The group was stopped by a few gold diggers and business partners, but the heathens weren't deterred by the obstacles. When they finally reached Marinette she seemed to be feeling better, standing on her own as she spoke with Jagged and Penny in a secluded seating area.
"Hey there again! What a coincidence!" Jason and Damian roll their eyes at Dick's awkward greeting.
"Congratulations, Marinette, uh- Ms. MDC, we're big fans of yours. It's an honor to meet you." Tim politely started.
"T-Thank you, I didn't know I had any. Marinette is fine." The girl nervously chuckled, looking towards the ground.
"Anyways, we know you know Damian and that he's been a pain but we'd like to apologize for him." Marinette seemed amused at Damian being dragged over by his brothers.
"You don't need to apologize, I wouldn't hold any of that against any of you." The boys smiled, assuming that meant she forgave Damian.
"Well, you see, he didn't really mean any of it- he was only jealous."
"Yeah, who wouldn't be, you seem great!"
"Being honest, had we been the same age- I'd probably have a crush on you too!" Dick jokes, Damian's face dropped, eyes going wide.
"What?" The youngest boy asked, they couldn't seriously think this was a feasible plan.
"What?" Marinette's eyes went wide, Damian's reaction meant one of two things: he really did like her (unlikely) or his brothers were trying to get close to her through Damian (far more likely).
"I do not hold any regard for her. I'm insulted that you'd think that!" Damian meant every word he said, he hated the girl- and their earlier statements of jealousy seemed to strengthen his hatred for her. Marinette was not impressed, crossing her arms as she looked over the boys.
"Sorry if the thought of me is so disgusting, Damian. I'll go."
"NO!" Tim said without thinking, "He's a jerk but once you get to know him-"
"I have gotten to know your brother plenty in the last semester, if you wanted a commission all you had to do was ask for my card." Marinette was about to walk away, just handing her business card to the oldest but was stopped from finishing her dramatic exit by Jagged, Bruce Wayne, and a woman. Great.
"Nettie! Perfect, this is Selina Kyle Wayne, she won all your pieces and the commission. Thought you two could coordinate before we head back to your parents'." Marinette put on a polite smile, the familiar fake smile brought back memories of smiling through the tears that stung her eyes when she got home from school, when she used to practice in the mirror so no one would have to know about how weak she was, how pathetic it was to be so affected by a single student and her goons.
"I'm Marinette, it's nice to meet you Ms. Kyle!"
"Mrs. Wayne." Bruce adoringly corrected looking at his wife like she was his world. Marinette's smile almost faltered, she'd have to go to Damian's house.
"Oh right, sorry! Thank you so much for your contributions!"
"It was my pleasure, so I know you're on break- one of my step-sons, Damian, he goes to Gotham Academy too, do you know him?"
"I think we have a class or two together." Marinette politely added, Damian scoffed.
"Well, why don't we meet in a few days? The twenty eighth? That way we can get it out of the way before you start school again?" Marinette nodded.
"Do you know what you want, I can start working on some ideas?" Selina smirks, leading the girl away from the boys telling her exactly what she wanted. Marinette nodded, writing the details down, they returned to the group and Mr. Wayne tried to steal a glance at the notes but it was covered by his wife.
"No peeking."
"What time should I come? What's your address?"
"Come over whenever, and you just need to come back here." The Marinette blushed slightly when Jagged and Penny chuckled.
"We were in a bit of a rush, didn't leave much time for details!" That earned a questioning look, who wouldn't want to come. An invitation to a Wayne Gala- or any for that matter, was usually something people longed to attend.
"We can't be too late." Marinette reminds, blushing at her ignorance. Jagged and Penny excused themselves to start their goodbyes.
"Any plans for the holidays?" The Tim boy started.
"Just Le Reveillon when I get home. That's why we're leaving early."
"What's that?" The one with the white tuft asked.
"A big meal we have with family on Christmas eve, some of the best food of the year. And my papa always makes the best desserts."
"Cool, so how'd you start designing?"
"Oh, I don't know. I always like fashion and putting outfits together and eventually started sewing. And now here I am." Marinette chuckled nervously.
"Do you have a boyfriend?"
"W-what?" A girl with blond hair appeared next to the Parisian making her jump.
"Stephanie Brown. Do you?" Marinette shook her head no, blushing. "You should date Damian." Marinette held her small hand bag to her chest staring at the girl like she had two heads.
"Have you met him?" Marinette asked incredulously, some people snorted. "Anyways, I need to get going. It was nice meeting all of you." Marinette was quick to make her escape towards a waiting Jagged and Penny.
Marinette walked towards Jagged and Penny.
"Ready, Nettie?" The girl nodded with a smile, excited for her favorite part of Christmas.
"Do you think your dad's gonna let me steal some of the leftovers? Because his famous chocolate log is the best!" Marinette giggled as Jagged pulled her and Penny inside hugs as they walked toward the exit.
The group got into the car and asked the driver to take them back to the bakery.
"That wasn't too bad now was it?" Jagged asked, "You know the youngest Wayne boy seemed to take an interest in you." Marinette snorted.
"Trust me, he doesn't." Penny and Jagged shared a concerned look, Marinette seemed to know the boy and clearly didn't like him. Hopefully it wasn't anything the girl couldn't handle, no one wanted a repeat of Paris.
"We're here, Mr. Stone." The trio thanked the driver as they exited the sleek black car, immediately making their way into the warm bakery.
"Marinette! How was it?" Tom Dupain immediately asked, excited and concerned for his daughter.
"Did everyone like your donations?" Sabine seconded, peeking her head out from the kitchen. The couple had been thankful to have a little extra time to prepare the food, the bakery had been busy the last few days with the holiday rush.
"It was good, a few of my classmates were there. Everyone liked all my donations, and I have a meeting with the woman that won the commission soon." Marinette's parents beamed before hugging their daughter.
"Alright! Alright! Let's eat, I'm starving! You should 'ave seen the dessert they had at the party, you would have done so much better." The parents laughed as they led the rest of their family towards the dining room upstairs, everyone helping carry a dish.
"It's going to be fine, Marinette, you might not even see him- you saw, the place was huge!"
"Yeah, Bug, he'll probably avoid you. Either way, make no apologies. You're a professional, you go in, get the job done, and get out." Marinette nodded, looking over herself in the mirror. The bluenette was wearing simple blue jeans with a light pink sweater and a knit white scarf, a silver bracelet matching the cat miraculous securely resting on her left hand. Marinette more faux, lace-up, leather boots with a white fabric inner lining that peaked over the top of the shoes and a matching bag. The handbag/ backpack had all the supplies she would need, like her sketchbook, writing utensils, the dress was carefully packed in her bag without any hemming, details, or finishing touches to alter.
Marinette walked out of her room and went into the kitchen, preparing herself a large to-go cup of hot chocolate. Sabine and Tom said goodbye to their daughter as she walked out, regulars and new customers alike greeted her familiarly.
"Taxi!" A car immediately stopped for Marinette. "Wayne Manor please." The driver looked at her like she was crazy.
"I'm meeting someone that lives nearby." The drive to the outer limits of Gotham was quiet, the thin layer of snow covering the city of crime making it look less sinister, almost picturesque.
"Here we are, you sure you don't want to go anywhere else?" Marinette nodded before handing the man the amount due and exiting into the biting cold of Gotham in late December. Not wanting to freeze to death, Marinette quickly approached the main gate of the large estate- she could feel the cab driver's stare. The bluenette pressed on a doorbell-looking button and a voice emerged from the speaker next to it.
"Yes?"
"Um- I'm Marinette Dupain-Cheng, Mme Wayne asked me to meet her today?" Marinette could have sworn the voice of the British man was familiar but the wind and snow muddled the voice. The large gate slowly opened,
"Please come in, Madam Selina will be with you shortly." Marinette waved goodbye to an incredulous cab driver before starting to walk the long, hardly familiar driveway of Wayne Manor.
The large oak doors opened when Marinette neared, a familiar man standing in front of them with a polite smile.
"Monsieur Alfred! How are you?" Marinette was grateful to see a familiar face, walking faster to get them both out of the cold.
"I am doing well, and you? Did you walk?" The older gentleman sounded concerned as they walked into the warm building together.
"I am doing alright, I took a taxi." Marinette stopped short at the large entrance area of the manor, it seemed ridiculous that someone lived there, that this was what they saw every time they walked into their home. Selina was waiting in the entrance area, and excitedly greeted the girl once she came into view.
"This way, ladies." Alfred led the way and after walking for a minute or two, they entered a large bedroom with a mirror and a round fitting platform.
"I'm sure you haven't had much time so why don't we just do measurements and you can call me when you need to come over again?"
"Well, I actually didn't have much to do so I already started. Do you want to try it on?" Selina smiled in surprise. Marinette handed the woman the carefully folded dress.
"It's just the very basic foundation of the dress but everything is like you asked." Marinette explained as Selina changed.
"It's wonderful, I'm all yours. What's next?" Marinette asked Selina to stand on the platform while she made sure everything fit perfectly, making a few notes and adding pins.
"How high do you want the slit to go?" Selina looked at herself in the mirror as she hesitantly bit her lip. The woman put the tip of her finger on her lower thigh and slowly slid it up and toward the right of her right thigh. The finger stopped five fingers away from the top of her leg.
"Alright, would it be alright for there to be loose horizontal stripes, so people don't see more than they should?" Selina nodded, looking over the dress as Marinette worked on the hem.
"Would we be able to commission you again? Everyone seems to want something of yours."
"Of course." Marinette did her best to stay professional as she worked, speaking clearly as her fingers nimbly worked.
"Perfect, the boys need new suits. I don't know how but they always ruin them. I'm sure they'd be more careful with something of yours. When would you be able to come? Or is this too short a notice, you probably have a mountain of commissions."
"No, I don't. That was my first event, and my website isn't very well made. I can come whenever you'd like, I don't have any plans." Selina didn't like that, not even plans with friends? The noirette shrugged it off, it wasn't her business and she just met the girl. It would be rude to pry.
"Well, Jason and Dick will probably only be here until the day after tomorrow would you have time to see them after me? You can meet with Tim, Duke, and Damian on Sunday if that's alright with you." Marinette stopped for a moment, she'd have to deal with Damian.