#Adrien Salt

[motherofplatypus]

After seeing several response about Sublimation, I can't help but feel like people are using Adrien's lack of social skill to justify Marinette's stalker behaviour.

"He's okay with it, so it's not stalking", "He doesn't know, so it's okay", "No one was harmed, so what's the big deal" are the excuses I've seen the most. And with Sublimation, people were going "Oh, he knows her so well, that's cute". I can't help but ask what exactly is cute about that?

Folks, this guy is someone who's been socially depraved for YEARS since he was a kid with his only friend being Chloe. He has little to no awareness of what is acceptable in society and what is not.

Him accepting the treatment and behavior doesn't make it okay.

[nobodyfamousposts]

I remember seeing a post that said ‘Chat has to earn the right to hand out the miraculous’ but I never really understood what that meant? Like how would he ‘earn’ it?

First off, we’re approaching this from the wrong angle. I recall making a post about the issue of Adrien not getting to be the one to hand out Miraculous, but I’m pretty sure I said at the time that handing out the magic-granting world-altering jewelry wasn’t a “right“, it was a responsibility. No one has a “right” to the Miraculous whether it’s using them or choosing others to use them. That’s the sort of entitlement that got us Chloe and her downward spiral. Saying it’s a “right” is saying it’s based on what you perceive a person to deserve rather than what they are actually capable of handling. It’s a trap of thinking that someone “deserves” something so they are “owed“ that something, regardless of the reality of the situation. At the time, people were saying that Adrien “deserved” to be the one to hand out the magical jewelry—either alongside Marinette or from the general stance I saw from the people making that statement at the time, preferably in place of her.

The sad little meow meow may deserve happiness, but there’s nothing saying that happiness has to or even should come in the form of control over ancient magical jewelry and the gods within that can cause other people harm if the person involved is being irresponsible (like say using his partner’s Lucky Charm for a joke during a crisis when she was already on a time limit in Refleckdoll) or otherwise having a bad day and just not feeling like it (Catwalker).

As such, it’s not about Adrien needing to “earn the right” to hand out Miraculous to people of his choosing, it’s about him needing to show that he is responsible enough to make good choices regardless of his personal feelings and more importantly take accountability for his bad choices.

That is where we have the problem.

In Copycat, Adrien caused an akuma by lying to a guy about dating Ladybug. While he did try to solve the situation himself, he took no accountability in the process and his attempts to catch his double really came off more as his way of hiding what he did rather than trying to fix it. Especially since the episode ended with Ladybug taking the blame and apologizing to the victim for something that wasn’t her fault. At no point did Adrien admit what actually happened, and the truth never came out.

In Oblivio, he cost his, Marinette’s, AND the kwamis’ memories because he was messing around and flirting in the middle of the fight. We literally see in the clip that he is lounging behind Ladybug while she is desperately trying to deflect the blasts by herself to protect them both.

In Papa Garou, he is again flirting with Ladybug and distracting her in the middle of a fight when she is a little busy trying to stop the akuma from crushing a building. A building and specifically the bedroom of a friend of his whom he supposedly cares about and that he has no way of knowing isn’t in there being crushed to death by the akuma he was ignoring.

In Glaciator, he got mad at Ladybug for not showing up to a date she herself told him she likely would not make, and took such offense that he refused to work with her in the middle of an active crisis. Second verse same as the first in Frozer as he again put his personal feelings first and refused to work with her in a crisis because she wouldn’t give him the answer he wanted. Both times, she had to be the one to apologize to him for upsetting him, and he took no personal accountability for letting his own feelings dictate his actions in the middle of dangerous situations.

He followed Volpina without hesitation even over his partner and disregarded her suspicions but attacked Alya as Scarabella without trying to listen.

In Syren, he threatened to quit at a time that Paris was flooded and people were drowning because he wasn’t being told a secret that Ladybug was not allowed to share. In Catwalker, he DID quit because Ladybug was relying on people who weren’t him at a time he was consistently letting his personal feelings prevent him from coming out to help.

He has repeatedly let his own personal feelings get in the way of helping during active crises. Crises that are the only reason he was given the magical jewelry in the first place. That tells me that he’s lacking responsibility and that the passing out of the magical jewelry is a desire for making him seem more important rather than a necessity for keeping the city he is supposed to protect safe.

I recall an analogy was made before that compared him to a lifeguard who refuses to go out in the water and help someone who’s drowning because he’s upset. And it is an apt comparison. It doesn’t matter that the lifeguard “needs” this job or “deserves” the benefit of the role; if the lifeguard is letting something personal interfere in his duty to the point he’s refusing to save a person in trouble whom it is his responsibility to help, then he shouldn’t be a lifeguard.

So you’re asking me how I think he would be able to earn the responsibility to hand out the Miraculous? It’s that he be responsible. 

Not blame or lecture Ladybug/Marinette. Not refuse to help because he’s mad. Not change his identity to get another chance at dating Ladybug. Not sacrificing his life or free will for the upteenth time and leaving his partner to fix everything on her own yet again.

At this point, he’s a good support and fighter, but he’s not someone I could trust to pick a good person to use a Miraculous responsibly and return it afterwards. Or take action if that person won’t.

Because that’s the thing! Adrien won’t just be responsible for himself here. He will also have to take responsibility for whomever he chooses AND whichever Miraculous he hands out AND whatever results from the situation.

He, as someone who is friends with a bully like Chloe and tries to support a liar like Lila, has a bad judge of character and that person runs off with a Miraculous? That’s going to be on him.

He chooses an ability for someone who can’t use it properly? That’s going to be on him.

The person he picks gets injured or dies? That’s going to be on him. 

The mix of person and Miraculous with the situation that he cannot control for results in a bigger mess? That’s going to be on him.

And no, we can’t say that it would just work out and that none of that would be an issue for Adrien. We already have the proof that he couldn’t handle it.

It’s already Canon that Adrien fell apart and got himself taken out immediately after he lost Ladybug in Party Crasher. He refused to listen to Fu or get help—which would have been a perfect time for him to display this responsibility and show he could gather and lead other heroes. He didn’t. Instead, he attacked an enemy he knew had a one-hit takeout ability head on in close combat in immediate range of that ability, got himself caught, and Fu had to step in and choose other heroes to help. You could say it’s because of his love for Ladybug blinding him or that he was enraged, both of which are problematic enough in and of themselves. But you could also say that he can’t handle the responsibility of dealing with the crisis himself.

Adrien is the “nice” guy. He’s the “funny” guy. He’s the guy who will support bullies like Chloe and help make her feel better after she tries to crash a train and takes over the city. I guess he’s good at making people feel good about bad things they did or bad situations they’re in. So he is a hero who can fight bad guys and make people feel better. He’s a feel-good hero and that’s why people love him.

But responsible he is not.

[aliensunflower-fics]

My Recommended Fic List

So, I got this ask awhile ago, and since I have been re-reading a bunch of my old favorite fics as a way to cheer up after work I figured why not. This list will be long... and varied but mostly its older fics cuz idk there my favs. Now lets go:

Fashion Upgrade - By @soap-lady : Straight up one of my favorite fics ever, its fun, its creative, it never fails to make me laugh when I need something warm and wholesome after a bad day. Also go check out the rest of her stuff there's so much good okay like shes just a writing queen. Shes on AO3 I don't want to spoil you on her other stuff just GO experience it for yourself.

Ode To Decoy pt 1 / 2 / 3 - By @a-marlene-s : Ive always liked this short sweet little fic about Lila getting caught. Its Lila + class salt though so avoid if that's not your flavor.

EVERYTHING - By @unmaskedagain : They have salt, they have sugar, they have funny, they have crossovers. Like honestly they are a just a great writer with so much variety so go check out the masterlist I linked and I guarantee there will be something there you like.

@ravennm84 Is a writer on the saltier side but they have a wonderful selection of weird wacky tales from the salty but oh so well written Damning Evidence that sees Lila get caught in the best way to the 3 part Horror inspired Serafina other great fics from them include Marinettes Family Court Circus pt 1 / 2 and Of Moldy Bread and Cockroaches / Be Kind to Servers honestly its worth giving there blog a look.

@mochinek0 Is another writer with several beloved fics. They write a lot of Maribat and we love them for it. Ones to check out would be Blind Date / Bruce vs Gabriel just go check out there tag list of daminette for more.

Accidental Crime Boss Marinette - By @lady-literature : This is a wonderful idea and a wonderful little fic and I just... I just like it okay. Sadly I haven't read a lot of there other stuff... But I might after finishing this list considering how much I enjoy this one.

@nobodyfamousposts I love a LOT of there fics. They are one of the best when it comes to striking that sweet spot of calling out the show for some of its garbage while not getting so salty that you cant have fun lighthearted goodness. I have been looking for a masterlist of there work but cant find one so just go stalk there tags. I do recommend there Chloe's Lament Series 1 / 2 exploring how certain 'wishes' would backfire. Guardian Assistant Kevin is also a good one Miracle Queen Aftermath pt 1 / 2 / The 8 parter Burn the Witch series / The Wisdom Teeth Reveal / Kagami Vs The Wall of Faces / Resigning With Grace & Spite / I tried to give a lot of links cuz they have a lot of stuff

Kill Them With Kindness - By @luki-fanfic : Well written, good salt without going overboard. Just good vibes. I havent stalked there other stuff but if its anything like this fic its probably excellent quality.

Stephen Vladislav pt 1 / 2 - By @stormiclown : Adrien centered salt on the idea of finally giving Adrien his own proper rival. I like the idea of Adrien having a rival because its usually Marinette and this was just the right length to get those creative ideas flowing. Also just well written what more can you ask for.

Power Trip - By @storygirl000 : This was the first fic that made me go... Wait would it be more fun if Lila was actually competent? And that set me on the path to writing my own fics where Lila is more villainous and more capable. Its short, well written. Good.

Your Wish is My Command - By DemiGoddess28 on AO3 : A great 11 chapter fic looking into Lila's life if she were to win and get a miraculous wish. Its got sugary goodness for our protagonists and the class and salt for our dearest friend Lila.

LadyBugOut AU - By Miraculous-Content on AO3 : A 50 chapter fic made up of snippets and ideas. I found it really inspiring in many ways. I also love how it redeems Marinettes classmates showing how and why they were tricked but holding them accountable anyway its just... Good.

Juleka vs The Forces of the Universe - By goldenlaurelleaves on AO3 : For those of us not yet ready to accept the death of luka/mari we have this wonderful fic showing Juleka being the biggest wingman as she helps these idiots find there way together.

ChaoticNeutral on AO3 has there own Chloe's Lament fic as well as a Gabriel's Lament fic for people who need sweet salty of those two characters.

BroadwayCutie16 was Inspired by the person above and DemiGoddesses your wish is my command fic to write Lila's Lament fic going over Lilas failed wish. Honestly I always love these fics because there just so interesting and the way wishes can be taken and twisted is always a fascinating idea to me.

#WayneAngel - By Tired-Writing-Teach on AO3 : For us Maribat lovers. Its fun and lighthearted with some good gags and some light fluff.

Damian in Paris - By Lilliesandliveries on AO3 : A sweet Maribat series showing what would happen if Damian ran away from home and found himself in Paris and getting therapy.

How a Demon Commissions an Angel - By AlixAnonymous : Damian blackmails Marinette into letting him be her client so he can get his bros the best gifts, they end up becoming penpal buddies.

Mythomania - By LadyEnna_50 on AO3 : Proof that I dont hate Adrien or Mari/Adrien. In this fic Adrien's spine gets titanium plating and he sees just how bad Lila is hurting Marinette and does something about it.

The Contingency - By AbyssalGuardian on AO3 : SALT. Also Tim/Mari but even still I love the way this was written, the style, and some of the ideas just ugh love it. Its not for those who dont like salt so just avoid at your own discretion. Its about a chaotic Marinette done with her life running away to Gotham where she meets her true black cat, and gets her life back on track.

The String That Binds Us - By FaithAndATypeWriter on AO3 : Okay so is there any Mari/Bat fan who hasnt already heard of this one? Who cares its good, its cute, I love it. May the author be blessed with snacks.

The Great IKEA Game - By @batsandbugs : Okay again... I think every Mari/Bat fan has probably heard of this one already because its just that good and that popular. But who cares I am recommending it anyway. Don't read if your allergic to fun I guess.

If this list still doesn't somehow have enough salt for you then try @goggles-mcgee fics here is a link to there Masterlist. They are in a way a professional at salt and angst and they make you want to adopt Marinette and pop her in a blanket fort.

Honestly I could keep going but this list already feels so long for other great recs though I can link you to @jayphoenic who has some great Daminette Fic Recs and some Lila Salt Fic Recs!

Feel free to reblog this and add some links to stuff you would think I or others might like! Also lets just acknowledge how many talented authors the community has like wow.

[brightmenace1]

I believe in Felix's supremacy✊🏼

He was cancelled because he was too powerful. Fight me, I think the original Felix(or Adrien, since he had this name in the bibles) is better than Adrien we have now. I love Felix in these two art styles

[newhyperfixationhereicome]

How MLB Season 5 Finale completely obliterates Marinette and Adrien's character arcs and their relationship:

My biggest problem with Miraculous Ladybug is the Love Square. It is the heart and soul of this show and the one thing it absolutely cannot get wrong.

The writers apparently wanted the dynamic between Marinette and Adrien to be gender swapped Knight and Princess (Dame and Prince if you will), but the problem is... that's not their dynamic?

Ladynoir is the LS ship with the biggest screen time and it does not have that dynamic. Because Chat Noir is the one protecting Ladybug with his body. Chat Noir is the one willing to sacrifice himself for Ladybug. Chat Noir is the one that reassures Ladybug, Chat Noir is the one that sticks with Ladybug through thick and thin, no matter how she treats him. As a result, Chat Noir is the one that feels like Ladybug's protector and knight instead of the other way around.

Adrienette also doesn't fit the bill and the fact that show pretends that it does is frankly laughable. Pray tell, how on earth is a 14 year old baker girl supposed to defend Adrien from his powerful, rich father?

Marichat obviously doesn't work either.

Ladrien however, does provide us with genderbent Knight x Princess dynamic. And it's also the one side of love square were feelings are mutual. Despite this, Ladrien is the least explored LS ship in the show. We don't even get a Ladrien kiss even though all 3 other sides of LS do kiss.

Which is weird. If this show is supposed to be reverse fairytale, why not go with Ladrien? Also, if Gabriel is going to flip the lid over any LS ship it should be Ladrien. The show making Gabriel Adrienette anti and Adrigami stan is really stupid, hilarious and out of left field when he clearly liked Marinette in earlier seasons and had no idea Adrien and Kagami even dated.

And as someone who likes fairytales and Love Square (at least what it could've been, not the travesty we ended up in the show with) I actually like the idea of Marinette being Adrien's knight in shining armour. It actually balances out Adrien constantly sacrificing himself as Chat Noir.

And it could've worked in the show. In the final battle. Without taking away Adrien's agency. Have Adrien show up as Chat Noir in the final battle to help Ladybug (the fact that he doesn't is frankly character assassination. You're telling me that Chat Noir, who has always been by Ladybug's side abandons his partner, his lady, when they're about to face against their number one enemy?! This makes no sense unless you're writing a negative character arc/regression for Adrien.) and have him take a blow meant for her from Hawk Moth, which incapacitates him. Then have Ladybug take his ring, transform into Bug Noire and finish the job by defeating Gabriel. (And No, Gabriel doesn't get to make a wish because that would be him winning. And no, he isn't redeemed either because the show has made it clear that he can't be redeemed at this point)

This actually solves all of show's problems. It makes Bug Noire mean something other than Marinette's cool power up. Now Bug Noire is a symbol of Marinette and Adrien's love, it's Ladybug protecting her partner from their shared enemy by combining both of their powers. It makes Marinette the hero in Adrien's story. It answers the question of: Why is Marinette the main character in Agreste arc? Answer: She's here to rescue Adrien from his abuser. This actually has Marinette and Adrien's love save the day. "The power of love always so strong" indeed.

But the canon instead has Adrien locked in a padded cell and any and all agency taken away while Marinette gets defeated by Gabriel due to her lowering her guard and trusting him when she shouldn't. Finale has Gabriel defeat Marinette and Adrien in the most humiliating way possible, at their lowest. I legitimately can't come up with a more depressing way to write Marinette and Adrien's character arcs. How does making Adrien a spineless doormat and Marinette borderline villain help anything? Season 5 finale can only work as a tragedy, because it has Ladybug and Chat Noir utterly fail as heroes, but the show pretends that nothing's wrong.

And then the show has Marinette/Ladybug straight up betraying both alter egos of Adrichat: Adrien by lying to him, by painting his abuser as a hero, by making him live with his abuser's accomplice without his full knowledge, by not telling him that he's not human but a sentimonster; Chat Noir by also lying to him about their common enemy, the man he killed, even though season 4 finale was supposed to teach her to trust and rely on her partner.

Marinette didn't rescue Adrien. She sided with his abusers. Can you imagine a fairytale knight siding with a wicked witch about the princess?

Writers could've written LS as a healthy ship where Maribug and Adrichat support and uplift each other, instead they accidentally wrote a story about a broken 14 year boy, used, abused and discarded, constantly having his autonomy, agency, freedom taken away, constantly deceived by people who are supposed to love and care for him, only to have his partner, his girlfriend, the love of his life, his other half act like his abusive father and enact said abusive father's will over him instead of freeing him, but she's all he's got, so he clings to her.

Only satisfying way to resolve this conflict is to have Adrichat confront Maribug But I seriously doubt that show would do a good job of it. Plus the fact that we even need to root for Adrien to go against Marinette instead of rooting for them to stay together means that the show already messed up. Marinette and Adrien's relationship is the foundation of MLB, if that's broken, then nothing else matters.

MLB writers have accidentally written LS as a messed up dark romance. Marinette is a stalker, Adrien can't take no for an answer, they're both incredibly possessive, Maribug acts as a control freak over both of Adrichat's identities, she expects him to cater to her every need, to be perfect for her, to validate her whenever necessary. She is his owner, Adrien is hers, Chat Noir is also hers. Meanwhile Adrichat acts as a perfect boyfriend/partner, fawning over her, who knows not to question her. The show has already shown that Chat Noir will mold himself into anything Ladybug wants. Chat Noir also has some... questionable qualities... mainly his murderous and self-harming tendencies. The show has also told us that Adrien can't find out the truth or else he'll get akumatized and blow up the entire world, including Marinette. And this is not even mentioning all the uncomfortable Gabriel x Emilie parallels.

The thing is, I do find Marinette and Adrien's messed up dynamic interesting to explore, I'll even admit that even when they're this toxic they still have amazing chemistry together, but this does not change the fact that this kind of relationship is absolutely not appropriate to depict in a kid's show of all places.

[starsfic]

Hollow Wedding: Reactions and Aftermath

Summary: People react and figure out what to do next after Kagami runs from the wedding.

“I can’t believe this,” Alya said.

That was the third time she said it.

“I can,” Nino said, leaning on his elbows and staring at the table with wide eyes. “I mean, I didn’t think about it, but five cancellations isn’t a coincidence, it’s a pattern.”

“But Adrien’s not like that!” Alya burst, staring at Marinette and Nino with wide eyes. She looked lost. Marinette wished she could throw her a line, but she was just as lost. “Adrien’s your best friend! And there were akumas too-”

“Not all the time,” Marinette pointed out. She wished she had a journal to track it. “Only about half of those cancellations were because of akumas.”

Alya blinked. “But Adrien’s not like that!” she repeated. “I mean, sometimes, he can be clueless, like with Lila, but he’s a good guy!” She stood up as if preparing to drag Kagami out of the bathroom where she was washing off the wedding. During the entire time at the juice bar, she had been staring at her. “She���s probably lying. You shouldn’t-”

“What would have happened if they got hurt?”

Alya blinked again, her anger dying down. “What?”

"What would have happened if Adrien or Kagami got hurt?" Marinette felt her fingers clench into the material of her skirt. She barely knew Kagami and had very negative feelings about Adrien at the moment, even more at the memory of Lila, but the thought of either one getting hurt made her feel sick. "Not even from an akuma, Paris is still a big busy city." She looked up and stared Alya down. "What would have happened?"

Nino spoke for her, his eyes horrified. "Gabriel would have blamed us."

"He would have ruined us, Alya," Marinette said with a nod. "And Adrien didn't care, if he even thought of us. He didn't think about us when Lila was around, so tell me, WHY ARE YOU STILL HUNG UP ON HIM?!" She didn't expect the scream her voice became, and based on Alya's wide eyes, neither did she.

"...I..." Alya closed her mouth, covering it as she thought. "I just..." She closed it again, sitting in silence. Marinette stayed silent as well. She could wait for years for Alya’s answer.

"I don't know," she finally admitted. "I honestly don't know. I should have moved on by now, you're right." She closed her eyes, took in a deep breath, and held it. When she released, she opened her eyes. "I'm sorry, Marinette. You're right. I should have gotten over the idea of you guys dating a long time ago."

Marinette was tempted to forgive her, but she refused. This would be like a lot of other issues in their friendship, like the embarrassing Instagram pictures or Alya’s constantly going through Marinette’s things. It would take time.

“Yeah,” she said. She stood up then, brushing her hands on her skirt. And that suddenly reminded her that she was still wearing her fancy dress. “I’m going to go get changed and check on Kagami. Nino, I think you should tell Nathalie at least that Kagami’s staying the weekend.” She wouldn’t be surprised if Kagami left tomorrow morning, but saying “the weekend” would give her time to collect and consider her options.

Nino gave her finger guns. “Got it, dudette. Do you mind if I raid your fridge too?” He winced. “The food wasn’t great, and I’m still hungry.”

“Yeah,” Marinette said. “I have some frozen stuff, so if you guys want to do an appetizer spread, go ahead.”

She headed out of the kitchen, heading to her bedroom. The shower was silent, but she didn’t think about it as she opened the door.

Then her brain processed what she was looking at.

“SORRY-!” Marinette screeched as she slammed the door.

She stared at the door, her mind scrambling. What she had seen was Kagami’s pale skin gleaming, her lithe figure in the middle of pulling the shirt Marinette had laid out for her. Her hair curled freely at the ends, reminding her of her childhood crush on Joan of Arc.

The door opened.

“Sorry!” Marinette repeated, staring at Kagami. “I should have knocked-” The shirt she wore was made for Marinette, who tended to be on the thicker side, meaning that on Kagami’s slender body, it hung off, revealing a freckled shoulder. “I- I’m sorry. How are the clothes?”

Kagami didn’t take the out, though. “You have no need to apologize, this is your apartment.” She looked down and plucked at the shirt, which had an adorable hamster on it. “The clothes are comfortable. Thank you for giving me an outfit.”

“It’s no problem,” Marinette said, stepping around Kagami to step in. There was a stack of neatly folded clothes on her bed. The Miraculous Box was left untouched, thankfully. “I just wanted to let you know that Nino’s making some food and he’s also texting Nathalie to tell her that you’re staying the weekend. You don’t have to stay the weekend, but I figured Gabriel would give you that time-”

“I don’t mind staying for the weekend,” Kagami interrupted. Her hands began to fuss with the edge of the shirt. “Unless you mind?”

Huh. “No, I don’t,” Marinette said, grabbing some pajamas. “I know some of the girls want to get to know you more, and so do I.”

Kagami blinked and, for a second, a pleased smile flitted across her face before she turned, giving her privacy to change. “So do I,” she said. “For example, have you ever fenced?”

That brought up an old memory. “I wanted to,” she said. “At first, because like a lot of teenage girls, I wanted to whack things with a sword.” A snort made her look back, realizing that Kagami’s shoulders were shaking. “Then I got my crush with Adrien and- this is so stupid,” Marinette felt her hands rise to her face at the memory. “But there was a place free in his fencing class and my friends and I did this whole stupid scheme to get in it so I could spend time with Adrien.” “Did it work?”

“Nope,” Marinette admitted. “But Nora, Alya’s sister, heard us groaning about it and she got me into kickboxing.” She finished pulling up her shorts. “Looking back, I’m really glad that it didn’t work out, because I would have stabbed myself or someone else.” She sighed. “But I’m bummed that I never got into it.”

There was a long pause. “I could teach you,” Kagami offered. “I help at Adrien’s old fencing class, sometimes.”

Marinette’s heart, for some reason, skipped a beat. “You would do that?”

Kagami turned, giving a polite nod. “You have been so kind,” she said. “Letting me stay on your couch-”

“You don’t have to stay on the couch, I don’t mind sleeping there this weekend-”

Kagami held out a hand. “You are a wonderful person, Marinette,” she said, her tone thick with sincerity. “Spending time teaching you how to fence is nothing.”

Marinette nodded. “We can see if we can buy any equipment tomorrow?” she offered.

“That sounds wonderful.”

-_-

Adrien was pretty sure he was going to die.

Kagami had just walked into the hall, walked up to him, and told him they were divorcing. While he had been processing that, she had walked up to her mother. Whatever she said, Ms. Tsurugi was furious.

And now they sat around the dining table, staring at him.

“...Care to explain why you have another woman?” his father asked. “You and Kagami have been in love for a long time.”

“Well, not really?” He needed to be honest. Surely, they would understand. This wouldn’t be a repeat of Lila’s reveal. “I mean, Kagami’s a great person, but I don’t love her. She looks like my crush, so I needed to be honest with her.” He tried for a smile.

There was a long silence as both Ms. Tsurugi and his father stared at him. Adrien felt beats of sweat prickle up as he realized that he had said something wrong. What it was, he wasn’t sure, otherwise he would’ve fixed it.

Tsurugi finally stood.

“The marriage is being annulled,” she said, her tone broiling with anger. “Furthermore, I am pulling from our agreement.”

Oh shit.

His father stood up, his eyes wide and frantic. “What- but- You can’t, simply because my son is an idiot!”

Adrien flinched at the insult and the sudden chill in the air. Ms. Tsurugi spoke then, her words cool and calculated. “I am not pulling out because your son is an idiot. I am pulling out because you are an idiot, Gabriel.” His father sat down, and Adrien nearly checked his pulse. “You and your wife have made your son an idiot, and it shows.” She leaned forward. “What would happen the moment your son took control of your business, Gabriel?” Her nails screeched against the table. “It would have sunk because your son has no idea of the real world. You have willingly doomed your company and you wanted to tie my daughter to your sinking ship.”

His father gaped, but before he could say anything, Nathalie walked in. “Sir, madam, I have news about Miss Kagami’s whereabouts.”

“That’s great!” Adrien said. “Where is she?”

“She is with Miss Dupain-Cheng, Mr. Lahiffe, and Miss Cesaire, and will be spending the weekend with them.”

…wait.

“Mr. Lahiffe also took the time to inform me that you have been repeatedly cancelling events with your friends and Miss Kagami,” Nathalie said, folding her hands. “I was not aware of this, considering to my knowledge that during those times, you were out of the house and with your friends.”

Oh fuck. Oh, fuck.

Adrien had always intended to introduce Kagami to his friends, but stuff had happened. Akumas, his restricted schedule, trying to convince Ladybug to date him…eventually, it got to the point where he was pretty sure he could never introduce her because of this.

Fuck.

"So," Tsurugi said, straightening up and paying no attention to his crisis. "She's safe?"

Nathalie nodded. "While we have our thoughts about Mr. Lahiffe, Marinette Dupain-Cheng is one of Adrien's most trustworthy friends. She will take good care of Miss Kagami, I assure you."

Tsurugi nodded. "That is good to know. My lawyer will be here by tomorrow to settle matters." She turned to the door and walked out without another word, leaving the dining room in silence.

Adrien's relief at her gone disappeared when his father and Nathalie turned towards him. His father's shock was still there, but it was being covered by a cold veneer of rage. "What..." he started, gripping the table. "Were you thinking?"

"I just-" Adrien started, trying to think of an excuse. At first, it had just been the akuma attacks. Then he got the idea for the romantic picnic, and it seemed like the best way out. Nino and his friends knew his crazy schedule and his father didn't exactly think highly of Nino. "I, look..."

"Let me see your phone," his father said, holding out a hand. "Whoever you kept lying for deserves to know."

"No!" Adrien said, placing his hand over his pocket where the burner phone he kept for Ladybug was.

"I refuse to indulge you in this idiocy," his father snarled. "You have lied to everyone for over seven years. What would have happened if you or Miss Tsurugi had gotten hurt during one of your little games?!"

Adrien felt a scoff come out. "The cure would have fixed us."

A fist slammed down and the table cracked. "THERE IS MORE DANGER THAN AKUMA ATTACKS!" his father roared, and Adrien felt himself shrink back. He had never seen his father so angry before. He had heard him throw things out of anger once, back when he stole that book, but seeing the fire in his eyes was different. "WHAT IF YOU HAD GOTTEN MUGGED?! KIDNAPPED?! MURDERED?!"

Nathalie stepped forward as his father panted. "You don't know this since I screened your mail, but there are quite a few of your fans who have spoken about stalking you and murdering you so nobody else could have you," she said. She wasn't serious, right? Adrien felt his doubt die as she stared him down. "I would have expected Lila Rossi's behavior to have made you understand."

That was a low blow.

"So," his father said, leaning back. "Give. Me. The Phone."

Adrien felt his hand move on his own, pulling the burner phone out. He could just send out a mental prayer that they never used their hero names. The moment it hit his father's palm, there was a soft chirpy ding!

Adrien immediately lunged for it, but his father was already opening it up. His eyes scanned the texts, and his anger grew more visible. “She…” Gabriel closed the phone and let out a hiss of air. “Are you sure you two are friends?”

“Ye- Yes?” Of course, he and Ladybug were friends.

Gabriel handed the phone over. “Friends don’t treat each other like that,” he said, his voice cooling. He slumped over, massaging his eyes. “I can’t believe…” Without finishing his sentence, he stood up and walked out of the room. Nathalie followed him out, giving Adrien a look that was hard to decipher.

Adrien looked at the text. Logically, he needed to talk to Nino and try to figure things out there, but it was Ladybug. His friends could wait, his lady couldn’t.

BugOut: I really hope you were joking about waiting for me to crash your wedding, because that is fucking unfair to your partner. I just found out my friend has been dragging his fiancee on for years now.

BugOut: If you’re really like that, I’m so disappointed in you.

The screen went dark.

-_-

Kagami settled into the couch with a sigh, drawing the soft red sheets around her.

The furniture at Adrien’s home had always been stiff and uncomfortable, like Gabriel Agreste. If there was anything she had loved about Adrien, it was that he tried to make it gentler sometimes.

Here, the couch was warm. It was a touch bumpy, with some stains here and there, but it felt alive. Earlier, Nino and Marinette had battled in a video game, jostling and teasing each other, Alya encouraging them as Kagami watched, filling the room with life. The pajamas she wore were unlike the red silk she wore usually, but if she focused, she was sure she could smell Marinette.

You’re really pretty.

Her face warmed at the memory, with Marinette’s cheeks pink and a little unsure smile on her face. Adrien had blushed before at her, yes, but now Kagami wondered if it was truly at her. She wondered if he was seeing his other girl then.

…did it matter?

Kagami shook her head. No, it didn’t. Right now, she was sitting in a place that was warmer than anything else. The windows glimmered with Paris’s lights. Tomorrow, she and Marinette would meet up with the rest of Adrien’s “friends”, giving Kagami the chance to make friends that Adrien had denied her, and buy fencing gear. By next week, hopefully, she and Marinette would have their first friendly match.

Her mind created the image of Marinette pulling a fencing mask off, smiling at her.

She couldn’t wait.

[felinetteagain]

Maybe it's time to take off your rose-colored glasses and face the truth?

Adrien doesn’t love Marinette! Yes, she is dear to him, but no more than a friend.

Adrien is not ready to make sacrifices for Marinette. He is embarrassed by her behavior, he does not arrange romantic dates for her, he is infatuated with another girl and spends a lot of time with her.

He is ready to leave Paris and leave Marinette, because she is not more important to him than his family (which is completely alien to him). He is ready to break up with Marinette at the first difficulty and misunderstanding.

To be with Ladybug, he was willing to do wrong and lie to her.

In the situation with Marinette, Adrien was ready to accept the current circumstances and retreat.

(203)

Cat Noir: So, uh, Ladybug? What would you say if you and I met up tonight for a little dinner? Rooftop style?

Ladybug: I can't. I have to, uh, I already have plans with some friends.

Cat Noir: I'll be waiting, my lady.

(604)

Adrien: When you decide to do things with people, it's to spend your time with just them. That's why I'm not coming. So you can focus on being with just them.

I wonder if I'm the only one who sees this?

For Lady Bug, he was willing to do anything, even reveal his secret, without thinking about the consequences.

It seems that this relationship is important only for Marinette. Only she is ready to do everything for her love. Even sacrifice her life.

Nathalie: And what would've you sacrificed?

Bug Noire: Myself

[sophieabigail2021]

OH FUCK OFF!!!!!!

Roger's reaction is so me

[mochinek0]

Daminette December 2023: 18-Hiding in the Shadows

Marinette looked around her pent house in Paris. She had everything she wanted as a teenager. Well, almost everything. She was a well-known fashion designer, to the people that were aware of her. She kept her business a secret and used an alias. Her clients all came from judgement on her other clients. Others designers knew her as 'Passion' after her store's brand. Very few knew her as Marinette Dupain-Cheng: Gabriel Agreste, Audrey Bourgeois, and Jagged Stone.

Marinette had enough money to pay her rent, her fabric, all of her equipment, anything a business woman could need. Marinette herself, not so much. She missed being able to walk out and go sit at a café for a bit. When she saw Wayne Enterprise opened a section in Paris, she came up with an idea.

'Wayne Enterprises is a place that usually pays big. Even a part time job should be fine. A little play money couldn't hurt. A few extra euros so I could eat out, get some comfy clothes so I'm not rushing between orders and messing up wouldn't hurt.'

Damian Wayne sat at his desk, looking through potential applicants. Many of them were attached to big names or had one of their own. As he rang background checks, he could see they were all connected to each other in one way or another. He smirked at his idea.

'Let's put on a show. I want to see what kind of people these applicants are around each other. Would they out themselves?'

Mari was escorted to a waiting room as Damian Wayne got through other interviews. When the door opened, the last thing she expected was to see some familiar faces: Chloe, Adrien, and Lila.

"I don't know why you're even here, Dupain-Cheng." Chloe snarled, after the door was closed, "This is a big company that would love to work with our families. You have nothing going for you."

Marinette sat down and smiled, "Is that right? I guess I must have sent the wrong order to your mother and that's why she wore my design down the red carpet at the MET Gala."

Chloe tensed up and refused to meet her gaze. She could tell Adrien and Lila were surprised as well.

Chloe cleared her throat, "You're lying."

"Call your mother and ask." Marinette shrugged, "Oh, that's right! She doesn't like you; she prefers your half sister, who can actually work and living on her own, instead of leeching off of her Daddy."

"This isn't you, Dupain-Cheng." Chloe declared.

"No. This is me." Marinette shrugged off the concerned looks, "I'm just not being forced to coddle you to make Caline Bustier's life easier. 'Oh, just show Chloe some love, so she'll know what it's like and she'll get better eventually. You'll see.' Even she knew you were a horrible person. She basically thought you were The Grinch. That with enough love, your heart would grow three sizes and you wouldn't be such a bitch anymore."

Everyone was speechless at Marinette's attitude. This wasn't the Marinette that they grew up with.

"Chloe Bourgeois." a security voice called.

Chloe held her head high as she walked into the office.

"Damian Wayne." Chloe stated.

"Sit!" he demanded.

Chloe was shocked by his attitude.

'Doesn't he know who I am?'

"Do you know who I am?" she shouted.

"A spoiled brat; Ive read the articles on the internet." Damian stated, "You are known for crying for your father when you don't get what you want. Even though you are the oldest, your half-sister is who your mother relies on to bring customers for Style Queen in New York."

"My father-" Chloe snarled.

"Isn't the mayor anymore. He hasn't been the mayor in three years." the Wayne heir spoke, "If you're thinking of blackmailing me, you chose the wrong person. Spread whatever lies you want or cry to your father, the hotel owner. I could make one post about how horrid his hotel is and he would go out of business. Could you live with that?"

Chloe stood there, speechless. The only person who talked to her like this was her mother.

"I'm in charge, here, and if it came down to it, your job would be scrubbing toilets all day." Damian declared.

Tears formed in Chloe's eyes.

'He's glaring at me, just like Mommy. He doesn't look happy. He looks at me like he wishes I was gone or someone else.'

"We're done here." Damian stated.

Chloe quickly rushed out of the office. The three saw her rushing away, crying.

'I knew she wouldn't last.'

"Marinette, I can't understand why you're like this." Lila spoke, as she took her seat.

'He made that Daddy's Girl cry. I better go at this carefully.'

"Oh, shove it, Lila." Marinette sighed, "All three of us, here, know you're a lying manipulative bitch. You don't have to fake it."

"I don't know-" Lila continued.

"Adrien already told me years ago that he made a deal with you. He made one with me, too. Did he ever tell you that?" Mari questioned.

Lila glanced towards Adrien, who kept his head down.

"Oh, he didn't." she giggled, "You see, I was already designing for Jagged Stone when you arrived to our school. Adrien even had me autograph things I designed for him."

The model had turned towards Adrien and was now glaring at him.

"I could have made your whole 'tinnitus-kitten bullshit' story go up in flames since day one." Mari smiled, "I could have video called him and you would have been labeled as delusional."

"I took all our friends away!" Lila cried out, in victory.

"No." Mari answered, "You took away people, who were finally talking to me. Chleo ensured that for seven years, I had no friends. Those 'friends' just went back to not talking to me. You didn't actually do anything. If anything, you helped me. You took away the class president duties from me and I had more free time. You turned Alya and Nino away, so I couldn't babysit. I designed more clothes and got more clients. You didn't make my life worse, Lila, you made it better."

Lila fumed. Adrien had played peace maker between the both of them. From what Marinette was saying, she could have won the war in an instant! She thought she had chased Marinette Duapin-Cheng out of school all those years ago and here she was smiling, practially laughing at her, saying it wasn't true. She had thanked her and said she made her life better.

'I need this job so I can rub it in her face! I need to win against her!'

"I do hope you at least did some research into Damian Wayne." Marinette stated.

"I've known Damian Wayne since we were children!" Lila announced.

"Is that what it told you, you should say when you looked up how rich his family is?" Mari inquired.

Lila stood up, in rage.

'How dare she!'

"Lila Rossi." security called out.

Lila smirked, "I'm coming."

"She really should have done her research." Marinette spoke out loud.

"Why do you say that?" Adrine asked.

"Lila likes to play off her tears and looks." Mari declared, "Damian Wayne hates going to galas because of girls that try to attach themselves to him."

"And?" Adrien questioned.

"He broke an Italian model's arm two months ago, for lying to him." the designer stated.

Adrien paled at her words. Marinette merely smiled and pulled out her phone and dialed emergency services.

"Hello, what is your emergency?" the voice asked.

"I think we need an ambulance at Wayne Enterprise." Marinette stated, "I think someone's arm is broken."

"Are you with this person?" the voice questioned.

"No." the designer answered.

"I have sent medical to your location." the voice declared, before hanging up.

"That was pretty extreme, Marinette. I have faith in Lila!" Adrien shouted, "I don't think he would do that! The Waynes have an imagine to uphold!"

"Maybe, you should have done your research." Mari shrugged, "You still have time. Maybe five minutes."

Lila sauntered her way into the office.

"Hello, Mr. Wayne." She spoke, calmly.

"Sit." He demanded, not looking up.

Lila waved off his decleration. She moved past the chair in front of his desk and walked her way to his side.

"Can I sit on your lap?" She asked, "You see, I have tinnitus and-"

"There is nothing in here that would activate your tinnitus. Tinnitus is when you can't here anything for a brief amount of time, but a loud ringing. It's usually followed after hearing an extremely loud sound. I should know; I went to medical school." Damian stated.

'Shit. My usual tactics won't work here.'

Lila nodded and made her way back to the seat.

"Why shoud I hire you?" The Wayne heir questioned.

Lila fluttered her lashes, "I'm a model for Gabriel Agreste."

"Former model." Damian interjected, "You now model on Instagram and Only Fans."

Lila turned red. She didn't expect them to aware of her new lifestyle.

"Now, Miss Lerouch-" he continued.

Lila paled, "Wh-What did you call me?"

"Cerise Lerouch." Damian stated, "Did you think I would not delve into your background? I have to know who I am working with."

Cerise quickly leaped up from her seat and rushed around the desk.

"Don't touch me." Damian demanded.

"I'll do anything." Cerise cried out, grabbing onto his arm.

The Wayne heir growled, "Let go."

"I can help you relieve stress in other ways, you know." Cerise pleaded.

Damian grabbed her wrist and twisted it behind her back, harshly. Cerise screamed in pain.

"I have no need for whores." Damian spoke.

He grabbed the back of her shirt, arm still twisted, and walked her to his office door. He grabbed the knob and threw her out, in front of his security team.

"Drag this whore out by the hair, if you have too, but I want her off Wayne Enterprise grounds and blacklisted!" Damian shouted.

"Yes, Mr. Wayne." they spoke simultaneously, as he slammed his door shut.

"Shit, I think her arm is broken." the one on the left declared.

"She would call an ambulance?" the one on the right asked.

"Please, help me! It hurts so much!" Cerise begged, cradling her arm.

"You shouldn't have pissed him off." the one on the right declared, "Damian Wayne isn't one to mess around."

A man rushed towards them with medical workers.

"Did you guys call for an ambulance and someone with a broken arm?" the new guy asked.

"No, but perfect timing." the one on the left stated, "Girl with broken arm right here."

Cerise was walked by the waiting room. Inside, she could see Adrien looked horrified before turning to Marinette. She was smiling at her. Then, the baker's daughter flipped her off.

'She knew! That bitch knew how this would end!'

Cerise burst into tears as she was carted off.

"I guess that just leaves you and me, Agreste." Marinette stated.

Adrien began to feel uncomfortable.

"I do hope you do better than they did." She spoke, "For your Father's sake."

"Huh?" Adrien asked, confused.

"Damian Wayne isn't one to back down, not even to his father. He can make his father bow down to him. You have no idea how......attractive that is to a woman, Adrien." Mari smiled, "A man with a spine."

The model gulped, watching Marinette lick her lips.

"You should grow a spine." she declared, "Maybe then your father won't force you to model for him. I' sure that's why Kagami chose Felix over you. Your cousin has a spine. It looks good on him. Maybe, that's why Kagami didn't take my advice on how to get back with you after the break up."

Adrien only looked at her in shocked.

"Alya told me you broke up and I went to see her." Marinette continued, "I tried to help, but she didn't want to. She said it was better that way and well, Felix and you did look alike as teens. The same face with a spine; kind of hard to resist. They're so happy and their twins are adorable."

"Adrien Agreste, Mr. Wayne will see you now." the voice spoke over the intercom.

The model looked over at the designer. She waved at him, but said nothing. Adrien stood up and stood tall.

Adrien walked into Damian's office. It was intimidating; Marinette was right. He was scarier than his father.

"Why should I hire you, Adrien Agreste?" Damian questioned.

"I hate modeling. I prefer computers and science. I want to break free of Gabriel." Adiren admitted, "You don't have to worry about me telling him anything because I never learned anything about fashion. I couldn't even tell you the names of two different shades of fabric. If anyting, you should hire Marinette Dupain-Cheng. Marinette has always been an amazing designer. She was recognized by Father and Style Queen when she was only thirteen. She's the one who would know everything about fashion."

Damian hid his smirk behind his hand and looked down at the papers about Adrien again.

'What a miracle worker you are, Miss Dupain-Cheng. Agreste grew a spine.'

"We may have an internship available in our science department." Damian spoke, "Do you still live with your father?"

"Yes." Adrien spoke.

"We have a company home we prefer our interns reside in." Damian continued.

He noticed Adrien seemed relieved about that.

"The internship isn't a guarantee." The Wayne heir continued, "We need to see you commitment and dedication first hand. If you can't keep up, we'll put you in a different department. If you keep failing to meet our expectations, you'll have no choice but to keep modeling for your father."

"Tell him we'll work with him for one year, as a test." Damian continued, "You have one year to get your affairs in order. You'll need to move in one month from now and if not, consider the contract cancelled. I will inform them you are expected."

"Thank you." Adrien smiled.

Damian waved him off and Adrine walked out of the office, happy.

Marinette stood up when her name was called. As she walked towards the office, she saw Adrien smiling at a paper. She entered the office and closed the door.

"Please sit Miss Dupain-Cheng." Damian ordered.

Marinette immediately took a seat in front of him.

"Why should I hire you?" He questioned.

Mari shrugged, "You don't really have to."

"Oh?" Damian pushed.

"I'm only here for a part time job." the designer answered, "You know, helping out on the floor, coffee grabber, secretary gig. That sort of thing."

"Excuse me?" he asked, shocked, " Aren't you a fashion designer."

"With my own clients and I can pay for my own things." She smiled.

"Then why are you here?" Damian questioned.

Marinette sat back further in the chair and got comfortable, "Play money. I spend my own on my deisgns, fabrics, equipment, rent. Why not have a little extra to treat myself to a night out or a night in, for once?"

That was not the answer he had been expecting.

Damian laughed, "What if I decide to keep you?"

"Keep me as in?" Marinette pushed.

"I decide I want to become one of your clients." he offered.

"Are you offering?" the designer asked, "I've seen some of those suits you wear to galas and it doesn't bring you out to your full potential."

"And that would be?" he asked.

"You're outshined by your father, your older brothers, and the company." She spoke, "You can stand out, but maybe you want to fade into the back, less people to grope you."

Damian chuckled and stood up from his seat. He made his way around the desk and rested on it.

"What would you dress me in, right now?" Damian questioned.

"Depends." Marinette smiled, "Do you always wear a suit to work or are you interested in a change?"

"Tell me about this hypothetical change." He demanded.

"Ever heard of quick change wear?" She asked.

"No." he replied.

"It mainly takes woman into factor. Clothes that can go from working at the office to going out on a date or partying." Mari answered, "Just a few adjustments and possibly a new shade of makeup and usually people tend to think they took all day to get ready."

Damian took what she said into account, "And for men?"

"Most don't really have the option." Marinette shrugged, "Shame, but on you.....your figure. Well, there's nothing sluttier than a man wearing a sleeveless turtleneck."

The Wayne heir couldn't help but think of his old League of Assassin's outfits.

"No one at work would know if you have a blazer on and buttoned." She continued, "It is your office so you can always install a closet here and keep an extra pair of clothes. Jeans, if you prefer. Who is to say that this whole time, you weren't wearing sweatpants and just dressed from the waist up."

He chuckled ather way of thinking.

'Effective, but true not the less. I could kick out anyone who entered my office, should I choose to dress comfortably, and there was a closet hidden behind the cabinets.'

"Another thing most people tend to do is incorporate their culture into their clothing, as well." Marinette spoke, "Personally, I use apple blossoms in most of my designs for myself."

"Miss Dupain-Cheng, you are not what I was expecting." Damian declared, "I like to expect everything."

Mari smiled, "I've been known to be...unpredictable."

"You want to work part time in the fashion section." The Wayne heir stated, "Even if it's just grabbing coffee or lunch for others."

"Correct." she answered.

"Fine." Damian spoke, "You can work here, part time, at least three days a week. I f you have a big comission, I want to know about it. You can keep the details to yourself, but I want a time frame."

Marinette nodded, happily.

"I also want you to make me something to relax in the office that could pass for office wear." he suggested, "I'll pay for fabric of course. I can send you the details of my heritage via email, later."

Marinette stood up, "I'll start on that and bring it by Friday."

Damian grabbed her hand and kissed it, "I'll see you Monday morning, at 9AM, for work. We can go over your schedule then."

Marinette felt her face flush as his lips connected with her hand. His gaze was piercing.

"Yes, Mr. Wayne." She answered, flustered.

Damian waved his hand, dismissing her, but he still followed her to the door.

"You know, Miss Dupain-Cheng." He whispered, pressing himself to her back, "They may not be able to see it, but I see what lurks in the shadows. I can see what you hide there. I can wait a bit longer for the side of you that wants to come out and play."

"Is that so?" Marinette whispered back.

"I'll enjoy getting to know you, in the future." Damian spoke, before opening the door.

Marinette took a breath before she walked out the door.

"Marinette, did you get the job?" Adrien asked.

"Yes." she answered.

The model sighed in relief, "I told him you were good. I told him about Father and Audrey."

"Did you think I wouldn't be able to get it on my own?" Mari questioned.

"That's not what I meant!" Adrien cried, surprised at the question.

"Then, don't belittle me and my work." Marinette declared, "He already knew who I was. The Wayne keep a check on everyone and everything. Did you seriously not expect him to know about our families? He was probably listening to us in the waiting room."

Adrien gulped in response.

"Besides, I wasn't apart of whatever you three were fighting over." Marinette smiled, walking away.

'What did she mean by that?'

Adrien turned to see Damian Wayne leaning against the door, wearing a smirk on his face. Damian took notice of the model and hardened his gaze. Adrien gulped as Damian stood tall and closed his door again.

'What was he staring at?'

Adrien turned his head back down the corridor and saw Marinette speaking to the receptionist.

'He was after Marinette the whole time!'

'He already knew who I was.'

'He was probably listening to us in the waiting room.'

'Besides, I wasn't apart of whatever you three were fighting over.'

TAGLIST: @maribat-calendar-events @animeweebgirl@a-star-with-a-human-name@meme991001@vixen-uchiha@abrx2002@alysrose-starchild@fandom-trapped-03@dood-space@moonlightstar64@saltymiraculer@marveldcedits20@09shell-sea09@icerosecrystal@animegirlweeb@insane-fangirl-of-everything@blueblossombliss@nickristus-dreamer@megawhitleycalderonpaganus@missmadwoman@meira-3919@princessdaisysolosyourfaves@blep-23@fangirlingfanatic@darkhinauniverse@ravenr22@im-a-satanic-ritual@ravennm84@bianca-hooks123@a-slytherinish-gryffindor@starling218

[matt0044]

Y'know... some Chloe stans would have a point about potential sexism in her writing...

...if they weren't apply such double standards towards Marinette by proxy. Like apparently it's all support women's wrongs until it's not their blorbo. I might've preferred Chloe's could've been redeemtion but I've come to appreciate how her downward spiral was written as well as to recognize how the story doesn't hate her. It just wants to make a point with her about those who actively choose badly.

And this whole stalking thing is only ever applied to Marinette. Never Chat Noir when he was such a flirt with Ladybug or even getting pushy about their relationship. It was always his side taken in Season 4 yet never any consideration for Ladybug trying to be Guardian to powers that could DESTROY THE WORLD in the wrong hands.

Hey, you know how many claim that the narrative went too easy on Felix compared to Chloe? Y'all go too easy on Adrien compared to Marinette. Who's the hypocrites now? Can characters be multi-dimensional or can't they be? Can character do morally questionable stuff for those they love or not?

Get off your high horses, will ya?

[motherofplatypus]

Fans, seeing this: "Omg she's gonna use the snake to tell Adrien the truth about his father!"

Me, seeing this: "Yet another episode that will further emphasis why Adrichat cannot learn anything because he's too mentally unstable and is not allowed to be sad or have a role in his own story."

[nobodyfamousposts]

It's you dislike of Adrien solely because of his actions on the show, or was it also because of his fandom?

A mix of both, but honestly? I'd say it's more because of his fandom. With Canon, I probably would have written a single salt fic for him and moved on because I did still like him and overall felt I could do more with him than Canon was willing to, but I was on a binge of Miraculous fics for a while I started to notice a reoccurring trend in the fandom and many fanfics. Even the ones that didn't outright hate on Marinette before seemed to have this rather one-sided view of their relationship.

Them getting together was being primarily for HIS sake, regardless of Marinette's feelings or personal needs.

Any issue was on Marinette to apologize and fix, regardless whether or not he was in the wrong. And completely IGNORING whether Marinette was even realistically or reasonably capable of fixing them.

The "true selves" argument was all too common, mostly if not entirely on the side of Marinette needing to be the one to learn a lesson and accept Adrien for his "true self" as Chat. Nevermind that this was never an actual point in Canon.

Marinette needing to be the one to work to be worthy of him...which, hello? Hasn't Canon made her do enough yet?

All these stories I read and fandom comments I saw were ultimately indicative of a desire for a completely one-sided relationship between the two where Marinette has to be the one to prove herself to be "good enough for him", to "earn" a place at his side, to work to be "deserving" of his heart, to take care of his physical and emotions needs and effectively serve as a replacement mother figure...at least when she wasn't otherwise expected to "save him" from his oh so horrible life as a rich and popular supermodel.

Even in stories where he was completely in the wrong on a major point, matters wouldn't get resolved until Marinette was the one to have to step up and make an effort, make ADRIEN feel better about whatever happened, apologize for something that either wasn't her fault or was relatively minor in the face of his own actions, and fix things so they but specifically HE can be happy.

Sorry all, I know Adrien is popular and has no agency either in or out of Canon, but I can't NOT see it. And I can't stop seeing it, especially as we get more Marinette hate that seems to reinforce this narrative or otherwise say that failing being this perfect housewife/mother to him, she should suffer in loneliness for the rest of her life.

All anyone had to do was just...let Adrien be wrong. Let him acknowledge being wrong, apologize for it, and be the one to make things right. No excuses. No "but but he's a sad boi!" Just let him be wrong and try to be better. And yet much like Canon, the fandom has been quite insistent that THAT be the one thing they refuse to allow.

[jasmine-the-fox]

Was just a mask

Okay guys! another fic request from A29Z10 here for you guessed it VALENTINE'S DAY!! I hope you all enjoy it!!

Adrien Agreste was many things… but perfect was the main thing people believed about him… not knowing that it was all an act… a mask to be exact. Adrien was actually a psychopath… just like his father Gabriel. This was something that Emilie greatly feared and when Adrien began to be like his father…

She quickly used the peacock miraculous to purposefully harm herself to escape Gabriel and Adrien. This resulted in Gabriel determined in a psychotic way to get her back, as a result he became Hawkmoth and created akuma’s to help him get the ladybug and black cat miraculous for him so he can use the wish to bring back his wife.

Growing up, Adrien had caused a lot of problems by manipulating others and hurting some… but he was never punished as he got it all pinned on his first friend Chloe Bourgeois. At some point she thought about leaving Adrien… but due to her belief that he was her only friend she didn’t and stayed with him which caused her to blamed for everything he did.

Gabriel wanted to help Adrien work on a way to hide the truth better so he made him into a model so he could learn, as a result he was able to hide the truth from many… except from his aunt Amélie and his cousin Felix who knew the truth thanks to Emilie. Sadly, Felix wasn’t able to prove who Adrien really was since every time he would confront Adrien… it ended with Felix claimed as the bad guy.

Now years have gone by, Marinette is Ladybug the hero of Paris who is trying with the help of her partner Cat Noir… defeat Hawkmoth and stop him from akumatizing people. Sadly, things weren’t easy for her, both as Marinette and Ladybug… she was alone all because of Lila, Adrien and Cat Noir who worked hard to tear her away from her loved ones and now with-it being Valentine’s Day… she was alone.

She didn’t even understand why this was all happening to her “Marinette Dupain-Cheng?” she looked up to find Felix who held his phone in hand “You need to see this” he said before handing her his phone with a video open for her to watch… it greatly confused her but… she didn’t have anything else to do and from the look of it… he wanted her to know something important.

So… Marinette played the video… and uncovered Adrien’s true colors…

She was horrified as she watched Adrien harm people and then pin all of the blame onto Chloe to make him look innocent “And he’s been doing this for years?” she asked making Felix nod “It’s why my aunt vanished… Adrien got this from uncle and she couldn’t take it” he said making her eyes widen.

He then swiped on the screen and played her another video… one where she discovers that Adrien has been helping Lila to keep Mari alone… so he could be with her… if Ladybug rejects him again “Adrien is Cat Noir?” Mari asked making Felix nod “Turns out he told Lila and she agreed to keep his secret if he helped her with you… but he turned it around and made it he would help her keep you alone in exchange of him not revealing her as a liar” he explained making her nod before she slowly began to make her way back home to be in her bed and think over everything that she was now told.

As she walks into her room, she is surprised to find Chloe and Luka there “She was trying to gain the courage to come in and I helped her do so” Luka explained making her nod and look at Chloe. She looked nervous but at the same time determined to say something to Marinette “I wanted to say that I’m sorry for what I did to you” she explained this of course surprised Marinette considering who Chloe really… but then she remembers the video Felix showed her of when Adrien was younger.

It made her as a result not keep her guard up towards Chloe “Chloe and I spoke and have decided to work together to stop Adrien and Lila” Luka explained which surprised Mari “But how? Adrien is rich and Lila is a liar who can manipulate anyone she wants” she explained making Chloe grin “I’m rich too though” she said before she and Luka left the room to head out.

For the next couple of days, Chloe and Luka work together to collect evidence against Lila and Adrien. It took them a while but soon they had enough to take them down once for all… and to show that Lila is really a liar while Adrien isn’t the guy they thought he was from the start.

They slowly worked on a plan to reveal them and decided to make it happen at a fake Valentine’s Day ball where everyone can watch as they are revealed for who they really are in the end. Marinette designed the invites for the ball while Luka spread them around leaving Chloe and Felix to make sure everything was ready for the ball and their plan to destroy the Agreste’s and Lila once and for all “I just hope they leave me alone after this… I can’t take anymore of it” Marinette said as she worked on her dress for the ball.

Chloe had sent her all the materials she would need to design her own dress and promised her anything else she could need if needed… but that didn’t make her not worry that the plan backfires on them “Don’t worry Marinette! I’m sure everything will be fine in the end” Tikki said while eating her cookies.

Her words helped soothed some of Mari’s nerves… but not all of them but still enough that she was able to finish her dress for the ball “Now all there is left to do is wait for the big day” she said simply and moved away to relax and do something else to keep herself busy for now. Felix would sometimes come and visit to see how she was doing and that was what happened that day… however, Mari fell asleep so Tikki watched as Felix came in and spotted the dress.

He walked around it, examined it, touched it, checked the materials used to make it, added a few touches in her notes for her to look at when she wakes up, prepared the materials in case she wanted to add his ideas… and placed a box down by her sketchbook before walking over to Marinette, moving her hair away from her face, tucked her under a blanket and then left her room.

When she woke up confused Tikki quickly explained what happened so she moved to see the notes Felix wrote for her “These are amazing” she whispered and quickly moved to add what he wrote with a smile on her face while Tikki watched over her holder with a giggle… it was clear that Felix had fallen for her hard and he was determined to keep her close to him in anyway he could have her. Once Mari was done, she picked up the box and found a lovely choker with a heart shaped ruby… it was small of course but gorgeous to her.

It was going to look gorgeous with the dress when she puts them on together…

Soon… the night of the ball came. Mari was nervous but Felix was by her side as he was her date to the ball “Chloe and Luka are waiting by the entrance of the ball” he said making her nod in understanding… but she was still nervous about the whole thing.

Anything could happen and cause them to be seen as the bad guys in the whole thing and the last thing she wanted was for that to ruin her life and make her need to leave Paris forever in the end because someone wanted to hide who they really were. Mari took a deep breath as the car stopped, Felix let her do so and after a while moved to open the door and help her out to get inside for the ball “Everything will be fine… I promise” he whispers and Mari smiles in relief to his words… and then her eyes land on the new ring he was wearing.

Not knowing that it was the black cat miraculous… that he took from Adrien the first chance he had…

He hated that his cousin was Ladybug’s partner… and he didn’t want her to have him for much longer. As a result, he went to see his cousin one day as he was rushing around to get ready for a photo shoot. It hadn’t been hard at all to slip of the miraculous from Adrien and slip him a fake… Adrien clearly hasn’t noticed and thinks Plagg gave him the silent treatment or something “He probably won’t notice until the next akuma comes and a new black cat appears” Plagg told him once he slipped on the miraculous.

It was really obvious how blind Adrien was to his personal desires at the moment… Felix really hoped this plan works because he really was just done with all of this. He guided Mari inside where Luka and Chloe waited “The trio is inside too… ready when you are” Luka said while looking at Felix.

He looked at Chloe and nodded making her pull out her phone “Play it now” she said and seconds later the video of little Adrien began to play and reveal who he really is, people were shocked at it and became disgusted when they uncovered that he was like this because of Gabriel… but they all became horrified when Lila was revealed… and the fact Adrien is Cat Noir.

She tried to play it off… to spin another lie but everyone was done with her and Adrien and demanded answers. All of a sudden, Adrien and Lila were akumatized into Lovers who had the power to make anyone love and follow them. Mari quickly ducked out and transformed into Ladybug while Felix hid to transform into… Shadow. He quickly went to help Ladybug… resulting in Adrien and Lila getting quickly defeated… and Hawkmoth getting captured as he was at the ball too.

He detransformed and was revealed to being Gabriel. Ladybug took his miraculous before he with Lila and Adrien were taken away. The ball then ended making everyone leave “You three can come stay in my hotel room… I mean were at the hotel” Chloe said making the three agree and went up with Chloe to her room where they relaxed and slept.

The next day, Ladybug and Shadow went to the Agreste manor and grabbed the grimoire and peacock miraculous that Gabriel had just been able to repair. They used it to heal Nathalie and bring back Emilie who not only reported Gabriel and Adrien… but confessed to everything she knew about the miraculous… and how she used a damaged miraculous on purpose to escape her psychotic husband and son at long last.

As a result… Gabriel was in jail and Adrien was sent to a psych ward while Lila was deported back to Italy for good. Paris was now safe but Ladybug and Shadow continued to patrol Paris to help where they can together. Marinette now being freed from Lila’s lies… sued the school and her classmates for everything they had put her through because of Lila.

Chloe helped by paying for the lawyer and she showed no mercy… Damocles and Caline were charged for their crimes against Marinette and her classmates all suffered for their actions… they all tried to pin it on Lila but the judge only said one thing “She never told you to do any of those things! You decided to do it on your own! She may have given you the match… but you chose to light it” he said to them explaining that Lila never made them do anything… they decided to do it.

This as a result… cost them their dreams. Reporter, director, actress, famous artist, Olympic swimmer, professional rollerblader, singer, model and many more dreams were shattered all because of their choices. Alya thought… had it worst. She was known as Lila’s best friend and so she suffered even more than the rest of the class… she couldn’t even attend college because of her actions in the end.

So, when three years passed and she watches on the news that Felix proposed to Marinette while Luka proposed to Chloe on Valentine’s Day… Alya Cesaire then understood that she had directed her anger on the wrong person… it was never Marinette who was to blame for her fate or Lila’s…

It had always been her fault… it was the classes fault from the start… like the judge said… Lila gave them the match… but they all lighted it themselves…

[pythagoras180]

"Werepapas" is an episode about Adrien's grandparents fighting for custody over him, but honestly, you can easily swap out Adrien with them fighting over the mansion, or some expensive jewel that Gabriel and Emilie owned. And that's because even though on paper the episode is about Adrien, he has absolutely no agency in the matter. Which is the exact same thing that went on in season 5. Except now there's not even the excuse that Adrien was mind-controlled. These writers refuse to improve.

[stardust-blossom]

So like...........

I'm feelin' salty for like weeks now and.................um-

[starsfic]

Marinette Dupain-Cheng, Girlfriend of Ladybug

Summary: During another invasive interview pushing her towards Chat Noir, Ladybug panics and claims that she’s dating someone. Who? Oh, just her civilian identity. Dominos unexpectedly topple.

Ko-Fi

-_-

It was a heat of the moment thing.

Ladybug really couldn’t blame herself. Well, technically she could, considering she had agreed to another hour-long interview with Nadja and Chat Noir. Where, of course, the topic inevitably turned back to the nonexistent romantic relationship between her and her partner, not helped at all by the fact  that Chat kept egging it on and nobody seemed to notice or care about her discomfort. The moment Alya appeared on screen and asked “So when are you going to admit your feelings for each other?”

She snapped.

“I have a girlfriend.”

Dead silence encased the studio. Chat gaped at her, Alya gaped at her, Nadja gaped at her, everyone gaped at her. It was only until a hand reached out of the audience that noise came back in. “Excuse me?”

“Yes, I have to agree,” Nadja said, a flustered blush making her cheeks red. “Excuse me?”

Welp, she had already said it, so might as well. “I have a girlfriend,” she repeated. Chat and Alya continued to gape at her. She took a deep breath in and plastered on a stern look. “Nadja, did you ever think the reason why I don’t confess my feelings for Chat is because I don’t have any?”

Silence encased the studio, but it was the silence where people were muttering to each other. Ladybug waited. Chat continued to gape, but Alya shut her mouth and made an odd squeaky noise.

Nadja finally took a deep breath in. When she opened her eyes, she seemed to be staring at her in a different way. Not as an icon or an idol or a celebrity, but as if Ladybug was a real person. She hadn’t even realized that she hadn’t been looking at her that way. “No,” she said. “I’m…so sorry, Ladybug. I hadn’t considered that.” Ladybug nodded but didn’t say a word. “May I ask who it is?”

Well, crap. She hadn’t expected that. She was tempted to say, “No comment,” but then it would be possible that people would catch on to the fact that she was lying. She needed someone. Ladybug thought for a moment and then prayed Tikki wouldn’t be too mad.

“Marinette Dupain-Cheng.”

Once again, the room descended into muttering silence. Chat was pulling out his staff with the angriest look she had ever seen on his face. Ladybug couldn’t help but raise a brow at that. But then Alya spoke with a “NO WAY!”

Ladybug raised a brow. “Are you calling me a liar?”

“Yes!” Alya said, seeming to not care about the fact that she was being televised live. “She’s in love with Adrien Agreste! He’s her soulmate, I’m sure of it!” Geez, Alya, thanks. Chat’s muttering stopped. “She’s been struggling to confess to him since the attacks first began! He’s-”

“A boy, Miss Cesaire,” Ladybug cut her off, keeping her voice bored. Yes, she did have a crush on Adrien once. But her feelings had faded over time, especially when she thought of how he reacted to Chloe and Lila hurting her. “A boy that is well-known and popular with the female population of Paris. A boy that would be expected if a person asked about a celebrity crush.”

Alya stared at her. She could practically see her put the pieces together. “What about Luka Couffaine? She dated him for…a few months!”

“Her and Luka Couffaine, I have discussed with her,” Ladybug said, keeping her voice calm. Her mind raced- she would definitely need to talk to Luka after this. “I will not pretend to be a good girlfriend, Miss Cesaire. Marinette does not know who I am under the mask- if anyone says that they do, they are lying-” Hopefully, that dealt with Lila. “Our relationship had to be kept secret. I cannot take her out on dates or meet her parents. So, we agreed to an open relationship.”

Nadja cleared her throat. “She does not know who you are?”

Ladybug shook her head. “No. We agreed that, after Hawkmoth is defeated and I can retire, I will reveal myself to her and discuss our relationship from there. I’m only being open with my relationship now since she knows I am uncomfortable with people trying to ship me with Chat Noir-”

“Because they know we’re meant to be!” Chat burst out. Honestly, she was surprised that he hadn’t spoken up sooner. He grabbed her hand and tried to pull her close. “My Lady, think about it! We have so much more in common than some random civilian!” His eyes were dark, sending shivers up her spine. “You’re lying about Marinette, right? There’s no way you could fall for some random person-”

“Hey!” Alya spoke up, her voice bordering on fury. “Marinette’s not just some random nobody!” The camera shook as something slammed, most likely Alya’s fist slamming into the desk. “Marinette is the smartest, most creative person I have ever met! She’s probably the greatest actress of all time, and I would say that she has done so much more for Paris than you ever have on your own!” She took a deep breath. “Ladybug, you have great taste.” And with that, Alya’s camera cut short.

Nadja nodded. “Okay, next question,” she said, her voice still a touch strained from the bombshell that was just dropped on her.

Hopefully, this didn’t blow up.

-_-

It blew up.

Tikki, thankfully, didn’t seem mad. “It was clever,” she said before encouraging Marinette to go to bed.

When Marinette woke up surprisingly early, it was to a ton of messages on her social media and email. By the time she left for school, it was a flood that she was too afraid to look at. Her parents were surprisingly happy for her, with her dad apologizing for blowing up in such a way on Chat Noir. “It’s okay,” she said, hugging him. “It was awkward, but it kept Chat from following Ladybug.”

“Which I can’t believe he did!” her mother groused. “You think he would know better!”

“Yeah,” Marinette sighed, old annoyance flaring up. “Me too.”

Thankfully, there wasn’t a crowd of reporters- yet. So Marinette wasted no time in rushing over to school before one did form.

Once she was there, she found herself pausing. A large portion of the people she saw were wearing Ladybug’s spots or LGBTQIA+ merch, from full outfits to just hair clips. Several stopped to smile and give her friendly waves, while others looked starstruck. This was a bigger reaction than she was expecting.

She waved back and headed to her classroom. She sent another prayer to the surprisingly quiet Tikki that nothing happened and opened the door.

The classroom was surprisingly quiet, with Lila sitting in the back looking like she had all the life drained from her, until Marinette stepped inside. “Marinette!” Alya said, jumping to her feet. She had switched her orange flannel for one bearing the pan colors. She wasted no time in rushing up and practically scooping her up in a hug. The shock meant that it took a second before Marinette realized that Alya was apologizing into her hair. “-so sorry, I should’ve thought more about Ladybug’s feelings, I never meant to hurt her, swear-”

“It’s okay,” Marinette said, pulling away to smile at her bestie. “I know how people can get with superheroes, I think Ladybug forgives you.” She poked Alya’s nose. “Although I’m annoyed that you tried to air out my crush on Adrien to all of Paris.”

Alya sighed, nodding. “I know. Now that I think about it, it was super not cool.” She tried for a smile. “I’m sorry, girl.”

Despite herself, Marinette couldn’t stay mad. “I forgive you. But, don’t do it again.” Alya nodded and with that out of the way, she could move on. She looked around and couldn’t help but raise a brow. “But what’s going on? Why is everyone either wearing Ladybug stuff or pride stuff? If I had known, I would’ve dug my pride stuff out.”

“Oh, haven’t you checked online?” Nino called, his headphones decorated with bi stickers.

Marinette shook her head. “I’ve been too afraid to,” she admitted. “My social media has been flooded with messages and emails.”

“Oh, I can sort those for you, dudette.”

“Thank you,” she sighed, handing over her phone. “The code’s still the same.” Nino nodded as he began to fiddle with her phone.

“Anyway,” Kim said, wearing a transmac hoodie instead of his regular red hoodie. “The entire queer community adopted Ladybug as a queer icon after her interview last night. People have been debating for hours whether she’s a lesbian or bi.”

“Uh huh,” Well, at least the community was supportive. “I’m glad people are supportive.”

“Of course they are,” Alya said, leading her to their seats. “It’s Ladybug and you, the biggest sweethearts in Paris. If anyone isn’t, they look-”

“RIDICULOUS!” Chloe stormed in, wearing her normal clothing. Her gaze could’ve set Marinette on fire as she marched up and slammed her hands on her desk. On closer inspection, her eyes were rimmed red. “Break up with Ladybug.”

“Excuse me?”

“Are you deaf?!” Chloe shrieked, slamming her hand down. “Break up with Ladybug! There is only one girl that is perfect enough for her to date, and it’s certainly not you!”

“And I’m guessing that’s you?” Alya scoffed before Marinette could figure out a proper response that wasn’t not in your life. “Please, everyone knows Ladybug hates your guts.”

“She does not!” Chloe shrieked, tears beading up in the corner of her eyes. “She thinks I’m great! She chose me to be a hero! She knows I’m great! She-”

“Lost the Miraculous by accident, and you refused to give it back.” Marinette interrupted. Chloe’s jaw dropped, and she gaped at her. “Yeah, she told me about that. She thought you would do better, be better if you understood how your actions affect Paris. But you didn’t.” She leaned forward and that angry spark in her, the one that had been burning in her since Adrien pouted and moaned, burned. “Your actions are why people were celebrating that you were leaving Paris when you decided to go to New York.”

“Marinette!” Adrien called, also dressed in his normal clothes, but she held her hand out.

“You are nothing to Ladybug. Just a hazard and a safety risk.” Marinette leaned back in her chair. “The only reason I made that party for you is because Adrien asked. Nobody else.”

Chloe shut her mouth. She looked around the room. Sabrina looked away. Nobody else did, staring her down, bonded in silent agreement. Marinette expected her to rage, to scream, to throw a fit. Instead, she straightened up and walked to her seat. The moment she sat down, she hid her face.

“Marinette!” Adrien barked. “That was horrible! You-”

“Told her what Ladybug thought of her and what she needed to hear,” Marinette said, interrupting him. She leaned forward, allowing the anger brewing in her at him to burn in her eyes. “And if you don’t stop and think about your actions, so will I.”

Adrien stared with wide eyes. Without another word, but a nasty glance back, he turned and sat down. Nino scooted away from him before turning and holding up her phone. “Here, Nette,” he said. “There was some hate mail from people like Chloe,” Chloe flinched. “But a lot more of people supporting you.”

“Oh, that’s sweet,” Marinette said, taking her phone back.

The rest of the school day passed in silence. Twice, Adrien tried to get her alone, apparently undeterred by her threat, but Alya and the rest of the girl squad made sure there was a bodyguard nearby until Adrien had to leave for a photoshoot. (Rose was tiny but fierce in her desire to protect Marinette.) The rest of the school left her alone, excluding a few people who asked for her autograph and pictures and a whole bunch of gifts and letters in her locker. Marinette tried to ignore the heat in her face with all the love and care. 

Finally, the school day was over. Marinette walked out and breathed a sigh of early relief. She could see a few news vans waiting outside the bakery, so she had that to stress about, but she had gotten through the school day relatively unscathed.

The sound of a guitar met her ears and she paused, coming to a stop on the stairs.

Right. Luka.

She meant to talk to him after the interview, but Chat Noir had been following her, insisting to talk more about them, that she hadn’t been able to. So, here she was, standing on the steps, trying her best to not be seen by the musician as he strummed his guitar, probably waiting for Juleka.

It was tempting to run. But Marinette had to be braver than that. 

She took a deep breath and marched down the stairs, coming to a stop right next to him. Luka paused in his playing, staring at her. Marinette couldn’t look him in the eyes. Instead, she found herself staring at her feet. “Hi, Luka,” she said and immediately wanted to facepalm. Hi, Luka? Just that? Not, hey Luka, did you see the interview where Ladybug revealed I was two-timing you with her even though we’re the same person-

“You should’ve given me a heads up that we were poly,” Luka’s voice broke through her haze. She glanced up. Luka smiled at her, although it was edged with something. “I have a cute boy in my class, his name’s Felix, and I think you two would love each other.”

Marinette’s mind blanked, at first wondering what he was talking about, and then realization. “You…you aren’t mad?”

“I…I don’t know how to feel,” Luka admitted, and it was strange to see him admit that. Luka was the only boy she knew who was best in touch with his emotions. “On one hand, it makes a lot more sense than you pining over Adrien like everyone thought. On the other-”

“I lied,” Marinette admitted. “I lied, a lot, to you and everyone.” She gripped the edge of her shirt. “I kept ditching dates for something dumb, not related to her,” Luka raised a brow, but she continued on. “Sometimes I wished she didn’t exist because I trust you, Luka, I trust you so much but I keep having to lie because I care about her too and hurt you and and and-” Warm arms engulfed her but she couldn’t allow it, she needed to say it. “I’m so sorry, Luka.”

Luka didn’t say a word, just held her. Finally, he sighed. “I’m sorry too, Marinette,” he admitted. “I should’ve been better, maybe then-”

“No!” Marinette shoved him away. Luka stumbled back, looking hurt, but Marinette wasted no time in gripping his shoulders, staring him down. “You were wonderful,” she said, making sure he understood. “You were wonderful. I was the one who should’ve been better. I should’ve communicated better, I should’ve explained better about why I was leaving you in the lurch.”

“I was the one who got akumatized,” Luka said, staring back with wide eyes. “I went after you.”

“It was my fault you got akumatized in the first place!”

“No, it was not-” And now Luka was holding her shoulders, making sure she was looking at him. They probably looked strange, gripping each other’s shoulders like this, but Marinette didn’t care. “It was not your fault. It was Hawkmoth’s fault.” Right, right, Marinette needed to remember that. He was the one who took advantage of people. “We’re both crappy at communicating. We can work on that.”

Wait…

“You…want to try again?”

Luka paused and then nodded. “Now that I know more, enough to possibly understand some things,” He took in a deep breath. “Only if you want to?”

Marinette nodded back. “We can try,” And isn’t that what they all could do? “Maybe you can introduce me to Felix, and I can introduce you to…” She held up her hand at the sight of a familiar red car. “Hang on real quick.”

Luka blinked but nodded. Marinette smiled as they released each other before she turned and marched up to Kagami, who paused with a raised brow. Much to her delight, she wore gloves marked with the queer pride flag. “Wanna go on a date?” she asked promptly.

Kagami blinked. She opened her mouth, closed it, and then hummed. Marinette waited patiently. If Kagami had to think about it, than she was willing to wait. “Yes,” she finally said. “If your girlfriend is alright with it?”

Marinette nodded, feeling her face heat up. “Luka and I are trying again,” she admitted. “So he’s introducing a friend of his on our date. I wanted to introduce you to him, because I think you guys would be good friends, if not datemates.” She wanted to be honest where she could.

Kagami’s eyes brightened at the mention of friendship. “Then I certainly will come,” she said. “You have my number, so let me know the details.”

“I will.” She held out her hand and Kagami didn’t hesitate in giving it a squeeze. “Maybe after practice today, we can have our first date? At our usual spot?”

Kagami smiled. It was awkward, but it was sincere. “I would love that.” With one last squeeze of her hand, Kagami marched into the school.

Luka was chuckling when Marinette returned. “I guess we’ll have a full table,” he said, pulling out his phone. “I’ll talk to Felix and figure out a good time for us.”

Marinette nodded. “Let me know the details.” She paused. “And, thank you, Luka.” Before he could respond she took off running.

Lying about her girlfriend went better than expected!