Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

“Tikki, how can I help Gotham if I'm not allowed to live here?”

Marinette sat at the top of the Wayne Enterprises building, swinging her feet over the expanse of nothingness between her and the bustling streets far below. 

Hawkmoth had been dealt with. She had finished school and passed her BAC, and while she could design from anywhere, as Guardian of the Miraculous she had duties. Tikki and Plagg had told her that Gotham was suffering from an imbalance and that it was up to her to fix it. 

She had applied to a variety of internships and a few schools in the area that would be beneficial to the fledgling designer. Still, while she had been accepted to a few different options, her visa had been denied. Parisian citizens were suffering from an unfair stigma due to footage of the Akumatizations making global headlines after the trial and sentencing of Gabriel Agreste. 

She couldn't enter the United States legally on anything longer than a two-week tourist visa. Not that she was physically limited by the current mandates. But she needed a place to stay—to work and live—while she wielded Roaar. 

Roaar was excited to let their elation energy seep into the heart of Gotham and balance out the misery that had held the city captive for so long. 

“I have an idea, Marinette,” Kaalki said smugly from her perch next to her. 

Marinette studied the little horse critically. “A viable idea?”

“Listen, young one. Just because I appreciate a certain degree of quality doesn't mean that my ideas don't contain the necessary substance to be useful.” 

Marinette rolled her eyes at the Kwami’s snobbery. “Alright. Let's hear your plan.”

“I've been researching the city, and despite the country’s disdain for royalty, Gotham has a sort of ruling family. What's more, this family has a tendency to adopt children at an unprecedented rate. Furthermore, many of them look a great deal like yourself.”

Marinette knew at once who Kaalki meant. The Wayne family was notorious. But she couldn't just get herself adopted! She had a family and loved her parents. Siblings could be a fun adventure, but she wasn't looking for a new family. Just a place to live for a year or two… or five. Tikki wasn’t sure how long her presence would be needed. 

“I don't want to be adopted by a billionaire, Kaalki.”

“Not formally adopted. Just there.”

“Huh?”

“The Wayne family has a huge estate, and the family members come and go frequently. Just pick an empty room and blend in. Everyone will assume you're a new adoptee.”

“Except Bruce Wayne.” Marinette retorted. She could maybe befriend ‘siblings’, but surely her ‘dad’ would know whether or not he'd picked up another kid.

“Actually, Marinette,” Tikki interjected, “If you managed to befriend a couple of the kids first, you could blend in as a friend. It might work.”

“Or, I could be arrested.”

Kaalki scoffed. “Don't forget how we got here. I can get you out of any situation you need.”

Marinette bowed her head over her knees and stared at the blurring lights of the traffic far below. It was risky, and more than a little foolish, but she didn't have any better ideas. 

“Alright. I guess we have a plan.” She slid a pair of shades over her eyes, “Full gallop.”

Marinette leaned further forward as the light of her transformation washed over her until she slipped off the edge of the building. She grinned at the sensation of falling through the sky, but thought about her pink bedroom an ocean away and whispered “Voyage!” 

She fell through the portal and landed safely on her bed before she slid down her ladder. She had some research to do. She needed to learn how to be a Wayne. 

Sword play. Poetry. Gymnastics. Motorcycling. Coffee. Dance. Waffles. Each of the Wayne kids (both formally recognized and not) had their own thing. It looked as if the best way to blend into the hodgepodge family was by being different. Simple enough—she had sewing and design as a ‘hobby’. And while she could use a few of the other’s interests to get to know her potential siblings, she still didn't have any idea how to begin her infiltration. 

“The family butler is going to be the biggest challenge.” Marinette muttered. “From what I've read, Alfred Pennyworth manages everything in the house, and since he's cared for the family since before Bruce Wayne was orphaned, I can't help but believe that he views the family as his own. Even if no one else notices an extra kid, he will. My only hope is timing.” 

Kaalki handed Marinette her glasses and grinned a little devilishly. “We already know the house is most likely empty when Alfred takes Damian to school. Let's take a look at their calendar. If Alfred has a day off we can use that. If not… well we can sort that out when and if we have to.” 

Marinette had laid some pretty intense groundwork on the internet so that a quick search would make her ‘pending adoption’ look plausible. Kaalki had picked up quite a few tricks from Max, and a visit from Ladybug had gotten answers to some of the trickier questions. The hardest part had been keeping Parisian searches and American searches separate. Her parents needed to think that she was attending University out of town (she was registered for online courses that she hoped to keep up with) and the Waynes needed to think that Marinette Dupain-Cheng had been bullied out of school as a teenager and then orphaned during the last battle with Hawkmoth. While legally an adult, it would look like she just wasn’t coping after the trauma. Bruce had recently visited Paris on some kind of goodwill thing to support the resilient people and offer financial assistance with the necessary rebuilding. Anyone could put two and two together and end up with the carefully planted five. 

Her information was carefully crafted with a combination of IP specific encoding and a little Miraculous magic that would circumvent even the most rigorous VPN’s. It should be safe to start the Wayne Family Infiltration Project. The Waynes were all the product of found family–Marinette just had to forge a place in it for herself.

A couple of code words and flashes of light later, Marinette found herself in a kitchen that rivaled the one at the Beaugous’ hotel. It was sparkling clean and while it held every amenity a professional chef could want, it was also cozy. 

She glanced around, spotted the family calendar on a wall near a full pot of coffee and moved to study it. She used her mobile phone and snapped photos of the next couple of months for future reference and poured herself a cup of coffee. Was there anything else she should try to find out while she was here? She took a sip of the brew. 

Marinette relaxed the moment the hot liquid slid down her throat. “Mmmm. Alfred knows his way around a coffee pot.” 

“Actually, that's my work.”

Marinette barely kept herself from flinging her mug at the newcomer. She took a fortifying breath and poured a second cup and held it out to the slim, dark-haired man she recognized from his business profile. “You must be Tim.”

“That's right.” His voice was wary and a little confused. She couldn't blame him, but she had to play it smooth. This was her first encounter! 

“Cool.” 

Tom blinked at her, took a sip of his coffee, then blinked again. “And you are…?”

Marinette set her cup down and turned to face him with a bright smile. “Right. Sorry. I’m Marinette!”

“Marinette.” He spoke her name slowly, like a question he didn’t know how to ask.

“Yup.” Glib under pressure was hard . Hopefully, Tim’s infamous sleep deprivation would smooth over this exchange in his memory. The trick was to keep as close to the truth as possible. “I'm Bruce's new…uh–well, I don't think all the paperwork has been handled yet. Um, anyway. I'm new.” 

A combination of surprise and resignation masked his face before he spoke. “Of course you are. Well, welcome to the family, I guess.” 

“Thanks.” She grinned at her new ‘brother’, and was gratified when he returned it with a tired smile. 

“I have to get back to work…”

“Right, sure.” She shrugged as nonchalantly as she could. “Once Alfred gets back from dropping Damian off at school, he's going to set me up with keys and stuff so I can move in next week. He shouldn't be too long.”

Tim straightened up quickly, “Well, hey. No need to wait around. I can do that much for you,” he offered. 

Marinette glanced at the time on her phone. As long as Tim was quick, she could still be out of the Manor before Alfred returned. “Really? I don't want to keep you from anything important.” 

He waved away her concerns. “No problem, won't take but a minute. It's not like I get a new sister everyday .” 

“Just every other day, huh?”

Tim snorted and nearly upset his coffee. “You're going to fit right in. I'll be right back with a key and the gate passcodes, okay?”

Marinette couldn't help but smile. Tim was nice. Maybe having a brother would be better than she'd imagined. 

While Tim slipped out to grab her a spare key, she added a few details to the calendar. She marked her own birthday, scrawled ‘Marinette's move-in day!’ across the next weekend (conveniently coinciding with Alfred’s three day vacation), and stuck a post it note with her name and new American Cell phone number to the refrigerator. 

Having Tim give her the keys and passcodes was so much more convenient than stealing them. She patted Tikki on the head, thankful for the luck. 

Marinette sighed as she looked around the room (more like a suite) that she'd picked out. With Kaalki 's help—and a lot of sugar cubes—she'd shoved all of her packed boxes through portals until her chosen room was in a state of disarray. 

Unpacking wasn't much more fun than packing. And there was something she'd been dying to try ever since she had scoped out the house for her room. The hallway outside her bedroom door was longer than her entire house back home. And it was so well polished that it gleamed. In between packing up the things she wanted to take to Gotham, she'd knitted cushy, thick soled socks out of her smoothest pink yarn, then, because why not, she had made more. One set in every color of the rainbow. She couldn't wait to slide down the length of the hall. 

Marinette worked quickly to move the vase of flowers and the delicate-looking table from the end of the hall, and into one of the other empty rooms. The last thing she wanted to do was destroy something before she was fully embedded into the family. She tried to keep from squealing as she slid from one of the hall to the other, but it was hard. She kept giggling and veering into the walls whenever her trajectory went wonky. She had finally managed to keep her path straight for nearly the entire length when she was forced to abort. 

A blond head appeared, followed by the rest of a woman clad in a plum-colored top. Marinette squawked and dropped to her butt rather indecorously, but managed to slide to a stop before knocking the woman back down the stairs.

“That was awesome. ” The woman’s eyes were alight with awe and Marinette smiled up at her.

“Thanks! Do you want to try? I have more socks.”

“Sure!” 

Marinette scrambled to her feet and slid-walked down the hall to her room. Whatever had been used to polish the floors made her socks even more frictionless with every step. The woman followed her into her room and gave it a very obvious once over.

“Unpacking?” 

“More like avoiding unpacking. What color do you want?”

“Do you have purple?”

“I have the whole rainbow, plus a black pair.”

“Fantastic! I'm Stephanie, by the way.” Marinette handed over the purple socks, and Stephanie made quick work of putting them on.

“I'm Marinette.”

“Based on the fact that you're moving in, I feel like that should mean something to me.” 

“Is communication around here always this… haphazard?” Marinette asked curiously. 

Stephanie giggled, then she snickered. It took mere seconds for her to dissolve into gales of laughter. Marinette couldn't do anything but chuckle along while she waited for Stephanie to recover. “Oh. Boy. You have no idea.”

After a few riotous slides up and down the hall, Stephanie insisted on helping her unpack. They parted as fast friends, Steph gleefully clutching her new purple slippy socks in her hands.

When she wasn’t keeping up with her studie, Marinette slowly explored the Manor that she  chose for her new home. It was a little unnerving in this phase. She needed to avoid running into too many people at once–after everyone was a little acquainted with her, the danger of failure would drop considerably. She was wearing Tikki's earrings in addition to the panjas bracelet for this phase, she wanted all the luck she could get. 

She slipped into the library and took a deep breath. There was something about the vanilla coded dust that made her feel both anticipatory and safe. It was quiet here, the thousands… maybe millions of pages absorbed her quiet footfalls as she padded along the thick rugs. She found a selection of books on art history, and even a couple on fashion. They were outdated, but the illustrations were gorgeous. There was a newer title on the history of fashion during the French revolution that looked interesting as well. Marinette settled into a low papasan chair with her choices and spent a few hours lost in their pages. 

“Who the fuck are you?”

Marinette jolted, nearly overturning the chair with her flailing. Her book slipped from her hand and flew across the room, eliciting a shriek when it hit the wall with a thud. 

Standing over her was a tall, exceptionally muscled man that she couldn't place. Whoever he was, she didn't have a plan for him. She grasped her heart, willing it to slow down to a more moderate pace. Panic kept her pulse racing and she felt tears prick at the corners of her eyes. 

She didn’t know the words for this one! “Uhhh…” 

“Woah. Hey. Sorry kid.” The giant stooped down to meet her eyes and held his hands out in surrender. “I didn't mean to scare you.”

She shook her head, trying to collect her wits. Lean into the truth. “I'm not scared. Just. Well. You startled me. I have an overactive panic reflex.” 

“Where are you from, kid? Your accent sounds French.”

“It is. I'm from Paris.”

“No shit.”

Marinette just nodded. She was out of her depth here. Now that the world knew about Hawkmoth, there was an equal chance she would be either shunned or pitied. She needed pity to keep her home. 

“I'm Jason.” Jason sat on the floor next to her chair and she relaxed a little, taking deep breaths to slow her breathing. Jason reached across the floor and snagged her book from where it had fallen. 

Marinette’s mind whirred with the new information. Bruce had adopted a kid called Jason years ago, but she thought he had died. But this Jason looked very much alive. 

“ Liberty Equality Fashion , huh?” He handed it to her and she nodded. 

She latched onto the lifeline. “The story is amazing. The way these women used fashion to fight back against misogyny is incredible. There were some amazing illustrations in these other ones, but this history is so compelling.” She glanced around the room in awe, “Your library has an impressive selection!”

“Huh. Maybe I'll read it when you're done with it. So where do I find you?” 

“Oh, uh. I'm Marinette. I live upstairs.”

Jason frowned for a second as he considered her. “Parisian, huh?”

She nodded. 

“Tragic backstory?”

Marinette shrugged. She had a better chance if he filled in the blanks on his own. 

His sigh was deep and long. “I hadn't heard B picked up a new one.”

If Marinette hadn't been counting on the terrible communication that seemed to rule the Waynes, she would have been really worried about it. “I didn't know you lived here.” 

Jason shuddered. “That's because I don't. I stop by though. Good library.”

Marinette nodded and smiled hesitantly. “I hope you don't mind my using it.”

“Nah. Read all you want, kid.”

Jason grabbed a book of his own, and instead of leaving, he found a seat not too far away and dove in. He and Marinette read for hours before Alfred stopped in to call them to dinner. “Master Jason, will you be joining us for supper this evening?”

He shook his head. “Not tonight, Alfie. You’ll have to make do with Marinette.”

“Very good.” Alfred nodded, studying Marinette carefully before he pivoted and left again.

Marinette stretched and stood, tucking her book under her arm to take with her. Jason guffawed when he joined her. 

She looked around but didn’t know why he was laughing. “What’s so funny?”

Jason held his hand above her head. “You’re so little! How old are you anyway, Tiny?”

“I’m not tiny. And I’m eighteen.” 

“Whatever you say, Pixie.”

Jason made a beeline for the door before they made it very far, and she ended up being the only person in the house for dinner that night. Damian was at a friend’s house for the weekend and Tim and Bruce were working late on something big she hadn’t bothered to learn about. She might be forging a spot for herself in this family, but she wasn’t into corporate espionage.

The dining room seemed ominous with so many empty chairs. She knew most of the Wayne adoptees were old enough to not need to be home for dinner on the regular, but that didn’t mean she had to sit here alone, right? “Hey, Alfred?”

“Yes, Miss Marinette?” 

“Could we eat in the kitchen? It feels too lonely in here.”

Alfred nodded once, gesturing for her to lead the way. “Of course, miss.”

She had hoped to wheedle her way into Alfred’s heart, but once he was sure she was settled, he disappeared with a cup of tea. Maybe the poor man just wanted a few moments of peace.

Marinette tapped her fingers against the polished banister. Tim and Steph were supposed to be going out for lunch with her, but so far, she was the only one by the door. Which, considering her aplomb for tardiness felt more than a little odd.

Tim had agreed because this place had the best coffee in Gotham, Stephanie was going because they had the best waffles, and she was hoping to sell Marinette on the many virtues of the breakfast squares. Marinette had plans to make crepes to show her how breakfast was supposed to be done.

The door swung open and Marinette bounced in excitement. “Steph!” But the person who walked through the door wasn’t the bubbly blond. Bruce Wayne stood in the door to his own home, faced with an unknown black-haired, blue-eyed child. 

“Hello…”

Marinette pulled herself together and redirected her focus from waffles and crepes to being winsomely delightful and a little lost. “Hey! You must be Monsieur Bruce.”

“That’s right.“ Bruce offered his hand and Marinette shook it with a smile. 

“Nice to meet you, I’m Marinette. I’m just waiting for Tim.”

Bruce nodded. “Ah. You know Tim.”

“Mmhmm.”

Apparently whatever had been keeping him too busy to notice a new person was living in his home didn’t have him in a hurry at the moment. “How did you meet?”

“Over a cup of coffee”

“Right.”

Marinette giggled. “It’s the only way to meet Tim, as far as I can tell. Even once you know him.”

Bruce chuckled, and Marinette repressed a sigh of relief. “Let me see if I can get him to hurry up.”

“Oh, I don’t mind waiting…” Marinette trailed off as Bruce took the steps two at a time. He was spry for a guy with half a dozen kids. His voice drifted down the stairs, “Tim! Marinette’s waiting for you.”

Tim appeared moments later, and Marinette waved her phone at him. “Steph is outside waiting for us, I’m surprised she hasn’t burst through the door yet.”

“Hold on to your hat, we’re going!”

Confusion washed over her. “Tim, I’m not wearing a hat…”

They walked out of the door to find Stephanie’s car and Alfred waiting for them, the car door open and ready.

Tim groaned, “It’s just an expression.”

Marinette wrinkled her nose, “What’s it mean?”

They climbed into the car and Marinette thanked Alfred before Tim answered her. “It means that you shouldn’t get worked up.”

She frowned. “I thought that was ‘hold your horses’.”

“No,” Tim shook his head, “That means ‘be patient’.”

“Americans are weird.”

Tim sighed. “Yeah. No arguments here.”

Marinette had gotten pretty comfortable around the Manor, but she hadn’t met all of Bruce’s family yet, so she didn’t quite feel like she was one of them. She had quickly discovered that while most of the family was prohibited from cooking in the kitchen, it was a good place to run into someone. 

Today she was sitting at the island trying cold cereal. It was… a lot different than a French breakfast. She was used to grabbing a cup of coffee and a croissant or bit of buttered baguette unless Maman made egg cups. The milk she’d added to the cereal seemed to make the abrasively crunchy boxed food soggy instead of simply softening it up. Maybe she could make something to contribute to the breakfast options. 

A tall, dark-haired man walked into the room and poured a huge bowl of the crunchy cereal before looking her way. When she saw his face she recognised Dick Grayson. The oldest of Bruce’s adopted kids, he lived in Bludhaven now. 

“Hey! Marinette, right? Tim mentioned you. Another cereal fan, I see!”

She shook her head, shoving what was left in her bowl away from her and pulling her coffee closer. No way. She’d rather wait for lunch. 

Dick pouted. “Awww, not a fan?”

Marinette giggled at his antics. “I grew up in Paris. Right above the best bakery in the city.”

“Wayne manor not living up to your expectations then?”

Marinette shook her head again. “Everyone has been very nice. It’s only breakfast that leaves something to be desired. But don’t tell Alfred! He already works so hard, I don’t want him thinking he has to do something more when Damian is the only other person to consistently eat breakfast here.”

Dick nodded understandingly. “You know your needs matter too, right?”

Marinette rolled her eyes. Dick was definitely a big brother. “I know, but they don’t matter more than anyone else's. And I am perfectly capable of preparing my own breakfast if I want something special. I just need to make sure I won’t be in Alfred’s way first.”

“Just ask him when he doesn't need the ovens. I think he’ll like the idea of someone who understands how a kitchen works.”

Marinette tipped her head in confusion. “Nobody else cooks?”

Dick finished off his cereal and dumped both bowls into the sink. “To be fair, things tend to go badly when most of us try–so not only do we not cook, we aren’t allowed to.”

Marinette felt shocked. Both of her parents were excellent cooks. Dick lived on his own! “Aren’t you like thirty? How do you survive?”

“Hey! Twenty-eight is loads younger than thirty! Bludhaven has excellent take-out and whenever I need a home-cooked meal, there is more than enough room around Bruce’s table.”

Marinette entered the kitchen cautiously. It was largely Alfred's domain, and she didn't want to step on his toes, but she didn't want to give up baking either. It might not be her true calling, but it was a part of who she was. Taking a look at Alfred's posted menu plan, she deduced that he wouldn't need the kitchen for several hours. 

She was carefully folding her layers of dough and rolling it out with a cool marble rolling pin when Alfred appeared. 

He raised an eyebrow at her workstation. “Did you need something, Miss Marinette?”

“No. I just wanted to do some baking. I hope I'm not in your way.” 

“Not at all. Would it be presumptuous of me to ask if you have much experience in the kitchen?”

Marinette laughed. She'd heard a couple of stories by now, and knew that a majority of the household was barred from using anything in the room that had the capability of heating. If Stephanie wasn't exaggerating, one of them wasn't even allowed to use the microwave.

“I grew up in a bakery. Helping both my parents from time to time. But if you wish to supervise, I won't complain. I was just about to preheat the oven.”

Alfred walked to the oven and switched it on.  It took them a moment to agree on the temperature—Marinette had already mentally adjusted for an American oven and didn't realize quite fast enough that Alfred was also accustomed to the metric system. 

He helped prepare pans with parchment paper while she sliced and rolled the dough into perfect crescents. 

While the rolls baked, Marinette got the feeling that Alfred knew more than he let on…about a lot of things. She also understood that he knew she knew. 

A few minutes before the timer went off, he cleared his throat. “I believe you are a good fit for this family, Miss.”

She smiled warmly. “Thank you. That means a great deal to me. I wasn't sure how well I would be received, and it's a relief to feel like I belong.”

They both enjoyed a fresh, warm croissant before putting the rest away. The taste of home was nice. Before she left the kitchen, they had a standing weekly baking date. Neither of them acknowledged the other was hiding something. 

Marinette took a swig of water after finishing her workout. The gym was very well thought out, and filled with every possible form of training equipment. Both Kagami and Adrien had tried to teach her how to fence when she was younger, so she picked up a foil and tried to move through some of the positions she had learned years ago. With a little luck she could find common ground with Damian, who she hadn’t yet spent much time with, as he was often in school or spending time with his friends in Metropolis. He was reportedly the prickliest of the bunch and might not accept her at all. 

She was on her second run-through of the eight basic positions when she felt a prickling sensation at the back of her neck. Someone was watching her. Whirling, she lifted her foil in a defensive stance, only to drop it again when she saw Damian staring at her with a scowl.

“Tt, at least you are aware of your surroundings.”

“Thanks?”

Damian frowned, “Does Father know you are here?”

“He should.”  It was the truth, but she wasn’t being entirely honest. The man really should know that a Parisian had moved into his home and essentially kidnapped his family. They’d met, so he should know that it’s possible she was around. 

Damian didn’t respond, still eyeing her foil. “Your form is terrible. Who taught you this? YouTube? If you are to be a part of this family…then I suppose I will have to teach you.”

Marinette smiled at the unexpected offer. “You would be willing to do that?”

“Tt. Only because the honor of the family depends on it.”

So maybe they wouldn’t be friends. But she would take it. And fencing would be a useful skill regardless. A hero never knew what would be needed while prowling the city in an attempt to purify it or evil. She probably should have tried harder in college to learn.

“Thank you.”

“Tt. Thank me once you have succeeded.”

Or maybe he was just looking for a way to kill her. Either way, he was recognizing her position in the house, she could work with that.

Jagged Stone’s new single blared from the speaker, and Marinette sprang into action, dancing with wild abandon, simply enjoying the familiar sound of her favorite musician and friend. 

Soon enough, she wasn’t the only one. Stephanie and the elusive Cass joined her, but Cass didn’t dance like a wild teenager. Her movements were graceful and full of poise that took Marinette’s breath away. She snatched up her sketchbook and filled a page with flowing movements that she could work into dress designs later. Something about the fluidity of Cass’s form and the sharpness of her eyes inspired her. She was like music, or water, or–

Cass had come to a stop and was watching every pencil stroke. Marinette fidgeted, suddenly sorry about stopping the dance party. “Sorry, you were so beautiful and inspiring, I–”

Stephanie placed a hand on her shoulder. “Don’t worry about it. Cass doesn't mind, do you, Cass?”

Cass shook her head and pointed at the lines and designs. “Pretty. You see like an artist.”

Marinette flushed at the praise. “You’re inspiring. You dance like you were born to it.”

Cass didn’t blush, but her eyes shimmered at the compliment. “Good to have a new sister.”

Marinette nodded and Steph threw her arms around both of them. “Heck yes, it is!”

The gym door slammed open and Marinette spun to face the noise, leaving an opening for Damian to land a hit to her chest. “Tt. This is why I will not permit you to use a sabre. You must focus! You will never make Father proud if you let every little distraction open you up for an attack.”

She ignored him and focused on the newcomers. Both men were tall. Blue eyes and black hair, but neither of them were in the Wayne profile. One of them was a little shorter and lankier–he looked to be Damian’s age. 

She leaned toward Damian, pulling off her mask and pushing his foil aside to whisper to him. “Did Monsieur B adopt more kids?”

The younger one started laughing and the other grinned and winked. 

“Tt. Certainly not. These interlopers are Jonathan and Conner Kent.”

“Ooooh, first names. Someone’s in a good mood today”, the taller of the two said. He walked up, skirting the gym equipment with ease, and held out a hand. “Conner. Or Kon, if you like.” 

She smiled in return. “I’m Marinette.”

“Tt. Don’t be ridiculous, Kent. I could hardly introduce you both by the same name.”

Damian scowled when Kon pressed a kiss to her hand instead of shaking it as she presumed he intended to. “It’s lovely to meet you, Marinette.” Damian shoved him, but he remained unmoved, barely glancing at her little brother. “Don’t you and Jon have plans? You can run along, I’ll keep your sister company.”

Marinette had never been so thankful for her fencing whites. The high-necked armor obscured the blush she could feel creeping up her neck and chest. She had heard the Kents mentioned of course, Damian spent a lot of time with them. No one had mentioned that Jon Kent had a brother who was closer to her age than Damian’s. No one had said that Conner Kent was charming and more than a little good-looking.

Damian scoffed but wiped down his equipment and returned everything to its rightful place. “Marinette can keep her own company. If you must be here, go find Drake.”

Jonathan was still laughing when he followed Damian out the door. “If you don’t mind waiting for me to clean up, I can help you find Tim.” Marinette offered, smiling up at Kon.

“Sure. I’d love that. I can take care of your equipment for you if you want.”

This time the blush made its way past her neck and she was sure he’d notice. “Th-thanks!” She handed him her foil and mask and bolted through the changing room door to freshen up. 

She took several deep breaths to calm her racing heart. Kon was hot and charming, but she wasn't in Gotham to stay…though neither Tikki or Roaar was sure how long she'd be here. It could be months or years before she was finished. Maybe it would be good to put down a few more roots here after all. 

Once her hair was brushed and back into a low ponytail and she had fresh (hopefully cute) clothes, Marinette peeked back through the door where she half expected to find herself alone. But true to his word, Kon was leaning against the wall with a patient smile, and a quick scan of the room showed that her equipment was in place.

She smiled at him. “So… I vote we check near the coffee first.”

Kon nodded. “Looks like Tim isn't the only detective in the family.” When Kon took her hand, she didn't pull away or tease him for being too charming, it was nice that he was upfront about his interest, and it wasn’t like she minded. 

In the end it took more than knowing Tim's favorite hangouts to locate him. For a while, it seemed like he was either avoiding them or that he had vanished. Alfred finally mentioned that he'd been called into the office sometime during the morning. 

Marinette turned to Kon with a shrug. “Guess you're stuck with me then.” 

“Looks that way. So what does Marinette do for fun?”

“I usually sketch, play video games, or do a little hallway sliding. Unless I'm exploring the city.”

Kon's eyebrows raised incredulously. “Explore Gotham? Who do you usually rope into that?”

Marinette rolled her eyes. Everyone around here was so paranoid, but they didn't ever follow the same rules! Only Damian was driven to school by Alfred and he was three years younger than her! And it wasn't because she was a girl…Cass and Stephanie came and went as they pleased. She was an adult for goodness sake!

“I do most of my exploring when everyone else is busy.”

She couldn't read the expression that crossed his face, but whatever it was disappeared pretty quickly, replaced by a flirty grin. “Mind if I tag along?”

“That depends on how you feel about fabric shopping.”

Conner ended up being a good shopping date. He offered to carry any bolts of fabric she was interested in, and instead of getting bored, he started finding more and more outlandish material to show her. “What do you think of this for Dick? I bet he’d wear anything you made for him–in the name of sibling bonding–and not even he could pick up a girl in this.”

The material was hideous…even considering some of the more outlandish things she’d seen her new oldest brother wearing. But a challenge had just been issued, and Marinette had never failed to rise to a challenge. “You don’t think I can make it work?”

Conner shook his head. “No one could make this look good. How did it even get put into production?”

“I’m not saying it will be easy, and I would never have chosen it…but now I have to get him to wear it for his next date.” She stepped close to Kon, shoving the material to the side and looking up at him with laughing eyes. “And you’re going to help me.”

Conner grinned. “Whatever you want, Marinette.” 

Black stripes wrapped around her white and blue bodysuit as Malta surveyed the city. Sturdy boots absorbed the impact of long jumps and a long french ponytail mirrored her tail. The bolas hung loose around her waist–she wasn’t here to fight. Not people anyway. She was fighting darkness and depression that was so ingrained in the very steel and stone of the city that only the magic of Elation could do anything about it. All she had to do was spend time here and use her power. Of course that was part of the problem. The first time she had tried using Clout–punching into the earth at an abandoned lot in the suburbs, the ground had rippled out and thrown dirt and sand everywhere. Clout was too strong to use in most situations, so she was trying to find a way to channel the elation energy into something a little gentler. Roarr had suggested using a different word that had a similar impact but a slightly different meaning. 

She dropped down into a school playground and approached a large tree. “Sway!” Pressing her hand into the bark, Marinette willed the joy of elation to find a home in the branches and roots. Instead of blasting the tree back, the whole thing swayed and swelled until it was almost twice its size, the roots grew out, causing some of the other play equipment to lean off-center. Oops.

Malta took a breath and focused her attention on how the playground felt. The darkness wasn’t as thick, elation now had roots in Gotham. She smiled. Trees and plants were everywhere. Tiny roots ran under even most paved roads and worked their way into sewers. She would start with large trees in parks and green spaces, but hopefully, the grasses and sidewalk weeds would help her in her mission as well. 

On her way back to the Manor, Malta froze in the shadow of a building. Batman was watching her with a scowl. It didn’t take long to spot the lithe figures of his counterparts moving in her direction so she slipped quickly across a building and dove between it and the next skyscraper over. It was easy work to slip Kaalki’s glasses on and fall through a portal to land safely in the Manor with no one the wiser. 

It wasn't as if she never thought she’d be noticed, but she had hoped to accomplish a little more before having to find a way to explain herself to the local heroes.

Marinette was curled up on the sofa waiting for Dick. Dick's enthusiasm for movie nights was only rivaled by her papa’s excitement for video games. She was looking forward to the experience—it was equal parts homey and bittersweet. With her parents thinking she was off at University, it was hard to visit home without raising their suspicions. She didn’t have uni stories to share after all, and bald-faced lying wasn’t something she liked to do, especially to her parents. 

“Hey, kiddo.” 

Marinette looked up from the remote control to see Bruce Wayne leaning against the door frame. He looked…soft, somehow.

She smiled softly in return. “Hey, Monsieur B.”

This was the first time she had encountered Bruce on her own since their first meeting without the shield of one of the kids. This would likely make or break her position in the house. 

Bruce shook his head, and she realized she had picked up the endearment from the other kids. “You're like Steph, aren't you?”

Seek clarification, before confirmation. Marinette pulled her legs into her chest, “What do you mean?”

Bruce stepped into the room and dropped onto the sofa. 

“It means you're one of mine, but not. An honorary Wayne.”

She smiled ruefully and shrugged. “I guess I am. Is that okay?” 

He leaned over and ruffled her hair, just like her papa used to when she was younger. “It's fine by me. Anything you need, just let me know, alright?”

“Okay,” Marinette hesitated and Bruce started to stand, “Dick's bringing popcorn. You want to join us?”

Bruce grinned and sat back down. “Sure, kiddo. I'd like that.”

By the end of the movie, more than half the family had joined them. Lacking the space of the home theater, Steph had simply plopped on Marinette’s lap, causing her to squeak. 

“Hey! Don't squash your sister!” Bruce's voice startled everyone, but Stephanie just squirmed and wiggled herself in between Mari and Dick.

“Sorry, little sis.”

“I'm fine.”

Marinette relaxed with a smile. She had a family! With sisters and brothers! Reality suddenly reared…It wasn’t really her family, but still. She was in. 

She looked around at the family she'd infiltrated and stolen. Popcorn riddled the floor, Jason kept elbowing Tim, and Stephanie's head was leaning against hers in sisterly camaraderie. 

She couldn't believe how lucky she was. She could fulfill her Guardian duties and help Gotham, which would help the Waynes. Everything was going according to plan.

For the first time since it all began, she realized that to them, she was already family. Her heart clenched in her chest. She hated that it was a lie because she liked being part of it.

Chapter Text

Malta stared at the would-be mugger tangled in her bolas. She had already made sure that the young woman he'd been targeting had made it to safety, but now she didn't know what to do with the perpetrator. 

Her goal had been to help those in need while spreading a little elation through the city. She hadn't really thought about what to do with bad guys. Most of her time had been spent keeping an eye out for lone travelers while ‘swaying’ the trees to spread Elation throughout the city. Once she'd helped someone pick up an overturned bag of groceries, this was her first bad guy. She wasn't authorized to arrest anyone. But if she let him go…

She sighed and gave the end of the bolas a quick tug and flick, releasing him in a heap. In seconds her tail was flicking behind her while she waited for the mugger to get to his feet. 

Malta stood tall, poised on a ledge of the building to keep the mugger from realizing how small she was. “You are free to return home tonight, but you should know that the innocents in this city are protected. Go! Choose a more honest way of earning money–I’ll be watching.”

She watched, standing with her arms crossed as he nodded, cursing as he ran from her. There was no way she was as intimidating as the bats or the birds, but hopefully, he’d follow her advice anyway.

It took only seconds to make her way to the rooftops again. The prickling sensation that she had learned to trust crawled its way up her neck and Malta swiveled to face the inky shadow that appeared within a few feet from her. Black Bat . It was unnerving. All of her intel on the Gotham Bats detailed this particular vigilante to be skilled beyond measure. The woman next to her was nearly as small as she was. She appeared to be fluid even in her stillness and Malta had no idea what to do. 

Ingratiating herself into the Wayne family was one thing. Making nice to the local vigilantes was something else entirely. 

Not knowing what else to do, she raised her arm and waved at the black-clad hero. It was a friendly gesture, and probably looked ridiculous.

Black Bat’s eyes crinkled into a smile, and Malta relaxed, just a little. 

She wrapped her bolas around her waist, sending the message that she was standing down. “Can I ask you a question?” 

Black Bat nodded, and Malta plowed on. “Okay, so, mostly I just want to help people. I'm not looking for villains. But when helping people means detaining someone who tried to hurt someone… what do I do with them?”

Black Bat smiled and motioned for her to follow, so she did. A block or two later they were leaping to the ground where they made quick work of a group of men herding a few scared young ladies into an alley. Between her bolas and Black Bat’s collection of zip ties, they were soon immobilized. 

“Wait.” 

Malta stopped in place, that was the first word she'd heard from the stealthy vigilante. She nodded her agreement and watched as the woman escorted the ladies to safety. It only took seconds before she felt awkward just watching the guys they had tied up. Using her bolas as a grapple, she swung to a window ledge so she could keep watch while staying mostly out of sight. 

When Black Bat reappeared, she dropped down to join her. 

The hero pulled a small dark circle from her belt and pressed it. The device started blinking and she pressed it to the back of one of the men’s jackets where it stuck fast.

“Listen.”

Malta canted her head and heard the distant wail of sirens fast approaching. Black Bat grinned and grappled smoothly to the roof above them. Malta followed her and they watched as a police car stopped at the alley entrance and officers loaded the men into the car. 

Malta turned to her new friend, “Where…?”

Black Bat offered her a handful of the black devices, Malta thanked her and slipped them into the pocket of her jacket. She wasn't ready to explain the quantum pocket in her bolas by putting them away there. 

“Sister. Stay safe.” Black Bat patted her shoulder, smiled,  and melted back into the shadows.

Sister? Marinette let the word run through her mind as she covered as much ground as possible, stopping to spread Roaar’s Elation through the city with a few choice trees. It was too easy to consider that Black Bat had meant it literally. That she believed they were truly sisters. But that would mean she knew who Malta was, and had given away her own identity. But how could anyone see through the miraculous magic that easily?

If it was one of her new sisters, it could only be Cass. Cass who spoke so rarely and seemed to always know what you were thinking just by looking at you. 

But if Cass was Black Bat, what did that mean for the rest of her new family? Could the totally unaware Wayne family have something to do with the Bat brood?

She had been living with her forged family for almost two months before all the Waynes managed to make it to dinner at the same time. Even Jay was there, and while there was a little tension in the room most of them were simply catching up. Eventually Bruce turned to her, asking questions most family members would already have known the answers to if they were anyone but the oblivious Waynes. “So, Marinette. What are you studying right now? Is Gotham U treating you well?”

Marinette shrugged awkwardly. It wouldn’t be hard to find out she was not enrolled at the local university, so once again, she kept as close to the truth as possible. “Well, you see, other than a few online courses, I’m taking something of a gap year. I know that it’s not common to do that in the States, but since the US has cracked down on French immigrants since Hawkmoth fell, it’s been hard to get accepted anywhere in the States. I’m hoping the paranoia will die down and I’ll be more welcome next year. In the meantime, I’m focusing on my art and building my portfolio.”

The look on Bruce’s face became steely and she suddenly felt nervous. Maybe he was a stickler for higher education? She hadn’t seen anything like that in her research. “You’re being persecuted because of where you were raised?”

She shrugged, relaxing slightly, since he wasn’t mad at her , and nodded. “It’s not just here. It’s everywhere. Even with Hawkmoth gone, some people think that Parisians will suddenly shift into their akumatized form and wreak havoc or something. It’s all nonsense of course! And I was never even akumatized!”

Everyone was staring at her. It was Tim who broke the silence. “You were never akumatized?”

She shook her head, then tilted it adorably. “Sir, does this look like the face of a bat that would lie to you?”

“What?!” No less than three people reacted rather strongly to her quote and she glanced in shock at Cassandra. Was it true? Was her forged family the bat family? Why else would a movie quote elicit such a strong reaction?

She wrinkled her brow in confusion, testing the waters. “It’s a quote! The little bat, Bartoq, from the movie Anastasia ? Did I get the translation wrong?”

Uneasy laughter rippled through the room and Marinette scrambled to make sense of what she had just discovered. 

Dick laughed, dispelling some of the tension. “I love that little bat! We should watch it for our next movie night.”

Marinette breathed a sigh of relief when everyone took another bite of their dinner, but then Bruce’s head snapped back up. “Don’t worry about school, Marinette. We’ll get you taken care of.” He turned to Tim. “Find out what W.E. can do to inspire other universities around the world to reconsider their stance on French and Parisian students.”

Tim nodded and Marinette felt a little lighter. Maybe she could help Gotham and her friends and family back home at the same time.

Kon took her on a real date a few days later. Running around dressed as a super-powered blue tiger didn’t count, so other than waffles and coffee with Tim and Stephanie, it was her first time going out in America socially.  It wasn’t lost on her that he took her outside of Gotham’s city limits. He had been somewhat uneasy during their shopping trip, and it wasn’t like she didn’t hear the news. She knew about the rogues and villains that threatened the city–they were the symptoms of why she was here after all. 

They were at some kind of upscale burger restaurant when she brought the topic of his unease up. “So you don’t like hanging out in Gotham?”

Conner shook his head. “I mean, Gotham’s a mess…but it isn’t the city itself, so much as you living with the Waynes that makes it dangerous to you specifically. I don’t know if your existence is public knowledge yet, but it’s only a matter of time before you end up targeted like the rest of them, and I for one would like to keep that at bay for as long as possible.” 

She’d seen articles about the frequent attempted kidnappings, so Conner’s concern was actually kind of sweet, in an overprotective way. “I guess I can appreciate that. I would like to learn how to function in the city I live in, though.”

Conner nodded. “That’s fair. So… any chance I can take you on a second date? I can try to find something decent in Gotham if that’s what you want.”

“Why?”

Conner looked lost. “Why what?”

She shrugged. “Why do you want to date me? We barely know each other–”

Conner laughed and the sound rippled through her belly pleasantly. “Look. You’re hot. Like, gorgeous . You don’t let Damian Wayne get under your skin, even while he’s being an annoying twit, and you’re already subjected to the insanity of Tim’s family, and that’s important because he’s my best friend, so honestly, you’re perfect. I know I came on kind of fast, but I liked what I saw, and I didn’t want to miss my chance. Shopping with you was a blast–you’re funny and you don’t back down from a challenge. Anyone willing to troll Dick with a custom-made shirt is someone I want on my side. Look, I like you. If you aren't interested, it’s fine–”

She squeaked. She was totally interested. He’d been charming and funny and helpful and sweet, and his honest interest in her was refreshing. “I’m interested.” She blurted out with a blush, turning her head away when he grinned, but he caught her chin with a wink and leaned close enough to kiss her. 

“Then we’re on the same page.” When he pulled away without kissing her, she almost whimpered. He was too smooth. It was only a matter of time before he realized what a klutz she was and found someone better. But until then, well…He was handsome and sweet and totally into her. 

Her fencing lessons were going well if Damian’s lack of criticism was anything to go by. If anything, he seemed more annoyed with Kon for arriving with Jon every week than with her slow-growing skills. Damian attempted to shove him out of the way every time he passed him, but Conner seemed to be completely immovable, which considering what she suspected about her youngest brother was fairly impressive. 

True to his word, Conner found good date spots in Gotham. He listened to her ideas–more from internet research than anything else–and they explored new places together. There were one or two places he vetoed the moment he heard the address and she accepted his verdict each time. Malta, on the other hand, made sure to stop by and Sway nearby plants into carrying elation into the soil beneath the more troubled parts of the city. 

They managed to break Tim one afternoon. Kon had shown up out of the blue, and Tim found him before he found her. She was in her room when she got a text from her new boyfriend. 

Kon: Help. I came to flirt with my girlfriend but my best friend lives with her and doesn’t know it's not his turn.

Mari: Does he even know we’re dating?

Kon: ? 

Marinette: I haven’t mentioned it. Damian knows. I didn’t think I needed to announce it.

Kon: Crap. Please come save me.

Marinette laughed and grabbed her coat before traipsing down the stairs. She popped up between the boys at the bottom of the stairs, grabbed Kon’s hand and grinned at Tim. “Sorry, big brother, it’s my turn tonight.” She tugged him out the door for an impromptu date–the strangled sound coming from Tim would live in her memory forever. Having brothers was fun! 

Kon laughed once the door swung shut, but he glanced back at the manor suddenly and shuddered lightly. “I’ll have to remember not to offend any of the guys who call you sister.”

For all of his flirting, Conner was respectful of her person, almost to the point of frustration. It was as if he could hear the frantic beating of her heart every time he got close and was determined to drive her crazy. Unfortunately, it was working. They were out at a dance club when she couldn’t take it anymore. She had finished Dick’s shirt, and he had been so excited that his little sister had made him something that he had agreed to wear it out…in part because Kon had goaded him into it. Marinette knew Conner only wanted to see Dick flirt and fail, but he really had underestimated her skills. While the fabric had been hideous with its odd pattern of red, green, and gold, Marinette had paired it with a perfectly matched solid green material in a Cabana style shirt that helped tone down the chaos without hiding the material itself. Dick loved it, and while she stood behind her design, she was relatively sure that it was his confidence more than his clothes that were responsible for all the dances he’d gotten that night. 

Conner was grumbling about Dick’s success while they danced. “I guess I have to concede that your skills far outweigh even the worst material created by man.”

She beamed at him. Her night was going great. All the kids old enough to be at the club were there, plus Conner’s arms had been around her all night long while they danced. “So what do I get for winning?”

Kon pulled her close, angling them away from the rest of the busy club and whispered in her ear. “What do you want?”

Her heart picked up, and instead of letting him pull teasingly away, she yanked his mouth to hers and kissed him right on the edge of the dancefloor–in full view of the majority of her new family. She almost panicked and pulled back, but apparently all Kon had been waiting for was her. He gripped her hip and held her head gently, angling her in such a way that he could deepen the kiss smoothly, moving from first kiss to makeout almost seamlessly. Marinette’s heart thundered in her chest and she held him as tightly as she could. She didn’t know if she was in love just yet, but whatever this was, it was way past like. 

Marinette glanced up from her sketchbook when the front door flew open with a bang. “B! We gotta situation—” Jay froze and locked eyes with her over her sketchbook. “Oh, Hey Pixie! Listen. I have a couple of books for you I found at the library. I’ll bring them by soon. I gotta borrow Bruce for a second.” He clapped his hands on Bruce’s shoulders and led him out of the room. Marinette shook her head and got back to working on her design. Well, at least they talked sometimes. She glanced at their retreating backs before they vanished down the hall. Hopefully, everything was okay.

Malta paid extra attention that night as she worked her way along the docks. There were enough plants by the water for her to imbue with elation that it was a good place for her to work, but there were functional as well as abandoned warehouses in the area and the whole place was creepy. Just as she was getting ready to leave, she heard a shout followed by a series of shots. She swung to the top of the nearest building and peered into an overhead window where she saw Batman and Red Hood facing off with a small army of strange-looking robots. Or, no. They were animals of some kind wearing hats. Rats? Cat? Dogs? They were all different.  A shot from Hood went wild and she pulled back from the window–but not quickly enough. The bullet dinged uselessly against her suit and she ducked quickly behind a defunct-looking air conditioning unit, thankful for the miraculous protection.

Taking a moment to recharge Roaar, she made a quick plan. Clout could pack a punch like a shockwave if she centered it right. The trick would be to make it into the location, deal the blow, and get back out without drawing too much attention to herself.

Once her stripes were back in place she took another look through the window. Batman and Hood had split up, each of them taking a side and pushing the hatted strays towards the center of the room. It set everything up nicely for her attack, so she found a broken window and swung into the building, landing on a beam directly above where she needed to be. She waited until the mass of animals was pressed closely together and dropped down, dealing clout with a shout that sent a concrete shockwave through their ranks. The mind-controlled animals blew backward into the far wall, many of them losing their hats in the process. Some lay still where they hit the wall, while others whined and limped away without the hats. 

Quickly, she sprang back out and looked around for the missing piece of the puzzle. The hats were controlling the animals which meant that—There! A man in a large top hat was running from the building. “Roaar! Sync me into those bat comms!” Malta shouted while running for the Hatter. She swung her bolas around his ankles and he dropped like a stone. She heard a crackling sound and spoke, hoping that Roaar had found a way to get her through to the Bats on the premises. “Evacuate the building. Hatter is outside and making a run for it.”

Malta didn’t stick around. This was not her fight, but she was pretty sure that was her family. She slapped a bat-tag on the Hatter, and left him tangled in her bolas before slipping down a narrow alley. She glanced back just in time to see a both Hood and Batman bolt out of the building before a series of micro-explosions sent the building crumpling to the ground. With a sigh of relief she slipped Kaalki’s glasses on and opened a portal to her room. She waited until her transformation dropped on its own to give the police or the bats enough time to grab the hatter before her bolas vanished from around his ankles. She handed Roaar a peeled orange before hugging him. “Thanks Roaar.”

“No problem, Marinette!”

Most of the time Malta went out, she slipped quietly through the shadows, administering elation at more and more points of the city until she could feel a web of joy as the affected roots began intersecting under the city. She did stop a few small instances–potential muggings, small robberies and the like–using the bat-tags that Black Bat had given her. It felt good to help the city. Not just passively, but actively stopping bad people from hurting the innocent. Black Bat started showing up to meet her. They would work together, usually quietly, but occasionally swapping a few words. Other than calling her ‘sister’ Black Bat never gave any other indication that she was Cass, but Marinette didn’t harbor any doubts about who the quiet vigilante was. Whenever she ran out of bat-tags, Black Bat gave her a fresh handful.

Malta treasured the nights she had a partner to run with. After the superhero team made up of her friends in Paris, taking care of Gotham sometimes felt lonely. There had been a couple of times when she had followed Black Bat around, helping her with some of the more insidious rogues. The darkness in Gotham was so much more pervasive than most of what Hawkmoth had dealt out, but her forays with Cass helped her pinpoint the places that still needed her help, and she was glad for the roadmap. 

The quiet new hero wasn’t as well known as Batman or the fleet of Robins, but eventually there was chatter about a sleek, striped vigilante that helped the common man and woman. Stopping muggers and assisting the elderly with overly large shopping bags. It was said that she filled in the gaps and helped the Bats. That she was kind, and that her kindness seemed to be rubbing off wherever she helped. Kids said that Malta was a tiger who made playgrounds safe again, and parents said that she was a hero who brought empathy back.

Marinette’s training with Damian had gone particularly well lately. He had finally decided she was improving enough to use the heavier training sabre and she was in a good mood when Kon arrived. They didn’t have any specific plans, so he had followed her up to her room to chat while she worked on a new project. Gotham University had been persuaded to take her, but she needed an application portfolio to apply for the fashion program she wanted. 

Kon was watching her while she pinned fabric around a mannequin. “So how did you end up getting adopted by Bruce?”

She took a deep breath, she hated adjusting the truth. “It’s well. It’s complicated. I haven’t really been adopted. I’m an adult. It’s more like… asylum. I needed a safe place to stay after Paris, and I was able to make a home here.” She smiled at him, shaking her head in wonder, “I never expected it to be like this. I didn’t have brothers or sisters growing up. It’s been so much better than I ever expected.”

Kon was quiet, but he seemed more thoughtful than anything. “Do you miss your family?”

She nodded. “Yeah. We were really close. We played video games and baked together. It’s hard not seeing them all the time.”

Kon tugged her away from the mannequin and set her pins aside. “For what it's worth, I’m glad you ended up here.”

Marinette didn’t mind the distraction…in fact, she rather enjoyed it. Kon was something else when he kissed her. It was like she could feel him everywhere. Carefully draping the material over her partially finished work, she gave in and leaned into her boyfriend. “Me too.” 

Kissing Kon might have been worth all of it, regardless of Gotham, or the Miraculous, or even her forged family. She sighed into him and let him pull her into his lap where she forgot about everything else for a while.

Marinette groaned at the knock at her door. She didn’t really feel like seeing anyone at the moment. Dragging herself out of bed, she opened it to find a grinning Stephanie. 

She mustered up a small smile. “Hey.”

“Hi!” Steph bounced on her toes, pulling Cass into view. “You have a date tonight, right? Want help getting ready? Please let us help you get ready! We haven’t done anything girly in ages .”

Marinette hated turning them down, but she shook her head. “I’m going to cancel. I don’t feel up to a date today.” She was achy all over and her back was killing her–not to mention the cramps. There was no way she could manage to feel cute enough for a date when she felt miserable and gross. 

“Did Conner do something to upset you?” Stephanie’s eyes flashed. “‘Cause Cass and I will kick his butt for you!” Behind her, Cass nodded seriously and Marinette had a horrible feeling that if anyone could kick Conner’s ass, the two of them could. 

“What?! No! Nothing like that. I just don’t feel good.” Marinette pulled a blanket closer around her shoulders and stepped back, but Steph wasn’t deterred. She pressed a hand to her forehead with a sympathetic frown. 

“It doesn't feel like you have a fever. Does your stomach hurt? Should we call a doctor?”

Marinette shook her head. “No–It’s just.” People didn’t talk about this at home! Maman would make her tea and she’d deal as best she could. She lowered her voice to a whisper. “The English have landed.”

Puzzled faces stared back at her until Cass let out a breath and whispered with an understanding nod. “The bloodletting.”

Stephanie caught on quickly. “Ooooooh! Shark week! Leave it to us! I know where Alfred keeps the chocolate. Cass will grab the heating pad and ibuprofen. Once we’re comfy–you can explain that whole thing about the English landing.”

Both girls vanished, leaving Marinette alone once again. Huh. Sisters were pretty great. In no time at all, all three of them were snacking on chocolate while making fun of daytime television. Stephanie cackled about Napoleon and the redcoats every time an ad for feminine hygiene products came on, and Marinette almost regretted explaining the euphemism. Apparently talking about such things wasn’t as taboo here as it was in France, though the girls had indicated that their brothers did not have the emotional maturity to handle the information as well as they had. 

When the girls eventually went their separate ways, Marinette tried to text Conner to reschedule their date. Unfortunately, she must have waited too long, because he arrived at the front door only minutes after her text was sent–still hours early for their date. His hair looked windswept and he was way too good-looking to see her like this. “I’m sorry, I thought I had enough time to save you the trip.”

He shook his head. “I can go if you don’t want me around. Sorry, you're not feeling well. But–maybe I could help? Hold your hair back or something?.” He shrugged, looking adorably eager to please. She was still a little amazed that he liked her– and here he was already going overboard trying to be the best boyfriend ever!

“I–it’s not...” She froze. Mentioning it to the girls was one thing, but Conner? No way. He took her hand and squeezed it gently.

“Tell me how I can help?” The comforting pressure of his hand seemed to fill her whole body for a second and his eyes widened. “Oh.” He blushed, and Marinette wondered what had gotten into him. “Um… can I tell you something? It’s not something most people know. I mean—the rest of the Waynes do—but I don’t want to freak you out.”

Marinette nodded toward the sofa, where she pulled her blanket tighter around herself while Conner sat, fidgeting with his hands for a second before speaking.

“It’s just that…when I was… little…uh. A scientist did some experiments on me. Tried to make me special. Different.” Worry washed over her. Was he okay? Was he safe now? He took her hand again and the warmth of it soothed her. “It didn’t work out quite like they wanted it to. But I can do this.”

The warmth from his hand seeped through her body until every ache and cramp eased and she felt better than she ever had before. The pressure at the base of her neck disappeared too, leaving her completely pain-free.

She stared up at him. “How did you do that?”

Kon’s expression was somewhere between bashful and proud. He was clearly fond of his ability even if he wasn’t sure how she would react to it. “I call it TTK. Tactile Telekinesis. As long as I’m touching something, I can manipulate it. In your case, simply soothing any aches and relieving pressure by making minor adjustments to your muscles.” 

Marinette tightened her grip on his hand. “That was amazing! How were you single? A guy who can cure cramps, headaches, and backache just by holding hands? You’re like a…a unicorn.”

Kon laughed, and she relaxed completely. “It doesn’t usually come up. A lot of people are sensitive about metas and aliens and powers or whatever and no one likes to be confronted with the differences–or the fact that there are more of us than just the heroes or villains we see on tv.”

Marinette understood that. A lot of people in Paris had been hurt or rejected because they had once been akumas–especially people like Monsieur Ramier and little August who had been akumatized more than once or twice. Several schools had rejected August until legislation had passed to protect Akuma victims, and Monsieur Ramier had a hard time finding work for the same reason. The stigma had been passed onto the entire country by the time it was all over. Everyone was safe now, but the footage from the Ladyblog had made it out and the world was scared.

Marinette looked at her hand tucked safely in his, and pulled it up to her face, pressing a kiss to his knuckles. It was a little cheesy, but it was hard to express herself sometimes. “I’m sorry you have to worry about what other people think. A lot of my friends back home have had to deal with backlash from times they were Akuma victims, and none of it is okay. Thank you for telling me, and for you know, using your power to help me feel better.”

Kon leaned forward with a wink, kissing her forehead and shattering the serious moment with his flirtatious smile. “Anytime.”

The next time Marinette and Stephanie donned their socks for a slide party, they were caught by Tim. He was elated when he got a red pair for himself and joined in. When Cass claimed the black pair, they were all outshone. She would throw herself down the hall and duck and weave and dance around their wild careenings with a fluid grace that looked effortless. Damian caught them and ridiculed their childishness, but when Marinette left the green socks outside his door, they disappeared. 

Jay caught them and pouted when there weren’t any red socks left, but he claimed the blue ones with a bit of a vicious smile and Marinette had a feeling that Dick had just lost out somehow. 

It was really only a matter of time before they got caught. In the end it was Marinette who failed to stop before the stairs and bumped and banged her way as she rolled down the stairs to land at Alfred and Bruce’s feet in a heap of tangled limbs, a gale of giggles and a slew of fresh new bruises. 

She looked up sheepishly to see the rest of the kids staring at her from the top of the stairs before meeting Bruce’s eyes. “Sorry.”

He shook his head with a sigh. “Are you okay?”

She nodded, scrambling to her feet. “I will be. Just a few bruises.”

“Carry on then.”

“Hey, B?”

She glanced between him and the rest of her family. She lowered her voice to a whisper and waggled her pink-clad foot at him. “I have some fluffy orange socks if you want to join us.”

Bruce grinned back at her but shook his head. “I’m not sure a man of my age should…”

She shrugged. “If you ever change your mind–they’re yours.”

“Thanks, kiddo.”

She ran back up the stairs to cheers and hollers and Jason swearing to barricade the top of the stairs anytime it was her turn.

Fighting crime was a lot different than fighting Akumas. It was messier. Bloodier. It was ugly. 

Sometimes Marinette hated it. But when she'd spotted the bat clan working together against a common foe she joined in the fray. She wasn't about to leave her family in a tight spot when she could help. 

She'd spent most of her time back-to-back with Black Bat. She and Cass had formed a bit of a vigilante girl bond over the last few months and they worked well together. 

She’d long since managed to patch her miraculous comms into Cass’s, so she was able to hear the questions about who she was from the rest of the bats. Once they saw her easy familiarity with Cass, the chatter died down, but she figured she would be answering questions once they were done here. 

That changed when she had to use Clout. While she was free from the timer when she was Ladybug, she hadn't yet spent enough time with Roaar to achieve the same level of access. Working her way towards a spot to recharge before her transformation fell mid-battle, she was very nearly home-free when she spotted the gun aimed at Robin. Damian. Her little brother. 

Malta spun at the last second, using her bolas to yank her across the space and plant her between Robin and the gunman. She felt the shimmer of her suit fade at the same time she heard the report of the gun. Damn her luck. Why hadn't she worn the earrings?

Pain blossomed through her shoulder and radiated through her chest. She gasped as she fell. This was much different than fighting Akumas. It hurt in a way she had never before experienced. 

There was a beat. A moment where every sound on the rooftop seemed clear–from the grunts of the Bats to the clatter of the gun as it hit the ground–then everything seemed muffled and distant.

A moment in time when the whole world was gray and silent and all she knew was pain. 

There was a shift in the air, and a roaring sound rushed through her ears and she heard the shouts of her family. 

Black Bat’s soft voice reached her first. “Sister!”

Jason’s shock echoed through the modulated sound of Red Hood’s helmet. “Pixie! What are you doing here, kid?”

Batman. A swish of his cape as he landed next to her. Bruce's pained voice was drenched in confusion. “Marinette. No. No. How…?”

Tears pricked her eyes when she spotted the horrified eyes of Damian. Before she could assure him that she would be alright, pressure against the wound forced her to black out. The pain faded along with everything else.

When Marinette awoke, she regretted opening her eyes. The room was far too crowded for her preference. Luckily, most of them appeared to be sleeping. Except Damian. Damian’s eyes were filled with sorrow, but his voice was filled with anger.

“Why were you so foolish? Tt. Your training is nowhere near as advanced as it needs to be for you to engage in such activities.”

Marinette winced at the vitriol but focused on the fear in his eyes. She knew he cared for her, otherwise he wouldn’t be mad. “Sorry, Dami.”

“Tt. You should have let it hit me! My suit is armored.”

Marinette couldn’t really argue with that. She was older than Damian, but at fifteen, he was already taller than she was. That didn’t change the fact that Damian was still a kid. “Your head isn’t. Besides, I thought I still had enough time in the suit. I miscalculated. I should barely have felt the impact.”

Damian turned away, his anger spent. “There was a lot of blood. I didn’t like it. You should avoid spilling so much of it again.”

Nobody who knew anything about Robin thought he was blood-shy. Which meant it was her blood that bothered him. Who’d have thought he liked her that much? “Good advice. And Damian? Thanks for staying with me.”

“Tt. I will inform the others that you are awake.” He stormed off, and if she hadn’t been afraid of how much it would hurt, she would have laughed. Everyone else was already in the room with her.

Dinner was quiet. Somber. Eyes kept flicking to the bandage that was peeking out from under her shirt, and she was just glad anyone had agreed to let her sit at the table. They were all worried, all angry (except Cass), and all waiting for an explanation. An explanation she could not give. She’d already said too much to Damian. The Miraculous had to be kept safe. She’d been watched over in the Med Bay (in the Batcave of all things!) ever since she was shot, and would not leave without the Miracle Box in her room. She had Kaalki with her, but using a portal would have been too revealing. 

Thanks to Hawkmoth, everyone knew the Parisian Heroes had used Miraculous. A lot of people knew that Ladybug had ended up as the guardian. If it looked like she had access to more than one magical jewel, assumptions would be easy to make. 

Of course, she knew the identities of every one of Gotham’s Bats and Birds…and it wasn’t a hard reach to guess who the Metropolis Supers were either. She groaned at the thought of a super-powered boyfriend. Why was it so hard to be normal?!

She looked at her plate, avoiding eye contact. “Feel free to ask your questions. I can’t answer all of them. And I’ll understand if you want me to go.”

Everyone started talking at once. She didn’t know whether to answer the questions or thank the people insisting she stay. There was nothing but chaos and shouting as everyone tried to be heard over the others. It wasn’t until Cass spoke that silence fell. 

“Sister.”

Everyone stared at her for a second, and Bruce sighed. “Cass, sweetheart. You knew Marinette was out fighting crime?”

Cass nodded. “Good sister. We worked well together.”

Damian growled. “Why did you not say something?”

Cass frowned. “We kept our secrets. She kept hers. We respect family .”

It took some time, but eventually, Marinette managed to explain that she hadn’t planned to fight crime while in Gotham. Her only goal had been to heal the darkness that plagued the city. “I wasn’t going to interfere at all, but then I couldn’t just let someone be hurt when I saw what was happening. Black Bat gave me some bat-tags so I could take care of muggers and the like when it became necessary.”

Jason crossed his arms. “Why did your suit vanish and leave you as unprotected as a civilian?”

She shook her head. “I can’t answer that. My suit is tied to my power, and if my timing had been better, I wouldn’t have even felt that bullet. But for the sake of the universe, those are secrets I can’t share.”

“The sake of the universe?” Bruce asked incredulously.

Marinette nodded but didn’t elaborate. “I can leave if you aren’t comfortable with that. But—I’d like to stay. I care for all of you. I never thought living here would feel so homey. I didn’t think I’d love you all as much as I do.”

Tears pricked her eyes when they stared at her in shock. 

“No. Wait.” Jay said. “We care for you too. You’re one of us now–that can’t be changed.” Everyone nodded in agreement, and Marinette’s heart clenched in her chest. 

She had to tell the truth, or at least part of it…even if it hurt. “Not really.”

“What do you mean?” Bruce frowned, and she wilted.

Her voice felt small. “Do any of you know how I ended up living here?”

Several responses came at once. Tim said Bruce, Bruce said Tim and everyone else pointed at Bruce. “He can’t help himself,” Jay said with a shrug.

Bruce and Tim stared at each other before looking back at her. 

“I just moved in. I researched all of you, and was careful to let you think whatever you needed to in order for you to believe I was here under someone else’s authority.” She glanced guiltily in the direction of the kitchen, where she had no doubt Alfred was listening in. “I moved in when Alfred took three days off. I let miscommunication and assumption have its way until you all liked me.”

“Why?” It was Tim’s voice, but the question was mirrored on everyone’s face–except maybe Cass’, who had accepted her as is from the moment she met Malta.

“The US didn’t want to grant a visa to a Parisian, and I needed to help Gotham. I still do. I don’t know where or how I’ll live if you don’t want me here, but I can’t give up my duty to heal the city.” 

Silence fell, and everyone finished their meal rather quickly after that. Marinette stood the moment she was finished. “I’ll let you talk.” Then she ran up the stairs to her room, ignoring the pain in her shoulder as the first sob ripped through her chest. 

Marinette: Kon? Everything hurts.

Kon: omw

There was barely a breeze at her window before Kon was there. They must have told him that she knew about the Bat situation when she got hurt. Or maybe he cared about her enough to give away all of his secrets. Beautiful, foolish man. She loved him regardless of why he’d made it there so fast.

“What’s wrong?” Kon brushed tears off her cheeks and hair out of her eyes. His own eyes widened when he caught sight of the bandage peeking out from her sleeve. His hands settled over the skin at her neck and he frowned, but the pain eased as whatever he did helped with the healing process. There was ice in his voice. “Mari, sweetheart? Who shot you?”

“I don’t know. I think maybe it was one of Riddler’s henchmen. But that’s not the problem.”

He jerked, but his hands stayed gentle where he touched her. “It looks like a problem from here! What could be worse than you getting shot?!”

“I messed up. And now I’m pretty sure they won’t want me to stay, and neither will you once you know.”

He shook his head. “That isn’t true… Marinette. I love you.”

It was too much. She buried her face in his chest and he rubbed her back while she cried. Slowly, haltingly, she told him what she could. That she was nothing but an interloper and a deceiver. That her parents were alive and well in Paris, and under the assumption that she was in Sèvres for school. That she was only here to help Gotham, and now that the Waynes knew, she would be cast out and deservedly so.

Kon didn’t try to argue with her. She was too wound up and he was smarter than that. He did however tip her head back to look into her eyes, and whatever he found didn’t stop him from kissing the tear-tracks on her cheeks before claiming her lips gently with his. Marinette wrapped her arms around him, ignoring the pain that flared in her shoulder and gave in to the perfect sensation of letting Kon kiss her. She kissed him back with all the fear and frustration and love she felt. No matter what else went wrong, maybe she wouldn’t have to give him up. 

Kisses trailed down her neck and throat, skimming the edges of the bandages, and Marinette could hardly breathe through the gasps of pleasure she couldn’t hold back. One of Kon’s hands had slipped under her shirt where his steady touch against the back of her shoulder was keeping any pain at bay. 

There was no warning before her door swung open. Her mind still felt like static from Kon’s thorough attention, and it took a second too long to recognize the disgust on Damian’s face. 

“Get your grubby villain-clone hands off my sister!”

“Damian!” Bruce’s voice was like thunder and Damian slumped down with a scowl. 

Damian’s next words came out like gravel. “I apologize for my uncouth generalization. Now, remove your hands from my sister before I remove them for you.” Damian pointed a katana at Kon and he rolled his eyes, but kept his hand on her shoulder. 

“I’m not going to let her hurt if I can help. And if you like that blade, I recommend you put it away before I crush it.”

Marinette watched in shock as Damian backed down. Bruce shook his head in what could only be fond consternation and the rest of the family poured through her doorway. 

Bruce sighed. “I know you’re both adults, but I would appreciate it if you let me know when you have guests over.” Marinette nodded numbly. 

“He got here faster than expected. Sorry.”

Cass was grinning while everyone else looked to be at a loss for words. Finally, she stepped forward. “Sister, stay.” she turned a stern eye to Kon. “You be nice to her, or Steph and I will end you.”

Kon swallowed hard with a nod and Marinette couldn’t help but giggle at the idea of a Super being afraid of her sister. She must have still been wound up because the giggles shattered the underlying worry as Cass’ words brought a wave of relief and she started laughing uncontrollably before bursting into tears again. 

Kon kissed her again, probably trying to calm her down again, but this time he kept his lips respectfully to her temple in front of her family.

It was still too much for Damian. “Ugh! Jonathan Kent!” 

There was another breeze, and Jon was there, clearly ready for anything. Damian pointed at Kon and Marinette. “Control your brother!”

Jon frowned. “Dude, it doesn’t look like she minds. And Conner’s older than me. What am I supposed to do?”

Damian scowled. “He is four . You are the older brother.”

Jon shook his head. “Don’t be ridiculous. You know as well as I do that he’s twenty. C’mon.” Jon dragged Damian bodily out of the room with a backward glance and a shrug. “Sorry about him.”

It took a few deep breaths for Marinette to pull herself together and face the rest of her ‘family’. Did Cass really speak for them all? “I can stay?”

They nodded in unison. “We aren’t about to jeopardize the fate of the universe when you’ve already moved in and unpacked and everything,” Stephanie said nonchalantly. 

Relief felt like a cascade as it washed over her. It wasn’t perfect, and there was nothing normal about any of them. But they were her family.

It took about a week for everything to settle down. Marinette used Kaalki to sneak out and back into the manor when Malta was needed to cleanse the city–no one wanted her to abuse her shoulder, but she wasn’t sure how to explain that the suit protected her even from existing wounds. 

There was a new dynamic in the house. Marinette knew about their vigilantism, so in some ways everything was more open. On the other hand, they all knew that Marinette was some kind of a hero, but that she was keeping quiet on what exactly that meant and where her power came from. Despite the way she had been welcomed to stay with open arms, she was pretty sure that it was partly because Batman wanted to be able to keep an eye on the unknown in his territory. 

Weeks passed and some things didn’t change. Steph dragged her out for hall sliding once her shoulder was healed–and almost everyone else was quick to join whenever they were spotted. They still couldn’t get Damian to join them, but a certain Kwami mentioned that the youngest Wayne had been seen sliding down the hall when no one else was home. 

She officially transferred from her online classes in Paris to full-time at Gotham University when her application portfolio impressed the review board. And despite her trepidation about being considered an outcast, most of the students she met either didn’t care or were kind and considerate. Bruce and Cass flew to Paris to meet her parents and introduce themselves as her host family before she ‘moved’ abroad. 

Despite the rule about visiting boyfriends, Bruce only ever knew about half the times Kon came by. And he was never informed when he stayed over. Marinette now knew that there were far more secrets kept in the house than she had ever imagined, but that didn’t mean she wanted to share her whole life with her new family. 

There was some kind of running joke about TTK being the best superpower, or not… but the thing was, Marinette knew it was the best. The first time Kon snuck through her window after dropping her off after a particularly enjoyable date, she found out it could do a whole lot more than just numb pain and ease sore muscles. It was easy to see why his kisses were so damn good, and it was easy to imagine that no one else in the world could make her feel as good as he did. After all, her boyfriend was a unicorn, and no one could talk her out of the idea.