A year of Glitter
Part 14: final
Glitter series
Masterlist
New Year’s Eve brought Marinette back to a fancy party, only this time she was attending as a guest rather than the planner. She had been invited by a client. It seemed like good business sense to go mingle. She worked hard on her dress to make it eye-catching with black lace and red leather. She wore some of her best accessories to go with it. She looked pretty great for a walking advertisement. She was still nervous. She didn’t know how to act around all the new people so she felt really stiff, but after a bit she decided they all seemed a bit stiff too.
Most of the people she met seemed really friendly so that was nice. The occasional shocked comment about her making her own clothes and accessories. Working for a living was not what most of the women here aspired to do. She managed to smile politely and change the topic. They did seem interested enough in what she was selling so they held their snobbery back to get the information.
She still was not really in the party mood. She almost didn’t go but when Eden found out she had been invited to Bruce Wayne’s New Year’s party she insisted that Marinette had to go. Marinette tried to get her to go with her but Eden was in new relationship bliss and they were going to the ball drop in New York. Marinette would have rather just stayed home and she almost did, even after all the work to make her dress. But Eden called her to make sure she left for the party. She sent a cab that was already paid for and Marinette went mostly to get her to stop pushing. She could always leave the party if she wasn’t having a good time.
Good wasn’t really the word she would use, but it wasn’t bad. She danced with several people and the food was outstanding. She did love to look at the styles everyone was wearing. She didn’t get much of an opportunity to see styles like this in Gotham. She would see some when she went to the fancier clubs or worked at Kathy’s shop but there were also a lot of regular people who just wanted some fancy accessories. Right now she wished she had a sketchbook with her. It made her want to draw. Someone was taking pictures as if it was a movie premiere so maybe it was a much fancier party than she realized. She could probably find the pictures online if she wanted to try drawing from any of them.
She really enjoyed the dancing even if she didn’t know her partners well. It was really easy small talk where her focus didn’t have to be how she presented herself to a group because the focus was on the dance. She had learned ballroom dancing because of the possibility of attending such functions as a designer but she hadn’t really had much opportunity. She accepted all offers even though many of the men were probably far too old for her. She wasn’t concerned as long as they were polite.
The current man was the picture of decorum. He kept his hands in the appropriate spots and didn’t once ask about her preferences on dating partners. It became clear at the end of the dance though when he moved her off the floor to introduce her to his son. He was trying to introduce her to someone else. The son didn't really seem as enthusiastic. His own thoughts about her the man had managed to keep off his face, but his son didn’t quite mask his features as quickly. She couldn’t tell what he thought but she chose to ignore it anyway. It was getting closer to midnight and she would rather be close to one who would prefer to be moving away from her when the clock chimed rather than one who would try to get closer.
“Ah, here he is Mlle Dupain-Cheng. My son, Tim Drake,” the man said.
She hadn’t caught the man's name. They had been too close to the band when he spoke but she would have felt bad making him repeat it. Now it felt really awkward as he had clearly remembered her name.
“It’s nice to meet you,” Marinette said. She turned back to the other man after shaking Tim’s hand. “Thank you so much for the lovely dance.”
“It was an honor. Now I must run off for some hosting responsibilities. Make sure the clocks hit midnight at the right time.”
He turned and walked away quickly and Marinette felt her face drain. She had been dancing with the host. The host was Bruce Wayne and he wanted her to dance with his son. She didn't actually know much about the Wayne family but they were very rich and owned a lot of businesses in Gotham and apparently helped out less fortunate people a lot.
She turned back to Tim for a moment. He held out his hand to lead her to the dance floor as his father expected. She smiled back at him, trying to hide her sudden feelings of inadequacy. She looked at the man before her. He was very attractive. He just wasn’t really her type and he had not seemed interested in her. She chose to just focus on the dance and worry about the rest later.
He was the picture perfect dancer. He definitely seemed to know exactly how to act. He made polite conversation although he seemed to change topics randomly and had a few odd questions mixed in. He did get a bit of information about Marinette’s business and that seemed much more normal. She didn’t actually know enough to know what was normal for rich people. All the ones she had known in Paris were a bit quirky so maybe that was expected. The end of the dance was timed perfectly to give people just enough time to find someone to kiss before the clock chimed.
She was shunted to the side by a few eager young ladies trying to be available. Tim didn't seem to want to be with them any more than her. Marinette was happy to slip away. She grabbed the toasting champagne and slipped off to the balcony just as she had done last year. The snow was falling down. She wished she had something to dust the snow off the bench. Sitting after standing in heels so long would be nice and she could get her feet further from the cold ground. She looked down over the gardens. She thought walking through them would be nice. It would be quiet and sheltered from the cold wind, still a jacket would have been a good option.
She stood and turned suddenly as she heard the door click behind her. She remembered how the door had closed last year and locked her out while the place was being robbed. Instead she could hear the countdown from inside as the door opened and a man in a suit walked out. She mentally prepared herself to refuse the kiss no matter how good the tailored suit looked on him. She took a breath and looked up into his eyes. Her heart caught in her throat; she must be dreaming.
“Jason?” she whispered.
He pulled her to him and cupped her cheek. She reached out to touch him and looked back at her flute of champagne. She worried that she was somehow hallucinating. The only time she had seen him in 2 months was in her dreams. His thumb glided along the bottom of her lip, urging her to believe he was real. It couldn't be him even if he was alive, he had not been at the party. She felt like crying. She didn't want to think of him right now.
"It's me, Doll. I'm back."
He tilted her face up by gently hooking a finger under her chin. She was still trying to wake herself but when she heard the chime of midnight, she decided she didn't care if it was a dream. She moved up to meet him as he leaned down to kiss her. His mouth slanted against hers and she opened her mouth to his. She pushed herself against him, relishing that the suit that let her feel far more of him than his typical armor.
She pulled him down, wrapping her arms around his neck. When he lifted her legs up and pushed her against the wall she decided that this had to be real or she would have landed in a heap on the snowy ground. They didn't break apart. They kissed desperately until they both were forced to pull back gasping for breath creating visible clouds in the cold night air.
She slid her hands against his face and shoulders. Then moved to his chest leaving kisses and visible puffs of air behind. She was still struggling to believe that any of this was real.
"How are you here?" She asked, "I thought--"
"I made it out. The news didn't show everything. But I couldn't risk approaching you right away."
"How did you know I was here? It doesn't seem like there is a crew inside relieving the rich people of all their valuables."
"I'm actually living here. I came down to see the end of the party. Then, I saw you. I have wanted to visit you since that night but this was my first opportunity without risking your safety."
"You live here? In the house of Bruce Wayne."
"It's a long story which I hope to tell you someday. But if you like the idea, I would very much like to keep kissing you."
Marinette shifted as his mouth moved to her neck leaving hot kisses on her skin. His hands went between the wall and her bare back. She moved back to kiss him but pulled away quickly and dropped her feet back down. She left her forehead pressed against his.
"This is amazing except for one thing." He frowned but she kept talking. "We are out in the snow when if I understand correctly you have a warm room inside this house."
"I do. It has a fire in the fireplace."
She nodded back at him and moved towards the door. She turned back to him so suddenly he bumped into her.
"It has a bed too, right?"
Rather than responding he groaned and pushed her inside. He put his arm around her shoulders and guided her to his bedroom.
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