An Unexpected Daminette

Chapter 6

Marinette Prov.

I ran for the billionth time today, only to find the park practically empty. There was no sign of my class or Chloe. 'No. No. Nooo. Ug, why does the universe hate me!'  Taking a deep breath, I walked to a park bench trying to mentally form a plan to get to the hotel. 'No GPS. No Chloe. All these buildings look the same so I don't even know which direction to start running in.'  I thought as I looked up at the sky. 'Plan B then. Ask directions and hope for the best.'  "Pigtails why do you keep running?! I was having a nice nap." Plagg yawned sticking his head out of my handbag. "Sorry Plagg. The class of sheep just kept trying to leave me behind. They actually did it this time around." I laughed bitterly. 

"Oh, Mari. Why not use your phone?" Tikki offered smacking Plagg on the back of his head to stop his complaining. "Phones dead. Tikki do you think you could feel the direction Pollen is in? Maybe if I know which way to walk, I can find the hotel." I asked hopefully. "Sorry, Mari. Something is blocking my magic." Tikki said with a disappointed look. "It's okay Tikki. I'll just go back to my original plan B." Deciding that I had sulked enough, I stood up from the bench and started to look around the park for someone who could possibly help.

- Time skip brought to you by Plagg destroying DiNoSaUrS -

'People here really are rude!' I tiredly thought as the fifth person I attempted to ask for directions pushed past me. I was once again back at the bench I had started at. Deciding it was best to rest a little, I plopped down in the seat and searched for someone else to ask for help. "You know it isn't such a good idea to disturb people when they are relaxing." A gruff voice said next to me. 

I instantly jumped six feet in the air, clutching my handbag to my chest. Turning to the laughing man, I arched an eyebrow, placing my hand on my hip. "That was not funny! You nearly gave me a heart attack!" I yelled at the still-laughing man. "Sorry, sorry." He said wiping a tear from his eye. "But in all seriousness thou. It really isn't a good idea to wander around like that. It makes you an easy picking for bad guys." He said as he took my seat on the bench, motioning for me to take a seat. 

"Bad guys like you?" I asked, weariness clear in my voice, as I took a step away from him. "If I wanted to hurt you Pixie, I would have done it a long time ago. Relax, I'm a goodish guy. I won't hurt you." He winked at me. Decided to take a gable, and honestly just being too tired to care anymore, I took a seat next to him. "You know saying things like that make you sound like a bad guy. Who uses a word like 'goodish' when their trying to get someone to trust them?" I asked sarcastically. This just sent him into another fit of laughter.

Relaxing a little more, I looked up at the sky. The sun was setting, dusting the sky a reddish-orange. Memorized by the sky's changing color and how it reflected on the skyscrapers, I didn't notice that the laughter next to me stopped. "Soooo. You're new to Gotham, aren't you?" Keeping my eyes on the sky I answered his question since I thought it wouldn't do much harm, "Yeah. I'm actually on a school trip but unfortunately, the sheep left me behind. So, you know..." I shrugged my shoulders finally taking my eyes away from the sky and looking at the man next to me. 

"They left you... They left you, ALONE, in Gotham! You're so tiny! What were they thinking?! This is a crime capital for fucks' sake!!! I'm sorry, but that's utter bullshit! What about your teacher?!" He asked in annoyance, as anger flashed in his eyes. He suddenly stood up, looking ready to kill. 'Mental note. Don't let Chloe meet him.' I thought as he paced in front of me, muttering curses under his breath. "Umm, are you okay Monsieur? Please sit down before you hurt yourself." I said after a few minutes, noticing that he was just getting angrier as the seconds ticked on. His head snapped to me, looking me over before he plopped down heavily next to me again. "It's not that big of a deal Monsieur. It could have been worse." I said trying to calm him and reassure him at the same time. 'Why was this stranger so worried about me?' I thought as he looked at me in disbelief.

"Pixie, the fact that you just tried to underplay the situation cause I was upset, shows that you didn't deserve this treatment. Also, it just shows how irresponsible the teacher is, who might I remind you, is supposed to look after you." He said, running his fingers through his hair in annoyance. "I'm taking you back to your group, and having some words with that teacher of yours." He said as he stood up, looking at me. "No, no, no. That really isn't necessary. I mean I would appreciate directions to my hotel, but you don't have to bother walking with me or talking to my teacher. " 'Thou it would be interesting to see how she justified this... not like she won't blame me instantly'

"I don't want to trouble you any further." I rambled shaking my head and hands, dreading what would happen to me and Chloe if he actually talked with Mme Bustier. "Plus, why would you care about a complete stranger? You just met me, like 15 minutes ago?" I asked looking down at my feet. He must have sensed my unease, cause the next second I heard a sigh and then he was crouched in front of me. "Fine. Your right. We're strangers so let's change that first. The names Jason, Jason Todd. Now we're not strangers anymore." He said holding out his hand for a handshake, with a small smile on his lips. 

Laughing slightly at his bizarre mood shifts, I shook his hand "Marinette, Marinette Dupain-Cheng. It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance Mr. Todd." "I'm only going to say this once so listen closely Pixie." He said holding my hand a little tighter. His face and body language screamed serious. 'O, Kwami! What have I gotten myself into?" I thought beginning to regret my decision. "It's just Jason or Jay or whatever else, but don't call me mister. God, I suddenly feel so old now!" He whined dramatically, pulling me up from the bench. 'This guy is going to give me whiplash.' I thought as I laughed at his antics.

"You got it, Mr. Jason." I teased, trying to hold back my laughter as his face scrunched up in disgust and he sent me a playful glare. "Pixie!" He yelled throwing his hand in the air. "You just took years off my life! How could you? You're making me grey!"  He whined, pointing to the white streak in his hair. 'I wonder how that happened. Maby a fashion choice?' I thought as I giggled once again at his antics. "Fine, fine. Just Jay it is." I said in between giggles. A bright smile overtook his face at my words. Suddenly he looked up at the darkening sky. "Let's get you home Pixie. Don't want you out and about at night." 

"Thank you, Jay, but like I said before, just directions would be okay." I said shifting uncomfortably. "Yeah, not gonna happen. Either it's me taking you to your hotel or we're spending the rest of the night on this bench." Jay said as he folded his arms over his chest with a smirk. "I'm not going to be able to change your mind, am I?" I asked already knowing the answer. "Nope." Jay said popping the p. "Well then. Onwards in this adventure!" I said surrendering myself to my fate, smiling as I started to drag Jay in a random direction. "Um Pixie? I'm gonna need to know which hotel we're heading to. Don't want to get you more lost than you already are." Jay teased looping my arm through his. "O, right. Wayne Hotel." I said with a nervous chuckle. Jay shook his head before turning us around and heading in the opposite direction.