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Tim had already noticed her before the reception. She looked beautiful in her pink bridesmaid dress, not quite upstaging the two grooms but striking enough to a head-turner. She was leaning against the refreshments table, watching the guests play around and dance to the semi-upbeat music.
He diverted his own attention to his brother and new brother-in-law. Jason and Roy were laughing together, clumsily swaying to the rhythm as they chatted with other guests from time to time. Jason wore a deep red tuxedo with golden patterns at the collar and cuffs. Meanwhile, Roy was in white, complementing his spouse with the colorful accents on his outfit.
Dick and Kory were stuck in a slow dance, seemingly lost in each other. Bruce—no, Brucie —was with Selina, who might or might not have stolen his watch for the fiftieth time. Even Kon, Cassie, and Bart were talking in their own bubble.
Tim placed his glass down. Okay. Might as well talk to her.
He sidled up to the girl awkwardly. She has freckles! Adorable freckles! He didn't recognize her from anywhere, but then again, there were a lot of unfamiliar people in the crowd. He remembered her speaking with both Jason and Roy before the wedding, and surmised that she must be close with the latter.
He cleared his throat. "So, how do you know Roy?"
She perked up. "Roy? I didn't know him until during the wedding preps."
"Oh, sorry." He didn't know Jason could be affiliated with her. "Jason then?"
A small smile played on her lips. "Just met him too."
Then why are you at the wedding? "Umm . . . should I call the cops?"
She giggled. Giggled. It was a pleasant sound. "Marinette Dupain-Cheng. Professional bridesmaid at your service."
His eyebrows shot up. "Professional bridesmaid?"
"It's an obscure job, I know." She sipped from her drink. "Jay and Roy hired me through . . . interesting events. We made a deal and they got me to be one of the bridesmaids. Or groomsmaid? Whichever. I helped plan the wedding and I designed their suits."
No wonder their outfits look so high-end, Tim mused. "Are you allowed to say that to the wedding guests?"
"Not the guests, but the family is fine," she replied, blue eyes sparkling, "Mr. Tim Drake."
She's good. She's really good. Tim had seen how natural she was when dealing with the wedding setups and choosing for Jason and Roy. It was like she was their longtime friend already. If she'd been a detective, she'd be solving a hundred cases a minute.
"May I ask how you met the grooms?" Tim braved another step towards her. Marinette blushed.
"Found them in the alleys late at night. Roy was limping, and Jason was losing a lot of blood. I helped them out, and they mentioned marriage, so I volunteered myself. It was all a blur from there."
Tim arched a brow. "In the alleys?"
"Yes, I know about that, and your entire family." She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "But don't worry, I won't tell. I also have a secret or two of my own."
Tim gaped. How perfect can this woman be? Gorgeous, a fashion designer, good-natured, friendly and is connected to the superhero business?
"Do you usually offer random strangers your bridesmaid services?"
"Not usually. That was a special case." Her lips curled into a playful pout. "I've got other jobs too. Stuntwoman, bike courier, videogame tester, bounty hunter."
She must've seen his frown since she added: "It's not much of an issue with money or anything. I just enjoy the different environments. I got to meet interesting people."
"I hope I'm one of those interesting people."
She smirked. "You are definitely interesting."
Tim gulped. And he was definitely in deep trouble. "I'm—I'm honored?"
Marinette threw her head back with laughter. "It's also an honor to talk with you, Monsieur Red Robin. I have to admit, I was hesitant to approach you at first."
Now that he thought about it, Tim realized that she had had long conversations with every member of the family (even Damian ) except for him. "Why, did I do something wrong?"
"Hmm." She swirled her drink. "Jay told me not to come near you. I think it was just him being overprotective, since he knows you're my type."
Her type?! She's single! Tim could've fallen to his knees to thank the heavens. Instead, he threw a glare at the oblivious Jason, who was a shot away from being completely drunk.
"Are you serious? I'm your type?"
She nodded meekly. "Unless . . . I'm getting the wrong message and we're not actually flirting right now?"
"No! I—" He blanked out completely. After a few seconds, he pulled back his composure. "I'd be happy to see you again after this."
She put a hand on her chest. "I'm glad. That could've gone really horribly and I'd never show my face to Jay and Roy ever again."
Tim laughed a little. She's cute. Too cute.
Loud cheers and whoops erupted from the other corner of the room. Jason was dragging Roy to one of the stands with balloons hung up. Tim immediately knew what was coming. Instead of a bouquet toss, Roy was going to shoot an arrow at one of the balloons to reveal a slip of paper bearing the name of a lucky unmarried guest. It was one of Marinette's ideas too, along with the vigilante-themed cake and literature classics-inspired vows (at the behest of Jason, of course).
Roy stumbled a bit as he aimed the arrow. "I'm going for it!"
The other guests shouted in anticipation. The arrow zipped through the air and pierced a balloon, pinning down a thin piece of paper to the wall. Jason took the paper himself to read the name.
His face fell. "Marinette Dupain-Cheng."
All heads turned towards Marinette. Marinette herself did a double take, almost spilling her wine. "I didn't know my name was in there," she mumbled.
Tim turned to her, smiling. "So, do you get to be a professional bride as well?"