The Ivy Botanical Gardens were beautiful.
Everywhere Marinette looked she was struck by inspiration. And with her friends beside her, it was hard not to feel giddy and excited.
"Red Hood! Come check out these Cattails!" Adrien called out. "They're paws-itively purrfect!"
Marinette laughed at the name--the group decided to call each other the names of the vigilantes they were dressed as for fun--and walked over to where Adrien was sitting by the pond, smiling giddily. He beamed at her from the grass as she crouched beside him.
Marinette was hit with inspiration and began sketching out a new design. A pale green dress with flowy sleeves and small lily pads all over. The sleeves were made of tool, meant to be light and flowy. Beside the dress, Marinette sketched a hair clip with two Cattails going out of the top in a V shape.
"Well, Robin. I think this might just be the best place I've ever been to." Marinette joked.
Beside her, Adrien grinned, showing off all his teeth in a blinding smile. Marinette pretended to shield her eyes and yelp.
"Robin! Red Hood! We are here to help! Where is the trouble?" Kim trounced over, once again posing dramatically.
"Batman! Robin's trying to blind me!" Marinette shot up and wailed.
Adrien gasped in mock hurt and jumped up. "Snitches get stitches, Hood!" He tackled her to the ground. The two rolled around for a minute with Kim calling out bets.
"Kim, why are Adrien and Marinette on the ground?" Chloé walked over to stand by Kim.
"Who is this Kim you speak of? I am Batman!"
Chloé rolled her eyes at Kim (who was posing again).
"Nightwing! Batman!" Nino yelled out and ran over from where he had been arguing with Alya.
"Red Robin! Get this fiend off me!" Marinette screeched, who was now standing. Adrien was holding onto her leg for dear life.
"I do not take orders from you, criminal!" Nino announced.
"I am not a criminal! I'm a vigilante with obvious daddy issues!" Marinette called out and wiggled her leg to get Adrien off. His grip tightened.
Chloé laughed and crouched down next to Adrien.
"Robin, off."
Adrien immediately released Marinette and jumped up to stand by her.
"What exactly is going on here?" Dick Grayson said, strolling up to them. He had another boy with him.
He looked...familiar.
"We're vigilantes!" Kim beamed. And as if all of them were part of one mind (at this point they might as well be) the five of them all posed dramatically.
Marinette and Adrien were back to back, she had her hands pointed like guns in the air. Adrien was crossing his arms and grinning. Kim stood behind them with his hands on his hips. In front of Adrien was Chloé, she had her hands poised like she was ready to fight and was kneeling on one knee beside Nino. Nino had his arms flexed dramatically in front of him and was squatting.
Dick snorted at the group. They looked ridiculous posing like that.
But Marinette wasn't focused on him.
She was staring at the boy beside him. Just like Dick, he had black hair--but it had a bluish tint to it and a white tuft in front.. He had a few freckles over his nose, just like Marinette. His eyes were a bluebell shade and were fixed on her.
He looked nervous. Nervous enough that the alarms in Marinette's head were ringing.
Around him, his energy was crackling. That was another thing Marinette learned being the Guardian, she could read someone's energy to see if they were friend or foe.
"You guys look great today!" Dick said. "Let me guess, Nightwing," he pointed to Chloé. "Robin," he nodded to Adrien, who grinned. "Batman," Dick laughed at pointed to Kim who grinned triumphantly. "Red Robin," he said to Nino. "And Red Hood." Dick was grinning at Marinette like he knew something she didn't.
"Yep, Nette made them." Nino said, poking his friend in the stomach, making her giggle and swat at him.
"Awesome! You guys look great!"
The boy beside Dick still hadn't said anything. He was just staring at Marinette like she should be dead.
"Anyway, this is my brother Ja--"
Dick was cut off by an explosion to their left. On their other side, Marinette's class screamed.
Marinette saw Dick give his brother a glance, if she hadn't been paying attention she wouldn't have seen it at all, and the two boys ran in the opposite direction.
Marinette and her friends exchanged looks, having been through enough battles to remain calm.
The five bolted towards the bathrooms, maybe they could transform and help.
But then they stopped.
Because Scarecrow himself jumped in front of them.
"Well, well, well, what do we have here?"
Ah, fuck.
"Five little heroes all dressed for battle. Maybe I should give them a treat." Scarecrow mused, tapping his chin--or what Marinette assumed was his chin, that sack kind if messed with the effect.
"Eenie meenie miney...you!" Faster than Marinette could see, Scarecrow lunged forward and snatched her by the jacket, twisting her around and shoving his fear toxin gun against her neck.
Marinette froze, knowing that any moment he would inject her with fear gas.
Marinette was shaking, she'd never had a run in with Scarecrow before when she lived in Gotham. She didn't know how to deal with him.
Through the corner of her eye, Marinette could see Scarecrow's goons bringing her classmates to sit behind her friends.
She looked each of her teammates in the eyes. Don't do anything. Leave it.
Adrien was shaking, his eyes wide with fear. He hated to see his partner so defenseless, especially when he couldn't do anything. Chloé was bone white and shock still. She looked about a minute away from a panic attack.
Kim was snarling at Marinette's captor, his fists were clenched so tight they had turned white. Nino looked like he was about to tackle Scarecrow. He was kicking himself mentally, he was the protector, so why couldn't he protect her?
The rest of the class looked scared shitless. Lila was crying--no surprise there, Alya was holding her broken phone in her lap, one of the goons must have broken it when she tried to film the attack. Madame Bustier was knocked out.
Some help she was.
Everyone else looked terrified, Rose had even thrown up, judging by the smell.
Marinette's breathing was erratic, she didn't have a suit to protect her. She didn't have her Lucky Charm or Miraculous cure.
But she was still Ladybug.
And she was going to save everyone, even if it meant giving up herself.
"Tiny little hero, caught in my web. What do you have to say about that, little missy?"
Marinette growled. "Fuck you."
Scarecrows laughed, a deep booming sound that raised the hair on her neck. He might not be on the Jokers level but hearing any sort of villain laugh never meant anything good.
"Oh my, so fearless. Or maybe you aren't...why don't we test that out?"
And then he injected her with fear toxin.
---
Jason was freaking out.
It was Marinette
Marinette Todd.
His sister.
Jason couldn't say a word as he stood beside Dick. All he could do was stare at Marinette.
She looked so happy with her friends, dressed like his adoptive family's vigilante personas.
And Marinette was dressed like him.
She didn't look much different than she did when they were kids. Still shorter than him by at least half a foot. Hair black-blue hair was pulled into a ponytail, longer than it was when they were separated.
Her smile was still so bright, it had always been like that. Even when they were huddling in alleys for warmth.
And she was there.
In Gotham.
So close.
But she didn't seem to recognize him.
"Anyway, this is my brother Ja--"
And then the explosion happened. And Jason had to go.
He never hated being a vigilante more than in that moment.
Him and Dick ran to change, Jason was cursing life the whole time.
And then he heard the scream.
Jason, now dressed in his Red Hood uniform, immediately bolted towards the sound.
Just in time to see his sister drop to the ground.
---
Hahahahahhahaha.