MariBat Secret Santa 2021
Very late @maribat-secret-santa gift for @multifandomscribette!! I hope you enjoy it, I put a lot of thought and heart into it, and I hope it is even slightly worth the wait!
[ Ao3 Link ]
Ship: Cassette
Tropes: Soulmate AU, Mutual Pining, Meet-Cute?
A Year after Cassandra Cain attempted, and failed, to escape the League of Shadows at the age of eight, something changed. A mark began to grow upon her skin, and it wasn’t a bruise from training.
The new mark staining her skin started out small, almost unnoticeable. But Cassandra knew her body more than anything else in her small world, so she saw it the very evening it began to appear. She watched as it grew from a brown speckle to a sea of watercolors. A river sprouting cattails covered her outer thigh and curled over her hip. A forest of birch and pine sprung from mossy foliage all across her back. Finally, a twilight sky with opalescent starlight broke the canopy, and the navy and violet-backed Milky Way ended by wrapping over her shoulder and covering her heart like a gentle hand.
It took just over a year for the image to develop, starting one spring and ceasing the next. Yet even as it grew and after it stopped, the existing image changed with the seasons. Cassandra felt it was a window to the outside world, meant only for her. She felt as if it saved her from the cold drowning of her half-life within the League.
But what saved her also condemned her in the eyes of their leader- and by extension, her father as well.
She was twelve when a particularly harsh live combat was dropped on her. Ra’s al Ghul had requested to observe her progression. Under threat of her potential termination, Cassandra was made to face both her parents, two to one. She had managed to end the fight by manipulating the two adults into a position to strike each other simultaneously as she dodged. They stopped before their blows touched, but the overall success proved Cassandra’s worth as a warrior. But by the end of it, their weapons had torn through several layers of her uniform, cloth and armor alike. One particular blow had sheared all the way into the flesh of her back and swept away the protective coverings.
It was the only blow that mattered.
Silent, Ra’s approached, waving to Cain and Shiva to step away. Cassandra froze, understanding full well his reason. He circled her, taking out a pristine white handkerchief. He stopped behind her, and Cassandra had to fight the instinct to fight him off as he swept the cloth against her bloodied, exposed shoulder blade.
“You never told me your project had a Soulmark, Cain,” Ra’s spoke calmly, as though he did not just reveal her greatest, and only, secret. As though his subtle body movements did not speak loudly into her mind that he was brimming with anger at a supposed deception.
She glanced at her genetic donors to see their reactions.
Lady Shiva was shocked, certainly, but there was a sliver in restrained hope in her posture.
David Cain, on the other hand, was livid at being deceived. He clenched his jaw and didn’t speak for a moment, so as not to vocally out himself as ignorant to the freshly revealed situation. Taking a breath to prepare himself, he spoke.
“I apologize, Ra’s. I had hoped to solve this little, insignificant, situation on my own, as it does not deserve your attention. Forgive me.” The glare that bore into Cassandra from Cain’s eyes made her suppress a flinch. Instead, she averted her eyes.
Ra’s hummed noncommittally in acknowledgment as he put the stained handkerchief away. He turned, then, and began to leave. But before the doors closed behind him, he spoke once more without a glance. “Take your project- Cassandra, if I recall- take them out on a mission. Find their Connected. And make sure Cassandra is the one to end their ties.”
“Of course. I’ll-”
“Tonight,” Ra’s’ voice cut through Cain’s words, velvet soft yet commanding and absolute. “You leave tonight. This is the last chance, David Cain. If the mission is a failure, I’ll terminate your project. You can decide whose hand will end it. Yours, or mine. I hope your confidence in their training pays off.” And with that, the Demon's Head was gone.
Cain scoffs, and his resentment for the situation simmered toward a boil. He doesn't say a word, but he knows he doesn't need to. Cassandra understands his demands.
She turns to leave, to prepare for their departure, but her mother stops her gently, a hand hovering above her heart- her Soulmark- without touching. It was a mother’s concern. Or at least as much as Lady Shiva possessed.
“Daughter. Be strong. Do what you failed to do before. Do what I could not. Do what I made you for. I’ll see you when it is all over. Good luck, my little Kessaku.” With that, Shiva was gone, and Cassandra was left alone.
Though her body ached and her nerves were frayed, Cassandra remained determined. She would do what she must to protect what was important. If she must, she would even die trying.
~~~
That night, Cassandra did not die. Nor did she die the next morning, or any day after for years to come. But death was still not avoided that day.
Her second attempt at escape from the League- from killing- was a success. David Cain took her to a sorcerer he had ties with and requested they use her Mark to track the ‘target’ to maximum efficiency. The sorcerer agreed, producing a globe of the Earth with glowing magic. Cane did not hesitate to grasp Cassandra’s arm, expose her inked shoulder, and take a dagger to her skin when the sorcerer asked for a physical piece or representation of the Soulmark. She did not flinch, but it still hurt to know how willing her father was to do such a thing to her, and for such a reason as this one.
The claimed material from her shoulder was placed above the magic globe, floating over it like a cloud. The redness of her blood spread downward like veins of a leaf, encompassing the raised landmasses and shimmering seas, growing thick between their borders and over well-worn trails of life.
She saw a glimmer appear in one of the drops, golden against the dark redness. It marked her time to act.
In a moment she only recalls as barely more than a blur, Cassandra attacks David Cain and the sorcerer. The magic-user was disabled easily, a physical blow knocking him cold before he could even register the need to summon protection. The magic globe and the paths or red disappeared along with their wakefulness. Cain, however, took an extra moment to engage with. But without the help of Lady Shiva at his side like before, Cassandra, wounded as she already was, defeated him through surprise and foresight.
But simply stopping him here, preventing him from seeing that golden glow, was not enough. She saw in his eyes that he would pursue her to the ends of the Earth- the Galaxy- to get his investment back.
So she wounded him with every one of her blows. Each one made him slower, weaker, and pained him with every movement of his own. The fight ended moments before it was fatal.
Cain knew, just as Cassandra did, that if he continued this now, if he did not stop, he would die from his own actions. His anger and resentment burned, and she chose to turn away from it. Whatever he did now, she was no longer a part of it.
Cassandra left, with nothing more than wounds and determination.
But when the sun rose above the skyline on her first morning of freedom, the light shone on something new. Something that once more was only hers. A meadowy clearing appeared at the edge of her forest. In that clearing, the skeleton of a structure had been built. In that structure, the memory of a golden spark had become a candle set on the edge of a balcony.
~~~
Marinette Dupain-Cheng thought nothing of the dark splotch on her shoulder when it appeared at the age of nine. If anything, it was already partially hidden by a bruise or two formed after one or more of her unfortunate bumps or falls into a minor inconvenience. But when the color barely faded and instead began to gain speckling of pastel whites, she showed her parents and asked if there was something wrong with her. Amused and delighted, Tom and Sabine shared what they knew.
The mix of colors, unique to Marinette and just as incomplete in growth, was a Soulmark. They told her to watch it, let it inspire her, give her hope, and speak to her in a way only she can hear. It was also just as much a weight to bear as much as it could lift her up. But it represented that she was never alone. There was always going to be someone out there, someone she will one day find and know, who will change her life in one way or many others.
Her Soulmark grew slowly over several years. Outlines grew first like sketches on a new sheet of paper, the color slowly following, filling in like ink through water that dripped down her back. The stars on her shoulder lead to treetops of birch and pine that grew on the side of a mountain. Among the trees a cave opened wide, a river flowing from its mouth. Water lilies grew thickly around the calm edges.
Marinette adored her mark more and more with each passing day, wishing to find the one who put it on her skin. She wished for it so much, she worked hard to make it real.
Her first thought was to let the whole world- the whole galaxy- see the beautiful watercolors of her soul-made-visible. At ten, she successfully managed to design and create a shirt that exposed a modest portion of the pattern, then mimicked it like a quilt pretending to be a stained glass window. By twelve, when the mark had grown past her hips, her designs morphed from blouses and jackets to dresses and entire matching outfits.
When she was almost at the age of thirteen, the mark- stretching from her heart, across her back, and down her leg- changed for the first time. The night sky grew into a new dawn, sunbeams of early morning lighting the scenery. The cave, once dark, was now lit, the sparkle of crystals revealed from where they were once hidden in deep crevices. The moon was still visible, pale white like a scar against the bright watercolors on her shoulder. Some of the tallest trees had even gained little boxes, birdhouses and bathouses alike.
Marinette was overjoyed to see the change. It was new and exciting, and she was convinced it meant something good had happened. In a way, she was right, but she could not know why.
At thirteen, she was abruptly reminded about how her Mark could also be a burden, a source of pain and anxiety. A magic artifact, a Miraculous, hosting a powerful embodiment of Creation herself, came to Marinette on a day she was not ready. The Kwami of Creation, Tikki, instilled into her that the Soulmark- her source of motivation, inspiration, and unconditional love- needed to be ignored.
“It’s important, Marinette! You cannot talk about your Soulmark as Ladybug, ever!” The words spoken by Tikki hurt more than the girl knew was ever possible. But there was no reasoning with a powerful being convinced with absolute certainty of their reasons. “Even outside of being Ladybug, you must avoid speaking of it at all costs. If anything, you are lucky you have not met your Matched yet! With a visible mark like that, your identity could be exposed with a single glance! There is a reason why a Miraculous Holder’s suit covers them almost completely. Magic can't protect everything, and the keenest of eyes will always find the flaws.”
“I…I understand, Tikki. Thank you for telling me.” Marinette tried not to show how heartbroken she was. But it was hard to hide one’s heart after wearing it on their sleeve for so long.
Her passion for design in clothes faded, at first. She could no longer wear her old clothes or make anything new like before. But, luckily, it sparked again, new adventures and new friends bringing fresh inspiration. She began to design for others, drawing from their own visible Marks and physical Souls. But the creativity did not stop there. Her time spent overloading her brain with ideas, theories, and possibilities of every conceivable outcome, became a well of knowledge in new areas.
At fifteen, Marinette was taking pre-college classes in engineering. With the new focus, she felt she had finally regained her passion and her real, truest spark.
A year later, her mark gained a new detail. A small, circular area of marble steps appeared around the mouth of the cave, split in half by the water, but joined by a simple footbridge. It was an amphitheater, covered in moss and flowering vines.
In the following spring, with two years of engineering classes under her belt, Marinette received a letter of acceptance from the college of her choice, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in America.
To get there, she only had to face one obstacle.
“Tikki, I know you're going to try to stop me and convince me to stay in Paris, but please listen to me!” When the Kwami went to speak, Marinette stuffed a cookie into her mouth and hushed her. “Now, where was I? Right! If I go, I can learn so much! You know how excited I am for this, to finally get to do something I want without worrying about Hawkmoth!”
The cookie gone, Tikki went to chastise. “Marinette, you know you can't go that far away! You’ll never make it back here in time for every fight, and neither you nor Chat Noir should be working without the other. I thought you knew better than this,” she finished with a huff.
Though it stung to face such disappointment from a mentor and friend, Marinette remained steady and strong. “I’ve spoken with the Guardian, Tikki. They approve of my choice and the suggestion I made to compensate for the problem of separation. Kaalki is coming with us.”
Tikki made a noise of protest, but Marinette shook her head firmly.
“She’s coming, Tikki, and you won’t stop us. If I have to, I’ll leave your earrings here with the Guardian, and only put them on after I come back.”
“But that-!”
“Is a waste of time and energy and would take away effort that we could be using on fighting? Exactly, which is why I want you to come with me! And I know you’ll agree because it's the only logical choice we have.” Tikki stared her down. Marinette could tell that Tikki could tell that Marinette was hiding something else. Marinette sighed.
“Yeah, okay- I also want to be able to reveal my Soulmark again…” Tikki gasped, and Marinette took the opportunity to put another cookie in the Kwami’s mouth. “I told you, I talk everything out with the Guardian- yes, and Chat Noir, too- before deciding on this- before even applying, Tikki. It will be safe for us, I swear. No one will ever know about us. I promise.”
A few more cookies and a visit to a Guardian later, the matter was settled.
Marinette was bound for the United States the following Autumn.
~~~
December came fast, and so was the new year. Along with it came something long in the waiting.
Cassandra spent her second-ever Christmas warm and loved, surrounded by friends, brothers, a grandfather, and a protective, loving, doting father. At night, she dawned the mask of Black Bat and helped those in need, giving gifts of shelter and safety, and the occasional toy and warm set of winter clothes. She almost couldn't ask for anything more.
Marinette spent time as Ladybug, cheering on her hero team as they defeated each other in massive snowball fights. She watched from rooftops as her friends and family celebrated, talking to them on a phone as though she was still thousands of miles away. And she made sure her best friend in the world, her partner in heroism and not-crime, never felt alone.
New Year’s Eve arrived.
Cassandra Cain-Wayne had a long-awaited ballet performance of Swan Lake that evening in her home of Gotham, taking the lead roles of Odette and Odile. Her costume had been custom-tailored to expose her Soulmark; the beautiful night scene complimenting the white of her swan feathers and enhancing the illusion of a woman cursed to live outside of a human form and a human world.
Marinette Dupain-Cheng had joined The Corallaries, an A Capella group of her college, which had reminded her fondly of her friends back home. The group was taking a trip to New Jersey in celebration of a fine year full of tours and new members, a trip she graciously and persistently helped organize as a show of thanks for their friendship. They were going to see a charity ballet performance at the famous Gotham Opera House.
The entire event was a beautiful success, despite a hiccup only two among the crowd even noticed.
Marinette was in awe from start to finish. At first, it was from the grace and beauty of the performers held with even the smallest and simplest of movements. But when Odette appeared for the first time as a swan in act two, Marinette’s eyes were transfixed to her. Every thread of the costume was art, of course, but it was what was not sewn that truly mesmerized her.
A forest of birch and pine, cut by a river and sheltered by stars. A scar-like moon upon her shoulder. And as the dances continued, and the lights faded with every perceived night, the Mark upon Odette’s skin glowed like the world inside was truly bathed in moonlight. Even when Odette became Adile and white feathers turned black, Marinette could swear that the mark still shone brighter. Only when all movement stopped and the curtains fell did the light of the stars fade.
Cassandra was proud and happy. The performance had ended right on time, a half-hour before the stroke of midnight. After the curtain call, she had been praised and thanked by the fellow performers for her ability to adjust her timing to synchronize to those who were out of sync, allowing the performance to flow as smooth as water, as though each ripple was planned and deliberate. When she came out of the changing rooms, her family greeted her, gifting her with praise and compliments of their own, and a promise of a new flower bed in the garden to commemorate the event.
Yet still, something was on her mind.
She had felt eyes upon her the whole night, but she was used to that in many ways. No, it was when her gaze swept the crowd and saw a familiar spark in the eyes of a watcher that she knew something had changed. Something new could now see her like never before. And so she danced with all the grace, skill, and effort she had, solely for that spark that was hers, and hers alone.
“Thank you,” Cassandra said, the smile of her eyes being for everyone. But she couldn't help but glance to the exit. “I must go now. Important. See you at home.”
Marinette was stunned and starstruck. She barely noticed her fellow Corallaries teasing her over being struck speechless for the first time ever. The comment about joining the masses in falling in love with ballet had made her blush, though, and she refused to acknowledge the validity of it.
“I- I’ll see you guys back at the hotel, okay?” She stepped away, smiling sheepishly at their bewildered looks. “I just need a moment to myself, that’s all! So, Happy New Year, everyone, goodnight!!”
Two young women rushed out of opposite exits of the same theater. Both ran to the same parking garage to look for someone they had only seen across a crowd. And in the pale light of a stairwell landing, one girl going up and another going down, they both stop.
“Hi,” spoke the Spark, no longer separated by a balcony railing.
“Hi,” said Odette, human once more and free from her amphitheater.
“You’re here,” whispered Marinette to the inspiration for her dreams.
And to the source of her hopes, Cassandra replied, “I missed you.”
Oh my stars @silverwhiteraven this is amazing thank you so much!!!! I love it!!!
