Ladybird was knocked to the ground, hard.
"Again. Focus on your stance." Ladybird pushed herself off the ground, determined to do better. The heroine got into her stance and waited for her opponent to make the first move, Robin was an impatient fighter making decisive attacks- something Marinette needed to work on.
"You're too light on your feet, don't stay in one place but too much momentum can be hard to control. Work on control." Ladybird saw Robin approaching, she repositioned her feet, her knees softened and she lowered her stance, and just as the boy's fist neared its target, she caught it.
Ladybird didn't waste the advantage, pulling the boy down as she rotated him so he landed facing up.
"Better. Again." It was the new heroine's third week of non-stop evening training with Batman and his partners, they were always careful not to reveal personal details but she could see they were like their own family. These midnight meetings were difficult to adjust to, but Marinette managed. Her lack of a social life outside school was helpful.
Ladybird ducks under a swing, dropping down to swipe Robin's feet out from under him but he jumps. She sighs, getting back into position.
Marinette and Damian hadn't spoken since the day at the tree, Marinette had told someone she loathed, someone who loathed her, one of her biggest secrets. Her biggest weakness. Both were hesitant to make the first move. The rest of their peers waited, an impatient mass desperate for the silly drama they so desperately craved.
The bell marking the end of class went off, it was the last period of the day. Marinette decided to end the standstill between them.
Damian had left his homework sheet, it was like he was asking her to call him out on it. Marinette stood, and approached where he was only moments before. She picked the paper up and spoke.
"Oh, Demon Spawn~?" Damian stopped, turned to the girl, and glared. "You left something." Marinette was far too smug at knowing all of Damian's brother's nicknames for him.
"Thank you." Damian grit through clenched teeth, he wasn't going to push it. She knew too much.
"What's wrong, Baby Bird?" Damian looked beyond pissed, she was two for two and there was only one that could top that nickname.
"Nothing, goodbye." Damian looked like he wanted to strangle the girl, but even the idiots in the class could see she still had something on him, and whatever it was, it was going to be hilarious.
"Say thank you to Jason for me, Little D." Marinette broke out laughing as Damian walked out of the room with purpose, he was ready to draw blood. Of course, Damian's revenge was swift and precise.
"From Drake. As an apology for the coffee." Damian threw the box of fancy gold-wrapped chocolates onto Marinette's desk during homeroom. It seemed the promise of chocolate was too good for Marinette to wait until lunch. She unwrapped one of the chocolates and popped it into her mouth, chewing the treat until her eye blew wide, immediately finding Damian's smug ones.
The girl then finished chewing and unwrapped the next of the hot sauce-filled chocolates, Damian had meticulously unwrapped each chocolate and using a syringe added some of the most concentrated hot sauces he could get his hands on. She ate three more, straight-faced as she reviewed for a quiz. Damian was at a loss.
Deciding to up the ante, Marinette brought the pranks to the manor. She was able to stitch a small speaker into one of the ties Selina ordered for Damian so it made a noise every time she pressed a button. Over winter break it was implied that Damian was a very light sleeper, so sometimes after training with Batman she'd click the button for fun.
It took two weeks for Damian to march into class, slam the now torn apart tie onto her desk, and growl 'Not. Funny.' to Marinette. He looked tired, as if he spent all night trying to find the speaker. Marinette realized she probably crossed a line or several and nodded. They had a mutual understanding, you don't cross certain lines and if you do, you don't do it again.
Damian had been preparing for the kill for weeks, their little prank war would soon come to an end. He was almost sad she wouldn't be able to come back from what he was planning. They'd gotten into a relatively heated argument between classes because Damian insulted a girl that threw herself at him and hadn't spoken since. He had a feeling Marinette wouldn't strike first; she likely thought it meant she was alright with his actions and would ignore him until she saw he was repentant.
"Mr. Sulkowski, may I use the restroom?" Marinette asked, she was granted permission and walked out of the room. The lecture continued but Damian had a bad feeling in his gut, and his instincts were never wrong. Damian blocked out the lecture and went into what his siblings would likely call 'League mode.'
Something was coming. The question was what and when.
Marinette walked out of the classroom, having to use the restroom. She softly hummed as she walked through the empty halls and into the bathroom. Marinette heard some rustling outside the bathroom but assumed it was some girls talking.
"Did you see the game the other day?" Someone asked, it sounded like a man- perhaps a substitute, Marinette felt uneasy but decided it was her being paranoid- you can't listen to your gut alone.
Marinette dried her hands and walked out of the bathroom, someone's large meaty hand covered Marinette's mouth, she felt something cold and hard-pressed against the back of her head.
"Listen here. I'm going to move my hand and you're not gonna make a noise or else we're gonna kill Stevie boy over there." Marinette's eyes met Steven Ortiz's, he was tied up with a man in a ski mask putting a finger to his lips as he pointed a gun to the boy's head. She could feel tears prick her eyes, she tried to take deep breaths through her nose, but she was only able to smell the sweat and stink of the man holding her. She can't think straight, praying this isn't as bad as it seems.
He was at GA on a scholarship- the Ortiz kid, basketball, wanted to become a professional player. Marinette nods in understanding, the hand slowly moving from her mouth.
"Now Steve here told us, you have all your classes with a certain Wayne... you're gonna walk us there- quietly. If our friends over here hear you, Steve will only be the first of many. Got it?" Marinette nodded, trying to blink the tears away. She mouthed 'It's okay' to the boy as he cried, eyes begging, for what Marinette didn't know. There were too many people at the school to try and take the guys down. Who knew how many there were?
What's going to happen to her parents?
Marinette can hear the air conditioner whirring with every measured step they take, all she can feel is the hard barrel of a gun pressed against her head.
"I don't want any bullshit, straight to the classroom." The man held both of Marinette's hands firmly behind her back with one hand. He moves some stray hairs with the barrel of the gun so Marinette could see properly. A stray tear fell down her cheek, every sensation hurt, her nerves on fire. Her nose is freezing, mouth dry.
"I don't think I need to tell you what happens if we walk into a room and the rich brat isn't there." If she did as she was told she'd put a classmate in danger, but if she didn't she would endanger the rest of the school who might have a chance of not being aware of the situation until afterward. Marinette walked toward the room, he let one of Marinette's hands go but whispered breathily into the girl's ear. Oh, how she wished the door had a window so they could all hide. It was one of the few doors without one.
"Here's what's going to happen: You're going to slowly open the door, we're going to walk in and you're going to say that I want Damian Wayne to stand up, with both hands up or you die. Alright?" Marinette nodded, slowly moving her hand to the door, it hovered over the handle, shaking.
She grabs the knob and turns it before pushing it open. The door swings hitting the wall.
The look on Mr. Bernard's face when he saw Marinette and the masked man was almost as gut-wrenching as Marinette felt, everyone was dead silent. Some students; twentytwenty-four-four, ducked under their desks. Marinette was pushed to the middle of the front of the room and turned towards the students.
"Go on, say what I told you to." This is so messed up, Marinette can feel the emotion rise in her throat. She just wants to go home. The man presses the gun harder against her head. One curl of his fingers and it's all over.
"H-he wants D-Damian Wayne t-to stand up-p with his hands in th-the air or- I- or I die." She can barely squeak out the last word, a silent sob shaking her.
"That's right, now, rich boy." Damian calmly but still understandingly stood his hands up.
"Now come here."
"Let her and any other hostages go first." Damian negotiated.
"DOES THIS LOOK LIKE A FUCKING DISCUSSION? I WILL SHOOT HER IN THE HEAD." The man exclaimed, Marinette flinched, tears escaping as the gun was visibly aimed at her head. This can't be how it all ends.
No more Ladybird, no going to college, no fashion empire- it'll all just end with just the curl of a man's fingers.
"Alright." Damian slowly walked towards the front of the class, not even looking down as he stepped over bookbags and the feet of cowering schoolchildren. The man released Marinette's arms but the look in Damian's eye told her not to move. It was too risky. The man threw two pairs of plastic cuffs at Damian, he caught them.
"Two seems unnecessary."
"Put one on the girl, then yourself." Damian seemed to understand that Marinette wasn't going to be left behind, he seemed to become even more serious about everything, not even commenting as he obeyed. Mr. Bernard just watched next to his desk, ready to call the police the moment the man left the room, students were crying in relief and worry- they weren't hostages but they weren't out of danger. There was no telling how many other shooters there were.
"Let's go, Wayne first." Damian walked out as he secured the cuffs to himself, someone was waiting outside the room, tightening Damian's cuffs before pulling him through the hallway. The walk was eternal, they heard a shot. Marinette flinches. Steven.
No. They turn a corner, Marinette's legs almost turning to jelly- her stomach churning in anticipation of what she's about to see.
She wanted to cry in relief when she saw the boy looking at a bullet hole in the locker two inches away from his head.
"Let's go, leave him. Kid, you tell the police we want five-hundred-million within the next twenty four hours in cash, if not we kill the girl. After that, they have ten,four-four twenty-twentyGot it?" The boy nodded.
"It's gonna be okay," Marinette said to the boy, he looked so scared. He didn't look like he believed her, Marinette couldn't blame him, she didn't believe it either.
Damian was barely able to click the panic button on his watch when he walked to the front of the class a few minutes prior, someone would be here soon. Ladybird's tip was right.
Marinette walked out of the school after Damian, she could vaguely hear sirens. She and Damian were shoved into a black unmarked van with heavily tinted windows and a very dirty license plate, almost illegible from a meter away. It would blend in perfectly as soon as they got onto the street. The car sped off, Damian and Marinette leaned against the nearest wall of the van.
"You alright?" Marinette nodded, Damian rolled his eyes at her crying.
"We're going to be fine, it happens all the time." Marinette looked at Damian like he was insane, she could tell he was uneasy, Damian wasn't one to comfort even when she cried. He wasn't used to having another hostage with him even if it was normal to be kidnaped for ransom.
"Liar. This doesn't happen often." Marinette used her shoulder to try and wipe some of her tears but it didn't work. Damian almost offered to help, it was his fault she was in the situation.
He'd looked into Marinette's past in the last few weeks but her old school must be as incompetent as its students because every bullying and harassment report Marinette filled was dismissed while all of this 'Lila's' had full 'investigations.' The car takes a sharp right before speeding up at an incline. At least there was no physical abuse, Damian couldn't stand bullies. They're on the highway, probably heading west out of Gotham. Bullies remind him too much of what he used to be. They make a right, heading north. Luckily Damian's watch was still ticking which meant it was constantly giving away his position.
Damian and Marinette were dragged out of the van, the seemingly youngest of the group, the one that nearly shot the boy, searched Damian taking his watch and phone off him before doing a more... thorough search on Marinette. Damian and Marinette both almost hit the man, and they would have if it wasn't for their hands being tied down. The girl's phone along with his phone and watch were thrown in a bag and tossed into a river where they floated away. The students were shoved back into the van and drove for another few hours South if Damian had to guess, back towards Gotham and well past it. He could hear the search helicopters and sirens when they passed the search area.
Damian's father would find them, but just in case Damian started working out his own plan of escape incorporating an unwitting Marinette into the plan.