Duty to protect

Hard Situations

Tim stumbled out behind him, taking a sip of his coffee, then proceeding to spit it out at the sight of Marinette.

"I see you haven't changed." She raised an eyebrow.

"Mari! I didn't know you were going to be here!" He threw Bruce a quick glare before turning back to her and ruffling her hair. "I missed you. Um... Look , the reason we didn't-" he began quietly.

"I know. Dick and Damien explained when I returned the bike."

He relaxed a little. "You okay? After yesterday?"

Marinette turned around and went back to stand with her friends.

Tim blinked. "A-anyway... Let's start the tour shall we?"

"I'll take it from here Tim. You can head back to the office." Bruce said, not looking at him.

"What?" Tim blinked. "Wasn't it meant to be me and Dick leading this tour?"

"Dick declined last minute." He lied. "Go back to your office Tim. I've got it."

Tim glanced over at Marinette in sympathy. He sighed and went back to the lift, going back up to the top floor.

Lila was smart enough to stay quiet around Bruce Wayne.

But it did raise questions from her class as they were led through the corridors.

"So Mr Wayne? What happened to your daughter? Lila said she was good friends with her before she disappeared!" Alya grinned.

Bruce glanced over at Marinette who had a stone-cold expression as she talked with her friends, barely straying from the blonds and the one with the bullet wound in his arm. A girl he recognised as Kagani Tsuguri hovered behind her, watching her back while a red-haird boy and black haired boy and a pink haired girl, walked protectively in front of her while two other boys were at the sides.

They surrounded her, the injured kid and the blonde boy in a protective bubble. She didn't seem to have noticed. But the girl he knew as Chloe Bourgeois' stare was enough to deter people from competing.

Either way, Alya's comment seemed to go right past her, she was completely unbothered.

Bruce paused in the corridor and turned to face the group and locked eyes with Marinette. "Come here Marinette."

Marinette flinched and made a move to go to him.

"Mari don't..." Adrien placed a hand on her shoulder. "You don't have to. Stay please..."

Marinette shook her head. "I-It was an order. I have to Adrien. He has the power." She pushed out of her circle of protection and stood beside Bruce obediently.

"Alya correct? I'd like to affirm something. I can assure you that my daughter would refuse to associate with anyone except my family. In addition, if she did know her then she would have noticed here in her class for the last few years." Bruce placed his hands on her shoulders, frowning at the way she, again, flinched. Her entire body language stiffened and he didn't quite understand why.

She seemed ready to fight. Normally this would put him on edge. Both Marinette and Cass seemed to have a sixth sense for danger or anything of the sort.

This time it seemed different.

She seemed worried because of him but she never attempted to move...

It confused him.

Either way, the class has turned on Lila quickly, screaming at her, yelling  at her.

"You!" Lila pointed at Marinette. "This is your fault!" The next few things happened in a blur.