AU note: Marinette is at GA on a scholarship, and has been since middle school. She lives in a dorm and returns to Paris in the summer to help out at the bakery. She and her parents are not very close. Marinette runs Coccinelle Designs and sends some of the commission money back to them to help run the bakery. No heroing in this- it's already messed up enough. Jason and Marinette are sophomores, Dick's in Bludhaven as an officer, and Tim's a freshman even though he's eleven, little genius that he is.
On Monday, Marinette walks through the hallways of Gotham Academy, weaving through the crowds of students and heading briskly to her locker to put her textbooks away before lunch. She puts in her code and opens the door-
Wait.
There's a single red rose sitting on top of her Literature textbook. Huh. How did someone get into her locker to leave it there? She gently picks up the rose and admires the smooth, velvety petals. Marinette carefully puts the rose on the empty top shelf of her locker before putting her books away and heading to the cafeteria with a smile.
At lunch, she doodles a black suit with a tie the same shade as the rose petals, and imagines how amazing Jason Todd-Wayne would look in it, not that she'd ever get commissioned by someone of his caliber. He probably wouldn't even glance her way.
On Tuesday, there's another fresh rose waiting in her locker, which brings a happy smile to her lips. This time, it's accompanied with a small white card, written in graceful script.
Hear my soul speak:
The very instant that I saw you, did
My heart fly to your service.
Shakespeare. They're a literature person, then. Marinette closes her eyes and sees Jason, in her third period English class, reciting passages from Jane Austen's works off the top of his head.
She shakes her head and puts the rose in the same place as the one yesterday, to preserve it until she can take it back to her dorm.
During lunch, she starts the design of an evening dress, the color of roses, and imagines how well it'd look with yesterday's suit.
On Wednesday, there's another rose in her locker, accompanied by a new card and a box of pink macarons. How did they know strawberry was her favorite? The only time Marinette's ever mentioned it was during the group project she had to do in the beginning of the year with a couple other kids (including Jason) in English.
She doesn't really have friends at GA. They know of her, but the kids here grew up in a higher class. Marinette's parents are bakers. They're in Paris, happy that their daughter won a scholarship and is getting the best education that she can get. Tom and Sabine are her parents, but they were never the closest. Marinette doesn't exactly have parental figures either. She doesn't mind all that much.
Who is leaving her these gifts?
She spends all of lunch crossing people off her list in her notebook, narrowing it down to only a few people, only one of which could have overheard her preference for macarons.
Jason Peter Todd-Wayne. The second adopted son of Bruce Wayne, Gotham's resident billionaire. Grew up on the streets, thus was far more likely to be nice to bullied kids than bully them. Often got detention for picking fights with the snobby ones. Is a huge literature nerd. Also a sophomore, like her, and a bit of a loner because of his upbringing.
But there's no way it's him, because that's Jason. The brave student that stood up for the scholarship kids against the bullies. Heroic, determined, confident, beautiful, smart Jason. Why would he even look her way?
Speaking of which, Marinette closes her notebook with a squeak as the aforementioned person sits down next to her at the empty table, with concern in his teal eyes.
"You alright? Every time I looked over at you, you were writing in that notebook of yours. I didn't see you eat anything the entire period." Jason asks, his Gotham accent adding a pleasing lilt to his words.
"Um- yeah- I- I'm fine!" Marinette stutters. "Just- I got a little caught up and forgot to eat, that's all. It's too late to go get anything now, anyway, and it's just one meal."
Jason pulls an energy bar out of his pocket and hands it to her. "Take it. I know what it's like to go hungry. Don't want you to feel that, even if it's only for one meal."
Marinette quickly takes the bar, feeling her cheeks heat up. "Th-thank you, Jason."
He smiles crookedly at her as the bell rings. "It's no problem, Marinette."
That night, Marinette lies awake in her bed, staring at the ceiling of her dorm, unable to get the blush off her face or stop thinking about the interaction.
On Thursday, there's the customary rose, which she slips into the usual place, another card written in the elegant script just like Jason's, a container of strawberry macarons, and a small plush black cat with adorable green eyes staring up at her.
"Aww, you're so cute." She coos, picking it up. "I'm calling you Plagg." Marinette carefully tucks Plagg into her backpack before reading the card.
In vain have I struggled. It will not do. My feelings will not be repressed.
You must allow me to tell you how ardently I admire and love you.
"Pride and Prejudice." Marinette smiles. Jason's favorite book. She thinks. Marinette was, in fact, not a stalker. The entire English class knew it, the boy had a passion for Jane Austen and was willing to fight anybody who gave her anything but the highest praise as such.
To her surprise (though it really shouldn't be,) he sits down next to her at lunch. "Mind if I sit here? We're both kinda alone at our tables anyway."
Marinette looks up from her sketchbook and feels her face heat up. "S-sure. I mean, it's not like anyone else was ever going to sit here."
"Thanks." Jason grins, and mon dieu he is so beautiful this should not be allowed. "What are you working on?"
"O-oh, you mean my sketchbook? I'm a fashion designer, these are all my designs from the past three months. I go through sketchbooks rather quickly, I'm afraid." Marinette laughs. It's easier to just talk to him and forget the nervousness when it's a subject she's familiar with.
Jason's teal eyes are alight with interest. "Can I see them? If that's okay with you?"
"Of course." She pushes the sketchbook towards him and fidgets anxiously as she awaits his opinion.
"I dunno much about fashion, Marinette, but these are amazing. D'you happen to run Coccinelle Designs, by any chance?" Marinette is taken aback.
"How did you know that?"
Jason grins. "My brothers Tim and Dick are huge fans, and Bruce has been looking to commission something for a while, but the slots were always full. I've learned to spot your signature." He points to a hidden embroidered ladybug just barely visible on the collar of a shirt.
"W-what? Bruce Wayne wants to commission me? The Bruce Wayne?" Marinette says disbelievingly. "No way. This has to be a joke, or a dream." She pinches herself and hisses at the pain.
"Not a dream. So, a joke then."
"I'm not lying, Pixie. B wants to commission you. Is there any contact info I can pass on?" Amusement flickers in Jason's eyes.
"Uh, yeah, hold on, let me just-" Marinette tears a page out of her sketchbook, scribbling her work email and her phone number on it before handing it to Jason. "That's my work email, and my cell in case of emergencies."
Suddenly, she frowns. "Wait, Pixie?"
Jason gives her that crooked smile. "Yeah, 'cause you're the same age as me but you're so tiny and cute." Her entire face burns a bright red, and she opens her mouth to reply, but is cut off by the bell.
Saved! Marinette thinks. She is definitely losing sleep over this tonight.
Marinette cuddles Plagg close as she finally drifts off to sleep around 1am.
On Friday, there's a dozen red roses in her locker, with another white card. Instead of a literature quote, though, this one has something different.
Weeping willow behind the school.
3:05pm.
Marinette knows the one. The weeping willow at Gotham Academy is massive, hundreds of years old and still standing tall and proud. It's beautiful during this time of year, when the flowers are blooming and pink petals are shed everywhere.
Jason joins her again at lunch, and conversation comes easily for her, even though her cheeks are tinged pink the entire time. Marinette never had friends at GA, or in Paris, but she thinks that maybe having Jason as one wouldn't be too bad, even if she would always wish for more.
But then, if he only wants to be her friend, why is he leaving the gifts in your locker? Her mind whispers. She shoves it down. Marinette was never the best at detective work, she has to have missed someone else. She'll have to turn them down this afternoon (because what else is going to happen underneath the most romantic tree on school grounds?) because she can't get rid of Jason.
When the last bell rings at 3pm, Marinette makes her way to her locker, putting the necessary things in her backpack and straightening her uniform. She walks out of the school building and around to the back, where she sees someone standing under the willow, features obscured by its branches.
Marinette gets closer, ignoring her heart beating in her chest, preparing the best way to turn him down-
"Jason?"
He turns around with an awkward smile. "Hey, Marinette. I've been meaning to ask you for a while, but, uh, would you like to go to the spring formal with me?"
Marinette stares, cheeks burning.
"I- I mean- it's totally fine if you don't like me in that way, we could just stay friends-"
That snaps her out of her shock. She does not want to stay just friends with Jason Peter Todd-Wayne.
"I would love to go to the spring formal with you."
Jason's beautiful teal eyes light up. "Really? I mean, it's a date then?"
"It's a date." Marinette smiles.