#Give Duusu back to Nathalie!

[bittersweetresilience]

timeline of félix events (s1-s5)

félix grows up and experiences horrors

he and adrien are close as children and switch places sometimes

after a particular experience, félix realizes his life is tied to the ring his father wears, which can also control him

émilie dies of a mysterious illness and colt follows relatively soon after, allowing félix to recover his ring

some time after papillon appears (ladybug et chat noir), mayura makes her debut, revealing that the peacock miraculous is working for papillon (mayura)

at some point, amélie messages gabriel about wanting the graham de vanily twin rings back

félix shows up at the mansion, steals the ring gabriel is wearing for her, and makes his first attempt at striking a deal with papillon for the peacock miraculous (félix)

félix is invited back, does not give back gabriel's ring, and confirms his suspicions of gabriel being papillombre (gabriel agreste)

félix comes again to help adrien and snoop around, takes nathalie's tablet, takes what he thinks are the miraculous, unexpectedly finds émilie in the repository, and unfortunately realizes nathalie can control adrien with the other graham de vanily ring (risque)

félix realizes he's holding a fake miraculous, takes the opportunity he's presented with to make a deal for the real one, and gives up the ring he originally stole in his bargain with gabriel (réplique)

félix returns to london, where amélie tells ladybug and chat noir he's missing and where he meets duusu for the first time (multiplication)

félix goes to paris to free his cousin and waits for weeks before enacting his grand plan at the diamonds dance, where amélie also confirms at félix's direction that gabriel sucks (émotion)

félix goes to paris again to be silly and in love, dealing with kagami's mother in the process (prétention)

félix and kagami presumably go on cute dates offscreen, during one of which kagami tells him she thinks marinette is ladybug

félix and kagami stage a play to let marinette in on the sentimonster lore, reveal gabriel as monarque, and request she take him down so they can continue to be silly and in love (représentation)

pool date and heroes team (re-création)

[princess-of-the-corner]

Another "Mari kicks Félix's butt in Emotion" AU- Marinette realizes that "Adrien" is Félix and attacks him before he can transform, steals the Peacock Miraculous off of him, and asks Duusu both who Monarch is and what happened to Adrien. She transforms, snaps Adrien back and tells him what's going on, erases Red Moon, notices the Amoks but doesn't realize immediately that they are standing out because they are Amoks, and attacks Gabriel, who is forced to transform and escape. To prepare for the next fight with Monarch, Marinette (as Juno) creates a Sentimonster copy of Miraculer with all of the Miraculous powers "absorbed", and has SentiMiraculer give versions of the powers to the team (also gives the Bee power to Chloé while giving the copy of the Black Cat power to Zoé). She then has SentiMiraculer draw Sentibug from Nathalie's psyche with her copy of the Peacock power both to give Sentibug a second chance and to take Ladybug's place while Marinette is active as Juno.

OH HELL YEAH

[rayraygo1267]

More Gabenath Headcanons because I love them

Note: Tomorrow the Miraculous Movie releases on Netflix guys! I’m screaming!!!

Nathalie is embarrassed to admit it but she loves being the little spoon

Gabriel always makes sure Nathalie eats and gets enough sleep no matter what

Nathalie made the first move on Gabriel as Mayura

On occasion Nathalie doesn’t mind being the submissive one in the relationship, especially when she isn’t feeling well and wants to be taken care of

Gabriel is a switch

Nathalie and Gabriel’s main love language in their relationship is physical touch (hugs, small caresses, etc)

Nathalie’s love language is words of affirmation

Gabriel’s love language is gifts/acts of service

When Gabriel and Nathalie finally told Adrien about their relationship, he interrupted them and said, “I knew it!”

Gabriel has designed jewelry specifically for Mayura to wear

Hawkmoth gives Mayra back-rubs whenever she starts to feel achy

Gabriel talks, Nathalie listens

After a long day of acting out their plans, Nathalie and Gabriel will escape to the roof and watch the stars together

I’m pretty sure this is a known fact but Nathalie and Gabriel’s theme song is “Vampire” by Olivia Rodrigo and (or) “Toxic” and “Criminal” by Britney Spears

Gabriel is the more protective one

Nathalie knows all of Gabriel’s hiding spots for the peacock miraculous and she does not usually have much trouble retrieving it much to Gabriel’s dismay

Hawkmoth wishes he could see Mayura’s hair down

Gabriel always keeps an umbrella/jacket on hand for Nathalie because he knows she’ll forget

Duusu is practically Nathalie’s personal therapist at this point

Nathalie said “I love you” first

Gabriel has an irrational fear of spiders and makes Nathalie kill them whenever he sees one

Nathalie and Gabriel can both be very competitive

Adrien reads Hawkmoth x Mayura fanfiction because he’s curious and (of course) he ships it

One time Gabriel caught Adrien writing Hawkura fanfiction and grounded him for a month but he lowered the grounding down to a week once he read it though

Nathalie may or may not steal Gabriel’s suits and wear them

Gabriel and Nathalie often argue over what movies to watch but Nathalie always gets her way because she has better taste

Whenever Hawkmoth tells Mayura not to do something in battle, she does it anyway because she’s a badass

Gabriel gave some of Emilie’s old clothes to Nathalie (her dresses, skirts, shoes, etc)

Whenever they argue, Gabriel always apologizes to Nathalie first because he’s always in the wrong

Gabriel actually remembers Nathalie’s birthday

Mayura may or may not have created a sentimonster of Gabriel that she pretended was her boyfriend

Gabriel trusts Nathalie with everything, even things from his past

When Felix first saw Gabriel and Nathalie as Hawkmoth and Mayura he immediately knew their identities and was like, “yep they are totally getting together”

[mcheang]

Breakfast with a stranger

Thanks to his karate skills, Felix was able to knock his cousin unconscious.

As they are eating lunch after Kagami was reunited with Tomoe, Gabriel breaks in the bad news about the move to London

Felix: Adrien would be heartbroken if he knew the truth, uncle.

Nathalie and Gabriel stand up. “Felix!”

Felix holds up a finger. “Do you really want to make a scene to draw Ladybug to your own house again? She is ever so keen to confront Monarch, even more than me now.”

Nathalie: what do you want? Where is Adrien?

Felix: sleeping. And soon, he’ll be free of the both of you. I’m aware that you still have parental authority over Adrien, but if you’re in prison, I believe custody goes over to my mother. Especially since Nathalie doesn’t have long to live either.

Gabriel: then why haven’t you reported me in?

Felix: for some reason, Adrien actually loves you. But if you were to send him away from his girlfriend, I imagine he’ll get over your secret identity.

Gabriel: blackmail

Felix: you have such little time left uncle, try not to waste it making Adrien hate you.

Gabriel looked down and was shocked to see one of his gloves missing, exposing his blackened hand, without the rings.

Felix held them up. “It’s a pity I can’t save the kwamis too. But this will have to do.”

Gabriel: how dare you! Everything I am doing is to save your aunt and Nathalie.

Felix: you could have just gone back in time and fixed the broken peacock miraculous.

Nathalie: thank you! See he gets it!

Gabriel bared his teeth. “I will think on it.”

Felix: see that you do. Duusu, spread my feathers.

Gabriel slams the table in anger and calls Tomoe to report Felix’s threat.

Tomoe: get Ladybug and Chat Noir’s miraculous and it won’t matter because then we will win the war

Meanwhile, Argos visits Marinette and asks her to give Adrien his amok back in disguise so Gabriel can’t demand it back

Marinette asks why she would ever trust him.

Argos gives her Monarch’s stolen rings. “Is making his future akumas less powerful enough? Even if you don’t want to help me, we both want set Adrien free. These rings literally contain Adrien’s free will.”

Marinette sinks as the reality sets in. “Adrien is a sentimonster?”

Argos: please don’t call us that.

Marinette: sorry.

She looks down at the ring. “I’ll…do it. But only because Kagami recommended I give you a second chance if I should see you again.”

Felix smiles. “she really is special.”

Adrien happily wears his new ring and tells Marinette his father gives them his blessing.

[tiredfloridianbutverygay]

“What’s a bad miracle? They got a word for that?”

-----

Duusu's finally had enough of this family and how they simply refuse to talk to one another and deal with their shared grief. She does something a little bit drastic. In hindsight, it might not have been the best move, but she's fed up with this family refusing to just sit down and talk.

So she gives her brooch to Miss Emilie's son, meaning enter the existence of Sentimom. Except, maybe her plan worked a little too well and Emilie's an almost perfect replica of the original. Gabriel's stunned and trying not to acknowledge her, Adrien's just overjoyed to have his mother back, and Nathalie's forced to face feelings she thought she'd buried long ago.

All the while, Plagg keeps a careful eye on the damaged brooch, and hopes his kid didn't make a terrible mistake...

[logically-asexual]

another fanfic i won’t write:

about gabriel misusing his power to take advantage of nathalie’s feelings for him. because i love toxicity.

at some point during season 4?

gabriel walks past nathalie’s bedroom and gets a strange sensation. he gathers that he must be sensing an emotion coming from nathalie but it’s too muffled to decipher. she’s always been way too good at hiding her feelings, so even this subtle hint at something is rare for gabriel to spot. but it still isn’t enough.

he stops by her door and tries to get a clearer impression but it doesn’t work. he calls duusu and asks her to check on nathalie, which she gladly accepts.

duusu gets inside and asks her what’s wrong, but nathalie is just sitting in her bed working as normal and insists nothing is wrong. and duusu is like “please miss nathalie, you can talk to me! i promise i won’t tell mr gabriel anything!”

nathalie wasn’t even thinking about that possibility, but now that the kwami mentioned it she says “you can’t keep that promise. he could force you to speak, and you’re not even good at keeping secrets anyway”

and duusu says “so there is a secret!”

gabriel is overhearing everything from the other side of the door and at this moment he can make out a tiny speck of nervousness coming from inside.

duusu goes on “i mean in addition to the one about you being in lo—“ before nathalie holds her little mouth shut and whispers “don’t you dare say that out loud.” then she sighs. “besides. i don’t even know if that’s still true.”

that little confession is what gabriel needed, because nathalie lets her guard down just enough for him to feel her emotion. which turns out to be distress, caused by the conflict between her loyalty for him and her worry on whether she’s doing the right thing.

(nathalie has been thinking about their actions and doubting if it’s all really worth it. she still loves gabriel but he’s changing and what she admired before as commitment to his family is turning into obsession, and she doesn’t like it.)

gabriel steps back and frowns. this is bad, he can’t lose nathalie’s support. he would be ruined without her. he can’t let her hesitate and must bring her back on his side. and he knows just the way to do it. >:)

nooroo knows his bad intentions and tries to talk to him like “uuh.. master? what are you going to do?” gabriel responds “i need to take drastic measures,” before waving the kwami away. then he knocks on the door.

👀..

nathalie tells duusu to get lost and turns back to her screen as she tells gabriel to come in. she’s able to bury her feelings again and once again gabriel feels nothing coming from her. but it doesn’t matter. he walks straight to her bed and ignores her when she asks what he needs.

he says that he just came in to check how she was doing, and let her know he’d have someone bring her food in a few minutes. she says she’s fine, and it’d be impossible for anyone else to know she was lying.

he looks at her in the eye with a sad expression. he just says her name and puts a hand on her cheek. she’s surprised and lets some nervousness show. she starts to ask what’s wrong but he interrupts her.

he gives her a little speech like “im so sorry. i know i’ve made too many mistakes but i promise i’ll fix them. i… i just need you to know how important you are to me, nathalie, how much i care about you.” he leans in closer, supporting himself with a hand on the bed on the other side as the one still on her cheek, so she’s caged in. “you’re the main reason i’m still doing this,” he lies, of course. then he closes his eyes and leans his forehead on hers.

nathalie is too shocked to do anything. she’s trying to process what he’s saying but she can’t, as overwhelmed as she is.

he moves his hands to wrap his arms around her in a hug that is a little awkward, but she hugs him back. then he pulls back again just enough to look her in the eyes and say “i’m going to save you, nathalie, i promise.”

she’s moved by this, feeling for some reason protected and safe in his arms. and now it’s her holding his face in her palm. “it’s okay,” she tells him “we will figure it out.”

gabriel smiles, then pauses for a moment, still feeling a little doubt in her. he takes a deep breath, and kisses her.

and it’s like. painfully soft and barely there. but clearly intentional. nathalie’s heart is running a mile a minute and she looks away in embarrassment after it’s over, but doesn’t push him away.

gabriel brushes a strand of hair away from her face, drawing her attention back to him and whispers “don’t give up on me, okay? i’ll fix everything.” to which she replies with the tiniest nod. he smiles and finally pulls away, and walks out without a word.

👀..

once he leaves duusu begins gushing about the kiss but stops once she notices nathalie is tearing up. duusu is confused because she thought she understood romance (though she only knows what she knows from fairy tale books) and a kiss is supposed to be the happy ending. nathalie doesn’t have energy to explain and she just says that it’s more complicated than that.

but gabriel’s plan worked. though a voice in her head tells her not to, she wants to believe him, because that small taste of what could be is enough to leave her wanting, hoping for more.

meanwhile gabriel left to his office to stare a the portrait, silently apologizing to emily, reassuring her (rather himself) that he did what he had to do to succeed.

nooroo mutters something about how he shouldn’t take advantage of people’s emotions like that, to which gabriel responds “don’t lecture me, kwami. im just using the power that you gave me.” he turns back to emily’s face “and i’ll do whatever it takes.”

[rosie-b]

True Blue

Chapter 9: Fight and Flight

6534 words

“Aww, we forgive you too, Bluebird,” Golden Bug said affectionately. “By the way, do you have a name picked out? Not your real one, of course,” he chuckled.

“Uh.” Marinette’s mind raced as she thought. She wasn’t prepared for this! She’d only gotten this Miraculous half an hour ago! “Blue...wing?”

Golden Bug blinked and then smiled. “Bluewing! A pretty name for a pretty hero. Welcome to the team!”

You can read the chapter below or on AO3!

Marinette stood in the light of the attic window, staring in awe at the blue material stretching over her body to cover it.  

A flash of gold on her shoulders caught her eye as two epaulettes appeared on her shoulders; blue-purple-gold feathers grew and spread into a fan in her right hand; she felt herself rise off the floor as a pair of winged heels formed on her feet. A surge of fabric flared out behind her, creating peacock-like shirttails, and above her head, her hair twisted itself into a crown braid. As the transformation ended, a thin, blue mask rimmed in gold spread across her face.  

Feeling oddly in awe of herself, Marinette snapped her fan closed, examined the white gloves on her hands, and cautiously spun around on her heels, which were higher than she was used to yet didn’t seem to make her clumsier than usual. 

Magic is pretty cool, Marinette thought as she faced M. Agreste with a neutral expression as she waited for his judgment. 

He smirked as he looked over her suit, satisfied with the results of her and Duusu’s work.  

“Excellent choice, Marinette! This is a true soldier’s uniform, perfect for fighting in, and it disguises your civilian appearance just enough that Golden Bug will never guess who you are. You look almost ready,” he mused. “I wonder — would you be willing to give the suit a test run? You’ve been late for lessons before; just tell Nathalie you fell asleep in a corner somewhere and she won’t suspect a thing. Oh, yes, this will do nicely!” 

He sounded very excited about this, both Marinette’s successful transformation and the prospect of another akuma attack. But why? Surely he couldn’t expect her to win the final battle on her first day as a magic wielder! 

“Why would I need to do that?” she asked him, trepidation clear in her voice. “If I detransform now, I could still be back downstairs in time for afternoon lessons, and we can always do whatever you’re thinking of later, right?” 

M. Agreste only smiled, a bit darker this time, and adjusted his ascot. “We could do that. But wouldn’t you like to test the suit out a bit first, before you return to those dreary lessons of yours? It’s still possible that the suit won’t work for you, after all.”

Marinette glanced down at the fan she was holding and frowned. True, the suit was a little unfamiliar, but it had been made for her, and she could already tell that it fit perfectly. 

Gabriel continued, “I’m proposing an akumatization, just a short one, mind you! You won’t be engaging the so-called heroes; you’ll only be looking on from the sidelines. I want you to test yourself beside them as they fight; run as fast as they do, leap between buildings, push yourself further than you’ve ever been able to. And you will find it all possible, thanks to your suit’s power! Once the fight is over, you will return to the mansion, detransform, and go back to your lessons as if nothing had happened until the time comes for your first real fight. Are you up to the task, Miss Marinette?” 

Looking at M. Agreste’s determined expression, Marinette felt herself begin to cave. “I guess I could try doing that, but isn’t it more important for me to keep up with my lessons? I was already late enough this morning that I missed one; should we really risk me missing a whole other lesson in the same day?” 

Tugging his ascot off, M. Agreste made a dismissive noise in the back of his throat. “Bah! You are already far ahead of the other students your age, Marinette. One missed lesson will not harm your progress. Nooroo, dark wings rise!” 

Hawk Moth strode over to the window and opened a small panel in it, the one the akuma had flown through in the last fight. 

“I will send the akuma out first, and then it will be your turn to go outside.” At Marinette’s bewildered look, he said, “The side door should let you out without any problems or spying eyes. Ready yourself,” he said, opening the top of his staff, which housed a ready-made akuma. 

A pit grew in her stomach as Marinette watched the akuma fly toward the window. She wasn’t ready to fight anyone, not yet! 

Then again, if M. Agreste wasn’t lying, she wouldn’t have to fight this time. She waited for Hawk Moth’s signal to go downstairs with her knees slightly bent. 

“Go, my beautiful akuma,” Hawk Moth said softly. As the butterfly flapped its way through Paris, he turned to Marinette. “Nathalie should be busy; you may go downstairs and outside. Follow the akuma’s path to the park near your home; that is where the fight will begin. Be careful not to be spotted by Nathalie or the heroes.” 

“I will. Wish me luck.” Marinette laughed breathlessly, because luck was against her now, wasn’t he? 

Hawk Moth’s mouth curved into a confident smile. “You will not need it.”  

He turned away from Marinette, back to the butterfly-shaped window and the dark akuma in the distance. 

Marinette stepped into the elevator, letting its doors close around her like a coffin’s lid. It began its slow descent to the ground floor, and Marinette’s mouth flattened as she prepared for her (hopefully quick enough) dash through the side door. That’s the one the chef uses, right? she thought frantically. Yeah, okay, I know where that is.  

The elevator opened, and she immediately ran to the side door; her heels caught on the rug and moved it out of place as she skidded to a halt and pulled the door open. The handle nearly broke off in her hand, a testament to the strength she’d suddenly gained. Behind her, the rug was still a rumpled mess a foot from the door. I’ll fix it later, she promised herself as she stepped outside and took a deep breath. 

Now, to find the akuma. With few other options, Marinette decided to start running towards Place des Vosges. She was much faster than her untransformed self, she reasoned, so how long could it take? 

Not all that long, apparently! But she nearly plowed into seven buildings, two statues, and three children on the way there. I’ll do better next time, Marinette thought with a firm nod as she came close enough to the park to see the transformed akuma in it. 

He looked nothing like the others. For one thing, he was the ugliest akuma to date; for another, his bright, happy exterior did nothing to prepare for the dark powers he held (which also seemed ironically harmless at first). 

Standing on one of the park benches, the Bubbler waved his wand, trapping three pairs of adults in large bubbles and sending them flying up to the clouds. Marinette’s mouth fell open, and she shrank back behind a nearby building’s corner as if to protect herself from the ghastly akuma, who was cackling in a voice which seemed too familiar for comfort. 

“Ahahaha! Hard to ruin kids’ fun from space, isn’t it? Hey, Paris! Come on, it’s time to party! No chores, no homework, no more nagging, just fun, fun, fun, fun! This is the Bubbler's gift to you.” The Bubbler jumped off the bench and strode over in the direction of François-Dupont. As he did so, he called out, “Adrien! Where are you, dude?” 

Marinette’s face softened as her heart gave a little twinge. “Oh, Nino,” she whispered. “What happened to you?” How had someone made laid-back Nino upset enough to be akumatized? 

Whatever it was, it wasn’t Adrien’s fault, Marinette knew. But before she could try to figure out what had happened, Chat Grise vaulted into the park and confronted the akuma.

She stood there silently at first, waiting for her partner to show up and for the Bubbler to show signs of discomfort. Being stared down by the holder of destruction was enough to crack some akumas; Marinette had seen one or two falter back when she still cheered for every win the heroes scored. 

She couldn’t do that now, though. Today, she was officially joining the enemy side (the right side, not that the heroes seemed to know that). Should she do something to break up the tension and help Nino focus on his goal? 

While she was still thinking, the Bubbler brought his wand out again and shot bubbles in Chat Grise’s direction with a smirk and a laugh. Chat Grise leapt out of the way, slashing one of the bubbles with her claws but backing away when the thin membrane started to pull her hand in instead of popping like she’d expected it to. 

“Come on dude, can’t you see I’m busy?” Nino the Bubbler called in annoyance. “I need to throw my best friend a belated birthday party, to show him I might not have known, but I still care! Why don’t you join in on the fun instead of squashing it?” 

His best friend? Marinette had once held that title, though they’d grown apart in recent years. She felt a stab of guilt as Chat Grise snarled and muttered something at the Bubbler.  

As the two fought, Golden Bug arrived from the other side of the park, dangerously close to Marinette’s hiding spot. She crept back into the alley, flattening herself against a doorway and hoping none of them could see her.

“Hey, ugly! Not to bust your bubble, but if you care so much about giving your friend a birthday party, why do adults seem to take priority in your grand plan?” 

The Bubbler turned to Golden Bug with a deep frown on his blue face. “You guys just don’t get it! If adults have their way, there will be no party at all! Men like Gabriel Agreste don’t care about us kids. We need to throw them all out!” 

Marinette winced. Why had Hawk Moth chosen someone who hated him as his akuma? She couldn’t see this fight ending well. Also, when had Adrien gotten a new friend without telling her? 

“Maybe—” Golden Bug said as he ducked and jumped and rolled to avoid the bubbles the akuma shot at him, “Maybe you should just try finding a different way to celebrate! I’m sure Adrien appreciates that you care so much about him, believe me, but do you really want to get rid of his father, whom I’m sure he still loves even if he is strict?” 

The Bubbler lowered his brows and dipped his bubble wand into the mixture on his back. “Maybe he does, but dear ol’ Gabe still deserves his just reward!” He spun the wand in a circle, spreading bubbles out over the park and making it harder for the heroes to dodge them. 

Marinette’s heart seized, but she wasn’t there to save the city’s golden duo from a problem that they had made.  

Instead, she tried her best to mimic the flips, twists, and quick reflexes of the heroes from her place in the alley, counting on them being too busy evading the bubbles to notice her.  

As she tried, sometimes succeeding and sometimes failing, to imitate them, her mind strayed to the adults Bubbler had sent up to space. What would happen if they never came back down, if Hawk Moth did end up winning this time? Would they die? Surely M. Agreste wouldn’t let that happen! 

So distracted was she by her thoughts that she didn’t notice the fight moving to her.  

A large bubble bounced around the corner, swatted by Chat Grise’s baton as she and Golden Bug pressed the Bubbler backwards. Noticing it, Marinette gulped and hurried further down the street, but it was too late.  

The Bubbler saw her first, lowering his wand and frowning in confusion as Hawk Moth’s symbol appeared over his eyes. Chat and Golden Bug saw her next, both skidding to a halt as they looked over her outfit. 

“You’re not Hawk Moth, are you?” Golden Bug asked, spinning his yo-yo in a defensive shield. 

Marinette opened and closed her fan, stuttering as she tried to come up with an excuse. “Feathered me— I’m a bird—”  

As Chat Grise lowered herself into an offensive stance, Marinette inhaled sharply. She wasn’t supposed to be seen today! She was failing already! Taking a slower breath, she lowered her fan and tried again. 

“I’m bird-themed. Hawk Moth is butterfly-themed. I think the answer is obvious, right?” 

Chat Grise straightened out her crouch with a frown. “Why are you hiding, then?” she asked quietly, her voice full of fire as she eyed Marinette warily.  

“Yeah, you’re not exactly sending a clear signal here. I’d make it more obvious which side you’re on in the feather .” 

Chat Grise looked questioningly at her partner. “The future?” 

Golden Bug crossed his arms and ducked under the bubble the akuma half-heartedly threw his way. “It wasn’t my best, I’ll admit it. It’s hard to beak-lieve, but puns are hard to come up with on the spot!”  

Marinette sighed in unison with Chat Grise. “That was painful,” she said disapprovingly. Then she flashed Golden Bug an apologetic smile. Maybe if she pretended to be friendly for now, she could get out of this without needing to fight two trained heroes? 

“Hmph,” the Bubbler sniffed as he looked at the trio. Then he raised his bubble wand and directed a large bubble straight towards Marinette. 

She could only watch in horror as the bubble drew closer, but the heroes had more presence of mind. Charging towards her from opposite directions, they attempted to move her out of the way... but instead, they wound up colliding in a tangled mess of super-powered teens caught in the bubble, which quickly shot upwards with all three of them squished inside. 

Chat Grise was the first to move. “Ugh,” she muttered, scooting back from the others as much as she could to give them some space to untangle themselves. Golden Bug raised his head from Marinette’s lap, where it had landed, and pushed himself up with a groan.��

“That did not go the way I thought it would,” he said, flashing Marinette an apologetic smile with honest green eyes that made her heart flutter in a way she’d never felt before. “Sorry, I promise we’re not usually this inept. Meeting you was a surprise, and I should’ve accounted for that, but I let us get trapped instead. You have every right to mad at me, but I promise, I will find a way out of this!” 

“He usually does,” Chat Grise said with a small smile. “I— I’m sorry for earlier. I shouldn’t have assumed,” she said quietly.  

Marinette blinked as she sat up in the bubble, ignoring the way her leg brushed against Golden Bug’s and the way her stomach seemed to fill with butterflies because of it. 

“I forgive you,” she said quickly. “I shouldn’t have hung back like that; it did make me look suspicious, even though— I would never want to hurt you,” she said, swallowing down the pit that grew in her throat. It wasn’t a lie, was it? 

“Aww, we forgive you too, Bluebird,” Golden Bug said affectionately. “By the way, do you have a name picked out? Not your real one, of course,” he chuckled. 

“Uh.” Marinette’s mind raced as she thought. She wasn’t prepared for this! She’d only gotten this Miraculous half an hour ago! “Blue...wing?” 

Golden Bug blinked and then smiled. “Bluewing! A pretty name for a pretty hero. Welcome to the team!” 

Chat Grise nodded and offered her own quiet, “Welcome!” 

Marinette blushed at all the attention as Golden Bug grabbed her hand closest to him and raised it to his lips for a kiss which did nothing to calm the fire in her cheeks. 

“Guh,” she said as her heart stuttered out a disloyal rhythm. She turned her head away but panicked when she noticed that the bubble had reached the bottom of a cloud. “Gah!”

Pointing out the bubble, she grabbed Golden Bug’s head and directed his eyes outside, where clouds seemed to part around them as they went higher. 

“Oh, no! Chat Grise, use your cataclysm now! We’ll figure the rest out on the way down!” Golden Bug cried. 

“Cataclysm!” As soon as Chat Grise’s fist touched the bubble, it collapsed, sending the three teens downwards in a dizzying spiral. 

“Lucky Charm!” Golden Bug cried desperately. A leaf blower dropped beside him, and he clutched it to his chest.  

“Oh, that solves everything,” Bluewing muttered. At Golden Bug’s wounded look, she quickly amended, “I mean, I’m sure you’ll figure it out!” She offered him a thumbs up with a wavery smile made wavier by the wind. 

He wasn’t looking, already busy trying to find a safe way to land. They were nearing the tops of the buildings. Privately, Marinette was giving up hope and kissing her dreams of getting back to class goodbye. Not that she loved school, but anything was better than dying in her opinion! 

Golden Bug threw his yo-yo far away, managing to wrap it around the Eiffel tower. Before the line tightened, he turned to Chat Grise and Bluewing and yelled, “Hold on to me!” 

Hesitating for only a moment, Bluewing grabbed onto his right side while Chat Grise latched on to his left. Then they were swinging full tilt towards the Eiffel tower, circling it in an orbit that was steadily growing smaller and closer to the tower. 

“Chat Grise, your baton!” 

Pulling back, Chat Grise took her baton out and quickly extended it to the ground. She held on to it tightly, and as Golden Bug released the yo-yo from around the tower’s metal beam, all three of them slid-tumbled down the baton to the ground, where they landed in a heap of bruised, but alive, super-powered teens. 

Marinette could hardly believe she was alive. 

There was a weed growing in the cement a few inches from her nose. She loved it more than she’d ever loved a plant before. 

On either side of her, Golden Bug and Chat Grise were already pushing themselves up and getting ready to get back to the fight. 

“I think I know what my Lucky Charm is for now!” Golden Bug said excitedly as he pushed his bangs out of his eyes and turned to Chat Grise and Bluewing. “But you’ll both have to help.” 

He stopped and smiled, revealing the dimples in his cheeks, when he noticed Bluewing was still on the ground. 

“Need a hand, Miss Blue?” 

Bluewing stared at him as he extended the aforementioned hand. How could someone so irritatingly stubborn, who she was supposed to be fighting against, be this unbelievably cute? It wasn’t fair! 

“T-thank you,” she stuttered as she reluctantly accepted his help up. 

He pulled her to her feet with a smile and a wink as he turned to the east side of the tower, where the polychromatic Bubbler was approaching them with a pout on his lips. 

“Dudes! What is it gonna take for you to learn your lesson, huh? Leave me and my buddies alone!” 

He launched another flurry of bubbles at them, but these ones didn’t seem to be the trapping-you-and-sending-you-to-space type. No, Marinette realized as a nearby lamppost went down in flames, these bubbles were the exploding type! 

Bluewing flinched as one of the bubbles glided towards her, but Chat Grise knocked it aside with her retrieved baton. It exploded harmlessly a few meters away, and Bluewing let out a sigh of relief before immediately feeling guilty. 

Bubbler glared at Bluewing before sending another volley of bubbles towards them. This time, Golden Bug jumped in front of her, turning on the leaf blower and redirecting every last bubble from the trio. Marinette stared at his back and the muscles there and wished for this battle to just end so she could go home already. She didn’t care who won this round. She just wanted to get away from the danger bubbles! 

One tiny bubble escaped Golden Bug’s notice and drifted over in front of Marinette. The Bubbler’s face appeared on it, and she jumped. 

“Dude,” the Bubbler said in a complaining tone, “Why are you just standing there? Hawk Moth told me you’re on our side!” 

As one, Golden Bug and Chat Grise turned around and stared at Bluewing. 

A bead of sweat rolled down her forehead. 

“Uhhh,” she said intelligently as she pulled out her fan and half-heartedly fanned the bubble with Nino’s distorted face on it a few millimeters away. 

“Dude, are you trying to hide it? Uncool. Totally uncool.” 

“I-I, Hawk Moth said I didn’t have to fight this time,” Bluewing protested, throwing her hands in the air. 

Chat Grise gritted her teeth and looked away. 

“I have to agree with you, Bubbler,” Golden Bug said, his face showing an unexpected level of hurt and betrayal for someone she’d supposedly just met. “This is totally uncool. Why would you pretend to be on our side? Just to get the upper hand?” 

“Maybe she’s afraid to fight us,” Chat Grise hissed. “I wouldn’t blame her.” 

While the Bubbler started babbling on about loyalty and presents for rich, repressed teen boys, Chat Grise tossed her baton towards his bubble wand, knocking it out of his hand. She grabbed it before the akuma could and threw it over to Golden Bug, who caught it without looking and broke it while he was still looking at Bluewing, waiting for her answer. 

Well, it didn’t seem like there was any way for her to get out of this confrontation. 

Just then, Golden Bug’s earrings started beeping, and he distractedly touched one of them while he caught and purified the akuma with the other hand. 

“Bubbler was right,” Bluewing said quietly. “I am on Hawk Moth’s side. But I didn’t lie earlier. I don’t want to fight you. But next time I see you, we will be getting physical!” 

Golden Bug raised one eyebrow. Marinette went over her words in her head and slowly turned a shade of red previously unknown to humankind. 

“How forward of you,” Golden Bug said drily. “I hope that day will never come. Look, do the right thing, Bluewing! Hawk Moth is a cold-hearted villain. I hope you realize that, and leave him.” 

With that, he and Chat Grise took off, leaving the scene before Nino finished piecing together what had happened. 

“Was I akumatized?” he asked, looking up blearily at Marinette through tilted glasses. 

She bent down and straightened them for him. 

“You were,” she said. “But Golden Bug and Chat Grise won again.” 

And M. Agreste is probably furious with me.  

Marinette sighed and turned to go, ignoring Nino’s confused questions as she started the long walk home. Or the short run. Or however long it would be by rooftop. 

She kind of wished she had a yo-yo or a baton right now. 

Halfway to the mansion, she traded the streets for the rooftops. There were too many people staring at her; they clutched their purses or their children and looked at her in fear. 

Alya must have caught the end of the fight and posted it on her blog. 

Up on top of the roofs, there weren’t any more people to stare at and judge Marinette for her choice of who to back. (It was the right choice! They just didn’t know the facts, like she did!) 

Bluewing sighed and rolled her neck and shoulders back, stretching out the taut muscles there. Then she glanced around the rooftop, just in case someone had seen where she went and climbed up to confront her.  

There wasn’t anyone there. 

But on the other side of the street, larger than life and staring straight at her, was a jumbo-sized billboard of Adrien. 

It was just an ad for Gabriel’s winter collection. But it felt like something more than that to Marinette. 

You let me down, Adrien seemed to say to her with his eyes. You pretended to be friends with the heroes. You could’ve taken their Miraculous while you were in the bubble with them, but you didn’t even try to fight! Don’t you care about the mission? Don’t you care about me ?  

Marinette forced herself to turn away from the billboard. It wasn’t her fault she hadn’t fought today! She wasn’t ready! M. Agreste was supposed to teach her first! 

But Adrien’s eyes seemed to follow her as she leapt away to the next rooftop. 

The rest of the trip back to the mansion seemed to take forever. 

Nathalie was waiting for her when she got back. 

Arms crossed, she stood at the side door, tapping her heel on the floor beside the rumpled rug and frowning. M. Agreste stood beside her, looking surprised, cross, and just as pouty as the Bubbler had been. 

“Marinette, I presume. There’s no need to deny it; your absence at the start of afternoon lessons just as a new ‘hero’ appeared clued me in, and the security tapes told me the rest.” 

“Ms. Sancoeur, I—” 

“There’s no need to apologize. I know who the mastermind around here is,” she said, her voice dripping with sarcasm as she turned to face the problem. “Gabriel, how could you put her in so much danger? You know she’s just a teenager, like your son! How can you expect to have her take over the company one day if she’s dying from the Peacock’s poison? For once, ask me about your harebrained plans before putting them into action!” 

M. Agreste frowned and tugged at his ascot. “She isn’t going to die, Nathalie. She’s already taking the medicine for the poison.”

Nathalie stared at him like he was an idiot. “The medicine which couldn’t save your wife? All it does is lessen the symptoms! It isn’t a cure, not by any stretch of the imagination! This ends today. Take off the brooch,” she ordered Marinette. 

“Wait,” M. Agreste said, grabbing Marinette’s hand as she reached up to unpin the Miraculous. “Wait. We know there is a cure, Nathalie. We have the grimoire; we can decode it and put together a solution. In the meantime, the medicine will work to keep the worst effects at bay. Honestly, Nathalie, try to have some faith in me!” 

Marinette blinked. “There’s a grimoire?” 

Nathalie’s lips tightened. “The grimoire of the Miraculous is also in the safe you discovered. But it’s written in a long-dead, ancient language, and in code, on top of that. You should not count on it to solve your problems.” 

“And you shouldn’t blame M. Agreste for my putting on the brooch! What happened today was my idea. Mostly.” 

“M. Agreste, is that true?” Nathalie asked him with an accusing glare. 

“As true as my love for Emilie,” he replied smoothly. 

Nathalie adjusted her glasses. “Right. Well, this solves everything. No doubt we will have Golden Bug and Chat Grise’s Miraculous in no time, now that we have the help of yet another untrained teenager! You had better train her well before you send her out again, Gabriel. And you,” she said, turning on Marinette, “Be careful. Be far more careful than you think you need to be. Just because you are on the right side does not mean you are guaranteed success, or that you will even survive. If you need someone else to take over for you, to become the Peacock in your place, let me know. I won’t let it be said that any of those in my care died because I didn’t act to save them.” 

M. Agreste laughed. “I’m sure that won’t be necessary, Nathalie, although I thank you for the offer,” he said, clapping her on the back. “Now, why don’t we all head inside and let Marinette — or Bluewing, I suppose it is now — detransform and relax. She deserves a reward for her bravery today, no?”

Marinette hesitated. “Are you sure, sir? I didn’t even do anything. I was too afraid,” she admitted shamefully.  

“Oh, I don’t blame you,” M. Agreste said cheerfully. “It was my fault, anyway. I should have given you some basic lessons first before sending you out in the field. I won’t make the same mistake again. Now, what would you like to do to celebrate?”  

Marinette looked at Ms. Sancoeur, but she only sighed and shrugged in a way that suggested she went along with M. Agreste’s suggestion.  

“Well,” she said thoughtfully, “I think Adrien has fencing after school today, right?”  

“It’s his first match of the year, actually,” Nathalie informed her.  

“Right! And Nino was upset because his birthday had already passed, but he didn’t know about it. And now that I think about it, I found out about it too late to give him a gift; I only told him happy birthday and that was it. What if we go cheer him on? I want to make sure he knows we care about him. I’m doing this for him, after all, and I can’t tell him about that, but I can show my support in other ways, and I know he’d be so happy to see you there! What do you think?”  

Gabriel looked a bit surprised, and he checked his watch with a small frown. “That will take longer than I had planned on,” he began, but Ms. Sancoeur shot him a glare and he quailed. “Good idea. I will let the chauffeur know to have the car ready for us.”  

“Perfect. In the time between now and then, you and I can finally start on your afternoon lessons, Marinette,” Nathalie said. She kicked the rug into place as they walked inside, past the kitchen entrance and down the main hall.   

“Oh, and before you do anything else,” Gabriel said, as if he’d just remembered something. “You should hand over your brooch to me. I will keep it in a safe place for you when you do not need it, since wearing it outside of transformations would bring the side effects to you sooner. There we are,” he said as she unpinned the brooch and dropped it into his waiting palm. “I will see both of you in an hour.”  

Nathalie nodded. “Good. Now, come with me, Marinette. I’ve ordered some fresher medicine for you, and I think you should switch to taking it instead of the older pills from Emilie. Twice a day, now, or they won’t have a strong enough countereffect on the magic.” 

“Yes, Ms. Sancoeur,” Marinette said. “I’ll do my best to help you remember.” 

__*__*__*__*__ 

Adrien was a better fencer than Marinette had thought, though she didn’t know what she had expected. 

He fought his opponents with a fierce, fiery energy, like he was mad that they would even dare to face him, although he was always kind to the ones he defeated, which was all of them so far. 

“Such a good sportsman,” Gabriel remarked during one match when he wasn’t busy sketching a new design on the tablet he’d brought with him. 

“He makes the best of them look like amateurs,” Marinette marveled. Would she ever be as good at fighting as he was? Maybe he should have gotten the Peacock, not her. 

“That’s because he’s an Agreste,” Gabriel responded. “He can’t be anything but perfect.” 

Nathalie sat forward, a pinched expression on her face. 

“You care a lot about my son, don’t you?” Gabriel suddenly asked Marinette. 

She tilted her head. “Yes? I thought you knew that already.” 

Gabriel laughed. A few people glanced in their direction, including one person with a camera who might have been paparazzi, but he shot a glare back at them and they turned their attention away. 

“Of course, I know that. But what I mean is... you care for him. You love him, no?” 

“Like a brother,” Marinette responded immediately. She smiled and cheered as Adrien scored another point against a fighter in blue and white. 

“Like a— what?” Gabriel was staring at her like she’d grown two heads. 

She blushed. “Oh! Sorry, I don’t mean to assume we’re that close to each other. But he means a lot to me,” she said in a carefree manner. “I hope we’ll stay as friends forever.” 

“Yes, yes — very good friends,” Gabriel said, sounding a little strangled. He loosened his ascot around his throat. It was probably too tight for him. 

He touched the brooch under it lightly, quickly, so as to be discreet. 

Marinette raised her eyebrows and turned her attention back to the match. At her left, Nathalie was looking at her with a half-surprised, half-amused expression. 

“You were right, Gabriel,” she said, speaking around Marinette’s back, “They’re quite the pair; I think they’ll be friends forever. Another plan of yours going just swimmingly well!” 

“Hmph.” 

Gabriel sat back on the bleachers, clearly upset, but about what, Marinette didn’t know. She was too busy cheering on her best friend to waste time thinking about it. 

After the match finally ended, Adrien was announced as the overall winner, and went up to receive his gold medal. Marinette cheered louder than anyone in the stadium, and he smiled and blushed when he saw her in the audience. He raised the medal a little higher and stood a little straighter when he saw who was standing beside her, looking suitably impressed. 

Then he winked and pressed a kiss to the gold medal. Nathalie facepalmed, but Marinette laughed. Who knew Adrien could be so funny and carefree? She was happier than ever that she’d convinced Gabriel to let him go to public school and come see this match. It was clearly doing wonders for her friend. 

“Congratulations, Adrien!” she cheered when she finally got to see him after the ceremony, when he’d changed back into his usual clothes. He grinned when he saw her, and she pulled him into a hug without thinking. “You were great! I didn’t know you were so good at fencing!” 

“Thanks, Marinette! I’m glad you liked the show,” he said, pulling back from the hug with a light blush on his cheeks. “And thank you for convincing my father and Nathalie to come, too! I don’t know how you did it,” he marveled. 

Marinette smiled. “I think the Bubbler reminded us all that we should do more to show you how much we care about you. You’re one of the most important people in my life, Adrien! I don’t want you to forget it.” 

Adrien blushed deeper as Gabriel and Nathalie caught up to Marinette. They both looked a bit out of breath, bent over and nearly panting. 

“Congratulations, Adrien. Your hard work has been paying off,” Nathalie said once she’d straightened up. She discreetly bumped Gabriel with her elbow. 

“Ah, I mean, yes! You acted like a true Agreste out there. Keep it up,” he said stiffly. 

“He always does his best, doesn’t he? Don’t you think we should maybe, I don’t know, let him pick something as a prize for all his hard work?” Marinette asked, slinging her arm around Adrien’s back and pulling him close. What could she say, she was feeling daring today, and she was determined to make sure Adrien knew he was loved! Nino had had a point, after all. 

“I don’t know, I mean,” M. Agreste said as Nathalie elbowed him again, “Perhaps. What would you like, Adrien?” 

Adrien smiled down at Marinette, wrapping his arm around her in return. “I’d like some more free time to see Marinette, actually. I was talking to M. Dupain this morning, and he said he’d be willing to provide breakfast for both of us at his place if I get there a little earlier! And it would all be diet-appropriate, nothing too— uh, nothing unhealthy. If that’s alright with you, Marinette,” he said, looking into her eyes for approval. 

She smiled broadly. “I think that sounds great! I might have to wake up a little sooner than usual, though.” 

M. Agreste looked flabbergasted. “Are you sure? That’s what you want, breakfast with Marinette every day?”

Adrien’s grip tightened on her waist. “M-hm,” he said, still looking into her eyes with a fond smile. 

“I think we can arrange for that to happen,” Ms. Sancoeur said brusquely, tapping on her tablet. “Don’t you, M. Agreste?” 

“I suppose,” he said, looking closely at Marinette and Adrien. “That might work nicely. It could be just what we need, yes, let M. Dupain know that we’ll accept his offer!” 

“Gladly.” Nathalie typed something on her tablet as the Gorilla pulled up by the sidewalk outside to pick them up in the limousine. 

Gabriel and Nathalie both took their own row, while Adrien sat next to Marinette in the back. 

“So, did you see the news today?” he asked in a whisper, his eyes gleaming despite the darkness of the car. 

Marinette shifted uncomfortably. “Depends on which news you mean,” she whispered back.  

He didn’t know who Bluewing was fighting for, and he wasn't happy with her appearance. That was okay. She was protecting him, and it made sense for him to assume that she was a bad guy without the information he needed, that she was protecting him from. 

“The akuma. I can’t believe Hawk Moth picked up an ally!” His voice was strained. “I mean, who would pick his side? It’s obvious who the villain is! We were all so hopeful when we first saw Bluewing. She was so nice! And she turned out to be just another brainwashed sidekick! I can’t believe it,” he said, hurt lingering in every word. 

Marinette took a ragged breath. “Well, maybe she’ll turn out to be a nice person, after all,” she suggested. 

Adrien scoffed. “Maybe. If she turns on Hawk Moth and fights the real villain instead, but that seems unlikely to me. But hey, she was flirting with Golden Bug, right? Maybe his good looks will convince her to join the right side of the battle,” he said sarcastically.

He was joking, but Marinette’s cheeks turned red, and she looked away before he could notice. She would never leave Gabriel’s side just because a boy looked pretty! Even if she did think his butt looked cute, she would never betray Adrien like that, no matter how hot and funny and charming her enemy was! 

The silence became uncomfortable.

Marinette broke it. “Yeah, you could be right.”  

Outside, the wind tugged a flag to and fro on its pole. She watched it for a moment, then leaned her head against the car window and closed her eyes.  

“I think she has a crush on him.” She whispered it like a rancid secret, a rotten apple slowing poisoning the rest of her mind.  

She felt more miserable now than she could remember ever being before. The Peacock’s broken magic had nothing on the raw guilt and shame consuming her, eating away the last bit of happiness she’d felt watching Adrien fence. 

She had a crush on Golden Bug! On her enemy, who was a direct threat to the boy she’d promised to protect! 

What kind of a hero was she? 

[celestiall0tus]

All That Remained - Unbound - Velze

Beginning || Previous || Next

            Shock washed over Felix and Marinette as they transformed. Their steps faltered and they crashed into each other. They sent the other barreling through the window into the yard. Voices yelled after them, but words were lost to the high-pitched ringing.

            Marinette groaned and rolled over. She looked through blurry eyes at the world around her. She eyed Felix in a dashing black and gold princely ensemble with tatters in his tailcoat and scuffs on his boots. He fought to push himself up but fell back down. She mirrored him as she attempted to sit up but fell.

            Marinette huffed and tried again. Her lethargic body didn’t move, but she rose from the ground. She threw her head around, trying to see what helped her up. She gasped at the white wings with vibrant prismatic shimmers that fluttered behind her. Her eyes widened in awe. She couldn’t fly before without powering up. She grinned and did a flip, then another.

            Marinette giggled as she did a few more flips when the world sharpened and came back into focus. The ringing dulled and died away, allowing her to hear the world again. Her breath stolen at the bizarre clarity she witnessed.

            “Marinette! Are you ok?” Adrien called.

            “Y-yeah! It’s just… it was a shock. Be careful when you transform, honey!”

            Adrien blushed and smiled at the pet name. Marinette smiled when the faintest rustle of grass stole her attention. She turned as Felix took off.

            “Gotta go! I’ll meet you all at Liberty!” Marinette called.

            Marinette took off after Felix. Her breath stolen again at the speed she traveled at. She giggled as she easily passed Felix and left him in the dust. She neared Liberty, then decided to backtrack. She found Felix and flew circles around him, toying with him. He ignored her at first, then indulged her and attempted to catch her. They played until he snagged her foot and brought her down. They landed on a building near Liberty. The pair laughed and rested.

            “This is… different from before,” Felix admitted.

            “It really is. It’s rather jarring, don’t you think?” Marinette asked.

            “Maybe? I admittedly didn’t have Duusu long before Uncle came after me.”

            “What happened that day?”

            Felix sighed. “Uncle showed up to pay a visit. We were weary of his motives, as we should have been. He got his hands on the peacock again. Once he did, he… he snapped me out of existence before Mom’s eyes.”

            Marinette fell silent. Felix wasn’t joking when he said he and Adrien were sentimonsters. She shivered as she remembered the senti-Ladybug that Mayura had created. It was heart breaking to see her go, even if they only knew her for a short time. She couldn’t imagine how Amelie must have felt seeing such a horrific sight.

            “I’m sorry that happened, Felix,” Marinette managed.

            “I am too. I was careless. I had assumed Uncle would never come after me, but I was wrong to think that. Thankfully I’ll never have to worry about that again,” Felix said.

            “Because you… and Adrien, are real, right? People and not sentimonsters.”

            “That’s the way Velze made it sound. That we are free, not bound by the rules we were before. To so easily be compelled and carry out the stupidest of orders. To not be so easily controlled by horrible people. To finally be free.”

            Marinette considered Felix’s words as she thought of Adrien. She reflected on all the times Gabriel had easily bossed him around all because of a ring. Or perhaps a pair. She had witnessed Velze obtaining two rings. Was it both that contained the amok? Did that mean Nathalie had been giving Adrien orders as well as Gabriel? Was it because of Nathalie that Adrien pursued her? Gabriel went out of his way to try and drive her away. Did that mean Adrien only acted as he was told? Were there any genuine feelings for her?

            “They’ve arrived,” Felix announced.

            Marinette looked down at the streets. Nathalie got out of the car with Amelie, Emilie, and Adrien following.

            “Felix, do you think Adrien really loves me? Or was he just, I don’t know, ordered to?”

            “Why would you ask?”

            “Because Nathalie had a ring. Gabriel hated me, and yet Adrien still pursued a relationship with me. So, do you think, maybe?”

            “No offense, but I’m surprised you came to such a conclusion. You don’t seem like the type to think things all the way through.”

            Marinette gave Felix the side eye, then looked away. He wasn’t wrong. She had always rushed into things headfirst, doing what felt right at the time. Everything luckily worked out, but she saw her recklessness with a painful new clarity. What was this new clarity anyway? What caused these painful realizations? Questions she already had the answer to.

            Marinette looked down at herself. No longer would she have the red ladybug suit. Now she was wrapped in a white flight suit with long black gloves and boots. Prismatic lines ran along her suit that mirrored Velze’s real form she witnessed. She touched her pigtails, feeling they were curled and flared out. It was Gimmi. She saw her reality for what it was because of Gimmi. It had to be, right? What other explanation was there?

            “Marinette?” Felix asked.

            “Huh? Oh. Sorry. I just… got lost in thought. C’mon, let’s meet up with the others.”

[mymiraclebox]

that passtel drabble is so cute! i was wondering if chadd counted as a kwami that can be written about (just for fun)

If you don't mind a little chaos, then of course Chadd can return for a little drabble... xD

[Chadd's bio is here, a kwami I made for April's Fools Day.]

---

"...Who's phone is this?" Marinette asked, picking up the strange phone laying on her desk with a frown. It wasn't hers or her parents, and no one had been in her room but her for a while, so she couldn't imagine who had left it here.

Tikki was at her side in a moment, starting at the silver phone with wide eyes. "No way... it's him."

"Who?" Marinette asked in confusion, but Tikki didn't get the chance to reply, as suddenly Marinette's wall broke with a shatter, Hawk Moth standing there.

"Hand over the Human Miraculous!" Hawk Moth cried.

"Quick, summon the kwami within, only he can defeat Hawk Moth!" Tikki told Marinette, who looked down at the strange phone again... which was glowing. With a burst of white light out came a being which she assumed was a kwami, but...

"That's a stick figure," Marinette said, looking and the black and white figure, the kwami indeed looking like it had been drawn by Manon.

Tikki let out a gasp. "Marinette, how could you say that! That's Chadd, the Human kwami, the most powerful being in existence!"

"GREETINGS, MARINETTE, HOLDER OF THE LADYBUG!" Chadd declared, the stick figure hovering proudly in the air. "I HAVE DECIDED TO GRACE YOU WITH MY PRESENCE TO DEFEAT HAWK MOTH WHO IS A MOCKERY TO MANKIND!"

"Give me the kwami of Humanity!" Hawk Moth snarled, charging forward with his cane raised, but he could not get close, as the aura of Chadd the kwami was simply too much for him to handle.

"Transform with the Great and Wonderful Chadd, Marinette, quickly!" Tikki cried.

Marinette held the Miraculous phone overhead, shouting: "Chadd, man up!" Instantly Chadd turned into a blinding white light, which engulfed the phone and then her in its transformation. As the light faded Marinette looked down to see her new hero form. "Why am I a 2D stick figure?!"

"No, she has entered the ultimate form!" Hawk Moth cried, trying to attack her again. Stick figure Marinette looked about and found a Nokia hooked to her side. She raised it up as Hawk Moth attacked, his cane instantly being shattered in half.

"Use your powers!" Tikki cheered.

"Giga Chad!" Marinette cried, her stick figure form now featuring ultra buff muscles on the arms. Marinette was amazed that she was now the very best like no one ever was, Hawk Moth cowering in her shadow. However she had one more power left: "Now I will use Inner Karen!"

The Miraculous phone began to ring, and she looked down to see that Nathalie Sancoeur was calling. She pressed answer, holding it up to her ear.

"Hello this is Hawk Moth's manager speaking, how may I help you?" Nathalie said on the other end.

"Hi can you please get Hawk Moth to stop akumatizing everyone?"

"Of course," Nathalie replied, the phone going onto speaker. "Gabriel Garbage Agreste, how many times do I have to tell you to stop terrorizing the city! We do not have room in your schedule for this, now come home and parent your son before me and the Gorilla adopt him ourselves!"

"Noooooooooooo!" Hawk Moth cried, before ripping off the Butterfly Miraculous, handing it and the Peacock over to stick figure Marinette, officially defeating Hawk Moth's reign and returning all the kwamis safely home. Then Gabriel ran off into the night to be a good father to Adrien. He also now approved of Marinette and Adrien dating because who better for Adrien to date than the one wielding the Miraculous of the Human?

"We're free!" Nooroo and Duusu cried, cheering loudly.

"Chadd, man down," Stick figure Marinette said, detransforming. She felt weak as she turned back into a normal human, the powers of Chadd no longer running through her.

"YOU DID WELL, MARINETTE!" Chadd declared proudly, and all the kwamis bowed down to him. "BUT NOW I MUST DEPART!"

With a flash of light Chadd and his Miraculous were gone, leaving all to stare in awe at where he had been. Marinette turned to Tikki, a tear in her eye.

"Chadd was amazing, is there any kwami like him?" She asked.

Tikki bowed her head. "No one is like Chadd."

[sasuhinasno1fan]

Wish come true - Adrien AUGreste Day 14+15

A bit late, but I was smart in asking EtherealGenie for help betaing, so there shouldn't be any spelling errors, at least not before the social media part, that I just added, so that was up to my spellcheck so fingers crossed. Also, it would actually take 6 hours for them to get to Saint Vincent Beach from Paris but for the sake of the story, we’re gonna say it takes less time. Anyway, enjoy! Passion

“No! Let me go, you can’t do this! I’m your daughter! I’m Lila Agreste!”

“Honestly Gabriel, you should have nipped this in the bud earlier. It’ll be difficult, but she’ll be disciplined and a different child by the time she comes home for break.” Tomoe said as they watched Gorilla carry the squirming girl to the red car. “My family will keep you updated. It’s laughable, how she doesn’t seem to realize how a name can’t get you far. You have to work for the respect you want.”

The designer could feel the judgment from the famed fencer. He still couldn’t understand how his daughter turned out like this. He thought back and realized times where she was caught, usually by her mother. Eventually she just got better at not getting caught and because he was so preoccupied with work or Emile’s health, he didn’t notice. Then she wanted to go to school and try her luck out there. She was quickly found out but it didn’t stop her. She kept trying to gain some attention, like something was supposed to change and nothing. And now it left her as this, a known bully who attacked a student with no motive. It took all his skills to keep the Rossi’s from suing, from having Lila removed to paying the hospital bills, and sending a check that was near 1 million euro. If he wanted any chance at saving his business, getting a new face for the company was critical. There were only so much his apologies could do. Honestly, after he got the Miraculous and got Emilie back, the business wouldn’t matter but until then, he had to focus on this, even if it meant turning his back on his daughter.

“I’ll fly with her to Japan and make sure she’s dropped off. Our security is going to meet us at the airport so your guard can stay here.” Good, Gorilla was not made for flying. “I should hope when I return that our business dealings won’t be putting my family at risk anymore.”

“Of course. Thank you again for doing this.”

Tomoe hummed before heading to the car, climbing into the passenger seat. Lila was still protesting as the car drove off.

“Master?” Nooroo asked once Gorilla had gone back inside leaving him and Nathalie on the front steps.

“Would I really not have been able to control her as an akuma? She would have been perfect.”

“But she wouldn’t want to give the wish over, even if she did know. She would be selfish. Even if she would have been your most useful or most powerful, she would have been the one you could never control.”

“Not to mention she still wouldn’t admit she stole the Peacock Miraculous.” Nathalie said.

“She didn’t have it. I couldn’t find it in any of her stuff. She might have given it away to keep it from you.” Nooroo said.

“To who? No one liked her.”

“Maybe she slipped it into a classmate’s bag. Unless Duusu came out, they wouldn’t know what it is.”

Gabriel thought of where Lila could have slipped it. one seemed the most obvious. “She must have slipped it into Rossi’s bag.”

“A-Adrien? M-Master, you can’t actually think…?”

“It makes the most sense.” Nathalie said. “She hated him and was constantly trying to get him into trouble. She left the book in the garden, no doubt because it was too big to hide away, the Peacock wasn’t. And it’s the one you want back the most. To hide it with someone who would be in bigger trouble than she’d been in would be the perfect place.”

“Um, uh, Master, I don’t think…you can’t go near him now.” Nooroo stuttered out. “Lila hurt him and his parents, they don’t want you around him. Even if he does have it, I’m sure he would have mentioned it.”

“He’s popular on Instagram, isn’t he?”

“His personal account is private, but he has a cosplay and food blog one.”

“Keep an eye on them. It might turn up.”

“But he might not even have it.” Nooroo said.

“Where else could it be? Do you know?” he ordered.

Nooroo stiffened as his ability to follow orders was triggered. “I don’t know.”

“Then we keep an eye on him. Now, what about Juleka’s contract?” he asked, heading back inside.

“Her mother has been going over it. Sir, she’s been checking everything from pay, to breaks, making sure it doesn’t interfere with her schooling and also making sure she isn’t working over a certain number of hours. You have to admit, the original contract violated a few child labour laws and she’s been spotting them like it’s nothing. In fact, she’s figured out how to get her daughter paid more.”

“Her mother? I suppose getting in trouble with the police makes it their job to drop by.”

“Actually sir…she graduated from law school.” At Gabriel’s stunned look, she continued, “Top of her class, was given the most offers after graduating but she didn’t accept any of them. Students in her class knew she had a deal with her parents to go to law school and she was allowed to do whatever she wanted after. Became a guitar player for Jagged Stone early in his career, got certified to be a ship captain, worked as a captain on a yacht for a while before becoming a freelance captain and had two kids. She knows how to get away with things because she knows the law. She’s making sure Juleka gets whatever she wants and that we legally have to give her.”

Gabriel sighed, looking to the ceiling. “The messes never end. Take care of it. If I want to fix this company, I need her.”

                                               _____________

Adrien watched his boyfriend and Rose go over lyrics. The two were focused, Luka coming up with a melody that fit the words Rose came up with. He felt like he was watching Marc and Nath work on the newest issue. The couple had a rough start as comic partners, even after the effort of stopping Marinette from going with her idea and acting as a middle man until Marc felt confident enough, but now they were a well-oiled machine, with Nath talking Marc through his drawings and then listening intently to the script Marc came up with from that. He looked over at Marinette who was using Juleka as a model for new outfits for Kitty Section. She worked tirelessly with ease, attaching the pieces until they became a cohesive look. She was the same when sketching designs, rarely able to be disturbed. Even Ivan has his private passion with poetry. He wasn’t attempting to sing it anymore, but Mylene swore that his words had a deep meaning. He seemed calmer working on it, even when Mylene wasn’t there to read his work after. Watching everyone work on something they were passionate about made Adrien realise something. He hadn’t been doing that. Food blogging was easy but getting lost and exploring and even cosplaying had taken a back seat. He hadn’t actually worked on anything since his Queen Serenity cosplay and the feather disaster. He had a few that he wanted to work on but another thing he realized was he was bored of doing it on his own. Sometimes he was able to get his mom involved and his dad loved doing it but he had to rush off after staying in Paris while he recovered from his concussion. Very few times had he gotten friends involved. For the most part now, Nino took his photos and Marinette helped him with the more difficult outfit builds, and of course Max helped with any tech stuff like the wings. He even brightened at the challenge of making a bow and arrow for his BOTW Link, lights and all.

He wanted to do a simple cosplay and just get lost to find a place for pictures. But with his mom busy with her own job, it wasn’t like they could take a train and be back before her next meeting. He could do it by himself, but it was so much more fun getting lost with someone.

“You ok?” noticing Luka was standing in front of him, he looked and realized the others were setting up to start practicing, though Marinette was taking the time to fit everyone into their costumes in case of issues.

“Yeah, just…seeing everyone so focused on working on their favourite thing I realized I haven't been able to cosplay in a while. I just want to get lost and take pictures and fall in love with it all over again.”

“Who would you be?”

“I don’t know. I have a few thoughts but I kinda want to do a pair cosplay. Getting lost with someone is so much more fun than going by yourself.”

“Guys!”

“Let me know a few of your choices after practise, ok?” Luka asked, leaving Adrien slightly confused. Why did he want to know that?

Practice ended with them going to Marinette’s to get the last pick of the day – and get extras – before Luka walked him home. They did stop by Andre’s ice cream cart to people watch.

“So, couples cosplays. What were your choices?”

“Couple?” Adrien looked at Luka. “Where did this come from?”

“I don’t actually think I’ve seen you in cosplay, I always see the pictures after. With everything you dealt with, with Lila, you kinda deserve to get lost. Maman has so many offers to borrow a vacation house out near the Rivera. So why not take a train and get lost?”

“I don’t think our mothers will be ok with us staying the night by ourselves.” Adrien felt like pointing out, if only to distract himself. He wasn’t upset with the suggestion, not at all. He just wasn’t expecting it.

“So, we go there to change into costume and back before we head home. Look, I’ve had those times where I feel like life is pulling me away from the thing, I’m passionate the most and having the time to do those things make your life so much better and less stressful. You’ve been through a lot recently and I want to do something to help you feel better. So, what couples cosplay do you want to do?”

“You’d really do that for me?” Adrien asked. He couldn’t remember any relationship where his partner wanted to participate.

“Yes, so come on.”

“Well, it’s a tossup between Ikuto and Amu and any of the main Mermaid Melody girls and their boyfriends. You know, with your hair, you’d do a pretty good Hanon, even though your personality is a bit more like Lina’s boyfriend.”

“Think we could do two outfits?”

How did he end up with this guy? Seriously, how was he real.

“If it’s closet cosplay, sure. I really wanna dress you up as an idol though. How do you feel about ruffles? And hair pins? Can I please put hair pins in your hair? Oh wait, I need to get you to listen to all the songs, even the openings and closings, I think you might like them. Is this, ok?”

Luka couldn’t help but laugh at him. “I don’t think I’ve seen you this excited in a while. You’re cute. I’m up for whatever, promise.”

Adrien couldn’t help but bounce a little. “You’re going to be the best mermaid prince idol ever. We need to stop at the cosmetic store. Hanon’s boyfriend has blue hair. I need to get temporary spray.”

“I think you’d rock blue hair.”

“In case I forget to in my excitement, thank you. really, you could have just come with me, but I’m glad you're interested in trying. I promise, I’ll make the experience awesome.”

“I can’t wait.”

                                       _________________

@lukarockstar

A story with a selfie of Adrien and Luka, sitting in train seats. A typewriter font in the corner with ‘Heading out for shoot day!’

Another story, a video focused on Adrien sewing the last of the light blue ruffles to the cuff of a sky-blue tailcoat. ‘Look at him go’ is cantered at the bottom of the video in the same font.

@adrigatto

A post with a picture of Luka, headphones on, focused on his phone propped up by a pop socket on the table. ‘@rosieheart, I think I got @lukarockstar hooked! He’s halfway through and calling Kaito stupid for not realizing.’

Another post with several pictures and a video. The video is from Adrien’s point of view as he follows Luka off the train, panning to take in the people exiting with them and heading for the station's exit. The next is a picture of the ocean and the one after that is a selfie of Adrien and Luka, Luka’s arms wrapped around Adrien who’s holding the phone. ‘@lukarockstar and I have arrived for our Hanon and Nagisa shoot!’

@lukarockstar

A reel with Luka filming himself. With his other hand he’s holding a piece of bread. “Just a piece of advice if you ever go to a new restaurant with Adrien. If they offer to bring chips or anything like that to the table, tell them to bring it with your orders, or else you have to watch this and starve.” Luka flips the camera to focus on Adrien, who’s standing and taking overhead shots of their food. Seeing his boyfriend filming, he refocuses with a smile on his face. “Leave me alone.” the camera flips back to Luka. “You’ll be happier, trust me.”

A post with pictures of Adrien opening the door to their temporary accommodation, a small Disney princess trunk themed carry on standing next to him, the cosplays hanging up on the door and a mirror selfie of Luka as Adrien does his makeup.

A story of a reposted TikTok with Luka and Adrien, Adrien leaning on Luka with his hands on his shoulder while Luka films. He shakes his phone and when the picture settles, they’re in costume, still in the same pose. Luka has star hairpins clipped into his bangs and the sky-blue tailcoat with ruffled cuffs match the pale blue shirt and white cravat which has a Shell Locket pinned to it. Adrien’s hair is now a pale blue, not true to Nagisa’s near black hair, but in a long sleeved white striped shirt and black short sleeved shirt over it and grey eyes.

@scarcatblog

A blurry picture of the Parisan skyline with a spot of red and black in the distance. ‘Spotted today was a new spotted hero with Catseye. Caught name was Ladybird, blonde hair and spandex suit. Witnesses claim this isn’t her first time out on the streets but second, but where has Scarlet Bug gone?’

@gattocosplay

A post with pictures, first with Luka on a dock. You could see his whole outfit now, including the dark blue bow attached to the tailcoat and the white slacks tucked into pale blue Doc Martens. An E-Pitch microphone is in hand as well. The first 3 photos are of Luka on the dock, either looking at the camera or of a profile of him. The next two are of him and Adrien by a rock wall. First is Luka sitting on it, looking down at Adrien who stood staring up at him between his legs. The next is Adrien dipping Luka as the two stare at each other. The one after that is on the sand, both holding ice creams, which are pressed against each other as the two share a kiss. The last two are close ups, one with Luka pressing a kiss to Adrien’s cheek and the last of them sharing the microphone, as if singing together. There’s a video at the end of Adrien and Luka by the rock wall. Adrien is trying to dip Luka, but Luka leans back too far and both go falling to the sandy ground, laughing when their attempts to stop fail. ‘Our Mermaid Melody shoot was a success! This was @lukarockstar ‘s first time cosplaying and I think we can agree he did amazing. Close up shots of the finished cosplay and more pictures and BTS coming soon!’

@hungrygatto

Pictures of their food from La Treille Tapas and a perfect shot of the ice cream used in the shoot, and a selfie of Luka and Adrien eating their ice cream. ‘A trip to Saint Vincent Beach means food fit for the seaside. Shared a traditional plate with jamon, cheeses and pain con tomate and 2 drinks. Altogether, no more than 25 euro. The ice cream was from a nearby passing cart, 3 euro each. I got passion fruit and @lukarockstar got mint chocolate chip. Very good, but melts very quickly. Already want to come back for a deeper dive.’

@lukarockstar

Story with a picture of Adrien, back on the train, asleep on Luka’s lap. The added gif of a cat sleeping tells all it needs. The next picture of the story is of Adrien as Nagisa sitting on the stairs, looking off camera. ‘He’s amazing’ is written in the corner in the same typewriter font.

[ao3feed-ladynoir]

From the Perfect Start to the Finish Line

From The Perfect Start To The Finish Line by thetardisisnotourdivision

Sick of Gabriel's insanity, Nathalie decides to give the peacock Miraculous back to the heroes. But after accidentally intervening in a potentially-fatal situation, she starts to remember the life she left behind, and the terrible implications of that life. Updates Saturdays (I did start it on a Wednesday but that's just because I got excited)

Words: 2561, Chapters: 1/1, Language: English

Fandoms: Miraculous Ladybug

Rating: Teen And Up Audiences

Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death

Categories: Other

Characters: Nathalie Sancoeur, Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir, Gabriel Agreste, Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug, Duusu

Relationships: Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug

Additional Tags: Unsure as to what counts as a relationship here, Character Study, I can't cope with what canonically happens so here's my take, Mayura redemption

Read Here: https://archiveofourown.org/works/48039724

[tmntlittletomboy]

Things I want to see in miraculous ladybug 25

(I love this show to much)

1. Lila pretends to be Mari to hurt her friends and family - I don’t know how. Maybe she gets akumatized to look like Marinette like what happened to Chat Noir in the ep ‘Copy Cat’ or she literally dresses up like Marinette and everyone stupidly falls for it.

2. Adrien making jokes while dating Mari - that’s it.

3. Lila trying to break up Mari and Adrien - that’s it.

4. Alya yells at Lila - that’s it.

5. Luka meets Lila - I don’t know if they ever met but I would like to see them interact.

6. A unexpected kiss - that’s it.

7. Felix reveals he knows Monarch’s identity to Ladybug and Chat Noir but won’t tell them who it is - that’s it.

8. Mari and Adrien get new everyday clothes - that’s pretty much it. They wear the same clothes everyday in every ep. Star Butterfly from Star vs the forces of evil wore different oufites in different episodes. (I know Mari wears different pajamas why cant she have new outfits?)

9. Felix gets a unexpected crush on someone - that’s it. I bet it would be on Marinette of course cause everyone loves her and I wouldn’t be surprised if it happened.

10. Kagami and Mari get into a argument - that’s it.

11. Gabriel sends Lila to go after Mari’s friends to spread lies about Marinette - that’s it.

12. Gabriel allows Adrien to date Marinette - that’s it.

13. Lila makes up lies that she was dating Adrien to the public and Adrien broke up with her to date Mari - that’s it. I also feel like she would make it a sob story about it and making everyone to feel bad for her.

14. Gabriel unexpectedly fires Lila to Akumatize her - that’s it.

15. Someone steals the peacock miraculous from Felix - that’s it.

16. Duusu wanting to go back to Nathalie - that’s it.

17. Lila sees Gabriel’s cataclysmed arm - that’s it.

18. Monarch/Gabriel manages to get the ladybug miraculous or the cat miraculous again - that’s it. Maybe he does it himself or a Akumatized person gives it to him.

19. Chat Noir begs Ladybug to make a wish with their miraculous- that’s it. I know he asked about it in the ep ‘Passion’ but maybe he learns about his mother or something to the point where he starts begging Ladybug for it.

20. The ‘Marinette lucky charm’ breaks - that’s it.

Feel free to add more.

[is-gabenath-confirmt-yet]

Theory: Nooroo's influence on Gabriel is to kinda teach him to submit to someone else(listening and stuff), Gabriel is letting Nooroo feel what its like to be in control(which what Nooroo WANTED) both Nooroo and Gabriel are too submitted to their goals(for nooroo freedom, for gabe uhh. Revive ded waifu) to understand their emotions and feelings.

Duusu's influence on Nathalie is her empathy(her last name is a joke). Her empathy is affecting Gabe(and to an extent Nooroo) to let them understand that they aren't alone. Besides, even Gabriel knows he can't be a stand-alone villain(as hawkmoth) and Duusu is basically, Nooroo's sunshine in the darkness.

Conclusion: Basically, Nooroo/Gabe/Hawkmoth is the person who has the ambition, while Duusu/Nath/Mayura is the one whose supporting them wholeheartedly, Despite the Man's impulsive and selfcentered ambition, he knows he can't do it alone, and he will be forever grateful for the woman who was in his side.

That's why Hawkmoth and Mayura are a good team—(i aint consenting them for their actions tho—)

Me: *reading the first line*  My brain: “don’t imagen Gabe as a sub in bed, don’t, just. noooooo” Me *sweats* “Oh Neptune...” Anyway!  I think Nooro is such a sofy and cutie he really dislikes it that Gabriel missuses his miraculous so much but I think he feels pitty for him too that he lost his Wife because of the magic of a Miraculous. I think if Gabriel chooses Targets they would get a long.  For Nath and Duusu, I more thing Duusu gives her the confidence she needet to get closer to Gabriel. With Duusu Mayura tries to do things she never would dare to do as Nathalie.  But yes. Duusu is the Sunnshine of the Group and the Sunlight for Nooro in the Darkness. Thats why her loosing most of her memories is even more sad since she now seems to be depressed as well..

[mcheang]

Felix tells Adrien the truth

With everyone but Adrien and Kagami left to accompany Felix in Paris, they demand he return everyone.

Felix: everyone? Even Monarch?

Adrien: you know who he is?

Felix: Obviously. How else would I have found him to make our trade? Dear cousin, have you ever wondered why I would want the peacock miraculous when I had most of Ladybug’s miraculous at my disposal?

Adrien: it’s not like I knew you made a trade. But…for the peacock miraculous to hold such interest to you…

Felix: did you ever wonder how we could look so identical despite being cousins? How our mothers could give birth despite being infertile?

Kagami: are you saying… you are a sentimonster? That you’re both sentimonsters?

Felix: Adrien’s obedience to Gabriel is more than habit, Kagami. It’s because he, and Nathalie now too, who holds your amok, and how they’re controlling you.

Adrien: you’re just lying.

Felix: oh? Want to prove it? I can bring back everyone but your father. Monarch attacks every few days. If there are no attacks, will you believe me then? You can ask Tomoe or Nathalie for the truth if you don’t believe me. But I warn you, Nathalie has your ring Adrien. Whatever she orders you to do, you have no choice but to obey

Adrien’s eyes were tearing up. “No! Bring everyone back!”

Felix: even at the risk of Monarch being free again, and for our uncle to again try to matchmake you two together? I heard about the cataclysm. Your father’s days are numbered. Locked away by red moon, Chat’s cataclysm’s effects will be frozen in time.

Adrien: I need to think

Felix: we literally have no one rushing us

Kagami: bring back Ladybug. I trust her judgement.

Felix sighed. “Fine but if she attacks, I’m snapping my fingers again.”

Needless to say Ladybug is surprised by Felix’s accusation. Also…she felt sorry for Adrien.

Ladybug: do you know where the butterfly miraculous is hiding

Felix: under his tie, duh

Ladybug: bring Gabriel back first and I’ll tie him up with my yo-yo. We can see the truth then.

Ladybug’s plan works and Nooroo is free. The rings are recovered.

Adrien is horrified.

Gabriel: I wanted to bring back your mother

Felix: somehow I doubt my aunt would be pleased to hear you neglecting my cousin, or rejecting her sister.

Argos then brings everyone back, satisfied enough with Gabriel being arrested. He recalls Red Moon, having suspicions about who Ladybug is under the mask.

Argos is both a criminal and a hero to Paris.

Nathalie gives Adrien his ring and admits she is Mayura and dying.

Amelie buried her sister in a small ceremony. She offers to take Adrien in since he is being scrutinised by the public

Marinette is depressed and she thinks she has to save Duusu, though Felix did aid largely in defeating Monarch and saving the other kwami

Adrien is surprised to see Felix at home and how accepting Duusu is of their new holder.

Chat Noir reports this to Ladybug and she accepts that Felix can keep Duusu for helping her defeat Monarch and recover all the miraculous

When Marinette visits them, Felix is understandably wary and more protective of his miraculous. He treats Marinette in a civil manner but as soon as Adrien leaves them alone, he confronts her.

Marinette honestly admits that she will let him keep Duusu, but cannot help wondering why he didn’t just tell her who Monarch was outright.

Felix: you killed my brethren, you don’t deserve my trust.

Marinette immediately understands the sentimonsters she defeated. “I’m sorry, I should have come up with a different plan.”

“Besides destroying their smoke or sending them to the sun,” Felix said harshly. “Yes, you should have. I tolerate you because you’re good to Adrien, but I will never trust you with Duusu.”

Marinette: i know. I don’t trust you either because of what you made me go through when Risk was defeated. But I do owe you.

Adrien came back and they get along as before.

They cannot be called friends, nor enemies. Acquaintances will have to do.

[gale-gentlepenguin]

ML Reboot: Miraculous: Heroes of Miracles: Gabriel Agreste

-I will say that this version of Gabriel is a tale of a man spiraling.

-Gabriel found the peacock miraculous when on honeymoon with his wife in Tibet.

-Gabriel cleaned it up and gave it to her as an anniversary gift. After putting it on and accepting it, Duusu popped out.

-Emilie became Dame Plume (Feather Lady). Who used her powers to help others. She would go all over the world, providing relief or preventing natural disasters as Dame Plume, then provide financial aid as Emilie.

-Emilie kept her exploits as Dame plume secretive, only her husband knew.

-After she became Pregnant with Adrien, it’s when she noticed herself getting weaker.

-After giving birth, Emilie noticed she was having occasional fainting spells. By the time Adrien was 5, her condition had her on constant bed rest.

-Gabriel nearly bankrupted himself trying to cure her. But no doctor could diagnose her. Gabriel soon realized that it was the Peacock miraculous that did this. He told her to stop using it, but she still wanted to help people.

-Gabriel made her swear she wouldn’t use it until his return. He went to Tibet with an Artifact hunter, the only person he could find to help him find a cure. In his search, he found a book and a butterfly brooch.

-When he returned… she had passed. He never got to say goodbye, and it broke him.

-Gabriel sent Adrien to live with Amelie while he grieved.

-It was so unfair, his wife did nothing but help, yet she suffered.

-A year later Gabriel went back and took his son back, he had recovered from his financial distress, and he was more cold then before.

-Adrien became the new face of Gabriel brand and the company was back on top of the fashion world.

-Gabriel told Adrien that he needed time to put everything back together.

-The next few years were an adjustment. Adrien began missing his cousin, and his father was colder then ever.

-Gabriel had hired Nathalie as his personal assistant, and she helped him keep things on track.

-Gabriel learned that the miraculous he gave to his wife was broken. And the butterfly brooch he had found was another miraculous. Unfortunately the tome he had found was difficult to decipher and it was missing key information on how to fix broken miraculous. But he did find out about a way to fix everything. The Wish. If he can find the ladybug and cat miraculous, he could bring his wife back. He could undo her death.

-It took some training to master his powers. But at the start of Origins. He was ready.

-He decided that a monster was the best way to draw them out.

-Gabriel’s gamble worked and sure enough,

___________________________________________

-This Gabriel is very much aware of who he akumatizes. He avoids picking criminals, mainly to minimize harm. This changes as he gets more desperate.

-First season Hawkmoth is still feeling out the limitations of his powers. Wondering how far he can grow the powers.

-Hawkmoth is more willing to make appearances and actually showed up in person during Antibug.

-Hawkmoth’s persona is cocky and over the top. More as if Gabriel is playing a role. But this faux arrogance begins to become part of his personality.

-In season 2 he almost gives up after Adrien is put in danger during the events of style queen. But changes his mind when noticing Agent Volpina. It is Volpina that saves him instead of Mayura.

-Season 3 has Gabriel/Hawkmoth in debt to the Elite society (Masqué) and is forced to collaborate with them. Handing over the broken Peacock miraculous, which they fixed and gave to the leader, (the apprentice of the Zodiac Grandmaster)

-Gabriel loses the butterfly miraculous in the season 3 finale but attains the fixed Peacock. Becoming Shadow wing.

-Adrien is aware of his father’s evil deeds and is the one to confront him in season 3. Making him lose the butterfly. And It’s very much a cathartic moment as Adrien and Gabriel have a fight/debate on what is right.

-Adrien takes the butterfly and tells his father.

“A broken miraculous may have taken my mother, but it was greed that took my father.”

-As Shadow wing he becomes the second to the evil Zodiac Grandmaster. Unfortunately he loses the peacock at the end of season 4 and is believed to be gone for good.

Felix and Kagami are the one that fights Shadow Wing as Ladybug and Chat noir fight the Main villain.

As the heroes were trying to escape, Gabriel desperately tries to grab the ladybug miraculous but Misses it and ends up falling to his apparent end.

-Season 5 has Gabriel is not as gone as people thought… and nothing left to lose

[logically-asexual]

Whatever it takes

summary:

Gabriel notices that Nathalie is hesitating about continuing supporting him, so he misuses his powers to take advantage of her feelings for him and convince her to stay on his side. (could happen at some point during season 4, i guess?)

notes:

it's my first time posting fanfic for this show! i only discovered it a couple months ago and i'm already obsessed, mostly with this ship. leave a comment if you want just no season 5 spoilers pls. i've only seen half of it. <3<3<3

warnings: Emotional Manipulation, Unrequited Love, Toxic Relationship, Gabriel Agreste at the very least is an asshole

Read on AO3

word count: 2,234

Gabriel made his way back through the house after another failure. He felt exhausted, but did his best to stay hopeful, picturing Emilie walking by his side to their room, holding on to his arm as he guided her to a new, happier life. One day the walk in return from her resting place would be like that, with her and not without.

His daydream was interrupted by a foreign sensation on his chest. The jewel had sensed something, which was a familiar occurrence, but it was fleeting, gone as quickly as it came, and he didn’t have time to unravel it; that was the strange part.

He stopped walking to look around him, and found himself standing by his assistant’s bedroom door. He wondered if the spark of emotion had come from her, which would explain its unfamiliarity. Despite their constant proximity, Nathalie was normally one of the most difficult people to read, even with the magical power of the brooch. She had always been good at keeping a straight face and behaving only in the most professional manner, and she knew about the gift he now had, which meant she probably took action to counter it.

Gabriel was aware of the void her heart presented him with, and thought it was an unnecessary effort on her part. He knew her. What could she hide from him, when her actions spoke louder than any words she could say or thoughts he could feel? He knew about her affection for him and his son, her fear to show it and risk her employment, and her loyalty that convinced him to trust her with his most guarded secrets. He didn’t need to search for more.

Or at least that was what he had thought until this moment. Now he was curious.

He stepped closer to the door, searching for something, anything, but the emptiness felt even heavier than the burdens of any of the random citizens he had evaluated that day. Unfortunately, once an idea got into his head it was hard to let go of it, and once Gabriel Agreste decided he wanted something, he would get it.

“Duusu,” he called.

The small blue creature flew out of its hiding spot to float at his eye level.

“Please go check on Nathalie, make sure she’s alright.”

His apparent concern seemed to please the kwami, who wouldn’t pass on an opportunity to talk to its last owner ever since Gabriel began using the fixed miraculous himself.

“Yes, sir!”

He didn’t have time to correct the title used (he was the creatures’ Master, not anything less) before Duusu flew through the door and into the room. He stayed where he stood, waiting. He could hear the kwami’s muffled voice, but Nathalie’s responses were too quiet to understand. It didn’t matter, he just needed to pay attention to the jewel.

It was late, but Nathalie was still working. She sat on her bed, not yet under the covers, typing on her laptop. She was looking for clues on Ladybug and Cat Noir’s identities, rereading older news articles and her notes on the other miraculous users. Something must have slipped her sight, and she would find it.

As she saw the headline of an article about their defeat on Heroes’ Day, she remembered the disappointment she felt then. Maybe it was hopeless to keep trying, but Hawk Moth would never stop. Perhaps if she wanted to avoid dying of exhaustion she would have to give up on Gabriel, but that seemed just as impossible. She took a deep breath and continued reading.

She was once again distracted when Duusu flew into the room and sat on her keyboard, immediately making excited comments on the colorful pictures on the screen. Nathalie assumed Gabriel must have gone to sleep and the kwami took the chance to visit her. Duusu did that quite often, for some reason.

She tried to shush her, worrying she might wake up someone in the adjacent rooms, but the little bird didn’t listen. Normally she would let her be, but Nathalie was getting a headache.

“Ladybug is so pretty, don’t you think? Her hair is always shiny and perfect. Have you ever thought about wearing pigtails? How about a ponytail?” She got dangerously close to Nathalie’s hair, but she was quick to react and grabbed her before she would mess up her bun.

She held the kwami in front of her face and shushed her once more. “No. Now get out of here, I have work to do.”

Duusu stayed on her open palm and pouted. “Is something wrong, Miss Nathalie?”

“I’m fine, I just need silence to focus.”

Duusu’s expression lit up. “Does that mean I can at least brush your hair if I do it super quietly?”

Nathalie glared at her, but her smile didn’t falter. She finally sighed and gave in, to the kwami’s delight.

Duusu carefully took out the pins holding Nathalie’s hair up, and as it unwinded, she felt herself relax with it. A yawn escaped her, but she kept reading.

“You know,” Duusu said with an uncharacteristic whisper, “you can tell me anything, Miss Nathalie. I promise I won’t tell Mr. Gabriel!”

Nathalie just didn’t like getting distracted with irrelevant conversations, she wasn’t even thinking of that possibility. It wasn’t a solid argument, anyway. The proposal was so foolish she couldn’t help but refute it.

“He’s your owner now, he could force you to speak about anything. And you’re not good at keeping secrets anyway.”

“So there is a secret!” the creature yelled with glee, making Nathalie flinch at the volume. “I mean, in addition to the one about you being in lo—“

Once again she was quick to grab the kwami behind her head and covered her mouth. “Don’t you dare finish that sentence.”

Duusu mumbled something unintelligibly, but her wide eyes communicated her regret and fear clearly enough. Nathalie let go of her and sighed. The little thing was just trying to help, after all. But what could she do? What could anyone do?

Every day was another disappointment, and as Gabriel became more desperate, he was also getting consumed by his anger and his obsession. He wasn’t the same man she admired. She was captivated by the way he would do anything for love, for Emilie. But now his motivations shifted, and it seemed it was only his hate for the young heroes that was pushing him forward.

“Besides,” she said, choosing to trust Duusu, “I am not sure that’s true anymore.”

On the other side of the wall, Gabriel gasped as another wave of emotion reached him. It was quick, but more certain than the first one, just enough for this time to be able to decipher it.

“I feel,” he said to himself, “a heart that’s torn between two alternatives, between giving up and protecting itself, or maintaining faith.” He frowned, turning towards the door. Nathalie was doubting him. That couldn’t happen. He couldn’t lose her. Without her ideas and her support he would never be able to succeed.

“Master?” Noooo peeked from inside his jacket, “What are you doing?”

“I need to take drastic measures.”

He waved his hand, pushing the kwami back, and knocked on the door.

Inside, Nathalie rushed to close her laptop and moved to sit under the covers. She signaled for Duusu to go away before she answered the knock.

Gabriel walked inside, directly to sit on the bed, a little too close for comfort.

“Do you need something, sir?”

“I… just wanted to ask how you were doing.”

He wouldn’t break eye contact, which was making Nathalie a little nervous, but as usual she made sure to keep her face neutral and breathing steady. “I should be the one to worry about you. You stayed up late as Shadow Moth and didn’t even have dinner.”

He looked down at his hands. “I was about to go to sleep, but I couldn’t stop thinking about something.”

Nathalie leaned forward slightly. “Is there a problem? Do you want to talk about it?”

Gabriel kept staring down, fidgeting with his ring. “I was just wondering… What if things don’t turn out as I imagined them? What if I’ve been focusing on the wrong thing all along?” Then he looked up into Nathalie’s eyes again.

She didn’t know what to interpret from that. She held his gaze and waited for him to continue.

“Nathalie, I…” He rested his hand on top of hers, and felt a pang of nervousness coming from her, before the emptiness was back. “You mean so much to me, you know that, right?”

She nodded.

“Good. Because I don’t know what I would do without you. I’ve been feeling conflicted about many things, but right now I know that my main priority is for you to get better, before it’s too late.” He leaned forwards and put his arms around her. He was hugging her.

The position was awkward and she wasn’t sure what he was trying to say. Nathalie didn’t know how to react.

“I am going to save you,” he whispered in her ear, as if answering her thoughts. “I promise I will. With your help I know we can do it.” He held her tighter, and she finally hugged him back.

“It’s okay,” she smiled. “I know we will figure it out.”

She felt safe, protected from the world and anything it may throw at her. She was about to close her eyes and rest her head on his shoulder when he pulled back, just enough to face her again. She ignored her slight disappointment at the loss of contact, but she noted his hands were still on her arms.

Although not unwelcome, his sudden affection was strange. Nathalie tried to convince herself to not read into it, since he was probably just upset about another defeat, and still focused on Emilie.

Gabriel felt it again, the conflict in her heart. He couldn’t let her continue hesitating.

“You mean so much to me,” he repeated, brushing her hair away from her face, only now noticing it was loose. It looked nice, but distracting. “I don’t care about anything else but you, Nathalie. Together, you and I will succeed.”

He brushed a strand of hair behind her ear. The doubt weakened. He leaned in closer. He felt hope begin to replace it. He took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and softly kissed the corner of her mouth.

To Nathalie it was almost painful how gentle he was. She wanted to turn her head enough to kiss him properly, but she knew that he was going through so much, and she had to be patient with him. She didn’t move a muscle until he pulled back and she lifted a hand to hold his face. He held her wrist and put her hand back down.

“I’m sorry about everything,” he said, “I promise I’ll fix it.”

With that last statement he stood up and walked out of the room, just as swiftly as he entered.

Duusu came out of her hiding spot and soared across the room, cheering loudly. Nathalie ducked her head and covered it with her arms, hoping the flashes of blue wouldn’t come crashing into her.

“Okay, Duusu, that’s enough. We don’t want to wake Adrien.”

The kwami landed on her lap and looked up at her with her big pink eyes. Her expression fell when she saw that Nathalie’s own were holding unshed tears.

“Oh, no, Miss Nathalie! Are you alright? I thought what happened was good!” She flew up in front of Nathalie’s face.

“To be honest, Duusu, I’m not sure what just happened,” she said through shaky breaths. “I’m not sure what will happen now.”

“But— But he likes you!”

Nathalie felt a blush rise to her cheeks, but tried her best to stay collected. She bit her lip as she stared at the door, “I don’t know…”

“I do know that in fairy tales a true love kiss is all it takes for everything to be well!”

Nathalie scoffed at the bird’s naïveté. “Real life is more complicated than that.” She had no idea what Gabriel was thinking.

Duusu was still looking at her, waiting for… something. Maybe for a scene where Nathalie gets up and runs to find Gabriel in the hallway, where he catches her in his arms and they both openly declare love to each other, before walking off together into the night. She knew the kind of fictional stories Dusuu liked to hear about.

Displays like that would stay in romantic novels, where they belonged. She shook her head to get rid of the image. “I think I’ll just go to sleep, and we’ll see what tomorrow brings.”

This effectively quieted the kwami, since it was hard enough for her to convince Nathalie to rest usually.

As she rested her head on the pillow, Duusu laid on her shoulder, giving her a tiny hug. “Everything will be alright,” she reassured her.

Nathalie didn’t stop looking at the door through which Gabriel had left. For once her mind stopped racing and allowed her to doze off comfortably. “Yeah… Maybe it will.”

After leaving his assistant’s bedroom, Gabriel had made his way back to his office. He stood in front of Emilie’s portrait for a while, silently apologizing to her, reassuring her that he only did what he had to, to make sure he could continue his quest and fulfill his goal.

Nooroo once again floated next to him, but was looking at the floor. “I don’t think you should take advantage of people’s feelings like that, Master.”

Gabriel frowned, annoyed by the creature’s voice. “Don’t lecture me, kwami. I’m only using the power that you gave me.” He turned back to Emilie’s face “And I’ll do whatever it takes.”