Chapter Text
Dear Ms. M. DC-Wayne,
The staff here at Wayne Enterprise would like to formally congratulate you on your extremely recent eighteenth birthday. It is a momentous milestone for any young adult and one that is undoubtedly overshadowed by grief for you. For that, the staff of WE also offers our condolences. The mysterious disappearance of Mr. Wayne is one many employees are having trouble processing. He has touched many of our hearts and we can only imagine what it must be like for you. Unfortunately, at a time like this, the company must continue to move forward.
Ms. Wayne, your father had left instructions in preparation, if a time like this were ever to come. He has requested you work side by side with Mr. Timothy Drake to keep WE functional. While the board was skeptical of this request at first, they were happy to discover you have adequate experience to lead Wayne Enterprise into the future.
We have done a lot of digging and were happy to discover you have been running your fashion brand without your father’s help for several years. Alongside that, you have worked with many big names and remained professional under a false pseudonym. Additionally, you have been your class representative since age thirteen, and while it may be small in the grand scheme of things you have seemed to pull off some wonderful events.
Wayne Enterprises will be happily awaiting your arrival in two weeks.
Sincerely,
Head of International Communication
Joseph Clockworth
+++
Marinette Dupain-Cheng was not having it. She had just found out about her birth father’s disappearance from a company email. No one in her family had reached out to her. So instead she was waiting for Dick Grayson to pick up his phone. And he did, after twelve missed calls.
“Mari?” a groggy voice asked, “Do you know what time it is?”
“Yes, it is 12 hours after I received an email from WE that I opened 20 minutes ago. They want me to come to America to be co-CEO with Tim. All because Bruce disappeared and you guys actually filed a missing person report, yet somehow forgot to inform his oldest blood child that he is missing!”
Marinette was mad, rightfully so. Her family was once again keeping her out of the loop, yet again. They had been doing it for years. And it frustrated her to no end. Their favorite activity, besides moonlighting as vigilantes, seemed to be treating her as a child. And it seemed even as she had just turned eighteen they were still determined to ‘protect’ her from anything they had deemed as too ‘dangerous.’
“Shoot, we were planning on telling you-” Dick started.
“When? Oh let me guess when Nightwing finds him. So you can just tell me everything's okay. News flash I’m not five, I’m not falling for that bullshit anymore Dick. I’m coming back to Gotham in two weeks, and that’s the only warning you’re getting so you might want to notify the others.”
With that, she hung up. It was bold for Marinette. But the girl was tired of her family's antics. The decision to return to Gotham was perhaps not well thought out. But it was one that would piss a brother or two off. However, it meant she would have to figure out what to do with the remaining months of school. Marinette decided she needed to get her priorities straight. So she made a list.
In order of most to least important
TELL SABINE AND TOM!! [URGENT]
Talk to administration about how to continue education
Email back WE
Contact Tim
Pack
Tell friends
Step down as class rep
Tell commission clients about the move
Only after creating her list did she realize she had so much to do. With varying priority and difficulty. For example, telling her adopted parents may be a simple task, seeing as they won’t be able to stop her. The reality being they won’t want her to go. None of that changed the fact it was the most important item on the list. And the one that she needed to do at that moment.
Task 1: TELL SABINE AND TOM [URGENT]
The girl made her way down to her parent’s bedroom and knocked on the door.
“Come in,” Tom called.
The couple was curled up in bed watching a DVD copy of an old C-drama Sabine had stored away. They paused it when their daughter entered the room standing at the end of the bed.
“Maman, Papa,” her voice was small, “I need to talk to you about something,” she took a deep breath, “It has to do with the Wayne’s and Bruce.”
Sabine could see the worry on her daughter’s face, “Why don’t you sit down Marinette?”
They scooted to make room for their daughter on the bed. It was something you’d expect from a family with a seven-year-old. But their daughter was eighteen and the three took up more space than there was available. It would be comical if the mood wasn’t so sullen by Marinette’s current aura.
“What is it, honey?” Tom asked once everyone was situated.
“Bruce is missing and apparently there are preparations in case anything like this ever happens and now that it’s happened the preparations are becoming real. And one of the things is Bruce wanted me to go to Gotham, and I feel like I’m rambling, sorry, there is just a lot,” she took a breath, “I need to be back in Gotham in two weeks to help run Wayne Enterprises, and I know you probably don’t want me to go, but-” Marinette was cut off.
“Sweetie,” Sabine stopped her, “if you think you need to be there we will support your decision. You’re eighteen and there isn’t much we can do to stop you. But we can help you and be there for whatever you need.”
“Honey, we would be lying if we said we understand what you are feeling right now, but however you need to process it all, we will help,” Tom added.
Marinette was so grateful her parents were so amazing.
“Can I stay in here tonight?” Marinette requested something she hadn’t considered in years.
“Of course,” Tom and Sabine said at once letting out a small chuckle at how in sync they were.
The three adjusted once again to fit better in the bed before unpausing the C-Drama.
“Thank you.”
Task 2: Talk to administration about how to continue education
Marinette knew nothing had technically changed. She still had a rocky relationship with her bio-family, most of her classmates still hated her, and her parents were terrific as usual. But it felt like everything had changed. She tried to tell herself that it was just the anxiety talking or her father’s disappearance was causing her stress, maybe even the move to Gotham. But, something inside her was screaming it was something else. Yet, she couldn’t identify what.
With resistance, she forced herself to push through the morning. Preparing for the school day proved more difficult than usual. With the realization, that she would be the Co-CEO of one of the largest companies in the world in two weeks she shifted her style to feel more compatible with the part. Business casual clothing and a tight bun pulled her look together. Marinette hoped it would help the school administration take her more seriously when she met with them to discuss her school plans later in the day.
“Maman, I’m ready,” she called to Sabine as she stumbled down the stairs.
Sabine had opted to join her daughter in talking with the administration. While she was sure Marinette wouldn’t need her help at all, perhaps the mom glare would be a bit helpful. The two went out the door and across the street, making their way to the office. After some asking around they ended up seated in Mr. Damocles’ office.
“Ms. Dupain-Cheng, I’ve been told you have something to discuss with me?”
“I was told you were the person I should talk to about possibly transferring my schooling,” Marinette responded, with a smile.
Damocles’ eyes went wide, “Transfering? Can I ask why?”
“My biological father Bruce Wayne is currently missing and while I am not particularly close with my biological family, the family company is in dire need of assistance. My father had named me one of his successors. I am expected in America within the next two weeks,” there was a coldness and disconnect with her words that sent a chill down Damocles’ spine.
Almost all the staff at the school were aware of Marinette’s biological father. While seemingly uninvolved in the girl’s life, the school received large donations of money from the man, typically for the art department. However, Marinette never discussed her biological family.
“I am sorry for your loss. As for your education, we can transfer your credits to a school of your choice in Gotham where you can continue your final year of schooling. Or you can continue your classes using an online program the school has been experimenting with. The choice is yours.”
“Thank you for the condolences, however, I have no doubts my father is alive and I will be returning by the end of the year,” Marinette said getting out of her chair, “I should have a decision by tomorrow. Thank you.”
Once out of the room, she let out a breath she had been holding.
Turning to her mother she thanked her, “Thanks for coming with me.”
“No problem, sweetie. Your father and I are always here for help,” Sabine replied with a smile, “have a good day at school.”
Sabine made her way home. Meanwhile, Marinette added another thing to her list.
In order of most to least important
TELL SABINE AND TOM!! [URGENT]
Talk to administration about how to continue education
Decide between online or transferring
Email back WE
Contact Tim
Pack
Tell friends
Step down as class rep
Tell commission clients about the move
Now to brave the school day.
Task 2A: Decide between online or transferring
Marinette felt the choice was easy. She felt no need to try and transfer to a new school during her last year of school. In addition, going to classes in Gotham would probably end up with her stuck in a classroom that could take more time than an online program. The online program would be more flexible and easier to work with. The biggest thing holding her back from jumping all in was the isolation of an online program, while Marinette didn’t enjoy her current classmates as people, she did enjoy the presence of other people. In rare cases, they managed to even improve the learning experience. She imagined with competent classmates she would benefit from a classroom environment.
Realizing she had twenty-four hours to decide she tabled the decision opting to wait until she had Tim’s input on what would work best with the schedule at WE. Marinette’s day continued as normal from there as she followed her typical routines attempting to find some normalcy in her last two weeks in Paris.
Task 3: Email back WE
Dear Joseph Clockworth,
Thank you for reaching out and I offer my condolences to you and all the Wayne Enterprises staff affected by my father’s disappearance. I can only imagine what a difficult period the city of Gotham is experiencing as I know my father has touched the hearts of many. However, I do not doubt he is out in the world somewhere frantically thinking of every possible way to return to the city he cares so deeply about.
Meanwhile, I am honored my father left his position in the company to my adopted brother and me. As I see no other choice than to accept it, I will be arriving in Gotham within the two-week time period you originally proposed. I look forward to working with you and the rest of the staff at WE.
Sincerely,
Co-CEO of Wayne Enterprises
Marinette W. Dupain-Cheng
+++
Marinette had found time during a free period to bullshit an email back to WE. She had written it in a rush and briefly checked it over before sending it, hoping she captured the tone expected of her correctly while making a mockery of the content. To her, the whole thing was comedic gold and irony. Marinette personally believed highlighting how much the man cared about the city looked ridiculous in comparison to how little he had cared for her.
A small part of it hurt, but she pushed it down, having a feeling it would be a common occurrence in the coming days. More than the hurt, Marinette felt strange signing off as the Co-CEO of the company. To a degree, it came naturally, but on the other hand, she knew it wasn’t her place. It was simply a temporary solution to a complex problem, that probably had more factors than she could even consider. However, abbreviating Wayne to a simple W the same way Joseph Clockworth had made her last name out to be DC just days earlier, made her feel good. It set a precedent. She wasn’t Ms. Wayne. She was a Dupain-Cheng and wished to be addressed as such.
For the first time since receiving the email the previous day, Marinette let herself dwell on where her father might be, with the options being seemingly endless. The reality was it was possible that her father ended up in an alternative dimension or was taken hostage in space. The fact he was Batman, left him with an extensive enemies list, all more than happy to take him out of the game for as long as possible. Or perhaps even dare to delay his mission.
Whatever the case, Marinette was sure her father would end up alright. He always did, and she had no reason to believe this time would be any different.
Task 4: Contact Tim
Reaching Tim was easier than Dick. The phone was picked up almost immediately.
There was joy in his voice when he answered, “Marinette!”
“Hey Tim, the company reached out for me, they want me there in two weeks, I guess I just wanted to talk to you about what I should expect from the job?” Marinette asked getting straight to the point failing to match the enthusiasm she was shown.
“Oh it’s nothing you won’t be able to handle, I’ll teach you the ropes when you get here. For the most part, it's paperwork and board meetings,” Tim explained.
“Okay,” she stated, “My school wants me to decide between transferring schools and taking an online program to finish the year. What would your recommendation be? Is going to school in Gotham a viable option?”
“I mean it’s not impossible,” Tim paused, “The scheduling may be a bit difficult to work around, but I can just go to any of the meetings you can’t make. But Mari, most of the other board members are really old. They kinda see us as children.”
“So online schooling got it. Thank you, Tim. Before I go I just wanted to let you know that I will be staying at the manor while in Gotham, at least until I can find a better housing situation. I don’t think I made it clear with Dick.”
“The manor?” Tim shouted through the phone.
Marinette rolled her eyes in Paris, “Yes Tim, the manor, our family’s home that multiple of Bruce’s children currently live in. I hope that isn’t an inconvenience for anyone. After all, it isn’t like anyone needs to try and hide the other family business from me anymore. Now if you’ll excuse me, I need to go.”
She hung up in a similar manner she did with Dick the day before. Her family had this special talent for upsetting her by doing nothing at all. And after that, the guilt would overwhelm her for blocking them out. She thought back to how Tim called her Mari and it was a sign of good faith on his part. Tim didn’t deserve it. At least not the same way Dick did. Tim didn’t even live in the manor when Marinette had. And when he had joined the family, he had tried to connect with her.
But over time, he had stopped. And thirteen-year-old Marinette who was excited she might finally get a piece of her family back had been crushed. She didn’t get it. Sure he didn’t just cut her off, but phone calls became less common until they happened almost never. A part of her would always be angry at Tim for getting her hopes up.
Especially, when he was the reason she even headed back to Gotham after Jason’s accident. While Tim was on the less offensive side of the Wayne’s there is no doubt in Marinette’s mind that she would hate them all just a little bit less if he had never tried to interfere with her life.
RE: Task 2A: Decide between online or transferring
Tim had made it clear Marinette should switch to the online program, and she intended to let the school know that the following day. And with the decision made Marinette for the final time that day took out her list and crossed options off.
In order of most to least important
TELL SABINE AND TOM!! [URGENT]
Talk to administration about how to continue education
Decide between online or transferring
Email back WE
Contact Tim
Pack
Tell friends
Step down as class rep
Tell commission clients about the move
Task 5: Pack
It had been a couple of days since Marinette had gotten the initial email from WE. After making her list and completing all the things she deemed immediate, she put everything on pause wishing to enjoy her last few days in Paris. But when it finally hit her that she would be moving Marinette once again went into a frenzy. Marinette needed to pack in order to move. And she had so many things.
In full honesty, she wasn’t even sure how long she would be packing for. With Bruce, it could be three days or two months. That made the entire ordeal more complicated than it had to be. It was ridiculous. She was moving across the world and didn't even know what to bring. And while Marinette was unsure of how long Bruce would be gone, Gotham was mourning. Would it seem suspicious to the public if his blood child showed up with almost nothing with her, weeks after his disappearance?
While Marinette’s distance from the family had always been obvious to the press, her dislike of them was a private matter. Marinette was sure her return would cause waves in Gotham’s news. After all, her image over the years had always been minimal. Gotham knew of her existence, but over time her name had left the public discussion. A return would be unexpected, especially since the girl hadn’t been spotted since Jason’s funeral, leaving eight years of her life unaccounted for. Marinette’s return would ultimately mean something to Gothamites. They would read into it.
All the factors led to a mess. Clothes were all over the place, and boxes covered her floors. Half her things remained in her closet, while the other half covered her furniture. It was frustrating. It was Bruce’s fault. At least that’s what she told herself. Bruce made her life infinitely more difficult all because he couldn’t keep his shit together. It bothered her, once again her life drastically changed because of Bruce.
+++
It took a few more days, but eventually, everything was put into boxes and organized. Only when seeing everything put in a box did Marinette realize how difficult saying goodbye would be, even if it was temporary.
Task 6: Tell friends
Luka, Kagami, Alya, and Adrien were confused by the emergency meeting Marinette had called. It was late and a day they weren’t supposed to be patrolling, but there they were sitting on a rooftop staring at each other, all suited up. Marinette was the last to arrive, with tears in her eyes.
There were only three more days before the spotted heroine was America-bound. She had put off this task because she thought it would be easier to pretend nothing would be changing. She figured it would spare them the pain. The reality was, this was difficult for all parties involved.
“Bugaboo, what’s wrong?”
Adrien was the first to break the silence that came with her arrival. She was grateful someone had said something, and that she didn’t have to be the first to speak. She felt guilty for keeping everything from them for the past week and a half, and now it was all weighing down on her. But she had dug the grave. Now it was time to lie in it.
“I’m leaving Paris for America,” her usual Ladybug persona was stripped back, while she was still in uniform it was clear this was Marinette speaking, “My bio dad, he’s Bruce Wayne. I know I’ve never told any of you guys that, or even mentioned I’m adopted, but yeah I’m the mistake of a billionaire.”
“Don’t say that-” Alya cut in.
“No, it’s the truth. A little over eighteen years ago Bruce Wayne spent a night with a woman he doesn’t remember, and nine months later I showed up on his doorstep. One blood test later, and I was his. Except, he already had Dick at that point, so I was just kind of there. Until I turned three, obviously I was too young to remember much, but everyone has always told me I got sent away because it was too dangerous. Until I was ten I kept getting sent back and forth. But then everyone thought Jason died, so I stopped going back to Gotham and stayed in Paris full-time, and Sabine and Tom officially adopted me. And after that, I never really publicly went back, at least nothing the media knows about. There were maybe two more Gotham trips, but the last time I’ve been back was fifteen, Sorry, you guys didn’t ask to hear my whole life story.”
“It’s okay Mari, we like listening to you talk, it’s why you’re the leader and not Chat,” Luka joked. It made Marinette smile. While Adrien tried to defend himself before letting out his own laugh.
“Go on,” Kagami encouraged.
“Bruce disappeared recently, I don’t really know how recently, but within the last two months I’d assume. His company reached out to me. Apparently, he had a plan in case anything like this happened. My kinda brother and I are supposed to run Bruce’s company. And after all this time I kind of feel like I have to go back and help. But I know this city also needs Ladybug. Of course, I’ll take the box and I’ll have the horse with me. But there’s just no way my response time will be as quick to emergencies.”
“Marinette, we don’t really care about that, no offense,” Alya said, “We know you’ll be here when you’re needed and so what if it’s not as punctual, it just means we’ll have to step up a bit more.”
“Me going back to Gotham is going to be a really big media thing. Even if Ladybug is seen her, Marinette can’t be until I officially return. It would create too many questions.”
“How long will you be gone?” Adrien asked.
“I don’t know.”
“When do you leave?”
“Three days from now.”
The words sat there for a bit. No one realized their friend would be gone so soon. They anticipated time and Marinette could see the shock across all of their faces.
“I’m sorry I should have told you guys sooner. I just thought it would be easier this way-”
She was cut off by Adrien, “Sooner? How long have you known?”
“A week and a half.”
The words felt laced as they came out of her mouth. Like she had a knife and had just stabbed her best friend in the back. At least that’s what Adrien’s face suggested.
“You’ve known for a week and a half and didn’t tell us,” his voice raised. “Why not? Don’t you think we deserved to know? You’ve seen us every day for a week and a half and just lied to our faces about this!”
“I didn’t lie!”
“Yeah, you just conveniently forgot to mention the fact you’re packing up and moving halfway around the world. You should have told us Marinette!”
“I thought it would be easier. So you didn’t have to spend two weeks knowing I would just be gone at the end of it.”
“No, you just didn’t want to tell us because you knew it would be a difficult conversation. Well, guess what it’s an even more difficult conversation now. You didn’t think we would want to savor every moment we had left. Use all the time we had left”
“I’m sorry Chaton. I really am-”
“Stop it, I can’t do this right now.”
He left. She stood there on the roof, with the rest of her friends, none of them had said a word since she revealed just how soon she’d be going. Marinette looked at them. Pleading with her eyes for them to say something, anything. The silence was killing her.
“He’ll come around, Mari,” Alya finally said, as she threw her arms around Marinette.
“I’m sorry,” Marinette said from the crook of Alya’s neck.
“We know,” Luka said, joining the hug.
Kagami walked over adding herself to the group hug, “Don’t be sorry. You don’t owe it to us.”
It made Marinette look up and break the hug with a question on her tongue.
But before the question even came out, Kagami answered, “You’ve done so much for us over the years. You did what you thought was best, it’s okay.”
“Melody, as long as you stay safe in Gotham, none of us will have a problem with it. And Adrien will forgive you, just give him the night. It’ll be okay.”
“We love you Marinette,” Alya said.
“I love you guys too. Thank you.”
Her friends loved her. Maybe more than her biological family ever could. Her friends were supporting her, even when it meant she was walking away from them. Even when it revealed the secrets she had kept from them for years. Saying goodbye, even if it was temporary was difficult. A part of her wished she didn’t wait. She knew these people needed her and she wasn’t sure she even wanted to go. But somewhere deep down she felt obligated to follow Bruce’s wishes. She needed to go home, back to Gotham.
She just really hoped Adrien would understand that.
Heading back to the bakery that night was difficult. Rechecking her list didn’t feel like a win. It felt like she finally had to acknowledge change was happening. Her life was going in a different direction and all she wanted to do was blame Bruce.
In order of most to least important
TELL SABINE AND TOM!! [URGENT]
Talk to administration about how to continue education
Decide between online or transferring
Email back WE
Contact Tim
Pack
Tell friends
Step down as class rep
Tell commission clients about the move
Task 7: Step down as class rep
It was Marinette’s last day attending classes. Maybe it was a bit shady to hold out on letting her classmates know. But a part of her felt like they deserved the chaos that would come with her stepping down last minute after everything they had put her through. Lila came through on the promise she had made when they were fourteen. Four years later all Marinette had left was Alya and Adrien, and Nino by extension. Everyone else had turned their back on the poor girl. Even now she wasn’t even sure where Adrien and her stand. He couldn’t even look her in the eye when she walked in. And it sucked. But Marinette kept the smile on her face for the last day because she couldn’t wait to see the hell that would come to Lila Rossi.
As soon as Ms. Bustier arrived, Marinette’s hand shot up.
“Yes, Marinette?”
“I’m stepping down as class representative effective immediately, it would be in the class’ best interest to hold re-election as soon as possible.”
Heads turn. But from the corner of her eye, Marinette could see Alya smiling, attempting to contain her laughter at their classmates' expressions.
“She can’t do that, right?” A voiced question.
“I mean even if I can’t I don’t see any other viable option since this is my last day here,” Marinette shrugged.
More confusion passed through the room. This time whispers accompanied it.
“I get on a plane to America in two days, administration is already aware of this. I won’t be back for the foreseeable future. I need to step down today,” Marinette instructed.
“Marinette, I can’t believe you’re abandoning us like this!” Lila exclaimed, earning an eye roll from Marinette, “You should have let the class know earlier instead of just dumping this onto us right before you leave.”
“Can’t believe I’m agreeing with Rossi,” his voice was low, but Marinette had heard him.
Marinette’s smile faltered for a second, but this wasn’t about Adrien this was about fucking with Lila one last time. She had been practicing her theatrics for America and this would be the perfect time to put it to use, so she put a sad expression on and said, “I’m really sorry. This move came really suddenly with my blood father’s disappearance. I’ve been in such a rush to get my affairs in order and there have been such long time-consuming conversations with the school and my parents that this really slipped my mind.”
Marinette caught her teacher's face tense up at the mention of her blood father, and before Lila could continue on she said, “We are so sorry for this tragedy Marinette. Class elections will be held for a new student representative next week. Let’s all try and make Marinette’s last day a special one.”
“But-” Lila started clearly wanting to drag it out.
“Drop it, Lila. Clearly, it’s a personal matter,” Adrien responded, it was immediate. A sign of hope for Marinette. She hadn’t lost him.
A part of Marinette wanted to see how Lila would have dragged out the situation, but, that didn’t occur. Her last day at the school was rather uneventful.
Task 8: Tell commission clients about the move
Dear Patrons,
As circumstances have changed in my personal life the MDC brand will be on a temporary break. All commissions in progress will be finished and shipped as soon as possible. However, I will not be taking new commissions in the coming weeks. When commissions reopen please know I will be based in America. For current commissions being shipped out I will cover any additional shipping fee. But, for future orders, additional fees will be a part of the charge. Sorry for any inconvenience.
Sincerely,
MDC
+++
In order of most to least important
TELL SABINE AND TOM!! [URGENT]
Talk to administration about how to continue education
Decide between online or transferring
Email back WE
Contact Tim
Pack
Tell friends
Step down as class rep
Tell commission clients about the move
+++
Marinette checked the final thing off her list right before she left for the airport. Feeling sadness follow her as she watched her family’s home disappear into the distance. The whole journey from bakery to boarding was just depressing. As she sat in the terminal with her parents waiting for her flight to be called, joy finally found her.
Adrien was running towards her terminal screaming her name, “Marinette! Marinette!”
She got up and met him halfway, “What are you doing here?”
“I’m sorry Mari. I shouldn’t have picked a fight with you and wasted our last few days. I’m so sorry. I was such a dick and I’m really going to miss you. I thought I was going to be too late, but I’m so happy you’re still here right now. And I didn’t let you leave when we weren’t speaking. I’m so sorry Marinette.”
“It’s okay Adrien, I’m sorry.”
“You shouldn’t be you had every right to not tell me.”
“I should have though. I’m so sorry.”
Her flight got called for boarding, as the two stood there.
“That’s my plane,” Marinette said not wanting to move.
Adrien closed the space between them, pulling her into a hug, “I know,” he whispered into her ear, “Be safe M’lady and make sure you come back, the sooner, the more preferable. And I don’t mean as Ladybug, I mean as Marinette.”
“I’m going to miss you Chaton.”
“As will I bugaboo.”
She pulled out of the hug, looking back at her parents, “I should go and board my plane. Thank you for coming Adrien.”
“Always, I love you, Mari, even when I’m mad for dumb reasons I’ll always come back around for you.”
“I guess this is goodbye for now.”
“I think I prefurr see you soon,” he said emphasizing the pun.
She laughed, waving one last time as she walked off, to part with her parents and board the plane to Gotham. Finally, her list felt complete.