Chapter Text
After much much much discussion, it is decided that Marinette may occasionally provide non-combative assistance to the rest of the family on missions in and around Gotham city. Her small size as a cat, coupled with both her powers and the fact that she keeps her human reasoning while transformed, are a major boon to the team.
Or, at least, that was the idea.
Batman sighs as he watches a frantic Red Hood chasing the small form of Marinette across the warehouse they had run into trouble in. As far as anyone could tell so far, Joker was testing the efficacy of his newest minions.
Robots.
Evil clown robots.
Evil clown robots that sprayed laughing gas from their hands, and which when disabled or destroyed would self-destruct and release a cloud of laughing gas that quickly filled the area around it.
Marinette was jumping between the heads and shoulders of the robots she could, each one turning to dust in her wake. It appeared that her powers somehow destroyed the gas contained within each of the… Joker-bots… so she remained ahead of the cloud starting to flood the floor of the warehouse that was a result of the ‘bots Red Hood was destroying in his efforts to catch her.
“KITTEN!! GET BACK HERE!!!”
Marinette disappears silently, reappearing atop a stack of boxes filled with Joker-bot parts. Batman can use the features in his mask to zoom in on her, and he does so in time to watch her stick her tongue out at Red Hood before leaping onto the nearest Joker-bot and starting their chase anew.
Red Hood, who had barely slowed down when Marinette teleported, is very obviously panicking as he continues to chase after her.
“KITTEN I AM GONNA GROUND YOU UNTIL YOUR FUR TURNS GREY!!!”
Robin, crouched in the rafters next to Batman, sighes. “He’s such an idiot.”
-----
Nightwing silently sighs as he stared down at the adorable scene in front of him.
In the wake of Joker’s strange robotic obsession gang territories had entered a state of constant flux as everyone struggled to stand against the latest wave of cruelty, civilians, vigilantes, and other crime-lords alike.
Many sleepless nights had followed, and everyone was exhausted.
Usually when circumstances like this arose, everyone's coffee and energy drink intake skyrocketed, however that wasn’t always enough (nor was it healthy).
Nightwing tapped the edge of his mask twice, taking a photo of the scene with it’s built-in camera feature. Usually it helped gather information, but this was just as important.
Red Hood was seated, legs out, leaning against a wall. Robin was curled half in Red Hood’s lap, half on the floor, and tucked against Robin’s chest on Red Hood’s legs was the tiny black form of Marinette.
MulletBoi: Guuuuys
MulletBoi: Guuuuuys look how cute they are
Not-A-Burger-Boi: slep is fro the weak how dar they
CauldronMaker: Tim go to sleep
Not-A-Burger-Boi: mke me
Robin shifted, curling tighter around Marinette, and Nightwing felt like he could burst with the amount of pure cuteness that was coming off of the trio.
CauldronMaker: Tim is now in bed. Dick, you should wake them and we can all rest and reconnect. The Sirens are going to take the watch tonight.
MulletBoi: Do I have to?? They’re sooooo cuuuute
JasonFraud: eat shit nightingale, I’m awake, just get the hell child off of me without him killing me or the kitten
Nightwing stares at the trio, watching as Red Hood slowly tilts his head and carefully gestures to the pair curled up in his lap.
With a very obviously considering expression, Nightwing pauses. He can feel Red Hood glaring, but decides to draw this out regardless.
After all, it’s not often he gets the chance to take so many adorable photos of his brothers and niece unimpeded, after all.
-----
Superman pauses, looking up from where he’s tending to one of the Watchtower’s many gardens. He likes to come and work when he needs peace and quiet but doesn’t want to be as isolated as the Fortress of Solitude is. Batman always rolls his eyes when he sees Superman with dirt under his fingernails (Superman can’t see the man’s eyes because of his mask, but he knows).
There’s a strange heartbeat within the Watchtower.
In a second he is floating in front of the source of the strange heartbeat, and what he finds makes him pause.
There is a cat curled around Batman’s shoulders.
A cat.
On Batman’s shoulders.
Head tilted up, Batman stares at where Superman is floating in front of him. A feeling of irritation practically radiates off of him.
“Is there a problem, Superman?”
Maybe he’s being mind-controlled? Is there a villain in Gotham now that can mind-control people? Through cats?
“You have a cat on your shoulders.”
“And you have dirt under your fingernails again.”
“Why do you have a cat on your shoulders.”
Batman tilts his head, a small smirk slowly quirking the corners of his mouth. He gently lifts the cat from his shoulders and cradles them in his arms. The cat’s large blue eyes stare up at Superman with uncanny focus.
“I was going to introduce her at the meeting later, but since you insisted on being so nosy…” Batman gently starts petting the cat, scratching their (her?) chin, smirk softening as she starts to purr, “I’d like to introduce you to my granddaughter, Chaton Noire.”
His mind goes blank, and for the first time in a long time Superman hasn’t even the slightest idea what to say.
“You named your cat granddaughter black cat in French?”
"Kitten."
"What?"
"Black Kitten."
The smirk is back, bigger than Batman usually lets himself express any emotion other than disapproval. It also (somehow) seems like the cat (Chaton Noire??) is smirking as well.
Superman sighs. He’s certain he’s seen stranger things, but honestly? This is pretty close to the top of the list.