#Marinette makes a comeback on maybe not the best day

[chemicalpink]

BTS Group Tarot Reading + a long ass author's note

Author's Note: HELLO This is definitely not how I wanted to come back online but alas, I think we could all use a little reassurance/direction given the recently public news, and while I MUST remind you that Tarot picks up a lot of energy on the situation as a whole, and thus is only one aspect out of every sphere that makes us humans, I feel a strong need to share it with you guys and I hope you all enjoy. As for me, I promise I am slowly but surely coming back, it has been a couple of rough weeks, I am filled to the brim with work I am still waiting to get paid for but at least I'm healthier now, I've been taking this time to go slow, pace myself, set my priorities straight and heal my spirit so I can continue to deliver quality over quantity in terms of my spiritual work. So here's the first one after that long time taken to better tune into the general energy. As usual, if there's anything you'd like to know more of, drop it in my ask and I'll get to it in due time! I'm sending all of you lots of love and strength.

ALRIGHT LET'S SEE WHAT THE TANNIES ARE UP TO REGARDING THEIR 9TH YEAR ANNIVERSARY AND FESTA REVELATIONS.

When my men said new chapter they QUITE LITERALLY MEANT IT oh boi- we are taking the big guns out first thing. With Capricorn Mercury in the 12th House, we are definitely seeing a whole transformation, akin to reincarnation, it is not quite being born again as artists but rather starting fresh without forgetting the past life knowledge, lessons and hardships, it's been given a second chance at what they do, what they love, without it feeling as restrictive as before, with their minds and hearts in it, yet breaking free from the things that have been holding them back.

And you know how clear these messages get with the tannies, it's all about new beginnings, these past nine years they have planted a seed in the world, they've cherished it, protected it against every odd, and it had finally bloomed, they are all secure and stable, like they never thought they would be, so it is time for them to sit back and watch it grow even stronger and more beautiful (ace of pentacles) These seven men have learnt to get what they desire, they're on top of their game, they have enough mental clarity to plan the next move, they are transforming, evolving, guided by the millions of people around the world that support them, it isn't a change coming from rapid confusion of sweeping change as much as it is about metamorphing into an even better version of themselves now (King of Swords) It has come to a time where even the efforts to take care of themselves have become a daily chore, there hasn't been much room for self reflection the way they need it, after they have had to overcome these past few years, taking a step back to take impulse this time isn't just about resting but about questioning their greater purpose in life, they have achieved so much in such a short amount of time, all different versions of themselves so it is now time to stand back, look at it objectively and search within their souls, what is the next step they are taking together with BTS? (The Hermit rx) It is indeed going to be trying times, as every healing process is, this time is full of opportunities and choices to pick from individually, something they haven't been able to truly do so in a long time, this time it isn't as much about team first, individual second, but about the synergy that looking for their own happiness is going to bring into the team (7 of Cups) Now evidently it all sounds dandy! They're getting some rest, they are given some time to develop themselves in their own unique way, but it is also pretty hard to break out of any long pattern that has become a sense of security, there's of course, a tint of disappointment, of "not doing things the right way the first time that they must take a specific time to do so in order not to fall apart" it wasn't really in their books for it to go this specific way but, it has been a couple of rough years for everyone, and perhaps this is the right course of action, even if it feels like failure at the time (5 of Cups) We will probably get to see an array of diversity in the tannies that we haven't really thought about before, academics, business, travel, some things quite new for them and for us to witness, but it is safe to say they are embarking in this trip with a renewed sense of conviction, it is freedom. It is hard work and success paying off (3 of Wands) They are moving onto the unknown parts of their work, things that hadn't been able to do before, that had seemed so foreign, things that they had felt like they had to give up in order to succeed they way that they have now, renewing their take on their job so that it doesn't feel like some parts of it are dragging them down but rather to find the excitement of it all, all over again (Empress rx)

The oracle is pretty set on it too, what with having to reconcile with their inner selves, rebuilding their support networks outside of the band, reconnecting with the people that they have lost along the way to the top, relearning that it is okay to share their burdens with other people and free themselves in order to take back control of their lives.

As extra information that we have been given, it is as much a time to be free as it is about forgiving themselves for the past, learning not to lose touch with their present because of it but greeting it like a long lost friend that will continue to be there even if you can't walk by their side anymore (6 of Cups rx) It is going to be a trying road, and it won't go on without a fight, they will struggle along the way but they will come out of it even more successful, happier than ever, freer than ever (The Sun) the BTS that will come back after this is going to be one even more bulletproof, one in full control of their surroundings and themselves, one that will come out victorious out of any situation they decide to put themselves in, because they're learning to co-exist as people and a band, as individuals and a family (the Chariot)

Decks Used: Prisma Visions Tarot, Astro Dice, Romance Angels Oracle, Sexual Magic Tarot.

[theultracharmingladynoire]

SPOILERS AHEAD!!

Okay, so I wanted to make a list of everything that has happened so far in season 4 so that it would be easier to spitball theories later on XD. Maybe I'll make these posts when new episodes come out too. Note: The points in red are the ones which affect the plot in some or the other way. I consider the introduction of new superheroes to be relative to the plot too, but they are in blue just in case. One or two points are in green, meaning that they are something about mechanisms of Miraculouses which we have newly learnt. 1. Truth - • The peacock miraculous is repaired. • Lukanette break up. • Luka is Akumatised into Truth and Light Eye is the sentimonster. • Jagged Stone is revealed to be Luka and Juleka's father. 2. Lies -

• Adrigami break up. • Kagami is Akumatised into Lies. 3. Gang of secrets - • Alya, Juleka, Alix, Myléne and Rose get akumatised. • Alya deakumatises herself. • Marinette reveals her secret identity to Alya. 4. Mr. Pigeon 72 - • Mr. Ramier gets akumatised for the 72nd time. • Ladybug acquires new powers. • Magical charms which can prevent further akumatisations are introduced. • Umbrella scene 1.5 Eeep!!🎊 5. Psycomedian - • Harry Clown gets Akumatised. • It is unknown if this episode even exists. (Jk)No really, It isn't airing even after Episode 22 welp-) 6. Furious Fu - • Master Fu is Akumatised. • The arrival of Su-Han, a celestial guardian of the miraculous who threatens to take away the Miracle box. • Master Fu and Marianne are revealed to be married😌 7. Sole Crusher - • Zoé Lee, Chloe's half sister is introduced. • Zoé is Akumatised into Sole Crusher. • It is revealed that André Bourgeois directed Solitude. 8. Queen Banana - • Chloe is Akumatised into Queen Banana and Banana Boom-Boom is the given Sentimonster . • Zoé receives the bee miraculous and thus becomes Vesperia. 9. Gabriel Agreste - • FELIX discovers out Shadowmoth's identity.

• Shadowmoth akumatises Gabriel Agreste (A senti) into The Collector and receives a charm, thus discovering their existence.

• Marino makes his (her) legendary comeback with a suit.

• GNC Adrienette. No I won't elaborate

• "And you know that I can make you disappear with a snap of my finger?"

10. Megaleech - • André Bourgeois is akumatised into Malediktator and Mega Leech was the Sentimonster. • Mylene receives the Mouse miraculous and thus becomes Polymouse. • Shifty ring fiddling alert! 11. Guiltrip - • Juleka is akumatised into Reflekta and Guitrip is the sentimonster. • Rose receives the pig miraculous and thus becomes Pigella. 12. Crocoduel - • Jagged and Anarka get Akumatised into Guitar Villain and Captain Hardrock respectively. • Juleka receives the Tiger miraculous and thus becomes Purple Tigress.

• We learnt that for an Akuma to be purified, the akumatised object needs to be destroyed as a whole - That is, if the akumatised object is divided into pieces after Akumatisation, those pieces need to be joined and then again broken to release the Akuma. • Luka and Marinette talk things out. ("Buddies?") 13. Optigami - • Audrey Bourgeois gets Akumatised into Style Queen. • It is revealed that Sentimonsters can use miraculouses. • Alya gets to keep the Fox miraculous permanently. • Ladybee my beloved <3 14. Sentibubbler - • Alya supremacy😊 • Pegabug. • According to Shadowmoth, Alya will never be Rena Rouge again. 15. Glaciator 2 - (Airs on October 24)

• MARICHAT MARICHAT MARICH-

• André Glacier gets akumafised twice into Glaciator on the same day.

• Adrien almost gets akumatised but Gabe decides to not become a more shitty parent than be already is and doesn't akumatise him.

• Kagami is a Shoujo manga fan confirmed (and some lovely Marigami being chaotic XD)

• GOD ALMOST THE BEST EPISODE GO AND WATCH IT-

16. Hack-San -

• Alya uses the Ladybug miraculous since Marinette and her parents leave for London.

• Hack-San is the sentimonster and Markov is akumatised into Robostus yet again.

• Probably my most favourite episode tieing with Wishmaker.

• "I would never abandon you, kitty".

• Chat knows that ladybug entrusted someone with her identity welp-

17. Rocketear - • Nino got akumatised into Rocketear. • Rena Furtive is introduced. • Adrien finds out Rena Rouge and Carapace's identities. • He also finds out they knew eachother's identities. • Nino learns that Alya is Rena Furtive now.

18. Wishmaker - • BOMB. • Alec is akumatised into Wishmaker. • Luka finds out Marinette and Adrien's secret identities. • He doesn't let Ladybug know that he knew. 19. Simplificator -

• Roland Dupain gets Akumatised into Simplificator.

• Literally crack treated seriously. A fun, silly, comfort episode featuring a confused and adorable LadyNoir. 20. Qilin-

• Sabine gets akumatised into Qilin (Jdksjshsjns her design aaah-) 21. Dearest Family - (Airs on October 19) • Tom, Sabine, Roland and Gina get akumatised. • Tikki goes on a sugar rush. • Astrochat returns.

• Shadowmoth discovers a way to break the magical charms using Mega Akumas. Also, it is thereby revealed that he Akumatised Gabriel Agreste into the Collector in episode 9.

• It is also revealed that Gabe wants to pull a Thanos and destroy the current timeline and create a new one where he and Emilie "never separated" using the wish. 22. Ephemeral (EPISODE 100!) - (Airs on November 7)

• Things happened. A LOT OF THINGS HAPPENED.

• Sass used his power without his holder for the first time, thus resetting the timeline where Shadowmoth won and created the wish.

• "Do you understand me, son?" *fiddles ring*

• The best PRPR lovesquare ever

• Adrien Agreste gets akumatised into Ephemeral. 23. Kuro Neko - 24. Penalteam - 25. Risk (The last battle of Shadowmoth Part 1) - 26. Strike Back (The last battle of Shadowmoth Part 2) - •~•~•~•~•~•~•~• Do let me know if I missed anything!!

[emsylcatac]

What the future holds, we'll never know

Summary

Marinette didn't know what the future was made of—but the glimpse of the one featuring her akumatised partner she had seen taught her one thing: she and Chat Noir should never be together.

Which currently wasn't really a problem considering that she was in love with Adrien, and that they had been getting closer lately.

Read it on AO3

Hiiii @ladynoirist Lisa gemini bro ♥♥♥ I was soooo happy to be your totally secret (yes pretend you never guessed it was me okay I was so subtle) santaaaa for the @mlsecretsanta !!! (also pretend we're totally in December and not in May ho ho ho! Reindeers are still roaming!)

I'm so sorry for how late I am, but I hope you'll enjoy this fic 😄

───※ ·❆· ※───

21st of January, 1h after the reveal

Marinette stood in front of the bistro door, pacing. Pretending to look at the menu, pretending to think of what to choose, pretending that everything was absolutely normal and fine and this was just a perfectly normal day.

It was, however, not normal nor fine inside her head.

She had to push that door. She was already a good half an hour late and it wouldn’t do good to make her friends wait longer—excuses were harder and harder to explain the more she shied away.

Please, don’t be here. She never thought she would hope for that. Please have your bodyguard bring you home. Your father forcing you to go home.

Please, go home by yourself and find some stupid excuse.

She would feel bad for having all these unfair hopes if she hadn't been feeling completely panicked inside.

Her phone vibrated in her pocket. Gulping, she chanced a glance at it.

Alya girl where are u?? we’re waiting to order!

Well. She couldn’t delay for much longer. Taking a deep breath, Marinette pushed the door open and scanned the room.

Please, please don’t be inside.

She wasn’t being fair, she knew that—it wasn’t his fault if she didn’t feel like facing him.

“Marinette!”

She turned in the direction of her name where Alya was waving at her, hand held up high, while Nino was grinning and—he was there.

Swallowing—though her mouth had been dry for a while now—Marinette headed towards them despite her legs screaming at her to turn around and run as fast as possible away from here.

“H-hey,” she stuttered, “sorry for...for being late.”

She sat next to Adrien (because of course she had to be seated next to him). Their eyes met for a split second and he gave her a timid smile that she couldn’t return.

“It’s fine,” Alya waved off, “the most important thing is that you’re here now! But quick, choose what you want to eat, I’m staaarving!”

She, for one, clearly wasn’t.

Adrien was giving her quick glances and she tried her best to ignore him.

It was him, it was him, it was him.

And it was oh so unfair. She picked up her menu to hide her face as tears threatened to escape  the corners of her eyes.

───※ ·❆· ※───

5th of October, 108 days before the reveal

“Try that.”

Marinette turned around, abandoning the search for her size amongst the many red skirts on the clothes rail.

Adrien was holding a tacky glittery dress, reflecting  the light of a multitude of disharmonious colours, supporting two red fabric-flowers on each shoulder straps. It was positively horrendous, the kind of clothes you wonder who would ever buy when passing in front of it in the store.

She looked up to Adrien’s innocent smile and had to bite down the disgusted expression she suspected she must have shown for a split second. She hoped he hadn’t noticed—the last thing she wanted was to offend him. Growing-up in the fashion industry didn’t make him a good judge in the field, it seemed.

“I… You want me to...to try that on?” she stammered.

He gave her a nod, humming enthusiastically.

Maybe it was the kind of dress Adrien saw on girls at fashion shows, and she just hadn't seen it before. Maybe he liked it on them.

Maybe he would find her pretty in it.

Against her better judgement (because her judgement was always lost when it came to him, wasn’t it?), Marinette stretched a hand towards the piece of clothing, gulping. She raised her eyes to his, offering a tight smile.

Adrien’s mouth twitched, and his eyes held a new mischievous glint that hadn’t been there a few seconds ago.

“You...you’re pulling my leg, aren’t you?” she said, deflating.

He burst out laughing, a genuine, happy laugh that reminded her of a certain day in the rain, and she couldn’t help but smile despite herself.

“You should have seen your face!”

He hadn't made fun of her in a while—in fact, he hadn’t laughed at her since that day, in the rain. The thought of him being comfortable enough with her to allow himself to do it again made her cheeks heat up.

“I could...I could call your bodyguard or...or your dad! Yes! I could call your dad and out you, you know!” she threatened, fighting back the nerves that always messed up her words when she spoke to him.

She wouldn’t mess up today.

It stopped Adrien momentarily and suddenly he was pleading her, begging with joined hands.

“Marinette,” he said, and he did sound serious—she would have been convinced had his eyes not looked a tad too much like a kicked puppy’s, “please, you can’t do that. Please please please please, I’m sorry for ruining your shopping day and running into you and insisting to tag along and—”

Marinette giggled. “I’ll wear it,” she said, snatching the terrible (terrible!!) dress from his hands, careful to not brush his fingers and make it awkward. “Because unlike you who’s trying to hide, I’m no coward.”

Adrien straightened up. “I’m no coward either!”

She could feel her heart beating erratically in her chest. She wasn’t nervous. She wasn’t gonna be nervous when talking to Adrien. Not again. Not this time. She could banter with him—this was known territory. Not with him though, never with him, but…

“Okay,” she crossed her arms. Her eyes scanned  the different clothing items before landing on a pink plastic fur dress on a mannequin. “Prove it.”

He choked on a laugh before grinning at her. “Oh, you’re so on.”

───※ ·❆· ※───

16th of November, 66 days before the reveal

Adrien opened his diary, ready to write down the homework of the day Mrs Bustier was dictating.

The sound of ruffling papers and rummaging in bags filled the classroom, but he tried to focus on one sound in particular, resisting the urge to smile.

Any moment now.

Just a little longer before—

A loud groan resonated from behind him, and this time he let the grin slip onto his face, thankful that she couldn’t see it.

“What’s wrong?” Alya’s whisper made its way to his ears.

“Someone drew me with a towel on the head, swimming glasses and an ugly party dress!”

Adrien couldn’t help the snort that escaped him.

Teasing Marinette, he found, was very entertaining. He didn’t know exactly when he started to feel comfortable enough to do it. Didn’t know what exactly it was that was making it deliciously familiar yet all so new—and above all, warm.

Her reaction had been worth the wait. He  silently delighted in the way she battled between raging against him and finding him hilarious (because with the way she giggled, or stammered, or even bit her lips the few times he had joked with her, before getting ahold of herself and teasing back, she had to find him hilarious, right?).

He guessed he deserved the ruler slap he received on the head.

Yes, Adrien liked her reactions, he thought while rubbing his head. He liked that new, teasing  dynamic he’d been having with her for a couple of weeks now. He liked it.

But above all, he loved—

Adrien let a soft fond smile pull at his lips when he opened his diary that evening, once seated at his desk. A drawing quickly scribbled in the margin lit up by his many computer screens welcomed him of what he assumed was a new Gabriel ad featuring him in an atrocious fur dress coloured in fluro pink highlighter.

Above all, he loved her witty and sneaky comebacks.

───※ ·❆· ※───

8th of December, 44 days before the reveal

“What are you thinking about?”

Ladybug saw a smile stretch across her partner’s lips. He let out a fond chuckle, throwing his head up towards the sky. His eyes were closed, but she could tell that he was seeing more stars that way than if they had been opened looking up at the Parisian sky. She envied him a little.

“I’m thinking,” he simply said.

And didn’t say anything after that.

She waited a little, just in case, but he remained silent. His feet dangled above the edge of the roof and he started gently swinging his legs one after the other. He let out a breathless giggle, as if he couldn’t control it, and hummed a song her ears caught only because of the wind blowing towards her.

Her heart did a somersault in her chest at the sight. She felt a weird mix of emotions, not unpleasant but not entirely enjoyable either, bittersweetness and happiness mingling together.

He did look happy—but tonight it felt like she wasn’t a part of it. That he was in his own bubble of joy, a bubble she once had complete control over but, in that instant, was slipping through her fingers. If she was being honest, it had been slowly and subtly escaping her for a while now.

He was in love, she realised. Her gaze on him softened, before she turned away from him to look towards the sky, too, and exhaled a puff of hot air that dissipated in the cold and continued to grow as she joined him in his humming, closing her eyes.

If she wasn’t the one he was shining for tonight, she would still share that moment of exhilaration with him.

Besides, she had reasons to feel giddy herself too.

───※ ·❆· ※───

29th of December, 23 days before the reveal

“Hey.” Plagg’s voice wasn’t loud enough to pull Adrien out of his reverie completely, but enough to bring the cloud he was on a little bit back down to Earth. “You’ve been staring at the ceiling for the past twenty minutes now. What’s up?”

Adrien let the thread of his lucky charm pass through his fingers, feeling the beads between them rolling from one to another. “I have?”

Plagg stayed silent for a few seconds. “Yes. Are you alright?”

Adrien chuckled. “Yeah. Yeah, I think I am.” I have been for a little while now, he didn’t say.

Suddenly, he got up, walked towards his computer, picked up his phone from his desk and opened Instagram. His fingers quickly found Marinette’s name and pressed her icon to see her latest story. He smiled as a selfie of her and Alya appeared, and played it again once it was over.

“Ah. I see.” Adrien hadn’t noticed Plagg flying above his shoulder but he couldn’t care less. “You like her?”

“I love her,” he simply corrected.

“Really?! Planning on asking her out? Sweeping her off her feet?”

Adrien shook his head, chuckling. He put his phone back on his desk and let himself fall further in his seat, pushing his feet against the desk leg to propel himself back.

Marinette, Marinette, Marinette.

“We’ll see,” he stretched his arms above his head. “We’ll see what happens and when I feel that the time is right. I don’t want to mess it up. Not this time.”

Not with her.

───※ ·❆· ※───

11th of January, 10 days before the reveal

When she found Adrien waiting for her at the bottom of the stairs that morning, blushing, a hand rubbing the back of his neck, the other holding a yellow rose with red tips on the petals and stammering a simple yet powerful “I think I love you”, Marinette was glad she had been on time for school for once.

───※ ·❆· ※───

21st of January, 1h before the reveal

“I can’t believe you made me wake up at eight o’clock on a Saturday morning,” Marinette shook her head.

Adrien laughed and held her hand tighter as he pulled her along with him, striding alongside the Seine. “But you have to admit that it was worth it.”

Spending time with you is worth the world, she thought. I could wake up at five if that’s what you wanted. She didn’t say any of that out loud. They had only barely started dating, after all. It could scare him off.

Instead, she let half a smile pull at her lips. “I suppose.”

Adrien stopped in his tracks and turned to her. “It was worth it! It just snowed during the night—for once! It’s so rare, we have to enjoy it! And the sunrise was beautiful!”

She crossed her arms, pretending to think about it and evaluate her morning.

“It was,” Adrien insisted, pleaded for her to agree.

“Fine,” she conceded, giggling. “It was beautiful. I’m glad you forced me out of bed.”

She was rewarded by a brilliant smile, that melted her heart despite the cold January air on her cheeks, and a kiss on her forehead (that melted her whole).

A giddy laugh escaped her and she couldn’t help but kiss his nose, making him giggle, the sound sweeter than the glockenspiel a busker was playing a few meters away.

Adrien’s cheeks were red when she pulled away—from the cold or from her kiss, she didn’t know, but she hoped for the latter. She decided to grab his winter hat, leaving his hair all messy on top and wide eyes of outraged shock on his face. Adrien, she had realised, really liked when she was messing with him and she berated herself for never having dared to do such a thing before.

In retaliation, he grabbed her own hat and put it on his head. “Jokes on you,” he said, “now I have a pink pompom while you have a lame black one!”

She laughed as she put his hat on her own head. He likes me, she chanted in her head. He loves me even. He loves me, he loves me, and I love him.  All was well that day. All was perfect.

“When are we meeting up with Alya and Nino for lunch, again?”

“I think we still have an hour,” Adrien replied.

It felt like nothing could disrupt their date, their day, them, really.

───※ ·❆· ※───

21st of January, the reveal

Accidents were stupid, most of the time. One second of miscalculation, one careless mistake and every neatly protected secret could be disrupted forever.

Detransforming in the same alleway was probably the stupidest, lamest and most careless way to reveal their identities, Marinette and Adrien thought, as they faced each other with wide eyes and heart beating too fast in their rib cages with their kwamis hanging incriminatingly at their side.

Marinette didn’t think. She ran.

───※ ·❆· ※───

21st of January, 1h30 after the reveal

To say the atmosphere was awkward was an understatement. They were barely glancing at each other, passing each other the salt without brushing a finger or looking where they handed it.

Marinette overfilled Adrien’s glass when pouring him some water; Adrien startled when Marinette’s hand accidentally brushed his arm while trying to clean his table up.

They were a mess.

In a way, Marinette was glad that Alya and Nino were here to provide distraction.

She just hoped they wouldn’t notice the tension between her and Adrien.

“So, how have you two lovebirds been doing? Still in the chummy-chummy phase?”

So much for that. There was an awkward silence, none of them knowing what to really say.

“Sure,” she decided to take the plunge and ate a mouthful of fries so she wouldn’t have to explain further.

Alya and Nino said nothing, looking between the two of them.

“We’ve been, uh…we went walking around the Seine this morning,” Adrien mumbled. “To see the snow and, uh…”

“Oh, that reminds me,” Marinette cut. She couldn’t believe she was managing to talk to him. “Y-your...your winter hat.”

She handed it to him and Adrien looked at it for a few seconds before taking it back, his face crumbling and disheartened.

“...Thanks. Um, here is yours, I suppose.”

Marinette closed her eyes tight as she snatched her hat from his hands, feeling nauseous all of a sudden.

Where did they stand, now? They had barely even started dating. Could they brush off the massive new developments that were their identities? Could superheroes even date?

White flashed before her eyes. Her heart did a somersault, and the nausea intensified, making her head spin.

Stupid. Idiot, superheroes couldn’t date, least of all her and Adrien.

It was unfair that she was having these thoughts now, when she still didn’t know what was going on in her head—Adrien, Chat Noir, her partner. The same… so similar yet so different.

He had given her a rose when he had confessed. It was such a Chat Noir thing to do...she should have known.

They were the same person and it was awkward and she needed time she didn’t get the luxury to have. The second she thought she had acknowledged this information, it would all come back the next with the panic accompanying it.

The silence following must have been long and heavy because Alya took in a sharp breath. “Okay. What’s going on between you two? You’ve been acting awkward since we’ve got here.”

───※ ·❆· ※───

23rd of January, 2 days after the reveal

“So, this is it?”

Adrien felt the knot in his throat tighten a little more and more as Marinette kept looking to the side, silent, avoiding his gaze. He didn’t know why he asked; he knew the answer. And he knew that hearing it would cut like a knife, but maybe that’s what he needed instead of foolishly pretending there was hope.

“This...this is it,” she finally said in a breath.

He swallowed. “Okay.”

“Okay,” she repeated.

“I… okay.” Okay. Because what could he say? It wasn’t like he could decide for her.

If it was only on him, of course he wouldn’t want anything to end. Of course he would fight for them, and try and see where they’d go, identities be damned because...well, it was still them, wasn’t it? Wasn’t it?

“I’m sorry. I...I really am. It’s just… It’s…” Marinette sighed. “It’s just that it’s a lot to take in, you know?”

She had finally raised her eyes to his, and Adrien had to fight back tears; maybe it would have been better if she had continued to avoid him.

So he was the one to turn his eyes away this time.

“I guess,” he couldn’t help the bitterness in his voice to show through. “I just...I didn’t know it would be so bad.”

“It’s not! It’s not that! It’s just that… we still...we still need to get used to this,” she gestured between them, “and… superheroes ca—”

“—can’t date, I know. I understand. I mean—not completely, but... I get it.”

And he did; really, he did get it.

It was selfish of him, probably, to not want things to stop. He found that it was also maybe a little selfish of her to want them to.

None of them had decided to be heroes—and yet they had to bear the consequences of such a responsibility.

Looking back at her, she had now dropped down her eyes and wasn’t watching him anymore. A strong gust of wind blew on the balcony, making Marinette’s hair wave with it.

“It’s getting late,” Adrien spoke. “And you’re freezing out here. I should get going. We’ll see each other tomorrow at school.”

He extended his baton.

“Adri—Chat Noir! Wait!”

She grabbed his tail, stopping him in his tracks. He turned around. She was fidgeting, and looked tentatively into his eyes.

“I’m sorry. I hope it’s not...I hope it’s not too hard but…”

He sighed. “I’m not gonna lie and pretend it doesn’t hurt. It...it does. A lot. It’s like…” he sighed. “It’s like we had everything, and then…” He paused. “But I guess… none of us can control the way we feel, right?”

She nodded numbly. He attempted to give a smile, but he knew he wasn’t doing a good job at it.

“I just wished I knew what’s wrong with me, “ he murmured, voice barely above a whisper.

“I… it’s not… I don’t think there’s anything wrong with you,” Marinette tried. He could hear her voice trembling. I don’t think there’s anything right with me either, he didn’t say—and she didn’t say either, he noted with a bitter smile. “We’re just a mess right now.”

She bit her lip and he had to force to keep his eyes on hers. He felt terrible. Worse than all those times she had rejected him, because—well, because now he knew just how much he was losing.

“That we are.”

“We’re still...we’re still friends, right?” she asked after a few seconds of awkward silence.

“It’s you and me against the world, so… of course.” He shrugged.

And with that, he left, finally letting the tears blur his vision on his way home.

Tonight, their old promise sounded more bitter than comforting. Them against the world, the heroes fighting for the city, forced together by their duty and pulled apart at the same time.

───※ ·❆· ※───

23rd of January, 2 days after the reveal

Marinette rushed back inside her bedroom as soon as Adrien had left and threw her head in her pillow, crying her heart out. Screaming to Tikki how unfair it was to have to be responsible, at Master Fu for choosing this life for her, at herself for following it, at Adrien and Chat Noir for being the same people.

Shouting at Adrien again, at another Adrien she hadn’t even really known that it was all his fault. His fault, his fault, his fault, all his fault. She knew it was unfair of her—but she needed to put the blame on someone, and Chat Blanc, who didn’t exist anymore, seemed like a good candidate, no matter how wrong she knew it was.

───※ ·❆· ※───

24th of January, 3 days after the reveal

“...My father wanted us to break up.”

Marinette shrunk on herself. She wished she had been able to come up with a better excuse on the spot. Anything that would have avoided Adrien’s cold and numb tone when he repeated her flimsily excuse.

But nothing sounded plausible enough; nothing else could explain this sudden change in their dynamic.

“It...it was a surprise, really, we weren’t expecting it,” she tried, hoping he would follow her lead.

Adrien clicked his tongue. “A surprise, indeed.”

“Aaaand you didn’t think of dating in secret becaaause…?” Alya drawled, the cease in her brow increasing the longer she looked between the two of them.

“Because… well… because…” Marinette fumbled, trying to think  of a way out because Alya wasn’t wrong and it was a flaw in her carelessly crafted plan.

“Because Marinette didn’t want to,” Adrien supplied curtly.

Alya and Nino’s heads snapped towards her with incredulous looks in their eyes, making her involuntarily shrink on herself even more.

“She said it wasn’t worth a try,” he shrugged and sat down, his back now to her.

Alya looked between the two with a mix of worry, incomprehension and a hint of pity. Marinette didn’t dare look at Nino to see what emotions would flicker in his eyes.

“That’s not it, it’s…” she struggled, took a deep breath, and tried again. She had to roll with what he came up with. “If he were to find out we...we’d be in trouble. You’d be in trouble… and I don’t want that,” she whispered the last words.

“Like I said,” Adrien said coolly, half turning towards them. “Not even worth a try.”

Her heart crumpled.

───※ ·❆· ※───

26th of january, 5 days after the reveal

“Chat Noir, you’re here!” Marinette exclaimed, relieved.

He twirled his baton, deflecting a spurt of gooey green liquid she could only dread to know the composition of—some akumas truly were more disgusting than others to deal with. “As for every akuma.” He raised a brow. “Don’t act so surprised.”

She startled. In the midst of all the action, in the hope and wait for his arrival—because she always felt bolder and stronger once her partner was by her side—she had forgotten.

This was Adrien, her ex-boyfriend with whom she had broken up and had upsetted. And who still wasn’t talking to her much. Thinking about him as ‘ex’ suddenly hurt as she realised it was the first time she was referring to him as such in her head.

Marinette blinked back remorseful tears and tried ignoring the tightness in her chest to focus on the akuma again. She still needed to find where the akumatised object was, and she couldn’t let her emotions get in the way of her job.

She decided to pretend things were fine. “His name is Snowtty, we don’t know the victim but it’s a kid who was made fun of for having a runny nose after receiving a snowball in his face. Try to avoid his green spurts, they would freeze you on the spot!”

Adrien barely nodded before jumping into action, without so much as a word of acknowledgement like he would usually do. It hurt more than she would care to admit.

She knew they hadn’t talked since that evening on her balcony, but she had hoped he just needed time to process and that it wasn’t deeper than that. He had said they were still friends, hadn’t he?

Trying to ignore the sting in her eyes, she jumped after him into the fight.

“Ladybug! I see your pet has arrived to the scene as well,” Snowtty sneered. “All the better for me, I need both your miraculous after all!”

“I’m my own person, thank you very much,” Chat Noir said, none of his usual teasing in his voice. “And you won’t be getting any miraculous. Why don’t you give us your akuma instead and save everyone’s time? You’re just gonna lose like the others do, anyway.”

The akuma let out a growl of frustration and double-fired in their direction. Marinette ran for cover using her yoyo as a deflecting shield, Adrien using his baton.

He didn’t take cover with her.

She called him and was almost relieved when he picked up.

“Okay, he’s angrier than I thought he was. Any idea where the akuma could be?”

“You’re telling me you don’t?” he raised a brow. “He’s throwing his substance from that bracelet he has on his left wrist, and there aren’t any other objects.”

It seemed obvious now. But she wasn’t at the top of her game and was far too focused on her relationship with her partner than she was on the fight at hand, and she realised how detrimental it could be—not letting her personal life interfere with her duties as Ladybug was one of the rules she had promised herself to never break, yet here she was.

“Right,” she said, voice wavering. “I… Right. You’re right. Good job, Kitty.”

She regretted the nickname as soon as it left her mouth.

“‘tis nothing, Ladybug,” he shrugged. “Guess you cast your lucky charm and I distract him as usual.”

“Not yet, I need to first figure ou—” She let out a sigh as he ended the call, and turned to see him heading back straight for the akuma.

Well. The message was clear.

Throwing her yoyo angrily in the air, she called on her lucky charm. And was rewarded for her effort with an umbrella.

She wanted to scream.

She glanced up and closed her eyes, temporarily blinded by the brightness of the sun. “And it’s not even raining,” she grumbled.

She stomped away from her hiding place, only to be thrown on the ground a second after.

“Wha—”

Adrien was hovering over her and spared a glance behind towards Snowtty before standing and helping her up.

“Thank you,” she mumbled.

But he ran back towards the akuma without so much as a glance in her direction. The momentary relief she felt when he saved her evaporated right away. She ran after him.

She hated how he could be upset with her in the middle of an akuma fight but still be able to focus on the task at hand. Because he was paying great care to the akuma and his surroundings and was trying to actively find a solution to put an end to the fight—something she had a harder time doing when her personal feelings were getting overwhelming. She couldn’t reproach him for that. It was just incredibly infuriating.

“Adri—Chat Noir, will you please talk to me and stop ignoring me?” Marinette exploded, frustrated. “It’s been two days and now is not the time!”

“Bold words from someone who ran away and avoided me for two days after discovering my identity,” Adrien snapped back, avoiding another blast of green.

Her heart stuttered painfully. He was right, but it made it no less hurtful to hear. She and Chat Noir had argued in the past, and while it had never been pleasant, it was something they knew how to navigate through — how to come out stronger from. She and Adrien, however? Never. She hadn’t even fathom the possibility of it ever coming up one day. Any comebacks she could have had died on her tongue, and Ladybug found herself speechless.

They both ran for cover once again behind the safety of a rooftop chimney, leaving Snowtty growling at having lost their track.

She swallowed painfully. “Listen. I know you’re hurt, I understand and you have every right to be. But we need to work together right now.”

He kicked some of the remaining snow from the roof, fidgeting with his hands. “I don’t know. I don’t think my father would approve of that.”

She frowned. “Of what?”

“Us working togeth—” he sighed, closing his eyes and shaking his head. “Sorry. Forget I said anything, that was rude. Let’s...let’s just get back to the fight. I’ll behave.”

She grabbed his hand before he could vault away. “Wait.”

“Ladybug, I don’t think we have the time to talk or—”

“And I think it’s important that we talk now,” she said, giving him a pleading look. “Please.”

He kept eye contact with her for a few seconds before glancing hesitantly towards the city, nibbling at his lower lip. “Okay,” he finally murmured.

She involuntarily squeezed his hand in relief. He didn’t squeeze back, but he didn’t take it away either.

She hadn’t taken the time to focus on her feelings for him in the midst of her freakout about his identity; the warmth of his hand and the tips of his claws barely grazing hers and enhancing its delicacy made her realise that if anything, they had only gotten stronger.

It was painfully heartwarming.

“Are you...are you still… upset, about us, um… about me… you know…” she gestured between them.

“Breaking up with me?” He shook his head. “No. I’m hurt, yes. But that’s your right. That’s not what I’m angry about.”

“Then what…” she trailed off.

He sighed. “I thought I had made it clear, but I guess not.” He paused and kicked some more snow. “I didn’t like you telling everyone that my father forced us to break up,” he mumbled, and she had to listen carefully to pick up every word.

She blinked. “That’s… it?” She threw her hands in front of her at the glare he sent her. “I mean, don’t get me wrong… I agree it wasn’t my best excuse, but we had to find one that sounded plausible and…”

“That’s the thing, Marinette,” he said. “You decided to use my father as your excuse without asking me first.” He wrapped his arms around himself and looked to the ground. “I know my father isn’t… isn’t the best and that he can be… a little strict, but… He wouldn’t do that.”

There was a beat of silence.

“He wouldn’t do that,” he repeated more quietly.

She didn’t know if he was trying to convince himself or her; but she didn’t know Gabriel Agreste much and thus couldn’t confirm nor refute his words.

He shook his head. “But the thing is… How would you have felt if I had told everyone that...that your parents had forced us to break up?” He lifted his gaze towards her, green eyes piercing through her.

“Oh,” she said, understanding dawning on her. “Oh. I see.”

“Yeah.”

“I hadn;t...I hadn’t thought about that,” Marinette admitted.

“Well.”He sniffed, angrily wiping at his eyes. “You should have.”

She hadn’t noticed that he was on the verge of crying, but she instantly felt shame coursing through her.

He kicked the snow harder. “And the worst part  is… the worst part is that… it workedI he almost spat. “They...they believed your excuse. They didn’t even doubt it, they just….” He gestured with his hands .“...Bought it as if it was obvious and that...that hurt.”

She stayed quiet for a few seconds, taking it in. She didn’t want to start the conversation now as to why it had been that easy for their friends to believe his father would do such a thing—it was something that they would have to discuss another day. A day on which he’d be more ready.

“I’m sorry,” she finally whispered. “I panicked because I...I realised I hadn’t thought of a reason for our breakup. My mind was busy with something else.” She chuckled dryly with a hand gesture in the air. “But you’re right, I crossed a line and that’s not an excuse. I probably would have killed you if you had told them my parents were the reason for our breakup.”

A timid smile appeared on his lips. “Good thing it was just me, then.”

She giggled tearily. “Yeah, good thing. But still. I hope you can forgive me. I promise I’ll be more careful.”

He sighed. “You know I can’t stay mad at you for very long, Marinette. Thank you. And I apologise too. I… I probably overreacted. And I should have known better than to snap during a fight.”

She smiled. “It’s okay. But maybe now, don’t wait until there’s an akuma to talk to me. Now that we know each other’s identities, you don’t need to.”

“I think I needed time to… digest that. But you’re right, will do.”

They looked at each other, smiling shyly as an awkward silence settled between them.

“So, Ladybug,” Adrien spoke with a wobbly smile, glancing towards the lucky charm in her hands, “shall we go back to the fight so you can play Mary Poppins?”

It still wasn’t a ‘my Lady’ or a ‘Buguinette’, and there was no wink to accompany his teasing, but he was back to joking. She would take it.

“Of course.” She smiled. “But let me recharge first.”

───※ ·❆· ※───

15th of February, 25 days after the reveal

“Psssst, come here, kitty kitty! I just want to be your frien—”

Marinette groaned as the ginger cat ran away, joining a tabby cat further up the alleway.

A chuckle from behind her startled her. “Looks like you’re having cat troubles.”

She turned around to meet her partner’s cat-like eyes, and yes, she was having cat troubles, indeed.

“They don’t like me,” she just said.

Adrien seemed to search her eyes for a second or two, his expression unreadable. “You know that’s not true.”

She didn’t know if the conversation was about the cats in the street anymore, and she wasn’t sure whose fault it was. But soon after, Adrien shook his head, blond hair softly sweeping against his cheeks, and let a smile pull at his lips.

He crouched down, grabbed his belt tail and slowly moved it around.

“You need to let them come to you.”

Marinette watched the tail slither, half hypnotised by the movement, until she heard the soft tapping of his claws on the ground. His fingers drummed in a steady rhythm, and she couldn’t help but marvel at how delicate the motion was.

It seemed that some cats around agreed because, soon enough, one advanced towards him, while another had laid down and began wiggling his butt and tail, ready to pounce.

She looked back at Adrien and he was smiling widely at them, anticipating their every move and excited to see their reactions. He looked so happy, so carefree and her heart did a somersault at the sight — she knew that she shouldn’t think like this, but she wished she had been the one he was looking at. She wished she could be one of these kittens, ready to tackle him to the ground, so they could fall in a heap of laughter together. So they could suddenly stop, and gaze into each other’s eyes, getting lost in each other, and maybe, just maybe, lean a little bit closer and ki—

“Wow.” Adrien’s loud laughter shook her out of her reverie. “No need to bite me, little one!”

While a small grey cat had attacked his tail and was nibbling at it, rolling on the floor, another one was more focused on his hand.

The white one with blue eyes.

“Careful,” she told him, “that one’s nasty.”

Adrien continued to play with the cat, moving a finger around and hovering it above his nose that the kitten tried to take a mouthful of.

“What? Why do you say that?”

“Well, he bit you. And earlier, he scratched me. Good thing my suit could protect me or my arms would have been covered in blood,” she informed.

Adrien smiled. “That doesn’t make him nasty.”

She spluttered. “Wha—? How—of course it does! He’s a mean cat, trust me on this! All white cats with blue eyes are!”

He chuckled, giving him a fond look the kitten didn’t deserve. “Good thing I’m a black cat, then.”

She shuddered.

“And he’s not mean,” he went on, “he’s broken.”

Marinette frowned. “What do you mean, ‘broken’?”

Somehow, Adrien had managed to pet the cat on the head, making him let out a contented meow. “Cats who have been abandoned or rejected by their mother too young tend to be more aggressive,” he explained, a pained smile she wasn’t quite sure how to interpret. “They scratch and bite a lot because in a way, they’re kind of lost.”

He took him in his arms and kissed his nose, to which the cat answered with a small ‘meow’. Staying close to his face, he scratched under his chin that the cat was exposing happily to him as a sign of complete trust. Adrien’s smile melted when a purr rumbled out of the kitten, and Marinette hung on it with both fascination and envy.

He let out a breathy chuckle. “See? He just needs someone to show him they care.”

“Show him they care,” she repeated dumbly. She could do that. She coul— “What if...what if it still doesn’t change anything?”

Adrien’s gaze left the kitten to turn to her. “What do you mean?”

“What if...What if even if someone cares about him, and cares about him so much they would sacrifice their own happiness for him if it came to it, and shows him everyday and tells him everyday but he still…” She stopped, fumbling with her words for a second. “...He still keeps biting and scratching and feeling lost and alone a-and no one can save him?” She lifted her eyes to his, only to find her vision blurry.

“Whoa, whoa, whoa, what are you talking about?” Adrien breathed.

“M-maybe, this cat is doomed from the start. Maybe he’ll be like that forever, no matter what and maybe they’ll all be like that and—”

“My Lady,” a hand landed on her shoulder, stopping her from spiralling further—and here it was, the ‘my Lady ‘she’d been craving for so much, at the most unexpected time. “That’s stupid. I’m not sure if it’s about cats anymore,” he chuckled, “but I’ll pretend it is.”

She blinked back tears. He kept on, “Yes, some of these hurt cats never change. But not all of them! You can never really know what will happen, how they’ll evolve, because they’re all different, and they’ll all live different lives.”

He smiled at her, his delicate hand never leaving her shoulder, while the other continued petting the purring white kitten. “We can’t guess what will happen to them. All we can do is try, and take the risk. And maybe the owners of this lovely kitty will be lucky and have a loving ball of fur”— he bopped the cat’s nose who in turn let out a small ‘meow’— “or they’ll be less lucky and have a little monster that—ouch,” he said, as the cat chased his bopping finger to bite it, “bite them from time to time but still would be worth caring for.” He sighed a chuckle.

Marinette swallowed, taking it in. “So you mean that… the future of this cat isn’t… set in stone?” she asked carefully.

“Of course not! No one can know what he’ll grow into now, it will depend on a lot of factors.” He took his hand off her shoulder to lift the cat off his lap and nuzzle his nose with his. “Isn’t that right, little one? You’ll be a good kitty, won’t you?”

She let a smile pull at her lips at the sight. Adrien turned to face her with a big goofy grin on his face.

“If our future was written in our DNA, we’d have known all about our futures a long time ago,” he chuckled.

She let his words sink in, closing her eyes. What if...what if.

What if their love wouldn’t destroy the world, this time.

But what if it did again.

...But what if it didn’t?

She heaved a sigh, releasing some of the tension that had been weighing down on her. When she opened her eyes, it was to see that Adrien was back to playing with the kitten.

“And what are we gonna call you, hm? Ooooh, I know! See, I’m Chat Noir, so that would make you Chat Bla—”

“—FLOCON!” Marinette interrupted him.

He blinked at her. “Chat Flocon?”

“No, just...just Flocon. He’s white as snow, and fluffy like a snowflake, so it makes sense. And,” she added after a beat, “it’s cute.”

And it reminded her of that date they shared, just before revealing their identities, strolling through a snowy Paris. It was a memory she cherished, even if it didn’t end quite well.

Adrien grinned. “Okay. Flocon it is.” He scratched the cat’s chin, who purred in turn and tried to bite his finger again. “No,” he told him, “I said no biting, you thickhead.”

She could watch him bicker with a kitten for hours, she thought.

“Hey, Buguinette,” he called out to her, pulling her out of her momentary reverie, “you wanna hold Flocon?”

She blinked. “Errr… I don’t know if that's a good idea or…”

He laughed. “He’s not that aggressive. It’s up to you; but if you want to try befriending him again…” He held a half-wiggling and meowing Flocon in the air towards her.

Marinette bit her lip, and took a deep breath. Maybe it was a bad idea to cave, but... “Okay,” she finally said. “I’ll give him a try.”

───※ ·❆· ※───

26th of April, 95 days after the reveal

“Adrien, aren’t you gonna snap her in half?” Alya asked with incredulous eyes.

It made both him and Marinette giggle. “It’s like she doesn’t know that you’re usually the one snapping me in half between the two of us,” Adrien whispered in her ear, which made her laugh harder. “She said she wanted to!” he told Alya louder.

“Yes, Alya,” Marinette added, “I’m a strong girl and I can carry him! Right, Adrien?”

“Right!” he replied enthusiastically, clinging harder on her back.

He wasn’t sure it was a good idea, but he was too busy feeling lighthearted and free on this spring afternoon. It was the first warm day of the year, with only a slightly chilly breeze coming to ruffle his hair at times that only contributed in increasing his  giddiness. For the fifth time this day, he thanked the star that made his father allow him to go out to the temporary funfair with his friends—though he thought they were studiously working on a school project.

“It’s not because you can carry him that you should,” Nino said, shaking his head fondly.

“You’re just jealous because Alya isn’t carrying you.” She stuck her tongue out at him. “Let’s ride to the moon and back!”

“To the moon and back!” Adrien repeated, one hand raised in the air.

Marinette let out a warrior cry before attempting to run, albeit slowly because of his weight, and he could tell they wouldn’t go far as he already felt himself slide down and her grip on his legs slacken.

He should have known they’d fall face first before she got too exhausted. If he had, maybe he’d have had the time to react and avoid it.

As it was, he just found himself on top of Marinette on the ground. He lifted himself up and sat down, Marinette soon doing the same.

Distantly, he heard Alya and Nino running towards them shouting “are you okay”s and “are you hurt”s at profusion, but he didn’t pay them any mind as Marinette looked up at him with eyes glinting with mirth and they both fell in a heap of laughters.

Some passersby looked at them funnily while others whispered some “that must hurt”s or “everything alright?”s to them.

“It’s okay,” Adrien told them. “We’ve had it worse!”

“Yes,” Marinette chimed in. “One time we were thrown by an akuma—”

“—A big tuna," he quickly corrected.

“—a big tuna, he’s right,” she repeated, “and we both fell right into a moving bus, and we survived!”

“And you find that funny,” Nino deadpanned, putting his hands on his hips as Adrien helped Marinette up.

Adrien just grinned at him. “Yup! We’re the survivors.”

“And we’re gonna make it!” Marinette sang.

“You’re insufferable,” Alya chuckled. “The both of you. I don’t know how you two can be more unhinged than me with Marinette, but—”

“—That’s because we’re exes besties,” Adrien chirped. Despite the months that had passed, it always hurt a little to call each other “exes”. But he had long since learned that laughing at his suffering was better than crying over it. He just wondered when and if he’ll ever be over her one day. He probably never really would.

“Hey,” Nino said indignantly. “But you’re my best friend!”

“Maybe, but are you also exes, hm?” Marinette asked him. “Because we are, and it makes us the unstoppable exes besties! And now, our next stop will be…” She jumped on Adrien’s back without warning and he caught her with a ‘oof’. “...to that splashing boat attraction over there!”

“Dudes, you already fell once, what are you doing?”

“We’re getting back up, Nino, and we try again,” she announced proudly, raising her fist up. “Let’s go to the boat, Adrien, and may our ship sail! Go, go, go!”

Adrien faintly heard a ‘they’re beyond help’ from Alya as he ran towards the attraction, both his and Marinette’s laughters echoing in the wind.

───※ ·❆· ※───

28th of May, 127 days after the reveal

Adrien landed with a grunt on the pavement. The suit was a good protector, but it didn’t stop his back from hurting from the impact with the ground. This akuma — Firebender as he called himself — truly was more violent than usual.

“Wow,” he managed to breath between two gasps, “you’re on fire today!”

He tried to push himself up with an arm, and raised his head towards Firebender with a half-closed eye. The fireball he saw coming towards him arrived so fast that he didn’t even have the time to do so much as widening his eyes. An anguish cry was the last thing he heard before it faded and he saw nothing at all.

───※ ·❆· ※───

28th of May, 127 days after the reveal

Marinette realised she was screaming when she felt her lungs were empty.

Usually, when an akuma took lives, the victims just disappeared into thin air, as if they had never been. They weren’t lying there, unmoving on the pavement like Adrien was. Somehow, seeing was worse than not.

She felt dizzy, as if everything around her was moving in slow motion. She staggered, trying to turn her head away from the sight of her unresponsive partner who was becoming blurrier and blurrier the longer she looked at him. She needed to breathe, she needed to—

“AAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHH NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO,” she screeched instead, the sound reverberating into the street, bouncing from building to building.

She took a ragged breath, and another, closing her eyes as she took in the dead silence that greeted her scream.

She swallowed her first sob and squeezed her eyes tight shut, taking yet another heavy breath. She turned towards the akuma before opening her eyes, otherwise she knew she wouldn’t be able to tear her gaze away from Adrien’s dead form. She gritted her teeth as soon as the thought of him being gone entered her mind again.

“You’re a monster,” she spat, low and cold, the last word echoing through the silence and carrying her voice to Firebender’s ears — to Hawkmoth’s.

All these days worrying over the possibility of a devastating future she had seen, all this time doing everything she could to avoid it no matter how little she knew of it, and she hadn’t considered the possibilities she hadn’t been a witness of. All these days flirting with the line between caving and resisting only for her regretful indecision to hit her in the most cruel way.

“Give up, Ladybug,” Hawkmoth spoke through Firebender, “you no longer have your pet. All you have to do is surrender your miracu—”

“And what?” she spat. “Let my partner die? Listen to me, Hawkmoth. I have a chance to save him, and for that I need to defeat you. You think I’m stupid? I’m not giving up on Paris. I’m not giving up on him!”

And I’m not giving up on us, she told herself.

“Lucky charm!” she roared, rage and determination coursing through her veins.

She knew nothing about how Chat Blanc had really happened, she realised, catching the spotted chain falling from above. Nothing about her current future, as she scanned her surroundings for a solution. Nothing but the crushing weight of the present and her fear of the unknown, as she opened her yoyo to retrieve the dragon miraculous and put it around her neck.

“Tikki, Longg, unify!”

As she surrounded herself with water and ran towards Firebender with only one goal in mind, she promised herself to never let the gifts the present gives her slide in favour of hypothetical futuristic tragedies. She was finally done running away and sacrificing her life to her fears.

───※ ·❆· ※───

28th of May, 127 days after the reveal

Light suddenly flooded Adrien’s vision as he took a sharp and deep intake of breath. His lungs were burning with the sudden air filling them up, and he squinted his eyes, trying to make sense of his surroundings. He groggily lifted himself up on his elbows when—

“Chaton!”

—a red blur threw herself at him. He caught her, her hair in his nose and her warm breath and hot tears in his neck.

He let her sob and squeeze him as understanding washed over him. He gently threaded his clawed fingers through her hair and massaged her scalp, noticing absent-mindedly that she was also wearing the dragon miraculous.

She slowly detangled herself from him but stayed close, looking into his eyes through her wet ones and caressing his cheek with her thumb.

“Kitty,” she whispered, her voice hoarse, “my Kitty.”

He didn’t have the time to react before her lips were on his and she took her time to savour him before ever so slowly pulling away. He let her do.

She didn’t stop there. Gently cradling his face in her trembling hands, she kissed his cheek. And his other cheek. And his forehead. His nose. His jaw. Puncturing each of her kisses with whispers of “mon Chaton”, or “Kitty”, or “my love”, to which his heart made a somersault at, before diving for his neck.

Each time he kept on letting her do, keeping her close to him as she sobbed through her kisses and yet another nickname for him.

He could feel her breathing him in; so, with his nose in her hair, he inhaled her scent too. Her hot breath left his neck once again, and she came back for his lips.

This time, he kissed her back, and as soon as his lips moved against hers, she choked on a sobbed whine and pushed her mouth closer to his, if that was even possible

He hadn’t forgotten the taste of her lips on his, even after all these months; but he also knew their kisses had never burnt so intensely, driven by despair, the need to memorise the present and the aroma of being alive.

───※ ·❆· ※───

1st of June, 131 days after the reveal

“I’m sorry.”

“What for?”

Marinette smiled sadly. “Oh, I don’t know. Hurting you. Putting us through this mess. Not telling you about Chat Blanc. Take your pick.”

She let her arms rest on the railing of the bridge, looking across the Seine. The clouds were getting darker and darker, though a sunray pierced through one of them, lighting up a few buildings on the shore in a powerful atmosphere. Her eyes followed a barge floating further and further away, waiting for the moment it would cross the ray of light.

“You’ve been hurting too,” Adrien said after a few seconds. “You’ve been shouldering it all on your own. Don’t be too hard on yourself.”

His hand slid into hers and she welcomed it, intertwining her fingers timidly with his. She glanced at him with a tentative smile and he smiled back, looking at her with soft eyes. She looked back towards the Seine just in time to see the barge slicing through the sunbeam.

“Still. Maybe, if I had told you… if I hadn’t let my fears get the best of me…” She trailed off, not knowing what else to say.

“And maybe,” Adrien spoke when it was clear she wouldn’t add something more, squeezing her hand once, “if you had told me earlier, I would have given up Chat Noir.”

She gasped and turned to him, but he was looking at the Seine with saddened eyes.

“What do you mean?” she breathed.

“I’m not sure I’d have been able to handle hearing that I could destroy the world as an akuma,” he whispered, caressing the back of her hand with his thumb as if to reassure her. “It’s… really hard already, but I feel like it would’ve been worse before.”

He turned his head towards her again and she held his gaze, gripping his hand harder as if to dare him to leave.

“You said it yourself,” he went on, “just like we have no idea about what the future can really hold, we can’t know how things would have played out if we had done things differently. What really matters right now is what you want us to be from now on.”

She searched his expectant eyes for a few seconds before looking back at the Seine. A tourist boat coming towards them had replaced the barge in the sunspot before the window of clouds closed on the light, leaving only a dark atmosphere in its place. The clouds grew darker and a warm gust had picked up, making their hair fly in every direction and their clothes ruffling in a frenzy. Marinette felt her emotions growing with the wind, begging to be said and to explode.

She took a deep breath, closing her eyes and feeling the wind coursing through her as she gathered her thoughts, and opened them again.

“I love you, Adrien,” she spoke, her declaration followed by a distant rumble in the sky. “I love you so, so much. Discovering that you were Chat Noir, once I took it all in… it was the best thing in the world, but also the worst.”

She faced away from the Seine to face him instead and take both his hands in hers, gripping them as tight as she could to ground herself as she felt a flow of tears coming in.

“It made me fall in love with you so much more it hurt, but I knew I couldn’t be with you or I knew I shouldn’t because…” She paused, taking ragged breaths. “...Because it wouldn’t be responsible. Because we’re superheroes and because I had this warning with Chat Blanc, and as the guardian it’s my role to keep us grounded and to do the right thing.”

A lighting bolt pierced through the sky, accompanied by a loud thunderstrike a few seconds later. Adrien was looking at her with a pain in his eyes that she knew meant he was hurting for her and not him.

“But I don’t want to do the right thing this time,” she murmured, as she felt a first drop of water slide down her cheek. “I’m tired of doing what’s supposedly right. Not when...not when we’re both hurting so much that it feels like it’s more dangerous to stay this way instead of just… giving in.”

At this point, she didn’t know who out of her and Adrien were gripping the other’s hands the tightest. She felt more and more raindrops falling on her face and clothes. She didn’t know if the water in his eyes were because he was tearing up or not.

“So maybe our love destroyed the world, once,” she continued, “but I think there’s enough far more damaging hate in this world; and ever since these akuma attacks started, what saved it is our love — for Paris, for our family and friends… and for each other.”

Adrien’s eyes now held a glint of adoration. His now damped hair was sticking to his face while some strands curled with the water. She supposed hers wasn’t faring much better.

“So to answer your question,” she swallowed a sob, “I want us to be together… if you’ll have me.”

Lightning ripped through the sky accompanied by deafening thunder as Adrien pulled her into a crushing hug. She put her arms around his neck to pull him even closer to her and let the flow of her tears finally mix with the rain on her cheeks.

“Marinette,” he whispered, voice wavering and lips barely touching her ear, “I love you, of course I’ll have you. I’ll always have you.”

The rain fell even harder as they hugged closer and cried, soaking them, yet they couldn’t care less. Their clothes were sticking to their bodies, growing more and more uncomfortable, which was worsened by them being in each other’s arms, but Marinette hadn’t felt so good in a long time.

She suddenly pulled away from the hug and cradled his head between her hands. He took her face in his and they stayed closed, forehead against forehead, breathing each other in. Another rumbled resounded and Marinette’s last resolve snapped with it—she brought her lips to his and kissed him.

He responded in kind, and she drank him in and pressed her mouth closer as she felt him doing the same. She should care about the rain falling and the thunder rumbling, but the battering of the elements were just making her feel freer, finally allowing her to get away from all her self restraints.

She sighed against Adrien’s lips as they kept coming back for more. They kissed their reunion, the relief of finding each other again, at last—unlike when he had come back from the dead earlier, these kisses tasted of the promise of more to come, because they knew they would stay together this time.

───※ ·❆· ※───

21st of January, 1h45 after the reveal

“Okay. What’s going on between you two? You’ve been acting awkward since we’ve got here.”

What was going on. What was going on.

“We’re fine,” the lie rolled out of her tongue easily. “Really.”

Alya raised a brow. “Adrien?”

She saw him smiling from the corner of her eyes. He was a much better actor than her—always had been.

“It’s nothing. It’s… we just… we’re working on it.”

...And much more honest than she was, be it with his feelings or with his heart. Always had been.

“Well,” Nino said, “I hope it’s not too big of a deal and that you’ll get over it soon. You guys are the cutest out there.”

Marinette smiled painfully. She glanced at Adrien who was looking at her with soft eyes that she didn’t deserve considering her reaction, and she felt his warm hand timidly covering hers.

“Yeah,” he whispered. “I have hopes we will. We always do.”

───※ ·❆· ※───

21st of January, one year after the reveal

“You’re heavy,” Adrien gasped.

“That’s a rude thing to say to a lady,” Marinette commented from atop him, head resting on the arms she had folded on his chest. “And even more so to your girlfriend.”

He groaned and attempted to lift himself up. Fail. She was grinning at him and he pouted in fake-annoyance. “Not when said girlfriend is purposefully putting all her weight on you! I can’t breath!”

Marinette giggled and pressed herself further on him to which he let out a choked whimper, before pushing away from him after a few seconds, ending his suffocation.

“I could report you for attempting murder, you know,” he threatened with a finger. “‘Ladybug slips into teenage model Adrien Agreste’s room and proceeds to suffocate him’, now that would make the newspapers talk for months.”

She laughed and came back to hover over him. “‘And Adrien asked her to do it again’,” she smirked, and she bent down to peck his lips.

He couldn’t even argue with that.

He discreetly brought his hand close to where his head was lying to grab a pillow. When she pushed herself up and sat next to him, he quickly hit her head with it.

She gasped, betrayed and that sent him into a fit of laughter. She glared at him playfully, grabbed his other pillow, and swatted him way harder than he had.

“You’re dead, Kitty! You hear me?” she said, trying and failing not to laugh. “You’ve just signed your death contract!”

“No, my Lady, please I’m just a defenseless citizen!”

“I’ll knock you out with my yo-yo!” she threatened.

They fought again for a few minutes before stopping, Adrien breathless but Marinette only slightly out of breath due to being transformed.

“I hope your father won’t come in,” Marinette said.

“Don’t worry, if he or Nathalie come, you’ll just say you’re investigating here because, uh...because you suspect me of being Hawkmoth!”

She laughed. “Kitty, that’s such a stupid idea.”

“Why not?” Adrien wiggled his eyebrows. “After all, I do disappear during every akuma attack.”

Marinette smiled and crawled into his lap, wrapping her arms around his neck as he steadied her with his hands on her hips. They lost themselves into each other’s eyes, faces close but not close enough to exactly touch.

“Then,” she murmured against his lips, and he felt his cheeks heating up. “I’ve come to seduce my enemy. Is it working?”

“I’d rather be your partner if that’s okay,” he whispered.

“Yes, but is it working Adrien?”

He chuckled—she didn’t even need to try, he’d always been too far gone when it came to her. “A bit too much.”

He kissed the proud and satisfied giggle from her lips.

[liquid-luck-00]

Connections 4

Chapter 4

this is based on @thepeacetea daminette soulmate au

Masterlist *** First *** Previous *** Next

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Ever since dad and her moved to Gotham she was visited by Gotham’s Vigilantes every night before bed as they went on patrol. Every night without fail. Monday was Nightwing and Red Robin they would be on the opposite roof and wave before she fell asleep. Tuesday was only Red hood and he stood on her balcony and tapped the glass door tap, tap tap, tap. She quickly figured out it was Morse code ngt, or night, and then left. Wednesday was Red Robin and Batman they only paused and left after Mari waved at them, at least she hoped they saw her. Red Hood and Nightwing visited on Thursday and they always goofed around on the opposite roof until they made her laugh. Friday was Red Robin and he always told her to go to bed, well he put his hands together and then acted like he was going to go to sleep. Saturday was always Nightwing and he shot her finger guns and left. Every Sunday was Batman alone and he only paused a second on her balcony before leaving.

Gotham became her home the vigilantes, they were her heroes, was routine and a place where she felt comfortable. Marinette got into the normalcy of school that was Gotham Academy, and that didn’t have to do with the fact that everyone in school seemed to befriend her. Her best friend is and oddball and nothing could convince her otherwise.

The conversation of soulmates was introduced to her class today and everyone looked at marks on their skin or searched their hair or eyes. Most children knew that they had a soulmate but that didn’t stop their excitement at the news. This of course led everyone to ask one another about their marks and a girl next to her asked Mari if she had a soul mark too.

“I don’t think I have a mark. At least not that I know of” Mari frowned a little.

“Teacher” the girl chirped.

“Yes?” the teacher replied.

“what if you don’t have a mark, does that mean you don’t have a soulmate?”

The teacher took a moment to answer “Some marks only appear after you meet your soulmate, however a select few have an invisible bond that shares experiences and memories. Why do you ask?”

“She asked for me since I don’t have a mark.” Mari replied in a concise manner.

“Well we can’t do anything about the first but the second we can ask. Can you do things that you never tried or can’t explain how you know how to do things?”

Mari thought hard and two big things came to mind, no matter how she tried she couldn’t understand how she could fight with such certainty or know languages she had never heard. But the fact that they seemed so out of place put Mari on edge like she needed to keep this secret or else she’d be in danger. Slowly she spoke cautiously “I can speak another language I’ve never heard before”

The teacher smiled and responded “it is probably the language your soulmate speaks” that was all, and Mari gave a small breath as if she had kept the secret safe.

When Mari gets home, she prepares her overnight bag and a few other things as she is going to spend the next month with her brothers, second father, and her grandfather (Alfred). Dad was going on a European tour and would be joining them at the Wayne’s for thanksgiving. This meant that Halloween would be spent with three older brothers.

Once she settled into her room in the manner everyone left her to her own devices so Mari decided to ask Tikki a question that has been on her mind since class. Mari had always been good at being able to read people and having Tikki to confide in was a bonus. Tikki explained so much to her about the way that people may react and how people are connected. This led to them talking about the other miraculous gems and how they are used to maintain the world’s balance. Tikki had few words about her other half, Plagg, which was the kwamii of destruction.

“What does it mean that the two are two halves?” Mari was genuinely curious. She never thought that there could be another being that completes another outside of itself.

“Well this world is comprised of half beings. Every person has a soulmate that completes them perfectly, but the ladybug and black cat are special as the two holders are almost always soulmates of one kind or another.” Tikki responds with a smile.

“Are there different types of soul mates then?”

“Yes, there is. There are romantic and plutonic soulmates. You can only have one romantic soulmate but multiple plutonic ones.”

“How can I tell when I meet my soulmate?” she was genuinely curious, if she really did have an invisible bond then she might never know. She started to frown slightly and Tikki was watching her carefully as she decided what to say next.

The little god sighed deeply, and Marinette looked at her Kwamii. “I don’t say this lightly little bug. You have a soul of pure creation and that makes you a true holder of the ladybug miraculous because of that you are more than human. The Miraculous changes the holder depending on their affinity with the kwamii, and some changes affects is how they contact their soulmates. Little bug your connection to your soulmate will grow and when you meet them it will reveal itself. But know that the romantic soulmate is your true half and they will also be affected by my magic through you. As you grow you will be able to tell.” Tikki flew up and nuzzled against Mari’s cheek.

“Well guess we’re just going to have to wait and see aren’t we” Mari let out a laugh as she started to get up and leave her room to find Alfred.

 ---

 Alfred was busy in the kitchen like usual when little Mari cane in.

“Hi Alfred, can I help you?” Alfred gave the girl a smile and a nod as he pulled out some ingredients for cookies.

“What is bothering you Miss Marinette?” he saw the girl shift from foot to foot and he couldn’t understand it. He knew something was on her mind but what was unknown.

“Alfred are you a holder?” Her voice shook slightly, and he couldn’t understand what she meant, and his confusion was evident.

“Miss Marinette what do you mean?” he was trying to understand this, but her emotions stayed constant, that is until there was a shift and she looked up at him.

“Alfred are you a holder of the Miraculous?” her voice held such conviction and certainty, but how does she know about the Miraculous. He didn’t answer and studied the girl before sighing.

“Well that explains why you are harder to read than many others, I had a feeling a Kwamii was in the manor but…”

A red blur flew out of Miss Marinette’s purse “You are one of Duusu’s birds, aren’t you?”

“Yes, I was”

“Was?” asked Miss Marinette. She was giving a small frown and looked at him.

Alfred sighed and got out a few more ingredients. “What is your preference little…”

“Tikki” stated the kwamii, “and cookies please” Tikki gave him a smile and he couldn’t help but wish Duusu was still with him.

“Very well. Would you help me Miss Marinette?” the girl smiled and started to help him bake. She kept looking at him with a sad look almost begging him to continue without pushing him. “I was the holder of emotion during World War II but two miraculous were stolen and lost Duusu’s the Peacock pin and the brooch of the Butterfly”

“Nooroo is the kwamii of transmission or empathy, Duusu is the kwamii of emotions” Tikki explained to the child, who nodded and continued to work.

“How were they…” Miss Marinette’s voice trailed off.

“I was injured in battle and Duusu refused saying I was a true holder and he would not leave. The officers took him from me, unfortunately they were taken during a siege on Paris. I miss my old friend. “

Tikki spoke quietly “Can you, can you sense him still?”

Alfred shook his head. “his Miraculous is not active, but something is wrong. I just wish I knew what”

Both Tikki and Marinette gave him a sad smile before descending into a hug. Little Marinette hugged him tightly and Tikki was hugging his cheek. That was when the timer went off. He gave a small chuckle and went to pull the cookies out to cool.

Marinette sat on the stool near the counter and he turned, but as he did Jason burst into the kitchen, little Tikki was gone again faster than he could blink.

“I thought I smelled cookies!” Jason walked over to the cooling rack and was about to grab a handful, Alfred gave an exasperated sigh, and Miss Marinette giggled catching Master Jason’s attention. “Hey there Pixie Pop” he gave the girl a smile as he grabbed two cookies and offered her one “Cookie?” At this Alfred left the kitchen to gather the others for dinner leaving the two laughing in the kitchen.

Miss Marinette is certainly going to be a presence in the manor, he had a smile on his lips as he searched for the rest of his family.

 ---

 A week has passed since Mari arrived at the manor and she was starting to get curious. She would often notice how tired most of her brother’s were in the morning, Tim Tam specifically seemed to be a zombie and Blue wouldn’t smile during breakfast on Tuesday.  And that seemed off to Mari, she was worried that there had to be something going on.

“Tikki I don’t know what is wrong, but they seem tired and quiet like they were up late?”

“Maybe they were working late last night, Tim is still in school and Dick works.” Tikki tried to reassure her but Mari wasn’t convinced. She knew something was going on and it was more than a hunch.

The next day Jason was Grumpy and was scowling into his breakfast. That was when things clicked, she took her spoon from her cereal and tapped it on the edge of the bowl. Tap, tap tap, tap. And she continued to eat Jay Jay looked at her funny and he didn’t stop til Bruce said something to him, he grumbled and continued to eat.

Mari left for school and everything seemed normal, but she felt like something was going to happen after school. And oh boy was she right but it wasn’t until dinner that it happened.

Jay Jay was quiet and that wasn’t normal, Dick was the one to break him out of his head “What no comeback Jay”

“Huh?” he looked around and everyone was staring at him. “Guess not.” He shrugged.

“Really that’s a first” Tim said with a smirk.

“What’s on your mind Jason?” Bruce asked and everyone was now looking at Jay Jay, and Jason was staring at Mari.

“Do you know?” he practically whispered. That got everyone’s attention and now they were hyper focused on Mari.

“I only figured it out this morning” Mari practically whispered into her plate.

“And what did you figure Marinette?” Bruce asked a calm mask on his face, but his eyes were cautious.

“Jay Jay is Red Hood, that means Blue is Nightwing, Tim Tam is Red Robin, and you are Batman”

It was silent until everyone heard a laugh. It was Alfred.

“You truly are a force to be reckoned with aren’t you, miss Marinette.” He gave a final laugh before he continued, “I am quite impressed it only took a week however.” Alfred gave a smile before chaos ensued.

 ---

 Everyone tried to deny their identities, but Mari only seemed to resist the urge to giggle. Bruce only looked at the girl he considered a daughter and let out a sigh and smiled.

“clever girl” his words broke the statements of denial, but the quiet didn’t last, well not as long as he had hoped at least. Mari looked down and fidgeted with her bag the next moment a little red blob shot out and floated next to the girl.

“My chosen is more than just clever” and his boys descended into madness once again.

Dick was the first to regain his composure “What are you, a Bug-Mouse?”

Both Mari and the creature giggled and that snapped the attention of Tim and Jason. “Nope I and a Kwamii. Specifically, I am the Kwamii of creation bound to the Miraculous of the Ladybug. My name is Tikki a pleasure to meet you finally, Mari has told me a lot about you.” The creature, no Kwamii, bowed to them.

“What do you mean that Mari is your chosen?” Bruce asked and he looked at the Kwamii expectantly.

However it was Alfred who answered “ A chosen is the person who is the wielder of the miraculous and is thus imbued with the powers of the god they hold, Miss Marinette is the Holder of the Ladybug and is thus imbued with creation itself.”

“Why am I not surprised you already knew” Bruce shook his head and gave his butler a slight frown.

“You know what this means right!” Dick practically screamed. Everyone looked at him “What little bug is a little badass and if she is protecting Tikki that means she has to be able to protect herself. I can show her some gymnastics, oooh does this mean you’re a magical girl” Dick went off rambling.

“I lost him, and he is officially lost” Jason teased but it fell on deaf ears, “but he isn’t wrong” he shrugged and went to eat.

“Does Jagged know” Mari looked down and seemed torn. “He doesn’t.” she shook her head and looked sad as if lying was something she wished she never had to do. He sighed and then she answered.

“Since Alfred was a holder and you guys are heroes, I thought it was safe to tell you.” He gave Alfred a look and Alfred only seemed to smile at him.

“Well I don’t see why we cant train you” Mari looked up at him, “ But you under no circumstances can leave the cave” She smiled and jumped from her seat and ran to him, little Mari gave him a hug and thanked him. He could only chuckle at her enthusiasm.

This little girl is full of surprises and I doubt this is the last of them.

Next

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Taglist🐞🦇

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[amberwild420]

one step back, two steps forward (pt. 8)

masterlist

family dinner

The girls chatted as they stepped out of the school. Luka and Kagami promised to meet them there so they can all go for the dinner. And true to their words they were there.

 Luka! Kagami! So glad you could make it!

 I wouldn’t miss our duel for anything.

Kagami slightly smiled. Since lunch, she had been looking forward to the duel. Luka merely smiled and the group walked towards Kaylan’s home.

  When Kaylan told them about class and the drama that unfolded after class, they were angry but pleased when Kaylan used Bustier’s words against the class.

 You seriously need to teach me how to trash talk!

 Marinette laughed. All the responses and comebacks that Kaylan had used till now made her days.

I can teach you but you have to toughen up first. What they are doing is wrong and I want you to save yourself.

 Marinette gave a sad smile. Luka, Kagami and Kaylan shared a look.

 I trust them that they can realize the truth and everything will be back to how it was.

 I don’t think so.

 Kaylan fired back. She stopped, making the rest stop too. She had a blank face but her eyes were calculating.

Marinette…..*sigh*………..look I know you say that everything will be ok or that you trust them, but……but deep down you know that after what they had done, you won’t be able to trust them……………..at least not like before………you know before all this started. As for that everything will be alright……….it’s just as connected to the trust. You think it will be alright but you know that your trust and relationship will be strained. So much that slowly and sub-consciously you will cut them out.

 Marinette made a face. A flash of coldness passed through her eyes. But it was gone before she mumbled,

 You wouldn’t know that.

I know that. I have seen that. Or rather someone close to me had seen that and told me.

 For a moment they looked vulnerable. But it was gone when Marinette nodded. She seriously needed to talk to Tikki. She was good at listening and giving advises.

 Come on we don’t want to be late.

 They silent moment broke and they walked towards the apartment building.

 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The woman smiled sweetly and welcomed the trio in. As soon as they settled in the woman started mothering them, hugging them tightly, asking them of their day, talking non-stop.

Mom! You are overwhelming them. Slowdown will ya!

 The woman stopped abruptly and smiled sheepishly when she saw the expression of the trio.

 Sorry. Sorry. I was just excited that you made so many friends in such a short time.

 *sigh* this is Veronica Fox, my mother. She is a freelance psychiatrist. And yes, she is the one who made the banshee therapy for akuma prevention.

 Oh! It’s nice to meet you kids. I’m so happy you made friends with my broody daughter.

 I’m not broody. Batman brood. I sit back and judge……… And fight when they irritate me.

 Marinette nervously laughed not knowing what was going on. The difference between the mother and daughter was like sun and moon. And judging by Kagami’s attempt to hide her smile and Luka’s quite snicker they must have thought the same.

 She could feel Tikki’s amusement from her purse.

 At least someone’s having fun.

 She thought and sighed.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The small training room was cozy. Their apartment was not by any mean big and luxurious but it wasn’t too small. The two bedrooms, a living room, a guestroom, a kitchen and a spare room turned to training room was definitely not small. Kagami was attracted towards the small assortment of the blades on the wall.

 A beautiful long bladed spear stood tall in the center. The shine and sharpness of the blade gave her a sense of satisfaction.

Next to it was a double bladed weapon. Marinette who stood behind Kagami looked confused.

 I don’t think I had ever seen this type of weapon in your collection Kagami. What type of weapon is this?

 She whispered to the Japanese girl who looked rather stunned.

A naginata!        Kaylan called from behind them. Veronica left the teens to get started for the evening tea. Luka also joined the girls, giving out an impressed whistle.

 It’s not easy to wield a weapon of this caliber. Not without years and years of practice.

 Kagami looked impressed.

 Wait were her eyes shining like all those anime characters she had seen or was Marinette hallucinating?

 Kaylan looked amused. She picked up the blade in question and went in the middle of the room. The rest waiting in the side in anticipation. Kaylan stood with her eyes closed mentally preparing to do a simple trick rather then something complicated.

With a sigh, she opened her eyes and spin the pole around her with a familiar ease and pointed it towards Kagami, who looked like a child in a candy store.

Smiling softly she put the weapon back to where it belonged.

 It was impressive!

 Kagami said with a wide smile. If it wasn’t her ability to school her emotion she would be rumbling like Marinette normally does.

 I’m glad you thought so. To me it is like a fish to water. That’s why I learned to fight with this far quicker.

 Uh………..       Marinette didn’t know what to ask but she shuffled around nervously before opening her mouth to ask her a question.

 Is it really hard to fight with this two blade pole?

Yes. / It is.

 Both girls said at the same time. They looked at each other before turning towards the designer.

 Wielding a naginata requires a lot of practice. Especially for women. First because of the height and weight that requires a lot of upper body strength. This one is normal length mostly used by samurai’s. Women warriors use one smaller and lighter.

 Kagami told them rather eagerly. She wanted to learn. But her affinity was with sword. But to see one here and someone to use a weapon she longed to learn right in front of her was making her warm in chest.

 It’s not just the upper body strength………        Kaylan interrupted.

Normal naginata have only one blade. Mine has double blade. It makes it even more difficult to practice. You can’t get distracted. Or one of the two blades can cut you.

 Kagami nodded. This is exactly what made this weapon so magnetic for her. She turned to the wall and picked up the only katana from the wall.

  The beautiful white sheath with small patterns and beautifully crafted handle. Marinette subtly took out her sketch book, suddenly inspired by a sword to make a base line of her next dress.

 Kagami unsheathe the sword, admiring the blade before turning to Kaylan.

 I believe a duel is in order.

 Kaylan only smirked before taking her sword and turning towards the sparring mat. Kagami unsheathed her own saber but was bummed out when Kaylan didn’t unsheathed her own but didn’t comment on it.

 Luka who was silent all this time, stepped forward to act as referee since Marinette was in her zone.

Both girls got in position, blades pointing each other. The moment Luka signaled both clashed. Both countering the other, not letting other to take advantage of the opening.

 Marinette looked at the dual fascinated. Tikki the ever loving god/Kawami was recording the dual. (She is still hiding in the purse mind you. She just doesn’t want her chosen’s friend to get into trouble when they clearly forgot about the promised video.)

 It was until Kagami thrust her saber point blank and it hit Kaylan in the shoulder when she tried to block it. A moment of silence passed before Kaylan chuckled and relaxed.

 Not bad, Tsurugi!

 Kagami who looked rather bewildered. Apparently she didn’t thought it would actually hit. But she relaxed when Kaylan laughed. She smiled.

 Not too bad yourself, Fox.

 Best out of three?

 I don’t mind.

 And with that they positioned themselves again.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The next two rounds were a tie and another win for Kagami, though it was longer than any match Kagami ever participated.

 I would have won if it was my trusty pole.

 Kaylan said, before putting the katana back to its place. Kagami let out a hum of affirmation. No doubt there, she was good at handling it. They turned to the pair of whip coiled at the wall.

A silver whip with a small curved blade.

And another with golden handle and an arrow like blade. Both adorn the wall, with a grace of their own.

 How good are you with a whip?

 It was Marinette who asked this time. Her eyes were calculatingly looking at the weapon. If she is good with such weapons then giving her a miraculous with an unconventional weapon will be easy for her to use in akuma battle.

 Better than sword. Almost as good as gladiator.

 The trio raised an eyebrow. She smiled sheepishly before gesturing towards the naginata.

 You named that thing?        Kagami looked rather amused. The designer and the musician snickered when Kaylan let out a dramatic gasp.

 How dare you call gladiator a thing?! He is my trustworthy ally.

 The trio laughed. A whine that was more like complaining sounded. A smile rose to her lips, Veronica looked at the old picture on the fridge. It was two of them, she cried when she first held her smiling daughter. It was one of her favorite memory.

Her life hasn’t been easy. No friend. No family. But it felt nice to hear her talking to friends, laughing. Maybe it was the right decision to come here despite the emotional terrorist.

 Kids, have some snacks! God forbid I can’t have any more kids with no self-care.

 MOM!!!

 And one again the laughter rose.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Taking a bite of the fruit sandwich, Marinette hummed in satisfaction. Fruit tart and fruit trifle were available in bakery but……… she definitely need to get the recipe.

 Kagami looked right at home. Well, considering it was from her home country. Luka, Kaylan and her mother were tending to their tea.

 Now that we all are gathered……..let’s begin the interrogation.

 Veronica winked at the kids making them giggle while Kaylan rolled her eyes fondly.

 So I know about Marinette being the aspiring fashion designer that could give other designer a run for their money, what about two of you? I don’t think any of you was mentioned before.

That’s because we met today and I decided that are worth my time and effort. Unlike some liars and dumb sheep that share only one brain cell which could die anytime now.

 Veronica lightly slapped her on the thigh, but Kaylan just shamelessly smirked. The trio exchanged knowing glances.

 Yep, they were like sun and the moon. Not like mother, like daughter kind.

 Kagami is a world class fencer. She had won many gold medals in every single competition and she is training for the Olympus.

 Marinette excitedly started talking. The girl in question had a very tiny blush on her cheeks when her friend kept gushing about her.

I’m actually a guitarist, I was with the kitty section but now I’m going solo.

 And Luka sometimes intern with Jagged Stone, he can hear the songs of the soul.

 That’s nice I’m sure you wouldn’t mind telling me what type of music my soul emits?

 The said boy nodded before closing his eyes and focusing while everyone else held their breath when they saw Luka frowning. It wasn’t like the unpleasant frown when he heard Lila’s song. But more like he couldn’t figure out how to tell.

It’s…………

 Everyone leaned forward batting their breath waiting for him to speak.

 It’s ……it’s like many different melodies mixed together. Not like a mush or anything unpleasant. More like…..orchestra? No more like a mix classic and rock band.  

 Veronica looked eager to learn about the mixed melody. Kagami and Marinette looked curious as well. Kaylan just calmly sipped her tea before interrupting.

 Let me guess? Sharp and fast notes of violin, upbeat of a drum? That’s her alright.

here

She got another hit from her mother but she just rolled her eyes hiding her smile behind the cup.

 You don’t need to hide it mom, anyone who dares to antagonize you learn about your gentle sharpness, your excitement and upbeat personality is what everyone you meet knows. What else is there to hide?

 True.    Luka said as his eyes turned to the woman in question.

 However there is softness hiding underneath those sharp notes, your love.

Veronica looked rather pleased. She was beaming.

 Oh! Oh! What about my daughter?!

 I don’t want you to hear it.

 She flat-out refused. A little pestering occurred but she just fondly rolled her eyes.

 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Playing mortal combat, while sharing stories with each other was a good time pass. Marinette sharing her experience about being clumsy even if she could haul a 50kg bag of flour on her shoulder with ease. Kagami sharing her training and fencing experience. Luka telling them about all the melodies he had ever heard and how Marinette was the most beautiful one he ever heard (cue lots of blushing and whining and teasing). Kaylan sharing her moving around experience and difference in cultures.

 Time passed quickly and it was time for dinner. It was rather pleasant. A few jokes passed around. When they left, Veronica insisted they come to their place whenever they feel like it. They were welcomed to return when they felt like it.

 It would be best if you kids come around more often. I’m a therapist and I can see the amount of stress you kids are shouldering. It is not good normally but it is worse when you are emotionally hostage of a terrorist. So come by when you feel like you have to unwind. I might not be able to give a 100% solution but a better coping system will be nice. So don’t hesitate.

 Kaylan looked as serious as her but didn’t say anything. They bid their farewell and left.

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[itsmeevie01]

Bio!Dad Bruce Wayne Day 4 -Habits

I just wanted to put a trigger warning up at the top. It's not very well discribed, because this was edited at 3 am, BUT. Marinette... Disassociates(?) Toward the end of this. I know that it's a little different than what people usually discribe for her, but I kind of based off my experiences I've had and experiences my best friend has had.

The sun started to peak its way through the windows as Dick Grayson made his way into the kitchen at the manor. It wasn’t often that he was able to come back for long stretches of time, but when he was, he enjoyed beating his family down. As he walked in, he blinked in shock. There sitting at the counter, was Marinette. His younger sister (who he was still mad at Bruce for hiding from him) was siting there happily chatting with Alfred as she sipped on a mug of coffee. She was already dressed and seemed too chipper for 5:30 in the morning.

 At the sound of him slinging himself into a chair, Marinette threw him a smile that made Dick squint in return. He huffed in response and latched onto the mug that was passed his way. There was a reason he made sure to be up before the others, after all.

Tim was settled with his laptop when Marinette maneuvered into the sitting room. In one arm, she had her sketchbook, a bag of pencils, and a cup of water. In the other arm, she had her computer, phone, and a tray that was holding four cups of coffee. When she set one down in front of Tim, he hummed in appreciation. She sent a smirk his way and added “a gift to the lord of the room” his responding

“Hey! Get back here Little Bit!” was met with laughter. She threw him a smile and arranged herself onto the opposing couch. He smiled at her and returned to his homework. This was his quiet time, and she knew that. Recently she had been making a point to spend time working in the same space with him when they both were busy. Both times she had come to visit since Thanksgiving, he had found himself working with the girl. Somehow, she always knew when he needed a break, and the thirteen-year-old girl made sure to pull his attention away for an appropriately short amount of time. He had often found over the last few weeks that he was sleeping better because of it too. Now, as he reached over to grab the coffee, she had brought him, he smiled. Maybe he could convince her to make a habit of this.

Every week his sister had been at the manor over the course of her winter break, Dick had been beaten to the kitchen. As he stumbled through the kitchen once again at an ungodly hour of the morning, he realized that he could hear Alfred and his sister talking quietly in the smaller dining room. As he made his way into the room, he could make out the tail end of their conversation, “-do know that they would be more than willing to let you talk about this, Miss Marinette. You do not have to carry this burden on your own.” The sound of a disbelieving snort followed.

“I know you keep saying that, Alfred, but I just…they all have such busy lives and there’s so much going on in Gotham and- “

“and you are still part of the family, Miss Marinette. Master Bruce is starting to worry about you, and Master Dick is starting to notice that you are avoiding the topic. Do not shut them out, when they can help you. This situation may need an outside touch.” When Alfred finished speaking, Dick decided that he had overheard more than he should have.

“Alfred? Are you in here?” When he called out for the older man, Dick watched with a cringe as little Marinette jumped at his voice. “Hey Net! I’m not sure if I should be jealous that5 you keep beating me down in the mornings!” as he teased her, he watched her eyes light up.

“Well, Dick, you try being the child of two bakers- “as the girl started her comeback, a groggy voice cut through the air.

“what the hell are you all doing up?” the three turned to see Tim standing in the recently vacated doorway, clutching his water bottle and looking around with bloodshot eyes. “it’s like, 2 am.” At Tim’s declaration, Marinette giggled.

“Tim? Its almost 6?” the look of shock that flashed over the boy’s face made Dick frown. Tim’s all-nighters were becoming more and more frequent. The way the teen stumbled out of exhaustion was worrying.

“Hey Timmy? Let’s get you to bed.”

In the week prior to Christmas, Bruce made it a point to try and come home earlier so that he could spend more time with both Marinette and Tim, who were both supposed to be enjoying their winter breaks. He knew, of course, that Tim had wheedled his way into doing extra course work over the holiday to cut down on time spent in school. That didn’t mean that he expected the boy to focus solely on the work. Imagine his surprise when he had come home to both of his teens settled in the sitting room working. Marinette was sketching furiously, while Tim was typing away on his laptop with a ferocity that would scare many of the villains that populated Gotham. Bruce blinked in shock before turning to find Alfred standing off to the side smiling.

“They have adjusted their habits so that they can bond even though this season is busy for the both of them, Master Bruce.” He turned back to his children and smiled at the two of them as they continued working, unaware of anything outside of the sitting room.

The next morning, when Dick came down, expecting to see his sister and Alfred, he was instead met with the sight of macaroons cooling on the counters. On the island, there were croissants, and on the stove, there were pans full of freshly baked sugar cookies. He blinked in concern and turned around the room searching. On the other side of the kitchen was his sister, standing over the sink, hands unmoving, as she gazed out at the slowly rising sun. Her eyes were unfocused, and as Dick made his way over, his eyes focused on the slight tremor that was running through her hands. “Net?” When he received no answer, he moved closer, “Marinette? Hey- “the girl moved, and Dick’s hand shot out and caught the bowl that she had been holding and set it down. Gently, he guided his sister out of the kitchen and led her into the sitting room, where they passed Alfred as he made his way down for the morning.

Once Dick had Marinette settled, he sat next to her and held out one of his hands, leaving the offer for comfort open as the girl blinked and started to look around in confusion.

One moment, Marinette had been starting on the dishes, the next, she was sitting on the love seat in the siting room next to her brother. The sharp poke in her side that had brought her out of her mind was one that she could only attribute to Tikki. As she sat there, adjusting to the change in location, Marinette took a deep breath to ground herself. She wasn’t expecting her brother to speak.

“Do you want to talk about it, Net?” The girl studied the Man sitting next to her for a moment. When she decided that she couldn’t find any hint of insincerity, Marinette nodded hesitantly and trained her eyes on her hands. They were twisting in her lap, working as a distraction and an outlet for the nervous energy that had been building up since August.

“I- “Dick waited patiently for the girl to collect her thoughts, “I love Paris, I really do. I mean- it’s the place I grew up! But. Well, recently.” She hesitated again. She looked up at him, with tears in her eyes. “everything is wrong!” The phrase tore out of her, and she clamped her mouth shut afterwards as her mind flew through damage control ideas. “I mean. Well. Everything is do tense. Too perfect. No one can feel anything!” When had she started crying? Marinette could have sworn that she had a better handle on her emotions after spending the last five months held emotionally hostage. As she started to devolve into true sobs, Dick pulled the girl into a hug, and she clung to him. For the first time in almost five months the girl was able to truly process what was going on in her home city.

When Alfred came to check on them 20 minutes later, he found the duo sitting curled on the couch. In the other doorway stood a shocked Bruce. Alfred smiled at the look of shock on the fathers face before the man strode over to join his oldest and his youngest. As Alfred turned to go back into the kitchen and finish making sense of all of Marinette’s baking, the man shook his head. Who knew that the habits that Marinette influenced would be the ones that would bring the Paris situation to light?

so, i plan on picking up in the same place for tomorrow’s prompt (overprotection) so i didnt resolve anything. i think i have the rest of the month plotted out as well! as soon as i have a day where im not stuck at work all day, im going to go through and put all of these in a master post, along with my other fic *ideas*. 

just so that i can also clear up any potential confusion, no. Damian is not yet present in this. yes. he will eventually. at this point, Marinette is 13, Tim is 15, Jason (who is going to be in the background for a bit still) is 19(ish) and Dick is either 24 or 25, i haven’t decided. I do plan on including more of the Batclan as i go...

[raccdog]

Unhealthy Coping Mechanisms

*An after Loveater fic*

"Hey Adrien," Alya called. "Do you know what's wrong with Marinette?" The blond turned to look at the brunette, then to the blue eyed girl, who was hunched over her notebook, furiously writing down something on it.

"I don't know," Adrien confessed. "Why wouldn't she be ok? Is something wrong?"

Alya only shook her head. Of course the most oblivious boy in the school hadn't noticed. "She's just been acting weird," she explained. "Doesn't really talk to me, or her parents, or anyone for that matter," Alya sighed. "She spends all her time on her phone or writing in her notebook. We're just worried about her. She looks like a walking zombie."

He watched the aforementioned girl once again and she indeed had dark bags under her eyes, her skin paler than normal. How had he not noticed? Ok, he knew why. Ever since he and Kagami had gotten closer after ice-cream he had been daydreaming and spacing out more than usual, not really paying attention to his surroundings. And maybe he was being petty by ignoring some of his superhero responsibilities too, not having gone to patrol yet, but he couldn't feel bad about it right now. He was tired and honestly, he wanted to savor the rare good mood that Kagami had set in him.

That, however, didn't stop the slight nab of guilt that hit his stomach. Marinette was his friend too, and he had been ignoring her, even if it hadn't been on purpose.

He crossed the courtyard in no time thanks to his long legs, determined to talk to her.

Marinette seemed to sense him, which shocked him a little as he was trying to walk as silently as possible, similarly to his alter-ego.

She closed the notebook just as he sat on the bench next to her, sparking in him that strike of curiosity that often got him in trouble. Why did she not want him to see it? So curious.

"Hey Marinette!" He smiled brightly.

"Hey," she answered flatly, not looking at him directly. That made him frown a little. Maybe she was angry at him? But he hadn't done anything to make her mad right? They had barely interacted at all since the last time she hung out with him and Kagami.

"What were you writing? You looked so concentrated."

"Nothing. Just... some design concepts," she said courtly, shifting away slightly. But Adrien only leaned closer.

"Really? You are so creative and talented Marinette!" Adrien complimented. "Can I see?"

"No."

Suddenly everything went quiet around them, both too deep inside their own bubble of awkwardness.

Adrien was gaping at her, shocked to the core. She had never spoken to him that way before. Not even during the gum incident. He couldn't say he appreciated it. His own pent up annoyance flaring a little until he pushed it back down again. She was obviously moody. She just needed a friend who could be patient.

"Come on 'Nette just a peek-" he tried again, only to be cut off mid-sentence. "No Adrien, you can't look." She stated, not even looking up at him. Maybe any other day that would've been it, he would have been crushed to be talked to that way by a precious friend, but the feelings he had been bottling inside him surged forward without restraint. He had been worried sick ever since Chloé's disappearance. Restless because of Kagami and frustrated with a certain polka-dotted superheroine -and since the tone Marinette had used had sounded a lot like the one Ladybug used whenever she wanted to be condescending, it hadn't helped at all.-

"Well that wasn't very nice," he couldn't help but mutter passive-aggressively, his emotions boiling and ready to burst from within him, barely kept in check.

Adrien watched - with a bit of satisfaction- as she whipped her head to finally look at him in the eyes, a strange look he didn't recognize on her face.

"Excuse me?"

"You heard me," he ventured. "You were a bit rude."

Her eyes narrowed ever so slightly.

"What the fuck is your problem?" She actually growled. Ah, that was the emotion he couldn't quite place on her features: Rage.

"My problem? You are the one growling like an animal and snapping at anyone who approaches you!" He huffed indignantly.

Her face contorted in an ugly gesture before spitting out her comeback. "You are the one who got into my personal space and wanted to peep into my private journal!"

"I was just trying to check up on you!" He exclaimed exasperated. "You are worrying everyone so I thought I could sit with you and havd some friendly interaction, you know, like friends do?"

Marinette flinched for a second but was soon her ragey self again.

With a trembling sigh she got up, ready to leave, but Adrien blocked her path before she could go anywhere else.

"Where are you going?"

"Somewhere."

"We were in the middle of talking."

"Well, now we're done talking," she gritted her teeth.

"No we are not!"

"Yes we are!"

"Now you're just being stubborn," Adrien spat, the conversation and attitudes so jarringly familiar that he was a bit scared.

"I'm the stubborn one?" She cried. "Let me go."

"Not until we talk this out," he countered.

"I need to go," she hissed, inching closer.

"I'm not letting you get away until you tell me what's bothering you so much that you start acting like this, Marinette," Adrien said angrily. "This is not like you, I'm honestly kind of disappointed."

Only then he noticed that Marinette was trembling. So hard that she seemed to vibrate. Half of him felt guilty that he had pushed her so far that she had started crying, but the other part of him felt relieved that maybe she would bawl her worries away in his shoulder and they would reconcile as the best of friends after it. He was about to suggest she lean onto him when he noticed the look on her face.

Oh she wasn't crying. She was seething.

A part of him wanted to hide away from her murderous gaze while the other, more Chat Noir one wanted to one up her and scream, kick and possibly fight her.

But before he could decide between the two a clouded fog covered her eyes as she relaxed her body completly, her face and posture now completely neutral.

He had to blink several times in order to not suffer from emotional whiplash. What the fuck was that? What had happened just now?

Before he could ask, she whispered in a barely audible voice.

"Adrien, move." Her tone sent shivers down his spine. His heart rate shooting up in fear. "Before I do something we both regret."

Paralyzed on the spot, he didn't stop her this time as she walked around him. Her cold ire burnt hotter than the sun, blazing at his consciousness, regret and guilt etching themselves in his heart.

And maybe if he hadn't been so stunned by her change of demeanor he'd seen her limp and sway almost imperceptibly as she walked away.

PART 1 | Part 2 | Part 3  | Part 4 | Part 5

[itsemmylie]

Daminette Prompt

This has been stewing inside my brain for the last 2 days now. This is also my very first Miraculous Ladybug/Maribat prompt. This is aged up so they're about 16-17 in this. Please enjoy!

-------------------

Bruce Wayne holds a nationwide contest only for selected schools. They only picked the best of the best. Dupont is one of those selected few since most of the students are practically semi-famous and known and have appeared in TVs and magazines at least once.

Then the school assigns each of the class representatives to complete the task and they picked Marinette to be in charge since she's well organized, can strategize very well, quick witted, always plans ahead and has back up plans for back up plans. (The contest can be anything from writing an essay to making a video or whatever you want) And by some insane miracle, they won the contest. (Everyone praises the class representatives but more on Marinette)

Everything is being funded by the Waynes like the flight, hotel, bus tours, etc. Everyone in Dupont gets to go. The reason for this is to cultivate young minds and help them grow and be recognized, and maybe one day get to work in the company. Everyone is excited and ecstatic for the trip.

Que Lila and all her lying glory saying she 'once dated one of the Waynes, but because of her mother in the embassy, they had to move and she couldn't handle the long distance relationship' and she 'hopes that they can rekindle their love' and all that other bullsh*t on the plane to Gotham.

Marinette's class believes her and stuff and promise to help her set them up, with the exception of the other classes, Marinette, Adrien, Chloe, Sabrina, Nathaniel, and Ivan (the last two is because it isn't their forte and just tag along with the rest of the class) (Sabrina will always be loyal to Chloe and no one can change my mind. Especially since in this Chloe is ACTUALLY making an effort of being less mean after the fiasco on Heroes Day) (the teachers are on a different part of the plane discussing things about the places they're going to go, the schedule, etc.)

I love salt and all, but I really want to give the class a second chance and have Adrien actually be there for Mari like letting her vent to him, buys her ice cream and they binge anime. She learns that he's such a big dork and he's basically her new bestest friend.

Oh, btw Kagami and Adrien are dating in this. Marinette is the one who helps them set their dates up since he and Kagami do too much when planning for one because damn it you can be on a date without buying an intire yacht Adrien! She's basically their relationship consultant at this point.

Getting back on track, they get to the hotel they're staying at and Marinette hangs around other kids from other classes. Her class isn't shunning her or anything, but they just don't actively seek her out and want to hear more of Lila's tall tales and name dropping every 5 minutes. The next day they set the tour to Wayne Enterprise to properly welcome the school and stuff (idk how business stuff works I'm barely an adult) The one who welcomes them first is Dick since Bruce is probably in a meeting that he's sleeping on, Jason is somewhere in the building doing God knows what and Tim is in an office with a coffee machine working on business stuff. (Take a shot everytime I say business stuff)

He makes everyone that worked on their presentation be at the forefront of the tour and the others push Marinette at the VERY front because they're very proud of her and want to show her off. (Side note, someone takes a picture of Marinette and Dick talking together and tweet it with the caption: Serial Adopter Bruce Wayne strikes again #NewWayne #BlackHairAndBlueEyes #Confirmed????) Lila still making up stories, especially centered around the Waynes and Dick keeping an eye on her now.

They get to the cafeteria for a lunch break. The class representatives were tasked to look after their respective classes while the teachers were lead somewhere to discuss more about the future of the students and other business stuff with Bruce. The tour continues with the teachers still discussing over things so the representatives really have their hands full to reign in the more stubborn students that want to wander around the building. The tour ends with the teachers announcing that there was going to be a gala that night hosted by Bruce Wayne and they were personally invited by him to experience it and to maybe form connections.

At the gala, Lila regales the class another story of how she supposedly hosted a gala of her own, a charity gala for orphans needing medical attention. Marinette somehow accidentally trips into Damian because damn heels planning on ruining her life! Lila makes a snarky remark about how 'she did it on purpose to get attention'. Alya gets sceptical about that statement and says that 'it wasn't Marinette's fault, it was an accident. She becomes clumsy all the time whenever she gets really nervous' because she knows Marinette doesn't like to get attention on herself. Lila backtracks saying that she 'was only looking out for her' (yeah, sure we believe you 🙄)

Meanwhile, Damian caught Marinette in a dip before she could kiss the floor. His brothers make fun of him on the sidelines and he promises that he'll kill them in their sleep later. He then berates and scolds Marinette to be more careful and she shouldn't be wearing heels if she can't properly walk in them. Marinette makes a feisty comeback before leaving him there and walking towards Adrien and the others but then she gets pulled by Jagged Stone! And with Luka!

Apparently, Dick and Jason are big fans of him and went to invite him for the gala while he was still touring in America. It's then revealed that the MDC that Jagged and other notable famous people talk about is none other than Marinette! Immediately people within hearing range flock to her, asking for her business contact and when she'll open her commision slots and stuff. Bruce breaks the crowd up and talks to Marinette himself, the Wayne boys trailing behind excited to talk to their favorite artist (Heck, why not throw in with Tim being a fan of MDC) This made headlines the next day.

-------------------

And that's all I've got.

PS:

•Marinette knows Adrien is Chat. Adrien knows that Marinette is Ladybug. But they don't know that the other knows they know (this confused me too)

•Marinette has informed master Fu that she won't be in Paris for at least 2 weeks and so she has the horse Miraculous

•Chat informed Ladybug beforehand that he won't be in Paris for a few weeks because of personal matters, same went for Ladybug

•I love Luka so much that I'm just gonna mention here that Marinette set him up a gig with Jagged Stone and are basically on tour with him

•Also, Tikki is very supportive here and she only guides Marinette but never outright forces her to do anything

[purrincess-chat]

Kill Em With Kindness CH2

Thank you all so much for 3.5k (and growing)! You are all so wonderful, and I’m glad that you all enjoy my content enough to stick around and follow. I have a lot of plans for the future, and I just hope that you all will like them! Here is part two of this next spite filled adventure.

The opening scene and really this whole fic were inspired by lenore’s post from forever ago after Chameleon came out so shouts out! Also, I know several of you wanted me to tag you when I updated this, and I will do my best to get everyone, but I suggest getting an AO3 account and subscribing to the fic there instead. You’ll get an email whenever I update, and I always post on AO3 first before tumblr. 

Read on AO3

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Chapter 2

“You know, when you made these plans with Adrien, I thought you meant to be nice,” Tikki said chidingly in the bathroom as Marinette washed her hands several days later.

“I am being nice,” Marinette said with an innocent pout.

“You put a ‘Coping with loss’ book on Lila’s desk yesterday.”

“She said her hamster died.”

“And the safety glasses by the napkins in the cafeteria?” Tikki cocked a brow.

“Max was worried about losing an eye.”

“You did your science presentation on tinnitus.”

“Well, after the music festival with Juleka’s mom, I was worried about our hearing.” Marinette snatched a paper towel from the dispenser and dried her hands.

“Your history report on the greatest liars and cheats in history?”

“I became fascinated with P.T. Barnum’s life after that movie and finishing with a comparison of Volpina and Rena Rouge was just a modern-day example everyone could identify with.” Tikki gave her a look. “I got a standing ovation for that presentation.”

“What about the fact-checking robot you petitioned Max to make?”

“For Alya for her birthday! I’m just trying to help her become a better journalist because I’m a good friend.” Marinette placed her hands on her hips haughtily.

“Speaking of Alya, you’ve been telling her to just hang out with Nino lately.”

“She said she wanted to spend more time with him. I’m just being supportive of their relationship,” she shrugged.

“Marinette,” Tikki sighed.

“What? We can’t expose Lila, so we’re just playing along until she inevitably exposes herself which I will watch probably with popcorn,” Marinette said with a laugh. “It’s called kill em with kindness.”

“It’s called being petty.”

“Semantics,” Marinette waved it away, but Tikki was unamused. “Look, I can’t beat Lila at lies. She just makes more, so I’ve come up with another plan that doesn’t harm anyone and keeps everyone from getting mad at me for calling her out. I mean, you saw what happened the other day when she got me expelled. Scarlet Moth almost made a comeback, and I was on the frontlines.”

“I guess we can’t let that happen again…” Tikki reasoned, tapping her chin.

“Exactly. Lila wants everyone to believe those things, so I’m just gonna let her keep falling down the rabbit hole until she eventually hits the bottom,” Marinette said with a twisted grin. “If I happen to push her a little deeper along the way then so be it.”

“That’s very underhanded of you, Marinette.”

“I don’t like it when people use my friends and threaten me.” Marinette clenched her fists. “She almost got me akumatized multiple times now, and we can’t ever let that happen.”

“You’re right. Just be careful,” Tikki advised.

“Don’t worry, Tikki. Coming up with solutions is my superpower.” She winked as her phone buzzed in her pocket with an akuma alert. “Speaking of, we have a city to save. Tikki, transform me!”

***

“Ladybug!” Alya waved her down after the battle, brandishing her cell phone. “Do you have time for a quick interview?”

“A little,” she said with a shrug. “Make it quick.”

“Okay, okay, many of my viewers want to know what advice you have to help people stay positive to avoid being akumatized,” Alya began, pressing record.

“Well, I would recommend changing your perspective a little. Instead of being bummed out about failing a test, maybe commit to studying harder next time. If you get into a fight with your friends, just take a deep breath and remember that if they’re your real friends, they’ll forgive you.” Ladybug replied, placing her hands on her hips. “And if you do get akumatized, don’t make a big deal out of it. Chat Noir and I will always be there to save you. Negative emotions are a part of life just like positive ones, and everyone can have a bad day, even me.”

“Next question, with the passing of Hero’s Day, my viewers want to know what they can do to help you and Chat Noir.”

“Just do your best every day. Lift each other up instead of tearing each other down and do your best to help others who need it,” she said with a smile.

“My friend Marinette is like that, always helping others and helping us stay positive,” Alya remarked, and Ladybug bit back a smirk.

“I think I’ve met her a few times. She’s alerted me of a few akumas here and there.” She tapped her chin with a coy smile. “Not everyone has superpowers like me and Chat Noir, but there are a lot of ways to help out in your school, in your community, or even in your own home just like your friend. I think that everyone should strive to be a Marinette.”

She pressed a hand to her earrings as they beeped and palmed her yoyo, flashing Alya a peace sign. “Gotta go before I change back.”

“Thank you for your time, Ladybug!” Alya bounced on her heels, clutching her phone to her chest as Ladybug tossed her yoyo over the roof.

“Bug out!”

***

When Lila walked through the doors of the library that afternoon, she stopped short when her eyes locked with Marinette’s sitting at the table with Max. They held that same taunting innocence that made Lila’s blood boil, and she knew this was another one of her “nice” schemes.

“Oh, Lila, there you are,” she greeted with a smile, and Lila did her best to suppress an eye roll. “You haven’t been doing so well in class, so I’ve asked everyone to pitch in helping you catch up. Max is here to help you with your maths and science, Rose has agreed to help you with Literature, Sabrina can help you out with history, and then Nathaniel said he would be more than happy to help you with the art project we have due next week.”

“Oh, that’s not necessary. Adrien agreed to help me,” Lila said, waving it away. “He should be here any minute.”

“Actually, he had a pop-up fencing lesson with Kagami this afternoon. She insisted because her mother is so hard on her to improve her technique, and Adrien is the only opponent who challenges her enough, so he just couldn’t say no,” Marinette explained.

“Adrien does score well across the board on all of his exams; however, his schedule guarantees an 87.96% chance that you won’t get sufficient help in order to pull your grades up in time, so Marinette reached out to the rest of us to step in on his behalf so you don’t fail the semester,” Max stated, and Marinette smiled sweetly beside him.

“As class representative, I’m just looking out for the needs of everyone,” she said, standing up. “Thanks again for your help, Max.”

“No problem, Marinette.” Max waved it away. “Oh, and I will have prototype designs for that software you asked me for later this week.”

“Awesome! You’re the best, Max!” Marinette clasped her hands together cheerfully. “Good luck, Lila, and let me know if you need any more help.”

Lila offered her a forced smile before her face fell into a scowl.

“Have fun at movie night!” Max called, waving as she left.

“Movie night?” Lila quirked a brow.

“Yes, many of our classmates are convening to watch movies at Kim’s house this evening, but seeing as it’s a movie I’ve already seen, I agreed to help you catch up on your studies tonight instead,” Max explained, pulling out his textbooks. “I’ve assembled 100 maths problems for us to work covering each section of material that you missed while you were traveling then I have a PowerPoint reviewing over our particle physics unit from last term-”

Lila glared at the door Marinette had gone through, gripping her pencil with white knuckles. She wasn’t quite sure what game Marinette was playing with her, but she was definitely up to something. No matter, she wasn’t about to be defeated so easily. After all, she had Gabriel Agreste on her side.

***

“How did Lila react to Max?” Adrien asked as Marinette grabbed a juice from the snack table.

“She looked half ready to strangle me,” Marinette replied, popping the tab and taking a sip.

“There isn’t going to be a lot I can do if my father decides to use her in photoshoots again, but I’ll help you in any way that I can outside of that,” he said, grabbing a cookie.

“What are you two whispering about?” Alya asked with a smirk, and they both stiffened.

“Uh, I was just asking Marinette if she wanted to sit with me during the movie,” Adrien said, nudging Marinette with his elbow.

“Y-Yeah, I- of course. You don’t mind, do you, Alya?” Marinette fumbled, and her friend gave a proud beam.

“Not at all. I was actually on my way to tell you that I want to sit with Nino.” She winked.

“Great. Then it’s settled.” Adrien waved as they moved to their bean bags.

“How did she sneak past your father anyway? I thought he was some impenetrable wall?” She asked, and Adrien threw his head back with a sigh.

“Your guess is as good as mine. Is it wrong I kind of wish she’d teach me?” He chuckled, popping a popcorn kernel into his mouth.

“Your dad let you come to this, didn’t he?” Marinette pointed out, but Adrien averted his gaze guiltily.

“I’m technically supposed to be meeting with my Chinese tutor right now, but I may have told him I lost my voice while also telling Gorilla that this was his address,” Adrien admitted, tapping his chin with an impish grin.

“Sneaky,” Marinette complimented, but he curled his shoulders.

“I feel kind of bad disobeying him, but all I want to do is see my friends. What’s so wrong with that?” He shrugged, and Marinette offered him a smile.

“Nothing, and I’m sure your dad will come around eventually,” she said, placing a hand on his shoulder.

“Thanks, Marinette. I really hope so.” He smiled weakly, his gaze softening on her. “You really are the kindest girl at school. Lila won’t know what hit her.”

Marinette bit back a smile, cheeks pink and heart pounding.

“Ya know, Adrien, maybe if your dad ever allows it we could-”

“Lila, Max, you made it!” Kim called, and Marinette felt her blood run cold.

“I’m a really fast learner,” Lila said, shooting Marinette a pointed glare, and her jaw clenched as Nathalie entered through the doorway beside her. “Oh, Adrien, I ran into Nathalie on the way over. She was worried about where you were, so I told her we could check here for you.”

“Adrien, you’re supposed to be at Chinese right now,” Nathalie scolded, and Adrien stiffened, face falling. “If you come now, I won’t tell your father about this.”

“Yes, Nathalie,” he said glumly, shooting Marinette an apologetic wince. “I’ll see you at school.”

“I’m sorry, Adrien. I didn’t realize you’d get in trouble.” Lila winced, pressing a hand to her lips in an ‘oops’ manner. “Nathalie said your father was worried.”

“It’s okay, Lila. It’s my fault,” Adrien said as he passed, head hung low as he made his way out with Nathalie.

When the door closed behind them, Lila curled her shoulders and turned to everyone with a pout.

“I’m sorry. I feel like I ruined everything. I didn’t realize that Adrien was here without permission,” she said, covering her face.

“Don’t sweat it, Lila. You didn’t know,” Nino assured her, and she peeked over her hands.

“I hope he doesn’t get into too much trouble,” she fretted, but Nino waved it away.

“Nah, Nathalie totally sticks up for him. If she says she won’t tell, then she won’t,” he said, and Lila relaxed a little.

“That’s a relief,” she sighed.

“Well, since Adrien had to bounce, why don’t you take his seat next to Marinette? You two have been getting along so great lately,” Alya suggested, pointing to the empty beanbag beside Marinette, and Lila flicked her gaze to meet Marinette’s with a grin.

“Do you mind, Marinette?” She asked, a challenging glint in her eye as if to say, ‘your move.’

“Not at all.” Marinette smiled sweetly as Lila paced over to sit down, and her phone buzzed in her pocket with a text from Adrien.

Well, looks like we have our work cut out for us.

Marinette glanced at Lila out of the corner of her eye, chatting with Rose about Kitty Section before typing a quick reply.

So it would seem.

*sigh here we go*

Tagging: @teresarosiadeviluke2112 @sam-spectra @posyfoot @captain-rice @aloeveraspeaks @somethingelsefine @crazylittlemunchkin @worlds-tiniest-spook-pastry @rlv29 @kaleigh-girlonfire @kokoa-vb @fanwarrior-at-your-service @liebredavinci @starberry-mina @dalandana @rose-sparks13 @foreverblindedbystars @a-6-yearold-inside @redheadeddemon16 @deerestaurelia @graduatedmelon @janaikam @zatanni @shamefulllove @lunar-wolf-warrior @french-dog-joke @magnitude101999 @pinkittwice @musicallylara @summersprit-sims @timelinegodabandoned @patronusxcharms @azureocean33 @zazzlejazzle 

[hermionemonica]

Cause I knew I was in love with you (when we sat in silence): Marichat May 2020 - Day 8

AO3 | For the @marichatmay

Collab with @lalunaoscura

DAY 1 | <- 7 | 8 | 9 ->

Day 8 — Hold my baton

The darkness could be explained because her eyes were closed. But were her ears closed too? It was deathly silent, so much so that it almost felt deafening. No birds sang, no people chattered. There were no sound s of life.  

“Marinette?”

She opened her eyes slowly, only to find herself staring into a pair of cold blue eyes.

“You’re up!” Before she could take in his face, white-clad arms wrapped around her tightly.  

When the person pulled back, she finally got to take a good look at the ir face.

Chat Blanc.

Marinette recoiled in fear, but Chat’s arms held her so she could not move away.  

“Is something wrong, Princess?” he asked with his brows furrowed.

“Chat,” she whispered, “what happened?”                            

“Oh, nothing,” Chat shrugged, “just a bit of a mess I made.”

Marinette’s eyes widened. She pushed him away and stood up. All around her was water. Endless, blue water.  

Paris was drowned. Her beloved city was destroyed. She had failed, again.

“What have you done,” her voice broke.

“It is nothing!” Chat walked towards her. “Nothing matters as long as you are with me.”

“NO!” Marinette screamed, turning to look at him. “This was not supposed to happen!”

“Marinette,” Chat placed a hand on her cheek. “I will destroy the world over and over again, if it means you can be with me.”

Her heart stopped at his words. “You fell in love with me again,” she whispered.

“I have always been in love with you, Princess.” The smile on his face was unsettling.

She stood transfixed for a moment before finally tearing her gaze from his eyes. “Where’s Tikki?” S he looked around herself, but there was no sign of either her purse or the magical being she sought.

A low laugh made her look back to the white cat. Something felt wrong.

“Chat, where is Tikki?”

“I dealt with her,” he said easily. Tracing a clawed finger down her cheek and neck, he spoke in a jeering voice, “You lied to me, m’lady.”

A knot rose to her throat. “Chat,” she begged.

“YOU LIED TO ME, LADYBUG!” He screamed, leaping back on all fours with his tail whipping dangerously in the air. “You don’t love me as much as I love you, do you?”

“Chat Noir...”

“It is Chat Blanc,” he whispered in a menacing tone, getting back onto his legs. As he walked behind himself towards the edge of the roof, he spoke, “Goodbye, Marinette.” And then he jumped backwards into the-

“No!” Marinette sat up with a shout.  

Sweat dripped from her brow. She looked around herself, taking in her surroundings. It had been a dream. Another nightmare. She raised her hands in front of her face . T hey would not stop shaking.

As she ran her shaking hands through her hair, she came to a resolution . She needed to talk to Chat Noir.

*

Chat Noir was surprised to see the balcony deserted. Over the past couple of months, he had been getting used to seeing Marinette waiting for him on her balcony every night.

His heart wrenched with worry. Had something happened to her?

He peeked through the skylight. There she was, sitting curled up i nto herself on the chaise. She was facing away from him, but he gathered she was awake.

He knocked at the latch. Once, twice. And then he finally caught Marinette’s attention. She turned around, and... his heart stopped.

Her eyes were red. It looked like she had been crying. Her pretty face was devoid of its usual cheerfulness. Something was terribly wrong.

Marinette trudged across the room and made her way up the ladder. It appeared as if every movement was weighing heavily upon her, pulling her down. For a moment, she stood still at the top of the ladder, staring blankly at Chat Noir through the glass pane. Her eyes were empty. Her face was tired. She looked just as miserable, maybe even more, as the day he had started visiting her.

She slowly lifted the skylight door. Before Chat Noir could voice his agitation, she spoke up. “Come inside, we need to talk.”

We need to talk. Adrien had never liked that sentence.

“What is it Marinette? Did you have another of those nightmares? Are you- do you want me to hold you?”

Marinette plopped onto the chaise, as though standing up was an ordeal for her legs. A few moments of uncomfortable silence passed before she spoke.

“Why do you keep coming back, Chat Noir?”

Chat stopped dead in his tracks. Did he hear that right?

“Mari?”

“Why, Chat?” Marinette whipped around, tears brimming in her beautiful blue eyes. “Don’t you have other things to do? You have the entire city of Paris to look after! That is your job, your responsibility! That is what you should be doing, rather than coming back here night after night!”

Marinette hid her face in her hands and wept.  

A few moments of silence fell, broken only by her whimpers. And then she felt leather-gloved hands slowly come over her own. She tried to resist but the strong hands firmly, yet gently , pushed her hands away from her face.

“Look at me, Marinette,” Chat whispered, lightly squeezing her hands. But she was afraid that if she looked into his eyes, she would fall weak.

“Please,” he implored, but Marinette refused.

She heard him sigh. His hands came up to rest on either side of her face, fingers threading through her hair and thumbs resting on her cheeks.

“Don't tell me what to do.” He practically growled those six words, making Marinette finally look up at him.

His green eyes were narrowed. They bore into hers with intense passion, something that she could not fathom.  

“I come back every night because I care about you.” H e went on, “Because you are special to me.”

“Why?” she asked. “Why am I special to you?”

Was she prepared for the answer? No.

It appeared, neither was he. Something in his expression changed as his eyes wandered away from her face. A moment of silence passed before he spoke again. “Because,” he hesitated, “because I am your best friend, didn’t you say so?”

Marinette took in a deep breath. This was not a time to fall weak. This was not about her, or Chat.  

Removing his hands from her face, she spoke, “This is my house, Chat Noir.” She hated the words coming from her mouth, but there was no other way. “I have a say in who I want to come here and who I do not.”

The way his ears dropped down on hearing her words, pained her heart to the core. He took a step back. “You don't want me to come?”

She stayed silent, staring at the floor at her feet.  

“Marinette.” Chat spoke in a little voice, “Do you really not want me to come?”

“I don't.” She spoke in one final whisper.

Chat stood there for only a few seconds before he climbed back through the skylight trapdoor.

Marinette waited a few moments before making her way up the ladder to her bed. Before climbing onto her bed, she went up to her balcony.

She did not know why she did that. Maybe some part of her expected Chat to be waiting there for her.

But he was not. He had gone away, disappeared into the night where he belonged. She could transform and chase after him, but that wouldn’t be the right thing to do.

She slowly returned to her room and sat on her bed. The iPod that Chat had given to her lay by the side of her bed.

“Are you sure that was the right decision, Marinette?” A tiny voice chipped.

“Yes Tikki,” she breathed. “ This was the only decision. After all, Chat Noir does not belong to me. And I can't afford to have him get attached to me. What if he discovers you?”

“But does this make you happy?”

“No,” she confessed. “ But I will be fine. I have to be. There’s no other way.” She got under the covers. “Good night, Tikki.”

After a concerned gaze at her chosen, Tikki flew off to her perch upon the headboard.

*

When Marinette walked into the classroom after one sleepless night, she was a mess. Her hair was shabbily pulled into a bun, she was wearing no makeup, and there were visible bags under her eyes. It looked like the exhausted, drained, Marinette had made her comeback after an interval.

“Rough night?” Alya asked as she slid into her seat.

“Don’t ask.” S he plopped her head onto the table.

“Looks like you’re not the only one though. ” Alya whispered into her ear, making Marinette look up.  

Adrien walked into the class with dreary steps. At first glance, he looked just like any other day. But if you took a second look, you would realise that he was just as messed up as Marinette. His emerald green eyes were lifeless, and prominent red veins marked the white of his eyes. It was difficult to miss the dark circles hidden underneath his concealer. His shoulders drooped and his face was contorted into a tired frown.

During roll call, Adrien turned around in his seat. Forcing a smile onto his face, he looked at Marinette. “Good morning, Marinette. How was your night?”

“I’ve seen better,” she spoke honestly. It wiped the smile off Adrien’s face. “You don’t seem very good yourself?” she asked.

“It’s nothing,” he shrugged, turning back.

Something about his body language did not sit right with her. She was just about to beckon him, when she realised that her name had been called thrice already. Ms. Bustier was kind enough to excuse her, given her unfortunate appearance.

*

Another night came and went by with no sleep. The nightmares were getting worse. At this rate, she wouldn’t be able to last much longer without having another fit in school.  

“You know Chat is just one text away?” Tikki suggested.

Marinette shrugged. She did not have the heart to ask him to come back after what happened that night. But she knew very well that nothing, nor anyone else , could make her feel better.

*

Before she went to bed that night, she decided to take a stroll in her balcony. She hoped the night air would do her good.  

As she climbed up, she was greeted by two green orbs glowing in the darkness. She gasped and took a step back.

Chat Noir seemed just as surprised to see her.

“What are you doing here?” she asked.

“Patrol.” She knew for a fact that he was lying, because they had no patrol scheduled that night.

“So you are going to consider this place your personal resting place, huh?” A smile tugged at the edges of her lips.

“I am sorry.” His ears drooped. “I will go.”

Just as he turned away, she gripped on his tail and tugged.

“Please don’t go,” she whispered.

Chat Noir turned around and stepped closer to her. When they stood only about a foot away from each other, Chat stopped. He grinned and leaned down, “Do you want me to stay?”

Marinette smiled and jumped into his arms. “And never go away again.”

Chat returned the embrace. “Did you miss me?” H e whispered into her hair.

Marinette only tightened the hug in response.

When they broke the embrace, Marinette smiled and said, “Are you wearing your hoodie and mask?”

“I am.” He smiled back at her.

That night, both of them finally found sleep in each other’s arms after spending two lonely and sleepless nights away from each other.

[call-me-nerdy]

Felix doesn't have "Vacations"

Felinette November Day 4; Vacation

It's late, sorry.

So I had a vague idea of what to do, but it went off the rails real quick. I'm not proud of the ending, but I'll live.

I couldn't finish this yesterday because of well, school. So I'll probably do a double update one of these days to catch up on schedule.

-----

Felix Agreste is endearing.

Semestral break crept up on Felix like a fox stalking an unsuspecting prey; slow and steady before pouncing on him with a hectic onslaught of extracurricular activities on his schedule.

Felix would say he was merely inconvenienced by the numerous 'hobbies' his mother had requested him to partake in, but that didn't mean he wasn't overwhelmed by her overeager plans.

The timetable was light in his hands, though it honestly seemed to weigh him down with every task that was printed on the pristine, white paper. Felix scanned the letters in disdain, a faint throbbing started to grow at the back of his head.

A modeling gig on Monday, followed by a violin recital on Tuesday. Wednesday entails a whole day rehearsal with the local Chamber Orchestra, and we are set to perform on Friday at night. I have to assist with the fencing classes on Thursday, and another modeling event on Friday afternoon before the performance. Add my daily study sessions and the projects I have to finish into the mix, and I'm positive that this is impossible to achieve.

Felix bit back a groan. He knew how awfully ambitious his mother could get, but even he had to admit that this was edging on to overkill at this point. The thought of Monday alone l was enough to drown his mind with poisonous dread– draining Felix of the motivation that he tried desperately to keep. It didn't help that these kinds of events were already preplanned appointments, locking Felix out of any opportunity to just *ditch* them in favor of laying on his bed with an absurd amount of sweets. Felix pinched the bridge of his nose, muttering words of frustration under his breath.

"Grumpy today, aren't we. What's on your mind?" The familiar voice rang clear, the scent of freshly baked bread tickled his nose. Felix looked up to meet cheeky, bluebell eyes staring back. Marinette smiled at him, a tray of freshly baked croissants in her hands.

Felix inhaled the aroma, savoring the phantom taste of croissants on his tongue. He sighed, reaching out for a croissant. "Keen-eyed as ever, Dupain-Cheng." Felix quickly retracted his arm when Marinette slapped it away.

"Not until you tell me why you're grumbling over there." She set the tray on the table, and with a swift movement, plopped down on the seat in front of Felix.

"My mother gave me my schedule for the week today. And because it's semestral break, she took extra care to make my vacation, and I quote, productive." Felix emphasized his point with air quotes, handing the paper to Marinette. "And as much as it is a nuisance, her overeager involvement in my extracurricular activities is barely an uncommon occurence."

Marinette winced, "Wow. This is overkill. Is this even a vacation anymore?"

"It's an eyesore." Felix grumbled, taking a croissant from the tray. The pastry broke easily in his mouth. Flaky and crisp, it melted into raw happiness on his tongue.

Marinette giggled, "Well, best of luck to you. I bet you can't even survive 'til next week without me." she challenged.

Felix clicked his tongue, "Oh, please. I may have a hectic schedule, but it's still a vacation from seeing you tripping on air every five minutes." he rolled his eyes, taking another bite of his croissant.

Marinette stuck out her tongue, "Maybe so. But admit it, you can't live without me for a whole week." she said as she took a croissant for herself

"Keep on dreaming, Dupain-Cheng. I can survive very well without your cheeky comments." Felix scoffed, only to recieve Marinette's smug smirk in return.

"We'll see, Agreste." She giggled, "We'll see."

-----

Marinette didn't like liars. In fact, she openly despised them.

Perhaps her hatred for untruths stemmed from her strong sense of justice; a trait that, although it was already prominent in her life before Ladybug, was carefully nurtured and encouraged by Tikki to the point that it was nearly a fault. Marinette wouldn't have it any other way.

Yes, she may lie on a semi-regular basis, but it was only always when she needed to get away to transform into Paris' superhero, Ladybug. Marinette hated lying almost as she hated liars themselves. And so when she came to the conclusion that she loved teasing Felix Agreste, who was she to deny the truth? Denying it would've made her as bad as Lila Rossi, and Marinette absolutely refused to be likened to that witch.

She couldn't help herself. Felix was the stereotypical 'Ice King' at surface level: cold, reserved, and refused to show any weakness at all costs. So seeing his pale cheeks rapidly color a shade of pink, and him trying so desperately and failing to fight the flush everytime that she jested and poked fun at his little quirks, – It was not only hilarious, but outright endearing.

Felix Agreste is endearing.

Last week was no different.

Felix arrived earlier than usual at the bakery. Hell, she had only woken up about thirty minutes prior to her Papa announcing that a friend was asking for her downstairs. Marinette scrambled to make herself presentable, and went downstairs rather chaotically with a few fresh bruises on her ankles. Armed with a tray of freshly baked croissants, she scurried to their usual table only to see Felix looking awfully grumpy in his seat — well, grumpier than he usually was. Marinette may be a sometimes most of the time, tripping over her feet and bumping into random objects. But make no mistake, that despite all her shortcomings, she was observant. Observant enough to notice the frustration that shaped Felix's frown and his troubled countenance as he bit down on his lip. She had noticed his narrowed eyes, scrunched up nose and the way his fists tightly clenched the paper he glared at so furiously.

And so she greeted him heartily, hiding her concern when she asked why he looked so glum.

Apparently, his mother had filled his whole week with events. A photoshoot here, a rehearsal there, it all seemed so taxing. Felix had claimed that his mother was merely 'overeager', and that he had survived such schedules multiple times in his past. Marinette would've voiced her opinion of his mother expecting too much from him, but she ultimately decided to bite back her assumptions until after she had actually met Ms. Agreste. Instead, she did the best she could to lift his spirits with a few innocent jokes.

When he left, she made sure to give him a bag full of sweet pastries to lighten his mood. She knew how that boy loved sugar.

She continued to send some pastries to him everyday, with little cheeky notes sneakily attached to the inside of the paper bags. Macarons, pain au chocolats, croissants, cookies and even straight up chocolate arrived to his doorstep every morning. Yes, every morning. Marinette had forced herself to wake up every Seven AM just to make the poor boy some sweets. Tikki teased her about it for hours.

Maman and Papa are rubbing off on her.

Nevertheless, she just wished that Felix wouldn't get hospitalized over exhaustion. Actually, Marinette prayed that he would be alive on their next Sunday Afternoon meetup.

Which was today.

Felix entered the bakery with a subtle skip in his step, gray eyes frantically scanning the whole room in search of something.

Of someone.

When Felix finally met her gaze, Marinette could've sworn that *relief* flickered in his eyes.

The boy walked hastily to their table, sitting across Marinette,

"A bit enthusiastic today, are you?Welcome back." Marinette handed him a cup of hot chocolate.

He took the cup, and nodded. Now that was strange, Marinette thought. She was so used to him having witty comebacks for her every bite. Why was Felix acting so bashful?

"Thank you for the pastries." He finally said, his voice was slow and uncertain.

"You're welcome! It's no problem at all!"

"..."

He was silent again.

"Hey, Fé. Is something wrong?" Marinette asked him gently. Her worry grew every second that Felix maintained his averted gaze.

She frowned. Did he have a fever? If he did, then he shouldn't have come here! Marinette reached over the table to put her hand on Felix's forehead.

Felix drew back in surprise, pink started to appear on the skin of his neck up to his cheeks.

"Do you have a fever, Fé?

Felix forced a scoff, "I... am perfectly fine, Dupain-Cheng."

She deadpanned, "It doesn't look like it."

"W-well, I am." Did Felix just stutter?

"Then why weren't you answering me?" Marinette frowned. Felix being unsure of himself was strange.

A guilty look flashed on Felix's expression, "... My apologies, Marinette. I was simply... panicked because of our previous conversation."

Marinette's eyes widened, "Oh my God."

"Yes, I– what?"

"You actually used my name!" She squealed, a grin stretching across her lips.

"I..." He trailed off, the pink on his skin grew a few shades darker.

Marinette gaped. Felix Agreste; Resident Salt King, honor student, overachiever, sharp-tongued, cool and collected Felix Agreste, was right in front of her with no witty comeback, as red as a tomato, avoiding her eyes and pouting? In what world?!

Then it hit her.

Felix was pouting.

She cackled. Uncontrollably cackled.

Oh my gosh, that's adorable.

"Pfft, Ahaha! Y-you should see your f-face!" Marinette wheezed, clutching her stomach in laughter.

Felix sat in front of her, his face was all red.

She gasped for breath, "I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" Marinette wiped a tear. She cleared her throat, "Why were you worried?"

Felix took a deep breath, "Through a number of contemplations, as well as evidence of a few peculiar moments in the week, I have deducted that you were correct in your prediction." Felix sped through his sentence.

"Uhm, what?" Marinette could barely understand his overly convoluted words; he was more verbose than usual, an air of uncharacteristic awkwardness surrounded him.

"AllthroughouttheweekIfeltthattherewasalwayssomethinglackinginmyeverydaylifeIhadnoonetotalktoandgivemewittyremarksandthiscausedmetobescoldedsomanytimesbecauseIkeptspacingoutand—" Marinette's eyes widened.

"Felix, slow down!"

"Idon'tknowwhatI'mfeelingbecauseI'vebeverreallyhadarelationshipwithanyoneaboveacquaintancesandIdon'tevenknowifyouconsidermeafriendand–"

Marinette stood up and pinched his cheek.

"Felix! Calm. Down!" She cried. Felix snapped out of his wordy breakdown.

"Apologies." Felix cleared his throat.

He was worried about a previous conversation they had? She was correct in her predictions? What in the world–

Oh. Marinette thought back on their last meetup.

Ohhh.

"Wait. Are you saying that you missed me?" Marinette couldn't stop the glee that bubbled frantically in her chest.

Felix looked at his hands, "I... If that is the term, t-then I suppose so."

Marinette almost squealed.

"Oh my Kw- that was adorable." She gushed, pinching Felix's cheeks once more.

"Hmmpf–" His face glowed scarlet at this point, Felix his flustered expression behind cupped hands.

Felix Agreste is endearing, and Marinette couldn't understand why anyone would think otherwise.

[noirewrites]

For You, I Will Cross Any Waters

A Mermaid AU based off on @ladynoirjuly2020​ prompts.

(I am a little too late to the party!)

Fandom: Miraculous Tales of Ladybug and Chat Noir

Rating: Teen and Up Audiences

Warnings: No Warnings Apply

Categories: F/M

Pairing: Adrien Agreste/Marinette Dupain Cheng

Thanks to @art-the-f-up for the wonderful fanart they made for chapter 4!

Chapter 5: Banter

“Were you waiting for long?” Ladybug asked, panting a bit from her underwater dash.

“Nah, it’s all good. So, how was your day today?” Chat asked, smiling as he languidly plucked at the grass nearby while laying on his back.

 “It was wonderful. We had an impromptu mermaid’s ball which was for, well, me, and uhm, it was supposed to run late till the night but—”

 “You ran away? Or should I say,  swam  away?” Chat chuckled.

Ladybug shrugged. “You got me.”

“How funny,” the man grinned at her. 

 There was a moment of silence before Chat asked ruefully, “A ball for finding a suitor?”

“How did you know?” Ladybug gaped at him.

 The man chuckled again. “We both ran away from our balls. Guess we  mermaid  for each other, M’Lady.” He winked at her.

 The mermaid stared blankly at him. “Did you — did you just pun,  chaton ?”

The blond flopped himself to lay on his stomach, staring into the eyes of his lady love. “Maybe I did, maybe I didn’t. My green grassy eyes are just enjoying the heavenly rains of your eyes, Bugaboo.”

 “Oh, so we are being flirty, hm?” Ladybug rolled her eyes. “No wonder I want to drown you right now.”

 “Aww, Bugaboo,” Chat cooed, tucking a stray hair behind her ear and making her breath hitch, before he continued, “Trust me, I am drowning in your eyes. I bet it was hard for God to make your eyes out of pure, crystal-clear ocean water.”

 For a moment, Ladybug was transfixed. Seeing Chat’s eyes twinkle with mischief, she caught the implied meaning.

  Ladybug 0, Chat Noir 1.

  Oh, two can play at this game, mister, Ladybug thought to herself. Then, smirking, she leaned a little closer as she stared deep into Chat’s eyes.

 “Well, if He took mine from the ocean, kitty, then yours are purely emerald.”

Given his flabbergasted expression, he certainly hadn’t been expecting a comeback.

  Ladybug 1, Chat Noir 1.

 As silence stretched on between the pair, Ladybug started noting the proximity the two shared. Somehow, the way his breath fanned her face and his eyes stared deep into hers, it made her feel as if she had left her stomach back at the mermaid ballroom. Even Chat was panting, his slightly dilated pupils giving his transformation a more realistic, feral appearance.

 “Do you feel it too?” Chat asked in a low tone. A tone that undeniably sent a slight shiver through her spine to the end of her tail.

“Feel what?” Ladybug asked, her voice quavering a bit.

 Chat reached forward to cup her face as he lightly brushed his thumb across her cheek, his voice barely above a whisper. “I bet the water’s temperature must have gone up, now that you are here, Ladybug.”

 A wave of feelings that had been stirring in her heart for Lord knows how long crashed upon the mermaid now in full force. She hadn’t wanted to attend the ball because—because it felt like double-crossing her kitty. Even if she was uncertain about her feelings for him. 

Passion and love were fighting against sanity for dominance, with her emotions winning the battle.

 This conversation, it wasn’t a competition or  banter now. It was the truth of the denied emotions being revealed in the passion of the moment.

 Her mind was confuzzled, her heart feeling heavy with the burden of denial. And finally, she decided to let loose her burden.

 That was when a sound caught her attention. It wasn’t the ragged breathing of her or her kitty, or their racing hearts. It sounded more like a gasp of surprise, exclamation and—

 Warning signals flashing in her mind, Ladybug leaned back in an instant, her brow furrowed as she lowered herself into the river till her eyes were the only body part of hers peeking out.

 “Someone’s here,” she whispered to Chat as he looked at her in confusion. 

 Eyes widening a bit, the man gave her a subtle nod before getting up and walking leisurely around the place, whistling nonchalantly all the while. 

Returning after what seemed like eternity, Chat laid down on the grass again, causing Ladybug to resurface.

 “No one was there, Bugaboo. I checked with my awesome six senses”

“But I am sure—”

 “You know,” Chat interrupted her, his serious tone causing her to look at him. “Maybe my senses are affected by the lack of the vitamin my healer told me about.”

“Lack of a vitamin?” she echoed back, clearly confused.

 “Yes, a very essential vitamin for the body,” he answered somberly.

“Oh goodness, Chat!” The mermaid clasped her hands around her mouth in worry, “Are you okay? Why are you not eating well and—”

 She was interrupted again, this time with his fingers on her lips put in a shushing motion. As she stared at him in shock, he whispered, “You.”

Ladybug just blinked.

 “Vitamin U, that’s what I lack, M’Lady,” the blond claimed, his eyes sparkling with mischief and lips pulled in that stupid, lopsided grin of his.

 The mermaid continued to look at him blankly, before without any word, she dived into the river.

 Chat took a quick look behind his back, his faux ears trying to catch any suspicious noise. Earlier, he had been distracted enough to not notice anything. But it was best to not take any chances.

However, there wasn’t anything suspicious at all.

 Maybe she had left because he had crossed a line?

Worried he might have made her uncomfortable for a second time in a week, Chat dashed towards the river bank and laid down on his stomach, peering into the dark river waters below.

 If she was angry with him, he was surely in so much troub-

 Suddenly, the water surface trembled as Ladybug emerged again, causing Chat to nearly yelp as he leaned back in shock and surprise.

 Unlike the times when she rose out of water seeming completely dry, this time her entire form was noticeably covered in water, the droplets glimmering in the moonlight and making her skin shine like crystal. Her raven locks, too, clung to her face and form, the front bangs framing her face in a way that made it look both mysterious and enticing. 

 Well, he was definitely in trouble now.

 Before Chat could open his mouth to ask if she was alright, Ladybug suddenly leaned forward till their noses were almost touching. Chat let out a small yelp of surprise as his breath hitched, the sudden proximity causing his stomach to flip-flop around in anticipation and excitement. 

 “Say,  chaton ,” she said in a low whisper, her left hand curling around the top of his shirt as she traced his jawline with her right, “If I were to take out two of the 26 letters of the English alphabet to give you an answer, which two will I take out?”

 As water droplets fell from her body on his leather costume, he gulped audibly, his throat parched dry. And Ladybug’s smirk wasn’t helping his case at all.

 “Uhm, ‘Q’ and ‘T’?” he chuckled nervously, trying to get over the effect Ladybug was having on him.

“Nope, try again,” she said in a low voice, giggling a bit as her fingernail dug into his cheek and caused him to inhale sharply.

 “‘O’—’O’ and ‘K’?” He panted out hurriedly before leaning in to capture her lips. But she just dodged him at the right moment, her voice teasing.

“Nuh uh, wrong answers don’t get you kisses, kitty cat.”

 The man just grumbled, wishing upon any star for this torture to get over.

“I—I give up. Please.”

 Ladybug didn’t answer but just smirked, her eyes twinkling in challenge. 

 Sighing, Chat hung his head down, rolling his eyes a little. 

“Okay, I give up. You win this round.”

 “Yay!” the mermaid cheered, flapping her tail in water in excitement and hugging Chat tight. He let out a relieved chuckle as he wrapped his arms around her. 

He could deal with an excited, bubbly Ladybug. A finned seductress, though, was out of his league right now.

 “So—” Chat asked after a moment as they broke the hug, “—curiosity’s killing this cat. What was the answer to your question?”

Chuckling, Ladybug pulled him close as she whispered lightly in his ear, “The answer is ‘N’ and ‘O’. And this is a consolation prize for you.”

 Giving the surprised man a small peck on the cheek, the mermaid giggled as she dived back into the river and swam away.

 Chat stared stupidly into the space for a moment or two, sighing in bliss, before the answer hit him.

 “I DIDN’T JUST LOSE TO YOU ON THAT STUPID QUESTION!”

 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“ I can just imagine the profit I’ll make, when Monsieur finds out that the supposedly clean river is full of those humanoid fish.”

[lovelylapins]

@lunian‘s drawings got me thinkin about marikim way more than i should’ve been... enjoy this

How Marinette agreed to some things, she had no idea.

Taking a swing from her water bottle, she glanced over at Kim. He’d somehow talked her into working out with him, and he was already stretching. Not that she didn’t mind helping a friend, but… he was less of a friend these days and more of a flirt.

“You’ve gotten really fit these past few years,” he says, arm raised over his head and eyes trained on her. Sure, maybe she could’ve planned better and not showed up with her torso exposed, but hell if she wasn’t going to show off the abs she worked so hard for. Years and years of hard cardio as Ladybug paid off big time, and if that meant Kim was going to flirt a bit more than usual, so be it.

Plus, it’s not like she didn’t like it. She was human, after all.

Leaning down, Marinette felt the regular burn in her legs start up, but pushed through, trying to warm up as fast and safe as she could so she could get this over with. Finally going back up, she noticed Kim’s eyes had barely left her, causing her to roll her eyes.

“If you keep your eyes on me any longer, I think I’m gonna have to start charging you,” she says, bringing an arm over her chest and holding it there before switching.

“What’s the cost? A kiss?”

“Very funny. Why don’t you focus more on your frame? You’re stretching all wrong.”

“Am not,” Kim scoffs.

“Yes, you are.” Marinette heads over, looking up at him. She motioned for him to change the way he was pulling his arm over, too short to try and reach him. And, when he didn’t listen, she stood on her tiptoes, adjusting as best as she could with their height difference.

Kim was toned, Marinette thought as she lay her hands on his skin, taut muscle just anywhere she touched. Not surprising. He had been obsessed with working out and getting toned ever since they were little, and now, a few years down the line, it wasn’t a shocker he was so fit, practically bursting with all that muscle packed underneath his skin.

Her eyes darting down for a second, Marinette wondered what else he was packing.

“You know,” Kim says, “if you wanted to get your hands on me, you didn’t have to make such a silly excuse. I knew I was stretching right.”

Marinette steps back, hands coming off like she touched a hot stove. Looking up at him, she crosses her arms, trying to maintain a sense of cool even with the feeling of her face going warm.

“As if,” she says, clearing her throat. “I just didn’t want you to pull something before we’ve even started.”

“Started what?” Kim moves his arm down and takes a step forward, closing the distance between them. “As far as I’m concerned, I haven’t even started yet, sweetheart.”

Marinette blinks at his shift into a lower tone, suddenly unable to look Kim in the eye. She darts her eyes back down, staring him straight where her line of sight met his chest. If she couldn’t look him in the eye, Marinette was more than fine with just keeping her eyes trained on his chest. His toned, strong, oh so firm chest, which wasn’t all that hidden by the tight tank top he had on. Come to think of it, very little was, leaving her to imagine, just for a brief second, what lay underneath his workout clothes.

Mind blanking out, Marinette didn’t notice the finger that moved upwards and caught on her jaw, gently motioning her head to train on Kim’s face.

“You know, if you keep your eyes on me any longer, I think I’m gonna have to start charging,” he says, and Marinette would be a liar if she said the way he spoke didn’t make that all too familiar warmth travel through her, nestling itself in the pit of her stomach.

Not bothering to think of a comeback, she watched him, wondering what Kim would do next to her. Smirking, he leaned down enough to whisper, low and smooth, in her ear,

“I think we’re warmed up enough, don’t you?”

What happened next, she couldn’t tell.

[nobodyfamousposts]

Why We Won’t Hate Adrien If He’s Not Perfect

Here me out:

For all my salt and griping, I don’t hate Adrien Agreste. He’s not a bad character. The problem is that he has potential that is not being utilized in favor of coddling him—to the point where all the GOOD things that can come out of his character aren’t happening and his potential is being wasted for the sole purpose of having him be as the writers say, “perfect”.

I don’t want Perfect Adrien. I want dorky, socially awkward Adrien who sometimes drops witty one-liners and has no idea how to deal with situations. And I want it to be okay that this Adrien exists.

But do you know the worst part? It’s the same Adrien as canon. It’s the same Adrien the show initially presented us. The only difference is how they are choosing to use him and how they are choosing to frame him.

Consider for an example, the difference between the Airbender series Sokka and the live action movie Sokka. It’s the same character. Same concept. Same background. Same overall story. But what separates them is the completely different execution between the two that makes one the snarky and brilliant guy we all love or at least are willing to tolerate for his better moments, and the other a bland cardboard cutout we want to forget exists.

The first one is better because (other than the fact he has an entire series to grow instead of a 2 hour movie to try to work that in between overused narration and horrible CGI/effects) he starts out flawed and is recognized as flawed. We see his issues as early as episode one and they don’t go away immediately. He gets growth, but his growth makes sense in the context of his adventure. Even when he missteps and regresses, there’s cause for it. And at no point does his potential as a character feel truly wasted. There’s a reason why Sokka is perhaps the most popular character in the series for all that he’s the only “non-special” one.

Adrien could have been that! They wouldn’t even have had to do much to make that happen!

Show him struggling to actually engage with people! Insert a few clips here and there of him relying on anime tropes and messing up interactions for it if that’s where he’s really gotten all his knowledge of school and socialization from! Hell, his “forgiveness” and “be nice to your bullies” lectures would make SENSE in that light if he’s taking it from the viewpoint of anime where the good guys always forgive the bad guys and the bad guys always get better for it! All they had to do was SHOW that issue while having it BE an issue instead of ignoring it or laughing it off shortly after and bada-bing! We’ve got a character for Adrien that plenty of people can actually relate to!

Show him being frustrated with his modeling and being stuck indoors. Not just “sad Adrien is sad”, but actually FRUSTRATED. Have him complain! Have him vent to Plagg! Hell, have him vent to NINO! He’s his best friend, THAT’S THE EXACT SORT OF THING HE’S THERE FOR!

You want to keep him lecturing Marinette, fine. But explain WHY! Have there be a REASON that she is the only one he will try to actively lecture about things that’s not just about her being wrong and needing to be the “bigger person” even when she shouldn’t be! Maybe it’s because he hates conflict as a whole and he knows that out of everyone involved in said conflict of the day, Marinette’s the only one he can be sure will LISTEN TO HIM and take what he says into account instead of blowing him off or yelling at him outright. It’s not fair to Marinette to constantly be put in that position, but at least it would EXPLAIN IT rather than just have it be that Marinette is always in the wrong somehow.

You see what that does? We have Adrien having the exact same issues in canon, but by simply framing them differently, we have a more rounded Adrien!

The things we all seem to dislike about Adrien right now aren’t actually bad things. Him lying to Ladybug about the cause of an akuma, him being a brat when he gets rejected, him lecturing the person who shouldn’t be the one lectured—these can be GOOD for his character if they were just acknowledged differently in the show!

Let’s bring up the previously mentioned Sokka for example. Remember how he started out as a foolish chauvinistic wannabe warrior who hated all Fire Nation to the point of automatically assuming anyone strange was one of them by default? The wannabe warrior got curb stomped by Zuko. The chauvinist dismissed and got his butt kicked by girls! The guy who hated all Fire Nation people encountered a group that was indiscriminate of who they were actually hurting. And what did this cause? GROWTH.

All those things, all those traits would easily make everyone HATE Sokka. He could EASILY have been the Scrappy of the series! And I have little doubt that as the movie had shown, if it was just anybody writing him, he would have. Except he LEARNED. He started training to actually BE the warrior he wanted to see himself as. He started using that quick wit of his to make plans instead of snarky comebacks! He started seeing past the Fire Nation to the PEOPLE he was actually encountering. Sokka’s flaws were clear and apparent. They were acknowledged as among his character traits and they were treated as actual problems he had to address if he was going to continue this adventure with the Avatar without being the one holding everybody back.

Adrien could have been done the same. They wouldn’t have to lose the Sunshine Child status. They wouldn’t have to lose his angst and inner turmoil. They just had to USE what they were having him do instead of gloss over it while showing us shots of Adrien looking like someone kicked his puppy every so often to remind us we’re supposed to feel for him.

I for one would not have hated Adrien for being a brat in Glaciator if they had acknowledged it as an actual problem and had him legitimately apologize. I would not have hated Adrien in Copycat if they had him admit to lying to Theo or at any point tell the truth to Ladybug that the blame was his rather than hers. I would not have hated Adrien for his lecture in Malediktor if he had acknowledged that Chloe had done some pretty rotten things, but yeah, throwing a PARTY is kind of much. I also would not have hated him in Chameleon for telling Marinette not to out Lila because it isn’t working, it’ll make her target them, and she already got akumatized just because Adrien asked her NICELY to pretty please stop lying to him. So I don’t get where this insistence is coming from that he has to be absolutely perfect with all of the genuinely poor choices he’s made being shown as “good things”.

That’s not to say I do hate Adrien now—because I don’t. I just don’t see where the incessant NEED to protect Adrien from negative consequences is coming from. If they had let Adrien be human and make mistakes, I for one would not hate him for it. No doubt some people would, but there will always be those. I can bet though that plenty more fans would be forgiving for it. And there would be a heck of a lot less salt for us to throw at him that would make people actually debate Felix being a better option simply because the writers wouldn’t be nearly as inclined to waste him in an attempt to coddle the character.

No offense, Felix.

[gryffindorcls]

When Words Succeed

—

Hello, lovely readers! Thank you for choosing to read "When Words Succeed". This is the Marinette POV follow-up to "When Words Fail". It works as a stand-alone, but it makes more sense as a companion piece.

If you would like to read “When Words Fail”, click here.

Enjoy!

My username on AO3 and FanFiction is clslovegood47.

—

The world felt like it was ending the day Marinette released her transformation in front of Chat Noir.  She had been so careful...and it took only a moment for all of her diligence to be rendered meaningless.  She had been ready to beg Chat to detransform somewhere else when his own transformation slipped away to reveal Adrien in his stead.

Over the years, Marinette had worked hard to build her confidence around Adrien.  She’d even managed to control her embarrassing stammer when talking to him, but her ability to form coherent sentences went out the window when Chat turned into Adrien.  Her legs gave out from underneath her, and she crumbled into a heap on the pavement.  She vaguely remembered the feeling of two strong arms wrapping around her, picking her up, and carrying her home.

For the following week, she couldn’t even look at him.  Patrol became awkward and uncomfortable.  In school, Adrien looked as miserable as she felt.  She couldn’t bring herself to talk to him.  How could she?  She’d turned down Chat Noir for two full years before he finally stopped trying to ask her out.  Sure, the flirting continued, but it felt more like playful banter.  Still, every time she rolled her eyes at his jokes and puns, she could see the hurt in Chat’s eyes.  

She’d inadvertently broken her crush’s heart.  Marinette didn’t see how a romantic relationship with him was possible at the moment.

At the end of the first week of knowing each other’s identities, Tikki had a heated conversation with Marinette.

“You can’t keep ignoring Chat Noir!” the tiny being exclaimed, making her holder jump.

“I’m not ignoring Chat.”  Marinette crossed her arms.

“You haven’t spoken to him all week.  He looks miserable.  Sooner or later you’re going to have to come to terms with what happened.  Okay, so you know he’s Adrien.  Big whoop!  You can’t change the past, but the future of your relationship as partners is in jeopardy.”

“But I broke his heart, Tikki!  I can’t just talk to him.”

“Yes, you can.  You were able to talk to Chat all the time, and you were getting better at talking to Adrien.  You have to try.  If you don’t, Hawkmoth will win, and, more importantly, you will break Adrien’s heart even more.”

Marinette sighed.  “You’re right, Tikki.  I’m still hurting him, but what am I supposed to do?”

Tikki softened her expression.  “I think you’ll find that if you just talk to him, things will be okay.”

“I’m still in love with him, but I can’t tell him that.  I rejected him for three years.”

“Then don’t tell him right away.  Fix your partnership with him, and then confess your feelings.  You were working on being friends with Adrien before the reveal.  Go back to that.  Friends is a great place to start.”

“Okay...yeah...I can do this!  Wait...when should I do this?  Should I do it now?”

“If you want to, I’m okay with transforming you again.  I’m not that tired.”

Marinette fluffed up her hair in her mirror before running downstairs to grab a few pastries.  Once the treats were safely packed inside a box from the bakery, she transformed and swung off into the night.

She did her best to calm her racing heart as she bounded across the Parisian rooftops towards the Agreste’s mansion.  Ladybug hooked her yoyo onto a beam above Adrien’s window and lowered herself onto the ledge.  When she tapped on the glass, Adrien jumped, rushed over to the window, and pushed open the glass pane.

“What’s wrong?” he asked in a frenzied panic, “You said you were going home.  Are you okay?  Are you hurt?  Is there an Akuma?”

She hopped inside his room and held out the box of pastries for him to take.  “Actually, I’m not here because I need Chat.  I’m here because I wanted to see Adrien.”

He slowly took the box from her hands and looked at it.  “Why?”

She reached out and touched his arm.  “Because I’ve been a bad partner and a bad friend this past week.  We need to talk about what happened, and then I’d like to get to know you better.  I met you three years ago, and I still don’t really know you.”

A smile stretched across Adrien’s face, and his eyes twinkled.  It was the same smile she’d seen Chat Noir use when he got excited; however, she’d never seen it on Adrien’s face before.  Marinette decided that she liked seeing Chat Noir’s mannerisms being used by Adrien.  It helped ease the insecurities that came with having a crush on him.  His expression gave her the confidence to continue talking without her stammer making a comeback.  Suddenly, he grabbed her hand and dragged her to the couch, causing her to giggle.

“This is just your silly kitty,” she thought to herself, “Why were you ever scared of him?  You trust him with your life.”

“Can I get you anything?” he was practically vibrating with exhilaration as he placed the pastry box onto the coffee table.

She shook her head.  “No, but would you mind if I detransform?  I think Tikki would like to hang out with Plagg.”

Adrien took a seat next to her.  “Go on ahead.”

He shielded his eyes as the bright pink light washed over her body.  Tikki zipped off without saying a word, leaving the two teens to talk.

She allowed her eyes to wander around the room.  “You know, I always forget how big your bedroom is.  I’ve been here before, but not enough to really appreciate it.”

Adrien looked down at the ground.  “Uhhh, yeah.  It’s nice, but it’d be even nicer if I could actually have friends over.  That rarely happens though.”

“I could come over if you’d like.  Oh, and you could even come and visit me.  I wouldn’t mind if a certain black cat knocked on my window sometime.”

“Really?  Because...I kind of thought that I lost you as a friend when you found out I was Chat Noir.  You stopped talking to me, and I thought you were mad that I saw who you were.  I’m sorry for screwing up the whole secret identity thing.  I know how important it was to you.”

Marinette’s heart melted upon hearing his words.  She wanted to kick herself for not talking to him sooner.  She knew he was hurting, but she didn’t realize it was this bad.  Adrien valued his relationships with others more than anything in the world, and she made him think that he’d lost her.  

She had to fix this, so she swallowed her apprehension and spoke from the heart.  “Oh, kitty, you will never lose me.  Do you know how much I care about you?  And I’m talking about both sides of you.  You mean more to me than any old secret identity.  I was just being weird for the past few days.  I’m sorry that I made you think I was angry at you.  It’s no one’s fault.  You didn’t do it on purpose.  I think I just needed some time to adjust.”

He nodded.  “I understand.  I think I also needed some time to get used to this new ‘thing’ between us.  At first, I was worried that it ruined our partnership...mostly because of your reaction...but I think I’m starting to see things in a new light.”

“Really?  How so?”

“Ummm...well, I don’t exactly know how to describe it, but I think that this reveal may have been one of the best things to ever happen for us.”

“Purr-haps it was, minou.  Only time will tell.”

“Did you just make a cat pun?”

“Yup.”

“I thought you hated my jokes!”

“No...I think you just need to work on your timing.  It’s not always appropriate to make puns when we’re trying to concentrate on defeating an Akuma.”

He scootched closer to her, making her heart thump loudly in her chest.  “So, Bugaboo, does that mean I have your purr-mission to make as many cat-tastic puns when we’re not in the middle of a battle?”

She giggled.  “Oh, no!  I’ve created a monster!”

The duo laughed and talked for the rest of the night.  Marinette felt a fluttering in her stomach every time he looked at her, but she did her best to suppress the urge to freak out.

Thoughts raced through her mind like wild stallions attempting to run in the Kentucky Derby.  “It’s Chat.  He’s your friend.  One day you can tell him that you love him, but he needs your friendship right now.  Calm down...you can do this.”

By the end of the night, Marinette felt more at ease around Adrien than ever before.  She even had the confidence to pull him into a tight hug before heading home.

“Tikki!  I did it!” she celebrated, “I didn’t stutter once!  My words work again!  I had the best time, and I think he did, too!”

“Oh, Marinette!” Tikki chirped, “You did an amazing job!  I’m so proud of you!”

Her smile faded.  “I still love him though.”

“I know you do.”  Tikki hovered in front of her face and cast her a sympathetic look.

“Maybe one day I’ll be able to talk to him about it.  I hope that by then he’ll be able to forgive me for turning him down so many times.  Maybe we’ll even be able to laugh about the ridiculousness of the situation.”

“You’re doing the right thing by being his friend, and you never know what may happen in the future.  Keep doing what you’re doing, and I know that things will turn out great!”

“Thank you, Tikki!”

The next day, Marinette got to school early and found Adrien sitting in the classroom by himself.  She slid into the seat next to him and nudged him with her elbow.

“Good morning, kitty!” she greeted cheerfully.

Marinette swore she could see a blush creep across his face, but then again...it may have just been the lighting.

“Good morning, Marinette,” he said with a sheepish grin.

She rolled her eyes.  “That’s all I get?  Just...good morning, Marinette?  Where are the puns?  You missed the purr-fect opportunity to say good meow-ning.”

His laugh rang through the empty room.  “You’re right!  My apologies.  Allow me to correct this egregious error, my lady.  Good meow-ning, Marinette!”

She placed her hand on his arm.  “I hope us talking didn’t keep you up too late last night.”

“Not at all.  Actually, it’s the best I’ve slept in a week.”

“That’s good to hear.  You look happier today.”

“I...uhhh...yeah.”

“What’s wrong...cat got your tongue?”

He scratched the back of his head.  “Ummm...no.  I actually wanted to ask you a question.”

Her mind began screaming.  “Oh, no...he’s so cute when he does that!  Don’t freak out.  He needs you to be his friend.”

She took a deep breath.  “Okay.  What’s up?”

“I...ummm...you see...I was wondering,” his eyes wandered over to the door, “if you wanted to grab lunch with Alya and Nino today.  It’s been a while since the four of us have done anything.”

“Sure, kitty!  That sounds like fun.”  She reached over and playfully ruffled his hair and tapped him on the nose.

Someone gasped loudly behind her.  

Marinette turned around to see Alya standing next to Nino with her mouth agape.  “Girl, I...what?  How?  When?  EXPLAIN!”

Marinette left Adrien’s side and moved to her own seat in the row behind him.  “Adrien wanted the four of us to go grab lunch together.  Are you two going to be busy, or can you come with us?”

“We’re free, and lunch sounds good to me, my dudes,” Nino replied, giving Adrien a fist bump.

The two boys entered their own hushed conversation as Alya sat down next to Marinette.

“Alright, spill,” her best friend whispered.

“Spill what?” Marinette asked with an innocent expression.

“You know exactly what I’m talking about.  I know you’ve become more comfortable around Adrien over the past few years, but never like that.  You touched his hair.”

“He doesn’t mind.”

“Yeah, but you used to.  What happened between you two?  Are you and Adrien an item now?”

Her heart sank, but she maintained her smile.  “Right now I’m just focusing on being a better friend to Adrien.”

Alya narrowed her eyes.  “Okay...if you say so, girl.  But I know something is going on.  This conversation is not finished.”

Over the next two weeks, Alya did not stop pestering Marinette about her newfound super-confidence around Adrien.  She asked questions at every conceivable opportunity.  Marinette’s heart broke every time she told Alya that she was just friends with him.

Everything inside of Marinette was screaming to tell Adrien how she felt, but she still hadn’t found the right moment.  Nonetheless, they continued to spend time with each other, and every day she fell more in love with him.

One day, she even managed to work up the courage to rest her head on his shoulder while they watched a movie together on her chaise.  Marinette nearly fainted when Adrien responded by putting his arm around her shoulders.  As she melted into his embrace, she could feel the steady thumping of his heart and smell the subtle, earthy aroma of what she assumed was expensive cologne.  From that moment on, she took advantage of every opportunity to cuddle with Adrien; however, it wasn’t helping her stick to “friendship only” plan.

The night before the class trip to Normandy, Marinette looked at her Kwami and sighed.  “I can’t do this anymore, Tikki.  I have to tell him how I feel, but I’m still worried that he’ll get upset.”

Tikki nuzzled Marinette’s cheek comfortingly.  “It’s only been a few weeks, but you two have come a long way.  I’ve been talking to Plagg, and I don’t think Adrien is heartbroken about your past rejections anymore.  You’ve made a big effort to show him that you care, and that means the world to him.”

“I think I want to tell him while we’re on the trip.  Maybe I can convince Alya to sit with Nino on the bus so Adrien and I can talk.”

“That sounds like a wonderful idea!”

Marinette smiled.  She felt confident that her plan would work...until she went to bed that night.

Her nightmare felt like more than a dream.  Marinette could feel the heat of Hawkmoth’s breath as he leaned in and ripped off her earrings.  She could hear the anguish in Chat Noir’s scream as he lunged towards her and was captured by Mayura’s sentimonster.  Hope drained from her soul when her partner fell into an unconscious heap on the ground.  Just as she watched Hawkmoth don the two Miraculouses and shout his wish into the heavens, her eyes opened.

She woke up in a cold sweat with tears streaming down her face.  Marinette cried for an hour before falling back into a restless sleep.  Even the soft humming coming from her Kwami could not soothe her anguished heart.  The notion of being defeated by Hawkmoth and losing Chat Noir was something that haunted her.  Every so often, these thoughts seeped into her dreams, but this was the worst one yet.

Marinette found herself running late the following morning as she scrambled to throw a few last-minute additions into her duffel bag.  She put on a t-shirt and jeans while attempting to do something with her hair.  She hastily made coffee that she poured into a travel mug before bounding out the door.

She got to school with five minutes to spare.  Unfortunately, she crashed into the teacher’s desk on her way into the classroom.  After collapsing into her seat, Alya told her that she was going to sit with Nino on the bus, leaving Adrien free to sit with Marinette.  At least one good thing came from her morning rush.

Once they were seated on the bus, Marinette turned to Adrien and tried to tell him about her dream.  He seemed confident in their partnership, but his demeanor withered when he attempted to ask her a question.  Her heart felt heavy when he changed the subject.  All she could do was stare out the window and hope that he didn’t see the tears forming in the corners of her eyes.

“Maybe today isn’t the day to tell him how I feel.  He’s obviously not completely comfortable around me.  Maybe our relationship isn’t strong enough yet,” she thought dejectedly.  

A shiver ran through her body as she rested her head against the cold glass.  She mentally chastised herself for wearing only a t-shirt.  Today was not her day.

 She then felt a light tap on her shoulder.

“Are you feeling cold?  If you are, you’re welcome to use my hoodie.”  He held out his sweatshirt for her to take.

Her heart fluttered at the selflessness of his gesture.  It was like getting that umbrella all over again.  “Are you sure?”

He nodded. “Yup!”

“Thank you, kitty!  I forgot to take my jacket out of my duffel bag before it got stowed under the bus.  You’re a lifesaver!”  She pulled the sweatshirt on and put up the hood.  “How do I look?”

He leaned in.  “Wonderful as always, Bugaboo.”

Marinette’s face was on fire.  In an attempt to hide her blush, she flipped up the armrest between them, pulled his arm around her, and snuggled into his side.

“Comfy?” he asked.

She scootched even closer.  “I am now.”

Marinette felt the exhaustion of her restless night wash over her body.  Unlike the boy in her dream last night, the Adrien next to her was unscathed.  She placed a hand on his chest so she could feel the steady rise and fall of each breath.   Feeling safe and warm in his arms, she fell fast asleep.

She awoke to Adrien gently shaking her arm.  When she looked up, her heart leaped at the softness of his gaze.

“Good morning, Sleeping Beauty,” he said with a smile, “It’s time to get off the bus.”

“Ugh, no!” she protested, “I don’t want to move.  You’re warm and you smell good.”

He laughed and gave her a gentle squeeze.  “As much as I would love to stay here all day, we will get in trouble if we don’t follow the class.  I’ll let you keep wearing my hoodie if you let go.”

Even though her body was begging her to go back to sleep, she decided that Adrien’s offer wasn’t the worst trade-off.  “Fine!”

Missing his warmth, Marinette latched onto his arm as they exited the bus.  He grabbed their duffel bags, and they walked into the hotel together.

“What a gentleman.”  Her brain was still feeling hazy from her nap.

“You two look cozy,” Alya noted, snapping Marinette’s brain into the world of the waking, “Did something happen on the bus that I should know about?”

Marinette rolled her eyes.  “Come on, Alya.  Let’s go put our stuff in the room.  We only have a few minutes before we’re expected to meet back here in the lobby.”

She let go of Adrien, took her bag, and dragged Alya to their room.

“Okay, you can’t tell me that something isn’t going on between you two.” Alya put her hands on her hips.  “You fell asleep on him, and he held you for almost three hours.  Girl, you should have seen the way he was looking at you.  Look!  I even got pictures!  Here...let me pull out my phone.”

As she looked at the image on the tiny screen, Marinette sighed.  “Right now I’m…”

“...just trying to be a better friend...blah blah blah.  Is that all you can say?  You’ve repeated the same canned response to me like a hundred times.  Admit it...you still like him.”

“I never said that I stopped.”

Alya pinched the bridge of her nose.  “Wait...what?”

Marinette scrunched her lips and huffed.  “You heard me.  I never said that my crush went away.  I realized that he needed a friend right now, so that’s what I’ve tried to be for him.  I was planning on admitting my feelings one day, but it never seems to be the right moment.”

“Let me get this straight...you still love him, and it’s obvious that Sunshine Boy has feelings for you...but you’re not going to do anything until the right moment.”

“That’s the plan.”

“Oh, girl...no.  Just tell him.”

“I can’t.”

Alya put her hands on her hips.  “And why not?”

Marinette grabbed Alya’s arm and led her out of the room.  “Because it’s time to go, and we have a full tour schedule with our class.  There’s not going to be any time to talk to him today.”

“What about tonight?”

“I barely slept last night.  I’m going straight to bed when we get back.”

“Mmmmhmmm.  Yeah.  We’ll see about that.”

“Alya!”

Marinette’s body dragged as the class was taken to each destination on the itinerary.  By the time they returned to the hotel, she could barely keep her eyes open.  Staying true to her word, she turned down the offer of going to the lounge with Alya and opted to sleep.

Marinette crashed face-first onto the bed upon entering the room.  After a few minutes, she felt a tiny paw poke her on the cheek.

“Are you okay?” Tikki asked with concern in her eyes.

Marinette sat up and slumped.  “Yeah...I’m fine.  I just don’t know what to do, Tikki.  Adrien seemed so weird and dismissive on the bus, but at the same time, he was sweet and cuddly.  Then Alya said that he was looking at me with his signature soft eyes while I was sleeping.  I want to tell him how I feel, but I don’t know if we’re there yet.  I need a sign to point me in the right direction.”

“Maybe you should sleep on it.  I know I slept on something very interesting today.”

“What does that mean?”

“Let’s just say that Adrien’s sweatshirt pocket was rather cozy.”

“I don’t understand.”

The tiny red being shook her head.  “Just look in the pocket.”

Marinette shoved her hands into the front pocket.  (Because she did not want to wake-up her sleeping Kwmai, this was something that she avoided doing for most of the day.)  Her hand brushed against what felt like an index card.  She pinched it between her fingers and pulled it out.

She gasped upon seeing the words written on the card.

“My dearest, Marinette...I fell in love with you the day I met you.  I truly believed that my heart only had room for Ladybug.  Then, I became friends with my sweet, caring classmate who sat behind me, and slowly I found myself loving her, as well.  Falling for Ladybug was like being swept away by a crashing wave.  However, falling for Marinette was like following a stream in the woods, only to find out that it leads to a mighty river.  Both sensations are different, but they are equally as powerful.  Imagine my surprise when I learned that the two girls who took up all the space in my heart turned out to be the same person.  I’m sorry that I didn’t tell you this sooner, but my words have failed me over the past few weeks.  I love every part of you, Marinette.  You have my whole heart, and you always will.”

Her hands trembled, and she felt tears starting to form in the corners of her eyes.  She felt like she was going to laugh, cry, and pass out all at the same time.  The confusing swirl of emotions inside her brain were overwhelming.

“Tikki!” she said breathlessly, “what should I...he love...I can’t…what...I need...do...help?”

The Kwami flew up to her face and brushed the hair out of her eyes.  “I know it’s a lot to take in, Marinette, but you should go talk to him.  Adrien will help everything make sense again.  This is your moment.  You wanted a sign...here it is.”

“I...yes…okay.”

Marinette pulled out her phone and frantically texted Adrien.  She did her best to keep her messages sounding vague.  All she did was ask him if she could come to his room to talk, but when he texted back, her mouth went dry.

“Now is not the time for your speech to stop functioning.  You’ve been doing so well.  Don’t regress...it’s just Chat...it’s your kitty...you can win this battle.  It’s all in your head.  Let your words succeed...don’t let fear win.  He loves you just as much as you love him.”

She took a deep breath, shoved the index card back into the pocket, marched to Adrien’s room, and knocked on the door.  Marinette could feel the tears returning to her eyes as he opened the door.  She did her best to blink them away, but the nervous energy in her gut rendered her efforts useless.

She toyed with the edge of the sweatshirt’s front pocket as she spoke.  “I...I...there...I...can I some din?  I MEAN...can I come in and sit down?”

Adrien’s brows knitted together.  He placed a gentle hand on her back and guided her towards his bed.

Concern flooded his features.  “Bug, you’re scaring me.  What’s wrong?”

She tried to speak, but the words got caught.  Instead of trying again, she pulled out the notecard.

Adrien’s eyes grew wide.  “I can explain.”

She didn’t let him.  Marinette proceeded to read his declaration aloud.  When she was finished, she looked at him with an earnest expression.  However, he didn’t respond.  The room became shrouded with a tense silence.

“Now’s your moment.  Tell him...use your words!”

She gathered all of her courage and asked, “D-did you mean it?”

He nodded.  “Every word.”

“Is this what you were trying to tell me on the bus?”

“Yes.”

Relief washed over her as Marinette pulled Adrien into a tight embrace.  He hugged her back, and she melted into him.

Marinette finally found the right words to say.  “I love you, too, kitty.  I’ve loved you since the day you gave me your umbrella,” she whispered into his chest.

He pulled away from the embrace.  “But...that’s the same day I fell in love with you.” 

“I could barely function around you for years.  Didn’t you ever wonder why?”

“You always denied liking me.  I thought you just wanted to be my friend.”

“No.  I’m just a spaz who couldn’t tell the boy she liked how she felt.”

“Well, I can’t really judge.  Over the past few weeks, I’ve barely been able to talk to you.  Every time I try to ask you out, my brain stops working.”

Everything inside her came to a screeching halt.  “He never stopped loving me...he’s loved me all along.  Why did I ever think that he wouldn’t be receptive to my feelings?”

“You want to ask me out?” she whispered.

He blushed  (and it was adorable).  “Umm...yes?”

“Oh, kitty…”

“Well, I guess there’s no going back now...Marinette, would you go on a date with me?”

“Only if you’ll kiss me.”

“That can definitely be arranged, my lady.”

He initiated the kiss, but the second his lips were on hers, she was lost in a sea of bliss.  Marinette snaked her hands around his neck and toyed with the hair on the back of his head.  When they pulled apart, she immediately found herself wanting more.

She grinned.  “Do you think we could do that again?”

Adrien rested his forehead on hers. ”Will you go out with me?”

”Yes, Chaton.”

”Then yes, we can do it again.  It's nice to know that I'll actually remember the kiss this time.”

”Shut up and kiss me.”

And to her satisfaction, he obliged.

BONUS SCENE:

“WELL! WELL! WELL!” Alya’s voice boomed, causing Marinette’s eyes to flick open, “What do we have here?”

Marinette attempted to sit up, but something was snaked around her waist.  She looked down to see an arm draped over her body.  

The events of the past few hours came rushing back to her sleep-addled brain.  “We must have fallen asleep.”

“Oh, hey, Alya,” she croaked, noticing the phone in her best friend’s hand.

“That’s it?  That’s all I get?”

“Ummm...no?”

“Hey,” Adrien sat up and rubbed his eyes, “what’s going on?”

Marinette turned around and touched his cheek.  “We fell asleep, and now our best friends are here to interrogate us.  I’m pretty sure we’re being filmed, too.”

“Oh, is that so?  How about we give them a show then?”  He pulled Marinette close and gave her a quick peck on the lips.

She giggled.  “Stop...they’re going to use this footage against us one day!”

He looked up at Alya.  “Can I at least get a copy?”

“No can do, Mr. Model.  I’m saving this for your wedding.”  She flashed him a toothy grin.

Adrien turned to his best friend.  “Et tu, Nino?”

The Dj held up his hands in surrender.  “I’m on her side, bro.”

Marinette removed Adrien’s hands from her waist and got up from the bed.  “Alright, everyone.  I think it’s time for bed now.”

Adrien pouted and stood up.  “But we still have an hour before curfew.”

She pulled him into a hug.  “I’m very tired, and Alya needs time to grill me before I pass out.  We’ll have plenty of time to talk tomorrow on the bus and on our date.”

“Date?”

“You asked me out, right?  Or did you want to take that back?”

“Nope!  Not at all.”

She leaned in so their noses were touching.  “Goodnight, Adrien.”

He gave her another peck on the lips.  “Goodnight, Marinette.”

She gave Adrien a little wave as she left the room with Alya.  

Once they were back in their room Alya turned to her and put her hands on her hips.  “Will you finally tell me what’s going on between the two of you? And don’t tell me that was you being his ‘friend’.  Friendship does not look like that.”

Marinette paused to think of a way to tell Alya her story without giving away her secret identity.  She then smiled and sat down on the bed. “Yes, but let me start at the beginning. Sit down because this might take a while.”

AO3

FanFiction

[sasuhinasno1fan]

Saving Adrien- Lukadrien June

I meant to do yesterday but spent tayed up the whole night the day before when I knew I had a 11 am meeting, that I almost passed out during. I got nothing done and passed out at like 5 pm and slept the rest of the night. I will e only doing certain days like I did for MariChat may only because I’m stil getting into the grove of writing for this fandom. I hope this one is good, more pre-lukadrien. Maybe if I had more time I would of expanded. I also hope I didn’t salt Lila to much to not get reblogged. I don’t really like her like most people so I hope I was tame. Enjoy. My Hero

“I got blankets,” Adrien began, stress evident in the quick snap of his tone, “and coffee, and tea in case you don’t like coffee, and a hot water bottle, and several takeaway menus, and Nathalie is on call in case I think of anything else, and-”

Swaddled six blankets deep on the couch, Luka couldn’t even raise a hand. He raised an eyebrow instead. “Just to clarify, is this a kidnapping?” he teased sarcastically.

Adrien paused. “…yes. Yes it is. And because you are my kidnapee, you have to be well cared for. Can’t have a dingy dungeon besmirching my image. Now, do you prefer duck or goose feather pillows?”

Luka let out a laugh. At least he had a comeback. He’d come over to Adrien’s house to get help in physics when his sister mentioned he was. he doing university level physics homework of his own free will. He asked and Adrien offered to tutor him. When he arrive with his latest test, with a high score, Luka suggested they take the day off, which judging from how Adrien was acting, was something he needed.

He was getting to know Adrien better, even though he couldn’t join his friends and classmates at their boat house as often. From what his sister and Marinette told him, it was usually because of his insane schedule and his insanely overprotective father – though he felt like father’s assistant could be added to that list based on how  she grilled him the first time he came over for tutoring.

Usually being in his room, it was like seeing him on the boat house, he looked free and his heart sounded happy. When he arrived today however, stress was radiating for him and the sounds from his heart sounded like an untuned violin. The insane way he was trying to make him feel comfortable added to that fact.

“Adrien, are you alright? You seem a little, stressed. Did something happen?”

“Oh, if you can count having to take Lila as my date to a premier. I don’t go out of my way to hate people, I gave Marinette the worse advice possible but I do think that sometimes people just need time. She got so many people wrapped around her finger, I don’t know what to do. I feel I’m being smothered by her cause I know she’ll try and mess with Marinette again if she doesn’t get her way. She said it would be good for the brand if we kissed and I’d rather kiss an Akuma who’s dangling me off the Eiffel Tower than kiss her.”

“Well, thankfully never had that happen to me but once she gets put in her place, she’ll learn. The lies will catch up eventually and it’s not like you have to actually kiss her.”

“I do since my dad said yes. I’ve begged, I’ve pleaded, nothing. I can’t even suggest Kagami because she’s in Japan to visit family.”

Luka could see this was truly bothering him. From what he heard, Lila wasn’t the nicest person to be around. He knew Chloe was also a lot but from what Juleka explained, she was Adrien’s best friend and would usually try and be a decent person to make him happy. Another tune he could hear from Adrien was hopefulness. Being homeschooled most of his life, the insane scheduled life, it didn’t take a genius to guess that when he was with his friends and his happiest that he hoped it would stay that way. If he felt smothered, there was a chance he would feel like he could lose that. Which was why he said what he did next.

“Would you like it if I went with you? I’m guessing from what Marinette told me about her, she’s the type to arrive by herself and dazzle everyone before pulling out the magic card, aka you. If you come in with me instead, saying that was planned, you’d catch her out on lying.”

Adrien, finally, stopped looking stressed and looked surprised. “What? Really? You’d do that for me?”

“Well I’m passing physics thanks to you and your my friend Adrien. You’re obviously upset and I want to make you feel better.”

a smile, small but smile none the less, grew on his face. “Thank you. This means so much.”

“No problem. I don’t have to wear a tux though, do I? Like my mom doesn’t care about rules, I’m not really a suit guy and I don’t know how quick Marinette could make one for me.”

“In a night probably but you don’t. It’s a fashion line permie for Comme de Garcon. If you know what that is, you in a leather jacket and nice jeans will be fine. Plus Jagged Stone is on the invite list and I hear he’s bringing Fang, so you’ll be fine.”

“Then pick me up on the way and we’ll make the front page together.”

the big smile on Adrien’s face was almost blinding. “We’ll be show stopping. Oh, let me get you out of this cocoon.

                                            _________________

“I know he said you could make a suit in like a day, but I didn’t realise you’re this good.” Luka said as Marinette threw option of what to wear on the bed.

“I did make the award winning feather bowler in a few hours and two CD covers for Jagged Stone in a day, even with getting involved with the whole Akuma incident that day.” Marinette bragged.

“So, you swear you’re not mad at me for doing this for Adrien instead of, suggesting you.”

“I’ve gotten over him Luka. Hard yes, but I had been treating him as an object for most of the time I liked him. He didn’t deserve that and once I took a step back and started treating him as a human, I realised that he’s human. And we’re actually better friends. I’m just glad your doing this for him. He must be so happy to not have to spend a whole night with Lila.” Marinette said as she started to hang up outfit options.

“Yeah. When I offered, he got this huge grin on his face. It was like looking at the sun.”

Marinette giggled. “Alya calls him sunshine boy on her phone.”

“Sounds about accurate. I like him with that smile on his face. The song his heart plays sounds, really happy.” he had this thoughtful look on his face.

“If I didn’t know any better, I’d say that you like that smile of his.” Marinette said airily.

Luka grew up with a sister, who while shy, could still be the stereotypical little sister. He knew that voice.

“It isn’t like that.”

“But you admit he’s cute right?”

“That’s not what this is about.”

Marinette shrugged. “Just pointing it out. I’m just saying that when you talked about his smile, Alya said I had the same look on my face. Alright, pick one.”

“That one, less layers.”

Loose shirt, usual skinny jeans, a favourite leather jacket and black scarf that easily hide itself under his jacket and just made it look like he had a bandana tied to his jeans if people didn’t pay close attention. Marinette had outdone herself again.

“I kinda wish you had one of those large rim hats.” She said stopping him from pulling off his usually accessories.

“Not really a hat person.”

“Can you tie your hair into a ponytail?”

once he did, she pushed him in front of his mirror. “Outdone yourself again Marinette.”

“Yes I have.”

“Luka!” Juleka called from above deck, “There’s someone here for you!”

“Don’t think I’ve heard her scream that loud.”

“You should see her during a horror movie. Thanks again. Get home safe ok?”

“Have fun.”

Another familiar voice he’d hear from his sister. He glared over his shoulder and she gave him an innocent look. She spent too much time around Alya if she was becoming this teasy.

Instead of the usual silver car, there was a limo waiting opposite the gangplank. He ignored the giggling from his sister and her girlfriend as he crossed it and Adrien’s bodyguard opened the door for him. Adrien was dressed to the nines in a classic suit with a smile to match. He could hear a bit of nerves but overall, Adrien’s heart of singing happiness.

“Hey, you look amazing.” Adrien greeted as he climbed in and the door shut behind him.

“Thank you. I asked Juleka for help and she called Marinette. Probably a good idea. She’s got some success under her belt I hear.”

“That she does. The scratch and sniff sticker on the Jagged Stone CD still surprisingly has it’s scent. Thank you again so much for doing this for me. You’re my hero, you have no idea. Also, you were right. My father said that Lila will meet us there. Nathalie is with her to make sure she doesn’t say anything so she has no clue either.”

“it’ll be perfect. I’m glad I could help. You seem happy with this and I’m glad. Seeing you happy is good.”

Adrien got slightly red. “Thanks. I know we don’t know each other that well, but I’m still really happy you did this for me.”

“I’m happy to.”

“So what should our story be? Alec is apparently supposed to be there and he’s about as instant for an interview as Nadja.” Adrien said.

Luka shrugged, “Whatever you want. I’m here to help you.”

“Ok. I’m nervous what Lila might say, but if I can get her to get Marinette back in school, I can do anything. I’m used to outdoing foxes.”

Luka let out a laugh. Soon they arrived, the flashes from the cameras just breaking through the windows. Adrien was on the side closest to them, so with a smile and an out stretched hand, he pulled Luka out of the limo. Like it was natural, Luka rested his hand on Adrien’s waist. The lights from the flash were blinding but he was able to make it over to where Lila stood with Alec without tripping. Even half blinded and stars in his eyes, he could tell Lila was not happy.

“Adrien. There you are. I was just telling Alec who my date was.”

“Oh. Who is it? I’m glad you were able to find someone.”

“She was just telling us it was you.” Alec said, face screaming about getting a scoop.

“Well she must be talking about another Adrien. My amazing tutor here asked me once he was told about the event.” Luka said, putting his hands on Adrien’s shoulders.

“you’re Luka Couffaine, guitar player of Kitty Section. You preformed on TVi on Bob Roth’s insistence. Alec pointed out. “How do you know Adrien?”

“He jams with us when he can and he’s my tutor for physics. The brain on this man is astounding.” he said, letting his head rest on his hand, being as close to Adrien as possible.

“Luka, stop. I’m getting embarrassed.” Adrien said, Luka noticing his ears getting red.

“But you’re so cute when you get red.” he teased.

“Love must be in the air with you two. Lila was telling us you’d begged her to go with you.”

“No, not really. I don’t know what she told you, but I barely talk to her in school. We don’t spend that much time together except for photo shoots but that’s barley. I’m sorry if you somehow misunderstood Lila. Did my dad say something? I could of sworn I told him I was bringing Luka.”

Lila seemed to be grasping for words. Luka could tell this wasn’t a usual thing for her. For some almost evil reason, Luka wanted to make her even more lost for words as he wrapped his arms around Adrien’s waist, his head still resting on his shoulder.

“I’m glad you did. I feel like I barely get to hang out with you. I plan on keeping you close to myself during the show.”

Alec was buzzing and Lila looked pissed. Nathalie thankfully appeared out of thin air before anything could happen.

“Adrien, we have to get inside.”

“Of course. Nice seeing you again Alec. See you at school Lila.” Adrien said, pulling Luka's arms off but still holding on to him as he followed Nathalie inside. She turned with a disapproving look on her face.

“Adrien.” one word seemed to say it all but all Adrien did was shrug.

“I told him I didn’t want to go with her. He should of listened.” wrapping an arm around Luka’s, he pulled them inside to find their seats.

“She didn’t look happy.” Luka said, easily sliding his hands into his jean pockets and still letting Adrien hold onto him. “I hope I didn’t go to far.”

“Rarely see her smile and you’re fine. She was mad and who knows what the rest of the night means but it was worth it.”

They heard screaming and Luka was tugged out of the way and against a wall as a glass door went sailing down the hall were they’d been standing. Adrien was close to him, hands firmly grasping Luka’s arms, breathing almost as heavily as Luka.

“My hero. Are you ok?” Luka asked. He felt his phone buzz as the usual Akuma Alert was sent.

“I’m ok. Come on, we need to get you somewhere safe.”

“Adrien!” he heard from outside. It sounded angry.

“Maybe let’s switch that.” Luka pulled Adrien into what looked like the entrance to the backstage area and led him to the sound equipment. “We can wait here and if they gets close, we’ll hide in the boxes.”

they ducked behind the boxes and Adrien started texting Nathalie.

“She said she’s stuck. I should go find her.”

Luka wasn’t an idiot. After meeting Marinette and Adrien for the first time and meeting Ladybug and Chat Noir after his mom was akumatized, he recognised the songs of their hearts. He knew Adrien was the famous cat in leather. Whether Nathalie needed help or not, Adrien needed to get out there and help.

“Adrien, I’ll go. Just promise me, you’ll be careful ok?” he meant more than just hiding.

“I will be. Go please, she’s near the entrance.”

he nodded and got up, knowing that Adrien would be ok and save everyone, but for a heart wrenching second, hoped he wouldn’t be truly hurt. Or that the Akuma was Lila with a grudge. He wouldn’t forgive himself if anything happened to him before he could transform.