Chapter Text
Dick Grayson didn't know what he expected, but it wasn't this.
Talia looked at Bruce defiantly, daring the man to overlook her favor.
"She is in Paris right now, with an old ally of mine. I am just asking you to check on her once in a while. Is it that hard?" she quirked an eyebrow, looking at Robin questioningly. "Even your little apprentice can do it for you. She is barely dangerous," Dick didn't know if he wanted to know what that meant.
All he saw after was the Arabic woman leaving the cave in a hurry, dropping a name while hopping on her bike.
Mara.
On his next business trip to Paris, Bruce took Dick with him. The teenager finally had his first trip without being undercover.
"Welcome to the Dupain-Cheng Bakery!" the young girl smiled, motioning to the pastries on the counter. "What can I get for you?"
She had big blue eyes and fair skin. Her hair was so dark it shone blue in the artificial light of the bakery.
And her accent.
It was so faint that barely could be noticed.
"This one, please," he pointed at the chocolate eclair in the far corner of the counter, never taking his eyes away from her. "I'm sorry, but what is your name?" the girl chuckled, getting the eclair and putting it in a paper bag.
"Marinette. Nice to meet you...?"
"Grayson. Dick Grayson," he smiled, taking the pastry from the girl's, Marinette's, hand.
She was petite and cheerful, with a bright smile of missing teeth and sparkling eyes.
In Dick's eyes, she couldn't be older than 10, walking around the bakery with her arms full of packages to put the pastries and offering help to her mother, who spoke quietly with Bruce for a moment.
"Dick, is time for us to go," Bruce called, already by the door and ready to leave.
"I hope we can see each other again soon, Marinette," Dick waved a last goodbye in the girl's direction and followed Bruce outside.
Unhappily, Dick only saw Marinette again years later, when he went to Swiss with Bruce to look for Jason. They passed by Paris to check on the girl after finding out about Jason's death.
Bruce would never admit it, but it relieved his heart to know that at least Marinette was safe.
Tim met the girl almost a year after, already a Robin at that time. Being the same age gave them common topics to talk about, but Mari's were always the heroes of Gotham.
If Dick noticed that she deliberately avoided talking about the Miraculous team, he never pointed it out.
"And what about your family?" Tim asked once. Marinette was on break from University and agreed to stay at the manor for a couple of days. Anyone who looked from the outside would think that they were a couple, but Tim and Mari were only good friends.
"I know I have a sister somewhere, and maybe a nephew or two, but we barely have contact with each other. She comes and goes as she wishes," Mari explained over her book.
They could hear Jason and Bruce yelling somewhere, and a third voice coming through the walls, getting their attention.
"Do you have guests over?" Mari asked, putting her book down. It was unusual for the Waynes to have uninvited guests, especially at night like this.
"Not that I'm aware of. Aside from you, of course," Marinette threw her pillow on Tim's face and got up, skipping closer to the door of the room and opening it. The screaming became louder.
"... I am the blood son!" Marinette looked back at Tim, who had followed her closer to the door. She held the guy's wrist and pulled him with her in the direction of the living room, where the yelling came from.
"You are but a child!" they heard Jason yell. From the corner of the wall, Marinette and Tim peeked at the scene. Bruce was holding Jason and a child apart, looking tired of whatever discussion they were having. A child who was weirdly familiar to Marinette.
"Having fun eavesdropping?" Dick's voice behind them made Marinette squeal.
"Richard John Grayson!" Marinette scolded, her cheeks pink from the scare.
"Wow, you still remember my name!" said adult teased, hooking an arm around the girl's shoulders and pushing Tim forward. "Go on It's better to watch the show when you can actually see something."
"There's no show. Both of you. Stop arguing. Damian will be training with us from now on. No lethal techniques allowed," Bruce emphasized the last part. Whilst, Marinette's brain focused on something else.
"Damian? As is 'Damian Wayne'?" her eyes darted between Jason, Bruce, and Damian, something sparking in her eyes as she untangled herself from Dick to walk closer to Damian. "By the love of gods, you have Talia's eyes!" Marinette bent a little to be able to look into the boy's eyes. "The resemblance is uncanny. Damn, Bruce, the only thing he got from you is that he has a bad temper. The only thing I have in common with my father is skin as white as a ghost."
"What did you say about Father?" the entire room blinked and Damian had a dagger hovering close to Marinette's neck. Her smile didn't wave, though.
"See? Like father, like son," Marinette straightened her back and offered a hand for Damian to shake. The batboys held their breath, waiting for the worst. "Nice to meet you officially, Damian! My name is Marinette Dupain-Cheng. But you can call me Mara Al Ghul, Talia's youngest sister, and your aunt."