The Bug, the Bird and the Bats ✔

Chapter Seventeen

Gotham or Paris

Summer was coming to an end and Marinette's nerves were starting to worsen, worried both about how every time her parents talked to her they suggested, or implied or talked about her coming back to France and how she could continue to deal with Akuma's all the way in Gotham.

There's so many now, constantly.

It's starting to wear her down, feeling like the solution to her problems is also the cause of another one.

Since their fight- -if that's what she was calling it now, rather than a misunderstanding- -Marinette hadn't spent the night at the Wayne Manor other than nine times, six were spent in Tim's room, not sleeping but working with more caffeine in her system than anything else, and the other three were spent with Jason Todd, baking and talking about quarreless things that meant too much.

Part of her was scared to overstep a boundary that she didn't know if it really existed or not, but she was still thankful that life was returning to normal.

That her and Damian felt more solid than before, being able to freely talk about one of their shared family secrets.

It was nice, being able to let go of something that's been weighing on her chest for years.

Marinette even went with Damian to one of the Wayne Gala's for charity events, and posed with Bruce, Selina, Helena and Damian for photographs.

It was weird, being unknown and still with a local celebrity all while knowing that if someone made an article and got a picture of the famed 'MDC' with her boyfriend, all hell would break loose.

Apparently, Damian's persona wasn't too far from his fathers -other than the way his father earlier had a light tendency to sleep around, and make people laugh.

Damian was considered charming, professional and elegant 'for such a young man'.

Reading that made her giggle.

She wanted their senior year to be calm, but that was kind of like asking for warm rain during a snowstorm.

Honestly Marinette wasn't ready for any of the drama of high school or dealing with two hours of homework on top of her heroic duties.

The heroine ached to tell Damian who she really was.

-

The way that Marinette had to deal out the kwamis and powers needed were nearly overwhelming, she wished she could trust more people, and those she did trust but couldn't tell weren't even in Paris to help.

For instance, Marinette has Tikki, Wyazz and Mullo. Adrien has Plagg and Trixx. Kagami has Longg and Kaalki. Chloe had Pollen. Luka had Sass and Fluff. That is more kwamis per person than Marinette ever wanted to have out.

If even one couple got kidnapped, three or more kwamis and their miraculous could be lost. With how many akumas are coming up, it was too risky to continue like this.

Something had to change.

-

The heroes of Paris, over the years and with their main miraculous, had gotten more powers and side effects came with using that particular miraculous for so long. It made them all sub-human.

During moments of intense concentration, Marinette's eyes sparked pink and her fingers came off of needles with pink sparks -broken stitches have a habit of fixing themselves.

Some days when she's been too stressed about her designs or school work, she notices two antennas standing atop her head -another reason to keep her hair pinned back.