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Jason checked over his bike, taking the pressure of the tires and looking it over for anything extra that might have been added, or any empty spots where something should be. He knew that there were people who meant him harm, and he wasn’t looking to traumatize Marinette by blowing up in front of her. The Pit Madness… he’d deal with that when it came up. Maybe before it came up? That would be a difficult conversation to have, especially when Marinette was a civilian and had no idea about the world of masks. He’d have to really make sure that the green fog in the back of his mind didn’t come to the forefront around her. Seeing him like that might traumatize her too, maybe worse than him exploding into millions of pieces.
Also, dying in an explosion was very unpleasant. Hard pass, thanks.
Once Jason deemed his bike safe to ride, he pulled out his phone to text Marinette. He noted he had messages from Dick and Damian and opted to open them before texting the person he actually wanted to talk to. Dick was reminding him that Alfred’s birthday was coming up and they needed to plan something for him. Damian also mentioned Alfred’s birthday, along with a request to take their dogs to the dog park sometime soon. Jason sent Dick an acknowledgement and Damian an agreement to meet up.
A text came through from Marinette as he was typing his message to her and an involuntary smile tugged at his lips as he read it. Her excitement was almost tangible, even through the screen. He rewrote his message and sent it, then got on his bike and took off to meet Marinette at her apartment.
He’d done a cursory background check on her, but really, he wanted to get to know her at her own pace. Like he was building something real, like he was normal and could have nice things. He still hadn’t told her what his last name was, maybe because he didn’t want to see if things changed if he did. He liked Marinette. And what little he’d pulled up on her had been enough to paint a picture of someone who was way too good for him. But she didn’t seem to be humouring him, and being around her was comfortable. He dreaded introducing her to his family, but then, if Marinette could handle him she could probably handle the rest of the Bats at their nosiest. Maybe he should give her a heads up about that.
When Jason got to Marinette’s apartment, she was waiting outside next to her bike. It was much lighter than his, but that was good given how short— sorry, how much shorter than him— she was. He hadn’t really noticed it other than to note its existence at the laundromat. He pulled up and parked parallel to her, taking off his helmet to greet her.
“Hey,” said Jason. “Another one of your designs? It suits you really well.”
“It is indeed one of my designs, I would hope so,” said Marinette with amusement as she came around her bike to kiss his cheek. “My whole wardrobe is my designs. I really would like to make something for you at some point. Not a sweater though.”
“Why not a sweater?” asked Jason.
“They’re cursed, in that they end relationships, or make them go sour,” said Marinette. “Or so the urban legend goes. I have some ideas for you, but maybe we can look at those later.”
“I’d like that, I want to see what you think of me,” teased Jason.
Marinette blushed. “Well, you will see some of that, vraiment. Have you a route planned out for us?”
“I do. I was thinking we could go through the city a bit, then out along the highway towards Metropolis. There’s a spot that has a good view of both Gotham and Metropolis, as well as the ocean. Then come back and do dinner.”
“That sounds wonderful.” Marinette beamed and put her helmet on, then swung her leg over her bike. Jason put his own helmet on and revved the engine. Marinette signalled that she was ready to go and he pulled into the street after checking for traffic. In the side mirror, he could see her behind him and to the right. His heart soared along with the speedometer and they sped through the city and out into the surrounding area.
It was funny to him, how the same old scenery could have new things show up under different circumstances. The bushes and random rabbits and groundhogs that dotted the sides of the road, the brilliance of the sun on the water, and the purr of the engine behind him along with the rumble of his own. This was what made life worth it, the little moments of beauty.
And that was when his phone started ringing with Dick’s ringtone. Jason picked up with a little growl. “I’m driving, what’s the emergency?”
“I’m behind you, pull over,” said Dick. “Something’s up with your taillight.”
“Shit,” said Jason, signalling the pull over for Marinette and stopping on the side of the road. She stopped behind him and turned her bike off just as Dick pulled over in front of them.
“What’s going on?” asked Marinette, visor up.
“Jaybird, who’s this?” asked Dick as he walked over. “Miss, you don’t need to pull over as well, everything is fine.”
“I’ll judge that,” said Marinette coolly.
“We’re riding together,” said Jason. “Marinette, this is my older brother Dick. You said something about my taillight?”
“I did, let me grab the spare I have in my trunk,” said Dick.
Marinette brightened. “Ah yes, the mom-friend brother. Of course he has a spare taillight in his trunk.”
“The mom-friend brother?” choked Dick, turning to face Jason, looking utterly betrayed. “That’s how you’re describing me to people?”
“Not everyone, just Marinette,” said Jason. “And it’s not like I’m wrong.”
Dick huffed and went to his car to get the light. Marinette walked her bike a bit closer, still leaving space for the change. She examined the light from her seat on her bike and shrugged a bit before looking out over the flat grassy area around them. When Dick came back, he handed the light to Jason and turned to Marinette.
“So how did you two meet?” asked Dick.
“Our regular laundromats were out of order, so we ended up at the same one and shared a séchoir ,” said Marinette. When Dick looked confused, she tried again. “The drying machine?”
“You shared a dryer?” said Dick, and Jason could hear the skepticism in his voice. “In Gotham?”
“We had talked a bit, and I can handle myself,” said Marinette.
“You almost got in the middle of a knife fight,” said Jason from where he was fixing the light. He noticed the wiring wasn’t where it was supposed to be and cursed colourfully. “Dickie, you don’t happen to have a toolbox with you?”
“I do, what’s wrong?” said Dick, heading for his car already.
“The wiring’s not right, the light won’t work til it’s fixed,” said Jason. Dick nodded and brought the toolbox over. Jason got to work, keeping an ear on his brother and his, not girlfriend, they were talking, maybe he should ask her properly soon? But Dick didn’t know that, and Jason needed to be able to interrupt if Dick got too invested in interrogating her.
“You’re not from Gotham,” said Dick.
“Non, I moved recently.” Marinette seemed calm, and Jason listened for any hint of distress. “I needed new inspiration.”
“And you chose Gotham, not Paris, or Berlin, or Tokyo,” said Dick.
“I’m from Paris,” said Marinette, “and I spent some time in Berlin and Tokyo before I moved here. Gotham is very different.”
“Why those two places?”
“Do you not have friends that live in different places?” Jason could hear the archness in her voice and he could hear the words play back in Jennifer Ehle’s voice in his mind.
“I suppose that’s fair. What do you do?”
“I design clothes and do graphic art. And you?”
Dick hesitated. “I work in security.”
“A difficult and demanding field. I would think that it bleeds into your personal life.”
“I’ve gotten good at separating the two things.”
“No you haven’t,” scoffed Jason. “None of us are good at separating the personal and professional. That’s a family trait.”
“I must admit, I also had that problème early on,” said Marinette with a little laugh. “But I’ve learned. It was difficult, oui, but worth it.”
“So you have your own business then?” asked Dick.
“Dick, back off,” said Jason as he finished repairing the taillight. “This is a first meeting not an interrogation.”
“Is it not the responsibility of the mom friend to make sure everyone else is safe and well?” asked Marinette. “More for a sibling, I would think.”
“You’re not wrong,” said Dick. “I’m sorry if I made you uncomfortable.”
“You didn’t, much,” said Marinette. “It has been a pleasure to meet you.”
“Likewise.” Dick studied her. “I think you’ll be good for him.”
“Alright Dickhead, get going,” said Jason, standing and dusting his hands off on his jeans. “We’ve got plans.”
“I’m going,” said Dick. “Call me later, okay? We have to make this birthday good for Alfred.”
“I’ll call,” said Jason. Dick got back in his car and drove off, heading towards Metropolis. Jason shook his head and looked at Marinette. “Sorry about that. You okay?”
“Oh, fine,” said Marinette, waving away his concerns. “I wasn’t expecting to meet your brother like this.”
“Neither was I,” said Jason. “Keep going?”
“I’d like that.”
They took off down the road, over the speed limit by a bit, but every time Jason looked at his mirror and saw Marinette behind him his heart jumped a bit. Hope he didn’t know could grow in him anymore was blooming where there was usually emptiness. Maybe, once they knew each other better, and he could trust her, he’d tell her everything. A bit at a time, of course. He’d never really dated out of the masked community before, but new things added to old made something different from either and that was how things grew. Food, clothing styles, maybe even people. He’d take it up with Harley.
Once they reached the point he’d been thinking of, he pulled over and parked, Marinette parking next to him. They got off their bikes, Marinette shaking her hair out once her helmet was off, and walked over to the large rock that Jason liked to sit on when he came out here. He sat down and Marinette sat close enough to him that he could smell her shampoo, a soft floral scent that he didn’t really recognize. He set his hand next to her, close enough to brush fingers, and she tangled their fingers together and leaned into him.
You don’t deserve this, his mind said conversationally. Once she finds out everything you are, she’ll leave. Look at her, the Madness will be too much for her, what you’ve done will drive her away, who you’ve become in this life you’ve lived will be too much…
Shut up, he told his mind. You’re ruining the moment.
“This is a really good spot,” said Marinette, breaking him out of his thoughts. “It’s quiet, you don’t really get that in the city. How did you find it?”
“I was angry at my dad and drove away,” said Jason. “We fight a lot. Anyway, I ran out of gas and had to stop and just sat here trying to let the anger go. Eventually, I just realized this spot was a good one to just sit and look at things. So I came back.”
“With Jane Austen?” teased Marinette.
“And Charlotte Bronte,” said Jason seriously. “But you’re the first living person I’ve brought here.”
“I’m glad to be here, with you,” said Marinette. “The quiet, the lifted pressure, c’est magnifique, non? It is a good place to rest.”
“I don’t do a lot of resting. I’m always going somewhere.” He pressed his cheek to the top of her head. “I’m usually so focused on the destination that I forget to enjoy the journey.”
“Ma problème, it is the reverse,” said Marinette. “I spend so much time trying to perfect the journey that I forget the destination unless reminded.”
“How does that work with the designing?” asked Jason.
“The hardest part is the initial design,” said Marientte, “then I just refer back to that. But the initial design takes time, and I usually make a few variations and then let the client decide what they want.”
“And when you’re the client?”
“I make all of them and decide which one will be my own and which ones will be sold after they are done.”
Jason laughed. “And how do you manage that?”
“The journey is done oui? So it is easy to see the right outcome once everything is in place. Even if you’ve made the wrong choices to get there.”
“Huh.” He let the words sit in the space around them, and decided to think about them more seriously later, when he wasn’t on a date with this amazing woman he’d met— was it only three weeks ago? It felt like he’d known her longer. “Something to think about.”
“Whose company do you prefer, Jane or Charlotte?” asked Marinette. “When you come here alone.”
“Depends on my mood,” said Jason. “Jane for when I’m sad or restless, Charlotte for when I’m angry or melancholic. And Victor Hugo for when I’m understimulated.”
“Does that happen often?”
“Often enough that I’ve finished Les Misérables and am a third of the way into Notre-Dame de Paris. I’m going to need new material soon for coming out here. Maybe I’ll look through Project Gutenburg or Goodreads.”
“And do you review books often on Goodreads?”
“If I think I have something helpful to say. Mostly I just enjoy books.”
Marinette giggled and cuddled into him more a a breeze came across the water to where they sat. He could feel the rise and fall of her chest as she breathed slow and steady, her pulse in the tips of her fingers against his hand faster than was normal for resting. He brushed a strand of hair that had come out of her braid away from her face and ran his fingers along her cheek. She tilted her head to look at him, and blue eyes had never been so warm or welcoming.
It would be so easy to hurt her, his mind supplied.
Shut the fuck up, Jason told his mind.
“Can I kiss you?” Jason murmured.
“I’d really like that,” whispered Marinette.
Jason leaned forward, their noses brushing, and pressed his lips to hers. She met him with equal pressure, not pushing for anything, but welcoming him. He closed his eyes and let himself be here, in this moment, in the kiss. She pressed a bit more and pulled back, and Jason opened his eyes to find hers, still bright and warm, now framed by a blush.
“I could live a thousand lives,” said Marinette softly, “and I do not think I could have a better first kiss in any of them.”
“I’d better make sure the rest of our kisses are just as good then,” said Jason. He smiled crookedly as she giggled, then leaned in to kiss her again, this time moving his lips against hers. Elation ran through him as she responded with enthusiasm, and warmth began to pool low in his stomach as the kiss continued. Her fingers threaded through his hair, tugging slightly and he groaned into the kiss a bit, cupping her cheek to deepen the kiss.
When they came up for air, Jason’s mind was pleasantly hazy and Marinette’s lips were deep red along with her pink cheeks. The breeze picked up again and Marinette immediately pressed her face into his chest with a little whine. Jason wrapped both arms around her and set his chin on her head. Slowly, the haze cleared and the heat waned, but the euphoria stayed firmly planted in his chest. This was it. He could die a second time and be okay with it. Or maybe not, because him dying might make Marinette sad, and he wanted to spend more time with her. So maybe not okay with it, but more okay than he had been at fifteen with dying.
“’S getting chilly,” said Jason. “We should head back.”
“Oui, I don’t want to get too cold,” said Marinette. They disentangled from each other and Jason flexed his hand against his side, missing her touch already.
Marinette led the way back to their bikes and got herself ready to ride. Jason followed suit, still not quite believing his luck and how good the day was so far.
They rode back to town, and Jason led her to BatBurger, parking at the back and sharing the parking spot. They went inside, and Jason let her look at the menu while he scoped out the patrons for threats. Duke was in a corner with some friends, but he wasn’t a major threat, not like any of their other brothers might be. He returned his attention to Marinette to explain ‘Jokerized’ fries to her. When it was their turn, she gestured for him to go first.
“I’ll have a Red Hood combo with Jokerized fries,” said Jason.
“And I’ll have a Nightwing combo, also with Jokerized fries,” said Marinette.
The cashier placed two cups for fountain pop on the counter. “Your total is $21.95. How would you like to pay today?”
Jason got to the card reader first, making Marinette wrinkle her nose adorably and mutter about getting the next one. They stepped to the side to wait for their orders and were chatting about the merits and drawbacks of their motorcycles when Duke spotted them. Or, Jason surmised, spotted him and decided to say hello.
“Jay, hey man!” said Duke as he got in reasonable speaking distance with his tray of garbage. “Didn’t think I’d see you today. You good?”
“Better than good,” said Jason. Marinette laughed quietly and Duke noticed her. “Duke, meet Marinette. Marinette, this is my second-youngest brother Duke.”
“Enchantée ,” said Marinette.
“Hi,” said Duke, looking a bit taken aback. “You’re on a date? Shit, sorry. I didn’t mean to interrupt.”
“Eh, it’s a public place,” said Jason with a shrug.
Marinette tapped her chin. “Duke is the poet and activist, non?”
“That’s the one,” said Jason.
“You told her about me?!” said Duke, eyes wide.
“Just a few things, in passing, and all good,” said Marinette reassuringly.
“Order 247!” called the cashier.
“That’s us,” said Jason. “I’ll get the food if you want to start looking for a seat?”
“Of course,” said Marinette. “It was lovely meeting you, Duke. À la prochaine.”
“Good seeing you, Duke,” said Jason. He went to the counter and got the tray while Duke stammered out his own goodbyes and threw out his trash. Food acquired, Jason looked around to find Marinette and found her at a table for two by a window. He sat across from her and handed her food to her.
“Two brothers in one day,” said Marinette with amusement. “That’s unusual.”
“It really is,” said Jason. “Real coincidences. I had no idea that Dick was headed to Metropolis today, but this place is a favourite with everyone in Gotham.”
“They seemed lovely,” said Marinette. “They certainly care about you.”
“Yeah,” said Jason a shy little smile crossing his face. “It’s new, but it’s— it’s good, you know? Being closer siblings than before.”
“I drifted away from my parents before Adrien moved in with us,” said Marinette. She popped a fry into her mouth and her eyes widened at the taste. “This is really good. I still am not as close with my parents as I was as a child, but things healed a bit with Adrien’s help. We taught him to bake together, disaster though it was at first. We’re a family, the four of us, and that is enough.”
“So Adrien’s back in France with your parents?”
Marinette shook her head. “He moved to London to go to Oxford to study physics. Still, the Channel is shorter than the Atlantic, and he visits often. I call, but—” she shrugged “—it’s not the same.”
“I get that. Sometimes you just have to leave home and figure yourself out before you can go back.”
“If you go back. It is possible to outgrow a place, and the people there.”
“And sometimes you grow apart and together again.” Jason took a big bite of his burger. “My family has that tradition: each of us have left home, lost and found ourselves, and come back knowing who we are and what we believe.”
“That sounds so refreshing, even if it feels difficult,” said Marinette. They finished eating their burgers and cleared the table. Marinette held Jason’s hand as they left to go back to their bikes and Jason couldn’t feel the pressure that was normally at the back of his mind; for the first time in a long time, he felt… normal. That was something to analyze later, and mention to his family never.
“Do you have plans for the evening?” asked Jason.
Marinette sighed. “Chloe wants to go over a few things, and insisted on the call being tonight. I don’t want our date to end, but Chloe is very used to getting her way.”
“We’ll have other evenings,” said Jason, though disappointment sunk the euphoria a bit. “I don’t want our date to end either. Dick probably wants to discuss Alfred’s birthday sooner than later though.”
“Then we’ll have dinner another time, and spend the evening together,” said Marinette. “Maybe later this week?”
“I’ll call you,” promised Jason.
“Not if I call you first,” said Marinette cheekily. Her smile turned warm and soft. “Shall we part ways here? I’ll let you know when I’ve gotten home safely.”
“I guess that makes the most sense,” said Jason, pulling her into his arms. She stood on tiptoe to kiss him and he slowly leaned into the kiss, letting her heels come back to the ground even as the kiss made his heart nearly explode from the euphoria that filled it. Slowly, they parted and looked at one another, and Jason knew she was the person he wanted to be with for as long as she’d have him.
“I know it’s only the second date,” said Jason, “but would you consider being my girlfriend?”
"I don’t need to consider,” said Marinette, “as that is what I want. To be your girlfriend, for you to be mon petit ami.”
“I don’t get this lucky,” murmured Jason.
“Neither do I,” said Marinette. “Maybe it was time for a little luck.”
They kissed again. Jason didn’t want to let her go, didn’t want to leave her, but they both had plans for the evening. He didn’t want to move too fast, and asking her to move in on the second date (when they’d just gotten officially together!) was moving way too fast. So he let her go and stayed where he was as she got on her bike and drove off to her call, then drove himself to his official residence and did his security checks. Once the apartment was clear, he flopped on the bed and stared at the ceiling.
“Love to love, like a schoolboy from his books; love from love, to school with heavy looks,” said Jason to the quiet room. “Romeo got that right, at least.”
He checked his phone: 3 texts, 1 missed call. The call was from a call centre, so he dismissed it, and looked at his texts. The first was from Dick to the group chat to coordinate a video call for planning Alfred’s birthday. The second was from Duke spazzing about meeting Marinette, thankfully in a private DM. The third was from Damian giving a date and time for the dog park meetup.
Chill out, you’ll probably see her again, Jason replied to Duke. Is is so weird that I’d have a girlfriend?
After checking his calendar, he texted Damian, Works for me, I’ll pick you up.
He then sent a text to Roy about meeting up for lunch in the next week. He wanted to tell his best friend in person about Marinette and get his take on it. Maybe he’d introduce them soon too. It surprised Jason how much he wanted to integrate Marinette into his life, given how often things went sideways for him. He’d come up with a plan for telling her things slowly with Roy.
Roy replied, You never ask me to lunch, who died?
Nobody died, there’s no job, I just want to hang out. Is that wrong now? Jason shook his head as he sent the message.
It’s not how you normally go. I’ll bite though. Lunch on Wednesday, I’ll pick the place. New York City work for you?
Jason considered Roy’s suggestion. He could do NYC, he needed to have a day to himself soon anyway. Riding down to New York and back would do that well. Yeah, sure. See you then. Send me the address when you pick a spot.
He closed the thread and opened the group chat to find that everyone else had agreed on a video chat in half an hour. Jason sent a thumbs up and went to read until it was time. Maybe he’d get an idea for what to do for Alfred from one of his books. At any rate, he’d need to have something to contribute to the discussion. As he flipped open his book, his phone pinged again with a text from Marinette.
Got home safely. We should go for another ride soon, I had fun. Bonne nuit, mon cher.
Jason smiled down at his phone, and it occurred to him that Marinette could bake. Next time he saw her, he’d ask her to teach him how to make Alfred’s favourite cake. He’d have to find out what that was, and maybe actually talk to Bruce to get the information, but if he could actually make the cake instead of ordering it, that would mean a lot to Alfred. He went back to the book with his contribution settled on, and hoped that making a cake wouldn’t be too hard. Part of him believed that if Marinette was helping him, he’d be able to make the best cake any of them had ever had.