Archaeologist, Political hack (hated Capitol Hill), animal lover, mama bear, Miraculous Ladybug Fan, Marichat, Felinette, and Maribat superfan, thank you to all content providers - I love you all.
Welcome to Maribat Calendar Events July event. July is dedicated to JASON TODD.
Do one prompt! Do them all! Do your own prompt! Any participation is great! They just serve as ways to encourage that creativity. No Pressure.
The prompts have a sound track again this year We've created a Spotify playlist of songs we felt resonated Jasonette. Follow the link at the bottom of the post to listen. Take the whole song, the title, a lyric, the vibe, the music video (some have them), whatever you want from the song as your inspiration. Or create your own inspiration!
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Jasonette July 2026 | Archive of Our Own
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#JASONETTE JULY #JASONETTE JULY 2026
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Guidelines
Any orientation or relationship style is welcome and encouraged (familial, platonic, romantic, aged-up NSFW)!
Any creative works (writing, fics, drabbles, head-canons, art, poetry, incorrect quotes, etc.) are accepted
Tag @maribat-calendar-events in your works so we can share it
Use the hashtag so others can see your work
Keep NSFW works under the ‘Keep Reading’ line with an appropriate warning above
Questions? Send us a message/ask, or contact @mochegato or @izanae.
Get creative and have fun! We all look forward to your participation and submissions!
“I don’t like this,” Marinette groused as she trailed after Roy with hurried, yet ultimately unproductive, movements and a furrowed brow, her too large jacket, or rather Roy’s jacket that hung loosely over his too long shirt on her, decidedly not flapping dramatically behind her as she would have preferred.
It was taking everything in her not to physically shove him forward under the delusion she would be able to force him to rush, maybe not at the pace she wanted, because she wasn’t sure humans were capable of moving at the pace she wanted, but faster than the glacial pace he’d set.
She glared at his red hair, effortlessly, sexily ruffled and not getting messed up in their rush. Why couldn’t she have fallen for a Super? They’d be faster. Or! Or a Speedster. She was in Gotham after all and had already met some Bats. Why couldn’t she have met one of the useful heroes and fallen for them? But noooo. She had to fall for a civilian.
One of the Speedsters had red hair, didn’t they? The old one? Older, she corrected herself grumpily. He hadn’t done anything to earn her ire, unlike the escargot in front of her. She shifted her glare to his shoes. Maybe if she moved his feet for him, he would actually move instead of whatever he called this sedate pace he’d adopted.
“Oh, I’m sorry,” he chuckled with absolutely no amusement or sympathy. “Am I going too slowly?”
“Yes!” she exclaimed then looked around quickly to see who they may have woken up.
She glared at him as he seemed to move slower until he stopped and turned to face her. His teasing smile eased into a serious but soft expression. “I’m not going to go faster than I think your body can handle. I’m not going to stop you from doing anything, but I’m not going to facilitate the things I think will hurt you. If you think you can find your way,” he motioned down the hallway ahead of them, “then feel free to limp at the speed you prefer.”
“I’m perfectly capable of walking, running even. Which, please feel free to do as well,” she snipped. “I would love to prove myself.” He raised an eyebrow at her. After a staring contest that Marinette would normally have been more than willing to let continue until she won, she finally groaned then let out a long breath. “Fine.” She motioned ahead of them, her lower lip pulled down into a pout.
With a pointed nod, he moved again, continuing his previous unhurried pace, looking back over his shoulder frequently to assure himself she was keeping up. Instead of being endearing, which she knew it should be, it was making her resentful. She didn’t have time to go this slowly. Even if it did hurt, which she would never admit to Roy that it did, and every movement did, in fact, cause extreme pain, running would probably actually kill her, the pain would be temporary.
They were in a hospital.
She’d be fine. Afterall, she’d come back from worse. But, if something had happened to Adrien, that could be permanent.
“How do you know the hospital so well anyway?” she huffed.
Roy snorted. “Are you kidding me? I’m a Queen and friends with the Waynes and a bunch more friends who have more money than brains I know the layout of every major hospital in every major city in America. And a few in other countries too.”
Marinette froze mid-step and stared at him, her pout disappearing as her jaw dropped. “What?” Roy looked back and blinked like hearing her shock at the bomb he just dropped was unusual. “That’s… that’s… why would you know that?”
He grimaced and his shoulders slumped as he edged toward her. “Yeah, okay. I’m not doing great with words… today.” He sighed and met her eyes offering a wry smile. “I will have you know, typically, I’m charming and the best one on the… of the group with words,” he finished awkwardly. He may be having significant issues over the past day with telling truths that were a bit too deep for the short amount of time they’d known each other, but his status as a hero was definitely one that he knew wasn’t the right time to expose, because it didn’t just expose him, it exposed her entire family.
He gently cupped one side of her jaw, the side that seemed the least colorful, actually it might be the least colorful part of her entire body at that particular point. “I think something about you unsettles me,” he stated in a soft voice. He searched her face for a second before placing a soft kiss on her lips. “In the best possible way. Come on, let’s get to the waiting room.”
Marinette stared after him for a second, her mind warring between focusing on his words and the mission she had only moments before. Roy made it all the way to the next set of doors before one side finally won and she marched toward him, eyes narrowed. He’d win this one. She would let him change the subject, but only because she was so focused on Adrien. If Adrien had been any less injured, she would pursue the topic, but not today, a fact he clearly knew judging by the wide, smug smile on his lips as he held the door open for her.
She glared at him as she passed through the door refusing to acknowledge the way her stomach fluttered, and her chest felt a little less constricted as a result of that smile. He might have won this one, but she didn’t have to be happy about it. She kept the harsh eye contact until she passed him, only then facing forward and immediately freezing.
In front of her, feet from the confrontation just moments before, her friends were sprawled in chairs and a makeshift bed, which Chloe had taken command of after pushing several couches together. Or more likely, which Chloe was resting on after having had Conner push them together for her. Not that she couldn’t, but if there was someone around that she could get to do it for her, she wouldn’t have.
“I hate you so much,” Marinette hissed lowly.
He kissed the top of her head as she stomped toward the trio sleeping or seemingly trying to sleep. “Love you, too,” he chuckled, then froze instantly. “Like you… Care about you, too…” he rushed out. “Not… it was an automatic response.” He glanced up at her desperately, trying to read her expression to make sure he hadn’t screwed anything up with her. They’d already established where they were. She’d made her opinion clear, and he didn’t want her to think he was trying to pressure her or worse take advantage of her distress.
However, she didn’t appear to share his concern about the topic. Either that or she hadn’t heard him, because she was already across the room, descending upon its innocent sentries.
“How is Adrien?” she demanded loudly.
Max jerked up and looked around him anxiously, slumping back into his seat when he recognized his assailant. Marinette standing inexplicably angrily in front of them, Roy quietly closing the door. “Hey, look at that,” he sleepily reached over the arm of the couch to smack Chloe’s arm, “the doors don’t have to slam.”
Chloe batted his hand away distractedly, having risen significantly more gracefully and disdainfully while he was still floundering. “That’s because…” but her retort died on her lips as her eyes laser focused on Marinette’s legs then snapped up to Roy in a dark glare. “Why isn’t she wearing pants?” she demanded.
Max snapped back up in his seat, eyes suddenly wide open. He stared at Marinette’s legs for a few seconds before his head cocked to the side. “I put pants in your bag,” he noted puzzled. “I distinctly remember doing it.”
“Dude,” Conner groaned tiredly. He slowly unrolled himself from his, frankly, torturous looking folded position in the waiting chair. “Really?”
Chloe whirled back to face Max, face thunderous and accusatory. “Did you put… oh,” she interrupted herself and deflating only for a moment before turning her thunderous expression back to Roy. “Why isn’t she…”
“Did I pack the wrong pants?” Max asked, head still cocked to the side as his brain whirred to put the clues in the correct sequence to form a coherent picture.
“The wrong pants?” Conner asked, his voice thick with confusion and sleep. “How would you get the wrong pants out of her bag?”
Max looked uncertainly between Chloe and Marinette’s legs then back again. “She complains about not getting the right combination of…”
“Oh my God!” Chloe snarled. She shoved the second couch away with enough force, the heavy seating scooted back a few feet, so she could stand and glare down at him with more authority. “This is Marinette. She doesn’t care what she looks like. She is perfectly content going around looking like a…”
“Adrien, how is he?” Marinette repeated more loudly this time, frustration rising in her tone. They were all there for a reason and it felt like everyone else had forgotten what that was.
Chloe’s attention shot to Marinette but instantly drifted to Roy standing anxiously behind her. Her eyes narrowed as she scowled and stalked toward him. “I said rested, not happy,” she screeched.
“I did!” Roy exclaimed quickly, jumping out of Chloe’s reach before her nail, chipped at the edges from having been bitten throughout the night, could dig into his chest. “I mean I didn’t. I got her to sleep!”
Chloe’s eyes widened and her entire face morphed into pure fury. “You…”
“Not like that!” he exclaimed. He moved quickly behind Conner, which was pure coincidence. It had nothing to do with the whole body of steel thing. At least nothing he would ever admit.
“Adrien! Now!” Marinette yelled, causing even Markov to bob back in surprise. “How is he?” she continued at a lower volume but no less rancor.
“He’s okay,” Conner answered before anyone else recovered from their surprise. He edged toward her cautiously, hands held out toward her as though he could push down her fear and anger. “No change in status... well, no negative change. He's getting stronger,” Conner assured her.
Marinette’s body relaxed instantly. She collapsed into a chair as a tautness she hadn’t realized was holding her muscles’ position, releasing at the news. “Oh, thank God. Has he woken up?”
“No,” Max answered, his voice soft with concern, “but that is expected. It would be highly unusual, and slightly concerning, if he had. We’ve been keeping a close eye on him. Especially Markov. He’s given an update every time anything changed. So, we’ve been on top of it.”
“Conner Kent is correct,” Markov agreed. “Adrian is stronger, though still in a concerning state. He should remain under doctor watch and care.”
Marinette’s lips curled into a slight smile. “Thank you, Markov. We agree. If anyone suggests changing that, let us know immediately.”
“Yes, ma’am,” Markov bobbed forward in agreement.
“I'm sorry,” Chloe cut in, the tentative edge from Conner and Max’s voices nowhere in her sharp tone, “are we just going to ignore the lack of pants?”
Marinette instantly scowled at nobody, but her eyes immediately found the doors to Adrien’s door. “I forgot to put them back on.”
“Put them back on!” Chloe screeched. She advanced on Roy again, harshly motioning toward Marinette. “Why did she take them off?”
Roy threw his hands up and edged around Conner again. “Back on after she threw them at Bruce when she found out he’d been tracking her through bugs in her clothes.”
“I am right here you know,” Marinette grumbled without looking over to them. “I can also give reports on my life.”
“But not accurate ones,” Roy scoffed. Marinette’s eyes finally moved from Adrien’s door to pin him with a glare. Her scowl deepened when Max snorted in agreement.
“He’d been what?” Chloe asked carefully, emotionlessly. An innocuous tone that would seem innocent to anyone who did not know her. However, to anyone who knew her, anyone who had experienced her outbursts. Those people knew that tone was more dangerous than any venomous, harsh timbre words.
“How did you get here with no pants?” Conner asked curiously, unaware of the chill that had run down Max’s spine.
“With a tight grip and a lot of luck,” Marinette quipped, a bit too lightly, avoiding Chloe’s gaze.
“We should get her some pants,” Max offered, immediately looking around to find pants she could use. He ruled out using the pants of anyone else in the room almost immediately and let his mind move to less traditional options. They were in a hospital; she couldn’t be the first person to come in without pants. They must have options for such cases. He looked for Markov to ask him to run some analytics but was interrupted by Roy.
“It’s fine. She’s going to be in a hospital gown anyway,” he stated, not loudly, but with a definitiveness, it was almost a solid thing.
Conner looked back and forth between Marinette and Roy. “Why will she be in a hospital gown now if they didn’t admit her before?” he asked delicately, like he was afraid the answer might break the straining stick holding up a cracked dam wall and release the flood water.
Chloe cocked her head and stepped closer to Marinette, her eyes running over her like she could run one of Markov’s analyses. “That is your first smart question. Let’s discuss that.”
“Hey,” Conner exclaimed.
But while Chloe, Max, and Markov’s attention was on Marinette, Roy shifted his attention to Conner and shoved him as hard as he could, trying to at least produce a minute movement. “What the hell?” Conner grunted. “Is that your new introduction every time you see me now?”
“You saw how bad she was and didn't say anything,” Roy whisper hissed, he looked around to make sure nobody was listening to them but pulled him away a few steps despite the others having become more focused on Marinette’s legs.
Conner blinked at him shaking his head like shaking the words into a more reasonable order. “She said she saw a doctor and was cleared so I figured you knew. Plus, she's no worse than a few of your latest fights.”
“She not a hero,” he growled through his teeth. “The gage is different.”
Conner opened his mouth to respond but immediately snapped it shut again. “You’re right. I’m sorry, Roy. I’m so used to you guys…” he sighed and nodded. “You’re right. I’m sorry.”
Chloe’s eyes carefully traced the edges of the bruises exposed by Marinette’s impromptu wardrobe, tracking as one deep purple seemed to melt into a lighter purple of the next bruise before deepening so dark, it was almost black and disappearing under the shirt that swallowed her, making her appear even smaller than she already did. Chloe started to lift the hem of the shirt to continue tracking the path but was shocked back into reality when Marinette batted her hand away.
Chloe rolled her eyes and leaned back; arms crossed over her chest with an annoyed scoff. “Oh, come on, it’s not like it isn't something everyone here has seen before.”
“Excuse you!” Marinette shrieked. “It is something NOBODY here has seen before outside of my bikini at your pool party last year.”
Chloe raised an eyebrow. “Really? Well, that's disappointing,” she huffed.
“What do you…” Marinette stared at her incredulously. “He told you we didn't do anything. You yelled at him for maybe not meaning it.”
“Well, yeah. That’s my job. Can’t let him think it’s okay,” she shrugged off Marinette’s dismay like brushing off annoying lint. “But I thought he meant ‘we didn’t do anything’ like I mean it when I say I didn't do anything.”
Nobody responded for a few seconds, just watching the two women face off, one clearly considerably closer to a breakdown than the other, until Max finally broke the silence curiously. “What do you mean when you say it?”
“That I definitely did something, just not everything… usually… sometimes… okay never,” she admitted flippantly, “but it’s what I expect other people mean.”
“That’s the exact opposite of what that means,” Max pointed out at the same time Roy chimed in with, “Oh... yeah, same.”
“Roy!” Marinette exclaimed.
“Just with clothes on,” he amended, but the contrite tone was countered by his smug grin.
“Well, that’s… slow, but that’s the speed she likes so... Good job. I’m proud… I guess,” Chloe granted grudgingly. She eyed Marinette’s legs again, eyes narrowing into a dangerous glare. “Bitch, what does Ginger Spice mean you didn't see a doctor?”
Marinette let out a long, pained sigh. “I’m fine.”
Chloe’s eyebrow arched and bobbed back like she needed more space in order to properly evaluate the stupidity of the statement. “The fuck you are and according to Lucille Ball’s less talented brother, you didn’t see a doctor.”
Marinette met Chloe’s accusatory gaze with an apparently unbothered one of her own, just the slight tremor of the corners of her lips betrayed her. Finally, she huffed out a breath to glare at Roy. “Teller tale,” she hissed loudly.
Roy blinked once. Twice. Before finally responding, calmly, a harsh streak in his voice. “Tattletale. The word is tattletale. And if you hadn’t done something to tattle on, I wouldn’t have taled.”
“So,” Max started tentatively, drawing the vowel out as he stepped next to Marinette and Roy, almost between them but just to the side, not quite willing to insert himself into the mire, but knowing he had to, “you didn’t see a doctor?”
“I said,” she responded through gritted teeth, but quickly switched to a threadbare smile, “I’m fine.”
“That’s a no,” Max sighed. He took off his glasses and pinched the bridge of his nose. “Marinette…”
“No, she did not,” Chloe interjected with a sneer. She stepped in front of Marinette, having absolutely no fear of jumping right into the mire and any creatures stupid enough to try to come at her, “the liar.”
Marinette gasped and straightened up instantly. “I am not a liar.”
“Did you not imply you had seen a doctor?” Roy asked, though the tone was harsh leaving no doubt it was more of a disapproving demand.
She opened her mouth to deny, but the steely look in his eyes stopped her. She readjusted her posture trying to find one that fit the new situation. The incredulity of a moment ago felt wrong, like a too tight shirt, but giving in felt like not wearing anything at all and she wasn’t ready for that kind of vulnerability. She straightened again, but with less solidity this time, just the tiniest bit of waver in her posture that felt more like a tsunami wave to her, one she was determined to ride through. “Implication is not a lie.”
Roy’s expression fell into an unimpressed gaze. “Is that really the lesson you want me to take from our interactions? ‘Implication is not a lie.’ It’s okay if I only implied something false?”
Marinette huffed and looked away. “There were more important things to worry about,” she mumbled.
Roy’s unimpressed look somehow flattened even more. “The fucking genetics, man,” Conner grumbled under his breath, but still loud enough to feel like it echoed throughout the room. “If ever there was a doubt…”
Chloe’s scoff, however, was actually loud enough to echo throughout the room. She started to stalk toward Marinette but stopped when a nurse walked into the room, laptop open in his hand and fingers scrolling as his eyes darted back and forth across the screen. “Oh, look how lucky that is,” she sneered at Marinette with an overly wide pompous smile. “Hey, you, Doogie Howser, my girl needs someone to look at her. Bill the Waynes.” She waved her hand flippantly then immediately frowned as her eyes zeroed in on the chipped polish on her fingernails.
“Chloe!” Marinette screeched. She opened and closed her mouth. Her brows furrowed and head cocked to the side as she tried to scrub her brain. “Who is Doogie Howser?” she finally asked after finding no trace of the name.
“Don’t know. Just know it’s an insult for doctors,” she shrugged. Suddenly, she straightened up and leaned closer to Marinette, her eyes alight with glee, like she was sharing a secret. “I heard someone say it a few years ago and the look on the guys face…” she glanced into the distance a blissful expression settling on her face making her look almost innocent, a look that was utterly alien on her features. She let out a longing sigh and shook her head, snapping it toward the nurse when he took a step. “Where do you think you’re going, Hot Lips? We aren’t done here. She needs a bed. In the same room as Adrien.”
The nurse snapped his laptop shut with a loud crack. “That is not how things work,” he stated firmly, just a hint of condescension in his tone. “We will get her on the docket to get checked out and if necessary, we will find an available room that works with the appropriate nurse specialty and rotation for her to move into.”
Chloe narrowed her eyes, but a smirk settled on her lips and her body relaxed as if easing into a role she was intimately comfortable with. “Do you know who I am?”
He looked her over apathetically, eyes settling on her blonde hair. “Well, you’re not a Wayne. Are you a Queen?”
“I am, but not like that. That’s his department,” she scoffed motioning dismissively toward Roy. “For your purposes, consider me a princess. In fact, the princess. The most spoiled, annoying, determined, screechy princess Gotham has ever witnessed.” She took a threatening step towards the nurse. “So, when I say, she will receive a bed in that room, I mean, she WILL receive a bed in that room.”
“Ma’am,” the nurse sighed heavily as if expelling his last, barely grasped reason to live, “if you think you are more annoying than one of the rogues messing with our medical supplies, causing us to have to triple check every single tool, supply, and medicine we use, you are sorely mistaken. Now, if you will excuse me, I will finish my rounds then I can find someone to enter her information into the system so she can be added to the Emergency Room docket. Or you could make it go faster by taking her to the ER yourself.”
“Look you insignificant irritant,” Chloe hissed. “This woman…”
“Chloe, please stop and let the man do his job,” Marinette begged tiredly.
“What do you think that statement will accomplish?” Max asked, voice comprised of equal measures doubt and curiosity. “You know it won’t work. Are you trying to get in the hospital staff’s good graces?”
“No, I’m trying to…” the rest of her sentence was interrupted by a loud bang against the door then immediately a quieter, but deeper thump. The nurse glanced at the door curiously, but Chloe, Max, and Roy immediately moved into battle stances, Roy’s move positioning him in front of Marinette. His body was tense but pliable, ready to react whichever way the situation played out. However, his body eased after a glance to Conner who was stifling a laugh. He glanced at the door curiously as it opened slowly and Stephanie poked her head into the room.
“We brought waffles!” Stephanie announced meekly, holding aloft a bag, splotches where presumably syrup had leaked through.
“Waffles and embarrassment,” Tim chuckled stepping around her into the room. His steps slowed until he stopped midway into the room.
She glared at him, dropping her hand with the bag so quickly the food inside bounced against the sides and a small tear appeared along one of the stains. “That’s your fault,” she hissed. “I was ready to wake up stupidly early for this, but that wasn’t good enough for you. Noooo. We had to come hours earlier than I agreed to so you could feed your paranoia.”
Her eyes widened and she slowly turned toward Marinette and Chloe with a strained smile. “But I wanted... want to be here. It's fine. I'm happy to be here to support Marinette. You.” She motioned toward Marinette like Marinette may have forgotten who she was. “How you doing girl? You doing better? You look... okay you look like death warmed over, not going to lie, but that means you're alive, so fuck Black Mask. And, we brought waffles,” she exclaimed holding the bag out to Marinette. “That makes everything better.”
Tim waved her away, physically trying to push down her distraction. His eyes focused on taking in every detail in order to form an assessment of the situation before he chose a course of action, his eyes lingering on Marinette’s legs and his face contorting for just a second at the sight before slipping into a detached affect. “What… uh, what did we miss?”
“Me doing my rounds,” the nurse grumbled and started toward the ward doors. “Which I’ll perform for you now.”
Chloe smoothly stepped into his path. “I don’t think so, Nurse Ratched. Do you see my friend standing there?”
“My eyes work, yes,” he sighed.
“Then we aren’t done here,” she said slowly yet harshly with all the pomposity of someone explaining to one of their butlers why they were still wrong for not doing something she hadn’t asked them to. A position she was very familiar with. “We will not be done here until you take her to be examined.”
Stephanie straightened up and with significant effort tore her eyes away from Chloe, but her head quirked to the side, concern seeping into her tone. “She needs to be examined again?”
“She needs to be examined for the first time,” Conner grumbled, with absolutely no concern in his tone. There wasn’t room with all the frustration.
“She wasn’t examined?” Tim asked, his head whipped back and forth between Marinette and Chloe then finally landing on the nurse. “How the Hell did that happen? She came in here after a fight with Black Mask and nobody examined her?”
Marinette’s shoulders slumped and she let out a long breath. “I am fine,” she repeated yet again.
Tim stared at her incredulously. “Not with bruises like those you aren’t,” he growled motioning toward her legs. “And from what we heard, your legs were not the part that got hit the hardest.” He turned his glare toward the nurse. “I need Dr. Tompkins here now.”
“I was not on duty when any Black Mask victims were brought in so I cannot speak to what happened. However, I can submit your request,” he agreed, “after I’ve done my rounds. However, if you want Dr. Tompkins specifically…”
“We’ll submit the request now,” he cut in dismissively, already done dealing with him. He sent Stephanie a look, one she instantly understood based on her nod just before she shoved the waffles into Max’s hands and stepped out of the room, phone already in hand.
Chloe nodded at him in approval but narrowed her eyes at the nurse. “Now we just need them to put her in Adrien’s room.”
“This is not a hotel. You cannot simply request a room. There are regulations, requirements, health standards. We have a hard enough time complying amidst all the rogue attacks. We’re certainly not going to acquiesce to you,” he stated with forced, not entirely believable calmness. “Not to mention I have no idea who you are talking about.”
“Adrein Agreste,” Max clarified. “He was admitted last night.”
The nurse nodded slowly. “Right. Mr. Agreste. Severe…” He snapped his mouth shut when the door eased open as Stephanie strode back in with a nod to Tim. “I can’t reveal anything about his condition.” He looked over at Marinette. “And we cannot put her in his room. He is in critical condition and under extensive observation.”
“And she would like to extensively observe him as well,” Chloe snapped. “And she is going to get what she wants because she is of particular interest to the Director of Style Queen, the CEO of Graham Studios, Jagged Stone’s entire team and especially the man himself, Clara Nightengale, the CEO of Tsurugi Industries, the entire Miraculous team of heroes, Wonder Woman…”
“And the Bat family,” Tim cut in, crossing his arms over his chest. “They’ve been watching over her since she was outed as a Wayne,” he added quickly. “As well as the Waynes themselves and every executive of Wayne Enterprises who’s met her.”
“And the Queens,” Roy added in stepping behind Chloe, “and the Arrows.”
“And the Luthors, and the Supers,” Conner added stepping up on Chloe’s other side. “Not to mention the lead reporter for the Daily Planet, and Clark Kent.”
“Oh my God,” Marinette groaned. She dropped her head to her chest and covered her face with her hand as though she could disappear behind it. “Chloe, guys, please…”
“And me,” Stephanie offered after a beat. “I don’t, like, know who else other than the people they mentioned and I don’t have money or anything, but yeah, me too.”
“And none of them like to see her disappointed. So, when I say, you will do everything you can to make sure she and Adrien are cared for and together,” Chloe stepped closer to the nurse digging her nail into his chest, “I mean you. Will. Do. Everything. To. Make. Sure. She. And. Adrien. Are. Cared. For. And. Together.”
The nurse looked down at his chest for a beat then looked back up with a look so over the situation, he could have pointed to this moment as his villain origin story and nobody would have been surprised. “I told you already, I cannot put her in the same room, it would disrupt them both and the room is not able to support two beds and all the ancillary equipment,” the nurse responded tiredly. He looked over them again then lifted his gaze to the ceiling with a silent prayer for serenity before returning his eyes to Chloe. “But tell Dr. Tompkins there’s at least one open room in this ward. I don’t know where it is but it’s at least close.” He nodded to them and left the room, without getting intercepted this time.
Chloe glared at him until the door closed behind him then whirled around on the men who had stepped up to support Marinette, and more importantly her. Her eyes narrowed as she studied them like a legal brief cataloging every weakness, every loophole, every unsaid admission. “Interesting,” she stated.
“That was so fucking hot,” Stephanie whispered to Tim through hard pants, though the slight uptick of Chloe’s lips indicated she heard it.
“Can you guys not threaten and intimidate innocent people who are just doing their jobs,” Marinette asked though her voice lacked heat, instead sounding about as done as the nurse’s had been.
“No,” all four answered in unison. Even Stephanie had allowed herself to take her focus off Chloe long enough to contribute to the chorus of voices.
Max blinked at them. He just barely stopped himself from taking a defensive step back. “Well, that’s just…”
“Fucking creepy,” Marinette finished for him.
“That is an accurate assessment,” he agreed.
“Threatening and intimidating people of all kinds is one of the many, many, many talents I was blessed with,” Chloe commented with only slightly less hostility than she had used on the nurse. “Which you well fucking know so I don’t know why you’re wasting the energy you obviously don’t have to fight me.”
Marinette narrowed her eyes and crossed her arms over her chest, being careful to make it appear like it was firmly done while simultaneously attempting not to actually touch her still aching chest. “Fighting you is one of the talents I was blessed with,” she leaned in close to hiss through her teeth, “literally.” She maintained eye contact for a few seconds before finally backing away to glare at her from a different position. “And I’m not doing anything that means I can’t monitor Adrien.”
Chloe let out a long breath like she was having to deal with a particularly petulant toddler. “Which is why I said in the same room or across from him.”
“And whatever tests they’re going to do? You think they’re going to just do all of those in that room?” Marinette demanded. “No, they aren’t. They’re going to make me leave. And then Adrien will be left with nobody here to protect him.”
“No, offense,” Max added in quickly giving Tim and Stephanie a strained smile.
“He won’t be defenseless,” Chloe huffed. “He has…” she motioned toward the room and paused a second before continuing like she was looking for a word, “godlike things that float and watch over him.”
“Guardian angels,” Conner provided for her.
“Not what I would call them,” Chloe snorted dismissively, “and Markov, and whatever Bat is outside, and them,” she motioned toward Tim and Stephanie. “And you won’t be far away for long and you’ll have Max’… lucky glasses.” She took a step toward Marinette cutting the distance Marinette had just created. “And because if you don’t, I will tell Kagami.”
Marinette narrowed her eyes at Chloe. “No.”
“Yes,” she chirped back. “And think how much better ‘she saw a doctor finally’ will sound to our heavily pregnant, on bed rest, friend than ‘the stupid fucking bitch still won’t do the very basic, no effort things to stay alive after actively trying to get hurt’.”
Marinette leaned back, arms almost over her chest again, and clicked her tongue. “Oh, if it’s a stupid fucking bitch off…”
“It isn't,” Chloe cut in harshly. “You'd win. I’d win the insufferable but gorgeous fucking bitch off. So, you’re going to get your tiny, likely dark purple ass in whatever room their doctor tells you to go into and get checked out and let them do whatever they say they need to do get you healthy again.” She grabbed her phone and started toward the door, but called over her shoulder as she moved, “And call your fucking parents. They’re worried out of their minds.”
Marinette huffed and pursed her lips but didn’t argue back. She did want to talk to her parents, she was desperate for it, in fact. This had been the longest she’d gone without speaking with them ever. She just hadn’t had the chance or mental capacity to do it since Adrien had been taken. “I still don’t have a phone.”
Chloe turned back toward her with an unimpressed look. “Well lucky for you, you’ll have Markov. And I assume the Red Queen here has a phone as well.”
Roy immediately stiffened. “Red Queen?” he asked carefully, his eyes darted to Conner and Tim quickly and back to Chloe. “Why, uh, why Red Queen?”
Chloe tore her gaze from Marinette to look at him face scrunched with such incredulity she would have scolded herself for causing semi-permanent wrinkles if she could have seen herself. “Do I seriously have to explain the redheaded child of Oliver Queen why I’m referring to you as Red Queen? Is that a thing I need to do? Do…”
She shook her head with a disgusted huff and turned to Markov. “We’re going to have to rely on you more than we thought. Don’t listen to Strawberry Shortcake here…” she turned toward Roy, eyes widened in faux concern, “do I need to explain that one too?”
She turned back to Markov before Roy could respond. “About anything,” she continued. “And when we come back this afternoon, with food, because we care if our friends have eaten or not,” she added pointedly glaring again at Roy, “we will bring your phone. And the charger for you, Markov. Also, I’m putting you in charge.”
“Thank you,” Roy nodded as he stepped forward to place a protective arm around Marinette’s shoulders but only hovered over them so as not to put pressure on her bruises.
Chloe’s face immediately scrunched in disgust. “Not you, snitch.” She motioned toward Markov who had already floated forward to meet her gaze with a bob forward. “Wake us up immediately if anything happens, Markov.”
“Of course, Chloe. I will monitor both of them,” he stated.
“Wait,” Roy interrupted, “it gets a full, accurate name, and I get the snarky monikers?”
Her eyes flicked up and down with a sneer. “I respect Markov.”
“Thank you, Chloe. And I fear you,” Markov stated matter of factly.
“And I appreciate that about you,” she cooed. “Now I need to get some sleep before I start looking like her.” She motioned toward Marinette almost like an afterthought as she made her way toward the door.
“Thanks Chlo,” Marinette deadpanned.
Chloe halted her progress enough to sneer without heat at Marinette. “Well see a fucking doctor and get better and I won’t get to say shit like that.”
Marinette scoffed. “Like that would stop you.”
Chloe shrugged. “True.” She continued walking toward the doors again and froze in front of them to glare at Max who had forgotten he was apparently supposed to go with her. He scrambled to join her and opened the door for her. She continued her glare for another few moments then turned back toward the room. “And let us know if you detect any…” she motioned like bugs flying about, or more specifically a bug and a cat, “messages we should know about.” She moved through the door without another acknowledgement or a thank you.
Max sighed and looked back at Marinette. “And let us know what your doctor says.” Marinette nodded but rolled her eyes and looked back toward the door leading toward Adrien’s room. He groaned and looked toward Roy. “You let us know what her doctor says.”
“Will do,” Roy nodded with a small smile. At least someone trusted him.
Max snorted. “Not you.”
“Yes, Max. I will let you know as soon as Dr. Thompkins enters her report,” Markov answered as he floated forward over Roy’s shoulder. Max nodded and followed Chloe out.
“Fucking figures,” Roy grumbled and dropped into a seat ignoring the snorts from the other people in the room.
The final day of Jasonette July: Castles in the Sky
@maribat-calendar-events
Link to AO3
Six months. It had been six months since she and Jason officially got together and everything was going perfectly. Marinette had really settled into Gotham life, setting up a boutique with money she’d saved from commissions and the bonus that Jagged had decided to pay her when he finally got fitted just before his tour.
Of course, he’d said it was to make sure she could settle down while looking directly at Jason, but she’d managed to keep her blush to a reasonable level. It helped that Jason had merely given her a besotted look that made her heart sing and reminded her of the videos Conner had sent her all that time ago.
She’d also been properly introduced to the Waynes as his girlfriend, a family dinner at the manor that hadn’t ended in bloodshed or tears, and Jason said that that was as good as it could possibly get. He’d also introduced her to Steph and Cass who had been absent from the gala and seemed to absolutely adore her, promising that they were going to have a girl’s night when their schedules allowed it. It had yet to happen but she was optimistic.
But now that they’d known each other for a year, she wanted to come clean about knowing he was Red Hood. And then she could tell him about her past as Ladybug which she’d kept secret as much as was possible while still letting him know what she’d gone through in Paris. She’d told him there were secrets she wasn’t ready to share and he’d given her a grin and promised that he was willing to wait.
So tonight, she’d made Roy promise that he would intercept anyone looking for Jason before he got pulled away, saying that she’d made plans to celebrate their six month anniversary. He’d been more than happy to, messaging the Waynes to say that he was on call instead of Jason if they needed it.
Setting up a picnic on the roof of her Nonna’s apartment building, she tucked the key for the new place she’d managed to secure under the desserts she’d made and hoped that the evening went as planned. The fact that the place was now hers - theirs, she hoped - was a surprise but he’d been involved when she’d been looking so she knew that they both liked it.
“Hey Pix,” he called as he arrived, coming to sit next to her on the blanket and tugging her into a kiss that made her almost forget her plan. But it was a good plan and she definitely wanted to share the news if revealing what she knew went well. “Mmm, this all smells amazin’. Is that your famous coffee cake? Baby, I ever tell you how perfect you are?”
“Hey Jay,” she giggled, straddling his lap and running her fingers through his hair as he ran his own along her waist. “Only sometimes. Had a good day?”
“Better now I’m with you,” he said sincerely, making her heart practically burst with joy. “Happy six month-a-versary, darlin’.”
“Happy six month-a-versary,” she giggled, leaning in to kiss him again. “And happy anniversary for the first time we met. Luckiest day of my life.”
“Wow, a whole year, huh,” he said, voice going slightly hoarse. “You think it was lucky for you? Doll, I don’t think I’ve ever been luckier than when I met you. Even if I lost Dickhead’s umbrella.”
“No, that was the second time we met,” Marinette said casually. She felt him stiffen under her, likely trying to work out when she was referring to and probably only coming up with the one instance. “I mean, you were dressed a little different, and Penguin was there-”
“What the hell, Pix, you know? Since when?”
“I worked it out so long ago,” she laughed, smoothing his hair back and pressing a kiss to the tip of his nose. “You left your suit out one night and I found it when I was looking for a sweater. You should really be more careful with your secrets, Jay.”
“Dammit, I knew you were too cool with me vanishin’ sometimes. Ah well, at least it means I don’t have to pretend not to know you when I see you skulkin’ around in Crime Alley anymore. Which reminds me, we need to discuss your self-preservation skills, Nette, ’cos they feel non-existent most the time.”
“Well that would be because of the secrets I’ve kept from you. Very well, I might say! You remember Ladybug, superheroine of Paris? That was me,” she admitted, flushing when he looked at her incredulously. “Surprise?”
“Well shit, now I can’t say you need trainin’,” he snorted, dropping his head onto her shoulder. “What’re the chances of us findin’ each other like that?”
“Got to love those instincts to jump into a fight,” she said, snuggling even closer. “You up to another surprise?”
“I swear to god, Pix, if you’re about to say you’re pregnant-”
“No! I got the apartment you goof. And now that those secrets are out of the way…I was wondering if you wanted to move in together,” she said, her voice getting smaller as anxiety started to close her throat. This was the moment he could turn it all away, that he could decide he didn’t want anything to do with her anymore.
“You want to live together, knowin’ everythin’ about me?”
“Jay, I would move into your place if I thought it was big enough for the both of us. And I’m not saying you get rid of your apartment, I just…I want to be with you. Always, and to know I’m coming home to you every night instead of trying to make our separate apartments work like one.”
“Then yeah, there’s nothin’ I’d like more’n movin’ in with you,” he said softly, cradling the back of her head as he looked into her eyes. “I love you, Marinette Dupain-Cheng. And I don’t think there’s a thing you could ask of me I wouldn’t do.”
“I love you too, Jason Todd. And I promise not to ask anything totally wild any more than once a week,” she said with a cheeky grin, relishing the laugh that burst out of him right up until he kissed her again.
“So there’s no girlfriend?” Marinette asked, exhilarated and exhausted as she lay draped over him on the sofa.
“I have no idea why you would think there was someone else-”
“I saw you together! You were cuddling, in the street, and you just- you looked so comfortable with her-”
“Who?” Jason asked incredulously, tilting her chin so that she had to look at him instead of hiding in his chest.
“The- the woman at Roy’s? She seemed surprised that I knew the news - you know, that you’d fallen in love with her - so I figured I had it completely right! And when I congratulated her on you getting together-”
“Jesus Christ, Pix, that’s my sister-in-law. She married Dick last year and she’s pregnant. The news she thought you knew was the baby they’re havin’, not that I’m datin’ her. Gross, she’s had sex with Dick.”
“But then who were you talking about in those videos-”
“I fuckin’ knew it, Kon’s a dead man,” Jason groaned, letting his head drop back and rubbing his face with the hand that wasn’t threaded in her hair. “I was talkin’ about you. Nette, I’ve been so stupid about you ever since you tried to take my head off for offerin’ you an umbrella. There’s nobody else, I swear.”
“Oh,” she said in a small, breathless voice. Everything he’d said when drunk…Tikki had been right. All her. Wow. “Now’s probably a good time to tell you I love you too?”
“Darlin’, it's always a good time,” Jason said with a sharp grin that stayed even as he angled her head to kiss her thoroughly.
_ _ _
Jason didn’t want to leave Marinette’s apartment but he needed to at least sort things out with Roy, let him know he wasn’t dead or out killing everyone he came across in a rage. He could probably do that by texting him but then the temptation would be to just keep Marinette hostage in her own apartment.
“You’re not gonna vanish as soon as I leave, right?” he asked, keeping her seated in his lap as he delayed leaving. “’Cos if I have to chase you to the airport I’m gonna be pissed.”
“Well I wasn’t but if you’re basically going to dare me…” she giggled, shifting away from him slightly.
“Nope, don’t even think about it,” he growled, kissing her neck and pulling her flush against him again. “Or I’m gonna end up stayin’ here forever and nobody’d ever see us again. Not that I’d complain,” he added with a smirk when she squealed and slapped his arm.
“Okay, I promise to stay in Gotham until we work everything out,” she said with a smile, turning around to face him. He gripped her hips as she put her knees on either side of his legs, not quite believing he wasn’t dreaming. “Maybe we can do something tomorrow? You know, like an actual date?”
“Why wait ’til tomorrow? I’m free tonight,” he murmured, cupping her cheek and drawing her into a kiss that made his veins thrum and heart fly. “I love you so fuckin’ much, Pix, you know that?”
“Love you too, Jay,” she said, smiling softly.
Making his way back to Roy’s apartment in the late afternoon, he smiled and hummed to himself. He had promised her that he would be there to pick her up for their date around seven and he just had to go and explain things to Roy before he started preparing for it. He got there at a much more sedate pace than when he had left earlier that day, much reducing the risk of breaking his neck.
“Hey, you look like you sorted things out,” Roy said without preamble, smirking at Kor’i who was drinking a cup of tea while they sat chatting on the sofa. Jason had let himself in and couldn’t even muster up enough annoyance to shoot a scowl at his best friend. No, Marinette had him completely and thoroughly happy just then so it was unlikely that he would be able to fake anger.
“Yep,” he said, popping the ‘p’ and dropping onto the armchair that was still free. “Worked out why she’s been dodgin’ me for the past week too. Kor’i, she got the wrong idea about who you were to me and she thought your news was about us gettin’ together.”
That led to a humour-filled explanation and conversation where Roy reminded him again that if he’d just communicated openly about his feelings he wouldn’t have ended up in that situation. Jason refused to admit it but he could acknowledge internally that things wouldn’t have become so messy if he’d just allowed himself to be honest with her.
“So, do you want to celebrate tonight? We could go out for drinks and-”
“No can do, I’ve got plans to take her on an actual date for a change. ’Sides, if I didn’t have plans with her I’d be off committin’ the murder of Kon for sendin’ her those videos in the first place. Not that I’ve ruled it out,” he muttered as he thought again of how easily it could have gone the other way.
“Man, don’t tell me we’re going to see even less of you now,” Roy complained, his voice weary. “You know if you don’t get enough rest because you’re too busy fuc-”
“Hey, I don’t tell you what to do with your sex life,” Jason said in mock outrage. “When’s Lian comin’ back? ’Cos I bet you’ll see more of me then, even if it’d be with Nette.”
“God, you’re going to be one of those couples, aren’t you,” Roy said in disgust. “You’re going to spend all of your time together and be gooey and inseparable, aren’t you?”
“I’m literally here without her now,” Jason said deadpan, rolling his eyes to Kor’i. “But anyway, you’re the one that wanted me to define the relationship, right? Well, I did it!”
“I’m just messing with you,” Roy said, waving a hand in the air. “Besides, Lian’s going to be thrilled that Aunt Nettie and Uncle Jay are actually dating now, so there’s that. But you’d better be making her a flower girl for the wedding.”
Jason’s eyes narrowed as Kor’i started laughing but didn’t bother denying his eventual intentions, not considering they knew all about his drunken ramblings. And the thought of Marinette all dressed up and ready to marry him left him a little speechless.
_ _ _
Marinette stood on the roof of her apartment building, letting the events of the past couple of weeks wash over her. She’d been every bit as foolish as she had as a teenager, jumping to conclusions and letting those assumptions fuel her actions. When she had believed Adrien was her soulmate she had rushed into planning an entire future with him without stopping to see if the relationship worked as well in real life as it had in her imagination.
With Jason, she had assumed the worst because she’d already been burned once. The wind ruffled her hair and she closed her eyes against the invisible touch. She wished he was there, so she could apologise for her behaviour over the past week but at the same time found it a relief to have some time to herself to get her thoughts in order.
She would need to talk to him eventually, about knowing his other identity, but she wasn’t ready to give up her own secrets. Someday, she hoped they would be together for long enough to justify sharing the kwamis and her past as a superheroine but not yet.
Imagining a future together, without any pressure of making it perfect? That made her smile.
Jason frowned at his phone, wondering if maybe he’d broken it somehow. Or maybe Marinette had broken hers and she could only send two or three word texts. The alternative was that she was avoiding him, which he didn’t want to believe but…the videos. They were bad, and he knew that because Kor’i had shown them to him and he’d groaned as he watched drunk him practically crying about how much he loved Marinette, even if he hadn’t named her. It was very obvious who he was talking about and he hadn’t been able to hold back, apparently.
But why else would she be refusing to see him? Why would she be making a million excuses every time he asked about meeting up? He couldn’t even try to offer Lian as a reason they should meet because she wasn’t here for another couple of weeks.
And yes, she did have a commission that she said she needed privacy to complete, so it wasn’t necessarily that she was avoiding him. He clung to that thought even though the creeping voice in the back of his head said that she was finished with him and even if she was doing the commission, she should be taking breaks. If he didn’t think it would be breaking her trust, he’d show up at her apartment anyway to make sure she was eating and sleeping.
He sighed and threw the phone to the side, wondering if there was another way he could check on her. He could always go out as Red Hood, linger in her neighbourhood until she showed her face for whatever reason. She had to be leaving the apartment sometimes, right?
Or maybe it didn’t need to be him. Maybe he could get Roy to message her and find out if it was a him thing. Maybe see if Kon or Tim had already sent her the videos and screwed his life up like that. It would be so typical of Tim to take this from him, to ruin his life by thinking he was being funny.
He was pulled from his dark thoughts by his phone ringing and he almost flew across the room to pick it up. Only to have to swallow his disappointment when he saw that it was Roy.
“Hey man, what’s up?” he asked, sticking the phone next to his ear as he slumped back onto the sofa.
“Got a mission for us, if you’re not too busy hooking up with Nettie,” Roy teased, only faltering when Jason didn’t fight back. “Hey, everything alright?”
“No, everythin’ is fuckin’ shit. Mari hasn’t said more than a few words to me by text for a few days and I don’t know if we’re still cool. I should never’ve gone out for Steph’s birthday.”
And then the whole story came spilling out, at no provocation from Roy. He told him about all the events that had led up to what was happening now. The words wouldn’t stop, his worries and fears tumbling over each other until he wasn’t sure if he was even making any sense.
The silence that followed his story felt heavy. The fact that Roy wasn’t laughing it off was concerning and it made the worry that was gnawing at his gut worse. They sat in silence for several minutes before Roy sighed and Jason could already hear the ‘I told you so’ that was definitely coming.
“Listen, Jay, you should maybe just give her some space. Marinette obviously cares about you, maybe she just needs to get used to the idea that you have more than just surface feelings. It’s not like she totally ghosted you, and she has good reasons for keeping you out of her apartment while she’s working. If she’s using the circumstances to make sure she has some space…”
“You’re right. God it’s annoying when you’re right. Fine, tell me about this mission.”
_ _ _
Marinette stitched up the last couple of pieces on the trousers for Jagged’s suit and leaned back to look at them critically. She knew they were well stitched, but she wasn’t sure they were perfect yet, and striving for perfection would definitely keep her occupied for longer.
It had been four days since she’d seen Jason and his new girlfriend and it still didn’t hurt any less. She’d thought that distance would give her time to sort through her feelings, or at least find a way to bury them so she could wish Jason luck going forward but it just seemed to make her miss him more.
She’d heard that Red Hood had been sighted with an archer in the past day or so, so she knew he was okay. And Roy, probably, though she hadn’t messaged him recently because she didn’t want to risk Roy inviting Jason to anything she did with Lian. It was going to suck, stepping back from Lian to make room for Jason’s girlfriend because she really did love the little girl, but she should never have allowed herself to get attached.
Deciding that the trousers were as well made as they could possibly be while still allowing herself the thought that they may need to be adjusted after Jagged tried them on, she snapped a picture of them to send to the man in question. She smiled sadly at the thought that she wasn’t going to be in Gotham when he needed any adjustments but pushed the thought away. She hadn’t told anyone about her leaving Gotham yet, and wouldn’t until the suit was finished and she had her tickets to fly to Washington re-set up.
Gina hadn’t messaged recently, though when she last spoke to her parents they’d mentioned that they had received a postcard from the flighty woman. It had said that she was having fun and taking ‘each day as they come’ - which meant she had no plans to return to Gotham and her granddaughter any time soon.
Her phone buzzed in her hand and her heart entered her throat until she saw Penny’s name lighting up the screen. Sighing in both relief and disappointment, (she really missed Jason) she answered the call with as big a smile plastered on her face as she could manage. It might not stop Penny’s spidey-sense from letting her know that Marinette was sad but it would muddy the waters slightly.
“Hey Pen! So, what do you think?”
“Marinette, those are exactly how Jagged described them, only better,” Penny gushed, making Marinette’s smile feel a little less forced. “God, you must have been working non-stop to get them done, aren’t you having any fun at the moment?”
“You know what I’m like when I’m focused,” Marinette dodged, picking up a pen to twirl between her fingers. “Besides, I’m sleeping and eating, and listening to the album on repeat. Did I mention recently that Jagged’s a creative genius? I feel like I should mention it again because he really is.”
“I’m not telling him you said that, he’ll get a big head,” Penny laughed, and Marinette could hear Jagged making noise in the background. It sounded half offended, half proud and it made Marinette feel a little unmoored. They had such an easy relationship, balance having been found a long time ago between them. “But you’re okay? Still staying in Gotham for the time being?”
“Yeah, that’s…I said I would, and it would take time to arrange anything else, right? When’s the tour start again?”
They confirmed dates and chatted for a little while longer but Marinette felt very keenly that her time was limited if she was trying to keep anyone from working out that she was on her way to falling apart.
Marinette threw her hands up in frustration when the sequins refused to sit right again. She’d stayed up late the night before, trying to get the vision in her head and on paper to come to reality with the fabric but it wasn’t working. She groaned and fell face first onto the sofa, her brain moving sluggishly.
“Marinette, why don’t you take a break,” Tikki said, landing on top of Marinette’s head and waiting. “You have plenty of time to get this piece finished so getting some sleep now means you actually manage to get things done instead of having a breakdown over sequins.”
“No, I want to be gone by the end of the week, because I don’t know when Roy will ask to meet up for another knitting lesson for Lian. I haven’t even messaged him to make sure he knows I’m not available for one! So I don’t have time to sleep,” Marinette said stubbornly, mind moving sluggishly but moving nonetheless.
“Marinette, you haven’t slept for more than three hours at a time all week,” Tikki said disapprovingly. “I will start hiding your coffee if you’re going to be unreasonable, and then you’ll have to go out which runs the risk of running into someone you don’t want to see.”
“Tikki, please,” Marinette said with a hint of desperation. She knew staying up for the whole week wasn’t sustainable but she really couldn’t sleep. Every time she did she was plagued by either nightmares that woke her crying or dreams that felt so real that she ended up depressed when she woke and they weren’t.
But Tikki wasn’t budging, her tiny face set in stone as she started to float threateningly towards the kitchen. So she allowed the kwami to push her into bed, tucking her in and curling up next to her either for comfort or ease of monitoring.
Marinette fell asleep within moments.
_ _ _
Jason checked his phone again when the mission ended, glaring at the lack of messages from Marinette. He’d gone by her apartment complex a couple of times as Red Hood but it seemed like she was taking the risk of someone seeing her work seriously because the curtains had been drawn every time, obscuring everything from view.
It wasn’t like he had ignored Roy’s advice to give her space. He totally had been giving her space, he just had also been sending a quick text in the morning to see if she was finished with her work. He’d just about refrained from saying that he needed to talk to her, though he had the feeling some of his messages were on the border of explicitly stating it. Those were the messages that got the shortest responses and it didn’t exactly reassure him that things were fine.
“Jason, you should really give some time so that she may message when she is free,” Kor’i said as she floated down from her perch on top of the building. “What is that saying, a watched frog never boils water?”
Jason snorted involuntarily, finding her the mangling of the two phrases amusing. But it was a short lived humour and he sighed as he yanked his helmet off and ran a hand through his hair. “A watched pot never boils, yeah. But this is different, I should be able to work out what she’s thinkin’, or find a way that makes her talk to me.”
“Roy said to give her some space, yes? It feels as though, perhaps, you are disregarding his advice in spite of agreeing at the time that it could be effective.”
“Kor…I feel like I missed somethin’. Like somethin’ bigger than a coupla videos, even if they were pretty heavy. Would you leave it if somethin’ like this had happened with Dick?”
“It would be a different situation, I have known Dick for a lot longer than you have known your Marinette. Not only that, but we have never been in a casual relationship as you are now, so I do not know the rules for any issues you are having,” Kor’i said sympathetically. “Roy does seem more ideally placed to advise you on these matters, so I would suggest you listen to him and give your Marinette some more time to work through whatever it is she is struggling with.”
Jason sighed again, but threw back on his helmet and put his phone away. Maybe tonight would be a good time to visit Wayne Manor so he could let patrol distract him.
_ _ _
Marinette woke up after only two hours of sleep, tears coating her face and her heart aching. The dream this time had consisted of Alya talking down to her, condescendingly telling her she had told her so, that she knew nothing good was going to come from Marinette hooking up with a random guy in Gotham.
It didn’t matter that rational, awake Marinette knew that Alya hadn’t meant that she would get her heart broken. That she knew that Alya was worried about something much more sinister, like organ harvesting or human trafficking. No, apparently her subconscious was willing to torment her with things she knew weren’t going to happen because…well, what if it did.
At least it wasn’t the one where Adrien had come and reminded her that he was still available and dream her, for whatever reason, had agreed and gone back to the horribly lonely life she’d been living in Paris. Yeah, that was not going to happen. She wasn’t even sure she wanted to head back to Paris at all, a thought that she’d only spoken aloud to Jason in the dead of night.
The thought of Jason gave her another pang and she forced herself up and out of the bed again, making sure not to disturb Tikki when she went. Chances were Tikki was well aware that she was getting out of bed but she’d done as the kwami had asked so it wasn’t like she was going against orders.
Pouring a fresh cup of coffee, she eyed the jacket critically and, upon closer inspection, she saw where the issue from earlier had arisen. The fabric sat differently to what her sleep deprived brain had been able to see and that meant the needle wouldn’t go the way she needed it to, resulting in sequins that didn’t sit the way they were meant to.
Wincing at the realisation that Tikki absolutely would say ‘I told you so’ when she saw that Marinette had succeeded after her brief nap, she picked the needle, thread and sequins back up. Maybe if she could get the work done, she would know exactly what she wanted to do at the end of the week.
“It's finished!” Marinette cheered, basking in her success for a moment. She admired the way the suit twinkled as she photographed it, excited to share the results with Jagged and Penny before she needed to talk to them about her no longer being in Gotham when they wanted it fitted. The thought dragged her out of the blissful bubble she’d constructed when she’d finished the task.
“It looks wonderful, Marinette,” Tikki chirped, hovering near it to inspect it as Marinette took the pictures. The designer gave a halfhearted agreement, the full weight of her next steps settling onto her again. The kwami gave a sigh and came straight back over to her to hug her as tightly as a tiny god could. “You know you don’t need to make any decisions right now. You could still talk to your young man and get some closure before we vanish into the sunset.”
“I’ve already rebooked the tickets, Tiks. Besides, I can’t- the thought of talking to Jason directly and have him tell me what I already know sounds like the worst thing I’ve ever done. Or will do,” she added softly, grimacing and hunching into herself. She glanced around the space and grimaced at the mess and materials. “I’d better get cleaning up before we go though, I doubt Nonna wants to return to this.”
So she spent the next couple of hours cleaning up fabric scraps and boxing anything she wouldn’t be able to take with her. There were a dozen or so scarves and hats that she hadn’t managed to get out to the homeless children but she didn’t dare go out where she might run into Red Hood. It didn’t matter if he didn’t know she knew, she’d probably burst into tears as soon as she saw him and that would be impossible to explain.
So she sighed and bagged those up alongside the skeins of yarn she hadn’t managed to use yet, checking the time to see if it would be unreasonable to drop by Roy’s with the stuff. She turned it over in her head and decided that, even if he wasn’t home she could drop it off with a note and hope he got it. Actually, that would probably be preferable and she started trying to manifest it through sheer willpower as she headed out of the door.
_ _ _
Roy frowned at his door when someone rapped on it, glancing at Kor’i who was just as surprised that someone was there as he was. Which ruled out it being Dick because he would have messaged her before coming to encroach on her time with friends. Especially when he wouldn’t know if the mission was done yet because her part had only really ended half an hour before.
Checking the peephole cautiously, he was absolutely floored to see Marinette standing on the other side, looking like she was about to ditch out. It took a long second to get the door open and she had put the bags down and was turning on the heel when she pulled up short at his appearance.
“Oh, hey, I wasn’t sure anyone was in,” she said in a tired voice. Her eyes had dark circles like she hadn’t been getting anywhere near enough sleep and that worried him. “I was, uh, I was just looking to drop off some stuff. There’s a letter and-”
“Well thanks, bring it on in,” he said easily, purposely not making it a question so she was more likely to just do it. She hesitated only a moment before sighing and picking things up before following him in. But only as far as his living room, setting the bags down on the coffee table and inching backwards again. “Been a while, Jay said he’s not really heard from you either. Luckily Lian’s off at her grandparents and doesn’t realise you gave up on messaging for lessons. Cold feet?”
“Commitment’s no fun,” Marinette murmured halfheartedly, refusing to look in Roy’s eyes. It worried him even more, made him want to sit her down and have an intervention but he held back. Forcing her to discuss this would probably only end badly, so he was going to have to be careful.
Unfortunately, that was the moment that Kor’i appeared in the doorway to Roy’s kitchen. Roy didn’t know why but Marinette completely tensed, eyes darting around the room to, presumably, find an exit. It was alarming but he couldn’t think of a single reason she would feel trapped.
“This must be Marinette! It is so nice to meet you at last, I have heard so much about you from Jason,” Kor’i said, coming forward to pick Marinette up in a hug. But Marinette stepped back, like she was afraid, and Kor’i pulled up short, tilting her head at her.
“Yeah, um, it’s okay. I already know who you are so…yeah. I understand congratulations are in order?”
“He told you the news?” Kor’i asked, wide eyed. Roy could tell she was excited, that she was as surprised as he was that Jason had told Marinette anything about her pregnancy. “Thank you, we are very excited-”
“Right, I’m sure it’s very…anyway, I can’t stay. I only really came over to give you this yarn, for Lian. I’m- I fly out to Washington tonight and I can’t really take all of this with me-”
“You’re leaving? I thought you had longer here,” Roy said, well and truly bewildered at this point. “Nette, is everything okay?”
“Everything’s great!” she said overly enthusiastically, a grimace parading as a smile on her face. Her eyes drifted back to Kor’i and Roy thought something like pain passed over her face before disappearing. “Things changed, obviously, and I can’t…it’s not important. Can you tell Jason that I’m sorry I couldn’t catch him before I went? Tell him I’ll write to him when I get where I’m going, if he wants me to.”
“I mean, he’s supposed to be on his way over,” Roy lied smoothly, opening his phone under the pretense of checking for messages and sending a shorthand SOS as quickly as he could. Sure, it might send Jason into a bit of a tailspin and panic slightly but it was the fastest way to make sure he hauled ass to get to the apartment.
“Oh, um, no, I really do need to go,” Marinette said, face blanching and eyes going slightly wild. “Thanks for everything Roy, I’ll let you know when I land in Washington. N-nice to meet you, good luck with everything.”
And then she was gone, practically running away from the pair. Maybe three minutes later, the thud of Jason’s feet landing in the bedroom had Roy heading over to talk to him as well. The gun Jason was holding was lowered as he took in Roy, whole and healthy and not in dire need of back up.
“Buddy, what the fuck? There’d better be a helluva reason for sending an emergency message when you’re clearly fine-”
“Marinette was just here,” Roy interrupted, not mincing words when time could be short. “She came over to drop off a bunch of stuff and she ran out of here when I told her you were coming over.”
“What?” Jason looked like Roy had sucker punched him, his surprise palpable between them. “Of all the times- How long ago? Like, if I head to her apartment now am I gonna catch her?”
“You literally just missed her,” Roy said, frowning. He didn’t like how this was playing out and he couldn’t see any way for it to work out unless Jason went and made Marinette have a conversation. “You should’ve told us you told her about Kor’i and Dick’s news.”
“I woulda if I had,” Jason said, giving Roy a confused look. “I told you, I was tryin’ not to scare her off, why would I bring up pregnancy even if I was talkin’ about someone else?”
“Well she knew. Congratulated Kor’i and everything, it was weird. I’ve never seen her act like that, plus she said she’s leaving tonight-”
“Why the fuck wouldn’t you lead with that?” Jason shouted, turning on his heel and practically running out of the door.
Jason was running down the streets that led to Marinette’s apartment fast enough that he worried distantly that he would slip and hurt himself irrevocably. It had rained recently enough and the floors were still slick since the sun didn’t come out enough to dry it. But the thought that he might miss his chance to talk to her before she ran away from Gotham made sure his feet didn't slow.
He didn't know what was going on between them but he refused to let her slip away without getting to the bottom of it. Which is how he ended up outside her apartment building, breathing hard and ringing the bell determinedly as he waited for her to answer. He refused to believe that she was already gone; even he wasn't that unlucky.
When she opened the door it was clear she was reluctant to let him in. He didn’t understand how things had gone so wrong, they’d seemed on the same page up until he’d been out with Steph. She didn’t say anything but stepped back to let him in, maintaining her silence all the way until they were standing awkwardly in her living room. He ran a hand through his hair, trying to pick a place to start.
“So I hear you went to visit Roy,” he said finally, leaning against the back of her sofa. He didn’t dare look at her, not yet, not until he had a grip on his own feelings. Which felt impossible.
“Yeah, well I needed to…I can’t take the yarn with me when I…” She kept trailing off, her voice faltering.
“I don’t get it, what’s the problem?” he muttered, jaw clenching as he pushed back the anger that felt a little too green to be all his.
“What?” Marinette said, and he felt the tension between them breaking into something sharp.
“I said, ‘what’s the problem?’” he said, frowning down at where she was playing with her fingers. She only did that when she was nervous, or overthinking, and he wanted to take hold of them and make them still.
“There's no problem. I just…I've been here so much longer than I ever meant to be and I think it's…it's time for me to move on,” she said quietly, still not looking at him. He felt it like a knife to the gut and he had to take a moment to gather himself together.
“Pix, what's goin’ on? I thought things were- I thought you were thinkin’ about stayin’.”
“I changed my mind,” she said, shoulders curling in around her. He knew things had been weird between them for the past couple of days but he didn't think it was anything they couldn't figure out. Hell, he was prepared to flat out deny everything Kon had recorded that night if it meant she would stay. Besides, friends fell out and made up all the time, and that's all they were.
Liar, a little voice hissed in his mind, but he shoved it away. He swallowed and tried to make sense of what was going on.
“Is it somethin’ I did? ’Cos I thought we were good but if there's-”
“You didn't do anything wrong, Jason. We both agreed this wasn't permanent, that I had to leave-”
“Maybe I’d believe that if you’d said more than four words in a row to me in the past week before today,” he shot back, panic building somewhere in his chest. They had to be able to fix this, it couldn’t end like this. Not when she wouldn’t look at him, wouldn’t even talk to him.
Marinette shook her head frantically, desperately looking for a way out of this that didn’t expose the feelings she hadn’t realised she had. She tried again, mouth tasting like ash. “I’ve been busy, I’ve barely talked to anyone-”
“No,” he said, holding her shoulders tightly as she stumbled backwards. If she'd really been trying he wouldn't have kept hold but part of her was leaning into the easy strength and warmth in his hands. “I know I'm kinda stupid but even I know that's bullshit. You've been pullin’ away for days and I wanna know what I did. Please, Pix, you're killin’ me.”
“You didn't call either,” she said immediately, arms curved around her as though it could keep all of her feelings inside.
“‘Cos you said you needed space to do somethin’! You asked me to wait and I did, but now you're runnin’ like somethin's chasin’ you and I'm startin’ to think it's me.”
“Jay-”
“So if I did somethin’ or you found out somethin’ that's makin’ you second guess things-”
“I fell in love with you!” She blurted out, throat tightening when he looked at her nonplussed. “I didn't- it wasn't on purpose but I fell in love and when I realised it I was too late so I wanted to give you a clean break-”
“You- whaddaya mean too late? I'm crazy about you, Nette, I thought you knew that-”
“But you have a girlfriend now so it doesn't matter how I feel-” she said, not really hearing anything he said. Or at least not registering it as she spiralled into distress that she couldn't have him anymore.
He pulled her roughly forward and she broke off when his lips crushed into hers. Her defences crumpled like wet tissue paper, hands fisting in his shirt and keeping him close while she kissed him back fiercely. She didn't know if this was a goodbye or something else but it was like he was a drug she'd gotten addicted to and maybe just one more hit would let her cut off clean. It wasn't true, she knew that kissing him again was only going to reset all the work she'd done this past week by staying away from him but she couldn't help herself.
“Marinette, I love you,” he panted, lifting her by the rear to pin her against a wall before kissing her again. He kept speaking whenever they broke apart. “God I love you. Don't go, please.”
“Jason,” she moaned, fingers already tangled in his hair and heart trying to beat its way out of her chest. He broke away, still panting, and rested his forehead against hers. “I can’t- please, I don’t want to hurt things with you and-”
“Pix, I have no idea why you think there’s anyone else but there isn’t,” he choked out, pulling her even closer. “Stay, Nette, please. I’ve been in love with you for so long and all I wanna do is keep you near. I promise to be as much as I can for you, just don’t go.”
She nodded dumbly, her voice caught behind the lump in her throat. Then she kissed him again.
We are delighted to offer you the position of senior stylist at Wayne Enterprises following your interviews both telephone and video. Please find attached your contract and conditions for working with our team.
Please do not hesitate to ask if you have any questions but we look forward to working with you closely in the near future.
Tamara Fox,
Personal Assistant to Timothy Drake-Wayne, Co-CEO
Wayne Enterprises
Receiving the email confirming her new employment filled Marinette with all kinds of joy. She was so ready to leave Paris, the years of battling different Hawkmoths draining her of any love she had for the city. She would always care about it, but it wasn’t somewhere she could fathom living any more.
Telling her friends and family that she was planning to move to the crime capital of the world went as well as she thought it would. Her parents had been worried for her, her friends had told her she needed to be sectioned, and her best friend told her that if she got attacked and saved by the local vigilantes, she’d better get an autograph.
“But seriously,” Alya said after they’d both stopped giggling. “Be careful, okay? Gotham isn’t like anywhere else, its crime rates are at a stupid high. I know you’re going so you can work with Wayne Enterprises - get your foot firmly in the door since you won’t let Lila hook you up - and that you don’t want to move there permanently, but just- be careful.”
“Sure,” Marinette said softly, hugging her reporter friend tightly. Ever since she and Adrien had broken up, their friend group had been fractured. Fractured enough that Nino and Alya also decided to call it quits when their two best friends were hurting enough that they couldn’t spend time together. “And hey, once I start traveling I’ll hit you up so I have somewhere to crash, wherever you end up.”
Alya giggled and hugged her again before saying she needed to get back to work. Marinette waved and headed back to the bakery to finish packing.
_ _ _
Standing in the airport waiting to claim her luggage, Marinette could already tell that the city needed her help as Ladybug. The oppressive destructive energy lingering in the air made her feel vaguely unwell and she got the feeling that the only way she would be able to live here for a whole year was if she actively combatted the miasma floating around.
That didn’t mean she had to don the spots again. On the contrary, when she spoke with Tikki after she was safely tucked away in her apartment she was told that transforming would be detrimental to both of them. Not that she wanted to transform, it would be bad if anyone put two and two together and got to the correct conclusion that she was Ladybug.
Her first night in the apartment went well, sleeping enough that she didn’t feel like she was going to keel over or commit a murder on the first person to wrong her. She was due at Wayne Enterprises by 10am and Marinette refused to let her first impression to her new employer be that she was chronically late. She had gotten so much better since defeating Gabriel Agreste because she wasn’t running off to save the day constantly.
So she was pleased when she managed to arrive at the building a full fifteen minutes before they had been asked to show up. The receptionist was friendly enough but looked like she wasn’t quite sure what Marinette was doing there. She was used to the scepticism, being only twenty and running her own successful business so she let it wash off her back. The person calling the shots knew everything about her and had hired her anyway, so there was nothing for it except to prove she had a right to be there. And she would do that by succeeding at every request they threw at her.
She was fetched from the lobby by a woman she thought must be Tamara because she thought she recognised the haircut from the video interview. They chatted briefly on their way up to Tim Drake’s office and Marinette found her to be refreshingly willing to accept her expertise in spite of her age. And she showed her into the office without making her wait outside, which massively bumped her up in Marinette’s esteem.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Monsieur Drake-Wayne,” Marinette said to the young man behind the desk, smiling as she entered. She hadn’t done much research on the people in the company she would be working for, just the company itself. So she knew that Tim was considered very young for a CEO but she hadn’t expected him to be her age. It was sure to make it easier to work with him, she was sure.
“And you, Ms Dupain-Cheng,” he replied excitedly, standing up and practically bouncing in excitement. “But please, call me Tim. I wouldn’t even know you were trying to talk to me if you called me Mr Drake-Wayne all the time.”
“Then please, call me Marinette,” she said with a grin of equal exuberance. “I’m thrilled to be working with you for the next twelve months; Wayne Enterprises is such a great company. And I’d heard you were young but I didn’t realise how similar in age we were.”
“It’s one of the reasons I’ve always wanted to work with you,” Tim said immediately, nodding his head to the chair on the opposite side of the desk to his own. “The other main reason was because of your work with Jagged Stone! Your black and pink suit, that he wore for his last concert, was iconic. Not that that’s the sort of thing you’ll be making here, necessarily, but I feel like it’s important you know what I like about your work.”
“I’m sure we’ll work out styles that you’re comfortable in and work with your style,” she said diplomatically, smiling when he grinned. “And I know that it says in the contract that I’ll be helping with more than just yourself, you have a few different brothers that I’ll be styling as well. But Monsieur Wayne declined, is that right?”
“Yeah, he’s very particular about who dresses him,” Tim said, nodding. “But for day to day, it’ll just be me. Everyone else will need to be fitted for galas and special events, none of which are happening until you’ve been here for a couple of months.”
“Okay, well I think it would work best if I get everyone’s measurements right at the beginning so I can start designing things when I have free time rather than waiting until there’s the added pressure of a time crunch,” she mused aloud, opening her sketchbook carefully and getting ready to make some notes. “How many people will I need to work with?”
By the time she left to be shown to her own office, she had a longer list than she expected of people she needed to meet with, as well as the contact information for all of them except Damian. At the age of sixteen, she’d felt more comfortable asking for someone with parental responsibility to be present when measuring and fitting him. Especially when Tim told her he was a little violent.
Her office was beautiful and she stared in awe at it for a solid few minutes before stepping fully into it. It was down the hall from Tim’s office and he had told her to let Tamara (Tam, the secretary had insisted) know if she needed anything, within reason. Marinette, of course, had no intention to ask her for anything if she could help it because Tam wasn’t her secretary. She was sure her workload was heavy enough without putting more on her.
_ _ _
It took two weeks for Marinette to arrange time with each of the Waynes and Wayne adjacents. She’d already made three suits, a hoody that looked semi-professional, and a sweater for Tim in that time and she was more than ready to start designing for more than one person. Two people, if she counted the fact that she still designed stuff for Jagged, and three if she counted herself. Not that she did.
The first person to meet with was Damian and his father. Bruce Wayne had managed to arrange it so that it was over and done with, and she thought she heard him hiss at the teenager to keep his knives to himself. Not one to back down from a challenge, she’d dismissed that and had a brief chat with the kid and measured him as efficiently as possible. She then asked him how he would prefer to communicate his clothing preferences and let him know that it could all be done by text or email if that worked better for him.
He had a satisfied look on his face when he left and she thought Bruce looked impressed, though she tried not to read into it. Of course the sixteen year old didn’t want to hang out with a young adult employed by his father, he was sixteen. And giving him a different way of communicating considering he was in school and had things to do should hardly have been a surprise.
The next person she was due to meet was Jason Todd, who seemed something of a mystery. After meeting Tim, he’d warned her that Jason had something of a temper and not to worry if he was slightly rude on meeting her. So she’d done a little research and found that he’d been declared dead for a while. Which, yeah, that sounded stressful.
So when she heard a knock on the door she braced herself. There weren’t a whole lot of pictures of him online so she wasn’t sure what to expect. So when a smoking hot twenty-two year old walked into her office she almost swallowed her tongue before she remembered she was in a professional setting.
“Oh, hello,” she said, blushing as the tall, broad man in front of her looked her over. She felt the need to babble rising and forced herself to stay silent. It was a herculean effort but she managed by gesturing for him to come all the way in and grabbing her measuring tape.
“You know, when Timbit told me I was going to get measured for a new suit, I pictured a stuffy old lady,” he drawled as he sauntered across the room. “Not a gorgeous woman wearing a dress I’d like to see on my floor sometime.”
“I- um, that’s- should we get you all measured up?” she asked, completely flustered and bright red. He was smirking cockily and she felt like she’d stepped into an alternate reality. Since when did hot guys talk to her like that? Was this a new thing? Curse her for being at work!
“I think red might just be your colour, babygirl,” he said in a low voice while she was measuring his extremely beefy arms. She swallowed loudly when she noted the circumference of his bicep and roughly shoved aside thoughts of them for later.
“Speaking of colours,” she said in as normal a voice as she could manage. “Are there any colours you would prefer, or that you would like me to avoid when designing for you?”
“I think I’d rather leave myself in your very capable looking hands,” he commented, smirking again when she blushed harder. “You been out to eat much since you got here? B said you’ve been pretty dedicated to work and it’d be a crying shame if nobody took you out on the town.”
“Th-this feels like an inappropriate conversation for a workplace,” she managed to stutter out.
“Good thing I’m not an employee then,” he said, though his smirk softened slightly. “Unless I’m making you uncomfortable, in which case you can tell me to fuck off without worrying about your job.”
“Um, maybe- I don’t- I’ll let you know? I don’t know the rules on any of this,” she admitted, making his grin broaden as he leaned on her desk, measurements gathered. He nodded and leaned into her space a little, though not in any way unwantedly.
“You do that, doll,” he said, taking her hand and a pen to write down his number. She frowned slightly because she could already contact him but he touched the pen to her lips when he was done. “My other number is the one I give to people for stuff like this. The number I just gave you is the one I only give to people I like. Don’t be a stranger.”
If she melted into a puddle as soon as the door closed behind him, he wouldn’t know.
_ _ _
Marinette gave a shaky breath as she looked at the message she had yet to send. Jason hadn’t been wrong that she hadn’t seen much of the city yet and she wanted to, especially if it was with him. Plus, Tam had confirmed that, as long as she was transparent about it, she was welcome to date anyone connected to the company. It was viewed as normal and the transparency was just to make sure that everything was still run fairly.
So, biting her lip and breathing out slowly, she clicked the send button. Tikki gave a small cheer and went to celebrate by eating a large cookie. The phone lit up again much sooner than she would have expected. A huge grin lit up her face at Jason’s enthusiasm to meet with her sooner rather than later, asking if she was free in the next half an hour. It was kind of adorable.
He told her to dress warm enough for a bike ride and she got even more excited, if that was possible. He rode a motorbike? And was going to take her out on it? She thought he might just be perfect, which was crazy.
“Hey there, darlin’,” he said when she came to meet him a block from her address. She was interested, not stupid. “You look positively delicious, you sure you want to go out?”
“Oh my god, how are you flirting more now that we’re actually going on a date?” she asked, blushing even more.
“Well now I know you’re interested,” he said with a smirk. He held out a spare helmet to her and she took it easily, placing it over her hair carefully before climbing onto the back of the bike. It was the perfect ride, her arms wrapped around him and pressed flush against his back. She kept track of the turns they took, not wanting to get taken somewhere she couldn’t get home from, even if Jason was one of the Waynes.
They pulled up outside a fairly non-descript building that made her raise an eyebrow at him, which made him laugh.
“It’s nothing dodgy, promise. Going to need you to extend a little faith though,” he said with a devilish grin. She didn’t feel any malicious intent so she accepted his outheld hand, following him into the building. Where she was immediately met with bright lights, shrieking children, and a huge sign outlining rules of the game.
Things passed in a haze as the workers greeted Jason by name and ushered them into a room to set up. They covered the rules verbally as well, and Marinette felt a spark of excitement when she picked up the heavy game gun.
“I didn't even know you had laser tag here,” Marinette said as she twirled the bulky gun around her finger. She grinned when his face sported a look of surprise, probably because she didn't drop it, and she pointed it at him. “But rest assured, I'll let everyone know how thoroughly I trounced you.”
“Oh, it’s so on,” he said, nodding to the woman running the game to show that he was ready. “We’re on the same team so what’re the stakes? And how do we tell who wins?”
“Kill shots, obviously,” she said, smirking at him. “And how many times you get shot subtracts points too.”
The look in his eyes promised a challenge and she was so ready for it.
_ _ _
After Marinette fully demolished Jason at a game of laser tag, he thought he might be a little bit in love with her. He’d been intrigued by her when he met her at his appointment for measurements and it had only grown when she had gotten completely flustered by a little light flirting.
When Tim had asked him how the meeting went, he straight up declared that Marinette was going to be his girlfriend by the end of the week. It might have taken a little over a week for her to actually message him, but that was okay in his book. He liked a little unpredictability in a woman. But in the intervening time, he had badgered Tim for as much information as he could get, finding out what she liked, what she was good at, where their interests might intersect.
So laser tag had seemed like a good bet because, even if she wasn’t very good at it, it was usually a good time. And if they found they didn’t mesh as well when they were actively spending time together, they could call it a good try and walk away after having had a fun game.
The fact that she was better than him at the game just cemented her in his mind as the perfect woman™. It wasn’t as though he met someone who could keep up with him all the time, and for it to be an elfin beauty? Yeah, perfect might not be a strong enough word. Her closeness with Tim was a little off-putting but not a deal breaker, by any stretch of the imagination.
“So, do you want to get dinner or something?” she asked as they approached his bike.
“That sounds like a great idea, Pixie,” he said, putting on his helmet but leaving the visor open. “You want to go get a pizza, or a burger? Shooting always makes me really hungry.”
“Burgers sound great,” she said eagerly, putting her own helmet on and waiting for him to climb onto the bike. Her arms wrapped around his waist made him grin and then he was revving away from the street towards the fast food chain. It might not be the fanciest but it was a decent amount of food for your money and it was nicer than a lot of the dingier looking ones.
They got to know each other more over their meal, chatting about the different things Marinette had gotten up to in Paris over her teen years. They talked about the supervillain that had terrorised the city when she was still young, and Jason had to bite his lip to stop himself from sharing his own experiences with villains. Hardly the kind of thing he wanted her to think about when he was hoping to get a kiss goodnight.
That conversation bled into talking about her work at Wayne Enterprises which got him an impassioned speech about fashion and how she wanted to make her own brand of clothes for the world.
“I mean, I want to travel before I do that, get a feel for different cultures and the different potential designs out there,” she said, eyes shining with excitement as she pictured that far away day.
“What’re you doing in Gotham then?” he asked, genuinely bewildered. It wasn’t really a place known for its fashion, and if this was her first stop on her travels, there was the risk that it would be her last. Gotham wasn’t kind to beautiful, smart, funny outsiders. “There must have been better places for you to start.”
“Hah, yeah, this is definitely not a forever kind of home. I’m here because working with Wayne Enterprises gives me a couple of things: I can earn a decent sum while I work, hardly any of which is used towards living expenses so I’m saving a bunch; and I get to build a reputation with one of the most ethical, forward thinking companies in the world. It was a no-brainer when I saw the position open and I like to think that I’m fitting in quite well with the company.”
“I know what you mean, Gotham kind of sucks the life out of you,” he nodded, thinking of all the horrors he had already faced and wincing. “It’d be nice to get out of here, see better, brighter things.”
“Well, I could always use company when my contract is up,” she said, her face flushing prettily a nano second later. “I-I mean, if we keep seeing each other, maybe next year you’ll want to- not that-”
“I got you, Nette,” he said, a warm feeling spreading through him. “Wow, the date must have been pretty damned good if you’re inviting me to travel with you.”
“Oh, shut up,” she laughed, still bright red but smiling now. “Like you didn’t have an amazing time.”
“I most definitely did, doll, even if you did mortally wound my pride. I’m going to need a do-over some time, maybe give you a handicap so I stand a micro-percent of a chance.”
“Sorry, you’d still be a total loss,” she grinned cheekily, scrunching up the wrapper from the burger and throwing it at his head. He caught it and threw it back which started an all out war that ended with them being asked, politely, to leave if they were finished.
“I guess this is the part where I take you back to the street corner I found you, huh?” he said, thinking of how he could make sure she made it home safe without stalking her. He frowned when she made a choking noise and he glanced at her to find a red stain on her cheeks again. “What?”
“Um, maybe don’t say you found me on a street corner, Jay,” she giggled, and he started when he realised what he’d said. “And, um, I don’t mind you taking me back to my building.”
“Then let’s go,” he said with a genuine smile. They sped along the streets but slower than when he’d been trying to get to the laser tag place. Now that the night was over, he wanted to prolong it if possible, to really enjoy the way her arms felt around him.
But it couldn’t last forever and when he pulled up outside her place he thought there was some reluctance in the way she moved. She was definitely lingering next to him instead of rushing away, but he didn’t want to take off the helmet and seem like he was pressuring her into anything. He really didn’t want her to decide he was only after one thing and never see him again.
“This was really fun,” she said, fingers drumming on the top of the spare helmet. When she glanced up, he flipped open his visor so she wasn’t talking to someone faceless. It was a great intimidation tactic when he was Red Hood but it wasn’t exactly what he wanted to happen here. “Maybe we can do something like this again soon?”
“Is tomorrow night soon enough?” he quipped, his only aim being to make her laugh. Her giggles made him grin and he accepted the helmet from her, fingers brushing hers deliberately as he did so. “I’ll text you when I get back safe, okay? And we can work out another date soon, promise.”
“Night, Jay,” she said quietly, the ghost of her laughter still on her lips. “Be safe getting back.”
He waited until she was past her locked outer door and had secured it behind her before flipping the visor back down and roaring down the street to get home.
_ _ _
Over the next couple of weeks, they saw each other sporadically and Marinette was loving it. They’d been spending time during her lunch breaks, and she went out with him one more time where they saw a new movie that he made fun of the entire time. Apparently the spies in the film were highly inaccurate in handling weapons. The only thing that was missing was their first kiss.
She hadn’t meant to let it go so long without kissing him, given it was all she thought about when he wasn’t there. But a natural moment hadn’t appeared, since he was always dropping her off on a motorcycle and wearing a helmet. Or they were in her place of work and she couldn’t justify making out with her boss’s brother in her office. And it was too soon to invite him up to her apartment, though now that they were heading towards third date territory…
“Hey, babygirl,” Jason said, slinking into her room not long before her lunch was due to start. She glanced up at him with a smile and motioned for him to sit on the chaise longue she had in her room for guests. He looked a little ridiculous given how tall and broad he was, but she liked seeing him fitting into her life. “I was thinking we could try that Korean fusion place you spotted last week, maybe order in?”
“Sounds perfect,” she said, frowning slightly as she sketched something out and compared it to a design on her screen. “Ugh, I really need to see this style in person some day, I feel like I’m never going to do it justice.”
“Do you know what you want to eat?” Jason asked, and she forced herself to look away from the work to focus on him for a moment.
“Oh, uh, anything sounds good, I just really need to get this suit done for Damian,” she said, smiling apologetically at him. “I’m not a fussy eater in any way, shape or form, so pick whatever sounds good to you and get a lot of it.”
“Yes ma’am,” he said with a lazy salute. Then she got immersed in her work and didn’t come back to herself until Jason tapped her on the shoulder to let her know food was there. “Babe, you make Tim look like a well adjusted worker, and he doesn’t know the meaning of the word sleep schedule,” he said with a hint of disapproval in his voice. She grimaced, knowing he was right and stretched before joining him for food.
_ _ _
The week before the gala, Marinette found herself making her way over to Wayne Manor at the invitation of one Alfred Pennyworth. He had reached out to her to let her know that Damian didn’t want to come into the office to try the clothes for the gala, and she’d been more than happy to accept. Jason had talked about Alfred just enough that she knew the elderly British man was important to him and she was determined to make a good impression on him.
So after she had finished stitching Damian’s outfit - at home because Jason was right and she was a workaholic and a perfectionist - she spent more time than she would ever admit to baking some desserts for the occasion. She purposefully made more than she needed for the dinner she had been invited to so she could wander around the streets handing extras out to the homeless she knew were there. It gave her an excellent excuse to wander the streets and focus her magic on reducing the malevolent chaos that permeated the air.
It was a little difficult, in that she had to focus on what she felt every now and then instead of her surroundings, but the luck that had followed her around as a teenager meant she didn’t encounter anyone with bad intentions while she was working to improve the city. It wouldn’t save her if she went about after dark for no other reason than because she could, but she could improve things without worrying too much.
“Ah, Miss Dupain-Cheng,” the man she assumed to be Alfred said when she rang the doorbell. “It’s a pleasure to meet you at last, the young masters speak about you with great fondness.”
“Likewise, Monsieur Pennyworth,” she chirped, allowing him to lead her to the kitchen but refusing to relinquish her boxes of pastries. “Jason in particular speaks of you often.”
“What a coincidence, that is who I have most often heard speak of you,” he replied, ducking his head a little. It didn’t stop her from seeing the smile on his face. “Master Damian, Miss Dupain-Cheng is here to check the fit of your gala outfit.”
“Tt, very well,” the boy in question said, standing up to follow Alfred to another room to change. “I shall be back momentarily, do not move.”
Marinette raised an eyebrow but didn’t decline as she busied herself making sure the pastries had survived the trip from the apartment. She’d had to catch a bus and walk most of the way when it didn’t go beyond Gotham proper, so she had been concerned that some of them would have broken without her noticing. Fortunately that wasn’t the case, and she smiled proudly at the delicate macarons, arranged by flavour in each box.
When Damian and Alfred returned, she turned a critical eye on the ensemble, muttering to herself as she tugged on parts and visually checked that it sat correctly across his shoulders. He had been very specific about the clothes, asking for hidden pockets that she decided not to question, and a range of motion that she also didn’t think was necessary for a formal event.
“How does it feel?” she asked, grabbing her sketchbook to make her own notes and capture any feedback he had for her. “And don’t hold back, I can’t make it comfortable if you’re too nice about it.”
Alfred made a sound that made her frown in his direction. Either he was choking on something or he had been amused by something she’d said. But Damian was smirking to himself before, grudgingly, admitting that he thought the suit fit perfectly fine, and assured her he would have no issue in speaking his mind if that wasn’t the case.
“Wonderful, that’s your outfit all finished then! Monsieur Pennyworth, do you need my instructions on how to care for the garment or are you happy to take it from there?”
“I can take it from here, Ms Dupain-Cheng. I believe the other young masters are currently relaxing in a drawing room on the first floor, if you would like to join them. Master Damian, would you show her the way?”
In spite of him grumbling about it, Damian did as he was asked, though he moved quickly and without a whole lot of regard for whether she was keeping up. She did, but he didn’t seem to care one way or the other.
“Hey, Nette’s here!” Jason said when Damian let her walk herself into the drawing room. There was a television and gaming system set up and Dick was battling against Tim in a heated battle. Even turning to say hello to Marinette didn’t stop him from defeating Dick with ease and she tried not to laugh too hard at Dick’s disappointed face. “Please tell me you’ve come to knock Tim off his champion’s podium, he’s been unbearably smug about how good he is at this game.”
“It’s not why I came but…” she said, smirking at Tim when he shot her a look. “Hey, if you’re scared to play a French champ, you can keep your title for now.”
“Oh, hell no, it’s so on,” Tim said, nudging Dick to get out of the seat where the controller stretched to. She took the seat gracefully, stretching and shaking out her hands to make sure she was ready to go. Once the avatars were selected, Marinette took a relaxed approach to defeating him, not bothering to get serious until she had a better feel for his abilities.
The first round was the closest of the three as she allowed him to get a couple of strikes in in between her own more lethal combos. The second round she allowed him to get the first hit just to make him think it was going to go his way before pulling off a few combos that were tricky but most dedicated players could learn them. But in the third round, she didn’t give him a chance to fight back in the slightest. The shouts from Dick and Steph would have distracted a lesser player but Marinette was the best.
“Kick his ass, babygirl,” Jason crowed, making Marinette laugh as she executed a near impossible combo that sent Tim's avatar sprawling. Which she followed up by using her finishing move and obliterating what was left of his health.
“How?!” Tim cried, hanging his head in defeat. Dick and Steph were in shock, staring at her without blinking as she grinned at Tim.
“What can I say, very few people are a challenge for me,” she shrugged, sending Jason a sweet smile when he snorted. “It’s not just UMSIII, I’m good at other games too, right Jay?”
“Wait, what did she beat you at? No, let me guess, you played MarioKart,” Dick said, laughing when Jason tried to shove him off the back of the chair he was perched on.
“No, Dickhead, I took her to laser tag and she smoked me,” Jason said, a hint of pride in his voice alongside good humour. “I still think it’s because she’s so tiny, harder to hit a small target, you know?”
“The vests are all the same size,” Marinette sang, sticking her tongue out at him when he scoffed. She probably would have said more but Alfred came in to let them know that dinner was ready for them, meaning that they all headed to the dining room. Marinette and Jason were bringing up the rear when he tugged her to a stop, making her look at him questioningly.
“Did I mention how hot it is that you can game like that? Because it was insanely hot,” he murmured, leaning down as he cupped her cheek. A thrill sang through her as he got closer, lips stopping just far enough away that she could turn away and decline a kiss. But that wasn’t what she wanted, so she met him the rest of the way, pressing her lips to his in a spine tingling kiss that reached her toes.
“I said dinner is prepared, Master Jason,” Alfred said, making them both jump. He wasn’t in sight but he clearly knew they were otherwise occupied. Jason gave her a sheepish grin before taking her hand and pulling her out of the room.
_ _ _
Marinette bit her lip as she waited for Jason to finish putting on his suit for his final fitting before the gala. She knew it was going to look amazing on him but she’d mostly seen him in leather and jeans so she wasn’t sure she was prepared for how well he would clean up in a suit.
The moment he stepped out of her adjacent dressing room she knew she’d been right. The suit hugged his shoulders without looking tight and although he had muscular arms she had given just enough room for them to be nicely fitted without restricting his movement or looking like the seams would pop. He strutted over to her, smirking as he likely saw her very obvious reaction to how he looked.
“You look very handsome,” she said, pretending to dust lint off his lapels and shoulders. Really, she just wanted to touch him and he didn't seem to mind as he caught her hands up and kissed her. She pulled away reluctantly and swiped her lipgloss from his lips. “Careful, you don't want to look a mess when you go to the gala.”
“I don't get why you're not coming with me,” he groused, tugging on his tie. She frowned and adjusted it for him, testing it to make sure his discomfort wasn’t a fault in the design. She squeaked when he swooped down and kissed her lips lightly again. “Do you think it’s too late to add you as a plus one?”
“Since the gala is tomorrow? Yeah, I’d say so. But who knows, maybe I’ll stay up in case you can get away early,” she said with a shy smile, enjoying the way he grinned at that.
“Well, maybe I’ll just be sick that night and you can nurse me better,” he said, sliding a hand to the small of her back to keep her close.
“Behave! Now, is there anywhere in the suit that feels wrong…”
_ _ _
Jason moped around the back of the gala, trying to avoid the numerous socialites that were trying to engage him in conversation. There weren’t that many in comparison to those that flocked to Damian and Tim, thank god, but there were enough that it stressed him out.
“You look like someone killed your dog,” Dick remarked, sauntering over to him. He pulled a face at the eldest Wayne kid and went back to brooding moments later. “Christ, what crawled up your-”
“I just don’t see why I have to be here,” Jason burst out, gesturing angrily at the event. “It’s not like any of these people care if I don’t show up. They’re all more interested in rubbing elbows with Bruce, or trying to impress Demon Spawn and Replacement. It would be better if I had a date here to spend time with, but instead I’m stuck here with you.”
“Ouch, tell me how you really feel,” Dick muttered, shooting him a sour look. “Look, I get that you want to spend time with your girlfriend but-”
“-we have to show up to these things so we show a united front, yeah, I know. But I could just miss one-”
They were interrupted when Cass came over, determination in the set of her jaw as she grabbed Jason by the arm and pulled him onto the dancefloor. He figured it was a request from Bruce that she get him involved in the festivities because she normally liked to stay by the sidelines too, rather than get accosted by every curious man who thought she was a delicate woman they could woo.
After a couple of turns on the floor, he led her back over to the side of the room, dodging people who looked like they might ask her to dance if they had the opportunity. Cass smiled at him and signed something along the lines of ‘where’s Marinette’. She put it slightly differently but there wasn’t a lot of nuance in sign language, so the gist was there.
“She didn’t have an invite,” he sighed, running a hand through his hair. He always refused to have it styled, not wanting to seem any more high class than he was lest someone forget that he was a street kid that Bruce magnanimously adopted. They, of course, didn’t know that there was more to the story so they often looked on him with a mixture of fascination and barely concealed disgust. It really ground his gears to know he wasn’t allowed to just deck one of them if they were too obvious in the disdain.
Before much longer, Tim appeared and asked Cass to dance, likely trying to continue the trend she had set of dancing with a family member instead of one of the adoring public. It left Jason to himself and he decided to seek Bruce out to get his approval to leave as soon as possible. Marinette had sent him her apartment number so that whenever he got out he could join her. It was a message that made something akin to excitement course through his system.
“Jaylad, you don’t have to stay on my account,” Bruce chortled, acting up the part of ‘Brucie’ in front of the people he was with. “The kids are always looking to get into trouble these days,” he added in a stage whisper before turning back to Jason and giving him a plastic smile. “Just make sure to be safe out there, chum!”
He didn’t care if Bruce thought he was going on patrol, he just wanted to get out of there. So he offered the gathered citizens of Old Gotham a smile that made one of them take a step back, and made a beeline directly for the doors.
By the time he arrived at Marinette’s, he wondered if it was too late to call on her. It was already 11pm and she’d been up early to make sure there were no last minute changes to the outfits before the gala. But she buzzed him up seconds after he rang the bell and he took the stairs three at a time to reach her.
“Hey,” she said, opening the door wider the moment she knew it was him and stepping back so he could come inside. “You must have broken several traffic laws to get here as quickly as you did.”
“No way to prove it now,” he said with a smirk, following her into her living room. She’d set up blankets, popcorn, drinks, and a movie with lots of action in it, and he stalled a little when he saw it. “All this for me? You didn’t have to.”
“I know, but I wanted to do something nice with you,” she said quietly, tucking herself under the large blanket she had spread out for them. “And it’s not like we can’t relax and enjoy ourselves even if it’s late, right? So stop hovering and get over here.”
When he settled under the blanket with her, she snuggled into his side and snagged the popcorn bowl to put in his lap. He swallowed as she dimmed the lights and started the movie, cuddled close and totally relaxed with him.
_ _ _
The first time he stayed at her apartment was an accident. He’d meant to show himself out when she’d fallen asleep working on a shirt for Tim, but when he’d moved her to her bed, she’d clung to him tightly enough that it was going to cause problems if he tried to leave. Like, losing his shirt and having to brave Gotham in just his leather jacket, kind of problems.
So instead, he’d curled up with her, accepting the fact that he was trapped when she crawled up onto his chest and wrapped her arms around him in a vice-like fashion. It had been absurdly easy to follow her to the land of nod and he didn’t wake until after she did. At which point she’d smiled at him so sweetly that he wished he was waking up there every day.
After that, they started to plan for nights he could stay over, letting him leave things there for if something like that first night should happen again. He didn’t fully know how to describe the feeling it gave him to know that he had a toothbrush next to hers, but it was warm and fuzzy.
They were lounging in her apartment one Sunday after a night where they’d settled down for a movie and let it run while they talked. She’d mentioned something about a gift her Nonna had given her, a map of the world that you scratched off the countries when you’d done them until you had a multicoloured map. It was gimmicky, and she hadn’t brought it with her to Gotham, but she described it and showed him a picture on her phone of where it was pinned up on her childhood bedroom wall.
When he asked about where she wanted to go first, she couldn’t give him a full answer straight away, humming and hawing about the variety of places her grandmother had seen in all of her years. Marinette said that she hoped to be just as well traveled before she settled down in a nice city, with plenty of green space.
“I just…I want to see the world, you know? But I've always wanted someone to share it with, someone to see everything I do and make it worth seeing,” she said with a shy smile, glancing at him before looking away blushing.
“Yeah? Where would you go, darlin’?” he said in a low voice, hoping she would open up so he could promise her to see them with her.
“Italy, Africa, Russia…there's just so much of the world I haven't seen! My Nonna is from Italy, it's somewhere I should have gone a long time ago but I never managed to before,” she mused, eyes going slightly misty as she thought. “And I’ll be going as soon as the contract with Wayne Enterprises is over, so it’s only really another ten months. Which feels scary close sometimes, you know?”
“It doesn’t feel like enough time, huh?” he asked, and she beamed at him and nodded.
“Exactly! But I only get the chance to do this while I’m not locked in one place. My contract for this apartment runs out two days after my contract with work, it’s perfect,” she said, and he smiled at how excited she was.
_ _ _
The next few months went just as well as the first one had. Marinette found that she was excelling at work, enough that when Christmas rolled around she was given a sizeable bonus that she put straight into her travel fund. It would pay for flights back to Europe as well as a long stay in several countries. She would be able to buy a motorbike or scooter, or even grab her one from Paris so she could travel quickly and easily between all the European countries.
And when Jason landed, they could either have his bike shipped or get him a new one for traveling around Europe. She was sure they’d be able to find one easily and then they would be carefree as they went from place to place, seeing everything and making memories that would last a lifetime.
She’d told him about her plan to visit each of the fifty states before heading towards Paris again and he’d smiled and told her he couldn’t wait. She’d almost been tempted to tell Tim she had to resign so they could just go. But they hadn’t been together for even half a year at that point, it seemed silly to deviate from her well thought out plan just because she was in love. Traveling could wait until the year was up and she and Jason were even more in sync.
They spent more time together than apart at this point, but there were still nights when she would go out into the slums of Gotham, pushing back the evil presence lurking in the air. She didn’t know what Jason got up to on those nights, but he never complained that they had the time apart. And when they were traveling, they would be together all the time, so it was fine that they had their own space now, healthy even.
It was valentine’s day when he first told her he loved her and she was so overflowing with love that she’d kept to herself that she’d hardly been able to say it back. She hadn’t wanted to scare him off with her intensity, not when she saw that he still had some scars from things that he hadn’t shared yet. He always shied away from the words, and she loved him too much to lose him.
But then he said them first and her heart was so full that she had cried. That had made him panic, but she assured him that it was happiness, that she loved him too, and that she wanted a future with him. The grin he gave her was better than a thousand sunny days that she sometimes missed, living in Gotham.
And every time he said those words to her, it was like he was giving her a piece of himself, of his heart, and she accepted it gladly every time.
_ _ _
Marinette stared at the date in her calendar, blinking at the bold notes she’d left about her last day. Tam had talked to her about renewing her contract but she’d declined several times over the past couple of months so she hadn’t been paying attention to the deadline.
A knock on her door broke her out of her thoughts and she called out a ‘come in’ without really meaning to. Tim came in, looking sad but understanding.
“I can't believe your contract is over already,” he said ruefully. “And you're sure I can't convince you to renew?”
“As much as I've enjoyed the work, Gotham isn't my forever home. I'm not sure I want a forever home yet, I want to be free to travel and I can't do that if I have a full time job here. But you have my details and I'm happy to work on commissions! Jay and I should be coming back at intervals so he can see you all, just like we will with Paris.”
“Jason's going with you?” Tim asked, sounding surprised.
“Well yeah, we've talked about getting out of Gotham for almost as long as we've been together. I can't imagine that's changed…”
“Yeah, of course,” Tim said, though he sounded doubtful. It made Marinette feel tense and she tried to think back to the last time they'd talked about it properly. “Look, I'm sorry that you won't be staying to be my exclusive designer but I'm happy for you and Jason. I don't think I've ever seen him as happy as when he's with you.”
“I promise you I’m every bit as happy,” she said, smiling so widely her cheeks hurt. “I don’t know how I got so lucky to find a guy like him in a city like this, but I have no plans to let him go, which he knows.”
“Let us know when you’re flying out, yeah? Or traveling, I guess, depending on where you’re going. We’ll want to make sure you get a proper send off before you do, especially if I’m not going to have clothes on demand.”
Marinette laughed and threw her arms around Tim in a tight hug. Over the months they’d worked together, and the time she had spent with him while she and Jason had been dating, she thought of him as one of her best friends. It was one of the reasons it was a little bittersweet to leave and go on her trip.
When she left that day, she handed in her pass card and hugged Tam goodbye, promising to come by next time she was in Gotham to drop off baked goods. The secretary had seemed tearful but she had wished Marinette all the best in her life going forward, insisting that they stay in touch by message.
Her trip back to her apartment was shorter than ever, her excitement for getting ready to pack making her practically giddy. She didn’t know if she would need to take much with her, or if she should send most things to the manor for safekeeping until she and Jason came back to visit or found a permanent home somewhere.
She text him telling him they should celebrate that night and got back a thumbs up and a question mark. Given she hadn’t remembered that it was her last day of work, she couldn’t blame him for not knowing and sent him back a shushing emoji.
When he arrived, she was halfway through boxing up some of her kitchenware that she didn’t think she would have time to use in the next couple of days before her rental agreement was up. He came straight over to her, kissing her deeply and smiling at her when she pulled back.
“Something’s got you in a good mood,” he said, brushing sweaty hair out of her face. She hadn’t even realised she was so warm until he did it and grimaced in apology. “So, pretty lady, what’s got you so happy?”
“It’s my last day! And I totally forgot because I’ve just been doing so much lately, but I packed up my things and-”
“Last day of what?” he asked, brow furrowed and confusion etched deeply in his face. It made her heart flutter uncertainly and she bit her lip as she tried to explain.
“Officially my last day at Wayne Enterprises,” she clarified, watching as his brow furrowed. “I know I didn’t mention it before today, but I really did forget that it was coming up. And I’ve already started packing because I don’t have long until my lease is up. Do you think Bruce would mind looking after some of this until we need it?”
“Why not just put it to your new place?” he asked, and it was a sideways step instead of a logical step forward for her and it made her nervous.
“Because we're going to start travelling, right?” she said, her mouth going completely dry as she looked at him, as realisation seemed to dawn on his face.
“It's a bit soon, isn't it? I mean, you only worked here for a year and-” he began, hands running through his hair.
“And that was always the plan,” Marinette interrupted, a sinking feeling hollowing out her chest. “Jay, why do I get the feeling you're about to tell me you're not ready to leave?”
“It's- I just don't think now is the right time,” he hedged, eyes shifting away from her. She must have looked upset, or angry because he tried to explain it away. “Nette, it's not like it'll be forever but right now-”
“Right now is when I'm leaving. I told you right from the start, the moment we started dating, that this was important to me. You said you couldn't wait to get out of Gotham, so what changed?”
“Pix, my whole life is here, I can't just up and-”
“You said I was everything to you,” she said quietly, heart breaking. “Or was that all just…pretty words to you? I'm not forcing you to leave, Jason, but I'm not sticking around here. And if you're not coming with me I can't do long distance, not romantically. It would kill me, Jay.”
“You can't just give me an ultimatum, that's not fair-”
“It's not an ultimatum! Or, maybe it is, but it's not like I'm trying to force you to pick what I want! Jay, do you think this is easy for me? That I want to make you choose between me and where you apparently now want to live? Well fine, now there's no choice in it for you. Get out, Jason. I'll drop your stuff off at the manor, whatever, you can take what you can't live without right now, but this is over.”
“Nette, please, let's just talk-”
“There's nothing to talk about!” she shouted, tears now streaming freely down her face. “You don't want to leave, I see that now. Maybe you never did and thought you could convince me to stay. I'm not the one that changed my mind about everything! Get. Out!”
Jason looked like he wanted to argue with her but she turned away from him and stayed that way until the door closed behind him.
_ _ _
Jason didn’t go to the leaving celebration that Tim threw for Marinette. He didn’t try to stop by her apartment or call, or text, because he didn’t know what to say to her without begging her to stay. He’d watched her, as Red Hood, from the rooftops as she went about putting her things in storage and giving away everything she didn’t want to keep.
He didn’t want to admit that he’d screwed up, that he’d told her that he was ready to leave when really he had never been certain. He’d always thought he had more time, that he would be able to convince her that Gotham wasn’t that bad. It was his home and as much as he wanted to travel, he would always think of coming back to Gotham at the end of it all so he could settle down with her.
And when she’d told him that it was already time to go, he’d panicked and tried to sway her too soon, using all the wrong words to convince her that they had more time. If he hadn’t been so blindsided, he could have prepared for it, but time had melded into one and left him completely ignorant to what was going to happen.
She’d text him the day after their argument and told him that she would stop by his place before she went to the train station, to see if he was coming with her. He hadn’t had the strength to text her back and tell her that he wasn’t going to change his mind, that he needed to stay for a while longer before he traveled.
And that was another mistake he couldn’t admit to himself because he was pretty sure that if he’d asked to see her before she left, they would have talked it out and she would have waited another week, another month, Just until he managed to arrange to be gone for a few months. But he hadn’t and it was too late, because Tim was back from taking her to the train station and she was already long gone.
Marinette stared down at her phone, a blush spreading from her chest into every part of her body. Was she on fire? She felt like she was on fire. Was Jason talking about her? These videos had to be doctored somehow. Why on earth had Conner sent these to her? And the voice notes weren’t much better, though at least she couldn’t see the faraway look on Jason’s face when she listened to them
“Is everything alright, Marinette?” Tikki asked as she floated around her holder’s head. Marinette blinked and looked up at the pocket-sized god in bewilderment.
“I- Did you hear that? Like, did I just imagine the videos on my phone or did Jason really just say that he’s ‘goin’ to lock that shit down’?” Marinette asked, blinking again and reopening the video on her phone. He hadn’t used a name, hadn’t said he was talking about her explicitly…but who else could he have been talking about? With the amount of time they spent together and the amount of time when he wasn’t with her spent as Red Hood, how could he possibly have time for someone else? And Conner had just sent them to her with a cheeky ‘Thought you should know’. What else could that possibly mean?
“He most definitely did say that,” Tikki confirmed, making Marinette’s face burn even hotter. “Is that a problem, Marinette? You’ve been spending a lot of time together, it would hardly be a surprise if he fell in love.”
“Love-?” Marinette choked at that, feeling like she was going to faint. Did Jason love her? He couldn’t. They were casual! Sure, they saw each other nearly every day…and ate meals together…and cuddled… “Oh my god, Tikki, I’m in love with him.”
“If you say so,” Tikki shrugged, coming down to settle in the crook of Marinette’s neck. “I, personally, think you should call him and find out what that was all about because he was very obviously inebriated. And unaware that he was being recorded.”
“You want me to have that conversation over the phone?” Marinette demanded. “No. No no no, this conversation needs to be in person so that if he is in love with me I can jump him then and there. Crap, he sent that message about going and getting breakfast near his place, do you think he’s still there?”
“Why don’t you message him and find out?”
“Because then I’ll chicken out! Come on, I bet we can find him really quickly, he likes to take his time with breakfast when he eats out.”
Moving quickly, she checked her reflection and spent an agonising few extra minutes adding a little lip gloss and making sure her hair was straight before grabbing her bag and darting out of the apartment before she could lose her nerve. Tikki was right, they spent so much time together, there was nothing to be anxious about! They were going to talk, decide that they should be exclusive instead of casual - what a joke, as if she’d been with anyone else this entire time, she was pretty sure they were already exclusive - and then she was going to drag him back to his place to celebrate their new relationship. Lots.
She was almost to the diner when the door banged open and she saw her target step out into the dingy sunlight. Her whole body fizzed with anticipation that turned to static when a tall, gorgeous woman followed him out and pulled him into a side hug that he didn’t dodge away from. No, he was clearly comfortable with this woman and didn’t mind the public nature of her affection.
Her feet were now rooted to the floor, horror flooding her as she watched the pair walk in the other direction. She swallowed, hard, and tried not to hyperventilate as pieces fell into place. Thought you should know…Conner was warning her that the end was coming. That Jason had found someone else and was head over heels for her. God, he was talking about marriage.
And now her mind couldn’t help but point out all the differences she could see between them. This woman was tall, dark skinned with fiery hair and a curvaceous body. Hell, if Marinette wasn’t horribly infatuated with Jason she would be more than willing to entertain a woman like that too. She looked like someone who could keep up with Jason’s other life too, something Jason probably wanted and needed.
“Marinette, what are we doing?” Tikki said from within her hair where the kwami had apparently relocated during Marinette’s despair.
“Going back to the apartment and either drinking until I pass out or designing until I can’t see anymore,” Marinette said, the weight of her realisations sitting on her chest. “Let’s go.”
_ _ _
It didn’t take long for her to realise she needed to message Jason so he didn’t just show up at her apartment. She knew that it was over but she didn’t know if she could handle having to hear him say it now that she knew how she felt. She would rather relive the torment of being ignored by Adrien for months on end while pretending they were the perfect couple than hear Jason say that he’d found someone.
So she took a deep breath and replied to his text as cheerily as she could. She leaned hard on the excuse that she was designing for someone who needed them to stay private, so she couldn’t have him over because she’d be breaching the contract. Would Jagged and Penny have understood? Of course. Would Jason have leaked the designs? Never. But it didn’t change the fact that it was a convenient way to create some distance between them.
Then she sent a ‘thanks for the warning’ text to Conner and buried herself in her work. She opened the message from Jason when it came in, dread seeping back into her every thought but it only said that he would text again soon. She debated sending one back that would absolve him of needing to but ultimately decided that leaving it was the safest way out. No doubt he wanted to tell her all about the woman he now had and she wasn’t stupid enough to think she could survive that.
When she hit a stopping point with the design - stupid opening hours of fabric stores, didn’t they know she needed to be occupied?? - she turned to a bottle of wine instead. Tikki watched her get progressively more drunk and tried to encourage her to drink water as she lamented her woes and sobbed about how stupid she’d been.
“I don’t even have time to come to terms with losing him,” she cried, cuddling a cushion close. “I already know who he chose to take my place and she’s- she’s- god, she’s so much better than me. He really traded up so I can’t even be happy that he’s missing out!”
When she finally cried herself to sleep she was curled up on the sofa, not having wanted to move to the bed. Beds were for smart people that were emotionally mature and didn’t ruin the one good thing that had come from dumping Adrien and leaving France.
“No, it’s centrifugal force,” Dick explained excitedly to a rather unexcited Duke. Duke stopped himself from glancing longingly at Tim who was already seated in one of the loveseats and chewing on popcorn far enough away not to have to be involved in this conversation but did not manage to stop himself from rolling his eyes. In fact, he didn’t try.
“It’s the spinning that adds the increased force,” Dick continued. He twirled the straw in his hands like an unnecessary visual aid.
“Yeah,” Duke scoffed, with a slight smirk. He grabbed his soda and headed toward the couch walking backward so he could motion toward his body with the can. “Meta. Don’t need that.”
Dick rolled his eyes and grabbed a bowl. “But you can use it,” he insisted. “No, no, look, there’s a whole…” he set down the bowl and headed toward his bedroom. “There’s a whole equation I can show you. Jason worked it out back in high school when they were studying physics or something.”
Tim groaned and dropped his head. “We really don’t…” He froze when Jason walked into the apartment without knocking or acknowledging anyone there, and sprawled backwards over the couch, arms thrown over his eyes, feet hanging over the armrest.
Tim’s eyes widened. He shot an unsure look to Dick, and when Dick simply continued to stare at Jason both eyebrows raised in surprise, he sent a panicked look at Duke who just shrugged. Duke motioned toward Jason, encouraging him to check on their possibly distraught, possibly tired, possibly drugged brother, since Tim had known Jason a lot longer than he had. But Tim shook his head tightly and nodded toward Dick.
Dick however was still staring at Jason trying to figure out what was happening. He wasn’t hurt, at least not physically as far as he could tell. Maybe one of his guns got damaged? One of his first edition books got damaged? He shook his head. No, that would result in Angry Jason not Lump Jason. He continued staring until a handful of popcorn hit his head. He finally looked up at Tim who motioned toward Jason. Dick’s eyes widened at the idea of opening that can of worms. He crossed his arms and slashed down harshly, then jutted a finger toward Duke and flicked it toward Jason in a clear signal to act, after all Duke had some kind of understanding with Jason that the rest of them didn’t.
Duke shook his head adamantly and pointed back at Dick. Dick pointed to himself and scrunched his face in disagreement. “You’re the one that summoned him,” Duke mouthed.
Dick pursed his lips and turned toward Tim, nodding toward Jason. Tim raised an eyebrow and mouthed, “Oldest brother,” before shoving a handful of popcorn in his mouth.
Dick dropped his head back with a silent groan, then glared at the two traitors before edging toward Jason. “Uh. Hey, Jaybird. How's it going?” he asked tentatively with an overly wide smile, his voice no more certain than his movements.
"Terrible,” Jason moaned. “I think I'm going to have to break up with Marinette."
That single sentence was enough to finally break the silence. “What!” Duke exclaimed at the same time as Tim’s snorted “That’s a mistake, she makes you… tolerable,” which was almost drowned out by Dick yowling, “Why? She’s amazing!”
Jason dropped his arms heavily but still didn’t bother to look at any of them. He let out a heavy breath before responding. “She's working for the Joker.”
“Ahh. Yeah,” Duke nodded and patted his foot on his way past him to one of the chairs. “That's a shame. I liked her for you.”
Jason finally opened his listless eyes and glanced between them. “She's supposed to meet him tomorrow night at a fabric warehouse. Wanna help arrest my girlfriend?”
“Won't be the first time,” Tim shrugged. He popped some more popcorn in his mouth. “She’ll probably bite less than the last one.”
Dick snorted and leaned against the side of the couch. “So, what’s she doing for him?” he asked through his mouth full of ice cream.
“Ooohhh, is that AmeriCone Dream?” Duke asked, suddenly more interested in the conversation. When Dick nodded, Duke was up in a flash and back in the kitchen.
“She’s his designer” Jason grumbled, though nobody could tell whether it was from the actualization of saying it out loud or from the effort of sitting up.
“His designer?” Tim jolted forward in shock, almost knocking his bowl of popcorn on the floor. He barely saved it from spilling out over the floor in time.
Duke leaned back toward the conversation with a dubious expression. Lower body still solidly in the kitchen but upper body reaching out to participate in the conversation, like he couldn’t decide which was more important, ice cream or gossip, and tried to split the difference. “The Joker has a designer?”
Dick scoffed and stole Duke’s seat, dropping into his favorite chair with a satisfied hum. “You don’t think he buys his stuff off the rack do you?”
Duke stared at him wide eyed then shuddered. “I didn’t think about how he dresses himself at all.”
“No, wait,” Tim interrupted holding his phone out for the room to see his screen. “Marinette designed those clothes? These clothes?” He flicked through a few images of the Joker to prove his point. “She used to make fun of the akuma designs. These look like they were inspired by them.”
“Maybe that’s where she got the ideas,” Duke shrugged before plopping down on the couch near Jason with an overly full bowl of ice cream.
“Oh, God, it makes so much sense now!” Jason groaned. His comment was barely audible, spoken into his lap after he had folded over and run his hands into his hair, pulling hard enough to bite, enough to distract just slightly from the greater pain of his collapsing heart.
“Okay, let’s slow down,” Tim cautioned. He finally set his bowl of popcorn on the floor and scooted forward to the edge of the chair. He leveled Jason with a serious but sympathetic look. “What makes you think she’s working for the Joker? That’s a pretty big step and she’s…”
“Pretty small,” Duke snickered and took a ridiculously large bite of ice cream.
Tim sighed with a roll of his eyes. “I was going say been pretty wholesome. Like, puts Jon to shame, wholesome.”
Jason flopped over on the couch, still folded over, but now on his side, just narrowly missing diving into Duke’s lap thanks to Duke’s quick dodge. “She was talking to her ‘Uncle J’ about tricks with the suits that could stop the Flash and take down Killer Croc and withstand fire. Oh, and the best, it has to be resistant to acid burns.” He gave them a knowing look like there was no room for debate, because, really, when put like that, there wasn’t.
Tim grimaced and sucked in a breath through his teeth. “Ahh. Eehh. Yeah, that sounds pretty bad,” he nodded in agreement.
Jason finally sat up right, just to collapse against the back of the couch, eyes squeezed tight. “This sucks,” he groused. “I really liked her. Was planning on asking her to move in with me.”
“Better to learn now,” Dick offered weakly.
“Better for it not to happen at all,” Jason snapped. He groaned and slumped back again, throwing his arms over his eyes again. “She was perfect. She was smart, sweet, hopeful…”
“They always are before they turn,” Duke nodded sagely.
Dick sat up straight and plastered on a smile that fooled nobody. “But who hasn’t?” he tried. He quirked his head to the side and studied Jason for a second. “Sounds similar to you, to be honest.”
“And significantly less dangerous than most of your exes,” Tim snickered. He picked up his popcorn bowl and sat back comfortably in his seat.
Duke sighed and patted Jason on the elbow, gracing him with his first real sympathetic look of the night. “Maybe after she serves her time, you can get back with her. You really did seem happy with her.”
Jason peeked out from under his arm to grace him with a flat look. “She called him ‘Uncle J’,” he stated coldly, his voice as flat as his look. Tim winced and sucked an even louder, sympathetic breath through his teeth having forgotten that detail.
They sat in silence for a few moments, letting the reality of the situation settle over them. Dick finally broke the tension with a scrunched nose. “You were going to move in with her before telling her who you are?”
Duke blinked at him then shrugged. “Well yeah, need to know we're compatible before you give that away,” he stated in Jason’s defense, since Jason didn’t seem interested in defending himself.
“Hard to hide identities when you’re living together,” Dick observed noncommittally.
Tim smirked and shared a knowing look with Duke. “We're not all you, Dick,” Jason growled, finally interested in defending himself. “Some of us actually hide our suits and can keep a secret.”
“And clearly it was the right thing to do, since it turns out she's henching on the side,” Duke snarked.
“On the bright side,” Tim offered, “business owner and has a job that doesn’t involve hurting anyone and puts up with your family. Just saying… that’s hard to find.”
“Jo. Ker,” Jason hissed, annunciating each syllable.
“Right,” Dick cut in before Jason could throw the shuriken he was fingering at Tim. “Someone get Jason the rest of the ice cream and let’s get this movie started.”
><><><><><><><><
This was a lesson. Of that, Jason was positive. The universe was giving him a lesson on getting exactly what you asked for. This was what he had asked for but not the conclusion he had anticipated and Jason wasn’t sure if this was better or worse. Because after their exhaustively planned and extensively engineered raid, instead of having one creepy clown in cuffs and one fine femme fatale found out, he had a rather confused international rock star hanging in a net and a very pissed off ingenue glaring at him like she knew he betrayed her, which was impossible because she would have to know he was her boyfriend to think that. And she didn’t.
“Dieu, Jason,” Marinette hissed quiet enough for Jagged Stone not to hear her, exasperation thick in her tone.
Red Hood blinked once then twice, not that it could be seen behind his mask, before responding. “Uh… Jason? Jason who? Ma’am, I… I thi… uh… I think you may be confused.”
Her eyes went from narrowed slits to wide as saucers in the few milliseconds it took for her to move from exasperation to indignation. “Excuse me?” She rocked back on her heels and crossed her arms over her chest, her eyes settling back into slits in a move Jason was more than familiar with, just not directed at him. It was not a good sign of what was to come, and he knew the only thing he could do was to brace himself. “You really should be better at gaslighting considering your job. But then again, considering how terrible you are at hiding it,” she paused to shoot him a pointed look, “I guess it isn’t that surprising.”
Red Hood’s jaw dropped as much as his mask would allow. That was… that was a very personal attack and completely unnecessary. “I am excellent at my job and at hiding it,” he insisted, but immediately snapped his mouth shut with a disappointed exhale. He’d fallen for the bait. How stupid was he? It was proving her point. He needed to get better at denial… and, yeah, gaslighting her.
“You are terrible at hiding it,” Marinette corrected. Her hands were moving in front of her in sharp, nonsensical movements that she likely meant to reinforce her point but just looked erratic. “You just leave things around.”
Red Hood gasped loud enough to be detected by his voice modulator. “That is ridiculous. I NEVER leave my suit around!”
“Your jacket?” Her tone indicated a question, but it was clearly a statement. A declaration and conviction in the same two words.
He opened his mouth but instantly closed it. “My jacket is pretty generic,” he tried even as he moved away from her, rolling his shoulders back like it could hide the evidence.
Marinette stalked up to him and ran her fingers along the zipper and the distinctive way the leather had wrinkled and folded. Her fingers hovered over the fabric down the arms until they reached the red panels where the sleeve expanded when unbuttoned and gave it a small tug. She looked up at him sharply. “It really isn’t. Even if I wasn’t I designer, I would be able to identify it.”
He swallowed hard, trying to ignore the shockwaves echoing through his skin and muscles into his bones at her contact. He cleared his throat in a vain attempt to bring his focus back to the conversation on hand. “Okay but that’s just one…”
“A shuriken?” she interrupted, one eyebrow raised in challenge.
“I did not leave that laying around!” he objected, not bothering to keep his voice down and was rewarded with the rest of the room turning to watch them. He glared at them then turned back to Marinette, giving himself a good distance between them so he could think easier.
“No,” she acknowledged unamused, “you left it in your shirt drawer… along with a domino mask.”
He narrowed his eyes at her, mind immediately springing back to suspicious. He never let Marinette poke around his things, exactly for reasons like this. He didn’t always have time to properly hide things after getting back from a mission or patrol before Marinette came over and it was safer to just say he was private. “Why were you in my…” he stopped instantly when he remembered the night a few weeks ago when he had given her permission, encouraged it even, a thankfully unseen blush settling on his cheeks at the memory. He hummed at the realization that he had caused it. “Oh, right. Yeah.”
“This is brilliant,” Nightwing crowed. He rubbed his hands together in overwhelming joy and settled an elbow on Red Robin’s shoulder to watch more comfortably.
“Shut up,” Red Hood growled without looking at him.
Nightwing suddenly sobered and turned his attention to Marinette. “I mean sorry for…” he motioned vaguely around then his grin returned in full force, “but…”
“Shut. Up,” Red Hood hissed again. This time he did turn toward Nightwing and started advancing toward him.
“I’m still up here, you know,” an annoyed voice floated down from above.
“Oh!” Signal exclaimed. He immediately jumped into action, moving toward him to help him down. The only issue was because they thought it was the Joker, they’d make the trap particularly difficult to escape, or undo. So, freedom was going to take a bit longer than usual to achieve.
“We are so sorry sir,” Red Robin apologized and moved to assist Signal. “We were trying to catch someone else.”
“Who were you trying to catch? A bear?” Marinette growled as she pulled at one of the ropes trapping Jagged, causing him to rock slightly in his net.
“Maybe it was a crocodile, Love,” Jagged commented, his tone dark and eyes steely. He attempted to renegotiate his position so he could glare down at the vigilantes, though the effect was dulled by his whole body jerking down when his leg fell through one of the holes in the net. “Were you trying to catch my crocodile?” he asked as though nothing had happened.
“Wha… No! No, no, no,” Nightwing rushed out quickly. The amusement of the situation put on hold as the horror of one of his favorite singers suspecting him, took over.
“We are very animal friendly, sir,” Red Robin assured him with an anxious smile. He immediately averted his eyes to focus on countering the trap security, his hands moving faster now.
“Except for King Shark and King Croc,” Signal added, not particularly helpfully as he continued his work at the same pace as before.
“We were trying to catch the Joker,” Red Robin added loudly as he shoved Signal behind him like he could hide his words by hiding him.
Jagged perked up ignoring that his entire arm slipped through a hole this time squishing his face through the net. “The clown with the terrible suit and the embarrassing humor?”
“That’s the one,” Signal snickered.
“That’s very rock n roll,” Jagged exclaimed raising up both arms, the one through the hole considerably more awkwardly than the other, to give the horn sign.
“No, that is not rock ‘n roll,” Marinette chastised him. She slapped his leg before whirling on Hood again. “You thought I was meeting up with the JOKER?” she screeched.
Red Hood jerked back away from her and pulled his arms in like he was afraid she might take a swing at them too. “You were meeting up with an Uncle J to discuss a suit that would help take down the Flash and could handle King Croc!” he exclaimed helplessly, though he tried to put strength into his words. She was the one that had done something wrong after all. Not him. She had said those words. Made those plans. And although this meeting may not have been with the Joker, she clearly meant to. Maybe. Possibly. Was it better or worse that he was wrong and had accused her to her face?
“I was discussing a suit that flashed lights and was durable enough to not fall apart playing with Fang, his pet crocodile!” she exploded, finally having reached the point where she could no longer control her frustration. “Because I’m Jagged Stone’s designer. WHICH YOU KNOW!”
Hood grimaced because, yeah, he did know that. But that was just a portion of it. “And the fire?”
“Pyrotechnics,” she yelled, throwing her arms out, although whether it was in frustration, to reinforce her point, or because she needed some way to work out her anger, there was no way to tell. “Jagged has crazy pyrotechnics. Again, which you know because you’ve seen his shows.”
“And can stand up to acid?” he asked, almost afraid of the answer. No. Definitely afraid of the answer because he could already tell he’d read this whole situation so very, very wrong.
She took a deep breath and let it out slowly, which seemed to rid her of some of the anger, but her hands were still clenched and shaking at her sides indicating it wasn’t all gone. “Some of the pyrotechnics are in his guitar and the lines frequently leak. His suits almost always come back smelling and with stains from the chemicals we can’t get out,” she gritted out.
Hood winced. This was so much worse than when he thought she was a villain associate. “Right, no, yeah, right. That… that makes…” He took a long breath, mind racing to figure out how to recover this raging dumpster fire. “Okay, but you have to understand, when you’re in Gotham and…”
“And dating him,” Signal added. His eyes stayed on his task of freeing Jagged but his smirk made clear he was enjoying Jason’s situation. Red Robin and Nightwing’s snickering as they assisted Signal made clear they were as well.
Hood’s glare was obvious in the sharp turn of his head and combative body language. “… and say ‘Uncle J’,” he continued still glaring at Signal for a few seconds before returning his attention to Marinette, “… which I’ve never heard you refer to Jagged Stone as, people are going to think you are talking about the Joker.”
Marinette glared at him, deeper and more intense than anything Hood had shot at Signal. “So, this is my fault?” she asked carefully, her voice flinty, solid but brittle, waiting to be struck just right to spark.
Everyone else grimaced, Jagged doing so so violently that the net swung from the movement giving his trap the last push needed to free him. “Bloody Hell,” Jagged groaned rubbing the hip that had taken the brunt of the fall. “Give a bloke a warning next time.”
“No! No, no, no, no. No!” Jason continued ignoring the happenings behind him. He held a cautionary finger out between him and Marinette and took off his mask to fix her with a desperate look. “That is not what I said.”
If he thought taking off his mask would ease the tension and grant him passage to her mercy, he was incredibly incorrect. Instead of softening, her eyes narrowed further. “It is.”
“No, what I said was it was an easy mistake to make, meaning it was my fault. All my fault. Not yours at all. Me,” he babbled desperately. She narrowed her eyes at him but kept her tongue so he could continue, which he took at a significant win. She was no longer biting his head off. “I made a mistake.”
“Huge,” she interrupted. She turned away from him, arms crossed over her chest like a shield, lips turned down in a deep pout. Her eyes flicked to him then away again quickly.
“A huge mistake,” he amended softly. “I made a huge mistake. I…” He groaned and ran his hands through his hair. “They weren’t kidding about my past girlfriends.”
She whirled on him then, the hurt in her eyes palpable. “That’s what you want to bring up right now? Other girls?”
They stared at each other, gazes locked, hers narrowed and hostile, his wide and pleading, until the connection was broken by Jagged’s loud attempt at an indiscernible whisper. “Isn’t that the Wayne kid?” He gasped and pointed at him. “That’s her boyfriend.”
Red Robin looked at him incredulously for a few seconds before responding. “Just catching onto that, huh?”
Jagged shrugged. “I missed some things up there. Blood circulation was doing funny things. Still confused why I was up there at all.” He looked back to where he had been hanging a few seconds ago like he was still seeing himself there.
“I apologize, sir. We thought you were a villain,” Nightwing explained with a sympathetic smile.
“Nah,” Jagged waved him off, “gave that up years ago. Much better at controlling my emotions now.”
The effect of Signal, Red Robin, and Nightwing snapping their heads toward him at the same time was almost audible. “Excuse me?”
“He means when Hawk Moth akumatized him,” Marinette huffed. “And no, he isn’t.” She looked at him sharply.
“I will have you know, I haven’t been turned into a rocking Guitar Villain in years,” he proclaimed, indignation in his voice and thrown back shoulders.
“Because we defeated Hawk Moth,” Marinette exclaimed.
“I mean… that was part of it,” Jagged acknowledged with a dismissive wave of his hand. “Ladybug and Chat Noir helped. But I did a lot of self-work as well,” he added proudly.
Jason’s eyes had never left Marinette during the entire interaction. He watched her carefully, longingly, cataloging her small, bemused, exasperated smile at Jagged’s audacity. “Can we get back to the point?” It was a statement, not a question. He stepped closer to Marinette, not quite in her space, but pleading for her attention. “Pixie, I am so sorry. I have such a terrible history, especially with the Joker and women, not just girlfriends, I’ve kind of stopped believing life could end any other way. The more amazing you were, the more I felt like I had to brace for the fall. Hearing ‘Uncle J’ and ‘acid’ just seemed like the inevitable finally happening.”
He shook his head, shoulders slumped, when he looked back at her, taking in the hurt downturn of her lips and the sullen look in her eyes, his expression was broken. “Everything about you has been, is, perfect. The way you smile…” he smiled softly. “You have so many different kinds, did you know that? Your proud of something you did smile is different than your proud of something I did smile, which is different than your proud of something your niece did smile. And your smile at a joke I tell that you didn’t really think was funny but appreciate that I tried is different than the one when one of Dick’s jokes bombs.”
He ignored Dick’s muttered “Unnecessary” and stepped closer to her again reaching up to trace his fingers along her jaw, feather-light, like he wasn’t sure he was still allowed to. “And they’re nothing compared to the soft, sweet smile you grace me with in the mornings.” When she didn’t pull away from his touch, he cupped her jaw with more certainty and pushed his hand back so his fingers could thread into her hair and his thumb stroke her jaw.
“And there’s a million more that I’m not done seeing, Pixie. I am sorry I doubted you, but I would like to spend the rest of our lives cataloging those smiles if you will let me.” He leaned down until his forehead was ghosting hers, his eyes pressed closed tight, afraid to see her reaction yet. “I know I messed up. I know you deserved better. You make me want to be better, the better you deserve. If you let me, I’ll spend the rest of our lives proving I do trust you and you can trust me. Because you are the most amazing woman I’ve met and I’m sorry I made you think otherwise.”
The silence stretched between them, the entire warehouse silent, even the buzzing of the lights seemed to have quieted in reverence of the moment. When he finally opened his eyes, he saw hers swimming with an undefined emotion, which unnerved him. He could always tell her emotions. Marinette wore her heart on her sleeve. Every emotion, every flicker of a feeling, flitted across her face like a billboard out for everyone to see. He held his breath waiting to see how she would respond. Waiting for her to seal his fate.
Finally, achingly long minutes later, she bobbed her head to the side and huffed. “Okay, that’s a good apology,” she grumbled grudgingly. She reached up to wipe away the tear that had fallen during his speech, but he beat her to it, swiping it away gently with his thumb.
“Good?” Jagged asked. “Love, I’ll marry him if you don’t.”
Jason ignored him and grinned brilliantly. He threw his arms around her shoulders, bringing her in against his chest. He pulled back just enough to meet her eyes. “I love you,” he kissed her cheek just beneath the eye where a tear had threatened to fall but hadn’t. “I'm sorry.” He kissed her other cheek where a tear had already fallen. “Please forgive me,” he pleaded.
She sighed loudly like her next statement required significant effort, but the upward quirk of her lips fought the sentiment. “Fine,” she heaved dramatically.
Jason broke out in laughter and hugged her with so much enthusiasm, he lifted her up into the air. She soon joined him, their joy echoing throughout the warehouse. He settled her on the ground, but never loosened his grip on her, reluctant to let her go now that he was assured of her devotion. He rested his forehead against hers. “Move in with me?”
She jerked back in surprise, but not out of his embrace. “What?” she rasped out.
“I wanted to ask months ago but was holding off because of the,” he motioned toward his suit. “But you already know.” He grinned at her. “You know all my secrets now.” He ignored the indiscrete throat clearings behind him. “And I desperately want to spend as much time with you as I can so I can learn all of yours, too.”
She froze for a second. “Right,” she eked out awkwardly. But she then melted into his arms, her smile blazing bright to match his. “Okay, I guess,” she sighed.
Jason scoffed and pulled away to look at her, an amused lilt to his lips. “’Okay, I guess,’” he mocked. “That’s all the excitement you’re going to give me?”
She pursed her lips to stop herself from smiling. “Maybe I can give you a little bit more.”
“Maybe?” he asked, eyebrows raised in challenge.
This time she allowed herself to fully smile. In fact, she beamed and threw her arms around his neck. “Yes! I will move in with you.”
Jason let out a yip and twirled her around in excitement. He kissed her quicker than he would have liked but they were both smiling too wide to actually kiss. As much as he desperately wanted to kiss her, he couldn’t dampen his grin. This night had turned out so, so much better than he had anticipated.
Waking up the morning after Steph’s birthday celebration was hell. Jason’s head was throbbing and his mouth felt like he’d stuffed it full of cotton swabs, drier than a desert and probably tasted just as bad. He wished he'd had the wherewithal to stop drinking before he had, but he'd been enjoying himself - not that he'd ever admit it to Tim.
Eventually he dragged himself in search of water and something to eat, hoping it would end the crushing hangover. He hardly registered Tim sitting at the counter nursing a cup of coffee, his attention immediately fixing on a disapproving Alfred frying something that smelled wonderful.
“Please tell me some of that is for me, Alf,” he pleaded, slumping into a seat as far away from Tim as he possibly could.
“Of course, Master Jason,” Alfred said, amusement more than sympathy colouring his tone. “I trust you are well?”
“Oh yeah, I’m okay,” Jason muttered, wincing at the way the light was glaring in through an open doorway. “Fuckin’-”
“Language, Master Jason.”
“Freakin’ peachy keen. If I don’t die today I’ll count it as a win,” Jason finished, glaring at nothing. “Why's it so bright today?”
“Agreed,” Tim moaned, clinging to his cup of coffee for dear life. And that saying, misery loves company, must be true because knowing Tim was suffering just as badly as he was? Yeah, that made Jason feel a whole lot better.
“Lemme guess, Kon didn't stick around to kiss it better this mornin’,” he smirked, enjoying the scowl Tim directed his way. “Look, if you throw yourself at him when drunk, I get to mock you for it sober.”
“Oh yeah? Does that mean I get to bring up all the shi-”
“Language.”
“-stuff you were saying about Marinette? ‘Oh, she's perfect, I'd marry her if she'd have me’-”
“Shove off, Replacement, no way did I say any of that-”
“Wanna bet?” Tim shot back, a glint in his eye and his hangover suddenly forgotten. “Because Kon sent me plenty of videos and audio clips from last night-”
“You little shi-”
“Master Jason-”
“Oh, I can't swear but he can threaten-”
“Not a threat if I do it,” Tim muttered, waggling his phone tauntingly.
“I swear to God, Tim, you do it and I'll end you.”
A loud crash had them both stopping to clutch their heads, Jason turning reproachful eyes on Alfred who was holding two saucepan lids. It would have been comical if it didn't hurt so much.
“If you are going to continue bickering, I must ask you to vacate the kitchen so that I may have some peace,” the butler said pointedly. “If you plan to be adults you may remain.”
“Sorry Alfred,” Tim said dutifully, curling around his coffee mug again. Jason grimaced and muttered something that sounded like an apology but then decided he would head out to get some breakfast instead. Maybe Marinette would like to join him…
_ _ _
An hour later, Jason was feeling heaps better as he finished his second round of breakfast at a local-to-his-apartment diner. Marinette hadn’t joined him but he figured maybe she was busy with her commissions and hadn’t looked at her phone. He planned to catch up with her later anyway, maybe take some food to her place to make sure she hadn’t skipped too many meals.
As he was waiting for the bill for his food, he was surprised to see Kor’i appear in the doorway, smiling over at him and making a beeline for his table. He raised an eyebrow at her but kicked the chair out so she could sit. She did so gracefully, a determined look on her face.
“What’s up?” he asked, not bothering with pleasantries. If she had come to find him without messaging first it could be something serious so he didn’t want to waste any time.
“Good morning, Jason! Kon-El sent me the videos from last night and I wished to congratulate you on your upcoming joy,” she said, completely sincere and horribly misunderstanding whatever it was Jason had said the night before.
“Uh, whatever Kon sent you I’m pretty sure you’ve got it wrong,” he began immediately, nervous to see what all he had said.
“You said you were due to be married! I know I occasionally misunderstand but I do not think that one is possible to misinterpret, Jason,” Kor’i said with a slight frown.
“Shit. Um, well, I’m not getting married. I haven’t even been able to get past the whole friends-with-benefits thing, so marriage is most definitely not on the table,” Jason said, running a hand through his hair and wondering if Barbara would delete any incriminating footage from the internet before it made it to Marinette. The risk, of course, was that she would keep it for herself and refuse to take it from any of the family’s devices which put him back to square one.
“Oh. Then Kon-El was sending this to ‘razz’ you, yes?” Kor’i said, face lighting up with another smile. “Perhaps we should plan something for him, so you may have revenge.”
“Maybe,” Jason said with a snort, glad his head no longer felt like it was going to split apart. The check came and he left enough for there to be a sizable tip for the waitress and indicated for her to follow him. “Wanna join me for a wander around town? Roy said somethin’ about sendin’ Lian to Ollie and Dinah for a couple of weeks so she can have a holiday and that usually means he’ll have a mission or two for us.”
“He is fairly predictable that way, is he not?” Kor’i said, throwing her arm around him as they walked along the street. He was so accustomed to her casual affection that he didn’t even really register the action, choosing to lean into it slightly.
“How’s Dick been with the whole pregnancy thing?” he asked, smiling as he imagined the man trying to smother Kor’i in concern only to be hit for insinuating that she needed to be coddled.
“He is learning not to be overbearing,” Kor’i said, clearly knowing that’s what Jason had meant. “It is one of the reasons I am out of the apartment currently - he was trying to push me into resting constantly and it is not what I am built for.”
“Yeah, he’s only gonna get worse, ain’t he? If he really pisses you off, you’re always welcome to hang out with me. Just, ah, gimme a heads up in case I’m…preoccupied.”
“Yes, I imagine that the ‘woman you will one day turn into your wife’ would dislike being interrupted in such a manner,” Kor’i replied with an impish grin. Jason just groaned and ran a hand through his hair, hoping that particular video didn’t make it to a certain Parisian’s hands too soon.
“Come on Jason,” Steph wheedled, pouting at him. It wasn’t going to change his mind but she was trying it anyway. “It’s one night out, you can even bring your lady love if you want! We never get to celebrate my birthday and I finally convinced Bruce to give me the night off so I can.”
“Why would you even want me there, Blondie?” Jason said with an eye roll. “You’ll have Timbit and Kon, right? Sounds like you’re gonna have a ball either way.”
“But they won’t get drunk with me. Besides, Tim’s just going to be making eyes at Kon all night and then I’ll be a third wheel, on my birthday.”
“Christ, if I come to this stupid night out will you lay off the waterworks? They’re really pissin’ me off.”
“Yay! And will Marinette be coming with-”
“No, I’m not subjectin’ her to your brand of crazy,” Jason said decisively, scowling.
“Nothing to do with Kon being there then?” she retorted slyly, apparently enjoying the way his scowl deepened. “Oh come on, did you not just hear me say that Tim’s going to be making out with Kon? He might be super but I don’t think even he has time to win them both over in one night.”
“Aw shut it, Steph. I said I’ll come and I will, but leave Pixie out of it, alright? She’ll probably be busy designin’ or somethin’.”
Steph gave up on trying to convince him to invite Marinette and he sighed in relief inwardly. Until he was more than just keeping Marinette company in bed he didn’t want to come on too strong, so that meant keeping her away from the Waynes. He’d already made that mistake by inviting her to the gala prematurely because Dick convinced him it was a good idea and that had backfired monumentally.
_ _ _
“So I was thinking we could hang out tonight-”
“Sorry Nette, I have plans,” Jason said, trying to dance along the edge of nonchalant and apologetic. “Steph, the blonde friend of the family, wanted me to go out with her for her birthday. I can hit you up if it ends early but…”
“Oh, no, that’s totally fine,” Marinette said with a smile. He wasn’t supposed to be disappointed that she seemed fine with his not spending time with her but he was. Her smile turned deviously flirty as she looked at him playfully. “That just means I might actually get a decent night’s sleep.”
“Like you don’t like stayin’ up late,” he shot back, pulling her down from the sofa and into his lap. “We don’t gotta wait ’til night if you’d rather sleep then.”
“You’re incorrigible, you know that? And completely impossible to satisfy, huh.”
“What can I say, Pix? You’re like a fix that I can’t quit and I don’t wanna. You sayin’ you’d rather I didn’t want to jump you all the time?”
“Don’t try putting words in my mouth,” she giggled, leaning over to kiss him. The tips of her hair tickled his cheeks and he slid a hand to the back of her head to keep her steady as he kissed her back.
When she finally left the apartment an hour or so later he decided to head over to the manor early to see if the others were having any pre drinks that he could join in on. Parking his bike in the garage, he stopped by the kitchen first to say hi to Alfred and grabbing some food. They exchanged pleasantries, Alfred asking how Marinette was doing and Jason asking if he had any new recipes to share.
“Whoa, you agreed to come too?” Kon said as he walked into the kitchen. “Hey Alfred, Tim and Steph around?”
“Hello Master Kon, Miss Stephanie and Master Tim are upstairs in the usual drawing room. If you plan on joining them I would like to remind you of my rules for powers being used unnecessarily.”
“Sure, I got you,” Kon said, winking at the elderly butler. Jason could see Alfred suppressing a sigh but then the Super was gone, moving fast enough that he couldn’t be doing it without powers.
“I’ll head on up too, Alf. I’m crashin’ here tonight so I’ll probably see you for breakfast,” Jason said with a lazy salute as he headed up to the drawing room.
As soon as he was in the room he regretted agreeing to come. Steph and Tim were whispering in a conspiratorial way and Kon was grinning at Jason like he knew things were going to be more fun for them than him. Tim finally glanced up at Jason and gave him a grin of his own, followed by a wider grin when the door shut behind him.
“Didn’t want to bring Marinette with you tonight? Why, worried Kon’s going to sweep her off her feet again?”
“Fuck you, Tim, she’s not here ’cos she’s busy. Super-chump over here couldn’t do it anyway, she’s smarter’n that.”
“Come on you two, it’s my birthday! No arguing until after we find a bar to wreck, okay? But keep that energy for later, I want to see how it ends.”
_ _ _
Jason was drunk. He hadn’t meant to drink quite as much as he had but Tim and Steph had been egging him on for most of the night, challenging him and making sure his glass was never empty. Kon didn’t join in but seemed to take great pleasure in watching Jason get progressively more morose as time went on.
“So wazzup with Mal- Marn- Netteram- your girl,” Steph slurred, giving up on saying the name. “She’s pretty. Way too pretty to be hook’n up with you, how’d you manage that?”
“She is, isn’t she? God, she’s smart an’ hot an’ she’s fuck’n fantastic in bed,” Jason mumbled, resting his head on his arms. Kon snorted and Jason shot him a dirty look before his face fell again. “I don’t even know how it happ’n’d.”
“Awww, s’okay Jaybird, we should call her an’ ask!”
“Naw, she’s s’pos’d to be sleepin’ right now. Or I’d be callin’ her to come over,” he sighed, blinking to try and make his vision less bleary. The song playing in the bar came into focus and he grinned as he recognised it. “Hey, I like this one; no grave c’n…body down…crawl home…”
“Okay, I think it’s time to cut you three off,” Kon said, patting Tim on the head. Jason cackled when the young CEO jumped at the contact and threw his arms around Kon, making the Super flush slightly. “Oh yeah, definitely time to call it. Yo, can we get some water over here?”
Jason laughed again, enjoying how flustered Kon was clearly getting at Tim’s attention before his attention was grabbed by the song again. He bobbed his head, humming tunelessly as it came to an end, thinking vaguely of Marinette and itching to call her.
Jason watched as Marinette paced his living room, eyes stuck on her phone as she waited for the inevitable message from her friends that they’d arrived. When she gave a frustrated sigh and ran her hands through her hair again he reached out and snagged her around the waist, pulling her to sit on the sofa with him. She gave a squeak but didn’t try to pull away from him as he hugged her and settled his chin on her shoulder.
“Wearin’ a hole in my floor won’t make them get here any faster, doll,” he said, letting his body mass engulf her. Her skin was cool to the touch and he had no reservations in letting his heat leach into her by way of hugs. She sank into him, sighing more peacefully and relaxing almost entirely.
“I know, I just hate that I don’t know what she’s thinking right now,” she lamented.
“Worried she’s gonna march you back to Paris?” he asked, letting his fingers entwine with hers and hoping it gave her some comfort. “Or just that you don’t wanna deal with what she wants to say?”
“Both. Okay, that’s not quite true, I know she won’t be able to make me go home because I just agreed to do a pretty complicated commission and I can’t just relocate while I do that. But listening to her try to convince me that I’m wasting time being here doesn’t sound like my idea of a fun time, no,” Marinette explained, feet coming up to let her curl into him.
“You want back up?” he offered as casually as he could. He would love to meet these friends if just to tell them to back off and let Marinette do what she wanted, but he wasn’t going to do it without her permission. He’d already been an ass at the gala and he really didn’t want to give her a reason to leave Gotham any sooner than she had to.
“As fun as that sounds, I have to deal with this on my own. Hopefully Alya won’t even be as bad as I’m assuming she will, not with Nino there. I just wouldn’t bet on it,” she muttered as an afterthought. She checked her phone again and groaned when there was still no message from Alya to let her know that they’d arrived. Making a decision, she jumped to her feet and turned to Jason. “How do you feel about killing time doing something else? I need to get out of this apartment for a bit, it’s driving me crazy just waiting.”
“Sounds good, wanna hit the arcade?”
_ _ _
The arcade turned out to be exactly what Marinette needed, the thrill of mashing buttons and beating everyone at video games just the cathartic release she’d been looking for. Jason seemed to find it more fun watching her beat other people so she let anyone challenge her at any game and thoroughly destroyed each and every person that tried.
By the time her phone finally sounded with Alya’s ringtone, she was almost feeling positive about the impending visit. She did another couple of rounds on a dance battle game before calling it quits and grabbing Jason as she headed for the door.
What she hadn’t expected was that Alya had checked for her using an app they had always used to keep track of one another in Paris. It was just location sharing, something they left on for safety reasons, but it meant that instead of meeting at a predetermined address alone, Alya and Nino caught her walking along with Jason.
“Alya! Nino! It's, um, it's good to see you,” she said nervously, eyes flicking to Jason who seemed to understand that he should make himself scarce. He murmured that he would text her later before nodding to the two Parisians and sauntering away. Marinette watched him go for a moment before turning back to Alya but that might have been a mistake, if the way Alya was watching Jason was any indication.
“Girl, who was that?” Alya demanded hotly, eyes still following Jason out of sight. “And why are you hanging out with him when you’re supposed to be going back to Paris soon?”
“Maybe because I’m supposed to go home soon? Jay’s been one of my best friends since I got here and if I have to come back to Paris and leave him here I want to get as much time with him as possible.”
“Oh, I’ll bet,” Alya said darkly, eyes narrowing. “If you two aren’t screwing then I’m Wonder Woman.”
“Hey, that is not your business,” Marinette said angrily, feeling her face flush. “And what does it matter if we are? News flash, I’m not seeing anyone else and both Jason and I are adults.”
“Jesus, Mari, you can’t just run away from home and hook up with the first guy that offers-”
“Rude of you to assume he was the first to offer,” Marinette cut in with a raised eyebrow. “For your information Jason wasn’t the first to ask, just the first I took up on the offer. And if I want to hook up with him, that’s my choice. Why are you being so judgy about this? You’re always telling me to live a little, to not be scared of making a bad decision every now and again-”
“Dudettes? Maybe we can take this conversation somewhere less public?” Nino said, glancing around at the people who were staring at the two women.
“Or we could just not have this conversation,” Marinette countered, jaw tense. “I get that it's coming from a place of love but you're being really unfair to both me and Jason. So if you can't be pleasant about choices I'm making, maybe you should just go back to Metropolis for the day.”
“Fine. You're only living in the crime capital of America, hooking up with a man who looks like he could kill you by accident. Why should you have to listen to reason?” Alya muttered, glaring in the direction Jason had gone.
_ _ _
Marinette didn't see Jason until the following evening and they didn't talk much. No, that was reserved for the following morning when they woke up in his bed, Marinette spread across his chest as they cuddled. She traced a pattern on his bare chest with her finger, enjoying the way he pulled her closer.
“You alright there, Nette?” he asked softly.
“Just thinking about my friends,” she sighed, pulling herself up to look at him while she talked. “They were kind of assholes about you earlier and it made me really mad.”
“They didn’t like me, huh,” he said, sounding resigned. “It’s not a big deal, most people don’t like me. Hell, I don’t think my brothers like me most the time.”
“It’s a big deal to me,” she grumbled, letting her head thump back down onto his chest. He huffed a self-deprecating laugh and she prodded him, hard. “I just expected better of them. This is all because they have this stupid idea that I’m supposed to still be with Adrien even though we don’t work anymore.”
Jason gave a low growl at the mention of her moron ex, letting his hand cover hers where it lay on his chest. She gave a giggle that made him feel a little better, and then he pulled her into a kiss that distracted the both of them for a lot longer.
