Jason didn't know whether to cry, laugh or scream at the unlikely situation he found himself in. As he walked home with Tim after a busy night on patrol, he quickly realized that something was wrong. The front door was open.

Jason didn't think twice, pulled out his gun and rushed in. Tim followed him.

The apartment was a complete mess. He looked in every room and ended up in the bedroom. Marinette lay on the bed and was bleeding to death.

Jason rushed to his girlfriend's unconscious body to look for a pulse. His heart was beating fast, he could feel his blood boiling in his veins. However, he had to keep his cool at all costs. At this point, panicking would not help. While he was helping Marinette, Tim had already called for help and was sending a message to the whole family.

Marinette was rushed to the hospital while still alive. It was impossible to tell if Marinette would make , rather than wait in the hospital, he went back to his apartment to find out who was the son of a bitch who had attacked his girl. He had to wait for the police to leave. Once the police left, Jason, Dick and Bruce examined the scene. Tim and Damian stayed at the hospital to give updates while Cass, Steph and Duke continued to patrol Gotham.

As they searched for clues, Dick called out to him. His voice came from the hallway.

"...Hmmm... Jay... You need to see this..."

So Jason left for the bathroom, since that was where Dick was supposed to be looking. Dick was standing in the middle of the room with something in his hands.

"What?"

Dick silently handed him the object he was holding. Jason took it annoyed, this was not the time to play rummage through his stuff!

Then he looked at the object in his hand and froze. His blood froze in his veins, he felt as if someone had just punched him in the stomach. What Dick had given him was a pregnancy test.

The test was positive.

"Did you find anything? "

Jason did hear Bruce's voice, but he couldn't move, couldn't talk, couldn't even think. All he could do was stare at the object in his hands. Dick seemed to understand his emotional state and answered Bruce for him.

"We... Just found out that Mari is... apparently... pregnant..."

Jason did not listen to the rest of the conversation. His body was physically present, but his mind was elsewhere. Someone had almost killed Marinette, his girlfriend, who was apparently pregnant with his child.

It was too good to be true, wasn't it?

He could never have a happy life... Right?

6 years ago.

Jason was in front of a video game store. Dick had forced him to come along for a "brother's day out" (when it was just Jason, Dick and Damian, the other half of the siblings were not there). Since nothing interested him, he kept himself busy by looking at his cell phone.

Suddenly a girl approached him. She was a little pale and looked like she was on the verge of tears.

"Please... Can you pretend we are friends?"

The girl had a foreign accent. Jason frowned.

"I...Since I got off my bus stop, there's been a guy following me...I've been trying to lose him for almost an hour... Please help me..."

Oh.

Looking up, Jason did indeed see a guy in a hoodie trying to hide discreetly behind a tree not too far from where they were standing. He turned his attention back to the poor girl who was really at her wits' end.

"Let's go into the store. He won't follow us. "

The girl followed him inside the video game store.

Dick who spotted him immediately came to meet him.

"Hey, Little Wing you changed your mind-...Oh, hello miss."

"Dick, protect her, she's in trouble. "

"Wait, what?"

Jason then turned on his heels and hurried out of the store, leaving the girl with Dick. She was safe with this idiot. He left to deal with the pervert who was following the poor girl. Jason hated pedophiles, and he was going to enjoy teaching this scumbag a lesson he wouldn't forget soon!

When he returned about fifteen minutes later, the girl was sitting in a chair with a blanket over her shoulders and a cup of hot chocolate. The store owner who was there had been approached by Dick who had explained the situation. Jason could see that the girl seemed to have cried. She must have been really terrified.

The police were called. They found the guy tied up in an alley nearby, badly beaten. It was funny to see that none of his siblings made any comments. The story ended without a hitch and the girl was taken home by the police. Before leaving she thanked them warmly.

Jason forgot all about it. Then about four months later, Alfred asked him to pick up Tim at WE. The butler had to pick up Damian and couldn't be there in time. He was waiting in a hidden corner of the parking lot, when he saw Tim arrive in charming company. Jason wondered if this girl was Tim's girlfriend, until he saw her face and froze.

It was the girl he had helped a few months earlier!

She was short and had a baby doll's face. He had really thought she was a little high school girl in trouble. The girl was apparently a grown woman. Jason didn't know her real age, but seriously, she looked like a 15 or 16 year old girl no more, had she been bathed in eau de jouvence?

"Oh... My brother is here. Thank you for everything Miss Dupain-Cheng. "

"You're welcome Mr. Wayne, it's my job. "

She was about to leave, but their eyes met. Her face lit up with a smile.

"You! "

"Good evening. Miss. "

" Marinette! Dupain-Cheng Marinette. Thanks again for the other day... If you hadn't been there I would have been in real trouble. "

"No need to thank me Miss. "

Tim watched the exchange silently. Marinette greeted them one last time before heading off in the opposite direction to retrieve a motorcycle, probably hers.

"I didn't know you knew the new recruit to the research lab. "

"Neither did I. "

Tim didn't add anything more.

Jason didn't see her again until a year later. The young woman was the youngest member of WE's scientific research lab.

She was a young prodigy!

She had succeeded in creating a kind of liquid bio-organic material. This material could multiply almost infinitely. To start the multiplication process, all that was needed was a drop of plant fertilizer. It was a revolutionary invention!

Marinette didn't know it, but Bruce had taken a sample of this material to test it. The metal in question was resistant to the sun's temperature, to nuclear radiation, to Superman's blows (yes, Bruce had really gone far in the tests). The material did not rust, was waterproof and non-conductive. And to top it all off, it was a malleable material that could take any shape. In order for the material to harden, it was sufficient to deprive it of all light for 24 hours. The material hardened by taking the shape of its container. Once hardened, the material looked like metal and was very soft to the touch. Bruce was already considering equipping the Control Tower with this material.

Since the announcement of this discovery by the scientific team, the military was very interested in this material. Companies from all over the world were calling WE headquarters every day, interested in it.

The problem now was that Marinette's life was in danger because of this discovery. There had already been several kidnapping attempts which had fortunately failed. Indeed, if the world of the industry and the scientific world was interested in this innovation, it was also the case of many criminals who wanted to make fortune by obtaining this material (the weapons which could be made of it was just frightening).

For her safety, Marinette was placed under high surveillance. Jason was the one in charge of watching over her as Red Hood. The least we could say was that he wasn't bored. One night a fight broke out and Jason was thrown through a window and landed in the middle of the young woman's living room. Marinette screamed in terror and tried to attack him. He managed to stop her quickly and told her to hide before the assailant arrived. Jason managed to get away.

It was finally decided to place Marinette under the protection of the JL.

Jason thought his job was done, but a week later Bruce came to him and handed him a briefcase. Bruce told him it was from Marinette. He was surprised. He took the case and waited until he was alone to open it. Inside he found a red helmet made of a material he didn't know. It was not the same as the one Marinette had created. There was also a new uniform made with a unknown material. The fabric was strong. According to the instructions that came with it, it was like a bulletproof vest but lighter. It also stopped bladed weapons.

Jason also found a small note card. It was red, with a black rose obviously hand-drawn with India ink.

"This is the second time you have saved my life. Thank you so much for looking after me all this time. I know it's not much, but I hope this can protect you in return.

Marinette. "

Jason realized that Marinette had guessed his identity. But how? It was a mystery. However, given that this girl was a genius... was that so surprising?

Using this uniform that Marinette had provided him, he soon realized that he had a real suit of armor on him. There was some sort of artificial intelligence in his helmet called "Tikki". There were several modes in the helmet and several features in his uniform. The uniform could turn into armor that allowed him to fly. This was pretty cool (and his siblings were all jealous which was a nice bonus).

Jason saw Marinette again about six months after this gift. Tikki had told him that she needed an overhaul because there was a problem with the helmet. He discovered that day that his new outfit allowed him to teleport. And of course Tikki didn't think it was worth it to warn him.

Jason found himself in the JL, in a kind of laboratory where Marinette was working. As he suddenly appeared, the young woman was startled, screamed and dropped several vials. However, she recognized him.

"OH MY GOD! Don't do that ever again! "

"I'm sorry. That's Tikki who-..."

"Yes. I know it was Tikki. I programmed her to come to me in case of trouble, I just didn't think she would bring you with her..."

Marinette took the helmet and began to examine it.

"Other than the helmet, is the rest of the equipment operational? "

"Yeah. "

"Does it suit you? If you need any modifications, don't hesitate to let me know. "

"Well..."

She asked so nicely. Jason asked her for a few small modifications. The two of them talked for a little while until Marinette did a revision of the helmet. She handed him the helmet again. When Jason took it, their fingers brushed together.

She then asked him to remove the uniform so she could add the modifications he had requested. Jason suddenly felt embarrassed.

"uuh... I can't take it off. "

"Why? Is there something wrong with it? "

"Sort of, I have nothing underneath. "

" ... !... "

She suddenly blushes.

"B-B-B-But w-w-why on earth don't you have any c-c-c-clothing?! I designed it on purpose to rrrreveal the clothes! "

" ... Let's just say I feel more comfortable in my natural state..."

She looked at him with big eyes. Her cheeks became even more scarlet. Finally, she sighed and went to get him a towel since she had no man's clothes to lend him. He found himself shirtless with just a towel to cover him.

After that first meeting, Jason returned to see her once a month for a complete overhaul of his uniform. They always talked a bit while Marinette went over his outfit.

Jason began to notice that for such a smart girl, she was extremely clumsy. He saw her spill coffee on her food several times, break vials, bump into furniture, and even once bump into the door (the door was closed, how did she do that?!). One day, Marinette slipped near him and he caught her. Unfortunately, in the process, the towel around his waist fell off. Jason had never seen anyone turn so red before.

For a while, Marinette didn't dare look him in the eye. Jason thought that was a rather cute reaction. He did start wearing clothes under his uniform, at least when he came to see her.

He and Marinette began to communicate using Tikki. He then discovered other facets of Marinette. She had a great sense of humor and was a bit crazy on the edges...

"You stole your crush's phone?! Seriously?! "

"My honor was at stake! Can you imagine, he would have listened to his voice mail?! I called him 'Hot Stuff!'"

" *chuckles* You know, stealing other people's stuff is illegal..."

"Hm-Hm... I admit I' m guilty Mr. Hood..."

"I see. I'll have to arrest you. "

"Oh... In that case, please have someone to save you, you'll be my next victim~"

"Really? You intend to finish me off? "

"More like kidnap you for a long torture session in front of a TV screen. "

"Not if I decide to poison you with a nice dinner first..."

"I see that this gentleman has already understood my weak point. "

"Good food? "

"No, the hot guys~"

They teased each other immensely. Jason appreciated the fact that she was able to keep up with him in his ramblings. Jason got used to hearing Marinette's voice in his helmet. It was a most pleasant sound. There was a chemistry between them, a little something that made them gravitate toward each other.

It wasn't until one night when Jason was badly injured and nearly killed that he realized how he felt. He could hear Marinette's panicked voice in his helmet. He couldn't answer, but he remembered very well feeling a certain peace.

If I die now, I won't have any regrets, because I was able to hear your voice... one last time.

Jason made it through the efforts of Leslie and Alfred combined. He was then surprised to discover when he woke up that Marinette was in the Bat-cave. He was on morphine, so when he saw her face... He lost his mind a bit.

"...Oh... Who knew there were such cute angels in hell..."

"You...You...You are a moron! Do you hear me? A MORON!"

"...Marinette?... "

She was in tears. He managed to force his arm to move and placed a hand on her cheek. Using his thumb, he tried some of her tears. Jason felt like he was seeing little stars coming out of her eyes. He really was completely drugged out of his mind by the drugs.

"You... are really cute. "

"Uh?"

"Your face...Every time I see it I get a funny feeling in my stomach..."

"...What?!..."

"I think I love you. "

" ... "

The cheeks of Marinette took a beautiful red tint. He liked this color on her face, especially when it was him who provoked it. She put her hand on his hand placed on her cheek.

"We'll talk about it when you're back in your normal state. "

She placed a kiss on his forehead.

"Sleep now, you need to get your strength back. "

When Jason woke up a second time and saw that Marinette was still there, he understood that he wasn't dreaming. All he wanted to do was dig a hole and hide inside.

Finally, it wasn't until he got his strength back and was able to move on his own that he and Marinette were able to have a serious talk.

"Jason... did you... did you mean what you said? "

"Hmmm... Yeah. "

"I..."

"Look, you don't have to answer me, or even feel pressured to do anything. "

"Jason... I've had a crush on you since the first day we met. "

"...Wait, what?... "

"I... I didn't apply to WE by accident. I... wanted to see you again. Except I realized a little late that you weren't working for your adoptive father... The... The material I created, I did it with you in mind... I wanted... To be able to thank you by protecting you in turn..."

Jason felt like a fool suddenly, he was sure he was going to get rejected. Instead, a soft warmth spread through his chest. He really was an idiot, wasn't he? He never realized it... Jason was sure he was going to get screwed over by his family because of this story until his deathbed.

However, that wasn't what was important now.

Jason approached her gently and pulled her against him, holding her by the waist. Her beautiful blue eyes shone as she looked at him. He moved his face to hers gently, still giving her the chance to push him away, but she didn't pull back. She closed her eyes.

They kissed in the middle of the bat-cave.

"FINALLY! "

The voice startled them.

It was Tim who had just interrupted them.

"Guys, I won the bet! Give me my money! "

Jason blinked several times, then frowned.

"What bet?"

Tim looked at him with an amused expression.

"Everyone bet to see how long it would take you two to get together and who would declare themselves first. "

"Uh-Hm. And who exactly made the bet? "

"Hmmmm... Me, Dick, Bruce, Alfred, Steph, Barbara, Damian, Jon, Duke, Clark, Princess Diana, [...]"

Jason didn't really know how to feel when he realized that his entire family and over half of the JL had bet. Marinette snuggled up to him while hiding her face on his shirt.

Jason hated everyone at that moment.

Back to the present.

Jason was sitting next to Marinette's bed. His beautiful angel was unrecognizable.

He was angry, he was frustrated... he was scared.

He was afraid of losing the person who meant the most to him.

He was afraid of losing the baby she was carrying.

Alone in the hospital room, he let a few tears fall.