"Damian, Marinette, I want you to meet my friend Clark. This is his son, Jon."

Marinette smiles mischievously. "Pleasure to meet you, Superman, Superboy."

Their blue eyes widen simultaneously. "Wha-how did you-"

Damian huffs. "Was it not obvious? Bruce Wayne, otherwise known as Batman, who just happens to have a friend from Metropolis who is also roughly the same build as Superman and also happens to be a journalist known for his Superman interviews and has a son the same size and build as Superboy?"

"Plus, the glasses are a terrible disguise." Marinette adds.

Their father smirks. "Clark, you owe me twenty bucks."

The man grumbles as he hands over the money. "You had to insult the glasses."

"I am a fashion designer. It is what I do. For example, who let you out to fight crime in a hoodie and jeans?" She whirls on Jon, who winces.

"I thought it was a cool look..."

"Absolutely not. I redesigned the Robin costume and convinced Tim to ditch the cowl, I can fix yours." She grabs Jon by the wrist, dragging him towards the sewing room adjacent to the bedroom she shared with Damian, who trailed not far behind. "We are fixing this. I need your measurements. Akhi, you will assist me."

Jon looks helplessly at Damian, who only smirks. "Ukhti is an unstoppable force in her designing mode. It is best you play along."

.o0o.

Jonathan Samuel Kent was interesting, to say the least.

He had dark hair and radioactive blue eyes just like his father, but had Lois Lane's nose, chin, and cheekbones. He sported an identical pair of fake glasses to (poorly, in Marinette's opinion) conceal his identity. Jon was surprisingly innocent, given his... extracurriculars, but then she remembered that he lived in Metropolis, which was very different from Gotham.

Jon leaves Wayne Manor that day with two new friends and a new suit design. Two days later, his new suit appears on his doorstep, with a note from Marinette.

Jonathan-

Enclosed is your completed suit. I wish to see you wearing this next time you are out, and not that ridiculous hoodie and jeans.

Marinette Wayne

P.S. Please, try to convince your father to get rid of the red underwear he wears on the outside of his suit. It makes me want to break into Father's vault of kryptonite and eviscerate him.

.o0o.

Robin becomes a Teen Titan. Batman asks if Starling would like to join too, but she declines. The Titans are a fairly public group, and Starling is more or less still a myth. She doesn't want to confirm her own existence just yet.

Plus, Superboy, also at eleven years old, was not allowed to join. Clark and Lois deemed him 'too young' and informed him that he could join when he turned thirteen. Starling patrols with Superboy in Metropolis using the zeta tubes when Robin spends the night with the Titans instead.

She meets the Titans once, not long after she turns twelve. They needed someone with her skill set for a covert mission, and Robin volunteered her. (Thanks, akhi.)

Starling zetas to the Tower in Jump City, and is introduced to Starfire, the den mother of sorts, Blue Beetle, Beast Boy, and Raven. They know that Damian is Robin, and so Marinette takes her mask off and introduces herself again. She and her brother won't be formally introduced into society until the Gala next week, but since the group already knows Richard is Nightwing, it was plenty obvious that she and Damian are also Waynes.

She sneaks into the designated location with little fanfare, moving as fluidly as the shadows themselves. Once Starling takes out the perimeter guards, she lets the other Titans in, and the battle is over in forty-five minutes.

Again, they offer her a position on the team. Again, she declines. Marinette already has a team- her family. They work in the shadows, like her. The Titans are too bright, too flashy. She is fine where she is.

.o0o.

The annual end-of-summer Wayne Gala is when Father formally introduces Marinette and Damian into society. Marinette wears a simple white mask that covers her upper face. Being the focus of the media was sadly unavoidable, but at least they would not know her face.

They are observed and cooed at all night, and Marinette has to stop her twin from biting someone's hand no less than six times, because they kept on trying to squish his cheeks. A few people compliment her dress and ask about the brand, which makes her smile. They are all shocked when she tells them that she designed it herself.

Father enrolls them at Gotham Academy, for the seventh grade.

He agrees that they could easily excel as seniors, but insists that they stay with their age group.

"You are going to school to learn to socialize and make friends."

Damian tuts, and Marinette frowns. "A considerable portion of my League training involved learning how to properly talk to different people. I believe I have adequate social skills for my age, and I do have a best friend, Father."

"Normal friends." Father sighs.

Damian rolls his eyes. "With all due respect, Father, I do not believe it is possible for us to have normal friends. We would be putting on a facade, and anyone who knows our identities as vigilantes anyway is not normal at all."

Father pinches the bridge of his nose. "The experience will enlighten you."

And so the Wayne twins enter Gotham Academy. For the mandated foreign language course, Marinette chooses French while Damian takes Spanish. They can also pick two electives of their choosing. Marinette takes Fashion Design while Damian chooses Art, and both take Orchestra as their second elective. They share all their other classes.

Marinette keeps a mask similar to the one she wore at the Gala on at all times, and the staff at GA let her- probably because of her father's influence.

People stare as they walk by. Some try to approach, but they are always looking to use them to boost their own popularity. Their body language says it all, and the twins dual wield the trademarked BatGlare until they leave, terrified.

By the end of the week, they have established a reputation as the Ice Prince and Princess.

Jon snorts milk out of his nose when Marinette informs him of that bit of information.

"The Ice Prince? Ice Princess? Are we talking about the boy who killed a spider with his katana when it scared him? The girl who smacked her sketchbook into the doorframe and said 'ouch?' How in the world did you guys manage that?"

"I will eviscerate you, Kent." Damian grumbles. "Father does have a large supply of Kryptonite, you know."

Three months into the school year, they start the fencing unit in Physical Education. Damian and Marinette immediately pair off (not that anyone tried to partner with them) and lunge at each other with a ferocity and speed others couldn't even dream of. Of course, they were top of their class in every other unit as well, but this was as close as they would get to actual sword fighting. They intended to enjoy it.

Marinette is sent to the principal's office once in history for constantly correcting the teacher. Damian applauds her efforts, and proceeds to berate the same teacher once she is gone and gets sent to the principal as well.

The night of the Winter Concert, the orchestra's first chair French horn player is out sick. None of the other horns knew the seventy bar solo well enough, except for Marinette. She set down her clarinet, walked over to the spare instrument locker, assembled the brass instrument, and successfully filled in for the player without missing a single note. Damian takes her place in the clarinet section instead. One violin missing from the sea of them would not be noticed.

Jon listens in the audience along with their family, and all of them go to BatBurger afterwards to celebrate (as vigilantes. The Waynes should not be seen in a fast food establishment, especially not at night in Gotham.)

The cashier does a double take when they walk in, which makes a few of them snicker. Starling's existence has now been confirmed, but that's alright. Tonight is for celebration. It was about time anyway. (She does put on the domino mask she carries everywhere though. You can't eat with a face mask that covers your mouth.

Nightwing screeches when he realizes that Robin and Starling also eat their burgers with forks and knives. "It's been two years! How did I not notice?"

Starling tries eating with her hands. It's greasy, but fairly manageable. "I prefer the utensils, but this will help me blend in, I suppose." She remarks.

Superboy opens his Bat-Meal and squeals when he gets a Robin toy, which makes said vigilante preen. There isn't a Starling toy yet. No one has really seen her well enough to make one.

Black Bat leans over and steals one of her fries. Starling takes a sip of her strawberry milkshake in return. Red Hood, inspired, takes a bit of Red Robin's untouched burger. The tired vigilante just shrugs, taking another sip of his ever-present coffee.

To everyone's surprise, Batman snatches a handful of Nightwing's fries, eliciting a food war. Batman calls it off as soon as the condiments start flying though.

"Don't get your suits dirty."

Starling and Robin wear identical smirks. "No promises." They chorus as one, before Starling takes Red Hood's burger, Robin snatches Batman's milkshake, and they run.

They swing through the night, laughing quietly as the wind blows against their faces. The sounds of their family giving chase can be heard a few moments later, and Superboy easily catches up with his superspeed. He helps them evade the other Bats in a city-wide game of Manhunt.

Eventually, they do patrol the city properly, but Marinette will always remember this as one of the best nights of her life.

The calm before the storm.