Bet I can clear two rooftops.”
“Bullshit!” A beat. “You’re on.”
Tim frowned a little at the exchange, he was taking the night to solo patrol. He heard the voices on a rooftop, yet the second voice sounded suspiciously like- No way. Red Robin spun around, quickly swinging around a taller building to see the strangest thing he’d seen (that wasn’t a hallucination) that day.
There stood the new hero in Gotham, Multimouse, effortlessly holding Red Hood above her head in preparation to throw him.
Multimouse had been a bit of a shock to Tim when she’d first shown up. Cameras seemed to miraculously power off if she ever tried taking off her mask with one nearby. She had yet to kill anyone, but she was constantly heavily wounding them. Rumor had it that she was ruthless, uncaring whether the criminals lived or died.
She took them down in seconds, letting the enemy get banged up along the way with no hesitation whatsoever.
It was honestly kinda inspiriting, if not morbid. So he leaned against the wall behind him, still alert. “If you can clear three rooftops I’ll buy you a coffee.”
Multimouse, honest to God squeaked turning around with Red Hood still held above her head. She had the bluest eyes he had ever seen; like God had just decided to put some leftover sky in them or something. When she saw him she just smirked brightly, moving back to throw a now protesting Red Hood. “You’re on.”
Later, a barista would nearly faint when Red Robin begrudgingly bought both Red Hood and Multimouse coffees.
After that, Red Robin would often join the other two on their patrols. He would constantly be shocked at their dynamic, how they made little games out of taking down robberies and muggings. At first, he didn’t know how they could take this so light to make a game out of it.
That was until he started to see the shadows in their eyes when they saw some of the more disturbing crimes.
Red Robin then realized it was a way of coping for them, they constantly saw so much darkness. And one of the ways they would keep themselves sane was to goof around, not enough to slack off, but enough to make people feel more at ease around them. Multimouse would always joke around as she talked to near victims, comforting them until help arrived.
Tim was seeing Multimouse’s effect on Jason in their civilian lives as well.
He would check in on Tim more, on nights where nothing about a case was making sense. Maybe it was just to bring him some more coffee or shoo him off to bed, but occasionally he would just pull up a chair, and be Tim’s rubber duck.
Tim didn’t know why the two cared for each other so much, and he was dying to know. But there was no way to figure out Multimouses identity without following her home. Sure, he picked up whatever clues he could, researching it occasionally, but there was no point. When she left to unmask, the cameras would shut down. It was like magic, and the one time he saw Multimouse divide into about thirty mini versions of himself he knew it was magic.
Or at the very least a good imitation of it.
So Red Robin showed up to patrols more regularly, spending time with the duo and seeing them in action first hand. He tried to stop Red Hood from shooting people so much, but there was nothing he could really do about Multimouse.
She would take down the criminals in a heartbeat, using the quickest possible method in ways that eluded him.
She would grab the muggers jacket, flipping herself over a rail so they would fly into it and be knocked out cold. She would kick a trashcan towards a woman's legs to that she fell face-first into a snowdrift. She would near-strangle them with her jump rope, smash them into walls, and kick them onto broken glass. She didn’t purposefully kill anyone, but most of the criminals would be rushed off to hospitals screaming curses at her.
Then she would watch them being hauled away, smile, and wave at them. Even some officers or just people walking around would curse her out sometimes. That’s when Red Robin realized that every time they would curse her out she would seem bored. She was used to it, the insults and rumors surrounding her. She just didn’t care.
So either she just didn’t give a shit what anyone thought; which was unlikely given how she would stutter and ramble over herself at times.
Or she was used to people making up stuff about her and knew how to ignore it.
Overall, Multimouse was an enigma to Tim. She was a mystery he couldn’t figure out, but he was trying not to push her boundaries.
Because Multimouse was a force to be reckoned with and had gained RedHood’s complete trust.
And his, if he was being honest.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Red Hood sprung off the wall, grabbing onto the fire escape to shoot himself by one arm onto the rooftop, bending midair to land on his feet.
When he landed he was only a little out of breath, unaccustomed to the flexibility that came with those mind-boggling tricks. Sure, Dick had offered him a crash course in gymnastics a few times, but he’d always gotten too frustrated to continue.
Marie, however, gave him no choice.
“Congrats on sticking the landing, but you really should coil your core more. Your form is effective, but you’ll wear yourself out quicker and it’ll be harder to land without twisting your ankle.”
He groaned turning to look at her from where she was perched. One leg swinging as she slurped a gas station slushy. “Can’t we give it a break?”
She only smiled cruelly. “Not if ya don’t want that ‘break’ to be your ankle!”
He narrowed his eyes at her, rolling up his mask for the sole purpose of sticking his tongue out at her. She let out an offended gasp, and it was defiantly worth it. He glanced at the small watch that rested on his glove.
“Say, shouldn’t Little Bird be here by now? He said he was showing at 3,” He asked, glancing around to see if Tim had just perched to watch him suffer like last time.
Multimouse pursed her lips, fingers reflexively curling at her hip. She did that a lot he had noticed, specifically when he asked where something or someone was.
“No clue, unless you’ve got a tracker on him we’ll have to try to hunt him down I guess. He’s usually fairly punctual,” Her nose wrinkled, glaring down at him. “Unlike you.”
“I messed up the meeting spot one time, and suddenly I’m on your shit list.”
She giggled, hoping down to pat his head, before playfully shoving him. “Bold of you to assume you weren’t always on my shit list.” He playfully shoves her back, and she just grins before moving to uncoil her jump rope. “Anyways, let get going, there’s no way Red would be this late without-“
“Hey Rat, do you know this guy?”
Red Hood grinned, turning toward Red Hood only to freeze in surprise at the sight before him. Next to Red Robin was… the simplest way he could put it was someone crossing a furry with a leather fetish.
The furry had a self-important look on his face, posed with his arms on his hips as he looked at Multi like the cat who caught the canary. Or, Red Hood supposed, the cat who caught the mouse.
He turned to Multimouse, noting how quickly she paled before moving to stand next to her. She doesn’t need him in front of her, he knew if she felt that unsafe then he would know. Multimouse did not like having her battles fought for her, and he knew she was more than capable. He was there for support unless there was a need for his direct involvement.
“Mousette! I’m so glad to see you, I can bring you home now! No need to thank me yet, just wait until I-“
Red Hood waved his arm out, silencing the…cat. “What, hold on slow your role, furry. Do you know him, Pinky?”
“Yeah, I already told you I know her! She’s my-“
Red Hood leveled him with a glare, already annoyed. “I was talking to Pinky, she is more than capable of speaking for herself don’t ya think?”
The furry opened his mouth but seemed to think better of it and it closed again. Red Hood turned to Multimouse, noting how uncomfortable she still seemed. “Pinky?”
Her eyes darted to him, she swallowed and nodded slightly. “Yes, I- Yeah I know him. But I don’t know what he’s doing here.”
The furry raised an eyebrow at that, stepping forward to try and grab her hand. She deftly stepped back, so he was standing next to a confused Red Robin. “I’m here to bring you home. Well, I was here for civilian stuff, but I’m glad I found you! Your parents really miss you, ya know.”
Ouch. Red Hood immediately knew that Multimouse couldn’t have trusted him very much if he thought her parents were waiting for her. She had yet to tell him what hell she had gone through with them, but all it took was one look at her when they were brought up to see.
Red Hood’s hands curled into fists as he remembered breaking into her apartment to find her heaving and tearing at her hair and arms in a panic. Her eyes had been so wild and unfocused she was practically unrecognizable. When you saw someone break like that- He stopped himself, no use pummeling the cat unless necessary.
“I am home, Chat Noir,” She schooled her expression, pure determination overtaking her features. She seemed to just pack her fear sink away and put it in the closet. “This is my home.”
Chat Noir laughed, shaking his head. “Good one, but come on Marinette. Paris is your home, you’re needed there. You have to come back.”
Dread instantly covered the group, Red Robin in shock at this guy just outing her identity like that. Red Hood in a rage and Multimouse in terror. They stood like that for a moment, before Multimouse took a deep shaky breath. “Chat, you just outed my identity to two people who you don't know if they know.”
He tilted his head, looking baffled. “Well you don’t need a miraculous. I don’t know how you got one anyway, maybe that's why you got all confused and ran here. Well, you can come home now, leave the saving to the real heroes, and go home.”
“Chat Noir, I only used the miraculous after I decided to move. Ladybug gave it to me as a way to fight crime here. I don’t have to give it back until Hawkmoth is defeated,” Red Hood pretended to be nonchalant at the fact that she had turned her hand to grasp his. “I’m not confused, I’m where I’m supposed to be. And to be frank I really want to smash your skull in for that statement.”
Chat Noir looked so confused and betrayed it was like watching a really bad soap opera. Red Robin had stepped back aways, obviously unsure what to do in this situation. Made sense he supposes, Tim didn't know how bad it was for Marie there. “Marinette how could you? You’re supposed to be in Paris. I don’t know what you were thinking coming here, and with these guys too,” He shook his head. “Whatever prompted it, I don’t care. Give me your miraculous and come with me.”
That did it, Red Robin stepped between Chat Noir and Multimouse, glaring at him coldly. “Chat Noir, you are not on your turf. This is Gotham, and we protect our own, now kindly leave or we will be forced to remove you from Gotham.”
Chat Noir looked at all of them, Red Robin standing in front of him, looking at him like Chat was the scum on his boots. Red Hood looked downright murderous, and Multimouse looked disappointed. What did she have to be disappointed about? He was trying to bring her home.
Why wasn’t she- oh.
Suddenly Chat Noir understood, he looked at Red Hood desperately. Uncertainty replaced by blind anger. “How could you,” He growled out, pure spite and disgust in his eyes.
Red Hood blinked as if it would save him from dealing with this idiotic boy in front of him. “How could I what, furry?”
Chat Noir hissed, ears low on his head as his tail flicked behind him. His whole stance screamed danger, glaring at Red Hood like he had been attacked himself. “How could you brainwash her? Don’t you know that her home is Paris? You’re keeping her selfishly while people in Paris are miserable without her. She’s supposed to be there.”
His glare flickered to Multimosue before settling back on Red Hood. "She was perfect in Paris. I don't know what you did to seduce, or blackmail her here, but-"
Multimouse glared at him, hands absently uncoiling the jump rope. “I’m supposed to be here, this is where I want to be. Red Hood didn’t manipulate me, and he’s not being selfish. You are, by trying to stop me from doing what’s best for me because of your own petty interests,” She scowled at him, a look so furious that Red Robin couldn’t help but glance at her warily.
Yes, Red Robin trusted her, but he also didn’t want a dead Parisian 'hero' (technically) on his hands. And by now, Multimouse was well known for causing criminals handicaps or scars for life. She had yet to actually kill someone, but that seemed to be more because Red Hood would kill them first if the pair deemed it necessary.
Red Hood and Multimouse were partners in crime, or rather, the stopping of it. They were nearly a flawless team, Multimouse doing whatever it took to take the baddies down, while also being mindful of collateral damage. Red Hood didn’t care about collateral damage in the slightest, but he had good intentions. They were near unstoppable.
“You are not welcome here, this is my city,” She looked back at Red Hood, staring him in the eye in the way that made him feel totally exposed beneath her eyes. “This is my home.”
‘You are my home.’ Her eyes seemed to say, but then she turned away and Red Hood discreetly sucked in mouthfuls of air he’d been accidentally depriving himself of.
Chat Noir glared at her, nearly trembling in his rage. He had found her. He had found her, and she was with some murderous Gotham ‘hero.’ She was going to get herself killed. She was Marinette for goodness sake, she wasn’t a warrior or a hero. She wasn’t Ladybug, she was their everyday Ladybug, as in out of danger. “If you want to get yourself killed because you trust some murderer over me then go ahead. I’m a nice guy Marinette, but you’ve disappointed me.”
He turned to walk away, truly disappointed in Marinette. What was he going to tell people? That Marinette was in Gotham? That she had some sketchy boyfriend who had obviously corrupted her? That she had been manipulated into running away?
If he told anyone anything and tried to check with Marinette then she'd know his identity. And Ladybug wouldn't like that. She'd most likely get over it though, it wasn't that important.
“Chat, wait.”
He allowed hope to rise, maybe she wasn’t too far gone after all! He turned to look at her where she stood, still holding the murderer's hand. “For the record,” She smiled, sending chills down Chat’s spine at the wicked glint in her perfect eyes. “I am disappointed in you, and I’m the one you should be scared of.”
When Adrien lay down in his hotel room to sleep that night he realized that it sounded a lot like a promise.