statue of ice

1

just a quick note - this was started quite a while ago, so my writing style has changed pretty drastically since then, but I still hope you enjoy :)

.o0o.

Marinette Adeline Drake is made of ice, just like her mother wants her to be.

Janet Drake never wanted a child, much less two. When the first baby turned out to be a girl, Jack saw her as useless, not a proper heir for the company. He needed a son, and demanded another.

Janet, however, saw an opportunity. An opportunity to mold the girl into a smaller version of her. And mold the girl, she did, on the rare occasions that she was home.

Marinette Drake is just like her mother. Hard steel gray eyes, ebony hair, fair, unblemished skin and face never betraying a hint of emotion. She has already proven herself to be a ruthless businesswoman and capable strategist, defeating many of her mother's colleagues in verbal debates and having successfully negotiated business deals with companies that made their profits soar on multiple occasions when her mother decided she needed the practice.

Marinette Drake is being groomed to take Drake Industries from her brother by force one day if she must, while Jack Drake remains unaware. She is ten years old, made from marble and ice. Nothing can warm her.

Except Tim.

Her younger brother by two years silently enters her room, small hands grasping his camera bag. "Let's go! Today's the third Wednesday of the month, which means that Batman and Robin will be starting in the shopping district and heading west. We can catch them on 35th street between 10:36 and 10:41!"

Marinette smiles warmly, a gesture she saves for Tim and only Tim. "Lead the way, Tim-Tam." She follows her little brother out of her bedroom window, shimmying down the large oak tree and landing lightly on the ground.

Logically, she knows that she shouldn't be climbing fire escapes at night in the City of Crime with her eight year old little brother, and that she should be convincing him to stay home instead of following him onto rooftops so he can take pictures of Batman and Robin. But Tim had already shown that he would go out with or without her, and at least if she went with him, she wouldn't lie awake at night worrying about whether or not he was safe.

Additionally, there was something magical about sitting on a rooftop at night, watching Gotham's Dark Knight leap from building to building, cape trailing behind him in the wind, and the figure of the Boy Wonder following, never far behind.

Tim raises his camera and snaps pictures in rapid succession, blue eyes shining. "That was so cool!" He whispers excitedly. "Did you see them?"

"It was hard to miss." Marinette replies, smiling. "We see it almost every night, yet it never ceases to amaze."

The entire way home, Tim is babbling about how awesome Batman and Robin are, and Marinette lets the sound of his chatter wash over her, making warmth bloom in a heart encased in ice.

.o0o.

Her parents are returning home today from a two month trip to Argentina. Marinette makes sure that their rooms are clean, beds made with military precision the way Jack likes it. All of her homework, completed with perfect cursive, is put into a folder and tucked into her school bag.

Marinette and Tim greet their parents at the door. "Mother. Father. Welcome back. How was your trip?" She asks, at the same time Tim says "Mom! Dad! How was Argentina?"

Jack grunts. "Marinette, be useful for a change and go get the other suitcases from the car."

Marinette is made of ice. Jack's words do not affect her. "Yes, sir." She says, walking down the path to the driveway with elegance and grace, the way Janet has taught her. The suitcases are heavy, but she refuses to surrender to a piece of luggage.