When Amira woke up, all she heard was yelling and shouting, causing her head to ache even more than what it did. Cradling her head, Amira slowly got up, noticing that she had her black gloves on, meaning she was still Ladybird.
They still don't know her identity.
Good.
"-supposed to know that it was Bruce Wayne of all people!" Amira noticed it was the glowing man from before. He was sitting in what seemed to be a hovering green chair.
So he was a magic user...kinda like how she was.
Speaking of her father, where was he?
"I tried to warn you." Another man muttered, running a hand through his hair. He wore a blue bodysuit, an 's' for an emblem on his chest. "But you decided to jump ahead, disregarding my warning of a civilian-"
"I don't follow the orders of a person who just self-appointed themselves as the leader." Greenie sternly said, crossing his arms. "Wait a minute. Last time I checked-"
"Will the two of you stop arguing like children and restrain yourselves?" The woman from earlier spoke, Amira relaxing when the woman looked at her with soft blue eyes. "Ladybird is awake."
Amira watched as the woman approached her, the two men following right behind her. "Hello little one. Sorry, Ladybird." The woman sat next to Amira, Amira scooting a bit away from her. "I mean no harm. My name is Diana. Diana of Themyscira."
Amira remained silent, looking between the three adults.
Who the hell were they?
"Maybe she only speaks French?" Greenie suggested.
The woman looked back at Amira with a smile.
"Est-ce que tu vas bien?" The woman asked her, Amira having to register her voice a bit before realizing what she was saying.
"I'm-I'm alright." Amira responded, not missing the way both Diana and Greenie looked at her in surprise. "And I can speak and understand English perfectly fine...if that makes it easier for everyone."
"A bilingual hero..." Greenie muttered.
"Multilingual, actually." Amira wanted to say with a smirk, but held herself. "Who are you and where am I?" Amira held her tongue about asking about her father, knowing it might jeopardize her identity, if they didn't know it yet.
"As I said before, my name is Diana." Diana gestures to the two men standing in front of them. "These two gentlemen are Hal Jordan and Cla-"
"Superman." Superman cut off, Amira noticing how skittish he was acting and how Diana gave him a quizzical look. Her heart stopped. Did he know?
"As for who we are, we're the Justice League." Diana explained, getting up and kneeling in front of Amira. "We happened to see the broadcast of your fight against Remediator and I have to say, you're quite the skilled fighter."
Amira felt heat rise to her cheeks, pressing her fingers against them. When was the last time she was ever praised? She couldn't quite remember.
"Diana, you broke her." Hal pointed out, Diana glaring at him before looking back at Amira.
"Usually, we wouldn't come in direct contact with other heroes from other countries, but I just had to go to Paris to greet the new Ladybug holder."
At those words, Amira felt her blood freeze. She quickly bolted off the sofa she was on and pushed it towards them, her yo-yo out and twirling in her hand as she glared at the three who looked at her wide eyed.
"How do you know about the Ladybug?" Amira asked, hating that her voice came out more like a growl than she wanted to.
"Ladybird, I didn't mean to alarm you." Diana explained, rising slowly. "The thing is-"
"Her mother -Queen Hippolyta- was a Miraculous holder, the previous Ladybug holder to be more precise." Superman cut to the chase, earning a huff from Diana. "She got giddy at seeing the Ladybug miraculous back in action after hearing countless tales about it from when she was a child."
"Well, there's that but-"
"He's here!" A voice interrupted, the group turning to see who it was, but Ladybird never let her guard down. Yes, her yo-yo was now back on her hip, but her hand hovered over the dagger on her back.
Tikki didn't approve of Ladybird having a sharp weapon on her person, but Amira argued that it was necessary. After all, a yo-yo could only do so much.
"Who's here?" Hal asked, watching as Flash entered the room.
"The one and only-"
"Batman?" Superman asked, watching the Dark Knight enter the conference room.
When Clark had spoken Batman's name, Diana noticed the way Ladybird tensed, Diana picking up on her change in stance. Ladybird was no longer in a defensive stance, her body now forgetting about keeping a distance from them. Now, Ladybird only had one thing in mind: escaping.
Just what was the relationship between Ladybird and Batman?
"Spooky? What are you doing here?" Hal asked, walking up to Batman. "Last I heard from you-"
"I'm here because of Mr.Wayne." Batman spoke, looking at Amira. "He wants to know why three heroes thought it was a good idea to break into the civilian home he was visiting, nonetheless his friend's home. While he's not concerned about the damages, he is concerned about-"
"Odd way to show concern, sending Gotham's vigilante instead of Mr.Wayne himself contacting you guys to give his piece of mind." Ladybird said, everyone feeling the tension between the two...vigilantes?
Ladybug did say she wasn't a hero.
"Wait-" Hal started, but shut up when Ladybird glared at him.
"Seeing as you have not else to say, Diana." Ladybird addressed. "Why did you actually seek me?"
Diana watched as Ladybird walked towards her, now standing between Batman and herself.
"Aside from paying my respects, I also wanted to ask you something very important." Diana looked at her fellow members before continuing. "Do you want to join the Justice League? Here at the Watchtower, you'll have access to all the information everyone helps to collect, use our gyms for practice and a nice home to stay in. One of us could even mentor you if you would like. Oh! If you so choose to become a member, you will have to report everything that happens in your city. Of course, you'll only be asked to do a daily report about the things in your area and be made to attend weekly meetings."
Diana watched as Ladybird weighed in the pros of being a League member, watching her glance back towards Batman.
Just what was it that had Ladybird on edge?
"As intriguing the offer is, I decline." Ladybird said, looking as Diana with narrowed eyes. "I won't join your League of Heroes."
"But Ladybird-" Diana started, only to stop speaking when Ladybird held up a hand.
"Yes, the offer is nice, but you mentioned having to make reports and sharing information. That is something I cannot do. I can't just expose the information of every victim to Hawkmoth's manipulation because it's simply that, manipulation. These 'villains' are actually victims of Hawkmoth's power, the people aren't actually in control of their bodies once they are under it.
For that matter, I also can't risk the possibility of having one of you guys in Paris. Having to fight one of you isn't something I want to do." Ladybird reasoned.
"Okay, what if we agree to not step into your territory?" Hal asked, wondering what new excuse this girl was going to say.
"Highly doubt all of you will keep your promise. After all, the three of you stepped into Paris without a letter of advance. Using your excitement isn't an excuse to just bend the rules to your favor. Rules and regulations are there for a reason. If the rules keep getting bent, what is the point of them then?"
"What about information? If I'm correct, you still don't know much about-" Superman attempted to point out, but was stopped.
"I can handle manhunting my enemy on my own. Might take a while, but I rather do it alone. With less miraculous out for Hawkmoth to attempt to obtain, the more trump cards I will have at my possession."
"Ladybird, please, reconsider." Diana asked, holding Ladybird's hands into her own. They were small. "We can help you. You're a child and you don't deserve to have all this pressure on you. You don't have to do it alone."
Ladybird slipped out her hands, now glaring at Diana.
"Did you ask me to join the League because you thought I couldn't handle this?"
"I know you're capable of handling-"
"Then why do you want me to join the League so badly? So that you can keep an eye on the Ladybug miraculous? Or is it because you don't trust a child with the miraculous your mother once wielded?" Ladybird asked, waiting for Diana's answer. She never got one, but from the look in her eyes, it seemed to have been the latter.
"Ladybird. Thank you for coming." Hal said, earning a glare that seemed all so familiar.
"If I remember correctly, I was brought here against my will. Not to mention you were the first to greet me with an attack meant to knock me out." Ladybird hissed, turning to Superman. "Can you walk me to your door? I need to leave. I have to patrol in a few minutes."
Superman nodded, gesturing Ladybird to follow him.
As the two walked out the door, Superman couldn't help but notice how Ladybird stood as far away as possible from Batman, even going as far as using him as a shield between the two of them.
"I'll be guiding you to our zeta tubes. They're how we get from place to place without the use of any type of vehicle. Comes in handy when you need to go to Paris and you live in the US." Superman tried to lighten the mood, but only got a huff for an answer.
As the two continued to walk, Ladybird decided to speak.
"So, what's your name? And I mean your real name." she asked, Superman raising a brow. "It's only fair for you to tell me your actual name when you already know mine is Amira Wayne." Amira didn't stop walking when Superman himself stopped.
She finally decided to when Superman wouldn't recover from the shock. Turning around, Amira sighed. "It took me a while to remember you, but I vaguely remember your face from this one time I waited for my father to come back from patrolling. Aside from super strength, you also have very sharp hearing. I know you heard the conversation between my father and I."
Superman gulped, knowing he had to tell her that yes, he knew she was Amira Wayne. That she was Bruce's kid.
He had the biggest scoop of the year, of his entire career and he couldn't say a single word because it could potentially get him killed. Because yes! He also just found out today that Bruce Wayne is Batman and just like the hidden child scoop, he couldn't say anything because it meant death!
"Name's Kent. Clark Kent." Clark reintroduced himself, extending his hand for a handshake. Amira shook it.
"Kent from the Daily Planet?" Amira asked, a smirk coming to her face, Clark not liking that expression one bit. It looked eerily the same as her father's. "I'm pretty sure you already know that you indirectly work under my father, yes?"
"Yes. Well aware." Clark sighed. Damn Bruce and his countless wealth.
Now he wished he hadn't heard the conversation from the apartment.
Diana had wanted to greet the new Ladybug holder, something that took Clark a few minutes to process as he absorbed the information.
After hearing Diana say she wanted to recruit the young hero, Clark made it his mission to go with her, seeing as it could be a potential story for the Daily Planet. Hal invited himself, Diana too eager to tell him no.
When the three made it to Paris, they were lucky enough to find the girl just entering her room, a red light enveloping the room before disappearing.
Diana wanted to quickly introduce herself to the new Ladybug, but Clark quickly stopped her when he heard Batman's voice. Or at least the argument started with Batman's voice, only for it to continue in Bruce's.
When Hal asked if they could go now, Clark told them to wait since there was someone else in the room.
He kept listening to their arguing until the red light enveloped the room again, causing the three to become concerned.
Clark kept listening to the conversation, accidentally muttering that the person inside was going to possibly take the miraculous. A decision he regretted.
"Then we have to save her!" Diana voiced, rushing over to help her mother's protege with Hal following her shortly behind.
"Diana, Hal! Wait!" Clark tried to call back, but the damage had already been done when Diana returned with an unconscious Ladybird and Hal. "What-"
"The other person in the room sedated him. Or made him go to sleep. One or the other." Diana said. "I'm going to go on ahead." In other words, Clark had to deal with the mess his two teammates left behind.
He had to deal with almost being killed by a kryptonite batarang Bruce had (for some terrible reason) after explaining to him why they were there.
Never again.
As Clark huffed upon recalling the events from earlier today, a blur came up to them. There, bouncing in front of them was Kid Flash.
"Superman! There you are! I heard we were getting a new recruit!" Kid Flash said with a smile. "Heard they were going to be the youngest one yet!"
Clark wondered how Kid Flash hadn't said anything about- where was she? It wasn't until he turned a bit that he saw her hiding behind him, her eyes looking at Kid Flash with curiosity.
"Well, we weren't able to recruit her, but she's right here." Superman motioned Ladybird to come forward, which she attempted to do before Speedy dragged her out.
"You're tiny! Probably younger than me too! Name's West!"
"Ladybird." Amira managed to say, still looking at Kid Flash as if she had seen him somewhere before.
"Oh. We're using our made up names." Kid Flash sheepishly said. "Name's Kid Flash, but feel free to call me Wally!"
"Wally?" Amira repeated, Clark seeing tears pool in her eyes. "Wally...West?"
"Yu-" Wally stumbled back as Amira launched herself at him, hugging him. "What are you-"
A red light enveloped Amira, the girl dropping her transformation, looking at Wally with tears running down her face. "A...mira?" She nodded.
"Hi Wally. I'm sorry I never-" Her words were cut off as Wally hugged her back, squishing her in the process.
"If anyone should be apologizing, it should be me." Clark stood there silently, watching as both teens kept crying into each other's shoulders, not expecting Wally's next words. "I should've begged Bruce to not send you to Paris...especially when he didn't even let you go to Jason's funeral."
-
Amira settled into her bedroom, surprised to see how quickly the league repaired her damaged skylight.
When Amira walked through the bakery doors, Tom and Sabine quickly pulled her into a hug, checking her for any scratches, Amira pulling away from the smothering attention.
"Feels so weird being in here. It's so small compared to your room in Gotham." Wally mentioned, deciding to sit on the bean bag near the hatch. "So, how've you been?"
"Aside from Father continuing to isolate me from the world? Terrible." Amira spoke, placing down the box that held her earrings.
Thanks to Tikki telling her that she would not be able to see nor hear anything if she was renounced, Amira did just that.
As soon as she dropped her transformation, she renounced Tikki, making sure to limit what Tikki knew about her.
Yes, she trusted Tikki and in herself to not get her miraculous taken from her. However, not everything was set in stone and the possibility of having her actual identity being leaked by the Kwami was something Amira wanted to prevent at all costs. "I haven't been able to contact Dick either."
"Did he not give you his new number?"
"New number?" Amira asked, watching as Wally put the new number in her phone.
"He moved to Bludhaven around the same time Bruce sent you here." Wally flinched as Amira glared at him, although he knew who it was truly for.
"It's been that long? And he never told me?" Amira whispered. What else didn't she know about the things back home? "What about the new Robin? Do you know his name? Age? And my father. Is he part of the JL?"
"For that first one, I only know he's younger than you. Nothing else. As for Batman, he turned the offer down before they were even able to finish their presentation." Wally provided. "Amira, does...does your dad know you're-"
"First one to find out." Amira spat out, her phone deciding to go off at that moment. She sighed as she got up.
"Patrol?"
"Patrol." Wally got up, hugging Amira one last time.
"Along with Dick's new number, I up my number in there too. I'll be there if you ever need me."
"Thanks. I appreciate it." Amira said, smiling at him. Grabbing her earrings, Amira headed to the skylight. But before she left, she turned to Wally. "It was nice being able to catch up. If you want, grab my black card from my desk. I never use it, but you can go ahead and use it to buy yourself some of the bakery's pastries. Although if it's cookies you want, I suggest the sugar ones. I made all of those."
Amira giggled when she saw Wally dash for the bakery with a grin on his face.
Now facing Paris, Amira put on her earrings, Tikki appearing before her.
"Is it time to go on patrol, Marinette?" Marinette nodded.
"Tikki! Spots on!"