More and more students, took to avoiding Marinette. They had learned not to mess with her after what she had done to Damian. Damian was already back in his uniform and he hated it. He found he missed wearing Marinette's clothes. He never expected to see her silently crying in the library. Seeing her cry, confused and made him furious. It irritated him.
"What is wrong?" Damian demanded.
Marinette looked up at him and wiped her tears away, "Same stupid stuff."
"Obviously not." he stated, taking a seat next to her.
"I was bullied back in Paris, for years." Marinette admitted, "I had roaches in my locker, my belongings stolen, vandalized. I thought I could handle it. A new girl showed up and everything changed; it wasn't one bully, it was everyone. She would claim I stole something and my belongings were stolen. She claimed I bullied her so I was punished. My belongings destroyed. Sometimes I was beaten. I came to Gotham and created new social media accounts. Nothing that was tied to who I was in Paris. Even my fashion label, brand, and page were new. They found it."
Marinette pulled her phone away from her chest and showed him the screen. There were dozens of anonymous complaints sent withing minutes of each other.
"This is MDC!"
"She steals ppl's hard work and sells it!"
"Don't buy from her!"
"Poor quality!"
"It fell apart in the wash!"
"It wasn't the same color I ordered!"
"It didn't even look the same!"
"Worse than thrift shops!"
"Have you called your lawyer?" Damian asked.
"They're all anonymous." She sniffled.
"Still." He spoke, "Inform them, so there is a trail."
'I need to get Drake and Barbara on this. They will be able to figure out who these people are. I'm sure Drake would jump at the chance to help her.'
"The way I see it, they are jealous of your success." Damian stated.
"Huh?" she asked, confused.
"You have clients; high paying." He continued, "You have the money, the reputation; connections. Your photo is not even on the website."
Marinette had never thought of it that way.
"Whoever did this had to send their time looking: hours, days, possibly months." He finished.
Marinette nodded, understanding what he was saying.
"You remember my brother; you're number one fan?" He questioned, "He can easily help you with your website. He can remove every complaint. We'll call it…..restructuring."
"Really?" She asked.
Damian pulled out his phone and called Drake, in front of her.
"What do you want, Brat?" Tim asked, "Aren't you supposed to be in school?"
"Marinette needs help." Damian stated.
"What do you need?" Tim questioned.
He smirked her way, "Bullies from her past are harassing her website. I told her you would be able to make them go away."
"Give me-got it!" Tim cried out, "There is now a new page up on the site."
Mari grabbed her phone and refreshed her home page. There was now an 'Error' page with a timer, counting down.
"Give me two hours." Tim spoke, "The complaints will be down and the site will fully accessible."
"Really?" Mari cried out.
"Hey, Marinette, and yes, really." Tim answered, "I have a friend in IT and we can check to see if they are all from the same IP address. We should be able to block them, too."
"Thank you!" she replied.
Damian ended the call. He could hear Drake's smile and pride through his voice. He felt his body shift back as Marinette hugged him.
"Thank you!" she cried out, sitting in his lap.
Damian was frozen. Mari quickly recalled that Damian disliked physical touch, just as much as her.
"I'm so so sorry!" she shouted, as she pulled away, "I reacted and-"
Marinette froze as, she felt herself being pulled back against him.
"Don't let go." Damian whispered, "Please."
She could tell he was still tense, as if he was internally struggling to hug her. She wondered if something she had done was changing he felt or if he was trying to comfort her. Whatever it was, Marinette relaxed against him. She allowed herself to feel secure against his chest and smiled.
Damian was shocked how light she felt against him and how small she was in comparision.
'It is hard to imagine this is the same girl who dislocated my shoulder. At least her reasoning for physical contact is understandable now.'
Damian looked down at her as her breathing evened out. She had fallen asleep on him, with a smile on her face.
'One thing is certain, lives are about to be ruined for disrupting her life.'
The class was shcoked when people in suits filed into the room.
"Cerise, Max, and Alya." a man spoke, "You are hereby being sued by the Wayne family."
"What?"
"We didn't do anything!"
"This is a mistake!"
"My students couldn't have done anything!"
"Who the hell is Cerise?"
"Why would the Wayne family sue us?"
"Who are the Waynes?"
Lila sat still, knowing they used her real name. Everything was about to end.
"The Waynes pride themselves on keeping track of their own and who works for them." the man continued, "You are being sued for cyber bullying, harassment, stalking, and emotional distress."
"What did you, Alya?" Nino hissed.
She looked to him in shock, like he had betrayed her. She turned to Lila, only to see her in tears.
"Lila!" she whispered, "You know the Waynes. Why would they do this? We've never met them. It has to be a mistake, right?"
"Your parents can explain everything to you." the man spoke.
Three sets of parents walked in and Lila froze.
'Mom?'
"Cerise, or should I say Lila, we have a meeting with your parole officer." her mother announced, "Not to mention with the school board. With how much money I poured into this school, you would think they kept better control of their students!"
"Parole officer?"
"Wait! Lila is Cerise?"
"Wasn't her name Layla?"
Her mother sighed, "Cerise tends to bully her classmates. It seems she did it here, too. She was told if she did it again, she would go to jail. You would think that she would listen."
An officer walked in and immediaely handcuffed Lila.
"I didn't do anything!" She sneered, "I never put a hand on that damn bitch! They bullied her! They harassed her! They hit her!"
The class looked around confused: 'Is this about Marinette?'
At the trial, they learned that Marinette was the Waynes personal designer. They showed the jury pictures of Marinette with the Waynes. There were pictures of Damian Wayne and Tim Drake-Wayne wearing her deisgns. The Waynes had used their connections to track who had attacked their designer through their IP addresses.
Lois Lane debunked the Ladyblog. She called it 'amateur work', 'fanfiction at best' and tabloid nonsense'. She said there was nothing believable about it as there was no sources, no evidence, no sense of time. Alya was silently crying, as her hard work was ripped to shreds. She sat in silence once she learned that the Waynes owned the Daily Planet. She knew it was unlikely that she would ever get a chance to work there, now. Max sat silently, even after he explained how Li-Cerise had lied to them all. His mother was put on probation so she could keep a better eye on her son. She had been up for another chance to go to space, but now that chance had been given to someone else. Cerise, as they had learned, had worn a wig and contacts to school. She was sentenced to serve time in jail.
"You want to grant them leniency?" Damian shouted, slamming his hands on the table, "Why?"
Mari smiled and he fought hard to keep the glare on his face. The fluttering in his stomach made it to hard to disagree with her. She slowly stood up and walked over to Damian. She took up one of his hands and held it in hers.
"That Bitch is already in jail and can't hurt anyone. Everything she did to me is known throughout Paris and so is her fake persona. It's on her school records. When she gets out, everyone will be wary of her." She answered, "Alya's dreams are shattered. She turned against me and listned only to Cerise. She stopped preaching her journalism views; she gave up long ago and now she knows. Max is learning that being the smartest in the room means nothing if he can’t decipher people. He loves his mother and having her home will be a constant reminder of how he failed her."
Damian couldn't help but feel manipulated. The girl, in front of him, appeared so innocent, yet she ruined their lives more than if they had faced time in jail. She turned the very thing they loved against them. Somehow, he didn't care one bit. Damian brought their entwined hands up to his lip and placed a soft kiss on one of her knuckles.
"Never let go, Haibibti." he whispered, pulling her closer.
Read part one // masterpost // continued from here
{Unedited and very rough, but this one’s a kind of two parter, so maybe an update before Saturday and then another Saturday? It depends, but anyways~}
~*~*~*~*~*~
Tides untied Sawyer wordlessly, gathering his shallow breathing body in her arms and bringing him over to where Kit was still restrained, propping him up against the wall. Kit didn’t even know if Sawyer was conscious, but the heat from his body was nice, comforting and Kit hoped his could comfort Sawyer too.
His face was shredded with cuts. In multiple directions, some from cheek to cheek crossing his nose, others arcing down from his forehead over the bridge of his nose to the opposite side of his jaw. A bad one went straight over his left eye and down his cheek. The blood had coagulated into sticky gelatinous goo, patching the wounds with crimson glue. Barely any space on his face was free from caked blood, dried and crusting, the wounds sometimes leaked a clear pus when he moved slightly or moaned.
Tides whispered her apologies, tears still streaming down her cheeks, her breath hitching every now and then. “I’m so sorry. I should’ve been stronger. I should have fought him harder. Sawyer, I’m s-so— I’m so sorry…”
Sawyer lifted a weak hand with a grunt and pressed it against Tides’s cheek, thumbing away the tears. “It’s okay. It’s not your fault.”
Tides dissolved into sobs that wracked her body, hiccuping her shoulders up and down violently. He extended his arm and she lunged forward into a hug, wrapping her arms around his waist. Sawyer grunted lightly, but tightened his arms around her and held her while she cried, running his hand through the strands of her hair. “It’s okay.”
Kit stared forward at the opposite wall. Supervillain would be coming down again. Supervillain and Jude. And who knows how many others? If they were going to make Jude use his powers on them to hurt each other, it would break them down quicker than anything else they could do to make them change their minds.
“I think we should give up,” Kit said, hollowly. Sawyer stiffened beside him. Tides sniffed.
“Kit…” she said.
“We can’t—” he began but cut himself off. “We can’t do this to each other. They’re going to come back down and they’re going to force one of us to torture another. There’s no…”
“Kit,” Sawyer said then hissed as one of his cuts opened in his face again. Tides shot up, lightly dabbing at the bleeding with the sleeve of her shirt. Sawyer grabbed her wrist. “Don’t, you’ll ruin your shirt.”
“I don’t care about a stupid shirt.”
Kit swallowed the lump in his throat. He shouldn’t have said anything, but he couldn’t just sit here and watch his friends get hurt and not be able to fight back. If only he had his powers he’d be able to—
Kit blinked, straightening suddenly. His head snapped to the side. “Why didn’t Supervillain lock you up again?”
Tides shrugged. “I don’t think he cares.”
“But… the cuffs,” Kit said, rattling his for emphasis. “They’re power dampeners so why would he leave you loose? Isn’t he worried you can break down the door, or?”
Sawyer shook his head with a groan. “No,” he said. “Supervillain told me that he— he compelled us to not use our powers so now I can’t access them. I guess he just assumes we’re not a threat without them.”
Kit’s eyes widened. “Oh my god,” he said with a breath. No, not a breath. A sudden, startled laughter. Borderline hysterical but it didn’t matter. It didn’t matter. “Oh my God!” He screamed, his laughter turning into whoops and hollering as he drummed his feet on the floor as if his team was just winning in a football match.
“Kit?” Tides asked, concern lacing her voice.
“I think he’s lost it,” Sawyer said.
Maybe he was losing it. Maybe. But it didn’t matter. He felt tears climb his face, bubbling over in disbelief down his cheeks. “I need to get out of these cuffs,” he chuckled, trying to fight the fucking giggles trying to spring free from his chest.
“Kit—”
“No, no. You don’t under—” he cut himself off with another bout of sharp laughter that caused his chest to tighten and his abs to tense. It was starting to hurt but he couldn’t stop it, and he didn’t want to stop it really. Even though it didn’t feel appropriate with Tides’s guilt pouring over Sawyer and Sawyer’s face all bloody and bleeding, it felt light. He didn’t remember the last time he laughed as hard. Was it before Ambrose? Was it ever?
God, there was a time before he knew Ambrose. It didn’t seem like it. Though, he supposed Ambrose was always there, in the background. Mentor’s unknown and forgotten son that should’ve got the love that Kit did from him.
Kit’s laughter died down to a few stray laughs before settling into a smile, tilting his head back to stare at the ceiling. God, if he never knew Ambrose he wouldn’t be able to pull this trump card on Supervillain and Jude and fucking save the day; get Tides and Sawyer out of here to safety, and then come back to finish the villains off.
Kit’s smile fell off his face. No. That wasn’t right. Kit didn’t kill people. It’s why he suffered Ambrose so long, because he couldn’t imagine a world where he was that cold and ruthless. The world was dark enough without him adding to the misery.
Yeah… but those two deserve it, look at what they did to Sawyer? Look at what they made Tides do to her boyfriend, the voice hissed, sounding like static in his mind. Kit curled his hands into fists, uncomfortable at the intrusive thoughts leaking through his mind, but that’s all they were. The voice agreed with him merrily: Intrusive? Turned into external action, what’s the difference?
“Kit?” Sawyer asked, a sharp breath of pain huffed out.
Kit swallowed the lump in his throat and forced his thoughts into the back of his mind. He turned to face Sawyer and Tides. “I need to get out of these cuffs,” he said. “And I need you two to help me.”
Tides blinked, a frown pulled across her face. “Kit, we don’t have our powers.”
“I know,” he said. “I know. Just trust me. If they come back and they let us choose who gets tortured, tell them to do me, make it convincing, both of you. Say that you’re madly in love and that Sawyer couldn’t endure another round.”
Sawyer pushed off the wall, his brows drawn incredulously over his face. “And if they uncuff you and get you to torture Tides? You expect me to just watch that?!”
“It won’t come to that.”
“Bullshit, Mallory. How the fuck would you overpower them? Huh?”
“Sawyer…”
“No,” he said, cutting his hand through the air as if trying to chop the rest of conversation off. “No. We are not doing that, Kit. I am—” Sawyer’s eyes raised to Kit’s blue ones. “We will find another way.”
Kit jolted his hands forward in the cuffs, slamming them against the metal and throwing his head forward. He could feel the strain in his shoulders, tensing every muscle so he could feel them be so fucking powerless, then mumbled out a fine.
Another way?
They didn’t have time for another way, but sure. Another way.
They chatted mindlessly for who knows how long about who they thought Supervillain was how they knew him. Tides suggested one of the heroes that were beaten out by Superhero to get Mentor’s position.
“Yeah, but then again,” Sawyer said, “no one really wanted Mentor’s position after Omen.”
Kit swallowed at the mention of Omen, and Mentor. He shouldn’t have split up with Ambrose. He should have stayed with him and they could have found Supervillain together and none of this would have happened.
The conversation drifted to where they thought they were.
“Probably still downtown,” Kit said, but it was Tides that rebutted him, and said: “but with Omen’s power, we could be anywhere and he told us to forget.”
They drifted then, half awake, half catatonic. None of them really wanted to fall asleep in the arms of the enemy, and Kit had only just slept. Tides dozed off on Sawyer’s lap, curled like a child against his chest, Sawyer’s arms wrapped tight around her, resting his chin on her head.
Kit thought he must’ve been asleep too, so it was a shock when he said: “is it bad?”
“Huh?” Kit asked, glancing at Sawyer.
Sawyer’s face was neutral, but his eyes burned with something Kit had never seen in them before. A mix between fury and humiliation, and disgust.
“My face,” he repeated in the same tender voice. “Is it— do I look… am I horrifically deformed now?”
Kit blinked. “No more than usual,” he said reflexively, and cringed at the scathing glare Sawyer shot his way. “Sorry. Sorry, it was by accident, I swear.”
“You’re such a dick, Mallory.” Sawyer said without any real bite to it. A silence blanketed them after, Kit looking for the words to reassure Sawyer that he was still as annoyingly good-looking as he always was, when Sawyer continued. “I just… do you think she’ll still—” his voice cracked.
“Yes,” Kit said immediately. “Of course she’ll still love you, Sawyer. She’ll probably love you more now that you have badass scars. You could be the next Bond.”
Sawyer chuckled, tears glistening the bottom of his eyelids. “Maybe Bond villain.”
“Nah, you’re too good-looking for that,” Kit said with a sigh. “It looked bad earlier, but now that the blood has dried on your face it looks okay. Maybe if we get out of here in time a healer can fix it, or at least reduce the scars. But you still look good to me.”
“Yeah,” Sawyer said wistfully. “Maybe.”
A beat.
Then, “so you think I’m good looking?”
Kit groaned, staring straight ahead at the wall again. “If you tell anyone I said that they won’t believe you.”
“Yeah, but you’ll know it, and I’ll know it, and it will be torture enough.” Kit laughed quietly. “Thanks, Kit.”
Kit let it hang in the air, seeing Sawyer lean his head on Tides’ again and cuddle her closer. Kit was awake even as Sawyer dozed off too, his breathing light and even beside him. He sighed, wishing he could sleep too, or break out of his cuffs, but his mind couldn’t rest.
Where was Superhero? The explosion, was he dead? How many heroes were injured from Supervillain’s attack? Where was Ambrose?! He always seemed to show up at the worst times that Kit half-expected him to rush in, kill Supervillain and save the day. But he was still cuffed in a basement god knows where. He thought of Ambrose then, remembered that one time he stayed in Mentor’s house, how he could reach Kit’s mind from across the city. He was about to say his name when he stopped, paused. If Supervillain had Omen’s ability he could probably read Kit’s mind so Kit scrubbed all thought of Ambrose from it and replaced it with Omen.
Think of Omen only from now on.
Omen, wherever you are, find me, please. Supervillain took me, please.
It was a prayer of sorts, Kit realised after, but he was desperate. He couldn’t do anything else, so he just stared at the wall across from him and waited, annoyingly conscious.
*~*~*~*~*
Omen, wherever you are, find me. Please. Supervillain—
“Kit?” Ambrose murmured, groaning as he opened his eyes, assaulted by the light and shutting them tightly again. Took me please. I’m with Tides and Crow in a basement somewhere. Supervillain has your ability.
Ambrose groaned agin, forcing himself up by his hands until he was on his hands and knees. His head pounded and Kit’s fucking thunder-like thoughts were rattling his skull. He turned with an effort and sat on his arse, dipping his head and placing a palm against his temple.
He’s not alone, there’s a guy called Jude too, who owes you one apparently. They’re trying to stop us being heroes but the city was attacked and I don’t know if Supervillain is alive or—
OKAY! Alright, Ambrose boomed back and let out a grunt of pain at the force of his power.
Kit’s eyes widened at the concrete. He could hear him? He could… he could hear him!! He could hear him!!!
Kit, Jude’s a monster, he has the same power as me.
Kit shot back a sad: I know.
Ambrose pulled his hand away glancing at it to see a sheen of oil like blood in clumps of coagulated balls on his palm. Fuck, that bastard hits hard.
Ambrose pushed himself to his feet, the world tilting as he did and he stumbled sideways into a tower of boxes. Fuck. The world spun up and down and back and forwards and Ambrose wanted to throw up. He didn’t usually get like that, but then he remembered how much Jude made him drink last night and he paused.
Kit?
Yeah?
When did they take you?
Last night I think, why? Is it day time yet? Ambrose cursed, looking out the windows of the old storeroom, the light stinging his eyes. Yeah. It was daytime which meant Ambrose was out cold all night.
Shit. Ambrose struggled a little to get to his feet again, slower this time half climbing to them and when he did he grabbed the wall and righted himself until the world stabilised itself so he could risk a step forward. Then another, and another.
Omen? The voice threw him and he nearly lost his footing again, but he caught himself in time.
I need you to shut up, Kit, I’ll talk to you when I get myself together.
Why did something happen?! Kit asked, his voice raising in pitch with worry. Ambrose stopped walking. He was beside the door now, hand on the cool, metal handle, the taste of iron in his mouth. He probably had a concussion, maybe that’s why Kit sounded so concerned. Ambrose opened the door and stepped out into the street. He was still in Old Town, on Fagan’s lot. He would go back to Max’s and apologise if he was still there. Maybe try and recruit him into teaming up with him to save Kit and the other heroes.
Ambrose scoffed at the ridiculousness of it. He was spending too much time with Kit, he was starting to think of saving people instead of himself. That fucking kid.
I’m fine. I had a nasty run in with Jude, watch out for the girl with shadows. She strikes from them and can shadow walk— like phase through them into solid objects. I’ll talk when I have more information.
Omen… Please, when you find out if Superhero’s alive, a pause, hesitant, will you tell me?
Ambrose walked towards Dead Man’s Fingers, his body finally obeying his commands again. He needed a hangover cure immediately. Sure. Kit, sure. He pressed his hand against the door and stopped himself, considering if he should try and reassure the hero or not. He really shouldn’t. He was a villain. Kit was a hero, this was a liability of his job. Just hang on, okay?
Kit breathed out a sigh of relief. Okay.
Ambrose nodded stiffly, even though he knew Kit couldn’t see him and pushed on the front door to the Dead Man’s Fingers pub. It was locked, so Ambrose walked to the windows and peered inside. There was a light on in the back so he went to the side entrance where the delivery guys came through and found it open.
The bar was quiet, static and eerie. Then there was shouting and Ambrose quickened his pace, not running because his head wasn’t compliant enough to do that yet. One of the voices he recognised as Max’s but he didn’t know the other. He walked through the hall to up the little staircase to the main bar and pushed the saloon door open.
Max was behind the bar, a spreadsheet of inventory in front of him and standing on the other side of the bar was— “Oskar,” Nathan grinned, exposing his pointed canines. “So good to see you again, mate.”
Ambrose didn’t care about the hangover in that moment, his brain and body united in one goal to knock the bastard out. “Oskar!” Max said in warning, hopping the bar and standing in front of his friend. Ambrose didn’t even look at him. “Stop, he’s not worth it.”
Ambrose pushed forward, ignoring him when Max put a hand on his chest and shoved him back. This time when Ambrose looked at him, Max was pointing his index finger at him like a scolding mother.
“You are not starting a fight twice in my pub in the span of 24 hours, you dick! Just calm down,” Max yelled, running a frustrated hand through his black hair.
Nathan leaned his elbows on the bar, reaching over it to grab a bottle of whatever he could reach while Max was turned around. “Put that back,” Ambrose spat. Nathan waved him away.
“Oh, don’t get your knickers in a twist, Oskar, what’s a drink between friends?” He asked with a shit eating grin. It had been years since he saw Nathan, years since he buried that chapter of his life, and now here he was, in Max’s bar. The fucking nerve of him. Max walked back around the bar, smacking Nathan’s hand away.
Nathan retracted it, his mouth forming an o shape as he hissed and shook the pain away theatrically. Everything a show. “Why’re you even here?” Ambrose asked.
Max answered, though not out loud. Ambrose felt the guilt rise in him, consuming him, and Ambrose turned to face Max who was grabbing the edges of the counter with a white knuckled grip.
“You still talk to him?”
Max glared. “Get out of my head, Oskar.”
“It’s kinda hard to ignore when your whole body lights up with guilt!” Ambrose yelled, groaning as the pounding in his head throbbed and ignited, setting it on fire. He shot his hand out to lean on the wall beside him, and glanced at Max. “Can I steal a few eggs?”
Max rolled his eyes but didn’t say yes or no. So Ambrose disappeared into the kitchen while the other two continued to speak. He could hear them through the hole in the wall where the trays of pub food could be passed through, but he didn’t have to look at Nathan to know he was still grinning.
Dick.
“Still on the raw eggs and orange juice cure, Oskar?” Ambrose ignored him as he walked to the fridge and grabbed the eggs and orange juice.
“Stop trying to rile him up,” Max said.
“I’m not trying to do anything,” Nathan said, feigning innocence without dropping his grin. “Besides, he already knows we’re still in contact, no point hiding it anymore, Henders.”
Ambrose rolled his eyes, grabbing a class and cracking the shell of the egg against it. He lifted it over his mouth, tilted his head back and cracked it properly into his mouth. He swallowed it in a gulp and exhaled a long: “ahh,” as the slimy liquid slid down his throat like a slug. He screwed his eyes shut and shook his head, then opened the orange juice and downed another two gulps. Then he rinsed and repeated, another crack, another egg, he screwed his face up, grimacing as he dunked the shells into the glass and drank more of the orange juice.
Better.
When he opened his mouth he felt better.
He put everything back and then walked back out to the bar. “You better not have drank straight from the carton,” Max said.
Nathan grinned and said: “you know he did,” at the same time that Ambrose nodded and said: “I did, yeah.”
“Fucking animal.” Max fumed, enunciating the words. Ambrose took a seat at the side of the bar, while Nathan stood in front and Max behind closed his inventory book as he sensed the conversation turning more disturbing than the argument they were having before.
“So, Oskar, starting fights, drinking to a hangover, aren’t you getting a little old for that kind of thing.”
“You would know, you’re ancient.” Ambrose replied deadpan, schooling his features until they were impassive. “Why are you here, idiot? I’m giving you one more chance.”
“So scary,” Nathan cooed, raising his hands as if he were defending himself and walking around to where Ambrose was sitting. He slung a lazy arm over his shoulder, pinching his cheek. “Come on, Oskar, there was a time where you worshipped me.”
“Yeah,” Ambrose said, elbowing Nathan in the chest. Nathan fell back with an oomph dropping his arm from Ambrose’s shoulder. “That was before I got some common sense.”
Max ran a hand down his face and sighed. “One of you piss off. It’s too early to deal with you.”
“I’ll go,” Nathan said, rubbing his chest. “Because I’m a nice friend who actually cares about you, Max.”
Max and Ambrose shared a look, but then Max dragged his eyes to Nathan. He nodded heavy, turned to grab the open tabs book and put it back on the counter under the light. “Sure. What’s your friend’s name again?”
Nathan walked around to the front pulling out his wallet, though his eyes never left Ambrose’s face. His grin turned to a smirk. “Jude,” he said handing the card over the bar. Both Max and Ambrose stiffened.
Max raised his head, steam rising from his shoulders. “Come again?”
“Jude,” Nathan repeated. It wasn’t Ambrose that went for him this time, it was Max who grabbed Nathan’s forearm in his hands and yanked him over the bar, throwing him to the ground. Before he could recover, Max had his forearm on Nathan’s throat, practically snarling at him.
“Why the— how the fuck do you know Jude?!” Max demanded, nostrils flaring but Nathan’s smirk didn’t leave his stupid face. Even as it went red from Max leaning on his windpipe.
“You know he started the fight last night and brought Superhero sniffing around here you dick, and then you call me your friend?!” Max hissed, his body temperature rising as his skin turned radioactively red, as if he was being looked at through a heat monitor. Which was not a good idea if he wanted to keep his bar.
“Max, calm down,” Ambrose said, lifting the hatch to go behind the bar. “You’re right beside very flammable substances, and your fire won’t even affect him!”
Ambrose’s head swam as he stepped forward, the wood and floor all blending into a swirl of black and brown before he righted himself again. Nathan wasn’t powered, but he did have the ability to negate other people’s abilities. Not through touch or anything, he just couldn’t be affected by magic, but a bullet? A knife? A punch?
“Talk!” Max demanded.
“Max, come on. It’s me we’re talking about.”
Max punched him in the face. “Why the fuck do you think I’m pinning you down?”
Nathan tilted his head down to meet Ambrose’s wide black eyes. “Oskar, darling, tell Max to get off of me.”
Ambrose’s eyes narrowed, folding his arms across his chest. “I’m quite enjoying the show,” Ambrose told him, letting his anger show. Max punched him in the face again, and Osk
Nathan let his head rest against the floor again. His shoulders twitched in a half shrug. “Alright. I guess I’ll just tell Jude to hurt Kit next.”
Ambrose’s blood ran cold. “What?”
Max went to punch him again, but Ambrose’s hand shot out: “Max, don’t move!” Max froze above Nathan, his fist still drawn back.
“Oskar! What the fuck!” Max seethed, his arm vibrating with the effort of trying to disobey his command, but Ambrose wasn’t really listening. His heart was pounding in his chest and his headache was exacerbated again by using his powers in such a short amount of time. While hungover, and Max was strong.
Nathan’s smirk didn’t leave his face, looking at Ambrose through his half lidded eyes. “Get him off me and I’ll take you to Kit.”
“Who the fuck is Kit?” Max demanded, his arm trembling where he held it aloft. “What’s going on here?”
“Aw, Oskar…” Nathan said, shaking his head and tsking. “Naughty, naughty. Don’t tell me you’ve never told him? I thought you and Max were best friends.”
Ambrose’s eyes burned like black coals, glaring at the monster hidden behind a human face and body. He clenched his jaw. “Max, get off of Nathan.”
Max stood, then turned and punched Ambrose in the face. Ambrose stumbled back his arms flailing and would’ve fallen if it wasn’t for his elbows catching on the counter and keeping him up.
A hand fisted his shirt and yanked him forward, the world rushing in his peripheral vision. “Don’t you ever fucking do that again,” Max hissed, plumes of smoke rushing out his mouth and nose. Nathan got to his feet behind Max, wiping invisible dirt off of him, smirk still on his face.
Max turned to face Nathan again. “What are you talking about? Not telling me what?”
“Nathan,” Ambrose said, his voice wobbling. Nathan’s smiling eyes met Ambrose’s lost black gaze across the bar, slowly shaking his head at him. Max pivoted again, pointing a finger at Ambrose.
“I swear to God, Ambrose, if you open your mouth one more time I will explode the whole fucking bar and you with it,” Max said enraged, turning to Nathan. “Tell me!”
“Kit is Oskar’s pet hero.” Ambrose swallowed the lump in his throat, tightening his hands into fists as he straightened. He watched Max’s back knot tight at the words. “Who was Mentor’s prodigy back when he was the Superhero in the city.”
“You’re friends with a hero?” Max asked his voice unnaturally low and quiet. Ambrose’s heart stuttered in his chest. His black eyes went to Nathan’s, pleading for him to shut up. If Ambrose tried to wipe Max’s memory he wouldn’t be able to do the same to Nathan, and then Nathan would tell Max all over again. Just to torture him.
“How long?”
Ambrose almost didn’t hear the question. “Max, it’s not like that.”
“How fucking long have you been friends with a hero?!” Max demanded, whirling. “Was it before or after you came to me for help about Supervillain? Huh? When you know— you fucking know—”
“Supervillain?” Nathan asked, his brows raising.
“Shut the fuck up, Nathan,” Max growled. Nathan winked at Ambrose, bending to scoop up his wallet from the ground and his card, and walked back around the bar. Safe from Max’s rage and kept walking until he was in Max’s sight line, behind Ambrose. Ensuring that Ambrose was sandwiched between the two of them with nowhere to flee if things got hairy.
How had Ambrose even let it get this far? Nathan was always a wild fucking card, it enamoured him with Nathan at first. The only person, it seemed like, in the city that Ambrose couldn’t boss around or read the thoughts of. With Nathan he felt like a real person, how real people feel when they’re born without telepathy, and it was dizzying.
Now, all Ambrose wanted to do was kick the fucker’s teeth it and leave him dead in a ditch somewhere. He knew too much, he always, somehow, knew too much. Did Jude tell him about Kit? Or did Nathan tell Jude, and always keep tabs on Ambrose after they fell out? It didn’t make sense.
“Heroes took everything from me, Oskar, so why?” Max asked. All the pain and grief of losing his family to heroes, all the long nights that Ambrose had to stay up to ensure that Max’s nightmares didn’t set his bed on fire from panic attacks. Max told Ambrose he found out his Father died on television when he was eleven, and it was Mentor who broke the news.
A good hero, Mentor said, and an even better friend.
Max told Ambrose how much he hated heroes after that. How he hated Mentor for filling super-people’s minds with all these ideas that they needed to risk their lives to protect others innocent people from bad ones. That it was their moral duty, because they were chosen to be born with gifts, they had to use them.
“Fucking answer me!” Max howled, tears springing to his eyes. “You owe me that much!”
“Max, I— Max, look, it’s not like that. It wasn’t, we aren’t friends, it’s more like business acquaintances.”
“What are you even talking about? Did your little hero pal get into any legal trouble, Oskar?”
Nathan leaned on the bar, putting his elbows on it and propping his chin up with his hand. His smirking eyes drinking in the chaos he caused.
“Max, please, can we talk about this in the kitchen, please? Where there are fire extinguishers?”
“Are you seriously trying to school me on how to use my powers? I own this fucking bar! I can blow it to kingdom come if I want to.”
Nathan chuckled behind Ambrose. “If he’s angry about this, Osk, wait til he hears about Mentor.”
Max shot his hand out, a tongue of flame shooting from his wrist and catching Nathan’s jacket. Nathan fell back a step, eyes wide as he slapped the small ember to extinguish it. He shook it out and the flame died, but the flames burning like hell’s fury in Max’s eyes didn’t.
“I told you to shut the fuck up, Nathan. Get out. Now. Before I fucking incinerate everything you’re wearing.”
Nathan scoffed. “Fine. I’ll be outside when you’re done here, Ambrose.”
Ambrose stiffened at the words, the two of them following Nathan out the door until he disappeared. Black eyes turned back to Max who was pulling at the strands of his hair at the base of his neck, turned away from Ambrose. His back muscles prominent from how hard he was tensing. Ambrose watched his ribs rise and fall and hated the fact that he caused that.
Well, not him, Nathan, but this never would have happened if Ambrose had just told him about his life. About his family. About his dad.
“Max,” he began, straightening. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you before, but I haven’t seen you since I met Kit, but Mentor—” Max straightened, his hands forming fists at his sides. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you, I wanted to but—”
“Tell me, what?” Max demanded, his voice a mixture of rage inflected with impatient tiredness.
Ambrose breathed out a sigh, running his hand through his hair. He needed a shower. “You know all that bullshit with my dad, right?”
Max walked forward, leaning his hands against the counter behind the bar. “Yeah.”
“Mentor is my father.”
Max’s eyes found Ambrose’s black ones, studying his shame flushed face that he never saw on his friend before. He looked conflicted and upset at the revelation, like he wished he was born to anyone else.
“I just know how much you hated him, and how could I tell you when I found out what happened to your parents, and I—”
Max surprised him by turning his body while Ambrose babbled and placing a hand on his shoulder. His lips twitched up at one side into a mockery of a smile, but the effort floored Ambrose and he cut himself off.
“Why wouldn’t you give me another reason to hate the bastard, you dick?” Max asked, tilting his head to the side.
“I didn’t—” Ambrose began but cut himself off. Well, if he was being honest, why not go all the way? “I didn’t want you to hate me too.”
Max didn’t answer. His smile turned up a little as he scoffed and then he pulled Ambrose into a hug. Ambrose froze, not knowing what to do but feeling an urge to cry.
“What’re ya, a dead fish? Hug me!”
Ambrose obeyed, wrapping his arms around Max’s shoulders and letting a breath out through his nose. A breath of relief and shame and all the guilt he carried around keeping this from Max. “I’m sorry.”
“It’s fine, you can’t control who your dad is, besides,” Max said leaning back with a grin. “I don’t think I could ever hate you, Oskar. Don’t let Nathan get in your head again. And, I’m sorry for not telling you about him too.”
Ambrose nodded. “It’s fine,” he echoed, running a hand down his face. He wanted nothing more than to go home and sleep, he felt like he had been up for hours and being knocked unconscious didn’t exactly constitute proper rest. But he had the funny feeling Nathan had other plans for him when he stepped outside. No doubt delighted at the fact that he could lord Kit’s life over him.
Fuck, he should have played it cooler when he mentioned Kit. He could have if he wasn’t hungover and tired and possibly concussed.
Ambrose took a breath and glanced at the door. He looked back at Max, “are we good?”
“Yeah,” Max said with a smile. “We’re good. Go save your hero, or whatever you do these days.”
Ambrose shook his head lightly with a smile and walked through the door, down the steps out towards the side entrance. Through the open door he could see Nathan leaning against the opposite wall, one foot against it, a cigarette dangling from his long fingers and a smirk on his lips when he saw Ambrose follow him out.
“You came.”
“Don’t get a big head,” Ambrose told him, sliding his hand into his jacket pockets. “Max wouldn’t open the front door.”
“Mmm, don’t want to piss him off,” Nathan said, cocking a brow and tilting his head to the side, his eyes flashing with cruel interest. “But because you’re not ashes right now, I assume you didn’t tell him about Mentor. Did you wipe his mind?”
Ambrose stared into Nathan’s silver eyes, wishing he could get inside his brain and crush it in the palm of his hand. His silver eyes swirled like liquid mercury, entrancing and unsettling, and it’s why people always assumed he was powered somehow. He was, but not in the way everyone else was. His ability was defence not offence.
He should lie, and he did. “Yeah, no thanks to you,” Ambrose spat. “Why the fuck would you tell him that? After everything that happened to him? I thought he was your friend!”
Nathan grinned, bringing the cigarette to his lips and taking a long drag of it, locking his gaze onto Ambrose’s black eyes as the butt burned red and excess ashes floated lightly to the ground.
“He is. I just did it to fuck with you.”
“What the fuck is your problem?! How do you know, Jude?” Do you know Supervillain?! Ambrose didn’t say because he knew he wouldn’t like the answer. Why are you back? Where the fuck did you crawl out of?
A million questions ran through his head, his heart throbbing in his chest as the memories of Nathan flooded back to him. He fought the flush of anger and shame that rose in him as he stared into his rolling silver eyes.
“Let’s chat while we walk, Oskar, have a nice little catch up.” Nathan said, plumes of smoke exhaling down his nostrils and over his lips. He pushed off the wall and started walking down the little alley. Ambrose didn’t move.
“Are we going to Kit?”
Nathan didn’t stop walking. “Eventually,” he said, not bothering to even turn around, and why would he have to? He knew Ambrose would follow. Ambrose sighed, mentally kicking himself and followed Nathan down the alley and back into the winding streets of Fagan’s lot.
~*~*~*~*~*~
Continued here
Author's Note - Can I just take this moment to say that the Oskit discussion all week has had me laughing my heart out, and I have loved every second of it. As someone said, our brains rotted while considering Ambrose's sex life which, I'll be honest, I didn't consider before XD So to everyone who ships and everyone who doesn't, thank you for the giggles this week, I was thoroughly entertained <3 I hope you all have a great week!
Orphanage roll-call (lmk if you wanna be added or removed): @beatenbruisedandbloody @404lunar1216 @whumpyworld @nameless-beanie e @andithewhumper @annablogsposts @whumpasaurus101 @0eggdealer @rejectedbytheempty @sleepy-pearl @n3rv0usn0v4 @whumpatize-me-captain @sunshiline-writes @burningkittypoet @honeyed-euphrates @sacredwrath @theonewithallthefixations @xxgalgurlxx @princess-bubble-blossom @blood-enthusiast @steh-lar-uh-nuhs @andtheysaidspeaknoww @dutifullykrispyland @tippytappytyping g @shinokoro @bedtimescenarios s @whatwhump @memepsychowhowantsuperpower-blog @ehobep @acer-whumpstuff @fa1rie @jesterrinobutter
The old class gathered around the TV at Alya's new apartment. It was Christmas time and they were all eager to watch 'Jagged Stone's Charity Extravaganza!!!' To their surprise, it wasn't hosted in Paris this year; it was hosted in Gotham. It was rumored that Bruce Wayne and his family and co-founded the event.
The class cheered loudly as Jagged Stone and Bruce Wayne walked out on stage.
"Welcome to our Holiday Extravaganza!" Jagged Stone cried out, "Any donations today will be sent to orphanages. Thank you to everyone who brought clothes and toys to the boxes in the front."
"Thank you, all, for attending or streaming this charity event." Bruce continued, "To those of you confused streamers, anyone who was able to purchase a ticket, we let them know there would be donation boxes if they would like to contribute that way, instead of with money."
"That's such a good idea!" Nino commented.
"I thought of it." Lila immediately, declared, "I just thought that some teens could donate their old shirts or toys they don't play with anymore."
"That's such a good idea!" Mylene cried out, "We could do that around gardens. People could throw their banana peels, egg shells, all their composite waste and it could be used as fertilizer to help the gardens!"
"I'm glad I could help." Lila smiled, tightly.
'The only thing that would end up in there is trash.'
"To kick start off the event, " Bruce began, and on cue a spotlight shown on a giant wrapped present.
The number immediatley began to flicker until it reached $2 million.
"The Wayne family donation!" Bruce announced.
Everyone began to cheer.
"How generous!" Jagged smiled, clapping him on the back, "Now, I do want to let everyone know that there is a lottery, no matter how big of a donation, or small. Anyone in the world can donate! The prize is a custom design, of our choice, from my personal designer. The winner and my deisgner, will be filmed on the design and the progress. The reveal itself will be an exclusive on DVD."
They watched as the donations began to roll in.
"We should all donate $20, as a chance to win." Alya suggested.
"Well, I already know Jagged and the designer, so that feels like cheating." Lila spoke up, "I handed him money, in person, the last time I saw him. He said he would add it to his own donation."
"How generous of you, Lila." Kim smiled.
They quickly found out that the Extravaganza was more like a Battle of the Bands. Many bands, some local, and not were performing Christmas and holiday songs. Even Kitty Section was performing to their surprise.
"I can’t believe they're there!" Nino whined.
"Ivan said he had a big event and I couldn't go, but I didn't know it was this." Mylene said in awe.
"I put in a good word for them." Lila declared.
She smiled and turned to Adrien, for approval, but saw him shake his head instead.
'How did I fuck that up? Does he know Jagged Stone? As long as he doesn’t say anything, I'm fine.'
Jagged came back onstage and announced, "My designer is gonna be on film anyways, so I asked her to perform, as well. She has been my designer since she was thirteen. I had her make me an accessory and I loved her creativity, so much, she went on to deisgn covers and my rockin clothes."
Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Adrien sit up.
'Does he know the deisgner?'
"Welcome my amazing designer!" he cried out.
"Adopted!" a voice called out.
"Adopted niece." he stated, rolling his eyes, "Amazing designer, MDC, or as you Gothamites may know her as……..Marinette Wayne!"
Their jaws dropped as Marinette walked out on stage in an elegant dress, with her hair in curls.
"Is that Mari? Like our Mari?"
"She looks the same."
"She's taller."
"Her hair grew out."
"Not the only thing that grew. Ow."
"Shut up, Kim."
"No, he is not actually my uncle." She declared, after hugging the rock star on stage, "I designed his Eiffel Tower sunglasses. His next big ask was his Rock Giant album cover, with the scratch and sniff sticker."
"That was all your genius." Jagged announced, "It was so amazing, we had a contract drawn up that day for her to be my personal designer."
"Besides, it would be too weird if I was your actual niece, since I dated Luka." she stated.
Luka just smiled and waved.
"Wait, Luka and Juleka are twins."
"So, he's Jagged Stone's daughter!"
"Do you think she could get me his autograph?"
Lila could feel the room tilt and her vision begin to tunnel. She glanced over at Adrien, who was smiling.
"Wait, Wayne? Marinette's married?"
"She said she knew Jagged Stone when she was thirteen."
"Do you think Luka introduced them?"
"He was still in love with her for a long time."
"I will be singing with my husband, Damian Wayne, while he plays violin." Mari announced.
A man walked out, who they couldn only assume was her husband. They could see him glare at Luka. Luka simply blew him a kiss.
"We'll be performing a classic: 'You're a Mean Once, Mr. Grinch' with back up on instruments." she continued.
Jagged gave her a quick hug and patted Damian on the shoulder.
"Can Marinette even sing?"
"I don't know?"
"How can you not know?"
"Yeah, you were so close before!"
You're a mean one, Mr. Grinch
You really are a heel
You're as cuddly as a cactus
As charming as an eel
Mr. Grinch
You're a bad banana with a greasy black peel
"She's amazing!"
"I didn't know she could sing! Did you?"
"No. She could have joined Kitty Section!"
"They're a rock band."
Lila sat rooted to the couch, frozen and panicking.
You're a monster, Mr. Grinch
Your heart's an empty hole
Your brain is full of spiders
You've got garlic in your soul, Mr. Grinch
"Her husband is amazing!"
"He's so fast."
"And accurate."
"Graceful, the complete opposite of her."
"Do you think that's why she and Luka didn't work out?"
You're a vile one, Mr. Grinch (Mr. Grinch)
You have termites in your smile
You have all the tender sweetness of a seasick crocodile
Mr. Grinch
Now given the choice between the two of you, I'd take the
Seasick crocodile
Seasick crocodile
"Oh my god, she can really sing!"
"Look, it's Fang!"
"Awww, she said crocodile and Jagged's croc she called for him."
"I don’t know how she isn't scared of it!"
"He's acting like a big puppy with her!"
Lila sprang to her feet.
"Lila?" spoke up Alix.
The words that best describe you are
Lila ran to the bathroom and they could all hear her throw up.
Stink, stank, stunk
Alya and Mylene rushed after her
No, no, no
"Are you okay, Lila?" Mylene asked.
"Were you already feeling like this?" Alya questioned, "You didn't have to force yourself to come. I tried to make sure to avoid the foods you can’t eat."
Stink, stank, stunk
"Do you need a ride home?" Mylene asked.
"I don't want to ruin your party." Lila groaned.
"I can give ou a ride and come back." Mylene declared.
Oh-oh, Mr. Grinch
"That's fine." Alya smiled, "We planned for a long night anyways and the concerts not even half way over."
Mr. Grinch
Lila simply nodded.
Alya came back to the living room to see that Marinette's song was already over. She was giving belly rubs to Fang.
"I'd like to thank everyone for watching and donating." Marinette smiled, "I will personally be donating $1 million, from my business, to the charity."
"Thank you, my dear." Jagged declared.
"I do want to let the audience know that the Wayne family are banned from participating in the prize, so even with their large donation, they still have to pay if they want clothes from her."
Jagged laughed as Damian and Marinette walked off stage, with Fang trailing after them.
"Yes!" Kim shouted, "No favortism!"
Alya turned at the sound of the door opening, "You're back already?"
'I didn't know Lila lived so close.'
"Lila had me drop her off at the store for medicane." Mylene responded, " She said her place was close by and didn't want to risk throwing up in the car."
"Then why do you look like someone announced they were going to tear down the park?" Alix questioned.
"I-I think she lied." Mylene mumbled.
"Huh?" Kim asked.
"Lila." Mylene spoke.
"Lied about what?" Nino asked, "We all heard her vomit."
"Everything!" Mylene shouted, surprising them, "I waited in the car, in case if she changed her mind and wanted a ride. She went in and came out, almost immediately, and got in another car."
"Maybe she called her boyfriend?" Alya suggested, "It sounds like she was being considerate to not throw up in your car."
"And Marinette?" Mylene pushed.
"Huh?" Kim spoke, "The song it over. It was short. It was over by the time you left."
"No!" Mylene declared, "Lila said she knew the designer and was close friends with her; that they were like sisters!"
"I-I fight with my sisters." Alya spoke up, confused, "I got the apartment so we weren't so confined."
"We all knew Mari." Mylene continued to argue, "She said Lila lied about knowing Jagged and she would have known, since she was designing for him."
"She didn't know about Luka or Juleka." Alix remarked.
"Yeah, but that's cause Luka didn't know until later." Kim spoke up.
"What?" Nino asked.
"Anarchy never told Luka or Juleka, who their dad was." Adrien spoke up, "He found out the same night that Mari broke up with him. He said 'One door closes, another opens'."
"Well, it’s not like we knew she designed for him." Nino tried to argue back.
"Yes, we did." the model countered, "She designed his glasses when we worked at Chloe's hotle for the day. She was his gopher. He's been to the bakery, loads of times, and even did a TV special there. I had her autograph his new cd covers, when they came out. I didn’t know where she moved or I would have gone and asked her to sign the rest."
"You're agreeing, with her?" Alix asked, "You're saying you think Lila lied to us about knowing Jagged Stone?"
Adrien simply nodded.
"Why?" demanded the hostess.
"Cause she panicked." he answered.
"What?" asked Nino.
"You didn't see her face or how she tensed up when Marinette came on stage?" Adrien asked, "Lila never once mentioned Mari or her "fashion designer friend" once she was on stage. Last week, she said that she 'hoped Mari would find love and peace in her life. That she would 'pray for her soul so she would never bully anyone ever again'."
"She did?" Max questioned.
"Alya told Lila she 'hoped Mari got help with her anger issues'." Adrien countered.
Alya suddenly felt sick to her stomach.
"We could always call Juleka or Luka, anyone from Kitty Section, really, and ask Jagged Stone directly." Adrien declared, "You kno, if you don't believe me."
"But, if she lied about Jagged Stone and MDC, I mean Marinette, what else did she lie about?" Kim asked the hard question.
Max sighed, "She claimed they were like 'sisters', but she told us that Marinette bullied and hated her."
"We told Marinette she was a hurtful person." Mylene sniffed, "That being around her was painful."
Alya took a look around the room. Some of them were fixated on the stream, others were staring at their laps. She realized Adrien had known Lila was lying about Mari, at the very least. She recalled he tried to tell her and Nino, but they hadn't believed him. She took out her phone and immediately blocked Lila's number. Nino watched as she hovered over the button, before pressing it. He realized how far they had fallen and did the same. He sent out a text to the others that he and Alya had blocked Lila's number.
The others slowly lifted up their heads and stared at Alya. She had been Lila's biggest supporter and best friend, but they could only see the tear streaks on her face now. One by one, they followed suit an blocked someone they had trusted. They watched as Alya stared at her phone before typing something. On the screen appeared a new donation: it read-$20 from 'Sorry, Marinette. From Paris.'
"I hope she sees it." Nino whispered.
Alya took a deep breath, "Let's continue the concert. I'm not going to let her ruin the night. We also have to cheer on our friends."
Everyone nodded and put their phones away, before turning back to the screen.
Lila stared at her phone: Message Not Sent. She tried to apologize about the vomit, but her texts weren't going through. She tried over and over. Then she tried other people from the party; the answer was always the same.
Lila slammed her phone down and let out a bitter laugh. Marinette finally won; everyone turned against her and Marinette wasn't even there to see it.
'It's not like she will forgive them and be friends with them again. She's married to a rich guy. That bakery girl has the life I was supposed to and I'm stuck in Paris with no Adrien , no rich husband and now, no friends.'
