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The glass above her head shattered. Marinette threw her hands over her head as she moved closer to the building, waiting for the glass to finish raining down around her before daring to look, barely catching on of the local vigilante’s flying overhead, crashing through a lower window on the building opposite her.
The soft clanging as two metal sticks hit the ground. Marinette darted over to the opposite side of the road, recognizing them as escrima sticks. The sounds of the doors opening behind her and the shouts of goons
She cursed under her breath, swiping up the escrima sticks and ducking around the corner into the alley way.
"Anyone see where that bird went?"
"I don't think he's come out yet, Bill."
"Let's move before he does come back."
Marinette held her breath as they started towards her hiding spot. She took a deep breath before swinging the escrima into the face of the first goon who came around the corner with a crack as he stumbled back.
"Bitch!" He cried, clutching his nose. "Oh you'll pay for that."
Marinette squared herself off dropping into a low, defensive stance, twirling the two escrima sticks in her hand, trying to get a quick feel for them as the goons started to surround her.
"Hey! Why don't we leave the pretty lady alone? C'mon. We can keep this between us can't we?" Nightwing's voice broke the tense silence. Marinette glanced over at the vigilante, smiling and standing at ease looking like he hadn't just been thrown through a window. His stance was disarming, screaming 'we're all friends here, no need to fight,' despite the slight tenseness in the muscles indicating the readiness to move at any moment.
"You five get the bird. I got the bitch," the goon-in-charge growled out, wiping nose away from under his nose.
Marinette focused on the one coming for her, curling into herself slightly, making her frame smaller with fewer targets to be hit, hoping it'd be mistaken for fear.
"Not so brave now, eh? Don't worry. I'll make sure you know your place when 'm done with ya."
Marinette let him get close, one hand nearing her head before she lashed out, snapping one hand up, ramming the escrima into his wrist with a crunch while the other one swung into his temple, dropping him and taking him out of the fight.
She glanced over, checking on the other fight, watching Nightwing flip gracefully over a goon, the punch intended, landing on his fellow goon’s face, knocking them to the ground. She ran over to help.
"Nightwing!" she called, throwing one of the escrima sticks. He caught it with a grin, swinging it and knocking one of the goons out. She ducked underneath a goon's punch, tossing the other escrima to the vigilante as she ducked down, swiping the feet out from underneath the goon.
The two of them made quick work of the remaining goons before Nightwing tied them up, sticking them on the corner.
"Thanks for the assist."
"It was nothing. Just glad I could be of assistance. Are you okay? You hit that window pretty hard."
“I’m fine. I’ve had worse.”
She raised a brow as he said that. Windows hurt. Surprisingly so. She’d been thrown into enough to know. The shattering, the shards, the tiny imperceptible pieces that you can’t see, but wormed their way into a cut and you just have to wait for them to worm their way out.
“If you say so, but,” Marinette dug in her bag, pulling out a small business card before handing it to the vigilante, “here. If you ever need a patch up in a pinch or a snack or just someone to talk to. My balcony is always open to heroes in any sort of need. Be it big or small.”
“Are you sure about this offer? It could put a pretty big target on your back.”
She smiled, giving a small shrug.
“Old habits die hard. Besides, if anyone does try to come after me I can handle myself.”
Nightwing laughed.
“Take care of yourself.”
“I should be the one telling you that,” she replied, with a soft laugh, leaving him and the gonna behind.
—---------------------------------
Nightwing grit his teeth as he sat looking at the small business card in his hand. across from
Marinette Dupain-Cheng
(555) 555 - 555
376 West Kane Street
Gotham City, NJ 07305
Nightwing tucked the card back into his suit, looking at the building on the other side of the street, trying to spot the balcony in question. The question was removed as he spotted Marinette enter out onto it, small pitcher of water in hand as she watered the plants on it.
He didn’t waste any time in grappling over, landing deftly on the balcony, clutching the wound on his side. She turned with a small smile quickly turning into concern as she took his state in.
“Your offer of help still on the table?” he asked with a weak smile.
She wasted no time, ushering him inside and pulling out a large first aid kit.
“Can you take the top half of the suit off or should I try to cut around it?”
He winced as he uncovered the wound.
She let out a breath as she looked at the wound.
“On the brightside it’s not the worst I’ve seen and nothing was hit which is good. Some stitches and you’ll be good to go. I am glad you came here though and not wherever your base is. You'd have done some serious tearing had you swung over the rooftops that far,” she said, pouring some antiseptic on his wound before pulling out a sterile needle and thread, getting working on the stitches.
“You’ve done this before.”
“Like I said last time I saw you. Old habits die hard. My balcony was a frequent stop for the Parisian holders when Hawkmoth was at large. Mainly for snacks and talks but the occasional injury wasn’t unheard of.”
“You’re Parisian.”
“You didn’t realize? I would have thought my accent would have given me away.”
He laughed, cutting off abruptly as it pulled at the wound. “The thought didn’t cross my mind.”
She laughed, finishing up and disposing of the tools and throwing her kettle on the stove. “Tea? I would offer coffee but I’m not about to after performing first aid on a stab wound.”
“That’s fair,” he laughed.
She made two cups of tea, pressing one into his hands with a couple of ibuprofen and took a gentle sip of her own, careful in fear of burning her tongue.
“Thank you for this.”
“It’s nothing. My balcony is always open.”
The two talked for an hour before Nightwing left, hopefully to get some rest and not continue patrol. After that night Nightwing was a regular fixture to her balcony on Tuesdays and Fridays, stopping by to talk, snack, and drop cheesy pick up lines to rival Chat Noir’s.
He became Marinette’s first regular in Gotham, showing up like clockwork as she created a safe haven for him.
—---------------------------------
She glanced over at the light tap tap tap on her balcony door, surprised when she wasn’t met with the now familiar sight of Nightwing, but Red Robin.
She opened the door with a small smile.
“Hello. What brings you to my balcony on this fine night?”
“So this is where Nightwing’s been going off patrol the past few weeks. I was curious where he was dropping off the map to.”
“You’ve found me. Welcome to Marinette’s balcony for worn out heroes. Here for you’re injured, hungry, or venting needs. Can I get you anything while you’re here? Coffee? Tea? Hot Chocolate?” she offered, gesturing for him to come in and take a seat.
“COffee?” he asked, perking up.
“Coming right up.”
Red Robin greedily took the cup from her hands as she offered it out. She laughed, placing a plate of baked goods on the coffee table, taking a sip of her own mug as the two sat in amicable silence, before Red Robin broke it as he placed his mug down.
“Nightwing stole my stash. This is both the first cup I’ve had in three days and the best cup I’ve ever had in my life.”
Marinette laughed. “I can give you a thermos for the road.”
“You’re a goddess.”
She laughed, disappearing into the kitchen momentarily before reemerging with a thermos. “For the road.”
He took it, stashing it somewhere she couldn’t see before giving a smile. “Thank you for making this patrol bearable. I need to be off.”
She laughed, opening the door for him.
“My balcony is always open.”
And thus Red Robin became wildcard number 1, visiting regularly at random every couple of weeks.
—---------------------------------
The next unexpected visitor, and wildcard number 2, she had to her balcony was Red Hood. Lounging against the door frame on a particularly warm night
“Dangerous to leave your door open, Pixie Pop. Never know who might come in unannounced.”
She set her embroidery down, finally turning to look at him.
“I find not many with ill intentions come to a 10th floor balcony and watch someone embroider for 10 minutes without making their presence known.”
He chuckled. “Okay I’m impressed. How’d you know?”
“I knew as soon as you stepped foot on my balcony.”
“I heard about your round with Nightwing and the goons. Have to say I wouldn’t expect it from you.”
She crossed her arms looking at the man in her door frome. “If you’re going to give thinly veiled insults you can leave.”
He raised his hands in a placating gesture. “Didn’t mean to offend ya, Pixie Pop. Just trying to figure out where the hell Replacement and Big Bird keep disappearing off to and regaling stories of.”
She gave a noncommittal hum. “I just made some tea, would you like a cup?”
“Sure. Why the hell not.”
Marinette disappeared into the kitchen as he came in, pouring two cups. She came back to find the red helmet to have been placed on the floor next to the couch, revealing black hair with a shock of white near the front, and Red Hood, identity still protected by domino mask, nose deep in her copy of Sense and Sensibility . She set his cup gently on the coffee table before going back to her embroidery.
—---------------------------------
“Would you like a snack?” she called, holding a plate out her balcony door. “I have some macarons.”
The small boy, Robin , walked out of the shadows on her balcony and took one, keeping one eye on her as he ate it.
“Tt. You are acceptable.”
“Thank you.”
And he was gone. Wildcard number 3.
—---------------------------------
Marinette was surprised it took as long as it did for at least two of them to show up at the same time, with Nightwing the only one showing up routinely, much less for the first time more than one showing up at the same time involving all of them showing up.
She had just put a plate of cookies on the coffee table and had sat down next to Nightwing, when a third party joined from seemingly nowhere.
“Hello, Robin.”
“Marinette.”
Nightwing let out a small sputtering noise from beside her. “Marinette? How did you manage that?”
“She has not divulged her last name to me. Also, her baking is some of the best I have encountered. She has earned being addressed by her first name.”
“And I haven’t? Rude,” came Red Robin’s voice from behind the couch.
“Tt. You have yet to do anything to earn it.”
“Hey, I-”
“Tea you two? And Coffee for you Red?” she asked, cutting any rebuttal off as she stood, trying to remove herself from the small argument. The chorus of ‘yes’ was all she needed to disappear into the kitchen, the door swinging shut muffling the quarreling voices.
She took a deep breath, mentally preparing for all three of their antics at once, grabbing a small tray and placing three cups of tea and one coffee on it before pushing back out into the living room as a fourth voice spoke up.
“Big Bird’s just annoyed that we’ve been hanging out with his girlfriend without his knowing about it.”
She froze, cheeks turning bright red as she heard this and Nightwing’s quick response of ‘she’s not my girlfriend’ as she entered further into the room unnoticed.
“Responded a bit too fast for us to believe you. You’re hiding something,” Red Robin commented.
“No he’s right. We aren’t dating,” she spoke up, placing the tray down on the coffee table between the three vigilantes. “Hood, if you're going to be here come in and close the door behind you. I prefer not to have a cold apartment. I have an extra cup of tea.”
“Despite the protests, Marinette was looking quite cozy with Nightwing when I entered. Less so after I made an appearance, and especially after Red Robin showed.”
Marinette grew redder as Robin said that, burying her face in Nightwing’s shoulder as she tried to hide her blushing. Much to the other three’s vigilante’s glee.
“You sure you two aren’t-”
“Okay. Balcony is closed for the night. Take a cookie and go patrol the city.You can come back tomorrow if you want. Tonight’s my night.”
Robin disappeared silently, Red Hood and Red Robin’s quiet bickering could be heads as they left leaving her and Nightwing and her alone.
“I’m sorry about them. They can be a bit much, especially when they decide they want to embarrass me. I’ll talk to them. They’ll probably swing by and apologize. Red Robin and Hood will anyway. If you find a dagger, it's probably Robin.”
She laughed. “It’s fine. A good sign of camaraderie. I won’t put any stock into what they said.”
“Are you okay?”
“I’ll be fine. Not the first time I’ve been accused of dating a hero and not my first time having a liking one either. And I will shut up now,” she said quickly, going red once more, looking away. “Pretend I didn’t say that.”
“I will if you want me to, but it’s a shame.”
“What?”
“There may be a Parisian civilian with a helpful balcony I’m falling for.”
“Oh? Civilian? Don’t think I couldn’t beat you in a race over those rooftops you travel over every night any day of the week.”
“I’d love to see that. I didn’t note you down as the type for free running.”
“You’re not the only one with secrets.”
“Clearly.”
“Maybe you’ll get some of mine for one or two of yours. If you think we can make this mutual falling work.”
“I think we can.”
She smiled as she leaned up, giving a quick, soft kiss before pushing him lightly through the balcony door. “Now I mean it when I said my balcony is closed. I need time to process everything that’s just happened. But, tomorrow?”
“I wouldn't miss it.”
She smiled, locking her balcony door behind him before collapsing on the couch with a small squeal.