea how much she longed for the comfort of having a safe place to finally call home until she actually had one. Life in the League was far from easy, added with her constant worry for the safety of her little brother, she could never let her guard down.
But now living with a family full of vigilantes, she constantly found herself feeling at ease with more frequency. In the League, you never knew when someone was going to stab you in the back. So she never let herself relax, always in a constant state of worry.
Now, she spends most of her days lazing around, meditating and reading on a bay window in the library, or simply filling her sketchbooks with drawings and designs. For the first time in forever, she could just exist. No immediate doom looming over her head, and with no imminent danger.
She could just relax.
Her family had asked her more than once if she wanted to join them in their nightly activities, and she felt pride in being included, but she had been fighting for so long that now she just wanted to live a normal life for a while. As normal as being the daughter of a philanthropy millionaire could be.
If you asked Tim, he would say he was glad Bruce got to meet his daughter. He could see how her presence changed everyone's mood and attitudes. Bruce had started to spend more time around his kids and with Dick trying to teach her everything related to pop culture, he often came up with family activities on the most random days, just so they all could be together. But the ones he noticed the most change were Damian and Jason. He could tell how much adoration Marianne had for each one of them.
He wasn’t blind, and contrary to popular belief he could still reason with little sleep. So it came as no surprise for him when Jason skipped patrol for the fourth time since Marianne came to live with them. He could tell that Dick knew what was going on as well, and after his reaction to Jason’s absence, he was pretty sure Bruce and Damian now knew as well. His older brother was a lot of things, subtle not being one of them.
But that was a problem for another time, for now, he was going to drink his third cup of coffee, maybe eat some more of the delicious cookies he found on the kitchen counter, and finish his paperwork for tomorrow's meeting. His sister's likely relationship with his brother could wait.
He was almost over with his presentation on expanding their research fund when he heard someone approaching the kitchen. He was surprised to see Marianne awake, it was almost five in the morning, but what he was more surprised at was her choice of clothing. She wore a big red hoodie he was pretty sure wasn’t hers and her bare legs were enough for him to avert his eyes, opting to look at the suspicious-looking stain in the ceiling. He was almost sure that it came from Dick’s latest attempt at baking last week when Alfred revoked his kitchen privileges. Again.
“Hello, Timothy. I thought I would be the only one awake at this time.” She says while walking in his direction, and he has no option but to look at her face. Her hair is down and by the time she sits on the kitchen counter and snatched a cookie from the plate by his side, he can count the number of freckles on her face from where he is seated. She ate the cookie, while he tried to formulate a response.
“I could say the same thing” He chooses to say while leaning back in his chair. There is so much he wants to ask her but isn’t sure how to start. He opts for the basic question, trying not to make her uncomfortable “So you and Jason…”
She blushes.
“It’s complicated.” She interrupts him before he can finish his question. Tim, even in his tired state can help but to smirk at her answer.
“Really?” He says with a teasing tone, even in his tired state he finds this whole situation amusing “Because from this angle it looks pretty simple” He types something fast in his computer, and turns the screen in her direction so she can see what he is showing her.
It’s a video of the Gala venue balcony. With a clear view of Jason and her kissing. She feels mortified, she had no idea there were cameras on the balcony, and she can’t help but chastise herself for letting her guard down in an unfamiliar space. It seemed she was losing her edge. She had no problem having time to relax, but her lax behavior was horrific. The video restarts but by the time a dumbfold Dick enters the screen a second time she has had enough. She closes the laptop with a fluid and curt movement. And Tim can’t help but laugh. She's happy to see her brother enjoying himself, even if it is at her expense.
“Relax, I was the only one that saw what happened. I was checking the Gala perimeter when I stumbled upon this. I of course deleted the original version, so there is no fear of these making the news anytime soon. Just letting you know that I’m totally using this as blackmail material on Jason” He confesses, and she feels a bit of the weight being lifted from her shoulders, everything happened so fast, she hadn’t had the time to talk to Jason, and it would feel wrong to have the news tear apart something they weren’t even sure what it was. She didn’t mind his last comment, she trusted him enough, and knew he wouldn't purposely hurt her. It didn’t hurt that she also had some blackmail material on the caffeine-addicted man at her side.
“Thank you.” She says, sincerity laced in her tone.
“No biggie. But just the heads up, I’m like 75% sure that Bruce and Damian know something happened, Dick wasn’t very discreet about Jason’s absence tonight.” She sighs.
“Great! Just what I needed.” She hides her face in her hands, and her hair falls around her acting as a shield. He can see what his brother sees in her, even without trying she is very beautiful. Bruce’s gene shining in her mesmerizing blue eyes.
“If it makes you feel better, I’m sure they won’t be against it. They were more surprised than anything, but they won't judge. We all knew something had happened between you two from when you were in the League, we just never knew what.” He tries to reassure her. She just smiles at him, and suddenly he feels a little more awake. She’s so tiny, that if he didn’t know about her childhood he would feel the need to give Jason the shovel talk. But if he was honest with himself, he was afraid that she would kick his ass before he even finished his first sentence.
“Go back to bed, you can worry about this in the morning.” She arches an eyebrow, and he chuckles “I mean morning, as in after 7 at least.” She fishes another one of her cookies before climbing down from the counter.
“You should get some rest as well” She advises him while giving him a nod as thank you and then retiring to her chambers.
On the way to her room, she ponders the implication of having her father know about her and Jason. It’s not as if what they are doing is wrong, they are not biologically related, but it still makes her anxious, remembering what had happened when her Grandfather had first discovered them. And in a way, she’s thankful for her mother for ignoring once her Father’s order, if not she would have lost the one person she cared the most aside from the ones related by blood.
When she eventually gets to her room she can’t help but stay leaning on the door frame for a bit, staring at the figure asleep in her bed. His face a serene calmness, a contrast to his wild hair, his white tuft of hair a cute accent to his black as night hair. Everything about him made her insides burn, and she’s never been happier in her life. With her sheets thrown over his hip, she can’t help but bite her lip at the scene, remembering about earlier in the night. Satisfied with her view she slowly creeps back into bed, and not missing a beat, Jason throws his arms around her waist, drawing her closer. His hot frame makes her comfortable and it doesn't take too long for her to be lured back into sleep.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
She abruptly wakes up. Gasping for air and a panicked expression on her face. She quickly sits up trying to gather her surroundings. Sweat runs down her face, and she starts feeling caged in Jason’s arms. It takes her some time to calm her breathing, her nightmare still fresh on her mind. It wasn’t uncommon for her to have them, but they always seem to catch her off guard. The sun is already peeking through her window curtains, so she must have slept for longer than anticipated after her conversation with Tim in the kitchen.
It takes her longer than she expected but when she feels calm enough she looks to the person beside her. Jason’s still fast asleep, tired from the latest evening, and hasn’t even stirred. Not that she is surprised, he was always a heavy sleeper when in a safe and comfortable environment. She’s glad she didn't wake him. She’s not sure if she’s ready to tell him what most of her nightmares are about. Since becoming the Guardian it was as if she could relive the lives of previous owners and Guardians. And it’s safe to say none of them lived painless lives. Loss and grief always plagued her dreams, even when she was a child. Normally a bit of meditation was enough to help her go throughout her day after a hard night, so that’s what she decided to do. She quietly gets out of bed, making sure not to disturb her companion, and sits on the floor, by the bed. The cold air of the room makes goosebumps appear on her legs, and she’s very glad for the rug by her bed that she uses to protect her from the cold floor.
Inhale. Clears her mind. Exhale.
Before he died, Master Fu taught her the basics of how to feel the energies and auras around her, and with time she was finally able to do it. That being the way she finally caught the man behind Hawkmoth. What before was something she struggled doing, now comes as second nature. And it doesn’t take long for her to start feeling Jason’s aura involving hers. She smiles at how familiar it feels. His aura is dark red, angry, and unbendable, mixed with the toxic green that could only come from the use of the Lazarus Pits. She was grateful that she was able to heal the madness from his mind, but the tint on his aura would always be there. When she first met him she felt it unpleasant, but now it was familiar as if even if the two of them grew apart, his aura would remain the same from when they were younger. It now brought her comfort.
Expanding her reach she feels Alfred somewhere in the house, his purple aura a high contrast to his normal inexpressive self. Even from here, she could feel his loyalty and caring nature, and that makes her smile a bit. Apart from them, and Damian’s pets, the house is empty, showing that the others had already left for the day, and further confirming she slept for longer than intended.
After a while she gets into a trance, expanding her reach more and more. Widening her radar to the whole city. Feeling the corruption, broken energy, and desperation in the air. She can tell that the unbalanced energy has been here for centuries and can’t help but wonder what had happened.
But it is a strong chaotic creation energy that breaks her wondering about Gotham. She’s surprised at first, not recognizing the type of energy being used. It’s so different from Tikki’s calm and organized power, it kinda reminded her a bit of how Plagg’s power felt. It was as if someone combined their powers, and that thought scares her. She needed to find who or what was expelling such a type of unknown energy, and determine if they were a threat to balance itself.
Removing herself from the floor with a grace that only years of training could provide, she walks calmly into her closet and quickly changes into more proper clothes for going out, simple jeans with a blue blouse, a long coat, and knee-high boots. When she walks back into the room she sees Jason, now awake in her bed. He’s seated and his shirtless torso makes her cheeks burn. He has a confused expression on his face and seems to be trying to piece what's happening.
“Where are you going?” He asks while rubbing his eye in an attempt to fight the sleep. His voice is hoarse and it takes all her willpower to not get back to bed, and spend all day laying in his arms.
“I need to take care of something” She’s not sure what she'll be dealing with, so she prefers to go alone. She knew that if she explained what she felt he would want to come with her, but right now she wanted to be alone. “I’ll be back for dinner.” She hurries to the bed and calmly kisses him on the lips as a goodbye. It was supposed to be a chaste type of kiss, but Jason has other plans in mind, because he pulls her into his sheet-covered lap, and intertwines his arms around her hip. It takes her breath away. And she’s truly considering leaving her scavenger hunt for another time, and just staying where she is. But she knows she can’t, as Guardian is her duty to ensure the balance is established. So even if she does not want to, she gently removes herself from his arms, and with one last kiss, leaves, not allowing him space to say anything.
She knows she’s delaying the inevitable. But right now facing an unknown danger is less scary than sitting and having a long talk about feelings with Jason. They are both very bad at communicating, and she knows it would be a disaster. She’s only delaying the inevitable.
With the help of the motorcycle Bruce got her a couple of weeks ago, she sped through Gotham streets. She was pleasantly surprised when he first gifted it to her, its red color a real contrast against all the black vehicles the family had. But with time she got to understand that like Damian, her father didn’t voice his feelings and opted to offer material things as a sign of his affection. The inability to deal with feelings was definitely a genetic trait, she mused.
While she drives, she passes by the enormous Wayne Tower, where she is sure by the feeling of their energies, resides her Father and Timothy. Unfortunately, there is not where she is headed. She’s still following the strange chaotic energy. And is quite surprised at where it leads her. It is an abandoned mall, far from the city center, but still in much better condition than she expected it to be, with its windows intact. The place is bathed in the energy she felt earlier, and she is confused when she finds its presence in most of the plants that occupy the abandoned building.
Finding a way inside is easy, as it doesn't seem that the place has any type of security, but she keeps herself focused and grounded, ready for anything. Before she left the house she had secured some of her weapons in her clothing, she had her trusty dagger strapped to her hip, hidden from view by her coat, and another two on each of her boots. Not as many weapons as she would have desired but for now they would do. She walks for quite some time, almost getting lost in the maze-like place, and it becomes difficult to pinpoint the exact origin of the energy, because it’s everywhere, on the walls and floor, and all the plants around her, but eventually she hears voices coming from what was once a store, she’s just not sure of what type. Two females, but she prepares herself in case there are more. She keeps walking, using the shadows to conceal herself, something she learned from birth, and it’s quite good at, her feet light, to avoid making a sound. They would only know she’s there if she so desires. She enters the store quietly, and analyzes the objects around her, looking for things she could use as weapons. The interior of the store is spacious and full of life, but it looks more like someone's room than a store at this point. It is a mess with clothes on the floor and random weapons lying around the room, and the perfectionist inside her screams in indignant. Identifying her target is easy enough now that she’s as close as she could get without getting caught. Lazing around comfortable-looking sofas are two women. The heavily accented blond that wears an interesting choice of clothes, all colorful and bright, has a bubbly shade of pink with some traces of red on it as aura. Her energy is powerful and crazed, different but not the one that attracted her there in the first place. The chaotic energy comes from the redheaded, which has her arm draped around the blond. Her skin has a shade of green, different from everything she’s ever seen before. She feels right and wrong at the same time, and for the first time, Marianne is at a loss on what to do. Every wall and every corner of the store seems to have been occupied by plants, and she has to fight the urge to smile at its beauty. The blond is talking rapidly, while the redhead has her other hand extended in front of her, and although she seems to be listening to her companion, is also focused on the beautiful greenery in front of her. With a wave of her hand, she makes plants bloom, an array of colors appearing right before her eyes.
Marianne was surprised, and a bit intrigued if she was honest. She could do exactly the same thing the redheaded was doing, thanks to Tikki’s blessing, but had yet to encounter anyone that was also able to do the same thing. The chaotic energy comes from her, but her aura is as clean as it could get. The beautiful shades of green mesmerize her for a moment, so she takes a couple of minutes contemplating what to do next. Up close she doesn't feel as if the redheaded is a threat, although similar to Pagg’s in terms of powerfulness, is nowhere near destructive, and it doesn’t seem to be disturbing the balance of things, so she could let her be.
She suddenly sees another woman walking into the room. She’s tall and elegant, and her short black hair and mesmerizing green eyes remind her of someone.
“Heya Selina, whatcha got there?” The blond asks.
Now that she heard the woman's name she recognizes her from the photos on her Father's desk. It's Selina, her father’s fianceé, that until recently was away on business. She carries a velvet box, and she assumes it must be jewelry. But then it clicks. These are the Sirens. Harley Quinn, Pamela Isley, and Selina Kyle. Apart from her own research on Gotham Rogues and Anti-heroes, Jason told her a lot about them. He seems to be on good terms with the trio.
“Just some souvenirs” She responds with a wide smile. She sits by the blond unoccupied side and shows her what’s inside the box. From where she’s hiding she can’t see what it is, but by Harley's over-the-top reaction, she assumes it must be something impressive.
“That’s one impressive stone! Did B-Man miss you?”
“He certainly did.” The woman responds in a smug tone, she has a small smile on her face, and Marianne can see she’s only joking. Selina closes the box and puts it on her lap. “The real impressive thing it’s that every time I go away on business he manages to adopt a new kid. I swear that man has a problem.” That seems enough for the blond to start ranting about the topic.
“Yes, yes, yes! Now you're gonna be her mommy!” She claps her hands animatedly “I’ve seen the pictures on the news! She’s pretty! You should bring her here! And then we can dress her up and do her make-up! It’ll be like a party!” She rambles, while her girlfriends just stare at her with a fond smile. The redhead decides to defuse the situation by saying.
“First she has to meet her, Harls. And she’s no one's mummy, the kid is pretty much all grown up. I doubt she’s on the market looking for a mom.” Harley pouts and crosses her arms, but that only seems to make her girlfriend smile widened. “And we can always just kidnap her and force her to spend the day with us.”
“Now that’s what I’m talkin’ about!” She jumps from the sofa in a triumphal pose, leaving her two friends just laughing from her reaction.
“Just to let you all know, I do prefer to receive an invitation as opposed to kidnapping.” A sweet voice sounds from the entrance of the store. The three friends were so absorbed in their conversation that they didn't notice the small figure approaching them.
“New Wayne kid!” Harley Quinn yells happily while skipping in her direction. The blond intertwined their arms while pulling into the sofa's direction. By the time they get there, both women are already standing up. “Selina meets the Wayne kid” She pushes her into the woman's direction.
“I do go by Marianne.” She introduces herself, extending her hand. The other takes her offered hand. They analyze one another for some time, but it ends with Selina giving her a reassuring smile.
“Yeah, I’ve heard. Another one of Bruce’s secret love children.” Although the situation isn’t ideal, the woman in front of her seems more than fine with what’s going on. “The Mansion it’s getting crowded, more two kids and Bruce might want to invest in a Mall like this to house all of you.” She jokes, and Marianne smiles. Selina and she are going to be great friends, she can tell.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
She’s waiting in line at a café. After her meeting with The Sirens, she’s just about ready to spend the rest of the day curled in a ball in the library with a hot cup of coffee and a good book. Maybe add some cuddles in the mix, if she’s feeling particularly adventurous.
The sky is already darkening, and she knows she’ll arrive at the house just in time for dinner, as she had told Jason, but for now, she’s in desperate need of some caffeine to help her through the rest of the day.
Getting to know the famous anti-heroes of Gotham had been fun. Harley Quinn the enigmatic and charismatic jester, and her over-the-top personality had made her feel welcome to visit them at any time she so desired. And while more reserved, Poison Ivy was more than happy to explain the origins of her power and how they worked after she confessed to having similar powers.
Selina, well, they didn't talk all that much, but she seemed nice enough and could see why her father liked her. She wasn’t opposed to having her around.
“Marinette?” A male voice calls from behind her. She tenses and prepares herself for the worst, but when she turns around she is greeted with the image of Adrien Agreste smiling at her while holding a cup of coffee. “I mean- Marianne… I mean… I’m not sure how I’m supposed to address you” He confesses in French. And she feels a bit happier on hearing him in his native language, after years of hearing his voice, even if the Miraculous magic stopped her from realizing his identity, brought her comfort. As he talked, she couldn't help but admire the small dimples on the side of his smile. He seems anxious, and because of that, she’s intrigued. He acts so differently from Chat Noir. She remembered once when they were talking about their civilian lives, and he confessed that he wished he was as confident outside the suit as he was inside of it, but at the time she didn’t think much of it, but now, knowing who her partner was, she finally understood what he meant. Adrien Agreste lived most of his life under the roof of his reclusive supervillain father, so it made sense he wasn't as socially adept as others.
“Either name is fine” She reassures him, with a smile of her own “How are you?”
“Great! I mean, not that great- as in great my father didn’t just die, but definitely not bad as in ‘I have depression and want to die’ kind of wa-” He strokes the back of his neck, evidence of his nervousness. “Sorry! I guess I’m just a bit socially awkward… How are you?” He wears casual clothing, so different from the suit she saw him wear last night. She hadn’t been able to analyze him all that much at the Gala, but now she can see he looks well, healthier than when she last saw him all those months ago.
She’s glad she gets to see him again in a more casual environment, even if he doesn’t know she was his partner for years. She worried about how he would be after his father's death, but seeing him now, she can see he is doing just fine.
“I’m doing well, thank you for asking.” She replies.
“Are you alone?” He asks while looking around the café as if he expected someone to pop out of nowhere. She feels the hairs on the back of her neck rose, and suddenly she feels as if she’s being watched. A quick swap of the room reassures her that, no, no one’s watching her. She still stays on guard.
When she confirms to him that she is indeed alone he comments confusedly. “Really? I thought you would be with that guy from the Gala… I think his name is Jason.”
She is about to respond to his odd question when her name is called by the barista. She quickly walks to the front and grabs the offered beverage, the hot drink warms her cold hands. She takes one sip of her drink, before making way to where she left the blond standing.
“Yes, Jason.” She confirms. “I just decided to have a day on my own.”
“I'm surprised Lover Boy would let you do that” He jokes. But Marianne frowns.
“What do you mean?” She takes another sip of her drink.
“Oh! I’m just kidding…” He defends himself, putting his hands in the air “It’s just… He looked like he wanted to rip my head off last night while we were talking… He is kind of intimidating” He again stokes the back of his neck, and now she can tell it is a nervous tick he has.
His confession surprises her, she had assumed Jason’s rigid posture had to do with him being uncomfortable talking to strangers, not once she had taught him to be the jealous type. She’ll be sure to talk to him about it later. Just another thing she has to add to her ever-growing list.
“He’s just protective.” She says, and promptly changes the subject, still unsettled about being watched. “I do have to go now, but I am sure we will be seeing each other again, with your mother doing business with my father.”
They say their goodbyes, and she leaves. That wasn’t what she was expecting, and felt a bit bad for rushing out of there. But she was already late for dinner, and her instincts were screaming for her to get out of there. And she was never one to ignore her instincts.
She walks up a block, to where she parked her vehicle, and by the time she gets there, she has already finished her drink.
Her ride home is smooth and she doesn’t take that long to get there. She parks inside of the bat cave and finds Alfred the cat lazily sleeping on top of a pile of clothes she vaguely remembers Damian wearing a couple of days ago. Because of time she goes straight to the dining room, not having time to change clothes as she would have desired. She had left her weapons at the cave, remembering Alfred's rule against weapons on the dinner table. By the time she gets to the dining room the sun has set, and everyone is already home, all seated, and having a light conversation with each other.
“Look who finally decided to grace ourselves with her presence!” Jason mocks from his seat. Dick is the only one to laugh, but she can see that the others thought his comment to be amusing. She is about to retort to his remark when her father catches her attention with a cough.
“Marianne, there is someone I’d like you to meet.” He gestures to the pretty woman seated by his side. He has her hand clasped into his, but what catches her eyes is the stunning necklace she wears. It’s a white gold chain with a beautiful diamond on it. “This is-”
“Selina Kyle” She interrupts him. “We’ve met” She uses the stunned silence in the room to seat herself, at her usual place, right between Damian and Jason.
Her father looks at loss of words, trying to picture where they could possibly have met. And his fianceé is more than happy to watch it all unfold with a small smirk. But before he can properly formulate a question, Alfred enters the room, carrying food.
“Dinner is served”.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“...and there she is, just walking into the store! Harley was really excited to meet her, and wouldn't let the poor girl talk for a good five minutes with all her ramblings'' After the customary small talk and light conversation, her father had finally asked how the two of them had met, and Selina more than gladly had told him the truth.
“We only talked for a bit before I had to leave, but rest assured I haven’t told her any embarrassing stories, yet” She takes a sip of her wine, looking all the more sophisticated. Her father on the other hand doesn't look all that pleased with the revelations.
“And why was she in The Sirens hideout in the first place?” He asks her in an imposing tone, and all eyes turn to her. She knew that question was coming but hadn't been able to formulate a believable response yet. Which doesn’t matter, because Selina’s phones chime and she changes the subject to a more serious matter, announcing the recent Arkham breakout, freeing Joker and Scarecrow from their confinement. With this news it is as if the whole atmosphere of the room changed.
The revelation of the clown breakout makes her anxious, knowing of Jason’s history with the lunatic. But when she turns her head to look at him and see his reaction to the news, she is met with a hardened expression, directed at her. She’s caught off guard, not expecting him to be mad at her.
Differently from her father, he doesn’t seem as keen on letting the subject go, and a gentle squeeze of her leg lets her know that they would talk about it later, whether she liked it or not. So with only a coy smile she agrees with his silent demand, he then removes his hand from her lap, and she can’t help but miss the heat of his palm on her.
The rest of the dinner goes smoothly, too smoothly for her taste. But by the time the other shoe finally drops, she is ready.
“Marianne.” Her father calls her name, to get her attention. “I need you and Jason in my office. I’ll see you two there.” That’s all he says before standing up, offering his arm to Selina, and walking out of the room.
Her heart starts beating fast in her chest, but by Jason’s stunned expression, he too does not know what her father could possibly want from them. If she was being honest with herself, she did know but was only in denial.
By Damian’s frown, he too knows what this is about.
Her brother’s all left the table without even glancing their way. And she gets a bad feeling of what is to come. They walk in silence to her father’s office, and before she can get deeper into the rabbit hole that is her mind on an anxiety-induced trainwreck she feels a hand slid into hers.
She looks at Jason, and for a second she knows no matter what, he has her back.
They get to Bruce’s office in no time, and after bracing herself for what’s to come, she enters.
Her father is seated in his chair, facing them. He has a serious expression, one she remembers very well from when she first moved in. At first, he kept expecting her to go rogue and attack them all of the sudden. And it took time before he trusted her, but in the end, she had to cut him some slack because later on, she heard stories of how Damian was when he first moved in and made her realize why he was so weary of her in the beginning. Soled with grief and alone in an unfamiliar space, she knew her brother, and that he wasn’t easy on a good day, but she knew he put up a front as strong on the outside when in reality he was just as broken as she was on the inside. Life hadn’t been fair to them, so they were always expecting the other shoe to drop, never living and enjoying the moment. That she only got to experience after she came to live in Gotham.
“You both know why I called you here” He starts. His unforgivable stare makes her feel like a small girl being punished all over again. “I hear that you two have decided to get to the next step of your relationship, but failed to inform anyone about said relation.” His tone is neutral, but after years of training on the art of reading into things, she knows he is mad.
“I don’t really see why we need to tell you every single thing we do.” Jason spats. And she knows that this is going on a dangerous path. Knows the rocky relation between Jason and Bruce, and it’s not sure if both of them are ready to bear their hearts out at the moment.
“Yes, Jason, you do. You don’t get to look me in the eyes and lie to my face.” He says in an exasperated tone. “We had this exact same conversation, not even a week ago, and you looked me in the eyes and lied to me saying there had never been something between you two, and that there was never going to be” He lashes out, standing up. And Marianne’s heart breaks a little at this revelation. “No matter how resentful you were at me, I could always count on the fact you would never lie to me.”
“Fuck this! And fuck you! I’m not a little kid anymore B, you don’t get to tell me what to do! It’s none of your goddamn business! “ He shouts “So what if I’m dating her, it’s none of your concern what we do!”
“Except for the fact that it is my business when a tabloid comes knocking on my door demanding money in exchange for keeping quiet about the two of you, something I had no idea it was even going on.” He slams a photo on the table, and she can clearly see a black and white photo of the two of them. They are hugging and laughing, and Jason has his hand on her cheek, and she looks so happy it makes her want to cry. In the photo, they look so in love, so sure of their relationship. It is as if it is them against the world, and she can’t help but wonder why they can't be like that. “It is my business when someone tries to blackmail me into submission.” He retaliates, his tone as unforgivable as ever.
“Whatever, it’s not like you can’t afford it.” Jason crosses his arms and his fury is noticeable, but she’s not sure what to do. It’s clear that this is an argument that is gonna include just the two men, one that she should not interfere with, but it feels wrong to just watch such an emotional moment.
“Well, that seems to be news to you, but as my son, what you do reflects on others, not just you. You don’t get to just keep things this big from me anymore. She’s also my daughter and I deserve to know what’s happening under my roof.” He shouts too, and by now they are having a full blowout shouting match. Jason starts to pace, trying to alleviate some of his pent-up anger, before he does something he regrets. She feels the pulsing energy coming from him, and is afraid of what’s going to happen. “And as my children I demand respect! Do you know what would happen if some tabloid got to publish this? All the speculations! I’ve seen what they can do to a relationship, is that what you want? To have every aspect of your relationship to be analyzed under a microscope? And believe me when I tell you no PR would be able to fix it after it is already out and about.”
“You know what? You can say whatever you want to say and do whatever you want to do, but that doesn’t change the fact that I would choose her on any given day. So I don’t care what you do, kick me out of the family for all I care, I’m not leaving her. Not again.” Despite his angry tone, he is sincere, and her heart warms with such a confession. “Yeah! You hear that right old man, I don’t care. I love her! I do! But that’s the difference between you and me, you are afraid of love, I get it, you lost a lot in your life, and so did I, but because I lost it so much that I know that I have to cherish every second I can get with the ones I love. So despite being pissed at you, I still come here, and no matter the half-ass excuse I give, I’m here because of my family. Because I know what it feels like to lose them. And I don’t want to feel that again. So yeah, I am extreme, and you don’t agree with the way I run things, but the truth is, you wish you were brave enough to do what I do. So don’t you come and say you don’t agree with the way I choose to love the ones around me. I don’t care if my reputation is in shambles, I’m not leaving her” By the time he finishes his speech his voice is hoarse, and he is heaving for air. Silence falls into the room. Her father has a pained look on his face.
“Jason– I would never ask to separate the two of you” He e\xplains. “My only concern is how all the negative comments, and I believe they will come, will affect you two. That’s my concern. It’s not about Wayne’s Enterprise reputation. What I do care it’s why didn’t you two tell me about this in the first place? That way I’ll have been ready to protect the two of you.”
By now she’s openly crying, not caring that she probably looks ridiculous. She was so afraid of what her father’s reaction would be like, that is kind of a relief that he is so concerned about them. And despite the fact that Jason just bare his heart to the man in front of them
“Believe when I say I’ve never been prouder of you.” He confesses. “But now I realize there is a lot we still need to talk about. Marianne, would you please leave us”
She doesn’t have to be told twice, she leaves, but not before giving Jason a reassuring hug. She’s glad that they are finally going to sit down and talk about all their problems. She dries her tears and walks to her room.
She’s glad that her father is not against their relationship, and can’t help but blush when she remembers Jason’s confession. He loved her. He said that loud and clear for everyone to hear. He had never said that before, and no matter that his first time saying it was yelling at their father. She was just happy to have heard it at all.
She enters her room and immediately senses that something is wrong. Someone was here. She gets into a stance and starts to scan the room. No one in her closet, and the same with the bathroom. Nothing seems to be out of place.
But then she sees it. The beautiful bouquet of Lilies is at her bedside table.
She walks slowly in its direction, cautious as if it could explode at the mere touch. And after searching for explosives she deems safe enough to touch. At the base of the bouquet is a card, and when she opens she feels all the air escaping her lungs.
South Side, by the Docs
One week from today - 9 pm
Fail to show and Lover Boy gets a knife to the chest
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Hello, my readers!
First of all, I'd like to say Happy Holidays!
Sorry, it took me so long for posting again, so much has happened in these two months.
About the chapter, I'm not really sure if I like it or not, and to be honest, the fight between Bruce and Jason is a bit of a mess...
Please tell me your thoughts...
I'm not really sure if I like the way the story is going... So I might take a break from it for a while... I'll try to write if I still feel like it, I'm not abandoning the story, It just might take me some time to post the next chapter...
As of today, I might have caught Covid, so to all my readers please be safe on these Holiday times!
Thank you all for the support and comments!
They truly help me get motivated!
Look how nobody’s yelling or arguing or making things into a competition. Look how this is to straight up educate people through a different perspective. Look how effective that makes the message.
Love is in the air or do we have a new Wayne in our midst?
by Vicki Vale
Yes, readers, you read that right! As of last month, there have been sightings of a new mysterious young woman tagging along with our favorite family outings. We all know Bruce Wayne's addiction to blue-eyed and black-haired children, so it comes as no surprise that this new addition fits the criteria to a T.
We first started seeing some of her when the Wayne’s had an adorable zoo excursion on the fifth of last month, and as you can see by the photos she seems very cozy with our resident bad boy Jason Todd, the second adopted ward of Ms. Wayne, but also very friendly with Ice Prince of Gotham, Damian Wayne. (see photos below)
Bruce’s life history is very well known, just as his love one, but we cannot say the same about his wards and children. The multi-millionaire keeps them as far from the media as he can, but from time to time he discloses some information about his home life, just enough to keep us wanting more. It feels like it was just yesterday when Damian was first introduced to the world at 10 years of age, so the possibility of this new girl being another secret love child is not so insane if we are being honest.
After we first saw her it seems like we couldn't get enough of her! She’s been seen all over the city in the last few weeks. Drawing at the park or enjoying a stroll around the Gotham Botanic Gardens, you name it she’s done it! And more times than not Jason Todd is right there by her side.
Is this a new romance that’s blossoming right in front of our eyes or simply some sibling bonding time?
We are all dying to know more about her, and officially welcome her as a new member (or not) of the influential Wayne legacy. I don’t know about you readers, but this reporter is a sucker for romance and is going to be disappointed if the latest bachelor is snagged from the market.
As of now we know basically nothing about her and can only imagine what her intentions are, but rest assured that no rock would be left unturned, and every information we discover will be yours!
“Why do I need to participate in this again?” Marianne asks for what seems to be the tenth time just that day.
After Vicki Vale’s article came out, a couple of weeks ago, it was decided that it would be better if Marianne was publicly recognized as a Wayne. The stream of articles that followed certainly helped secure that decision. Not that it mattered to her, but apparently it was important to keep the media on their side, otherwise they would twist the truth and make her a bad image. The assassin in her despised the idea of having her face recognized around the world easily, but after some talking, Damian was the one to convince her about the pros of being a Wayne. Dealing with the media wasn’t something she had practice with. While on the League the goal was to keep attention away from herself and although she had some interactions with the news as Ladybug she preferred to leave Chat Noir be the one the reporters turn to for answers. Her distaste for reporters was well known in Paris, but in Gotham, no one knew her, and apparently, that was a problem.
When she first read the article she found the fact that Vicki Vale wasn't so far away from the truth funny. She was Wayne but she was also involved with Jason, not that anyone knew about that. Apart from Damian, who knew about them but preferred to keep living in denial, they all just assumed that they were involved in the past but that was long over. They were taking things slow, first rebuilding their friendship before making any decisions, but both knew they had a connection that could not be denied. So it was not like they were hiding or anything, her family was just very dense, and if any of them had asked she would have been honest, even if she herself wasn’t sure what the status of their relationship was.
“It would be better if we acknowledge your existence to the public, that way reporters would know that you are under the protection of Master Bruce, and keep speculations to a minimum. The news can be quite nasty if allowed.” Alfred patiently explains again. She wasn’t very comfortable being the center of attention and was glad that at least she would have her family by her side. Father decided that throwing a Gala was the best way to present her. Damian’s existence was announced the same way, so it made sense, and Marianne decided not to disagree with him. But as time went by, she started feeling anxious and insecure.
Sitting in the kitchen counter with a mug, filled with coffee that had long gone cold, in her hands she observed the man, who she now saw as her grandfather, organizing the last details to the big event that would be happening later that night. For the last hour, she had occupied herself baking some cookies, but now that they were in the oven she found herself a bit anxious with the lack of what to do.
She was once presented to the League, not as Ra’s Al Ghul granddaughter, but as the future Grand Guardian of the Miraculi, and she could say that facing hundreds of highly trained assassins was less daunting than facing some socialites that loved drama and attention.
Jason chose that moment to enter the kitchen. He had been of great help, keeping her engaged on other things and keeping her mind from wandering.
“Come on Pixie, you and me, training room.” That was enough to make her feel less stressed. After Alfred assured her that he could keep an eye on the baking cookies, she finished her drink in one gulp before jumping from the counter, more than ready to spend some of her pent-up energy. Thanking Alfred for the company and patience she left the room with Jason by her side.
“One more second and I was considering running to Tibet” She joked. He laughs, clearly amused by her statement.
“Naw, you wouldn’t even get as far as New York. Alfred would have sent someone after you. According to him, this is a very important event and we should behave accordingly.” He says in his best posh accent. He throws an arm around her as they walk, bringing her closer to him. Marianne smiles, catching up on what he is doing. Making fun of the situation in an attempt to keep her mind off her worries.
“I swear that man is a saint! He put up with my anxiety-filled self!” She confesses.
“Oh my god! That man deserves a medal! You're a nightmare when you're anxious.” He laughs again, and she could swear her heart skipped a beat. Opting not to say anything she lightly punches him in the ribs before running off. “Hey! You come back, you little traitor!” And then he runs after her.
Laughter fills the corridors of the Manor as Jason and Marianne chase after one another. They pass by the main library, where Damian is seated by the fireplace with Alfred the cat on his lap, on their way to the training room, but he merely rolls his eyes at them.
They are laughing so hard that by the time they get to their destination they are both red on the face, with adrenaline pumping in their veins.
She stared around the room unsure what to do first.
“Come on, you know you want to.” He takes her left hand and pulls her to the mat-covered space. He knows her so well it’s scary. He tapes her knuckles as well as his one with black tape. “Just please go easy on me, we do have to make a social appearance in less than 8 hours. No black eyes!” He winks at her. She huffs but gets onto stance.
As always he is the one that throws the first punch.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Less than one hour until they have to leave for the venue and she is standing in the middle of her room in a silk black robe staring at the piece of clothing she spent the last few weeks working on. Her sparring with Jason had helped calm her nerves, but now that she had showered and done her hair, she was starting to doubt her attire choice. The dress was a beautiful shade of dark green with maroon accents on the bodice. She was proud of her work but wasn’t sure if others would as well. It was the first time she had designed something for its aesthetic rather than functionality. When designing she opted for a long skirt as she obviously would be wearing her dagger on a holster on her right leg, but other than that she was free to make whatever she wanted. She chose to add sleeves to the design but made sure they were the softest tulle she ever came across. The hand-stitched flowers had taken her longer than she anticipated, but the end result was so worth it.
There was a knock on the door, but before she could say anything the door was open, and she could only stare in amazement at the person that entered her chamber. Damian looked so grown in his tailored black suit, so different from the ten-year-old she left two years ago. She remembers him wearing his formal robes at important events at the League, but he had never looked so mature as he did now. He wore a neutral expression, but she could tell by the small frown on his eyebrows that he was concerned about her.
“You have nothing to worry about, Father made sure that none of the media vultures would be in attendance today. And if you suddenly find yourself overwhelmed, I am sure Todd would be more than happy to kidnap you out of the party.” He says in an attempt to alleviate her fears. He comes closer and gives her hand a reassuring squeeze.
“You always know how to calm me” She smiles and turns her attention back to the dress. She bites her lip again before taking a long breath. Marianne takes the dress in her hands, examining the details one last time before turning around and entering her bathroom.
By the time she comes out Damian is not the only one seated on her bed. Jason had joined her brother in waiting for her, and she can’t help but stop and stare at the scene before her. Both wear tailored black suits with ties, and she can’t help but admire them. Both looked so different from the last time she had seen them, but still the same. Their aura hadn’t changed, and that comforted her.
Although being so engrossed in their conversation that they hadn’t heard her exiting the bathroom, Damian is the first to notice her presence, but being too stunned he doesn't say anything. Realizing that his brother had suddenly stopped talking Jason looks in the direction he’s looking. The surprise is immediate, and he stands faster than she thought possible. He walks closer to her until he is standing in front of her, his face close to hers.
“Stunning.” He whispers into her ear, making her blush. Looking at her he felt as if he was looking at an angel. Her long hair was styled in a half up half down updo with a ribbon the same crimson red as the one in her dress. The ends of her hair were curled and she looked so good in that dress. She wore just some light lipstick that made her lips look fuller, and it took all the strength in him not to kiss her into oblivion.
He knew how hard she had worked on that dress, but God! The only thing he could imagine doing right now is taking it out of her.
“You look splendid 'ukhty. But if you two are done, it’s time for us to go.” Damian interrupts their moment, a little annoyed. Marianne nods silently and accepts Jason’s extended arm. They walk in silence to the entrance of the house where the others are already waiting for them, all elegantly dressed in tailored black suits as well, in a similar style to Damian’s and Jason's. Stephanie is also there, wearing a gorgeous navy long dress with some stones along the bodice.
“Stephanie, you look beautiful. This dress suits your complexion very well” Marianne comments sincerely. The blond smiles and turns to her boyfriend, who is staring at her with an adoring expression.
“The best part is that it has pockets!” She animatedly demonstrates by removing her phone from the said pocket. “But yours is to die for! Where did you get it from?”
“I designed myself” The black-haired confess, a little embarrassed by all the attention her dress suddenly gets from the other members of the family. Richard and Father, who until then were having a separate conversation, stare at her design in wonder.
Father has a look of approval on his face, and by his small side small is pleased with her choice. Richard has the biggest smile she has ever seen on someone’s face and immediately starts to praise her, which only makes her blush, not being used to compliments.
Most of the ride to the gala is spent in silence, only broken when either Father or Dick offers some advice on how to deal with the guest in attendance, something she is grateful for. Her father explains that all in attendance know better than bombard her with questions, and would only do so only in private, so it was best to stay in the main room at all times. Tim and Stephanie seem to be in their own world, much to the annoyance of Damian that was seated between the two couples. Said annoyance he made sure to voice every chance he got. But as Marianne decides not to let her brother's bad humor damp hers, she contemplates her time in Gotham so far. It's refreshing to know that all these people in the car are there because they care for her on some level, so different from how things worked when she was growing up.
The venue her father chose was close to Wayne Tower, so it took quite a while for them to arrive. But when they do, most of the guests are already there. When they exit the car they are assaulted by what seemed to be hundreds of flashes in the distance. At the entrance there were a bunch of photographers taking photos of the guests, just waiting to catch the Wayne family.
As they walk into the building Jason has his arm protectively around her and whispers into her ear to keep her head down, to avoid most of the cameras. Damian is by her side, glaring at anyone that dares to stare at them for more than a second. The security of the event keeps the reporters in order, protecting them from their advances. All of this is very new and she thinks the fact that all of them are there just to catch a glimpse of her Father is quite entertaining.
Inside the building, she sees her Father slip into his public persona. Brucie Wayne is suddenly the center of attention. As he walks people seem to orbit around him, just begging for a slip of his time. Her brothers sometimes stop and make small talk with some of the guests, but ultimately they arrive at what she suppose is their table. Bruce is still a bit far away, having stopped to welcome an old-aged couple.
“Hey relax,” Jason tells her. “We just have to stay, make small talk, just enough for these people to think we give a fuck, then B’s gonna introduce you and we can get the hell out of here.” Oh, how she wished it would be that simple. She’s been to Gala’s before, mostly doing undercover work to the League, and these types of things tend to last forever. “Come on I want to introduce you to someone” He takes her hand in his and gently guides her around the ballroom. She can tell that people are watching them but is grateful that no one decides to stop them. She smiles at some people that just plainly stare at them as Jason guides them around the room.
They walk in the direction of two men, a blond and a red-headed.
“Mari, this is Oliver and Roy Queen” Jason introduces them. They both appear to be in excellent physical shape, and she wonders if both of them partake in the same extracurricular activities as her family. “Roy is the only okay person around these types of events.”
“Own man! I’m touched" The younger one mocks, with a hand in his heart. Oliver just rolls his eyes but by the small smile on his face, he doesn't seem annoyed with his son's antics. Both men are wearing formal attire, but she can tell that Roy seemed a bit out of place in this type of event, just like Jason was, so she can only assume he wasn’t born into these circles like his Father was. She believes him to be adopted as well.
“Well, it is a pleasure meeting you…” The older Queen extends his right hand for her to shake but trails off not knowing how to address her.
“Marianne Wayne. And the pleasure is mine.” She shakes the offered hand, not missing how his eyes widen a bit after she mentions her new name. Roy doesn't even try to keep his composure and openly stares at her as if she had just committed a grave offense. He alternates his gaze between Jason and her, trying to wrap his mind around that new piece of information.
“Dude! There is another one!” With humor clear in his tone, he exclaims, fortunately not loud enough to attract attention. “Wally owes me so much money! Ha! Wait- when did he adopt you?” He now appears to be confused. “Or wait- did you marry her?” Now it’s Jason’s turn to become confused, his eyes widening a bit before he regains a bit of composure, but just looking at the light blush that appeared in his cheeks she decided to help him out.
“I wasn’t adopted, Bruce is my biological father. Damian is my brother.” She supplies.
Oliver frowns.
“So your mother…” He doesn't need to finish his question for her to understand what he is asking. So he is indeed part of the same League her Father is.
“Yes.” He stares at her for a minute, before nodding and retreating himself to the other side of the room, she is sure he’s gonna look for her Father for some answers.
“Damm, you just blew my mind! Who would have thought that Damian wasn’t Bruce's only secret love child!” Roy looks like he's having the time of his life with that new information. “I’ve got to call Wally and Conner! They were so sure no more lil’ Waynes were gonna pop out of nowhere! Fuck- I just won so much money!” He doesn't even wait for a response, he fishes his phone from inside his suit and walks away.
Not knowing what else to do, Marianne just looks to Jason, trying to understand what had just happened. He rubs one hand in his face, clearly very done with the whole conversation they just had with his friend.
“I swear he's not normally like that… He’s less of an idiot most of the time.” He sighs. She just laughs, and that is enough for his mood to improve. He always loves to hear her laugh.
But before she can make a comment of her own, she hears her father’s voice coming from the speakers around the room. That clearly is a signal, because Jason starts to guide her to where all her brothers are standing in the center of the room.
“Is a pleasure to welcome everyone to another Wayne Gala.” People around them start to clap. “Hopefully this one goes better than the last one-” Some people laugh, her not being one of them, not knowing what the last Gala had been like. “Another successful year for Wayne Enterprise so far, thanks to all our supporters and donors-”
She starts looking around. It surprises her sometimes how famous her newfound family truly is. The attention makes her uncomfortable, and she can't help but plan at least 3 escape plans, taking notice of all the possible exits routes and things she could turn into weapons if needed in the short time she zoned out
A hand squeezing her arm brings her back to reality. Damian is now standing by her side with a bored expression. He gives a slight nod, announcing that Father’s speech is coming to an end.
“- all of you had been aware of the latest media speculation about the new integrant of our public outings. So I decided it was best to put rumors to rest.” He can hear the low murmurs that started. He walks closer to them until he’s standing in front of her. He offers his hand, one she gladly takes. He now stands by her side, facing the guests. For those around them, she looks calm and composed, but on the inside, she’s feeling anxious and overwhelmed. “May I present to you all, Marianne Martha Wayne.” He pauses and turns to her with a warm look on his face. “My daughter.”
That’s enough to make them go wild. As wild as a bunch of high society members could go. Luckily all of the guests knew how reserved Bruce’s children were, so they turned to her Father for answers, leaving her free from questions.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The night goes faster after Bruce’s announcement and explaining her well-crafted backstory, said backstory that they decided on a couple of days ago. And she spends most of it with either Damian or Jason by her side. She lost sight of Tim and Stephanie a long time ago. Dick occasionally stops by to see how she's feeling, but then goes back to walking around the room, turning the attention away from her. It does help a bit but it seems that everyone wants to have a conversation with her now that they knew her to be important. People stare, but other than the basic introduction, they leave her alone. Some try to prolong their conversation, but Jason dismisses them rather quickly. And she’s very thankful for that.
She does get the opportunity to have a more cohesive conversation with Roy Queen, and she thinks he is hilarious and understands why Jason is fond of their friendship, not that he would ever tell her that.
The dinner is delicious and she gets to sit by Damian’s side. It is nice to make fun of the people around her, and her brother is more than happy to indulge her giving her every ounce of information he has on certain people. “That woman with the feather hat has 5 cats, all named after her late husbands.” So what if most of the information he has is centered on their pets, it is still quite amusing seeing her brother so in his element, one that didn’t involve killing.
But the highlight of her night is when Jason kidnaps her and takes her to a secluded balcony just outside the ballroom, which is far away for them to have some privacy but still close enough for them to still hear the music playing.
“Thank the fuck this is almost over!” He swears just as the door of the balcony closes, they had spent the last 20 minutes listening to an old woman complain how her granddaughter wasn’t going to be able to travel with her to their yearly spa treatment in the Maldives because she was getting married. “How B and Tim deal with all these rich people shit all day I will never know!” She laughs.
“Well I do have to agree, that was some next-level rich people shit.” He smiles too and leans in the railing of the balcony facing her. He extends his hand to her, and when she finally takes it he pulls her to him. She now stands in between his legs, her chest pressed against his.
“Have I told you how hot you look in that dress yet?” She blushes furiously, but by the smirk on his face that was his goal all along “But really all I could think all night is how much I wanted to kiss you.”
The sincerity in his tone scares her, only a little. They haven’t discussed their relationship yet, but she would be lying if she said she didn’t feel the same. It was just so unfair to have his handsome self in a black suit, it made her chest feel tight and her face all warm.
Instead of voicing her own need, she simply got on her tippy toes, and with a chaste kiss stopped him from making her blush worse. If he was surprised, he didn’t show. One hand goes to her waits, bringing her closer to his body, the other he lays on her neck. She’s not sure how long they stay there, just enjoying each other, but by the time they separate themselves, she can see that Jason’s pupils are dilated, making his desire known.
“Do you know what tonight reminded me of?” He asks in a husky voice. “That time we went on a mission together…”
She knows very well what he's talking about. But she doesn't understand how it had anything to do with tonight. Most of her missions were solo ones, but there was one that for some reason Mother asked to take Jason with her. It was at the beginning of their relationship, and they still pretty much hated each other. They spend most of their time bickering or trying to beat the other, in training or not. She had been sent to a small village in the middle of nowhere in Scotland. Her goal was to dispose of a low-rank apprentice that betrayed the League, stealing some vital information and planning on selling it on the black market- The existence of the Lazarus Pits. That was her family’s best-kept secret, so you can understand the importance of that mission. To this day she doesn't know why her Mother hadn’t dealt with the situation herself, but she ended up having a great time so she didn’t complain.
At the time Jason was 16 years old, while she had just turned 14. He was going through puberty and was getting taller as the days went by, much to her annoyance. They had just finished with the mission when she suggested doing something he never expected her to do.
“I want to go to that party.” She points to said party happening at the plaza. It looked like some sort of spring festival, and Celtic music could be heard, the rhythm was joyful, the kind that makes you want to spend all day dancing. Jason looks shocked by her suggestion. Never in a million years, he would have thought that Pixie had in her to disobey her mother’s orders.
“You heard the boss, go in do the job and go straight back.” He remembers her, but she merely rolls her eyes.
“Come on don’t be lame, when did you ever follow the rules? Besides she would never know! We are only supposed to be back in two days, just a few hours won’t make a difference.” She doesn’t even wait for him to decide, just turns around and goes in the direction the music is coming from. With an exasperated sigh, he follows her. They steal some clothes from a nearby house to blend with their surroundings better. Marianne gets a flowy floral dress that’ big on her while Jason’s shirt and pants end up a bit on the tighter side.
It’s the middle of the day, but people are already plastered or on their way to becoming. Their casual clothes easily blended with the crowds. Marianne looked enamored with all the colorful decoration, and her wide eyes seemed captivating for some reason. Contrary to popular belief Jason didn’t hate her, he actually liked her, a lot, truly more than he should. She had a fire inside of her that attracted him. And there was also the fact that she had been the first person to show him kindness in a long time, even if he was an ass most of the time. So it came to no surprise to him when he kept thinking of how pretty she looked under the sunlight. She was a badass girl that could kick his ass in more ways than he could count. So sue him if he found that attractive.
He wasn’t one to dance but knew she loves to do so. And because of that he stayed leaned against a wall for most of their time there, just watching her dance freely with the other town teens. It was easy to forget she was younger than him, she was so wise and responsible, so it was quite a sight seeing her act her age. She laughed and skipped along with the rhythm of the beats. Someone had given her a flower crown and somehow she looked even more ethereal.
“Come on Jay!” She used the nickname that she thought he hated, it reminded him about his life before he was resurrected, but secretly he liked when she used it. She walks closer to him, out of breath with a rose tinge in her cheeks. “One dance and we can go.” She says, offering him her right hand. He takes it, but instead of allowing her to pull him to the dance floor, he pulls her into his body. Not having expected that she pitches forward tumbling a bit before supporting herself with a hand in his chest. He smirks at her, causing her to blush even more.
“You asshole!” She says without any heat, but he merely laughs before pushing her back to the dance floor.
“You know what- you still own me a dance!” She comments. She had been so flustered that day that she even forgot to push his buttons a bit to get her way, and only did realize that when she was laying in her bed on the League 18 hours later.
“You can only get me to dance once in your lifetime, are you sure you want to waste that here?” He arches an eyebrow as if daring her to disagree with him. She still is leaning against his body and is more than contented to allow him to hold her for a bit longer.
Rather than respond to his taunting she kisses him. It was just as she remembered, his lips are soft, and his wandering hands are rough, but the contrast only makes her want it more. He brings her closer, almost melding her body to his, and she can’t help but melt in his embrace.
The sound of a gasp makes them detangle themself in a hurry. She reaches for the hidden dagger strapped to her leg but relaxes when she sees it is only Dick staring at them with a shocked expression.
“How did- When- For how long- I mean” He looked so confused and lost, it was quite funny. Jason thought so too because unlike her he didn’t hold his laughter.
Dick recomposes himself, she can tell he is analyzing every interaction she had with Jason in his presence.
“You know what, now it’s not the time” He sighs, straightening himself. “I’m here ‘cause Bruce asked me to go get you, Mari, he wants to introduce you to someone.” She sends him a questioning look, but he just shrugs before turning and exiting the balcony, believing that they would follow him.
And they do.
Round the dance floor, she can see some couples dancing and others simply seating, it seemed that the party had wined down. In the distance, she sees that Dick has stopped at her Father’s side, and appears to be talking to someone, but the angle doesn’t allow her to see who he’s talking to. When she does reach closer and it is finally able to see who her Father wanted to introduce her to, she stops in her tracks for a second, not enough for anyone to notice. By the look Jason is giving her, he noticed but doesn’t question her. Not yet.
“Marianne, please allow me to introduce Emilie Agreste and her son, Adrien Agreste.” Her Father introduces them. She knows what’s he’s doing. His punishing her. Introducing her to the family of the man she killed just some months ago. “They are here to deal with some details about the late Gabriel Agreste.” He adds. It made sense. He did not know that Adrian had been her partner for those two years Hawkmoth terrorized Paris. He truly believed them to be the widowed wife and her model son that just suffer a terrible loss without knowing why.
She doesn’t let him get to her. He did not have all the facts, and she does not regret her actions, she obeyed the will of her kwamis.
“Sorry about your dad...” Jason says while rubbing the back of his neck. He’s not touching her anymore but is still very close to her side.
“I have heard about his demise, and I am sorry for your lost.” She says thusly. Emilie simply thank her. She looks better than the last time she saw her, healthier. She could tell that her husband’s death had saddened her, but she knew the truth, so she had made peace with his departure. Adrien just looked at her lost in thoughts, like he was trying to piece a puzzle together.
“Wait I know you from somewhere…” He suddenly says, his English is perfect but she can detect a hint of his French peeking through. She can feel Jason tense at her side. “Didn’t you use to work in ‘Tom & Sabine Boulangerie Patisserie’?” He asks.
She smiles.
“Yes, in the two years I lived with my godmother for my degree I used to help her in the store.” She’s glad that the backstory they created aligned with the one Sabine had given her, they just modified it a bit. “You probably remember me as Marinette. That was the name we decided would be safer for me at the time.” He seemed to understand that, being famous and just wanting to live a normal life, so he did not ask any more questions.
“Why don’t you two catch up while the adults discuss business?” Her Father suggests, not sounding like a suggestion at all. He guides Emilie to a table, but this time Dick stays by their side.
“Well, I believe it’s time I go, it’s way past Damian’s bedtime.” Dick says with a polite simile while pointing to where her brother is waiting by the door, with an expression that shows how much he wants to leave this place.
“Actually we were just on our way out too” Jason decide that now was the best time to make an exit. He throws his arm around her, and if she didn’t want to leave just as much as him she would have been mad he was acting all territorial. “Maybe next time…” He says to the blond as if sorry, but not sounding sorry at all.
“Yeah, sure!” Sunshine boy doesn’t look disappointed. “My mother wants to stay some more time… I think she’ll doing business with Wayne Entreprises…” He trails off, his focus now on where his mother is seated with her father. They looked engrossed in a conversation, and at some point, Tim had joined them.
“I’ll be sure to plan something.” Marianne supplies in a polite tone. The model nods, and that’s when they leave.
The deal she had with her Father was that she had to make an appearance, stay for until the party had widened down, and then she could leave, no questions asked. She was sure that her Father would not be happy with her leaving now, but Jason looked so done with everything that she went along with it. She wasn’t going to complain about leaving early a party she didn’t even want to go to in the first place.
They meet her brother by the entrance and they all leave the building and to her surprise Alfred is already there with the car, just waiting for them. The ride to the Manor is quiet, no one seemed in the mood for idle conversation, but more than once she caught Dick looking at her and Jason’s intertwined hands. He looked like he was in full detective mode, but refrained himself and did not ask them questions.
When they got to the Manor Damian and Dick immediately went to the Bat Cave to start to prepare for patrol, because Bruce was stuck at the Gala, Dick was going to be filling up for Batman.
“Aren’t you going with them?” Marianne questions Jason. He hadn’t moved from her side and was still holding her hand. But instead of answering her he grabs her by the waist and pulls her into a heated kiss.
She feels like she is floating, he holds and she’s safe. It was so scary how much power he had over her. Maybe it was because of that feeling that her mother was so against her relationship with him. Marianne wondered if her mother was just protection from feeling like this. But right at this moment, just enjoying the way his lips felt against hers, she realized how sad life could be if she had to give up feeling like this just for power.
He squeezes her waist and she can’t help the moan that escapes her mouth.
“Does this answer your question?” He asks with a husky voice, he looks so good it should be a sin. His hair is disheveled and she wanted to pass her hand through his hair. Giving him a smile she starts to pull her room.
It is a miracle when they finally arrived there. Jason was insistent in pulling her for another kiss every chance he got, so for a path that normally would only take 10 minutes, they took almost double.
He pushes her against the wall, just outside her room, trapping her within his arms. His body is pressed against hers, and all she could think is how she wants him. Jason thinks she looks like a Goddess, her pupils are blown wide, and her lips are swollen. She looks like channeled sin. She grabs the front of his jacket bringing him as closer to her body as possible. And it takes all the power in him, not to rip that beautiful dress out of her body right that second. He had stared at her all night, just dreaming at the moment they would finally be alone, but now that the time has finally come all he wants to do is freeze the time, so he can stare at her bluebell eyes for all eternity. She was the only woman that could make him feel this way, and that made his chest feel funny. He knew that they had so much they needed to talk about, things that happened in those three years they were apart, but right now all he can focus on is the way her body feels against his and how sweet her lips taste. The kiss is heated and wild, and he loves it.
Ending the kiss, he opens the door of the bedroom and leads her inside.
Patrol could wait, but the Goddess in front of him needed his undivided attention.
Hello, my readers!
So I surprised myself with the length of this chapter... He was even supposed to be bigger but I decided the scene I originally was going to end the chapter looked better on the next one, and no it is not smut, sorry to disappoint.
So they kissed! Thoughts?
Not really sure about this chapter, but I do hope you like it. It's not one of my favorites, but there are some things that need to be addressed before the next chapters.
Next week my classes start once again! I'll try to keep my posting at least once a month (As I've been doing so far) but you all know how chaotic life can get!
Thank you for the support so far! Love you all!
ALSOOO: If anyone is interested, here are the dresses the ladies wore to the Gala:
They were going to the zoo. Richard had decided that after two months of her living in the Manor it was time to have some family bonding time. It didn’t matter that most of her time in the last months was used to get to know her new extended family or get reacquainted with her old one.
He was adamant that she needed the full Gothamite experience, so here they were on a Friday afternoon on a crowded metro, listening as the oldest one tried and explained how Metro’s worked to her. He was so happy, gesticulating and smiling, that she didn’t have the heart to tell him that she indeed knew how the metro worked, having lived in Paris for almost two full years.
After Damian, Richard was her favorite sibling, mostly because she had always seen him as a role model, as part of her training had been inspired by him and his trapeze maneuvers, but she did enjoy the warmth that she tended to feel when he was around. He was patient and had no problem explaining pop culture references to her. Not that she didn't enjoy spending time with her other siblings, it was just that Richard went out of his way to make her feel accepted.
Tim was a very busy person, and their interactions were reserved to 3 a.m. coffee hunts. He wasn’t bad, just closed off, and a little wary of her after his first experience with Damian. Not that she could blame him. But she was a bit closer to his girlfriend, Stephanie Brown, who would come to have dinner at the Manor every week.
And there was Jason. She refused to address him as her brother, that would just be plain weird. After the initial shock of finding each other again had worn out, it had taken a few weeks for them to finally address the elephant in the room. She could tell that he had struggled with the news that she was Bruce’s biological daughter.
“Dick, maybe speed the lecture a bit so we can still get to the zoo before it closes.” Jason was leaning casually against a wall, finding this whole situation funny. He was wearing jeans and his red leather jacket, nothing special, but if she was honest he looked rather handsome.
“It’s fine Jaybird, I was just wrapping it up!” He says with a smile, just in time for them to catch the next wagon. Because they spent at least 25 minutes listening to Richard’s lesson, the metro had emptied a bit so they were able to find seats. It was just the three of them, the others would meet them there, after being picked up by Alfred, Damian after school, and Timothy after a meeting.
“So… I know Bruce said not to ask, but I’ve been dying to know…” Richard starts unsure, afraid to cross a line. They were lucky to score seats in the same section, she was seated with Jason by her side, with Richard in front of him facing them both. “But how exactly did you two meet, I mean it was obviously at… Tibet-'' He caught himself before he could out them as members of the League, you never knew who could be listening in their conversation, so better safe than sorry. “- but why do you know Jason, but Damian didn’t?”
With a glance to the side, she was more than happy to allow Jason to explain that part. In the two months she lived at the Manor she saw how much they wanted to ask about their relationship, but kept their distance. Aside from Damian, they didn’t feel the need to inform the family about their past.
“Well, Pixie Pop here was the one to train me for the duration of my time in the Temple. Kicked my ass more times than I can count.” He says with a smirk, while casually butting an arm on the back of her seat. “She taught me most of what I know”
“Most of it?” She was indignant, but the smile on her face betrayed her true emotions.
“To be fair B didn’t totally suck as a parent.” She knew that he and Father didn’t have the best relationship after he came back from his time at the League, but according to Damian, it used to be way worse, not that she would know. Richard seems content with their explanation and didn't demand more information, even if he desperately wanted to. He respects their boundaries, and that only makes her like him more.
When they got to the zoo, Damian and Timothy were already there, but surprisingly Stephanie had tagged along, so now she wasn’t the only female in the group anymore, not that she cared, but she liked her brother’s girlfriend so the surprise was appreciated.
She had never been to the zoo before, just to see the attractions. The times she went to fight an Akuma did not count. It was a bit sad seeing all these animals stuck in a cage, and she could tell her brother felt the same. Damian always had a soft spot for animals, and would not tolerate if they were being mistreated. Not surprisingly, the Waynes made annual donations to the zoo to ensure that all the animals were well taken care of. When she first heard about that she was glad that Father cared about Damian’s interests enough to pay to support every zoo and animal shelter in the city. It helped ease her guilt for abandoning him for two years knowing that now she was not the only one who cared for him.
They spend the rest of the afternoon enjoying the animals. And Dick was glad he chose to go to the zoo as a family bonding experience. When Damian first came into the family he had taken him there, after discovering that his younger brother absolutely adored animals and he was happy to see that Marianne liked it as well.
Efficient as always, Alfred was already there waiting for them the minute they crossed the exit of the building. As she came to know, the men seemed to have a six sense when it came to all of them. Just by his aura, she could tell he wasn’t someone you wanted to cross, but she could see how much he loved each one of his grandchildren (because she could never kid herself to think of him any less than a Grandfather).
“I assume that today's activities were enjoyable.” The butler asks as he opens the back door of the limo for them. Richard enters first thanking the men.
“It was acceptable” Damian voices, as he too enters the vehicle.
It was a bit of a ride, seeing that the Manor was almost outside of Gotham, but she didn’t mind. Seated between Richard and Damian she spent most of the journey chatting with everyone. But by the time they arrived at the house everyone was a bit tired, so dinner was a relatively small affair. But not uneventful, because as revenge for Bruce bailing on family day, the boys started sharing with her all the shenanigans of her father’s public persona, Brucie Wayne. It was amusing to see this new side to her father, always so reserved and serious.
“If you are all finished sharing Master Bruce's embarrassing moments, I believe it is time for patrol.” Alfred as always came to defuse the situation before it could implode.
Because she spent most of the last two years fighting almost every single day, she decided that she needed some rest from her hero lifestyle. Even after her father asked if she would like to accompany them on patrols, she decided to turn it down for now. So while her family directed themselves to the cave, she made her way into her suite.
It was a beautiful room. Although the color scheme wasn’t something she would have picked herself, it fit with the furniture rather nicely, and her artist side appreciated that. The room itself was simple, but the red colors and the dark wood made the room seem cozier than it was. With a double bed with a canopy, two bedside tables, a vanity with a mirror, and a wardrobe, it had everything she needed. Her Father had encouraged her to decorate her room the way she wanted, and she had been tempted to do so, but ultimately decided to wait until she settled into her role as a family member before she went and added more change to the mix. What she had been very close to doing was adding a desk so she could draw and design, but after she discovered that there was a big one in the library just a few doors from her room, she dismissed the idea.
Quickly she showered and changed into something more comfortable than her street attire, before exiting the room and making her way into the library. It wasn’t as big as the one downstairs, but it had a big balcony that overlooked the gardens, so she liked to just sit in a shadow and sketch away. Damian had been kind enough to spare one of his unused sketchbooks and some pencils, knowing that she liked to draw just as much as he did. She leaned forward into the railing resting her arms and head, but still looking upwards.
The sun had already set, and she was glad that they were far enough away from the city that she could see some stars in the sky. Having lived in Paris, she had really missed all the stars she could see at night from her home on the League. One of her studies had been about the Astros, so she spent a lot of time as a kid contemplating the skies.
“It’s going to rain soon” A voice comes from behind her. Without having to turn around she knew who it was. A smile appears on her face.
“Aren’t you supposed to be getting ready for patrol?” She asks, straightening her body, but still not turning around. She could feel the person getting closer to her until she felt a presence at her side.
“That’s the whole point. It's gonna rain.” He carries a hint of humor in his tone “And besides I prefer to keep you company, Pretty Girl. Besides, I believe Red Hood deserves one night off. The guy has been working hard.” He jokes.
With a smile she finally faces him. He had showered and changed, and without his red jacket, he looked so relaxed. It reminded her of their time in the League. Like that he looked so much like the angry boy she helped train. So young and while broken, so full of life and fight in him. He smirks at her but turns his face upwards to look at the night.
“You always did love the stars.” He commented, not looking at her. “It’s sad that here you can't see them as much.”
“It’s not that bad. In Paris, you couldn't see any. It was sad, but to be fair the whole city more than compensated for that. It’s beautiful there.” She recalled all the times she went on a midnight stroll around the city, just enjoying the architecture. “I could spend eternity drawing all the details in the buildings.”
“Do you miss it?” He asks, looking at her. His tone is neutral, but by his body language, she can tell he’s anxious for her answer. She had always been good at reading him, and she was glad that their time apart had not changed that.
“In a way…”
She sighs.
“I liked the city, but I spent most of my time there fighting and training. Not much different from before. It was like everything changed but was still the same. To be completely honest… I miss our time at the League the most.” She confesses but hurriedly continues. “Don’t get me wrong, it was hard! But still… at the same time…”
“I get it.” He interrupts her. He has a small side smile, and the dimples on his face make her want to freeze this moment and draw him so she could eternalize him. Instead, she gets closer to him, seeking comfort in his presence at her side. He embraces her. Securing her in his arms, her body pressed against his, her head buried in his chest.
It was funny to think that the most capable woman to take care of herself he knew, chose to be vulnerable around him. It made him feel loved.
“I miss it too.” He whispered in her ear. She raises her head, just enough that she can see his face without removing herself from his arms. Staying like this reminds her of all the nights he used to sneak into her chambers. And they would talk and hold each other for hours. It felt like it was just yesterday the first time he got the better of her.
“Focus!” She yelled while landing a kick at his unprotected left side. “You are unbalanced- in three moves I could have you on the ground again” She punched him to his right, but he was able to block her and tried to deliver a punch of his own. His knuckles were bloodied, and he knew that in the morning his ribs would hurt. But at this moment he was high on adrenaline. She dodged.
They were training for what felt like hours. But both were too stubborn to ask for the fight to end.
But just as promised, in three more moves he was on the ground. He tried to get back on his feet to continue with the fight but was stopped by a foot on his torso.
“That’s enough.” She helps him to get on his feet. “You were great! You could have overpowered me so many times! I left you so many openings!” She laughs. This was routine for them. After a fight, Marianne was usually so pumped with adrenaline that she spoke at a mile per hour. “We really need to work on your tactics this week. Oh! You also need to improve your stance, you’ve been favoring your right side too much. I know your ribs hurt but you still need to protect your body as a whole.” She comments only stopping to take a large sip of water. “Well, I am spent.”
“You’re spent? I’m the one that has been eating dirt for the whole hour!” He complains indignantly. She tossed a water bottle in his direction, which he grabs and happily finishes in a single gulp.
“Just another reason you need to study more!” She grins. And turns to exit the room, and while walking to the door turns to him again.
“See you in a bit” She winks.
When they meet again they are in her room. She’s seated on the bed sketching some view, while Jason sits on the floor sharpening his knife. They chat casually for some time, but ultimately end speaking about their training session earlier.
“That move would have totally worked!” He exclaims, knife long forgotten he now kneels facing her bed.
“There’s where you are wrong, you need strength on your fist on both sides to push my torso, otherwise I would easily be able to doge only one. You need two punches at different sides in succession for you to distract your opponent!” She explains in a hurry. Her thoughts jumped around her head.
“No way! If it’s strong enough, only one is needed!” He argues.
Worked up she threw her notebook to the side, forgotten. In a second she was up, signaling for him to do the same.
“There is no way. Stand there, pretend to be in stance.” She directs, and without a second thought, he complies. “Okay, so I come for your right side first, you are stronger there.”
Her movements are slowed, as she demonstrates the move. “That’s going to distract you, and keep you focused on your stronger side, leaving your weaker one unprotected.” She shows him where he left an opening for her. “So all I need to do now is strike again, focusing more strength now. Either a punch or a kick would do the trick.” As she goes to demonstrate her point, he grabs the incoming slow punch and pulls her into his body.
Unprepared she loses her balance, falling into his chest. In a second he secures her with his other arm, keeping her in his embrace. She feels her face burning with embarrassment. He caught her by surprise, and she felt ashamed.
“Hey that wasn't fai-” But he silences her, bringing his face closer to hers and giving her a heated kiss. It lasts for some time, but when they finally separate themselves he has a grin on his face.
“Just to be clear, I knew the move wouldn’t have worked. You just look cute when you're angry.”
And before she can protest he shuts her up with another kiss.
So this is by far the biggest chapter! Hope ya’ll like it! We finally get the story behind Jason and Marianne. Let me know what you think!
She always knew she had a Father. When she was younger she used to ask her mother about him. She mostly told her half-truths. She knew his real name, and about his nightly activities. About his time with the League, and how he adopted some orphans along the way. She heard all about him. From Mother, Grandfather, and sometimes other members passing by. From a young age, she had him pictured in her mind.
But now, sitting in front of him, in his office, she felt silly for ever trying to imagine what he would be like. He didn’t compare to whatever her young mind had conjured at the time. He was tall, and he had a face that she could only explain as enigmatic. He wore a mask, that she knew. After years of perfection one of her own, she could only imagine what he had been thought to dissociate himself from the people around him.
The office was simple, but at the same time imposing. It had a desk, behind it was her father paying attention to every word that came out of her mouth, with a large bookcase by her left. All the wood was dark, giving the room a more serious look. To her right, the wall was entirely covered with windows, with its drapes open showing the beautiful big garden outside the Manor. Behind her father, there is a painting hanging. A family portrait. She recognizes everyone in the painting with ease. Bruce is seated, with Damian in his lap, while Jason, Richard, and Timothy are standing behind Father’s chair. It’s an exquisite piece and even though they all are wearing suits, it makes the whole room look homey.
“Why didn’t you come here, after you healed from the attack?” They had been talking for the past hour. Marianne spent most of that time telling him the circumstances of her upbringing.
“I couldn't. My Master thought it would be better to stay longer.” She explains while playing nervously with the hem of the shirt Damian had lent her this morning. He could feel the anxiety coming out of her but was impressed that she kept herself strong and didn’t avoid eye contact. “So we continued with my training, but after some time we discovered a destructive energy that could only come from someone misusing a Miraculous. So it was decided that we would stay and assess the situation.”
“And this person was the fashion designer you killed this week? Gabriel Agreste?” He had a disapproving face, typical of parents disciplining their children.
“Damian made me aware of your no-kill policy, but since this was an Order business I believe you do not have the power to dictate how I dealt with it. I respect that this is your city, but believe or not I was lenient in his punishment. If it was up to me, death wouldn’t have been enough to compensate for all the pain he caused to the citizens of Paris, but I must allow the Gods to decide his punishment, so death it was.” Her speech allows him time to think about the situation. By the end of it he agreed, it wasn’t his business.
“What happened is in the past. I need to know if I can trust you not to endanger the people of Gotham. Who are you loyal to?”
“I am loyal to myself. And Damian. Trust has to be earned so it is okay that I do not have yours. But trust this: I love Damian, and would rather die than hurt him” Bruce analises her for some time, trying to find any hint of dishonesty on her, but just like his youngest when cornered, her emotions were transparent in her face.
“It’s not that I don’t trust you, it’s just that you remind me so much of… well your mother” He confessed with a nostalgic expression. “When she first brought Damian to live with me I was so shocked. I must admit that my reaction wasn’t the best. He was so grown, that it was hard to get to know him. With the others it was easier, they-”
“They weren’t your blood” She supplies. He looks a little relieved that she understood what he was trying to explain. “But you loved them all the same.”
“I did this once, it was a terrible job. Just know that I’ll be trying my best to- well, accommodate you into this family.”
“That’s all I ask for.” She replies with a small smile.
Marianne looked so much like his mother at a young age. He remembers spending hours looking through family album photos when he was younger. Sure he could see traces of Talia in her, but the blue eyes and black hair were definitely a Wayne trait. It scared him. Did he have any other children out there that he knew nothing about? He lost so many years from his children's lives, it pained him to think about what type of childhood they received. Sure, both Damian and Marianne didn’t hide their upbringing, but anyone could see that there were things they weren’t comfortable sharing. He knew from his own time at the League that it wasn’t easy.
“When did you meet Jason?” He had heard from Dick just this morning that apparently there was something that Jason hadn’t told them about his time in the League.
“Mother ordered me to train him after he was resurrected, because of my powers I was the best candidate to help him control the madness inside of him.” She explains, but Bruce could see the faint blush on her cheeks.
“And you two…” He trailed off, not knowing how to phrase his question.
“Yes. And please let’s leave it at that.” She’s blushing more than she ever did before. The fact she’s talking about her love life in front of her newly acquired father makes the whole situation hilarious, and if she wasn't so mortified she would have laughed.
“There is one more thing I would like to discuss with you” Marianne begins, uncertain of how the man in front of her would react to her request. “If it was alright with you, could I please have a hug?”
Whatever Bruce thought she was going to ask, it definitely wasn't this. So he stays there in shock, totally still for more time than he realizes. Enough for doubt to appear in the girl in front of him. His daughter. His blood daughter. He had some experience with Cassandra, but he still wasn’t sure he hadn’t totally fucked up with her yet, so this whole new daughter scene was hard on him.
Before she can flee the room in shame of her request, Father rises from his chair with grace, hiding his anxiety behind his perfected mask. In two strikes he is at her side.
The hug feels nice. Not that she would ever confess but the physical touch was something she always missed. The only person that had no trouble with being smothered with her love was Damian, and then later Jason. So, this hug from her father was definitely something she needed.
When they are done Bruce takes one more lounging look at her before dismissing her. He truly needed some time to think of all that had happened in the last few days. It had been almost 4 days since the reveal of the parentage of the girls, so he still had a lot to process.
So now sitting with a glass of bourbon in one hand, and his cellphone in the other. He did the only thing he could think of. He called Seline.
“Hey… It’s me.”
Hello again everyone! A special thank you to everyone that has been supporting this story! I wasn't sure if I indeed wanted to write a PART 2 to this story, but after all your comments I decided to do so.
I hope you all like this chapter, it's shorter than usual, but I still need to figure some stuff about the story, so please bear with me!
Let me know what yall think of it!
Do you like enemies to lovers because it’s hot or do you like enemies to lovers because you think of yourself as unlovable & unworthy of love and therefore like the idea of someone seeing all the worst in you right away and still falling in love with you anyways
*tiptoes in the room* so. Maribat fandom. Here's a gift, make what you want of it. (if you want to write it, be my guest o/ but @ me, i want to see!)
Known that I fell in this fandom with my eyes closed and full faith (and I dearly regret the lack of french fanfics in the fandom because writing in english give me AnXiEtY)
Also I have like one hundred ideas already and I can't write in English (I'm frustrated) (if you want an SAO Maribat, I have Ideas. I fell down that hole too and I'm scared guys, I'm scared.)
T'was a pleasure fellow people!
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A portal in the BatCave and two children come out : 1 Mar'iandr (10 y) and 1 Mirabelle (baby) (or whatever you headcanon the babyDaminette name be, I like the Mira nickname thing). Batman, Nightwing and Robin (the Heir) are Shook.
Mar'i has a letter for Batman : Problem in the future, apocalypse, need babysitting somewhere safe.
Mar'i calls Nightwing 'dad' and Robin 'uncle' and Batman 'grandpa' and gives them heart attacks. Mar'i also has a crying baby in her arms and nobody knows shit about babies in the BatCave. There is a reason why Batman doesn't adopt kids before their 10 years old. So they call Alfred. And Barbara (whose still Batgirl). Because surely a girl can understand babies right? (shh, they're desperate)
Ensues shenanigans of three disasters and two somewhat helpers. Dick is appointed Mar'i Babysitter because she's his daughter (??). Alfred is with the baby because he has more than two braincells when it comes to babies. Batman is half-hidden in the BatCave to try to understand whatthehellisthat and half-present because he's Concerned. Damian ignores all that because he's 14 years old and he's not the little shit of 10 years old he was but almost and children/babies ugh (he's a little interested by the baby, her mother is a mystery, but ugh). Bonus if Red Robin comes, looks at the chaos for 3 minutes and get out with death in his eyes and a triple coffee. Bonus x2 if Red Hood comes at the Wayne Manor for whatever reason and laughs at their misery. Because they're not good with babies. And alien little girls are an handful. Poor Bats.
And then, when the manor is almost calm (Mar'i reads, Mirabelle sleeps finally), a new portal. With freaking adults this time wooo! The first woman is in a black and red superhero suit and furious, the man in dark green and black is downright murderous and the other woman is in blue and white and Do Not look at the duo (strangely guilty?). The woman in red snaps something along the lines of "What were you thinking?!" and the red-headed... bunny? looks sheepish but doesn't backdown when she answers "well, there have been an apocalypse. I only wanted to protect them!" The first one is no less furious. And while Batman tries to understand what the heck happens, the man comes to him and just almost (not really) pleasantly goes "Can I have my daughter back, father?" and Batman juste... gives her to him. He frozes [bugs ? idk, he does not compute]. And mini-Damian too. And a lot of the past-family. But not Alfred. No, Alfred goes calling Dick and Mar'i. The efficacity of this man, I swear. The three adultes get the two children back and they just hear the last comment of the woman in white and blue before they vanish. "You were so cute at this age! Tiny demon." "Fuck you." "Language."
And then the past-family just. 'What ?' for the rest of the evening.
.
.
.
(really it's just an excuse for cute Mar'i, Baby Daminette, and confused Batfam) (i love time travels)
(also i'm french and parisian so if you want help for nicknames, Paris geography and such go ahead, google is... not reliable sometimes)
And now she would eventually become Marianne Wayne.
She had had multiple names and lived for what felt like a hundred lives, all very different, but all of them with one thing in common. Damian.
From the moment he was born until her first death, she lived for him. Always there to aid and protect him at all costs. At all costs. She lived for him. The only time she had something for herself, it was taken from her. So she wasn't good with owning things. Her whole life nothing was truly hers. Damian was the League’s. The Miraculous were the Order’s. She was divided between two organizations. Never truly belonging to one or the other. She ached to belong, so it was very important that she proved herself to her father. She knew she was never enough for her mother, she was indeed the second option. Useful enough to not be discarded, but not the heir she most desired.
So now. Standing in front of her Father, having imagined this moment her whole life, she had to admit, she was scared. Would he reject her too? Would she be enough?
“Father… This is Marianne, your daughter.” Damian presents her. She doesn't know how to act so she stays in place, awaiting instructions or directions, but still getting the time to analyze the man in front of her.
He was taller than she imagined, but intimidating with his Batman attire just as she had pictured. He looked at her in a cautious way, as if at any moment she would combust into flames. She kept her eye on him, looking for some sort of sign on how to act. It took some time but eventually, his expression turned to a mesmerized one.
“You look like my mother…” He whispered, reaching to her with his right hand but never touching her. His face in awe. “How… I-”
He turned his head to Damian as if he could explain more. In his face a lost and anxious expression. She could see that her little brother wanted to comfort their father, but didn't know how. So he stayed at her side, hoping that his presence was enough. Clearly, it wasn’t.
“I need to think'' And with that he turns and walks out of the cave, never even sparing a glance back. The only thing that can be heard are his footsteps, and when those are gone, an awkward silence installs.
Only then does Marianne let go of the air she didn’t even know she was holding. With not even a nod of his head father had dismissed her. He was similar to Mother after all. Only ever interaction with her if needed, just to make sure she was still alive. She could deal with that, she knew what to expect. That actually calms her more than it should. The uncertainty was still there, but at least she knew that deep down he could care for her in the future as her mother did.
“Daeh Washanuh” She tells her brother when she sees his indignant face. Her father needed time, she understood that, so for now she would let him be.
She still felt a bit weak, having spent all her energy between fighting her brother and mending her injured body. Damian must have seen said exhaustion because he instantly went to her side, to support her. With her body pressed against his side, and a strong arm crossing her waist holding her she admired how much he had grown. He was taller than her now. Stronger too. Gone was the 10 year old that followed her around. In his place was a slight better version of that person. She gives him a reassuring smile, trying to transmit her gratitude and appreciation without words, the same way she would do before they were separated. She could only hope they still understood each other after years of no contact.
Damian chooses that instant to start introducing the others. The redhead in the wheelchair looks at her with interest, as if trying to solve a puzzle. She doesn't seem to be judging her like the guy in the red leather jacket with a shocked expression is, so she counted that as a win. The dark haired teen that she knocked out a few days ago looks like he’s seen better days, and by the dark spots under his eyes and the large cup of what she assumed to be coffee in his hand, he was an insomniac, like her. The two still wearing their full costumes start to remove their masks, the one in blue has a calm expression, but the other is still very much shocked.
“Habibti... This is Richard Grayson, Timothy Drake, Barbara Gordon, and Jason-”
“Todd.” She smiles. “Long time no see.”
How could she ever forget those blue eyes that hunted her dreams. He was a big part of her past, and she would always be able to spot him in a crowd.
She can almost remember the first time she met him. At only 13 she was tasked with training this overemotional 16-year-old. Let’s just say their relationship wasn’t good at the beginning. He carried too much anger inside of him to allow him to listen to what she was trying to teach him. He was hot-headed and stubborn, and most of the time she just wanted to throw her dagger at him to see him bleed. But after some time they got close. Closer than they should.
At that time Grandfather had intensified Damian’s training so she wasn’t able to see him much, instead, she found herself around Jason a lot. They confided in each other. She gave pieces of herself to him that she never gave anyone else, only for him to be ripped from her life as punishment.
Last she heard her mother had dealt with him. She assumed she had killed him. But seeing him in front of her, healthy and very much alive was a relief. She had mourned him for a long time, but the joy she feels in knowing he was alive was immense.
“Pixie!” Jason speaks for the first time, by now he already got up from his seat, and is now standing in front of her. Different from her Father's reaction, he seems to need to touch her, to guarantee that she is real and truly there. Confused about how she knew his older adopted sibling, Damian backs away from his sister, too stunned to properly comprehend what was happening. She now was using Jason as support, feeling the heat of his body next to her’s, just proving that he was really there.
Pixie was a nickname he gave her when they first met after he discovered she could do magic. At the time she did not understand the reference, not having grown up with fairytales, but after he patiently explained to her about fairies she could see where he was coming from. Small and Magic. That was enough to describe her. And secretly she was pleased to have a nickname especially made for her. “I told you we would see each other again…” He says with a smug smirk on his face. Caressing her cheek with his hand. Oh, how she missed that look on his face.
“Am I the only one that’s freaking out with this scene in front of us?” The spell is broken by the voice of the blue hero. Richard. The first adopted son of Bruce Wayne. She knew a bit about him, when she was younger a part of her training was inspired by his stunts on the field. “How the hell do you know her, Jaybird? Bruce’s secret love child?”
He still holds her, more for support than anything else. It’s been a long time since they’ve been together, but their friendship hopefully still remains. She takes him not letting her go, as a sign that she wasn’t the only one affected by this unexpected reunion. When she first arrived at Gotham she knew she would inevitably meet her extended family when she finally sought her brother. And yes, it came to no surprise that Jason Todd was once her father’s ward. But remember that she did believe him to be dead. And if that was truly the case she would carry her secrets to her grave. But apparently, it was time to come clean to her brother. Her relation with Jason was the one thing she ever kept from Damian. And she could see from the look on his face that he was very confused.
She detaches herself from Jason and tries to reach her little brother, but the day's activity finally takes a toll on her body and she trips and almost collapses on the floor if not for the two that come to her rescue. Jason being the one closer to her catches most of her weight, but Damian has both her hands into his own.
“I'm fine…” She tries, but by the look on both their faces, they don’t believe her one bit.
“Dick, why don't we leave the rest of the interrogation for tomorrow? When Bruce can participate.” Barbara speaks for the first time. She pushes herself away from the table and starts making her way out of the cave in her wheelchair. It seems that her words have power, because with only a grunt and a side glance and he leaves as well. Sometime between her father leaving and Jason making himself known Timothy fell asleep, face down on the table in what could only be described as an uncomfortable position.
If she wasn’t so exhausted she would have questioned how easily Damian’s family accepted to wait until tomorrow for answers. If it was her she would want them as soon as possible. No matter what.
“Come, I’ll show you to my room” Damian removes her from Jason’s arms and starts directing her through the same path all the others took out of the cave. Tomorrow she would come back and admire all the technology and weapons the Bat Cave provided, but for now, she was content in being almost carried to a comfy bed. After almost a month of chasing Gabriel Agreste around the globe and mostly sleeping when she could, wherever she could, just the thought of sleeping in an actual mattress brought her immense joy. “I promise to not ask questions today, but I need an explanation for the display of affection you gave Todd downstairs.” His tone is stern and she knows he meant that.
"Deal." He nods, accepting my answer.
We walk through a long corridor for quite some time, but eventually, we stop in front of a door. Damian opens it and carries me to the bed. He sits me in his bed and goes to his wardrobe. While he does that she admires the size of his room, which is big, just as it was in the League, but here she can see bits of his personality. Photos on the wall, drawings on the tables. She is happy that he gets to explore his part of himself. When he comes backs he hands a change of clothes to her, and without saying anything he makes his way to what Marianne assumes is an adjacent bathroom. Leaving her room to change alone. He gave her a black long-sleeved shirt and black pajama bottoms that were definitely too small to git him now, and she can only question as to why he has it still.
She removes her attire and changes into the offered clothes, but not before inspecting the place where there was supposed to be a wound. She was healed, as expected, but her dried blood still clings to her abdomen. By now Damian finally comes back, wearing an outfit similar to hers and carrying a damp towel.
“I thought you would want to clean yourself of the blood.” He hands her the towel. She in return gives him a sincere smile, accepting the offered object and immediately removing all traces of blood from her body.
While she did that, he sat on the other side of the bed, removing some pillows and getting under the covers. Marianne leaves the towel on the floor beside the bed and carefully puts one knife on the bedside table and her dagger under her pillow. Old habits die hard after all.
Damian observes her with a nostalgic look on his face but otherwise remains silent. He turns the light off by the switch near his bed and the bedroom immediately gets dark, the only source of light coming through the closed windows. As she gets under the covers she feels his body getting closer to hers. And she can’t help but smile again, remembering how many times they did this exact same thing during their childhood without their mother knowing. Or at least they thought she didn't know, not knowing she merely allowed them this simple thing.
“Aishtaqt lak ya 'akhi” She repeats the same words she said to him when they were on the rooftop earlier that night.
Her only answer is his hand finding hers and giving it a squeeze.
Final chapter of part one! Do you like the stoy so far? After a lot of messages from you guys I decided to continue with a part 2 of this story. Still haven’t decided how long it would be, probably about 10 more chapters but who nows. Sorry it took me so long to post this chapter, its was finals week at my university and you know how it is.
Let’s hope I get more time to write! Thank you all fot the support do far! You are all amazing!
It curently 3 am so sorry if there’s any mistakes!
For the first time after so long, Marianne finally felt home. Even as she bled on top of a dark building, she did not care. As long as she kept on holding him everything would be alright. She could feel his tear on her neck, and she could imagine he felt hers on his. It was strange, she dreamed of this moment more times she could count, but not one of her imaginary scenes did she feel this immense happiness in her soul. It was as if she was finally whole. He held her with such force she was sure she would suffocate, but she kept quiet, just enjoying the warmth of his body on hers. It was only after she started feeling dizzy that she detached him from her.
He was different, more mature. The years only served to enhance his beauty. It didn't matter that he was wearing a mask, she would recognize him everywhere, but she still longed to be able to see his green eyes again. No one said a word, using their body language to determine what to do next. It was Damian that decided to take the lead.
He stood up and helped his sister on her feet. He kept supporting her, knowing that the wound he inflicted on her must be taking some toll on her body after their intense fight. She was barely standing on her own, having lost too much blood. His Robin costume was coated in red, and that left a bad taste on his mouth. With her secure at his side, he turned to his Father. There was so much he needed to tell him, years of feelings he trapped inside of him could finally be let loose. But first, he had to make sure he still trusted him.
“I promise to explain once we get to the cave… but she needs help.” He pleaded. He wasn’t sure if it was the tone of his voice or the fact that his family just caught him in his most vulnerable moment, but they agreed.
Damian carried her to the Batmobile, Todd, and Grayson trailing after him. Batman led the team in silence. Meticulously thinking about the connection of his youngest son with the passed-out assassin. She wore League attire, but it was a strange symbol on her clothes that made him wary. He remembered seeing that symbol in the clothes of a dead Gabriel Agreste early this week, and there was no doubt that they had some kind of connection.
He wanted to interrogate her as soon as possible, but he would wait until Damian gave his explanation as to why he acted in such a way that night. They obviously knew each other, so they must have met when his son was still in the care of his mother. That information did little to calm his worried mind.
It was a unanimous decision that petrol was canceled that night. So they all entered the Batmobile and made their way to the Cave. They didn’t have to worry about their identities, as the girl was falling in and out of consciousness during their short ride.
Dick kept a close eye on the girl in Damian’s arms. Her face was nested carefully in his brother's neck, keeping him from being able to identify her face. Her blood coated the interior of the car, and only the fact that the Batarang still impaled at her side was helping to stop the bleeding from totally draining the girl kept him somewhat calm.
Jason was the only one that wasn’t in the car, having opted to use his bike, he went ahead and notified Alfred that they would need his assistance, with the injured girl.
By now Damian knew that all his family was notified of this incident, and would most likely be waiting for them to return. He could only hope that his father would hear him first. He wasn’t worried about his sister, he knew she would be alright. After years of training with her, he knew she bled easily, but was stronger and healed faster than most.
When they arrived at the Cave, Damian immediately laid her in one of the gurneys. But before he allowed Alfred to assess her wound he removed the weapon. He heard the shouts of indignation coming from Grayson but ignored him.
He knew what they must be thinking, that his weapon was the only thing keeping her from bleeding out, but what they didn’t know was that Marianne’s body reacted faster when she was in danger of dying. So it came to no surprise to him when her wound started to heal itself. What started him was the glow that came with it. That was new.
“She will be fine. Just need a couple of hours to recharge her energy” Damian clarified.
"She's Meta…” Dick whispered, eying Bruce carefully. It was no secret that the man did not normally trust meta-humans very easily. His expression was hard, and everyone could tell his patience had come to an end.
“Explain.” He demanded.
“I do not know how to start…” From his body language, they could see he was nervous. He ran his fingers through his hair, something he never did.
“From the start would be great!” Jason tried to lighten the mood. He hadn’t moved from his sitting position on the round table. Barbara and Tim were sitting with him, both anxious to understand the situation. He wanted to go see this mysterious girl, but for the sake of his family, he stayed put, for now.
“Father… You might want to sit for this…”
Bruce nodded. And they all sat. Damian sat in front of his father, with Grayson and Todd at his sides, while Gordon and Drake sat by Todd’s side. No one dared to sit close to Bruce, fearing his reaction.
“Do you remember how I was conceived?” Damian started, not meeting his father’s eyes, and ignoring the snickering coming from his brothers. He knew this was a sore subject, but he needed to approach the subject somehow.
“It was of extreme importance that Mother produced a male heir for Grandfather. But what you do not know is that I was not the firstborn” This causes everyone to widen their eyes in horror.
Bruce pales but otherwise keeps quiet.
“I explained before how I was raised in an artificial womb through my development stages. And there is a reason for that... Before me, Mother was pregnant, the traditional way, but a female was born. She was born” He points to the direction of the girl resting behind the curtains of the medical bay.
“How… When…” Bruce is at a loss of words. When Talia appeared two years ago with his secret child in tow he felt only despair first. He had lost so much of his son’s childhood. It took him so long to accept that he had what it took to care for his blood child the same way he cared for his wards.
“She was born six years before me…” Damian explains. “Mother never told me anything about that, only that she did it to appease her father.”
“Wait, wait, wait! So you're telling me that the scary kid we just rescued is B’s long-lost daughter? Why are we only hearing of this now?” Jason as always wasn't able to keep quiet anymore.
Damian lowers his head and covers his eyes with his now gloveless hands. Sensing his distress Jason allows him to recompose himself.
“She was dead… Or I thought she had died. In the same attack that made Mother bring me to live here.” They could see that it was hard for him to talk about that day “Except she did not die!” He exclaimed in anger, rising from his seat.
“There’s where you're wrong.” The melodious voice attracts their attention. She stands just a couple of steps apart from where they are sitting. But no one heard her coming. She wears green, but the cape that once covered her hair is lowered, and they could clearly see her long black hair left loose. She had blue eyes and was rapidly analyzing every single one of them until her eyes landed on Bruce. Her father. Damian could see the insecurity in her, so he calmed himself, and went to her. “I did die that day. It was only thanks to Tikki that I am alive now” And with that, she knew her brother would understand. After years of living with her, she taught him a little about the Order.
“Father…” Damian tries.
Bruce stands up. And goes in their direction. He stops just a couple of steps from his children. His children.
“This is Marianne, your daughter.”
So there we are! Another chapter. Do you love it? Hate it? Please tell me I love to read your opinions!
I feel like I must warn you all that I only planned to have one more chapter on this story, but after some consideration, it came to me the idea of making a Part Two of this story. Would that be something you all be interested in? Let me know!
Just seeing that dagger, even after years, brought memories that made his heart ache. He remembered giving it to her… It was her 12th birthday, and even being only six at the time he remembered feeling so proud of himself when her entire face lit up at the sight of his present. The yin and the yang always represented their relationship so well. She was the light inside his darkness, and he was the darkness to her light. He still had the other part of the set, from the last time he had ever seen her, it was his most prized possession. It was inevitable that every time he looked at it he remembered her, so he mostly kept the weapon in the back of his closet, carefully protected inside a wooden box, because it was too painful to look at every day.
Now that he was older he wondered if his first actions after discovering his other siblings had anything to do with her death. Something inside him told him he needed to secure a position for himself before his Father decided he wasn't needed anymore. Because that was the norm in the League. You had to fight for your position. The only person he could let his guard down was his sister. He didn’t need to prove himself for her. She looked at him as if the world started and ended at him, and he always had looked at her the same.
He took her death hard, but he never truly got to mourn her properly. Being tossed aside by his mother to live with the father he had never met, after the most tragic event of his life, was enough to damage lesser children, but he was the Heir of the League. He needed to be strong. So that's what he did, first, he tried to eliminate his competition. But to his surprise, he was berated by not only his Father but his other siblings.
Being only ten at the time he didn’t know a life without violence. And he had to relearn how to behave in this new world he was left on. Without his sister by his side, he felt incomplete. Being neglected by the Father he looked up to for so long wasn’t easy either. He never once told anyone about her. He didn't see the point. She was dead, and Al Ghuls never dwell on the past. But as a Wayne, he often found himself opening the wooden box and remembering all the happy moments of his life by his sister's side.
That’s why this copycat made him so angry. He recognized the uniform and the weapons being used. The fighting style and the evasion techniques he recognized from his training in the League. Whomever this person was, it had ties to his grandfather's organization. Living almost three years away from the League lifestyle was enough for him to decide to never return. But he couldn’t for the life of him understand why his mother sent someone to taunt him with his dead sister's doppelganger. That was cold even for her, and he knew that Talia would never cross that line because she loved Marianne too.
It took him almost one week to try to come clean with his family. He needed time to process. In that period of time, their mysterious assassin completed their mission. Damian knew that because a high fashion designer was found dead by the docks a couple of days after their last encounter with the BatFam. There were signs of torture, but the most peculiar thing was that the designer was wearing a tailored suit with the Order of the Miraculi symbol on the back. Gotham police simply linked his death to a Chinese gang, but Damian knew better. He just wasn’t sure what exactly happened.
He had a theory that after his sister's death, Wang Fu eventually got a new apprentice, and that person now was impersonating his deceased sister to obtain power. Before her death, Marianne was widely known as The Lily of the Desert. Her reputation was incredible. And her Modus Operandi, amazing.
In his sister's memory, he needed to put a stop to this impostor.
“I have not been completely honest with you Father” They were all at the cave, getting ready for patrol. Grayson and Todd immediately stopped whatever they were doing and stared at him as if he had grown another head. Drake nursing a hot cup of coffee didn't seem to have listened to what he said.
“And what exactly have you been hiding?” Father asks folding his arms in front of him. These last couple of days had been hard on him. Catching the assassin had been his number one priority.
“I believe that I have information pertained to Gotham's new visitor…” His Father's face darkens. He wore the Batman suit sans the cowl, but he still looked very much intimidating.
“And why have I not been informed of this sooner?” He asks with a stern tone. Seeing his Father, with arms crossed, made Damian remember the series of long berations he received in his first months living at Gotham. And for some reason, he felt small.
Seeing his youngest reaction, of flinching, he softened his tone.
“What I mean is… Why not come to us in the first place, surely we could have helped, and-” He was interrupted, a loud signal echoing through the cave signaling that there was a disturbance. Oracle immediately gets to work.
“There’s a disturbance in Wayne Botanic Garden… The alarm indicated someone broke in. There is no response from the security team there.” The redhead explains the situation. “I don't think it is Ivy. There have been no sightings of her in weeks… She and Harley have been keeping a very low profile.”
“Suit up everyone! We will finish this later Damian. You and Hood are in charge of discovering where this intruder entered the building. Tim, Alfred benched you, stay here with Oracle and go through the security video, find out where this person is staying. Nightwing you are in charge of finding the security team. I’ll deal with whoever it is inside.”
And with that, they were gone.
When they got to the Botanical Gardens it was too silent. The alarm that alerted them wasn’t on anymore. And if they didn't know better it would have seemed a false alarm.
“New plan, Nightwing and I will enter the building. Robin and Hood are to keep guard on the roof. If you see anything exiting the building notify us immediately.” And he was gone.
Damian got angry, knowing that his Father was punishing him for lying.
“Well, it looks like it’s just you and me baby bird” Todd says with a cheeky smirk. Even with his laid-back attitude, Damian could still tell that he had his guard up. “You stay here, and I’ll take the other side of the building. Call me if you need backup!” Of all of his brothers, Jason Todd was the one he least interacted with. He mostly lived in his apartment, and aside from patrol, he was never home. He liked to think that at some level the oldest understood him. He too was trained by the League for years, and he always wondered what it would have been like to meet him before coming to Gotham.
Todd didn’t like to talk about the time after his death and Damian respected that. Because he too had difficulty talking about his childhood. Grayson was the one that always pushed them to try and talk about their feelings, and that was one of the reasons he did like his older brother, it kind of reminded him of Marianne.
Even if he did miss his life in the League, life with his Father was without a doubt, better. He was allowed to have pets, something he always wanted. And he wasn’t expected to train until he bled. He was obligated to attend school, and that he didn't like, but in general, he couldn’t complain.
Suddenly he got movement from his perimetrical vision, and if it wasn’t for his training he might have missed it. Whomever it was, was taking advantage that the roof from the building across from the Gardens didn’t have lighting.
Throwing caution out of the window Damian went into action. He didn’t need backup. If it was someone from the League, he could take care of it. When he got to the other roof he was immediately attacked. His opponent wasn’t using the weapons Damian knew she had in her possession. At their last encounter, he hadn’t been able to catch a glimpse of who had attacked Drake, but now he could tell it was someone older than him, and she definitely had previous training. He blocked her first punch but wasn’t able to escape the second one. He momentarily lost his air but didn’t let his guard go down. He responded in kind and suddenly they were in heated combat.
On his intercom, he could hear his Father and siblings asking what was happening, but he didn’t have the time to respond. For some reason, their fight suddenly felt like a dance. They were in synchrony with each other and he felt as if he was missing something. The girl was wearing the traditional League attire, with a small symbol of the Order of the Miraculous on her left breast. It was identical to the one his sister would use, and that only helped to fuel his anger. By now the other would be getting there in a matter of minutes, so he had to act fast. Fastly grabbing a Batarang he threw it with all his force. Not expecting it, she couldn’t get out of the way fast enough, and the weapon lodged itself to her right side. Blood immediately started coming out of the wound. He lunged at her. Using her wound as an advantage. But to his surprise, she didn’t seem affected. And was able to block his attacks with ease. He heard some bodies landing on the roof, his family had reached them. But that still didn’t deter him. Punch after punch he started to gain some ground over his opponent. Landing one powerful land on her jaw she falls to the ground defenseless, and her mask dislodged from her face, and now Damian was finally able to see the face of his opponent. He froze.
Somewhere behind him he hears his Father asking her questions, but it is all muted. A million thoughts pass through his mind, but there are so many that he can’t form a coherent thought.
“Ashataqat lak ya 'akhy" Comes from her mouth.
He throws himself towards her. He hears Grayson shouting for him to stop, but he can't, it's like his body is moving at its own accord.
Jason sees everything happening in slow motion. From the second they hear fighting sounds from the Demon Spawn’s intercom to when they reach the rooftop where the fighting is taking place. He sees the brutal moves, Robin, lands on his opponent. And if she wasn't an assassin he would feel bad for her.
She’s injured but that doesn't stop Damian. Dick tries to interfere, but for some reason Bruce stops him. Something he regrets when she’s finally overpowered and is on the ground because even after Dick screams Damian to stop he still goes after the girl.
But to their surprise, he doesn’t attack her. He throws himself into her arms. She hugs him back, not even caring that her side it’s badly bleeding. She holds him as if her life depended on it. And Damian is no different. Even being at a considerable distance they can see Robin’s shoulders shaking. He's crying, something no one ever saw him doing before.
That sight stunned him. And he can see he is not the only one. Bruce doesn’t seem to know what to do, and Dick looks like someone just kicked his puppy.
Oh, how Bruce wishes he had heard what Damian had to say earlier.
So last chapter didn’t get a lot of notes... Is the story getting boring? Honest aswers please! I’m posting this chapter today as a birthday present for myself! (My birthday is in 2 days! So exited!)
After all he had been through, Jason wasn’t surprised very easily. He saw death and war up close while living with the League of Assassins for 5 years after his resurrection. He was no stranger to violence. But nothing would have prepared him for what was happening in his beloved city. Sure it was normal for bodies to be pilling up, courtesy of the gang wars that unfortunately existed, but the level of precision and success in which these last couple of attacks had happened surprised him a lot, and the short time frame between them was also a red flag. Normally he would deal with whatever was happening on his own, but he had a feeling he would need help, so that’s why he appeared unannounced at the Batcave after patrol. These last couple of days he had spent his days dealing with some thugs around a local orphanage, so he had not been on patrol. Because he also prefers to stay more time at his flat, it had been a long time since he stayed at the Manor for more than a couple of hours.
When he got there he found Tim, still in his Red Robin costume, lying in a gurney knocked out while Alfred examined him, he otherwise seemed fine, so he left him there and went after Bruce to ask what had happened. When he got to the center of the cave he was overwhelmed with the discussion happening. They were all wearing their costumes, sans their masks, so they hadn’t been home for long.
“She's dangerous! She needs to be dealt with! We all know what happened last time she was in town” Damian yells, pounding his fist on the table. Bruce had a tired expression and was rubbing his hand between his eyes trying to relieve some stress.
“We’ve been through this before, no one is killing anyone. Until we know for sure what she wants we have to keep our guards up. We will act once we have more information. For starters, we don't even know if it is Talia” Dick argues. The three of them had been discussing what to do after their short encounter with a League Assassin in a downtown warehouse.
“Did you find anything useful Oracle?” Bruce questioned the redhead that was furiously typing on the Bat Cave computer, in hopes that it would break his sons bickering.
“First things first, whoever this mysterious person is, they are good! They managed to avoid all of the security cameras in the warehouse area. But me being the goddess I am, I managed to hack into the security feed of a store close to the place where that first dead body was found.” She replies with one breath, never averting her eyes from the screen of the computer. The speed of her work always amazed every one of the BatFamily. “And voila! I present to you your Assassin!” and with that, the picture of a woman appeared on the screen.
She was petite and wore the traditional attire of the League. It was mostly black, with some green on it. She wore a hood and a mask over her mouth and nose. It wasn't Talia, she was never one for secret identities, so the mask was a dead giveaway. Whoever she was, she didn’t want to be recognized. She had a sword at her back and what seems to be a dagger at her thigh. Just by her clothes, Jason could tell she was from the elite of the League. The black with green accents were used by the deadliest ones.
“I’ve seen that weapon before! The one on her thigh!” Damian exclaims, sounding surprised. That doesn’t help improve his Father’s mood. And Dick pales a bit. Everyone knew that Damian only had contact with Ra’s top Assassins, so nothing good could come from whoever was at Gotham at the moment. The quality of the image wasn’t very good, but the mere glimpse of the weapon brought something up in his mind. “Babs, can you make the image more clear?” Jason asks, speaking for the first time since arriving.
“You know me better than that Todd. Of course, I can! One clear image coming right up!” And she returned to her rapid typing. No more than 5 seconds later she was done. “There you go! I can even zoom in for you.”
The weapon in question was a simple dagger, but the thing that made her different from the rest was the yang symbol crafted on the handle. Damian's face immediately darkened and his mood sours.
“I was mistaken.” He says, but by the looks of his brothers, they didn’t believe him. But at the moment he does not care. He takes one more look at the dagger before marching out of the cave, in such a hurry that he forgets to remove his costume.
Bruce sighs, too tired to deal with whatever was going on with his youngest he did not see his reaction to the weapon, otherwise he would have said something. But because he hadn’t, all this Damian drama would have to wait until tomorrow. For now, they needed to create a plan on how to deal with this situation. Trying to dissipate the tense mood, Jason changes the subject.
“Dick, do you still have that contact in the Gotham police?” He asks after he seated himself on the chair that Damian was using before “Because you might want to tip him off about a series of robberies happening in the fashion district. They appear to be all linked to the same organization, they have the same style and are always undetected, but they don't seem to be connected to any of the Rogues. They don’t steal the money, just some fabrics, and sewing supplies. But there have been some bodies piling up”
Dick nods. From time to time he would give his old colleagues some information concerning some more serious crimes in the city. Just because he wasn’t a cop anymore doesn't mean he didn't like to help the department.
“Do you think it could be linked to our mysterious assassin?” Bruce suddenly asks. After he came back from the League their relationship was complicated. Jason was extremely angry with his adoptive father after discovering he had not avenged his death. But after 2 years they had managed it somehow. It would never be what it was, but it was something.
“I don’t really know the circumstances about her appearance, I just got here. But I doubt it. Why would a member of the League need sewing supplies? And the killing could be easily linked to something else.”
“We first discovered her presence at the beginning of the week, it's safe to say she hadn’t been here before, because she kills the people that give her information, but the level of skill she shows in evading cameras or witnesses shows some preparation. We believe she has a target in the city, but she doesn’t appear to be in a hurry. She’s meticulous and calculating. She shall be treated as a threat. I want every one of you to keep an ear open if there is some talking on the streets. Other than that we have to wait. Because she didn’t kill Tim today, it’s safe to say she might have a moral compass, and reserve violence to those in her way.” Batman was called the greatest detective for nothing. Even with little information, he was able to analyze her behavior and motive. “For now be on your guard, and don’t go on patrol alone. And keep an eye on Damian, I’m not sure if his behavior is because is someone from the League or because he simply recognized the person. Just make sure he doesn’t do anything stupid.”
“Will do B!”
“Count on us.”
With that out of the way, they cleaned up and made their way to their respective rooms. Tim had already woken up, but Alfred had ordered him to get some rest, saying he would be debriefed in the morning. Dick went after Damian, to make sure he was okay, but he got no answer from the youngest Wayne. Deciding he would try again in the morning, he went to bed, too tired to do anything else.
Sorry that this chapter isn’t very long, but I was busy this couple of days, and when I finally had time to write, I decided that I wanted this chapter to be kind of a backgroud of the family in the last chapter. Still hope ya’ll like. Please tell me if you see any grammar errors!
idea: scene with two characters eagerly stripping each other clearly about to bone, but they keep getting interrupted by finding carefully concealed weapons in each other’s clothing, so they keep just unholstering, revealing and unstrapping increasingly ludicrous amounts of hidden guns and knives as the clothes come off, and it’s lowkey killing the mood a little
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