"We need to date." Damian declared, as he set his books down on Marinette's kitchen table.
"Excuse me?" She questioned.
Damian sighed, "Father is starting to offer me up to daughters of his business associates. He said I would have a 'great night' at the next gala."
Mari stared at him, "What did you do this time? This has to be a punishment, right? I mean...how many hospital bills has he paid until he learned that you don't like to be touched?"
"If it is, I am unaware." The Wayne heir sighed.
Marinette shrugged, "I guess I can help. I'm not seeing anyone and your family has met me before."
"We will keep it simple." Damian spoke, "I asked you out at the cafe on Grandeur, while studying."
Mari nodded, "We can also say that we have only had a few dates because we have been busy with finals."
Damian immediately agreed. Marinette closed her text book and stretched.
"Go ahead and undress." She stated.
"I do not believe my family will require proof of a relationship. " Damian declared.
Marinette turned bright red, "Damian, no! I- As my boyfriend, you are wearing my clothes to the gala. I need your measurements."
Damian turned away, "Father has already paid for-"
She glared at him, "Think of it as the 'cherry on top' of our dating announcement. Not a bad idea, right?"
Damian nodded in agreement.
"Where's Damian?" demanded Bruce.
"He said he was on his way." spoke Tim.
"He didn't come with you?" his father questioned.
Jason scoffed, "He left before us and he was in his tux. Track him or something."
Bruce sighed and reached for his phone, when he froze: "Announcing arrival of Damian Wayne and Marinette Dupain-Cheng."
"Marinette?" Dick spun around.
The Wayne family froze when they saw they were wearing matching outfits and Damian's arm around her waist.
"This is the first time you have brought a guest, Damian." A reporter spoke, "Is this your date or an acquaintance?"
"This is my girlfriend, Marinette." He replied, "I had the pleasure of asking her to be by my side."
"How long have you been dating?" The reporter pushed.
"It's been about two months." Mari answered, "We've been busy with studying for finals, so we haven't been out on too many dates. Damian insisted I accompany him to the gala as our first big date."
Damian took her hand, ignoring the reporters and led her to the dance floor.
"I don’t know, Damian." Mari whispered, "You know how clumsy I am."
"I am here to hold you up." He replied, "Do you doubt me?"
"No." she answered.
The Waynes looked at the couple from the sidelines.
"When have you ever seen him look this happy?" Tim asked.
"With his mother." Jason spoke, taking a swig out of the champagne flute.
"No one fuck this up!" Dick roared.
As the song ended, the Waynes approached the couple.
"So, you're dating now?" Bruce questioned.
"Yes." Damian stated.
"Since when?" asked Tim.
"Two months ago." Marinette replied, "He asked me out while we were studying."
"While you were studying?" Dick responded, "Little D, that's the worst possible way you could have done it!"
Mari giggled, "I actually prefer it that way."
"Why?" Jason demanded.
"Well, obviously if he had done something over the top, I never would have believed him." She scoffed, "Damian's blunt, but honest. It's what I love about him."
Damian quickly turned to look at her.
"Like!" Marinette shouted, "I meant like! I'm gonna get a soda."
Damian watched Marinette's retreating figure.
'Love? I thought this was fake. Is it not?'
"Damian." Bruce spoke up.
The youngest turned and glared at his father.
"You should go have yourself a great night with your date." he smiled.
Damian could feel his ears turning hot and rushed after Marinette.
'We might need to speak about this….arrangement and extend it.'
"What just happened?" Jason prodded.
"Your brother is growing up." Bruce spoke, "Let him.
Runner Ups (in no particular order):
https://www.tumblr.com/sgtscuttle/777917553766023168 https://www.tumblr.com/cherrycoke1818/772716191893635072 https://www.tumblr.com/jasminose/797683487355355136
https://www.tumblr.com/krono2011/786775886174339072
DAMINETTE
Choosing You by StarWarsMum
Runner Ups:
Love Bites by maybemusing247
The Emotional Turmoil of Marinette Dupain-Cheng by otome_wandering
Lie Lie Lie by krono20112025
JASONETTE
This was a three-way tie, and we love this:
A Complete Forking Mess by Packetdancer
The (Not-So-Secret) Benefits of Friendship by Rierse
Ladybug's Trip by StarWarsMum
Runner Ups:
Since it was a three-way tie, we chose not to include runner ups (also, second place was a four-way tie)
TIMARI
The Batcave Incident (And Other Poor Life Choices) by otome_wandering
Runner Ups:
Fractured Souls by AbyssalGuardian
Meet-Uncute by Nory_Gail
Business Schooled by mochegato
RARE PAIRS (INCLUDING DICKINETTE)
Stupid Cupid by Izanae
Runner Ups:
The Forging of a Family by Rierse
The Prettiest Imposter by otome_wandering
The Adventures of Lady Grey by StarWarsMum
PLATONIC/BIOFAM
Astray by Izanae
Runner Ups:
Oh no! by Oliviaandersonisntmyrealnamelol
Of Course That Happened! We're the Waynes after all! by Jasmineose
Ladybug: a Daughter of a Clown and a Bat by HeartStrikerMaze
The year continued to pass at an alarming rate, though Bruce no longer got in Marinette’s face about not belonging in Gotham - or with Damian, if that was the issue. Whether he was biding his time or he truly accepted that she was stubborn enough to stay was anyone’s guess but she hoped it was the latter, if only for Dick and Damian’s sakes. Before she knew it, Damian’s birthday was fast approaching and she and Dick were colluding with Jon to make the day extra special.
The previous year, when they’d still been dancing around each other, she had only made him a cake and bought a pair of cufflinks she thought would suit him. This year? They’d been together for over six months and she had already sewn several articles of clothing, crocheted a few plushies, and planned to make an entire feast of his favourite foods. Let it not be said that she was taking this relationship lightly.
The other part of her plans…she wanted to share her secrets with him. Tikki had been locked safely back in the box since her first semester at université but she was going to bring her out so that she could get her advice and inform her of her decision. As the grand guardian of the miracle box it was her choice alone but that didn’t mean she didn’t still want her kwami’s input when she was making big decisions. Besides, a short trip outside the box would probably make the god of creation extremely happy, so she was going to bake a whole batch of macarons for Tikki to take back for the others.
The day before Damian’s birthday, Jon showed up to spend the day with him, the plan being that they would have fun before returning him home. Then, Jon would stay the night so that after Damian had opened his gifts he could take Dick over to Wally’s house for a sleepover, leaving the soulmates blissfully alone for the night.
The plan went off without a hitch, and Marinette set up their candlelit dinner on the roof on the evening of Damian’s birthday. She took a deep breath before trying to cram her nerves into a box so she wasn’t impeded when explaining this part of her life to him. Gotham vigilantes were well known for disliking all who practiced magic, and magic wasn’t something she could just give up without destroying her life, so she had every right to feel nervous but she wished she didn’t. Damian had been the perfect soulmate over the past months and she felt secure enough that he wouldn’t just dismiss her the moment she said or did something he didn’t approve of or like.
“This looks wonderful, Starling,” he murmured when he finally arrived, and she almost leapt out of her skin at his sudden appearance. He seemed half-amused, half-concerned by her jumpiness and held onto her upper arms loosely to keep her steady. “Are you alright?”
“Fine!” she squeaked, blushing when he raised a sceptical eyebrow, though he didn’t press her for information. “I’m fine, just a little nervous.”
“What is making you nervous? Surely you do not think I would be anything but charmed by your efforts to make my birthday memorable,” he said softly, hands sliding down to her own before bringing one up to kiss her fingertips. The gesture had become familiar quickly and it soothed the part of her that wanted to run, just enough that she could breathe again.
“I was a superheroine,” she blurted, completely unable to take the pressure building within her anymore. When he blinked at her, eyes firmly on hers and hands remaining in her own. “And, um, I kind of, maybe, have the responsibility of watching over more than a dozen little gods because the alternative is losing all my memories from the time I was fourteen, and I’ve been nervous about telling you because I know you hate magic users but there’s nothing I can do about it and that’s kind of terrifying and I really like being with you and-”
“Marinette, breathe,” he instructed, placing a hand on her cheek and keeping her close. “I do not hate magic users, and I especially do not think I am capable of hating you. More than a dozen little gods?”
“We should sit down,” she said begrudgingly, hating the thought of him releasing her so they could eat their dinner. Thankfully, he kept hold of her hand as he maneuvered them to sit down at the table, twirling her before seating her in his lap. Highly impractical but she relished the contact as he picked an hors-d'oeuvre from the table and ate it.
Over the course of their dinner, she gave him as much information as she could, and he was receptive to it all. He was curious about the tiny gods, obviously, but his questions leaned more towards how it would affect her in the future. If she had doubted at all that telling him was the right decision, that assured her it was. It was a relief to tell him everything and, when she finally ran out of things to say, he let silence fall between them.
“Thank you, for sharing this with me,” he said softly, pressing a kiss to the crook of her neck. “I am unsure whether I am worthy of knowing it, and I am honoured that you believe me to have earned the privilege. My only concern is that you do not know my entire past and I worry that it will change your perception. I do not want you to regret sharing this with me but I cannot imagine you will be pleased that I did not share soone-”
“Damian,” she interrupted firmly, twisting in his hold until she was looking him in the eye. “Whatever’s in your past, it’s past. And just because I’m sharing this with you doesn’t mean I expect you to tell me everything you’ve been keeping private. I’m telling you this because I’m ready to tell you, not for any other reason, okay?”
“Thank you,” he murmured again before kissing her languidly and pushing all other thoughts away.
_ _ _
Dick arrived back home the day after Damian’s birthday and immediately started gushing about his sleepover at Wally’s place to Marinette. She grinned at his enthusiasm, listening as she prepared their lunch and started the sauce for dinner. Damian had gone to visit Jason, his father and Tim for the morning as he hadn’t bothered to see them the day before. Jason had understood his desire to have his actual birthday for the family he had chosen for himself, even if Bruce had practically pouted about being treated as lesser than Marinette.
“And then, Barry said he could take us for a run - but Walls said it was a bad idea if I didn’t want to end up eating a bunch of bugs, so we just watched him race around the garden doing tricks and stuff,” Dick laughed, leaning forward and snagging a couple of the carrot sticks Marinette was preparing. “But I might ask him to take me around some time, just for fun. There aren’t all that many people who can say the Flash gives them piggybacks, you know?”
“Oh yeah, even if you only ever do it once it would be an experience,” she nodded sagely, tossing him another carrot stick before he could reach for one again. “I should ask Damian to take me out with the grappling hook, I’ll bet it’s way different to the old Miraculous team’s transportation. Chat’s baton was…interesting.”
“Is that a euphemism?” asked Dick, wrinkling his nose in disgust while Marinette started laughing outright. “Oh, gross, if you tell me you hooked up with one of the Parisian heroes-”
“You’ll what?” she shot back, raising an eyebrow. “I was a person before I became your maman, Dick. But what I was referring to was his actual baton, a magical weapon he used to be able to extend at will and used to leap tall buildings. I doubt it’s anything like a grappling hook, so it would be nice to compare it.”
“No, you didn’t exist before Damian conjured you up to be my mother,” Dick said stubbornly, scowling again when she giggled again, and pointed his finger at her sternly. “Look, I can pretend you and Damian are just making out occasionally if you don’t burst my bubble with logic and I would appreciate it if you let my delusions stand. God, why are you trying to traumatise me? Haven’t I been through enough?”
“Isn’t it kind of my job to traumatise you?” she asked with a raised eyebrow. The look he gave her was enough to make her giggle again, throwing him another carrot stick as appeasement when he looked offended. “Dick, mon cher, if the idea of me having a life traumatises you then we should probably get you therapy because that’s not normal. My parents raised me to be very aware of their lives before they had me and I’m just fine.”
“Well that’s different because you’re French,” he argued, just as the apartment door opened and Damian walked through to them. “Dami, tell Maman that it isn’t normal for parents to suggest they had sex lives before they knew you.”
“I would not say that I am the benchmark for a normal childhood,” Damian mused, stepping around the counter and kissing Marinette hello. “Why are we discussing sexual encounters in the kitchen?”
“Not important,” smiled Marinette, continuing her vegetable prep and supplying Dick with more carrot sticks. Dick scoffed and she narrowed her eyes at him but he was undeterred.
“You just don’t want Dami to know one of the Paris heroes gave you a good time with his magic stick,” he muttered, making Marinette flush slightly and Damian raise an eyebrow at her. It didn’t look like he was offended by the insinuation but they hadn’t really discussed past relationships beyond what he already knew from her background check.
“I think we should make all conversations about sexual activities off limits where we prepare food,” offered Damian, pressing his hand to her side in a way that comforted her. “What we should probably discuss is our plans for Christmas this year. Father brought it up when I visited and suggested we should all gather at the manor.”
Nodding and listening as Dick and Damian began outlining pros and cons for having Christmas with the rest of the Waynes, Marinette couldn’t help but smile. Only Damian could so swiftly derail a conversation in a completely nonchalant way. She was slightly concerned about the comment on his childhood but didn’t want to draw attention to it before he was ready so she let it go.
Welcome! Below you’ll find all my AO3 works linked, organised by individual ship and then a collection of my series. This post will be updated regularly as new works are added. Please check AO3 tags for ratings and warnings 💌
🦇 Miraculous Ladybug / DC (Maribat) Fics🐞
Daminette:
Heirs
➝ WIP
The Emotional Turmoil of Damian Wayne
➝ Complete
The Emotional Turmoil of Marinette Dupain-Cheng
➝ Complete
Multiple Ferrets Are a Business
➝ Complete
Business Utilities
➝ Complete
Risky Business
➝ Complete
A Friend In the Business: A Companion Piece
➝ Complete
Timari:
To Be a Hot Mess, Together
➝ Complete
The Batcave Incident (And Other Poor Life Choices)
➝ WIP
Jasonette:
Rented, Not Bought
➝ Complete
The (Faulty) Last Resort
➝ WIP
Dickinette:
The Weight of Regret
➝ Complete
The Prettiest Imposter
➝ WIP
Cassette:
Worth A Thousand Words
➝ Complete
📖 Maribat Series
Damian and Marinette’s Tumultuous Tale of Falling In Love — Daminette
➝ Multi-work series | In progress
Otome’s MGI Secret Writer 2024 Submissions — Multi-Ship
➝ Event collection | Complete
The Maribat Business of Ferrets — Daminette
➝ Multi-work series | In progress
🔗 Navigation
[AO3 Profile]
Tumblr Writing Tag
Wattpad Link -- [Not all of my works have been cross-posted]
Instagram
Discord Handle: otome_wandering
🗒 Notes
If you like what you read, leave a comment/kudo/vote!
DMs, Questions, and fan theories/art are welcome, but I am not taking fic-requests at this time.
I can also be found in the majority of Maribat discords (see @maribat-calendar-events for details).
I occasionally help out with @maribat-calendar-events, specifically with the Daminette December Calendar and the SuperMari May Calendar. Any questions about those events can be answered by me!
My update schedule for Heirs is roughly monthly. The (Faulty) Last Resort is on hiatus until Heirs reaches ~~ Chapter 30.
Get ready for everybody's favorite month of the year: Maribat March! This year, we've decided to give you a little more time to answer the prompts breaking the calendar down by weeks, instead of days. We're super excited for this event's return, and we hope you are too!
If you’re publishing on Ao3, we have an Ao3 collection, just like last year. To be added to it, make sure to select “Maribat March (Maribat_March)” when you select the collection you want to add your fic to. For the ease of readers, make sure to include “For Maribat March Week #: [Prompt]” in your summary.
If you’re posting something NSFW, make sure that it’s rated as such, and has all of the relevant tags and warnings. If it doesn’t your work won’t be approved to the collection.
Prompt List
Week One: "What if I don't want to be a Magical Girl?"
Week Two: "This place is depressing."
Week Three: "Can I get an interview?"
Week Four: "I hate clowns."
Week Five: "Sounds like a wild ride."
Shout out to Mod @newdog14 for designing this year's calendar, and to @izanae for assisting with prompts. There are also special brownie points available to anyone who spots the hidden references Newsie slipped into this post!
Marinette!Dancer AU fanart that I made in August for the MGI Civil War 2025 event! Took me 15 hours, and I used a stencil I paid for since I'm still new to digital art, but it was still worth it!
for @maribat-calendar-events AU August: Life Swap/Ability Swap
a/n: I had some ideas for Maribat AU August (including Damian being isekai-ed into an otome game) but this is the one that stuck. Been wanting to write a maribat fic that wasn't Marinette-centric so here we are (I also miss writing the loml Felix). Weirdly this is also a product of consuming a lot of soulmate fics from a different fandom as of late.
P.S. A secret surprise ship is featured at the end. hehe.
***
Felix likes to think that he has great attention to detail. No shirt creased, no hair out of place. Even as Chat Noir, he's a problem-solver, a creative thinker. He has backup plans that can rival his best friend's. Despite all of that, he has never expected to miserably fail in taking into account his soul mark.
He has been complacent. Too complacent.
The night is supposedly nothing out of the ordinary: Marinette in his bedroom for a sleepover with her rants about her unmanifested soul mark as his background noise. The sting of the acetone and polish in the air as she paints her nails. The occasional flip of his book of the week.
Then he's gone.
Suddenly transported, suddenly looking at the glaring sunlight behind the hazy-polluted skyline, suddenly feeling a different kind of fabric against his skin. The drone of nighttime is replaced by squeaking chairs, murmurs between old suited men, and the clicks of laptops rivaling the sound of fountain pen scribbles. They're speaking English. Not French, but a faintly accented American English.
Felix feels like a stranger in his skin.
And he actually is.
His body weighs down heavily, and his eyes heavier. But he can't control the jitter in his fingers or the light bounce of his heels caused by caffeine, no doubt. Speaking in an unfamiliar voice, he excuses himself from the meeting room whilst ignoring the prying eyes and stumbles awkwardly into a bathroom.
A body swap soul mark. Just the worst. He tries to drag a hand across his face and is met with a different texture — his soulmate's hand is calloused like his, but the bumps and roughness dot along the entire palm and not at the fingertips from hours of playing violin.
What is more unsettling is the lack of metal around his left middle finger.
He sees his soulmate's face in the mirror staring back at him. At first he expects a stranger, just a normal office worker slaving away in New York perhaps. But realization settles deep within his gut as he takes in a face he's seen plenty of online, typically alongside a chaotic headline.
Timothy Drake.
Co-CEO of a multibillion company. Son of Bruce- I'm the sugar daddy of the Justice League- Wayne.
Felix hisses a curse in French.
His head whips around when he hears a knock on the door. "Tim? Bud, are you okay?"
That must be Bruce.
"Yeah . . ." Felix winces at how awkward the English feels in his tongue. He's fluent in it, he swears, but living in Paris has made the French language his solace.
He takes a deep breath and considers his options. Do I tell him the truth? Should I pretend to be my soulmate? He knows of other soul marks that are stranger. More inconvenient. And body swaps are not that uncommon. Those who are close to his soulmate should understand, right?
He bites the inside of his cheek. If he's here in Gotham City, New Jersey, then Tim Drake must also be panicking inside his body back at Paris. And he expects Marinette to notice right away.
The less misunderstandings, the quicker we can get in contact and figure out how to return, he decides. Besides, as much as he takes pride in his theater skills, he doesn't trust himself to act like someone he doesn't know.
With another deep breath, he twists the doorknob open and faces Bruce Wayne.
"I'm not Tim Drake. We swapped bodies just then." He watches as Bruce's expression shifts from shock, to a frown, to something more serious. "Pleasure to meet you. I suppose I'm his soulmate."
***
Tim thinks he has entered a hallucination.
He swears he was just in an important WE meeting. Numbers and stocks and whatnot. But in the next second, he's suddenly lying down with a book in both hands (which he clumsily drops) and there is an unfamiliar girl speaking in French while she paints her toenails.
It's a soul mark. This is his soulmate's body.
Tim inwardly admits that his French is rusty, but he still tries to listen and pretend that nothing has happened.
"So I told her, no , I clearly already gave my schedule and I did my part but she wants to call a favor just because she can't be bothered to pull her own weight and—"
The girl stops, steely blue eyes darting up at him. Tim squirms at her scrutiny, as if he isn't already in discomfort being in a body that is not his. And he can't help but wonder: who is this girl to his supposed soulmate?
" Felix ." She calmly caps the polish bottle and stretches her legs. " What's wrong?"
Tim gulps. With his best knowledge of the French language he replies, " Nothing. "
"You're not Felix," she says suddenly in accented English. He tries his best to conceal his shock. Just how observant is this girl? Or does 'Felix' have certain mannerisms, a habit that she can easily tell?
"I guess I'm not." Tim sits up, heart still hammering in his chest. "Umm, I'm Tim. This is a soul mark thing I guess."
The girl cranes her neck to peer out the window like she's waiting for something. She lets a few seconds pass before turning back to him. "You can call me Marinette. I don't mean to alarm you in any way, Tim, but you have to know that you're in Paris. Do you know what that means?"
Paris. The mere word can translate directly to trouble. Disaster. Of course Tim knows — the whole world knows. He remembers Bruce wanting to take action, the bargains with Ladybug, the agreements that Paris must be left alone with its heroes. The Miraculous holders.
"Yes." He nods once, still feeling awkward in his new body. "Akumas."
Marinette's tone is dry. "Akumas. Right. Really sorry to say this, but you have to control your negative emotions." She cocks her head. "Good thing you're not freaking out right now."
A shaky laugh bubbles out of his throat. It's just taking a while to sink in. He immediately remembers that he left — their souls were exchanged — in the middle of a company meeting and crosses his fingers that this 'Felix' person is faring well.
Tim plucks a phone from his side and carefully swipes to the front camera. He's met with a head of blonde hair, meticulously styled, a sharp jawline and piercing green eyes. Half-hypnotized, he runs his long fingertips over his face to trace each feature. There is no feeling of familiarity, but damn his soulmate looks good.
But first things first. "Is there a way I can contact—"
The phone is knocked off his hand when the ground suddenly shakes and a crash reverberates from outside. Marinette is immediately on her feet to get a closer look by the window and she mutters something to herself, lips pursed and brows furrowed.
"That would be Gigantitan," Marinette sighs. "Look, my parents always insist I go home whenever there's an akuma. I'll call over someone who will . . ." She clears her throat. "Who will stay with you."
"Isn't it safer if you stay here though?"
The question dies in the air; Marinette doesn't answer. She only paces back and forth, fingers rapidly texting that 'someone' she'll call over.
Minutes pass and Tim can hear restless stomps and the cries of a giant child from a distance. Marinette doesn't look the least bit bothered but when a knock raps on the door, she speeds towards it.
A boy who bears a resemblance to his soulmate barges into the room. " Felix's soulmate is here—wha—huh?"
He's immediately intercepted by Marinette who grabs him by the elbow and leads him outside to talk. Tim wants to eavesdrop and he can but he decides against it. Instead, he wonders where he has seen that boy's face before. A magazine? A formal event?
When the door opens again, it's only the boy who enters and Marinette is nowhere to be seen. He rubs the back of his neck and introduces himself as Adrien, Felix's cousin.
"Wow, he — I guess he really has a soulmate huh." Adrien speaks his English with a hint of a British accent. His face speaks of amusement as he studies Tim in his cousin's body.
"Did he assume he didn't have one?" Tim asks.
Adrien laughs. "He pretends he doesn't need one but oh man, I know he has this hoard of romance novels." He puts a finger up to his lips. "Don't tell him I said that though, he'll kill me."
He sits and converses with Adrien, who enthusiastically tells him more about Felix. All while waiting for the Miraculous Court to subdue the akuma like letting a storm pass.
***
Felix finds that word travels fast in the Wayne family. Within the hour of explaining things to Bruce, he finds himself sent home to the Manor under the excuse of falling ill and the other occupants of the house rush to meet him.
He is introduced to Alfred first of course, who guides him to a spare guestroom and offers food. He becomes acquainted with Duke next, who has just come home from university, followed by the grumpy Damian, Cassandra and Dick.
Felix keeps his words with them brief, brushing off their curious questions. He's more concerned about the situation in Paris, feeling the paranoia inching closer the longer he's stuck in Tim Drake's body. Finally, he manages to borrow a tablet from Duke (Bruce took Tim's phone away, citing probable 'sensitive company information') and checks if an akuma alert has gone off in Paris.
Miracle News—a joint effort by his schoolmates Aurore, and Allegra, plus support from the mayor himself and Nadja Chamack. Personally approved by Ladybug herself. It pings off akuma locations, shelters, and updates. Felix sucks in a breath as he taps on the live feed; of course, of course, an akuma just has to show up while he's away.
Ladybug . . . Viperion . . . Vesperia . . . He carefully lists off the members of the Court that he sees, facing off against Gigantitan. No trace of the Black Cat which must be a good sign. He rubs the spot on his finger where the ring would be, wondering if he should try to reach out to Marinette afterwards or Tim, who must have his phone.
No, perhaps it's not a good time.
He makes a quick search instead about body-swap soul marks after he watches Ladybug successfully purifying the butterfly. Apparently, the conditions for undoing the mark vary between soulmate pairs. Some necessitate physical contact, in other cases switches can happen randomly, in rarer circumstances, the switching still happens perpetually. He silently hopes theirs isn't the last one.
He has his secrets to keep after all.
And so does Tim—Felix isn't dumb— but he respects his soulmate's privacy. He tries not to think too much about how the Manor has gone quiet and empty later into the night. How the way Tim's body is littered with scars and marks, possessing a kind of mobility that can't be earned with the typical gym routines. Or how the Wayne family hides Tim's possessions away from him, with darting eyes and body language shifts.
He shoots off a quick message to Marinette, telling her simply that he's fine and safe and will try to get in contact with Tim who's still in his body. After that, he gives up fighting off the slumber overtaking his eyes ( seriously, does my soulmate not sleep at all?) and he's out before his head hits the pillow.
***
Tim thinks he should be alarmed by the akuma rampaging in the city, probably only a few blocks away from the apartment he's in. But he's more taken aback at how unfazed Adrien seems at the situation as the boy's just lying down on the floor, scrolling mindlessly at his phone.
Is this all normal for Parisians?
He shifts his gaze back to his—Felix's—phone. Adrien kindly pointed him to the local akuma-watch website, Miracle News, which captures a live feed of the akuma attack. The superhero team seems to be untroubled, with Ladybug seamlessly in the lead. Still, he can't help but tap his fingers against one knee.
"Class B," Adrien says out of the blue.
"Huh? What was that?"
"Class B akuma," Adrien explains, "We have classes C, B, A and S in least to most dangerous order. B's are typical akumas — they might cause large damages but nothing too bad, at least by comparison. They usually get akumatized maybe once or twice every two months."
"So you guys are . . . all used to this?"
"Uh huh. We just have to trust Ladybug to put everything back to normal."
What a burden that must be, Tim thinks to himself. But in his background research and Ladybug's brief interactions with the JL, she's competent enough. A creative mind, a strong leader, a responsible magic-wielder. Both her and her partner, Chat Noir.
Speaking of . . .
"Where's Chat Noir?" Based on the footage, only the bee-wielder and snake-wielder are fighting beside Ladybug.
Tim nearly misses the way Adrien's eyes widen for a split second. "Erm, the Court shows up in rotation. I don't know how they work it out, but not all the heroes show up all the time. Sometimes Ladybug's even MIA. It depends."
Tim hums contemplatively. "I see."
"Felix . . . what does he do during akuma attacks?" He wonders aloud.
"Eh, just waits it out like everyone else." Adrien grins, eyes glittering as he looks up at him. "He even wrote out an entire essay in a cafe that was within an akuma attack zone. I'm just here with you because you've got that soul mark thing going on like Mari said."
Tim picks up the phone. Right on time, Ladybug already has the akumatized object and is now in the process of purifying the akuma. The battle just ends like that. The live feed stops.
He leans back. Should he try to contact his phone? Has Bruce already noticed? Tam? He's also concerned about Felix possibly finding something he shouldn't if he has access to his phone and computers.
Sighing, he sends off an encrypted message to Bruce and Dick just to inform them about the situation and his location (and to remind them to not hand off incriminating evidence to Felix). He erases traces of his activity from the phone.
How do we actually undo this soul mark?
***
The next time Felix opens his eyes, he's back.
He blinks rapidly, adjusting to the bright lights and the fact that he's suddenly standing in the hallway of his university. As soon as he regains his bearings, he turns around and sprints to the room where he and Marinette have the only class they share: business management.
She's in her usual seat when he enters, gaze lifting up to meet his. "Oh. You're back."
Felix gently tugs her out of the classroom and towards a more private space, ignoring the odd feel of the hoodie and jeans Tim has thrown on for him. Even his hair feels weird, lacking the usual styling he dedicates to perfecting every morning.
"Plagg?" He whispers, patting his pockets. The kwami phases out of his bag.
"Took you long enough." The small cat stretches.
"Did he notice?" Felix frowns.
"Of course not," Marinette links up her arm with his. "What do you take me for?"
"I'm sending you in, Plagg."
Felix takes his ring and twists it off his finger, leaving an indenting mark around the base. He takes his best friend's hand and pushes the Miraculous into her palm.
She blinks up at him. "Hm? But you're back to normal now, aren't you?"
He shakes his head. "I can't take any risks. We don't know what triggers the switch or what brings us back. There's a chance it can happen again."
"That makes you benched until further notice."
Felix purses his lips. It's his gut and the hypotheses in his head telling him to be careful. "Sorry, bug."
"It's no problem." She shrugs casually and puts on the ring herself, freeing a grumbling Plagg who retreats in her bag instead.
"What happened last night? The akuma? How did he react?" They begin their walk back to the classroom as Felix forces down the unruly locks of his hair.
"Did you watch the live?"
"Yes, but—"
"I got it handled with Zoe and Luka," says Marinette. She reaches into her bag to hand off a buttery croissant to him when his stomach growls loudly. "I called up Adri to babysit Tim while I was gone—he's a bit weird, by the way. Super closed off about himself, Adri said. Is he a celebrity or something?"
Felix sighs. "Try part of the richest family in Gotham."
"Oh shit, for real?"
"We swapped when he was in the middle of a meeting. A board meeting in Wayne Enterprises."
Before he can stop her, Marinette's already on her phone, looking up Tim Drake and babbling about how he does fit his type and the utter irony of another rich kid being his soulmate out of anyone.
But apart from that . . . Felix can't shake off that something else is strange with his soulmate and his family.
He's going to have to do his research later on.
***
Tim scrambles for his phone when he wakes up. 1:23 pm. That's probably more than 12 hours of straight undisturbed sleep. He blinks, feeling weirdly well-rested for a long, long time.
He realizes he doesn't have his phone on him (understandable; if Bruce or the others knew they should be quick to keep personal gadgets away from Felix) and instead Duke's tablet is on the nightstand next to the bed. Along with a folded piece of paper.
Wait, a piece of paper?
A letter, Tim realizes when he unfolds it and sees a neat handwriting.
Dear Timothy Drake,
I suppose we are soulmates then. If you are reading this, then we have switched back somehow. Assuming we don't know yet the circumstances of how the switch happened or how to undo it, this might not be the last time it happens. If you want to talk about it, below are my contact details:
Tim snorts. He's just as Adrien described—Mr. Perfect, overly serious, a rule-player. Reminds him a little of Damian. He also huffs a little upon seeing the postscript at the bottom:
P.S. Please sleep more and drink less coffee. I'm worried about your body's health.
He fights back the warmth dusting his cheeks. So what if Felix is concerned?
Just then, the door is slammed open with a bang, and Dick barges in, calling out Felix's name.
"It's me." Tim runs a hand through his hair. "I'm back."
"Oh? Prove it, Timmy."
"You ate Cinnamon Toast Crunch for breakfast, lunch and dinner for five straight days last week?"
"Okay, you pass." Dick flops on the bed beside him. "Your soulmate's crazy, Timmy. He's studying literature and business at one of Paris' top universities and he's heir to the Graham de Vanily fortune, son to the famous musical actress Amelie Graham de Vanily."
"You stalked him before I did?"
"You didn't stalk him when you switched?"
Tim turns into a deep shade of red. It didn't feel right to snoop around in Felix's body, especially with Marinette and Adrien around. "His cousin was around. And there was an akuma."
"Oh, I heard about that! So he's from Paris, huh." Dick's eyes shine at the prospect of knowing more about the Paris situation and its heroes. Ladybug has been fearsomely territorial, even amongst magic users. "Your soulmate's a civvy from Paris."
"The civvy part . . . I'm not so sure."
"What?"
***
Felix grits his teeth in frustration as he sprints along the sidewalk. Benched, he's supposed to be benched still, since the switches have been happening for the past week. But this akuma is relentless — Stormy Weather has once again been held emotionally captive by Hawkmoth, resulting in a merciless blizzard on one end of the city and raging pools of lava erupting from another end. It's a class A akuma bordering on S, and Ladybug, Ryuko, Foxtrot, Viperion, and Chelonia aren't having the best of luck subduing her.
They need him. Ladybug won't go out of her way to actually call him but he knows. They need Chat Noir.
His fists clench as he runs faster. In case the swap does happen while he's in the suit, well, Tim will understand.
Tim of all people should understand.
He finally reaches the humble bakery where Marinette resides and rushes into their house, directly to his best friend's bedroom (it's not called sneaking in, technically, since her parents know he comes and goes all the time, being a regular at her sleepovers so often). Felix practically flies to the Guardian's box where his ring is still safely kept.
He barely gives Plagg the chance to speak before he says his transformation words.
He's already running across rooftops before he knows it, feeling just at home to be back in his suit after such a long time. He heads towards the Eiffel where the akuma has set up a base of sorts, ignoring his friends' looks of disbelief when he reaches the heroes.
"I can grab it. Her umbrella," he catches his breath, stopping in front of the grave-faced Ladybug. "Chat Noir hasn't been seen in public for a while. She won't see me coming if you distract her—then I'll Cataclysm it."
"Even if she's distracted, she's almost untouchable." Ladybug motions towards the akuma. "She has a barrier of lava around her and an ice shield under that."
"I can do it. I'll use Cataclysm twice if I need to."
"Okay. Let's set up a formation. Ryuko —"
"Watch out!"
Foxtrot's warning is futile as an actual meteor is hurled towards them. The team dodges away in time, but the building crumbles down and the debris shoots off from the sides, flinging them all from the impact. Felix hisses as he falls into an alley with huge chunks surrounding him.
He just blinks. Once.
Then it happens.
He's suddenly in a grandiose dining hall, spoon raised halfway to his mouth and the chatter of the Waynes filling his ears. Utensils clattering and chair screeching back, he jumps up to his feet as his heartbeat races rapidly. Merde. Merde. Why now of all times?!
The Waynes stare up at him.
Dick is first to speak. "Um . . . Fe—"
"I need to go back," he says in a rush. " Paris ." His fingernails dig into his palms. "Fly a jet. Teleport me. Zeta-tube—just get me back to Paris."
Oh, identities be damned. He and Tim were soulmates. It's not like they can keep things a secret from each other forever.
Bruce, at the head of the table, only lets his expression falter for a split second. "Felix, is there an akuma attack? The heroes—"
Felix looks at him straight in the eye. "Stormy Weather. Class A, maybe Class S soon if we don't do anything. There's fucking meteors falling from the sky. And the heroes will not have it handled if Tim is suddenly in Chat Noir's body, Batman."
***
I knew it! I freaking knew it!
Well, maybe that's not the most appropriate reaction to have when Tim realizes he's suddenly Chat Noir.
The crashes and booms and screams and the actual pulsing crimson-gray sky are all telling him that this akuma attack was bad bad. Bad enough to have Felix risk transforming to his alter ego. Tim stands up and kicks away the rubble to open up a path out of the alley.
A bit lucky for him, he's adopted some knowledge about Chat Noir's powers during his 'research'. A destructive power with one touch, agility, invulnerability, his staff that's different from his usual bō, but he'll take that over anything else.
He sees a flash of bright red and black spots and immediately comes up to Ladybug. Again, in his best French, he utters, " What is the plan?"
Ladybug gives him a deadpan look. "You swapped."
"No, we didn't."
No, shit wait. That was English.
She sighs. "I think you should de-transform—"
"No, I can help! I promise!" Tim waves his hands around. "You can trust me, I'm a hero too."
"I think Gotham's rogues are a little different from world-ending akumas."
Tim blinks at her, astonished by her nonchalance. "You—you know?"
"I knew Fe had his suspicions, but he never aired them out. I did some research myself." She shrugged. "But fine, if you're gonna be stubborn about it. Felix had this plan of sneaking up on Stormy to Cataclysm her shields and get the akumatized object. It's her umbrella, by the way."
He rolls his shoulders. "Alright. I'll try."
"Nah, you need some help, hatchling." She looks over his shoulder and beckons another hero before snatching up his staff and pulling out a small earpiece from inside. She hands it off to him. "Here. Our comms."
"Oh? They swapped in the middle of an akuma attack?" A voice behind Tim says. He turns around to see the blonde fox-themed hero smirking in amusement.
Based on that tone . . . that demeanor. Ah, is this Adrien?
"Unfortunately." Ladybug pinches the bridge of her nose, pressing on her own earpiece. "Everyone, say hi to Chat's soulmate. He says he's going to help out. Foxy, you can cast a Mirage for invisibility and go with him to sneak up on Stormy. The rest of us will distract and try to minimize the damages. Viperion?"
"No resets so far, LB." Tim hears the crackle of a different voice in his ear.
"Okay. I'll get my second Lucky Charm soon. Everyone head out."
Tim gets the hang of being in the suit (and not having a grapple) pretty quickly. It's his first time witnessing the Court in action, and they're more competent than expected — not that he underestimated them before. He can guess that he'll see that look on Bruce's face whenever he wants to adopt if he'll ever get to watch Ladybug's leadership skills.
Foxtrot nudges him on the side. "You ready, in-law?"
He takes a deep breath. "Ready."
***
The Wayne family is all in vigilante mode now. Felix is led through an opening in the grandfather clock and down into what he guesses is the Batcave. Bruce himself sets up the computer to show the live feed of the akuma attack.
He hears Duke breathe in sharply. "It—it does look bad."
"We'll set up the Zeta right now, Felix—" Dick begins but Felix puts his hand up.
"Wait."
He squints at the footage. The view is set up a bit farther this time, just to keep out of harm's way while still broadcasting. He sees blurs of the heroes' familiar colors.
And just a brief hint of black.
"We can't go there." He changes his mind. "If Gotham's vigilantes show up suddenly, Hawkmoth might shift his attention. If I come alone, it's too dangerous to be involved in the battle."
With a deep breath, he adds. "And I suppose Tim is acting Chat Noir now."
"Are you saying we will just stay here and . . . watch?" Damian asks.
Felix swallows down the lump in his throat. "I trust Ladybug. And if Tim decided he wanted in on the fight, we should trust him too."
And so they watch.
All signs of Chat Noir are gone, but Foxtrot is missing in action as well. Felix makes a guess in his head — Are they continuing with the plan I suggested after all?
Paris looks like literal hell. There are seas of flames, boulders of ice and snow. Ryuko can only do so much to counter the elements with her own, and Ladybug has burned through her second Lucky Charm. Finally, at the peak of the chaos, Stormy Weather's shields suddenly dissipate with a Cataclysm out of the blue, and the still-invisible Foxtrot snatches up the akumatized object to throw towards Ladybug.
Eyes still glued to the screen, Felix stands up. "I need to go. Can you Zeta me now?"
**
Tim puts a hand on his still-palpitating chest as Ladybug finishes purifying the akuma and comforts a devastated girl (Aurore is her name, apparently, one of Marinette's friends if he remembers correctly). The damage and debris are gone, but the exhilaration is there. The feeling of destruction right at his fingertips as he pierces through lava and a literal block of ice mingles deep in his skin. Holding a Miraculous is far, far different from throwing punches as a vigilante.
Meanwhile, Foxtrot is just twirling his flute, looking at him in amusement.
"Not bad for your first stint, rookie," Foxtrot laughs. "You already belong to the team."
"Technically, it's not my first . . ." The words escape him without meaning to.
"Was my cousin right about your nightly escapades then?"
"Fe—He really knows? "
Ladybug comes up beside them, snorting. "We're not stupid."
They find a hidden corner to detransform, and Tim hands the cat kwami a piece of cheese as directed by Marinette. The three of them discuss the situation, the akuma, and the akumatized, when Tim spots a familiar figure heading towards them.
No, not just a familiar figure, but it's himself. His body.
Within the next second, his view suddenly switches as he's brought back to his own body. He feels two hands on top of his shoulders and sees a pair of green eyes not anymore looking back at him through a mirror.
"That was dangerous," Felix rasps, brows furrowed.
"I—I handled it well?" He says, feeling warmth creep up his neck because of the weight of Felix's touch. It's so unfamiliar, yet so comforting.
Felix lets out a long drawn-out sigh and steps backward. "I believe we have a lot to talk about. It's nice to finally see you in person . . . soulmate."
***
Extra
Seeing Felix meet his soulmate makes Marinette wonder if she'll soon meet hers too. Like Felix, she doesn't have a pre-manifested mark — no telltale colorblindness, tattoos or strange birthmarks, no second voice in her head.
Not that she's actually desperate for a soulmate. Maybe back then when she was younger. She would theorize and imagine all the possibilities about her soul mark, wondering if she'll meet her better half in a sweet, romance novel-like way, or if it will be some bizarre event like her grandparents'.
But after she took on the mantle of Ladybug and became the heroine of Paris, thoughts of her soulmate were pushed to the back of her mind. Now, she doesn't particularly care if she has one or not; she can be happy and fulfilled without having to pursue a romantic relationship. She just wishes—if that other person exists— that she'll meet them after she has dealt with Hawkmoth and his villainy.
Okay, maybe she's a teeny tiny bit jealous of fated couples as she sees Felix and Tim touching shoulders next to each other as they snack outside her family's patisserie.
She sips on her milkshake. So sickeningly sweet.
She hasn't seen Felix act this soft, but she does see that they complement each other well. The two and their ingenious minds. Marinette tears her gaze away to focus on her pending fashion design assignment (what a liar Felix is for saying she won't be third wheel and what a traitor Adrien is for spontaneously ditching them).
She tries to take another sip.
The straw is gone.
No, everything's gone.
A scream rips out of her throat as she's suddenly falling in midair, whizzing past clouds and the bright blue sky. Her legs shake and her arms flail around before she finally manages to call out the words, " Tikki, transformez-moi!"
The familiar Miraculous magic washes over her and she balances in the sky with the ladybug wings that manifested as part of her suit when she became of age (along with the ability to use more than one Lucky Charm sans the countdown timer to transform back). Marinette puts a hand over her chest, breathing heavily.
What the actual hell.
Her soul mark is like Felix's. But instead of just the soul swapping, it's the entire person switching places.
**
Meanwhile, back in Paris, a curly-haired boy with a leather jacket suddenly materializes in front of a gaping Tim and a dumbfounded Felix. Before they can say a word, the boy blanches in realization and superspeeds away before launching himself into flight.
**
The gears are turning in Marinette's head as she stays in the sky. According to her yoyo, she's about halfway across the Atlantic. My soulmate can fly. They're most likely a hero. Of course, of course. When she sees a blue figure arriving and looking around frantically, her candidates are narrowed down to one.
They lock eyes. Superboy—Kon—flies up to her and sputters out apology after apology, circling around her to make sure she's okay.
Marinette crosses her arms and scrunches up her nose. "You're lucky your soulmate's also a superhero."
a/n: fic is also up on AO3! btw, Chelonia (turtle miraculous) = allan from the Quantic kids
So, the @official-timari-server, bless their hearts, is putting on a one shot speedrun event. I figured it would be a good time to try to get my hands back into the DC x MLB fandom and of course I get bapped with the first prompt being outlining.
Due to that, here is my rough outline of what I have been meaning to do for a while now of how I would like to do Scarabella but in a Mirabat context.
Without further ado, here are my thoughts...
~ The Main Characters ~
Alya Cesaire
Miraculous: Ladybug
Lois Lane's Pupil
Reporter at the Daily Planet
Knows Clark is Superman (She definitely can see through the heroes, let's be real)
Received the miraculous from Tikki
Zoe Lance
Miraculous: Black Cat
Dinah Lance and Oliver Queen's Daughter
Marketer/Media Manager for MDC and/or the Agrestes
Personally taught by Emelie Agreste
Essentially Marinette's key help
Received the miraculous from her father
Adrien Agreste
Miraculous: Fox
Alya's Camera Man
Optional: Bio-Dad Barry Allen, Hal Jordan, or Arthur Curry
Meet Alya through his parents and the Kents
Found the miraculous himself
Emelie Agreste
Miraculous: Bee
Movie Star
Teaches Zoe the media side of the Agreste brand, eventually giving up the position
Originally Emelie Queen
Found the miraculous herself alongside brother
Gabriel Agreste
Miraculous: Goat
Fashion Designer (no change there)
Loves his wife
Is an actual decent human being
Gifted the miraculous by family
Marinette Dupain-Cheng
Miraculous: Mouse
Gabriel Agreste's Pupil
Has her own fashion focus (Same as canon og uni)
Honestly pretty close to canon minus the trauma and pressure of it
Received the miraculous from Mullo
~ Other Gen Info/Ideas for the Universe ~
Emelie and Oliver are siblings. Gabriel came across Emelie one day and was enamored.
Personally, I would do Guardian of the Miraculous as a sleeper pick of Arthur Curry or Oliver Queen. (Something different but this is not set in stone)
The Butterfly Wielder is Natalie. She ends up going down the road of villainy from a jaded view after Emelie and Gabriel get married.
Adrien and Juleka friendship is a must, as to how that is achieved is up in the air. Same goes for Marinette and Luka.
The biggest focuses of pieces within the AU are Alya and Zoe. Pieces should surround them or follow Adrien.
On the above, it is nothing toward Marinette. It is a matter of getting other views into a mirabat au while letting her not have to have the same pressure as canon.
This universe tends to lean on the older teens to young adults age range. (Not a requirement, this is just a vibes thing for me)
For the DC side, the biggest players are the Titans. Wally, Kori, Garth, Donna, Bumblebee (yeah, I’m thinking of her in the squad that way), Vixen, Victor, Roy, and obviously Dick and Jason.
This is to give more characters that are not seen as much in the crossover. Speaking of, the older adults would have a focus on the Birds of Prey, Lanterns, and perhaps even the Legends of Tomorrow crew.
The villains and/or antagonists could be Titans regulars. The other fun option is giving miraculous to some of the “beloved” characters within “typical” Maribat pieces and showing how the power can corrupt a person who is not suited for magic (Bat and Super fam).
To end, a few fun headcanons/ideas:
Alya meeting Wonder Woman
Alya using her tie to Wonder Woman against Jason
Depending on the author choice, Adrien having powers and a miraculous
Zoe has her mother’s powers, uses them in battle, and it becomes a misconception that it is a power of the black cat miraculous
Gabriel and Marinette are the most chaotic duo fr
Note: If you would like to use this as a guideline for your own fics, please credit and/or tag me in the pieces
I only ask this because I would love to see others explore the potential of something like this for the crossover and also would like others to know where specific inspiration came from.
