Chapter Text
“Jump in!”
The red Mercedes screeched to a stop at Marinette’s feet, and she yanked the door open, hopping inside. The car took off before she’d even finished closing it.
She looked up from buckling her seatbelt. “Your timing is impeccable.”
Her chauffeur smirked at her, already passing the ‘goodbye’ billboard at the city limits. “Tell that to my exes.”
“Ooh, self-burn, those are rare. Where are we going now?”
“Anywhere away from the crowds,” he shrugged. “Where do ya wanna go?”
“I don’t care, as long as I’m with you.”
He leaned over, bringing her knuckles to his mouth to press a soft kiss there. “‘With me’ it is!”
Jason pulled over at a roadside motel for the night, the gorgeous view from their window making up for the dubious service offered.
The sunset drew Marinette to it like a moth to a flame, her fingers itching for the familiar colours and rough surface of the heavy-pressed paper she drew on. She could imagine the designs already, showcasing the rugged beauty of night rising.
People usually said night fell, but in her opinion, it rose, creeping up on you gently until suddenly all you could see was the smooth darkness.
She turned to face the wind, letting it blow her hair out of her face, enjoying the last rays of light warming her skin.
“Pixie!” called Jason, climbing up the slight knoll until he didn’t have to shout for her attention anymore.
She tossed him a smile. “Hey, Jay.”
His larger form behind her gave her a strange sense of security, stability. She didn’t know why; they’d agreed when they met that they would leave sooner rather than later.
Ten months ago
“Jason Head.”
“Marie Cheng. Enchante.”
“What’s a pretty woman like you doing here?”
She glanced around at the bar, filled with rougher-looking people than her in her polished pink dress and grey boots and coat. “Hiding,” she said simply, her body language inviting him to join her.
He accepted her invite, perching on the stool beside her and ordering a ginger beer.
Her eyebrow raised, unbidden. He tossed her a half-grin, silently baiting her.
She bit. “I can’t say I expected you to order a ginger beer.”
“And what did you expect me to order?”
“Scotch or whisky on the rocks, most likely. Maybe a lager.”
“I don’t mind one now and again but I prefer to stay away from alcohol when I can. Family issues.”
She nodded understandingly. “Why are you here then, if you don’t drink your problems away for the night?”
“Maybe I have other ways of dealing with my problems,” he looked her up and down slowly, subtext not lost on her. She was well-versed in masculine wiles and countering with her own feminine ones.
She bit her lip, swirling her mocktail around slowly. “Do you deal with your problems in another place, as well as manner, then?”
“I might. Would you care to see?”
“I think I’d like that very much.” She polished off her drink, preparing to close her tab. Jason beat her to it, waving away her protests.
Marinette silently pulled her dress over her head, glancing surreptitiously at the bed to make sure Jason was still sleeping. He didn’t move, like he hadn’t for the past several minutes.
She tiptoed to his discarded pants pockets, fishing through his wallet for loose cash. It was a hard business, being a bandit these days. Everyone paid through credit cards or apps, making one-and-done deals like this much harder to pull off and less financially feasible to make up for the trouble it was worth. Long cons were easier, simply requiring her to make up a new personality for a month or two while she stored away jewels and leftover cash from shopping sprees financed by her target du jour .
A paper in Jason’s wallet caught her eye and she tugged it out from its sticky hiding place after another glance at the bed. Jason Todd was the name, not Jason Head.
So she wasn’t the only one out there still doing good ol’ fashioned swindling, huh. Inwardly, she chuckled at the irony of them ending up together. Well, it had been fun. Adieu, Jason Whatever-your-real surname-is.
She curled her fingers around the doorknob cautiously, twisting slowly so the click wouldn’t wake Jason up.
She’d made it to the parking lot when her arm was seized and she turned to see Jason holding her.
“I think you mixed up some of our belongings in your haste to escape, Marie.”
A couple was much less suspicious than a single person, making their cons much easier. A partner for lookout, for companionship, for intelligent conversation, especially about their line of work, was a welcome find. They agreed to travel together for no longer than a year, as they’d eventually become too noticeable as a couple. Still, while they had each other, they made the most of it.
Now
He wrapped his arms around her waist, speaking softly into her ear. They’d done this plenty of times, but it felt different this time, and what he said confirmed Marinette’s thoughts.
“They know we have a partner now; it would be smarter to split up.”
She nodded, turning in his arms to face him. “You’re right. Promise me one more night before we separate?”
“One more night,” he agreed, kissing her.
She silently pulled her clothes over her head, glancing back at the bed. She knew this time he was sleeping, having become accustomed to his breathing patterns, even his resting heart rate over the past several months. She opened his wallet, sliding several bills in between the soft leather folds.
With a final glance at his sleeping form, she quietly opened the door and slipped out into the sunrise.
She opened her wallet at the bus station to pay for her ticket. Several more bills than she’d had last night peeked up at her. She scoffed a smile, wiping her tears away. He’s already remembering me. Adieu, Jason Todd.