Secret Santa

As soon as Damian saw the crowd at the end of the hallway, he turned around and walked the other way.

There was only one reason so many people would be smiling together in Gotham.

And that reason was Marinette Dupain-Cheng.

For @paintball169, brought to you by @maribat-secret-santa <3

Sorry it's late, Paint, please enjoy~!!

I was Enchanted to Meet You

@maribat-secret-santa

To: @silverwhiteraven

(Ao3)

—–

“KARA!!!!”

Kara turned around at the sound of her name to see a black hair girl racing towards her.

“Mari Net-Ta. Be careful.” Kara chided the younger girl who didn’t slow down.

Mari rammed into Kara and hugged her. Kara ruffled the shorter girl’s hair, chuckling.

Libra Ak-Var, Mari’s mother, ran up to Kara.

“Kara, I am sorry. Mari really wanted to see you as soon as possible.”

“It’s fine. I like Mari too.”

Libra turned to her unruly child and scolded her,“Don’t run off like that, Mari. You might fall down. By Rao, you nearly gave me a heart attack.”

“I am sorry, Mom.” Mari said with her head bowed.

“I know. I know. You wanted to play with Kara.” Libra chuckled and she greeted Kara’s mother.

“Hello, Alura.”

“It’s nice to see you too, Libra.” Alura smiled and turned to their daughters, “Okay, children. Go have fun while we talk.”

“Come on, Kara.” Mari bounced in excitement as she dragged Kara away.

“Slow down. We don’t want another clumsy Mari incident again.” Kara said.

“I am not that clumsy.” Mari replied indignantly.

“You are.”

“Are not.”

The two bickered back and forth.

Although, Kara was three years older than the other girl, since they had met as children, the two girls were close like two peas in a pod. They knew each other’s deepest secrets and confided in each other. The bond they shared was unbreakable and there were a few jokes by their parents about a union between their families in the far future. As they ran through the fields under the rays of Rao, they had thought that they could be together forever.

——

Maribat Secret Santa 2022

is it late... yes

did it grow out of control and need a part 2... also yes

but without further ado for my secret santa recipient @intercoursefluids

In Every Lifetime

~~~~~~~~~~

Life after life, death after death, whether they would find each other or not they knew the other was searching for them land, sea, or even the skies for them. Their dreams a guiding light to one another. The powers and magic practiced and hidden in order to protect them. After centuries they learned they would always share a birthdate, which in the newer ages of technology made it slightly easier to find one another, if there weren't so many more people now, and the gods never made it easy for them. But reincarnations are both a blessing and a curse.

I think the team here just is happy to ensure everyone gets their gift, even if a little late

Compliment, at least

For @lala-ladybug! Happy Holidays and I hope you enjoy it!

Thank you for organizing, @maribat-secret-santa!

It was no one's fault… at least not everybody else’s, other than her own. Ladybug didn't know how exactly she was able to choose the wrong floor, but when she walked through the corridor it looked the same. Even that high tech panel looked the same as her own. And in some mysterious way (she blamed Plagg) the room wasn't the same.

Or that gorgeous butt in that boxer brief - which was from her brand by the way, oh my Kwami!!! 

Or that toned back that was scattered with scars. Could she lick them?

Or those wonderful forest green eyes as they angrily stared at her…

"How did you come in?" The question was clear, sharp and dream shattering, and she knew she also needed to answer, but... she could recognize that gorgeous butt everywhere. 

She rarely awed men since her childhood crush on Adrien, however that derriere and the following toned limbs and body visited her dreams sometimes. She was not proud of those fantasies, especially when she was near the man on missions, but the designer - yes, it was the designer in her - really appreciated those delicious forms. Like screw her, Shadow had a really appreciable body.

"I asked something!"

The cool blade cut her out from the dangerous (or a little bit inappropriate?) thoughts. Nevermind her mouth didn't get the memo.

"It's not a crime to admire a masterpiece." Her purr was a surprise even to herself. She didn’t even know she was able to produce this kind of sexy voice.

“What are you talking about?” The tip of the katana pushed deeper in her skin and the body who held it pressed closer to her. Oh, she didn’t complain…

She gulped down her newest embarrassing reply and tried to not blush with less success. Those forest green eyes purposefully held her own as they glared at her with a grumpy face. She never thought about how beautiful this man could be in a relative way. His face profile could easily compete with Adriens, or even beat her hero partner out from his childhood job. 

Shadow had that dangerously mysterious aura which made him really rigid and sexy simultaneously. She heard a lot of younger heroes sigh at the sight of him, but never thought she would be that lucky (at least she thinks she is) to see what is under that padded uniform and tight pants… And to know those clothes weren’t that padded as they let it on.

“You hummed at me?” Even his voice added some charm to his character. That baritone was everything she wanted to hear from her lovers every night. Or day… she wasn’t that picky.

“What if we meet in daily life?” She feather-touched his naked upper arm, her fingers shook from the anticipation as she felt his warm skin for a moment. 

“I hate to repeat myself.” His posture was the same but his ears started getting redder. She would never embarrass him, but… “What are you doing here?” The blade didn’t move a millimeter nevertheless his body heat radiated from closer and firmer than before. She hummed again, satisfied.

Their little dance went too long already. Since that mission in Qatar they had this spark around them despite their professionalism. She felt it. And he felt it too. She knew.

“I got on the wrong floor” she murmured in awe from his strong presence. It was a balsam for her soul. “But I’m starting to think it isn’t that wrong.” 

Her fingers felt how he instantly flexed his muscles under the bronzed skin. Surely it was only an instinct even so it was miraculous to feel the little changes in his body. 

Ladybug didn’t know his name, Shadow didn’t know hers, but… 

What she wouldn’t give for more…

“I think it’s better if I’m going.” Her forced whisper brought them out from the semi intime atmosphere that they created. Even Shadow blinked at her dazed when she hesitantly reached the door’s panel and slowly backed out the room. She didn’t want to leave him there. He held the katana still in its position gripping the handle as the automatic door closed and locked her out in the corridor. 

Out of his view.

Ladybug took a deep shaky breath.

What the Kwami’s hell happened?

“...find some potential mate?” Adrien’s voice was amused as he tried to calm her down.

“What did you say?” It was the emphasis on the last two words like it was something universal and she must have known about it. 

Her partner chuckled in good humor. “You know, your potential mate who could complete the human side of your life.”

Of course she knew that they were not exactly mortals anymore. They will age as usual, but their physical and intellectual characteristics were much more durable and faster than the average. And don’t even start on the magic aspects, that’s why dating was a curse to her. But…

“So.. so you’re saying… that..”

“Do you need a special characteristic in a person so you can feel the attraction? Yes.” His voice lost the playful undertone as he understood her anxiety. “Didn’t Tikki talk about it? Especially after Qatar?”

Marinette’s eyes turned to the sleeping Goddess of luck. “No, they didn’t.” Her throat started to tighten from the need to cry. She needed… “I will call you back…” 

“Marine…” 

Adrien was her soulmate, she knew that. They needed to be connect since their balancing each other was the one thing that kept the World together, literally. So when they were high schoolers he met Kagami and for ten years already they were going strong… So strong that last month they welcomed their first child - Emiko, her own first goddaughter even. 

These were the facts that she learnt during the years while she wielded a Miraculous.

She would lie if she said she wasn’t jealous of them. They always had each other while she… She had disastrous dates, scandalously short relationships and heartbreaks, a lot of heartbreaks. Sometimes spicing up with panic attacks, PTSD and depression. 

And after everything… After saving the whole wild World she just got the info now that it wasn’t all her fault?

“Tikki!” nudged the Kwami. “Tikki!” 

The little red God stirred awake after some more call and blinked at Marinette sleepily. “Good morning!” She smiled at her sweetly and accepted the macaron without any fuss or without thinking there was any problem. Why she would?

Marinette stared at her magic companion since her childhood and wondered, was this only an evanescent moment for the tiny God? Is she only a ladybug from the long line and not even noteworthy?

A minute or two passed in silence. “Did something happen?” The high-pitched voice showed some worry for her like she belatedly felt how something was bothering her. At least Marinette imagined it that way because after that many secrets she didn’t know anymore. 

“When did you want to talk to me about potential mates?” The sentence blurted out itself. Kind of a rip of bandage. She wanted to wait of course until at least Tikki had eaten and she herself had already calmed down. However…

The little God froze hearing the question, swallowed their last bite slowly and turned their sorrowful eyes on her. “You talked with Adrien.”

It was not an answer.

“Yes.”

“You know about Shadow too.”

It was fishing for ammo.

Marinette scolded as a warning. Suddenly anger fired up in her. It was not their first conversation in this way. Tikki had the really bad habit of hiding very important information and hinting only the vitally important. 

They sighed at once, staring at each other for a long moment. Tikki averted her eyes first.

“You already met two of your potential mates.” they started on without any indication. Her voice sounded indifferent to Marinette. Like she didn’t care. “But my Bugs aren’t as lucky as Plagg’s kittens in this topic.”

“I would like to know why.”

The pause that followed her own comment was deep. Tikki peered at her again and now she looked like their heart was broken a hundred and hundred times. And of course Marinette knew it wasn’t that easy to let a lot of wielders die, but… It was her life, she needed to know.

“As you must have heard from Adrien, every Black Cat and Ladybug has their own potential mates. Those people need to be balancing out the two Miraculous users in every way as their partners do - physical, intellectual and magic, - so it wouldn’t lead to a disastrous ending for their lives.” They bit into the macaron and chewed it gloomy. “Ironically Black Cats always are luckier in this department than my Bugs. To balance their soul out they need Creation and it’s easier to find it in good people than Destruction...”

“Which needs to balance out my Creation.”

Tikki nodded robotically. “You only met two real Destructions before.” She said, “Félix Fathom, who was a sentimonster and Lila Rossi, who was like your mortal enemy.” 

“You mean…”

“Lila Rossi hated or hates you still because the two of you would be too good together. Her Destruction was too direct for your own principal Creation. Félix was so rude to you and harrassed your hero self because he felt attracted to you in a messed up way.” Tikki chuckled without any humor. “I didn’t tell you because I wanted you to have opportunities. To live a life without any distress from this. Because you deserve so much better than the kind that the two presented to you.”

“And Shadow?”

“He… Maybe he is the first for a long time who can be your potential mate in a real way. In Qatar he proved how he could control his soul. It’s important because his soul is pure Destruction, but he tries to do the right thing. At least.”

“Then why didn't you say anything when you felt him?”

The blank stare of her Kwami made her tear up again. “Because I already watched one of my masters burn from the hands of their potential mate.”

It’s always about the Balance.

She had everything. She was LUCKY to have everything so the balance made her love life a living hell. And now she at least met one of the rare potential mates of hers who not just had a Destruction soul but was someone who risked his life for ‘the Greater Good’.

Last night’s crying session was not enough.

What even is my life?

The day started very disastrously as she pondered on her life. It was a complete torture if she could say that.

She wasn’t able to concentrate on any commission that had a tight deadline. Her designs were terrible one by one or so she thought. The management were irritated about the annual dividend payment because she, as the majority owner, decided about donating it to the French Child Protection Association. 

And even her usually really sweet assistant danced on her last sane brain cells.

“Mademoiselle!” she heard it for the hundredth time of the day.

She felt how her eyes stitched. “Yes?”

“I… We received an important invitation from a US corporation.”

“Which one?” If LuthorCorp was trying to get her to design something for them again she only could promise a really painful and unlucky business year to Lex Luthor, abusing Miraculous magic or not.

“Öhm… Wayne Inc.”

After getting her suitcases Marinette headed to the airport entrance so she could catch a taxi to her hotel. However in her way stood an impressive man with her name written on a board. And impressive was quite a small word to describe him. Tall, handsome with broad shoulders and dark color palette… Like some prince from the darkest night who fought his way through his life. 

Breathtaking.

And she felt that strange pull to him just like before to Shadow. 

“Miss Dupain-Cheng?” His voice… He was…

She froze down as she rescanned the man again… that impressive man who had the same voice as Shadow. Whose built was exactly the same as Shadow. Height. Posture. Every inch of his frame. He was obviously and unmistakably Shadow. “How do you know me?”

His fake smile that didn’t feel right on his face turned into a devious smirk as he blinked back at hers understandingly. “Tt. Magic was always more difficult than I predicted.” He reached to her suitcases without any device and pointed outside of the airport glass doors. “I parked not far away.”

Marinette followed him in daze. It barely registered on her when she got in the luxury car with a stranger. She only felt his presence and the magical pull when he put the suitcases in the trunk and when he got in next to her. As well as his smug smirk when he looked at her before starting the car.

“Why?” Her voice was anything but confident. She knew how red her face could be and only her volition held her stammering mess back. She was a grown up woman for Kwami’s sake.

“Hm.” Shadow was the silent type. And his forest green eyes winked at her playfully which got her a bigger whiplash than anything earlier happened until now. “You know it was a miracle when you ‘accidently’ got in my room.” He started in a good mood which was very foreign from his usual character. “The system in the Watchtower only does a millisecond reboot in every 72 hours, or sometimes more randomly. Depends on how much caffeine my brother consumed.” 

His whole attention was on the road but his presence showed her quite different things. His aura was squirming from giddy excitement. Like a predator who in the end got his prey exactly to the place where he wanted and here was the opportunity to play with her. 

So that meant the potential mate thing. Like a grumpy and asshole cat.

“You, my dear Ladybug was the only one who put their room code in at that particular millisecond and it worked at that possible moment.”So that happened. “And I also studied your magical abilities and as I heard from your partner you…”

“You know about Adrien?!” She unwillingly squealed. It was embarrassing, until this day… until twenty minutes earlier she didn’t even know this man… or wait! “Who are you? Beside Shadow….”

The man finally turned his pretty confused eyes on her then amazement sparked in them while he started chuckling. Obviously on her. “You really got in the car with a man who you didn’t know about?”

“You are definitely Shadow but what is your other name? The civil name?” 

“You were invited to the Wayne Annual Gala. Guess it!” 

She would fall in love with this man or she would kill him with her bare hands for that irritating playful tone only. Those were just the most desirable options in her head when they after some time in the traffic stopped in front of a hotel. 

They stepped out of the car and with her suitcases walked in the lavish exterior. He confidently followed her and didn’t let her carry her own baggage so Marinette strode to the reception to check in angrily. What does this man think of himself?

When she met the receptionist's eyes the woman glanced behind her then gaped at her and with admiration… “Oh my God, Mr. Wayne!”

So Mr. Wayne… who evidently had some fans. 

At least one of the long list of Waynes as she continued the logic, but which one? If she remembered correctly from one of Uncle Jagged’s ramblings there were three siblings who could be in the kind of same generation as herself plus-minus some year. 

Timothy Drake-Wayne, Duke Thomas and Damian Al Ghul Wayne. 

If she really needed to guess this man, who purposely played with her like a cat, was the last one. Timothy was in a relationship as she heard the gossip from Zoé, and Duke was afro-american, not bronze skin adonis. 

“Hmpf.” Her grumpy huff could be heard even on the roof. Surely.

After getting her keys and tolerating many and many stares in the foyer because of the impressive man beside her she eventually got in a lift. She almost ran to her door when they finally were on the right floor.

Surprisingly Shadow… or maybe Damian stopped at her doorstep when she left it open to him.

“What?” Her eyebrows were high as she turned to him and she knew how authoritative she could look when she was grumpy. “Mr. Wayne got scared?” Little teasing never hurt anyone.

“Tt.” He stepped in casually and closed the door. 

Marinette pouted. The pull started to get too strong to resist it. And she would blame her own magic for the next couple of hours. 

“Good.” She nodded at the still man in her room. Just for her. “Because I have plans with you and punishing your ravishing body for the anxiety you caused, but at least you treat women with respect if I can rely on this little interlude.”

His head turned to her so fast she heard the joints cracking. “I heard a compliment from you?” His steps were silent and predatory as he walked in front of her. Moments after her speech he already leant in her presence with a smug smirk and known-all eyes.

So it was a two way magical link. 

“Compliment, at least.” She grabbed his shirt collar in need and pulled him even closer. Fuck every sane braincell! “Then the next few hours will decide how much you deserve it.” 

And Marinette finally captured those delicious looking lips as she let herself get lost in this gorgeous man. 

It’s a Learned Trait

This is my Secret Santa gift to Night_ngale on Ao3! This story is inspired by this photo by @mumblesplash on Tumblr (yes I got permission, and thank you for it!):

2022 Secret Santa Gift Exchange

For: @lifeexperience hope you enjoy!

Marinette was a simple child of parents who loved her, but not each other. Some of her friends at school had parents just like that, but they were divorced. But her parents never actually married, so they didn’t get a cool word. But really, all it meant was that she had to split her time between her Maman and her Dad. Unfortunately for her, her parents had decided to live a whole ocean apart. So she couldn’t just visit on weekends like her friend Max could. But it was finally summer again, and she was finally back in Gotham. Glancing around, Marinette grins widely the second she spots Alfred. 

“Alfie!” She cheers, running around the other people in the baggage claim area. Alfred’s lips twitch up into a small smile. 

“It’s nice to see you again, Miss Marinette.” He says. Marinette grins widely, pointing to the new gap in her teeth. 

“Look! I lost another tooth.” She says. Alfred raises an eyebrow. 

“Have you already received a visit from the tooth fairy?” He asks. She nods, holding Alfred’s hand as they walk through the parking lot. 

“Where’s dad?” She asks, swinging their arms. 

Keep reading

Timari Artwork for Secret Santa 2022!

Not tagging my recipient bc I didn't get a Tumblr yet, It's for Lily (Ao3- Flowerlover123)

I hope you like it, Merry Christmas!!

Thanks for hosting, @maribat-secret-santa

Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: Miraculous Ladybug, Batman - All Media Types, Young Justice (Cartoon) Rating: General Audiences Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings Relationships: Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug/Dick Grayson Characters: Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug, Dick Grayson, Wally West, Artemis Crock, Kaldur'ahm | Jackson Hyde, M'gann M'orzz, Kon-El | Conner Kent, Bruce Wayne Additional Tags: Maribat Secret Santa 2022, MariBat Summary:

A look at the lives of Marinette and Dick, and yes, you do need to pay attention to the timestamps

My Maribat Secret Santa project for @marauderundercover. Happy holidays all!

Thank you for hosting <3 @maribat-secret-santa