"Hypocrite." Marinette said, not taking her eyes off her latest project.
"Mariii." Tim whined, coming close to her and wrapping his hands around her neck. "Pleaseee." He kissed her cheek.
"Who are you calling Mari? I'm Batman!" Marinette said in a very gruff voice. "I'm the night, the darkness, I don't sleep. Sleep fears me." Tim quirked an eyebrow at Marinette's latest antics. "Do you think you can defeat me, you foolish civilian? No, I am Batman."
Tim backed away from her and Marinette stood up, glaring at him but smiling at the same time. He decided to join the game.
"Oh Batman, do you really think I am just a random civilian? No!" Tim made an exaggerated motion.
"The Riddler!" Marinette gasped dramatically. "My greatest enemy! I will defeat you today!"
"That's right Batman! Riddle me this, My name is Railey. I changed my name to Corby. Then I changed it to John. And then I changed it to Colin and then I was called Arthur. What is my name?" Maribat looked at Timdler incredulously.
"That is so hard! What will I ever do? I can't solve it!"
"Well, if you don't! Your hamsters, that I've taken hostage, will die!" Somewhere between the fight Marinette picked up a black cloak and was now wearing it as a cape.
"Not my hamsters! How heartless are you, Riddler?" Tim laughed evilly running away from her into their bedroom.
"Time is ticking Batman. You better do something," he yelled standing on top of their bed. Maribat followed him into the room.
"Get down from there Riddler! Let the hostages go!â
âIf you want them back you should come on here!â Marinette climbed on the bed,standing close to him on purpose.
"Let the hostages go now! I am here like you asked! Let them go! Now."
"That's not enough. You need to come closer if you want the hostages free." Marinette giggled at him, but went closer.
"Is this enough for you to let the hostages go?"
Tim made a thinking noise, but shook his head. "No, you have to come closer." He grinned.
"How about this?" She said, getting close enough that their lips were almost touching. Tom wrapped a hand around her waist and pulled her even closer if that was possible.
"Now I've captured you, where will you go?" He said, meeting her lips in a passionate kiss. Marinette broke the kiss and touched her forehead with him.
"You wouldn't hurt a pregnant Bat, would you, Riddler?" Tim went into shock for a second, then lit up with joy.
"Wait, really? You're not joking, are you?" He said, excited. Marinette shook her head.
"A hundred percent serious."
"When did you find out?"
"Just a few days ago. I wasn't sure how to tell you that." She said, biting her lip nervously. "You're happy with this news, right?" She said looking up at him with uncertainty. They had never talked about having children, so she wasn't sure if he wanted that child.
"Are you kidding me? I am elated! It's our child, I am so happy right now! I can't believe my ears!" He spinned her into the air laughing. "I can't believe I'm gonna be a dad." He put her down and kissed her. "We're gonna be parents. Oh god, we still have to prepare for so many things! Being a parent is such a big responsibility. This apartment is so unsafe and-"
Marinette cut his ramblings off with a kiss. "It's a long journey Tim, but we'll figure it out together. " She smiled up at him and Tim nodded. They'll figure it out, together.
"Ughh. Look at him, he looks so happy. It's his smug smile. The one that says 'I-aced-that-test', he looks like he did well. Fuck, if he did better than me. Hopefully not." Marinette told Alya when she saw Timothy Drake-Wayne talking to his friends. He was smiling way too much.
"Girl, you're panicking a little too much. Let loose, you did good too." Alya patted Marinette's back.
"Yeah, but good isn't enough!" Marinette whined. "Tim is so smart! I wanna do great, no, I wanna do excellent!" Marinette said, flailing her arms.
Alya laughed at her best friend's antics. "Chill girl, let's go for some ice cream, and then you can forget about your childish games." Marinette glared at Alya, but started laughing when Alya started making weird faces towards her.
â
Tim looked at Marinette Dupain-Cheng laughing and enjoying herself with friend. He felt angry and insecure. He did well in the test, amazing even. But what if Marinette did better than him? If he lost to her, she would make fun of him and then he won't be able to show his face to anyone.
Tim shook his head. No he couldn't lose to her. There's no way he was losing to her. He had to win this. In front of him Ives laughed.
"Tim, this game you guys are playing is stressing you both. You really need to relax."
"It's not a game! I hate her, and the fact that she's intelligent. And her beautiful blue eyes. And the way she laughs, and when her eyes glow when she outsmarts me. I hate all of it!"
Ives raised an eyebrow. "Sounds like you've got a crush."
Tim's eyes widened. "No I don't!" He was dating Ladybug. He loved Ladybug. He didn't like Marinette, he couldn't like Marinette. That would be basically cheating on his girlfriend.
Ives sighed and patted his shoulder. "You are in denial. Anyways, I gotta go. Relax, have some ice cream maybe."
Tim waved goodbye as he left. He considered what he had said before leaving. Maybe he should have some ice cream.
â
Okay, maybe having ice cream wasn't his best idea. He should've just gone for some coffee. But now he was there and he was not going to the opposite side. But why did Marinette have to be at the same ice cream parlour as him!? There were so many ice cream parlours in Gotham, why this one!?
Because it's the closest to the Gotham Academy. Duh. A part of his brain said. He shut that part up.
"Timothy," Marinette greeted him when she saw him. She was even colder than the ice cream she was holding.
"Marinette," Tim greeted back. He could be cold as well.
Marinette scoffed at him and went to a table with her friend. Her friend, Alya, if he remembered right, sighed but followed her.
â
Marinette officially decided that she hated this ice cream shop and she hated Alya. She did not have a crush on Timothy, okay?
"I am just saying. The way you describe him and his eyes and his smile and his 'black silky hair' sounds like a crush to me."
She would never. "Alya, I already told you. I am dating Red Robin. I can't have a crush on Timothy. I don't have a crush on Timothy."
"Then why did you say, and I quote "I wanna punch his 'pretty soft lips.' I've never described any of my enemies like that. Anyways, don't you think that Timothy looks a little too much like lover boy? Maybe Timothy is Red Robin."
"What are you even saying Alya!? Timothy and Red are nothing alike! Red is well, Red. He's kind, he's caring, he cuddles me on top of the buildings and he has a big heart and the same hair as Timothy, and the same lips. And the same face structure." Marinette got lost in thoughts after that. Timothy and Red, it made no sense. There was no way they were the same.
Before they could continue their conversation though, a villain attacked. Scarecrow. That bitch.
"Citizens of Gotham, please do not panic. I just want to test my new fear toxin on you. Remain seated and everything will go smoothly," Scarecrow announced. Marinette internally scoffed, like that's gonna work.
As expected, people did panic. It was all chaos. Marinette had to do something.
"Alya, hide now."
Alya looked at her like she had grown another head. "Girl, have you gone crazy!? You're not Ladybug right now! You're just a lady! You have to hide with me!"
"Alya. Now!" She couldn't risk her friend getting hurt. She was the only one that Marinette had left.
"Fine. But please take care." Marinette nodded at her and started coming up with a plan. She started moving towards the bitch that had interrupted her ice cream. Unfortunately before she could go too far a hand gripped her wrist.
â
If Tim had any doubts that Marinette was crazy, they were all cleared now. She had to be crazy to go towards danger. He didn't know why, but Tim felt a bit protective towards her. It's strange, he hates her. He shouldn't feel that way.
Tim decided that it was his hero instinct. He had to help every civilian in need even if he hated them. He couldn't help it, that's what heroes did.
He ran behind her and grabbed her wrist. Pulling her into his chest.
"Marinette, have you gone crazy!? He's a villain, he could hurt you!" Tim looked at Scarecrow who had his attention on another crowd of people. Surprisingly, Tim didn't feel the urge to protect them. He kinda felt relieved that it wasn't Marinette.
It's so weird. Tim hated her.
Do you? Um yes, he just said that. Why was he even questioning that? Marinette had always been a competitor.
"Timothy, you've smushed me to your chest and I can't breathe." Marinette's muffled voice snapped him out of his thoughts. He quickly pushed her away. Marinette took a huge gasp of air. She glared at him.
"What the hell Timothy!?"
"He could've hurt you!"
"Why do you care!? You hate me!" Tim mentally cursed when he saw that all the screaming had attracted Scarecrow and he was heading towards them.
"Shit, there's no time." Tim once again grabbed Marinette's wrist and yanked her towards a supply closet in the back room. "Stay here." Tim ordered her, closing the door.
"Timothy! What are you doing!? You can't go out there! If it's scary for me, it's scary for you too! So stay." Marinette pulled him in there. It's not like she felt like she had to keep him safe. She just didn't want him to be in trouble so she wouldn't have to save more people's asses. And it would be more fun to defeat Timothy if he's there when he loses. She wants to look at the look on his face.
Yep, that's all! That's the only reason she cared. Other than that? She has no reason to care for him. Also, humans are supposed to help each other in times of trouble. She was just being a human.
Unfortunately, when she pulled Timothy in with her, the gate of the closet closed. It's cool, she could just open it and go out now. Aaand it was stuck. Cool. Perfect. Exactly what she wanted.
"There's a villain out there and I am stuck here, with you! Why did you even stop me!? I thought you didn't care about me!" After a few minutes of unsuccessfully trying to open the closet, they had given up.
"I am not a heartless monster!" Tim replied to her, scoffing. Marinette glared at him one last time and turned her head away from him. She was contemplating if she should reveal her identity. Maybe not. There was a loud scream of a little girl and Marinette made up her mind. She was going to help these people even if it killed her!
Tim sighed. "Listen Marinette, I am really sorry. I am usually not like this. I am a better person than this. I am really sorry. This⊠thing between us distracted me. And I don't know why I stopped you today, I just didn't want you to get hurt I guess. A part of me does care for you. Actually, every part of me cares for you."
She turned towards him, shocked. "I- I am sorry too. I really should have been a little sensible. Let's start over? Hi, I am Marinette Dupain-Cheng. You can call me Marinette, I hope we can be friends."
Timothy smiled at her. "Hi Marinette! I am Timothy Drake-Wayne, call me Tim. It's a pleasure to meet you."
Marinette giggled at him. Tim really wasn't a bad person.
There was another scream. Shit, right, the civilians and Scarecrow.
"Tim, this is gonna sound really weird, but I have to do it." Tim looked at her confused. "Tikki, you can come out." Marinette opened her purse, and a red thing with black spots came out.
"What is that?" Tim asked, way too calm for a person who has never seen a kwami.
"It's a kwami, this is gonna help us get out! I am the new heroine, Ladybug."
â
What?
What?
What?
Tim.exe has stopped working. The girl he had been fighting for so long, was his girlfriend!?
WHAT?
Marinette and her kwami (Tikki he supposed?) were doing stuff to get them out. That thing can phase out of solid materials! How cool is that!?
The gate finally opened and they got out. Marinette turned towards him.
"Tim, stay here, okay? I have to save some people." Tim nodded, still a little dazed. Marinette transformed into Ladybug and ran out.
He stood there for a few seconds, processing everything. He didn't have much time though, if he needed to help Ladybug, he had to act fast.
â
Marinette groaned as Scarecrow aimed another kick at her abdomen. People had finally managed to get out of there. Scarecrow was throwing a fit about it now.
"I have no one else now! I will test my toxin on you now!"
"I doubt that."
Marinette whipped her head towards the new sound. It was Red Robin! What a dramatic entry.
"Ooh, the little birdy joined us too. Now I have two test subjects!"
Ladybug glared at him and summoned her lucky charm.
It took them a while, but they defeated him. Ladybug tossed her lucky charm in the sky and Red Robin watched in awe as the ladybugs flew around fixing everything. No matter how many times he watched it, it never got old.
"Okay, I gotta go before I detransform! Bye Red! See you later!" Ladybug pecked Red Robin on the lips, but before she could leave though he stopped her.
"Marinette!" Ladybug stood there in shock for a second. How did he know? She grabbed Red Robin's wrist and dragged him to the back room where she and Tim were before.
And Tim wasn't there. It's okay, maybe he had just left. That doesn't mean anything.
"How do you know!?" Ladybug glared at him. Red Robin rubbed his neck.
"Uh well, you see..." He removed his mask just as Marinette detransformed from Ladybug. And yep, in Red Robin's place was Tim.
They stared at each other for a second before Marinette groaned and banged her head on his chest. Tim chuckled, Marinette pouted.
"This isn't funny," she sighed, wrapping her arms around his chest.
"I think it is." Tim wrapped his arms around her waist. "Also, this doesn't mean our âgameâ is over." He smiled at her.
"I wouldn't want it to be." Marinette kissed him. Everything would be okay.
I wanted to say a huge thank you to the MGI server for helping me get back into writing, as well as, another thank you to @i-love-being-weird for helping inspire this idea. I hope you all enjoy!
Ship: Tim Drake x Marinette Dupain-Cheng x Peter Parker
Marinette wondered how they got here.
Her two favorite people.
Her best friends.
Partners.
Loves.
How could she be so lucky to get two amazing people as her boyfriends? Tim was always analytical, not using when she was getting stressed or needed space. He noticed when Peter was having a bad day. When the responsibilities became too much. Of course, Peter has always been the one to fulfill her need for snuggles. He was just as cuddly as her. She loved to see both their eyes light up when they came up with a plan.
Yes, it was strange indeed, but it didn't matter as long as her spider and robin were by her side.
~~~~~~
Tim could not believe it. His bugs, the loves of his life, had taken his coffee. Even Marinette, the coffee-addicted girl herself, dared to smirk upon seeing him horrified at the loss of his life-giving nectar. This was unacceptable. There was only one way to resolve such a heinous act ...
Death cuddles. If he was going down they were coming down with him. Lucky for him, Peter walked in holding blankets. Grabbing the blankets he quickly set up a comfortable enough pile for the three of them before pulling them down with him and quickly falling asleep.
Maybe had he been caffeinated he would have realized the mischievous looks shared between his bugs or the coincidental blankets Peter happened to be holding. But that is unimportant when instead he could be getting snuggles from his two cuddly partners. Slowly the three drifted into a world of sleep content in each other's arms.
~~~~~
If you asked him Peter could not tell you when he fell in love with his partners.
It could have been at first sight. Meeting each other at the Wayne gala both sets of blue eyes meet his shining in an unexplainable way.
Maybe it was the late nights of texts, calls, facetime. Working around their schedules and time zones. Laughs and jokes only they would understand. Confessions and fears. Laughs and joy. All kept between them and the night.
Or it might have been the time Mari was trying to teach them to bake. The kitchen was covered in flour, eggs, sugar, and other ingredients, but they were all covered head to toe with the batter mixture. Soon Tim tasted a bit humming in delight causing all of them to end up on the floor laughing. Oh, and their laughs were beautiful. It was Peterâs favorite sound on Earth if he had to choose.
He truly did not know when he fell in love all he could say is that he would never trade it for the world. The look in their eyes when on a mission shining just like when they all met. The fun they share through games, experiences, memories. And most of all just being with each other. No, Peter would never give them up. That was why he could only say yes when Tim got on one knee.
They would always be a Spider, a Ladybug, and a Robin.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Ending Notes: I hope you enjoyed! DOn't forget to have an amazing day <3!
It was supposed to be normal? (I refuse to name this)
It was a calm night. The Waynes were all staying at the manor because Dick insisted and no one could resist his puppy eyes, even Jason who claimed that he was going for Alfredâs food but they all knew the truth. Tim was working on some case files in his old room while Marinette was asleep. He was just about to hop in the bed, because it was a cold night and he missed her warmth. He was just about to go snuggle with her when the lights went off.
Shit. Tim didn't panic much because of the electricity backup and stuff but it didn't come back, he waited for ten minutes standing at the same place frozen. It didn't come back, must be something bad.
Now Tim wasn't a coward, so he wasn't Everything will be fine as long as she's with him. Unfortunately, it didn't help much.
So Tim lied there, trying not to panic. He buried his face in a pillow to escape the dark to forget about his all. He felt something moving, at first he ignored it as his brain was playing tricks on him, but then it happened again.
Tim looked under the cover and there he saw a chick. What the fuck was a chick doing here!? It wasn't just one chick though, there were a LOT of them. They were enough to cover him. Actually they were covering him.
Where did they even come from!? He was so absorbed in the chicks that he almost forgot about the dark. Almost.
"Mon canard." Of course it was Marinette. "Do you like the surprise?"
"Mari what is-" Tim was cut off because a chick decided his mouth was really interesting and started looking inside it.
"I named this one Nugget! It likes people's mouths!" Now, Tim totally forgot about the dark.
"What are you even doing up? I thought you went to sleep?"
"Weeell, you hugged me really tight. So I woke up! Then I realized that everything was dark and you are afraid of darkness so I bought chicks!"
"...you had this many chicks with you?"
"Well, Adrien left them with me because he saved them and didn't know where to keep them." OkayâŠnot the weirdest thing that has ever happened to him.
"What's all this- woah." Jason entered their room. "That's a lot of chicks. Why is Replacement covered in them?" Marinette smiled brightly at him.
"Because it's his species!" Well, at least it was better than when she literally dumped him into the pond to be "with his own kind"
"Okay, that makes sense." Jason just shrugged.
"Why are you awake? Isn't it like really late at night?" Jason gave him a weird look.
"Replacement, it's nine am." Why would anyone wake up so early? That's just weird.
"Why are you making so much noise?" Damian barged into their room.
"Good morning Damian!" Marinette ruffled his hair. And he didn't stab her. Progress. Also Marinette was his favorite. "We have chicks! They're adorable aren't they?" Damian nodded.
"Good morning everyone! It's a beautiful day." Dick came into their room accompanied by Bruce and Cass. Why was everyone here? "Timmy you look so cute!" Dick took out his phone to take pictures. Tim glared at him but unfortunately that didn't stop him.
"Father." Damian turned to Bruce. "This is my new pet, Marinette has named it Batchick." That chick did look a lot like Bruce when he was Batman. He had a permanent scowl on his face and the fact that Marinette made it a little cowl didn't help at all.
Bruce sighed, "Damian you're not allowed to get more animals." Damian scowled at his father.
"What kind of nonsense is this father? Batchick is my child, part of the family."
"That's not how it works."
"Well it sure as hell worked for you when I jacked your tires, B." Jason, who somehow had eggs with him now, said.
Bruce grunted "It's different."
"Jace, why do you have eggs with you?" Jason smirked and threw an egg on Tim. It landed on his head.
"Jason! What the hell!?"
"It's the same thing! You're just gonna discriminate against the eggs because they're not alive!?" He threw another egg. "I didn't expect you to be the discriminating kind Replacement." Jason was sure having fun with this. Just wait till he's untrapped.
"Master Jason, please refrain from wasting food." Alfred was here too now.
Batchick was now brooding in Bruce's hair. Huh? Chicks could brood? Bruce pinched his nose.
"Why can't this family be normal?" He sighed deeply. He truly looked like a tired dad.
"You threw normal out of the window when you decided to become a crime fighting furry." Dick said, looking at him pointedly. Bruce sighed again.
"I am pretty sure you all have other work than gawking at me like I am an exhibition." Tim deadpanned.
"But you look so cute, mon canard." Marinette kissed his nose and Tim short circuited. "Look! You all have your own chicks now!" And surely there were chicks representing all of them.
There was a chick which had a small cape attached to it and was pecking everyone. Not the sweet loving pecks, the hard ones that hurt. It was definitely Damian.
There was one that was looking inside Tim's coffee cup and had a small domino mask like his own. (Marinette hated his cowl) It was also the one that was being targeted by Damian's chick. It was him, Tim was sure.
And there was a chick who wasn't saying anything but observing them all with curious eyes. It also had a small bat logo. That was Cass.
Then there was a chick with a red egg but it actually had small holes poked in it for vision. It was running away while a chick with a small blue bird logo chased it while trying to stop Tim's and Damian's chick from fighting. Dick and Jason.
Tim had to admit that it was adorable.
"Father! I would like to keep all these chicks with me."
"Damian, no."
"Try us!" They all chorused.
"I'll cut off your money."
"I literally work as your Co-CEO, Jason is a crime lord, Marinette is a world famous fashion designer and Damian could probably set up a pet cafe. And Cass does ballet. We don't need your money."
"Wait, am I supposed to handle Bruce all by myself?" Dick was stressing even more now.
"Well, you don't have to."
".....we can move to BlĂŒdhaven together."
"My children don't like me anymore."
"Well, technically I am not your child." Marinette pointed out.
"You're gonna marry Replacement one day, and I am pretty sure Bruce has already mentally adopted you." Jason said, shrugging.
"Bold of you to assume I won't marry Cass instead." Cass and Marinette high fived.
Tim frowned. "I feel strangely betrayed. I let you put little chicks over me."
"So? Cass is far superior." Cass winked at Marinette.
An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Miraculous Ladybug, Batman - All Media Types, Maribat - Fandom
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Tim Drake/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug
Characters: Tim Drake, Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug
Additional Tags: Soulmates, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Romantic Soulmates, Tim Drake is a good man, he drinks his respect women juice every morning as he wakes up, but that kinda slowed things down for him, he pines, A lot - Freeform, and Marinette pines, Mutual Pining, walking over cars is fun, Time Freeze, Marinette Dupain-Cheng is Tim Drakeâs PA, Well - Freeform, more like a replacement for Tam while sheâs on a vacation, Fluff, ignore your problems by writing fluff, tim drake protection squad, we must protect him, I Wrote This Instead of Sleeping, if coffee beans are fruits, does that make coffee a fruit juice??, Timari - Freeform, timinette, Discord: Maribat? Get In!
Summary:
time freezes when two soulmates touch, how does our favorite coffee addicts navigate their way through this??
Marinette sighed at the sight of Timothy Drake-Wayne, her boss, entering his office. She took over for Tam, his secretary who is currently on sabbatical. It had just been a week and she was already in love. Timothy was an attractive man, very attractive, but that wasn't what she was interested in. He was sweet and considerate. And his smile, his smile that made butterflies fly around her stomach. How could she not love him so much?
But Timothy would never see anyone like her, she was merely his secretary. She was quite certain that Timothy was dating someone.
He split up with his boyfriend, Bernard, a year ago.
But a year was enough to have another date, especially for him. She was sure there were hundreds to thousands of people who would go out with him. She was certain he had an existing relationship.
"Marinette?" A hand waved before her face, causing her to emerge from her thoughts. There was Timothy standing looking hot in a suit. She had a weakness for men and women in suits. She raised her eyes and smiled, hoping that the blush on her cheeks was not visible. âHey, are you okay? Your cheeks are really red and you look a little off. Would you like to go home?"
"Timothy!â On her first day here Timothy told her to not call him Mr., Monsieur, or anything like that. âI'm all right! I like you and I can't focus!" Marinette put her hands on her mouth. What the hell did she just say? Oh my god. Timothy was going to hate her and just fire her. Then Bruce Wayne would banish her from Gotham and she would have to run away and live in a whole new country. She would live by herself with all the kwamis and a hamster named-
âI like you too! You are amazing and hardworking! And I would love to be your friend!" Marinette wanted to smack her head on the desk. Not another one! How dense can you get? Why did she have a thing for all these dense people? Kill her, kill her now.
She just sighed. âAnyways, do you have a reason youâre not back in your office working?â Timothy pouted, literally pouted at her. It reminded her of Adrien.
âI was bored and youâre always fun to talk to!â
âGet back to work Timothy! Youâre not a child! You need to complete your work!â Timothy looked at her with puppy-dog eyes, which she was immune to thanks to all the kids she had babysat! So take that Timothy! His beautiful, bright blue eyes had nothing on her!
Timothy was just about to walk away when she stopped him. He turned back with hopeful eyes which she almost felt bad for doing what she was going to do. Almost. âHere is your schedule for today. Lex wants a meeting. And do NOT write the notes with a crayon or skateboard in his office!â Timothy looked sad. She rose on her tippy-toes and patted his head. His fluffy, long and really soft hair. She felt bad that she had to stop.
As soon as she retracted her hand, Timothy bought it back on his head. âJust a few more minutes.â Just as their hands touched she felt a weird spark. Maybe it was because they had touched for the first time and she had such a big crush on him. She looked at Timothy who was looking at her with big shocked eyes. So did he feel it too?
Marinette just withdrew her hand. âIt must be time for your meeting with Lex now!â She glanced at the clock, which was...frozen? It must be broken. She picked up her phone and...it wasnât turning on. She was sure she charged it, so it canât be powered off! She tried clicking on the power button a few times and even holding it. It still wasnât turning on. Weird. She even forgot to wear her watch today, talk about bad luck. âTimothy, can you tell me the time?â
Timothy nodded and checked his watch. He made a weird face and patted it. âUh, my watch isnât working! Itâs frozen!â Okay, this was a strange coincidence. Marinette looked around her to ask anyone else for the time, but they were all frozen like statues.
âOkay guys, if this is a prank. Itâs not funny!â Nothing. Everything was frozen, even someoneâs papers that had been dropping to the ground were frozen in mid-air. Someone was falling, but they hadnât touched the ground yet. Again, frozen in mid-air. This was getting creepy. It was like everyone was frozen in time but her and Timothy. She hoped it was a dream. She looked at Timothy and he was as confused as her. Looked like he was also seeing the same thing, so her eyes werenât the problem. Or maybe they were? Maybe a villain attacked and she doesnât know? Or she was dreaming, yeah, that sounded more legit than the time frozen thing.
Only one way to know if she was dreaming. She pinched herself, hard. It hurt. Sooo not a dream then. She looked at Timothy⊠who wasnât there anymore. Looking around her she found him playing with the frozen papers.
âMarinette! Look how cool is this? Literally everything is frozen!â How was he not freaking out!? âWeâre the only ones not frozen! We can do anything we want to! Itâs like weâre the only ones in the world! No one can stop us from doing anything! Itâs like weâre Adam and Eve.â Marinette felt highly offended, she was not as dumb as Eve who ate the forbidden fruits after being said not to do it so many times.
âWe should go and check outside and see if everyone else is frozen too! Come on!â Marinette tugged Timothy by the hand. The elevator wasnât working, so they took the stairs. And yup, everything was frozen. Everything, even the cars, which meant⊠âTimothy, I have to do something.â Marinette quickly ran to the first car and started climbing up it. She always wanted to walk on cars!
Timothy looked at her with a confused gaze until it hit him! âMarinette, that's such a cool idea!â He also started to climb up on the cars. Soon, it became a game of tag. Running on cars was fun, but tiring.
They strolled in (Marinette had to physically restrain Timothy from poking every person there), and Mari went behind the counter.
âDo you know how to make coffee?â Timothy asked. Marinette smirked.
âI was a barista and I can make wonderful coffee! What would you like?â
âA date would be nice.â Timothy said casually. Marinette was sure her face was as red as a tomato.
âTwo americanos coming up!â He didnât actually mean it, right? He was just joking. So why did he look so sad? While Marinette was making the coffee, Timothy put the money under a paperweight on the counter and put some money inside the tip jar. âHere!â Marinette handed Timothy his coffee and while he was distracted slipped her share in his pocket.
Soon, they were resting on a bench, with their coffees. After drinking the liquid anxiety and having the time to think, reality slapped her in the face.
âWhat if the world never unfreezes? What if weâre stuck like this forever? Weâll never be able to leave this nightmare, will we? Weâre stuck here forever! Weâll never be able to see our families again, and if we do see them, theyâll be frozen.â It was hard to breathe. It felt like someone was holding her head underwater.
â-ette breathe.â A hand slowly rested on her cheeks and wiped away her tears. She was crying? Marinette leaned into the touch, she needed all the comfort she could get and if the comfort was from her crush, she wasnât complaining. âBreathe, slow breaths.â Timothy demonstrated and Marinette followed. Soon, her breathing was normal again, albeit a little shaky, but she was getting there.
She would be okay, they would be okay, they just needed a way to undo this spell. How hard could it be?
Very hard.
No phones meant no Google, no Google meant nowhere to go for solutions. Marinette couldnât help but wonder if it had happened before. Maybe they were the first ones and- okay not going there. Marinette was just going to shut down all the negative thoughts.
She still wasnât sure how Timothy was so calm.
âWhat do we do?â Marinette banged her head against Timothyâs shoulder.
âOuch, Marinette, that hurts.â Marinette groaned, her face still smushed against Timothyâs shoulder.
âI donât get it!â Timothy hummed for her to continue. âHow are you so calm? Like I am two seconds away from a panic attack and you seem not worried in the slightest!â
Tim wanted to mumble something like âWell, thatâs because I am with you, all my worries disappear when I am with you,â but he didn't think that he could handle her rejection again. âWell, I am used to suppressing my emotions and dealing with stressful situations, so I am chill.â
Marinette chuckled, Tim realized that sound was his new favorite sound. âSeriously, you keep saying things like that and I am gonna be convinced that youâre Batman.â
Timothy went serious. âOh no, you discovered my secret!â He tried doing the Batman impression by deepening his voice. âNow I will have to erase your memories.â Marinette decided to join the act.
âOh no Batman! There must be another way! Please spare me!â Marinette flung her hand to her head. They were both giggling too much now. After five minutes or so their laughter subsided with small giggles.
âThanks.â Timothy blurted.
âFor what?â
âFor all of this. I donât remember having this much fun ever.â Marinette wanted to protect him for some reason. âCome with me!â Timothy suddenly stood up. Marinette stared at him for a second. âCome with meee.â Timothy tugged her hand.
âTimothy!â Marinette yelped as Timothy pulled her along with him. âWhere are we going?â Timothy just winked at her.
âItâs a surprise! You are gonna love it!â Marinette pouted. They walked and walked and walked until they reached...Wayne Enterprises? âTimothy? Seriously? You wanna work right now?! You couldâve worked when the time was not frozen.â Timothy chuckled.
âBelieve me, itâs not work.â Timothy strolled in and Marinette followed him. They started the painfully long walk up the stairs, cursing that the elevator was frozen.
âTimothy, I am getting really curious, what are we doing?â
âJust wait and watch! And are you just gonna call me Timothy? Thatâs not what I meant when I said not to call me Mr.â
âSo what am I supposed to call you?â
âTim! Everyone calls me that!â
Marinette sighed. âFine, Timot- Tim.â Finally they reached the rooftop access.
âOkay, close your eyes.â Marinette looked at him. âClose them.â Tim insisted. Marinette sighed but closed them nevertheless.
âI swear to the fucking god Tim, if I fall I am gonna murder you.â Tim put his hand over her eyes, and pulled her with him.
âI wonât let you. I promise.â They had walked for two minutes or so, (it was a big roof) when Tim stopped. âOkay, you can open them.â Tim slowly removed his hand and the view was gorgeous. âIt looks better at night, but well, we donât know how long it is until nighttime, because, well, you know.â
Marinette laughed and Timâs heart did a little flip. âItâs really beautiful right now too.â It reminded her of her time in Paris as Ladybug, the view from the top was always breathtaking. âThanks for showing this to me, Tim.â Marinette smiled. It was really cold there though. Marinette was not a big fan of cold. âWe should do this when weâre appropriately dressed though. Itâs really chilly up here.â
âI take it that you donât like the cold?â
Mainette nodded, now rubbing her forearms. Tim shrugged off his coat and slowly draped it over her. It didnât really work that well because it was a suit jacket, but it was better than nothing. She was so small, it seemed so big on her. It was adorable.
âSeriously though, is everything gonna be stuck like this forever?â Marinette said, looking down at the frozen things.
âWell, what can we do instead of just waiting it out? Not like we have Google or something.â Maybe there were better solutions than Google, but they were sleep-deprived. And the effect of the coffee was fading. So, donât blame them.
âI am sleepy.â Marinette leaned her head on Timâs shoulder. If she wasnât so sleep-deprived, maybe she wouldâve been embarrassed, but she was too tired to think.
âWe should sleep,â Tim said. Marinette hummed in agreement, though neither of them made a move.
âI donât really wanna go away from you,â Marinette blurted out. Her eyes widened in panic, maybe she was not that tired. âI mean, youâre the only other person here! And your presence is just comforting. And you know what I mean?â Marinette laughed nervously. Why did Tim look so deflated?
âYeah, I know exactly what you mean.â He forced a smile on his face. He knew Marinette was way out of his league, so why did it sting so bad whenever she did that? Why did it feel so comforting whenever she said something she didnât mean?
âMy apartment is close if you want to go there?â Tim nodded. Though he didnât say it, he was surely upset about something.
"Yeah, let's go."
So they went, in silence. Neither of them wanted to say anything. Not like they had anything to say, anyway. Maybe they would say something, some day.
The walk to the apartment was short and Marinette was happy that it ended. Tim, on the other hand, was really shocked. Marinette lived in the crime alley! The crime alley.
Why would she do that? Did she wanna die?
Nevertheless, he went inside, or more like Marinette dragged him inside because he was so shocked. The apartment was really nice from the inside, but it still didn't change the fact that it was in fucking crime alley. The street was famous for being criminal favorite! How did she not know that?
Maybe because she just moved in a week ago? A part of his brain supplied.
"Um Mari?"
"Yeah Tim?"
"You live here?"
"No, I brought you to a complete stranger's house," Marinette deadpanned.
It would have been better. "I mean, you do know that this street has the most crime rate in the entirety of Gotham?"
Marinette made a thinking face and then nodded."That makes sense as to why it was so cheap. Oh well." She shrugged it off.
She shrugged it off!? Does she not have any self-preservation instincts? We go away from danger not into it!
Tim sighed. "MariâŠ" Before he could say anything else though, Marinette cut him off.
"Uh, Tim there might be a small teeny tiny problem?"
Tim raised an eyebrow. "What happened?"
"Uh, I only have one bed?â Tim was sure that he was in a fanfiction and the author probably hated him.
"I can sleep on theâŠ"
"My couch is being repaired and I don't have any spare mattresses."
"I'll sleep on the floor, I don't care." He did, he really did. Sleeping on the floor sucked, it hurt bad and the floor was uncomfortable. But he'd rather be uncomfortable than make Marinette uncomfortable.
"Tim, I couldn't possibly let you sleep on the floor!" Tim tried to argue but Marinette wouldn't listen to anything he said. Finally, Tim gave up and started lying on the bed. "Please don't tell me you're gonna sleep in that!"
Tim raised an eyebrow. He could see what was wrong with sleeping in a suit but well, it wasn't like he could just run to the manor and get his clothes. Or call Alfred.
"Do you want me to sleep naked?" Marinette blushed so much that she could compete with a tomato and win.
"That's not what I meant! It's just, your suit is so nice! And you look ho- I mean really good in that! And you're gonna ruin it by sleeping in it."
Tim wasn't even planning on sleeping. "So what do you suggest I wear?"
Marinette smiled. "Lucky for you, I am a fashion designer. And I might just have the perfect thing." No, she wasn't stalking him! She promised! She left that habit behind when she realized how bad it was. She just knew his size due to working in the fashion department for so long. She could figure out anyone's measurements by just looking at them now.
"You're a fashion designer? Can I see your stuff?" Marinette nodded and took him to her workshop as she liked to call it.
Tim didn't really have any knowledge about fashion, but when he heard Marinette talking about it, he knew he could listen for hours. Tim didn't know it was possible to fall for her even more. But the way her eyes lit up when she started talking about it, he fell harder.
Marinette was definitely talented. He could see that.
"So, why didn't you work in fashion instead?"
"I am! But as I am just starting, people don't really know about me, so I had to find another job till then."
Tim nodded. Marinette handed him a pair of pyjamas that were exactly his size. He shrugged it off as a coincidence. They were really comfy too.
"Now we can go to bed!" Tim nodded and climbed in, Marinette followed. They laid there unmoving for a very long time. Both worried that they might disturb the other if they moved.
After a few minutes, Tim heard soft snores from his side and realized that Marinette had fallen asleep. She looked beautiful, even while sleeping. Anyone would be lucky to have her. She was probably dating someone, and even if she wasn't, there was no way that she liked him.
Tim sighed and turned around, then froze when he felt Marinette wrap around him. Tim tried to unwrap himself because he didn't wanna embarrass her when she woke up, but she just groaned in annoyance and snuggled more into him.
"Um, Mari?" She didn't respond, so apparently she was a deep sleeper? So he was stuck like that now? He can't work and admire her from afar like he planned to? (Okay, maybe that's a little bit creepy.)
Her heartbeat was calming. He might as well sleep then. His eyes were getting heavy and he was comfortable. The last thing he registered before drifting off was Marinette's leg climbing up and wrapping around his torso.
He smiled in contentment in his sleep, that was the first time in years that he slept peacefully without any worries.
A few hours later Marinette woke up and had to control her squeal. She was completely wrapped up around Tim! Her boss! Oh god, no! She probably made him so uncomfortable. Quickly she unwrapped herself. He must hate her now. And he was gonna fire her. Then she would never get to see him and hear his beautiful laugh.
She should probably pack up before they remove her from Gotham. She should pack up and just leave. And get plastic surgery. Or just move to the temple to complete her guardian training.
Marinette was just getting up from the bed when Tim woke up. Merde. Now she'll never get to run away and hide.
"Morning." Tim looked down into her eyes, because damn she was short.
"M-morning." Marinette was blushing as red as Tim's Red Robin suit and Tim had no idea why. He sat there processing things for a while until what happened before they fell asleep came rushing back. Marinette cuddling up to him like a koala.
"Uh, um, did the time unfreeze yet?" It's okay. They just cuddled. People always cuddle, it wasn't something new. Friends cuddle, and they were friends, he hoped. He just cuddled with a friend. A friend who was really hot and he had feelings for, but a friend.
"Time? What?" Marinette blinked for a few seconds trying to make sense of the world. Then it came back to her! Everything was frozen! "Right! I forgot!" Marinette ran to her balcony aaaaandâŠeverything was still frozen.
Tim was laughing behind her. "Oh my god! You forgot about this! It's such a big thing! Oh my god."
Marinette glared at him. "I can see why Tam went on sabbatical. Dealing with you is unbearable. Poor her, she had to deal with you for so long."
Tim made an offended sound. "HEY!"
"Hi Tim!" Marinette laughed at his offended look. Tim looked to the other side pouting and Marinette gave him a kiss on his cheek (she had to rise on her tippy toes). Tim got really red and Marinette remembered that cheek kisses weren't nothing in their culture. Kisses we're normal in France but in America? It was totally different here.
"Eep! I am sorry! I didn't realize. You probably hate me now, don't you? I don't blame you, I clearly pushed your boundaries." Marinette was rambling and pacing now. "It's normal in France, that doesn't mean it's normal here! I am so dumb! I am so sorry."
"Woah woah, Mari slow down. I don't hate you," Tim said, holding her by her shoulders to calm her down.
"You don't?" Tim shook his head 'no.'
"I could never. You didn't know, and it's okay! I know you didn't mean to, and honestly I didn't hate it," Tim mumbled the last part quietly but Marinette still heard it. She buried her head in his chest.
"Why are you so sweet? I didn't want to fall in love!" They both froze at her words. "I mean-" Marinette sighed. âLet's just get it over with,â she thought. She didn't want to regret anything, like what happened with Adrien. "You know what? I am done. I am done hiding it. Timothy Jackson Drake," Marinette took several steps behind. "I like you, like-like you. Romantically. I know that you don't feel the same, because why would you like someone like me, but I don't wanna regret anything. I like how your hair falls in front of your eyes when you're working. I like how you are always so caring, I like how you sometimes work hard. And I like how you smile cutely. So Tim, I like you."
"Marinette, I-"
"It's okay Tim, reject me, let's just get it over with. I am ready for it."
"But who said I was going to reject you?" Marinette snapped her head up. "Marinette, I like you too. Like-like. Romantically." They stared into each other's eyes for a while. "Mari, can I kiss you?"
"I'd be offended if you didn't." Tim wasted no time, leaning down to put his lips on hers. Marinette instantly kissed back. His arms wrapped around her waist to pull her closer, and Marinette put her arms around his neck. They continued to kiss, and it felt as though time stood still for a second time. When they finally broke apart, they kept their foreheads connected, sharing the same air. Kissing him felt good, why didn't they do this before? "This day might not be that bad."
Tim chuckled. "Couldn't agree more." They got so lost in each other that they forgot that time was still frozen.
Until, "So, about the time," Marinette had to ruin it. Tim groaned and put his head on her shoulder. Marinette patted his head. "There. There." They stayed like that for a while until Tim's mind started working.
"Wait! The Gotham City Public Library! One of my brothers says that all the answers are there in the books!" This would be the first time Jason's advice would prove helpful.
"Tim, that's a great idea! Why didn't we think of this before!? What are you waiting for? Let's go!" Marinette was so eager it was adorable. Tim guessed he also kinda missed the normal unfrozen world. They quickly ran to the library and started searching in every section.
"Found something?"
"Nope. You?"
"If I did, would I be asking you?"
"Point."
Two hours. They searched for two hours, but they didn't find anything. Not a single book on whatever this bullshit was.
They both collapsed in a chair, Marinette's head on his shoulder.
"Is anything going to stay this way forever? We'll never find any way to reverse it back, and weâll be stuck here like this forever. And we'll just be there, looking at them, in an eternal jail."
Tim started rubbing her back. Yeah, he was worried too, but he was not going to let Marinette be worried and not soothe her.
"Hey, Bean, can I call you Bean?" At Marinette's nod he continued, "Bean, look at me." Marinette lifted her head up and Tim cradled her face with his hands. "Everything is going to be alright. I am here with you. If anything happens, which I am sure won't, I'll support you. I'll be with you."
Marinette nodded and hugged him. "Thanks. Sorry for panicking again. I know you must think that I am so pathetic."
"Hey, I just said I am always gonna be with you. Nothing's gonna change that." Tim wrapped her hands around her. Suddenly, he looked at his side. There were some books that they had ignored. They never looked at them, it was so well hidden from their sight.
Tim nudged Marinette. "Bean, look at that. We never searched in those books, did we?"
Marinette looked at where Tim was pointing, to find some old dusty books. Those were the books that had all the answers in the movies. "We didn't." They slowly made their way to the books and started looking at their titles. Soulmates: Red String, Soulmates: Soulmarks, Soulmates: Time Freeze.
It couldn't be, right? Everybody knew that soulmates were fictional. Nevertheless, Marinette picked up the time freeze book. Might as well see what was written in it.
Soulmates. If you're reading this book, blah blah. They're very rare, only 0.00000001% of the people have them. Yeah, yeah. Tell her how to fix it. Go to the place where it all started. Walk back to WE? Ugh. It's a long walk. And she didn't want to. And reenact the scene where your hands first touched. Why? Unfortunately, there were no answers as to why they had to do it. Then kiss or hug, depending on what kind of bond it is. She dreaded to think what the people had gone through and how long it had taken them to figure that out.
"So, soulmates, huh?" Tim peeked at the book from her shoulder.
"Well, it certainly seems like it. Won't hurt to give it a try, right?"
Tim nodded. They made their way to WE again. Walking on top of cars was really fun. 10/10, would recommend. Unless they had their top open, then don't do it.
"So, let's do this."
Marinette nodded. They made their way back up the staircase. Again. Marinette really looked forward to being able to use the elevator again.
"Um, Bean, if this all works, I just wanted to know. What are we? Friends who have feelings for each other? Soulmates? Friends who have kissed? What?"
"Go on a date with me, maybe I can tell you then." Tim blushed. "I am asking you out on a date date if it wasn't clear. Because damn, you're dense."
Tim nodded. "I would love to."
Marinette smiled.
They reached their floor and Marinette pulled him out of the stairwell. "Alright then. Let's do this." She was really nervous. All the what ifs surrounding her brain. But she took a deep breath to calm herself down. It was going to be okay. They were going to be okay. They went to her desk and Marinette took his file.
âHere is your schedule for today. Lex wants a meeting. And do NOT write the notes with a crayon or skateboard in his office!â Marinette patted his head. Then as she started retracting it, Tim held her hand and put it on his head again. The shock! It was working!
"Okay it's working." All that was left to do was kiss. Marinette rose on her tippy toes and leaned in, Tim leaned in too and they kissed. There were sparks everywhere. Marinette looked beside her and saw everything moving. Slowly, but moving.
The noise returned. People chattering. Marinette had missed it.
"Mr. Drake?" An employee stopped and gave him a weird look. Marinette looked at Tim, and oh my god, he was still wearing the clothes he went to sleep in.
All the employees were confused about one thing. How did that even happen? He was in his suit a moment ago.
thanks @izanae for being an awesome beta.
go and check out her works or i'll cry, this is a threat
Tim woke up to a really sweet and delicious smell. He slowly opened his eyes and looked beside him. His wife was missing. He slowly got up and made his way to the kitchen.
There she was teaching cooking with their son. And god was that adorable. Jack was trying to mix the batter, but no matter how smart he was, he was still five. His small hands were trying their best but the batter was still spilling everywhere. Marinette didn't seem to mind though. She was laughing as Jack was fully focused.
Tim couldn't help but crack a smile himself. He quickly, but quietly, ran into his room and got the camera. It's been a while since last used it, oh god, he still remembers his obsessing over Batman and Robin days. Who would've thought that he would find so much happiness.
Without wasting any more time, he ran into the kitchen and started taking photos of the moment. The camera wasn't really quiet, but the subjects, who were lost in their own world, didn't seem to notice. Or they noticed and decided to ignore him and leave him to his weird habits. He didn't care though, he had two beautiful subjects whose pictures came out perfectly. That's all that mattered.
Finally, after Jack was done with the batter. Marinette looked up and smiled at him.
"Bonjour, mon canard." Marinette gave him a peck. And snuggled into his side and looked over to sneak a peek at his camera. Tim wrapped his arm around her waist and started switching through the pictures.
Even after so many years Tim can't believe he got someone like Marinette. He is afraid that he'll wake up and realize that all of this never happened. That he's still just that little child hopping from rooftop to rooftop to just catch a glimpse of Batman.
He was so lost in thoughts that he didn't even see when Jack came towards him. Just when he felt his little hands on his legs did he realize that he had zoned out. For his age Jack was really short. Well, Tim got his growth spurt when he was seventeen, and Marinette was short. So, yeah, that checks it out.
"Daddy! Maman and I made food!" Jack beamed. It was his first time in the kitchen and he was super excited for his dad to taste the food.
Tim picked him up and kissed his cheek. "You did? What did you make?"
"Pancakes! Let's eat!"
"Yeah! Let's eat! I am super hungry."
"Not quite yet. We just have the batter prepared, it still needs to be cooked." Marinette left his side and Tim immediately missed her warmth. Marinette started pouring the batter, while humming a song he didn't know the name of. He's pretty sure it's French.
Jack, who was still in his arms, started to become restless. Tim carefully set him down and he ran to his Maman to see what she was doing. Marinette gave him a soft smile and put him on the countertop to help him see better.
Tim made his way inside the kitchen towards his family. (Family. Tim had his own family! Can you believe that?) And wrapped his arms around Marinette from the back and placed his head on her shoulder. Marinette, very much used to it, just gave a fond eye roll and continued cooking. But hey! That didn't satisfy him, he started peppering her face with kisses.
Marinette laughed and shoved his face aside. "Tim! What're you doing? Let me cook or it'll burn and you'll have to not only go hungry but also clean the utensils." Marinette said in a very serious joking tone with a playful glare. But Tim knew that she was serious about it.
Tim did stop kissing her face but didn't untangle himself, he actually made his hold tighter. Jack didn't even notice them being gross, too wrapped up in watching the pancakes being made.
The first pancake came out looking perfect. It was really soft and Tim was really hungry. Tim got a fork and ate one piece. Jack looked at him hopefully with big blue eyes, that Tim's sure he got from Marinette, and Tim smiled at him untilâŠthe taste hit him. He spit out the bite because, no matter how perfect, the pancakes were salty!
Not a Saturday, but fuck it. Timari fluff while I internally die and feel single! :D
Cold. That was Marinette's first thought as she woke up. She was cold and her blanket was cold and why was her room feeling like Antarctica? She turned the air conditioner off as fast as she could. Which wasn't really fast because she was exhausted even though she just woke up.
Why was her legs hurting so much? And she couldn't breathe. Who wasn't letting her breathe? That was rude, she liked breathing. She wanted something hot. Something warm. She quickly cuddled to her husband whose very bare chest provided a lot of warmth. It wasn't enough though. She flung herself on top of him and cuddled in his blanket as well as her blanket.
That was much better.
~~~~~~~~~~
Tim was really hot. Was he in a desert? Why did he feel like he was in one. Why was the air con off? And what was that burning thing on top of him? Was he sitting on a stove getting ready to be cooked?
Tim opened one eye and then second one only to be met with his wife's flushed face and open mouth for breathing. He touched her forehead and yep, she was sick. That must be the effect of exhaustion plus rain that fell on them yesterday during patrol. That was never a good mixture.
Tim allowed her wife to stay cuddled with him even though it was really hot. He can handle that, he's been through worse. He was just about to fall asleep again when he peeked at the time.
8:00 a.m.
That was too early to wake up. He closed his eyes intent on getting some few more hours of sleep. He'll cancel work today. Bruce can manage on his own, his Bean needed him more.
When Tim woke up again it was 9:00 a.m. Marinette wasn't lying on him this time but had stolen his blanket and was bundled between his and hers. She was still shivering though. Tim swiftly got up and covered her with two more layers, and after a moment of hesitation with another one.
He also kept three blankets at her side just in case. They owned a lot of blankets. Well, Marinette got cold easily. He also called Alfred to ask him how to cook some soup and how to take care of a sick person.
Tim followed Alfred's recipe and cooked pretty good, in his opinion, soup. He softly woke up Marinette and planted a kiss on her forehead. It was burning.
Marinette whined and dug under her blankets.
"Mari, Bean, you need to wake up. You have to take your meds and eat something." Tim said, sitting next to her on the bed. Marinette just whined again in response.
"Tiiiiim." Mari whined, her voice sounding too weak and raspy. "Let me sleep."
"Babe, you really need to wake up. You can go to sleep after that." Tim said, now softly ran his hands through her hair. Mari just hummed, putting his head into his lap.
"5 minutes more." She mumbled into his leg. Tim just sighed and kept running his hands through her hair. She needed her sleep after all. (In reality, he was whipped. He couldn't deny her anything.)
Ten minutes later, Marinette finally woke up. She woke up but didn't even have the energy to sit. She leaned his head onto Tim's chest but there wasn't the warmth he was radiating in the morning. Marinette leaned away, (well at least she tried to, she couldn't much because she didn't have the energy to), and glared at him. He was wearing a sweatshirt and an apron.
"Remove them." Marinette said, still glaring at him.
"Remove what exactly?" Tim was confused now.
"Your shirt and the apron obviously! It's not as warm as you are." Tim looked at her for a while before sighing and getting up and removing them. (Don't blame him! His wife is adorable!) After they finally settled down and Mari leaned against his chest soaking all the warmth she could get. Tim slowly brought the reheated soup to her lips.
She wasn't really hungry, but Tim said that she needs to eat, so she will. He knew what was better for her more than her (honestly, she wasn't able to deny him things)
After she had eaten and taken her medicines (Tim had to struggleâŠa lot. Medicines were gross) She was ready to go to sleep again. Apparently when you're sick you should get as much sleep as you should to heal well. Which didn't make any sense, but okay. There was only one problem though, she couldn't sleep.
"Tiiiiiiim." Tim, who was lying below her because she didn't let him leave because he is warm, looked at her.
"What happened Bean?" Tim's hand, which was running through her hair, stopped and he tried to get up. Key word: tried. Marinette had trapped him.
"I can't sleep. Will you read something for me?" Marinette looked at him with puppy eyes and Tim just chuckled and fondly shook his head.
"Of course." Marinette muttered a small, but excited, yay. Tim placed his glasses and was about to take out a Sherlock Holmes book but decided against it. She needed something that won't require much brain energy. Uh, he could read her, her favorite book as a child. She still kept it with her.
He searched in the shelf and finally found it Le petit Prince. It was an old copy which was surprisingly well kept.
Tim climed back in bed and Marinette laid with her head on his lap. Tim absentmindedly started running his hands through her hair again. Somewhere in between the book Marinette fell asleep. And she looked really adorable. Tim felt like the luckiest man alive. He couldn't believe that she married him. A dumbass who didn't even know how he would have survived if she wasn't there. God, he loved her so much. Marrying her was one of the few good choices he made.
Tim kissed her forehead again and slowly got up. He kept the book at its place and got his camera. He knew that he shouldn't take her picture without her permission, especially when she was so vulnerable, but she looked so damn adorable.
(It's not like he doesn't have a lot of her pics taken without her knowledge. He was making a scrapbook out of them and was going to give her that on their first anniversary.)
After taking the pics, Tim got back in the bed and situated Marinette on him again. Tim took a last glance before holding her as close to him as possible.
Listening to her breathing Tim slowly fell asleep too. He didn't care if he fell sick, it would be worth it.
This is longer (with a different writing style + tone) due to being Timâs POV (DCU is pretty dark and...too heavy to not flesh out)
I hate myself.
2/3: The Builds
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Because where Marinette is strategic, Tim is calculating.
While the girl looks for a plan, the boy trusts his intuition on the next steps.
--
Tim is self aware enough to know that heâs somewhat of an asshole, but he wasnât a dick. That was Jason and Dick, the latter only earning the title because itâs his name. But he also knows you donât get to co-manage an entire corporation at the age of 20 and not expect respect until you show your bite is worse than your bite.
But he also knew that he toes that thin line when he doesnât get caffeine in his veins as soon as he can. Tim was ruthlessly efficient but reckless in his own Tim-like way: he worked too much and slept too little; mixed together, you get a boy with skewed judgement, too much power in his fingertips, and a mouth that can run until someone gives him his damn double expresso shot.
But this is also how Tim knows that barring family, you canât get too attached to anyone in particular, no matter how kind, how charming, how cute they were as theyâre always one bad decaf day away from walking out of his life. And God did he actually try to scare away family before he dropped his angsty teen years. Sure it was only last year did he try not to push Dick away or insult Damien or even actively maim Jason, but past was past.
He promised after his 5th failed tinder date that heâs not gonna curate how people perceive him anymore, watching his date cancel the third date after seeing him drink 16 expresso shots in succession during dinner. In the same month, Tim vowed after his 2nd assistant, who ran away crying and never coming back in the afternoon, that if ever someone wanted to walk into his world, at least have his snark as the warning sign at the door.
The turnover rate for being his personal assistant was a testament to that fact that maybe this was it, as efficient as he was, only people who can tolerate him on good days were just family.. The lack of love life for years-- his entire life really if you didnât count that brief year long chase with Stephanie-- was another glaring evidence to this. The more a person has to interact with him, the more they should come to terms with the fact that they either tolerate it or leave. And for most, they always leave.
But when the black haired-blue eyed girl wrapped in a smile with her sharp tongue and steely eyes arrived-- he realized it wasnât quite a universal truth.
He was amazed at first, at how easy it was for her to brush off his comments and even tolerated his sleep deprived ramblings. Then it became a game as to what ticked her off. He was surprised at how easy it was to be himself with her, not filtering his words to please her but not being afraid that sheâll leave and heâd have to get another replacement. She was a case to be cracked by and if someone asked, his slight possessiveness might be because heâs seemingly hit a dead end that came in a smile.
Besides, other than that, Bruce told him to not scare her away since they were able to increase productivity ratings by 30% when she got hired. He was sure the old Bat talked her into staying at one point in time. Heâs more likely would admit to this than his own mental ramblings to anyone outside of the Wayne family whoâd question why heâd keep Ms. Marinette Dupain-Cheng around.
So when Tim inadvertently called her ugly, he was pretty sure he'd hit a nerve, but what he didnât expect was for Marinette to brush it off.
Well, brushing it off was putting it lightly. She smiled that sickly --wickedly-- smile of hers and bantered well enough to appease him. He shouldâve expected that it was a silent promise that no sheâs not leaving WE, but for the next few days, she was sending him paperwork at the end of the day that was just enough to make him work overtime for a few weeks.
And this was when he knew Marinette was a force to be reckoned with. He really should have watched his mouth.
âOkay over there little bird?â Dick asks him through his coms as the man himself stands on the opposite rooftop. Tim shakes himself out of his thoughts.
âJust dandy big bird.â He replies. Jason snickers in the other side of the channel,
âAww someone sounds like theyâve had a bad work week.â Red Hood coos, wind whipping in the background. Tim was actually astonished Jason joined that nightâs patrol, covering for Damien who has a school project.
âYeah, no thanks to daddy dearest over there and keeping the new nightmare in the office.â
âAnd there you have it, the source of everyoneâs problems. Shouldâve known better to blindly trust the old Bat. Heâs getting slow with age.â
âHood.â Batman says threateningly.
âAnd whatâcha gonna do about--â
âShe canât be that bad Red.â Dick chirps and distracts everyone before tensions rise. Understanding his older brother, Tim groans loudly to bring back the attention to himself. Unwilling, but necessarily back on him.
âNightwing, Iâve been doing papers til 9 in the evening for the past few days! I havenât even gone on patrol til today and thatâs because she claims sheâs got some date!â Probably that shrimp James from Finance. Not that he cared or anything, heâs just grateful for the peace after he apologized and announced a truce.
He actually laughed when she accepted because she explained that her trying to make him regret crossing her made her flake on several dates. His joy in seeing her seethe when he assumed she was single by personality and not by choice made it almost worth doing a second round of late night reports. Almost.
âSheâs âI cannot stress this enough badâ.â
âSheâs actually pretty cool to be around when I visited you that one time. Besides, youâre not the easiest to get along with either little bird.â
âYou say that, but youâll make friends with the Rouges if you actually could.â
âI detest that.â
âBesides, if I can get it done, Iâll get it done. Sheâs as efficient, true, but she doesnât have to be so sugar and sunshines about it! Iâm pretty sure she only does it because she knows people donât expect her to be ruthless under her smiles Dick.â
âRed Robin, no identifying names in the coms.â
âOops sorry Bats. But just to reiterate: new assistant you hired is just grating on my nerves.â
âMight want to visit you one day just to see what all this fuss is about Replacement.â
Tim frowns. The thought of Jason in his office talking to Marinette doesnât sit well with him. âBelieve me Hood, for your sake I hope you donât.â
âAnd whatâs that supposed to mean?â
âI mean the last person who grabbed her butt got throat punched in the middle of the cafeteria. That was not a happy day to be an HR manager.â
Jasonâs laugh fills his coms again. âOooh cute and dangerous. Sounds like a woman after my own heart there.â
âYeah, if you would like her commenting on how cliche your leather jackets are to your weird bad boy vibe-- whereâd you even find those? Did Bruce lend it out to you from his 80âs closet?â
âDonât be funny Replacement, I stole it from Bruceâs 80âs closet come on.â A round of laughter in the channel.
âBoys, get your heads back into patrol or youâre all grounded.â
There were mutterings of affirmatives and for a while all they could hear was silence until Nightwing spoke up.
âBut really little bird, you sound like youâre actually emotionally invested in something other than coffee. I bet youâd start dating her within the year.â
Tim groans at Red Hoodâs guffaws and he even heard Bruce half heartedly tell them both off as if agreeing with Dick that heâll ever be found compromised with anyone, much more her.
âWhatever, Iâm muting.â Still, Tim was pretty glad at least his problems made Jason interact with Bruce, even for a little bit without anyone threatening the other with bodily harm. It was a few years after Jasonâs return from the dead and their relationship as a family wasnât as great as their relationship as a team.
But Tim fixes things, and heâll be damned if he doesnât put this as his number one priority.
Besides, who needs family therapy when you have these nightly adventures with your family? At least youâve got the mute button on the coms when you want to mope around alone, unlike actual sessions with a psychologist.
That and you can get Jason to actually participate for once.
--
Tim catches Marinette wincing while she sets down the coffee and box of doughnuts on his table the morning after. There was a hint of a smile on his face when he opens his mouth but she cuts it off with a wrinkle of his nose.
âHR Mr. Drake. Iâm kinda having a bad day.â
He raises an eyebrow but confirms the truce half heartedly when he picks up the coffee. âGood morning to you too Ms. Cheng. Whatâs gotten your panties in a twist today-- that was just coffee, you always get me coffee from down the street.â
âUnfortunately right now, you, and not even the good way.â
Tim chuckles at this. âGuess your date left you frustrated in more ways that anticipated huh Ms. Cheng?â
âNot in the mood Mr. Drake.â She merely says, blowing her hair out of her face and walks out of his office before he teases her some more.
When he catches her struggling bringing the folders to his desk later on, he smiles again, a playful glint in his eye.
âYou know, I didnât know you were such a damsel in distress. I pegged you more as Beast.â Her tired eyes looked up to him with a raise of her eyebrow. Tim puts his hands in front of him to show her he meant no harm. Well, physically at least. âYou know? Beauty and the Beast? Iâm obviously the beauty one here.â
âIâm too tired to do this today Drake.â She mumbles, marching past him and further into his office to settle the folders on his desk. One of the files falls to the floor next to his chair and she sighes in exasperation.
âHR?â He asks as he swoops down and gets it instead of watching her march to his side of the table.
Marinette just mumbles under her breath, something too low for him to catch. Grumbling a thank you, she marches out of his office and onto her own desk outside.
As Tim watches her for the rest of the morning, he looks at her like heâs finally looking at her for the first time. There was no color in her outfit, just black slacks and a black long sleeved turtleneck, and that shouldâve been one of his obvious signs of her fatigue. Heâd never admit to it but he knows how much of a fashionista his assistant was when people who pass by his office always tend to check her out much to his chagrin.
Her eyebags were prominent and even worse than his! Ha! But for the first time he doesnât find mirth in watching his usually collected assistant struggle. Her smiles to the department heads when they came and went to his office didnât even reach her eyes and he can see he favored her left hand more than her right despite being right handed.
After their second encounter he realizes that maybe he should cut her some slack. He sent for Bruceâs personal assistant on the floor above him to bring him a box of croissants and offered it to her during lunch.
âFor you Ms. Cheng.â
Marinette frowns at this. âIf this is you apologizing for being a meanie for the past 7 months, I donât want it Mr. Drake, we both know you wonât stop just because you felt bad one time.â
âOh come on, I know theyâre your favorite-- donât give me that look you buy them at least thrice a week for lunch.â She gives him an unamused look. âHey I only know because you eat at your desk as often as I do. Not creepy okay!â
Marinette accepts them with apprehension. It was good she knew an olive branch when it smack her on the face, but Tim just smiles rather than voice that thought out. âSee, that wasnât so hard wasnât it?â
âIf youâre gonna be nice, you donât have to be an ass about it yâknow.â
Tim laughs and dismisses the comment with a wave of his hand as he makes his way back into his office.
In the afternoon, there was a presentation with Finance led by none other than James Belmont. Being his assistant, Marinette has the task of writing down the minutes of the meeting and by the shy looks the man was giving her, Tim knew there was something going on between the two.
âWhy is shrimpy giving you the look as if heâs a starved man and youâre a double cheeseburger deluxe?â He asks her during the 10 minute bathroom break they usually take in long overdrawn meetings like these.
âWell this is none of your business, but we went on a date last night.â
âIâm guessing you realized you could do better huh.â
Marinette looks horrified at his statement and shushes him before looking around and realizing no one is particularly interested in their conversation-- some even not yet back from their respective breaks.
âNo, James was pretty nice last night.â
âDoesnât deny my statement though Ms. Cheng.â
âAlright fine, he is kinda shrimpy-- wipe that shit eating grin off your face. It freaked me out okay!â
âSo you do admit Iâm right! Still wanna kiss those unkissable lips of his?â
âWell Mr. Drake, I hate to admit your right, but youâre right. Chemistryâs just off on that one and Iâm pretty good at the subject.â
âMy intuition is almost always on point Ms. Cheng.â
She just snorts and they lapse into silence. He watches her, not in a creepy way he hopes, eyebrows scrunched up in concentration as she types away and organizes her notes. He notices the way she rolls her right shoulder every now and then, wincing every time.
âSo,â He begins casually, apprehensive if he should give the âno-noâ boundaries talk with her. âIs that what happened? Did he try to kiss you and you slugged him hence youâre favoring your left hand despite being right handed? Iâm pretty sure you pack a punch after that one incident of someone groping you 3 months back.â
Marinette tenses next to him and scrunches her eyebrows. âNo.â
âOh come on Ms. Dupain-Cheng, thatâs an HR offense, and not our playful banter kind. I can have it that you donât have to interact--â
âNo itâs not that James is alright. Itâs just a difficult story and I donât want to sound like a pain.â
Before he can prod any further, the man of the hour stands up and walks to the podium.
âAlright, 10 minutes are up!â James announces from the presentation board, meeting everyoneâs eyes and significantly turning red when he meets Marinettes. But for all his characteristics, Tim noted, he is brave for not even stuttering even when he looked as red as his hair. âLetâs get back to the meeting.â
Tim shoots Marinette a look that says that they are not over this conversation yet.
And thatâs why he calls her in his office before the end of the business day. Thatâs why he has her there at 5pm, standing in front of him, triedly shifting from foot to foot.
âSo, you rang boss? Iâve already filed the paper work for marketing and sent todayâs minutes of the meeting into the shared cloud--â
âMs. Cheng, believe it or not, this isnât a work related conversation.â He motions to the chair in front of his desk. âPlease sit.â
âIf this is about James, Iâm telling you he did nothing wrong and I can handle myself.â
âBelieve me Ms. Cheng, I know.â Tim smirks as she takes a seat. Heâs known the moment he stepped into the office and snapped his fingers at her for coffee only for her to tell him to address her by name first before ordering her like a slave.
âBut if itâs not the case, then I just need to know what happened yesterday? Yesterday you were in and out of the office like a pent up Superman-- and yes Iâve seen Superman pent up, I spent an ungodly amount of time in Metropolis to know-- but now youâre acting like you got a stick up your butt. Stick up your butt higher than usual.â
âOh wow you call that a stick up my butt? Then what are you? A spit roast?â Marinette raises an eyebrow at this comment. âSir. A spit roast sir.â She adds.
âIâm letting that comment slide.â
âBesides, I told you, I was just having a bad day, thatâs all.â
âA bad day is me without coffee and with 0 sleep. A bad day is seeing profits decline by 10% over the course of a quarter. A bad day is when Two Face tries to break into WE again. So far Ms. Cheng youâve came in here and had no bad days so itâs granted youâd have one sooner or later, but a bad day usually doesnât come in the form of being injured-- and no Ms. Cheng you canât pretend that itâs nothing I can see it a mile away.â
âAre you actually worried about me, Drake?â
âNo, I just think a colleague would--â
âOh my God.â she says, with wide eyes, too comical to be in real shock. Sarcastic even. âYouâre actually worried.â
Tim frowns at her. âListen, Marinette, I know that we had our differences,â she snorts at this, âbut I need to know, what happened?â
She looks at him searching for any clues of gloating or of teasing in his voice and Tim schools his face under the scrutiny and keeps himself from fidgeting under her gaze.
âAre you pulling the boss card on me?â At that, Tim frowns and doesnât let her see the sting of hurt he feels when she looks apprehensive that he wonât use this as blackmail.
âIâm pulling the friend card Marinette.â He says, eyes soft and genuine.
Surprise colors her face and she looks away with a blush. Tim thinks good for her for realizing that heâs only trying to help, but slaps the thought away. That was the old Tim teasing her about her smudged eyeliner after a board member unabashedly flirts with her after their meeting. Heâs not asshole co-CEO Timothy right now, heâs just Tim, the colleague, asking Marinette why she wonât dance that daily witty dance heâs come to find endearing.
She stands there in front of him, right hand fiddling her left sleeve.
âI didnât know we were friends.â she admits softly after a while.
He looks at her trying to not think about the guilt thatâs eating him up because he hasnât really been the best coworker in the office. Sure, he turns a blind eye when she takes too long during her lunch break, and sure he allows her to snack while in meetings, but being a lenient boss does not always equate to friendship.
But, he reasons, that doesnât mean it doesnât have merit that she was the only person he can tolerate with 0 sleep aside from his family. They spend so much time together in their little floor filled with empty meeting rooms and only having each other. Of course they were friends-- or maybe nearing there-- a large portion of his day is spent only talking to her after all.
Tim winces at the thought. She doesnât pay for his salary but why was he the one looking for her friendship? Can you reverse Stockholm Syndrome yourself?
âWell, I say we are.â He says, giving her a determined-- but not teasing!-- look. Iâm your friend, his face conveys.
She looks him in the eyes, unsure and fidgets some more. âMaybe.â
âLook, Iâm not good at this-- making friends. I didnât have that many opportunities to hang out with people my age growing up.â And neither had the time either between school and vigilantism but she didnât need to know that. âI took over being co-CEO to Wayne Enterprise just right out of college so I didnât really have time to goof off. People would eat me alive if I didnât have nerves of steel and apparently that isnât a very attractive personality trait.â
She looks at him, first with uncertainty, but then with less hesitant eyes, but at least she stops her fidgeting. She must see the way his ears feel hot but he meets her eyes cooly as if he just didnât admit how much of a life he doesnât have.
âAnd Iâm not forcing you to say anything, I can just give you a day off tomorrow if you feel like youâre slacking off because of your injury, but Iâd like to know about it, Marinette.â
âAlright.â She concedes. âAlright Timothy.â
His lips quirks up, but doesnât laugh. âCall me Tim. God knows I only use that as a power play to the investors. Makes me more credible, y'know.â
âTim.â She agrees. âI uh-- I got caught up in an accident last night, got caught up in a place I shouldnât be-- which is stupid I know donât give me that look I know I transferred to Gotham!-- but I was at the wrong place at the wrong time.â
âLast night?â He frowns. He didnât see her in the thin crowd of civilians who were caught up in a firefight Nightwing and he broke up. He should review the tapes later tonight when he gets home. âI saw on the news this morning there was a shootout downtown. Some kind of robbery went wrong and Penguin appeared during the distraction.â
She winces. âA bullet grazed my arm.â
With the admission Timâs eyes widen. She definitely wasnât there last night because he helped with getting the civilians into the ambulance and she didnât see any black haired girls in the injured and she certainly wasnât a part of the casualties if she had filed his paperwork this morning. âDid you get medical treatment?â
âNo I--â
âArenât you living alone?â What? He only knew that after her background check. A young girl new to the country and settling in the most crime ridden city was sure to be suspicious, but outside the weird disappearances she had during class and the tardiness, her background looked spotless.
âI patched myself up.â She winces at the look he gave her. âItâs not that bad really! And I do know the American healthcare system is notorious for draining savings accounts.â
âMarinette, you do know we have healthcare insurance right?â
âWell I knew now when I rechecked my employee benefits! Plus I didnât know bullet wounds were..like that.â
âYou didnât know bullets hurt?â He deadpans.
âWe have gun regulations in Paris okay!â
A ghost of a smile flitters through his face and he sees that sheâs at least comfortable enough to bicker a little.
âAlright, Iâm getting you take out and bringing you home.â He decides, and before she protests he adds, âIâm pulling the boss card on this. No buts. And youâre taking the next day off.â
âBut I have to present--â
âNo buts Marinette.â He glances at the clock to see itâs now 5:30pm. âCâmon, I want to get Chinese take out anyway. I need all that vetsin to knock me out and give me a good nightâs rest for the day if Iâm gonna have to keep the company afloat without you tomorrow.â
He grins at her, notes her playful little pout as he stands up to get his jacket and fixes his things for the trip home. âNow câmon Ms. Dupain-Cheng, it's the end of the work day, letâs get you home safely this time around.â He turns to her with another soft smile.
âOf course Mr. Drake.â She says.
Iâm your friend, his look conveys.
I know, the smile she threw back announces.
--
The next few days were better. He sees her smiling around more and even chats him up without either of them ending up pulling the âHRâ card.
He even lets her join him during lunch, him sitting on his desk as he lazily answers emails while she sits on the floor, using the coffee table as her table. It was a nice change of pace rather than both of them sitting on their desks alone.
âSo you mean to say, this Gabriel person is the reason youâre here in the most crime-ridden city of the world?â
âCorrect.â
âAnd heâs managed to not only ruin your hobby but also credibility in the industry you want to get into.â
âRight.â
âAnd his borderline stalking made you more or less take your chances on actual organized crime and villains versus the relative safety of Paris.â
âYup.â She says, popping the âpâ and slurping down a milkshake and eating a fry. Tim glances down to his own lunch-- a cup of 5 expresso shots and follows suit.
âWow he must really be an ass to hate on a 20 year old ball of sunshine. I mean you apologized to the printer when you accidentally hit it last week.â
âHey I it was a pretty hard hit! Iâm just major clumsy sometimes.â
âI know, the first time you came in and you bumped and fell into me like a couple of dozen times I was thinking you had some meet-cute scenario in your head til I realized you hate my guts.â
âWell you werenât changing my mind with your snark Tim.â She shrugs noncommittally. âBesides this is the first job that would take me outside of Paris. Shouldâve known there was a caveat.â
âAnd that is?â
âWorking for you duh.â
âWell ha ha, someoneâs funny.â
âYup, of course I am. Want some of my fries?â
Tim quirks an eyebrow. âSure. Can you please pass me some.â
âUnless Iâm throwing some to you, youâll have to walk here to get some yourself.â
âIâm your boss.â
She rolls her eyes. âThereâs no rank pulling during lunch Tim.â
âOh câmon youâre like 15 steps away and I have to actually stand up.â Tim whines.
âAlright.â Marinette gets a playful glint in her eyes. She holds a fry in her fingers. âAlright, CATCH!â
She flicks the fry in his direction and he was too shocked to do anything before it smacks him in the face.
âThatâs not-- I wasnât-- HR!â Tim gapes at her, red in the face more of embarrassment than anything else while she giggles uncontrollably.
âOne point for me! You shouldâve seen your face!â
âMari!â He whines, but a smile is on his face as he stands up and joins her on the floor and opposite side of the coffee table. She collects herself and shoots him a grin.
âOh come on, you know it was hilarious.â
âNot for my ego.â
âPfft--what kind of ego fry face? You mix energy drinks in your coffee!â
He groans, but he swipes a fry from her plate. âWipe that shit eating grin off your face Marinette, now youâre just being rude there, friend.â
âNot my fault your reflexes are slow, friend.â She giggles.
Somehow, Tim a few months ago would disagree, but today Tim is pretty grateful he finally had someone who met his match.
--
And thatâs how Tim has found himself in the good graces of one Marinette Dupain-Cheng.
Theyâd share food during lunch time when one isnât stuck in an overly drawn out lunch meeting or running errands. Theyâd share food off each otherâs plate and even shared drinks after one incident of almost choking on their burger care of one flustered Tim.
Tim realizes how fun his assistant-- no, friend!-- is, her laugh was contagious, her smile was radiating kindness. With her, she makes him feel like heâs having the childhood he always wanted if not for his weird upbringing and extra curriculars.
âLet me get this straight, youâve been all round the world, Paris, Hongkong, Shanghai-- and still believe the best food is in Gotham?â
âHey if you havenât tried Alfredâs cooking, then youâre missing half of your life babe.â Marinette rolls her eyes at the nickname and Tim snickers. Now that theyâre in somewhat of a truce, it was harder to get under her skin and get her to react where she wouldâve months ago. âYou got to remind me to bring some of the leftover pot roasts he does every Sunday, itâs the bomb-- speaking off, you gotta try the eclairâ
Marinette smiles at him, picking at the box of pastries between them. They had a sample of 12 different pastries they wanted to try out but felt too gluttonous to finish on their own. The solution? Buy everything they wanted to try and half the pastry for the other person.
She takes the hald eaten eclair and moans a little. âGod thatâs amazing-- add it to the âlikeâ-list.
âYou gotcha boss-man-woman-man.â
A snort fills the air. âWell if I do remind you about the pot roast, then Iâm counting on you to deliver-- I hate cooking early morning for soggy lunch and all the take out is draining my life savings.â
âOr you can just let me order the food we split, itâs not like Iâm paying for your meal, itâs also my meal.â
âBut itâs the idea behind it tho!â Marinette shifts on her squat on the floor and sits on her knees in protest. Upon seeing Timâs raised eyebrow, she sits back down, facing him. âI mean weâre friends yeah and friends give each other stuff, but itâs rude to take advantage of another friend just because theyâre ârelatively richerâ.â
âRelatively richer is an understatement.â
âNot the point Timmy-boy.â
Tim laughs at her antics and they continue to talk between them about work and about the pastries thatâs shared between them. Tim can see Marinetteâs phone lighting every now and then but she pointedly ignores it. Probably something about work. When the last piece was finally devoured, a blue berry fruit tart, Tim places his hands on the floor and leans back.
âSo...gift giving is your love language huh.â Tim begins.
Marinette snorts at his comment. âFood is my love language.â
Tim reaches for the cups between the two of them, not really minding if he got hers or his. He found out early on when he started ordering her coffee with his that they had the same taste-- black with a hint of sweetener in it.
âWell thatâs funny, Iâm pretty sure mine is coffee.â
âReally? I thought your love language was javascript.â
Tim almost spits out the large gulp of coffee he took. âHey-- hey HR!â
How dare she be funny. Something about the look on his face made Marinette laugh out loud, but it gets cut off with the vibrate of her phone.
âHello?â She says, humor in her eyes as she looks at Tim. Tim wrinkles his nose at her and she giggles silently. âYes this is her.â
Like a jolt of lightning, suddenly, Marinette looks around the room in panic. âOh hi James-- yes-- here? I mean Iâm outside!-- no Iâm not avoiding you-- no Iâm outside really!â
She looks at the elevator door and the number flashing on top of it. Tim frows at her sudden behavior, trying to catch her attention and mouthing âwhatâ only to get a âlater!â mouthed back.
âWell if you want to insist, but youâll be disturbing Mr. Drake-- Fine, itâs your funeral James.â Marinette huffs, jumps on her feet which was admirable in her 3 inch heels if Tim wasnât so confused as to what is going on. âQuick! Hide me!â
Tim looks towards the clear glass windows separating his office and the main reception area of the floor. His office was always an open space and no bulky furnishing to let the lighting in and the floor feel more breathable, but with Marinette trying to hide, all he feels was trapped for some reason.
âWhere?! There arenât exactly actual places to hide here!â He hisses at her, watching the elevator number count up. Currently itâs on that 20th floor. Theyâre on the 45th.
âI donât know! Itâs your office!â Marinette looks panicked and flushed. âOh I know, Iâll hide under your table!â
âIn that dress?!â Tim could feel his ears heating up. How could they not? She was in a semi formal red and white dress with a sweetheart neckline that billows past her waist. If she wanted to hide under Timâs Desk, she will be on her hands and knees and Tim does not want to have his mind wander where it shouldnât.
Without looking at him, Marinette is already squishing her way under his desk. Tim glances at the elevator and it announces that itâs making its way up between the 39th and 40th floors.
âShit! Heâst gonna see me, Iâm sticking out!â Marinette whines.
âWhy canât you just face the music--â
âNo! Itâs too embarrassing! You canât make me!â He hears Marinette move around a bit from under the table. âActually, come here and sit down! I have a plan.â
Tim hesitantly walks over and sits down on his seat-- only to get pulled into the desk by the arm rests. He wasnât fully into the desk, but he knew it was an effort to not draw attention to what was under the desk. He felt Marinetteâs hot breath on his slacks and Tim was trying so hard not to let his blood go into his jeans as much as heâs trying to stop it going to his face.
He looks down at her as she looks back up, pleading. A frown makes its way to his face. Heâs never really seen her this close and has her eyes really been this blue--
A ding sounded off somewhere but Tim could not recollect his thoughts until one James Belmont walks into his office looking for something. He shifts on his seat, crossing his legs to the side to give space to the girl heâs hiding.
âM-- May I help you?â Tim asks, trying to control his voice but he could hear it almost cracking. âExcuse me, sorry, had sugar in my throat. To what do I owe the pleasure Mr. Belmont?â
âIâm sorry Mr. Wayne, have you seen Marinette recently? Ms. Dupain-Cheng?â
âAnd what about my assistant? Why are you looking for her Mr. Belmont?â
James actually looks apprehensive and fidgety by the door like he didnât want to be there, but he doesnât meet his eyes and kept glancing at their discarded pastry box. He never comes into the room exactly.
Tim felt like he also looked like he didnât want to be there but for entirely different reasons. He clears his throat loudly.
âI-- I uh, nothing. Nevermind. Sorry to interrupt your lunch Mr. Drake.â
âMr. Belmont, were you here to actually just see Marinette?â Tim felt nails on his ankles, not gripped tight, but a warning that theyâre there.
âWell yes I want to send the report over for her insights--â
âYou mean the Business Review report youâve submitted to me this morning?â He sees James flinch a bit and cocky Tim rears its head. âMr. Belmont, are you really here for the report or just Marinette. Cause believe me, if she would want to see you, she would see you.â
âI beg your pardon Mr. Drake?â
âYou think sheâs brilliant?â She is.
âYes sir.â James gulps, not meeting his eye.
âYou think sheâs pretty cute?â
âYes sir.â
âYou went on a date a week back, am I right?â James nods. âAnd I presume you thought it went well?â Another nod.
âWell maybe it didnât. Maybe it didnât hit off. Maybe she doesnât like you.â Jamesâ narrowed eyes finally meet Tims and Tim leans forward trying not to think about how under the table his assistant is hiding. âIf you think itâs been a good run, then good for you. But if sheâs avoiding you-- take a hint.â
Without any other word, James storms out of the office and into the elevator.
Tim gets pushed lightly to the side as Marinette peeks out from under the table and stands up next to a sitting Tim, watching the number go down from their level. âWhat was that about?â
âNo need to thank me babe, I think that ends your dramatic run away from Financeâs loverboy-- which frankly if thatâs the best their departmentâs got then we got to hire more people.â
âI mean thank you but--â Marinette looks at Tim, ready to chastise him but her eyes widen in shock. âOh my God! Oh my god oh my god oh my god.â
Tim looks at his friend. âThatâs a weird way to say âthank youâ.â
âNo! Oh my God.â Marinette fumbles her phone and opens the selfie mode of it.
Tim frowns as he looks at the face in front of him, his usual eyebags were as prominent now that he started going on regular patrols again and his skin is drying but-- oh my god.
He glances at their âlunchâ table, where a box of pastries lie, empty and eaten and two cups of take out coffee lie, one cup plastered with the red lipstick Marinette has taken to wearing.
The same lipstick thatâs semi-smudged on the right side of his own lips. Oh my God.
âThis is going to be a pain in the neck.â Marinette grumbles.
âJames probably noticed it too since he was looking at the coffee table a lot.â Tim only laughs at the absurdity of it all. This only makes Marinette groan louder.
âThis is a disaster!â
This only makes Tim laugh louder. âYou know, even if this becomes an office issue, this isnât even rewarding to me. I mean, if you really wanted to kiss me and made the talk in the office break room Marinette, you couldâve just said so, no need to involve James.â
With a murderous glare Marinette stalks out of the room. âUgh, I canât believe youâd make a joke at a time like this. HR!â
âHR!â Tim called back, still laughing. âAnd it wasnât a joke babe!â
Prompt: ''if you want me to kiss you, all you have to do is say so.''
Relationship: Marinette x Tim Drake
Word Count: 1,256 words
Warnings: Teen (13+)
Categories: Fluff, Romance, Slow Burn
1/3: The Set Up
--
Tim and Mari think they are creatures of habit. The Wayne Enterprise (WE) employees argue that yes they are, but only if the said habit is self destruction.
Donât get them wrong, birds of the same feather flock together, but these two were basically made from the same fabric of God-knows-what-chaos-energy it is and their dynamic is too powerful to tap and too unpredictable to manage.
If they can only stand each other long enough to realize this, that is. Whispers in the bathroom mentions the latest developments of both parties' lives. Bets in the break room amounted to a large pot on who can guess if theyâd end up together or murdering each other.
Because where Marinette is competitive, Timothy is unyielding.
While Tim is very headstrong in his work and his duty, Mari is steadfast on things sheâs put her mind to.
--
Marinette stands up and greets the co-CEO before he even gets the chance to walk out of the elevator with the cup of coffee in his hand. Tim only grunts, making a beeline for the office.
âYouâre up early today.â She chirps with a âI have to be cute to my boss eewâ smile.
âI havenât drank this cup of coffee yet and have 0 sleep.â
Marinetteâs nose scrunches in disapproval (not that she can judge, sheâs just as bad as him, but at least she doesnât look like a train wreck-- thank God for make up), but acknowledges the warning nonetheless.
âHR?â She tentatively offers.
âHR.â He confirms, shutting the door behind him.
She thinks itâs a draw, no sharp wit at each otherâs necks this time. Point counter for the day: Mari 0, Tim 0.
She doesnât remember when âHRâ became synonymous with âI yieldâ, but itâs the only fun thing about their 6 month old dynamic. Itâs their timeout calls when they get under each otherâs skin (âMarinette, Iâm too sleep deprived, can you please for the love of God stop tapping your fingers?â âMr. Drake, Iâm typing? Thatâs my job? To type?â âHR!â) or when theyâre flushed (âWas that your friend?â âYeah, thatâs Kagami, she decided to facetime me and keep me company for lunch.â âShe sounds hot. Iâd tap that.â âSameâ A beat of silence. âDrake! HR!â), or even just to acknowledge each other in passing, earning weird looks from WE employees (âHR, Marinette.â âHR, Timothy.â).
She almost did report him to the department too. Imagine, after enduring several gruelling weeks of scheduling and running errands and taking phone calls, and basically babysitting the man-child for Bruce Wayne, only for the said man-child to dish out ungrateful snarky quips pre-coffee? No respectable woman would want to endure and Marinette knows her worth.
Though where others would fold, Marinette braces herself and just lets him dig his own grave. Email documentation, office friendships and an incident of just lucky HR was at the right meeting at the right time during one of the âTim-cidentsâ (as she would call it) and she got a pocketful of reports against him.
But before it escalated, THE Bruce fucking Wayne, approaches her to apologize for his sonâs behavior out of nowhere. From the head honcho himself, he confirms that no, Tim isnât this much of an asshole. Yes, heâs just very sleep deprived from work and fearing for some of their land and trade investments near crime alley. No, itâs not personal, thereâs just some surprising circumstances in the family they didnât anticipate and is taking a toll on the Waynes (âIs it a death in the family sir? Please accept my condolences.â âActually, quite the opposite, but Iâll still accept the condolence, thanksâ.).
He practically begs her with his eyes not to leave as sheâs the only one whoâs stayed longer than a week as his assistant. The current record for fastest resignation of the position was half a day.
During the day, they barely interact really, aside from him ordering an errand down to the department or her reminding him of his schedule. Most of the time, he barely glances at her and with the same frequency does she stop herself from cocking a defiant eyebrow.
âMr. Drake, two things: the department heads from this morning was grateful for the timely start of the meeting, thank you for actually arriving on time. Next, before you leave for lunch, I need you to look over this report for the board-- Iâve already populated it with an executive summary of the accounting reports from Finance. I suggest you review it before your 3 oâclock as James mentioned that his team overlooked an overhead cost charge and had to rework some numbers.â
He raises a finger to stop her, barely glancing up from his computer and she has to keep herself from rolling her eyes. âFirst of all, Ms. Cheng-â
â--Itâs Dupain-Cheng Mr. Drake--â
âIâm always on time if I donât sleep, so tell them to be careful what they wish for as itâs a double edge sword if theyâre asking me for funding like that again. And secondly, whoâs James?â
Marinette frowns. âJames is from Finance, you might know him as James Belmont.â
âAh!â He says with an amused grin and snapping his fingers together while he multi-tasks reading his computer and tap dancing on her nerves. âTall dude? Ginger? Lanky and a shrimp-like posture?â
Marinette frowns at him but decides to not choose violence too early in the work day. âWouldnât describe him as that but yes, heâs the only redhead in the department.â
âThat guy is hilariously awkward around girls-- I tried to match him with that blonde from Marketing-- good man actually had the guts to confess, but damn he was as red as his hair the whole time they interacted!â
âWell maybe some girls find that cute.â
âEven if he showed the signs of wanting to kiss Beth, Iâm pretty sure heâs just gonna get the swerve. Pretty girls like being asked and Iâm not so sure heâs at that level of confidence yet.â
âJames is nice, he could ask properly and a pretty girl might agree yknow.â
âI donât think you can even be called a representative of pretty girls Cheng, sorry. I can tell if someoneâs kissable or not, and unfortunately both him and you are--â Amusement ghosts his face and he looks up to her, ready to throw back to her face of her poor taste in men. But he stops himself and frowns up at her.
From the unobserving eye, she looks like how she did any other day, hair in a bun, company sanctioned dress code and a lanyard with her bright-eyed ID. But Tim is smart, Tim is fast. Tim understands the power of the devil in the details. He takes on her higher-than-usual heels, her more form fitting pencil skirt and a lovely flower printed blouse.
He stares at her red lipstick and his frown deepens.. Since when did she wear red lipstick--
âHuh.â The snarky remark dies on the tip of his tongue, a beat too long in their standoff.
âI think youâve made your point. You know, if you want me to kiss you with these kissable lips, all you have to do is say so Mr. Drake.â Marinette says, smugly.
That shuts him up and Marinette smirks.
âAh. Too early. HR.â Tim mumbles and turns to his computer.
Tim Drake was a duck, no he was three ducks impersonating a human. He was the ducks you saw in duck tales covered by a trench coat. Contrary to popular belief he wasn't a human. Wanna know why he is a genius? Because he is three ducks as one human. And ducks are intelligent apparently.
Wanna know why is she so awkward? Because duck! He didn't know what to do in the human world! He lived with animals all his life.
Shocked? That's what Marinette was feeling right now. Her boyfriend wanted to tell her a big secret and she didn't know what could be a bigger secret than him being Red Robin, but there was! He wasn't a human!
Now what's next? Huh? Jason's Donald? Here to take care of his three nephews, and went ape shit when he saw his nephews nowhere. He must've thought that "Tim" had eaten them. This actually made sense. Donald did have a hell of a temper.
One of the ducks whom Marinette presumed was Lui stepped forward. "I know that it must be hard for you to process Marinette but I wanted to be honest with you. I couldn't lie anymore. I am really sorry."
Marinette actually didn't know how to process that so she ran away. She knew that Ti- no, the ducks must've expected it because they didn't follow herher or tried to stop her and she was thankful for it. She ran to her and Tim's shared room before deciding against it and running to a guest room. (She could've walked but that wouldn't have been dramatic enough)
Marinette collapsed against a wall (dramatically) and sat there not knowing what to feel. She wanted to cry and scream but she also wanted to laugh. Because if you remove the whole 'my boyfriend lied to me about being a human which is actually the weirdest lie I have heard in my life and I don't know what's real anymore and what's fake' this situation was actually really funny.
Before Marinette could figure out her thoughts a knock sounded at her door. She opened the door expecting the ducks or anyone but Bruce. He awkwardly stood there for a while and they just stared at each other for a while before Bruce spoke, "I-uh-heard what happened between you and Ti-." Before Bruce could finish his sentence, Marinette interrupted him.
"Please don't call them that." Marinette averted her eyes. Bruce nodded, understanding her feelings. What the fuck was even happening anymore. Marinette had no idea. Life actually stopped making sense when she discovered that her boyfriend was Red Robin.
Marinette motioned for Bruce to come in and sit down and he began speaking again "So yeah, I heard that you know who, isn't a human? I know that it must be hard. Because you loved him. And uh, I won't say that I understand all of this because I obviously don't, and um. I don't think I have anything else to say." Bruce said, getting up. Marinette got up too and slipped on him. Bruce caught her but Marinette fell on him and before she could comprehend what happened Bruce, or the bats, flew out from the cloak he wore.
Bruce wasn't real either! He was also a bat. Not one bat, 100 bats! what the fuck is happening!? Marinette couldn't contain her scream this time and she screamed and ran away. She wanted to just go home. She wanted to forget about all of this. Just wanted to sleep and wake up to everything normal. No duck boyfriend, no vampire bat human and no Donald Jason. Well, the last one hasn't been proven yet but given the circumstances it may as well be true.
She was about to run out of the manor Alfred stopped her. "Ms. Marinette, please sit down. Dinner would be served soon."
"I-uh, I have to go." Marinette said, fiddling with the hem of shirt. Alfred raised an eyebrow.
"It's very late right now Ms. Marinette, I can't let you go out in this dangerous city alone." Marinette couldn't disagree with Alfred and if she doesn't include the whole duck and bats situation, it was a win. Alfred's cooking was to die for. Marinette sighed and went to the dining table.
There she saw that the ducks (again in the costume) and the bats (also in the costume) were already seated. She almost went to her usual seat next to Tim but decided against it and got seated leaving a gap of two seats between them. Alfred raised an eyebrow but didn't comment otherwise.
One by one everyone (they were all staying at the manor for a while, even Jason. Courtesy of Dick) shuffled in the room. They all looked at her but didn't say anything. Well unless Jason came.
Jason whistled "What's up Replacement? What did you do to anger Pixie-Pop? Huh? You two are not being all sickenly sweet and lovey dovey like usual."
The ducks scowled at him, "I don't wanna talk about it." They glanced at her but went back to their food. Marinette felt kinda bad for them, but then remembered that they hid something so big from her.
Marinette didn't feel like eating, the food Alfred made was obviously delicious but she just wasn't hungry anymore. The occupants in this house were, she didn't even know what to say anymore. Not human? Why would someone lie about being human? That's just, kwami she didn't know what to say. Like, ducks and bats are cool but there's a fucking line. You don't pretend to be human.
Marinette wanted to groan loudly, what the fuck was happening!? This is all so weird. She was snapped out of her thoughts by Damian and the duck's voice fighting "They won't let me pet them father!"
"Damian, what the hell are you talking about!?" The bats were done.
"Drake is three ducks in a trench coat!"
"Get off me!"
"Let me pet you!"
"Damian! Get off Tim!" Dick rushed to his side trying to detach them. He pulled a thrashing Damian and Tim straightened his clothes. "Grayson, let me go!" Damian started kicking Dick but he kept his grip strong. "Dupain-Cheng! Drake is lying to you! He is not a human!"
"What are you talking about Damian?" Dick was confused, really confused. Damian always fought with Tim but he never said something like this. How can Tim not be a human!? "Damian, are you okay?"
"I think you should get some sleep demon spawn, you're behaving weird."
"Shut up Todd!" Damian snarled at Jason. Jason rolled his eyes, used to it all. Marinette had a turmoil growing inside her. Damian knew? All this time, Damian knew!? And he was mad because the ducks won't let him pet them?
Okay, her life couldn't be anymore fucked up now. "Master Tim, are you okay?" Alfred helped them get up from the floor.
"Yeah, yeah, thanks." They smiled at Alfred and went back to the table. Everyone was soon settled back.
"You've been awfully quiet today Sunshine. Is everything okay?" Dick looked at her concerned.
"Let her chill Goldie. She and Timbo had a fight." Marinette sighed internally. This wasn't true but it stopped Dick from pestering her. As soon as she had finished her meal she stood up and went to the guest room she was in before. This earned her some weird looks but they let it slide.
She sat there, her head was spinning, she felt overwhelmed from all of this. Nothing was making sense. Her head was spinning so fast that she blacked out.
Marinette woke up with a start. Tim's arms were wrapped around her protectively. Thankfully, that was all a very weird nightmare. Or was it? What if she wasn't dreaming and they used a machine on her to make it seem like it!?
She heard a groan from her side. "Bean, what happened?" Tim asked groggily. Tim was sleeping, that's a sign of danger if she had ever seen one.
"Nothing mon canard, go back to sleep. I just had a very weird dream." Tim hummed and hugged her tighter. She also went back to sleep. She needed it.
When they woke up the second time Marinette had some questions prepared. "Sooo Tim, have you been craving any bread recently?" Tim gave her a weird look.
"Bean, you okay? You know I don't like bread. Why would I crave bread?"
"Nothing, just had a thought."
"OâŠkay"
"Well, wanna go swimming in a pond? Have the urge to quack?"
"Mari, is this some kind of weird joke? I get it that my last name means duck but I am not a real duck." Tim asked, glaring at her. Marinette just cheekily smiled at him and went to search for Bruce.
"So, Bruce, I had some questions." Bruce raised an eyebrow at her.
"Go ahead."
"Do you like blood? As in its taste?" Bruce spat out the coffee he was drinking and started coughing.
"Marinette, are you okay?"
"Yep! Anyways, have you been hitting any blood banks recently? Have the urge to tangle your feet in someone's hair? Can you like, see or do you use echolocation?"
Bruce gave her a look which said 'are you okay? Do we need to get you checked? Did you hit your head somewhere?' Marinette just smiled at him.
Bruce just called for Tim and he came rushing down minutes after. "Bruce what happened?" Tim asked, concerned. When Bruce pointed at Mari, Tim knew what was the case.
"Come on Bean, you are gonna stay in bed all day." Tim put one hand on her shoulder and started leading her back to their room. On their way they bumped into Damian.
"Hey Damian!" Marinette chirply waved to him.
"Dupain-Cheng." Damian nodded in acknowledgement.
"Can I ask you something?" Marinette asked. Tim's face paled.
"No, Bean you're sick, let's go to bed. You need sleep." Tim said, pulling her.
"Just one question?" Marinette looked at him with those puppy eyes that he couldn't resist. He sighed and gave in.
"You may ask your question, Dupain-Cheng."
"Is there any particular reason you hate Tim? Do you secretly like him?" Damian glared at Marinette.
"I hate Drake because he is incompetent and not worthy of father's time. Do you want any other reason?"
"Bean, let's just go." Tim finally dragged her to the room and settled her onto the bed.
"What are your thoughts about trench coats? Would you ever wear one?" Tim knew that something was wrong with his girlfriend. He just jumped on the bed with her and cuddled her back to sleep. That's really the only thing he could do.
Thanks to @tim-drake-is-underrated who wrote and edited this with me!!! I know this is not a Saturday, but better late than never :D!!!!
Marinette was in pain and she was bleeding. Unfortunately, this was normal and she couldn't do anything other than just woman up and take it. She was on her periods. And it hurt like hell. She had cramps, bad cramps. All she wanted was to die now.
Fortunately, she had beaten Hawkmoth and was on a break right now. In Gotham. She was taking a break in Gotham?! You mean the crime capital, Gotham? Like where the most dangerous villains stay, that Gotham?!
Yes to all of the above. She was on a break in Gotham with her fiance and his family.
She was celebrating with her lovely nerdy fiance Tim and his family. They helped her a lot in discovering who Hawkmoth was. She and Tim met when he was in Paris for a business meeting with MDC, or her. Their meeting went well and soon she was collaborating with Wayne Enterprises.
"Bean? You okay?" Tim came into the room they were sharing in the Wayne Manor.
"No, I am in pain," Marinette said, making grabby hands at him.
"Whatâs wrong?" Tim climbed into their bed and took her in his lap.
Marinette immediately clung to him. "I am on my periods and I have really bad cramps." Marinette snuggled into Tim's chest while he rubbed her back.
"That sounds hard babe. You know what? Lie down and I'll grab you a hot water bottle. Okay?" Marinette got off his lap with a 'hm' sound and Tim kissed her forehead.
"I love you."
"Love you more Bean." Tim plugged in the heating bag and grabbed some chocolates from the cupboard. "I've heard chocolates help during these times? I don't know how, but do you want some?"
"Where did you know all of this? And yes, I would love some chocolates."
"I do have a sister and some female friends and you're not the first person I have ever dated, Bean."
"Valid." Only someone as sweet as Tim would understand that periods are painful and that the females are not being drama queens when they say that it hurts. That the women or girls are not weak when they are in pain because the cramps are so bad.
"Okay, the bottle is warm now."
"Thanks a lot, Timmy. You're really sweet." Marinette put the bottle on her stomach and Tim gave her the chocolates. She once again made grabby hands at Tim. "Cuddle me. I want cuddles."
"If it will make it better."
"Cuddles make everything better." Before Tim was even fully laid down, Marinette had snuggled into him. "Why are you so adorable Timmy?"
"You think I am adorable?"
"If I didn't think you were adorable I wouldn't have said yes to marrying you." Tim kissed the crown of Marinette's head. It was peaceful for a while before Marinette winced in pain because damn it hurt so much. She snuggled even more into Tim. "I hate it."
"Iâm sure it's painful Bean, but it's gonna be okay. Do you need any meds?" Marinette just shook her head.
"Just stay here with me? Physical contact makes it better."
Some time passed and Marinette stirred. Tim looked at her, concerned. She groaned, her face scrunching up in pain. âWhatâs wrong, Bean?â Tim asked, rubbing her back comfortingly, silently telling her she was not alone and that heâs got her.
"It's really painful. I don't think I'll be able to fall asleep again."
"Do you wanna do something else? Like watch movies?" Tim asked, softly. He wished he could take away her pain. Sadly, he couldn't.
"Yeah, That sounds great." Marinette looked at Tim and she was glad that he was there with her. She didn't know what she'd do without him. "Thanks for always being here with me, Tim. I love you."
"I love you too. I can't wait for us to get married and start a family of our own." Marinette blushed. She had thought about that way many times, but discussing it- it felt real. She was going to be married to the love of her life.
Tim chuckled. He liked messing with her. She always got so flustered and adorable. "You're adorable when you're blushing like that." Marinette playfully shoved him away, groaning in pain from the sudden movement. Tim lost his playful-ness and grew concerned. âBean?? Is everything okay?? Iâm so sorry- did I hurt you??-â
"It's okay mon canard. You can never hurt me. Itâs the stupid cramps again. I hate being a woman."
Tim immediately softened up, bringing her more close. âIs there anything I can do to help?â
"Just stay with me? that's all I need." Marinette said, looking into his eyes.
"Of course, Bean. Always. In sickness and in health." He said, tenderly kissing her forehead.
She snuggled up to him, closing her eyes in content. "You're really hot."
Tim smirked. "Thanks, for finally acknowledging the fact."
Marinette looked at him for a minute, before she turned red again "Not like that! I mean youâre warm, silly!"
Tim laughed and looked at her touching his nose to her. "You're adorable, like a chipmunk."
âTiiiim!â Marinette whined. âHow dare you tease me when Iâm so miserable!â Tears started flowing out of her eyes. Damn the stupid period hormones.
Tim rushed to comfort her. "I am so sorry, Bean! I didn't mean to make you cry! I was just messing with you! Iâm sorry if I said something wrong!" He took her hands off her eyes and gently wiped her tears away. "Don't cry."
She sniffled "I'm sorry, it's just these damn hormones going haywire. I don't know what to do anymore."
"Don't worry about it, Iâm here for you." Marinette sniffled again and buried her face in his chest. They stayed like that for a while until Marinette was ready to get up.
"Let's go now," Marinette said, getting up. But, her legs wouldn't let her. They hurt on getting up. She was about to fall, but before she could fall Tim caught her.
"You okay?" Tim asked, concerned. She has to deal with it every month. And she had to deal with it, without him, without any help. That thought alone distressed him.
âIt huurts,â She whined. Tim looked at her and decided that he couldnât let her be in any more pain than she already is in. Without warning her he carried her bridal style. Her head snuggled into his chest.
"You comfy?" Tim asked gently. At her nod, they went out the door. He was going to spoil her till she couldnât take it anymore. She didnât deserve any of the pain, and heâd be damned if he didnât try to take her pain away. Now they had one mission, don't let his brothers see them. They were annoying and wouldn't stop teasing his Bean, and she was in no condition to deal with that right now.
They stopped in the kitchen to grab some snacks, hot tea and some chocolates, in case Mari wanted any. âAnything else you want?â He asked, softly looking at the love of his life.
"Your love." Mari said, giggling a little.
"You already have all of it." Tim said back, softly kissing her forehead. If Marinette was not being carried by him she would've fallen on the floor in a puddle of goo from the look he gave her. It was so full of love and adoration, that look was reserved just for her. That thought made her even more happy.
There was a silent atmosphere, before there was a loud bang sound, that startled them. "Die demon spawn!"
"-TT- taking you in was father's biggest mistake!"
"Guys please don't fight."
"Shut up Dickhead!" "Shut up Grayson!"
Marinette involuntarily flinched from the noise, burying herself into Tim to try and block it out. Before Tim could say anything, Dick entered the kitchen. He paused, taking one look at Mari and her face, which was red and blotchy from pain and crying, he made a knowing face which immediately morphed into one of sympathy âTimmy!â He chided. âPut her down. Sheâs in pain!â
Tim gave Dick a deadpan look âThat's why I have carried her, Dick.â
âWell youâre clearly not doing it right! Sheâs in pain!â
"You don't know anything, Dick. Mari, should I keep you down? Are you uncomfortable?" Mari, who had buried her face in his chest, looked at him.
"If you are tired, but I am not uncomfortable. I like it like this." Tim smirked at Dick.
"But she's crying."
"She is on her period, Dick. She has bad cramps. Now get out of here before I kill you."
âAWWW! MY LITTLE BROTHERâS ALL GROWN UP!!â
âI canât say the same thing about you. A wife and kid and youâre still 8 years old.â
âhEY!-â
âShhhhhhâ Mari shushed. âMy head hurts!â
"Sorry, Bean." Tim said, adjusting her. "Let's go because someone won't leave us alone." He said pointedly looking at Dick. Marinette waved at Dick.
"Hey Sunshine!" It was peaceful once again before an angry Damian came running.
"GRAYSON! I demand that you tell father to emancipate Todd, right this moment!"
"I am not his son anyway! And neither do I care if he throws me out or not. He has done it once, he can do it twice."
"Li'l D, Little wing, is everything okay? And please don't make so much noise."
"Nothing's okay Grayson!"
"Guys, please don't make so much noise."
"Pixie are you okay? Did Tim do anything? Do I need to skin a Red Robin?"
"What did you do to Malaki, Drake! Did you hurt her?!"
"Why does everyone assume that I hurt her? She has cramps and weâre going now. No, you guys cannot come with us." With that said, Tim made his way to the movie room with Mari still in his arms.
He carefully put Marinette down with the snacks and covered her in blankets. The evening went by with Tim catering to Mariâs every need and Mari finally falling asleep, with Timâs arm protectively draped over her.
Jon could tell Marinette had had a very long day. She was still on maternity leave with the new baby but the older ones had been sick. It was terrible timing really. Not that there was a good time for sick kids but the baby had been up all night and refused to take a bottle and Jon had to leave her early.
He had gotten Ellie cleaned up and back in bed but he was headed out the door by the time Alec was sick. He hoped the baby would stay down for a bit so Mari could sleep. He called his mom to go over and help. He had been off with her most of the days but today he couldn't miss. Lois said she would head right over with supplies for the sick ones but that she couldn't stay all day.
The kids appeared to feel much better by the time he got home. Late. They were running back and forth and down the halls. Her hair was a mess and probably hadn't been combed. Her outfit had been changed but he was fairly certain it was dirty pajamas probably changed after the kids got the others messy. She had her eyes closed and head resting on the back of the couch while she was feeding the baby.
He had ordered food to pick up on his way home so he got the older kids settled to eat before he asked if she wanted to get a bath before she ate. She nodded exhaustedly so he left her to finish up with the baby while he tidied up in the bathroom and started the water. He lit her favorite candles and set up a small table with her food, a tall glass of water, and the book she hasn't had a chance to read much. He had just finished turning on the music when she walked his way. He leaned down to kiss her.
"I'm so gross today. You probably don't want to do that," she said.
He pulled her all the way against him and held her close before kissing her.
"You are beautiful. Nothing can hide that."
He dimmed the lights and focused back on what he could do to help. He felt so useless on the nights that Jake didn't want to take a bottle. He had been so much more demanding recently. He should probably make sure to pull out the next size of baby clothes very soon. He checked to make sure Jake was still sleeping before he shuffled the bigger kids towards the bath. They had both been half cleaned today but just in case he would get them very clean and that would help them settle for an early bed time.
He had them in swim suits so they could be in the same bath and left the door open so he could hear while he finished picking up. He moved around at superspeed picking up toys and laundry. Once he had the washer going he disinfected the surfaces in all the bedrooms. He peeked back at the kids before starting in the kitchen. He started the dishwasher and wiped the counters and tables. He stopped back by the bathroom to drain the water before he took out the trash.
The kids were just finishing getting in pajamas and teeth brushed when Mari emerged from the bathroom. Jon had to catch his breath at his beautiful she was. They had been married for almost ten years and he still couldn't believe how lucky he was. He motioned for her to come over and they piled onto the couch. Each child having just picked a book to read as they were all snuggled.
The children fell asleep almost instantly. Jon had hoped for that. He pulled Mari outside and held her close. He whispered against her hair.
"Don't worry. I'll be able to hear them."
He lifted her with him as he flew up. High above the city until it was calm and quiet. He floated on his back with her laying against his chest. He was tuned into their house so he would be able to hear any sound. But in the quiet Mari could have a break and rest. She did and just like the children, she was asleep very quickly. It slightly saddened him because he liked when they could lay together in the sky but tonight she needed sleep. He kissed her forehead and held her for a while before he took her back home, happy to have given her a moment of peace.
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