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“Mari, he’s not good for you.” Alya had staged the intervention and Marinette was about to scream at her.
“He’s perfect for me Alya, he’s the one who really gets me.” She tried to brush her off and walk towards the door but Nino got up and stood in her way.
“Dudette, you have to see it from our point of view. He’s dangerous.”
“He’s really not.” She rolled her eyes. “I’m more dangerous than he is. Did you forget that I have two tiny gods living in my purse?”
“Girl, Jason has killed people.” Alya grabbed her hand and made her look in her eyes. “Like a lot of people.”
Marinette grabbed her hand back. “So did Adrien.”
Alya and Nino shared a look. “Nette, you know it’s not the same.”
“Why?” Her eyes had turned to steel and she was not backing down. “Because he was possessed? So was Jason. Because he was doing what’s best for people? So is Jason. You guys don’t know anything.” Marinette turned her back on them and walked for the window. “If you need to reach me, don’t. If it’s an emergency Adrien can find me.” A quick transformation later and Multimouse was jumping the rooftops of Gotham back towards a safe house that had a motorcycle waiting for her.
---
“Babe?” Marinette knocked on the door of Jason’s apartment. She was pretty sure he was in there right now but didn’t want to just walk in.
“Mari?” Jason called out. “It’s open, I uh- I could use some help.”
She let herself in and then gasped at the sight of him. He was sitting at the kitchen table with the first aid kit open and trying to do stitches on his own leg. “Oh my kawmi, Jason, why didn’t you call me?”
He gave a sheepish smile. “In my defense! I did. It went to voicemail and I assumed that you were on the way here anyway.”
“Move your hands!” She took hold of the needle and started fixing his stitches. “Jay, you have to be more careful. What would I do without you?”
“You’d be a lot safer.” He laughed at her scowl.
“You’ll be a lot safer once I no longer have a needle in your skin.” She grumbled under her breath.
He whistled as she tugged on the last stitch to tie it off. “I guess this means no dinner with friends.”
She let out a small laugh. “Oh no, you’re not getting out of dinner with Adrien and Dick that easily.”
“What about your other friends? Hard to explain a bullet wound to civilians.”
“One, who said anything about them being civilians? Two, they aren’t invited anymore.”
“What?” He gave her an incredulous look.
She just shrugged and turned to work on cleaning and bandaging the wound now that it was stitched up. “Yeah, I know. You would think that two people who flew halfway across the world to see me would want to go to dinner, but they have been uninvited.”
He grabbed her hand to make her look at his face. “What? No, back up, I meant: they aren’t civilians?”
Marinette rolled her eyes. “Of course not. I wouldn’t have a civilian friend meet my kinda, maybe, boyfriend, known anti-hero, the Red Hood.”
He smiled and leaned closer to her. “So, I’m your boyfriend?”
“I said maybe.” She shrugged with nonchalance while hiding her blush. “I don’t know, I thought you didn’t like labels.”
“I didn’t before, but there is one that’s been growing on me.” He gave her a genuine smile. “So, still on for dinner with my brother and your platonic soulmate?”
“Yes, we are, so! Go get dressed.” She lightly patted the bandage on his leg. “I’ll get this all cleaned up.”
Tikki flew out of her bag and shoved her towards the spare room where she kept some of her clothes. “Marinette, go get dressed. Mullo and I will get this put away.”
“You’re the best Tikki!” She went to get changed and smiled as she prepared for the look on Jason’s face when he saw her. She had left a specific dress here for tonight and she knew he would love it. It was a dress with a knee length princess skirt and a sweetheart neckline corset top. The dress was the exact same shade red as his helmet. To complete the look she had made her own replica of his Red Hood jacket. Hoodie under leather, complete with symbol across the back. There would be no question tonight who Marinette’s favorite hero was.
She finished tying up her heeled boots and took a deep breath. “You can do this. Alya doesn't know what she’s talking about. Her heart is in the right place, but she’s wrong.”
“Pixie, you ready to go?” Jason lightly knocked on the door and she smiled.
“Coming!” She took another breath and smiled. She had double checked that her lipstick wouldn’t smudge, and she was ready for Jason to see her now. “Let’s go.”
Jason went silent when she walked out.
After about a minute of silent staring, she was blushing as she asked. “Do you… do you like it?”
“Doubt thou the stars are fire; Doubt that the sun doth move; Doubt truth to be a liar; But never doubt I love.”
She smiled and leaned up to kiss his jaw. “You’re quoting at me now?”
He tilted his head and kissed her softly. “How else can I ever truly express my love to you without stealing the words of poets long since passed?”
“Well, you could always use your own words, Romeo.” She laughed as he groaned at her.
“You know I hate him.” He sighed. “It’s not a good love story, it’s a tragedy that ends in so many people’s deaths.”
She patted his cheek. “Yes, yes, you can have a literature freak out on the way to the restaurant.”
She walked to the door and heard his gasp as he saw the back of the jacket. She was walking around in his colors and it was driving him crazy and she was so pleased with this.
---
“Marinette!” Adrien saw her and quickly walked over to give her a tight hug. “Alya called me. She says she’s sorry.” He whispered low enough that no one without miraculous hearing would be able to hear.
“You can tell her that her apology doesn’t mean anything when she’s still against my boyfriend.” She hissed back.
He leaned back and put out his hands. “Whoa there, don’t shoot the messenger.”
Dick came over and stole her from Adrien, scooping her up in his own hug then turning and beaming at Jason. “Our table is ready, let’s go sit.”
Jason gave her his arm and she graciously accepted it while the hostess led them to their table. “Mr. Agreste said that you would only need a table for four after all so we’ve moved you to the back for more privacy.”
“Thank you, Miss.” Jason gave her an easy smile and Marinette giggled when the poor hostess flushed. She knew what it felt like to be under Jason’s full attention.
After they were seated and had ordered they started talking quietly.
“So Marinette, why aren’t your friends here? Adrien wouldn’t tell me.” Dick asked her.
She glared at the table and tried to compose herself. “Alya had some concerns about Red Hood and how he can be violent, I told her she doesn’t know what she’s talking about, then we fought about Chat Noir, and then I left telling her not to talk to me.”
Adrien tilted his head and looked at her inquisitively. “What about Chat Noir?”
Marinette looked around, making sure no one was listening before answering. “Alya thinks that there’s a difference between Chat Noir killing people while possessed by Hawkmoth and Red Hood killing people while under the Lazarus pit are different.”
Jason coughed on his water and looked at her like she was the most amazing person he had ever met. “You think they’re the same?”
She met his eyes and smiled. “They were both being controlled by a force stronger than their own mind. How is it different?”
Jason reached out and cupped her cheek in his hand. “I thought an hour ago that I loved you more than any man has ever loved a woman, but a half hour after that I knew that what I felt before was nothing compared to what I felt then. But ten minutes after that, I understood that my previous love was a puddle compared to the high seas before a storm.”
“I love you Jason, and nothing dangerous about you will keep me from staying with you.”
He kissed her softly and then they turned back to simpler topics. Dinner was fun, getting to joke with Adrien and groan at his and Dick’s puns. It was over pretty soon and they left the restaurant heading back to their cars.
“Kitty, are you patrolling tonight?” Marinette turned to ask Adrien.
“Yeah, I’ll be out. You know she is gonna try to pester you to apologize.” Adrien looked at her and she glanced around the rooftops seeing if she caught a glance of Rena Rouge or Carapace.
She just shrugged. “Some foxes are afraid of bugs.”
Adrien laughed at that and then turned back to catch up to Dick. “This is gonna be fun, make sure I’m nearby please!”
Jason laughed loudly at them. “Don’t worry, I’ll make sure that we all get to hear.”
Marinette slapped his shoulder lightly and rolled her eyes at their antics. “You will play nice.”
He smirked at her getting close into her space. “Only if you keep wearing my colors.”
She laughed at him and kissed his nose. “You think I’m taking this off? Gotham is cold, and I worked hard on this jacket!”
“All according to plan.”
---
Marinette’s suit had changed over the years as she had grown, but the difference between her suit in Paris vs the one in Gotham was literally like day and night. Her Paris suit was still clearly Ladybug, even if she had more black cutting the design so she didn’t look like she was wearing PJs anymore. The black boots and the extra yo-yo were a part of both outfits, and both also still had the same silhouette, but that’s where the similarities stopped. Her Gotham suit was a much deeper red, almost blending into the black accents. The only spots she had were on her back, her domino had the white out lenses that the bats had, and she had a utility belt that had a couple quantum pockets on it so that she didn’t have to open her yo-yo to get out the important things she might need during a fight, like a gas mask, or zip ties.
Tonight her outfit had an extra addition, she was wearing her Red Hood jacket over the suit.
“Lady Luck?” A small kid called out to her and she dropped down to the fire escape near him.
“What’s up?”
“Will you tell Mr. Hood that there was a fox lady looking for him?” He handed her an envelope. “She asked me to give this to you and tell him that she was looking for him.”
She bit back a grimace. “Yeah, I’ll make sure he gets the message. You shouldn’t talk to strangers though, you never know who might be the next super villain. .”
He crossed his arms. “She saved me from some big guys with knives, I agreed to do this favor for her.”
Marinette giggled lightly. “All right, you got me there. Have a good night kid!”
She shot out her yo-yo and used it to fling herself onto the next building over. After running for a bit she rested against a rooftop access and opened the letter.
Maribug,
I’m sorry. I’ve thought it over, and you’re right. He was possessed by the pit when he went on his murder spree, but he’s also still dangerous. I’m still your best friend and I think I have every right to look after you, but today I failed that. I’m supposed to look out for your happiness too, and he makes you happy. I see that now, and I’m sorry that I doubted that.
Girl, I love you so much, please don’t be mad. I’ll do whatever it takes to convince you that I’m being fully supportive, but I just need to know that you aren’t too mad.
Your best friend forever,
AllyFox
Marinette smiled and reached up to turn on her com to the other members of the court. “You’re forgiven. Now come to my location so I can hug you.”
Alya responded with a yell and then Marinette waited for her to show up.
Alya announced her presence by leaping into Marinette’s side and sending them both to the ground. “I swear I am so, so sorry. I see what you mean, and I promise to support your happiness.”
Marinette giggled and carefully shoved Alya off of her. “You’re forgiven. But! You have to promise to come with us tomorrow. I really do want you to meet him.”
“I was serious about still being protective.”
Marinette laughed again. “Adrien already beat you to the shovel talk, but you’re more than welcome to join the line.”
“Deal.” She held out a fist and Marinette bumped it.
She sat up and turned to look at Alya. “Wanna play tag?”
“Oh absolutely!” Alya smiled at her. “What are the rules and stakes?”
“We both run the city, either of us catches the other we win. If either of us gets caught by a bat they lose. If you catch Chat Noir that’s an automatic win. Winner gets to decide on lunch tomorrow.”
“Wait, you mean we might get caught by Batman ?”
“Yep!” She popped the ‘p’. “And if he catches you you might even see the inside of the batmobile.”
“Bug! You can’t be real!”
“He will demand that you leave the city, so don’t get caught.”
“Roger that.” Alya mock saluted her.
Marinette stood up and looked out at her adopted city. “We both pick a direction and run that way for five minutes before we can turn back and try to catch the other.”
“Sounds good to me!” Alya got up and held out a hand to shake. “May the best woman win.”
“Hey Kitty Cat, did you hear all that?”
“I’m sorry, but the kitten you’re looking for is hiding, please try again later.” Adrien put on his best imitation of an automated phone call and both girls laughed.
“Alright kitten, good luck!”
“Wait! Does Hood count as a bat?” Alya turned back to her before they jumped off the buildings.
Marinette smirked. “For this game? Yes.”
Alya pouted. “Not fair! You know he’s already looking for me.”
Marinette laughed. “Well, then I guess you’ll have to play it safe and look for Chat.”
“Playing dirty.” Alya turned to jump off the edge. “Good luck cheater!”
---
They walked into the little cafe and Alya groaned. “It smells like coffee in here.”
“You lost, you gotta deal with it,” Marinette said in a sing-song voice.
Nino laughed at his girlfriend’s expression. “That was really on you babe, you know that Mari and Adrien basically have telepathy.”
“We do not!” Adrien tried to defend himself.
“Nah, I just know what Dick’s route is, and assumed that Adrien would be running with him.”
“Cheater.” Alya stuck her tongue out at her.
“Now come meet my boyfriend.” She led them over to where Jason was sitting reading a book waiting for them.
“Jason, this is Alya and Nino. Alya and Nino, this is my boyfriend Jason Todd.”
They all exchanged pleasantries and then sat down to eat.
---
Jason was waiting for her when she got home. She had left lunch to go out with Alya and show her the sights and he had to go back to his day job. She walked into the living room to see it filled with candles and plum blossoms.
“Jason?” She looked around. “What is this?”
“I wanted to do this right.” He walked over and grabbed her hands. “You’ve mentioned that I don’t like labels.” She nodded at him not trusting that she was understanding where he was going with this. “Well, there is one label that has been growing on me lately.”
“What is it?” She whispered, afraid to break the bubble they were in.
“I have never known someone so selfless, so caring, so nice as you.” He kissed her softly. “You make me want to be a better person, you make me happy just to breathe the air near you. My world has revolved around you since the moment you agreed to our first date, and you have never abused that. You know all my flaws and accept them, and I know yours and love them. You are the moon in my night sky, and my savior many times over.” He slipped down onto one knee. “Labels have always scared me because I haven’t been sure of anything until now. But now I know that I am sure because there is a label that I’d like to give you, Marinette Dupain Cheng, will you be my fiancée?” He held out the most beautiful ring to her and she started to cry.
“Yes! Yes, I will!” She surged forward to kiss him deeply. “I love you!”
He slipped the ring on her finger and then scooped her into a hug. “I love you so much, Pixie Pop.” He then kissed her again just as deeply.
Marinette pulled away and searched his face. “You’re really sure of this. Even knowing everything about me?”
“I will cherish every part of you every day for the rest of my life.”
She smiled and kissed him again. “Alright, how are we announcing this to people?”
He kissed her softly and tenderly before pulling away again. “Call your parents and tell them you said yes. I’ll call Adrien, he can tell everyone else, and we can get back to kissing..”
“You are perfect.” She kissed his nose. “Though I better tell Alya myself or she will start calling.”
“Well, let’s make those calls.”
Her parents cried, her father bawled when Jason told them that the ring was his mother's and that’s why it was so simple. Alya screamed and demanded that they come over right away. Adrien told Jason he was right. Jason’s family was a mixture of congratulations and siblings handing over bet money. All in all, it was perfect.