Work Text:
Okay so – recap, they were out getting coffee in between her breaks at work, where Marinette was saying if Ivy really did want to kill everyone, she easily could have killed everyone and he was ignoring her – because he didn’t want to know – or think – about how his girlfriend could know so many poisonous plants off the top of her head. (Note to self, he thinks: Never let her meet Ivy. Or Harley. Maybe Selina but that’s simply because she’s engaged to Bruce and they’re bound to run into each other at some point – but keep her far away from the other Sirens. He has a sinking feeling that they’d get along a bit too well for his and the Batfam’s tastes.) Marinette knows what he’s thinking – and she’s amused. As if she hasn’t met Ivy yet.
“I’m just saying, “all things are poison, and nothing is without poison, it’s the dosage alone that makes it so something isn’t.” He huffs, “Are you quoting Paracelsus to me?” And she grins, “But was he wrong?” He shakes his head, and promptly takes a sip of his coffee before gas rolls into the shop and he curses. Marinette’s eyes are wide as they look up to him and Scarecrow enters. That’s the last thing he remembers when he finally stirs awake tied up with Marinette in some run down shop.
“It lives,” says Scarecrow and Tim scowls at him. He had been enjoying that coffee and then his ugly facemask just had to ruin things. His hands are behind him, and he squeezes Marinette’s hands to see if she’s awake – and he gets nothing. There’s brief panic, and he shifts just so that his fingers find her pulse point – and she’s still alive, thank goodness, but that leads them to another situation of where he’s tied up and his girlfriend is asleep.
“What do you want, Scarecrow?”
The mask shifts, and Tim feels like he’s being analyzed – before the burlap bag shakes. “It’s Halloween, is it not?” Tim’s automatically on edge, and he frowns when he realises that even though he – and Marinette – had inhaled the gas that was released, there are no fears around him. None. Zip. Zero. Nada. “What’s going on?” he wearily asks and Scarecrow radiates amusement.
“I’m simply here to pass out an invitation for the annual Halloween party, that’s all.”
Tim frowns, “And you tied us up?”
“Guests of Honor,” Scarecrow continues, as if Tim hasn’t even said anything. “See, Halloween is a sacred Holiday underground. Unfortunately – or maybe, fortunately, for you two – you’ve managed to grab Riddler’s attention. You’ve both beaten his time in escape rooms; and somehow, always tend to win against his riddles when you two come in contact. Not just anyone gets invited, boy.”
Marinette stirs from behind him, confusion starting to seep off of her – and he knows that she’s got one of the kwami with her – Tikki he thinks, but he’s not really sure. “Tim?” She whispers and he lets out a grunt, before his hands go to find hers and squeeze. She squeezes back.
“What’s going on?” She questions, and he’s either been around her for too long, or he’s just that stupidly in love with her to the point where he can hear her brain whirling. Maybe both.
“As I was just telling Tim here—you’re both invited to the annual Halloween party – since you’ve both caught so much of our attentions.” She shudders when she hears his voice, and Scarecrow sounds pleased when he continues. “It’s non-negotiable you see. You both have to show up.” He curses in his head, before Scarecrow turns to leave. “Oh, and I’ll let you two get out on your own. Since you’re both so good at escaping.” Tim watches him leave through the door and he lets out a breath he didn’t know he was holding.
“Somehow,” Marinette starts, “That isn’t as bad as I was thinking it was going to be.” Tim nods in agreement. He knows that she’s been caught up with Scarecrow before – seen her take out Scarecrow too – back before he understood what her nightmares and fears were created of.
Tim shifts, and begins to untie them – and he can feel her questions that stay on the tip of her tongue. She knows better than to question him here, where neither of them know who might be listening. Once freed, they move to escape quickly – and neither comment on how easy it is. (It seems it really was just an invitation to go to a party and nothing more. He’s concerned that they’re required to go.) They make quick work to get back to Marinette’s place – because to her, it’s the safest. Armed with magical charms and jinxes for anyone that dares to even harm her, she looks at him, and raises a brow.
He shrugs, not quite ready to tell her his own secret identity even though it’s been a year since he found out hers.
She doesn’t push and he’s grateful for it.
“So.”
“So.”
“We have to go.”
He nods. “We do.”
She curses, “What are we going to do? It’s not like I could go as Ladybug.”
He winces, okay, so maybe it was time to tell her. “Maybe I can let Batman and them know?”
She snorts. “Sure, just wave them down and be like ‘hi so me and my girlfriend were kidnapped by a rouge and invited to a party and we have to go like they didn’t give us a choice. Also they didn’t tell us when or where so we’ll probably be kidnapped to go to it –”
Tim curses, he didn’t even think of that fact. He winces, “Marinette.” She stops her joking tirade about how Batman surely wouldn’t find them suspicious – and looks up at him confused. He breathes out, in – once, out , before he steels himself. “I’m Red Robin?”
“That sounds like a question.”
“No I am – so I could let him know—” and also that you know that I’m Red Robin, goes unsaid.
She pursues her lips. “Okay.”
“Okay?”
“Okay. I’ll follow your lead then – especially since, no offense, Ladybug cannot be seen in Gotham.” He breathes out and realises that eventually, they’re going to have to talk. Like they did when she revealed she was Ladybug and the Guardian – but he has a feeling it’ll go much better than the Ladybug/Guardian talk did.