#Adrien Agreste is Left-Handed | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

lilian-sins · 1 year

Text

“𝑇ℎ𝑒 𝑒𝑛𝑑 𝑜𝑓 𝑎𝑛 𝑒𝑟𝑎.”

❥︎ pairing: Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir x gn!Ladybug miraculous user!Reader

❥︎ p.o.v: 3ʳᵈ person

❥︎ prologue summary: After months of unsuccessfully trying to find Hawkmoth’s identity, Marinette Dupain-Cheng is faced with a different kind of challenge: moving house halfway across the world. Stressed about her situation, both as Marinette and as Ladybug, she puts off telling everyone the news. On her final day in Paris, she visits Master Fu, the holder of the Miracle Box, and gives back the Ladybug Miraculous entrusted to her. With a final goodbye to her old life, the Dupain-Cheng family leaves for New York, starting a new chapter in their lives.

❥︎ tags: marinette leaves; weird magic headcanons to explain things; mentions of an Akuma attack

❥︎ word count: 1,734

series masterlist | chapter 1

This day couldn’t have started better for Marinette Dupain-Cheng; for once, she wasn’t late for school, waking up earlier than her alarm, in fact. She didn’t rush her morning routine, there were no accidents consisting of tripping down the stairs or spilling food, and the girl was on her way to school in no time.

The school day was also quite nice, not as full of mishaps as it usually is. ‘It truly is miraculous!’ Marinette thought to herself as she walked across the street to her home, ‘Even Chloé didn’t bother me, actually, that was kind of weird’. The girl pushed open the front door to her home and was immediately greeted by her loving parents. It seemed like they were waiting for her.

—“Hey mom! Hey dad! What’s up?” Marinette asked.

—“Hi, honey, me and your father need to talk to you. You’re not in trouble, of course, but it is quite urgent. Here, let’s sit down,” Sabine, Marinette’s mother, gently stated.

The family goes to sit at their dining table. The young girl’s thoughts were running wild, and her hands were growing slightly cold and shaky.

—“So… what is it?”

—“… Well, ahem, your mother and I got a business offer that would help us move up in the world!” Tom replied.

—“Oh, well, that’s great, I don’t see a problem with it!” Marinette congratulated her parents, feeling elated for them.

—“Yes, it is great, but... we’ll have to move to the United States if we take this offer,” the girl’s mother finally spit out.

Time seemed to stop for a second, but for Marinette, that second felt like an eternity. She stood frozen in her seat, staring almost past her parents sitting in front of her. An uncomfortable, stuffy silence passed before Marinette stood up, her chair almost falling over.

—“But... but we can’t just leave! What about ME? What will I do when we move? I only have two years of school left; all my friends are here; and- and you’re telling me that I’ll just have to start over?” The girl felt her throat closing, unshed tears pooling in her eyes, and various thoughts swirling through her mind.

‘What about Ladybug? What will happen to Paris when she’s gone? Oh god, Chat Noir will be powerless against Hawkmoth all on his own!’ Marinette ran upstairs to her room, ignoring the worried shouts of her parents, who were pleading for her to come back.

The teen girl slammed her attic door shut and fell face first on her sofa, sobbing loudly. Tikki flew out of her bag, worried about her holder.

—“Please don’t cry, Marinette! Everything’s going to work out!” the kwami tried to comfort her.

—“But it won’t, Tikki! Everything’s turned upside down so suddenly, and I just can’t deal with it right now! I don’t even want to THINK about what to do about Ladybug! I don’t want to give you up, but there’ll be no other choice…” Marinette was inconsolable at the moment, so the kwami suggested the two get some rest.

The next morning, Marinette woke up late, silently thanked her good fortune that it was a Saturday, and headed downstairs to freshen up, trying to relieve her swollen eyes and face her parents.

—“Good morning, honey. Are you feeling better today?” her mother asked gently.

—“Morning, mom, yeah... I’m better,” the teen responded, searching through the cupboards for something to eat. “I mulled it over and... I’m fine with it. Obviously, it’s a big change, but if it’s going to make you and dad happy, then let’s do it!” Marinette smiled brightly. Just then, a thought popped into her head, “Uhm, mom? When exactly are we moving?”

—“Oh! Well, see, this was struck upon us quite suddenly, and we ourselves needed a bit of time to process it... so, we have a bit over a week to move,” her father coughed out quickly, coming into the room.

—“…WHAT? But- but that’s such a short amount of time!” the girl shouted, shocked by the news, though she deflated just as swiftly, “I would’ve thought we had more time, not- not a week...”

—“Well, don’t you worry,” Marinette’s father rubbed her shoulder reassuringly, “a week is quite enough time if we start now!”

That week, the teen girl didn’t know how to break the news to her friends, especially Alya. She kept putting it off until her very last day of school. Marinette rushed to class on Friday with a box of macarons her dad had made and a few hand-crafted bracelets and charms in hand. She tripped a few times along the way but made it to class just in time.

The school day was quite ordinary, though a bit chilly from the crisp early December air. As school ended, she broke the news to her friends. Tears were shed, lungs were nearly crushed from tight embraces, and heartfelt goodbyes were shared. Alya, Nino and Adrien could only watch sadly as their friend left for home.

Unfortunately, her last day in Paris was also the same day Hawkmoth decided to send out one of his Akumas to terrorize the city — a deranged farewell of sorts, the girl pondered as she ran for cover. She swiftly transformed into Ladybug and, with the help of Chat Noir, took down the villain in no time.

The two heroes were about to part ways. The heroine asked her partner if he could meet her on top of the Eiffel Tower after re-transforming. Of course, the feline-themed hero eagerly agreed. As they met up, Chat looked at his lady with anticipation, but then she broke the news.

—“…Chaton… I don’t- I have... to leave Paris, and I don’t think I will ever return.” Ladybug couldn’t look her partner in the eyes, not ready to see the expression on his face.

Chat Noir looked like he was about to break down, but he calmed himself and went to comfort his distressed friend. The teen boy promised her to continue protecting their beloved city and become partners with the next Ladybug Miraculous holder.

And so, the pair of heroes, partners, and friends hugged and bumped their fists together before parting ways for the last time.

—“Pound it!”

The heroine leapt across the rooftops, intent on heading home, before remembering one more person she had to visit, perhaps the most important one. Swiftly changing directions, Marinette hid behind a dumpster in an empty alleyway, then walked the rest of the way to Master Fu’s residence, the cold air nipping at the apples of her cheeks. The teen girl opened the door and saw Wang Fu with his back turned before he addressed her.

—“Hello, Marinette, what brings you here today?” asked Master Fu.

The girl stood in the doorway with Tikki by her side, unsure of how to break the news to him. She went to stand by him, and the old man turned to face her as she spoke.

—“Uhm… Master, I should’ve probably told you this earlier, but... I- I’m leaving Paris permanently.”

—“My, that is of importance...” Fu replied, walking away from Marinette, looking through his dresser, opening a couple of drawers, searching for something unknown to her, “You do understand that you cannot take the Miraculous with you, right?”

—“Aha!” It seems that he found whatever he was looking for.

—“Of course, Master, I’ve accepted it as much as I could,” the girl replied, confused but not questioning him.

—“Alright, then, to sever the soul ties between you and Tikki, you must take this.” As he spoke, he handed her a small fabric bag.

Marinette stood there, eyebrows raised, confused out of her mind, wondering just what the hell was inside. Master Fu noticed her gaze.

—“This bag contains a secret blend of herbs and spices to help you recover quickly from the aftermath of the separation. Though it is not lethal, all holders feel as if they have lost a piece of themselves. The bond between a holder and their Kwami hurts more or less, depending on your connection.”

—“Will I still be able to remember any of this?” Marinette asked.

—“Yes, you will. Only the memories will become murky as time goes on. You will not remember secret information, only a blurry picture,” the elder replied.

—“…oh…”

Master Fu handed her a cup of steaming liquid, presumably the very herbs he had been talking about.

—“Drink up, this will help you reduce most of the symptoms in advance.”

Marinette did as instructed, gulping down the hot liquid, her throat confused by the oddly tropical yet spicy and sour blend of flavors. After setting the cup aside with a sigh, the girl turned to face a strangely quiet Tikki.

The pair looked at each other, committing themselves to memory for what was definitely the last time. All the time they had spent bonding was gone so suddenly, as if someone had pulled the brakes at the last possible second. The little creature gave in first, flying over to Marinette’s face and hugging her as far as her little limbs could let her. The girl embraced her back almost instantly, her eyes welling up with tears.

—“I’ll miss you so, so much, Tikki...”

—“I will miss you too, Marinette, you will always be one of my favorite holders.”

Shaky hands reached up to the earrings — such unsuspecting little jewels, yet they held so much power within them. The girl removed the backings from the rest of the earrings and watched as her beloved friend disappeared into them with a bright pink light, the black studs reverting to their iconic red and black spotted theme. Marinette stared at the two pieces in her palm longingly before handing them over to Master Fu.

—“Be very careful over the next few weeks. A splitting headache is the most common symptom after separation. Drink this tea blend twice a day. You should feel better after a month,” he said, putting the Miraculous back into the Miracle Box.

Another farewell was spoken that day, and with it went another piece of her old life.

Early in the morning, the Dupain-Cheng family left for the airport, their home empty and barren, a shell of what it used to be, now left behind. As they boarded the plane, Marinette sat in the window seat and looked out the window.

—“Goodbye, Paris… I’ll miss you,” she murmured softly.

series masterlist | chapter 1

❥︎ author's note: This is a re-write of the original chapter!

❥︎ series taglist: @leafanonsforest @ok-boke @they2luv1naia @mytaiyakeylover (if you wanna get added, lmk!)

❥︎ posted: 2023 | 05 | 25

#❥︎.lilian writes #❥︎.new bug in town #adrien agreste x reader #chat noir x reader #miraculous ladybug x reader #cat noir x reader #mlb x reader #gn!reader

313 notes · View notes

knifedancer · 1 year

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Not Dating

Day by day, one by one, Marinette’s classmates noticed that the young designer had gotten closer to Felix. Close enough to be considered dating. Finally, the entire class is convinced that the two ARE dating.

The only problem is that Felix nor Marinette seem to know about it.

Felix (PV) x Marinette, posted to AO3.

~~~~~~~

~~~SCENE 1: Lila~~~

Lila was walking down a shopping district when she caught sight of her favorite victim—er, classmate eating at a nearby café. Carefully maneuvering around the outdoor patio in a way so that she would not be seen, she noticed that Marinette was not alone… Across from her sat the snobbish cousin of Adrien’s: Felix Graham-Agreste. The Italian narrowed her eyes as she took in their chummy atmosphere. ‘When did they get so close?’

“Oh my gosh, Marinette! What a coincidence!” The liar called out as she exited her hiding spot.

The designer’s countenance darkened a bit as the liar approached, her voice dropping into a flat irritated tone. “Lila.” The snake’s eyes gleamed with a cruel light, her smile becoming a bit sharper.

“What do you want, Rossi?” Came the exasperated, blunt voice of her pale blond companion. Rude.

“What? Can’t I say hello to my classmates? I stop by this café all the time; the owner is like a father to me. I highly recommend the pasta!”

“It’s a boba café, they don’t sell pasta!” Cried the exasperated class president.

“Well, it’s on the secret men—”

“Hi, order number 42?” A waiter interrupted, pointing to the little plastic table number resting beside Felix’s elbow. “Who had the honeydew milk tea?” Marinette raised her hand and he set it before her. “And one matcha milk tea for the gentleman. Please enjoy.”

The two teens stared down Lila as the waiter left two straws and returned to his post inside to take orders. She scoffed as she sauntered away, pretending to look over the posted menu while spying on the pair. ‘Perhaps I can get something good to lie about at school tomorrow…’ she thought, watching them from the corner of her eye.

“Mm, this honeydew is delicious!” The bluenette remarked while sipping happily on her drink.

“Let me try,” Lila watched as Felix grabbed the drink right out of Marinette’s hands.

“Hey! Don’t steal all my tapioca pearls, jerk!”

The blond brought the same straw to his lips to take a sip. “Hmm, you’re right, not too sweet.” The designer’s scowl transformed into a smug smile as he set the glass back down in front of her, continuing to enjoy her drink without a second thought.

‘Did they just…indirectly kiss?! Oh my, talk about juicy gossip!’ Lila’s lips curled into a wicked smile; she couldn’t wait to twist this into a new story tomorrow!

~~~ The next day…

“You’ll never believe this, girls. Marinette was on a date with Felix!” Lila sobbed, “After I told her how much I liked him, too!”

“Aw, Lila…I’m sure that’s not what it was,” Mylene comforted the girl.

“I saw it! They were all lovey-dovey, sharing a drink—” The liar attempted.

“Girl, are you sure that your lying disease isn’t acting up again?” Alya asked skeptically as Lila tensed. “I mean…Marinette and Felix? Pfft, that’d never happen!”

“Does seem rather far-fetched,” murmured Juleka in agreement.

“But I really saw—" she tried again in vain.

“Shh, it’s okay. Why don’t you tell us more about your recent trip to Achu instead, Lila?” Rose begged the flabbergasted liar.

~~~SCENE 2: Adrien~~~

It was Saturday and the teen heartthrob of Paris had just finished a photoshoot early. Nathalie had even agreed to let him enjoy a little free time! ‘Too bad Nino is busy with Alya today,’ he thought glumly as he looked around the park. Spying his favorite designer’s balcony in the distance brought a smile to his face once again. ‘Maybe Marinette would want to play some UMS III!’ Destination set, Adrien began crossing the park at a leisurely pace, enjoying the sun and the breeze on such a pleasant day.

He watched as kids chased each other through the park, vendors sold balloons and treats, and friends picnicked on checkered blankets. The model smiled as his roaming eyes noted happy couples – like the two giggling college students holding hands as they walked, Marinette and Felix lounging under a tree, the young man chasing—WAIT. Marinette and Felix were what?

Adrien’s eyes locked back onto the pair beneath the tree in disbelief. Felix was sitting with his back against the trunk while reading the book he held in one hand. Sprawled out between his knees was a slumbering bluenette, her sketchpad forgotten on her lap while her fingers still twitched with the pencil between the digits. Her body was slumped slightly to the right, her head lazily resting against his cousin’s chest. Dumbstruck, he continued to stare as Felix brought his free hand up to turn the page before returning it back to its original place, his silver ring gleaming in a wayward sunbeam as his fingers idly played with one of Marinette’s pigtails.

They looked…comfortable. Closer than he remembered them being.

Marinette seemed to stir, her eyes squinting slightly against the sunlight before she began to shift. The blond’s hand extracted itself from her hair, his eyes falling away from those crisp white pages to gaze down at the girl in his lap. The bluenette resettled on her left side, half curled against his chest and readily fell back to sleep. With unbridled fascination, Adrien watched a soft smile spread across Felix’s face before his hand cupped around her cheek to gently play with the short hairs that curled in front of her ears. His smile never wavered as his eyes returned back to the book in his other hand as if the whole exchange had never happened.

Felix looked…happy and, perhaps, in love?

‘Are they…dating?’ The model’s brow scrunched in thought, considering the whole exchange as he quietly walked in the opposite direction. ‘Good for them. I should congratulate them at school tomorrow!’

‘Maybe Luka is available for a jam session,’ Adrien pulled out his phone to call the older boy.

~~~SCENE 3: Adrien and Alix~~~

After school the next day, while waiting for his ride, Adrien flagged down his cousin coming down the stairs. Felix gave his usual short greeting before expectantly looking at him. Noting they didn’t have much time to spare, he decided to cut to the chase.

“I noticed you and Marinette have gotten rather close recently,” Adrien smiled warmly.

“Yes, she’s been very welcoming and warm. She grows on you, much like a fungus,” the snobbish blond replied while his eyes drifted towards the entry way as if looking for someone.

“Come on, Fe! You don’t need to be so obtuse. She’s really special, isn’t she?” The model raised his eyebrows, attempting to put a heavier meaning behind his words. All he got was a distracted, affirmative hum in reply. Settling a hand on his cousin’s shoulder, his grey eyes shifted back to Adrien. The model looked directly into Felix’s eyes with a bright smile, “I just wanted to tell you that I’m really happy for you two!”

His cousin’s face scrunched up in confusion but, before he could question the green eye blond, his attention was captured by a shriek coming from the stairs behind them. Felix turned just in time to catch a flying bluenette against his chest with an “oof!” before she could hit the ground.

Alix jumped down from the top step and swooped around them in her skates, looking frantic. “Oh my gods, Mari! I’m so sorry, I thought you saw me coming. Are you okay?”

“Kubdel, what the hell were you thinking? You know Marinette has her head in the clouds 80% of the time!” Felix scolded the pink haired girl while setting the young designer down on her feet, keeping her in the protective ring of his arms. Turning to her, his tone became a tender and worried murmur, “Are you alright, princess?”

“I’m purrfectly fine, she didn’t mean to bump into me! Besides,” Alix and Adrien watched as her smile turned fond, “you caught me before I could get hurt. My hero.” She pretended to swoon and, although Felix scowled, his eyes remained soft. They watched as he took her bag from her shoulder and then grabbed her hand. Neither classmate missed how the grey eyed boy threaded his fingers through hers.

“You’re likely to fall over if I don’t hold onto you. Let’s get you home in one piece, shall we?” He nodded to the two as he led Marinette away, the unlikely duo murmuring to themselves – smiling and laughing as if in their own little world.

“Are those two dating?” Alix inquired with obvious confusion.

“Yup, I saw them cuddling in the park over the weekend. I was pretty surprised but I’m happy for them. I think she’s good for him,” Adrien grinned.

“Huh. I always thought she’d end up with you,” the pink haired girl shrugged and skated away from the now blushing blond.

“Wait, what?!”

~~~SCENE 4: Amelie~~~

The Graham-Agreste family didn’t travel outside of Paris much these days but, when they did, it was usually for a week at a time. Amelie had warned her son about the impending trip to visit a business contact in Greece and he seemed less than thrilled. She suspected it had something to do with the sweet classmate he had been spending so much free time with. She wasn’t blind but pretended to be whenever Felix’s face softened and an unconscious smile spread on his face when he would receive a text from her. She even had her own ringtone! And today? Why, Amelie was in for quite the treat because that very classmate appeared at their door just a few hours ago to help Felix pack for his trip.

She didn’t miss the chance to remind her teenage son to leave his door open as she didn’t wish to be a grandmother…yet. Nor did she miss both turning bright red at the implication of her words.

Amelie had checked a few times – while walking down the hallway, she didn’t want to cramp his style – and noted that he had left the door ajar as requested. This allowed her to catch snippets of their muffled conversation and laughter in passing. Not that she was trying to eavesdrop, but those joyful sounds made her so happy. It made her heart swell that Felix had finally found someone he could relax and be himself with! Her grumpy little man had made a friend – a girl friend no less – and Amelie was over the moon!

‘Come to think of it, it has been a while and they are awful quiet…’ she internally mused. ‘Better go check on them.’

The older blond set down her crossword and headed upstairs, approaching the bedroom door as quietly as she could. She heard nothing as she paused outside the door. Curiosity getting the better of her, she pushed the door open soundlessly. She had to bite her lip to stop from cooing over what she found!

Felix’s carryon was packed and set at the foot of the bed with care, a light jacket draped over the handle in preparation of their early flight. A single lamp on his nightstand was on, illuminating the scene before her in the dusk-colored room. In the middle of the duvet lay the two teens, about a foot apart but facing each other, unconsciously holding hands as they peacefully napped side-by-side. Tiptoeing to the end of the bed, Amelie pulled out her phone and snapped a few silent photos – noting with glee the tiny smile on her son’s face as he slept. With an airy sigh through her nose, she silently departed so the two could rest.

‘They make such a cute couple! I’ll have to frame these photos for when they get married…’

~~~SCENE 5: Juleka and Nathaniel~~~

A few weeks later, Madame Bustier had paired up students for an art history project. Juleka and Nathaniel had scheduled some time during lunch to study in the library, hoping to get the necessary books for their chosen historical figure: Marcel Duchamp. They greeted the librarian and headed towards the art history section, flipping through various books to find the most relevant information. Suddenly a giggle cut through the quiet and caught the attention of the two studious classmates. Peeking around the end of the row and looking toward the beanbag chairs in the reading nook, they spied two teens engaging in a tickle fight. Their eyes widened as they realized the grinning blond was none other than Felix and the snorting giggles were escaping a very pink, writhing Marinette.

“Is that…are they…” Nathaniel questioned under his breath, Juleka nodding vaguely to confirm that she was witnessing the same thing. This was not the work of an akuma.

They watched silently as the bluenette twisted and struggled to evade the blond boy’s nimble fingers, eventually ending up tangled and panting in an embrace that resembled a human Gordian Knot. Her legs were draped across his lap and an ankle hooked around one of his, her arms weaved and locked around his upper torso, her fingers driven into his hair. Felix’s head rested against her collar bone, his eyes shut, and lips curved into a smug smile. Their bodies were pressed so tightly together that not even a breeze could get between them. “You could have just told me you wanted to nap! Gods, you’re such a cat sometimes!” Marinette scolded softly with a huff of laughter, her fingers petting the skin and long hair at the base of his neck as the boy seemed to melt further against the young designer.

“Do you think they’re dating?” Juleka whispered in amazement.

“Certainly seems like it,” the red head replied.

~~~SCENE 6: Mylene and Rose~~~

“…And the whole park just looks so lovely with all those new trees planted! Thank you for helping with my beautification project, Rose!” Mylene expressed happily to the strawberry blond beside her as they wandered into the cafeteria.

“I was so happy to help. The flowers are going to smell amazing when they begin to blossom!” Rose swooned softly before bumping into someone in her distracted state. “Oh, hey Marinette! What have you got there?”

“Hey guys! I made bento boxes today, want to see?” The bluenette opened the two boxes for their perusal. Inside were tiny hotdog octopi piled so close together that they seemed to be kissing, slices of fried chicken, rice balls with seaweed hearts stuck all over them, and a small salad filled with heart shaped veggies. The two girls cooed over each detail, noting the obvious theme…

“Did you make these for your crush, Marinette?” Rose chirped sweetly, “So romantic!”

“Wh-what?! N-no, no! I just made these because I wanted to…” the young designer blushed crimson at their words and nervously rubbed the back of her neck. “I kind of fell down a YouTube rabbit hole with Kagami the other day and became super obsessed with the idea. I’m not very good though, I still need a bunch of practice…”

The colorful dreadlocked girl smiled kindly, “I think it’s really sweet! You know, I bet Adrien would—”

“Oh shoot! Sorry, girls, I promised Felix we’d have lunch together to work on our project and I really want to eat before this gets cold,” interrupted a distracted Marinette as she packed up her bento, her face scrunched as she took in the grumpy blond at the far end of the cafeteria.

“Sure, see you later, Mari!” Rose and Mylene watched as their friend crossed the room to sit with Felix. “They’ve been spending a lot of time together lately, huh?”

The mousey girl nodded, watching in fascination as their class rep seemed to scold the pale blond for only eating an apple before spreading the two bento boxes between them on the table. Felix responded with an eyeroll from the other side of his book, but Marinette just gesticulated her hand brandishing chopsticks to wave off his arguments. They were taken aback a moment later when she scooped a mouthful from the box and blew away the steam, then offered it to the boy with a silent ‘say ah!’ The grump seemed to huff before dutifully taking the morsel into his mouth, not letting her feeding him interrupt his reading. Marinette smiled brightly and continued to feed them both in this fashion, completely oblivious of the two shocked girls watching from afar.

The petite bubbly girl squealed with joy! “Do you think she actually made the bento for Felix? Oh my goodness, she filled it with hearts!”

“And he accepted it! We’ve got to tell the girls!” Mylene gushed, thrilled to see their sweet friend find love and appreciation.

Looks like the Adrienette fan club needs to disband…

~~~SCENE 7: Kim~~~

It was date night with his girl, Ondine. He had lost their bet at swim practice, so she got to pick the movie – some American “classic” called Grease playing at a small, off-the-beaten-path theater. She seemed happy so Kim wasn’t about to complain. ‘I just hope it’s not a total chick flick! I’ll have to catch the latest John Wick with the guys next weekend…’ he internally sighed. It was early evening on a weeknight, a few bored employees manned the front, and very few patrons were in attendance. Most appeared to be couples out on their own dates. The two athletic teens settled into their seats near the back – prime make out territory for couples, oh yeah – just in time for the lights to dim.

Suddenly, about five minutes into the film, the entry door on the opposite side of the auditorium opened with a loud BANG and made everyone present jump. Kim heard a familiar voice call out a whispered “sorry!” before catching sight of a couple quietly making their way down the aisle and settling a few rows down from where he was. One tall, lanky, dour blond and a shorter, contrite looking bluenette… Wait, was that Felix and Marinette? As Ondine hummed and danced in her seat to ‘Summer Lovin,’ Kim curiously watched as the duo took their seats in the back half of the theater. Once seated, there was some sort of frantic movement from Marinette before Felix settled his arm over her shoulders and pulled her closer; the young designer’s head coming to rest against his chest. Kim’s eyebrows shot up to his hairline and his jaw dropped.

Were they on a DATE?

Distracted, Kim draped his arm around his girlfriend and stared off towards the screen unseeing for a few moments, the gears in his head slowly turning. They arrived together. They seemed cuddly with each other. His eyes widened. ‘Wait, they…’ He glanced over a few times to verify, ‘…they sat in the make out section!’ By the time the characters were dancing around the carnival to ‘We Go Together,’ the Vietnamese boy noticed out of the corner of his eye that Felix had long ago rested his head on top of Mari’s and had occasionally rubbed his cheek against her dark hair.

Maybe it wasn’t really them?

The credits rolled and the dim house lights came on, allowing him to get a better look at the couple as they got up to leave. Oh, yup, it was definitely Felix and Marinette. He nodded along as Ondine gushed about the film, watching his classmates ahead of them from his peripherals. Marinette was gesturing widely, her eyes lit up in a way that only happened when she spoke about fashion. The grouchy teen was gone, a warm smile on his face as he gazed down at the girl beside him. Once outside, he watched as the smile turned into a frown once again – this time only because the bluenette was shivering. He thought he heard the blond murmur “are you cold, Bug?” but he wasn’t sure. For the second time that night, Kim was shocked as Felix shrugged out of his coat and draped it around the dark-haired girl before pulling her close as they walked down the street.

Ondine looked between Kim and the couple, tilting her head a bit. “Isn’t that your friend, Marinette?”

“Yeah…” the taller boy replied hesitantly.

“Wow, she and her boyfriend make such a cute couple!”

~~~SCENE 8: Chloe & Nino~~~

Nino’s groan of frustration was so loud that it reverberated off the walls of the hallway, “Chloe! Look, I’m not thrilled about having to do this report with you either but I’m not going to let you just not do anything!”

The haughty blond girl huffed, crossing her arms with a pout. “I can’t believe you’re going to make me do…” She paused, her mouth opening and closing like she was attempting to spit out something foul tasting, “…homework, Lahiffe. I have far more interesting things to do – like my mani-pedi! These hands don’t just look perfect all on their own!”

“Just use your phone to search for some information on Louise Bourgeois. You insisted on picking her since you’re related but you have to do more than pick the topic!”

Chloe scoffed and turned towards the other blond that had wandered out of the classroom, “Felikins, tell Lahiffe here that a young woman like myself has important needs!”

Felix settled against the wall beside the classroom door and rolled his eyes. He opened his mouth to reply when a stumbling blur came through the doorway and seized his attention. Nino watched in fascination as Adrien’s cousin quickly spun – was he always that fast? – and caught the figure in his arms, his face scrunched up in confusion and concern. As he raised himself from a crouch, the DJ was able to see he now held a barely conscious Marinette.

“Dudette! She okay?” Nino stepped closer with an outstretched hand, worry evident in his tone. Sure, he hadn’t been able to hang out with her as much lately, but he knew her! His oldest friend tended to push herself too hard and take on too much, plus she had developed a sensitivity to cold recently… Made her susceptible to getting sick very easily.

Then something unexpected happened that stunned them to silence... The grey eyed boy leaned forward and pressed his lips to her forehead, his face transforming from worry to shock before effortlessly scooping the limp bluenette up bridal style. His voice softened, “Marinette, you have a fever! Did you go out without your jacket again?” He huffed as the girl whined weakly in his arms. Turning to the two of them, his tone became all business once more, “Excuse me, it seems I need to take her to the nurse.” The two shocked classmates stepped aside as a very fierce looking Felix hastened down the hall like a man on a mission. Nino could swear he heard Felix’s voice echoed a ‘what am I going to do with you, princess?’ as he turned the corner, but Felix surely wouldn’t say something like that… would he? Then again…

“Did Felix just…kiss Marinette? Do you think they’re dating?” Nino wondered aloud.

His words seemed to snap Chloe out of her stupor, she spun to face him and screeched in disbelief, “What?! Dating? Ridiculous, utterly ridiculous!”

~~~SCENE 9: Sabine & Tom~~~

Sabine was a patient, protective, intuitive woman. She watched her beautiful daughter trip over herself for a boy in her school – a model, no less – she just shook her head. Adrien seemed like a sweet boy but distracted and flighty. Tom thought he seemed like a good match for their sweet girl at first and welcomed him into their home like they would a future son-in-law; Sabine was unconvinced though. Not that she would treat the sweet teen model without her usual kindness – he was her little Bǎobèi‘s friend, after all. He just wasn’t the right one.

However, about half a year later Marinette came home with another blond boy that immediately caught her attention. The new boy, Felix, looked similar to Adrien but was entirely different. Sure, both boys were respectful, handsome, and polite… However, where Adrien was falling over himself for approval and acceptance, Felix walked with a gait that seemed to communicate he needed no one’s approval. She watched with interest as their friendship developed and noted with a smile that the grumpy boy balanced out their daughter’s overexuberance. She softened his hard edges; his quiet support allowed her self-confidence to blossom. He brought structure and order; she ruffled his feathers and introduced some spontaneity to his life. Sabine and Tom had friendly bets going that the two would become something more, but nothing had shown that that was happening. There had been an obvious change in their dynamic a few weeks ago and the bakers were thrilled! Perhaps this was the moment? No.

At this rate, her daughter was going to cost her $30 if they didn’t get together by the end of the month…

It had been a couple days since a worried Felix carried a feverish Marinette home from school. He made sure to come by each day with notes, assignments, and to inquire about her health. Sabine could tell by the way his eyes drifted to the back stairs during each visit that he wanted to see her – not that the taciturn blond would admit such a thing. The two teens were in the living room watching a movie now that she was feeling better. Sabine smiled softly as she washed a few dishes in the sink, ‘As if illness would keep that boy away from your side, Bǎobèi…’ The blond teen was sitting a respectful distance from her daughter on the couch as they chatted about the plot quietly, smiles on both of their faces.

Marinette began to shiver, her body not quite recovered, and whined about feeling cold. Sabine watched as Felix rolled his eyes before getting up, eliciting a louder whine from the girl on the couch. He passed the kitchen with a nod and wordlessly went up the stairs to the designer’s room, returning with a thick fluffy blanket as if he was used to fetching things in their house or for their daughter. Odd. The boy proceeded to drape the blanket over his blue-eyed classmate, carefully tucking it around her whole form before lifting her feet and encasing them as well. Marinette made happy noises as she began to settle in when a sudden movement made her squawk with indignation. Sabine turned in time to see Felix sit closer to her, Marinette’s feet on his lap as he began to unconsciously rub them through the cover of the blanket.

The older bluenette smiled, watching the two returning back to their bantering. Sabine quietly dried her hands and went back down to the bakery. Tom was going to want to hear all about this!

~~~Later…

Tom and his wife tiptoed up the stairs, hoping to catch a glimpse of the two teens without their notice. There, on the couch and basking in the glow of the DVD menu, lay two sleeping teens. Their daughter was cocooned in the blanket like a caterpillar going through metamorphosis, only her head was visible. However, laying slightly behind and draped over the blanket was the slumbering form of Felix. His arms unconsciously pulled her closer, causing their Bǎobèi to hum happily.

“Better be ready to pay up, honey,” whispered Sabine with a grin. “This boy is definitely our Nǚxù.”

Tom chuckled softly, pulling out his phone and opening the notes app. “Do you think he’ll like strawberry crème for their wedding cake?”

“Perhaps lemon, it would go very well with that cream cheese buttercream you’ve been testing out…”

The two adults retreated back to the bakery to continue their discussion, leaving the two teens blissfully unaware that the details of their anticipated nuptials would likely be hammered out by the end of the week.

~~~SCENE 10: Sabrina & Roger Raincomprix~~~

Lt. Roger Raincomprix returned home after his evening patrol, dropping his keys on the entryway table before letting out a long sigh. Tonight had been a long shift but he needed to speak to his daughter before she went to bed… He plodded down the hallway to her room and knocked when he saw the light still shining from beneath the door. “Sabrina? Are you still up, pumpkin?”

“Come on in, Dad!” Roger nervously pushed his way in, finding his smiling daughter dressed in her pajamas and sitting at her desk. “We have a big test tomorrow, so I was just getting in one last review before going to bed.”

“That’s good, honey. We need to have a talk,” the officer sat on the edge of his daughter’s bed and fidgeted with his hands. He wasn’t sure how to broach this topic with his teenage daughter but, some things had happened that evening that made Roger realize that he needed to make sure she was being safe.

“Something wrong, Dad? Did something happen on patrol tonight?” Sabrina’s tone became pensive, concerned for the serious look that her father was sporting.

He dropped his eyes to the floor, flexing his hands in and out of fists as he spoke haltingly. “Yes. Uh…well… Pumpkin, you’re a young woman now. Hormones are hard to deal with as a teen and you’re…going to meet someone special…and you’re going to have some urges—”

“DAD!” The scandalized cry brought his eyes up to meet her own wide, cyan-colored eyes. “Are you…trying to give me the ‘birds and the bees’ talk?”

He swallowed thickly, “Yes, sweetie. You’re sixteen now and—”

His daughter crossed her arms and gave him a flat look as she interrupted again, “I don’t even have a romantic interest right now, Dad. We already covered this in Sex Ed. What is this really about? What happened on patrol?”

Roger gave a long sigh and his brow furrowed. ‘I shouldn’t tell her what happened but… Sabrina wouldn’t tell anyone.’

He cleared his throat. “There was an incident with two of your classmates tonight in the park—”

“WHAT? Who?”

“Sabine’s daughter, Marinette, and that blond kid…what was his name again? Not the model.”

“Felix Graham-Agreste?”

He snapped his fingers, “That’s the one! Caught the two of them in the park canoodling…”

~~Earlier…

Lt. Raincomprix whistled softly as he walked past the hero statue in the park. It had been a quiet shift besides the akuma – not that he could assist with that! – which the heroes apparently wrapped up a few minutes ago, if the recent swarm of ladybugs was any indication. ‘I wonder what those two do after the fight? Chat Noir seems suave, he’s probably some playboy…’ Suddenly a crash and groans were heard. Roger pulled out his flashlight and rushed toward the bushes where the noise originated. There, he found two teens he recognized from his daughter’s class in a compromising position…

Felix Graham-Agreste was slouched back against the trunk of a tree and Marinette Dupain-Cheng was slumped forward between his knees, both staring towards the light with wide eyes. Their hair and clothes were in disarray, small twigs and leaves attached to the strands as if they had been rolling through the bushes. One of the bluenette’s hands was resting upon his thigh, while the other was gripping the front of his belt. The blond had a hand on the back of her head and the other pressed against her upper back, as if pulling her towards him. Felix’s shirt had been untucked and ridden up to expose his stomach; Marinette’s shirt gaped open in the front where a few buttons had popped off to reveal the lacy shoulder strap of her bra.

“What do you two think you’re doing? A park is no place for a lover’s tryst!” Lt. Raincomprix exclaimed.

The two looked each other over briefly before turning red in the face, the small girl squeaked in embarrassment as the boy pulled her close to cover her exposed décolletage and flaming face. He cleared his throat to try to regain some semblance of decorum. “Our apologies, Officer. We weren’t… this isn’t… this was an accident…”

“So are many babies that come from young teenage relationships, son. I understand, I was a young, hot-blooded man myself once.” Roger chuckled at the memory of his adolescent escapades. The two teens in front of him rose to their feet, a flustered Marinette clutched the front of her shirt closed as a more composed Felix kept an arm around her while he continued to shield her from view with his body. “Head on home. I don’t want to be finding you two in the bushes after dark again, you hear?”

The two teens nodded and started the trek back towards the bakery, Roger could hear the bluenette muttering about this being all the boy’s fault. Before they could escape the park, the officer called back out to them. “Oh! And remember to use protection!” He could see the pale blond stiffen and a new flush of red go up the back of his neck at the comment. He chuckled and murmured quietly, “Kids these days…”

~~~Present…

“…I know they’re in your class and you’re all about the same age. It’s totally natural to express your love that way. I just wanted to have a talk with you to make sure that you’ll be safe.” Roger smiled at his daughter and ruffled her hair. “Alright, pumpkin, thanks for hearing me out. Just wait to give me grandkids until you’re a bit older, hm?” He chuckled and walked from the room with a wave. “Sweet dreams and good luck on that test tomorrow!”

A gaping Sabrina stared at the door that her father closed behind him, trying to grasp the facts – Felix and Marinette were apparently caught in a park together.

Were they even dating? It was obviously serious!

Or was he just using her?

How had no one noticed?

She needed to talk to Chloe!

~~~SCENE 11: Max~~~

The cafeteria was busy when Max Kanté wandered in, almost every seat was taken, and a few students had even braved sitting on the notoriously filthy tabletops. Markov scanned the area and found an empty chair near the resident grumpy blond in the corner – was he saving it for someone? Or perhaps most were just too intimidated to ask? Based on various factors, the bespectacled teen calculated that he had a 64.8% chance of success approaching him verses someone else in their class. He’d take those odds.

Approaching the distant table, he noted that Felix Graham-Agreste was focused – leaned forward on elbows and brow furrowed – on a laptop screen in front of him and, once he was within two meters of his target, that it appeared he was playing a video game. Max’s curiosity was peaked. “Hello Felix, apologies, I noticed you were playing a game. I was unaware you were a gamer. Perhaps you would be interested in being a beta test—”

The blond winced slightly and sat back, looking up at the suspender-wearing boy with a wry smirk. “I’m not, Kante. I am attempting to try a game recommended to me by an acquaintance. I’m afraid this endeavor is likely fruitless.”

“Oh,” Max paused, unsure how to continue the conversation. “Well, if you change your mind, I wouldn’t mind a non-gamer perspective. My games should be user friendly to professionals and novices alike.” Felix hummed in response, his eyes returning to the screen where 32-bit sprites bounced in place while awaiting orders. ‘Likely an emulator game considering the archaic graphics,’ he thought to himself.

He cleared his throat and rested his hand on the back of the open chair. “I actually came here to ask if I could take the chair or are you saving it?”

Felix’s eyes flickered over the item before he waved dismissively, “Take it. I’m not saving it.”

“Many thanks. Enjoy your game.” The blond teen snorted in reply and turned back towards his computer.

Max moved to a table nearby, settling in to eat with a few members of the AV club to discuss the latest technology released at the recent Consumer Electronics Show (CES). While one boy animatedly spoke of the newest VR technologies, the bespectacled boy noticed Marinette swerving between the tables; he raised his hand to greet her, but she only gave a wave in passing before stopping beside Felix. Unusual. The distance between them was not great and, though he did not mean to, he could not help eavesdropping inadvertently.

“Hey Felix! Are you…playing a game?” The bluenette leaned over his shoulder, tilting her head at what was displayed.

“Yes, although not very well.” He chuckled softly.

“…But you don’t like video games,” he hummed as she paused in thought. “What brought on the change of heart?”

Felix roughly cleared his throat and preoccupied himself with brushing nonexistent dust from the keyboard keys rather than meeting her eyes. When he finally spoke, Max could barely hear his voice over the general din. “…You enjoy it.” Were his ears red? That had to be a trick of the light!

Marinette whipped her head towards him, blinking a few times as she absorbed his words. Max could see the instant they sunk in: her cheeks took on a rosy glow, her eyes softened, and a sweet smile spread across her face. Were they…flirting? Max was unsure. She leaned in a bit closer, “So…what are we playing?”

Felix seemed to recover some of his normal composure at her reply, “Final Fantasy 7, unfortunately.”

“Wait, the original 1997 release? I love that game!” Marinette glanced around for a chair, frowning when she didn’t see one available. She contemplated the tabletop with a quick swipe of her hand, grimacing at finding something sticky. She wiped her hand lightly on her dark wash jeans and mumbled something that made the boy scoff. They seemed to exchange a look before he sat back and made a gesture in front of him.

Wait! Was Felix Graham-Agreste offering what Max thought he was offering?

No! Couldn’t be! There was only a 13.7% chance that…

Max stared with wide eyes as the blue-eyed designer smiled graciously before casually taking a seat on the blond’s lap – as if this was an everyday occurrence! – before proceeding into a detailed breakdown of the game mechanics and basic strategy. Felix loosely looped an arm around her waist to hold her steady while her hands fluttered about to emphasize her words. The pale blond rested his chin on her shoulder, his eyes attentive and focused on the screen once more, nodding along while his body language communicated contentment. Lifting the sleeve of his green polo shirt, Max pinched himself to make sure he was not imagining this strange manifestation, then glanced around for an akuma for good measure. Nope, this was real.

‘Looks like I need to adjust my calculations…’ he thought, baffled.

~~~SCENE 12: The Whole Class~~~

After a few long days of presentations and exams (and multiple late-night stress-induced akumas – midterms, amirite?), students were rewarded with a school board mandated half day as a “stress relief” measure. Dupont’s was scheduled on Wednesday and teachers had doubled up on homework assignments, but Madam Bustier’s class wasn’t going to look a gift horse in the mouth! The sun was shining, the birds were singing, and they had time off from school! They quickly arranged for a potluck styled picnic in the park and most of their group had arrived by the allotted time…

“Hey, where’s Marinette and Felix?” Max questioned.

“Don’t know about Felix but you know my girl, she’s always running late,” Alya chuckled.

“They’re probably coming together!” Rose chirped from beside a nodding Mylene. Juleka seemed to be murmuring something about a Felinette fan club to a perplexed Ivan.

The Ladyblogger scoffed, “Yeah right. They can barely stand each other at school.” Alix seemed to be quietly chuckling at something Nathaniel was muttering about from the shade of a nearby tree.

Nino and Adrien shared a look beside a smug Kim. “They seemed pretty chummy to me,” the jock shrugged while the other two boys nodded emphatically.

Lila crossed her arms with a huff, “I tried to tell you, Aly—”

“Pardon our tardiness, someone couldn’t pick what flavor juice they wanted…” interrupted Felix with an annoyed tone.

Everyone turned to see the grumpy blond, who had suddenly appeared and was setting down a few boxes of pastries from the boulangerie. He was dressed in a crisp white linen button up, the long sleeves belying the warmth in the air, with his typical grey vest and slacks. Trailing behind was a contrite looking Marinette carrying a large jug of grape juice, her flirty grey skirt and short-sleeved white blouse with white embroidery seeming to match Felix in a casual way. Most present would agree that that was the best way to describe the pair: formal vs. casual, yet somehow complimentary. Well, most people anyway – Alya called it a coincidence!

“There were too many options,” she protested with a scoff, “rich people apparently like to have a bazillion different kinds of juice!”

“It’s called ‘having a selection’ and that’s not even a number!” The boy snarked back, wandering closer to Adrien with an eyeroll. The designer grumbled as she poured herself a cup of juice.

“Now that everyone’s here, let’s get this party started!” Nino cried while pumping a fist in the air, cueing Max to start up the tunes while the group mingled over snacks and students settled into a rough circle on a collection of picnic blankets.

Everyone was laughing and having a good time, although many were stealing glances at the bluenette and pale blond as they seemed to coordinate or maneuver around each other like some kind of elaborate dance. His hand steadying her elbow as she wobbled while getting up, her wordlessly placing a few extra cheese squares onto his plate, a tap or a smile or a shoulder bump somehow communicating each other’s needs without words. The food began to dwindle after a couple amicable – if scrutinizing – hours passed. All that remained was a handful of badly bruised fruit and the dwindling drink supply. It was during a moment when Marinette was refilling her cup with juice at the nearby table and Felix turned a certain way that it happened…

“Uh, Fe… You have something on your collar.” Adrien pointed towards his own neck to indicate the general location. “Did you spill something on yourself?”

“No,” puzzled the teen in question, popping open the top button, pulling the collar away from his neck and into the edges of his field of vision.

“Yeah, dude, it kinda looks like lipstick?” Nino helpfully contributed.

Felix face morphed into a flat look of irritation before leaning back to call over his shoulder, “You got lipstick on me again?”

‘AGAIN?’ The class thought simultaneously, shocked speechless.

Oblivious to the turmoil he had created in their classmates, the grumpy blond turned to speak directly to the approaching bluenette. “What is it with you and always leaving marks on me, hm?”

Jaws slackened, unsure what to make of such a bold statement. However, Alya’s eyes had zeroed in on the exposed skin around Felix’s collar bones and shoulder… which were covered in light scratches. Scratches that were obviously made by human fingernails rather than by an animal. ‘As if given in the heat of passion…’ The thought caused her to choke on a bite of food and left her coughing roughly to clear her windpipe.

“It’s not like I meant to—AH!” Marinette’s toe caught on a rock, lurching her forward and causing the grape juice to go airborne. As if in slow motion, everyone watched in silent fascination as the purple stream crashed down on Felix. With a bland look and soft growl, the now wet teen dragged a hand down his face and looked into the bluebell eyes staring at him in horror. A silent conversation seemed to pass between the two as everyone held their breath – Adrien’s cousin was not known for being forgiving, especially when it came to his clothes. After a couple seconds, the young designer scrambled up and began to blot his face and neck with a few wrinkled napkins that she had crushed in her hand when she fell.

“Oh gods… I’m so, so sorry, Felix!” They watched as his brow furrowed and he captured the wrist of one fussing hand in his. Just as he was about to open his mouth to give a – likely scathing – retort, she suddenly perked up with a determined glint in her eye. In one fluid motion she reversed his hold and yanked them both to their feet. “I know! Let’s go back to my house so you can change, I have one of your shirts from last time!”

With a quick tug and a brusque ‘see ya’ over her shoulder, the two were off! The drenched blond stumbling after the exuberant bluenette bounding gracefully across the grass, moving so fast that they were quickly out of earshot. Leaving behind the cacophony of vocalized reactions of their friends and classmates to such a proclamation…

“Wait—”

“WHAT DO YOU MEAN—”

“…Last time?”

“Do you think that means they…”

“DUDE!”

“…my ship…”

“Damn, get it, bro!”

“Did you see…”

“I told you so!”

“What just happened?!”

“Ridiculous! If you hadn’t already told me, Sabrina, I would not have believed it.” Chloe’s muttered words, although not loud, cut through the din and silenced all present. Twelve sets of eyes landed on the duo as if seeking answers or insider gossip.

“Wait! What do you know, Sabrina?” Alya questioned with narrowed eyes.

“Well…” she hesitated, looking around nervously before dropping her eyes to the checkered pattern of the blanket she sat on. “My dad said, the other night…”

~~~SCENE 13: The Confrontation~~~

No one was really sure how it started but the newest ‘golden couple’ was in the middle of an argument during their free period. Madam Bustier had left to gather more materials for later coursework. Everyone watched with silent interest as Marinette and Felix seemed to forget that the rest of the room existed, teasing smirks and flashing eyes only for each other.

“Oh really?”

“Yeah!”

“You and what army?”

“I don’t need an army, I can best you all by myself.”

“I’d like to see you try.”

The class collectively held their breath as the two edged closer and closer. The space between them on their shared bench disappeared as they leaned in, eyes locked together as grey gazed deeply into blue, nose to nose and humid breaths mingling as they continued to banter. Marinette’s bangs brushed Felix’s forehead as he tilted his head and his features adopted a more cocksure appearance, as if he was challenging her. She leaned ever closer, their lips only a whisper apart as their voices dropped in timbre. Time seemed to slow to a stop in the classroom. The anticipation was so thick that it was choking every ambient sound into silence…

“JUST KISS ALREADY!”

In an instant the spell was broken. Everyone jumped at the screeched words and searched for the source. There stood a panting, flushed Juleka. Her hands planted on her desk as she leaned aggressively forward, a fierce fire burning in her eyes as they bored into Marinette and Felix – as if the strength of her will alone would make it happen. A few groans were heard as the couple leaned away with widened eyes, only now realizing they had an audience.

“What did you say?” questioned the pale blond, his lips turning down into a frown.

“We’re saying you don’t need to hide your relationship anymore,” Ivan smiled softly.

“Guys, what…” the young designer chuckled incredulously.

“We know you two are dating,” answered Kim plainly.

Marinette and Felix’s ruddy complexions mirrored each other, their eyes looking like they might pop from their sockets. The two tripped over their words to contradict but neither were able to get more than a “we’re not—“/”that’s not—” as their tongues tumbled about uselessly in their mouths.

“Don’t even try to deny it, we’ve all seen you two. It’s not like you’re very subtle, Dupain-Cheng!” Chloe crossed her arms and stared down her nose at them.

The tall blond boy was the first to recover, his brow furrowing. “Wait, what do you mean you saw us?”

“I saw you cuddling in the park,” Adrien offered softly.

“And in the library,” Nathaniel contributed while Juleka got herself under control.

“All of you know that Marinette is very physically affectionate, especially when she’s cold.” Felix defended.

Alix scoffed, “What about holding hands and carrying her bags?”

“She’s also incredibly clumsy and regularly hurts herself. I do that to keep her from faceplanting every three meters,” he argued while Mari chuckled softly.

“You two regularly share drinks,” Lila rolled her eyes at the gasped “sorry for not believing you, girl!” coming from Alya beside her.

“And made him bento lunches!” squealed a lovesick Rose.

“Hey! I told you I made those on a whim!” the young designer cried.

“Then why were there so many hearts?” Mylene innocently questioned.

The bluenette blushed, “They were supposed to be flowers…I’m not very good at cutting shapes with a knife.”

“Well, Ondine and I saw you all lovey-dovey at the movies,” presented Kim with an eyebrow waggle.

She crossed her arms and huffed, “I was researching 1950’s American fashion for a design!”

“Uh…dudette…we saw him kiss you,” Nino nervously murmured. Although, by the way the whole class gasped, they had heard him. The Moroccan boy quickly added, “it was on the head!”

Marinette squeaked and looked at the slightly pink boy beside her. Felix turned to meet Nino’s eye, “…she was ill with a fever and I had my hands full, if you will recall.”

Lila’s tone turned salacious, “That doesn’t even cover the scandalous moments…”

“You did seem awfully cuddly playing video games at lunch the other day,” Max stated while adjusting his glasses.

“B-but th-that was…” the designer stuttered weakly before being interrupted.

“Sabrina’s father caught you hooking up in the park,” Kim smirked and winked towards Felix, who showed the telltale signs of a flush spreading up his neck and ears.

“Not to mention the lipstick and scratches!” Alya leaned towards Marinette and whisper shouted, “I didn’t know you had it in you, girl!”

“And he has clothes at your place from last time,” purred the Italian.

“That’s…” the bluenette swallowed hard, “I-I-I was tr-trying to save a k-kit-kitten from the tr-tree in the p-park. F-Felix ca-caught me when I s-slipped, damaged hi-his clothes… He left his sh-shirt for m-me to repair it and he for-forgot to p-pick it up.”

The blond kept his eyes down, his voice was quiet but still carried in the small classroom, “I recently discovered a new allergy to a certain laundry detergent that makes me very itchy and I’ve been scratching myself…”

“Um…what about the lipstick?” a bashful Adrien murmured.

“I hav-haven’t gotten m-m-much sleep lately…” began the designer, pressing her palms together in her lap nervously.

“…She has a tendency to fall asleep on me if I carry her,” Felix finished quietly, his grey eyes holding unreadable emotions.

“We’re just friends,” they flatly replied, their expressions reflecting some internal conflict while unable to meet the other’s eye.

Most of the students collectively groaned again as they hunkered back down into their seats, unable to stand that phrase. Fourteen sets of eyes exchanged looks as the information sank in. The couple’s explanation made a lot of sense in hindsight… Nino and Kim had known Mari for years and she was overly physically affectionate. ‘Plus Alya knows the girl was even more so with cold weather,’ the Moroccan boy thought. He and Kim shrugged it off, who were they to judge? Many others are willing to brush it off as a misunderstanding now that the excitement had passed.

On the other hand, Adrien seemed to grow more flustered since the declaration of friendship, shooting furtive glances towards Marinette – his imagination running wild with the idea of cuddling with the soft, sweet-smelling baker girl. ‘Maybe she and I…’ He was jolted from his daydreams by a tap from Nino’s pen on his arm. The model’s ears and cheeks felt like they would permanently sport a pink coloration. A few Adrienette fan club members squealed quietly as they observed his reactions. However, there were a few classmates that were still suspicious – such as Chloe and Sabrina – that quickly found home with the handful of Felinette shippers as they charted their theories. Some things just felt too convenient and damn, if they didn’t make an adorable couple…

REET! REET! REET!

The akuma alert popped up on every phone in the class, everyone opened it to see the location— BOOM!

RIIIIIING!

A plume of dust rose above the rooftops from a few blocks away and the school’s evacuation bell blared overhead. The students quickly grabbed their things and calmly evacuated away from the action. They all failed to notice a still pink Felix Graham-Agreste grab the hand of a flustered Marinette Dupain-Cheng before running furiously in the opposite direction…

~~~ BONUS SCENE~~~

The akuma took longer than usual. They were both off their game. First, the heroes had been distracted and submerged in the thoughts contained within their own minds. Their communication suddenly became stilted and awkward, filled with embarrassed laughter that would die out like a sputtering engine running out of fuel. Then it was as if they were hyperaware of each other – every touch, glance, and proximity – causing them to jerk away at the most inopportune times.

The worst part?

It wasn’t caused by the akuma.

The issues were not resolved by the Miraculous Cure. So, after recharging – and getting a peptalk from – their kwamis, they rendezvoused on the top of a tall building where they would not be overheard. Feet dangling over the edge, they decided to clear the air.

“I just can’t believe they thought we were dating!” Ladybug cried, her hands fluttering anxiously around her head.

"That cover story about the kitten in the park was genius though." Chat Noir chuckled, “I’m honestly not as surprised. You did suddenly act much closer to me after you revealed your identity.”

“Excuse moi? I was NOT the one that revealed to you! I seem to recall saving your leather-clad butt from being revealed to all of Paris.” The spotted heroine poked him in the shoulder.

“Yeah, yeah…” the black-cloaked hero rolled his eyes, “and you happened to drop your transformation right as we barreled headlong into that broom closet. You landed right on top of me!”

“Fine, I saved both of our asses, Alley Cat!” she grinned teasingly.

Chat threw his head back with a joyous laugh, a more natural grin spreading across his face as he flirtatiously waggled his eyebrows. “Alley Cat who? Our classmates seem to think I’m a House Cat now, Bugaboo.”

Ladybug’s cheeks pinked under her mask at the implication of his joke, her eyes breaking away from his to refocus on another point on the skyline pensively. Had he said something wrong? The lines of Chat’s mouth tugged down at her reaction, leaning closer in an attempt to meet her eyes again when her whisper froze him in place.

“…is the idea of being MY kitty so ridiculous…?”

His eyes widened. Chat swallowed thickly, his mind supplying the same sweet moments their classmates had witnessed and more as his face burned up. Perhaps even a bassinet, family dinners, and kisses. Gods, that sounded…purrfect. A wide grin blossomed from the ashes of his frown and he leaned into her peripherals to catch her eye with a flirty wink.

“Does that mean my princess would like to become my queen?”

The bug-heroine’s eyes snapped to meet his, filled with enough warmth and love to knock the air from his lungs. Within seconds, a playful sparkle and a bright smile broke across her face as she leaned right into his personal space to peck his cheek. His face grew hot, smile lopsided, and he could swear his spine melted a little.

“If you can catch me, Kitty,” launching herself from the building with a laugh as she swung away.

Shaking himself from his stupor, he pulled out his baton and plunged off the side. Challenge accepted. He had a bug to catch!

‘Looks like our classmates will have more to talk about tomorrow…’

**Note: I plan to write a sequel eventually!

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milarqui · 2 years

Text

Scarlet Lady: Origins (Part 1)

Directory

That blasted girl! she thought. She had been the queen of this class of pathetic, poor peasants for years, and Dupain-Cheng, who was the worst of the lot, had somehow got a spine to replace the baguette she once had!

Baguette, ha! I kill myself.

Maybe that new girl, Cesar or whatever, had something to do with it, but she needed to make sure Dupain-Cheng got the message that no one got away with messing with Chloé Bourgeois, the Princess of Paris!

“I’ve got to get back at that upstart Marinette and Alya for talking back to me,” she muttered, and she looked towards the girl, who was distracted doing whatever homework she had missed, the clumsy idiot. And she also saw her bag - seriously, what a horrible thing, not even a Dior! - unattended to a side.

Struck by a brilliant idea, she carefully walked towards the bag and put her hand inside. Maybe she could find something she could use to put her down, back into her place. Her fingertips touched something wooden and polished, and when she grabbed it and pulled out, she saw that it was an eight-sided box that looked really old and expensive.

Hahahaha! This is probably an old family heirloom! she thought, crowing to herself with an evil smile. She’ll be totally freaked when she can’t find it! Perfect!

As she left back for her seat, Marinette remained completely oblivious to what just happened.

And would remain so for months.

----

Perhaps, if she had known what that act of thievery would bring her, Chloé Bourgeois might not have carried it out.

Perhaps.

But Chloé Bourgeois was never one to think on the long-term consequences of her actions.

----

Back home from that peasants’ building known as Collège Françoise Dupont, Chloé sat on her bed and picked the box she had purloined - not robbed, robbing is something those who are pathetic do! - and admired its colors.

“A pity that this was wasted in that family of boulangers,” she said. “Let’s see what kind of treasure I won. Hee hee!”

And she opened the box.

----

Within the box, the kwami known as Tikki had been waiting for this moment for quite some time. Master Fu had shown her how her future holder, Marinette, looked and acted like, and she knew it would be a wonderful partnership. With Nooroo and the Butterfly Miraculous in the hands of someone who would use it for evil, someone needed to act - and who better than the girl that showed strength of character and compassion in every act?

The box opened. This was her moment!

“Hello, Marinette!” she said, smiling. “Please, don’t be afraid, everything’s--!”

The light that usually covered this kind of thing vanished... and she saw that the person in front of her was clearly not Marinette. Blonde, long hair in a ponytail, rather than black and held in pigtails. Blue, cruel eyes instead of innocent blue. Features of Caucasian ascendancy instead of Chinese.

Conclusion: Master Fu had made a mistake.

“WHO ARE YOU?!” Tikki screamed, trying to make a sense of what had happened.

“THAT’S MY LINE!!!” the girl screamed even louder.

----

Elsewhere in Paris, a boy by the name of Adrien Agreste had discovered a similar box, containing a ring and the kwami known as Plagg. After the terrible day he had had, with his attempt to finally go to school thwarted by Nathalie and his bodyguard, he had listened to the cat-like creature and jumped into the chance to become something he had always wanted to be.

A Superhero.

“THIS IS GONNA BE AWESOME!!!”

----

He would regret those words soon enough.

----

Chloé couldn’t make heads or tails of what this little bug was telling her.

Going out there to fight some monster that had suddenly shown up?

"You’re the only one who can stop the Akuma!” the bug said.

As in, doing something sweaty?

“You use Lucky Charm to save the day?”

Helping other people? Her mere presence was enough to do that! She didn’t need to do like Majestia and waste her precious time in making people think they had any value beyond doing what she wanted.

“You have a partner?!”

And not even a way to claim the credit! No, she had to share it with some no-name peasant, and she couldn’t tell anyone she was the one that had saved their lives! No, she had to hide herself for whatever dumb, irrelevant reason the bug had mentioned, something about someone wanting to rob the earrings she had purloined from Dupain-Cheng.

But the bug was persistent. It kept pestering her until she agreed to it.

Well, maybe she could actually do something and bask in the love of the masses.

----

At the Dupain-Cheng’s house, Marinette thought she had earned a prize for finally telling Chloé off for being a jerk, so she had made herself some popcorn and gone to watch TV, where the usual programming had been replaced by a live newscast.

Un Super-Vilain Á Paris?

A giant creature, who for some reason the newscast had identified as Stoneheart, had shown up in the middle of the city, and was causing quite a lot of chaos.

“Stoneheart is moving toward the Montparnasse Tower!” Nadja Chamack reported, clearly shaken by the current events, as the titan punched a car and sent it flying several meters away.

“Sucks,” Marinette said, munching on her popcorn. Not like there was much she could do. If she were part of something like United Heroez, she would probably jump into action, but she was a civilian, so--

“The monster... seems to be unstoppable!”

And, as Stoneheart kept ambling towards its target, at the down left corner of the screen, Marinette saw something.

Or, rather, someone.

“ALYA!!! What are you doing?!”

----

How does Lois Lane always look so perfect when she does this?! Alya Césaire thought, panting as she pedaled behind Stoneheart. This could be the start of her journalist career!

----

“I’m starting to get the hang of this,” Adrien - no, Chat Noir, that was his superhero name - said, following the trail Stoneheart was leaving behind.

“aaaaaaaaAAAAAHHHHH!”

Pain.

Before he could react, someone had crashed on him, and now the two of them were tangled in some sort of thin rope and hanging upside down. And, as he recovered his sight, he was met with someone wearing a domino mask, similar to his, but red with black polka dots.

This had to be the partner Plagg had mentioned! Well, maybe he could break the ice and begin with a good joke.

“Well, nice of you to drop in!”

“Omigod, no.”

Seriously? Not even a smile?

Tough crowd.

The girl in red pulled on something, and the rope around them suddenly became untangled, causing them both to fall to the ground.

“Say, what’s your name, partner?”

“Why should I tell you?” she replied, with a tone that reminded him too much of his father talking down to someone else - usually him.

“I’m Chat Noir! Nice to meet you!” A loud noise reminded him that Stoneheart was still loose, and he swung back in action. “Come on! Stoneheart seems to be going for the Parc des Princes!”

“Stone-who?” he thinks he hears her say, but it might have just been his imagination. He didn’t pay it any mind.

It was time to be a hero!

----

Sabine Dupain-Cheng looked in shock as her darling daughter nearly crashed down the stairs and towards the door, a look of dread in her face.

“Marinette, where are you going? Lunch is almost over.”

“Out because my new best friend is INSANE!!!”

The bell clinked as Marinette opened the door, picked her bike and started to pedal westward.

“What’s going on here?” she wondered. Well, she would certainly learn about it later.

----

Chat Noir charged towards Stoneheart, his new staff - he could make it grow like Goku did, which was amazing - in hand, and attacked the creature, distracting it from the guy it was trying to attack.

BANG! the staff sounded as it hit Stoneheart’s head.

And then Stoneheart grew in size.

“Oh shit, he’s bigger!” he said, dodging an attack. “Where are you, partner?”

Looking around, he saw his partner standing at the top of the stadium.

“Ah, there!” Good, she could jump in and help him stop Stone- wait, was that a compact mirror?

She was preening in front of a mirror while he was here, risking his life?

“HEY!!!” he shouted, dodging another attack.

----

It looked like that mangy cat had everything well in hand, so she didn’t need to do anything at all! Whew! She could just stand here and let him do all the work, that was what peasants were for, after all.

“What are you waiting for, Super Red Bug?” a voice said from below, and Chloé Bourgeois turned to see the new girl down below, a cellphone in her hands.

“Ugh, you again.”

“The world is watching you!” Césaire said, gleaming and smiling.

“The world is watching...?”

Oh my god, this was perfect! She could jump in, easily put a stop to the monster and bang! Instantly famous! The adoration of all Paris was at hand!

She closed her new compact mirror and grinned.

----

Chat Noir was starting to feel that maaaaaaybe he was a bit over his head. Nothing he could do to Stoneheart could stop him, and it was a hard task to just keep dodging everything. And, of course, his partner refused to do anything.

Stoneheart had grabbed one of the goals with its gigantic left hand, and was clumsily attempting to swing it at him, but fortunately his years of fencing had given him the reflexes to avoid such a large object, and the suit was actually making him faster and stronger!

But then Stoneheart tossed the goal - and it was clear the target was not him, but a red-haired, dark-skinned girl that seemed to have followed them into the stadium.

Oh, no!! he thought, and he turned about to attempt to stop the large object from hitting the girl.

“ALYA!”

Before he could act, someone else, a girl with black bluish hair in a pair of cute pigtails, tackled the red-haired girl out of the way.

“You came!” the red-haired girl - Alya - said.

“Yeah, but why did you?!” the new girl replied.

Whew, crisis solved. Now, he had to find out how to stop Stoneheart, quickly, before it could cause further disruption.

“Cat boy!” the pigtailed girl said, and he felt her hand on his shoulder.

“It’s Chat Noir, actually!” he replied, turning to look at her - and wow, she was quite cute and blushing.

“He doesn’t open his fist!”

“Good note, thanks! Maybe you should be a hero!”

Anyone could be better than his "partner". Not that that was a high bar to surpass.

“Priorities!” the girl said.

----

Chloé could only see red. That blasted cat had said that Dupain-Cheng should be a hero? Ha! As if!

She jumped and kicked Stone-whatever in the head, sending it tumbling away as she turned to the cat and her classmate.

“WHAT DID YOU SAY?!” she shouted.

“Wow, wow, calm down! Maybe we need to use our powers to stop him? Cataclysm! My power destroys anything,” the cat said, his right hand covered in some sort of icky black thing.

“How barbaric. And useless. Like you.”

“Did I look cool?”

The cat thought he was cool? She wanted to laugh.

“Absolutely not.”

The cat grabbed the large net thing that had fallen nearby with his right hand, and suddenly the white on the stick became black, and in seconds the entire thing had disintegrated into dust.

She was sickened to have to admit it, but that trick left her hair standing.

“Jesus...”

“So, what about yours?” the cat challenged her.

You’re going to swallow those words, you mangy cat!

“Lucky Charm!” she declaimed. After a flash of pink, she felt something heavy in her hands, that seemed to be made of rubber and looked a lot like this unfashionable costume she was wearing. “Oh, ha ha, Tikki.”

“So, how useful is your power?” he taunted her, and she angrily threw the thing at him.

“Why not ask your other partner?!”

“You just don’t want to work,” he muttered. Well, of course she didn’t! Work was something someone as important as her shouldn’t be bothered with!

You’ll come crawling back to me once you see how useless Clumsinette is, she thought, grinning at the idea of her rival doing anything useful at all.

“Cat boy, run interference!”

“it’s Chat Noir!”

“Alya, the tap!”

“You got it!”

What.

----

Chat Noir followed the black-haired girl’s instructions. The moment he had given her the polka-dotted red wetsuit, she had immediately come up with a plan. It was a bit risky, particularly since he would have to let himself get captured, but something told him he could trust her.

His trust was rewarded. The girl had managed to trick Stoneheart into grabbing her and the wetsuit, dropping a purple rock from its closed right fist, and then Alya had opened the hose tap, filling the wetsuit to grow and forcing Stoneheart’s fist open. The girl had quickly jumped out, ran for the rock and stomped on it, letting out a black butterfly and a crumpled piece of paper.

And Stoneheart transformed back into a large boy that looked to be his age.

The girl picked up the note and ran for the large boy, shouting what he presumed was his name, as his ring began to beep.

“What’s the noise mean?”

“Dunno, I didn’t read the manual,” he said. Maybe he should have waited for Plagg to explain everything before transforming?

----

“Kim wrote it. He’s always making fun of me,” Ivan confessed to his classmate.

“Pa, don't worry about him. He cried when we saw The Little Mermaid when we were 10.”

He chuckled.

----

Chloé grabbed the rubber thing - now empty of water - and attempted to rip it, but it only stretched without giving in.

No one’s paying attention to me!

How could this be? She was Chloé Bourgeois! The Princess of Paris! Everyone’s eyes should be on her! All the boys should be in love with her! Everyone should worship her! But here they were, paying attention to a mangy cat and Bruel who got his dumb arse turned into a monster, instead of her!

Oh, wait. Tikki had said something about this, right? That she could fix stuff broken by the monsters with this Lucky Charm thing?

“Hey, reporter girl! Catch this! MIRACULOUS LADYBUG!”

The Lucky Charm transformed into a cloud of ladybugs that flew around everything Bruel had destroyed as Stone-whatever. In moments everything was back to its normal state - still below the quality she demanded of everything, of course.

“Whoa!!” Césaire said, and she rushed towards her, cellphone in hand. “Incredible! You can fix everything?! Hey, what do we call you, Wonderbug?!”

Now, that was closer to what she expected. Still not enough simpering, but closer.

“Well, obviously not that. Let’s see...”

----

Chat Noir was tired. Fighting Stoneheart had taken out a lot off him. And he realized that maybe the beeping was some kind of count down.

And then he heard his ‘partner’ proclaim to have saved the day ‘in spite of her clumsy partner’s inability to do anything right’.

“You... you didn’t do anything,” he muttered, astonished of her credit stealing. But then the beeping became more insistent and he left: he had to return home before someone noticed he wasn’t in his room.

Somehow, the beginning of being a hero had become nothing like he had thought it would be.

----

Fu sipped on his favorite tea, relaxing after a long day. Wayzz had reported that the negative energy of the Butterfly had vanished, which meant that young Marinette and young Adrien had managed to stop Stoneheart and captured the corrupted butterfly transforming him. Good. Ah, if only he were a few decades younger! He would have been able to go out there and guide the two young heroes in the matters of the Miraculous.

Wayzz clicked on the remote to turn on the TV and see if the news were mentioning anything about the attack.

“... our new hero, Scarlet Lady...”

He turned to look at the screen, only to notice something strange, because the girl wearing the Ladybug Miraculous didn’t resemble his Chosen wielder at all-

“... thanks to amateur footage by local student, Alya Césaire...”

-and then the screen showed Marinette and a red-haired girl he supposed was this Alya Césaire, smiling at the camera.

“Wait...” Wayzz said. The problem was clear: if Marinette was there in her civilian clothes, who was wearing the Ladybug Miraculous?

He barely noticed as his teacup crashed into the floor.

----

“So... her name is Scarlet Lady...”

Plagg was a bit disturbed by his bearer’s angry face. What in the holy name of Camembert had happened to leave him like he had gone a few rounds with trying to swallow some mushrooms?

“I’ll call her Scar for the scars she leaves on my life.”

Uh-oh.

----

Tikki enjoyed the cookies Chloé had offered her.

But she still wondered why she was here, instead of with Marinette.

And she remembered there was something she hadn’t explained.

“Did you catch the akuma?”

Chloé gave her what she supposed was what humans called the ‘deer-in-the-headlights’ look.

“Huh?”

Uh-oh.

----

Origins (Part 2)

@zoe-oneesama Hope you liked this.

#scarlet lady #fanfiction #milarqui #origins #long post #marinette dupain-cheng #adrien agreste #scarlet lady the novel

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runawaycatwalker · 6 months

Text

Part 26. Asynchronous Expectations (Oni-Chan 2.0, part C)

< First | < Previous | Next >

Description below the cut

Astrocat wings pattern from here.

Ladybug leaps through the air, swinging her yo-yo towards the Agreste mansion.

Ladybug: Those ribbons were coming from Adrien's place. Now where's the villain...?

Cut to Gabriel’s atelier, where Oni-Chan is throwing up her hands (one hand holding her sword upwards) in exasperation while looking at a sentimonster—the Unpublisher—as he holds up a single finger.

The Unpublisher: It looks like you want to know what my powers are. Would you like help?

Oni-Chan: Yes! I just said that!

The Unpublisher has an uncanny smile and holds up a hand in helpful explanation. (The Unpublisher is an unsettling inversion of Adrien Agreste—blue hair, dark blue skin, a black overshirt with a white undershirt, hair parted on the other side, and all line art with white lines instead of black.)

The Unpublisher: To delete a picture of Adrien Agreste: Hold my amok and order me to delete a picture of Adrien Agreste.

Oni-Chan picks up a photonegative that was left on the corner of the central platform of Gabriel’s atelier.

Oni-Chan: Is this it?

The Unpublisher: That is the amok belonging to the Unpublisher. Helpful tip: the Unpublisher is me! This amok can be used to control the actions of the Un—

Oni-Chan: I get it.

Oni-Chan holds the photonegative and points towards Gabriel’s computer. The Unpublisher looks at her with a large grin.

Oni-Chan: Look through that computer for Adrien Agreste photos. Delete all of them from existence.

The Unpublisher: Got it. Please be patient while I take care of that for you.

Ladybug throws the door open and leaps into the room, wielding her yo-yo. A couple black ribbons are starting to weave their way into the world.

Ladybug: Not if I have anyth—

Ladybug is abruptly swarmed by a dense slurry of the magical ribbons conjured by the Unpublisher as he deletes every image of Adrien that Gabriel owns.

Ladybug: —Mmph!

Cut to Rena Furtive looking through her telescope at Oni-Chan teleporting across the rooftops as the ribbons fan out across the world.

Ladybug (over comm): I can't get past these ribbons!

Rena Furtive: You might not have to. Oni-Chan’s mass-teleporting again. She’s holding something new—I assume it's an amok?

Ladybug (over comm): Then I’ll have to bring her to me...

Cut to Nathalie’s bedroom, where Nathalie sits on the edge of her bed as she speaks to Ladybug. Her room is largely untouched by the ribbons (though a few can be seen flowing past her windows). Note that Nathalie has a large map of the world on her wall.

Ladybug: Ms. Sancouer, I need your help. Do you have a picture of Adrien that Mr. Agreste doesn’t have copies of?

Nathalie: I believe so.

Nathalie (internally): As much as I want to find Adrien, I can't risk an akuma like Oni-Chan leading Gabriel to him first. If Gabriel asks, I’ll just say I couldn’t refuse Ladybug without rousing suspicion.

A closeup of Nathalie holding her tablet, on which is a picture of Adrien as he stole the grimoire. He has yet to be deleted.

Nathalie: Here.

Ladybug: Wait, don't look yet—

Oni-Chan teleports in and hits Nathalie (and her tablet with the offending image) with her sword, petrifying her. Oni-Chan looks towards Ladybug and waves an angry fist (which holds the photonegative amok).

Oni-Chan: Again, Ladybug? Why must you keep getting in my way?

Oni-Chan swings her sword towards Ladybug, who manages to deflect it with her yo-yo as she leaps back.

Oni-Chan: I just want to find Adrien! Don't you want that too?

Ladybug: Not like this! I won't let you hurt everyone just to get to him!

Close-up of Oni-Chan’s unyielding eyes.

Oni-Chan: Then perish!

Ladybug, on pure instinct, yells and throws her yo-yo.

Ladybug: Chat Noir, now!

Ladybug clenches her eyes shut, berating herself.

Ladybug (internally): Stupid reflex!

Ladybug yanks her yo-yo back before it makes contact with Oni-Chan.

Ladybug (internally): He's not here!

Ladybug uses her yo-yo to flee as Oni-Chan lunges towards her. But behind Oni-Chan, Catwalker has backflipped into the room behind her, his finger touching the amok with his Cataclysm.

Ladybug (internally): I have to fall back and try something els—

Catwalker: Cataclysm!

A closeup of Oni-Chan as she teleports away as the feather starts to emerge from the amok.

Cut to a closeup of the Unpublisher as he begins to dissolve, his mouth forming an ‘O’ as his final ribbon fails as it comes out his finger.

Cut back to Nathalie’s bedroom (she’s still petrified), where Ladybug raises a hesitant hand towards Catwalker.

Ladybug: C-Catwalker? Where’s the amok?

Catwalker: Oni-Chan took it with her when she teleported away.

Ladybug, face in panicked shock, clenches her fists.

Ladybug: No! That means I can’t heal the sentimonster’s damage!

Catwalker holds out an appeasing hand.

Catwalker: But it was only destroying Adrien Agreste’s modeling photos, right? No one got hurt. And I don't think Adrien would mind losing all that exposure.

Ladybug holds up her hands in infuriation.

Ladybug: Not mind??? Those pictures are incredibly important to Adrien and everyone who still cares about him! They were all anyone had left of him!

Catwalker slumps and touches the back of his neck.

Catwalker: I'm sorry.

Ladybug: What were you even thinking?

Catwalker: I thought... I thought I was following your orders...

Ladybug points her finger in accusation.

Ladybug: The only order I've given you is to stay out of my way. And you can't even do that! I am this close to taking that ring and giving it to someone else, screw what Mayura promised!

Catwalker backs up against the bedroom door, shamefaced, holding his baton in both hands in front of him.

Catwalker: You called for Chat Noir. Since he couldn't answer you, I just... did what I thought he would have done.

Ladybug shoves Catwalker through the doors, bursting them open. Catwalker loses grip on his baton as he tumbles backwards.

Ladybug: Don't you dare put the blame on him! You aren't Chat Noir! And me calling for him out of old instincts does not give you the right to act like you could ever fill his shoes!

Ladybug slams the doors shut.

Ladybug: Here's your new orders: Go home! You've put in your mandatory appearance, now leave me alone!

Cut to a conciliatory Rena Furtive calling over her comm, split screen with Ladybug as she answers over her comm, trying to get a grip on herself.

Rena Furtive: I'm sorry. I know how important Adrien's pictures have been for you.

Ladybug: I can't worry about what's been lost. I need to figure out my next move.

Rena Furtive: All the other heroes have been frozen by Oni-Chan. We're running out of allies. If we can't use Catwalker, I might have to expose myself and join in the battle.

Cut to Catwalker as he sits sadly on the floor on the other side of the door, hugging his knees and eavesdropping on Ladybug.

Ladybug (voiceover): I can handle this all on my own. I just need a...

Cut to the creation of a Lucky Charm. It’s a pair of gloves holding hands, one red covered in black spots with Ladybug’s emblem on the wrist, the other solid black with a red paw print on its wrist.

Ladybug: ...Lucky Charm!

Rena Furtive (over comm): What did you get?

Ladybug: A red glove glued to a black glove... holding... hands?

Ladybug looks frazzled and in deep denial as she lifts one of the fingers from the red glove and making it point somewhere.

Rena Furtive (over comm): I hate to say it, but that sounds like you do need to ask for help this time.

Ladybug: No! This can't mean that I have to use him! It's obviously just pointing towards...

Ladybug holds a pencil in the air, about to throw it, as she starts to cover her eyes with her other hand, one eye peeking as she takes aim.

Ladybug: ...This pencil! And if I close my eyes and throw this pencil at this map, it'll show me where Adrien is!

Rena Furtive (over comm): Uh... I don't think your Lucky Charm works like that...

A close-up of the map, where the pencil has embedded itself. Ladybug takes a picture of it with her yo-yo.

Ladybug: I've got the coordinates! Now I just have to follow them! Power up!

Catwalker watches Cosmobug flying through the sky via the window. In one hand, he uses his baton to take a picture of the map; in the other, he holds a purple piece of cheese to his mouth.

Catwalker (internally): I'm sorry, but I think I have to disobey you once more, m'Lady...

Catwalker (aloud): Power up!

A closeup of a pair of cuffed black gloves in front of magical green wings. He holds his baton in one hand and points at the picture of the map on its screen with the other.

Astrocat (internally): If I take a path curved away from the equator... I can get there before Ladybug does and—

Pull back to show Astrocat—the powered-up form of Chat Noir, not Catwalker—looking at himself in panic.

Astrocat (internally): Oh no. I powered up as Astrocat without thinking!

Adrien hides himself behind a wall and detransforms. Adrien closes his eyes and tries to focus. Plagg, meanwhile, helps himself to another piece of purple cheese.

Adrien: Claws in!

Adrien (internally): Focus! You're Catwalker. Perfect... Controlled... No more cat puns under any circumstances...

Adrien (aloud): Plagg, claws out!

Astrowalker—now in his proper form—resumes his flight to the location Cosmobug thinks she’ll find Adrien.

Astrowalker (internally): I really hope that no one saw that...

Cut to Rena Furtive, who Saw That.

Rena Furtive: Chat Noir...?

Below is the same image as above, only without text:

#runaway catwalker #ladybug #catwalker #astrocat #astrowalker #rena furtive #oni-chan #nathalie sancouer #spanner in the works nathalie #akuma #sentimonster #thanks to masilvi for creating the astrochat seamless pattern!#it made my life SO MUCH easier when coloring astrocat/astrowalker's wings #i think this page has the most panels since the maternal instinct fight #there's just too much stuff to cram into one page during these battles #but when you've got a final panel in mind you find a way to make it work :)

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jasmine-the-fox · 4 months

Text

I have moved on... why haven't you done the same?

This was a request by azv2448 over on ao3! As you all know I have gotten many requests from this person and I don’t believe this will be the last request I get and so without further ado.

Please enjoy!

It has been ten years since Gabriel Agreste and Nathalie Sancoeur who were Hawkmoth and Mayura were defeated. This caused things to be brought to light… specifically about how Lila Rossi has been working with them since Heroes’ Day. It caused many to demand for her to either be punished for her crimes or to be kicked out of Paris since she helped a terrorist like Hawkmoth. Mayor Bourgeois agreed to kick Lila out of Paris and as a result her mom had a week to get Lila on a plan out of Paris since once on the plane she could never come back. Adrien watched this on the news from his apartment in Paris that Chloe helped him to get. He had already proven he never knew his father was Hawkmoth and while some didn’t like him, he wasn’t told to leave Paris which was a relief… the only thing he knew was that he helped take down Hawkmoth and Mayura.

And that Lila was a liar…

He knew that he had to do something to keep himself busy… which is why since Marinette, there everyday Ladybug is an up-and-coming designer… he was certain she could help him figure things out for himself. He decided that since Ladybug left Paris since there was no terrorist anymore… he would go on to date Mari instead, he went to the bakery only to find out she doesn’t live there anymore… hasn’t for years even. This surprised him but he decided to try and find her in Paris while calling her, texting her and even stalking her social media accounts in the hopes she will go on a date with him.

But she never answered him… in fact she either ignored him or blocked him at some point…

This angered him as he was now falling for her and he wanted to date her now… which is why he decided to turn to there friends “She isn’t replying to me at all even though I want to take her out on a date” he explained making the few that was able to meet with him nod in understanding… those who couldn’t were working and would be able to see him another time.

Alya who was the first to agree to meet with him was so excited for this “Mari loved you in high school! Me and the girls tried to set the two of you up but there was always either an akuma or… her that ruined everything” Alya explained as everyone went quiet knowing who ‘her’ was… which was Lila Rossi.

Adrien remembered times where he was with Marinette and an akuma appeared… but he clearly remembered the times he was alone with Mari and Lila popped in to stop anything that was happening between them… meaning they could have been dating since high school had Lila not ruined anything.

Alya sighed which caught his attention “Because of Lila… we turned Mari away. We all believed Lila’s lies about Mari being jealous of her about you and how Mari was bullying her… and we never took a moment to realize what we did wrong to then apologize” she explained making them nod. Adrien looked down at his hands as he remembered the day Lila was revealed for who she really was, everyone screamed at Lila as police took her away… but not one of them looked at Mari and realize how badly they hurt her.

He remembered trying to talk to her after that but Kagami, Luka, Marc, Aurore, Mireille and Zoe took her away. As a result, he never got to ask her how she was doing from the whole Lila thing, he didn’t even try to talk to her the next day when she came to school, or the next day, or a week later, or when they graduated high school… he simply looked at her for a moment before focusing on the lesson.

Now here he was asking for their friends to help him talk to Mari about going on a date with him, after a moment Alya took over and promised to tell the others about this “We also need to talk to her… we all have to apologize for everything we did when we thought Lila was telling the truth… that way we can all heal together and be friends again” she explained making Adrien smile and nod as they all began to head home.

After that it was all a matter of planning, working together… and lots of waiting…

Alya like she promised told the rest of there friends about what they talked about, then a week later they were all together trying to figure out where Mari was living and trying to contact her to meet them. Max discovered that all of Mari’s social media accounts have been silent for eight years now… until now as she deleted them all which surprised everyone since she used them to post some of her designs, not only that but Rose tried calling and texting Mari only to hear a male voice who revealed he got this number three years ago before asking her to not call him again.

It broke Adrien’s heart as he thought he would see her again or talk to her, he was sad for days until Alya called him with great news “Chloe’s mom is having a huge fashion show next month! It’s huge because she worked with multiple designers to create collections with them… but one of them has to be Mari!” she explained making Adrien happy and excited.

He reached out to Chloe for a few tickets, he hoped she would agree which she did… but she wanted to give them to him in person. This was a surprise to him but he agreed, they met outside her hotel and she looked sad “I didn’t want you to go… but I guess you need this” she simply said before leaving him there with the tickets.

This caused Adrien to be confused but he got the tickets… and there was enough for him and his friends which made them very happy to be able to go to see Mari at long last if she was there. They all got ready for the event so they could go without anyone looking at them as if they didn’t belong there… soon the day had come and Adrien arrived with his friends to the show. They sat down together while looking around for Mari possibly there to watch the show.

But Adrien was happy to see she wasn’t and was more then likely a designer that worked with Audrey Bourgeois. Once everyone was seated, Audrey came out to greet everyone before the show was to start by presenting the first collection. Adrien looked it over and none of the pieces looked like something Mari would create “Mari wouldn’t make this… it’s plain colors and Mari always worked with bright colors” Max whispered making the ones near him nod… sure enough it wasn’t Mari.

Audrey came out after the first collection was revealed and revealed the designer, she worked with… this was a pattern that repeated with every collection. Audrey would tell them the name of the collection, models wearing the collection would come out and then Audrey would reveal the designer who worked with her.

Ten collections later and Adrien began to think Mari didn’t work with Audrey at all in the end. The others were thinking the same thing since none of the collections were ones Mari would design, soon Audrey revealed the next collection “This collection was created with the help of a designer my daughter Chloe introduced me in Gotham. She knew her in the past and now here we are. I present to you all the collection: Sunshine in the night” Audrey said before walking into the back to let the models to their job.

Adrien had hope… until Alya busted it “Mari wouldn’t go to Gotham. It’s full of criminals much worse then when we were akuma’s” she whispered making the others nod as the collection was revealed.

And none of them looked like Mari’s work… they were sophisticated but not like Mari would make them…

They looked almost… like something an adult designer would create after years of hard work, and while Mari has worked hard… she would still have made her pieces with bright colors and gorgeous styles. Adrien did like the collection though, he used to be known as the sunshine boy until his father got arrested… now he was just Adrien Agreste: son of Hawkmoth. It sucked but he knew that soon people would move on.

When the collection was finished being shown, Audrey came back “I am so very happy to see you all loved this collection! And now I present to you the designer who helped me: Marinette Wayne” Audrey said and to the groups shock… there sweet Mari appeared and came to Audrey’s side. Adrien wasn’t listening as Mari talked about the story behind the collection… he was simply focused on how gorgeous she looked with her long hair in a braid and her gorgeous red dress.

He hoped to talk to her after the show was over…

Sure enough, after all of the collections were revealed… he found Mari at the party that was prepared after the fashion show. She was talking to some of the other designers and Adrien couldn’t help but be happy to see her again “Let’s go talk to her! You can ask her on a date after we apologize to her” Alya said making Adrien smile and nod as they walked over to Mari who was now alone.

Adrien was just about to speak when a tanned man with black hair and green eyes stopped him “Not another step Agreste. A restraining order has been placed to keep you away from my wife after all that stalking and harassment you have done” he said which shocked Adrien and his friends, Alya however was confused “Who the hell are you? And why are you keeping Adrien from being with Marinette?” she demanded making the man glare at her.

“I am her husband, Damian Wayne. Chloe Bourgeois introduced us at a Wayne gala when she brought her as her plus one… we have been together since then” he explained which made Alya look at him in shock before looking over to Mari “Don’t you have feelings for Adrien? We used to try and get the two of you together” she said making Mari sigh “I did in fact used to have feelings for him… but considering he also knew with me that Lila was a liar and told me not to do anything against her… my feelings for him slowly died as you all bullied me and he didn’t try to help me” she revealed making them look at him “You… knew?” Nino asked in shock.

“Anyways… why are you all here? I know Juleka would be here since she is a model and Adrien used to be one… but the rest of you don’t work in fashion so why are you here?” she asked making them look at one another before Alya spoke “We wanted to apologize. We should have done this a long time ago but we were so blinded by our anger towards Lila… that we forgot about everything we did to you because she lied to us… so we wanted to apologize” she explained making Mari nod “I see… and now clearly you have all apologized… so you can leave” Mari said as Damian got to her side and they moved to walk away. This shocked them as Rose spoke up “So you forgive us, right? And we can be friends again?” she asked with hope in her voice.

Mari stopped making Damian look at her with a nod, she turned to look at them over her shoulder and spoke “No. I don’t forgive you. What you did has destroyed me in more ways than you can imagine… but you never cared to think about it… and we are not friends. Haven’t been since you all claimed we weren’t friends after I supposedly pushed Lila down the stairs again” she revealed before she walked away from them with her husband.

They were in complete shock as Chloe walked over to them, Adrien looked at her “You knew she would be here” he said making her nod “I warned her that you guys were trying to contact her and that once Alya found out you would all come. Which is why she paid for all of your tickets” she revealed making their eyes go wide at her words “Wait… she paid for our tickets? But why?” why pay for them if she wouldn’t forgive us and be our friends again?” Kim asked confused… but Chloe had the answer.

“Isn’t it obvious?” she asked making them all look at one another for a moment before looking back at her while shaking their heads. She sighed as Adrien spoke “Tell us Chloe please! Why did she pay for our tickets?” he asked in the hopes she could give them the answer that would explain everything to them at long last. Chloe sighed one more time before looking at them with a glare “So you could see she did the one thing you haven’t done yet… move on” she said and with that she turned around and walked away from them.

They all slowly left the party in silence, Adrien returned to his apartment heartbroken from all of this when he got a text from Nino… telling him that the class decided to cut him off from them for hiding from them that he knew Lila was a liar for who knows how long… and then he was blocked by him… they all blocked him and there was nothing he could do about it all but cry from all the pain he was feeling right now after losing so much now.

Because he didn’t act sooner… because he didn’t move on after seeing Marinette on the day they graduated… he now went through so much pain and lost all the people he loved… and he was never getting them back…

#miraculous ladybug #crossover #adrien salt #salt fic #miraculous salt #batman #damienette

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miraculouslbcnreactions · 1 month

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I’m personally a bit mixed on the senti-kid stuff.

I like it in concept because I’m a big fan of angst and existential horror, especially involving the “am I really a human/person? Am I a monster?” character arcs. Then you add in the horror of “they can have their free will taken away incredibly easily” (and be killed at someone’s whim) and that adds a whole other layer. I know that’s part of why a lot of people don’t like it, but I like the angst stuff a lot.

Having said that, I am still on the fence about it, because as much as I like the aforementioned reasons, I really hate how it was handled narratively. They do address the “can be killed easily” part a little, with Sentibug and Felix, but I think they don’t expand much on it, and don’t really stay consistant with it (like how they treat other sentis- LB controlling Sentibubbler, for example).

But the most glaring part of it for me is: having Adrien be a senti feels more like yet another reason for them to take him out of a significant action role in the story. They already did this with Chat Blanc: “oh he can’t know his dad is Hawkmoth bc he’ll destroy the world!” Then again with Ephemeral, though this time with the obvious use of the amok (Gabriel twisting the ring as he akumatized him). S5 shows him using it more and more, and has the finale with him still in control of the main villain, making it incredibly risky for Adrien to even have the Miraculous. Astruc and other fans can talk all they want about how feather kids are just magical IVF babies, and while I agree that they are human still, it blatantly ignores that having them be controlled by someone that dangerous makes them a huge risk, even if they get their amok (which is why I think there should have been some way to at least break them free of the control aspect, even if not their lives being tied to an object). (It’s also incredibly scary for the senti kid themselves.) Someone whose free will can be taken away so easily can’t be trusted with one of the most powerful objects in the world. It’s harsh, but powers like these, despite how they’re treated sometimes, can’t just be given out like candy to anyone, they need to be given selectively and carefully. Something like this can’t just be put in the hands of someone who isn’t even in full control of themselves. That’s so much responsibility to have. The narrative gave us two huge reasons that the narrative gave us for why Adrien can’t be a part of defeating his father and isn’t fit for the miraculous: 1) he’ll destroy the world, 2) he can be magically controlled and they can’t do anything about it. Why are they trying so hard to come up with reasons for why one of their main characters shouldn’t be in the role they gave him? The senti story would fit far better if Adrien wasn’t Chat Noir- I’ve read a lot of fics where things do work out, but they usually always take it in a direction that the show wouldn’t (in terms of story style and episode outline), so I don’t really think it can be successful in a canon style (though fic writers always surprise me, so I’m happy to be proven wrong).

That’s not even bringing up how Adrien’s arc was all about him obeying his father because he wants approval, not bc of magic, which… I guess can be explained away by Gabriel acting on the assumption that they made him perfect, therefore he doesn’t need to be controlled (like why Tomoe let Kagami keep her amok), but they don’t really address that on the Agreste side- how far is Gabriel willing to go? Why is he using it more now? Did Emilie use his amok? What for and why? Did the couple have a discussion beforehand? There’s just too much left open for the giant hole they created.

Sorry if this came off as ranty, but I wanted to share my thoughts as someone who does like the senti plotline, but still has frustrations with the show’s writing quality and inability to pull it off.

In another show, the sentikid stuff would have been amazing, so I don't fault anyone for liking the concept! It's a fantastic setup for a dark and twisted take on the genres that Miraculous is playing with. I could easily see that more serious show being considered a sort of sister show to Madoka Magica in terms of what it's trying to do.

The problem is that Miraculous isn't Madoka Magica. It's not trying to be a dark fantasy for teens and adults. It's trying to be a rom-com for little kids and the sentikid plotline has no place in a rom-com for little kids. It's way too serious for many of the reasons that you brought up.

For me, the biggest one is probably this point:

Someone whose free will can be taken away so easily can’t be trusted with one of the most powerful objects in the world.

Because sentimonsters do not have true free will, Adrien is a massive liability who should never be trusted with a miraculous. The risk is simply too great. He should also never be with Marinette or anyone else whose job is high stakes as he's a massive liability to them. A perfect sleeper agent who could be commanded to fool everyone until it's too late.

Great stuff if you like psychological horror, terrible stuff if you're here to see the power of love and friendship triumph over all!

There's also the issue of when the sentitwist was introduced. Madoka Magica goes from classic magical girl team show to psychological horror within the first few episodes, which is perfectly reasonable. Shows often take a few episodes to establish their tone. Miraculous doesn't introduce the sentikid stuff until season four, well over 24 hours into the show's runtime, way too late for a massive tone shift!

Add in the issues with how the sentitwist is used to downplay Gabriel's abuse and Adrien's reactions to it and, yeah, this was not a good move. I have no idea how the writing team got the higher ups to approve this twist. I'm still stunned that Disney okayed it.

I do think that Miraculous could have kept its lighthearted nature and done the sentitwist, but it would have required the sentikids to have a way to truly break free. After all, Pinocchio is a children's story and it has similar elements, but we didn't get Pinocchio. Instead we got Ephemeral, the episode where our hero stared his love in the eyes and doomed the world because he is totally incapable of being her hero when someone else has even one of his rings. That isn't a love story. It's a tragedy.

#nixthelapin #senti salt #ml writing critical #ml writing salt #adrien deserves better #If the senti theory had stayed a fan theory then I'd have very little to say against it #My heavy criticism is all about it being canonical #Want to write a dark and serious fanfic about a light hearted kids show? Be my guest! I won't judge

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frickingnerd · 2 years

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cuddles & movies on a lazy afternoon

pairing: adrien agreste x gn!reader

summary: you watch a movie with your boyfriend and the two of you end up falling asleep while cuddling...

tags: established romantic relationship, wholesome & sweet fluff, cuddling, use of y/n, falling asleep in adrien's arms

"y/n?"

the flickering images on the tv were the only thing lightening up adrien's otherwise dark room. outside, the sun had almost fully vanished, only peaking out from behind a few buildings. the city had gone quiet and was mostly lit up by dim street lights.

you were laying in adrien's arm, cuddled up against the blonde model. your chest heaves with each breath of yours, slowly sinking again as you exhale. as adrien whispered your name, you didn't seem to react to it.

"did you fall asleep?"

adrien gently caressed your cheek, stroking a strand of hair out of your face, to get a better look at you. your eyes were closed and the boy was certain now why you didn't reply to him earlier; you truly were asleep.

adrien reached out for the remote that he had earlier left on the armrest of the couch, trying not to move too watch, so he wouldn't wake you accidentally. he still kept an arm around your waist, keeping you close to him. when he finally got his hands on the remote, he turned down the volume of the movie and cuddled up against you again.

while the movie kept running in the background, adrien barely even looked at the screen anymore. instead, the boy's eyes were on you. you looked so peaceful, sleeping in his arms. he gently ran his hands through your hair, playing with it and twirling it around his finger, smiling softly.

adrien was a little worried he might wake you up, but you were out like a light.

he blinked slowly, a silent yawn escaping his lips. adrien hadn't even been this tired, but now that you were sleeping in his arms, now that he was so close he could feel your heart beating, he could finally let down his guard. he wasn't sure if he had ever felt this comfortable and carefree before than in this moment with you.

adrien pulled you a bit closer to him, letting your head rest comfortably on his chest, before he finally closed his eyes as well and drifted asleep.

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pinkandbluewrites · 1 year

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Adrien knows Marinette's identity...

Hey guys, I believe that Adrien Agreste knows Marinette Dupain-Cheng is Ladybug. I have evidence that I have gathered and analysed. Believe what you want. I'm happy to hear rebuttals, but after all is said and done, I really think you will believe me.

Okay, so it started in Troublemaker. That was when Adrien first suspected that Marinette could be Ladybug. So, at the beginning of the episode, Adrien sees all the pictures in Marinette’s room and assumes that she has a crush on him. As Chat Noir, he goes into Mari's room, and LB is being very weird and telling him, 'They can take the tour later'. LB gets defensive, and Chat Noir is like, “Wow, lots of pictures,” blah blah blah. Later, when Trouble maker steals one of Ladybug's earrings, half of her face is exposed, and that’s when Chat can see half of her face right.

Chat Noir landed by the window.

This is where Marinette was - and the window is over to the back right.

She is detransforming away from Chat Noir, but then she turns around and grabs her earring, now facing him, to put it back in.

She is side-eyeing so hard lmao maybe looking at Chat Noir?

If Chat Noir was looking, he had a clear shot of seeing her side profile, though not completely clear because her hand was slightly in the way. However, he can see her eyes, nose, and mouth, which can't be completely covered by the quantum masking at that point.

Chat Noir then walks up to her, and says, "That was a close call,"

This can be interpreted in two ways, "I almost found out who you were" or "Hawkmoth almost got your earrings."

I think Marinette interpreted it as the second one because when he says, "Certainly not how I dreamed we'd share our secret identities."

This is her reaction:

Then Chat says, "Oh no, not like that" which doesn't seem very reassuring, but it convinces Marinette that he doesn't know her identity yet, because this is how she reacts:

Notice how awkward Chat Noir looks? He doesn't look very reassuring. To me, the vibe of this scene is just strange, but it makes sense if that small glimpse of Ladybug's face made Chat Noir begin to wonder if she really could be Marinette. When you see a small glimpse of someone you think you recognise, you wonder if it is actually them or someone who just looks similar, and your brain is tricking you; most of the time, you do a double take and realise it is just someone who looks similar, Chat didn't get the opportunity to double take, so he was left wondering.

However, I think he tests his curiosity in the next scene...

In the locker room.

When Mari arrives, and Adrien scares her, he is smug, smirking, etc. It makes sense because he thinks she likes him, but Adrien has never acted like that before. It was almost like he was acting as he does as Chat Noir, and who is the one person who knows how he acts as Chat Noir? Ladybug...

He's very overconfident when usually he is just 'smiles' and 'kind gestures,' and he is getting in her personal space, smirking at her, and downright being flirtatious.

Ok, I want to point out that he looks at her side profile, which you should remember for later because, in the upcoming episodes, he does it a lot. Which may be him trying to see Ladybug in her or the glimpses of Ladybug he thought he saw. Anyway, what really gets me is what he says next. I try so hard to understand what it could mean, if anything but the only conclusion I can come to is that what he says, is him trying to test Marinette.

"...and photographs of me everywhere, even in the most unlikely places.”

Then Marinette giggled and went, “Yeah, who would have a photograph of you under a bed.”

And he’s just like “Right.”

First of all, Chat Noir is the only one who saw the photo under the bed “in the most unlikely places.” It’s almost like he’s alluding to his secret identity to see how she reacts. If she was LB, she would know Chat saw where they were, right? Like he’s almost admitting it?????

Anyway, I think Marinette was a little dense with that scene, but I think if anything it's proof that Adrien really thinks Marinette could be Ladybug.

I don't think he is 100% sure at this point, but I really think he is considering it.

Moving on, when Adrien walks out of the locker room, he is looking back at her:

Then in the end card:

HE IS LOOKING AT LADYBUG!!!!!

They could have chosen any scene, any picture of Adrien, but they chose the one where he is looking back at her, almost analytically if you will, and have Ladybug follow his line of sight. I'm sorry, but with this many clues, there's no way that I'm just reading into it. Even if I'm wrong in the end, I'm literally right.

The evidence does not stop here.

Multimouse. Now, many people believe that this is what really got Adrien to stop believing or kill the idea that Marinette could be Ladybug.

I'm sorry, but no, you are wrong.

Okay, so we know the jist. Plagg and Tikki get caught (almost) by Miss Mendeleev, and she is on the reality TV show. Adrien and Marinette recognise the drawings for their kwamis and realise they must have done something, and this is probably bad. so Marinette leaves, and Adrien sees Marinette leaving and is like, 'huh?'

Surprised Adrien fr.

ANYWAYS the next scene is dumb, like hella dumb, cause Adrien sees Marinette on the phone, walking through the locker room, and is deep in thought and Plagg interrupts and then he's like...

"What if Marinette were Ladybug?"

The way this is worded makes it seem like this isn't the first time Adrien has considered this... Hmm. Hence Troublemaker.

Plagg goes “Marinetteee? Nahhh!”

First of all, great job Plagg you’re an actor. Lmao, not very convincing.

“Besides, you shouldn’t be trying to find out more. If you discovered ladybugs' true identity, you’d have to give your miraculous back! So, if I were you, I’d act like nothing's going on! That’s what I always do when there’s a problem, and it’s always worked out just fine for me."

Okay, so first of all, Plagg, really? He is essentially saying, like ok, you found out, but just pretend you don’t know anything so you can keep your miraculous.

If Adrien was using his logical brain, which I think he was because he agreed with plagg, he would have thought the same. If it were anyone else, Plagg probably wouldn't have said that because there would be no risk of him losing his miraculous unless he was guessing right.

And Adrien goes, “Maybe I should listen to you this time.”

But of course, as the curious kitty he is, he still asks LB when he is there.

“This kwami Buster villain, she’s from Francois Dupont High School, right?"

(Note this part for later)

Ladybug shuts him down, saying, “Remember the rules chat noir… blah blah”

Okay, can I point out the fact that if Chat Noir thinks Marinette is Ladybug, when she detransforms cause of kwamibuster and shouts 'No, don't look over here', don't you think he would be hearing Marinette's voice at that point because she is already on his mind, so wouldn't that be proof enough for him, anyways, continuing on...

Later on, they both lose their miraculous and Adrien is in the banana suit. The next thing he sees is a bunch of kwami's charging toward him, and one stops in front of him, with multimouse on its back.

Conveniently, it is the original multimouse without an extra miraculous.

Marinette says, “Pssst chat noir is that you?”

And he goes, “Ladybug just when I think I finally know you, you manage to surprise me again.”

And she says, “That’s very sweet of you, but I’m not ladybug,” and points to her earrings, “I’m Multimouse ladybug sent me to fetch your miraculous, to defeat kwamibuster.”

Adrien ends up giving Multimouse his ring. I truly think this is because he still believes that Ladybug/Multimouse is the same person, aka Marinette. (I don't think he would have given the ring so easily if not, because look how he reacted with Alya as Ladybug in season 5; he is trusting but only toward Ladybug.)

I believe this because this is his face when Ladybug drops down in front of him beside Multimouse.

Agree to disagree, but he definitely thought that Multimouse was Ladybug.

So, he must believe that Ladybug is still Marinette, and Multimouse has to be someone else.

Furthermore, this is his face when Multimouse ends up being Marinette:

Literally flabbergasted.

Ok. So, I have a few points to cover here. I really think this would have left him very confused.

I think Adrien is a trusting person; he likes to see the best in people. Multimouse told him that she wasn't Ladybug, yet he was shocked when he realised that she wasn't. If I may, this is what I think could have gone through Chat Noir's head:

First, if Ladybug was detransformed, she'd go to the guardian for help to get a miraculous. Now, she couldn't transform into Ladybug, so logically, she would use another miraculous for herself because disguising herself and finding a random civilian for help would be a lot of effort (especially when transformed like, come on). So he probably didn't understand why Multimouse wanted to cover up the fact she was Ladybug, but as Adrien does, he likes giving the benefit of the doubt.

Second, in the illusion, there were no kwami's. There's no way there was enough time for all the kwami's to return to Master Fu between being realised and Chat entering the scene; logically, they would stay with Ladybug. Chat literally saw them earlier; Multimouse was being carried by them. I'm sure he thought a lot about this because Marinette not being Ladybug would be hard for him to accept, so I do think he would have picked up on this eventually.

Third, he didn't go in for a pound when he always does. It may just be the scapegoat for the poor writing because obviously if he went in for a pound it, the illusion would fall away, but he didn't. The only times prior where he didn't go in for a pound it was to take Kagami away when he was falling for her and to hug Ladybug, so the fact he didn't is strange, almost like he knew...

ALSO, Ladybug never convinced him that she doesn't go to Francois Dupont High School, only that Marinette isn't Ladybug, which I'm pretty sure she did the opposite of. It's almost ironic, if you ask me, that as soon as Chat Noir has the slightest suspicion that Marinette is Ladybug, bam, she somehow proves there's no way she ever could be. The thing is, Marinette didn't know Chat Noir was suspicious of her, so why did she need to pull a 180 on him?

Also, if Marinette 'isn't Ladybug', then how would you explain why she left early to go to the toilet? It was suspicious; it literally made Adrien think that she was Ladybug. If I were in the situation, I would think, okay, perhaps Marinette is friends with Ladybug; it would make sense because Ladybug trusted her with a miraculous when she was detransformed - but that doesn't explain away why Marinette would detransform in front of her and Chat Noir, if they were close friends than she would know not to do that, so something obviously doesn't add up.

Can I also point out the fact that Marinette, after she took of the necklace said “I’m so clumsy”

What was the first thing that LB ever said to chat noir?

“I’m mar-a mar-a madly clumsy, I am so clumsy…”

I really think Adrien figured this out because of how he acts in the next few episodes...

(Side note: I just wanted to point out that Marinette is so silly because she convinces herself that Chat Noir doesn't go to her school cause he refers to it as an elementary school when earlier he literally said,' Francois Dupont High School')

Anyways, Adrien was super convinced that Marinette was Ladybug, so much so to the point where this stunt didn't actually convince him she wasn't. How do I know, you may ask? Well, I will get to that, but first, we have an obstacle.

Puppeteer is in between Kwamibuster and the episode with my final proof.

So, how is it that we had to watch that disastrous episode and all the events in it if Adrien knew? Well, let's break it down.

Okay, so throughout the episode Adrien is trying to find a way to cheer Marinette up because he thinks she doesn't like him at all.

Adrien leaves it to the last minute before he jumps back and says, 'Eternity sounds like a long time,' it makes it sound like he is rejecting her right, but we later find out that this is supposedly when Adrien first started having feelings for Marinette because he enjoyed their 'kiss/almost kiss' so I think he was just freaking out because he's always thought that Marinette only sees him as a friend. He's never been reciprocated by Ladybug, so he doesn't know what it feels like to actually be flirted with by the girl he loves BAHAHA anyways this is my take on this.

Then what of the scene in the car? You may ask, well, look at it like this. This is how Adrien is looking at Marinette:

PLEASE

"The girl that I'm in love with doesn't like them either."

I know he is referring to them as two different people, but he's supposed to because Plagg told him to; he has to.

Ok, the evidence you've all been waiting for is plain as day. Chat Blanc.

When Marinette leaves the gift as Ladybug and Adrien sees, his first conclusion is that she is Ladybug. The evidence is right in his face, and because of the hearts, he realises that she loves him. Earlier, when the evidence was in his face, it was questionable, right? He wasn't 100% sure, but that little push of him catching Ladybug leaving a gift from Marinette made him sure.

The fact that she was multimouse didn't saude his made-up mind. he could have easily said, "No, Ladybug must be dropping off a gift for Marinette; she was multimouse."

She never convinced him when she made the illusion.

Obviously, it never happened. Adrien never made the conclusion because Marinette erased the timeline, but that means he's still sitting on the fence, waiting for that last little push for him to finally be able to confess he knows her identity. Do you notice the number of times that Adrien tries to get a reveal in seasons 1-3, then suddenly, in seasons 4 and 5, he stops? Yeah, he is upset they can't 'share' identities, but he never pushes. In season 4, he finally starts showing stronger feelings toward Marinette up to the point he starts to pursue her in season 5.

Do you remember in 'lies' when Adrien longingly looks at the lucky charm bracelet because Kagami thinks he loves Marinette now, not her, and she dumps him? Why does he look at the bracelet like that if it is Ladybug he loves. BECAUSE HE KNOWS THEY'RE THE SAME PERSON!!

In dearest family, when ladybug says the akumatised object is at home and he’s like ??? And she says I mean at their home.

Ephemeral. Well, looking at that scene, he wasn’t even surprised to see Ladybug change into Marinette, he was just blushing and shocked that she was actually revealing, and yeah, he says, “I just found out that one of my best friends is also the girl I love and admire the most”

Can we keep in mind that Adrien admitted that he started liking Marinette at the statue scene (He says this in season 5), right - so how is he calling her his best friend when he knew all along he liked her a little more than friends yk, because I think this could be interpreted in two ways Ladybug is his best friend, but so is Marinette, Ladybug is the girl he loves, but so is Marinette. So I think he is just saying that because he’s finally able to combine his best friend and someone he loves as one person…

OK, now on to season 5.

Adrien realised his feelings for Marinette, and he said it changed when she kissed him as a statue so how could Adrien know that she is Ladybug if he only started liking Marinette at that point when he’s loved Ladybug all along.

Well, I think Adrien just decides to separate the two of them (Marinette and Ladybug) for secret identities. As mentioned before, I believe he knew she was Ladybug but was still sitting on the fence and choosing not to believe it.

I will admit there are some things that Chat noir says to Ladybug that don’t make 100% sense right. Chat said that Ladybug helped him realise his true feelings for Marinette.

First of all, did he not tell Marinette that he realised his feelings for her when they were in the Graven Wax Museum, and she kissed him, and he liked it. He is either contradicting himself or he is not telling the full story.

If you think about it, if Adrien knows that Ladybug is Marinette, it was easy for him to just be in love with Ladybug because it was safe when he believed that Marinette loved Luka and not him you know, but toward the end of season four (Which is very fast paced) he starts getting closer to Marinette right, and ‘realises’ his feelings because she’s always been there for him. But Adrien knew his feelings for her all along, and it just took him a little push for him to finally confess it to Marinette and start pursuing her, that push was Marinette repeatedly showing him that she was there for him, so I think a part of him began to believe that Marinette did love him, so he decided he would try to be with her.

I know it may sound a bit far fetched, but there are some things that happen that just can’t be ignored.

Adrien was desperately in love with Ladybug like hopelessly, and he just gives it up, to me it felt weird like he suddenly switched. With Marinette, she always loved Adrien even when she was pursuing Chat Noir, she was pushing Adrien away because she didn’t want to confront the reality that he liked her back, because she was scared. So yes, she does pursue Chat Noir for a short while, and personally I think it’s obvious that she loves him too, and has all along but we’re not getting into that. Anyway, Adrien is in full denial about his feelings toward Ladybug and I’m sorry the sudden switch just feels completely odd, like what the hell????

You know that part (I forgot the episode) I believe it is one of the last 5 of season 5 where Plagg says “Marinette is the most amazing girl in the world,” well, that is exactly what Adrien used to say about Ladybug…

The switch up is just crazy to me, and the only way it makes sense in my head is if Adrien knows that he’s not ‘switching up’ he’s just pursuing the other side of Ladybug.

SO there is three times I want to point out where I think it’s obvious that he knows.

The first is when Nino tells Marinette about him and Alya being Rena Rouge and Carapace and confesses he told Adrien, and Adrien is like ‘innocent smile, wide eyes’ and looks at Marinette. Marinette is mad and is like “ADRIEN KNOWS? ALYA DID YOU KNOW ADRIEN KNOWS?”

Im sorry but that scene is just so like Adrien looking at his lady, like whoops sorry my lady didn’t mean to find out, I feel like if Marinette was just a civilian she wouldn’t have been mad like that right, so how come Adrien wasn’t confused by her reaction??? She was annoyed, and yeah Adrien was shocked too when he found out but he had the reason that it was because he was doubting Ladybug’s character, but adrien doesn’t know any reason why Marinette would be mad by this, its just so like coded that adrien knows and he realises oh shit marinates not gonna like this YOU KNOW !/!?!?!?

Anyways the second point is that in the finale when Adrien is about to tell Marinette his identity, he says ‘Time to drop the masks’ MASKS not Mask!!!! Like I was like why did they choose to say masks and not just mask???? It doesn’t make sense yk….

Ok and also Adrien’s nightmare, it was him as Anti-Chat or whatever, and he was holding Ladybug, and she was a statue, I was watching it and I was wondering where is Marinette in his nightmare, huh, why is she not there? The girl who he is supposed to love more than anything isn’t there… little does he know, she is there, in his arms, or perhaps he does know, he knows that he killed Ladybug/Marinette. That’s why he stepped back from Marinette’s balcony and couldn’t tell her. He couldn’t drop the ‘masks’ yet.

Anyways, this is my theory. Feel free to comment what you think.

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bittersweetresilience · 10 months

Note

adrien often being referred to in fanon as “sunshine” and the sun and something about Felix having Moon symbolism. is this anything sunny?

sentitwin sun moon symbolism is absolutely ridiculous. i have thought about it before but never gotten anywhere. this time i consulted @ninadove about it and rotated it in my mind for many hours and i am still not sure about my verdict. therefore i'm just going to ramble a bit and then pass it over to nina. birthday teamwork!

i started out agreeing with the assignment of adrien as the sun and félix as the moon.

their personalities seem to fit the vibes. moreover, it ties into yin and yang.

adrien's miraculous is placed on the yang half of the miracle box, and ladybug's on the yin. his hair is parted to the right, which is the direction of yang, while félix's and ladybug's are parted to the left, yin.

a brief tangent here: even though the placement in the miracle box and adrien and marinette's civilian selves with their white and black outer garments respectively seem to indicate yang and yin, when they become heroes, they swap entirely. ladybug wears red, yang, and chat noir wears black, yin. their powers of creation and destruction are also yang and yin. my theory is that not only are adrien and marinette meant to be halves of a whole as partners, but their hero selves are also meant to halves of a whole with their civilian selves. yin and yang symbolism all around.

back to adrien as sunshine. before félix was introduced, adrien was established as the character in the show with the disney princess golden hair and golden smile, so it's easy to see where this fanon came from.

marinette describes her love for him as three suns in her heart.

then if we want to pair the sentitwins, and we think adrien is the sun, it makes sense for félix to be the moon.

some final evidence in support of this is mirror imagery. the same way the moon reflects the light of the sun, félix reflects adrien. both in his creation as a reflection of adrien's and in his behavior in the show. félix dresses as adrien in over half of his episodes.

but this picture is complicated by several factors. there's a fair amount of evidence that the twins are actually associated the other way around, with adrien as the moon and félix as the sun.

gold and silver color symbolism. one could easily think of gold as the sun and silver as the moon, but in the show, félix and the graham de vanilys are associated with gold and adrien and the agrestes are associated with silver. the wedding rings, the colors of their homes, their camouflaged miraculous, the lighting... anarchist gang talked about this a few months ago and i think nina may want to expand on what we discovered, so i will leave this to her.

another brief tangent here: white and black color symbolism. i have not fleshed out my thoughts on it but i am leaving notes here for future reference. adrien's civilian outfit features white, but this likely reflects gabriel's influence on him. his hero selves wear black. meanwhile, félix is introduced dressed in black and haloed in white as he enters gabriel's sphere. in the play, it's the opposite. at the diamonds' dance, he and marinette wear white and kagami, like lune rouge, wears red. obfuscation? femininity? yin and yang again?

and a third brief tangent here: when chat noir is unhealthy, he becomes chat blanc, who is white, and patte de velours, who is accented with gold. colors of entanglement? of influence? of inauthenticity? are félix's best parts adrien's idea of a perfect self? i am contemplating.

there are more significant reasons for moon adrien and sun félix. in important moments of the show, adrien is frequently associated with the moon. glaciator, chat blanc, kuro neko, new york special... and on the other hand, where does the sun play an important part of the story? in réplique, with félix.

narratively, sentitwins seem to have moon and sun roles. adrien is the one from whom things are hidden, while félix is the one who shines light on the truth. adrien spends most of his time as support, while félix is an active agent. adrien reacts to things, while félix makes them happen, for better or for worse.

nina has an entire essay on félix and the development of his sun associations from lune rouge to the sunrise in représentation, so i'll leave that to her to discuss.

all right. sentitwins are either sun and moon or moon and sun. what does this mean for them?

it intrigues me that adrien is viewed by fanon as the sun when he could be better described as the moon. adrien agreste enjoyers, please get on this.

here is a starting point for your thoughts. if adrien is the moon, it makes sense why he destroyed the moon in chat blanc when he was trying to destroy himself.

and if félix is the sun, it further puts into perspective why he felt guilty about réplique's fate. they were a sacrifice for his goals. he may has well have literally killed them.

role reversal and false impressions are prominent in sentitwins and this complicated picture adds to that.

frequently bought together. do not separate.

in conclusion, yes, autumn, this is most certainly something. fuck if i know what it is, but i love losing my mind about it.

#I'M SORRY I HAVE NO IDEA HOW THIS ENDED UP THIS LONG #also i have recently discovered the joy of answering asks and i am eating you for this one. eating you whole #miraculous ladybug #felix fathom #felix graham de vanily #adrien agreste #🌃#🏮#good lord i hope you enjoy at least some of this nonsense HAHE #ml meta

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rosie-b · 4 months

Text

True Blue

Chapter 14: The Balcony Scene, Reprise

Surprise!!! New chapter is out!

When he saw her, Adrien dropped the cookie he’d been about to eat.

“Bluewing!” he exclaimed. Then his expression hardened. “What are you doing here? Are you stalking me? Trying to make me susceptible to an akuma? What’s your goal?”

Bluewing spread out her hands in a hopefully non-threatening gesture and lightly tossed her fan to the side of the room. It landed far away from Adrien, but he tracked its motion with an attentive glare.

“Hawk Moth doesn’t know I’m here,” Bluewing said.

You can read the rest on AO3 or below!

Throughout the rest of the school day, Marinette texted Adrien as often as she could. They never talked about anything serious; they traded jokes and memes and talked about safe topics, but there was an unspoken agreement between them to avoid mentioning the kiss or the nightmares they’d had. Last night had been awful enough, and they both needed time to recover before they could talk about it, even in daylight.

Marinette was grateful she had Adrien to distract her from the horrible new reality she’d wandered into. She’d told him about Nathalie leaving her job, and he’d expressed a similar confusion to hers. They’d spun out a few theories about what had happened before giving up and moving on when they realized all it was doing was making them feel helpless and a little angry, the perfect mix of emotions for an akuma to prey on.

Marinette didn’t want to think M. Agreste would akumatize his own son. He’d shown a lack of control over his akumas recently, though, and especially after her dream and finding out that Nathalie had left, she found herself less and less willing to trust M. Agreste as completely as she once had.

She didn’t want to think about what it meant if he was really the reason Nathalie had left. She didn’t want to consider the possibility that her nightmare’s warning was right, and Hawk Moth was not really the hero he tried to be.

So, she distracted herself while she half-heartedly filled out a few worksheets and pretended to understand the material she was supposed to teach herself. (Really, what kind of school day was this?)

When Adrien couldn’t respond to her during his classes, she found her mind wandering to Duusu’s strange behavior yesterday. She knew M. Agreste didn’t want her to talk to them, but Marinette was determined to heal the kwami so that it would be easier to communicate with them. It was only because of the broken Miraculous that Duusu was acting like they were, well, crazy, so if they could be healed? That should take care of the problem. Finally, Marinette would be able to interact with her kwami, if she could figure out a way to make this work.

Yes, it wasn’t just Marinette and Emilie that needed the potion’s magic, Duusu had to need it, too. However, as a semi-incorporeal being (from what she’d gathered), Duusu probably wouldn’t be able to heal just from exposure to the vial of potion. Marinette needed a better way to get the healing magic to affect the kwami. Well, since Duusu was linked to the Miraculous, which always existed in a physical form, then maybe healing the Miraculous would heal Duusu! In fact, if the potion could heal the Miraculous, maybe doing so would provide a once-and-for-all solution.

Maybe there was a way to make sure the broken Miraculous would never hurt another holder again.

With this goal in mind, Marinette waited until her scheduled study hours were almost over and then slipped into the atelier. She knew the safe’s password from watching M. Agreste punch it in so many times when he was retrieving the brooch to give her for a mission, so getting in was a breeze. The only problem was the fact that her actions would show up on the security cameras, but she wasn’t doing anything wrong exactly, and if Gabriel was busy finding a replacement for Nathalie, then he was probably too busy to check the camera feed until after Marinette had finished what she’d come here to do.

Marinette reached into the safe and took out the brooch. Her heart was racing, with memories of her first horrible time putting on the brooch plaguing her mind, but she had to do this. If she could just repair the brooch, Gabriel would probably let her keep it with her, right? She could hide it under her clothes, just like he did with his Miraculous! They’d never have to worry about a third incident like Dark Cupid’s or Sandboy’s ever again. She would always be able to help with akuma attacks, whether she was at home or in the mansion.

After all, what reason could be good enough for him to keep her from having the Miraculous once it was repaired and Duusu was safe to talk to?

Marinette took out the vial of potion she’d brought with her. Without Nathalie’s help, she only had a limited amount of supplies left. She’d be out soon, so she hoped her idea would work!

As she held the broken brooch steadily in front of her, Marinette uncapped the vial of potion and tipped it over. As a large, golden drop hit the cracks in the Miraculous, she firmed her belief that this healing attempt would work. It had to, or else she would be disobeying M. Agreste for no reason and harming herself in the process.

��This potion will work just as well as it worked for me,” she whispered, squeezing the brooch tightly and rubbing the potion into its cracks. “Miraculous, repair yourself!”

At first, nothing happened. However, after a short moment, a bright light surrounded the brooch. When it faded, no cracks could be seen in the brooch. It was just as good as new.

“It worked,” Marinette breathed, and a smile spread across her face. “It really worked!”

Now, she could only hope that this repair would be a permanent one. Otherwise, the Miraculous would not need to be healed after each time she used it.

Still, Marinette had a good feeling about the brooch’s healing. This time, she was sure she’d found a permanent solution. And she wasn’t about to let it go to waste.

Marinette wanted to pin the brooch on and talk to Duusu, to see if they were okay. Before doing that, though, she needed to talk to M. Agreste. It was nearly time for her training hour to start (for fashion, though recently, this time was more often used for an akuma attack), so all she had to do was wait for Gabriel to come down to the atelier.

While she waited, she locked the safe again, but kept the Miraculous with her. She’d need to show it to M. Agreste, otherwise, he’d never believe her.

Gabriel strolled into the room, frowning lightly, a few minutes later.

“Ms. Dupain-Cheng,” he greeted her. “I apologize for being late. It is harder to find a competent secretary than it seems, these days. I plan to hire one young enough that I can train, anyway; interviews will begin before the hour is over. In the meantime, I...”

His voice trailed off as he caught sight of the brooch sitting in the palm of Marinette’s hand. His eyes sharpened, and Marinette resisted the urge to flinch. It might not look like it now, but surely he’d realize what a helpful thing she’d accomplished for him.

“Marinette. What is that,” he snarled rather than asked.

She raised her chin and lifted the brooch higher for him to see.

“It’s Duusu’s Miraculous. I repaired it with a drop of my potion, and now the cracks are gone. The negative side effects of using it should be gone entirely now.”

Gabriel fell back a step. “What? But how?”

Marinette smirked. “I told you, sometimes a solution really can’t be found, and sometimes you just have to create it. With any luck, even Duusu’s madness should be gone now. I’m sorry for opening the safe without your permission, but it was for a good cause, just like your akuma attacks. The Miraculous is completely safe now, which means that with your permission, I’d like to take it home with me. I can hide it with a scarf, the way you hide your own brooch, and no one will question my fashion choices, so no one will find out that I’m Bluewing. What do you think?”

Gabriel’s jaw clenched, and he stepped forward, taking the brooch from Marinette’s hands and examining it closely. After a moment, he cautiously pinned the Miraculous on, and Duusu spiraled out of it.

“Whee! Oh, Master Gabriel, it’s good to see you again! It’s been so long; your hair is gray now! Oh, the years passed by like a long nightmare. How are you— oh! There’s another person here, too!” Duusu flew over to Marinette, squinting. “Do I remember you? You look familiar.”

“She is your current holder, Duusu; I am only borrowing your Miraculous. Only speak to her if you need to, and do not lead her astray.”

With those words, Gabriel unpinned the brooch, and Duusu vanished. He turned the Miraculous over, frowning at it. Then he slowly handed the brooch back to Marinette, who looked up at him questioningly.

“Well?”

“It appears to be fixed,” Gabriel admitted. “Still, I have reason to be concerned. Not the least of which because you know the password to my safe; I will need to change it before the interviews begin. You think you can take the Miraculous with you and keep it hidden?”

“Yes,” Marinette responded immediately. “In fact, I think it’s the wisest thing for us to do right now. Now you can create an akuma at any time and I’ll be able to help you. Just let me know before you do, and make sure to keep the akumas away from Adrien and me.”

Gabriel didn’t speak, instead staring at the picture of Emilie behind Marinette.

She wet her lips and tried again. “This gives us an advantage, M. Agreste. I want to help you save Emilie before it’s too late, and with the brooch, I can do that more reliably and faster than I could if it stayed in the mansion. Won’t you please consider it?”

Gabriel’s expression was muted, as if he was far away from the room and Marinette and the brooch that had killed his wife.

“She deserved better than this,” he whispered. “It’s all the fault of that kwami, you know. She led Emilie astray, made her think creating a sentimonster with two amoks was safe to do. I lost my wife before Adrien was even born.”

He snapped to attention, staring directly into Marinette’s eyes with a cold gaze.

“You may keep the brooch for now. But don’t talk to the kwami,” he ordered. “And don’t tell Adrien a word about this. I’m taking a big chance in trusting you, Marinette. Do not compromise our mission by giving secrets away to the boy; he is too emotional, like his mother. He cannot be trusted with knowledge of the Miraculous. Do not let him get near the brooch; do not give him his amok. I will not permit his presence to interfere with my mission again. Understood?”

Marinette frowned. “Understood, sir. I wasn’t going to tell him, anyway.”

Gabriel nodded, satisfied, and dismissed her. As the Gorilla escorted her back to the bakery, Marinette wondered what Gabriel meant by not letting Adrien interfere again. He hadn’t done so before, right?

On top of that, though she was pleased she was trusted with the brooch now, Marinette was offended on Adrien’s behalf. He was not too emotional; he was kind and caring and sweet, not weak or given to whims. She trusted him. Marinette wanted to tell him everything about the brooch, about his mother and the reason Hawk Moth wanted the Miraculous, about the reason she was so possessive of the ring she wore on her finger.

Unless there was something Gabriel wasn’t telling her, Marinette saw absolutely no reason not to trust Adrien or Duusu.

Furthermore, she was sure Duusu hadn’t planned on killing Emilie. Duusu was already protective of Marinette and seemed completely loyal to their holders even while they were driven crazy by their Miraculous; why would they be worse now that they’d been healed? No, Marinette was sure that she could trust them.

She hated to think it, but Marinette trusted Gabriel even less now. She needed to know that he wasn’t lying, that he wasn’t just keeping her in the dark about Adrien and Emilie’s fate and the other people who’d been affected by Duusu’s poisoned brooch.

She needed to know that this was really the right thing for Adrien. After all, if Emilie was too far gone for the potion to heal her, as Gabriel thought (and as might be true, if it hadn’t helped her yet) then what good would stealing the Miraculous do? Was a Wish really powerful enough to bring back the dead?

It must be. The mission had to be the right thing to do; Gabriel had planned it for years, it couldn’t be as ill-thought-through as his akuma last night had been. He knew what he was doing.

Marinette still wanted some kind of reassurance, though. And while she had the brooch, she had an idea of where she could get it.

She transformed as soon as she got up to her room.

Bluewing didn’t want to cause a disruption like she had last time she went out without an akuma, so she stuck to the alleyways and rooftops high enough that no one would spot her as she made her way back to the Agreste mansion.

Then, knowing that Adrien would have just gotten back from fencing practice, she leapt down to his windowsill and slid in through the window she found left ajar.

When he saw her, Adrien dropped the cookie he’d been about to eat.

“Bluewing!” he exclaimed. Then his expression hardened. “What are you doing here? Are you stalking me? Trying to make me susceptible to an akuma? What’s your goal?”

“Hawk Moth doesn’t know I’m here,” Bluewing said. “I’m not stalking you, I’m not trying to get you akumatized, and my goal is... mostly unrelated to my normal one. Kind of.”

Adrien kept glaring and crossed his arms.

“Just hear me out, okay? I know the public thinks I’m a villain; I would have, too, before I knew what I know now about Hawk Moth and his mission. But I promise, there is a good reason for what we’re doing. We’re doing the best we can—”

“The best you can at being evil,” Adrien muttered.

Bluewing’s heart broke a little at his words.

“No! I’m not evil, and I wouldn’t be doing this if I didn’t think it would help people more than it hurts them! Please, I just, I need to explain myself to someone and know that at least one person thinks I’m doing the right thing. Please listen to me!”

Adrien raised an eyebrow. “You’ll tell me all about why you and Hawk Moth are terrorizing Paris? Even give me your secret identity?”

Bluewing huffed. “Not that. But I... think you might be more likely to understand than most. You see, Hawk Moth lost someone important to him. He needs a Wish to heal h— them.”

“I see why that would hurt,” Adrien said. “And I think I know why you came to me now. But lots of people lose someone. There’s nothing you can really do about it except hold onto their memory and move on with your life. It sounds like Hawk Moth is just trying to escape reality, but he can’t. And neither can you.”

Bluewing swallowed. “I understand. But it wasn’t a normal loss. You see, there was more than one person affected. And the problem wasn’t natural, or even a plane crash or war or something. It was my brooch,” she said, tapping the Miraculous on her chest.

Adrien’s eyes widened. “What? Wait, you’re telling me there are other Peacock holders out there?”

Marinette pursed her lips. “Well, only a couple are alive. They used its full power after it was broken, which slowly poisoned them, and... it’s not good. Even I was affected, before I figured out how to repair the brooch. You might notice my unsteadiness in some older Goldenblog videos—”

“You’re telling me that Hawk Moth forced you to wield a broken Miraculous, slowly poison yourself, and possibly die while knowing exactly what was going to happen?” Adrien interrupted, practically yelling. He sounded furious, angrier than Marinette had ever heard him before. His fists were tightly clenched, and his face was twisted with rage.

Bluewing flinched. “Yes, no, I volunteered,” she babbled. “I found out about the brooch by accident and put it on. He had no choice but to tell me about the Miraculous, especially after I figured out that he was Hawk Moth. He explained his mission to me and gave me medicine to hold off the poison for a while. Since I was already affected and he clearly needed help fighting both Golden Bug and Chat Grise, I offered to become Bluewing. He didn’t force me. I hope that shows that his cause is good,” she added meekly.

Adrien’s expression softened, but not by much. “Prove it,” he demanded. “I still don’t believe you.”

“Okay, the medicine doesn’t work entirely. Without a Wish, everyone who used the brooch is doomed to die, slowly and painfully. Some already have died, and their spouses were left all alone to raise the children that they...”

Marinette hesitated. She wasn’t sure how much to say. This visit hadn’t been planned, after all. She had to stop acting so impulsively!

“The people that they... what?” Adrien prompted, sitting down on his couch. He looked up at her with an open expression, but his eyes tracked every movement she made, as if she’d strike at any moment.

Bluewing rubbed her arm. She knew she technically shouldn’t tell Adrien about the senti-children, but she wouldn’t be disobeying Gabriel’s orders if she only told him the basics without revealing that Adrien himself was a senti, right? Besides, Marinette had wanted to tell Adrien about this from the beginning. If she could at least lay the groundwork for him to understand his origins later, when she was allowed to tell him about them, that would accomplish something good.

She looked at Adrien, determined to tell him some of the truth she knew he was entitled to.

“Okay, I’ll tell you, but this is going to sound weird. Um, and it takes some getting used to, but that’s okay! So,” she said, nervously twisting her pointer finger back and forth, “As you probably noticed, I’ve never used my Miraculous’ real power. There’s a good reason for that, or else I would have been more help against Golden and Grise!”

Adrien watched, his face dubious, as she tapped the brooch pinned to her chest.

“See, this is the Miraculous of emotion, and with it, you can create life. Whatever kind of being you want, with whatever power you want. The magic goes into an amok, which holds the sentibeing’s life force, and it can be used to control them, though that shouldn’t happen. The Peacock has a very dangerous power, and it needs to be used extremely carefully. Well, the past few holders used it to create their own children. So, senti-humans, which are mostly just like normal people. Instead of IVF, they were created with magic. Kinda cool, right?”

Adrien gaped at her. “Senti-humans? You mean, like, they’re real humans, or do they have powers? Are they immortal, or do they die easily? How easy it is to break their amoks? Are they a threat to Golden Bug and Chat Grise? You— you said their amoks control them? How is that possible?”

Bluewing tried her best to respond. “They’re just like real humans, as far as I know. I’ve met one, and he’s just the same as every other boy. I think they have normal, human life spans, since they were created to be humans. I don’t know how easy it is to break their amoks, but I protect the one I have with my life. They’re not threats to Golden Bug or Chat Grise, any more than you are. And no one should ever control them. Senti-humans deserve the same rights and respect as normal-origin humans. That’s why I don’t use my power. I’m terrified of abusing it; that would make me the monster.”

“I see,” Adrien said thoughtfully. “I’m glad you aren’t abusing your Miraculous, at least. But I’m not convinced about this Wish; are you sure it’s the only way? Wouldn’t it have repercussions of its own?”

Bluewing crossed her arms defensively. “As far as I know, there are no side effects.”

Adrien brought a hand up to his chin, considering. “How about the akuma attacks? How can you justify the chaos, the damage? What happens when you win and Golden Bug can’t repair everything Hawk Moth’s akuma did? And the victims who get akumatized, how can you be okay with manipulating them if you’re hesitant to do the same thing with your brooch’s powers?”

“Oh, Hawk Moth asks them for permission before he akumatizes them,” Bluewing said, happy that she had an answer ready for this.

Adrien did not look convinced. “Even the baby? The toddlers? Are you sure that he asks them all, every time? Do you see him do it?”

“W-well,” Marinette faltered. “I don’t see it every time. I did witness it once or twice, but usually I’m already busy getting transformed and heading out to help. Um, but he did ask the baby! That’s what he said, at least.” Her voice grew quieter as she spoke, and she fought the urge to fidget nervously.

“You don’t sound very sure about that,” Adrien noted. “Are you sure Hawk Moth isn’t lying to you? Because there’s no way the trauma he’s given this city can just be erased. We won’t forget what he’s done to us. And I really doubt that a baby can give consent to becoming a villain’s accomplice. Would it even know what the words Hawk Moth spoke to it mean?”

Bluewing steadied herself. “Hawk Moth wouldn’t lie to me,” she said defensively.

But as Adrien glared accusingly at her, she found herself reminded of Emilie’s warning last night. Don’t trust Gabriel.

It wasn’t real. It was just a dream, she told herself.

“Look, I can’t vouch for everything he’s ever done. But I’ve seen the damage a broken Miraculous can do, and I’ve seen the pain of losing someone to things you can’t understand or explain. I know the only way to set things right is to use the Wish, and since Golden and Grise won’t give us their Miraculous even after Hawk Moth explained the situation to them and asked nicely, we have no choice but to use the akumas to get the Wish.”

Adrien stood up. “Really? There’s no other way? And yet Golden Bug and Chat Grise, who know more about their Miraculous and what they can do than you or Hawk Moth, still think a Wish isn’t worth it. They’re not giving you their Miraculous, ever, and all you can do by continuing to fight is cause more harm to Paris. So, maybe you should just give up.”

Bluewing frowned at Adrien. Hadn’t she just explained why she needed to keep fighting for the Miraculous? A Wish couldn’t possibly be as bad as Golden Bug and Chat Grise thought it would be. They were just selfish! Jealous of other people who could use their power to do more good than they ever could!

Meanwhile, Adrien kept talking, gesturing earnestly as he did.

“Take my friend Marinette, for example; she’s the most creative person I know. She’s always doing things I think are impossible, but even she has her limits. Look, it sucks that people got hurt because they used a broken Miraculous. But if they’re dead, they’re dead. You can’t just go around making exceptions to the laws of nature for people you like. If I was going after this Wish, for example, what makes my mother so different from the girl whose father died of cancer, or from the person who got infected while swimming and died from a parasite infection? What makes anyone more worth saving than anyone else? Nothing. But if we just bring back everyone we love who dies, the order of the world is broken. Life is beautiful, but it isn’t complete without death, as much as that sucks.”

Fear squeezed Bluewing in a tight vise. This was not the way she’d wanted this visit to go. Adrien had to be wrong; they were doing this for the right reasons! The Miraculous shouldn’t have killed its wielders! Adrien deserved his mother!

...More than anyone else who’d lost a parent?

“Another thing,” Adrien continued, “I wouldn’t trust anything Hawk Moth tells you about Golden Bug and Chat Grise. He hates them. I doubt he ever tried reasoning with them. I think he attacked before bothering to ask for the Miraculous; otherwise, why did he make his demand during Stormy Weather’s akumatization? He wouldn’t have needed to if he’d explained his situation to the heroes first.”

“You must be wrong,” Bluewing fought back weakly. “I know him. He’s a good man. He’s doing this for his son, for his family. And for others, too. This is the only way.”

Adrien frowned. “Sure. But I have just one more question before you leave, then. When you first put on the brooch, did you actually transform with it? Or did you not know how to? You’d only just discovered it, right?”

Bluewing nodded slowly. “Right, I only pinned it on. I wasn’t sure how to transform yet,” she confirmed, feeling her stomach churn uneasily. “Why do you ask?”

Adrien stared at her for a second, looking sympathetic for once. “Just wondering,” he said. “You’ve been through a lot. I don’t blame you for it, but if you ask me, Hawk Moth has been pulling your strings. My advice is to leave him while you still can. I think you knew the truth once. It’s time to rediscover it.”

Bluewing had no idea what to say, but it seemed that Adrien was done with the conversation. He guided her over to the window by her elbow, making it clear that it was time for her to leave.

Well, it’s probably for the best, Bluewing thought as she waved nervously, said goodbye, and ducked through the window. This meeting was a hot mess, anyway.

__*__*__*__*__

That evening, she sat alone on her balcony, fuming as she tried to work through Adrien’s words and how her visit had gone so wrong. Hawk Moth wasn’t lying to her! He might hide some things, but that was fine. Everyone had a right to privacy! And the baby might not understand words, but it could understand tones! Plus, the show during Stormy Weather was mostly for the public’s benefit, so they would understand what Hawk Moth was doing and what he was after, so they’d be less afraid of his akumas once they knew the akumas were only after Golden Bug and Chat Grise.

Marinette forced herself to stop thinking about it. Any more hard thinking, and she’d get a headache from all the stress.

Well, a headache was coming her way, regardless, in the form of one yellow-suited hero.

Marinette didn’t even have the energy left to react when Golden Bug landed on her balcony.

He raised his brows at her lack of reaction and hummed.

“You know, normally the only people to give me such a cold welcome are akumas,” he commented. “What’s bothering you, Marinette?”

She groaned and dropped her head into her hands.

I need to respond normally, or he’ll know something’s up, she fretted.

But he already suspected something was up, so she shrugged as she looked at him and said, “Everything. Nothing. It’s been a bad day, but I’ll be fine, I swear. So, you don’t need to watch over me for akumas. Go on with patrol, or whatever.”

Golden Bug frowned, apparently not convinced by her display (and honestly, who would be?). “You don’t seem okay. And what kind of hero would I be if I left innocent civilians alone when they’re vulnerable to being akumatized?”

Marinette sharply looked away. “Not much of one, I guess.”

Golden Bug sounded cheerful as he responded, “Great! Then it looks like I’m staying until you feel better. Glad we agree.”

Marinette’s eyes widened. Slowly, she slid her gaze to the left, where Golden Bug stood. She’d walked right into that one!

Leaning against the balcony railing, Golden Bug shot Marinette a grin. “So, what can this hero do to help? Antenna me what’s wrong.”

All Marinette could do was stare at him. Golden Bug seemed a little too invested in her mental health right now. Or was he?

He’d rescued her from her nightmare last night. He cared deeply about all the citizens of Paris, she had to admit that. Even back when she was targeted by Evillustrator, Golden Bug had gone above and beyond to make sure she was okay! This visit was probably just a normal check-up for him, another way for him to take care of the people he sincerely thought he was protecting from Hawk Moth.

Marinette found herself fighting a blush as she realized that Golden Bug was taking time out of his day to check on her, not because he suspected her of villainy, the way she’d thought he was the first time he did it, but because he genuinely wanted to! He cared about her.

Not like that. But still!

So, she offered him a smile and sat down on her chair to talk to him. The least she could do right now was be as kind to him as he was to her.

“Well, I still don’t need therapy,” she said, watching as Golden Bug seemed to relax at her willingness to talk. “So don’t bother putting on that silly mustache again.”

Golden Bug smirked. “Really? But I need it; it’s part of my charm!”

Marinette rolled her eyes affectionately. “As if.”

She paused, remembering that none of her current problems were really safe to share with the person in front of her. Doing that would be more likely to land her in a prison cell than make him leave.

“I guess I just still feel like a failure,” she admitted in a low voice. “Every time I think I’m making progress, it’s one step forward and two steps back. I just want to help people, like you do! But I end up feeling powerless and confused. I just need a win, you know?”

Golden Bug hummed. “I know. Believe me, the public might thank me for my help against Hawk Moth, but I still feel like I’ve never won against him. Every battle is a lost opportunity to take his Miraculous back and end his reign of terror. Each time he gets away and I don’t even get a lead, I...” He clenched his fist and looked away. “I also feel like a failure. Like I’m buckling under all the pressure on me. And, I don’t know, maybe we are a pair of failures. But I try to remember that every step forward really is progress, even if it feels like you slide back two steps afterwards. We can learn from our failures. Me, I’m always learning how to protect my Miraculous from Hawk Moth better. I can’t let him make that Wish, or else the entire world will be rewritten, and who knows what will be lost!”

Marinette stiffened. “What?”

Golden Bug looked over at her, his expression cooler than butter as he raised an eyebrow.

“What are you confused by? That’s pretty much my job description.”

“The Wish, you said it would rewrite the world? I thought it would be more like a wish from a genie,” she said, trying to laugh her comment off.

“Well,” Golden Bug said in an ironic tone, “You still have to be careful with those. You never get exactly what you wish for. And yes, a Wish made with Grise’s and my Miraculous would lead to this world being restarted, remade from scratch. Forget one little detail, and people, or entire civilizations, could be wiped from existence. A Wish needs to be worded perfectly, which is an impossible goal. There’s a price to pay for it, too. For example, if you use a Wish to bring someone back to life, someone else will be killed. The world’s balance is delicate; even a Wish can’t tilt it too far.”

Marinette gasped, feeling tears sting her eyes. Emilie. The other parents. Healing the survivors would injure others? Bringing back the ones who died... would doom others to take their place in death?

The shock was nearly too much to bear.

Did Gabriel know about this? He couldn’t have, or he would have told her.

Maybe Golden Bug is wrong, Marinette thought desperately.

“How do you know that?” she asked quickly, nearly tripping over her words. “Are you sure that’s what would happen?”

Golden Bug’s face was solemn as he nodded. “It’s the truth. That’s what the Guar— that’s what the man who entrusted me with my Miraculous told me.”

The man who gave him his Miraculous? The Guardian. The one who refused Gabriel’s first pleas, who lied to Golden Bug and Chat Grise and sent them out to fight a grown man!

Marinette clenched her jaw. There was no way the Guardian had told Golden Bug the truth about this. It had to be one of his lies!

Relief shot through Marinette, and she relaxed back in the chair, not having realized until then that she’d sat up in her panic.

“That’s horrible,” she commented. “I’m glad you and Chat Grise are doing your best to make sure that won��t happen.” I’m sorry the Guardian lied to you. I’m sorry you’re trapped in his service.

For some reason, Golden Bug blinked at her. “I’m, uh, happy to serve.”

Marinette smiled at him. “Well, thanks for stopping by! I feel a lot better now. Do you want a cookie or something before you leave?”

Golden Bug tilted his head. “Uh, sure? Thank you. Hey, are you sure you’re okay now? Last night had to have been difficult for you. It’s okay if you’re still affected by it.”

“I’m okay, really. I just have to keep pushing forward. I’ll get there eventually!”

Marinette considered her words for a moment. Something was missing.

“Oh, and I’m sure you’ll catch Hawk Moth soon! Try throwing him off again. Do something unpredictable, like, maybe trade Miraculous with Chat Grise for a few days again? Practice so he can’t throw you off if you’re attacked while you have the wrong Miraculous, I don’t know.”

It wasn’t the best advice, but it wasn’t horrible, either. And if he wound up taking it? It would provide the perfect opportunity for her and Hawk Moth. They just had to strike soon, before Golden Bug and Chat Grise could get used to using their partner’s Miraculous.

A hum startled Marinette from her thoughts.

“I’ll think about it,” Golden Bug responded. “Grise and I will have to discuss it together before we do anything. We’re partners, you know? It’s not fair if one of us makes the decisions for both of us. I value what she has to say.”

“Oh, of course,” Marinette responded immediately. “I wouldn’t expect anything else from the two of you. You work really well together.”

“Thanks!” Golden Bug said with a smile. He looked surprised and pleased by the compliment.

Marinette smiled back at him. Even if he was her enemy, and she was trying to get over him still, she had to admit that he looked cute when he was flustered.

“So,” she started to say, “If you still want something from the bakery, you can just—”

She was cut off by her phone vibrating in her pocket, which startled her into jumping from the chair. When she pulled the phone out of her pocket, she saw that she was getting a call, and when she saw the caller ID, her eyes widened.

“It’s M. Agreste,” she told Golden Bug. “He might have news about school or my internship; I have to take this!”

Golden Bug nodded, quickly said goodbye, and swung away from her balcony.

Marinette accepted the call. “Hello?”

“Marinette.” Gabriel’s voice came through crisply. “I have finished selecting a new secretary. She won’t start until Monday, so I have decided to akumatize my next champion today, while we have time to kill. I have my eyes on someone in the 15th arrondissement. Transform quickly and begin making your way over. Does that sound acceptable to you?”

Marinette nodded and then stuttered out a confirmation when she realized M. Agreste couldn’t see her. “Y-yeah, yesh, yes it does!”

“Good,” M. Agreste said. “You don’t have to report back to the mansion unless you think it’s necessary. I’ll be in contact.”

He hung up, and Marinette gulped. This would be the first real test of the potion’s power!

Reaching under her overshirt, she unpinned the brooch and held it up to check for cracks.

There was nothing, not even a scratch!

Marinette smiled as she pinned the brooch back on, checked for Golden Bug or any leftover paparazzi still hoping for a scoop on Adrien’s ‘girlfriend,’ and transformed.

Things were finally looking up.

#bluewing au #true blue #ml fanfic #rosie-b writing #miraculous ladybug #kwami swap

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