Chapter Text
Tom and Sabine were grateful to be in Bruce’s manor. Tom heard from Sabine that it was big, but this place could house their whole town if they wanted. Marlena could be heard scolding the twins while Otis chatted with Bruce. Alya seemed to be trying to get as much information out of Bruce’s kids, but he could tell she was also pretty stressed about the upcoming broadcast. Tom looked at the macaroons they just finished and sighed.
“So this is where she gets her talent from.”
Tom jumped and looked over his shoulder to see their butler, “Oh! Alfred. It’s you.”
“You know, Marinette made some macaroons for us one night. That same night, she covered me with the filling and there was a mess.”
“Oh no, I’m so-”
“It was a wonderful night and the pastries were delicious.” He grabbed one for himself and tasted it, “Same taste. Have you been teaching her?”
“We don’t get the chance to do it as often as we’d like, but if we get orders she usually helps us.”
Alfred hummed and grabbed the serving plate, motioning Tom to follow him back into the main room. Tom followed and found Sabine laughing with the blonde girl; if he remembers correctly her name is Stephanie. “Tom made us some snacks for the-“
“Sweet! Food!” Jason pushed Tim’s face out of the way and made a b-line for the macaroons.
“Hey!”
“Shut up, food.”
“Jason, behave! We have guests!”
“Don’t care. Food.”
“You’re unbelievable.”
Jason shoved a macaroon into Stephanie’s mouth, “No, these are unbelievable.”
Stephanie nearly melted, “Oh man, I missed these.”
“Right?”
Alya flailed her arms, “Shut up! Shut up! It’s starting!”
Tom felt a growing pit in his stomach. He knew the significance of the interviews; it was the beginning of the end. Sabine must’ve sensed his growing unease because she walked over and grabbed his arm. How she wasn’t breaking down, he had no clue but if she was going to be strong he had to be too.
The introduction shows footage from previous games as the host spoke to the audience in an overly grand and happy voice. Alya scowled, “I don’t like him.”
“You’ve always been creeped out by him, honey.”
“I know. I don’t like him.”
Caeser Flickerman looked almost plastic. No hair was out of place, his fabric was pristine and perfect, and his smile was too bright. Tom understood Alya’s discomfort. As he introduced the first guest, the families all just made snarky comments on their charisma and look.
“He looks like a fine young man.”
“Mom, he’s probably a killing machine.”
“Alya’s right, district one and two are trained for the games. Kid’s a killing machine.”
“Wow, Jason, way to be comforting.”
“He’s being honest.”
“At least he looks better than the girl. Her eyes scream crazy.”
“How, might I ask, do her eyes scream ‘crazy’, Steph?”
“No, no, she’s right. She has a wild look in her eyes.”
“Sabine!”
“Marlena, you know I’m right.”
Marlena grumbled and her twins giggled to their mom’s reaction. Alya snorted, “Tim, you need to get out more. You’ll get it.”
Tim scowled, “I’d rather not meet a ‘crazy eyes’.”
Jason sighed, “I remember my first ‘crazy eyes’. She was insane but she-”
Dick smacked his hand over Jason’s mouth, “Kids, Jason, kids.”
Jason pushed his brother’s hand away, “I was going to say she was badass.” Otis smacked the back of Jason’s head and gestured to his twins. “Right, right, sorry.”
Stephanie took a bite out of her macaroon and pointed at Otis, “You found his off button! Nice!”
“I do believe they’re bringing out District 2 tributes.”
“Oh! I finally get to see what this kid looks like!”
Tim asked, “You mean you don’t know?”
“No! Marinette didn’t tell me how he looked, only about their time together.”
Stephanie sat up, “What’d she say?”
“Steph, be quiet! They’re interviewing already.”
“Eh, they’re doing the girl.”
Dick crossed his arms, “Yeah, but I want to know what she has to say. That girl has been giving Marinette a pretty hard time.”
Alya and Sabine snapped their heads to the screen. Both wore interesting expressions on their face, but both came off as menacing. Alya smiled and looked back at Sabine, “So she’s giving Marinette a hard time?”
Sabine giggled, “Would seem so.”
Tim retreated behind Dick, “God they’re terrifying.”
“Shut up.” He turned up the broadcast and focused on the interview.
“-ou. So, you and your partner are both 12. How does it feel to know that you and your partner are some of the youngest in the group?”
“Honestly, it’s an honor just to be here. Sure, I’m nervous. Still, I just want to make it back home to my family and make my partner proud! We might not be the most experienced, but I know we’ll do our best and make it to the end!”
“What an enthusiastic young girl! Well, we’re going to interview your partner next. From what we hear, he’s a bit of a legacy child.”
“Oh yes, he’s been a wonderful partner and friend so far. I know we’re young, but we can make it!”
“Everyone, give Lila a big round of applause!” The crowd went wild as she stood up and gave a bashful wave to the camera before walking to stand beside the District 1 tributes. “Now, this is a young man I know I’ve been anticipating since reading his name! This young man has winning in his blood, people! Give it up for Damian Wayne!”
There was a large applause as Damian walked onto the stage. He gave a polite smile and was sharply dressed, but to his siblings, they knew he was out of his element. Caeser shook Damian’s hand and patted his shoulder, “So you, my boy, are a legend when it comes to the gene pool. You have not one, but two winners in your family!”
“Yes, my grandfather is Rah’s Al Gul and my father is Bruce Wayne.”
At the mention of Bruce’s name, many of the females in the audience screamed and cheered. Caeser laughed, “You know that your father was a bit of a fan-favorite among the ladies here in the capitol! Let me tell you, you are his spitting image, isn’t he people!?” The screams were louder and Damian didn’t seem to know exactly how to respond so he just waved. “Oh! Shy Boy, isn’t he? I bet you won’t be shy in the arena. I hear you are quite the fighter.”
“Yes, I’ve been training for as long as I can remember. I want to make my grandfather proud and win for his sake.”
“And your father? From what we hear, you recently reconnected with him. How does he feel?”
Damian pressed his lips together, taking a moment to make a reasonable response before finally saying, “When I reconnected with him, I also got connected to my family. All of them have been preparing me for the games. They don’t want me to get hurt.”
“That’s right! Bruce Wayne takes care of victors who either couldn’t go back to their families or who just needed extra help. So you’ve been training with past victors this whole time? That must give you an edge!”
“I hope so. They didn’t have to teach me anything, but they did. Once out of the arena, I hope to thank them.”
“That’s quite the confident statement there! Well, Damian besides your partner and your family do you have any other motivators?”
Damian licked his lips and did his best to keep his voice steady as he answered, “Yes. I promised someone I’d make it out. I’m not going to take that back.”
Caeser wiggled his brows, “Oh! Taking after your father, aren’t you? I’m going to take a wild guess here as say it’s a girl.”
Damian simply smiled, “Caeser, why do I get the feeling you already know that answer?”
“I might, but you’ll just have to find that out in a bit! Is there anything you’d like to let everyone know?”
Damian looked out at the crowd before settling on the camera. He gulped and said, “Despite my upbringing, I only got more nervous as we got closer to the games. I’ve been having a lot of weird thoughts lately, but I promise that I’ll do my best. I’ll make my family proud of me.”
Caeser grabbed Damian’s hand and shook it, “I do believe you’ll be giving us some memorable moments during this year’s Hunger Games. I know we’re all looking forward to it! Give him some love everyone! Damian Wayne!” Damian got out of his seat, politely bowed, and waved before taking his place next to Lila in the lineup. “Next up-”
“So that was Damian?”
“Apparently, but I’ve never seen him act like that.” Tim looked to Bruce, “What do you make of it?”
Bruce didn’t answer right away, instead, he kept his eyes on the screen trained on Damian whenever possible. Tom and Otis both placed hands on his shoulders and Tom gave a light squeeze, “Are you okay?”
Bruce didn’t say much, only standing up and excusing himself. Tom wanted to follow, but Otis kept him from doing so. “Give him a minute. It’s always hard to watch this.” That didn’t make him feel any better for what was coming next.
Alya hummed and looked back, “Tell me more about him. Marinette didn’t say much, but she seemed to really like him.”
Stephanie looked up at the ceiling and stretched, “Well, he’s totally different than that! He’s rude, standoff-ish, irritable-”
“Don’t forget hard-working and pretty loyal. He’s smart too.” Stephanie looked over to Dick who had slouched over and leaned towards Alya, “Granted when he got here, he was all those things Steph said, but you gotta realize that he didn’t get out much. He didn’t have friends, he had trainers. After a while of being here, he started to show his true colors. He’s not a bad kid.”
Jason nudged Dick, “You’re soft on the demon spawn, you know that right?”
Dick shrugged and looked on the screen, “You can’t tell me you didn’t bond with him either. He’s part of the family.” Jason grumbled and looked away. Dick smiled, “He changed a lot around Marinette though.”
Alya heard the 4th District tributes being announced but turned away at the mention of Marinette’s name. “What do you mean?”
Tim smiled and looked over to Dick, “They followed each other like puppies.”
“Yeah, at first Damian didn’t care for Marinette trying to talk to him but they got close pretty fast.” Jason snorted, “Didn’t Alfred find them awake super late in the kitchen?”
Alfred grabbed his ear and tugged it, “I’m right here, master Jason.”
“R-Right! Sorry.”
Alfred let go, seemingly satisfied with the response before reminiscing. “They were holding each other hostage with macaroon crème filling. It was quite humbling to see master Damian act his age.”
Alya shrugged, “That’s not unusual. Marinette was always good at making friends.”
Sabine laughed and waved her hand dismissively, “Alya, I don’t think this is like making friends with Nino or Kim.”
Alya looked over to Sabine, eyes wide, “No way.”
Tom looked between the two, “What? What do you mean?” The audience applause brought his attention back to the screen to see that they were bringing up District 5 tributes. He didn’t recognize them.
“You’re kidding! She never told me that!” Alya screamed at the sky, causing her sisters to fall back behind an even worse for wear Jason. “IF SHE COMES OUT ALIVE, I’LL KILL HER FOR KEEPING THIS FROM ME!”
Marlena walked over and smacked the back of her daughter’s head, “Alya! I am so sorry Sabine! She didn’t-”
Sabine started laughing, “Oh, no! She’s fine! She’s completely justified, but I’d just add that I don’t think they realize it just yet dear!”
“Don’t realize what? What am I missing here?” Tom looked between the two completely lost and let out an exasperated sigh. “Honey, please let me in on this.”
Alya rubbed the back of her head and giggled, “Sorry Mom. Tom, do you remember Adrien?”
Tim asked, “Who’s Adrien?”
Etta poked her head out from behind Jason, “I remember Nino talking about him! Were they friends?”
Alya nodded, “Yup! You guys were pretty young, though. Adrien was a kid who lived in our district until his family moved.” Alya sighed as she thought back to her best friend being so bashful, “Marinette was totally in love with him. Head over heels.”
“Adrien? You mean Adrien Agreste?”
Alya stretched and ignored the 6th District’s introduction. “Yeah.” Alya blew some hair out of her face and thought back to better days, “The four of us would play together and pretend to be superheroes. She was so in love with him, but he just didn’t see it. He was a little boy after all. They don’t care for that stuff so I get it, but back then she was so heartbroken. When he moved, she was crushed and I haven’t seen her like anyone else.”
Dick chuckled, “So Damian is her first crush since Adrien?”
“And from what I saw Marinette was Damian’s first crush ever.” Sabine nudged Marlena and giggled, “But from the looks of it neither have a clue!”
Tom sighed, “Oh no. She was terrible around Adrien. My daughter’s clumsy, but around Adrien you’d think she never learned to walk.”
Stephanie laughed, “She was that bad!”
Alya bit her lip to keep from laughing, “She was worse.”
Tim frowned, “Oh great, if that’s true and he’s in the games then she’s royally screwed.”
Alya looked over at Tim and there was a moment of silence before she threw a nearby pillow at his head, “Don’t jinx it!”
Tim caught it and barked at her, “Don’t throw things in our house!”
Jason threw his own pillow, “Then stop talking shit.”
“Curse.”
“Yeah, kid. I cursed.” Otis grabbed onto his ear and tugged on it, “OW! OW! OW! OKAY! OKAY! STOP!” Otis let go and the twin giggled at Jason’s expense. Bruce came back into the room and took back his seat, “You good there?”
“I’m alright. I apologize-”
“Don’t. We get it.” Otis offered a pitiful smile and Tom stood by in solidarity. It was the first time he’s been around others who understood the conflicting emotions and grief you feel as you see the kids paraded before throwing into a hell game. It was just as refreshing as it was saddening. “District 7 is coming on stage now.”
“It’s all the same. Make the crowd like you, say a sob story, yadda yadda. I hated that part of the games.” Jason scowled and waved his hand dismissively, “It’s super boring and always the same. Seriously, I just wish something new would happen.”
Sabine patted Jason’s head and hummed, “I agree. Year after year, it’s the same old stories. Still, when your child is in the games it’s different.” Jason hummed and continued to allow her to mess with his hair. Tim watched the interaction and was surprised he let her get so close, but both seemed to relax by the interaction. He’s never seen him bond with anyone maternally, nor did he ever really discuss his family. As for Sabine, just based off of Marinette and the few days she was with them, she was physically affectionate. Not being able to hug her daughter, play with her hair, must be killing her. This must’ve been cathartic in a way for them both.
“District 8 is coming on.”
“Oh, so the girl’s name is Sabrina. I was wondering if Adrien’s partner was anyone we knew.” Alya shrugged and grabbed another snack, “Oh man, how Marinette didn’t get fat is beyond me.”
“Alya, you’ll ruin your appetite.”
“Stress eating, mom. Stress eating.”
Etta snickered, “Is that what you’re calling it now?”
Stephanie high fived the little girl, “Nice!”
“Rude. I came here thinking I’d get support and comfort and I’m feeling so attacked right now.”
Tim threw the pillow back at Alya and she let out a small yelp when it hit her head. “Hush, she’s almost done. Adrien should be on soon.”
“Yeah, yeah, yeah.” She grabbed the glass of water Alfred handed her and told him a quick ‘thank you’.
Caeser’s voice got more clear as the room quieted down in anticipation, “-na Rainomprix. Lovely girl, absolutely lovely. Now here comes our new resident pretty boy. You know him, you love him, Adrien Agreste!” As soon as he came out on stage, Alya choked on her water.
“Oh my god, Alya! Are you ok-”
“THAT’S ADRIEN!?” She wiped the corners of her mouth and pointed on screen, “THAT’S ADRIEN?!” The boy came out like a dream in a nice suit. Alya wished she could have any contact with her best friend. They needed to talk about this.
Tim narrowed his eyes at Alya, “I’m starting to think you would’ve been just fine in the games.”
Sabine and Tom looked at each other for a moment before Sabine hung her head, “She’s doomed.”
Stephanie cringed, “Oh yeah, no. She’s totally fucked.”
“Steph!”
“Curse.”
“Wait! He might sound terrible! We can save this!”
“-ings you here? As your father’s only child he must’ve been devastated when you were reaped?”
Adrien looked down at his hands rested on his lap before rubbing the back of his neck. Before he could even speak, the gesture had girls screaming. Alya scooted away from the broadcast and looked on in horror, “Never mind. She’s doomed. Oh Marinette, I can’t help you from here.”
Adrien chuckled awkwardly and waved at the audience before responding to Caeser, “It was a big shock to everyone involved. My father was devastated. To be honest, I’m kind of terrified.” He ran his fingers through his hair and sighed, “I didn’t get out much so I used a lot of the training time to learn some survival skills.”
“But you are good with a sword, right?”
Adrien shrugged and grinned, “That’s true! I do have that going for me! But I’m nothing compared to some of the people here.” He looked back and pointed at Damian, “Damian’s been helping me a bit. I’m really grateful for it.”
“An alliance already?”
“I don’t know if I’d say that, but I’d consider him a friend thus far. It’s honestly great and he’s been so helpful to me and Sabrina.”
“That must make facing him in the games all the more heartbreaking. Speaking of which, I got some inside intel that you have another friend on the inside. Am I right?”
Adrien nodded, “Yeah! She’s the girl from District 9! We knew each other as kids!”
“Woah! She seems special.”
Adrien looked to his lap and shrugged, “She is, but she’s just a friend. Swear.”
“Well, I’m sure we’ll get back to that topic later. Any last words?”
Adrien looked to the crowd and saluted, “Cheer me on, okay?” The women went wild as he waved goodbye and took his place in the lineup.
“Adrien Agreste, everyone!”
Stephanie patted Alya’s head, “Oh, she’s so doomed. Boy’s a prince.”
Dick laughed, “From what I hear from Barbara, Marinette is a mess around him.”
“Not exactly helping, Dick.”
“Now for District 9! The next girl is someone I’m sure will give us a memorable interview! The female tribute from District 9, Marinette Dupain-Cheng.” Marinette bashfully came out on stage in a beautiful dress. It wasn’t over the top like other costumes or dresses worn by some of the audience, it was something no doubt she probably had some hand in. Caeser ran over and grabbed her hand to parade her on stage. She looked completely out of her element. The room was completely silent as they watched Marinette get escorted to her seat.
Sabine hummed, “She’s beautiful but-”
“She’s terrified.” Bruce sighed, “This is her last chance to win over some audience members and gain some Sponsors.” Sabine continued to nervously play with Jason’s hair and the twins finally left his side to go to their sister. It wasn’t much but they owed it to Marinette to watch her interview, she saved their sister after all.
“Wow! Marinette, I hear you’re a designer. This dress isn’t like anything I’ve ever seen. Absolutely precious! Am I right?” The audience gave a loud cheer and Marinette seemed to relax a bit. “You must’ve had a hand in designing it.”
“Right! Our stylist was really cool. He let me have tons of input in the design of it!”
“You even designed the dress of District 2’s mentor too! Barbara, stand up! Give us a peek!” The camera panned over to Barbara who stood up and waved at everyone with a shy smile on her face. “Give us a turn, don’t be shy!” Barbara turned around and flaunted the designs well while the crowd showed their admiration.
“That dress looks great on camera.”
“Marinette made that? No wonder she was gone for so long, it looks great.” Alya smiled at her best friend’s handiwork. She always put her heart into the things she creates. She even saw traces of Marinette in the dress she walked out in.
The camera panned back to Marinette started to look more at home now that they were on a topic she knew. “Barbara, you look great!”
“Now you are someone I’ve been dying to talk to! So tell me how you know District 2’s mentor?”
“I honestly don’t know how she found me, but I’m so glad she did! It’s probably my best work ever. I worked on it for months! I wanted to get it perfect.”
Caeser got a weird look in his eye and Dick frowned. He didn’t know what Caeser was up to, but he knew he wasn’t going to like it. Caeser asked, “So, did you work from home?”
“Oh no! I went to Barbara. I wanted to make sure we could talk so I got everything just right.”
“It’s widely known that Barbara is one of the residents of Wayne manor. You lived there for a while?”
Marinette quirked her brow and nodded, “Yes. They were very nice to me.”
“So that must mean you know our dear Damian over there, right?”
Bruce leaned forward and Tim let out an audible, “Uh-oh.”
Marinette must’ve sensed something because her body language suddenly became defensive, “Yes?”
“So not only do you know resident dreamboat Adrien Agreste but you are also involved with Damian Wayne! And closely involved from what I hear.”
Marinette squeaked and her face started to get red, “Wh-What do you mean?”
“Word has it that Damian Wayne snuck out of his suite and away from his mentors just to see you! How scandalous!”
The crowd erupted in gasps and Marinette jumped out of her seat, “Wait! It’s not what it-”
Caeser interrupted her by pointing over at Damian and Adrien, “Love triangle on the rocks people! You heard it here first; star crossed lovers between THREE DISTRICTS!” The camera focused on the boys, who had varied expressions on their faces. Adrien seemed surprised but his blush only made him look bashful. Damian, on the other hand, looked completely shocked and furious. “Aw, boys! Don’t be shy!”
“Wa-wait a minute! I never said-”
“So what happened during your midnight rendezvous? You’re so young, I can’t imagine-”
“NOTHING HAPPENED!” The outburst came from both Damian and Marinette. Both seemed mortified at the insinuations being made but Caeser was eating it up. The crowd was going ballistic and demanded answers.
“Oh no, Adrien! You seem to have some competition. Although I’m not surprised, if anyone could compete with you it’s a Wayne!”
Adrien just laughed nervously and looked over at Damian. Adrien seemed to ask some of Damian who suddenly blushed and yelled back at him. Marinette wasn’t fairing much better, “W-Weren’t you supposed to ask me about my interests? My family? My friends?”
“Oh, that’s right! You came here because your best friend was picked! What was her name again?”
Marinette must’ve gotten frustrated because she snapped at Caeser, “Alya! Her name is Alya! She’s my best friend in the world and my mentor is her sister! When she was picked, I saw the look on her mom’s face and I knew I couldn’t let that happen to her family again!” She bit her lip and looked down at her skirt as she pondered over her next words.
Marlena felt a wave of guilt wash over her as Marinette continued, “Volunteering was the only thing I could do to get her out of it. I just-” Her voice hitched as she pushed the last of it out, “I’m sorry! It was just so hard, but I couldn’t just sit by and watch my best friend get taken away. She’s always had my back, it was the least I could do.”
The crowd settled into soft ‘Aw’s and other coos as they watched a girl break down on stage. Marinette wiped at her eyes and looked up at Caeser, “Whatever happens, I want her to know that this was my choice. And I’m sorry to my parents, but I had to do this. I would’ve never forgiven myself if I just let her go.” Caeser put his hand over his heart and pulled Marinette into a gentle hug as the crowd cheered them on.
Marinette pulled away and wiped her eyes, “Sorry.”
“Oh, what a dear. Marinette Dupain-Cheng everyone!” Marinette wiped her eyes and waved out at the crowd with a sweet smile.
As she took her place in the tribute line up, Tim was the first to react. “Well, that could’ve gone worse.” Alya’s sniffling caught his attention and she wiped her eyes, “Hey-”
“She’s such an idiot.” Alya wiped her eyes and laughed, “She’s so smart but so dumb.” She looked up at Sabine, “I’m so sorry.”
Sabine wiped away her own tears, “Just like Marinette said, it was her choice.”
Bruce looked up to see Otis comforting Tom. It must be so conflicting; Marinette saved his daughter but at such a high cost. The guilt in Marlena’s eyes was obvious as she excused herself, completely avoiding Sabine as she left the room.
Ella pointed at Kim, “We know him too!”
“Yeah, that’s right. He’s Kim.”
“So we won’t seem him again either?”
Alya flinched, “Ella-”
Stephanie walked over and picked up the young girl, “Hey, you want some more sweets? Or you can try sneaking up on Cass and Duke again. They should be done with their workout.”
Etta groaned, “But they’re impossible!”
“All the more need for practice. C’mon.” Etta sighed and grabbed onto Stephanie’s hand as they walked out of the room.
Alya watched as Stephanie led her sisters out of the room. She looked over at the rest of the group and frowned, “We won’t see any of them ever again, will we?”
Dick licked his lips before saying, “You should go with your sisters.”
It felt like a punch to the gut.