The Bug, the Bird and the Bats ✔

Chapter Three

The Wayne's

During akuma attacks Marinette had to teleport with Kaalki all the way to France, but luckily most of them happened during the middle of the night when she wouldn't be known she's missing. Chat Noir noticed she was stressed out, and tired, and offered support.

Later in the school year Adrien confessed to being Chat Noir to her and Luka, because he desperately wanted to help his partner.

Something had been wrong with her for a very long time now, and it was at the point he didn't know what to do.

Luka revealed himself as Viperion, Marinette revealed herself as Ladybug -she didn't tell them about being the guardian, having Wyazz or Mullo, but she told them how she was getting to France and back. They supported her, brought her coffee and gave her the hugs she needed.

Eventually, Chloe and Kagami- -also known as Queen Bee and Ryuko- -were brought in on the secret and they were all more than thrilled with their discoveries.

Knowing who Rena Rogue and Carapace are, Marinette confided in them that she didn't want someone who trusted a person who claimed to know all the heroes but really willingly became akumatized to have a miraculous themselves.

They started to plan.

-

Finally it was done, Chloe had stripped Alya of her miraculous right after a fight, having hidden on a roof to wait for her to detransform before stinging her and taking it, telling her that Ladybug wishes her the best of luck as a civilian.

Alya fumed over that for weeks.

Meanwhile Adrien as Chat Noir took a more gentle approach with Nino, who really only had Wyazz during fights anyway when Ladybug brought him to the hero.

He understood that it wasn't permanent anyway, and actually seemed to be relieved that he didn't have the burden of protecting others anymore.

The hero group flourished under the new set rules, and the team got even closer.

-

Marinette knew that Damian Wayne's family was massive.

Bruce Wayne, his father and Selina Kyle, his step mother, had Helena Wayne together -she was two and adorable.

Then there was his oldest brother, Dick Grayson, who was the one who was 'always happy'. The second oldest who were the same age but not twins, Cassandra Cain, the quiet one with black eyes, and Jason Todd, a sarcastic man with a white streak in his hair, then his 'not youngest but smallest' brother Tim Drake, who apparently had a coffee addiction.

After that came Stephanie Brown, who was blonde, and Duke Thomas, who was black and apparently always looked confused to Damian.

And of course, his honorary grandfather and butler, Alfred Pennyworth.

The heroine was more than amused to find out he named his cat after Alfred when he was a kid, but has never said he regrets it.

Out of his animals- -Titus the great dane, Alfred the tomcat, Batcow the cow (obviously), Jerry the turkey, and another one named Goliath that she doesn't know anything about- -Titus is by far her favorite, she's met him during one of Gotham Academy's parent-teacher conference nights and he was absolutely adorable.

Speaking of parent-teacher conference nights, that's where Marinette Dupain-Cheng met Damian's family for the first time.

Apparently how she walked right up to him, asked to pet Titus right off the bat without her being alarmed, Titus barking or Damian telling her to do something the equivalent of violently fucking off made all his family raise the alarms.

Because Bruce Wayne, who was there with his wife and youngest daughter for Damian, asked her to leave so he could talk to Damian and of course she did so but it also made her feel like she got him into trouble.

So the next day at school, she apologized at least five time and begged him not to make her leave, that he already made it clear they're not friends and he can tell his dad that, and she doesn't expect anything out of him just because he's rich, even if it's just being able to pet his dog.

Damian merely raised an eyebrow, told her "Stop your incessant rambling, Dupain-Cheng." and went back to eating his salad, holding his book about the lifestyle of raccoons- -he wanted one- -in one hand. Emerald eyes glance to her as Marinette stays frozen in disbelief, seemingly confused.

He had no way of knowing that she's having a hard time processing how safe she feels with him.

There's no yelling, or gaslighting, no harassment. No following her home from work, no telling her parents she's being mean. No ripping her stuff, no interrupting her. No telling her she's stupid, or ugly, or annoying.

For someone who adamantly denies being friends, he was a pretty good one.

-

The summer between sophomore year and junior year was by far the best summer Marinette Dupain Cheng had in a very long time, she spent the entire time baking, sketching and completing countless pieces of works, some of which she wore herself, others were commissions that she sold.

Nana Gina wasn't really around all that much, even less than she was during the school year, but in a sense that just made it easier for Marinette to relax around their little apartment, figure out what works best for her -given she had very little interruptions.

She also visited a local café often, one called 'Nice To Tea Ya' where she would meet up with Damian, who now was in the habit of getting tea in the morning (because of her).

Sometimes after sitting and talking, or debating over some issues, or just him talking while she hums and sketches designs, or he actually draws artwork- -that she never gets to see- -while Marinette talks about whatever's on her mind.

The heroine also introduced him to Nana Gina one of the very few times she picked her up on her bike to go get dinner together, instead of Marinette walking back home.

He was very polite to her, especially considering the argument they previously had over whether an Allosaurus looks like a primitive version of a turkey or not. Marinette thought that if you slapped a beak on the thing, it would be pretty close, but Damian didn't see it.

That summer Damian grew up to five foot six and it unnerved her to have to look up to him suddenly, used to being the same height, if not just a bit taller than him.

One of the most curious things he did was insistent that if any of Gotham's villains were to appear around when they were together, that she would run home, no matter what but that if she was on the way there, to run right to him.

She was less scared of the Joker than she was of Hawkmoth, but she knew how serious Damian took the entire thing.

That summer was calm, she only had to run home twice.

-

For her birthday during July, Damian took her to a firework show that ended with them getting sushi in downtown Gotham at a place he said had the only acceptable vegetarian options, and he told her that it was only half of the gift.

Later, around one in the morning as he was dropping her off at her apartment complex Damian gave her a bracelet with three small charms on them: a Batman charm, a charm with the Robin symbol on it- -both being local heroes he has talked about- -and a small Eiffel tower.

He said it symbolizes her being in Gotham just as much as it symbolizes her being from France.

The last gift he gave her was a pendant necklace, that in the small black chamber had the word 'Angel' written in Arabic, his native language.

She asked what that symbolized and Damian simply said it meant she was his.

She was okay with that.