Okay I absolutely adore Maribat fics where Marinette’s core squad is Adrien, Luka, Chloe, and Kagami because it implies that this girl for some reason just??? exudes rich kid pheromones or something? Like you got the son of the Douchebag Fashion Icon, the son of international rock legend Jagged Stone (which finally became canon!!), the daughter of the mayor and the Style Queen, and a fencing prodigy from a bloodline of famous fencers. Then you add in the hc that Marinette is already a successful fashion designer who goes by the pseudonym MDC and you’re set. These children are unnervingly elite; I would honestly be SO intimidated.
BUT THEN you throw in the batboys, who always end up becoming homies with our resident rich kid beacon, and now you’ve got a combined net worth high enough to buy a medium sized country. Like this is how I imagine this scenario playing out...
[Lila heavily implying that Marinette is a gold digger or a leech because she hasn’t revealed herself as MDC to the public yet, so she just looks like the one middle-class Average Friend TM to the public]
Kagami: Bold of you to assume that she’s the one who sought us out and it wasn’t just us aggressively befriending her.
Luka: We vibed with her for like five minutes and then bam immediately developed separation anxiety.
Adrien: Our current theory is that Mari just radiates mom vibes, and since all of our parents are either oppressive, uninvolved, or a weird combination of the two, we all just kinda latched onto her as the closest thing to a parental figure in our lives. Sure, our parents forget that we exist unless it benefits them, but Marinette is always down to feed you and smother you with affection.
*Cue the realization as to why it was so easy to become friends with Marinette smacking the batboys in the face*
Chloe: And then we realized that she is an absolute dumpster fire of a human being because of her self destructively generous personality, so now we stick around to make sure the dumbass doesn’t accidentally die from dehydration or a misplaced paperclip.
Dick remembered the day of Damian's sixteenth birthday. Dick remembered the look of disappointment on his brother's face when he came downstairs for breakfast after waking up in his own bed. The probability was split 50-50 so it wasn't a surprise, but Dick could tell that Damian had been holding out hope that he would be the younger of the Soulmate pair so that he could meet his Soulmate a little earlier. It was always easier for the younger, to not have to go through the nerve-wracking wait of waiting for your younger Soulmate to turn sixteen, without any clue how far in the future that would be. For his brother's sake, Dick hoped that Damian wouldn't have to wait long.
Five months later, on an ordinary Tuesday morning, Dick felt his phone buzz on the counter of the Batcave. He ignored it. Halfway through a workout, hanging with his feet a foot off the ground on the calisthenic rings, Dick wasn't going to stop his workout unless it was actually an emergency. However, when his phone started blowing up with texts a moment later, Dick was reconsidering whether this was an emergency or not. He let himself drop to the ground and padded over to his phone, scrolling through the backlog of messages to find out what started it all.
Damian: My Soulmate has arrived at the Manor. Please behave yourselves around her. I will not be forgiving of any indiscretions. No discussion of our vigilante business, lest you wish for your tongue to be removed from your throat.
Dick cheered internally as he scrolled down through the excited messages from the rest of his family.
Tim: What's her name? Is she a civilian or is she in the superhero business? Have you done a background check yet?
Jason: You'd better bring her down to breakfast. I want to meet the poor soul who ended up with you as a Soulmate
Babs: CONGRATULATIONS! But also, give us details before I go looking for them on my own!
Steph: We'll be on our best behavior ;)
Damian: You will meet Marinette at breakfast. She will answer your questions to her own level of comfort. I will not reveal any information that she is not comfortable with you knowing. Please do not overwhelm her. Furthermore, I have seen your best behavior, and I am not impressed. I expect better than best.
Dick snorted out a laugh. Damian was right - even on their best behavior, the Wayne family was a chaotic mess.
Dick: We'll try our best but no promises!! Also, I'm so happy for you!!
Dick typed in a stream of celebratory emojis as he walked over to the showers. His workout was getting cut short because there was no way he was going to miss his first family meal with his little brother's Soulmate.
By 9 AM the whole Wayne extended family was gathered in the dining room, waiting for Damian to arrive with his Soulmate. Dick fidgeted in his seat, conspiratorially whispering to Tim about the probability of Damian's Soulmate being in the vigilante business.
"Of course, the odds are slim that any single person out of billions has a connection to the hero community. However, Marinette isn't just 'any single person'. She's Damian's Soulmate, which raises the odds a little. I would say that even if she isn't already superhero-adjacent, she'll be a regular in the Batcave by next week."
Stephanie shook her head. "No way that Damian will approve of her getting involved in Bat business. That kid has got a protective streak a mile wide when it comes to people he really cares about."
"Shush, I think I can hear them coming," Tim hissed. The whole table quieted, and Dick could hear the sound of a girl's giggle echoing down the hallway.
Dick wouldn't have believed that Marinette was sixteen, if not for the fact that it was literally impossible for her to be any other age, given that she Soulmate shifted into his brother's bed. She was just too small, standing at approximately 5'0", over a foot shorter than Damian, and built light, like her bones were hollow and she was designed to fly. From his years of experience, Dick knew that she had the exact right body type to get up on the trapeze (and personally, he couldn’t wait to finally get one of his family members to follow in his footsteps). She was cute, too, her big blue eyes looking out at the table in wonderment. "How are you all so tall?" she asked, looking miffed. "Why am I always the shortest person in the room?"
"Perhaps it is because you are the same height as a twelve-year-old?" suggested Damian, a teasing smile on his face. Dick was amazed by the transformation in his brother. After six years in the Wayne household, Damian had made remarkable progress. However, that progress was slow and tedious, filled with painstakingly minute changes in his brother that eventually led to his growth from murderous ten-year-old to relatively well-adjusted sixteen-year-old. That was why it was so incredible that meeting his Soulmate seemed to have lightened Damian so quickly.
Marinette glowered at the comment, though Dick could tell that she was more amused than annoyed. "You might want to ease up on the short jokes, Soulmate. Don't forget that I'm the one who decides when I go home. As soon as I decide to sleep in a bed other than yours, I'll be right back in my own room. And keep in mind, I haven't had any coffee yet today, so I could fall asleep any moment now."
Not even Marinette's threat could erase the happiness on Damian's face. "Of course, Marinette. I understand that, though it is a tall order, I'll have to be the bigger person."
"Jerk," Marinette snorted, her teasing accusation on the edge of laughter.
Dick realized - amazed - that his younger brother had just made a pun. Two puns. But before Dick could make a comment about the change in his brother, Jason beat him to the punch.
"Was that a pun I heard? Out of the mouth of Damian Wayne?"
Dick chimed in, "I thought that puns were - and I quote - immature attempts at humor, only appreciated by lesser minds."
Damian shrugged off the comment. "My words referred your puns, Grayson, not the form of humor as a whole. My puns are simply a level above your own."
Marinette bumped into his shoulder, playfully exclaiming, "Hypocrite! You just wanted to make fun of my height."
"I can neither confirm nor deny."
Marinette smiled. "Anyways, I think it's time for introductions. I'm Marinette Dupain-Cheng. I'm French, if you couldn't tell from my accent, and a native Parisian. Today is my sixteenth birthday and this one-" Marinette nudged up against Damian again, "Is my Soulmate."
"I'm Bruce, Damian's father. Welcome to the Wayne family," said Bruce, his normally guarded voice filled with happiness. "We're all very happy to meet you."
"Ditto. Damian needed someone to pull the stick out of his-" Jason was cut off by Bab's elbow landing right between his ribs. "Ow, rude. I'm Jason, anyways."
"Cass," said Cass. Gesturing between Damian and Marinette, she spoke, "Soulmates," then pointed to herself, "Happy."
"Thank you, Cass," said Marinette, a tentative smile on her face.
"I'm Steph."
"Tim."
"I'm Babs."
Finally, it was Dick's turn to introduce himself. "Dick. Short for Richard," he added as she wrinkled her nose upon hearing his name.
"It's so nice to meet you all." Marinette took the seat between Dick and Damian, though she only had eyes for Damian.
Breakfast was a pleasant affair, with the Wayne family curbing the worst of their argumentative tendencies. Instead, they engaged in playful feasting and lively debate, doing their best to keep Marinette a part of the conversation. Marinette herself was a personable girl, and Dick could tell that his family was already smitten by her wit and charm.
As breakfast wrapped up, Dick decided to broach the idea of learning trapeze to Marinette, eager to start bonding with his new little sister. None of his family members had any passion for trapeze, so if he could only convince Marinette to give it a chance then it could be a perfect bonding activity.
"May I ask you a weird question, Marinette."
Marinette gave Dick an apprehensive look. "You may ask, but I won't guarantee that I'm going to answer you."
"That's fair. I just wanted to know whether or not you're afraid of heights."
Apprehension turned to confusion as Marinette shook her head. "No, it's the opposite, really. I'm what you Americans might call an 'adrenaline junkie'. I love getting up somewhere high and feeling the wind in my face."
Dick grinned. That was just the answer that he was hoping for. In fact, it sounded like Marinette would enjoy getting up on the trapeze just as much as him. It also sounded like she would enjoy the vigilante lifestyle, with the grappling guns and adrenaline rushes. "Might I interest you in trapeze lessons, then? We have a fully functioning trapeze set up in our gym."
Marinette's eyes sparked with interest. "I've done gymnastics for a couple of years but I've never found a studio that also teaches trapeze. Are you up for teaching me?"
Dick nodded, growing more and more fond of Damian's Soulmate by the minute. "Are you up for learning?"
"Can you please give me twenty-four hours before you try to steal my Soulmate?" asked Damian, with a long-suffering sigh.
Marinette giggled, wrapping her arms around Damian's neck. "Dami is right. I think I'll spend today getting to know my Soulmate. Maybe tomorrow, Richard."
"Call me Dick."
Marinette smirked. "Unlikely."
Damian and Marinette walked off, hand-in-hand, towards the garden. Titus dogged at their heels, trying to catch Marinette's attention, which was glued to Damian, as he talked about the Wayne gardens.
Dick left the pair to their own devices. Instead, he ended up in the kitchen. Half of his motivations were to help Alfred clean up, the other half to gossip with his grandfather-figure.
""I was worried about young master Damian," commented Alfred. "Unlike his father, hiding his emotions are not one of his talents. I could tell that he was worried about his Soulmate, about how they would reflect him."
Dick shook his head. "It's nature versus nurture, and Damian's homicidal tendencies are all from nurture, from Talia and Ra's. His nature, on the other hand, that's what makes him and Marinette a perfect pair."
"She is a sweet girl." Alfred bustled around the kitchen, and Dick noticed him start up the coffeemaker. "I shall get a cup of coffee for Miss Marinette. I wouldn't want her to get tired, I think the whole family wants her to stay awhile."
Notes: Oops! Forgot to post this on tumblr after posting it on ao3 a few days ago. Enjoy the long awaited Warmth sequel!
By Tim’s calculations, there was an 87% certain that Marinette Dupain-Cheng was the Parisian former hero Ladybug. However, 87% was not 100%, so Bruce required further investigation. Damian was stuck with the job.
Except, Damian knew that stuck wasn't exactly the right word. Stuck implied that he was displeased with the situation. Damian wasn't displeased. Marinette Dupain-Cheng was the most pleasant person in all of Gotham Academy. If Damian had to choose anyone to be forced to spend time with, he would choose Marinette. Though he grumbled about being forced to spend time with plebeians (for the benefit of his brothers, who would mercilessly tease Damian if they even suspected that he had a crush), Damian was quite pleased by the assignment.
Given that Marinette was in his history class, it was quite easy to arrange a situation in which they were forced to be in each others' proximities. When their teacher announced that there would be an upcoming group project with randomly assigned partnerships, it was simple for Damian to break into her office and switch around some of the names. When the partnerships were announced and Marinette and Damian were paired together, Damian made his move.
"Dupain-Cheng, if you would like to work on the project over the weekend, we can do so at my house."
"Sounds good, Wayne, but you know, you can just call me Marinette," said Marinette with a smile.
Damian felt flustered, which was a very bad sign. He never felt anything less than perfectly composed. "Then you may call me Damian."
Marinette's smile got even bigger. There was a feeling in his chest that, had it been caused by anyone else, Damian would have suspected it to be a complication of the broken ribs from Joker's last attack. "Let me give you my number, and we can plan a meeting this weekend. Would Saturday work for you?"
Damian nodded as he handed Marinette his phone. "My schedule is free on Saturday."
"Great!" chirped Marinette. She plugged in her number, then posed for a picture, explaining that it was, "For the contact photo."
And if in the privacy of his bedroom, Damian stared at that contact photo for twenty-minutes straight, it was just for research purposes. Just to compare Marinette's facial structure to that of Ladybug. Completely normal investigative business.
The next morning, Damian found his way to the bedroom of his most tolerable brother. "Grayson. Can I confide in you without any of the information getting to anyone else?"
Richard glanced up from his laptop. "Sure thing, Baby Bird." He patted a spot on the bed next to him,
"Don't call me that. I despise nicknames," grumbled Damian. He took a seat, staring at the wall in front of him, still weighing the risk versus reward of talking to Richard. If his brother had some technique for extinguishing romantic interest it would solve Damian's problem. However, if either Drake or Todd got word of Damian's crush there was no doubt in Damian's mind that they would never let him hear the end of it.
"So what's on your mind?"
"It pertains to the girl in my who Drake suspects to be Ladybug, Marinette Dupain-Cheng. She has become difficult to investigate. I have found myself unable to observe her objectively."
Richard frowned. "I'm not sure I know what you mean. Is it something that she did that's bothering you?"
Damian searched for the right words to explain the situation. He was not usually so tongue-tied, but the proper words seemed to escape him at every turn. "Dupain-Cheng is not what I expected. I assumed that it would be a simple task, to observe her and determine whether she has any connection to the Parisian superhero. However, I have found it difficult to concentrate on my mission when I am around her."
"You find it difficult to concentrate when you're around her. How so?"
Damian gritted his teeth. He didn't want to spell out his crush so obviously, but Richard seemed incapable of looking between the lines. "I have found myself preoccupied with trivial things like getting to know her personality, rather than investigating her background. She makes me feel... flustered."
Damian could see the moment that Richard made the connection. His brother's face lit up as he exclaimed, "You have a crush on her?!"
"Quiet!" snapped Damian. "This does not leave this room. I need to learn how to get rid of it, so I can get back to completing the mission."
Richard was grinning ear to ear. "That's not how crushes work. You can't just snap your fingers and have them disappear. The only thing that can get rid of a crush is time. Or sometimes if they get a haircut that kills the feeling. But mostly it just takes time."
"I cannot afford to wait for these feelings to fade. I'll look into scheduling her a haircut." Damian stood up, resolved to get rid of his crush before Marinette came over later that day to work on their project.
"No wait," Richard grabbed Damian's arm. "I doubt that your attraction to her is so shallow that a haircut would destroy the feelings you have for her. This is something that you'll have to talk to her about."
Damian frowned. "Perhaps I should give the mission to someone else. Jon could transfer to Gotham Academy for the semester. His detective skills are lacking but his judgment would be less clouded than mine. If I ignore her for long enough I'm sure that I can evade talking about my feelings."
"Why don't you just ignore the mission for a few weeks while you get to know her."
Damian fixed Richard with a death glare. "I cannot ignore this mission. Father gave it to me personally."
"How about twenty-four hours? You spend the next twenty-four hours in getting-to-know-her mode rather than background-check mode and at the end of it, we can regroup and decide what to do next. If you actually get to know her, you'll better understand the depths of your feelings. Once you have that understanding, you'll be able to see if waiting out your crush is a viable option or if you need to pass on the responsibilities to someone else."
It wasn't the perfect solution, but it was better than anything Damian had come up with. Anything that could potentially alleviate Damian's inability to focus on the investigation was worth trying. "Fine," Damian replied curtly. "Thank you for your assistance."
"No problem," said Richard. "You know, I would love to get to meet Marinette sometime."
"Don't push your luck," grumbled Damian, ignoring Richard's laughter as he stood up and left the room. There would be no way to hide the fact that Marinette was coming over to the Manor from his family. There was also no way that his family wouldn't intrude upon Damian and Marinette as they worked. However, if he explained everything beforehand and phrased everything in precisely the right way, he might be able to pass off his odd behavior towards Marinette as a part of his investigation. Damian pulled out his phone and composed a text to send to the family groupchat.
Damian: Dupain-Cheng is coming to the Manor at approximately 22:00 to work on a history project. I will be covertly conducting my investigation. From what I have gathered, she would respond better to subtle questioning, rather than a straightforward interrogation.
Tim: wait does subtle interrogation mean that you'll be flirting with her???
Jason: I need to see this
Steph: I'm willing to bet money that his flirting offends Marinette so much she storms out of the Manor before Damian can finish the mission
Dick: No way. I'll bet 20 dollars that his flirting works too well
Steph: done
Damian huffed, half tempted to call off his meeting with Marinette. His siblings were insufferable.
Damian: Please refrain from intervening. Confirming that Dupain-Cheng is Ladybug is a vital first step in determining whether the Justice League needs to interfere in the affairs of the Order of the Miraculous.
Bruce: Damian is correct. No one will bother him while he is working with Marinette.
Damian smirked as he turned his phone off. His plan wasn't foolproof, of course, but a direct order from Bruce to not interfere would force his siblings to be more subtle about spying on him and Marinette. The chance of him being interrupted was significantly decreased.
Damian got everything set up in the den, which was only ever used on family movie night. It was perfectly situated for the task at hand - a room small enough to be classed as cozy but big enough to not feel cramped. It was out of the way, surrounded by other equally unused rooms, so his siblings would have no excuse for lurking in the hallway outside. Damian brought in snacks, chargers, and a few books from the Wayne Manor library on Renaissance Art, the topic of their project.
Marinette arrived promptly at 2 in the afternoon, holding a Tupperware container full of gingerbread cookies, with a smile on her face. "Hi, Damian. I brought cookies."
None of his planning accounted for this moment, for first laying eyes on Marinette. Damian froze up, desperate to put the right words in the right order. "Welcome to Wayne Manor, Marinette. I have everything set up in the den if you'll just follow me."
"Sure." Marinette toed off her black boots and arranged them on the shoe tray next to the door. She was left in sage green cat-print socks that matched the rest of her outfit, a pine green sweater and black jeans. Damian couldn't help but wonder if she knit the sweater herself - Marinette's talent for designing was well-known throughout Gotham Academy, as it was what got her accepted into the prestigious high school in the first place.
Marinette followed Damian through the Manor, complimenting little details that Damian had never noticed before - the pattern of the curtains, the bay window in a sitting room that Damian had never bothered to enter, the family pictures that lined the wall in the hallway. Marinette made it seem so obvious to pay attention to those little details. Damian wished that he could see the Manor for the first time through her eyes and feel the same amazement that she felt as she oohed and awed over the decadence that Damian had considered banal.
Damian was so captivated by Marinette that he almost missed the fact that Drake and Brown were lurking in the study across the hall from the den. A text to his father about the gravity of his mission would be enough to get them sent away on some inconsequential but time-consuming task. Damian would have to find an inconspicuous time to pull out his phone during their work on the project to let his father know about their intrusion.
"Now I know why you call it Wayne Manor. This place is huge." Marinette shrugged off her backpack and set it down on the coffee table next to her container of cookies.
"Its size is entirely unnecessary for ordinary life," agreed Damian. "However, it makes for very challenging games of hide-and-seek."
Marinette giggled. "That sounds like fun. You'll have to invite me next time you play."
"I'll make sure of it." Damian smiled, surprised to find that his happiness wasn't forced. He rarely engaged in childish behavior, and even more rarely did he find any enjoyment in it. Yet the mental image of playing a child's game with Marinette was pleasant to him. The feelings he had for her were deeper than Damian anticipated.
The pair got to work on their project. Damian sent out the text to his father as soon as he opened his laptop, leaving Marinette under the impression that he was researching sources. A series of irritable texts in the family groupchat confirmed the fact that Drake and Brown had been removed from their hiding spot.
"Do you want to try a cookie?" asked Marinette, pushing the Tupperware towards Damian.
"Thank you." Damian took one, just to be polite. Growing up in the League of Assassins, he never really had a taste for sweets. Alfred's baking was the extent of what he would tolerate. He took a bite - small, to back up his claim that he already ate if it turned out to be inedible. Surprisingly, it was nearly as good as Alfred's gingerbread cookies, and those were tailer made to Damian's taste. The cookies were heavy on the ginger and cloves, just as Damian liked. "These are delicious," Damian professed.
Marinette blushed. "Thanks. I know they taste a little different than store-bought gingerbread. My parents make them with a lot of ginger."
"These are much superior to store-bought cookies."
"Thanks. You know, you're a lot nicer outside of school. You always seemed kind of grumpy in class."
"I'm not a fan of the state-mandated curriculum."
Marinette nodded. "I get what you mean. I barely have any room in my schedule for my design classes, with all the mandatory classes that Gotham Academy makes us take. I'm lucky that I have my internship, otherwise, I think I would go crazy, taking so many classes that I don't care about."
"Your internship is with Audrey Bourgeoise, isn't it?"
Marinette nodded. "I was friends with her daughter, back in Paris. Originally it was going to be a four-year internship in New York City, but I renegotiated some of the terms so that I could do the first two years in Paris, then the last two in Gotham, while she established the new branch of her company."
"You renegotiated the terms of a prestigious internship at the age of fourteen? Weren't you afraid of losing it if you pushed too hard?"
Marinette shrugged, nonchalant as if it were normal for an intern to make such a bold move. "I didn't want to leave Paris. My whole life was there. I wasn't ready to just pick up and move to a new country."
"What changed that you were able to come to Gotham?"
"There were a lot of reasons. Hawkmoth was the biggest one. I felt nervous about leaving my family and friends behind when he was terrorizing the city. After he was defeated I felt a lot more comfortable leaving."
That aligned with the theory that Marinette was Ladybug. "What were the other reasons?"
"My age was one. I didn't feel ready to leave home at fourteen and my parents didn't like the idea of me leaving home that young either. Another big one was the fact that I didn't have a good handle on my personal style. I was worried that designing full-time in Audrey Bourgeoise's office would cause me to lose my originality. The worst thing I could imagine was watering down my designs to appeal to the rest of the fashion industry."
"Your conviction is impressive. Most in your position would not worry about selling out to obtain such a highly coveted position."
"Audrey said the same thing, though when she said it, she spoke it with annoyance, not admiration. I've never been highly motivated by wide-spread success. I don't need to be a household name to feel content with life. I just want to design clothes that I'm proud of."
The fluttering feeling in Damian's chest returned with full force, alongside a tendril of anger at the unfairness of the situation. Here was the most perfect person Damian had ever laid his eyes on, and he was forced to pick her apart piece by piece to figure out her deepest darkest secrets. Damian didn't know much about relationships, but this didn't seem like the way they were supposed to go.
"You look upset," Marinette's observation was tinged by the worry in her voice.
"I'm not upset," he assured her. "I was just wondering how I never noticed how interesting you are."
Marinette flushed, her cheeks turning pink. "What does that mean?"
Damian shrugged. While his nonchalant attitude was all a bluff, his admiration of her accomplishments was all real. "Most of our classmates feel accomplished with the most conventional of achievements. Yet you secured an internship at the side of one of the most renowned fashion critics in the world and you still stay humble about it. You weren't blind-sighted by the incredible opportunity. You fought to maintain your values, no matter if it meant losing something priceless."
Marinette's blush deepened. "That's just who I am. It's not special, it's me."
"It is you," agreed Damian. "And it is special."
Marinette gave him a wide-eyed look, shocked by the emotion in his words. "We should get back to work," she said, self-consciously rubbing one cheek with the sleeve of her green wool sweater.
"Of course," Damian amicably agreed. He had pushed far enough for intel and had managed to get to know her a little better in the process. His flirting wasn't as blatant as it could have been, but it got the job done. Richard had said that once he knew the depths of his feelings he would know what to do. Richard was right. Damian's feelings were seemingly endless, a maze of all the things he liked about Marinette, in which every corner he turned was a new quirk that he couldn't un-notice. Yet Damian didn't want to pass on the responsibility of investigating Marinette to anyone else. He wanted a reason to spend time with her.
It wasn't the best situation. Damian wished that he could get to know her organically. However, Damian wasn't the type to dwell on the could-have-been. He had an opportunity to get to know Marinette right in front of him and he wasn't going to let it go.
Hours later, after Marinette went home, Richard stopped him in the hallway. "So what did you learn?"
"My investigation has proven inconclusive. I need to further get to know Marinette Dupain-Cheng if I want to uncover her identity. For research purposes, of course."
