Gotham's Own Ladybug

Twelve

Hushed footsteps echoed in the atmosphere, as a young female strolled across the side pavements and winding paths. The lamps lining them lavished her form in a yellow light, allowing her soft features to be clearly visible.

She subtly glanced about. Her bluebell eyes searched the roads in a suspicious manner.

All of a sudden, the teen swerved to the left, turning into a shadowed alley. Around her were dustbins, wrappers and littered trash scattered on the cement.

Marinette brought her hand up to her blazer, pulling it back as her voice spoke, "Kaalki? Are you ready?"

The only answer was silence, and a bright red kwami poking her head out of the pocket they were situated in. Furrowing her brow, Marinette questioned, "Is Kaalki okay?"

"She's asleep," Tikki answered. "Would you like me to wake her up?"

Sighing, the girl decided, "No, don't. She deserves the rest after I forgot to bring her any sugar cubes to school today."

"Are you sure?"

Marinette hummed affirmatively. "Yep. I'm sure no one will notice me, anyway. I mean, look at the time!"

There was a small margin of silence, before Tikki agreed with, "If you're confident about it. But you're going straight to Aunt Harley and Ivy without any stops, got it?"

"Okay. It won't be that hard, right?" she rhetorically asked, whilst scanning left and right for any people.

After confirming there was no one, Marinette heard Tikki mutter in reply, "Let's hope it isn't."

Smiling, she flicked her fingers against the studs settled in her ears, saying, "Tikki, spots on."

~*~*~

Batman quietly grunted, covering his sight with a gloved arm. When the bright pink light died down, a suited woman was left below the ledge he was currently perched on.

Her midnight hair, pulled into a tight bun, had two red ribbons sticking out from a knot, resembling antennae. A red-and-black mask lay on her face, concealing her civilian identity and adding to the ladybird theme of her outfit - if the spotted pads attached to her appendages gave anything away.

Marinette grabbed an object at her waist, which Batman only realised after squinting was a yo-yo. She spun it experimentally a few times, before flinging it at a pole nearby.

Tugging slightly, her body was brought upwards without a hitch, letting her travel out of the alley. She skimmed Bruce by just an inch.

Without any hesitation, Batman shot out his grappling hook, jumping down in the same direction she had gone.

Underneath his cowl, his expression was determined, yet it held a look of sheer concern at the same time.

~*~*~

"Is someone missing their girlfriend?"

"Shut up, Hood. Now is not the time," a male snapped.

"Calm down. Just 'cause B got dibs on watching the girl, doesn't mean you have to aim your jealousy at me," Jason remarked.

Robin gazed to the side. "I'm not jealous," he mumbled, folding his arms.

Red Hood snorted, teasing, "As if. You love her, don't you?"

A dark rouge overtook Damian's cheeks, as he suddenly twisted his head to face his brother. "No I don't! I am simply worried for my friend."

Jason sighed, a knowing smile showing beneath his helmet. "Well, you might wanna make a move on that 'friend' of yours before B decides to adopt her."

"He won't adopt her," Robin huffed. "She already has carers."

It was quiet for a few seconds, though it was broken by Red Hood noting, "That doesn't mean her life has been good."

Damian sent a confused glance to the older man.

The vigilante let out a deep exhale of air. "When she flipped me over at the manor, it took a minute for me to realise why she reacted that way," he explained.

"The action was a clear sign of PTSD, and whoever called her 'Princess' must have traumatised her horribly for her to use so much force on me without hesitation."

Surprisingly, Robin kept his mouth glued shut for a few seconds, before he hesitantly input, "At school today, she told me that an incident from where she came from made her uncomfortable to be touched by males. She also said that the one who was involved in it called her 'Princess' and 'M'Lady'."

He rubbed at his temple with a clothed hand. "She even asked if it was okay for me to not call her by those. Something tells me that he didn't have her consent for more than just those nicknames."

Red Hood nodded in understanding, though narrowed his eyes when hearing the information about Marinette's unknown past.

"I'll tell Red Robin not to call her those if he's there the next time she comes to the manor," he decided, Damian's response being, "That would be a good idea."

The crackle of a signal came to life in the comm that Damian was in possession of, prompting him to place his fingers on the device. Beside him, Jason quizzed, "What is it?"

"It looks like there's another meta running across the rooftops," Nightwing broke in with, his light panting echoing in the background. "Me and Red Robin are following them alone since B said he had to stop a drug raid on the opposite side of the city."

"There's been no crime for a while now where we are," Red Hood informed. "We're coming now."

Damian gave a subtle nod in unison with Jason, as the man twirled two guns in his grasp. One with bullets, and another for travelling around Gotham.

The heroes both shot out their grappling hooks at once, swinging away to where the trackers on their siblings were.

~*~*~

"Ugh, why does it have to be so cold?" Marinette groaned to herself, shivering at the cold breeze that threatened to break her fragile form. She leaped off of another rooftop, feeling an icy wind card through her tresses wildly.

Her nimble fingers threw out her spotted yo-yo, latching it onto a beam that pulled her up into suspension again.
She sprinted along the sides of towering buildings, ever so often landing on balcony rails and lampposts to get to her home.

It was when she had just stopped to rest for a moment's notice that footsteps sounded behind her. She froze minutely, before tightening her grip on the weapon she held.

When the, what she guessed to be, two men moved even closer, Marinette flicked her wrist and sprung up in a skilled movement. It caused her whole body to drop towards the ground as she heard the zipping of her yo-yo string soaring through the air.

Curses rang in her ears. The duo rushed to the roof's edge to watch her descent, only to see her swing straight ahead to another tower. The wings spanning Ladybug's back twitched when sensing them following her path.

"Est-ce trop demander à rentrer à la maison sans être repéré?" she muttered under her breath in French.

After what seemed to be a few minutes of Marinette evading their attempts at capture, her eyes widened when she sensed something in particular. She swung to the highest point in the vicinity - it being the Wayne Enterprises Tower.

Her bloomed fears were confirmed when four grappling hooks latched onto the structure's edge, revealing four vigilantes on the same rooftop as her.

"Je vais avoir tellement ďennuis..." she breathed, bluebell eyes going back and fourth between the watchful quartet.