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Soft humming resonated within the walls of her rundown apartment.
Quietly she pinned fabric to her mannequin, mapping out the shape of the design she wanted. Tenderly folding the soft silk into delicate ripples creating a dynamic texture.
Marinette stepped back to view her work and nodded to herself, yes, this would do nicely.
Moving to Gotham after she tied up her loose ends in Paris had definitely been a relief for her.
Lycée had been… rough for her.
Being a hero ended eventually, though not without some dire consequences.
And her home life deteriorated with school, Ladybug, the bakery, and being a designer all piled onto her shoulders.
She loved her parents, but she needed to find herself and to make her own decisions.
That's how Marinette ended up in Gotham of all places!
Truth be told she was rather fond of the dreary city. It's gray skies add to the gothic architecture as well as the general atmosphere.
It was dirty, dangerous, and absolutely ugly.
But to her, it's lack of exterior beauty was what made it gorgeous to her.
Underneath the rough exterior was a stunning city full of heart and sheer willpower.
Marinette loved it.
Unfortunately, she didn't love her next door neighbor who clearly didn't love Gotham the way she did. Though in her opinion he didn't love anything.
The guy was cold at best.
Don't get her wrong, Marinette found him unbelievably and irritatingly attractive. He was built like a greek god and she was certain his muscles weren't just for show. His hair was dark with a white streak near the front. The guy's eyes were this lovely shade of teal, but sometimes… if she caught the light just right, his eyes would glow green.
It was memorizing.
Not that she was looking…
Marinette considered herself a very kind and understanding person.
But this man… he was beyond rude.
If she said good morning to the man, he'd scoff and say it wasn't good! If he even decided to respond!
The man was unbearable as well as hot!
Marinette couldn't bear it.
She finished up her work as MDC for the day before stepping out to go grab some groceries from the nearby market before having dinner.
She thought about taking a kwami with her for protection but ultimately decided that she wouldn't need it.
These days the kwami stayed in the Miracle Box, primarily to prevent unwanted attention from any unsavory individuals. Marinette didn't want to deal with another Hawkmoth situation.
Although the kwami would come out occasionally to chat and just be free.
The walk there was short but the walk back was unfortunately longer than necessary as Marinette was jumped by some muggers roughly a block from her apartment.
She sighed, “Mon dieu, must we do this gentlemen?”
The two men sneered, “I don't like your attitude, little girl, why don't you hand over your valuables to us?”
The two glinted their knives menacingly and Marinette almost had the decency to pretend to be scared. Arguably the taller one was more dangerous but Marinette had dealt with much worse than this.
She'd be able to handle this easily.
Marinette set down her groceries and prepared for a fight, “I'll give you both a chance to flee.”
The taller of the two stepped forward, “Cocky aren't you?”
Yet before the thug could initiate the fight, he and his partner were shot.
Literally.
Marinette gasped, watching as the two thugs screamed in pain and as one of the notorious Gotham vigilantes dropped from the roof.
Red dripped into her vision and before her stood the Red Hood.
Many gothamites said he was the worst to encounter as he didn't have as strict a moral code as the Batman.
Some said he was a cold blooded killer.
Marinette shuddered and went to step back, but she tripped over herself and yelped, bracing for impact.
She felt herself begin to fall but instead felt herself being caught.
By Red Hood.
Oh dear…
The glowing eyes of the helmet bore into her blueberry eyes and she felt frozen in his strong arms.
The helmet shifted slightly like a dog turning its head, “You alright, doll?”
Marinette blushed and nodded, embarrassed.
“Yes thank you, uh, Monsieur Hood?”
She smiled slightly as the vigilante chuckled robotically and set her back on her feet.
A groan reminded her that there were two bleeding muggers in the alleyway with them.
“Do they need an ambulance?”
The Red Hood's demeanor seemed to shift from neutral to hostile as he spit out words as if they were venom, “No. They're fine, unfortunately. Rubber bullets.”
Marinette blinked owlishly, “Oh, I didn't know, sorry.”
Although she wasn't exactly sure what she was apologizing for.
Red Hood turned to her from where he was tying up the not-quite criminals, “Will you make it home safely?”
Marinette nodded, “Yep! My apartment is right down there.”
The man nodded in acknowledgement and with zero warning shot a line into the pitch black Gotham sky and disappeared with it.
Well that was something.
Marinette took one last glance at the men who had attempted to rob her and, picking up her grocery bags, headed back to her apartment. Thankfully the walk was short.
But despite the brief walk to her home, she wouldn't deny the feeling of eyes on her.
Reminded her of the days when Chat Noir would try and sneak up on her.
Smiling, she unlocked her door and got to work on dinner. A simple pasta with a tomato paste would work perfectly.
By the time she finished making dinner, and consuming it, Marinette got ready for bed and was brushing her teeth when she heard the distinct sound of cussing.
Not terribly unusual for the type of people Gotham breeds.
What was unusual however was the fact that it sounded directly outside of her apartment.
Rolling her eyes she went to her door to try and see what her neighbor was swearing at.
What she saw surprised her.
The hallway was practically flooded and her neighbor was standing in the soggy hall cursing, a duffel bag swung over his broad shoulder, and the man was glaring at the open door to his own abode.
Marinette winced as she realized that he must've accidentally left the water running when he went out.
Turning she left him to his devices then she paused, turned around, and went back to her front door.
Marinette considered herself a nice person but she occasionally wished she could just leave problems to sort themselves out.
She supposed it was what had made her such a good superhero.
Opening the door she tentatively poked her head out, “Hello? I couldn't help but see your home flooded…”
Her hot and annoying neighbor just looked at her, an eyebrow raised as if to say ‘no shit Sherlock’.
She continued, “Well I know we don't really know each other but I figured you could crash on my couch till that's fixed?”
The man looked at her like she was nuts and in her opinion she probably was, “You don't know me.”
Marinette nodded, “Yeah, I know, but I figured that we haven't turned into killer plants or clowns yet so you must not be too dangerous?”
Her neighbor snorted and it was the first time she'd ever seen him do anything other than frown.
The man glanced into his apartment and then at her, then extended a hand, “I'm Jason.”
Marinette smiled brightly and opened her door fully, taking his hand in the offered handshake, “Marinette!”
He didn't say much as she led him to her couch. Though he did glance around, eyes seeming to categorize her entire living space and catalog her as well.
She didn't say anything about it, this was still Gotham after all.
Realizing he probably hadn't had dinner she began to dig through her fridge for the leftovers from her own meal earlier.
“Would you like some pasta? I have leftovers if you want them, swear they're not poisoned.”
Her attractive neighbor Jason, she reminded herself, studied the container that held the pasta as if it was a bomb about to detonate before simply nodding.
Popping the tupperware in the microwave, she went to sit at the kitchen island.
“You make a habit of taking in strays?”
Marinette startled but shook her head, “Nope! You're the first.”
He nodded and they resumed their silent standoff which was only broken by the beeping of the microwave.
Marinette got the pasta and a fork for the man and left it on the counter top for him, “Feel free to throw it in the sink when you're done, I'm probably going to head off to bed. Bathroom if you need it is down the hall, goodnight Jason!”
Jason nodded but stayed where he was on his makeshift bed and she gave a little wave to him as she went to her own room for sleep.
Settling down into her covers, Mari glanced at the Miracle Box and reminded herself that she wasn't the hero of Paris anymore and she didn't have to worry about the box being discovered.
Especially since it was currently disguised as a sewing box.
Trusting that it was safe, Marinette let herself drift off to sleep.
In the morning she awoke to the sound of a pan hitting the floor and a string of curses.
Shooting up out of bed she raced to the kitchen to see her hot neighbor scrambling to clean up what looked like eggs off the floor.
It was then she noted her messy bedhead and blushed lightly, “Good morning Jason, uhm, what're you doing?”
Marinette almost laughed at her past self. Past-Marinette thought her neighbor was cold and mean. The man in front of her was blushing of all things and looked like a kid caught stealing cookies!
“Well I thought I'd Make breakfast since you were kind enough to take me in and I guess I was a bit clumsy.”
Jason looked embarrassed and Marinette noted the pile of bacon and some toast on the counter, some eggs that hadn't made it to the floor resting in a bowl.
She smiled, “Thanks for breakfast, feel free to eat. I'll clean up the floor food, as thanks for breakfast.”
Despite looking like he wanted to protest, he nodded and grabbed a plate and sat at the counter to eat.
Once the eggs were cleaned up she joined him, “So cooking huh?”
Jason nodded, “Yeah, my… grandfather taught me. Also taught me manners and figured it'd be good of me to pay you back somehow.”
Marinette grinned, “Thanks, though you didn't have to.”
He shook his head, “Nah, Alfie would've killed me if I didn't repay the nice lady who took me in.”
She blushed and looked back down to her plate, suddenly finding her bacon very intriguing.
If she would've looked up she probably would've caught her guest's smug smirk.
Deciding to change the topic she asked about the apartment.
Jason grimaced, “Well turns out some sort of pipe burst and flooded my apartment. Conveniently just mine, personally I think the landlord just wants me out ‘cause I look like a member of some villain's henchmen but alas, what can one do. I'll probably have to find a new apartment.”
Marinette frowned, she could understand where the landlord was coming from but clearly this man was harmless unless it came to a pan full of eggs.
“Well…” She started, “You could stay with me till you find somewhere else?”
Jason looked at her, surprised.
Marinette found herself blushing once more in front of her neighbor.
She was just doing the neighborly thing and putting him up till he could find a new place! Just normal neighbor things!
“Sure.”
She looked back at him, equally surprised.
Jason smiled, albeit slightly, “I mean, if you're sure then I would appreciate it.”
Marinette nodded, “Yeah it's no problem as long as you don't mind the couch.”
“I mean it's all I slept on in my own apartment so it's no big deal.” He said, shrugging.
Marinette stared at him, figuring that yes, this man was nuts.
Maybe she could pull out the old air mattress Chloe had brought when she came to help Marinette settle into Gotham?
And so that became their routine.
After the first night, Marinette did end up getting out the inflatable mattress for Jason who was very appreciative and as repayment he made a very delicious chicken dinner that Marinette found herself wishing there were leftovers.
After their first morning breakfast it became a habit. She'd wake up to Jason making breakfast in some fashion and they'd eat together.
By the third day Jason wandered into her studio while she was working on her latest commission.
“You sew?”
Marinette smiled, “Yep! I'm currently trying to grow my brand so I'm taking on most commissions I get, this one is actually from my uncle. He wanted a new leather jacket for an upcoming concert.”
Jason seemed to be genuinely curious so she explained her work and even let him see some of her finished pieces.
“Wow Marinette, you're really good at this huh?”
She blushed, “That's what all my friends say…”
Jason grinned, something Marinette was seeing more and more often, “Your friends must know their fashion because they're right.”
Marinette found herself laughing, “Well thanks to them my brand is pretty big already, though I'd like to grow my name in the industry first before connecting the two.”
“They're separate? Your name and your brand? Why?” Jason asked.
He seemed so genuinely curious so she couldn't help but tell him.
“Well back in highschool I had an incident with a classmate and some of my designs were stolen and I was shunned from Paris’ fashion scene thanks to being accused of stealing others’ work.”
Jason snarled his eyes seemingly shining a sickly green, “Who in their right mind would do something like that to you? So what, you're gonna have to build your brand and try to get your name out of the mud then connect the two so you can return to the industry? You're clearly talented, someone is clearly jealous!”
Marinette found her face heating up at Jason's clear defense of her.
Not many people had been so adamantly on her side.
It meant a lot to her. Truly.
“Thank you Jason.”
He looked at her, “For?”
“Just for your defense, I went through a lot of criticism so it means a lot to hear that.” Marinette said, smiling.
Jason gave her a soft smile, his features fading from angry to soft. Marinette almost noticed his now teal eyes.
“No problem Mari.”
And so they continued like that.
Jason would make breakfast, they'd eat, then Jason would go out after to try and find an apartment, then he'd return before dinner time to sit in her work room and read while she worked on a commission. After that they'd decide on how to do dinner, with Jason cooking more often than not, and then head off to bed.
Although lately Marinette noticed how often Jason seemed to stare at her.
Then again, she stared at him too.
Needless to say, both of them spent a lot of time blushing in the other's presence.
Soon enough two weeks passed. Honestly Marinette didn't even mind that Jason had seemed to stop house hunting.
Although Jason's job was a little concerning.
It was after dinner on the fifth day that Jason brought up work.
“So, I have work tonight.” He started.
Marinette looked up from where she was munching on a salad, “I didn't know you worked? Er… I thought you worked from home since you'd never needed to go before.”
Jason laughed at her stutter, “It's a night shift, I took the week off since the apartment flooded. I work as a security detail. So don't be surprised if you wake up and hear me thumping around, though I'll try to be quiet…”
Marinette nodded and hadn't thought much of it until later that night where she questioned the validity of the statement, remembering Jason's initial comment about the landlord's opinions.
He probably wasn't a henchman… right?
Marinette forced herself to have blind faith that her new roommate wasn't some sort of villain.
So far there'd been no signs that Jason was secretly a thug like the ones who had tried to mug her weeks ago. Although the one night Jason came home with a nasty bruise on his back that Marinette had only caught because she'd been staring at the way his shirt lifted when he reached for the top cabinet.
He was hot leave her alone!
Two weeks turned into three and Marinette noted how happy both of them seemed to be in each other's presence.
She still laughed at the thought that he was some cold hearted thug.
Marinette was working on her latest commission, a ball gown, when there was a knock at her door. Jason was reading in the corner so Marinette got up to get the door.
She was expecting a package of some new fabric for the gown so she figured it was the delivery girl that always dropped off her packages.
Instead it was a man she didn't recognize.
She frowned, only opening the door a bit, “Hello Monsieur, I think you have the wrong apartment?”
The man looked relatively shady and Marinette felt her stomach twist. Something was seriously off.
“Are you MDC?”
Marinette felt her eyes widen in shock and she stepped back, slamming the door shut and locking it. No one was supposed to know who MDC was.
She felt her breathing pick up as she sunk to the floor.
Suddenly Jason was in front of her asking what was wrong and she could only choke on air.
“Breathe Mari. In through your nose, yes just like that, then out through your mouth nice and slow… easy Marinette, now tell me what happened.”
Marinette sucked in a heavy breath and looked up at Jason, his face showing nothing but concern.
“I don't know who that was but… some man was there… he knew. He knew I was MDC. Jason he knew and I don't know how and-”
Then Jason just hugged her.
Held her till she could breathe and think and try to calm down.
It made it terribly difficult to ignore the crush she'd been hiding for weeks now.
“It'll be alright Marinette. I won't let anything happen. Promise.”
He made her feel safe and while Marinette trusted he'd protect her, she couldn't make the paranoid feeling leave. Not completely.
Sleeping was difficult and Marinette knew she had become a bit of a zombie ever since the strange man had appeared.
She knew Jason was worried.
Though he looked ragged too.
However, only a week after the stranger had wrecked their peace, Marinette felt her worst fear come alive.
Both her and Jason had finished dinner and had gone to bed early in an attempt to sleep when the sound of her door breaking off its hinges assaulted her ears. A dozen or so men dressed darkly had barged in, some with guns.
They quickly swarmed them and Marinette only could get a few lucky hits on the group before they subdued her.
Marinette regretted not keeping up with some of her training from her Ladybug days.
In the other room she could hear Jason giving a decent fight, his bulk and size clearly benefiting him.
But soon enough she heard Jason grunt and a thud, signaling his loss.
It was like a nightmare came alive.
The leader came forward leaning in close, leering.
“Hello Miss MDC, you and your boyfriend will be coming with us. You'll either meet our demands or face the consequences of it.”
Marinette glared, “He's not my boyfriend, leave him, besides it's me you want!”
“Mari no, don't play hero.” Jason yelled from across the room the criminals held them in.
The leader sneered, “You'd do good to listen to your boyfriend, besides we wouldn't want anyone to get hurt now would we?”
With that the leader signaled one of his men and to Marinette's horror she watched them kick Jason down.
“No! Don't hurt him please!”
The vile man laughed, “Then be a good girl and behave.”
Marinette shuddered and caved, letting the men drag her and Jason up to their feet and out the door.
Both of them were taken to a van parked on the dark street of Gotham where the goons pulled hoods over their heads. Marinette resisted the urge to scoff, for fear that they'd target Jason again.
She couldn't tell how long they drove before she almost toppled to the floor of the van at the abrupt stop.
Hearing the thugs snicker at her misfortune added to her anger.
The henchmen tugged them both blindly along before setting them both down in what seemed to be a chair and tied them together from what Marinette could tell. The hoods were harshly ripped off and Marinette winced at the sudden light.
Jason swore under his breath and it was then that Marinette realized they were precariously close to the edge of the harbor wall.
The leader came close again and laughed, a sickening sound.
“You, little miss, will either pay to be released or take a plunge in the bay. And to add incentive I have a little surprise for your sweet little boyfriend!”
Marinette felt her blood run cold as a metal sound echoed across the dock.
It was even worse when she felt Jason go rigid.
She knew he had nightmares, three weeks of living together led to some discoveries though she never brought it up. Just like he never brought up her own nightmares.
Needless to say, she had a feeling that Jason was reliving some of his nightmares.
The man was slowly closing in on Jason who had started to breathe harder with each breath.
Marinette had to do something and fast.
Could she dare to give into the demands? But who's to say they wouldn't just dispose of them once the criminals got what they wanted? No, she needed to think of something else quickly…
The bay's waves crashed into the wall, spraying them with the ice cold water.
She could feel Jason flinch at the touch of the icy spray.
Marinette had a horrible idea.
“Jason?”
He didn't respond.
“Jason I'm gonna do something stupid.”
Marinette felt her heart racing; she felt sick, but she couldn't let that vile man hurt them.
Throwing all doubts aside she threw her weight to the side, tipping them both just enough so that they were falling and falling fast.
They hit the water hard and she felt the breath she'd taken forcibly pushed from her lungs.
The water was freezing and upon impact the chair they'd been tied to had broken. Yet Marinette felt her hands still tied. She thrashed in the icy depths but found she couldn't swim to the surface.
She couldn't see Jason either.
Marinette felt her lungs burn as she kept sinking.
Was this really the end?
Should she have just gone along with the criminals’ demands?
Was this her fault?
She'd never get to tell Jason her feelings.
So many regrets and thoughts drowning with her.
Marinette felt the water invade her lungs and she knew it was the end. Everything burned and she trashed uselessly against her bonds.
She hoped Jason had escaped.
Her eyes closed and she felt her world fade out of her mind.
She felt air against her face and felt her chest heave as she choked on her lungs full of the bay's water.
Desperately, “Don't drown. Please.”
Marinette faintly felt lips on hers, blowing air into her.
Her body seized as she tried to expel all the water, trying valiantly to get air into her lungs.
A hand on her back held her while she heaved and rolled onto her side, eventually puking as her body continued to expel the water.
Her body burned and her lungs felt like they'd been ripped out but she took in a shuddering breath finally. She was freezing cold.
“Oh thank god Mari, I thought I lost you… don't ever do something so reckless again! Easy now, don't try to stand.”
Jason carefully helped her sit up, resting her against him.
“Jay… you got wrapped up in this. All because you lived with me… maybe it'd be safer if… if you lived somewhere else.”
Marinette felt dizzy and tears pricked at her eyes at the thought of losing Jason but she'd do it if it meant she could keep him safe.
Jason looked at her like she'd grown two heads, “Mari I am not going anywhere, especially if you're in danger. You're not thinking straight right now, let's go home and we can talk once you've gotten more oxygen in you.”
Marinette leaned her head on Jason's shoulder as he picked her up, carrying her.
Her brain tried to process how they were going to get home and what exactly happened to the criminals but after the whole ordeal all she could do was let her eyes close and drift off.
When she opened her eyes she was in her bed, but instead of being alone Jason was asleep at her bedside.
Marinette smiled and brushed his white tuft out of his eyes, gently waking him up.
“Good morning.”
Jason nodded, “Mornin’.”
Marinette carefully sat up, still sore, “How'd we get home?”
Jason frowned, “I called in a favor.”
“From?” Marinette prodded.
Jason eyed her, “Mari why does it matter?”
Marinette sighed, “Because I need to figure out how they found out and while I don't think it's you, I also know that you're the only one in Gotham who knows. It doesn't help that I don't really know what your job entails Jay…”
She watched as Jason went from angry to sad to worried all within a minute.
Jason gave her a weak smile before speaking, “Mari, I've developed this unbearable crush on this cute Parisian girl who has a brilliant mind and is beautiful inside and out. I'd really like us to work out and I think we could, but I have a lot of skeletons in my closet. And I wanna know if you want a relationship too before I start spilling my guts.”
Marinette blinked at him before blushing and stuttering, “Me? Relationship? Beautiful?”
Jason chuckled, “Yes Beautiful, now, do you want to give us a shot?”
At this point Marinette was fairly certain her face was ablaze, “Yeah, I'd really like that Jay… but you're not the only one with secrets and I don't think I can air all of mine right now…”
Jason nodded, “I understand. But to answer your question then, about how we got home, I should preface that I ‘own’ multiple safe houses within the city. I have spare vehicles stored at some and things were pretty convenient from that point onward.”
Marinette looked at him, “What about the criminals?”
Jason smiled, “Like I said, I called in a favor.”
“From?” She prodded again.
He frowned, “You remember what my job is right?”
“You said you were part of a security detail, right?” Marinette said, becoming worried.
Nodding, Jason continued, “Yes, but it's more than that. I work with some others in this… security detail, to protect the city.”
Marinette's eyes widened, “Jason… which one?”
For once Jason looked confident, “Hood.”
She gasped, shock radiating within her.
This man, who had been living with her for a month, was the Red Hood. The same man who accidentally dropped a skillet full of eggs, read ‘girly’ books, was timid, and thoughtful of others was the Red Hood.
Red Hood, a known killer.
But after the alteration in the alleyway over a month ago Marinette had looked into the vigilante more.
He wasn't just a killer.
He also was known to protect children from drug dealing as well as guarding the working girls.
And Marinette personally knew that he'd switched to rubber bullets, likely to appease the Bat.
The shock was real but Marinette knew it would be less of a problem than likely expected.
“That's… definitely a surprise but nothing that can't be overcome.”
Jason looked to her, “Yeah?”
She nodded, “Yeah, I'm fairly familiar with that lifestyle so I think we can make this work.”
Jason smirked, “Oh really now? Exactly how familiar were you doll?”
Marinette rolled her eyes, “A story for another time Jay, so breakfast?”
Jason nodded and together they got up and moved forward from the nightmare that was the previous night. Into a hopeful future, one Marinette was looking forward to. Some day she'd tell him her story in it's entirety, and she knew that he'd do the same in his own time.
For now they'd go make breakfast, and she hoped that Jason wouldn't drop the eggs again.