#Nino doesn’t know how to comfort people

[chocostrwberry]

Adrien: My girlfriend became a goddess to save the world and now I have to raise a younger version of the person responsible for this.

Nino: That’s rough buddy.

[aidanchaser]

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to @thequeenofspace! I was your @mlsecretsanta for 2024 and I had a blast working on a little DJWiFi fic for you. I hope you enjoy!

Adrift

Tags: DJWiFi, Scarabella, Nino as Chat, Romance, Fluff, Comfort, Cozy, Identity Reveal Word Count: 1978 Rating: G for General Audiences Beta'd by: @samsimisauser

The living room is dark and empty. Though Alya’s family has gone to bed, Alya is wide awake, as usual. She sits on the small patio balcony, computer perched on her lap and keyboard clicking softly beneath her fingers.

Summer has finally crept in, and Alya has decided she likes Paris summers, when the air is warm and clings to her skin like a sopping towel. It reminds her of home. She’s a bit cool in her thin camisole and pajama shorts, but if she was dressed in anything more, it would break the illusion. 

She rests her laptop on the patio table and pauses her writing to reach for a candle labeled driftwood & sea salt. The wick is still white and slick with wax, unlit because Alya is afraid to burn through the candle, to lose this scent and this memory.

While Alya has some notes on how the candle’s sage oils aren’t quite the aroma of ocean water that she craves, this is the closest she has come to smelling the salty ocean air in the last year. She closes her eyes and takes a deep breath, wishing that sage were more like driftwood, wishing that Paris’s summers were thicker, wishing that home could always feel like home, wherever she is.

When she opens her eyes, a pair of feet dangle above her, clad in black leather and tipped with thin silver bands, curved like a pair of cat’s claws. She only just manages to shove aside the candle as the rest of the black cat superhero drops onto her balcony. To his credit, he looks as startled to see her as she is to see him.

Chat d’Ombre’s hood is low over his face, the goggles over his eyes are tinted green, and despite the loose shape of the hood over his head, the rest of his outfit is tight and trim, with thin green stripes that follow his figure from shoulder to toe.

“Sorry—” he says, and instantly backs away until he hits the railing that walls in the small patio. “I was just out patrolling—Didn’t realize you were out here—I was only—Just on my way—”

“You don’t have to go,” Alya says before she can quite stop herself. She tugs on the gold studs in her ears and, on an impulse she knows she shouldn’t follow, asks, “Where’s your partner?”

“I’m on my own tonight,” he says. “I—the power for the fan in my place went out, so I thought I’d get some fresh air.”

Alya laughs. “This weather is too much for you?”

“It’s <i>hot</i>,” he complains.

“Maybe I’ll update my blog tonight: ‘Paris’s beloved cat superhero’s greatest weakness—humidity.’”

He sticks his tongue out at her, and she sticks hers right back out at him, but the surprise and discomfort have vanished. He perches on the railing of her balcony like its the most comfortable place in the world.

“You don’t normally write about Scarabella and me,” he says, and tips his head to one side, like a cat examining a fish in a bowl.

Alya’s cheeks grow hot, and she wonders if maybe summer is too warm after all. “Well—plenty of other people do. And I sometimes will—you know—report on what they report on. It’s… <i>interesting</i> how they report on us—I mean—our heroes.” She coughs and hopes he doesn’t catch her near slip. “I didn’t know you read my blog.”

Her blog started as a way to chronicle her family’s move from one side of the world to the other. Then it became a way for her to adjust to Paris and invest in it. When she’s not reframing personal anecdotes into insightful narratives, she’s calling for action on Mylène’s latest project or critiquing Mayor Bourgeois’s latest mandates. Nino had once suggested she write about Paris’s heroes, had even suggested the name “The Bella Blog,” but she tries not to write about Scarabella and Chat d’Ombre—she’s too worried she might give herself away.

Chat d’Ombre shrugs. “I really like the way you write about home. And Paris. And the way it, you know, is and isn’t home.”

“Is Paris home for you?” she asks, though she immediately bites her tongue. “Sorry—I suppose you’re not supposed to share identity details with civilians, right?” But that lie tastes even worse that the dread from her question. She’s the one who has insisted on secrecy between them, for the sake of Paris. Personal details about her partner’s home aren’t allowed.

Chat d’Ombre shrugs and slides down from her railing. He stretches his arms over his head, and his back arches like a cat kneading its claws into the carpet. He even flexes his fingers like he’s attempting to make biscuits out of the humid night air. 

“Paris wasn’t always home,” he says, which is gratefully vague enough that she has no new clues to who he is. “I mean, I’ve always lived here,” he says, “but it didn’t always feel like home. It does now, though.” He reaches for one of the iron patio chairs and pulls it closer. He slumps into it, legs straddling the back with his chin resting on the metal curls with their flaking white paint. The light glints off of the green glass guarding his eyes, and Alya wonders, not for the first time, what it would be like to lift those goggles from his eyes, to truly see the boy who would be waiting behind them.

“Do you think that has to do with being a superhero?”

He frowns, as if he hadn’t considered this yet. “Maybe. I think it has more to do with the friends I’ve made.”

Heat pricks on the back of Alya’s neck. “Friends like Scarabella?”

He folds his arms under his chin and sinks his head into the crook of his elbow like a cat settling in for a nap. “She’s a good friend, yeah.”

She rests her elbow on the table and leans into her hand, tipping her head to meet the angle of his eyes. “Just your friend.”

“Oh, sure. We keep it profesh. Besides, I’ve had my eyes on another girl for a while.”

Alya’s heart twitches and she has to swallow down the sudden ache. “‘A while’? You haven’t told her?”

“I don’t think she notices me.”

“You’re literally a superhero. How could she not notice you?”

He smiles wryly. “That’s the thing, isn’t it? I can’t tell her who I am. And how am I supposed to get her to notice who I really am if all she sees is… this.”

“What do you want her to see?”

“I hope she thinks I’m funny. I hope she thinks I’m loyal. Trustworthy, dependable. Caring, cool, confident… even if I don’t feel confident.”

As he says it, she is suddenly aware of the way the clawed tips of his gloves tap anxiously against the back of the chair. He’s nervous—she makes him nervous.

“Do you want me to post a personal ad for you on my blog? ‘Caring, cool, confident guy who can’t reveal his name, seeking…?’”

He laughs, a single silly snort in a burst of humor. But then it settles into something soft. She’s familiar with the teasing arch of his eyebrow and she braces herself for a stupid pun, but instead he says something surprisingly genuine:

“Seeking someone thoughtful, insightful. Someone who sees the world as it is and presents it honestly, but is still optimistic about what it could become.”

Alya responds by blowing a fat raspberry into her palm. “That could be anyone.”

“No, it’s not anyone.”

The chair tips forward under his weight. Alya’s heart pounds in her chest, but she leans forward, too. 

“The thing is, though,” he says, voice low, “if I tell her how I feel right now, I can’t tell her as me.”

“Then don’t tell her anything,” Alya murmurs, and closes the distance between them.

As his lips press against hers, all she can think is that this is what home is supposed to feel like. It’s steady, supportive, and genuine. It’s about trust and commitment. This is her partner, and she wants him to be her partner in everything. 

And if she trusts him with her life every time she dons a magical disguise, why shouldn’t she trust him with her identity beneath that disguise?

He presses back against her, but as he presses too far, the chair slips out from under him and goes crashing to the floor. He goes with it, and so does she, laughing as she falls on top of him.

He winces and rubs his shoulder where he hit the ground. Alya sits up, enough to allow him room to sit beside her. His hood slides off of his head, revealing closely shorn curls and Alya reaches out to brush her fingers against them.

“Does it break the romantic alluring mystery?” he asks with a wry smile.

“I like it.”

“You know this means this is all we get, right? No dates, no holding hands along the riverbank, just… late night balcony visits.”

Alya purses her lips. “It doesn’t have to be.”

“I can’t tell you who I am. Scarabella would murder me and then fire me.”

“Oh, I didn’t realize she was your boss.”

“I mean, she’s not, but she is sort of the one in charge.”

“What if Scarabella told you her identity first? Then you could tell me yours, right?”

“I don’t know if that’s how that works.”

“Ask her.”

“Ask Scarabella if she can tell me her secret identity, just so that I can share my secret identity with the girl I like?”

“Yes.”

“I don’t think she’ll say yes.”

“She already did.”

But Chat’s brow furrows and so, with a wide grin, Alya says, “Tikki, spots on.”

There’s a flash of pink, and when her vision clears, she expects to see Chat d’Ombre staring with perhaps shock or wonder, something romantic at least. Instead, he bursts out into laughter and even falls over.

Scarabella grips him by the shoulders to hold him still, but his laughter persists.

“It’s not that funny! I can be a superhero!”

“It’s not that,” he laughs. “I’ve just—I’ve liked you this whole time and you—I never would have guessed—” In between laughs and hiccups, he manages to spit out, “Plagg, claws in.”

Green light bursts from his ring and washes over him. The fine black leather catsuit disappears, leaving behind a plain t-shirt and a plain boy, no hood or goggles, staring up at her with the familiar silly grin of her best friend.

Alya doesn’t feel like laughing. She only gapes at him. “Nino?”

“The one and only.”

“But—but—” 

But of course he is. His sense of humor, his need for freedom, his casual, gentle, and compassionate approach to everything—if she had not been so distracted by the intrigue and mystery of a boy in a dark hood, perhaps she would have seen it sooner.

His laughter is suddenly lost in worry as her shock fails to clear.

“Is it—is it okay that it’s me?” he asks.

She sinks down on top of him, pinning him to the ground with her whole weight. “More than okay,” she says, and kisses him again.

Home, for Alya, was always the place she felt loved. Safety was not part of it, couldn’t be with storms raging and her father’s wild animals always in the periphery, but love was always part of it, from her parents to her sisters. As Nino slides his hand through Scarabella’s thick, magically finished curls, she merely adds this love to her definition of home. The place isn’t important, neither is the weather.

As Nino said, it’s the friends he made that made it home. And this friendship—because at its core it still is a friendship and a partnership—is the thing that makes Paris home.

[celestiall0tus]

Tales of Bloody Bug and Chat Noir - Chapter 8 - Princess Fragrance

Beginning || Previous || Next

            Adrien sat in science class with a handful of classmates from his homeroom. He occasionally glanced beside him where Luka Couffaine, Juleka’s twin brother, sat. He often tried to strike up conversation with Luka, but between Ms. Mendeleiev and Luka’s quiet self, it wasn’t easy. He wished Luka was in homeroom with him. Perhaps he could attempt to talk with him more. Then he could have another school friend like Nino.

            “Thank you, Rose, but I don’t think our classroom needs extra refreshing,” Ms. Mendeleiev said.

            Adrien snapped from his thoughts. He turned to the back Rose stared up at Ms. Mendeleiev with a deer-in-headlights look. Ms. Mendeleiev headed towards Rose.

            Chloe grinned and turned to Sabrina. “I thought someone packed a tuna fish sandwich but turns out it was just Rose’s perfume.”

            Adrien frowned at Chloe’s remark. He ignored it and looked back as Rose handed Ms. Mendeleiev her perfume.

            “Furthermore, using your phone during school hours is strictly forbidden.”

            Rose sighed. She took out her ear bud, grabbed her phone, and handed it to Ms. Mendeleiev.

            “Now, take the rest of your things and go to the principal’s office.”

            Rose gasped and whimpered. She grabbed her bag and headed out of the classroom.

            Ms. Mendeleiev returned her desk. “Watch what happens when you play about with flammable substances in a chemistry lab.”

            Ms. Mendeleiev spritzed the perfumed into a glass container. She covered a burner with it and pressed a red button. Everyone gasped at the explosion caused by the perfume.

            “Just to make sure you all remember that. I will be quizzing you tomorrow on lab safety … again.”

            The bell rang to signal the end of the hour. Everyone grabbed their things and headed out. Adrien turned to Luka to talk, but Luka was already gone. He sighed and headed out, eyeing the girl group as they lingered nearby. His eye caught Juleka as he considered asking her for advice. Was it right? It seemed wrong to ask someone else, but what else could he do? Surely there was no harm in this one time, right?

            Adrien approached Juleka. “Hey, Juleka? Could I ask you something?”

            Juleka turned and stared at Adrien.

            “Uh, right. Um, so, I wanted to ask you about Luka, if that’s ok?”

            “Why?”

            “I just want to be friends with him like I am with Nino, but he doesn’t talk to me. Is there something I could do to get him to, I dunno, open up?”

            Juleka grimaced. “I don’t know. You’re nice, Adrien, but I don’t think it’s a good idea for you and Luka to be friends.”

            “What? Why?”

            “He’s not exactly, well, comfortable with people. You know?”

            “Uh, no.”

            “Well, regardless, you should just give up. He’s not going to open up to you. Ever.”

            “What? But-!”

            The warning bell ran to signal they had a minute left to get to class. Juleka didn’t say another word and headed off to class. Adrien sighed and followed to the same class.

~~

            Alix walked out of class when the lunch bell rang. She hurried to the exit when she heard a tiny sneeze. She flinched at the noise and ran to the bathroom. She glanced around to ensure it was empty. She took off her backpack and opened it. Her eyes widened seeing Tikki curled up.

            “What’s wrong?”

            “I don’t feel well,” Tikki whispered.

            “What? How? You can get sick?”

            Tikki nodded.

            “Fuck. Shit. How can I help you?”

            “There is a healer. If you go to him, he can help me.”

            “Do you know where he is?”

            Tikki nodded.

            “Good. Hang in there, Tikki. I’ll get you to the healer immediately.”

            Alix flung her backpack back on her and ran out. She stopped at the bottom of the steps to see Rose talking with Chloe. She tilted her head as Chloe held up a pink envelope and shredded it.

            “Hey!” Alix yelled.

            Chloe jumped. She scrambled into the limo behind her as Sabrina closed the door. The limo drove off by the time Alix reached the road. Alix swore and turned to Rose.

            “What’d that bitch do?” Alix demanded.

            “She… destroyed my… letter… for Prince Ali,” Rose whimpered.

            “Chloe had-,” Sabrina started.

            “You were able to dodge me last time, but at this close range, do you want to bet you can again?” Alix hissed.

            Sabrina stiffened. She raised her hands in front of her and ran off.

            Alix snorted and knelt beside Rose. “Hey, it’ll be ok. You can write a new letter.”

            Rose shook her head. “What’s the point? With Chloe there, I’ll never get close to Prince Ali.”

            “Rose, you forget who you’re talking to. It’s me. I’ll set her straight. Meanwhile, you go and write a new letter. Ok?”

            Rose sighed and looked away. She gathered the scraps of her first letter and left.

            Alix grimaced. She slowly stood as she kept her eyes on Rose. She took out an earbud and took off down the street.

            “Tikki, directions, now. Let’s get you help and then I have a brat to do with.”

            “Alix, you can’t. If you-.”

            “Tikki, I don’t want to see Rose akumatized. She’s an annoying creature, but she didn’t deserve that. And you should have seen the look on her face. She was devastated. She’ll be a target for sure.”

            A long pause. “Ok, but not as Bug.”

            “You have my word. Directions?”

            Tikki phased through the bag and wormed into Alix’s cap. Alix turned and adjusted it to give Tikki a peephole as she dashed through the busy foot traffic. They arrived at a small shop for Chinese massage. She headed inside through the building to a room with an open door. She stepped inside to see an old man drinking tea. Her eyes widened as she recognized him.

            “You. You’re that old man that I saved from getting hit by a car,” Alix said.

            “Uh, are you sure? I don’t recall-.”

            “Cut the crap, old man. You can’t fool me. You’re wearing the same clothes as you were that day and I don’t see anyone your age wearing those awful clothes.”

            “I’m afraid you still have me mistaken, young lady.”

            Alix snarled. She ripped off her cap and held out Tikki. She noticed a hint of surprise and recognition seeing Tikki before he masked it.

            “I got you. You know who she is. What she is. You are also the one that can help her.”

            The man sighed. “Very well, young lady. Put Tikki down on the mat.”

            Alix placed Tikki down. She sat nearby while she watched the man work. She shifted her gaze from him to Tikki. Fear worked its way up her as the seconds crawled by and the initial rush wore off. Her eyes darted between the old man and Tikki as he did his work.

            “How much longer?” Alix asked with a cracked voice.

            “‘One who is burning with impatience can never eat hot porridge.”

            “Cut the crap. How. Much. Longer?” Alix demanded.

            “Silence, please.”

            Alix growled and crossed her arms. She tapped her finger on her arm as the old man sat in front of Tikki with his hands over her. A few moments passed before she spoke.

            “Who are you?” Alix asked.

            “Just an old man.”

            “No, you’re not. There’s more to you. No amount of gaslighting will convince me otherwise.”

            “You will learn another time, but not now.”

            “And why not? What are you hiding? How do you know what these kwamis are? Are you the one that gave me Tikki?”

            “You must be cautious, young lady. Curiosity was the death of the cat.”

            “And satisfaction brough him back. My questions may be my downfall, but knowledge is my satisfaction.”

            The old man smiled. He rang his gong once and bowed his head. “We’re finished. Tikki’s health has been restored.”

            Alix’s breath caught. She stared at Tikki until she opened her eyes. She gasped and scooped up Tikki.

            “You’re alright. You’re alright!”

            Tikki smiled and nuzzled Alix. “I’m alright.”

            “Hey, old man? Thank you,” Alix said.

            “You’re welcome, Alix.”

            “Oh, lovely, you know my name. And just what would yours be?”

            “You may call me Wang Fu.”

            “Pleasure. And, you realize I’ll be back later to get my answers, right?”

            Wang Fu laughed. “I’ll await that day, young Alix.”

            Alix nodded and ran off. She checked her phone to see she still had enough time to confront Chloe. She headed towards Le Grand Paris, grabbing a bite on the way. She ran up to the front door that was blocked by one of the male staff members. She rolled her eyes and moved to enter, but he stopped her.

            “State your business,” the man said.

            “I need to see that brat, Chloe.”

            “She’s currently with Prince Ali.”

            Alix checked her phone for the time. She huffed and kicked the man in the crotch. He howled in agony as she ran inside. She made a dash for the stairs before anyone else could stop her. She ran up towards the restaurant floor, assuming Chloe and Ali were there. She burst into the room where reporters were interviewing Prince Ali. She scanned the crowd and spotted Chloe with him before the press.

            Alix dove behind the bar and peeked over. She considered how to separate Chloe from Prince Ali when the elevator dinged. She looked over to see the glass elevator filled with pink smoke. She watched as Rose dressed in a black princess/villain suit, green skin, and long pink hair pulled in a braid like a perfume spritzer stepped out.

            Alix ducked down. “I knew it, Tikki. She’s been akumatized. Dammit, why didn’t she just wait?”

            “Ask her later,” Tikki pressed.

            “Right. Tikki, spots on.”

            Tikki disappeared into the earrings and transformed Alix into Bloody Bug. Bloody Bug took her yo-yo and held it close to her.

            “Lucky Charm.”

            Ladybugs swirled between her and the yo-yo to create a pair of gas masks. Bloody Bug slipped one on while she attached the other at her hip. She took a deep breath and ran in. She threw her yo-yo and snagged Rose’s arm. She pulled on it and yanked Rose closer to her.

            “Bloody Bug!” Chloe cheered.

            “Party’s over, Princess Perfume.”

            “It’s Princess Fragrance!”

            “Close enough!”

            “What are you waiting for? Stop her?” Princess Fragrance roared.

            The paparazzi rushed forward. Bloody Bug grinned as she pulled on her yo-yo, smacking the paparazzi with Princess Fragrance. She laughed as she swung Princess Fragrance around like a weapon to keep the paparazzi down.

            Princess Fragrance screamed. She held her perfume gun up and spat out more of her perfume. Bloody Bug continued to swing her around, unaffected by the perfume, when she was grabbed. She dropped her yo-yo as she was lifted up by Andre, the mayor. She freed herself and landed on the floor, but her gas mask was ripped off by Prince Ali as Chloe stole her other one.

            Bloody Bug held her breath and ran. She crashed through the window and fell. She braced for impact when Chat Noir caught her.

            “I sure caught you between a rock and a hard place,” Chat Noir teased.

            “Get us out of here. Now.”

            Chat Noir looked up at Princess Fragrance as she peered over at them. He nodded and changed course. He landed in an isolated alleyway. He put Bloody Bug down as she scrambled to hide inside a nearby dumpster.

            “I don’t think this is the time for dumpster diving,” Chat Noir remarked.

            Bloody Bug ignored Chat Noir as she slipped inside. “Tikki, spots off.”

            “What are you doing?”

            “I used my Lucky Charm back there, but I was overwhelmed and it was stolen.”

            “Oh, well, what’s the plan, Bug?”

            “We need to attack with masks. If we inhale that perfume, I’m pretty sure we’ll be under Princess Fragrance’s control.”

            “And where’s her Akuma?”

            “At a guess, in her perfume gun thing. I’ve had this hunch for a while that the Akuma is usually in the weapon the villain uses. It’s proven right many times with a few exceptions. So, if push comes to shove, always aim for the weapon first.”

            “Can do, but where would we find her.”

            Alix hummed. “I have a hunch. Pont des Arts.”

            “Why there?”

            “Look, I’ll be frank, I know the girl that was akumatized. Total romance nut, and she wants that Prince Ali. Where else would a romantic want to go than padlock bridge?”

            “Oh! You mean the one where people put love padlocks with their names on them, then throw the key in the Seine? That is so romantic.”

            “Focus, Cat! I’m sure a hypnotized Prince wouldn’t appreciate the gesture as much.”

            “Fair point. Alright, ready when you are, Bug.”

            “Right. Tikki, spots on!”

            Alix transformed back into Bloody Bug. She kicked the lid of the dumpster up and struck a heroic pose.

            Chat Noir snickered. “Mighty heroic, Bug.”

            “Always. Let’s go!”

            Bloody Bug and Chat Noir headed for Pont des Arts. They landed on a nearby building overlooking the bridge. He took out his staff and clicked the pawprint button. A screen popped up and zoomed in on the bridge. She looked over to see Princess Fragrance holding a padlock that emitted perfume.

            “How about that. We have the element of surprise on them. What do you think?” Chat Noir asked.

            Bloody Bug hummed. “I can make us gas masks again so we can get close to her. Just don’t get surrounded by her minions. We may be stronger, but strength of many triumphs tyrants.”

            “Well, what if we destroy the bridge? That will keep her minions at bay so we can focus only on her.”

            “I like the way you think. Alright, let’s do this. Lucky Charm.”

            Ladybugs swirled and created another pair of gas masks. Bloody Bug put one on while Chat Noir took the other.

            “How do we want to do this? Distraction or surprise?”

            “Surprise. I’d rather not risk her catching on. Besides, I’m slippery.”

            “Prove it.”

            Chat Noir grinned. He slipped off the building and snuck his way under the bridge. Bloody Bug watched with the assistance of her yo-yo as he made it under Princess Fragrance and her group. She adjusted and readied her yo-yo as the bridge turned black and crumbled. She threw her yo-yo and caught Princess Fragrance’s arm. She pulled and sent Princess Fragrance flying, separating her from the others.

            “We meet again, your Highness,” Bloody Bug remarked.

            “Not you again! Why are you getting in the way of my happiness? The Prince belongs to me.”

            “No one belongs to anyone!” Chat Noir roared.

            Bloody Bug looked up as Chat Noir pounced and pinned down Princess Fragrance. He restrained her arm with the perfume gun and broke it with his staff. She cried out as the Akuma flew up. Bloody Bug caught and purified it, reverting Princess Fragrance to Rose. Bloody Bug took her gas mask and Chat Noir’s and threw them up.

            “Miraculous!”

            Ladybugs burst from them. They repaired the bridge and everyone placed back on it that were in the Seine. The effects of Princess Fragrance’s perfume vanished from them.

            “What happened? Where am I?” Rose asked.

            “You were akumatized. Had an eye for the prince?” Bloody Bug asked.

            Rose looked away. “I did. I really admire him and his work. I just wanted to tell him that, but Chloe wouldn’t give me the chance.”

            “That doesn’t mean he’s yours,” Chat Noir cut in.

            “What? I’d never think that! Did I say that?” Rose asked.

            Bloody Bug placed a hand on Chat Noir’s shoulder. “You did, but it’s becoming clear to me that these Akumas bring forth our darkest desires. Even if you yourself wouldn’t think that, a part of you seems to. Stoneheart and Mylene, Lady WiFi and Chloe and me, Stormy Weather and Mireille, even Mr. Pigeon and pigeons.”

            Chat Noir snorted. “His one true love.”

            “You certainly aren’t wrong. Point is, be careful to not let your darkest desires become you. In the end, you may… regret the actions you’ve done. And it… it may seem easier to ignore them, but they’re there and everyone else won’t ever forget. So, be careful with them and don’t let them consume you. Understand?” Bloody Bug asked.

            Rose nodded.

            “Good, now let’s-,” Bloody Bug started.

            “Hey, are you ok? You seemed-,” Chat Noir interrupted.

            “I speak from experience. Nothing more.”

            “Do you want to talk about it?”

            Bloody Bug considered. “Tell you want, Christmas holiday, let’s meet and we’ll get the answers we want then. I should be ready by then.”

            “Very well, I’ll wait until then.”

            “Thank you.”

            Bloody Bug and Chat Noir shared a smile before Bloody Bug scooped up Rose. They went down to the bridge where Prince Ali and the others remained. Bloody Bug put Rose down before they headed off.

            “Bloody Bug! Wait!” Chloe cried.

            Bloody Bug paused atop a streetlight. She turned back, smiled, and winked at Chloe. She waved and ran off. She ducked into an alleyway before she transformed back. She caught Tikki and offered a cookie.

            “You ok? Are you feeling alright?” Alix asked.

            Tikki nodded. “You don’t need to worry about me.”

            “Are you sure? You won’t get sick again, right? You won’t… you won’t leave me, will you?”

            Tikki’s eyes widened. “Oh. Don’t worry, I’m fine. I’ll be right here, I promise.”

            A tear fell from Alix’s eye as she cuddled Tikki. “Thank you.”

            “No, thank you.”

            Alix and Tikki stood a few moments longer before Tikki flew into the backpack.

            “Tikki?”

            “Lunch is over, Alix. Time to head back to school.”

            “Do I have to?”

            Tikki phased her head through the bag and shot Alix an angry, disappointed mom scowl. Alix blinked, then laughed.

            “Alright, alright. I’m going.”

[absolutely-normal-about-x]

X’s relationship with the Casketts cause important reasons.

Barrel Casket

It’s sort of complicated on one hand he owes Barrel for taking him in when he found him in nino ruins. Helping him and the guardians to be registered as citizens and the guardians signing up as Diggers (and boy do they have to make the most eleborate story of how the fuck him and the guardians are Volnutt’s family without revealing some…sensitive information) But on the other hand Volnutt isn't really considered a part of the Casketts. He’s just an apprentice so the boy never felt or experienced what it's like to be a part of a family. He respects the old man, having long conversations about topics of archeology, Terra’s history and some philosophy, while having some tea. He sympathizes with him about what happened to roll’s parents and wishes him the best.

Barrel is one of the very few people on Terra that knows the truth about X and the Guardians. Especially X, he’s a literal walking piece of ancient history that dates back before everything! He would obviously ask him a lot about what the world was like before the floods. He answers with reluctance and others with a hard no, there are parts of history that are better off forgotten. But Barrel learned that there are parts of X’s life that he doesn’t want to bring up, so he eventually respected his privacy. On rare occasions X would ask Barrel for any information about Terra’s history and accompinate him on some of his expeditions as an assistant.

Roll Caskett

Being Volnutt’s best friend, he looks out for her as well. Like Volnutt, he mentors her, but in reverse engineering and ancient technology. He’ll often let her talk about how much she misses her parents and comfort her. They fucking love to technobabble when it comes to tech from different eras (Tron does eventually join in) so much that it looks like a whole other language. She reminds him a bit of Alia.

Absolutely gave her a scolding of a lifetime when he learned that she charges Volnutt ridiculous prices for upgrades, then gave her a lecture on the importance of teamwork and maybe selling her inventions to folks who might need them because, technically, she and Volnutt share the money, so he finds it completely unfair that he pays her. So yeah, since then, she just needs proper materials to make upgrades..

[cassiekayscreams]

Adrienette - Jeckyll’n’Hyde AU

Intro/bio post

When Adrien first comes to class, Marinette has a little freak out because she already has pictures of him on her wall - just because they’re fashion spreads she took out of Agreste Magazine, but still. Kinda weird to have pictures of someone on your wall that is now in your class but you’ve never met before.

Marinette’s crush does still develop because of Adrien’s personality rather than being a celebrity crush, though. Origins sort of implies that Marinette really isn’t close with any of her classmates and Alya’s her first friend. I imagine most of the classmates don’t actively have negative feelings towards her, but due to Chloe’s bullying and the fact that Chloe often ropes others into it (Kim), she’s wary of opening up. When Adrien stands up to Chloe for her - something no one else is really doing, and especially impressive since she’s been his only friend for who knows how long - it means a lot to Marinette.

Marinette: Th-thanks for your help…

Adrien: Of course. … Is Chloe always like that?

Marinette: Y-yeah, pretty much…

Adrien: I’ve never seen her act like that before. Of course, whenever we’ve hung out, it’s just been the two of us, so I guess I haven’t seen her interact with many other people.

Marinette: How do you know Chloe?

Adrien: Our parents know each other. She was my only friend for a long time. I can’t believe this is how she’s been treating others the whole time…

Marinette: I’m sorry.

Adrien: No, no, you have nothing to be sorry for. I’m sorry she’s been treating you this way. It’s not okay.

Marinette is awkward, clumsy, and stuttery around everyone. Maybe slightly more around Adrien due to the crush, but not enough of a difference that it’d be notable to others. In fact, as she starts hanging out with Alya, Adrien, and Nino more, she’d start getting more comfortable with them and actually having friends and would become less awkward.

For Adrien’s part, he thinks Marinette is very sweet from the beginning, though obviously quite shy. But it seems like she doesn’t have a lot of friends and, hey, he doesn’t either. As he gets to know her better, he’s pleasantly surprised by her sense of humor, playfulness, and how willing she is to stand up for her friends even if she won’t stand up for herself.

Marinette would gradually catch on that Adrien’s home life isn’t good. She would feel powerless to directly do anything about it (such as confronting Gabriel), but would do what little things she can to ease Adrien’s burden in the only way she knows how. Hanging out with him when she can, bringing him extra sweets and little gifts, letting him hang out at the bakery with her and her parents on the rare occasions he’s allowed to get away from the house and his other responsibilities. When he is stuck at home, they play online rpgs together.

They are both dealing with trauma - Marinette at school and Adrien at home - and they bond over trying to help one another with those. Adrien helps Marinette at school and Marinette helps Adrien outside of school. While they don’t necessarily realize or vocalize it, they know a little of what the other person is going to and want to help them. That mutual connection leads to a deepening relationship.

[imsparky2002]

Lil’ Monsters

Welcome to DuPont Daycare for Little Monsters, run by the zombie, Caline Bustier, and the headless horsewoman, Olga Mendeliev. Here’s a look at all the students that attend, and one naughty guest.

Maridoll: This little voodoo doll loves to make clothes and dolls for all her friends, even Lila! She's painfully shy, and doesn't do much talking, but is learning how to come out of her shell. Marinette is scared of getting booboos, because her friends will get them as well. Though she has a tendency to panic, she gets comforted by her friends, especially Alya and Reshma. She's also very very close with her best friends, Adrien, Kagami and Luka.

Average Adrien: The newest kid in the monster daycare, Adrien is the first and only human. A bright and happy little ray of sunshine who can stop hearts with his smile, he’s excited to learn about all his new monster friends and their families. He’s willing to try anything, but doesn’t always understand the limits he has as a human. His favorite people to play with are Luka, Kagami, Marinette, and of course, his best friend, Nino!

SpectrAlya: Alya is a friendly ghost girl, and her dream is to become a reporter when she's older. She's always carrying a little microphone, with her best friend Nino as her "camwaman". Her family helps her run a little blog about her daycare, and she's always looking for a scoop. Since she's just a toddler, it's easy for her to jump to conclusions without getting the full story. Still, she's a loyal pal and will do anything to help the other kids. She wishes that ghosts would be allowed to haunt, 'cause it seems so fun!

FrankenNino: A friendly and energetic little boy who just wants to help everybody get along, Nino can often be found settling arguments between his classmates…when he isn’t searching for his missing limbs. As Adrien’s best friend, he tells the young human everything he knows about monsters. He also loves to make music with his friends, scratching on his little toy turntables, when he’s not helping Alya by filming for her blog!

Max Steam: He may be a robot, but he's a real sweet kid. Max's got a passion for discovering new things, and to show them to his inventor Markov. He likes to use big words, though he doesn't always get the pronunciation right. Kim's his best buddy, and he loves reading books to the werepup. He's also got to be careful, since his hardware is brand new, and he doesn't like tripping over himself.

Alix Gorgon: A spirited little toddler who is always mouthing off to people, this little Gorgon is a world class smartalec! Only her best friend Nathaniel is able to reign her in. She loves to play with her Greek Monster friends Simon and Cosette, and frequently gets into trouble doing crazy challenges with Lacey and Kim. She adores her snakies, who she frequently talks and sneaks pieces of her snack to!

WereKim: The most energetic little puppy on the planet, Kim loves to play with all his monster tot friends. He can be more than a little rowdy, he loves to howl, wrestle and chase his tail. But he’s also a very sweet boy, who loves to give hugs and affection, especially to Ondine, who he has an adorable puppy love relationship. He’s the goodest baby boy in the world!

Ivan Bumble: A baby yeti who uses his strength and size to protect others from bullies. He loves to wrestle with his sasquatch cousin Denise, and his favorite kid is Mylene, his flower. If you mess with her, there'll be hell to pay. Also gives the best hugs, and has a tendency to throw boulders.

MyLeaf: A little girl with a green thumb, as well as green skin. She may only be a seedling, but she's already got a passion for saving the environment. Mess with plants around her, and you're in for a bad time. Still, she is a very timid child, constantly apologizing for other kids getting tripped up by her vines. Her powers also grow different flowers depending on her moods. Loves playing and snuggling with her yeti, Ivan.

Draculeka: A sweet little vampire who tries her best to be regal and mysterious like her piratey mama and rockstar papa, but who can’t help causing mischief with her brother Luka and her best friend Rosie. She loves to play music on her toy guitar, jamming out in a little band with some of her friends. She also has a tendency to get nervous and angsty at times, but her friends are able to put a fanged smile back on her face!

Luka Cullen: A mellow and relaxed little vampire who loves making mischief with his sister, Luka sometimes gets into trouble for hypnotizing the teachers for pranks! He loves rocking out on his toy guitar, especially in the little band he’s formed with his friends. He especially loves playing for his friends, Marinette, Kagami and Adrien! He’s a sweet boy, but very protective of those he loves!

SkeleRose: This little skeleton has both a heart and hair of gold, always livening up the room. She's the first to raise her hand in class, which is easy when your limbs are detachable, and always goes out of her way to help her teachers and friends. If only she could stop losing her bones. Her favorite pal is Juleka, a little vampire who she loves very much. She's the singer in their band "Monster Smash".

Chloepatra: A somewhat bossy little mummy who fancies herself the queen of the school, Chloe likes for things to go her way. She does have a nice side, which mostly shows when she plays with her friends, even if she argues with her sister frequently. She’s incredibly dramatic, utilizing her mummy powers to make a grand entrance. She’s also know to throw the occasional tantrum, and heaven help you if you wake her up from a nap!

Zombrina: This little zombie is quite the braniac! She shambles around helping kids with homework, assisting her best friend Chloe, as well as Miss Bustier, who's like a second zombie mama to her. She doesn't want to hurt her friends, and is content with just nomming on their heads, and chewing on little pieces of brain for snacks.

Nath Goyle: A quiet and artistic little gargoyle, Nathaniel loves to draw little pictures for his teachers and friends. He’s a bit of a stickler for the rules, always monitoring the daycare to make sure everyone is behaving. He loves to play with his best friend Marc, who often joins him for a fly around the playground.

MothMarc: A shy and timid little moth, Marc is easily startled and upset by loud noises and sudden movements. He spends a lot of time off on his own in a quiet corner. But he’s also a very kind little boy who loves to write poems and stories for his friends, especially his best friend Nathaniel!

NeferZoe: The nicer of the mummy duo, Zoe often has to keep her sister from getting in trouble with other kids. She's a sweet girl who loves her scarabs, helping her sister to take care of them. She's got a mischevious time, loving to shamble around and act scary, but she gives the best hugs. Her best friend is CosetTaur, who she often calms down when the minotaur is angry.

CosetTaur: This little minotaur will only ram you if you’re being bad. Cosette is usually a very sweet girl who loves playing with Zoe, and solving puzzles is her favorite thing to do. It feels a connection with Alix and Simon, since they’re all monsters who were villainized by the Greeks.

Ondine Blue: A cheerful, sweet and bubbly little girl, Ondine is always doing everything she can to make her friends happy. She loves to run around and play games with her friends, and encourage them to take care of the ocean! She also loves to play with her puppy, Kimmy, who she can often be seen snuggling with. Oh, and she actually LIKES bathtime!

DracoGami: This little eastern dragon is one of the most stoic of the group. However, she can be a rambunctious kid, as her strict mother can attest to. She loves playing in the water with her good friend Ondine. Kagami has a problem with sharing, at least when it comes to her treasure. Only her partners, Adrien, Luka, Marinette can grab any without fuss.

AstraRore: Sent to Earth from the planet Boreala, Aurore is here to meet all kinds of new monsters, and she couldn’t be happier! Cheerful and curious, Aurore loves to discover new things and solve mysteries in the daycare. She loves all the new friends she’s made, but her favorite friend is Mireille, the little slime.

SliMireille: A cautious little bundle of slime who loves to hang out with her alien friend, Aurore. She gets very anxious about leaving trails of herself on the floor, and doesn't like the sort of chaos that usually occurs in the daycare. That's why they have all sorts of hiding spaces. She and Aurore love all things science, and especially the weather. They have Nino as their cameraman, and give little weather reports.

Denisquatch: A lively and playful little Sasquatch, Denise is always full of energy. They love to run around and play outside with all their friends, dreading days when rain traps them indoors. They especially with their cousin Ivan and friend Kim, and scooping their cyclops friend, Simon, up for a big hug!

IsmaCat: A mischievous little stinker, Ismael loves to make minor trouble around the daycare. Though he’s often pulling small pranks and snarking at people, his friends love him anyway. At heart, he’s a good kitty and a loyal friend who stands up for people.

Flamecey: She's certainly got a fiery temper, that's for sure. Lacey is quick to anger, so it's not wise to try any funny business at her expense. She's already a little rebel, who hates being told what to do without a good reason. Still she's a cheerful and helpful kid. When it gets cold, most kids huddle around her for warmth. She loves doing dares with her friends, Kim and Alix, as well as causing mischief with Ismael.

OperJean: An enthusiastic and theatrical little phantom, Jean loves to put on performances for all his friends! He can be a little dramatic and emotional, but his friends are able to bring him back to earth. His adorable southern accent makes it a joy to listen the songs he performs with his ‘bandmates’. He especially loves singing for his ‘Grimmy’, the little reaper, Austin T.

Austin Grim: He doesn't want your soul, just a hug! This little reaper is incredibly shy, and worries about being seen as scary by humans. Funnily enough, he can't seem to be scary to other monsters! His favorite person in the world is Jean, and the two love to sing songs together, and go on little adventures. He has a passion for collecting little trinkets, and is said to have the cutest laugh.

SiClops: This little cyclops has an eye for technology. He's the first to ask to play on the tablet, and teaches his friends how to play video games. Him and Max help to fix anything that is broken, and he loves to snark with Nathaniel and Ismael. His bestest friend has to be Denise, who does puzzles with him, and gives the best furry hugs. He, Alix, and Cosette are great friends too, and love going on little adventures and making fun of those old Greeks who villainized them.

Harpy Lila: A shifty little harpy, Lila gets more joy out of nothing than annoying her fellow monster tots. She loves to spook and snatch up her classmates, particularly ones that are easy to scare, like Marc and Mylene. She also loves to cause trouble, and is something of a compulsive liar, though no one ever believes her.

Frightful Felix: A mean-spirited and hateful little boy who gets joy out of torturing and scaring others, particularly his cousin Adrien, and Adrien’s monster friends. He likes to dress up in his Jack-O-Lantern costume and cause mayhem. He wants to be like his uncle Gabriel, following his footsteps in hurting and hunting monsters.

This was an absolute delight to make with Weeby, and we came up with so many fun ideas. You’ll be seeing more of this spinoff that’s for sure. Make sure to check out their main Monstrous AU. Also make sure to reblog, reply, post and ask. @artzychic27 @msweebyness 

[unchataparis]

A Review of Illusion

This endcard highlights Lila and Marinette’s rivalry, look at the contrast of their body language! Marinette is furious, glaring, watching her back, clearly not trusting Lila to not stick a dagger into it; while Lila appears to be filming a perfume commercial. Lila looks peacefully radiant here, and that’s exactly the image she wants others to hold of her. Despite the commotion over Lila’s actions in Season 3 and the hype for her in Season 4, she didn’t appear that much. I hope this wouldn't still be the case in Season 5. Lila is a fantastic character with a lot of villainous potential. If written properly, she could really shine, even more so than she does already.

I like this segment of a newscast interviewing a variety of people on their options of Ladybug’s capabilities (again, Chat Noir has evaporated). Having all the Miraculous stolen from her strikes a huge blow upon Ladybug’s reputation; most Parisians support her, but I bet there are quite a few who’ve lost sufficient faith in her.

Really appreciating the newscast followed by the debate followed by the Alliance ad. Feels very real.

Adrien doesn’t like the Alliance rings because it’s literally his identity stolen from him and commercialised, but Plagg embraces any kind of lazy luxuries like a moth to flame.

"Thanks to the Alliance ring, anyone can make you say anything." What an extraordinarily horrifying concept.

Gabriel, you are screwing up so badly, I can’t even emphasis how badly.

And the famous Agreste kitchen is finally revealed. It looks quite nice.

Hopefully, they can have all the intimate conversations a family can have once night has fallen and the kitchen light is low here.

French toast, the American dub says, over the very obvious animation of a pancake being flipped.

This man smiling is the most disturbing thing I’ve seen today.

Gabriel is almost completely leeched of colour. remember when he used to be blonde? And deeper blue-eyed? It’s like his life is draining out of him.

Gabriel knows he’s dying. He’s making amends.

"I’m not comfortable with my face on these things." "We can spend more time together…but if you want things to go back to the way they were, just say the word." I see that Gabriel has not lost his flair for manipulation. Good on Adrien for bringing up his concerns, but it’s understandable why he won’t push it.

This is such a cool perspective, I don’t think Miraculous has ever done split-screen before. And Alya is wearing the little hip-bag Marinette made for her, even though Trixx isn’t residing in it anymore.

I was watching both screens and the videos playing on their respective Alliance ring/phone. This was cool, the background and facial expression correlates with what they were expressing, it must’ve been difficult to animate.

"La Resistance." "There’s a resistance?" "Not yet, but you can be the first new member if you sign up."The comedy of this exchange in flawless. Good on Nino for not being too burdened by his lack of Miraculous. He was never a permanent Holder like Alya, but he grown Wayzz’s absence quickly.

"You don’t feel weird talking to these things?" "Well, it’s only my image, and it’s allowing me to spend more time with people I care about, like my father, my friends. You." Adrien successfully gaslighted.

This episode is full of great cinematography. The switching shots between Adrien, Alya, and Nino at the lunch table as they discuss the Resistance is quite personable, and really highlights the silliness of the shenanigan they’re involved in. 

"We can tell Marinette and Adrien that we were superheroes, it’s not like we have any Miraculous that Monarque could steal from us." Nino, you are so fired.

Adrien being approached by both Chloé and Lila. Chick magnet.

Lila has an Alliance ring. And her avatar is Adrien. Of course it is.

And now all of Adrien’s fans know where his school is.

Lila alerted Adrien’s fans to his location so that she would be able to spy on the Resistance meeting? She wanted to disrupt the gathering, I guess, get Marinette away from Adrien. And when that didn’t work, when they split off together instead of scattering, her next best bet is to eavesdrop on their conversation.

The way Lila is sitting is so pretty.

Realising from this image that most of the class’ parents have already been revealed. RIP Nathaniel, Nino, Ivan, Rose, and Kim.

This is the most inane plan in Miraculous yet. Inane and hilarious.

Animation error, Gabriel's suit was clean before Adrien dunks on it a second time.

Lila did help Gabriel exponentially. If Gabriel wasn’t Monarque and he wasn’t aware of the plan, he would’ve flown into a rage that’ll make him a prime target for Akumatisation.

They spilled entrée, main, and dessert on Gabriel. Nino should’ve come into the classroom with some beverage. Could’ve completed the course.

"You see, Alya? I’m a curse for Adrien. All this proves is that I’d better stay away from him." Girl, enough with the self-hatred, you didn’t do anything.

Alya being the voice of reason, she proposes that everyone needs to apologise to Gabriel.

Enough with the dramatics.

I have to admire Nino for his rigid, unwavering dedication. If the  situation is already screwed, peel whatever benefits you can from it.

This is a pretty risk plan on Monarque’s behalf. Just one touch and the Mirage would be dispersed. Of course, chances are Ladybug and Chat Noir would just assume the Collector also has the power of illusion but surely the suspicions would start building up. The Collector would have to aim to miss Ladybug and Chat Noir on purpose. The Collector’s teleporting power reminds me of the Spot from Spiderverse.

This man is going to die. The amount of Kwami he’s using is slowly draining him of his sanity and vitality.

Huh, that’s a good plan from Monarque. Joining the battle like this, Chat Noir and Ladybug are going to have some trouble dodging all these tiny butterflies, especially if they don’t even know he’s there.

But the man looks ridiculous. He looks like an army of toy soldiers.

Ladybug realised something is wrong the moment Chat Noir froze. Didn’t waste a second to flounder. Great battle instincts.

Hiding in the sewers wasn’t a good idea after all. Even if the water puddles didn’t give the Monarques’ footsteps away, the echoing would’ve alerted Ladybug to the fact that there were many more people than visible. Being in the streets, aboveground, with the clamour of pedestrians, shine of the Sun, and continuous metropolitan noises would’ve hidden Monarque much better.

Magical bolt of lightning. Huh. Well, sending lightning bolts is a pretty cool power.

The spaghetti got cleaned off.

"In order to do good, anything goes." Thank you, Gabriel. Very wise.

This man could win gaslighting championships – he is really laying it thick this season. It doesn’t even seem cartoonishly exaggerated anymore, I could see actual manipulative parents doing what he does. I don’t think he ever planned to take Adrien out of school in the first place, he just played at enacting that final command, and, of course, overturning this decision and apologising to Adrien about it would grant the illusion that he is a changed and renewed man, when in reality, he’s the same Machiavellian bastard he always has been.

"Père, I don’t want to wear the Alliance anymore, do you mind?" "Of course not." Because the one person Gabriel will never suspect to be Ladybug or Chat Noir is the son that’s 24/7 under his nose.

Starting to wonder what affliction each sauce has with the personality of the named Resistance member. For Lila, Comrade Sweet and Sour is obviously a play on her two-faced personality, but for everyone else? Is Adrien mayo because he's basic? And Marinette is a foundational sort of person that could be built upon?

After analysing Alya and Adrien’s nails, it’s really noticeable how long Lila’s nails are, and they even have French tips! Very stylish, just like her.

This episode establishes the the ordinary folk of Paris, especially the ex-Heroes, aren’t giving up just because they don’t have any more Miraculous, they’ll fight however they can. It’s curious that Nino calls his secret brigade the Resistance, instead of the Patrol, the Anti-Monarque Squad, or the Neighbourhood Watch. The Resistance implies that Monarque has already won, and they’re only struggling against him, trying to prevent him from gaining further ground.

This episode also marks a revolution in Adrien and Gabriel’s relationship. Finally, after seven years of being ignored and belittled, Gabriel has not only reached out to his son but tried to form a genuine connection with him, granting him amenities such as an relief from modelling and small privileges like being able to stay at school for lunch. Gabriel is definitely trying to make amends with Adrien before it’s too late. Unfortunately for Adrien, this miraculous (ha) turn of heart is neither permanent nor truly sincere.

Lila comes onto the playground again, worming her way not only into Marinette’s tight-knit friend group but the very same group of ex-Heroes who are making a stand against Monarque. I’m predicting that, sooner or later, the members of La Resistance are going to realise they’re among fellow heroes, and Lila is going to have some interesting leverage with this information. Whatever movement the Resistance can enact will be nullified by the fact that they have Monarque's double agent in their midst.

[szczekaczz]

thought i might share some books that are important to me or that i found simply very interesting. i love learning what others are reading and maybe it's time for me to return the favor haha

Solo: The Story of an African Wild Dog by Hugo van Lawick. An observation on an AWD pup whose mother was very low in the pack hierarchy. One of my childhood faves. I found it in the local antiquarian bookshop when I was nine or ten and fell in love immediately. I still have very nice memories of it <3

The Last Unicorn by Peter S. Beagle. An unicorn tries to discover what happened to all other unicorns in the world. Also a childhood book. Some of the excerpts are still very close to my heart and I have them memorized after all these years…

The Plague Dogs by Richard Adams. Two dogs escape facility experimenting on animals and try to survive in the wild of the mountains. I have no words for this book. It (together with animated adaptation) literally changed something in my brain and I was never the same. This is also where my love for the tragedy began… It remains the biggest inspiration for my own project of The Lantern Dogs, even though I realized it like a year into working on it haha. It’s so rooted in my brain.

The Death of the Beautiful Deer and How I Came to Know Fish by Ota Pavel. Autobiography and childhood memoir of a mentally ill Czech guy who goes fishing. My copy includes both of these books so I’m merging them here. It was an extremely touching and emotional book for me in my teenhood. I remember having note app full of excerpts from it in my old phone haha plus I always still include this book if someone asks me for reading recommendations.

A Short History of Decay by Emil Cioran. A philosophy book on many things with the biggest focus on death. Okay so this was extremely important for me during high school and it gave me enormous comfort back then. I remember feeling a great peace… Unfortunately my current mental issues prevent me from re-reading it (I tried last year and couldn’t even finish one page lol) but yeah back then it was a source of peace of mid.

Rytm życia [Rhythm of life] by Antoni Kępiński. Essays on philosophy, medicine and biology based on the history of nazi concentration camps in WW2. And this is what brings me peace right now. It doesn’t have any translation and it’s a true shame. I don’t even know how to describe it. It talks about the foundations of all life on earth, how people act in extreme situations, how does the world work after the war, how technology affects our psyche… it’s hard to describe. If I were to ever translate just one book, it would be this one.

Shielding the Flame by Hanna Krall. Based on the interview with Marek Edelman about his memories of Warsaw Ghetto Uprising and later working as a cardiologist. I’m been finding myself very drawn to literature about the reality of the war. This book is very moving. I don’t know what to add here, it’s so important.

The Time of Women by Elena Chizhova. A story of three generations of women in USSR. I read it for my classes last year and loved it… I found the relationships between the characters and their ways of coping with living in harsh conditions the most interesting. During classes some people said that the narration was too complicated but personally I found it very fun and clear tbh.

Hadji Murat by Leo Tolstoy. An Avar rebel has to make an alliance with imperial Russian military. Tolstoy’s prose is as pleasurable as always. I love his use of language and ways of storytelling. I read it last year during a brief vacation in the woods and I’ll always associate it with that peace and quiet…

Ali and Nino by Kurban Said. A story of Muslim Azerbaijani boy and Christian Georgian girl set in the deserts of the Baku. It was recommended to us during the classes on the Russian-speaking Caucasus. The professor advised us to focus on the dialogue between the cultures and religions, how they blend and interact with each other. I also fell in love with the language… it was such a pleasant read.

From predatory behaviour to relationship: looking at dog from different perspectives by Michele Minunno. An analysis on predatory behaviors in dogs, what is their meaning and how they affect relationships between dogs themselves and also humans. Over the years I’ve been studying dogs more closely, I’ve found no one whose thoughts and knowledge on dogs I would respect more than Michele’s. His respect towards dogs and who they are as a person is truly touching to me. I think this book is a nice introduction to his work…

Canine Olfaction Science and Law by Tadeusz Jezierski and others. Everything on dogs’ sense of smell. After searching for so long, I’ve been so happy to finally find a book that talks about the olfactory system in such a detailed and deliberate way. I haven’t finished reading and studying it yet, but I can’t recommend it enough already. I wish I could shove the entire book into my brain forever…

What Is a Dog? by Raymond and Lora Coppinger. Basics on behavioral ecology of dogs based on observations in Mexico, India and Africa. I think this book can be a very nice introduction to ecology in general to people who are not very into biology yet – everything is explained in a very simple and understandable way. I am fascinated with free-ranging dogs of all kinds and I took a great pleasure learning about FRDs in the south.

there are also some books that unfortunately don't have an english translation so i didn't include them (besides Kępiński's one yeah) but there are more </3 but most of them are on pedagogy and are set specifically in poland's reality so it probably would be quite hard to explain their importance to me...

[starryknightwrites]

Safety and Why Adrien’s “Sudden” Crush on Marinette Makes So Much Sense

Season 5 sees Marinette jumping headfirst into a crush on Chat Noir because her faith in a relationship with Adrien has been rocked considerably. She doesn’t trust the strength of their friendship. She doesn’t trust that she’ll make the right decisions around him. The foundation isn’t even there for her to trust his love for her. Their future is fraught with uncertainty.

Chat Noir is her loyal partner. Chat Noir is in love with her. She’s comfortable with Chat Noir. Chat Noir is the safe romantic choice.

While it’s also true that she has gained a newfound respect and loyalty to Chat Noir, she is also rebounding with him pretty hard. Especially after his unwavering support of her in ‘Strike Back’. He is her rock.

Adrien is doing the same thing. Ladybug neglected Chat Noir. He upset Ladybug to her breaking point with his excessive wooing. Every time he has any hope for he and Ladybug, it is abruptly snatched away by Ladybug herself or outside forces.

Marinette is comforting and kind. Marinette is harmless. Marinette has never shown pushiness or aggression toward Adrien. Marinette feels safe- moreso than anyone else in his life besides Plagg- and his trust in her has been building since Season 1.

In ‘Gamer’, Adrien takes an ego hit. He dazzles his classmates by winning against Max- you can see a little Chat Noir coming out in his body language there. Only to be beaten easily by Marinette during their practice session. He laments his insecurities to her and she comforts him by giving him her lucky charm bracelet. This becomes a symbol of their friendship and mutual support and clearly means a lot to Adrien. It’s a comfort. He keeps it on him wherever he goes.

In ‘The Gorilla’, Adrien almost tells Marinette that he is uncomfortable modeling. I’ve seen people saying that his telling her in ‘Risk’ was “unearned”, but the truth is, he felt comfortable enough to open up to her 3 seasons prior.

Marinette takes Adrien to hide from his unhinged fan club in the fountain. She comments on how it’s awesome that he has such a popular ad and he says “I don’t know about that. It’s actually pretty… embarrassing”. He gets distracted by her pajamas and she becomes embarrassed at his wandering gaze. Then his fan club shows up and the chance to further elaborate never comes up, but he was super close to sharing his discomfort around modeling with her in that moment without the effects of Risk.

In ‘Frozer’, Marinette is the first person Adrien asks for advice about Kagami after ultimately deciding against all of the “close” adults in his life. Nino may have been the most obvious choice- but considering Nino’s hopelessness in ‘Animan’, I can understand why he trusted Marinette. And he felt comfortable enough with Marinette as a safe zone to ask her to come along.

In ‘Malediktator’, while the rest of the class is celebrating Chloe’s curt exit, Adrien is extremely put off. When Marinette explained what happened, he felt comfortable enough with her to disagree and to call her out on the “She was useless anyway” comment. I’m not sure what Adrien expected from Marinette after this. He’s used to people either punishing him for disagreeing or just ignoring him/standing their ground. But Marinette feels guilty and takes steps to remedy what happened and bring Chloe back- something he clearly appreciated in the end.

In the ultra controversial ‘Chameleon’, Adrien advised Marinette not to take an aggressive route with Lila and she listens, ceasing to try to expose her (*in an earlier edit, I said it didn’t stick, but I realized her exposure attempts in Catalyst came before Chameleon. Marinette did actually stick to her word.) Compare this to his conversation with Lila in the same episode in which he asks her not to lie to him and warns her about the class turning against her. He’s nice about it and offers his support, but Lila jumps on the defensive and accuses him of ‘playing superhero’. Similarly, when he gives Chloe advice, she won’t even change her ways for more than a day- even under threat of losing her friendship with him.

Lastly, Adrien allows himself to “slip” with Marinette. He trusts that she won’t admonish him for his jokes or “being silly” Marinette is quite silly herself (that’s why they made such a goofy couple in ‘Elation’). She only takes offense to his prank in Puppeteer 2 because she humiliated herself. She even apologizes profusely for the misunderstanding later.

‘Risk’ made clear to Adrien what MLB has been building to for seasons: Marinette feels like a safe and comfortable space for Adrien. His father is cold and controlling. Nathalie is cold and in league with his father. His bodyguard is emotionally distant and silent.  Chloe is pushy and doesn’t listen to him. Felix antagonizes him.  Lila is dishonest and manipulative with him. Ladybug has been a neglectful partner who he secretly reasons only wants him around as far as his miraculous can assist her. Kagami led their entire relationship and he felt uncomfortable challenging her. Nino was fine until Rocketear where he denounced Adrien’s entire alter ego as a useless playboy.

Even the fact that Marinette has never managed to confess properly, is a safety to Adrien. She’s never put any pressure on him. She’s always just been that cute, silly girl who is compassionate with him and stands up for what she believes in. Never controlling. Not at all intimidating. Down to listen. She’s (the everyday) Ladybug without the strife. Marinette is “safe”.

[miraculouscontent]

Anonymous asked:

I don't know about you, but selling the main pairing giving a greeting kiss by having Alya physically stopping Mari from pushing Adrien away is very uncomfortable.

It's like we've traded away AdriChat forcing boundaries in private with nobody to stop him to now making it a group effort to steamroll over every boundary MariBug ever makes. I wish Alya cared more about Marinette's comfort than the ship. It's gonna get to a point where she'll never be able to maintain any boundaries.

Anonymous asked:

So... Multiplication.

I have to say, I was horrified that they went straight from Marinette telling Alya that she did not want to focus on her crush with Adrien, and very clearly, so it couldn't be misinterpreted, to Alya PHYSICALLY PREVENTING Marinette from avoiding an unwanted kiss from Adrien, and not just once, THREE TIMES. Thankfully Ikari Gozen came just before he was about to succeed, because Alya was literally holding both of Marinette's hands down so she couldn't stop him as she had the previous two times.

Anonymous asked:

Don't you just love how casually Adrien is trying to smooch Marinette after realizing he loves her?

I hate that we have to sit here and talk about why it’s wrong for grown white men to write “jokes” about a white boy who can’t take a damn hint and a best friend who will physically hold the female protagonist in place even after she’s made clear that she doesn’t want this.

And naturally the fandom will eat it up and praise Alya for being “a representation of the fandom just wanting Adrien to kiss Marinette already” because Marinette’s agency doesn’t matter as long as The Ship is happening.

Also, just throwing this out there--

- Alya bringing up Marinette’s past attempts of giving up on Adrien (as if Alya wasn’t involved at all in forcing Marinette back in Adrien’s direction) is beyond insulting.

- “It’s just a friendly kiss!” No, it’s not. If Adrien had purely friendly intentions, then not only would Alya/Nino be getting one, but Adrien would’ve been giving them to Marinette before (remember back in “Ephemeral” where we all mocked Adrien for calling Marinette one of his closest friends? yeah).

- If Adrien supposedly loves Marinette so much, then maybe he should be able to use his eyes and see that her rejecting his cheek kiss the first time means that he shouldn’t try it again. This is Season 5, there’s no excuse for this behavior anymore and there hasn’t been for a long time.

- Even if Marinette genuinely wanted to be kissed or whatever, it doesn’t excuse her being physically held in place. At the end of the day, she was rejecting the kiss and had already stated her feelings on how troublesome the Adrien crush had been. Hell, even if she was already in a relationship with him, she should be allowed to not want to be kissed and those feelings should be respected. Even people in real life relationships have moments where they’re just not in the mood for physical contact, which is completely valid.

[chlodriendump]

The Stages of Fake Dating

23-year-old Chloe's about to launch a new make-up collection in 3 months, but a certain incident begins to put a dent in her reputation so her PR manager decides that dating Paris' golden boy would help boost up her image. Meanwhile, Adrien's getting sick of being forced by his father to go on blind dates so he does the only thing he thinks would put a stop to it...agree to fake date his childhood friend (who he hasn't spoken with since high school).

1. The Plan

"Hey, that guy was practically harassing me for a stupid selfie!" Chloe defended as they got out of the elevator.

"Even so, the public seems to think otherwise." Julia, her PR manager, hands her a tablet showing a bunch of tweets calling her names she's heard a lot back in high school.

She sighs. "And you actually think dating someone is the best way to fix this?"

"Not just someone," Julia says, leading her into one of the meeting rooms.

Her eyes instantly land on a familiar face she wasn't expecting to see in person ever again.

"Adrien?" She lifts her sunglasses up to do a double-take and looks back and forth between him and Julia until realization dawned on her. "Oh, for fuck's sake."

2. The Act

"Is that gonna be alright with you?" Adrien, being the gentleman he is, needed her permission.

"Jesus, Adrien, we're not fourteen. Yes, you can hold my hand for this," Chloe assures him, putting her hand out.

"Hey, just want to make sure my girlfriend's comfortable." He teases before taking her hand in his.

"Still Paris' golden boy, huh?" She snorts, trying to mask the fact that something in her stirred when he called her his girlfriend and held her hand. She doesn't exactly know what those feelings are, but resolves not to dwell on it.

"I really missed you, Chlo," he says, smiling genuinely at her.

"I missed you too," she replies, returning the smile.

They continue walking along the sidewalk, pretending not to notice the paparazzi across the street.

3. Getting Closer

"Is it just me or did my father seem too happy when he found out we were 'together'?" Adrien asks, making the other blonde laugh.

After getting suffocated with questions about their 'relationship', they decided to get some fresh air on the balcony.

"He's probably relieved he doesn't have to annoy all his rich friends to set you up with their daughters anymore," she says.

As the laughter dies down, hints of tention and awkwardness fill the air; both having so much to say, but not knowing where to start.

Five years worth of events probably couldn't be covered properly in one night.

"Why'd you stop talking to me?" he blurts out, keeping his eyes on anywhere but her.

"I just wanted to forget high school," she explains. "Fresh start, you know?"

"You could've confided in me, I always got your back," he says, finally looking back at her.

"I'm sorry." It's the only response that seemed right. She doesn't notice that she mindlessly starts playing with one of the many bracelets on her wrists, but he does.

"Is that the one me and my mother gave you for one of your birthdays?" He gently pulls her arm close to inspect it.

"Yeah..."

"You kept it all this time?"

"Of course I did."

For two people who haven't spoken in years, the following conversations certainly didn't make it feel that way any longer.

4. Falling for Each Other

"So, you're buying her this ridiculously overpriced teddy bear because..?" Nino asked, eyeing said stuffed animal that Adrien just picked up from the shelf.

"Because she lost her old one and I'm a good friend," Adrien says matter-of-factly.

"In secret? With no cameras to capture the romantic gesture?"

"It's...personal." Adrien adjusts his hood and shades, looking around to make sure no one noticed him.

"Now, if this was a romcom, remind me again how two people fake dating figure out they caught feelings?" Nino smirks and crosses his arms.

"Well..." Adrien tries listing things in his mind, "They can't stop thinking about the person, they're excited to spend time with them, they do a lot of nice things for them even when it has nothing to do with their fake..."

"Mhmm."

"Shit."

"Yep."

-----

"You're awfully happy to see your phone," Julia says as she enters Chloe's office.

"Shut up, Adrien just texted me something funny," Chloe defends before another giggle escapes her.

"Ah, makes sense." Julia smirks.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Chloe looks at her suspiciously.

"You like him."

"I don't." Her denial only makes the other woman grin.

"I've witnessed the entire disaster that was your love life." Chloe shoots her a glare. "And not once have I seen you smile like that."

"Fuck."

"Yep."

5. Making it Real

"Before this all ends, I just needed you to know that eventually..." He pauses out of fear that she may not want anything to do with him afterwards. "It became real for me."

She takes a step closer to him.

"It was real for me too."

Bonus:

Everyone in the office erupted in cheers after they kiss because they totally knew Chlodrien would end up together after the first month of fake dating.

[carpisuns]

ok im seeing people take this comment as a confirmation of the true selves trope and i have some Thoughts lol

i don't think that was a confirmation that chat noir is actually adrien's "true self" but more an expression of his self-perception

adrien's a model. he's used to posing, literally and figuratively. what he shows on the covers of magazines is not his "true self"—that's the image people want to see, and he knows how to give it to them. it's exhausting to have to play the role of posterchild all the time because that isn't really him

but neither is "chat noir." it's really clear that adrien kind of puts on a persona when he suits up, and he leans into his natural goofiness extra hard because it's fun and freeing. but he also uses that humor to deflect a lot, and he tends to push back his feelings to keep up the fun-loving, carefree facade of chat noir. in a lot of ways, i feel like the mask wears him as much as he wears the mask.

i think maybe adrien doesn't really know what is "true self" is like, because he's never been allowed to just be. he is constantly performing, whether it's as the agreste brand posterchild or the wise-cracking superhero. he says that his goofy side is the "real him" because that's the role he prefers to play, but it's still a role. (he even acknowledges that in weredad when he says he “didn’t think chat noir was marinette’s type”—not that he wasn’t her type, but that chat noir wasn’t her type. meaning that he recognizes that chat is kind of a character he made up for himself, that doesn’t perfectly reflect the person he actually is)

so what is his "true self"? it's not "adrien" or "chat"—it's both. all of us act differently in different situations, but the characteristics that come out in one set of circumstances are still as much a part of us as the ones that are currently hidden. of course, we’re closer to our home base/true self when we’re around people we’re comfortable with, and with adrien we see this probably most strongly with nino and sometimes with ladybug or marinette, depending on the situation. those little moments when adrien gets a little bolder and goofier, or chat gets a little softer, or when he shows his disappointment or his loneliness on either side of the mask—those are signs that he feels comfortable enough with her that he can stop worrying about appearances and just let himself exist, however he feels at that moment.

probably the best example of adrien’s “true self” is how he is when he’s alone (or with Plagg). after all, aren't we our most authentic selves when there's no one to perform for? in those moments when he’s by himself, we see kind of a merging of those two sides of him that he has compartmentalized. he lets himself actually feel and express his emotions, and that helps us see who the “real” Adrien actually is—a sweet, soft boy with a big silly streak and a flair for the dramatic, who cares deeply about his loved ones and who longs to be loved the way he loves.

i feel like the fandom tends to put adrien in a box—either the “model adrien” box or the “chat noir” box, and i honestly think that’s a disservice to his character, which is really beautifully and subtly developed by the show writers. this is one of the reasons why adrien is such a fascinating and lovable character, and i hate to see him stripped down to a single, sparse set of characteristics when he is so much more than that.

[adrinoir]

This isn’t a competition of “who has it worse?”

Okay. So recently, I saw someone talk about how it’s bad that so many people think Adrien gets the short end of the stick when he truly doesn’t.

Um. I just, have some things to say about that statement.

Can we stop comparing their issues as to “who has it worse”? These children both have some pretty bad issues going on, none of which are their faults. They’re pretty equal in that sense. I’ll list what they’ve got going on:

Adrien

Adrien has a terrible home life constantly and it’s not like that’s hidden very well. It’s very easy to see. Does it excuse everything he does? No. I’ve talked about this before, accountability needs to be taken even if something you did was a result of a personal issue you’re dealing with.

But, it does make it hard for him to open up and make friends. And what sucks is that his two closest friends - Nino and Ladybug - lack trust in him.

Nino bad mouthed Cat Noir in front of him and gave away him and Alya’s identities when that’s a thing he was told is not okay. Ladybug keeps Cat Noir in the dark about wayyy too many things, and he realized just how much this past season. So, of course he’s not going to feel comfortable fully opening up to either of them just for that alone. He wants to feel important and validated and neither of them make him feel that way.

The only person we’ve actually seen him open up to is Marinette. He loves her, and as Cat Noir it’s easy to talk to her about things since she doesn’t know he’s Adrien. But even in Risk, it’s shown he’s been wanting to talk to her about things going on, but hasn’t had the courage to do it.

And obviously, Adrien can’t open up to his own father because the man neglects him so much. So, he really only has Marinette. That’s it.

Marinette

Marinette does have nasty, nasty issues and consequences for simply just having a crush on Adrien/Cat Noir and for being an important hero. Being guardian and having her love end the entire world are two big ones.

Marinette is also very lucky to have friends like Alya and her girl squad, and extremely sweet parents at that. However, the fact that it came around to bite her in the ass is awful. Opening up to her best friend shouldn’t have had the consequences that it did. Marinette should be able to open up to Alya and Cat Noir without having to worry about them risking her identity or their own.

There’s this thing people do where they compare issues or even devalue their own issues just because someone else’s are worse. It’s unhealthy.

This show has a problem switching back and forth between making Marinette look bad vs making Adrien look bad. It’s like they want you to favor one character over another. But they both have it pretty bad, despite their issues being completely different.

And in the fandom, it’s one thing to dislike the character - nothing wrong with that - but you’re opening a whole new can of worms when you compare their issues. It’s what I’ve seen people argue over.

I’ve also noticed consequences are given for the wrong things. For example, Marinette losing all the miraculous aside from her own and Cat Noir’s just because she mistook Felix for Adrien was unnecessary. Or, Adrien being kept in the dark just because of Master Fu pushing this idea and the Chat Blanc storyline traumatizing Marinette, also uncalled for.

At this point, it’s a big matter of these two opening up to each other instead of poorly handling their personal issues. Keeping Cat Noir in the dark isn’t productive. Cat Noir acting like his only issue with her was her turning him down isn’t productive. Luckily, the season 4 finale was a step forward.

Man, at the end of the day, I just want these two to be happy together.

[flightfoot]

Perspective From Another Timeline

Thanks to my betas @steelblaidd and Izzybusy!

I ADORE @buggachat new Bakery Enemies AU. This idea just kept on swirling through my head, I had to write it! This is set between parts 13 and 14, so after Adrien meets Alya and Nino but before Marinette starts sympathizing with him. AO3

---------

“You okay?”

Alya shook her head, trying to clear it. “I’ll be fine. I’ve weathered worse than that - we both have.”

Nino grinned at her. “True that.”

Alya smiled at him fondly, remembering Heroes Day. It was a bittersweet memory, with her having been turned against Nino and them both being akumatized. 

But they had fought to protect each other as best they could. She’d seen Prime Queen’s footage, how Carapace had struggled to get her to fight against Dark Cupid’s magic, how he’d only given into despair after she’d given into akumatization. 

“What did that blast do to us?” Nino wondered. “Everyone else the akuma blasted just disappeared. Why’re we still here?”

Alya’s brow furrowed. “I dunno… hold on, let me check to see whether any new info on the akuma’s been uploaded.”

Pulling out her phone, she tapped on the Akuma News Alert app.

An error message popped up, telling her that she had no internet connection.

Puzzled, Alya checked her phone’s other settings. 

No wifi - no wifi even recognized, much less connectable - no cell service, no connection to the outside world at all.

She glanced over at Nino. “Hey, you got any signal?”

Taking out his own phone, he quickly checked his connection. He shook his head. “Not a single bar.”

Frowning, Alya looked around. “Maybe all the cell towers were taken out?”

Everything looked intact though, no sign of any destruction at all.

Something else caught Alya’s eye. “Hey Nino, what time should it be?”

Nino blinked. “Well I mean lunch just started so it should be a little past noon-”

He glanced around, noticing the long shadows and the pinkish-orange of the evening sky.

“-which it clearly is not anymore,” he concluded.

Great. “Guess Ladybug and Chat Noir must’ve taken a while to defeat the akuma,” she said, putting her phone away. “Hopefully my parents aren’t too worried. They like me to text them just after an akuma attack, but right now…?” she gestured to her pocket.

“My folks aren’t as worried,” Nino said. “But they still expect me back home before the sun goes down. They’ll be getting nervous soon.”

Alya let out a small sigh. “So much for playing Super Penguino together.”

“Hmmm…” Nino’s eyes gleamed. “You know… it’s not night just yet. And I’m sure my parents would understand if I was a few minutes late because I grabbed a bite to eat.”

Grabbed a bite to eat? What was Nino hinting at…?

Alya looked around at their location more closely.

Wait… that blast seemed to have carried them to that one park, the one near-

Alya grinned. “I think my parents will forgive me for not calling in if I bring them fresh-baked treats from the best bakery in Paris.”

---

*ring ring*

The scent of freshly baked bread wafted through the store. 

Instantly Alya felt her shoulders loosen up, releasing tension she didn’t even know she’d had. There was just something so warm and comforting about the bakery.

Of course, a lot of that was due to the people running it. Good luck finding more friendly, caring people than Marinette’s parents. Sabine often checked up on anyone who seemed to be struggling or upset (and ready to protect them if they were - Alya had seen the video of the time a TV crew decided to invade Marinette’s privacy), and Tom was basically a giant teddy bear in human form.

But neither of them were manning the counter today.

Instead a young woman stared back at them.

A very familiar-looking young woman. 

“Marinette?” Alya asked cautiously.

The woman stared at her for a minute. “Alya?” she finally asked. “What happened to you?” She paled. “Did a new supervillain attack? Is that why you and Nino are younger?”

Huh. Weirdly scared reaction from Marinette. They’d all gotten used to supervillains by now. She’d expect an older Marinette to take them in stride even more than the current Marinette.

Hm… an older Marinette, a different time of day, and Marinette not seeming to know about the latest akuma attack? 

“Marinette… what year is it?” 

Marinette blinked for a moment. Her eyes widened.

Seemed Marinette understood what she was getting at.

She told Alya the date.

Her hunch was right. “We’re in the future,” Alya breathed.

A wicked grin slowly spread over her face. 

Five years was a long time. A lot of things could have happened. A lot of information could’ve come to light.

Like Hawkmoth’s identity.

Or more information on the Miraculous.

But most importantly right now-

She leaned in close to Marinette, making sure to keep her voice down, just in case someone else was around in the back. “So did you ever get together with a certain blond-haired, green-eyed model?”

“Uh… what?” Marinette asked, looking puzzled.

Alya snapped her fingers. “Adrien. Did you and Adrien finally get together? Ooooh, if you did you’ve GOTTA tell me how the confession went! Or, no, wait, don’t tell me, I want to get the deets at the time. Just let me know how long I’ve got to wait, girl!”

Marinette just stared at her, slack-jawed. “Adrien… like ADRIEN AGRESTE?!” she said, her volume rising with every word.

Alya’s eyebrows flew up. “Um… yes…?”

She’d thought that Marinette would be glowing about finally getting together with her crush, or dejected about still not being able to spit out what she wanted to say to him, downcast over him rejecting her, or maybe even infuriated because he mistreated her and they subsequently broke up.

(The last one was VERY unlikely though. After the Felix debacle, she’d learned to have a bit more faith in Adrien’s good nature.)

Shock at the concept of dating him? Not something she’d anticipated.

Footsteps echoed from behind Marinette.

So one of Marinette’s parents must’ve been in the back-

Adrien popped his head around the corner.

Seemed both he AND Marinette had aged well. 

Not that Adrien looked all that different. Taller, definitely, maybe with slightly messier hair and… were those earrings? They looked good on him.

“Hey dude!” Nino waved at his best friend. “What’s up?”

“Uh…” Adrien said, scratching the back of his neck.

“WOW those outfits really take the years off, huh?” Marinette said loudly, shoving them out the door. “Make you look smaller than usual. Well we better go talk about plans later okaybye-”

She promptly slammed the door behind them, physically pushing them away from the bakery.

After Marinette had dragged them a good distance away, Alya finally got over her shock, turning around and glaring at her. “What was that about?!” she asked Marinette indignantly, hands on her hips. “You know me, I wasn’t going to spill anything to him. That’s why I was talking so quietly! Why’d you have to do that?!”

Nino frowned, seeming more concerned than annoyed. “Adrien looked really hurt by that. Not cool.”

“There’s nothing to spill!” Marinette protested, gesticulating wildly. “I only met him for the first time two days ago!”

*record scratch*

Two-

Two DAYS ago?!

Ok, hold up.

“Adrien joined our collège class the day after I did! He sits in front of you in class! What’re you TALKING about?!”

“Uh… no…?” Marinette tilted her head to the side, befuddled. “I think I would remember that, even if it was a few years back.” 

Alya let out a bark of laughter. “Yeah, no kidding. He would be uh, difficult for you to forget. Heck, even if your memory was erased, you’ve got so much stuff revolving around him, I couldn’t see that lasting long.”

Marinette blushed. “Why do you think I have a crush on him?! He’s HAWKMOTH’S SON!”

“WHAT?!” Alya and Nino yelled in unison.

“Ladybug and Chat Noir defeated Hawkmoth a couple years ago,” Marinette explained, pulling out her phone.

A moment later she held it up, showing a blog post from the Ladyblog.

Oooh, that’s a nice graphical design. I’ll have to look into updating my site, Alya thought.

Turning her attention to the picture, she squinted. “Hey, can you enlarge the photo?” She asked.

Marinette complied, enlarging it and turning her phone sideways, letting it fill the entire screen. 

Gabriel Agreste being led away in handcuffs by the police, with Ladybug and Chat Noir in the background. Ladybug looked satisfied, with maybe a twinge of melancholy, but Chat Noir…

He stared vacantly ahead, seemingly not focused on anyone or anything, a smile on his face - but the most forced one she’d ever seen.

“What’s wrong with Chat Noir?” 

Marinette frowned, looking troubled. “I don’t know. He seemed really, really upset when Hawkmoth was defeated. It was a tough battle, bad enough that neither of them have returned since, but that doesn’t explain why-”

She trailed off, lost in thought. 

A moment later she looked up, meeting Alya’s eyes.

Immediately she waved her hands around, trying to ward off… something. “I- I mean, that’s what I read on the Ladyblog and what I could piece together from video footage, it’s not like I was there, NOPE. I was huddled in my room the entire time. Not like I have any insight into what Chat Noir was acting like during the battle, not beyond what any other civilian would know! That would be ridiculous, utterly ridiculous!” she let out a few forced guffaws.

Alya’s eyebrows flew up.

O...Kay…?

Maybe Marinette had been following Ladybug and Chat Noir during the final battle and hadn’t wanted anyone to know? She’d wondered whether Marinette might have a thing for Chat Noir, but her crush on Adrien dwarfed any feelings she might have had for him. Plus it’s not like Marinette would actually know Chat Noir, unlike Adrien.

Thinking about Adrien…

“He must’ve been devastated,” she murmured. Marinette looked at her questioningly. “Adrien, I mean,” Alya clarified. “Having your father turn out to be a terrorist? I can’t even imagine.”

Marinette buried her face in her hands. “Not you TOO,” she said, her voice muffled.

Nino slowly started edging his way behind Marinette.

“What’s your problem with Adrien?” Alya asked. “Did he do something?”

Marinette glanced away. “Not… exactly… I just… I’m afraid that it might all be an act. That he might’ve been helping Hawkmoth secretly, and… and even if he wasn’t before, that he might just be biding his time, waiting until he figures out who Ladybug and Chat Noir and then BAM!” she slammed her fist down on her other hand. “He takes them out, steals all the Miraculous, frees his father and rules Paris FOREVER!”

Alya reached out towards Marinette tentatively. She collapsed into Alya’s arms. 

Hugging her tightly, she sang a soft nonsense song, rubbing small circles in Marinette’s back. 

She’d done this a few other times since she’d met Marinette, though she’d never thought she’d do it underneath these circumstances.

Whatever these circumstances actually were.

Did everyone have amnesia or…?

“Do you have any big memory gaps?” Alya asked once Marinette’s breathing had calmed down. “Especially from five years ago?” 

Marinette shook her head. 

She’d shelve that theory for now then. More likely it was…

“An alternate timeline, huh?” Alya said.

Marinette looked up at her questioningly.

“That’s what I think this is,” Alya explained. “I WAS thinking that maybe there’d been some sort of mass amnesia, but if you don’t have any memory gaps - and trust me girl, with how involved you were with Adrien, there WOULD be memory gaps - that seems unlikely. I’m betting this is some sort of alternate universe, one where Adrien never got to go to school.”

“I still don’t get why you think there’s something between me and Adrien!” Marinette said. “I mean sure, he’s pretty, but did I really fall for him just for that?” 

Alya shook her head. “Actually, you hated him at first. Chloe’d been bragging about how he was her friend, and with that on top of you catching him trying to remove the gum Chloe’d planted on your seat and mistaking it for him PLANTING the gum… well… both of us just assumed he was a spoiled rich bully, just like Chloe. Luckily that turned out not to be the case.”

“How’d that misunderstanding get cleared up?” Marinette asked. “And how did your Marinette jump from that to crushing on him?”

Alya grinned. Marinette had ranted about this moment to her SO. MANY. TIMES.

“School let out later that day. It was raining and Marinette had forgotten her umbrella, so she hung back a moment, long enough for Adrien to approach her. At first she looked away from him, not wanting to acknowledge his greeting. But then he told you - told her I mean - that he hadn’t done it, promised that he’d just been trying to take it off with such sincerity that she had no choice but to believe it. He opened up to her, even though she’d been shunning him just moments ago. And finally he gave her his umbrella, just because he could. Because it was the kind thing to do. She’s been a goner ever since.”

The Marinette in her arms looked away. “I can see why she might have developed a crush on him. But I still dunno whether I trust him.”

“I don’t know whether I have anything that could convince you on that,” Alya admitted, “especially since this is probably a different timeline, and for all I know he could be evil here. Just make sure that you’re judging him on his own merits, okay? Not who he’s associated with. Not his fault he has so many crappy people in his life.”

“I’ll… take it under consideration,” Marinette said reluctantly. 

Marinette looked from side to side. “Where’d Nino go?”

“Oh, he snuck back into the bakery several minutes ago.”

“WHAT?!”

---

Nino opened the door to the bakery, letting out a small sigh of relief. He really wanted to check in on his best friend, and judging by Marinette’s behavior, she wasn’t exactly keen on him or Alya chatting with Adrien.

Thinking back on what he’d just heard, he frowned. 

He wished he could say that he’d never have suspected that Gabriel was Hawkmoth.

That he didn’t think Adrien’s old man could ever be capable of such evil.

But he knew better.

The guy threatened to withdraw Adrien from school and isolate him from everyone else at the drop of a hat, paid little attention to his son when he was at home, and was a very negative influence on his life in general. He might have been grieving, but… so was Adrien. He needed the only parent he had left.

And instead Gabriel had chosen to respond by becoming a supervillain and terrorizing Paris, endangering his own son in the process.

He really wished he’d gotten to hit Hawkmoth with his turtle shield more. At least he got to relish the smack he got in.

“You’re back!” 

Nino looked towards the voice.

Adrien walked closer to him, a tentative grin on his face. “I didn’t think you’d return so soon!”

“I had to come back to talk to my best friend,” Nino said.

“Best friend?” Adrien asked, blank-faced.

Oh, right. According to Marinette, Adrien hadn’t joined their class. She hadn’t even met Adrien until recently. 

Had some sort of memory-wiping akuma attacked? Wouldn’t have been the first time. 

“Do you know who I am?” Nino asked, pointing at himself.

Adrien rubbed the back of his neck. “Uh… well I know you’re friends with the Ladyblogger and Marinette, and… sorry, that’s it.”

He looked really apologetic, like a dog who’d ripped up a bunch of toilet paper and acted guilty about it once caught.

Hm. If it had been a memory-erasing akuma, maybe he could jog Adrien’s memory…?

And even if it wasn’t, he wanted to let Adrien know that someplace, somewhere, people cared about him. If Marinette’s reaction to him was any indication, he’d need that reassurance. Being looked at with suspicion, having people run from you just because of who your dad was, thinking that you might’ve been involved in his crimes… he couldn’t imagine.

“You joined our class the day after Hawkmoth first attacked,” Nino told him, pulling out his phone.

Adrien shook his head, looking confused. “Uh… no? I wanted to, I REALLY wanted to go to school, but Father-”

He cut himself off, looking away.

“Marinette said the same thing,” Nino told him. “That you hadn’t enrolled in our class, that she’d only met you recently. I don't know what that’s about, whether everyone’s memories were wiped, or an akuma messed with the past, or what.”

Come on, come on, where was it- ah!

He clicked on a photo, one taken a few months ago, holding his phone up so his friend could get a better look.

Adrien squinted for a moment. His eyes widened. “That’s-!”

Nino nodded. “Our class photo. The official one, anyway.” He chuckled. “I liked our unofficial ones better.” Swiping to the side, he showed the new ones the class had taken at the park. 

Adrien’s jaw dropped more with every new photo. He let out an involuntary bark of laughter at the one of himself, Nino, Kim, and Juleka posing. “I- I always wanted to mess around like that at photoshoots,” Adrien said. His voice trembled slightly. “But I wouldn’t be able to get away with it. And that’s mostly fun when you can share it with friends, at least share the picture, and I- I couldn’t. Chloe wouldn’t have appreciated it, and L-”

He cut himself off, shaking his head.

“Luka?” Nino asked. 

He didn’t know why Adrien would know Luka and not anybody else, but he seemed the most likely option.

“Uh…” Adrien scratched the back of his neck, looking away.

Hm, he’d have to see if he had- ah!

“You played in Kitty Section too, with Luka, Rose, Ivan, and Juleka.” Nino explained, clicking on the video. 

Adrien’s hands shook as Nino handed him the phone, watching the mini-concert.

“I- I was allowed to- I got to-” Adrien’s voice quavered. 

“Not at first.” Nino grimaced, remembering how bummed Adrien had sounded when he called him. “Your old man said that Agrestes were soloists, and that we were all bad influences.”

“HE was the bad influence,” Adrien said. A current of anger, of venom ran through his voice that Nino had never heard before. 

“Well I already knew that, even before finding out he was Hawkmoth,” Nino said, making a face. “Dude needed to chill out.”

Adrien snorted. “If he had any ‘chill’ he wouldn’t have decided that becoming a supervillain was the best way to heal my mother.”

Oh.

So THAT was why Gabriel had done it.

He’d just thought it was standard ‘I’m an asshole and want to rule the world while being a jackass to everyone in my life’ behavior.

(He still wasn’t going to rule out that being a factor.)

Nino put a hand on Adrien’s shoulder sympathetically. “At least he’s gone now and you’re free, right?”

“Right,” Adrien said. He didn’t meet Nino’s eyes.

“Not you TOO,” Marinette had said, burying her face in her hands.

As if she found it exasperating that Alya sympathized with Adrien. As if she had expected differently. 

Those worries she’d voiced as Nino had been tiptoeing away, about Adrien helping Hawkmoth, about him lying in wait, biding his time… Marinette probably wasn’t the only one to have that concern. And with Adrien’s face being as well-known as it was...

“You AREN’T free, are you?” Nino asked, eyes wide.

Adrien sighed. “I was as surprised as everyone else when I found out who Hawkmoth was. That someone who’s caused that much harm, that much trauma to this city, lived in my own house.” He clenched his fists, digging into his jean’s fabric. “I could barely believe it… no… I didn’t WANT to believe it.”

He took a deep breath, steadying himself. “I- I only remember snippets from right after his arrest. The police chief talking to me. Riding back to the station. It’s all a blur. Everything felt like I was processing it underwater. It was all so blurry and muffled. Even- even then, though, I could feel everyone’s accusing stares.” “I understand why, don’t get me wrong,” he cut in hurriedly. “Who wouldn’t be suspicious of the son of the terrorist who’s been making everyone’s life miserable for the past four years?” Adrien almost panted with exertion, his eyes wild. “And- and it was happening in my own house! Underneath my nose! I should have KNOWN! I could’ve stopped this!” 

Reaching out, Nino pulled his friend into a hug. 

Adrien stiffened for a moment, before melting into his embrace.

“It’s his fault, not yours,” Nino murmured. “Remember that, dude. He was the adult. He was your parent. Your ONLY remaining parent. I’ve met the guy. And I’ve heard you talk about what he’s like. If you had investigated more?” Nino shuddered, thinking about the disproportionate punishments the bastard had enacted. “And knowing he was HAWKMOTH on top of that? I’m kinda glad you didn’t. Yeah, maybe you could’ve ended things sooner. Or maybe he would’ve hurt you more before you had the chance. I’m just glad you survived.”

“I-” Adrien’s throat sounded tight. “I’m- I’m glad I survived too.”

They stood there for a moment, Nino feeling Adrien’s breath go in-and-out, his heartbeat racing, until it gradually started to slow.

*ring ring*

Adrien and Nino broke up their hug just as Marinette burst through the door, Alya on her heels. She skidded to a halt in front of Adrien - but not quite in time, sending her careening towards the floor.

She never made contact.

“Woah!” Adrien shouted, catching her in his arms.

Nino detected a hint of pink to Marinette’s cheeks before she abruptly sprang to her feet.

“So, uh,” Marinette said awkwardly. “I’m guessing Nino talked to you about some stuff. I mean, of course he talked to you about stuff, because that’s what talking is about. What- what I mean is, what were you two talking about?”

“I wanted to show him how much we care about him,” Nino told her. “Especially since with this… amnesia?”

“I think it’s an alternate timeline,” Alya said. 

“Especially since in this timeline,” Nino continued, “it really doesn’t seem like he had anyone.”

“I had a couple other friends,” Adrien told him quietly, giving a melancholic smile. “But I lost contact with them right after Hawkmoth’s defeat.”

Noticing Nino’s frown, he hastily added, “they didn’t abandon me or anything! They were online friends. One moved somewhere without internet reception, and the other... we never knew each other’s names. But we talked all the time. We chatted, laughed, defeated villains together…”

“In the video games we played, of course!” he added after a moment. He chuckled fondly. “We played as a team. Together, we were unstoppable, no matter what our opponent threw at us.”

Adrien swallowed. “But in the aftermath of Hawkmoth’s defeat, with all the turmoil, with everything that happened… I lost my means of contacting her. I- I don’t know whether I’ll ever get to see her again.”

“We’d promised to meet up after Hawkmoth’s defeat,” Adrien said. His voice cracked. “That- that once it was safer in Paris, we’d finally tell our names.”

His eyes dropped to the ground. “Instead, we lost each other. Maybe for good.”

“I know what that’s like,” Marinette said. She sounded strangely distant. “I had a friend like that too. I cared about him. A lot. Maybe… maybe even as more than a friend.” She said the last part haltingly, as if she’d only just admitted it to herself. “He- he wanted to know who I was. For me to know who he was. But- but I couldn’t do that. Not in Hawkmoth’s Paris. I already cared for him so much it ached. If I was closer to him than that- if I’d accepted his rose- I’m- I’m afraid Hawkmoth might’ve used the strength of those feelings against me. That I could’ve gotten akumatized, or he might’ve, and if we knew who each other was, knew WHERE the other one was… I just… I couldn’t accept that we might be sent to hurt each other.”

“We talked while the final battle was raging,” she continued. “He seemed really upset, more angry than I’ve ever seen him before, but… also kind of sad. I wanted to know what was wrong, but there wasn’t really time to press him. And after that battle he just… disappeared. I knew there was going to be some sort of disruption, but- but I’d thought we’d have more time to talk beforehand, that we’d be able to exchange new contact information. We were cut off before we had the chance.”

“I- I think of him every day,” she said quietly. “Wondering how he’s doing. He was always so positive, no matter what life threw at us. I hope that wherever he is, whatever he’s doing, he hasn’t lost that positivity, that optimism, the ability to see the best in the world and in others.”

“I’m sure he’d be happy to know you cared for him so much,” Adrien said, giving her a warm smile.

Marinette blinked, giving herself a small shake. She turned to Alya. “I dunno whether you’ll remember any of this after the Ladybug in your time restores anything, but on the off-chance you do, is there anything you need to know?”

“Oh!” Alya pulled up some footage. “You told me who Hawkmoth was, but what about Mayura?”

“Mayura?” 

“Who?”

Alya snapped her fingers. “You know, the Peacock Miraculous wielder, the one summoning the sentimonsters! Did she not exist in this universe?”

She pulled up part of the fight against Mayura, the sentimonster Ladybug, and Hawkmoth.

The video ended, she took another glance at Marinette and Adrien.

Marinette seemed to be in shock, staring straight ahead.

Adrien frowned, thinking. “I’d wondered for a long time how Father managed to hide his supervillain activities from Nathalie, considering she was around him most of the time. I thought maybe she was just really good at never asking questions.”

He grimaced. “Looking at that? I’m betting she didn’t ask questions because she already knew the answers.”

“You think Mayura’s Nathalie?” Alya questioned.

He nodded. “Unless something’s different in your universe. My father doesn’t have a lot of associates, and the way he acted around Mayura there, how he was willing to pass up a chance to fight Ladybug for her Miraculous in exchange for catching her… the only people I can think of who he’d do that for are my mother and Nathalie, and mom…” he trailed off.

“I- I didn’t even think about that,” Marinette said guiltily. “I remember reading something about Gabriel having a secretary, but I didn’t think about her much beyond that.”

“Maybe you could ask this universe’s Alya to post something on the Ladyblog, telling Ladybug and Chat Noir she has a lead on who Mayura is?” Alya said. “I mean, I know they haven’t shown up in ages, but maybe that’s just because they haven’t had reason to.”

Marinette winced. “I… really don’t think that’s it… plus Ladybug and Chat Noir never said that someone was helping Hawkmoth. Mayura never appeared, at least in public. I don’t know what we can do about this right now, especially without proof. Maybe if Ladybug and Chat Noir appeared, but…”

She sounded doubtful. Alya was beginning to think that the final battle was even worse than Marinette had alluded to.

She hesitated a moment, before turning to Adrien. “I- I think I owe you an apology. I thought you might’ve been helping Hawkmoth, but… well… I was just judging you by who your dad was. You’ve been nothing but sweet and kind.”

Adrien smiled at her, though it was slightly strained. “It’s fine. I’m used to it. A lot of people in this city have suffered at Hawkmoth’s hands. I don’t blame them for being scared, or angry at any reminders of him.”

“That doesn’t make it RIGHT,” Marinette said heatedly.

Nino nodded. “Dude just because something’s done to you it doesn’t mean it’s justified, or that it shouldn’t be made better. Like with your old man forbidding parties. I didn’t let that stop me from bribing your bodyguard into letting me and the other guys throw a party at your place for you!”

He chuckled, rubbing the back of his neck. “It kinda escalated though. I think half the guys at Paris were partying in your room by the end!”

Alya gave Nino a sideways look. “And ONLY the guys because they ditched us girls while we were planting trees with a lame excuse. Seriously if you’d said you wanted to throw a party for Adrien while his dad was away, you could’ve just told us!”

Nino winced. “Yeah, my bad. At least we got to have fun there for a while before the akuma attack.”

“Akuma attack?” Adrien asked, eyes wide. “But I thought you said Father was gone!”

“He was- OOOOOOOH.”

“Yeeaaaah I don’t think he was actually gone,” Alya said. “You threw a ‘secret’ party in Hawkmoth’s house, WHILE he was still at home.”

Adrien gaped at Nino. “How’re you not DEAD?!”

Nino chuckled. “Lucky I guess?”

*twinkle twinkle*

A familiar red mass flew towards Alya and Nino.

Adrien’s eyes widened. 

“Behind the portrait!” he blurted out, just as the two of them were enveloped by the ladybugs, spiriting them off to whence they came.

It was silent for a moment.

“Do you think they heard?” Adrien asked Marinette.

“I hope so,” she said, looking off in the direction the ladybugs flew.

She turned to him. “I was planning on setting up some hang out time with Alya and Nino later this week. If you’re not busy… would you like to join?”

His smile told her everything she needed to know.

[miabrown007]

Save You a Seat

Alya once read that you should invite random celebrities to your wedding — with the more than likely assumption that they won’t attend, only send you a card and an overpriced coffee machine.

Luckily, the chances of Hawkmoth’s son reading his mail and showing up to the event are microscopic. Marinette will be busy enough trying to get to know the boy behind Chat Noir’s mask — if he does decide to come — she doesn’t need to worry about being able to look Adrien Agreste in the eyes.

Happy birthday @valiantlyjollynightmare!!! Love you and I hope you have the absolute best day! <333

Save You a Seat (4,855 words, Teen)

“Why do you want to invite Hawkmoth’s son to our wedding?” Nino asks warily.

And really, it is a rather sensible question to ask when your fiancé thrusts a stock of wedding invitations under your nose for signing, and one of them reads ‘Adrien Agreste’.

“It’s not like he’ll actually show up,” Marinette shrugs, at this point more to reassure herself than to convince anyone.

“For shits and giggles,” Alya says at the same time, grinning.

Nino sighs as he leans forward on the couch of their new apartment and puts down his cramped letters next to her neat ones. “You want to set him up with Marinette, don’t you?”

“Blasphemy,” Alya says, but she’s biting her lip. “But, hypothetically speaking, would that be so bad? We already know he isn’t a bad guy.”

“That would be a fun first date,” Marinette deadpans without missing a beat. “‘Hi, I’m Marinette, sorry for sending your father to jail, ruining your comfortable life, and putting you through thorough investigation; it’s so nice to meet you!’”

Alya waves her off as if it’s nothing. As if she’d be fine with it if a bunch of vigilantes took her father away from her. As if she doesn’t get pangs of conscience time and time again when Adrien is forced to defend against allegations. (And Marinette knows that isn’t true, but she doesn’t understand how Alya does it, how she is capable of pushing through.)

“His life is good enough; he’s well on his way to becoming a professor of physics. I thought you of all people would know that, with your obsessive note-taking on him,” Alya says.

Marinette would like to interject that she’s only following his life through the news to make sure — that despite everything — he’s doing alright; but she doesn’t have the time because her friend goes on. “But the point is, I read in a magazine that you should invite random celebrities to your wedding. Because their assistant will just send you an outrageously expensive gift along with an apology that they couldn’t make it.”

“So it isn’t like he’ll actually come. No chance of any setups,” Marinette points out.

She folds her arms and stares at the living room’s unpainted wall, pointedly ignoring Alya’s eyebrow-wiggle. You have one asteroid-sized tiny crush on your arch-enemy's son in your teens and your friends don’t stop teasing you about it until your mid-twenties, ridiculous, absolutely ridicul—

“Then how come Chloé isn’t on the guestlist?” Nino asks, his voice much more amused than the situation, in Marinette’s opinion, warrants.

“The same reason we aren’t inviting Gabriel Agreste, either,” Alya says with a roll of her eyes. She takes invitation after invitation from Nino and puts them in their own ivory envelopes. “I want a nice coffee machine, not to have our arch-enemies at the reception.”

Nino nods in mock understanding. “I thought the fact that his ass is stuck in jail for the next 80 years had something to do with it, my bad.”

“I’d love to see those headlines, though. If he did come, I mean,” Marinette muses with a giggle. Her feet are dangling faster over the arm of her armchair. “‘Hawkmoth crashes Rena Rouge and Carapace’s wedding before being handed back to the authorities’.”

“‘Ladybug, the maid of honour, is on a rampage’,” Nino adds.

“Girl, you’d freak at those headlines,” Alya snickers, before she continues, voice too high to be natural. “Oh my god, what are we going to do, Chat Noir wasn’t supposed to find it out this way! And Paris wasn’t supposed to find it out at all! It’s a disaster, an absolute disaster!”

Her laugh is muffled only for a second by a cushion crashing violently against her face, before she doubles over, cackling anew. The trio of laughs bounce around the apartment, reverberating from the empty walls and crashing into boxes always in the way.

“I don’t even sound like that!” Marinette protests, but she doesn’t raise a voice against what Alya said.

It’s true. If Chat Noir doesn’t want to know who they are — no matter how that stings — he isn’t supposed to find out like this.

“Sure, whatever. You are fine suffering in silence until he decides to stop playing the drama queen. I know the drill,” Alya says dismissively.

He isn’t playing the drama queen, Marinette wants to say, but she bites her tongue. Lately, she doesn’t really understand what Chat Noir is up to. He used to be nothing but huge grins at the notion of revealing their identities, but as years went by, he became less and less interested. So much so that when the time came, and Hawkmoth was finally behind bars, he refused to take part in the exchange of identities.

But Marinette doesn’t want any more secrets. She can’t do any more secrets, and he respects that. And so she respects his decision to keep hiding, even when it drives her crazy. Even when she just wants to grab him by the shoulder and yell at him, ‘I love you, you idiot!’

At times like that, she bites her tongue and keeps quiet instead.

Alya raises two neatly sealed off envelopes and flaps them in front of her face meaningfully. “Girl, it’s high time to make some progress. I don’t care which one of them decides to come, but if either of them does, it’s your kwami-given duty to get a date. Am I being clear?”

Marinette is compelled to laugh at that. “Sure, sure, as if.”

[read the whole fic on AO3]

[emtornado]

I'm cancelling majority of Season 4 of Miraculous. INSTEAD...

Oh my gods, I just saw the trailer for 'Hack-san' and I AM SO ANNOYED RIGHT NOW!!!

As far as I am concerned right now, I will accept SOME parts of this season.

Telling Alya? Questionable but okay

Luka getting to know? This will help them in the future cuz Luka is awesome.

Chat getting sidelined? Heartbreaking but okay fine, I'll take it.

ALYA BECOMING LADYBUG? BITCH NO.

This show is about Ladybug and Cat Noir- Marinette and Adrien.

For me, Season 4 right now is gonna be Chat being heartbroken cuz wtf man, his lady is being distant as fuck. Being Chat Noir always gave him a sense of freedom, but now he feels more and more like Adrien as Chat as well, trapped and useless to everyone around him.

So my dude goes and tells Ladybug that he can't do this. It's too much and she has Rena Rouge, Carapace and the others to help her. He is not important anymore, so it'll be fine if he gives his miraculous back to her.

Ladybug is shocked. She never wanted this. The main reason she was staying away from Chat is because of all the mental damage she suffered from Chat Blanc, because them being close, them being in love, basically destroyed the world.

So she sits there and she listens to her best friend (cuz Chat is her best friend, not Alya, fight me Thomas Astruc) say that he is gonna leave her, and she just kinda freezes.

Chat being Chat, sees this and goes to her being like, "Milady are you okay "

and before he finishes, he sees that she is basically having a panic attack and she's not breathing (duh. The number of expectations this kid, YES KID SHE'S LIKE 14, has is heartbreaking and she's been bordering on Anxiety and Depression for too long) and has tears streaming down her face and Chat immediately goes and hugs her and helps her through it (Imma stick to the 5-4-3-2-1 technique cuz its been effective for me).

After that happens they finally show some vulnerability to each other, and Ladybug finally tells him about Chat Blanc and how she's basically traumatised because of it.

Chat is heartbroken.

He never thought that him loving Ladybug could have such drastic consequences, and so he asks her if she wants him away. She could choose another Chat Noir, but this time so the fate of the flipping world doesn't hang in the balance, and after like a few more hours of opening up to each other, they decide that Ladybug and Chat Noir will always be Ladybug and Chat Noir. Best friends, partners and each other's solace.

Nothing else. At least until Hawkmoth is defeated.

And so they both go home, and Marinette is finally at peace cuz her partner is her partner again and she doesn't have to do all the unnecessary crap of having new superheroes in every new episode.

Adrien on the other hand is defeated as fuck. My man is so sad and he doesn't know what to do. He can't talk to Nino about this, he can't talk to Alya about this (they're just not that close, honestly) and he doesn't know what to do.

So, he bribes Plagg with a wheel of Camembert and transforms before going to the one person he trusts as much as he trusts Ladybug (3 guesses who lol)

Marinette is a little surprised to see her partner less than half an hour after having a huge talk with him. Of course, Chat doesn't know that and he just wants a friendly face who he knows will listen to him without an ounce of judgement.

And so Mari invites him in for passionfruit croissants she definitely made for Adrien that morning and makes them both comfortable in her room.

And then Chat talks.

He talks about how alienated he felt, he talks about how scared he is and he doesn't stop talking to Marinette until they're both just wrapped around each other, asleep, leeching off of each other's warmth cuz getting up to take the blanket was just too much work.

In the middle of the night, Plagg detransforms and goes to the other Kwamis to look at these two dumbass kids, who have way too much weight on their shoulders.

As the sun rises, Plagg (after being told by Tikki to 'be subtle for fucks sake, Plagg') gently wakes Adrien up, and Adrien leaves a note for Marinette, thanking her for listening to him, and leaves again.

And then, they go about their days as usual. Go to school, fight Akumas side by side, with a little extra help from Rena Rouge and any other hero, but people in Paris can see that it's The Ladybug and Chat Noir team once more.

And at night if the two heroes spend a little extra time together, as Chat Noir and Marinette, then nobody knows about it.

ON THE OTHER HAND, Alya is getting a little annoyed (just like we did with her lol) and straight-up asks Marinette what was the point of telling her all this if she was just gonna use her as a sidekick and Marinette (who has a lot more confidence considering during day time Adrien boosts her ego, and at night Chat does it) just goes "cuz you are a sidekick...? Your job, along with every other hero I give the miraculous to is to help Chat and me." (is this a little OOC for Mari? I don't care lmao)

Alya bristles and goes on to make a series of bad decisions to prove that she is vital to the tram, but she only adds a lot of drama smh.

OKAY BACK TO CHAT AND MARI. Gods they are SO in love. These two fools really do friends to lovers properly and cutely. Mari unknowingly gets over her crush on Adrien, and develops one on Chat instead, never realising that she fell in love with the same idiot.

And Adrien? Gods, he doesn't know how he never SAW Mari. Funny Mari who always beats him in Videogames and always gives him the best food (cuz gabby is a dick and doesn't feed his son enough) and gives the best hugs and always comes to every single tournament of his to cheer him on and laughs at all his puns and talks to him every night until they fall asleep together, either in each other's arms or over the phone. (If you think Adrien didn't get another phone just so he could talk to Mari as Chat at night and to send her memes during his photoshoot, then you're lying to yourself, bestie.)

And so one night, they kiss.

And everything seems so, so right.

And then they both get an akuma alert so Chat has to go asap, and Mari quickly transforms to meet him. They get there, and Rena Rouge is there, but with different colours and Ladybug and Chat Noir are confused cuz you know.

This is their friend. Their ally.

And then Rena turns around and says,

"Hello, Marinette."

End of Season.

Okay yeah, thanks for reading that. If I ever get the time I'm making this a full fanfic hehe