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She had just finished cleaning up after her lunch when someone knocked excitedly on her door. There were only two people in her life that would manage to make a knocking sound excited, and Marinette only rolled her eyes before walking to her front door with a fond smile.
Stephanie, a bright grin on her face, was bouncing there.
“Mari! Just the person I wanted to see!” She exclaimed, clasping her hands together.
“I would hope so,” Marinette said with an amused smile, leaning on the doorframe. “Seeing as this is my appartement.”
“Yeah,” she chuckled, rubbing the back of her neck. “I need your help, it is of the utmost importance.”
“Oh yeah?”
“Jason lost a bet,” she told her solemnly.
“Tell me more,” Marinette said, instantly interested, mentioning for her to come inside with a nod.
“Yeah! So, the loser had to let the winner decorate their apartment, and keep the things until two weeks after Halloween!” Steph said excitedly, jumping to sit on Marinette’s couch. “I have the best idea for him, and I thought that we could do it, like… together?”
“Ah?” Marinette said with a smile, feeling her cheeks heat. But the sight of Steph’s own blush gave her a boost in confidence. “And what do I win out of it?”
“Beside the pleasure of my company and annoying the hell out of Jason?” She asked cheekily, before rolling her eyes at Marinette’s raised eyebrow. “What about waffles after we finish decorating? My treat.“
“Are you asking me out, Stephanie Brown?” Marinette asked with a smirk, trying to sound flirty but probably falling.
“What,” Steph exclaimed, losing her equilibrium and almost falling off the couch, making Marinette take a step toward her with a worried expression. She got up quickly, pushing back her hair and looking at her with wide eyes. “I— Um, I mean, yeah? If you want me to?”
Marinette coughed in her hand, trying to ignore her flaming cheeks. “Yeah, I would like that.”
“Great. Great! So, uh, it’s a date!”
“Yeah,” Marinette smiled slightly, looking down. “Um, let me grab my room in my purse— I mean my bed— my purse! Let me grab my purse in my room!
She ran toward her room as quickly as she could, ignoring Steph’s laughter in her wake.
“So,” she started when they were in the car en route to Jason’s place, looking at the decorations’ boxes on the backseat. “Why are there so many bat themed things in here?”
“Because Jason is gonna hate it!” Steph told her with an evil-looking smile.
“Oh? Did he have something against bats?” She asked innocently, looking at Steph from the corner of her eyes. The panic that crossed her face told her that she didn’t know that Marinette knew.
“Um, no? He just doesn’t, uhm. He is not a Batman fan?” Stephanie spluttered, eyes stubbornly fixed on the road.
“Really? I thought the only ones not fans of Batman here were the criminals,” she continued, hiding her smile from Steph.
“Criminal? Jason?” Steph laughed awkwardly, still evading her gaze. “No way!”
Marinette only hummed, probably enjoying a little too much making fun of Steph.
“Is that,” Marinette started with surprise, reaching for the box that was on the floor of the back, before bursting into laughter. “Steph, why do you have a box full of Batgirl themed bats?!”
“Uh, she is my favorite?” She said, her awkwardness climbing through the roof.
“I get why,” Marinette said with a smirk, grabbing one of the bats before sitting back correctly in her seat. It was cute little black things, with a yellow belly and purple striped wings. “She kicks ass, takes names, and looks stunning doing it.”
“Oh?” Steph muttered, her cheeks deep red.
“Yeah, totally my favorite too,” Marinette said with a smile, pointing at Steph with the bat. “But I don’t think that’s why you have that box.”
“What?” Steph whimpered, glancing quickly toward her.
“No, I think they are here because they are your signature.”
“What?” She said in a high pitched tone, looking at her for a second before looking back at the road. “Why would I use Batgirl themed bats to—”
“So, Jason didn’t tell you that I knew about the Waynes’ extracurricular activities?”
“What?!” She screeched, looking at her with wide eyes.
“Eyes on the road, Batgirl,” Marinette said with an amused tone, turning Steph’s head with a hand on her chin.
“Oh my god! Did— Did Jason tell you?!”
“Nah, that dumbass forgot his guns and helmet on his kitchen table,” she replied, waving her hand slightly.
“He didn’t,” Steph whispered disbelievingly.
“Oh yes, he did! And do you know what he said when I asked him about it?” Marinette asked with a shit-eating grin.
“What?” She asked with the tone of someone that was afraid of the answer.
“He looked at me right in the eyes, expression all serious, and said,” she paused, schooling her features and making a bad imitation of Jason’s voice. “I’m Batman.”
“Oh my god, are you shitting me?!” She burst into laughter, only barely managing to keep herself focused on the road.
“I’m not! And when he realised how shitty his excuse was he just looked at me like a lost puppy and mumbled ‘I cosplay?’”
“No.”
“Yes.”
“Holy shit! But— Oh my god, do Bruce know that you know?” Stephanie asked, when her laughter subdued enough for her to.
“Of course he does, he confirmed it.”
“He what?!” She screeched again, and Marinette was really loving this ‘surprising Steph’ thing.
“Yeah, Jason took me to see him at WE headquarters. I asked him if he was Batman and he said,” she changed her voice to badly imitate Brucie’s tone. “‘Yes, of course. Do you want a ride in the Batmobile?’ I don’t think he was expecting me to believe him and accept.”
“Fuck, he need to stop doing that,” Steph muttered under her breath. “Did you get the ride?”
”Non! And I’m still miffed about that,” she said with a pout. “I’m kinda surprised he didn’t tell you about it, I think he dug up my entire life story when he realised that I knew.”
“Holy shit, I can’t believe we spent the last two weeks walking on eggs around you when you knew,” Steph said, disbelief in her voice, as she parked the car in front of Jason’s building.
After they literally drowned Jason’s apartment under bats, they sat in front of each other at a table in a waffle house, like promised.
“Oh mon dieu,” Marinette said with a laugh when she saw that the waffles were bat-shaped. “Are the bats never going to leave me alone?”
“Do you want them to?” Steph asked, with a flirty smile.
“No,” Marinette sighed, staring at her with a dreamy smile. “I really don’t.”