#maribat kori

[marauderundercover]

Taking Chances Ch. 26: Illusions (Dance)

AO3

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Marinette quickly decides she hates the punishment. The grounding. It sucks not being allowed to go on patrol with her family. Luckily, Adrien came back to Paris the day after she was grounded, so she didn’t have to take any of her family to Paris. Which she was thankful for, because as much as she loved them, she also doubted they’d be able to control their emotions long enough. 

“Hey kiddo, we’re about to head out to patrol. Do you need anything?” Dick asks, sticking his head into her room. He’d been extremely nice since she got benched, not that he was ever anything but nice. But he’d also been acting like another dad, checking in on her, making dad jokes, the works. It helped since her own dad was currently still mad at her for blocking him from Paris. 

“To patrol with you guys.” She says with a hopeful smile. Dick sighs, shaking his head. 

“You know I can’t do that Mari. B’s the one who has to say you’re allowed back. I’m sorry kid.” Dick says. Marinette frowns. 

“It’s fine. I’ll just stay here and draw or something.” She says, flopping back down on her bed. She can tell Dick hesitates, as if he wants to say something else, but then he’s gone. And she’s alone. Again. 

“Marinette, are you okay?” Tikki asks, flying over and landing next to her head. 

“It’s been four days, Tikki. Four days. How much longer is he gonna have me benched? If the akuma was bad, I would’ve brought in Kagami or Luka.” She rambles, covering her face with her hands. She was restless, which was making her anxious. She wanted to do something. She didn’t want to be stuck at home. And sure, she could train in the gym here, but her mind wouldn’t be in it. She’d be worried about her family the whole time. 

“Well...maybe it’s time for you to be ungrounded.” Tikki says slowly. Marinette pulls her hands from her face and blinks at her friend. 

“Are you...are you ungrounding me?” She asks. Because yes, her dad had grounded her. But Tikki had agreed with the punishment. And while sneaking around the world’s greatest detective would be hard, she was willing to do it. Going against the goddess of creation? Not so much. 

“If you bring Trixx, you’ll be able to be invisible when you’re around your family.” Tikki suggests and Marinette grins. 

“Plagg’s rubbing off on you, isn’t he?” She teases. Tikki huffs. 

“Not at all. I just don’t like seeing you upset, Marinette.” She says and Marinette smiles. 

“Thank you, Tikki.” She says, going over to the Miracle Box and pulling out Trixx’ necklace. She puts it on and grins at the small fox. 

“Hiya Guardian! What’s goin’ on?” Trixx asks with a wide smile. 

“Tikki suggested I bring you on patrol so I can be invisible. Whaddya say Trixx, ready to cause some mischief?” Marinette asks. Trixx smirks. 

“Obviously!” He cheers. Marinette grins. Let the fun begin.

---

Marinette sticks close to her family, using Mirage to make herself invisible. It was weird, following her family and not being able to hear them (she hadn’t wanted to take a comm in case she messed up and talked, she’d be in real trouble then). But it was also funny, watching her dad tense if she got too close. He could definitely tell that something funny was going on, but she was determined to not let him figure her out. The beeping from Trixx’ necklace makes her huff. She’d have to go hide and recharge, but it was fine. Trixx had already told her that he was having fun messing with her family, so she knew he’d be willing to keep going for a little while longer. Dashing behind one of the air conditioning units on the roof, she lets Trixx’ Mirage drop, passing him a handful of berries. 

“Take your time Trixx, they won’t get far.” Marinette reassures him, smiling at him as he grabs the berries from her. She leans up against the unit, taking a minute to just relax. 

“Well, well, well. Looks like the little bug strayed from her birds.” A familiar voice drawls out. Marinette stiffens, not turning. 

“Trixx, go. Find the others.” She commands, ripping the necklace off and passing it to Trixx. He immediately zips away and she whirls around, just in time to jump back and avoid the sword coming at her. 

“You have more than one Miraculous? How interesting. You know, Damian stopped us from talking last time. I’d love to...chat.” Slade says, pulling his sword back. She can’t see his face, but she can hear the smirk in his voice. Marinette grits her teeth, remembering the last time she’d seen the man. The scar she had on her shoulder. 

“I’d rather not. No offense, but you don’t seem like a great conversationalist.” She snarks, her entire body tense as she stays poised to fight. She glances around, trying to find an escape route that would get her as far away from him as possible. And quick.

“You’re not actually thinking of running, are you? You have no backup. I’ve been watching the Bats tonight. No one knows you’re even here.” He says, stepping closer so that he’s almost blocked her in. She feels her breathing quicken as she starts to panic slightly. She’d only escaped last time because of her family. They’d fought him off after he got ahold of her. He’s far stronger than her, she has to stay out of his reach. She takes a deep breath, staring the man down and schooling her features into a neutral mask. She refused to give him the satisfaction of seeing her distressed. 

“I never run from a fight.” She lies, throwing her yoyo out to wrap around the handle of the man’s sword, tugging as she throws her weight to his left. The clanking of the sword as it bounces off the roof makes her grin, and she quickly tugs the yoyo, grabbing the sword by its handle and twirling it around slightly, planting her feet in her new position. She’d managed to move so that she was no longer blocked between Slade and the air conditioning unit. 

“Oh sweetheart, you can’t possibly beat me.” He says, shaking his head as he walks towards her, pulling his second sword off his back. 

“Don’t underestimate me.” She snaps, holding up the sword and preparing herself to fight back. He sighs, as if he’s disappointed in her, before lunging forward, bringing his sword up for an attack. She holds up her own sword, blocking his strike. It was much different than the fencing foil she’d used a few times back in Paris, much heavier. She grits her teeth as he pushes down with the sword, obviously trying to overpower her. She holds for another moment before jumping back, jerking her sword away. The sudden change in force makes him stumble forwards and let out a growl. He continues to lunge towards her as she dances back and forth, trying to avoid fighting him too much. He’d definitely overpower her if she let him get too close. 

“I’d rather do this the easy way, darling, but if you’re really going to make me do this the hard way we can.” He threatens, twirling the sword around before charging her again. She let out a gasp, jumping back again, her foot slipping as she was much closer to the edge of the roof than she expected. She falls, managing to grab the roof with her open hand, the sword now dangling at her side. She had two options. She could let go of the sword and use her yoyo to swing away, or she could try and let go of the roof and shoot out her yoyo quick enough to avoid splatting on the ground. She quickly makes her decision, dropping the sword into the dumpster below her and yanking out her yoyo to attempt to swing away. 

“No!” She yells, as Slade grabs her hand from the roof, tugging her towards him before she can swing away. She struggles against him, kicking at him, throwing her elbows around wildly. She had to get out of his hold. 

“Did you really think that would work?” He asks, as he pins her to chest. She continues struggling in his grasp, not willing to give up yet.

“Thought I’d try it.” She huffs. 

“Sure you did sweetheart. Now, I’ll be taking these.” Slade says, reaching for her earrings. He touches them and hisses in pain, Marinette also hissing in shock. They’d heated up when he grabbed them, almost like they were trying to burn him. Unfortunately for Marinette, they were still on her ears. Which meant she also got burned. 

“What the hell was that?” He hisses, whirling her around to face her, continuing to hold her arms down. She continues to struggle while glaring at the man. 

“Apparently the earrings don’t want you either.” She snaps. 

“Guess I’ll just have to take you with me.” He says and her eyes widen in panic. No. Nope. Not a secondary location, she’d watched enough true crime shows and listened to Tim rant about cold cases enough to know what a secondary location meant. It meant death. And she was not about to die again, especially not somewhere she couldn’t use the Cure. A hard blow to the back of her head makes her vision go black as she quickly slips into unconsciousness. 

---

Dick Grayson was not expecting to see a tiny floating fox on patrol. He was definitely not expecting said tiny fox to be carrying a necklace and rambling worriedly.

“Whoa, whoa, calm down buddy. What’s wrong?” Dick asks, smiling at them. They were similar to Plagg, the tiny floating black cat that had hung around the day Marinette was a toddler. 

“It’s the Guardian! She needs help. A man with a mask and swords found her and she doesn’t have any backup.” They ramble, a terrified look on their face. Dick frowns. 

“Who?” He asks, not quite sure why the fox has chosen him. 

“Marinette!” They cry, and Dick freezes. “Tikki told her she could be ungrounded and so we were following you guys, but then she had to stop and the man found her. Please, help her!” 

“Lead the way.” He says, whirling on his heel and following the little creature as it zips through the city. He follows them all the way to a roof, frowning when the fox pauses and looks around, clear panic on their face. 

“They were here. She was here.” They mumble, twisting in circles and looking around. They start zipping forward again, and Dick has to rush to follow. Hopefully they’d spotted Marinette. And whoever the guy was. As he follows the fox, he frowns when he spots a figure carrying something over their shoulder. Something limp- He pushes forward, going faster than the fox as he attempts to catch up. The second the figure lands on a roof, he whips out his escrima sticks, whacking the man across the back of his legs. The man stumbles, spinning around and glaring at Dick. 

“Nightwing, wasn’t expecting to see you.” Slade growls. Dick narrows his eyes. 

“Drop the girl, Slade.” He demands. Slade lets out a humorless laugh. 

“I’ve been trying to get to her for weeks, do you really think I’m going to let go of her that easily?” He asks. 

“I think if you know what’s good for you, you’ll set her down and get the hell out of Gotham.” Dick says. 

“Nightwing, who is it?” Damian’s voice rings through the comm. Dick’s relieved that he was on the duo’s channel rather than the group channel. If he could get Marinette home before B noticed, maybe his baby sister wouldn’t get in more trouble. 

“I don’t think you understand the importance of her earrings.” Slade counters, obviously preparing to fight his way out. 

“I don’t care how important you think they are, Slade. Put her down and get out of the city.” He says, watching the older man’s body language to try and anticipate the attack. He hears Damian curse in his ear, and he resists the urge to reprimand him. 

“How about no.” Slade quips, tossing Marinette to the side of the roof and charging at him in one fluid motion. Dick sees red as he watches Marinette get tossed aside so carelessly, her head bouncing off the roof. He uses one of his escrima sticks to counter the blows from the other man’s sword, using his other to whack the man’s shoulder. The two circle each other, each taking turns to start the attack. Slade may be motivated by his want for the earrings, but Dick was fighting for his sister. Losing wasn’t an option for Dick, not when one of his siblings was in danger. 

“I believe Nightwing told you to leave.” Damian calls, bursting into the fight. Slade turns back towards Marinette, and just as Dick’s about to lunge for him- she disappears. Completely. Gone from sight. He begins to panic slightly. Where did she go? What happened to her? The cry from Slade breaks his concentration from where his sister just disappeared into thin air. He glances back at the man, unsurprised to see Damian’s sword through the older man’s side. As much as he wants to see Slade suffer, he knows Damian would be in trouble later if he actually killed the older man. “Robin.” Dick calls, hoping to ground his little brother before he did something he would regret. Damian scowls, stepping away from Slade. Dick turns his attention to the man, who was now disarmed and bleeding profusely. Not much of a threat. “Get the hell out of this city. Don’t let us see you here again Slade.” He snaps, unsurprised as the man turns and rushes away. The man was a coward. His biggest enemy was a twelve year old boy who had done nothing but be born. Gritting his teeth, Dick takes a deep breath. No need to let his anger get the best of him. He immediately starts to panic when he remembers Marinette disappearing. Just as he’s about to call it in, her limp form shimmers back into view. He rushes over to her, glancing momentarily at the floating fox next to her. 

“I can do mirages. Hopefully I controlled it enough not to make chaos anywhere, but-” They stop, glancing at Marinette. “But I had to do something.”

“Thank you.” Dick says softly, picking up Marinette and holding her close to his chest. 

“Should I alert Father?” Damian asks. Dick turns to look at him, noticing how tense the younger boy looks. He weighs his options. He could take her back to the manor and let her get into even more trouble with Bruce. Or, he could take her to his apartment and try to convince Bruce that she’d been there all night. 

“Let’s not. She’ll just be benched for even longer, and obviously trying to keep her from patrols isn’t going to end well for us.” Dick says, frowning at her limp form. Damian tenses, but nods. “I will continue patrol while you take her to a safe location. I expect an update once she is awake. You should stay with her, Slade has obviously become obsessed with her.” Damian says, and Dick nods.

“Thank you, Robin. I know you don’t like going against him, but…..” Dick trails off, looking at Marinette and how tiny she looked right now. Damian nods. 

“She’s family as well. I did not agree with her punishment, I will not aid in it being lengthened.” He says before swinging away. Dick just smiles softly, shaking his head at his youngest brother. That was probably as close as he’d get to admitting he loved Marinette. But it was clear, in his actions, that he did care about her. Just as he cared about their other brothers, no matter how much he denied it. Sighing, Dick adjusts Marinette in his arms before grappling towards his apartment. This was going to be a long night. 

---

Marinette wakes up and immediately groans at the light in the room. Almost immediately, the light disappears, as if someone flipped a switch. 

“Hey kiddo.” A soft voice says. She sits up and winces, holding a hand against her head. She blinks, her eyes adjusting as she glances around the unfamiliar space. 

“Dick?” She says, confused. Where were they? What happened?

“You’re okay kid, we’re at my apartment. It’s where I live when Kori and Mari are in town. Slade got you, almost got away with you too. But your little fox friend found me and I was able to get there in time. Try and drink a little water, I need to call Damian and let him know you’re awake.” He says and she starts to panic. Did their dad also know? Was she in more trouble? Was- “Marinette, you gotta breathe. Damian and I are the only ones who know you snuck out. Neither of us wanna tell B, cause then you’d just be sneaking on patrol even longer and that’s dangerous. But I’m not gonna lecture you right now. So just take a breath. That’s it kid, you’re okay.” He soothes, breathing with her for several counts. She nods once she’s calmed down, and he grins at her before walking away to make the call. She picks up the water, sipping on it and trying to ignore the pounding in her head. Instead, she glances around the apartment, smiling softly at the pictures. She’d found out about her sister in law and niece not that long ago. They were apparently off planet right now, but she had hope that they would be back before the summer was over so she could meet them. A sudden wave of nausea hits her and she groans, laying back against the couch. She huffs in frustration when she realizes she likely has a concussion.

“When I said you were ungrounded, I didn’t mean for you to fight the man that stabbed you on your first trip to Gotham.” Tikki complains, flying up and staring straight into her eyes. Marinette groans, squeezing her eyes shut and pouting. 

“I didn’t mean to.” She reminds the Kwami, opening an eye to peek at her. 

“Didn’t mean to.” She mumbles before letting out an uncharacteristic huff. “Next time tell one of your brothers, please Marinette. Even if you’re sneaking out. I’m sure they could figure out a way to be in communication with you without letting your dad know. It would make me feel better knowing that you have backup from the start.” Tikki says, her worry clear on her small face. 

“I will, don’t worry Tikki.” Marinette says with a sigh. She could hold her own against a normal criminal, or an akumatized villain. But it wasn’t easy fighting against a man more than twice her size who was obviously highly trained. 

“B thinks you came over here before patrol, so your cover is safe.” Dick says, walking back into the living room. Marinette smiles weakly at him, fully expecting a lecture now that he’s off the phone. Dick sits on the arm of the chair next to the couch, looking at her worriedly. “Think you have a concussion?” He asks. She blinks, but nods slowly. He walks away and comes back a moment later with some painkillers, passing them to her. She takes them, hoping that they’ll start working sooner than later as the dull pounding in her head has escalated since waking up. 

“Are you gonna yell at me?” She asks quietly, not looking at him. 

“No, Marinette, I’m not gonna yell at you.” He says, and she looks at him, frowning. 

“Why? I knew I was benched. And I still went out, and I didn’t tell anyone.” She says, confused as to why he wasn’t yelling. Her dad hadn’t yelled at her after she got stabbed, just flat out refused to let her patrol. But he’d yelled at her after the Watchtower thing. And the stealing the Batmobile thing. And the whole keeping him from getting to Paris thing. And the fighting an akuma alone thing. 

“You know that you messed up, why would I yell at you? You know, and now next time, you’ll do it differently. You’ll be better and learn from this mistake. I’m not gonna yell at you for secretly going on patrol ‘cause I’d be a hypocrite. Was I scared to death when I realized the limp thing on Slade’s shoulder was you? Yes. God, yes, I was terrified. But you’re here and you’re fine. So instead of yelling, you’re gonna stay here tonight and I’m gonna make sure I don’t need to take you to Alfred for the concussion.” Dick says with a small smile. Marinette smiles at her brother, relieved. 

“Are you gonna tell dad?” She asks. Even though he doesn’t know yet, she knows that there’s still a chance of Dick telling him. 

“No, but can you do something for me?” He asks. She nods. “Next time you wanna sneak out without B knowing, could you tell me or Jay? Please? Just so we know to check in on you. We’re not gonna follow you or anything, but it’d be nice to know that one of us needs to check in and make sure you’re okay.” He says. She quirks an eyebrow in surprise. He wasn’t going to follow her?

“Really?” She asks, he nods. 

“I know that sometimes you just need a break. Trust me, I get it. I understand that B can be….overbearing.” Dick says with a sigh. Marinette nods in agreement, sitting back slightly and letting out a yawn. Just as her eyes are about to close, there’s a snap in front of her face. 

“What?” She groans, frowning at her brother. 

“Can’t go to sleep yet kiddo. You clearly have a concussion, so I’m gonna need you to stay awake for a couple hours just to make sure your symptoms stay on the mild side.” He says. She frowns and is about to argue when the front door opens. Dick immediately jumps up and stands in front of her, but relaxes almost as quickly. 

“Daddy!” The little girl, who Marinette realizes must be Mar’i, squeals, flying straight at Dick. Marinette blinks. Her niece could fly. That’s awesome! But would definitely throw a new challenge in when she babysits the girl. 

“Who is this?” The woman, who was taller than Dick and drop dead gorgeous, asks, a small smile on her face. Marinette grins, waving from the couch. 

“Hey, I’m Marinette. Dick’s newest sister.” She says. The woman, Kori, sighs, a smile on her face as she shakes her head. 

“He adopted another?” She asks Dick. He snorts, shaking his head as he holds his daughter close. 

“Nope, she’s his actual daughter. Little D took it surprisingly well.” Dick says. 

“So she’s my aunt?” Mar’i asks, peeking over Dick’s shoulder. 

“Yup! I’m so glad to finally meet you Mar’i.” Marinette says with a small smile, dizziness hitting her again randomly. She shuts her eyes, trying to ground herself. 

“Oh, nope, sorry honey. Aunt Marinette has a bit of a headache right now, you’ll have to be easy with her.” She hears Dick say, probably stopping Mar’i from launching herself at her. 

“Can we play ballerina?” Mar’i asks, and Marinette forces herself to open her eyes and look at the girl. Her heart melts at the little pout on the girl’s face and Marinette already knows that this girl is going to have her wrapped around her finger, just like Manon. 

“Sweetie-” Dick starts, but Marinette cuts him off. 

“Why don’t you show me your ballerina moves tonight, and then tomorrow once I’m feeling better, we can play ballerina together?” She suggests, grinning at the look on her niece’s face. 

“Yes, yes, yes!” She squeals, launching herself from Dick’s arms and flying to a different room. 

“Marinette-” Dick starts with a sigh, an unimpressed look on his face. 

“I’ll help her.” Tikki speaks up, flying to be eye level with Dick. “I can’t heal her completely, but I can heal her partially just as I did when Slade stabbed her. But I do have to warn you, if he tries to hurt my Bug again, I will let him see that there is a fate worse than death.” Marinette blinks in surprise at the complete and total rage radiating from her usual cheery friend. She watches as Dick nods in agreement. 

“Better you than me. Bruce can’t yell at you.” He says in an even tone. Marinette’s jaw drops. That was...surprisingly violent for her usually cheery brother. Before she can question him, Mar’i flies back into the room in a pale pink tutu. 

“Ready to see my dances?” She asks, grinning widely. Marinette nods, settling in to spend some time with her newest family members, plans of a new ballet outfit for Mar’i already dancing through her head.

Next

Tag list:  @maribat-bdbwm @vixen-uchiha @stainedglassm @liquid-luck-00 @laurcad123 @waiting247 @jayjayspixiepop @mizzy-pop @jjmjjktth @trippingovermyfeet @queenz-z @thepaceperson @iloontjeboontje @toodaloo-kangaroo @ritacrow-blog @deathssilentapproach-blog @kittenmywaythrulife @nerd-nowandforever @tazanna-blythe @jaybird-and-co @jumpingjoy82 @lady-bee-fechin @corporeal-terrestrial

#maribat #maribat fanfiction #maribat fanfic #mbdbwm2021 #maribat bio dad bruce #maribat bio dad! bruce wayne month 2021 #maribat bio dad au #maribat bruce wayne #maribat marinette dupain cheng #maribat dick grayson #maribat damian wayne #maribat jason todd #maribat tim drake #platonic dickinette #platonic daminette #platonic jasonette #platonic timari #maribat mar'i grayson #maribat kori #maribat dick grayson/koriand'r #day twenty six dance

[koriandrlove]

hear me out, i just had a galaxy brain idea: StarfirexLadybug

KORINETTE.

#maribat #mlb x dc #i told yall this was a maribat blog now #korinette #ladystar sounds cute too #5'3 marinette and her like 6'3 buff alien gf #someones has had to come up w this already #when they kiss kori has to bend down and marinette has to stand on her toes #fun fact about me but starfire in the original teen titans cartoon was one of my first animated crushes

[bunathebunny]

Marinette as Lian's babysitter on the one time Roy has to leave for some missions. After that, she keeps being Lian's babysitter and somehow got integrated into the Outlaws as a not-really-civilian aide.

Just found family trope and them raising Lian together.

#maribat #mari is one of lian's aunties #kori and artemis and mari have girls night with lian and that's so cute!!! #story ideas

[fadingcoffeekitty]

Twins!? ~Daminette~

The teen titans  were discussing were to go for raven's 18th birthday. When all of a sudden robin and superboy said that they couldn't come because they already made plans for their best friend's birthday. Without thinking beast boy said "why don't we celebrate both their birthdays together and we will get to meet your next best friend. After a lot of arguing, superboy and robin reluctantly agreed because she was also a hero.

Time skip ----------------------------------

Marinette Pov

At 6:00 Damian, Jon and I got dressed to go to dinner. The theme was dark purple.

We arrived at the restaurant *insert any name* We met everyone and the other birthday girl.

Third pov

"Raven!?" Both Marinette and Raven shouted at the same time "Marinette!?"

Running at each other they hugged. Pulling back Marinette slapped Raven in her face. Furious beastboy pulled marinette back then proceeded to punch her. Instead of reacting the way he thought she would she laughed and turned to raven "I see you got a lover you were always the animal lover" "ummm we are still here" cyborg said.

"Angel, how do you know each other?" Damian asked. At that we questioned we went into a hole ass explanation about how they got separated at the age 12 and their childhood. "Oh yeah we are also twins But i am the older one by five minutes" "Twins!?" everyone shouted.

#daminette #maribat #raven #beast boy #cyborg #kori anders #teen titans #miraculous ladybug

[jalaluvsu]

what if beastboy was sent by the titans to get intel in paris but this also doubles as a marinette (marie) drake sister fic??

This wasn’t the plan. 

This was the complete opposite of the plan. 

Garfield shrieked as a meteor was thrown his way...a meteor that suspiciously disappeared once it touched the ground. Huh. He toggled his com, “Hey, dudes?” A series of hums sounded out.

 “Remember when I said this mission would be a like, piece of cake?” he took off in a sprint, narrowly avoiding (is it really avoiding if they aren’t real?) the onslaught of explosives. 

“What’s happening down there Beastboy?” Robin’s stoic voice echoed through Garfield’s ear. “Damian-“ he began, “No names on field!” Beastboy huffed, “Fine. Robin. You guys are not going to believe this!”

-------------------------------------

“But you- You’re green!” she exclaimed, hands fluttering around in gesture to his, well, everything. “And observant too? Boy, you don’t strike me as the brooding type but you’ll fit just right in!” Beastboy finger-gunned Ladybug as a grin overtook his features.

-------------------------------------------

“Holy shit!” he gaped, “You’re like twelve!” 

Her eyes bulged out of her skull as she broke into a sweat. “We are not twelve!” She put her hands up in a placating manner, waving them dismissively as she looked on the verge of running away.

“Yeah! She’s centuries older than you, practically in her five-thousands!” The leather cat boy added, pointing threateningly at Garfield as if he offended him deeply.

 “Yeah no, who the fu- my bad, freak put you guys up to this? Shouldn’t you be like, playing with barbies? Video games? Does no one do that anymore?” he groaned tiredly. Ladybug gave a small harumph in defiance while Cat Boy shook his head vigorously.

Then so be it, if these kids weren’t allowed to be kids, he was going to make sure they ended up being badass kids.

damian’s going to beat the shit out of him for meddling

————————————————

bonus:

The only sound you could hear from the Cave was the continuous clicking of keys and huffs coming from one Tim Drake.

He came to a stop as his com crackled, “Certified freak, seven days a week....wet ass pus-“ he heard Beastboy murmur passionately, clearly unaware of the device being on.

Tim felt another migraine pound against his temple.

It was going to be a long night.

—————————————————

hi this wasn’t entirely my idea, it was based off of a prompt @beautiful-disasters-sunshine posted here and i jus wanted to dump some stuff here with ideas on how im gonna go forward w/ this🤓 if anyone ends up actually reading this, you should go check out their account!!! it’s pretty cool!!!!

edit: chap. 1 link

#marinette dupain cheng #adrien agreste #tim drake #damian wayne #garfield logan #ml x dc #no decided ship #maribat #bruce wayne #dick grayson #richard grayson #raven teen titans #rachel roth #kori anders #starfire #beast boy #robin #nightwing #miraculous ladybug #chat noir #cat noir #jason peter todd #alfred pennyworth #maybe young justice

[anjuschiffer]

Breaking the Silence

My first Dickinette! Originally this was going to be for Maribat March, but ended up getting too invested on it... welp! Hope you enjoy this!

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Tag: @theatreandcomicfreak @damianette-is-life @toodaloo-kangaroo

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AO3

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The door opened with a slam and closed with a click, Dick peeking over the doorway, his face lightening up upon seeing his children enter the home. However, a frown replaced his smile when he saw Thomas throw his bag to the side, Marie watching her twin brother with a pursed lip and worried eyes.

“-maybe he can help.” Marie whispered, trying to grab Thomas’ hand only to get it slapped away.

“Dad?” Thomas scoffed, dragging his hand down his face before flinging his hand in the direction of the kitchen. “That happy-go-lucky guy? Bet he’s never had to deal with this shit before.”

“It doesn’t hurt to try.” Marie urged, holding Thomas’ hand into her own. “Maybe he can-”

“He won’t and will not. And you better not tell him about any of this.” Thomas gritted, jerking his hand away from Marie, his eyes landing on his father who was now standing at the foyer of the house, a smile plastered on his face.

How long was he there for? How much did he know?

“So, how was school?” Richard asked, leaning on the wall, watching as Marie fidgeted under his watch while Thomas muttered something, averting his attention.

“It was alright.” Thomas started, picking up his school bag and threw it over his shoulder. “Aced my midterms if that helps.” Richard’s smile grew, Thomas wanting to roll his eyes as his father walked over to him and hugged him, ending the interaction by ruffling his midnight hair. 

“Definitely wonderful news! Worth celebrating over! Might have to call your mo-”

“He got in a fight.” Marie blurted out, her gaze on the floor, her fists trembling at her side, her name hissed out of her brother. 

“A fight?” Richard asked, Thomas rolling his eyes, feeling a bit ashamed when his father’s eyes narrowed. “With who-”

“It’s nothing you should be concerned about,” Thomas said, walking up the stairs to slowly retreat to his room. “No-thing,” Thomas enunciated each syllable.

“Stop lying Thomas,” Marie said, her voice wavering. She looked at her father with bluebell eyes, round and filled to brim with unshed tears. Richard’s heart ached. They looked just like hers. “He got in a fight with-”

“Marie.” Thomas sternly growled, watching his sister tense up. “Not. Now.”

“Thomas, let her-”

“Are you happy that you got Dad’s attention, Marie?” Thomas asked, Richard wondering what exactly was his son feeling. Anger? Annoyance? Jealousy?

“What are you-”

“Aren’t you happy Mar? Happy that Dad loves you sooo much, simply because you’re the better one out of the two of us? The one that never gets in trouble? The goody-two-shoes, just like him? Like her? Like them?”

“What? No!” Marie squeaked, her eyes darting from their father and Thomas. “No, I-”

“Oh stop lying to yourself, Mar.” Thomas walked back down the stairs, his bag abandoned at the top. “You just love the fact that Dad always prefers you over me. After all,” he looked past his father, watching as Marie cowered behind him, “-you look just like her.”

“Thomas.” Richard said sternly, standing in front of Marie, tears falling silently down her face. “That’s enough.”

“What’s enough?” Thomas asked with a dry laugh. “The fact that Marie looks just like Mom? The fact that Marie looks identical to Mom? The fact that you have an identical replica of Mom living with us despite me also being a part of her?” Thomas let out a shuddering sigh. “I bet you’d choose Mom over me if you had the chance, wouldn’t you?”

“Thomas. Take. That. Back.” Richard gritted.

“Why should I when we both know it’s the truth?”

“You’re jumping to conclusions young man.”

“Oh? Am I?” Thomas walked up to his father, the height difference not scaring him one bit. “Then explain why I’m always the outcast.” At that, Richard took a step back, wondering how to answer at the accusation. “Why was I always the one you avoided looking at? Why was I always the one sent to Grandpa Bruce’s manor while Marie got to stay with Grandpere Tom and Grandmere Sabine? Why was I the one who had to suffer through all the gossip behind my back? Why was I-”

“Because you resemble her the most.” Richard softly said, Thomas looking up to his father, wondering when he had curled into himself, why his vision was so blurry. When did he start crying? When did his father start crying? Why was he crying? “Because some days you sounded exactly like her.” Richard brought his son into an embrace, Thomas feeling his father tremble. “Even though you have my shade of blue eyes, you have her midnight hair.”

Thomas felt his chest both tighten up and feel lighter.

“You have her laugh and her voice, her button nose and scrunched up face whenever she ate something sour.” Thomas’ vision blurred again, a lump forming in his throat.

“Your freckles look identical to her’s, you have her smile when you eat your favorite ice cream combo: vanilla and chocolate mint.” Richard let out a wobbly laugh. “Did you know that was her favorite combination to eat?”

Richard separated himself from Thomas, watching Thomas hang his head in shame while also wiping his tears away.

“And despite never meeting her, you have the same habits she had.” Marie walked up to her father and silently cried into his side. He patted her head, pulling Thomas into a hug again, hearing muffled cries. “It’s not that I was avoiding you Thomas, I was just not prepared to face you… to face the reality that your mother will never be able to see how much her children have grown up without her seeing a single bit of it with her own eyes.”

Thomas’ wails broke the silence, Marie shortly joining in, her own sobs syncing with her brother’s, something Richard had yet to completely understand.

Even when they were infants -in the rare times they would cry- whenever one of them would cry, the other would join, their screams syncing into a single wail, sometimes scaring Richard.

It would still be something to get used to. 

Richard let his kids cry, knowing it was heavily needed. Talking to Thomas about the fight can wait for another time, his current emotions were more important than some fight from earlier that day.

He knew about Thomas’ constant fights, the academy always calling Richard to try to meet in person to speak about the situation, Richard always turning the appointments down. He already knew about them, he had for a while. He just knew it wasn’t the right time to approach Thomas about the issue.

He wanted to give Thomas the option to approach him, to confide in his father for advice.

Richard knew better than to pry information from people, if living with his adopted siblings taught him anything, it was to never pry. When he had applied pressure, or at least the majority of the time, it’d lead to an unwanted situation.

Their crying carried for minutes, almost an hour until they came to a soft hiccup, Thomas being the one to end the symphony of tears. Making sure that his kids calmed down completely and didn’t have anymore pent up emotions, Richard coaxed them to take a nap as Thomas and Marie ended up exhausting themselves, now drowsy from all the crying.

With great hesitance, the twins finally agreed to take a short nap, Thomas complaining how it would ruin his sleep schedule while Marie was starting to crave cake. Richard told Marie he would make sure a cake was made and finished before dinner while laughing at Thomas’ complaints. 

It reminded him of a certain someone.

Tucking Marie into bed and giving her a kiss on her forehead, Richard slipped out of Marie’s room and went to the kitchen to start working on the cake he had promised Mari. 

Setting up his work space, he got to baking, placing his glass bowl over a pan of hot water, cracking the eggs over it and placing the sugar and vanilla extract in as well. He began to mix the ingredients, feeling something was off.

“Oh! Don’t forget the honey! You always forget the honey!”

“Right! The honey!”

“And don’t forget to remove it-”

“Remove it when it gets to 40 celcius. And we have to do the same for the butter and milk.”

“Yup! Honestly, why do you keep asking me about the step if you got the majority of it down?

“Just making sure.”

“Once you mix the first bowl you gotta add the cocoa powder.”

“Right, the butter and milk come after that.”

“Yup! So let’s get back to baking!” 

“Hope I don’t forget a step along the way.” Richard said to himself, failing to notice the figure that peered from the kitchen doorway, watching Richard talk to himself as he made the batter, placed it in the oven and started to prep for the next step.

“Do you see that Mari? He’s doing just fine. He may still be healing, but he’s okay.”

——

“What’s the cake for? Is it the twin’s birthday already?” A voice asked, making Dick jump, almost misplacing the last strawberry on the cake. 

“Kor’i!” He exclaimed with a smile, placing the strawberry down and going up to kiss his wife, having to tip-toe a bit to kiss her cheek. “When did you get back home?”

“When you started baking.” Kor’i giggled upon seeing the blush on Richard’s face. “I didn’t want to bother you so-”

“You could’ve still said hi.”

“You were talking with M.” Kor’i said softly, watching as it dawned on Richard as to what she had meant.

“Oh,” was all he could say, rubbing the back of his neck. “Was I?” Kor’i nodded, noticing the mess on the counter.

“Why don’t I help you clean up? That way you can take a short break before dinner.” Kor’i suggested, Dick nodding, the two cleaning up the mess in sweet silence.

------

The mess was cleaned, dinner ready to be heated and the cake to be eaten, but there was an hour to spare before Kor’i and Dick had to wake up the children, so they settled with sitting on the sectional sofa, Dick being Kori’s pillow as the two watched some drama Kor’i had been watching recently.

While Kor’i was highly immersed into the show, Dick was content in just being there, running his hand through her hair that seemed to flow for miles. Her sunset hair shimmered, before Dick realized it had turned midnight and short.

------

“-hope that- Dick?” Kor’i asked, quickly turning when he had stopped moving. One minute he was stroking her hair, the next he had stopped. 

Quickly, Kor’i kneeled beside Dick. “Dick? Dick? Dick, are you alright?”

“Mari. Is Mari okay?” He asked, staring at his hands, Kor’i noticing that tears ran down his face, his eyes had turned glossy.

“Dick... Dick.” Kor’i repeated, placing her hands on his shoulders. “Dick, please, say something.”

“It was all my fault.” Dick whispered, still looking into the distance, watching as Mari’s casket was lowered into the ground. “It was all my fault.”

------

Dick stormed out of the manor, slamming the door behind him, ignoring Alfred’s calls.

This is exactly why he hated Bruce. Why he hated Batman. Why he hated being Robin.

This is why this was going to be his last mission. His last mission... As a vigilante…

He had enough of all of this...he just wanted to have a life next to her.

As he made his way to his girlfriend’s home, ambulances rushed past him, firefighters and police cars following suit… all of them heading for-

“Mari.” With the worst case scenario in his head, Dick broke into a sprint, praying that it was all wrong. That what his gut was telling him was wrong. That Mari was fine. That she is alright.

Please, let her be okay.

------

He couldn’t bear to see her nor to touch her. 

“I’m fine Dick.” Marinette softly said, placing her hand over his, drawing circles. “I’m going to be fine.”

“Why?”

“Hmm?”

“Why are you so calm?” Dick grasped the mint green blanket into his hand. “Why aren’t you-”

“Because I was also at fault.”

“He was drunk.”

“But I also was crossing the street when the light was still green.”

“He was going over the speed limit, Marinette.” Dick gritted, getting up quickly, the hair falling down. “Don’t you understand how serious this is?”

“I made it out with a simple scratch.”

“Mari, that’s not a scratch. You could’ve ended up blind and possibly dead if it weren’t for your quick thinking and your phone.”

Marinette pursed her lips at that, balling the blanket under her grip.

She knew Dick was right, but she was grateful for her luck, only having the side of her face swollen and having a cut near her eye. 

True, she could’ve died if her phone didn’t take the hit for her leg… but Marinette was just happy to be alive…

Dick watched her avoid him as he took a breath, turning away from her as he collected himself. 

Do it for her. 

Bruce’s words rang in his head as he prepared himself for the biggest mistake of his life. Hell, the biggest regret of his life.

“I’ve had enough of this.” He said out of nowhere, Marinette wondering where this was coming from.

“Enough of what?”

“Of this!” Dick yelled, motioning at the hospital. “Every single time I come to visit you, I always end up here. Here!”

“Richard, I-”

“The first time I met you, it was my fault you were here. I wasn’t watching where I was driving, but since then?” Dick let out a dry laugh. “You manage to make it about yourself.”

“Richard, I had to-” 

“You should’ve let the ball roll off the first time, should’ve let the phone fall into the river the second, should’ve let the letter fly off into the air, let the dog runaway, let that girl-”

“How can you say that I was doing it for attention?” Marinette scowled. “I was helping someone, saving them on that last one.”

“Help to the extent of getting injured? Of dying?” Dick laughed before it came to a halt. “I can’t keep going like this. I rather not be involved with this.”

Marinette’s eyes shrunk, feeling her view become smaller. She could feel her chest tighten, a lump forming in her throat.

Please don’t… don’t say-

“I think it’s better if we go our own ways.”

He did...

Marinette didn’t know when he left, nor did she know when the other doctors came into her room. She only acknowledged them when one of them sat on her bed and held her hand, giving it a squeeze.

It was only then that she noticed that the other two doctors that were in the room avoided looking at her, their mouths in thin lines.

“I’m...I’m pretty sure you didn’t hear us when we came in...we noticed you were dazed off, recovering from today’s accident.” The doctor at her side said, letting out a huff. “We’re here to tell you about your friend, Alya.” Marinette perked at that. “We came to the decision to tell you about your friend now rather than later or through someone else.”

No. 

Please… don’t…

She can’t right now… She can’t lose another person… She won’t be able to handle that...

“Wh-What, where is Alya?”

She needed Alya right now...

“I’m sorry, but Mme.Ceshaire… she didn’t make it through the surgery.”

One minute Marinette saw the three doctors in her room… the next, her world had become dark.

------

“She’s awake! Someone! Get the doctor!”

Marinette’s eyes flickered, flinching when her eyes adjusted to the lights.

“I see that you’re doing better, Mme.Dupain-Cheng. And we need you to be doing better, to get better. After all, you have to live on for two now.”

“I, um, I beg your pardon?” Marinette asked, adjusting herself to sit up a bit, watching as the doctor looked at her in astonishment and then gracefully gave her a smile.

“I’m guessing you didn’t know, but that’s quite understandable, seeing as you are only two weeks in.”

“I’m sorry, but I’m still not-”

“You are pregnant Mme.Dupain-Cheng.” Marinette’s heart fell. “Congratulations.” 

———

It was finally done. 

Fuck Bruce. 

He was never going back. 

Dick felt like a weight in his shoulders were slightly lifted. 

There was no turning back. 

As Dick headed for the bakery where he knew Marinette still resided in, his heart came to a halt as his eyes laid on the girl he had left behind. 

She had changed. She was a bit more plump, glowing as she sat on the chair outside the bakery. Next to her, a man who he’d only see a few times. Luka, if he remembered correctly. 

But that wasn’t what had caused his heart to stop beating. It was her figure that had him to stop breathing. She was pregnant. But now the question that rose: whose was it? Who was the father of the child she was to bare?

It didn’t take long to figure it out because as soon as Dick locked eyes with Luka, he saw red in the other man’s eyes. One minute Dick was looking at an enraged Luka and the next he saw a fist, toppling backwards where his head met the floor.

“How dare you show your face around here after what you’ve done to Marinette!”

“What-” a grunt. “Are you-” a gag as he tasted blood. “Talking about?” But Dick got no response. Luka just keeps punching him, Dick letting him despite his brain telling him to defend himself. But his heart said otherwise. Something told him he deserved it.

“Luka! Stop it! Please!” Marinette’s voice cracked as she pleaded, Luka almost stopping instantly when he heard it. 

Dick swore that his heart stopped at how broken it sounded, how tired it had become. 

Was it all because of him?

“Mari, I-“

“Come inside.” Marinette said with a weak voice. “I don’t want anyone eavesdropping on our conversation. 

-

After getting fixed up, Marinette treating his last bruise, Dick finished what he came to tell her. 

The reason he broke up with her and didn’t contact her for months? One word: Kitten. 

She had decided to waltz back into his life, but this time being the new Killer Moth, something Bruce and Dick did not expect to hear after hearing of Drury’s death. 

While Bruce quickly adjusted to the new villain, Dick couldn’t. Because he knew what this meant.

She wanted him -hence her return- and this time, she came prepared.

She had more things to hold hostage against Dick - Gotham, Batman, Robin...and Marinette.

He needed to act quick, hasty decisions that led to successfully taking Kitten down. 

However, they also led to regrets.

He watched as Marinette dropped the bag of frozen peas, her eyes filling up with tears. 

“All of that, for a mission?”

“I know. It was stupid-“

“Stupid barely just scratches the surface.” She started, letting out a dry laugh. “It was downright idiotic!” Holding her hand to her head, she walked in a complete circle before facing him again.  “Why didn’t you just tell me? Why? Didn’t you trust me?”

“I do! I still do.”

“Sure didn’t seem like it.” Marinette scoffed. “Because if you did, you would’ve told me.”

“I could’ve never returned to you had the mission gone wrong.” Dick defended, attempting to reach out to her, only for Mari to catch his hand and shake her head. 

“I would’ve understood. I know the sacrifices a person must make to keep their loved ones protected.” She reminded him, Dick fully knowing she was referring to her days of being Ladybug.

“Kitten-” Dick started, only to get cut off. 

“Kitten would’ve faced my wrath if you didn’t come back to me.” Marinette said, then remembering about that clingy girl he once spoke of. “I would’ve done something to bring you back home.”

“I know. And that’s what I also feared.”

“Hmm?”

“I feared that if it did go wrong and you had to do something to get me back, and something happened to you as well...what does that say about me? Am I too weak to protect you? That I’m still not ready to have my own life and protect it?”

“What’s wrong in relying on others?”

“It often means bringing in more people for others to hold hostage.”

“Is that what your father taught you?” Marinette asked coldly, glaring at the bruise on Dick’s face. “Is that what you learned from fighting alongside Batman? Red Robin? Robin? Because if anything, they prove otherwise.”

“I just don’t-”

“Sometimes, you have to rely on others, lean on their shoulders.” Marinette reminded, cupping Richard’s face, gently pressing her forehead against his. “Just hide away your fears and ask for help. Talk to someone, just like you are with me.”

Dick didn’t know when he had placed his hands over hers nor when he got up to embrace her. He just knew that whatever stood between them no longer stood there. 

That she somehow washed away his fears.

“Thank you, Mari.”

“That doesn’t mean I’ve forgiven you for doing that stunt on me.” Marinette said against his ear, a chill running down his spine.

“R-right.” 

------

The next months were spent with Dick picking up the responsibility he had never picked up.

He helped Marinette with her modeling, helped her deal with her clients, always at her beck and call each day.

He did the cleaning, the laundry and the cooking, not once letting Marinette lift a finger. 

Despite each day spent like an errand boy, Dick cherished each moment. 

Their morning greetings (which was a boop on the nose), their lunch dates, Dick watching Marinette hum and caress her stomach whenever she took a break, being by Mari’s side whenever she felt irritated, and the list went on. 

Those days became weeks, which in turn, became months. 

He didn’t remember when he had the guts to ask her to marry him, crying when she said yes.

The two moved into their own apartment - big enough for them and their bundle of joy. 

———

With each passing day, he longed for the moment he’d be able to meet their child, Dick often being the one to bring out lists of names to choose from. 

They’d talk about the nursery as they watched the city lights beam across their ceiling at night. 

They’d talk about the cribs and the onesies they have to buy. Which brand to choose and the stuffed animals to buy. 

As he’d run his hand through her midnight locks, they would speak of what family activities to do. 

Introduce them to Disney, take them to the beach, the amusement park. To Paris!

They’d let their fantasies run wild, fully knowing that money was the least of their problem. 

They just wanted the best for their child. 

Their future. 

———

And in the blink of an eye, they were there. 

———

“He’s so tiny.” Richard cooed, cradling his son in his arms, watching the tiny infant squirm in his blanket. He had a tuft of navy hair, a few strands seeping from his tiny hat.

It was still pretty early in the morning, the delivery being five in the morning and yet Richard still had energy to spare. Or maybe he knew it wasn’t fair to his wife who worked so hard to bring their bundle of joy to their lives.

“He is, meaning that there’s still space to carry another one.” Marinette hummed, Richard tilting his head.

“Another...one?” Marinette giggled as she watched the nurse roll in another makeshift crib into the room, watching as tears rolled down Richard’s face. “Mari… why didn’t you-”

“I made sure to keep it a secret.” Marinette watched as the nurse helped Richard balance the two children into his arms, ingraining the memory. “Only my parents knew about them. Oh! And Alfred too!” 

“She’s adorable,” was all Richard could whisper out as he looked at their children in his arms. 

“Thomas. Marie.” Marinette said, reaching out for her children, the nurse quickly going to Richard to get Thomas and then Marie. Richard wanted to pout upon having his children taken from him but he didn’t care. 

His heart melted as he watched the two infants snuggle closer to their mother, tiny smiles on their wrinkly faces. 

“I’ll always be watching over you. Always.” Marinette softly spoke, her smile getting bigger before it quivered. “I’m sorry.” 

What was she talking about? Sorry? About what?

“Richard.” Marinette spoke, even quieter this time, Dick noticing that her hold on the children was loosening, probably because she was tired. Without another word, he scooped the children into his arm, watching Marinette look at him with soft eyes. “Come closer.”

He did.

He watched as Marinette slowly lifted her hand to his cheek, caressing it as she smiled, unshed tears pooling in her eyes. 

“You know I’ve always loved you and I always will.”

“You tell me everyday my love.” Dick assured, leaning into her cold touch. “I love you too.”

“Please.” Marinette pleaded, a tear sliding down her pale face, her lips giving him a frail smile. “Promise me that you’ll take care of them.”

“Of course I will.” RIchard smiled, wanting to caress her cheek as well, instead, he settled for a forehead press. She was kinda cold. “I’ll take care of them alongside you.” Marinette shook her head.

“Only you will be able to take care of... them.” Marinette said, her voice cracking towards the end. “I’m sorry.” She whispered out, Richard finally piecing together her words.

“Mari. Mari, no. You...you can’t.” Richard set the children down into their respective cribs, hearing her monitor start to beep in alarm. “Mari, Mari! Mari please! Someone!”

He started to shout outside the door, shouting for someone to come and help him.

He shouted desperately, watching as no one came, the crying of his two children being his only solace. 

She died with a smile on her face. 

———

“It was all my fault! I should’ve never left her alone! I should've told her about the mission instead of leaving her out of the loop! If I had simply-“

“Dick, you didn’t know.” Kor’i softly said, never noticing when the twins had gotten to the living room, watching as their father broke down. “None of us knew, but her.”

“Mari, is Mari okay? Tell me Kor’i! Is Marinette going to be alright?” Dick asked, clinging onto Kor’i. 

This...this was the first time the twins had ever heard their mother’s name out of their father’s mouth. It was always ‘Mom,’ ‘Mother,’ Nettie’. It was never Marinette. 

“Richard. She’s alright.” Kor’i hushed, watching as Dick let out shuddering breaths. “The children are okay as well.” 

Thomas and Marie watched as their father visibly calmed down, watching Kor’i give him a soft smile. 

“So she’s okay? She’s not…” he trailed off, looking at Kor’i with glossy eyes. When he saw Kor’i nod, let out a sigh before he collapsed to his side, the cushions allowing him to drift off to sleep. 

Thomas and Marie attempted to go over to their father, but didn’t when Kor’i prevented them from getting any closer. 

“Does...does- is this new?” Marie asked, watching her father in deep sleep, tears staining the pillow underneath him. “Was this-“

“He doesn’t have them that often anymore, they used to be much worse. And as much as I want to say no, I can’t do that. So yes, perhaps the sudden situation that caused him to confess his feelings may have triggered this one.” Kor’i responded despite not wanting to confirm Marie’s suspicions. 

“Will he be alright?” Thomas then asked, holding onto Marie’s hand that trembled in guilt. 

“He’s going to be alright. I assure you that much.” Thomas and Marie watched as Kor’i draped a blanket over him, wondering what awaited them.

The two walked out the living room, walking into the kitchen, a sob escaping Marie. 

“Come on Marie. You can’t just-“

“What if it’s our fault Mom isn’t here?” Marie cut her brother off. “What if we’re the reason-“ She flinched when Thomas slammed his hands on the kitchen counter. 

“Don’t you dare say that!” Thomas grabs her by the shoulders, shaking her a bit. “Don’t you dare mock Mom’s feelings like that! If we’re here while she isn’t, then she wanted us to live! And because we’re living, we can’t just just take her decision for granted!” 

“I know, but-“ Marie bit her lip. “How did we just believe Dad wasn’t still suffering from her death? Why didn’t we notice it? Why didn’t he say anything? We’re his children. He should’ve said something. We could’ve helped.”

Thomas frowned, watching as his sister silently cried. 

He hated to say this, but she was right. 

He could’ve told them what he was going through. He could’ve leaned on them… then again, who was he to judge him for that?

He never spoke of his fights with his father, so what right did he have for demanding him to tell them about his problems?

Now that he thought about, why did he never speak of the fights? 

Was it his shame? His guilt? 

No. 

Thomas knew why he never spoke of the fights. 

It was his pride. 

They called him motherless, a bastard when they saw him argue with his father once and when they learned that Kor’i was his father’s ‘current’ wife was someone from Tamaran, they called him a Torq. 

Torq. 

Insignificant. A nobody. That nothing good would ever come from a motherless rebel like him. 

Thomas hit the side of his fist against the wall, a book hitting his head and falling to the floor. 

Why did he choose the side of the kitchen where all the cookbooks were at?

Rubbing his aching bruise, Thomas went to pick it up, eyes widening when he saw the name on the opened front page. 

“Marinette Dupain-Cheng.”

Marie rushes over the moment she hears the name, slightly pushing her brother to get a better view of the book. 

They flipped the page, confused to see writing on it. 

“They’re recipes.” Marie pointed out, looking at the fruit tart recipe on the page they were currently looking at. 

“Mom wrote all of these.” Thomas stated the obvious, running his hand across the neatly written instructions. The regular instructions were in black, side notes and suggestions in red and pink respectively. 

He also couldn’t help but notice a ladybug theme on the book. 

Did she like ladybugs?

“In case Dick has another nightmare or breakdown.” Marie read out loud, Thomas looking to where he was reading.

“An herbal tea?”

“Do you think...it will work?”

“We can give it a try.”

“Let’s do it then!” Marie said with a smile. “Let’s make Dad feel better!”

I know you two can do it! Good luck!

———

“It happened again, didn’t it?” Dick asked, looking down at his trembling hands. 

It wasn’t even a complete ten minutes before he woke up. His body was sore and his throat parched. Another one, huh? “And I’m front of-“

“They were going to find out eventually.” Kor’i said softly, amazed that it took 16 whole years for them to find out. While babies didn’t fully understand breakdowns, they can absolutely feel them. “And what better time than now.”

“But they shouldn’t have to deal with-“

“They are not dealing with anything. Instead, they are learning more about you. Getting to finally know about their father.”

“Their pathetic poor-excuse-of-a-father.” Dick huffed, placing his head into his hands. “Can’t even get over-“

“Don’t. Don’t you dare finish that sentence.” Kor’i gritted, cupping Dick’s face to make him look at her. “Don’t you dare say that death should be easy to get over. Because it’s not. And never will. Only time can heal it. And we both know that.”

“All too well.” Dick added, placing his head on her shoulder. “Sorry for saying that.”

“It’s alright.” 

“Dad.” “Dad.” They heard their kids say simultaneously, noticing that Thomas had a tray in his hand. 

“What’s that you got there?” Dick attempted to say with a chirp, causing everyone to resist showing a frown. 

“It’s a tea recipe we found.” Thomas started. 

“We decided to make it after finding it in Mom’s recipe book.”

They watched as their father’s eyes grew large. 

“Mari’s...cookbook. It thought it was lost in the move from long ago.” Dick whispered as he took the cup of tea, the aroma of ginger and cinnamon bringing back old memories. “It smells just like the tea she used to make.”

Marie and Thomas watched as their father took a sip from it, wondering if it tastes the same as Mom’s. 

“Does...does it taste...good?” Marie asked after a long moment of awkward silence. 

“It almost tastes exactly like hers. Of course, there’s still something missing-“ Marie’s hiccups, Dick quickly getting up to console her, setting down his cup. “Mari, the tea-“

“I’m glad you liked it. I thought you wouldn’t.” Marie sobbed, wiping away her tears. “We tried to figure out what the last ingredient was but after testing out different things, nothing seemed to be it.” 

“Whatever Mom meant by ‘tears of true love,’ we weren’t able to crack it.” Thomas clarifies, placing the empty tray onto the coffee table. “But I guess it was still a success if you said it tastes similar to Mom’s.”

Dick smiled, pulling Thomas close to him. 

“Seems like the two of you have your mother’s gift of creation.” Dick felt Kor’i join in on the hug. “She’d be really proud of the two of you. Without a doubt.” 

He wiped away a tear that dared to slip, flicking it away. 

He never realized the soft pink glow that emitted from the tea when the tear flew into it. 

The tear of true love...in the shape of a healing family. 

#maribat #dickinette #dick x kori #oc: marie grayson #oc: thomas grayson

[zambie-trashart]

Land of the Free and the Home of the Wayne pt 1

Summary: The titled “akuma class” goes to Gotham on a field trip. When they arrive, they might find some things that they don’t want to know.

.................................................

Marinette wasn’t always like this and neither was Adrien so why they acted like this, Alya would never understand. Adrien and Marinette seemed like they were together now so why was Marinette still jealous of Lila other than the obvious things like knowing Jagged Stone or dating Damian Wayne. Lila had even promised to introduce her to Jon Kent who was Damian’s best friend and son of reporters.

Alya went to sit down and saw her other classmates bubbling with excitement.

“Alright class, I have an announcement to make. We won the raffle this year and get to go to Gotham City and stay with Bruce Wayne and his family for two weeks. I hope everyone is excited cause we leave this Friday!” The whole class cheered but Alya knew that Marinette and Adrien were going to mess this up somehow. It wasn’t like that mattered much since the Wayne’s wouldn’t put up with them picking on Lila.

Marinette was emailing her American pen pal who said he was from Metropolis telling him the good news. They didn’t know the other’s identity but they knew a lot about each other. On their second email, he had told her that he had good friends in Metropolis and that he hoped that her class won the raffle so he could meet her.

“That’s great I hope to see you there.” he wrote.

“So you’ll be there too?” Marinette asked and her only response was a wink.

.................................................

Friday came faster than any of the students were ready for and soon, they were boarding the Wayne’s jet ready to fly to America. The ride was a train wreck and Lila was spewing lies about the Wayne’s to her friends.

“I can’t wait to see Damian and Tim! I heard Dick got caught up in some business in Bludhaven and couldn’t come he said he’s sorry though,” Lila said as they stepped off the plane.

An older man was standing there waiting for them along with a little girl with green eyes and blackish purple hair,

“Mistress Mar’i please do not cause a fuss, your father and mother told me that you promised to behave,” the man said and the class walked over and the girl stood up straight smiling.

The class was ushered to two limos. “Oh dad said the just landed now with mom! I can’t wait for you guys to meet them!” the girl from earlier said jumping up and down before the class was separated and the cars started driving.

“Who is your mom and dad?” Alya asked pulling out her phone.

“Dick and Kory Grayson duh,” the girl said smiling at that half of the class that was in the limo with her. They just nodded along with what she was saying.

In the other car, Marinette was trying to think of how Lila was going to pull this one off. All of the Waynes would expose her for the liar she is. The car stopped in front of a huge house with lots of windows.

“Welcome to Wayne Manor.”

.................................................

JPS (yes ya’ll are going to want to be here for this cause we gotta protect our boy) @loveswifi @ash-amg @mochegato @toodaloo-kangaroo @wannajointhecrabcult

#jon protection squad #jon kent #damian wayne #maribat #marinette x damian #marinette dupain cheng #adrien agreste #jon x adrien #jon and damian #jon and marinette #protective damian #dick grayson #dick x kory #mar'i grayson #koriander #miraculous ladybug #miraculous class #lila salt #lila gets exposed #alya cesaire #alya salt

[lovemidnighteclipse12]

OLD - Family Soul Bound Maribat ~1~

This is just an idea I have since there are a lots of soulmates are romatic and platonic stories so I thought of this idea, I don't know if this is my original idea or someone else’s so I introduce you to Family Soul Bounds Maribat

-From lovemidnighteclipse12 from Tumbler and MiFallen from Wattpad

~Master List~

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Everyone has a family, a soul family, often known as packs, markings, on their backs, representing each member of their family, their pack, these bonds are always there since birth of each new family member, parents, families or adults from the moment you are born feel warmth spreading across their bodies showing a new mark, a new member, the person's own mark are always on their chest , most people find their soul families at a young age because Governments and organisations try their best to get children with their soul bound family as soon as they can but some people find ways to stop the process of finding soul families...................

~~~~~~~~~

Marinette Dupain-Cheng or Fu now always knew Sabrine and Tom were not her parents or her pack she didn't have their marks and they don't have hers. Marinette's soul mark was a ladybug with scars on it's back when other people saw her mark they gave her sad looks because of the scars but the scars didn't bother Marinette one bit, what did was being forced to wear fake skin with Sabrine and Tom's marks when she wore outfits that showed her back, she hated it, hated the feeling of covering her true pack's marks, she hated the feeling and even worse her pack can sense it, she feels their sadness,their pain whenever she does and she in return feels sad having to hide their marks so Marinette always wore outfits that covered her back so then she didn't have to wear fake skin but she always ended up being forced to wear the fake skin and act happy faking it.

But ever since Lila Rossi came her life became hell, all her friends gone, Sabrine and Tom became more controlling over her, making her look perfect as she can, always having to strive for perfection, being a porcelain doll in the public eye, but broken inside, becoming gaurdian after Master Fu's death was hard on her she can't trust anyone, her class betrayed her, Sabrine and Tom aren't her pack, Fu's dead and Chat Noir sexually harasses her or Adrian Agreste she should say only yesterday she had taken his miraculous, Plagg the miraculous of destruction back, to the miracle box now fighting Hawkmouth alone............

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The batfam were worried about their little bug, they hadn't met them or anything but they could feel them covering their marks what made them feel like they rejected them, and they all hated it poor little Mar'i curls up every time and cry, they all hate seeing Mar'i cry, it breaks their hearts seeing their youngest of the pack cry but their all confused why there packmate reject them without meeting them, it made them all concerned because they all knew she was born into their pack so why do they reject them, the boys, Bruce and Alfred had decided that when they find their little bug, they going to have a long talk about covering their marks and get them to tell them why they cover their marks.

The whole family were in the bat-cave when they all felt it and Mar'i started to curl up crying

Mar'i-"why don't they want us papa"

Dick-"we don't know sweetie but when we find them we'll find out why okay"

Mar'i-"when will that be?"

Dick hated not being able to answer that

Kori-"soon sweetie" she picked up Mar'i and held her

Jason-"that’s it when we meet them I'm going to have more then, a few words with them when we meet" Jason was fuming at that point

Bruce-"Jason we don't know why they cover their marks"

Jason-"but they keep making Mar'i cry!"

Damian-"whoever this fool is should be given a lesson"

Tim-"I have to agree there, they keep hiding our marks B"

The atmosphere was tense

Bruce-"on another note we'll be going to Paris to look at an situation there and we'll be going to a charity gala there"

Dick-"what is the situation there, B?"

Bruce-"apparently there is a magical terrorist there, we're going to see and evaluate the situation"

Tim-"all of us?"

Bruce-"yes"

Chaos erupted through out the night at Wayne Manor

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

When the Waynes arrived in Paris they all felt it they looked at each other

Selina smirked 

Selina-”so this is were bug is”

Mar’i-”so we’ll find out soon?”

Dick-”yeah, we will”

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Marinette felt the bound closer than ever and thought one word ‘shit’

To be continued.............

~Master List~        Next                

#maribat #familysoulbound #batfam #marinette deserves better #Bruce Wayne #Dick Grayson #Jason Todd #Tim Drake #Damian Wayne #Selina #kori #mar'i grayson #soulmates #bruce x selina #Batman #JL #class salt #chloé bourgeois #ladybug

[black-streak]

Saturday night's alright for fighting (but Sundays are meant for rest) - Curious New Hobbies

Part 11!

My god this took a while to write! Special thanks to @st0rmy-w1th1n and @mysnis (hope this is your correct Tumblr) for bouncing ideas with me and @kceedraws for giving permission to use her breakdancing au as inspiration for this!

Tagsss: @persephonebutkore @emjrabbitwolf @mystery-5-5 @worlds-tiniest-spook-pastry @fandomkitty8 @dast218 @silvergold-swirl @shizukiryuu . @my-name-is-michell @kurogaya913 @elspethshadow @thecatnipmademedoit @shamefullove @ladylucina28 @crazylittlemunchkin @rayray384 @cassiejaydee @yuulxd @ladysblackcat @naclychilli @caffeinetheory

~---~

They had meant to go the arcade for their date tonight. In fact, they'd even walked in and started scoping out games to play, but alas it wasn't to be.

Within moments of arriving, who else but Damian would single Mari out and immediately tell them to leave.

And of course she protested. In response, Damian only pointed at Jon over at the pacman machine (how dare he, that's the game Marinette was searching for!) and mentioned his lack of ability to keep secrets and suddenly she turned and dragged Tim right back out the door.

Walking down the sidewalk, he side eyed her, considering the best way to start his interrogation.

"So. You trying to keep me secret then?"

"No! Of course not. Just might've forgotten to mention something like… over a month ago."

"And it involves not letting Jon know we were there?"

"Only because he's a nark who would've ruined the fun. And heaven knows Damian and I wouldn't be satisfied with a void bet."

"You made a bet about our relationship with Damian?"

"About your family," she partially corrected.

"Do I even want to know."

"Was supposed to tell you a bit ago so you wouldn't ruin the stakes, so probably not, but im telling you anyways."

Sighing with false exasperation, he gestured for her to continue.

"We have an ongoing bet over how long it'll take everyone to figure out that you and I are together and not Dami and me."

With that, she relayed all the details of their bet and his part in it, manic grin spread across her face as her gait gained a small skip to it. Tim couldn't help but shake his head at her antics, amused despite an itch in the back of his mind saying this wouldn't end well.

"Alright, I'll play along. Honestly, I think you'll both lose. Your predictions are too specific. Too many potential outlying factors."

"True, but we did give set time frames. So at least one part of the bet will absolutely be clear on who won. Plus, I find victory in the fact that Damian didn't think of that possibility. That we'd both be wrong."

"On another note, we need to find a plan b. Anything in mind?" He asked, reaching out and snagging her hand to draw her closer. 

Shrugging, she looked about them, seeing if anything caught the eye. Suddenly Tim stopped, accidentally yanking her back when she kept walking. She let out a sound of protest only to see his eyes locked on the building across the way with a considering look. 

The building was gray brick with no windows, however a neon purple sign to the right of the black wood door declared it "The Underground", a well known club amongst Gotham dancers and while neither were necessarily that, word had gotten around enough for both to have heard of the place before from word of mouth.

"How do you feel about checking it out?" Tim asked, a curious look about his eyes, studying her.

"I'm not opposed to the idea. Little surprised you're interested though," she commented, letting him lead the way inside.

A quick ID check and they were in, the room dark with neon tube lights flashing across different surfaces and strategic spotlights placed to bring attention to the various raised platforms. It was strange actually. The wall directly to the left of the hall they entered from held the bar on a raised level only to slide into a ground level dance floor which was normal enough, however in the opposite corner was a raised platform where different people would hop up to take advantage of the spacing to show off both freestyle and blatantly choreographed moves. Another few spotlight platforms raised up randomly in the floor, but the main focus was a rather large circular one in the center of the place, raised just enough to make it easy to see from anywhere in the place, but not so high as to block the view across the way. These places were the most lit up, allowing the anonymity to the dancers below while allotting the attention to those who choose to step up. Beyond that, there were many crevices and alcoves holding tables into the walls and a small hallway across the way presumably heading to the bathrooms. An upper balcony held only the DJ.

While Mari took in her surroundings, she felt Tim lead her out into the crowds, before turning back to her with a questioning look. Leaning in she spoke into his ear, a spark gleaning her eyes, "You've been before, haven't you?"

"A few times. It's the perfect place to destress without the nonsense of keeping an image. As long as you stay in the crowd, no one cares who you are," he replied, spinning her around before stepping in so her back pressed to his chest.  His hands ghosted down her sides to grasp her hips, starting to guide her into the beat.

For a while, they stayed like that, separating slightly and coming back together to follow different dances as the music flowed and changed around them. Turns out Tim was a surprisingly good dancer. 

Cheers broke out as a new song turned over, the first beats of Bum Bum Tam Tam coming over the speakers drawing attention towards the main platform as a pair jumped up, starting to get into the beat, working around each other only to burst into perfectly synced choreography at the first breakdown, resulting in more cheers. The two dancers would break away after that into a more freestyle, only to flow back into more rehearsed moves once more.

"Wait is that," she trailed off to a groan pressed to her shoulder.

"Yeah. That's them. Didn't know they came here."

As the song came to an end and the two on the platform jumped down, they could only stare as none other than Dick and Kori unknowingly made their way towards them. Tim pulled back from Mari subconsciously, not quite comfortable being so fully on display in front of people who actually knew them. Which made exactly zero sense when considering how much they cuddled in the manor. 

Finally the two spotted them, their grins widening and a new energy emerging as they rushed over. 

"Timothy! Starshine! You guys are here!" Came Kori's exuberant greeting, grabbing them both up in a hug.

"Hey, Mar, Damian not like dancing enough? Had to drag Timmy out?" Dick teased.

"Dami's at the arcade with Jon. And actually, coming here was Tim's idea," she answered amicably, conforming to the rules of the bet and not correcting Dick's obvious assumptions. "That was amazing by the way. You two looked great up there!"

Tim smirked down at her, seeing through her antics, especially now that she'd let him in on the rules of her game. Doesn't mean he couldn't play into it himself, he thought as he wrapped an arm around her waist and placed his chin atop her head.

"She's a great dance partner," Tim mentioned after both Kori and Dick had thanked and waved off Mari's compliments. "Considering learning something more structured with her, myself. Maybe give you two a run for your money."

"You definitely should! I can help with figuring out a style for you two if you'd like!" Kori offered immediately as Marinette turned to look at him in excitement.

"She has to agree first. Who knows, maybe this was a fluke and Mari will never dance with me again," he sighed in defeat.

Marinette turned, practically bouncing in anticipation, "Are you kidding? I'd love to! I want to come here again too."

"Even if you don't take my help with the dancing, I can record you two so you can look back and see for any needed improvements? That's what Richard and I do," Kori further offered up, Dick jumping back in right after.

"Oh yeah, it helps immensely. Especially if you were wanting to perform it on the platforms here."

Tim and Mari met eyes, before coming to an agreement, "Yeah, we'd appreciate that actually."

"Great! We'll set up some time here soon. In the meantime, I could definitely use a drink," Dick stated, looking back towards where he'd originally been headed. Kori grabbed onto Marinette instead, leading her back into the fray of dancers.

"We should invite Stephanie next. She would make a most interesting dance partner," Kori rattled on, suggesting a girls night that Mari agreed to immediately before getting back into the music with her new dance partner of the moment, Tim and Dick rejoining them shortly after. 

The night continued on this way, the four trading off between them, two not aware that it'd become a double date by this point. Eventually parting ways from the two, Tim and Mari made their way back towards his apartment, breathless and happy despite the unexpected interruptions to their night.

"How come we never end up at your place?" He asked suddenly.

"Because my apartment has become workzone number 2. Seriously, the place has essentially become a studio for my work that just so happens to have a kitchen and bedroom. Among other secrets not meant to be divulged… yet."

"Is that pertaining to the mystery of your magic."

"Perhaps."

"Mmm, whenever you're ready, I'll be happy to keep them for you. Though I can't imagine anything bigger than holding two technical gods in your pockets at all times."

"Shhh, don't let them hear you say that!"

He only chuckled, leading her into the complex and up to his penthouse. Silence overtaking them until the door had clicked shut.

"You staying the night, sweetheart?" Tim asked, toeing off his shoes and walking towards his room to get changed.

"Mm, think I might," she replied, following him in and stealing a shirt before wandering into the bathroom to get first dibs on a shower. She still found it lucky that while he might be the shortest of his brothers, she was still small enough to be buried in his clothes. Made it easier for night like these.

Finishing up, she plopped herself on his bad as he went to shower as well. 

Eventually, the door reopened, Tim entering in only pajama bottoms, hair still damp and in his face. She hummed her appreciation, enjoying the view and reaching out to tug him closer.

"Is it weird how comfortable we've become in so little time?" 

"Only if you're uncomfortable with it."

"I'm not."

"Good."

With the affirmation, he picked her up only to lay her out further up the bed. Stretching out at her side, he pressed kisses to her cheek and down her neck, hand trailing against exposed skin, clearly enjoying having her in his home, in his bed, in his shirt.

'Hmm, what were two raging insomniacs to do with the rest of their night?'

… 

Bonus:

Not a week later, after a long discussion with Damian to ensure that Kori was not included in the bet and swearing the alien to secrecy, they asked her to film something for them. A dance they had come with that was just for them. Not anything that could be performed in a club or for anyone to see. Maybe one day they'd post it somewhere or show Dick, but for now, it was theirs alone.

#timari #timinette #maribat #first one with video link #probably only one #lookbup bum bum tam tam on Matt steffinina youtube for Dick and Koris dance

[cass-y0inks]

“First Man”

Ok before we start this little fic was inspired by the song, “First Man” by Camila Cabello. It reminds me of the time on relationship that Dick would have with Marinette growing up. You can choose who she ends up with I probably won’t focus on that you may leave it in the comments, your choice (Y/C)Also I decided that I’m going to make Kori Marinette’s mother figure. Btw I’m sorry that the other part is taking very long but I will try to finish it and post it sometime this week, hopefully. Anyway Enjoy! (Warning long post)

Yes I’m gonna stay with him tonight, I’ll see you in the morning, no of course, he won’t drink and drive. Can you say bye to mom for me?

“Papa I’ll be fine, it’s just for one night. You know I won’t be able to make it in time, there’s to much traffic.” Marinette really loved her papa, she really did but sometimes he would let his anxiety get to him.

“I know my little Angel, just please be very careful. Oh and Y/C, bring her back in the morning unharmed. Capiche?” Her papa really did love his nicknames for everyone, especially her’s. She was his little angel no matter what, even if he did steal the name from her uncle Damian.

Y/C looked over to her phone and gave him a small smile, “Yes sir, understood. We’ll see you in the morning”

“Keep your eyes on the road Prince Charming. Good night Sunshine, sleep well” her papa sended her a small kiss after he said that.

“Good night papa, sleep well to. And tell mama good night for me too. Love you” she hung up after she returned his small kiss.

Oh, you’ll like him, he’s really kind and funny like you sometimes. And I found someone I really like, maybe for the first time.

Marinette was fixing her papa’s tie for the third time it just never stayed put. She was beyond nervous, her whole family was meeting him today, her mama, her great grandpa, her grandpa, and all her uncles and aunties! It’s not that they embarrassed her, it’s just that she really likes Y/C and her family could get a little... out of hand.

Dick noticed the doubt in her eyes when he looked away from the mirror to look at her. He sighed, he knew what that felt like of course. He gently pulled her into a hug and thought of a way to distract her. “Hey.... wh-why don’t you tell me more about him”

He saw how her eyes lit up almost instantly, “Papa you’ll like him, he’s confident, kind, and funny” she looked down at her feet remembering all the jokes he would make when they would hang out. “Almost as funny as you, who knows? Maybe even funnier papa.”

“Excuse me? Funnier that me! No no no, impossible” that he would never allow.

“Fine not as funny or funnier than you” she sighed out. “Thank you sunshine” he said back with his arms crossed on his chest.

“Just way more stylish.” With that she left him with his mouth wide open.

That nigh went great, he wasn’t intimidated at all by her family, and it didn’t change anything.

No, I don’t need a jacket, it’s not that cold outside. And you worry, I get it but he’s waiting outside

“Mari come on, I don’t want you catching a cold!” Dick was trying to get her in a fuzzy-warm light toned jacket before her movie date with Y/C.

“Papa it’s the middle of July, I won’t need I jacket” sometimes her papa would try different ways to stall her even for just a couple of seconds. “Papa I know you worry but he’s been out there for almost 3 minutes. Look if anything happens I’ll call you, ok? Tell mama I love her to, goodbye.”

Giving her one last hug he said, “goodbye, I love ya to sunlight”

I swear on my heart that he’s a good man. I know you’ll stay up late just waiting for me, you held me so tight now someone else can. But you were the first man that really loved me.

“Papa I promise he’s the sweetest guy I have ever met. He cares, loves and protects me. Like you.” Marinette finally had some free time with her parents. Her mama, papa, and herself were at a a restaurant having a peaceful dinner. The restaurant were she and Y/C had there first date, that brought back memories.

Her mama, Kori, was the one to talk sense into him. “Dick you knew that she would eventually grow up and find someone she liked, just like you and me.” Kori saw how he still had a small pout on his lips looking down at his food.” She smiled. “Remember when you first asked me out on a date. We held hands, laughed together, took pictures. Remember what we felt. We felt special and loved, that’s how they feel. Loved.”

Kori saw how he didn’t really move much, she looked over to her daughter and gave her a small smile and nodded her head pointing at Dick. She got the message and took her papa’s and mama’s hands and held them together. She took a few moments to form her words. “Papa, you’ know how you would hold me and mama on our worst days. How it felt like home, like safety... that’s what I feel with him. You worry about me when I’m with him and sometimes loose sleep but I swear that he means well.” Her papa finally looked up at her with teary eyes.

She stood up from he seat and hugged him. “Papa no matter how much I’m with him or he says he loves me please remember, You were the first man that really loved me.”

Now you’re driving to the airport, not just me you pick up anymore. I’ve got eight days off coming up, and I can only come home for four.

“Papa! Over here!” Marinette rushed over to him, following closely behind was Y/C smiling at him. Dick opened his arms and almost fell back when Mari crashed into him. How ge missed hugging her, memorizes coming back. This wasn’t the first time he picked her up from the airport but, it was the first time she came back with someone else.

“It’s good to see you again sir.” Y/C slowly stood out his hand in front of him. Dick eyed him before carefully taking his hand into his and lightly shaking it.

“You to son.” Marinette stared at her papa in shock, ‘son?’ That was in improvement. Last time she checked he was still skeptical about him. Maybe Alfred or mama finally knocked some sense into him.

Yeah I just met his family. They’re just like you and mom. He makes me really happy, I think he might be the one.

To say the least Marinette was, anxious? She really couldn’t explain what she felt. Today she was finally going to meet his parents. Her long time boyfriend’s parents. She could only remember one time she was this nervous. It was when he was going to met her family.

Different scenarios ran through her head, a variety of ‘what if’s’. It felt like the world was spinning in circles. A familiar ring caught off her thoughts, her phone. She took out her phone from her pocket and read the name on the screen. ‘Papa’. Before answering she took a few deep breath’s trying to calm herself down.

“H-hi pa-papa. H-ho-w ar-are y-you.” Damit. Her papa on the other side of the line clearly noticed the stutter in her voice.

“Mari what happened? Are you ok? Do you need help?” She noticed panic in his tone.

This time she took multiple slow breaths and told him what was bothering her. After what seemed like an hour, she calmed down. Venting always helped her out. She was still nervous but she had at least calmed down a bit. She looked down at her phone to check the time. ‘4:52’ he’d be here any minute. “Papa I have to go, but thank you for calling me. I really needed to talk”

“Anytime sunshine. I love you” he sent her a kiss through the other line.

“Love you to dad”

The dinner night with his parents when great. She had a lot of fun throughout the night. His parents almost reminded her of her parents. They were fun, energetic and loving. She had to thank her papa Ofer helping her calm down.

Now you’re on the driveway faking a smile. You wish you could tell him he doesn’t deserve me. So I had to stop the car and turn around to tell you, you were the first man that really loved me.

She was going back to Paris after a few week’s back In Gotham. Audrey Bourgeois wouldn’t be waiting for her all day. She and Y/C had previously convinced her to let her stay a few more day in Gotham, Audrey’s patience was already running out. Everything was in the car by now, all they had to do was say goodbye.

One by one she said good bye to her family all that was left was her papa. Step by step she made her way up to him until she was right in front of him, he wasted no time in pulling her into a tight hug. Once they broke apart she heard a sniff, her papa was crying. And so was she.

“I love you papa/Marinette” they told each other at the same time. Giving him a sad smile she made her away to the car where Y/C was waiting for her in the passenger seat. Buckling up she started the car and drove away. After a couple of feet she looked at the rear view mirror and saw her papa shedding multiple tears from his eyes waving goodbye at her. Before she could process what she was doing she pulled over and got off the car.

Her papa saw her running towards him, and he planned to meet her at the middle. Once she was close enough she jumped into his arms. He caught her and spinned her around. He carefully put her down after a while but didn’t let her go. She felt a few tears running down her face. She got closer to his ear and quietly whispered, “You were the first man that really loved me” she took a short pause before continuing. “I love you papa, thank you”

And before they open up the door,I say I’ve never seen you cry before. You say “you’ve never looked so beautiful before. You know you’ll always be my little girl.”

Today was the day, she was getting married. She would have never imagined every little detail like this, it was a dream come true for her. She had designed her own dress. It was long with loose sleeves and instead of traditional white it was a very pale pink and a floral like pattern. He papa was in a black suit and a tie that matched her dress. She was nervous of course but having her papa next to her helped her a lot. It was a few more minutes before her uncle’s opened up the doors.

She felt a tear landing on her hand. She looked up and saw her papa wiping his eyes. A smile making its way across her face. She raised her hand and placed it on his cheek. Her papa let out a teary laugh. “Papa I’ve never seen you cry so much before.” It was true. He wouldn’t really cry so much, but this was like it almost looked like a small waterfall leaving his eyes.

He let out another quiet laugh, “It feels like just yesterday you were learning you first steps. Now your walking down the aisle, you look gorgeous Mari.” Wiping away his tears he told her, “ You know you’ll always be my little girl.” Seconds before the doors opens he placed a light feathered kiss on her forehead. Time to go.

You’re looking at me, while walking down the aisle with tears in your eyes. Maybe he deserved me, you don’t even know how much it means to me now

This was it, just a few more steps and she’d be at the altar. Y/C was looking straight at her with the biggest smile he ever had. Her papa still had tears in his eyes, as did the rest of her family. Even the baby of the family had to grow up eventually.

Dick didn’t think this day would come, he imagined it yes but for it to actually be here was unreal. He couldn’t control his tears from flowing down his eyes. They wouldn’t be stoping anytime soon. Maybe he did deserve his daughter. Maybe this was a good day. Looking back down at her he saw she was looking at the altar, specially at Y/C. This day was big for her, he knew that. This was her day. Of this was special for her, it was special for him.

They finally reached the altar.

You were the first man that really loved me, that really loved me.

It was the end of the night, everything went perfect. If she had to be honest, she was tired. Yet that didn’t stop her from going out to the balcony where her papa was. She quietly leaned against the railing like he was. They stood in silence for a moment. Her papa broke the silence first.

“Well you did it, you grew up. When will you stop?” He turned to her and let out a chuckle. She giggled a bit and gave him a light hug.

She pulled away shortly, “Papa even if I still grow, I will always be there with you. You are the reason why I’m who I am, why I’m here today and always.” She stoped and looked down for a second then quickly looked back up at him. “You are the first man that loved me.”

Kori stepped onto the with hot chocolate. “Would you like some Mar-” The sight in front of her caught her off. Dick and her daughter were sleeping on a chaise. Her head tucked under his head.

You really loved me

That’s the end. Sorry if I missed someone in the tag list. I hope you all liked it. Goodbye.

Tag list (closed):@virgil-is-a-cutie @caffeinetheory @theatreandcomicfreak @thepeacetea @abrx2002 @fertileleaf @tog84 @kawaiigiantjudgefish @captainartsypants @witchsblackfox @myazel @echpr @drarryismylife101 @dorkus-minimus @dast218 @tired-butterfly @jeminiikrystal @iglowinggemma28 @lilyellowink @throneoffirebreathingbitchqueen @aestheticandpoetic @daminett4life @weird-pale-blonde-person @tbehartoo @onelargemcbitch @kanamexzeroyaoifangirl @crytallized @queen-of-the-trash-planet-tm @princess-of-fangirls @winter-gardenflower @jardimazul @littleredrobinhoodlum @oodle-n @isabellemasen @luleck @akalovelymaybe @hauntedfreakdeputyhero @finallyaniguana @smolplantmum @if-you-give-a-chat-a-cookie @mystery-5-5 @thesunanditsangel @vixen-uchiha @minightrose @melicmusicmagic @crazylittlemunchkin @queenmj10 @my-name-is-michell @draco-kasai @blackrosee3 @elmokingkong @sassydepression @dragonflyswing @bigpicklebananatree @thetinymoonflower

#maribat #maribat au #adopted!marinette au #papa dick #mb batfam #mb marinette #mb dick #mama kori

[marauderundercover]

Making Memories: Ch. 1

This is a sequel to Taking Chances, and will follow the Maribat Platonic November prompts. 

AO3

Book One

Marinette Dupain Cheng sighs as she glances at the date on her phone. In just two weeks, she’d be starting school at Gotham Academy. And despite the reassurances from her brothers that it would be fine, she was terrified. Not only would she be the new girl, but she’d be the new girl who didn’t even speak English when she was nervous. Needless to say, she was catastrophizing just a bit.

Flopping onto the couch in the theater, she flips the tv on, frowning at the live coverage from Atlantic City. She winces as the wind blows harder, whipping the poor weather lady’s hair around like crazy. One word catches her attention, and her frown deepens. Hurricane? Aren’t those supposed to be really bad?

“Hey Mars, why the frown?” Tim asks, walking in and plopping onto the couch next to her. She raises an eyebrow at the two cups of coffee in his hands, grinning as he passes one over to her.

“The weather says a hurricane is supposed to hit Gotham soon. Should we be worried?” She asks, but he shakes his head.

“Nah, it never gets too bad here. And I’ve seen the reports for the storm. I think the most that’ll happen is we lose power. But we won’t lose it for long, we have backup generators in the cave.” Tim reassures her, squeezing her shoulder. She nods, still worried. Especially when she glances outside at the heavy rain. Sighing, she takes a long drink of coffee before turning back to her brother.

“Will Dad patrol with the hurricane?” She asks.

“Probably not. Don’t worry about it, everything’ll be okay.” He promises, giving her one last smile before walking out. Pushing down the worries about both school and the weather, she turns on a Disney movie before settling back into the couch, getting lost in the animation.

---

Just as Stitch is asking to say goodbye to his family, the lights flicker. Marinette sits straight up, looking around wide eyed. She wasn’t scared of the dark, she was a hero for god’s sake. But the idea of being alone in the manor when the lights aren’t working at all, sounds awful. Jumping up, she runs out of the theatre.

“Jay? Dick? Damian? Tim? Hello?” She yells, walking down the hall briskly.

“You okay Pixie Pop?” Jason asks as she turns the corner, looking at her with a small frown. She nods, but jumps as the lights flicker again. “First hurricane?” He asks. She nods.

“We don’t really get weather like this in Paris. Unless it was from an akuma.” She explains, moving closer to him. He slings an arm over her shoulder with a grin.

“It’ll be okay. B’s got a generator and everything.” He reassures her.

“What about Dick and Mar’i and Kori?” She asks, remembering their apartment and how unhurricane proof it seemed.

“They’re already here, unpacking in the guestroom. This isn’t the first big storm we’ve ever had.” Jason says, ruffling her hair with a grin.

“So then where’s Dad?” She asks, hoping Jason will say he’s safe in the cave.

“At WE, probably looking over insurance policies for different buildings in Gotham. He likes to make sure that everything WE owns is covered before the big storms.” Jason explains.

“But can’t he do that here? So he isn’t driving in that weather?” She asks nervously. The rain was really picking up, and the flights had flickered once again.

“Pix, he’s fine. You can even call him if it makes you feel better.” Jason suggests and she nods.

“Okay. I’m gonna go do that.” She says, rushing up to her room. She pushes her door open and yelps in surprise at the sight in front of her.

“Evening, ukht.” Damian says nonchalantly.

“Damian, why is there a cheetah cub on my bed?” Marinette asks, caught between wanting to pet it and wanting to leave the room.

“Because Alfred the Cat is on my bed.” He says, as if that explains it. She sighs, shaking her head.

“Where did you even get a cheetah cub, petit oiseau?” Marinette asks, inching towards her bed with her hand held out.

“A smuggler. She is very calm. You may pet her, if you wish.” Damian reassures her. Sucking in a deep breath, she moves forward and pets the cub, grinning at the softness of its fur.

“She’s so soft!” She exclaims with a wide grin.

“Indeed. Can I count on your assistance in convincing Father to let us keep her?” He asks, a hopeful look on his face. Marinette nods.

“Of course. Though, I’m not sure how well she’ll get along with Batcow.” She points out. Damian frowns.

“We will just have to keep them separated, obviously.” He says.

“Yeah. Listen, have you heard from dad?” She asks, her nerves bouncing back with a vengeance. He frowns.

“No, why?”

“The storm. I think I’m gonna call him, just to double check that he’s okay.” She says, pulling out her phone and hitting the call button on her dad’s contact. She bites her lip and paces, nervously waiting for him to pick up the phone.

“Hello? Marinette, is everything okay?” He asks, and she sighs in relief.

“When are you coming home, Dad? The weather looks really bad.” She says. He sighs.

“Sweetheart, I can’t just stop work-” He starts.

“Then bring it home. Please, Dad. It’s already gonna take you forever to get home in this rain.” She pleads.

“Fine.” He relents, and she resists the urge to cheer. “I’ll see you soon, okay?”

“Okay. Bye Dad.” She says.

“Bye Mari.” He says before hanging up. She sighs in relief until she remembers-

“Where’s Selina?” She asks Damian who simply shrugs.

“I have not seen her. But if you find her, tell her to come here. I am certain we can get her on our side as well.” He says, petting the cheetah again. Resisting the urge to roll her eyes at her little brother, she rushes out of her room and downstairs to the kitchen.

“Miss Marinette, are you alright?” Alfred asks, frowning. She nods.

“Yes, have you seen-”

“Hey kitten, have you seen your little brother anywhere? Ivy gave me a heads up that the plants said that he had a cheetah cub?” The woman in question says, walking into the kitchen with a wide smile. Marinette grins at her bonus mom and nods.

“Yes, actually. And we want you to be on our side when we try to convince Dad to let us keep her.” She says. Selina snorts.

“I’m not sure your father would like that very much.” She says. Marinette sticks out her bottom lip in a pout.

“But she’s so soft! Come on, you have to come pet her before you make any big decisions.” She declares, grabbing the woman’s hand and tugging her along behind her.

“Wait, where is she?” Selina asks and Marinette grins.

“My room!” She says. Selina sighs.

“Kitten, why is there a cheetah cub in your room?”

“Um, because Alfred the Cat is in Damian’s room?” She says, giving the same excuse her brother had given ten minutes ago. Selina just sighs and Marinette’s grin widens. God, she loves Gotham.

---

Marinette gives her dad a smug look as the storm report plays over the radio in the dining room. Several power lines were completely down, lines that would have kept him from coming home if he’d stayed at the office until the paperwork was done being looked at.

“I know, I know. You were right.” Her dad concedes, giving her a look. She smirks.

“Just as long as you know it.” She says, making Jason snort with laughter.

“I really need to stop leaving you with Jason all the time.” He says with a sigh.

“Oh, come on B, don’t you love that I have a mini me?” Jason asks with a grin. Her dad pinches the bridge of his nose, before shaking his head, though the fond smile on his face tells a different story.

“You are both impossible.” He says. Marinette grins, glancing at her older brother.

“Pleasure being impossible with you, sir.” She says, tipping an imaginary hat at him.

“And you, ma’am.” Jason says, mimicking her motion. Though the storm was howling outside, she kind of wished the moment would never end. But soon, summer would come to a close and she’d have to be back in the real world.

“While we are on the subject of impossible, Father, Marinette and I need to talk to you about something important. Kyle also agrees.” Damian says. Marinette grins, certain that by the time the storm was over, they would officially be the proud owners of a cheetah cub.

Next

Tag list:  @vixen-uchiha @stainedglassm @liquid-luck-00 @laurcad123 @waiting247 @jayjayspixiepop @mizzy-pop @jjmjjktth @trippingovermyfeet @queenz-z @thepaceperson @iloontjeboontje @toodaloo-kangaroo @ritacrow-blog @deathssilentapproach-blog @kittenmywaythrulife @nerd-nowandforever @tazanna-blythe @jaybird-and-co @jumpingjoy82 @lady-bee-fechin @corporeal-terrestrial @unoriginalmess @maribat-platonic-november

#maribat #maribat fanfic #maribat fanfiction #MariBat Platonic November #MariBat PlatNov #maribat bio dad bruce #maribat bio dad au #maribat marinette dupain cheng #maribat selina kyle #maribat bruce wayne #maribat damian wayne #maribat dick grayson #maribat dick grayson/koriand'r #maribat jason todd #maribat tim drake #platonic dickinette #platonic jasonette #platonic timari #platonic daminette #maribat bio dad! bruce wayne month 2021 #Taking Chances #Taking Chances Sequel

[bunathebunny]

OT3 with Dick, Kori and Marinette with Marinette designing and sewing to dress up her partners and Dick and Kori just vibing and living their best life with a talented girlfriend, wearing pretty clothes and posing as models for said girlfriend.

#maribat #story ideas #dick x kori x marinette

[otaku4312]

Looking for Fics

Miraculous Ladybug:

First fic: It was a class salt fic I think. Actually idk about the class salt, but there was definitely some Adrien salt. I remember a specific part where I think it was Alya(?) that was akumatized and during the battle, Chat picks a fight with Ladybug while she’s trying to fight the Akuma. Eventually, Caht says/does something that’s just like crossing a line, and Akumatized!Alya was like, woah buddy, that’s enough out of you and seperates Chat from Ladybug and Ladybug turned to her and Alya was like “I may be akumatized, but us girls gotta stick together.” There was also a Chloé redemption I think. (Pretty sure this was on Ao3).

Second fic: it was a Maribat fic. I’m not sure if Marinette was just visiting Gotham or if she just moved there. But there was an incident where she was out late(?) and then she sees a lady ditch a child because she was running away from the Joker. So she goes to comfort the child and get them to safety, I think there was an incident where she just yeeted a trash can at some goons. She distracted Joker with a metal Yoyo long enough for Batman to get there and she books it until she sees some police cars. The kid was Dick and Kori’s. He was pretty pissed that the babysitter ditched their kid. I don’t remember what else happened. (This was on Ao3 I think).

My Hero Academia

First Fic: Might be a platonic IzuChako. But I remember where Izuku had a sister (might not be related) and he had AfO. He went out publicly with a snake (serpent?) quirk and didn’t have legs. But he was also a vigilante, and in that persona he did have legs. I think he also let Ochako move in with him and his sister because she was living in a poor part of town. He might have OFA.

Second fic: it was where Izuku has a YouTube channel on the side. He had Jirou join one of his live-streams, then she ended up joining regularly. (I think she gave herself the name Anton??) I remember there was a part where they were live-streaming and the teachers were watching and they were surprised that they sang really good and their voices didn’t crack or anything. Might have been a part where izuku was singing cavetown on the roof of the dorms. If so, I think it was a trans deku fic.

#ml x dc #ml fic #ml class salt #ml salt #ao3 fanfic #miraculous ladybug #my hero academia #bnha #mha #izuchako #dekuraka #bnha fic #help #bnha jirou #midoriya izuku #bnha izuku

[paintball169]

Day 5 - Stories

Marinette Lived in the Wayne Manor. For everyone else it was a dream come true, But for her? Not that much. Her Dad wasn’t even around! Sure there was Grandpere, Dicky and Jay-Jay. But no one could beat her Baba. Morning she’d Sit on his lap and eat Breakfast. That’s the last she’d see of him all day. After that she studied with those men. Dad called that Home shooling or something. She didn’t care. Then she played with her brothers. Then a walk with Alfred in a Park. Then she had to go to sleep. She missed her Baba.

She was currently sitting on her bed. She had been tucked in an hour ago. She woke up. She wanted her Baba!

She didn’t know how to call him.With that thought she burst out crying. Alfred came in, she didn’t care. She wanted her Baba! She kept on crying. Dicky and Jay came in too. They tried funny faces. She didn’t want to. Even Kori, Dicky came and asked what was wrong. She kept on Crying.

Everyone was trying to calm her. She wanted her Baba! She starts shouting and wailing. In between she was trying to say “Baba!” But obviously no one understood because of her wailing. She kept crying for more than an hour or so. Her throat was getting raspy. Suddenly there was a honk. “Bruce!” Jay and Dicky ran to the door. She started slowing down her cries. But she was still wailing. Then suddenly a thought stuck her. What if it was someone else? Not her Baba? She burst out crying again. She felt being transferred to someone else’s arms. “Shhh, Shhh calm down Mimi.” She knew that voice. It was her Baba. She snapped her eyes open. She stopped wailing. It reduced to hiccups.

“Ba - hic - Ba. B - hic - Aba. B - Baba!” She hugged her father tight.

“What’s wrong Marinette?” her Dad asked.

“Ba - hic - Ba, Baba alwa - hic - ys go - ne. Mimi don’t like that.” She said.

(Baba, Baba always gone, Mimi don’t like that.)

Everyone was shocked. Marinette had been crying just because she missed Bruce.

“I’m Sorry Marinette. What can I do to make it up to you?” Bruce asks softly.

“Can you tell me a Story about the big big big bat on my window every night?” Marinette asks, opening her arms as far as she could.

Everyone was shocked. Then they burst out laughing. They understood that she was talking about Batman. Bruce stared at his five year old daughter in shock. After all, he didn't expect her to catch him while he was checking on him in Batman costume. Realizing his daughter was still waiting he answered. “Of course Mon Cheri. He’s Batman. He protects the city.” He says picking her up and going to her room.

That's how the tradition of stories started in the Wayne manor. Every night from that day her Baba was the one that tucked her in and not Alfred. Baba has been around the manor more often since then. He has spent meals with his Children since then.

Every night she’d get a new story about Batman. She loved it. She eventually started watching the news on Batman. And other Superheroes too. She loved Starfire. She was the Prettiest!

One day on mass Arkham Breakout Batman got severely injured. And her dad came home in Crutches too. Coincidence? She doesn’t think so. That day her Father told her the Story of the Battle earlier.

A week later she found a secret entrance in her bookshelf Leading Straight to Batcave.

She saw her brothers and father without masks training there. She spoke before she could register it.

“Holy Guacamole! The stories were yours. You're the Bats!” She shouted.

Suddenly everyone looked at her. One look at her Father said everything. She messed up.

@maribat-bdbwm

#mbdbwm2021 #Bio Dad Bruce Wayne #maribat #Bio!dadbrucewayne2021 #Baby marinette

[fridayfirefly]

Fairest of the Fair

Read Fairest of the Fair on AO3

Masterlist

Written for Maribat March Day 9 - Teen Titans

"We've got five hours until the fair closes. That's five hours of funnel cake, Ferris wheels, and rigged carnival games," announced Dick as they stepped out of the car in the parking lot of the Jump City Fair. It was a tradition for the Teen Titan team to visit the fair every year. At first, it had been an effort to humanize them to the citizens of Jump City, to show that they were more than just superheroes. Now, the reason that the team went every year was simply that it was fun.

"I can't wait to try everything." Marinette had been looking forward to the Jump City Fair all summer. It was her very first American fair, and Gar had promised that he would show her around, giving her the full fair experience.

"C'mon, I smell funnel cake." Gar grabbed Marinette's hand as they ran through the crowds.

Marinette laughed. "I was coming with you, you don't need to pull me along."

Gar let go of her hand and pouted. "We need to get there faster. Just think of all the funnel cake we're missing out on while we're standing around talking."

"We can still hurry. I just don't want to run into anyone." Marinette giggled as she followed Gar through the crowd. He wove in between the crowds of people like an expert, scampering right through the chaos of the fair crowds without disturbing a single person. Marinette found it a little more difficult - she was much less nimble than Gar, but every time she fell behind he waited for her to catch up.

"I followed the smell of funnel cake right to its source and here we are." Gar stopped in front of a food stand proclaiming itself to be All-American Funnel Cake. "This is the best cuisine America has to offer."

"Of course. Everyone knows that the greatest American delicacies are carnival food. Who needs gourmet crêpes and macaroons when you can have funnel cake and corn dogs?" joked Marinette.

"Exactly. I'll order our food, you find us a seat."

Marinette strolled through the seating area, trying to find a bench that wasn't covered in syrup and melted ice cream. When she finally found a suitably clean chair, she collapsed into it. She was already sweating from the hot August sun beating down on her, and she couldn't wait to get her hands on something to drink.

"I got the funnel cake and lemonade," said Gar as he set them down on the table.

Marinette grabbed the cup of lemonade and took a long sip of it, savoring the chill. "It's so hot out here. How do you stand it?"

Gar shrugged. "It's all part of the fair experience. It's miserably hot in the day, but it still manages to get uncomfortably chilly once the sun goes down. That's why I brought a jacket."

Marinette shook her head. "If I were wearing a jacket right now, I would probably pass out from heatstroke. Your ability to withstand extreme heat must be one of your superpowers if you aren't even sweating."

"Stop talking about me and start talking about funnel cake," Gar whinged. "You came all the way to America just to try some."

Marinette laughed. "I came all the way to America to join the Teen Titans. The funnel cake is just a bonus." Taking a generous bite of the carnival food, Marinette proclaimed, "I like it."

"Yes!" Gar cheered. He pulled a piece of paper out of his pocket and marked something down. "Step one: have Marinette try funnel cake. Complete."

"You have a list?"

"Your first-ever fair is an important occasion. I want to make sure you didn't miss out on anything."

Marinette smiled. "That's sweet of you. So what are we doing after this."

"After this, we play the rigged carnival games. Then we ride one of the many spinning rides. Then we'll get roasted cinnamon almonds. Then we check out some of the art competitions. Last but not least, we ride the Ferris wheel as the sun sets. Then we meet up at the car with the rest of the Titans to watch the fireworks and go home after."

"That all sounds like fun to me." Marinette finished her lemonade and funnel cake, then turned to Gar. "Ready to go lose at some carnival game?"

"I was born ready." Garfield grabbed Marinette's hand and led her to the carnival game. There was a hoop toss game, a game where you popped water balloons using oversized darts, a game of knocking down coke bottles with baseballs, something vaguely resembling ski-ball.

"Which one should I pick?" asked Marinette.

"They're all varying degrees of impossible, so just pick the game with the best prizes."

Marinette scanned the rows of colorful stuffed animals until she saw the one she wanted, on a shelf beside the ski-ball tracks. "I want the green kitten," she exclaimed, pointing.

"Why?" Gar sounded amused by her enthusiasm.

"It reminds me of you," Marinette admitted.

Gar smiled. "Okay, I'll help you win. We'll win it together."

Ski-ball was harder than Marinette remembered. After twenty minutes and twenty dollars, she and Gar still hadn't managed to get all ten ski-balls into their respective holes.

"Face it, Gar, we just aren't good enough to win."

Gar shook his head. "I'm not leaving until I win you that kitten. One more set of ski-balls." He handed a five-dollar bill to the game attendant. "Do you want the first ball?"

"Sure, but this is the last time we play. I'm not letting you spend all of our food money on this ridiculously impossible game." Marinette grabbed the first four balls off of the counter and gently rolled each one of them up into the first hole, and Gar successfully rolled the next four balls - the first eight were easy. It was the ninth and tenth ball that they failed on. "I'll take nine." Marinette brought her arm back, then swung it forward and released the ninth fall. It landed perfectly into the ninth hole. "It's all on you, Gar."

He narrowed his eyes, plucking the ball off of the counter. This was the closest they had gotten to winning. He swung the ball forward, tracking the arc with his eyes until it... landed right in the final hole.

"You did it!" Marinette cheered, grabbing Gar's hand and lifting it up in the air. "Winner!"

"Here's your green cat." The game attendant handed the stuffed toy to Marinette, who clutched it against her chest.

"I love it! I'm naming him Milo and keeping him forever."

"Alright, now that you've won your first rigged carnival game, you and Milo need to pick out one of the many rides here to try it." Gar pulled a map of the fairground out of his pocket and started pointing out rides. "I recommend the Merry-Go-Round, the Tilt-A-Whirl, and the Paratrooper."

"Which one is closest?"

"The Tilt-A-Whirl is just to the left and around the corner."

Marinette grabbed Gar's hand and pulled him along. "Let's go!"

Together they ran through crowds of people, darting around people and out of the way to avoid bumping into anyone. They made it to the Tilt-A-While and rode until Marinette got so dizzy she couldn't walk in a straight line and Gar laughed so hard his face turned red. Then Gar and Marinette made their way to the Merry-Go-Round, where they rode it a couple of times. Then they met up with Dick and Kori and got more carnival snacks with their friends.

"Say cheese!" instructed Marinette as she paused to take a picture of her friends for the official Teen Titans Instagram account.

Kori grinned and pulled Dick closer to her. Gar reached for the camera in Marinette's hands. "Turn the camera around and make it a selfie."

Marinette did as instructed, moving her own head in front of the camera and grinning as she took the picture. She quickly typed a caption. Enjoying cinnamon glazed almonds (Beast Boy's favorite) and butterbeer at the fair. Hope everyone's having a great day in Jump City! "And... post!"

Marinette sat down to enjoy the snacks, Gar slipping his hand into Marinette's. "Try the cinnamon almonds first, they're delicious."

"They'd better be," teased Marinette. "You've been hyping them up all week."

"I could write poems about these almonds, they're so good. And I know I could probably get them any day of the year, but I only ever get them when we go to the fair so that they never lose their appeal."

Marinette popped a handful in her mouth and hummed in appreciation. "Oh, these are good. I'm going to have to get a recipe for these, so I can make homemade cinnamon almonds."

Gar's eyes lit up. "Homemade cinnamon almonds. That might be the best combination of words I've ever heard in my life."

Marinette playfully narrowed her eyes. "What about 'I love you.'"

Gar's eyes widened. "Um, third-best combination then. Right after when you told me, 'I love you', and when I told you, 'I love you.'"

"Good save. The execution could use some work though. I give it an eight out of ten," joked Dick.

"I'll be generous, and give it an eight point five," added Kori.

"Hey, only I get to tease him," protested Marinette as she gazed at Gar lovingly. "Now feed me more almonds."

Marinette ate another serving of almonds and drank two glasses of butterbeer before Dick and Kori decided to separate from them and find the trapeze tent. Gar got his list back out, checked off the activities they had already completed, and announced, "Now it's time for more rides. Paratroopers, here we come!"

Just a few minutes later, Marinette was pressed against Gar's side as their cart swung through the air. "This is nice," said Marinette. "The Jump City Fair gets the Ladybug stamp of approval."

"Just wait until you see the fireworks. The grand finale is amazing. You'll love it," promised Gar.

"I bet I will." Marinette rested her head on Gar's shoulder as she watched the world spin around them.

When they got off the ride, Marinette and Gar walked hand-in-hand to the art competition tents, where paintings were hanging all around the tents.

"Look at this one!" Gar pointed to a painting of the Teen Titans in action, fighting the H.I.V.E. Five in the streets of downtown Jump City. "This one has my vote!" Gar called out.

"Shush," said Marinette with a laugh. "You're biased."

"Nope. No bias here. Just pointing out what is objectively the best painting he's ever seen."

"Oh really. If you're such an impartial judge, tell me why it's objectively the best painting."

"Because you're in it, Buginette." Gar grinned at her, pointing at Ladybug in the picture, fighting Jinx with her yoyo.

Marinette laughed. "You're so cheesy."

"To be fair, you did walk right into that one," Gar defended himself as they left the art tent. "If you're going to leave yourself vulnerable to compliments, I'm going to take that opportunity to compliment you."

"Oh, look at the sunset!" exclaimed Marinette as she saw the yellow, pink, and orange sky.

Gar slipped his hand into Marinette's. "It doesn't hold a candle to you."

Marinette got onto her tiptoes and pressed a kiss to his cheek. "You're too sweet. Now let's go ride that Ferris wheel."

Gar and Marinette walked to the Ferris wheel hand in hand, getting into a car and riding it all the way to the top, where they could see the sunset reflecting off of the ocean.

"You were right, it does get cold," said Marinette with a shiver.

"Here, take mine." Gar took off his jean jacket, laying it across Marinette's shoulders.

Marinette smiled. "How about we split the coat while we're up here. We'll just have to squeeze together." Marinette pressed herself up against Gar, moving the jacket so that it draped over both of their shoulders. Sighing softly, Marinette watched Gar with a smile on her face.

"What are you thinking about?" asked Gar.

"I just don't want to forget this moment."

"I can fix that." Gar pulled his phone out of his pocket, started a video, and turned his camera around so they were both in frame. "How are you feeling, Buginette?"

Marinette kissed his cheek, then smiled for the camera. "Perfect."

"Jump City Fair is a success." Gar ended the video as the Ferris wheel started up again, moving them back down to the ground.

"Every day with you is a success."

The fireworks started as they walked back to the car, bright and colorful. Marinette slid her hand into Gar's gently rubbing circles with her thumb. She knew that he used to be scared of fireworks - still was, a little bit - as a result of his animal tendency. Gar flinched back as the boom of fireworks sounded above him.

"Focus on my voice," said Marinette. "I love you. I love you more than all the stars in the sky. I love you more than all the drops of water in the ocean. I love you forever."

Gar wrapped his arms around Marinette. "I know. I love you too."

@maribatmarch-2k21

#maribat #garmari #garfield logan #marinette dupain-cheng #teen titans #miraculous ladybug fic #my work #MaribatMarch2021

[modernnoblebachlorette]

Maribat Prompt

This idea will not leave me alone.

Kori and Dick were both canonically models. (At least, I think so. I'm not overly versed in DC comic canon.)

Now, Adrien is also a model. Marinette is a designer.

There are so many possibilities with this.

Dick or Kori could be a mentor figure to Adrien, or get him away from Gabriel.

Or you could have models Dick and Kori working for/with designer Marinette.

It's an idea that would not leave me alone, but I have absolutely no inclination to write it.

If anyone does write something based on this prompt, I'd love to see it.

#maribat #mlb x dc #maribat writing prompt