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It was a rare quiet night in Bludhaven. The moon had managed to peek out from behind the clouds, and the summer air was a pleasant break from the heat. Dick enjoyed quiet nights like these. Savored them as they were few and far between.
It gave him time to mess around and relax. Which was exactly what he was content to do. Or rather it had been before he caught wind of a theft of a priceless artifact in a museum.
He sighed, pushing up from his handstand, flipping over slightly to land on the balls of his feet before taking off towards the museum.
He got there to find unnatural blue eyes peering at him from the darkness. Throwing a quick wink his way before taking off over the rooftops.
She slowed a little from time to time, allowing him time to catch up.
She was obviously toying with him, was the only thought he had when he landed on the rooftop, having lost track of her.
The soft laugh was the only warning he had before she lunged out of the shadows. He threw himself out of the way, just managing to duck under her fist, recovering in time to block her next blow and meet it with one of his own.
The two of them traded blow for blow, dancing around each other as they fought. She laughed, grabbing his wrist and pulling him off balance, or at least attempting to as she swung around. Nightwing grinned in return, keeping her there and throwing them both to the ground, landing on top and pinning her wrists above her head.
He stared down at her for a moment before voicing his question. “You could have gotten away, you know. Why'd you stick around?”
She grinned up at him, wrapping her legs around his waist and twisting, switching their positions so she was on top.
“Where's the fun in a clean getaway, when I can toy with you instead?” she asked, leaning in slightly. “Do you always put this much effort into chasing after girls, Nightwing?”
“Only when they steal something priceless.”
She laughed, the ears atop her head seemed to twitch in amusement, as she stared him down, “This little thing is not priceless to you.”
“I'm sure the museum you stole that from would disagree.”
“I'm sure the museum has no clue what they had, and that they would be happy to pass this along to the highest bidder. Just like the other three museums in this city have.”
“Are you upset that someone bought your little collectables before you could steal them?”
She huffed out a laugh pushing off of him and putting distance between them, keeping one end of her staff on him as she backed away. “I’m upset that there are people playing with things they don’t know.”
“And you do?”
“I’m not telling you that much.”
“And here I thought you liked to have fun.”
“Find out who the buyer is before me, Darling. Then we can talk.”
“Asking me to dig for your dirty work now, Noire?”
“Asking you how much you want answers about these little ‘priceless’ items you're chasing me down for.”
Nightwing bit back a laugh as she balanced delicately on the ledge. “Nice try, Noire.”
She only grinned as she gave a mocking salute, retracting her staff. “See you around, Songbird.”
He watched as she stepped off into the darkness. Seemingly leaving her grin lingering behind for a second before it caught up to her.
—------------------------
Dick stared at the files in front of him.
The shard Lady Noire stole looked like it belonged to part of a set. Three parts of a charm and the belt it hangs from. Unknown origins. Two shards and the belt had been sold to anonymous buyers, though why they’d been separated Dick had no idea.
He also had no idea why three separate buyers had sought after these pieces, with a fourth asking about purchasing the now stolen shard.
He blew out a breath as he ran a hand through his hair, combing over the files again.
And again.
And again.
He was just about to call it quits when something about the companies purchasing the artifacts jumped out at him. He had his phone out before he lost his train of thought.
“Hey, Tim. I don’t suppose you or Kon would happen to know if Luthor’s opened any new shell companies lately would you?”
—------------------------
Dick needed to start paying more attention to what was right in front of him. Or rather, the sudden influx of rush hour foot traffic, people hurrying to get home or to whatever plans or appointments they had lined up.
These were the conclusions he came to when he felt somebody slam into him, the startled yelp and the sudden, desperate scramble to stop their fall. He lunged forward as a hand grabbed the side of his jacket, the momentum carrying him forward. He cursed under his breath, stepping over whoever had latched onto him in an attempt to stop their fall and swinging them upright.
That's what he got for being more preoccupied over last night's encounters and his brief rendezvous with Tim instead of what was in front of him.
"Are you alright?" he asked, finally getting a good look at who had crashed into him. She was beautiful. Bright blue eyes stared up at him, still wide from the shock of falling. Dark hair fell in her face as she took a few shallow breaths trying to recenter herself. She seemed almost familiar in a way he couldn't place. His question seemed to startle her a bit as she apologized.
"I- I am so sorry. I wasn't paying attention to where I was going. I can be such a klutz. Unlike you though," she laughed, biting her bottom lip for a second. "That was incredible. Thank you for not letting me fall."
"You didn't give me much choice."
He laughed as she flushed at his words, seemingly just realizing how close they were and how her hands were still clutching his jacket. She swallowed, slowly letting go and trying her best to smooth it out on him.
"I'm sorry about that."
"It's no worries. Really. I'm always happy to save a beautiful woman from a fall."
"I bet you say that to all the ladies."
"Only the ones that drag me down with them."
She laughed at that, looking up at him through lowered lashes. "You flatter me."
"Would you like to get dinner or a coffee some time?"
"I don't know."
"I promise I don't bite."
She gave him a soft smile, tugging him closer with his jacket," You don't actually want this," she told him, leaning closer. Close enough that her lips nearly brushed his as she spoke.
"What makes you so sure?"
"If you knew who I was, that'd change an awful lot, Darling."
"And if I prove you wrong?"
"I'd like to see you try," she murmured, pulling away. "See you around, Songbird."
He froze for a moment at her parting words, losing her to the crowd as his heart raced.
He took a few deep breaths, cursing as he shoved his hands in his jacket pockets.
His now empty jacket pockets.
His wallet was gone.
And with it, the flash drive Tim had just given him with all of the updated information on Luthor’s shell companies.
“Fuck.”
—------------------------
The ringing of his cell phone was a welcome distraction from all the research Dick was doing in penance to his little brother for losing his flashdrive minutes after receiving it.
“Hey, Clark. What's up?”
“Hey, Dick. Sorry about this but I think your cat has made her way over to Metropolis. Want me to handle her or do you want to. I know how your family gets over your rogues.”
Dick laughed at his words. “Like you don’t get that way with your gallery.”
“Touche.”
“I’ll zeta over. Where is she?”
“Halfway between The Museum of Antiquities and LexCorp.”
“I’m on my way.”
—------------------------
The ears twitching on top of her head, betrayed that she knew he was here before he could say anything, her braid swayed side to side, almost leisurely, as if it had a mind of its own.
“You’re a long way from home, Noire.”
“So are you, Songbird. Did the Boy Scout tell you I was here?”
“How’d you know?”
“Caught him watching me an hour ago. Figured he’d let you take point.”
“Why are you here?”
The look she gave him was biting, she studied him. “We both know why I’m here. Come on, Darling. You’re smarter than this,” she told him, patting the ledge next to her. “You can relax. I’m not going anywhere yet. Besides, I think you have some questions and I promised we’d talk when you find out who the buyer is and you did such a good job keeping up your end of the bargain, Dick .”
He resigned himself to sitting next to her as she said that.
“How long have you known?”
She grinned. “Longer than you’ve known I’ve been around.”
“Well, Marinette , why is Luthor after these pieces?”
She laughed. “Because somewhere, somehow, someone figured out that these pieces contained some powerful magic years ago, and now Luthor’s trying to reunite the pieces. My guess is to try and reclaim at least a fraction of its power. Not that it’ll work of course, but I’d rather be safe than sorry.”
He stared at her as she spoke. Her braid lashing back and forth as she spoke. Dick had barely been able to find anything on these pieces, with the numerous resources he had through the Batcave and hacking, but somehow she knew more about it, and more than she was letting on he’d guess.
“How do you know?”
She tilted her head to the side, eyes wide. “How do I know what?”
“About the belt.”
“What belt?”
Nightwing laughed. “Playing dumb doesn’t suit you, Noire.”
She huffed, rolling her eyes slightly.
“It’s my job to know about the things that slip through the cracks, so to speak. I know about more things that most of the world has forgotten and I try to make sure they stay forgotten. It’s for the best that no one gets their hands on them. Especially someone like Luthor. With even a fraction of the power it once held…. Well let’s just say it wouldn’t end well.”
“But you’re the best person to have them?”
“Now you’re catching on.”
“Forgive me if I don’t believe you.”
She shrugged. “That’s up to you, Songbird.”
“How powerful are they?”
She stared at him for a long minute.
“Not for you to know. Anyways, I think we both know it’s best out of Luthor’s hands,” she told him standing. “So I suggest you stay out of my way tonight. And pass the message on to Big Blue. I’d hate to see either of you come to harm for standing in my way.”
“Is that a threat?”
“It’s a warning. One I hope you both heed.”
—------------------------
The soft woosh of the window opening was drowned out by the sounds of traffic below as Lady Noire swung in, sliding the window shut behind her before calling for her detransformation as she tossed the 4 parts of the belt on her small dining room table, blinking the small green spots Plagg always left behind from her vision.
Speaking of Plagg, he was being awfully quiet, especially after a long night like tonight.
She frowned glancing around for the small cheese loving bundle that usually flaunted himself in front her her face after a long night only disappearing like this when she had-
“Nice place you got here, Noire.”
She grit her teeth for a moment, before giving a sharp grin to him.
“Nightwing. To what do I owe the pleasure?”
“I see you were able to get what you were looking for,” he told her, reaching towards one of the fragments. She lunged forward, grabbing his wrist.
“Ah ah ah, Songbird. No touching.”
“Where’s the fun in that, Darling ?” he asked, throwing one of her pet names she used for him, back at her. “That was a fun light show there. Magic?”
“My answers don’t come free, Dick,” she muttered, letting go of his wrist and pulling the pieces towards her, scooping them up, keeping an eye on the unwanted guest in her apartment through the reflections as she walked into the living room.
The soft scrap of the chair getting pushed back alerted her that he’d gotten up to follow her as she stashed the items in the box, noting to come back to fix them later and rehide and ward the box.
“How’d you get in here anyways?”
“You gave your identity away, Marinette. It wasn’t hard from there.”
“That’s not what I meant. How did you get in ?”
“Same way you did.”
Marinette fought the urge to ram her head into the wall. Kaalki . She’d have picked up on Nightwing being a Wayne, and with how often she’d bemoaned Marinette’s status as single, Marinette wouldn’t put it past the kwamii to let him through her wards as an attempt to hook her up.
She blew out a long breath, pushing the box away as she stood, turning to face Dick.
She hadn’t realized he’d gotten so close.
“Well, as lovely as this has been. I’m ready for bed, and I can only imagine lounging in my dining room chairs must have ached your back.”
She saw his eyes dart past her before he even moved, soft excuse for goodnight as he tried to switch where they were standing, to get access to the box.
She tensed, grabbing him and twisting, throwing him to the ground, landing on top of him.
“Touch that box and I'll kill you, Darling,” she hissed, feeling lingering power from Plagg flaring, eyes glowing blue in the darkness as she carefully kept her right hand in the air. The burning cold of the ring seemed to hum in warning.
She glanced around before grabbing an old magazine, letting the ring destroy it, burning it away in a cold ember.
She felt Dick stare up at her as shevlet the ashes float down.
“I didn't know you could do that.”
She sighed, letting her head drop a moment, as she put her right hand down on Dick's chest. She almost laughed at how he tensed underneath her.
“I try to keep my cards hidden. The ring tends to be volatile at the worst times.”
“Can the belt-”
She shook her head. “No. Nothing at this scale, and never as powerful. Only one other truly compares.”
“I can see why you wanted it out of Luthor’s hands.”
“If he ever got his hand on a single one of these, he could do damage and I don’t want to deal with that headache.”
“Superman-”
“Has a weakness against magic . And from my experience, even magic has weaknesses against concepts of the universe. Best someone like me who’s equipped to handle these things nip it in the bud.”
“Are there others like you?”
“No.”
“Marinette….”
She shook her head, cutting him off as she collected herself, leaning down with a mischievous grin as she whispered. “If you want more answers, Darling, you’re going to have to make it worth my while. I’ve given you oh so many freebies. It’s your turn to pay up.”
“How? What do you want?”
She shrugged, pulling away and pushing off of him, dusting herself off.
“I suggest you get creative, Songbird. Until then, get out of my apartment.”
Dick stared up at her for a long moment before pushing up, starting out of her apartment, pausing only for a moment as he passed her to lean down and whisper, “Tomorrow. 7 o’clock?”
She fought down the blush that threatened to rise as his lips brushed against her ear.
“What are you thinking?”
“I’m thinking I’m going to make it worth your while, Darling .”
She grinned as she pushed him out the door.
“See you around, Songbird.”
“7 o’clock.”
“We’ll see.”
It wasn’t until after she’d locked the door she came face to face with the kwamii of the horse.
“We have to find you an outfit.”
“Have I told you how insufferable you are, Kaalki?”
“Have I told you how I am going to find you a boyfriend, Guardian?”
“Kaalki….”
“He’s a Wayne, sweet, kind, famous.”
“And?”
“And you’ve been crushing on him for months, Pigtails.”
Marinette groaned as she waved the two away, moving to collapse into bed.
“You two are the worst.”
“You’ll thank us later.”
Marinette merely flipped them off as she fell asleep.
She’d never let them know she was excited for 7.
—------------------------
“You look beautiful.”
“You're just saying that so I won't put you back in the box, Kaalki,” Marinette shot back as she clasped a necklace around her neck.
She stared at herself in the mirror, unsure why she was even entertaining this. Curiosity, she supposed. Curiosity and cajoling.
The knocking at her door pulled her from her thoughts, moments before her alarm rang. 7 o'clock on the dot .
A quick look through the peephole showed Dick standing there, rose in hand. She shook her head, unlocking the door.
“I thought all you exuberantly rich ones were fans of being fashionably late?”
“I wanted to make a good impression.”
She scoffed. “What? Breaking into my apartment last night didn’t set a good impression?”
“You tell me.”
She bit back a laugh. “You know I never believed people when they said the Wayne’s were crazy and the Bats were weird, but you are proving those points to be true.”
He grinned at that as he offered her the rose. “I left a few thorns on it, figured you might appreciate it.”
“How’d you know?” she asked, taking it from him and stepping back to let him in, as she moved to get a vase.
“Well, Songbird, what do you have in mind for tonight?”
She heard the window slide open before turning to see him halfway out.
“I was hoping you’d be up for a run. Going by street is so boring.”
“Lead the way.”
Marinette followed him up, shielding her eyes for a moment against the glare the sunset caused on the rooftops.
“Come on, Darling . I thought you were faster than this.”
She grinned at his taunt, swinging herself up and sprinting past him with a laugh as he chased. “How are you slower than me when I’m wearing heels?”
“Maybe I like chasing you.”
“Well unless you have a destination in mind, we’re going to have a fun game of chase.”
“Take a left. You’ll know the building when you see it.”
She huffed a laugh as they turned. Skidding to a stop when she saw the picnic blanket laid out. Unlit candles scattered throughout.
She shook her head as she jumped down, landing moments before Dick.
“I’ll say, as far as romantic, rooftop, candlelight dinners go, this definitely ranks in the top two.”
“Have you had a lot of romantic, rooftop, candlelight dinners in the past?”
“I had a partner who thought the way to my heart was to surprise me with roses and candlelight dinners,” she told him, laughing as his face blanched at her words. “But he tended to go for a more small table for two, expensive restaurant vibes, than a cozy picnic.”
“Should I be worried that I’ve made a huge mistake?”
She laughed sitting down and patting the blanket beside her. “That depends. Are you about to start waxing poetic about my beauty and pledge undying love?”
“That’s not on the schedule until after we kiss.”
“Then you’re fine. So, is this how you plan on making it worth my while?” she asked, watching him uncork some wine and pour two glasses before pulling the rest of dinner out of the basket.
“Something wrong with it?”
She shook her head, taking the wine glass from him. “I don’t know what I was expecting but not this.”
“I asked you out to dinner before.”
“And I thought learning who I was would change your mind.”
He laughed at that. “You do realize I grew up watching B chase after Catwoman for robberies, only to come home the next day to spend the night with her.”
“Like father, like son?”
“Something like that.”
She laughed, holding up her glass in a salute. “There are worse things in life.”
“You haven’t met Bruce.”
“You haven’t met the Agrestes.”
“That bad?”
“Gabriel used to be an idol of mine, and his son a huge crush. But Gabriel was a hyper focused and controlling bastard, who didn’t care about what his son wanted in life. The slightest rebellion from Adrien got him grounded for a month,” she laughed, taking a sip of her wine. “And if I’m being honest, that was the lesser of Gabriel’s evils.”
“It sounds like you knew him well.”
“I know more about that man and his sins than anyone else does. More than anyone ever will.”
She looked away, keeping her eyes decidedly averted from Dick as she bit into a strawberry, closing her eyes.
“Do you want to talk about it?”
She shook her head. “That’s going to fall under you having to make it worth my while, Darling.”
He laughed, holding up his hands in surrender. “Fair enough,” he said, leaning back on his elbows as he stretched his legs out. “I wasn’t sure what you’d like to eat so I packed a bit of a variety.”
“It’s perfect.”
“Really?”
“Consider my expectations surpassed, Songbird. Though if you light those candles, I think you might drop below expectations.”
“Noted.”
She laughed, stretching out on the blanket, letting herself relax a little. “You should try the strawberries. They’re delicious.”
“Yeah?”
She picked one up, throwing it at him. “Mhmm. Yeah. Try it, Dick.”
He laughed, catching it before taking a bite. “Happy now?” he asked around the fruit.
She laughed, reaching over to pluck the leaf top off. “Yes. I am.”
“Good.”
She blinked at that, looking away, up towards the sky, smiling at the stars that had managed to break through the clouds and city lights.
“The stars are out tonight. You certainly know how to pick a roof with a view. It’s beautiful.”
“It is. Not the most beautiful thing I’ve seen tonight though.”
She glanced over to find him already looking at her. She rolled her eyes with a soft smile, grabbing another strawberry. “I think you’re a bit early to start on about my beauty, Songbird.”
“Forgive me.”
“Only if you keep to your word, Dick,” she murmured, popping the strawberry into her mouth, wrapping her lips around it. She barely bit down before he leaned over, catching the other half of the berry in his mouth, lips brushing hers as he bit down.
She swallowed as he smiled down at her, a small drop of strawberry juice on the corner of his mouth.
“You- you have a little something on the corner of your mouth,” she breathed.
“Do I now?”
“Mhmm. Right here,” she whispered before catching his lips with hers, tasting the strawberry he stole from her lips. She broke the kiss with a soft smile, taking him in for a moment before speaking.
“I have to ask…. Did you just eat the leaves?”
He laughed, brushing a strand of hair out of her face, eyes darting down to her lips a moment before back to her eyes. “Maybe. You get used to it when you have three little brothers.”
“I wouldn’t know.”
“Maybe someday you’ll have the chance to meet them.”
She hummed in agreement. “Someday.”
“You better go if you don’t want me waxing poetic about your beauty, Darling.”
“Do you enjoy stealing my nickname for you?”
“I see some of the appeal,” he admitted. “ Darling .”
“Thank you, Dick,” She laughed, pushing up to leave. “I had a wonderful night,” she told him, making it to the edge of the rooftop before looking back.
“Oh and one more thing, Songbird?”
“Hm?”
“Look into some folklore. There are some Miraculous things you may be able to find. In any case, I’ll see you around, Songbird.”
“Til next time, Darling.”