Shadowed Threads

Chapter Six: No Turning Back

Marinette wasn't sure if she had made a mistake.

Agreeing to stay was one thing-dealing with the fallout of that decision was another.

Because now?

Now she was sitting at a polished wooden table in Wayne Manor, surrounded by five of the most dangerous men in Gotham, waiting for them to decide what to do with her.

And the worst part?

Jason was grinning.

"So, Bug," he drawled, propping his boots up on the table. "You got dragged into the Batfam chaos fast. Congrats."

Marinette exhaled sharply. "I didn't get dragged into anything."

Damian scoffed. "Yet you are here."

Marinette shot him a look. "Because certain people"-she glanced at Jason and Damian pointedly-"decided to corner me in an alley and ask invasive questions."

Tim smirked behind his coffee cup. "I mean, it was a good tactic."

Dick rolled his eyes. "It was unnecessary."

Jason snorted. "Come on, you were the one freaking out about 'some mysterious combat-trained intern infiltrating Wayne Enterprises.'" He mimicked Dick's voice, overly dramatic.

Dick looked ready to strangle him. "I did not say that."

"Not in those exact words," Tim muttered.

Bruce, who had been silent up until now, finally cleared his throat. Instantly, the room fell into a tense silence.

"All of you-enough," Bruce said, his tone calm but firm. His gaze turned to Marinette. "You said you're not going anywhere."

Marinette straightened. "That's right."

"Then you need to understand something," he continued. "Gotham isn't like Paris."

She stiffened at the mention of her old home.

Bruce didn't miss it.

"This city doesn't forgive," he said quietly. "Once you step into its shadows, it never lets you go."

Marinette knew that.

She had felt it in the way Gotham breathed, in the way its streets whispered to her, in the way she had already been marked by its gaze.

"I can handle myself," she said firmly.

Jason grinned. "See? I like her."

Dick sighed. "That's exactly what I'm worried about."

Marinette leaned forward, her voice unwavering. "If this is some intimidation tactic, it's not working."

Damian's green eyes flickered with something unreadable. "It is not intimidation. It is fact."

Bruce folded his hands on the table. "If you stay involved, you need to know the risks."

Marinette tilted her head. "Risks like what?"

Tim set down his coffee. "People are already watching you."

Her stomach clenched.

She knew that.

She felt it every time she walked home, every time a shadow stretched too long in her periphery.

But hearing it from Tim Drake?

That made it real.

Jason's smirk faded slightly. "We're not the only ones who noticed you, Bug."

Damian added, "Your actions in that alley were not subtle."

Marinette resisted the urge to groan.

She had tried to be careful. She had avoided drawing attention, had taken precautions, had-

Her fingers curled into a fist.

But Gotham was a city of hunters.

And now, she was prey.

Bruce studied her carefully. "I can offer you protection. But you need to decide whether you want it."

Silence stretched between them.

Then-

"I don't need protection," Marinette said evenly. "I need information."

Tim's eyebrow lifted slightly.

Jason let out a low whistle.

Damian tilted his head.

Bruce?

Bruce smiled.

Just a fraction. Just for a second.

But it was there.

And that told her everything she needed to know.

She had passed whatever test this was.

Dick rubbed his temple. "I have a really bad feeling about this."

Jason grinned. "I don't."

Tim shrugged. "Could be fun."

Damian muttered something under his breath.

Bruce leaned back. "Then let's begin."

Marinette exhaled slowly.

No turning back now.