Reunion Times Two
“Pixie, she’ll love you. You need to stop worrying so much,” the voice entering her conscience sounded strained, as if physically harmed. “Please!”
Wondering what had prompted the statement, Marinette brought her focus back to the moment and realized she’d been holding Jason’s hand in a death grip. Immediately she loosened her hold, but didn’t let go of his hand entirely.
“How do you know,” she asked, not bothering to look up and see his reaction to her question. While she loved all of her brothers and had formed bonds with Tim and Dick that were growing to become similar to those with Jason and Damian, she didn’t always love how they all looked at her at times as if too emotionally fragile with too many cracks already formed, making it easier for her to break. Aside from, well even Damian, she was likely the most emotionally stable, able to sort through her emotions in a rational way than any other member of the family.
Sadly, her fault, as seen by the family but not the rest of the world, was allowing herself to acknowledge and feel her emotions, only closing herself off to them, like the rest of them did all the time, if the moment called for it. Which meant yes perhaps at times she allowed herself to be emotionally vulnerable, and perhaps she was more so because she’d been thrown emotionally around so many times it was inevitable for cracks to form, but it also meant breaking her would take a whole lot more.
Perhaps considering the circumstances of the day, it could be understood why there might be a few additional hairline fracture by the end of it.
“Cause she loves Damian.” Jason deadpanned, reminding her of her question.
Looking up at his delivery she saw him softly smiling at her, something she managed to timidly return because she didn’t quite feel it. There was a history there the family was only vaguely aware of, from her understanding even Cass hadn’t been open with the exact events. Perhaps like her, Cass felt it wasn’t her place to tell, as it was as much one’s story as the others. Not to mention, how do you go about telling a family who loves you and loves the other just as much, it was her job to test the limitations of Marinette’s healing abilities. The hand which inflicted many injuries that would have been fatal to anyone else.
In no way did Marinette blame her, but she’d witnessed how others could take it upon themselves to look down upon someone who caused harm to the ones they loved, even if it was an accident, even if the one harmed wasn’t looking for justice, and sometimes—Alya—even when the other party wasn’t guilty of the alleged offense or even really been labeled the offender.
Everyone in the family knew how she healed, just as everyone knew she still felt all of the pain associated with said injuries. Could she live with herself if she said too much, and her family looked differently upon Cass for the things she did under the orders of Lady Shiva and Nyssa? While Marinette didn’t hold her injuries against her, would Cass do the same. Would Cass in some way hold her responsible for being forced to fight and then injure her in too? People held stronger grudges for weirder things.
The potential answers to her questions seemed too hard to bear. For years she been able to ignore them as she hadn’t been forced to confront them. Yet here she was moments away from facing the very person who caused her to ask them.
With her mind working a mile a minute, Jason pulled her arm towards him so she fell flush against him. “Come here, “ he cooed, knowing physical embraces were often the best at calming her down. Like when she was a child, back when she only wished he was her older brother, she wrapped her arms as much as she could manage around his waist and buried her head. Returning the embrace, Jason squished her even more into him as if he could somehow manage to combine them into a single entity.
Eventually the need for air turned her face, but she kept her body flush with her brother as they waited for the plane to disembark.
Despite the destination, Gotham Airport was as busy as ever. People moving around as families returned from their trips, solo travelers rushed to and from the building to their next important destination and family lingered awaiting their happy reunions. Naturally with their large family, it always seemed to attract attention, lingering upon discovery of just who was waiting at the automated doors which separated the general population from those flying.
Jason’s large body protected her from seeing most of it, despite her starting to grow accustomed to ignoring it. Yet even she could find the amount of male attention she attracted extremely uncomfortable. Not completely unusual, she’d had a large amount of admirers in Paris, but with the promise of millions if not billions of potential inheritance and the title of the only female Wayne heir, the attention was far more blatant and for greedy reasons instead of honest attraction.
At least with Jon and Adrien she could be sure of their attention being genuine instead of self-serving, but poor Damian was subjected to similar treatment as people believed as the only biological male heir their father would give him more. It was preposterous as their father loved all of them regardless of biological connection. Still, Damian was subjected to it without the protection and love of a significant other to shield him.
Once upon a fantasy, Marinette had considered Kagami as a possibility. Their demeanors were so similar, interests as well. But in truth, upon observation she could see while she favored Kagami as a friend due to her similarities to her brother, she was too similar to Damian that they failed to communicate as both preferred others to bring conversation to their personal silence. Luka also seemed like a good possibility, but the guilt from knowing of his own feelings towards her and her inability to reciprocate kept her from even attempting to play match maker there.
When her musing was abruptly torn by a loud squeal, Marinette almost forgot where she was. Tensing she was prevented from positioning herself defensively by Jason’s strong hold as her eyes danced across the large atrium to discover the origins of the sound. Furthest from the doors, they had a hard time looking beyond the sliding barriers, but from how Tim’s body seemed to droop almost instantly, it was obvious at once who was responsible for the sound.
Stephanie.
As if she wasn’t carrying two bags which threatened to take everyone out in her path, Stephanie came barreling out of the doors, racing to the assembled family. Without hesitating she skipped formalities with everyone as she dropped her bags at Tim’s feet, and he braced for the impending hug. Only for her to shift in a fluid movement—he missed due to his squinted eyes—and skipped over to Marinette.
Smiling, she let go of Jason and allowed Stephanie to wrap her in a hug, due to Marinette being a few inches taller Stephanie was only able to briefly lift her from the floor as she arched her back. “Where’s that twin of yours?” she mock whispered into Marinette’s ear.
Tilting her head, Marinette indicated the body she was blocking slightly at her side. Stephanie wasted no time scooping him into the hug. An action which caused Damian to immediately protest, flailing his body to break the hold, but not as much as he would if actually attempting to liberate himself.
“I spent the last week sharpening every blade I could get my hands on.” She playfully bantered between the two youngest Wayne’s heads, before more seriously saying, “no one threatens my family,” causing Marinette to swallow as if the threat was directed at her with the intensity the statement was made.
Steph pulled back and smiled excitedly, bouncing slightly on the tip of her toes. “Can’t wait to go ninja hunting.”
Marinette smiled with her brows furrowed at the unexpected humor, but Damian stopped struggling, smiling as if it weren’t a joke. For a moment she forgot exactly who her brother was and how they were related.
When Stephanie finally pulled away, Marinette looked back down on the family line, expecting to find smiles on their faces at the reunion, but instead they were looking at the opposite end where a second reunion occurred.
Worried about her own, Marinette failed to consider an equally contentious reunion. With a single black bag thrown over her arm, Cass was looking at Talia and Talia back at her. No words passed between them, and at the angle she stood Marinette couldn’t make out the facial expressions. Like everyone else she had to wait with bated breath for the outcome. Both women wouldn’t break out in a fight at the airport of course, but there had been a harmony at the manor missing for years, no one wanted it to be suddenly gone.
If her mother was being honest with them about her feelings on her time in the League than she was looking at Cass with the same guilt she’d first looked at Marinette when reunited. But Cass, Marinette couldn’t imagine her expression having never seen a single change on her face when training, only the occasional smile when both accomplished something they knew to be exceptional, only for it to be wiped off immediately by Lady Shiva or Nyssa’s unwarranted critiques.
Still Marinette could tell from the lift in her cheeks when the same smile eventually made its way to Cass’s face, and she nodded her head at acknowledgement of something between her and Marinette’s mother. At least her mother was aware of what it meant, hesitating for only a second before returning a smile of her own.
Cass made her way down the line, stopping at each Wayne to say hello, having not seen each of them since half of them went off to Paris and her back to China. It wasn’t long before she stopped right next to Stephanie and finally looked at Marinette. Attention skipping back and forth between both dark-haired girls, it took a second for Stephanie to understand and move back to stand beside Tim to give them the moment alone as needed.
Looking up at the girl who had an aura of strength similar to their own, built on similar unfortunate experiences, Marinette didn’t know how to feel.
Guilt, check. Respect, check. Fear, double check.
Like with her mother, Cass seemed to study Marinette for a moment. While she’d perfected her ability to mask and push away her emotions thanks to her tenure in an akuma-filled Paris, Marinette made a promise to never do so when unnecessary. So, she knew Cass was seeing her conflicted emotions, but she was expecting the usual unreadable mask from Cass. Instead, Cass appeared troubled, confused and perhaps concerned telling by the pinch between her brows.
Suddenly her head kipped back as if she had solved the problem. “We are not responsible. Victims.”
The first time Marinette heard Cass’s voice, she wasn’t sure what to expect but it was beautiful, made more so by her words. It was clear Lady Shiva had forbidden her from speaking, something Marinette had assumed wrongly to have been reserved only for her during training. Her own training had been horrible, several of her instructors had made it seem as if it were their personal mission to kill or punish Marinette, even without the knowledge of her abilities, but poor Cass. It made it even sadder part of the treatment Cass had experienced was at her own hand.
Not realizing it, tears began to fall down Marinette’s face and arms wrapped around her, pulling her into a hug. They stood there for some time, holding each other as they released the pain associated with their time on the island. They’d both managed to put the experience deep into the recesses of their minds, so they didn’t have to address it, but acknowledging their status as victims, together, and accepting the facts, it was just that simple to finally moving on.
“Protect now.” Cass mumbled into her ear and Marinette nodded her head agreeing to both protecting and accepting it in kind.
“Destroy,” Cass promised.
“So, no other children have to suffer the same,” Talia said, not hiding the fact the rest of the family had been privy to the private moment between them.
Cass nodded her head, taking her eyes off Marinette to look at Talia. “No more children,” she declared before grabbing Damian to be included once again in a hug.
Normally her brother would be adverse to such contact, but at the moment he accepted it as more than an offer of affection but a promise, a pact; to destroy the League of Assassins once and for all.
As if agreeing to the same, more arms wrapped around them and before they knew it they’d formed a huge ball of hugging Waynes.